Sunday, July 29, 2007

Fabulous Fettuccino Alfredo

I'm always looking for new recipes that are healthy and taste good. I came across one that uses yogurt to make Alfredo sauce. Since Alfredo sauce is one of my favorites, I decided to give this a try. To my surprise, it is pretty good, especially if you let it sit a couple of days after you make it. I got the recipe from Stonyfield; check out www.stonyfield.com.

Here is the recipe.

1.5 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound of whole wheat pasta or other pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, pressed
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Regglano cheese
1 cup Stonyfield Farm organic milk
1 cup Stonyfield Farm organic yogurt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste and garnish

Cook pasta al dente in salted water for 4-5 minutes then drain. Add olive oil and garlic in large skillet for about 1 minute. Add pasta and 1/2 cup of cheese and toss well. Add milk, stir and raise heat to medium-high for about 2 minutes. To prevent curdling, mix yogurt with 1/2 cup pasta mixture in a separate bowl. Return mixture to skillet and mix well. Turn off heat and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and pepper. Cover and allow pasta to absorb all the liquid for 12 to 15 minutes.

Yields: 6 servings (approx. 1 cup of pasta per serving)

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Coffee Break Devotions-latte

I recently picked up a book entitled "Coffee Break Devotions-latte" I couldn't resist this book since I'm always taking coffee breaks and spending time with God. Of course, the book grabbed my attention and I couldn't wait to pop open the cover and begin having my "coffee devotion" time with the Lord.

The scripture for the first devotion is Isaiah 65:24: Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I hear. The first devotion is titled "No Waiting."

No Waiting
When we've made a telephone call, many of us have had to punch our way through the maze of unfathomable pathways, only to be put on hold while listening to an inane repeating message. What if it were like this to reach God?
We might hear something like this:
Thank you for calling Heaven. Listen carefully-our options may have changed.
Press 1 for requests.
Press 2 for thanks.
Press 3 for questions of faith.
For all other matters, press 4.
Next you might hear:
I'm sorry, but God is busy helping other people. Your call is important to us, so please stay on the line. Your call will be answered in the order it was received. Estimated wait time: two hours and twenty minutes.
Most of us would hang up in utter frustration, but those facing crisis might hang on. Thankfully, we don't have to endure telephone bureaucracy in order to reach God. Yet some of us approach God as if we do. The truth is, God is ready to hear you-anytime, anyplace, regardless of the frame of mind you happen to be in. Talk to Him. It's easier than picking up the phone and much less aggravating. God is waiting to take your call, no waiting required.
I'm so thankful that God is waiting to take my call and that He is available 24/7. I know that there have been times in my life where I needed to talk to someone and because of either the time of day or other circumstances, God was the only one available. In retrospect, these were the toughest times of my life, but God was there and saw me through them no matter what. I think He orchestrated for no one to be available so that I would be totally dependent upon Him. I'm thankful for this because my faith increased and my relationship with God is much deeper now.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Eel Ladder

I must admit that my job offers me many different learning opportunities in the environmental field. Last week I got to visit an eel ladder. You're probably thinking "eel ladder, what is that?" Check here to learn more.

The eel ladder is located at the New York Power Authority dam, which is located in Massena, NY. The ladder spans over a 100 feet and allows the eels safe passage over the dam's turbines into upstream waters in the St. Lawrence River.

Our tour began with us climbing down a 20 foot vertical ladder. At the bottom of this ladder were stairs that we took to two more 20-foot ladders, which eventually put us at the bottom of the dam near the water's surface. The eel ladder is enclosed and runs along the side of the stairs. Our tour guide opened the lids on the eel ladder at several different points along the way, but no eels were found. He explained that most eels use the ladder at night. After our 15 or 20 minute conversation at the bottom of the dam, we all had to make the journey back up the ladders and stairs. We were 100 feet down and had to go back up. It was a good fitness test for us all.

We weren't able to take pictures due to security reasons, otherwise I would have some pictures to share.

When we got back to the top, I looked across the top of the dam and noticed the American and Canadian flags flying in the center of the dam. This signifies the US-Canadian border; yes the border bisects the dam - half in the US and half in Canada.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Happenings

I had time off last week and got to do many things that I enjoy. July 4 I ended up going to a friend's house that is located on Higley Flow. We went boating, fishing, and swimming. These were all done with thunderstorms/showers threatening on the horizon. Fortunately, these storms held off most of the day and we were able to enjoy our outside adventures.

On Thursday, I went to Cornwall, Ontario with other friends to go shopping; it wasn't exactly my usual shopping trip since my friends needed to pick up fencing supplies at the Tractor Supply Store. We also went to Canadian Tire and I ended buying a new tackle box and tackle. I introduced my friends to the atmosphere of East Side Mario's for lunch. They were all excited about my stories of eating peanuts and throwing the shells on the floor. Little did I know that East Mario's discontinued this practice some time ago-I guess I need to go more often to be up to date. We all had fun and even got to tease the waiter when he called us all ladies; he overlooked the 11 year old lad that was with us.

I traveled to Utica, NY on Friday to help another friend decorate for a wedding that was held on Saturday. I truly enjoyed the fellowship and the work too. I got to see some old friends at the wedding and socialize with people that I see on a weekly basis. The wedding was beautiful and the food was great! Here are some pictures from the wedding.




The newly married - Colin & Ann. Looking forward to seeing you when you return from your honeymoon.


Tuesday, July 03, 2007

My Cats

I recently found my cats napping together in my recliner. Here are some pictures of their lazy time; Shadow is the black cat and Angel is the white cat.