LaggedyAnne's New Writeups

Rh Sensitization (thing)

2008-01-02T21:21:28Z

When a pregnant woman's blood is Rh-negative, it is still likely that her baby will have Rh-positive blood. At some point during the pregnancy (usually labor), the baby's blood "leaks" into the mother's body, causing her to produce antibodies against the Rh-positive blood cells. This results in a condition called "Rh sensitization," wherein the antibodies can attack the baby's red blood cells and cause medical complications. The first pregnancy is the least complicated, but if the mother chooses to have any additional children, the complications from Rh sensitization can increase dramatically.

Upon finding out that you are pregnant, your doctor will perform a routine blood test to determine your blood type. Approximately 10% of the population has Rh-negative blood, so this is a relatively normal complication among pregnant women.

Rh sensitization is completely preventable with an injection called Rh Immunoglobulin. Unless you miscarry or have an abortion, you…

twilight (review)

2007-12-10T03:06:25Z

Like many teenage girls, I had a less than healthy obsession with vampires. There's something sensual about vampire novels--I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. My fascination began with books like Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire and Bram Stoker's Dracula. While I read the novels and had lots of typical daydreams of some day being "bitten," I never went so far as to role play or anything more. Eventually I moved on to other things and I thought I was over that phase in my life.

That is, until Friday, when a student let me borrow her copy of Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer. I knew this book was a new favorite among my female students, which ordinarily means I'd hate the book. But, heaven help me, I judged a book by its cover. The sleek, black jacket portrays two pale arms holding the reddest of apples. If I'd turned it over and read the synopsis, a cliché wrapped in platitudes, I probably would've handed it back to…

pumpkin pie spice (thing)

2007-11-22T16:10:43Z

Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of spices used when preparing pumpkin desserts (most obviously pumpkin pie) or any variety of harvest dishes. You can buy it at the grocery store or make it at home yourself.

Typically the mix is some blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and sometimes clove and mace. The most common ratio is probably 3 parts cinnamon, 2 parts ginger, and 1 part of any others.

BrevityQuest07

Triple Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake (recipe)

2007-11-22T15:53:36Z

Having recently discovered a love of baking that rivals only my love of eating, this year's Thanksgiving gave me the opportunity to venture into the world of pie. I've attempted to make no-bake pies and have found that they just don't hold up to the real deal. While this cheesecake doesn't require any fancy water techniques or a flair for the dramatic, it's definitely delicious.

This one came from allrecipe.com's "Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake," as found in their cookbook, Tried and True Favorites. I made a few substitutions and changes, but the recipe was so yummy that it didn't really need much tweaking. This is quite possibly my new favorite pumpkin cheesecake.

You will need:

16 ounces of softened cream cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 c canned pumpkin
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp

…

Raspberry Thumbprints (recipe)

2007-11-17T04:43:32Z

So these cookies are my newest love. They're light, buttery shortbread cookies with raspberry centers and a powdered sugar glaze. The most expensive ingredient is a good red raspberry jam--seedless, of course.

In the interest of full disclosure, the original recipe comes from allrecipes.com and is titled "Raspberry and Almond Shortbread Thumbprints." What I've done to make it my own mostly involves playing with a few of the ingredients and their measurements. I've also played with the cooking times.

For the shortbread:

2 cups flour
1 cup softened butter
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract*
1 teaspoon orange (or lemon!) zest (OPTIONAL)
1/3 cup raspberry jam (or preserves)

For the glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar (aka confectioner's sugar or icing sugar)
1.5 teaspoons almond extract*
1 teaspoon

…

Suze Orman (person)

2007-11-14T22:32:05Z

"People first, then money, then things."

Suze Orman is a world-famous financial planner and money guru who grew up dirt poor. The story goes like this: she was waiting tables and a group of strangers gave her money to invest at Merrill Lynch until she could raise enough to open her own restaurant. Completely ignorant in the financial world, she was quickly screwed out of her money by a broker.

The experience ended up to be her luckiest break. She got all gussied up and went into Merrill Lynch to apply for a job as an investment broker, despite her sad lack of experience. Thanks to women's lib and affirmative action, she got the gig and, while working there, sued Merrill Lynch for screwing her out of her money. A year later they settled her lawsuit and she was one of the most successful brokers at her office.

Since then, she has decided to put her money advice to work for the entire country as an…