Thursday, June 28, 2007

More Mets Pics!

I just remembered I got pictures from Kat & Christine too (Sara didn't even take her camera out of her bag...there was just too much excitement!).
Sara, Kat & I

Sara thanking "Mr. Delgado" for taking a picture with her.


Christine & Jose Reyes.

Christine, Sara & I.

Delgado & Kat!

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Meet the Mets!

That's what I did last Thursday! Sara's aunt got us 4 tickets to a charity auction thing, and we got autographs and pictures with the Mets & with Mr. Met himself (Sara was pretty excited about that).


Christine & Sara on the train to Greenwich, CT for the event...



and me & Kat on the other seats!



This is pretty much the feeling we had all evening...squee!!



This is me with Delgado - he plays first base & was awesome at joking with people and being so nice this night.



And with Jose Reyes. He's short stop & he signed my Reyes shirt.



Sara was VERY excited to meet Mr. Met, the mascot for the Mets.



On the left (in khaki) is Paul LoDuca - he's the catcher. And in the middle is Jose Reyes again.



Not a great pic, but I had to include David Wright (right) because Sara loves him...he plays third base. LoDuca is on the left again.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Delicious!

So I made this Chili Con Carne and Sara couldn't even eat it (way too hot for her). I loved it though! It's hot, but a little sour cream helps cool it down. You could also put it over brown rice or have some bread with it.

Chili Con Carne
Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (4 1/2 oz) can chopped green chilies
2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
1 lb ground skinless chicken breast
1 (28 oz) can Italian peeled tomatoes, chopped (tip: use kitchen scissors to chop them right in the can)
1 cup prepared salsa
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup chili powder (I used hot mexican style chili powder, and not quite a full 1/4 cup)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 (15 oz) cans red kidney beans, rinsed & drained (I used a 15 oz and a 19 oz because that's what I had)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Swirl in the oil, then add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chilies and Cajun seasoning. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook, breaking up the chicken with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 8 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes with their liquid, salsa, water, chili powder, sugar & salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the flavors are blended and the chili thickens slightly, about 1 hour. Stir in the beans and cook until heated through.

NUTRITION

Per serving (1 1/3 cups): 247 calories, 4 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 42 mg chol, 1465 sodium, 31 g carbs, 11 g fiber, 23 g protein, 116 mg calc.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Disaster in the Kitchen!

It's the third real recipe I've tried, and it was a disaster while I was making it. It actually turned out ok though, doesn't look pretty, but it tastes pretty good!

Chicken Negimaki
Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

4 (1/4 pound) skinless boneless chicken breast halves
4 scallions, dark green part only
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons canola oil

INSTRUCTIONS

PLACE a chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness, using a meat mallet or bottom of heavy saucepan. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Arrange the chicken on a work surface with long side facing you, then top each with 1 of the scallions, lengthwise. Roll the chicken around the scallions, jelly-roll style, and secure with kitchen string at 1-ince intervals.

COMBINE the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger and garlic in a shallow bowl. Add the chicken rolls and toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate, turning occasionally, at least 2 hours or overnight.

REMOVE the chicken rolls from the marinade; discard the marinade. Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken rolls and cook, turning often, until browned and cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Transfer the rolls to a cutting board and remove the string. Cut each roll into 6 pieces.

NUTRITION per serving (6 pieces)
146 calories, 5 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 63 mg cholesterol, 131 mg sodium, 1 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 23 g protein, 16 mg calcium


Roast Asparagus and Plum Tomatoes
Makes 4 servings
WW Points: 1 per serving

INGREDIENTS

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed an dcut into 4-inch lengths
1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp white-wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

ARRANGE the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

TOSS the asparagus and tomatoes with 1 tsp of the oil in a roasting pan. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer, with the tomatoes cut-side up. Roast until the tomatoes are lightly charred and the asparagus are just tender, 12-16 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus.

MEANWHILE, combine the remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil, the vinegar, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a cup. Transfer the vegetables to a platter and drizzle with the dressing

NUTRITION (serving size 1 cup)
78 calories, 4 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 163 mg sodium, 11 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 3 g protein, 23 mg calcium


Even though they weren't pretty, they actually turned out to taste pretty good! I will probably have to make more of the sauce (to dribble on the vegetables) because I also like it on the chicken. But still, not a bad dinner.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

catch up

Well, it's been awhile. No real reason, just not much to write. I've been to a couple of Mets games (thanks Kat & Sara) and am actually watching one right now! I love it. And that's about it.

I was also supposed to see my dad for a long weekend, but he got here on a Thursday and had to fly home Friday - he got some bad news about his heart health. So we're dealing with that (meaning Janne & my sisters are taking him to the doctor, visiting him, etc. and then calling to tell me all about it). But I just talked to him and he sounds pretty good. It was still sad that we didn't get to hang out for as long as we thought we would, but he was here for a night and the next morning, so we had a great dinner and breakfast.

Other than that, nothing new! I'm heading to Oregon in August and then Heidi & Judy (and Heather, if we can talk her into it) are heading out here after that. First time Heidi's visiting! Plus, Friday is a "summer friday" for me - 4 day week! I love those.