It's Monday

and what am I reading?

This weekly recap is hosted by Shelia of One Persons Journey Through a World of Books. Each week we recap what we’ve read and look at what’s coming up this week. If you’re interested head over to Shelia’s site and get involved!




THIS........This is what I'm reading this week. 

And I only have till tomorrow to finish it!   I'm doing Sheila's  on-line bookclub "Word Shakers".  We have to have our posts up by October 6th.
I must get to reading....

500 Posts!

Yay!!  500 posts!  That's a lot.  I did not do a give-away, I did not interview any wonderful writer or chef to mark this occasion.
I could have interviewed all 50 of my "Friday"  Friends  (whom were the inspiration for the blog, but who all remain silent for reasons unknown), I could have talked about my wonderful, beautiful, brilliant grandchildren.

I could have done a lot of things for my 500th post, but I decided to do this:

I am linking to Beantown Baker's  3rd Annual 'The Power of Pink' challenge.  The challenge is to make something (edible) that is pink and then post about it and link back to her original post.  The link will take you there, so you can read about it and take up the challenge.  It's really pretty easy, and Jen is doing it to raise awareness of breast cancer.
October is national (in the United States) breast cancer awareness month, and Jen wanted you all to be aware!  What a great 500th post for me to have this chance to pass on that information to you.

It's a gift to me....and you...and your mothers, and your sisters, and your daughters and your friends.  Being aware of breast cancer and the great strides that are being made in diagnosis and prevention  and treatment.
Hopefully in my lifetime, a  cure will be found.

I do not always wear the pink ribbon.  I do not always give myself self examinations like I should, and sometimes I get annoyed that Campbell's soup turns itself pink,   (because I'm never sure if manufacturers truly buy into wanting to eradicate cancer or they know it's just politically correct to get on the band wagon) but I do share the fear and the hope and yearning of all women everywhere. The fear that breast cancer could strike anyone, anytime, anywhere.  The hope that it won't be me, nor anyone I know.  The Yearning that a cure will be found and no one will have to be afraid anymore.

Cancer's a scary thing.  We all know someone who has been affected by cancer.  It's a horrible disease.
Let's help to wipe it out!
Let's make something pink this month!

Last year in September,  the year I turned 50,  I walked with my sister-in-law in the Seattle area, for the Susan G. Komen  3day-60mile walk.  It was  one of the greatest experiences I've ever had.  If you ever have the chance, and  are so inclined to walk 20 miles a day for 3 days, I suggest you sign up.
Honestly, I had never been so inclined, but I wanted to mark my 50th birthday with something special.  It was amazing.

A few pictures of my 20 mile a day, for 3 days walk........
(I took 300 pictures over those 3 days, so I'll do a few a day all month long.  And remind you to make something pink and link to Beantown Baker  and help her get the message out.)

We stayed in a pink tent camp,  our luggage was trucked in, we had a boob camp and a tit stop, and a thousand walkers.   Great evenings in our camp...music, a wedding one-night (cancer survivors),  lots and lots of healthy food and encouragement.
Our team was the "Random Racks of kindness"

Cookbook Sunday and Potluck Sunday

Traditional Waldorf salad with blue cheese added makes a great filling for crisp celery sticks.

Today is Sunday and I'm linking these stuffed celery sticks to Cookbook Sundays at Brenda's Canadian Kitchen and  Potluck Sunday at Mommy's Kitchen.  As well, as adding it to a growing list in my own cookbook countdown.  (Just 200 more to go and this will be #35 in my countdown)

Stuffed celery isn't any grand find, or any "new" thing, but I am counting down my cookbooks, so I'm always looking for something ... dare I say it ... easy, in a cookbook (this isn't always the case, but I won't lie to you, it is in most cases for my cookbook countdown), and something that will serve a purpose.

My purpose this time was to find an appetizer to take to a party.  I found this "Waldorf, blue cheese" spread to stuff in celery.  It sounded good.  I like Waldorf salad.  No one in my family does, so I make it once a year just to get my fix.  Who wouldn't like  crispy apples and walnuts and raisins and celery?  Oh, and blue cheese?
Okay, so a lot of you wouldn't like that combination.  But I do.  So I made it.
I took spicy hot wings* and placed the stuffed celery around them.  My thought was they always serve blue cheese with buffalo wings--to cut the spice, I think, so I was going with the same theory.   My celery sticks just had an addition of apples and nuts, sans the raisins  (we put raisins in our Waldorf salad, do you?).
I think they were well liked, because all but 2 of them were eaten. I doubled the recipe so there were closer to 24 celery sticks.

Let me tell you about the party I took them to.  It was a wine tasting party.
This is how it goes: 
Everyone who is invited brings the same kind of wine and a dollar.  And then these wines are put in a wine bag, so you cannot see the label. 
Everyone brings an appetizer.  Thru-out the night, people mingle and visit and eat appetizers and "taste" every wine.  And then we vote.   The wine with the most votes gets to take home all the $1's.  It was about $22 or $24 this time.
It's all the same kind of wine, but it's really amazing how different the same kind can taste, given different  wine producers, different regions.
It was a fun evening.   Relaxing and nice.
And the Waldorf Celery Sticks from  the  2010 Taste of Home Annual Recipes, turned out just perfect.

Here it is:  Cookbook #35

*I must confess, I didn't make the spicy chicken wings...I opened a box.  Don't we all do that sometimes?


Waldorf Celery Sticks

1/2 cup finely chopped apple
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts
3 T. mayonnaise
2 T. crumbled blue cheese
12 celery ribs

In a bowl, combine the apples, walnuts, mayonnaise and blue cheese.  Spoon filling into celery ribs, a scant 2 T. in each.
Chill until served.

Tomorrow is my 500th post.  Or I should say my next post will be my 500th post.

Will my 500th post be about books or food? 

I'm very torn.  I feel as if it should be a special post, since I've failed in the "give-away" department.

I will have to give this some thought.

Oreo Cupcakes

Yesterday I had a day all to myself...it's been a long time since I've had one...and it will be a long time until I get one again.  It's my busy time at work.  So, since I had a day all to myself, I decided to make these Oreo Cupcakes I had found on  Beantown Baker.
(she has tons of cupcake recipes on her blog, so I plan on making more of her recipes soon.  They all look great)
Once I made them, I wasn't quite sure what to do with 24 cupcakes.  It's the Handyman and myself.  He would eat 2 or 3 and that meant there would be 22 left for me.  Not to say I couldn't eat 22 of these delicious cupcakes, but I didn't WANT to.
To rephrase ...I did WANT to, because they tasted great, but I knew I shouldn't eat 22 cupcakes.

So, I did what any self-respecting person who is trying to watch what they eat, but loves to cook would do.  I invited my grandson over.

He's making a significant dent in them.  Good thing too, because this is  a really good cupcake and I would have trouble resisting if they were left around.
I will let you get the official recipe over at  Beantown Baker since it's her's anyway.  I think that she uses a cookies and cream recipe--her original one, of course,  for the batter and adds Oreos.  The batter is very good.  And I know.  I ate spoonfuls of it.

My grandson and I were going to go on a long walk this morning, but he got distracted hunting deer in my backyard  (no we do not have deer in the backyard, but it kept him busy having fun for an hour or so).
Right after he came inside, (having seen a coyote, but not a deer)  he asked me,  "Gramma, were you ever young once?"  I started to answer  (seriously people are surprised to find out I'm 51, and I've always taken pride in that--looking a bit younger than I am), but then he said,  "oh of course you were, I just can't imagine it."

Fine.  He can imagine deer and coyote in the backyard, but not me young.   I just shoved another cupcake in his mouth.

October already

I've been missing in action for almost 2 weeks--wow--time goes by fast.  Every blog I've read this morning talks about fall and how fast it has gotten here, or where has September gone  (that one I do have to agree with, cuz it just sped by).
I  think that as we get older --not that I'm OLD, but I am 51, so that means I'm older than half the population in the United States--I think time seems to go faster.

As a young bride my grandma told me this story about how one day she was sitting enjoying a cup of coffee in her dining room.  They had great windows in their old home, huge, big, picture windows from both the dining room and the living room.  She was enjoying the view of the mountains out of her dining room window, when all of the sudden an old white-haired, stooped man came into her yard and started picking apples from her apple tree.
She was really annoyed at this old man....who could he be and what did he think he was doing, helping himself to her apples!   Then it dawned on her that it was my granddad, who had been out for a walk.  And she thought to herself,  "when did he get old?"   "Where did the time go?"

It will happen to all of us.....it goes fast.  Let's enjoy it.  With good food, good friends, family and lots of humor (we dont' want to end up as cranky old people, do we?).

I will be back later in the day with a food post.  Oreo Cupcakes.  I think they were a hit.

Early morning walk.....in the desert!

It's Monday

...and what am I reading?

This weekly recap is hosted by Shelia of One Persons Journey Through a World of Books. Each week we recap what we’ve read and look at what’s coming up this week. If you’re interested head over to Shelia’s site and get involved!


This past week.....
I just finished "Candy and Me" by Hilliary Liften.

I'm in the middle of  "The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott" which I am really enjoying.

But I got sidetracked by  "What to Read When" by Pam Allyn,  The books and stories to read with your child-and all the best times to read them.  

Who knew that reading a non-fiction book about reading to children could make me cry?  I  am just so passionate about reading to children and I get so emotional about  wanting my grandchildren to enjoy reading... I want to cuddle with them and read to them and I know that time is fleeting.  They will be growing fast and I don't know if I can get all the reading in I want to share with them....that is why I bought this book for my son and his wife.  So, they have a complete list of really good books  (altho, they are Ivy League graduates, I doubt they need my help for picking books for their children).   I bought this book for them... but by the time I give it to them it's going to be all bent pages and tear-stained and bookmarked, for things I thought were important.

I'm going to order 4 more books for all my sons and their families and keep this one for myself.

What to Read When is a celebration of storytelling, of new worlds to explore and the sense of endless possibility that parents and children can discover through books.


And I have my  "Lit-Wits" Bookclub this coming Thursday and I must read  "A Year on Ladybug Farm" by then.  I haven't started it yet.

Cookbook Sundays/Potluck Sunday--fried chicken

I guess I get a little obsessed sometimes.  For instance, take the case of my granddaughter's lost piggy.  (this will become  more relevant to you if you read my posts 2 before this one and my next post) 

Last Christmas I bought she and her twin brother, a  "jack-in-the-box" wolf and 3 little stuffed pigs, and many--maybe 5--different versions/books of the Fairy Tale "The Three Little Pigs".    I bought the same "themed"  gift my my other baby granddaugther too.  (and their older cousins in previous Holiday seasons)   Eli, Emerson and Cassandra---pictured here, because they are so darned cute. 

Even today, if I come across a new version of the Three Little Pigs, I will grab it.  But for some reason they don't sell the particular pig we need anymore.

More on that tomorrow.

 I believe in comparing similar items or good things.  And I believe in "one can never have enough of a good thing"---hence the reason I have so many cookbooks and am joining in on challenges like Potluck Sunday and  Cookbook Sundays--and I believe in "if one is good, more is better"  (But only in certain things... as I am not a collector.  Unless you consider skeleton keys.     

 And clocks.  I do have 12 clocks in my living room.  Only 1 chimes and none cuckoo )

I think "versions"  of the same thing are really interesting tho, so I am inclined to get a bit obsessive when it comes to cookbooks showcasing different interpretations of the same dish. 
And---please stick with me----this really is leading up to my cookbook entry for Cookbook Sundays and Potluck Sunday:  I have this cookbook called The World's Best Fried Chicken Recipes! It is the ultimate in comparing a good thing.

The World!  The whole wide world. This book lets me compare and contrast fried chicken dishes from the whole world.   One can never have enough fried chicken!! And to be able to compare how it's made in Milan compared to Memphis or Bangkok to Buffalo, is just the kind of thing I love.   (just you wait...I also have  "The Whole World Loves Chicken Soup"  and "50 states-50 bowls of chili--they'll be coming up one week soon)

Rarely tho, do we fry up a chicken anymore.  What used to be a Sunday dinner norm, is now the exception because we are all very well aware of  the health benefits of staying away from fried food.  It's a shame tho... because fried food is so good, as are all the chicken recipes in this cookbook by Damon Lee Fowler.

I ended up making 2 recipes from this cookbook.  One could not have Almond chicken cutlets without having Quick Apricot Sauce to dip them into.  One just couldn't.


Good things about this recipe:   We all liked it.  It had a very Asian flair.  It was crispy on the outside, but tender and juicy on the inside and the sauce was great tasting.
Bad things about this recipe:  I made it on a work-day night and it was a bit time consuming.  Not hard to make at all, just a lot of steps and a lot of separate dishes had to be used.  I cooked it on a bit too hot heat and it looks very well done, but it really wasn't.   I would make this again, but on a weekend or a day I wasn't working.

Quick Apricot Sauce

2/3 cup apricot preserves

1 Tbs fresh grated ginger

1 Tbs soy sauce

1 Tbs light brown sugar

1 Tbs rice vinegar

1 clove garlic-minced

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Put everything except the sesame oil into a small non-reactive saucepan and stir until smooth.  Over low heat bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat and let the sauce come to room temp then add the sesame oil. Let stand an hour to let flavors meld.

Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Almond Chicken Cutlets

4 boneless chicken cutlets

1 Tbs sweet rice wine

1 Tbs soy sauce

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 large egg--slightly beaten

3/4  cup Chinese dry bread crumbs ( I used  Panko)

3/4 cup sliced almonds

salt

peanut oil for frying

lettuce leaves

Wash the chicken breasts and pt dry.  In a large non-reactive bowl, toss the chicken with the wine and soy sauce until the chicken is coated.  Set aside to marinate for  30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Place the flour in a  pie pan. Slightly beat the egg in a separate pie pan.  Combine the bread crumbs, sliced almonds and healthy pinch of salt in a third pie pan.

Lift the chicken cutlets out of their marinade, one at a time, letting the excess flow back into the bowl. Roll the cutlet lightly in the flour, dip it into the egg until it is coated, then roll the cutlet in the crumb mixture, patting the crumbs and almonds into all sides.  Lay the chicken on a clean plate and repeat with all the cutlets.  Set aside for 15 minutes.

Fit a wire  cooling rack on a cookie sheet and set aside.  Fill a large cast-iron skillet with enough oil to come halfway up the sides.  Over medium high heat, bring the oil to 375 degrees (hot but not smoking) Add enough cutlets to fill the pan without crowding. Fry until bottoms are golden brown, 2-3 minutes.  Turn and continue frying 2-3 minutes more.  Set the cooked cutlets on the rack on cookie sheet until all are done.

Slice the cutlets crosswise on the diagonal and set on lettuce leaves.

Serve with sauce.

I am linking this post to my own Cookbook Countdown  (this will be cookbook #34)  as well as  Cookbook Sundays and Potluck Sundays.

Both great sites to visit!