•Day 19 — A talent of yours
Shoot... so I have been dragging my feet on this on for a while. I have lots of talents but haven't really mastered any of them...
For those of you who know me I would love to hear what talents you think I poses...
email me at mudnmaps@gmail.com
I will summarrize my thoughts and the feedback you all might provide... If I don't hear from anyone I will just know none of you are reading my blog. :)
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
30 Day Challenge - Day 21
•Day 21 — A recipe
I enjoy cooking and trying new things. I used to specialize in baked goods, but when I ended up eating half of everything I baked because everyone else lost interest I now only bake when I feel like it. My favorite things to bake are holiday cookies and sweet breads/muffins. I will rustle up a few recipes that have been 'handed down' by my family that I have tweaked to make them healthier.
Lately I have been on a recipe kick using my two new Moosewood lodge cookbooks. These are vegetarian recipes but pretty much all of the ones I have tried over the last few months have been YUMMY! I will pick my favorite one or two and post that too.
I also love things I can just throw together on a whim for a quick meal. I am not one of those people (like my husband) who follows a recipe to the letter. I am more of a little bit of this and that kind of person.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of my quick throw together meals... Buy a garlic and cheese loaf or baguette from the bakery section of the super market. Slice it in short slices like you were making bread for sandwiches.
Lay the bread out on a baking sheet and lightly butter. This will go in the oven at 350 for a few minutes to crisp up before you add the toppings.
Toppings... pretty much whatever is in the fridge.... Pick what you like and mix them all together in a bowl.
Several Tomatoes Diced(a can is ok too)
Olives sliced (we love black but sometimes get the greek stuffed variety)
Mushrooms sliced and sauteed
We usually go veggie or I put on smoked salmon but could also do some sausage crumbles too... nothing too big.
Put the toppings ingredients on the bread first (after lightly toasting the bread), then the meat if you are using some, then top with your favorites grated cheese... we have tried just about every kind so have some fun.
Put in the oven until the cheese is melted and starting to brown... Makes a meal all by itself, but can serve with fresh fruit too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So lets see...
What's for dinner tonight? Shawn's variation of a pseudo chili... Chili for me means veggies (can be carrots, celery, corn, spinach and always tomatoes), beans, and a little bit of ground turkey. Last time I made chili with dill pickles in it... Yum! So back to tonight. I did a pound of ground turkey with lots of seasoning. Since I sell Tastefully Simple I always have seasonings on hand... I used some red pepper, garlic garlic, bacon bacon, and of course wahoo chili. I put some in the crock pot and some in the meat while I sauteed it. I added a small container of frozen spinach (first time for this one so will see how it goes), two cans of organic tomatoes (I use fresh when they are local or in season the back yard), and beans... this time a can of black and one of pinto beans. I throw everything in the crock pot the night before and then fire things up on low in the morning. I am making some cheddar biscuits to go with it (also TS food).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rachel Rays' turkey meatloaf recipe is a huge favorite in our house so her is my take on that one.
* 2 McIntosh or Gala apples, peeled and cut into small dice (I've used Braeburn and Figi too)
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice (use this when I remember)
* 2 pounds ground all-white-meat turkey (I do one package of regular white ground turkey and one of turkey sausage which adds a ton of flavor)
* 3-4 ribs of celery, finely chopped (I use this when I have it handy)
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped (I either use fresh onion, or TS onion onion depending on what I have on hand)
* 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (I only use TS spices here)
* 1 large egg
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper (usually skip this)
* 2 cups chicken stock (can use organic veggie broth here too)
* 2 cups stuffing mix (I have used stuffing mix, or breadcrumbs depending on what is in the pantry)
* 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Preparation - (I do make this on parchment paper and then put half in the freezer once it is cooked for a quick and easy meal down the road.)
Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF.
In a large bowl, add the apples and lemon juice and toss together. Add the turkey, celery, onion, poultry seasoning, egg, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
In a medium size bowl, add the stock and the stuffing. Toss around, letting the stuffing soak up the liquid, then add it to the bowl with the turkey. Mix everything together well, then turn it out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and shape it into a loaf. Coat with EVOO, transfer to the oven and roast until brown and cooked through, about an hour.
I enjoy cooking and trying new things. I used to specialize in baked goods, but when I ended up eating half of everything I baked because everyone else lost interest I now only bake when I feel like it. My favorite things to bake are holiday cookies and sweet breads/muffins. I will rustle up a few recipes that have been 'handed down' by my family that I have tweaked to make them healthier.
Lately I have been on a recipe kick using my two new Moosewood lodge cookbooks. These are vegetarian recipes but pretty much all of the ones I have tried over the last few months have been YUMMY! I will pick my favorite one or two and post that too.
I also love things I can just throw together on a whim for a quick meal. I am not one of those people (like my husband) who follows a recipe to the letter. I am more of a little bit of this and that kind of person.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of my quick throw together meals... Buy a garlic and cheese loaf or baguette from the bakery section of the super market. Slice it in short slices like you were making bread for sandwiches.
Lay the bread out on a baking sheet and lightly butter. This will go in the oven at 350 for a few minutes to crisp up before you add the toppings.
Toppings... pretty much whatever is in the fridge.... Pick what you like and mix them all together in a bowl.
Several Tomatoes Diced(a can is ok too)
Olives sliced (we love black but sometimes get the greek stuffed variety)
Mushrooms sliced and sauteed
We usually go veggie or I put on smoked salmon but could also do some sausage crumbles too... nothing too big.
Put the toppings ingredients on the bread first (after lightly toasting the bread), then the meat if you are using some, then top with your favorites grated cheese... we have tried just about every kind so have some fun.
Put in the oven until the cheese is melted and starting to brown... Makes a meal all by itself, but can serve with fresh fruit too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So lets see...
What's for dinner tonight? Shawn's variation of a pseudo chili... Chili for me means veggies (can be carrots, celery, corn, spinach and always tomatoes), beans, and a little bit of ground turkey. Last time I made chili with dill pickles in it... Yum! So back to tonight. I did a pound of ground turkey with lots of seasoning. Since I sell Tastefully Simple I always have seasonings on hand... I used some red pepper, garlic garlic, bacon bacon, and of course wahoo chili. I put some in the crock pot and some in the meat while I sauteed it. I added a small container of frozen spinach (first time for this one so will see how it goes), two cans of organic tomatoes (I use fresh when they are local or in season the back yard), and beans... this time a can of black and one of pinto beans. I throw everything in the crock pot the night before and then fire things up on low in the morning. I am making some cheddar biscuits to go with it (also TS food).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rachel Rays' turkey meatloaf recipe is a huge favorite in our house so her is my take on that one.
* 2 McIntosh or Gala apples, peeled and cut into small dice (I've used Braeburn and Figi too)
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice (use this when I remember)
* 2 pounds ground all-white-meat turkey (I do one package of regular white ground turkey and one of turkey sausage which adds a ton of flavor)
* 3-4 ribs of celery, finely chopped (I use this when I have it handy)
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped (I either use fresh onion, or TS onion onion depending on what I have on hand)
* 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (I only use TS spices here)
* 1 large egg
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper (usually skip this)
* 2 cups chicken stock (can use organic veggie broth here too)
* 2 cups stuffing mix (I have used stuffing mix, or breadcrumbs depending on what is in the pantry)
* 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Preparation - (I do make this on parchment paper and then put half in the freezer once it is cooked for a quick and easy meal down the road.)
Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF.
In a large bowl, add the apples and lemon juice and toss together. Add the turkey, celery, onion, poultry seasoning, egg, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
In a medium size bowl, add the stock and the stuffing. Toss around, letting the stuffing soak up the liquid, then add it to the bowl with the turkey. Mix everything together well, then turn it out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and shape it into a loaf. Coat with EVOO, transfer to the oven and roast until brown and cooked through, about an hour.
30 Day Challenge - Day 16
•Day 16 — A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
There are a handful of songs that pull at my heart strings ...
It could be the powerful lyrics and music, or a place in time where that song was part of my daily 'background music'.
There are other reasons songs make me cry... Heavy Metal where I can't understand the words, super twangy country music where the dog died and the truck is broke, rap music full of nonsense and explicatives. Mostly just have a low tolerance for this kind of music.
Anyway... a few songs that I find emotional/passionate reminders of how love and faith are important in my life ... Some of these I have blogged about previously..
Lady Antebellum - "Need You Now"
Kris Allen - "Live Like We're Dying"
Five For Fighting - "100 years"
INXS - "God's Top Ten"
Anastacia - "I Belong to You"
Bob Carlisle - "Butterfly Kisses"
Michael W. Smith - "Friends"
I am sure more will pop into my head but for now... maybe you have found something new the moves you.
There are a handful of songs that pull at my heart strings ...
It could be the powerful lyrics and music, or a place in time where that song was part of my daily 'background music'.
There are other reasons songs make me cry... Heavy Metal where I can't understand the words, super twangy country music where the dog died and the truck is broke, rap music full of nonsense and explicatives. Mostly just have a low tolerance for this kind of music.
Anyway... a few songs that I find emotional/passionate reminders of how love and faith are important in my life ... Some of these I have blogged about previously..
Lady Antebellum - "Need You Now"
Kris Allen - "Live Like We're Dying"
Five For Fighting - "100 years"
INXS - "God's Top Ten"
Anastacia - "I Belong to You"
Bob Carlisle - "Butterfly Kisses"
Michael W. Smith - "Friends"
I am sure more will pop into my head but for now... maybe you have found something new the moves you.
Monday, March 21, 2011
30 Day Challenge - Day 18
•Day 18 — Whatever tickles your fancy - An Ode to Geocaching
A few years ago, right before my family moved back to Iowa, I found out about Geocaching. It is basically treasure hunting using a GPS to find site where people, all over the world, have left containers for you to find.
Whenever I travel somewhere I look for Geocaches I can pick up on the way. I am still learning all the lay of the land out there but have some friends who are very active Geocachers.
No you don't need to own a GPS to play. Many phones these days have GPS in them and will take you places if you ask. I have also used my portable car GPS to locate sites, but my favorite way is to my phone app that taps into my Geocaching.com account. My handle is mudnmaps in case you want to see where I have been.
Abby, my mom and even Joe once have been my Geocaching buddies. We pick a nice day to go out and wander the great outdoors. You find wonderful unknown parks and great history while looking for caches. We aren't always successful finding treasure but it sure is fun to look.
If any of you are in the area May 21st give me a shout and we can go do the Geocaching challenge with a bunch of other cachers in the Ames area.
So if you still have NO Idea what Geocaching is go check out the website http://www.geocaching.com/ and it will give you the low down on all the adventures you could be having. Happy Caching!!
A few years ago, right before my family moved back to Iowa, I found out about Geocaching. It is basically treasure hunting using a GPS to find site where people, all over the world, have left containers for you to find.
Whenever I travel somewhere I look for Geocaches I can pick up on the way. I am still learning all the lay of the land out there but have some friends who are very active Geocachers.
No you don't need to own a GPS to play. Many phones these days have GPS in them and will take you places if you ask. I have also used my portable car GPS to locate sites, but my favorite way is to my phone app that taps into my Geocaching.com account. My handle is mudnmaps in case you want to see where I have been.
Abby, my mom and even Joe once have been my Geocaching buddies. We pick a nice day to go out and wander the great outdoors. You find wonderful unknown parks and great history while looking for caches. We aren't always successful finding treasure but it sure is fun to look.
If any of you are in the area May 21st give me a shout and we can go do the Geocaching challenge with a bunch of other cachers in the Ames area.
So if you still have NO Idea what Geocaching is go check out the website http://www.geocaching.com/ and it will give you the low down on all the adventures you could be having. Happy Caching!!
30 Day Challenge - Day 15
•Day 15 — A fanfic... ok not fan fiction... how about who am I a fan of?
Well, this one got me to thinking. I am not really a pop culture kind of person and I don't follow sports closely enough to be a fan of anyone popular.
I will say though that I was reading something a few years back. When most people are asked what they look for in a friend is 'someone who accepts you for who you are'. So I am not going to disagree with this statement but I would take the idea a little further based on something else I read. A true friend is someone who accepts you but also helps you grow as a person.
So when picking people who you want to share your time with you don't want to pick a clone of you. Someone who things the same or acts the same but someone who is who you aspire to grow to be like. This book I read called them my "Board of Directors".
So to get to the point of my 'fanatic' post here... The people I choose to be in my 'Board of Director' are the people I am a fan of. The people who challenge my behaviors, who do things that I aspire to do, who take risks and aren't afraid to change for the better and follow their dreams.
Since I moved I haven't been in contact as closely with some of my board of directors, but that doesn't mean I have stopped challenging myself to grow as a person. So for all of you who support me and challenge me at the same time I say thanks.... you probably know who you are.
Well, this one got me to thinking. I am not really a pop culture kind of person and I don't follow sports closely enough to be a fan of anyone popular.
I will say though that I was reading something a few years back. When most people are asked what they look for in a friend is 'someone who accepts you for who you are'. So I am not going to disagree with this statement but I would take the idea a little further based on something else I read. A true friend is someone who accepts you but also helps you grow as a person.
So when picking people who you want to share your time with you don't want to pick a clone of you. Someone who things the same or acts the same but someone who is who you aspire to grow to be like. This book I read called them my "Board of Directors".
So to get to the point of my 'fanatic' post here... The people I choose to be in my 'Board of Director' are the people I am a fan of. The people who challenge my behaviors, who do things that I aspire to do, who take risks and aren't afraid to change for the better and follow their dreams.
Since I moved I haven't been in contact as closely with some of my board of directors, but that doesn't mean I have stopped challenging myself to grow as a person. So for all of you who support me and challenge me at the same time I say thanks.... you probably know who you are.
30 Day Challenge - Day 17
•Day 17 — An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
OK, so I am now five days behind so I decided to skip a couple of days and jump to some I could knock out quickly. So I have different kinds of art in my life. I love to create things with my hands but I will get more to that on hobbies. I do plan to share a couple of quilt photos when I update this post later today, but I wanted to share some special art from two very important artists in my life.
First my 7 year old who has a passion for horses.
The next one is my first set of abstract art from my little guy who just turned 2 this weekend.
I promise to add a couple pieces of my own 'art' to the blog in the next day or two. :)
OK, so I am now five days behind so I decided to skip a couple of days and jump to some I could knock out quickly. So I have different kinds of art in my life. I love to create things with my hands but I will get more to that on hobbies. I do plan to share a couple of quilt photos when I update this post later today, but I wanted to share some special art from two very important artists in my life.
First my 7 year old who has a passion for horses.
The next one is my first set of abstract art from my little guy who just turned 2 this weekend.
I promise to add a couple pieces of my own 'art' to the blog in the next day or two. :)
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
30 Day Challenge - Day 14
•Day 14 — A non-fictional book
I am reading "Pitch like a girl - How a woman can be herself and still succeed."
I am only half way through the book but so far is spends time talking about thinking/behavior styles. It starts with men versus women and then talks about figuring out what your style is.
What is interesting to me is that my style has changed with time to some extent. I used to be more sensitive, friendly, interested in developing relationships... according to the book more pink.
Then through a series of hard knocks in primary and secondary school I suspect I became more tough and less likely to put myself out there.
Through my work experience I have learned to be more blue. I had to learn to be more demanding of what I needed, more to the point, more focused on the big picture with less time spent on the relationship building.
Now the challenge is to blend the best of both options. gotta keep reading the book... will add to this blog when I get there.
I am reading "Pitch like a girl - How a woman can be herself and still succeed."
I am only half way through the book but so far is spends time talking about thinking/behavior styles. It starts with men versus women and then talks about figuring out what your style is.
What is interesting to me is that my style has changed with time to some extent. I used to be more sensitive, friendly, interested in developing relationships... according to the book more pink.
Then through a series of hard knocks in primary and secondary school I suspect I became more tough and less likely to put myself out there.
Through my work experience I have learned to be more blue. I had to learn to be more demanding of what I needed, more to the point, more focused on the big picture with less time spent on the relationship building.
Now the challenge is to blend the best of both options. gotta keep reading the book... will add to this blog when I get there.