What are the 100 most commonly used words in the English language?
Take this fun quiz to see how many you can identify in 5 minutes (I scored 45 out of 100).
Thanks to Kris Bordessa of Paradise Found for the link :)!
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friday feast: politics for breakfast
“Nothing helps scenery like ham and eggs.” ~ Mark Twain
Who me? Talk about politics?
I’d rather eat liver.
But there’s no escaping it. I tried to buy some bacon the other day, and the checkout girl asked if I had foreign policy experience. Okay, not really, but I’ve inhaled so much political hot air that sometimes I feel like I’m going to explode.
Oinkety oink oink!
What a tough campaign — people are apt to say anything just to get elected. Spin on top of spin can make a body ravenous for some meaningful sustenance. That’s why today I’m serving up some ham ham ham.
Whether you like your eggs on the left or right side of your plate, or are desperately trying to find a good spot in the middle, it’s wise to chew slowly, so you don’t choke on all the rhetoric.
Just remember: if all else fails, vote for Porky!
EXQUISITE CANDIDATE
by Denise Duhamel and Maureen Seaton
I can promise you this: food in the White House
will change! No more granola, only fried eggs
flipped the way we like them. And ham ham ham!
Americans need ham! Nothing airy like debate for me!
Pigs will become the new symbol of glee,
displacing smiley faces and “Have a Nice Day.”
(Rest is here.)
The lovely Tricia, of The Miss Rumphius Effect, is our Poetry Friday hostess today. I wonder if she has any mustard to go with all this ham?
If you’d like to see what the next president of the United States recently had for breakfast, watch this. He’s been my choice from the beginning, and I sincerely hope you vote for him, too. Bring on the debates!
seduced by bacon
"I’ve long said that if I were about to be executed and were given a choice of my last meal, it would be bacon and eggs . . . Nothing is quite as intoxicating as the smell of bacon frying in the morning." ~ James Beard
(Vegetarians, look away.)
I’m definitely not a morning person, but for bacon I’ll get up.
One whiff of those divine pieces of pork belly sizzling in a pan, and I’m floating downstairs, dreaming of cozy Sunday mornings and finding my way back home.
Bacon ranks right up there with chocolate as a top-ranking guilty pleasure. We know we shouldn’t have any, but find it impossible to resist. Just one piece, maybe two. Absolutely scrumptious biting into it, eyes rolling back in the head, and then a sense of "man, am I going to pay for this," afterwards.
But hoo boy, this brand of ecstasy is worth it.
Despite warnings about saturated fat and nitrates, bacon is selling better than ever in the U.S. About 2 billion pounds of it is produced each year, 70% of it consumed at breakfast. Over 50% of American households claim to have bacon on hand at all times. Like Emeril always says, pork fat!! You simply can’t beat it for flavor; even a little bit added to a recipe yields a big payoff.
It seems bacon has always been held in high esteem. Back in 12th century England, a church in the town of Dunmow awarded a side of bacon to any man who could swear he hadn’t quarreled with his wife in a year and a day. He was greatly admired for his forbearance, and henceforth was known as one who could "bring home the bacon."
These days, women bring home the whole pig. With or without lipstick.
And right now, this woman is going to share her favorite method of cooking bacon.
Much as I love the crack, pop and sizzle, I hate cleaning greasy frying pans and spattered stove tops. Broiled bacon is equally messy, and I don’t like heating up the whole oven just to bake a few strips.
No, here in the alphabet soup kitchen, we use the microwave. In the past, I used a special ridged microwave plate specially made for cooking bacon. But who wants to wash that thing? The older you get, the more your life is about convenience.
So here, for the first time ever, my favorite method, aka,
BROWN PAPER BAGS ARE YOUR FRIEND
Step 1: Blindfold any pigs who live at your house. Refrain from calling anyone "Babe."
Step 2: Fold two grocery bags in half crosswise, then slide one inside the other. Place two paper towels on top, then position bacon slices. Place another towel over the bacon to prevent spattering.
Step 3: Microwave on high, about 1 minute for each slice being cooked. (Cooking time varies depending on how crisp you like your bacon. It’s wise to test after 2-3 minutes.)
After 3-1/2 minutes (I like my bacon chewy.)
Step 4: Devour the bacon, then throw the greasy bags away. No dishes to wash, no spatters to clean up. Brown bags also absorb grease better than paper plates.
OINK!
If you find yourself stealing your kids’ bacon, ease your guilt by reading them this book:
picture book for ages 4-8 (Harper, 1989), 32 pp.
If you simply can’t stop oinking, test your bacon and belly fat IQ here.
here comes judge jama :)
The Cybils are coming! The Cybils are coming!!
That’s right — the 2008 Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards will officially kick off next Wednesday, October 1st. You will have until the 15th to head on over to the Cybils blog to nominate your favorite books in nine categories (new Easy Reader category this year). Anyone 13 or older can participate, with or without a blog. Books published in English between January 1 and October 15, 2008, are eligible.
Why are the Cybils important? When Kelly Herold and Anne Boles Levy founded the Cybils in 2006, they had two main objectives: to recognize books that had literary merit and kid appeal, and to foster a sense of community among bloggers who write about children’s and young adult literature. All too often, a book that wins a major literary award is not embraced by young readers. And, because so many books are published each year, a noteworthy title may not receive the recognition it deserves.
That’s where you, and the Cybils, come in. Don’t miss your chance to voice an opinion!
Oh, and I’m happy to announce that I’ve been selected to serve as a final round judge in the poetry category! I’m in such awesome company, too. Brilliant poetry goddess Kelly R. Fineman is Panel Organizer, and take a gander at who else will be serving:
Nominating Panel (First Round Judges)
Kelly Fineman Writing and Ruminating
Elaine Magliaro Wild Rose Reader
Bruce Black Wordswimmer
Laura Purdie Salas
Julie Danielson Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Round II Judges
John Mutford Book Mine Set
Gregory K. Pincus Gottabook
Sylvia Vardell Poetry for Children
Jama Rattigan Alphabet Soup
Liz Garton Scanlon Liz in Ink
WooHoo! Very cool. I look forward to working with my fellow panelists, and learning a lot from them.
Check out the Cybils blog to view all the categories and panelists, learn how the winners will be selected, and review the 2007 winners.
If you get a chance, listen to this Just One More Book podcast featuring Kelly Herold and Anne Boles Levy talking all about why they created the Cybils.
we have a winner!
Thanks to everyone who stopped by to read my interview with Maha Addasi last week. Loved all your great comments!
Yesterday morning, we decided to pick the winner of our book giveaway while we were having breakfast.
Some of the kitchen help busied themselves raiding the tea cupboard.
But good old Breakfast Bear started out his day reading
The White Nights of Ramadan. For the 53rd time.
Since he’s such a big fan of Maha’s book, it seemed logical that he should pick the winner. So, we wrote everyone’s names on pieces of blue paper, and tossed them into his cereal bowl.
He loved all the names, he really did. He even wanted to eat them. So we had to compromise. If he picked one name, he would be allowed to make something yummy with it.
First, he gazed into the magic toaster.
Then, he played with some red raspberry jam (his favorite).
He worked for over an hour creating his masterpiece. When he was finally done, he wanted to eat it right away. But I convinced him to hold off awhile so I could show you what he made.
*DRUM ROLL*
Jama's Alphabet Soup 