Tuesday, July 29, 2008

'Contest! Prize Package worth OVER $2000.00'

Fellow bloggers can enter to win a $2,000 prize package from Moms United in Business!

Contest Deadline: Friday August 15, 2008 11:59pm EST

Winner will be chosen via random drawing and announced Monday, August 18, 2008
Prizes have been generously donated by members of Moms United in Business.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Enter to win $30 in merchandise from Suzi Homemaker

My new friend, Heather, is hosting a Suzi Homemaker product review and giveaway on her blog "A Daycare Life". Just visit my site and then post a comment on her site about a personalized product you would like to receive and you will be entered to win $30 worth of free merchandise from Suzi Homemaker! Winner will be chosen randomly at Random.org. Get your back-to-school checklist ready and enter this great contest!

Breaking bread

Today I was a victim of produce abuse.


I still am trying to come to terms with the harsh reality of the events that occurred today, so bear with me as I work through this as the emotions are still quite raw...


I will be the first to admit that I have some--how shall I say this--anal-esque practices. (I can picture my husband reading this post and nodding his head vigorously.) Grocery shopping is no exception.


In my defense, I am a mother of three small children and I run two businesses. I try to maximize my time.


Today I embarked upon a "Speed Shop"--a very purposeful, carefully-planned excursion to a local market. I had precisely 45 minutes to drive into town, shop for the week, drive back home, unload the perishables and then head back out to pick up my kids from camp and nursery school. I would worry about the dry goods later--or so I thought...(more on this in a bit)


I rarely use a list, making mental notes of larder shortages, checking them off as I cruise through the store plucking the items from the shelves. I was making record time. I ran into a comrade who had two of her children in tow. We barely acknowledged each other--I greeted her and told her I was doing a "Speed Shop," prior to picking my oldest up from camp, she winked knowingly--I could tell she was doing the same. We respected each other's timeclock and moved on.


I don't know about you, but when I shop, I group everything in the cart according to category, paying careful attention to refrigerated and freezer goods. When I go to check out, I unload my cart keeping like items together so that they can be bagged together. I also sort according to weight--heavy items first, as they will be placed in the bottom of the cart so as not to smoosh the lighter items.


When I approached the cashier, I was particularly thrilled to see my favorite bagger at one station. She once had commented on how nice it was that I sorted the items based on temperature, said it made her job easier, wished everyone did that--she is the penultimate professional. I happily made my way to her station and started unloading my items onto the conveyor belt.

Wait...what's this? About a quarter of the way through my cart, my Bagging Guardian Angel was called to another register and another--dare-I-say lesser-skilled--bagger took her place. I was appalled at her immediate mistreatment of my groceries. She was fast and rough, rifling through the items and throwing them carelessly and thoughtlessly into bags.

In the confusion of handing the cashier my bonus fob and swiping my ATM card, my focus strayed from my groceries. A commotion ensued. Lesser-Skilled-Bagger apparently did double duty as a Lesser-Skilled-Cashier. One of her former clients had come up with her register slip to complain about being charged twice for an item. I saw my opening and swiftly moved to the bagging station.


What did I see in my shopping buggy? Oh, the horror! Moist, cool, sweaty dairy products were placed in the same bag as my children's Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Cracker pouches. Two half-gallon containers of apple juice were placed in single layer bag along with a five pound canister of coffee. Other bags bulged and split uncomfortably, obviously filled beyond capacity. I felt dizzy. I quickly began re-bagging the items, looking over my shoulder all the while.

And then she came back.


I continued to bag the groceries and re-sort. I could feel her glaring at me.


"Oh, " I said innocently. "Did you want me to help or just step out of the way?" There I go being polite again.


"Well, it will be faster if I do it, " she parried.

I wanted to scream, "FASTER DOES NOT MEAN BETTER!" but all I could muster was a feeble, "Very well," and I stepped back, defeated. I barely recall the cashier telling me how many bonus points I accrued or how much money I saved in coupons and bonus savings. What did it really matter? My whole afternoon had been thrown off by this careless young lady.


I made my way to my car, muttering under my breath about Lesser-Skilled-Bagger's incompetence. It wasn't until I got to my minivan that I realized the full extent of the abuse. There in the bottom of my cart was the piece de resistance--a cantaloupe nestled alongside my baguette.


You won this time, Lesser-Skilled-Bagger. Next time I will use self checkout.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Why do I feel the need to be so polite?

I have a strong dislike for telemarketers.

There I go being polite again.

Let me re-phrase that....I HATE telemarketers.

Last week, a particularly sneaky lass telephoned me. I had just returned the day before from a mini-vacay with the kids and was busy unpacking and trying to get my cranky two-year-old down for a nap. The caller ID registered "Unknown name, unknown number." Thinking it might be my girlfriend calling from work, I mistakenly answered the phone.

TM: Hi, is this Suzi? (Darn! Should have ignored it!)

Yes, it is.

TM: How was your vacation? (What the ---? Who is this?)

Fine, thanks...?

TM: Did you have a good time with your kids? Too bad your husband couldn't go with you. (?!)

Uh-huh...who is this?

TM: My name is (unintelligible, but disgustingly perky) and I'm with (unintelligible)...

I'm sorry, who is this?

TM: (Unintelligible, again). I heard you can really appreciate good wine (who told?) and I've got a great one to tell you about...it's a California Shiraz...blah, blah, blah... (Baby starts crying)...this wine retails for about $40, but I'm offering it to you today for $30 a bottle, sound good?

Actually, the only thing I hear right now is my baby crying and, if you'll excuse me, I need to put her down...

TM: You're telling me you wouldn't spend $30 on a bottle of wine? This wine is just fabulous ... (goes on to describe the grapes used and the climate conditions the grapes were grown in, picked at just the most perfect moment, fermented in cedar casks, blah, blah, blah) (baby crying hysterically at this point) So, you're telling me that it's not a steal at $30 a bottle?

Well, I didn't say that, it's just....

TM: How much would you be willing to pay for such a bottle of wine?

I'm sorry...my daughter is crying. It really is time for her to take a nap. So if you'll just excuse...

TM: ...because $30 is not that much when you consider ....blah, blah, blah...

I'm sorry ...you're not listening to me...can't you hear her? She's really upset ...

TM: blah, blah, blah...

LADY! YOU'RE NOT LISTENING TO ME! I NEED TO PUT MY DAUGHTER DOWN FOR A NAP. NOW IF YOU'LL JUST EXCUSE ME, I'M GOING TO GO NOW...

TM: blah, blah, blah ...

I'M REALLY GOING TO HANG UP...PLEASE EXCUSE ME!

TM: blah, blah, blah ...

HERE I GO HANGING UP!

TM: blah, blah, blah ...

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOUR'E NOT LISTENING TO ME? CAN'T YOU HEAR MY DAUGHTER CRYING?

TM: blah, blah, blah ...

WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? HAVE YOU NO SYMPATHY FOR WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? YOU MUST BE INSANE! I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE JUST IGNORING ME AND THIS INNOCENT CHILD! YOU OBVIOUSLY DON'T HAVE CHILDREN...IS THIS HOW YOUR COMPANY TRAINS YOU? YOU MUST BE BRAINWASHED. NO--YOU HAVE ME ON MUTE OR SOMETHING--I KNOW THAT TRICK--MY HUSBAND DOES THAT ALL THE TIME. YOU NEED TO GET A GRIP AND A REAL JOB. GO DRINK A CASE OF YOUR $30-A-BOTTLE WINE. I HOPE YOU GET A MONSTER HANGOVER, YOU ANNOYING, EMOTIONLESS AUTOMATON! (pause) Thanks for calling. Have a nice day...(CLICK!)

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Suzi Homemaker goes organic--Fresh Basil and Tomato Pasta with Chicken and Onions

My hubby, Steve, and I joined a Community Supported Agriculture program this year where we pay a fee to a local farm and then we receive seasonal offerings weekly from May through October. Our farm is Redbud Farm located in neighboring Inwood, WV.

Once a week, I pack the kiddos in the car and scoot to the host family's home (they graciously allow their porch to be the pick up site for all members). The kids are always excited to see the bounty we receive and take turns carrying our bag of produce from the porch to the car and then from car to house. It's like a veggie Christmas every week--I never know what to expect. One week we got these tiny cabbage-like bulbs that turned out to be kohlrabi--something I have never tried (and, I must admit, I still haven't tried--I left them in the vegetable bin in the fridge and they got a bit soft before I was able to use them. One recipe I read said to grate the kohlrabi over coleslaw and by the time I made coleslaw, the little things were too far gone).

Since that loss, I have been better at using the produce before it expires. The past two weeks we have received baby cabbage, fresh garlic, Walla Walla onions, new potatoes and bunches of fresh basil.

Here is a dish I concocted using most of those ingredients. (Please bear in mind that I am a very experimental chef and my measurements consist of a pour of this, a handful of that....tasting as you go is a necessity!)

I'm going to call this Fresh Basil and Tomato Pasta with Chicken and Onions

1. Saute minced garlic and diced onions in two tablespoons olive oil in a pan until soft. Add about a pound and a half of sliced chicken breast. Cook until chicken is brown and tender. Add some chopped basil, simmer a bit and set aside.

2. Cook one package of penne or rotini pasta (I use whole grain) according to package directions and set aside.

3. In another pan, saute minced garlic and onion (sliced lengthwise) in about two tablespoons olive oil until soft. Add about 12 roma tomatoes (sliced lengthwise). Add a dash of sea salt and pepper to taste. Cook until tomatoes are soft and begin to create a nice sauce (forgive my freshman culinary terms). Add a handful of chopped basil and cook about a minute more. Add fresh sliced mushrooms and cook for about three minutes until mushrooms are soft (my Mom will want to eliminate this step as she has a strong dislike for eating fungi). Slice cooked corn fresh from the cob and add to sauce. Cook about a minute more until corn is heated through. Add a pinch of crushed red pepper and then pour mixture over chicken and set aside.

4. In same pan, melt one stick of butter (no one said this was a fat-free meal--just do about a hundred more squats than usual and you'll be good). Add about 3/4 of a cup of grated parmesan cheese and about a cup of half and half. Stir constantly until smooth. Pour over pasta. Add chicken and tomato mixture to pasta and toss.

5. Serve immediately with fresh basil garnish and shredded parmesan cheese. Especially good with a glass of ice cold Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.

Enjoy!

Food Fight

I recently reached the end of my rope with trying to feed my children healthy foods. I must admit, I am one of those moms who cooks several meals a night, trying to appease my three finicky children and--though he won't admit it--picky husband.

It is getting old and I am growing weary.

My oldest daughter, at one point my pickiest eater, is just starting to try new things, but it is a slow process. My son--forget it! He won't touch any vegetables at all. He has perfected his gag reflex and will make himself throw up if anything is remotely different from what he normally consumes. One night, I tried to feed him rotini pasta instead of regular spaghetti noodles and he vomited all over himself, which nearly led to sympathy puke around the table. Shrek Chicken and Noodle Soup, though I'm sure it has its merits, cannot sustain a growing child forever! My youngest daughter is a champion eater, but I'm afraid she's starting to fall prey to her older siblings' eating habits.

I need to nip this in the bud before I have a table full of veggie haters.

I have waged a silent and sneaky war at the kitchen table. I recently purchased Jessica Seinfeld's book, "Deceptively Delicious," and the one from the other lady who sued her--I can't remember her name because she's not married to Jerry Seinfeld. I just yesterday received my new food processor/blender combo I was able to purchase by redeeming my American Express Reward points. I have stocked an arsenal of cauliflower, zucchini, sweet potatoes and squash that no child would dare eat outright. I cut up the veggies, steamed them (to a chorus of "What's that awful smell, Mommy?") and then pureed them beyond recognition. Tonight, my friends, I will sneak the metamorphosed veggies into my children's favorite foods (and maybe my hubby's, too).

Will it work? I'll keep you posted.