What you think does matter

Interesting recipe for expressing ones love - I mean the wife happy. When is an egg "in the hole" not just an egg "in the hole"? When in the hands of chef Matthew Accarrino! Accarrino, the culinary mastermind behind SPQR's first Michelin star, has elevated this simple breakfast dish into a masterpiece on the plate. Diced rutabaga, foraged mushrooms and rich brown stock take comfort food from homey to gourmet. Makes: 4 servings Ingredients: 1/2 cup rutabaga, peeled and cut in small dice Extra virgin olive oil 51/2 ounces (2 cups) mushrooms, preferably hen of the woods (maitake) Kosher salt 1/4 cup finely diced bacon 3 tablespoons white wine 1/2 cup brown stock 4 (3/4-inch thick) slices brioche About 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to finish 4 eggs 1/2 shallot, minced 1 teaspoon chopped tarragon Handful of miner's lettuce or chickweed *Personally I am not a fan of mushrooms - so I am looking for an alternative or plan to leave it ...

Better FCAT and School scores for students Every parent wants better FCAT scores, better grades and for their child or children to do better in school – at least any concerned caring parent. But the question is – how do you go about it? How do you accomplish this if your child is more into video games than he is about learning? Every child is different – I should know because my 9 yr. old son is completely the opposite of my 15 yr. old daughter, like day and night. My daughter has always been quiet, reserved, she could be considered to be the epitome of the perfect child (never made a fuss usually did what she was told). When it came to school, she did her work and loved to read. My son, well that was a whole different ball game. My son turned out to be a rambunctious tyrant of mischief who loved to get into everything. His idea of fun is playing video games and reenacting video game war battle scenes on my pool table with the hundreds of toy soldiers he has – which he never...

Funny: Who is up for a burn? It’s the week end and it is time to distress, unwind and relax – so what do we do: make plans to get a nice crispy burn. I love making fun of friends and family who come back from frolicking in the sun with a nice reddish crispy look to them. Personally, if you know me – the sun and I are not friends. I hate getting sun burn; I hate it not because of the possibility of skin cancer or all the other health reasons like aging skin. But simply because I dislike being cooked, baked, and that uncomfortable pain one has to endure as you wait to recover from that oh so not nice tan (red burn) people seek after. Look, I am Hispanic and I am fair skinned and sort of look white (some people say I look jewish, Indian and even Mexican) but me and my self – I am comfortable with my shin, in my skin and I have no desire to be a bronzed god – I mean have the color of a bronze god (..LOL). So what does the family want to do – go to the beach, get some sun, come hom...

Recipe: Spanish Pork Burgers Memorial week end or any week end - A great tasting burger is always good to have. Here is one recipe I plan on having this weekend. Ingredients 3 cup(s) thinly sliced Spanish onion 3/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper, divided 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt, divided 1 pound(s) lean ground pork 1 tablespoon(s) finely chopped Spanish green olives, such as Manzanilla 2 teaspoon(s) minced garlic 2 teaspoon(s) Pimentón de la Vera (see Shopping Tip) , or Hungarian paprika 1/4 cup(s) reduced-fat mayonnaise 2 teaspoon(s) freshly grated lemon zest 1 tablespoon(s) lemon juice Saffron (see Ingredient Note) 1/4 cup(s) shredded Manchego or Monterey Jack cheese 4 whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted 2 whole jarred Piquillo peppers (see Shopping Tip) , or jarred pimientos, halved lengthwise Recipe Directions 1.Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook...

Teen's invention recharges cellphones in seconds Tired of constantly dying batteries, she came up with a device that could revolutionize energy storage -- and won $50,000 from Intel. By Bruce Kennedy If you care at all about America's future as a country of ideas and potential, you'll probably agree that this is a cool story. An 18-year-old high school student has come up with what might be a breakthrough in the field of energy storage. She has invented a device that can, for example, recharge a cellphone in seconds rather than hours. Eesha Khare, a student at Lynbrook High School in Saratoga, Calif., was one of two runners-up at the annual Intel (INTC -0.87%) International Science and Engineering Fair last week in Phoenix. She beat out more than 1,600 finalists from more than 70 countries. Khare received one of two Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards of $50,000. As the company's press release states, "Eesha recognized the crucial need for energy-eff...

Splash-tastic Indoor water parks Kids and water parks go together like macaroni and cheese. Check out our top picks for your next wet and wild vacation. Ask any child what he wants to do on vacation, and you'll hear one answer more than any other: swim! So it's no wonder indoor water-park resorts have become one of the hottest new travel trends. We're not talking about two-turn slides like the one at the town pool. These places are full-fledged water fantasy lands: Consistently around 82 degrees, with a zero percent chance of rain, they're fail-proof all year. Great Wolf Lodge (11 locations around the country, plus one in Niagara Falls, Canada; Greatwolf.com.) This log-cabinesque behemoth started the craze. Its range of activities (aquatic and otherwise) makes the resort a crowd-pleaser. The draw: A four- to eight-story tree house with soakers aplenty; some locations have a funnel slide, called the Howlin' Tornado, that slings the whole crew around on a...

Teaching sound financial techniques to children A while back I wrote a post about teaching my children about money by playing monopoly – it turns out that I am not alone in my way of thinking. It turns out that an entire book has been written on this very same idea – I guess great minds do think alike... Lol "Monopoly became a part of my life the moment my father, Robert Barton--then president of Parker Brothers--acquired the game in 1935. Now, all these years later, Philip Orbanes reveals what we've all sensed since then--the game is replete with solid financial lessons." -- RANDOLPH P. BARTON, former president of Parker Brothers It’s no surprise to me – of course you have to play the game seriously if you want to learn anything of beneficial use to you. Please forgive the video interview - it's a bit drab but I agree with the ideas of the author. To learn more about why and how monopoly is a great way to teach financial knowledge to kids continue to read more...