Pen of Presidents

Micron

Balsamic Reduction

What an easy, delicious salmon sauce that is usable again and again!  Get a 16 oz bottle of cheap balsamic vinegar and boil it to it reduces to about half a cup place it in a bottle like you'd use for olive oil a nice smaller half bottle of wine works perfect and it will keep for up to 3 months.

Moving Tips

Packing:

1. Label your stuff well i.e.: summer tops
2. Pack your clothes in garbage bags and then in boxes
3. Label all sides with what room and check fragile – whatever is needed etc
4. Spend the money for bubble wrap, packing paper, and boxes it's important to pack china etc well
5. Be detailed in labeling your boxes i.e.: 3 glass bowels, 4 red glasses, 4 white coffee mugs etc
6. Give yourself time start 6 weeks in advance do an hour or so each day
   

Unpacking:

    1.   Move boxes into their specific rooms and organize in a fashion where you can walk around
    2.   Move the big furniture like you want it (you may have to move boxes several times to do this)
    3.   Start unpacking your boxes room by room one by one - most important areas first i.e.: bed & kitchen
    4.   With your big furniture in place and boxes piled in one place in each room you will not be overwhelmed
    5.   Clean as you go i.e: clean the area you pick for your TV then set your TV up same for sofa etc
    6.   Again give yourself 6 weeks to get settled if working full time much less if not working 1 - 2 weeks

If you don't have someone packing and/or moving you these tips are for you.  In our latest move we did it all ourselves with the gracious help of family and friends along the way.  These were some of the tips that we learned and thought we'd pass on in hopes to help others  who are like us and taking on a move themselves.

Our move lead us cross country one big reason of which was for me to chase my lifetime dream of acting.  We stayed with friends along our journey from the south to the north. We had to pack several things for living through the fall and part of winter with Jim's parents while we transitioned into NYC.  Upon arriving in the fall we unloaded truck into storage unit - in the winter we reloaded the truck to move to NYC - then unloaded the truck in NYC, mind you a 24 foot truck.  What a move!  Glad we are settled into our NYC home now. 

Super Bowl

Pizza and the Super Bowl.....

 

 

 A joint effort:
I made the dough
Jim rolled it out
  We both topped it
Jim put it in the oven
I served
We both enjoyed!

While we wished our Pats were in the super bowl Congrats to Green Bay!

Sunday Walk In The Park

Easy Shrimp Dish We Enjoyed Last Night

Garlic basil shrimp 

Ellie Krieger, "So Easy"

 
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/4 pounds large shrimp (20 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 cups cooked orzo pasta, preferably whole-wheat

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, then add the shrimp and cook, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the oil remaining in the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and basil and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Return the shrimp to the pan and cook just until heated through. Serve with the orzo.

Per serving: Calories 380
Total fat 10 g
Sat fat 1.5 g
Mono fat 5.5 g
Poly fat 2 g
Protein 35 g
Carb 35 g
Fiber 4 g
Cholesterol 215 mg
Sodium 490 mg

Excellent source of: Copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, niacin, phosphorus, protein, selenium, vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin K.

Good source of: Calcium, fiber, potassium, thiamin, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, zinc.
Makes 4 servings

Dead Of Winter

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Chicken Salad

I took an old familiar Arkansas recipe last week and revamped it coming up with this.....


4 bone in skin on chicken breast
2 - 4 celery stalks
2 cups of grapes
1/4 cup of fresh italian parsley (a handful)
2 tbs of chopped fresh basil (a handful)
1 tsp of dry mustard
1/2 of a small white onion
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 and 1/2 cup of Mayo
1/4 cup of half and half

Pour olive oil over chicken and rub on then add salt and pepper to both sides and cook in the oven on 350 for 30 – 40 mins.  Let cool.  While cooling sauted diced onion with olive oil until clear.  Cut up celery.  Give your parsley and basil a ruff julian chop and wash and prep your grapes.  After chicken cools take skin off and debone.  Shred with your hands and do different sizes in a bowl.  Add your celery, grapes, parsley, basil, dry mustard, onion, salt and pepper, mayo and 1/2 & 1/2 and stir.  Put in fridge – enjoy at your leisure.

We enjoyed - hope you do too!