I Escaped the Flu

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I was terrified to go to Orlando.

Three planes. Three airports, two of them twice. Two nekkid body scans. 1500 people in one room for four days. Countless restaurants. Two theme parks.

All during the worst flu outbreak in America. What was I thinking?

I found an old bottle of Robitussin in my bathroom when I was packing for my trip. It was an artifact, because I bought it the last time I was sick. It expired in 2005. Which means I bought it in 2004. Maybe 2003.

The last time I was sick was nearly ten years ago.

I didn't want to break my streak.

Luckily, I learned right before I left that actual influenza is not airborne, like colds can be. It's spread by people touching something contaminated and then touching their vulnerable spots - mouth, nose, eyes.

So I armed myself. I brought boxes of lavender scented hand wipes from Target. And I mean boxes.

In restaurants, after I touched the menu, I discreetly wiped my hands under the table. I washed them about 100 times a day, singing happy birthday every time. At the theme parks, I was constantly using the hand wipes.

I never touched my face with my hands If my eye itched, I used my shirt to touch my face.

It worked. I think I'm the only person I know that didn't get the flu. (knocks on wood)

However, four hours after I got home, healthy as a horse, I realized I had forgotten one thing when I was in Florida.

Cedar.

Oh well.

You can't win em all. *Achoo*

Either way, I'm super thankful I didn't get the flu. I hope you didn't either! Thank you, Florida, for not giving me the flu!


Our technique challenge this week was to make dies the focal point of our card. Since I had two negative cuts on my desk from the dress die I used at this month's class, I thought I'd put them together for a quickie card.

The paper is More Amore - the die is from the All Dressed Up bundle. So cute. I added some pearls and some of the ribbon you can get starting Thursday for Sale-A-Bration.

You should be proud of me for not hoarding that pretty blue ribbon.

Also for not getting the flu.

I hope you are healthy.

Loveyameanitbye.

Does Anyone Remember?

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Does anyone remember life before Greek Yogurt?

Why were we eating such boring, goopy yogurt before?

When I was in Orlando, I got my friend Sue hooked on the crack that is Chobani yogurt.

I had to work slowly though. She immediately mixed it all up like it was the 90s. Silly rabbit.

I had to beg her on the next go round to eat it like God and Mr. Chobani intended, just dipping your spoon straight down to the bottom without mixing.

Well smack me and call me Edna if the next day she didn't admit it was way better that way!

But seriously - I could never go back to eating regular yogurt now. It's so boring. Amazing how such a staple of our lives can suddenly and without warning after decades just take a Fosbury Flop into the new awesome and we forget how we lived before.

That happens in stamping too. I truly do not remember life before my Big Shot. Goodness it must have been boring. Now it's like the John Bates of my stamp room.

Today I smashed bottlecaps in it!

It was so easy and they're so cute smashed. I used the teeny ones from the Soda Pop Tops in the spring mini.

Then I filled them with the teeny, SQUEEworthy critters from the Itty Bitties stamp set in Tangerine Tango, Real Red, Early Espresso and Gumball Green. I used the 1/2" circle punch and the scallop from the Itty Bitty punch pack to make the insides.




SEE? Didn't you just SQUEE??? Ack I can't wait to use that little skull and ghost!!

The inspiration today was from the Splitcoast Sketch Challenge #420. I thought it was perfect for some smashed pop tops.

If you want to smash them, just open all the tabs on your Big Shot and put them on a cutting plate with another cutting plate on top and zip it through. I thought it would be hard to get through the machine but it was actually less resistance than a die. Easy as pie.

Give it a try! And don't forget, Sale-A-Bration started yesterday - don't forget to get your freebies!

Loveyameanitbye.

I've Created Pavlov's Cats

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I've created Pavlov's cats.

I just had this revelation today, as I launched into my morning routine with a head full of cedar pollen and some unladylike words rolling off my tongue about said cedar pollen.

I got the cat dishes, brought them into the kitchen, filled my espresso machine with water for my London Fog, and hit the "Rinse Machine" button. The second that familiar sound of the machine steam cleaning and rinsing itself filled the kitchen, the two cats shot up onto the bar like little rockets, like they always do.

And it hit me.

I have trained them that my espresso machine means kitty food.

It all works like a well oiled machine. While the espresso maker self cleans, I clean out their dishes. I turn the machine to steam if I'm having a London Fog, and in the amount of time that takes to heat up, I can put food in their dishes, take it to their feeding station, come back and steam the milk. If I'm having espresso, I just hit the shot button while I'm getting the food ready. It's very efficient and neither I nor the furries have to wait too long for what we're dying to have.

But I flat out started laughing when they bounced up today the second I hit the rinse button. They do it every day, but I never realized until today that I trained them to. I imagine if they ever escaped and got lost, they'd head down the street to Starbucks and hop up on the bar for food while the barista was pulling shots.

Amazing.

Anyhoo. I have been DYING to play with the Sketched Birthday set we got at Leadership. This is a not yet released set, so I'm sorry to torture you, but it's wicked cute. I did the background with my D block from the My Paper Pumpkin Kit. The balloons are paper pieced - I used Summer Sun and Pool Party Ink, and then paper pieced the balloon out of the opposite color cardstock. They are stamped in Early Espresso, and it's hard to see here, but I used silver Dazzling Details on all the spots on the balloons so they are very sparkly IRL.



Thanks for looking! Now go train your cats!

Loveyameanitbye.

It's Not Appropriate To Disturb Someone Else's Balls

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So last night we went bowling.

Bowling is like most sports for me. I simultaneously love it and could not care less about it.

By that I mean I really enjoy bowling, but I could give a flip about my score. It's one of the few things you can go physically do with people that really has a fun social aspect to it. And by that I mean the standing around catching up, giggling, having popcorn and beer.

We had the dad of the year in the lane next to us. He was alone with his three boys, and he was clearly suffering from a cold, a mold allergy or the flu, but man, did he make the evening fun for his boys. It was fun to watch.

We were with two friends of ours who we haven't seen in a while, and I'm glad we fixed that.

Now you know that I have read everything Richard Preston has ever written and that I know EXACTLY how Ebola gets transmitted, and that one of the primary routes of transmission is bowling balls.

Well, maybe not, but I feel pretty dramatic about how germy bowling balls and shoes are, so I have my own bowling ball and my own shoes.

You'd think this would cut down on the insanity a bit.

However, last night, about two hours into our extremely enjoyable experience with our friends, some big old boy (while I'm throwing a strike - or a three - I don't remember) saunters into our little lane lounge and starts TOUCHING ALL OUR BALLS AND SHOPPING ON OUR CAROUSEL.

WHAT

THE

????

Had I seen this I would have been a tad bit more vocal and outlandish than what he got, which was "hey - what the heck are you doing - those are our balls!"

To which said ding dong replied "Well I would have ASKED before I took them."

REALLY?

It has to be divine intervention that I missed this exchange because truly it would have been quite dramatic if he said that to me.

However, by the time I was done and turned around, he was skulking off to his own lane and everyone was frozen in astonishment.

I still want to find him and yell "WHO RAISED YOU???" at him.

Sheesh.

I wonder what story he's telling today? Is he saying: "Man, I went and rooted around in someone else's balls last night and can you believe they yelled at me?"

You gotta wonder.

Anyhoo, I watched a preview of a colored pencil tutorial that just blew me away. The woman was amazing, and I'm so NOT amazing with pencils, but she did inspire me to color on black while I was watching some of my fave Food Network shows today.
Stamps: Cherish Friendship Ink: Whisper White Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White Accessories: Caran D'Ache Pablo colored pencils, Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder
Color looks so cool on black.

I rubbed white ink on the embossed background.

Really this was a very quick and simple card. Maybe someday I'll learn to color like a grownup.

In the meantime, I'll defend my bowling ball from interlopers. :)

Loveyameanitbye.

Washing Clothes in the Dishwasher

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Thanks to the previous owners of my house, I have an AWESOME dishwasher. It's a Bosch.

Next time your dishwasher breaks, get a Bosch. They are powerful machines and COMPLETELY silent.

Your dishes are completely dry after they come out too - they get baked after they get washed.

Which lead me to wonder why our washing machines don't work the same way. Why don't we have one single machine that both washes and dries our clothes?

Think about how cool that would be.

And to whoever invents it after reading this, please send me commission checks.

Today I had my All Dressed Up Bundle Class and it was a BLAST. I'll be showing you the projects over the next few days.

This one was the one I saved for the last project in the class because it's such a WOW when you use the Pop 'n Cuts die that matches the framelits.



I'd seen the doilies as a skirt for this die on so many blogs and I thought it was BRILLIANT!!

I used the Natural Composition Specialty paper for a little warmth - I love the embossed floral designs.

This is my card for today's Love Fest Challenge by The Greeting Farm - the challenge is to use dies on a love themed card. You can do that! Come play!

Now I'm off to do a load of laundry in my dishwasher!

Loveyameanitbye.

Straciatella-Italian Egg Drop Soup

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You can tell we are getting the Italian influence this week, because Ray is doing the cooking.

This is one of his family recipes, and it is easy to put together because it has ingredients we almost always have on hand. In Ray's family, it was traditionally the start of a multiple course Italian meal, but for us it is a quick, hearty weeknight soup.

Straciatella
3 large carrots, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups cooked chicken, diced
6 cups chicken stock
4 eggs
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste



Saute carrots in olive oil until tender. Add chicken and stock, and bring to a boil. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and cheese. Add approximately 1 cup of the boiling broth to the egg mixture, and continue to whisk until it comes together into silvery strands. Add the egg mixture back to the soup, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, ladle into bowls and top with remaining parmesan cheese.

Greek Juicy Lucy with Quinoa Tabbouleh

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I was really just craving a burger. And being homebound, I needed to come up with one that would satisfy that craving, but still be something we could prepare without the grill. And then, what to have for the side dish, knowing I didn't want to have a bun or bread component with this meal. 
I started thinking about side dishes we have had in restaurants that stood out for me, and I remembered this tabbouleh from the Mediterranean Cruise Cafe in Burnsville. We liked it because of all of the fresh herbs, and the strong lemon taste, so I set about creating it at home. 
I love quinoa, but I purchased this enormous bag of it, so we literally have enough for a year. It seemed to me that I could use the quinoa in place of the couscous that was in the original dish. I just made a guess at the herbs, but I will keep this version, it was so light and zesty, a perfect match to my goat cheese stuffed burgers.
Greek Juicy Lucy with Quinoa TabboulehFor the quinoa:1 cup quinoa, rinsed1 1/2 cups water1/2 teaspoon kosher salt4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice3 cloves garlic, minced2 tablespoons olive oilBlack pepper3 Roma tomatoes, diced1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped1/2 cup red onion, diced finelyPlace quinoa, water and salt in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer 10 minutes until quinoa breaks apart into curls. Remove from heat, let cool, then place in refrigerator to chill 2-3 hours. Whisk together lemon juice, garlic and olive oil, set aside. Add herbs, tomato and onion to quinoa, a d drizzle half of the dressing mixture over. Salt and pepper, then taste. Add remaining dressing to your taste (we liked it all on the salad, but realize it may be a bit much for some).
For the burgers:1 pound ground meat (we used venison, but beef, turkey or lamb would work)2 tablespoons Greek seasoning3 ounces goat cheeseMix the Greek seasoning into the meat, and form into 6 equal patties. Place a slice of goat cheese in the center of each of three of the patties, and top with another burger party. Make sure edges are well sealed around the cheese. Place on a hot grill or grill pan, and cook 4-5 minutes per side. Serve with salad.

Balsamic Chicken with Apricot Brussel Sprouts

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I am in charge of menu planning the next few weeks, and Ray has to execute. I have been reviewing a lot of recipe ideas, trying to come up with suggestions for him, that aren't too difficult. But I still want variety and good flavors.

I read about a local restaurant that put apricots and honey with brussel sprouts, and something about that sounded really good to me.

I wanted to serve them with chicken, and a simple preparation is always a simple saute with balsamic vinegar. The combination was amazing !

Balsamic Chicken with Apricot Brussel Sprouts
For the sprouts:
One pound of fresh brussel sprouts, trimmed and sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup dried apricots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
Sea salt, to taste
Heat olive oil in saute pan, and add brussel sprouts. Saute 4-5 minutes, until sprouts are just tender. In a small bowl, combine honey and red wine vinegar. Stir into sprouts, then remove from heat. Season with salt to taste, and sprinkle pine nuts on before serving.

For the chicken:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons lemon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons butter
Season chicken breasts with lemon pepper. Warm olive oil in a saute pan, and add chicken. Brown 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan, and set aside. Add vinegar, chicken stock and garlic to pan. Simmer until reduced and syrupy. Add chicken back to the pan, turn to coat, and remove from heat.

Caprese Chicken

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We always like caprese salad in the summer, when tomatoes and basil are beautiful and fresh from the garden. And I was also thinking about a dish my mom ordered when we took them to Jax for their anniversary this summer. This dish is my take on combining the two !
Our traditional caprese salad is just tomato, basil, mozzarella cheese and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. And salt and pepper, of course. The dish at Jax was almost like a Chicken Parmesan, it had breaded chicken filets, with big slices of tomato and cheese, basil and a balsamic reduction.
I didn't want breaded chicken, I knew that for sure, and I also wanted something easy for Ray to prepare on a weeknight. I think this hit it, it was quick, easy and really had that summer flavor we love, with the addition of a chicken breast to make it an entree portion. Ray added his favorite multi-grain combo on the side with some toasted almonds, it was excellent !
Caprese Chicken 
1 1/2  pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup water
4 large Roma tomatoes, sliced
1 pound fresh mozzerella cheese, sliced
Fresh basil leaves
Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
Salt and pepper, to taste.
Place chicken breasts in a large plastic bag. Combine vinegar, Italian seasoning, olive oil and water in a small bowl, and pour over chicken. Let marinate overnight. Preheat oven to 400. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan. Remove chicken breasts from the marinade and place in pan. Brown 5-6 minutes on each side, just until cooked through. Remove from heat, place on cookie sheet. Top each breast with sliced tomato and mozzerella. Place pan in oven, and heat 5-7 minutes,just long enough to melt the cheese. Remove from oven, top with a basil leaf, and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Winter Squash Picadillo Bake

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I made picadillo for the first time about a year ago, and we really liked it, but it never worked its way back into the regular menu. I'm not sure why, because it's really delicious. We had most of the ingredients on hand for it, so I was planning to make it, but I wanted to switch it up a bit. I was trying to think of a way to make it even more unique than it already was. 
We had one final butternut squash left over from the fall garden, and it really needed to be used up. My initial thought was to cube it and incorporate it into the "stew", but then I started thinking about making this like a shepherds pie. The result was really amazing ! The only other real change I made from the original recipe was substituting dried apricots for raisins...I know, I know. I have a thing about cooked raisins, I just don't like the texture. This way, I still got the sweetness, but not the odd texture. Now I know this will be made more frequently at our house ! 
Winter Squash Picadillo Bake For the picadillo:1/4 pound spicy chorizo 6 cloves garlic, finely diced 2 cups yellow onion, diced 1 large green onion, diced 2 pounds ground bison, venison or beef 2 pints diced tomatoes with green chiles 2 tablespoons dried oregano 2 tablespoons cumin 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 teaspoon cloves 1/2 cup diced dried apricots 1/2 cup small green olives 
In a large dutch oven, brown chorizo over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook until onion is translucent. Stir in green pepper, and cook until pepper is soft. Crumble in the ground meat, stir and cook until meat is browned. Add tomatoes and spices, and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in apricots and olives. 
While picadillo is cooking, prepare the butternut squash. For the squash: 1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds) 2 tablespoons olive oil1/2 stick of butter 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cloves Preheat oven to 400. Peel and dice the squash, and toss in olive oil. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until soft. Mash the squash together with the butter and spices and set aside. 
To assemble, spray a 9 by 13 pan with non-stick spray, and pour in the picadillo. Spread the squash mixture on top, and place in oven. Bake 30-35 minutes until squash begins to brown. Remove from oven, and let rest 10-15 minutes before serving. 

Valentine's Day Desserts and More Recipes Rewind

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Just absolutely delicious! Happy Valentines Day! Strawberry Frapp
Click above links or for other recipes links are below under photo
Try some of these other recipe drinks:Godiva Amaretto Frappichino
Irish Coffee
Strawberry Blenderita



White Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

 

Fresh Fruit Tops This Coconut Cream Pie Filling (New Post 2011)
Happy Valentines Day!




1 pie crust recipe or store bought baked into a 8 or 9 inch heart shaped pan (spray with light cooking oil) cooled, remove from pan
1 jar of triple berry ice cream topping or blackberry jam warmed for 30 seconds in the microwave
fresh blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or strawberries
1 package of homemade coconut cream pudding or packaged vanilla cooked with 1/2 cup coconut added cooled
1 container of whipped topping

Fill heart cooled crust with pudding. Top with fresh berries, sliced thin and arrange on top of pudding, brush with triple berry topping. In a small zip lock bag snip one end and add whipped cream piped around the heart, sprinkle with colored sugar and serve.            A favorite drink to to celebrate with you sweetheart Raspberry Champagne   Some Recipes years past Valentines Day's:


 Oldie But Goodies






Three Olive Appetizer

 Valentines Day Conversation Heart Butter Cookies
Valentines Day Dinner and Aphrodisiacs?


Strawberry Heart Tart



Rocky Road Cupcake

Godiva Chocolate Amaretto Frappichino

Strawberry Blueberry Orange Scone




Dad's Favorite Coconut Jam Filled Cake

Italian Cream Cake

Soft Italian Cookie Cutouts



Nutella Frosted Cupcakes with Nutella Dipped Strawberries




All Kinds of Trifles in 5 minutes


+claudia lamascolo  Author 

Crockpot Manhattan Clam Chowder Mom's Recipe

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Mom never used a crockpot in her day but I tried this in the crock pot and it came out great! So here is her version of this amazing soup of course you can still make it in a regular pot as well. My dad never liked cream soups, so this was one of his favorites. She often added Shrimp to this as well along with the clams occasionally for a special treat!

4 slices of bacon chopped
2 stalks of chopped celery
2 cups water
3/4 cup vegetable broth or chicken
2 chopped onions
3 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
28 ounces of Stewed Tomatoes chopped undrained
4 small potatoes diced
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 teaspoon thyme and black pepper
salt to taste
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 1/2  pounds fresh minced clams (add the last 30 minutes of cooking)
or if your using cans you will need 6- 6 1/2 ounce cans)

Pour everything into the crockpot except the clams stirring together. Place on high 4 to 6 hours. Add the clams in the last 30 minutes. If using a large stock pot, cook on medium heat for 2 hours.
+claudia lamascolo  Author

Italian Style Amaretto, Kahlua Coffee Recipe

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Sometimes days are long and stressful situations, here is a coffee that will be your favorite stress reliever
to make you forget them.


1/2 ounce of  Amaretto almond liqueur1/2 ounce of Kahlua liqueur1/2 cup black brewed coffeesugar to tasteOptional: Whipped cream and toasted almonds for garnish   Directions:

In an mug, pour in the hot freshly brewed coffee. Add the Amaretto, Kahlua and sugar to taste.
Top with whipped cream and toasted almonds. Enjoy and Cheers!

Note: you can add more liqueur if like!

Chilean Sea Bass With Pineapple and Lime Butter Recipe

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Thanks to the partnership opportunity with Foodie Blog Roll and Certified Steaks and Sea Foods I was able to bring this amazing offer to my readers! Use the coupon below to get $25.00 off your first box of delicious Sea Bass from Certified Steaks and Seafood.

1 lime juiced
1 lime sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon butter cut into pieces
fresh parsley, fresh basil for each piece your cooking
4 pieces of Sea Bass 1 inch in thickness (slice in half if thicker)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
3 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon light brown sugar per piece of fish
1/2 cup thin cubed pineapple fresh or canned

 Large sheet of Aluminum Foil
Cooking Spray

This can be baked or grilled

Spray aluminum foil with cooking spray. Heat grill on medium heat (if baking heat oven to 400 degrees)
In a small bowl mix together lime juice, soy, olive oil, garlic and seasonings.
Place fish on sprayed foil. Dot with butter. Drizzle mixture over the top. Place pineapple, lime slices and sprinkle with brown sugar on top. Top with fresh herbs. Fold tightly and bake or grill for around 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily.



Certified Steak and Seafood
Commitment to have quality high standards and great customer service. The company has numerous
Certified Steak and Seafood Company was formed by the three Frisch boys, Mark, Adam, and Steven; all of whom thought that everyone should be able to buy the highest quality steaks and seafood direct. The brothers experience comes from a three generation family owned wholesale company that is one of the largest seafood importers in America.

Chilean Sea bass
One of the most flavorful white fish is Sea bass, very popular in popular seafood restaurants. The smooth tender and delicate flavored fish is a healthy choice. So if your a seafood lover this is a must try!
Check out the recipe vault they have as well!

Our commitment to our customers is simple: Offer the highest quality products at the best price and back it with a 100% guarantee. We source directly with no 'middle man' making our supply chain the shortest in the industry. This allows us to maintain the highest quality standards all the way to your plate. On top of this, we sample all products at the moment of final packaging and have a world-renowned laboratory test for various types of adulteration or contamination. This ensures that the food you purchase from us is pure and safe.

Certified Steak and Seafood Company was formed by the three Frisch boys, Mark, Adam, and Steven; all of whom thought that everyone should be able to buy the highest quality steaks and seafood direct. The brothers experience comes from a three generation family owned wholesale company that is one of the largest seafood importers in America.

They have vast experience in sourcing and selling high quality seafood and meat products to the commercial trade — and bring you the same grade of products fine restaurants, resorts, hotels, and high-end retail stores demand – and at a direct price that gives you tremendous value for every purchase.

This sponsorship is brought to you by Certified Steak & Seafood Company who we have partnered with for this promotion.


+claudia lamascolo  Author