Hey! Remember What I Said About Stacey Solomon Way Back in August?

If you will recall, back in August when I first watched Stacey’s audition for X-Factor, I said mark my words, that Stacey was going places.

I’m giving myself a pat on the back. So far I’ve been right. Stacey is now on her way to the semi-final.

Here’s a video that maybe I can get away with and won’t be taken down. The quality isn’t all that great but it’s not all that bad either. Here’s Stacey on the first live show singing that Coldplay song, “The Scientist.”

Good stuff, eh?

On a side note, I don’t put much stock in the UK press (or over here for that matter), but there are reports that contestant Danyl Johnson has been bullying Stacey. If this is true, I certainly don’t like it, but really the only reason I’m linking to it is because maybe this “rumor” may help get him voted off next week. That would help Stacey.

Hey, did I ever say I play fair?

(Photo from marieclaire.com)

I’ll Continue My Ramblings Thoughts for a Bit Longer

I’m back from Apollo—an interesting and pleasant journey that I will write about in a column for CityBeat in a couple weeks.

I love to travel but whenever I return from a trip, it takes a bit to get back into my regular routine. Whenever I return back home, I tend to have rambling thoughts in my head. For example, this morning I’m thinking. . .

. . . none of my plants died while I was away. Thankful.

. . . I wasn’t robbed.

. . . I teach a writing class on Wednesdays. Why the hell didn’t I look at and grade those damn papers before I left?

. . . did somebody steal my can opener while I was away? I can’t find it. Maybe I was robbed.

. . . why do bills always arrive in the mail on time but my freelance checks to pay them always arrive late?

That’s enough. Let me try and get my head out of my ass and get some things done.

(Photo of Larry with head up his ass found on Google)

What the Hell Am I Doing in Apollo Pennsylvania?

My friend lied to me. He lied! On Thanksgiving Day, we didn’t travel to Pittsburgh at all. We were on the road to Apollo, Pennsylvania.

I’m just kidding around a little bit. I sort of knew that my friend’s mother didn’t live in Pittsburgh. Apollo is about 35 miles northeast from there.

Curious about Apollo? Click here to learn more about the town.

Above is a photo of downtown Apollo. Seems a little “damp” don’t you think? Just kidding around again. That photo was taken during the big flood in Apollo in 1936.

Odd, I can’t seem to find a Skyline Chili here.

(Photo found on Google)

Rambling Thoughts on This and That and Why We Won’t be Back Until Sunday or Monday

Actually, I wanted to put up a funny Thanksgiving photo today. Know what? There really isn’t any out there, so I settled on this woman wearing a Thanksgiving hat.

Funny? No, not really. Do you think she looks a little like Sarah Palin?

Do you think Sarah Palin is a turkey? Will she be eating that today or moose? Do you care?

Yesterday, I did laundry and cleaned my living space, preparing for my trip to Pittsburgh today. Why I’m cleaning my apartment up when I’m not going to be here is probably strange but that’s how I am.

You know, I really shouldn’t announce to the world that I’m not going to be home. For those of you thinking of robbing me, really I don’t have any good stuff at all. You would be wasting your time.

As stated earlier, I’ll be on the road to Pittsburgh very soon—going with a friend. Because of this and because of Thanksgiving, I’m giving the entire staff here a few days off. Yes, all of us will be taking a little break. More than likely, you won’t be seeing any new posts here until Sunday or Monday.

In the meantime, have a great holiday and we’ll be back at you early next week. Don’t eat too much turkey!

Ha, ha! Yes, very original humor.

(Photo of woman wearing stupid hat found on Google)

Sometimes Picking OUT Your Turkey is Easier Than Picking UP Your Turkey

If you’re having turkey tomorrow, chances are you’ve already picked one out, but if you haven’t, beware. Sometimes picking out your turkey is easier than picking up your turkey.

Think I’m full of it? No. Take a look at this video.

Side note: The gentleman hit with the turkey was treated and released at University Hospital.

(Photo from whatscookingamerica.net)

It Could Be Worse

I think we all know that newspapers are suffering all over—even here in backward Cincinnati, but actually it could be worse than we think it is.

New auditing rules have made it easier for newspapers to count a reader as a paying customer. Click here to read about it.

In a somewhat related story, it is being reported that more people are picking up free newspapers, such as Cincinnati’s Metromix, to line their bird cages with.

(Photo from Google)

Some of You Care About my Goose

I reported here on Sunday that my kids were coming over for dinner and that I was preparing goose.

Some of you want to know how it turned out (all right, one of you). I’m happy to say the meal was a success.

The timing was off a little. I didn’t stuff the goose—decided to fix the stuffing separately—so the goose got done a little quicker than I thought it would. It was only a minor problem.

So everything turned out well, the goose tasted good and no one got food poisoning. I always get worried about this when I’m preparing something unusual.

My daughter got out her cell phone and took a picture of me and my goose. I’m the one on the left.

(Photo from my daughter’s cell phone)

Stacey Solomon Continues to Roll on Through X-Factor

We’ll keep it short and sweet this week, but Stacey Solomon continues to roll on through the X-Factor. To read more about it, click here and to see who got voted off, click here.

Knock wood, Stacey has yet to be in the bottom two. Hey, all you people over in the UK, you need to keep it that way.

(Photo from X-Factor)

How to Prepare Turkey Dressing Cincinnati Bed Bug Style!

Thanksgiving will soon be upon us and we have so much to be thankful for here in Cincinnati and yes, that includes bed bugs.

Instead of just letting those little bugs run loose in your sofa or bed, make them a part of your Thanksgiving!

Here’s now to make turkey dressing, Cincinnati bed bug style.

Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes

Serves: 11

ingredients

2 1/2 cups chicken Broth (Regular or Certified Organic)
Generous dash ground black pepper
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)

2 cups of Cincinnati bed bugs
1 large onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 pkg. (16 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing

Caution: Put a cover over those two cups of Cincinnati bed bugs. They may try to escape!

directions

Heat the oven to 350°F. Heat the broth, black pepper, celery, bed bugs and onion in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables and bed bugs are tender. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the stuffing and mix lightly.

Spoon the stuffing mixture into a greased 3-quart casserole dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes or until hot.

Tip: For crunchier bed bugs, bake the casserole uncovered.

Tip: Cranberry & Pecan Stuffing: Stir 1/2 cup each dried cranberries and chopped pecans into the stuffing mixture.

Tip: Sausage & Mushroom Stuffing: Add 1 cup sliced mushrooms to the vegetables during cooking. Stir 1/2 pound cooked and crumbled pork sausage into the stuffing mixture.

Tip: Add live Cincinnati bed bugs to the top of the dressing to give the dressing some motion.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a store-bought rotisserie chicken or turkey breast and steamed whole green beans. For dessert, serve Cincinnati bed bug key lime pie.

Enjoy your Cincinnati bed bug turkey dressing. Take a bite of those little bugs before they take a bite out of you!

(Photo of delightful Cincinnati bed bug turkey dressing found on Google)

My Goose is Cooked

No, actually my goose isn’t cooked at all, but hopefully my one o’clock this afternoon, it will be.

Since I’ll be on the road to Pittsburgh on Thanksgiving Day, I’m having my kids over later for dinner and this morning, I’m roasting a goose.

I ordered it from Kroger and picked it up Friday afternoon. I spent forty-four dollars for an eleven pound goose. Kind of expensive—don’t you think?

I think it will be worth it. A few years ago I fixed my first goose and it turned out pretty well. Let’s see if history can repeat itself.

Some of you have been asking when I’m going to get back to doing those “That Was the Week That Was—In Blogs” posts on Sunday. I’ll start those up again at some point, but not today. Today, especially this morning, I’ll be draining fat from that goose in the oven.

(Photo from realfoodmyway.com)