MANGOpop’s Neighborhood

This year's gift to Madonna Fan Club members is

Madonna2009

I can't wait! I still haven't framed the other lithograph I got through ICON (Madonna's Fan Club).

How will you use technology or the Internet to help you plan and prepare this year’s Thanksgiving feast?
Sponsored by LifeScoop: Bringing You Tips for a Connected Lifestyle.

Ooh, good question, Vox. I have been thinking much about the feast this year, because it's the first time that I'll host my family. I'm quite excited to cook for them, and to not have to travel on Thanksgiving weekend. Yay!

I'm keeping the menu traditional. I mean, it's hard to improve upon things you know everyone likes. And we don't eat cranberry sauce and turkey much year-round, so I don't think it's a bad thing having the same menu every year.

As far as technology, there's not a ton I do to pull it in for Thanksgiving. I don't even have a digital thermometer. ;-)  However, I do use Cook's Illustrated online quite a bit (thanks to Aquanetta).  The team at Cook's Illustrated doesn't necessarily use a lot of technology, but they are very scientific.

If you want a guaranteed-to-please recipe, Cook's Illustrated is the place to go. The idea behind it is that they take a recipe, try it 100 or so different ways with slight variations, each time testing with a tasting panel, and they tell you the exact best way to cook it. And to top it off, the editor is a chemist, so he explains why these methods work best. It is, by far, the most reliable source of recipes -- and I've read a lot  of cookbooks and cooking magazines.

Here's my Thanksgiving menu. All the recipes are from Cook's Illustrated except where noted otherwise.

Roast turkey (brined, stuffed with an herb paste)
Gravey
Mashed potatoes
Cranberry sauce
Roasted brussels sprouts with bartlett pears (Body+Soul magazine)
Green beans with toasted walnuts and roquefort cheese (Body+Soul magazine)
Creamed spinach
Pumpkin pie (Libby's recipe)
Pecan pie (from a Thanksgiving cookbook I have, forgot the name, but it's great. My pecan pie secret is to include chopped pecans in the filling, as well as a layer of halved pecans on the top for looks)

The fam is bringing rolls, candied yams, stuffing and butternut squash soup. Yum!

Btw, Cook's Illustrated also tests cooking equipment - someone put together their list on Amazon as a shared list if you want to find any equipment. Geez, I sound like a commercial!

My DSL is repaired but will only work if I'm hooked up to the modem via an ethernet cable.

I've tried, for an hour this morning and another hour tonight, to configure the Linksys wireless router (which I installed and have previously reconfigured a couple times). It comes up as configured and connected but won't let me go anywhere - everything times out.

I think the problem is internet security settings... that I have them configured, somewhere, for the wireless router too. I've checked, disabled, and/or reset everything I can think of but still can't get internet access via my wireless router.

Yes, it is making me insane.

and he's earning his pay today. I'm getting a strong feeling that he can't find anything wrong.

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime\xAE 6.5 or higher is required.

1111090937.jpg

Not a whole lot to remark upon lately, but last night I made a new dinner. I "fanned" Sunset magazine on Facebook, and now and again they'll cull useful ideas from their readers. A few days ago, they asked "what do you do with leftover rotisserie chicken?" I got a couple good ideas. Rotisserie chickens are great for when you don't have the time or energy to cook but want a homecooked, healthy meal.  Idea #1 was to shred the chicken, pour barbecue sauce on it, and put it in a sandwich. Oh so simple but sounds tasty, no?

Idea #2 was last night's dinner -- chicken and biscuits.  Cut the chicken (I wouldn't shred it with forks, but using spoons gets just the right size pieces). If you have time to sautee an onion, put that on top of the chicken. Pour a can of cream of mushroom soup (Amy's Organic is the best) on top, followed by a package of frozen peas and carrots. Then top with biscuit dough, and bake according to the directions for the biscuit dough. I used Bisquick, so the whole thing was super easy. It turned out great, and I think was reasonably healthy, too.

This morning, I actually hauled my butt out of bed early and went to the gym!  For me, this is a major accomplishment. I haven't been active for the last few months. My workout felt great. Woo hoo!

Was here at 820am. Had a device that sounded like spaceships. Made noises for about 15 min then left, saying he'd be right back. He left his parking cones so I guess I should be more hopeful.

I'm tired and have a wicked headache.

This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

Loathe
~ Lack of home internet
~ Doubting dsl repair will really happen tomorrow
~ Allergy symptoms returned when I returned to work
~ I have an extremely low tolerance for humans lately
~ The tamale fest I planned to attend this weekend has been moved to Dec

Love
~ Skritches just climbed into bed
~ Realizing wireless broadband is a service option
~ Coughing is greatly reduced
~ Physical therapist admitted that therapy might not help my knees or be worth the time/effort/money. Yay for honesty!
~ My knees have worked for 6 of the last 7 days
~ I did not 'prep' the house for the housekeepers
~ Having a web enabled phone

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime\xAE 6.5 or higher is required.

Is destroying my will to live. Or maybe just my will to be alive without committing homicide.

Verizon service tech is supposed to show up tomorrow before noon.

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime\xAE 6.5 or higher is required.