Got A Real Good Feelin' Something Bad About to Happen

Superbowl Sunday.  Hard to get excited about a Katy Perry live show.  The commercials are fun but since I'm not into football at least I want a spectacular halftime performance.  Whenever there is someone super lame scheduled , I always try to come up with someone obvious they could have chosen instead.  At this point I think you can only choose from the pop genre.  You need upbeat songs, or anthem type rock, songs that make people energetic and a true performer.  I think gone are the days we'll get bands like the Rolling Stones.  So I was thinking, how about Miranda Lambert?  

She has some fire and is a current hitmaker.  She is an entertainer in a true sense.  She also has better abilities to duet with other musicians.  She has the ability to play to large audiences and rouse a crowd. 

Katy Perry for me was beyond awful.  She can't sing, she can't dance and I hated every minute of it.  Not only that but I was left feeling ill like I do when I smell a lot of cheap plastic.  Missy Elliot looked great though and it was a slight relief to see her.  Lenny Kravitz made as much sense in the middle of that mess as throwing pickle juice in a cookie dough.  I didn't get that either.  The sets were the focus but it was all show and no talent.  So if I was Katy Perry and I had a rack like she does I would play to my audience and bounce around in my skimpiest outfit looking sexy and dumb.  You have drunk football fans and you show more skin in your mascara ads then you do this show???

Thank goodness for snacks.  Crunchy baked Chicken Tenders with a shared marinara dipping sauce.

Pizza Bites made only with cauliflower, Parmesan and turkey pepperoni.  These exceeded expectations!  They are addictive and I encourage everyone to make them.
https://dashingdish.com/recipe/mini-cauliflower-pizza-bites/

The hardest part is grating the cauliflower and it's a great way to use your lonely mini muffin tins.

Cucumber Sushi Rolls with avocado, dill, lemon and capers.  Most refreshing snack ever!
http://pureella.com/delicious-healthy-hors-doeuvres-cucumber-rolls-with-creamy-avocado/

I had to pull out the mandolin but in the end got a better slice using a sharp knife.

Baked Sweet Potato Chips.  Not quite a success but almost.  You need your oven to be the exact temperature not to burn the chips but to get them crisp.  And I believe there is not an easy way to avoid blackening slightly due to the sugar content in the potato.

Vegan spinach artichoke dip.  This was a real treat but I substituted frozen broccoli for spinach due to a screw up.  Great as a dip for the chips.
http://www.marthastewart.com/317420/baked-sweet-potato-chips
http://sweetroots.blogspot.com/2012/06/creamy-vegan-spinach-artichoke-dip.html

Roasted Spicy Chick Peas.  Just as the name implies but they are like tasty toasted nuts that you can't quit eating, warmed with cajun spices and a squirt of lime.

I'd give this spread a 6 or 7.  It was trying to be fun and was to an extent.  It's hard to make healthy celebrational snacks but it can be done.

Knock Down the Old Grey Wall, Be a Part of It All

Winter and my sad ass retail schedule is very telling of my creativity slump.  I'm reminded as I see these weekly meal pics that I've sort of been phoning it in in the last month.  I have a boatload of excuses.  It's the coldest winter, it's winter period.  I have to take the subway to work on too many nights instead of riding my bike, where I get most of my ideas.  I've worked a lot of evening shifts.  There is not a lot of fun going on over here despite my best efforts to stay on the sunny side of life.  A lot of serious, sad stuff, people's health, etcetera.  The sun's been gone for days!

Now there is another two storms predicted for the coming week.  If it weren't for music (and movies) I would be lost in dark matter this month.  I've had to take a few songs straight into my veins, playing them over and over....and over.  It's effective, if only momentarily.  Music like any drug can have lasting side effects though, like melancholy and a burning sensation..or is that an STD?  Either way, emotions run high when listening to great songs and that power can lift you up while simultaneously shattering your fragile tender little core.  But at least you're alive when you're heart is breaking.  Its shakes you out of this frigid seasonal coma.

Baby corn and bamboo shoots, carrots, onions, kale, zucchini along with ginger, white pepper, five spice powder along with ground turkey made this a solid weeknight meal.  But in my heart I know it is not my best work.   You have to feel the lows to get the highs.  Easier said than done.

I Was Just Wondering If There Was a Way

I was just standing alone in the kitchen, wondering if there was a way to still enjoy a favorite, chicken and rice.  If there was a way to make a really healthy arroz con pollo.  I needed to use skinless meat, no white rice, and add healthy fat.  I could still taste the original in my mouth.  I still wanted that taste.  I wondered if it was possible to have it again, some way to bring it back.

I used wild rice.  I braised the chicken first in a dry rub with lots of heat to create a coating, then stewed it over the vegetables and slightly browned rice with some stock and tomato sauce, dried herbs.  In the oven lidded for almost an hour.

This was surprisingly satisfying.  Not exactly the real thing but maybe close enough for today.