Snow Cherries from France

Good Old Comfort Food

2008-09-23T15:00:00.002-04:00

With the evenings being cooler now, it's a good time to start making some comfort food! I used to not like meatloaf, but then I realized I don't like my mom's meatloaf, or lots of other people's meatloaf either... but here is my recipe. It's very similar to meatballs, so maybe that's why I like it.

Meatloaf

2 lbs lean ground beef
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients well and shape into an oval. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for about an hour and a half. Viola!

Ok, so quite often I cut this recipe in half because a giant loaf of meat is just too much for C. and I. Also, if you make a smaller loaf, it only takes about 45-hour to bake.

ps -- after I made this, I realized that we had no potatoes in the house and only enough of the instant kind to make 2 VERY small servings. Oh, and yes, we did have a salad with this, so veggies were not completely missing!

Strawberry and Spinach Salad

2008-09-12T10:35:00.003-04:00

This is actually my friend Lugene's recipe, but I'm stealing it from her and posting it here! This is by far my favorite salad and it's great for a summer picnic, but easy enough to make on any given day.

Strawberry and Spinach Salad

1/2 lb. baby spinach

1 pt. fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

2 oz. slivered almonds, toasted

Dressing:

1/2 c. sugar

2 T. sesame seed

1 T. poppy seed

1 1/2 t. minced onion

1/4 t. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 t. paprika

1/2 c. cider vinegar

1/2 c. oil

Basically, you dump the spinach, strawberries and almonds into a large bowl and toss it around. Then make the dressing and pour that on top... Easy-Peasy!

Here are my tips:
1. I buy the bagged spinach.
2. I never bother to toast the almonds -- maybe it would be better that way, but sometimes I'm lazy.
3. The dressing -- I've used Splenda, but the real sugar is better!
4. The dressing -- I've made this salad many times and I never remember to buy the sesame seeds, so I usually make it without, and it's still really good.
5. I like to make the dressing in a jar with a lid, so that you can just add everything and shake it.
6. This recipe makes a LARGE salad to take to a gathering. I like to make the dressing in the aforementioned jar and then just use a little bit of it on individual salads. C and I would never be able to eat the entire salad before it got all soggy from the dressing.
7. The dressing is good on other salads too!
8. This salad is also good with some cooked chicken sliced on top!

Thanks Lugene!

(I bought these cute bowls at Target on clearance last year!)

Spicy Peanut Chicken over Rice

2008-08-27T11:46:00.005-04:00

Last year, around this time actually, I promised myself that I would start trying some new recipes -- I even ordered some new cooking magazines. The whim lasted for a few weeks, and then I became pregnant and my meals mainly consisted of saltines, with a side of saltines, and maybe some saltines for dessert. Oh, and a Luna bar thrown in for good measure! (Seriously, for a few months, that's all I could keep down!)

Anyway, those magazines are all stacked in my kitchen and lately I've been flipping through them and getting the urge to really start cooking again. Now is the perfect time. I'm used to having a baby in the house, I am back to work, and things are generally falling into a routine -- and I mean that in a good way!

So, here is my first cooking post in over a year. I made this a few days ago and it was a hit with both C. and I. I've added it to my recipe box and I will be making it again.

Me being me, I couldn't just leave the recipe as is -- I tweaked it!
1. The recipe makes TWELVE servings. That's way too many servings, so I cut it in half.
2. I don't own a Dutch Oven, so I used a large skillet with a lid. I affectionately refer to this skillet as my "Hamburger Helper Pan".
3. I didn't have peanut oil, so I used canola oil -- seemed to work just fine.
4. We don't really eat tomatoes, so I just used 1/2 a can of tomato paste and left out the tomatoes.
5. I didn't have any brown rice, so I just used the cheap instant white rice.
6. The grocery stores in my little town didn't have any "Greek-style" yogurt, so we went without. I can see that this would be a good addition to the recipe though, so next time I will go to the 'city' and get some. Or maybe some sour cream would work too.

Spicy Peanut Chicken over Rice
-- Cooking Light, August 2008, page 138.

1 T. peanut oil
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
1 1/2 T minced garlic
2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1 1/2 t curry powder
1 t salt
1 t crushed red pepper
1/2 t black pepper
1 6-oz can tomato paste
3 cups chopped plum tomato (about 6 tomatoes)
2 (14 oz) cans fat-free, reduced sodium, chicken broth
8 cups hot cooked brown rice
3/4 cup 2% Greek-style yogurt (such as Fage)

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add onion and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.
Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring frequently.
Stir in peanut butter and next 5 ingredients (through tomato paste); cook 1 minute.
Add tomato and broth to pan; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
Serve chicken mixture over rice; top each serving with yogurt.
Yields 12 servings. (serving size is 3/4 cup chicken mixture, 2/3 cup rice, and 1 T yogurt.)
(Calories 340, Fat 7.6 grams, Fiber 4.6 grams)

The chicken came out really yummy with just enough spice. It's a good dinner if you are looking for something different. I already had most of the ingredients, so that always makes a recipe a keeper in my book. I hate recipes where I need to buy all this crap that I will only ever use for that specific recipe.

Enjoy!

This is how I measure 1/2 of a 1/3 cup of peanut butter:

He can almost fit his entire fist in his mouth!

2008-08-25T13:23:00.001-04:00

He can almost fit his entire fist in his mouth!, originally uploaded by iamlisa2.

And now another picture...

Still at my workshop... still practicing how to upload an image...

2008-08-25T13:08:00.003-04:00

New Photos / New Flickr Account

2008-08-25T10:39:00.007-04:00

So, I'm still at this workshop, and we are now learning how to add images -- so here's my image:

I also wanted to mention that I have condensed my online family photos to a manageable amount and appropriate to pass onto family and friends -- here is the new address: Erickson Family Photos **please note that my original flickr account still exists and will still contain ALL of my photos.

Back to basics...

2008-08-25T10:31:00.003-04:00

So, I've taken a year hiatus from this blog... I don't really have much of an excuse for this absence, but a bit has changed in my life. I'm now the proud mother of a beautiful baby boy, I have a new job -- life is good!

It seems that so many of my friends are starting blogs too, so I'm going to attempt to re-start this blog. Bare with me, it might be a bumpy ride...

Right now I am sitting in a library workshop that is teaching me how to create a blog for my library -- so here I am, writing this blog. However, I've been thinking about restarting for awhile now and I have a new recipe ready to post once I get home -- it's a good one too!

Why didn't anyone ask me?

2007-07-24T23:32:00.000-04:00

Check out this new library service -- I think it would be quite popular!

Sex Advice from Librarians

I would never recommend having sex in the cookbook section -- at least not in a public library -- well, unless you WANT to be caught with your pants down...

(Thanks Ed for sending me this link!)

Highlights from the last week

2007-07-05T11:45:00.001-04:00

Last week at this time I had my butt parked in front of a slot machine in Atlantic City. Oh, what a difference a week can make!

So last Friday I popped my ALA cherry, so to speak. It was my first ever trip the American Library Association's huge national conference. I was a newbie -- but I refused to attach the little sticker to my name badge. I would rather fend for myself than admit to not knowing what was happening. The last I heard, approximately 25,000 librarians invaded Washington DC. And let's just say that Stacy and Clinton would have had a lot to say about some of the fashions I witnessed there. Oh, and there was some strange librarian-initiated protest going on outside the convention center. They appeared to be protesting Madeleine Albright, though she was a speaker at LAST YEAR's conference. Julie Andrews was a speaker this year -- so maybe they were just trying to stir up some drama about that... who knows... The conference itself was only slightly better than ok. At least I had good company with me and a nice hotel to sleep in. Oh, and we had some excellent Mexican food, and brought the waiters home for some added entertainment. Maybe I should re-phrase that -- "I" didn't bring the waiters home -- some others invited them back to the apartment. Anyway you look at it, the evenings were much more entertaining than the time spent in libraryland.

I almost forgot -- here's the Book Cart Drill Teams Championships!

So, after 3 fun-filled days at ALA, we piled into the Echo and headed for the beach. Rehoboth Beach to be exact. Our hotel was what you would expect from an $80 a night 1-star beach hotel. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either. As all good hotel-stayers, we checked the sheets first thing. On the comforter was a ball of the nastiest hair I've ever seen! It didn't even look human! We decided it was from a drag queen's wig -- we were in Rehoboth after all... So, after Raul, our chambermaid, changed the sheets, the room was bearable. But check out the tv:

Yes, I am addicted to the game show network and it's a good thing we don't have that on our cable at home because I would spend weekends in front of the tv and never leave the house!

The weather was nice, but the water was cold!

From Rehoboth we took the Lewes-Cape May Ferry to New Jersey. That was actually very relaxing...

And then we ventured on to Atlantic City and Trump Plaza where we were greeted with hoards of elderly people in orthopedic shoes playing the slots. Two members of our traveling crew chose not to participant in our morally-questionable gambling activities, but the hubby and I got down to business and played the penny slots! (Yes, I said penny slots -- the nickel ones are too rich for our blood!) In the end, we broke even and we had a fun time, but I certainly wouldn't venture too far off of the boardwalk...

All and all, it was a good and relaxing vacation -- what more could I ask for?

Wasting Time...

2007-06-21T16:13:00.000-04:00

So, I took off work today in order to pack and clean the house before I leave for a work conference and then to the beach. I was off to a good start and then about 2 hours ago I innocently decided to check my email. Did I mention that this was 2 hours ago?! So much for being ultra-productive on my day off!

Anyway, so I then I stumbled upon this video of a game show in Japan that resembles human Tetris. Seriously, this struck me as so funny that I found myself laughing out loud and even thinking about it now, it makes me chuckle. Who knows if this really warrants the kind of laughter that ensued, but I will pass it on for your consideration. Maybe my brain is already in vacation mode...

Dailymotion blogged video
Japanese-tetris
Video sent by xavierg

In the meantime, Chloe just stared at me like this:

And then proceeded to lay on the monitor like this:

I wonder what she will do when we finally upgrade to a flat screen monitor?

Ok, back to work!

ps... these picture were taken a few months ago, but this is a regular activity for Chloe. The really funny thing is that she only does this when I'm on the computer. I think she just wants my attention...

This is just getting out of hand...

2007-06-13T17:16:00.000-04:00

Occult Concerns Jinx Teen Read Program

“My understanding is that it was announced at a church service that we were promoting witchcraft and teaching other religions in our young adult program,” Keenan explained, saying that the library received one call stating they were “going to get us”...

Ranch Oven-Fried Chicken with Warm Corn Relish

2007-06-10T19:32:00.000-04:00

Returning to my quest to cook more and try new recipes, I made this ranch chicken recipe that I've been meaning to try. As always, I modified it a little. It was really easy and we both really liked it, so it's a keeper. It also has ingredients that I usually have on hand, which is always a bonus.

After watching Top Chef this afternoon, I realized that my plating skills are a little off. From the photo, you can tell that everything is kinda beige. Maybe it needs a little splash of color and/or some garnishes... or maybe a different serving dish. Oh, well, it still tasted good.

Ranch Oven-Fried Chicken with Warm Corn Relish
3/4 cup Bisquick (I used reduced fat Bisquick)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup reduced-fat ranch dressing, divided
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
2 cups frozen corn

1. Heat oven to 425. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. In a shallow dish, mix Bisquick mix and pepper. (I used a gallon zip Ziploc Bag, just like Shake N' Bake)
3. Into another shallow dish, pour 1/2 cup of the dressing. Coat chicken with dressing.
4. Then coat with Bisquick mixture, pressing so coating sticks to the chicken. (I tossed them in the Ziploc)Place in pan.
5. Drizzle with butter.
6. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut.
7. Meanwhile, cook corn as directed on bag; drain. Stir remaining 1/4 cup dressing into corn. Spoon warm corn relish onto serving plate. Arrange chicken on corn.
4 servings.

(Recipe modified from "Bisquick Weeknight Meals, October 2005, page 17.) It's one of those little books you buy at the grocery store check out.)

Crikey! It's been 3 weeks since my last post...

2007-06-07T16:44:00.000-04:00

So much for meeting my goal of 3 times per week!

I've been all nostalgic these past few weeks. It all started when my old college roomie and one of my bestest friends posted some pictures she scanned from back in our college days. (Hi, Jenn!) There were a few pictures from a New Year's Eve party in 1997 -- ten years ago! In one way that seems like a lifetime ago, while in other ways, it seems like just yesterday. Since then, Jenn and I have both gotten married, and others of us have moved far, far away. For the record, I'm happy with my life now, but sometimes I really miss those carefree days of drinking White Russians and eating pretzels off my chest.

Well, in one of the pictures was a good friend of ours who disappeared shortly after these pictures were taken. She just vanished and neither Jenn or I could locate her. The email address we had didn't work and I'd sort of lost hope on ever hearing from her again. Then along came MySpace! It's really a shame that MySpace has gotten such bad press recently (and many libraries now block the site entirely), because it really has some helpful applications. I'm happy to report I've found my old friend! It seems she had been looking for us too! Name changes are a b*tch.

Ok, so I promise to update this thing more often. I refuse to let it languish out in the ether. I refuse to be a quitter! I promise more bizarre Internet finds, more pictures of what I'm cooking for dinner, more posts about absolutely nothing, and most importantly, posts on my newest hobby (it seems I've become an avid bunny watcher!) Heck, I'm planning to upload some pictures from my camera tonight, so maybe you'll be blessed with some new Flopsy pictures -- cause that's what I do. Every evening around 7:00 PM, I look out my bathroom window for Flopsy and friends. What, you don't do that?

The Glorious Return of Mr. Flopsy Brown!

2007-05-15T07:54:00.000-04:00

So, you may remember this post, where I mentioned that my beloved bunny, Flopsy, had not been seen or heard from since last summer -- well, a few days ago, there was a Flopsy sighting and I was lucky enough to be able to witness it from the downstairs bathroom window that over looks our newly planted garden.

(Sorry for the graininess of this photo -- it was taken through the window screen.)

Oh, and I'm not the only one excited to see Flopsy -- Chloe was excited too!

(I know it's hard to see, but Flopsy is the tiny-ish brown spot in the yard.)

In my head I know that his may very well be a different bunny, but my heart insists that this is Flopsy himself. So, I'm following my heart on this one! My hubby may have worked very hard on the little garden, but I say to Flopsy, go ahead and have a nibble -- we planted it just for you! Welcome Home!

How the world sees us...

2007-05-09T12:28:00.000-04:00

"Libraries are places where you can lose your innocence without losing your virginity."
Germaine Greer on her favorite word: 'library,' Guardian Unlimited (U.K.), February 12.

The Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie of the Library World

2007-05-03T17:07:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I've been slacking on this blog. I was doing so well with keeping up with everything, but things have been super busy at work and home, so I haven't been playing on the Internet as much as normal. I also haven't been following the news or keeping up on pop culture, which is one of my very favorite things to do. I need to get back to my old self!

I stopped at the post office on my way home from work today to FINALLY mail the state reports I have been working on for the last month. It was such a relief to hand them over to the friendly postal worker. (That wasn't sarcasm -- she really is the friendliest postal worker I've ever met! I actually don't go to the post office in "the city" -- I usually stop at a small town on my way home from work that offers a parking lot, no lines and a smiling face.)

As the reports were finished this morning, I used my afternoon at work to catch up on some exciting professional journal reading. (Now that was sarcasm!) I read the following in no particular order: American Libraries (2 issues), Library Journal, Public Libraries, OCLC Newsletter, Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom (2 issues) and Library Administrator's Digest. See why this blog post was so long in coming? My life is just that exciting! They have been piling up on my desk over the last month and I just haven't been able to get to them... I still have a few more, but maybe I'll save those for next week!

The most interesting thing I learned from all of this reading is that according to Stephen Abram, 6 times more people have library cards than driver's licenses. 1.1 billion people visit public libraries yearly, which is 9 times the number of US attendees at major sporting events; and for every $1 invested in libraries, users receive $6.50 in return.

I've heard Mr. Abram speak at several conferences and I've always found him interesting and very much on the cutting edge of library technology and service. (Can cutting edge and library actually be used in the same sentence? ) However, this may be a generational opinion, because I've heard some of my senior colleagues quip that all of his 'innovation' is taking away from the original mission of public libraries. I don't see it that way at all... and after conducting a quick and dirty Google search, (Marian the Librarian is most likely rolling over in her grave over that!) most of the library bloggers seem to agree with me that Stephen is a library prophet to be followed. Stephen Abram and Nancy Pearl are the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie of the library world! Nancy Pearl even has her own action figure -- which I actually own! Maybe someday I will have my own action figure -- I only hope that I will be wearing something more fashionable than a frumpy navy blue business suit and sensible shoes. The action figure does nothing to help the librarian image -- and if I didn't have a sense of humor, I might actually find it offensive. It's quite a popular gift for librarians to receive though and even has a flickr group dedicated to it.
Here is my Nancy Pearl Librarian Action Figure, completed with my Librarians Against Bush pin. (The actual website seems to be gone now -- I wonder why?) By the way, I don't know if Nancy Pearl supports Bush, but not many librarians do!

Anyway, this has turned into quite the long and most likely boring post. I always knew I was a nerd, but I think this may have just confirmed it. Hallelujah, the weekend is coming and maybe I will take some time to catch up on the things that truly make me happy like vacation planning, really bad reality TV and eating baked Tostitos and salsa right out of the jar. Anyone care to join me?

I find these pants very disturbing...

2007-04-24T10:56:00.000-04:00

I found these here, while looking for summer pants online at Lane Bryant. Let's just say, they are NOT on my list of must haves. I never knew that mannequins were anatomically correct! I learn something new everyday... oh, and $39 bucks for a pair of cut-off sweatpants also seems a little excessive.

Perhaps I could pair it with this must-have top and lovely necklace:

After a long week, this is exactly the news I wanted to hear!

2007-04-20T09:15:00.000-04:00

Check this out: Alcohol may make fruit more fruitful

"A fruity cocktail may not only be fun to drink but may count as health food, U.S. and Thai researchers said on Thursday. Adding ethanol — the type of alcohol found in rum, vodka, tequila and other spirits —boosted the antioxidant nutrients in strawberries and blackberries, the researchers found. Any colored fruit might be made even more healthful with the addition of a splash of alcohol, they report in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture."

So, based on this info, I might just go home and make myself a Strawberry Daiquiri. My big plans for the night were to do some laundry and catch up on my reality tv schedule that Tivo has so kindly saved for me. How does that sound for a Friday night? I little rum might just make this all the more interesting.

In Memory of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. 1922-2007

2007-04-15T21:08:00.000-04:00

A few days ago this world lost a great author, satirist, humorist and humanist. Kurt Vonnegut always made me think and laugh -- a good combination in my mind. I won't write much here, as I know I could never do him justice. So, with that, I am copying the words from Jon Stewart's Daily Show tribute, because I couldn't say it any better:

"But more importantly those of you who are out in the world may have noticed it feels a little grayer today and let's say a little less interesting -- Because last night the world got less interesting. "

With a tear in my eye -- So it goes, Mr. Vonnegut, So it goes... RIP

One of my favorite Vonnegut quotes:

"And on the subject of burning books: I want to congratulate librarians, not famous for their physical strength or their powerful political connections or their great wealth, who, all over this country, have staunchly resisted anti-democratic bullies who have tried to remove certain books from their shelves, and have refused to reveal to thought police the names of persons who have checked out those titles.

So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries."

~Kurt Vonnegut in "I Love you Madame Librarian" http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/903/

I have Egg-streme issues!

2007-04-13T10:36:00.000-04:00

My true friends know that there is one food that makes me want to gag – and that food is cooked eggs. A raw egg in cookie dough or for breading chicken doesn’t bother me too much – though I can’t eat French toast because sometimes a little bit of cooked egg clings to the sides of the bread! It’s only eggs that have been cooked – and it doesn’t matter if they have been boiled, over-easy, scrambled or fried. No omelets, no quiche, no egg custard… Just the idea makes me feel sick. In fact, much to everyone’s surprise, if I was forced to consume an egg, I would rather eat a raw egg than a cooked one. Yes, I have issues. And yes, I am aware of these issues. My hatred for eggs goes so far as that I don’t even want my hubby to cook eggs in the house. He can only cook them when I’m not home and he must clean up everything and not tell my which pan he used. I wouldn’t want to taint any of my cooking pans or utensils with ghastly egg particles. Yuck! (My stomach is turning just thinking about it!)

So, to everyone’s surprise I showed up to Easter dinner with these:

Now, don’t be alarmed dear reader, they are in fact made of white chocolate and Rice Krispies. Even though I KNOW what they are made of, I still was unable to bring myself to try one. I hear they were tasty – though can I really trust these people who would actually eat an egg?

Now for a real treat, I also made this sweet little guy:

Hippity, Hoppity, Easter's on its way!

2007-04-07T13:10:00.000-04:00

In honor of Easter weekend -- here's a picture of Flopsy -- the bunny that lives in my yard. I actually haven't seen him since the summer, but I'd like to think that he is just hibernating for the winter and should be hopping around my backyard any day now preparing to eat whatever is planted in the garden. In the meantime, dye some Easter Eggs the mess-free way. Enjoy!

What you gonna do with all that junk? All that junk inside your trunk?

2007-04-04T19:50:00.000-04:00

I can't decide if this is insanely funny or just horribly wrong.

Dailymotion blogged video
Alanis Morisette My Humps
Video sent by axepourhomme

This one is for Nathan!

2007-03-30T20:55:00.001-04:00

Dailymotion blogged video
Cats: It's oh so quiet
Video sent by chiaraf

Yum!

2007-03-27T18:47:00.000-04:00

Next time I'm in Pittsburgh, I'm going here for sure:

Dozen Cupcakes Pittsburgh!

I've never noticed it before, but according to the website, it's located on Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill. It only opened last year, so I guess that's why I didn't know about it. When I lived in the in the 'burgh, Squirrel Hill was one of my favorite places to go. Lots of cute little shops, a crazy Giant Eagle, Rita's Italian Ice and a really great shoe store called "Littles" -- now the gourmet cupcakes! What more could a girl ask for?

Anyone care to join me?

All Librarians Lead a Secret Life

2007-03-25T13:10:00.000-04:00

Try this on: Librarian Dress-Up