Surfin' With Stan

If you came here looking for the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana recipe... it's at the bottom. If you came here because you want to know how to make some potato soup like a man... read on. Like most people, I had some potatos that were probably going to go bad in the next week or two. Since we are in the middle of what some people call an 'economic rccovery', my family can't really afford to let that happen. While Obama and his cronies (like Jim Marshall - Georgia Democrat) tell us to tighten OUR belt, the truth is they are giving themselves raises... so WE have to learn how to save money where ever we can. Making potato soup is just one of the ways we can save. If you want the olive Garden thing... then go to the bottom of this page... and have at it. But here's the way I made mine. What you need; Some Potatos Some Butter Some Onions Some Water Some bacon Some spices (garlic is good) Some Italian Sausage Some chicken boullion Celery and Mushrooms are good too Either Dry

So you dropped your cell phone in the water.  Or you put it in the washing machine.  Or maybe it fell out of your pocket in a snowball fight and it stayted there over night.  It really doesn't matter how it happened... the facts are: It got wet. It doesn't work. You don't know what to do. Well... nobody really does.  I mean, maybe there are some geeks out there who's entire existence is to experiement and figure out what to do if your bubble gum loses it's flavor on the bedpost every night...but I don't know any of them.  So let's just do the basic stuff to see if we can get your phone working again.  I do just about everything in '10's:... so let's narrow this down to the top ten things you can do.   Get it out of the water as soon as possible. Even on the most airtight phone, you have about 20 seconds before the insides get wet. If it talkes longer than that, then try to remove the battery while it is still under water. There's a tec

I'm a guy, so I don't really like wasting stuff.  Earlier today I made a bunch of chocolate  .  I didn't want it to go to waste, so I thought.. hey I'll make some fudge.  My wife loves fudge....and this can be part of the valentines present.  So here's what I did with the extra. Stuff You'll Need Some chocolate.  I dont' think it matters if it's semi-sweet or dark... it's chocolate. People like it. Some butter.  I can't tell you how much... just put in enough to make it taste good. A 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk  How to make it. Melt the chocolate Put in the condensed milk Throw in some pecans if you want to. Add the butter Chill it Cut it Eat it. No rocket scientist stuff.  You can play around with it as you get better at figuring out what will make it firm... but don't sweat it.  She's gonna eat it and think you are the best man in the world. Mine did.

     It's Valentines' 2010 and I decided I didn't really want to do what I've done every year for 28 years, and that's go get a box of chocolates for her. She's always told me that gifts that are 'made' are better than those bought...so I think I'll test that theory. In today's economy I would need to go by the bank go borrow the money and today's Saturday. The banks are closed doing what bankers do, which is lie around. (ok... think about that for a minute.... it'll come to you!)      I know she's a choclaholic, so I'm going to make her some myself. The recipe looks pretty easy enough. So.. let's get right to it. Stuff You'll Need: 4 1/2 oz vegetable shortening - 4 1/2 oz  confectioner's sugar  6 tablespoons cocoa powder (Hershey's) 4 tablespoons powdered milk Pinch of salt How to make it: Line a square cake pan with wax paper.I Melt the shortening in a pan... it don't matter if its a sauce pan or not...the oi

After Feb 9th updates, an XP machine may BSOD (blue screen of death) on restart.  If you try to start in Safe Mode, the machine quits at mup.sys. To repair... Follow these steps: Boot from your Windows XP CD or DVD and start the recovery console (instructions are here : Microsoft) Once you are in the Repair Screen.. Type this command: CHDIR $NtUninstallKB978262$/spuninst Type this command: BATCH spuninst.txt Type this command: systemroot  Repeat steps 2 - 4 for each of the following updates KB978262 KB971468 KB978037 KB975713 KB978251 KB978706 KB977165 KB975560 KB977914 When complete, type this command: exit  Restart the machine.. should start fine.  If auto updates are enabled... diable them and 'download only'... so you can disable those updates.  You 'could' do the updates one by one to determine which one caused the BSOD. On my client's machine... it was KB977165  Remember this : Why this worked!

Subject: New cure for fire ants - try it and see... This is a new twist to killing fire ant colonies. Fire ants are picky eaters and any type poison that is effective takes seven feeding steps before the queen receives it. Plus, if the bait is stored in close proximity to any petroleum or fertilizer products they won't touch it. Contact poisons that are on the market just cause the colony to move away. A well developed colony can be as deep as 30 feet and spread out some 20 to 50 feet from the mound center...This was documented by studies done in the early 60's when they were first sited in South Alabama . An environmentally friendly cure for fire ants has been announced by Walter Reeves on his Georgia Gardener radio program. Testimonials that it REALLY WORKS are coming in. Simply pour two cups of CLUB SODA (carbonated water) directly in the center of a fire ant mound. The carbon dioxide in the water is heavier than air and displaces the oxygen which suffocates the

Dr. Krauthammer is on Fox News. He is an M.D. and a lawyer and is paralyzed from the neck down. A friend went to hear Charles Krauthammer. He listened with 25 others in a closed room. What he says here, is NOT 2nd-hand but 1st. The ramifications are staggering for us, our children and their children. Last Monday was a profound evening, Dr. Charles Krauthammer spoke to the Center for the American Experiment. He is a brilliant intellectual, seasoned & articulate. He is forthright and careful in his analysis, and never resorts to emotions or personal insults. He is NOT a fear monger nor an extremist in his comments and views. He is a fiscal conservative, and has received a Pulitzer Prize for writing. He is a frequent contributor to Fox News and writes weekly for the Washington Post. The entire room was held spellbound during his talk. I have summarized his comments, as we are living in uncharted waters economically and internationally. Even 2 Dems at my table agreed with everything

Subject Important notice: Google Apps browser support From apps-noreply@google.com To stan@middlegeorgia.com Sent Friday, February 05, 2010 7:15 PM Dear Google Apps admin, ​ In order to continue to improve our products and deliver more sophisticated features and performance, we are harnessing some of the latest improvements in web browser technology. This includes faster JavaScript processing and new standards like HTML5. As a result, over the course of 2010, we will be phasing out support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 ​ as well as other older browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers. We plan to begin phasing out support of these older browsers on the Google Docs suite and the Google Sites editor on March 1, 2010. After that point, certain functionality within these applications may have higher latency and may not work correctly in these older browsers. Later in 2010, we will start to phase out support for these browsers for Google Mail and Google Ca

When I was a kid my mother used to make some kinda cookie that had cornflakes in it. I liked them alot...but I never got the recipe from her. When my son went to boot camp, I decided I'd track it down, make some...and send them to him at boot camp. I figured he could share them with his whole crew, battalion, or whatever it is the Army calls them these days.  I made em, sent em, and they ate em.  Nuff said.  Without further ado... here's the recipe.  The Elusive Cornflake Cookies Makes somewhere between 24 and 48, depending on how big you like 'em. Stuff You'll Need 1 cup butter 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup white sugar 1 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 cup crushed corn flakes 1 cup chopped nuts (I use walnuts or pecans) 1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal 4 cups flour, decrease to 3 1/2 cups for a chewier cookie 1 tablespoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract How you make it.. 1. Preheat oven to 325. 2. Cream butter, sugars and egg. 3. Add oil. 4. Mix in dry ingredi

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies 1 1/2 cups butter, softened 2 cups white sugar 4 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt DIRECTIONS In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight). Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely."

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies Makes about 3 dozen cookies. 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoons baking soda 10 ounces white chocolate (chips or bars cut in chunks) 1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped into chunks Directions: Heat oven to 375 F. In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt with electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, beat well. Stir together flour, and the baking soda; gradually add to butter mixture,beating until well blended. Stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. (Edges are golden brown and center is set.) Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool"

CORNFLAKE BARS 1/2 c. corn syrup 1/2 c. sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 4-5 c. cornflakes 1 c. peanut butter 1 tsp. vanilla FROSTING: 1 (6 oz.) melted chocolate chips Bring syrup and sugar just to a boil. Remove from heat and add other ingredients. Spread into waxed paper lined small cookie sheet. Melt chocolate chips and spread on bars. Refrigerate. Cut into squares when frosting has hardened."

It's funny. Everybody thinks "How smart do you have to be to boil eggs?" Duh Huh.. If you're a person like me that likes to boil the eggs, then it's just not that easy. Why? Because I like to boil about 12 to 18 eggs and store them in the refridgerator. My youngest son loves them, and it makes it more convenient when you want to add them to things like wraps, salads and some of my other favorite dishes. So, I hate it when the shells stick to the eggs, or the shells crack during the cooking and in general make a mess. So I wanted to find out how to make them perfectly.. Here's the technique I setteled on. Try it..you'll be glad you do. Place eggs in single layer in saucepan. Cover with at least one inch of cold water over tops of shells. Cover pot with lid and bring to a boil over medium heat. As soon as the water comes to a full boil, remove from heat and let stand. Large soft-cooked eggs: let stand in hot water 1 to 4 minutes, depending on your tastes. La

If you have 1½ cups buttermilk on hand: 1½ tsp. unflavored gelatin ½ cup milk, not skim, but 1% and up ½ cup sugar 1½ cups buttermilk ¼ tsp. vanilla extract If you have 1 cup buttermilk on hand: 1 tsp. gelatin 6 T. milk 6 T. sugar 1 cup buttermilk 1/8 tsp. vanilla 1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over ¼ cup (or 3 tablespoons if using 1 cup of buttermilk) of water. Let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. 2. In a saucepan, heat milk and sugar over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot but not boiling, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in gelatin mixture, then buttermilk, and vanilla. Pour into 4 or 6-oz ramekins* and chill until set, 3 hours. 3. To serve, run a knife around edge of ramekin, place a plate on top, flip over and gently shake to turn out onto plate. Garnish with some fresh berries. * Note: Pour into any vessel you have. If using tall, narrow glasses, do not worry about inverting. Serve right in the glass. Keeps well in the fridge for at least a we

GRANDMA'S BUTTERMILK BISCUITS 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/2 cup butter 1 cup buttermilk (or sour milk) In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and cut in the butter using a fork or pastry blender. Stir in the buttermilk, and continue stirring only until the mixture forms a ball and begins to hold together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll out to 1/2 or 3/4 inch thick, and cut into rounds. Place on a lightly oiled or sprayed cookie sheet (or line a cookie sheet with parchment paper). Arrange biscuits close together for soft sides or 1 inch apart for more crusty sides. Bake in a 450°F oven for 12 or 15 minutes until nicely golden brown.

Whether your family calls them hotcakes, flapjacks, griddle cakes, Johnny cakes, or plain old pancakes, they all have a special place on the American breakfast table. A few helpful hints will ensure a fluffy, golden stack every morning. Best Buttermilk Pancakes Makes nine 6-inch pancakes The key to fluffy pancakes is not to overmix the batter; it should not be beaten smooth. If serving these pancakes with bacon, reserve half a teaspoon of bacon drippings to grease the griddle instead of butter. 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons sugar 2 large eggs , lightly beaten 3 cups buttermilk 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle1. Heat griddle to 375°. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps. 2. Heat oven to 175°. Test griddle by sprinkling a few

I've always liked pecans.  I've always like sugar.  I've always liked bread and butter.  Truth is like most guys born in the 50's... I like anything that packs alot of sweetness, fat, and requires expertise in the dosage and preperation of nuts.  It's probably one of the reasons Mama Cass was so popular. (Just in case you missed it... that's what we call an innuendo (in-you-win-doe).  Read up on the big Mama if you missed it. ) Anyway... this is a man's recipe for a big ole' southern  pecan pie , made with brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and pecans... followed up with a great dessert. You can either wear your man-apron and  make the flaky pie pastry below; or you can man-up and go get a store bought pie crust in the of the unbaked refrigerated/frozen pie shell.  It don't  make any difference.  Just throw some of this on her plate, and get ready for dessert.  Ingredients: * Pie Pastry * 1 cup all-purpose flour * 2/3 cup cake flour * 1 tables

1 lb. ground turkey 1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/4 tsp. Hickory Smoke Liquid 1/4 tsp. sage 1/4 tsp. tarragon 1/4 tsp. thyme Mix all ingredients well. (Do not add additional Hickory Smoke Liquid.) Form into small to medium patty sizes. Use spray Pam in frying pan for less calories. Fry until brown. Pasted from < http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,165,153191-242194,00.html >

This is as very easy to make and great tasting peach cobbler recipe that I think you'll like. Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons unsalted chilled butter 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup 1 cup heavy cream 6 cups peeled fresh or frozen peaches 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch grated nutmeg Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in large mixing bowl. Cut in butter with pastry cutter or hands until it resembles coarse meal. Add 1/2 cup sugar and cream. Knead approximately 3 minutes and let rest. Toss fruit with cornstarch, 1/4 cup sugar, and spices. Place fruit mixture in a 9 by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Cover with gobs of the cobbler dough. Bake 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool...then eat until you can't eat anymore.

Hurst's HamBeens® Chicken 15 Bean Soup® Ingredients : 1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed 1 lb. of smoked sausage, sliced 1/2 cup onion, diced 1/2 cup celery, diced 1/2 cup carrots, diced 1-2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine Traditional Cooking Method: Soaking: Place beans in a large pot, cover with 2 quarts of water. Allow Beans to soak overnight, or at least 8 hours. After soaking, drain water, add 2 quarts of water. Bring beans to boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2 ½ hours. Melt butter in a skillet, and sauté onion, celery, carrots, garlic and chicken over medium heat approximately 10 minutes. Add chicken mixture, sliced sausage, and flavor packet to the beans. Simmer another 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Yield: approximately 3 quarts. Serves 14-16 Quickcook Method: Place rinsed beans in a pot with 3 quarts of water. Bring to a rapid boil. Reduce heat, cover and continue boiling 60-70 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent

Anybody that knows me, knows that I love ribs. I get compliments on them all the time, so I figured this would be the best way to share the recipes and tell you how I prefer to cook them. The steps are numbered… with some other stuff in between. Put the ribs in a roasting type pan. Long enough for the ribs, and deep enough to catch the juice that will be created while the ribs marinate overnight Start by removing the membranes on the ribs. Remove it wherever you find it. Set aside. Then make the rubs and sauce below The rub recipes are really just a guide… use whatever amounts of each ingredient that makes you happy! BBQ Rub Recipe Ingredients: 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup paprika 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon chili powder 3/4 tablespoon garlic powder 3/4 tablespoon onion powder 1 teaspoon cayenne BBQ Rub Recipe 2 INGREDIENTS: 1/3 cup paprika 3 tablespoons dry mustard 2 tablespoons onion powder 2 tablespoons garlic powder 2 tablespoons ground basil 2 tablespoo

INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 pound ground turkey garlic powder to taste Italian seasoning to taste ground black pepper to taste 2 (28 ounce) cans no-salt-added crushed tomatoes, with liquid 1 (28 ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes, with liquid 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans 1/2 cup hot pepper sauce 1 large green bell pepper, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 1 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped DIRECTIONS Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the turkey until evenly browned. Season with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Drain, and transfer turkey to a large pot. Mix the crushed tomatoes with liquid, whole tomatoes with liquid, kidney beans, and hot sauce in pot. Stir in the green bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms. Bring the mixture to a boil Reduce heat to low, and season to taste with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Continue cooking 1 hour, stirring occasionally, or to desired consistency. If the stew is too thick, mix in some water. 

SOUTHERN PECAN PIE 2 (8 inch) pie shells unbaked  6 eggs, beat lightly  1 c. sugar  1 c. dark Karo syrup  1/4 lb. butter, melted  2 c. coarsely chopped pecans  1 tsp. vanilla Pinch of salt Directions Place eggs, sugar and corn syrup in 2 quart bowl. Add melted butter. Mix well. Stir in pecans. Add salt and vanilla. Pour into unbaked shells. Place in center of preheated oven. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  >Center of pie may look soft, but it will become firm as it cools. Good eating!!

INGREDIENTS ( Nutrition ) 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 eggs, beaten 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

SERVES 8 , 8 fajitas (change servings and units) Ingredients 1 lb beef sirloin steak, trimmed of fat 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup lime juice 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning mix 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped 1 cup red onion, thinly sliced 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas 2 cups mangoes, sliced Directions Place steak in a ziploc bag. Stir together oil, lime juice, fajita seasoning and oregano, reserving 2 tablespoons. Pour remaining mixture into bag with meat. Refrigerate for 4-24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Preheat grill to medium. Place onions on an 18-inch square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with reserved lime mixture. Bring up two opposite sides of the foil and seal with a double fold. Fold remaining ends to completely enclose, leaving space for steam to expand. Wrap tortillas tightly in aluminum foil. Drain steaks and discard marinade. Grill steak for 14-18 minutes for medium-rare (or longer to desired doneness). Add package of onions to grill during the last 10 minutes of grilling. A

Parmesan Ranch Baked Chicken Recipe   6 Boneless chicken breasts 1/2 cup ranch dressing 1 cup Italian bread crumbs 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt Directions Marinate the chicken breasts 2 to 4 hours in the ranch dressing. Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees before putting the chicken in the oven. Mix the Italian bread crumbs, salt, pepper and parmesan. Place the chicken breast into a baking pan and cove the chicken with the bread crumb mix. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes at 450 and then turn down the heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for  30 minutes or until done.

Ingredients 1 large onion, chopped 1 15 oz can black beans 1 15 oz can kidney beans 1 15 oz can corn 1 8 oz can tomato sauce 29 oz diced tomatoes w/chilis 1 1.25 oz packet low sodium taco seasoning 1.07 lb turkey breast cutlets (4)  Directions Mix everything together in a slow cooker except turkey. Lay turkey on top and cover. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. 30 minutes before serving, remove turkey and shred. Return turkey to slow cooker and stir in. This is good eaten with cheese, sour cream, or tortilla chips. note: this is an adaptation of GINGERFISH's "Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Stew" recipe.