REVIEW OF AL MAWAL RESTAURANT DECEMBER 26, 2021

 Are you tired of hamburgers, hot dogs and fries? How about a Middle Eastern food? I see heads nodding. I had a carryout of a combo tray for 3 ($ 23.99), from Al Mawal resstaurant in Sterling Heights, Michigan.  Tray was served with rice pilaf, 3 soups, small salad plate, 2 beef kabob, 2 chicken kabob, chicken cream chop, chicken tikka, beef shawarma, and chicken shawarma. Cost: $ 32.84, since I had an order of a large garlic sauce which probably cost $7.00.

It was a nice presentation, with the rice pilaf which covering the bottom of the whole tray. The meat were  nicely positioned on top of the rice, either shaped like a kabob or shredded. Seems to me that the meat taste the same but were just shaped different or shredded. Maybe it is just my taste buds? I like best the kabobs especially eaten with the garlic sauce. A word of advice with the garlic sauce....it taste good but very potent! What do you expect? It is garlic! 

The soup were pea soup, bean soup and vegetable soup. Pea soup was good, if you add salt and pepper. Bean soup was okay. Just okay? Yes, just okay. How about the vegetable soup? Oh, my! It is very sour. Too much tomato sauce? Maybe. If I am just ordering soup, I will not order this. It is too sour for my taste. 

Will I order this again? Yes, but I will request all pea soup!

That is all for now. Until next time.

A REVIEW OF LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA DECEMBER 21, 2021

A review of a pizza place. Little Caesars pizza is well known all over the world. It has locations in all 50 states and 18 international markets, a total of somewhere between 5,000 to 6,000. Can you guess where it started? In a strip mall in Garden City, Michigan in 1959 as a single family owned restaurant. Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, it was founded by Mike and Marian Ilitch. Can you believe it had been 62 years ago since it first opened and still going on strong?

Why is Little Caesars successful? Because it is inexpensive and fast. It used to be, not anymore. Everything is very expensive nowadays. Who can we blame? I can say something but that is not my topic! Go ahead, say it! No, no, no, no, no! Hmmmmm.....no spine. If I have no spine, how come I cannot bend my body to be a contortionist? Got ya! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Back to my topic. Did you know that Little Caesars is the third largest pizza chain by total sales in the United States? Only third? I thought it is the "numero uno ( # 1 )." Nope, and I am not telling who the number 1 and 2 are, since they are not what I am writing about. Enough for history lesson. Is is interesting or boring? Never mind, do not answer.

Here it goes. For an order of 1 large hot and ready ( $ 7.99) and a large meaty ( 3 meat pepperoni, bacon and ham $10.99), total was $20.12. Wow! That is expensive! The $7.99 used to be only $5.00 and the $10.99 was $8.00. Like I said, everything is expensive now.But this is still the cheapest pizza, I believe.

Well, is it good? If you are hungry, it is good. And if you are trying to conserve money, this is the pizza place for you. Actually, it is not bad at all. I will buy it again. It is the most inexpensive pizza place I think. Do you all agree?

That's all folks! Until next time. Have a very Blessed, Safe and Merry Christmas!

 

A CHINESE RESTAURANT REVIEW DECEMBER 14, 2021

I love Chinese food! My family loves Chinese food! How about you? Do you love Chinese food? I see heads bobbing up and down. Great! 

My family usually go to the Golden Harvest in Warren, Michigan. It serves dim sum and regular Chinese dishes. Does everyone know what is dim sum? Yes? No?

What is DIM SUM? Dim sum means 'touch the heart' in Chinese. It is a traditional Chinese meal made up of small plates of bite sized steamed or fried dumplings and other snack dishes which is usually accompanied by tea. Sounds good? You bet!

Anyway, what did we order? It was a variety of items which was a carryout. Cost of the items were anywhere from $3.75 per plate to $4.15 per plate. There were 9 plates ranging from shui mai, spring rolls, beef baby ribs with black pepper, fried meat dumplings, crab rangoon, and stuffed eggplant. They were all very good. The baby ribs could have been more tender, but the sauce was really good!

We also had an order of the regular Chinese dishes: salted spicy squid which were good and spicy; Cantonese chicken chow mein ( crispy noodles with vegetables and chicken); and Yang chow fried rice ( rice with vegetables and chicken). 

With the carryout, chopsticks and Chinese hot oil were added. Make sure to ask these when ordering because they will not include it unless asked. Soy sauce was not even in the bag. It is good that we have it at home. Did we get fortune cookies? My hubby was disappointed, we did not get any fortune cookies.  Oh, well.

Price for all of these food? $110.66. I thought it will only be around $90.00. Everything is soo expensive now, and everyone is raising their prices. Well? Was it worth the price? I guess. Because driving home, I can already smell it and it made me hungry that I could not wait for everyone, so I had to start eating the egg roll! Wow! That good? Yes! Problem with Chinese food.... you get hungry so fast after eating. So what? Then eat again! Oink!Oink! Ms Piggy? Shhhhhh...

That's all folks. Until next time. Take care and Happy eating!

 

 

ROSARY RALLY OCTOBER 14, 2017

Last Saturday, October 14, 2017 was the 10th Rosary Rally sponsored by America Needs Fatima. There were 21,570 rallies that day throughout America and I was blessed to be one of the rally captains of this blessed event.
 My rally was held in a park in Sterling Hts, Michigan. The weather was gloomy and rainy but it did not prevent us from holding our yearly rally. My husband and I decided to go early to the park to see if the covered pavilion is available. Thank God and the Blessed Mother...it was available, although we have to share it with a group of people. We were so glad and thankful that our dearest friend, Gus, helped us to set up.

 At 12 noon, we started....we sang, recited the Rosary, intentions, consecration and other prayers. There was a guy from the group that was loud that listened and came to sit with us. He asked me if he could keep the copy of the 10 reasons why we do a rosary rally in public and he was quite impressed. I noticed that he took one of the rosaries on the table and was trying to follow us. I gave him a brochure with the illustrations of how to pray the rosary. I hope and pray that he got something good out of this. Who knows? He might start to pray the rosary!
Our challenges last Saturday? The devil was hard at work! The group of men were playing in the back and they were sooooo loud! We had to compete with them, when they became loud, our voices in unison became louder also. It was a shouting match at times which we tried to ignore and just kept on praying. God is good! We were able to finish our prayers beautifully and the loud mouth men did not dampen our spirits.
 After the prayers, we stayed to socialize. Can you believe that these men were not as loud when we were praying? Go figure!
We were all so happy to see and talk to each other again. I think it was almost 2 pm when we finished and we all cannot wait for next year's rally which will be on October 13, 2018. Mark your calendars!
I want to thank each and everyone of the participants in my rally. I want to especially thank Gus for all the help he did. Thank you Gus, Baby & Ed for your help! Thank you all! You guys are the best! Thank you God and the Blessed Mother for another successful rally!
OMG! On the way back to our cars, the rain poured! God gave us a sprinkle of " Holy Water" in the form of rain! We truly received our blessing that day!
May God bless America and the whole world! May God bless all of us!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! DECEMBER 31, 2013

Wow! 2013 soon will be a thing of the past. Time flies when you're having fun??? I just hope & pray that 2014 will be a better year for all of us, our country and the whole world!

My wishes for 2014? Peace in the whole world! Cessation of abortion in Michigan, the whole United States and the whole world! That God will be back in everybody's life and God will continue to bless our dear country. Religious liberty & freedom will continue in our beloved country.

Here's wishing everyone a safe, healthy, blessed, prosperous & happy New Year. May God bless all of us!!! Cheers!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

LABOR DAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2013

It is Labor Day, last day for summer activities especially barbecuing ribs, chicken, steak, hamburger, hot dogs, vegetables etc..etc... Excuse me, talk about yourself!  Why? Because I am sure there are many people that barbeque all year round, including us.  That is right! As long as the weather is nice with no snow on the ground, we fire up our barbeque grill and start grilling!  Amen! You can say that again!  Anyway, I am deviating from the subject because I found this very interesting.

Do you know where your food comes from? I thought I knew. The other day, I bought a bottle of apple juice for a recipe I am going to make...thought it was a product of the USA since it has the Meijer's name on the label plus the price is better than the other brands. I guess consumers really look at price first, which I am guilty of.  But who wouldn't, with the sorry state of our economy? Besides, do we not always hear that we should try the store's brand first than the name brand items since it is cheaper, has the same taste, consistency, blah...blah...blah..

Anyway, guess what? When I looked at the label, I found out that it was " distributed by Meijer Distribution Center, Grand Rapids, Michigan."

I looked at the bottle closely, and lo and behold, "Product of China" was on top of the label, on the bottle itself.  It is so easy to miss. Why was it not on the label itself?  Did they do it on purpose so it could be missed very easily?

Why am I rambling about this? First of all, Meijer is in Michigan, originated in Michigan and the corporate headquarters is in Walker, Michigan in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area. Second, did you all know that Michigan ranks 3rd in the nation in apple production!  So, you would think that Michigan has enough to supply Meijer or any place in Michigan?  I do not know about imports and exports, but I just thought it would be nice for our stores to patronize first our local grown products, don't you all think so?  That is all folks, my 2 cents spill about what I bought which surprised me.  Why?  It should not have surprised you since one can rarely see any products made in the USA anymore, is it not?  I rest my case!

Have a safe, happy and blessed Labor Day!! May God bless all of us and let us all pray for world peace!!

The American Dollar

The American dollar has been on top for a very long time. Will it stay to be on top or will it be a thing of the past? This is a very good question that everybody is following. For one thing, a lot of foreign investors have a lot of dollars in their hands. Will they really dump it and replace it with what? The yuan from China? The euro from the European nation? Or will it be something else?? I really do not get it why many countries are sooo eager to get the United States at the bottom of the barrel, but the citizens of many countries keep coming here to invest, have a good life with no restrictions in large mansions and live without any government interference and rule! And why is our government, seems like, is now opting to control everything in sight! Are the United States citizens not capable of tending for themselves? I do not think it is that, I think it is because there are a few elite people that are greedy and selfish that wants to control not only the United States but the whole world! What do you think? Am I right or wrong on my assumption? Comments are always welcome! I have noticed that it is getting worse with the US dollar! You cannot buy anything cheap now! When you go to a store, $50 is nothing! Sure you can buy something, it is not even a full bag if you get meat! Yikes! That's too bad we cannot have live chickens, pigs etc in the city! Even the fruits and vegetables are so expensive! What can we eat that is cheap? Nothing really! How much more can we stretch our dollar? Gasoline is very expensive also! It is now averaging $3.65/gal in Michigan, and I am sure that it is higher in other states like California! But California's pay is higher too than Michigan! That is true, but their cost of living in California is higher! Ugggghhhhh!!! We cannot win, can we? What we can do is just pray that everything change for the better. Let us also pray that there will be world peace. Miracles do happen, and hopefully there are enough people praying for the whole world that maybe God will be really merciful towards all of us! Have a great week, everyone!!! God bless!!!

Price Fluctuations!!!

We have all seen how the unrest in the Middle East is making chaos to us here in the United States. Everything is outrageously high! And this is just the beginning...so they say. I could not imagine how much more the cost for everything will be!

Gas. It is now averaging $3.55 /gal in Michigan. Because of the high price of gasoline I am always in the lookout for a cheaper price. If you have a Kroger card, the price per gallon is only $3.45 at participating Shell stations! But before you go running to Kroger, make sure you know your prices! There are some items that are high and some items that are reasonable...that is why most of the time I just buy sale items!

Food. Today, at Kroger, a 1 gallon of Canola oil is on sale for less than $8.00! Is it time to stock up on oil?? You bet! Vegetable oil is more than $8.00! Corned beef is also on sale because of the coming St. Patrick's Day! I bought one package, cooked it and it is good! I am thinking of going back to freeze! Other food prices are really high.

Housing - Did you know that the value of houses even went down? And to top it all, the property tax went down very little! Why is that? Who knows? Almost all states and cities are going bankrupt so they have to really think of how they can get more money or keep their money!

So, what are we as citizens do? Learn to conserve everything? Tighten our belts? All of the above! And they said, this is just the beginning of these skyrocketing prices for everything! We have to hold on for the choppy road ahead!!!

Michigan Governor's Tax Proposals

Michigan residents especially the young, the old and the poor should take notice of the new tax proposals of the new Republican governor, Rick Snyder! It is not a pretty picture and hopefully his cronies in Lansing will challenge him and not pass the bill! This is a rude awakening for people who voted for Snyder! Now, Michiganders would love Jennifer Granholm to come back! Is it time to recall Rick Snyder as the governor of Michigan????

His budget cuts are mainly for the young....in education...he is cutting the state aid for universities for 15 % and will cut public schools by 4 % or $470.00 per student! That is a big cut and will not be good for the students, the teachers and the schools!

Snyder wants to decrease state aid to local government. How much more can the cities take the burden? If that is done, heaven forbids...will the property tax increase? That is not possible considering that the value of houses have deteriorated!

Tax credits for the film industry will be limited at $25 million. Currently, there is no limit! If he cuts it, there goes another source of revenue for the state of Michigan out the window!

Snyder also plans to eliminate the additional $2,300 exemption that seniors can claim, and the $600 per child deduction for parents! That is not good because seniors does not have many deductions to start with and if he eliminate this exemption, seniors will be paying higher taxes which they could not afford!

Income tax rate would remain at 4.25 %! Wow!

Private pensions will be taxed. Public or former state employee pensions will be exempted! Why is that? This is not fair! What is the purpose of the taxing of the private pension? Per Snyder, it would generate $900 million toward the $1.5 billion cost of Snyder's plan to replace the 6% profit tax on businesses. In other words, the governor is taxing seniors so Michigan businesses can pay less! Snyder owns businesses in Michigan, is he not? This will really be a big plus for his business! No wonder he could afford to only get $1 per year salary! What does Snyder wants seniors to do? To go back to work until they die? He is a tough,cold hearted individual! I am really dissapointed at how our elected Republican is turning his head against of all people...the seniors! He really want the seniors to suffer and die quickly it seems!

What is our beloved Michigan going to be? If he gets this passed, this state would not really be good for seniors! It would really be a shame to see more seniors living in poverty, all because the new Republican governor wants to tax the hard earned dollars that the seniors deserved! All seniors should band together and march to Lansing to tell the governor to leave the senior's pension alone!

Miss USA, 2010

Welcome to Miss USA, 2010!!!! Why am I blogging about the Miss USA pageant? Three reasons: I like to talk about beautiful, smart women, it is one of the interesting subjects on earth, and last, but not least, I do not have anything better to do!!!! Ha! Ha! Ha! You are sooo silly!!! When I read the third reason, I almost fell on the floor and peed on my pants!!! Oh, well, did I get your attention???? Of course, you did, you nincompoof!!!
There were 51 good looking women that competed in Planet Holywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. I did not say 51 gorgeous women because I thought some of them just looked like ordinary women. They might look ordinary, but probably they are very smart, don't you think so? You are probably right because they have to answer some questions really good and fast. That alone is really hard to do especially if you are in front of a live audience!!! The competition was done in Las Vegas. Do you think that is the reason why the women wore sexy costumes???? I think that is one of the reason, but the number one reason, I think, is to have controversy so more people will watch the show!!!! Ding...ding.... ding!!!! I hit the jackpot!!!! That was the one and only reason.... to get more viewers!!!! More viewers, more moolah!!!! Anything for money, right Donald?????
The women's photos were indeed racy..... women wearing fishnet stockings, high heels, sexy lingerie, with smoldering looks, sexy pauses, and plenty of bare skin. It looks like they are ready to pose for racy magazines! Ay.ya.yay!!! What were the executives of Miss USA thinking???? Oh,boy!!! It is already 2010. Wake up!!!! Times are changing, you cannot compete with the viewers unless there are some sexy things about it!!!!! Come on, sex sells!!!!! Sad, but, you are right, the world's moral has really gone downhill!!!! Even Miss USA's image has changed!!! What do you think will the other countries say about this??? Anyone??? Who cares what the other countries will say as long as the contestants did not do anything stupid! They are just pictures!!!! Who was crowned Miss USA, 2010??? They were down to 5 contestants: Miss Maine, Katherine Ashley Whittier, the tallest and the only one wearing a black gown, was the fourth runner up; followed by Miss Colorado, Jessica Hartman, the third runner up; Miss Virginia, Samantha Evelyn Casey was the second runner up; and Miss Oklahoma, Morgan Elizabeth Woolard, the first runner up. Any of these five beauties could have been the new Miss USA, but Miss Michigan won!!!!!! I believe that she had the extra ooomph! factor with her! When she walks, it is different, I do not know how to say it, but it seems like she can hypnotize and seduce people with her walking!!!! Maybe it is the gyration of her hips! I bet you she knows how to belly dance! LOL.
Who is Miss Michigan? She is Rima Fakih, 24, daughter of Lebanese immigrants. She is the first Arab- American Miss USA from Dearborn, Michigan! She is very pretty and very smart. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan with degrees in Economics and Business Management. She plans to begin law school after her one year reign. Sounds really impressive??? You bet! Hurray for Michigan!!!!!
Did you know that the Miss USA pageant is 59 years old??? It has come a long, long way for women. I noticed though that the majority of the beauty queens have breast implants! I guess they allow that now. How do you know?? Their breasts are sooo formed and not droopy. So, actually, the contestants do not really have their natural beauty! Their beauty is enhanced by plastic surgery here and there! Is that fair or not??? Then, if that is the case the women that have won the title from yesteryears were really beautiful....they do not have anything artificial on them!!! Right???? Maybe the competition is stiffer and more intense than before, from swim suits to evening gowns, that is why the contestants get under the knife to enhance their overall appearance??? I wonder about the talent, it used to be big and televised. Do they still do it, and is just not aired due to time constraints??? Does anyone know??? Do they also have interviews in the earlier years of the pageant??? Who knows and who cares??
I guess we are sooo obsessed about outward beauty that women resort to everything arificial in them! Are we ever going to see a nude beauty as our Miss USA, untouched by a knife or plastic surgery??? Hmmmm... I think that is a very tall order! I think you will be waiting forever to see a real beauty. Forget what you would like to see, just watch and admire the bevy of beauties, real body parts or not, parading before your eyes every year!!!
Posted by vs at 5/23/2010 10:55 AM Add Comment