Life is Good!

Welcome Back!

2010-02-22T14:04:00.003-05:00

WOW! It has been over a year since I have blogged and I have missed it immensely. I have gone through a lot of changes over the past year and one of them has been in my food preparation! I have always fought with my weight. (It being easier to gain than keep off the weight I had lost!). But last summer somehow something hit me. I found myself hiding under clothes especially during the summer. When at the pool I did not want to take off my cover up and did not want to get in the water because I really didn't want anyone to see me.

The last straw was during the summer when I was buying in-style baby-doll dresses and using them as tops! I realized I was just not happy. My pants were all way too small but I refused to buy a size 16!

So I did it!

What you ask?

I took control.

I went to the Medical University of South Carolina Weight Management Center. Told them my goal was to lose 30 pounds. I felt that was a safe weight where I would feel good. It was a 15 week program. No drugs and no magic pills! Just me and some protein bars and shakes and a light meal each day for the first 8 weeks and then the next 7 weeks I was on my own with their guidance. After the 8 week mark they have you follow the American Diabetes Association food exchange program. So for the past 168 days this has been my life. It has opened up a great new way of cooking and eating. I still make a lot of my old dishes but have updated them for a healthier lifestyle. I have lost over 50 pounds and now fit into a size 4! I feel fantastic and love life even more than before.

So welcome back to me and to you! I am glad to be back and glad to be able to share healthy meals for a family and help to maintain a healthy weight!

With my new found body and lifestyle life is oh so good!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sausage and Onions wth Garlic & Herb Risotto

2009-01-19T08:50:00.004-05:00

Finally I cooked! It seems like forever that I cut and chopped and was able to spend a long time in the kitchen cooking. I love to cook. I don't really like to bake but cooking is my thing.

When I was in the grocery store the other day I got some Italian sausage from the butcher and saw a box of risotto (with dry herbs and stuff) and thought "I bet I could add stuff to my risotto to make it a bit healthier without preservatives (which I am sure were in the packet). So I got a box of "real" risotto (the kind that takes forever to cook) and went on my way.

I was sitting watching Food Network yesterday and Guy Fierri (I think that is his name) was making a pasta sauce that had sausage and ribs in it and it looked great so I decided to do some of what he did. Not sure I would ever use ribs in a pasta sauce but I bet the flavors were awesome.

I didn't have any peppers, which would have been great with the sausage, but I did have plenty of onions and lots of cans of organic canned tomatoes. I knew I could make it work. I did have to run out and get some garlic as I realized I was all out!

I paired the meal with a nice Caesar salad and it was fantastic. Dan asked were I got the recipe and when I told him I made it up he told me I should probably write it down! Sweet guy he is.

Garlic & Herb Risotto
Box of Risotto
3-5 garlic cloves chopped
olive oil
basil
Parmesan cheese

In bottom of pan heat some olive oil and add the garlic to saute it. Add the amount of water that is recommended on he risotto box and then add some basil and the risotto. Bring to a boil and add the Parmesan cheese and follow the directions on the box for cooking. I added a bit more Parmesan cheese at the end of cooking and stirred it.

Sausage & garlic & onions
4 Italian sausage (I used hot but my dish was hot) try sweet if you don't like spicy
2 onions
5-8 cloves garlic
1 can diced tomatoes (with basil is great if plain add basil)
white wine
salt and pepper to taste

cook sausage in a bit of olive oil until done. Take them out of the pan and add the onions and garlic. (I actually ended up cutting up another onion for mine as this was only 1 onion and did not seem like enough.) (that is my $1.48 Santuko knife I got at Target on Friday!)

Saute the onions and garlic until they are done. In the meantime cut the sausage into pieces. When onions and garlic are done add some white wine to deglaze the pan and then add the sausage back in. Add the entire can of tomatoes and let simmer for at least 30 minutes. Mine was not watery at all and was somewhat thick.

Place on top of the risotto add a salad and Mangia!

With a homemade meal like this and a holiday the next day Life is Good!

Dos and Don'ts & Some Bargain Hunting

2009-01-18T12:20:00.001-05:00

I have not really cooked much this weekend. Friday night Dan went out so I ate a peanut butter and fluff sandwich with a few low fat tortilla chips and salsa. Turns out I am allergic to this salsa! I had it a few weeks ago with some Puerto Rican food that a friend gave us and broke out in an itchy rash. We blamed the Puerto Rican food! NOT! I got the same rash and severe itchiness on Friday night after my 10 chips with salsa. It is Ortega and I am going to call and see what "spices" and "other ingredients" mean. Not sure what it could be but it took a Zyrtec and 2 Benadryls to calm it down. On the plus side I slept well (2 Benadryls will do that to you).

Last night Dan cooked steaks on the grill and they were awesome. It has been a while since we had a good steak as last week they went up in flames and the week before we were out at Kiawah and did not bring the handy dandy Montreal Steak seasoning that we like so much. We had a baked potato on the side and it was a good meal.

I am cooking something yummy tonight so I will be here tomorrow to tell you all about it and include loads of pictures.

On Friday I was at Target and they have a lot of their kitchen stuff for 75% to 90% off. I got lots of handy little kitchen tools that I didn't have for $0.64 to $0.98 that were normally $5-$10. Felt like I got a good deal on stuff I would like to have but wouldn't pay full price for. I also got a Hello Kitty popcorn popper (the kind I had when I was a kid) and the kids loved watching it pop the popcorn. And I love fresh popped popcorn.

I am sitting here laughing because I was on facebook and it showed that a friend was tagged in a picture. I went to look at the album and it had a bunch of pictures of people at a black tie event called "Black and White Ball" that was held just recently. As I am scanning the pictures there is a picture of 2 girls and in the background is an attractive woman all dressed up in her cocktail dress and she has a HUGE tattoo on her arm. There is also a picture with this woman in it where she is posing with others and you can see this HUGE tattoo. I am sorry it looks ridiculous. I have nothing against tattoos. Go ahead and get them to your hearts desire but you have to know if you have a tattoo that spans the entire top half of your arm that some day it will come back to haunt you! I am saying this is a haunting moment for this woman. See below and I hope you get as big a kick out of it as I did. I am keeping this for my daughter when she goes off to college to show that in that drunken moment when she thinks it is funny and cool to get the tattoo like all her friends, some day down the road it will not be funny and cool.

Now since tattoos were not popular when I was in college I am thankful and Life is Good for me since I can show my daughter that since I didn't get any she should not either (and if she does get one it should be in a very discreet place so that no one will see it when she gets a job and goes out in the real world!)

Food Photography

2009-01-15T09:30:00.005-05:00

I really have nothing to say about cooking today. Last night I baked a whole chicken and made oven fried potatoes. I was smart and put it in the oven before picking the kids up and set the timer so that it would start cooking while we were gone and be done by 5:45. When we got home at 4:40 the house smelled great and I had much less pressure on myself to get things started. It was great and everyone loved it.

I don't have pictures but I did get my camera battery back and will be back in business and trying to improve my food photo skills. Good luck to me. So in honor of me trying to become a better food photographer I will be checking out some websites that help you. Wish me luck!

Now I doubt I will get this creative but the idea is cool.

Look for future photos like this from me. With the fresh herbs and wine glass in the background. Because really, what good is a nice bowl of pasta without a nice glass of red wine?

I am already learning and it is all free at this website so click here if you want to read about it or watch videos on it. And when my photography is looking great and the food tastes divine you know that Life is Good!

Sort of Sheperds Pie

2009-01-14T07:07:00.004-05:00

My husband found his way to my blog yesterday. It must have been the self promotion on my facebook status that gave away the address and said I was back up and running. He gave me some constructive criticism and told me the food pictures do not do my food justice (I think that is a compliment!). So I will try to do better with pictures in the coming year but today no picture as I am waiting on my battery to be mailed to me. Hoping it gets here today. I have not tried to hide my blog from him but when I have taken pictures of our food in the past he certainly has looked at me strangely. Now I think he gets it!

Yesterday I was on the phone with a friend and she was talking about crockpots. I love my crockpot. I would put it right up there in my top 3 appliances with my food processor and bread machine (oh and my Kitchen Aid mixer). Food is so easy. I also love the cookbook Fix it and Forget it. I happened to be trying to clean out my recipe cabinet and get rid of recipes I had printed off the Internet that I would not make again, get rid of a cook book or 2 (didn't happen). And there looking at me was Fix it and Forget it and my friend telling me about crockpot macaroni and cheeses (which by the way is yummo!).

I looked in the freezer and had some ground venison and frozen corn and of some potatoes in my vegetable bowl. So I decided on Shepard's pie or something like it.

Crockpot Layered Sheppard's Pie - Adapted from Fix It and Forget It

6 potatoes -sliced thin (perfect from the food processor)

1.5-2 pounds ground meat - cooked

Frozen or canned corn

Frozen or canned peas (I did not have any so only used corn)

half an onion (I went light on the onion because my kids pick them out!)

1/4 cup beef broth (or water)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Spray the Crockpot with Pam. In layers ad

1. Potatoes 1/4

2. onion 1/2

sprinkle salt and pepper on layers

3. corn

4. potatoes 1/4

5. corn or peas if you want to add them

6. potatoes 1/4

7 onion 1/2

sprinkle salt and pepper

8. potatoes 1/4 and add beef broth or water

9. ground meat

10. cream of mushroom soup (spread this over the top so it is not a big blob)

Turn Crockpot on low and bake for 5-6 hours (or however long you would like). I put this in at 10 am and did not eat until 5:30 and it was perfect. I sprinkled cheese on it for the kids and they loved it too. And I think Dan ate a hearty helping when he got home after 9:00!

In the cold winter months with a Crockpot of hearty food and an appreciative family Life is Good!

Since my camera battery is dead here are a few pictures of us from our recent trip to Kiawah.

Dan and Lucy riding bikes on Kiawah

Me and Cambridge riding bikes on Kiawah

Soup for a Cold Winter's Night - Potato Leek Soup

2009-01-13T07:07:00.006-05:00

I have to admit...I love soup. I love soup for dinner as it is hearty and can be low calorie and healthy. When I go to the grocery store I am always looking at vegetables wondering, can I make a soup with those? I buy vegetables I have no idea what to do with but when they are organic and on special I have a hard time resisting. Enter the bouquet of leeks I bought the other day. I have never had leek soup but thought it sounded good. I had seen a Knorr package for leek soup so I knew that I could throw something with it.

Now mind you I picked up ingredients before I looked at a recipe to get the basics. I did take a peek at the Knorrs package yesterday when I was running in to get a few items and saw that you could add potatoes. So that is where I started. I came home and googled leek potato soup and came up with 2 from the Food Network, Alton Brown (whom I really like) and Emeril (who I can tolerate). I chose the Emeril recipe for my basics as I had nearly every ingredient in the list (Yeah for me!!!)

I knew my kids wouldn't eat it so they got a piece of ham from the slice that I used and some veggies and a quesadilla. Now don't get me wrong. I am all about the family eating the same meal but I will not force the kids to eat something that I know they will not enjoy. You gotta give Lucy credit though as she is a soup lover and eats from the soup bar at school every day but this was "not to her liking." (Kind of like the day I went to school and ate lunch with her and she got the she-crab soup, I was shocked, and tasted it and told me "it's too crabby!" give the girl credit for trying). Just so you know I do not normally make 2 meals but this was one that I was sure they would not eat. Oh and just so you know it is not a pretty soup. It is actually very blah looking and looks something like liquidy paste but it tastes way better.

photo from here it is not my photo and here is credit for where I got it (I did not have all that stuff on top but the soup looks the same)

Potato Leek Soup (adapted from Emeril Lagasse)

3 Leeks
dash thyme
olive oil
ham, sliced into small pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 cups chicken stock
1 to 1 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream - I used fat free half and half!
2 tablespoons snipped chives - for top I forgot these and had them in my herb garden

Cut the white part of the leeks in half, length wise and rinse well under cold running water to get out any sand and dirt. Slice thinly crosswise and set aside.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, put a little olive oil and the ham (you can do bacon here as Emeril does in his recipe but I used ham) and add the ham. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the ham is warm. Add the chopped leeks and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes (I added a bit more olive oil as the ham did not have fat in it and needed a little help). Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the chicken stock, potatoes, salt and white pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are falling apart and the soup is very flavorful.

Working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender (my blender is still broken and this made my food processor hard to open - FYI). Stir in the cream (or fat free half and half - I promise the benefits without the fat and guilt!) and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve immediately.

I actually had the soup made about a half hour before we were to eat and let it sit and them put it back on low right before we were going to eat and added the cream. (Don't add the cream until you are ready to eat it). We had a nice slice of hearty bread with this and that was dinner.

Now if my camera battery wasn't dead and I had not left my charger at the house on Kiawah last week life would be divine and you would be looking at a picture of my divine soup that I made last night. But instead you have to look at a stock photo and hope that my charger gets here today or tomorrow!

With a warm bowl of soup on a cold night and your family gathered around the dinner table talking about their day Life is indeed Good! Enjoy

Dinner on the Cheap - My Mixed Up Stromboli

2009-01-12T13:13:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year! I can not believe it has been nearly 3 months since I blogged here. Life has gotten so busy with school and travel (7-day Disney Cruise, a week on Kiawah Island, SC) the holidays and now getting back in the groove. However, I am back. I promise to come here everyday and give you a recipe or food tip.

Yesterday afternoon I was looking through the refrigerator, freezer and pantry and trying to figure out what I could make without going to the grocery store. My daughter is currently obsessed with garlic bread (homemade). So I decided to use this as the start. I grabbed the ingredients to make a loaf of bread and put them in the bread machine on the dough cycle and set that going. I then found a nearly empty package of pepperoni (one of children's favorite proteins!) and some chicken breasts and frozen spinach and a few kinds of cheese. I was trying NOT to cook pasta as we had it at least 2 or 3 times last week (it is mine and my daughters favorite meal).

I came up with an idea based on a Stromboli and it came out really good. I actually made one side with no spinach as I knew the kids would not eat it if it was in there! And if I do say so myself it looks good and tasted great and is also great for leftovers.

Mixed up Stromboli

3 chicken breasts cooked and cubed

pepperoni slices

mozzarella cheese (provolone or cheddar work well too!)

frozen spinach (defrosted and drained) - as much or little as you like

bread dough (homemade or from the grocery store)

roll out dough into rectangle and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle a bit of garlic salt over the dough (optional). add the ingredients in any order that you like. From the long end, roll like a jelly roll and pinch the ends together and place the seam on the bottom of a cookie sheet. (I used a Silpat so it would not stick). Bake at 350 about 30-45 minutes (until it is brown on top and bread looks done). Let sit about 5 minutes when it is done and cut into slices. I served this with a Caesar salad and everyone loved it. Again, one half had more pepperoni and one half had the spinach so you can put whatever you want and mix it up for different tastes in your family.

With a mixed up easy dinner like this like is most definitely good!

Crescent Mummy Dogs

2008-10-23T12:58:00.005-04:00

The kids saw this in the paper on Sunday in the coupon section for Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and thought it would be fun to make. They were fun and easy and it is the first time I have made something like this where the kids actually ate the bread portion.

Ingredients (this the recipe cut in half- double for 10 hot dogs!)

1 4 oz can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1 1/2 slices American cheese, quartered

5 large hot dogs

Directions

1. Heat over to 375

2. Unroll dough and separate at perforations creating 2 rectangles. Press perforations to seal.

3. With knife , cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 20 pieces of dough.

4. Wrap 4 pieces of dough around every hot dog and 1/4 slice of cheese to look like "bandages." stretching dough slightly to completely cover hot dog. About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog, separate "bandages" so hot dog shows through for "face." On un-greased large cookie sheet, place wrapped hot dogs, cheese side down, spray dough lightly with cooking spray.

5. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot. With mustard or ketchup, draw features on "face." Now with such a cute meal for the kids Life is Good!

Garlic Chicken

2008-10-20T12:55:00.006-04:00

I have been making a ton of fun foods and just have not had time to post about them. I made this garlic chicken the other night and it was great. Not so much from the kids perspective but for me and my husband it was a good meal. I had nearly all the ingredients in my house when I decided to make it. I would have used more zucchini (since I didn't have enough green onions) as I prefer more vegetables to meat.

Garlic Chicken

Ingredients
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 whole medium chicken breasts 1 1/2 pounds total (skinned and boned)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
10 green onions, bias-cut into 1 inch pieces (1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts
1 medium zucchini
2 cups hot cooked rice

Directions
For marinade, in a bowl stir together water, soy sauce, white wine, and cornstarch. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. Add chicken to marinade; stir to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Drain chicken, reserving marinade.

Preheat a wok or large skillet over high heat, add oil. (add more oil as necessary during cooking) Stir-fry green onions, mushrooms, and garlic in hot oil for 1 to 2 minutes or until tender. Remove from wok or skillet. Add zucchini and saute for 3 minutes. Remove from wok or skillet. Add chicken to wok or skillet; stir-fry for about 4 to 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Push chicken from the center of the wok or skillet. Stir reserved marinade, add to center of the wok or skillet. Cook and stir til thickened and bubbly. Add onion mixture, zucchini and water chestnuts. Cook and stir about 1 minute or until heated through. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Main ingredients

Chicken marinating

Cooking in the wok

Finished product

Here is a preview of some of the yummy things to come in my blog in the next few days.

Life is Sweet Cereal crunch (used this for my cinnamon life cereal)
Jalapeno cornbread
Crescent Mummy Dogs (huge hit with the kids!)

Now with all these predetermined blog posts my Life is Good!

Cinnamon Life Cereal

2008-10-16T15:46:00.000-04:00

I have a huge double box of Cinnamon Life cereal and I tasted Lucy's leftovers this morning (dry we don't put milk on our cereal in our house!) and it is so good. I forgot what it tasted like. I haven't had this cereal since I was a kid (probably since they were still running the ad I posted above!).

I want to make something with it but can only find one recipe on the web. I guess I need to go through some of my cookbooks but thought I would give a shout out to all of you foodies out there and see if you had any ideas. With fall supposedly making an appearance tomorrow something with this in it would be really yummy. So please help me out if you can.

Life is good whether I get a recipe or not as I am sure I can make something up!

Tortellini Pasta Salad

2008-10-15T10:23:00.004-04:00

This is my in a pinch go to side dish for cookouts, weekends, bring a dish for girls night, etc. It is so easy and really good. My kids love it too so that is a plus.

Tortellini Pasta Salad

Ingredients

2 bags cheese tortellini (tri color is great)
pepperoni
can sliced black olives
1 bottle lite creamy Caesar salad dressing (Newman's Own or Ken's)

Directions
Cook the tortellini according to the package. While the tortellini is cooking slice the pepperoni into small bites and chop the black olives. When the tortellini is cooked drain and place back in pot. Add the pepperoni and sliced olives. Add about 1/4 of the bottle of the salad dressing. Toss. See how it looks. Depending on how much you make you will use more or less. Place in container or bowl and serve now or refrigerate. After refrigeration add a little more salad dressing as it soaks in. It is great both warm and cold. I love this for a leftover dinner or lunch.

Enjoy and Life is Good!

Foodbuzz Publisher Community Launches

2008-10-14T06:30:00.002-04:00

Congratulations Foodbuzz! This is so exciting and I am proud to be a part of it!

LAUNCH OF GLOBAL FOODBUZZ BLOGGER COMMUNITY
LEVERAGES REAL-PEOPLE, REAL-TIME POWER OF FOOD PUBLISHING

San Francisco – October 13, 2008: Foodbuzz, Inc., officially inaugurates its food blogger community with more than 1,000 blog partners, a global food blogging event and an online platform that captures the real-people, real-time power of food publishing in every corner of the world. At launch, the Foodbuzz community ranks as one of the top-10 Internet destinations for food and dining (Quantcast), with bloggers based in 45 countries and 863 cities serving up daily food content.

“Food bloggers are at the forefront of reality publishing and the dramatic growth of new media has redefined how food enthusiasts access tasty content,” said Doug Collister, Executive Vice President of Foodbuzz, Inc. “Food bloggers are the new breed of local food experts and at any minute of the day, Foodbuzz is there to help capture the immediacy of their hands-on experiences, be it a memorable restaurant meal, a trip to the farmers market, or a special home-cooked meal.”

Foodbuzz is the only online community with content created exclusively by food bloggers and rated by foodies. The site offers more than 20,000 pieces of new food and dining content weekly, including recipes, photos, blog posts, videos and restaurant reviews. Members decide the “tastiness” of each piece of content by voting and “buzz” the most popular posts to the top of the daily menu of submissions. Foodbuzz currently logs over 13 million monthly page views and over three million monthly unique visitors.

“Our goal is to be the number-one online source of quality food and dining content by promoting the talent, enthusiasm and knowledge of food bloggers around the globe,” said Ben Dehan, founder and CEO of Foodbuzz, Inc.

The Foodbuzz blogger community is growing at a rate of 40 percent per month driven by strong growth in existing partner blogs and the addition of over 100 new blogs per month. “The Foodbuzz.com Web site is like the stock of a great soup. The Web site provides the base or backbone for bloggers to interact as a community, contribute content, and have that content buzzed by their peers,” said Mr. Dehan.

Global Blogging Event
Demonstrating the talent and scope of the Foodbuzz community, 24 Meals, 24 Hours, 24 Blogs offered online food enthusiasts an international, virtual street festival of food and diversity. The new feature showcased blog posts from 24 Foodbuzz partner bloggers chronicling events occurring around the globe during a 24 hour period and included:

· Mid-Autumn Festival Banquest (New York, NY)
· The "Found on Foodbuzz" 24-Item Tasting Menu (San Francisco, CA)
· Aussie BBQ Bonanza – Celebrating Diversity (Sydney, Australia)
· The Four Corners of Carolina BBQ Road Trip (Charleston, SC)
· Criminal Tastes – An Illegal Supper (Crested Butte, CO)
· From Matambre to Empanadas: An Argentine Dinner (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
· A Sweet Trompe l’oeil (Seattle, WA)

“24 Meals, 24 Hours, 24 Blogs” captures the quality and unique local perspective of our food bloggers and shared it with the world,” said Ryan Stern, Director of the Foodbuzz Publisher Community. “It illustrates exactly what the future of food publishing is all about – real food, experienced by real people, shared real-time.”

About Foodbuzz, Inc.
Based in San Francisco, Foodbuzz, Inc., launched its beta Web site, foodbuzz.com, in 2007. In less than a year, Fooduzz.com and its community of over 1,000 exclusive partner food blogs have grown into an extended online property that reaches more than three million users.

Contact: Allison Costello
Ketchum
allison.costello@ketchum.com

Doug Collister
Foodbuzz
doug@foodbuzz.com

So go check out all the stuff that Foodbuzz has to offer and see what the many featured publishers are blogging about and cooking. You won't have to come up with your own idea for dinner again. Now with that thought...Life is Good!

Baking for Breast Cancer Awareness

2008-10-13T07:50:00.006-04:00

Ley at Cilantro and Lime is hosting Baking for Breast Cancer Awareness. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. The event is to raise awareness of Breast Cancer. Ley is encouraging bloggers to bake and make others aware.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, it's estimated that About 178,480 women in the United States will be found to have invasive breast cancer in 2007. About 40,460 women will die from the disease this year. Right now there are slightly over 2 million women living in the United States who have been treated for breast cancer.

One of my best friends lost her mom to breast cancer. I never met her mom but feel that I somehow know her and her kindness through my dear friend Parrish. My friend is my sons Godmother. My daily prayer is that this will never happen to her. Through her, I have become more aware of breast cancer and I got my first mammogram at 35 and since I am so lucky to be over 40 (43 to be exact) I get a mammogram each year. They are easy and painless. I encourage anyone that is scared or too busy to bother to go get one. It could save your life.

Now I am not a baker as I have stated before but I did "bake" a portion of the dish. I made a roasted beet and goat cheese salad with shrimp cocktail and split an organic steak with my husband. I love fresh beets. I had never had them until a few months ago. I only thought they came in a can! I used a recipe from Giada DeLaurentis for a Beet and Goat Cheese Arugula Salad but when I saw the beets yesterday at the grocery store I decided to make it not knowing what else I had. I knew I had goat cheese and knew I also had some type of organic lettuce but was short a few of the other ingredients so I made it my own. I will post the recipe for the original salad as it is so good but know that I did not have arugula and used a spring mix of lettuce, no walnuts so used pecans and instead of making the homemade dressing since I didn't have any balsamic vinegar I used a raspberry walnut vinaigrette. I also did not have any avocado or shallots. My version was tasty but the original is awesome.

The beets are red and their cooking juice is red/pink! They are so healthy and are said to fight cancer and birth defects.

Beet and Goat Cheese Arugula Salad

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons shallots, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 medium beets, cooked and quartered
6 cups fresh arugula
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries
1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cubed
3 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

Directions

The original recipe does not tell you how to cook the beets. Wash them and cut off most of the stems leaving the top and bottom on the beet (this will keep more nutrients in it - just learned that now while googling beets so I did not do that!) Place in pot and cover with water, bring to boil and cook for 40-50 minutes. Take beets out of water and run them under cold water and while doing this rub your hands over them and the skin will peel right off.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Whisk the vinegar, shallots, and honey in a medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with salt and pepper. Toss the beets in a small bowl with enough dressing to coat. Place the beets on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the beets are slightly caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Set aside and cool.

Toss the arugula, walnuts, and cranberries in a large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mound the salad atop 4 plates. Arrange the beets around the salad. Sprinkle with the avocado and goat cheese, and serve.

Now if we could find a cure for breast cancer life would be really good but in the meantime if we can educated enough people to be aware then Life is Good!

A few cooking secrets & household secrets

2008-10-09T10:27:00.006-04:00

Last night I did NOT want to cook. Husband offered to do take out but I opted to throw something together. I did the chicken sausage with some ravioli for the kids.

Sausage cooking secret - I saw a part of a Rachael Ray episode a few weeks back and she was cooking sausage. She put some water in the pan with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and when the water evaporated the sausage were basically cooked and then the olive oil in the pan browned them. The did not burn. My house did not smell awful and it was a super trick. I have now used it twice and it works great! Can't believe I didn't know that.

Hard boiled egg secret - I also saw this on Food Network a few years ago. It was the 2 guys that won the first season of next Food Network Star. When making hard boiled eggs, after cooking drain the hot water and fill with cold water and ice and add a splash of vinegar. Let sit for a few minutes and then when you peel them the skins will peel right off! Amazing. Can't believe I didn't know this one either.

Olive oil and greasy food stains - before washing put some regular Dawn dishwashing liquid and put it on the stain. rub together and then wash. the stain will come out. Even if you have washed the item many times it still works.

Sour smelling laundry - if you accidently leave the clothes in the washing machine overnight start the load again the next morning and add some white vinegar and laundry detergent. The vinegar will take out the sour smell. Works like a charm!

Hope these tips are helpful. If you have any pass them on to me. Life is Good!

Real Sicilian Meatloaf

2008-10-08T07:09:00.004-04:00

Where has the time gone. Last week flew by in a world wind of me trying to get the house ready and menu planning for a surprise dinner party for my husband's 40th birthday. He turns 40 on Saturday but is taking the kids to Charlotte with one of his best buds and his kids. (they were born on the same day in the same hospital and that is how their moms met and he is now my daughters Godchild and husband to Under the Red Tin Roof! Hiya Anne!).

I was going to make the meatloaf for Friday night but my husband thought there was only going to be one other couple for dinner and he wanted a new grill for his birthday so I bit the bullet and bought him a new grill and I got steaks for the dinner party and paired them with a spinach salad that a friend makes and will not give out the recipe and also had the brussel sprouts that I talked about last week. They are so good and who ever knew that so many people actually like brussel sprouts. Such an under appreciated veggie!!!

I did a fall inspired table with little metal buckets that were silver, black and orange and I put votive candles in them. For the place cards I printed each persons name so it was curved (think top half of a circle) and did the men in black and the women in orange. My dinner plates were see through and I placed the name cards under the plates. I thought it was clever! Needless to say I had bought the ingredients for the meatloaf of Thursday before changing to steaks on Friday so I had to make it. We had a traditional Italian Sunday dinner with the meatloaf on Sunday night (with leftover brussel sprouts!). This is the first time in a long time I have actually had the meatloaf with red meat in probably a year! YUM-O is all I can say.

As for this week I have been bogged down with Halloween carnival planning at my son's preschool and yesterday was his trip to the pumpkin patch. It was fun and when the sun was behind a cloud there was a chill in the air!

Sicilian Meatloaf
2 lbs ground beef
bread crumbs
2-3 eggs
grated Parmesan cheese
ketchup or tomato paste
Italian seasonings
salt and pepper to taste
4-8 thin slices prosciutto
6 slices of provolone cheese
3-6 bacon slices

In a bowl combine ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, Parmesan cheese, ketchup/tomato paste and seasonings and mix. If too moist add more bread crumbs. If too dry add more egg and/or more ketchup/tomato paste. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with Pam.

put the meat on the cookie sheet and and spread out to fill it up.

Place the prosciutto and provolone cheese on top of the meat.

With the longest end of the cookie sheet facing you, grab the edge of the tin foil and pull up and start to roll the meatloaf like a jelly roll. When the meatloaf is rolled pinch the ends and the long seam and roll it so the seam is on the bottom.

Weave the bacon over the top (I didn't have any bacon so I used prosciutto which actually turned out good!)

Bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes (until meat is cooked thoroughly). Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting. Manga!

Now with a crisp in the air and hearty food like this Life is Good!

Cambridge at the Pumpkin Patch 10.07.08

Greek Stuffed Peppers & Chicken Sausage

2008-10-02T07:32:00.005-04:00

Does it seem there is a Greek theme this week? Lots of Greek inspired foods but I am an American of Italian descent but know there is a tiny tiny itsy bitsy piece of Greek in me somewhere (which would explain why I ate my weight in Feta cheese during my pregnancy with my son!). Last nights dinner, again, came from Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine. Have I said how much I love this little book that comes about every 6 weeks? (and no they Martha Stewart is not paying me for all this free advertising!) The recipes are so easy and, most of the time, really good. And if they don't look "to my taste" I don't make them. The most recent issue had a whole section on crockpot foods and that is where the stuffed peppers were. Who knew it could be so easy and so good and I didn't use any oil to cook them, just sprayed the inner liner of the Crockpot with Pam. There was really no difference (although my great aunt Sue's were awesome and hers were cooked in loads of olive oil!) from a regular stuffed pepper and the stuffing was so different and just plain ole yummy!

I paired these with a chicken, spinach, fontina cheese and roasted garlic sausage. I got these at Costco, Han's All Natural Gourmet Sausage and they have no antibiotics, no added growth hormones no MSG, nitrites, or nitrates and they are gluten free (not that we eat a gluten free diet but I love the no nitrites and nitrates). These are so good and only 3 Weight Watcher points each. My son ate 3! YIKES. I only ate 1.

Now I must admit, I am an awful food photographer. I don't know how some people get such great pictures of their food. It could also be the quality of the camera (I have a good one but not a great one). And....I had 2 glasses of wine while cooking dinner so I only have before pictures and no pictures of the actual food right before we ate it! But suffice it to say the Crockpot cooked the peppers to perfection. I also stuffed a tomatoe as the reciped was to stuff 4 peppers and I only had 2 so I had extra stuffing and used a yellow tomatoe. It looks great as well and will be my lunch today.

Greek Stuffed Peppers
Recipe from Martha Stewart Everyday Food, October 2008

Ingredients
Serves 4
4 large bell peppers
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup crumbled feta (4 ounces)
1/2 cup couscous (uncooked - they did not say this in the recipe but it was assumption and is correct!)
4 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced (I did not have these and didn't miss them)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions
Slice a very thin layer from the base of each bell pepper so they sit flat. Slice off tops just below stem. Discard stems; chop tops, and place in a medium bowl. Remove ribs and seeds from peppers.

To bowl, add beans, feta, couscous (uncooked), scallion whites, garlic, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Stuff peppers with bean mixture; place upright in slow cooker. Cover; cook on high, 4 hours. (I cooked on low for 6+ hours.)

Sprinkle peppers with scallion greens; serve with lemon wedges.

Stuffed peppers prior to cooking (ding bat forgot the after photo!)

Again these are great. Low fat, high fiber and again with the beans! The addition of the chicken sausage was great. Now after a meal like this and a morning filled with 4-year olds hugging me and asking me to read them stories... Life is Really Good!

Giant Greek(?) Beans

2008-09-30T17:56:00.005-04:00

Have any of you had these giant beans? They look like lima beans (or sieva beans (pronounced sivvy) as they call them in the south) on steroids. My sister brought a jar of them on vacation this summer and they had a skin on them. They were in a brine. I can't remember what they were called but they were good. Then yesterday I am in the grocery store and at the olive bar they have them. They were marinated in a bit of olive oil with roasted red peppers and some spices but are oh so good. Not sure what to do with them other than to snack on them or add a few to a salad? Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

I googled the term giant beans and colossal beans and the only thing I could find was giant Greek beans, hence the title. Today I am working in my son's preschool class as it is picture day so I expect a crazy morning. Now with a bunch of 4-year olds dressed their best and beans this tasty Life is Good!

Spinach and prosciutto lasagna & a whole lotta nothing

2008-09-30T09:38:00.004-04:00

I a so busy this week! I am in charge of the Halloween carnival at my son's preschool and I am hosting a dinner party this weekend. (I need to come up with a menu YIKES!). I am also in the starting stages of a home remodel! We are tearing out our floors downstairs and also redoing the kitchen! My dream. The cabinet guy is coming over this morning to measure the kitchen. We picked out our floor wood color but might change it depending on the cabinets and counter tops we choose. I also replaced the 2 ceiling fans in our downstairs family room with these beautiful wood ones that has blades that look like large leaves! My house is finally starting to come together and we have only lived here 4+ years.

Last night I made a recipe from the most recent Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine. I love this magazine and have made many things from it. Me and my husband loved this but the kids picked out the spinach. The love lots of veggies but apparently spinach is not one of them. My son thought it was celery and ate a good portion but my daughter did the tongue out gag from the texture. Makes a mom/cook feel real good when that happens (sarcasm!).

While I thought it was good I would make it again, I would make it without the prosciutto the next time. You could not taste the prosciutto and therefore, to me, makes it a waste of calories and money. I served this with a side salad of arugul with very thin sliced red onion, dried cranberries and a tiny bit of goat cheese with balsamic vinegar and a tiny bit of olive oil. The salad was awesome!

Spinach and Prosciutto Lasagna
Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine Issue 65, October 2008

It is important to squeeze the spinach dry, or the lasagna may be watery
2 packages (10 oz each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta
1 garlic clove, minced
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 1/2 cups jarred tomato sauce
4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, finely chopped
6 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella (4 oz)

1. Preheat oven to 375. Make filling: In a medium bowl, stir together spinach, ricotta, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper; set aside. In another bowl, stir together tomato sauce and prosciutto

2. in an 8-inch square baking dish, spread 1/4 cup tomato sauce. Layer 2 noodles, 1/3 filling, and 1/3 remaining tomato sauce; repeat twice. Top with mozzarella. Bake until brown 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

There are so many good recipes in this magazine. Tomorrow night I am making the crock pot stuffed peppers (have cous cous in the stuffing and sound good and easy. I will let you know!)

My life is extremely busy right now but regardless, Life is Good!

Ode to other food blogs and fellow foodies

2008-09-28T10:01:00.002-04:00

We ate baked chicken last night that I stuffed with an onion and about 4 large stalks of rosemary. It was divine. No pictures. Nothing exciting. But I highly recommend using stalks of rosemary for chicken stuffing and with roasting potatoes. Next time I make them I will photograph and write the recipes.

Today I am listing some great blogs I have found recently. Blogs I found because they either visited me or someone exited their page and came to my blog. I am just beside myself with the traffic I have received from Foodbuzz and the Foodie Blogroll and the fact that I was a random contest winner was a bonus for traffic. Oh and someone from Martha Stewart Living visited but they were searching to see who had used the term Everyday Food. Hoping they liked what they saw!

The Hungry Housewife - check out the cute kid friendly stuff

Chez LaFleur in Manhattan - the chicken tortilla soup and she had a post on the Feast of San Gennaro festival. Oh how I miss living where there are other Italians!

Daily Deliciousness - for the love of French onion soup!

The Sporadic Cook - my kind of food!

Cara's Cravings - check out the perfect little cupcake pops! They are too cute.

Cooking in the Heartland - She is also getting in shape so I don't have to be the only food blogger that is trying to slim down!

Elegantly Domesticated - I Pray to Gouda- anyone with an addiction to cheese is a friend of mine.

And many more. Those are just a few of the great blogs that people were reading before they came to my blog.

Life is Good!!

Penne Puttanesca & Brussel Sprouts

2008-09-27T08:42:00.002-04:00

I had friends over for dinner last night so the only photo I have is of the ingredients before I started cooking! We drank perseco (Italian champaign) and a nice Chiani and by the time dinner was ready pictures had slipped my mind.

Dinner was awesome. The penne puttanesca is a recipe from a friend that was actually eating with us last night. It is my sons Godfather. He is a incredible cook and used to come over and make this for us until I made him give me the recipe and I have been doing the cooking ever since. It is messy and I prefer to clean up as I go and when he would come over the dishes would pile up and it would be a long cleanup after dinner. Talk about beggars being choosers! I do appreciate when someone comes into my house to cook. Love it. But since I can make the meal just as good and clean up along the way I am somehow happier.

The brussel sprouts are probably the best that I have ever had. I got them from Judy at No Fear Entertaining but she adapted the recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen. Click on either of their names to get the recipe. They were awesome and I recommend them to anyone whether you like brussel sprouts or not!

Uncle Trey's Penne Puttanesca

1lb pasta

3tbs extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1 medium white onion (small/medium dice)

3-4 cloves garlic (chopped)

1/4 cup capers (straine)

1/4cup kalamata olives (strained, pitted, rough chopped)

2-28 oz cans of whole peeled tomatoes (chopped) -reserve liquid

3 anchovy fillets (I use the whole can!)

1 cup white wine (or chicken stock)

Heat big saute pan to medium high add EVOO and onion. Saute for a couple of minutes. Add garlic and anchovy fillets (I put them in the food processor for a quick spin first since I use the whole can) continue sauteing (I'm sure that is a word) until anchovies have dissolved and onions are transluscent. Reduce heat tomedum/medium low and add liquid from can tomatoes - reduce liquid by 1/4 while stirring occasionally. Add crushd red pepper lakes, kalamata olives, capers and chopped tomatoes. Reduce again by 1/4 while stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup white wine (obviously any kind will wok) - redce again by 1/4 while stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper to tast.

Boil noodles to al dente. Before straining pasta add 1/4-1/2 cup of noodle water to tomato sauce andstir to incorporate. Strain pasta and add to sauce - lightly coss to coat. Sprinkle with Parmagianno regianno.

Share/Eat/Enjoy...Now Life is Good! Manga!

Pork Chops Alla Pizzaiolla

2008-09-26T13:34:00.005-04:00

I wanted to try a new recipe last night from my new issue of Everyday Food but did not leave the house (thank heaven for car pools) so I went with an old standard with ingredients I had on hand. What I came up with was pork chops alla pizzaiolla. The first time I made this was a few years ago as I had seen Giada DeLaurentis make it on The Food Network. It is so easy and good and actually low in fat and calories. I had a baby green salad on the side and it was a satisfying dinner.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 (1-inch thick) bone-in pork loin center-cut chops (about 12 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, in juice
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions
Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper. Add the pork chops to the skillet and cook until they are brown and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted horizontally into the pork registers 160 degrees F, about 3 minutes per side.

Transfer the pork chops to a plate and tent with foil to keep them warm.

Add the onion to the same skillet and saute over medium heat until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, herbes de Provence, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend and the juices thicken slightly, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and more red pepper flakes.

Return the pork chops and any accumulated juices from the plate to the skillet and turn the pork chops to coat with the sauce. Place 1 pork chop on each plate. Spoon the sauce over the pork chops. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Oops I took the picture before I sprinkled the oregano and a little fresh parmagianno reggiano on top. My husband ate 2! I am an awful food photographer but a wonderful cook! Tonight I am making penne puttanesca with these brussel sprouts I got from Judy at No Fear Entertaining. Although for some reason I thought there was bacon in them and decided on pancetta but now that I am actually printing the recipe I see I was wrong. I will let you know how it all goes. Now Life is Good!

My little helper in his apron!

Refried bean quesadilla & vinegar peppers

2008-09-25T12:43:00.006-04:00

Am I the only one that loves beans? Beans glorious beans. Dried beans, canned beans, fresh beans. Black beans, kidney beans, canellini beans, chick peas (I consider these a bean!), refried beans. I have many cans and bags of beans in my cabinet (leftover hurricane supplies) and I am so lucky that my regular grocery store, Harris Teeter, now carries their HT Natural organic store brand, so they are more cost effective on a tight budget.

I am still counting Weight Watchers points and I was starving today as I didn't really eat dinner last night since I had to go for a SCUBA refresher course in order to dive with the dive operation that the Disney Cruise uses. Since I haven't done any diving since I started having children I had to go and spend 2 hours in the pool with a dive instructor going over the basics of SCUBA diving. It was fun but I did not bring my wet suit and only had on a thin skin suit and by the end of the evening I was freezing in the 82 degree water. Oh back to me being starving.

I am looking in my kitchen for something to eat for lunch and still have tortillas and I had a small amount of lowfat cheese and then the can of refried beans started calling me. Linda how about us! We would be great on a quesadilla! So I caved in. I opened the can of refried beans, could have just eaten the whole can of beans for lunch but I am sure my stomach would have been yelling at me later! I put the tortilla in the hot pan and put the cheese on it, I should have spread the beans on it like peanut butter as I think it would have been smoother and cleaner, but I put some refried beans and then about 2 tablespoons of low fat organic ground beef that I browned the other night and then I put 3 vinegar peppers, didn't have a jalapenos.

It was soooo good. Creamy and gooey and healthy. A very filling lunch (I didn't eat the whole thing!) and I imagine I won't have to eat again all day but since I am trying a new recipe for dinner I guess I will force myself later on!

Now on to the vinegar peppers. I was reading one of my favorite blogs by Judy at No Fear Entertaining and she mentioned that before she had met her husband she had never had rice and gravy and that Jenn The Leftover Queen had never had it as well. I confess. Before I met my southern husband I had never had rice and gravy. I actually had never had white rice except with Chinese food. We were Italian. We never ate rice. It was a real treat about once a year we got Rice A Roni (the San Francisco treat - can't say that product without the song coming into my head which is why I think we thought we liked it as kids) which in all honesty is not really rice. So if I do make rice it is a must to make gravy.

I digress, the other southern thing that my husband must always have is vinegar and peppers. He eats them with everything. Every year we grow peppers and every year he sticks them in vinegar and then eats from the jars all year! He even eats them with my Italian food. But they are actually very tasty. I use them instead of jalapenos (although last year we grew jalapenos and I miss them this year :-() in some recipes and if we are having Mexican inspired food I will eat them. It truly is simple.

Vinegar Peppers

Clean the peppers

Place peppers in a large top jar (so you can get them out easily)

cover with vinegar

Place in pantry for a few weeks so that they can soak up the vinegar and then start eating them. Once we start eating them I place ours in the refrigerator. Not sure why as vinegar is not refrigerated but it just seems right.

Now with stick to your ribs healthy food Life is Good!

Very Berry Bread & Foodie Blogroll Contest Winner

2008-09-24T10:46:00.004-04:00

Wow! I got home last night from open house at the boys preschool and in my inbox was an email from the people at Foodie Blogroll that I had randomly won the new member of the week contest. I am getting a button in the mail and they sent the cute little picture that is on the side. I will be featured on the site for an entire week! What an awesome site Foodbuzz is and a great way to check out other food blogs. I have already made 2 recipes I found from people that exited a page and came to my blog by clicking on the Foodie Blogroll. I feel lucky now!!!

Yesterday I went through my pantry and had 2 boxes of Fiber One Cinnamon Apple muffin mix. I got them at buy one get one free and it was triple coupons and I had 2 separate $0.75 coupons so basically store paid me to take them off their hands. Now I am a muffin from scratch kind of gal, Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book is what I use for my favorite muffin/breakfast bread recipe, but I had to go out last night so I knew I didn't have too much extra time. I also had a no sugar added individual serving of apple sauce and knew I could use that instead of oil to make it lower in fat and healthier (I am all about substituting good for bad.)

I used the recipe on the box but instead of oil I decreased the water to a 1/2 cup and added 1/4 cup of apple sauce (well I doubled the recipe but the measurements above are for one box!) and instead of 2 eggs I used 2 egg whites (no Weight Watchers points in egg whites!). When I had all the ingredients in the bowl, I mixed them together and added dried blueberries, dried cranberries, raisins and 1/4 cup of bran (for extra fiber!). Yummo. These turned out so good. I made 2 small loaves and 1large loaf and for 2 points can have a nice slice of the bread and get the internal body working in the morning. And the best part is that my daughter ate a piece for dessert last night. She will only eat "very berry bread" and I told her that is what it was and she was a happy camper!

Now when your child has such a healthy low fat dessert Life is Good! But yikes I need to get my butcher block sanded!!!

My all time favorite cook book for the basics.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

2008-09-23T07:14:00.008-04:00

Last night I made a recipe that I found on another blog. I found Wholesome Feasts through my statcounter as someone had clicked on my name in the Foodie Blogroll and come to check out my blog. The meal was awesome. So low fat and low in Weight Watchers points and so yummy, if you like spicy. Buffalo Chicken Meatballs were easy to make and the blogger said she got the recipe from a Rachael Ray cookbook. Not sure which one. I served it with celery and reduced fat blue cheese salad dressing and black beans and rice. (My husband always needs a starch and since it was so low in points I figured I would add some low fat rice with high fiber black beans!).

You can either click on Wholesome Feasts link above or I have included the recipe below.

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs (italicized words are my comments)

1 pound ground white meat chicken (I used Smart Chicken which is my favorite! 99% fat free)
1/2 small onion,grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup hot sauce (such as Frank’s) (I used Frank's as this is one of my favorites as well)
Preheat oven to 400ºF.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken with the onion, garlic and parsley, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using a small ice cream scoop (I shaped them by hand), shape meat into balls. Arrange the meatballs on a nonstick sheet pan and drizzle them with EVOO. Place in the oven and bake until the meatballs are cooked through and golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. While the meatballs are baking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the hot sauce and whisk to combine. Toss the baked meatballs in the hot sauce to coat. Serve with celery and blue cheese (I used blue cheese dressing).

I cheated on the black beans and rice and used Zataran's as I had the box in my pantry. It was good. Not a fan of boxed rices and pastas but in a pinch this was excellent. I did put vinegar peppers with the rice to give it an extra oomph and some additional flavors.

Now I still have all those hot peppers and wondering what to do with them!

After a great easy meal like that Life is Good!

Turkey Rollups & Hot Peppers

2008-09-22T12:45:00.006-04:00

Today I power walked 6 miles back and forth over the Cooper River Bridge. I did not eat before I left. Needless to say when I got home from picking up the boy from school I was starving. I really was ready to eat my shoe! I looked in the fridge and saw I had some turkey, Sargento reduced fat provolone cheese (1 Weight Watcher point each!) and some tortillas and thought, hmmm maybe I could make those little roll up sandwiches that were at a kids birthday party this weekend.

I took the tortilla and smeared the tiniest bit of reduced fat Dukes Mayonnaise on it (to keep it together) and took 2 slices of turkey, a slice of cheese and some organic mesclun greens that I had. I rolled it up and smooshed it (to keep it together) and then cut it into 3/4 - 1 inch thick slices. I put some mustard on the side to dip it in and it was actually very filling. I enjoyed it.

Last night I made a recipe that I found on another blog. It was good but was not pretty so that is why you are not hearing about that. Tonight I am also trying a recipe I got from another blog and will let you know how it goes. The blogger told me that she got it from a Rachael Ray cookbook. It looks interested. Tune in tomorrow!!!

Now who can tell me what to do with all these hot peppers? Do I dry them and then put them in the spice grinder for sprinkling on food in the future? We have way too many bottles of vinegar with hot peppers (my husband is southern so this accompanies every meal he eats - I am the only yankee in the family!) so I am left with a bunch of these that I don't want to go bad.

I also have a Thai pepper plant in the backyard and not sure what to do with those. Any ideas are greatly appreciated. And why do these peppers grow up?

Oh and for a little comedy, this blue crab was stuck through the mail slot of my parents front door in downtown Charleston on Friday night! I went there on Saturday morning (after a kids birthday party) to get something for them, as they are out of town until the end of the month, and there in the front hallway was this little blue crab. Can't imagine what the house would have smelled like if I didn't go down there. So I imagine my dad is glad he forgot the power cord to his computer and had me send it to him.

That is another reason that Life is Good

Foodbuzz and Foodie Blogroll

2008-09-21T13:28:00.003-04:00

WOW! I am so excited. My blog was accepted for the Foodie Blogroll by Foodbuzz. I am so honored! Today my blog is listed in the most recent 5 blogs! Make sure to check out the other blogs on the list. They are great.

My traffic has increased tremendously due to this listing! I am so happy that people around the world are able to see what I have to cook for them.

To all my new readers and visitors, welcome! I hope you come back to enjoy the food I cook. I enjoy cooking almost as much as I enjoy talking! It is a passion that I got from my mother who is probably the best cook I know.

Enjoy your weekend and I will be back on Monday with something new.

Cannelini Beans & Meat Sauce

2008-09-19T10:47:00.005-04:00

Ok so I am trying t lose 8 pounds before we go on our big Disney Cruise in November. When I eat only 6 points during the day my brain is a little foggy and I truly come up with crazy ideas for things to eat.

Yesterday I was emailing with a friend about recipes and she indicated she had something in her crockpot and I thought "mmmmm it would be great to have a nice smelling crockpot house." So I went to the freezer and found some ground buffalo (you can use ground beef) and it is so lean and organic and I love this stuff and some italian sausage that came from the butcher. I browned the ground meat and sausage and in the crockpot put 2 jars of pasta sauce (yes people sometimes I use jars, although only when not entertaining) and then added the meat. I did not put any onions or other things as then the kids won't eat it. I cooked that all day. Oh and I used the Reynolds Slow Cooker liners and these are the greatest invention in the world!

I also had a bag of dried cannelini beans and thought "rather than eat pasta how about beans!" Great fiber, low fat! Again what was I thinking. So I cleaned the beans and placed them in about 6 cups of water with chopped onion, a raw sausage, and salt and pepper to taste. I brought it to a boil and then simmered for about 3 hours.

Can I tell you how divine my house smelled? My house smelled divine!!

I made whole wheat penne pasta with fresh mozzarella for the kids as I know they wouldn't eat the beans.

Originally I was going to eat the beans and just have a dollop of the sauce on the side but instead I put the sauce in the middle of the beans with a small slice of fresh mozzarella and it was really good. See what the brain does when it is in diet mode!!

I had 2 satisfied customers, see the sauce all over their faces? And really that is what it is all about. Now Life is Good!

Disclaimer: Both pictures of the children were taken by 6 year old and her self portrait was taken upside down!

Cheater Lasagna

2008-09-18T09:32:00.004-04:00

OK I am going to share a secret. I use this one for when someone has a baby or someone passes away, etc. It is my go to recipe as it is so easy and can be thrown together quickly. I usually put a loaf of garlic bread and salad with it and a quick dessert and bring it to whomever. And when I make it I also make one for my family. It is really lasagna but without the extra trouble and mess with the ricotta cheese!

Easy Ravioli Lasagna (aka cheater lasagna)

2-3 bags frozen Celentano cheese ravioli (or other brand)
1 lb lean ground beef (optional)
1-2 jars favorite tomato sauce
1-2 bags part skim mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Brown the beef in a pan and add the sauce so that it can soak up some of the flavors. In a casserole dish or tin foil pan (that way you don’t have to clean up!) put some tomato sauce on the bottom. Add a layer of the frozen ravioli (still frozen and uncooked!) add more sauce on top to cover and then add mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Continue layering, making sure to use enough tomato sauce so that it can cook the ravioli. The top layer ends in mozzarella cheese with a sprinkle of parmesan (I usually have 3 layers). Put in oven on 350 for about 45 minutes to an hour, until cooked and warmed throughout.

Enjoy and put your feet up! With easy recipes like this Life is Always Good!

Marvelous Meatloaf

2008-09-16T09:37:00.005-04:00

Just the word meatloaf conjures up great memories of my childhood. We did not have the regular meatloaf that most Americans eat but we had what my Mom called Sicilian meatloaf. It was stuffed/rolled with prosciutto and provolone cheese and is still a favorite. Last night I did my best to pull this off with ground 99% fat free chicken and low fat sliced turkey and reduced fat provolone cheese. It was a hit. I served it with an arugula salad with goat cheese (feta for the kids) and had a nice low points, great tasting meal.

My daughter Lucy basically made the meatloaf. I bulked it up with celery, carrots and fresh home grown tomatoes and the entire family loved it. I like to do this with different types of vegetables so that the kids get an extra serving of veggies without them knowing (although they will eat salad until the cows come home.) And to top it all off it was only 3 Weight Watchers points per slice. Now it doesn't get any better than that!

Chicken Meatloaf

1 lb 99% fat free ground chicken (you can use beef or turkey)
2 medium sized carrots peeled
2 stalks celery
1 medium tomato
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese
Bread crumbs (I used some double fiber bread I had)
2 eggs
tomato paste or ketchup

Each seasoning to your taste
garlic powder
onion powder
oregano
parsley
thyme
basil
salt and pepper

Put the carrots, celery and tomato in the food processor and grind up until pureed. Put in a mesh strainer and drain the liquid out.

In bowl combine the ground meat, pureed vegetables, bread crumbs, eggs, tomato paste/ketchup and mix until blended. Add seasonings and mix again. Place a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper on a large cookie sheet. If you use aluminum foil spray it with Pam. Place the meat mixture on the sheet and spread out so that it is rectangular and about 1/2 inch thick. Layer the provolone cheese on top of the meat (kind of like covering a pizza) and then add a layer of the turkey breast or prosciutto. Take the end closest to you and start rolling like a roll cake until it is completely rolled and pinch the seam closed. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes (depending on thickness of loaf).

When I make the real Sicilian meatloaf (usually in the winter) I will surely post it. Now Life is Good!

See the cheese & turkey rolled inside and flecks of carrots & celery

Scrumptious Ribs

2008-09-15T13:50:00.006-04:00

I have been making slow cooked ribs for years. In the past I have always cooked them on 225-250 all day and turned them and basted them every 30 minutes. Who knew I would find a recipe for them that makes it so easy and they are oh so good. This is great for a big crowd or just the family. If my kids are going to eat them I eliminate the red pepper flakes.

I got the recipe from Emeril Legasse in Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. This is one of the best magazines I get all month. It is small and usually has several recipes that are worth trying AND keeping in my repetoire. I have made a few changes to his recipe but he calls them simple ribs ad I concur. To top it off they are delish!

Now I cheat and don't make Emeril's rib sauce but buy a bottle of bbq/rib sauce. My favorite is Sticky Fingers Habanero Hot but you can use any kind. And if you want to cheat more and are pressed for time buy a packet of pork rub and use that. But I will say the rub that Emeril has created is awesome. Change the ingredients depending on your taste. If my kids are going to eat them I eliminate the red pepper flakes. Enjoy.

Emeril calls them

ej's simple ribs

* 2 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder

* 2 teaspoons sweet paprika

* 1 teaspoon celery salt

* 1 teaspoon onion powder

* 3/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

* 1/4 teaspoon celery seed

* Coarse salt

* 2 slabs baby back ribs (about 2 pounds total)

* Spray Pam, for grill grates

* Emeril's Rib Sauce (recipe follows) - I use a bottle of store bought sauce. Make sure it has some sugar to it so that it will brown when it is on the grill. Also these are way better on a charcoal grill than they are on a gas grill. But both ways work fine.

Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine mustard powder, paprika, celery salt, onion powder, red-pepper flakes, garlic powder, celery seed, and 1 teaspoon salt. Rub slabs on both sides with the spice mixture, and refrigerate, loosely covered, for 2 hours (I have found the longer the better 4 is awesome!).

2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Stack slabs on a double layer of aluminum foil; tightly wrap. Place on a rack on a baking sheet. Cook until meat pulls away from the bone and is easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (I have found that it usually takes 2 hours)

3. Heat grill to medium-high; lightly oil grates. Carefully remove ribs from foil, pouring off any liquid. Brush generously on both sides with rib sauce; grill ribs until sauce begins to bubble and brown around the edges, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Serve ribs with any leftover sauce, if desired.

Emeril's Rib Sauce
Ingredients
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower

* 1 medium onion, finely chopped

* 3 garlic cloves, minced* Coarse salt and ground pepper

* 1 cup ketchup* 1 cup canned beef broth

* 3/4 cup cider vinegar

* 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

* 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

* 1/2 teaspoon celery salt

* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes.

BOLD BASTING: A few tricks will make your rib sauce extra hearty: Start with a base of sauteed onion and garlic, add beef broth for depth, and give it a 30-minute simmer to bring the flavors together.

Now after a serving of these Life is Definitely Good!

Pecan, Craisan Chicken Salad

2008-09-12T11:03:00.002-04:00

I didn't have to cook dinner last night as I ate out at Station 22 on Sullivan's Island. It was wonderful. I had arugula salad with fried goat cheese and a small plate of corn bread encrusted fried oysters. There is nothing better than a fried oyster. Normally I prefer them on top of a Ceasar salad but a review online indicated if you eat at Station 22 that they are a must. They did not dissapoint.

My family on the otherhand had pizza. Pizza which they deemed "not as good as yours mom" and "this is no Andolini's pizza." Makes a mom feel good.

Yesterday for lunch I was looking through the refrigerator and realized I had left over chicken from the whole chicken I made last week. I figured if I didn't eat it soon it would be bad. I grabbed the chicken, some celery, and green onions (scallions) out of the fridge and went to the pantry. I had some craisans and pecans and then I remembered I had cut up a pear for my son the other day and he didn't eat it.

A little chopping and dicing and I had an awesome chicken salad. Rather than eating it on bread I put it on a piece of Romaine lettuce and rolled it up. It was yummo!!!

Pecan-Craisan Chicken Salad

2-3 cups cooked chicken

3 stalks celery

2 green onions

1/4 cup Craisans

1/4 pecans (chopped)

1 medium pear cut into bite size pieces

large tablespoon of Dukes Light Mayo

salt and pepper to taste

Cut up chicken breast into 1/2-1 inch pieces

and place in bowl. Add diced celery and chopped

green onions. Chop pecans and add with Craisans to

the bowl. Peel the pear and cut into bite sized pieces and toss

them in. Mix all the ingredients and then add a spoonful of

Dukes Light Mayonnaise. Salt and pepper to taste.

I get tonight off as well as my and my husband are going to see the comedian Ron White. Hopefully he can keep himself out of jail during his stay in Charleston as he was arrested 2 nights ago before a show in Florida!

Have a wonderful day and Life is Good!

Unispired Asian Stir Fry Dinner

2008-09-11T09:17:00.005-04:00

Did you ever wonder if you and the rest of your family were born on the same planet? Last night I was so uninspired to cook something. We got home late after school as Lucy had gymnastics and Cambridge stays extended day on Wednesday after preschool and his manners class! We got home just before 5:00. I had spent the morning at the dentist and then cleaning up the house so never had a chance to peruse the fridge.

When my husband got home I looked through the fridge and had homemade pesto (from my basil in the garden) and also had some sauteed onions and peppers. I had some nice Italian sausage in the freezer and I figured I could do something with the sausage on either the peppers or the pesto. I also told him I had a stir fry bag in the freezer. (typically I buy these when they are on sale as they are an easy meal for me to make on a night that I am going to one of my book clubs. Truth be told I personally have never had one). Well the man opts for the bag of stir fry (huh?). He then reminds me that I have some rice in the refrigerator and can mix that in. Now you should all note that I am an American of Italian descent and was raised in New England. My husband is southern true and true. I never had rice growing up! Never had it until I went to college. Maybe once or twice we had Rice-a-Roni. We had pasta and all things Italian. Nope never had a meat and 3! Didn't know what it was until I met my husband. Being southern he likes rice and gravy (gravy? heck I never had turkey on Thanksgiving until I was in college and we didn't go to Boston to visit all of our family as the turkey was always second class to homemade lasagna, brocciale, stuffed peppers, sausage with peppers and onions - ok that is a post for another day!). To me gravy is red sauce. Tomato sauce. Spaghetti sauce. Get the picture?

So I make this frozen stirfry (wishing the kids hadn't eaten the leftover steak on Monday night as it would have been a nice addition). Well who would know that my family loved this. I chopped up some onion and added it to the stir fry bag (which consisted of steak, broccoli, water chestnuts, sugar snap peas, carrots, red pepper). When it was nearly cooked I added in the rice with the sauce mix that came with the bag and had a surprisingly good low calorie/low fat meal that was oh so easy to make.

I am such a "cook from scratch gal" that this did surprise me. My husband kept telling me how good it was! And to that I say yes it was good but I didn't really make it! Oh well I guess the main thing is that they enjoyed it and it was relatively healthy!

Tonight I am going to one of my book clubs. I will see if I can get a picture of my meal without my friends thinking I am crazy. My family will be at home celebrating my sons cast coming off this afternoon. It has been 5 long weeks in the thing and it is falling apart. My son does not want to go out to dinner (again was he born on the same planet as me? I keep saying "Dad offered to take you and Lucy to dinner" which he responds "I like eating at home" I think that might be a compliment). So they will have pizza (not homemade as I am taking the night off) and he wants a cake that is half Wall-E and half Tony Stewart (NASCAR driver). Lucy told him she was sure I could make one!!! Any suggestions??? I don't want to end up cakewrecks!

Tomorrow will bring crazy pictures is all I can say. Give me your ideas on the cake or what I can make that might work and have a great day. Life is Good!

Souper Dinner

2008-09-10T07:46:00.003-04:00

Growing up in Connecticut I miss the cool crisp days of early fall that seemed to show up each year on Labor Day. This was back to school time and a good time to eat a nice bowl of soup and piece of bread for dinner. Since I am counting points and you can take the girl out of Yankee town but you can't take the Yankee out of the girl... I made soup last night. I had the chicken stock I made last week and needed to use it. This soup was so good. I did a nice loaf of crusty french bread and the kids even liked it!

I threw everything in the crock pot yesterday morning and came home to a wonderful smelling house. I was in the mood for Italian Wedding Soup but did not have the correct kind of pasta to make it so I did my best to improvise. And for those of you that ever try to make anything I post a recipe for, I never use actual recipes. Cooking for me is more just go with what I like and might taste good. And I am sure that is the reason I don't like to bake. Since baking is a science and cooking is cathartic.

Linda's Crazy Soup

chicken stock

1 medium onion chopped

4 medium carrots sliced

3 celery stalks chopped

1 box frozen spinach

I put the veggies in the chicken stock in the crockpot and then looked in the freezer and said hmmmmmm!

1 lb ground pork

old bread for breadcrumbs

tomato paste (or ketchup if you don't have it)

2 eggs

italian seasonings

make tiny meatballs with the pork. Season how you like. Mine were rather bland as I wanted the kids to eat them.

Put the meatballs in ever so carefully one at a time so they don't get crushed on the way down.

cook on low all day. About an hour before serving I put in a can of cannelini beans and I cooked egg noodles on the stove (my crock pot was full and I couldn't fit them in!)

place some noodles on the bottom of the bowl

add some soup

sprinkle good Italian cheese (Asiago or Grada Paddano) over top

Get a good piece of crusty bread to dip in the broth. It was yummo.

Sorry that is a stock picture but basically what mine looked like! Have a great day and life is good.

Bad Small Appliance Weekend - Mojitos

2008-09-09T10:40:00.005-04:00

So we got NOTHING from TS Hanna. Thank goodness. But after all the prepping and hyping I was in the mood for a margarita. I like to drink them on the rocks at a bar but at home I like them frozen. I only use fresh ingredients so I know it will taste good and with my continuing abundance of limes from my lime tree I decided to make me one late Saturday afternoon. I put some ice in my Kitchen Aid blender that I got for my wedding nearly 9 years ago (and haven't used much) and turned it on and poof! It went whiiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrr. No movement inside. I took the pitcher off it and the entire blade element had rotted off! GO figure. So I instead made mojitos which were divine!

I was about to throw out the blender when I went to the Kitchen Aid website and saw how much they cost, nearly $200. Not sure who bought this for me!?!? But on ebay I found a piece for $4 that looks like it will fit and make the blender work again. We will see.

On Sunday I was ironing. My most dreaded task of the week. All of a sudden whammo the dial in the middle of the iron that controls the heat pops off! I am thinking what next. SO I go to Target and buy a new iron. Stainless steel pad and it is awesome but when I get it home I realize it does not have the retractable cord. NOw for $30 I want a retractable cord. SO I iron the rest of Lucy's school uniforms and take the iron back to Target on Monday morning. I buy the same model with a retractable cord. I get home and fill it with water and am looking at it and it looks used. None of the pieces were in the bags that were in the box so I know someone has purchased it and returned it. What that person did not tell Target is that the iron leaks like a sieve! Now I have a hot iron, a 4 year old boy wanting to be entertained and still a bunch of ironing to do. All before my friends come over to bead in the evening.

I trot back to Target and this time with the iron not in the box as it is too hot, and the same woman is at the return counter. She starts laughing at me! Says they have been having problems with these Sunbeam irons and she marks the item as damaged. Now the irons are right next to the toy aisle and I have to get to the grocery store before picking up Lucy at school. I look at all the irons and they really have an awful selection. Cambridge is running across the aisle to the toys as I am grumbling about having to go to Wal-Mart. We leave Target and go to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has the iron I want but it is not in stock. They are expecting a shipment of 3 overnight and there are 3 at another Super Wal-Mart down the street (worse than this old Wal-Mart). So I ask the lady, will they be put on the shelves by morning? She says just come by in the morning it is not like we are going to have a rush of people coming in here in the morning to buy irons! Duh! I just want to know if they will be put on the shelves.

So there is my story of my blender and my iron. I am on my way to Wal-Mart right now before I go to Lucy's school to give blood. (They always want more than tuition! ;-)) Hopefully the iron I want will be on the shelf and I can get it home and happily go about ironing. The sad thing is I am so excited about it as the stainless steel makes it press so much better.

I also hope my blender part works. I can't imagine spending that kind of money on a blender.

Have a great day and may all your small appliances work well. Life is good.

Mojito recipe
Fresh mint
simple syrup (1 cup water & 1 cup sugar-heat to boil)
sugar
limes
rum
club soda

put fresh mint and a tiny bit of sugar and a lime slic in bottom of tall glass.
With muddler gently muddle (bruise) the mint leaves to release flavor.
Pour a small bit of simple syrup in glass (depending on how sweet you like it)
Pour in 1 and a half shot glasses of Rum (or Vodka)
Add ice to top
put in shaker and shake
pour in glass and top with club soda
squeeze lime and ENJOY

Life is really really good after a few of these!

Hurricane Hype

2008-09-05T07:15:00.006-04:00

For the past few days me and my family have been anxiously watching the tropics. Living in the Southeastern United States on the coast it is impossible not to do this. I watched with amazement Gustav go into the coast and have had eyes on Hanna and particularly Ike. We started the week making plans on what to do depending on the track or severity. Since Hanna was predicted to come right into Charleston at one point we went and got a generator and a window air conditioner.

The generators were in full stock on Monday night at the Lowes down the street from us. But my husband did not buy one. On Tuesday morning he purchased the generator on lowes.com for in-store pickup. A woman from the store called him and said if he did not pick it up immediately it would be sold and he would get the first one to come into the store in the next shipment. So I happened to be driving the kids home from school and going right past the store when he frantically called me. I went into Lowes with he 2 kids in tow and talked to customer service. I was informed that I would need to be escorted out with my generator to make sure no one beat me up! This made me feel real good. Then another man came with the items on a roll cart and said "do not take your eyes off of these. A man had one on his cart this morning and turned away and it was taken." (Not sure how this man didn't hear this but ok) Now I am walking to the parking lot with the Lowes man and people are looking at us asking where I got it and he has to keep telling them I bought it online and it is the last one! Geesh.

So I have also been cleaning out my freezer. I cooked a full organic chicken on Wednesday night as the chicken took up way too much space and ended up melting my baster! Very sad. But boy was it good. I stuffed the inside with a bunch of rosemary sprigs! It was divine.

My poor baster! Notice the bend?

Bottom shelf of freezer!

Top shelf of freezer!

Now that we will not take a direct hit and my daughters school has a half day and my sons school is closed (his school followed the public school system rather than the private school that owns them that my daughter goes to! Go figure). I will have my son, and another 4 year old girl and 3 year old girl until it is time to pick up the bigger kids up at 11:30 (3 first graders). They should be here about 8:00 am. I will drop off one of the first graders and the 4 year old girl at their dads office and take the other 2 back with me until about 1 o'clock! It should be loud but fun. I miss having little girls around. Their play is so much different than boys. These are our car pool families. Two of the most incredible families you will ever meet. The moms both work full time and I don't drive many days so this is where I come in really handy! Really works out well.

So in a nut shell we played this thing right. We took caution and watched and got all our supplies and will not get a direct hit. It also looks like Ike will hit South Florida so we might not have to worry about that one either and Josephine looks like it is weakening. All in all a good week for us. I am making chicken stock and my house smells yummo!

My yummy chicken stock that is simmering

Have a great day and stay safe.

Country First

2008-09-04T07:26:00.005-04:00

Country First! What a great slogan. It embodies hope and change and all the empty words the empty suit, I mean Barack Obama, and his running mate are passing out. Sarah Palin did awesome last night. Rudy Giulliani was amazing. This is what the republican party needed. The democrats have nothing and are on the defensive because they picked the old and established to try to get "change." Go figure. But does that really surprise any of us? Not me.

So no the liberal and their elite media have to attach Palin on such things as the actions of her children, yes how awful that her daughter has decided not to suck her unborn baby into a sink. She should be caned for that! Hmm can we think wow a life was spared and will be brought into this world instead of a sink in a clininc. Now I do believe the young couple will have a tough time but that is their issue.

So if Sarah Palin had teared up I know the media would have said she was soft. Instead The Huffinton Post (BARF) is saying it was too masculine. EVERY woman should be offended by this. This is the most sexist thing I have ever heard. Give me a break. But when you have nothing to go on you have to start making things up and digging for what is not really news. Making personal digs. Was Obama's speech too masculine or feminine? Would they have ever used this word to describe a speech by a man? I don't think so. It is a double standard and feminists should be roaring! Where are they?

So I hope the Democrats are sitting back saying that they have it in the bag because come election day the truth will be told and the change coming to the White House will be in the form of McCain/Palin. I believe Biden can't stand a chance with Palin in a debate and if Obama continues to say things are above his pay grade to deserve and answer well maybe all his "fans" will see that he is an empty suit filled with hot air. Yes he is young and attractive but that will not help our country.

And if the liberal media were doing their job the would all know that Petraeus has issued a take down of the troops since Iraq is going so well. Hmmm where is that in the media.

Well I am off to enjoy my day. I am energized by the speaches last night and ready to take on the world. Country First!

Cambridge's First Day

2008-09-03T12:58:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was Cambridge's first dayof 4's preschool. He already knew the teachers as Lucy had them when she was 4 and he went to summer camp at the school over the summer and had one of the teachers during camp. He came home and said "I didn't get to sit next to Joseph at snack. That was bad!" But he did tell me "I went down the twisty slide and didn't fall off (like he did the last time 3 weeks ago when he broke his wrist!) So today he got in the car after school and as his teacher was buckling him in he said "I GOT TO SIT NEXT TO JOSEPH AT SNACK!" What a great day he had! The simple things in life sometimes we forget about.

What simple things make you or your kids happy?

I know for me a cup of Starbucks coffee with my coffee friends is a luxury I never take for granted. And the feeling I have after pilates class, thank goodness it is over but I actually feel good!

6 Random Things About Me

2008-09-01T09:41:00.000-04:00

Happy Labor Day! Last day of summer for Cambridge as he finally starts school tomorrow. I can't wait to go see all my coffee buddies. It will be a grand ole reunion at Starbucks! I was reading one of my favorite blogs, No Fear Entertaining, and she posted this interesting question. So here is a bit about me for you to see.

6 Random things about me...

1. I get goosebumps when I hear the national anthem and always sing along.

2. I made it half way through my MBA at The Citadel (at the time an all male military college but women were allowed to go to their graduate programs at night) but travelled too much for business and gave it up.

3. I was a writer for my college newspaper The Good 5 Cent Cigar at the University of Rhode Island (go Rhody!)

4. I am a closet NASCAR fan thanks to my NASCAR obsessed son. I love to watch races as it is such an incredible sport. Imagine going that fast and being so close to other cars. The skill is what gets me every time. Kind of like a scary rollercoaster. But shhhh don't tell anyone.

5. My best friend and I used to go out in the woods when we were little and try to get lost in Newtown, Connecticut. We each had about 5-10 acres of land on Castle Hill Road (4 houses in a row) and there were streams and swamps in between and in the winter we would build forts and bring a box of Jello for survival and mix it with snow and eat it. I lived across the street from a nunnery owned by the Carmelite Sisters and we would pick apples in the fall and ice skate in the winter. It was the greatest place to grow up.

6. I have a blood clotting disorder when I am pregnant (elevated anticardiolipins) and lost 3 babies at 12 weeks, 13 weeks and 16 weeks of pregnancy. I lost one baby before my daughter and then went on the have Lucy with no medical intervention and had a 5%-10% chance of carrying her to term. She is a true miracle. I had 2 additional miscarriages after her and was finally diagnosed before getting pregnant with my son. He too is a miracle but I did Heparin shots 2 times a day and took baby aspirin to keep my blood from clotting in the umbilical cord. Thank God for modern medicine and a great OB and RE.

I am not going to tag any one blogger on this but consider yourselves all tagged and take a few minutes and let us get to know you better! If you decide to do this let me know so I can come and read it! (this is word for word from No Fear).

Enjoy and I hope to read what you write too.

Life is REALLY Good!

2008-08-30T10:10:00.000-04:00

Two days ago I was not excited about the upcoming presidential election. I was tired of seeing Obama on tv and not very excited about John McCain. Then comes the bombshell that McCain actually picks an intelligent candidate with executive experience, oh and she just so happens to be a woman! WOW can it get any better than this. A governor does more in one week than a senator does in a year so Obama/Biden can clam up on that one. This woman is truly incredible. She went after the Republicans in her state that were corrupt! How refreshing is that?

The biggest excitement for me is that she has a child with downs syndrome. My dear friend has a child with down syndrome. Sarah Palin knew her child had downs while in the womb and she chose to have the child because she knew she would be blessed and made a better person by carrying the baby to term. Listening to the media say with such incredible disbelief that she knew in advance is a victory for all children with down syndrome. Those that are here and those that are still in the womb. It will give pregnant women hope and know that they can bring this child into the world and others have done it and continue to lead a normal family life. It shows that it is not a horrible thing to have a baby with down syndrome but a blessed thing. For this I am so grateful. For my friend April and her daughter Claire and all the wonderful children like Claire I am over the moon.

So today is a great day not just for republicans but for all people with down syndrome and those families with a family member that has down syndrome. I have been on a personal crusade for the past (almost 5 years) to educate people about downs. To try to get to drs and people in the medical industry to make sure they give women options when they are told the child in the womb has downs. To say there is something other than termination.

My personal story is that I always thought I would have a child with downs. I was 39 when I had my last child so it should have been me and that child would have been welcomed into this world with loving arms. Instead my 29 year old friend April was the lucky one to get the baby with downs syndrome. She did not know before Claire was born that this was the case but that would not have made a difference. She would have carried Claire to term no matter what. A true hero in my book.

So I walk around in almost a drunken joy at the choice by John McCain of Sarah Palin. This is not about being a republican or democrat. This is about being an advocate. So no matter what your political convictions I hope you will share in my joy over this.

God is good and Life is Great!

Things that make you go hmmmmmm?

2008-08-28T07:28:00.000-04:00

Snack foods on the go-
Do you ever think about taking a snack with you when you go out of the house? I mean I will grab something for the kids but usually don't take something for myself unless I am starving. So if I take something to munch on in the car it is usually pretzels, low fat cheeze its (yummo), or crackers. Something neat and easy to put in a ziplock bag and take with you. There is a point...

Last night I am driving to Lucy's school and I am at a stop light and the woman in the car next to me is eating chicken wings. Not just eating them she is eating them and then sucking on the bones! I have never seen such a thing! And in a car! I don't know how you eat them as they are so messy. But I glanced over and saw her taking something out of her mouth and thought "gee that looks strange" and then I look again and she has a chicken wing, well the drummette part that looks like a little leg (because you know I had to check it out thoroughly) and is chomping off the chicken and then she sticks the entire bone in her mouth and sucks on it and then puts it down and brings up another bone (or the same one not sure since I couldn't see what was in her lap) and starts sucking on it. But not like a lollipop. I mean the whole thing in her mouth and then pulls it out!

What is up with that? Do you eat strange food in the car? Am I just crazy thinking this is bizarre? I mean I am in the south but come on. Can't you wait until you get home? Just doesn't seem like a car snack food. Anyway other than being a strange choice it grossed me out.
Is there anything that grosses you out that other drivers do? Have you seen any drivers do something so stupid or funny that you laughed out loud? I want to know.

In the mean time don't be looking for me eating any kind of chicken with a bone in it in the car.

Have a great day and Lif is Good!

What a beautiful day!

2008-08-27T13:22:00.001-04:00

Today is a great day. The sun is shining (although the mosquitoes are awful after the rains of Fay and you can't go outside without being bombarded by them - think horror movie), the grass is green, I had a Starbucks Coffee with a good friend and no kids in tow. I called a friend yesterday to see if I could take her son today for Cambridge to play with. The mom is a teacher at C's school. I told her I was meeting (another teacher from the school) for coffee at 7:45 and maybe I could pick him up after. She said "I will be at school so why don't you drop C off and they can play in my classroom until you get back." Umm no hesitation on my part...YES!!! (She is setting her classroom up for school to start next week.)

So I went to Starbucks and had a nice relaxing time and while we were there the person sitting next to us was taken out by EMS and we never even noticed anything was wrong. We saw 2 EMTs and 2 Firemen come in and I thought they were sitting next to us and then they started bringing in oxygen and I looked over (literally at the small round table next to me!) and the lady is slumped over and slurring and one of the EMTs is talking to her. Now 2 more EMTs come in with a gurney and at this point I moved my table out of the way and left. Seemed like the appropriate thing to do.

I picked up the boys and we came home and they made homemade chocolate chip cookies (I can't remember the last time I did this !) and then we put the ingredients for dough into the bread machine so the kids and Dan can make pizzas for dinner (of course I have to go to Lucy's school for a new parent meeting and while I am no longer a "new" parent I am the chair of the new parent committee). The cookies look awesome. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Each of the boys ate 2 (but they also had half and apple to round it out!).

Now I am getting the ingredients ready to make cranberry bread (with craisins since they were on clearance at Target (only $1.77 for a large package that costs $3.99 at grocery store - can you say bargain?).

I picked some limes and gave them to my friend and now have found a yummy recipe online for which I have all the ingredients in the house (it doesn't get any better than that. See I told you life is good). We will have that tomorrow night.

Here are some pictures of my abundance of what is outside. I have basil, parsley, more rosemary than I know what to do with (this is one plant and I have 3 more in the front that are now part of the landscaping because you can't kill them and they smell so good!), limes, chives, the yummy cookies the boys made and whatever else I took photos of today. Oh and a picture of my 2 helpers. I think you can figure out which one is mine (Tony Stewart).

Speaking of bargains and Tony Stewart, all his stuff is on sale at racingusa.com. 75% off! I got Cambridge a new costume since he wants to be Tony Stewart (again) for Halloween and the one we have is getting small. Normally it is $30 and I got it for $5. How great is that and they had his size. Again, life is good.

Joseph and Cambridge (Buzz and Tony!)

The yummy cookies Buzz and Tony made!

2 limes on the tree waiting to be picked

Chives

One of my basil plants

One of my rosemary plants - this one is in a planter the rest are in the ground

Have a beautiful day and I will let you know how the recipe turns out (if you want it just click on the words yummy recipe and it will bring you to the link.

Who knew?

2008-08-26T11:44:00.000-04:00

Who knew there was so much to setting up a blog? Getting the right colors. picking the right name and url. Choosing photographs. Coming up with subjects to talk about. I never would have thought it would take up so much time. Although I guess some of that time was eaten up reading other people's blogs. As I have written before they are fascinating.

I am trying to put ads on here. There is a program where the advertisers will pay me. I figure why not. So that is taking time for me to be approved. Also, since I set up my last blog the customize template and stuff has changed and I am sure it is for the better it is a harder learning curve since I had done it the other way previously.

I am still in my pjs (well I have shorts and sports bra on with the long tshirt since I had to walk Lucy to the end of the driveway for car pool pickup) and so is Cambridge. It s 11:47 am. He does not want to get dressed! He does not want to go do anything. YIKES. I am not sure who is going to be in bigger trouble next week when he goes back to school, me or him! He wants to watch Blues Clues. That is all he wants to do. We got a Blues Clues video from the library the other day and that is what he is content watching. So I let him watch all the episodes on it and then he has to play with no tv on for at least an hour and then he can watch something again. Oh I am a bad mommy. I am trying to get him to go to the park but unless I can get a friend to go along with him he is content to play in the house. We have set up a Monster Truck rally track where his monster trucks (sligthly bigger than a matchbox) can drive over the other cars and feel like Monster Jam on Speed Tv! This boy stuff is way easier than girl toys and stuff. Just a lot of vroom noises and grunting as opposed to making play conversation with a mommy and her baby. Lucy always wanted to be the mommy!!!

So here I sit. At the computer. Doing each of the kids school calendars. And you would think that since Lucy's k-12 school bought Cambridge's 2yo-K school that all the vacation days would be the same! NOT! So there are several days off when it is one or the other. The spring break is the same and winter break but Lucy has 2 extra days at the end of her winter break. Then in October Lucy has a Thursday and Friday off and then Cambridge gets the Monday off for Columbus day! Go figure.

ok back from a quick break. Got Cambridge dressed and took a video of him while I was at it. You can see what a NASCAR and Tony Stewart fan he truly is (hat, pillow, #20 on his cast).

Gotta decide what to make for dinner. I know the kids would like tacos but Lucy requested garlic bread and pasta (can you say carb loading?) and I have some ribs, chicken breasts and lean ground beef. My garden is full of basil but we ate all the red tomatoes and I have an over abundance of limes. Is there such a thing as lime chicken????hmmmm.

Off to check out the freezer and my garden to see what I can make this evening. Have a great day and thanks for reading.

Welcome!

2008-08-25T17:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome over here. Glad you followed me. I will start blogging full time once Cambridge starts school next week. Right now I still have him home with me. But I wanted this blog to be more about me, my family and my life rather than commentary on subjects in the press, etc. that would cause me to open my big mouth. Now I am sure there will be some of that but this will be more about what is going on around here. What is up in my garden (right now a ton of limes that are soooo good, basil and tomatoes!), what is going on with me and the kids and dh and life in general Come on in and sit down with a nice cuppa joe.