Grande Couscous with Greenbeans and Sundried Tomatoes

I prefer to take my own homemade meals to work for my lunch.  Cafeteria food just doesn’t cut it for me in sooo many ways!  And many nights I’m kinda busy with trying to get some exercise in, errands, Domestic Goddess duties or spend time with family and friends.  So I need something that whips up fast and is delish, this couscous recipe pretty much takes care of it!

I like to alter this recipe too, I have thrown in shrimp, changed the veggies, its awesome with aspargus tips or grilled red peppers and zucchini or squash.  I’ve also thrown in some frozen corn that I wanted to use up.   Go ahead and try different herbs and spices too, you really can’t mess this up…..unless you burn it!

Here’s the recipe:

2 T Olive Oil

½  cup Grande Couscous

2/3 c Green Beans, frozen pieces

¼ c Sundried Tomatoes, chopped

1-1/4 to 1-1/2 c Chicken Broth

Salt & Pepper

2 dashes of Turmeric (optional)

1 dash of Cayenne Pepper (optional)

 Use a large sauce pan for this.   Add the oil to a pan that is over a medium to a medium-high heat, add the couscous and stir almost continuously to toast..  You may have to turn your heat back so as not to burn the couscous, this should only take about 3 minutes.

Add 1-1/4 cup of chicken broth and reduce the heat to a low simmer.  Add the green beans and the chopped sundried tomatoes.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Add the turmeric and cayenne if you are using.

Stir occasionally.  When the broth is just about absorbed, taste the couscous.  If you would like it just a little more tender, as I do, add another ¼ cup of the broth.

This makes two large servings.  I like to sometimes top with a grated parmesan cheese but it is just as delicious without the cheese.  You could also serve this as a side alongside fish or chicken but I prefer to make it my main dish.

Grande Couscous is also called Israeli Couscous, or at least that’s what I’ve found.  Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, its so versatile.

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Lentil Soup for Two, Crockpot Style

I love to make my veggie lentil soup!  But…. There have been times where the lentils weren’t all that good.  They were sort of hard.  Do I soak them?  Cook them longer?  Hmmm… Crockpot soup!!

I have this small crockpot that is great for dips at parties, a half of a chicken breast, and now for soup!  I love throwing all the ingredients in before I leave for work in the morning, and when I get home I have delicious soup waiting for me!!

The first time I made this soup in the crockpot, I didn’t put any meat in the soup as I don’t usually eat that much meat.  But if you want meat, I suggest using cooked meat.  I’ve used sausage (my fav) or shredded  chicken (from leftovers).  I’m also not a huge fan of beans so if you want to add a little more lentils, go ahead!

Here’s what I did:

¼ cup green beans, frozen in 1 in. pieces

¼ cup carrots, sliced (either frozen or fresh)

1/4 cup lentils

2-1/2 cups chicken or beef stock

A scant ¼ cup chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

½ -3/4 cup diced tomatoes, canned, undrained

Salt & Pepper

Dash of cayenne pepper or any other spice/herb that you typically like to cook with. 

Toss all the ingredients in the crockpot, season to your taste. Turn on the lowest heat selection.  I wouldn’t do this on a day that you wouldn’t get home longer than 6-8 hours.  Depending on the size of your little crockpot, you may have to adjust the amounts so it doesn’t cook over while you are away.  I always sit my crockpot on a plate before I add anything to it.

This recipe made 2 big bowls of soup for me. And,  I really love a good slice of crusty bread along with this soup.  Or any soup for that matter.

Cheers!

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Puppy Love, with a Bully

I’m in love.  Puppy Love!  My son adopted a puppy…..at his house *whew. 

But I’ve been busy helping him because he works a lot.  And I want to steal the puppy.  I can’t keep my lips off his cute little wrinkly face.

I have to admit, when we went to look at Dozer, and clearly bring him home, I really wasn’t all that impressed with the breed…English Bulldog, AKA Bullies.  But as I held him and he licked my face, he stole my heart.

Watching my son learn to take care of another living being, has been a challenge as I sometimes feel I’m being very bossy but he seems to welcome the advice since he has never had a dog that he is responsible for by himself.  We have had family dogs, but I did all the training, he did all the playing and enjoying.  He has learned quickly how much is involved with a puppy.  And I am watching as he tries to develop his patience. *insert giggle

Unfortunately we didn’t know that the area where the “breeder” was located was well known for backyard puppy mills.  And surprisingly, 2 particular religious sects that I would have never imaged to “mass produce puppies”, are the biggest culprits.  I had NO IDEA!  The breeder’s house did have 3 outdoor pens with dogs in them so clearly dog breeding was a business for him.  At the time though, I just thought he really loved the breed but as my son was making the purchase and getting the papers, I wandered a little closer to the pens to get a closer look because my curiosity had peaked.  And there were a number of dogs in the pens. 

   Look at those toes!

My son is happy that he rescued one of the puppies.  The vet appointment showed a skin infection, parasites and worms in his stools all due to his living conditions.  We noticed that many of his nails had been broken back to his skin and I was concerned as to why, but the vet seems to think it was his living conditions as well and they will grow back. 

In the last 4 weeks, Dozer has gained 8 pounds!  He is still on meds for the parasites and worms but he is on the road to recovery! 

He’s a very happy and playful pup.  And full of sweet love.  I do on most occasions get bitten on the nose when I grab his face to kiss him!  And when I sit on the floor to play with him I usually get my fingers bit, but then he jumps on me and gives me plenty of puppy kisses!

I haven’t stolen him yet.  But the time is comin’

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Pumpkin Spice French Toast

I love French toast!  And I love Autumn, so why not combine pumpkin & spice to my French toast?  Sounds reasonable to me!

I had a loaf of Italian bread…..yea making “French” toast with “Italian” bread, I’m silly that way!!  I sliced half the loaf about ½” thick. I like to let the bread sit on the counter so it can start to dry out a little while I prepare the batter.

In a bowl place 3 eggs and whip them a little.  Add ½ cup of milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, a dash of salt, ground cloves and nutmeg.  Mix together well and then add 3 HEAPING tablespoons (or a ¼ cup) of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie although I’m sure it would work).  Blend well.

Here comes the fun part, soak the bread, bathe it in that wonderful pumpkin batter!  Let the bread absorb but not get mushy, and then toss it in a preheated pan.  I usually do a medium low heat and flip the toast numerous times to make sure if gets heated thru completely and toasted nicely.  

With this batter I was able to make about 7 or 8 slices of toast.  Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon, your favorite syrup and a very tall glass of ice cold milk!

Enjoy!

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Chai Tea Frozen Yogurt

I love ice cream!  This is a healthy way to get my ice cream!  And if you love a good chai tea latte like I do, you will have to try this. 

I have to admit, while it was churning away, I did stick a spoon into the creaminess and try it….more than once.

32 oz of Vanilla yogurt (I used greek, LOVE it and the protein it provides)

A good pinch of each:   Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, and Cardamom

1-2 T sugar (start with 1 T, but honestly, it really doesn’t need it at all.  I just felt that it made the chai flavor stand out!)

3/4 cup of water with 2 chai tea bags already brewed and cooled

Mix it all together and then follow your ice cream maker instructions.

Standby with a spoon to taste test as it is freezing

Enjoy!

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Who Doesn’t Like a Give-Away?? Come on over and enter to win!!

Want to win something that will help with your weight loss program?  Slimkicker via my blog, will be giving away this fantastic  kitchen scale .

To enter, leave a comment, just a sentence or two, with your suggestion on a fun, creative fitness or diet challenge.  The winner will be announced next week.

Check out Slimkicker.com, it is a wonderful site!   The site provides you with a way to track your calories and turn your weight loss and fitness goals into a level-up game with rewards.  You rack up points by tracking healthy calories, and completing challenges such as quitting soda for a week. You can upload a picture of a reward you would like, such as a cheat food (like one of my brownies), or an iPod that you have been wanting to buy, and they’ll remind you to reward yourself with that reward as you reach a certain number of points. 

There are challenges, forums and groups along with resources such as blogs, nutrition & fitness, calorie database, wellness,  and diet psychology.  And let’s not forget all the recipes and diets such as the  DukanDiet  and Weight Watchers.

REMEMBER TO LEAVE A COMMENT TO ENTER!!

Hope you have a fantastic day!

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Coming Home From Work….

Gibson: MEOW!  MEOW!  MEOW!  circling my feet trying to trip me “Feed me, feed me, feed me, put my food before me now damn it, feed me!”

 (Gibson is cute but what an attitude!)

Jack: Barking and jumping and wiggly butt “Oh Mom you’re home! I missed you!  Can I have a cookie? I am SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU!”

 

GIBSON:  I set his food dish down and he takes a nibble of his food and glares at me “you and I need to have a little chat about things around here”

Jack: BARK!  He spies the cookie in my hand “Cookie!  What do you want?  Big speak or little speak? My paw? The other paw? A kiss?  Please hurry!  I love those cookies you buy for me! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!”

Jack jumps on my lap and proceeds to wiggle and lick my face:  “I love you so much, I didn’t think you’d ever get home to me! Can we cuddle for a little?” “You are so beautiful and I love you so much!”

Gibson at my feet: MEOW “where’s MY treat bitch? What gives?, you gave him a damn cookie! MEOW!  What about me? I mean really! I do RULE here!!”  MEOW “Oh, by the way, a scratch on MY head would be a nice, but just for a second, got it?” MEOW

As I wander to my bedroom to change, Jack follows with energetic enthusiasm:  “Mom I am so happy to see you! I was so lonely today without you!  Have I told you how beautiful you are?  I don’t think I tell you that enough!”

Gibson follows too, meandering at a slow pace: MEOW “Listen, I want fresh food, and I want it NOW.  MEOW!  The dish you sat before me is leftover from this morning, even though it is that dry crunchy shit you think I like, I do prefer it FRESH from the container.  MEOW!  NO leftovers for me.” MEOW (said with squinty eyes and sarcasm)

Gibson: MEOW “And another thing, because you left me alone with that annoying little sappy DOG all day, I decided to shit outside my litter box.” MEOW

Jack sitting on my bed watching me with those sad puppy eyes: “I’m really sorry Mom but I did a bad thing today.  I had a “cat cookie” that fell out of the “cat-box cookie jar” today.  I know you don’t like me to do that but I had absolutely NO self control whatsoever.  I swear Gibson puts it on the floor on purpose just to tease me and get me in trouble.  I am truly sorry Mom, I will try not to do it again. How about another kiss?”

I pick up Jack from the bed and walk out of the bedroom, Gibson dashes to walk in front of me:  walking a slow KISS MY ASS pace.

Gibson wanders over to his dish, gives me a glaring side glance that would make a mouse fall over dead,  and begins to eat. After two bites he finds his hiding place naps.

Jack, he’s HAPPILY ready for anything I want to do tonight!

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Things I Miss in my Life

I miss my…

Mom’s warm smile and loving personality

Dad’s mischievous nature and infectious laugh

Kids as babies

Brother, and everything about him

Nephew and his awesome hugs

 

I miss…

Living less than 10 minutes from the beach

The house I grew up in

Tucking my kids in bed at night and reading to them

Being tucked in by my Mom and Dad

Being able to eat anything and everything and NOT having to worry about fat, calories, cholesterol and weight gain

 

I miss my…

Grandfathers garage full of paint cans

Mammaw’s swing

Mom hamburg bar-b-q

Mom’s family speaking Pennsylvania Dutch

Youth

Grandmothers country farm cooking

 

I miss…

The book swap libraries at the marina’s I used to visit

Sleepovers at my both of my Grandmothers homes

Watching the sunset from the bow of a boat

Holding my Grandmothers hand

Rascal, my husky

 

I miss…

My Dad calming me down after I skinned my knee (but I don’t miss him ripping the band aid off)

Picking on my brother, in our adult years (it got wicked at times)

Having a garden and a patio

Having a tea party with my Dad

Having a back yard picnic with Mammaw

Recess

Naptime

My dolls

Playing a ridiculous card game called “Donkey” with my parents and aunt and uncle (laughed until I cried)

Going to the beach every summer with my family when I was a kid

 The innocence of my childhood and not having a care in the world

 

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Resolutions vs Goals

Resolution vs goals, or as I see it, Pressure vs Direction.

We are 6 days into a New Year!  It’s refreshing to have a new start at life but, we can do that at any point in our lives.  We don’t need January 1^st for that to happen, yet many of us seem to wait for it.  Silly isn’t it.

So, how many of you created your New Year’s Resolution list?  Not me!  I used to create that list but I have goals I set for myself, it’s easier and has less pressure.  And if at any time I wander or stray I gently guide myself back on track.  Sometimes it may not be so gentle as I may need a swift kick in the ass, but hey, I’m flexible.  I can give myself a swift kick and good talking to!!

My long term goals are, for the most part, pretty easy for me to stay on track.  Minus the extra winter coat or new pair of heels I may occasionally buy that digs into the money that I wanted to save.  But the short term goals, now that’s my challenge.  For instance, here I sit blogging instead of starting that new scarf, or putting some things on Ebay.  My photo album from the walk in October needs to be put together and my own personal photo’s need printed, dated and put in albums.  But , here I am, on the sofa, on the computer, and watching a movie.   It really doesn’t matter that I spent most of the day cleaning, doing laundry, packing away Christmas decorations, grocery shopping and making chicken soup for a sick friend.  No, I have to remind myself that there are several other things that need to be done NOW.   Thankfully I have one more day to cram all that stuff in.  Ahhh yes there is always tomorrow to finish my honey-do list!

I am already planning my day tomorrow, minute by minute, chore by chore.  And a huge pot of coffee.  I also have a promise to not put too much pressure on myself and just enjoy the day by relaxing, breathing, prayer, meditation, yoga, cooking, knitting and walking the dog.  Anything else I can accomplish will be a bonus!!

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A Slow Train to Mystic

Off to CT for another visit.  Started at the Lancaster train station, really old building being renovated.  They have a lot to do yet!!  Had a connection in Philly this time, not NY.  I  STILL FEAR the escalator.  Seriously.  I  have lingering images of tumbling down the up escalator, people screaming, arms trying to grab me,  EWWW I have to stop!!! 

Loved the train station at Philly tho.  Lots of shops, food vendors, policemen and drug sniffing dogs!!  Grabbed a chi latte and did a little people watching. 

Arrived in Mystic, the weather was perfect and my Aunt was waiting for me!  She whisked me off to lunch at the little place called Abbott’s, in Noank, CT.  Now, it sort of looks like a little dive and you know places like that usually have the best food!   Only my friends that live in Hanover or have lived here will know what I am about to describe.  Friends, York Street Treat, okay?  Imagine that little dumpy “walk up to order your food” kind of place by the water and selling seafood.  Yep, awesome.  Then you grab your food, go find a picnic table by the water and your worries just fade away along with your stress.

Then she whisked me off to Saltwater Winery.  It’s a renovated airplane hangar.  And stupidly I did not take any pictures inside the building.  We grabbed our bottle and glasses and went outside. 

I walked around the grape vines taking pictures, but not inside mind you!  The wine was just incredible!

The following day we went to Old Lyme to visit the Florence Griswold Museum.  This was a house that artists once would visit, pay to stay there, and they just went out onto the grounds and painted.  It is absolutely a beautiful house. 

The small barn behind the house has been turned into a cafe.  You could order your food and go sit at some very quaint tables and chairs or do what my Aunt and Idid…grab a picnic blanket and head out onto the lawn!

Another small building was turned into an educational center for kids.  They have art classes for the little kiddies.  While we were there they posted their art work on the outside of the building and they had painted beautiful paper parasols.

 And a huge museum with 3 galleries is down by the lake.  We walked the beautiful gardens, admiring all the flowers and plants. 

We strolled up to the side porch, and all I could think about was grabbing a bottle of wine and parking myself right there to relax for the day.  But instead we went into the house.  Several of the rooms are decorated to the period style of the house.  And art is hanging everywhere.

The following day was much warmer but it didn’t stop us from going to te art festival downtown Mystic, we walked the entire festival and looked at everything.  I saw tons of beautiful artwork, different ways to paint, artistic expressions, and chatted to a photographer, a fellow “Nikonian” as he put it.  I did not purchase any canvases but I did buy a pair a handmade silver earrings with a pau shell.  I think I have worn them everyday since.  Aunty and I grabbed some sandwiches and soda’s, found a spot on the lawn and enjoyed the shade….

Sunday was a prayer service.   Just a private prayer service among friends for the last 25 years.  Had to be one of the most moving services I have been to.  Then it was home to relax for the day, and watch it rain.   Actually it poured all day.  And pack.  My time with my Aunt was coming to a close.  Monday morning I caught the train to come back home to PA.  No drug sniffing dogs in Philly this time.  But the title “A Slow Train to Mystic” popped in my head as a great book title!  Wonder what sort of adventure and romance I can find on the train??!!!

It was a wonderful trip, and I am ready to go back for another escape.  Maybe at Christmas, Mystic at Christmas has to beautiful!

Cheers!

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