The day after we purchased the car, the story broke on Good Morning America about the sticking gas pedal. Although we have not had any problems with the car, from recent stories covered on the news, I am able to tell that we do have a faulty gas pedal. I check the following site daily for updates.

Toyota Recall Information

In addition to the latest updates, on this site you will find videos on the following:

• Stopping Procedure -Learn the proper procedure for bringing your vehicle to a safe stop if you experience a sticking accelerator pedal.
• Pedal Assembly – A steel reinforcement bar eliminates the excess friction that can cause the pedal to stick.
• Floor Mat Entrapment – The potential risk for floor mat entrapment of accelerator pedals in certain Toyota models.

Since it is such a popular vehicle, I know there are  many others out there in a similar situation.

Drive Safely.

“The Best Part of Waking Up…is Folgers in Your Cup”?

Well Folgers is holding a contest where you can win $25,000 just for writing a new rendition of the song.

Check out thebestpartofwakinup.com for contest details, a list of prizes and how to submit your entry.

My favorite rendition of the song is the one by Randy Travis. His unique voice sounds just as soothing as a cup of coffee.

Good luck at becoming the next Folgers Jingle Star!

I received a pretty cool email from my Aunt today. I don’t know who the original author is but it applies to any year not just 2010. Good stuff to keep in mind.

HANDBOOK FOR 2010

Health:
1.       Drink plenty of water.
2.       Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3.       Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants…
4.       Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5.       Make time to pray.
6.       Play more games.
7.       Read more books than you did in 2009.
8.       Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9.       Sleep for 7 hours.
10.    Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11.    Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12    Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13.    Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
14.    Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15.    Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16.    Dream more while you are awake.
17.    Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18.    Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19.    Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20.    Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21.    No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22.    Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23.    Smile and laugh more.
24.    You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree….

Society:
25.    Call your family often.
26.    Each day give something good to others.
27.    Forgive everyone for everything.
28.    Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of  6.
29..    Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30.    What other people think of you is none of your business.
31.    Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32.    Do the right thing!
33.    Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
34.    GOD heals everything.
35.    However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36.    No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up..
37.    The best is yet to come.
38.    When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39.    Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

The main points Dave highlights are:

1. Be specific.
2. Make your goals measurable.
3. Make sure they are your goals.
4. Set a time limit.
5. Put them in writing.

Check out the article for more details.

I am almost finished setting my goals for the year. There maybe 1 or 2 more that come to mind in the next few days. One of my main goals is to do something fun with my daughter each weekend. Whether it is a craft, a kid-friendly recipe, visiting an attraction (using an entertainment book coupon of course) or trying a new restaurant, I want to expose her to new and different things besides the typical trip to the playground. Although that’s always a lot of fun as well and it’s FREE!

In fact, my Obstetrician recommended them as a prenatal vitamin when I was pregnant. I’ve been taking two a day ever since. My mom recently came across a “grown-up” version of gummy vitamins so I may switch to those soon and purchase the Flintstone Gummies just for my daughter.

Until then, the Flintstone version will Yubba Dubba Dooooo!

I purchased another toaster – this time a little fancier. I decided to check the lever on this one before I used it to toast anything. I took it out of the box, pushed the lever down and to my frustration, it didn’t work. I returned it to the store immediately. When the clerk asked if there was something wrong with the product, I emphatically said, “Yes, the lever doesn’t go down all the way.”  

It wasn’t until my mom and I were walking through the mall and I saw a toaster at Sears that a light bulb went on. I mentioned how cute a little red toaster was. My mom pushed the lever down and softly mentioned the words that are still ringing in my ears…”Of course the lever won’t go all the way down until it is plugged in.”

I must have made an inappropriate noise or had some sort of blank stare because she followed up her statement with the following, “Please tell me that you didn’t take that toaster back because the lever didn’t go down.”

We both got a good laugh out of it. When I got home I pulled out the first toaster I purchased. Sure enough it worked after all. I just needed to plug it in before pushing the lever down.

Look for Chuck E. Cheese’s snack cheeses at select grocery retailers. Snack cheeses come in 5 varieties: String Cheese, String Cheese Light, String Cheese Whirls, Mild Cheddar Cheese Snacks & Colby Jack Cheese Snacks. The free game token offers are on every package.

• Tiana’s Famous Beignets
• Banana French Toast
• Po Boy Sandwich

The cookbook includes full color pictures which is always a plus when trying to follow a recipe. You can find tasty recipes for a number of meals like:

• Big Easy Breakfasts
• Yummy Lunches
• Delicious Dinners
• Breads, Sides and Drinks
• Dazzling Desserts

If you haven’t checked it out already, make sure you see the move The Princess and the Frog. It’s sure to be a family favorite.

When I was in college, my best friend and I would wait until the local super market had snow crab legs on sale for $4.99 a pound then we would have a seafood feast. We would purchase 2 lbs., take them back to the dorm kitchen and microwave them.

Yes, I said microwave.

It would only take a couple of minutes for the crab to be cooked to perfection and since we didn’t keep stock pots in our dorm rooms this was the perfect way for us to get our seafood fix with a minimal amout of mess.

Well fast forward a few years and now that I am out of college I still enjoy eating crab legs. Although these days I prefer pre-cut King Crab legs since you get more meat for the same amount of work.

But whether you prefer Snow or King crab legs you also need melted butter to dip them in…this is super easy to make since you just microwave the needed amount of butter and add a few dashes of Old Bay Seasoning to it for flavor. I also like to sprinkle a little Old Bay Seasoning on top of the crab before putting it into the microwave to add additional flavor as well. You can garnish your plate with lemon for a burst of fresh flavor to squeeze on the crab meat once you pry it out of the shell. Now that’s good eating!

In our family, it’s a tradition to eat Black Eye Peas and Homemade Biscuits on New Year’s Day. It represents good luck and prosperity for the year. It’s something that I remember my Grandma and Great Grandma cooking and baking from the time I was little.

Black Eye Peas are wonderful when cooked slowly in a pot of seasoned water and smoked turkey legs. Traditionally my grandma would make them with ham hocks but I’ve moved to a somewhat healthier version to accommodate the non-pork eating members of the family. I want them to have good luck and prosperity for the year too!

I typically purchase the family size Pictsweet Black Eye Peas from the frozen vegetable aisle at Walmart. You can make a meal out of Black Eye Peas by adding the smoked turkey legs and rice.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of chicken stock
• 3 cups of water
• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas
• 2 smoked turkey legs
• 1 large onion sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:

1. In a large pot, combine the black-eyed peas, smoked turkey, 3 cups of chicken stock and 3 cups of water.
2. Dice the onion and add to the pot along with the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until the beans are tender but not mushy, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the onions and smoked turkey legs, cut off the meat and set aside. Drain the peas and set aside. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
3. Add 2 1/2 cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover, and simmer until the rice is almost tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Add the rice along with the garlic salt, pepper and table salt. Cook until the rice is tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the sliced onions and the reserved smoked turkey. Serve with hot sauce and freshly baked cornbread or biscuits.