Good and Busy Week

It's been a good week. I've taken lots of pictures for work, of a construction site where two new buildings are going up. That's one of the fun parts of my work, and practice definitely makes one a better photographer. Julie had a fever today, so she had to miss the 3rd day of school. I went in to give her a hug this morning, and she was burning up. She's doing much better tonight, but has a headache & a sore tummy.
It's pizza night, just like every Friday night. It's one tradition we seem to be able to stick to, except Julie is going to have some of my homemade chicken soup. Here's the one I'm making - it's the fast version:
Get a big pot, fill about 2/3 full of water, put on medium-high burner
Dice up some fresh chicken breast, like 1 or 2
Throw them in the pot of water or gently slide them off the cutting board into the water
Chop an onion in 1/2 & put that in the pot
Get 4-5 cloves of garlic & press or smash them & chop & throw in the pot
Cut a good 1/2" piece of fresh gingerroot and smash on the cutting board & chop up
Throw the ginger in the pot
Peel & chop a good sized carrot & yes - throw it in the pot
Add 2 TBSP of "Better Than Bouillion" (chicken flavor)
It should all be boiling now, so let it boil until the chicken is cooked
You can add any other veggies you like, but this is usually how I make it when somebody in the family is sick. Sometimes I'll press another clove or 2 of garlic right before serving and stir it in the pot, because the oils in the garlic are supposed to have some healing properties. The ginger helps with inflammation and nausea. Anyway, I have another version that is really our favorite, because we cook a whole chicken and make our own chicken broth, but we usually make that a day ahead so we can skim the fat off the broth before finishing up the soup.

Well, I'm tired of being on a computer, sorry. Gotta enjoy the Friday night with the kids now. Have a good weekend!

This is Why it's Not a Good Idea to Put Plastic Bowls on Hot Burners!

This is the popcorn bowl Mike and I got as a wedding present. It came with a set of bowls, and we use it all-the-time! One of my children set it on the burner before she started to cook dinner and look what happened... We got the burner off, and so it's still good to use, but the poor bowl isn't. It is going to become a "Garden Salad Bowl". I'm going to plant spinach, lettuce & basil in it, and then just pick when they're like baby green size, and they'll keep growing after that. So, it will be like eating really fresh salad. And, the best part - the bowl will drain easy after watering!

Mouthwatering...

Earlier this summer, Julie asked me take her and Morgan to Happy Sushi, a sushi restaurant in Logan. She said she liked the California Roll, so that's what we had. I was surprised she liked it, 'cause the seaweed tasted kinda fishy to me. Morgan had some noodles/soup stuff & he was ok with it all.

I make a dish that is like sushi (kinda). Ceviche. I learned to make it while working as a waitress in Florida when I was young and beautiful. I'll put the recipe up next time I post. Basically, it's fish and/or shrimp/scallops, spices, and lemon juice. The juice "cooks" the fish.

Back to sushi. We went again one night, and instead of having the California Roll, we ordered the Golden California Roll, and Morgan and I were hooked!

So yesterday at work, out-of-the-blue, I got a craving for a Golden California Roll, but I'd brought lunch, so I used mind over matter and conquered the craving. Or so I thought.

Today I was just working along, busy as a bee, and it hit me - "Go to Happy Sushi, go to Happy Sushi, you can do it. Take a lunch break and go, go GO!

So I did.

While I ate my lunch I realized today in my XXth year of life I had finally learned the definition of mouthwatering. No, it isn't defined with words, but with a feeling, a real true mouthwatering feeling. That was the most satisfying lunch I've ever eaten. To top it all off, it's healthy.

Mouthwatering. That's the word of the day & the week!

When we make some at home, I'll take pictures and show you.

Have a terrific week! Jennifer