the Life and times of the Musical Nomads...

Sunday, February 15, 2009

WELL its time to prepare again for LENT !

I love the traditions, and keeping them alive for the kids is very important. This year on holy week Izabel will help with Easter sweet bread for the 1st time , I am so excited to teach her. we will head out today to church and to collect all the prayers and materials needed for the coming weeks. NEXT WEEK ..............MARDI GRAS!!! and then Ash wednesday services.

Mardi Gras or Carnival
Carnival, which comes from a Latin phrase meaning "removal of meat," is the three day period preceding the beginning of Lent, the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday immediately before Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of the Lenten Season (some traditions count Carnival as the entire period of time between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday). The three days before Ash Wednesday are also known as Shrovetide ("shrove" is an Old English word meaning "to repent"). The Tuesday just before Ash Wednesday is called Shrove Tuesday, or is more popularly known by the French term Mardi Gras, meaning "Fat Tuesday," contrasting to the fasting during Lent. The entire three day period has now come to be known in many areas as Mardi Gras.

Carnival or Mardi Gras is usually a period of celebration, originally a festival before the fasting during the season of Lent. Now it is celebrated in many places with parades, costumes, dancing, and music. especially the Portuguese culture , the French culture of Louisiana, and some of the Caribbean cultures such as Trinidad, Many churches now observe Mardi Gras with a church pancake breakfast or other church meal, eating together as a community before the symbolic fasting of Lent begins.

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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
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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...

Sunday, February 15, 2009

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