Mu Shu Chicken Wraps

Keep on celebrating Earth Day's message with a poem 

Earth, What Will You Give Me?
by Beverly Mc Loughland

Earth, what will you give me

In summer
In summer,
Earth, what will you give me
In summer
Serene?

I’ll give you my fields
Made of lilies,
Of lilies,
I’ll give you my fields
Made of lilies
And green.

And what will you give me
In autumn

In autumn
And what will you give me
In autumn
So bold?

I’ll give you my leaves
Made of maple,
Of maple,
I’ll give you my leaves
Made of maple
And gold.

And what will you give me
In winter,
In winter,
What will you give me
In winter
So light?

I’ll give you my stars
Made of crystal,
Of crystal,
I’ll give you my stars
Made of crystal
And white.

And what will you give me
In springtime,
In springtime,
And what will you give me
In springtime
So new?

I’ll give you my nests
Made of grasses,
Of grasses,
I’ll give you my nests
Made of grasses
And blue.

Mu Shu Chicken Wraps

Cook's Notes:A restaurant quality meal that is so worth the time it takes to put together. Where to begin...tastes like something you'd order from PF Chang, a great mix of Asian flavors, lots of texture with ground meat, salad slaw and sunflower seeds. Use live butter lettuce for the wrap which cuts down on the carbs. I avoided using romaine leaves due to all  the recent food safety warnings. Ground turkey or pork can be substituted for chicken. Sauce can be made earlier in the day as a time saver.  

Recipe makes 5 servings and was adapted from cuisineathome.com December 2017 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb. ground chicken, turkey or pork
• 2 TB. olive oil, divided
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1/4 cup minced green onion
•  3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp dried ginger 
• 2 cups from a bag of Asian Chopped Salad Mix
• 3/4 cup minced water chestnuts
• Sunflower seeds found in Asian Chopped Salad Mix  
• Butter lettuce leaves

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 TB. low sodium soy sauce
• 1 TB. chili garlic sauce (found in grocery store Asian aisle)
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 TB. honey

Directions:

• Make sauce and set aside.
• Beat eggs with a whisk. Heat non stick pan or wok with 1 TB. olive oil. Scramble eggs just until set, Cut into bite sized pieces and  set aside.
• Wipe pan clean and add 1 TB. olive oil to pan. Heat and saute onions, garlic and ginger just until fragrant.
• Add in ground meat and water chestnuts. Cook on medium heat. Crumble meat as it cooks. When meat is cooked through add in sauce and mix well. Cook on low uncovered 2 minutes. 
• Stir in 2 cups salad mixture and diced egg mixture into meat mixture. Fill lettuce cup with a large scoop of meat mixture.

Weekend Round-Up

I love these last minute improvised baking hacks video- such creative ideas when you don't have the right size pan on hand. The best one is the improvised bundt pan. 
https://www.facebook.com/buzzfeednifty/videos/vb.1679616822293043/2052711801650208/?type=2&theater ALERT

 Hope you  have been squirreling away poems for 

Keep A Poem in Your Pocket Day April 26th
The idea is simple: select a poem you love, carry it with you, then share it with co-workers, family, and friends.

The Academy of American Poets, which launched National Poetry Month in 1996, took Poem in Your Pocket to all fifty United States in 2008, encouraging individuals across the country to join in and “channel their inner bard.” There are many creative ways to share poems on this poetry day.
In Your School
Post pocket-sized verses around your school. Encourage students to write new poetry.
In Your Community
Within your community distribute bookmarks with your favorite lines of poetry or pocket sized verses. 

Create chalk poems outside on the sidewalk
On Social Media
Post lines from your favorite poem on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr account.

Home

Look up some of your favorite poets and enjoy their  poetic verses.

Remember: Poetry is best when shared, and Poem in Your Pocket Day is the perfect time to share!Here's one to get you started

 

Charred Broccolini with Grapes, Cashews and Brussels Sprouts Leaves

Cook's Notes: Broccolini

Compared to the somewhat bitter flavor of regular broccoli, the taste of broccolini is more mild, with a sweet, earthy taste. While it can be eaten raw broccolini tastes best when cooked  sautéed, steamed, roasted or grilled.
Health Benefits: Broccolini is not only generally agreed to be sweeter in taste than your regular broccoli, it's also a healthy option. A good source of vitamin A folate, iron and potassium and an excellent source of vitamin C that provides 35 calories per 3 oz. serving, which is around 5 to 6 stalks.

Recipe makes two large servings.  Add a  drizzle of Ken's Steak House Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette Dressing to the salad and you have a yummy healthy start to your week.

Salad Ingredients: 

• A bag of Shaved Brussels Sprouts leaves. You will need 2 cups. 

• 8 broccolini stalks. trim 2 inches off the stalks. 
• 2 TB. olive oil, divided 
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced and divided
• 1 cup combinations mini red and yellow peppers
• dash of red pepper flakes  
• 1-1./ cups red grapes, halved
• Lemon squeeze (1/2 lemon) 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup toasted cashews  

Directions:

• Heat 1 TB. olive oil in a large non stick fry pan. 
• Stir fry shaved Brussels sprouts leaves with half of the minced garlic until crisp about 2 minutes. 
• Places crisp Brussels sprout leaves on a paper towel lined plate. 
• Heat rest of oil, add broccolini with rest of garlic, peppers and red pepper flakes. Stir until charred about 2 minutes. Squeeze lemon juice over broccolini mixture. Add to paper towel lined plate. 
• To serve place salad ingredients in a bowl or spread out on a small tray. Mix in grapes and cashews. Drizzle with dressing. 

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. It was first observed in 1970, but its roots go back to the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring. 

This book exposed the effects of pesticides and other chemical pollutants on the environment. Earth Day became a secular holiday in 1970. According to Earth Day Network, Earth Day is celebrated by a billion people making it the world's largest secular holiday.

Earth Day gives us the opportunity to think about how we can better take care of our home planet.  Earth Day is now a global event each year, and we believe that more than 1 billion people in 192 countries now take part in what is the largest civic-focused day of action in the world.

It is a day of political action and civic participation. People march, sign petitions, meet with their elected officials, plant trees, clean up their towns and roads. Corporations and governments use it to make pledges and announce sustainability measures. Faith leaders, including Pope Francis, connect Earth Day with protecting God’s greatest creations, humans, biodiversity and the planet that we all live on.

Earth Day Network, the organization that leads Earth Day worldwide, announced that Earth Day 2018 will focus on mobilizing the world to End Plastic Pollution, including creating support for a global effort to eliminate single-use plastics along with global regulation for the disposal of plastics. EDN will educate millions of people about the health and other risks associated with the use and disposal of plastics, including pollution of our oceans, water, and wildlife, and about the growing body of evidence that decomposing plastics are creating serious global problems.

End Plastic Pollution campaign includes four major components:

• Leading a grassroots movement to support the adoption of a global framework to regulate plastic pollution.
• Educating, mobilizing and activating citizens across the globe to demand that governments and corporations control and clean up plastic pollution.
• Educating people worldwide to take personal responsibility for plastic pollution by choosing to reject, reduce, reuse and recycle plastics.
• Promoting local government regulatory and other efforts to tackle plastic pollution.
  

Chief Seattle

Chief Seattle's speech, according to pioneer Dr. Henry Stevens, was given on the occasion of an 1854 visit to the Seattle region by Issac Stevens who was the governor and Commissioner of Indian Affairs of the Washington Territory. Today Seattle's significant words about taking care of Mother Earth still carry great importance. There are several versions of the speech's text since it had to be translated from one language to another before being translated in English. Here are some familiar words from the last part of the speech.

"Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth.

"This we know the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.

"One thing we know our God is also your God. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator.

"Your destiny is a mystery to us. What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered? The wild horses tamed? What will happen when the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of many men and the view of the ripe hills is blotted by talking wires? Where will the thicket be? Gone! Where will the eagle be? Gone! And what is it to say goodbye to the swift pony and the hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival.

"When the last Red Man has vanished with his wilderness, and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, will these shores and forests still be here? Will there be any of the spirits of my people left?

"We love this earth as a newborn loves its mother's heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it. Care for it as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it. Preserve the land for all children and love it, as God loves us all.

"As we are part of the land, you too are part of the land. This earth is precious to us. It is also precious to you. One thing we know there is only one God. No man, be he Red Man or White Man, can be apart. We are brothers after all."

Broccolini Grape Salad with Cashews

Blueberry Lemon Bars
Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing 
Taco Tortellini Skillet Meal 

The Cowboy President

“It is better to be an original than an imitation.” 
Theodore Roosevelt 

Being a cowboy crazy kid growing up it’s no surprise Michael F. Blake, author of “The Cowboy President: The American West And The Making of Theodore Roosevelt” found a kindred spirit in Theodore Roosevelt with his love of Western life. It is evident throughout the book Blake admires Roosevelt for his determined efforts to protect the country’s wildlife and land for the future and his ability to speak the truth, even when it is not the popular thing to do.

The bibliography for this book is extensive with a most impressive list. Blake has read books, scoured magazine articles, newspaper accounts, Internet articles, manuscripts, documentaries and interviews to give the readers a fresh perspective and insight into a man whose life has been told many times over. Blake’s extensive research included personal diaries, which helped him create an informative description of the people Roosevelt encountered and the land out West. The preface to this book is one of the most well executed ones I have ever read. It encapsulates in just a few pages the charismatic, magnetic, principled, egotistical, romanticized and funny person Roosevelt was.

Blake is successful creating a book that gives a vivid picture of how Roosevelt found solace in the vastness of the Badlands, how the land challenged him to live relying on his own inner strength and skills with help from a few friends, how the land eventually restored him from a major personal life crisis and how the west shaped Roosevelt his policies, and eventually his presidency.

TR North Dakota with his beloved mount, Manitou 1885
Initials TR are carved into the cantle of the saddle

As Blake began his research he followed the example set by Louis L’Amour, a popular western writer. L’Amour believed if you are going to write about a place you need to see it and experience it personally not just rely on notes made from other books and material. Over the three year time period it took Blake to complete the novel he made two to four  trips a year to the Badlands area, There he explored the land on foot and on horseback researching and imagining every aspect relating to TR’s days in the Dakotas. Like Roosevelt Blake has also driven cattle, crossed rivers on horseback and spent days in the saddle giving him a renewed perspective as he experienced the land just as Roosevelt had. His time spent in the Dakotas helped Blake write an intimate portrayal of a man who found his heart and strength in the West. 

The book traces Roosevelt’s years in the Badlands with his adventures as a big game hunter, a rancher, frontiersman, cowboy and even a pursuer of outlaws. It was here he learned first hand the importance of conservation. The majority of the book chronicles the west period of his life. The last half on the book extends Blake’s analysis into his presidency years showing how his passion for the west and needed conservation measures shaped his politics and eventually presidency.

Blake hopes readers will see that Roosevelt’s time spent in the American West transformed him physically and emotionally. Blake’s’ carefully crafted sentences engage the reader into a mesmerizing saga of Roosevelt’s life. With crisp, straightforward and detailed sentences the reader gets a window view of a western landscape with life as a rancher and Blake’s writing seamlessly brings the reader back full circle to city life with Roosevelt's family life and the political arena.

Mt. Rushmore

In his lifetime Roosevelt authored thirty-seven books, hundreds of magazine articles and editorials. As president, he preserved over 230 million acres of unspoiled land for the American public, established 51 bird sanctuaries, 18 national monuments, 6 National Parks, and created or expanded 150 National Forests. As Roosevelt witnessed game life not being as plentiful as he once believed he had the foresight to see there was a need for strong laws to protect the wildlife and the land.

“The Cowboy President” is informative and expertly written, meticulously documented book, which includes lots of photographs from Roosevelt’s time out West that perhaps many have never seen. Besides owning a personal copy of "The Cowboy President" it’s a great resource that should be accessible for high school and college history classes.

Blake’s stellar resume includes books: "Code of Honor: The Making of High Noon, Shane and the Searchers." These books are recognized as informative works relating to the Western genre.  Besides being an author Michael F. Blake, a two-time Emmy-winning makeup artist, has worked in the film industry for sixty years. In 2017, Michael received the Stirrup Award from Western Writers of America for his article on the making of John Ford’s "The Searchers."

I met a real cowboy at the Western Writers' Booth,  Michael Blake. He was at the Tucson Book Festival in March. He generously gave me his new book and provided me with additional pieces of information for this review. I used Michael's favorite Theodore Roosevelt quote in the beginning.

Check out Michael Blake’s website. http://www.michaelfblake.com/to learn more about the author, his upcoming events, blog, a Q and A section and previously published books. 

Blake is committed to making Theodore Roosevelt a relevant figure in today’s world with his lively presentation where he relates stories about Theodore's time in the west and how it influenced him. He has designed it so it can be as long as 45 minutes or as short as 15 minutes. Contact information is available on his website. 

Looking for Spring

Just in case you happen to come upon spring here are a few early signs you might look for...
Hepatica

Trailing Arbutus

Spring Beauty

Spring Salad

Cook's notes: A tangy herb vinaigrette pairs well with this spring salad. Strawberries are one of the early bird berries of the season. Adding crisp green beans, radishes and sweet snap peas make this an ultra crunchy salad.
The salad serves 4 and is adapted from BHG March 2014
Dressing makes 3/4 cup
Salad Ingredients:

• Chopped Romaine lettuce or spring greens
• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 1 cup sliced radishes or watermelon radishes
• 8 oz. green beans, ends trimmed
• 8 oz. sugar snap peas
• 1/4 cup caramelized almonds

Salad Directions:

• In a large pot cook green beans and peas in boiling salted water 3 minutes.
• Fill a colander with ice cubes, drain beans and peas, let sit for few minutes.
• In a large bowl toss beans and peas with a 2 TB. of dressing, cover and chill 30 minutes or up until 4 hours.
• Stir in radishes and strawberries.
• On each serving plate add mixed greens, with strawberries, beans and radishes
• Top with almonds and a drizzle of dressing

Dressing Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup olive oil or lemon olive oil
• 2 TB. balsamic vinegar
• 2 TB. honey
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 TB. minced onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced 
• 1/4 tsp. tarragon
• 1/4 tsp. parsley
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. each salt and cracked pepper

Dressing Directions:

• Add all ingredients in blender and blend or use a screw top jar, refrigerate to meld flavors. 
• Whisk right before serving.

The World According to Bella

Life is Better at the Lake 
What seemed like an endless ride back to Minnesota from Arizona finally came to halt by day three. When I wasn't keeping an eye on Mr. C and Mrs. S's driving 

making sure they were heading east than north, I did a lot of power napping.

I'm all about the trades and quite frankly I was more than happy  to trade this 

for life at the lake even if there's snow. So I really didn't  miss winter after all. Guess spring is skipping a turn this year or something like that.  

Check out two of the three most recent finds.

Each brought a decent trade.

The third find was a skull. It proved to be a tough drag home through the heavy wet snow and muddy roads. My jaws got real tired. Mrs. S was not home to see it. Mr.C failed to get a picture.  But let me tell each time the trades did get better. The skull trade was the best of all, a large piece of chicken.  Note I was not about to give the skull up too fast after all the work it was getting it back home.  
But here I am sleeping on  the job after all that hard work when  

I should have been on alert for the baby raccoon. He was busy rustling up some mid day lunch from a bag of garbage Mrs. S had set down briefly before heading to the garbage can. Here's what I heard happened next from Mrs. S. 

Mr. C  yelled but the raccoon only moved off the porch to the the steps. Mr.C and Mrs S both looked at the raccoon. The raccoon looked back at Mr. C and Mrs. It was hungry and really wanted lunch. They yelled more and it ran under the porch. Mr.C being a techy sort of guy went straight to the Internet for ideas on how to get rid of it. He tried pouring ammonia down through the cracks and shining a bright light on it. Idea #3 woke me up with a start. The radio was turned up real loud to talking voices not music. Apparently that is supposed to be scarier to a raccoon than loud music.  Well idea #3 worked for a day but now the raccoon is back with a brother or a sister. All that loud radio noise is disturbing my sleep.  Mr. C may have to think of something else. I want to know where is their mother. They should be supervised better.

I wanted you to see a picture of what I was doing last April 14th after Mr. C put the dock in.  I'm wondering how long I'll have to wait to do this again. 

Love, Bella

Sheet Pan Sesame Chicken with a Veggie Medley and Basmati Rice

Sesame Chicken with a Veggie Medley and Basmati Rice

Cook's Notes: An easy supper meal with a few shortcuts. Use a sheet pan, a prepackaged vegetable medley and a microwavable package of Uncle Ben's Basmati Ready Rice. Add a bit of Asian inspiration with a tangy sauce. Recipe serves four and was adapted from eatyourselfskinny.com  
Pair  the meal with a small slice of coconut cream pound cake  http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2018/04/weekend-round-up_15.html and you have spring on a plate. 

Ingredients:

• 2 large chicken breasts-each breast cut into thirds
• 1 prepackaged vegetable medley (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots (finely diced), snap peas)  
• 1 cup red onions, cut in large chunks
• Sesame seeds

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 TB. sweet chili sauce (found in Asian aisle) 
• 4 TB. honey
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 TB. orange juice
• 1 TB. cornstarch 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with a silicone pad or parchment paper.
• Whisk all sauce ingredients together in a small saucepan. On a low heat cook sauce until slightly thick. Remove from heat and set aside.  
• Place chicken, carrots and onions on the sheet pan. Drizzle some of the sauce over the chicken mixture. Roast 10 minutes. Stir and add in snap peas, cauliflower and broccoli.  Drizzle more sauce over the chicken and veggie mixture. Roast 10 minutes more or until chicken is cooked through. 
•  Serve chicken mixture over basmati or brown rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and a drizzle of sauce.    

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough. 

-Rabindranath Yagore