Goulash

Not the most appetizing name for food.

*SOMETHING* made me start thinking about it....but darned if I can remember what it was. Anyway, I started thinking back to the goulash my Mom made. I'm pretty sure it was something she made when she had things to use up. It was a one pot meal and had some stuff that was always in it, but then there would be some different things each time. The overall flavor was pretty much the same every time tho. It was my least favorite meal I think. Not that it tasted bad....it just wasn't my favorite thing. However, the more I've been thinking about it, the more I think I want to actually try it again. Why? Not really sure. Maybe I think it will taste better now? *Shrugs*

So I looked at recipes on the internet and none of them seem close to what I can remember about it. It's been at least 30 years since I've had it! I was thinking I'd ask my Mom and see if she can remember her recipe for it, but she's pretty cloudy lately. Maybe I can at least get the basics from her and go from there. Who knows, it could go from least favorite to most favorite!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Pomegranate Gelatin

4 1/4 ounce unflavored gelatin packets
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups pomegranate juice
2 cups white cranberry juice

In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over 1 cup cold water; let soften, 5 minutes. Place over low heat, and cook until gelatin has dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. (When rubbed between your fingers, it should feel smooth.) Add sugar, stirring gently until dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes; remove from heat.

Transfer gelatin mixture to a medium bowl; gradually stir in juices. Pour into a 1 1/2-quart (6-cup) Bundt pan or mold, and skim any foam from surface. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

To unmold, dip bottom of pan (do not submerge) briefly into hot water; invert onto a serving platter, and shake firmly to release.

from marthastewart.com

Favorite of the moment

A Bad Wheel

This guy Glenn I used to work with would always say you had a bad wheel if you had a problem with your foot.

So I've had this bad wheel for a while. A month? A few months? Try 2 years. I know. Here's the deal. A few years ago the side of my foot started to hurt just below my baby toe. I had/have no idea what I did to it. There wasn't some big "ouch" that happened. Just kind of started to hurt. It wasn't that bad at first. Kind of ached but nothing major. Then it got a little worse. And a little worse. A year later I went to the doctor and while I was there I asked her about it. She barely looked at my foot. Said it was this Y shaped tendon that's on the bottom of your foot and mine was strained. There was nothing to do for it. Just wear supportive shoes and deal with it. This past November was the 2 year mark. It pretty much hurt all the time by then. It felt like a broken bone. I wasn't sure I was buying the strained tendon anymore. In December I had the last 2 weeks of the month off so I had planned on going back to have her look at it again. No rush....it'd been 2 years so it couldn't get much worse, right? Vacation commenced and I was lounging around the house most of the time because Greg was working. Not on my feel all that much. After just 2 days it started to feel better!! By the time my vacation was over, it was drastically better. I came to a conclusion: the stairs at work were killing my foot. I took the stairs everyday. And I hate stairs but that's what all the doctors say, right? Take the stairs. See, I do listen to doctors. But now I avoid stairs like the plague and I wear my Crocs almost every day. They are very supportive. Ugly, but supportive. It's made all the difference. I'm well on my way to having a wheel that's good as new! It's not there yet, but I bet a few more months of Crocs, no stairs and no long distance walking should help it heal once and for all. And, I didn't have to go to the doctor during my vacation! :)

Want a pair of Crocs? Here are the ones I have (in solid black). They are awesome!

If my foot problems continue into spring/summer, I think I will get these.
Or possibly these.

Secretariat

Greg and I watched the movie Secretariat Saturday. I really liked it. You can't help but fall in love with that horse. Watch it if you never have.

If you saw the movie, this information might be interesting to read. Makes you love him even more.

*from Wikipedia*

In the fall of 1989, Secretariat was afflicted with laminitis, a painful and often incurable hoof condition. When his condition failed to improve after a month of treatment, he was euthanized on October 4 at the age of 19. Popular both as a Triple Crown champion and in retirement, Secretariat was mourned by millions and buried at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky, given the rare honor of being buried whole; usually only the head, heart, and hooves of a winning race horse are buried, and the rest of the body is cremated.

A necropsy revealed that his heart was significantly larger than that of an ordinary horse. An extremely large heart is a trait that occasionally occurs in Thoroughbreds, linked to a genetic condition passed down via the dam line, known as the "x-factor." The x-factor can be traced to the historic racehorse Eclipse, who was necropsied after his death in 1789. Because Eclipse's heart appeared to be much larger than other horses, it was weighed, and found to be 14 pounds (6.4 kg), over twice the normal weight. It is believed Eclipse passed the trait on via his daughters, and pedigree research verified that Secretariat traces in his dam line to a daughter of Eclipse. In the 20th century, the heart of Phar Lap was weighed and also documented to be 6.35 kilograms (14.0 lb), or essentially the same size as that of Eclipse.

At the time of Secretariat's death, the veterinarian who performed the necropsy, Dr. Thomas Swerczek, head pathologist at the University of Kentucky, did not weigh Secretariat's heart, but stated, "We just stood there in stunned silence. We couldn’t believe it. The heart was perfect. There were no problems with it. It was just this huge engine." Later, Swerczek also performed a necropsy on Sham, who died in 1993. Swerczek did weigh Sham's heart, and it was 18 pounds (8.2 kg). Based on Sham's measurement, and having necropsied both horses, he estimated that Secretariat's heart probably weighed 22 pounds (10.0 kg), or about two-and-a-half times as large as that of the average horse.

Master Class

I watched the Master Class with Diane Sawyer yesterday. Wow. It's the first epidode I've watched and it was so good. It really made me think about a lot of things. The part where she talked about her and her Dad was really interesting. Just the way she looks at things in general was interesting. If you get a chance to watch it, I think it's worth it. Below is a preview Oprah did about the series.

My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

Have you seen/heard of this? I just heard about it today and watched it at lunch on YouTube. I thought I'd just watch part 1 and that would be it...but before I knew it, I was watching all 6 parts! I'm not sure how to describe it....outrageous? You have to at least watch part 1 and see for yourself. And I must say, the Greeks have nothing on the Gypsy's when it comes to wedding dresses. It should really be called "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding Dress".

You'll see....