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Sunday, May 25, 2014

A Memorial Day Thank-You


Thank you to all of our armed servicemen and servicewomen who have given of their lives and of their limbs and of their health to keep our country free.

God bless you all. And may "peace on Earth" come to be true in our lifetime and from here on out.

Denise Barker

Monday, May 5, 2014

Sarah Kay, Spoken-Word Poet

Courtesy of Seth Godin's blog post this morning, I clicked on the link to find a TED Talk by Sarah Kay, a spoken-word poet. She is wonderful. If you are an author, Sarah has some great tips for us as well. And I agree with Sarah. She is an old soul, yet only twenty-five (or soon to be twenty-six on June 19 per Wikipedia).

Here's the link: http://sethgodin.hugdug.com/mothers-and-daughters. If you listen to the whole eighteen or so minutes, you'll hear a second spoken-word poem at the end.

Enjoy!


"If your vocation isn’t a vacation, then quit, leap, change careers."

Denise Barker, Author, Blogger, Copy Editor
Books that Build Character(s)



What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you. Ralph Waldo Emerson
When you give someone a book, you don’t give him just paper, ink, and glue.  You give him the possibility of a whole new life. Christopher Morley
The best inheritance you can leave your kids is an example of how to live a full and meaningful life. Dan Zadra



Saturday, May 3, 2014

Home Cooking: Slow-Cooker Southwest Chicken and Wilted Spinach with Arugula


This is a slow-cooker recipe of my own creation, but I'm sure other people have already discovered this particular mix of five ingredients, which I mostly have on hand at any time. Plus it works well in the slow cooker, and it is relatively fast and easy. Even if you decide at 8:00 a.m. to have chicken at noon, you can defrost your frozen chicken breasts in hot water in fifteen minutes.

The most time-consuming part is cleaning the chicken of fat, skin and tendons. I normally use four chicken breasts of assorted sizes, but yesterday I used six. Open one can of Rotel tomatoes or a generic brand of diced tomatoes with jalapenos. Put them in the slow-cooker first (liquid and all), topped by one can (4.25 oz.) of chopped black olives. I like that touch of fat to help satiate, plus the added colors of the two canned goods liven up the chicken, which will be white. Be sure to cook the chicken thoroughly. Put the slow cooker on high for two hours or so to eat at lunch or on low for several hours to have for dinner.

Plate a couple handfuls of spinach and arugula and top with the hot chicken mix. It will wilt your lettuces easily. I love my greens this way, and this procedure works well with steaks and fish too.

I crave this particular dish and have it at least once a month. Plus it is handy to have on those days where you don't want to heat up your kitchen (like summertime) and/or when you want a home-cooked meal fast.

Note: No additional liquid is needed in the slow cooker. The one can of Rotel and one can of olives were still enough to garnish the six breasts.

Enjoy!


"If your vocation isn’t a vacation, then quit, leap, change careers."

Denise Barker, Author, Blogger, Copy Editor
Books that Build Character(s)



What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you. Ralph Waldo Emerson
When you give someone a book, you don’t give him just paper, ink, and glue.  You give him the possibility of a whole new life. Christopher Morley
The best inheritance you can leave your kids is an example of how to live a full and meaningful life. Dan Zadra