Walk Aerobics

When I'm desperate for a walk and it's raining, I call Leslie.

I have other walking buddies, but this one never says she's busy :)










Tropical Storm Fay hit Florida last Monday and she finally made it to Atlanta this Monday. Last week was a tad cooler (90 instead of 95) because the wind blew constantly. Today was cooler still. The rain started yesterday; we lost power for an hour; and the weatherman predicts Thursday for clear skies.

Baked Ratatouille














The recipe for this side-dish is an adaptation of my squash casserole recipe and the ratatouille was leftover last summer. Here's the link for the Ratatouille adventure. I just defrosted it (sans sausage), drained it a bit before proceeding with the eggs, butter, cheese, and cracker crumbs.

This recipe is a keeper.

Sunday Dinner

Chicken Marsala
Baked Ratatouille
Green Beans Almondine

Rolls

Barefoot Chardonnay

Raspberry Ice Cream Pie

Coffee

Dinner discussions centered around the sermon on Psalm 31 and the details for Saturday's wedding.

Chicken Marsala

I love this recipe!

It is sooooo easy.

This time I used muscadine wine.

And baked it in the oven for the final ten minutes, because my frying pan wasnt big enough.

Credit goes to the Olive Garden Restaurant.







Ingredients

4 ea Chicken half-breast, boneless & skinless
1/4 cup(s) Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp Oregano, dried
4 Tbsp Oil
4 Tbsp Butter (or margarine)
1 cup(s) Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup(s) Marsala wine


Procedures

Pound chicken breasts between sheets of waxed paper until about 1/4" even-thickness

Combine flour, salt, pepper and oregano, blend

Dredge chicken pieces in the flour, shake off excess

Heat oil and butter in frying pan over medium heat.

Cook the breasts on medium heat for about two minutes on the first side, until lightly brown

Turn breasts over to second side to cook, add the mushrooms around the chicken breasts

Cook breasts about two more minutes, until lightly browned on the second side, stir the mushrooms

When lightly browned, add Marsala around the chicken pieces, cover and simmer for about ten minutes

Transfer to serving plate.

Summer Menu


Salmon w/Banana Glaze

Steamed Broccoli

Vidalia Onion sauteed w/Yellow Peppers

French Roll

Pinot Grigio

Raspberry Sherbert
w/raspberry sauce

Chocolate Vodka Cake

Coffee

Vodka Cake
from Being Dead Is No Excuse

1 box Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce box) AND 1 (5.9 ounce) box of
chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs at room temp, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Kahlua
1/2 cup vodka

1 container store-bought chocolate fudge icing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine, in the bowl of your mixer, the cake mix, chocolate pudding mises, and eggs.  Mix until creamy.  Add the oil, Kahlua, and vodka, and twirl around until there are no lumps.  Pour into a prepared (buttered/floured) bundt pan (8 cup size) and bake for appox 45 minutes.

Take it out of the oven and allow it to sit a minute.  Flip it out onto the serving plate and while it is still hot, spread store-bought chocolate fudge icing.

Serves 12

PS  I did not ice mine.  I served it with raspberry ice cream.
The cookbook recommends cinnamon ice cream.

Twenty-two

Summer Menu


Ham Quiche
Steamed Broccoli
Sliced Cantaloupe

Pinot Grigio

Chocolate Muffins
Coffee




Quiche recipe adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook:

One 9" deep dish pie shell (unbaked)

Cover the bottom of the shell with 1 1/2 cups of grated swiss cheese. Add any type of meat or vegetable filling on top of the grated cheese - from 1/2 - 1 cup. If using veggies, it's better if they're already cooked. In the blender, combine the wet ingredients: 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cups half 'n half, 2 Tbs flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp dry mustard. Pour into crust. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 375 for 40 -45 minutes. Allow pie to rest 30 minutes before serving.

Excellent made ahead.

Freezes well, too.

Feast on Saturday
Appetizer

If you learned today you were going to die tomorrow, name three things you would do?



1. Contact the preacher.

2. Wash my hair.

3. Take the pecan tassies out of the freezer.











Soup

What is your very first memory?

Earliest memories for me are located on Beachland Drive in Sandy Springs, where we lived from the time I was three until five years old.

But you asked for just one...

I remember being very sad that I'd left my Chatty Cathy doll outside overnight....and it rained :(

Salad

Name one service you are willing to pay for and one you're not.

I have always been willing to pay to have my hair cut/trimmed/permed/whatever.

I am unwilling when it comes to late fees.


Main Course

Do you make your bed every day?

Shamefully, *no*

My excuse? (stop reading now, if you dont like excuses)

For twenty years, I left the house BEFORE DH was out of the bed and I've fallen out of the habit.

Dessert

Name the most significant thing you learned this week?

That the *Sort* function on my new word processing software doesnt work the same way the old one did. So, inadvertently, I sent a jumbled list of names and addresses to the hostess of an upcoming party. Thankfully, she recognized the mistake and called me. I was embarrassed.



Read more fun answers at the home of one of my favorite muses, Quiet Life.