Friday, February 25, 2011

When life gives you lemons . . .

Lemon: Owning a Deron Williams Utah Jazz Jersey
Lemonade: At least my son has had his jersey for a couple years and got good use out of it. His friend is not so lucky. He just bought a D-Will jersey last week. :(

Lemon: The selling out of Lindsey Lohan’s tight fitting white not-so-appropriate court dress.
Lemonade: I will assume that most people are just getting an early start on their next year’s Halloween costume and not desiring to be like the troubled girl.

Lemon: Charlie Sheen and his new found love.
Lemonade: I guess that proves that the right person is out there for everyone. Or if you have enough money, any jerk can buy love.

Lemon: The price increase and size decrease of Marie Callendar’s sour cream lemon pie.
Lemonade: I found a homemade version I like better.


My family was eating this pie so fast that I barely got a picture of it.
And not a very good one at that.
But the pie is delicious!

Sour Cream Lemon Pie
1 cup sugar
3 1/3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sour cream
1 9 inch baked pie shell
1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon rind, lemon juice, egg yolks, and milk in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thick. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Cool to room temperature. Stir in sour cream and pour filling into pie shell. Cover with whip cream and garnish with lemon twists.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Eye seam two knead sum thin moor then spiel Czech

It bugs me when people use the wrong their or there or they’re, but for some reason even when I obsess over my own writing, I sometimes still get it wrong. It is not because I don’t understand the difference between are and our, I just rely too much on that read (or I guess I mean red) or green squiggly underlining my mistypes. My brain knows if I want where or wear, but my fingers don’t always cooperate.

For some reason as I was driving down the road today and dodging various potholes, I thought about how I wished my tax dollars were at work on this road instead of the sidewalks by my house, and it hit me. I had assumed on my previous post that you are tax dollars at work. (I am grateful for the edit feature.) Wouldn’t that be funny, or maybe that is the solution. If congress didn’t think that it is just mine or your tax dollars they are spending, but that they are actually our tax dollars at work, maybe they wouldn’t waste so much time enjoying the sound of their own ranting but would just get the job accomplished. I would be happy to put a “You’re Tax Dollars at Work” sign in the Capitol if it would help.

Now maybe some of you who have been in meetings most of the day wish it were Meet less Monday, but Paul McCartney has only put a stop to our animal consumption on Mondays and not our job requirements. I don’t think he has that much influence.

Today was an experiment day for dinner. I tried using tofu in my fajitas instead of chicken. I was hoping for a taste and texture like Pei Wei’s tofu, and because that didn’t happen, I was disappointed. I think if I had no expectations that I would have really liked this dish. It was a hit with my husband and daughter.

  
 Baked Tofu

                3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
                1 tsp honey
                1 tsp balsamic vinegar
                1 clove garlic, minced
                ½ tsp sesame oil
               1 package extra-firm tofu, cubed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Blend first five ingredients until smooth. Spray a baking sheet with canola oil spray. Place tofu in single layer and pour soy mixture over tofu. Bake for 30 minutes.


Fajitas
               2 tablespoons olive oil
               1 each green, red, and orange bell pepper, sliced
               1 red onion, sliced
               4 cloves garlic, minced
               Salt and pepper, to taste

Sauté peppers, onion and garlic in olive oil. Add baked tofu and season with salt and pepper. Serve on tortillas with your choice of toppings.

Know meet!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Presumptuous

This past week was my 27th wedding anniversary, and my husband gave me a list of 27 items that he loves about me. Listed as reason number ten is “You admittedly love Jeff Probst but for some reason you won’t leave me for him”. I think that he might be giving me just a little bit too much credit. Jeff has not nor will he ever ask me to be his girl, and that is a good thing because I am not sure that I could resist those dimples.

Yesterday I went to my parents’ house to pay them a visit. Congesting their street were two very large tree cutting service trucks and just in front of the trucks was an orange sign that read “Men Working Ahead”. For two hours I watched those men work at shooting hoops on the neighbor’s basketball standard but not once did they cut, trim, or even attempt to look at a tree. I guess the sign should have been a little more specific as to what type of work these men should have been doing.

And that orange “Your Tax Dollars at Work” sign seems to suppose that I want or even need the particular sidewalk or street “improvements” in my area. Pay down the national debt, give a police officer a raise, or improve education would be a great way to put MY hard earned tax dollars to work.

I am presuming by the appalled look and the “no comment” comment at the end of the report that the Nightline anchor was totally disgusted by the report, and I guess I would have been shocked if she wasn’t. I am so tired of people being rewarded for bad behavior. The tattoo painting who broke up Sandra Bullock’s marriage is now reporting that she makes a lot more money after the scandal than she did before. Apparently being a hoochie mama is a lucrative business that gets you an agent, personal appearances, and your own reality show. If that is what it takes to become rich and famous these days, I will be happy to die an unknown self-respected content middle class woman.

Monday, February 14, 2011

It’s complicated


Money, a box of chocolates, and a home-cooked meal have all been given as the definition of love by men. Women describe it as romance, affection, and “never having to say you’re sorry”. Children spell it t-i-m-e. Love certainly can be complicated. And if you look up its meaning on dictionary.com, you just might think so. It lists 28 different definitions.

I have heard that love is finding someone who completes your puzzle. I love a challenging jigsaw puzzle. Call me selfish, but if I create the border and separate all the pieces by color and shape, I want to be the one who puts that last piece in. One would not feel love from me with the completion of my puzzle.

One web sight lists its top meaning as “someone you’d give your life for”.

Mother Teresa has been quoted as saying “Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.”

And speaking of fruit, something I love is the Nuts about Berries Salad at Zuppa’s. Now I say that I love this salad, but if given the choice between my life and the salad, I would choose life. I have come up with a homemade version when feeling the cravings and the best part is that it’s not complicated.

Start with some chopped romaine lettuce, add some Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette Dressing and mix to cover lettuce, and add berries of your choice. And then top with chopped candied almonds. It just might be better than a box of chocolates.

Candied Almonds

1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 lb almonds

Bring water, sugar and cinnamon to a boil; stirring constantly. Add almonds and toss to coat. Arrange almonds on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Store in an airtight container once cooled.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Toys not included


If you watched Nightline last week, you might have seen an episode about a mother suing McDonald’s. Apparently it isn’t a Happy Meal to her. As I watched this report, I found it a little ironic that she was concerned that McDonald’s was enticing her child with a toy to purchase their foods she deemed unhealthy, and with the cameras rolling and while explaining her concerns of her daughter eating fries and nuggets, she handed her daughter a GoGurt. Seriously, I couldn’t stop laughing. I would put all those items in the same category. They are treats. And even though GoGurts, nuggets, and fries are commonly served by most school districts as a vital part of the food pyramid, they really hold minimal nutritional value. I would have taken this lady seriously if she would have handed her daughter an apple. Parents seem to forget who earns the money and has the valid driver’s license that enables their family to drive to McDonald’s and purchase the very food they are opposed to consuming.

If you want food to be easy, fast and healthy, I have a suggestion your kids might like. I just wondered how long it might take me to go to a McDonald’s. I live about 8 minutes from the closest Happy Meal, and on this particular day, I timed a car going through the drive through. From the moment the order was placed until the food was received was 2 minutes and 53 seconds. The wait would have been longer if there was a line to place the order. So it would take at least 20 minutes to satisfy my Big Mac attack. In less than 20 minutes you can have these tasty whole wheat breadsticks in the oven.



Dissolve 1 tablespoon yeast in 1 1/2 cups warm water. Add 1 tablespoon sugar. Let stand 5 minutes. Mix in 3 1/2 cups hard white wheat flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Knead for 5 minutes. Roll out dough on a greased cookie sheet (add additional flour if too sticky). Spread about 1/4 cup butter (flavored with garlic powder or fresh minced garlic if you like) and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cut into strips with a pizza cuter. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Your kids will love dipping these healthy breadsticks in pizza sauce. For a complete happy meal, serve with your own milk and apple slices.  And they just might forget they didn't get a toy with their meal.