Kathleen Rowland's Blog, page 33
March 16, 2014
Eat– for Good Health
My Pasta, Peas, and Prosciutto is low calorie.
Ingredients
1 pound pasta– your choice
3 or 4 cloves garlic, chopped (or leave out if you don’t like garlic)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups frozen peas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
Salt and pepper
1/4 pound prosciutto di Parma, thinly sliced at deli counter, then cut into thin strips
1 shallot
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn, plus a few leaves to garnish
Grated Romano, for passing
Directions
Put a large pot of water on the stove over high heat for pasta. When water comes to a boil, add salt to water and cook pasta to al dente, with a bite to it.
In a large, deep skillet, preheated over moderate heat, cook garlic, onion, and crushed pepper in extra-virgin olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and sauce or puree to the pan. When tomatoes come to a bubble, reduce heat to simmer. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
When pasta is cooked to al dente, drain well and set near stove. Sprinkle ribbons of sliced prosciutto and peas into the sauce. Stir to combine and heat peas through. Toss pasta with sauce and shredded basil. Keep turning pasta in sauce until basil wilts and pasta begins to absorb sauce, about 1 minute. Transfer pasta to a serving platter and garnish with a few whole basil leaves.
Serve with salad.
March 11, 2014
Eat– for Good Health
For dinner I’m making Veal Parmesan. It’s tax season, and my CPA husband works hard. I make whatever he wants, but I sneak in lower fat ingredients. A field greens salad is a nice accompaniment.
Ingredients
4 (4-ounce) veal cutlets (about 1/2 inch thick)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups tomato sauce
Cooking spray
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place each cutlet between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, level with a knife. Combine flour and pepper in a large bowl. Place the egg whites in a shallow dish. Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a shallow dish.
Dredge veal in flour mixture. Dip each cutlet in egg whites; dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add veal, and saute 1 minute on each side or until browned. Remove from heat.
Spread 1 cup Tomato Sauce in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange cutlets in a single layer on top of sauce; spoon the remaining Tomato Sauce over veal. Sprinkle veal with mozzarella. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes
March 10, 2014
People craft– taking care of ourselves
Spring fever makes us move more. Yesterday while I trimmed hedges with weeded for two hours, I thought about how to look as young as I felt. Dressing on the casual side is more youthful. When everything matches, the overall look is stuffy and dated. I’m open to new styles and ideas to get current on what is youthful. Personally I like Real Simple fashion ideas. My model friend Reba Studebaker dresses Harper Bazaar or Vogue, but then she looks great in a rag. If I’m going to a meeting and want to look put together, the easy going dress here is youthful. The V-neck lengthens the neck. Stripes are often nautical and therefore beachy.
March 8, 2014
Places– of Charm
Fill your home with trendy orchids! The Getty greenhouse photo below shows us the magical color called “radiant” which Pantone declared as the color of the year. This means we will see a lot of it in clothing, decorating, and even nail polish. Isn’t it true that all shades of purple boost our creativity and spirituality? This soft rose-tinged shade is the perfect way to brighten a neutral room.
March 4, 2014
Places– of Charm
Our umbrella is out of the pool but looks dejected. Note the faded color which used to be a vibrant happy orange. A broken slat slumps the posture even in its folded position. I paid our handyman $50 to drag it up.
March 2, 2014
Places– of Charm
Here in Southern California and in many other parched neighboring states, we’re in a drought. Desperately needed, our glorious rain began four days ago. By Friday heavy rains gave us a thorough soaking, and the daylily bulbs I planted last weekend came up. No big thing, today I’ll buy a bag of garden soil and cover them back up. Other problems are traffic snarls, power outages and the threat of mudslides, but none of these compare to the problems a drought brings to an agricultural state.
In our yard, besides the rising bulbs, the torrential wind blew our huge umbrella into the pool breaking one of the slats. The base is so heavy I had to call our handyman to somehow lift the thing out.
February 23, 2014
People craft– taking care of ourselves
How do you feel about dogs wearing clothing? I used to be against it but changed my mind after our daughter Janice introduced Harvey to his ducky pajamas. He is a two-year-old Chorkie, a Chihuaua-Yorky mix, and gets cold at night. Like all dogs, he loves attention and if being put into cute adorable outfits gives him that, he’s happy to wear them. He likes people because they tell him he’s cute. Yes indeed, cute is a word he understands. He wears other adorable outfits such as a hoodie not to mention his superman Halloween costume. People gawk and squeal with pleasure by just looking at him. Harvey loves attention, and I enjoy a good laugh seeing him in the various outfits Janice puts on him.
February 13, 2014
Eat– for Good Health
Today I’m having friends over for Smoked Salmon Pumpernickel Pinwheels and Chicken Salad on Waffle Bites. Both are low calorie, and I’m serving a field greens salad with them. Bits of salmon and fat free cream cheese give the pumpernickel roll-ups a double dose of deliciousness. Classic chicken salad goes on top of mini-waffles.
To make the pinwheels: 1 8 ounce container of fat free cream cheese spread; 2 ounces or 1/2 cup sliced, diced smoked salmon; 1/4 cup chopped red onion, 1/4 cup fresh dill, 2 tablespoons drained and chopped capers; 2 teaspoons lemon zest, 8 slices pumpernickel bread; fresh dill leaves for garnish. Directions: stir all ingredients together. trim crusts from bread, and roll slices to flatten with a rolling pin. Arrange filling on top. Place seam-side down and refrigerate for 1 hour with plastic wrap covering them. Slice into pinwheels, place back in refrigerator until ready to serve with dill sprigs.
Ingredients for Chicken Salad and Waffle Bites: 1 cup diced, cooked chicken; 1 rib finely chopped celery; 2 finely chopped scallions; 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley; 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/4 low calorie ranch dressing; 16 frozen mini waffles; sliced grape tomatoes and cilantro or parsley for garnish. Directions: Combine ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate. Just before serving prepare waffles according to package directions. Top each with about 1 tablespoon of the chicken salad. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish.
February 11, 2014
Wordsmith– I also write books
I’m an author who sometimes writes backwards– backing into the story, marketing before the book is published, and back-stepping into a pen name. Rudyard Rowland writes sweet new adult romance. Because I write sensuous romantic suspense under my real name, Kathleen Rowland, I don’t want readers to be disappointed in sweet rather than spicy romance. Last year I completed the first book of Rudyard Rowland’s InterVenus series, see http://www.rudyardrowland.com. For New Adult fiction, the drop in sensuality does not lessen the heart-stopping romance. Writing interracial is a constant, but InterVenus protagonists are between the ages of 19 and late twenties.
While I’m waiting to hear results from a publisher considering FALLING FOR THE PROTECTOR, I sent the book to a reviewer who may not even like the book. This particular reviewer writes reviews for a huge newspaper, and if the reporter likes it, I hope she publishes it to the paper. Next, I’m gathering ideas for a book cover. That’s easy. While writing, I gaze at photos on their bulletin board. My heroine is blonde blue-eyed gardener, Yardley Van Dyke. The hero looks like actor Michael Ealy in his younger years, mixed race with green eyes rather than Michael’s blue.
February 9, 2014
Eat– for Good Health
Today we’re having Parmesan Baked Salmon. For my husband who eats more than me, I’m also serving mashed potatoes with the skins left on.
Ingredients for 4 servings
1/4 cup low calorie mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)
4 salmon fillets (1 lb.), skins removed
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup of Ritz or other crushed crackers
Directions
HEAT oven to 400°F.
MIX mayo, cheese and pepper until well blended.
PLACE fish in shallow foil-lined pan; drizzle with lemon juice. Cover with mayo mixture and cracker crumbs.
BAKE 12 to 15 min. or until fish flakes easily with fork.
