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Today was another adventure using the Ninja Air Fryer. Instead of making homemade fries, it was time to take some Ore Ida frozen tots and fries and give it a try. Initial thoughts? Success! The fries and tots were both crispy and done without the use of any oil at all. I was actually impressed with the flavor and taste of what appeared to be restaurant-quality.
As a quick note, these were cooked at 390 for 20 minutes with the tots on the extension and the fries on the crisper plate. Once done, they were switched for 10 more minutes to get the extra crispiness wanted. Salt was added when the fries were done. -
Today was a test run for the Ninja Air Fryer… and the results are in. So far, in my opinion, I don’t see what the fuss is. I like that I didn’t use oil, or much of it, but the results were marginal at best. For my first attempts at using this gadget, I chose to make Home Cut Fries, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Creole Battered Shrimp. The time it took to cook everything wasn’t anything special and the end coatings were a bit odd.
My featured image shows the overall plate of food, which did taste good, but again just a bit odd. I think I expected the shrimp to turn into a golden color, but it kept it’s whitish color of the cornmeal. The fries did pretty good, but since they were not eaten immediately, they lost the crispiness that they had.
Finally, the Fried Green tomatoes did the same as the shrimp and really didn’t change colors to that nice fried-looking color. The remoulade I made was fantastic, but it had nothing to do with the air fryer. I made sure to put a lot on the sandwich under the shrimp and on the under layer of the top bun. Without it, it might have been difficult to eat with the overall taste of the coating.
Hey, did I mention that the color of the batter coating didn’t end up looking like a fried item? I think in the end, this was my biggest disappointment. Recipes for the Shrimp Po’ Boy and remoulade to follow.
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What could have been a bloody nightmare has finally completed and in record time. At this point, I have spoken with my program liaison, who also happen to be the Online Coordinator for the Business Programs (this was new to me, it just happened!) and was able to discuss everything in the email sent. I sent it to her first, before forwarding to the Dean, to ensure that it was written appropriately and substantiated the grade given. In short, after about an hour, it was discussed and she agreed it was good. She would forward this to the Dean and we began our wait.
Today, only a day later, the Dean sent his letter… he agreed with the Online Coordinator and myself that the grade given was indeed earned. Now, if you are not in education, you may think this is normal. Believe me it is not. It could have gone several ways, and in many cases, could have dragged on further. In today’s budget-poor climate, many administrators might side with the student for fear of that student leaving, taking with them their tuition dollars. I could have been “asked” to change the grade, give more time to accept another attempt, re-grade the papers, and who knows what else.
Now that it is over, I need to inform the student (who never informed me!) of the Dean’s decision of denying the appeal. I’m interested to see what the student may say, but that’s for another day. For now, I’ll be happy that it is mostly over.
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Well, the initial email sent has now been replied to. Amazingly, it only took an hour and a half to two hours of my life, mind you, time I am not paid for. Additionally, the Appeal process should have been completed six weeks after the end of the semester which means it should have been completed before the end of November. In other words, this should not even be “a thing” right now as the deadline for grade appeal has passed per rules and procedures. Ever wonder what the process is? Here is a basic timeline of the process:
- Within two weeks of the end of the course, the student should provide a grade appeal in writing to the faculty member who assigned the grade and attempt to resolve the issue.
- If no resolution of the grade dispute is achieved after Step 1; the student should discuss the matter with the department chairperson. In this case, the function of the chairperson will be to attempt to determine the relevant facts and mediate the disagreement.
- If no resolution is achieved at Step 2; the student or the faculty member may refer the whole matter to the Dean of the School, whose function it will be to mediate the disagreement. The Dean will confer privately with the faculty member and with the student, and may call additional witnesses if this is deemed important. Following this process, the Dean will communicate a decision to the faculty member, who will communicate that decision to the student. This step is the final step in the appeal process.
- It is expected that a final decision will generally be made within the first six weeks of the following semester or the first three weeks of the following session. The instructor and the student should resolve grading conflicts regarding individual assignments during a semester.
So far, I have now sent my initial reply to my program liaison, so that it can be reviewed, revised and then sent on to the next layer of Administration. Long story short, the work was not completed correctly when done and some not done at all. It’s a shame really. Want to add more to it? The student through in a side comment in which I was also accused of not liking military students. I am former military, so that line was slightly humorous, but probably more “how dare you” than anything else in my mind.
There was a time when students received a grade they earned and earned the grade they received. Hopefully this will play out as I hope and there won’t be any consequences for dealing with this. Afterall, an adjunct is never guaranteed a future contract.
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How sweet has today been? Look no further than Dalia’s face! She’s so excited seeing what’s in one of her Christmas Gift boxes we had bought for her. She’s such a sweet girl… not ours directly, but we love her just the same. It’s always great when we get to see her (and her Mommy of course!) as she brings a joy that only a child can bring — with wide eyes and a bright smile!
We’ve made it a tradition the last three years to go to a local pizza place, get the party special and let Dalia have her fun. She does amazingly well with temptation not far away! Getting her to eat can be fun, as she looks from her plate to the presents, back and forth as she must make a decision. It’s funny how we will do the same things at times, it might not be presents or food necessarily, but choices that we do make.
For instance, “Will I work over to earn a little extra money?” or how about, “Will I stay up late and finish some task or scramble in the morning to get it done?” Choices. We all have them to make and how we deal with the consequences can affect the rest of our lives at times. Dalia had it easy. Jacque made her a deal (her words), “For every two bites of pizza, you can open one gift.”You see, we had a choice to make. Let Dalia, and her four and a half year old mind take over the situation, or let one of us do it. Jacque was raised by parents who always gave her choices; such as: “If you want this, then this” or, “You can have this or that.” By using this strategy, it eliminates the child from coming up with their own solution which may not work and it also allows an end to what could be a difficult situation. Believe it or not, Dalia was thrilled with the bargain she was given and ate what was necessary to tear into her gifts — and a good time was had by all.
I hope as these days continue rolling forward into weeks, months, and years… and inevitably I am faced with choices that I look at it not as what I am choosing now, but also what consequences may occur due to my choices. Hopefully, it will be just as easy as Dalia had it today!
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Today is January 1 and like everyone else it seems, there is an air about the place for change. What changes? Who knows… BUT I can say that things will change, it’s the only thing I know for certain! This is the beginning of what I hope to be at the very least a year-long writing project among the various blogs (read that as domains I own) that I have and do not actively participate except to design. I’ve wanted this to change for a long time and there’s no better time than the first day of a new year.
Needless to say, there may be post that will show up here, or any of the other blogs I will be writing to depending on what it is I am wanting to write about. Maybe I’ll share this with people, maybe this will remain hidden in plain sight… all I know is that I’ll be working towards making this the year!
