When my husband and I were driving to our daughter’s apartment to celebrate birthdays this past weekend, we noticed that there are more motor cycles than usual on the highways, and commented to each other that the trend may be because of the high price of gas. Of course, it was also a sunny, beautiful day, so maybe it was just for fun!
I do know that for those of you who love to ride your Harley, and hate to leave it behind when you go on vacation, there is hope! Thanks to EagleRider, the pioneers of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle rental concept, you may just be able to plan Adventure Tours, like guided tours, or tours you plan yourself using a rented motorcycle when you vacation. Or maybe you have a destination you want to reach, and want to rent a Motorcycle to get there, and then leave it behind, there may be a way to do that.
Personally, my only motorcycle experience has been riding on the back of someone else’s bike, but my husband owned a motorcycle, and would love the Eaglerider concept. He’s an early-to-bed type of guy, so I’ll have to show him tomorrow…but if you’re reading this, why don’t you visit now and sign up for their newsletter to keep up with the latest.
I have always heard that the prices of oil and gasoline in our State are lower than other parts of the country (you could have fooled me!) because we have so many refineries here. With the price of oil being such a big topic these days, I was curious, so did a little looking around.
First, I wanted to know if New Jersey really has a large number of oil refineries. I came across a site a government site, the Energy Information Administration, which has a list of the top oil refineries in the US and ranks them by production. I saw, if I counted correctly, 6 refineries in NJ in the list of approximately 150, but was surprised to see how many other States in the USA have refineries.
We have driven by the refineries on the NJ Turnpike all of or lives, which you have to drive when you come into NJ from out of state and land at Newark Airport. It’s no wonder you may think that the Garden State is really and industrial State.
Yes, our prices may be a LITTLE lower than some places, but believe me, we’re feeling the pinch not only when we drive, but when we heat our house, as we heat with oil. The wood stove is going to be put to good use come this winter.
Well friends, I don’t think I’ll ever be “The Next Food Network Star” like our friend in the previous post, but maybe I have a chance in the “Great American Seafood Cook off? What do you think? If you want to check out the winners for 2004 - 2007, and see whether you…or I…have a chance, click on the “Cook off” link above and visit this fabulous site!
At first I was going to share a very simple, delicious Tilapia recipe, then realized that this isn’t a truly seafood, as it’s more common in fresh water, sometimes found in brackish water, so, I’m going with another. It’s real easy to make, healthy, and you don’t have to eat this piping hot, here’s what I do:
In a skillet (I love my cast iron skillet) sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, and with about a teaspoon of olive oil, lightly fry a small chopped onion and a few cloves of chopped garlic.
In another pot, cook up some whole wheat pasta…if you want to TOP it with the seafood mixture, cook any of the “long” pastas, linguine, spaghetti, etc. -OR- if you want to TOSS the seafood mixture with pasta, cook up some whole wheat penne, or similar pasta of your choice, there’s so many fun pasta shapes!
Back to the skillet, add a 1 lb package of that ever versatile imitation crab meat, don’t cook this long, quickly add a few tablespoons of white wine and a few tablespoons of lemon juice. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of Italian Seasoning to taste (we like a lot of whatever spice is in many recipes) and toss the mixture well.
Turn off the heat.
Chop up about 2 tomatoes and toss in the skillet.
When the pasta is done, drain, then return to pot, stir in about a teaspoon of olive oil, couple tablespoons of non-fat liquid butter, then add some herb seasoning (I use Mrs. Dash garlic & herb) to the pasta and toss well.
Now, either toss or top your pasta with the seafood mixture, and serve.
You may add sea salt to taste if you desire.
So there you have it? What ideas do you have? Think you have a winning recipe? Do you have a good source for domestic seafood? I suppose that’s a bit easier for those of us that live near the ocean, where our seafood can be local and fresh. Comment if you like, and be sure to check out the contest, it looks like fun. I had fun browsing the site as well!
Congratulations, Aaron McCargo, Jr., on winning “The Next Food Network Star”…I borrowed your picture from this site…please visit for more info. about Aaron.
This is my first season following the competition, and it won’t be my last, what great fun! I have to say that for much of the series, my husband and I thought Lisa Garza was going to win…she was my hubby’s favorite to win…hmm, wonder why, the cute squinty eyes? The charming personality? I don’t blame him:-) But tonight (okay, I’m a day late, we Tivo’d the show and watched it tonight) when each one was making their introductions, it struck me that she already had so much going for her, a husband who is an Executive Chef, a fashion business of her own, and more. Sorry Lisa, please know you did a GREAT job, and we loved you, but it’s just kind of neat that a humble guy from New Jersey won, so you go “Big Daddy”, we’re looking forward to seeing what you cook up for The Food Network next week, and by the way, Venison isn’t all that bad.
Adam, hey Adam Gertler, I don’t want to forget you, we loved the chicken/beer recipe, and the idea of using ideas shared from people by email, then using a webcam, GREAT idea! Really liked that too. Hope to see something like that on Food Network soon!
We have taken half of our vacation, as you already know if you follow this blog, and will be taking the other half in September, if all goes as planned…that meaning if we can afford it after they install our new septic system in the next month or so. Yes, we still have those in this rural part of NJ. As baby boomers who have raised their children, we can vacation off season and save, plus use sites like HotelsCombined.com to search for hotels with the best rates.
This site has a tool that you can use to compare hotel rates, and these days we are all looking for the best rate, aren’t we, because just driving to your destination can cost a lot with gas prices as they are. Getting back to that comparison tool…it actually searches 30 sites at once! This is an award-winning site, and well worth a look-see if you are planning a trip.
It’s a great pleasure to be part of this wonderful group of women, and at the center of the group is Beverly Mahone, where would we be without her!! I want to share some of a press release with you, and since I’ll just bet Beverly will find her way over here sometime soon, want to thank her for ALL that she has done for us! THANK YOU BEVERLY!! And fellow Diva’s that may stop by, ((((hugs)))) to you all!
They’re known as Baby Boomer Divas—women over 40 who are on the move and making a difference in their personal and professional lives. This month the group celebrates its one year anniversary. The idea to create a Baby Boomer Diva Web of Fame came from baby boomer author and expert Beverly Mahone who says, “This was my way to honor baby boomer women who were doing great things at midlife but weren’t getting their deserved recognition.
So what is a DIVA? According to Mahone, she’s a baby boomer woman who’s Divinely, Inspired, Vivacious and Anointed.
Mahone says the Divas are all very talented women who come from very diverse backgrounds around the globe. “We come from all walks of life and different races and are eager to share our knowledge and resources. We’ve had a few bumps in the road and some detours but we continue to persevere. Mahone adds that in addition to a global presence, they are also honored to have celebrities like actresses Debbie Zipp and Bern Nadette Stanis who are active members and want to offer their assistance in helping them grow.
Since its inception, the Baby Boomer Diva Web of Fame has continued to grow by leaps and bounds. Mahone says the Web of Fame is now officially known as Boomer Diva Nation—a nonprofit organization that provides a variety of resources to assist fellow boomer women in their endeavors. It’s also a place where women can network
Mahone anticipates the groups continued growth over the coming year. “Who would’ve ever thought last year that something called the Baby Boomer Diva Web of Fame would turn into what it is today?”
Last night hubby and I Tivo’d this seasons first episode of Monk, and didn’t get around to watching it until tonight while eating dinner. Monk gets a new therapist in the show because the old one, Dr. Kroger, played by Stanley Kamel, has had a heart attack. AS we watched, wondered if the actor died in “real life”, but got absorbed in the show and forgot about it, until at the end, they showed Kamel’s picture, and stated that the show was “In Memory of Stanley Kamel”. So I googled the name, and found that Kamel had indeed died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 65 on April 8th of this year.
He was born and raised right here in NJ in South River, a “New Year’s baby”, born on January 1, 1943. He attended the Rutgers Prep. School., and like many on the east cast, especially near New York, started his acting career off Broadway. Though he is best known for his role as Dr. Kroger in USA Network’s “Monk”, staring the multi-phobic Adrian Monk played by actor Tony Shalhoub, he has appeared in numerous television programs, getting his start in the popular Soap Opera, “Days of Our Lives”.
Last year toward the end of the season, my husband mentioned a few times that Kamel didn’t look as healthy as he usually did, but whatever the case, he will be missed.
Congratulations, Aaron McCargo, Jr., on winning “The Next Food Network Star”…I borrowed your picture from 