Okay, okay. In the last blog I indicated that I wouldn’t be posting again until after Labor Day. Well, as I am writing this (June 18th), the temperature in Scottsdale is 115 degrees (but it’s a dry heat, yeah, yeah, yeah) and the streets are mostly deserted. So, who wants to go outside anyway?
Old Town Scottsdale
Over the course of a few days, we decided to do a summertime sampling of some fast food joints to see what’s new, read Fast Food Fandango for the lowdown.
You can also find a great summer recipe for Baked Chickenthat’s pretty easy to make.
And as always there are a few Jokes & Storiesfrom readers and from around the web. Feel free to contribute by email at: [email protected]
I inherited this recipe from my mother a long time ago. It’s been tweaked a little bit over the years and the result is a tasty and fairly easy to prepare meal.
What you need
A broiler pan (the kind you find in most ovens)
Aluminum foil
Canola oil cooking spray
4-Good sized bone-in chicken breasts
2-Large baking potatoes
4-Cloves of finely chopped garlic
1-Can of peas
1-Large sweet onion
Olive oil
8-Thin pats of real butter
Salt and ground black pepper
Oregano
First
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Very important!
Second
Line the bottom of the broiler pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Spray with the cooking oil so that the breasts don’t stick.
Third
While the oven is heating up, rinse each breast under cold running water and pat the excess water off with paper towels.
Fourth
Place the breasts on the cooking spray coated pan and pour some olive oil over each breast and rub it in.
Salt and pepper to taste. Add some of the chopped garlic on top of the breasts and sprinkle with oregano.
Fifth
Cut the potatoes into quarters leaving the skin on. Slit each piece and place a small pat of butter in the slit. Distribute the potatoes among the chicken breasts.
Slice the sweet onion into rings and put the rings in with the chicken breasts and potatoes.
Place the pan in the pre-heated oven for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes pour the peas and the liquid in the can over the everything and cook for another 15 minutes. Start checking the chicken breasts at this point. You don’t want them to overcook or undercook. Make a small cut at the meatiest part of one of the breasts. The chicken should be moist but, not pink.
You really don’t need a side dish with this as everything is right there in the pan.
For all of you with any money left, be aware of the next expected mergers so that you can get in on the ground floor and make some BIG bucks.
Watch for these consolidations in 2015:
Hale Business Systems, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Fuller Brush, and W. R. Grace Co. will merge and become: Hale, Mary, Fuller, Grace
FedEx is expected to join its competitor, UPS, and become: FedUP.
Knotts Berry Farm and the National Organization of Women will become: Knott NOW
And finally…..
4. Victoria ‘s Secret and Smith & Wesson will merge under the new name: TittyTittyBangBang
From Naples, FL
A few years ago, my wife and I moved into a development on Florida’s southeast coast. We are living in the Delray/Boca area.
Our biggest retirement concern was time management. What were we going to do all day? No longer. Let me assure you, passing the time is not a problem.
Our days are eaten up by simple, daily activities. Just getting out of our car takes 15 minutes. Trying to find where we parked takes 20 minutes. It takes a half-hour in the check-out line in Wal-Mart, and 1 hour to return the item the next day.
Let me take you through a typical day: We get up at 5:00 am. After a nimble walk, avoiding irate drivers out to make us road kill, we go back home, shower and change for the next activity.
My wife goes directly to the pool for her underwater Pilates class, followed by gasping for breath and CPR. I put on my “ask me about my grandchildren” T-shirt, my plaid mid-calf shorts, my white socks and sandals and go to the clubhouse lobby for a nice nap.
Before we know it, it’s time for lunch. We go to Costco to partake of the many tasty samples dispensed by ladies in white hair nets. All free! After a filling lunch, we might go to the flea market to see if any new white belts have come in or to buy a Rolex watch for $2.00. We’re usually back home by 2:00 pm to get ready for dinner.
People start lining up for the early bird about 3:00 pm,(you might remember the Seinfeld episode about this) but we get there by 3:45 because we’re late eaters. The dinners are very popular because of the large portions they serve. We can take home enough food for the next day’s lunch and dinner, including extra bread, crackers, packets of mustard, relish, ketchup and Splenda, along with mints.
At 5:30 pm we’re home, ready to watch the news. By 6:30 pm we’re fast asleep. Then it’s time to get up and start a new day all over again.
Bob Dylan said it best” “May you stay forever young”
Never give up and never give in!
From Anonymous On The Web
There once was a farmer who was raising 3 daughters on his own. He was very concerned about their well being and always did his best to watch out for them. As they entered their late teens the girls dated, and on this particular evening all three of his girls were going out on a date. This was the first time this had occurred. As was his custom, he would greet the young suitor at the door holding his shotgun, not to menace or threaten but merely to ensure that the young man knew who was boss.
The doorbell rang and the first of the boys arrived. Father answered the door and the lad said, “Hi, my name’s Joe, I’m here for Flo. We’re going to the show, is she ready to go?” The father looked him over and sent the kids on their way.
The next lad arrived and said, “My name’s Eddie, I’m here for Betty, we’re gonna get some spaghetti, is she ready?” Father felt this one was okay too, so off the two kids went.
The final young man arrived and the farmer opened the door. The boy started off, “Hi, my name’s Chuck… –” and the farmer shot him.
A good part of the month of May was spent on Maui. Although this trip was primarily for business, we did manage to get some touring in and to check out some of the great restaurants, inns and resorts, some for the first time and some old favorites. We will be returning in October for what may turn out to be our last visit before making the final move.
Also in this month’s blog is a quick and easy recipe for broiled tilapia that is both healthy and tasty.
In ourPull My Finger post, we will be sharing jokes from around the web and jokes that you send in. Feel free to contribute by email at: [email protected]
This dish takes about 45 minutes from prep to finish. Tilapia does not have its own distinctive taste and lends itself well to whatever seasoning and flavoring you choose. This recipe is straightforward, easy to prepare and low in calories.
What you need
A broiler pan (the kind you find in most ovens)
Aluminum foil
Canola oil cooking spray
4-good sized tilapia fillets or loins (I like the frozen variety, after defrosting, they taste more fresh).
4-Cloves of finely chopped garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
8-Thin pats of real butter
Salt and ground black pepper
Parsley flakes
1-Lemon
First
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. This is a very important step.
Second
Line the bottom of the broiler pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Leave the top grate uncovered. Spray the top grate with the cooking oil so that the fillets don’t stick.
Third
While the oven is heating up, rinse each filet under cold running water and pat the excess water off with paper towels.
Fourth
Place the fillets on the cooking spray coated grate and drizzle some olive oil over each filet.
Salt and pepper to taste and add some of the chopped garlic on top of each filet.
Place 2 pats of butter on each fillet and then sprinkle some parsley flakes on top.
Squeeze the lemon juice over the fillets
Place the pan in the pre-heated oven and cook for 30-35 minutes.
This is nicely served over a bed of rice with cooked green veggies on the side.
A guy wakes up one morning with a hangover. ”Honey, I know I made a fool out of myself at the party last night, so tell me what I did.”
”You got in an argument with your boss.”
”Well, piss on him!!!” said the man.
”You did. He fired you.”
”Well, screw him!”
”I did.” said his wife. ”You’re back to work on Monday.”
From Anonymous
Little Johnny is always being teased by the other neighborhood boys for being stupid. Their favorite joke is to offer Johnny his choice between a nickel and a dime — Little Johnny always takes the nickel.
One day, after Johnny takes the nickel, a neighbor takes him aside and says, “Johnny, those boys are making fun of you. Don’t you know that a dime is worth more than a nickel, even though the nickel’s bigger?”
Johnny grins and says, “Well, if I took the dime, they’d stop doing it, and so far I’ve made $20!”
From Lancaster, CA
Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, & the friends to post my bail when I finally snap!
This month’s blog is eclectic , to say the least. We are covering everything from martinis to musical instruments, recipes and jokes.
Before heading over to Maui, we thought it would be fun to write on a few interesting things to do and see right here in Arizona. Namely, The Musical Instrument Museum and a sampling of the best Martinis in town. Yeah, I know, it’s a tough job but somebody’s ‘gotta do it.
In our new Pull My Fingerpost, we will be sharing jokes from around the web. If you have a joke or funny story to contribute, submit it to: [email protected]
Here is a great recipe that you can make in 30 minutes or less. I fooled around with this a few different ways and settled on the ingredients and techniques listed.
What you need
A large frying pan
4-boneless pork chops 1-1/12″ thick (you could use 8-1/2″ bone-in chops but, they won’t make good sandwiches the next day)
salt and ground black pepper
4-cloves of garlic
1-23.5 oz jar of Prego Italian Sausage & Garlic. (O.K. I know some of you purists might gag on this. But, trust me, it works great. If you can’t bring yourself to use gravy out of a jar, use 1-can of peeled, crushed tomatoes, 1-can of tomato paste.)
Without a doubt, The MIM is one of the crown jewels of Phoenix. There are so many instruments and costumes to see and experience from around the world that it is impossible to see them all in one day. We were only able to experience two of the exhibit halls on our visit. We chose the USA Gallery and the Artists Gallery.
A Steinway
One of the best displays is of the Steinway Piano Factory. You can enjoy a wonderful video and see first hand, a breakdown of all the major component parts of a Steinway.
Steinway Pianos
There was also a wonderful exhibit of the manufacturing process for Martin Guitars and an extensive exhibit of Fender musical instruments.
Downstairs in the Artists Gallery Hall is the piano on which John Lennon wrote the iconic song “Imagine”. Other great displays included Women in Jazz, Country artists, Hip Hop artists, Pop stars and so much more.
And, of course, there is the gift shop featuring a wide variety of music related items and jewelry from around the world.
The Cafe Allegro serves a variety of international dishes, snacks and beverages.
If you live in Arizona or are visiting, The MIM is a must!
An elderly man in Louisiana had owned a large farm for several years. He had a large pond in the back. It was properly shaped for swimming, so he fixed it up nice with picnic tables, horseshoe courts, and some apple and peach trees.
One evening the old farmer decided to go down to the pond, as he hadn’t been there for a while, and look it over. He grabbed a five-gallon bucket to bring back some fruit. As he neared the pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee.
As he came closer, he saw it was a bunch of young women skinny-dipping in his pond. He made the women aware of his presence and they all went to the deep end. One of the women shouted to him, “we’re not coming out until you leave!” The old man frowned, “I didn’t come down here to watch you ladies swim naked or make you get out of the pond naked.”
Holding the bucket up he said, “I’m here to feed the alligator…”
Some old men can still think fast.
From Reno, NV
From Annonymous
Why did I get divorced? Well, last week was my birthday. My wife didn’t wish me a happy birthday. My parents forgot and so did my kids. I went to work and even my colleagues didn’t wish me a happy birthday.
As I entered my office, my secretary said, “Happy birthday, boss!” I felt so special. She asked me out for lunch. After lunch, she invited me to her apartment. We went there and she said, “Do you mind if I go into the bedroom for a minute?” “Okay,” I said. She came out 5 minutes later with a birthday cake, my wife, my parents, my kids, my friends, & my colleagues all yelling, “SURPRISE!!!” while I was waiting on the sofa… naked.
