Hey, guys and girls.

As promised, here is the recap of yesterday’s meal. The hubby and I cooked most of the afternoon. I stuck to the menu I posted about pretty closely, with a few adjustments. For breakfast I had a bagel. One side had smooshed banana and flax seeds, the other had Earth Balance and local honey. The small cup is holding peach kefir! (So tasty!)

We didn’t start any preparation until the afternoon. We took a gorgeous 3 mile run in the neighborhood. I was spent by the end.

Prep work unglorified! I cleaned the squash, coated them in an olive oil, salt, pepper, and brown sugar mixture, and roasted them (cut side down) for 45 minutes at 325.There were no major food mishaps, but I did have to change plans a few times! First, while the squash roasted, I made the garlic mashed potatoes per usual. I got organic 2% milk and added some fat free cream cheese and Earth Balance for creamy goodness.

These went in the fridge to await the 7 o’clock dinner time.

The husband made corn pudding according to this recipe and even whipped out the hand mixer for the egg whites! It was his first time with the hand mixer and he did great.

After the squash roasted, I mixed my fresh rosemary, gorgonzola, and chopped walnuts in and prepared to bake the dish! It sounds like an odd combo, but I found it on Kalyn’s blog and pureed my squash gently after roasting it, rather than using chunks as she does. Great recipe!

Last of all, I made the salad of spinach, chopped figs, goat cheese, and almonds! I whipped up a quick dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Ready to serve!

My delicious heaping plate.

Homemade cranberry sauce on the left, corn pudding at the bottom, salad in the middle, and the mashed potatoes and squash bake around the top and right side!! Everything was a hit!

This guy, (who was just a little over cooked on the crust!), did NOT get much action last night. The hubz and I split a sliver! Great flavor, though! Hmm, maybe tonight…

Well, I enjoyed going over my day o’ cooking with you all! Now I’m sitting at my dining room table, sipping tea.

The dining room table happens to have beautiful “new” chairs!!! I went to Goodwill this morning and found these gorgeous, solid wood chairs. The construction is really good and they are uber comfy. Score! They were so cheap, too! We had definitely been using a fold out chair and an antique chair from hubz’ family. Gosh. Yay for matching.

See the chair rungs in the upper right corner?

I love getting good advice.

I am thankful for my readers!!!!

Well, I am about to enter diabetic ketoacidosis (fancy phrase for a sugar high), so I better just give you a few photos of my day and do a more complete recap in the AM.

The beginnings, basking in the sunshine.
Using ALL of the pumpkin.

And, getting a photo.

Hope you had a great one! Night!

Just when you thought there wasn’t enough to do on Thanksgiving, I’m going to add a new media twist to the Thanksgiving cooking and preparation. I won’t Tweet while we eat eat, but leading up to that be sure to follow the days events @VoilawithEmily. And, as you prepare your meal, email me with any questions and I’ll try to answer them!

Well, as Hope alluded to, I made pumpkin dip for my guests. We had a fun time watching the game, although we were going for the LA team, who lost on penalty kicks!! The guests dipped apple slices in greedily in the pumpkin dip. Here’s how I made it.

Pumpkin Dip
I plopped in the food processor all of the following:
1/2 can of pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cream cheese block (fat free)
1 pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar (could use turbinado or agave)

Process until incorporated and chill in the refrigerator. Serve chilled.

In addition to dipping fruit, I’ve found some other yummy uses for pumpkin dip!

Over pumpkin oats. Can you have too much pumpkin?

 

Roasted squash is delish with pumpkin dip filling!

Tomorrow is another big day for foodies, and it will be my first thanksgiving to cook! I am cooking for my hubby and a friend. We are going to have a vegetarian feast, and I did some searching to get inspired for my dishes.

 

Here is my gameplan! It’s fairly traditional with some flavorful twists.

1. Spinach salad with figs, goat cheese, almonds, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette
2. Garlic mashed potatoes (my recipe, forthcoming)
3. Corn pudding (at the hubby’s request, from here, sans acorn squash)
4. Butternut squash, roasted and baked with gorgonzola cheese and walnut creme (ala Ariane Duarte)
5. Cranberry sauce, homemade by our friend
6. Pumpkin pie, with homemade crust and from fresh pumpkin puree (What I did all day today with my dear friend, Lyndsay!)

So, there you have it! I can’t wait to work on it tomorrow! I think it’ll be great. What are your favorite dishes for tomorrow?! Are you cooking or being cooked for?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy every bit of your day tomorrow.

This is a day to celebrate, Secret Search Engine Labs was mantioned in Charles Knights AltSearchEngines blog which means we are now officially a search engine

AltSeachEngines writes about new search engines as the are discovered and if I remember right Charles wrote that so far he has written about 4000 different search engines in the Interet, not bad!

There’s more than GYB to try if you want something different.

The entry about our secret search engine can be found hiding behind that blue link, thanks Charles for including us.

Marrickville Council’s Green Deputy Mayor, Fiona Byrne and Greens
Councillors Max Phillips and Cathy Peters were arrested at Parliament
House on Monday Nov 23 as they joined over 200 protestors demanding stronger action from the government on climate change.

Climate activists block the front entrance to Parliament House

The three Greens Councillors were arrested after a mass sit-in in front of the entrance to Parliament House in Canberra along with 130 other
people, but released without charge.  They were  seeking meaningful
emission reduction targets of 40% by 2020 and binding agreements in   Copenhagen.

Councillor Bynre  stated, “When I read the latest research which suggests the Arctic icecap  could be completely melted during summer by as soon as 2013, I  realized that before my children even finish school, the planet could
be irreversibly changed. We must have real action now and that’s why I
had to be prepared to be arrested during this peaceful protest.”

“The fact that 130 people from diverse backgrounds were prepared to be

arrested reflects the strength of feeling in the community and I wanted to show the politicians in Canberra that ordinary people are prepared to take action to  demand realistic reductions in greenhouse gas pollution so that our community and communities around the world can have a safe future.” commented Greens Councillor Cathy Peters

Councillor Max Phillips at the blockade. Deputy Mayor Fiona Byrne and Councillor Cathy Peters were also present

“Action on climate is so important that sometimes we have to leave
our comfort zones and put our bodies on the line.  The government’s
5% target and deeply flawed emissions trading scheme is betraying
the climate and our collective future,” said Greens Councilor Max
Phillips.
“We have a small window to stop catastrophic climate change, so it
is now or never and that’s why I felt so strongly that I was willing
to be arrested participating in peaceful civil disobedience.”

We have moved to TGN-Official.tk

Check it out ASAP to keep updated on Playstation news Xbox news and Nintendo News.

I haven’t forgotten about you. I have been researching vast techniques of ogrosity inside a vortex on my couch upon mattresses of spent deli meat. I have been stockpiling content in hopes of launching a huge fog of win across the internets. Soon I shall return to further educate the masses to the energy of pure ogrismo. Until that day in the very near future I wish you sportz and fearless awesome.

Two of my “dream foods” finally got made yesterday and today! Read on, kind readers!!

I finally got my act in gear and made pumpkin oatmeal! I used steel cut oats and added cinnamon, nutmeg, and a sprinkle of cloves to add flavor. 1/2 of pumpkin from a can went in as my oats simmered. Viola!

I have found that one of the most effective ways to market an idea, product, or service is to convince people that they cannot live without whatever it is that you have to offer. This is called selling. Anybody who is worth anything, has had to learn this skill. Everyone from McDonald’s to Coca-Cola to Border’s Books had to learn to sell. When I speak of selling I don’t necessarily mean the selling of burgers, soda, or books, but rather the idea of their company. The name, the emblem, the model. When you think of McDonald’s you think of the two yellow arches. When you think of Coca-Cola you think of a polar bear holding a frosted bottle, wrapped in red, containing that sweet, cool, refreshing liquid that America has come to know and love. They haven’t sold you the drink but rather the idea of the drink and how it should make you feel. They’ve gotten you. You’re trapped. Now you just have to have that Quarter Pounder with cheese, and a tall glass of Coke. You’ve sold out.

   Now I want to talk about a different idea and concept of selling. Through my struggles of marketing myself and the service that my business offers, I have found that the demographics of my geographical location is extremely diverse, thus forcing me to develop a unique style of selling. Often times I will take time out of my day to sell to friends and coworkers issues and popular topics that I don’t necessarily agree with (although at the end of the discussion I tell them that I’m actually opposed to the idea I just sold to them). This may sound hypocritical, but there is a method to my madness. I feel that if I can learn to sell something that I don’t even agree with, then how much more can I sell something that I really do agree with. This may not be a good idea for you, but it really works for me.

   I have a friend by the name of Alex that loves to wakeboard. He’s not the greatest wakeboarder in the world at the time of this post writing, but he wanted to do something active about being into wakeboarding even when he can’t be out there being yanked around by a boat in the middle of a lake. I advised him to start a blog about his experiences and his knowledge. He was a little unsure of it at first, but I explained to him that if he starts writing about it and gets more experience under his belt, eventually someone is going to read his blog and perhaps that person will be an editor of a wakeboarding magazine. When they realize that he knows his stuff, what’s to stop them from hiring him on as a Research and Development (R&D) columnist for their magazine? Then before you know it, wakeboard companies are throwing themselves at him with their very best, top quality boards, bindings, and cords, along with free boat pulls. You may think it’s unlikely that this would happen, but it happens everyday. Needless to say, Alex started his blog and is fired up about it. Do I believe that it can happen? You bet your board!

         You can visit Alex’s blog at www.ridewake.wordpress.com. 

Read it. Subscribe to it. Support Alex.

Thanks For Reading!

Hey all.

I am addicted to Earl Gray tea now. Actually, I’ve been addicted for awhile, but I just started drinking it again recently.

Naseem Mohammad Shaikh is from Vadodara, Gujarat, in India.  For seven years, she kept hoping her husband and parents would come back.

Naseem’s is a household name in Kalol.  This is not because she is the first woman in Gujarat to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, for her efforts for the survivors of the 2002 violent riots in Panchmahals.

Seven years ago, in Delol village, her neighbours had suddenly gone into a frenzy that February morning.  They were screaming hate, pulling out machetes and knives, and chasing their neighbors.  The killing lasted for the next two days and when it was over, Naseem had lost 27 of her own family members.  Some of the dismembered bodies were flung into the nearby Goma river, others were scattered in the slush of nearby fields.

Miraculously, as it now seems, Nassem was at a local maternity hospital that day. When Dr Macchi of Kalol Delivery Centre was putting the stitches on her, the mob was probably killing her husband, father, mother and her close relatives. Only her five-year-old son survived. “It was only later that village elders said they were all dead. None of their bodies were found,” she says.

Naseem continued to live on hope for a while. “A Hindu man in our village, Khoya Patel, saved my son, Shoaib. I kept believing some other kind souls would have saved the others too,” she says. All these seven years, the police never confirmed their deaths.

Since then, she has been living in a rehabilitation camp in Kalol and refuses to go back to the village. For good reasons. “My brother who survived the killing had earlier returned to our village. He was still in great trauma and when a bomb went off in the village bus stand, he lost his sanity. His wife returned alone to the rehabilitation camp,” she says.

In connection with Shakeel Basha in New Delhi, Naseem was agreed to start a World Faith Chapter in Gujarat.  Where Naseem could call for violence, justifying her loss, she has chosen peace.  Through her awesome work, we hope that no one in Gujarat will face the pain Naseem has.

Usually cheaper and more flexible, for both the employee and company, short-term assignments can be used to quickly transfer skills to a new location, train a local workforce, and complete special projects. A recent Worldwide ERC survey indicates that “60 percent of the HR/Mobility professionals…anticipate an increase in short-term assignments within Europe in the next year”. As short-term assignments increase in your organization however, keep the following in mind:

• Time Crunches: It will take time for assignees to acquaint themselves with new cultures and office environments. This adaptation process could take months or even years. Does prospective assignee adapt quickly to change?
• Policy and Benefits: The needs of short-term assignments, though similar, do not mirror those of long-term assignments (e.g. housing, shipment of personal effects, and frequency of return trips).
• Compliance: Short-term assignments may receive beneficial tax treatment, but they also involve complex immigration, labor and tax rules. In the U.S. for example, the IRS ties an assignment’s taxability to its expected duration.

What to do?
Determine if the intended goal of the assignment can actually be accomplished within the short timeframe. Use actionable steps and goals to determine if the candidate is the right fit for the location and the assignment.

Develop a standard, short-term assignment policy with customizable benefits, based on local needs. Focus on logistical elements such as air shipment, travel expenses, furnished accommodations (hotel or temporary living facility), meals and/or per diems. Though not always used, cross cultural or language training may be integral in getting assignees up to speed quickly.

Carefully monitor all short-term assignments. Any deviation in the assignment’s expected or actual duration could result in significant compliance issues. Consultations with tax and immigration professionals must be a part of the initial planning process.

The economic downturn will move many companies to utilize more short-term assignments. Taking these items into consideration should lead to a more successful assignment program.

SKELETONS

http://www.myspace.com/skeletonsuk

One of my favourite band to photograph.

I got this really wonderful result using the Fisheye and letting the shutting hang for a second and then zooming out!

An article in today’s Sydney Morning Herald – People versus power station as water levels plunge – points out what’s happening because of climate change.  This time Oberon (just over the Blue Mountains) is running out of water.  Now the town must choose between the people who consume 1 million litres a day, or the coal-fired power station down river that consumes 9 million litres of water every day. 

How ironic, that the coal-fired power station that is part of the reason why rainfall patterns are changing, it sucking up the remaining water at a prodigious rate!

The article also says Orange Council must decide how to avoid level 6 water restrictions in the near future (level 6 water restrictions basically close down industry).  A giant gold mine nearby is using large amounts of water.  How long before we put a real value on water and on keeping a safe clmate?

Greens Councillor Jeremy Buckingham is still wondering how long it will take before people wake up to the new reality that climate change is already happening.  With a red hot end to November forecast and a scorching summer predicted, how long until government decide to take real action on climate change, rather than this childish debate over who can give more compo to the big multinational coal corporations.  Kevin Rudd, Malcolm Turnbull, you are a joke – at least you would be if the climate issue weren’t so serious.

Dry: Oberon dam

Isn’t it funny how people perceive The Greens as not being serious on many issues, when we are the only party who really ‘gets’ climate change and is promoting actual solutions rather than token words and almost total inaction.  The other parties and heir representatives will be found to be culpably negligent.

Climate denying morons like Senator Nick Minchin may look the very definition of respectability, but he is a ‘total nutbar’ when it comes to climate (then again, are these the same bastards who locked up [and still lock up] asylum seekers behind razor-wire in thinly veiled attempts to outdo each other in appealing to latent racism and obvious xenophobia in the Australian community).

History will ultimately judge, but if, as the New Scientist reports, we’re heading to six degrees of global warming by the end of this century, then there will be no history, just acidic seas belching Sulfur dioxide into the green sky.

More Buckinghams, less Minchins please.

Life is joyous, and there is always a new dawn, a fresh start, another opportunity.

When spoken about, the idea of starting a business venture is an exciting one. What few realize is that the entrepreneurial hurdles that must be overcome are quite substantial. I was one of those that thought it would be a piece of cake. Well, since the conception of my venture, I have encountered difficulty after agonizing difficulty. The true reality smacked me in the face when I had to put my rubber to the road by paying, out of my own pocket, to purchase several rather expensive items that would put me on the road to success. Everything from a beat up trailer that I had to renovate to carry my equipment in, to several very powerful pieces of machinery that I would have to learn to master, it has been nothing but work. But even through all the difficulties, it’s that fire that stays burning in me, that drives me on to certain success.

Thanks For Reading!

Recently, “unfriend,” the term made popular as a way to describe being ditched by your Facebook friends, was added to the New Oxford American Dictionary.

What’s really newsworthy about this development is the fact that it didn’t surprise most of us. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and yes, SodaHead … they’re all household terms to the people who peruse these pages. And they will be soon enough for everybody else. (To wit: last month, as Hell froze over, my mom joined Facebook. And a few days ago, excited about my new gig at SodaHead, she became one, too. Way to go, Mom!)

A while back, a friend sent me this video, which rebuts in sort of creepy detail the notion that social media is “just a fad.”

I don’t doubt the facts in this video. However, I would argue that there is a certain faddishness to social media at the micro-level. Well, maybe “fad” is too harsh; it’s probably more accurate to call it a “courtship” instead.

Admittedly I only have anecdotal evidence to go on, so this could be something for the researchers to sink their teeth into. But here’s my hypothesis: in much the same way that you use dating to select a potential mate, a social media user tries on various networks and sites before settling down with a favorite. As part of this phenomenon, social media users go through phases in their use of specific sites that replicate the phases of a relationship.

As an example, I offer the following:

The Facebook Courtship (A Drama in Seven Parts)

Getting to Know You Phase: This is when you first hear about Facebook, which for a long time you’d simply dismissed as a silly site for college kids. An online network where you can find all kinds of scoop on long-lost friends and exes? Wow, that sounds intriguing. Tell me more. You may create a dummy profile in order to sniff around in a safe, anonymous fashion. Not much sniffing can be done without a real commitment, however, due to the privacy settings that most Facebook users set up on their profile. Once you get a whiff of the connection possibilities, you’re hooked. Which leads to…

Dating: You did it. You jumped in and created a Facebook profile. Within days – no, hours – friend requests pile up in your inbox. The girl you competed with on the tennis team? Your junior high boyfriend? Your high school Algebra teacher? Wow. This place is amazing. How do these people even know I’m here? (Ah, grasshopper … you have so much to learn.) The endorphins flush through your body. You believe you may be – gasp! – in love.

Engagement: Only a few weeks (and approximately 126 friends) later, you’ve become completely preoccupied with Facebook. You check in any time you have a spare minute. Why? You just want to see what people are up to. You’re both curious and amused. There’s the friend who announces every time she takes a shower, or the guy you know from softball who brags about his romantic exploits. You can call them out, but you’re still just as obsessed as everyone else seems to be. And you can’t imagine how you lived before this.

Honeymoon: Facebook has swallowed your life. In fact, you live your days in a perpetual meta-Facebook condition. Find yourself thinking of something hilarious? You make a mental note to post it as your next status update. Your kid does something cute? You snap a photo and post it on your profile page, stat. Someone sends you an interesting article? You figure that of course all of your Facebook friends will find it equally fascinating – and voila! Up it goes on your page. Your relationship with Facebook never gets better than this.

Post-Wedding Ambivalence: By now you’re about a year, maybe 18 months, in to your relationship. You wouldn’t say you’re over Facebook, but it’s evident the bloom is coming off the rose. Lots of little things start to annoy you. The layout changes that come with no warning. The behaviors of “newbie’s” that you can spot a mile away, like the guy who clearly works too hard to craft the wittiest, most perfect status update, or the woman in your book club who doesn’t quite understand the difference between writing a really personal note on someone’s wall and posting it as her status update.

The Seven Year Itch: You’re bored with it. You dabble in other, sexier things, like Twitter, which seems to move faster and lets you be unencumbered in a way Facebook never will. You can actually go days without checking the news feed – something unthinkable just a few months ago.

Reunited (And It Feels So Good): Where do you go from here? That’s the big question. Some opt for a divorce. But you’re like most people, you decide, after straying, that Facebook is what you need after all, even if it’s predictable, pedantic and a huge time-suck. Like a ratty but comfortable old sweater, you just can’t give it up. And it knows.

This article was written for SodaHead.