The Nanny Marathon and Health Tips

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I spent a terrific New Years Day at home watching Fran Drescher in The Nanny marathon. Twiggy was even

in one episode. Got to her site CancerSchmancer.com for healthy living tips.  She shared many during commercial breaks

during her marathon.

Happy New Year, Fran!!

Happy New Year! Easy Holiday Recipes

I hope you have a happy and peaceful 2018!  With family and friends dropping in and so much to do, cooking can be a challenge.  Here are a few easy recipes I tried out, many featuring a pound of fresh spinach I picked up.  All images are public domain.

New Year's Eve Brunch; When you sleep late, this works!


Eggs Benedict Florentine with sliced bananas, apples and yogurt, spanakopita, and coffee.  Add beverage of your choice including fresh juice.


Eggs Benedict

Fresh eggs, I use large
tomato bouillon
3-4 leaves fresh spinach
1-2 slices Buddig corned beef, or other thin meat, including Canadian bacon, ham, sausage patties or bacon
Hollandaise sauce, organic packet, other mix, or home made
One slice multigrain toast of English muffin
One large bar European chocolate, broken into pieces


Poach three eggs in rapidly boiling water flavored with bouillon.  Remove when done and drain.  Egg should be firm, white, and quivering.


On the piece of toast, assemble meat, leaves of spinach and eggs.  Top with one generous tablespoon of Hollandaise sauce.


On a large plate, arrange sliced apples, bananas, yogurt, eggs Benedict, spanakopita, and chocolate


Serve on holiday china or paper plates :)  Provide beverage of choice; I like Hot coffee.


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Spanakopita


Just to review, I found a recipe on Recipes.com, but then, my mother's spirit took over and I rolled with the way we made it at home.


1 lb. package filo dough
about ounces fresh spinach; use your judgment
2-3 eggs
chopped onions or chives
about 4 ounces cottage cheese
6 ounces feta cheese crumbles
oregano
salt and pepper to taste
about 2 thirds of a pound butter


In a 9 or thirteen inch square metal or glass pan, spray the bottom with olive oil Pam cooking spray or other brand.  Lay one layer of filo dough, brush with butter that has been melted.  Alternate about six filo leaves brushed with butter.


In  a small pan, sauté in one tablespoon olive oil, onions and spinach  When onions clarify, remove, drain, and cool.  Put in a bowl with cottage cheese, eggs, and feta crumbles, oregano, salt, and pepper, and mix well. 


Spoon over filo, cover with more filo leaves, about two, and brush each with butter.  Add another layer of the spinach-cheese mixture, add more filo layers, about four, brush each layer with melted butter.


Cut in diagonals or squares before baking.


Bake for 35 or 40 mins at 350 degrees.  Watch closely, and remove when top layer turns golden brown.


For Tiropita [cheese pastries]  Omit sautéing spinach with onions.  Double the cheese mixture, and sprinkle in finely chopped onions.  Repeat procedure with filo and melted better.  Bake at same temperature for the same amount of time.
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Salmon a la Mom, Mediterranean Style


3-4 hard boiled eggs


one half small, thin sliced tomato


about 1 cup spinach leaves


2-3 portions Salmon, fresh


6-8 boiled shrimp


salt and pepper to taste


dried chives, oregano, basil or Herbs de Provence


chopped green onions


tomato bouillon


one to two pats butter


about one cup water


Spray the bottom of a glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Add salmon;  fill with water about half way.  Stir in tomato bouillon.  Cover and scatter spinach leaves, sliced tomatoes and onions. Mushrooms are good, too.  Add shrimp, tails off.  Capers are good in this as well.  Add salt pepper, other spices like oregano or basil, some dill or Herbs de Provence is great.


Bake uncovered at 35 degrees till salmon turns light pink.  Watch to see it has enough water.


After you plate it, garnish with sliced hardboiled eggs.  It is good with a side of very fresh linguine, just sprinkled with shredded parmesan chees.  Pair with a nice, chilled white wine.


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One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs Florentine


1 package spaghetti


1 small bottle Italian Vodka sauce, or other tomato based sauce.  You can make your own, too.


About 12 meatballs, I used Sicilian brand, with red pepper, which turned out to be very hot and spicy.  Any brand works, or if you have time, make your own.


About 2 cups spinach


Salt, pepper, oregano, chopped garlic, if you like, basil, dried chives, to taste.


Boil spaghetti per directions and drain.    Return to pot.  Add  vodka sauce to pot.  Add spinach and a little water, and stir very well.  Heat on low.  Add meatballs.  Stir till hot enough to serve.


Serve in bowls with fresh salad as a side.  Sprinkle spaghetti with freshly grated cheese.
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Easy Pizza!


I package small, about 6 inch, ready made pizza crusts, made in Italy.  Similar to Boboli. In a large cookie sheet or round pan sprayed with Pam, lay out crusts.  Brush with  any kind of pizza sauce, and cover with cheese.  I used slices of Havarti.  Add toppings, I used sliced green olives on one, fresh spinach leaves on another, thin sliced roast beef and olives on another.  Cover topics with more sliced Havarti.  I also used sliced American cheese on the roast beef one.  Dollop with more sauce and sprinkle with oregano.  Bake at about 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes till pizzas are crisp.  Enjoy!


I also made Baklava, and bough Christmas cookies, and made some.  I assembled small, colorful plates using Holiday paper plates and containers and covered them with foil, tied with a Christmas ribbon and topped with a Xmas card as gifts.  If time is not your friend over the holidays, try these ideas.


Merry 7th Day of Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Winter Solstice

It is again the Solstice; Blessed Be

Public Domain Image

When Things Go Wrong .....

I don't know what it is about today. I honestly haven't had time to look up even to see if it is a full moon.  People pass me speeding on the wrong side on residential streets; they do it to my friends, too.  Weird construction is everywhere.  I'm getting odd phone calls from places never heard of, and it's Christmas.


This year's is sad and harried; losing Dad and two dear friends was too much.  I am now an orphan officially, and nothing will ever make that better.  My wishes for all my readers are a peaceful Christmas and a blessed Solstice tomorrow.  I recommend Rosamund Pilcher's Winter Solstice for those who need solace, and I suggest surround yourself with people you love if you are sad or grieving.


Found on Amazon.com




Oddly enough, spending time in my childhood home has helped me.  I have done some decorating with our old things, because in them, live the memories of all of my family.  Small trees work as well as big ones, and old Nativity sets, even "dinged", can't be replaced for nostalgia.   A few cuttings of holly and evergreen set a nice tone.  Arranging things the way the house was is a good way to honor our past holidays, too.


Another thing that helps is making family recipes, baking those special cookies, or making the salad everyone loves.  When I do this, I can hear my mother and grandmother telling me what to do. If  you don't cook, perhaps try going to a favorite family restaurant, or just read the recipes and save them in a scrapbook.  I will do a scrapbook for my Dad, as for my mom.  They will be preserved with other family photos in the archives of my upcoming museum of dolls, toy, and memorabilia.


There is no closure, and there is no right or wrong way to grieve.  I say do what helps you get through the day.

After the Fall

From Dad

What I saw from Dad, and a message from God.

Autumn

Autumn comes in the time of
Year,
When Winter's Snows
Are
Quite, quite near!
  
      Ellen Tsagaris, Age 10




            Autumn has finally come; it is cold, and crisp, and the nights dark and early.  Finally, the leaves have changed, the apples taste crisper.  Coffee not only warms; it insulates


The colors are glowing, vibrant as the leaves die their slow, beautiful death.  My hand clutches, feeling the paint brush that isn't there, but once was.  I painted and photographed autumn frantically when I was young.   Here are some public domain and clip art images for your to enjoy; be sure to breathe deeply when the air is cool, and the sun is bright.


Remember collecting leaves - pressing them in books.  I have leaves that are older than I am, or at least, as old.  They live in my big, leather bound book of animals, itself a collectible.  Maybe it was gathering leaves and ironing them between sheets of wax paper that lead me to collecting dolls-- who knows!!




"Nothing Gold can Stay!"


Fall Vignettes


Fall Romance
Harvest Scene