Dog Days of Summer

Well looks like we'll be looking at the mid 90s this week. Which is right for this first week of August. So what does the second week of August bring? Nod. yep. my birthday. Tom got me a camera already for my birthday, now all I have to do is pay the CC bill when it comes. LOL I really really like my almost paid for camera. It is a Casio Exilim, I think this is the one I have...

And it takes nice pics here is another one from our Tastefully Simple National Conference

Are you wondering why we are wearing cowboy hats? That's because the theme of conference this year was Kick it Up!

We have some fabulous new products coming out including one called Mild Red Pepper Dip, this one is just like our retired Sweet Pepper and Jalepeno Jam only a bit more pourable. I think it will be a must have product this fall.

Grilled Asian Aura Steak Salad

1 peeled cucumber

1 red bell pepper

1 zucchini

1 1/2 lbs. trimmed boneless 1 inch thick sirloin steak

Asian Aura Dressing

Chopped fresh cilantro

Slice vegetables into matchsticks, about 2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide, set aside. Brush steak w/1-2 tablespoons Asian Aura Dressing; grill over med. heat for 3-4 minutes on each side for med. rare. Toss vegetables w/5-6 tablespoons Asian Aura Dressing; arrange evenly on 4 plates. Thinly slice hot steak; arrange over vegetables. Drizzle with additional Asian Aura Dressing to taste; sprinkle w/cilantro for garnish. Makes 4 servings.

Me and my Birthday Buddy Kim J.

Back from Conference!

Wow I had such a great time! It's wonderful to be part of a forward focused company! This year our key note speaker was Connie Podesta, very very funny and inciteful. Her website is http://www.conniepodesta.com/. We have such a wonderful fall line this year. I can't wait to share it with everyone, especially our exquisite gift collection, the gift department truly outdid themselves this year.


The picture I posted is a picture of me w/my birthday Buddy Kim J.


So many great things coming along to help us to grow our businesses and reach our goals, I cannot wait to share all w/my clients and hosts. Now is the time to start a Tastefully Simple business!

I will share more and recipes tomorrow.

Go Go White Sox, Boo Tigers!

Last night Bryce and I had the first annual Brycie's Special White Sox Day. I have a couple of pics of the evening, but photobucket is down so I can't upload them tonight from my phone to the site and then download the pics to my PC so I can upload them here...LOL I love technology.

So there we were at the game and who sits right in front of us?

Ya a loud lady who looooooooooooooves the Tigers and her 2 kids who love the Tigers and her husband. Sigh, I just really don't like sitting by someone loudly taunting the home team. I want to be surrounded by the sox fans. This lady was extra annoying because when she wasn't on her feet yelling cause her team scored...and that happend 9 times..the times the sox were doing well, she was texting. Grrr. or getting up so I can't see to go to the bathroom Grr.

But then Bryce keep making me laugh. The kid was Superfan! He was singing Go White Sox Go. Chanting Let's Go White Sox Let's Go, and each time a Sox was up to bat and they announced the player's name Bryce would go wild as if Babe Ruth was coming to the plate! The kids in front of us were supremely annoyed to have a screaming 5 year old White Sox fan behind them. I had to laugh.

Bryce made some friends w/the Sox fans behind us and exchanged hi 5's and the fans were telling me I had the best kid ever. LOL Bryce can be pretty loud and wild most of the time, so I guess Cellular Field is his nitche.

Ah such fun, too bad our guys lost!

And now for a few more summer recipes....

Veggie Pizza
Submitted by Kris Sayers (IL)
Ingredients Mediterranean Herb Quick Focaccia Bread Mix
12 oz. beer
Farmer's Medley Dip Mix
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Sliced cucumber
Chopped broccoli
Diced carrots
Thin sliced yellow peppers
Directions Prepare Mediterranean Herb Quick Focaccia Bread Mix as directed on package with beer; spread onto a pizza pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°; set aside to cool. Prepare Farmer's Medley Dip Mix as directed with sour cream and mayonnaise. Spread Farmer's Medley Dip over cooled bread; top with vegetables. Slice into appetizer size pieces.

Merlot Burgers
Submitted by Deb Goodman (ND)
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. Merlot Sauce
1 tsp. Onion Onion™
1/2 tsp. Seasoned Salt
1 lb. ground beef
1 beaten egg
1 tsp. prepared horseradish
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
Directions Combine all ingredients; mix well. Shape into 4 patties; grill. Serves 4.

Dreamsicle Chiller
Submitted by Stephanie Adkisson (CA)
Ingredients
2 scoops Vanilla Bean Chiller™
5 oz. cold orange juice
1 1/2 cups ice
Directions Combine ingredients in blender; blend on high until smooth. Makes 2 servings.

Dinner Impossible

For those of you who have cable, and are familiar w/the Food Network, maybe you've heard of this show? Each week Chief Robert Irvine is thrown into a situtation and giving the challenge of serving a bunch of people and a strict deadline. For example he did a challenge where he had to cook a dinner party for a group that runs a pilgrim visitor center (where you can visit and see people pretending it's the 1600s. So he had to do a dinner party using the tools and foods of the time.

Well this week the challenge was serving a gourmet dinner to a group of 200 of Chicago's finest and their friends on the US Cellular Fan Deck at our very own US Cellular Field.

Why am I mentioning this? Well because I was at the game and went to the consession stand where the Chief was working and saw a bit of the filming!

So I just had to share my 'celebrity' sighting now that the show is on the air!

Here are a few recipes to make dinner less impossible!

Texas Grilled Potatoes

Submitted by Lynn Carnes (TX)
Ingredients

4 large cubed potatoes

4 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. Garlic Garlic™

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Bacon Bacon™ to taste (optional)

Directions Place potatoes on aluminum foil; dab butter on potatoes. Sprinkle with Garlic Garlic™ and cheese. Seal foil, leave space on top so cheese does not stick. Place on grill for about 20 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with Bacon Bacon™ prior to serving.

Makes 3-4 servings.

Crispy Salsa Chicken

Submitted by Holli Henning (VA)
Ingredients

2 Tbsp. Fiesta Party Dip Mix™

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

1/2 cup water

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup Corn, Black Bean Salsa

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions Combine first 2 ingredients in a shallow bowl. Place water in a separate shallow bowl. Dip chicken in water, then coat with breadcrumb mixture. Put chicken on greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Top each chicken breast with 2 tablespoons Corn, Black Bean Salsa; sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Makes 3-4 servings.

Fabulous Day

Wow is the weather fantastic today!!! I bet there are many people smiling from ear to ear as they enjoy their block party, birthday party, camping trip or Wedding Day.

The picture you see was taken in front of a fountain in Lagrange, IL. We went there to see a movie at the Lagrange Theater ($2.00 show). The movie was Meet the Robinsons and all five kids sat there for viturally the whole movie, mouth agape and eyes glued to the screen.

After the movie, I took the kiddos to the library to return books and get prizes for the summer reading program. They all got a bonus prize for playing a little Harry Potter scavenger hunt.

And guess what was waiting for me in the mailbox today???

My preordered copy of the final Harry Potter book...just in time for me to take with on the plane next Wednesday when I leave for Minneapolis!

The magic trick for me will be to NOT start reading it until Wedneday, or I'll wind up sitting on the couch the rest of the weekend reading it...and it's too gorgeous to do that this weekend.

Cold Asian Pasta Salad by Heather Dood

Ingredients:
8oz Fettuccine Noodles (to add fiber use whole wheat or multigrain noodles
1/2 cup Vegetable Broth
2 tbsp Natural Peanut Butter
3 Tbsp Asian Aura Dressing
2Tbsp Garlic Garlic
1-2 Tbsp Si Si Cilantro (depending on how spicy you would like it)
1 Red Pepper Chopped
2 Green Onions Chopped


Directions:
Cook noodles as directed on box ,cool and drain. Meanwhile Mix in a med mixing bowl Broth, peanut butter, Asian Aura dressing, Garlic Garlic and Si Si Cilantro. Add dressing to noodles along with Red peepers and Green onions.

Number Of Servings:4-6

Preparation Time:15-20mins

The Gang in LaGrange!

Savory Sweet Potato Salad

Since I tried the Sweet Potato Salad from Deleece at the Taste of Chicago, I have been jonesing for more. Sweet Potatoes were on sale at Jewel so I got a few pounds of it, found a recipe on http://www.allrecipes.com/ and am going to give it a go 2day. I don't have any of the hot pepper sauce that the recipe calls for, so I planning to substitute Rockin' Chipotle Dip Mix as a spice in place of the hot pepper sauce.

If I had a Food Network show my culinary POV would be Substituting what you don't have on hand but the recipe calls for for what is in the pantry at present. LOL

Savory Sweet Potato Salad
Submitted by: Marlen SchottRated: 4 out of 5 by 1 members
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 20 MinutesYields: 6 servings
"Give any meal a special twist with this creamy, distinctive make-ahead salad. It's especially good along-side ham.--Marlen Schott, Devine, Texas"
INGREDIENTS:
3 pounds sweet potato,
cooked, peeled and cubed
1 cup chopped sweet red
pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
DIRECTIONS:
1.
In a large bowl, combine potatoes, red pepper and onion. In a small bowl, blend mayonnaise, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. Pour over potato mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2007 Allrecipes.com
Printed from Allrecipes.com 7/20/2007

I do not...do not...like Bananas

Bleh. Can't stand them, but I do remember liking them in grade school. I must have had some bad banana experiences buried deep in my subconcious that has cause me to avoid them like the plague. But many other people like them...and since I got this recipe from the Hungry Girl newsletter a service of the website http://www.hungry-girl.com/ , I thought I'd share for everyone who likes nanas...

Hunka Hunka Breakfast Love

(entire recipe: 225 calories, 4g fat,

615mg sodium, 40g carbs, 3g fiber,

13g sugars, 12g protein = 4 Points)

"The King" used to enjoy sandwiches loaded with peanut butter, banana and bacon.

We think Elvis would have loved this HG concoction!

Ingredients: 3/4 cup Barbara’s Bakery Puffins, Peanut Butter

1/2 cup light vanilla soymilk

1/4 cup banana slices

1 ounce extra lean turkey bacon

1 tbsp. sugar-free maple syrup

Directions: Place cereal in a bowl, and top with banana slices; set aside. Prepare bacon according to pac kage directions (either in the microwave, or in a pan with nonstick spray). Top cereal with soymilk. Plate bacon and drizzle with syrup. Enjoy!

Countdown to Nationals!: 6 days and I'll be in Minneapolis.

This picture was taken by Bordner Aerials

When I signed on to be a parent, no one told me...

You know one of the many many things that no one mentions in those parenting books, magazines or on daytime television...when your kiddos make friends, you are also emotionally involved. Bryce, age sometimes 5 1/2 sometimes 21, has new friend down the block from us. It's his friend's grandpa's house so sometime he is there for a few days and other times not.
When he isn't there Bryce is looking outside for him about ever hour on the hour....it's cute

But this week he is staying w/his grandpa and his 2 older sisters are their too. They are ahhh about 3rd grade and 5th grade. Yesterday Bryce went down to play. All is good. I am taking deep breaths and saying it is OK for him to play down the block w/his friend. I don't have to be in the same room as him when he is playing.

Yesterday, the girls and his friend brought Bryce back home and said that he was mad and was fighting w/his friend and wouldn't talk to they and say what was wrong. So they dropped him off. Bryce slumped into the house and refused to communication. Sigh, having friends isn't all pinky swears and playing army guys. My heart sunk. I tried w/o much luck all day to figure out what is the problem. But he won't say, is that typical? Does man communications begin by Kindergarten?

Today is a new day and his friend and his sister came down to see if Bryce could play. I have my fingers crossed that today he has fun, and it's stress free, for him and me.
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Classic Kid Fare:
The only way my kids will eat PB&J is if the jelly is Rhubarb Strawberry Fruit Spread. I hear tales that kids love wraps. Not at my house...but if they did I would make a wrap using..

whole wheat tortillas
farmer's medley dip mix w/a brick of lowfat cream cheese
then mix that w/finely chopped broccoli, zucchini, carrots
I'd spread that on the tortillas, layer on a slice of low fat turkey or ham and roll those up and serve it w/a glass of milk and some Baked Lays and some grapes

Doesn't that sound like a great lunch? Any thoughts on how to get the little dudes to eat wraps? I think I'll try a spongebob angle, like this is a recipe from The Crusty Crab? Or this is the favorite food of Bumblebee the Transformer?

Pot Luck Parties

Here is a recipe from Better Homes and Gardenswhich I made some adjustments to, to make it healthier and easier:



If you like to have recipes delivered to your email box you can subscribe at their website for a daily recipe email.








12 servings
Prep: 20 minutes Bake: 45 minutes
View Nutrition Facts
Ingredients
8 ounces dried whole wheat penne
2 pounds uncooked ground chicken or turkey
1 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 cups water


2-4 tbsp Fiesta Party Dip
2 11-ounce cans whole kernel corn with sweet peppers, drained
2 cups sliced pitted ripe olives
2 cups ( 8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup prepared Simply Salsa
8 cups shredded lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, cut into thin wedges or a can of drained diced tomatoes
Tortilla chips (optional) Use Baked Tostitoes or Guiltless Gourmet Chips
Dairy sour cream (optional) low fat or fat free sour cream
Directions
1. Cook pasta according to directions; drain and set aside.



2. Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet cook ground chicken and onion, half at a time, until meat is brown; drain fat. Return all of the chicken mixture to skillet. Stir in water and fiesta party dip mix. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cooked pasta, corn, olives, half of the shredded cheese and salsa.



3. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased 3-quart rectangular casserole. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes or until heated through. Remove from oven; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
4. Serve with lettuce, tomato wedges or diced tomatoes , and, if desired, tortilla chips and sour cream. Makes 12 servings.



To Tote: Cover tightly. Transport in an insulated carrier. Transport lettuce, tomatoes, and, if desired, sour cream in an insulated cooler with ice packs. If desired, transport chips in an airtight bag or container.



For 6 Servings: Prepare using method above, except transfer mixture to a 2-quart rectangular baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.

One of those days, where you wonder, what did I do all day?

I don't even know. Seems like not nearly enough of my to-do list got completed. Does this happen to you? It was nice that we didn't have to leave the house today, but I did miss my morning run..can't go for one of those w/the kids finished w/daycamp!

I did find a website called http://ecarepackage.org you can go there and put together a care package to be sent to a deployed serviceman or woman or their family. It's pretty nice to be able to put together a care pacakage online, for me much easier to make it happen that way than to try and put it together on my own. It matches you up w/a member of the Armed Services and you can see what they would like. So I hope my serviceman likes what I picked to send to him.

Ah a week from Wednesday I'll be traveling to Minnesota for the big National Conference, can't wait!
************************************************************************
A friend of mine has an easy and healthly recipe for homemade chicken nuggets.

4 Servings
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast,
rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
11/2 cups plain yogurt
3 cups crushed corn flakes
2 TB fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
vegetable or olive oil for spraying pan plastic or paper bag
Pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Slice chicken breasts into 2-inch strips. Marinate chicken pieces in yogurt for one hour or up to 24 hours, refrigerated.Prepare the crunchy crust by combining the corn flakes, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl.
Place corn flake mixture in a plastic or paper bag. Drop chicken, a few pieces at a time, into the bag and shake thoroughly to completely coat. Remove chicken pieces from bag, shaking excess mixture from each piece.

Place coated chicken pieces on a sheet pan lightly sprayed with oil.Bake for about 25 minutes or until crunchy on the outside and cooked through. Serve with dipping sauces.

I hear it is really good w/a little Garlic Garlic in there. :-)

Another Weekend On the Books.

Did you have a great weekend? I hope you had fun, saw friends and famiy and maybe brought a little Tastefully Simple to any backyard BBQs that you attended.

Last night my friend and I had a great time seeing Steve Dahl and the Nadas at North Beach in Downer's Grove. Too bad I still don't have that new digital camera I need because my cell phone just wasn't cutting it. There are a bunch of pics from the show already posted at http://www.dahl.com, I check through them and there are no silly pictures of me dance. LOL

It's always nice to have a big frosty drink if you are dancing or listening to a band and so I'll share a few frosty drink recipes:

Prickly Pear Margaritas

Description:

Ingredients:
3 T. Prickly Pear Cooler
1 can limeade
1 Corona beer
1 can water
3/4 -1 can tequila
1-2 can ice

Directions:
Use limeade can for measuring purposes.

Christi Seelen's White Chocolate Chiller
Description:
A fabulous ADULT version of the Chiller!

Ingredients:
2 scoops (8 Tbsp.) Vanilla Bean Chiller™
5 oz. cold milk
1 oz. vanilla vodka
1 oz. white chocolate liqueur (I used Godiva, but I think there are other brands too)
1 1/2 cups ice


Directions:
Combine ingredients in blender; blend on high until smooth.


Number Of Servings:2

Preparation Time:5 minutes

Tom Bryce and Anna 7/2

Change in Schedule

Last night and this afternoon, I had 2 Tastefully Simple Party scheduled, but my hosts had to reschedule until August. So this left me with empty slot in my calendar. I tell you the 2nd wknd in July is a great time to have a suprise opening in my calendar!

Yesterday we spend the day garage sale-ing in Palos Hills where they are having a 2 day all town garage sale event. We drove from house to house down blocks here and there scouting the goods to be had for mere pennies on the dollar.

The big finds...

*Care Bear Twin Sheet Set w/Pillow Case New! $4.00

*2 Long Sleeve White Sox Shirts for Bryce $.50 each

* A SpongeBob Rock Em Soc Em game for $3.00 ---Patrick Freaked over that!

And the best find of all...

a Dora Doll House w/accessories and the dolls for $15.00.

Anna is really loving that, today Tom figured out you can open up the top to make a 2nd floor on the house.

So that was our adventures in Garage Sales. Then Anna, Bryce and I went to the library and they got their Summer Book Contest sheet stamped, picked out a prize...it was all good!

And later on we went to the movies w/the kids best friends and our awesome friends and saw Transformers. It was really good, I always love a good movie where the little guy defeat evil and saves the world. This one was also was pro-military and I also love movies w/our troops in them. I guess I like a good good vrs. evil battle. So in any case I agree w/Richard Roeper and give Transformers a thumbs up.

Today, we are probably going to make it to the Palos Friendship Fest, and the fun for me is tonight I'm going with a friend of mine to see Steve Dahl and the Nadas play at North Beach.

http://www.dahl.com/

It's always fun to go see and say hi to the man I listen to on the radio 5 days a weeks and the man who married me and tom!

A nice twist on the standard slaw featuring our new Ginger Teriyaki Ranch Dressing

Ginger Teriyaki SlawSubmitted by Rosemary (MN) HQ Resident Chef

Ingredients 1 cup Ginger Teriyaki Ranch Dressing or to taste
16 oz. pkg. shredded cabbage for cole slaw
1 red bell pepper, diced
Chopped, fresh cilantro for garnish
Directions Combine first 3 ingredients; toss gently to blend.
Garnish with fresh cilantro. Makes 8-10 servings.

TS on GMA!

I received an email tonight that Tastefully Simple may very well be included in a segment on Good Morning America! about Direct Sales and Home Parties. I am going to try and watch it. The direct sales segment will air between 8:30 and 9:00 am. Be sure to watch it if you can!

In other news, the weather was spectacular today! I made pasta sauce and a mix of white penne and whole wheat penne pasta for dinner. And the big exciting part of that was that I was able to chop up zucchini very small w/my PC hand chopper and no child was the wiser. haha!

Sigh, tomorrow I am mailing off a big chunk of change for the boys school fees. Ouch. Kids are rather pricey!

I have no clue what I am going to make for dinner tomorrow, but I am very happy that we have a few days here in the 70s so cooking isn't liable to heat up the whole house.

1/2 Marathon Anyone?

Last week I ran 12 miles on Wed. 12 miles in a row. Nod, I know I can't believe it either. Only had 1 small blister. So looks like I *could* do a 1/2 marathon....

---going to do a blingo.com search and see when any 1/2 marathons are in Chicago---

Found one.
The Chicago Half Marathon, Sept 9th 7:30AM. Okay I better sign up it's 75% full already and they are capping it at 12,500 entries--can you believe there are that many crazy runners out there?

Alright I did it, I am all signed up for the big event...and now that my mind is working I am thinking that I will see if I can use my 2 night 3 day Get Away Your Way trip I earned from TS to get a hotel for me and the family for that wknd...and we could stay down there and they could watch me run and I wouldn't have to travel downtown that morning!

The night before a big race many runners load up on the carbs for quick energy the next day and what better way to carbload than a nice plate of pasta...

A recipe adapted from the Costco Connection to be healthier and include Tastefully Simple products....

Penne with Cauliflower
1/4 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1-2 tsp Garlic Garlic
2 lbs of tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped if you have fresh tomatoes from the garden or from a farmers market OR just make life easy with 4 cups canned diced tomatoes
1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets
2 tbsp salt or 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning Blend (product from TS Fall/Winter Catalog) OPTIONAL
1 pound of whole wheat penne pasta
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
Fresh Ground Pepper
Optional Grated Parm Cheese for garnish (to keep fat content down very lightly garnish or skip.

In a large saute pan heat olive oil then add garlic garlic and topmatoes and cook until tomatoes begin to break down.

Add cauliflower and stir well. Add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup very hot water, lower heat to med. and cook for 30 min or until cauliflower is tender.

While that is cooking bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, add the 2 tbsp salt if desired. Add penne and cook until the penne is al dente.
4. Drain pasta and add to pan w/cauliflower, stir in parsley and black pepper to taste, toss for 1 minute, plate this delicious meal w/lots of flavor and fiber and cheese fans sprinkle on a bit of Parm.

Want it Vegan? Just skip the cheese.
Want it to have more protein? add diced chicken breast.
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Once I have accomplished this 1/2 marathon goal I will begin working toward participating in the Team in Training Leukemia program to run in the Nashville Marathon on April 18th in honor of Tonya Ross, Tastefully Simple Consultant and mom of 3 little ones who passed away father's day weekend because of Luekemia. Tonya Ross was only 32.

I will be posting frequently about the training and my fundraising efforts once 2008 begins.
********************************************************************************

Hot. Really Hot. And Sweet Potato Salad

The Bean
and Me.

Here I am at Millenium Park after a few hours at the Taste of Chicago. Good Gravy it was so hot. Did I mention it was so hot? Whew.

And amid all the heat and more heat, I managed to try a few items...

Toasted Ravioli from Tuscany, Perogies, a chopped salad that just didn't stack up to my fav chopped salad (The chopped salad crown still belongs to Portillos) and the most delicious sweet potato salad..oh that was the highlight of the whole food fest...well that and the really really good SoCo Hurricane (ie a slushie drink made w/Southern Comfort).

Okay so I must share where the Sweet Potato Salad came from..oh it was so good, chunks of sweet potatoes the perfect consistency, some chopped scallions, a little chopped red pepper, some cilantro and a really light mayo thing holding it all together. Good thing I only had the taste portion. It was simply outrageously good. And now I MUST GO to the restaurant...

Deleece
4004 N. Southport
Chicago, IL 60613

http://deleece.com/

************************************************************************************
The day downtown was topped off w/a trip to the Signature Lounge in the Hancock Building. Where you can pay $7.50 for a beer and get the same view the observatory charges at least $8.00 sans beer. And at the Lounge they also have some great appetizers, including a cheese plate. I love a good cheese plate, only this one included figs..which it turns out I don't like and a goat cheese that was really really really too reminiscent of a trip to the Children's Zoo! Blech.


All in all a great day in a great city!

When it's in the mid to upper 90s in Chicago...

It must be time for the Taste of Chicago! Yes that is right tomorrow me and a great friend are venturing downtown for the Sweat of Chicago...I mean Taste of Chicago. It's been a few years and wisely this time we are going w/o kids or cranky hubbies that would rather not stand in line to get a taste of eli's cheesecake.

I hope it will be a tad cooler by the lake, fingers crossed for a nice lake breeze! I have already checked out the taste portions listing...at the taste you can get a few full sized items...or a bunch of different 'taste' portions...kind of like a mini tapas extravaganza...so that is what I'll be doing..I must have....the perogi taste, a chop salad taste, a pad thai taste, and a spinach pizza taste. And if I have some tickets left over...a big frozen drink?

If Tastefully Simple was at the Taste of Chicago I am sure a nice Prickly Pear Margarita would be an enormous hit!

1 1/2 Cups Prickly Pear Cooler Prepared
2 1/2 Cups of Crushed Ice
4-6 oz tequila
Blend and Serve w/some glassed rimmed w/koser salt.

Yum.

Knee high by the 4th of July

Ah the 4th of July, a great reason to have a nice serving of German Potato Salad. I have always loved German Potato Salad and that would be because my Oma used to make the best. It was not hot, it was ah, like Lukewarm, which I prefer and she didn't slice the potatoes she kind of chunked them...of course I've never seen or been able to duplicate her most fantastic and mouth watering salad.

Here is a recipe from Allrecipes...

GERMAN POTATO SALAD

INGREDIENTS
4 potatoes
4 slices bacon*
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped green onions
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes; cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and chop.

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Reserve bacon fat.

OR JUST SKIP THE WHOLE MAKING BACON AND SUBSTITUTE 2 TBSP TO 1/4 CUP BACON BACON.
Add the flour, sugar, water and vinegar to skillet and cook in reserved bacon fat over medium heat until dressing is thick.

OR SKIP THE BOLD INGREDIENTS AND USE VIDALIA ONION DRESSING ABOUT 1/3 CUP.
Add bacon, potatoes and green onions to skillet and stir until coated. Cook until heated and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

*******************************************************************************

Three weeks from today I''ll be flying up for the Tastefully Simple National Conference!!!

We always have great speakers, plenty of time to meet other consultants, and the opportunity to try all the new products!

Now many people don't know that German Potato Salad is pretty low in fat all things considered and especially when compared to it's chubby Cousin American Potato Salad. And you could leave on the potato skins for a bit extra in the vitamin department.

************************************************************************************

Red White and Blue Desserts are a favorite of mine since I love berries...one fun thing to do is to make an Absolutely Almond Pound Cake (use 1/2 butter and 1/2 applesauce to reduce the fat) and then frost it w/cool whip mixed with 2-3 tbsp dry Vanilla Bean Chiller then top w/blueberries, raspberries and/or strawberries.

Links are so much fun

I love to put links to other sites in my newsletter and was super happy to figure out how to add some links here. I think I'll change them whenever I learn about a site that one of my friends, clients or collegues has to share.

Tomorrow night the family will all be going to see the White Sox game. This time I'll be smart and feed the kids dinner before I leave for the park. That way we won't spend too much $$$ on food!

For the 4th we are going over to a great friends house for a little BBQ...I am hoping that she will be making some of her AWESOME 7 layer salad. I will be more than happy to bring any and all of her favorite Tastefully Simple products if she'll make the great salad.

I have loved 7 layer salad since I was a kid. The boys don't care for it, but Anna fortunately for me is more daring in her tastes and she likes it about as much as me.

What a beautiful day today. I participated in my first virtual personal development seminar and it was really good. I can't wait to do it again. The coach behind this virtual even was Michelle Burns and this is her website: http://www.designyourdestiny.com/. She rocks, I higly recommend her!

Now that a new TS year is here I am looking forward to growing my personal business, my team and myself this year. The beginning of a new year is always exciting for me be it, New Years, or the new Recognition year, or the beginning of the school year...

The 7 layer Salad:

8 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
3/4 cup sliced red onions (about 1 small)
2 cups frozen peas, thawed (one 10-oz. pkg.)
about 6 slices crumbed bacon 0r turkey bacon (or Bacon Bacon)

1 green pepper chopped or carrots

6-8 eggs sliced
3/4 cup KRAFT Mayo (feel free to use low fat--you gotta reduce the fat in this recipe somewhere!
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Layer lettuce, then green peppers or carrots, onions, peas, eggs, then bacon. Mix the mayo and the sugar. Spread on the top then sprinkle the cheese.
Refrigerate several hours or overnight.