Yummy Morning Maple Nut Yogurt

I’ve decided that I want to be done with college.  It seems that every weekend is taken up with reading and writing papers.  I want some free time!

There was a point when I loved school so much that I figured I could take classes forever. Not anymore, time to move on. Where are the long visits with my friends where I do not have to be anxious about wasting homework time? Where are the my long hours working on my garden relaxing and not worrying about a term paper?  I want the freedom to watch TV for an entire evening if I'd like, or read any book on the shelf and not write a paper afterwards. I do not want to fill my head with facts facts and more facts just to forget them ten minutes after a test.   Basically, I want my adult life back!

After this semester I have three more classes to go.  I’m already trying to figure out how to kill them as quickly and painless as possible so I can get my life back.  Lying in bed this morning I decided that I would take my communications and non-lab science classes this summer leaving one more American lit class for the fall.  I think this is a great plan; I’ll see if I stick to it.  Wait, I have an inner need to take ceramics next fall too; maybe I will take two ceramics classes. I could if I wanted to. No, one will do.  I can use the studio as much as I would like while Brian is in his classes.  After all, it is my last semester of college and I am going to enjoy every minute.  

Yummy Morning Maple Nut Yogurt

In a bowl mix: ½ cup of organic maple yogurt, ¼ oatmeal and some walnuts.  Mix well and eat. 

            If you do not have maple yogurt add real maple syrup to plane or vanilla yogurt.

Chicken Pot Pie

Today is a very busy homework day filled with reading Wuthering Heights for my Victorian Lit. class.  Fortunately I have just enough time to whip up a quick chicken pot pie.  I hope you enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

In a crock pot put 4 cups of water and 2 full chicken breast cut in half, and 2 chicken bouillon cubes cook on high for 3 hours.  Cut chicken breasts into small pieces and add: 4 cut carrots, 2 celery, 1 small onion, 1 garlic cube, 1 potato cubed, ½ rutabaga, ¼ frozen corn, 1/2 cup Parisian cheese,  ½ teaspoon sage leaves pinched into small pieces with fingers, ½ thyme, salt and ¼ cup of flour.  Mix well so that all the four lumps are gone.  Cook on high for another hour.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Pour pie filling into a pie crust and cover with a second crust, make sure there are slits in the top to let the steam out.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.  Let cook for 10 minutes and eat.

Beef Soup

I love my ceramics class.  For the last two years I had to get serious with my English classes and stop taking my art classes.  Now I realize that my life could have contained a lot less stress if I would have left in my therapeutic hands on class.  

This semester I decided to once again take a class for me.  One that has nothing at all to do with my major and everything to do with my creative side.  Walking into the room, I step into my dream world where creativity with the hands ruled.  Just the smell of the earthy clay stirred my imagination getting myself in tuned with the heart of women artist of the past.  Would I make a huge five foot coil pot?  Something I’ve always wanted to do.  How can I sneak in a cat or two without Madeline noticing?  She hates when I make cats.  How will the terracotta speak to me, or the stone wear walk me down new avenues of discovery?  I am the potter without a vision, but once my hands hit the cold moldable canvas they start to become one, almost hearing it's voice speak to me declaring, “I’m a pineapple pot with molded leaves.”  

Beef Soup

In the crock pot place one package of stew meat, 4 carrots, 2 stalks of American celery, 2 large potatoes, a package of dried onion soup mix, about 10 shakes of Worcestershire sauce, 2 bay leaves and 1 beef bouillon cube.  Place on high for 3 ½ hours.   As the meat gets fully cooked, break the pieces apart so that ever bowl of soup contains meat.  For the next 2 ½ hours the crock pot needs to be turned down to medium.  Add: 1 large tablespoon of marjoram, ½ teaspoon of coriander.   

Serve with a tablespoon of sour cream in each bowl.

Deep Fried Jalapenos

            For the last couple of weeks I’ve craving chicken strips.  Daily my car drove down restaurant lane in Grand Rapids, where I was sure find satisfy the desire for that deep fried piece of chicken breast.  But no, I was not willing to stoop to spend so much money on so little food.  

           Today, Ted and I drove south to Byron Center to my favorite meet market where I knew the “best” chicken tenders in town were sold.  Standing in front of the glass freezer door my eyes froze on the very item that would finally feed the monster within.  A day earlier, I stood at a grocery store counter debating whether or not I would pay $6.50 for six tenders.  The miser side of me took over and we ended up eating burgers instead.  Not today.  Surely the $12.00 that I was about to spend would be well worth me cooking up the six or so meals that the box contained.  After grabbing a Family bundle of beef, a bag of chicken breast and my beloved chicken strips, we were out the door heading home for my long awaited meal.  Today I did not just stop at the chicken, I fried jalapenos, and sweet potatoes too.  What a meal!  With a smile across my face and a full belly, I settled down for my afternoon nap where I dreamed of dancing chicken strips diving in honey mustard.

Deep Fried Jalapenos

In a bowl crack one egg, add one cup of water, a ½ teaspoon of baking powder, salt ½ cup of Parmesan cheese and ½ cup of flour.  Stir until all the lumps are gone and the batter is smooth. 

Dip jalapenos into batter and place them into a pot of hot oil.  Cook until golden brown, turning them over once in awhile.

Serve with ranch dressing.

Leftover Chili Rolls

          It is amazing how you get busy in life and the next thing you know you've neglecting something that you really enjoyed doing, blogging.  Today, I choose to turn over a new leaf and start blogging again; I am sure that after 28 days it will become a habit.

         Being a mother in college is quite a challenge.  Yes, I understand that my kids are no longer in the house, but that does not change their need for mom in their life. The phone rings. "Mom, lets go shopping." I receive a text, "What's for dinner?" and another text, "How about I take you out for dinner?"  Honestly, I'm happy with my life; just interruptions seem to happen the mostly when my homework load is the largest.  

        This past weekend was no exception.  Monday morning arrived, and once again, I'm amazed at how my homework magically got done.  I am sure that it had something to do with me frantically finishing a project before the crack of dawn, cup of coffee in hand, my butt in my Lazy Boy, and  swearing at the computer screen because, for the “c8” attack on my paper. To this day, I still do not know how to stop that from happening. Moments before it’s time to leave, I find myself irritated at the printer, which just ran out of ink, making me even later for my morning class.  In the end, this stress filled life is a valuable tool for shaping my character and I would not change it for anything. 



Leftover Chili Rolls

Why eat the same meal as yesterday when you can create a totally different one?  This is the recipe you've been looking for putting a new face on yesterdays bowl of chili.

Take a flour tortilla, place a line of chili down the center and add cheddar cheese over the top of the chili.  Now fold the ends over about an inch.  Roll lengthwise to close up and place on a cookie sheet with the seam facing down.

Place in 400 F oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Eat with sour cream, guacamole or your favorite salsa.