Kathleen Rowland's Blog, page 11
February 8, 2016
Cole slaw because it feels like summertime in SoCal
Yup, it is cooling a bit. Only 86 degrees. What goes well with chicken? Cole Slaw. I added metric measurements with our typical cups and spoons.
Ingredients
3 cups 10 g shredded coleslaw mix
Carrots and celery, sliced thin or shredded
1/3 cup 75.64 ml nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup 81.63 ml lowfat buttermilk
3 tbsp. 43.31 ml light mayonnaise
2 tsp 10 ml Dijon mustard
1 tsp 5.08 ml lemon juice
1 tbsp. 3.75 g parsley
1 tbsp. 3 g chives
1 tsp.1 g dried dill
1/2 tsp.1.13 g onion powder
1/2 tsp.1.13 g black pepper
1/4 tsp.1 g garlic powder
11 Salt Directions
Mix together the yogurt, buttermilk, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, parsley, chives, dill, onion powder, pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Taste and season if needed.
Toss with coleslaw mix, carrots and celery.
Endangered! Who me?
This information is courtesy of the Sierra Club. This Ethiopian wolf pup was photographed by a remote camera in Bale Mountains National Park by Will Burrard-Lucas.
When an Ethiopian wolf is hungry, it goes looking for its principal prey, the big-headed mole rat. The canid has a number of strategies for catching the rats. It can use its long, narrow nose—nearly half the length of its head—to scoop them from their burrows. Or it can enlist the help of the friendly neighborhood gelada monkeys. The clever predator hides amid herds of geladas, and unsuspecting rats darting from burrow to burrow are snatched up by a wolf among primates. (In return, wolves refrain from picking off baby geladas, which aren’t much bigger than the rats.)
Ethiopian wolves are solitary hunters, but come nightfall the pack huddle together to sleep. On cold nights, they prepare communal beds made of dead scrub uprooted by big-headed mole rats.
For all its cunning, though, the coyote-size critter cannot outwit humans. As its rodent-rich highland habitat is reduced by subsistence farming and livestock grazing, so goes this species of wolf, one of the world’s most endangered canids. Rabies outbreaks spread by domestic dogs in 2003-04 and 2008 devastated the population, and now fewer than 500 remain. Vaccination efforts may be the wolf’s only hope.
February 5, 2016
Is it starve a fever, feed a cold or the opposite?
Yes sireee, Chicken soup is dinner. Why do I know this other than from Grandma? I read up on an article in Prevention by Pam Peeke, MD. Turns out, it’s neither. Chances are you’ll catch at least a sniffle this cold and flu season, but it’s not how much you eat, but rather what you eat that can help soothe your stuffy head and aches and pains. “The right nutrients can help your body fight off an illness, Peek says. She came up with two simple eating plans to shake the symptoms, fortify your immune system and speed recovery. Today I’m focusing on the cold diet.
Peeke recommends an omelet with salsa for breakfast . Eggs are rich in zinc, an immune system booster. Yogurt is your go-to snack, reducing the body’s inflammatory response. Drink decaf green tea with lemon. For lunch, red pepper slices and broccoli with hummus. Vitamin C is important for immune health. Eat an orange. Hummus gives us protein to help fight disease-fighting antibodies. Snack on sweet potato slices for vitamin A. You know what’s for dinner!
Green Tea!
February 4, 2016
Today I repotted rootbound plants!
It’s bad business to buy a rootbound plant. In my case the plants in the atrium of the house we bought two years ago were in need of transplanting. I didn’t realize it until the leaves were turning yellow. Trouble would happen soon because rootbound plants are dehydrated. The soil is hard and water repellent.
I chose pots slightly bigger than the ball of the root and made sure the drains on the bottoms were open.
Doing one at a time, I padded the pot with fresh potting soil, trimmed yellowing leaves, placed the plant in its new pot, added more soil, and give it a good soaking.
February 3, 2016
Enter the Deadly Alliance Contest!
Main Text
Enter to WIN…Here
Scroll down the contests to find the Deadly Alliance contest
THREE GRAND PRIZE Winners!
February 2, 2016
Release day for Deadly Alliance!
Deadly Alliance, a romantic suspense, is first a love story about Amy Kintyre, an ordinary woman who just wants a 9-to-5 job so that she can get her sportswear design business back on track. In the village of Lake Arrowhead, California, there aren’t many jobs available, and she applies at her late boyfriend’s company. His partner, Finn Donahue, wanted to kill the slime if he weren’t already dead. Finn is missing cash and hires Amy, thinking she know something about it. Below are snippets from three reviewers.
Marisa Slusarcyk, Goodreads says, “Deadly Alliance touches on a lot of hot topics in the world right now and the author creates an intricately wonderful story that covers many genres. It has gangs and fights, faked deaths and so much more. A great book all around.”
Teresa Jensen, Netgalley says, “Finbar Donahue, former Army Ranger, is figuring out why his company is missing cash monthly. This began after his former partner, Les, was shot in a drive-by shooting but has now passed away. Amy Kintyre, Les’s caretaker, applies for a job with Finn. She uncovers a secret bank account belonging to Les, and risks her new employment opportunity when she brings it to Finn’s attention… add in a mob, domestic terrorism, Les’s death by mistaken identity… the book really heats up. Rowland ties everything into a nice bow…great plot to follow and great romance.”
Meg Heenan, Netgalley says, “Such a good romance, I thoroughly enjoyed Deadly Alliance.”
January 30, 2016
Tonight we’re having stuffed shells
Part-skim ricotta keeps calories at bay; spinach and bulgur deliver antioxidants and fiber. The complex carbs in pasta boost serotonin, the mood-stabilizing neurochemical. There’s something romantic about pasta, and it’s delicious with a field greens salad with grapes.
Ingredients
1 28-oz. can whole tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Coarse salt and ground black pepper
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup bulgur
25 jumbo pasta shells
1 pound bunch spinach, stems removed
1 15-oz. container part-skim ricotta
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Directions
Pulse tomatoes and their juices in a food processor until smooth.
Heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until tender, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pour boiling water over bulgur, cover, and let stand until soft and water is absorbed, 30 minutes.
Cook shells in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain and let cool.
Steam spinach, covered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender. Squeeze out excess moisture, coarsely chop, and add to bulgur. Stir in ricotta. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in egg.
Coat bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish with 1 cup sauce. Spoon filling into shells and arrange in pan. Add remaining sauce, cover with foil, and bake until bubbling, about 40 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan before serving.
You know you’re an IOWAN if…
You know you’re an Iowan if…
you’re stuck behind a tractor on the highway and have an excuse for being late,
being “Iowa nice” is your way of life,
going on vacation means to go to Arnolds Park, Lake Okoboji,
you’ve played the yard game, cornhole,
your go-to foods are Maid-rite sandwiches and tenderloins,
you’re skilled at dodging a deer;
you cheer for the Hawkeyes and Cyclones even if you don’t follow sports,
you’ve met the presidential candidates,
you shop at Hy-Vee, have breakfast at Hy-Vee, have worked at Hy-Vee,
your wedding reception was held in your church basement,
your road trips begin on I-80,
you measure distance in time, not miles. “Be there in 5.”
you may have moved from Iowa, but still think it’s one of the best places to live,
admire the massive 220-pound bird flying inside the Des Moines Airport. “True work of art.”
January 28, 2016
Defend against depression with canned tuna
Short days and long nights– it’s no wonder some 10 million of us find our mood falling with the thermometer. The culprit is lack of sunlight which triggers a drop in the happiness hormone serotonin. There are ways to reverse season affective disorder (SAD). Studies show deficiencies of omega-3 fatty acids lead to depression. The journal Psychiatry Research advises raising levels with canned tuna. It only takes ten minutes to make a California style tuna roll-up. Ingredients below go into a tortilla.
Ingredients
1 can (6 ounces) light tuna fish, preferably packed in water, drained and flaked
3 tablespoons lite mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon wasabi paste or freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Two 10-inch flour tortillas
2 medium leaves Boston lettuce
1 Kirby cucumber, peeled and coarsely shredded lengthwise (without seeds)
1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely shredded
1/2 of a ripe avocado: peeled, pitted, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
Preparation
Combine the tuna, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, and wasabi paste in a small bowl and mix until blended.
Lay the tortillas on a work surface. Spread 1/2 tablespoon mayonnaise on each tortilla and arrange the lettuce on top of both; arrange cucumber, carrot, and avocado lengthwise in rows near one edge. Spoon the tuna in a line next to the vegetables (away from the edge). Roll each tortilla up snugly into a cylinder. Cut crosswise in half.
January 26, 2016
Do you enjoy artsy manicures?
Jess Scull is a manicurist and blogger who comes up with holiday themed manicures. One is adorable for Super Bowl Sunday. This is a snapshot, and you can ignore the article on the right.
