Well Hello Again!

.....who am I kidding? I have never seen you before in my life! I don't own running shoes, but I do own "run around the kitchen like a maniac with dog chasing you because it is too hot outside for the baby" SHOES. However, Those aren't really working for me right now so sometimes I put on my " workout to DANCE OF THE POUNDS dvd" SHOES", but those always turn into my " dance on my own because the chicks on t.v. are way too advanced for me" SHOES. Or maybe I should call them "my moves are too good for you tv,dance, workout lady" SHOES. Either way I have taken a hiatus from working out for way too long, but don't know where to begin. If someone could dig a hole in my backyard and fill it with cement and water so I can swim off the pounds that would work great and I wouldn't even need my SHOES! Thanks to whoever told me that nursing is like running a marathon it burns so many calories. That sure makes me feel better especially when I nurse with a cookie and chocolate milk in one hand(yeah you try that). In any event I should stop complaining and do something about it. Perhaps I could do something out of the ordinary like make dear husband angry with me (I wouldn't even know HOW to do that) and he could send me to this prison in the Philippines where I could really workout! Yes folks it is another great youtube video. Feel free to check out this prison's other great performances. They are amazing.

Honey- Soy Broiled Salmon

I was tired of chicken and my husband had been eating steak every night at the fire station so SALMON it was! Thanks to food network I came up with this tasty catch!
Ingredients

* 1 scallion, minced
* 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
* 1 pound center-cut salmon fillet, skinned (see Tip) and cut into 4 portions
* 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (see Tip)

Directions

Whisk scallion, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and ginger in a medium bowl until the honey is dissolved. Place salmon in a sealable plastic bag, add 3 tablespoons of the sauce and refrigerate; let marinate for 15 minutes. Reserve the remaining sauce.

Preheat broiler. Line a small baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Transfer the salmon to the pan, skinned-side down. (Discard the marinade.) Broil the salmon 4 to 6 inches from the heat source until cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes. Drizzle with the reserved sauce and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve and Enjoy!


To toast seeds: Cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Question-

So I was sitting at a salon today waiting to get the caterpillar's turned back into eyebrows as I do every two weeks. I sat next to the only other person waiting who smiled at me and smiled at my baby, and went back to her magazine. She seemed very interested in her magazine and I was interested in how long

"we will bring you back in 5 minutes"

really was since the clock said it had been 15. As I was judging how long the little one was going to patient and staring at the employees I heard the lady next to me say

"Now those are just incredible!"

My question is: was I supposed to look? Was I supposed to say something? Or was that just the sweet little lady talking to herself? Have you been that lady? Wouldn't it of been weird if I did look or asked her what she was looking at? What if she wanted me to mind my own business?

Just wondering...

How about some Fish Tacos?!

Forget all of those other recipes! This is the one you want!

1 pkg of corn tortillas
1 jar of jalapeno ranch dressing
1 jar of your favorite mango salsa
1 can of black beans
1 pkg of chopped cabbage (purple or green)
1 pkg of Fish Fry
2 cups of your favorite fish cut up into inch chunks
2 cups oil
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

I used cod fillets. Dip them in water and then into the fish fry mixture and then cook in the hot oil. Place spoonful of warmed black beans on tortilla first, followed by the cabbage, fish, salsa, ranch dressing, and then top with cheese. Serve and Enjoy! It is truly that easy and delicious!

Update:
I forgot to buy the ranch dressing when I made them today and I think I liked it just the same. So if you would like to use less ingredients go for it. Also, if you double up on the tortillas your filling will not fall through. I hate that!

Happy Father's Day!

This is what this day is about. I do not know this family, but I love them.

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." Teilhard de Chardin

I'm Rich!!!!!!!

A few scams from my spam have slipped through my filter and I have to wonder WHO FALLS FOR THIS? I would say I don't have time for this nonsense, but maybe I am wasting time blogging when I could easily be a trillionaire! Here are a few examples:

United kingdom Has just awarded you with the sum of 1,000,000,00 pounds send us your info. name, address, age and tell/sex.

An Iraqi made a fixed deposit of $6.5 million USD in my bank branch (Hang Seng Bank,Hong Kong) where am a director and he died with his entire family in the war leaving behind no next of kin, I´m ready to share 50/50 with you if you choose to stand as my deceased client next of kin. If interested mail me at the address below:

You've won $800.000.00
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Email Address: fedexcustomcare@btinternet.com
with your Details
Name,Address,Age,Tel,Country

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Please get back to us Email (mrzhang_tiejun9@yahoo.com.hk)
Regards
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This is to officially inform you that ATM CARD(54373639574387474) with pin
number 822 worth $6.8 Million Dollars has been accredited in your
favor,Please Contact:Miss Linda Hills at
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Senate President
David Mark.


It looks like if you don't see any new recipes or tidbits from me in the near future it is because I am off on a permanent vacation on my very own Island. Based on the amount of money offered above I could potentially earn enough to help pay back the country's deficit and save us from this economic crisis. I will start responding to these emails soon and........ your welcome!

Good Intentions: A story about Ice cream

I was invited to a function that requested everyone to bring a summer dish. Something that didn't require too much cooking or heating of the kitchen. I thought homemade Ice cream would be a nice treat. I first attempted to make Ice cream like I did as a girl where you put the ingredients in a plastic bag and then put that bag in a bigger bag full of ice and shake! 15 minutes later- Ice cream! Wrong! I ended up with water, milk, and a salty mess everywhere because the ice broke holes in the bag when I shook it up. So I went to Target to purchase an ice cream maker. I bought the inexpensive one that didn't require ice. I poured the ingredients in, turned it on, and went about my business. 40 minutes later I went to try out my finished product. Wrong! The machine never did it's thing because it broke shortly after I turned it on. Thus I went back to the store and purchased yet another ice cream maker. This time this machine needed ice and salt like the traditional Ice cream makers. Finally, success! It required 3 hours of babysitting, a couple times of emptying out the ice and starting over, and then finally I had ice cream!
I love this recipe it is light, sweet, and tangy all at once. A perfect summer treat. The trick is to keep it frozen as it melts fast. I was excited to take this to my gathering and have the women try it. I arrived early and stuck it in the freezer. I then had to go back home to feed my son before returning for the actual dinner. I made it back to a delightful dinner of several delicious salads and summer dishes. I was so excited to unveil my summer treat when the meal was over. I told the ladies around me to make sure they tried my ice cream before it melted as I was about to get it out of the freezer. I went to the freezer and the ice cream was gone. I went back to the table and discovered my Ice cream had been on the table the whole time. I just hadn't noticed it. Someone had taken it out of the freezer and set it next the fruit mistaking it for a dessert. It was of course I big melted mixture of cream. I am not sure if the lesson I am supposed to learn is to give up on making ice cream, but I don't think I can. Especially when there is this recipe in my possession. I wish you better luck with yours! As always, serve and enjoy!

Summertime Ice cream

3 cups sugar 3 Lemons (squeezed)

1 Qt Cream 3 Oranges (squeezed)

1 Qt Milk 3 Bananas (processed in food processor)



Combine all Ingredients and pour into your Ice cream maker.

A recipe to make EVERYDAY!

1 cup gratitude for your health
2 1/2 cups love for your family and friends
1 Tbs. of smiles for all that you see
A pinch of reality to understand all that you have been given
A few "thank yous " to taste

Mix all ingredients and pour into every day! Serve and Enjoy!

I would like to take a moment to thank all of my fellow bloggers whom I consider my friend's. You have given me a new love and passion for cooking, a happy husband, and ton of inspiration. Thank you for adding me to your blogrolls, link lists, and emails. This blog is so fun for me. Thanks for making it better. I hope this finds you well.

Alfredo and Red Pepper Pasta

I had a red pepper, leftover Alfredo sauce to use up, and a hankering for pasta. This is what I came up with. Too bad the picture sucks (part photographer, part camera's fault)

1 red pepper
1 cup of your favorite Alfredo sauce
1 tbs minced garlic
1 pound chicken
1 tbs Cajun seasoning
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large tomato
3 cups cooked Bowtie pasta (I used whole wheat)

Take the red pepper and tomato and throw them in the food processor. Meanwhile saute the chicken in garlic with a little bit of oil. Add Alfredo sauce and processed tomato and red pepper to saucepan. When chicken is no longer pink sprinkle with Cajun seasoning, paprika, and salt and broil till outside is crispy and golden brown.(this may be unnecessary, but I like my chicken slightly crunchy in a dish like this. Add chicken to sauce and pour over pasta. Sprinkle with black pepper. Serve and Enjoy!

Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

I searched and searched for the perfect lemon cupcake for my sister's birthday

Thanks to http://beantownbaker.blogspot.com

lemon Cupcakes - from A Good Appetite - makes 6 (I tripled to make 18)

2/3 c all-purpose flour

1/4 t baking soda

1/4 t baking powder

pinch of salt

3 T unsalted butter, softened

1/3 c sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

zest of one lemon

juice of one lemon

1/4 c plain yogurt



Preheat oven to 350 and prepare muffin tins.



Stir flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

Beat the butter until light and fluffy. On high speed, gradually beat in the sugar until light & fluffy. Lower speed and add egg, beating until just blended. Then beat in lemon zest & lemon juice. On low speed beat in flour mixture & yogurt until just blended. This will be a very light fluffy batter.

Bake for 18 minutes. The edges should just be turning golden brown. Let cool on wire rack.

For the Frosting
3/4 cup of butter
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup strawberries ( I processed them in the food processor, worked like a charm!)
4-5 cups powdered sugar (depending on how runny you like it with the strawberry puree)

Verdict: I am not a huge fan of lemon, but I am starting to love it. This was a great combination with the tart of the lemon mixed with the sweet of the strawberry. Serve and Enjoy!

Pork Tacos-Summer Deliciousness

Pork Tacos

Ingredients:
1 Pork Roast
1 yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 cup homemade salsa or your favorite salsa
1 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper if desired

Directions:

Cut roast into smaller chunks and place in deep pot on stove. Combine the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 3-4 hours until roast is tender enough to be shredded with a fork. Warm tortillas and add your favorite toppings. I learned from Simply Recipes to add the beef broth and salsa. I also added a touch of salt and vinegar to my lettuce as directed and I must say it is an excellent touch. I sliced up some mangoes, nectarines, and bananas for a light and tasty side dish. I must say this was a lovely summer meal.