Don't we have better things to do?

I just read an article that took me back 50 years.
A famed moonshiner in North Carolina was sentenced to 18 months for his art.
He's even written a book on the subject named "Me and My Likker" and people signed petitions to try to get him released...it's just ridiculous.
You can go buy a cart full of beer at the store, get as drunk as a monkey and you're ok. But someone who makes their own liquor is arrested. I don't get it. Do we really believe he'll stop making liquor when he gets back out? Do we really care If some hillbilly in the mountains is making liquor? In fact, wouldn't you prefer he make his own than support the liquor industry by buying? There are murderers loose on our streets for lack of evidence and a lowly moonshiner's in jail.

Speaking of liquor...here's a drink that I omitted the Rum.



Summer Fruit Punch
It's delicious!

2 cups chilled Pineapple Juice
2 cups chilled Cranberry Juice
2 cups chilled Sprite
1 tspn Lime Juice
Rum, for you liquor drinkers

Mix well and serve immediately! IT'S YUM WITHOUT THE RUM!!


J.R.

Herbed Chicken, Orzo and Zucchini

Herbed Chicken, Orzo and Zucchini

Ingredients
1 cup dried Orzo
4 small, skinless, boneless chicken breasts.
1 tsp. dried Basil
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 med. Zucchini, sliced
2 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh, snipped Dill (optional)

Directions
1) Prepare Orzo according to package directions; drain, cover & keep warm.
2) Meanwhile Sprinkle chicken with the basil; season with salt and pepper.
3) In a large skillet heat 1 Tbsp of the oil.
4) Add chicken and cook 12 min, turning once.
5) Remove from skillet to warm place. Add Zucchini to skillet.
6) Cook Zucchini 3 min or until crisp-tender.
7) In a bowl, whisk together vinegar, remaining oil, and fresh dill. Add to Orzo, toss.
8) Serve Chicken with orzo and zucchini and fresh lemon wedges. Garnish with fresh dill.


Jessi's tips:
1. Orzo was like $8, so I opted to go with rice pilaf and skip step 7. So you won't need the vinegar or fresh dill.

2) I took like 30 min to get my chicken done, and I realized you are supposed to COVER the chicken to get it done in 12 minutes. I'm a freak when it comes to stove-top cooking...I'm scared of grease..so I didn't know.

3)Since I didn't use fresh dill in the rice, I added a few shakes of dried dill to the chicken while it was cooking.

4) Don't cook the zucchini longer than 3 min on med. heat. It gets done very quickly and can get mushy while it's waiting in the pan.

IT WAS REALLY GOOD!

J.R.

Oatmeal, Pea Salad and Smoothies...what a combo

I rediscovered something I used to eat all the time, oatmeal. Actually, I used to eat instant oatmeal, but as my tongue has matured, I like regular oatmeal too.
So...eat a bowl of oatmeal, slather in butter, brown sugar and maple syrup. And if you're like Andrae, throw on some blueberries.





Pea Salad
From Tamie's Kitchen

Ingredients
1-16oz package of frozen Peas, fully thawed
1/2 cup Tomato, chopped
2 Hardboiled Eggs, chopped
1 cup Cheddar Chesse, shredded
1/2 cup Onion, chopped
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
Bacon Bits
Salt
Pepper

Directions
1) In a large bowl, combine Peas, Onion, Tomato and Mayonnaise.
2) Salt and Pepper to taste.
3) Carefully fold in cheese and eggs, sprinkle with bacon bits.


For a special occasion:
Use Red Onion, whole Cherry Tomatoes, cubed Colby Jack Cheese and garnish with sliced egg.

The whole tomatoes are good for people like me, who don't like tomatoes.


Since we are a quest for a healthier lifestyle this year, we've been buying cartloads of fruits and vegitables, but it's so hard to eat all of it. I'm the type of person who gets sick of foods easily if I eat too much of it. So trying to eat salads, fruits and vegis by the boatload gets old very quickly for me.

Last year, Andrae started making smoothies. I wasn't until then that I thought about how much you could fit into a smoothie. You can drink a whole glass of smoothie, but a plate of fruit is way too much...

So....now we're doing smoothies...I don't very often, but Andrae does.
You can use:
Berries
Grapes
Oranges
Apples
Pears
Carrots
Greens
Celery
Cucumber
Orange Juice
Apple Juice
Cranberry Juice
V8 Juice
eTC....

You can put pretty much anything in there and it normally tastes pretty good.
I didn't think celery would taste good in drinking form, but when added to Strawberrys and oranges...you can't even taste the celery..but you're getting the nutrients. So if there's a vegi you can't stand...like greens (for me)....make a fruit smoothie and add a couple leaves of greens. You can't taste it, you get the nutrients and it's turns your drink lime green.
This might work for kids too.....if you're having trouble getting them to eat their vegis....tell them it's a green milk shake..LOL



J.R.

The day they hung an elephant

I just discovered a hilarious story about Kingsport that I had never heard about. I really need to blog about all the things I want to blog on, but I have to let you read this story. I got it off Wikipedia.

"On September 12, 1916, Kingsport residents demanded the death of circus elephant Mary (a five ton Asian elephant who performed in the Sparks World Famous Shows Circus) for her killing of a city hotel worker named Walter "Red" Eldridge, who was hired the day before as an assistant elephant trainer by the circus.

On the evening of September 12, Eldridge was killed by Mary in Kingsport, Tennessee while taking her to a nearby pond to splash and frolic and drink. There are several accounts of his death but the most widely accepted version is that he prodded her behind the ear with a hook after she reached down to nibble on a watermelon rind. She went into a rage, snatched Eldridge with her trunk, threw him against a drink stand and deliberately stepped on his head, crushing it. One of his ears was never found.

The details of the aftermath are confused in a haze of sensationalist newspaper stories and folklore. Most accounts indicate that she calmed down afterward and didn't charge the onlookers, who were chanting, "Kill the elephant!" Apparently, within minutes, a local blacksmith tried to oblige, firing more than two dozen rounds at the elephant with little effect. Newspapers published claims that Murderous Mary had killed several workers in the past and noted that she was larger than the world famous Jumbo the elephant. Mary was impounded by the local sheriff, and the leaders of several nearby towns threatened not to allow the circus to visit if Mary was included. The circus owner, Charlie Sparks, reluctantly decided that the only way to quickly resolve the potentially ruinous situation was to hold a public execution. On the following day, a foggy and rainy September 13, 1916, she was transported by rail to Erwin, Tennessee where a crowd of over 2,500 people (including most of the town's children) assembled in the Clinchfield railroad yard to watch the hanging. "

Here's another version: http://www.gotricities.com/content/article.dna?idnumber=020603132233

and another:

http://www.blueridgecountry.com/elephant/elephant.html

Weird....
J.R.

We are here, we are here, we are here!

We have arrived!
We left Kingsport this morning around 7:30....traversed the roads of Asheville NC, Greenville SC, Atlanta GA, Montgomery AL and now we are in Pensacola!
It's so warm!!!!! Actually, it's only about 55 degrees, but compared the 8 degrees when we left Home...I feel like I've experienced a heat wave.
We went to Pensacola Beach, Fl to catch the sunset tonight.....the sand was so white that we thought it was snow at first. I've never seen such white sand, not even in the Caribbean. Pensacola Beach is rated as one of the top 10 beaches in the US...It was very pretty.


Here's Andrae` playing with his phone...


The beautiful sunset...



Some artful photography...



Landry's....the best Fettuccine Alfredo I've ever had!



I'll blog again soon! Arrive Derci!!

J.R.

Cibo, amore e felicità

This is a great dish for two people or perhaps three light eaters.

Lasagna For Two

Prep: 20 min
Bake: 50 min
Stand: 20 min
Oven: 350 degrees

Ingredients

Nonstick Cooking Spray
2 cups Red Pasta Sauce, such as portobello mushroom or garden vegetable.
6 no-boil Lasagna Noodles
1/2 of a 15oz container of Ricotta Cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 cup of Roasted Red Sweet Peppers, cut into strips, (found in pickle area)
1 Tbsp. Chianti or other red wine (optional)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350*F.
2) Lightly coat 8"x8" square baking pan with cooking spray.
3) Spoon 1/3 cup of pasta sauce into dish.
4) Top with 2 lasagna noodles.
5) In a small bowl, mix Ricotta cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella and if desired, the Chianti.
6) Spoon half of cheese mixture over noodles.
7) Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. Parmesan.
8) Top with half the Red Pepper Strips
9) Spoon half the remaining pasta sauce over peppers.
10) Top with 2 more noodles, remaining cheese mixture and remaining peppers.
11) Add 2 more noodles, and remaining pasta sauce.
12) Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of Mozzarella and remaining Parmesan.
13) Cover with foil. Bake for 50 minutes.
14) Let stand, covered for 20 minutes on wire rack for 20 min before serving.

Serve with Garlic Bread and Salad.


Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread
4 slices of sandwich bread.
Garlic Powder
Mozzarella Cheese

1) Sprinkle slices of bread with garlic to your discretion. (Doesn't need much)
2) Sprinkle bread an even layer of shredded mozzarella or 1 slice of mozzarella cheese.
3) Bake anywhere from 350-400 for aprox 5 min. I normally bake it at the same temp as my main entree.

4) Check after a few minutes to see if bottom is lightly browned and cheese is melted.


Jessi's Version
Andrae likes the Mozzarella, but I prefer to spread butter on my slices of bread, sprinkle an even layer of parmesan cheese and then sprinkle with dried Oregano and the garlic. It's a little more flavorful, but less cheesy.

J.R.

Favorite Egg Salad Sandwiches

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Igredients

4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 tspn Chili Powder, or 1 Tbsp Chili Sauce
1/2 tspn Salt
1/8 tspn Black Pepper
8 Hardcooked Eggs
1/4 cup chopped Green Pepper
1/4 cup chopped Celery
2 Tbsp finely chopped Onion
1 Tbsp minced fresh Parsley, or 1 tspn dried minced parsley
8 slices of Whole-Grain Bread, or wheat for those who aren't allergic to it
4 Lettuce leaves
4 slices of Tomato
Red Onion and Parsley for garnish.


Directions:

1) In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, mayonnaise, chili powder or sauce, salt and pepper together

2) In larger bowl, mix eggs, green pepper, celery, onion and parsley.

3) Mix cream cheese mixture and egg mixture together.

4) Add more Mayonnaise if you prefer it more creamy.

5) Layer lettuce, tomato and egg salad on sliced bread.

6) Garnish with red onion and parsley if you wish.

J.R.

Dec 31, 2008 Ensalada De Taco

Here's the first recipe of my new year. I actually made it on Dec 31st.

Taco Salad

1 lb. Hamburger
3 tsp. fresh minced Garlic
16 oz. jar Taco Sauce
15oz. can Dark Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed

Red onion slices
Green pepper, chopped
Lettuce, shredded
Tomato, chopped
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Sour Cream
Salsa & Chips
Mexican Rice (Uncle Ben's is best)

1.) Brown meat with garlic until done.
2.) Drain, add taco sauce and beans.
3.) Simmer on low for 10 min or until heated through.
4.) Serve over taco chips with chopped, fresh vegis and mexican rice on the side.


Es delicioso!!!!



J.R.

A Clean Slate

So..it's '09..

I guess I should list my resolutions for the year. Normally I never achieve my resolutions, but I'm hoping this year I'll learn self control. Self control over my eating, exercising and time management habits. I normally eat whatever I want, because I don't gain weight, but I have decided to stop! Being skinny doesn't make you healthy. Being skinny isn't a reason not to exercise.....being skinnt has nothing to do with my gross lack of time management. lol

So here's my list:

1. Pursue a healthy lifestyle.
   Through better eating and exercise.
   
2. Set academic goals.
   
3. Learn to manage my time better.
   
4. Finish several "unfinished" projects.

I've also decided to start posting a picture and the recipe every time I cook dinner. For two reasons. #1, sometimes I get bored and don't cook as healthy as I should.....if I post it for the world to see, It will have to be healthy and pretty. #2, People ask me for recipes all the time, and I always forget to email them. So now, I'll just tell them to visit my blog. Or if anyone else gets bored with the same old food, maybe I can occasionally give inspiration....it's better than flipping through a cooking magazing because you know for sure that it tastes good. I probably wouldn't post something that ended up being disgusting.

Speaking of yuck....don't buy the caramel apple spice drink from Starbucks..it's gross.

J.R.