Down For the Count

I have not been this sick in years.  And it’s not only me – it’s my children too.

It started on Sunday night with my son and has gone through the three of us, knocking us out. Thankfully, my husband seems immune, but we are miserable!  Aches and pains, a dry hacking cough, a sore throat and a head ache, combined with total exhaustion makes for a very cranky crew!

Needless to say, we haven’t cooked anything or done anything or learned anything or read anything in a week.  We’re hoping that this goes away this weekend as we have some major life changes coming up and I’d really like us to be ready; physically and emotionally.  I can’t talk about it too much yet, but by next week you’ll all be privy to the latest happenings in the casa des Pink.

I also have some great ideas for new recipes and a book review as well as some product reviews coming so please bear with me and I’ll see you next week (hopefully!)

Keep us in your thoughts if your so inclined.  Thanks. xo 0

Sonny and Dante, GH and a Question

So things are coming to a head.  Will Dante testify against his father?  Will he learn the truth about Claudia’s killer in time?  Will Michael go to prison?  Or will Jason or Diane and Alexis figure out a way to get around this?  Sonny’s been so slippery for so many years, that it’s hard to imagine him not getting away with murder.

I happen to like the Olivia, Johnny, Dante, Lulu thing going on and have heard speculation about Ethan teaming up with Johnny.  I think I could get behind that story, how about you?

On a different topic, I’ve heard a lot of noise about the thought of watching soaps.  I’ve been watching them forever and when I’ve got a lot going on in my life, I barely watch – when I’m not so busy I watch quite a bit.  I’ve found that DVRs have changed the way I do this too, recording is so easy that I just let it record – if there’s a great story line, I’ll watch at night or on a lazy Saturday and when the story line isn’t one of my favorites, I’ll only watch occasionally.

What about you?  Do you watch soaps?  If not, do you watch Primetime soaps like Desperate House Wives, Grey’s Anatomy, even Lost? If so, what do you feel the difference is?  Just curious.

Disclaimer: I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.

Israeli Couscous with Asparagus, Tomato and Goat Cheese

In an effort to cut costs, as well as lighten our carbon foot print we’re trying to incorporate more meatless meals into our plan.  Pasta is always easy and delicious, but sometimes we like to venture out into the unknown.  This is a delicious, surprisingly refreshing meal made with Israeli couscous which is much bigger than regular couscous and absolutely wonderful.  I was inspired by this recipe, but as with everything, I had to make it my own.

Here’s what I did:

Israeli couscous (I used a lot!)
2 lbs. of asparagus cleaned, trimmed and cut into 2 in. pieces)
3 tomatoes, chopped
olive oil
2 lemons (zest and juice)*
4 cups of vegetable broth
1 can of garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
4 oz. goat cheese

Heat a saute pan and a heavy bottomed pan with a lid, add olive oil to both.  When the oil is heated, add the asparagus to the saute pan and the couscous to the lidded pan.  Stir and saute the couscous till it turns a golden brown and then add the vegetable broth (follow the package directions as to couscous/liquid ratio), bring it to a boil and then follow the package directions.

Saute the asparagus until it’s slightly cooked, but still crunchy, turn off the heat, and leave the asparagus until you’re ready for it.

Finish the couscous, and when it’s reached the desired consistency add the asparagus, lemon zest, juice, garbanzo beans and goat cheese and stir to combine.

Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

*This got rave reviews, but it was really lemony – I liked it that way, but if you’re not citrus crazy like me, you might only use the juice and zest of one lemon.

Roasted Chickpeas

Whether we call them garbanzos, chick peas, or chichis, we just love them in salads, with rice, or anytime you need a little protein.  Recently I heard of someone roasting them as a snack, so I had to try!

I’ve done them a few times now at different temperatures, for different lengths of time and this is how I like them.

2 cans of chick peas
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
chili powder
garlic salt
Mediterranean salt

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Drain the chickpeas in a colander and rinse until they no longer foam. Drain and pat dry with a paper towel.

Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle your spices in.  Just to taste, it’s really up to you.  Toss well and then pour them out onto a lipped cookie sheet.

Put in the oven and set the timer for 40 minutes.  When the times up, take out and let cool completely before transferring them to a storage container.

They’ll crisp a little more as they cool.  If you try to store them before they’re completely cool and crunchy, they’ll be soggy and while they’re not bad that way, it just not what we’re looking for here.

Eat them as a snack, or use them on salads.  Yum!

Chef’s Little Helper and App

Remember when I was lamenting the lack of a perfect iPhone app for groceries and lists and menus? Well, apparently I’m not going to get everything I’m looking for in one app and it’s not going to be free.  At least not yet. So, while I searched for perfection I came across something pretty darn close. The app is called Chef ($2.99 from iTunes) and it’s got a companion website “Chef’s Little Helper“.   I’ve been using them for about a week now.

The interface is very nice.  Bright, crisp, appealing, graphics and easy navigation.  From the main screen you can access the app settings, deciding which page the app opens to, some grocery list setting as well as your website log in and which color scheme you prefer (just blue or black).  Definitely sign up for a free account on the website, it’s what makes this app so useful.

The recipe search is beautifully done.  You can choose the meal type and the cuisine type – and I love the wheel selector thingies, I think more apps should use them.  There are tons of recipes in here.  I don’t know if they’re all user submissions, and use at your own risk – they’re obviously not guaranteed to be good. Use your own judgment.

The cookbook shows the recipes that you’ve entered at the top, and then the bookmarked ones beneath it. You can rate the recipes, and add the ingredients from the recipe right to the grocery list, even email the recipe to someone from right within the app. You can add pictures with your recipes, but you don’t have to.  I wish more people would, but that’s just me.

The grocery list is sortable by aisle and you can add from the app, from the cookbook and from the website.  And they all sync beautifully.  Nicely done.

There are even four kitchen timers! I have three of them in my kitchen already, but sometimes I need as many as five. I haven’t tested their effectiveness and accuracy, but it’s nice to have.

What I love most about this app and site is that there’s a community feel – the ability to create your own cookbook, as well as try other other cooks’ recipes.  There’s even a forum, but it doesn’t seem very active.  If you decide to give it a try, I’m ColorMePink.

My personal wish list:

• the ability to add items that the app doesn’t recognize to an aisle (ex: the app doesn’t know what rappini is, so it puts it in “odds and ends”.  I’d like it in produce where it belongs.
• Ability to add recipe submitted by someone else to your cookbook, via the website
• Remove bookmarked recipes from your bookmarked list in your cookbook

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