This is Dan Guilliaume, my new desk friend.
September 28, 2006
my new friend
Got this ad in the mail. It's advertising Lynnwood Convention Center.
This is Dan Guilliaume, my new desk friend.
This is Dan Guilliaume, my new desk friend.
September 26, 2006
Green Bean Salad
I made this the other day, added feta cheese, and I think it would be great with hard boiled egg as well. It's really yummy!
Green Bean Salad, by Ellie Krieger of the Food Network
Makes four servings (one serving is ½ cup)
INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
• 2 teaspoons walnut oil (or olive oil)
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• Salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of water with a steamer basket to a boil, add green beans and steam for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl. Toast the walnuts in a small dry skillet over a medium heat until they become fragrant, about 2 minutes, and then transfer them to a small bowl. Add the parsley and onion to the walnuts and stir to combine. In another small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar and mustard. Toss the dressing with the green beans, top with the walnut mixture and season with salt and pepper.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Green Bean Salad, by Ellie Krieger of the Food Network
Makes four servings (one serving is ½ cup)
INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
• 2 teaspoons walnut oil (or olive oil)
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• Salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of water with a steamer basket to a boil, add green beans and steam for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl. Toast the walnuts in a small dry skillet over a medium heat until they become fragrant, about 2 minutes, and then transfer them to a small bowl. Add the parsley and onion to the walnuts and stir to combine. In another small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar and mustard. Toss the dressing with the green beans, top with the walnut mixture and season with salt and pepper.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
September 23, 2006
Spank your pita
There was a function at work recently, with a catered lunch. I snagged a couple little triangles of something that looked kinda good. Phyllo crust with something inside. I ate this little treasure, and wished I'd grabbed about 6 more! Was so good I felt I could live off it (and probably die eating it!). A few days went by and I couldn't forget it, and wanted to know what it was so i could make and eat more. I went to the book store to find the cookbook our caterer had written. I had recognized spinach in it, so looked through the Spinach & S recipes. Turns out what I'd tasted was Spanikopita.
Kevin and I nicknamed it spank your pita, as we didn't have a good idea exactly how to pronounce it, and when we said spank your pita we both knew what we meant. (Check here for proper pronunciation.)
Spanikopita, by Karen Schultz
Crust:
6 TBSP margarine, melted
9 sheets phyllo dough, cut in half (short side)
Filling:
1 TBSP margarine
1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 c onion, chopped
1/4 c freen onion, thinly sliced
4 oz feta cheese
1 c monteray jack cheese, shredded
1 lg egg, beaten
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
In a skillet, melt margarine. Add spinach & onions. Saute 4 minutes. Let cool slightly. Combine other filling ingredients & add to spinach mixture.
Place one half sheet of phyllo on bottom of a greased 8x8 pan. Brush lightly with melted margarine. Layder with phyllo and margarine until 9 layers deep. Fold over excess on edges onto itself. Cover 9th layer with spinach. Layer phyllo & margarine until 9 more layers. Cut through all layers into squares/triangles, whatever smaller shape you want.
Bake 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
I made some last weekend. Not quite as good as hers, but definately yummy. I think I had too much margarine, as it seemed pretty oily. Plus the layers of phyllo were a bit "soggy" from the margarine. Still quite tasty though.
Kevin and I nicknamed it spank your pita, as we didn't have a good idea exactly how to pronounce it, and when we said spank your pita we both knew what we meant. (Check here for proper pronunciation.)
Spanikopita, by Karen Schultz
Crust:
6 TBSP margarine, melted
9 sheets phyllo dough, cut in half (short side)
Filling:
1 TBSP margarine
1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 c onion, chopped
1/4 c freen onion, thinly sliced
4 oz feta cheese
1 c monteray jack cheese, shredded
1 lg egg, beaten
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
In a skillet, melt margarine. Add spinach & onions. Saute 4 minutes. Let cool slightly. Combine other filling ingredients & add to spinach mixture.
Place one half sheet of phyllo on bottom of a greased 8x8 pan. Brush lightly with melted margarine. Layder with phyllo and margarine until 9 layers deep. Fold over excess on edges onto itself. Cover 9th layer with spinach. Layer phyllo & margarine until 9 more layers. Cut through all layers into squares/triangles, whatever smaller shape you want.
Bake 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
I made some last weekend. Not quite as good as hers, but definately yummy. I think I had too much margarine, as it seemed pretty oily. Plus the layers of phyllo were a bit "soggy" from the margarine. Still quite tasty though.
September 22, 2006
Totally rockin
Me, last Friday night: hearing about Aaron Shust & Bebo Norman concert coming to the area in two weeks, I got a little excited and hopeful that I could go. I found that tickets are $15.50 in advance. I realized I'd have a hard time convincing husband we needed to go. Plus would take a bit of convincing for both of us that $31+ for a few hours music was a good deal. I love concerts, but have a hard time forking out too much money for them (though Jim Brickman & Mannheim Steamroller (twice!) in concert were awesome!)
So, at that point, decided to kinda forget it and not want to go.
Thursday morning, at work: Email comes around from coworker who is manager of local branch of Positive Life Radio. He's going to be out of town when concert comes to town and needs someone to drive their station van to the concert, take FREE tickets and enjoy concert, drive van back to work. As soon as I read that, I jumped all over it. Told husband we needed to go, ran down the hall and told coworker I wanted to drive station van. So now, we're headed to a concert, free to us! We even can hand out radio station stuff and crank up the big speakers in the van and definately let people know we're there.
I looked it up, and found that the concert's at a church! Now for those who haven't been to musical concerts with bands/individual singers, churches totally rock for concerts. Mainly because they are not like a big concert hall/arena that you're way back in the nosebleed section and you never really get to see the group/singer. I happened to hit a Third Day concert 5 years ago at a church. Somehow our tickets we were to get at will call weren't there, and they didn't have any for us, and it was a big problem. Somehow after waiting for awhile and fearing we wouldn't get in, we got front floor seats. Yes, front floor. We sat on the floor in the very front, and Third Day guys were within 6 feet of me! Definately makes them real when they're right in front playing the music you know. Totally rocked!
Hooray for coworkers who are radio station managers with free tickets, for great musicians, and definately for an awesome God who works cool things out for me every so often to remind me how great He is!
So, at that point, decided to kinda forget it and not want to go.
Thursday morning, at work: Email comes around from coworker who is manager of local branch of Positive Life Radio. He's going to be out of town when concert comes to town and needs someone to drive their station van to the concert, take FREE tickets and enjoy concert, drive van back to work. As soon as I read that, I jumped all over it. Told husband we needed to go, ran down the hall and told coworker I wanted to drive station van. So now, we're headed to a concert, free to us! We even can hand out radio station stuff and crank up the big speakers in the van and definately let people know we're there.
I looked it up, and found that the concert's at a church! Now for those who haven't been to musical concerts with bands/individual singers, churches totally rock for concerts. Mainly because they are not like a big concert hall/arena that you're way back in the nosebleed section and you never really get to see the group/singer. I happened to hit a Third Day concert 5 years ago at a church. Somehow our tickets we were to get at will call weren't there, and they didn't have any for us, and it was a big problem. Somehow after waiting for awhile and fearing we wouldn't get in, we got front floor seats. Yes, front floor. We sat on the floor in the very front, and Third Day guys were within 6 feet of me! Definately makes them real when they're right in front playing the music you know. Totally rocked!
Hooray for coworkers who are radio station managers with free tickets, for great musicians, and definately for an awesome God who works cool things out for me every so often to remind me how great He is!
September 16, 2006
más música por favor
I used to listen to music almost all the time. As I got ready in the mornings, as soon as I walked into my room/house, as I drove around, as I studied, etc. My friends and I used to rock out to the same songs over and over; knowing by heart what song numbers on each disc. I loved music, and I loved hearing awesome songs that gave me goosebumps or made me want to cry, or made me want to jump around. I loved the emotions music could convey. Sometimes it put me in a better mood, sometimes I ended up in a contemplative mood, sometimes I felt such love and happiness. Many a time I can remember feeling the rush that a great song gave me.
Somewhere along the lines I stopped listening to music. I am not sure when or why that happened. I just didn't really listen to music anymore. Every so often I'd listen to talk radio - Dr. Laura Schlessinger specifically. I'd maybe listen to that a few hours a day. For awhile I found myself not even listening to to anything at all. A lot of time with my own thoughts or silence...
Lately I've realized how I really miss music and the strength and positivity it gave me. So I've been trying to listen to music more lately, mostly christian music, and I've found those awesome songs again that make me realize life's about so much more than I'm giving it. Some new favorites - My Jesus by Todd Agnew, My Savior My God by Aaron Shust, Holy is the Lord by Chris Tomlin, and an old favorite, Rest by Skillet. Good good stuff.
I've found it's usually good to go back to what you truly love. You may end up in a far better place once again.
Somewhere along the lines I stopped listening to music. I am not sure when or why that happened. I just didn't really listen to music anymore. Every so often I'd listen to talk radio - Dr. Laura Schlessinger specifically. I'd maybe listen to that a few hours a day. For awhile I found myself not even listening to to anything at all. A lot of time with my own thoughts or silence...
Lately I've realized how I really miss music and the strength and positivity it gave me. So I've been trying to listen to music more lately, mostly christian music, and I've found those awesome songs again that make me realize life's about so much more than I'm giving it. Some new favorites - My Jesus by Todd Agnew, My Savior My God by Aaron Shust, Holy is the Lord by Chris Tomlin, and an old favorite, Rest by Skillet. Good good stuff.
I've found it's usually good to go back to what you truly love. You may end up in a far better place once again.
September 11, 2006
help!
Please let me know if I ever get to sounding stupid, as in people tell me something and we discuss it and within less than 5 minutes I'm repeating something back to you, something totally different, that you DID NOT say. All the while acting like that's what you just told me.
Do they not realize that makes them seem dumb when it appears they totally didn't hear what you just told them. Do you really think that's what I just said? Beacuse IT'S NOT!
Or is it that they really don't hear that well and info doesn't click in their brain. Because if that's the case, how on earth have you made it this far? Who's got their head on wrong to put you in a power position when you can't accurately relay info?
Do they not realize that makes them seem dumb when it appears they totally didn't hear what you just told them. Do you really think that's what I just said? Beacuse IT'S NOT!
Or is it that they really don't hear that well and info doesn't click in their brain. Because if that's the case, how on earth have you made it this far? Who's got their head on wrong to put you in a power position when you can't accurately relay info?
September 9, 2006
September 6, 2006
Tomato tortellini soup
I found this recipe in the June Better Homes & Gardens. It was submitted by a reader. We tried this last week and really enjoyed it.
Tomato tortellini soup
2 14oz cans reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 9oz pkg refrigerated tortellini
4 oz cream cheese spread with chive and onion
1 10 3/4 - 11oz can condensed tomato or tomato bisque soup
Snipped fresh chives (optional)
In saucepan bring broth to boiling. Add tortellini; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. In a bowl whisk 1/3 c of the hot broth into the cream cheese until smooth. Return all to saucepan along with tomato soup. Heat through. Sprinkle with chives before serving.
Makes 4 servings.
I did frozen tortellini, twice the amount suggested, cooked it separately, then added it in. Also used plain cream cheese, added my own fresh chives and onion, plus some red pepper. Made it even better!
Tomato tortellini soup
2 14oz cans reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 9oz pkg refrigerated tortellini
4 oz cream cheese spread with chive and onion
1 10 3/4 - 11oz can condensed tomato or tomato bisque soup
Snipped fresh chives (optional)
In saucepan bring broth to boiling. Add tortellini; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. In a bowl whisk 1/3 c of the hot broth into the cream cheese until smooth. Return all to saucepan along with tomato soup. Heat through. Sprinkle with chives before serving.
Makes 4 servings.
I did frozen tortellini, twice the amount suggested, cooked it separately, then added it in. Also used plain cream cheese, added my own fresh chives and onion, plus some red pepper. Made it even better!