Prayers

A friend just posted a story about the prayers her kids said when they were little.  It sparked a memory of the family prayer we used when I was little -

"Come oh Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let this food to us be blessed. Amen"

For many years I thought Come oh Lord Jesus was one word: comeohlordjesus - go figure.  The mind of kids.

Of course, I also thought there were 23 letters in the alphabet:

A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-LMNO-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z

Yes, LMNO was one letter for years!

Pickle Relish - recipe #2

I made two different recipes for pickle relish this year.  This was the 2nd recipe I tried - it is very sweet, tangy and yummy.  I canner for the hot water bath started when I drained the vegetables.  It takes a while to get all of that water hot and boiling!

4 cups chopped cucumber
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup Kosher salt

3 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups cider vinegar
1 T Celery Seeds
1 T Mustard Seeds

1) Mix vegetables and kosher salt together in large bowl, pan or crock.  Cover and let sit for 3 hours
2) After three hours, rinse and drain vegetables well.  I allowed them to sit for 45 minutes
3)  In a large pan mix the sugar, vinegar, celery seeds and mustard seeds together, bring to a boil
4)  Once the liquids have  begun a full boil, add the rinsed and well drained vegetables
5)  Bring back to a boil, turn heat down and allow to simmer 10 minutes

Carefully ladle relish into hot sterilized jars, add lids and rings and process in a hot water bath for 10-15 minutes.

Baking and canning

It's been a busy week in the kitchen.  The reason is probably because the farmer's markets are overflowing the beautiful fruits and vegetables.  I with fresh fruits and vegetables were available year round.  Oh, I know some people will tell me they are available but having a watermelon that is trucked across the country is not the same as cutting into a watermelon that was picked yesterday (or this morning) and in my tummy this afternoon!  Fresh fruit tastes so much better.

Even better is getting to know the farmers and knowing what goes into my food.  Better yet, knowing what does NOT go into my food - like pesticides or other nasty chemicals.

As of this post I have made jars of jam - cherry, strawberry and blueberry.  All of the jams were made without adding extra pectin.  I've also canned countless jars of salsa, hot & mild, stewed tomatoes, applesauce, bread and butter pickles and pickle relish.

Funny thing about the pickle relish.  The recipe calls for 5 cups of sugar so I purchased a new 5 pound bag.  I moved the bag around on the counter while I was preparing the pickle relish.  It wasn't until all the jars were filled and sealed that I sat down to write the recipes in the book of recipes I'm keeping.  It was then - very late at night that I realized the bag of sugar had not been opened!  Yikes!!!  The following morning I opened all the jars, dumped the contents back into the kettle with the 5 cups of sugar and bought everything to a boil & simmered for 20 minutes again.  Early taste tests show the relish, although perhaps a bit overcooked, tastes delicious.  Da Hubbs had some on his sandwich the other night and he gave it his seal of approval.


I'm actually looking forward to this winter when we can open the jars and enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of my labor.

Side note, I canned several jars of tomatoes yesterday - all of the tomatoes in the jars came from my garden - yeah!!!

Baked Beans & Childhood Memories

My weekly trip to the farmer's markets yesterday were educational.  One of the farmers was holding a "demonstration" of pressure cooker canning.  I use the term "demonstration" loosely since he had no heat source, did not demonstrate how the pressure canner was used and had several jars of food that were pressure cooker canned that did not turn out very well.

After watching his so called demo with another shopper I turned to the next booth and discussed water-bath canning (the method I currently use) with another farmer.  At that booth I purchased a pound of beans and received a recipe for making baked beans --- and also instructions for canning the beans.  I wandered through the rest of the market and picked up garlic, maple syrup, and onions - the rest of the ingredients I needed to make the recipe I received from Shady Side Farms.

Last night I covered the beans with cold water.  This morning I drained and rinsed and drained the beans and then covered them with cold water.  The pot of beans is now on the stove simmering - a process that, according to recipe directions, should take two hours.

A few minutes ago the beans started fill the air with childhood memories.  As a child we spent a considerable amount of time visiting my grandpa.  He was a widower who lived alone in a home he owned that was converted years before into two apartments.  Grandpa lived in the two bedroom aprtment on the 2nd floor.  When we pulled into the driveway at Grandpa's home we could often smell the food he was cooking.  Sometimes the smells permeated the neighborhood - or could it be the smells were embedded in our nostrils so we carried them with us wherever we went?  Grandpa never settled for opening a can - he always made his beans the right way!  The smells filling my home today are the smells that greeted us on our wonderful visits to see the most wonderful Grandpa.  His other passion was making homemade bread. 

Hmmmm, perhaps I should up put a loaf of bread .....

Here's the recipe for the beans I am making today:

Maple Baked Beans

(recipe from ShadySide Farms)

1 pound Pinto or Jacob's Cattle beans

1 large onion chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1 bay leaf

2 glugs of maple syrup (about 1/2 cup)

3/4 pound chunk bacon ------I'm leaving this out of my beans, personal preference

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1. The night before, pick over beans, cover generously with cold water, and set aside.
2. The next morning, put the beans on the stove and simmer until tender -- about 2 hours.
3. Drain beans; put in slow cooker on low.
4. Add onion, garlic, bay leaf and chopped bacon.  
5. Add maple syrup and enough cold water to cover the beans
6. Stir beans from time to time and add a bit of hot water if necessary to keep the top layer just nicely submerged.  Around noon, stir in salt and dry mustard.
7. Remove the lid for the last hour of cooking so the beans thicken.

Things not included in the recipe but learned from the farmer.  The beans swell about three times the size so make sure you use a large crock pot.  This recipe makes enough to feed a small crowd so, if you are making this for your family, cut it in thirds or plan on canning the rest.

To can the beans,

• follow the recipe as written.  
• Wash and sterilize jars and fill the hot dry jars with the beans. 
• Make sure you leave 1/2 inche head space.  
• Put the lids on the jars and immediately process the jars for 10-15 minutes in a water bath canner. 

Treasures vs. Junk

As many of you know, my dad passed away February 8, 2011.  My dad was a builder for most of his life.  He built many homes around the Muskegon area and later in life he worked for RHJ Management.  Dad loved to work with tinker in his workshops - he had one in the basement and one in his garage.  The workshops were full of tools - screwdrivers, hammers, saws, wrenches, etc.  Lots of tools.  He also accumulated a collection of nuts, bolts, nails and a bunch of treasures.  I'm pretty sure the "treasures" were things he was saving because they might come in handy some day.

Well, after dad died, mom commenced to clean out the workshops and of course welcomed any help offered.  We (my nephews, son & husband) spent time clearing and hauling.  The final steps were to fill a huge dumpster with objects we deemed not worth keeping.  Then we had a yard sale and basically gave away some of dads tools.  Finally we sorted all the steel (as in nails, screws, lawn mower blades, etc) and loaded them into mom's van.  We hauled all this stuff to the Rag & Metal recycle facility where mom earned a whopping $46.  The last step was a woman purchased the rest of dad's treasures and she cleared out the garage workshop!

Clearing and sorting dad's stuff has been an eyeopener for me.  I have a sewing room, which I call The Cave, full of my treasures.  I spent several hours in there tonight sorting and clearing.  The room is still full of precious material, patterns, tools, thread, etc. that are too important to me to just throw away.  Unfortunately I know that my children do not view my prize accumulations as precious and will probably toss everything into a dumpster when my day comes.

I guess, in the meantime, I should spend a lot of time in the cave creating things such as quilts, clothes, purses, etc that my children might view as heirlooms.....

Hmmmm, I doubt they will but at least I will have fun.

Rest in Peace dad!

Back in the kitchen.....Zucchni Relish

This recipe for Zucchini Relish came from SparkPeople.com

Chef Meg's Zucchini Relish Recipe

4 cups diced zucchini
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2  celery ribs, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium sweet red pepper, sliced
2 tablespoons salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Dash onion salt
dash ground tumeric

In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, sprinkle with walt and cover with cold water.  Let stand 3 hours, rinse and drain.

In a large saucepan, bring the remaining ingredients to a boil.  Stir in zucchini mixture and return to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer uncovered, for 5 minutes,  Transfer to a large bowl; cool to room temperature.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 days - yields 4 cups

Side Note: I ladled the relish into hot sterilized canning jars, sealed them and put them through a 15 minute hot water bath.  According to comments on the site, this is another option - Ball, the canning people, recommend a pressure canner.  I've never used a pressure canner so I have not comment there.

Back in the kitchen.....Bread and Butter Pickles

I've been absent from the blog lately.  I haven't been absent from the kitchen though.  I need to post several recipes for friends.   First.....

Bread and Butter Pickles (makes 6-7 pints)

In a large bowl, mix together and let soak for three hours:
     25-30 small pickling cucumbers - sliced thin
     8 small onions - sliced thin
     1/2 cup canning salt

shortly before the 3 hours soaking time is up, mix and heat to a full boil the following in a large kettle:
     5 cups sugar
     5 cups white vinegar
     2 T. mustard seed
     1 t. tumeric

After 3 hours, rinse pickles & onion well.
Add rinsed pickles to large kettle, bring back to a boil & simmer for 5 minutes
Place pickles in hot sterilized jars & seal - be sure to leave approximately 1/2" head space
Can using your preferred method.  I use a 15 minute hot water bath which works fine for me.

Brass Monkeys by Terry Caszett

Brass Monkeys by Terry Caszatt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The beginning of Brass Monkeys was a little slow as the author laid the foundation for the rest of the story.  As I continued to read, I found several times throughout the book where I could not put the book down, waiting for the next event to happen.  I loved how the author intertwined some of the slang from the 60's and 70's into the modern day story. 

Fantasy fiction is not my favorite genre but this book was fun to read.  The ending was a little strange and leaves the reader with a feeling there is more..... does this mean there is a sequel in the future? 



View all my reviews

Guilt By Association by Marcia Clark

Guilt by Association by Marcia Clark

My rating: 4 of 5 stars






View all my reviews

Spring Time is Sick Time

Allergy season is back!

A little over a week ago I started experiencing a mild sore throat.  Last week the sore throat spread to an ear ache, sore throat, light head, dizzyness, 2 ear aches and an overall feeling of the yuckies.  I spent 5 days curled up on the couch doing as little a possible, sleeping and reading books.

Last night I had an extremely vivid dream.  It was so real that upon waking after the dream, I was very disoriented and had trouble remembering where I was.  I dreamed I was a teenager again, living in my parents home.  I had been sick and decided I would go to school tomorrow.  After telling my mom I planned to go to school tomorrow I asked her if I could borrow her car.  She told me I was always welcome to borrow her car but I had a car of my own, why couldn't I drive that.  Oh yes, I remembered, I owned a yellow jeep, never mind, I will drive the yellow jeep.  Then I asked my mom for directions since I had never driven to the high school.  Right after that I woke up.  I have no idea why I remember this dream so clearly, maybe because I laid in bed so long trying to figure out why I didn't know the directions to the high school and also trying to figure out where I was. 

Anyway, I decided I didn't care how I felt in the morning, I was going to get out of bed and go to work.  Enough of this feeling sorry for myself.

Thanks to Revlon, Clinique and Aveeda, I managed to conceal how miserable I actually felt.  I worked in a fog for most of the day, came home and then immediately left again to go to the gym where I tanned for 10 minutes and then walked the treadmill for 40 minutes.  After that the dear hubby took me out for a sandwich.

Here's hoping my dear friends Revlon, Clinique and Aveda help me pull this miracle off again tomorrow.

National Harbor, Home of The Awakening

Several weeks before our Washington DC vacation I signed up for Groupons.  Every day I received an e-mail with discounted offers for restaurants, spas, tours, etc.  One of the offers was a deal for a boat tour up and down the Potomac River to see the cherry blossoms.  I immediately started googling for information on the boat tour.  I found the boat was docked at the National Harbor in Oxon, Maryland and the tour brought us to East Potomac Park and Haines Point.  I was curious as to how we would get to the National Harbor so I searched Google Maps.  The easiest way I saw was to take the subway south and then grab a taxi.  I estimated the distance from subway to harbor was around five miles.  Shouldn't cost much.

I went ahead and booked the tour and I am so glad I did!  My guess for transportation was confirmed by Stu in Congressman Huizenga's office.  During our tour of the capital I asked Stu if he would be able to help me.  After the tour, he checked and sure enough, Blue Line to King Street Station and then cab to National Harbor was the safest way to journey.

Upon our arrival at the National Harbor we located the dock where the Pelican would be waiting for us.  We also found The Awakening - a sculpture that I spent time looking for years ago. 

The last time I saw for the sculpture, I took a cab ride with a cabbie that had no idea where the sculpture was but managed to find it - shortly after it started raining. 

  
When I got out of the cab to take pictures I found out my camera was not working (I accidentally left it running) and I was unable to document finding the sculpture.



I had heard the sculpture had been sold but I thought it was moved to Florida.  Needless to say, I was excited to find the sculpture.  There are several interpretations about the meaning behind the sculpture.  I read somewhere the artist said he created it because it looked good.  I'll leave it up to you to decide on your interpretation.

More on DC

Sorry I haven't posted about our adventures of yesterday - I'll do it later, I promise.

Today was already an adventure.  Linda & I packed a couple of flat rate boxes to send some of our extra stuff home.  I walked a little over a 1/2 mile to bring the boxes to the post office.  This involved crossing three busy streets.  Being from the little city, I am not extremely confident in crossing six lane roads but, with the assistance of a young homeless man, I made it unscathed.

At the post office a man pulled in as I crossed the parking lot.  He almost hit a pole, pulled forward and parked katty-wumpiss.  Then, he just sat in his card.  As I taped our boxes closed, the clerk kept an eye on him and soon determined something was not right.  She went outside to check on him and he said he "felt dizzy."  The clerk came back in and called 911.  As I walked back to the hotel I heard sirens, soon police and ambulance were arriving to help the man.

Anyway, our boxes are now safely in the hands of the postal department.  Unfortunately, my suitcase is still heavy and the wheels pretend like they do not want to roll.

Heading home this afternoon!  Oh, the fun we had

Washington DC - Tuesday, April 5

Last night, a cold front moved into the area bringing wind & rain.  We got a rather "late" start this morning - especially since we were slowed down by problems on the Metro and trains were sharing one track.  We arrived at Union Station and wandered through the Food Court and window shopped through out part of Union Station.  We ate lunch in the middle of Union Station (not the food court).  I enjoyed a platter of crispy pita chips and spinach/artichoke dip.  Delicious.  After lunch we found our way through the Metro toward Capitol Hill.  We found the Longworth Building, went through security and located Congressman Huizenga's office.

Our tour guides from his office were Nate Bult and Stu.  A new visitor's center has been added onto the building since my last visit there.  We were told the visitor center has helped move people through the doors faster.  Since it is spring break, there seems to be an enormous number of people visiting DC this week.  The young aides were very knowledgeable and helpful in many ways. 

 I even got a peek at the Library of Congress.  I'm told it is very helpful to obtain visitor passes for tours way ahead of time from our Congressman. 

I think I asked for passes but, our decision to come to DC was made quite late.  We were extremely lucky to get the reservations for the Supreme Court Lecture and Capitol Tour.  Maybe I'll be able to visit the Library of Congress next time!

We even located the office of a congressman from Texas!  There you go Joyce, that picture is for you!

Changing of the Guard

Monday in DC

Today was a very busy day for Linda & I.  We started our day with a ride into DC on the Metro.  We arrived at Union Station, wandered in and out of a few trinket shops and then located the hop on - hop off bus kiosk.  After purchasing our tickets and boarding our bus we found seats on top where we enjoyed a lovely ride on a glorious, warm and sunny day.

Cherry blossoms were in different stages of bloom.  We found quite a few forsythias, pansies and other assorted early spring flowers throughout the city.

Our bus tour took us past the monuments, Capitol Building, White House and throughout the city.  After several hours on the bus - yes we stayed on for almost all of the tour - we headed to the Supreme Court where we were scheduled for a lecture at 2:00.  Our docent took about 20 minutes giving us a brief history of the Supreme Court, the building and little tidbit about the various Justices. 
She patiently answered questions from various people in the audience too.  After the lecture, we ate a sandwich in the Supreme Court cafeteria.  We ended our visit at the Supreme Court with a visit to the gift shop where I purchased a children's book written by Sandra Day O'Connor.

We walked several blocks from the Supreme Court to Union Station where we hopped on the Metro Red line, headed to Metro Center, switched to the Blue Line and traveled to Arlington Cemetery.  We road the tour-mobile throughout the cemetery, hopping off to visit the Kennedy gravesites, and the Changing of the Guards.

Our time at Arlington went very quickly.  The people employed there are very well informed, interesting, funny and helpful too.  If you have never visited Arlington, I recommend going.  Witnessing the Changing of the Guard is a very moving experience.

After Arlington, we returned, by subway, to Union Station to get something to drink and purchase more bus tickets for a nighttime tour of the city. 








Since it is quite late and this has been a very busy day, I'll post more photos tomorrow.  From Washington DC - goodnight.

Washington DC - Day One and Two

Linda B & I left Muskegon Saturday morning at 11:30 am heading to Kalamazoo.  The train/bus station is around the corner from the homeless shelter in Kalamazoo and I must say there were some interesting people hanging out in the station.  Our lovely travel agent led us to believe there was a lovely deli around the corner from the bus station.  Turns out the deli was accommodating but lacking....

The train from Kalamazoo to Chicago was almost an hour late leaving the station.  A little nerve wracking but we managed to arrive in Chicago and only have a short layover.  We took advantage of the rule to allow senior citizen to board the train early.  Our seats on the train were row two - the car directly in front of us was the lounge car where the windows basically go from the floor to the ceiling and snacks and drinks are served below.  The car in front of the lounge car was the dining car.

We shared out table with a lovely couple from out east.  Dinner consisted of vegetable lasagna for me and talapia for Linda.  Desert was a chocolate puff pastry for me and cranberry walnut crumb cake for Linda.  I was rather disappointed to find Amtrak no longer uses china and cloth table clothes but Erin, our server, assures us the practice will be reinstated soon.  Octavia was in charge of the dining car - she made it perfectly clear she was in charge!  My favorite line from her was "somebody's got to love you."





Highlight of the night on the train was when we used the bathrooms on the train.  I used the handicap bathroom and was slightly startled to find I could not unlock the door.  Fortunately, Linda was right outside the bathroom and rescued me.  Well, Linda didn't actually rescue me, she located Dan Kuhl, the assistant conductor who allowed me to escape.  Needless to say, I did not use the handicap bathroom again - for that matter, I don't think Linda did either.

Another highlight was our dining companion at breakfast this morning.  The gentleman wore a Chicago Bears sweatshirt.  I asked him if he was a big Bears fan.  He responded by telling us he played for the Chicago Bears - between 1966 and 1968 - Defensive Back.  Our lovely dining car attendant called him "Mr. Curtis".  I googled the Chicago Bears for that time frame and found Curt Gentry, Defensive Back - on the same team roster was Mike Ditka!  According to friend Joyce, this roster contained "royalty".  Hmmmmm, should we have asked for an autograph?


We arrived in DC - a little tired and yearning for a nice hot shower.  Both of us took showers and naps then set out to explore.  Dupont Circle was our destination - dinner was delicious.  As I posted our status at the restaurant I was pleasantly surprise to find the Peace Corps Offices were a block down and street and around the corner.  Of course, it is Sunday so the offices are closed but I took a series of photos of the pictures displayed in the windows.

I'm having difficulty posting the photos - will try again tomorrow. 

Tomorrow morning we are hopping on a bus and touring and city.  Tomorrow afternoon we are scheduled for a Supreme Court lecture.  Stay tuned for more details of our trip --- hopefully photos too.

One week

One week from today Linda & I will be in DC.  Can't wait to share the details with you.

telling time.....

It is no secret, I have trouble telling time.  I thought I could overcome this problem once digital clocks became the norm but alas, last weekend proved I still have a wee bit of a problem.  Saturday morning I mixed together the ingredients for a loaf of bread.  The directions are for the dough to sit for 12 to 18 hours.  After sitting & fermenting, the dough is gently turned out onto a floured surface, stretched a little and then wrapped in a floured tea towel to rise again for about an hour.  Baking time follows, 45 minutes.

Well, I mixed the dough at 8 am.  Then, I proceeded to determine what time it would be 18 hours later - I counted (on my fingers) 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 1, 2 - and decided 18 hours later would be 2 pm ..... Sunday afternoon. 

At 11 pm Saturday night, I realized the error of my calculations.  The dough had fermented and I could have set it for the 2nd rise but that would mean I would not be going to sleep for several more hours - and I was exhausted.

Instead, I gently turned the dough out, stretched it, wrapped it in a floured towel and then placed the dough in the fridge.  Sunday morning I set the dough out to warm a little while I preheated the oven.  Well, the bread turned out to be the best bread I have ever baked!!!!!  It was moist, chewy (crust), crunchy (walnuts), sweet (raisins) and absolutely delicious.

Can't wait for my next mistake in the kitchen.

Rye Bread

Years ago we bought a huge Dak bread maker.  The bread came out is a big cylindar shape.  The bread maker served us well but eventually wore out.  It was eventually replaced by another machine, I don't remember the name but that machine was nothing like the Dak, if I recall correctly, I think we could even make jam in the breadmaker.  That machine was replaced by another bread maker that met it's untimely demise when I pulled it away from the wall to add some ingredients and it "walked" off the counter during the kneading cycle - crash!  Our current bread maker is a Breadman.  It does a fair job making bread but I always hate the hole it leaves in the bottom of the loaf.  If time allows, I use the Breadman for mixing, kneading and rising - then I remove the dough and place it in a regular loaf pan for the 2nd rise and finish by baking it in the oven.

I have found the best loaves are the ones that I stretch (sometimes I use a rolling pin) the bread into a rectangles and then roll the dough, jellyroll style, into a loaf.  No matter what, the home baked bread is always better than the preservative laden bread sold in the stores. 

The recipe book that came with the Breadman has some terrific recipes, including the following Rye Bread

Add the following ingredients to the bread maker in the order given:

1 1/4 cups water (80 degree F)
3 TBL. oil (note to friend CP - I recommend Canola Oil - fresh from the bottle, not french fry oil)
4 tsp. Caraway Seeds
3 TBL. Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Salt ( do not cut back on the salt, it is important for the yeast!)
2 1/2 cups Bread Flour
1 1/2 cups Medium Rye Flour
1 TBL. Red Star Active Dry Yeast
(or 2 tsp Red Star Quick Rise Yeast)
(or 2 tsp Bread Machine Yeast)

If you want to bake the bread in the oven, program your bread machine for "Dough".  When you hear the beep (at least on my machine) remove the dough and roll out into rectangle and follow steps listed above.  Allow the loaf to almost double in size (about 1 to 2 hours).  Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes (possibly an hour) - the loaf should be a nice golden brown crust color.  I also use a instant read thermometer - the center of the bread should be 200 degrees.  Allow the bread to sit in the pan for 10 to 20 minutes.  No matter how tempted you are, do not cut the bread until it has cooled on a rack for at least one hour.

Yeah, about that last piece of advice, my favorite memories as a child was sitting in my grandpas kitchen smelling homemade bread in the oven.  Gramps would cut the bread while it was still warm and we would enjoy a slice with real butter and honey.  I still can't resist reliving those childhood memories!

Tsunamis, earthquakes and prayers

The news this morning is filled with reports of the huge earthquake in Japan and the tsuanis that are spreading throughout the Pacific Ocean.  I have two daughters living in the Pacific.  As a mom I do tend worry about their safety.  Instead of sprouting grey hairs and worrying about things I cannot control, I will continue having conversations with God.  Today I am asking him to protect my daughters and everyone else affected by the earthquakes and tsunamis.  It is in his hands!  I know he does not need reminders but, if you are reading this message, please take a minute to say a prayer too.

Good feeling type of day

Normally I groan at the thought of having guest teachers bring classes to the library.  Today, I saw eight classes and two of them had guest teachers.  Fortunately, the guest teachers were former student teachers in the building and knew the students pretty well - and the students knew what their expectations were, at least while in the library.

It was fun seeing both of these lovely ladies - seeing how they have grown since their days student teaching.  Both did well as student teachers and they excel as guest teachers too.

French Toast

Found this recipe on Snap Fitness website.....

Stuffed French Toast

Prepare the evening before for a decadent, but lighter version, of this perfect brunch treat.

6 servings | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 (1-ounce) slices cinnamon-raisin bread
• Cooking spray
• 1.5 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 1 cup egg substitute, divided
• .5 cup half-and-half
• .5 cup sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened

Preparation

• Trim crusts from bread. Arrange half of the bread in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
• Combine milk, 3/4 cups egg substitute, half-and-half, and 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour half of milk mixture over bread in dish.
• With a stand up or hand mixer, combine 1/4 cup egg substitute, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and cheeses; process until smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture over moist bread in dish. Top with remaining bread; pour remaining milk mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition
Per serving : 366 Calories; 11 g Fat; 0 g Sat; 31 mg Cholesterol; 55 g Carbohydrates; 15 g Protein; 8 g Fiber; 392 mg Sodium

Whenever we have an unhappy experience with another person, we must not complain, “Why did he do this to me?” That is the first reaction almost everyone makes. However, it misses the mark entirely. Instead, you must ask, ‘Why did I react painfully to what he did?” This reaction brings us back to our responsibility for abandoning ego-centered sensitivities. Then, anyone can do anything to you and there is no pain, only a peaceful understanding. Vernon Howard

I read the above quote on an e-mail from Inner Kiddies today. Later in the day I was treated quite rudely by a co-worker. My first response was "geesh! What did I do to deserve that treatment?" I recalled the same co-worker biting my head off for no reason the week before. Then, I remembered reading this e-mail earlier in the day. I went back to my desk and re-read the e-mail with the quote.

I still do not understand why this co-worker is taking her frustrations out on me. Perhaps I have done something to make her angry. Perhaps she is having a bad day, week, month or school year. What ever the reason, I will keep her in my prayers and hope that she finds the peace she needs. My first reaction was to confront her. I view a confrontation as a form of complaining. Instead, while keeping her in my prayers, I will also steer clear of her, eventually she will need my assistance and will have to treat me with respect. Perhaps an apology is in order but I won't hold my breath.

excellent quote

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." -Leo Buscaglia

Fajita Recipe

From Taste of Home - a recipe I want to try. Leaving it here so I don't lose it.

Chicken Fajitas

• 4 Servings
• Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients

• 2 flour tortillas (10 inches), cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1/2 pound beef top sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
• 1 medium green pepper, sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 cup cubed fresh pineapple
• 1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped

Directions

• In a large skillet, fry tortilla strips in 2 tablespoons oil on both sides for 1 minute or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
• In the same skillet, cook the chicken, beef, green pepper, onion, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin and pepper in remaining oil for 3-4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
• In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and lime juice until smooth; add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in pineapple and tomato; heat through. Serve with tortilla strips. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1-3/4 cups) equals 390 calories, 17 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 63 mg cholesterol, 717 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 27 g protein.

happiness

"Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had
some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as
much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don't put off
being happy until some future date." - Dale Carnagie

Cheesecake Recipe

One of my favorite chefs on Recipezaar (now food.com) is Kittencal. She has a tremendous number of recipes posted, I have used some of her recipes and have always found them to be the best. Now, when I am looking for a recipe, I will search her postings first. Thursday night I wanted to make a cheesecake so I searched for Kittencal and narrowed my search to cheesecake. Sure enough - she had a terrific recipe posted!!! I made the cheesecake, using a graham cracker crust instead of oreo cookies. I also used low-fat cream cheese and low-fat sour cream. We topped it with no sugar added cherry pie filling. This is definitely a 10 star submission!

Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Servings:

12 12

12-16

Servings Size

CRUST

• 24 Oreo cookies, finely crushed
• 2 tablespoons melted butter or 2 tablespoons margarine

FILLING

• 3 (8 ounce) packages Philadelphia Cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour (1/4 cup)
• 2 cups sour cream

TOPPING

• 1 (28 ounce) can cherry pie filling or 1 (28 ounce) can blueberry pie filling

Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:

Prep Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 1 1/2 hrs

1. 1 Set oven to 325 degrees F.
2. 2 Set oven rack to middle position.
3. 3 Grease bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan,.
4. 4 For the crust; in a bowl combine the cookie crumbs with melted butter; mix until well combined (I use my hands for this).
5. 5 Pat into the bottom of the springform pan; chill while making the filling.
6. 6 For the filling in a large bowl using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy (about 4 minutes).
7. 7 Add in eggs, lemon juice and vanilla; beat until thoroughly combined.
8. 8 Add in flour; beat until completely combined.
9. 9 Add in sour cream; beat until well combined.
10. 10 Pour over the crust in the pan.
11. 11 Bake for 1 hour.
12. 12 Turn the heat off and open the oven door to stay slightly.
13. 13 Allow the baked cheesecake to remain in the oven for 1 hour (with heat turned off).
14. 14 Cool slightly at room temperature then refrigerate overnight.
15. 15 Before serving release the sides of the pan from the cheesecake.
16. 16 Slice as desired then top slices with pie filling.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/kittencals-cheesecake-298498#ixzz1FmHgyMH2

Cheesy Potatoes

I received a cookbook as a gift from Temple United Methodist Church. Carol M. gave me the book as a thank you for visiting their church this morning. The minister was on vacation, Susan Harrison Wolffis was the guest speaker. Susan writes a lovely human interest column for the Muskegon Chronicle. I have always enjoyed reading her columns. Tonight, for dinner, I prepared a side dish of Cheesy Potatoes from page 20 of the cookbook. As I write this, I just realized that the person who submitted the recipe is Susan's mother.

Cheesy Potatoes

3 T. butter
6 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp salt (optional)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 c. milk
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in large non-stick skillet.
Cook potatoes until almost tender and lightly browned.
Sprinkle salt and pepper and pour milk over all.
Boil gently until milk is absorbed.
Sprinkle with cheese and allow to melt.
Garnish with parsley.
Serve immediately.

I cut the recipe in half and it made more than enough for the three of us. Very easy to prepare and delicious to eat. I can't wait to try other recipes from my new cookbook. I do enjoy locally produced cookbooks. I noticed the lovely lady who presented the cookbook to me has some healthy choice recipes in the book - maybe tomorrow.....

Mickie

When I was a child, I had several imaginary friends. First, there was Bear - he was well known for being blamed when mom asked "Who did it?" Yes, the Bear was the one who ate all the butter, spilled the tomato soup and left toys where they did not belong. Bear lived with us when I was four years old. Shortly after Bear left (I think he was tired of being the fall-guy), Mickie moved in with us. Mickie left the wagon out in the rain and also sat in the seat next to me so my brother could not sit there. Unfortunately, my brother could not see Mickie and often sat on him which could make me very upset. My mother tells me Mickie left when we took him to Florida and they (the parents) convinced him to stay in Florida when we returned home.

Now, around 50 years later, I have hooked up with a wonderful website called Inner Kiddies. The instructions on the website tells us to name our inner child. This inner child is going to take the "blame" for the mistakes I make - like eating too much or not eating the right foods. I have not embraced the idea because I could not come up with a proper name for my inner child.

Today as I did some sprints on the treadmill, my inner child spoke to me. My lovely inner child was trying to convince me to skip my workout and go home. At that point, I decided I need to give this inner child a name and realized the proper name would be Mickie!

So my friends that know me well, my computer is named Gracie, my Nook is Ethel, my Jeep is Yella and my inner child is Mickie. If you hear me talking about the trouble Mickie is causing - you will know who is really to blame.

It's all about attitudes

"My life tomorrow will be the result of my attitudes and the choices I make today" - Unknown

Snow Day Pretzels

Today was a rare occurrence - our school was closed. Out of boredom, I shuffled through and organized a pile of recipes I have printed & clipped but never had a chance to try. During the shuffle, I opened another link on-line and found yet another recipe - I stopped what I was doing and made these pretzels - they were terrific.

Snow Day Pretzels:

Makes 6 large pretzels

1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2-3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm milk (approximately 110 degrees)

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix together until it forms a ball. Start with 2 cups flour and mix it together until it forms something like a thick batter, then, add more flour a handfull at a time until it'll form a nice ball. I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer but you can knead it by hand. Knead for 5 - 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and satiny.
2. At this point, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Also, put a medium saucepan 3/4 full with water on to boil.
3. Cover the ball of dough with a towel and allow to rest 5-10 minutes.
   
4. Cut the dough into 6 pieces and shape each piece into a short log. Cover with a towel and let the dough relax for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Once it has relaxed, roll it out and stretch it out. Let it relax again for another 5-10 minutes
6. Now, stretch the dough out until it is approximately 15 - 20 inches long and about as big around as your index finger. The dough will nearly double in size as it bakes so it is no problem if the dough is quite thin.
7. Shape the dough into a pretzel. Shaping is quite easy. Place a rope of dough on the work surface in front of you. Take each end in a hand, loop the dough away from you, and bring the ends back toward your stomach, crossing them about an inch above the rope. Apply a little bit of pressure to make the loops stick together, but not too much because you don't want then to flatten out.
8. To boil them: If you want to boil them, bring a pot of water to a boil. Dunk each of the pretzels into the boiling water for 5 seconds, then place them onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with coarse salt (I use the kosher stuff that is easy to find at the grocery store) or other toppings. I left the prezel shape on my spatula and dipped it in the boiling water.
9. Place the baking sheets into the oven. It took around 15 minutes for my pretzels to get golden and brown. Remove from the oven and eat immediately.
10. After baking, I spritzed the pretzels with a little water and sprinkled some sour cream and onion topping over the pretzels - they were good with and without the topping.

(I'll post the sour cream and onion topping in another post)

Italian Wedding Soup

I'm always looking for a new soup recipe, this one appeared in an e-mail from FlyLady.net today. If I try it, I will use ground chicken. Please let me know if you get a chance to try this before me - your opinion matters.

Italian Wedding Soup
Serves 6

1/2 pound ground beef, extra lean
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Romano cheese
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
5 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups kale, thinly sliced
1 cup orzo pasta
1/3 cup carrot, finely chopped

In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, meat, egg, cheese, basil and onion
powder, shape into 3/4 inch balls.

In a large saucepan, heat broth to boiling, stir in kale, orzo, carrot and
meatballs. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook at a slow
boil for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Stir frequently to prevent
sticking.

Per serving: 280 Calories; 8g Fat; 24g Protein; 28g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 58mg Cholesterol; 578mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain (Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Fat.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I like bread with soup so either bake some in your
breadmaker or buy a nice loaf of crusty bread to go with this. Add a salad
if you want, but you've got tons of green stuff going on this hearty soup.

VEGETARIANS: Skip the meatballs by omitting first 3 ingredients. Add extra vegetables to vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

KOSHER: Use beef broth instead of chicken.

Sweet Potato Waffles

I just found this recipe through Taste of Home on Facebook. I've got to try this one.

Sweet Potato Waffles with Nut Topping Recipe

Sweet Potato Waffles

Ingredients

(6 servings, 20 minute prep, 5 min cook time per batch)

• 2 cups biscuit/baking mix
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 1-1/3 cups 2% milk
• 1 cup canned sweet potatoes, mashed
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  TOPPING:
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Dash salt
• Dash ground nutmeg
• Maple syrup

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the biscuit mix, brown sugar and spices. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk, sweet potatoes, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until combined.
• Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions until golden brown.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add pecans and walnuts. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar, water, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Serve waffles with topping and syrup. Yield: 12 waffles.

Nutrition Facts: 2 waffles with about 2 tablespoons topping (calculated without syrup) equals 457 calories, 28 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 44 mg cholesterol, 598 mg sodium, 46 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 9 g protein.

Trick for Fluffy Pancakes & Waffles

For very light and tender pancakes or waffles, separate the egg and beat the white until stiff. Stir the yolk and other liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold in the beaten egg white. —Jonelle W., Trenton, Michigan

Sweetwater Market

We have a market here where local vendors (farmers) sell healthy choices of meat, vegetables, fruits, breads, honey, coffee, soaps, treats for dogs and even and socks & mitten made from yarn spun from the wool of the sheep they raise. I like to go to the market to purchase boneless/skinless chicken breasts. The chicken breasts are from free range and organically raised chickens. The majority of chicken breasts I find in the grocery stores have been injected with chicken broth that also includes sodium. In my opinion, if I want sodium in my chicken meat, I would rather add my own.

I was rather sad to find out there were no chicken breasts available at the market today. I guess I will have to search my grocery store for their version of "healthy" chicken meat. I am so happy I don't have to buy ground chicken anymore since I not know how easy it is to use my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer with the attachment for grinding chicken.

Today's purchases at Sweetwater Market included to celeriac bulbs, an onion, some sweet carrots, a breakfast scone (for Sunday), a breakfast cookie (devoured already), a loaf of raisin/pecan bread, 2 packages of ground turkey (for the days I'm too lazy to grind my chicken), beautiful brown eggs, dog treats and a bar of shea & oats soap.

I also received a mini lesson from one of the vendors about why egg shells are different colors. Very informative. I love going to the market - I even get a cup of free coffee since I paid my dues and I'm a "friend of Sweetwater Market." If you live in Muskegon, be sure to check them out. They are located at Hackley at the Lakes and are open during the winter every other Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm - so don't go next Saturday. They will be there again on February 12. Hope to see you there.

Spiced Pear Upside-Down Cake

Another delicious (but not so healthy) recipe from the new Taste of Home, Feb. & Mar, 2011 issue

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 large pears, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup warm water

1) Pour melted butter into a 9 inch square baking pan; sprinkle with nuts and brown sugar. Arrange pears over nuts

2) In a large bowl, cream softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3) Beat in egg and molasses

4) Combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with water, beating well after each addition

5) Spread batter over pears.

6) Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving place.

Serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping if desired.

I served this tonight to friends T & S and da hubby. Da son passed on dessert - we were all thankful because everyone had 2nds.

Herbed Veggie Mix-Up

The new Taste of Home magazine arrived in the mail this week - full of delicious recipes - some healthy and delicious and others delicious and not so healthy. Of course, I have to try new recipes. Here's the recipe for Herbed Veggie Mix-Up:

Prep/Total time: 25 min.
Yields 5 servings

1/2 pound fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium carrots, julienned (or cut into matchsticks)
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms
1 medium onion, sliced
2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt (I cut this way back)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. white pepper

1) Place beans and carrots in a steamer basket; place in a large saucepan over 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil; cover and steam for 7-10 minutes or until crisp-tender.

2) Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter. Add mushrooms and onion; saute until tender.

3) Stir in the parsley, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, green beans and carrots; heat through and serve.

I served this to T & S and my hubby & son tonight. It was delicious, great flavor. I really enjoyed the crispness of the veggies but the son complained that the veggies were too crisp. I guess it is up to the individual taste. If you like your veggies softer, be sure to allow for longer steaming time - especially for the carrots! No complaints on the flavor.

Pot Pie Recipe

Lately, I have been craving chicken potpie - no, not the high sodium, high fat, not sure what I'm eating kind of potpies I used to live on in the 1970's but real honest to goodness homemade potpies. I have tried two recipes - both were delicious, one is quick and easy while the other one requires a little prep time. The first recipe is made using cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup. Be careful if you choose this recipe - cream of anything soups have added sodium and added fats. Anyway, here are the recipes:

Quick & Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Pie crust

6 3/4 oz can chicken chopped *

16 oz can mxied veggies, drained

10 3/4 oz can cream of chicken soup

1/2 t celery flakes

1/4 t pepper

1/4 t poultry seasoning

Fit pie crust into a 9" pie plate

Combine chicken and next 5 ingredients in a bowl; pour into pie crust

moisten edges of bottom crust with water; top with remaining crust

fold edges under and crimp; cut slits in top

Bake at 400 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes

let stand 10minutes before serving

Serves 8

Note: Ready made pie crusts make this homestyle dish extra easy. A 10 ounce package of frozen oven roasted diced chicken, thawed and a 16 ounce package of frozen vegetables can be substituted for canned chicken and vegetables.

Make 'em mini: Use a muffin tin in place of individual caserole dishes when making mini pot pies, quiches or savory popovers - so quick and easy!

Enjoy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``
The 2nd recipe does require extra work - but it is definitely worth it! It comes from a chef at Recipezaar , recipe #68214. I changed the recipe a little by adding a cubed potato to the chicken and carrots.

1 lb boneless chicken meat, cut into 1-inch pieces

4 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices

2 cups chicken broth

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 cup heavy cream or 1 cup half-and-half (I used low-fat evaporated milk)

2 cups frozen peas

2 pie crusts (frozen or from your favorite recipe)

1. Combine the chicken pieces, carrots, and broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Simmer covered for 5 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat.
4. Add the mushrooms, onion, salt, pepper, thyme, and flour and stir to thoroughly mix.
5. Cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Add the chicken broth mixture and stir until the sauce thickens.
7. Add the cream and peas and stir for 2 minutes.
8. Roll the pastry into 12 circles about 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter.
9. Place half in the bottoms of six 5-inch pie pans and fill with the chicken mixture.
10. Top with the remaining dough and pinch the edges together, trimming off the excess with a knife.
11. Cut 2 or 3 slits in the top of each and bake in a preheated 425°F (220°C) oven for 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Tosca Rena's Banana Muffins

This was posted on Tosca Rena's Clean Eating Blog
I would like to try these muffins, putting the recipe here for safe keeping.....


Sunday Morning Moist Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 cup plain rice or almond milk

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup ground flax seed

1 teaspoon each baking powder and soda

1/2 teaspoon each cloves, cinnamon and allspice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

pinch sea salt

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

4 egg whites beaten until foamy but not stiff

1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 large bananas)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 cup blueberries

1 large apple cut into pieces

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line muffin tin with parchment paper liners

3. Place oats in medium prep bowl and pour milk over. Mix and let stand while you make the rest of the recipe.

4. In another medium prep bowl combine flour, ground flax seed, spices, baking powder and soda, lemon zest and salt. Mix well until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.

5. Put egg whites in mixing bowl and beat until fluffy but not stiff.

6. In small prep bowl mash bananas and add chopped apple. Mix well.

7. In large prep bowl combine flour, soaked oats, egg whites and banana mixture. Add blueberries. Fold until all ingredients are just blended.

8. Spoon into prepared muffin tin.

9. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Yield: Makes 12 generous muffins to enjoy on a sunny Saturday with delicious coffee.

Paperback Swap.com

This is a win-win situation. I have bookshelves full of books. I will probably never read the books again. All the shelves do is collect dust. Today, I purged the shelves & removed my books. The books are now safely on their own shelf - away from da hubby's books. I listed all of my books on www.paperbackswap.com.

If you have not had a chance to check out the paperbackswap site, I encourage you to do so now. It is very easy to list the books you no longer want. Then, wait patiently for others to request your book. When you receive a request, print out the paperwork with their address on it, wrap up the book and head to the post office. Postage is less than $3.0o. Once they receive your book, they post to paperbackswap that the book has been received and *poof* your account receives one credit. You use your credit to "purchase" a new book to read - no extra charge. Paperbackswap has thousands of members just waiting to swap books with you.

If you sign up at paperbackswap, please tell them I sent you and link to me as friends if you so choose.

Have fun!

I am Flinging

I woke up this morning with a plan - to find my walk-in closet!!! When we bought this home many, many years ago, my children were impressed with the size of the closet. One of the kids wanted to know if it was daddy's bedroom! Well, over the years, the closet has gotten smaller and smaller. As a matter of fact, I couldn't reach the back corners of the closet. Well, today I hauled 9 bags out of the closet. Bags full of old text books, junk, more books, shoes and more junk. The closet is now well organized. There is a section of photos and scrap books that need some attention but at least everything is together for the day when I am in the mood to do that.

After accomplishing order in the closet, I move to my sewing room. I cleared off several book shelves and made room for all of my cookbooks to be housed together. Somedays I will weed the cookbooks to keep the ones that I really want and copy the recipes for the others to a cookbook journal.

Tomorrow I plan on restoring order to my sewing room! Stay tuned

Snow Day!!!

The hubby works 3rd shift. Today he arrived home shortly before 5:30 am and informed me there would be no school today because the roads were bad. I promptly tuned into our local TV station and was dismayed to find out the hubby did not have the facts - just gut instinct.

You see, I work for a school district that is notorious for being one of the few schools still open during inclement weather. There are many reasons why we are still open - we don't have buses traveling rural routes, our students need a warm safe place to be and our administration probably fears losing $$$ for too many days off school.

Never-the-less, I continued watching TV. Soon, the breakfast bar scrolled across the screen announcing school was closed. I bounced out of bed, ate breakfast, showered, got dressed, read some e-mails and touched base with friends on Facebook.

Then, I tackled the last cupboard in my kitchen that did not get de-cluttered last weekend. Unfortunately, the men in my life (my hubby & son) were still sleeping. The pots & pans clanging did not seem to disturb my husband but it wasn't long before my son came out with daggers in his eyes. Some men will never appreciate the value of clean and well-organized cupboards - even if it is early in the morning.

Is it too much to hope for another snow day tomorrow?

Busy Productive day today!!!

Today was/is a holiday - no work for me today. Well, no paying job today but boy I worked. I finally tackled cupboards in my kitchen and decluttered - four, almost 5 bags of trash was hauled to the dumpsters. Some of the items in the bags were outdated food - can you say 3 old cans of shortening (what was I thinking?) and some were knick-knacks that have worn out their usefulness. Some of them were covered with so much greasy dust it was impossible to clean them properly - bye-bye clutter.

I know da hubby thinks I'm crazy but da son will be happy to find the cluttered cupboard that houses different size containers - some with and some without lids - for leftovers has been neatly arranged! Only bowls with lids on, under or neatly stacked on top grace those shelves now. My spices are all arranged alphabetically (I still need to make a list so I don't buy duplicates) and the old spices have been tossed. Did you know McKormick has a website that tells you how old your spices are? Check it out, here is the link: http://mccormick.com/Spices101/HowOldSpices.aspx . I could not believe I had spices taking up space in my cupboard that were bottled in 1996 - rather old wouldn't you say?

Anyway, with Flylady's help, I hope my cupboards never get out of control again. It is way too much work to clean up the mess.

Date Night

Da hubby & I don't get out much. Sure we go shopping together, run errands and also go out to eat. It seems like we never get together with friends to have fun. Last night da hubby & I enjoyed an evening with friends. We went to a concert that was a fund raiser for a local charity then out for drinks and good food. I think we all had a good time - well, except for the first act at the concert (who shall remain nameless). We enjoyed listening to the Carl Webb Band and certainly enjoyed seeing and hearing Amaryliss. Max and Ruth Bloomquist certainly know how to put on a show.

Now, my task is to convince da hubby, Linda & Darrel that the boys should take us out for a Valentines Day dinner.....

Super Fling Boogie

Several years ago I joined www.FlyLady.net. I haven't visited the site in a long time but something re-sparked my interest and I've gotten hooked again. This month the challenge is to spend 15 minutes a day doing the Super Fling Boogie. This involves going to a hot spot in the home and eliminating clutter. Last night and this morning I tackled my closet and dresser drawers. My closet has been so full that my clothes actually hang on bars across the bathtub we no longer use. Other pieces of clothing hang from hooks on the bathroom doors. My dresser drawers & cupboards were so full, it was almost impossible to close the drawers & doors.

Now, because my 15 minutes (I was actually inspired by the 15 minutes, I spent over an hour) of Super Flinging, my drawers and cupboards are neatly organized and the clothes in my closet are hanging neatly. Even my socks are paired and organized by color, type and holidays. The hooks on the bathroom doors are almost empty. (I'll clear them off this afternoon.) Goodwill will be the lucky recipient of all the clothing that is too large for me.

Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread

This recipe comes from The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook. My husband, son and I loved this bread so I'm sharing the recipe here for my friends.

Makes one 9 -inch loaf (You can substitute all-purpose flour for the bread flour but the resulting loaf will be a little shorter and denser. If you don't have a standing mixer, you can make the bread by hand.

1 cup warm whole milk (110 degrees)
1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees)
3 tablespoons honey
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups (9 2/3 ounces) whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 - 2 cups (8 1/4 to 11 ounces) bread flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant or rapid-rise yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup raisins
vegetable oil spray
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1. Whisk the milk, water, honey, and 3 tablespoons of the melted butter together in a large liquid measuring cup.
2. Combine the whole-wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups of bread flour, wheat germ, yeast, and salt in a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook.
3. With the mixer on low speed, add the milk mixture and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes.
4. Increase the mixer speed to medium-low and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. If after 4 minutes more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/2 cup bread flour, 2 tablespoons at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but sticks to the bottom. Add the raisins and continue to knead until incorporated, about 1 minute.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball.
6. Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
7. Spray a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with begetable oil spray.
8. Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
9. Press the dough into a 20 by 8 inch rectangle, with the short side facing you. Spray the dough lightly with water and sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 2 inch border at the far edge. Spray again lightly with water, roll into a tight cylinder and pinch the seam closed.
10. Place the loaf, seam-side down, in the prepared pan. Spray the loaf lightly with vegetable oil spray, cover loosely with greased plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until the loaf has nearly doubled in size, 45 to 75 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
12. Brush the loaf with remaining 1/2 tablespoon melted butter, then spray lightly with water.
13. Bake until the crust is golden and the center of the bread registers 200 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the loaf halfway through baking.
14. Cool the loaf in the pan for 15 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours before serving.

(Joan's note: This bread came out of the oven and smelled so terrific. It barely sat for 15 minutes in the pan. We used an electric knife to cut the bread immediately - warm bread is fantastic!)

Sleep Study

Several years ago I visited the sleep clinic where they hooked me up with wires extending from my arms, legs, chest, and head. A camera was aimed at my bed with a microphone close by. A technician monitored my sleep and soon after falling asleep woke me up to slip a CPAP mask over my face to help stop the snoring. The diagnosis was obstructed sleep apnea. Throughout the rest of the night the technician adjusted the air flow until I reached a safe, comfortable level of sleep.

I've been using the CPAP almost every night since - until recently. Even with the CPAP I was not getting a deep restful night of sleep. Then it occurred to me - the restless nights started at about the time I hit the 20 pound weight loss mark!

I was again referred to the sleep clinic where, to my delight, I was informed I was not a candidate to spend a night at the sleep clinic. Instead, a special CPAP machine was ordered for me. The machine was set to manual and sent home with me. There is a small computer chip somewhere in the machine. This week, I will return the machine to the health care rental place and they will upload the data from the computer chip to the sleep clinic doctor.

Hopefully the data on the chip will provide the doctor with the information needed to adjust the CPAP to the right setting so I can get a good night sleep. I am surprised, even with the machine set to manual, I have only had two or three good nights sleep in the past two weeks since the machine entered this house.

I have been fortunate to maintain a high level of energy even though I have not had a good night sleep. I know this good luck is not going to last much longer - I'm looking forward to next week when the old machine is set to new settings. Hopefully the fix will be as easy as it sounds!