Happiness Is...a Mental Health Day!

I've been feeling a bit gloomy and under the weather so I took yesterday off and spent some time treating myself to:

*a trip to the hair salon where I had my tresses colored, trimmed and styled. Mmm...that scalp massage was so relaxing!

*a visit to the gourmet market for roses, strawberries, fancy water and a fabulous new magazine

*a bubble bath with yummy new soap I bought in New York

*a little afternoon cat nap (kitten included)



*a before dinner glass of wine and some girl talk with Rhiannon at my favorite Italian restaurant

*an evening out with Beren enjoying one of our best friends' band perform at a great little tropical bar & grille



I realize more & more that no one else is going to "take care" of me, I have to do these things for myself. A day of pampering and a bit of self-indulgence really gets this gal back on track....ahh.....I now feel refreshed and ready to return to work this morning!

Weight Watchin' Wednesday: Baked Chicken

Beren and I may be going out to see our friend's band tonight and since they start early (6:30 pm) it's going to be a quick & simple dinner tonight. I'll be serving this with leftover egg noodles for him, "faux" mashed potatoes for me, and some type of fresh veggies of course.


Baked Chicken

POINTS® Value: 3
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 35 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Use fresh herbs and lemon juice to give plain baked chicken fantastic flavor.

Ingredients

* 1 sprays cooking spray
* 1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz halves
* 1/2 tsp table salt
* 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
* 1 tsp olive oil
* 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
* 2 tsp rosemary, fresh, chopped
* 2 tsp parsley, fresh, chopped
* 1/4 cup canned chicken broth
* 1/2 medium lemon(s), quartered (for garnish)

Instructions

* Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a small, shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.

* Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken to prepared pan and drizzle with oil; sprinkle with lemon juice, rosemary and parsley. Pour broth around chicken to coat bottom of pan.

* Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 30 to 35 minutes. Garnish with fresh lemon and serve. Yields 1 chicken breast half per serving.

feminist?

With the recent Sarah Palin selection, there has been a lot of talk about "feminism", a renewed interest and debate. I'm not even sure what it means anymore, it's gotten so confusing. I have always defined myself as "feminist with a small f." To me that meant of course I believe in women's rights, am staunchly pro-choice, appreciate the women who have paved the way before me which allow me to have the freedoms I now enjoy. I am horrified by the injustices and abuse of women everywhere, and in my small way help whenever I can. I raised three girls to become strong women who grew up believing that they were just as good as any boy and could do and become anything they wanted.

However, I am not a member of NOW, though I have dear friends who are and I admire and respect them for it. I don't subscribe to Ms magazine and I have no desire to burn my bras. I like for men to open doors for me and am not above using my "feminine wiles" to get what I want on occasion. I love make-up and sexy lingerie, pin-ups and yes, even Playboy. I believe that whenever possible one parent should stay home and raise their children and in my family I was the best qualified for the job, so that's what I did for 15 years. I love being home, cooking and baking and decorating gives me a feeling of satisfaction that's never been replicated in the office. For me, it's truly where I belong and if I was able to I'd stop working again tomorrow, return to hearth and home where I feel the most content.

When Kali was in high school she became the president of a "feminist" club called AWE - Appreciating Women Everywhere. I was incredibly proud of her, and stunned when she invited me to be a guest speaker at one of their meetings. What? Me? A homemaker who helps her husband run a small business? Me, the mom whose biggest contribution toward feminism is the baking of cookies and cupcakes for your meetings? Yes, she said, assuring me that I was most certainly a "feminist" because I stood for what it really meant: Choice. We women have choices now - to stay home and raise our families full time, to work outside the home, or a combination of both as I was doing. Wow. I had never really thought of it that way, but when I sat nervously before that group of teenage girls as they threw questions at me, I felt....proud. Admired. Strong. And every bit a feminist... with a small f. And that works just fine for me.




p.s.In case you didn't recognize her, the pic above is of Ms. Gloria Steinem, from her brief days working "undercover" as a Playboy Bunny.

Cookin' up a Storm..Literally!

I've got two slow cookers going today, making both the Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole and some vegetable soup. I'll also be using that new muffin tin for our favorite corn muffins. If Ike happens to hit, we'll be having a heck of a hurricane party to eat up all of this food! Anyone care to join us?




Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

Makes 5 to 6 Servings

28 oz Canned crushed tomatoes
4 oz Canned diced green chiles
14 1/2 oz Canned chunky salsa
1 1/2 tb Ground cumin
6 oz Canned tomato paste
1/2 ts Garlic powder
30 oz Canned black beans
5 Corn tortillas
Rinsed and drained
2 1/4 oz Canned sliced ripe olives
15 1/4 oz Canned whole kernel corn

Stick to corn tortillas here as they yield a more desirable result than the flour variety, which falls apart in the slow cooker. For best results, don't cook beyond the time recommended in the recipe. Sprinkle shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese over the top, if you like, just before serving.

1. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, salsa, tomato paste, beans, corn, green chiles, cumin, and garlic powder. Mix well. Ladle about 1 cup of this mixture in to the bottom of a 4-quart electric slow cooker; spread evenly. Top with 1 1/4 tortillas, cutting to fit as necessary. Spread on 1/4 of the remaining tomato mixture. Repeat these layers 2 more times, ending with the rest of the tomato mixture; spread evenly over the top. Sprinkle the sliced olives over all.

2. Cover and cook on the low heat setting about 5 hours. Serve hot.

Recipe by: The Best Slow Cooker Cookbook Ever, by Natalie Haughton




Kenny Rogers' Corn Muffins

Serves/Makes: 12

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup frozen yellow corn

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together butter, sugar, honey, eggs and salt in a large bowl. Add flour, cornmeal and baking powder and blend thoroughly. Add milk while mixing. Add corn to mixture and combine by hand until corn is worked in. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan and fill each cup with batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until muffins begin to turn brown on top.

New Toys!

Last week Beren and I picked up some kitchen goodies from the thrift store - needed items that I'd been putting off buying new.

Somehow I lost one of my muffin/cupcake tins and had only one, was so happy to find one in really shape and promptly whipped up a batch of banana nut muffins!



This little bowl was too cute to pass up, and even though oatmeal doesn't count as "potage," it was the perfect size for my morning meal!



I also found a tube pan and made an angel food cake for last Sunday's bbq, the first time I'd attempted one. Sorry, no pics, it got gobbled up before I could take a shot!



Kali added to my kitchen gadgetry as well, giving me one of her wedding gifts she didn't have space for. Even though it is large and cumbersome, I loved being able to steam a whole head of cauliflower and a pound of green beans all at once and not worry about overcooking. They came out crisp and perfect!



Today I'm going to use the new Crockpot Beren bought me a couple months ago, am throwing together a batch of veggie soup to clean out my vegetable drawer. I'm not sure what Hurricane Ike is doing but if we lose power I'll have a better chance of salvaging cooked foods as opposed to raw.

Rainy Day in the Kitchen

It's pouring down rain here thanks to Hanna so the planned day of sailing is out of the question. Instead, Beren went to work for a few hours, I dropped Jackson off at the vet to get neutered (poor baby!) and then I intend to do some cooking.

First, comfort food in the way of Tuna Noodle Casserole. I won't be indulging in this (well, maybe just a bite) but it's one of Lily's favorites so she'll enjoy it.



Campbell's Tuna Noodle Casserole

Prep/Cook Time: 40 minutes

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Cream of Mushroom or 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. chopped pimiento (optional)
1 cup cooked peas
2 cans (about 6 oz. each) tuna, drained and flaked
2 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles
2 tbsp. dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp. margarine, melted


MIX soup, milk, pimiento, peas, tuna and noodles in 1 1/2-qt. casserole. Bake at 400 F. for 20 min. or until hot. Stir.

MIX bread crumbs with margarine and sprinkle on top. Bake 5 min.

Makes 4 servings


Then, some spaghetti sauce. Kali and I have an idea for Yule gifts (shh...) that includes homemade pasta sauce, so I'm going to experiment with this recipe from the Soprano's Family Cookbook. It sounds so easy and a great way to use up the abundance of basil in my herb garden. I haven't made my own "gravy" in years and since the old family recipe included meat that just won't do for my veggie-loving kids. If we love it, I'm going to try my hand at canning for the first time, just bought a Ball Starter Kit and am a bit intimidated but hope I can manage it!

Marinara Sauce
(Tomato Sauce)

Makes about 3 cups

2 large garlic cloves, lightly smashed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 pounds very ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or one 28-ounce can Italian peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
Salt
8 to 10 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

In a large skillet, cook the garlic in the olive oil over medium heat, pressing it occasionally with the back of a spoon, until golden, about 4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the sauce is thick, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the tomatoes. Stir in the basil leaves.

Serve over hot cooked spaghetti or other pasta.

Just Another Day in Paradise

Despite the heat and lack of seasons, I don't normally mind living in Florida. I enjoy the culture, the beaches, the year-round opportunities to be scantily clad. However, that all changes at this time of year, peak hurricane season. Right now the radar looks like this:



Quite ominous for us here, don't you think? We may be spending this weekend battening down the hatches and shopping for hurricane supplies. Keep us in your thoughts, please, and I'll keep you posted.

Blue Tuesday

I've been feeling a bit blue for some reason, did some pondering last night and in the wee hours of this morning and then woke up to find this Daily Om offering a very interesting online course: Overcoming Self-Sabotage by Debbie Ford. I realize that I have self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors and need to work on those or I won't ever reach my goals. Intrigued, I signed up for it and have done the first lesson and meditation, will keep you posted on my progress, am hoping it can help get me back on track and end this ugly cycle.

Monday Menu Planning

Since I never finished posting recipes from this cookbook (where did the time go?), I'm focusing on it again this week as well as some old favorites.

Meatless Monday - We just enjoyed my own version of vegetarian chili that we didn't get around to last week

Take-out Tuesday: Pizza or Leftovers

Weight Watchin' Wednesday: Vegetable Soup

Thirsty Thursday: Malibu Breeze with TGI Fridays Buffalo Chicken Wings , & big green salad

Fishy Friday: Tuna Noodle Casserole

Slow-Mo Saturday: Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole

Social Sunday: Old-Fashioned Sunday Supper

Labor Day BBQ

We decided to have our holiday gathering on Sunday, allowing us a day to recuperate before heading back to work! Boy, am I glad I did because I was exhausted by the end of the night. It was well worth it, though, as we had a wonderful time!

One of my friends loved the way I displayed the grapes and other snacky foods so I decided to snap a pic. Since we entertain a lot we stock up on glass/barware when we see it in thrift stores, I love to use it to contain things other than beverages!



My girls all did their share of prepping and cooking...and eating!



Time out for a kitten cuddle...



These guys have been friends for 35 years, do you know how many shots I have of this same pose? *shaking head*



Some of us sought shelter from the scorching heat on the patio and pool...







While some found it much cooler inside..



Overall I'd call the party a success, can't wait til the next one!