Happy Pumpkin Wednesday!

Hello and Happy Pumpkin Wednesday!  This morning Pumpkin was in no mood to be social....she spent most of the morning under the bed.

No need to hide Kitty!

But starting this week, Pumpkin is showing off her social side and letting her friends stop in and guest post for Pumpkin Wednesday!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This week Lauren and Montana are stopping by and discussing how to "try" to work while your cat is around :)

In true Pumpkin Wednesday fashion I’ve got pics for you and some fun tidbits.

So although I’m the odd man out in our group of girls and don’t have a cat at home, I once had a cat in my office. Lucky me. His name is Montana and even though he’s insanely cute, he’s very distracting.

When trying to file important papers Montana likes to make sure I’m putting them in the right folders…..

Such a helpful kitty

I asked him to help me respond to some emails but mainly he just wants to sleep…

Oh wait, not that helpful

When I’m on the phone attempting to process an order, he wants to know who I’m talking to…

Oh, hello. Can I put your call through to Lauren's voicemail?

Lesson learned, cats are good to cuddle with, but they don’t make great work colleagues. J

Happy Pumpkin Wednesday!

Thanks Lauren!  Hope you had a great Wednesday!

-Looking forward to a lovely Thursday

Quick and Easy Recipe

I really love cooking.  I know some people find it to be a lot to after a day of work/school/childcare, but I think it's relaxing.  Call me crazy, but that's just how I am....

Today's quick and easy recipe is for homemade salsa/pico de gallo.  My friend Michael makes delicious salsa and is the inspiration for today's post.  And I know tomatoes are typically best in the summer, but vine ripened tomatoes were on sale at the grocery store this week, so hence my need to buy and use them.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

• 1 onion, I used a white onion
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 green pepper
• 1 jalapeno
• some cilantro
• Juice of a half of a lime
• Salt and Pepper

Get out your knife and cutting board, chop chop chop away all the ingredients, combine in a bowl and it's great if the ingredients have time to meld together in the refrigerator.  Also, feel free to change the amount of ingredients, i.e. if you prefer less onion, there are no hard and fast rules.  Oh, again, be careful with the jalapeno if you are sensitive to heat.  You can always add more, but it's hard to take away if you put in too much.  Likewise, don't add the seeds if you don't love spicy.

Your salsa will keep for a few days and can be added to salads, meats or anything else your heart desires.

What are you creative ways for using salsa?

-Looking forward to Pumpkin Wednesday!

Miscellaneous Monday

Hello Everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are staying warm as you head back to work.  Speaking of work, I wanted to let you know I am now officially employed. Yay!  Today was my first day at work and I'm excited to get my legal career started.  Please bear with me as I adjust to a new schedule, and I certainly will work to keep the blog updated as often as I can.  Hopefully Pumpkin will pitch in and start writing a few more posts

• Issues with Facebook:  As some of you know I like to "share" my blog on Facebook so everyone can easily see when I post.  However, last week I was told I was sharing too often and my content was "abusive" or "spammy."  I was provided the opportunity to appeal this distinction to the gods of Facebook and was promised a response within 48 hours.  As of today I have no response and my blog is still "spammy."  One friend did show me an "app" which will allow me to share via Facebook.  Another friend (thanks Meghan!) alerted me that my problem with Facebook and sharing is not an isolated incident.  Even poor Roger Ebert was told that his blog (which is far more professional and awesome than mine) is too spammy.  What's your take on Facebook's policy of censoring content?  

• Last week I caught a quick glimpse of a show on TLC about strange addictions.  This woman below is addicted to eating her couch cushions.  I am not trying to make light of her situation, but I find it so crazy that our minds are capable of making us crave something that is not food. 

• This weekend as part of my Christmas gift, Tim took me to a partner's cooking class at the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking.  The theme of the night was Thai cooking and Tim and I were in the group responsible for making the Mango, Coconut, Ginger Cake with Cream Cheese Icing.  So delicious and I don't even like sweet foods!  If you live in the greater Cleveland area and you like cooking and learning new recipes/techniques check out the list of available classes.

So, tell me, how was your weekend? 

-Looking forward to a lovely Tuesday!

Pumpkin Doesn't Need Caffeine, But I Sure Do

I cannot stress how tired the gray, cold and snowy days make me.  I mean not only am I freezing ALL the time, including when I'm indoors, but the more clothing I put on the more it makes me want to take a nap.

However, coffee and occasionally things like Red Bull, Five Hour Energy, and Caffeinated Soda help me make it through the day.  I'm jealous that Pumpkin is active enough to never need any synthetic energy...

Oh hello!

On the move (with laser eyes)

Being a Menace

Tim makes coffee every morning in our wonderful drip coffee maker, and around this time of year you want your coffee to taste fresh and be deliciously potent.  So, if you're looking for better coffee, it's time to show a little love to your coffee maker.

If you haven't done so a while, you should clean out your coffee maker.  This process includes washing out the actual coffee pot, washing a mesh filter with soap and water, and cleaning out the inside of the machine.

To clean the inside of the machine, you should make  a mixture of 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water and fill up the reservoir with the mixture.  Run this water/vinegar mixture through the coffee maker, let it get through completely, and then turn off the coffee maker and cool for 15 or so minutes.

To make sure all the vinegar is out, fill the water reservoir with clean warm water.  Run the water through the coffee maker, let it get through the drip process completely, turn off the coffee maker and cool for 15 minutes or so.  You should run clean water through the coffee maker one more time to be sure all the vinegar is out.

Ideally, you should be cleaning out the coffee maker every 2 or 3 months.  So, if you can't remember the last time you cleaned your drip coffee-maker, get to it this weekend for fresher more delicious coffee!

How much coffee do you drink in the morning, and how do you take it?

-Wishing you a wonderful Thursday!

Pumpkin Wednesday!

Good Morning!  Don't fight with the alarm clock and just turn on the light!

Grab some coffee, put on your work clothes and head out the door!

See you when you get back tonight!

-Happy Pumpkin Wednesday!

Spicing Up Your Go-To Protein

I don't think I have ever explained why I have a somewhat limited array of recipes on this blog.  If you read often, or if you know me pretty well, you would notice I only eat chicken, turkey, fish and shellfish.

It's sort of a long story, but when I was growing up my family had cows we raised on our farm and sent to the butcher.  It may seem cruel but after I got yelled at by the butcher's wife, I only started eating the meat from the cows we raised.  The butcher's wife told me that if I was going to eat beef, I was foolish not to eat the all natural and humanely raised cows from our farm.  So during high school I decided I would only eat beef if it came from our cows.  And consequentially I stopped eating beef when I went away to college, because after not eating beef for so long, my body would reject it in a very painful way.

So, for nearly 8 years, I have been mostly beef free.  I'm not against eating beef, but at this point it would be tough to try to bring it back into my diet.

The point of this story is that I eat a lot of chicken (and by default so does Tim).

Pic courtesy of Freefoto.com

The positive factors about chicken is that it is relatively inexpensive, works into recipes well, and is one of the healthier proteins.  The downside of chicken is that eating it can become repetitive and it can easily become overcooked.

Chicken settles well into many recipes, but I struggle if I am trying to quickly make a boneless skinless chicken breast taste delicious on its own.  I like to marinate them overnight, but when I forget I turn to spices.  A spice rub is a great way to infuse flavor into your chicken (or meats of any kind) when you don't have the time to marinate.

Here's my recreation of a spice rub from Allrecipes.com.

1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic power
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (****this makes the rub spicy!, if you are adverse to heat try starting with a half a teaspoon and work your way up, remember you can always add more, but you can't take away****)
2 teaspoons black pepper

Makes enough for 2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts.  Mix the spices together.  Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry and apply to the chicken.  Cook the chicken in a pan with cooking spray/oil/butter, or toss on your stove top griddle or George Foreman.  You can also bake them in the oven.  Once the weather is nice, or if you grill despite cold weather conditions, head out and and cook your spice rubbed chicken on the grill.

What's your secret for making a boneless skinless chicken breast tasty?

-Tomorrow is Pumpkin Wednesday!

Miscellaneous Monday

The weather is about to get ugly again.  Yet another snow/freezing rain/sleet storm is headed through the midwest to the east coast, so slow down and be careful when you are commuting this week!

• In case you didn't know, it's cold and apparently very icy in Cleveland.  Check out WEWS Channel 5's website to see pictures of the amazing ice sculptures Lake Erie created.

• With all the cold weather, I need more caffeine/coffee to make it through the gray days.  If you're like many people who are trying to keep a New Year's resolution to stay fit, some of the drinks at the coffeehouse can really derail your diet.  Meg at Life of Meg breaks down the calories and fat in several Starbucks drinks, and makes clear there are many low-fat, low-cal options to choose from.

Courtesy of Freefoto

• Tomorrow is trash day, and I need to make sure I check my freezer before the garbage goes out.  Why should I look in the freezer you ask?  Well, when I find something objectionable and smelly in the refrigerator during the week, I simply place the entire container in the freezer.  Freezing the nasty food keeps the stink from penetrating your trash can or room and makes it easy to get any gooey substance out of your reusable container.  It also allows you not to have to take the garbage out every time you throw away something smelly, which is especially nice during the winter.

• I hope you had some time today to read or hear something you didn't know about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  During Meet the Press this weekend they aired a clip from Dr. King's last appearance on Meet the Press in 1967.  I found his words inspiring and they reminded me how he was able to reach out to audiences in all settings.

-Wishing everyone a wonderful Tuesday

Sunday Funday

Since I know some of you have the day off tomorrow, consider spending some time in the kitchen and trying out Ellie Krieger's delicious recipe for healthy macaroni and cheese.  

My healthy cooking streak started when I joined Weight Watchers on Monday and after I borrowed a new cookbook from the public library.  Don't worry, I will never post a "healthy" recipe unless Tim gives it approval, so you will be able to trust opinion of a guy who is a meat eater.  So here is a mac n cheese recipe you can feel good about, not to mention you will have leftovers for the week!

Macaroni and Four Cheeses

Ingredients

Cooking Spray

1 16-ounce box elbow macaroni

2 10-ounce packages frozen pureed winter squash

2 cups lowfat milk

1 1/3 cups grated extra sharp cheddar (4 ounces)

2/3 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (2 ounces)

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Spray the 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Cook the macaroni by following the directions on the package.  Drain the macaroni and transfer to the prepared baking dish.

I thought about trying to find wheat pasta, but then I was worried about the texture with the squash

Combine the frozen squash and milk in a large saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until it is defrosted.  

Don't worry if this doesn't look appetizing yet

Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture is almost simmering, stirring occasionally. 

Looks deceptively like cheese, but it's squash and milk!

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the shredded cheddar, monterey jack, ricotta, salt, mustard and cayenne.  Pour this mixture over the macaroni in the baking dish and mix together.

Some of the cheese Tim shredded

Noodles and Cheese/Squash mixture

Combine breadcrumbs, olive oil and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl.  Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese.  Bake until the cheeses are bubbling around the edges, about 20 minutes, then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crispy and browned.

The finished product with crispy breadcrumbs

What did you cook this weekend?

-Happy MLK Monday!

Lazy Thursday

I've had a pretty long day and it's sad but it's 9:00 I am ready to go to bed.  But before I head to sleep, I wanted to share a recipe for a healthy "fried" rice I made for dinner tonight.  This recipe was very simple and quite satisfying, so next time you are looking for an easy throw together meal, consider making this Fried Rice from Ellie Krieger's cookbook, The Food You Crave.

The recipe is actually called "Fried Rice with Scallions, Edamame and Tofu" but I made some substitutions to work with the ingredients I had here, so I give you my version....  "Fried Rice with Scallions, Peas and Chicken"

Ingredients
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons canola oil
3 large cloves garlic, minced
4 scallions cut thinly, use green and white parts
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
4 cups leftover, or just cooked, brown rice
3/4 cup finely diced red pepper
3/4 cup frozen peas partially thawed
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 boneless skinless chicken breast cut into small pieces
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in small saute pan.  Place chicken in pan and cook until no longer pink.  You can season the chicken however you like, I ended up using quite a bit of ginger to flavor the chicken.  After chicken is cooked, set aside.

In a wok heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil until it is hot but not smoking.  Place scallions, ginger and garlic in pan and saute until fragrant.  Next add the rice, red peppers, peas and corn and stir/incorporate for about 5 minutes or until everything is heated through.  Make a hole in the middle of the rice and pour in the beaten eggs.  Let the eggs cook until they are almost cooked to the level of scrambled.  Then incorporate the egg throughout the mixture.  Add the chicken into the pan and incorporate it into the mixture.  Lastly, add the 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and stir until it evenly coats the mixture.

This is a dish best served hot!  I found the flavors very clean and the meal was extremely filling.  It is much healthier than my other fried rice recipe, and much of that is due to simply using brown instead of white rice.

Do you have any favorite dishes you have found a healthier version of?

-Tomorrow is Friday!

Pumpkin's Healthy Living Tips

This edition of Pumpkin Wednesday contains a few easy tips to help you keep your New Year's Resolutions of getting in shape, eating better, or just living a more healthy lifestyle.

Pumpkin is working on portion control

And even though we are "technically" out of the recession, it never hurts to give advice that is also easy on your pocketbook.

Before you read further, a quick disclaimer.  I am not a doctor/dietician/nurse, so please note this advice is merely my opinion and for your information.  It is not intended to substitute as medical advice, treatment or diagnosis.  Remember, if you are making major changes in your exercise levels or eating habits, it is always best to consult your physician and not just things on the internet :)


If you're trying to slim down, one simple habit to add to your routine is to drink more water.  According to the Mayo Clinic  there is no hard and fast rule as to how much water you should consume each day because each person's suggested intake is dependent on many factors.  I stick by the 8, 8 ounce glasses rule, roughly 64 ounces a day, and fill up a pitcher so I know how much I should drink during the day.  Drinking more water will help you avoid sugary drinks and has the added benefit of helping you stay alert during the work day.  Studies have shown even mild dehydration can make you lethargic.

One way to make up for your less-than-perfect diet is to take a multi-vitamin, especially if you lack a nice balance of fruit and vegetables.  If you are perusing the internet or watching TV you may see that multivitamins have gotten a bad rap because of a few studies by independent testing organizations.  Nonetheless, the staff at health.com, after speaking with nutritional experts concluded it is still OK and beneficial to take a multivitamin.  The health.com article also recommended staying away from vitamins labeled as problematic by some of these studies.  You can check out the MSNBC piece about this vitamin issue here.  Again, I encourage you to check with your doctor before taking any multivitamin and always make sure you alert your doctor to all medications you are taking before starting a multivitamin regimen.

Take the time to try a new healthy cookbook.  Head to your local public library, and if you aren't already a member, get a library card!  The public library in my town has a HUGE selection of cookbooks.  In fact, I recently borrowed Ellie Krieger's, The Food You Crave, and already made Tim the Peanut Butter Split Smoothie for breakfast.

So many great recipes I can't wait to make

The great thing about borrowing cookbooks is that you have a chance to try out the recipes before you invest in adding a cookbook to your library.  Plus you will be able to find what style of cooking works best for your current dietary needs and tailor your purchases accordingly.

The best way to stay fit and just plain feel good is to exercise!  It's especially difficult to get motivated in the winter when everything is covered in snow, and really takes away the easy options of outdoor running or walking.  But fret not my friends.  Even if you can't afford the monthly gym membership there are still inexpensive ways to work out at home.  There are tons of exercise DVD's available, again check your local library so you can try before you buy, and check out websites like half.com for lots of DVD's under $10.  Plus, you can get a great workout without heavy duty equipment or heavy duty weights.  Simply investing in a set of small dumbells, a stability ball, yoga mat and some exercise bands will allow you to sweat it out in the comfort of your living room.

Lastly, pack a healthy snack in your work/travel/sports bag.  There is nothing worse than being stuck somewhere at a meal time and being so hungry you give in to whatever fast food is nearby.  Get some good granola bars, granola mix, or nuts like almonds and keep them handy to stave off the hunger.  Bonus, you won't be spending money on fast-food or that lemon poppyseed bread at Starbucks....


-What are your quick/easy/inexpensive tips for staying healthy?

-Hope you have a wonderful Thursday!

Pumpkin Wednesday!

Congratulations, you are half way to the weekend!  I'm sure you wanted to sleep in, especially because it snowed in 49 states yesterday (everywhere except Florida).

Pumpkin didn't really feel like getting up this morning either

But come on, don't just lay there like a dead fish

Or lay with a fish

Get a move on, get to work and hurry home tonight to read about out some easy tips for staying fit this new year!


-Happy Pumpkin Wednesday!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

Today I finished writing my Christmas thank you notes.  It's a little bit late, but they will all be in the mailbox tomorrow, and it really is never too late to show your appreciation for a gift.

On this topic of thank you notes, since I can remember my mom made me, my brother and my sister sit down right after Christmas and write notes to everyone we received gifts from.  When I was younger this was a daunting process.  During elementary school writing in cursive took me more time than I'd like to admit.  Even as I grew up, knowing what to write was sometimes a challenge, and it wasn't like I was writing a term paper or anything.

Through all the notes I have written, I have developed a bit of a method to writing meaningful thank you notes.  My first piece of advice is definitely to hand write the note!  How often do you get junk and bills in the mail?  How often do you get handwritten notes or cards? My point exactly.  Handwriting, as opposed to typing, shows you care and took time out of your busy schedule to express your appreciation.  No excuses about how bad your writing is; print in block letters if you need to!

My thank you note usually has a few parts:
1) Greet the person who you received the gift from;
2) thank them for the specific gift, "I loved the black blazer";
3) tell them why you love the gift, or how you will use it/have used it, if you receive money tell them something you might spend it on or purchase;
5) tell the person you love them, or your miss them and can't wait to see them again and finally;
6) sign your name with love!

In the Cleveland Plain Dealer this weekend, columnist Regina Brett also highlighted that thank you notes are worth the effort and pretty easy to do.  I loved this article so much I cut it out of the paper!  She writes that saying thanks is "much easier than saying I'm sorry."  Her formula for writing a thank you note is pretty close to mine, and she definitely recommends keeping it simple.

Quick disclaimer, thank you notes are not only for Christmas, so get into the habit of writing and sending a thank you note after every gift!

Do you write thank you notes?  What do you do to make them special?

-Thanks to my mom and dad for always making me write thank you notes, and looking forward to Pumpkin Wednesday!

The Long Holiday Hangover/Miscellaneous Monday

Hello All!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and got to spend time with all their friends and family.  I know it's January 10th, and I am embarrassed to admit how long after the holidays it has taken me to get back into the swing of things, including blogging.  But not to fear, I'm back and ready to write.

I have been procrastinating, a lot (obviously).  Today on Miscellaneous Monday I'm sharing how I procrastinate, as well as some tips to avoid procrastination and get things done!

• Besides reading the news and a few fun blogs, I procrastinate by visiting Sporcle.com: mentally stimulating diversions.  I'm sure most of you have heard of this addicting quick, quiz game website that tests users knowledge on a plethora of subjects.  But if you haven't taken one of their addicting quizzes, check it out.  Regardless of which subject you have the most trivia knowledge, sporcle has designed a timed quiz for you to take.  My personal favorite is naming Forbes top 100 most powerful celebrities, or the top 100 girls baby names for the 1990s.  

• My time procrastinating would probably be better spent sending e-mails to my friends.  In her list of ways to procrastinate, this blogger suggests using your time to reconnect with friends who you haven't kept up with as much as you would have liked.  Make a list in your e-mail program (I love the task feature on Gmail) and use any extra time to drop a quick e-mail to a friend.  

• I also like to take a look at the New York Times bestseller list.  I usually google the books, read some reviews and travel from book to author to another author until I find something I might be interested in checking out at my public library.

• Lastly, If I am at home and really desperate to avoid a bad chore, I will always do laundry.  It is one chore I don't mind doing and can be somewhat theraputic.  What is the one household chore you don't mind?

If you are interested in learning how to control your urge to put things off, follow these tips emphasized in multiple blogs/articles/books and compiled here.  

• Don't add tasks to your to-do list that don't have to be done immediately.  I like this advice because when my to-do list is too long I get overwhelmed and tend to shy away from the tasks.  If I have a five item list, I am much more likely to complete all of those things.
• Check your e-mail only when you have time to answer them.  It seems in this age of technology we want to be available all the time, but what good is reading an e-mail if you aren't able to respond? 
• Probably the most obvious, but most important is to just get started on the task.  Once you get started you get a little momentum and an intolerable task doesn't seem so terrible anymore.  So I bet you should hop off the internet and finish whatever you have to be doing!

How do you procrastinate, and better yet, what are your tips for getting things done?

-Best wishes for keeping your new year's resolutions on track!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you all had a nice day watching football and spending time with family and friends.

One of our family traditions is to eat black eyed peas on New Year's Day.  I am not totally sure where the tradition started, but my dad, who is from Texas, claims it is a Southern Tradition.  This article states the tradition dates back to the time of the Civil War and a few good spoonfuls are thought to bring luck and prosperity for the whole year.

So today I share with you my dad's easy recipe for New Year's Black Eyed Peas.

Buy a bag of dried peas.  Soak the beans in water and 7-Up (or any lemon-lime soda) overnight.  Put the peas in the liquid on the stove and add some bacon.  I'm sure you could also add onions, but my dad hates onion, hence our use of just bacon.

Season with salt and pepper and bring the beans to a boil.  Cook for about an hour and then reduce the heat.  There isn't an exact science, but cook the beans until they are soft, but not falling apart.

Eat up for Good Luck!

The more you eat, the more luck you will have, so I recommend eating at least a spoonful!

What are your family traditions for celebrating the New Year?

-Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!