Thursday, June 30, 2011

My Search for the Craziest Nail Polish

The other day a friend of my daughter took a picture of her nails.  My daughter should it to me and told me it looked so cool.  I already had in my mind what kooky thing are they doing now.
I fell in love.
So yesterday morning after breakfast we headed out.  We had to go to the library anyway to drop off some books and movies.  We headed out to one place that sells makeup but didn't find what we wanted.  After stopping for yogurt and coffee when I decided to check out our local beauty store.
It looked harmless enough.  There are 7 colors but I opted to buy one now (black) and another later (silver).  It is a bit pricey so I didn't feel to bad buying it.  It is very stylish and I felt like such a young girl sporting my new nail polish .
It's called Shatter by Opi.  You start off by applying 2 coats of a base color so that it pops. When it dries you apply one coat of Shatter.  You have a 2 texture look.  It looks so cool!
My daughters are wearing black shatter with silver moon but I think I will do their nails again with a another color so that it can pop.

Yesterday I was hungry for some mac and cheese.  I have a hard time finding whole wheat macaroni pasta so I decided to have it with  rigatoni.  This is from the Skinny Bitch Cookbook



Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon refined coconut oil, melted, or safflower oil, plus more for the casserole dish
  • About 2 tablespoons fine sea salt
  • 1 pound whole-wheat or brown rice elbow macaroni
  • 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash (I could never find this so I just use the canned butternut squash found in the aisle next to the pumpkin pie mix)
  • 2 cups soy or rice milk
  • 4 ounces vegan Cheddar cheese, shredded (daiya is the best for this)
  • 2 ounces vegan Jack cheese, shredded  (daiya is the best for this)
  • 4 ounces (about 1/2 cup) vegan cream cheese (Follow your heart is the best vegan cream cheese out there)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons vegan Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Oil a 2-quart casserole dish; set aside
  2. In a 4- to 6-quart stockpot over high heat, combine 3 quarts of water with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the salt. Bring the water to a boil, add the macaroni, and cook according to the package directions.
  3. Meanwhile, in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine the squash and milk, stirring and breaking up the squash with a spoon until the squash is defrosted. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
  4. Remove from the heat and whisk in the Cheddar, Jack, cream cheese, mustard, cayenne, and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of salt.
  5. When the pasta is done, drain it, then return the pasta to the pot. Stir the cheese sauce into the macaroni. Transfer the entire mixture to the prepared baking pan.
  6. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and the 1 tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese.
  7. Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Burdensome Children

Summer means more library times for movies and all the other fun activities for children. Our local library has legos for the young ones, magicians and arts and crafts for the older kids.

What can ruin everything besides the city cutting library budget are moms who feel that the library is the drop-off station for the 3-9 year olds. I am only going to speak out for these young ones right now because they can't really speak for themselves. In the past two weeks I have seen things I shouldn't see and these kids should not experience.  I'm talking about the moms who want to leave their lil ones alone in the children's room or computer center so that they can "go downstairs and read" or gossip with their friends.
Several months ago I witnessed a little girl (maybe 7 years old) who was crying for her mommy because she was gone.  No where to be seen.  I let the girl use my phone so that she can call her mother.  Her mother came back in less than 2 minutes with the phone in her ear.  She looked upset and spewed some words I did not understand and grabbed her daughter by the arm and towards the stairs.
WTBH?!?!?!
Um,
Sorry for interrupting your phone conversation!
School is out and now you have no clue as what to do with your child?  So you want to dump them wherever you can so that you can have some peace and quiet reading or talking on your phone?
WOW
Maybe I just don't understand......
This summer we will be enjoying our pool, traveling in-state (staycation), enjoying our city and library activities and experimenting in the kitchen with the kids.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Summer!!!!!

Pool, beach, salads, lazy days....
ahhhh summer.
I've been waiting for you since September!

Sesame Kale Salad (Thank you Harvest Sensations)

1 lbs Harvest Sensations Kale Salad Blend (kale, red cabbage, carrots)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper

toss all ingredients together and let it sit 30 minutes before serving.

It is so so good and filling. I've had a few times as a meal.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

breakfast of champions AKA don't bother me I'm still sleeping

Have I told you how much I love my crock pot?
Why did I ignore it for so long knowing all the yumminess that comes out of it when I arrive home to the smell of dinner.
Who's in my kitchen?
Yeah that would be Mr. Crockpot.
Why Mr?
Because it was that damn easy and simple.
Like men.
Yeah I said it.
So waking up to the smell of slow-cooked beans I decided to flip the pages of one of my favorite cookbooks Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.
Breakfast.
The most important meal of the day. It is the meal that will make your day. Sleeping in a bit longer is a plus. If you have kids that can serve themselves cereal can surely just take the lid off the crockpot and serve themselves oatmeal.
Yes oatmeal.
You can double the recipe if you are a true oatmeal lover.


This recipe book said it serves 6, go ahead and double it.

Old-Fashioned Apple-Raisin Oatmeal

1 1/2 cups rolled (old-fashioned) oats
4 cups cold water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 medium-size granny smith apple
3 tbsp raisins
1/2 cup granola

combine all the ingredients except the granola in a lightly oiled 4 quart slow cooker.
cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
to serve, spoon the oatmeal into bowls, sprinkle with the granola and serve hot.

Growing up I hated oatmeal. The texture and look made me want to run.
Then I grew up.
I discovered that it didn't have to be so wet.
Then steel cut oatmeal came into my life.
If you've never had it get off the computer and go to any supermarket. It takes longer to cook but the end the result is beyond awesome.

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