Want to get your sugar fix on the cheap? (Oh yes, please!) Combine a sale with a coupon at Walgreens for $0.14 candy bars.
Buy 2 Nestle Girl Scout Crunch Singles, on sale $0.39. Use a $0.50/2 Manufacturer’s Coupon from the 7/13 newspaper (Smart Source Insert.) Total: $0.14 each!
The sale lasts thru 7/19. If they’re out of stock, which is highly likely at Walgreens, get a rain check! These candies aren’t as good as actual Girl Scout cookies—I love Thin Mint and Samoas—but they’re still tasty.
Whenever I have an abundance of cheap oranges, I try to incorporate the juice into different dishes. Since I love both oranges and rice, it’s no surprise one of my favorites is this recipe for Jeweled Rice. It consists of rice, nuts, and fruit blended together into a perfect side dish. There are 3 components:
* Rice
Start by selecting the rice. It can be plain white, basmati, jasmine, or brown rice if you wanted to be extra healthy. Wild rice is also an option, but I find that it’s better when mixed with white rice rather than served alone.
* Nuts
Chopped pistachios and sliced almonds work best for Jeweled Rice, but if you have something else on hand, try it! Walnuts, pecans, etc.
* Fruit
If dried fruit is used, try raisins (regular or golden), cranberries, or apricots. For fresh, I love to use pineapple slivers or orange segments. The juice and zest can be used, too. I’m not into canned fruit, but it can be used.
To make Jeweled Rice, start by cooking the rice. Everyone is used to cooking rice on the stove, but did you know it can be made successfully in the microwave? When it’s hot out, I prefer it, rather than turning on the stove.
1 cup of dried rice should be mixed with 2 cups of water and 1 TBS of butter, oil, or margarine. Microwave on high for 15 minutes and let it rest for an additional 5 minutes. (Rice cooked this way is parve; broth can be substituted for a meat meal.)
When the rice is ready, add the fruit and nuts of your choosing. The measurements don’t need to be precise, but figure on at least 1/4 cup each. Add the orange juice last to moisten the dish, plus salt/pepper to taste.
Jeweled Rice pairs beautifully with chicken or fish. For a veggie, I suggest string beans or asparagus.
Do you like rice?
Want to take a mind-bending odyssey through the seemingly unrelated worlds of talk radio and white supremacy in the 1980’s? Read Talked to Death, a fascinating book, written by Stephen Singular.
Talked to Death chronicles the life and career of Denver lawyer turned radio talk show host Alan Berg—opinionated, loud-mouthed, ultra-liberal, always fair, and often abrasive.
As one would imagine, a personality like Berg’s attracts opposition, sometimes violent. Interspaced with Berg’s life, we are introduced to the shadowy world of the “Bruders Schweigen,” a neo-Nazi group based in Idaho with members located all over the American West.
This terror group was obsessed with bank robbery, mayhem, and murder, Berg being their #1 target. After a few failed attempts, they unfortunately succeeded, shooting Berg to death in 1984.
How could anyone be so enraged by a radio show that they’d stalk and kill the host? I find it unthinkable, as any rational person would. We must remember: Neo-Nazis are not rational.
To liven up the show, Berg would often engage these lunatics, and spar verbally about hot button issues: homosexuals, race, religion, class, politics, etc. Unable to let it drop, they continued to simmer, plot, and plan—a most frightening scenario.
The murder and its root causes garnered a tremendous amount of interest, as would be expected. Oliver Stone gave it the Hollywood treatment, in a movie version called Talk Radio. It was an exceptionally good movie with a star-making role played by Eric Bogosian. Alec Baldwin is also excellent as the long-suffering station boss.
I saw the movie long before I read the book. Don’t ask me why, but I recall watching it as a teenager at about 3:00am on cable with my dad as we ate Wendy’s takeout. At that age, I was still naïve and it was hard for me to believe it was a true story. My dad, being much older and wiser, was happy to “school me on the facts of life.” (A phrase he’d often use with me and my sisters!)
Many years have passed. I’m no longer naïve, but I’m still incredulous that such evil exists in this world. No law can be passed to ban stupidity, but thankfully there are laws protecting us from madmen and women intent on doing harm.
Alan Berg, who dedicated his life to liberty, was deprived of his own in the ultimate crime. There can be no justice for murder victims, not really, but knowing his killer died in prison after serving 23 years of a 250 year sentence does slightly soften the blow.
God bless you, Alan; you are missed!
Recently, I took a trip to one of my favorite places—Rockland, Maine. If you’ve never been to Mid-Coast Maine, and Rockland specifically, I encourage you to go. Hungry Bear (my guy) and I have been several times and we always enjoy it.
Since Rockland is about 2.5 hours away, we started out early by packing up the Pathfinder and heading north. The drive will take you up I-95 and over to Route 1. It’s very scenic, but there can be a lot of traffic in the summer.
Rockland is a town of approximately 7,300 people and it offers a lot of entertainment for its size. There are museums, an active downtown with an old-fashioned Strand theatre, tons of restaurants, and a Visitor’s Center. Surprisingly, there’s even a synagogue. (It is so awesome to see Jewish Communal life flourishing, even in the most rural locations!)
We focused on sightseeing, dining, and outdoor attractions.
If you enjoy looking at ships, you will love Rockland. They have a working harbor and ferry boats that service 3 neighboring islands—Vinalhaven, North Haven, and Matinicus. We’ve always wanted to take the ferry trip, but there never seems to be enough time! (Some day soon we will, hopefully.)
At the ferry landing, there is a hidden jewel of a restaurant, Thai Tugboat. It’s run by a lovely lady named Sue who is from Thailand and makes delicious versions of her native dishes. We both ordered the Pad Thai. It’s a little different than most. It has chicken and noodles mixed with sauce, plus raw spinach and strips of cabbage on top. Very tasty! I ordered mine mild and Hungry Bear likes his extra spicy. There’s a nice rock table to eat at, or you can sit in the car.
After lunch, we were ready for some exercise. Rockland has an incredible rock pier called the Breakwater, which is 7/8 mile long and 20-feet wide that connects the land to a lighthouse. Pictures alone can’t convey how truly amazing it is! My only issue is that the rocks are uneven and if you’re not paying attention, it’s easy to slip. Also, good sneakers are a must.
If you’re not up for that, there’s also a lovely state park in the neighboring town of Owl’s Head that has woods with trails and a rocky beach. Just beautiful, very clean, and quiet.
After our walk, we were looking for a treat and encountered our only disappointment of the trip: Our favorite coffee/dessert place, a combo Tim Horton’s/Cold Stone Creamery shop had gone out of business! I’m not sure why, because it was fantastic. Instead, we tried a local ice cream hut called Dorman’s Dairy Dream. I ordered a pistachio cone and Hungry Bear got Banana. I thought it was only average, but I seem to be in the minority…
As we were eating our ice creams, I spotted a Smart Car at the dealership across the street, so we had to get a picture of that. (I have a slight Smart Car obsession.)
After a full and wonderful day, we had to head home, but there are many adorable Inns for those who want to stay overnight. Personally, I could spend an entire week on the Maine Coast and never tire of it.
Our last stop of the night was in the town of Freeport, halfway home.
For those of you who’ve never been to L.L. Bean, you’ll pass right by it along the way. Stop in! The place is legendary for a reason. They have free coffee and tea; they’re open 24 hours a day, 364 days a year, and they have the best winter boots you’ll ever buy.
Maine truly is Vacationland!