Sticky Sesame Chicken Wings

1 large garlic clove

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons mild honey

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

Pinch of cayenne

3 lb chicken wingettes or chicken wings (see cooks’ note, below)

1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted

1 scallion (green part only), finely chopped

~*~That’s what’s for dinner tonight~*~

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large shallow baking pan (17 by 12 inches) with foil and lightly oil foil.

Mince garlic and mash to a paste with salt using a large heavy knife. Transfer garlic paste to a large bowl and stir in soy sauce, hoisin, honey, oil, and cayenne. Add wingettes to sauce, stirring to coat.

Arrange wingettes in 1 layer in baking pan and roast, turning over once, until cooked through, about 35 minutes. Transfer wingettes to a large serving bowl and toss with sesame seeds and scallion

Gourmet  | May 2006

I am serving brown rice and asparagus too, Oh how I love sesame chicken wings.  We get all of our meats from Nicks of Clinton.  Its a hometown butcher in hustle & bustle Waldorf MD

My favorite program comes on this evening too, Breaking Bad.  Mr. White and Jesse are into “shit” that can kill them and their loved ones.  Skylar is sleeping with her boss, that nice African American man that runs the “Chicken Place” is your friendly drug dealer with ties to the Mexican drug cartel. Watch tonight on AMC at 10:00 est you can also go to www.amc.com and catch up on all the goings on from season 1 and 2, your goanna LOVE it

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Inspiration for life – Desiderata

 

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

You will find that disciplined actions are the best way to go about your day today, Aquarius. Stay focused on your path. You can accomplish many tasks at the same time if you play your cards right. Try not to get bogged down with details. People might cause you to worry too much. Don’t let their energy get in the way of your progress.

We’re celebrating our 15th anniversary by celebrating you — our community of talented cooks!

Have a signature lasagna you’d love to show off? Especially proud of your blueberry muffins? Nominate your best original family recipes for our contest, and yours could be among our Top 15 Member Recipes of all time.
Even better, three finalists whose recipes rank highest in user votes will be flown to New York City for an exciting cook-off at our second annual Epicurious Entertains NYC event.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/community/events/contest

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3LMD, WOW…check this out!!

3LMD may sound like a rap band but it’s actually one of the hottest new nail polish lines. In our efforts to remain eco-friendly post-Earth Day, we came across  3LMD Nail Lacquers with Botanicals, created by two physicians in response to the growing number of patients suffering from bacterial infections.  The formaldehyde and toulene-free formula is infused with high-grade botanical extracts — such as tea tree,  thyme, oregano and lemon grass — to help reduce the risk of developing such infections, while promoting healthy nails.  Best of  all, it comes in 14 beautiful shades!

click here to purchase website   I am a subscriber to “Beauty Undercover” I love getting their swag alerts, keep me posted on what’s going  on/cutting edge in the beauty world.  Beauty undercover has contest, like one a week or maybe a little more spread out then that, BUT you can easily get some really cool things.  I got the nail polish!!  Its a sexy pink lacquer that looks sweet and naughty on my finger nails.  what’s really cool is the aroma, its a heady rosemary scent.  I am really liking this.  What is another plus is that this nail polish doesn’t have any nasty chemicals in it.  My finger nails have been thin and brittle for all of my adult life.  I’ve always dreamt of having long beautiful finger nails.  so of late I have been taking extra care with my little gems…massaging olive oil into my cuticle area keeping my hands moisturized and I am glad to announce that my efforts have paid off, I saw the contest announcement on Beauty Undercover and after reading the 411 on this stellar polish I said to myself…”I have to have this”  “MY nails were made for this polish”   I entered the contest and was notified promptly, fast forward to Wednesday May 19th and I had a surprise waiting for me in my snail mail box.  The color is pink and has a beautiful shine.  i applied the polish well over an hour ago and the aroma of fresh rosemary still wafts past my nose,  I give this 5 stars, out of a possible 5 stars, I feel so beautiful right now.

Walking Papers is a true story about how Francesco Clark’s tragic accident changed his life and brought him into the beauty business.  After an accident left him paralyzed he began using different healing herbs which ended up inspiring his successful company, Clark Botanicals.  The anti-aging line is hailed by beauty editors as one of the best in the business.  $16.19 …Inspirational story, and this book is on my reading list.  Check out Clark Botanicals, your body will love you for it.

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Lisa and Judy’s Vacation Count Down

My vacation officially begins on the 29th of May.  Judy (my friend) and i are going on a road trip!  We did this last year had an absolute blast!  We met some amazing people saw some amazing sights and bought so really cool “stuff” from assorted antique stores.  We went to the Dixie Caverns, Natural Bridge, we stopped on Orange co. at the farmers market and bought some baked goods and hand made soap from the Renaissance man then we check out lots of historic places like Montpelier…yes it was a wonderful trip, I’ll never forget.  This year we are going to travel the Blue Ridge Parkway down to Kentucky.  We are going to Breaks Interstate Park, the “Grand Canyon of the South”

then we will scoot over and see Daniel Boone’s home town, Elkhorn KY

The Hatfield and McCoy’s had their infamous feud near this area too and I believe were going to take a driving tour of their feuding territory.  I have checked and re checked my camera equipment…as usual, I plan on taking a ton of photos

We are going to stop and visit the sites of the civil war, many battles were fought on Virginia soil, we visited Appomattox  last year.  It was a very warm and humid day…as I’ve gone “soft” and couldn’t imagine not having air conditioning the men and woman that volunteer didn’t seem to mind.  They were all dressed in clothing of the period.  I learned more that day about the battle of the North and South and the surrender of the war on that famous piece of Virginia country side…I hope I know I will learn as much on this trip.

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What’s it going to be Aquarius?

 

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

You may need to take a more disciplined approach to your communication today, Aquarius. Try not to be so harsh and limiting with your words. People respond better to comforting expressions and a sympathetic tone. Cold, abrasive facts will only aggravate an existing wound. Tone things down. Allot yourself some quiet time to be alone and contemplate your state of mind.

I was just reading about “skincare”, its always on my mind, especially since I hit 40…and I am 6 yrs into the decade. It really makes me cringe when I think back to the days of my 20’s.  we would lay out by the pool soaking up the sun with little more on then a coating of baby oil. No “protection” what so ever!  and that went on until I was well into my 30’s, my poor, poor skin.  Well I have been making amends, I can’t un do the mistakes I’ve made but I can educate myself and pamper the skin I have. So i was reading about this man Dr. Zein Obagi,MD , he has a skin care line that sounds divine! 

ZO^® Skin Health by Zein Obagi, MD is turning skin care inside out. Instead of expecting topical lotions and creams to provide quick fixes and one-shot wonders, ZO^® Skin Health by Zein Obagi, MD products work from the inside out, activating and stimulating your skin’s cells to nourish, repair and maintain themselves. It’s not a miracle, really. It’s just the way that nature intended.
ZO^® Skin Health by Zein Obagi, MD uses the most potent ingredients, high concentrations, pure retinol, advanced peptides, and powerful anti-oxidents. Some of the formulas are admittedly over the top. Because to win the battle on aging, you have to give it your best shot.  I took the “Skin Age Test”, it was relatively short and very easy to answer.  I am 46 but based on my very honest answers the test told me I have the skin of a 49 yr. old.  I expected that…  I am a megs make-up member, for those of you that don’t know about “Megs make-up” its a blog/web site that normal everyday people like you and me try our different products and give them a review. Everything from lipsticks, foundation,moisturizers,eyelash curlers, make-up vanity’s, hair care, perfume goodness…they cover everything!  its great!!  When you give your opinion of a product you earn points. 50 points gets you a nice “gift” 150 points gets you a nicer “gift” and 250 points gets you a really awesome “gift”.  When you sign up at Megs you fill out a profile, now…based on what you have in your profile i.e.., what your make-up likes  are, that’s what determines your “gift”, now I am skin care conscious, so when I turn in my points I’ve gotten high end sun block, organic Argon oil, urban decay lipstick, eye shadow primer, tarte eyeliner, my, my the list goes on…

I love the argon oil, its become a staple of my skin care regimen.  I highly recommend it. Even though the skin age test said I have 49 yr old skin, the other day a previous co-worker I ran into commented on my skin and told me that my skin looked like porcelain and that I had the skin of a 30 yr old!!  thanks Dawn!  Now that made me feel GREAT!  through megs Make-up I was introduced to the skin care line “Murad”, I tried the full sized tubes that Meg sent me and now I couldn’t imagine using anything else on my skin

the essential night time vitamin c moisturizer and the cleanser are my daily “go-too’s”.  the line has several different formulations, www.murad.com  a wonderful informative site that can address all your skin care needs.

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My Horoscope

Aquarius (1/20-2/18)

The universe works in mysterious ways, so don’t dismiss something or someone that’s come into your life for no apparent reason. They might bring an important lesson for you to learn. If you choose to avoid it now, it will almost certainly reappear in a much more abrupt and confrontational form! It’s much easier to go along for the ride and get all you can out of these freaky circumstances.

I wonder what that could mean…now a mysterious person may bring an important lesson for me, wows…

~*JUST A THOUGHT ABOUT NIAGRA FALLS~*

Every second almost three quarters of a million gallons of water explode over the knife-edge Niagara Falls, right on the border with Canada. This awesome spectacle is made even more impressive by the variety of methods laid on to help you get closer to it: boats, catwalks, observation towers, and helicopters all push as near to the curtains of gushing water as they dare. At night, the falls are lit up, and the colored waters tumble dramatically into blackness, while in winter the whole scene changes as the falls freeze to form gigantic razor-tipped icicles.

Ok, ok…enough of that off subject rambling…I am getting ready to go on my trip in just about 3 weeks.  My BFF and I take a road trip once a year.  What we do is pick a general route to a general location and then when we get on the road we make decisions like if we want to left or right or straight ahead, we look for those small towns that are off the beaten path.  We have met some of the nicest people you’d ever hope to meet.  I have even become face book friends with a family that owns a restaurant we ate in, and let me tell you….the food was delish and that slice of coconut cake that Brittany served up was to die for!!  You don’t see many mom and pop diners anymore. Its sad. I am looking forward to meeting and making more friends on this next trip.  Its out West Virginia,Tennessee,Virginia Trip of 2010

NOW…just a word about smoking, my mom smokes…heavily.  She is in denial. Every time I talk with her she is raspy, coughing and she blames it on “this cold I caught”  SHIT mom…you’ve had the same dam cold for the last 5 years or longer  Hell, I’ve lost count. Ok, Ok…I won’t bitch anymore but I’d like to pass along this bit of 411 on smoking.

Does Mom Need Help to Stop Smoking?

Online support program might be an appropriate Mother’s Day gift

— Robert Preidt

SUNDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) — If your mother is a smoker, you might consider giving her a Mother’s Day gift that could help her kick the habit and live a longer, healthier life, suggests the American Lung Association.

Freedom From Smoking Online is a self-paced program that’s available 24 hours a day and offers users tools and support that may help them quit smoking for good. The program costs $40 for a one-year membership and $15 for a three-month membership.

"Quitting smoking is the single most important step a smoker can take to improve the length and quality of her life. You can also save a considerable amount of money," Charles D. Connor, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, said in a news release. "Helping your mother kick the habit is one of the best ways to make sure your mother is around long enough to become a grandmother."

The benefits of quitting smoking go beyond health and longevity. Mothers who don’t smoke have an easier time keeping up with their children, are less likely to end up with children who smoke, and don’t create secondhand smoke that threatens the health of everyone else in the family.

Each year in the United States, more than 170,000 women die from smoking-related causes, according to the American Lung Association. Lung cancer, not breast cancer, is the leading cause of death among women in the United States.

Maybe I could get an Rx for that new stop smoking med.  I have 2 friends that used it and quit and I know of 6 others (patients) that have stopped using Chantix…I just want my mom around a little longer but as long as she smokes that’s not going to happen.  My dad was a heavy smoker, then he had an aneurism and was in a coma for 3 months when he awoke from that he was still in the hosp. for 3 more months. NOW he is on oxygen 24-7, he can’t go anywhere with out his machine or portable oxygen thingy. What ever any of you do that are reading this…DONT EVER START SMOKING…IT WILL KILL YOU

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Rock’n That Smokey Eye Look, or “Baby, your eyes are smoke’n hot!”

I just  love the smoky eye look.  Its sexy, sultry, and Mmmm-good! I do the look best with a set of falsies on, you know “eyelashes” not breast…LOL

January Smoky Eye Ideas #6 And 7: Soft Smoldering Styles From Christina Aguilera and Nicole Richie: Girls in the Beauty Department: Beauty: glamour.com

Now…those lashes are banging!  My co-workers were totally blown away.  At first everyone was telling me “wow Lisa, you look really good today…what did you do different?” or “there is something different about you today”  I just smiled and (that demure smile) said…”I don’t know”  but then I did fess up… in the picture above I am doing a smoky eye with a coppery top coat of eye shadow and a semi-translucent shadow on my brow bone right up to my eyebrow.  I would love to have eyelashes like those I am wearing. I guess I could, there are products out on the market for just that.

I do not do much in the way of traveling…a yearly vacation, maybe a weekend excursion to the parents, So when I came upon this article about packing your make-up and beauty needs for travel I almost passed it by…then I thought “whoa”  I really need to read this because I don’t travel much, but when I do I fret about what I need to pack, usually I over do it. 

Other than the fact that the day and nighttime moisturizers are definitely doing their job and adding some much needed h20 to my skin, the best part about the Clinique travel pack (pictured above) is that it has a whole week’s worth of adorable little single-serving lotion pouches. More importantly, these little pouches can be packed flat and easily tucked away…unlike all those little bottles of cream, moisturizers, anti-wrinkle etc lotions and potions. My current beauty travel bag is bursting at the seams thanks to all those oddly sized and uniquely shaped containers–but it’s hard to leave my favorite products at home.

That’s why next time I go away for a week or more, I’m going to get one of those plastic pill cases (ideally one with AM and PM sections) and squirt some of my most-used facial products in the little sections. This way, I’ll be able to bring all of my products but won’t have to worry about space or spills. I might have to add little stickers with the names of each product so that I don’t wind up putting eye cream on my cuticles or something, but I think I can handle that extra one-minute step. Well I must say I don’t actually have a beauty bag, its a tackle box, YES….its an actual tackle box.  I have 2 of them on for ALL of my products i.e. eye shadow, eyeliners,mascara, I use bare minerals and all those cute little jars of shadows and stuff fit perfectly in the little trays of the tackle box.  I have a smaller one that I take on trips.  I was with DH and we were in Dicks Sporting Goods and I was looking at all the hunting stuff, then my eyes wandered over to the fishing stuff…it was as if the heavens above opened and pointed down to the big display of tackle boxes…my mouth ajar and eyes glazed over as my mind went into overdrive….”I couldn’t believe what I was seeing…OMG these are inexpensive and they’re perfect!!

this model retails for $14.99, what a DEAL!  Its small enough to fit under the sink of your vanity…I keep mine in the linen closet. But what ever floats your boat…you can’t deny that this is a great deal and its a perfect fit for all your beauty needs and accessories.

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