Do you ever feel you "Wear Too Many Hats?"

 Clip Art 

Sometimes my days and weeks run together and I wonder how I get anything done! 

This was one of those two week periods for me!!

So I had been writing papers, taking exams, taking pictures, uploading, downloading and researching for papers.
I took a quick break. When I came back to my computer all I saw, was a red screen and "don't do anything call 1-800-000-0000", so I did.  A scam, so I spent hours trying to fix my problems. Finally, thanks to the "Geek squad", and about $200.00 later my computer is working again. Needless to say, I still had papers (saved to Word) to finish and an exam to take. So I decided to cook dinner while the "Geek Squad" did whatever they do!!

I made what I lovingly call the: "Couch Salad"

"The Formula"

"The Formula"

"The Formula"

The Quest:"The Couch Salad"

The Formula:
Mix all the items in a large bowl

1 head Romaine Lettuce (Chopped)

1 Red or Orange Pepper (Chopped)

1/4 C. Red onion (Chopped)

2 T. Pepperoncini Peppers 

1/4 C. Black Olives

1/4 C. Fresh Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese (1/4 Cup)
1 Large Chicken Breast (Sliced and Chopped)
(sauteed in 2 T Olive Oil)
Creamy Caesar Dressing

"The Potion"

Potion: "Ken's Steakhouse Creamy Caesar's"www.kenfoods.com

Weapons: 

1 Skillet, 1 Bowl, and maybe a Fork

"The Formula"

Quest Complete

I hope Love found you on Valentines Day!!

On Valentine's, I baked a pie a Cherry Pie for "My Guy Joe"!! 

The recipe was very easy and it only took me about 20 minutes to prep, well maybe about 35 with my cell phone malfunctions. I have included the directions and a special potion or two.
www.pillsbury.com/product/pie-crust
Ignore (I wanted to Poke him) the little Pillsbury Doughboy saying "D'ough"! Look under the product  choice and you will find the refrigerated pie crust needed for this recipe.

Easy Cherry Pie 

 "The Quest"

"The Formula"

Quest: Easy Cherry Pie
Formula:
Oven set at 425 degrees

2 pie crusts - see the URL address above

Mix all these items in bowl, let sit while you prepare your pie dish,

3 Cans tart cherries (drained) or 4 c 1/2 C. fresh tart cherries
1 1/3 C. Sugar
1/4 C.  Flour
Save for later
2-3 T Butter reserve 1 T Butter for "The Potion"

Grease a glass pie dish
Line dish with your first pastry
Pour your mixture into the first pastry
Dot your filling with pads of 1/4 T of butter each (about 6)
Cover your pie with the second pie crust
Tuck the second crust to the first around the edges using a fluted design
Gently cut a small +  in the middle of the pie crust, from there cut longer lines into the pie sections of the +, then cut smaller lines at the each of the four tails of the +.

Potions:  Melt 1 to 1 1/2 T of butter. Use a pastry brush - brush melted butter onto

the pie crust and then sprinkle with sugar prior to baking.
Bake in preheated (425 degrees) oven for 45 minutes

Weapon:
Bake first 20 minutes then place a foil band around the crust edge
Continue to bake an additional 25 minutes

"The Potion"

"The Potion"

"Weapon - The Foil Band"

Quest Complete

Christina's Corner

When I started out in life, I wanted to be all things good to everybody, did I mess up? You betcha!!, in more ways than I care to comment on.  One area I've learned a little bit about is cooking.  It's like rocket science, read it, interpret it, and do it BAMM!!, you got it.  Well not so much all the time.  I messed up (still do) in the kitchen quite a few times, but I keep trying.

Some of the tricks I have learned along my journey through the kitchen are listed below, maybe they can help you.

1. Don't get rid of a pan because you think you'll never use it again. Good and useful ones are not cheap, people come up with new recipes all the time and those pans might come back to their "Glory Days".
2. Homemade macaroni and cheese is always a crowd favorite, so are homemade cookies.
3. My corner of the house is the kitchen, there are some very important deals that take place in the kitchen and no where else. So find your corner, let the cards fall where they may, and lets cook something up. http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/healthy_cooking_101_basics_techniques/healthy_cooking_basics/must_have_kitchen_tools

How was your Super Bowl?

Mine was Great!  I love Peyton Manning not necessarily the Broncos but Peyton, YES!! This was a tough super bowl for me because I thought the Panthers earned the right to be there.  I wanted the them win, but being a Colts fan I love Peyton.  Thanks to the Bronco's defense Peyton won his second super bowl ring.  I was happy for him and I hope he retires from playing the sport .

I went to a little gathering and they had some fun things to eat there.  One that stood out to me was the buffalo chicken bites.  This is a twist to an old recipe I used to make a few years ago worth mentioning and for you to explore. http://www.ro-tel.com/recipes-buffalo-chicken-bites-6723.html

Quest: Go to the Website listed above.
Formula: Follow the directions and use your potions wisely.
Potions: Use the hot sauce to your taste, ranch is great for cutting the bite and sprinkle cheese on top before cooking till it  melts.  Or you could use your potions for other quests.
Weapons: Use a mini muffin tin to keep them from rolling around while cooking (this pan is a forever pan - it should remain as part of your arsenal in the kitchen, especially if you have young children).
Enjoy!!!