Dear FedEx,

I hate you.  Once again you have managed to screw over my schedule.  When someone pays for overnight shipping, which is a service you provide and charge for, they mean they want the package there the next day.  Not two days or three days, the NEXT day.  If you can't get a package from California to Florida in a night, then don't charge people for that service.  I get that things are tricky with weather and holidays and all, but California and Florida are pretty sunny right now and I don't think that you have to go through problematic snow in order to get to Port St Lucie.  And there is no holiday.

You failed.  Again.  And it's only a $10,000 sample.  Again.  

I'm sure you will get the package here, I have no doubt about that.  I'm not sure it will be worth anything once I start processing it in the lab.  And the person who gave up their time and went through a not-so-pleasant procedure in the name of science also appreciates that you sat on their sample for two days, thus rendering it with the possibility of being useless for our project. 

Oh, and because of your inability to get the package here when you agreed to, I have to cancel being a judge in the school science fair.  Something that I was looking forward to for months.  Something that was incredibly important to me.  This country already has no appreciation for science and technology.  I think it's important to nurture the next generation if they show an interest in those things.  So thanks for that too.  Ripple effects are a bitch, huh?

You suck.

That's all. 

Mandi



(In case it wasn't clear, I am very upset over how my day is going.  The sample, while important, is not what has me almost in tears.  It is missing out on the science fair that has broken my heart.  I hate not being able to follow through with a promise.  FedEx has turned me into a liar and I have put the school district in a bind.  Plus, I will not be able to show the kids how cool science can be.  Encouraging the next generation of American scientists has been a goal of mine for years, and now I have missed a direct opportunity to do that.  I will not be using FedEx for any of my shipping needs in the future and will encourage others to do the same.)  

December in Florida

So, this was our December.  How was yours?  :-P

Cheers!

Kendi's Kitchen: Crock Pot Potato Soup

I tried a crock pot potato soup recipe I found on pinterest once before.  It did not go well.  It actually killed my stick blender, well, Kevin's stick blender.  So when my BFF, Kimmy, posted a picture of the soup she had just made on IG, I immediately sent her a message asking for the recipe.  She sent it to me and I set out making it for dinner Sunday night.  It. was. FABULOUS!  Just like the kind you buy in the restaurant.  And it was super easy.  Be warned, it's not healthy.  But its nice comfort food.  Now if I can just make a bread bowl...


Crock Pot Potato Soup (original recipe here)

1 bag frozen hash browns (30oz)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cans chicken broth (I use the powdered bouillon)
1 diced onion
1 pkg softened cream cheese (8oz)
1/2 tbsp of pepper 

Optional:  green onions, bacon, shredded cheese

In your crock pot, mix cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, onion, pepper and hash browns (use the whole bag!).  Cook on low for 5hrs.  

Here's what I used.  I'm a "no-name brand" girl

It should look like this when you start to cook

After 5hrs, stir in the whole block of cream cheese.  Stir it enough to see it melt pretty well.  Continue cooking on low for another 30 minutes.  Here's a Kendi tip: I only added the equivelent of one can of broth for the 5 hrs by mistake, so I had to quickly add the second.  Since it was bowling hot when I poured it in, I think it helped melt the cream cheese and really make the consistency what you see in the picture.  I will probably keep making it that way.

It should look like this when you are finished cooking.  Nice and creamy!

Now, you can eat it just like this, which is very good.  Or you can get restaurant fancy with green onions, shredded cheese and bacon and make it "loaded baked potato soup".  :-D

Mmmm...fancy...

Cheers!

Stats:
Time: 6 hrs
Cost:  around $7
Servings:  4+
Leftovers:  yes

Meanwhile, in the Kendi Haus...

Yeah.  Cones of shame.  Freeman is the one with the infected butt, but since I know Chester won't leave his butt alone, he gets a cone too.  Can't have one feeling special and not the other one.  :)

National Pie Day 2014

I learned about National Pie Day (not to be confused with Pi Day) last January and threw together a pie baking contest with my co-workers. The prize for the best pie was a diet book that we were going to sell in a garage sale. When we moved to Florida I thought it would be a great idea to continue the tradition with my new co-workers. This year we had prizes in 5 categories: Best Dessert Pie, Best Savory Pie, Best Healthy Pie, Most Visually Appealing Pie, and Pie of the Year. While we only had 4 official contestants (store-bought pies were ineligible), my co-workers didn't disappoint. I found an apple pie recipe on the Food Network website. I was going to make Alton Brown's apple pie, but it was a little complicated and required to many ingredients that we didn't have on-hand. Ning brought in an Oreo ice cream pie, Ronald made a shepherd's pie, and Jennifer made a sweet potato casserole in pie form. Elias planned to make a pizza, but he ran out of time Wednesday night. Ronald's shepherd's pie was the clear winner of the day taking home the Best Savory Pie, Best Healthy Pie, and Pie of the Year awards. I'll admit, the healthy pie award was a bit of a stretch, but the shepherd's pie was the closest thing we had to healthy. I took home the Most Visually Appealing Pie and Ning won the Best Dessert Pie. The prizes this year were pie servers.

All the ingredients assembled.

Fresh out of the oven.

All of the pies assembled for the tasting.

The prizes.

The aftermath.

Thrifty Tip #11 - Dryer Sheets

There are lots of ideas out there for DIY dryer sheets or things that can take the place of dryer sheets.  One thing I saw on pinterest was to soak a washcloth in fabric softener and put that in the dryer.  Another pin said to use a ball of aluminum foil.  We get our dryer sheets from the dollar store and they work fine.  I make my own fabric softener but I've heard that you shouldn't use fabric softener on towels because it makes them lose their absorbancy.  And I've also heard that dryer sheets and fabric softener cause built up on the lint trap that can lead to fires.

Then my mom told me a trick she had been using and liked.  Tennis balls.  She throws 2 tennis balls into the dryer with her clothes and that's it.  She loves it.  So, while I was at Tar-jay this weekend, I grabbed a container of tennis balls for $2.  Then I went home and did the laundry.  I put all three balls in the dryer with a load of clothes.  I'm not sure, but I think it helped them dry faster.  And the towels were definitley fluffy.  I think I will keep this trick.  the balls make a lot of noise bouncing around in the dryer, so if your dryer is close to where you sleep or watch TV, know that you'll hear them.  I can use the tennis balls for a while, so I guess that's money in our pocket too.  But I don't think I'm ready to give up my DIY fabric softener just yet...

Cheers!

 

 

That's my down comforter in there.  Should be nice and fluffy when it comes out!

Body wash

I have to share a discovery I made this past week with you because I'm really excited about it.  Since we moved to a house that is significantly smaller than the one we had in Georgia, unpacking has been slow.  Around Wednesday, I finally got to opening a box that has been sitting in my bathroom for a month.  I knew what was in it, but hadn't had the motivation to unpack it because I didn't where the stuff was going to go.  When I went through it, I discovered that I only had one body wash left in my collection of bath products.  This. Was. Huge.  I promised myself over a year ago that I could not buy any more body wash until I went through my collection (it had grown pretty obscene).  I actually stuck to this rule and used almost my ENTIRE supply!  Go me.

Hey, it's the little things, you know?  Now, on to the lotion collection...

Cheers!

The lone survivor