the Life and times of the Musical Nomads...: 12/01/2009

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Sunday night dinner....

THe kids got 4 new tails for Christmas from auntie Diane (cousin actually )

so when I said we were having shrimp and cod for dinner .....well the cats came runnin.... hee hee

my crazy wacky food world !!

as you all know I love food ....okay I love THE FOOD....

vegies--meats--fish--fruit..... etc..........

so here is my Sunday night list for this week

bananas

pomegranets

Cod

rock shrimp

they were sauted with butter ,wine,salt a dash of hot paprika a tiny bit of pineapple for a nice sweetness

fresh pineapple

rice

and so here is what I came up with ,

I was going to make chocolate cake BUT with all the fruit I desided to do a "fosters" type thing

So Butter, brown sugar,honey,brandy and bananas and fresh cut pineapple were sauted lit aflame and served over ice cream sprinkled with yummy pom seeds and a little crunchy lady finger cookie on the edge !DELISHHHHHH

lil prayers

PrayerS of St. Ignatius Loyola
Suscipe
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my entire will, All I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace. That is enough for me. Amen

As a Cradle Catholic

("born and raised & practicing" for those not familiar w/ the term)

I was taught many prayers, I never thought much of it,or the fact my parents taught me many in Latin , never thought much about it all .....its what we do ...did...
I realize more and more the that all they taught me is so very important now more than ever ...drudging through life at times is harder than we think and I know I would have never have made it through the tough times without my friend and heavenly father ..Jesus to guide and help me.

praising God is so important in my life and I am so happy that my husband has been touched by the holy spirit and is growing everyday in his faith as well.

Boas Festas!!!! Merry Christmas!!

what can be said that has NOT been said before about Christmas???? well I believe there is always Something to be said BECAUSE every Christmas is different, and has a personality of its own.

This year was tough ....in many ways , I lost 2 uncles, I gained a new little cousin ON Christmas Day!!

I discovered how strong I am emotionally and mentally after a year of Unemployment, & an unwelcome return of an enemy...ULCER.

BUT my family has grown closer and my relationship with my mother is the best its ever been. My Brother kicked Cancer in the ass!!
my niece is IN LOVE teee heee!!!

my sis in law also in love with the most handsome interesting man :) has her art work displayed in Germany in January !! AND I am so sad I can not be there to support her!

BUT with all the things that disn't happen the way I wanted I have this amazing feeling that 2010 will be remarkable

and our Christmas day was perfectly spent enjoying family and food .

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Deck the Halls.......ta da ta da Daaa...

"Its thaaaaaat time of year, when your heart is a glow ...every song you hear seems to say....Meeryy Christmas......

is there a Holiday that makes you feel as WARM inside?? well excluding Cinco de Mayo here...ya get too many spicey tacos and.....well thats NOT what I mean...

every year we have our established traditions that we made when Davin and I were alone ..no kiddies BUT since the kids we have added SO many more FUN ones !!

Hard to believe we have lived here for 4 years its seems so fast....Izzy was Dillons age when we came here.

I am very tradtional in my style with an ecclectic collection of treasures I have been given as well as bought in all the places we've lived.

BUT at Christmas I revert into a New England mentality And it makes my home feel LIKE home to me.

MERRY CHRIST-mas

they spin with the heat from the lights!

my antiques are my favorites

Handmade in Plymouth Mass By a neighbor friend who worked as an actor/real gardener at the plantation.

SANTA GETS A SPECIAL KEY !!! We don't want him to eat alone! we leave salad for the reindeer!

RECIPYS , YUMMY ...easy ...Inexpensive ....

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork

Ingredients
3 cups cubed peeled potatoes (Idaho or Yukon gold)
1 cup chopped onion
3 pound pork roast, trimmed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt
Directions
Arrange potatoes and onion in bottom of slow cooker. Place pork on top of potatoes and onion. Spread garlic all over pork.
In a medium bowl, whisk together water, ketchup, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, mustard, black pepper and salt. Pour mixture over pork.
Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
Slice pork crosswise into thin slices and serve 12 ounces for this meal. Serve with all of potatoes, onions, and sauce
==============================
Salmon Steaks with Ginger

Prep: 5 min, Cook: 10 min.
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbs. sesame oil
4 salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each
8 slices lime
Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Heat oil in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add salmon and dot with half the butter mixture. Cook about 5 minutes or until browned on one side. Turn, dot with remaining butter and cook another 4-5 minutes until salmon flakes easily when tested with a fork. Garnish with lime slices.

Per serving: calories 487, fat 23.6g, 45% calories from fat, cholesterol 181mg, protein 63.7g, carbohydrates 1.9g, fiber 0.5g, sugar 0.6g, sodium 367mg, diet points 12.1.Dietary Exchanges: Milk: 0.0, Vegetable: 0.0, Fruit: 0.1, Bread: 0.0, Lean meat: 0.0, Fat: 3.7, Sugar: 0.0, Very lean meat protein: 9.5
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Almond Dijon Baked Chicken
Prep: 5 min, Cook: 20 min.
4 boneless skinless chicken breast fillets
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. mayonnaise
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place chicken in a lightly greased baking pan. Blend mustard and mayo together and spread on top of chicken. Top with almonds. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked.

Per serving: calories 351, fat 16.6g, 43% calories from fat, cholesterol 110mg, protein 45.7g, carbohydrates 4.0g, fiber 2.0g, sugar 1.1g, sodium 220mg, diet points 8.5.Dietary Exchanges: Milk: 0.0, Vegetable: 0.0, Fruit: 0.0, Bread: 0.0, Lean meat: 0.5, Fat: 2.7, Sugar: 0.0, Very lean meat protein: 5.5

ALFREDO sauce
this sauce can be mixed with just pasta OR
kick it up with cooked chicken or shrimp!
Alfredo Sauce:
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Freshly cracked black pepper
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
To prepare alfredo sauce: Heat heavy cream over low-medium heat in a deep saute pan. Add butter and whisk gently to melt. Sprinkle in cheese and stir to incorporate. Season with freshly cracked black pepper. In a large stockpot, cook pasta in plenty of boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Quickly drain the pasta and add it to the saute pan, gently toss the noodles to coat in the alfredo. Transfer pasta to a warm serving bowl. Top with more grated cheese and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Facts That Can't Be Ignored...

- The average parent spends 38.5 minutes per week in meaningful conversation with their children. (A.C. Nielsen Co.)

- Family dinners are more important than play, story time and other family events in the development of vocabulary of younger children. (Harvard Research, 1996)

- Frequent family meals are associated with a lower risk of smoking, drinking and using marijuana; with a lower incidence of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts; and with better grades in 11 to 18 year olds. (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2004.)

- Adolescent girls who have frequent family meals, and a positive atmosphere during those meals, are less likely to have eating disorders. (University of Minnesota, 2004)

the Life and times of the Musical Nomads...