In My World

Quantity : 2 servings Preparation : 5 min Cooking : 10 min 140 calories/serving Ingredients 1 1/2 cup green/snap beans 150 g 1 tomatoes 120 g 2 tbsp Classic Vinaigrette 30 mL (I used low-fat Italian dressing) 1 pinch salt [optional] 0.2 g (I used Watkins Organic All-Purpose Seasoning Salt-Free) ground pepper to taste [optional] (I used Watkins Pure Ground Black Pepper) Method Blanch the French beans 7-8 min. Drain and shake out the water. Set aside and let cool down a few minutes. Slice the tomatoes and place in the individual plates. Place the beans next to the tomatoes. Sprinkle with the Classic Vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper. Serve. https://www.soscuisine.com/recipe/tomato-green-bean-salad

Quantity : 2 servings Preparation : 5 min 230 calories/serving Ingredients 4 slices bread, whole wheat 140 g 40 g turkey breast roast (cooked) 2 slices cheese, low-fat 40 g 1/3 cup baby spinach, or lettuce leaf [optional] 6 g 2 radishes, thinly sliced [optional] 30 g https://www.soscuisine.com/recipe/turkey-cheese-sandwich

This was my lunch today . . . soooooooo delicious! Quantity : 4 servings Preparation : 10 min Cooking : 1 h 170calories/serving Ingredients 1 onions, chopped 200 g 1 clove garlic, chopped 6 beetroots, peeled then cut into large chunks 750 g 1/2 potatoes, peeled then cut into large chunks 100 g 2 tsp butter, unsalted 9 g 2 tsp canola oil 10 mL 2 tsp gingerroot, grated 9 g 3 1/2 cups chicken broth, low-sodium 900 mL 1 pinch salt [optional] 0.2 g  (I used Watkins Organic All-Purpose Seasoning Salt-Free) ground pepper to taste [optional]  (I used Watkins Pure Ground Black Pepper) 3 tbsp sour cream 45 mL 4 tsp chives, fresh, chopped 4 g Before you start A blender or food processor will be very useful to purée the soup. Method Prepare the vegetables: chop the onions and garlic; peel the beets and potatoes, then cut them into large chunks. Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, then sauté 3-4 min until soft. Grate the ginger an...

I have never read the book or watched the movie.  This week I tried to watch the movie.  Tried.  I quit half way through because I found it insulting, violent and . . . well it felt like it had been written by a group of stoned teenage boys.  I've read the reviews where they talk about its redeeming values about the government's power over an individual's free will . . . blah blah blah.   Kubrick must have done an amazing job of promoting this movie and millions of stoned teenage boys must have watched it.  How else could it have made it to the list of top 100 movies? Academy Awards, USA  1972 Nominated Oscar Best Picture Stanley Kubrick   Best Director Stanley Kubrick   Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Stanley Kubrick   Best Film Editing Bill Butler  

Scrapbook a layout about a story you've told before.  Don't scrapbook?  Journal about this or create a page in your art journal.  Just get creative!

I'm sure this dish has a more sophisticated name, but in our family it is referred to as "Green Glop" or "Body Filler".  Despite the silly names we've given it, this salad/dessert/whatever is delicious and a Must Have at family gatherings. 1 large Cool Whip 1 instant pistachio pudding mix 1 19 oz. crushed pineapple 2 cups mini marshmallows Mix together and chill before servin g.

Gladiator is the story of a Roman general who is chosen by the dying Emperor to act as protectorate to the young grandson until he comes of age.  The only problem with this plan is that the Emperor's son wants to rule.  So he murders the Emperor and orders the general to be killed.  Of course, the general survives and is sold into slavery to become a gladiator.  He uses his new role to seek revenge. Personally I'm not really sure how this movie made it so high up on the list.  Don't get me wrong.  It is a really good movie but there is nothing great about it.  The main problem is that I found it very difficult to connect with the characters.   I just watched it again this week and realized that the costumes are wonderful, the cinematography is beautiful, the acting is good.  Just not GREAT. That said, I would watch it again.  Not every movie has to be GREAT.  It just has to be worth watching.  Gladiator is worth watc...

Scrapbook a layout about noticing or paying attention. Don't scrapbook?  Journal about this or create a page in your art journal.  Just get creative!

This is a pretty basic layout . . . but your imagination could make it spectacular! 

1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup yellow cornmeal 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1 cup milk 2-1/2 tsp lime or lemon juice 1 egg, beaten 2 tbsp lard, melted Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.   Mix milk and lime juice, add to dry ingredients along with egg and lard.  Mix well, but do not beat.  Pour into a greased 11 x 7 x 1-1/2 inch baking pan. Bake at 450 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is brown and tests done.  Cool slightly and cut into squares. About 8 servings.

In this novel, Margaret George tackles a very difficult subject.  She attempts to tell the story of Elizabeth Tudor.  Elizabeth is an enigma -- the Virgin Queen with so many suitors, the victor of the Armada who hated war; the gorgeously attired, jewel-bedecked woman who pinched pennies. England's greatest monarch has intrigued the world for centuries in poems, prose and even movies. But what was she really like? Her cousin, Lettice Knollys, thinks she knows what Elizabeth is like. They have been rivals since early childhood.  In this story one woman is trying to hold onto her power and protect her country and the other is trying to regain power and position for her family.  Each woman has a very different vision of what the other is really like.  These different visions create the tension that is constant between them. It is 700 pages long. No chance you would ever read such a long novel?  This one may change your mind.  It is a hard to put d...

from More Scrapbooking with Sketches Enjoy!! 

Scrapbook a layout about scrapbooking. Don't scrapbook?  Journal about journaling or create a page in your art journal about art journaling.  Just get creative!

1-1/3 cup chickpeas or Garbanzo beans (dried), soaked in water overnight, then drained 1/2 onion, coarsely chopped 2-1/2 slices bacon, chopped 1 potato, peeled, whole 3 cups Swiss Chard or spinach, cut into 2-3 pieces 4 tsp olive oil 2-1/2 cups water to cook chickpeas 1 cup chicken broth salt and pepper to taste 2 cups water to cook the pasta 1/2 cup mezzi tubetti (pasta for soups) 6 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated Prepare the vegetables : coarsely chop the onion; peel the potatoes, leaving them whole; cut the Swiss chard into 2 or 3 pieces (if using spinach, leave them whole). Set aside. Heat the oil in a pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and bacon, then sauté 3-4 min, with occasional stirring. Add the chickpeas and potatoes, then cook 1-2 min with stirring. Pour in the water, broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, about 45 min, until the chickpeas are softened, but  al de...

I like to read serious books like nonfiction books, biographies, dramas.  I also like to read books with a great story, engaging characters, and a proper ending.  I don't want everything to magically work out on the last two pages.  I want closure.  I want a little bit of reality.  I don't want everything to necessarily work out perfect.  I prefer accommodation, lessons learned, compromise. Homecoming  is a wonderful book.  It is the story of four very different women who each came to live at Golden Square in Dublin at different times and for different reasons.  Eleanor was born in Ireland but left as a young girl.  Seventy years later she comes "home" to heal.  Megan is a young actress who became famous too quickly and without the maturity necessary to handle her fame.  A scandal sends her into hiding.  Rae owns the local tea room in Golden Square but she has hidden a secret from her family and friends. ...

I love this movie . . . for a couple of reasons you might find really strange. #1  It is an epic movie.  It just is.  Big boat.  Big love story.  Big adventure.  Big finish. #2  Rose isn't your usual helpless female character counting on the man to save her from everything.  She fights as hard as Jack does to save themselves and those around them.  #3  Okay, admit it.  What "old" Rose does at the end of the movie is perfect.  Just perfect. Academy Awards, USA 1998 Won Oscar Best Picture James Cameron Jon Landau Best Director James Cameron Best Cinematography Russell Carpenter Best Art Direction-Set Decoration Peter Lamont (art director) Michael Ford (set decorator) Best Costume Design Deborah Lynn Scott Best Sound Gary Rydstrom Tom Johnson Gary Summers Mark Ulano Best Film Editing Conrad Buff IV James Cameron Richard A. Harris Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing Tom Bellfort Ch...

Sizzeix Flower Making tool kit and  Deluxe Flower Shaping Kit from Heartfelt Creations  . . .  Both of these kits are in the  $40 range and they are nice and new and sexy, especially the handy dandy case for the Heartfelt Creations kit . . .  . . . BUT . . .  . . . not all of us want to pay $40 . . . I know I don't . . . especially since I have been teaching people to make these flowers for years . . .  . . . using a piece for foam mouse pad and styluses from the dollar store.   At a recent Windswept retreat we used this same technique and my dollar store tools to create these butterflies and dragonflies . . .  Every time Deb would get another bug cut out she would holler "quick, bring the $40 tool" and I would come in and make it puffy . . .  If you love the newest sexiest tool, please buy one of these kits.  But for those of you who, like me, prefer to spend our money on pretty pap...

Quantity : 2 servings Preparation : 5 min Cooking : 10 min 450 calories/serving Ingredients 260 g ravioli (meat) 37 units 4 tsp butter, unsalted 18 g 20 leaves fresh sage 6 g 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated 6 g 1 pinch salt [optional] 0.2 g ground pepper to taste [optional] Before you start Keep the serving dishes in the oven at the lowest setting so they are warm when you serve. Put a colander in the sink to drain the cooked ravioli so that it will be ready when needed. Method Cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling, salted water, exactly as you would do for pasta. The cooking time is written on the package: the ravioli are ready when just tender but still firm to the bite. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the sage leaves and let them infuse a few minutes, until the butter becomes perfumed with the sage aroma. Pay attention not to let the butter burn. When the ravioli are cooked, take them out of the pot using a slotted spoon and transfer them t...