sometimes it's tough

Today was a busy day, and after work, I ended it going to Clare Bridge, an Alzhiemer care facility. I have a customer there. Her husband doesn't like the on staff stylist, so he has arranged for me to go there every 2 weeks and do her hair. It's quite the challenge most visits. Today, she just didn't want to lay back in the shampoo bowl so I could wash her hair. So I just curled her hair without washing it. I though I was doing pretty good talking to her, but I think I need a book to better understand this type of patient. They apparently have 'good' moments and 'bad' moments. She still seems to recognise me as someone she likes, so that helps me to get her to do what I need her to do. But before I got there, she had a 'tiff' with her husband, and she told her him to leave. So I didn't have him to help me. This was the first time she wouldn't let me wash her hair. But I'll keep trying.
In other news, we tried a new recipe for dinner. Spicy-sweet pork tenderloins. They were very good! We had them with pan fried potatoes, and marinated broiled Asparagus. Very tasty! The recipe's here.

And since I'm not a night owl, I'm now tired and need to go to bed. Goodnight...

it's cold, it's wet, gimme comfort food

Well, the weekend was a complete washout weather wise. It was cold, wet, and windy. We did get the house clean, Craig mowed the yard, I cut up a large branch that the wind took out of a tree in the front yard, nearly hitting the mo-ho, and Craig made some wonderful meals. You'll see more cooking with Craig as we're stuck indoors more often. In nice weather, we tend to cook quick and easy on the grill, but when we're stuck inside, Craig has more time to spend in the kitchen. I stumbled on this recipe, and although it's a little more time consuming than some, it turned out wonderful!
It's called Asparagus and Chicken Carbonara.
Here's the prepping. Craig managed to steer clear of the camera this time.
Here's the finished dish. Doesn't it look yummy?

And the downside is a sink full of dishes.

But it was worth it! It was sooo good! And here's the recipe.....

Asparagus and Chicken Carbonara

Yield 5 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)
Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti

2 cups (1-inch) slices asparagus (about 3/4 pound)

1/2 cup egg substitute

1/2 cup evaporated fat-free milk

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup dry vermouth

2 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast meat

1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Preparation;

Cook pasta in boiling water 10 minutes or until al dente;

add asparagus during final 2 minutes of cooking. Drain pasta mixture in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/3 cup cooking liquid.

Combine reserved cooking liquid, egg substitute, and milk, stirring with a whisk.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and onion to pan; saute 2 minutes. Add vermouth; cook 1 minute. Add pasta mixture; stir to combine. Remove from heat; stir in milk mixture, chicken, and cheese. Place pan over medium heat, and cook 4 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in parsley, salt, pepper, and bacon. Serve immediately.

And it looks to be another busy week at the Salon. Today is 8:30 am to 7:30 pm. So I'm off to the shower, and then to work!

Cooking with Craig

Craig tried a new recipe yesterday and it was delicious!
If you like Cabbage Rolls, but not the tedious prep, Your gonna love this!

Cabbage Roll Casserole
2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans(15ounces each) tomato sauce divided
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups cooked rice
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 medium head cabbage (2 pounds) shredded
1 cup (4 ounces) mozzarella cheese
.

In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion
and garlic over medium heat until

meat is no longer pink, drain.

Stir in one can of tomato sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the rice and bacon, heat through. Remove from heat.
Layer a third of the cabbage in a greased 13in. x 9in. x2 in. baking dish. Top with half of the meat mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining cabbage. Pour remaining tomato sauce over the top.



Cover and bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
Uncover and sprinkle with cheese.Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Okay, and now Craig's alterations to make it healthier.
We use extra lean ground beef, it's only 4% fat. Even leaner than Sirloin. It's expensive, (about $4 a lb) but we try to stock up on it

when it's on sale.
We used minced garlic instead of fresh, it's easier.
We used one 28 oz can of tomato sauce instead of two 15 oz,
cheaper.
Subsituted 4 oz. of tomato sauce with bloody mary mix, adds some zing to it!
We used brown rice, healthier.
We used bacon bits instead of real bacon, healthier and easier.
We used fat free mozzarella cheese, healthier.

So there you have it. One recipe, and two ways to make it.
And man, was it good!

bla, bla, bla

It's a sunny morning here today. It's seems like days since we've had any sun. Still cold, currently 20 out. But the sun will make it feel warmer.
I did accomplish a couple of things yesterday. We use to have a big oak entertainment center. But when the 27 in TV died, we decided to upgrade to a 32" LCD TV. Well, it wouldn't fit in the entertainment center, so we got rid of that, and searched for a TV stand. It took a long time, and we never did find anything we liked. So we ended up using this

fake electric fire place that we use in the winter to warm the TV room without having to turn up the thermostat for the whole house. Then we needed to get a cabinet of some sort for all our DVDs and VHS tapes. We found this 2 door unit that fits perfectly.
We put window film on the top door to conceal the tapes. I think it looks pretty good. So yesterday, Craig and I sorted through all our movies deciding what to keep, and what to toss.

Then we made a new chicken dish. Teriaki Chicken.
It was so good, I'm sharing the easy recipe with you.

INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 skinless chicken thighs

DIRECTIONS
In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper.
Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.

Now we used split chicken breasts instead of thighs and it was Yummy!
That's all I got this morning! Later!

Creamy Potato Salad

As promised, and by request, Craig's delicious, creamy, Potato Salad recipe!
First off, there are lot's of different types of Potato Salads, and I like most all of them,(heck, I like most foods period!) But this is my favorite! It's easy and tasty!
.
2lbs cooked potatoes with skin on. (Craig prefers red potatoes, but you can use any kind)
1 cup chopped Onion
3 stalks chopped Celery
5 hard cooked eggs diced(with the yolks separated and put aside)
1 1/2 cups Miracle Whip, Fat Free
1 Tbs white vinegar
2 packets of equal(or any artificial sweetener)
mustard to taste(Craig uses about 2 Tbs)
1/8 tsp pepper
.
Put the first 4 items in a large bowl.
Mix the rest of the items in a second bowl and add the mashed yolks and stir.
Add the creamed mixture to the large bowl and stir.
Chill, and Enjoy!
.
You'd think Craig could at least smile for the camera!(he doesn't like his pic taken)

Oh, and here's a picture of his PT Cruiser all cleaned and waxed. Ain't it pretty!

And tomorrow.........more flower pics!(bet you can't wait, huh.)

Nachos.....yum

My last post said I was trying to eat better.




But that doesn't mean
eating only fruits and veggies.
One thing we like a lot is nachos!
And we have a delicious low fat
version I'd like to share with you.
First we start out with
Tostitos Light Tortilla Chips.
These are the ones made with ,Olean.



For the cheese, we use

Sargento Reduced Fat Mexican Cheese.

You can't use the fat free cheese,
it won't melt.




To season the beef,
we use Old El Paso
Taco Seasoning Mix.


We buy the less sodium.
Watching the blood pressure too!


For toppings,
we use chopped tomatoes,
and chopped green onions.
You can use any toppings you like.





Brown the ground beef.
We buy the Extra Lean 4% fat
ground beef.
Stir in the seasoning pack with water,
and simmer according to directions.


Spread a layer of chips on a pan.
We use a pizza pan.
Sprinkle the beef mixture
over the chips.



Add the toppings.

Looking good huh?

Click on the pics

to see them larger!




Sprinkle the cheese over that.

Put in over on broil

to melt the cheese

About 5 minutes,
Or untill cheese is melted,and chips are golden on edges.

Are you hungry yet?

ENJOY!

If you like, do what Craig does,
and top that with shredded lettuce,
Salsa, and fat free sour cream!

Now you can enjoy nachos with
half the calories,
and half the fat!

menus

Since I've gotten several requests for the Meatloaf and Turkey Pie recipe. I thought I'd put them in a post.

We try to cook low fat, so these are the healthy versions.

Craig always modifies recipes.

Stuffed Meatloaf

1lb. extra lean ground beef

1lb Lean Hot Italian Turkey Sausage(casings removed)

dehydrated onion

3/4 cup grated zucchini

3/4 cup grated carrots

1-16oz can of pinto beans(drained and smashed)

2 eggs

large bottle of red wine(whatever you favorite is)

Topping,

I can tomato paste

1 cup spaghetti sauce

1 can sliced mushrooms

mix all ingredients in a bowl(except wine and topping), cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Drink a glass of the wine.

In a separate bowl, mix 1 12oz pkg of Kraft free shredded cheddar cheese with enough Egg Beaters to moisten. Drink a glass of wine.

On waxed paper, sprayed with cooking spray, spread the meat mixture out to about 1 inch thick.

Spread cheese over the meat leaving 1 inch from edges.

Roll into a log and put in a casserole dish. Seal the ends by pinching the meat together.

Bake at 350 for an hour and. Have a glass or 2 of wine.

Remove from oven(Careful, it will be hot!)

Spread topping over the top, bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until done. Have another glass of wine.

Remove from oven(careful, still hot! use oven mitts!)

Enjoy with a glass of wine(if you have any left!)

.

.

.

Creamy Turkey Pie

1lb ground turkey

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 oz package fat free cream cheese

1 can sliced mushrooms

1 pkg low fat refrigerated biscuits or bread

(the kind in a rolled can)

1 egg

1 cup fat-free cream-style cottage cheese

1/4 cup reduced fat Parmesan cheese

1 tbs flour

chopped tomatoes

chopped onions

4 oz. fat free shredded cheddar cheese

large bottle of white wine(any kind you like)

Brown turkey with salt and pepper,and saute onions. Drain. Have a glass of wine

Stir in cream cheese til combined, add mushrooms, set aside. Have a glass of wine.

In a lightly grease 9 inch pie plate, spread bread dough, pressing onto bottom and up the sides to about 1/2 inch over edges.

Spoon in turkey mixture, spreading evenly. Have a glass of wine.

In a bowl, combine egg(remove the shell), cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, and flour. mix till smooth.

spoon over turkey mixture.

Bake uncovered 25-30 min at 350. Have a glass or 2 of wine.

Remove from oven(careful, hot!). Let stand 10 min. Have a glass of wine.

Garnish with tomatoes and onions, and cheese.

Serve with wine(if you have any left!)

Enjoy!

This is the standard recipe. The one 2 posts back was a double recipe. So we used a casserole dish. We like leftovers!

A busy day

Yesterday was quite productive. Craig vacuumed and did laundry. I scrubbed the kitchen cabinets (they're white and show everything!) and the floor and did the dishes. (well, I put them in the dishwasher)
In the afternoon, Bill, (the husband of a customer of mine) came over to "tweak" my computer.
He installed Opera, which is a browser like Internet Explorer. Well, he says it's better. It's a lot

easier to control how you accept or decline cookies, which are little codes websites put on your computer to store your surfing preferences. Most cookies don't do anything, but a lot of them, especially third party cookies, can.
I can see this is becoming way to technical, so let's just say we downloaded it and installed it and Bill took me for a test drive in it. The best part of Opera is it is a safer browser than IE. Especially if you like to surf "questionable" sites. (I didn't ask, but I think I know what he meant)
Not that a healthy male like myself would ever go to those kind of sites!

He saw that I had an Antivirus program and
also have Spybot and Ad-Aware.
So he also wanted me to have CCleaner.
Another free little program.(I always like free!)
This program is much more thorough than the
disk cleanup utility found in system tools.
It found 648mb of trash on my computer!
Even after I ran the disk cleanup utility!

After Bill left. Craig fixed another Delicious meal.




One of his specialties. String Pie.
Of course, here's the recipe, cause I know you'll want it!.

• 8 ounces spaghetti
• 1 med onion peeled and finely chopped
  
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 jar (14 oz) spaghetti sauce
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons butter, melted
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Cook pasta, drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F
3. Cook beef, onion, green pepper in large skillet over medium heat until meat is brown, stirring to separate meat. Drain drippings.
4. Stir in spaghetti sauce
5. In a large bowl, combine cooked spaghetti, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and butter; mix well.
6. Place in bottom of 13x9 inch baking pan.
7. Spread cottage cheese over top
8. Pour meat sauce mixture over cottage cheese.
9. Bake 20 min or until hot
10. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top of casserole and heat until melted.

Serves 6-8 ( The picture above is a piece that was left over that I'll eat for dinner Wed.)

And of course Craig never follows recipes to the letter. He always improvises somewhat.

Here he added chopped tomatoes and green onions when ready to serve.

family Christmas

Today we had the family Christmas.
And there were boatloads of people!

Didn't realize our family had gotten

so large!
My brother Louie and his wife

Bonnie hosted the event.

They live in Zeeland Michigan,

They made the food,

and were wonderful hosts!

All they asked was we bring

some Christmas spirit and a desert.

We sprung mom from the nursing

home for the day. She seemed to

really enjoy the the change of scenery.

She's doing so much better. Still weak,

but we hope she'll get stronger.

Craig and I brought a Craig's family desert.

Called a Graham Cracker Pudding Cake.

It is so tasty!

I know you want it!

Here's the recipe.....

Graham Cracker Pudding Cake

-Graham Crackers

-Chocolate pudding

-Cool Whip

Place crackers on a serving plate,

any shape or size.

Spread pudding on cracker,

about the thickness of the cracker.

Then alternate pudding and

cracker until you reach the

size you want.

Cover and refrigerate till morning.

spread cool whip over top and sides,

maybe some colored sugar sprinkles,

and serve.

It is so tasty!!

best pie ever!

Today I received a pie from a customer.
But I feel the need to relate the story behind it.
When I was in high school, I worked at my Great Uncle's restaurant. I was a dish washer.
He went to work in the wee hours and baked bread and pies he served during the day.
One of those pies was a Pineapple Pecan Cream Pie!
I couldn't wait to get out of school, get to work, and hope a piece was still there.
Back to today.
One Craig's customers, a real baker, was so intrigued that she was determined to recreate it. Now, I didn't have the recipe, so all I could tell her was what it looked like and the consistency of it. Well, after three tries, she nailed it! And now brings me one every Christmas! Do we have some great customers or what!
Here's the recipe, cause I know you'll want to try it!

Pineapple Pecan Creme Pie
1 can crushed Pineapple
1 cup sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
8 oz cool whip
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup chopped pecans

Heat sugar and crushed pineapple, add cornstarch mixed with water till you have a pie filling consistency. Cool .
Mix condensed milk with cool whip. Gradually add Lemon juice. Fold in chopped pecans and the cooled pineapple mixture.
Pour into a baked 9-10 in pie shell. Chill for at least 2 hours, if you can wait that long!

recipes

Here are the recipes I promised.

1. Tea Cakes

1 cup (2 sticks) Butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups flour

2/3 cups finely chopped nuts

2 cups (12 oz. package) semi-sweet

chocolate chips, divided

Beat butter and powdered sugar until creamy. Beat in Vanilla. Beat in flour and nuts. Stir in

1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips. Roll dough into 1 in balls, place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake in preheated 350 F oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until set and lightly golden brown on bottom.

Microwave remaining chocolate chips in heavy duty plastic bag on high for 30 sec. knead. heat for additional 10 - 20 sec intervals, kneading until smooth. cut corner and drizzle on cookies.

Chill for 5 min. or till chocolate is set. Store at room temp in air tight container.

2. Cashew Butter Fudge

1 3/4 cups sugar

1- 7oz jar marshmallow creme

2/3 cups evaporated milk

1/2 stick butter

1 tsp vanilla

10 oz cashew pieces

1- 12 oz jar cashew butter

Heat sugar, milk, butter. Add marshmallow creme.

Bring to a boil at medium heat. Stirring constantly.

Boil to 235 degrees.

Turn off heat and stir in cashew butter and nuts.

Then stir in Vanilla.

Pour into a foil lined 8 in pan. Cool and cut into desired pieces. Store at room temperature.

ENJOY!