A Muslim American Society (MAS) Girl Scout, Anwar Esam Omeish, was nationally recognized on January 21, 2008. She was one of the many who auditioned from across the nation to participate in the Oprah Winfrey Show’s celebration of Martin Luther King Day. Being selected for this honor came as quite a surprise to 11 year old Miss Omeish, a Libyan-American Muslim from Fairfax, Virginia.
Missing out on your soaps and reality shows? Well, just tune into the 2008 Presidential Campaign Trail. The Monday night CNN Democratic presidential debate from Myrtle Beach set a record. According to the Associated Press, it was the most-watched debate ever in cable news.
It started to get mean at the very onset. It went on with Hillary and Obama trading barbs over their policies, records (even spouses!) and Edwards saying that their sqaubbling won’t get any child health care.
Votes or no votes, these debates get a way lot of hits.
The acrimonios Myrtle Beach debate was just a warm up to what we are going to witness in the following months. Many more sharp rhetorics are to be exchanged and allegations yet to be delivered, stay tuned!
Here is a question for you. Try and see if you get this one right.
Which one of these has the most calories?
a) McDonald’s Big Mac
b) 2 Egg Mcmuffins
c) Large Chocolate Shake
tic…tic…tic…
If you said Big Mac, your answer is the same as most Americans, according to a survey.
The right answer is Chocolate shake. It has 1160 calories, almost half of an average man’s daily requirment.
While the Mcmuffins and Big Mac have 300 and 540 calories respectively.
This survey was done in Seattle to assess how much the public was really aware of what they eat. The survey also showed that more people eat out than ever before.
Here is a chart to help you gauge what you eat at McDonald’s.
Trying to keep up with the New Year’s resolution, I walked into Quiznoz convincing myself to stay away from mayo. With suppressed temptations and a strong will power I steered clear of all the “good stuff “. My eyes fell on friendly posters on the walls. They claimed their *Sammies* contained only 200 calories. I ordered vegetarian Sammies, “You know these people are not that bad after all. They do care about your health.” I said.
Just then, a waitress walked by and informed me that they can’t serve me my vegetarian Sammies because they only had it in chicken and turkey. My husband later explained that Sammies are usually non vegetarian sandwiches. Well, so much for my ambitious weight watching in a fast food restaurant. This lead me to think, are these meals really as healthy as they are purported to be.
Most of the fast food chains have gone the healthy way. McDonald’s came up with a nutritional chart for it’s “wholesome” meals. Subway offers it’s ”fresh fit” sandwiches to the health conscious customers and Chili’s came up with their “guiltless grill”. All the great food that you can eat but, without being scared to step on the weighing machine. How about that? Sounds too good to be true, right? Maybe it is.
Just how Guiltless can you be after the “right portion, right price” meal? Wall Street Journal took a look into this recently. They sent a team of calorie calculators to 5 top fast food chains. What did they have to say after trying out the low-fat alternatives? Their results was very obvious, but oblivious. Lab tests proved that the calorie count of the food was almost the same as it was claimed to be. However, they were frequently offered cheese and dressings with no warning that they would dramatically boost calorie and fat intake.
It is easier to consume more in an overall environment of temptation. A minefield of creamy sides and condiments awaits you as soon as you enter an eatery. The drinks, extra toppings, desert add up and make your meal equal to the regular, fattening ones.
We applaud the effort of New York Mayor Bloomberg for trying to make calorie labelling compulsory for standard portions in all standardised eateries. Bravo Mayor Bloomberg, for helping us stick to our weight resolutions!!
As for me, I’ll keep waiting until someone comes up with vegetarian Sammies.
The American Civil War Center in Richmond, VA is built on the relics of Tredgar Ironworks. The building is revamped from the inside and is made into a museum. But, the outer, aged walls tell the whole story of the conflict that still shapes America.
Civil War is said to be the bloodiest in the entire history of the United States . It was in this Richmond factory where many Civil war cannons and armor plates were made. Walking through the halls of history, the ghost of the battle come alive. The brutality of the war dawned upon us as we took a look at the pictures, memoirs and artefacts.
Click on the image below to look at an actual slave receipt. It makes A chill run down my spine every time I look at it.
Even though Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which declared the freedom of the slaves, some were still being bought and sold in the south.
“They said this day would never come,”. A week after we visited this center we watched Barack Obama giving his Iowa caucus victory speech. The ghosts of the history would have nodded approvingly a him
This one is for all you nifty cooks out there. One of my standbys
You know those times when you feel like devouring something warm and comforting on a rainy afternoon, well this is one of my favourite comfort food. It is perfect for the times when friends or family come over, especially when they will show up after breakfast but before lunch, or after lunch but before dinner.
I follow the easy version which takes little effort and no time to get ready. And guess what, it still turns out delicious.
Quick Apple Strudel - A loaf of puff pastry filled with melt-in-your mouth green apple filling… mmm. I got this recipe from www.puffpastry.com. Puff Pastries are so versatile, you can do so many things with them.
Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)
1 egg
1 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. ground ground cinnamon
2 large Granny Smith apples
2 tbsp. raisins
1. Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature. Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Stir the egg and water in a small bowl. Mix the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the sliced apples and raisins.2. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. With a rolling pin, flatten it out a little. With a spoon, drop the apple mixture onto the bottom half of the pastry to within 1 inch of the edges. Start to roll up. Place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Tuck ends under to seal. Brush with the egg mixture. Cut several 2-inch long slits 2 inches apart on the top.3. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden. Cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Slice and serve warm
One thing I realise after writing this post is that I desperately need to make some for myself. Until next time…bye.
I have not been sick or missing or dead.
I have not been any of these.
I have been travelling around. A couple of weeks ago I was in North Carolina visiting family. Although I took the road with my Uncle and cousin while going there, I flew on my way back home to Virginia.
Sitting in the teeny weeny AirTran cabin I was ready to embark on my one and a half hour journey. Picked up the copy of their magazine called GO!, inclined to make it my best friend for the rest of the journey.
I confess that I don’t enjoy flying a lot, never have. The idea of sittinig in cramped seats in a single position for hours with my ears popping is not the way for me. Surprisinlgy, a pack of pretzels kept me, um …should I say rather engrossed!
