Looking forward to Bethany's birthday

I've just finished up a quilt top for Bethany, hopefully I'll have it quilted and bound for her 21st birthday on St. Patrick's Day. If I had an actual working camera I'd post a picture, but you'll just have to imagine it - it has several St. Pat's prints, some pink prints, some green and pink prints...overall a fun mix. I also embroidered a few squares with some Irish/St. Pat's themes. The back will be a pink paisley. Bethany still enjoys having this holiday theme for her birthday, thank goodness :-). It suites a redhead like her.

So, although I don't have a picture to of the quilt-to-be to share I will share this great picture of a Bethany birthday cake. Enjoy!

Yeah! Still some progress!

I've been out of town all week. I went to a retreat in Dallas for 3 days, which is associated with a consulting job, and every day they provided 3 delicious meals along with 2 snacks and constant candy on the tables. I resisted all the "bad" stuff as much as possible and went for walks around the hotel when the snack breaks came. Now I'm in California for a few days to visit my little grandson. I went to WW down here tonight to weigh in - and actually lost 3.5 pounds! That's HUGE considering all the temptations I've had all week! And it brings my total loss in 4 weeks to a little over 9 pounds. Cara and I are "living healthy" here with lo-cal meals and exercise. This morning we went for a two mile walk with William in the stroller, we strolled the mall in the afternoon, and in the evening I went to Curves while she had her exercise class. We made grilled chicken, couscous and black bean salsa for dinner. We found a chicken tikka masala recipe which we will try out tomorrow. This sounds luscious so I can't wait to try it. Here's the recipe:

Chicken Tikka Masala

INSTRUCTIONS

2/3 cup(s) low-fat plain yogurt
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp ginger root, fresh, grated
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch chunks
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1 small jalapeno pepper(s), minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
8 oz canned tomato sauce
1 cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk
1/4 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, chopped
2 cup(s) cooked white rice, basmati, kept hot



To prepare chicken, in a large bowl, whisk together first seven ingredients; add chicken and toss to coat. Cover bowl and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour and up to 24 hours.


Preheat outdoor grill, stovetop grill pan or nonstick skillet.


Skewer chicken pieces onto four metal or wooden skewers. Grill or cook skewers in a hot skillet until chicken is cooked through, turning frequently, about 5 to 7 minutes. (Make sure to soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent charring.)


To make sauce, heat oil in a large, high-sided skillet (or wide saucepan) over medium heat. Add remaining minced garlic clove and jalapeno; cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Add remaining teaspoon of cumin and paprika and stir to coat. Add tomato sauce and evaporated milk, reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently.


Remove grilled chicken from skewers. Add to tomato mixture and simmer 1 minute to heat through. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serve with rice. Yields about 1 cup of chicken mixture and 1/2 cup of rice per serving.

Oh no!

It's official. I am addicted to technology. I flew to Dallas today, after a scary trip in the snow of the canyon and a nice visit with my seatmate from Oakland - and the first thing I did was hook up my computer to the internet. The next thing was to start texting a few people. I am depending on these two bits of technology to get me through the week I'll be away from home. Everything's going great with the computer (obviously) as it's helping me pass some time before my first meeting tonight. But the phone...ah, the phone...that's another story.

I depend on my phone to wake me with it's alarm, remind me of appointments, store phone numbers, tell me what time it is, and communicate through text and calls - and when I got here with a low battery (thanks Alexa!) my charger wouldn't work! So my phone is off now. It has almost no juice left. I'll have to do the good old fashioned "wake up call" in the morning and I won't know what time it is all day. I hope I won't miss my flight home! I won't be able to communicate instantly with my kids or co-workers. How will I survive? How?