A NEW YEAR'S SURVIVAL KIT
It took awhile but I finally reached a real live person at Country Woman magazine to get permission to use the New Year's Survival Kit. In these troubled times we can certainly use it! The following is what you'll need:
RUBBER BAND to remind us to be flexible.
BANDAGE to remind us to heal hurt feelings, either ours or someone else's.
ERASER to remind us that everyone makes mistakes. That's okay, we learn by our mistakes.
CANDY KISS to remind us that everyone needs a hug or compliment every day.
MINT to remind us that we are worth a mint to our friends and family.
CHEWING GUM to remind us that if we stick with it, we can accomplish anything.
PENCIL to remind us to list our blessings every day.
TEA BAG to remind us to take time to relax daily and go over that list of God's blessings.
Source: Reprinted with permission of Country Woman magazine, a Reiman publication.
ADDITONAL BEST RECIPES
I ran out of space on the 1/5 memo to share all of last year's best recipes so here are additional ones to make again or try for the first time.
Although I usually replace regular pasta with whole wheat kind, I prefer angel hair pasta with this chicken entree.
CHICKEN WITH SHERRY-SOY SAUCE
- 8 boneless, skinless thighs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (garnish)
Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Cook thighs on both sides until lightly browned, about 8 minutes total. Remove from pan and keep warm. Ad sherry, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, red pepper and sesame oil to skillet; scrape pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Arrange 2 cooked thighs on angel hair pasta cooked according to package directions; drizzle 1 tablespoon sauce over each serving. Garnish with sliced scallions. Recipe makes 4 servings.
Source: Adapted from Cooking Light recipe. Slow Cooker Escalloped Chicken was another favorite recipe that I made last year. Since it serves 6 to 8 servings, you'll be glad to know it freezes well!
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SLOW COOKER ESCALLOPED CHICKEN
- 3 cups cubed, cooked rotisserie chicken
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 13 cups white bread cubes (about 16 slices), baked 10 minutes in preheated 350F oven
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 14-ounce can Swanson's 99% Fat Free-No MSG chicken broth 1 can undiluted cream of mushroom soup
Combine cooked chicken, onion, celery, toasted bread cubes, softened butter, poultry seasoning, sage, salt and pepper. Whisk chicken broth and mushroom soup together. Stir into chicken mixture. Spray a 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray. Spoon chicken mixture into cooker. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce temperature to low and cook 4 additional hours. Recipe makes 6 to 8 servings.
I used frozen cooked shrimp in Szechwan Shrimp. Although it's a hot entree, it tasted just as good cold. Serve as a main dish or appetizer.
SZECHWAN SHRIMP
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons catsup
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/4 cup sliced scallions
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound frozen cooked shrimp, thawed and tails removed
In a bowl, whisk together water, catsup, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, crushed red pepper and ground ginger. Set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in scallions and garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add whisked mixture. Cook sauce until sauce thickens (doesn't take long). Stir in shrimp and cook only until shrimp is hot.
Source: Adapted recipe from allrecipes.com, the world's favorite recipe web site.
FRUITS, JUICES MAY INTERFERE WITH MEDICATION ABSORPTION
Add apple juice, apple products and orange juice to the list of foods and drinks that may interfere with drug absorption of anti-cancer drugs, beta blockers and some antibiotics. Some chemicals in the juices block action of an enzyme that breaks down, while other substances interfere with the transport of drugs throughout the system. Dr. David Bailey of the University of Western Ontario advises patients to drink a full glass of cool water when taking drugs because it helps dissolve the tablet or pill, and because cool water is emptied by the stomach quickly, allowing the medication to get into the blood stream. Findings were presented at the American Chemical Society's August 2008 meeting.
Source: Duke Medicine HealthNews, December 2008. |
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