Blog Addiction

I spend a lot of time checking out blogs of interest and looking for new content. It is almost as if I think these people are my friends and I need to see what they have been up to. Sad, I know.

Here is the crazy thing - I check blogs almost everyday, yet I do not blog everyday. I guess I cannot expect new content if I do not take the time and update my blog. Time to be serious about blogging, or at least come up with some new content on a regular basis.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming...

The Power of Positive Thinking

I have a lot of self doubt and wonder how or if I will ever get to a goal. Yet today I came across a really good post that I want to share. I really need to reread through this post and try to get myself to think about things in a positive light.

Here is the link. http://www.xanga.com/garyfong1/551002798/item.html

Check it out. I should really put Gary under the photography blogs or perhaps just a good blog to check out as I love reading it. I also should learn a bit more about HTML code.

Any good sites to recommend to learn about HTML and have a cool blog? If so, leave a comment.

Sudoku

Yes, I am addicted to Sudoku. However, recently I find myself playing http://www.websudoku.com/ every day. Instead of testing my skills at higher levels, I want to beat the clock on the easiest level. Crazy, isn't it?

Of course I am here to brag that I finally completed an easy puzzle in 4 minutes, 51 seconds, placing me in the top 33%. Exciting! Then again perhaps I am missing the entire point of Sudoku, to enjoy puzzle solving.

Why not give it a whirl and post your fastest time for the easy puzzle here.

Tomato and Sausage Risotto

Serves 4; Prep time: 10 minutes; Total time: 55 minutes



1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 small onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bunch flat-leaf spinach (10 to 14 ounces), washed well, tough stems removed, chopped (about 7 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
2 tablespoons butter

1. In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute.

4. Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total (you may not have to use all the liquid).

5. Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools), and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.

Per serving: 411 cal; 19.4 g fat (8.6 g sat fat); 23 g protein; 33.5 g carb; 2.1 g fiber
from Marth Stewart Everyday Food

So very yummy and worth the time to make.

Words of Encouragement

We all need them from time to time. I thought this would be a great place to put down some of my favorite quotes and motivational words that I find. This post was sparked by the following I received today.

The road to success is not straight.
There is a curve called Failure,
a loop called Confusion,
speed bumps called Friends,
red lights called Enemies,
and caution lights called Family.
You will have flats called Jobs.
But, if you have a spare called Determination,
an engine called Perseverance,
insurance called Faith,
and a driver called Hope ,
you will make it to a place called Success.

Exercise and the Morning

Well, I said I would exercise before hopping on the internet today, but here I am updating my blog. Ok. I shall head to the gym once I get this little post up. My motivation for going to the gym is so small. Perhaps it is time for new workout shoes as my feet have been bothering me. I am too young to have feet problems, but I seem to have them.

Today's To Do List is long, so I best wrap it up and head on out.

Plan for the gym - treadmill and some weights.

Glazed Chocolate-Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Yield: 16 servings
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 1/2 hours (including cooling time)
Ease of preparation: Easy
You don't have to have pumpkin pie to still enjoy pumpkin and spice in a Thanksgiving dessert. This tender, moist cake uses pureed pumpkin to replace much of the fat and is delicately seasoned with classic Thanksgiving flavors.

Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 15-ounce can unsweetened pumpkin puree
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature (see Tip)
1 large egg white, at room temperature
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Glaze & Garnish
1/2 cup packed confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon nonfat buttermilk
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips or toasted chopped nuts

1. To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.

2. Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a medium bowl.

3. Blend 1 cup buttermilk, pumpkin puree and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed. Beat in whole egg and egg white. Stir in oil, corn syrup and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

4. Bake the cake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on the rack, about 2 hours.

5. To glaze & garnish cake: Combine confectioners' sugar and 1 tablespoon buttermilk in a small bowl, stirring until completely smooth. Place the cake on a serving plate and drizzle the glaze over the top; garnish with chocolate chips (or chopped nuts) while the glaze is still moist.

Per serving: 234 calories; 5 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 46 g carbohydrate; 4 g protein; 3 g fiber; 238 mg sodium; 159 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (80% daily value).

Source: Eating Well

Notes: Instead of regular flour I used only whole wheat pastry flour. Very good cake, even without the glaze.

Spiced Zucchini Bars with Raisins (Adapted from One Smart Cookie)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter -- softened
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour -- (or regular flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed grated zucchini
1/2 cup raisins, white -- or dried cranberries


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar until creamy. Mix in egg and vanilla - beat until smooth.

In a small bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.

Add the flour mixture along with the grated zucchini into the butter mixture. Stir just until combined and then gently fold in the dried canberries and pecans .

Scoop batter into an 8x8" baking dish lightly coated with nonstick spray. Bake until the top springs back when lightly touched near the center, about 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

Note: whole wheat pastry flour can be found at the grocery store with a little looking.

A kick in the pants

I have several blogs that I like to check out (soon I hope to put up links oncee I figure it out!) and today I found one that created a spark in me. Perhaps if I blog about workouts, healthy eating and my personal goals I just might make the leap to being addicted to the workouts. I really do need to loose weight, more than I care to announce at this time, so I shall post and head to the gym. Hello treadmill!

Motivation

Where does it come from? I really need to find some motivation for myself as it really is lacking. Perhaps a quick search of motivational quotes will help me out.

Alright here is the quote of the day from Motivationalquotes.com

The good things of prosperity are to be wished; but the good things that belong to adversity are to be admired.

Seneca

Not sure if that does it for me, but I really should get to the To Do list. More to follow soon.

Organization - always a work in progress

So I read a lot on the Cooking Light Community Bullentin Board . I love reading new recipes and getting feedback from others about recipes they tried and liked. Lately some of my favorite recipes have come from the Great Food Board.

Yesterday I made a post about things I have made in the past to give for the Holidays. Of course I cannot find the recipe in my recipe stacks. Argh! I will have to go searching more this weekend as I have other things I need to be doing right now. Not to mention I really do collect recipes. Not that I try them all, but I collect a lot of recipes. Perhaps now is the time to toss some of the older magazines that I have not even looked at. I would never miss them, right?

Who doesn't love seeing an air show?

I must confess that my first airshow was this past weekend, but the Blue Angels were the best for a first air show.


The formations and the tricks were amazing! Flying so close and doing the slow gentle rolls across the bay was amazing. I am almost ready to sign up for the Navy if I could fly planes and look so smooth as the Blue Angels were at Fleet Week in San Francisco this past weekend. If only I had better photos. Yes, I took lots (hundreds) but that is the beauty of digital.

Pork Medallions with Red Peppers and Artichokes

It was time to try something new for dinner and to my amazement I flipped shortly through my Cooking Light Recipe 2004 Book and found something that sounded tasty and was under the super fast meals - not a bad combination when you are hoping to get dinner on the table quickly.

2 teaspoons olive oil
Cooking spray
8 (2-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 cups red bell pepper strips
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the pork with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add pork, and cook 1 minute on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan. Add bell pepper to pan; sauté 2 minutes.
Combine the broth, tomato paste, thyme, and sage, stirring with a whisk.

Return pork to pan, and add broth mixture and artichoke hearts. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove pork from pan, and keep warm. Increase heat to medium-high; cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Spoon the artichoke mixture over the pork.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 pork chops and 1 cup artichoke mixture)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 245(22% from fat); FAT 6.3g (sat 1.7g,mono 3.4g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 29.8g; CHOLESTEROL 74mg; CALCIUM 22mg; SODIUM 782mg; FIBER 5.7g; IRON 2.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 17.4g

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2003

Notes: Unfortunately the red pepper purchased for this recipe was used for something else earlier in the week. Despite missing a key ingredient, I really liked this meal and it will be part of the Favorites Cookbook.

Yummy!

Tip for the Day: For any spider bite, be sure your tetanus immunization is current.

I was bitten by a spider a few weeks ago. Actually it was more like a feast since I have about 10 bites within a 1/2 inch diameter. Unfortunately, I have been having some itchiness with the bites recently that make me think I should see a doctor. Or perhaps I need to try some hydrocortisone ointment twice a day.

Perhaps if I had a doctor I like, I would have been in to see a doctor sooner. Instead the battles of overpayment to the doctor I saw last March constantly remind me of what a creep he was. Time to search the website and look for someone new.

Another day, another chance to post on the blog...

No, I really should be looking for a job and actually sending out resumes when I find something interestings. I should sign up for the Project Management class I have had my eye on before I change my mind. One minute you think you will never get a job then I know one day I will get the phone call and things will just snowball from there.

What have I done today?
Cleaned up the Roomba and talked to Tech Support. I hope I get it working soon.

I love my Roomba - that is why the picture is first in the post. (Not really - I just need to figure out the blog stuff, that is all)

My to do list for the day is short, so I shall get working on something else.

Carpe Diem!

Silly, silly Blogspot!

Well, I went to check my spelling and lost my entry. Ugh!

You would think that I would have learned after countless super important emails were eaten up by online glitches. No!

Well, I have some work to do and since no one reads this yet, I will sign out and send out few resumes.

Ciao!

Quote to Motivate:

Stuggle is part of life, and once we accept that, it becomes a little easier.

Ok, only a few short hours of procrastinating and I finally called a recruiter, then promptly called my mom and then broke out in tears.

Looking for a job will be hard work. Looking for a job in a city I barely know - even harder!

Ok, back to the grindstone!

Hello World!

Finally jumping into the blogosphere and creating my own little blog. Granted it took much longer to come up with a name that had not already been used, but such is life when you jump on the bandwagon late. This will be a place to muse about life and perhaps share little tidbits I learn along the way. If anything it will keep me honest about my life, my hopes and dreams.


So much to do, so little time. Off to start the job hunting process.

Yes, I am currently unemployed (have been for a long time) and time to face my fears and actively look for a job.

Wish me luck!