East Valley Life

Belated Christmas Present - An All American 921 Pressure Canner

2012-01-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

After tons of research and opinions from message boards, I took the plunge and purchased a pressure canner with my Amazon gift cards and some cash I received for Christmas. This should give me lots of blogging topics in the future.

The pressure canner I thought I'd get - the All American 915

The pressure canner I ended up buying- the all American 921

Not that much more money but it can hold more pint jars in one canning session.

January 2012 Garden Update

2012-01-03T11:04:00.001-07:00

Yes, I am a slacker blogger! Sorry!

The garden did fabulous this winter. We changed a few things that we have done in the past and learned some things about the new microclimate in our yard.

First off, we decided to keep the screen porch mostly free of plants this winter. It's usually cramped with salad greens, herbs, aloe vera and what ever else we are trying to save from the frost. This winter we only kept the parsley on the porch and that was mainly for easy access while cooking.

We knew we had to go bigger this year with our garden of salad greens so DH added a 2x8 bed that we made into a mini greenhouse. using tomato cages topped with chicken wire, we built what DH affectionately called his "ghetto greenhouse." It was covered with a large plastic paint tarp from Ace Hardware. During the bone chilling (for us desert dwellers anyway) and very wet 3 week winter (LOL!)- the garden stayed warm and the greens thrived. We had several varieties of lettuce, swiss chard and broccoli.

The Ghetto Green House

Inside the Ghetto Green House

We also used the paint tarps to keep out potted herbs out of the frost. We pushed out outdoor tables together and tented them with the plastic tarps. A few bricks held the plastic down in the wind. All the potted plants stayed under the tables during the cold snap.

Last year my neighbors on either side of me replaced the old wooden fencing with new brick walls. Since then the frost warnings have meant nothing to us. When the low temp is supposed to be in the mid 40's - I have a birdbath full of ice. We've had to be extra careful this winter to make sure everything was protected.

We try and reuse and repurpose what we can. I saved some plastic containters from the trash at work. They are fairly large clear containers that caterers use to bring ice to the office during parties/meetings. They are very durable and as soon as I saw them I thought they would make terrific hot caps. We tried them out on some containers I found on clearence at Kmart (Main and Lindsey in Mesa, I love that place!). We are growing brocolli raab and so far - so good. DH and I both see lots of recipes in cookbooks that use brocolli raab but we couldn't even find it in stores. I've since learned that Sprouts carries it ($2.99 per lb -not!).

Brocolli raab with our repurposed hot cap!

The front garden was awesome on it's trial run and we will certainly be keeping it up. I was running around like crazy picking peppers and tomatoes before the frost and all for no reason at all. Although the lantana was killed last year by the frost - it did not touch anything it the front garden this winter. In fact- I still have flowers on the tomatoes. I'm going to let the current plants stay, just to see how they produce for a second season. Trial and error!

Peppers and tomatoes picked before the first frost. We let them ripen indoors. We had a few problems with hungry little birds when we let the peppers ripen on the vine so either way they would have been harvested early. They tasted great!

112 Degrees in the Shade

2011-08-03T15:01:00.001-07:00

Ugh! It is going to get up to 112 degrees today and I am outside tending to the chickens and the solar oven. God Bless the person who invented the portable mister system that Ace Hardware sold me, I think I would be passed out right now without it.

The good news is that despite this unbearable heat, the chickens and the gardens are doing quite well.

Our youngest hens are now 25 weeks old and they are all laying several eggs a week in various hues. We had a over 5 dozen eggs in July. Considering the hot days, that's not too shabby. We had enough eggs that we were able to share them with friends and our (oh so understanding!) neighbors. Not once have they complained about the "hen party" in the backyard when things get a bit noisy.

Lucy soaking her feet. Or is it Molly?

Lots of eggs!
Our front garden has really worked out beautifully. Over the winter we lost the Lantana to a bad frost so we tore it out and replaced the flowers with a vegetable garden. This turned out to be a fabulous idea. The area is shaded until the afternoon and the plants are doing much better that the backyard veggie garden.

In the front garden we have several Better Boy and Early Girl tomatoes which are still producing. The Sweet 100 tomatoes were very tiny but make perfect chicken snacks. We have a single zucchini plant which, as anyone who has grown zucchini can tell you, yields more than enough zucchini for 2 people.

The backyard gardens contain some heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons. Not much to say here as we have more crabgrass than garden at this point. On a lark I threw in some seeds from and Armenian cucumber that I purchased at Lee Lee's. I completely forgot about them until the big monsoon in July uncovered this. . .

I have no idea how long it had been growning under the grass and weeds but boy was it delicious. From now on I am only planting these babies.

More good news - the bell pepper curse is finally broken. My inability to grow peppers is legendary in my family and it's quite funny since I can manage to grow just about anything else. This season I finally was able to grow 2 red bell peppers in the front garden. Believe me, they are nothing to brag about and certainly wouldn't win any prizes at the county fair. Heck, they were barely big enough to add to a single dinner salad. Still, just the fact that I was able to keep the pepper plants alive and harvest a vegetable that could be clearly identified as a pepper - that is HUGE for me and I owe it all to chicken poo water.

Yes, I said chicken poo water. It smells and looks just as disgusting as it sounds but the plants love it. You see, it is so hot here in the east valley that chickens find it very difficult to cool off. Heat related deaths of backyard hens are quite common here. Thanks to the folks at Valley Permaculture Alliance and the people on the Arizona board over at BackyardChickens.com I have learned about different ideas to make life more comfortable for my girls. One way is to provide the hens with a shallow pan of water to wade in and cool off. They love it! HuzBen refers to the pans (actually cat litter pans) as the Hen Spas.

Now about the part where the "poo" comes in. Chickens are not unlike small children and won't get out of the pool to do their "business." By the end of the day the pan of water is less foot bath and substantially more chicken toilet. But - when life gives you lemons. . . or in this case, chicken poo water. . . use it to your advantage. It's free liquid fertilizer and it's fabulous. (But OMG - the smell, yuck!)

Time to go and get the bread out of the solar oven - see you soon!

2011-06-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

I was trying to get a nice photo of our cherry tomatoes for an entry on the front garden. Then Danica showed up. Our little leggy supermodel.

Is his mafia name Benji Bag O' Bay Leaves?

2011-06-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

Ben and what's left of the bay leaves. . .

HuzBen was up early this morning making brine for a pork loin. When I see him putting the brine together I always yell, "Use lots of bay leaves!" Not that I have a special fondness for bay leaves, I don't. It's because I have no concept of weight and I purchased a 1 lb bag of bay leaves awhile back from the San Francisco Herb Co.

Imagine my shock when a giant bag the size of a couch pillow showed up with the rest of my order. "Good grief" I thought- "what IS this?" It was a lifetime supply of bay leaves - for my whole neighborhood! We started portioning out the contents into smaller bags and giving bay leaves away to friends and family like they were an end summer, over abundance of zucchini. We started leaving bay leaves as tips in restaurants and we opened up a bay leaf and lemonade stand in front of of our house. Okay, it didn't quite get that far - but almost.

So, if you're in the neighborhood and find youself with a lack a bay leaves, call me. And if you drop by to borrow a cup of sugar, you must take a bag of bay leaves too!

Grilled Zucchini

2011-05-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

Today's harvest from the garden, sitting in my new grilling basket from Sur La Table at Casa Paloma in Chandler.

Ben will be grilling our first zucchini of the season today. Lucky for us, we still have some oranges to use for the zuccini marinade this afternoon. These (behind the zuccini in the photo) are Arizona Sweets from the neighbor's tree. They keep for weeks as long as you put them in a cool spot.

To make Ben's grilled zuccini- First, slice the zucchini lengthwise into 1/2 to 3/4 inch planks or rounds. Squeeze some OJ on the slices and let them sit for about a half hour to absorb the flavor. Right before grilling, spray the squash with a litle mist of EVOO and sprinkle them with garlic salt. Toss the slices on a very hot grill until grill marks appear, flip and cook for a few seconds on the other side.

Check out the varegated purple sage we grow in the herb garden. It almost looks too pretty to chop up and use in a recipe.

A Good Week

2011-05-23T11:09:00.001-07:00

Today's yield - tomatoes, oregano, lavender and eggs

The weather has been fabulous for the last week and a half - mostly in the 80's. This has made the hens very happy and the older girls are laying again. Even little Camilla gave us an egg yesterday, her first since late March.

The Early Girl and Better Boy tomatoes in the front garden are yielding about 2-3 tomatoes a day for us. The pepper plants are growing well and setting flowers, but that's it. Not a pepper in sight. There is one large zucchini that Ben will probably pick next weekend. He loves to marinate them briefly in fresh orange juice and sprinkle them with garlic salt before throwing them on the grill.

The cooler weather has stopped the herbs from bolting and going to seed but we were not so lucky with the lettuce. Lucky for us the chickens don't mind bitter end of season lettuce.

The newest additions to the flock are now 15 weeks old. They are still several weeks away from laying eggs but they are showing interest in the nesting boxes so that's a good sign.

Lucy, Molly, Piccata and Speckle

Speckle - our Delaware Hen

First Tomato of the Summer

2011-05-14T07:46:00.003-07:00

Our first red and ripe tomato of the season. On the vine yesterday, on my plate today.

Penzeys and British Gourmet Update

2011-05-07T10:36:00.003-07:00

*** May 2011 Update - I am getting lots of hits on an old entry for Penzeys and British Gourmet so I thought I'd post an update. Penzeys has relocated to Tempe Marketplace. The store is fabulous and they are planning a location in the west valley as well. Sadly - British Gourmet has closed.***

Two of my favorite food related shops are located just about a mile apart along Hayden Road in Scottsdale. British Gourmet is on the south west corner of Hayden and Thomas. They carry all sorts of food items that are difficult to find outside of the UK. HuzBen is a big fish and chips eater and loves the malt vinegar they stock. I usually treat myself to a bottle of black currant flavored soda. They carry many more British food items than CostPlus, as well as candy, beauty products, soap, teas, and baking supplies. British Gourmet has a small freezer section when you can also pick up things like steak and kidney pie.

Half a block north of British Gourmet is Penzeys Spices. I ordered their products online and I was thrilled when they decided to open a store front in Scottsdale. They only sell the highest quality spices and spice blends. Products come in various sizes so you can buy a small shaker of something you want to try out, or you can purchase a larger quantity in a cellophane bag if you want to refill a bottle you purchased previously. (The "green" way to go!) Penzeys also sells empty bottles so you can experiment with blending your own spices and herbs.

April Garden Update

2011-04-12T10:26:00.018-07:00

This year we decided to expand our veggie garden to the front yard. The big frost killed nearly everything so instead of cutting back we decided to rip out and replant. This year we have over 20 tomato plants, a mix of hybrids and heirloom varieties. I'm trying squash again since we had such a big crop last year. I even planted celery this year so it will be fun to see how that works out.
We have our big lettuce crop and tons of herbs for cooking too. As usual the plants that grow the biggest and the fastest are the weeds!

This is one of the tomatoes in the front of the house where the lantana had been for about 5 years. The lanata looked awful after the big frost and we decided it was time for it to go. Due to the lack of hours in direct sunshine- the lantana never bloomed much so it was just a big ugly bush. No great loss when we ripped it out. Like my neighbor proved last year, the tomatoes seem to like the front yard. We did minimal soil amending yet these tomatoes are doing much better than the plants in the main beds in the back yard. They get less direct sunlight here so maybe that's helping. There are peppers a few feet away and they seem to be growing very well too - a shock because I've always had a black thumb when it comes to growing any sort of pepper. I am the only gardener in Arizona who manages to kill off all my peppers every year. Most folks I know have the same bell or hot pepper plants for 3-5 years. I'm crossing my fingers for the red bells I planted last month.

In the main raised bed we have our lettuce, at least until it bolts or we eat it all. This year I threw in some mixed seed packets. We ended up with some beautiful red speckled lettuce and a very hearty long green leaf lettuce that must be some sort of romaine. It is super crunchy and great on sandwiches.

The herbs are really taking off after the recent rain. This is one of the pots of oregano. We added more oregano and parsley this year since we never seem to have enough. I finished the long overdue task of dividing the chives. I will never put that chore off again. The chives were so compacted that I ended up breaking them apart with a screwdriver. Most ended up in the garbage but the healthiest bulbs are now doing well in a bigger container. The sage is also beyond it's usefullness after 5-6 years so I planted some purple and some varigated sage. The older plants are now flowering so I hope to be able to harvest some seeds. I still have to decide where to plant the spearmmint and peppermint I purchased. We have a new wall of the southside if the yard so I want to see how plants do in that area before I commit. So far everything is growing well but that may change in the summer heat.

These are the last of the winter/spring desert wildflowers in the front yard. I was lucky enough to be home before the storms hit this weekend and I was able to gather seeds this year. I'd like to have flowers in the back yard next year so I plant them in the fall.

Lavender

2011-04-10T10:51:00.003-07:00

Lavender from the garden. This was cut from a plant that I purchased last year at Trader Joe's for about $7.00. Lavender has always been a challenge for me but these plants are doing very well. TJ's sells some lovely plants and herbs.

Our Very Own Backyard Chickens

2011-02-13T16:43:00.008-07:00

We thought about it for years and this weekend we finally took the plunge and got our very own chickens. We are now the proud owners of two Black Minorcas and a cute little Blue Old English Game Bantam. The girls started work right away and we had 2 eggs in the first 24 hours. Nice!

When I say we thought about it for years I am not exaggerating. I first learned about keeping backyard chickens like most city folks did, in an issue of Martha Stewart Living. At that time I was single and living in an apartment so all I could do was look at the fabulous photos of the beautiful hens and their multicolored eggs.

Fast forward to 2009 when I discovered the Valley Permaculture Alliance (then the Phoenix Permaculture Guild). I was looking for info on veggie gardens in the desert but I was thrilled to find a group of people chatting about raising hens all over the valley. That's when we figured out that it was "do-able."

We finally got serious about chickens after participating in the first Tour De Coops where we met people just like us and saw how they incorporated chickens in their suburban neighborhoods. We stopped looking at chickens as pets that lay eggs and started considering the benefits they would bring to our gardens and compost pile. Oh, and they eat kitchen scraps and bugs? Bonus!

Our next step was to take the "Raising Chickens In Your Backyard" class taught by Rachel Bess with Valley Permaculture Alliance. Rachel's class is better than any book you can read. Most books are general but Rachel has been raising chickens for years in the Valley so she understands the needs of a desert chicken. She's also honest and says that having your own chickens is hard work and it isn't for everyone. Her class waaaaaaay under priced at $10.

In Rachel's class we also learned that you could purchase custom coops from people advertising on Craig's List. Bingo! We found Kyle, who not only builds custom coops, but he delivers too! He asked us about our needs and made suggestions about things we might like. He was fabulous! Three days after speaking to him on the phone he pulled into our driveway with our new coop. (see below for you can find Kyle's Craig's List ad "Chicken Coop for the Valley" or call him at 480-363-5775)

That brings us to this weekend when hubby bought me a trio of hens for my birthday. We are already planning a coop addition with Kyle. and we hope to add an Ameraucana to the flock soon.

Solar Oven Eggs and Cheese

2011-01-20T15:15:00.011-07:00

Solar Oven Eggs and Cheese

Today was windy but sunny. Too windy to work in the garden but a perfect day to get out the SOS Sport Solar Oven and make breakfast. I set the oven out to preheat and I added a brick. The brick is painted with black bbq grill paint and actually serves 3 purposes in the oven. It elevates the dish for more even cooking, and holds heat so the oven stays hotter if a cloud passes in front on the sun. The bonus is that it also keeps the oven from blowing off the table on windy days.

I used the same ingredients I use to make an omelette on the stovetop (1 whole egg, 2 egg whites, 1 oz grated cheese, 1 tsp non fat milk). Cheese is a must. I am trying to lose weight and live heart healthy so I try and keep cheese to a minimum. Trader Joe's carries interesting but inexpensive cheese and I picked up Cotswald Double Glouchester this week. It has a great flavor that goes well with eggs and I love the chives added in.

I mixed everything together and poured the mix into an old First Class cabin casserole dish that I found at the US Airways Company Store for about 50 cents. Buttering the dish makes for easy cleanup. The eggs and cheese took about 30 minutes in the preheated oven. I topped the dish with more fresh chives out of the herb garden. Breakfast for one without turning on the stove - gotta love it.

Put 'em Up

2010-12-26T23:08:00.005-07:00

HuzBen spotted 'Put 'em Up' at the Phoenix Library and picked it up for me. I am so glad he did. The book is a guide to canning, dehrydrating, pickling, and freezing. There are some fabulous tips newbies but the book contains recipes that take you beyond the boring basics that have been around since grandma was canning her garden vegetables. I'll be ordering my own copy the next time we need something from Amazon.

Food storage options and recipes for fruits, veggies, and herbs are all covered, as well as ideas for garlic and onions. The chapter on citrus would be of interest to those of us in the east valley since it's so abundant here. I can't wait to try the recipes for Radish Relish and Asian Pickled Radishes since my radish patch is huge this winter.

Speaking of canning - did you know you can order canning jars and supplies via Ace Hardware's website and have them shipped to your local Ace? I looked everywhere for 4 oz canning jars and came up empty. (Please don't tell me about WaMart - I will not spend my money there) I found what I needed on Ace's website. You can also stop by your local Ace and they can order it for you (doing this keeps a higher percentage of money in your local area). There is no shipping charge and your items are ready for pick up in 2-3 days.

The Farm Stand at Agritopia

2010-12-23T11:47:00.007-07:00

With all the craziness surrounding the holidays, I forgot to pick up lettuce for our salad. There isn't much in the garden right now thanks to the rabbit that moved in under our shed. I am still nursing a damaged knee so there was no way I was going to fight my way around the grocery store to grab lettuce.

I was checking out Twitter today when I saw a Tweet about The Farm Stand at Agritopia selling spring mix for $1.50. Problem solved - the self serve stand is open 24/7 on Ray and Higley in Gilbert right next to Joe's Farm Grill and The Coffee Shop. I picked up the bag of salad mix, 2 lemons ($1.00), and medjool dates ($6.00). Fresh, local, and reasonably priced - love it!

Knitted Tea Cozy

2010-12-20T12:01:00.001-07:00

New tea cozy from Mom for Christmas!

October: Unprocessed - Friday Farmer's Market

2010-10-08T10:18:00.005-07:00

Since we're trying to eat local and organic when possible, on Fridays I love going downtown shopping at the Downtown Mesa Farmers Market This isn't one of the larger farmer's markets in the valley but it has everything I need. Naturally there are vegetable vendors and most sell other items as well. Herbs can be purchased fresh, dried or in pots ready to plant. You'll find cheese, bread, pasta and pasta sauce, and lately Dr. Hummus has been selling and giving samples of what I think is the best tasting hummus ever. (Oh, his pita chips are excellent too!) There's also tie-dye t-shirts and craft items. Today one of the ladies was selling lovely tote bags that she made.

As you can see above the heirloom tomatoes were fabulous today. I'll be saving the seeds to start over the winter for my spring crop. They did very well for us this year. I also bought some organic cucumbers and fresh corn.

I'll be making more mayo (aioli) this week so I actually went to the farmer's market today for some eggs. If you like fresh eggs this is the place to get them. They go quickly so get there early. Crack them open and you'll see how different they are from anything you can get in the store. The yolks are a deep yellow compared to the eggs I an used to seeing. Curious about where the eggs come from? One of the vendors has a photo album, so you can see the hens along with their hen house and their grazing area. You won't find that at Fry's.

October: Unprocessed - Brownies

2010-10-06T21:17:00.007-07:00

October: Unprocessed - The First Weekend

2010-10-03T23:02:00.014-07:00

October: Unprocessed is Andrew Wilder's challenege to give up processed food for an entire month. Read more about it or join the challenge at Andrew's blog Eating Rules. I'll be blogging about my experience during the challenge and hopefully sharing some recipes. Unprocessed food is any food that could be made by a person with reasonable skill in a home kitchen with readily available, whole-food ingredients.

Day Three – I’m sort of shocked that I haven’t cheated even once. Temptations are everywhere. I leave the house later than usual so I have no time to cruise over to Starbucks and blow the challenge. The community candy jar at work is stationed right at my eye level and filled with Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops. It’s taunting me. Thankfully the Costco keg of Red Vines that usually sits beside it has been emptied for the week.

No one I know is trying to change their eating habits so I am on my own. It's nothing new - I've been making lifestyle changes for a year while hubby lives on sausage and cheese. C'est la vie. I can't twist his arm.

Tonight was typical for me. For a half hour I listened to a coworker moan and groan about her “diet.” Translation – she hasn’t eaten fast food since her dinner break last night. She finally succumbed to the call of the vending machine and I thought that would be the end of it. But noooooo. She started rhapsodizing about her Baby Ruth bar as if it were the most expensive Swiss chocolate in the world. I fought the urge to throw something at her, and then I felt bad when she actually choked on the damn thing. Wow. Food karma is a b*tch.

Temptations and the lack of support are tough but when it comes to eating heart healthy, time management is probably the biggest hurdle for me. Odd hours at work leave little time to prepare meals so I handle most everything on my days off. For items that don't freeze well I fit in preparation when I can. It's not usual for me to be outside grilling chicken and vegetables at 8am or baking bread at midnight. Thanks to the challenge I can't be a slacker and stop for fast food on the way to work so I've got to find the time to prepare everything I need. It's going to be tough, but exciting too.

During my meal planning I started to make a mental list of the convenience foods I’ll need to replace in my diet, like bottled barbecue sauce. I cannot find a recipe for barbecue sauce (that I’d eat) which doesn’t include items like ketchup and soy sauce. It looks like I’ll be playing with tomatoes and spices on my day off.

For the last three days breakfast was oatmeal with fruit or an omelet made with local eggs from the Downtown Mesa Farmers Market . Lunch was a sandwich with chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. The bread is on my own multi grain and I pack a tiny container of home made mayo with my little blue gel freezy thing. My lunch bag gets packed with plenty of fruit for snacking.

The goal for this week is to try some new recipes with honey since sugar is off my ingredient list until November. Wish me luck!

October: UNprocessed Challenge

2010-10-01T15:35:00.026-07:00

October: Unprocessed is Andrew Wilder's challenege to give up processed food for an entire month. Read more about it or join the challenge at Andrew's blog Eating Rules. I'll be blogging about my experience during the challenge and hopefully sharing some recipes. Unprocessed food is any food that could be made by a person with reasonable skill in a home kitchen with readily available, whole-food ingredients.

So. . . it was a year ago today that I woke up in CICU at Banner Heart Hospital after my emergency double bypass. Quite a shock, that's for sure. I drove to the hospital, walked in on my own two feet only to have the doctors tell me later that they're not sure how I was even alive. One hell of a wake up call. (Read about it here)

365 days later - I'd iike to say that I work out religiously, lost the excess weight and completely changed my eating habits, but I'd be lying.

The workouts slowed in January when I wrecked my heels doing WiiFit. (Trust me, ignore the instructions and wear supportive sneakers!) As soon as I was able to walk comfortably again I injured my knee on the treadmill. It's frustrating when you want to work out but your body says "hell no!"

Eating is the one point I have improved on but I'd like to do better. Ultra high fat foods like my beloved salami are out. Moderation, portion control, and clean eating are IN - most of the time. (I'm only human! I pass 3 Starbucks and 2 Carl's Jr's on my way to work!)

Processed foods are something I've been trying reduce in my diet in favor of good old fashioned home cooked meals. Last month we gave up purchasing bread and we're eating my own multi-grain sandwich loaf. (more on that soon) This month I am experimenting with mayo and aioli made with heart healthy EVOO. I've come a long way but I'm no where near the clean eater I need to become.

While checking the news on Twitter this morning I saw a tweet about Andrew Wilder's Eating Rules blog. Andrew is challenging everyone to give up processed food for the entire month of October. How appropriate is it that it's starting in the anniversary of my second chance at life? Divine intervention at work again. I took a deep breath and signed on for the challenge. Lots of food bloggers participating so there will be a variety of interesting recipes and feedback as the month progresses.

Hide the Halloween candy and break out those Granny Smith apples. It's going to be an interesting October.

For more on the subject - Awake At The Whisk explains why we should reduce our consumption of processed foods and shares her own rules for the challenge here.

Lemon Verbena From The Herb Garden

2010-07-26T13:02:00.002-07:00

So much for bringing the outdoor inside. The verbena wilted and looked terrible within five minutes of taking this photo. I'll be drying it instead of enjoying it in the livingroom. It smells wonderful!

Getting Things Done

2010-07-25T10:01:00.007-07:00

Breakfast from the garden - a baby watermelon

It is a beautiful morning, pretty hot but cloud free. Just perfect for making a roast in the solar oven which I've been trying to do since Tuesday. As soon as I woke up I looked out the front door then ran for the oven to put it in the back yard to pre-heat. I cut up the roast so it will cook faster. After sprinkling it with dry onion soup mix I poured about a teaspoon of bbq sauce on each piece. That's all you need to do and it makes a very flavorful roast with lots of juice you can use indoors on the stove to make gravy. Cooking times varies as do the cooking temperatures but it's usually about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

The garden yield has slowed to almost nothing after all the very hot days we've had here in Mesa. Ben went to visit family in Tucson recently and we were lucky enough to be able to send some crook neck squash, zucchini and heirloom tomatoes to his mom. The tomatoes have stopped producing and the zucchini are much smaller. If you're used to seeing zucchini in the supermarket, that's about the size of the vegetables I am getting now. No more super sized veggies that made my coworkers laugh. The baby watermelons are still on the vine and doing well. The cushion of weeds they are sitting on sure helps to keep them from rotting on the ground. At least, that's my excuse for not weeding. :-)

We plan to add another raised bed in a month. It will be in a perfect spot so we can grow lettuce and tomatoes all winter. Also on the "to do" list is to remove all the soil from the big raised bed. Grass has taken over and quite frankly, the 10 year old soil isn't producing like it did in seasons past. Even though we add compost and manure yearly, it looks like it's time to make a fresh start.

The roast ready to go into the SOS Sport Solar Oven

Another item on my list of things to get done was to get a good sour dough starter going. We love sour dough bread and liked the idea of making my own starter from scratch. I found everthing you need to know about sourdough here - http://sourdoughhome.com and I mixed my first starter on Monday night. It did well for 3 days, nice and bubbly with a good sour smell. Then it finally died yesterday. No bubbles, no rising, just mush. Our water isn't the best here in Mesa so I am guessing that it was the constantly changing chlorine levels that did it in. I'll have Ben pick up some Evian today and I'll try again. Ooh La La - French sourdough! :-)

Low Fat Blueberry Ginger Muffins in the Solar Oven

2010-07-15T11:02:00.012-07:00

Low Fat Blueberry Ginger Muffins

2 envelopes Nature's Path Flax Seed Instant Oatmeal (or 1 cup quick oats)
1 cup lowfat buttermilk*
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees or preheat solar oven.
Spray the muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray or use cupcake liners.

Gently wash and dry the blueberries. In a small bowl, combine the oats and buttermilk, and let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt; mix with a fork to blend and set aside.

In a large bowl and using a fork, beat the egg, add the applesauce, and brown sugar combine well.
Blend in the oatmeal/buttermilk mixture. Stir in the flour mixture only to combine, do not over mix. Fold in the blueberries. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and top with a sprinkle of turbinado sugar if desired.

In the oven - bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
In the solar oven - bake until done - it took mine about 30 minutes at about 275-300 degrees.

Makes a dozen muffins.

* You can use 1 cup of milk plus 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar if you don't have buttermilk. Let sit for 10 mins before adding to recipe. I use Fat Free Fortified Lactaid mixed with lemon juice and it works just fine.

Late June Garden Yield

2010-06-25T10:52:00.002-07:00

Out in the garden this morning, weeding and watering. This baby watermelon was only about the size of a nickel a week ago.

The heirloom cherry tomatoes are doing nicely. They don't yield as much as a Sweet 100 tomato but the taste is far superior and the color is beautiful, they ripen to a deep burgundy. The regular heirloom tomato plant has grown very large but is still setting blooms even in the 100+ degree desert temps. Lots of large tomatoes on the plant but nothing close to ripening yet.

As usual, the zucchini is taking over the yard. It must be doing well in the neighbor's garden as well since they knocked on our door last week offering to share their haul. I told Ben to tell them we'll take one zucchini from their garden if they take two from ours. They're all ready to go . . .

Skinny Italian: Eat It and Enjoy It Live La Bella Vita and Look Great, Too!

2010-05-23T22:49:00.005-07:00

Teresa Giudice (pronounced JU-dee-Chay) is the real deal. The table tossing mother of four girls (and one of Bravo’s ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey') has written a fabulous new book Skinny Italian: Eat It and Enjoy It Live La Bella Vita and Look Great, Too! The book is a 'must have' for fans of the show, or anyone who loves Italian food but is looking to eat a little healthier.

I was expecting the usual celebrity fluff, a few personal stories and photos with recipes thrown in. This book is so much more. I was impressed with the attention to detail. A whole chapter is devoted to 'Blessed Virgin Olive Oil' and answers any question you could possibly have about this basic ingredient of the heart healthy Mediterranean diet. The myth busting chapter on pasta blew me away. Who knew it was so healthy? Not me! We are certainly enjoying it more at our home since we read this book.

Teresa dishes up her family favorites and recipes handed down through the years. In the book you’ll find authentic food, made with fresh ingredients. No fat filled Olive Garden knockoffs here, this is the back to basics, healthy, wholesome food that we all ate as children, long before it was reinvented as “Slow Food.”

Most of her recipes are fast and easy but she also includes more complex things like directions on canning your own tomato sauce.

I purchased the book because I am a big fan of the show, and I wasn't disappointed in that respect. Teresa's love for her family and friends and her wicked sense of humor comes through on every page. There are lots of family photos but not nearly enough pictures of her beautiful New Jersey home.

The book has a few tidbits about the other Housewives (her take on Pasta Puttanesca had me cracking up) but it's far from being a cheesy/sleazy "tell all" book to cash in on her celebrity. Skinny Italian is a fabulous book that would be a best seller if it were written by an unknown first time author.

Saturday Harvest

2010-05-22T09:36:00.002-07:00

Today's harvest was 2 zucchini and our first crook neck squash. I'm already taking extra zucchini to my coworkers. This zucchini will be grilled tomorrow. Yum!

Growing Veggies

2010-05-17T10:02:00.002-07:00

From the garden today- Our very first zucchini of the season.

In The Garden

2010-04-12T10:33:00.004-07:00

The corn is starting to get silks on top so it won't be long until we're happily munching on corn on the cob. The zucchini are plentiful and about 3 inches in length. I'd love to stuff and deep fry some of the flowers but when my cardiologist said to increase my vegetable intake I don't think that's what he had in mind. :-) The temperatures are increasing so it surprises me that the remaining lettuce is doing great.

The parsley we have growing in a big pot in the yard went to seed within weeks of breaking through the soil. I must have planted the seeds of a variety that doesn't like the hot Arizona spring because we usually have no issues growing parsley year round here. Ben uses lots of parsley in Chicken Piccata so we planted a bunch in a clay pot on the screen porch. It's cooler there because of the added shade and seems to happy in that spot. I am surprised the cats don't bother with it. I had to bribe Posh with some kitty treats to get her in this photo.

April 2010 Garden

2010-04-04T13:15:00.004-07:00

First zucchini of the season.

Our weather has been rainy with mild temperatures so that should make for perfect gardening. The zucchini is doing well but everything else looks a little rough. The romaine went to seed much earlier than usual considering the favorable conditions. The remaining green and red leaf lettuce is starting to brown on the tips but is still tasty.

The heirloom tomatoes that I started much too early are thin and I only see one lone tomato between the three plants. The larger tomato seens to be doing well and has about a dozen flowers. Our pepper plants are also thin and frail looking. Everyone in the Valley has great luck with peppers except me. It's a running joke between me and my brother in Apache Junction. He has beautiful peppers but cannot grow thyme at all. I have awful peppers but as they say, thyme is on my side.

A trip to the nursey yesterday made it evident that I am not the only one with issues this season. The peppers at the nursery didn't look any better than mine. We purchased two heirloom tomatoes and a half dozen herb varieties. The tomatoes will replace the lettuce one it gets too warm to grow greens and the herbs will take over the spot where we planted garlic that the cats dug up.

Getting to the heart of it all. . .

2010-03-24T11:57:00.025-07:00

Although I've mentioned it in passing, I've never really blogged about my emergency open heart surgery on Sept 30, 2009 (coronary artery bypass graft or CABG surgery). Part of me is still in denial about the whole ordeal and how close to death I was that afternoon. How I can still be in denial is a mystery to me since I have a glaring reminder in the form of an 8 inch scar that runs from just below the base of my neck all the way down my chest to the top of my tummy. It makes that day sort of hard to forget.

The whole mess started in mid-September in the parking lot at work. It was a hot day and the air conditioner in my car was broken again. I had just stopped by Trader Joe's on my way to work to pick up some items. I bought several pounds of cheese, some grapes and a small bouquet of flowers to make the call center a little less institutional. My shopping tote was about is heavy as the giant Vera Bradley bag that always accompanies me to work. As I lifted the bags over the steering wheel to exit my car I felt a funny pain in my chest. Like a quick sharp cramp or what I thought at the time, a pulled muscle. I was hot, sweating and in pain for the long walk from my car to my desk.

By the time I sat down the pain was pretty intense but subsided after a few minutes of sitting quietly at my desk. I didn't think any more about it until a problem summoned me to a different department in another part of the building. While walking the pain returned. I thought it was odd - I wasn't lifting anything so why would the pain be back?

Each day for the next two days the pain hit only when my heart rate was raised. By day three the long walk to my desk from the parking lot had me in tears and I decided this might be more than a pulled muscle. I left work and drove myself to Banner Gateway's emergency room many miles away. It was closer to home than work and I rationalized that if I had to stay there at least I've heard that the food is good. Food. Always the priority. :-)

On the long drive I kept telling myself that it couldn't be my heart. I am fat but I work out regularly. I've lost over 40 lbs. I did 3 miles on the treadmill the other day with no pain at all. I walk 10,000 steps most days of the week. I was 44 years old - only old people have heart problems. Ah, so blissfully ignorant.

Much to my relief, the tests indicated it was not a heart attack, but the symptoms concerned the doctor enough so he wanted to keep me for three days of tests. The insurance company (they have the color Blue in their name) had other ideas and made the hospital release me after 24 hours and with only one out of three tests completed.

Over a week later I finished the treadmill and other tests at the office of my new doctor, a cardiologist. He wasn't happy with the results and decided that I needed a cardiac cath, short for cardiac catheterization where they insert catheters into your heart and arteries to check for problems like blockages. He said he thought I might have a blockage that would result in my being on special meds to clear it up or the worst case scenario, I may need a stent and I would need to spent the night at the hospital after they put it in. I was fine while talking to the doctor but completely lost it with the poor gals who were setting up my appointment. I'm a total control freak and this whole situation had just spiraled completely out of my hands.

The following week I was on the table at Banner Heart Hospital for my cardiac cath. I was to be awake for the procedure but I felt myself coming out of a fog listening to the doctor saying "Ninety Nine, it's NINETY NINE!" I was thinking "Great! Ninety nine percent unblocked! They'll just write me a prescription and sent me home." But actually - the opposite was true. My left ventricle was ninety nine percent blocked and my heart started to fail during the cardiac catheterization. The pain I had been experiencing? That was my poor heart being deprived of oxygen when I was active. The cardiologist was stunned that I was living with this kind of blockage for the last two weeks after getting kicked out of the hospital by my insurance company. My two doctors would tell me later that this kind of blockage at my age usually results in a heart attack that is quick and fatal.

I felt like my heart was beating in my stomach and it sort of was, since that is where the heart pump was located that was keeping me alive for the next hour until they could clean the operating room and bring in a surgeon. Of course, this information was presented to me in a much more delicate manner. They asked me which family members I wanted to speak to before my surgery. The way they worded the question was my first clue that this may not turn out so well. Funny though, I wasn't upset, not rattled in the least about being so close to death's door. Life has never been this out of control for me and yet - I was completely unfazed by the drama of it all. As a fat girl, all I could think about was the 10 lbs of boneless chicken breasts that I'd bought at Midwestern Meats the day before. I kept telling myself that I had to remind Ben to make sure they made it to the freezer. I got a great deal on them and didn't want them to go to waste. No matter what - it's always all about the food with me. :-)

They brought Ben into the cath lab and right off I informed him of the urgent need to get the chicken in the freezer. Even without my glasses on, I knew that look on his face. He thought I was nuts. The surgical staff probably chalked up my chicken obsession up to the IV I was getting. I was finally snapped back into the reality of it all when I felt a sharp pain in my leg. I looked down to see a very apologetic nurse with a needle and thread. She was sewing a tube down flat against my thigh. Now let's look back. . . I was a pretty calm child. I broke my collar bone when I was seven but I've never had stitches in my life. Still, I was pretty sure that there was supposed to be some kind of anesthesia or pain killer involved with this procedure. She said she was very sorry that she had to do this while I was still awake. Probably not was sorry as I was to have nurse Martha Stewart RN embroidering on my leg. All I could think of was WTF? They can't scrounge up a roll of tape to hold that tube in place?

My coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery went well. I remember someone saying to me that they were giving me the same anesthesia that they gave to Michael Jackson. Uh, since we all know how that turned out why on earth are you telling me this? Geez, and I was still pissed about the lack of tape!

I woke six hours later as someone was explaining to Ben that they'd have me off the ventilator in another 15 minutes. "Like hell!" I thought to myself. "This thing is not comfortable and has got to go ASAP." I couldn't open my eyes or speak, but I knew Ben was close by. I started spelling the word "out" to Ben in sign language. Now, hindsight being 20/20 and all, it probably would have been a good idea to teach my husband the sign language alphabet at some point during our dozen years together. But noooooo. He thought my signing was just twitching. Great. Made mental note to buy sign languge book for hubby. On to Plan B - I started making scribbling motions with my hand to tell him I wanted to write. The other person in the room laughed and told Ben to let me try, but don't expect much. Sure enough, my handwriting looks like a doctor's scribble on a good day and being sedated for six hours didn't help it much. I still couldn't get my point across.

Finally the fifteen minutes passed and someone pulled out my breathing tube. "It's about f*cking time!" I croaked very loudly as the poor guy who was running the show jumped backwards at the sound of my potty mouth. I guess he didn't expect me to be quite so, uh, articulate. :-)

I spent the next day blissfully unaware that I was in CICU. Seriously, I just thought I had some really attentive nurses. Under my hideously ugly hospital gown I was wearing the biggest granny bra I'd ever seen. I chuckled at the though of the poor person who drew the short straw that day and had to get me into that thing.

The doctors, the surgeon and even the other members of the surgical team all stopped by with two questions. How are you feeling and did your husband get the chicken in the freezer? Thumbs up on both counts.

Two weeks prior, I could tell during my first encounter with all of my doctors that they thought I was lying about how much I exercise. Weighing more than 200 lbs sort of cuts into your credibility. However, after they saw the inside of my heart and arteries they knew I had to be telling the truth. Except for the area of the blockage, there was not even one percent of placque in my artieries or my heart. My valves were clean as a whistle. Their guess is that the overall good condition of the rest of my heart was what kept me alive during these two weeks after the initial pain. The said the blockage was probably a result of a piece of cholesterol sticking to a part of my artery where there was a slight bend. Everything else came around the bend and piled on top. They said it was a fluke thing but that I needed to change my eating, keep exercising and losing weight.

Post surgery went well and I tried to be a good patient to the awesome Banner Heart Hospital nursing staff. If they asked me to walk three times per day I would walk four times. I constantly blew in my little plastic gadget to make sure I didn't get pneumonia. I was motivated to get back to normal.

They discharged me on day six. This time by order of the doctor, not the Blue bean counters (who, btw, got to pick up the quarter of a million dollar tab for all this -LOL!). Two weeks after surgery I was able to log a mile per day on my pedometer. I got to skip cardiac rehab because as my cardiologist said, I would just embarrass the old folks by walking backwards on the treadmill and showing off. I was back working full time just 30 days after the surgery.

Now it's six months later and all is well. Unless I am wearing a scoop neck shirt that shows off my scar you wouldn't know anything happened to me. As a result of the surgery and due to my bad triglyceride genes, they've kept me on a statin, blood pressure meds, and a baby aspirin daily. My eating habits are still a struggle for me but I am making progress. My life depends on it.

Jimbo's Good Times Grill

2010-03-23T11:19:00.005-07:00

Remember The Vine on the north side of Main Street in East Mesa? Remember those fabulous wings and fun afternoons watching the sports or playing trivia? Remember how awful the food and service became before it finally shut down for good? Yeah, I though so.

Well guess what? All your favorite dishes and the fun atmosphere are back without any of the problems of the past. Jimbo's Good Times Grill is located in the same space The Vine once occupied just past Walgreens. The decor is fresh and new but the same old favorites (and some news ones!) are on the menu. The wings, the burgers, the apps - it's all there. Jim was the manager of The Vine back in the good old days before it's decline and he's brought things back to they way they should be.

You'll notice the difference as soon as you step foot in the door. No surly teenager to seat you. Everyone is super friendly and genuinely invested in making sure you have a great experience. Don't be surprised if Jim himself shows up at your table to ask if everything is okay.

As for the menu, the old favorites from The Vine are back and Jimbo's has all the classic pub dishes. Although I was so excited to taste those Maple BBQ Wings again, let's face it - as a recent heart surgery survivor they are not exactly recommended for a cardiac diet. It's difficult for me to find healthy and tasty foods when eating out. Not here - Jimbo's offers a Bulid Your Own Burger or Chicken. I can get a chicken breast on wheat and I can chose healthy toppings and sides to go with it. Just what the doctor ordered. You can eat healthy or go with the classic pub food. It's all good!

Wings are sold by the pound rather than the dozen. This is a great idea. We've all felt stiffed at one time or another when you go out and order a dozen wings and you get 12 teeny wing tips for your money. For an extra dollar a pound you can choose all wings or all drums if you prefer. You can even get them grilled. It seems to be all about letting the customer make the choices here. How refreshing!

We are so thrilled that Jim took the risk in this rotten economy and opened Jimbo's Good Times Grill . The gamble seems to be paying off. The place is a bonafide hit with the locals and the winter visitors and we see lots of happy patrons each time we visit. And we have our favorite restaurant back!

Jimbo's Good Times Grill 6102 E Main St, Mesa, AZ 480-924-3800

Chandler BBQ Throwdown A Bust

2010-03-20T20:09:00.015-07:00

(the beautiful bottle of olive oil on our table at La Stalla Rustic Cucina)

I was excited to read about the debut of the Chandler BBQ Throwdown for several reasons. First- I finally have weekends off after two years of weekend shifts. HuzBen and I are finally able to get out and enjoy some time together after having opposing days off. Second, Ben was employed for many years as a reporter with the Chandler Independent. He fell in love with the city back then and he rarely gets to see all the friends and contacts he made on his old beat. Third - Food! We love good barbecue and the combination of good BBQ and the beautiful AZ spring weather was too much to pass up. Also, our neighbors at Midwestern Meats were one of the event sponsors. I picked up my tickets there 2 weeks ago while doing the weekly shopping.

The first hurdle was the traffic. Once we arrived in downtown Chandler we found ourselves in a traffic jam of epic proportions. Arizona Avenue was down to one lane due to construction and it took us about 40 minutes to find a place to park that was almost a mile away from the event entrance. People were everywhere - this was going to be big!

The line to enter the event wrapped around the block. There was probably about a thousand people queued up at 1pm and tons more were making their way to the line. We thought it was odd that we saw almost as many people walking away from the event and going back to their cars. We found out why as we approached the ticket tent. There was no food. Yes ladies and gentlemen, we paid 20 bucks to attend a BBQ Throwdown that had no BBQ. We decided there had to be something for sale to eat, or crafts to purchase, so we soldiered on.

Since most people had not pre-purchased their tickets like we did, I made my way to the tent to ask where we were to go to get a wristband or something to let us in. Imagine my surprise when a teenage boy behind the table told me that my tickets weren't tickets, he had no idea what they were. Advertisements maybe? He questioned me about where I got the tickets and finally seemed satisfied that the guys at Midwestern Meats were on the up and up. He let us in and gave us our white coupons for the bbq tasting.

It didn't take more than a few seconds inside the event to see that people were not happy. No one knew what was going on. Vendors were packing up to leave by 2pm for an event that was suppposed to run until 9pm. A quick walk around also led to the realization that we had tasting tickets that none of the very few food sellers would accept. Want a hotdog? You can't use the white coupons, you need to go back and spend more money on red coupons. The only food that seemed to be for sale was hotdogs, beer, kettle corn and frozen fruit drinks. At least the frozen drink booth took cash. It was against policy but we were certainly grateful as there seemed to be not much else to drink and the line for beer was well over 100 people long.

We got luckier than most of the attendees when we found a booth for the Tiki Hut - one of the BBQ competitors. And yeah! They still had food. We spent all our coupons on their delish bbq beef rib tips and yummy brisket. Ben met some lovely people who were competing in the backyard bbq event. They couldn't accept tickets since they weren't a vendor but they offered free samples of their tasty bbq chicken.

For another 20 minutes we walked around the park. It was crowded and the people were hot, hungry and mad. There were barely any craft vendors to visit. The poor lady from the Cupcake Cafe was stuck right behind the entrance where she received little traffic. A real shame since their cupcakes are the best (she's at the downtown Mesa Farmer;s Market on the occasional Friday morning). Surprising in this land of strict smoking laws, there was a cigar booth right in the center of the park where people puffed away, oblivious to the ordinances that prohibit smoking at public events.

After finally deciding to cut our losses and leave we strolled through downtown Chandler on the way back to the car. The event's loss was downtown Chandler's gain. Every restaurant was standing room only. Some places were so packed that strangers were sharing patio tables, bonding over their experience at the BBQ Throwndown with no bbq.

We ended up having a fantastic meal behind the San Marcos Hotel at a little Italian restaurant called La Stalla Rustica Cucina. They certainly were not expecting to be flooded with business today but they handled it like pros. We had manicotti and their special margherita pizza with homemade mozarella. The awesome food, wonderful waitress and a relaxing atmosphere was much appreciated. While eating I checked Twitter and found that many of the foodies and locavores I follow had been turned away from the Throwdown. They were turning lemons into lemonade and meeting up at Joe's Real BBQ in Gilbert. Social networking saves the day - love it!

Jess Harter of the East Valley Trib blogged about the event too.

Desert Spring

2010-03-12T13:31:00.001-07:00

The desert wildflowers in my front yard.

2010-02-09T16:41:00.001-07:00

Seen at the meat market today. Could these be the official pickles of Bravo's Real Housewives of New Jersey?

Solar Oven Chicken Dinner

2010-01-05T15:10:00.005-07:00

Christmas

2009-12-24T21:35:00.002-07:00

Pic was taken at 10PM Christmas Eve Mass at St. Anne's in Gilbert.

Christmas Party

2009-12-20T18:36:00.002-07:00

The nieces and nephews intheir new PJ's. L to R - Lexie, Caitlin, Cole, Hayden, Hunter and baby Lincoln.

Starting Seeds

2009-12-14T08:40:00.003-07:00

Since the laundry room gets the best dose of sunshine, we are starting our seeds on the window over the washer and dryer. So far we've sowed the heirloom tomato seeds, both the regular and cherry tomatoes that I bought on my visit to the downtown Mesa Farmer's Market. The dill seeds were harvested from our herb garden this year. After Christmas I'll be starting more herbs, the other varieties of tomatoes and hopefully some squash and peppers.

Stockings

2009-12-13T14:34:00.002-07:00

Slow day at work. Crocheting mini stockings for the office Christmas tree.

First Experience With Solar Cooking

2009-12-11T10:01:00.015-07:00

When summer temps get over 100 degrees here I am always looking for alternative ways to get dinner on the table without heating up the house. I happened to see a posting on a message board at the Phoenix Permaculture Guild about solar ovens. I looked at solar ovens about 10 years ago but gave up on the idea because they were too expensive to purchase and the do-it-yourself projects were way beyond my skills.

According to the conversation, solar ovens have come a long way in the last few years. There are two models that are reasonably priced and seemed to be popular among the locals. The Sport Solar Oven (above) from the Solar Oven Society and the Sun Oven. The discussion said that both were well made and suitable for use here in the Valley. The main difference is that the Sport is large enough to bake on a cookie sheet, but the smaller Sun Oven will heat to higher temperatures. Since I like to bake, I opted for the Sport which my wonderful husband purchased for me as an early Christmas gift. Although many of the experienced users said they didn't need the optional reflector, I purchased it anyway.

The more I surfed the web for info on solar cooking, the more excited I got. Not only was solar cooking a great way to go "green" but the recipes sounded easy and delicious. Another Valley of the Sun resident has been blogging about using the Sun Oven every day for a year. If you're going to purchase a solar oven, the Solar Oven Chef is a great place to start for tips and recipes.

I probably didn't pick the best day for my initial leap into solar cooking, but it was my only day off. It had been raining all night and was only about 45 degrees outside. The yard was a mud pit and it was cold and windy outside. Since the weather wasn't the best I decided to preheat with the reflector on and see what happened. The oven temp reached 200 degress in a half hour so I decided to keep the reflector on and go for it.

I wanted to start with some easy dishes. Sprouts had sirloin tip roasts on sale and I purchased some of their wild rice blend from the bulk section as a side dish. I cut the roast into 4 pieces and sprinkled it with Lipton Onion Soup Mix. No need for any water when cooking meat in the solar ovens. To the rice blend I added the necessary amount of water, some Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb Seasoning, a dash of tumeric, a little bit of salt, and half a chopped onion. The Sport comes with an oven thermometer and two black cooking pots so it makes it easy to do a complete meal at one time.

At the 2 hour mark I checked on the oven and noticed that there was condensation building up on the door, an indicator that the food is done. Not bad! The roast was perfect and was swimming in lots of broth that I used on the stove top to make gravy. The rice was slightly overdone but still tasty. HuzBen was impressed and loved the meal. I liked the "set it and forget it" aspect of the cooking. I checked on the oven every 30 minutes but I found out quickly that I didn't need to reposition the oven at all. I can't wait to try chicken and potato dishes, and maybe some baking. Anyone for solar baked Christmas cookies?

The Roast

The Rice Pilaf

Danica Sue at Play

2009-11-19T10:26:00.000-07:00

Downtown Mesa Farmer's Market

2009-11-13T12:46:00.009-07:00

I love the Farmer's Market in downtown Mesa on Friday mornings (9am-Noon, on the east side of Center St just south of University Drive). The produce is great but there are many other vendors with booths to check out. Craft items, bread, tamales, tea, and beauty products were for sale today. The baby dwarf goats were on site too. . .for petting - not for sale. Aren't they are adorable?

Today I picked up organic apples and heirloom tomatoes. The heirloom tomatoes will do double duty - we will enjoy eating them and I will be saving the seeds to start plants for the veggie garden. Three of the sweet, burgundy colored cherry tomatoes yield the same amount of seeds you can purchase for $2.65-$2.99 at the garden center or online.

For more info on the Mesa Community Farmer's Market - including maps and photos - check out their webpage at Arizona Farmer's Markets. More photos here.

Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations

2009-11-01T17:39:00.013-07:00

I was a big fan of Park Avenue Potluck: Recipes from New York's Savviest Hostesses. I ordered the book after reading about it over at May December - a fabulous blog by Melissa Morris. I was so excited to see Mel's blog post that there would be a sequel of sorts that would also benefit the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations: Entertaining at Home with New York's Savviest Hostesses is filled with more great recipes, beautiful photos and helpful hints from New York socialites. I can't wait to try the Pomegranate Mimosas!

September Garden Update

2009-08-26T17:14:00.004-07:00

(above) The potted chives going to seed at the end of summer

Now that the daily temperature should start dropping below 110 in the shade most days, it's time to start planning our winter vegetable gardens. Looking back on the last year it's clear that some changes need to be made. The tomatoes in the raised bed did not do well. The Big Boy and Early Girl tomatoes were the size of cherry tomatoes and the Sweet 100's were no bigger than marbles.

While we do change about half the soil in the raised bed each year, I think the nutrients are just tapped out. Tomato crops do best when rotated and we've been using the same raised bed year after year.

This coming winter we've decided to add a second raised bed for tomatoes, peppers and perhaps some squash. The older raised bed will be used for spinach, salad greens and herbs. Ben uses a lot of flat leaf parsley in his cooking and it will be nice to have a large amount of it, instead of a pot with 3 to 4 plants.

To make the new raised bed we are on the lookout for an old, inexpensive bookshelf. We'll just remove the back, tip it over, fill it with soil and voila - instant raised bed. Ben is checking out the second hand stores on 50% off days to see what we can find that will suit our needs.

I hope to pick up more large plastic pots too. The potted herbs did very well this year. The lemon balm has some toasted edges and the parsley went to seed in August, but the sage and thyme are loving all the heat.

Heart Attack Grill

2009-08-16T11:02:00.008-07:00

We have wanted to visit the Heart Attack Grill in Chandler since we saw it on The Food Network. We finally got the chance last night and we had a blast.

First, Ben was weighed in by Naughty Nurse Alex. If you weigh over 350lbs, you eat for free. Ben qualified.

Ben takes a big bite out of his second Triple Bypass Burger. Yum!

Ben and Jeff with their burgers and Cokes. The Cokes are from Mexico and are still made with real sugar down there, not the nasty high fructose corn syrup we have here in the States.

Jeff finished his Triple Bypass Burger and was wheeled out to the car by Nurse Alex. But first. . .a quick check of the vital signs.

Saying goodbye to Nurse Alex - until next time. . . .

“A Guy’s Guide to the Good Life - Virtues for Men” by Robert P. Lockwood

2009-07-30T15:21:00.001-07:00

(HuzBen is taking over East Valley Life today to weigh in on a men's book he just finished. Thank you Dumpling!)

“A Guy’s Guide to the Good Life - Virtues for Men” by Robert P. Lockwood

Can you name the seven virtues? If you haven’t given much thought on Prudence, Temperance, Justice, Fortitude, Hope, Faith and Charity, Robert P. Lockwood’s book might give you something to think about.

Lockwood breaks down the virtues into their own chapters and during the course of 140-plus pages, used a myriad of personal stories that stretch from being a boy and lessons learned from his father (he refers to as Old Man) to the mores recent experiences of being a grandfather of twins. A lot of the stories on everyday activities, such as a love for baseball and eating in diners, some traveling and many funeral stories of friends and family alike are told, illustrating how we can find lessons and a better life in the seven virtues.

Not all stories have a clear point or will touch your interest. Often, his viewpoint is sentimental and wistful for an age gone by, which a younger reader may not identify with. That’s fine, as there are many different stories devoted to each virtue and during each chapter. At least one story made me understand a new and better way of looking at each virtue, applying them to everyday life, and living better in service to God through these virtues.

The books may be best read by the Catholic who wants a refresher, to find new meaning and understanding in his faith and look to the virtues that have been around for a long time, yet can serve us in the modern day and everyday.

“A Guy’s Guide to the Good Life - Virtues for Men” by Robert P. Lockwood is available at The Catholic Company.

(Note from Leigh - this book sounds like a great gift for someone making their Confirmation or for a new Catholic entering the Church.)

Dressing with Dignity

2009-07-07T22:35:00.021-07:00

We are not supposed to sit in judgement of of others, but really, who hasn't been in a pew before Mass and bit their tongue while watching the parade of half dressed young people (and some adults!) walk down the aisle. In fact, I think it was in church where I first heard the phrase "muffin top" to describe the spillage of flesh peeking out between a young girls crop top and her hip huggers. I was clueless and actually asked my husband why people were discussing baked goods before Mass. Hello? We Catholics all know that the baked goods and coffee come after Mass. :-)

Admittedly, some people would be horrified at my church attire on occasion, usually pedal pushers and a coodinating top during the hot Arizona summers. It's mortifying to say that and I am trying to make a conscious effort to change. It's for this reason I decided to read Dressing with Dignity.

Colleen Hammond's book, 'Dressing With Dignity' was nothing like I expected when I picked it up this weekend. Prepared for a simple primer on how to dress for the appropriate occasion and perhaps a few website resources, I was completely suprised thought provoking book and the enormous amount of research that when into it.

Starting with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and progressing through the centuries to the Freemasons and Coco Chanel, the author is meticuluous in her citations that back her explanations and opinions. She tracks women's slow slide down the path of feminism and explains why and how we all ended up in this morally corrupt society. It's a fascinating read that offers real solutions on how to return to modesty and femininity.

The book was first published in 2004 and as I finished the book last night I wondered how much of an impact the Pure Fashion movement and books like Dressing With Dignity have had on people in the last five years. It didn't take long to get my answer. Today we all watched the memorial service for Michael Jackson. Except for the female singer with the wildly inappropriate clevege, everyone was dressed with the respect and reverence befitting the event. No wardrobe malfunctions in sight. It's my hope that in the future young ladies choose to conduct themselves less like Paris Hilton and more like Paris Jackson.

Dressing With Dignity is available at The Catholic Company.

Novena to St. Peregrine

2009-07-02T19:54:00.002-07:00

Novena to St. Peregrine - Patron Saint of Cancer Patients

Glorious wonder-worker, St. Peregrine,
you answered the divine call with a ready spirit,
and forsook all the comforts of a life of ease
and all the empty honors of the world
to dedicate yourself to God
in the Order of His Holy Mother.
You labored manfully for the salvation of souls.
In union with Jesus crucified,
you endured painful sufferings with such patience
as to deserve to be healed miraculously
of an incurable cancer in your leg
by a touch of His divine hand.
Obtain for me the grace to answer every call of God
and to fulfill His will in all the events of life.
Enkindle in my heart a consuming zeal
for the salvation of all men.
Deliver me from the infirmities
that afflict my body...

(Mention your need here...)

Obtain for me also a perfect resignation
to the sufferings it may please God to send me,
so that, imitating our crucified Savior and His sorrowful Mother,
I may merit eternal glory in heaven.

St. Peregrine, pray for me and for all who invoke your aid.

Magnificat Magazine

2009-07-01T07:27:00.008-07:00

The Liturgy of the Hours is the official set of Roman Catholic prayers designated to be prayed at specific times throughout the day by Catholic clergy and laity alike. The Liturgy consists of prayers, hymns and psalms, recited in a specified order at the specified times of the day.

I tried to pray the Liturgy, but it is complicated and confusing to flip back and forth between the ribbon page markers while trying to concentrate on the prayers. I tried and gave up on the prayers many times in frustration. The Liturgy didn’t work for me until I ran across Magnificat magazine at Mary Immaculate Books and Gifts here in Mesa.

Magnificat is a Catholic magazine that contains prayers of the Mass, stories of Catholic saints, fantastic artwork (the June cover is pictured here) and yes, the Liturgy of the Hours in a daily format.

I love the fact that the publisher has managed to pack so much information into such a compact size. Magnificat tucks nicely into my purse so I can tote it to Mass or Adoration. If you're like me and you've given up on the Liturgy of the Hours due to its' complexity - give Magnificat a try.

To see more about Magnificat and other Catholic products - check out The Catholic Company.

Follow Magnificat on Twitter.

An Afternoon of Wine Tasting and Shopping

2009-06-29T16:35:00.007-07:00

HuzBen and I had the opportunity to attend a grilling seminar/wine tasting at Fleming's Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Chandler on Saturday. The event was a joint venture with Fleming's and Barbecues Galore.

After a few basic tips on the meats we would be grilling we all headed outside to the patio where Johnathan Pyant of Barbecues Galore showed off the Odeon, and its' CrossRay technology. The Odean has infrared burners built into the sidewalls rather than underneath, thus reducing flareups. It works with liquid propane or nature gas and it's a beauty.

When the steaks were finished we returned to the dining room and tasted the three cuts of beef (filet, NY Strip, ribeye) and the wines picked to accompany them. Bruce Duffy and Candy Taylor of Flemings's were on hand to answer any and all questions about the pairings. The food was tasty, the wine was delicious and we received quite an education. The best part - the cost was a mere TEN DOLLLARS each!

We enjoyed ourselves so much that we signed up for their class on marinades and rubs in July. (And we're planning on stopping in for happy hour next week!)

Fleming's is located in one of my favorite shopping plazas, Casa Paloma. Casa Paloma is a foodie's dream, with Sur La Table and AJ's Fine Foods just a few feet apart.

I couldn't resist. Sur La Table was having a Summer Sale. I finally purchased the Baker's Edge Brownie Pan I've been wanting, along with new placemats, napkins and a few goodies from the clearance rack I'll be blogging about in the future.

Losing Weight With SparkPeople

2009-05-19T00:06:00.004-07:00

In early May I decided I needed to be more accountable for the calories I eat. I hate counting calories and I only did it one week per month to get an approximate idea of what I was eating. I knew I wanted a web based application where I could track my food and maybe my exercise.

After some serious web searching I found SparkPeople. Wow! SparkPeople is everything I never knew I wanted in a weight loss and fitness website. Not only does it have a nutrition and fitness tracker, there are message boards, home pages, blogging, teams, articles and a motivational points system. There are thosands of friendly people aiming for the same goals as me. And the best part of all - it's free!!!

I cannot say enough good things about SparkPeople.com. They've turned a chore into something fun and motivating. I love it! And it's free!!! If you sign up, please stop by my SparkPeople page and say hi - I am Leanna1017.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Stock

2009-05-18T21:09:00.007-07:00

Whole chickens were on sale this week for 88 cents per pound and Ben can't pass up a bargain.

On Sunday we browned the whole chicken in the pressure cooker with some carrots, parsnips and onions. We added garlic and peppercorns, along with parsley, thyme and sage from the herb garden and filled the PC with water to 2 inches below the maxium fill line.

The cooker was at high pressure for 30 minutes and we used the quick release button when the time was up. I strained the stock while Ben stripped the meat from the bones.

At this point, the bones went back into the pot with the stock and the water level was again topped off to about 2 inches below the maximum fill line (lower than necassary in case the stock foamed up). We set the timer for another 15 minutes at high pressure and let the cooker cool off naturally.

The stock was refrigerated overnight and the fat was skimmed off the next morning. We ended up with over a gallon of aromatic chicken stock and enough chicken to make chicken and cheese enchiladas for dinner and chicken soft tacos for our lunches this week. Quite the yield from a single bird.

Me and My Pedometer - A Love Story

2009-04-29T09:54:00.005-07:00

I am not ashamed to say it - I love my pedometer. While trying to figure out some way to be accountable for my eating and exercise habits I stumbled across articles about walking for fitness on Prevention Magazine's website. It seemed too good to be true. . . get a pedometer, walk 10,000 steps a day and lose weight. That's it? Wow - sign me up!

I had just been diagnosed with high blood pressure was put on medication. My doctor told me that if I exercised regularly, changed my eating habits, and lost some weight that there was a chance I could reverse the problem. I hated the blood pressure meds. They made me jumpy, gave me frequent panic attacks and if there was a chance that I could get off the stuff - I was going to try everything in my power to do it.

I bought a cheapie pedometer and I was off and walking. It didn't take long to figure out that my pedometer wasn't even close to being accurate. It would log over 100 steps just for using the restroom so I knew it wasn't a good indicator of my accomplishments. I was supposedly walking about 14,000 steps a day and it seemed to easy. I "googled" the name of my pedometer and found out that it was, well, crap. After some research I bought my Omron from Amazon.com. It was highly rated by Consumer Reports and by Amazon's customers. Perfect!

The first day with my new pedometer was on a weekend and did my usual housekeeping and laundry routines so I could see how many steps I took in an average day at home. I barely clocked in with about 2,500 steps. That was a real eye opener. My standard day at work ended up being about double that number but no where near that 10,000 I should have been doing.

It took me about 2 weeks to work up to 10,000 steps a day. It was harder than I thought. I started at work by walking around my office complex during breaks and my lunch hour. The Omron pedometer has an aerobic function, so any brisk walking done for more than 10 minutes registers as aerobic walking.

I found that by going to work early and staying a few minutes late I could not only get all my steps in but I could do five-10 minute periods of aerobic walking per day in the air conditioned call center. Climate is a big consideration during the summer here in Arizona. Walking in 120 degree weather on hot asphalt is not my idea of fun.

My coworkers were very supportive and a few jumped on the bandwagon and also started walking. I kept a record of my progress with my weight and the total number of steps I took per day. Keeping a chart made my accountable for my progress. My goal was to walk the required steps on five out of seven days a week.

Walking at work was great but I still had to figure out what to do at home in my tiny house. Life in a 900 square foot home with a 6'6" husband and several pets underfoot is a challenge. Trying to walk 10,000 steps a day in such a small house was darn near impossible, or so I thought. All it really takes is some creativity and incorporating your walking into your regular routines.

Laundry, cleaning and shopping are 3 ways I added to my daily step count. When I do laundry I fold the clothes right out if the dryer and walk them back to the bedroom one item at a time. The same thing with the groceries - each item gets carried in a separate trip to the pantry. Time consuming? Sure! But what would I really be doing with that extra time? Probably sitting down in front of the TV. When the weather is nice I do a few laps around the block.

It was early March 2008 that I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and put on medication. In late April 2008 I was taken off the meds by my doctor and my blood pressure has been fine ever since. I get it checked every 4-6 weeks. My doctor said she'd never seen anyone as determined to get off that medication as I was. It took me seven weeks to do it.

Am I still fat? Absolutely - I started my journey towards fitness and weight loss at nearly 300 pounds in November 2007 and I still have a long way to go. But am I in better shape than I was a year ago? Yes! And I still wear my pedometer everyday!

Mini Pizza Dinner

2009-04-22T18:43:00.006-07:00

Top photo (l to r) Three cheese veggie pizza, Carmelized Balsamic Onion and Ranch Pizza, Veggie Cheddar Pizza.
Bottom Photo (l to r) Rosemary Chicken and Ranch Pizza, BBQ Chicken Pizza.

For standard pizza dough recipe and tips on making grilled pizza - click here.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp active dry yeast

Mix and let stand until it foams - 8-10 minutes

2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Mix in a large bowl with the yeast mixture until dough comes together, then transfer to a board or counter and knead until smooth. Let rise in an oiled bowl (covered loosely) until the dough doubles in size, about an hour.

Divide dough into in half for 2 pizzas or keep dividing to make mini pizzas. You can let the dough rise again at this point or you can make your pizzas if you're in a hurry. Roll out to desired size and add toppings of your choice. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes for the large pizzas or about 10 minutes for mini pizzas.

PC Potato Salad

2009-04-05T10:55:00.006-07:00

Pressure cookers make easy work of potato salad, especially with red potatoes since you're not peeling them. The addition of the Penzeys Shallot Salt and Pepper gives the salad a consistent onion-y taste, even if you're planning to enjoy the salad over a few days. (I hate the taste of day old onions in pasta and tuna salad, etc)

PC Potato Cabbage Salad

5 lbs red potatoes, quartered (halved if very small)
5 Tbs dill pickle juice
2 tsp yellow mustard
2 tsp brown mustard
1 tsp Penzeys Shallot Pepper
1 tsp Penzeys Shallot Salt
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups chopped green cabbage
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery

Place potatoes pressure cooker with recommended amount of water for steaming (consult your owner's manual) Bring to high pressure and cook for 5 minutes, then use quick release method.

Drain potatoes thoroughly, place in a large bowl and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Pour dill pickle juice over potatoes and toss gently. Let cool for about 15 more minutes.

Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and toss with the potatoes. Chill and toss again just before serving.

More Lemon Recipes

2009-04-03T04:43:00.003-07:00

The windy weather has kept my friend Ahmed busy picking up lemons in his yard. I am lucky enough be a frequent recipient of this leftovers. Time to get busy in the kitchen!

Lemonade

8-10 lemons 1 1/2-2 cups of lemon juice
1 cup sugar (or to taste)
2 qts water

Juice the lemons and combine all in a tall pitcher. Serve over ice.

Strawberry Lemonade

http://www.eastvalleylife.com/2008/03/strawberry-lemonade.html

Lemon Bars

2 sticks butter
2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioners sugar plus 1 tbsp for dusting on top
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
4 tbsp flour
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp grated lemon peel

Preparation:
Heat oven to 325°. Blend butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Pat into ungreased 13x9x2-inch pan lined with parchment paper for easy removal. Bake for 15-20 minutes. For filling, blend together eggs, sugar, 4 tbsp flour, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Pour over first layer. Return to oven and bake at 325° for 20 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes then sift confectioners' sugar over the top just prior to serving.

Yorkshire Pudding

2009-04-02T05:36:00.001-07:00

My favorite Yorkshire Pudding recipe, adapted from the recipe in "Tea and Sympathy" by Anita Naughton.

Yorkshire Pudding
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
2 cups milk
roast beef pan drippings

*** Things to remember - You may need to reposition your oven rack to accomodate the rising of the popovers. Do not open the oven during while baking - this may cause the popovers to fall.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Whisk in the eggs and milk until the batter has the consistency of pancake batter. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.

Put about 1 tsp of roast beef drippings in each well of a large non-stick popover pan. Place pan in the oven until you can hear the drippings make popping and crackling sounds.
Remove from oven and fill each well with batter about 3/4 full.

Bake about 30 minutes or until well risen.

Serve hot.

Easy Apricot Barbecue Chicken

2009-04-01T10:53:00.012-07:00

Chicken leg quarters are usually a bargain at Midwestern Meats so I pick some up nearly every week. They're so versatile. This week I made Apricot Barbecue Chicken.

Easy Apricot Barbecue Chicken
4-6 chicken leg quarters
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb
3/4 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup prepared barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brush chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb Seasoning. Bake in a shallow baking dish at 350 for 40 minutes.

Heat apricot preserves in the microwave for a few seconds and blend with the barbecue sauce. If the mixture doesn't blend easily you can microwave for a few more seconds to thin the preserves.

Spread about half the sauce mixture on the chicken and return to the oven for 10 minutes, remove and coat chicken with the remaining sauce and return to the oven for 10 more minutes.

Serve over rice.

Photo op while plant shopping. . .

2009-03-31T09:46:00.003-07:00

Went to A & P Nurseries to get some tomato and Italian parsley plants for the garden. We ran into this big guy sleeping the ornamental grass. He looked very comfortable.

Ms. Thomas' Lovely Tea House

2009-03-30T16:15:00.006-07:00

Last weekend while shopping for a new bed we stumbled upon Ms. Thomas' Lovely Tea House on the NW corner of Mc Kellips and Power in Mesa. Dolores at Mattress Firm had nothing but praise for the establishment and I couldn't wait to check it out. I stopped in late last week to check out their gift shop (fabulous!) and I vowed to go for tea as soon as possible.

As HuzBen is not fond of tea and it took me a few days to find a dining partner. Thankfully my step mom Susan was as excited as I was to go there.

We stopped in today for tea and some shopping. Dolores was spot on, the place is wonderful. The decor is Victorian inspired, tastefully done but not cluttered. It reminded me of tea in my Aunt's parlor many years ago. The tea settings are beautiful and they include a honey pot at the table as well as sugar cubes. The tea was kept hot by a delicate looking silver teapot warmer (see blurry cell phone photo above) that I would have purchased in a second if they sold them in the gift shop.

We had the Miss Marianne Tea, which consists of a fruit cup, quiche, scones, tea sandwiches and sorbet. Other options omitted the quiche or added soup so you could customize your afternoon tea to your level of hunger. There are also some a la carte items and breakfast offerings. The food was fresh and tasty. I do wish they offered more varieties of tea.

A big plus over another popular tearoom in Mesa is that Ms. Thomas keeps her gift shop separate from the dining area. It was nice to enjoy a quiet lunch without someone kicking your while chair trying reach the price tag on a bottle of hand lotion.

When we finished I checked out the gift shop which offers lovely gifts as well as hard to find tea related items like honey spoons, sugar cube tongs and drip catchers for your teapot. I bought a butterfly drip catcher on my visit last week and it works very well, even on my little 2 cup teapot. (see picture below)

Ms. Thomas' Lovely Tea House is located at 6620 E, McKellips, Suite 102, Mesa, AZ. Phone 480-807-5133. Hours of operation are Mon-Sat 8:30am-2:30pm. Reservations strongly suggested.

A sad day. . .

2009-03-25T00:12:00.004-07:00

I wanted to keep this blog as a fun and hopefully uplifting account of our lives. Sometimes you've just got to accept some bad with the good and yesterday was very bad. A sudden infection claimed the life of our little Chopper. Our wonderful vet, Dr. Funk, did what he could but bunnies are fragile creatures and go downhill quickly.

Since we have no children our animals are our babies and Chopper was no exception. He was pampered and spoiled and we loved him like crazy. Like all our other pets Chopper was a throw away that no one else wanted. He lived with us for a year and a half and he always brought smiles to everyone he met. Posh and Danica are meowing and looking all over for him. It's breaking my heart. I hope he felt the love we had for him during his much too brief time with us.

March Garden Update

2009-03-06T10:48:00.006-07:00

The garden is doing quite well thanks to a very rainy winter. Of course that also means that the weeds are doing well too and I could cut the back grass every day if I had the time. Ripping the crab grass out of the raised bed is a daily chore around here.

During the few frosty days of winter we tented the garden with heavy weight row covers from Gardens Alive and clear plastic painter's drop cloths from Ace Hardware. The combination of the two made a very effective greenhouse and we only lost two tomato plants to the cold. We are already harvesting a few cherry tomatoes and the Better Boy and Early Girl's have some small green tomatoes and tons of blossoms.

The second round of lettuce was planted about 2 weeks ago and it's thriving. I put shade barriers up if it's going to be over 80 degrees so the plants don't get burned. For whatever reason the spinach never really took off this year and the leaves are still very tiny. I pluck off the roots and toss them in the salad anyway but they're barely noticable.

The radishes are huge and going to seed. I picked a plant today (in the photo) that was 4 feet tall with a radish that was a bit smaller than a tennis ball. We've used up about half of the radish bed to feed Chopper so I'll reseed that part of the garden this weekend. Raising radish greens for him has saved us a lot of money on fresh food for him. He was eating about 5 heads of romaine a week. Rabbits are cute but not cheap to feed, that's for sure.

More Spices

2009-02-13T12:01:00.003-07:00

After weeding the raised bed and cutting the grass I spent the morning organizing and labeling my bulk spices. Another project crossed off my "To Do" list.

Penzeys and British Gourmet in Scottsdale

2009-02-10T17:24:00.007-07:00

More George Foreman Chicken

2009-02-09T23:02:00.004-07:00

I love onions, but Vidalia onions are a particular favorite. Last week at Costco I purchased Oak Hill Farms Vidalia Onion Vinagrette Salad Dressing and it is tasty! It's great on salads but my favorite way to use it is to coat boneless chicken breasts with the dressing and grill them in my George Foreman Grill. The dressing is so full of flavor that you don't even need to marinate them in the dressing, just brush it on and grill. For an extra kick you can add a thin slice of onion on top if the chicken about halfway through the grilling time.

Tomatoes from the garden

2009-02-03T11:02:00.004-07:00

Looks like we were successful at winterizing the raised bed veggie garden this year. The tomato plants along the end of the garden that looked half dead a few weeks ago are now completely green and covered in blossoms. Today I picked the first of this year's Sweet 100 tomatoes. Tiny, but tasty.

"All right Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my close-up!"

2009-01-28T11:45:00.002-07:00

Salad from the garden

2009-01-27T11:04:00.004-07:00

We grow the most beautiful and nutritious greens in the garden. Most get fed to Chopper but about once a week we put together a big salad with low fat dressing to share over dinner.

Radishes

2009-01-20T10:32:00.004-07:00

Here are the radishes that I picked from the garden today. Love that purple one! Most of what we harvest is given to family, friends and coworkers. Today's bunch is going to Patrice. Chopper will be eating radish tops for dinner along with some red bell peppers. It's much cheaper to grow our own greens for him and I know they are organic.

Backyard Visitors

2009-01-15T11:35:00.003-07:00

Now that the weather is warmer, the animals like to spend time on the porch watching the birds at the feeder and bird bath. Sometimes they get a visit from a friend. Chiquita stopped by to say hello today. She's a bit camera shy. Chiquita's mom is our neighbor Stephanie.

Updated Dump Cake

2009-01-09T11:04:00.006-07:00

Dump cake made with yellow cake mix and cherry pie filling has been around forever and it's certainly a favorite in our home. (Although it's so high in fat and sugar that we don't get to enjoy it very often!)

I'm cleaning out the freezer this week and I found 2 bags of frozen wild blueberries that I needed to use up. I wanted something quick and easy and Dump Cake was the first thing that came to mind. French Vanilla cake mix was the closest thing to yellow cake mix that we had in the pantry. It turned out to be wonderful.

Updated Dump Cake

1 large can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 can cherry pie filling
3 cups frozen wild blueberries
1 box French Vanilla cake mix
2 sticks of butter (1/2 cup) chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 for glass baking dish).

Dump undrained crushed pineapple baking dish 9X13" pan or glass baking dish and spread it out evenly.

Top with cherry pie filling, spread with a spoon. Dump frozen blueberries on top and spead them out evenly.

Sprinkle cake mix over these payers and dot evenly with butter pieces. Top with nuts.

Bake for 50-60 minutes. Let it cool a bit before serving.

A Chopper Runs Through It

2009-01-08T23:28:00.003-07:00

Chopper runs through the house with his favorite toy, the wrapper from a tube of Ritz Crackers. Last night we had a 2 hour game of "keep away" between Chopper and the kittens. Somehow the wrapper managed to survive intact. I have $$$ worth of animal toys and THIS is how they entertain themselves!

Novena for the Salvation of Souls and the Conversion of Sinners

2009-01-08T00:03:00.002-07:00

NOVENA FOR THE SALVATION OF SOULS
AND THE CONVERSION OF SINNERS

O JESUS, Thou didst suffer and die
that all mankind might be saved
and brought to eternal happiness.
Through the Agony of Thine Crown of Thorns
I offer it to Thy Eternal Father
that Thou wilt hear our pleas
for further the grace of final perseverance
for the just and mercy on sinners:

My dear parents and grandparents,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

My brothers and sisters and other near relatives,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

My godparents and sponsors of Confirmation,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

My spiritual and temporal benefactors,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

My friends and neighbors,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

All for whom love or duty bids me pray,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who have offended me,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who will offend me,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who have suffered disadvantage of harm through me,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those whom I, still a sinner, will offend,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who are especially beloved by Thee,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those whose death is near at hand,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who desire most to be united to Thee,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who endure the greatest sufferings and trials,
especially spiritual torments,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those whose death is most remote,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those sinners have no one to pray for them,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who are most deserving
on account of their services to the Church,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

The rich who do not need Thee and are thus the most destitute,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

The mighty who spurn Thee,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

The spiritually blind, that they might see their folly,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

The frivolous, who spend their time in idleness,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

The poor, who do not seek the treasures of Heaven,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

The tepid, who devote little time to prayer,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

The indolent, who neglect to perform good works,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those of little faith,
who neglect the frequent reception of the Sacraments,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

The habitual sinners,
who require for their salvation to a miracle of grace,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Parents who fail to watch over their children,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Superiors who are not solicitous
for the salvation of those entrusted to them,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who strive for worldly riches and pleasures,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

The worldly minded,
who fail to use their wealth and talents in the service of God,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who witness the death of others,
but do not think of their own,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who blaspheme and commit sacrilege,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who violate the dignity of the human body
and mind through impurity,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who sin because of my sins and bad example,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who do not provide for the life hereafter,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those whose judgment will be severe
because of the great things entrusted to them,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

The pope, kings and rulers,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

The bishops and their counselors,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

My teachers and spiritual advisers,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

The priests of this diocese,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

The priests and religious of the Catholic Church,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

The defenders of the holy Catholic Faith,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who die on the battlefield,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who fight for their country,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who will be buried in the sea,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who are to die suddenly, in accidents and from other causes,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who will die of heart attacks,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who suffer with cancer,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who suffer with AIDS,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who shall die without the last rites of the Church,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

Those who shall die within the next twenty-four hours,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

For Catholic apostates, heretics, and other unbelievers,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

For Catholics who hold Masonic membership
or in other secret societies,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

For the conversion of the Jews, Thy chosen people of old,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

For abortionists and those who aid them,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

For women who seek abortions,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

For those who promote or practice contraception,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

For those who give scandal, especially to children,
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

My own poor soul when I shall have to appear before Thy judgment seat.
My Jesus, pardon and mercy through Thy Sacred Wounds

PRAYER

Final perseverance and pardon grant unto all of these, O Lord;
and let Thy graces through these petitions
flow unto them and be fruitful.

Amen.

http://www.catholicdoors.com/prayers/novenas/p04340.htm

http://www.catholictradition.org/Christ/thorns1.htm

New Find For The George Foreman Grill

2009-01-07T13:27:00.011-07:00

Many thanks to fellow Jersey Sister LadyDee who told me about all the flavors of Mrs. Dash. I was under the impression that there were still only two types of Mrs. Dash, salt and salt free. LadyDee set me straight! My new favorite is Onion and Herbs but I like all the grilling varieties as well. (Steak, Chicken, and Hamburger)

Since I am trying to lose weight, I love boneless chicken breasts on the George Foreman Grill. I usually make up different kinds of low fat marinades and let the chicken sit overnight in the fridge. Sometimes, it's too much of a hassle or I need a meal in a hurry. Now I throw on some Mrs. Dash.

Sadly, I can't find any on these newer flavors in the Valley. Thanks to my mom, who sent me a box from New Jersey over the holidays, along with the Lipton Ginger Twist Tea that you can't find here either.

Weight Loss Reflections For 2008

2008-12-26T23:31:00.007-07:00

My Weight Chart:

I don't blog much about weight loss journey which began in November of 2007. As much as I love checking out other weight loss related blogs, I just hate talking about my ups and downs on the scale in such a public forum. Still, confession is good for the soul and I think the end of the year is an appropriate time to look back on successes and issues and think about future goals.

The high point (pun intended) for me this year was being diagnosed with high blood pressure again and being able to get off of the blood pressure meds in only 7 weeks. Major exercise and minor diet overhauls were responsible for my blood pressure now being back to normal.

Admittedly I am a little discouraged that I am not closer to the 200lb mark. I had a plateau for several months in the spring and summer where I was stuck at 250 for months. One health problem after another cropped up. None were weight related but they all had me under doctor's orders to lay off the workouts weeks at a time. Thankfully that's all over and I even walked 10,635 steps on Christmas day.

We decided to try and be a bit more "green" this year and that carried over into health benefits as well. We're growing our own veggies and salad greens again. Chopper is certainly not complaining about all the organic produce he's getting at mealtime. The gardening chores get us out in the fresh air and gives ample exercise opportunities thanks to all the weeds. I have also started mowing the yard with the push mower to get in more aerobic activity that is helpful to the environment.

Food around our house has been interesting this year. We made the switch from white to brown rice and it was much less painful than I expected. I really enjoy it now. I've been experimenting with some new (to our palates) herbs and spices that are proported to have antioxidant qualities. We've had some hits and some misses but it hasn't been dull. I found time to rework a few recipes into lighter and healthier versions to suit our new way of eating. (see sidebar for 'Recipes')

On the whole I think I did okay with my weight loss under the circumstances but hopefully next year will be better. I'm looking forward to more time walking around the neighborhood now that the crazy guy down the street has moved out. For 2009 I need to work on taking my vitamins regularly, drink more decaf green tea and take my lunch to work more often.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T08:05:00.005-07:00

Chopper supervises as Posh decorates for the holidays.

From our home to yours, Merry Christmas and best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday!

From The B Family - HuzBen, Leanna, Pearl, Foster, Chopper, Posh, and Danica

Leanna's Christmas Cheese Spread

2008-12-22T10:21:00.007-07:00

I have been making this recipe for over 20 years and it's always a hit at parties or potlucks. It's also a very forgiving recipe. If you need to make it for a larger crowd you can use more cheddar cheese or red bell pepper without altering the taste. For a fancier version, you can shape the finished product into a ball and coat the outside with slivered almonds.

Leanna's Christmas Cheese Spread

2 - 8oz pkgs cream cheese (room temp)
1 - 4.25oz can of Underwood Deviled Ham
1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup diced sweet red bell pepper (do not substitute green bell pepper)
1/2 cup finely sliced green onions

Mix the cream cheese, deviled ham and the ranch dressing mix in a bowl. Fold in the remaining ingredients. Chill for at least 2 hours prior to serving. Serve with crackers or mini toasts. Can be made up to 2 days in advance.

The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever

2008-12-18T03:28:00.009-07:00

Wow! The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever came yesterday from Amazon.com. This was an early Christmas present from HuzBen.

I took it to work today and skimmed through it in between calls. About 30 purple Post-It notes are now sticking out the top, marking recipes that I can't wait to try. I found lots of recipes that use brown rice and chicken breasts and a few vegetarian recipes that sound good. The book has fast and easy recipes that contain canned cream of "whatever" soups and more involved recipes that have detailed sauces. You'll find the often talked about no knead bread recipe that ran in a New York Times article two winters ago. This book boasts over 500 recipes and is more than worth the price.

I think The Best Casserole Book Ever is going to be my new "go to" book when I can't think of anything to make for dinner.

Roasted Pork Loin With Potato Chip Crust

2008-12-17T01:19:00.001-07:00

Roasted Pork Loin With Potato Chip Crust

One can of vegetable stock

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup on kosher salt

10-20 peppercorns, lightly crushed

3-4 lb pork loin

1/4 cup brown mustard

1 - 10 1/2oz bag of salt and vinegar potato chips

Make the brine by mixing the stock, salt, sugar and peppercorns. Simmer in a med saucepan, stirring until sugar and salt are dissolved. Simmer but do not bring to boil. Remove from heat and let the brine cool.

Rinse pork loin, place in plastic sealable bag and pour brine mixture over the pork loin, refrigerate overnight, turning once or twice.

Remove from fridge and let it sit for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Crush the potato chips, take pork loin out of brine and rinse under cold water. Coat the pork loin with the mustard and roll in the crushed potato chips.

Place in oven. Roast until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

Buyer Beware

2008-12-16T09:37:00.009-07:00

I took a trip to Joann's on Sunday to purchase some contrasting fabric for the pockets of an apron I'm making out of this fabric from my kitchen curtains.

On the remnants rack I can often find small amount of fabric at a big discount so that was my first stop. I didn't see anything that would work for the apron but I did spot a colorful fleece fabric, just perfect for a blanket for Chopper. This is what it looked like when it was all rolled up at the store. Cute, right?

Back in the quilting department I found a suitable fabric for the apron and I found an awesome flannel print that will be turned into a Christmas present for someone. (I'll post about that after the holidays) I took my purchases home and started to launder everything when I unwrapped the fleece for Chopper and discovered that it wasn't exactly what I thought.

OMG!!!

Even Danica had to get a look at it. I did not imagine there would be skulls all over the print. Skulls for my sweet little Chopper?! There is no way to return remnants so it looks like my bunny is going hardcore. At least he doesn't seem to mind.

Monti's Roman Bread

2008-12-14T12:12:00.001-07:00

Monti's La Casa Vieja is situated across the street from the old flour mill in Tempe, right at the foot of the Mill Avenue bridge over the Salt River/Tempe Town Lake, across the street from Tempe Beach Park. The restaurant has been at that location since 1956 and has been designated a historic landmark. The food is fantatic and when you eat too much of it (and you will!) a stroll around the park or window shopping on Mill Avenue will help the waistline. :-)

Monti's Roman Bread is probably my favorite bread to bake in the winter to warm up the house. The smell of the fresh rosemary is heavenly! This bread is good with butter but it's fantasic when topped with baby swiss cheese.

MONTI'S ROMAN BREAD

1 tablespoon sugar
1 cake yeast
11/2 cups lukewarm water
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
chopped fresh rosemary
Olive oil and salt, as needed

Add sugar and yeast to lukewarm water and stir to dissolve yeast. Add flour, salt and onion. Knead until smooth.

Place dough in an oiled bowl and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down.

Flatten dough on oiled cookie sheet to about 1-inch thick. Oil the top of the dough.

Let rise until doubled in size.

Sprinkle with salt and fresh rosemary.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Healthier Meatloaf

2008-12-04T01:38:00.002-07:00

Healthier Meatloaf

This has all the taste of traditional meatloaf but it contains added fiber. Using lean ground beef and baking it on a rack helps reduce the saturated fats and beneficial MUFAs (monounsaturated fats) are added in the form of olive oil. You cannot taste the apple but it helps keep the ground beef moist.

2 lbs very lean ground beef
1 egg white
1 pkg plain instant oatmeal
1/2 HoneyCrisp Apple, grated
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced sweet onion
1/3 cup BBQ Sauce (plus more to spread on top before baking)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp garlic salt

If you like a little bit of crunch just blend the ingredients above and shape your meatloaf. If you like your veggies softer, saute the onion and celery in the olive oil before adding to the mixture.

Shape meatloaf and wrap in tightly plastic wrap. Place in fridge for at least 1 hour.
Unwrap and place meatloaf on a rack in a baking pan so it will not be sitting in any residual grease as it bakes. Bake until internal temp is 160 degrees, about 60-75 minutes. Coat with more BBQ sauce at the 45 minute mark. Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

2008-12-03T11:36:00.004-07:00

Today is one of those perfect Arizona days that we all moved here to enjoy. It's sunny but breezy and I have all the windows and doors open to enjoy the fresh air. Posh and Danica are in the window of the guest room looking at the sparrows chirping in the bougainvilla. When they get bored with the sparrows they run to the screen door and watch the hummingbirds in the front garden, flying around the lantana. Foster is out on the porch entertaining himself by watching the activity at bird bath in the backyard. Oh, the easy life of kitties!

Psalm 105:1-2 – "Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts."

Healthier Artichoke Chicken

2008-12-02T17:26:00.003-07:00

Healthier Artichoke Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 - 15 oz can chopped artichoke hearts, drained well
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup Best Foods Mayonaise With Olive Oil*
1/3 cup fat free sour cream
1 tbsp Penzey's Shallot Pepper Seasoning

In a fry pan, brown chicken breasts in olive oil on both sides. Transfer to a shallow 2 quart casserole dish.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine artichoke hearts, 1/2 cup of roman cheese, mayo, sour cream and Penzey's Shallot Pepper Seasoning.

Top chicken with the artichoke mixture and sprinkle remaining Romano cheese on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

* East of the Mississippi Best Foods is known as Hellman's

Tackling The Pantry

2008-12-01T09:16:00.009-07:00

With the Thanksgiving holiday over and having a long weekend to myself, I decided to catch up on some projects. Yesterday I finally tackled the pantry and labeled all of our food storage containers with my trusty P-Touch Label Maker. Getting this done was on my project list for 2008 so I am getting it in just under the wire.

We have a good size pantry for a house this small and quite a selection of Tupperware to help make the best use of the space. To "store what you use and use what you store" Tupperware is the best for long term storage IMHO. It is available in all shapes and sizes and it's designed to stack and store while taking up minimal space. Five gallon buckets and not designed to be opened and closed again and are not made to stack on each other.

I bake bread so we buy bulk items like wheat flour and whole grains from Sprouts. We're also made the switch to healthier brown rice this year to aid in our weight loss. Sprouts stocks short and long grain as well as brown arborio rice for making risotto. They have a rapid turnover so you know the bulk items are really fresh. Everything we buy goes into the freezer for a few days and then is put into Tupperware Modular Mates.

With their new labels I won't mistake pastry flour for bread flour ever again.

Next project - the office!

Chopper's BunSpace

2008-11-21T20:42:00.001-07:00

Yes, Chopper was a bit jealous of our MySpace and Facebook pages so we got him his own. I'm sure the cats will be complaining tomorrow that they feel left out.

Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

2008-11-19T10:33:00.006-07:00

8-10 medium apples (I used Granny Smith and Honey Crisp)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1 T. grated ginger root
1/2 t grated fresh nutmeg (makes all the difference)
3/4 cup plus 1 T. butter
(optional) 1/2 t. Penzey's French Four Spice*

Grease slow cooker with 1 T. of butter and fill with apple slices. *Optional - Sprinkle apples with Penzey's French Four Spice and toss gently to coat.

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, spices and butter. Distribute over the apple slices and press down lightly.

Cooking time will vary according to your slow coker. For an older model with a lower overall temperture, cook on high for 3-4 hours. I find that setting makes the apples mushy so I generally set my slow cooker to medium and cook for 3 hours.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

*Penzey's French Four Spice is a blend of Muntok white pepper, nutmeg, ginger, and powedered cloves. I find it gives just a little zing to the apples. You can order it online or check out their store in Scottsdale.

Ugly Chair Becomes A Swan

2008-11-18T00:01:00.001-07:00

Time to talk about Ugly Chair. Ugly Chair has been a fixture at our house for years. We found it beside an empty lot in downtown Mesa more years ago than I care to remember. It was peeking out of a big pile of junk that someone illegally dumped. We were driving by in the truck and I instantly recognized the sound bone structure and limitless potential in Ugly Chair. Ok, really - we just needed a chair for the porch where HuzBen could sit smoke his ciggies away from my asthmatic lungs. It fit our main criteria of not costing anything. I wanted to do the "green" thing by recycling someone else's junk. We took it home.

Ugly Chair spent the last several years going back and forth between the yard and the porch, depending on the weather and the need for space. It got to be sort of a joke that I never seemed to get around to refurbishing Ugly Chair. As rough on the eyes as the chair was, my husband put cardboard and newspapers on the seat, covered it with an old blanket and spent many confortable hours in Ugly Chair while reading on the porch.

When my mother would visit from New Jersey I would tell her about my grand plans to re-do the chair and make it presentable. Bless her heart my mother never has a cross word to say about anything but her eyes were saying "Seriously? Hello! Put that thing out at the curb where it belongs!" In direct contrast, my father actually said on many occasions, "Seriously? Hello! Put that thing out at the curb where it belongs!" And at least once he tried to do just that when I wasn't looking. If it wasn't for our superb neighborhood block watch I'm sure he would have snuck it off to the dump while I was in NYC.

That's all behind us now because this week Ugly Chair had it's makeover. I took a Home Depot gift certificate I'd been saving and I purchased some almond colored spray paint. Joann's had leather beading cord that I used to replace the leather strips that had rotted away. The folks at Mesa Sales helped me pick out a foam cushion and some marine grade thread for the seat and the pillow. The vinyl was found at a steal for 80% off when Hancock's closed a few months ago.

Ugly Chair is now back on the porch and HuzBen and the kitties are thriled with the makeover. While no one is going to mistake it for being redone by a professional, I think Ugly Chair approves.

Adventures in BBQ'ing

2008-11-17T21:20:00.001-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I was planning to make my Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwiches for Sunday dinner. It was a beautiful day so I thought we'd eat outside and take advantage of the fantastic fall weather.

My brother gave us a nice Charbroil grill last summer but it's a lot of grill for just the two of us. When I do use it, I like to make as much food as possible so I am not wasting propane. Safeway had chicken quarters for 88 cents a pound this week. I bought a bunch so I decided to put those on the grill first with some BBQ sauce and save them for dinner later in the week and freeze the rest. When that chicken was nearly done I was planning to add the boneless chicken breasts for the sandwiches. Yes, I thought I was Super Time Management Frugal Grilling Woman! Nothing could stop me from eating well on a budget! What's the phrase? Pride goeth before the fall?

The chicken quarters had been on the grill for 15 minutes and I took some things outside to set the table. I could hear that the grill was starting to flame up from the chicken fat so I grabbed a water bottle to tame the flames. That's where the insanity began.

Unknown to me, the back wheel on the grill had become loose. When I opened the grill the back wheel fell off and the grill tipped over backwards. When the grill hit the ground, blazing chicken quarters bounced up and went flying in every direction. That in turn set the grass on fire. The fire was also still going inside the open grill itself and flames were about 18 inches high.

Oh yeah, did I mention that I have not one but two jumbo propane tanks? One is attached to the grill left side and the other is stored off to the right. Not exactly what you want to have around when you've just flipped over your grill and set your yard on fire.

Thank God, the hose was only a few feet away since I'd been watering the potted herbs only hours before the calamity. I put out the fire as I yelled for HuzBen who has just woke up from a nap. Nothing like walking up to your shrieking wife and your yard being incinerated. (I'm sure he was saying to himself, "Yipee, less grass to cut!")

HuzBen held the hose as I turned off the propane valve and then we got the grill back upright. We scooped up the chicken flambe and mud caked utensils that went sailing several feet away when the grill hit the ground.

In the end no one was hurt and the house and yard are fine. I am very thankful it was the back wheel and not the front wheel or the grill would have tipped over on me. Nothing was broken and even the grill is fine, except for the piece of plastic flower pot that was on the ground and is now melted to the back of the lid. We did lose the chicken quarters but I played it safe and cooked the boneless chicken breasts on the stove and dinner wasn't even 5 minutes later. We still ate outside and dinner was wonderful. The recipe and an actual picture of last night's dinner are here. I love the smell of freshly torched grass in the evening.

So much for another day in the East Valley!

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Honey Mustard Sauce and Balsamic Vinegar Carmelized Onions

2008-11-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Honey Mustard Sauce
And Balsamic Vinegar Onions

For Chicken-

Pound 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts until they are of even thickness. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with garlic salt and paprika. Place directly on grill grate and cook until they are done.

Serve on a large toasted bun with Honey Mustard Sauce and Carmelized Balsamic Onions.

Honey Mustard Sauce

2 parts mayonnaise
1 part Dijon mustard
1 part honey

Balsamic Vinegar Carmelized Onions

2 large onions
2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Slice the onions into rings and separate.

Take your largest, heavy, non-stick frying pan and heat it on med heat for about 3 minutes. Turn the heat to med/low

Place all the onions in the pan and drizzle with the Balsamic Vinegar. Do not cover the pan. Every 8 to 10 minutes toss the onions to coat them with the vinegar.

It may take an hour for the onion to soften and carmelize – don’t rush it.

Rosaries For Life

2008-11-07T23:40:00.001-07:00

Rosaries For Life is starting a 72 day Novena on November 10th. It will end on January 20th, Inauguration Day. The recent 40 Days for Life campaign showed just how much prayer can accomplish. Think of what 68,000,000 rosaries could do . . .

The following is from their blog - please go there and sign up to pray for our country.

http://rosariesforlife.wordpress.com/

"There are five specific intentions. You may specifically pray a specific mystery for a specific intention, or simply pray the whole rosary for all of the intentions. If possible, pray the rosary in front of the Blessed Sacrament. The intentions are these:

* For the triumph of the Culture of Life in the United States of America.

* For President-elect Obama, and for all of the leaders of the United States of America, that they will be led personally to Jesus Christ and His truth, and that they will lead our country in a positive direction. Or in other words, as Archbishop Wuerl said, “That our nation’s new leaders be guided in their decisions with wisdom and compassion and at the heart of all of their decisions may there be a deep respect for and commitment to the sanctity and dignity of all human life and support for the most vulnerable among us.”

* For the hearts, minds and SOULS of the American people, that they will be turned back towards Jesus Christ and the “least of His brethren”.

* For a renewal of the virtues of purity and self-control, especially among our youth.

* In reparation for the scourges of abortion, Embryonic Stem Cell Research, euthanasia, cloning, artificial contraception, and all manifestations of the Culture of Death, and especially in reparation for the support and/or complacency that we as American Catholics have shown to these evils.

I Timothy 2:1-2 -First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intecessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men - for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly, and respectful in every way.

Ephesians 6:11-13 - Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

Weight Loss Update and New Find at Fry's

2008-11-06T09:01:00.007-07:00

November of 2007 is when I started eating healthier and minding my portions in an effort to lose weight. As of yesterday I am down 41 lbs over the last 12 months. Yea me!

Lately I have been battling the midday munchies because they are giving us so many breaks during the training class I am in at work. (Not that I'm complaining!) Don't even ask me about what happened to the remaining Halloween candy. . .

I finally found something that keeps me away from the snack machines and tastes much better than those nasty protein bars I've been eating. Chex Mix Bars! Chex Mix or any cereal for that matter is just not my thing, so I was a bit skeptical. They're actually really good. I've been keeping them at my desk to curb my visits to the vending machines at work. They fill the need when that 3pm chocolate craving hits.

The "Turtle" flavor is Chex Mix (cereal with pieces of pretzels and peanuts) mixed with chocolate and caramel. The best part is that each bar has only 130 calories (30 from fat) 4 grams of fiber (or 18% of the recommended allowance for the whole day), 26g of carbs and zero cholesterol. There are no sat fats or trans fats.

Now, compare that to your average serving of vending machine Snickers bar that I was eating - 271 calories, 122 calories from fat, 5.2g of sat fat, 34.5g of carbs and only 1.3 g of fiber.

Chex Mix Bars also come in a Chocolate Chunk favor which DH already stole from our pantry to keep at his desk so I haven't tried them yet.

If you would like me to email you a coupon for Chex Mix Bars, please let me know via a reply to this post. DH just bought a few boxes for $1.00 per box (after $1.50 off coupon) on sale at Fry's/Kroger last week. Killer deal!

Election Day

2008-11-04T11:09:00.002-07:00

A Prayer For Our Nation As We Prepare To Elect Our Leaders

O God, we acknowledge you today as Lord,
Not only of individuals, but of nations and governments.

We thank you for the privilege
Of being able to organize ourselves politically
And of knowing that political loyalty
Does not have to mean disloyalty to you.

We thank you for your law,
Which our Founding Fathers acknowledged
And recognized as higher than any human law.

We thank you for the opportunity that this election year puts before us,
To exercise our solemn duty not only to vote,
But to influence countless others to vote,
And to vote correctly.

Lord, we pray that your people may be awakened.
Let them realize that while politics is not their salvation,
Their response to you requires that they be politically active.

Awaken your people to know that they are not called to be a sect fleeing the world
But rather a community of faith renewing the world.

Awaken them that the same hands lifted up to you in prayer
Are the hands that pull the lever in the voting booth;
That the same eyes that read your Word
Are the eyes that read the names on the ballot,
And that they do not cease to be Christians
When they enter the voting booth.

Awaken your people to a commitment to justice
To the sanctity of marriage and the family,
To the dignity of each individual human life,
And to the truth that human rights begin when human lives begin,
And not one moment later.

Lord, we rejoice today
That we are citizens of your kingdom.

May that make us all the more committed
To being faithful citizens on earth.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Food Storage - Where do I start?

2008-11-02T01:59:00.003-07:00

Food Storage - Where do I start?

Food Storage has always been a common topic among East Valley women and not only at the local LDS churches. The Y2K scare served as preparation for a post 9/11 world where the Red Cross and the Office of Homeland Security are now preaching preparedness on television commercials.

There are many websites and message boards devoted to food storage and how to prepare for emergencies. One look at any food storage chart is enough to set a budget minded person's head spinning. It's best to just take a deep breath and remember that Rome wasn't built in a day. If you purchase things over time it really won't be the daunting (and expensive) task that it seems.

Have a plan -

Find a food storage plan list on the Internet and edit it to suit the needs of your family. Keep in mind that the best thing you can do is store what you eat and eat what you store.

Set your budget-

Not everyone can afford to pay thousands of dollars for the ready-made food storage kits available at places like Walton Feed and Be Prepared.com. Believe it or not, if you are organized you can end up with a comprehensive food storage supply for only a small weekly cash investment.

One of the more popular strategies for building food storage is the ten dollar per week method. This is a great place to start but I honestly don't think anyone could live off these items for long. How many times a week can you endure tuna casserole? Still, this is a great base for your plan.

Need a bit more variety in your meals?

Luckily for us, Valley residents enjoy the benefit of having a great food storage purveyor on nearly every corner. Yes, that's right - it's Walgreen's!

The Walgreen's supplement in your Sunday newspaper has a wealth of items that no food storage supply should be without. Last week’s sale included several three for a dollar items; Jiffy Mixes, snack size Pringles, canned pineapple and sardines. Canned mushrooms were a bargain at two for a dollar. Always check the date on canned goods and don't get anything that expires in less than 2 years.

Our personal favorite is the one-pound, cooked, boneless, canned hams. They need no refrigeration until you open them and one ham is perfect for two people. We use them for sandwiches (both hot and cold), with cheese and broccoli as a baked potato topping, or diced and mixed into mac and cheese. The possibilities are endless.

The various dollar stores around the East Valley are another great source of non perishable items but you need to check your labels carefully! Stick to good that are from the U.S.A. Watch exparation dates and don't purchase anything dented.

Invest in a few "back to basics" cookbook or cookbook specifically written with food storage in mind. My favorite is Cookin' with Home Storage, available at Amazon. You can find many articles and recipes on the web, but be sure and print them and get them into a folder or binder. You might need them when there is no electricity and internet access is not available. Be sure to include recipes that can be made over an open fire, in a dutch oven, or on a BBQ grill in case of a power failure. Think about alternative cooking vessels as well. Non stick teflon pans and glass casserole dishes will not work in a camp fire or BBQ grill. Invest in some cast iron pans and a cast iron dutch oven. You can get these at most camping supply stores and some military surplus stores like Larada's.

With instability of the economy, rising food costs, and the ever present possibility of another terrorist attack, the important thing is to start building a food storage plan now. You don't need to buy everything in one week but you do need to have a plan and stick to it.

Happy Birthday Chopper!

2008-11-02T01:26:00.003-07:00

It's not exactly his birthday - we don't have any idea when he was born or how old he is. . . but this week it's one year from the day I found him in the front yard, lost and scared. Thankfully the family who mistreated him (according to the neighbors) never came looking for him and we've had him ever since. He'll always be our little Halloween bunny!

Cooler Weather = More Kniting!

2008-10-25T18:28:00.006-07:00

The weather is beautiful today! Our doors are open and the porch got a much needed sweeping. Knitting and crochet projects are bought out of hiding when the weather cools off. I need to work on a scarf and maybe another tea cozy - you cannot have too many tea cozies! As you can tell, Posh appreciates a nice tea cozy too.

Winter Vegetable Garden

2008-10-03T10:31:00.004-07:00

To try and curb our rising food budget we decided to have a garden again this winter. We haven't had anything in the raised bed in 2 years and honestly, I miss it. There's nothing like going out to your own backyard to gather a salad for dinner. Not only is cost a factor, but with our own garden I know we're getting organic produce, and Chopper is getting the freshest food available, not something that's been trucked in from Mexico.

The first round of planting went well. HuzBen mixed a few bags of composted mulch and manure into the raised bed. I've been watering as needed for a desert garden, daily or every other day.

The first tomatoes are turning red but the plants aren't doing as well as I'd hoped due to the heat. They are not getting bigger and the leaf tips are showing signs of sunburn. I orders some shade/frost cloths from Gardens Alive. (Sign up for their mailing list and you get periodic coupons for $20.00 off a $40.00 purchase!) It looks like I'll be needed to use them sooner than I hoped. On the other hand, most of the lettuce is thriving which is odd since it should be more sensitive to the hot days than the tomatoes. Go figure.

This weekend I hope to plant the radish and lettuce seeds. I am really looking forward to the radishes, mostly for Chopper. They are very inexpensive to grow and radish tops are much cheaper than his usual staple food of romaine lettuce.

Novena to St. Dymphna

2008-10-01T18:29:00.003-07:00

On the first, eleventh, and twenty first of each month I begin a Novena. Today I started a Novena to St. Dymphna. She is the patroness of those afflicted with mental and nervous disorders. Won't you join me?

Novena to St. Dymphna

O God, we humbly beseech You
through Your servant, St. Dymphna,
who sealed with her blood
the love she bore You,
to grant relief to those
who suffer from mental afflictions
and nervous disorders, especially...

(Mention the person's name here.)

St. Dymphna,
helper of the mentally afflicted,
pray for us.

Glory be to the Father...

Novena to St. Philomena

2008-09-21T22:51:00.002-07:00

On the first, eleventh, and twenty first of each month I begin a Novena. Today I started a Novena to St. Philomena. Won't you join me?

NOVENA PRAYER TO SAINT PHILOMENA

We beseech Thee, O Lord, to grant us the pardon of our sins by the intercession of Saint , virgin and martyr, who was always pleasing in Thy sight by her eminent chastity and by the profession of every virtue. Amen.

Illustrious virgin and martyr, Saint Philomena, behold me prostrate before the throne whereupon it has pleased the Most Holy Trinity to place thee. Full of confidence in thy protection, I entreat thee to intercede for me with God, from the heights of Heaven deign to cast a glance upon thy humble client! Spouse of Christ, sustain me in suffering, fortify me in temptation, protect me in the dangers surrounding me, obtain for me the graces necessary to me, and in particular
(Here specify your petition).

Above all, assist me at the hour of my death. Saint Philomena, powerful with God, pray for us. Amen.

O God, Most Holy Trinity, we thank Thee for the graces Thou didst bestow upon the Blessed Virgin Mary, and upon Thy handmaid Philomena, through whose intercession we implore Thy Mercy.

Amen

Starbuck's Oatmeal

2008-09-21T09:07:00.004-07:00

Forget about those fat filled breakfast sandwiches and greasy biscuit and bacon concoctions, Starbuck's has a healthier alternative. Oatmeal! Mix-ins include dried fruit, nuts and brown sugar. I had all three and the oatmeal was better than anything I've come up with at home from scratch or out of an envelope. The price is about the same as a breakfast sandwich anywhere else but this is one fast food meal you won't have to feel guilty about.