Candy Corn Infused Vodka and Spaghetti Sauce (But not together!)

Whew! Haven't blogged in a couple of days. Even worse I haven't read blogs in a couple of days! When you follow as many as I do, that can get pretty hairy when you go to catch up, lol!

Yesterday, my super wonderful hubster raided the garden and made spaghetti sauce to can. All the tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic for the sauce were grown in our garden! I love that! This is the second batch he's done. We have almost 20 jars of sauce canned so far this summer!

School finally starts on Wednesday, and I think we are finally ready. Clothes are bought (how can kids grow so much in so little time??), supplies are supplied, lunch money has been doled out, forms have been filled. And the sure sign that school's almost here? The kids are acting up. Yep, every year, right before the first day of school, the nerves set in (OMG, what if Bailey isn't in my class? What if my teacher's mean?! What if I can't find my class?) and the kids loose their minds for two or three days. Not so much with the oldest one (who's going to be a senior this year. A SENIOR!!), but the younger two are in full blown crazy mode right now. Thankfully, it'll settle down after the first day.

I am somewhat looking forward to school starting at this point, just so I can start getting serious about organizing The 31 Days of Halloween. I've added a few things to this year and it's going to be so fun (at least I really hope so, lol!), but it is a lot of work. There has been a great response from people about donating items for giveaways. Thank you all so much! You will all be amazed at the wonders that have been created this year! So much fun! Sponsors can continue to sign up until September 15 - and donations do not have to be pagan or Halloween themed.

And there is still time to join in if you'd like to participate! Lots of room left for anyone who wants to participate in the Haunted Walking Tour (dress up your blog for Halloween, we'll come visit you!). And still room for guest bloggers who'd like to have their article posted here! Just submit an article based on Samhain or Halloween - just about anything goes!

Anyone who wants to participate or find out more, contact me here.

I've been working on a ton of things to share in October! If you read Food Network Magazine (and if you don't, you should! That mag ROCKS!) you might have seen the candy corn infused vodka idea. They made a drink that looks a little something like this:

(except with better photography and without the water drops that says they just washed the plastic martini glass that they found in the back of their cupboard).

If you don't get the magazine, I'll be sharing this recipe in October, along with some other cocktails that Mr.B. and I are creating (working them out is a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it!).

Shockingly, no giveaway this week! I know! What the heck?

Lyrical Press Giveaway Winner Picked Today!

Thanks to my wonderful sponsors, Lyrical Press for giving away the sexy sounding Prey For Mercy by A.E. Rought!

The winner of the novella is......Domesticated Gypsy!

Please contact me with your email address so that I can pass it on to Lyrical Press! Congrats and enjoy!

Pagan Horde Delay!

Do to the insanity of running around like a chicken with it's head cut off (that really is sort of creepy saying, isn't it?) to get last minute school issues handled, the Angry Pagan Horde invasion will be delayed. I'm sure you are crushed, lol!

In other news, though, I managed to pick up not only the awesome Matthew Mead Halloween Magazine, but also the Family Fun Halloween edition. Still no Martha, though.

If you are going to spend some cash on a magazine, I can highly recommend the Matthew Mead one, though. This is my second year in a row buying it, and I've been thrilled to death each time. There's a ton of crafts and recipes - including some that are really super quick and super easy (like covering a chair in a white sheet and adding some cut out black eyes to it - super cute ghost chair with things you have lying around the house!). He also gives you the down loadable templates right on his website for a bunch of different things, which is just handy.

You can find the ones from last year's mag here.

And this year's templates here.

Super easy to print out and create some fun.

(And no, this is not a paid advertisement, lol, just a recommendation for fun :O)

The Earth Child's Handbook

In my never ending quest for cool tools for pagan parents, I ran across The Earth Child's Handbook, and it was love at first site!

First of all, I'm pretty sure most of you will already be fans of the creator (or at the very least have heard her name), Brigid Ashwood. She's a highly talented artist who's fairy works have been spread throughout the internet on avatars and graphics. When my daughter was younger, she played with the gorgeous paper dolls that Ms. Ashwood created and shared online. She has an impressive range of work in several different mediums.

Now, she's created such a wonderful project for pagan parents, The Earth Child's Handbook! There are so many great things about this book, the first of all being that you purchase it online and print it out yourself. That means that if you have more than one child, or if they want to do a project more than once, you can print out as many copies as you'd like! The conditions of the book even allow you to share a few pages with another family to let them try it out!

Another great thing about this book is that the chapters are sold separately, which means you can buy just the ones you want, or buy a little at a time as your budget allows. The price of each chapter is based on the number of pages in it, but none of them are more than $8.

Now onto the contents! I have Volume 1: Me and My Family. Wow. Just wow! The volume is just filled to the brim with goodness. It starts off with a letter to parents and a separate letter to kids on how to use the chapter and what supplies you will need to complete the projects within it. It continues on with a short, 1 paragraph essay on what family is and how we should treat them, then moves right on to the fun. Included in this volume is a project on making a small family scrapbook (with printable templates), awards to give to your family, a project on making life sized paper dolls, and making a picture frame (among other things).

At first, I was a little concerned that this book might be a little too "young" for my 10 year old daughter, who is the kid that is the most interested in the pagan religion. Yes, she still likes to do arty projects, but they need to be a little more complex for her to really enjoy them. Then I got a little deeper into the chapter (it's 21 pages long) and got to the page on Chakras. It explains what they are and what they do, and includes a page to color them in on a blank outline of a body. The pages that follow this one are about meditation and shape shifting and contain more in depth, complicated text and activities - truly there is something for kids of all ages. You can even preview some of the pages here.

Currently, there are only 2 chapters up, Me and My Family and Mother Earth and The Elements (which I'll be looking into next week, to see what it's all about), but you can sign up for an email alert to let you know when the other chapters go up. I totally recommend Me and My Family to any pagan parent looking for ways to engage their children in a fun way and teach them about the subjects included. It really just includes such great info and so much to get your hands into!

A Couple quick here and there things

A couple of notes for readers:

Lisa Joy, I tried to comment to your blog, but the "comment" button doesn't open anything. A lot of people have been having this problem lately - I'm not sure if it's a blogger thing, or a template thing. Just wanted to let you know, so that you don't think we are all ignoring you!

Dingy - wanted to come and comment or find an email for you, but your profile is "private" so I couldn't find any info for you - but I don't have any savory growing this year, just to let you know. Thanks for the offer, though!

And, just to clear it up, the last cat in yesterday's post, the one with the blood splattered jar, is my sweety cat Tiger. She's my love cat - the total opposite of that racally Tanner, lol!

I'm working on another post for today, so stop back in later :O)

Jars of Stuff

This year in our garden, we've done a ton of herbs. A lot of them are primarily for culinary use, but many have medicinal properties as well. I've always been into herbs, and have a huge (I'm not kidding, the thing is ginormous) grimoire filled with everything you could ever want to read about herbs - how to grow, culinary uses, medicinal uses, the history of it's use, cosmetic uses, and all sorts of recipes.

The one thing that I haven't done much with is putting all the knowledge to work. Don't get me wrong, I'm big on really using a ton of fresh herbs in my cooking because I know how great they are for you. I take herbal supplements that I just love. I've made some super delicious thyme honey for sore throats and coughs. I had not, however, gone all out with it.

Until now. Recently I've been reading up on what to put herbs in, what herbs to mix together to make the most of their properties, what to put them in and how long to leave them, and started to jar up a few things. By the end of the growing season, I expect to have quite a few brews going.

For now I've started these:

Wait... what the heck are those green things hovering at the top of that first jar? What the....

Tanner! Get out of there! It's not all about you every time I take out the camera, you silly!

Sheesh. Anyway, these are the tinctures that I have started with.

First up, what will be at the end of it all, my cold and flu mix.

Right now in the jar is apple cider vinegar, garlic and ginger. (Though I'm about to stick a nosey little gray cat in there as well....) I'll let that sit for a while, take out the garlic and ginger and then add fresh garlic and ginger plus a ton of fresh herbs that are good for colds and flu. I'd love to add some fresh horseradish to it, but I haven't been able to find any so far. Instead, I'll be adding a bit of cayenne in a tea bag. Mr. B. says that even if it doesn't help get rid of illness, no one else will get it, because no one will want to come near you after you drink this, lol! There's probably some truth to that.

Next up is a tincture of vodka and rosemary. Oh, how I love rosemary!

A rosemary tincture can be use for a ton of things, such as helping with nervousness and depression, helping with fungal infections and aiding in digestion. Mixed in with a bit of shampoo, it can stimulate the hair follicles and help prevent hair loss. 40 drops of tincture in a glass of water, 2x a day is said to cure what ails ya'!

Lastly (for now) I have this little beauty:

Vodka and chamomile. Great for insomnia, nerves, digestion, flatulence (I live with 3 boys, need I say more?), and it's a great cure for eczema, among other things.

And I'll be doing a few more. I'm totally in love with my jars of goodies steeping in their liquids. I have them in a nice dark cabinet and shake them every day. In a few weeks, they'll be ready to drain and try out. I can't wait!

Oh, and here's another jar I've worked on lately:

But that's a story for another day....

I've hit 400!

Holy moly, I've hit 400 followers! That's just crazy! Thanks to each and every one of you who actually show up to read, lol! I'm not exactly sure why you do, but I'm glad to have you here!

And, as a sign of reader appreciation, I'm going to hold my own little giveaway! It's open to all of my followers! This one is going to run for 3 weeks! The prize? A box of goodies to start off the Halloween season! I'm not going to give away the contents, but it'll be full of Halloween goodness, both bought and created!

So if you are a follower, comment here for a chance to win! That simple!

And over the next few weeks, keep an eye out for extra chances for entries.

Monday Mumbles and Yawns

Today we started trying to get back on schedule for the looming school year. After getting to sleep late for weeks, getting up and getting the kids going is going to be a pain. This week is also going to be the last minute hair cuts and shoe buying! This summer vacation has just gone by way too fast. I'm so not ready to get back into the groove of school.

This past weekend was a little crazy. Mr.B. had an impacted wisdom tooth cut out of his mouth on Friday. When he made it home, he was feeling numb and fine.... but then the novacaine wore off, lol! Poor baby! His face was puffy and he could barely open his mouth. Chewing was just painful. Thankfully by Sunday evening he was feeling much better.

The wet, rainy weather had been putting me down somewhat. I've had some issues with my back since I was a kid, and as an adult any cold or wet weather just kills me (yes, I do live in NJ, land of cold and wet, thanks for asking ;O) Yesterday was a day of it on the couch and catch up on Food Network shows on tivo. After a decent bit of pain medication today I feel almost human.

Speaking of Food Network, has anyone been watching Chefs vs City? That is a great show! I just love Aaron Sanchez!

I also managed over the weekend to get some crafty things done. I've painted some jars with "blood" splatter for Halloween, and worked on my tentacle plant. If you're curious, you'll have to tune in during October to see the results, lol!

And for those who asked, the Ugg boot giveaway that I linked to is a continuing giveaway - if you leave the button up on your blog, you are automatically entered into the next drawing - how simple is that?

And in other bloggety goodness, there is a new giveaway up this week, in case you missed it.

The Perfect Pet contest is still going up. If you haven't voted for Tanner today, get on over! Don't forget, if Tan wins the prize, I'll be doing a voter appreciation contest for $100 cash!

Racy Giveaway Today! (Get out the smelling salts.)

The lovely folks at my sponsor, Lyrical Press, are going to give my readers the chance to win a PDF novella this week!

I'll say right up front that I have not read it yet, but ooooh, am I going to! Lets just have a little look-see at the blurb for Prey For Mercy by A.E. Rought, shall we?

Immortality is not enough

Vampire Mercy Callahan wants more from immortality than sex with strangers and an eternal string of lonely nights. Something's missing until she shares a sizzling one-night-stand with Chase Rogers. His blood is ambrosia, his soul a match to her own, and his presence a talisman against the biting loneliness within.

Chase wants everything Mercy can give, but he's not free. He's betrothed to Angel Macoby, a dangerously unbalanced mortal who's stalked Mercy for years .

Only one woman can survive the deadly rivalry, and if Angel wins, she may walk away with more than Mercy's life.

Warning: This title contains light BDSM, bondage, heart-stopping action, pulse-racing love and a vampire confident enough to steal your boyfriend.

Oh, my! My, my, my! I do like the sexy vampire stuff. If you're unsure if it's for you, you can read a little excerpt here.

You know you want to read it now, lol!

For a chance to win:

• (Required for first entry.) Visit Lyrical Press, have a look around, then come back here and comment on which story you'd be most interested in reading.
• Make sure I can contact your. If you do not have a public blog profile, please leave an email address.

For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following:

• (1 entry) Be or become a follower of my blog.
• (1 entry) Be or become a follower through Networked Blogs.
• (1 entry) Twitter the following message on Twitter: RT @MrsBsConfession is having a fabulous giveaway at her blog! Check it out! silvermoonwitch.blogspot.com
• (3 entries) Blog about this giveaway on your own blog. Please leave the URL of the post in your comment.

That's a total of 7 possible entries. And, of course, I usually throw in at least 1 bonus entry chance during the week!

The contest will end August 30 at noon EST.

Good luck!

Saturday Check in!

Just about to post the winner of the tarabu bag! So check back in about 5 minutes!

Also Grim Visions is having a killer (hahahaha!) giveaway. Make sure to check it out.

And have you voted for Tanner today? No pressure, lol!

Check back in tomorrow for the start of a new giveaway!

It's Friday, you know what that means!

Yep, it's Friday, and time to invade another blog!

These days, I am so enjoying a slew of blogs by young married pagans. You know, those really young women, some who've got teeny tinies, some who haven't, who are really at the beginning of their family life. I love watching while they create family traditions, explore their spiritual life and watching where it all takes them.

One of my favorites of this type of blog is Jupiter's Corner, by the lovely Jupiter Greenmoone. She's got a beautiful bevy of fur babies and she's started a great Monday posting tradition: Moon Magic Monday!

Her posts range from trying out new methods of practicing her craft to very personal posts about the issues going on in her family right now. She's frank and honest and enthusiastic. Reading her blog is like a real breath of fresh air!

So get on over and check out her blog! I'm sure you will enjoy!

I can too spell! Honest!

Just a quick note to say that it finally hit me that I was using the word "hoard", like a dragon hoards gold, instead of the word "horde", like a group of pillaging Vikings.

Duh.

I know some of you noticed this. I know you did (I'm looking at you, Laurie!). But no one told me, lol!

I think I've managed to correct the mistake which was all over the place, lol!

Tune in tomorrow and the HORDE will invade another blog!

You may have noticed...

You may have noticed a new advertiser in my side bar, over there <----

I wanted to clarify this, because when I recently did a review of an online story I'd read, I made a point of saying that I was not being paid by the publisher (with a joking comment that I would not mind getting paid, lol!). Well, if you scroll down the comments, you'll see a nice post from Renee Rocco, one of the publishers of Lyrical Press. She also contacted me through me privately and made arrangements to advertise on the blog and review some other things from the company.

I have to say, I'm thrilled to death to have advertising, lol! This blog is pretty cheap to advertise on, I have to say, so I'm not making a bazillion dollars off the ads, but it's something that I can play around with. And I'd be lying if I said that I'm not hoping for more as time goes by. In this day and age, any money you can bring into the household is a help, right?

But I do want to say that having a paid advertisement will not affect my ability to give an honest review, and I will try not to steer you wrong if you are reading my reviews (on this or on any other book). I'm sure that Lyrical Press and the authors that publish them are open to constructive criticism when it's warranted just as much as they are open to rave reviews.

So that is that.

On a different note, I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who has recently given me blog awards! I really stink at posting them and passing them on - please forgive me! But I honestly do appreciate each and every one. The fact that anyone would think of me and want to give me an award for my blog really does touch my heart. Thank you so much!

And one last little thing: I've got a ton of irons in the fire, and while I do try to keep track of everything as well as I can (both at home and on my blog, lol!) some things slip through and get missed. So if you have volunteered to sponsor a giveaway for The 31 Days of Halloween, and have noticed that you are not listed in the sidebar with the rest of the donors or if your blog is sporting my button and I haven't added yours to my button exchange, please shoot me a message or leave a comment somewhere. It's not on purpose, and I'll be happy to get it fixed ASAP. I so don't want to leave anyone out, or make them think that I am snubbing them or their blog!

Annnnd, if you've made it this far and are still reading, and would like to have another entry for the tarabu bag, just leave a comment to the giveaway post with a description of the current bag you are carrying around!

Hope you are having a great day!

When did life get busy again?

Just a quick note today. Have more school shopping to do today, Mr. B. needs to hit up a dentist for a tooth ache that started last night (and is kicking his butt!), and I have a ton of bloggedy stuff going on.

We've finally finished the mad dash to do the stupid math packets that the kids bring home each summer (I truly hate the things, and they aren't even graded - the teachers just check to see if they are brought back.) Summer reading packets have been done for ages - if there is one thing the people in my house do NOT have a problem with, it's reading. I'm not wildly keen on "forced" summer reading, but at least this year the books they had to read (Miss M. got to pick her own) were decent.

In blog news, I'm sooooo close to hitting 400 followers! Wow, that's so crazy! I've decided that if I ever hit 500, I'm throwing a little party on my blog.

Still shopping around for people to vote (often) for Tanner at the pet contest. If, by some strange happenstance, we win, I will be throwing a little money back to a reader via a contest. Yep, cold hard cash. So, yeah, that's totally a bribe, lol!

Have a great day out there, people!

Mrs.B. Reads.... Online?

If you know me, you know I love books. I love the feel of them, the smell of them, the mobility of them, and how you can take them in the tub without having to worry about dropping them in.

One thing I don't like about them, in general? The price. Though there are sets of books that I will dole out the cash for because I know I will read them over and over, new authors and new series are generally found through the library.

But what about online books, you ask? I've honestly never had much interest in them. Not great to snuggle up in bed with, surely can't take them into the tub! And trying to read a novel on the computer? My eyes!

Buuuut, in my wanderings online, I found Lyrical Press (and no, I've not made any cash for tooting their horn - though I wouldn't be opposed to it, lol). And found that there are short stories to be had, for a super reasonable price. Short stories? Who knew? Something you can sit down with at the computer (at least until some nice person wants to buy me a Kindle, lol!) and read in a short time, without breaking your budget.

So I tried one. It's called Shattered by Ericka Scott. It's listed as a "Quick Read" and can be purchased for the tiny price of $1.50. A dollar and fifty cents! Uh, yeah, count me in!

The story is about a woman named Karen Furguson. Karen is a woman apparently lives a charmed life. She's a married college student about to graduate and sporting her very own huge trust fund. Her husband receives a letter informing him that his mother has passed away and he's inherited a run down house in the country. Karen decides to surprise her husband by fixing up the house while he's away on a business trip. That one decision changes Karen and her life forever.

It is a quick read, so I don't want to give too many details away. The story has a great twist which actually managed to surprise me. It also made me hungry to have the story be longer and more detailed, lol! And isn't that what a story should do? Make you want to live in it a little longer?

This was my first really enjoyable dip into reading online stories. I'd say if they are all as enjoyable as Shattered, I'll be back for more!

VOTE FOR TANNER!!!

I entered this picture of Tanner to the WeTV Perfect Pet Contest!

The winner wins $5,000. Yes, $5,000!! So please vote for Tanner here. Vote early and often, lol!

For more picture of Tanner, visit "Where the Hell is Tanner?".

Monday Mutterings and Mumbles

Woke up this morning with a stuffy head and achy back. Good gravy, I hope I am not getting sick! I just don't have the time for it!

I've got so many pokers in the fire right now - between getting ready for school, dealing with stuff to finish off the hearing aid issue, working on projects and keeping up with the day to day joy of keeping a house (yes, that might just be a teeny, tiny tinge of sarcasm there. Just a tiny bit, lol!).

But in other news, we had a nice little weekend. Got a bit of school clothes shopping done. It kills me that my 10 year old comes up to my chin and is now shopping in the juniors/adult section! I'm pretty sure that my daughter is now taller than my mother, lol! It's a real battle to find clothes that fit her and are age appropriate. I do not need low-rise jeans on my 10 year old who still sleeps with a stuffed animal. I am however, thinking of starting a new tradition of writing "I am only 10 ye

ars old" on her forehead when she goes out in public. (Or the appropriate age as she gets older.) By the time she's in high school, we are going to have a problem, I think, with guys thinking that she is older than she is (if not middle school). She's always been very tall for her age and people have always thought she was older than she was - but at 5 years old, that really isn't an issue, is it? Lol!

In bloggety news, I wanted to mention to anyone who does giveaways on their blogs. If you are giving away a handmade item from someone who has an online storefront, make sure to register it on the Etsy Giveaway blog (they deal with other shops besides Etsy, as long as it's a handmade item). It gets you a few new people visiting your blog, which is fun!

And of course, there are tons of other giveaways listed there that you can try for as well! All of the items are handmade and you can find some really neat blogs while you enter. Cool stuff.

That's it for now! Don't forget to enter for the bag from tarabu (I have one almost exactly like it, so we'll be bag twins!), and don't forget to enter the Ugg boot giveaway! If I have 40 people enter by way of the link on my blog, I'll win $100 bucks, and you'll win my eternal gratitude, lol!

Have a great day!

New Giveaway Today! (This Giveaway Ended Aug.22, 2009)

I usually don't start a giveaway on Saturday, but I was really excited to start this one!

Today I start a giveaway of my bag twin. Yep, here it is:

Made by Tara from the awesome Etsy shop tarabu, it's the same type of bag that I got earlier in the summer, with the same materials, but with an awesome upgrade! Here's what Tara says about the bag:

This library tote is the result of a collaboration between tarabu and your own, MrsB! Once upon a time (okay, this past spring) tarabu was feeling a little stagnant, creativity-wise and put out a call for suggestions.

MrsB threw her suggestion in to the hat - an alteration to the Betty travel bag - a skully library tote with extra long strap for the tall and striking. So here it is:

tarabu happens to adore the form - adjustable strap, giant slim body, secure magnets and in honour of back-to-school I've added a slim pocket to the flap - small, but large enough to hold a full-size note pad.

The body measures 14" long, 11" wide and two inches deep. The straps are a whopping 36" long each and adjustable.

All cotton fabrics, fully machine washable.

I can confirm that this is an awesome bag! Perfect for toting books, your art supplies, or even, thanks to it's easy washability, a trip to the beach!

To enter this contest, each entrant must comply with the following:

• Visit tarabu, find your favorite item, come back to this post and comment on it.
• Have a working blog that I can contact you from if you win OR leave your email address with your entry.

You can receive extra entries by doing any or all of the following:

• (1 extra entry) Be or become a follower of this blog.
• (1 extra entry) Be or become a follower of the tarabu blog.
• (1 extra entry) Twitter about this giveaway. Include "@MrsBsConfession" in the twitter.
• (3 extra entries) Blog about this giveaway, with a link back to this blog.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry! This giveaway will end next Saturday, August 22 at noon EST. Winner will be selected by a random number generator.

Good luck!

Another Angry Pagan Invasion.....

It's Friday and time to invade another blog!

(click for details)

This week, the hoard continues it's march, taking us to the blog The Legend of Luke Sidewalker!

I stumbled across this blog a while ago and fell in love with the whole concept behind it, which is described as "The quintessential get rich slow scheme".

I won't ruin the surprise by giving away the scheme, but let me say that it includes a Google map and a lot of bending over.

The blog also has a new feature, tracking the cost of certain groceries over time. Be sure and add your $.02 on which items should be tracked!

Go over and check it out; I think you'll be hooked as well. And tell 'em Mrs. B. sent you!

Mrs. B. Cooks..... an Asian Feast, Part II

You might remember the other day, I posted about the Asian inspired meal I had made, and shared a recipe for yaki mandu.

Today I thought I'd share the super yum that is the steamed bok choy and broccoli that I made with the meal!

Ingredients:

2 baby bok choy (or about 1 pound total)

2 cups fresh broccoli florets

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup liquid of your choice (chicken broth, water, white wine or a combination)

toasted sesame oil

Salt and pepper to taste

This is a really simple recipe that is just such a great way to cook vegetables. Baby bok choy and broccoli are my favorites to cook this way, but you can do any type of greens like this with great results. If you aren't going to add the broccoli (or another tough, dense veggie), you'll have to reduce your cooking time slightly.

So first things first, prepping the veggies! If you've never tried bok choy, it's just an awesome thing to work with!

All you'll need to do is cut off the end a bit:

separate the leaves, and give them a good rinse. Let them drain well, or dry them off with some paper towels before using them for this dish.

For the fresh broccoli (this bunch is from our garden!)

cut into bite-sized florets, and then give it a quick blanch. If you aren't familiar with the term, blanching is simply throwing something into boiling water for a minute or two to lock in it's flavor and color. So just bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, throw your broccoli in, then drain it off as soon as it turns a nice bright green. This will keep it looking fabulous after it's cooked more! Let the water drain off well before going on with the recipe.

Sadly, I didn't take a ton of pictures when I made this dish, so we'll be going without until I make it again, lol!

The next step, however, is getting a pan and pouring in your olive oil. Now this is the important part: start with a cold pan and cold oil. Don't preheat anything! Now throw your garlic in. No, really! Right into the cold oil! By doing this, your garlic will heat slowly and become fragrant and delicious without browning and becoming bitter. As soon as you can start smelling that delicious garlicky goodness, throw your veggies into the oil and toss them quickly with a pair of tongs. You want to do this quickly so that your garlic doesn't burn and so that your veggies don't get too wilty. Toss 'em up well and get them coated with oil and garlic - for maybe 30 seconds or so. You're almost done!

The last bit is super quick. Throw in your liquid (I like to use a mix of about 80% chicken stock and 20% white wine) and quickly throw a lid on your pan. Set a timer for 2 minutes (if you are using a denser vegetable like the broccoli) or 1 minute (if you are only doing the greens).

As soon as the time is up, scoop out your veggies into a bowl, and finish them with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil (make sure you use the toasted kind, it's the one with the great flavor, as opposed to just plain sesame oil), season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately!

(Please to excuse the crappy, shadowy picture.)

For a little variation, you can throw some fresh ginger and/or a bit of hot pepper flakes into the oil with the garlic and/or throw some toasted sesame seeds on top right before serving.

Any way you do it, this is a really flavorful dish that is a nice change from just opening up a can of green beans! And, of course, it goes really well with a nice Asian themed meal :O)

Click here for the printable version!

Where did my followers go????

Note: There is a new pagan blog prompt up today!

Is anyone else having a problem with their list of followers?? My widget is fine, but when I go to my dashboard, where I read the blogs I follow, it's empty. This has happened briefly before, but when I'd refresh the page, my followers would be there again, with all their lovely posts.

I've had no list for 2 days. 2 DAYS! Are they all gone? I'm living in fear! How will I ever get everyone back? I follow 300 blogs. (No, no I am not kidding. Shush!! Not everyone posts every day!)

If I don't get them back, I am going to freak out. Seriously. Freak. Out.

Update: Apparently this is a big issue for Blogger right now. If you are experiencing it, or it starts happening to you, Blogger encourages you to fill out this form.

In other news, the Wild Magic giveaway ends today at noon, EST. Still time to enter! And to those who helped out Vixen, you'll get 5 extra entries.

And if you entered to win the Ugg Boots, you have 5 extra entries coming for any 1 giveaway through October. Don't forget to let me know when you want to use them!

Ugg Boots Giveaway.... And full disclosure

Why hello there! How are you today? Yes, this is a post about full disclosure, so I get no "Blogola" fingers pointing at me!

You see, I was approached by the nice people at Whooga about spreading the word about their Ugg Boot Giveaway.

Now while I do not currently own a pair of Uggs, I have had a nice pair of cheap-o's knockoffs that were comfy - so I can only imagine what a pair of the real things feel like. I know people that own them, and barely ever take them off their feet.

So sharing the information about a giveaway with my readers? Sure!

Well here is the disclosure part: If I can get 40 people to come from my blog to the Whooga giveaway and complete the full entry for the giveaway (that includes putting a button on your blog), I could win $100.

$100. Yeppers. Right before school starts and the Halloween dressing of 3 kids (and a Halloween loving adult)? Shoot yes!

So if you are not offended by the payoff, lol, and you'd like to own a pair of Uggs right before the weather starts changing and your toes start getting cold, I'd like to beg ask you to think about maybe wandering over to the Whooga Ugg Boots giveaway and check it out!

And if you enter, just to make it worth your while, comment here and I will give you a full 5 extra entries into ANY one giveaway from now until the end of October. Yes, that includes the 31 Days giveaways.

But wait, there's more! Post a blog about this giveaway, pointing your readers here, and have them say that they sent you. Not only will they get the 5 extra entries, but if they mention you're name, you'll get 1 extra entry for each time your name comes up! No limit. But each person has to have entered the contest, and be displaying the little required button from Whooga (apparently if you keep the button up, you are automatically entered in each of their following giveaways, too!).

And yes, I'm entering for the boots, too!