1st time, long time

So, it's been quite awhile since my last post.
Lots of things have happened.
First off, I was on vacation for 3 weeks. There is no doubt in my mind that I was meant to live near the beach...a warm one. :)
Secondly, dear friends of ours lost their 10 year old little girl. A horrible unexplained tragedy. Life is cruel and it is short.
I am taking the next couple of weeks before school and work to refocus my priorites, renew my passion for things and rekindle my love for my family and friends.

But, first things first, I have a few things to share with you all. Some thoughts, new shows, recipes, freebies...

-Tonight at 10 pm on MTV is the premier of the new season of The Hills. Go Lauren! ;)

-Have you ever seen the show Big Spender? If you have any kind of debt, you should watch it. You can learn a lot of little tricks for decreasing clutter, debt and chaos from your life. I am working towards eliminating all the things I have. Which brings me to my next new find...

-Dr Wayne Dyer's new book is out. It is called Change the Way You Think, Change Your Life. I have been reading it at trips to the bookstore. (I'm trying to be a good girl and not buy every book I see) There is a great section about our need to have everything...collect things....hoard things. This only creates chaos in our mind in our lives. I agree. Do I really need every cookbook that Rachael Ray writes? I don't think so. I've decided to pare down my collections of things, including scrapbook supplies, and donate or sell the excess. Wish me luck. :)

-I love freebies. Who doesn't? Here's one for Folgers new gourmet coffee...
http://folgersgourmetselections.offerprocessingcenter.com/Offer.aspx?source=[WUScom]

-and one for Pantene....http://www.pantene.com/en_US/expressions/

-PotLuck Chicken Tetrazzini is din din tonight. :D
Prep: 30 minutes
Bake: 15 minutes
Cool: 5 minutes
Stand: 5 minutes

Ingredients
1 purchased roasted chicken
8 oz. dried spaghetti or linguine, broken in half
12 oz. fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 oz. small whole fresh mushrooms
3 medium red and/or yellow sweet peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 14-oz. can chicken broth
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese (2 oz.)
1 Tbsp. finely shredded lemon peel
2 slices sourdough bread, cut into cubes (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh parsley

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove meat from chicken; discard bones. Cut chicken pieces in chunks to equal 3 cups. Save remaining chicken for another use.

2. In Dutch oven cook spaghetti according to package directions. Add asparagus the last 1 minute of cooking. Drain. Return to pan.

3. Meanwhile, in large skillet cook mushrooms and sweet peppers in hot butter over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and black pepper until well combined. Add broth and milk all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

4. Add mushroom mixture, chicken pieces, Swiss cheese, and half the lemon peel to pasta mixture in Dutch oven. Toss gently to coat. Spoon pasta mixture into 3-quart rectangular baking dish.

5. In a medium bowl toss together bread cubes, olive oil, and remaining lemon peel. Spread bread cube mixture on pasta mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley before serving. Makes 10 (1-cup) servings.

Nutrition facts per serving:
Calories 282
Total Fat (g) 10
Saturated Fat (g) 4
Monounsaturated Fat (g) 3
Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 1
Cholesterol (mg) 48
Sodium (mg) 258
Carbohydrate (g) 28
Total Sugar (g) 4
Fiber (g) 2
Protein (g) 20
Vitamin C (DV%) 176
Calcium (DV%) 9
Iron (DV%) 13


I'm off to run some errands, pay bills and finish unpacking. Oh the joy of it all. How will I ever contain myself?

I'll be back later with some pix from our trip.

TTFN!