Marie's Yummy Hot Nacho Dip

Hands down, the best part of living in Fort Good Hope was meeting Jimmy, Jessa, Karen ,Travis, Marie, Stefane and Jason. We got together almost every Saturday night for snacks, laughs and the occasional round of Catch Phrase. Marie's delicious nacho dip was always a hit.

Marie's Yummy Hot Nacho Dip

1. Mix together one package of cream cheese and 2 TBSP of mayo. Spread into either two pie tins or a rectangular baking dish.
2. In a frying pan, brown a small package of hamburger. Once cooked, add a package of taco seasoning and about 3/4 of a small jar of salsa. Pour on top of the cream cheese mixture.
3. Sprinkle with any type of cheese you like. Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Gouda are all types that I have tried and liked.
4. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until the edges begin to bubble.
5. Let cool for 5-10 minutes as it is piping hot right out of the oven .
6. Serve with your favorite brand of nacho chips.  

The Fire Hydrant Story

Giddy up.

When I was fifteen years-old, I began dating a seventeen year-old guy from Halifax. My parents were not overly enthused about this relationship. It may have had something to do with the fact that his family chose to make a living on the opposite side of the law as my Dad. But I was young and in love, and my parents were letting me figure this one out all on my own.

So when I was approaching my sixteenth birthday this boyfriend of mine offered up his Mom's car for me to practice for my driver's test. In my ignorant teenage bliss I never for one second thought of that idea as anything less than spectacular. So off we went, driving his Mom's teeny-tiny car through the streets of Basinview. We went all down behind the rink, up by Kim Borgal's house, and were just driving past Basinview Drive Elementary when we realized that we would have to turn around as to avoid a busy street AND my house. It was at this point that I realized I really did have a need for driving lessons. I should have paid better attention in Drivers Ed..

As I began to make a sharp u-turn, the front right wheel caught a build-up of ice on the curb and the car ramped up onto the grass. Now if the yard had been covered in just grass, this story would be over and I would have wasted your time telling you about a boring and lame event from my youth. But it was the placement of the bright, red fire hydrant in Tyson Ardnt's front yard that proved hazardous.

SMASH!

So put yourself in my shoes at this point. What was I to do? I figured I had two clear-cut options: stay put until someone found us there and called my parents to come and pick me up (not tempting), or flee the scene like a well-groomed criminal...I went with option #2.

Well at this point I was completely hysterical. I knew that if my parents ever found out, they would never let me drive their car, even with a license :) With Paul MacDougald as a father, surely I would be grounded for eternity. I would probably still be grounded now while typing this story.

I decided that I would have to bury this one deep and pray for a miracle. My boyfriend dropped me off at the rink so that I would avoid getting driven to my house in a car whose bumper did not have a gaping hole in it 20 minutes earlier when we left. That might be tough to explain.

I was a mess. I was bawling, which I am sure was quite a sight for some of the neighbors. Unfortunately for me, my route home from the rink took me right past "the scene of the accident". As I approached, I could make out two figures standing over the now-horizontal fire hydrant. As I got closer, the two figures seemed even more familiar to me. How on earth was it possible that my best friend Trisha and my other friend Chris Prentice were in the middle of loading MY fire hydrant into Chris' parents' car???? Were my eyes deceiving me?

Nope. It was them. I ran over in a hurry and demanded to know what the hell they were doing. Turns out Trisha had always wanted a fire hydrant in her bedroom. "Put it down!" I screamed. "I JUST HIT THAT!!!". So if my counting is right, I was about to leave my own accident scene for the second time in less than 20 minutes.

The total bill to get my boyfriend's Mom's car fixed was $960. That's a whole lot of babysitting gigs. Luckily for me, my parents firmly believed in child-labour and I had three jobs: babysitter, paper carrier and Dairy Queen employee. Unluckily for me, it would have taken me about eight years to pay it off.  On top of the measly wages I was making at all three of these prestigious teenage careers, did I mention that my Dad was also my banker?

So for close to a year I skimped, lied, and borrowed my way towards becoming debt-free. The boyfriend and I had long since broken up and I was eager to eliminate all financial ties. Trisha lent me the last $300, at which point I was in debt to her. And the secret remained buried for the next seven years. I still have a hard time believing that my parents never found out....

...until one night at the cottage in the summer of 2003. When this story was finally revealed to my parents that night of our family gathering at the cottage, it was hearing my Poppy's reaction that I loved the most: he wanted to track the boyfriend down, beat the snot out of him for sticking me with the whole bill (which according to him was not what a gentleman should have done), and get my money back. God Bless Poppy.

And to answer the question that you are all wondering, no. Unlike this guy's experience, water does not shoot out of a fire hydrant when you knock it halfway across Tyson Ardnt's front lawn.

Video That May Make you Pee in your Pants

I had no idea what Photo Booth is. I do not own an IPAD or a MAC computer. Boy, what I have been missing out on. My kids would absolutely love to make the videos that these people are making in the video. I wish I was able to be with my cousin Kathryn when she watches this.

Youtube Photo Booth Video

The Cutest Couple Ever

My cousin Darcy sent this to me a few weeks ago, and I showed everyone at work. I am pretty sure the video has made the email rounds by now, but in case you haven't had the pleasure of viewing this fantastic video, enjoy.

You Tube - Seniors Webcam

I just found a follow-up video where these two cutie-pies are interviewed about their newfound stardom.

Seniors Webcam Follow-up Interview

Hot Curry Rice and Beef Bowls

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pound piece flank steak

• 2 tablespoons high temperature oil, such as peanut, canola or safflower
• Salt
• your favorite cooked rice (sticky rice works well, but any rice will do)
• 8-10 shitake mushrooms
• 1 red bell pepper 
• 1 red hot chile pepper (Anthony Keidis is my personal favorite) 
• 4 cloves or garlic, grated or chopped
• 4 to 5 green onions, thinly sliced on an angle
• 3 tablespoons Patak's curry paste, mild to medium heat
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce (or you could use hoisin, oyster or soy sauce, depending on the flavour that you are going for) 
• 1 cup chicken stock
• OPTIONAL 1 lime, zested and juiced
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Put the flank steak in the freezer for a few minutes to aid in thinly slicing safely.
2. Cook your rice to your personal preference. Note that it takes about 10-15 minutes to cook the steak, so you may have to start your rice earlier.
3. While your rice cooks, stem and thinly slice the mushrooms, and seed and thinly slice the sweet and hot peppers.
4. Remove the meat from the freezer and thinly slice into 1/4-inch wide by 2-inch pieces.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook in a single layer for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Turn the meat over and add shitakes, the peppers, the garlic and the green onions. Stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes, then add the curry paste, fish sauce and stock and bring to a boil.
7. Serve with rice, and garnish with lime juice and zest if you like.Season with some black pepper, to taste.

Cooking Notes:

1. 
   
   Rachael ray does a version of this and adds some edamame and the end of the steak's cook time. Her version also calls for this to be served with noodles (she uses whole wheat spaghetti). I have tried this, and it is good, but I like the rice because it soaks up all of the yummy curry sauce. The picture below is of the version with noodles instead of rice.

Teacher's Rock

A lady that I work with sent this link around last week. If you are a teacher, or know someone who is (which is every person on the planet), take a look. The guy is fantastic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxU&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

My Poppy - Chapter 2

A few years back, Poppy was experiencing repeated technological failures with his Bell Express Vu unit. Being the nice guy that he is, he would call his children for help in a self-determined rotating pattern. One week it would be Dad's turn, then Auntie Anne's, Aunt Mary followed next, and Uncle Peter would round things out for Poppy's Charlottetown-based offsrping. Week after week, the darned thing would "break" (the term "break" in this story refers to batteries being put in the remote backwards, accidentally turning off the satellite receiver, or the TV power being off).

So on one particular occasion, the stubborn buggar decided to take matters into his own hands. He sat down to watch Compass one night, but ALAS! No Boomer! The friggin' thing wouldn't work. So he went out to the garage, and found the original receiver box that the Bell installer, whom we will call Keir Peters (a made-up name, but a good Island name nonetheless), had left at his house eight years previous when the installation took place. Inside the box was the work order form that had been signed by the above-mentioned installer. So resourceful ole Brighton decided to get out the PEI phone book, and track down a NEW person to give him technical support.

Now one thing that is important to know about Poppy, and about all Islanders really, is that Poppy never forgets a name. All of the people that he has met are placed in his memory bank based on last names and where people are from. Therefore, Poppy remembered that Keir Peters was from Rustico. He then opened the phonebook and flipped to the listings for Rustico. AHA! Right there, in the "R's", was his man. And wouldn't you know it, he proceeded to call Keir Peters' house. A lovely woman answered, and informed him that Keir was not in. He was actually at work, his new place of employment since leaving Bell, the local Home Hardware.

Now, any other man would surely give up at this point. But not my Poppy. I mean who in their right mind would call a man at his new job and ask him about a Bell Express Vu installation that he had done eight years previously? My Poppy would, that's who. He next found the listing for the Rustico Home Hardware and called the store. Another friendly lady picked up and informed Poppy that yes indeed, Keir Peters was working. Would Poppy mind holding a moment? Not at all, my dear. Take your time.

So Keir gets on the phone, and I imagine the conversation that unfolded went a little something like this:

Keir: "Good evening, Home Hardware. This is Keir speaking."

Poppy: "Good evening sir. My name is Brighton MacDougald, and eight years ago you installed this here satellite thingy. Well the darned thing's broken, and I can't for the life of me figure out what's wrong with it."

Keir: (a little stunned) "Umm...sure sir. Have you tried....."

...and this went on for 20 minutes.

But wouldn't you know it. In true Island hospitality-style, Keir Peters stayed on the phone with my Poppy, troubleshooted some different things, and finally got to the root of all of Poppy's issues.....the batteries in his remote were dead.

HELLO? Is Anybody Still Out There?

Hey guys. It's been a while, but I am finally back posting to the blog. As I said to Brent this morning, MacDougalds aren't quitters...well, that may not be entirely true. I did quite karate after only 3 classes, hockey because I had to play with boys, baton-twirling because I kept injuring myself, ballet because I couldn't make me knees touch the ground while sitting with my feet together, and....well we could be here all day.

But when it comes to the important stuff, the things I really like to do like vent my frustrations in cyberspace, I am not a quitter.

I'm back baby.

To Stay Home or go to Work? That is the Question

Sick kids all winter long, that is the part of winter that I like the least. I will take snowsuits and scraping windshields any day over runny noses, fevers and walk-in clinics. It doesn't matter if you are a stay-at-home mom, a working mom, or some combination in-between: if you have kids, they are going to get sick.

Robert Munsch said it best with the title of one of his books, "We Share Everything!". And isn't that what we tell kids all the time, to share? But not when it comes to germs. You can disinfect every surface of your house and wash tiny hands 11 times a day, but our efforts are futile. The next thing you know, you see a little glimmer near a nostril, and what comes next is no surprise.

But the real kick in the pants is that we now have a plethora of choices to make. Should I make a doctor's appointment or go to a walk-in clinic (yuck)? Should I stay home from work, or send them to the sitters? Should I take my kids to another child's birthday party, or stay home (boo!)? Antibiotics to treat the cause, or do we simply let it runs its course? How are we to know? Are there any right or wrong answers in this situation?

On top of the fevers, Tylenol, sleepless nights and crankiness, now we are forced to make some tough decisions. And other than being drunk, there is no worse time to make decisions than when you are are sleep-deprived and stressed out. And this vicious cycle continues from mid-October until spring, at least that seems to be the pattern in my house. Maybe we should be more like bears and hermits and cut ourselves off from the world for a few months. We could take a leave from work, get a six month supply of Kraft Dinner and Tang, and home school the kids in the kitchen. Maybe I will pilot this idea and let you know if it works.