So here's another one of those recipes that I made up and didn't want to forget ... I know they maybe aren't as interesting as other things that are going on in my life, but I don't want to forget how to make something this good (and that my husband liked so much)!
The back story to this recipe is that someone posted on a Wymount community Facebook page that they had an extra head of lettuce that they wouldn't be able to eat before it went bad, and asked if anyone wanted it. I replied, saying, "Yes! I'd love it!" So we arranged a time and I went to their apartment to pick it up. When I picked it up, the couple that gave it away said, "Sorry it's so small; you can make a salad or something out of it." It was smaller than most heads of lettuce that I was used to, but didn't think anything of it until after I was on my way back home. I looked at the head of lettuce, and lo and behold! It was cabbage! I had to laugh a little to myself. I had a pretty hard time telling the difference between lettuce and cabbage the first time I was looking for lettuce, and I think I remember Austin getting cabbage once at the grocery store when I asked for lettuce. The thing that really made me laugh, though, was thinking of that poor couple trying to eat tough cabbage in a salad as if it were lettuce!
When I got home, I posted on the thread about the "lettuce" that it looked like cabbage, and that knowing that might help the couple eat it before it went bad. I said it in a nice way, of course.
So after this incident, I had some cabbage on my hands that I needed to use up. I also had some ricotta cheese in the fridge left over from the last time I made lasagna. I guessed there must be a way to cook them in the same recipe. I did an internet search for "cabbage ricotta cheese recipe" and found this recipe, which I based the following recipe on (I think I improved it!).
Cabbage Lasagna Casserole
12 oz pkg of garden rotini
1/2 lb ground beef
2 T canola oil
1 small head of cabbage, cored and chopped
1/2 large onion, diced
15-20 oz ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2-3 oz Parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper, and garlic to taste
Brown ground beef at medium-high temperature in medium large saucepan. Drain off excess fat; add onion and cabbage, then add oil (you use the oil to replace the fat from the beef because animal fat contains a lot of saturated fat, which clogs your veins. Canola oil is one of the healthiest vegetable oils out there). Add about 1 t salt, 1/4 t garlic, and 1/2 t pepper; saute over medium/medium high heat until cabbage is cooked through. You may like more or less of any of these seasonings according to your taste.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 deg F and cook pasta according to package directions; drain pasta.
In a 13" x 9" glass baking dish, combine ricotta, eggs, and Parmesan. Mix in pasta, then cabbage mixture. Sprinkle top of mixture with a thin layer of Parmesan and add some mozzarella on top to make it look melty. Bake in 350 deg F oven for 30 minutes; serve and enjoy!
Showing posts with label Funny. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Funny. Show all posts
Monday, February 10, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Awk-ward!
Early in the morning a few days ago, I went outside with Levi to play. He immediately ran to the playground, and I sat on the low concrete wall surrounding the playground to watch. I immediately felt the cold of the concrete on my unsuspecting posterior. I looked down, checking for pants. Yep, they were still there. I felt kind of silly, but at the same time, it had been as if there was nothing there between me and the concrete.
About 10 minutes later, some other mothers came out to the playground with their children. By this time, I was sitting on a bench that although cold, was nothing like the cold of the concrete wall. Another mother was sitting on the bench with me, when one mother started to sit on the concrete wall nearby. I invited her to sit on the bench with me and the other mother, saying, "I know how cold it is over there on the concrete, you should come sit on the bench--it's warmer." We made space and she came over, thanking us.
Then I said it.
I said, "Yeah, I sat on the concrete earlier, and I had to check that I was still wearing pants it was so cold!" No one laughed. No one even said anything commiserating with me about how very cold the concrete was. There was just this awkward silence while I realized that I had said something socially taboo around these parts. Then they changed the subject.
Now, I don't know about you, but when I say something socially awkward, I think about it for days (or months, or if it's really bad, even years) afterward. So I've been thinking about this, mostly about how I just should've stayed quiet. But just this morning, I realized that the main people that I've heard jokes like this from are my mother, her brothers, and my maternal grandmother. I have Scotch-Irish ancestry on that side, and I wonder if my forebears have been making jokes like this through the eons of time. I know when I watch movies set in Scotland, they frequently have jokes like this. So maybe this is a manifestation of my Scottish heritage. Ha!
About 10 minutes later, some other mothers came out to the playground with their children. By this time, I was sitting on a bench that although cold, was nothing like the cold of the concrete wall. Another mother was sitting on the bench with me, when one mother started to sit on the concrete wall nearby. I invited her to sit on the bench with me and the other mother, saying, "I know how cold it is over there on the concrete, you should come sit on the bench--it's warmer." We made space and she came over, thanking us.
Then I said it.
I said, "Yeah, I sat on the concrete earlier, and I had to check that I was still wearing pants it was so cold!" No one laughed. No one even said anything commiserating with me about how very cold the concrete was. There was just this awkward silence while I realized that I had said something socially taboo around these parts. Then they changed the subject.
Now, I don't know about you, but when I say something socially awkward, I think about it for days (or months, or if it's really bad, even years) afterward. So I've been thinking about this, mostly about how I just should've stayed quiet. But just this morning, I realized that the main people that I've heard jokes like this from are my mother, her brothers, and my maternal grandmother. I have Scotch-Irish ancestry on that side, and I wonder if my forebears have been making jokes like this through the eons of time. I know when I watch movies set in Scotland, they frequently have jokes like this. So maybe this is a manifestation of my Scottish heritage. Ha!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
LOL! Online gaming as a woman, Part II
So you probably remember my first post about online gaming and getting lots of friend invites right after I made an account with the user name keighdee lady (just trying to rhyme here, folks!). Here is another adventure!
So I'm just going around and minding my own business in the game when all of a sudden I get a personal chat from another player that I've never encountered before, saying, "Will you be my girlfriend?"
Yes, it was THAT brazen. Just out of the blue and not even following the usual game etiquette for making friends--playing at least one game/level before sending a friend request, or at least knowing SOMETHING about the other person.
At first I wasn't sure what to do or say. Then I said in public chat, "lol I'm married." There were a couple of people in the public area that responded, obviously a little stumped by my out-of-the-blue statement. There were at least two people that said something like, "Haha that's so funny," or "lol, marriage is a funny thing."
The person that asked me to be his girlfriend, obviously feeling sheepish, said, "Sorry ma'am," and exited the scene. Poor kid. He was probably some middle- or (young) high-schooler that didn't know much about social norms. He was probably very shocked to have hit on a married woman instead of a single teenage girl ... hehehe.
So I'm just going around and minding my own business in the game when all of a sudden I get a personal chat from another player that I've never encountered before, saying, "Will you be my girlfriend?"
Yes, it was THAT brazen. Just out of the blue and not even following the usual game etiquette for making friends--playing at least one game/level before sending a friend request, or at least knowing SOMETHING about the other person.
At first I wasn't sure what to do or say. Then I said in public chat, "lol I'm married." There were a couple of people in the public area that responded, obviously a little stumped by my out-of-the-blue statement. There were at least two people that said something like, "Haha that's so funny," or "lol, marriage is a funny thing."
The person that asked me to be his girlfriend, obviously feeling sheepish, said, "Sorry ma'am," and exited the scene. Poor kid. He was probably some middle- or (young) high-schooler that didn't know much about social norms. He was probably very shocked to have hit on a married woman instead of a single teenage girl ... hehehe.
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| Image from this site |
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Disaster Averted!
During a quick bathroom break, I realized that I had left my chair close enough to the table that if Levi climbed up on it, he'd be able to access the things on the table. I also hadn't pushed in my chair. My first thought was of the cup of water I'd left on the table. Levi loves drinking out of regular cups, but he's not very good at it. I do give him opportunities to drink out of cups, but I always supervise him or give him just a little bit at a time.
Sure enough, I soon heard the sound of the cup coming down heavily on the table (one-year-olds aren't really that great at fine motor control), followed by a satisfied, "Ahhh!" Levi had found my water.
Then, in a moment of terror, I realized that my computer was also on the table, just inches away from the water! My knowledge of a toddler's difficulty with fine motor control suddenly changed the situation from cute to desperate. I washed my hands in record time and ran to the table in time to find Levi peacefully playing with the keyboard while my half-full mug of water was safely relegated to the uninteresting part of the table. Whew!
Sure enough, I soon heard the sound of the cup coming down heavily on the table (one-year-olds aren't really that great at fine motor control), followed by a satisfied, "Ahhh!" Levi had found my water.
Then, in a moment of terror, I realized that my computer was also on the table, just inches away from the water! My knowledge of a toddler's difficulty with fine motor control suddenly changed the situation from cute to desperate. I washed my hands in record time and ran to the table in time to find Levi peacefully playing with the keyboard while my half-full mug of water was safely relegated to the uninteresting part of the table. Whew!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Levi being cute
Yesterday when Levi and I were walking (yes, Levi was walking, too) to the car from our apartment, we heard some people come out of their apartment behind us. Levi stopped and turned around to see what was going on, and we saw two young African-American men (probably college age; we live really close to Georgia Tech) approaching us. Levi was very interested to see what they were going to do, and just stared.
Of course I started to get uncomfortable that my child was so rudely staring, so when Levi lifted his hand (probably to point), I said, "Are you saying hi?" and then to the men approaching us, "Hi!"
Levi caught on to that and said, "Ai!" in his breathy little toddler voice. The young men smiled, waved, and said "Hi," back. They were obviously enchanted by Levi's adorable cuteness.
At this point, Levi decided to say hi again, but didn't give them a chance to get a word in edgewise. It went kind of like this:
"Ai."
"Ai."
"Ai."
"Ai."
"Ai."
At this point, I said, "He only knows one word," and the young men laughed. I could tell they thought Levi was really cute.
As they passed us, one of the young men held out his hand and said, "Gimme a five?" Levi tentatively put his hand on top of the palm and quickly drew away. The man was delighted that Levi was comfortable enough around him to give him a five and chuckled as he said bye to Levi.
What a fun experience!
Of course I started to get uncomfortable that my child was so rudely staring, so when Levi lifted his hand (probably to point), I said, "Are you saying hi?" and then to the men approaching us, "Hi!"
Levi caught on to that and said, "Ai!" in his breathy little toddler voice. The young men smiled, waved, and said "Hi," back. They were obviously enchanted by Levi's adorable cuteness.
At this point, Levi decided to say hi again, but didn't give them a chance to get a word in edgewise. It went kind of like this:
"Ai."
"Ai."
"Ai."
"Ai."
"Ai."
At this point, I said, "He only knows one word," and the young men laughed. I could tell they thought Levi was really cute.
As they passed us, one of the young men held out his hand and said, "Gimme a five?" Levi tentatively put his hand on top of the palm and quickly drew away. The man was delighted that Levi was comfortable enough around him to give him a five and chuckled as he said bye to Levi.
What a fun experience!
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| It's an unrelated picture, but seriously, who can resist the cuteness??? |
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Yummy food and yucky pictures
Once upon a time, I made some soup and it was A-MAY-SING. Seriously, it was SO good! I wanted to remember how I'd made it, so I decided to write down the recipe. I knew my blog would be a place I'd be able to find it again, so I wrote it up and published a post with the recipe for this delicious soup.
Unfortunately, I also thought it'd be a good idea to take a picture of it and put it on the blog. Big mistake! Just look at how unappetizing this soup looks:
Yeah, sure, I guess it looks okay. However, the inspiration for the picture came from my friend who does a food blog. Her pictures look like this:
And this:
And she takes these pictures with a camera just like mine! Well, someone has a natural talent, and it's not me. It makes me laugh whenever I think that my picture would be anything as yummy-looking as hers. Anyway, check out her blog! She shares fun stories with each of her recipes and tips on what may or may not go wrong. She does more than just soups, too, of course. I just used hers because they're a better foil for my picture.
Unfortunately, I also thought it'd be a good idea to take a picture of it and put it on the blog. Big mistake! Just look at how unappetizing this soup looks:
Yeah, sure, I guess it looks okay. However, the inspiration for the picture came from my friend who does a food blog. Her pictures look like this:
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Zuppa Toscana |
And this:
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| Southwestern Chicken and Corn Chowder |
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Levi makes funny noises
Levi recently discovered how to make fun and interesting noises by interrupting the air flow from his mouth with his hand. He is SO cute. Observe:
PS the mess in the background is all from Levi. You'd be surprised at how quickly a kid can get a room that messy, if he has enough "toys"!
Monday, July 16, 2012
I dreamed a dream...
Last night I had a very strange dream. This is what I dreamed:
-Levi could climb up and down the stairs easily. In the dream, I dreamed it was something that he must've been doing already and I just happened to notice when I was dreaming. I am SO GLAD that it was only a dream! I would hate to have to worry about him falling down the stairs!
-My sister Rachel found a mansion floating on a lake, and commandeered it for my family's use--meaning my dad and his wife, my siblings and I. I don't remember Levi or Austin being there; I guess I was just visiting. We had to anchor it, and then went inside to explore. That was a really fun and interesting part of the dream!
-Levi could climb up and down the stairs easily. In the dream, I dreamed it was something that he must've been doing already and I just happened to notice when I was dreaming. I am SO GLAD that it was only a dream! I would hate to have to worry about him falling down the stairs!
-My sister Rachel found a mansion floating on a lake, and commandeered it for my family's use--meaning my dad and his wife, my siblings and I. I don't remember Levi or Austin being there; I guess I was just visiting. We had to anchor it, and then went inside to explore. That was a really fun and interesting part of the dream!
-Then I went shopping. That was weirder to me than finding a mansion on a lake. I've dreamed about exploring mansions before, but I've never dreamed about shopping until this very morning. While I was shopping:
-I dreamed that my cousin Alyssa was the most popular model at the store I was shopping at. Alyssa is very pretty, but to the best of my knowledge, she has zero interest in being a model. If I remember correctly, that was part of her appeal as a model. (What the random?!?!)
-I dreamed that I tried on some dresses, and that I'd decided to buy them because they were really cute. It was at this point that I woke up, and when I woke up, I was incredibly disappointed! I was so sad that I didn't have the dresses that I'd decided to buy. That part of the dream experience was also very foreign to me. I don't expect to be disappointed that I don't have extra clothes. Oh, well! Maybe being a mom is feminizing me :)Dreams are fun, and I don't usually remember mine, so now you get a peek into my nighttime ideas!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Kid discovers freckles for the first time...on my arm!
As many of you know, I have freckles, and I have a lot of them. They are most prominent on my arms, especially in the summertime. Recently I was asked by a little girl (about 5 years old, I think) what they were. The exchange went kind of like this:
Little Girl (L.G.) [looking at my arm]: You have spots!
Me: I sure do! They're called freckles.
L.G.: What are they?
Me: I told you, they're freckles [short pause while L.G. looks like she still wants to know what they are]. Um, basically they are places where my skin tans a lot. The rest of my skin isn't very good at getting a tan.
L.G.: Oh. Like a tiger???
Me [laughing inside]: Well, yeah, kind of like a tiger!
L.G.: COOL!
I've never experienced a kid finding out what freckles were for the first time, so this was fun!
Little Girl (L.G.) [looking at my arm]: You have spots!
Me: I sure do! They're called freckles.
L.G.: What are they?
Me: I told you, they're freckles [short pause while L.G. looks like she still wants to know what they are]. Um, basically they are places where my skin tans a lot. The rest of my skin isn't very good at getting a tan.
L.G.: Oh. Like a tiger???
Me [laughing inside]: Well, yeah, kind of like a tiger!
L.G.: COOL!
I've never experienced a kid finding out what freckles were for the first time, so this was fun!
Monday, June 11, 2012
What kind of library IS this?!
I love libraries. I love all the books! I love that there are soooo many books to choose from. I love the organization that's inherently part of a library (my mind has an analytical bent). I love that I don't have to spend money to find and read a good book. I love that if a book isn't good, I didn't pay for it in order to read it. I love that I don't have to carry all those books around with me when I move. I love being able to watch a movie without renting it, especially if I don't think I'll ever watch it again. I love that I see and check out books that I never would have read if I hadn't gone to the library in the first place. I love that I can expand my horizons.
One of the first things I do when I get to a new place is get a library card and check out some books from the local library. So it was when I got to Indianapolis. Within the first month of being here, I found the closest branch of the library to me and got a card. I was interested in non-fiction and biographies when I went the first time, and I found them pretty easily. The biography section is smaller than I'm used to since this is just a branch, so I looked on the other side of the shelf and was surprised to see a "Classic Fiction" section. The rest of the fiction was on the other side of the non-fiction section. I didn't think about it since I was in a hurry to leave. I went to check out the books and was a little thrown off when the self-checkout had me scan each book manually. And then the computer prompts me to put a date due card in the pocket in the back of the book. What? I thought these were phased out 10 years ago! (ok, maybe more like 6 or 7, depending on where you're from. But seriously? I was essentially just doing what the librarian would be doing 10 years ago!) So I put the date due cards in each book that I check out and head home, eager to enjoy my new finds.
Fast forward a couple of weeks. I'm returning my books, and looking forward to getting new ones. I tried to reserve some books before I came so I could be in and out quickly, and also so I could be sure to get the books I wanted, since I was just going to a branch of the main library. However, I couldn't because I didn't know my PIN, and they didn't tell me one when I signed up. I had assumed I didn't have or need one because of their old-school self-checkout, but their website told me I needed a PIN to put books on hold. Here's what happens when I get to the library to return my books:
Me (thinking): I'd love to read some Anne of Green Gables books. They're pretty universal, so a small branch might have them. I'll go over here and check the juvenile section first, since that's where I've seen them the most. [checks] Hmm, I guess they're in the adult section, or maybe this branch doesn't have any.
I go to the adult fiction area, and see that the fiction is separated into several categories: fiction, Western, mystery, and sci-fi/fantasy. I decide to check the general fiction first. It's a very small section, and I don't find the book I'm looking for. Oh well, guess I'll have to reserve it. While I'm looking at the Westerns, I notice another section: paperbacks. What? ... Turns out the paperback section has the same divisions as the other sections, but even less of each division. To put it into perspective, all of the paperback section fits onto the shelves of one side of one aisle. It took me a while to figure out how the paperbacks were organized, because the alphabet kept starting over. Finally I noticed the itty-bitty labels indicating which section was which and proceeded with my search. I found one Anne book, and it wasn't the one I wanted. I looked around for a while, but only found two books that looked appealing before Levi let me know that he was ready to go home. I thought this whole paperback section was frustrating, since I had to look for every book that I wanted twice.
I get to the checkout counter, and decide not to do self-checkout this time since I'm holding a baby. Here's my conversation with the librarian:
Me: So I'm curious. Why do you have a separate paperback section?
Librarian (with lots of enthusiasm): Oh! It's great, let me tell you about it! Each individual branch of the library has their own personal budget to get books that stay at just that branch.
Me: Oh, really? (thinking) and you only get paperbacks that look like they cost you $0.50 each?
L: Yes! So you actually won't see this on your account when you sign in online. The way it works is that wherever you turn it in, all the books have this one special bar code that indicates to other branches that it's our personal copy. Since all the books have the same bar code, there's no way we would know which book you checked out. (this last sentence is how I interpreted what she said; it's probably not what she actually said)
Me: Whoa, wait. People are on the honor system when it comes to checking out these books?
Librarian (looking uncomfortable): Well, yes. .... But it's a great system!
Me: oh, yeah. I didn't get a PIN when I got my library card.
L: Oh, those are easy to forget! I'll get you one so you can sign the back of your card.
Me: (oh dear) Um, no, I meant P-I-N.
L: Oh! it's just the last four digits of your library card number. I would suggest not changing it because you'll forget it. And if you forget it, then the IT guy has to go through all the PIN's to find it. He's really busy, so I'd suggest just keeping the one we assigned you.
Me: I think I'll change it.
L: No, really, it's better this way. We've been doing this for a long time, and haven't had any problems [turns to other librarians at the counter] How long have we been doing it this way?
Others: Oh, something like 5 or 10 years.
L: See?! We've been doing it this long, you have nothing to worry about!
Me (thinking): And how many other people/companies/institutions have waited to get good security until they've been seriously compromised by a malicious hacker?
At this point, I give up. Whatever, they won't be convinced. And after all, it can't be very hard to crack a 4-digit PIN, even if it is encrypted. I'll just have to be sure that it's not the same one I use for my credit card.
Several days later, I've finished my two books and I'm back at the library (I have a lot of time to read while I'm feeding Levi). I've put a few (8) books on hold, and 3 of them are already ready for me to pick up! Lucky for me, I remember the classic fiction section of the library tucked away in the back, separated from all the rest of the fiction by several aisles of non-fiction. I go to the back, and start scanning the section. Most of it's pretty predictable: lots of Charles Dickens, some Bronte, some Dante. However, when I saw Douglas Addam's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I started to wonder. There were a couple other books in there that I thought shouldn't be considered classics, even though good. Including The Princess Bride. Seriously! That book was written in the '70's! It's not old enough to be a classic! By the way, all the books in the above picture were in the classics section, except the one that's open. That was one of the ones on hold for me.
So. I still love libraries, and this one can't get rid of me even if it doesn't make sense. But how did the head librarian think the organizational system was a good one???
One of the first things I do when I get to a new place is get a library card and check out some books from the local library. So it was when I got to Indianapolis. Within the first month of being here, I found the closest branch of the library to me and got a card. I was interested in non-fiction and biographies when I went the first time, and I found them pretty easily. The biography section is smaller than I'm used to since this is just a branch, so I looked on the other side of the shelf and was surprised to see a "Classic Fiction" section. The rest of the fiction was on the other side of the non-fiction section. I didn't think about it since I was in a hurry to leave. I went to check out the books and was a little thrown off when the self-checkout had me scan each book manually. And then the computer prompts me to put a date due card in the pocket in the back of the book. What? I thought these were phased out 10 years ago! (ok, maybe more like 6 or 7, depending on where you're from. But seriously? I was essentially just doing what the librarian would be doing 10 years ago!) So I put the date due cards in each book that I check out and head home, eager to enjoy my new finds.
example of the date due card
Fast forward a couple of weeks. I'm returning my books, and looking forward to getting new ones. I tried to reserve some books before I came so I could be in and out quickly, and also so I could be sure to get the books I wanted, since I was just going to a branch of the main library. However, I couldn't because I didn't know my PIN, and they didn't tell me one when I signed up. I had assumed I didn't have or need one because of their old-school self-checkout, but their website told me I needed a PIN to put books on hold. Here's what happens when I get to the library to return my books:
Me (thinking): I'd love to read some Anne of Green Gables books. They're pretty universal, so a small branch might have them. I'll go over here and check the juvenile section first, since that's where I've seen them the most. [checks] Hmm, I guess they're in the adult section, or maybe this branch doesn't have any.
I go to the adult fiction area, and see that the fiction is separated into several categories: fiction, Western, mystery, and sci-fi/fantasy. I decide to check the general fiction first. It's a very small section, and I don't find the book I'm looking for. Oh well, guess I'll have to reserve it. While I'm looking at the Westerns, I notice another section: paperbacks. What? ... Turns out the paperback section has the same divisions as the other sections, but even less of each division. To put it into perspective, all of the paperback section fits onto the shelves of one side of one aisle. It took me a while to figure out how the paperbacks were organized, because the alphabet kept starting over. Finally I noticed the itty-bitty labels indicating which section was which and proceeded with my search. I found one Anne book, and it wasn't the one I wanted. I looked around for a while, but only found two books that looked appealing before Levi let me know that he was ready to go home. I thought this whole paperback section was frustrating, since I had to look for every book that I wanted twice.
I get to the checkout counter, and decide not to do self-checkout this time since I'm holding a baby. Here's my conversation with the librarian:
Me: So I'm curious. Why do you have a separate paperback section?
Librarian (with lots of enthusiasm): Oh! It's great, let me tell you about it! Each individual branch of the library has their own personal budget to get books that stay at just that branch.
Me: Oh, really? (thinking) and you only get paperbacks that look like they cost you $0.50 each?
L: Yes! So you actually won't see this on your account when you sign in online. The way it works is that wherever you turn it in, all the books have this one special bar code that indicates to other branches that it's our personal copy. Since all the books have the same bar code, there's no way we would know which book you checked out. (this last sentence is how I interpreted what she said; it's probably not what she actually said)
Me: Whoa, wait. People are on the honor system when it comes to checking out these books?
Librarian (looking uncomfortable): Well, yes. .... But it's a great system!
Me: oh, yeah. I didn't get a PIN when I got my library card.
L: Oh, those are easy to forget! I'll get you one so you can sign the back of your card.
Me: (oh dear) Um, no, I meant P-I-N.
L: Oh! it's just the last four digits of your library card number. I would suggest not changing it because you'll forget it. And if you forget it, then the IT guy has to go through all the PIN's to find it. He's really busy, so I'd suggest just keeping the one we assigned you.
Me: I think I'll change it.
L: No, really, it's better this way. We've been doing this for a long time, and haven't had any problems [turns to other librarians at the counter] How long have we been doing it this way?
Others: Oh, something like 5 or 10 years.
L: See?! We've been doing it this long, you have nothing to worry about!
Me (thinking): And how many other people/companies/institutions have waited to get good security until they've been seriously compromised by a malicious hacker?
At this point, I give up. Whatever, they won't be convinced. And after all, it can't be very hard to crack a 4-digit PIN, even if it is encrypted. I'll just have to be sure that it's not the same one I use for my credit card.
Several days later, I've finished my two books and I'm back at the library (I have a lot of time to read while I'm feeding Levi). I've put a few (8) books on hold, and 3 of them are already ready for me to pick up! Lucky for me, I remember the classic fiction section of the library tucked away in the back, separated from all the rest of the fiction by several aisles of non-fiction. I go to the back, and start scanning the section. Most of it's pretty predictable: lots of Charles Dickens, some Bronte, some Dante. However, when I saw Douglas Addam's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I started to wonder. There were a couple other books in there that I thought shouldn't be considered classics, even though good. Including The Princess Bride. Seriously! That book was written in the '70's! It's not old enough to be a classic! By the way, all the books in the above picture were in the classics section, except the one that's open. That was one of the ones on hold for me.
So. I still love libraries, and this one can't get rid of me even if it doesn't make sense. But how did the head librarian think the organizational system was a good one???
Thursday, March 29, 2012
My Pudding Predicament
A couple weeks ago, I made instant pudding for the first time. For the first time! Yes, somehow I managed to live 25 years without once making pudding. Instant pudding, nonetheless! Anyway, I made the pudding (it is SO easy) and it was delicious! And that is how I discovered that I really like pudding.
So I decided to experiment. The first pudding that I made was Oreo pudding. We had it as dessert for a meal with some friends. Next, I decided to try out pistachio pudding. It was good, but I thought the little bits of nut in it were kind of out of place. Austin wouldn't even taste it, though, because it was green (evidently it looked really weird, heh. :).
To make up for the weird pistachio pudding, I made chocolate pudding, since anything chocolate is Austin's favorite. I thought it was good and very chocolate-y, but I tend to like variety in my chocolate (for example, plain chocolate ice cream is ok, but put some cookie bits in, or caramel, or bits of wafer, or maybe some nuts, and I just yum that up!). I decided to try it with fresh strawberries. It was a success! I ended up eating most of the pudding because I liked it so much. Austin was very disappointed when he came home from school and no pudding was left.
Well, I thought if I made vanilla pudding, Austin wouldn't be so disappointed if I ate all of it. I found out really quickly that I do not like plain vanilla pudding. It's so ... boring! and it's way too sweet all by itself. So I tried it with strawberries, but it just made the strawberries seem tasteless. Then I had the bright idea to squeeze some lime juice in the next batch of vanilla pudding I made and see if that improved it (I did the same with some vanilla ice cream and it was DIVINE!).
I thought that I should probably mix up the pudding first so the juice wouldn't interfere with the thickening process. After the pudding was soft-set, I squeezed that juice in and boy, was it good! I was delighted! I had fixed vanilla pudding!
Now here's my predicament: I wanted that pudding to be just a little bit thicker, so I put it in the fridge. An hour or so later, I decided to try it. I did, and found to my dismay that the pudding was no thicker than when I put it in the fridge! And it even seemed a little bit thinner, but I hoped that was just my mind playing tricks on me. Well, I put it back in the fridge to see if it would be better after sitting in the fridge a little bit longer. WRONG! The next day, I tried it again, and that pudding was not pudding. It was sweetened milk. That pudding had the same consistency as milk! I was very disappointed.
My initial theory as to why this happened is this: The lime juice was very acidic, and it denatured the protein in the milk, causing the thickening reaction to reverse. I did some research to try to verify this hypothesis, and I couldn't find anything specific to back up my hypothesis (or to disprove it), but it is true that the proteins in milk can be denatured by exposing them to something acidic. I saw several things as to why pudding thickened, and at least one thing said something about the ingredients of the pudding interacting with the protein. However! Usually when protein is denatured, it thickens; for example, when an egg is cooked, the protein (the white) gets harder and thicker.
I decided to do a new search for acid and instant pudding, and I found out that the key thickening agent in pudding mix is tetrasodium pyrophosphate, which is an acidity regulator! I found my answer! The pH has to be very specific to allow the pudding to thicken. There were several other things that I found in my search that said that it was the starch in the pudding mix that thickened the milk to pudding (like flour helping gravy to thicken?) and also something about how if the starch is broken down then the pudding won't thicken. Acid will react with so many things that I wouldn't be surprised if it broke down the starch and made it impossible to thicken.
If anyone else has any other ideas as to why this happened, or how I can have my delicious lime pudding without making it thin instead of thick, I'd love to hear!
So I decided to experiment. The first pudding that I made was Oreo pudding. We had it as dessert for a meal with some friends. Next, I decided to try out pistachio pudding. It was good, but I thought the little bits of nut in it were kind of out of place. Austin wouldn't even taste it, though, because it was green (evidently it looked really weird, heh. :).
To make up for the weird pistachio pudding, I made chocolate pudding, since anything chocolate is Austin's favorite. I thought it was good and very chocolate-y, but I tend to like variety in my chocolate (for example, plain chocolate ice cream is ok, but put some cookie bits in, or caramel, or bits of wafer, or maybe some nuts, and I just yum that up!). I decided to try it with fresh strawberries. It was a success! I ended up eating most of the pudding because I liked it so much. Austin was very disappointed when he came home from school and no pudding was left.
Well, I thought if I made vanilla pudding, Austin wouldn't be so disappointed if I ate all of it. I found out really quickly that I do not like plain vanilla pudding. It's so ... boring! and it's way too sweet all by itself. So I tried it with strawberries, but it just made the strawberries seem tasteless. Then I had the bright idea to squeeze some lime juice in the next batch of vanilla pudding I made and see if that improved it (I did the same with some vanilla ice cream and it was DIVINE!).
I thought that I should probably mix up the pudding first so the juice wouldn't interfere with the thickening process. After the pudding was soft-set, I squeezed that juice in and boy, was it good! I was delighted! I had fixed vanilla pudding!
Now here's my predicament: I wanted that pudding to be just a little bit thicker, so I put it in the fridge. An hour or so later, I decided to try it. I did, and found to my dismay that the pudding was no thicker than when I put it in the fridge! And it even seemed a little bit thinner, but I hoped that was just my mind playing tricks on me. Well, I put it back in the fridge to see if it would be better after sitting in the fridge a little bit longer. WRONG! The next day, I tried it again, and that pudding was not pudding. It was sweetened milk. That pudding had the same consistency as milk! I was very disappointed.
My initial theory as to why this happened is this: The lime juice was very acidic, and it denatured the protein in the milk, causing the thickening reaction to reverse. I did some research to try to verify this hypothesis, and I couldn't find anything specific to back up my hypothesis (or to disprove it), but it is true that the proteins in milk can be denatured by exposing them to something acidic. I saw several things as to why pudding thickened, and at least one thing said something about the ingredients of the pudding interacting with the protein. However! Usually when protein is denatured, it thickens; for example, when an egg is cooked, the protein (the white) gets harder and thicker.
I decided to do a new search for acid and instant pudding, and I found out that the key thickening agent in pudding mix is tetrasodium pyrophosphate, which is an acidity regulator! I found my answer! The pH has to be very specific to allow the pudding to thicken. There were several other things that I found in my search that said that it was the starch in the pudding mix that thickened the milk to pudding (like flour helping gravy to thicken?) and also something about how if the starch is broken down then the pudding won't thicken. Acid will react with so many things that I wouldn't be surprised if it broke down the starch and made it impossible to thicken.
If anyone else has any other ideas as to why this happened, or how I can have my delicious lime pudding without making it thin instead of thick, I'd love to hear!
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