Two Memes and An 'Empty' Jar of Mustard

I've been so bad! January disappeared in a flash and I never posted the Meme that Lisa of La Mia Cucina tagged me for at the beginning of January. Well, I don't feel too guilty, 'cuz she was sort of slow getting her's done, too. Anyhoo, taking some time worked well because I can do a two-fer since Celeste of Sugar and Spice tagged me today for another Meme. If you've had enough of these memes but want to see what I have to say about an empty jar of mustard, just scroll down and be glad theres lots of stuff about me you'll never have to know. Heh heh.

If you get tagged, you will know because I'll comment on your blog. It's entirely optional, but can be fun, too.

So c'mon...here we go...

INSTRUCTIONS:Select five people to tag - mine are:

1. Technicolor Kitchen - Patricia

2. The Picky Apple - Cara

3. Food Blogga - Susan

4. Apples and Spice - Katie

5. Yumbrosia - Aoife

Next, send them an e-mail or let them know by commenting on their blog that they have been tagged. They are then encourage to select 5 different bloggers and to tag them.
Here are the things to blog about:

What were you doing 10 years ago?
1998 – Well, I was on our local School Board, Secretary of the West Sonoma County School Board Association (and charter member), working out near Occidental for an OB-GYN doctor, taking my son to the local junior college so he and his friends could take college level computer classes, even though they were sophomores and juniors in high school at the time, doing stained glass pieces for a hobby, and going on regular dates with Sweetie and regular walks with friends.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Feb. 2007 - New job and really getting into blogging. Working, baking, cooking, getting ready to start veggie seeds,

Treasurer for PEO local chapter, starting to let my hair go to gray, but decided not to after a very short while…I like it the color that my hairdresser makes it.

Five snacks you enjoy:

1. Seedless red grapes…but only recently…I used to hate grapes.

2. Shortbread cookies and hot Earl Gray tea.

3. Sharp cheddar cheese and crackers…but Stilton and crackers is great, too, plus tart apple slices.

4. Smoked salmon with baguette slices.

5. Dark chocolate - well, any chocolate really - see photo at top

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

1. Set up college funds for my nephews, nieces, and grand nephews and nieces

2. Pay off the house and buy new autos, a new auto for my daughter, and one for my Mom, too.

3. Travel with Sweetie and travel with my Mom and with my daughter

4. Go to watercolor and crafting workshops

5. Hire someone to design a killer landscape for where I live, then I would create it (with a little help from professionals).

Five bad habits:
1. Eating way too many sweets!

2. Telling myself I’m going to exercise, then just sitting there.

3. Letting stuff pile up in my home office, especially in corners.

4. Letting my printer ink supply lapse...until I’m on deadline and really need that darn ink.

5. Refusing to shop for shoes, even when I’ve worn out most of the ones I own.

Five things you like doing:

1. Reading.

2. Cooking and baking and reading recipes

3. Messing around on the computer...not just blogging, but graphics programs, games, surfing the net, endless sessions in Photoshop

4. Taking long walks
5. Remodeling projects and painting (5 is not enough…there’s more!!)

Five things you would never wear again:

1. Tie dye jeans

2. Anything with fringe or excess ruffles - that is not me in the photo :)

3. Most shorts (darn those varicose veins)

4. Shoes with heels higher than 1.5 inches (see #3)

5. Bangs

Five favorite toys:

1. My PC – unless it’s driving me crazy

2. My camera!!

3. My watercolor gear.

4. Multi-cell seed sprouter doo-hicky

5. Cast iron skillet…really…I use it all the time.

Labels: Meme

Now for Celeste’s Meme:

These are the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.

2. Share 5 facts about yourself

3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).

4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

Five things about myself –
1) I’m a political junkie…love all the excitement surrounding the primaries…both parties. I even read voter pamphlets all the way through…yes, even the actual proposed law…what a concept!
2) I used to canoe a lot when I was younger and I still love the smell of rivers in the summer…water, mud, sand, all of it.
3) Before I started blogging I used to take lots of photos of landscapes and people. Now I first take photos of food, then think about taking photos of people or places.
4) I love birthdays…my birthday, your birthday, the neighbor’s birthday…you get the idea. Must be the cake that comes with birthdays, right?
5) I was ‘the artistic one’ growing up, which meant that I could invent my own system of logic, one that was acknowledged by my family…although it could be they were making fun of me…hmmm.

So for you five that I’ve tagged above, you can choose to do Lisa’s Meme or Celeste’s Meme, or both! Go wild!!

For those of you who have stayed with me this far deserve a treat, so here is how to make a great vinaigrette for a salad using an almost empty mustard jar:

Unless you really don’t like mustard in your salad dressing, an almost empty mustard jar makes the perfect vehicle for a great vinaigrette.

To the mustard jar (I like Dijon mustard) add some red wine vinegar, some herbs – fresh or dried, some olive oil and some salt and pepper. Close the jar and shake well to emulsify the contents. Open, taste, adjust seasonings and you are ready to dress your salad. The amounts of the ingredients will depend on how much mustard is left in the jar and how big the jar is, but this works really well to use up that good Dijon mustard that has some clinging to the jar that would otherwise get thrown out.