On My Mind Today

I found this breakfast to go recipe on Allrecipes.com. and it's from the Pillsbury Bake-Off (R) Contest. These hand-held crescent cups have all the great flavors of quiche, and are simple to make. This recipe calls for chopped spinach, but I'm sure that they would be great with other veggies of your choice. If your mornings are chaotic, try making them the night before and put in the fridge. In the morning grab your quiche and warm it up in the microwave at work. Breakfast Quiches to Go 2 (8 ounce) cans Pillsbury(R) refrigerated garlic and butter crescent dinner rolls 1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened 3 eggs 1 small onion, chopped 1 - 9 ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 16 muffin cups with cooking spray. 2. Separate each can of crescent dough into 8 triangles. Press 1 triangle on bottom and up side of each mu...

As I always do, I started our garden with visions of the fresh vegetables and herbs that would arrive over the summer. Carefully choosing what to plant in our small 12 x 12 raised bed. We planted the usual green beans, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplant. The garlic returned, along with the chives and sage that have been full of blossoms that the honey bees are enjoying. We added some potatoes, lettuce and carrots this year, and fresh plants of oregano, parsley and basil. So much to look forward to. Until the morning I looked out to find the peppers, cucumbers, lettuce and green beans had most of their leaves missing. The dreaded woodchuck had arrived! First I tried a repellant that was recommended; putting it around the perimeter of the garden and also encircling the plants. Did this work? NO - not a single leaf of Romaine was left; nothing but little stubs. And the parsley had no leaves - just stems rising into the air. Then I did some research for all natural repellant...

When you walk into a restaurant today it seems you can't even hear your own thoughts due to the level of noise. Everyone is talking louder than the person next to them to be heard, or just because they think it's okay to disrupt the dining experience of others. Another downfall of the " it's all about me " era. Going out to dinner was always a treat, both when I was growing up and for my children. It wasn't something that was done several times a week so it was always appreciated, and we knew how to behave while there. If we didn't act appropriately we were taken out of the restaurant. Many times the adults went out to dinner alone as an evening together without children. Restaurants used to be quiet and peaceful so you could relax and enjoy each other's company and your meal. I have noticed recently how much things have changed while dining out. Yes, the cost of meals has risen and the portions have shrunk, but those are not what I am referring to...

This recipe for Tres Leches Cake (three milks cake) is from Ina Garten's Make It Ahead: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. It can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 5 days. Total time to prepare is about an hour and twenty minutes, but it's very easy to make. I recently prepared this dessert for company and it was a big hit. As one friend said, it tastes like I want more. The recipe calls for sliced strawberries, but any of your favorite berries would work well. Tres Leches Cake with Berries 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature 1 cup plus 5 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1/2 cup whole milk 1-1/4 cups heavy cream 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract seeds scraped from one vanilla bean (I used vanilla extract) 8 cups sliced fresh strawberries, for serving Sifted ...

We all have the usual obligations of life; work, meetings, raising children, and daily tasks to complete. Sometimes it can be a challenge to fulfill all of these, but we push ourselves to do so. We have no choice as to whether we do some of these things. They are necessary to enable us to survive financially or to nurture and care for our loved ones. As responsible adults we take these obligations seriously. However, there are times in our life that we need to let some of the minor obligations wait for another day to maintain a healthy balance. Putting them off will not cause life to fall off the proverbial tracks. Occasionally we need to let go and go with the flow. Take time to engage with others, or have a bit of solitude, and truly enjoy life. When was the last time you left chores behind and actually played an outdoor game? Allowing yourself to do this with your children will not only relieve stress, but give them some amazing memories. Go off for a walk and enjoy the beauty...

We all ask the question after things come to a head and blow up - why didn't we do something about it?  Current events make it abundantly clear that there are many suffering with mental health issues that are not being addressed. We all encounter those with issues, recognize there is a problem, but don't address it either because we don't want to rock the boat, or we don't want to get involved. Whatever the reason, we are running away from something that can eventually impact many people and we do have a social and moral obligation to help or report it to someone who can. Each one of us has been touched at some point in our life with a family member or friend who falls into the depths of depression or reaches a breaking point due to events in their life. We see it, but don't want to admit that things are that bad. They will come through it in time we tell ourselves; everyone gets depressed when things are not going as they should. We try to ignore when they ar...

Rich, creamy, and filled with a gooey and delicious blend of cheeses, these stuffed shells are a nice change from the traditional recipe we know. From the kitchen of Food Network, this recipe is like having spinach and artichoke dip being stuffed into the shells, and then topped off with crunchy bread crumbs. From start to finish, you can have this on the table in a little over an hour. We loved these and it will be one that goes in my recipe file for future use. Add a side salad for a great meal for family or guests! Spinach & Artichoke Stuffed Shells 24 jumbo shells (about 12 ounces) 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry one 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped 1 cup whole milk ricotta 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 2/3 cup grated Parmesan Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup half-and-half 1 cup shredded mozzarella 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/3 cup panko 1/4 cup chopped fresh I...

We all know that we need to plan for the day when we can no longer make our own decisions, or are no longer here. This is not an easy task to undertake as nobody wants to think about what is inevitable. Unfortunately too many of us either wait until we are in our senior years to do this, or don't do it at all. The truth is, once we start thinking about having a family, that is the time to put our affairs in order. We certainly know what we would want done for our children if we were no longer there to care for them. We also are aware of the uncertainty that is created if nothing has been put in place. I have seen on more than one occasion the chaos that ensues if a loved one passes away without a Will, or with an outdated one. Children or siblings can end up arguing over a parents estate to the point where they no longer speak. No doubt many of you have seen the same thing, or even worse, been a part of this type of situation. I have been thinking about this subject recently ...