What Did I Do to the Universe?

Hullo lovely.  It has been a time since we last chatted and I felt strongly that I should bring you up to speed.

Since the last post I went on a short trip to visit my longest standing friend.  It's always nice to be able to share space with the person who knows you best in the world, where silences are never awkward and where no matter how much of a mess you feel like you are they love you anyway.  (And may perhaps ridicule you a little cause they are your friend and that is their job).  Aside from much fun, wine and great food that little trip may have landed me a new beau.  It's early days but so far I'm a little smitten and really enjoying the time we spend together.

On the work front there have been some big changes lately.  My partner in the region was exited from the organization rather abruptly leaving me in change of the whole shebang!  It more than doubled my workload with that change.  Not only did the day to day workload increase though, but I have been voluntold that I will be sitting on a variety of committees and in strategy planning sessions to develop the overall structure for the new look of our organization.  Perhaps I didn't look busy enough previously.

On the home front....my ex is an asshat and continues to make his presence known but word and deed.  He has now petitioned to have our original settlement reopened because he thinks he's entitled to support from me.  I'll let that sink in a moment..............................................  Yes, the man with a full time job, who ended up with the house and the boat, now thinks that I should pay him support for the time it took out of his life while I, and I quote, "...advanced my career....".  We share custody of our daughter and each pay a set amount into an account that supports her activities, clothes etc.  I shake my head and plot my revenge daily but still......gah!  More lawyers, and time, and stress to be petty.

So peeps, the love life is ticking along slowly but rather nicely, work makes me want to cry right now and my ex well, he is a piece of work.

There is wine in the fridge and a brand new day tomorrow.  Have a great long weekend and don't forget to stop and smell the bubble bath.

P.S.  Didn't include on this list the fact that I had to move with 10 days notice so currently consider myself homeless and living on the mercy of my long suffering friends.  A gypsy...yay!  And last, but not least, one of my direct reports had a mild heart attack in the office yesterday which was a frightening experience for our staff and should make us all remember what's important.  He's doing well....

Who Likes Pizza For Breakfast?

I think breakfast is the most important meal of the day even if you have it for lunch or dinner.  This recipe came to me via a friend so I'm not too sure of it's original origins but it is easy and very tasty and good no matter when you have breakfast.  You can add your favorite toppings and change it up, substitute crumbled bacon for sausage, use jack instead of cheddar or add some veggies or hot peppers.  Whatever tickles your fancy will work.

 

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) can reduced-fat refrigerated crescent dinner roll dough

Cooking spray

12 ounces turkey breakfast sausage

1 cup frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fat-free cheddar cheese

1/4 cup fat-free milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 (8-ounce) carton egg substitute

2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Separate dough into triangles. Press triangles together to form a single round crust on a 12-inch pizza pan coated with cooking spray. Crimp edges of dough with fingers to form a rim.

Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain.

Top prepared dough with sausage, potatoes, and cheese. Combine milk, salt, pepper, and egg substitute, stirring with a whisk. Carefully pour milk mixture over sausage mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until crust is browned.

Now, go see Momma and get some breakfast cooking! 

Hullo...I Finally Paid the Water Bill

It has been far too long since we last spoke...

In the meantime I landed a new job which is keeping me beyond busy.  I am in the same general field I was in previously but a whole different aspect of that field.  The learning curve has been steep, like vertical, as well as adjusting to a new set of colleagues, procedures and office drama.  Ah, the office drama.  It's life affirming to know that no matter where you go the drama exists and though the players and topics change the basic principle remains the same.

I work in a traditionally male dominated industry and in my new role am the only female in the senior leadership.  It poses it's own set of challenges and rewards and so far I am enjoying the pitched battles encountered as I navigate my way through the "old boys" network.

I am looking forward to rededicating myself to my little blog and being a much better blogger with things like regular updates, and by regular I mean more that once every 5 months *cough, cough*.

For now,  the water is back on and, since it's Friday, there's wine chilling and the tub is open for business!

Share a Spoon - Midnight Snacks

If I am up at midnight it would constitute a miracle of some kind but if I ever need a late night snack I definitely have a favorite....French Toast.  The recipe below makes 6 slices so unless you've got a serious case of the munchies or have some of your peeps with you this recipe can be halved to make it just for you!

Perfect French Toast

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cups half and half or milk, 1/2 tsp of nutmeg (or cinnamon which is my fave), 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1tsp sugar and a pinch of salt in a shallow bowl.  Heat 1/2 TBSP of butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Working in batches, dip 6 slices of thick sliced white bread (or whatever bread tickles your fancy) in the egg mixture and cook in the skillet until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side, adding more butter as needed.  Transfer to a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray and bake until puffed, 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve with warmed syrup,  jam, chocolate sauce or simply sprinkled with icing sugar.

There is something about baking the french toast, which I never did before I stumbled across this recipe, that makes it extra yummy!

Now point your fuzzy slippers in the direction of Momma's and be sure to turn off the lights when you head to bed.

Nighty night...

Share A Spoon - Breakfast!

Weekends are for decadent breakfast foods.  At least one day each weekend my kitchen turns out an extra special breakfast that we only have the time to savor with the leisurely pace the weekend affords. 


German Apple Pancakes

• Batter:
• 1/2  cup  all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1  tablespoon  granulated sugar
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  grated whole nutmeg
• 1  cup  egg substitute
• 1  cup  fat-free milk
• 2  tablespoons  butter, melted
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• Apple mixture:
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  cup  granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/2  teaspoon  grated whole nutmeg
• 1  cup  thinly sliced Granny Smith apple
• Remaining ingredient:
• 1  tablespoon  powdered sugar

Preparation

1. To prepare batter, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, salt, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine egg substitute, milk, butter, and vanilla in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add egg substitute mixture to flour mixture, stirring with a whisk. Let stand 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 425°.

3. To prepare apple mixture, coat bottom and sides of a 10-inch ovenproof skillet with cooking spray. Combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg; sprinkle evenly over bottom and sides of pan. Arrange apple in an even spokelike layer in pan. Sprinkle apple with remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Cook over medium heat 8 minutes or until mixture bubbles. Slowly pour batter over apple mixture.

4. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375° (do not remove pancake from oven); bake an additional 13 minutes or until center is set. Carefully loosen pancake with a spatula. Gently slide pancake onto a serving platter. Sift powdered sugar over top. Cut into 6 wedges; serve immediately.

It's time to link up at The Tank and share some breakfast ideas.

Still Getting the Hang of Blogging

I am still trying to work out how to incorporate blogging into my routine.  I often think "hey, I should blog about that" and then promptly forget.  I'm sure I'll get the hang of it eventually.

Been a busy few weeks with a trip south of the border to visit our American neighbors and a week in sunny Mexico soaking up sun and beer in equal measure.  Now it is back to reality and a renewed focus on the job hunt.

I have managed to get my resume updated, tweaked and polished and had some folks review for some honest feedback.  It has been a really long time since I had completed a resume and it took some time to get it just right. I had made some calls requesting some letters of reference and a couple people, although happy to sign one for me, asked me to write it for them!  That was a very strange experience, to write a letter about yourself expounding your professional virtues.  Needless to say I appear, at least on paper, to be an awesome asset to any organization!

On the love front, Wheels has recently reached out to me, telling me he made a mistake and wants to "earn his way" back into my life.  I am not sure how I feel about that just yet.  Getting passed the hurt and the anger when he left have been really hard.  I have agreed to see him next week but made no promises and have no expectations.  Time, as with all things, will tell.

If you are amongst those in most of Eastern North America under a blanket of snow and cold I hope you have lots of hot water and bubble bath for your tub and wine to keep you hydrated when you're in there.

When the Chips Are Down

Even in the midst of turmoil there are always moments of clarity.  I had the great good fortune to have dinner with a couple of fine women this past Saturday night.  There was much good food and much good drink and conversation.

As I later recapped the night and thought about the advice, the support and the acceptance of being able to share all the deeper bits of what I was dealing with it I realized how special good friendships are to our well being.  They are the relationships that buoy us in times of trouble, celebrate with us when things are going our way and provide the uncensored, real feedback we need to make decisions and move forward.  I don't have a lot of close friendships but the ones I have are important.

It's good to know that when the chips are down there will always be someone to throw a life line into the tub for me.