DEBBIE'S CHICKEN RIGGIES AND MY PERSONAL (now clean!) SANCTUARY.....

So, B.A. and I have been getting up at 5:00, AYEM, 3 days a week, in the brutal New York cold, to go to our town's little school and workout in their spiffy Nautilus equipped gym. We do the eliptical for about 45 minutes, then some weights (boosts the metabolism, so I'm told!), and maybe a little bit of time on the treadmills. I think it's really starting to pay off...B.A. is losing weight and building up his muscles (he looks just like Popeye, girls!) and me, well, I've lost so much muscle due to the strange weight loss journey I've been on, so this weight lifting is all good....Hey, I think I'm looking damned swell for almost 50! (please note how far away the photo was taken from my crow's feet and laugh lines)...........

Well, after all of this early morning working out a.k.a. torture, I'm usually pretty wiped out, and sometimes need an afternoon nap. BUT, the other day I decided to take a Jacuzzi soak instead, just to soothe me aching bones....BIG mistake. Why? Because, as I was trying to lie there in that hot, lavender scented water and let the jets do their magic, I started looking around my master bathroom and one thought popped into my head.....OH MY GAWD THIS BATHROOM IS DISGUSTING! Maybe it's because I had my new spectacles on (note to self : blindness is a blessing), but all I saw was grime...you know, bathroom grime. The worst kind (even worse than the dreaded kitchen grease grime, in my book).....created by months and months of hairspray and perfume buildup.  B. A. is quite the metro-sexual these days. Oh, and also created by months and months of sheer, blissful laziness....let's be truthful here! Sure, I clean up the heavily trafficked areas daily and weekly , like the countertop by the sinks and of course the toilet and shower. But I also have a lot of stuff ( a.k.a. "crap") in our bathroom, like an old Victrola cabinet--an antique! And a magazine rack, and pretty dishes that I've collected for years, decorating the walls. All of this stuff gathers dust, and most of the time I just don't see it. Or choose NOT to see it....

So do you want to know what I spent the whole morning doing today, AFTER the gym? Gutting my bathroom--that's what. It had to be done. I took every single thing out of the space, started scouring at the top (stainless light fixtures), and scrubbed, with bleach, all the way to the floors. Then, I washed every single decorative and functional thing, by hand, washed every single towel and rug, by machine, and then put it all back, in its proper place. And the end result? I've got my spa-like garden retreat back, so now I can properly relax, stress free. Here are some "after" photos--note the lack of grime!.....

Lots of towels and oils and lotions and perfumes at the ready, because I believe in pampering my fine self!.......

Oh MY, I've had these plates for 100,000 years.....

My famous antique Victrola cabinet that I've hauled from coast to coast, and always find a spot for , somewhere!...........

I love apothocary jars and terra cotta pots for everyday toiletries like cotton balls and soaps and such....

My old garden rake--the perfect earring rack!....

I know it's all sorta girlie, but B.A. doesn't seem to mind (or, maybe he's just given up?)........

I like to decorate with things that make me smile, and vintage platters and bird's nests make me smile.....

I kid you not when I tell you this random fact : Sammy Hagar's son gave me this framed picture....one of my favorite things!....

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Cut and color day tomorrow, and I've e-mailed my stylist this photo and told her I want to leave the salon looking JUST like this, color and all! Boy doesn't she have a lot of work to do, including witchcraft? SICK to death of being a "ginger". Waddya think?......A girl can dream, right?.......

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One of the very best thing about blogging is meeting other bloggers out there in the blogisphere. So inspirational! One blog that I like to follow is called Mountain Breaths, and its creator is a darling woman named Debbie who actually lives in nearby Utica, and owns a camp not far from here.........

I tell you what....if you love GORGEOUS tablescapes, beautiful photography and delicious home cooking, well then do yourself a favor and check out Debbie's blog~HERE~............        

Recently Debbie thought I should have her famous Chicken Riggies recipe, because no self-respecting upstate NY girl can go through life without a good Riggie recipe! Truth be told, I didn't even know what a "Riggie" was when we moved here, but soon figured out that basically Riggies are just Rigatoni, which I've always cooked with, complete with fantastic sauces, like the famous Vodka Riggie, B.A.'s favorite.......

Debbie's recipe instructed me to go out and buy Cora Brand (a Utica company) sweet cherry peppers, and so I did......

Aren't they pretty?.......

Boil water for pasta...cook and set aside. Just so you know, I cheated and used Penne pasta, because we like it better.......

Melt a stick of butter (oh, Debbie!!) in a large pan (I used my jumbo chicken fryer for this recipe)--add 2 cloves of garlic and saute..........then, add a chopped yellow onion, the sliced sweet cherry peppers and one sliced green bell pepper..... saute the whole hot mess for about 30 minutes.......

Add some chunks of chicken breasts to the mixture, then stir in a can of chicken broth and a can of tomato sauce....add a cup of Parmigiano cheese and simmer all for about another 40 minutes.....

Pour the mixture over cooked rigatoni, serve with perhaps some garlic bread, and enjoy!.......

Oh my goodness did we ever enjoy this dinner...thank you so very much, Debbie from Mountain Breaths!

Here's the recipe.....

DEBBIE'S CHICKEN RIGGIES

Serves 6

1 and 1 / 2 lb. box Rigatoni Pasta

1 stick of butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow onion, chopped

About 6 Cora brand sweet cherry peppers, seeded and sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 and 1 / 2 lb. chicken breast chunks

1 15oz. can chicken broth

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1 cup Parmigiano cheese

Boil water for pasta. Add rigatoni and cook until al dente. Set aside. Melt butter in large frying pan. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Add yellow onion, sweet cherry peppers and green bell pepper; saute for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken breast chunks to butter mixture. Saute for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and tomato sauce ; stir and cook for 4 mintues. Add Parmigiano cheese and simmer mixture for 40 minutes. Pour mixture over rigatoni and serve.

TODAY I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR......

***My spooky evening tonite with guy friends Marc J., Jimmy O.  and Stuart D. , ghost hunting! I'll be sure to share all if the "boys" and I see or hear any ghostly activities!

***The psychic night coming up this weekend--always fascinating, and always a fun time with friends.

***Thanks to my rheumatologist and a reduction in medications, my horrid nausea has subsided, for now anyways! I am truly learning to appreciate every moment of actually feeling good!

ROASTED PAPRIKA CHICKEN, AND WE SURE CAN PICK 'EM!.......

This is what our thermometer showed at 8a.m. this morning...that's right, ten below. I only have one thing to say.....WORD TO YOUR MUTHA.......!

B.A. and I SURE can pick 'em...places to live, that is! Spent many a long night cowering in our basement in Nebraska, hoping and a prayin' that approaching tornado wouldn't blow our 80 year old dream house down......

Got knocked flat on the floor, more than once mind you, in huge California earthquakes, and almost lost our family home to wildfires there, too.....

Now we're in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York, and LAW it gets cold here....we've seen it at 42 below zero before, and still we had to go to work and school! Nothing shuts this town down.......

Here's what I should be doing all day today--snuggling in the flannel sheets and down feather bed / comforters with my red headed son, Pee Wee......

(Pee Wee weighs over 25 lbs..and makes a great foot warmer!)

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Just in case you've been wondering.....

.......... our Abbie is doing just fine so far in Paris (here's something funny...a local girl

seriously asked my husband the other day if "they speak French in Paris"?!*#--WHAT?????). Little Miss Thing is settled nicely into her apartment, complete with a roommate from Brazil and an older woman who owns the place and acts like a mom. Who parlez-vous NO Anglais. It's all good! School doesn't really start up for another week, so Abbie gets to spend her time with friends exploring museums, and she says tomorrow they're checking out Versailles. Sigh.

I can't say enough about the wonders of Skype--we can talk, all we WANT, for FREE, AND face to face! Amazing times we live in, to be sure......

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Have you ever heard of smoked paprika? I never had, until I read a recipe for Roasted Paprika Chicken in, you guessed it, my favorite Southern Living magazine. Smoked paprika looks just like regular old paprika, but has a much smokier scent and taste.....

(In the south, the word "paprika" has 4 syllables instead of our northern 3--can you say, "Pap-A-ri-ka"?)

I'm always on the lookout for new chicken recipies, and I know I'm not alone! Well, this recipe does not disappoint......and it's easy, ta boot. Go out and get yourself some lemons and fresh thyme (if you can't find fresh thyme, you can always use a little bit of dried)..............

Stir together the smoked paprika, chopped thyme leaves, good olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper--this will make a thick paste.....

Spread half of the paprika mixture evenly underneath the skin of the chicken, then place a lemon slice or two under there, also......

(what is it about raw meat photos that always look so nasssty?)

Brush remaining paprika mixture evenly over the skin.....

("it rubs the paprika on the skin"...compliments of Silence of the Lambs--eek.)

Bake for 40 or so minutes, or until done....remember, your smaller dark meat pieces, if you choose to cook these, will be finished before the larger breasts......let chicken rest for about 5 minutes; lightly brush with pan juices just before serving. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh thyme sprigs if desired.

Here's B.A.'s dinner...he's a white meat man....look at the gorgeous golden red crispy skin!

And I'm a dark meat kinda gal these days....let's give it up for chicken thighs!....

All in all, a winning chicken recipe...we've prepared this several times, and can't wait to have it again! Here's the recipe......

SOUTHERN LIVING'S ROASTED PAPRIKA CHICKEN

Serves 4-6

1 / 4 cup smoked paprika

2 tblsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves (or, 1 tsp. dried)

3 tblsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. coarsely ground pepper

5 lbs. assorted chicken pieces

2 lemons, thinly sliced

Garnishes: lemon slices, fresh thyme sprigs

Stir together first 5 ingredients to form a paste. Spread half of paprika mixture evenly underneath skin of chicken pieces. Place 1 to 2 lemon slices underneath skin on top of paprika mixture. Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer on a wire rack in an aluminum foil-lined broiler pan or 17x12 inch jelly roll pan. Rub remaining paprika mixture evenly over skin. Bake at 425 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portions registers 165 degrees. Let chicken stand 5 minutes; lightly brush with pan juices just before serving. Garnish, if desired.

TODAY I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR.....

***My nice cozy home--thank goodness for dual pane windows!

***My wonderful husband--don't know what I'd do without him.

***That my father in law, Al, has recovered so quickly and nicely from his recent back surgery....still hoping you're coming to New Orleans with us next month, Dad!

ASIAN CASHEW CHICKEN, AND THE ROAD TO HERE........

Our journey to The Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York has been a long and interesting one, to be sure! B.A., Little Miss Thing and I have moved around this country quite a bit in the last 20 years (due to B.A.'s amazing career), and we feel so blessed! The places we've seen, and the people we've met! In fact, whenever our daughter felt a little blue about changing schools, yet again, we always reminded her that in the end, all of this relocating will make her into such an INTERESTING person,  into someone who is not afraid of change or meeting new people! To be honest, sometimes our little speeches worked on our grumpy teenager, and sometimes they didn't. But we tried--always looking on the bright side, we Willards!

Just like Little Miss Thing, I moved around quite a bit as a child also, but all within the state lines of California. My father was a banker (who didn't retire until his 70's!), and I was born in Orange, California, which is a hop, skip and a jump from The Happiest Place on Earth, Dizzyland!................(just so you know, most of these travel photos in this post are from Google Images).......

When I was a little bitty baby, my folks decided to move to Central California, to the utterly breathtakingly gorgeous Monterey Peninsula. Truthfully, when I think of "home", I think of that area....it's where I spent my formative years. Our first home was in the quaint seaside village of Pacific Grove................

We also lived in nearby Carmel by the Sea for short periods of time....just about the cutest artists village you'll ever wanna see.......this is the bank my dad managed at the time....I think it's now an antiques store.............

The darling mom and pop shops on Ocean Avenue, reminiscent of an old English village................

But for most of my childhood, we lived in a beautiful home on Pebble Beach's Seventeen Mile drive.....I know, I know, I had a rough upbringing!...........

We spent my high school years a little further south, in Santa Barbara....truly a Southern California paradise by the sea!. Love those tiled roofs..................

After high school, I was off to college at California State University, Chico (just north of Sacramento, in the central valley agricultural region)--voted #1 Party school in the nation by Playboy magazine when I was there. I can still chug beer and play Quarters with the best of 'em...............

This was my dorm......where I met Mr. Badass! I truly did get my "MRS" degree, marrying him the year after we graduated.....

Back to the Monterey Peninsula we went to get married and set up our young newlywed lives in Monterey, home of John Steinbeck's Cannery Row , an amazing Fisherman's Wharf and the famed Monterey Bay Acquarium......

It was in my homeland, the Monterey Peninsula, that we had our beloved daughter, Little Miss Thing. After a few years of banging our heads against a wall and finally realizing that we could never, ever afford even a tiny shack in the area we loved and I grew up in (sob!), we tearfully decided to relocate to the area my parents had recently retired to, the Motherlode region of Central California. We bought our first home there in a darling town named Twain Harte (after Mark Twain and Brett Harte, the famous authors), and enjoyed everything that living in the central Sierra Mountains had to offer....lakes, skiing and fresh, clean mountain air (we lived at 4,000 feet elevation!)......

Six or seven years later, it was time to pack up again, as B.A. was offered a position at the famed Omaha Country Club in Nebraska, an offer he just couldn't refuse! We loved living in Omaha...what a vibrant and friendly city.................

Most people don't know this, but Omaha is home to one of the country's most amazing zoos, the Henry Doorly Zoo. I used to spend daysss there......

(you can see more of gorgeous Omaha by visiting one of my older posts, "My Old Home-Aha, Omaha")

Three years later, B. A. accepted his current position as General Manager of The Adirondack League Club here in Old Forge, New York, a position he has held for over 7 years now.....

 He truly considers this the "job of a lifetime" ; really, it was tailor made, just for him! 53,000 acres of pristine wilderness! No-motor lakes! Lodges! Hiking! Hunting! Cross country skiing! Awesome members...who could ask for anything more.

We built our home in nearby Thendara in 2004, and our daughter was able to stay at ONE school for the remainder of her junior and high school years....................here's a photo of the Old Forge Pond, where the kids swim each and every summer. Again, PARADISE! I'd certainly say we've been one lucky family, wouldn't you?

Here's the one and only school in our town, grades K-12.....

 

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Who knows where the future will take us next? Well, for now we're just enjoying life here in the Adirondacks, one dinner at a time! Hey, what's for dinner at your house tonite? If you'd like to try something a little different but super delicious, you should whip up a batch of my Asian Cashew Chicken.....I've prepared this recipe probably once a month for YEARS now, and it always comes together perfectly. AND, it makes for the best leftovers, ever! Please don't be intimidated by these ingredients--they are available at just about every market on the planet.

To begin, you need to assemble your marinade with these ingredients..........

Combine sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, chicken broth, apple juice and garlic powder. Cut chicken breasts into bite sized cubes, then add to marinade and toss..........

Cover and refrigerate chicken for 2 hours or more. Remove chicken from marinade (reserve marinade!), and brown in oil over medium heat...............

Remove browned chicken ; in same skillet, stir fry broccoli and carrots.........

Next, combine these ingredients in a small bowl, plus the reserved marinade.........

Don't make the mistake that I did and use a stir fry sauce instead of Hoisin sauce! The outcome was NOT the desired one--Hoisin is a jelly like consistency that adds the most wonderful color and flavor, ever, and refrigerates well for a long time......

Add Hoisin mixture to vegetables....cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in cashews, chicken and sliced water chestnuts............

We like to eat ours over brown rice, but this would also be perfect over some nice thick Asian rice noodles.......Enjoy!......

Here's the recipe......

ASIAN CASHEW CHICKEN

Serves 4-6

1 tblsp. sesame oil

1 / 4 cup rice wine vinegar

3 tblsp. chicken broth

2 tblsp. apple juice

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 and 1 / 2 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite sized cubes

3 tblsp. vegetable oil (I used peanut)

3 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 / 8 cup soy sauce

1 / 3 cup Hoisin sauce (found in the Asian Foods section)

1 tblsp. ground ginger

1 cup salted cashews

1 can sliced water chestnuts

Hot cooked rice or noodles

In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients ; add chicken and toss. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove chicken from marinade and reserve marinade. Heat oil in large skillet. When hot, add chicken and cook for 3 minutes or until no longer pink. Use slotted spoon ; remove chicken and set aside. In the same skillet, stir-fry broccoli and carrots until crisp tender, about 2-3 minutes. Combine soy, cornstarch, Hoisin, ginger and reserved marinade ; stir into vegetables. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in cashews, chicken and water chestnuts ; heat through. Serve over hot cooked rice or noodles.

TODAY I'M SO THANKFUL FOR.....

***Good insurance that extends all the way to California! Little Miss Thing has a few back problems and is finding huge relief from a Berkeley back cracker.

***My continued relatively good health! I feel good more days than not lately--first time in over 6 years!

***The fantastic and soul-soothing conversation I had with BFF Lisa yesterday--that girl GETS me!