Hope you all had an enjoyable Easter.  We enjoyed watching general conference, and then had a small family dinner.

I’ve never posted a recipe before, but I came up with a pretty tasty asparagus recipe (with some ideas from the internet of course).  Here goes:
1 – 2 bunches asparagus (I used 2 bunches)
2 Tbsp olive oil (I use extra virgin cold-pressed)
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp lemon zest, freshly grated
Salt & pepper to taste
1 – Rinse asparagus, snap off & discard tough bottoms, & cut into 1 – 2 inch sections.
2 – Steam asparagus, or boil in saucepan (I chose to steam it).  Steam to taste – I like mine a little crunchy, probably about 5 – 7 min.  While the asparagus is still hot, toss in serving bowl with olive oil, lemon zest, and Parmesan.  Salt & pepper to taste.

I knew this recipe was a keeper when Adelle actually ate the serving we put on her plate.  Rich even had seconds!

We also had spiral-sliced ham (8.5-lbs is a LOT of ham) and whole-wheat butterhorns.  I also meant to saute some sweet potatoes, but I forgot…

Adelle thankfully provided a topic for this week’s blog entry ’cause I was stumped.  While at the dinner table last night, Karen forced Adelle to eat a bite of brussle sprouts and Adelle enjoyed the bite so much that she asked for more.  The first question that may have come to mind is, “Why did you have brussel sprouts in you house!?”  My reply is that it’s Karen’s doing.   A few weeks ago, Karen mentioned that she “found” a recipe in a magazine that she wanted to try out.  I’ve had good experiences in the past when she’s tried recipes from a magazine, but seeing the small, nasty cabagges on my plate has caused me to ponder on the state of Karen’s food selection.

A second question that may have come to mind is, “what was Adelle thinking!?  Asking for more!?”  Both Karen and I were shocked that Adelle actually enjoyed the brussel sprouts.  Karen plopped several more forks full on the plate and Adelle proceeded to munch those as well.  It was a major dissapointment to me to see my daughter actually eating something like that.  I thought I had trained her better than that.  Karen is obviously having a corrupting influence on Adelle’s eating habbits.

Actually, the brussel sprouts were alright.  They were significantly better than I thought they would be and adding cheese REALLY helped.

Every few weeks, Karen and I fail to create a menu for the week which results in meals that are not always well thought out.  During those weeks I feel like we are surviving rather than thriving.  Usually around 5:00 PM, one of us will ask the other in a hungry, tired, depressed tone of voice, “What’s for dinner?”  Since hunger has already started attacking our stomachs, we forgo the effort of making something healthy or tasty and just scrounge through our cupboards trying to find something that LOOKS edible.  When even that fails to turn up a decent meal, I must rely upon my many years of survival training during my bachelor years to feed the family and get us through to the next day.

My first training in the art of quick and tasty, yet unhealthy meal preparation was provided by my father.  When mom was tired of cooking or out for the night, it was dad’s turn to cook and that meant one thing (because I think there was only one option)…toasted cheese sandwiches and Campbell’s tomato soup!  After getting married, I observed that my father-in-law has a similar talent for fixing meals quickly through the use of the microwave and frozen TV dinners.  I assume that most fathers have a similar ability.

Since the family was on the verge of collapse due to hunger, I went to the pantry and sought the help of my tried and true companion, the food that has supported nearly every college student, a food that must be nutritious ’cause how could so many college students subsist on it for 4 years without there being any serious and lasting health problems, the always quick and easy to prepare: Top Raman!  Luckily, I bought a case from Costco, which has served my family well for many years.  Although the expiration date showed August 2008, it cooked up just fine and tasted…well…like Raman.  To top it off, I nuked several hotdogs and dinner was served.  Judging by Adelle’s reaction, I know that this has become my signature daddy dish.

Tonight I learned an important lesson: a dishwasher tub WILL fit inside the front seat of my compact car (Saturn SL2 Sedan).  I am continually amazed at how versatile compact cars can be in transporting various objects from one point to another.  During the past 5 years, I have moved 6 chairs and 1 table (2 trips required), 1 recliner, 1 dishwasher tub, and a king sized mattress.  They have all fit IN my car during transport.  Though I have moved the objects, I don’t vouch for the safety of the method.

The story behind the dishwasher tub is as follows…Our previous dishwasher is/was ~25 years old and was ready for retirement.  After patiently watching craigslist for 2 months, I pounced on a new Maytag for ~$210, hauling included.  I purchased it on Monday and installed it on Tuesday, but this resulted in an old, worthless dishwasher sitting on my balcony.  I contacted the county trash removal company that services our condominium complex to schedule a pickup of the old dishwasher (city residents are allowed 2 large item pickups per year).  After mentioning an apartment number, the agent replied that this service isn’t provided to condominium owners and I would have to pay at least $35 to have the dishwasher removed.  $35!  I pay taxes in this city!  I pay for the trash removal service!  Since I am frugal and a Burnside, a solution immediately came to me…I would make the trash removal service take the dishwasher anyway.

As you may have already guessed, I dismantled the entire dishwasher.  One hour with a power drill, pliers, and a hammer resulted in the complete disassembly of the dishwasher.  I scattered the various parts that I couldn’t salvage into the many trash dumpsters in the complex.  I moved the dishwasher tub into my car tonight and I will place it in a dumpster tomorrow morning at 5:00 AM.  Is this wrong?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But it has been a VERY fun project!  At least I am recycling it.

It’s been nearly a month since Christmas and my body sugar levels have dropped substantially and are now halfway between “Jittery” and “Calm.”  I firmly believe that corporate America pushes chocolate during Christmas because it combines two great productivity boosting ingredients: sugar and caffeine.  The Christmas season was really special this year.  I was off for 18 consecutive days and managed to go to sleep by midnight only 4 times.  Additionally, I AMAZINGLY receive only one article of clothing this year…a coat from my mom.  I didn’t get socks, shirts, pants, underwear, hat, shoes, or a belt.  However, Adelle did receive some pink pajamas that have a VERY noticeable resemblance of the Ralphy’s bunny-suit in the Christmas Story.

Adelle turned 2 on December 29 and that means she was actually able to appreciate and enjoy Christmas…and enjoy it she did.  She had her first, second, and 18th sugar high during the vacation..one for every day I was at home.  Karen relented on curbing Adelle’s sugar intake and I proceeded to fuel the fire.  By December 27, Adelle was saying, “I need a cookie to feel good.”

On another note, I’ve been looking for ways to boost my productivity now that the effects of chocolate are starting to wear off.  I’ve found the book Upgrade Your Life to be an excellent productivity boost.  The book is a major award I won for submitting a suggestion to www.lifehacker.com .  If you don’t feel like spending $25 for the book, there is a companion website to the book at www.lifehackerbook.com and is a condensed version of the book.

Similar to many people, I have made several New Year resolutions and one of them is to blog weekly.  That means I should have 52 posts this year.

Anyway, it’s been a very busy, yet relaxing vacation.  I ate WAY too much.  We had a turkey dinner at our place on Christmas Day and a ham dinner at the Grish’s (my in-laws) on the 27th.  Ugh…way too much food.

Yesterday, I decided to become a vegetarian for one day to see if that type of diet would clean the junk out my system and help me feel better.  I resisted the temptation to eat half of a leftover subway sandwich and instead ate a LOT of veggies.  I had green and red bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, apples, bananas, and broccoli.  My diet also included chocolate, soda, cookies, milk, popcorn, cheese, more cookies, and a few more pieces of chocolate.  After one day, I can honestly say that I don’t feel much better…if anything I may even feel worse.  I’m going back to my omnivorian lifestyle.

I’ve been resting and recuperating from my masters program for the past 7.5 months without doing much to have a healthy lifestyle. I’ve tried a few things, but only half-heartedly and haven’t seen any results (as should be expected). I love food and it seems to love me too. It seems to be my kryptonite. Specifically, I am affected by three categories of kryptonite (in order of strength): pizza, popcorn, and ice cream. Until recently, only these three have had any crippling affect on my will…that was until I met a Philly Cheesestake. WOW…they are sooo yummy. I don’t think that it could replace any of the three listed, but I am definitely willing to make it the fourth!

However, Karen took me clothes shopping a week ago and I can honestly say that there is nothing more motivating (and depressing) to lose weight than clothes shopping. Ugh…that experience helped me realize that it is time to be healthy. Few experiences are more humbling than visiting a clothing rack, selecting an item, and then attempting to put it on.

Those are my motivations and demotivation.

Since I haven’t written anything for quite a while, I am going to post something I wrote 4 years ago (with minor edits for clarification). I am posting this because it really did happen and I haven’t had time to write anything else recently. So…here it is…

(I am writing this message now, incase the poisons and toxins of what I have ingested takes hold once more and I go to rest in that old pine box or my memory of the incident is erased.)

Over the past year [2003], I have traveled to 8 different locations around the US and I have flown through Salt Lake City each time. While passing through the SLC airport, one shop stood out to me. It beckoned and called to me like the seductive siren temptresses in Homer’s Odyssey. During the last seven journeys that I have made, I have successfully resisted its alluring aroma. I fled each time, yet I inwardly knew that my resistance, my barrier against such evil and seduction, was failing with each pass. Finally, on the eighth trip, I succumbed to its pleading and begging…I visited CINNABON!!! I am ashamed to admit it, but I walked right up and ordered an old fashioned cinnamon roll. The server pulled it out and slopped scoops of icing on to its already gazed surface. I sat down at a table and took my first bite…The next thing I remember is licking my fingers. I got up from the table in a daze and staggered to my departing gate. Fortunately, the plane was still there, but people were already boarding it. From this experience, I learned that I lost around 15 to 30 minutes of my life right there because I don’t remember it. On top of that, I don’t know what the lasting affects to my health will be after consuming that much sugar in one sitting…it will probably knock 1 or 2 days off my mortal life span.

I learned something so amazing today…I learned how to microwave popcorn! That may sound lame, but I will explain. Karen and Adelle visit the Ardenwood Historical Farm on Tuesdays where they get to feed goats and sheep. A few weeks back, they gave Adelle an ear of dried corn for popping along with cooking directions. The ear sat on a shelf until this afternoon when I finally decided to do something about it (Karen stopped me from trashing it several times). Not knowing how to pop an ear of popcorn, I read the directions:

1. Place ear in brown paper bag and fold closed.
2. Cook in microwave on high for 3~4 minutes or until popping has stopped.
3. Open and eat.

Following the directions meticulously, I produced a very respectable ear of popped corn (most of the popped kernels are in a bowl not shown) . I had NO idea popping corn was so easy. I LOVE popcorn, but we have an air popper that I hate because it is a hassle to use and produces barely adequate results. I do know how to cook “microwave popcorn” that can be purchased in grocery stores (Pop Secret, Orville Redenbacher, etc.). However, Karen doesn’t buy it for me very often. Apparently, it’s not healthy.

After successfully popping an ear of corn, it dawned on me that I could probably cook loose kernels the exact same way. I heaved out the nearly full 8-lbs of popcorn kernels I bought at Costco 3 years ago when we first got our air popper. Did I mention that I love popcorn, but hate our air popper? Anyway, I dumped some in a brown paper bag, crumpled the end closed, and nuked it. I was astonished. It produced AMAZING results. I had NO idea I could cook popcorn that way. It was so easy. I always thought that popcorn needed the oil and other additives found in microwave popcorn bags to cook properly. It turns out that those additives are just flavoring and gunk. Anyway, I found a new snack that is really easy to make and is relatively healthy!

_Up until a few years ago, I had never eaten pumpkin pie. I had shunned it every time it was offered because there was some other dessert more enticing and/or because I had never tried it and really didn’t care to. The mushy texture didn’t really appeal to me. However, I finally gave it a try a few years ago and found it to be quite edible. Since then, I have worked hard to acquire the taste by eating it most times that it was offered or by making pumpkin pies myself and improving upon the recipe.

From eating many slices over the past few years, I’ve found the best combination to be a warm slice with a very generous helping of whipped cream slathered over the slice. While eating the pie, I’ve found it quite important that the whipped cream is kept close so that additional topping can be added as necessary. What I love most is the feel of the warm pumpkin pie and the coolness of the whipped cream in my mouth at the same time. It’s very similar to eating freshly baked cookies that have been dunked in cold milk. Mmmmmm…yummy! That about sums up my Thanksgiving…warm pumpkin pie with cool whipped cream…just one of the many things I am grateful for.