Recipe of the Week

In celebration of Rosh Hashanah, I have posted a delicious recipe that features honey.

Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic
5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
skewers

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better).
Preheat the grill for high heat.
Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

My struggle with sweets

Some of you may know already, but recently I was diagnosed with being pre-diabetic. I was feeling really bad for quite a while and finally went to the doctor and gave him my symptoms. They took extensive tests and found out my high blood sugar levels were the culprit. I have had to switch my eating habits 180° and now I feel 1000 times better. (and look pretty good too). Betty said that I looked 10+ years younger and boy do I feel it. I have even been riding our recumbent bike for a little exercise too. I have gone from 153 to 129 now and have dropped 4 sizes (12 to 5). Who would have thought minimizing your sugar and flour intake could make such a difference? I guess my body craved the foods that hurt me the most. My body just doesn't know what to do with it. I have found myself eating mostly veggies, fruit, fish/seafood, nuts and grilled chicken. I love to snack on guacamole too.
I finally went back to my doctor last week and had my blood work re-done. I have lower blood sugar now, cholesterol looks great, no anemia, no headaches, no acid reflux, and lots of energy.
If anyone wants the miracle diet, just ask.

Visitors for the Weekend

We had some great company over the weekend; Gary, Betty, Jenny, Luke, Josie, Abby, and Harley (that sexy little stud!). Yes, Chuey misses him already. We had an action packed Saturday (girls went shopping and boys played mini golf with the kids), we hit the farmer's market for treats and veggies, some card making action, card playing for the guys, drinks later on at the Great Dane, and lots of fun in between. I think Logan tried to dognap Harley from Jenny even. Thanks for coming down everyone and hopefully the roads were smooth sailing home. I still can't believe how big the kids are getting. Every time I see them they look like they have grown 3-4 inches. I think the kids especially liked the scooter rides with Jeff. I wouldn't be surprised if Gary had one the next time we went up north. I think yellow is his color too.

*** As you can see, Luke was a hard one to catch with my camera. He is very quick and hard to photo. Hopefully he is that quick with the ladies. :) I'll get you someday Luke!

Cork N' Bottle

Jeff and I went down to the UW Union last night to listen to some great music. He has some co-workers at the UW that play in a band and the guys have been playing for years together. Check the The Cork N' Bottle String Band out online. They're something to see. It was a beautiful night outside on the lake. We figured we should take advantage of the weather while we could. It may be one of the last outdoor concerts of the year.

If anyone is interested...

I'm currently reading a book called, The Reading Group, that follows a group of women through a year's reading group. It has a nice list of books that I wouldn't mind duplicating for 2009. I'm not sure if anyone else wants to take on the challenge for 2009, or maybe just a few select months of the year. Here's the list of books and authors (I've done a little revision to the book's monthly selections):

Heartburn by Nora Ephron (January)
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (February)
Atonement by Ian McWan (March)
The Woman who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle (April)
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (May)
My Antonia by Willa Cather (June)
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (July)
Eden Close by Anita Shreve (August)
An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears (September)
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier (October)
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult (November)
Caucasia by Danzy Senna (December)


Let me know if you would like to do an informal "reading group" with me. Starting in January will give us time to prepare.

Movies Coming Soon

We were at the movies a couple of weeks to see "Burn after Reading", and saw some great previews. I think there some great flicks coming out this fall that you may want to check out. There's one called "W" that sounds pretty good. You don't have to be a political junkie to enjoy it either. I may check out "Secret Life of Bees", since I just finished the book and the book was great. I hope they do a good job with the movie. "Transporter 3" will be one for me (I LOVE Jason Stratham!). The boys have fallen into my addiction for the guy, since he's usually in fast paced action films. "Quantum of Solace" is a 007 film and should be pretty good. They are usually action packed and creative. "Zack and Miri Make a Porno " will be a great comedy with Seth Rogen- also directed by Kevin Smith. "Pride and Glory" has my other favorite guy, Ed Norton, in it and is a must see. I'm glad that the spaced these movies out for me, but it looks like I'm going to the movies on a weekly basis this fall to keep up with the releases of these box office hits. (Feel free to click the names of the movies above to check their websites out- they even have the previews online)

You can never be too safe...

Feel free to check out some new videos that I found at the local Blockbuster 'Top 40" shelf. You look great sweetie! Jules was surprised you could speak Hmong and Spanish so well.

A funny for the day...

I was at my downtown office yesterday and one of the attorneys there I knew pretty well gave me this cartoon (click the link to see). I had to chuckle I bit, but then I thought of all those people who are losing their jobs to this horrible economy and their homes. Maybe not too funny though. We are in a fortunate 'housing market bubble' here in South Central Wisconsin and haven't seen the devastation yet. My office has been holding pretty strong for home sales and the interest rates are going down a bit, so we may be seeing some refinances coming up. (I can't believe they are selling paraphernalia with this 'joke' on it).

Sights of Madison

I took some photos of places around Madison. I'm a little weird I know - I think cemeteries are a peaceful place to sit and reflect. Jeff and I walked through this cemetery last weekend and I loved looking at all of the interesting tombstones. They are art to me. It is amazing that they survive over the years and you can see families bound together for eternity this way. The pictures of the downtown area are some of my favorite buildings. (My office is across the street from the Capitol on the 5th floor. Those are some of the greatest views of the Capitol.)

The First Day of Fall

Here's my recipe of the week. With today being the official "first day of fall', I decided to post a recipe that has some fall nostalgia. I have included two varieties of one of my favorites - Apple Pie. I hope you enjoy!

Classic Apple Pie

INGREDIENTS
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

Apple Crumb Pie

INGREDIENTS
1 (9 inch) pie shell
6 cups thinly sliced apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place sliced apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired. In a small bowl, mix together white sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated. Stir in raisins and walnuts if desired. Spoon mixture into pastry shell.
In a small bowl mix together 1/2 cup flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over apple filling. Cover top loosely with aluminum foil.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Sushi Tutorial

I made up the rest of the sushi stuff today. I grabbed my camera this time and decided to show you the steps needed to perfect rolls. You decide what you would like in them. It doesn't need to be raw fish or veggies even. I had stuff in my fridge to do some mango rolls and some Californian rolls. First, I grabbed my handy microwave rice steamer and threw in 3 cups rice and 3 3/4 cups water into it. Put the rice steamer in micro on HIGH for 5 minutes. As soon as I heard the beep, left the door to micro closed and switched the temp to MEDIUM and put it on for 15 minutes.

While the rice is cooking away, I had plenty of time to juliene some carrots, cucumbers (seeded), imitation crab meat, some mango, and avacado for the rolls. I do the avacado last, as it likes to turn brown on you. When the rice is done, open it right away and start cooling it down. You have to use a wooden FLAT spoon and don't STIR it. You need to use the folding method when working with sticky rice. You will have a ball of mush if you stir it too much.

Grab yourself a piece of toasted nori (seaweed). Make sure the flatter (shiny) side is down. You will need the corrugated (non shiny) side up.

For California rolls:

Place rice all over the nori, lightly pushing on it to pack it down some. Make sure you leave a 1/2 inch side (away from you) where you do not put any rice. This helps the rolling process later. Put your goodies in the middle of the rice section. Pile it on and don't be shy. Try something that you haven't tried before. It may like a weird combo, but may be delicious. Move the nori to the edge of the rolling mat closest to you and hold the nori corner along with your mat. Move the side closest to you to the edge of the rice (leaving that 1/2 inch edge of naked nori). Press down with both hands to press the sushi together. I usually press my sushi rolls into a square shape with the mat. Slightly lift up the mat to see if all is going OK. You will need to roll your roll over on itself for the second press. This will bring the naked nori in contact with the filled roll. The naked nori will stick to the roll when you do the second press down.Lift up your mat the second time and you'll see the finished product. Sometimes the insides like to slide out the roll. That's just a little treat to snack on while you work. The best way to cut this big roll is with a serrated knife (THAT HAS BEEN WETTENED WITH WATER). I usually cut my rolls near the sink. Leave the water on a trickle and run the knife under the water in between each cut. First, cut the whole in half and those halves in half, and again until you get 8 pieces of equal length. Sometimes I cut 2 pieces at once to speed up the process. The end pieces tend to be a little less solid. You can plate these with the rest (uneven side up) or taste them to see if you are on track (plating only the others).

For the mango (1 ingredient) rolls, cut a 1/4 off the piece of nori. Cut along the long side (just shorten the roll process). Put the rice on the nori like before, mango goes in the middle, and roll as you would a larger (thicker) roll. The rolls will be a little smaller, but they are good. Plate them up with the California rolls and you can call the mango rolls 'dessert' like me.

Dewey Color System

I went on a website the other day that takes color into consideration when looking at your career path choices. After a series of questions and labelling colors, it came up with a pretty good evaluation for me. I think it fits me perfectly. Who would have thought that color means something?!



The Dewey Color System is the world's first and only validated, color-based personality career testing instrument. Based on our experience and your interests, your best suited occupations are listed below.
***Best Occupational Category
You're a CREATOR
Key Words: Nonconforming, Impulsive, Expressive, Romantic, Intuitive, Sensitive, and Emotional These original types place a high value on aesthetic qualities and have a great need for self-expression. They enjoy working independently, being creative, using their imagination, and constantly learning something new. Fields of interest are art, drama, music, and writing or places where they can express, assemble, or implement creative ideas.
CREATOR OCCUPATIONS: Suggested careers are Advertising Executive, Architect, Web Designer, Creative Director, Public Relations, Fine or Commercial Artist, Interior Decorator, Lawyer, Librarian, Musician, Reporter, Art Teacher, Broadcaster, Technical Writer, English Teacher, Architect, Photographer, Medical Illustrator, Corporate Trainer, Author, Editor, Landscape Architect, Exhibit Builder, and Package Designer.
CREATOR WORKPLACES: Consider workplaces where you can create and improve beauty and aesthetic qualities. Unstructured, flexible organizations that allow self-expression work best with your free-spirited nature.Suggested Creator workplaces are advertising, public relations, and interior decorating firms; artistic studios, theaters and concert halls; institutions that teach crafts, universities, music, and dance schools. Other workplaces to consider are art institutes, museums, libraries, and galleries.
***2nd Best Occupational Category
You're an ORGANIZER
Key Words: Self-Control, Practical, Self-Contained, Orderly, Systematic, Precise, and Accurate These conservative appearing, plotting-types enjoy organizing, data systems, accounting, detail, and accuracy. They often enjoy mathematics and data management activities such as accounting and investment management. Persistence and patience allows them to do detailed paperwork, operate office machines, write business reports, and make charts and graphs.



I guess I'm a maverick too! Who would have thought??? Maybe I should be president!

Colt 45...

Last night I had a crazy idea. I decided to go out with Jeff and Nate to the student union at UW and listen to some bands from the Twin Cities (can't go wrong with free music shows) . What we got when we arrived was a crowd circling some break dancers in competition. It was great! I can sit and watch that stuff all day long. The athletic ability of these guys twirling themselves around on their hands and heads and spinning, etc was awesome. I wish I had that talent to keep a beat like that and look cool doing it besides. After the competition, we were surprised by a performance by a group we know, The Crest. Those guys are great. I used to do real estate with one of the brothers 'Jack Cracker' and his brother 'AD' are the main two rappers in their group. I also know their dad pretty well (he's a lender at a bank I close deals at a lot). AD works at the bank too as a bank teller. When these guys get on stage, it's hard to imagine that they hold respectable jobs and are professionals off the stage. They pump up the crowd so much. It was a great treat to see them (we didn't know they were going to be there to perform).
After the student union, we cruised over to Mr. Roberts in Atwood to see a friend, Brendan, who works the bar. Jeff and Nate scored a few free drinks and they were happy as clams - until Nate found himself in the alley 'relieving himself of his last few drinks'. I'm so glad I was the sober cab! Jeff had a similar time when he got home. Not too good for those guys and a great reason why I don't drink too much anymore. I just wish I had my camera along for some photos. Maybe next time I will think ahead.
The best part about the evening is that Nate was not expecting to drink until we arrived at his house to pick him up with 32 oz. Colt 45 for him to drink. After he drank that and his body went numb, he was ready for anything...

Willy Street Fair

One of the fun events we like to go to each year is the Willy Street Fair. We were unable to go yesterday, so we made sure we were down there for the parade. It is so much fun to hear the music, watch the kids dancing in the streets, and the costumes get better every year. It is a great way to get outside and be with people. The best thing is, people don't judge here and you can be yourself and be comfortable with that. The food and music was a great addition to my Sunday.

A few more fun cards I made last night

I hope you enjoy. One is from Split Coast I found and one from Kristina Werner. I hope you enjoy!

Recipe of the Week

This one takes the cake... I mean Pie!

Whoopie Pie

INGREDIENTS :

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
To make the cakes: Prepare mix as directed on package except using only 3/4 cup of water. Drop batter onto greased cookie sheet (or use parchment paper to line pan) in 2 1/2 to 3 inch circles. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool.
To make the filling: In a saucepan, combine milk and flour and cook, stirring constantly until it forms a thick paste. Let cool.
In a medium bowl, beat sugar and shortening until fluffy. Add vanilla. Add cooled flour mixture and beat until double in volume.
Turn the little cakes over on their backs. Spoon a dollop of filling onto half of the little cakes. Place the other half of the cakes on top of the filling to form sandwiches.