How Do We Make More Money? Let’s Call It "Organic"!!!

25. February 2010 · 6 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

I’ve already spent enough time about this product. I analyzed how well it makes pancakes and waffles last month.

But I couldn’t believe when I saw this at our local Hy-Vee Grocery Store. For you local readers, I was at the Shadow Lake Hy-Vee.

From 2010 01 16 Batter Blaster WAFF-FAIL

“Okay, it’s a picture of that Batter Blaster stuff…so?”

But look at that price!!!! For a can of batter? Really?

In most other ways, I really enjoy shopping at Hy-Vee. I’m reminded of the really nice Publix grocery stores in Viera and Suntree, FL. The store is spacious and there’s a wide variety of products.

Today I wandered into the Organic Foods section, in search of whole wheat pastry flour to make some Boot Track cookies. I then looked at the dairy section and saw the Batter Blaster there. For $6.59 a can. As mentioned in the first Batter Blaster blog post, I saw it at Super Target for $4.59, and I got my 3 cans for $2.97 at Costco.

That’s quite a price difference!

Why would the price be so high here? I wonder how much Hy-Vee paid for it? I think someone is milking that “organic” label on the front. Which leads me to a whole other discussion: Why does it cost so much to feed your family high quality foods???

Fresh fruit costs more than canned. Fresh cuts of beef costs more than frozen burgers. Fresh bread at the bakery costs more than a loaf of Wonder Bread. Organic ketchup costs more than Heinz.

What a racket….

Waff-Fail!

20. January 2010 · 4 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

As I said I’d planned to do in an earlier post, we attempted the Batter Blaster product to make waffles this past weekend. So here we go, the required supplies for morning waffles was nice and short. A waffle iron and the can of Batter Blaster!

From 2010 01 16 Batter Blaster WAFF-FAIL

(Actually, I have two waffle irons like this, I just got the 2nd one for Christmas).

So here we go — this is Dave putting the batter on the waffle iron in full Reddi Whip glory.

From 2010 01 16 Batter Blaster WAFF-FAIL

And after 3 minutes, this is what we got:

From 2010 01 16 Batter Blaster WAFF-FAIL

Sigh.

Very crispy:

From 2010 01 16 Batter Blaster WAFF-FAIL

So we figured, “Hey, perhaps we didn’t add enough batter…”

From 2010 01 16 Batter Blaster WAFF-FAIL

And THIS is what we got:

From 2010 01 16 Batter Blaster WAFF-FAIL

The camera lens steamed up and we got this lovely mess.

Really? When I add too much of my homemade waffle batter, I get a tall waffle — rather gooey — but I’d never experienced this volume of ooze before!

From 2010 01 16 Batter Blaster WAFF-FAIL

But this time we pulled the waffles off the iron nice and early…trimmed off the raw batter on the edges, and had something adequate (but not “great”) for the family to enjoy.

From 2010 01 16 Batter Blaster WAFF-FAIL

As for the overcooked ones, they were fine under a blanket of butter and Aunt Jemima.

From 2010 01 16 Batter Blaster WAFF-FAIL

Happy Breakfast!

The Batter Blaster! A Product Review

13. January 2010 · 4 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

I was at Costco on Tuesday, mainly to pick up some laundry detergent, but as usual, I was sucked in to buying other things I didn’t need.

Such as this:

From 2010 01 13 Batter Blaster Pancakes

The product even has a cute little jingle. Turn up your speakers and give it a listen when this web site opens.

Anyway, I first saw this about 2 weeks ago at a trip to Super Target. It was $4.59 for one can. I thought to myself, “That’s the cost of 4 batches of homemade pancakes in my house!”, and left it alone.

But at Costco on Tuesday, there was a THREE PACK for $2.97. Really? Well golly! How could I refuse that? So I picked up a three pack.

This morning I made them for Timmy and me for breakfast. I’ll bypass the suspense and say that these pancakes weren’t bad, but they clearly weren’t homemade.

Enjoy some closeups of the can:

From 2010 01 13 Batter Blaster Pancakes

It’s even ORGANIC!

From 2010 01 13 Batter Blaster Pancakes

According to the directions, it’s just point and shoot onto a skillet or frying pan. They recommend a 400F degree surface, but I don’t. I played it safe and kept my electric skillet at 375F.

The initial presentation is quite shocking…although the can looks like Reddi Whip, I didn’t expect the batter to come out looking just like Reddi Whip!

From 2010 01 13 Batter Blaster Pancakes

After about 10 seconds, the batter will spread out, so be sure to account for this.

From 2010 01 13 Batter Blaster Pancakes

From 2010 01 13 Batter Blaster Pancakes

So on my 375F skillet surface, it didn’t take long for these pancakes to over brown. I didn’t get the tell tale bubbles, and it was tough to tell if the edges were cooking well…so upon first flip, this is what I was greeted with.

From 2010 01 13 Batter Blaster Pancakes

The flavor isn’t bad, it’s slightly sweet, which is how we prefer our pancakes here, but there’s a tell tale ever-so-slight chemical flavor that sends alarm bells through my head that this is NOT homemade. As for texture, these are flatter pancakes than I’m used to making, and they seemed to get leathery in a hurry if we didn’t eat them right away. I couldn’t cut them with a butter knife, and had to break out my kitchen shears to cut up Timmy’s.

But Timmy didn’t mind — he had 4 of them for breakfast!

From 2010 01 13 Batter Blaster Pancakes

One more thing, this product is also supposed to work on a waffle iron. I’ll have to try it later this week.

In conclusion, I will use the cans I have for the next several batches of pancakes and/or waffles (each can makes 28 4″ pancakes, so I’m guessing 18-20 6″ pancakes which is our preferred size). But that’s probably it. I have to admit it’s quicker and more convenient than beating the eggs and measuring out the flour and baking powder.

Let’s Have a Debate: "Real" vs. "Fake" Christmas Songs

05. December 2009 · Comments Off on Let’s Have a Debate: "Real" vs. "Fake" Christmas Songs · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,


A couple nights ago Dave and I were riding in the car, twirling through all of our Christmas music options — we have 2 local stations offering holiday tunes, plus the “Holly” station (XM Channel 23 — we have a 90 day free trial with the new truck) and our respective iPods have Christmas music playlists that we can pipe through our car stereo.

Ashanti’s Christmas Melody came on and Dave and I got into a discussion of why we can’t find a station that just plays the “classics”. We’re both in agreement that Christmas Shoes is one of the saddest songs ever and we don’t care for it. I don’t feel too joyful when I hear it. Sorry if that’s just me. I know the song means well.

This led to a debate about Christmas being a time for being especially kind to others…but is that really Christmas? Isn’t Christmas fundamentally a celebration of the birth of Jesus, and not of buying things?

Or was Christmas originally a Pagan winter solstice festival celebrated by the Romans?

So here’s the deal: What do you think of all these pop stars coming out their their own Christmas tunes? Redefining classics year after year.

I’m mixed. I really enjoy when the pop stars record renditions of the classics (such as this Barenaked Ladies holiday hit here).

But not all of them.

There are several original holiday recordings that I like, such as Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You.

But again, not all of them.

Dave’s claim is that “the classics” include not only the traditional songs (Silent Night, O Holy Night, Away in a Manger), but also some neo-classics, such as White Christmas, Ruldolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. He’ll even put the original Charlie Brown Christmas songs in that category.

I’m crying foul at that, that White Christmas and Rudolph were probably regarded similarly to Christmas Shoes. A modern-day non-traditional Christmas song that hits the charts and becomes very popular.

So…what’s MY favorite Christmas song? Harry Connick, Jr.’s arrangement of Silver Bells. I particularly enjoy all his big band holiday arrangements.

Dave’s favorites? I’m going to guess that his favorite holiday album is Canadian Brass’s “The Christmas Album”. He really enjoys any of the classics on that album, performed in their full brassy glory 🙂

Merry Christmas friends!

Contemplations on Laziness

13. November 2009 · Comments Off on Contemplations on Laziness · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

I’ve been thinking….

“Great, here we go again!”

No…no…these are just some thoughts I’ve been having in general. About goal-setting, future plans, life in general.

Today a friend is taking her GRE. She’s in her 30s, like me…and has young sons, like me…and is an Air Force wife, like me. UNLIKE me, she’s gotten off her rear-end and uses the time while her sons are in school to go back to school herself and this spring will be graduating from college. She’s already submitting applications for a PhD program, location subject to where her husband gets stationed next.

Another friend, who I went to high school with, earned her PhD this past summer, while working full time and raising two young kids!

No, I don’t want a PhD. Contrary to popular belief.

Not too many people know this, but it’s crossed my mind to go back to school and start on a second career. It’s a quiet little goal I have, to become a secondary math/science teacher. I haven’t been motivated to start on this goal, unfortunately. I’ve been lazy. Way lazier than all these other Moms who are juggling jobs, raising kids, keeping up a household, moving with the military, etc.

My first excuse: “When Timmy starts school, I’ll go back to school.”

Well, with Timmy starting school in 9 months, by now I should have applied, or looked more into online programs than I’ve done so far.

My second excuse: “Why start a program now? We could be moving as soon as 1 year after I start school if I were to start here.”

No…of course my work can transfer, and if I choose an online program, heck — who cares where I am, right? People do it all the time, transfer their coursework.

I’ve told myself, “Patricia, you’ve already achieved a lot in life, aren’t you tired of school, additional stress, running around all hair-on-fire?”

So I’m thinking…

The answer is “Get my butt back in school and work on that new career!”. I need to set up some graduated goals related to that, with some research to back it up. My druthers is to do this online, I’ll need to learn more about it, I suppose. Dave can retire from Active Duty in 6 years, and I figured by the time he has 5 years left, if I wanted to go back to work full time after he retires I should be on my way. Especially if I want to take my time on this one. Some other options have opened up, such as teaching AFJROTC after I reach my 20 years in the Reserves. That might be nice…as some of my blogosphere friends have said “I’m one of those people who actually LIKES the Air Force.” Again, I haven’t looked enough into it to know whether it’s right for me.

And oh yeah, I have to balance this with my boys’ activities, my AF Reserve work, and some AF continuing education I predict I’ll be needing to do by late next year.

So there are my thoughts – somewhat messy, but it’s been on my mind. A lot.

Reality check: Might I be more motivated to do this if I truly “enjoy” those 7 hours per day I’ll have when Timmy and Jacob are both in school? Pedicures? Facials? Shopping trips? Coffee dates with girlfriends? Chick-flick marathons in my PJs?

I don’t know. I’m coming up on this crossroads and not even feeling motivated enough to say “Here’s what I need to do next!” I guess it was a lot easier when high school guidance counselors and Air Force Instructions made those decisions for me.

More Toilet Talk

23. September 2009 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

I haven’t done one of these irreverent blogs in a while. This is an accumulation of about 6 months of frustration with automatic flushing toilets when I’m in uniform.

So here is the new Air Force “Airman Battle Uniform”. We call them “ABUs” for short.

In fact, let’s get up close and personal with that new fabric.

I’ve a lot of concerns about this new uniform…from not being able to wear Army support combat patches (well, any unit patches for that matter), to the heavy weight of the fabric that made it quite uncomfortable in the Middle East contingency zones. Many of those issues are being addressed, but one of the ones that isn’t is a pretty fundamental issue.

The Near IR capability of these uniforms cause problems with automatic-flushing toilets.

Defined by Propper, Inc., the official ABU manufacturer: “Near Infrared (NIR) Signature Management Technology is used by the U.S. Department of Defense to prevent detection by NIR Image Converters. These photocathode devices do not detect temperatures, but rather infrared radiation variances. NIR-compliant uniforms use a special fabric that allows soldiers to appear at the same radiation level as the surrounding terrain, thus making them more difficult to detect. NIR technology also make uniforms less visible in low-light environments by reducing the reflection of light.”

I won’t argue with the value of this feature, especially at night when enemy forces might be trying to look for Airmen and the protection that NIR capability might be life-saving. I understand that.

I don’t have to wear my uniform often, but when I was in Florida for some training last December, the classroom building I was in was outfitted with the automatic flushers. So every time I had to use the ladies’ room, in the middle of going, the toilet was flushing. I was annoyed, but it wasn’t a hideous mess (I’ll get to that later) so I just tolerated it for a bit. I tried to sit extra still, but that wasn’t the issue. I guess over time the fabric would fade the heat difference of my sitting in front of the sensor.

The solution? Take off my ABU blouse before using the facilities there.

This didn’t come up again for a while — no automatic flushing toilets in the combat zone. Then I started this new job here at Offutt. The bathrooms in that building also have the IR detector so it happened again last week while I was in uniform. Again, I know now to remove my blouse and again, it wasn’t a messy experience when the flush happened — just loud and water-wasting.

But YESTERDAY. I went over to the Offutt BX after running some work-related errands in uniform and it happened again. Sorry, I don’t usually take the time to check, “Hey, is this an IR automatic toilet flusher?” before using it. Like most Americans, I’m not concentrating that much on the actions required to go to the restroom. But this time — it was a very, um, spirited flush in the middle of doing my business. I got SOAKED…and it was doubtful that was totally clean water that sprayed up all over my backside and the back of my shirt. I was so incredibly grossed out, I cut short the rest of my time at the BX (I had planned to browse for some kids clothes) and came straight home.

I have to admit, for me, having to use the restroom, whether public or private, is usually as second-nature to me as breathing. As more restrooms are equipped with the automatic flushers, and as I’m reporting to work in a new location on a new base, I guess I have to take a moment to check for the flushers.

Being Sick Sucks…

01. September 2009 · Comments Off on Being Sick Sucks… · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,


I’m just wrapping up a pretty nasty cold, upper respiratory infection, whatever you call it.

Whatever it’s called, it sucks.

I don’t get sick often. I last got quite sick the last week of February 2008. Yes, you read right: 2008. It was a horrible case of the flu, actually. Once I came home from the desert I felt like a time bomb, I figured if you go too long without getting sick, it’s bound to happen at any time.

And for me it was two Saturdays ago, the family had eaten dinner at Upstream Brewery and then took the kids to the Heartland of America Park in downtown Omaha to run around. My throat was getting that telltale soreness that heralds a cold.

Oh crap.

I was right — Dave let me sleep till 9am on Sunday and I didn’t want to move when it was time to get up for church. In fact, I ended up not going at all…

On Sunday and Monday I was in pretty bad shape. Dave took most of Monday off so he could help with Timmy, and he took me to the urgent care clinic so we could rule out strep or H1N1 (a.k.a. swine) flu. It was none of that.

Tuesday was the beginning of improvement, but as is typical with my kinds of colds, I end up with a lingering post-nasal drip that results in a lot of coughing at night. Since I turned 30, I’ve had a hard time shaking such a cough without a follow up trip to the doctor for some sort of antibiotic.

This one seems better — instead of the lingering cough, I have this river of snot — I think I’ve plowed through 3 boxes of tissues over the past 10 days. My nose is a nightmare…

I need to get better about the blog posts, folks — really. I used to be so on top of things, until Facebook and that friggin’ Bejeweled Blitz that sucks up so much of my time…

I’m getting busier, though — I’m now involved in my local AMS chapter, PTA and Dave’s unit’s spouse’s group. Jacob’s signed up for Cub Scouts and starts piano lessons this week. Timmy and Jacob both start soccer in a couple weeks, too. It’s going to be nuts!

"Momma Said There’ll Be Days Like This…."

26. August 2009 · 10 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

First, thanks for answering the poll — I guess changing/washing linens once-per-week is the standard and I need to be better at it 🙂

Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging.

I’m at it again.

Now that the school year and academic year is in full swing, it’s time to get involved in stuff again.

“What stuff? What else could you possibly pile on?”

Lots. Jacob’s on his way to being the Spawn of the Overachiever with soccer, piano lessons and Cub Scouts all starting up in September. Thankfully soccer is only 8 weeks. I know how much Jacob loves it…he’d give up everything else to fit in those 8 weeks of soccer!

The piano lessons and Cub Scouts will be new for Jacob and I wonder how he’ll do with each of them. I’m certain the scouts will be fun, he loves camping and learning about nature. The piano lessons? Well…as much as Jacob loves music, I predict a struggle when I ask him to practice for 15-20 minutes every day. He’s already gotten a head start on his books (Faber and Faber “Piano Adventures”) but it’s on his own and I think once a schedule is attached to it we’ll see resistance.

Then again, I could be wrong about all this and he’ll embrace it like a champ!

Timmy’s going to be involved in soccer after Labor Day weekend, and I’m debating piano lessons for him, too. He might be on the young side in some respects, but he really enjoys playing with our piano (we have a digital piano) and his teacher still has a couple spaces available.

As for me, I start my new AF Reserves job next month, plus I’ve taken on secretary duties for our local AMS Chapter. Last week I also offered to become webmaster for the Spouse’s Group where Dave works. I’m looking forward to serving all of these functions as well as I can.

Right now I have an evil cold. Nothing super-debilitating, but enough that I can’t fill my days with activity the way I usually want to. This week I wanted to get some items repaired (our cuckoo clock, a necklace), plus sharpen our knives, plus clean out our basement storage. None of that is getting done this week, I’m afraid.

I can keep up with the bare minimum this week (laundry, cooking, keeping the house straight), hopefully next week will be better. Planning for Jacob’s birthday party is forthcoming, along with Timmy’s back-to-preschool activities just before Labor Day.

Friday Night Flights

01. August 2009 · Comments Off on Friday Night Flights · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,


Neal: What’s the flight situation?
Del: Simple. There’s no way on earth we’re going to get out of here tonight. We’d have more luck playing pickup sticks with our butt-cheeks than we will getting a flight out of here before daybreak.
Neal: I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
Del: Yeah, but by the time the airline cancels this flight, which they will sooner or later, you’d have more of a chance to find a three-legged ballerina than you would a hotel room.
Neal: Are you saying I could be *stuck* in Cincinnati?
Del: I’m saying you *are* stuck in Cincinnati

This is what I was faced with on Friday night. I substituted “Cincinnati” for “Wichita”, which was the city those guys were really stuck in.

I haven’t talked much about my work lately, I guess. Since I came home from the desert, I’d laid low somewhat, taking some drill days in June, and now I’m on this batch of drill days for the first weekend of August. Now that we’re in Nebraska, we have to book my flights to and from Shaw AFB for my reserve work. Not easy. Obviously, I can’t just hop on a plane from Omaha to Sumter, SC…so booking my flights involves layovers in hub airports and rental cars. This travel adds a day onto each end of my trips to SC. The majority of the time there are delays and I tend to make my flying schedules so tight, and missed connections and maintenance delays translate into missed duty hours, which I make up by paying visits to my unit’s troops on their night shifts.

I had quite the time attempting to get from Omaha to Columbia, SC (via Cincinnati) this past Friday, poor weather in Atlanta meant the crew waiting at Atlanta to go to Cincinnati to eventually transport us blew their crew rest — thus canceling the Delta Airlines flight — and I ended up having to spend the night in Cincinnati. Thankfully, our awesome unit NCO worked out a hotel room for me at the local Residence Inn and arranged a flight to Charlotte, NC for Saturday morning. Since lunchtime Saturday, I’ve been working hard, mainly wrapping up loose ends of paperwork and saying goodbye to the people I’ve served with these past 2 years.

And for those loyalists to my blog (all 2 of you?), yes, I remembered my own tips from last December.

Things are a-changin’!

From when I came home from the desert, I immediately began to ask about job openings closer to home. I’d received several leads. Fortunately, Offutt AFB is a big base with a number of Air Force Reserve opportunities. Unfortunately, most of their positions are filled. But someone who works at my Major Command Headquarters had some inside information about a possible opening at US Strategic Command right there at Offutt. The work is very very very similar to the work I did when I was assigned in Norfolk, VA.

I submitted a resume just after the July 4th holiday, and this past Monday I’d received word that I’d been hired and I could start in September! I’m so happy about how much easier my Reserve work will be now! I just have to drop the boys off at school and head to work…instead of dropping off the boys, driving to the airport, flying on two flights, renting a car, driving to Shaw AFB….then doing the whole thing in reverse 2-4 days later.

I will seriously miss my job in South Carolina. It’s among the most rewarding work I’ve ever done, and I had so much fun! It’s personally challenging, especially with the deployment earlier this year. But I will seriously NOT MISS the commute.

Hopefully we can use this saved time to really truly explore the great things the Central Plains States has to offer: Mount Rushmore, Badlands National Park, Yellowstone National Park, skiing in Iowa (yes, IOWA — 40 minutes away!), etc….

How to Ride an Escalator with Crocs

31. July 2009 · 4 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags:

1.) Stand in the CENTER of the step.
2.) Stand STILL!

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