01.25.05
Posted in General at 11:46 am by Jules
I was sick all weekend. I’m still sick. I don’t know WTF is going on, but I’ve been running low-grade fever since last Thursday afternoon. No other symptoms, really. Just the fever. I left work early yesterday, went home and took some Tylenol Flu, and tried to go to sleep. Didn’t sleep much. I got my husband to pick up some Dayquil for me yesterday, so I could take it at work today without being sleepy. Yeah, well, so much for THAT. I’m not necessarily SLEEPY, but I am irritable and foggy-headed, and I want nothing more than to lie down and sleep. So, in effect, that’s the same damn thing.
I have an appointment with the doctor today at 2:30. We’ll see what she says. Knowing how she usually does things, I’ll either have shingles or menengitis or hepatitis or something horrible.
Right now I’m hungry, groggy, foggy, irritable, sleepy-ish, aggravated, tired, and just plain out don’t feel like dealing with ANYTHING!!!
@#$(*&@)#($*&@*(#&$
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01.20.05
Posted in Food and Cooking at 7:51 am by Jules
What a Face!
Open Faced Hot Turkey Sammys with Sausage Stuffing and Gravy, Smashed Potatoes with Bacon, Warm Apple Cranberry Sauce
Recipes courtesy Rachael Ray
NOTE: We didn’t have the apple cranberry stuff, but I’m sure it’s delicious, too. Also, we used venison sausage instead of the maple sausage and no bacon in the smashed potatoes.
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
User Rating: 5 Stars
Smashed Potatoes:
2 pounds new potatoes or baby Yukon gold potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
3 strips par cooked bacon, crisped in microwave and chopped (recommended: Ready Crisp)
Salt and pepper
Warm Apple Cranberry Sauce:
1 cup store bought apple sauce
1 (14 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
Stuffing:
2 slices whole grain bread (Personally, I think this could’ve done with another slice or two.)
Butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 pound maple sausage, bulk or removed from large link casing
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper
1 cup chicken stock or turkey broth
Turkey and Gravy:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock or turkey broth
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Salt
A few grinds black pepper
1 1/2 to 2 pounds turkey breast meat: roasted turkey breast or thick-cut deli turkey
4 slices whole grain bread
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley or chopped chives, for garnish
Preheat a medium skillet over medium high heat.
Place potatoes in a medium pot. Cut larger potatoes in half. Leave smaller baby potatoes whole. Cover potatoes with water and top with a lid. Place over high heat. When the water boils, salt water and cook potatoes with the lid off pot for 10 to 11 minutes, until tender.
Place a second low pot on the stove top over medium-high heat. Add apple sauce and canned cranberry sauce. Stir to combine and gently heat through, about 10 minutes.
Toast 2 slices whole grain bread and butter heavily, 1/2 tablespoon per slice. Chop into small cubes and reserve.
Add extra-virgin olive oil and sausage meat to hot skillet. Brown and crumble the sausage with a wooden spoon or heat safe spatula. Add onions and celery to the skillet then season with poultry seasoning and salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add bread to the skillet and stir to combine. Dampen the stuffing with chicken stock and turn to combine. Turn off heat and cover pan loosely with foil to hold heat.
Preheat a second skillet over medium heat to prepare turkey and gravy.
Drain cooked potatoes and return to hot pot. Smash with sour cream, butter and crisped, chopped bacon. Season the smashed potatoes with salt and pepper. If they are too thick, thin them out with milk or a splash of broth. I had to add milk to ours because they were a bit dry.
Add 2 tablespoons butter to preheated skillet and melt it. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in 2 cups stock or broth. Add the poultry seasoning, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper to the gravy. Allow it to thicken slightly.
Cut roasted turkey meat away from the breast bones of rotisserie turkey breast. If you are using deli turkey, remove from packaging and separate slices. Set turkey into gravy.
Place a bread slice on dinner plate. Use a large ice cream scoop to place a mound of stuffing on the bread. Place turkey on top of stuffing. Serve smashed potatoes and cranberries on the side. Spoon the extra gravy over potatoes and turkey sandwiches. Sprinkle the plates with chopped parsley or chives and serve.
Episode#: TM1E50
Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved
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01.18.05
Posted in Food and Cooking at 9:19 am by Jules
Another Rachael Ray success! This dish is DELICIOUS!!!
We had this with a salad tossed with a Chili Lime Dressing. (pineapple juice, lime juice, salt/pepper, chili powder, olive oil)
Mexican Lasagna
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
User Rating: 5 Stars
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken breast, available in the packaged meats case (or turkey or whatever - we used venison)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 (14-oz) can stewed tomatoes or fire-roasted chopped tomatoes
1 cup medium heat taco sauce (or mild if you’re a wuss like me)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 cup frozen corn kernels (you can use canned, also)
Salt
8 (8 inch) spinach flour tortillas, available on dairy aisle of market (other flavors or plain will work, also)
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or shredded pepper jack
2 scallions, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil – twice around the pan. Add chicken and season with chili powder, cumin, and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes. Add stewed tomatoes or fire-roasted chopped tomatoes and taco sauce. Add black beans and corn. Heat the mixture through, 2 to 3 minutes then season with salt, to your taste.
Coat a shallow baking dish with remaining extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon oil. Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with. Build lasagna in layers of meat and beans, then tortillas, then cheese. (*) Repeat: meat, tortilla, cheese again. Add scallions to top of dish. Bake lasagna 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly.
Episode#: TM1E46
Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved
(*) I did meat/beans, cheese, tortillas, meat/beans, cheese, tortillas, cheese, scallions
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01.17.05
Posted in Food and Cooking at 2:22 pm by Jules
Herbed Pork Roast and Creamy Mushroom Gravy
Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee
MY NOTES: This pork was delicious! Frankly, I didn’t care much for the “gravy” that went with it. If I were to do it again, I would omit or change that part.
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 servings
User Rating: 4 Stars
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves, or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley leaves, or 1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves, or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 1/2 to 3 pounds boneless pork loin roast
2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans 98 percent fat-free cream of mushroom soup
1 cup skim milk
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Mix together rosemary, parsley, thyme and garlic. Cut small slits over surface of roast and insert herb mixture into slits. Place in a roasting pan. Roast until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F. Remove roast from pan and let stand 10 minutes. Stir soup into pan drippings in roasting pan and heat over a medium flame. Gradually stir in skim milk. Continue to stir until mixture boils. Slice pork and serve with gravy.
Episode#: SH1B05
Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved
Vegetables with Broccoli Lemon Sauce
Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee
MY NOTES: This lemon sauce is delicious!! Especially with potatoes. I used broccoli and green bell pepper with the potatoes for this. Skip nor I cared too much for the green bell peppers with it. Just the broccoli and potatoes (or one or the other alone) would’ve been just fine!
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
User Rating: 3 Stars
12 small red potatoes, cut into quarters
1 large green or red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch rings
2 cups broccoli florets
1 (10.5-ounce) can 98 percent fat-free cream of broccoli soup
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Heat to a boil and then reduce heat to low for 10 minutes. Add pepper and broccoli. Cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Strain. In a separate saucepan, mix soup, mayonnaise, onions, lemon juice, and thyme. Heat through. Serve over vegetables.
Episode#: SH1B05
Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved
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Posted in Food and Cooking at 2:11 pm by Jules
This was another throw-together yesterday using stuff I had on-hand.
TIP: Be sure and cook carrots until soft! I didn’t cook mine long enough.
Tuna Cakes
2 cans (6 oz I think) tuna, packed in water of course
1 egg
bread crumbs, Italian flavor
rosemary (dried or fresh, to taste)
Italian seasoning
Mix together all ingredients. Form into patties and pan fry with olive oil. DELICIOUS!
They’re a bit dry and would be a lot better with a sauce of some sort - not sure what, though.
Carrot Rice
butter
olive oil
onion
garlic
carrots, sliced or chopped
juice of 1 lime
salt & pepper
white wine
cooked rice
Heat skillet on med-high heat. Add oil then butter. Sauté carrots until softened. Add onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Add cooked rice and sauté a bit more. Add lime juice and white wine. Allow wine to cook off a bit. Serve!
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Posted in Food and Cooking at 2:05 pm by Jules
This was something I threw together for lunch this past Saturday using things I needed to use at home.
There is a very very strong flavor of rosemary and (of course) tomato in this dish, but it was oh-so-delicious!
Impromptu Red & White Lunch
5 or 6 small roma tomatoes, chunked
2 twigs fresh rosemary, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
3/4 c. white wine (I used Chardonnay)
salt & pepper
extra virgin olive oil
5 slices turkey lunch meat, cut into strips (optional)
Preheat skillet on medium-high heat.
Add olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic 2 to 3 minutes, until softened. Add tomatoes and sauté another 2 or 3 minutes. Next, add rosemary and green onion and flavor with salt and pepper. Sauté 1 minute further. Add turkey strips (optional). Cover and cook 1-2 minutes until meat is heated through. Add white wine. Increase heat and cook off wine, 3 or 4 minutes.
Serve over cooked rice, pasta, or couscous.
Please keep in mind, all these times are guesstimated, as are some of the amounts. I just do it as necessary while I’m cooking!
Bon appétit!
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01.14.05
Posted in General at 3:28 pm by Jules
I was going to come on here and try to actually blog something interesting today, but… I’m sick, so I don’t feel like it.
Lils, I will try to answer your questions about The Village sometime soon.
30 minutes left at work then a weekend of resting on the couch and trying to get better.
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01.13.05
Posted in Movies at 4:24 pm by Jules
So, hubby and I watched The Village the other night. It was really good. I was disappointed because it was a bit predictable to me. I guessed a couple of the major things before they were revealed. Also, the previews were WAY misleading. I thought it would be a lot spookier/scarier than it was.
That aside, it really was a good movie with good acting and great moments. I would recommend it, for sure. My suggestion would be to go into it with no preconceived notions, though. Put it all aside and expect anything.
I cannot WAIT to see The Forgotten when it comes out on DVD next week. I’ve heard such good things about it. I hope I won’t be disappointed. That’s the kind of movie I love to see. I have successfully avoided ALL previews for it, and I know absolutely nothing about the movie’s plot, etc. I’ve found that movies are better that way… no preconceptions. There tend to be fewer disappointments as a result.
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Posted in Food and Cooking at 8:38 am by Jules
We had another delicious dinner last night, courtesy of Rachael! This was from her Featherweight Plate meal. We didn’t have the salad and did some substitution in the recipe to better suit our budget and tastes! (Roughy and clams can get expensive!) It was delicious all the same! I’m posting the normal recipe here with our modifications added.
Orange Roughy with Sweet and Hot Peppers and Manila Clams
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
User Rating: 5 Stars
4 (6-ounce) orange roughy fish fillets - or TILAPIA (we used flounder - although I suggest a firmer fish - it got pretty mushy!)
Coarse salt and pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small to medium yellow skinned onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded, quartered lengthwise, then sliced into 1/2 inch strips
6 pepperoncini hot peppers, chopped (we omitted these - cause I’m a wussy)
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls, chopped
20 to 24 manila clams (we used salad shrimp instead of clams)
Orange and Almond Coucous, recipe follows
Season fish with salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add fish to pan and cook 2 minutes on each side, carefully transfer to a plate with a thin spatula and loosely cover with foil.
Add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, then add garlic, onions, red bell peppers and chopped hot peppers. Season veggies with salt and pepper. Saute 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes and cook 1 minute more. Deglaze the pan the wine and bring up drippings with a wooden spoon. Slide fish back into pan and add manila clams. Cover the pan and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 5 minutes. Sprinkle parsley over the fish and clams and discard any unopened clams. Serve fish and clams on a bed of Orange and Almond couscous.
Orange and Almond Couscous:
2 ounces (1/4 cup) sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups plain couscous
2 navel oranges, zested
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, a handful
Toast nuts in the bottom of a medium saucepot over medium heat. Transfer toasted nuts to a dish and reserve. Return pot to the stove top. Add broth and oil, cover pot and raise heat; bring the broth to a boil. Remove pot from heat, immediately. Add couscous, orange zest and parsley, then stir. Cover and let couscous stand 5 minutes. Fluff cooked couscous with fork and toss with toasted almonds.
TIDBIT: Slice zested oranges and serve them after dinner.
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ease of Preparation: easy
Episode#: TM1D23
Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved
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01.11.05
Posted in General at 4:10 pm by Jules
I want to be a HAUSFRAU! 
I’m tired of working, really. I would rather be at home taking care of things there… really pouring myself into domestic activities and making/keeping my hearth the way I want it to be. Why does that make me feel (just in part) like a big ol’ knob?
Maybe when my husband finishes school and starts working. I’m not holding my breath, but we’ll see!
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01.10.05
Posted in Food and Cooking at 4:24 pm by Jules
from: 30 Minute Meals on FOOD Network
chef: Rachael Ray
This meal, which Rachael calls Open Invitation, was my first big tester of one of her recipes. (It was also the very first thing cooked on my NEW RANGE!!! :D) I didn’t do the dessert that is listed with this. Just the chops and zucchini.
Pork Chops with Brandied Cherry Sauce and Zucchini with Walnuts. (*)
DELICIOUS!! I was quite pleasantly surprised at just how good this meal was. The cherries were perfect with the pork chops, and I cannot say enough good things about nutmeg and zucchini! As Rachael would say, “YUM-O!!!”
Pork Chops with Brandied Cherry Sauce and Zucchini with Walnuts
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
User Rating: 4 Stars
1 (15-ounce) can whole black pitted cherries in natural juices, drained
2 rounded spoonfuls sugar — for fresh cherries only
4 large boneless center-cut pork chops, 1 1/2 inches thick
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 large shallot, finely chopped
Splash of brandy
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Zucchini with Walnuts:
1/2 cup, chopped walnuts — available in small pouches on baking aisle
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
3 medium zucchinis, sliced into disks, 1/-inch thick
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated or ground
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Put cherries in a small bowl with the sugar.
Heat a skillet with an oven safe handle over medium high to high heat or, cover a the handle of a rubber handled pan with tin foil and preheat over same setting.
Season chops with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, to a hot skillet. Place chops in skillet and sear meat on both sides to caramelize the chops. Place a loose tin foil tent over the pan and transfer the chops to oven to finish off, 7 or 8 minutes, until meat is firm to touch, but not tough.
While chops are in oven, place a second skillet over medium high heat. Toast nuts 1 to 2 minutes, shaking pan frequently. Remove nuts to cool and add extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, and 1 tablespoon butter. Add zucchini disks, season with nutmeg, salt and pepper and cook until tender, tossing discs occasionally, 6 or 7 minutes.
Remove meat from oven and transfer to dinner plates. Cover chops with foil to keep warm. Place chop skillet back on stove over medium heat. Add a tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Add shallots and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Add cherries and warm through. Add brandy by removing the pan off the burner to add the alcohol, then flame the pan. Burn off alcohol for 1 minute, then add stock. reduce stock a minute, then add butter in small pieces. Toss sauce to combine and sprinkle in mint. Pour sauce down over chops and serve the zucchini with walnuts along side.
Episode#: TM1D08
Copyright © 2003 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved
(*)I used almonds instead of walnuts because I already had almonds. Also, they did not have a shallot at my grocery store, so I used regular yellow onion instead. I bet it would’ve been even more delicious with the shallot!
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Posted in Food and Cooking, General at 4:04 pm by Jules
I’ve just added a new category for Food and Cooking! Y’all check it out. Great stuff here.
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Posted in General at 11:14 am by Jules
I am 32 years old.
Where is my life headed?
What can I do to make it better?
Will I always feel as though there’s something out there I still need to attain? Some goal or item or state-of-mind?
Do others feel this way?
Would I really be happy if I could just… BE and stop over-analyzing and hoping for everything?
Do I really have a specific purpose for being here? If not, why have I always FELT like I have? If so, will I ever get lucky and find it, or will I just wander forever, a malcontent?
Why be driven toward some unknowable thing if it’s really not out there?
Essay questions will be graded on a pass/fail basis, so choose your answers carefully.
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01.06.05
Posted in General at 7:52 am by Jules
I still haven’t had a chance to really catch up on reading and visiting boards and such. Nor have I taken the time to write down anything much of significance here about my break.
Did I mention that I rode a horse for the first time since 1987? That made my year. Hell, it pretty much made my decade! I was a bit nervous, but I think I ended up being more comfortable riding than I probably was the last time I rode. I think being older and having a child now makes a lot of difference. I wasn’t scared or intimidated by the horse anymore. I knew that I was (usually) in control, and the horse knew that, too. Granted, they are animals with their own minds, and they are NOT able to be “controlled” if they make up their minds, but they are usually prepared to defer to authority and do what’s required of them.
So, anyway. Now I need to get to work. 
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01.04.05
Posted in General at 9:01 am by Jules
Well, I’m better this morning… it’s still early, though. LOL. At least I’m more “into” work today than I was yesterday. It IS nice, after all, to be using my brain again for more useful things than looking for platinum bolts.
Maybe I’ll get more written in here sometime today.
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01.03.05
Posted in General at 4:49 pm by Jules
I have just been so pissy yesterday and today. I don’t know what my deal is, but I hope I get over it soon. I don’t know if I just really don’t want to be back at work that badly or if I drank too much wine this weekend. (Too much wine may inhibit the working power of my medication.) Who knows? It sucks, though. I tell ya that.
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01.02.05
Posted in General at 11:09 am by Jules
I’m at my friends’ house in Atlanta right now, typing on the laptop. I love this keyboard.
I’ve been quite absent for awhile now because I was busy at work until my break, and I’ve been off for almost two weeks. I go back tomorrow. I have mixed feelings about that. It will be nice to have something to do again and to see folks at work again and to have ‘net access again (high speed, no less), but I will miss sitting at home all day playing Ratchet and Clank. I got the “Going Commando” game for Christmas from my brother and sister-in-law, and I love it! R&C has to be one of the most fun games I’ve ever played on a video game system before.
My brother and SIL also got me and my husband an XM radio unit for our car. I love it. It’s so nice to have good music without lots of annoying commercials. The sound quality could be better, but it’s still better than crappy radio with nothing but blah blah blah blah on it all the time. I still can’t believe they got it for us. That definitely wasn’t expected.
I got the cologne I’ve been wanting for a long time now, too. My mom got that for me. It’s HAPPY by Clinique. I love it. I’m not a big perfume/cologne person. Most are too strong for me, but it seems like every time I’ve asked somebody what they’re wearing (that I like), they tell me it’s Happy by Clinique. I just love it. It smells so good, and it’s nice and light.
My mom also got me two crochet books which are awesome. One is a big encyclopedia with all kinds of stitches and information in it and the other is one with about 300 different kinds of stitches or something. I haven’t used them yet; I’ve only thumbed through them a little. I decided not to crochet much over the break because I had to do so much to get done just before Christmas. I will be getting back to it shortly, I’m sure.
Well, I think I should go now. I need to go take a shower and get ready to drive back home.
Work tomorrow. Bleh.
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