Summer

Trees swaying wistfully to a summers gentle breeze-

butterflies swoop gracefully winged flight dipping with ease.

Crickets chirp hidden in grass they do lay-

singing a tune they welcome the day.

Birds gather twigs building nests for their young-

boasting words of their species melodic instrument theirs sung.

Grass green and lush barefoot children at play-

eager to repeat it come the next day.

Trees stand in splendor leaves sprouting from each branch-

natures gift of the season a rightful passage not chance.

Flowers in blossom displaying hues of vibrant color-

each petal unique appearing like no other.

As the dawn turns to dusk,as the day turns to night-

fireflies like the stars waltz the dark with their light.

Hush is the children laughter tucked dreamed as they sleep-

continue memories of summer for each one to keep.

Skabootch

August 9,2009

Cucumber Water

In the summer I like to mix up a pitcher of water and sliced cucumbers. It is easy and refreshing,obviously calorie free (always a plus!) and an alternative to having a plain glass of water.

I let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours to allow the flavor of the cucumber to thoroughly mix through the water.

Keep it cool!!



Satisfy that Sweet Tooth!

Every now and again I gotta satisfy that sweet tooth! At my age when you look at sugar it seems to automatically plant itself in places that have already succumbed to gravity!

So not fair! Although I am weight conscience and limit myself with the intake of "empty calories" the baker in me needs to get down and dirty with flour! Being a Nana I feel it is almost my duty to provide my little munchkins with some good, homemade delicious treats!

Usually when I buy bananas they don't last long as it is a quick and easy food to grab on the way out the door, (they are also a 0 point food on weight watchers) but occasionally they ripen all too quickly so I use that opportunity to make bread.

There is nothing like the scent of a baking banana bread to fill the senses. Face it there are so many substitutes for that aromatic  scent....candles and airfreshners, but c,mon it doesn't really come close to the real thing!

I use a recipe that uses sour cream and my bread is always moist and delicious. I also dust my loaf pans with butter and cinnamon sugar and it gives the baked bread a sweet,crispy outer layer.....yummy!

So indulge your senses and your pallet and make a couple of loaves. My recipe makes 2 very large loaves or 4 smaller and it freezes well.

Banana Sour Cream Bread

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3/4 cup butter

3 cups white sugar

3 eggs

6 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 16 oz. container sour cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsps. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking soda

41/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans (I use 2 very large loaf pans, sorry not sure of the size!)

In a small bowl stir together 1/4 white sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon,dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture, set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar, mix in eggs, mashed bananas sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon.

Mix in salt,baking soda and flour. Stir in walnuts.

Divide into prepared pans.

Bake for one hour until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

If you are using two large loaf pans it will almost take an hour and a half to cook, check after one hour and set additional 15 minute intervals until toothpick comes out clean.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I!

Happy baking!

(Whew so glad I am done typing as I gotta get a fresh cup of coffee and a large slice of banana bread!!)

What's For Dinner?

Since I can remember from the time I was just a little girl the first question I asked my Mother was "What's for dinner?" My Mom is a great cook and I was brought up having delicious and balanced meals every night for dinner. I feel that I am the cook I am today because of the way she cooked for us.  My Mother did not cook the same things each week and there was no set schedule.....Monday is meatloaf, Tuesday is pasta, Wednesday is hamburgers and so on, you get the idea! She enjoyed cooking and was always willing to experiment and try different recipes and dishes. In raising my own children I wanted to cook the same way. I always prepared a balanced meal and made certain I introduced a new food every week especially in their most youngest years.
It is a family joke that when I was very,very young and our family would go out to dinner I would be the one always ordering a hot dog when my other siblings were trying new and exciting foods. I loved hot dogs then and now I might eat one twice a year! Looking back I was missing so many wonderful food opportunities. Naturally as we grow we develop different and more mature tastes and I soon discovered that if I don't at least try it once I will never know. I have since tried weird and wonderful dishes and if you told me 30 years ago that I would eat a snail I would have told you how crazy that thought was...alas today I love escargot!!
In all my cooking years I have yet attempted to make stuffed peppers.  It's not that I don't like them it was just never something I thought to make. In the grocery store yesterday in the produce section I saw some beautiful, huge green peppers and that's when the light bulb went off in my head.... I will make stuffed peppers for dinner!! Not knowing really how they were made, I just logically thought of the ingredients I would need. It didn't seem that complicated and thought I would basically wing it.  It seemed also that I had most of the ingredients home.
I started with 2 lbs of lean ground beef
Brown rice
2 large yellow onions, chopped
Worchestire sauce
Italian seasoning
Garlic powder
2 large jars of medium salsa
Mozzarella cheese
10 green peppers (yes I cook for a family of 7 even though many have flown the nest, but it is a habit of many years feeding many mouths...besides it makes for great leftovers!)
I browned the beef and onion, drained the fat, added my rice and seasonings to taste, added the salsa to desired consistency and mozzarella cheese.
After cutting the tops off of the peppers and scraping out seeds and rinsing I then filled with my mixture. I put them in a deep baking pan and poured tomato sauce over the tops of the mixture and peppers.  I placed them in a preheated 350 degree oven and baked them for about an hour basting them with the tomato sauce as they cooked.
The result was phenomenal!! It was a hit....yay!! The salsa gave it a kick and the peppers were perfectly cooked...neither mushy or too crisp....ahhh just right!
I am so happy that my first attempt without a recipe was such a success.  After so many years of cooking I suppose that the thought of ingredients and dishes and how you prepare them come a bit naturally......but it is nice to have a finished product that is delicious and edible!! 

Healthy and Hearty Meals

Healthy and Filling Summer Dinner Option

Tilapea fillets brushed lightly with olive oil and sprinkled with lemon broiled in oven

Rice and freshly steamed brussell sprouts.

For the healthy conscience of those on a restricted diet this dish is refreshingly light,delicious to the pallet and low in calorie.

For any Weight Watcher members this is an 8.5 point meal.

Brussell sprouts are a free food and require 0 point value. Having a serving of 3- 3 oz tilapea fillet's are 2 points per each fillet  and a 1/2 cup of white rice is 2.5 points. 

Eating fish can provide an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and minerals that benefit your general health, The American Heart Association recommends at least two servings of fish per week to help prevent heart disease, lower blood pressure, and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

For those reasons I am incorporating more fish and less red meat in our diet.

Ocean

Ocean breeze caresses my being-sand smooth beneath me

 yellow grains pumice kneading.

Smell of refreshment my nostrils inhale-sun's ray on my body bronzing the lightness of pale.

Salt spray flushes over skin dampened and glisten-roaring water methodically it's rhythm I listen.

Tidal waves consistent lapping of motion-only God our creator provides us music from the ocean.

Ann Marie

Skabootch

8/06/09

These are a few of my favorite things

Living, Loving, Life in Jersey

I am an Air Force brat and proud of it!

My father served all his life until his retirement in the 70's.

As a child we moved around several times and lived in many states. I am one of four children and all of us were born in different states, I was born in Texas. I get a good laugh when I mention my birth state to others and they say they detect a southern accent. The ironic part to that is that I was 3 months old when we moved on to another state! 

 My memories begin when we lived in Nebraska. We moved to NJ when I was in 7th grade and have been here ever since.

I love New Jersey! As a state we are safe from natural disasters. We don't have tornadoes,hurricanes,mud slides,earthquakes or volcanoes and mother nature is generally fairly kind to us. Like most people I do my fair share of complaining about the weather but I do enjoy and take advantage of what each season has to offer.

 Where I am located we are 70 miles from NYC making it great to take in a Broadway play,museums,shopping and experiencing the night life and endless dining experiences. We are 20 minutes from the border of Pennsylvania,and 2 hours away from the Jersey shore. Our location allows endless opportunities for day trips and excursions and there is always something to do.

Yesterday as we took our canoe trip on the Delaware we were discussing just how much we loved living in New Jersey for all that it offers to us. As we had a lazy, relaxing,scenic day I had a great sense of gratitude for the state in which I live in.

So if you visit New Jersey and land at Newark airport don't be fooled.......rent a car and go exploring and you will be amazed and marveled of this beautifully scenic state.

Keeping it Cool!

Its a scorcher out there today with temperatures reaching 100 degrees +
Keep it cool and hydrated, plenty of water for people and pets.
I keep reminding myself that I would take this heat any day over shoveling ice and snow, but if I could bury myself in a snow cone today I would do it! I will settle for water, air conditioning and an easy paced day all the while looking forward to a frosty Corona later this afternoon...hmmm possibly a Corona in a blender with ice??