He'd be the butt of every joke.
Charlotte and I took off for the Wine Country a few weeks back with some of our best friends. We make the grape escape as soon as my liver dries out from the last one every couple of years.
Each time we go, we see something different. Discover wines we never heard of. And enjoy a respite from the hellish summer weather of our beloved Texas (I'm a native Texan, so I can call it hellish. It's printed right there on my birth certificate).
The Wine Country's gotten kind of a bad rap recently due to the Aug. 24th 6.0 earthquake that caused something north of $50 million in damage. The good news is that in spite of the loss, the people are friendly (we single out a couple below who definitely aren't) and they welcome our support of their industry.
If you're planning a trip to the left coast any time soon, here are some recommendations in the Russian River Valley (Healdsburg, CA).
Want a no-fuss weeknight meal with a little kick? Try these chicken-filled tortillas from Brandon Schulz's The Taco Revolution (Skyhorse Publishing, April 2014, $24.95).
I'm guessing, this:
I've never understood the paranoia over cracked cheesecakes. In fact, I grew up seeing so many disfigured cheesecakes that I thought they were supposed to have cracks in them. Well, my friends, I'm proud to share with all of you my recipe for lemon ricotta cheesecake that will meet your cracked expectations. This cheesecake has the perfect punch of lemon and a moderately dense texture. Yes, one could bake this cheesecake to be crack-less, but what fun is that? A waterbath for three hours? Who has time for that? I'd much rather be at the beach.
Your eyes never lie. But with the right help, they might at least stretch the truth when it comes to revealing your age.
So it's important to pamper your peepers with smart pick-me-ups like these. They do a number on getting rid of wrinkles, dark circles, thinning lashes and everything in-between. Besides costing under $100, they all tackle several top eye concerns at once. Some are for sensitive types, others are all natural and some are as close as your nearest drugstore
Easy way to find out...
Now that summer's over (not officially, but over in that Target-is-pulling-out-Halloween-and-Thanksgiving-decorations kind of way), I'm sitting here wondering where the time went.
It seems like only yesterday we were baking in 102-degree heat and floating in the pool.
Wait. That was yesterday.
Before it slips away entirely, let's everyone take out a clean sheet of notebook paper and tell the class what we did this summer. I'll go first.
Triple-Threat Cruise
Charlotte and I celebrated our TRIPLE ANNIVERSARY with a cruise. For those of you doing the math, that doesn't mean we've been married three years. Nope. We celebrated: 1) My 10-year anniversary as a cancer survivor; 2) Charlotte's 5-year anniversary as a cancer survivor; and, 3) Our 36th wedding anniversary.
We took our favorite cruise line (Regent) from Athens to Barcelona and celebrated across the Mediterranean. Nobody - and I mean that literally - NOBODY got the whole TRIPLE ANNIVERSARY concept. But that was OK with us. When you're a cancer survivor, you've earned the right to celebrate every milestone like crazy. And that's exactly what we did. In the words of Ricky Bobby, we made that celebration our bitch.
Highlight
Every port in the south of France.
Lowlight
Pisa (of Leaning Tower fame). Don't waste your time.
Things have been pretty peachy in Colleywood lately. Regular trips to the farmer's market have kept our fridge full of some of the most flavorful Texas beauties ever! We've also picked up some wonderful fresh blueberries there. So last week, I decided to combine these two faves in a delicious new dessert.
Slowly...very slowly.
Bob says a dash of hot sauce makes most anything better. He adds it to Chick-fil-A sandwiches, ketchup, even pimento cheese.
Bursting with vitamin C and ablaze with color, sweet bell peppers make an ideal ingredient in stir-fry dishes. You could use red, yellow and orange bell peppers, or just green ones from your summer garden. Jalapeños make a hot but not blazing spicy note here. If you want more heat, use fresh green or red serrano chile peppers, and if you want a fiery dish, use tiny Thai chiles instead.
This theory has some holes in it...
Prepare your own Mexican quick fix with this Chipotle-inspired bowl. Carbs are moderated by filling the bowl with beans, extra veggies and chicken. No need for rice, since the beans count as carbs.
Tips:
If you love tomatoes, increase the quantity to 1/2 cup, but note that the carbohydrates will also increase.
If preparing this recipe for one person, cut all of the ingredients in half. Or simply prepare the full recipe up to the end of step 2 and store leftover chicken and vegetable-bean mixture in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave on High for 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through, and continue with step 3.
Health Bite: The iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc in black beans help to keep bones strong and healthy.
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Know someone battling cancer? Baylor Health Care System's Sammons Says... cancer blog is a great place to go for help. Here, you'll find information, resources, physicians, support groups and just about everything you need to help you navigate your way through this illness.
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