Olives-Heart Healthy Friends

I just wrote a new post about one of my favorite foods! Olives.

24 Boxes

I found this site, 24 Boxes through Blogger, very cool blog with great recipes and photos, the blogger is eating her way through her boxes of local vegetables. Very interesting concept.

Writing Nag and Live Holistically

I haven't posted here in awhile, because I'm blogging almost daily at my writing blog. Stop by and visit me here or visit me where I write about healthy eating with some other great bloggers.

Seven Random Things

I have been tagged by Lauri.

1. Since I can remember I've had an irrational fear of sea turtles.

2. I love pumpkins, the smell, the taste, the look, pumpkin products, everything about them and I've been growing them in my garden...lots of different varieties for the last seven years.

3. I have a Victorian mourning coat in my closet with a red wine colored silk lining. It's too small to fit me but I love it.

4. When I was younger I entertained my mom as she did dishes by standing on a kitchen chair and singing Irish ballads to her that I made up.

5. Athough I love being alone, I'm afraid of dying alone.

6. I think poets are the most underrated writers in the world.

7. I don't know seven other bloggers that I can tag.




Each blogger should list 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to then report this on their own blog with their 7 random facts as well as these rules. They then need to tag 7 others and list their names on their blog. They are also asked to leave a comment for each of the tagged, letting them know they have been tagged and to read the blog.

Kate Nash -Foundations

for anyone who has held on to a bad relationship.

Italian Cooking

My column is now online, many more recipes to follow!

Congrats Ron!

My very talented writer friend Ron Cree had his book signing at Poor Richard's last night. I snuck into the picture. Great young adult summer read!

Ron read us a chapter that got cut from his book, Desert Blood, and it was very interesting to hear about his start from beginning writer to his successful publication. I look forward to hearing more from Ron.

Dinner with the Sopranos

I'm sad to see the Sopranos go for many reasons... it was a good series, well written, directed and acted and our Sunday Soprano Dinners are over. Not that we can't continue our Sunday tradition of eating Italian but it was fun to think of menus that would work well with our theme. For the finale we decided on:

Herb Crusted Grilled Pork Loin
Creamy Polenta with Sigillo di Garanzia
Sauteed Garden Spinach with Garlic
Quick Marinara Sauce


I'm still not sure what I think about the finale, but the dinner was fantastic.

More Ephemera!!

Ephemera for $1.99
I was excited this morning to find that one of my favorite sites had redone their website and opened their vintage market.


they also have a poetry portal where I just happened to win 2nd place for my poem, Relics.

Book in a Week!

Since I've joined Book in a Week, I've really stepped up my word count per day and I'm seeing real progress as a writer.Sometimes it just takes a measure of accountability to make your goals.

Interview at Book in a Week.

Eggs Bennie

Sunday on the patio...Eggs Benedict with fresh asparagus and summer berries

More Self Help? I need a day off.

I'm sitting here with an unexpected day off and instead of feeling great I'm feeling overwhelmed. There's so much to do where do I start, work on my manuscript, finish my articles for my new website, work on my new company or the books for my other company or figure out why The Secret's not working for me...that and the stack of self help books that are threatening to take over my shelf And then Artella brings me grace in their daily Link Latte.

Freedom.




I love it, I need a day off... enough's enough. I can't relax on the beach because I don't have Secrets of the Millionaire Mind memorized, my vacation isn't complete without three self help books tagging along. I watch tv to relax while reading Jump Start Your Brain and Writing the Breakout Novel... I need to be better, thinner,richer,funnier...make more money, be more successful, influence more people, write a breakout novel or an amazing screenplay all while I am running an award winning restaurant and franchising the concept that will make us millions....

I might celebrate the day and then take the rest of the month off. Thanks Jennifer Louden!

Lemon and Thyme Risotto

Last night I made a simple risotto for dinner, that was so comforting and easy to make. I notice I tend to make polenta and risotto when I'm feeling overwhelmed with life. Stirring the pot and paying attention to one task slows me down so I can focus on what's important and what's not. Adapted From Viva Italia! cookbook. Not low fat. Very good. Sometimes that's ok.

Serves 3

1/2 stick butter
3 shallots finely chopped
white wine
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 1/4 cup arborio rice
3 cups approx. veggie stock
1/2 TBSP chopped fresh thyme
2 oz parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 cup frozen peas
salt, pepper, nutmeg

Risotto is not hard to make it just takes practice.
1. Melt half of the butter and cook the shallots in the butter until soft. Add about 1 cup of white wine, and half of the lemon zest. Boil until wine is reduced and pan appears almost empty of liquid.
2. Pour in the rice and coat each piece with butter and shallots. Add hot stock and keep adding stock as each ladleful is absorbed. It should take approx. 20-30 minutes do not rush it. Rice should be tender and creamy but the grains will still be firm.
3. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, remaining butter, thyme, lemon juice and parmesan.
4. Add peas and cover the pan. Let the risotto rest for a few minutes until the peas are heated through.
5. Serve as is or as an accompaniment with grilled meat or veggies.

More Snow in Colorado

After thoroughly enjoying spring and the beginnings of the garden...we were hit with a late winter storm. I hope the seedlings survive. The apple blossoms are covered in ice and they still look beautiful.

Chives

Springtime and the very first gift of the garden is chives.

Chicken breasts in chive cream
Baked potatoes with sour cream and chives
Chive Oil on just about everything
Gnocchi with chive butter
Chive Dumplings
Goat Cheese and Chives
Smoked Salmon on dark bread with farmer's cheese and chives


The sweet leaf is always the first to push through the snow and remind us that in a few short months the herb garden will be back in bloom. Two years ago I put in some garlic chives too, a very different taste with beautiful white flowers. The chive plant also had beautiful lavendar flowers and can be grown quite successfully in a sunny window year round.

Shrimp with Soy, Garlic, Ginger, and Lemon

Another favorite from one of my favorite cookbooks..The Frog Commissary Cookbook-this book was published in 1985 but it's one I find myself recommending over and over again. The authors were working chefs and caterers when published and so the recipes work, unlike many cookbooks also published in the '80's from "celebrity chefs".
Although there aren't any photo's the illustrations are wonderful and the recipes are unique. The commissary carrot cake recipe alone is definately worth the price of the book.

A simple marinade of soy, fresh ginger, lemon juice, garlic, pepper and sherry becomes the sauce when mixed with water and thickened with cornstarch. Shrimp only take about 1 hour to marinate.

Saute the marinated shrimp with more garlic and ginger and fresh red pepper strips, I also add bean sprouts and sugar snap peas. Then add the marinade back to the pan and let cook for 1 minute. Add fresh watercress at the last moment. Spinach works too. Served over brown rice or rice noodles, this is fast, fresh and really simple.

Banana Pecan Muffins

I am a sucker for buying bananas anytime they are on sale, and then they sit on the counter looking pretty for about a week until I then throw them out. After doing a search for quick banana muffins I came up with this recipe from Cat can cook.I only had 2 bananas so I halved the recipe and it turned out great. I added a 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon and about the same of vanilla and added pecans. They took about 5 minutes to make and 20 minutes to bake. Since I'm not a huge baking fan, this one was simple enough even for me. Thanks Cat!

Celebrating An Early Spring

Fresh Grilled Halibut with tarragon butter
Steamed Asparagus
New Potatoes with chives

Now that almost all produce is available year round, we can get spoiled and forget to eat seasonally. Asparagus is one vegetable that I chose not to eat except in the spring. Tender, young shoots replace the woody stalks of winter asparagus and with 70 degree weather in Colorado yesterday, it really felt like spring. This time of year the garden seems to wake up and although traditionally there will be another freeze, it's almost time to plant sweet peas (flowers) and sweet peas (vegetable). One of my favorite ways to eat asparagus is simply grilled with olive oil or oven roasted with sweet butter.

Wow it's March!

I missed the whole month of February and haven't done much in the way of cooking; it's hard to feel creative in the kitchen when most of the food I want to eat is too high in calories, too high in fat and usually doesn't fit in to the rest of my healthy eating plan. In March I'm going to try to find a happy medium, good food that's fairly healthy, I've been looking at lots of different cookbooks and magazines for ideas. I just got Tasty by Roy Finamore; its subtitle is Get Great Food On The Table Every Day. I'm going to try for 3 days this week...what was I thinking with 5 days! I think I set myself up for failure.

Brown rice and veggies

I'm surprised to see that its been 8 days since my last blog entry. I have been eating really boring foods like brown rice and steamed veggies and writing a lot. I started my chick lit book that has been milling around in my head for years and I'm very excited about it. I intend to have it finished by the end of the summer. Because the character is a former celebrity chef, I will be working out some new recipes and blogging about them.