Tuna and Rice Quiche

This recipe is something that has become a good mainstay. It's a nice, light meal, it can be done in the microwave, and it is so simple and easy! I think it tastes really good, too. I'm sure it's a great dish for pregnant ladies, since the broccoli provides folic acid, and the tuna and eggs provides good protein.

Tuna and Rice Quiche

1 10-oz package of frozen broccoli, or 2 c. steamed chopped broccoli
1 1/2 c. cooked brown rice
1/2 c. finely shredded cheese
3 eggs
1/3 c. skim milk
1/4 t. salt
1 can tuna, drained

Cook broccoli according to directions. Drain well.  Combine rice, half the cheese and 1 egg, then press into a 9-inch pie pan. Layer broccoli and tuna over rice mixture. Combine the last 2 eggs, the milk and the salt. Pour over broccoli and tuna. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Or cover with a paper towel and cook in the microwave at 70% power for 14-16 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Natural births

I read this article this morning on parents.com called One Mom Chooses an Unmedicated Birth. I'd heard about the Bradley method, and even talked to another pregnant friend last night about studying about it together. But this is the first time I've heard it described and contrasted with the Lamaze method. I like the sound of the Bradley method.

The article also tells about this woman's experience going through labor and birth using the Bradley method. I like how she admits it wasn't easy, and it wasn't exactly how she expected. But it worked out for her and she wants to try it again.

I am starting birthing class soon that is taught by Hollie Hauptley. I'm pretty excited about it! I think it will be a great experience.

Vegetable and Beef Fajitas

It's been a while since I've last posted. It's been a busy couple of weeks! My husband finally graduated, and we are setting our sights on grad school for him.

I've had some things that I wanted to post about ... my garden, recent news, etc. But everything is out-dated--except for my recipes!! So here is one that turned out to be really good. It comes from the Easy Stir-Fry Recipes cookbook that I got from my mom:

Vegetable and Beef Fajitas

1 lb top round steak (I used ground beef)
2 T. Italian salad dressing
1/4 c. salsa
1 T. cooking oil
2 c. frozen broccoli, beans and pepper, or broccoli, corn and peppers
8 8-in. flour tortillas

Mix salad dressing and salsa to make the sauce. Preheat skillet or wok. Add oil. Stir fry vegetables in hot oil for 3-4 minutes or till crisp tender. Remove from skillet. Brown the beef. Add the vegetables and the sauce. Heat through. Serve on the tortillas.

Makes: 4 servings

Over-reaching government

I read this post by Jeff Fowle, and I couldn't agree more.

What do you think about the mayor of New York City putting limits on the sizes of soda sold? Please feel free to leave your comments.

I'll Have Another and his trainer

Here is an interesting article that I wanted to blog about a while ago:
I'll Have Another Had History of Ailments

By now it's old news, but perhaps if you haven't seen it before, you'll find it interesting, too. The New York Times has focused on this issue a lot lately. It's too bad that trainers drug their horses up so much. Maybe if they didn't push them so hard, we'd actually have a Triple Crown winner.

Will Rogers' quotes

I got this e-mail with a whole bunch of quotes from Will Rogers today. They are so good! Here are my favorites:

Never slap a man who's chewing  tobacco.

Never miss a good chance to shut  up.

The quickest way to double your  money is to fold it
and put it back into your  pocket.

After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion  felt so good he started  roaring.  He  kept it up until a hunter came along and shot  him.
The  moral:  When you're full of bull, keep your mouth  shut. 

ABOUT  GROWING OLDER...
1. Eventually  you will reach a point when you stop  lying about  your age and start bragging about  it.
 

2. The older we get, the fewer things seem worth  waiting in line for.
 

3. Some people try to turn back their  odometers. Not  me; I want people to know 'why' I look this  way. I've  traveled a long way, and some of the roads  weren't paved.  

4. When you are dissatisfied and would like to go  back to youth, think  of Algebra.
 

5.You know you are getting old when everything  either dries up or leaks. 
 

6. I don't know how I got over the hill without  getting to the top.
 

7. One of the many things no one tells you about  aging is that it's such a nice change from being  young.
 

8. One must wait until evening to see how splendid  the day has been.
 

9. Being young is beautiful, but being old is  comfortable.
 

10. Long ago, when men cursed and beat the ground  with sticks, it  was called witchcraft. Today  it's called golf.

And,  finally, If you don't learn to laugh at  trouble, you  won't have anything to laugh at when you're  old.

Violin pledge report

I guess my post just previous to this one was quite timely. I just realized that I'm supposed to report on my violin goal today. I haven't done so well this week. I only practiced half an hour the entire week.  On the bright side, that's more than I've done for a month. But I didn't reach my goal.

But, as we learned in my last post, don't quit! :) So I won't. I will do better next week.

Be persistant and endure to the end

My mom sent me this quote by Harriet Beacher Stowe:

"When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you until it seems you cannot hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn."

I firmly believe that! I have found it to be true again and again in my life. But it is nice to be reminded of it once in a while. Here is a poem that I used to have on a bookmark that I used to read all the time when things got tough:

DON'T QUIT

 

Don't quit When the tide is lowest,

For its just about to turn.

Don't quit over doubts and questions,

For there is something you may learn.

 

Don't quit when the night is darkest,

For its just a while till dawn.

Don't quit when you have run the farthest,

For the race is almost won.

 

Don't quit when the hill is steepest,

For your goal is almost nigh.

Don't quit for you're not a failure

Until you fail to try.

 

~Jill Wolf

Poor man's steak

I experimented a little last night and tried a new recipe. It was a hit with my husband and father-in-law! I was really glad, because I liked it too. It's pretty simple, although it does take some planning ahead of time.

Poor Man's Steak

Steaks:
1 lb. lean hamburger
1 1/2 c. whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 c. skim milk
1/2 1-oz. package of dry onion soup mix
1 egg
salt and pepper (optional)

Sauce:
1 10 3/4-oz can of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 1-oz. package of dry onion soup mix
1 4-oz can of mushrooms

Combine the steak ingredients. Press into a 8x11 inch pan. Chill for 30-60 minutes. Cut meat into 6 pieces and coat each piece with whole wheat flour. Brown pieces then place in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix sauce ingredients together. Pour over meat and cover. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Serve with baked potatoes and veggies. The sauce is great on the potatoes!

Serves: 6

Violin goal and pledge

I'm going to announce this here so that I feel that I have to be accountable, and maybe that will make me accomplish this goal. I learned to play the violin as a teenager, and I played for three semesters in the BYU-Idaho University Orchestra. That makes me sound pretty good, but that orchestra doesn't have auditions, and I really struggled. Although I have practiced sporadically the last couple of years, and I have regressed in my skill, I haven't given up on improving my talent.

I've decided to make it a goal to play in a community orchestra (wherever we end up moving) in 18 months. Or, at least to feel competent enough to play in one. I've made another goal (which may change later) to practice at least 2 hours a week, starting this week. That's not much, but I feel it's reachable and it's better than nothing.

So, each Friday I will report here on how much I practiced each week. I may even report on smaller goals, like skills I'm working on.

Thanks for indulging me! I really love playing the violin, but I need some extra motivation to do it.

This is my cousin!

My aunt let me know about this little video about my cousin. I'm not really big into comedy, and I don't watch TV, so I haven't kept up on what she is doing at all. But seeing this little video about her really inspired me.



Go, Jenna! I think what you are doing is so cool.

Pictures of my garden

I love growing a garden, and some of my plants are starting to pay me back for my hard work! Here is my Mother's Day geranium that Brian gave me while we were engaged:

It's huge now! I transplanted it into a bigger pot this spring, and sadly, had to trim it back so it would transplant well. But it's blooming again now, and taking over my kitchen window!

Here are pictures of my tomato plants:

I tried to take the picture so you see as many of the tomato clusters as possible. It's a variety called Manitoba, and so far, I really like it. There are two plants in the picture, and I have them in this ginormous pot that Brian brought me.

Here is some lettuce and spinach that I harvested this morning:

It's going to make a tasty salad later today.

And my beans and peas are blooming and almost ready to produce!

Finally, here is a picture of a whole bunch of fresh cilantro that I harvested this morning, too:

My cilantro plants are doing so well. I wish my basil plants were doing as well! I'm going to freeze most of the cilantro for use later.

Does anyone have good recipes that use fresh cilantro besides salsa? If so, please fell free to comment and post them here, or somehow get them to me. I really need some help with that! :)

Country Captain

I found this recipe in a book about American colonial cooking. I made it tonight for the first time, and had to share it! It tastes so good. Nummy! :)

Country Captain

3 slices bacon
4 boneless chicken breast halves
1 med. onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/3 c. raisins
1 T. brown sugar
2 t. curry powder
1/2 t. dried ground thyme
4 servings of cooked brown rice
1/3 c. slivered almonds

Cook 3 slices of bacon in saucepan. Crumble and set aside. Cut chicken breasts into chunks and cook in bacon grease until cooked through. Set aside with bacon. Cook onion and green pepper for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, raisins, sugar, curry and thyme. Add chicken chunks and bacon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes. Serve chicken mixture on rice and top with almonds.

Serves: 4

My most recent article

I just wanted to share my most recent article that was published in the most recent Progressive Forage Magazine.

Marketing innovation is critical during tough times

Pita bread!

I made pita bread yesterday! It was so easy, and it worked out pretty well. I just thought that I'd share the recipe here:

Pita Bread

3-4 c. whole wheat flour, or 2 c. wheat and 1-2 c. white flour
1 T. yeast
1 1/4 c. warm water
1/2 t. salt

Mix 2 c. flour and the yeast. Add the water and salt, and mix well. Gradually add remaining flour until dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Knead for 4-5 minutes if you have a mixer, or longer if you're doing it by hand. The dough should be smooth and elastic. Don't over-knead. Shape dough into 10 small balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball out until it is1/4 inch thick and 5-6 inches in diameter. Make sure both sides are lightly coated with flour. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Let rise 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 500 degrees. This is important that your oven is hot when they're done raising! Gently turn rounds upside down and put them on the bottom rack of the oven.  The instant heat will make them puff up. Bake for 5 minutes. This makes 10 pita breads.