Upsides to the Down Economy/ What's Trending This Summer

Makings for the Easy Goat Cheese Appetizers

Today I want to let you know about What's Trending... for me. Cajun Shrimp by OPI nail polish is a beautiful orange shade my friend Lisa York turned me on to. I had a pedicure and choose an orange shade that looked good in the bottle (Bazooka in the Paparazzi Series by Esse) but when it went on my toes was BRIGHT orange, neon-like. Cajun Shrimp is a much more subtle shade and while I'm watching the French Open, it looks the color of the clay in Paris. Mais oui! I wrote a recent blog on freezing fruit, so froze some raspberries with the intent of using them in a smoothie, but when I had some champagne that wasn't quite cold enough, I had the idea to put them in my glass to serve as little frozen ras-cubes. Brilliant! The raspberries make the champagne fizz even more, cooled down my bubbly and turned it a beautiful rose shade. And when you're done with the drink, they make delicious apres-drink, champagne-soaked treats. Boozy bonus! I recently recommended the Kind Bar as a good energy bar to try. A tennis friend, Ellen, recommended Fiber One Chewy Strawberry P B & J bar as delicious, low in Weight Watcher Points and a way to make you "regular", so I shall try it. It has 110 calories, and 5 grams of fiber, 20% of the daily amount needed.

Upsides to the Down Economy/ Time in a Bottle

Last week I got an ominous phone call from my Dr's office saying my blood test showed an "abnormal" result. I spent the weekend worrying about it until I could get in to the doctor. It turns out, my cholesterol is high, which is actually normal for me, but it got me thinking about life in those few days I pondered my mortality. I recently read an article asking the reader to consider what they would do if they had #1 24 hours left in life #2 1 year and #3 10 years. So, as I went for a walk and tried to put the worry out of my mind, I contemplated my answers. If I only had a day, I would want to spend it surrounded my my family saying goodbye. If I had a year, the thought that came to me was: take more walks. Also, travel more. At ten years, the first thought was: Do more with my writing and then, learn Spanish (a constant goal I have yet to fulfill) and travel. It seems our bucket list shortens to the essentials, the less time we have. Since I am 50, I probably (hopefully) have at least twenty more good years left. In that time, besides the aforementioned goals I would like to: Have more fun, laugh more, love more. The question is why aren't I living those goals right now? Why indeed?

Upsides to the Down Economy/ Blue Pot Stickers

A couple of years ago, I planned on getting some beautiful glazed pots from Vietnam, to place by my front door. They were expensive- probably $300-$400 dollars each, but I could never decide on a color and they were heavy, etc... Flash forward to 2010. $600 to $800 seems like a lot of money to spend on pots in this day and age, so I decided to re-use some tall clay pots I already had. While my initial urge was just to spray them and be done with it, it was more of a process than that. First, I pressure cleaned them. This ended up being a project because the pressure cleaner we got from my brother in law didn't work. My husband assured me it just needed a part. We got the part. It still didn't work. I was chomping at the bit to re-paint, but my husband promised to bring home a pressure cleaner from work. It arrived. As he was demonstrating how to use it (it started with a yank like a lawn mower) it ran out of gas. Finally, after gas was purchased, the pots were cleaned. Personally, I think this step could have been skipped, but whatever. I let them dry, then primed them with spray primer. Let the primer dry, then sprayed them with the glossy blue color I had picked. Let the paint dry (4-6 hours), sprayed again and again until they were sufficiently covered. Voila! They were ready for the big Dance Party we hosted for Rachel's 13th Birthday and the family party the next day. Are they as beautiful as the glazed pots from Vietnam? No, but they only cost $30 vs. $600, so I can live with that.

Upsides to the Down Economy/ Persian Chicken Kabobs

Last night, I made my Aunt Emma's Persian Chicken Kabobs. It's a simple grilling recipe made with chicken breasts, that is healthy and delicious. I used chicken breasts from the freezer that I'd gotten at Cotsco. Chicken breasts are easy, very versatile and a good source of protein but they can be expensive, so Cotsco is a great place to get them. They also sell them in marinades, which makes them even easier to just throw on the grill, but making your own marinade isn't that hard and is, of course, fresher. You can also control the amount of sodium that's in it, which is sometimes a problem with bottled marinades. Making the job even easier is my Ulu, an Alaskan knife a friend gave me for my birthday that I love! According to Wikipedia, the ulu is an Inuit all-purpose knife used for skinning animals, cutting hair and trimming blocks of ice to make an igloo. It's also the perfect tool for chopping herbs, so I used it to chop the mint for my recipe. I served my Persian chicken with veggie skewers and couscous, an easy and nutritious meal. I cooked the veggies separate. You could replace the couscous with rice pilaf or make it with grilled pita bread, and hummus or yogurt sauce, to make a yummy sandwich.

Persian Chicken Kabobs

4 chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces

2 tsp salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves, crumbled

2 large cloves crushed garlic

1/2 tsp hot red pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Marinate chicken in combined ingredients for a few hours or overnight. Put chicken on skewer, alternating with green or red pepper, quartered onions and quartered tomatos. Grill over low coals (or medium heat) until done. Baste while cooking. Can also be used for chicken wings, legs and thighs.

Upsides to the Down Economy/ Dance

Let's Dance... David Bowie Just Dance...Lady Gaga Dance with me... From the past to the present, human beings have felt the need to dance. I love watching Ellen and I always try to see the opening because that is when she dances. I get up and dance with her and figure, if that's the only time it happens, at least I've danced once that day. Dancing... We seem to be a nation obsessed with it these days. Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance... The Flash Mob dances ala the Black Eyed Peas on the opening Oprah Show. Why? In the Depression, the movies were mostly escapism- Big Production Busby Berkeley Musicals, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Dance-a-Thons. People needed a way to escape the harsh conditions of life and watching an unfolding kaleidoscope of dancing women, or slipping into the top hat and tails and feathered ballgowns of these performers was their ticket out of reality. Not so different from our present situation. Dancing- completely free and uplifting. I have always been struck how the people of Cuba seem able to enjoy life, even though they have very little in terms of material goods. But they seem able to scrabble together meals, eat with gusto, put on some music and cha cha cha. Have you seen the guy that does little dances as he arrives at his destination, all over the world? It will put a smile on your face. Even babies seem programed to dance, so it's not something that needs to be taught. It's instinctual, primal, within us. Dancing makes you feel better no matter what else has happened that day. So in the classic words of Lee Ann Womac "when you get the chance to sit it out or dance. I hope you Dance."

Upsides to the Down Economy/ Reusable Bags II

Update on reusable bags. Just got back from CVS and if you buy a little reward card for 99 cents and attach it to your reusable bag, you get $1 every fourth time you use it for purchases. I think I like the getting-money-back plan, better than the-charging-you for bags plan. Yeah USA!