I've been looking for a flannel shirt (for myself). One that is long enough to wear untucked, but, not too long so I can still tuck it in (if needed).
After a long search (it really wasn't that long), I found a shirt that I'm happy to wear. I found it in the Men's department.
I wore "the shirt" when I went to visit my Mom. My brother happened to be there. I told him about the shirt. Where I got it, etc. A week later, while visiting my mom, and wearing "the shirt", in walks my brother wearing the same shirt! He starts telling me how he bought this shirt, where, etc. I said, it's nice. Just like mine.
There we were....twinning.
I went home and I was talking to Nick. He then moves closer and says, "Are you wearing my shirt?"
It seems we all have the same tastes in shirts in my family, so...
I'm expecting all family members to have "the shirt" in their wardrobe and to plan on wearing it to any and all family get togethers. I'm sure we can get a family discount.
You're welcome, everyone.
Friday, November 30, 2018
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
The Battle is On....
In this corner, our reigning temperature champion. Able to feel out any temperature change within a few degrees. Very quick on his feet. Able to work those temperature dials at lightning speed. He has been unchallenged for 24 years*. He says there is no discussion about where the temperature dial is set. He feels he can win any and all rounds in this area.
Meet our challenger. She is a sneaky one! Changing the temperature on the sly. Watching as her children get blamed for any and all temperature changes in the house. She likes the house nice and cool (especially in the winter months). She will definitely put an end to any temperature adjustments. Watch out! She will not back down!
Who will win this season's Thermostat Controller?
Stay tuned.
*He did have to throw in the towel at one point during the challenger's pregnancy, but, he doesn't like to talk about it.
Meet our challenger. She is a sneaky one! Changing the temperature on the sly. Watching as her children get blamed for any and all temperature changes in the house. She likes the house nice and cool (especially in the winter months). She will definitely put an end to any temperature adjustments. Watch out! She will not back down!
Who will win this season's Thermostat Controller?
Stay tuned.
*He did have to throw in the towel at one point during the challenger's pregnancy, but, he doesn't like to talk about it.
Monday, November 26, 2018
Deep Dish Cookie Pie - Vegan
This is a great vegan recipe that we used for our Cadette New Cuisines Badge.
Here's the recipe:
Deep Dish Cookie Pie
ingredients
2 cans white beans or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup quick oats
1/4 cup applesauce
3 TBSP oil or 1/4 cup nut butter
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup brown sugar or refined sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
directions:
Put parchment paper into an 8x8 baking dish.
Blend everything except the chips very well in food processor. Mix in chips and pour baking dish. Cook at 350F for 35-40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
*you can use a Vitamix
*I would cut down on the sugar to 3/4 of a cup, but, that's me.
I have made this recipe numerous times for my family. No one can tell that there are beans in this dish. A great dessert and healthy, too!
Enjoy!
Here's the recipe:
Deep Dish Cookie Pie
ingredients
2 cans white beans or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup quick oats
1/4 cup applesauce
3 TBSP oil or 1/4 cup nut butter
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup brown sugar or refined sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
directions:
Put parchment paper into an 8x8 baking dish.
Blend everything except the chips very well in food processor. Mix in chips and pour baking dish. Cook at 350F for 35-40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
*you can use a Vitamix
*I would cut down on the sugar to 3/4 of a cup, but, that's me.
I have made this recipe numerous times for my family. No one can tell that there are beans in this dish. A great dessert and healthy, too!
Enjoy!
Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Vegetables
Another recipe to go along with our New Cuisines Badge for Cadettes. This can be served with our Grilled Moroccan Chicken.
Here's the recipe:
Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Vegetables
ingredients:
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 medium carrots, halved and sliced thin
1 small red onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, halved then sliced
4 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
salt
1 1/3 cups couscous
14.5 oz vegetable broth
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup raisins
1 14oz can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
3 TBSP minced fresh cilantro
2 TBSP minced fresh mint
directions:
Oven 475 Degrees. Spray 18x13" rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place bell pepper, carrots, onions and zucchini on baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 TBSP olive oil and season with salt and toss to coat evenly. Roast in oven about 15 minutes until tender, tossing halfway through roasting. Then, move rack closer to broiler and broil for 1-2 minutes.
While vegetables are roasting..
In small bowl, whisk 3 TBSP olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and season some salt and set aside. Bring chicken broth and turmeric to a boil. Place couscous and raisins in a large mixing bowl and pour hot chicken broth over couscous and stir, cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 5 minutes.
Add roasted vegetables, chick peas, almonds and lemon mixture to couscous and toss to evenly coat. Serve warm.
*we somehow purchased Quinoa instead of Couscous and it turned out perfectly.
Enjoy!
Here's the recipe:
Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Vegetables
ingredients:
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 medium carrots, halved and sliced thin
1 small red onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, halved then sliced
4 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
salt
1 1/3 cups couscous
14.5 oz vegetable broth
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup raisins
1 14oz can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
3 TBSP minced fresh cilantro
2 TBSP minced fresh mint
directions:
Oven 475 Degrees. Spray 18x13" rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place bell pepper, carrots, onions and zucchini on baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 TBSP olive oil and season with salt and toss to coat evenly. Roast in oven about 15 minutes until tender, tossing halfway through roasting. Then, move rack closer to broiler and broil for 1-2 minutes.
While vegetables are roasting..
In small bowl, whisk 3 TBSP olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and season some salt and set aside. Bring chicken broth and turmeric to a boil. Place couscous and raisins in a large mixing bowl and pour hot chicken broth over couscous and stir, cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 5 minutes.
Add roasted vegetables, chick peas, almonds and lemon mixture to couscous and toss to evenly coat. Serve warm.
*we somehow purchased Quinoa instead of Couscous and it turned out perfectly.
Enjoy!
Grilled Moroccan Chicken
This is another recipe that went along with our New Cuisines Badge for Cadettes.
Here's the recipe:
Grilled Moroccan Chicken
ingredients:
1 1/2lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 TBSP minced garlic (3 cloves)
1 TBSP peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
salt and freshly ground black pepper
directions:
Pound thicker parts of chicken breasts with flat side of meat mallet to even out thickness. In medium bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Place chicken in a gallon size resealable bag. Pour marinade over chicken and seal bag while pressing out excess air. Rub marinade over chicken breasts. Transfer to refrigerator and allow to marinate at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
Preheat grill over medium heat. Grill chicken until center is 165 degrees on thermometer, about 4 minutes per side for 6oz breast. Transfer to plate, then cover and keep warm for about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with cilantro and serve warm.
This can be served with the Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Vegetables.
Enjoy!
Here's the recipe:
Grilled Moroccan Chicken
ingredients:
1 1/2lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 TBSP minced garlic (3 cloves)
1 TBSP peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
salt and freshly ground black pepper
directions:
Pound thicker parts of chicken breasts with flat side of meat mallet to even out thickness. In medium bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Place chicken in a gallon size resealable bag. Pour marinade over chicken and seal bag while pressing out excess air. Rub marinade over chicken breasts. Transfer to refrigerator and allow to marinate at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
Preheat grill over medium heat. Grill chicken until center is 165 degrees on thermometer, about 4 minutes per side for 6oz breast. Transfer to plate, then cover and keep warm for about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with cilantro and serve warm.
This can be served with the Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Vegetables.
Enjoy!
Classic Hummus
This is one of the recipes that we made for our New Cuisines Badge for Cadettes. The center where we met did not have a Vitamix, so, we found a recipe using the food processor. The hummus came out great!
Classic Hummus
Ingredients:
1 15oz can chick peas, rinsed and drained
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
3 TBSP tahini
1-2 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
1/4 cup water or more if needed
*optional topping ideas: extra drizzle of olive oil, chopped fresh parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, toasted pine nuts, chopped roasted red peppers, basil pesto
directions:
Add first seven ingredients to food processor, and blend until smooth. You might want to scrape down the sides. Add in the water and continue blending until the hummus reaches your desired consistency. Add additional water if needed.
For something different, I like to chop up a jalapeño and make jalapeño hummus. You can also chop up chipotle pepper and make a spicy chipotle pepper hummus.
Enjoy!
Classic Hummus
Ingredients:
1 15oz can chick peas, rinsed and drained
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
3 TBSP tahini
1-2 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
1/4 cup water or more if needed
*optional topping ideas: extra drizzle of olive oil, chopped fresh parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, toasted pine nuts, chopped roasted red peppers, basil pesto
directions:
Add first seven ingredients to food processor, and blend until smooth. You might want to scrape down the sides. Add in the water and continue blending until the hummus reaches your desired consistency. Add additional water if needed.
For something different, I like to chop up a jalapeño and make jalapeño hummus. You can also chop up chipotle pepper and make a spicy chipotle pepper hummus.
Enjoy!
Cadette - New Cuisines Badge
Our troop normally meets for an hour, but, we made this into a field trip. We were lucky that we have a teen center in our area. The center is teen driven, giving opportunities for teens to explore and be leaders in various areas. We had a teen volunteer teaching the girls how to cook a few dishes to complete this badge. This meeting was about 3 1/2 hours long.
The girls made:
Classic Hummus (dish from a different time period)
Grilled Moroccan Chicken (from another country)
Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Vegetables, Chick Peas and Almonds *
Deep Dish Cookie Pie (dish that makes a statement: Vegan)
*had to skip the almonds, due to an allergy in our troop
Our teen volunteer put the girls to work. She split them up and had them working on various parts of the meal. Every girl was able to help make a dish.
We have a girl with nut allergies, so, we had to select recipes that did not contain nuts. We modified one of the recipes and just eliminated the Almonds. We also have one girl who is a vegetarian (my child, of course) so we used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth in our Couscous recipe. The girls were a little skeptical of the dessert (again, except for my child). No flour or eggs. They were pleasantly surprised at the result.
I had to marinate the chicken prior to the meeting. The chicken had to be marinated at least 2 hours. We didn't have time for the girls to do this during this meeting, so, I went ahead and did this step for them.
Once everything was cooked/baked, we all sat together and ate our meal. The food came out delicious. The girls were so excited about the meal they made. We even had copies of the recipes for them to take home so they can make the meal for their families.
The center did not provide the food for this badge. We had to purchase the groceries. We were lucky that the center has a kitchen with utensils. We priced various places for this badge and the prices ranged from $50 per girl (plus groceries) to $400 for a kitchen to cook in (not including groceries). We felt this was the best deal (free venue and we paid for groceries). Having a teen as an instructor was great. She goes to the local high school and related well with the girls. She also teaches a cooking class at the center once a week.
The next few posts will be the recipes for these dishes. I'm trying to make it easy for those who want to get to these recipes for this meeting and, well, just to try the recipes.
The girls made:
Classic Hummus (dish from a different time period)
Grilled Moroccan Chicken (from another country)
Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Vegetables, Chick Peas and Almonds *
Deep Dish Cookie Pie (dish that makes a statement: Vegan)
*had to skip the almonds, due to an allergy in our troop
Our teen volunteer put the girls to work. She split them up and had them working on various parts of the meal. Every girl was able to help make a dish.
We have a girl with nut allergies, so, we had to select recipes that did not contain nuts. We modified one of the recipes and just eliminated the Almonds. We also have one girl who is a vegetarian (my child, of course) so we used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth in our Couscous recipe. The girls were a little skeptical of the dessert (again, except for my child). No flour or eggs. They were pleasantly surprised at the result.
I had to marinate the chicken prior to the meeting. The chicken had to be marinated at least 2 hours. We didn't have time for the girls to do this during this meeting, so, I went ahead and did this step for them.
Once everything was cooked/baked, we all sat together and ate our meal. The food came out delicious. The girls were so excited about the meal they made. We even had copies of the recipes for them to take home so they can make the meal for their families.
The center did not provide the food for this badge. We had to purchase the groceries. We were lucky that the center has a kitchen with utensils. We priced various places for this badge and the prices ranged from $50 per girl (plus groceries) to $400 for a kitchen to cook in (not including groceries). We felt this was the best deal (free venue and we paid for groceries). Having a teen as an instructor was great. She goes to the local high school and related well with the girls. She also teaches a cooking class at the center once a week.
The next few posts will be the recipes for these dishes. I'm trying to make it easy for those who want to get to these recipes for this meeting and, well, just to try the recipes.
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