Don't worry, I'm not getting political....

Well, maybe just a smidge of politics tonight, but don't worry It won't be ongoing, I have friends whose opinions I respect, and I don't want to turn them off reading my blog because of my views.

Okay, let's talk about this... Deep breath, Jan...

First of all, I support Hillary Clinton, and out of every single friend that I have, with the exception of Angi, I'm the only one that does. It's true, I like her because she is married to Bill Clinton, and I thought that despite his weak moral character, he was a good president. I'm also sure that the fact that I'm fifty-eight years old, and as far back as grade school I can remember my teachers talking about the possibility of there being a woman president in my lifetime factors in also. The thought of living long enough to see a woman in office is very exciting to me. Maybe I do support her for the wrong reasons, but I also happen to like the woman and believe she will work diligently to make a better life for women and children in this country. Okay, I said it and the sky didn't fall in...

So, when I read today online that Maya Angelou supports Hillary Clinton, I was just flabbergasted. Everytime you turn on the television, black people are singing the praises of Obama. I'm going to post what Ms. Angelou said because I think it is interesting, for us as women, to read what an educated black woman has to say. She has a voice, and I admire her for saying what she thinks, instead of backing a candidate because of color. Oprah, you could learn a lot from this woman!

And if the democratic party decides that Obama is their man, and it certainly appears that this will happen, I will support McCain in the fall. And that's all I'm going to say about this political brohau, the likes of which we've never seen in our lifetime. And now on to what Maya Angelou had to say...

"Dear Friend:

I am writing to tell you about my friend, Hillary Clinton, and why I am standing with her in her campaign for the presidency. I know the kind of president Hillary Clinton will be because I know the person she is.

I am inspired by her courage and her honesty. She is a reliable and trustworthy person. She is someone I not only admire but one for whom I have profound affection.

Hillary does not waver in standing up for those who need a champion. She has always been a passionate protector of families. As a child, she was taught that all God’s children are equal, and as a mother, she understood that her child wasn’t safe unless all children were safe. As I wrote about Hillary recently in a praise song: “She is the prayer of every woman, and every man who longs for fair play, healthy families, good schools and a balanced economy.”

It may be easy to view Hillary Clinton through the narrow lens of those who would write her off or grind her down. Hillary sees us as we are, black and brown and white and yellow and pink and relishes our differences knowing that fundamentally we are all more alike than we are unalike. She is able to look through complexion and see community.

She has endured great scrutiny, and still she dares greatly. Hillary Clinton will not give up on you, and all she asks is that you do not give up on her. She is a long-distance runner. I am honored to say I am with her for the long run.

I am supporting Hillary Clinton because I know that she will make the most positive difference in people’s lives and she will help our country become what it can be. Whether you are her supporter, leaning towards her, undecided, or supporting someone else, I believe Hillary Clinton will represent you – she will be a president for all Americans. It is no small thing that along the way we will make history together.

I just spend part of the afternoon reading Trisha Yearwood's new Cookbook, Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen. Cousin Phyllis if you're reading this, buy this book, you will love it.

It's basic food, well done, well written, great photos. It's a goodie, ladies.

I posted her barbecued ribs recipe a few days ago, after I found it online, Ryan made them when we were in Lexington. They were really, really good. Not your typical ribs, but so easy and such a good flavor. He was really hesitant because you marinated them in 2 cups of soy sauce, and they smelled pretty vile, but once they baked, they were delicious. I think the marinade had to be that strong to give them such a good flavor.

Anyhoo, if you have any interest in this book, you can buy it on Amazon HERE...

Oh my. GOODNESS!!!

I'm a huge fan of Maxine, if you are a regular reader of this site, you know that, and I joke about actually turning into her in my own age.

Well, I was wrong, I'm not Maxine, but guess who is???? What in heaven's name is Elizabeth Taylor doing in a get-up like this??? You have to admit she has a kind of bizarre look about her that is similar to our favorite geratric cartoon.

It makes me want to rethink turning into Maxine. Well, I do have Mags for my lap, and it's quite possible that I will end up in a wheelchair, but somehow I don't see myself with red collagen infused lips, or that stupid hat. But if my hair keeps thinning at the rate it is now, I will be in some kind of hat.... who knows, maybe by the time I'm La Liz's age, I will be even crazier than I am now, and wear a getup like this one. I always did like a touch of animal prints... Heaven forbid...

I'm all about eggs this spring....

I don't get it, I was never much of an egg fan, but ever since I got on my poached egg kick, I'm eating them daily. Lindsay made Eggs Benedict this morning, they were soooooo good....

And then when I opened my weekly Splendid Table Newsletter, the following recipe just fascinated me. I should put this on Jan Can Cook, I'm lazy - posting it here - check this out, do you think it looks as good as I do?

~ jan

"Boring" will never again be paired with hard cooked eggs once you try this recipe. It's the best thing to happen to the deviled egg since the picnic. Talk about an ideal spring supper, this is it; and if you are feeling like a fancy dinner menu, serve this as a first course.

For even more tips and ideas, head to splendidtable.org and check out our brand new How to Eat Supper podcast, available for a limited time. You'll find much more practical hands-on advice to streamline your kitchen life, including basics like the easiest and foolproof way to boil an egg, the clues to look for when selecting salad greens and how to buy a pot, so don't miss out. Best of all it's free!

We're also excited about our new book, The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show, a book Publisher's Weekly says "... should grace the shelves of even the most infrequent of cooks." You can buy a copy of your very own at splendidtable.org. Your purchase goes to support public radio.

Pan-Crisped Deviled Eggs on French Lettuces
Excerpted from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift (Clarkson Potter, April 8, 2008). Copyright 2008 by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift

Serves 4 as a main dish; 6 as a first course

15 minutes prep time; 5 minutes stove time
The eggs could be stuffed a day ahead and refrigerated until you are ready to saute them.

Who would imagine browning deviled eggs to caramelize their edges and crisp their fillings: What a sensual turn with a hard-cooked egg.

We owe the idea to Jacques Pépin and his memoir, The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen (Houghton Mifflin, 2003). The inspiration comes from war-torn France and a recipe born of scarcity that Jacques' mother created during World War II, though you'd never know it when you pick up your fork.

This is the kind of double-edged story that we love to find in the things we eat.

Eggs:

• 8 large eggs, hard-cooked and peeled
• 1 scant teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 2-1/2 teaspoons minced onion
• 2-1/2 tight-packed tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarse chopped
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
• 2-1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise
• 1-1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 tablespoons good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil

Dressing:

• The leftover egg stuffing
• 3 tablespoons good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 generous teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2-1/2 tablespoons milk
• 2-1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Salad:

4 generous handfuls mixed greens, such as Bibb lettuce, mache, and dandelion greens or frisee, washed and dried

1. Cut the hard-cooked eggs in half lengthwise. Gently remove the yolks (fingers work best), and place them in a medium bowl. Reserve the whites.

2. Add the mustard, garlic, onion, parsley, milk, mayonnaise, and vinegar to the yolks. With a fork, crush everything together into a thick paste. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Pack the mixture back into the hollows of the egg whites, so the filling is even with the surface of the egg, not mounded. You will have leftover stuffing (this becomes the salad dressing).

4. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Gently place the eggs in the pan, stuffed side down. Cook until the eggs are beautifully browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper as they cook.

5. As the eggs saute, combine in a large bowl the leftover egg stuffing with all the dressing ingredients. Add the salad greens to the bowl, and toss. Heap them on a serving platter.

6. Gently lift the eggs from the pan, turn them filling side up, set them on the greens, and serve.

Yikes!!!!!!

We're in Lexington for a few days, visiting Lindsay and Ryan, and Hooterville emailed me to say that we had yet another earthquake in Heavensville last night. That's a total now of 19 this week. Most of them were in the 2.5 range, after the initial ones of 5.4 and 4.5, but last night it was another strong one, 4.5 again. The experts are saying this is unusual, that usually they don't gain strength again.

So, needless to say, it is a scary situation. I talked to Jean and V this morning, they are booth spooked. We''ll be here til' Wednesday, I hope it all settles down before we go home.

Keep our little corner of the world in your thoughts. Mother Nature is a force we can't control...

I swear, men are idiots, IDIOTS!!!!!

Read this from Page Six today about the CNN reporter arrested in Central Park. Are men totally out of their minds? You seldom hear stupid stuff like this about women. It's the male of the species. Jeez, Louise, what a pervert. He can kiss his career goodbye. Talk about kinky!!!!

Here's the click...

Interesting comment from Robin, let me address it...

i have question...questions....why don't you show anyones else's comments but mine? don't you know it is embarrassing for me to take up so much of the spotlight? are all your friends as computer illiterate as your/my friend V? Is that why they don't show their comments or is it because they don't agree with you often enough and as an only child you have never learned to tolerate that?

Interesting observation, Robin, one that I've wondered about myself. Is it that I have no friends? Do I just have lurkers? My website averages 50-75 hits a day, so somebody is looking at it, but people rarely comment... I do get emails, however, perhaps people aren't comfortable leaving comments. I really don't know why they don't participate. The Dilly's used to comment, but haven't in awhile, they have moved on to other things, my buddy V is not computer illiterate, I'm taking that she mentioned something to you in an email to make you think that she is. She'a a a smart little cookie, V, trust me... Check out the SilverBeach website she published. It's a goodie.

So, would some of you make Miz Robin from BirdTweets a happy girl, and me, too I might add, and leave a comment.

It's pretty easy - look at the bottom of a post, and after you see Posted by Jan, aka Milly and someday I'll be either Daisy or Nana Sugar, you will see a hyperlink that says "O Comment" or maybe, if I'm lucky, "1 Comments" - just click on that, and then you get a popup where you can leave a comment. Just fill it out, do it anonymously if you like, or sign it if you want - and hit Publish Your Comment. That's all there is to it. All comments come to my email for approval before they publish, that's because of the darned spammers, but give it a whirl, Robin and I will be thrilled! She gets lots of comments on BirdTweets, she's popular, and I'm not. Waaaaaaaaa....

Later 'gators, yeah, I know you like me, even if you don't comment.... What's not to like about a 58 year woman, who's batshit crazy, and has the cutest little dog in the world....

~ jan

A little trip down memory lane...

If someone were to ask me, "Who is your favorite celebrity," it would have to be Donna Mills. I started watching her in the 60's, when she played a nun on the soap, Love is a Many Splendored Thing. Even with the habit covering her, I thought she was just stunning. I always followed her career, and of course when she played her breakout role, Abby Cunningham, on my favorite soap of all time, Knot's Landing in the 80's, oh my, she was just breathtaking.

The eyes of course were totally mesmerizing. I used to just trowel on the makeup back in the day, so of course I thought she looked just spectacular with those huge doe eyes. That tiny little body, those gorgeous clothes, and great hairdo's, she was quite the looker...

A little trivia for you, did you all know that the character of Sandy, in Grease, was based on Mill's experiences as a teenager?

She was born, Donna Miller on December 11, 1940. She never married, but adopted a daughter in the 90's. She's 67 years old now, oh that's hard to believe, but she is. This is the last photo I could find of her, taken in 2006. She still shows up on television occasionally, I still enjoy watching her and think she is still a beautiful woman.

She starred in a video in the 80's, called "The Eyes Have It." And guess what, I do have it. It's an old VHS tape, I would love watching it again. Maybe I can talk the Dilly's into seeing it with me. She goes thru all the steps in this video of applying her eye makeup, totally fascinating, IMO.

My friend, Barb, loves her too, and when she came out with a line of eye makeup in the 90's, we both bought it.

I found this old video of her on U-Tube. Just watch it, look at that makeup and that hair and those clothes. my favorite picture is about halfway thru the video. She's sitting in the backseat of a car, her hair was a curly bob and she had on a white suit.

Oh those were the days, at least they were my days. It was a good thing...

YIKES!!

We just had an aftershock and I was naked again!!!!! I had just gotten out of the shower and was getting my undies out of the drawer and here it came again. Mags was nutso, LC was in the shower this time. Okay, this is seriously not fun. Hooterville called, even she is shook up, and that woman ain't a skeered of nuttin!!!!!!!!!

Let's hope this is over with. I think I'll keep my clothes on just to be on the safe side!!!!! Maybe this 58 year old body is making the earth move???? Oh that's a good one, Jan, good one!!!!

Holy Batman and Robin, we had an earthquake!!!!

Okay, it's 4:35 am, I'm snoozing soundly, in my birthday suit, I might add, I know too much info, but you all know how hot I get. Anyhoo, all of a sudden the Mooster jumps up and just starts barking like crazy, and LC pops up yelling, "EARTHQUAKE, EARTHQUAKE!" Well, he's outta bed in a New Yawk minute, racing around like a crazy man, running outside to make sure there wasn't an explosion, I'm grabbing Mags, who is still going nuts, and the house is just shaking, forever it seems, actually it was the longest earthquake I've ever been through, and I've been through quite a few. It lasted 30-45 seconds, and all I could think of was jeez, don't let something happen, I have on no clothes!!!!! Hubby, being more practical, said when it was over, that he was worried about me, because I couldn't just jump up and go, I have to put on my prosthesis first. I didn't even think about that, but he was right... Arughhhhh...

And what was my initial reaction to all of this, was it fear? Was it surprise? Oh, no, it was anger. Anger??? Oh yeah, I was initially just totally pissed at hubby for waking me out of my sound sleep. I know, it wasn't rational, and of course once I was awake the fear the anger quickly turned to fear as I realized what he was telling me.

Egads, I hope this doesn't happen again in my lifetime. Not fun. But maybe it will be a few years if it does happen, I'll be thru these blasted hot flashes, all tucked in bed in my flannel granny gown. Jeez Louise, what a wakeup call this morning in Heavensville!!! No damage, thank goodness, just the most helpless feeling...

Okay, I lied....

I said no more Ivana, but sorry gang, you've just got to see what her new hubby is wearing.

O-M-G - can you imagine him coming in dressed like this and she actually going out with him???

Click on the picture to enlarge it and check out the duds and the boots! What a hoot!!!

Oh, this bozo is a class act, ladies, a class act!!!

Well, this is just about the cutest thing you've ever seen...

Trisher sent me this link to this little girl. Wow, what a smart little thing, she's got quite a set of pipes on her!!! So sweet...

More info than you want to know...

Do you really not know how to punctuate sentences. Your grammar is terrible!

Of course I know how to punctuate, I made A's in my English classes. I just prefer to misspell words and use an abundance of .... It shakes things up a bit and makes life more interesting... Dont'cha think?

Why do you keep posting pictures of that little dog with that silly ponytail? That's all you talk about, Maggie this and Maggie that...

Because Maggie is like a child to me. I post pictures of her and talk about her like others post pictures and talk about their children. I'm totally besotted with her. Everyone should have a Maggie in their life, IMO.

Just who are all these people you talk about, V, Hooterville, Nisha, The Dilly's, Trisher, Ang, Barb and Marti, to name a few. And who the heck is BirdTweets?

Girlfriends, ladies, some of them friends forever it seems. V, Ang, Hooterville and Nish have been around for years and years, more than we care to remember, Hooterville and I since we were toddlers. BirdTweets is the blogsite of Robin, a new online friend, who is just a sweetheart. And the Dillys? They're my daughters-in-law. I'm Milly, they're Dilly.

Why do you call your girlfriend Jean, Hooterville?

Because she lives in this small burg of a town in Southern Illinois that we've dubbed Hooterville, hence the name...

And what's all this Heavensville stuff?

It's just a play on words for the city that I live in...

Why do you talk about food so much?

Because I'm obsessed with it. I'm always on some stupid diet, usually Weight Watchers, and it never works because I live to eat!

Why are you so bossy and opinionated?

Because I was an only child and everybody always listened to me when I was growing up. Just ignore me, I have a good heart... And if I had no opinions, this blog would be even more boring than it is...

Why do you make references sometimes to being footless? Why don't you just keep quiet about it.

Because it's who I am now, and it's not a big deal to me. Laugh and the world laughs with you.... Sometimes it's downright hilarious the jams I get myself into with no feet. But then, I got into terrific jams when I did have my feet... Ummmm, I could make a joke about that... "jam", "toe jam!!!" See what I mean, just can't help myself...

What does Men Schmen mean?

Hell if I know. I had some scrapbooking stickers from Susan Branch a few years back, and they said MEN SCHMEN, so I just kind of adopted the saying. It probably means. Arughhhhh, Men!!!!

Why do you sometimes use obscenities on your blog?

Because I've always had a potty mouth. Not a pretty trait in a woman when she's nearing 60, I might add. But then I've always said, I'm a broad, not a lady. Broads have all the fun. I am however trying to tame it down a bit before the grandkids start coming....

How much do you weigh?

That's it, I'm outta here...

Heads up, ladies, I have a goodie for you....

I saw Trisha Yearwood on The View last week. She was promoting her new cookbook, Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen, From My House to Yours, and she had several dishes prepared for the ladies to eat. Well, they were all just totally gaga over her ribs. They were moaning and groaning and really chowing down, so you knew they were good. I Googled and found the recipe, so here it is. Enjoy! ~ jan

Barbecued Pork Ribs:
Since moving to Oklahoma, Trisha has noticed that a lot of the barbecue there is made with beef, so she started making these Georgia pork ribs a couple of years ago for the Fourth of July, and they quickly became tradition.
Cut the racks into two-rib portions and serve them with Easy Baked Beans and Fourth of July Coleslaw for an awesome holiday feast!
Ingredients:
2 cups soy sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon dark molasses
1 teaspoon salt
5 pounds meaty pork ribs
Marinade
1/3 cup water
1 14-ounce bottle ketchup
1 12-ounce bottle chili sauce
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon dry mustard
In a medium saucepan, combine the soy sauce, water, 1/2 cup brown sugar, molasses, and salt. Bring the marinade to a boil and set aside to cool.
Put the ribs in a large, turkey-size oven baking bag or sealable plastic bag. Support the bag in a 12 x 14-inch baking pan. Pour the marinade over the ribs and seal the bag. Marinate the ribs in the refrigerator overnight, turning the bag occasionally to thoroughly coat the meat.
The next day, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Drain and discard the marinade from the bag. Cut 4 slits in the top of the baking bag if you are using one. Otherwise, drain the marinade, transfer the ribs to the baking pan, and cover the pan with foil. Bake the ribs for 2 hours.
While the ribs are baking, prepare the barbecue sauce. In a large saucepan, blend the water, ketchup, chili sauce, brown sugar, and dry mustard. Bring this mixture to a boil, stir well to dissolve the sugar, and set aside to cool.
When the ribs are cooked and tender, open the bag and discard the drippings. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F.
Brush the ribs on both sides with the barbecue sauce and return them to the oven to bake for 30 minutes longer. Just before serving, throw the ribs onto the barbecue or blacken them under the broiler to give them a bit of a char.

For those of you who have loved a dog...

I'm sitting here with tears streaming down my face. I just clicked on Martha Stewart's blog and she chronicled in pictures, the last day of her beloved dog, Paw Paw's life. Oh wow, if you can get thru this without crying you are strong women, or maybe it's me being emotional because I just lost Munchie. It's really touching...

It's definitely worth the click to see it...

We're having a Par-Tay.....

Oh what a great day it was for Maggie's birthday. We were out and about on Jezabel, my infamous three-wheel bike. It was Mag's first time riding shotgun, Munchie was always my biker buddy, she rode a million miles with me in the back basket...

Maggie is doing great with it, too, she wasn't nervous at all. Of course, she had to go to see her best bud London, trying to get both of them to look at the camera at the same time to snap this photo took some doing. Now we're home, and birthday girl is all tuckered out, asleep on Mom's puter desk..... Oh what a day, what a day!!!!!

This appears to be valid...

I get a newsletter daily from cheapstingybargains.com - anyhoo, today they had a coupon for $10.00 off a $25.00 purchase at Lowe's using your VISA card.

I checked it out, they mailed me a link to download my coupon - looks like the real thing, ladies. A lot of you are shopping Lowes for spring fleurs, who wouldn't want $10.00 more for free.

Here's the link to put in your email addy - this doesn't work in FireFox, you have to copy and paste this into IE.

Happy Shopping!!!

~ jan

http://www.loweswinners.com/LifeTakesVisa/

Guess who's having a birthday?????

It's Maggie Moo!!! She's two years old today. And yes, of course I sang Happy Birthday to her, and she looked at me, with her little ears pinned back like I had lost it. She was scared to death.

Oh, poor furbaby, that really says a lot for my singing ability, but a lot of you already know that, as I'm well known for calling you on your birthdays, screeching into the phone in my futile attempts to belt out The Birthday Song...

Who would have known two years ago today that I would have this precious little dog coming into my life. Maggie is pure sunshine to me, filling my days with smiles and cuddles, I am truly blessed.

So Happy Birthday, sweet little dog, it's going to be a gawjus spring day in Heavensville, Mags and I are going to take time to smell the roses tulips...

Let's check her out one more time....

Okay, I'm really getting bored with this now, but had to post one more picture from her pre-wedding festivities.

No doubt about it, she's a pretty lady.... but, why did she collagen her lips like that? Why do so many celebrities do it? Even Elizabeth Taylor does it and she has one foot on a banana peel. Oh, BTW, apparently Miss Taylor overdosed last week on prescription drugs and alcohol and had to be carted off to the ER.

But back to Ivana and my other bugaboo about aging women who insist on wearing sleeveless dresses and plunging necklines. Just click on the px and check it out out up close and personal. Everything is headed south - her tata's are so far south they're practically in Cuba! And the armpits. YIKES!!!! I rest my case.

She would look lovely if she just wore something less revealing and covered up those sagging arms.

Guess it's just morbid fascination. Told ya I was bored.... No more Ivana, I pinky swear....

Just waiting for the sunshine and the warmer temps... Hubby had to cover plants tonight, another freeze warning for Heavensville. How fun is that!!!

What an amazing talent...

If you have some free time, give some of these a watch. This guy is a rock star!!!! ~ jan