Grammar Check Tool for Email

Spann, from middle Georgia, Tweeted me this morning asking about a tool for checking grammar on emails.  As of this morning, I was not very familiar with these tools.  Being a grammar nut, I proudly say that I have not had to use this software.  However, not everyone can be so lucky, I suppose. So, I went on a search to try out some different programs for some research.

I tried quite a few of them.  Honestly, I was thoroughly disappointed in what I saw.  I entered two basic sentences with four errors.

I went to the store yesterday with friend’s.  it was a beautiful ady we had a good time.

1. Friends should not contain an apostrophe, as it is plural and does not show possession.  
2. it should be capitalized.
3. Day is misspelled.
4. The second sentence is compound and needs some definition. i.e. coordinating conjunction, semicolon, etc.

The sites I went to all provided free, on the spot checks.  There were some options for downloadable programs and paid services, but I did not opt to go that route. Reverso.net caught none of the errors.  Grammarbase.com caught only the spelling error. Spellcheckplus.com caught only two of the mistakes- apostrophe and spelling. Grammarly.com picked up three of the four mistakes.

Microsoft programs come with grammar and spell check automatically. While it doesn’t catch everything, it is a good start. I don’t have a Mac, so I can’t vouch for what they have. After some research on that as well, the email function does come with a grammar and spell check function. Any input on that from Mac users would be welcome.

If you don’t still have your grammar textbook from high school or college, then here is a good resource.  Her name is Jane Strauss.  You can find her at http://www.grammarbook.com  This site has a wealth of information for anything grammar related.

Let me know how it works out and if you have any luck.

-O

 

Dinner Delivery for New Parents

There are more babies being born around me than I can count. As I’m making my way around to see the new bundles of joy, I am attempting to do what I can to make these first few days a little easier on my friends. Last night, I went to visit a pair of my long time friends who just welcomed their first into the world, a little girl. She is not quite a week old. This first couple of weeks can be quite a challenge for new parents. All of them that I know welcome a helping hand or a prepared meal. I prepared a meal for them and based on my tastes and theirs being very similar, here is what I came up with:

• Risotto with chicken, mushrooms, and truffle oil
• Roasted carrots and parsnips
• French bread
• Bottle of Chardonnay

And for Mama to snack on later:

• Sectioned oranges
• Bunch of seedless grapes

Here are a few notes on the preparation:

With just a little butter and truffle oil, saute the onions and garlic first for a few minutes, then add in the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are about halfway cooked through. I used a rotisserie chicken from the grocery for this. Shred some in the skillet and remove from heat.

In a different pot, prepare the risotto as directed on the package. Make sure your broth is hot and keep stirring the risotto. I added in a cup of white wine and a little more truffle oil. I also took a scoop of the vegetable mixture and stirred in while cooking as to start blending the flavors. When the risotto is almost finished, add in the remaining chicken and vegetable mixture. Stir and let rest just a minute. The heat here will cook the mushrooms thoroughly, but still have them looking lively.

The carrots and parsnips were easy. Slice or cut them as you wish. Place in a baking dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil, fresh chopped thyme and rosemary, and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Salt and pepper if desired. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or so. Just until they start to shrivel a bit. That will leave them with a little firmness.

When planning for this type of meal, think about their needs. Do all the preparation for them and have it ready to serve and/or easy to reheat. Also, Mama will be ravenous, especially if breastfeeding. Fresh items are best. Fruits, veggies, nuts, etc. She needs lots of nutritious meals and snacks.

Apologies for lack of pictures. In my haste, I forgot to take them.

I hope this inspires you make pleasing dishes and do good things for those you care about.

Cheers, O.

 

Apostrophe Placement/Grammar Rant

This is my first grammar rant via blog post. Surely, more are to follow. I just can’t take it anymore.

My friend Jo named me an official grammar deputy some years ago. She and I are cut of the same cloth when it comes to grammar. We constantly encounter red flags of misuse in the English language. Nails on a chalkboard, if you will. Today’s red flags come with the use of apostrophes in the wrong places. I see the misuse everywhere these days. People are always showing plurality with use of an apostrophe. Apostrophes are used for two things: to show possession and to make a contraction.

I just came across a blog that was riddled with grammatical errors! For chrissake, if you are going to be a writer, make it right! Her apostrophes were in the wrong places, spelling errors galore, and improper usage of a/an. ( I truly wanted to link to her site on here, but I’ve decided not to be rude and call her out to the world. ) Just because you hear someone else say something, it doesn’t make it right. Is grammar even taught in school anymore? Mistakes are everywhere! I see them on blogs, Facebook, emails, speech, and the list goes on.

Here is a link to today’s grammar lesson: Jane Strauss has it together. http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp Read her material and learn.

Share with others! Sound and look educated! Make the world a better place.

 

Reader Reader RSS, Which of You is the Best?

To my misfortune, my hard drive was corrupted a couple of weeks ago.  Fortunately, my computer guy was able to rescue all of my documents, files, pictures, etc.  Whew.  One thing I did lose was my Outlook.  It came with the computer to start with, but for whatever reason, cannot be restored with the rest of my Office products.  Another of life’s mysteries… I used Outlook as my reader and liked that it would corral all of my feeds from various locations in one spot.  I have not gotten it back on my computer as of yet, and decided to read on Google Reader in the meantime.  Oh, but alas! Google Reader is disappearing as of July of this year.  So, the search continues from here for a solution.

Admittedly, I’m no genius when it comes to feeds.  The concept is simple enough, but for me, when I go to sign up for a feed, there are always tons of options to choose from and on top of that it seems that each choice must have an account or login info.  It becomes exhausting when seeking out all this info. That’s where the Outlook came in handy. Whether by feed or by email, it was all brought together in one place.  So, from here, I started doing some reading about where everyone was going from GR. I looked at a handful of options and reviews and decided on Feedly.  It’s not cluttered and full of junk. The transition was seamless and it makes following someone very easy, with just a couple of clicks.

What are you using? Do you like or dislike Feedly? Tell me what’s on your mind.

Have a good Wednesday.

-O

 

Steelhead Trout

Just a quick post about last night’s dinner here at the cabin. It was a yummy St. Patrick’s Day meal. Tired of the same old hum-drum fish preparation of lemon, dill, and the like, I started searching in the cabinets for a new combination of things to marinate it in. Here’s what I came up with and as usual, there’s no recipe, just tossing some things in together:

Burbon, lemon juice, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos(or soy sauce) and canola oil. Ideally, it should sit for a couple of hours. Mine did not sit for that long, but turned out very nicely. I grilled it on medium heat, about 4 minutes on each side, skin on.

With it I served Klondike Gold potatoes smashed with butter, sour cream, chives, fresh chopped garlic, sea salt and cracked pepper. Skin was left on.

I threw together a spinach salad with a dressing similar to ranch, but having dill and chopped onion added.

The fish was definitely the star. A bit of sweetness, lots of smoky flavor, and a slight crunch on the surface. Made for a dynamic quick meal.

Cheers!

The final product, served with a Shiraz Cabernet.

 

Dan Dan Noodles via F&W

This recipe came to me via the Food and Wine email and I had perfect opportunity to try it. I have a friend that has recently moved to rural northwest Georgia from Tibet. We have been spending quite a bit of time together and she loves having me over to her house to cook meals and watch movies among other activities. She is trying her best to make food like that of her homeland, but it is hard to come by the same ingredients and she sometimes becomes frustrated. The day following a meal at her house, I got the F&W email and decided to try to give her a little taste of home, if only similar.

See the recipe here.

I did manage to find all of the ingredients in my local market, which was a relief. I took everything over there and commenced on making the meal. I asked her to prepare her mein noodles as she does at home and asked her if these ingredients looked familiar. They did and I could see a sparkle in her eye as I was bringing everything together.

She does not have a food processor or blender as of yet, so I chopped all of the ingredients by hand and used a whisk. It worked just fine. It was beautiful as well.

 

After using the skillet for the first cooking, I browned some pork chops in the peanut oil with just a little salt and pepper. Once they were nicely browned with the perfect crunch, they were set aside for a few minutes. Before serving the noodles, we put them in the skillet so that they could soak up all of the leftover oil and goodness. I thinly sliced the pork with her magnificent Chinese cleaver and placed over the top of the noodles. We poured the sauce mixture over the noodles and pork then topped with green onions cut on the bias and a squeeze of lime.

This was one of the best dishes I’ve made in quite a while. My friend loved it. Not quite like home, but close enough. She loved it so much that she wanted to cook it a second time this week for her husband’s family. And so, we did. The second time, we used a blender, hoping to get the consistency described in the recipe. However, I must say, we were both disappointed with this method. The flavor was quite different and the second dish did not compare in beauty. We decided that next time, we would revert to the original, more time consuming method.

Let me know if you try it or have already.

 

Using the Coconut Oil

Ah, Pinterest, you have struck my fancy again. A few days ago, I was perusing the pictures and came across a post that I, myself, have posted about in the past. See that post here. 52 Uses for Coconut Oil started out as a list with more uses for coconut oil than I thought I could ever use. As it turns out, readers have added 70+ more uses to her list. Glancing at this made me realize that I bought a jar of it quite a few months ago and had not used it yet. I decided it was time. I will preface this list with the fact that I’m not really a coconut person.  It’s growing on me.  The taste and smell of the oil are faint, so I can handle it.

Here’s what I’ve done with it this week:
1. Facial moisturizer. After I washed my face, before going to bed, I slathered it on. It soaked right in. The next morning, I looked like a new person. My skin was very hydrated and more plump.

2. Additive to coffee.
From what I can see, others are consuming it in lots of ways. I thought I would try it in my coffee. I drink mine with only half & half. I added just a little amount of the oil, about half of a teaspoon, give or take. It added just a hint of flavor.

3. Cat food additive.
During these dry months, it’s important to keep pets hydrated so they aren’t scratching dry skin. You can lead a cat to water, you know. I melted just a little of the oil in the microwave and drizzled it over their food. They didn’t seem to mind at all and ate all of it. (Of course, cats can be finicky, so easy does it on the amount.)

4. Leather Moisturizer. I’ve got a pair of ropers (cowboy boots) that I’ve had for over ten years.  The toes were a little scuffed up and I couldn’t put my hands on my shoe polish at the time. So, I rubbed a little c. oil on it and it fixed them right up.  Not the same as a polish and buff, but definitely hydrated them and brought them to a better state.

5. Lip moisturizer.  Works just as well as it did on my face.

6. Scalp conditioner. With the air being dry lately, My scalp around my forehead  has been the same. In the morning before my shower, I rubbed some on my scalp and let it soak in for about ten minutes, then just washed as usual.  Worked like a charm.

What have you been doing with it?

Cheers, Olivia