Black Friday

It's Black Friday!  Time to exercise your credit cards -  Push them to the limit folks!  And, get in a big workout trying to snag that big screen TV before someone else grabs it.

Oh, yea, and it's also time for my famous  usual Black Friday post.

The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday and it is the biggest shopping day of the year.  For retailers, it marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

For those of us that are out there working on Black Friday, it's a crazy, long and tiring day.  Make sure you take those vitamins, drink lots of water, plaster a smile on your face and, well, just try to have some fun.

If you are out there shopping, it can get crazy, so, try to be safe.  Also, be nice to the store employees.  They don't make the rules or have any control over the amount of inventory the store has of that item you want to purchase.  So, go easy on them!

And now, what everyone has been waiting for, here is my famous Black Friday song playlist for your  listening pleasure:

Man in Black - Johnny Cash
Paint it Black - The Rolling Stones
Back in Black - AC/DC
Black Cat - Janet Jackson
Black Magic Woman - Santana
Black or White - Michael Jackson
Black Widow - Iggy Azalea
Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden
Black - Pearl Jam
Blackbird - The Beatles
Black Betty - Ram Jam
Black Gold - Soul Asylum
Men in Black 3 Back in Time - Pitbull
Black Night - Deep Purple
Black Rain - Soundgarden
The Long Black Veil - Johnny Cash
Ebony and Ivory - Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder

I thought it was time to add a few more songs to our list.  Here are my additions to last years song list:

Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
Black Velvet - Alannah Miles
Black Water - The Doobie Brothers
Men in Black - Will Smith

Happy Thanksgiving!

In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast.  They invited the great Indian chief, Massasoit, who brought ninety of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food.  Governor Bradford and Captain Miles Standish were honored guests.  Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this;

"We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land.  We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice."

Linus Van Pelt
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Favorite Meal

The holidays are here and the kids (well, two of them) are making their way back home to celebrate.

Prior to Alex's return home, he called me to see how things were going.  He was finishing up a paper and was taking a break before starting the next one.  The paper was due the next day and he was coming home the following day.  He mentioned how he wasn't eating real healthy meals.  Yea, he went back to his old standby, the frozen pizza.  He was in a food rut and was looking forward to eating a good meal.

I had the bright idea of making Alex his favorite meal for dinner when he returned home, so, I asked him, "What should I make for dinner?"

Well, I have to say, I was shocked at his response.  I mean, I expected (and hoped) for (at least) one favorite meal....maybe two.  What I didn't expect was the long list of favorite meals he started rattling off.

Chicken Fried Rice
Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli
Home made Pizza

The list went on...

Pasticho
Mediterranean Stuffed Shells
Manicotti

and on and on....

I don't always get feedback from the kids about the meals that I cook.  I mean, I know they eat what I make, and know that it disappears (sometimes quickly).  I guess it made me happy that they happily remember the meals and even better, they have more than one favorite meal that I cook.

So, what did I make for dinner?

I picked the Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli.  I know it's a crowd pleaser and will disappear quickly.  Since Alex will be home for awhile, I will incorporate the favorites that he mentioned, over the course of the next several weeks.

By the way, all the recipes that I mentioned, can be found under my "Recipes" tab.

Compliments from my teenager

If you have or had a teenager, I'm sure you realize that compliments from a teenager are very rare.  They are usually telling you how you are embarrassing them.  And, that's when you aren't even doing anything.

RT and I do enjoy trying to embarrass our kids at this age.  Of course, we goof around with them so much, I think they actually enjoy it.

I had to take Bella to the orthodontist the other day.  It was an early visit and I had to get to work that morning.  I took a shower, got ready for the day, grabbed my lunch (and Bella) and I drove to her appointment.  We arrived a little early, so we sat in the waiting room.  Bella was not very talkative.  Probably half asleep.  When her name was called to go to the back, she got up, and before she walked away she said, "Your hair looks really bad."

Now, this was an early appointment so I could drop her off at school, sign her in and then try to get to work on time.  I had this all planned out.  I looked good before we left.  What happened between the time we left the house until we got to the waiting room?

Now I'm sitting in the waiting room thinking about how bad my hair looks.  Luckily I was the only one in the room.    I didn't want to look at the receptionist because she might not be able to hide her emotions when she sees my bad hair.  I sit and pray the visit is going to be quick so I have a couple of minutes to swing back home and tame the wild mess on top of my head.

Bella walks out after 15 minutes, we schedule the next appointment and head out.  In my head, I'm calculating times to get to school, a quick stop at home to perform a miracle on my hair, and then off to work.

As we are getting into the car I ask Bella about my hair.  "How bad is it?"

Bella:  Your hair?  It looks fine.  Why?

Me:  Before you walked away, you told me that my hair looked really bad.

Bella:  Oh, yea.  I was just kidding.  It looks nice.

And, there you have it.

Oh?  Did you miss it?  I'll repeat it for you.  "It looks nice."  Yea.  That was my compliment.

Since I can't get back that time, I'm hoping my worrying about it during those 15 minutes can be considered part of a work out.

National Espresso Day

Happy National Espresso Day everyone!

What's the difference between espresso and plain coffee?  According to the professionals (the baristas), it doesn't matter what kind of bean you use (or how it was roasted) it's all how the beans are brewed.   How do you make espresso?  By forcing pressurized water through these finely ground coffee beans, it produces a concentrated brew with a delicate foam or crema.

The word espresso in Italian means "quick in time."   In the late 1800's, the espresso was made to order by using freshly ground roasted coffee beans and was freshly brewed right before serving.  The first espresso machine was invented in 1901 by the Italian inventor, Luigi Bezzera.  This machine produced a smaller, more concentrated cup of espresso than the traditional coffee brewing methods.  I'm sure RT is quite thankful for this invention.

Not an espresso or coffee drinker?

How about adding some espresso powder to your next batch of cookies?  The espresso powder can give your baked goods a tasty mocha flavor twist.

How about adding a shot of hot espresso to a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream?   Sounds strange but it's an Italian dessert called affogato.

Maybe you're more into latte's?  Why don't you try adding an espresso shot (or two) to your latte today.

Why do we love National Espresso Day?  It's a great way to wake you up!  A single shot of espresso can perk up the slowest morning person.  A few shots of espresso, and imagine all of the things you can get done today!?  Just ask RT, who is celebrating today and is probably on his fourth espresso right now.

How to observe the day?  Enjoy a shot of espresso and post it on social media using #NationalEspressoDay on your posts/photos.

Or, you can be like me.

Watch RT as he shakes from all of the caffeine he's had today.

Raking Leaves

Our Girl Scout Troop is working on their Silver Award by helping Seniors.  The girls sent out flyers to some of the elderly neighbors to see if they could rake leaves for them.  They were trying to get more than an hour of service in one leaf raking session.  Luckily, Bella's Grandma came through and set us up with a couple of yards to rake.

The girls brought their rakes and we walked over to the first house.  The owner (at the first house) gave instructions on where the leaves are to be moved.  Half of the girls jumped right in and started raking leaves.

I walked the other half of the troop down to the second house.  The girls stopped and just looked around.  I told them we could rake the leaves to the curb.  I got some stares and then it hit me.  These girls don't know how to rake leaves!

I asked if they have raked leaves before today.  All three of them said no.  So, I had to give them a crash course on leaf raking.  Also known as, Leaf Raking 101.

This made me a little sad.

I thought a big (fun) part of childhood was to rake a HUGE pile of leaves and jump into it?  The not so fun part:  it was also a chore that a lot of us had to do in the fall.  Growing up, we had a HUGE backyard with lots and lots of leaves.  Because our yard was so large, my Dad bought a leaf sweeper.  It was human powered.  You push it and it sweeps the leaves into a collection bag.  To empty the bag, we had to dump it into a pile in the back yard (my Dad's compost pile).  It was difficult to empty (when I was younger), but, it was still a lot of fun to push around the yard.  Since we, and the rest of the neighborhood, thought it was so much fun to use, I'm sure my Dad thought it was the best investment ever.  We all fought over who would get to sweep the leaves.

I'm not sure that our leaf raking session brought that kind of fun.  We did play some music and the girls danced as they raked the leaves.  They were raking the leaves for someone else (can be considered a Random Act of Kindness).  Hopefully this will be a positive, happy memory for them.

Vegan Diaries: Easy Garlic Naan

The other day I posted a Chick Pea Tikka Masala recipe.  The Tikka Masala was absolutely delicious.  And, I think, it was over the top because it was served with this home made Garlic Naan.

Tikka Masala is one of my go to entrees to order at an Indian restaurant.  Being able to make it at home makes me very happy.  And, now, with this easy Naan recipe, I have an easy to make meal to add to the rotation.

By the way, my bread snobs  family approves of this Naan recipe.

I found the recipe here.  And, this will go great with my vegan  Chick Pea Tikka Masala.


Home made Naan

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp dried yeast
1/2 tsp table salt
pinch sugar
3/4 cup hot water
3 TBSP oil

1/2 cup salted butter
2 tsp dried garlic flakes *
2 tsp cilantro

directions:
In small bowl, combine yeast and hot water and pinch of sugar and let proof.
In large bowl, combine flour and salt.
Add yeast mixture and oil and combine ingredients.  Once dough is combined, use your hands to gather dough together, making sure the sides of the bowl are clean.
Place dough on cutting board dusted with flour and knead the dough for 15 minutes.
Place in a bowl, cover and let sit for 20 minutes.

After dough has risen, punch it back down and then divide it into three equal balls.
Place one ball on floured cutting board and start rolling the dough to form the naan bread into an oval shape (make sure that it will fit in your skillet or on your griddle).

Put your skillet/griddle on high heat and let it get searingly hot.
Place dough onto skillet/griddle and cook for about 2 minutes.  It should start to puff up and char lightly.
Flip the bread and cook for another 2 minutes.

Remove to a plate and drizzle with garlic butter.
Cover with foil and keep in low oven while you prepare the other breads.

Garlic butter:
Place butter in a small microwaveable bowl and microwave until melted.
Stir in the garlic and cilantro.



*I used chopped garlic and fresh cilantro in the garlic butter.  I also used a vegan butter for this recipe.
*I added chopped fresh garlic to the dough so it tasted garlicky on the inside.