As Infinite As The Stars

Friday, 10 July 2009

Saturday, 20 June 2009

Thursday, 11 June 2009

  • Easy Middle Eastern Couscous Salad


    photo by Donald Leitch donaldleitchdesigns.com

    This salad is great for a wonderful Summer meal or as a fresh side dish for a barbeque.

    Ingredients:

    Salad:

    One box of Near East or any brand parmesan couscous
    3 peppers (1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow) diced
    2 medium tomatoes roughly chopped
    1/2 of a large red onion minced
    1 cup of pistachios
    1/2 cup of feta cheese crumbled

    Dressing:

    2 lemons squeezed
    1 1/4 cups of extra virgin olive oil
    1 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper
    1/2 tsp of garlic powder
    1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
    Salt to taste

    Method:

    Follow the instructions on the box to prepare the parmesan couscous.  Then let the couscous cool to room temperature.  Chop your tomatoes roughly and dice your onion.  Coarsely chop your three peppers, and add to the salad bowl with the tomatoes and onion.  Add your pistachios and toss together.  Start your dressing by squeezing the juice of two lemons into a small bowl.  (Be sure to remove the seeds)  Then add your olive oil to the bowl along with your cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Whisk your dressing until it's thoroughly combined and set aside.  Begin to toss your couscous, vegetables, and nuts together.  Add your dressing and feta cheese, then toss the salad again.  Put the salad into the refrigerator to cool for two hours.  Serve with pita and hummus.  If you want a greek twist to this dish, you can add kalamata or sliced olives to the salad.

    This recipe serves 6 to 8 people easily.

Wednesday, 25 March 2009

Sunday, 22 February 2009

  • New Jersey is my home...

    It's screeching toward the end of February and it's one month closer to the end of Winter.  I hate this season for many reasons, but mostly because I hate cold weather with a passion.  I could live in Summer temps all year round and never see one snowflake.  My pipe-dream is to live on a beach where the temps don't fall below eighty degrees.  The only thing that stops me from really pursuing that is my love for the Jersey Shore.  I'm proud to live near the best strip of coastline on the eastern seaboard, and I would miss it terribly if I left.  What's the point of moving somewhere else if you'll be miserable?  Right?  You can say what you want about New Jersey.  Most people make fun of the turnpike, the traffic, and the power plants.  I think that people are focusing on the one unpleasant part of our state.  People forget about the beautiful farmland, the gorgeous oceanfront, the awesome forests and parkland, and the rich history that our state has to offer.  I've grown up here, and I'm not embarrassed to call this state home.  I'm sure that many people feel that way about their hometown/state.  If the temperatures didn't fall below freezing every winter, it would be absolutely perfect.  I can handle it for three months I guess.  *sigh*

    Here are some cool pics that make me think of Summertime



    Island Beach



    Cape May



    Allaire State Park

    See.. New Jersey's not just a screaming piece of asphalt with cars and factories. 

Monday, 26 January 2009

Saturday, 20 December 2008

  • Make a difference and sign this petition!

    Pastor Rick Warren is a staunch supporter of the Proposition 8 bill which will eliminate the chance for Gay and Lesbian couples to marry. His belief is that the bible felt that this is sinful, and should be abolished. This person obviously lives under the ignorant delusion that humanity is not equal.

    (If you do believe that his thoughts and theories are right, then please refrain from reading further. This is really a personal opinion about an issue that I feel very strongly about.)

    Sign this petition, and say no to Rick Warren's benediction at President Obama's Inauguration:

    http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/107914679


    I wrote this letter when I signed the petition:

    Please take the time to consider the disappointing motivations of Pastor Rick Warren. He is someone who chooses to prevent and speak out against equal rights for gay and lesbian couples. Gays and lesbians should have the exact same rights to marry and raise happy families as any other couple. Please do not let someone who lives and breathes ignorance speak a benediction for a new President who seeks to promote Change as the leader of the United States of America. In short, I believe that love is love and shouldn't be classified by gender. If this is any notion of change, then it's one step toward the regression of humanity. Let's really exercise Change in our country, and find someone who cares about the whole of humanity instead of a person who only thinks that his ignorant version of life is the right one. Just a thought. I think that Proposition 8 should be thrown in the toilet and so should the bad ethics and values of Mr. Warren.

Friday, 31 October 2008

  • Halloween and it's accompanying bounty

    I'm waiting to purchase some new music this week.  I can usually just wait for it with same patience as I do any other musical purchase.  Although this one comes with the same delicious anticipation that usually follows buying a novel, attending a great concert, or going to a movie that I've been "dying" to see.  Is it possible to be over-enthusiastic over something so ridiculously minor in the grand scheme of things?  Hmmph... I may be a candidate for this syndrome.  At least I can admit this character flaw (or quality, which is my definition for it) and am able to be casual rather than excruciatingly obvious to the point of saccharine overload.  Yes the eager expectancy is fervent, but I can refrain from equating the event to something of a higher grandeur.  I don't want to expend the excitement all at once.  Though I have to say it does put a pleasant spin on what is a relatively boring and mundane Halloween holiday.  I feel that my mid-thirties disposition may be getting the best of me, but I don't find it all that unwelcoming.  Here is the attitude as of late:  I've done the droll act of fashioning a costume, and my halloween soirees are pretty much concluded for the rest of this year.  The only remaining Halloween act I have to pursue is extending candy to teens and small children within my small neighborhood.  My husband will be working that evening, which leaves me to this occupation by myself.  I wish that I could count on children to be less greedy so that I may leave the treats in the jack-o-lantern bowl on the porch.  This is a pipedream of course, but one can always reflect on those with hope.  You may say to yourself, "Why is she such a killjoy?"  I have really come to the realization that the best Halloween celebration is one where you get to watch Fear Fest, and revel in classic and contemporary horror.  This is usually accompanied by a sizeable bowl of lowfat popcorn and a root beer.  If Halloween were that simple, I would absolutely love it.  I truly think that, like the new CD's I long to purchase or the horror movies I view on Halloween, I find myself liking the simple pleasures.  I don't need the pomp and circumstance anymore, I just like to savor things without blowing all the enthusiasm away.  I'm striving to preclude my overeager human nature, and learn to smell the roses or something to that effect.  Maybe this can be attributed to my being sick, although it seems rational enough.          

D's Musical Mix


ddsnewleaf2006

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    • Name: Denise
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About Me

  • Don't believe your friends when they ask you to be honest with them. All they really want is to be maintained in the good opinion they have of themselves. ~Albert Camus~ `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` I'm a Jersey Girl trying to make it in a complicated world. I'm a student and a writer. I like people, but I'm not a people person. Does that make sense? This is my second attempt at a Xanga. I'm a private person, so this is not a "diary." It's just a couple blips and blabs here and there. I try and keep it interesting.

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