Politics and Tea

I have been eating this delicious granola in plain yogurt with some fresh fruit and extra honey stirred in, alone with milk, or just a handful as a snack! Drew and I (and Mo) have been eating a whole batch of this wonderful stuff every week. It keeps you full way longer than regular cereal, and isn't as sweet as packaged granola. Plus, with flax and walnuts it packs a good punch of Omega-3's. Make up a batch for your family and an extra batch as a gift for a friend! My Favorite Granola Dry Ingredients 6 cups oats (I use 3c.quick cooking and 3c. regular) 2 cups nuts (I used chopped almonds) 1/2 cup sesame seeds (or other seeds) 1/2 cup ground flax seed 3/4 dried fruit (add after cooking)- dates, cranberries are my favorite Wet Ingredients and Seasonings 1 cup unsweetened applesauce 1/3 cup honey (or agave nectar or maple syrup) 2 T. olive oil 1 T. ground cinnamon 1 T. ground ginger (sometimes I use 2 1/2 T. fresh grated ginger) 1/2 t. salt Preheat oven to 300k Mix the dry ingred...

A Tea Party is coming to Danville. The Commercial News this morning reported that one is being planned to occur a week from Saturday at Lincoln Park. This news obviously got me very excited, so I promptly turned to Facebook to learn more about the organizing group. I was happy to see their mission statement as " Reduced Government, Reduced wasteful spending, Reduced taxation." But then on further examination found that not only are they organizing this tea party at Lincoln Park to advocate these very worthy goals, but also seem to be pleging support and attendence at a Labor Day parade in Westville on Sept.7th with the theme: "Protect U.S. Jobs - Buy American". The philosophical inconsistency is staggering. There is simply no honest way one can simultaneously be for small government and reduced taxation and burdens on free enterprise, and then advocate protectionist measures with a cry of "buy American". I feel really disappointed about this. I thought ...

3 peaches, diced 1/2 red bell pepper, diced 1/2 small red onion, diced 1 small jalepeno or serrano chili, diced 2 cloves garlic, diced dressing: 1/4 c. lemon or lime juice 1 T. honey 1 T. fresh cilantro or mint, chopped salt Make a few hours, or a day, ahead of serving!

My dear husband planted me a beautiful garden, but wonderful guy got overzealous on zucchini, and I have been using zucchini in every dish practically every meal. Here are my absolute favorites, that we have been eating over and over again. I suggest you try both! Zucchini Quiche 1 8oz tube crescent rolls 2 tsp mustard 1 8oz pkg cream cheese 4 c. thinly sliced unpeeled zucchini 1 c. chopped onion 1/4 c. butter 2 T. parsley flakes (or fresh basil or parsley) 1/2 t. salt, 1/2 t. pepper 1/2 t. garlic powder (or fresh chopped) 1/4 t. oregano 4 eggs- beaten 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (swiss is also good) Saute zucchini and onion in butter. Add seasonings and cream cheese to hot veggies, let sit for a few minutes until cream cheese can be mixed in. In large bowl, beat eggs. Stir in cheese and then fold in zucchini mixture. Arrange crescent rolls in an ungreased pie pan. Press edges together to make crust, spread with mustard. Pour in egg mixture and back at 375 for 25-30 minutes. BLACK ...

The bills for Lucy's birth have been pouring in. With our bank account dwindling, it is so easy to see why the majority of people are on the side of universal "free" coverage. Even with insurance, the birth will still cost us thousands. But I understand the costs associated with the care that we received, not the least of which is the cost a medical facility has to pay to just bill customers. Think of all the personnel involved in that! And they are not exactly getting paid minimum wage. I can complain about the delivery room, the use of which cost us approximately $1,000 per hour. Or the recovery room, which cost $100 per hour. Or the synthetic oxytocin that they billed me for, even though I didn't have any, since I didn't even have an IV. But these things aren't what make me angry. The price that I paid for the actual 'skilled' care provider, the Nurse-Midwife, is what, to me, is so demonstrative of what is wrong with health care. The minimum charge ...

Ok so I don't really know the legal implications of writing out this article, I am probably violating copyright, but that's what the News-Gazette gets for not posting this in their online edition. Anyway, I very obviously have no life so here is the article, retyped for all! "Insecure agents tax letter writer's patience" by Jim Dey 8/1/09 News Gazette __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ ___________ This letter originally appeared in the July 17 edition of the News Gazette: Not long ago, I had the opportunity to observe how our tax dollars are being spent while on a trip to the Illinois Department of Revenue in Springfield. I would like to share with you that experience as we approach another huge tax increase that our leaders claim is necessary. Before we cut vital services, I suggest people pay a visit to the Illinois Department of Revenue or some other state agency there. I arrived in mid-afternoon at that multimill...