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A Few More Days

I guess the tree will come down this weekend.  I am gonna miss it. 

Dexter Finale Tonight

Showtime's Dexter is one of my favorite shows of all time and this season has been the most suspenseful yet.  Tonight Season 4 comes to a close with a much hyped finale that will supposedly blow the tops of our heads off and drive fans to therapy.  There was one preview at the end of last week's episode and one scene posted at the Showtime website.  Additional scenes can be found here.  In one of the scenes Dexter's sister Deb tells him she knows who his mother is, and in another you see her putting the pieces together that Brian Moser, the Ice Truck Killer, is the son of Laura Moser, Dexter's mom.  That is a pretty huge revelation, but it has already been released in previews.  In the books, Deb finds out that Dexter is a killer.  Will she figure that out in the television series as well?

There is supposed to be a major twist in the episode and the actress that plays Deb even said many fans might be lost over what happens. The show is amazing and consistently delivers so my expectations are high.  There has been much speculation that Dexter's wife Rita and/or her son Cody will die at the hands of the Trinity Killer tonight.  One of the other clues provided by "Deb" is that everyone matters in the end and that she hopes to see a darker Dexter next season.  I don't have a good guess about what is going to happen, but there is one little thing that has never been resolved and I wonder if it will be addressed tonight.  Dexter has never asked Rita about her first husband -- the one she never told him about.  If she does die in tonight's episode I wonder if that will ever be addressed.  The title of tonight's episode is "The Getaway."  Could the Trinity Killer get away, or will Dexter need to get away?   Or does the title refer to something altogether different?  I read a comment from someone suggesting that Deb commits suicide tonight due to the revelations that take place. That would certainly result in some lost fans.I think one thing is safe to say... it won't be boring.

UPDATE:  Just watched the finale and it was great.  Unfortunately though the twist no one was supposed to see coming was guessed correctly by many, but they did at least lead up to it in a way that still gave it the element of surprise.  Waiting for Season 5 will be torture.

UPDATE II:  Spoiler alert.  Don't read further if you don't want details.  A couple of things bothered me about the ending.  One is that the writers never tied up the loose end of Rita not telling Dexter about her first husband.  Another is something I read on a Dexter message board.  The commenter pointed out that if Rita was running back to the house to get her ID the cab would have been waiting.  She would not have sent the cab away and called another one if she was in a hurry to get back to catch a flight and just needed to run in to get her ID.  The Dexter writers are brilliant, but little stuff like that just drives me crazy.

UPDATE III:  Great Julie Benz interview here and a live chat with John Lithgow is underway beginning at 3 p.m. at Showtime.

Holiday Baking (well, not really baking -- let's call it holiday microwaving)

I love to bake, but sometimes it is nice to fix something quick and easy that makes people think you took time baking.  If you need a baked good for work or school, but don't want to spend a lot of time cooking, the following recipe is the best.  These candies are delicious and they are pretty and the hardest part of making them is unwrapping the Rolo candies.  I posted this recipe a few years ago and a friend of mine I had not seen in a while said she was searching for it because someone at work made them and she was surprised to find it at my site.  I don't even know if you can call this a recipe, but here it is:

Rolo Pretzel Candy

The recipe only calls for three ingredients, square flat pretzels, Rolo candies and pecan halves.  You just place the Rolo candy (unwrap first, of course) on top of the pretzel, microwave and press the pecan into the top of the half melted candy.  I did a plate of 20 at a time and microwaved them for about 30 seconds on high.  They are extremely easy to make, look really nice and are delicious. 

If you want to try something a little more challenging (but still extremely easy), try Rachel Ray's Five Minute Fudge.  It is quick and easy and can be decorated as a wreath for a lovely gift or party food and the recipe can be modified with just about any mix in you choose.

• 1 bag semisweet chocolate morsels (12 ounces)
  
• 9 ounces butterscotch morsels (3/4 of a 12 ounce bag)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 can or package of walnut halves (8 ounces)
  
• 1/2 cup currants (a couple handfuls)
• 8-inch cake pan, lightly greased with softened butter
• Candied red and green cherries, for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Place a heavy pot on the stove and pre-heat it over low heat. Add chocolate and butterscotch morsels and milk and stir until morsels are melted and milk is combined. Save the empty condensed milk can. Stir in the vanilla and remove the fudge from heat. Add the nuts and currants and stir in immediately.

Cover the empty condensed milk can with plastic wrap and center it in the greased cake pan. Spoon fudge into pan around can, making sure to center the can if it drifts.

The fudge will set up almost immediately. Garnish can only be added in the first minute or two that the fudge is in the pan, so work quickly. Decorate your wreath with "holly" made from cut candied red and green cherries. A wreath left plain can be garnished with a pretty fabric bow when serving.

Chill covered in the refrigerator. Slice the fudge very thin when ready to serve – a little goes a long way!

Instead of melting the chocolate chips on the stovetop, I usually use the microwave.  If you aren't used to melting chocolate in the microwave, the trick is to microwave for a really short time (like a minute or less) and then stir.  Keep doing that at short intervals until completely melted, being careful not to scorch.  This recipe is very versatile because you can use different types of chocolate chips and mix-ins.  My mom got this recipe (or one incredibly similar) from a friend many years ago and used to make this fudge with white chocolate chips, pecans and chopped cherries.

I've posted this recipe the past couple of years and have tried several variations.  One that I found yummiest was made using one bag of Nestle's white chocolate chips and one bag of Nestle's "swirls" chips (the white and milk chocolate swirls).  It makes a light brown fudge with a really unique flavor. This really is super quick and easy.

I'll post my favorite fudge recipe in a separate post because it requires a bit more work (as well as a candy thermometer and a strong stirring arm), but this one is good.  These two recipes can't be beat if you are looking for something quick and easy, yet still really pretty and yummy.

• 1 bag semisweet chocolate morsels (12 ounces)
  
• 9 ounces butterscotch morsels (3/4 of a 12 ounce bag)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 can or package of walnut halves (8 ounces)
  
• 1/2 cup currants (a couple handfuls)
• 8-inch cake pan, lightly greased with softened butter
• Candied red and green cherries, for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Place a heavy pot on the stove and pre-heat it over low heat. Add chocolate and butterscotch morsels and milk and stir until morsels are melted and milk is combined. Save the empty condensed milk can. Stir in the vanilla and remove the fudge from heat. Add the nuts and currants and stir in immediately.

Cover the empty condensed milk can with plastic wrap and center it in the greased cake pan. Spoon fudge into pan around can, making sure to center the can if it drifts.

The fudge will set up almost immediately. Garnish can only be added in the first minute or two that the fudge is in the pan, so work quickly. Decorate your wreath with "holly" made from cut candied red and green cherries. A wreath left plain can be garnished with a pretty fabric bow when serving.

Chill covered in the refrigerator. Slice the fudge very thin when ready to serve – a little goes a long way!

Instead of melting the chocolate chips on the stovetop, I usually use the microwave.  If you aren't used to melting chocolate in the microwave, the trick is to microwave for a really short time (like a minute or less) and then stir.  Keep doing that at short intervals until completely melted, being careful not to scorch.  This recipe is very versatile because you can use different types of chocolate chips and mix-ins.  My mom got this recipe (or one incredibly similar) from a friend many years ago and used to make this fudge with white chocolate chips, pecans and chopped cherries.

I've posted this recipe the past couple of years and have tried several variations.  One that I found yummiest was made using one bag of Nestle's white chocolate chips and one bag of Nestle's "swirls" chips (the white and milk chocolate swirls).  It makes a light brown fudge with a really unique flavor. This really is super quick and easy.

I'll post my favorite fudge recipe in a separate post because it requires a bit more work (as well as a candy thermometer and a strong stirring arm), but this one is good.  These two recipes can't be beat if you are looking for something quick and easy, yet still really pretty and yummy.

An Interesting Update to Pulitzer Prize Winner's NYT ObamaCare Story

Michelle Malkin followed up on a story Pulitzer Prize winner Nicholas Kristof reported in the New York Times as evidence of the urgent need for universal health care and she found some things the Pulitzer Prize winner didn't find. It appears he didn't find them because he didn't bother to look for them.

Today, I did something that Pulitzer Prize-winning NYTimes columnist Nick Kristof apparently didn't do: I talked to a spokesman at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon.

I called them up after OHSU's Dr. Johnny Delashaw left a comment about Kristof's piece spotlighting the horrible plight of John Brodniak, an Oregon man with a neurological condition that he says no one would treat.

Kristof used Brodniak's plight to argue for universal health care, decry Brodniak's deadly lack of insurance (even though he got Medicaid coverage in August), and lambaste doctors for refusing to treat Brodniak due to low reimbursements.

Well, OHSU confirmed for me two things:

1) OHSU is a safety-net hospital not far from where Brodniak lives. The hospital accepts all Medicaid patients and would not turn Brodniak away.

Okay, are you ready for Number 2?

2) Brodniak is a patient at OHSU -- and has been a patient there for the past three weeks.

What amazes me (and Michelle makes this point in her piece as well) is that Kristof reported that Brodniak had gotten Medicaid coverage, but then cited the situation Mr. Brodniak was in as proof of the need for universal health care. Huh? So this man who Kristof said could not get adequate health care was a recipient of a government health care program. That is typical of liberals though. Any failure by a government program is not seen as proof that some things are better handled by the private sector, but that the government program is simply not big or far reaching enough. Read Michelle's full post. It is a jaw dropper.

Update:  More from Bookworm.

Crossposted at Wizbangblog.com.

A Big Pile O' Puppies

If you live in North Carolina and want a puppy, I am the woman to see.  The mama is a yellow lab and the daddy is some dog that got into our backyard fence.  All the puppies are black and look like, well, you can see for yourself in the picture above.