Strikes my fancy

When I was in college I grabbed this book before a mission trip to NY.   Knowing that I'd have 24 hours on a bus made me think I could read the huge thing...and I did.  I totally enjoyed the book. Fast forward to this year when I heard that Gen Powell had written another book (somehow I missed the book between these two) AND about leadership - I knew I had to read it! The book has some great nuggets about leadership that anyone can read and apply.  There are a LOT of references to the Army, but given that sector was his life for so long doesn't make that too surprising, but it did get a little old. This is a good leadership read.  Is it one I'll buy for my bookshelf?  Probably not.

This meal started with another "What's in the fridge & freezer" kind of conversation. Here's what I used: 1/2 cup quinoa (already cooked) 1 cup black beans with chili powder (already cooked) 4 LARGE mushrooms, sliced 3 handfuls of fresh spinach 1/4 cup chopped red onion 1 link chicken apple sausage 6 grape tomatoes - cut in half. I put a bit of olive oil in a skillet and let it heat up. Add the sausage, mushrooms, onions and spinach and let them sautee for a bit.  Add quinoa and black beans and cooked until warmed through.  Add the grape tomatoes and stir until blended. Spoon into bowls and eat warm. This won't win any awards, but I enjoyed it!

If you hang out in the blog world you've by now heard of Pinterest...maybe even already spent too much time on Pinterest!  If you're like me you pin lots of things to "do later".  Well - there's not time like the present to do things!  So I'll be taking things from a pin to a check mark off the to do list. I'll be trying to post something bi-weekly that I've found and done on Pinterest.  Some (maybe most?) will be food, but some will be DIY, crafts and things we'll use at The P. So for my first submission I tried making a cookie that some called a healthy no-bake.  Well, if you know me you know that a no-bake cookie is one of my favorite cookies - so I had to try it! Original post is here:   http://gimmesomeoven.com/no-bake-energy-bites/   so give her some love. Here are my ingredients (minus a bag of in-flight peanuts I found in the cabinet after I snapped this photo) 1 cup Quick Oats 1 tsp Vanilla (yes, I know it's imitation...I

This is the story of Sally O'Malley and her family.  Her family includes her sister Troo, older sister Nell, her mother, stepfather, grandmother and uncle. From the book: Sally O'Malley made a promise to her daddy before he died. She swore she'd look after her sister, Troo. Keep her safe. But like her Granny always said-actions speak louder than words. Now, during the summer of 1959, the girls' mother is hospitalized, their stepfather has abandoned them for a six pack, and their big sister, Nell, is too busy making out with her boyfriend to notice that Sally and Troo are on the Loose. And so is a murderer and molester. Highly imaginative Sally is pretty sure of two things. Who the killer is. And that she's next on his list. Now she has no choice but to protect herself and Troo as best she can, relying on her own courage and the kindness of her neighbors. I didn't like this book and I think it was mainly because of the subject matter.  I got the book and

I can't remember if this started with a "pin" or an email, but here's where I got the inspiration:   http://theshiksa.com/2012/05/01/quinoa-black-bean-burrito-bowls/ You can see her recipe following that link - below is how I made it. INGREDIENTS        1 cup   quinoa          1 clove   garlic, minced         2 cans (15 oz each)   black beans, rinsed and drained          1/4 tsp   chili powder (mild) TOPPINGS                Plain Yogurt          Mixed Greens         Grape Tomatoes         Guacamole         Red Onion Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a mesh strainer or sieve, drain. I make my quinoa in the rice cooker.  Usually 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water....SOOOOO easy! (here are stove directions: Pour quinoa into a saucepan along with 2 cups of water. Bring the quinoa to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover the pot. Let the quinoa simmer for about 20 minutes till it becomes tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.) Put a smidge of oliv

I admit - I am intrigued by our educational system and I love NYC.  So combine the two and your book becomes a must read! Deborah Kenny decides to open a charter school in NYC - I think her main goal was to allow teachers to really teach.  Not to the test and not with every class having the same curriculum, but using their own style and motivation to help kids excel (at one point during recruiting she says she's looking for the "All-Stars").  She decides to start in Harlem and actually visits Geoffrey Canada's school.  But her main source of inspiration and encouragement comes from heads of charter schools around the country.  She talks about the legal hoops she jumps through and about working in her living room with her 3 kids helping her.  She talks about the politics of the entire school system (NYC & beyond) as well as the politics it takes to get grants. She gives a lot of focus to teachers and letting them kinda guide both the school and the classroom

Fried Rice! For some reason - I have a lot of mystery meat in my freezer.  I think the reason is that I made stuff in the crockpot, but it was too much for one person to eat and so I froze it.  So I've been pulling it out of the freezer and trying to decipher what it is and use it.  I also seem to have a lot of rice that I must have bought at one time for "fancy dishes".  So what does one do when they have random rice and meat?  Make fried rice! (but you already knew that didn't you?)  Seriously - I think that as long as your rice is prepped ahead fried rice is one of the easiest dishes to make...and help you clean out your fridge/freezer. I used 3 cups of cooked and cooled rice, 1 egg, 1 cup of "mystery meat" and random veggies in my fridge in freezer (I just eyeballed this, no exact measurements). I started by scrambling the egg in the skillet.  I then moved it to the side and added sesame oil (you could use veg oil as well, but I like the taste o