Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Medical Scrubs

My sister has worked in the medical field for awhile now. She definitely has the styles she likes and they can sometimes be expensive. I am considering showing her some nursing uniforms online to check out a variety of scrubs at reasonable prices.

The colors are pretty and my favorite are the olive green scrubs. She likes simple basic colors and usually doesn't care for the patterned scrubs. She works in an office so she needs to look professional even though her required uniform is scrubs.

More often than not, she buys the scrub complete sets instead of mixing and matching them. She like the uniform colors and monochromatic look. Maybe I won't show her these and just pick her up a few as a gift? We'll see!

Making Tuesday Tasty-Pear Cobbler w/Cranberry Streusel

It's pear season! I love pears, especially Bartlett pears. This looks like a super yummy recipe to make good use of pears and give you a little kick, with the cranberries.

Ingredients

4 Bartlett pears
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Streusel Topping:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups cranberries
1/2 cup whipping cream, beaten to soft peaks
Unsalted butter, at room temperature, granulated and sugar, for the baking dish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel the pears and cut them in 1/2 through the stem end. Use a melon baller to scoop out the cores. Put the pear halves in a large bowl. Sprinkle over the vanilla; toss. Then sprinkle over the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg and toss to coat the pears with the flavorings. Line the pears up in a buttered, sugared baking dish, rounded sides up.

In the same bowl, mash together the butter, brown sugar, flour, and salt with your hands for the topping. Toss in the cranberries. Crumble the topping mixture over the pears in the baking dish and bake until the topping is crunchy and browned and the pears are very tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.

*recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence/foodnetwork.com*

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Giveaways!

Mama Latina Tips is giving away a Fuji Finepix XP10 digital camera! I am so excited about this one as ours is on it's last leg. Hurry, ends September 11, 2010.

Autism Learning Felt is giving away a Kodak easyshare camera and a Kodak plus digital frame 7 inch! Whoa, that's so cool. Hurry, ends September 12, 2010.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Fashion to Figure Guest Giveaway

Fashion to Figure Guest Giveaway

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Wordless Wednesday-Baby On Board


We had an ultrasound last week that showed our baby is due March 16 and was bouncing around and happy. We are so excited and can't wait to find out the sex!

Making Tuesday Tasty-Chicken Cacciatore


Here's another healthy Ellie Krieger recipe. Super yummy and you can edit out those things that you don't like. I like the flavor of red bell pepper sometimes but, most of the time it doesn't agree with me. So, I would probably replace it with another veggie like summer squash or something like that.

Ingredients

4 skinless chicken breast halves on the bone, about 2 pounds
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice, chopped and juice reserved
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more, to taste

Directions

Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a saute pan over moderately high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Reduce the heat to moderate. Add the onion and pepper, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to brown. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes and juice, oregano, red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and simmer the mixture covered for 10 minutes.

Return the chicken breasts to the pan and simmer, covered, until the chicken is just done, about 20 minutes longer.

*photo and recipe credit foodnetwork.com*

Friday, August 20, 2010

Quote For Today

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."

C.S. Lewis (The Four Loves)

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Wordless Wednesday-Play House

Having fun in her playhouse(a big screen t.v. box painted to look like a house) 15 mos.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Review-ProMist Mop By O-Cedar



I recently had the privilege of using the ProMist mop by O-Cedar and I wanted to write a little about it. There are many different types of mops on the market and for years I've used a standard sponge mop, though I've hated it!

I've tried other mop brands that had a disposable cleaning head or attachment, and didn't care for these either because of waste and cost. I'm on a really tight budget and can't really buy into having to use 3 or 4 of these a sitting to get my floor clean. I have a large area of tile in my house so it would take a lot to clean.

Then there is the cleaning solution type. I have no crawling babies but, I want the floor clean without a lot of residue. I want the cleaner to be as safe as it can be and clean well at the same time. I can do that with the sponge mop but, it's really back breaking to have to keep rinsing the mop, scrub, and add my cleaner.

The O-Cedar is a really nice alternative to these! There is a container attached to the mop that allows you to put whatever kind of cleaner you would like in it. If you want vinegar and water, a certain brand of cleaner you really like, or a natural alternative, go ahead. There are removable and reusable microfiber pads to use with the mop that you simply throw in the washer when finished! I love that option. I can just put it in the wash with my cleaning rags and store for later. There are also semi disposable pads for those really messy clean ups that you would rather throw away(think dog poo!)


So to summarize, the pros of this mop outweigh most hand held manual mops. Ergonomic, waste reducing, bucket-free, economical, and safe for the people and pets in your home. Also, it's available at most large retailers so, it's easy to get and a reasonable price! I recommend trying this mop out.

*I was sent an O-Cedar ProMist to try out for the purpose of this review*

Making Tuesday Tasty-Baked Sweet Potato Fries


Kids love these. A nice contrast of salt and sweet and full of vitamins. Baking of course leaves this a way healthier option as a side dish for a great meal! If you want to make it a little fancier, add the herbs.

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-wide slices, then again into 1/2-inch-wide strips
2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 garlic clove, minced
print a shopping list for this recipe

Preparation

Preheat oven to 500°F. Spray large baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. Toss sweet potatoes with oil in large bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake until sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer sweet potatoes to platter.
Mix parsley, thyme and garlic in small bowl. Sprinkle over sweet potatoes.

*recipe courtesy of epicurious, photo credit recipetips.com*

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Wordless Wednesday-K at the Beach

San Diego..can't remember if I posted this one or not before.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Making Tuesday Tasty-Healthy White Chili


I made this the other day based off of Ellie Krieger's recipe. I adapted it a little to my liking and what I had on hand.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 Poblano peppers fresh or small can of green chili's found in the grocery store

2 stalks celery

1/2 to whole medium onion

2 cloves garlic

1 1/2 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 lb. ground turkey

Black pepper to taste

3 to 4 cans of Navy or your favorite beans(I used 2 cans Navy, 1 can black bean) If you want more beans add the 4th can.

4 C low sodium chicken broth, veggie broth, or beef broth.

Preparation

Sautee your pepper, celery, onion, and garlic together until tender in the olive oil. Once done, add your turkey and cook through. Once turkey is cooked through, add your rinsed beans and broth to the pot and simmer for about 15 to 25 minutes. The combo will combine in flavor and thicken slightly.

Serve. You can top with cilantro, sour cream, lime, and my favorite hot sauce! Anything to boost that Southwest flavor!

*photo courtesy of Allrecipes.com/Lucille Bluth*

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Wordless Wednesday-2 Months Old

My daughter when she was two months old, smiling at mama.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Making Tuesday Tasty-Coconut Cream Pie


One of my favorites!! Here is a simple version of this from Emeril Lagasse. I don't like meringue nearly as much as whipped cream so that's what I put on mine. I love cream pies and coconut cream pie is just delicious. I really like the flavor of toasted coconut so I like it as a garnish on top.

Ingredients

Sweet Pie Crust, recipe follows
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 cups milk
4 eggs, separated
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/3 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter
Sweetened whipped cream, for garnish, optional
Toasted coconut, for garnish, optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Prepare Basic Sweet Pie Crust as directed. Roll the dough into a circle, about 1/4-inch thick. Place dough in a 9-inch pie plate, trimming and crimping the edges as the dough is gently pressed into the pan. Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake until golden brown around sides and edges, about 15 minutes. Remove parchment paper and return the crust to the oven and bake until bottom of crust is pale golden, about 5 minutes longer. Set aside on a wire rack to cool.

In a nonstick 1-quart saucepan, combine 3/4 cup sugar and 2 3/4 cups milk together. Bring the milk to boiling point and scald the milk. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the remaining milk, egg yolks, and cornstarch together. Whisk until smooth. Temper the egg yolk mixture into the scalded milk. Bring the mixture up to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes or until the mixture is thick, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1 cup of the flaked coconut, vanilla and butter.

Pour the filling into the prepared pie shell. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Chill the pie completely, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until stiff with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Spread the meringue evenly over the top of the pie. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/3 cup coconut. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool. Alternately, top with fresh sweetened whipped cream and more toasted coconut.

Basic Sweet Pie Crust:

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons bleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

4 to 5 tablespoons ice water, or as needed

Sift the flour, sugar, and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and shortening. Rub the fats between your fingertips and thumbs, or use a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. One tablespoon at a time, work in enough ice water just until the dough comes together, being careful not to over mix.

Shape into a smooth ball of dough, flatten into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 days.

Yield: enough dough for 1 single-crust pie

*photo and recipe courtesy of foodnetwork.com*