Batters, Stuffings and Rubs

Asian Chicken Rub

Use on soy marinated chicken

2 parts white sesame seeds to 1 part black sesame seeds

add 3/4 TBS Powdered Ginger and Garlic for each 1/2 C Black sesame seeds

Beer Batter

Use a 1/4 C Blackening Spice to 1 picture of Pale Ale and add flour to desired consistency

Dry Herb Mix

Combine equal Parts dried Thyme, Basil and Oregano

Dry Rub 01

1/2 C Ancho Chili Powder
1/2 Lb. Brown Sugar
1/4 C. Salt
1/8 C. Granul~ Garlic
1 TBS. Cumin
1/4 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper

Dry Rub 02

Combine Equal Parts Cumin, Dried Garlic, Salt and Pepper

Mushroom Blue Cheese Stuffing 

Great to stuff a blackened steak

1/2 C Blue cheese crumbles

1/2 C Bread Crumbs

1/2 C Chopped Portabello Mushroom (stems and caps)

1/2 TBS Minced Garlic

1/2 TBS Olive Oil

Seafood Flour for Frying 

Great for dusting seafood like calamari before frying

1/2 LB Flour

1/4 C Chili Powder

1/4 TBS each salt and pepper

 

 

 

 

Aigo Bouido

Aigo Bouido (Garlic Soup)

This soup is perfect for the coming Fall weather, rich and creamy without any dairy, it has a sweet bite from the boiled garlic. Enjoy!

Ingredients

16 Whole unpeeled garlic cloves

2 QT Water

2 TB Salt

1 Pinch pepper

1/4 TSP Sage

1/4 TSP Thyme

1/2 Bay Leaf

4 Sprigs parsley

3 TB Olive Oil

3 Egg Yolks

preparation

Cook garlic in Boiling water for 30 seconds, drain

Run cold water over garlic and peel

Add peeled garlic and all ingredients but Oil and Egg and Boil for 30 minutes

Beat Egg Yolks with a wire whisk until thick and slowly add oil by drops

Beat a ladle full of soup into egg mixture, be slow here as to not make scrambled eggs

Slowly add the rest of soup while straining and pressing garlic through a fine mesh strainer

Serve immediately with French bread

Garnish with parsley

Recipe courtesy of Kevin W Hogan 

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Love Is A Messy Business or ‘Will You Be My June Carter-Cash?’

The past few months have been a whirlwind for me.  I have come from writing 400 word articles for $11 a pop to standing on the precipice of unending abundance in my calling, selling real estate. I talked about this change in mind set a few weeks ago here and have lived my life through progressive realization since reading Steve Morris’ book “Born To Be Exceptional.”

In the course of developing plans for my life I found that I wanted to have someone to share my life with. The three fold path I have laid out, a one year plan to grow my business, a five year plan to become financially independent and debt free and a ten year plan to have the seeds of my retirement start to bloom (It will take my kids getting through college before I can truly retire, but by the time they go I will be entering a period of wrapping up my business), include a certain woman that I have known for many years.  I see it, feel it, know it and live it in all my actions and thoughts.

After my x-wife left I never believed I could trust or love another, normal for such a life changing event.  It took me two years to find my way through the grieving that comes with the termination of a marriage and has been another three for me to feel comfortable pursuing someone. Most people I know who have been through something similar jump back in at some point much earlier and try to find a person to spend their days with. I never saw this as a viable option. I fought for my children to live primarily with me and took a vow in my mind to protect them from the volatility accompanying new relationships.  The last thing I wanted was a parade of women coming into their lives so I had a series of ‘friends’ that would come over on the weekend when the girls were visiting their mother, but that I kept at arms length for the most part.

I never saw anything beyond what I wanted, never took these women’s feelings in to account, even when I was clear that our relationship was purely physical. How can you not become attached on a more deeper level?  And if I felt they were trying for something more I never spoke to them again. I hope the pain was minimal for them and that, though I was selfish, my honesty upfront dulled it. I could be callous and say “you knew what you were getting into,” but I know everyone thinks (and hopes) that a physical relationship may become something more.  Like Jesse Winchester said “You have to plant your seed in the dirt my friend if you want the thing to grow.”  Love is a messy business, but from it comes great beauty if you nurture it.

I wouldn’t change what I did, but I have found that one of these women truly did capture my heart.  It was a complicated scene from the beginning because of our history and I won’t go into that.  We met and hung out not long after my x left and I just wasn’t ready on any level to be involved. Suffice it to say that she is everything I ever want and need in a partner and I let it slip away because the timing was wrong.

This is the crux of a moral dilemma I now find myself in. When I close my eyes and see myself a year from now it is her I see myself with, when I see myself three years from now it is her I see myself married to. The problem is she has moved on from me, has a boyfriend and a good life.

I ask myself is it wrong to pursue her, knowing the pain of having someone you love run off like my x did?  I have never been one to believe in ‘following your heart’, so I would never try to ‘steal’ her away with some Casanova sweet talk. I have, however, let her know how I feel and worry that I may inadvertently throw a wrench into her life. If there is even a smoldering ash of what we had, my simple words may make it rise to heat and flame. Is this fair to her boyfriend?

I can’t help but think about Johnny and June Cash and his chasing her for years.  People watch “Walk The Line” as a great romantic love story, but what about the people they left hurt in the dust.  Was he wrong to chase her, to pursue her, to be so honest while at the same time self centered?

I know how I feel about it, I want her in my life, I want to provide for her and let her follow her calling without the incessant work she has to do to support herself at a 9 to 5.  She could do great things and help many people given the freedom to do it with all her energy. I am writing this for clarity in my mind, I believe we belong together and think that through patience and perseverance one day we will stand before our friends and maker and be married.  As for her boyfriend, my hope is there relationship will run its course and when it does I will be there.

Ginger Carrot Bisque

Ginger Carrot Bisque

This soup is perfect for the coming Fall weather. Make it Vegan by using olive oil, soy creamer and Veggie stock.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/4 C (plus 2 TB) Unsalted Butter

2 LB Carrots Peeled and Thinly Sliced

2 Large Onions Chopped

1 TB Minced, Peeled Fresh Ginger

2 TS Grated Orange Peel

1/2 TS Ground Coriander

5 C Chicken Stock

1 C Half and Half

1/2 C Fresh Minced parsley

preparation

Melt butter over medium heat in a heavy large sauce pan.

Add carrots and onions

Cover and cook until softened (about 15 minutes)

Add ginger, orange peel and coriander and 2 C stock

Reduce heat to med-low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until carrots are very tender

Puree soup in small batches in food processor or blender

Return to pot and add remaining stock and half and half

Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 15 minutes

Garnish with parsley

 

 

Recipe courtesy of Kevin W Hogan 

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Yes, It Is The Magic Word

Tuesday finds me up a little early and ready for the day, seeking the promise of abundance in the deep purple that floats above the dim glow of shopping centers and traffic lights. It says offer no resistance to life, let things happen, embrace change and surrender.

This brings a state of grace, of ease, of lightness.

One thing I have found since realizing my destiny was to be exceptional is that when you base your happiness on your expectations you are never happy, when you do the opposite, when you are no longer dependant on things being a certain way, whether good or bad, you are no longer a slave to an idea of happiness. How to do this is the challenge so we must ask ourselves what is the best way to let go, to not expect certain things, either from life, from my kids or from the other adults in my life.

(An example would be expecting Amanda to let Cerise go to Karate on a day she has visitation. I should ask and not expect her to say yes, I should let the answer be what it is and not cause myself the frustration and anger of her standard response when I ask her to let the girls do something “It’s my time, why do you have to schedule things when I have them”.)

Happiness does not come from outside, it is within, like Jesus (or someone in the Bible said) the kingdom of heaven is within. I think most people miss this; they think that Jesus will bring them happiness, but what He said was that if you followed him, followed his example, then you would find happiness within yourself, calm, as he had.

Once we have done this then we can learn to dance in the flow, to whirl and twirl to the rhythm of life and not fight against the current that swells and ebbs in each moment we share.

It is not the world that causes our disappointments, it is our inner demons, critics or parents that like to tell us, “that’s nice, but…” Buts are for pooping, they are full of crap.

This is all done on, manifested on, a conscious level and permeates to our subconscious.

I am focusing on the fullness in my life, the abundance that will ever expand and help me to fulfill my purpose and learning to affirm that ;

I have plenty of time to do the things I want

I am creating total success in an easy and relaxed manner

I am relaxed and enjoy fulfilling my purpose.

To affirm is to remember my dreams and let their meaning be clear.

You have two options in life A) focus on your strengths or B) focus on your shortcomings. Failure is just a sign that you need to readjust and refocus your plan, not an end to the ability to achieve our goals.

Ask yourself what is the problem and answer it in the right way, by saying “am I doing everything I can to deconstruct and solve this problem” “What are the parts, what is the essence, what is the fundamental core that the rest of this situation stems from?”

Fix that and the rest will fall into place.

I am sensible and in control of my life and finances.

I am creating total financial success in an easy and relaxed manner, in a healthy and positive way, in its own perfect time and for the highest good of all.

To stand back, separate yourself from a problem, from your ‘self’, is a great way to gain the perspective that helps you to live a life that is free from outside expectations dictating your happiness.

Know your doubts and fear so you can affirm their opposite, the positive, the good, the half-full. It is alright, we are only limited by our beliefs and the critic inside of our dreams.

Our beliefs, right or wrong, good or bad, are not true until we make them true by affirming them, change what you affirm consciously and unconsciously and you will change the course of your beliefs and dreams.

Can you answer these questions:

“What is my purpose?”  This is hard, you may need to meditate on it, to mull it over, but the answer will guide everything you do and bring focus.

Next ask “What is a deeply satisfying life?”

Answer that and then all that is left is to design it, the blueprint to true success is within us.

Then finally ask “What life do I dream of having?” This is an extension of what is a satisfying life and will give you the tools to set goals which in turn make the blueprint.

You will get where you are going even if you don’t know where it is, but wouldn’t it be easier if you knew where you were going, to find the path of least resistance to your destination (destiny). The difference between destiny and fate is this plan.

The hardest thing I have found is fighting that voice that says “You can’t” (I don’t even like writing that) and it is best done, by me, in a calm way, by remembering that it is testing my faith in myself, that the voice of doubt creates a path of resistance and it is the path of least resistance that is the road I walk.

In Bucklands Complete Book Of Witchcraft there is a phrase “So Mote It Be”, that you say when casting a spell, I see that casting a spell is not the thing of movies, but rather a setting of your inner self on the right path, the path of least resistance and affirming it. You create the life you want by visualizing it, dreaming it, and affirming it. The rest begins to take care of itself because your are no longer fighting the world around you, but rather embracing it and becoming one with the truth of your dreams.

There is a great book I suggest you find and read called The Bhagavad Gita, it “is a 700-verse scripture that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. This scripture contains a conversation between Pandava prince Arjuna and his guide Lord Krishna on a variety of theological and philosophical issues.” Reading it opened up parts of my mind that helped me see within every adversity is an equal or greater benefit and that problems are simply speed bumps that slow me down for a good reason; that within every problem is a oppotunity, a great gift.

See yourself as the person you want to be, where you belong and doing what you want to fulfill the purpose in life you have been shown.

Success only happens when you see it and place yourself in it, imagine it and allow it to manifest itself, it is the ability to learn new things and be challenged. Remember that luck is preparedness meeting opportunity. When we prepare, opportunities present themselves.

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Tuesday In Four Parts

I
Then what again is a poem;
somethiong carved
out of soul,
shaken from a swelled head, bursting
onto the page
in ink,
in blood.

I spoon fed her ice-
cream as we rode
across a terrain of hours;
past shuttered windows
that had no need to stay warm
or starving for answers,
too short words and backwards letters.
a silent road across forever
that could feel the eyes upon us:

they warned me of poison
headaches I can't kill to be lifted.
It doesn't need to be more
then love when you're with me
and you're leaving.

II
My skin will become dark if I let it
play in ink and newspaper. So join
the golf team or chess club
and feel the strain. Do
the rub. They say we grind now:
Think I better. Move to another.

These walls and floors are sterile
(I think he thought I might
not tell him) with blue speakers
in  the cornors and screens
in the windows. Just don't look
in, you'll be fine. Let this
be an answer when you ask
---I am the dancer behind your mask.

These halls are empty and tired,
worn with the help of morning
and the words that can't
stop moving like the four winds
holding Timet.  She has fallen
(come in, I'll show you).
We can hide in the cracks,
retreat back into the black.

III
I dream of winning the lottery,
1.6 million for twenty years,
and on my headstone "it's what killed him."

I don't live at home anymore, so far
the distance we must go, lost in autumn
where my father recoils to the crone's
breast and sleep. My doors close
as softly at forty-two, slightly cracked
to let a current into this still night
that again will return to dawn;
if we could only be that strong, in the cracks
of dark where we dwell. So much lost
youth clouded wisdom trying to control her.
Written in her bible, her stories, along
the coast and beyond the highland
on a backroad, trains skirt
along the distant plains, always
as far from home.

I dwell south of the sun,
where dawn hides, a garden blooming
in winter. She gave me silent rest
that is lost in the glare
of the harvest moon.

I dance down her path, I dream 
of the lover who shown
brightly past the dawn, wondering why.

IV
I'm hard as nails, the same
as before, fighting the same
ghosts that cry overhead:

How much is just surviving, not
satisfying the dry throat;
come and drink, tired one,
the silence so deep.

Maybe I want to
know how to stop
the tears and let the music play
away yesterday.

Secrets,
Sinking,
Nothing;
not a word for days.
Words get to stretch themselves out
and she doesn't speak anymore.

Tell me something
never heard before, on
and off; sitting
like a painting
posed too real, bruning
books, destroying
Words:
Instant satisfaction,
a prime reaction, but no

Love. Won't you say
"Well never walk alone",
a cold voice
on the telephone
I can't trust to pull me through.

Maybe you should
tell me lies
'I'll always be by your side
and up your ass'. Now I just don't

know, going back
into the past.

This House

This house was built in the 1950’s.  The street it is on was here long before the developement that rose behind it and the strip malls and gas stations that turned the highway from a lonely two lane road into a major thoroughfare.  The inside is newer then the out, but if you look closely in the corners and in the cracks along the baseboards you can see the ghosts of what was. No moviestar would have ever walked these floors, they were built for a workingman and his wife. 

At some point we gave up on farmland, paved the fields and built communities, cookie cutter houses almost stacked on top of one another. Many people came rushing in, good people looking for an escape from Baltimore and it’s surrounding neighborhoods, good people looking to let their kids grow up in a world that had slowly faded on. The rolling pastures, old oak trees, quite streams and animals hidden beneath were gone; that is the irony, the idyllic landscape they came to find had to be destroyed so they could build a home. 

If you listen you can hear voices on the wind, they speak of angels and farmers, retelling the stories their parents but whispered by candlelight behind the barn. Or inside a kitchen thats life flowed and filled the cold of bedrooms where they struggled to find sleep.  Life was hard, that gets lost in the image the pilgrims imagined, and the land was only willing to provide by sweat and tears. 

I came here for the same reasons as most but decided to stake my claim in what was old.  It was not to turn back time but rather to respect the desire to build something that lasts. Progress has given us a nice place to live and covered up the truth of the past.  In this house I find some semblence of a past I never lived, one my grandparents aspired to but is a foreign and fancied. 

Homes For Sale in Sykesville’s Edgewood Neighborhood

Homes for Sale in Sykesville’s Edgewood Neighborhood

Edgewood is a neighborhood with Homes for Sale in Sykesville and Homes for Sale in Eldersburg area of Carroll County MD. that has mid-level single family homes. It is the perfect neighborhood for an expanding family or if you just need more space. The schools are consistently ranked high and there is shopping close by. The neighborhood is close to both Baltimore and DC, with quick access to Rt 70, 695 and 95 via Liberty Rd or Rt 32. Call Kevin W Hogan for a showing at 410 917 6116

 

Edgewood

904 Derby Drive Eldersburg, MD21784

$454,9004 beds, 2.5 baths 2671 sq. ft.mls no. CR8069840

You can View this Property, Get More Information or Schedule a Visit

Edgewood

781 Sussex Court Eldersburg, MD21784

$509,0004 beds, 3.5 baths 3859 sq. ft. mls no. CR8076483

You can View this Property, Get More Information or Schedule a Visit

Kevin W Hogan– Realtor –  Member of The Paul Gillespie Team of Exit Preferred Realty – Through a combination of advanced search technologies and old fashioned personalized service, he affords his clients with the highest level of service and is there for each step of the sale or purchase of your home. Specializing in communities in and around the Carroll County area such as Eldersburg, Sykesville, Mt. Airy, Woodbine and Hampstead.

 

Acorn Village – Mid-Level Homes in Sykesville, MD

Acorn Village – Mid-Level Homes in Sykesville, MD.

Acorn Village is a neighborhood in the Sykesville / Eldersburg are of Carroll County MD. It is one of the many Homes For Sale in Sykesville. Homes for sale in Acorn Village are great mid-level homes, with schools that are consistently ranked high. Set back against the scenery of the  Liberty Resivior, the neighborhood is close to both Baltimore and DC, with quick access to Rt 70, 695 and 95 via Liberty Rd or Rt 32. Call Kevin W Hogan for a showing at 410 917 6116

city:Sykesville;  subdivision:Acorn Village;  property type:Single Family Home, Condo/Townhouse

View Details29 photos

$359,9004 beds, 2.5 baths2455 sq. ft.mls no. CR8061775

Single Family HomeSet back off the road is this 4BR 2.5 bath Rancher w/eat-in kit/DR combo, spacious…Courtesy of Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.

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View Details29 photosNEW

$396,9005 beds, 3 baths3146 sq. ft.mls no. CR7996107

Single Family HomeUNBELIELABLE PRICE FOR THIS FANTASTIC CENTER HALL COL W/4 BR'S UP & 1 DOWN, 2 FULL…Courtesy of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

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View Details30 photosNEW

$447,9004 beds, 2.5 bathsmls no. CR8082764

Single Family HomeStunning home in a quiet neighborhood. Spacious ML LR/DR, Sunroom & upgraded KIT…Courtesy of Long & Foster Real Estate Inc.

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Some of the streets in Acorn Village are Snowdens Run RD, Mineral Hill RD, Forest CT, Hanna RD, Forest LN, Monroe AVE, Red River RD and is accessed off Oklahoma RD.

Kevin Hogan – Realtor –  Member of The Paul Gillespie Team of Exit Preferred Realty – Through a combination of advanced search technologies and old fashioned personalized service, he affords his clients with the highest level of service and is there for each step of the sale or purchase of your home. Specializing in communities in and around the Carroll County area such as Eldersburg, Syesville, Mt. Airy, Woodbine and Hampstead.
Call Kevin W Hogan at 410-917-6116, and "I will take you home."

Blog Tag: Kevin W Hogan Carroll County MD, Kevin Hogan Real Estate, Kevin W Hogan Buy Real Estate, Kevin W Hogan Sykesville, Kevin W Hogan Acorn Village

Piney Ridge Village offers the perfect starter homes for first time buyers. Tons of room, great neighbors and top notch schools are just a few of the reasons you should look into this up and coming area of Carroll County. 
 
 
22 photos

$239,9003 beds, 2 bathsmls no. CR8051926

Condo/TownhouseFRESHLY PAINTED, CARPETED, LAMINATE FLOORING AND ALL NEW STAINLESS KITCHEN…Courtesy of Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.

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View Details25 photosNEW

$239,9003 beds, 1.5 bathsmls no. CR8074600

Condo/TownhouseYou have to see this end of group townhome in Piney Ridge Village on a premiere…Courtesy of Champion Realty, Inc.

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View Details10 photos

$277,0003 beds, 2.5 bathsmls no. CR8059762

Condo/Townhouse!!THIS BETTER THAN NEW, BRIGHT, SUNNY HOME WAITS FOR YOU! GOURMET KIT W/ SS…Courtesy of RE/MAX 100

 

 

Kevin Hogan – Realtor –  Member of The Paul Gillespie Team of Exit Preferred Realty – Through a combination of advanced search technologies and old fashioned personalized service, he affords his clients with the highest level of service and is there for each step of the sale or purchase of your home. Specializing in communities in and around the Carroll County area such as Eldersburg, Syesville, Mt. Airy, Woodbine and Hampstead.

Call Kevin W Hogan at 410-917-6116, and "I will take you home."