Cooking 101

 

If you can read English, and follow directions, you can be a good cook. Over the years I have read dozens of cookbooks. This one, the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, 11th edition, is the best cookbook ever. Seriously, it has tons of useful information and of course, amazing recipes. As you learn many of your favorites you start to understand the importance of the different ingredients. The other cookbook that I really admire and sometimes use, is The Joy of Cooking. It  is more  advanced.

There are literally hundreds of recipes and after you experiment with some of them you will find a plethora of menu ideas. If you wanted to be a baker and learn about different kinds of breads and how they are made, this is the book that will teach you. I have only dabbled lightly with the Joy of Cooking. One thing is it if full of information. Why go to a culinary cooking school when you can just read and learn from this amazing cookbook? Besides, don’t you get tired of always having the same thing for dinner? Spaghetti every Monday. Tacos on Tuesday. Hamburgers on Wednesday. Yeah, you get the point. Spice things up, literally, with some variety in your menu planning. Did you know Julia Childs was a simple  stay at home wife who became a famous chef? True story.  How did you like the green chili? Yeah, I loved it too. I don’t make it often, but when I do I smother all my Mexican food and French fries with it.

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Did you see the new Paranormal Activity – Next of Kin movie? Wow, not what I thought it was going to be. I was thinking like, you know, ghosts and shit, but oh no. It is far worse than that. It is scary. People die. Could be based on a true story, but either way, it is bone chilling. If you watch it, there is a scene where I am literally yelling “Bitch don’t go down there.”  Laugh now, you won’t be when you watch it. And sadly, Google and Disney at are war as my YouTube subscription just lost ESPN, abc, and FX, which are owned by Disney.

And here is the latest from the NY Times regarding COVID.

DAILY AVG. ON DEC. 17 14-DAY CHANGE TOTAL REPORTED
Cases 125,838 +20% 50,663,217
Tests 1,592,057 +68% —
Hospitalized 68,659 +18% —
Deaths 1,294 +15% 804,266

Did you see “And Just Like That” episode 3? I was thinking, how could they make the show even more awkward for the audience? Well, that would be easy. Just write in Natasha the stick figure with no soul. Boom. Wish granted. Big … sorry, JOHN, gives his ex-wife, Natasha, a sizable amount in his will. Well, good job Patrick King. Everyone hated the tension in the series, way to bring it back with the reboot. It gets better next week, … Stanford makes an exit — stage left … forever.

 

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Colorado Green Chili

1-2 pound pork tenderloin (pressure cook it in your InstantPot for 20 minutes)
4-6 roasted green chili peppers (pulverized to a slush) [if you can’t get fresh, frozen will work]
2-3 large cloves of garlic
1 large red onion
2 jars of green salsa verde, made with tomatillos
12-16 ounces of chicken stock/broth
1 cup of flour mixed well with water to thicken to a gravy consistency

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This is my “secret” recipe. It really isn’t that much of a secret and has the same basic ingredients as other recipes. In Colorado roasted chili peppers can easily be found up and down Federal and Sheridan boulevard. There is even a big festival every year that is held in Pueblo. I still have a bouquet of red chili peppers I got there.  The chili is super popular here and you can get it at almost every Mexican restaurant, on your burritos, enchiladas, and even as a soup. It is very different than your normal red based chili. I don’t add red chili pepper like some recipes as I want it to be truly authentic. Those little black flakes are from the roasted chili peppers, not actual ground pepper. Top with scallions and sour cream and warm flour tortillas on the side for dipping. THE best green chili you will ever taste. Magically delicious.

 

 

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Veritas — Truth Serum

“A drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts.”

 

Dispensing more good advice … this is my favorite quote. What it means in the simplest terms — if you get drunk and your sober friend does not, chances are you will spill your secrets and or truths. You won’t remember it, but he/she will.  So keep that in mind the next time you decide to get hammered with your best “work” friends. You really don’t want your subordinate employee knowing all the dirt. Years ago I created a rule for myself that I did not associate with people from work, while I was still employed there. If one of us quits or moves on then it would be okay to “hang out” outside of work. If you go to the happy hour events with coworkers you will find out all kinds of secrets.
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Now some people think this is bad advice as they have made a lot of good or great friends from the workplace. Good for them. I also know of “friends” who had dirt on their other friends and used it to blackmail their coworkers into doing their bidding. In some companies things like, days off and preferred schedule shifts are highly coveted that can be easily granted or denied. Of course you can BE friends AT work. I am saying when you leave the building and go off into your merry little world, there really is no need to have a work friend join you.
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Women are catty (bitches) and men are … untrustworthy. And when it comes to money and the workplace, things can get even nastier. I am talking about sales people who steal sales from each other. Commissioned sales and friends in commissioned sales are not a good combination. Just remember that everyone comes from a different background and way they were raised. Simply being employed at the same company and working in the same department is not reason enough to have a new best friend. I have also witnessed when two best friends apply for the same promotion.  You can already guess where that is headed. In the game of sales, there is only ONE number one salesperson each month.
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And just in case you haven’t had a role model tell you … NEVER get drunk at a work function. Romance and the workplace is not advised. You don’t want to work with your ex if you have a bad break up, right?  I also do not advise in “friending” your new coworkers on any of your social media platforms, especially Facebook. People are weird and some people do not have good intentions. Remember, there is evil in this world, and sometimes it is in your own company. Trust no one.

 

 

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Words To Live By

Let’s play a game. I like games. Don’t you? In this game,  you are going to contemplate your words of wisdom that you feel your pupils/children/followers should know. Something that is maybe unique to you, or just plain good business sense. My grandma gave me some advice once. We were sitting in the bank and she was cosigning a personal loan for me. She looked over at me and said, “Never tell people how much money you have or don’t have. It is none of their business. If people think you have money, they will treat you nicer, but some people will just want you for your money.” She was right.

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So how do you let people know you actually have money without telling them you have money? Well, you could carry a lot of greenbacks in your wallet or money clip. I know when I saw a guy with a money clip full of 100 dollar bills, I had a feeling he was well off and probably rich. Guess what, you can have a lot of paper in your wallet without being “rich”.

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There are other ways to show you are rich without using cash. You can have an American Express charge card. You have to pay those off in full every month, so if someone is making a big purchase on that card, they obviously have a lot of money in the bank to pay it off within 30 days. When I worked at Best Buy Magnolia I sold a huge entertainment package, well over 10k. He put it on his AmEx BLACK card. That was the first time I had ever seen or touched a metal card and of course I was impressed. You have to make bank to even qualify for that card. So naturally I asked what he did for a living. He said he owned a couple of mortgage companies, so he WAS the bank. Yeah, those guys who loan you money for homes. Damn. Funny thing is he looked like an average normal guy, other than his expensive Italian shoes. One of the things I have learned working retail luxury sales, … you can NEVER tell how much money someone has just by looking at a person. “Some” things like jewelry and accessories can give you somewhat of an idea, and with women you can get a good idea by simply looking at her purse. There are some purses that are worth more than houses … yeah it is crazy insane. A leather bag worth more than a house. For men, it is usually a really, really expensive large gold watch and expensive shoes.
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Some additional thoughts on money. When people think you have money, they may ask to “borrow” it. Unless you really love that person and want to give that person a one time donation, don’t do  it. You probably won’t get your money back and you will lose a friendship over it. Trust me on this one. I have done it time and time again and the outcome is always a bad one with hurt feelings from someone. One time a “friend” wanted to borrow money and I flat out said no. She didn’t pay back the last “loan” so why would I just give her money? That’s right, her credit was zero. Steal from me once, shame on you. Steal from me twice, shame on me. Some people are just plain evil. Bad egg. Bad intentions. Bad results. Our prisons are full of them.

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“Baw weep graw weep ninny bong.”  It’s the universal greeting. Guns are not exactly friendly. – Hot Rod & Kup, Transformers G1

If Kyle Rittenfuck had a sign that had the universal greeting on it and was wearing a red cross logo, THAT might be interpreted as a “friendly”. Kup said it best, guns aren’t friendly.

 

 

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Angel Academy Print Version

Angel Academy was released November 18th 2014. Most of my readers know that was my contribution to the Universe. While I would love to take credit for this masterpiece alone, it actually was the collaborative work of many individuals. Before the book launched I did all kinds of marketing techniques that were super successful. Focus group, bookmarks, reader participation, character development contributions, book cover contest and many more.

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I spent the morning just reviewing all the posts on the Facebook business book page. If you haven’t liked it or checked it out, you can click here. It has literally been years since the book was released and it literally went on auto pilot and I didn’t have to do much of anything. Before the Facebook algorithm changed, I would post something on the page and it would instantly get hundreds of not thousands of likes. I have to admit that I don’t remember composing all those posts, but some of them are really good. Anyway, holiday is upon us and I discovered one of my publisher affiliates who is offering free international delivery, $18.97 USD. Warning, it is a tear jerker and you will fall in love with it and the characters. Or go look at the posts on Facebook and then decide.

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On a side note, my little puppy Cookie had to have emergency surgery yesterday and when I took her in, I also took a copy of the book. My favorite vet/doctor was there and I had to give her a book. I said there was a chapter “Dog Heaven” along with the rainbow bridge that she will just love. She said I was going to make her cry. My eyes welled up with tears and I said “I just know YOU are going to be my angel and save my little girl.” And thankfully, she did. Miracles happen every day. I give thanks one happened for me.

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Did you see The Eternals or Spencer? Or Dune? I saw all 3 and I can’t say I would give any of them a 5 star review. I talked with another movie enthusiast who said she thought it was more of a chick flick and her husband didn’t think it was worthy. I’ll just say that it was NOT worth the $20 admission per person. Spencer was about Princess Diana. Her maiden name was Spencer. Didn’t know that until the show. Not quite what I was expecting, as I had no idea she was so sad and lonely. Kristen Stewart just whispers the whole time so I’m not sure if that was intended but I could barely hear or understand her. It is also done by an international producer, not Hollywood. If you are wondering if you want to see it I’ll save you some coin. Don’t go. You will be bored, fall asleep and wonder when anything, SOMETHING was going to happen.  Dune? I never saw the first one so this one was kind of … neat. Okay it was semi-interesting. And the highlight of the movie is that they pull a Lord of the Rings, and stop halfway through the storyline/plot and you have to wait until part 2. Lame. If you have HBOMax go ahead and watch it for free. The special effects are neat.

 

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Flawsome

Hey, … if no one hasn’t told you lately, you are flawsome. That is, you have flaws and you are still awesome. Right? Right. People don’t like to talk about their flaws, as some of them might be embarrassing. Some of them are things that you just simply refuse to give up … like smoking, drinking excess alcohol, swearing, taking the Lord’s name in vain … you get the idea. All of those things might be perceived as not so awesome. How much of that Halloween candy have you destroyed without even thinking of how much of that TURNS TO FAT. Fat is not a bad thing. In fact, it tastes delicious when marbleized in your steak. On your own hips, waist and buttocks, might not be so awesome. Some might call it a flaw. A small flaw, but still a flaw nonetheless.
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So what are some of the not so awesome things you do that maybe you could retrain yourself to change? How about starting with something simple like no soda pop for a week? No fast food for a month? Don’t kid yourself, McDonalds is shit food despite it tasting amazing. There is an entire documentary on it, Super Size Me. Watch it and you will change your ways. I love their French Fries, but I can buy GMO poison free fries at my Natural Grocer and then fry them myself in peanut oil, with no beef tallow in it. Stop dropping the F bomb. It just is in bad manners/taste. Retrain your mind to think positively. Welcome to your new world of amazing new thoughts and experiences.

Tell 3 people today that they are flawsome.

 

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Body Dysmorphia

It’s just a fancy way of saying “I hate my body” or “I have low self esteem”. Every beautiful person on Instagram has something about themselves that they hate. If you have EVER Photoshopped a photograph or used a smartphone app to enhance your looks, … then you too are part of this group of people. I personally don’t think there is anything wrong with wanting to be perfect. But you really shouldn’t use Instagram models as your role model. We all know that most of them are all fake AF and they are using an app to look better. Some of them, like Kylie and Khloe have actually gotten called out on it. Khloe actually admitted to using filters on all her photos and once a photo got posted without a filter and she freaked out. Yep, she is not perfect either. Most beauty queens have done some form of looksmaxing, … fake eyelashes, hair extensions, hair coloring, silicon boobs, and of course concealer and foundation.

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I think it about time that guys start taking an concerted effort to do the same. Get that hair transplant or toupee. You don’t need to be bald and shamed. Girls will actually like you more. All of your new friends will never know you lost your hair. Believe it or not, there are a lot of married and sadly single guys who are not so great to look at, and I am just being honest. How difficult it is go to have your eyebrows threaded so you don’t have a unibrow? There are all kinds of make-up tools to help your brows and face look better. How hard it is to have some sunscreen incorporated into your face moisturizer? If you actually ate ONLY when you were hungry then maybe you would lose a few extra pounds. Face it, everyone could stand to lose some weight. All you have to do is look at a person’s neck and you can easily see there is some room for improvement. Double chins (fatty necks) only look good on turkeys.

 

Check out this Facebook page on hair. (https://www.facebook.com/hairsolutionsformenandwomen)

There are a lot of good articles and solutions for hair help/systems/alternatives. Some of the videos are just entertaining. At least you have some scientific help on your side.

And it is the Hunter full moon. Make a wish. May your days and nights be filled with light and love.

 

 

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The Power of Make-Up

I don’t know about you, but I have always been fascinated by how make-up can make someone look totally different. At first you might be thinking of some magical transformations of making an ordinary person look like a hot Kardashian. I was thinking more like movie star, Avatar face painting make-up. Halloween is coming up and naturally changing who you are with a little face paint might have crossed your mind. In Denver they have had the Zombie Crawl/fest, but due to COVID it hasn’t happened, and I don’t think it is going to happen this year either. I have done some pretty cool transformations into the “undead”.

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Years and years ago I went to an Ulta and discovered the magic of concealer. One of the cute girls helped me pick a color that matched my skin and instantly that nasty red spot was gone. Wow. I was hooked and I have never looked back. With so many people in front of a camera or smartphone doing virtual conversations, there really are more people that should look into “looksmaxing” with some make-up. A little bit of concealer and foundation will take away those dark spots and some setting powder will get rid of that nasty shine from your LED ring light. You can always tell when someone gets old who never took care of their skin by those age spots. Their hands look like the old Rose from Titanic. You would think some of those politicians who are in front of the camera would take a little effort to improve their looks. They are the elected officials and they should look good. Who are we kidding? They will never look good.

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There are already dozens of videos on YouTube recommending foundations and concealers. You can go try some yourself but they aren’t cheap. Usually around $20-$30 but a little tube. If you are wondering which one I am using, it is called IL MAKIAGE. I use their foundation. The company sends you a full bottle of foundation for free, and if you don’t return it they charge your credit card. You take an online test to determine your 1 of 50 colors. When I ordered it I also opted for the matching concealer so I wouldn’t have to pay for shipping later if I decided I liked it. I liked them both and when I know I am going to do a photo or go out I just touch up some areas. Voila. Real life filter/Photoshop. Sometimes you get dark spots just from being in the sun. So be sure you are using some sort of SPF protection. Btw, I love this brand because it doesn’t feel like I have anything on my face and it smooths out the texture for an even tone. It is Aaron Approved!

The new “Halloween Kills” movie released in theaters and free to stream for Peacock app users. Yep, I have the app so I’ll be watching something scary this weekend. Game of Thrones is so confusing I had to watch YouTube videos just to decipher who is what family. I heard they are doing a prequel that takes place hundreds of year prior. I’m down.

DISCLAIMER: I was not paid for this review or product recommendation.

 

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Facebook Poison

Facebook, just like video games, should be limited to a certain amount of time per day. China has implemented this new policy. Wait, China doesn’t even allow Facebook. WHAT? Yep, you heard me right. Personally I am only on Facebook in the middle of the night, when no one is online, and only for a very short amount of time. I actually have been spending less time on Facebook, less posting, and less reading. I can get my news from The New York Times, YouTube news, CNN, and many other news commentary. I can type in a news website directly and NOT have to find out about something via a Facebook newsfeed.
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So evidently, Facebook went dark for five hours the other day and everyone freaked the fuck out. Oh no, I can’t cyberstalk anymore. I have to actually get back to work. Well, SOME people claimed they NEED Facebook just to work. No. They don’t.  So here is something to chew on for a minute, … what if, Facebook disappears one day, just like Friendster and MySpace? Do you have the phone numbers or email addresses of your family and friends? Well, some of them you probably do, but others you don’t, and the more you think about it, you probably are better off without them. Now that Facebook is back online, you might want to think about registering some of those other websites with an actual email address and password, rather than your Facebook login avatar. Those little plugins sure are convenient, … as long as Facebook is online. Billion dollar company and they lose millions in advertisement revenue. Have you noticed the plethora of sponsored ads you are seeing now? After about fifteen minutes of sponsored ads I just had to close the app. Criteria? Male 18-65 living in the US. So basically they are spamming everyone. So, when you see those ads, make sure you hide the ad and hide the advertiser forever.
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I have personally discovered Facebook spying on me. Yep it is true. I started watching Game of Thrones and I have not once looked up anything online on my computer or phone and guess what just showed up in my newsfeed. Yep, you got it. Game of Thrones shit. WTF. So, tell me, how on earth could Facebook know I am watching Game of Thrones, which I purchased … not watching through a smart tv or HBO Max? The app is using the microphone to spy on my activities while I am not using the app. WTF. So, guess what, the phone is no longer in the same room with me and if it rings my apple watch will notify me. But that doesn’t solve the REAL issue. My privacy. Did I give Facebook permission to use the microphone to listen and analyze what I am doing? No. Another solution would be to just delete the app from my phone all together and only access Facebook from a computer with a VPN active. You hear that Facebook? Well, thousands and thousands of my readers heard me and right now they are thinking the exact same thing. I don’t need you Facebook. But you need us. Their outage the other day is going to cost them more than just ad revenue. People are going to wake up and get tired of being bombarded by stupid fucking ads and just stop using the app all together. And let’s be honest, you really don’t need to tell the entire fucking world every event play by play in your life. You really are not that interesting. There is a thing called group text you can use that will update the people who actually want to hear from you. You might notice I am not posting as much on Facebook, for a variety of reasons. I’m really not that interesting either … entertaining maybe. Sometimes life can be perfectly okay without having to share it with anyone on a smartphone or computer. Are you taking those photos of your vacation for you or for your followers? Because most of your followers secretly hate you when you brag about how great your semi-ordinary life is. I see all the bad photoshop apps that are producing shitty results and I just laugh. When your nose disappears and you have no pores it is the first sign of a bad photoshop job. Just be you. You can’t fool anyone in real life. Those extra pounds and that turkey neck can only hide under a turtleneck. 666. That is the magic number of calories you can eat at each meal, if you only ate 3 times a day. You can drink that in your morning coffee and creamer without even blinking.

 

Venom 2 released this past weekend and is currently the number 1 movie in the world. If you liked the first one, you will like the sequel. Addams Family sequel also came out and it was cute, but the plot was kind of lame. They go on a family vacation. Sorry if that ruined it for you, but you’re not a ten year old child and you probably aren’t going to take your kids. But when it comes out on video or Redbox, you should see it.

If you absolutely can’t stay away from Facebook, then start counting the sponsored ads in your newsfeed. When you see, 100 … will you consider closing it for a day? Excuse me while I disappear into the Game of Thrones.

 

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Willing To Recommend 111SKIN

 I will be the first to admit that I am guilty of always wanting to try new beauty products. If I could give my younger self some advice, skincare would be it. Growing up as a teen I had a high amount of testosterone, which resulted in blemishes, acne, blackheads, … you get it. As a teen it dramatically affects your self confidence, no matter how cute or hot you are.  I was on tetracycline and at a young age learned at 3 step face cleaning routine. Then later in life I was introduced to Proactive. I know they are still around, I just haven’t seen any of their advertisements on television. I think back to what my routine was compared to what I do today and it makes me laugh. Today I have the help of ultrasonic cleaning tools, red light LED therapy, expensive masks, and my secret weapon … 111Skin 3 phase anti blemish booster. That little green bottle above. Yes at first it appears to be really expensive, but ask yourself … what would you pay to have beautiful, clean, clear blemish-free skin? $135 every couple of months really isn’t that bad. With Proactive it is always a 3 step process. I just use a few drops after washing my face. Then use a moisturizer. Done. Pretty simple actually.

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Now if you joined Ipsy, my favorite beauty box/bag company … you would know that they sometimes put this in the monthly bags and sometimes they even put it for sale in the daily sales events. Ipsy has thousands and thousands of customers so sometimes the really good stuff goes like within minutes. So at 7 am Denver time, they put new items online. Now you’re going to think this is crazy, but you can actually get the 3 phase online now for only $18, … not $135. Damn. Yep, scored me another one. 111Skin caters to the celebrities, and some of their products are so damn expensive you’d have to be a celebrity to buy them. However, I think that if you take care of your skin now, you won’t have to pay for expensive plastic surgery/salon treatments later in life. So if you didn’t sign up previously, go score a free bag, and then go back to the online daily sales items and score the 3 phase. That is, if you know someone who has skin concerns. I don’t know anyone who WANTS to look old. If your skin is beautiful and glowing, then you don’t need to spend a lot of money on concealers and make-up. Oh and if you are wondering what do “I” get if you sign up? Points. Points eventually turn into free products. Nothing super exciting, but I like points. I love getting membership rewards points on my American Express card.

DISCLAIMER: Other than points, I was not paid for this review.

 

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