You'll Never Walk Alone: Liverpool Anthem

As I watch an old Liverpool match versus their arch rivals, Manchester United from March 6, 2011, I cannot help but smile as Luis Suarez goes through three defenders to pass right across the goal line as Dirk Kuyt simply nips the ball in. Instantly, the Anfield crowd erupts into cheers. Three minutes later, an accidental header from Nani (ManU), lands on Kuyt's head and goes straight into the goal. Suddenly Liverpool is alive.

This is not the team I watched struggle up until this past Christmas. Turmoil over exiting owners, who nearly bankrupted the team; a new coach whose tactics were not successful at Liverpool; and Fernando Torres, the once great Spanish acquisition, who, at the end of January left the team for 50 million pounds (75 m dollars) to Chelsea. But, at the beginning of January, the new Liverpool owners, New England Sports Ventures, owners of the Boston Red Sox, under the helm of John W. Henry, brought back fan favorite "King" Kenny Dalglish into the manager's position. On the last day of January, he sold Torres and bought Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll.

Suddenly Liverpool were on fire. Although it was not easy for Liverpool. Injury after injury brought on new players who had either never played well or had been forgotten about. Lucas and Maxi Rodriguez showed their worth; youth players, Flanagan and Robinson, 18 and 17 years old, respectively, were placed into the line up when all other defenders were injured. Under the watchful eye of Jamie Carragher, they proved their worth.

No one can take anything away from this improving team. But nearly everyone, from the TV announcers, players on Liverpool and other teams, other coaches, and the fans all say one name when it comes to the revival of Liverpool : "King Kenny" Dalglish. (To the right)

According to wikipedia, during his time at Liverpool as a player and player-manager, Dalglish's Liverpool stats include: "515 appearances, 172 goals, 307 as manager, 8 League Championships, 2 FA Cup wins, 3 European Cup wins, 4 League Cup wins, 1 European Super Cup win, and 5 Charity Shield wins." In 1991, when he retired due to the stress from the Hillsborough disaster, he was the most favorite Liverpool player and manager of all time (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Dalglish).

With Dalglish once again at the helm, everyone seems to know one thing: if Dalglish gets the team in shape, he is capable of bringing the Premiere League title back to Liverpool. And who knows, maybe even the UEFA championship.

A couple of months ago, I wrote about FC Barcelona being my favorite team. It was an easy choice; they played brilliantly and always won. But watching Liverpool struggle, a once-great team termed the underdogs, recover from a horrible season to get to 6th place, was so much more exciting than Barcelona.

They may not have any pretty boys like Cristiano Ronaldo. Liverpool don't have the genius of Messi or the caveman/Tarzan-like ability of Puyol. But they have King Kenny at the helm, and Gerrard, Carragher, Reina, Lucas, Spearing, Kuyt, Suarez and Carroll who all have something to prove. So next season, I will still watch Barcelona and still marvel at their ball possession. But in the end, I will always root for Liverpool.

Except if they play against Seattle Sounders. You know you always go for home team first!

Chicken with Lemon and Herbs

A couple of weeks ago, I was scourging through the recipes on Gwyneth Paltrow's website, GOOP, when I came across this recipe. Now, most of the recipes on her website are upscale, expensive ingredients, and take long periods of time and concentration to create. This recipe, on the other hand, is quite simple.

On the GOOP website, Paltrow also added a video of making the recipe, which you can see here: http://goop.com/newsletter/44/en/

There are slight modifications to the recipe I made for my family. For my recipe, it is more towards your individual tastes. I like the different herbs and being able to taste the lemon in the chicken, so I add more than others may.

Ingredients

3-4 Chicken pieces (i.e. breasts, thighs, tenders)

Lemon juice (3 - 5 Tbsp)

1 large teaspoon garlic

Rosemary, sage, thyme

Salt/Pepper

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Small potatoes, carrots, celery, mushrooms

Heat oven to 450 degrees F.

Begin boiling water, with a little salt added.

Take the chicken pieces (thawed) and place into a casserole dish. Using your own judgement, lightly dribble lemon juice over the chicken pieces. Toss the garlic, rosemary, sage and thyme over the chicken pieces, smoothing everything around with a spoon. (I try to get a bit of the lemon juice and herbs under the chicken as well).

Salt and pepper the chicken to your taste, then dribble enough olive oil to cover the chicken.

Taking however many small potatoes (mini, red, fingerling, etc), wash and if you want, peel them. Peel the carrots and cut them down to a minimal size. Once the water begins to boil, add the potatoes and carrots, boiling for 8 minutes.

While the potatoes and carrots are boiling, prepare the celery and mushrooms. Wash and cut the celery; wash and cut the ends of the mushrooms off.

Once the 8 minutes are up, drain the water from the pan and, using a lid, shake the potatoes and carrots. (According to the video, it makes them more crisp. I am not sure if it does, but it is kind of fun to do)

Add everything into the casserole dish and drizzle olive oil (about 3 Tbsp) over.

Put the casserole dish, with the lid on, for 20 minutes; then, take the lid off for another 20 minutes until the chicken is done.

Cool, Serve, and Enjoy!

Books

For myself, books can be a form of comfort. They are dependable in making you escape into another world where your problems are irrelevant. Plots can drive your imagination into perilous danger and forbidden lands; characters can become your friend, and give you the confidence you may lack at a certain time.

Whether the book be in a category of classic, romance, adventure, drama, etc...the sole purpose of the book, in my grand opinion, should be to give the reader a form of escape into a fictional reality.

I always read books that end on a happy note. For myself, I do not find reading a book joyful if it ends badly. I know that in our reality, the world, in certain areas, really does suck. I fully acknowledge that. But I do not want to read about it, outside of a newspaper.

So, in no particular order, here is a list of books and/or series (highlighting my fav's) that I could read over and over:

Amelia Peabody Mysteries by Elizabeth Peters

My mother first introduced me to this series in the form of a Christmas present, my freshmen year of high school. Based in the late 19th and early 20th century, Amelia Peabody and her husband, R. Emerson, both excavate in Egypt throughout the series. Amelia also enjoys imagining herself as an investigator, and in all books, finds a mystery to solve. My favorite books in the series are: Crocodile on the Sandbank, Seeing A Large Cat, The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog.

Vicky Bliss Mysteries by Elizabeth Peters

Another of E. Peter's series, Vicky Bliss works in a German Art Museum who somehow is always pulled into a murder investigation especially by her German boss, Schmidt. Along with her on-and-off "boyfriend" John Smythe, a master thief, Vicky's adventures are very different from Amelia Peabody's, but just as exciting. My favorite books in the series are: Trojan Gold, and The Midnight Train to Memphis.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Before a trip on the train, I randomly picked this book up at the local book store on a whim; the cover and inside picture looked interesting. That started off a three day reading frenzy; this is a must read! Weaving in between three time periods, the reader discoveries why a little girl, in 1914, is put on a boat from England to Australia all alone, waiting for the Authoress to pick her up. Going between three stories can become confusing and at times, the story is very sad but, for me, it was all worth it. The only time I cried was at the ending, simply because the book had ended.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Daniel Sempere's father brings him to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books for his birthday; he is allowed to take one book and cherish it. Daniel picks out The Shadow of the Wind by mysterious author Julian Carax. From then on, the plot thickens, bringing in murder, lost love and adventure. Another must read.

Outleander by Diana Gabaldon

This book I am going to term as a historical sexy romance adventure. With interesting dialogue, especially with the Scottish accent, time travel, a horse back tour of 18th century Scotland and sex scenes that would make a priest blush, this is the first book in a series. For myself, I only liked this book so I would only recommend reading it. Claire, a retired nurse from WWII gets transported back in time to the 1700s and learns how to deal with the cultural changes. Over 800 pages, the read is fantastic, although there are some parts that are uncomfortable, but the rest of the plot makes up for that.

Sherlock Holmes Stories by Arthur Conan Doyle

All of Sherlock Holmes stories, short story or novel, are unique in that this type of mystery was created by Doyle and is continuously used to this day. Taking small, minute facts and coming up with a large conclusion was Sherlock's forte. One of my favorite stories was The Speckled Band.

"You know my method. It is founded upon the observance of trifles." - Sherlock Holmes

New Year's Resolutions: 2011

Resolution: (noun) a formal expression of opinion or intention made; a resolve or determination (from dictionary.reference.com)

Every year on January 1, most people celebrate the new year by creating a list of items that they intend to achieve. For myself, I am determined to actually accomplish my list for 2011. Years past, every new years resolution has never come true. This year however, I intend to make every one of them true.

1. Stop drinking coffee for one month.

Many have questioned why I gave up coffee. Since 2006, I have had at least one cup of coffee every day. That is 1460 days that I have had at least one cup per day. I love coffee, but I love what I add into the coffee even more. Because every cup of coffee (including the months when I was up to three cups per day) I would add either sugar and milk or two tablespoons of hot chocolate mix. I learned to deal with the stomach aches and the sugar high, and low, in the mornings.

But when I was up to three cups of coffee, I knew I needed to control myself. I soon realized that having the coffee was more of a routine; that when I was bored, I would get myself a cup. Once I figured that out, and brought myself down to one cup per day, I knew the next step was to give it up.

The first couple of days were horrible. Instead of coffee and hot chocolate mix, I was waking up to tea every day. And let me tell you, tea does not equal the coffee mix. Every second of the day I wanted coffee. Just coffee. The "side affects" were numerous. Although I did not get any headaches, my attitude nose dived into utter bitchyness. I started eating all day so to avoid caving. My digestive system was freaking out, and, although this may be TMI, my period is a little off.

I went to breakfast with friends, and had to sit through eating as they sipped on deliciously smelling coffee. It was absolute torture.

And then, one day, I woke up and suddenly the craving was gone. Everything was suddenly back to normal. My eating habits, digestive system and my attitude changed. For once, I know I will be able to last till February 1. And although I do plan to have coffee now and then, I now KNOW I can substitute coffee with certain tea.

2. Exercising up to 30 minutes per day.

I started running for exactly 30 minutes before the new years. And only last two days before I strained my upper back and neck. So, instead of starting out at exactly 30 minutes per day, I will begin slowly and work myself up to 30 minutes. I plan to begin this plan in February.

3. Go back to school.

Every day I seem to be saying this. I want to take more science classes, and maybe even a few art classes. Once my taxes are complete, here I come WVC!

4. Get a job.

As I left my job on Christmas Eve, income is always welcome. Of course, I am still housekeeping, but as the slow time in my town is upon us, the job search may or may not happen. When I go back to school, I will re-think this resolution again.

5. No eating chocolate for one month.

Originally I had planned to give up both coffee and chocolate at the same time. But why shock my body all at once. Instead, I will give up chocolate for Lent, which is March 9th to April 23rd for 2011.

6. Starting writing stories and doing more artwork.

I always enjoyed writing stories and drawing in high school, but I unfortunately gave it up during college. Now I would like to pick it back up.

So here are my resolutions. As stated above, I plan to actually accomplish them in 2011.

They may be silly, but just 17 days without coffee makes me feel somehow in control of my life. So, why not?