Rice Pudding A Family Tradition!!!!

Rice Pudding

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3 cups of milk (some people like to use evaporate milk, but I prefer regular milk)

2 cups of water

½ cup of sugar

1 cup of long-grain rice

4 cinnamon sticks

1/4 cup of raisins

1 tablespoon of butter

Pinch of salt

½ teaspoon of cloves

1 teaspoon lemon zest

In a pot, combine 2 cups of water and 1 of milk and also add the cinnamon, cloves, lemon zest, salt and rice.
When the rice is cooked aggregate sugar and rest of the milk.
When simmering add raisins and butter, give it another 5 minutes and take it off the stove.
Before cooling serve, I like it warm, i think it's better this way.
This is one of the things we eat when my family gets together. I don’t ever consider a dessert because we eat it for breakfast, dinner, and even for lunch; we just love it. It is a big tradition in my family. Hope you like it.

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Book Tuesday: Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult

Paige doesn't have many memory of her mother, who left when Paige was five. She finds herself leaving her father with whom she is very close, to search for her dream of going to art school.

Paige meets Nicholas, an ambitious young surgeon and falls in love with him.  Nicholas and Paige get marry against his parents wishes. Paige become a mother shortly. After giving birth to her son, Paige begins to question her abilities as mother and wonders if things might've been different had she grown up with her mother around. This prompts a search for her mother in the hopes of answering the questions that burn deep inside Paige's heart.

Harvesting the Heart is a well grafted story about self-discovering, forgiveness, motherhood and acceptance that any mother or child should read.


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A Killer Tuna Casserole For Monday Dinner

Tuna Casserole

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3 strips bacon, diced

1 small white onion, diced small

2 cups of milk

       Salt and pepper to taste

2 cup grated mozzarella

1 cup of fresh spinach

2 cans of light tuna in water, drained  

1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning

About 3 cups of shell pasta, boiled. Reserve 1 cups of water from the pasta

      ½ cup of breadcrumbs    

Combine ½ cup of cheese and breadcrumbs and reserve. Prepare oil or butter a baking dish

In a pot, cook bacon until crispy and then add onion and cook.

Add spinach, when the spinach is tender and soft season with salt and pepper and the Italian seasoning.

Add the water and let it boil when it does add the milk.

Taste and season more if it needs it.

When it breaks a boil add the rest of the cheese.

Then combine with the cooked pasta. Spread the mixture in a baking dish and top it with

Bake for 45 minutes in 350-Fahrenheit degree oven.

 You would love this recipe because it’s cheesy, pasta, and a little Italian and who doesn’t love all of that. I try this recipe from a friend and I have to say It’s criminal. Hope you like it. Until next time my friends.

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Song of the Week: Feel Again by One Republic

                                                   
                                                         






Brother HL-2270DW Compact Wireless Laser Printer with Duplex Printing

Picture of the Month

Whistler's Mother

Whistler's Mother is a famous painting by James McNeill Whistler, an American painted. It was painted in 1871 and display in Paris, having been bought by the French state in 1891.

Micro by Michael Crichton - Books

Blueberry Muffin for Breakfast

Blueberry Muffin

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I enjoy for breakfast a good muffin with juice, just before going to work. This is a good way to open up for the new day. Since I’m always trying new things and especially new recipes I decided to include in my repertoire of recipes muffin.  The best muffin recipe I’ve done so far is the blueberry muffin. Here it is and hope you’ll enjoy it:

• 3/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dried blueberry

Preheat oven 375ºF degrees and spray your muffin tray with nonstick cooking spray

Mix milk and egg in a small bowl and set aside.
Stir flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and pour wet ingredients into the well. Stir with a wooden spoon just until the wet ingredients are contributed evenly. Fold in blueberries. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until golden brown, and that is about 18 to 20 depending on size. Remove from tray when they have cooled.

Book Tuesday: The Pact by Jodi Picoult

The Pact is a book about two families the Hartes and the Golds. They share a deep bond that is pass onto their children Chris and Emily. This bond that is so strong that when Chris and Emily become teenagers, it turns into something more than just a childhood friendship. 

                 

One night when Emily is found dead and there is a gun with one bullet. The Hartes and the Golds are force to question their friendship and the bond that unites them. They also come face to face with the awful reality of what happened that night between Emily and Chris. To further complicate the confusing situation, the detective in charge of the investigation, is not satisfy with Chris's version of the events. 

The Pact is a though provoking story that takes through a journey of pain, love, marriage, family, friendships and the bond between two teenager. It is quite an excited ride that takes unexpected turns and leave you wanting more with each page you turn. 

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Panini For a Fullfilling Dinner

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One of my favorite foods is Panini; I love Panini. Panini is basically a grilled sandwich with either poultry(most of the time) or meat and cheese and herbs such as basil. It is a very fulfilling sandwich and it can be accompanied with a salad or fries or whatever you have in mind. Here is my recipe for Basil pesto Panini:

French Baguette (1)

Bunch of Watercress, clean( I love watercress it gives a earthy flavor to it)

Mozzarella, in slices

1 big chicken, grilled and sliced

1 tomato, thinly slices

Pesto

About a cup of fresh basil

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoon of olive oil

½ cup of Parmesan

For the pesto

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and processed until the ingredients look like a paste.

For the Panini

Cut baguette and spread pesto sauce in both sides.

Then aggregate and layer (in the bottom side of bread) the slices of grilled chicken, mozzarella, tomatoes and watercress. Top with the topside of the baguette and grill in a Panini maker or use a griller pan. Ta.. da here you have it!!!!

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Song of The Week: Skyfall by Adele

                                           Song: Skyfall (The title song for the latest James Bond film)

Seriously I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres - Books (Google Affiliate Ad)

New Music Thursday: Push and Shove

Push and Shove is the sixth studio album from No Doubt. It was release on September 21. Their last album Rock Stead was recorded and release 10 years ago, so this could be consider as their comeback album. The first single is call "Settle Down" it debuted on July 16, 2012. The second single "Looking Hot" is expected to be release on November 6, 2012.  To listen to the preview check it out here


1."Settle Down"  
2."Looking Hot"  
3."One More Summer"  
4."Push and Shove" (featuring Busy Signal and Major Lazer)
5."Easy"  
6."Gravity"  
7."Undercover"  
8."Undone"  
9."Sparkle"  
10."Heaven"  
11."Dreaming the Same Dream"  

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Wednesday Dessert

Bread Pudding

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3 to 4 cups of bread

4 ½ cups of evaporate milk

3 eggs

½ teaspoon of cinnamon in powder

½ teaspoon of clover in powder

½ teaspoon of ginger in powder

½ cup of butter

1 cup of brown sugar

½ cup of raisins

¼ cup of water

½ teaspoon of salt

1.     Take one cup of milk and mix with the 3 eggs, reserve for later

2.     Take about ¼ cup of sugar and ¼ of water and place in a saucepan over a medium heat; let the sugar dissolves until it looks like syrup. Cover the baking dish with syrup mixture before it gets cold.

3.     Put the remaining milk into a pot to boil and add cinnamon, clover, ginger, salt and what’s left of the sugar and salt. When boiling add butter, raisin, and bread.

4.     Make sure the bread is cooked, let it cool.

5.     When cool add the egg mixture to the bread mixture and place in the baking dish. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes in a 375-Fahrenheit degree oven.

Bread pudding is a favorite in my family and I like to do it once in a while. Here is the recipe and hope you like it.

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Book Tuesday: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

For years, Peter Houghton has endure verbal and physical abuse from his classmate. Josie Cormier let herself be pressure into hanging out with the popular kids. Josie and Peter are best friends but because Josie nows hangs out with the same kids that abuse Peter, they drift apart. Peter becomes the loner outcast while Josie becomes one of the popular girls. One day something happens that pushes Peter Houghton to do pick up a gun and change the citizens of Sterling, New Hampshire forever.

Josie witness what happened the last minutes of the rampage that Peter unleashed.  Alex Cormier  is a judge and happens to be Josie's mother. Alex is confronted with a choice of whether or not to step down from the case that could make or break her career or risk losing her daughter forever. Then there are Peter's parents Lewis and Lacy Houghton, who since the tragedy their son brought to Sterling, have spent their time examining where did they go wrong and what can they do to fixed it.

Nineteen Minute is a powerful and emotional story of the event that can lead to disastrous consequences and makes us question who we are and whether or no we someone.

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Turkey Burger with Oven Baked Fries

Ingredients

Lemon-Honey Mustard Sauce

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 heaping tablespoon clover honey

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Burger:

1 1/2 pounds freshly ground turkey 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 slices goat cheese or any cheese you like, sliced 1/2-inch thick

4 burger buns, split and lightly grilled

Lemon-Honey Mustard

Watercress

Directions: Mustard

Whisk together the dijon mustard, the clover honey, the lemon zest, fresh orange juice, and the fresh lemon juice, in a small bowl.  Add the salt and black pepper to your taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours to allow flavors to meld.

Burgers:

Preheat the grill to high. Form the meat into 4 (8-ounce) burgers. Season the burgers on both sides with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill until cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. During the last minutes of cooking add 2 slices of cheese to each burger, cover the grill and let the cheese soften slightly, approximately 1 minute. Put the burgers on the buns, drizzle with some of the mustard and top with a few sprigs of watercress.

 

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Oven baked Fries

6 large russet potatoes

3 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1.    Clean and cut potatoes in thin strips.

2.     Wash in cold water and dry with paper towel.

3.     In a mixing bowl, toss potatoes strips into the bowl and coat with olive oil.

4.     Place potatoes in a baking tray already cover with parchment paper.

5.     Bake each side for about 18 to 20 minutes.

6.     When done season with salt and paper.

This is a very healthy way to eat fries. I’m trying to lose so I’m substituting everything I normally eat with healthy things. Let me know how you like this recipes !!

Song of the Week: Charley's Girl by Lou Reed

                                                       Album: Coney Island Baby
                                                       Song: Charley's Girl

New Music Thursday: Babel

Babel is the second studio album by the indie folk band Mumford & Sons. The album was release on September 25, 2012 the US and Canada. The first single is "I Will Wait" which debuted on August 7, 2012. If you want to listen to the preview Click Here


1. "Babel"                                               3:27
2. "Whispers in the Dark"               3:15
3. "I Will Wait"                                       4:36
4. "Holland Road"                               4:13
5. "Ghosts That We Knew"               5:39
6. "Lover of the Light"                       5:14
7. "Lovers' Eyes"                               5:21
8. "Reminder"                                       2:04
9. "Hopeless Wanderer"                       5:07
10. "Broken Crown"                               4:16
11. "Below My Feet"                               4:52
12. "Not With Haste"                               4:07

Wednesday Appetizers

This is a simple recipe to follow, the ingredients are things that are handy and it doesn’t take a lot of your time. I do emphasize in time saving because I’m a very busy person, but I love to entertain. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much I do.

2 big chicken breast, ground

1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning

1 white onion, chopped

1 red pepper, minced

1 green pepper, minced

 Pinch of Salt and pepper

About 1 cup of bread crumbs

1 beaten egg

½ vegetable oil

1 cup of barbecue sauce

In a large bowl mix the ground chicken breast with seasoning, chopped onion, peppers, salt and pepper, and breadcrumbs. Wash really well your hands because this part I like to use my hands, it’s more effective, with your hands mix really well all the ingredients until everything is incorporated. The last thing I combine is the egg, then form little balls and fry them in a deep skillet, set the meatballs in a cooling rack to drain the meatballs of the oil. In a bowl, cover the meatballs in the barbecue sauce and then spoon out in a serving platter. There’re you have another affordable, easy, and quick appetizer.

Book Tuesday: These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

Allison Glenn is send to prison for a terrible crime. Once the perfect child with perfect family, now Allison is mark with a dark legacy. Her sister Brynn is the quiet, not too sociable child and has to confront the daily whispers and gossip is school. Allison and Brynn share the secret of what really happen the night of the terrible crime, Allison is accused of committing.

When Allison is release from prison into a halfway house and tries to talk to her sister, the secret these sisters share is threaten to come out and with it bring potentially devastating consequence for a little boy and his adoptive parents.

These Things Hidden is a story that compels its reader to think and evaluate, family bonds, secrets and to a certain degree sacrifice. I fully recommend it. It wil keep you at the edge of the your seat.

Not Authentic but Homemade Lasagna

Who doesn’t love lasagna? It has been made into forms and ways. Even though, it is Italian it has became part of the American gastronomic. This is a dish that can be so versatile because it can be served by itself or a salad, or anything that calls to you.  This is my recipe to you.

1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 jar of Marinara sauce, any brand work fine
1 box lasagna noodles, already cooked and drained
16 oz. ricotta cheese
2/3 cup grated parmesan
3 eggs
3 tbsp. parley, fresh
2 cups grated mozzarella

1 tbsp. of dry basil

 Season beef with salt and pepper and cook in a large skillet. Cook the meat really well and then add the marinara and simmer for half a hour. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together about a quarter of the grated Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, and salt and pepper. Use some of the marinara mixture to cover the bottom of a baking dish, then cover with three to four lasagna noodles, then top noodles with ricotta mixture, some of the parmesan and mozzarella cheese and the marinara mixture. Repeat layering one to two times, depending how much of ingredients still unused. This is the last layer; in the last layer just add the sauce and the rest of mozzarella and sprinkle dry basil. Bake for over one hour and there are you have a not authentic, but almost homemade lasagna.

Song of the Week: Runaways by The Killers

                                                             Song: Runaways
                                                             Album: BattleBorn

New Music Thursday: The 2nd Law

The 2nd Law is the the sixth studio album by Muse. The album was release on September 28, 2012 in most of the world and in North America was release on October 2, 2012. The first single is call "Survival" which also was the official song of the 2012 London Summer Olympics. It debuted on June 27. The second single is call "Madness" and it was release on August 20.  For a preview of the album click here: Sample


1. "Supremacy"                            4:55
2. "Madness"                                   4:39
3. "Panic Station"                           3:03
4. "Prelude"                                   0:57
5. "Survival"                                   4:17
6. "Follow Me"                                   3:51
7. "Animals"                                   4:23
8. "Explorers"                                   5:48
9. "Big Freeze"                                   4:41
10. "Save Me"                                   5:09
11. "Liquid State"                           3:03
12. "The 2nd Law: Unsustainable"   3:47
13. "The 2nd Law: Isolated System"   4:59

Breakfast Biscuit

Biscuit Perfect for Breakfast

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2 1/2 Cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 Teaspoons baking powder

½ Teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon honey

½ Cup cold butter, cut into pieces

3/4 Cup milk

1 Large egg, beaten              

1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil mix with 1 tablespoon of milk

Mix the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter into flour with a fork if you don’t have a dough blender. Meanwhile blend milk, egg, and honey and add to the dry ingredients. Knead dough for about 2 minutes, next cut out biscuit and cover with the mixture of vegetable oil and milk.

Book Tuesday: One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf

One breath away follows an event that threaten to change forever the peaceful community of Broken Branch. A gunman walks into the only school in town and threaten the lives of the children. No one really know what he wants or who he is. Meanwhile the rest of the towns people wait and wonder why is this happening to them.

We meet Meg Barrett a police officer recently separated from her husband and moved to the Broken Branch community. She has a daughter who attends the school and is entrusted with the safety of the children. We also meet Will Thwaite who daughter is dealing with the consequence of an accident that left her unable to take care of her children. We see Will dealing with the fact that he grandchildren who are entrusted to him, might be in the hands of derange gunman. Inside the classroom, the teacher Evelyn Oliver watches as the gunman threaten and scares her students, all the while she tries to find ways to rescue the children in her care. Then there is, thirteen years old Augie who is struggling with guilt and adjusting to her new home, tries to protect he little brother who is trap in the same classroom the gunman.

One Breath Away is a heart pounding, tension fill, fast pace story that explores the ties between parents and their children and how easy peace can be stripped away  from ones life.