N and I were blessed to see a pre-screening of a new movie coming out on March 23, October Baby. We were part of a group of bloggers chosen specially for this honor. Just kidding. I won the tickets through 95.1 Shine FM. The DJs were handing out tissues as we entered the theater, and they were right. It isn't all tears. There are many funny and beautiful moments. It was a wonderful, moving, emotional story of forgiveness and love, of the miracle of life, and adoption. I think I will try to go again when it opens next weekend.
And a hint for when you go see it (opening weekend!): be sure to stay for at least the beginning of the credits.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
The little things lately
1. Fresh asparagus with its purple rubber bands
2. The cat chasing his tail and making me laugh.
3. Doggy yawns
4. Pandora internet radio
5. Good, hot, soup
6. A pure, deep, blue sky on a crisp morning
7. Take-out after class, just because
8. Purple and gold crocuses-sighted while walking the dog
9. Pinterest seems to be bringing my crafty side out of hibernation. Fun, yes. But a good thing? Not sure.
10. The Piano Guys
11. Monster cookies
2. The cat chasing his tail and making me laugh.
3. Doggy yawns
4. Pandora internet radio
5. Good, hot, soup
6. A pure, deep, blue sky on a crisp morning
7. Take-out after class, just because
8. Purple and gold crocuses-sighted while walking the dog
9. Pinterest seems to be bringing my crafty side out of hibernation. Fun, yes. But a good thing? Not sure.
10. The Piano Guys
11. Monster cookies
Tortellini Soup
I mentioned this soup in my meal planning post for this week, and a commenter asked about it. I will include both the original recipe and how I changed it.
Betty Crocker's Money Saving Meals
Tortellini Soup
2 T butter
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
6 cups of water
2 extra large vegetable bouillon cubes
2 1/2 cups dried cheese-filled tortellini (10 oz)
1 T fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp pepper
In a Dutch oven, saute the celery, carrot, onion and garlic in the butter, until crisp tender.
Stir in water and bouillon. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and stir in tortellini. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until tortellini are tender.
Stir in parsley, nutmeg and pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese.
(5 servings, 280 calories each)
What I did:
I realized I didn't have carrots, so I sauteed a bunch of celery (4-5 stalks), onion, garlic (more than it says, of course) in olive oil non-stick spray. I added the water and chicken bouillon (Herb Ox) flavoring. Since I didn't have carrots I also added a can of diced tomatoes and its liquid. Once it was boiling, I added an 8.8 oz package of Aldi's cheese filled tortelloni (is that the same thing as tortellini?) with Porcini mushroom filling. I am not very familiar with using nutmeg in a savory dish, and I wasn't sure how it would work since I added the tomatoes. Instead I used dried parsley and dried Italian seasoning, which I added when I was simmering the broth.
(Yield about 6 servings, about 188 calories each- leftovers were excellent)
This was very good and I will probably making it again. I would like to add cabbage another time and use carrots as well. I'll have to decide whether I want to stick with the recipe's seasonings or use the Italian flavors. The soup was filling, but since there were fewer tortellini per serving than the original recipe called for, it comes in at fewer calories per serving (about 185). The nutrition facts on the package of tortelloni listed 2 servings at 400 calories each. Putting it in soup, where we could certainly taste and enjoy it with the other flavors, cut down on the calories per serving (and the cost per serving) significantly.
Soup season is coming to a close (though that doesn't really stop me from making it on days that aren't too hot) and I have been enjoying making some new recipes and some favorites. Soups make it easy to cut the calories and still be filled up with vegetable and beans and other good things. There's something good, comforting and filling about a bowl of soup.
Betty Crocker's Money Saving Meals
Tortellini Soup
2 T butter
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
6 cups of water
2 extra large vegetable bouillon cubes
2 1/2 cups dried cheese-filled tortellini (10 oz)
1 T fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp pepper
In a Dutch oven, saute the celery, carrot, onion and garlic in the butter, until crisp tender.
Stir in water and bouillon. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and stir in tortellini. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until tortellini are tender.
Stir in parsley, nutmeg and pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese.
(5 servings, 280 calories each)
What I did:
I realized I didn't have carrots, so I sauteed a bunch of celery (4-5 stalks), onion, garlic (more than it says, of course) in olive oil non-stick spray. I added the water and chicken bouillon (Herb Ox) flavoring. Since I didn't have carrots I also added a can of diced tomatoes and its liquid. Once it was boiling, I added an 8.8 oz package of Aldi's cheese filled tortelloni (is that the same thing as tortellini?) with Porcini mushroom filling. I am not very familiar with using nutmeg in a savory dish, and I wasn't sure how it would work since I added the tomatoes. Instead I used dried parsley and dried Italian seasoning, which I added when I was simmering the broth.
(Yield about 6 servings, about 188 calories each- leftovers were excellent)
This was very good and I will probably making it again. I would like to add cabbage another time and use carrots as well. I'll have to decide whether I want to stick with the recipe's seasonings or use the Italian flavors. The soup was filling, but since there were fewer tortellini per serving than the original recipe called for, it comes in at fewer calories per serving (about 185). The nutrition facts on the package of tortelloni listed 2 servings at 400 calories each. Putting it in soup, where we could certainly taste and enjoy it with the other flavors, cut down on the calories per serving (and the cost per serving) significantly.
Soup season is coming to a close (though that doesn't really stop me from making it on days that aren't too hot) and I have been enjoying making some new recipes and some favorites. Soups make it easy to cut the calories and still be filled up with vegetable and beans and other good things. There's something good, comforting and filling about a bowl of soup.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Meals this week
In more or less random order:
1. Taco soup
2. Mini spinach quiche (quiches? what is the plural of quiche?)- cooked and ready to pull out of the fridge and reheat for a quick breakfast.
3. Tortellini soup with spinach
4. Store-bought frozen fried shrimp with Blooming Onion dipping sauce(?), sweet potatoes in some form or another, and asparagus.
5. Leftovers from some or all of the above to fill out lunches and dinners.
1. Taco soup
2. Mini spinach quiche (quiches? what is the plural of quiche?)- cooked and ready to pull out of the fridge and reheat for a quick breakfast.
3. Tortellini soup with spinach
4. Store-bought frozen fried shrimp with Blooming Onion dipping sauce(?), sweet potatoes in some form or another, and asparagus.
5. Leftovers from some or all of the above to fill out lunches and dinners.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Microwave Potato Chips
I heard this mentioned on the radio the other week, and I finally got the chance to try it out today.
Wash and slice an unpeeled potato or two. They need to be sliced very thinly, so I think a mandoline may be the best way to go. That's what I used (at the middle thickness setting). It would be interesting to hear how well it would work with a thicker slice. Toss the potatoes with a couple teaspoons olive oil and a little salt. Spray a microwavable plate with cooking spray and arrange the slices in one layer. Microwave for about 2-3 minutes, or until some of the slices start to turn brown. Turn them all over and microwave for another 2-4 minutes, until they're starting to crisp up and brown a little. Check often and watch to be sure they don't burn. I burned a few, and they didn't look burnt just well browned. Transfer to another plate to cool. They will cool quickly and crisp up even more. Repeat until all the potatoes are done. Store in an airtight container (if you don't eat them all right away).
These aren't quite the same as store-bought potato chips, but they're also not nearly as bad for you. They have a nice crisp crunch to them, and yes, it's hard to stop eating them like it is with regular potato chips. I like them better than the store-bought "baked" potato chips. The process is a little time-consuming, but it was a fun experiment to try. I might do it again sometime if I want something crispy/crunchy and salty. I want to try it with sweet potatoes, too.
Wash and slice an unpeeled potato or two. They need to be sliced very thinly, so I think a mandoline may be the best way to go. That's what I used (at the middle thickness setting). It would be interesting to hear how well it would work with a thicker slice. Toss the potatoes with a couple teaspoons olive oil and a little salt. Spray a microwavable plate with cooking spray and arrange the slices in one layer. Microwave for about 2-3 minutes, or until some of the slices start to turn brown. Turn them all over and microwave for another 2-4 minutes, until they're starting to crisp up and brown a little. Check often and watch to be sure they don't burn. I burned a few, and they didn't look burnt just well browned. Transfer to another plate to cool. They will cool quickly and crisp up even more. Repeat until all the potatoes are done. Store in an airtight container (if you don't eat them all right away).
These aren't quite the same as store-bought potato chips, but they're also not nearly as bad for you. They have a nice crisp crunch to them, and yes, it's hard to stop eating them like it is with regular potato chips. I like them better than the store-bought "baked" potato chips. The process is a little time-consuming, but it was a fun experiment to try. I might do it again sometime if I want something crispy/crunchy and salty. I want to try it with sweet potatoes, too.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
The Last Frontier
by Andrew Peterson
Why don't the mountains make me cry no more?
They don't sing the way they did before
They're just piles of stone
As dead as bones
Like corpses on a field of war
And they just don't make me cry no more
And the highway's like an old sad song
People moving through their lives alone
On the run from grace
From place to place
Like fugitives without a home
And the highway's like an old sad song
And my heart is black as coal
It's been mined and there ain't no gold
It's so dark in there
But I don't care
I will lay down in the this empty hole
Where my heart is black as coal
And oh, there is nowhere left to go from here
I have fallen past the last frontier
But at the bottom of this well I hear you breathing
Love below me
Love around me
Love above me
Love has found me
Love has found me here
So lay me down
Oh, lay me down in a field of golden
Lay me down
Oh, lay me down in a field of golden
Lay me down
Oh, lay me down in a field of gold and green
Why don't the mountains make me cry no more?
They don't sing the way they did before
They're just piles of stone
As dead as bones
Like corpses on a field of war
And they just don't make me cry no more
And the highway's like an old sad song
People moving through their lives alone
On the run from grace
From place to place
Like fugitives without a home
And the highway's like an old sad song
And my heart is black as coal
It's been mined and there ain't no gold
It's so dark in there
But I don't care
I will lay down in the this empty hole
Where my heart is black as coal
And oh, there is nowhere left to go from here
I have fallen past the last frontier
But at the bottom of this well I hear you breathing
Love below me
Love around me
Love above me
Love has found me
Love has found me here
So lay me down
Oh, lay me down in a field of golden
Lay me down
Oh, lay me down in a field of golden
Lay me down
Oh, lay me down in a field of gold and green
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