Simply Norma – Page 104

Puerto Rican Mostaccioli

This dish is easy to make. My mother normally makes it with chicken wings but I decided to use the leftover chicken thighs I had in the freezer. I thawed the chicken in cold water in the morning and by 4:00 they were ready to be cooked.

Ingredients

6 chicken thighs (skinless or remove the skin)
1/4 – 1/2 can of tomato sauce
1 package Sazon
4 tablespoons Goya Recaito (see below)
Approximately 1/2 cup of water
1 box of mostaccioli (12 or 16 oz)

Directions

On medium heat in a large pot, add the tomato sauce, sazon and recaito. Stir well.
If the chicken is not skinless, remove the skin from most of the chicken (the less skin, the less fat). If you use small drumsticks or chicken wings, I wouldn’t bother removing the skin.
Add the chicken to the pot. Make sure during the first half hour you stir all of the ingredients so that the chicken does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
Add 1/2 cup water to the mixture and continue stirring occasionally.
Allow the chicken to cook all the way through — about 45 minutes.
In a separate pot, cook the mostaccioli according to the package instructions.
When the mostaccioli is cooked, drain it and then cool it under cold water so it does not stick.
Add the mostaccioli to the chicken mixture slowly and stir until all is mixed together.

Note: Sazon and Recaito (or Sofrito) can be purchased at almost any store that has a Spanish section. If you are not able to find it, you can make sofrito from scratch and use that instead. I use the two interchangeably. Click here for the sofrito recipe.

[amazon_link id=”B001GVISNS” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ] Goya Sazon Goya Cilantro & Annantto, 3.52-Ounce Units (Pack of 6)

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[amazon_link id=”B0004MXOG6″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ] Goya Recaito, 12-Ounce Jars (Pack of 3)

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Coleus Plant

My coleus plants have been doing really well on our shaded back deck.

In spite of all the rain we get in Minnesota — 2 inches at a time sometimes — the coleus has proven to be a great plant. And, it doesn’t appear to be deer friendly. Yes! I wish it were a perennial instead of an annual though but I’ll settle for what I have — a plant that likes rain and shade. A good plant for Minnesota weather.

[amazon_link id=”0760341184″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ] Landscaping with Native Plants of Minnesota - 2nd Edition [/amazon_link]

El Amanacer Restaurant

The El Amanacer restaurant in St Paul doesn’t look like much from the outside but the food is really delicious. It’s a good 20-25 minute drive for us to get to it but the sacrifice is worth it.

The inside of the restaurant has both booth and table seating. Murals on the wall give the restaurant a very authentic feel.

We had a cheese quesadilla as an appetizer.

I had the burrito which was huge and came with rice and beans. Unfortunately they did mess up my order by giving me the wrong kind of meat but it tasted good anyway.

El Amanecer Restaurant is located at 194 Concord St in St Paul, Minnesota. A good place to eat.

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge

This afternoon we went for a walk at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. It is located in Bloomington and there is no charge for admission. The visitor center was open and there are lots of brochures to choose from. In addition, they have Field Packs that follow the numbers along the trail. The packs are free and include binoculars and an audio trail guide.

P1060122 — Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge

P1060082 — View from the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge

The bees were having a good time on this bush.

We went on the Hillside Trail that is considered “strenuous” and is a 1/2 mile loop down the side of the bluff. The trail starts with some nice steps heading downwards.

Then the trail became a smooth gravel.

Just a little ways down the road, a bench awaits those who need to take an early respite.

Further down the road, the area was a little swampy. Luckily we didn’t have to walk in that direction.

A viewing area was just ahead. The walk downhill was not very strenuous at all but good walking shoes are a must.

This area was very pretty. To the left was a pond that looked like it was filled with algae. One could almost inhale the green color.

And now to make the return trip to the visitor center. If one takes their time walking uphill, the trail is really not that bad — although, it is the equivalent of climbing 12 stories.

On the return walk, we had the pleasure of seeing a monarch butterfly.

And some coneflowers – echinacea?

Driving to a different part of the refuge, we came across an old bridge that we could not cross.

This next trail went all the way back to the visitor center — over 40 minutes away. At first we decided not to take it but then we saw the small trail to the left and thought that it might be less of a walk.

We took the very narrow trail being careful not to go into the grassy area to avoid any ticks or other bugs — the bug repellant was in the car but we didn’t think we’d need it.

Another murky looking pond …

The highlight of this trip was a bush that had a large bumblebee on it — notice the ant in the background also.

Overall, a pretty day, a nice walk and only one mosquito bite.

Immolate

Immolate – to sacrifice, to destroy by fire.

I had never heard the word used until I read a New York Times article on a Buddhist monk who did just that — killed himself with fire.

The article made me sad. Do people really believe that setting themselves on fire for a cause they believe in will bring change in government? Sacrificing oneself for a cause is admirable — but to the point of death? Perhaps the monk believed that his sacrifice would inspire other people to stand up in protest.

Immolation is different from martyrdom – with immolation a person kills himself, in martyrdom a person isÂ putÂ toÂ deathÂ orÂ enduresÂ greatÂ sufferingÂ on behalf of a belief or principle. And yet, a person who immolates oneself has suffered — they just bring about their own demise in the end.

It makes me think of Christ who “laid down his life” for us so that we might live. The cross stands as a stark contrast between those who endure to the point of death and those who can’t endure anymore and cause their own death.

My sympathy to the family, friends and the community of the monks (this is the 2nd one). I know there’s always more to the story than what meets the eye.

Eternal Hell Fire

A well-known preacher, Doug Batchelor, has a couple of mini-videos on hell-fire. They are very short in length and after the 2nd one, one has the opportunity to go to a website to learn more. I thought it was rather interesting so thought I’d share it. The first video asks a very legitimate question “Would God do this?”

http://www.helltruth.com/free-resources/free-video-library/articletype/articleview/articleid/1576/what-and-where-is-hell-is-hellfire-real-does-it-burn-forever-part-1-of-2.aspx

Simple Homemade Blueberry Muffins

These muffins are easy to make. Make sure you grease your muffin tin well or use tin liners or the muffins will stick.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter (1 stick unsalted) room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs (room temperature)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen – thawed if frozen)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Grease a muffin tin or use paper liners
In an electric mixer, cream the butter then add the sugar and mix
Add the eggs one at a time and beat well
Add baking powder and mix well
Add vanilla extract and lemon zest. Mix well
In another medium sized bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, cinnamon and stir with a fork
Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the electric mixer
Add half the milk and stir well
Add the remaining dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir well but be careful not to over-mix or the muffins will come out tough
Add the remaining milk and stir
Fold in the blueberries
Spoon the batter into the muffin tin
Bake in center of oven until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean — approximately 25-30 minutes.
Cool muffins in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes then remove them from the tin

Unfortunately, I can’t remember where I saw this recipe as I’ve been using it for quite a few years now.

New Cure for the Common Cold?

Pills (image courtesy of Microsoft Images)

I was recently sent an article found in Wikinews regarding a new drug that could “treat virtually all viral infections.”

“The new drug, known as DRACOÂ (double-stranded RNA activated caspase oligomerizer), is able to discriminate between healthy cells and those infected by viruses.” And “it signals the infected cells to die.”

Now, I don’t know if the medical world has really come across a cure or not but I wonder if somehow we could find a way to use the same principle in life, i.e. discriminate between healthy people and those “infected” by bad manners, contagious diseases or the person who is hard to get along with. And, if they could “die” in the spiritual sense, that would be great too.

Truth be told though, sometimes I feel like I’m one of the infected people who needs to “die.”

Spain and the Pope

A recent article in the New York Times made me pause in the middle of my stride in life.

The Vatican in Rome — The Vatican (Microsoft Images)

The article, titled Catholic Clergy Protest Pope’s Visit and Its Price Tag, stated that the Catholic Church was getting ready for a lavish $72 million celebration in Madrid. $72 million dollars. The country hopes to recoup part of that money from the many visitors that attend the event. Unfortunately, as in the past, the people who are upset about the lavishness of this celebration know that they will never know the true cost of this event.

At first, I too was appalled at the amount being spent for a visit by the Pope, especially in the times that we live in with people dying in Somalia, the U.S. having 1 in 5 children living in poverty, etc.

But then I glance inwards. I am not as frugal as I should be. I still head to a coffeehouse for a good cup of hot chocolate and pastry. Yes, I do contribute in helping with spreading the Word of Jesus throughout the world and with local food banks.

But I could do more. We could always do more.

So, although I agree with the priests who are protesting the amount of money spent on this event, I believe the world right around me needs some correction also.

Insurance

I’m just wondering … do people get life insurance just for the sake of getting life insurance? If a person’s mortgage is paid, they are healthy, they have no children at home … would they get insurance so that someone else can have “fun” when they die?

Do people who are in their 60’s or later really do this?

Just wondering …