My NEW Favorite Recipe

My earlier declaration hasn't changed: I STILL don't cook.

But I do eat, and that means finding (healthy) things that are tasty, easy and require little or no kitchen skills. When I find one I like, I feel compelled to post it here. No special reason...

So here is my newest creation...it's a recipe I "stole" from a Weight Watcher's cookbook, then modified to make it my own. Todd and I both love it--that seals its fate as a "keeper" in our kitchen.


Fast, Easy and Delicious
SASSY STUFFED PEPPERS
(adapted from "Sassy Meatloaf" in WW Quick & Easy)

1 lb. ground turkey breast (healthier than ground turkey)
1 c. carrots pulverized in the CuisinArt
1 c. mushrooms pulverized
1 c. medium salsa
1 c. oatmeal (I found some high fiber stuff at Trader Joe's)

Combine all ingredients, divide and stuff into cleaned-out peppers. I buy a three pack of red-orange-yellow peppers. This recipe makes enough to stuff six peppers.

Now...here's the best part. Put each pepper in its own zipper storage bag and freeze.

Come home from a long day of work and pop a couple out of the freezer. Bake at 350 for about an hour.

Serve with brown rice and add more salsa as a condiment. Yummy and easy!!



Jerry Seinfeld's wife made a fortune writing a cookbook about "hiding" vegetables and other healthy stuff in food so your kids will eat it. Todd may not be completely on to the fact that I'm sneaking these veggies into his dinner. Let's try to keep it that way!


Bon Apetit!

Easter Dresses (with sleeves)

Why couldn't we swap this weekend's weather with our Easter weather two weeks ago? It would have been nice for all those little girls to don their finery sans turtlenecks and leggings underneath. It was probably about 40 degrees in Syracuse on Easter, but that didn't stop Olivia and Ava from looking cute as buttons in their spring togs.

Spring PSA for Owners of Dogs that Swim

This is a friendly reminder (warning) for those of you with dogs who love to swim.

I created this file <------- three years ago after a horrific swimming incident that happened at Lake Mohegan in Fairfield.

We take Hogan for a walk every weekend morning and it usually involves a dip in the lake or further upstream in the Cascades. Our typical M.O. was a quick towel dry and then to let him "air dry" in the backyard after we got home.

To make a long story real short...after one particular weekend of swimming (it was spring and there had been a huge rainstorm and subsequent run-off), he developed a severe rash under his ears and around his neck and collar area. These "hot spots" spread very rapidly if undetected, and because of all that fur, we had no idea what was happening underneath. I noticed a lot of seeping (wet fur) that smelled really, really bad. So off we went to the vet.

As a result of the infection, the vet had to remove the fur from all of the infected areas. The result was what you see above -- a hairless, naked rat! Poor fella! Thanks to oral and topical meds, he healed quickly, but it took several months for his hair to grow back.

It turns out the whole thing could have been prevented, and that's why I'm posting this reminder. Our vet told us to simply rinse Hogan with the hose and towel dry him every time he swims. Bathing too frequently isn't good either. I suppose the rinsing would have been a simple and good practice to follow all along, just something we --and the poor ol' pooch-- had to learn the hard way.

So don't let this happen to you (or your dog, for that matter)! Rinse your dog every time after swimming! Then let him air dry in the yard!