It's My Creation...

Last night, I had three things at my disposal to use in creating dinner. I had left over grilled hamburger meat (very well done because it has been sitting in the fridge all weekend), a box of Minute Rice, and a bag of frozen veggies. I decided to combine all of the above items into a casserole of sorts... and it isn't too bad. I told my roommate last night that I probably would not bring it to potluck or enter it in any food contests... but it did the trick. And that trick was to somehow make the overcooked hamburger meat edible so as to not have to throw it away. Mission accomplished. Add a little Tony Chachere's, a little basil, a little soy sauce... you have yourself a true "Sweep the Kitchen" meal.

Too Much...

Our break room is equipped with coffee machines, tea packets, and all the "extras" that go along with those drinks. Well, we also have packets of Starbucks Hot Cocoa. I have noticed them for a while, but never read the cover of the packets until today. This is what it says:

"Indulge in a deliciously creamy, exquisitely chocolate, gourmet cocoa"

As I read that, I thought to myself... "am I gonna want a cigarette when I finish drinking it?"

The answer to the question is "no," but it is pretty tasty when mixed with coffee. I am "indulging" as I type.

Featured Pandora Station - Curtis Mayfield

It has been a while, and Denison was growing old. A lurking friend of mine compared John Mayer to Curtis Mayfield, so I decided to throw his name into Pandora's box. So he is the featured artist this week.

Newfound Culinary Delight

Today we had our monthly birthday breakfast (aka. forced socilization). I had already eaten breakfast, so I skipped it... but I did partake of the leftovers for my mid-afternoon snack. One of the items on this month's banquet table was an assortment of Einstein Bagels and cream cheese spreads. I saw one that was orange in color, so I decided to check it out. I thought it would be a sun-dried tomato flavor or roasted red pepper... but instead, I discovered that it was pumpkin flavor. Initially, I scoffed at the idea... but then decided to try it out. Well... I am glad I did. It was/is delicious. So tomorrow morning, stop by your local Einstein Bagel store and check it out... you will not be disappointed.

The Richards Bunch

A few weeks ago, my family and I took a trip up to Minnesota to see my grandparents. We had a great time... and Landon was definitely the center piece of the weekend. It was his first time to see this set of great-grandparents... and (obviously) it was their first time to see him. It was a good time, indeed...

I am sure that in 50 years or so, I will look very similar to my grandfather. He is 86, and not as quick as he once was. But he still has some of that wit in him... I remember as a child how funny he used to be. There were flashes of that humor this trip... it just takes him a little longer to get the words out.

Here is a picture of four generations of Richards men. Good looking bunch, huh? That is why I stayed out of the picture.

The last picture I have is of Landon and my cousin's son... they are only two days apart in age. They played well together... and this picture was one of about four that were taken of the same event. Every time they would hug each other, they were facing the wrong direction. Finally, Brad got them to look at the camera.

Time with family is always enjoyable (even if stress levels escalate just slightly)... truly, I do love my family. The Lord has blessed me beyond measure in that regard.

Continuum

So I have been gone for a while. I took a family vacation... served on a jury... and now I am back. I plan to blog about both of those events, but work is a little busy. So I only have time to pimp out my new favorite CD (at least for the moment).

John Mayer's new CD - Continuum. This is some good stuff, y'all. His style seems to change with each CD that he produces, and each one has been good. This one is more mature than his previous three. By that, I mean that not all the songs are about him... or about his love interests... or whatever. So check it out.

Pandora is on hold as I am enjoying this CD too much.