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Easy Cioppino Recipe!
Published April 25, 2012 | I found this incredible seafood mixture at Costco a couple weeks ago that was screaming make me into a killer Cioppino! After searching for and taking information from about 5 different recipes here is my finished product. I knew this was a hit when hubby asked when I would be making it again… 
- 2 – 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 cup dry white wine
- 1 Jar Clam Juice
- 1 cup organic vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 (35-ounce) can whole tomatoes with basil, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped
- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 “Fresh” frozen package seafood from Costco (Mussels, Calamari, Scallops & Shrimp)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Garlic bread for dipping
Preparation
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 1 minute. Add garlic; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine and next 5 ingredients (through tomatoes); cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 ~ 20 minutes.
2. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add remaining 1 – 2 tablespoons of oil; swirl to coat. Add frozen seafood mixture to broth mixture. Cover and cook 15 ++ minutes or until all seafood looks cooked. Stir in parsley and lemon juice.
15 Things to Make you Happier
Published April 5, 2012 | My girlfriend sent this to me and I cannot tell you how so many of these struck a very deep cord! WOW when I read through them I felt like I was being smacked upside the head and well truthfully I needed these “in your face” reminders. Hope they help you as much as they helped me
Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today say to yourself “I” will give up on all those things that no longer serve me, and “I” will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:
1. Give up your need to always be right. There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?
2. Give up your need for control. Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.
“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.”Lao Tzu
3. Give up on blame. Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.
4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk. Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.
“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle
5. Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!
“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind”Elly Roselle
6. Give up complaining. Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.
7. Give up the luxury of criticism. Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.
8. Give up your need to impress others. Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.
9. Give up your resistance to change. Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell
10. Give up labels. Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer
11. Give up on your fears. Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
12. Give up your excuses. Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.
13. Give up the past. I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.
14. Give up attachment. This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another, attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.
15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations. Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves. You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.
Spinach Artichoke Florentine Dip
Published March 5, 2012 | This incredible and easy Dip comes was inspired by a wonderful chef Rosie! She made her version for a group gathering and I swear I turned my back for 10 minutes and it was gone! I recently found her recipe tucked away in a very safe place and thought it was time to resurrect. I made it this past Friday night for Girls Poker night and while my cards were very cold this dip was HOT!! Hope you enjoy~
Spinach Artichoke Florentine Dip
2-8oz pkg cream cheese- softened
1/2 c mayonnaise
2-3Tbsp Fresh lemon juice
1c grated parmesan cheese
1 c Shredded Mozzarella
3 cloves garlic, minced
1- pkg frozen chopped spinach- thawed, drained & squeezed dry
1-14oz can artichoke hearts- drained & chopped
- Preheated the oven to 375º
- In a mixing bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients until blended
- Stir in the spinach and artichoke hearts
- Spread into a baking dish and cover with foil
- Bake for 20 minutes
- Remove the foil and bake for another 5-7 minutes
- Serve warm with crackers or pita chips and enjoy!!
- Yields approximately 16+ servings
2012 Practical Financial Tips
Published February 22, 2012 | 2012 arrived with a bang!! I for one am glad that it is here as 2011 for myself as for many was an OK year but still far from the financial glory days of years past. Granted there were some wonderful things that happened I still had a heavy heart last year because so many of us were struggling.
Luckily from a very young age my Dad taught me a few things about finances and I believe that if it were not for those lessons I too would have been caught up in the credit / financial crisis that so many people are in.
Here are a few things that I learned very early and many things that he taught me as I got older.
Pay Cash… My Dad never had a credit card in his pocket if he could not pay for something right then and there he did not buy it. Of course that did not apply for big ticket items like cars or the house. I really stick to that today, while I don’t carry around a wad of cash with me I make sure there is enough in the bank to to cover the purchase.
Pay yourself first. Dad was a big fan of this one. He told me to try to take the first 10% and sock it away in a savings account. It is not always easy I must say but I do try to put something away for a rainy day every month. Sure makes the unexpected expenses that always come up much easier to deal with.
Try to kick the daily habits and make them a treat. Dad is a big big coffee guy so what he did is well simple make it yourself (hehe) believe it or not as simple as that sounds the $$ you can save over the course of the year will buy you one helluva treat!! This holds true with whatever your personal poison is!!
Pay off The Credit Cards right away… In the few instances I do use my credit card that is not attached to my bank account I make sure that I can cover the expense right when the statement comes in. I never never never carry a balance as I do not want what was a simple purchase to end of costing a lot more than it should.
Ask for discounts or specials… Every January I call some of the utility companies to see if over the past year they changed or revised some of their plans. Sometimes Yes sometimes No but it never hurts to ask. Even a few bucks a month can add up and it never hurts to ask and believe me these days they are used to it and DO NOT want to lose you as a customer.
Some have suggested shopping your home or auto… I am happy to do that then go back to my agent with what I have found but this is one area at least to me where the relationship matters. If there is a claim I want my agent to go to bat for me.
Contribute more to your 401K…If you are one of the lucky ones that still has a 401K try to boost the contribution as far as you are comfortable doing. There is nothing better than putting away those Pre-tax $$!! Of course get some advice from a certified financial person…
Take Care of YOU!!!! My Dad was a big fan of this one! He always told me to find a balance between being responsible and being extreme. He always felt is was so important to take care of YOU! Pay your bills and take care of your financial obligations but you cannot take it with you so enjoy (with in reason).
What other advice can you share!! We would love to hear your Financial Fit tips for 2012
Posted in Check This Out, The Root of All Evil | 
Budget, Economy, Financial fitness, money, Spending | 
Leave a commentAvocado Goat Cheese Dip w/ homemade pita chips
Published February 20, 2012 | 
Avocado Goat Cheese Dip - DAMN tasty
This incredibly easy and DAMN good recipe is from Paula Dean. This recipe was on her Food Network Show, Paula’s Home Cooking Show ~ The Garden Get Together Episode. It could not have been more perfect for my Dad’s Birthday outdoor extravaganza party. By the end of the night there was nothing left of this other than an empty bowl!! It was a hit and personally I liked it with the Toasted pita chips.
- Avocado Goat Cheese Dip – DAMN tasty
- 1 Bag Tortilla Chips or Toasted Pita Chips
- 3 ripe avocados, peeled pitted and cut into chunks
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more, if needed
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 4 ounces goat cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Pita Chip recipe: I use pita bread from Trader Joe’s and cut into triangles
Spread pita triangles on a sheet tray ~ Coat with olive oil and salt to taste. Bake in the oven until crisp and slightly toasted. Chips will need to be rotated a couple times while baking.
In a bowl combine avocados, garlic, cumin and salt. Use an electric hand mixer to mix ingredients together. Add lime juice, cream cheese and goat cheese pulsing until smooth and blended well. Add a bit more salt, if necessary.
** we doubled this recipe for the party **
Posted in Feeding A Food Obsession | appetizer, appetizers, avocado, Dip, Dips, goat cheese dip, great dip, Paula Dean, Pita Chips, Trader Joes | 2 Comments
Yummy Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Published February 13, 2012 | This was one of those recipes where it was love at first site. I came across this in the Bristol Farms Real Food Magazine and knew this one would be a winner. Not only was I intrigued by the unique flavor combination but I also loved how simple this was. I wanted to especially give this one a try to decide whether it was worthy of sharing with the peeps and well it was for sure! I will make this one again and again!!
The following recipe serves about 6 – 8 if they do not go back for seconds or thirds {{LOL}} they will…
3 lbs of Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ dice / cubes
1/2 Cup of UN-Salted Butter
3 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
4 oz Cream Cheese , room temperature and diced
2 Tablespoons Chipotle Chile’s in adobo sauce, Chopped fine
To Season: Kosher or Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water (20 plus minutes). Drain well. Return potatoes to pot and cook, stirring for a minute over medium heat to “dry out” the potatoes.
While the potatoes are cooking or “drying out”, warm butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until lightly browned (a couple minutes) Stir in the cream to heat through.
Crush with a potato masher until smooth. Add cheddar cheese, cream cheese, chipotles and cream mixture. Stir to blend well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve warm and Enjoy.
An Open Letter to the Occupiers from Generation X
Published January 23, 2012 | I am very fascinated with the occupy movement and love hearing all the different viewpoints ~ explanations for why they are feeling this way…
Here is another interesting perspective on the Occupy Movement this time from a Generation X’er… Do you agree with her thoughts or disagree??
This article follows another post that we did on the occupy movement from a Mother Perspective http://www.wheresmydamnanswer.com/WP02/occupy-movement-from-a-mothers-perspective/
To the Occupy movement:
I know some of you mean well. I even share some of your concerns. The dismal economy has made it difficult to find a good job with benefits. Meanwhile, the government is bailing out the wealthy banks and mortgage lenders that helped precipitate this depressed economy.
I hear your frustrations about student loan debt. Generation X has a lot of student loan debt too, with little relief available. The older generations have indebted our generations for years down the road, and with the rising costs of school tuition, we have double the amount of debt. Social Security is expected to be insolvent by the time my generation reaches retirement age. We have been warned not to rely upon it. We are in the same boat as you. In some ways we are even worse off. Most of us have families, children and mortgages now. Losing a job hurts us much more than when we were 25 and single.
But where you are off base is demanding too much. There isn’t enough money to go around for government to solve all your problems. We live in the wealthiest nation in the world. We are overindulged, not deprived. Americans are fat – one-third are now obese – and suffering from an increasing number of illnesses because we live a sedentary lifestyle too lazy to cook, subsisting on unhealthy processed fast food as we drive instead of walk everywhere.
Your generation has been raised by helicopter parents who catered to your every whine, and praised you constantly in order to get you to be quiet instead of teaching you discipline. You have grown up thinking you are more accomplished than you really are. You expect to have it all at age 25 – what my generation has worked for 10-20 years longer to achieve. My generation worked in fast food restaurants and low-level jobs in high school, college and shortly thereafter when we were your age. Most of us didn’t have benefits and we didn’t complain, we were just grateful not to work hard labor in the fields.
Author of this article Rachel Alexander who is the editor of the Intellectual Conservative.
Happy 2012
Published January 9, 2012 | Happy 2012 everyone!~ I know that many people at the first of every new year feverishly write down resolutions for the year.. Personally I am not a resolution person, I look at the new year with huge excitement as an opportunity for change!
So here is my DAMN question: What opportunities for change are in your 2012 Future???
Occupy Movement From a Mothers Perspective
Published December 19, 2011 | I have very mixed emotions about the whole occupy movement. A lot I totally agree with and some I do not – But whatever your political affiliation or feeling on the movement this article and perspective was and is like no other one that I had heard. My friend sent this too me and it really stuck with me and I wanted to pass it along and get your opinion not only on the article but on the whole movement???
WOW~~~~~~ Hitting The Nail On The Head
Article written by Marybeth Hicks.
Call it an occupational hazard, but I can’t look at the Occupy Wall Street protesters without thinking, “Who parented these people?”
As a culture columnist, I’ve commented on the social and political ramifications of the “movement” – now known as “OWS” – whose fairyland agenda can be summarized by one of their placards: “Everything for everybody.”
Thanks to their pipe-dream platform, it’s clear there are people with serious designs on “transformational” change in America who are using the protesters like bedsprings in a brothel.
Yet it’s not my role as a commentator that prompts my parenting question, but rather the fact that I’m the mother of four teens and young adults. There are some crucial life lessons that the protesters’ moms clearly have not passed along.
Here, then, are five things the OWS protesters’ mothers should have taught their children but obviously didn’t, so I will:
* Life isn’t fair.The concept of justice – that everyone should be treated fairly – is a worthy and worthwhile moral imperative on which our nation was founded. But justice and economic equality are not the same. Or, as Mick Jagger said, “You can’t always get what you want.”
No matter how you try to “level the playing field,” some people have better luck, skills, talents or connections that land them in better places. Some seem to have all the advantages in life but squander them, others play the modest hand they’re dealt and make up the difference in hard work and perseverance, and some find jobs on Wall Street and eventually buy houses in the Hamptons. Is it fair? Stupid question.
* Nothing is “free.” Protesting with signs that seek “free” college degrees and “free” health care make you look like idiots, because colleges and hospitals don’t operate on rainbows and sunshine. There is no magic money machine to tap for your meandering educational careers and “slow paths” to adulthood, and the 53 percent of taxpaying Americans owe you neither a degree nor an annual physical.
While I’m pointing out this obvious fact, here are a few other things that are not free: overtime for police officers and municipal workers, trash hauling, repairs to fixtures and property, condoms, Band-Aids and the food that inexplicably appears on the tables in your makeshift protest kitchens. Real people with real dollars are underwriting your civic temper tantrum.
* Your word is your bond. When you demonstrate to eliminate student loan debt, you are advocating precisely the lack of integrity you decry in others. Loans are made based on solemn promises to repay them. No one forces you to borrow money; you are free to choose educational pursuits that don’t require loans, or to seek technical or vocational training that allows you to support yourself and your ongoing educational goals. Also, for the record, being a college student is not a state of victimization. It’s a privilege that billions of young people around the globe would die for - literally.
* A protest is not a party. On Saturday in New York, while making a mad dash from my cab to the door of my hotel to avoid you, I saw what isn’t evident in the newsreel footage of your demonstrations: Most of you are doing this only for attention and fun. Serious people in a sober pursuit of social and political change don’t dance jigs down Sixth Avenue like attendees of a Renaissance festival. You look foolish, you smell gross, you are clearly high and you don’t seem to realize that all around you are people who deem you irrelevant.
* There are reasons you haven’t found jobs. The truth? Your tattooed necks, gauged ears, facial piercings and dirty dreadlocks are off-putting. Nonconformity for the sake of nonconformity isn’t a virtue. Occupy reality: Only 4 percent of college graduates are out of work. If you are among that 4 percent, find a mirror and face the problem. It’s not them. It’s you.
Christmas Poem by a US MARINE ~
Published December 15, 2011 | My friends Daughter has just deployed to Afghanistan and she sent this too my self and many others in hopes that we would spread the word and share this wonderful Marines words. As the Wife of a Marine things like this just strike me to my core!
Christmas Poem
~ TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.
I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.
NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.
WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.
FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.
THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.
THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.
WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I’D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?
I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.
THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.
I COULDN’T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.
THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.
THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
‘SANTA DON’T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;
I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON’T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS.’
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN’T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.
I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT’S CHILL.
I DIDN’T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.
THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, ‘CARRY ON SANTA,
IT’S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE.’
ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
‘MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,!
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.’
This poem was written by a Marine. The following is his request. I think it is reasonable…..
PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S. service men,women, and Canadian Forces for our being able to celebrate these festivities.
Let’s try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your small part to plant this small seed
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