Review: Honey Roasted Red Potatoes

This week for Whip it Up, I made this recipe of honey roasted red potatoes. Let's start by covering the bases:

1. The recipe was extremely easy to follow. It says that it will take 10 minutes of prep, but I would say you could even cut that down to 8, if you wield your knife properly.
2. This dish tasted great.
   
3. We will definitely have this recipe again. (In fact, I'm making it for my lunch right this minute!)

This dish is a side, most definitely. Usually I don't bother with recipes for sides because I'm perfectly content opening up a can of fruit or warming up a package of frozen vegetables for the sides. I'm generally focused on the main dish. But, I do think that I need to have more side dishes in my repertoire for the purpose of going over to people's houses and being able to bring a yummy side when they ask me to.

We ate dinner at Matthew and Makereta's last night, which happens about 2-3 times a week. To be technical, it happens more often than that, but a lot of those times we take dinner over there. As Angela jokingly says, they are our second spouses. Matthew and Makereta also really liked this dish.

Technically, I'm not sure if it is a dish, as much as it is a sauce, really. Anyway, everyone thought it was yummy, and I will certainly be making it in the future (like right this minute).

My adjustments to the recipe:

I happened to have fresh pumpkin on hand, and I really needed to use it, so I did roast potato and roast pumpkin. Delightful!

I didn't have mustard powder, so I used whole grain mustard. I would venture to say that I think I preferred that to what the end result would have been had I used mustard powder.

200 Things to Do - Or not

I got this from Science Teacher Mommy, who got it from somebody else. I've added a twist to this list of 200 things, and italicized the ones I think are completely unnecessary and that I don't even WANT to do. All the others I think would be cool. Also, I've done the ones in bold. Judging by the amount of bold, I'd say my life is half-way complete.

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby’s diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins (maybe sometime soon!)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said “I love you” and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a professional sports game
17. Been to the top of the Sears Tower
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files (I don't get this one. What personal files?)
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone snorkling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don’t
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Sung on a CD
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read and understood your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did (Are you kidding? This is my life.)
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Seen the Golden Gate Bridge (twice, both times from planes)
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle (not driven, but ridden)
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
99. Had to see someone you love in hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway play on Broadway
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant (elephant)
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sung a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Run away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life (I'm a blood donor!)
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to sew
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had chicken pox
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend (Thank you, Facebook!)
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Received a professional massage

Never too old for free chocolate

Last week was the Cadbury Chocolate Carnival. To celebrate there were lots of little events going on around Dunedin, and lots of local sites did special Cadbury activities. All week long I wanted to go participate in some of the free things, and I finally did on Friday.

I met Makereta and William at the Octagon (the center of town), and we walked down to the Otago Museum. I had not been to the museum, and boy was I impressed. First of all, it is a free museum. They have stuff about the history of Otago, lots of natural history and stuffed animals, and a bunch of cool other stuff. Right now they have a small Egyptian exhibit including a mummy. As part of Chocolate Week, they offered free chocolate to people who came into the museum and followed the "cryptic clues" to discover how the mummy died. As it turns out, this activity was really for kids, but it didn't say that on the pamphlet. All it said was FREE and "earn some chocolate." So we participated.

I really, really enjoyed the museum. It was quite cool! I eagerly look forward to taking Jenn there, if for no other reason than to show her the stuffed birds- the albatross, the kiwis, and lots of birds that are extinct- including the Moa. Which is a giant bird like an ostrich or emu. But bigger. And cooler. It's no wonder the Maoris ate them all up.

Of all the cool things I saw in the museum, I only took two pictures:

Tunnel Beach

We went down to Tunnel Beach again last week. Here are a few pictures.

Making Connections

I worked at a place at BYU for two years, and the motto was something like "Making Connections." It was really drilled into us to try to find connections between our various classes and between each other. It was something I loved doing. It helped me relate to people better, and I certainly did better in some of my classes because of it. I loved that job, and I especially love the people I worked with.

Then I changed my major and decided I should get a job that was more applicable to genealogy. Good thing was, in that major and in that job I got to continue my focus on making connections.

And here's an interesting web, if you want to call it that. First, the explanation, and then the diagram that I created in Paint.

My freshman year, I dated a chap named Bryce. On an occasion, we ran into his second cousin, Gloria. As it turns out, Gloria is first cousins with Abe who is first cousins with Eric on the other side. Also, Gloria recently married Carl, whom Janssen dated at the beginning of freshman year, until he broke up with her to start dating Gloria. See the circle? Do you love it? Oh, you don't see it? Here's the diagram:
Please tell me I'm not the only one who finds this immensely humorous.

Review: Red Lentil Curry

First of all, here's where you can find the recipe.

Second, we loved it.

Third, it is easy to make.

Now, with those Whip it Up bases covered I will elaborate.

I found this recipe from AllRecipes.com by clicking on a link for yummy vegetarian meals. I am this close to being a vegetarian, folks. This is for a few reasons: health, money, and the world food crisis. So, Eric and I have decided to cut back on our meat intake. We're thinking we should have about 3-4 vegetarian meals per week. (Don't worry, if you come over we'll probably make meat). We can get proteins in lots of other, healthier ways. Like lentils. I'm toying with the idea of having all my Whip it Up recipes be vegetarian. How do you like them apples?

This recipe appealed to me for a few reasons- We love curry. Both of us just relish any chance we get to eat curry of any type. I'm a particular fan of green curry, but red curry has really grown on me lately. Plus, it's not as spicy. Also, I had red lentils, onions, red curry paste, tomatoe puree, garlic and ginger all on hand. Also rice. We always have rice. In fact, we bought a 10-kilo bag of rice when we got here exactly five months ago, and we're just now almost through with it. Definitely an excellent buy.

Overall, the recipe was astoundingly simple to make. It really was one of those recipes where you pour in the ingredients and stir. Nothing tricky about it. The only problem for us is that we only have two burners, so I couldn't get the sauce going until I was done with the lentils because I needed the rice cooking pretty much the whole time. Not a huge problem, but I certainly could have used an extra burner.

Eric, Matthew, and Makereta all really liked this meal. Makereta said it was the perfect level of spicy for her. I would have liked to kick it up a notch or two, but since I was making it for all four of us, then I was perfectly content with making it a little more mild.

I didn't add all the seasonings I was supposed to because I do not have turmeric, chili powder, and cumin on hand, and I really didn't want to shell out the money it would have cost to buy those things. When I am back in the States with all my trusty own ingredients, I will add those in. With that said, I never felt like the recipe was lacking because I didn't have those ingredients included.

So, the moral of this blog is that this is a good recipe. A good, extremely healthy recipe. I've enumerated the health benefits of lentils before, so I am eager to have another recipe to use them in.

Also, on the reviews of the recipe some people mentioned omitting the paste. You really can't do that. The paste is crucial. You can buy it in any grocery store in New Zealand (in the Asian section), and you might be able to find it in regular grocery stores in the states, particularly if you live in an area with a strong Asian influence. Otherwise you might have to take a trip to a specialty Asian market, but curry paste is cheap, and a little bit goes a long way, so a special trip is worth it.