text: Located in Makassar City Center, Losari Beach Hotel Makassar is a perfect starting point from which to explore Makassar. The hotel offers a high standard of service and amenities to suit the individual needs of all travelers. 24-hour room service, Wi-Fi in public areas, car park, room service, meeting facilities are just some of the facilities on offer. Guestrooms are designed to provide an optimal level of comfort with welcoming decor and some offering convenient amenities like air conditioning, wake-up service, desk, mini bar, telephone. Recuperate from a full day of sightseeing in the comfort of your room or take advantage of the hotel's recreational facilities, including spa, massage. A welcoming atmosphere and excellent service are what you can expect during your stay at Losari Beach Hotel Makassar.


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5 Industries That Benefit Most From Inventory Control Software
No matter what size a company is, keeping track of inventory can be a daunting task. However, an efficient inventory tracking system is key when it comes to solidifying your company's long-term success. When you have an established system to track purchasing trends and see how they compare to product volume; you will be able to better serve your customer's needs. Every business owner knows that without customers a business exists without a purpose. Catering to client needs with professionalism and efficiency is essential whether you have ten regular customers, or thousands of them knocking on the door.
Inventory control software gives you a digital advantage when it comes to updating inventory. It also saves you time by eliminating the need for manual inventory tracking. The software automatically keeps you up-to-date on where your inventory is located, areas that need to be replenished and product availability. At the touch of a button, these programs can also perform product assessments and pricing calculations. Here are five industries that have a lot to gain by utilizing inventory control software:
1.) Small businesses-While bookkeeping and inventory within a small company may not be necessarily complex, it can be costly. Inventory control software eliminates the need for start-up businesses to hire an employee to count inventory manually. It can also save business owners time by avoiding the need for longhand calculations and fines that are associated with errors on IRS forms during tax season.
2.) Retail-Inventory control software not only tracks individual store inventory, but can provide a comprehensive assessment of multiple store locations. This greatly benefits companies that host nation-wide locations.
3.) Transportation-As an industry whose foundation lies almost entirely on logistics; incorporating a system that is able to track inventory movement as well as warehouse statistics, is imperative to successful management and profits.
4.) Distribution Centers- Expecting centers within the distribution industry to provide manual inventory efforts is a nearly impossible task. When dealing with potentially hundreds upon thousands of orders on a weekly basis, the distribution industry would benefit greatly from an automated inventory system that allows for quick access to product availability and shipment statistics without the hassle of manual tracking.
5.) Online Businesses-virtual businesses and contractors tend to have a higher volume of potential clients as their services can be accessed digitally, and do not require proximity to headquarters. Inventory control software allows online companies to manage a high quantity of orders and keeps owners on track with product availability. This leads to greater customer satisfaction overall.
The benefits for online companies and freelance contractors
Where small business and online companies collide, inventory control software may be even more helpful. Many individuals are striking out on their own to create personal online businesses as a way to combat a struggling economy. Websites like ebay.com and etsy.com have created business portals where those looking to support themselves, their families or earn supplemental income can try their hand at online trading, auctions and sales. Ebay sellers and auctioneers who are successful will find themselves inevitably faced with a substantial amount of inventory and hopefully, a competitive number of buyers or bidders.
In these cases, inventory control software may be the answer to keeping track of when to purchase more inventory and keep track of what has already been shipped out to customers. It's software that works for the single man or woman running a rather large, but independent online company. Similarly, those who are buying and selling on etsy.com are dealing with vintage inventory. When working with a clientele base that values history and authenticity, knowing what is available and making sure you can guarantee delivery and quality is of the upmost importance. Inventory control software can take the worry out of negotiations by virtually tracking product availability for you in advance. This can avoid a great amount of hassle that could arise post-delivery if issues are not addresses beforehand.
Additionally, online freelance contractors are also dealing with a similar scenario. Often, a single person is attempting to manage multiple contracts simultaneously. Individuals in this situation may want to utilize inventory control software as a way to save time on projects by not having to do each and every calculation and inventory count by hand. More time for working on a contract means more deadlines met and ultimately, greater profit in the end. Inventory control software mimics bringing an accountant on board for a freelance contractor and can ease some of the statistical worries that often plague a newly established online company. Whether you are a freelance writer, project manager, artist or other type of service provider, this software may be an investment worth the price in peace of mind.
Whether it's being utilized industry wide, or integrated into a private business, inventory control software aims for quality and efficiency when it comes to keeping a company's statistics in line with their big-picture goals.
Helpful Sources:
Caitlyn Knuth is an Iowa native who was in love with writing before she could even spell. She published her first poem at age 13 and from there, decided she wanted to see the world and capture it on paper. From 2006 until 2010, she lived and studied in Paris, France as she worked towards a graduate degree in Global Communications at The American University of Paris. Opportunities to work at The International Herald Tribune and train at the CNN Paris Bureau allowed her to develop a diverse and flexible style of writing across multiple genres.

subset: commoncrawl


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3D Artist
I do mostly:
Modeling, Texturing
About me:
'ello, dearest reader! Ever since I was a little kid I was making games. Well those were made out of Paper with crude rules due to serious lack of game-testing. But it never really occured to me that one could do such amazing stuff like game-design for a living -until I learned about this course here at Bayreuth... -> see full Bio for more info! Currently I´m working at oaraph with this rather superb ensemble as a 3D-Artist, Plot-Writer and general game-design stuff-guy.
Hah! You thought there was more? Fool!
I'm currently working at the Main Character, which I model in Autodesk Mudbox.


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Only the A Hole 18Favorites [+]
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Running Time: 95 minutes
Released: 03/2005
Studio Name: OGV
Series: Only The A Hole
Director: Professor Mike
Description: Watch these five ass-obsessed cuties score a butt hole in one! Every girl in this movie takes it in the ass, all for your viewing pleasure.
5 Scenes from Only the A Hole 18
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Starring: Ryan Conner ... More Details
Stars: Ryan Conner
Sex Acts: Anal Sex, Food Play, Vaginal Sex, Oral Sex
Positions: Cowgirl, Standing Missionary, Reverse Cowgirl, Standing Doggy Style, Standing
Settings: Dining Room
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Starring: Kennedy ... More Details
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Sex Acts: Anal Sex, Tittie Fucking, Oral Sex, Straight-To-Anal
Positions: Doggy Style, Standing Doggy Style, Standing Side Saddle, Laying, Missionary, Standing
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You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'mint' tag.
We've moved back to the city, into a little flat, swapping a big backyard full of roses for a balcony and shared garden. There are mature trees and lawn, some impressive camelias, and I can walk to work, which is why we came. The possums ate most of our potted plants on the first night, so I'm working towards a barricade of prickly cacti. They ate mint, Vietnamese mint, succulents and lemon leaves, the olive tree is fine though. I am coping with the destruction by laughing at our garden being reduced to bare earth by native wildlife in the city in a way it never was in the country.
The boy likes his new school, but change is always tricky, so I am putting a bit of effort into his room to make it feel really his. Top of the list was replacing the revolting faded purple curtains with some orange ones. He loves bright colours and this one coordinates with his Nanna 'lanket. The curtains are an unconventional three drops, so they're easier to use again wherever we live next, no matter what shape the window is.
I haven't written about it lately because the broad beans just keep growing without intervention, and nothing else is happening.
The snow peas all got eaten by creatures, I planted some more, two or three plants have survived to the 3-4 inch mark and I'm crossing my fingers.
The carrots and daikon are still there. I'm not sure that they are still growing though. There are a lot of weeds around them, but if I try to pull them out I pull veggies as well, so I left well enough alone.
Most of the broccoli plants got to a certain point and then stopped. Some of them got eaten by creatures. None of them look like actually producing anything foodlike. The onions don't look any bigger than they were when I planted them. The Bloke's garlic looks ok and like it's in with a chance.
The lemon and lime trees have got creatures on them again, and could probably do with a feed of some worm juice and a sprinkling of chilli powder on the leaves.
Guess what's doing best. Go on.
Peas. "But Kate you didn't plant peas" you say. No I didn't dear reader, but peas I have in abundance.
The Bloke and son spread some pea straw about the place and it's all sprouting brilliantly. I'm wondering if we can fit some stakes and string in and potentially get some food out of them. I have no idea what variety they are, but they seem to be doing well.
Oh, also the parsley is looking ok and it self sowed all over half the front yard so there should be parsley in abundance from here on in. The mint, on the other hand, continues to look crap.


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Question: How is the mind related to the brain?
Short answer: The mind is, in Robert Perry's words, "the aspect of the self that includes the faculties of awareness, volition, thought and emotion." It is totally non-physical, pure spirit, and one with the Mind of God, even though it seems to be split into a part that remains with God and a part that has become a separate, "individual mind." The brain is not the mind but a part of the body, a physical manifestation of the belief in an "individual mind." The mind is restored to awareness of its oneness with the Mind of God by renouncing wrong-mindedness and choosing right-mindedness, which sets the stage for God to lift it back to One-mindedness.
The mind is "the aspect of the self that includes the faculties of awareness, volition, thought and emotion."
The above definition is taken from the entry on the subject of "mind" in Robert Perry's Course Glossary (available on this website and in book form from the Circle of Atonement — I recommend reading Robert's entry on "mind" in its entirety). While this exact definition doesn't appear anywhere in the Course, it captures well the traits that the Course consistently ascribes to the mind. It could be called the generic definition, because it applies equally to all the forms the mind can take, from the Mind of God to the separated or split mind. Mind, in whatever form it takes, is characterized by the four aspects listed above:
Awareness: The ability to be conscious of what it is (its identity), where it is, and what it is doing
Volition: The ability to make decisions
Thought: The ability to generate ideas
Emotion: The ability to feel the effects of its thoughts (in the Course, emotion is the effect of thought)
Of course, this definition is not an exhaustive one, but it is a good thumbnail sketch of the mind's basic attributes. The Course has much more to say about the mind, which we will explore below.
The mind is totally non-physical, pure spirit, and one with the Mind of God, even though it seems to be split into a part that remains with God and a part that has become a separate, "individual mind."
To clarify how the Course sees the mind, it may be helpful to briefly trace the mind's "descent" from its original pure state in Heaven to the state it seems to be in at present. For this, I will be drawing mainly on the first section of the Clarification of Terms (C-1), which provides definitions of the terms "mind" and "spirit." At the end of this Q & A, I will draw from the same section to trace the mind's "ascent" back to its original state.
The mind as God created it is the Mind of Christ, the Son of God. The Mind of Christ is an extension of the Mind of God, the result of God's extension of Himself in creation. As such, it is totally non-physical, pure spirit, and absolutely one with the Mind that created it. Being one with God, it shares His Identity, His Will, His Thoughts, and His emotions of absolute love and joy. In addition, each of its aspects is one with every other aspect. Even though there is a paradoxical sense of "individuality" and "partness" within the one Mind of Christ (see, for instance, T-2.VII.6:1-3 and T-4.VII.5:1), the individual parts of this Mind are not truly separate from one another, but are indissolubly joined. And the unified Mind of Christ, sharing the attributes of God Who created it, creates as God does, extending spirit and increasing God's Kingdom. This is the state of the mind in Heaven, a state that the Course calls One-mindedness.
However, when we made the decision to separate from God, the unified Mind of Christ appeared to split. And so, in our present state, each of our minds now seems to be split into two separate parts: a part that remains joined with God and Christ, and a part that seems separate from Them. What's more, as a result of this split, we now seem separate from each other. Each of us now believes that he or she has a truly separate "individual mind" (C-1.2:1). Instead of being part of the unified Mind of Christ, it now seems that each of us has a mind of our own with a unique individual identity, a separate will, and private thoughts and emotions. In short, each of us believes that we have become an ego.
But it is crucial to realize that in truth, none of this has really happened. We only believe it did. The "part" of us that is separate from God and the Sonship is "entirely illusory and makes only illusions" (C-1.4:1). Thus, even though the mind seems to have taken the form of a separate ego, in fact it remains exactly as it was originally. It is still non-physical, still pure Spirit, and still absolutely one with the Sonship and the Mind that created it. Therefore, even when we seem to be thinking with our illusory "individual mind," it is our real mind that is actually doing the thinking. And it is this mind, not the ego, that the Course appeals to when it addresses each of us as "you": a Son of God in Heaven who remains as he always was, but falsely believes that he is an ego, a separate "individual mind."
The brain is a part of the body, a physical manifestation of the belief in an "individual mind."
The belief that we are egos leads inevitably to the belief that we are bodies, living in a world of other bodies. The body is "the ego's chosen home" (T-23.I.3:3), the "proof" that we really have separated from God and really have become egos. And once we believe that we are bodies, it must follow that mind itself is something physical. That "something physical" is, of course, the bodily organ that most of us consider to be synonymous with, or at least inseparable from, the mind: the brain.
But though we generally believe that the brain is the mind, or at least is the home of the mind, the Course tells us in no uncertain terms that this is not the case. The brain is simply part of the illusory body, and all it does is interpret the illusory things the body's illusory senses report to it (see T-22.I.2:9). Therefore, it exists entirely within the realm of illusion, and this leads the Course to draw some very startling conclusions about the brain. Among those conclusions, the Course tells us that the brain and the physical eyes that serve it cannot really see (see W-pI.92.1:3-5), and that the brain cannot really communicate (see T-22.I.2:9-3:3). Most startling of all, the Course tells us that because we think with the Mind of God and only the thoughts we share with Him are real, the brain cannot even really think (see W-pI.92.1-3). Indeed, the Course considers the idea that the brain can think absolutely preposterous:
You…believe the body's brain can think. If you but understood the nature of thought, you could but laugh at this insane idea. It is as if you thought you held the match that lights the sun and gives it all its warmth; or that you held the world within your hand, securely bound until you let it go. (W-pI.92.2:1-3)
The Course's radical severance of mind and brain raises some serious questions, which deserve to be looked at squarely. One question: Given that brainwave measuring instruments show that the brain is indeed active whenever thought is taking place, is there any connection at all between the mind and brain? I would say that certainly there is. Clearly events in the mind do have measurable effects on the brain, and so there must be a sense in which the mind expresses itself in this world through the brain, just as it acts in this world through the body in general. But the key point is that, in the Course's view, the non-physical mind is the cause, and brain activity is the effect. This is the exact reverse of the more conventional view, in which brain activity is seen to be the cause, and "mind" the effect.
But this leads to another question. If it is indeed true that the mind is cause and the brain is effect, then why does altering brain chemistry (through, for instance, giving antidepressant medications) seem to have such a profound effect on the mind? Doesn't this indicate that the brain is cause and the mind is effect? Not according to the Course. In its view, all forms of physical medicine alleviate symptoms only because the non-physical mind has given its power to them. When physical medicine works, all that has happened is that the patient's mind has decided to allow it to work: "Special agents seem to be ministering to him, yet they but give form to his own choice" (M-5.II.2:8). Therefore, it is only because we believe in the "magic" of physical medicine that altering the brain's chemistry seems to alter mental states. In fact, the non-physical mind is the true agent of change. Again, the mind is cause, and the brain is effect.
The mind is restored to awareness of its oneness with the Mind of God by renouncing wrong-mindedness and choosing right-mindedness, which sets the stage for God to lift it back to One-mindedness.
This, in a nutshell, is how the mind "ascends" back to its original state. Remember, in our present state, each of our "individual minds" now seems to be split into two separate parts: a part that remains joined with God and Christ, and a part that now seems separate from Them. In this divided state, the mind seems to be cut off from the will it shares with God, and thus it seems to be imprisoned. (One form this takes in this world is the mind's seeming imprisonment in the brain.)
In this situation, "the only remaining freedom is the freedom of choice" (C-1.7:1). That is, the mind can choose which "side" of the divide it wants to give its allegiance to by choosing which of two voices to accept as its guide: the ego or the Holy Spirit. The ego "lives" in the separate, illusory part of the mind and represents the belief in separation that initiated the split to begin with. The Holy Spirit lives in the real part of the mind and calls us to remember our eternal oneness with God, Christ, and each other. The choice for the ego is the choice for false perception or wrong-mindedness; the choice for the Holy Spirit is the choice for true perception or right-mindedness. Both choices are illusions, being within the realm of perception, but the illusion of true perception is such a pure reflection of truth that it opens the way for God, Who "takes the final step Himself" (C-1.5:3). Once we commit fully to right-mindedness, He lifts our awareness back to our original state of One-mindedness — a state which, in truth, we never left.
What aspect of the mind makes this crucial choice? The aspect which the Course calls "consciousness" (C-1.7:3), which in the Course's terminology simply means the conscious mind. The Course tells us that "all choices are made consciously, with full awareness of their consequences" (M-12.6:4), but that we then bury those choices in the unconscious mind in order to deceive ourselves into thinking that they were not our choices (see W-pI.136.3-4). The Course's aim is to bring those choices back into consciousness, and remind us that we do have the power of choice: our conscious minds can "choose once again" (T-31.VIII.1:5).
Devoting our minds to choosing right-mindedness in the context of our daily lives is our calling as Course students. Through continually choosing to turn away from the ego's call to separation and hear instead the Holy Spirit's call to union, our minds will eventually make the final choice for God, and in that instant be restored to awareness of their true Identity as the Mind of Christ, God's beloved Son.


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Aamir Ali choosy about reality shows (TV Snippets) (With Image)September 21st, 2012 - 6:35 pm ICT by IANS
Mumbai, Sep 21 (IANS) Popular TV actor Aamir Ali says he is particular about being a part of reality shows, and would like to stay away from anything which gets into his personal space.
He has earlier been part of two non-fiction shows - "Nach Baliye 3″ and "Zara Nachke Dikha".
"I have done two reality shows in a span of seven years of TV career. I feel the audience must want you. Plus I am careful of which reality show I do," Aamir told IANS.
"I like watching many shows, but I don't feel myself fitting there. If a reality show gets too personal, I don't want to be a part of it. I love 'Bigg Boss' and watch everything, but I am not capable enough to be a part of it," he added.
Aamir is currently seen on "FIR" and "Honge Juda Na Hum".
Akshay Kumar's bravest stunt?
Akshay Kumar has done several stunts in his acting career, but he surprised everyone when he managed to lift 'heavyweight' comedian Bharti Singh in his arms, quite effortlessly.
Akshay and Paresh Rawal came to the sets of Sony's "Comedy Circus Ke Ajoobe" to promote their upcoming film "Oh My God".
After Bharti was done with her hilarious act, she called the Bollywood 'khiladi' on stage, and they did an impromptu jig. During the act, Akshay lifted Bharti up in his arms, leaving the audience awestruck.
Of late, Bharti has been impressing the judges of "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa" with innovative lifts with her choreographer Savio.
Film promotions important on reality shows: Sajid-Wajid
Composer duo Sajid-Wajid, who are ready to judge "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012″, feel film promotions on reality shows are essential for contestants, as it brings them closer to the who's who of the industry that they aim at.
"Ultimately, a singer has to sing for a hero. So it is important that both the industries - TV and film walk hand in hand. So there is no harm if films are being promoted by actors on reality shows," said Sajid.
Wajid added: "This experience of meeting actors and directors gives them the feel of being a part of the industry and get a first hand chance to see the larger than life world of Bollywood."
Music reality show "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012″ will go on air Sep 29.
- Arjun Rampal busts knee (Movie Snippets) - Sep 13, 2012
- Aditya Is Back To Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Daler Mehndi To Judge - May 28, 2010
- 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012' returns with new twists - Sep 12, 2012
- Ajay Devgn breaks bottle on Rohit Shetty's head (Movie Snippets) - Oct 07, 2010
- Composers bring out the best in singers: Sajid-Wajid - Jun 15, 2010
- Ghulam Ali to perform at 'Sa Re Ga..' finale - Dec 24, 2010
- Kamal Khan wins 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' - Dec 26, 2010
- Zee TV launches new season of music reality show - Aug 04, 2010
- "No Fights, Just Music On Sa Re Ga Ma Pa"- Daler Mehendi - Aug 05, 2010
- What makes Bollywood singers, choreographers love TV - Jan 12, 2011
Tags: aamir ali, acting career, akshay kumar, awestruck, choreographer, comedy circus, fir, hilarious act, jaa, jig, juda, khiladi, paresh rawal, personal space, popular tv, snippets, tv actor, tv career, upcoming film, zara


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10.45 a.m., 48ºF, 9ºc, overcast, cool; Hemlock water dropwort grows on a silty, gravelly inside bend of the stream by the sawn-off bough of a crack willow. Its luxuriant, fresh-looking rosettes spring up along the banks and even in a few places from the stream bed itself. It's not surprising that none of the leaves has been nibbled because every part of this plant is extremely toxic.
The harsh chatter of magpies contrasts with the restful rhythmic babbling of the brook. That's a cliche but babbling is the only way to describe it this morning.
A smart looking grey wagtail, a male, performs a mid-air pirouette when I disturb it and its mate flitting about over a gravelly section of the stream at the entrance to the wood.
A grey squirrel has been leaning over to reach our solid-looking 'squirrel proof' sunflower heart feeder. As it hangs upside down from the pole, it rotates the feeder with its front legs, always in a clockwise direction. Eventually this unscrews the feeder from its hook and the lid comes off as it crashes to the ground. I pick up what seed I can and replace the feeder. Blackbird, robin, goldfinch and pheasant appreciate the bonus of spilt seed but it's the wood pigeon that steadily gets through it.


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Daniela K.
I really loved the toys on Citiblocs! My kids have fun playing with them and it was so nice to see them learn how to create and build things on their own. They love how colorful the toys are and how it was really fun to create things. As a mom, it was good to see my children be so creative even without help from adults. I hope to see more fun things from this store soon!
Ailee J.
I bought a set of Citiblocs last month for my niece as a present and I thought she wouldn't like it at first. I was really surprised that she takes time playing it even if she's alone. It also helps to prevent her from watching too much television because she became so busy with this toy!
David L.
Thanks Citiblocs for creating such things for children! I never thought my son would like this game because he prefers playing video games in front of his computer all day. Like what you said, Citiblocs is an alternative game so our kids won't spend all their time in front of gadgets and devices and it was true. I bought it hoping that it could divert my son's attention somehow and I'm glad it worked.
Nancy D.
My little cousins enjoy playing this game. I love how they are always so eager to come up with many ideas and create so many things with Citiblocs. Since it helps them learn naturally by themselves, it became even more interesting. The way they became so creative and imaginative was really good and it's all thanks to Citiblocs. But there are more things I want from this store and that is more toys for kids. I hope you make more and more fun stuff like this.


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Though we did not know it at the time, Bowie's untimely death on 10 January 2016 was a harbinger; His Blackstar sat on our shoulders throughout the rest of year.
Now, as 2017 begins, the angels have set the rumour mill churning once more. And though many will never have heard of John Berger, his passing at the age of 90 is just as significant.
More than any others, three books were formative in my early twenties: My father's copy of Raymond Williams's 'Keywords', 'Mythologies' by Roland Barthes and Berger's 'Ways of Seeing'. I'm too young to have appreciated his 1972 TV series based on the book, but I do remember its screening.
Berger is a writer more remarkable than any other I know, though I'm no authority. Many of his books bring together essays, prose and poetry in a seamless, undulating landscape of literature; they are joyfully unrestrained. He wrote with great depth and beauty, with intellect, with the heart of an activist and the soul of a romantic.
In several newspaper obituaries, Berger has been described as a Marxist. This seems over-simplistic to me and in the columns of some, a calculated put-down; 'a fine writer has died, but it's okay as he was a Marxist.' And yet, like many critical theorists and cultural and literary figures, he drew on Marxism, in the same way that many draw on feminism, as a position from which to view the world.
Perhaps I'm over-interpreting this, but if I'm not then it seems as though contemporary commentators are once again describing the outline of an indefatigable dominant ideology to box off any thinking or artistic endeavour that may threaten this way of seeing. What Berger has given us are alternative ways of seeing with which to form our challenges to this; we must use them.
In 1972, Berger won the Booker prize for his novel 'G'. But open any of his books and you'll find writing that will stir and provoke you. In fact it is hard to use words to describe Berger's writing because, alongside his, they will always fall short.
Perhaps my favourite - and it's an emotional choice - is his 1984 'And our faces, my heart, brief as photos', which I first read in the early 1990s. And upon hearing of his death, if you do nothing else, open this book and simply allow him to draw you in.
My wife and I had only one reading at our wedding and it was from this short book (You'll find the passage on pages 78 and 79). Our lives have been held together by many things, but his words are the literary resin that binds us.
As we turn to face what 2017 holds in store for us - as the angels chatter distills and clarifies - the incredible legacy of Berger's writing is something magical to draw on. It can help see us through.


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Hey guys!
I've been on Levo for a year now and am still battling to try and find the correct balance for me, I'm currently at 125mcg. My question however is about diagnosing the cause and Hashimoto's.
After receiving help from a lot of people on here, I learned about Hashi and began reading into it. I went into my GP recently to beg for more tests on levels he's never done for me, and I also asked about looking into Hashimoto's and the cause of my condition. I was met with a rather patronizing "you're diagnosed with hypothyroidism, we just need to manage this".
So my question is, is it important that I have a solid diagnosis of the root cause of my thyroid condition? I'm concerned that it could be something else causing it that we've yet to look into and maybe requires different treatment or lifestyle changes, rather than this umbrella treatment we're all on. What do I need to say to him to get this test? How do they even test for Hashimoto's? I can't seem to find a clear answer online.
Thanks for the help!


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Saturday, November 6, 2010
Halloween Gourmet
Mauled Apple Cider
Vampire Champagne
The Devil's Salsa with Tortilla Spikes
Ghostly Cheese Ball
Decomposed Salad
Ancient Bread
Croaked Pork Tenderloin
Severed Fingerling Potatoes
All Hallow's Glazed Carrots
Goulish Chiffon Pies
Mauled Apple Cider
4 C. orange juice
1 C. sugar – scant
20 whole cloves
5 lady apples
2 cinnamon sticks
Zest of 1 orange, removed in large strips with a vegetable peeler
6 star anise
Press 4 cloves into each lady apple. Place cider, juice, sugar, cinnamon, orange zest, and studded lady apples in a large pot, and warm over medium-low heat. Let steep one and a half hours, without boiling, until aromatic and flavorful. Garnish with star anise.
Vampire's Champagne
- 1/3 C. corn syrup
- 2-3 drops red food color
- 1 Liter seltzer
- 1 C. cranberry or apple juice
- 18 gummi worms
The Devil's Salsa
2 ears fresh corn, kernels shaved from the cob
3 T. olive oil
1 orange bell pepper
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1 /4 –inch dice
1 hot red pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely diced, or more to taste
1 /2 red onion, finely diced
Juice of 2 limes
1 t. coarse salt
Preheat oven to 450. Place corn on a baking sheet brushed with 1 teaspoon olive oil; roast until kernels begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Set kernels aside to cool.
Place pepper on gas burner; roast until charred on all sides. Transfer to bowl; cover with plastic wrap. When cool, peel off charred skin with your fingers, and remove stem and seeds. Chop into ¼ inch dice; place in large bowl.
Add corn, beans, half the diced mango, hot red pepper, onion, lime juice, remaining oil, and salt; toss to combine.
Finely chop remaining mango until a thick puree forms; stir into salsa
Tortilla Spikes
- 1 /4 C. olive oil
- 1 t. chili powder
- 12 flour tortillas
- 1 1/ 2 t. coarse salt
Ghostly Cheese Ball
- 2 (10 oz) blocks extra-sharp white cheddar cheese, softened
- 1 block cream cheese (8 oz)
- 2 (4 oz.) goat cheese logs, softened
- 1 /2 t. pepper
- Braided pretzel, vine and leaf
- Crackers and assorted vegetables
Stir together first 4 ingredients. Shape mixture into a ball to resemble a pumpkin. Smooth pumpkin's entire surface with a metal spatula or table knife. Make vertical grooves in ball, if desired, using fingertips. Press pretzel into top of cheese ball to resemble a pumpkin stem; place vine and leaf beside pretzel. Serve with crackers and assorted vegetables.
Decomposed Salad
- 4 oz. good blue cheese, crumbled
- 1 C. mayonnaise
- 1 C. heavy cream
- 2 T. tarragon vinegar
- 1 t. kosher salt
- 1 /2 t. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large head iceberg lettuce well chilled, halved then each half cut into 3 equal slices
- 6 pieces thick cut bacon
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
Place cheese, mayonnaise, heavy cream, vinegar, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth.
Preheat oven to 375. Line a jelly roll pan with foil and place a cooling rack on top. Place bacon strips on cooling rack. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes until crisp and brown. Bacon will crisp up further when cooling.
Place wedge of lettuce on each serving plate, arrange approximately 1 /3 cup tomatoes in front of thin edge of wedge, drizzle lettuce with blue cheese dressing and crumble one slice of bacon over each lettuce wedge. Serve immediately with freshly ground black pepper.
Croaked Pork Tenderloin
- 2 Pork Tenderloins, silver skin removed
- 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp freshly ground Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- ½ tsp dried Oregano, or 1 tsp fresh Oregano
- 1-2 Tbsp Grape Seed Oil, or vegetable oil
- ¼ cu White Wine, optional
- ½ cup Chicken Stock
- ½ cup Apple Cider or Juice
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. Using hands or a basting brush, lightly coat each tenderloin with olive oil. Sprinkle seasoning mixture on pork tenderloins covering but not smothering all sides.
Add grape seed oil to a large sauté pan and heat over medium high until just smoking. Using long tongs, carefully add tenderloins to the pan placing bottom end closest to you and laying in away from you. Sear meat on each side (not ends) until nicely browned. Remove first tenderloin and repeat this process with second tenderloin.
Place both tenderloins in pan then place pan into oven and bake until a meat thermometer placed into thickest part of meat registers 150 degrees. Remove from oven. Place meat on a plate or cutting board and tent with foil. Let rest while making pan sauce.
Heat same pan over medium high heat and wine to deglaze, scraping sides to get all brown bits to loosen from bottom and sides of pan. Add chicken stock and cider and whisk to combine. Bring to half stirring occasionally. Taste sauce and season as needed. Add butter and whisk until melted and combined. Strain through a mesh sieve to remove and large bits.
Cut pork into 1 ½ inch thick medallions. Place on plates or serving dish and drizzle with pan sauce.
Ancient Bread
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, more for dusting (I substitute ½ to 1 cup whole wheat flour)
- ¼ t. instant yeast
- 1 ¼ t. salt
- Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed
Severed Fingerling Potatoes
- 4 Cup fingerling potatoes, scrubbed
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, needles removed from stem
- 2-3 sprigs fresh sage leaves, removed from stem
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from stem
- 6 cloves garlic, left unpeeled
- 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for sheet pan
- Salt and pepper
Al Hallows Glazed Carrots
- 2-3 Cups carrots sliced in 1/4" diagonal pieces
- 3 Tbsp packed brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- ¼ cup shelled pistachio nuts
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Ghouled Chiffon Pies
This recipe also can make two 8-inch pies; be sure to leave the crust in the pie plate before adding the filling.
For the Crust
- 32 gingersnaps, coarsely broken
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- 4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter melted
For the Filling
- 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
- (1 scant tablespoon)
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 ¼ cups canned pumpkin
- 3 large eggs, separated
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the Garnish
- ¼ small sugar pumpkin, peeled
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ cups packed light- brown sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 piece (2 inches long and 1 inch wide peeled fresh ginger, sliced ¼ inches thick
1. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350. Process gingersnaps, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Add butter, and process until combined. Divide mixture among 5 6 inch pie plates, pressing into bottom and up sides. Place on a baking sheet and bake until darkened and firm, 11 to 13 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Using an offset spatula. Carefully unmold the crusts, and return to sheet to cool (crusts can be stored in pie plates in airtight containers for up to 2 days.)
2. Make the filling: Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in a bowl. Let stand until softened about 5 minutes.
3. Combine pumpkin, egg yolk, ¼ cup granulated sugar, milk, salt and spices in a saucepan over medium hear, Cook stirring, until mixture begins to thicken about 8 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat. Stir in gelatin mixture until dissolved. Let cool completely.
4. Beat egg whites with a mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining ½ cups granulated sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Whish one-third of beaten egg whites into cooled pumpkin mixture. Gently fold in remaining whites (Filling can be refrigerated, covered, and overnight.) Spoon into pie shells, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 hours.)
5. Make the garnish: Using a vegetable peeler, shave pumpkin into thin, wide ribbons. Bring water, brown sugar cinnamon sticks and ginger to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until reduced by half about 5 minutes. Add pumpkin pieces, Reduce heat. Simmer gently until cool completely (Garnish can stand at room temperature for up to 3 hours.) Top each pie with 3 or 4 pumpkin pieces, discarding syrup serve immediately.
Licorice Caramels
- 1 cup butter or margarine
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 – 14- ounce sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 ½ cups light corn syrup
- ¾ teaspoon black food past coloring
- ¾ teaspoon anise oil or anise flavoring
Slowly melt butter in heavy large pan. Use fork to swirl butter up sides of pan to prevent sugar crystals. When melted, add rest of ingredients, except food paste and flavoring.
Turn heat to medium- medium high, cook and stir constantly with flat bottom wooden spoon. (Do not cook on high, stir the whole time) Cook to 234 degrees. Remove from heat; add food paste and flavoring and mix in. Pour into 9 by 13 inch pan that has been buttered.
Let sit overnight in a cool place, Cut into squares and wrap in waxed paper
For great caramel apples, omit black food paste and anise oil, and add 2 teaspoon vanilla.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Good Friends, Good Food
June 2010
Jalepeno Jelly
• 3 medium peppers (1 orange, 1 red, 1 yellow)
• 3 cups vinegar
• 10 cups sugar
• 4 ounces of liquid pectin (I prefer Certo brand)
Remove stems and chop jalepeno, remove stems and seeds from peppers – all in food processor. Pour peppers in pot and add vinegar. Cook on outside stove and add sugar bringing to a hard rolling boil for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Put 1 tablespoon of butter in pot to reduce foaming. Skim foam from top if there is any.
Remove from heat and add pectin. Boil for another 1-2 minutes. Pour into hot sterile ½ pint jars. (12-14 jars needed) Boil the seals in a saucepan to keep hot. Pour hot jelly into jars leaving 1/4 " space from top of jar. Tighten screwbands and let sit upside down for 24 hours with a towel over them. *Only make one recipe at a time.
Lime Honeydew Slush
• ½ gallon lime sherbet
Thaw sherbet until soft. Place in blender with pieces of honeydew melon and blend until smooth. Refreeze. To serve, scoop into glasses or bowls and garnish with a wedge of lime.
Fruit Kabobs with Sweet Balsamic Dressing Dressing
• 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
• ¾ cup grape seed or canola oil
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
In blender or food processor, combine all dressing ingredients except oil and poppy seeds. With machine running, slowly add oil to make a thick dressing. Stir in poppy seeds.
Arrange fruit kabobs with fruit of choice. Top with sweet balsamic dressing (above). You can serve sliced fruit on top of Bibb lettuce and then top with balsamic dressing.
Grilled Herb Shrimp
• 1 medium yellow onion, small-diced
• ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
• ¼ cup minced fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 pounds jumbo shrimp (16 to 20 per pound), peeled, tails on, devined
Combine the garlic, onion, parsley, basil, mustards, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add the shrimp and allow them to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals, and brush the grilling rack with oil to prevent the shrimp from sticking. Skewer the shrimp. Use 5 or 6 shrimp on a 12" skewer for a dinner serving. Grill the shrimp for 1 ½ minutes on each side. Serve with the Mango Salsa (below). Serves 6 people.
Mango Salsa
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 ½ cups diced yellow onion (2 onions)
· 2 teaspoons peeled, minced fresh ginger
· 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
· 2 ripe mangos, peeled, seeded, and small-diced
· 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
· 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
· 1 teaspoon kosher salt
· ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
· 1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh jalepeno pepper, to taste (1 pepper)
· 2 teaspoons minced fresh mint leaves
Saute the olive oil, onions, ginger in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the mangos, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes. Add the orange juice, brown sugar, salt black pepper, and jalepenos: and cook for 10 more minutes, or until the orange juice is reduced, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and add the mint. Serve warm at room temperature or chilled. Makes 2 cups.
Citrus Salad Toss
• 2/3 cup pecan halves
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 1 teaspoon grated orange
• 8 cups torn leaf lettuce
• 8 cups torn romaine lettuce
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large orange, peeled, sliced
• 1 pint strawberries, cut in half
• 2 avocados, thinly sliced
For the pecans, mix the sugar with the pecans in a small skillet. Cook over low heat until the sugar melts, stirring to coat the pecans well. Spread on foil and cool; break pecans apart. For the dressing, combine the oil, lime juice, orange juice, sugar, lime zest and orange zest in an airtight jar and shake well. Chill until serving time. For the salad, combine the lettuce, onion, oranges, and strawberries in a large salad bowl and toss gently. Chill until serving time. Add the avocados to the salad just before serving. Drizzle with the dressing and toss gently. Top with pecans. Note: Mandarin oranges may be substituted for fresh oranges.
Twice Baked Potatoes
• 1 cup milk
• 1 square butter
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• seasoning salt
• salt and pepper
Cook potatoes in hot oven at 425 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour. Prick with a fork to make sure it is done. When it is done, cut the potato in half lengthwise. Let cool and scoop out the potato centers into a bowl, leaving the skins intact.
Heat milk and butter together and then add all the rest of the ingredients in a bowl with the potato centers. Beat ingredients with hand mixer until well blended. Add the seasoning salt, salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the potato center mixture into the skins and bake again at 325 degrees until warm. When the potato is warm all the way through, turn off the oven and top with cheese until it is melted. Garnish with chopped green onions and bacon if you would like.
Seared Tri-Tip
Turn grill on High and sear each side of Tri tip until almost black. Doing this keeps all of the juices on the inside making the roast very moist. Once you sear each side, turn the grill off and let the roast sit for ½ hour until it reaches medium rare.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Chicken Kabobs
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup corn oil
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• ½ cup Worcestershire saue
• peppercorns
• ½ cup sesame seeds
• 1 chicken breast per person (adult)
Mix all ingredients together to make marinade. Trim fat off chicken breasts and marinate in mixture for 2-3 hours. Thread chicken on skewers and grill chicken on barbeque until done.
Grilled Garlic Herb Bread
• 8 tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• aluminum foil
Cut loaf of bread in half lengthwise and open up. In a small mixing bowl, combine butter, garlic, basil and parsley. Mix until well combined. Spread half of the mixture on each half of the bread. Place halves back together and wrap in double aluminum foil, sealing edges tightly.
Place on upper rack of grill heated to between 375-400 degrees. Allow to cook about 15 minutes. Remove from grill and unwrap
Bite-Sized Oreos
• 1 brick of cream cheese, softened
• dipping chocolate
Crush oreos in blender and add the brick of cream cheese. Blend both together and form into small balls. Chill in refrigerator until cold and firm. Dip in chocolate and put on wax paper in the refrigerator.
Lemon Cream Cheese Pie (or Tarts)
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 3 eggs beaten and strained
• juice from 2 lemons
• 1 ¼ cups water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• yellow food coloring (optional)
Cream Cheese mixture:
• 6 ounces cream cheese
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ cup whipping cream, whipped
In a double boiler, mix sugar and cornstarch. Add eggs, lemon juice, and water. Cook until thickened. Remove from heat and add vanilla and a couple drops of yellow food coloring. Cool.
Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in whipped cream. Fold cooled lemon filling into cream cheese mixture. Place in baked pie crusts or tart shells and serve chilled.
Cheesecake Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
• Strawberries, clean and dry (the bigger the better)
• original cheescake, prepared (Costco, easy and good or frozen)
• dipping chocolate (I like the Belgian chocolate from Trader Joe's)
Slice the strawberries on the side with out breaking it open. Hull out the middle of the strawberry. Fill in the strawberry with as much cheesecake as you can. Dip the strawberry in your melted chocolate. Chilll-Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
Fiesta Mexicana
4 Pepper Salsa
- ½ Red Pepper
- ½ Yellow Pepper
- ½ Orange Pepper
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 1 jalapeño (seeded)
- ¼ cup cilantro
- ½ white onion
- ½ cup Mango (diced)
Black Bean and Corn Salsa
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can whole corn (drained)
- 2 large tomatoes (chopped)
- 1 avocado (cut into small pieces)
- ½ small red onion
- 1 fresh jalapeno
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
Jicama-Mango Guacamole
1 medium plum tomato, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 1/2 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 3/4 cup finely diced ripe mango
- 1/2 cup finely diced peeled jicama
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
- 1 medium chipotle in adobo, minced (1 tablespoon)
- 1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Kosher salt
- Tortilla chips, for serving
Mixed Grill with Cilantro Pesto
- 4 (1 1/2-inch-thick) center-cut bone-in pork chops
- 4 (6-oz.) beef tenderloin fillets (about 2 inches thick)
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- Cilantro Pesto
Sprinkle pork chops and beef fillets evenly with desired amount of salt and pepper. Grill chops and fillets, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°). Grill chops 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until done. Grill fillets 8 to 10 minutes. Turn fillets over, and cook 5 more minutes or to desired degree of doneness. Remove chops and fillets from grill, and let stand 5 minutes. Serve with Cilantro Pesto. Garnish, if desired.
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup (1 oz.) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Pasta Mexicana
- 2 (9-oz.) packages refrigerated angel hair pasta
- 3/4 cup Mojo de Ajo
Mojo de Ajo
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 3 whole guajillo chilies*
- 3/4 cup bottled minced garlic
- 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Heat oil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat to 350°. Using tongs, submerge 1 chile into oil, and cook 5 seconds; remove and drain on paper towels. Let cool 5 minutes or until completely cool. Repeat with remaining 2 chilies. Remove and discard stems. Process remaining portion of chilies in food processor 30 seconds to 1 minute or until crumbled into small flakes.
Cook garlic in hot oil in same saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes or until golden. Let stand 5 minutes.
Stir in chile flakes, lime juice, and salt. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 5 days. Allow mixture to come to room temperature before using.
Water Punch
Grapefruit Margarita
- 2 tablespoons colored sanding sugar
- 1 lime
- 6 teaspoons pomegranate syrup or grenadine
- 1-1/2 cups pink grapefruit juice
- ½ cup sugar
Place grapefruit juice, ½ cup sugar, and 2 cups ice cubes in a blender. Process on high speed until ice is crushed. Pour frozen mixture into glasses, and stir to combine with syrup.
Fiesta Coconut Pecan Sundae
In a heavy small saucepan combine ¾ cup semisweet chocolate pieces, ¼ cup butter, ½ tsp ground pasilla or chili pepper (optional) and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon; cook and stir over medium heat until chocolate is melted. Add 2/3 cup granulated sugar; gradually add one 5-ounce can evaporated milk (2/3 cup), stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Boil gently over low heat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove heat. Cool slightly.
Toasted Coconut Ice Cream
- 2-12 ounce cans evaporated milk
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
- 1 2/3 cups coconut, toasted
Homemade Flour Tortillas
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons lard
- 1 1/2 cups water
Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Mix in the lard with your fingers until the flour resembles cornmeal. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together; place on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly and golden; flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side. Place the cooked tortilla in a tortilla warmer; continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough.
Trattoria Italiano
Italian Soda (Orange Passion Mango)
Heavy Whipping Cream
Fine sugar for rim of glass
Fill an 8 oz glass with ice, pour in any flavored drink ( We used Archer Farms Orange Passion Mango or you could use lime soda). Drizzle 2 Tbs. Grenadine on top with 2 Tbs. Heavy Whipping Cream. Garnish with lime and a sugar rim. (To sugar rim of glass just pour small amount of grenadine on plate and place the rim of your glass in it, then place rim in sugar. Place upside down on cookie rack so the sugar won't run down the glass).
Artichoke Dip
3/4 cup Mayo
1 package cream cheese (softened)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1 14oz can quartered artichoke hearts
Preheat oven to 425
Cut artichokes into smaller pieces. Combine sour cream, mayo, cream cheese, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and artichokes. Top with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan. Place in an 8X8 dish (I use a round 8 inch bowl) and cover with foil. Bake 1 hour with foil on, remove foil, and cook for an additional 15 min. Serve warm with baguettes or chips.
Parmesan Frisco
- Fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
Caprese Salad
- 1/2 pound Fresh Mozzarella cheese-sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 2 lg fresh tomatoes sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1 Cup fresh basil leaves
- course ground pepper to taste
- 1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil
In a circular design around the side of a serving plate, alternate fresh mozzarella slices with sliced tomatoes. Tear fresh basil leaves and sprinkle liberally over the slices. Just before serving drizzle on olive oil.
Cantaloupe Granita
- 1 Cantaloupe
- 1/4 Cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. water
2. Place in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer to a Stainless steel bowl and set aside.
3. Combine sugar, lemon juice, and water in a small saucepan. Cook over med heat until mixture has thickened slightly. Remove from heat, let cool completely.
4. Stir sugar syrup into melon puree, place in freezer, uncovered, until mixture is chunky. ( about 2-3 hours, whisking every 20 minutes to keep it from becoming a solid. Serve in shallow bowls.
Sourdough Chicken Parmesan
- 4 Trimmed chicken breast
- 1 large egg
- 2 Cups Homemade sourdough bread crumbs (can use store bought)
- salt and pepper
- 2 Tbsp. dried basil
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup Extra-Virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (on top of chicken)
- 8 Oz Linguine or Spaghetti
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes ( I like Muir Glen Organic Crushed tomatoes with basil)
- 1/4 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- Salt and pepper
Sauce: In large saucepan, heat garlic and oil together over med. high heat until garlic starts to sizzle. Stir in the rest of ingredients and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer about 10-12 minutes for flavor to blend. ( I usually make this first and just let it sit on the stove on low heat while a make the chicken, that way it reduces alittle and becomes thicker. I also use this just for my spaghetti sauce all the time. My kids love it!)
Breadcrumbs: Leave 8-10 slices of sourdough bread (2 cups) out for 24 hours. Chop finely into crumbs.
Asparagus Bundles with Tomato Vinaigrette
- 8 Spears of Asparagus
- 3 Carrots, peeled and cut into 5 x 1/2 inch sticks (8 each carrot)
- 6 Green onions
- 3 Roma tomatoes (seeded and diced)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. Black pepper
- 3/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp. granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. juice from 1 lemon
- 3 pints strawberries, cut lengthwise
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- ground black pepper
2. Lightly toss berries and brown sugar in lg. bowl. Let stand until sugar dissolves and taste. Toss. Divide berries in individual bowls. Serve immediately.
Chocolate Panna Cotta
- 2 cups cold whole milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla
- 1 packet unflavored gelatin
- 4 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 (12 oz) bag bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 2- quart casserole dish.
In a small saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups of the milk, sugar, and vanilla. Bring to a simmer and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining 1/2 cup milk and let it dissolve for 2 minutes. Combine the cold milk and gelatin with the hot milk and sugar. Stir to dissolve the gelatin, about 5 min. (Heat the milk gently if the gelatin is not dissolving). When dissolved, combine the eggs with the warm milk mixture, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling the eggs. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a lg. measuring cup or small pitcher.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate over simmering water in a double boiler. When the chocolate is melted, gradually combine the mild and egg mixture with the melted chocolate, stirring between each addition to create a smooth chocolate mixture.
Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the top with almonds. Place the casserole dish in a large baking pan or roasting pan and add hot water to the larger pan until the water comes halfway up the sides of the casserole dish. Place both pans in the oven and bake the panna cotta until the sides are firm and the center just jiggles slightly. (about 1 hour). Remove from oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes. Serve with whipping cream. (4-6 servings)
Junk Market Bistro
February 2010
Mormon Muffins
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 cup shortening (or butter)
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 qt. buttermilk
- 5 cups flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 4 cups 100% bran buds
- 2 cups bran flakes
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Add baking soda to the hot water and let cool. Whip shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs slowly. Mix well. Add the buttermilk, flour and salt. Mix well. Add the soda water very slowly. Mix in the two bran cereals into the mixture with the chopped walnuts. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake @350 degrees for 18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
Muffin mix must sit in the refrigerator over night before baking. Muffin mix will last one week, covered and refrigerated.
Makes 3 dozen muffins
Grilled Salmon Sandwich
- 1 lb salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 4 portions
- 2 tsp. blackening or Cajun seasoning
- 1 small avocado
- 2 Tb mayonnaise
- 4 crusty rolls
- 1 cup arugula
- 2 plump tomatoes, thinly sliced
- ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
Oil grill rack, preheat grill to high.
Rub seasoning on both sides of salmon.
Grill until until cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Mash together avocado and mayonnaise in a small bowl.
Spread the avocado mixture on the bottom half of each roll.
Top with the salmon, arugula, tomato and onion
South of the Border Sandwich
- 8 sandwich rolls split open or 1 loaf French bread
- ½ cup olives chopped
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1/3-cup sour cram
- 1/3 cup green onions, chopped
- ¾ to 1lb cooked turkey thinly sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes thinly sliced
- 2 ripe avocados sliced
- ¾ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- ¾ cup pepper jack or Monterey jack cheese, shredded
In a bowl, combine olives, chili powder, cumin and salt; set aside 2 Tb of this mixture. Add mayonnaise, sour cream and green onion to the remaining olive mixture. Place bread on an ungreased backing sheet and spread 1Tb of the mayonnaise mixture on each slice or roll. Top with slices of turkey and tomatoes. Spread with another Tb of mayonnaise mixture. Top with sliced avocado and cheese. Sprinkle with reserved 2 Tb of olive mixture.
Bake @ 350 for 15 minutes or until heated through. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Homemade Potato Chips
One potato per person
Thinly slice potatoes on a mandolin slicer. Rinse the sliced potatoes in cold water to remove some of the starch (they will be chewy if you don't do this).
Spin in a salad spinner to remove most of the water.
Fry in peanut oil @350 until crispy.
Drain on paper towel and lightly salt.
Once cooled, toss with freshly grated parmesan cheese and finely chopped fresh parsley.
Spin in a salad spinner to remove most of the water.
Fry in peanut oil @350 until crispy.
Drain on paper towel and lightly salt.
Once cooled, toss with freshly grated parmesan cheese and finely chopped fresh parsley.
Spinach Pasta Salad
- 1 pkg spinach
- 1 cucumber peeled and sliced
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1 can olives
- 6 oz. crumbled basil and tomato feta cheese
- 6 oz. fettuccini pasta
- Bernstein's cheese and garlic Italian dressing
Oriental Pasta Salad
1 8oz pkg bow tie pasta
2-4 TB sesame seeds
1 can water chestnuts or ½ cup chopped celery
1 cup bean sprouts
½ cup oil
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sesame seeds
3 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. seasoned rice vinegar
½ tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. fresh garlic minced
Shake dressing jar until sugar is dissolved. Let sit until warmed to room temperature before pouring over salad. (This salad is really good with grilled chicken that has been seasoned with lemon pepper.)
Chicken Tortilla Soup
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 chopped onion
- 3 Tbs. butter
- add, and mix well
- 3 Tbs. flour
- then add
- 3 14 oz cans chicken broth
- 4 cups half and half
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 15oz can creamed corn
- 1 cup fresh salsa
- 5 cups diced chicken
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1 pkg fajita seasoning
A Little of This and that Tomato Soup
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- palm full of onion flakes
- 2 Tbs. Italian seasoning
- 3 15 oz cans Italian stewed tomatoes, puréed in the blender
- 1 big can or 2 small cans spicy V8 juice
- 1 bag shredded carrots
- ½ head cabbage, chopped
Devil's Food Cake With Chocolate Satin Frosting
- 5 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 3 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 12 Tb. unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tb. vanilla
- 1 ½ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch cake pans and set aside. Place the chocolate in a double boiler and melt over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate melts Do not let the chocolate cool too much or it will harden. If this happens, place the pan back on the heat for a few minuets.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Cream together the butter and brown sugar in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture, and beating well after each addition. Beat until well blended, then add the vanilla and melted chocolate and stir by hand to mix.
Add the flour to the mixture, alternating with the sour cream, to the egg-butter mixture and stir just until the dry ingredients are moist and blended. Do not over mix. Stir in the boiling water and mix until well blended (the batter will be fairly runny). Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake 45 to 50 minuets, until the cakes are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Remove from the pans and continue to cool on a baking rack.
Once the cakes have cooled completely, use a serrated knife to slice the top rounded portion of each to make a flat, even surface. Discard trimmings. Place one of the layers cut side down on a cake plate. Top with about 1/3 of the frosting and spread evenly over the top of the cake. Place the other layer of the cake on top cut side down. Top with the remaining frosting and spread over the top and sides of the cake.
- 24 oz. Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 4 cups whipping cream
- 1 tsp. light corn syrup
Place chocolate and cream a heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until combined and thickened (about 20-25 minuets). Increase heat to medium, cook and stir 3 minuets more. Remove pan from heat.
Stir in corn syrup. Chill until cool enough to spread, about 2 hours, check and stir every 15-20 minuets. Use immediately.
Makes 6 cups
Fruit Sorbet
- ½ papaya
- 1 pineapple
- 2 mangos
- 1 banana
- add juice from 1 lime
- 1 ¼ cup sugar


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How do I tie my account to my e-mail address?
Posted by Brandon Marsh, Last modified by Brandon Marsh on 28 March 2017 11:01 AM
In order to tie your account to your e-mail, please follow the next steps:
The message with a confirmation link will be sent to the e-mail address you have entered. Follow the link to set this e-mail permanently for the purposes of recovering your password.


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How to Properly File a Paypal Claim (and Paypal Alternatives for Those Who Get Screwed by Buyers)
How to Properly File a Paypal Claim
For those of you who don't know yet, we run an online clothing boutique. We do live sales via Facebook and they're a LOT of fun! We have hundreds of absolutely amazing customers that are the reason we do what we do. With that being said, there are always a few bad apples in the bunch. Our clothes are awesome and so is our customer service. We love making people happy when they wear our clothes! After selling overly priced crappy quality clothes with LuLaRoe, we knew we wanted an affordable high-quality alternative. We started sourcing from wholesalers, mostly in the U.S., and quickly fell in love with several brands that we now carry on a regular basis. Long story short, we fully believe our clothes are the best for the price and we do everything we can to make our customers happy.
If you are unsatisfied with a purchase you've made via Paypal, you should first email the company to let them know. If they don't remedy it, check their policies to make sure your purchase qualifies for the type of refund or exchange you're requesting. If your clothes smell like smoke and their policy clearly states no returns for clothes that smell like smoke, just call it a loss and move on.
If you need to file a claim, log into Paypal and click on the transaction itself. It will give you the option to file a claim. Paypal will then send the info to the company you purchased from and they will decide to respond or escalate it to a claim. Once it's escalated to a claim, you are no longer able to communicate with the company and everything is left up to Paypal. 9 times out of 10, Paypal sides with the buyer even when the seller provides proof showing they shouldn't. It's how they've always done things, so if you're a seller you should beware of that or find a Paypal alternative (which we will talk about in a moment).
How Not to File a Paypal Claim
When you order clothes and have buyer's remorse for one reason or another, don't file a Paypal claim. When you want to send clothes back reeking of cigarette smoke, don't file a Paypal claim. Sometimes we have to take a loss for our own bad decisions, and that doesn't mean we get to go to Paypal and say the "items wasn't as described", especially when you are shopping via video.
When you do file a Paypal claim just to be rude, leave it at that and let them sort it out. Don't go to social media and start slandering the business when they were nothing but nice in their responses to you. At first this customer said she "held the clothes up and could tell they wouldn't fit" (which you can't do with leggings, unless they're REALLY tiny which these were not). Then she said she just "didn't like the fabric" (which is similar fabric to the leggings she buys all the time and "loves"). Then, she said the items were "not as described" (which is impossible since she shopped via video). Oh, and last but not least she said she asked a bunch of questions and all I did was "lie to get a sale". We do our live sales for fun and whatever doesn't sell, OH WELL! I would never lie to get a sale!
After she called me a cunt, bitch, fat, said I weighed 400 pounds, and said my relationship was me "hopping on the gay bandwagon" (we've been together for over 8 years, FYI), she finishes with "God doesn't like ugly" and that I'm the evil one when literally the only conversation I had with her was directing her to our policies and offering an exchange.
I made a rant post about LuLaRoe and how their sizing has affected people's perception. I'm in a weight loss group specifically for ex-LLR consultants and buyers and SO many have gained weight over the past year because their "XS" perfect T made them feel like they could have that extra donut. It's a mind game and LLR is winning big time. This isn't a post so much about LLR but I felt it necessary to include why Jessica now said I "wasn't so nice". It had nothing to do with her or anyone specific, just LLR sizing as a whole.
Jessica followed up with more lies about our family. She has had me blocked since she asked for a refund so I have not seen her page. These screenshots were sent by admins of my group. She is now grasping at straws, trying to make us look bad so she somehow looks better. She has deleted her past posts but thankfully we have them as screenshots and are keeping them in this post.
This is NOT HOW YOU DEAL WITH A PAYPAL DISPUTE, you guys. It's not how you deal with ANYTHING. If you feel like this is the right way to deal with something, please seek professional help immediately.
Business Owners!
As a business owner, refunds are part of our expenses. I fully understand if I send out a piece of clothing with a hole, snag, or defect, that I will be expected to give a refund. Because we are a small business, outside of those reasons we do offer exchanges only because a few people were starting to take advantage of our lenient policies. It's crazy to me that people are buying LuLaRoe leggings that sometimes rip after one wear but they file a dispute on our clothes even after saying they liked them and/or ordering 5-10 times before and saying how much they loved the clothes. It was just to be vindictive. Again, just an expense for us doing business but at the end of the day it doesn't hurt any less that people are going out of their way to try and ruin our business. We have hundreds of satisfied customers and if one of those customers comes to us and goes "Hey, honestly the quality of this shirt wasn't the greatest compared to the other stuff you sell" we would give them another shirt, and stop selling that brand/item. We are not mean dictators, we aren't going to say "oh well, you're screwed!" when someone comes to us. But come to us and be honest, don't try to scam and get over on us because that isn't fair.
Paypal Alternatives
Stripe is probably the most popular Paypal alternative, at least it's the one I've heard of most often. Many boutiques and street vendors use Stripe because it's easy and they're comparable to Paypal without the bullshit.
Google Wallet is a Paypal alternative that is hosted by Google, so obviously it's going to be great. I didn't even know you could do payments via Google Wallet until I started researching for this post.
Shopify is the platform I use for our online store (which isn't an online store anymore because it was too overwhelming for me!). I trust Shopify 100% so I think that is what I'm going to use to process invoices from now on. That doesn't eliminate Paypal completely because some will pay that way, but I have updated my invoice templates to include an agreement to our policies and am being more clear when I sell clearance items that are final sales.
I don't know what else I can do to protect myself considering I sent in screenshots and have video of the quality of the clothes, but I just have to remind myself that $300 lost on 2 customers is just a drop in the bucket compared to what we will be able to earn if we keep offering the customer service we are known for. Keep on, keepin' on.
Bottom line
I don't know if the refund process with these Paypal alternatives is any better than Paypal's is. After running over $100,000+ of transactions through Paypal over the past few years, and providing proof that my buyers were in the wrong, I do not appreciate them forcing me to give a refund. With that being said, I'm still a big fan of karma and I know both buyers will get theirs when the time comes. They were both extremely vindictive in the process and that is not how to properly file a Paypal claim. Yes, you might win. Yes, you might be happy about taking money out of a small business owner's hands and you might be happy about taking food off of their table, but at the end of the day you're a miserable human being if this is what gives you joy. So rethink it.
5 Comments
This reminds me of my neighbor at our condo we just sold. She was renting, and we asked her to please turn her music down one day, and she flipped the eff out. There's something wrong with people who go from 0 to 10 for something small, Like leggings?? Anyhoo, this is good to remember . . . some people you deal with as a seller (as I think about going into products) are just going to be crazy. And you have to deal with those too. It's good to have a process for handling the refunds clear in your mind as part of the business plan.
PS – you should come out with a "God doesn't like ugly" product line . . . lol
Wow! What an asshole. I hate when people act like this! I have sold items on eBay before and had people claim they didn't receive the items (delivered by the post office, with delivery confirmation, etc.)…and PayPal always sides with them. It pisses me off. Sorry you have to deal with such a crazy bitch.
I like how she can call you names and degrade you any way she knows how to and then has the nerve to say that God doesn't like ugly.
People are ridiculous. I know how hard you work to help others and how much you give of yourself (your time, your knowledge, etc.). I also know for a fact that you go above and beyond with your clothing business. I'm sorry this is happening to you.