It's a Good Life with Iced Matcha Latte

This is my Iced Matcha Latte. I followed the recipe found on Appetite for China. Diana, at Appetite for China, has a beautiful picture of the latte on her blog. It is really a cool and simple beverage. For this recipe I used a cocktail shaker, so the recipe was really easy to make and healthy.

I used Matcha DNA which I found on Amazon.  I was pricing all the green tea powders, and thought that this was worth the price. It came out to about thirty cents  to one teaspoon in terms of price which I thought was fair. When I received the package.

I drink my Iced Matcha Latte while I listen to  a podcast on my iPhone. Today I am listening to. the Good Life Project.

Jonathan Fields interviews many types of entrepreneurs and learns their journeys. Many of their lives are very creative, and much of their lives deal with helping people, and overcoming some sort of obstacle. Many of the stories are very inspiring. The podcast can be found here.

A fine way to relax and put your feet up.

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Why Alton Brown was Right About Cucumber Water

This picture may not look like very much, but this is my homemade cucumber water. The thought came to me recently when I was listening to the Alton Brown Podcast.  Alton confessed his love for lemonade to quench his thirst, but his true love of cucumber water.

I became very curious of cucumber water since I have drunk lots of glasses of lemonade, and wanted to see what makes cucumber water so special.

Cucumber water is actually crisp and refreshing to drink. If you want you can stick in a piece of cucumber and a piece of lemon, and some ice cubes. You can even add mint. I keep my water in the refrigerator when I am not chugging away.

There are a many recipes for cucumber water on the internet.

I have a water container in the refrigerator so that I always have cold water. I took a medium sized cucumber and scrubbed it well, and took off about half the skin and cut it into slices. I then took the pieces of cucumber and put them into a cheesecloth type piece of fabric and stuck that into the water container, and placed the cover back on top and placed it in the refrigerator. You can throw out the cucumber the next day.

Within an hour my water tasted like cucumber. I was drinking more of it than regular water.

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Footloose

Footloose by caseygoduti featuring a wedding jewellery

Joules joule
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Durango cowboy boots
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Jolie leather charm
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Pendant necklace
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Wedding jewellery
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Cowgirl hat
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Scotch Soda Faded indigo flannelette skirt
melijoe.com

Orange-Balsamic Glazed Chicken

For dinner last night I settled down to a nice Orange-Balsamic Glazed Chicken, some leftover brown rice, and baby carrots with which I dipped in ranch dressing. It was Curry and Comfort's recipe and it was wonderful.

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Here Come New Ideas for Volunteering

Many of us can profess to leading busy lives. Between working full time, taking care of the family, cleaning the house, and running errands, you probably hardly have any time for yourself.

The Ivoryton Playhouse, Ivoryton, CT

One way to get some time to yourself is to do some volunteer work. I volunteer at the local theater, The Ivoryton Playhouse, as an Usher.  I also help them with some online marketing whenever I can. I enjoy this kind of volunteer work because I love the theater and it is a way to make new friends. My interest in the theater came from my Grandmother, now I continue on the tradition with my Mother. We usher together.

Another way I found gratifying to give back to the community was to volunteer as a Friendly Visitor for the local Assisted Living/Convalescent Home. As people grow older they find many of their friends and relatives pass away over time. Older people also develop more health problems and they need some support or friendship because they become lonely.  This program was created to help give them a better quality of life. Someone other than their family they can turn to talk to and have some fun. They bring in a Friendly Visitor.

I was vetted through an agency in my local, and matched with a person in the Convalescent Home. I told them my likes and dislikes. The Home gave me the rules. I follow the dress code, and follow some safety and cleanliness guidelines. More or less I am there to be a friend for someone who needs a friend.

We play game like scrabble and rummy. You can be matched up with someone who shares you interests. Many people need letters written for relatives for them, or just someone they can talk to. It is a way to pay it forward, perhaps you might have your own Friendly Visitor in the future. It is a way to give back.

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Simple Chicken Cutlets

Chicken cutlets is a dish I grew up having frequently in my home. It is quick to make, and something obviously any beginning cook should be able to make. In fact, everything on the plate above is very to make and takes just minutes.

Broccoli
I purchased broccoli crowns at the supermarket and cut the up. I steamed them. I put an inch of water with some salt in a half quart pan, and placed a metal steamer inside.

When the water boils add the broccoli. Steam them until they turn a bright green (which is not going to be very long) and fork tender. If you don't have a steamer that is okay, you can cook the broccoli in the pot without the steamer and they will still come out fine. Between 5 and 8 minutes. It may also depend on how much you purchased. It can be as long as 10 minutes.  Butter before placing on the table.

Noodles
For the noodles you should follow the directions on the package. They are all a little different because it all depends on the thickness of the noodle. A little science knowledge from Alton Brown can go a long way. Water and salt is the keep to good noodles.Always add salt to the water. Make sure you cook the noodles in plenty of water. Butter before placing on the table.

Chicken Cutlets
Chicken breasts
all purpose flour
eggs
plain breakcrumbs or panko
canola oil
black pepper
salt
Line everything up in this order.
Clean and prepare the chicken cutlets. Pat dry.
Place some flour on a plate seasoned with salt and pepper.
Beat some eggs in a bowl. If you are cooking 6 or 8 chicken cutlets you will need at least 3 eggs .
Place panko or plain breadcrumbs on a plate.
Start by dipping cutlets in flour. Work to cover thoroughly.
Dip the cutlet in the egg.
Then place the chicken in the panko or plain bread crumbs. Cover thoroughly.
When almost all the cutlets are covered, heat a deep saute pan at medium high heat. When hot add some canola oil.
When the oil is hot and sizzles add the chicken cutlets, cook until the cutlets are browned on both sides, turning once, and make sure the chicken is no longer pink in the middle or 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Note: For this recipe I used large organic eggs, and organic chicken cutlets, treated with no chemicals.

The chicken cutlets were a hit!

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Pleasantville Meatloaf Revisited

Here is the Pleasantville Meatloaf. It is definitely a meal that looks like it belongs in the 1950s. It is fitting that it looks like that since it is one of my favorite movies. I love Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire in this movie and how they overcome adversity.

This is the picture from Pleasantville I felt fitting for this blog. It may not be meatloaf but it is food from the kitchen.
When I had originally started blogging in 2009 my boyfriend wanted me to make a meatloaf so I made this one, but what I didn't say was that the recipe serves 8 people and he didn't want me to make this gigantic meatloaf for 2 people. He wanted me to make it much smaller, so I cut the recipe down.

Pleasantville Meatloaf
Adapted from Dinner and a Movie
Serves 3-4
Glaze:
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
For the loaf:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 Vidilia onion or 1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon dried herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, etc.)
1 1/4 t Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1 1/4 lbs meatloaf mix
In a small bowl mix the glaze ingredients and set aside.
In another small bowl place the buttermilk and oatmeal to sit for at least for 5 minutes or more.
Saute onions and garlic in the tablespoon olive oil until translucent about minutes or so.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl place the beaten egg, yogurt, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, dried herbs, oatmeal,  and meatloaf mix. Add the onions and garlic and mix to combine.
Note: Meatloaf will appear liquidy, but the oatmeal and the meatloaf will soak up the liquid.
Pull out a roaster pan or a cookie sheet with a rim and place aluminum foil on top. Oil the aluminum foil. Dump the Meatloaf atop the aluminum foil and use the aluminum foil to center it and shape the meatloaf.

Here I have shaped the meatloaf in the aluminum foil. After you shape it, Glaze it with half of the glaze. Then place a thermometer in the meatloaf, and place it in the oven.
The meatloaf takes about an hour to cook. The thermometer should read 165 F.
After 45 minutes put the rest of the glaze on the meatloaf.
When the meatloaf is finished take out of the oven and eat to your hearts content.

Why feed 8 for 4 when you can feed less?

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