I haven’t always been a good cook. I have always tried, but it took me several years of trying before I wasn’t setting the kitchen on fire every time I stepped into it. About the fire, you think I’m kidding don’t you? Its true. Keep on reading.

To give you a little background, we will head back to my younger years. I was in middle school and my mom, who had raised 5 kids, had decided to go to college at the age of 50. She graduated from undergraduate school and then went on to get her Masters degree.  During the school year she taught at the local elementary school and during the summers, she took classes towards her Masters degree at Pittsburg State University. On summer mornings, my mom would get up and set out to school, leaving my older sister and I at home.

We were on our own for lunch. My typical meals, I kid you not, were a) Miracle Whip sandwich foldovers (one slice of bread with Miracle Whip, folded over), b) pizza sauce with mozzarella cheese mixed in and heated up in the microwave, c) fried tortillas. My mom had other things for us to eat, but I usually went with one of my own “gourmet” options.

I did a pretty good job of making the Miracle Whip sandwich fold overs and the pizza sauce with mozzarella creation. It was the fried tortillas that got me into trouble the most often. For the fried tortillas, I would put the oil in the pan, turn the burner on, then run downstairs to watch As The World Turns.  Nine times out of ten, I would get caught up in the show and would be pushed out of the TV trance only by the sound of our smoke alarm blaring. I’d run upstairs to find flames shooting up in the air from the heated oil, would grab the baking soda that mom left by the stove, dump it on and put out the fire.

This happened frequently… I’m talking 2-3 times a week. Looking back, I can’t believe I didn’t burn our kitchen down. Even more surprising is the fact that my mom didn’t ban me from the kitchen! Instead, she would come home to the baking soda covered stove and floor and know that I had been attempting to cook. Eventually she made a rule that if something was on the stove, you had to stay in that room.

My cooking abilities have improved over time. I firmly believe that it may be because I stopped frying tortillas. I found out that some things never change this evening when I set out to make what was on the menu - Fajita Skillet. The first step in the recipe had me frying up strips of flour tortillas. I did a batch, put a little salt on them and the kids came running in and devoured them. Since that batch was gobbled up, I decided to do another batch. I cut the strips, heated the oil then added them to the pan. Soon after the tortilla strips were added to the pan, one of the kids hollered and needed something. I ran into the other room to help them and was there for a bit when an old familiar smell drifted into the air. The smell was of burning oil and blackened tortillas. Sure enough, when I ran into the kitchen, flames were shooting up into the air. Grabbing the baking soda was old hat to me and putting out the fire was second nature - kind of like riding a bike.

Unless you like the excitment of catching your kitchen on fire, I would put the “stay in the room when hot oil is on the stove” rule in place in your house too. The fajita skillet recipe is a great one, but not worth replacing your kitchen for!.

Fajita Skillet adapted from Taste of Home Magazine

• 2 flour tortillas (10 inches), cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 medium green pepper, sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped

In a large skillet, fry tortilla strips in 2 tablespoons oil on both sides for 1 minute or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
In the same skillet, cook the chicken, beef, green pepper, onion, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin and pepper in remaining oil for 3-4 minutes or until chicken juices run clear and vegetables are crisp-tender.
In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and lime juice until smooth. Stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in pineapple and tomato; heat through. Serve with tortilla strips. Yield: 4 servings.

Are you hungry for more fajita recipes? Check out these recipes by food bloggers around the blogosphere.

• Bluefish Fajitas from Beyond Salmon
• Slow Cooker Fajitas from Diannes Dishes
• Amazing Veggie Fajitas from Gillian’s Goodies
• Fajitas Your Way from The Humble Housewife

I launched Adopt a Blogger #2 last week. Blogging friends, we have some eager food blogging newbies who need an experienced blogger to adopt them. Thanks to those of you who have already stepped forward. For the rest of you veteran bloggers, here are the top five reasons why I think you should adopt a blogger:

1. Adoption is cool. If you go the adopt a blogger route, it is much less expensive and you don’t have to travel internationally to pick up your adoptee.
2. Under most circumstances, your food blogging adoptee will come already potty trained.
3. How often do you get to completely influence someone without actually worrying about what kind of adult they’ll turn out to be?
4. Deb from Smitten Kitchen, Lydia from The Perfect Pantry, Holler over at Tinned Tomatoes and Peabody were all adoptive parents last go around (along with a whole slew of wonderful people!). If they have the time to adopt a newbie, you do too!
5. Oprah Winfrey has a mentor. Michael Phelps has a mentor. Wouldn’t you like to be a mentor too?

Lydia from The Perfect Pantry (who adopted 2 bloggers last time around) had this to say about her Adopt a Blogger experience.

“I just want to tell all the more experienced food bloggers out there that adopting a blogger is a wonderful thing. I’ve adopted two bloggers. The time commitment is only what you can do, and it’s so rewarding to watch your adoptive blogs grow. Please sign up!”

I am not going to beg… at least not yet… but I hope you will consider taking a part of Adopt a Blogger #2. Help a fellow food blogger get their wings and mentor someone today! Sign up by commenting on THIS post.

Just for kicks and grins, here is what we had for dinner tonight. I made some minor adjustments (didn’t have colby jack cheese, so used what we had on hand… cheddar and mozzarella) and I completely changed the tomatillos and chilies to a can of rotelle. I know - nothing like tomatillos and it is probably a bit sacreligious, but it is what I had on hand and it turned out great! This is a very versatile recipe. I hope you enjoy!

Chicken Chilaquiles (from Cooking Light Magazine)

2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers, divided
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (11-ounce) can tomatillos, drained
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine chicken, green onions, 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, Parmesan, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Place milk and next 3 ingredients (through chiles) in a food processor or blender; process until smooth.

Heat tortillas according to package directions. Pour 1/3 cup tomatillo mixture into bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 corn tortillas in dish, and top with half of chicken mixture. Repeat layer with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture, ending with tortillas.

Pour remaining 1 1/2 cups tomatillo mixture over tortillas; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Intrigued by tomatillos? Check out what these food bloggers are doing with them:

• Tomatillo and Black Bean Salsa from Kaylyns Kitchen
• Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa from Cafe LynnyLu
• Pork and Tomatillo Stew from Daily Bread Journal
• Homemade Guacamole with Tomatillos from A Veggie Venture

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• Two more days to enter the Dine & Dish giveaway for your very own set of Envirosax. Check out the details here.
• Something I found hilarious, and so very handy. Check out Inn Cuisine’s post on The YouTube Movement Against Chip Clips.
• Obsessed much? My son is a tad bit obsessed with the Olympics and Michael Phelps. At least my kiddos learned something from watching so much TV! Dishing It Up Family Style is here.

We have been working hard here in the Dine & Dish household to lessen our environmental footprint. We have been taking small steps and are easing our way into the habits that will hopefully help our future generations to live in a thriving environment.

All this green business can be very confusing and it has taken us awhile to catch on. We are trying though and hopefully with our efforts we will continue to build an interest in our children about the significance of how an even small step can make a big impact.

• About a year ago, we purchased reusable fabric tote bags for our grocery shopping trips. 9 times out of 10, I forget to take them into the store, and only remember when I am checking out. So, I tell the clerk to just put my groceries in the cart and I will bag them at the car. When I do actually remember to take them into the store, I feel like I have accomplished something big that day. Yay for me… remembering my fabric tote bags.
• We have replaced almost all of our light bulbs with those ugly energy efficient compact florescent light bulbs. Why do they have to make those things so darn ugly? Still, I feel a little burst of pride every time I see my little ugly light bulbs.
• We have attempted to stop the junk mail. We get so much crap in the mail that immediately gets tossed (or recycled if applicable). Hubby doesn’t get to browse the Victoria’s Secret catalogs anymore, and I don’t dream shop out of the Pottery Barn catalog anymore. Sacrifices…I tell ya’.
• Recycle. We do recycle. Our town has a great curbside recycling program and they make it so simple to take part in recycling. It is a bit of a challenge among my family members to see who can recycle the most things during the day. Sometimes I’ll open things up just so I can win in the daily recycle race in our house. Shhhhh!
• Freecycle. How many of you know about Freecycle? This is the most fun I have ever had helping the environment. When I get on my decluttering binges, I almost always choose to Freecycle the items I am decluttering. Now, you do have to watch out for your serial Freecyclers/Freebie Hunters… those people who respond to each and every item you post. I can only imagine the fire hazard their homes are with all their freecycled goodies stashed around. The truth is, they are probably becoming millionaires Ebaying and Craigslisting all of the stuff they have received.
• Reuse. This is where I have to draw the line. My mother-in-law is probably the best “reuser” I have ever met. We will often drive up to the farm to find ziploc bags and tin foil hanging on the line to dry. She doesn’t have Tupperware. Instead, in her cabinets, you will find butter containers, sour cream containers, ice cream pails, etc. She hand washes all of her disposable flatware and plates. To do my part, we are trying to limit our use of disposable things. Napkins are now cloth, we try to not use disposable plates/flatware. I, however, cannot get into washing my tinfoil, plastic wrap and ziploc bags. Heathen as I am, I just can’t do it.

So there you have it… just a few of the small things we are doing to go green. We implement new things all the time. I know we aren’t as accomplished about this as some of you, but hopefully with each baby step we take, we are making a difference.

Speaking of green, I have to tell you about this meatloaf from the now infamous Table Talk Cookbook by Carol McManus. Yes, I’m still completely and totally loving this cookbook! Carol told me via email that she has been making this meatloaf to serve to her family for the past 25 years. This is a time tested recipe that I can now attest to being the very best meatloaf recipe I have ever tried. My children, who can be somewhat persnickety about hidden veggies, didn’t even complain about the “seaweed” in the meatloaf. In fact, I was preparing to sit down when my six year old said “Mom, you had better try this giant meatball. It is so good!”.

Go green. Green is good, people. Really good.

Hide-the-Spinach Meatloaf from Table Talk by Carol McManus

1 Tbs olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 8oz package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and with water squeezed out

2 lbs ground chuck or sirloin

2 eggs

½ cup dried Italian breadcrumbs

½ tsp salt

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small skillet, warm olive oil over low heat. Add onion and sauté until soft but not browned. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more. Add spinach and sauté for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Add the cooked spinach, mixing thoroughly.
4. In a 9×13 inch baking pan (glass is preferred), shape the meatloaf into a rectangle. Bake for about an hour, taking care not to overcook or the meat will dry out. The meatloaf can be a little pink in the middle.

I was traveling in the car last week on the way to South Padre for vacation when when a message popped up on my Twitter account about the loss of wonderful food blogger. Sher, of the blog What Did You Eat? passed away suddenly from a heart attack last week and has since left huge void among her blogging friends.

I did not know Sher very well on a personal level, but at one point early on in my blogging life, she helped me immensely with answering some questions about growing an herb garden… how to do it, what herbs to include, etc. She was selfless with her time and I appreicated it greatly.

Upon returning from vacation, I discovered that my husband had forgotten to water my herb garden. My poor herbs were brown, crispy, and no longer viable. As I was digging them out, preparing the soil for some new plants, I couldn’t help but think of Sher and her lovely blog.

One thing that hit me as I read through some of Sher’s past posts, is that she has certainly left a wonderful gift to her family and friends through her blog posts. Through blogging, we have all been able to get a glimpse into Sher’s life that we would not have had otherwise. Through our blogs, we are all giving this gift to the current and future generations. A permanent place in the world where our “legacy”, of sorts, will live on.

My heart goes out to Sher’s family and friends. I am thankful to have known Sher through her blog and appreciate the opportunity to be inspired by such a kind, funny and remarkable woman.

The recipe I made tonight for Sher’s tribute (go to Glenna’s blog for more details) was not from Sher’s blog, but because of the herbs involved, it reminded me of Sher and her contribution to my herb garden.

Garlic-Thyme Foccaccia (from Cooking Light)

1 teaspoon sugar
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided (about 11 1/4 ounces)
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Dissolve sugar and yeast in 1 cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in fine sea salt. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and spoons; level with a knife. Add 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, stirring to form a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead dough until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining 1/3 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic; cook 5 minutes or until fragrant. Remove garlic from oil with a slotted spoon; discard garlic, and remove pan from heat.

Place dough on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Brush garlic oil over dough; sprinkle with thyme. Cover and let rise 25 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Make indentations in top of dough using the handle of a wooden spoon or your fingertips; sprinkle dough evenly with coarse sea salt. Bake at 425° for 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 piece)

I know you are probably sick of hearing about it, but I am so in love with this cookbook! The Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting recipe from Table Talk by Carol McManus is so easy and incredibly moist and delicious. I’m in love!

Make sure you enter to win the cookbook by commenting on the Dine & Dish Giveaway post right before this one (CLICK HERE).

Side note… I’m finally up with the current trends and am Twittering (User Name - DineandDish). Let me know if you Twitter too and I’ll make sure to follow along! (Is this even English that I am speaking… still sounds very foreign to me!)

Carol’s cookbook, Table Talk, continues to be extremely popular in my house. My love for this book has only increased with each recipe I try! I have decided that it would only be fair to give one of you the chance to win a copy of this fantastic cookbook. For dinner tonight, we had Tried and True Meatballs with Zingy Red Sauce. My husband’s comments, “These were the best meatballs with sauce and pasta you have ever made!”. Want the recipe? Get the book

Gathering together at least once a day for a family meal is very important. Because of that, I am also going to include in this giveaway Food for Talk by my friend Julienne Smith. Food for Talk is a box of conversation starters for families and friends to use at meal time to get the conversation flowing.

Entering to win is simple. First, head over to Carol’s website and check out Table Talk. After you have done that, come back and leave one comment on this post. Please fill out the form with your name, email address and blog address. If you don’t have a blog, that is fine. Just make sure you let me know how I can get a hold of you.

All entries must be received by Midnight CST on Wednesday, July 23rd.

There was a time in my life when I used to buy all of my intimate apparel at Victoria’s Secret. I would not be caught dead without a matching bra and pantie ensemble on and that matching ensemble had to have the same colors in it as my outfit did. Even though people would not necessarily see my intimate apparel, I just felt better knowing that I matched underneath.

There was a time in my life when I used to shave my legs… every single day. It was part of my luxurious morning routine to lounge around in the shower, exfoliate, and shave.

There was a time in my life when I would not leave the house without makeup on. Even as I started having contractions at home in the middle of the night with my first child, I got up, took a shower and put on makeup. I did not want the pictures taken of me in the hospital to be without makeup.

There was a time in my life where I always had polished, well manicured hands. On the day my husband proposed to me, I had just taken my finger nail polish off and had gone out for a run. I was sweaty and gross. When he got down on one knee, took my hand, and presented the ring to place on my finger, I seriously gasped at my fingers…forgetting that I had removed the polish , ran into the bathroom, painted my nails and came back to him to say “yes” and place the ring on my hand. (Can you believe he went through with it after that “diva” moment?)

And, there was a time in my life that I ran. Enough said.

In relation to the above statement, there was a time in my life that I actually weighed what is listed on my drivers license.

There was a time in my life where I considered a can of Diet Coke to be a good breakfast. Little did I know what I had been missing…

I bid farewell to that time in my life. I cheer for this time in my life, where life is so happily full I don’t have time to worry about what color my underwear and bra are, where I shave my legs almost everyday (but not quite), and I have a few more curves (OK… the drivers license bureau folks would keel over laughing if they saw me and my drivers license in the same room), but those extra curves are the result of a few precious kiddos (aka my excuses) and the realization that breakfast beyond Diet Coke is something I could really get used to.

It is time to out with the old, and in with the new. Breakfast is hip, trendy, fashionable and sexy. Are you convinced yet? If not, check out this recipe from fellow food blogging buddy, Deborah at Taste and Tell. Try it once and you will be knocking shaving your legs and intimate apparel coordinating down on the list of morning priorities to make room for starting your day off with a great breakfast.

Brown Sugar Muffins from Deborah at Taste and Tell

Makes 16 muffins

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup nuts, chopped coarsely (I omitted)

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease or line 16 muffin cups.

Combine all ingredients until mixed. Fill prepared muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes or until done.

Are you ready for some muffins? Try out these other recipes from food bloggers around the blogosphere:

• Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping, from Sunday Nite Dinner
• Pumpkin Muffins, from Muffin Top
• Chocolate Flecked Multigrain Muffins, from Baking and Books
• Cottage Cheese and Eggs Breakfast Muffins, from Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Cinnamon Muffins, from Baking Sheet

I am a very visual person. I love to have recipes with photographs… it makes the recipe that much more tempting and desirable. Often times, I will be flipping through a magazine and will fall in love with a photo of a recipe, only to take a look at the recipe and realize that I really don’t care for some of the ingredients in the dish. This does not happen very often, as I am not a very picky eater, but when it does sometimes I am still lured in just enough by the photo to throw out my picky qualms about an ingredient and to try the recipe anyway.

This happened recently when I was flipping through June/July 2008 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. A photograph for an appetizer called “Sky Blue Potatoes” caught my eye and I immediately was intrigued. Then, I took a look at the ingredients and noticed that the “Blue” in the recipe title actually came from the fact that Blue Cheese is one of the prominent ingredients. I have never been a fan of Blue Cheese. I have always wanted to be, but each and every time I try it it just does nothing for my tastebuds. I was still being tempted by the photo, so I decided to make this appetizer anyway.

This appetizer was not a huge amount of work, but to do all of that work only to discover that you still do not like blue cheese is a little disappointing.  I don’t know what I was expecting my tastebuds to do…did I really think they were going to make a big whopping change, just like that? Actually, yes… yes I did. I just thought that I’d make the recipe, take my first bite, and suddenly be in love with blue cheese! It didn’t happen, folks. In case you are wondering, I still am not a blue cheese fan.

This appetizer got a thumbs up from the Blue Cheese lovers who tried it. If you are of the Blue Cheese loving group, you’ll love this appetizer. If you are not, I’ve done the work for you and can tell you… blue cheese still tastes like blue cheese no matter how tempting the photograph!

Sky Blue Potatoes, from Everyday with Rachael Ray, June/July 2008

(First of all… are you already having Tastespotting withdrawl like I am? Luckily Food Gawker has stepped in to take over where Tastespotting left off! Check it out!)

As someone who writes for a food blog and other food related sites, and someone who also loves to read food blogs, I can admit that often times I will make something simply because I believe it will be good food blog fodder. This train of thought often leads me to leave out those things that might be more ordinary. (Okay - what is ordinary to me and what is ordinary to you may be completely different things, but just go with it, please.)

My husband and I attended a party on Saturday night and we were asked to bring an appetizer and dessert. It was an outdoor party, so I knew that I wanted something light and refreshing.. something that could withstand the heat if it got too hot. Chocolate was out. Frozen desserts were out. Anything with a lot of cream or dairy products was out. As I took a look through my “I will make this someday” list, I stumbled upon the Golden Buttermilk Cake with Strawberries recipe and thought I should give that a try. But, then, I hesitated. It seems like such an ordinary cake… how I would I spin it in to a blog post? What could possibly be entertaining about a plain old buttermilk cake?

Well, blogging thoughts thrown aside and the desire to mark another thing off my list taking precedence, I decided to forgo the excitement of an extraordinary dessert and go for the ordinary. After I photographed my little slice of cake, I slipped it back onto the serving plate and we headed out to the party.

I learned a very good lesson that day. Sometimes the ordinary really is extraordinary, just disguised under a simple facade. I set the cake down with the dish of cut up strawberries next to it, went with my husband to scout out a place to put our stuff, came back to get some food and noticed that my cake was almost all gone! The party had barely even begun, and people were snatching up little slices of my ordinary cake and topping it with the strawberries and were passing up things that were much fancier. I hurriedly snatched up a piece and my husband and I sat down and both mmmmm’d our way through each bite.

This cake does not need fanfare. It does not need fancy words or an elaborate description. It just needs you to give it a try and you can discover for your self how wonderful ordinary can be.

Golden Buttermilk Cake with Strawberries - Cooking Light, March 2007

1 cup cake flour (about 4 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup egg substitute (I used one egg as I was out of egg substitute)
2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
4 cups sliced strawberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place 1/3 cup granulated sugar and butter in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add egg substitute; beat just until combined. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition. Stir in vanilla (batter will be thick).

Spoon batter into an 8-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack. Sift powdered sugar over top of cake.

Combine berries and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve berry mixture with cake.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cake slice and 1/2 cup berry mixture)

CALORIES 193 (29% from fat); FAT 6.3g (sat 3.8g,mono 1.5g,poly 0.4g); IRON 1.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 16mg; CALCIUM 75mg; CARBOHYDRATE 31.4g; SODIUM 253mg; PROTEIN 3.5g; FIBER 2g

Kids change everything… they really do. We have three young kids and I would not change having them for anything. They are the brightest spots in our lives and I appreciate having the opportunity to be a mom each and every day.

I am not going to lie though… kids do change everything. Going to the bathroom in private? Doesn’t happen anymore. If someone isn’t in the bathroom with me, they are hanging outside the door with little fingers reaching under the door or questions being shouted through the door. Add to that my 2 year old clapping when I go and then shouting “bye-bye potty!” when the toilet is flushed. Oh - and how about getting to eat all of your dessert? Nope… it took me 30 some years, but I finally understand the concept of sharing to the fullest capacity. Gracefully sharing is giving up the last spoonful of your Death by Chocolate dessert because your sweet four year old is staring at you with those eyes. You know - those eyes that Daddy is going to have to learn to resist any time she asks him for something. And how about this one… how about something as simple as a conversation? My husband and I will attempt having a conversation and by the fourth interruption, we finally give up, vowing to talk about it later, and then collapsing into bed at the end of the day with no energy to converse.

My husband and I still do find time to rekindle that flame. Next month, we are planning a little trip to Wine Country (if any of you have any suggestions on places to stay, things to do, etc please let me know). Nothing gets that romance going again like a nice vacation away.. .without kids.

Tonight we rekindled the flame. Yep… in the kitchen, of all places! Oh c’mon… get your minds out of the gutter. We made Tequila Shrimp from the September, 2007 issue of Gourmet magazine and it required “burning off” the alcohol. Taking cover, I was prepared for a raging inferno, but all we got was a short little burst of flame. It still was enough to add some excitement to our evening!

If kids have changed your life some, and that flame is burning low, make it a priority to date your spouse. And, if dating is something you can’t do right now, then try getting hot in the kitchen. The Tequila Shrimp is just the little quickie to add some spark to your night!

Tequila Shrimp, Gourmet Magazine September 2007 (and another one gets marked off the list!)

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp in shell (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup white or reposado tequila
3/4 cup crema or sour cream
1 scallion, thinly sliced

Accompaniment: rice

Toss shrimp with kosher salt and 3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper.

Heat butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then sauté shrimp, turning, until pink and just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat and add tequila, then increase heat to medium-high. Tilt skillet over gas burner to ignite tequila (or ignite with a long match; use caution, as flames may shoot up high). Cook, shaking skillet gently once or twice, until flames subside. Remove from heat and stir in crema. Serve sprinkled with scallion.