A Side Of "Mom" You Haven't Seen

I remember when my daughter was a sophomore in high school she said to me, "Mom, why do other moms have Kenny G in their CD players and you have Pink?" That pretty much sums up my love for music. Most of you don't "know" me in real life. My blogging no doubt makes me sound like a nice, cookie baking, apron wearing, middle-aged mom...in my too short "mom" pants and sensible shoes, I'm not. It isn't at all unlikely to find me rocking out around the house to many of today's current artists. My kids often get their music from me, and my daughter no longer thinks it is weird...she thinks it's cool.

I was very excited to be asked to listen and review a preview copy of Slice, the upcoming release from Five for Fighting. For those who don't know, Five for Fighting is the stage name of John Ondrasik. If the name still doesn't ring a bell, songs Superman and 100 Years, will be very familiar to you. I can sum this up very easily. I love the album. John's lyrics are always socially relevant and touch an emotional chord. This album certainly does just that. The first single Chances, is a realistic look at a relationship:

Chances lost are hopes torn up pages

Maybe this time

Chances are we´ll be the combination

Chances come and carry me

Chances are waiting to be taken

And I can see

Chances are the fascination

Chances won't escape from me

Chances are only what we make them

And all I need

Augie Nieto reaches in and squeezes your heart. The title track, Slice, with the lyric "we were more than just a slice of American Pie" is one of those songs that makes you think and makes you a bit sad at the same time, it is my favorite song on the album.

You can see Five for Fighting on the following dates:

CBS Saturday Morning 10/10

The View 10/14

The Today Show 10/16

John will be hitting the road in October with An Acoustic Evening with Five For Fighting. The dates are on the website. The album is available for pre-order from Amazon. I've added a link in the sidebar for it. It will be released on October 13th. I highly recommend it.

Time to go turn up the music and dance!

What Should I Do With This Chicken?

You have chicken in the freezer, but you don't know what to do with it. You know you want it to be fast and easy. Balsamic Chicken is a perfect option. It is also very low in fat, but it doesn't taste like it is.

Ingredients:

Chicken-8 frozen boneless, skinless chicken tenders or 4 boneless,skinless chicken breasts (I like to keep frozen chicken tenders for nights when I'm in a hurry, they cook faster)

2 tsp. Vegetable Oil

2 T. Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 tsp. Thyme

2 tsp. Dijon Mustard

1 cup Chicken Broth

In a skillet, saute the chicken on medium high heat in the oil until both sides are cooked and lightly browned. Stir in chicken broth, thyme, mustard and balsamic vinegar and cover. Allow the chicken to simmer in the sauce 30 minutes or until very tender. I shake the skillet ever 10 minutes or so to make sure the chicken stays coated in the sauce.

I like to serve the chicken with Orzo Pasta. I cook 4 oz. of Orzo in 1 cup of chicken broth and 1 cup of water until the pasta is done and the liquid is almost gone (about 10-15 minutes). It would also be very good with rice. The night I made this dish, we had homemade applesauce. You could serve a green salad instead. Enjoy!

Moms Get Sick Too-Our Family "Cure"

I hate having a cold. I don't know how something so minor can make you feel so awful. I'm blaming this one on my flu shot. I got my first flu shot on Wednesday, and by Friday night I was starting to feel a bit off. I'm sneezing, coughing and trying not to think about Swine Flu.

In our house when someone has a cold, it always means a trip to the grocery store for 2 items. SunnyD and Sprite (7Up will work too). You need to know that under normal conditions I wouldn't drink SunnyD if you paid me. I also don't drink Sprite (it's Diet Coke for me). When I'm sick with a cold or sore throat, nothing tastes better. I have no idea of how or why we started making this cocktail for the infirm in our house. I fixed it for my kids from the time they were small, and now that they both live on their own...they make it for themselves. I know it can't really make you better, but it does seem to have some hidden medicinal qualities. So, fill a glass with ice and pour in half Sprite and half SunnyD. I promise you'll feel better. I will also be making my 5 minute chicken soup for lunch. See, I even take my own advice!

*Mom hint-I still think a flu shot is a good idea this year for most people. It was quite easy and I didn't even feel it.

It is Apple Time!

It is apple season in many parts of the country. I know that in our area, the orchards are full of apples. We made our first visit to an area orchard a couple of weeks ago. I had a few apples left and didn't want them to go to waste, so I made applesauce. It is so easy to make and it doesn't take very long. It is also so much better tasting and better for you than anything you buy in a jar. The only ingredients you need are apples, water and a little bit of sugar and cinnamon if you like.



Ingredients:


8 apples (any variety)

1 cup water

1 T. sugar (optional)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)



Peel the apples and cut them into quarters. You can use a potato peeler, but I find it easier to cut them into quarters and cut out the seeds, and peel the apple section with a sharp knife.

When you get them all peeled and quartered, put them in a large saucepan with 1 cup of water. Cover the pan and bring them to a simmer, reduce heat. Let them simmer at a low heat until they are very tender when you test them with with a fork (about 45 minutes).

When they are very tender use a spatula (or a fork) and mash the apples into a chunky applesauce. If you like your applesauce more smooth, you can let the apples cool and put them in a food processor or blender. We like ours chunky. You now have sugar free applesauce. If you want to sweeten slightly, stir in 1 T. of sugar (or more if you like it sweet). I also add 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon to mine. Serve warm or cold.

*Mom hint-My mom stirs in a few Redhots Candy into her warm applesauce instead of sugar and cinnamon. They melt and give the sauce a pink color, and a sweet, cinnamon flavor.

Turning Old Into New (Bow Making 101)

I've been spinning my wheels around here trying to get unpacked from our trip, catch up on everything and get the house looking like fall. I finally spent a few hours this afternoon working on the latter. I tend to keep things and reuse them when it comes to decorating. I have tubs of ribbons, bows, flowers and our storage room has nails with wreaths hanging all around it. I went to the basement and grabbed a large grapevine wreath from a few years ago. The first thing I did was tear off all of the old, ugly fall stuff and throw it away. I did keep a few of the leaves.

I had 8 tall stems of leaves with golden berries that I had once used in a tall vase and I slipped them into the wreath forming a circle of leaves and berries all the way around. I secured them with my glue gun. I then added a few of the salvaged leaves, and a few bright orange berries that I had saved from another project, again using the glue gun to attach the items. The final touch was making a new bow from fall ribbon. After I attached the bow with wire, I added a few extra streamers, using the glue gun to hold the ribbon in place. The picture below is what I started with. The top picture is the finished product.

If you can make a decent bow, you can dress up the Christmas tree, make plain wreaths look beautiful and make inexpensive gifts look upscale. Bow making is awkward at first, but once you get the hang of it, you will be asked to make bows for everyone. I can't tell you how many bows I've made for people. It is easier to show someone how to do this than to tell them, but I'll try with the help of a few pictures my husband took last December. I'm sitting cross-legged on my couch, please ignore everything except the bow!

Get your "ingredients" ready. You will need ribbon (wire-edged works best), some fine wire (I have used extra pieces of ribbon, twist ties from bread, hair ties and rubber bands, but wire is best), and scissors. This is a roll of 5 yards of ribbon I picked up for a quarter after Christmas one year. You can make a bow with 3 yards, but I like to have at least 5 yards. If you are making huge bows, you will need more.

I am right handed, so I take the end of the ribbon and roll it to the back with my right hand, while holding the rest of the ribbon about 2 inches down in my left hand.

Make a complete loop and hold it tightly with your left thumb inside the loop and your other left fingers under the ribbon.

This step is very important. It is what makes a florist bow look good, and the ones we all make look slightly "off". Twist the ribbon behind the loop completely over. The above picture I'm starting to twist. When the twist is complete, grab it with those left fingers. Yes, your hand will be starting to cramp, it will get worse.

Above I am still holding the loop in my left hand, the ribbon has been twisted which keeps the pattern to the top and I'm starting my first bow loop with my right hand.

The loop is made by folding the ribbon under the piece extending from the small loop my thumb is holding, and you catch the underside of the loop with your fingers. See how tightly I'm holding it? The next picture is important!

We have made one loop of our bow, and we are holding it tightly in the left hand. Now we have to TWIST it again, completely over to bring the top/pattern of the ribbon to the top again.

After you twist the ribbon after the first loop, you make a loop on the opposite side the same way. Make the top of the loop, and fold the ribbon under and catch it with those left fingers.

Then you TWIST again, the secret is in the twist. and make another loop, grab it and twist until you have four loops on each side. You can make a bow with 3 loops per side, I think 4 looks better, but I have certainly made many bows with 3 loops each side. The more loops, the more full the bow. The bow on my fall wreath has 6 loops per side.

At this point there are 4 loops on each side of the bow.

Grab the tail of the ribbon that is still on the spool, and extend it as long as you want the streamers to be, then fold it up and bring the other end up to catch in your left hand. See above and below.

What you are seeing above is the back of the bow, held tightly in my left hand. The 8 loops are on the underside, the "tail" of the ribbon has been brought up into a loop of its own and I'm holding it in place. The ribbon that is left over that I'm going to cut off is extending to the right.

Take a piece of wire (8-10 inches) and bring it up through the streamer loop from back to front, insert it into that small center loop that was the first loop we made in picture number 1. See below.

This is where it is easy to lose the bow, so hang on tightly. The wire has to be twisted behind the small original loop and hold all of the bow loops in place as well as the streamer tails.

When it is twisted tightly and everything is in place, cut off the extra ribbon (still attached to the spool or lose if not on a spool. See below.

Next, you can either cut the streamer loop to have 2 streamers (cut on an angle) or you can leave it as a streamer loop for a different look.

Fluff up the loops, and you are done. This isn't my best, as I was posing for pictures rather than thinking about the bow, but you get the idea. Don't be discouraged if you let go and it all falls apart, just start over-wire ribbon is very forgiving. It takes a little practice to be comfortable with it.