Nintendo 64 Controllers

On facebook, I got into a conversation with my younger brothers and their friend in which I raised the question: Why did Nintendo 64 controllers have three handles? 
The third prong just seems superfluous, antiquated, and downright silly, right?

After some further discussion in which a few theories were proposed, I had an epiphany.

Adina OH--I got it. Light bulb moment. 
One handle was so you could scratch your face w/o taking your hands off the controller in the middle of an intense Mario Kart race.

MYSTERY SOLVED!

Photo source: http://www.konsolenkost.de/images/produkte/i58/5812080-9024681-4b.jpg

Quick Taco Pasta

Okay, today I was making a big dinner, but the spousal unit got hungry for something in the mean time.
I whipped up this pasta dish in like 20 minutes, and my husband really liked it (I didn't think it was half bad either).

You'll need:

• Rotini 
• Soy burger crumbles (half a bag)
• Salsa
• Ortega taco seasoning

Put on a pot of water to boil.

While you wait for it to boil, put half of the frozen soy crumbles into another pot, cover it, and turn it to the high end of low to thaw.

Once the soy meat is thawed, turn the burner down to the lowest temp and add some salsa. (Probably about half a cup of salsa.) Mix it together.

Add a liberal amount of Ortega taco seasoning and mix again.

Once the water boils, add the rotini. I think I added almost half the box.

Once the noodles are cooked and drained, put them back in the pot and pour the "meat sauce" over the top. Mix it a little to coat all the noodles.

Voila! Good to feed a hungry man quickly. ;)

Swag

Married or not, I reserve the right to throw a skirt on over my pajama pants at 4pm in order to walk to the main office to pay our rent.

You're Never Fully Dressed Without A...

As I wrote on Facebook regarding this awesome email from Mental Floss:

I think that's going to be one of my new mental exercises: When I'm in a bad or sad mood, I should just meditate and envision very serious scientists in lab coats stretching their subjects' faces into weird smiles using chopsticks. LOL

(Click on picture to make larger.)

Pizza Acorn Squash

Got another easy recipe for ya! Also happens to be vegetarian-friendly.
This one does take much longer to cook than things I normally make, but it's good if you just wanna throw something in the oven to have for later.

I cut a fresh acorn squash in half (really difficult with a disposable plastic knife as it turns out; I don't recommend), and scooped out the seeds.

I then took a single clove of garlic from a fresh garlic bulb, peeled it, and chopped it into little pieces.
I split the chopped garlic, sprinkling some on each half of the squash. Added a sprinkle of pepper, and placed both halves into a tin foil pan. I covered the pan with a sheet of tin foil, and put it into the oven.

I think I had my oven (a small roaster one) set to about 325 degrees, and I left the squash in there to bake for approximately 4-5 hours.

Later (when I was beginning to want some dinner), I added a little bit of fat-free marinara sauce (probably around 1/4 cup; but it really depends on your preference) to each half of the squash, filling the hollow that I'd made from scooping the seeds out.

Over the sauce, I sprinkled mozzarella cheese (how much depends on your preference, again).

I let it bake again, this time at 350 degrees, for probably about 15-20 minutes.

Voila, pizza acorn squash! Quite yummy, and a fun twist on regular pizza
.

All A'glow

A few weeks ago, my husband came home from work and as soon as I opened the door, I could tell he was in an especially good mood. It was like he was exuding positive energy.

He had brought me home a delicious piece of baklava, and he had also stumbled upon a fantastic used-books sale, and gotten some great deals (he loves books maybe even as much as I do, which is truly incredible). So, in addition to the baklava, he'd picked out and bought a book for me. A book and baklava? Talk about knowing how to treat a girl!

He was so excited and happy about these nice things he had done for me, that I was immediately put into a enthusiastic positive mood, even before he gave them to me. His excitement and positivity just radiated into me. It was really incredible. I was amazed to see in action 1) just how true it is that our moods affect others, and 2) how doing something kind and thoughtful for someone else affects your own mood and energy level.

So, I guess I got three awesome presents that night: A book, baklava, and a happy husband who was oozing bright, shining positivity through out our home.


Photo source: ...I honestly don't remember. But it's not mine (as much as I wish I had come up with something so awesome and lovely). 

Mystery Smell Discovered

For a short while, our laundry room was smelling really weird and vinegar-y. It was really bothering me. I thought maybe my husband just had an inhumanly smelly pair of socks somewhere in there.
I finally found and disposed of the culprit, however: A dishtowel that had been saturated with hot sauce.
 (I knew I should have followed my gut instinct to ask my husband how he'd cleaned up the Great Hot Sauce Explosion of '13.) It was already dry when I found it (ew), so it was basically just like a smelly orange shell. It has found a new home in the dumpster. :)

Have a great weekend!