Blog
Presto! Instant TV for Free!
With season four of Game of Thrones right around the corner, I began thinking about how much my television viewing habits have changed over the last few years. I used to be a news junkie [...]
Strangest Ear Worm Ever
Sometimes I wonder about the originality of music - there's a ton of great musical artists, but so many of them sound so incredibly similar (you can look at the confusion between Katy Perry's "Roar" [...]
Star-crossed Indeed
I’m a sucker for a good teen TV drama. Well, that is, a teen drama that doesn’t involve obscenely rich Manhattanite royalty-wannabes or were-vamp-warlock love triangles. So when I saw previews for the CW’s newest [...]
"Will They Or Won't They" – Done Right
With this week’s episode, The Locomotive Manipulation, The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler officially became one of my favorite couples ever. I’ve been a fan of The Big Bang Theory from [...]
Another Kind of Winter Warmer
I’ve so loved reading all of the Winter Warmer recipes shared by everyone at AAR. I plan to try out a number of them over the next few months (first up, Melanie’s potato soup). But [...]
Winter Warmers: Melanie's Potato Soup
I have a love affair with potatoes. And cheese. And anything that I can put in a crock pot and not have to deal with all day. This recipe is one I found a while [...]
The Story Behind the Carol: Silent Night
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87q5dmW6zDg On Christmas Eve of 1818 the young priest of St. Nicholas parish church in Obendorf faced disaster. The organ had been incapacitated by mice. The chance of fixing the instrument before the evening service [...]
The Infinity Scarf: Yes or No?
Sometimes I become obsessed with the strangest things, and at the moment it’s infinity scarves. Do I own any? No, not a single one. But I’m considering. In fact, I’ve been looking at so many [...]
Winter Warmers: Lea's Chicken and Dumplings
My dear mother-in-law, now 83 years old, is simply the best cook I have ever known. Cooking wonderful food for others remains one of her greatest joys in life and she continues to cook or [...]
Winter Warmers: Mary's Ham Bone Soup
With the holidays upon us, in addition to turkeys on every table many of us will be cooking large hams to feed our loved ones. After you have eaten as many ham sandwiches from the [...]
Fill Your Heart With Thanksgiving
The following poem captures beautifully the meaning of the coming holiday. The sentiment is such that it should be remembered all year long. […]
AAR at the Movies: Catching Fire
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAzGXqJSDJ8 Friday night, my friend and I went to see the second instalment of Suzanne Collins’s massive smash hit trilogy, adapted for the screens. I wasn’t going to see it, honestly. I’d [...]
The 30 Best TV Detectives and Sleuths?
This week I saw a link to the “30 Best TV Detectives” from the Telegraph’s website. As a big fan of mysteries – both written and video – this was too good to resist. Since [...]
Easy, Ugly Cube Steak Casserole
I chose another dish when I submitted my “Winter Warmer”, cold weather, stick-to-your-ribs recipe – but this one ran a close second. Its delicious, easy and filling, but man, is it ever ugly. I’ll provide [...]
Winter Warmers: Blythe's Best Ever Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
I traveled to Milwaukee for work last summer, and discovered their wonderful local coffee chain, Collectivo, that has that rarest of combinations – good food and good coffee. (Yes, I know it used to be [...]
Do you know this product?
I hope someone here can help me locate another pair of the most remarkable pants. They're workout gear, men's, and they have the label "level 8" stamped on them. I own one pair, want 20 [...]
Winter Warmer's: LinnieGayl's Pumpkin Flan
Each year when Halloween rolls around my thoughts go to pumpkins. Not to decorating them, but to thinking of creative ways to use them in cooking. Over the last few years I’ve made pumpkin and [...]
I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CevxZvSJLk8 Katy Perry's latest, Roar, has been something of an anthem for me the last few weeks. Love the music but especially love the message. We all need to go from zero to our own [...]
Winter Warmers: Caz's Steak and Kidney Pudding
I thought I’d treat you all to the recipe for a classic British favourite. When I asked my esteemed colleagues here at AAR – the majority of whom reside “across the pond” – I was [...]
NBC's The Blacklist – Are you watching?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtMs2d0tdrg NBC has a new drama that is surprisingly watchable. The fact that it stars the wonderful James Spader is a draw, of course, and the writing and excellent casting have kept me coming back [...]
AAR at the Movies: Ender's Game
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP0cUBi4hwE This Sunday, we headed to the movie theater to take in Ender’s Game. Ender’s Game is one of those books that I’ve always meant to read but never managed to get around [...]
Winter Warmers – Haley's Apple Brickle Dip
I had originally planned a fun Halloween themed recipe to share today. I had two Halloween parties at my house over the weekend, so I tried out a few fun themed foods. I made my [...]
Trick or Treat
My having an October birthday has meant many, many Halloween themed parties over the years. Then my youngest daughter came into the world on October 30 and we had two in the family born close to [...]
Winter Warmers – Chicken Roast
This delicious, easy chicken dish is made on the stovetop, similar to the traditional pot roast. You have control over quantity, so you can feed two or a holiday crowd. Boneless Chicken Breasts (3-6 or [...]