Author Archives: GW

When I’m not making and serving all manner of coffee goodness, I’m scrapbooking, playing with our pets, gardening, taking photos, or spending way too much time online. I’ve been happily married more than 17 years now and consider my husband Howie my best friend.

DIY French Press Cozy

My favorite gift this Christmas was the French press coffee pot Howie gave me.

The reason is twofold. First, I’ve wanted a French press for years. They make a fantastic cup of coffee. Second, he got it for an insanely low price. I love a bargain, and he found this Bodum 12-cup model at the [...]

Pit bull terriers get a bad rap

This is a great video. The family’s pit bull bugged his owner frantically until he came with him to find out what was bothering him. The dog saved the baby’s life. This family has had their children saved by pit bulls not once, but twice.

There’s a reason Staffordshire bull terriers, a foundation for [...]

How to cut onions without tears

Through the years, I’ve read all kinds of suggestions for making the process of cutting onions less tearful. People suggest everything from running the onion under cold water while you cut it (Hello! Awkward!)  to freezing it first. Some suggest slicing it only in a certain direction.
None of those methods worked for [...]

Easy comfort food dinner: Paprikash & noodles

Last night, I tried a recipe I clipped from the label on a can of Giant Eagle condensed cream of chicken soup. When you want quick and simple, those cream soups are terrific! Recipes and more info are below the gallery.

Busy Day Paprikash
Taken from label of Giant Eagle Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.
Makes four servings [...]

Countdown to Spring!

This winter has been a bear. So much for global warming. I think all the recent snow is beautiful, but I am so glad we haven’t experienced a raging albino crapfest, as James Lileks dubbed such snowstorms on Twitter back in December. Our friends in Frederick, MD are buried after the week’s snowfall and much [...]

Healthy oat bran muffins made with Amish friendship bread starter

Amish friendship bread starter can overwhelm a household, especially when your friends and family start hiding when they know you’ve got some more to give away. And if you’re like me, you’re trying to lose weight and don’t want to have those calorie-dense quickbreads around to temp you (let alone be making more every ten [...]

The irony of a blond’s password

My friend Larry sent me a funny story today.
During a recent password audit at a company, it was found that a blond receptionist was using the following password:
MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofySacramento
When asked why she had such a long password, she said she was told that it had to be at least 8 characters long and include at least [...]