Sunday, January 24, 2010

Sunday Sound Out

From Chicago, where the snow is finally melting (Hey, so THAT'S what grass looks like!), it's Sunday Sound Out with your host Dawn who has a donut.

Hey Dawn: Just so you know(and should this ever crop up again)...one slams on their BRAKES..not breaks.Sheesh!
Oh my gosh. I cannot believe I wrote that. Well, it just goes to illustrate my point that lack of sleep is detrimental to one's health (and apparently one's spelling as well.)

And,believe it or not,my youngest Son now 15,loved burnt toast.YUK,PEW.He would only eat the blackest part.Yes he is a normal,HA,15 yr.old.He's also very artistic like your Austin.Did he eat burnt toast?
No, Austin eats perfectly normal stuff like Minestrone soup and ice cream for breakfast. It kinda seems like we used to go see a band named Burnt Toast back in the day though. Can anyone refresh my memory here? Jen?

I know a guy whose favorite snack is burnt toast broken into chunks, drowned in milk, and covered in pepper. How's that sound?
Add a little caramel sauce, green peppers, and tofu and it sounds de-lish!

Toast like that + hot sauce = great remedy for a hangover. No kidding :)
Yeah, I suppose the burning in your mouth and the uncontrollable retching could make even the worst hangover pale in comparison.

Ah. Toast just the way I like it. Just add butter while the toast is hot and heaps of Vegemite and I'm in heaven. Sigh. Maybe it's an Australian thing...Bring on the nuked toast.
Does anyone else have Men At Work's Land Down Under running through their heads? I think that's the only other time I've ever heard the word Vegemite. Now you have to enlighten me and other clueless Americans here. What on earth is Vegemite?

We have the "burnt" toast setting so that we can tell "People who can make toast" apart from "People who can't make toast."
Ahhhhhh! LOL! I love it! The best answer yet! Seriously, it surprised me how many weirdos nice people there are who like burnt toast. Still, I maintain that the settings on your average toaster are ridiculous.
1 - so light it's just basically dried-out bread
2 - perfectly toasted
3 - burnt
4 - burnt
5 - burnt
6 - burnt
7 - burnt
8 - burnt
At least that's how my toaster works.

I would love to know if you do a weekly or bi-weekly menu? Do you use coupons? Budget out? Where do you grocery shop at? And what are your favorite meals to cook that your kids WILL eat? I only have 4 kids so this is so tough for me.
I've never been good at cutting coupons and remembering to use them. I've never been able to find the time to run from store to store looking for the best bargains. I know people who do this very successfully. I'm not one of them. However,I do my grocery shopping primarily at Aldi. They don't carry name brands and they don't have tons of variety, but they do have the lowest prices ever.

As far as menus, yeah, I try to plan out a week at a time, but I'm flexible. If something comes up that keeps us out running errands or dropping kids off at their activities in the evening, we might just grab quick sandwiches or pop a frozen pizza in the oven. I made a lasagna last night, but our dinner plans were changed at the last minute, so I popped the lasagna in the freezer. I'll pull that out later this week or next. I'm making beef stew in the crockpot tomorrow, pastichio one night, and chicken divan one night. At least one night will be leftovers and one night will be something quick like soup and grilled cheese, frozen pizza, or chicken nuggets. Let your kids help pick out meals they like. Now and then, when you have a craving for some food that your little ones don't care for, feed them something kid-friendly for dinner, then have a romantic meal with your husband after the kids have gone to bed.

Thought this was weird when I first heard it but tried it and it works!! Breast milk is best cure for pink eye. No recommendations on how to get any, hopefully you have some nursing friends that won't think you are too crazy.
Umm yeah, well we'll just call that plan B, ok?

How's the throat?
It doesn't really hurt at all anymore which just goes to prove my "if you ignore it long enough, it'll go away" theory really does work.

When I was about her age, I collected used dryer sheets. Why? I tied them together and kept them under my bed in case of a fire, so I could easily climb out my window. My mom cleaned my room while I was at camp and when I got home she said "Ummmm by the way, I threw away this big ball of dryer sheets. What on earth were you keeping them for?" I was freaked out for weeks thinking our house was going to catch fire in the middle of the night and I'd be stuck because she threw away my fire escape. Yeah, kids that age aren't exactly logical. :-)
It's funny that you thought of using dryer sheets as a fire escape, but of course, the thought of having to escape from a fire is scary stuff! I've got a giveaway on my review blog right now for a signed copy of Firefighter Dayna's book Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog along with some fire safety items from First Alert (valued over $100). And yes, it includes a fire escape ladder made from material other than dryer sheets! You may have seen Firefighter Dayna and Sparkles on tv on Sprout. You can check out the giveaway HERE!

And for a chance to win a 4-pack of tickets to Disney on Ice, Let's Celebrate here at the Allstate Arena in Chicagoland, as well as a coupon code good for discounted tickets, click HERE.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

As an expatriate American turned Australian, allow me to help on the Vegemite question. Also let me say right up front that I can't stand the stuff. I think you kind of have to grow up eating it, as it's definitely an acquired taste.

What is Vegemite? It's a strange, thick, brown goo that was originally the byproduct of beer making, believe it or not. It's not alcoholic at all, but it is derived from yeast.

I cannot imagine why anyone saw this brown muck and went, "What'll we do with that? Oh, I know, let's eat it on toast!" and they all went, "Yeah, mate, toast!" and it became a national pastime.

Personally, I think people probably started eating it as a dare, and it just caught on.

Anyway, there are variations on the stuff, including Marmite and a couple others. They're all equally brown and gooey, in my estimation. And yeasty. And salty.

As for how one eats Vegemite (or Marmite, or one of the other sorts of -ites), it's usually on toast, but it can be made into a sandwich or it's sometimes used as a flavouring in soups (it adds a salty, yeasty note that some people enjoy).

The trick, I have been told for many years now, is to spread it very thinly. In fact, for years, every time I've said to any Australian native that I don't like Vegemite, they invariably reply, "Oh, you must have spread it too thick! It's not peanut butter you know!" Apparently, optimal Vegemite thickness is approximately three to five molecules of depth.

So, that's the story of Vegemite, as told by an obviously biased and non-native Australian. I'm sure some native Australians will dispute certain aspects of this, but they probably like the stuff, and they grew up eating it, so I'd take what they say with a grain of salt. Or a molecule of Vegemite.

As a side note, it's also interesting to note that the majority of Australians apparently find the concept of a peanut butter and jam (don't call it "jelly", as that refers to gelatin dessert!) sandwich is bizarre. I have no idea why they find this so strange, but then, they have no idea why I find eating yeasty brown beer by-product goo on toast to be so strange. Culture clash, I guess.

(I'm going to put in a disclaimer: This was written with tongue in cheek. It should not be taken literally, though parts of it can. You'll have to guess which parts. I suggest doing a Google search on Vegemite if you want a more unbiased opinion and an actual history of how this stuff got made into one of the symbols of a nation.)

Anonymous said...

Hi Dawn,
Love reading your blog...growing up I had vegemite all the time. Vegemite is a food paste/spread made from a yeast extract...pretty tasty with grilled cheese. There is also the New Zealand version called Promite (not as strong as vegemite) and Marmite (UK version I think?). My favourite is any of these on toast (not burnt) with avocado...delicious. Keep up with the blog even though I know it can be hard at times, know that it lightens my day! Erin

Anonymous said...

Vegemite is the best! Its a spread that is made from yeast and is very high in vitamins.

The trick is you need to spread it thinly - it is very strong.

"were happy little vegie mites as bright as bright can be, we all enjoy our vegie mite for breakfast lunch and tea"

Lesley said...

Vegemite is similar to Marmite - but I am supposing you actually know what Marmite is? My son took some with him when he stayed with friends in California last October. The guy went mad for the stuff!

Cookie said...

I'm glad you liked my "burnt" toast comment. The one about telling people apart based on their ability to make toast. You made my day :) of course it isn't even 8am yet... ;)

Marcia said...

http://www.museumadventure.org/index.php

CHECK THIS OUT!! your Library has free passes top musemadventures... Good luck and have fun!

Anonymous said...

"...three to five molecules of depth.." LOL herself's explanation totally makes me want to try
Vegemite (NOT!!)

Jen K. said...

Yes, Dawn we did go see a band called Burnt Toast "back in the good old days"! When we could actually go out!!

Hope Grace said...

Did you know, there is someone in the middle of the ocean viewing your blog right now? Do you have a line to Atlantis? :D

MaNiC MoMMy™ said...

Man sounds like I missed some serious discussion on some toast topics.

nutralady2001 said...

Hehe I seeeveryone has educated you about vegemite Dawn. I can't have it any more...*sob*... as I have Coeliac Disease and it contains gluten. There are gluten free subsittutes but not as good ..... here's the website

http://www.vegemite.com.au/vegemite/page?PagecRef=1

Pammie said...

I had to go and google the breastmilk and pinkeye thing. Wow. I find this fascinating. I can't wait to find someone with pinkeye and try to convince them that I can heal this problem for them and it won't cost them a thing. :) LOL

Michelle said...

I'm still stuck on the breastmilk and pinkeye thing. How exactly does a conversation like that go? Dawn, suggestions?

Me, I'm struggling with a really nasty sty on Little Miss's eye. I think. Eww. *sigh*

Anonymous said...

I know Emealz might not work for a large family, but they're really easy and economical for a family of 4-6. Just thought I'd pass on the tip.

Keren said...

Ha! I love how "herself's" comment about "everyone says the trick is to spread it thinly" was immediately validated two comments later! I guess that means the rest of her post is also true.

Anonymous said...

Gosh. I never suspected my little comment about Vegemite would generate so much talk. Just so you know I can't stand Promite or Marmite (sad imitations). I can't stand Vegemite sandwiches (gross). I can only eat it on burnt toast, with melted butter and spread VERY thickly. HEAVEN. Oh and last year the makers of Vegemite had a competition to name their new product - Vegemite mixed with cream cheese (gross thought I know). The winner was (I can't believe this) - iSnack2...for all of four days (I think). The uproar made them pull it from the shelves and it's now called Cheesymite. Australians are quite protective of their Vegemite and WILL NOT stand for nerdy names. Dawn - hope you're feeling better. If you could work out a way that us Aussies could mention Chicko Rolls, the whole Vegemite-disgust thing will seems tame...

Who's Visiting My Blog Right Now?

 
Home About Dawn Blog Books News & Events Press Kit Contact

Dawn Meehan 2008-. All Rights Reserved.
Site Design by Jones House Creative