Are you Culturally Literate?

So a professor of mine was discussing these "cultural literacy" tests that are available to test how culturally literate you are. I find this concept both amusing and perplexing at the same time. Either way, I made my way to the website and decided to take the test. I took the "American Literature" test and it dawned on me... Literature = Status.
The memorization of Dostoyevsky or the casual mention of Thoreau in a discussion at a cocktail party means just as much about status than it does anything else. Why is that? Who determines canonicity? What led critics to determine that "The Great Gatsby" was more important than any other works at the time? Can Harry Potter be literature? Can a cookbook be literature? What are your thoughts?

Take the cultural literacy in YOUR field of knowledge and see how you score.

http://www.readfaster.com/culturalliteracy/

Ear Love

Need something new to nod to? Take a break from the TOP 40, and play this in your car...LOUD. Some of my favorite Artists....

Lykke Li:



Ellie Goulding.







Here is a soft, happy, and simple tune by Rosie and Me. It reminds me of Summer.



Enjoy... :)

Summer Solstice

Just want everyone out there to make sure to stop and enjoy the sun. So take a day off from work and go play by a fountain!
Much Love,

Tiffany

My Child To Be

To My Child to be,

There is only one of you. Amongst a sea of rainbow faces that tell you to fall into line, you stand out. March at your own pace and tell them why. I will SUPPORT it. Always. You are beautiful. Do not let the pages of a glossy magazine dictate how you should feel about yourself. Everyone is different and that in itself is beauty. Seek knowledge. We were not put on this earth to obtain degrees. Just seek knowledge from all avenues of life and I will be satisfied. Read the books you are supposed to read, and then read the books you aren’t supposed to read. They usually teach you more. Read labels, old Journals, Street Signs, and newspapers. Make your own decisions about them. Know that Parents are people too, and we aren’t always right. Know that times change, but morals don’t. Be a good person. Give more than you take. Listen carefully. Laugh loudly. Love immensely. I will support whomever you love. Choose wisely. Grow things. Start with wildflowers, you can’t go wrong. Be humble, for life is a gift. Crying is okay, that’s what chocolate is for. You can play whatever sport you like, and love whatever color you love. Follow your dreams with your feet on the ground. I will support your aspirations. Speak up for yourself; it’s how your Mother survives. Be empowered. I would do anything for your happiness.

Love,
Mommy.

Scarves

I love scarves because they remind me of the time I left you.

I love the memory of untying my red silk scarf on the side of the highway

In the middle of the night.

Jewelry fell from it like glittering confetti twinkling in the dark.

They scattered down the grassy ditch alongside the dew drops

Which were far more priceless.

As I drove, I can feel the memories flying out of the open window

Like a road map I once so desperately needed

in order to find my way around.

I once thought Love meant a constant aching need.

To be accepted. To be praised. To be valued.

I was wrong.

I once thought that anger meant passion

and passion meant pain.

Nascence fills my throat and wells into my eyes.

my hands grip the leather wheel and I exhale

and I scream so loud...

I am not sure if it's a cry of joy or sorrow.

But maybe a little bit of both.

Fireflies trail my Volvo.

They know I am on my way to something miraculous.

I am a Woman.

This occurs to me.

A woman Without a map.

Warm ,exhausted and determined.

But the world is Rich with harvest.

The scarf no longer hides my face.

It adorns it.

Face....

I have one.

Voice....

I have one too.

This is enough for me.

A smile spreads across my berry mouth.

I am full and ripe and blush

Broad and grand and flush.

Throbbing electric glow.

With a fearsome wing span.

I will make it. I will grow.

Towards the city without a plan.


To dip my toes in a freedom

of tomorrow.

This is what I vowed.

Baleen for the Rainy days

and Silver paint for the clouds.

Jesus shows up at Walmart

So I decided I am gonna talk about some media/celeb stuff on this blog...to change it up a little. The latest? A couple from North Carolina Claim to possess a receipt with the image if Christ on it.

Gentry Lee Sutherland and Jacob Simmons got the receipt after paying for photos at Walmart. The couple noticed the image several days after their Walmart purchase and believe it to be blessed. "People are going to believe what they want to believe," said Sutherland.
"There's tons of people who will say, 'Oh, we're in the Bible Belt,' but here's my question to the doubters, who else has the power to put their face on a check-out receipt but Jesus?" The couple plan to keep the receipt and share it with close relatives and loved ones.


If you ask me, it's about time Walmart found a little Jesus.

Easy Breezy Baked Mac and Cheezy

Woah. Before you run away, must I remind you? I NEVER give you hard stuff right? So don't worry about it! Here is my little secret..this recipe uses BOXED macaroni and cheese! Feel better? Good! You will feel even more amazing once you taste it. So let's get started. You will need:


1 or 2 boxes of your fav. brand Mac and cheese. ( Depending on how many people are eating,
1 box generally serves 2 people )

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Grated Parmesan Cheese. (I used a Parmesan/Romano mix)

2 cups of milk

1 tablespoon of Butter.

2 tablespoons of Cream Cheese.

Bread crumbs.

OPTIONAL MIX INS: Spicy sausage, chicken, chopped broccoli.

Preheat Oven to 370 degrees.

Step 1: Prepare Macaroni as directed on box, drain, leaving pasta moist. ( While pasta is boiling saute any mix In's you want to use, so that they are cooked)

Step 2: Over low flame add cheese packet, 1 cup of milk, butter, cream cheese, and sprinkle in some shredded cheddar and Parmesan until it is gooey.Salt and Pepper to taste. A dash of garlic powder, if desired.

Add Mix In's Last. Stir.

Step 3: Pour Macaroni into a casserole dish and layer with Cheddar Cheese, and Parmesan. If you are making a lot, alternate cheese and pasta layers until you run out of pasta, ending with Cheese layer on top.

Step 4: Pour 1 cup of milk over the entire dish. Sprinkle with a light layer of bread crumbs.

Step 5: Bake for about 30 minutes, or until cheese starts to bubble and bread crumbs start to toast lightly.

Serve with a Hawaiian roll, and a beer. :)


YOU ARE WELCOME.

If you liked this recipe, check out my other easy recipes in the sidebar.





Have any easy cooking tips? Ideas? Comment below!