Self Generated #1 A Nod to Luorinda

    Lourinda's recipes are the best, but I would like to add a recipe that I've come across and I find to be a perfect summer's dinner. It serves about twenty, depending on the size of the cabbage head, but it also keeps well. Every one who has eaten it has asked for the recipe. I am happy to share it.

        

Chinese Chicken Salad

Total preparation time one hour

Serves twenty

1 head of cabbage  

4 boneless chicken breast

 1 green onion

2 packages of  Oriental flavor Ramen Noodles (reserve the flavor packets)

1/4 cup of silvered almonds

1/4 sesame seeds

1 cup of canola oil

2 tablespoons vinegar 

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons soy sauce 

4 tablespoons sugar

    Cook chicken (boil or grill) and chop into one inch cubes. Cool. Chop cabbage into one inch cubes or shred. Slice green onion thinly. Toss chicken with cabbage and onion.

  Do not boil the noodles, instead break them into small pieces, spread on cookie sheet with almonds and sesame seeds, toast in oven at 375 degrees for ten minutes.  

 Make the dressing by blending the oil, vinegar, soy sauce, pepper, sugar and the flavor packets from the ramen noodles.Toss with chicken and cabbage. Stir in the toasted mixture just before serving.

   I know one cup of oil seems like a lot, I use a scant cup. That is more than three quarters of a cup but less than a cup. The recipe really does make a very large amount. I share it with my neighbors, and they have all asked for the recipe. I browse new recipes but seldom serve them without a practice run. I call that test driving a recipe. Kale chips are also winners in my household. My grandsons absolutely devour them. I haven't told them yet that kale is good for them. That's just Gammy's secret! Every time they come over, they are starving, or so that is what they would lead me to believe. Their Dad just rolls his eyes. I told him that is pay back because he did the very same thing at his Grandma's house. Isn't it funny how time seems to repeat the moments that leave the best memories?
   

Blogging About Blogs Assigned Entry #1

      This summer was my first experience with blogging. I must say that after I got over my original fright of something I knew nothing about, I rather enjoyed it. I looked at my classmates blogs and that gave me a good reference to start. I liked several of their blogs, especially  Lourinda Cantu's. She had a couple of recipes that I have since tried. I have yet not tackled the Indian fry bread but, the recipe looks simple enough and very tasty. Her blog was Splurge with a Native. I still will visit it from time to time. I have also recently run into another former classmate on campus, Kate Borrell. She mentioned that she is trying to create a little revenue with her blog, The title of her blog is Raconteur's View, it has a more political slant to it. The name alone is interesting enough to warrant a look. Blogs are as different as the people who write them. Some, people will find entertaining while others may be maddeningly opposed to their views on matters. Sometimes the blogs that stir passion are the most visited. However, there was one classmate's blog that I found nothing short of an assault. It was full of somber images and equally dark thoughts. I did not preserve that link. Once as enough for me! All in all, it was evident who enjoyed blogging and who put in minimal effort. Additionally, I liked the blog Brain Pickings, with the a massive amount of information in there. I could easily lose myself in reading all the content with out even exploring all the links. Hours could easily disappear as I was pulled into the site. That proved to me that it was a very good blog. Professional blogs usually the most polished, but I find the ones of my classmates the most interesting.


 This video was very helpful in defining just exactly what a nice blog could look like plus, how to edit and add posts. I hope my classmates find it informative as well. I usually like to keep the videos to three minutes or less, but this one was so helpful to me, I had to include it. In no time at all, everyone will get into the rhythm of blogging. I hope some, if not most, will find it as easy and fun as I did. I find it similar to Facebook but with an easier way to upload videos and photos.
 
   Speaking of pictures, I have looked for a photo of Glendale Community Collage's library, with no luck! That is a shame because, the East and West faces are architecturally interesting. As I have stated before, I am a compulsive reader, so I find libraries quite alluring. That is where I ran into Kate  just last week, and she gave me her blog's title. Thankfully, I was able to reacquaint myself with her and to once again read  her blog postings.

Practice blog #1

     Thank goodness I have an opportunity to practice  blogging. I enjoyed it during my summer course of English, but never quite found the time to post another entry. The culprit is Facebook, or at least that is where I plan to pin the blame. Now, it is time to blow the dust off my blogging skills and one again get into the groove of having fun while posting. Hopefully blogging will become a routine, which will then become a habit.                                                                  

   I very nearly forgot how to load videos. It is like any other skill, if not used for awhile, it will begin to diminish with time. However, I think they add interest and appeal to blogs in general so I will relearn the lesson. I can not believe how quickly I forgot. It was easy to relearn. It  was like seeing something through a veil, almost visible in my memory but not quite.
    As I have already stated, I am a compulsive reader the first piece of furniture I have bought in a long time was a bookshelf. The family room, that I  only walked through, has become my favorite room in the house, a library.

    So far, everything is good except loading pictures, but I'm sure that I'll figure it out. The link to Facebook checks, the video is a little close to the script for my liking but the more I adjust it, the worse the outcome. I have been able to use the spell check feature however, thank goodness.

Whoo Hoo, I have loaded some pictures, I used another 

 browser. AOL is starting to become a dinosaur in the browsing game. Google chrome is the one I used, but I hear Firefox is good too. The fourteen Oz books are displayed prominently.The center piece of the space on the book shelf. They were a gift from my youngest son. He essentially bought me a relic from my past that I had lost when I was sixteen and feared forever out of reach.