daddy son real couple: August 2011

4 Grouchy Smurf Coloring Pages

5 Picture of Papa Smurf Coloring Pages

An increase in light gives an increase in darkness

When my son was four years old, I took him on trip to see some of the places I remember visiting as a child.

One of the places I took him was Crystal Cave near Kutztown, PA. The cave has been a tourist attraction for over 140 years. It's known for it's unusual rock and, of course, crystal formations.

Like any indulgent parent, we visited the gift shop where he picked out a child-size miner's helmet equipped with a working lantern. He immediately popped the helmet on to his head and off we went to do the tour.

The tour guide pointed out formations of interest and talked about the history of the cave. We reached a point in the cave where he warned us that they would be turning off the lights so that we could experience total darkness. I explained to my son what was about to happen and he said he wasn't afraid.

My brave boy!

They turned off the lights and we were engulfed in complete blackness. For only a moment though . . . almost as soon as they lights were off my son flicked on the light on his miner helmet. Yeah, that kind of ruined the experience for everyone else on the tour. But it sure was funny!

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Sauteed Spinach and Green Beans With Garlic

3 Cups Frozen Green Beans

10 Ounce Package Baby Spinach

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice

Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Heat a large skillet and then add the olive oil.

When the oil is nice and hot throw in the green beans and season with salt and pepper.

Add the spinach and let that wilt down, stirring occasionally.

Add in the garlic, lemon juice and the butter and stir over low-medium heat. You don't want the garlic to brown but you do want it to cook for about 5-10 minutes and incorporate all the flavors.

Taste and re-season if needed. Remove from the heat and serve!

4 Painter Smurf Coloring Pages

Paradise by the dashboard lights

I came accross this photo on the ever hilarious People of Walmart site and that got me to thinking . . . is it actually possible to bake cookies in a car?

Apparently, I'm not the only one to wonder this same thing. It has tried and it has succeeded. By no means does a car's internal temperature does it reach oven temperatures but it does get pretty darn hot.

One test was done by a newspaper in Springfield, Illinois. During their experiment, the car mostly maintained a steady 175 degrees Fahrenheit temperature over a four hour period. The result was cookies that were actually cooked and edible, although not browned and crunchy like you would get from a baking oven.

A reporter at a television station in the Austin, Texas are performed a similar experiment, but he took it further. He was going to try to bake cookie, muffins, and biscuits. His test spanned three hours and the internal temperature of the car reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit. His results said "the cookies looked like they were done, and the biscuits had risen to an inch. However, it was going to take a little longer for the muffins to be finished." However, he didn't offer any taste test results.

Another newspaper in South Bend, Indiana performed the experiment with similar results. Their experiment lasted 3 hours with the interior of the car reaching 120 degrees Fahrenheit. They gave staffers at the paper samples and they were declared "not bad" and "good". And, the car was left with the "unmistakable aroma of fresh-baked cookies."

Anyhoo . . . the point is this . . . it get's really really hot in your car when it's sitting under a blazing sun. On an 80-degree day with no ventilation, the temperature in a car can rapidly reach up to 131 degrees. Leaving a child or a pet in a car for just 10 minutes could easily result in damage to the brain and vital organs, heat stroke, dehydration, seizures, and death.

Roast Beef over Egg Noodles

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

2 Cups Leftover Roast Beef

1 Beef Bouillon Cube in 1 C. Hot Water

1/3 C. Cooking Sherry (Red)

2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

1 Clove Garlic, Minced

1/4 Tsp. Onion Salt

2 Tbsp. Cornstarch in 1/4 C. Water

4 C. Cooked Noodles

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pan.

Add left over roast beef and stir in bouillon cube (with water), sherry, soy sauce, garlic and onion salt.

Heat to boiling.

Reduce heat; blend cornstarch (with water). Stir gradually into meat mixture.

Cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils (about 1 minute). Serve over cooked noodles.