Turkey Cupcakes

I saw Joy Bauer make these on the Today show the other morning (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42252549/ns/today-food/).  They sounded and looked good--healthy and colorful for my very picky daughter and simple and homey for my husband. 

Turns out they were relatively easy to make and they come out looking as promised.  My major complaint, however, is the use of Taco seasoning in the "dough."  I've always thought that this seasoning was far too strong for most meats--particularly for turkey.  In retrospective, I believe if I ever make these turkey cupcakes again, I'll season them with sage or rosemary or something more typically "turkey." 

 

Even so, they are certainly easy to eat.  You just grab one cold from the refrigerator like a meatloaf sandwich.  Very convenient!

No New Ads

Fellow Entrecarders, please don't bother purchasing any new ads for either of my two blogs. As I will be leaving Entrecard as soon as my present ads finish running, I am NOT accepting any new ads. I appreciate your confidence in me and I thank you for all of your support over the years that I have been an Entrecard member. My present Entrecard ads should be completely done in the next few days and then I will be removing the Entrecard widget from my blogs.

Leaving Entrecard

Entrecard has been very, very good to me.  It has helped me increase the number of readers on both of my blogs--this one and my other blog Communication Exchange.  With that said, I believe the time has come for me to break ties with this site.  It's nothing that Entrecard has done wrong or does wrong.  It's merely time for me to move on.

I've noticed lately that the number of my followers on both of my blogs has seemed to stabilize.  My guess is that I've acquired all the followers I'm going to acquire from Entrecard and as that was my main reason for joining Entrecard in the first place, I see no reason to continue. 

Truth be told, Entrecard takes a huge amount of my time each day--I'd say roughly two or three hours when I'm really doing "what I should be doing" with it.  At the moment, I believe my time could be better spent writing betters posts, reading, working on writing and polishing my murder mysteries, developing my publishing company Cozy Cat Press, and spending a few moments here and there taking care of my husband.

So, with that said, I will be removing the Entrecard widgets from my blogs.  For those of you not a member of Entrecard, you will notice no change.  For those of you on Entrecard, I hope you will continue to visit. 

(graphic from www.digit-8.com)

Mega-Beige

Food is supposed to be colorful, right?  Bright green peas.  Rich sparkling oranges.  Deep, lucious brown chocolate.  Red meat.  Smooth yellow squash.  Lots of bright colors.  Some nutritionists say the more colors in our food--the better.  The brighter the colors--the more nutritious. 

Why is it, then, that I can only seem to cook beige?  Yes, beige.  It seems no matter what I make for dinner, what recipe I use, or what wonderful combination of nutritious ingredients I combine--I always end up with a beige meal.  My daughter refers to my meals as "mega-beige."  She claims one reason is because I use pasta.

I put all the ingredients together, toss them in the oven, and thirty minutes later out comes the blandest, most boring looking casserole or stew I could imagine.  Should I serve everything raw?  Is it cooking that ruins the lovely, colorful ingredients?  Why, oh why, am I a mega-beige cook?

Help me, readers.  Help me lose my "mega-beige" reputation.  Tell me what to do.

(photo from www.healthyfoodforliving.com)

Your Longest Cold

What's the longest cold you've ever had?  I have been fighting a very resistent upper respiratory infection (cold) since February 9 (yes, I actually remember the date I got it because the nasty little virus rolled over me like a truck and kept me in bed for an entire week).  I am functioning now but still dripping from all above the waist orifices.  Surely, I am contagious!  But, lo and behold, the other two people who live in the same house with me show no signs of this creeping crud (and one of them sleeps in the same bed with me). 

I refuse to go to the doctor because she (he? not sure which gender my doc is of late) will probably want to hand me a plastic container of antibiotics--and I am allergic to virtually every antibiotic on the market.  So, going to the doctor's for a cold seems like a total waste of time.  Yes, yes, I can hear you say (just as I can hear my Hubby say), "but maybe it's something else--like bronchitis or pneumonia or swine flu!"  You are wrong!  It's a cold!  And I intend to wait it out!  I'm just gettting really impatient.

What's the longest cold you've every had?  Shall we have a contest?  My cold will be exactly four weeks old on Wednesday!  So there!

(photo from www.rodale.com)

Coffee Break With Mary Pat

Check out a coffee break interview that I did with Mary Pat Hyland on her blog "Hylander Diner."  You can find it here:  http://www.marypathyland.com/thehylander/coffee-break/

(graphic from www.davisjunctiononline.com)