MMMM-Delicious!!

Photo courtesy of Cooking Light

Stuffed Chicken

200 calories

You will want to make this recipe this weekend. It's delicious and flavorful and only 200 calories a serving. I've made it twice this month!

2 tsps. olive oil - divided

3/4 cups artichoke hearts cut up(I use the tall jar of marinated)

1/4 cup green onions

1/4 cup crumbled goat or feta cheese

1 tsp. herbs de provence (sale at grocery store in spice sections)

1/4 tsp. salt divided

1/4 tsp. pepper - divided

4 4oz. chicken fillets (boneless and skinless)

1 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. corn starch

Heat 1 tsp. oil in skillet over med. heat.

Add artichokes and green onions saute 4 minutes. Remove from heat, cool, stir in cheese, 1/2 tsp. herbes de provence, 1/8 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper.

Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each breast half to form a pocket. Stuff 2 tablespoons artichoke mixture into each pocket.

Heat 1 tsp. oil in large skillet over med. heat. Add chicken and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper, cover and cook on each side (about 6 minutes or until golden brown and done.) Remove from pan.

Add 1/2 tsp. herbs de provence and broth to pan, bring to a boil. Combine juice and cornstarch; add to broth mixture, stirring with a whisk. Cook 1 minute or until thickish. Return chicken to pan, cover and cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

ENJOY!

HAIR

Sunday, my friend Marie and I, saw HAIR. Yes, I missed the second half of the superbowl! I have never seen it before and didn't really know what it was about. Let me just say this, it is not for those under the age of 18. Sex, drugs, and the vietnam war is what it is all about. I feel sorry for those sitting in the front row at the beginning when the guy comes out and molests some poor unsuspecting soul. Haha! There is full frontal nudity. There were a lot of big hits from this musical. I recognized at least four from when I was a kid. It ends kind of sad, but I'm glad I saw it.

The Hangman's Daughter

I'm am really on role this year, reading some great books! I really enjoyed this book, The Hangman's Daughter. It takes place in the 1600's and is about the town Hangman and the role he plays in the town, how people treat him and his family, medicine that the people of the town do not understand and call witchcraft and evil. It was a great story and really exciting. I've added the link to the title above so you can read the story line and the reviews. 5 stars, couldn't put it down.

The Sherlockian

The Sherlockian was a good read. It wasn't my favorite, but it entertained me. The story was good, a little excitement and intrigue to perk your interest. I'm glad I read it. If you read a lot of books, I would read it, but if you only read a couple of books a year, skip it. Again, linked at the title.

Katie's 21st Birthday

Our Katie is 21 today.

She is so fun.

She is hysterically funny.

She makes me laugh.

She feels things deeply.

She loves children.

She wants to be a 2nd grade teacher.

She is strong.

She is loving.

She is compassionate.

She likes to shop.

She likes to DANCE.

Her new favorite color is purple.

She likes to decorate.

She likes to take pictures.

She likes to travel.

She takes 2 hours to paint her nails.

We love her!

Happy Birthday, Katie.

Capote

Yesterday I saw CAPOTE. It is the story of how Truman Capote finds out about, researches and publishes his best selling book "In Cold Blood". Phillip Seymour Hoffman did a great job portraying the dysfunctional Truman Capote.

I read, "In Cold Blood" when I was in my twenties, so when I happened upon this movie, I was interested. It moved a little slow but I found some things very interesting.

1. Truman Capote and Harper Lee (she wrote "To Kill A Mockingbird") were best friends. They grew up together in Alabama.

2. Being openly homosexual in the late 1950's wasn't easy. Harper Lee basically got Capote interviews with the people associated with the Clutter murder so he could begin the relationships. They didn't want to talk to him based on the way he dressed and talked. A lot of the time, she would do the interview and he would observe.

3. He sympathized with one of the killers, Perry Smith.

4. He bribed the warden of the prison so he could have unlimited access to the prisoners.

5. He provided attorneys for them all the way up until the Supreme Court appeal.

6. Truman Capote wrote "Breakfast at Tiffany's" which was banned from some small town libraries in the 50's.

24 Hours without POWER!

Yesterday at 5:32 am the power went out. I know it was precisely 5:32 because it woke me up. Yep, Silence woke me up. We sleep with a fan on. It creates white noise. We have slept with a fan for 27 years. We take a small version with us when we travel. We have requested them in Europe from the hotels and most of the time, they have them. So at 5:32 on Wed. morning, the silence was deafening.

In the total silence, I heard everything:

The wind blowing outside

The blinds softly banging against the window every 40 seconds or so

Our big dog stretching, yawning and then snoring

Our little black dog, who is 16 1/2 years old, got up and decided to walk around. He padded across the carpet to the wood floor. Click, click, click across the floor. Stop. Go back. 10 TIMES. Shadow! Lay down! Problem is, at 16, he doesn't hear me.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! The alarm is going off downstairs telling us that there is no power. I have to get up and turn off the chimes because it will continue to go off every 2 minutes.

I get up and walk to the top of the stairs. Flip on the light switch. DUH, no power. I carefully navigate the stairs and go to the alarm system. Flip on the light switch. DUH, no power. I don't know where a flashlight is. I go get the flame lighter thing for the barbeque, turn it on, and proceed to turn the chimes off the alarm. Go back upstairs. Try for two hours to go back to sleep and can't because I can hear EVERY LITTLE SOUND.

It's time to get up. Guess what, no power for the coffee maker. Head out to McDonalds for coffee. The sun is just coming up, the sky is pink, the neighborhood is so quiet, not a sound to be heard. I feel like I'm in a Stephen King novel. I expect when I get into the car and turn on the radio, to hear about some terrorist act in Foothill Ranch. But no, just equipment failure and the power should be on by 5pm.

3pm update: no power until 7pm.

7pm update: no power until 7am.

We go to home depot to rent a generator and buy some flashlights. We buy extention cords, a gas can, and gas. We get it home. We hook it all up and guess what? The generator DOESN'T WORK!!! Expletives are hurled around by the Handsome Husband. It's already 8:30, we decide to just go read.

Here are the things I found most valuable with no power:

This cheap Energizer flashlight. See that little stand underneath it. You can totally prop it up and aim it to light whatever you are doing. Including reading a Kindle. It had a nice clear light and big lighting area. It costs like $6.00 and came with batteries. Liked it better than the huge Maglite we bought HH which had a yellowish light and you could see the lightbulb shadow in the middle of the lighted area.

HH had these nifty little Foster Grants. He bought them after Christmas to use while reading on airplanes. They totally lighted his kindle or his path in front of him. Worth the $15. I'm getting myself a pair. Super Handy

It's funny the things you miss. We have this alarm clock. It projects the time onto the ceiling or a wall at night. When you wake up in the night, you just open your eyes to the ceiling and you can see that it is 12:38, like below. I totally missed this during my wakeful sleep.

Thankfully the power is back on, my food didn't spoil in the refrig/freezer. I now am the owner of two flashlights and various extention cords and I have a new found respect for my fan and white noise.

Vancouver?

As we were watching TV last night, I casually asked the Handsome Husband where his conference in May was going to be this year. Last year we went to Boston and I LOVED it. He said Vancouver. VANCOUVER!!! I've always wanted to go the the Empress Hotel and Buschart Gardens, so I invited myself! I began to research the area.

Of course, we will stay at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Surprisingly, not very expensive. As I was looking at the hotel, I came across these luxury tent cabins.

Very luxe and nestled in the most beautiful little spot...

too bad they are $4,500.oo per person for 3 nights all inclusive. Too rich for my blood. The Handsome Husband would have really liked it.

I plan to go shopping in both the historic district where ever shopping is offered.

Whale watching is a must. I guess they find as many as 100 whales in a pod. I do get seasick, however, and it could be miserable for me. But I so want to see these guys.

We plan on going to Stanley Park and other cultural areas. We will explore Vancouver Island and go on some hikes.

This bridge is just a short drive from Vancouver. A must. I don't think I will chicken out, it looks pretty safe.

I'm off to the book store now to find a DK Eyewitness book on Vancouver. I love DK Eyewitness guides.