chez Colleen

chez Colleen is the internet blog and creative outlet for Colleen Berding, located in the middle of America. Recipes, reveries, and recess in no particular order.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Meme-o-rama at Sunday Stealing

I found this one via Driven to Distraction, so if you're a meme fan, check it out.

Have you ever…

1. gone on a blind date?
Of course! Why not? I'd have never gotten out of the house if I hadn't.
NOTE: you really must trust your friends (and make them come along) for this to work.

2. skipped school?
Yes, on Senior Skip Day in high school. I had too much fun with my friends in my free time in high school to want to skip.

3. watched someone die?
No, but I've been close (within minutes) on a number of occasions, and these all occurred before I became a nurse.

4. been on a plane?
Yep. Europe, US and Canada.

5. been on the opposite side of your country?
Yes, to California to visit my friend Marilyn.

6. swam in the ocean?
Waded, yes, in the Atlantic in Florida. Swim, no, sorry.

7. had your booze taken away by the cops?
Never.

8. lettered in high school sport?
Nope. The basketball coach's reputation as a tyrant dissuaded me from trying out (and the lack of transportation didn't help, either).

9. cried yourself to sleep?
Once or twice.

10. played cops and robbers?
Yes. My brother and I were pretty imaginative.

11. sung karaoke?
Of course! Grab your friends and make them come with you. (I did this for a few years at a local bar with a bunch of friends on Friday nights and we had a blast. No one pays attention after a while.)

12. paid for a meal with coins only?
Usually at fast food joints only. Great way to get rid of change.

13. done something you told yourself you wouldn’t?
Yes, rock climbing, and I lived to tell about it.

14. cheated on an exam?
Nope...thought about it. Crime doesn't pay.

15. made prank phone calls?
Of course. Is your refrigerator running? Thank God they didn't have CallerID in those days...boy, am I dating myself!

16. laughed until some sort of beverage came out of your nose?
A few times. The carbonated ones are killers!

17. caught a snowflake on your tongue?
Yes! One of life's pleasures!

18. written a letter to Santa Claus?
Of course, and my mom even kept one when I was five and asked Santa for the Barbie Beach Bus. (I got a bus, but I think it was a different Barbie bus...she had a whole fleet!)

19. watched the sunrise with someone you care about?
Once or twice. Prefer sunset...it's more romantic. ;->

20. been kissed under the misteltoe?
Not because I wanted to.

21. ever been arrested?
Never!

22. gone ice skating?
Yes. I'm not the most elegant, but I can do it after a warmup period of about an hour. I got better once I bought Rollerblades.

23. been skinny dipping outdoors?
Not in many years.

24. had a nickname?
Yes. My relatives loved calling everyone some sort of pet name. I answer to whatever as long as you call me for dinner, as I tell people.

25. been on TV?
Yes. Snippets here and there and I was on Italian TV (RAI1) during the 1992 presidential campaign when my friend Becky and I spotted their crew in front of the St. Louis public library downtown. They wanted a "college student" perspective and we had just graduated in May.

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Sunday, September 28, 2008

Uncle Joe

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.

PEORIA - Joseph Shekleton, 88, of Arlington Heights, formerly of Peoria, passed away on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008, in Arlington Heights.

Joseph Shekleton was born on Nov. 8, 1919, in Palmer, Iowa, to Francis Joseph and Marie (nee Nulty) Shekleton.

Joe received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from University of Illinois in Champaign in 1943. He then worked as a patent chemist at General Aniline in Pennsylvania, then at Goodyear in Akron, Ohio, and Lubrizol in Wickliffe, Ohio, for 20 years.

In 1964, he received his Law Degree from Case-Western Reserve Law School in Cleveland. He subsequently worked as a patent lawyer for Corn Products Corporation and Borg Warner in Chicago for the rest of his career. He retired in 1990.

He was a lifelong member of SPEBSQSA and enjoyed barbershop quartet singing. He also enjoyed tennis and was an avid golfer. Joe and Mary were members of St. Edna Catholic Church in Arlington Heights since 1969, where Joe was a member of the Knights of Columbus Arlington Heights Chapter.

They loved to travel and spend time with their family and friends.

He is survived by his wife, Mary (nee Schotthoefer), whom he married in Peoria on May 23, 1943; his children, Barbara (Paul) Hegele of St. Charles, Gerald (Maureen) Shekleton of Glen Ellyn, Michael (Bernadette) Shekleton of Peoria, Margaret (Richard) Waltman of Arlington Heights, Marty (Barbara) Shekleton of Mount Prospect, Tim (Jill) Shekleton of Hoffman Estates, Cathy (Robert) Hickey of Foxborough, Mass., Patrick Shekleton of Park Forest, Mary Jo (Kelly) Taira of River Forest; his 19 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Margaret Roth of Peoria.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his daughter, Janet Frank; and his brother, Tom Shekleton.

Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008, at the Glueckert Funeral Home, Ltd., 1520 N. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, and from 9 a.m. until the time of Mass at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 29, 2008, at St. Edna Catholic Church, 2525 N. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights. Interment will be in St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery in Palatine.

In lieu of flowers, Masses are appreciated or memorial contributions may be given to the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago, 20 E. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604; or to the Alzheimer's Association of Greater Chicago, 8430 W. Bryn Mawr, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60631.

Funeral information and condolences may be made at www.GlueckertFH.com.

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Friday, September 26, 2008

Fall baking season again

I love this time of year. My favorite way to heat up the house is to start baking, and since I meet up with the St. Boniface folks on Fridays for coffee whenever I can, I like to bring something along.

Today I made bread pudding with the sauce to go with it, since good ol' Padre Giacomo set me up with some wonderful bread from Breadsmith the other day. Their bread is so good your dog will even like it. (Mine has a terrible weakness for bread period and he ate 1/4 of a loaf when I went out for a few minutes and left a half loaf too close to the edge of the counter).

Surprisingly, this recipe is actually low fat (except for the sauce), so you can read the nutrition information below.

Bread pudding

Nutrition facts:
194 calories, 4 g total fat, (2 g saturated fat) 112 mg cholesterol, 180 mg sodium, 30g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber (varies with type of bread) 7 g protein. 11% Vitamin A, 1% Vitamin C, 9% calcium, 5% iron.

Whiskey Sauce

Nutrition facts:
88 calories, 5 g total fat (3 g saturated fat) 34mg cholesterol, 47mg sodium, 10g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein

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Monday, September 22, 2008

Just geeky

The MIT folks are at it again in this latest article, Video Argues That MIT Students Are Not All Geeks.

I particularly liked this part of the above article:
"He jokingly suggests that MIT take a different strategy toward geekdom, and offer prospective students a “geek entrance exam” to make sure the institution continues to attract a playful and cool form of geek."

Maybe I'll discuss this with Hubby's friend the MIT professor one of these days...

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Monday, September 15, 2008

'Tis the season

It just depends on what you're looking for...

It's hurricane season. Ike just rambled through our neck of the woods and provided us with a very small resample of flooding. It brought back memories I'd really like to forget.

It's election season. If you missed the recent SNL episode with Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, you really must watch. It is hysterical.

It's fall and that means furnace season. We got ours checked and it's DOA. We'll be getting a new one along with an air conditioner. Guess that'll be our early Christmas gift this year.

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Saturday, September 06, 2008

Foodie fun

I found this one via GuitarGirlRN, which is one of the ER nurse blogs I like to read.

Enjoy and copy your own goodies and share!
From www.JustHungry.com
1.) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare (only by accident)
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho (I love Vietnamese!)
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi (I like it, even if it doesn't like me!)
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle (I've eaten this truffle flavored oil...does that count?)
18. Pistachio ice cream (the best reason to eat Spumoni!)
19. Heirloom tomatoes
20. Epoisses (sounds interesting, though)
21. Fresh wild berries
22. Foie gras (Living in France will do that to you...)
23. Rice and beans
24. Brawn, or head cheese (Only once....didn't like it)
25. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
26. Dulce de leche
27. Oysters (cooked only please--they look like sputum in a shell)
28. Baklava
29. Bagna cauda
30. Wasabi peas (Yum! May happy days on the SMART Team eating these!)
31. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl (in San Francisco 1995 at Pier 39 in the fog...the best!)
32. Salted lassi (I prefer mango.)
33. Sauerkraut
34. Root beer float (yes, get one at Fitz's)
35. Cognac with a fat cigar (nope, cognac solo, though once)
36. Clotted cream tea
37. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (not a shooters kind of gal, thanks)
38. Gumbo
39. Oxtail
40. Curried goat
41. Whole insects (only by accident.)
42. Phaal
43. Goat’s milk (Good in pudding, though)
44. Single malt whisky from a bottle costing $300 or more
45. Fugu
46. Chicken tikka masala
47. Eel
48. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
49. Sea urchin
50. Prickly pear
51. Umeboshi
52. Abalone
53. Paneer
54. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
55. Spaetzle
56. Dirty gin martini
57. Beer above 8% ABV
58. Poutine (my first one was in Vancouver...I missed it in Montreal...go figure)
59. Carob chips (ugh, but WHY would you ever eat them again?)
60. S’mores
61. Sweetbreads (I've tasted brains from Dieckmeyer's but that's it)
62. Kaolin (Nope, not suffering from pica.)
63. Currywurst (I don’t even know what this is. Googled it and found out it’s a sliced German sausage with curry on it. )
64. Durian
65. Frogs’ legs
66. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake. Beignets at a Cajun place, elephant ears all the time as a kid, funnel cake here and there, and churros in Seville, Spain...yum!
67. Haggis (Actually, very good--tried it at a Scottish soiree in France. Be sure to douse with a bit of scotch)
68. Fried plantain
69. Chitterlings, or andouillette (I love andouillette!)
70. Gazpacho
71. Caviar and blini
72. Louche absinthe (nope, but I’ve had green Sambuca.)
73. Gjetost, or brunost
74. Roadkill (Yuck!)
75. Baijiu
76. Hostess Fruit Pie
77. Snail
78. Lapsang souchong (why, why would you drink this tea? It’s made with smoked tea leaves and tastes like a burning rubber tire…)
79. Bellini
80. Tom yum
81. Eggs Benedict
82. Pocky
83. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant (Nope. Never had enough money as a student to go)
84. Kobe beef
85. Hare
86. Goulash
87. Flowers (pansies are often in salads)
88. Horse (only once...also in France)
89. Criollo chocolate
90. Spam
91. Soft shell crab
92. Rose harissa (I really like the regular kind, though. Great on couscous!)
93. Catfish
94. Mole poblano
95. Bagel and lox (are you kidding?!?)
96. Lobster Thermidor
97. Polenta
98. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (If it's coffee, I'll try it.)
99. Snake

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