This afternoon Bailey was making some noise in her kennel next to my desk, so I turn to see what she is doing and this is what I see:

Another dog bed bites the dust. Get it? “Bites”. Ha ha.

When I was in 5th grade there was a 2nd grader that puzzled my friend and me. About once a week or so Anne or I would see the kid in the lunchroom and discuss whether the kid was a he or a she. It was quite a puzzle. Every now and then one of us would notice something that was a “clue” to the child’s identity, but it never gave use a final answer to the boy/girl question. At one point we found out the 2nd grader’s name, but it was something androgynous like “Pat” (although I don’t think it was Pat – too bad). The school year ended, we moved on to middle school and never did learn the gender of our “Pat”.

This comes to mind because lately, when driving the car or walking around I often find myself musing, “Is that a boy or girl?” in reference to some teen-aged kid I see. I guess I never will figure it out. Wow, I sound old…

My latest LOL cat (starring Pepper, Zion as supporting role)

Overheard:

Cheese-Its - They put the Crack in Cracker!

Those little yummy cheese-flavored crackers are oh-so-good.

Organic food is good food - better for the environment, better for you. But lets face it, we can’t all afford to buy all organic all the time (that’s a lot of “all”s). I buy organic milk, and sometimes chicken. I should buy more organic fruit and vegetables, now I have a handy list (Source):

Some additional links if you would like to read more:

• Top Produce to Buy Organic
• Organic food: When it isn’t worth it
• Buy Organic Without Breaking the Bank
• The Dirty Dozen

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In January of 2006 my office hosted its yearly Chili Cook-off. Despite being crazy busy getting ready for the Olympics I made a pot of chili to enter. It won first place in the “Home Style” category (other categories included Spicy, White, Exotic, etc), beating out 5 or 6 other chilies in the same category. Several people asked for the recipe, but never being a person to follow a recipe I could not give it to them. Finally, today, I will try to put down the basics in a recipe.

Sherzy’s Award Winning Turkey Chili

Its really quite healthy, too! NOTE: all spice measurements are just guesses. Start with less, you can always add more (the whole “to taste” thing).

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped (try 1 yellow and 1 red)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1/4 red wine (real stuff please)
• 1 pkg. extra lean turkey (20 oz.)
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cayanne
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp. ground pepper
• salt - to taste
• 2 14oz cans chili beans (I always use Bush’s bean, one hot, one mild)
• 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes (preferably with some Mexican-type seasoning)
• 1 - 2 tbsp. brown sugar depending on taste, and how hot you made it (this is really the key to the “home style” taste)

Preparation

1. Heat oil over medium heat. Add turkey, cook until browned, adding some spices as it cooks. Remove turkey from pan, Add a bit more oil.
2. Add onions, garlic, and shallot cook until soft. Add spices, then wine. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add chili beans, tomatoes, and cooked turkey, simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. Taste chili, adjust spices and add brown sugar. Simmer 5 - 10 mintes. Enjoy with favorite chili toppers. Chili will be even better day after cooking.

I did this in 2006 as well.

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before? Used Dojo. Adopted a dog. Watched fireworks on Lake Minnetonka.
2. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, my friend Larissa had a baby (3rd child, 1st boy).
3. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? A vacation.
4. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Last day at XYZ company, first day at WTL. Dec 8th – Adopted Bailey
5. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Work – launching Century21.ca. Life - Running.
6. What was your biggest failure? Letting days and weeks just slip by… (which makes this list really hard to make)
7. What was the best thing you bought? New washer & dryer. New roof (I was oddly very excited by these mundane things). Bailey.
8. Where did most of your money go? New roof for the house.
9. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Watching Heroes. LOL Cats. Really good steak. Ajax. New pup!

When I tell people I have an Office MOM (Maternal Operations Manager) they often ask what sort of food she makes. I tell them its good food and no, we don’t have to pay for it. So, just to show off I am posting this week’s lunch menu.

Mon: Navy Bean Soup, Dan’s Chicken Ranch Pizza, Tropical fruit salad

Tue: Pot Roast*, Gravy, Smashed Potatoes, Carrots*
Wed: Chicken Wild Rice Casserole*, Tossed salad, Cranberry Orange Salad
Thu: White Chicken Chili (and fixin’s), Guacamole and chips*, cornbread twists*, Apple Tart
Fri: Cariann’s Tomato Soup w/ Grilled Cheese sandwiches (with bacon or Ham or Tomato or Plain or etc) Rice Krispie Bars.
* My favorites this week

Do websites need to look exactly the same in every browser? Well, now you know.