We just need some ideas for dinner that are not so difficult, but satisfying ... Read More »]]> It seems like this part of the year is just as hectic as the beginning of the school year, or even the holidays. There are meetings, sports, lessons,
gym time, and so on.  It is also miserably cold in some parts of the country, which makes us irritable and we just want to snuggle up in a blanket on the couch after our busy days and let somebody else do the cooking!  These are not the times to order take-out!  It is expensive and not so good for us.

We just need some ideas for dinner that are not so difficult, but satisfying to our taste buds.  I will share some of my “winter blues” recipes with you to get you through these times until the spring brings all of its color and freshness back to our kitchens.

Grilled Chicken Pasta

Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. whole wheat spaghetti or linguini
1 small can sliced, black olives
1 large can of Italian or garlic and herb diced tomatoes
1 small bottle fat-free or regular Italian salad dressing.
chopped Italian parsley
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

First, cut chicken into bite sized pieces and cook in a skillet sprayed with non-stick spray.  Season to your liking with salt and pepper.  While the chicken is cooking, bring pasta water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente stage, drain.  Place chicken and pasta into a large bowl.  Add the olives, drained, the tomatoes, undrained, chopped parsley, and 1/2 bottle of dressing.  Give it a toss. You can add Parmesan to the entire recipe, or use it as a topping on each plate. Serve with garlic bread and a tossed salad.  You can also add mushrooms to this.  Use your imagination.

Mexican Roast Tortilla Wraps

These are so easy, it is a joke!  My kids love these.

1 4-5 lb. beef roast
1 jar of green salsa
salt and pepper to taste
1 can beef broth

Place roast in crockpot.  Salt and pepper well.  Pour green salsa over roast. Pour broth in.  Cook on low, 250 degrees or even lower, at least 4 hrs. or even ALL DAY if you have to. It should be so tender that it just falls apart when done.  Shred the beef.  Serve in warm tortillas garnished with more salsa, cheese, and sour cream.  Spanish rice and a salad finish this meal off.  That’s it!  Enjoy!

Photo Credit © Dallaseventsinc | Dreamstime.com

Romanov Potatoes

5 c. cooked, cubed potatoes 2 t salt 2 c. cottage cheese 1 c. sour cream 1/4 c. minced onion 1/8 t garlic salt 1/2 c. grated sharp cheddar

Mix all ingredients and place in 9×13 baking dish.  Finish with a shake of paprika on top.  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.  Make plenty.  These do not last!

Recipe by Martha Collins. Photo Credit© Spychała Paweł | Dreamstime.com

Russian Rocks Cookies

1 1/2 c. sugar 1 c. butter 3 eggs 1 1/2 c. chopped pecans pinch of salt 3 c. flour 1 heaping c. dates, (1/2 lb. pkg pre-cut) 1 t vanilla

Cream butter and sugar, add well beaten eggs.  Add flour and water alternately.  Then add dates, nuts, and vanilla. To cut the dates, dredge in a ... Read More »]]> This recipe is one given to me by my husband’s great-grandmother. These cookies were a staple at my husband’s house at Christmas. They sound a little old-fashioned with the nuts and dates, but do try them because if you don’t, you will really miss out on a great Christmas cookie.

Russian Rocks Cookies

1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. chopped pecans
pinch of salt
3 c. flour
1 heaping c. dates, (1/2 lb. pkg pre-cut)
1 t vanilla

Cream butter and sugar, add well beaten eggs.  Add flour and water alternately.  Then add dates, nuts, and vanilla. To cut the dates, dredge in a bit of flour to cut the stickiness. Drop by teaspoons on greased cookie sheet and cook at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Makes about 100 cookies.

Recipe by Martha Collins. Photo Credit © Vaeenma | Dreamstime.com

It so happens that my hair has lots of white and gray in it.  The criticism from family, friends, even strangers, came almost immediately!

Let me tell you why I quit “the bottle”.  First, my hair is (was) brown. Brown hair dye fades almost immediately!  It is not like bleach for ... Read More »]]> About 3 years ago I made a decision to stop coloring my hair. It seemed like no big deal at the time.  I mean, it is my hair, right?  People change their hair all of the time without big repercussions, right?  Well, it is NOT SO when you choose to go GRAY!

It so happens that my hair has lots of white and gray in it.  The criticism from family, friends, even strangers, came almost immediately!

Let me tell you why I quit “the bottle”.  First, my hair is (was) brown. Brown hair dye fades almost immediately!  It is not like bleach for blondes, or black for really dark headed people, which is more or less consistent each time.  Brown tends to fade with time, turning RED. I am not a redhead, so I was unhappy with my hair color most of the time.

Another reason I quit coloring was the cost.  I paid almost $80.00 every month for color and highlights. I did NOT like the effect of just one color,which was BROWN, all over.  Real hair color has many different colors and intensities, so I paid for them to be added.  Cha-ching! Many dollars spent there! That is almost $1000 a year, folks!  I will bet I spent close to $16,000 over the years on my haircolor! I certainly could use that money now, (like, for college tuition)!   Then, after all of that, it would grow in, showing my silver roots, in just a few days. Then it would start to fade! Then I would be right back in the hairdresser’s chair with my checkbook out for a root job!  What a pain and how expensive!

I really started thinking about how much time and money I was spending trying to cover up the truth.  I was going gray!  It was simply inevitable!  My dad was fully gray by the time he was 40.  Nobody ever said anything to him about being gray; in fact, people gave him compliments!  HA!  Wish it was the same for me!  I had people making  jokes about me being old.  I actually had someone mistake me for their grandma!

There is a stigma about women who let their hair go gray.  People presume that we’ve “let ourselves go” or that we just do not give a care to how we look.  I am here to tell you that is not true!  I do care about how I look – I was tired of being a fraud!  I felt like I was lying every time I colored my hair. Our culture is so hung up on youth!  It is like gray hair is a failure! I am so sick of the images of the thick-lipped, cat-eyed, dyed-hair, no-expression, botox-y babes we see in print and on television and movies.  That is NOT beauty to me!  Oh, don’t forget the perfect C-cups and designer jeans!  Please!  That is simply unnatural and impossible to attain unless you are rich!

It actually felt so unhealthy when I colored my hair.  It was more porous and brittle. It lacked shine.  Not pretty at all. I talked my hairdresser into adding “lowlights”  into my hair to mask the dreaded “line of demarcation” that is that dead giveaway that someone is growing out color!  I slowly got used to the idea of being “salt and pepper”. I also had to look inside of myself.  I know it is funny, but hair is a funny thing.  Why do you suppose so many people color theirs?  They color to avoid the inevitable!  They are aging!

I think I have moved through the stages just fine.  I even like my hair now.  It has lots of variations in color, from dark brown, to silver, to white.  It feels so much healthier!  I do use conditioner more liberally.  I also like the shampoos for “mature” hair or silver hair.  The other thing is that it only costs me $15.00 to get a haircut!  I am saving oodles of money. Oh, and I have even gotten the “senior citizen’s” discount a few times!  I think this is hilarious, because I know my age!  I am the real deal.  I also know that almost every woman I look at who is over 40 has colored hair.  They are still slaves to that bottle!  I try to keep an up-to-date hair style, too.

Hey, I am 43!  Not 103!  I am comfortable with my hair.  I just wish everyone else was!