Surprise Giveaway! Mugs and Issues!

Surprise Giveaway! Mugs and Issues!

Salsa Verde! Yummm

The elusive Salsa Verde finally came across my screen a couple weeks ago. The one I've tasted many times at our favorite Mexican restaurant. You remember, the one in New Jersey, or Chicago, Memphis, Cleveland TN? Well, I've tried many recipes, none quite hit the spot, until now. I now realize it is the broiling or grilling of the ingredients that bring out that glorious taste. So, without further interruption,and while I go prepare Huevos Verde for breakfast, here is the recipe and website. 4.5 from 2 reviews Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (Salsa Verde) Save Print Prep time 15 mins Cook time 15 mins Total time 30 mins Created By: Adam and Joanne Gallagher Serves: 4-6 Ingredients 1 lb. tomatillos (4-5 tomatillos) 1 jalapeno pepper 1 serrano pepper 2 unpeeled garlic cloves 1/2 cup chicken stock 4 tbsp. diced white onion 1/3 cup cilantro 1 tbsp. lime juice 1/2 tsp. salt Method Move an oven rack to the top position for broiling. Preheat broiler to high. Remove husks and wash tomatillos. Place tomatillos, peppers and unpeeled garlic cloves into an oven-safe baking dish with sides. Place into the oven, 4 inches from the preheated broiler, until the tomatillos are roasted and the peppers are slightly charred on all sides, about 10-15 minutes. Rotate tomatillos, peppers and garlic during roasting to ensure all sides are slightly charred. Remove the baking dish and add chicken stock to de-glaze the pan. If tomatillos, peppers and garlic are stuck to the bottom of the dish, use a wooden spoon to scrap the baking dish. Once cool to the touch, peel the garlic and discard the skins (you may have to squeeze the soft garlic out of the skin). For a spicier salsa, leave in all seeds from peppers, for a medium salsa, remove half of the seeds and for a mild salsa remove all seeds from peppers. Add the tomatillos, garlic and peppers to a food processor as well as the onions, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Add about 1/2 of the chicken stock from the baking dish and pulse the food processor 3-4 times or until the salsa has come together. You can add more chicken stock based on your own preferences for consistency. Serve salsa warm, at room temperature or cold. Notes For easier removal of the pepper skins: as soon as you take them out from under the broiler, place them into a resealable plastic bag and leave them alone for 10 minutes, after ten minutes the steam generated from the peppers will make it really easy to remove the skins. http://www.inspiredtaste.net/901/roasted-tomatillo-salsa-salsa-verde

It's Complicated: My Cat quilt made it on Caterday!!

http://www.24blocks.com/featured-member-quilts/

http://www.24blocks.com/2013/04/caterday-and-quilts-april-6.html

I have been testing the waters with a new endeavor. I have always wanted to create something as a keepsake for family and loved ones so I started 2 yrs ago with a quilted wall hanging. "Cats". A creature, of many, that are dear to my heart. One year later, May 2012, our Grandson was born and on his "birthday" we delivered the "Monkey on a Bicycle". His dad is a marathon bike rider so this seems an appropriate theme. I failed to mention that he had a big sister for which I had not made a quilt. So early this year I found the cutest play quilt. At first I was going to use fabric as close to the picture as I could ??? I don't know why, it just seemed it would make the task easier. I bought the fabric a little at a time and started cutting. When I would go to the fabric store I started seeing the right colors but in prints that meant something to me and our family. The end product had bits and pieces of 4 generations. I have many projects in planning stages and hope to feel better soon so I can get started . I thank all of you who have been such an inspiration. AND I am going to enter every contest I can in order to stay within my budget and still get the most beautiful, and finest products on the market. I want these items to last - not sure why but my heart tell me so. I guess it's because I feel such a kindred spirit when friends and family show me their quilts from days gone by. I hope I am able to get the pics I want up here as I do want to keep up with what I do.

Haven't been blogging in a while but I hope to get back at it in the next few days. I am recovering now from having gall bladder surgery on Feb 8 2013. I am healing. I thought it would be easier but I had a bad reaction to the anesthesia which lengthened my recovery time from 12 hours to 4 days. I have a lot to catch up on so be watching for new card designs, new machine embroidery projects, and some new recipes. I may even throw in new pics of the family and pets. Until then, keep it between the lines.

Staycation with Visiting Family July 7-12

Photo album personalized with Smilebox

Makes Perfect Sense

With time, women gain weight because we accumulate so much information & wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy , we are enormously cultured, educated & happy. Beginning today, when I look at myself in the mirror I will think, Good Grief look how smart I am, I must be a genius !! ~

Pain Management

It appears, that in the world of Pain Management, you are either “spot on” and get a facility and doctors who understand and help or you  get a facility that treats you like “you’ve been pissed on”, and are a doper and are treated like crack house scum.  Please pardon my language, but those of you with chronic pain issues know what I am talking about.  Right now, while I am in extreme pain, is probably not a good time to be writing this note.

My Dr., here in Cleveland TN, is one in a million that knows about MCS.  Unfortunately, his main office is 45 miles east of Cleveland and he is only in town once or twice a month.   His office personnel, for the most part, are nice.  I have been seeing Dr. Siddique for approximately 5 years so everyone knows me; but the Practitioner will not write any of my meds because in her eyes apparently I am just another “doper”.  She actually told me to go to the mental health clinic to get a refill on my Xanax which I take because the pain causes quite a bit of anxiety.  Last I heard, Fibromyalgia was not considered mental illness.

You might think that one could go to another facility, what’s that you say,  about a patient’s Bill of Rights?  Surely you jest!  I am not jesting and please don’t call me shirley.  You have no right.  If you use the reason that you don’t feel comfortable with your doctor or staff, they can write on your chart that you were uncooperative then no-one has to treat you.

Once you go to one of these guys, and don’t follow their rules, or if you take a med from another doctor and forget to tell them,  you can and   likely will   be  “blackballed”    everywhere.  I understand the need for security, but I have short term memory loss, and have had surgery and will be having more surgery which means I will not be able to drive in for a blood test and consultations at the drop of a hat. But since I have no choice I will do so on crutches or in a back brace and wheel chair on the city bus.

I am afraid I forgot to mention that even though is is June 6, 2011, I will not get an appt. until August this year.  That is a lot of pain and anxiety to go through before someone can see me.  I pray for my sanity and that of my family.

Now I know they are not all bad.  I had great Pain Management in Memphis TN.   They did me a world of good.  They were not dark and dingy dungeons.  They performed the epidurals and nerve blocks in their facility.  it was the top floor of a medical building at Baptist East Hospital.  Large windows, lots of sunshine, smiling faces and genuine concern  It was a 180 degree turn around from this area I live in now.  

Welcome to small town America in the middle of the “Meth Belt” as well as the “Bible Belt”.  We are all addicts until our brain scans show our pain.

Please feel free share your experiences with Pain Management.

Hope to be back soon

I hope to send pics soon of some new embroidered Thank You notes and Mother's Day cards. Also a tradition card. I recently had reconstructive surgery on my right ankle so things have been going an unfamiliar pace. We are certainly blessed if you compare us to others so close by that lost everything from the tornado outbreak. type at you soon.

Get Well

I can now mark 2 of a thousand things I wanted to accomplish in February.  Yay Me!!