Neglection

I have not written in a very long while. I have neglected this blog for far too long now. In thinking about how I have not been on this site for so long, made me think about other things I have been neglecting. One of them is my health. I am now 30 pounds overweight. This is not something that happened over night, it has been creeping up on me for about 6 years. Several times over the years I have said that I was tired of this and going to lose the weight. And I would lose about 10 pounds, then gain 12 back. I have recently taken a new job in a salon. The atmosphere is so good for me to be working in, but I don't think that everyone there knows how many times a day they talk about weight. It gets to me a little, but I have come to realize that it gets to me because of the guilt and shame I feel for letting myself get to this point. I think that for some people it seems like it is just laziness that gets a person to the point I am at, they don't know about all of the other factors that have got me into the depressed state that I am in. I am not lazy, that is for sure. I need a mental shift. I think that my new job is just what I needed. I have also made a new "friend" on Facebook who sent me to a site called Couch to 5k. I have printed out the training plan, and intend to start this process. I think I will look into joining a 5k to work up to. I am hoping to keep up with this 10 week plan and keep blogging about my progress.

Bao Recipe (pork buns)

(You can make them up to two months ahead, fill the dough, and freeze unsteamed buns on a tray in the freezer before placing them in a freezer-safe zip-top plastic bag. Steam directly from the freezer for an additional five minutes.(

Yield: 10 buns

Filling:
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
Cooking spray
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt

Dough:
1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 14 2/3 ounces)
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1. To prepare the filling, rub five-spice powder evenly over pork. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook 18 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155°, turning pork occasionally. Remove pork from pan, and let stand 15 minutes.

2. Cut pork into thin slices; cut slices into thin strips. Place pork in a medium bowl. Add onions and next 7 ingredients (through 1/4 teaspoon salt); stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate.

3. To prepare dough, combine 1 cup warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes.

4. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour, oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). 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, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)

5. Punch dough down; let rest 5 minutes. Turn dough out onto a clean surface; knead in baking powder. Let dough rest 5 minutes.

6. Divide dough into 10 equal portions, forming each into a ball. Working with one dough ball at a time (cover remaining dough balls to keep from drying), roll ball into a 5-inch circle. Place 1/4 cup filling in center of dough circle. Bring up sides to cover filling and meet on top. Pinch and seal closed with a twist. Repeat procedure with remaining dough balls and filling.

7. Arrange 5 buns seam side down, 1 inch apart, in each tier of a 2-tiered bamboo steamer. Stack tiers; cover with lid.

8. Add water to a large skillet to a depth of 1 inch; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Place steamer in pan; steam 15 minutes or until puffed and set. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Lemon Chicken with Zucchini & Feta

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 medium zucchini
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) crumbled Feta

Directions
1. Heat oven to 400° F. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in a roasting pan. Remove the zest from the lemon in thin strips; set aside. Thinly slice the lemon. Place half the slices in the pan.
2. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. Place it on top of the lemon slices and season with 1/8 teaspoon of the salt.
3. Slice each zucchini in half lengthwise, then slice each half into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons. In a bowl, combine the zucchini, parsley, pepper, and the remaining oil, lemon slices, and salt; toss. Spread the zucchini mixture around the chicken and sprinkle the Feta over the top.
4. Roast until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer it to a cutting board and cut each piece into thirds. Divide the chicken, zucchini mixture, and lemons among individual plates and sprinkle with the zest.

I Am So Cool

So it has happened, or actually been happening for a while now. I am officially the geekiest person on Earth...probably more now for using the word "geek". When did this happen? Back when I was in school, here would be the eyerolling from my teens, I was one of the hot, cool chicks. Not tooting my own horn, but I was definitely NOT a member of the nerd patrol! I had the clothes, the hair, the make-up, the friends, etc..... But now when I come out of my room in something new, my kids look at me as if I just walked out of the Halloween costume shop. When I talk, I don't get the laugh out loud (not going to use the LOL abbreviation that would get an "OMG mom!" from my kids) response I used to get from my friends...I get a big sigh followed by an eye roll. I think I am still cool! I tell them that I am still cool, which results in them retreating to their rooms. I have a Facebook account, a Myspace and I Tweet for crying out loud! Doesn't that make me the coolest???? I mean COME ON!!! Demi Moore has even wrote "Thanks!" to me about one of my Tweets, doesn't that make me a cool mom? Just this weekend we were driving in my Tahoe to go camping in Geyserville (a beautiful place BTW) I had my 15 year old daughter, my 17 year old son and two of his friends tow. I busted out my Nelly Sweat CD and sang right along. One of my son's friends says "You have the coolest mom..my mom just sings opera!" To this, my daughter laughed and my son put on his i-Pod. What? Doesn't knowing the same songs my kids know make me cool?? When my kids were little we used to dance around in the kitchen, now they wouldn't even step on the dance floor if I was on it. I do have to say, I still have the moves! I can do the running man and the roger rabbit like nobodies business! Oh, and put on MC Hammer or Thriller and I can show you the whole video. Isn't that cool? I don't know what they are thinking! My husband still thinks I am pretty cool, as is he. They just don't know what cool is these days. I better go now, I gotta date with laundry and a Grease 2 video.....I just love it when Michelle Pfeiffer sings "Cool Rider!" I know all the words to that song and can reenact the whole scene as well.......want to come over? I'll teach it to you, we will be SO COOL!!

"Those are GREAT shoes!"

My youngest daughter and I were sitting in pedicure chairs at "The Lion's Main" in Rohnert Park having a great mother daughter morning, when I couldn't help but overhear a conversation going on between a stylist and her client. One of them, not sure which one, said "I love your earrings!" The other said "Thanks! Macy's $15.00." To this the whole salon started a conversation as to why it is that we as women always find it so satisfying to tell others of our great retail finds. It is so true.....just the other day someone said to me, "Those are great shoes!" Instead of just saying "Thank you", my reply was, "Thanks, Target, $12.99!" You never hear guys say "Love those work boots!", "Thanks! Workworld, $149.99!" This probably dates way back I am sure. Men hunting for food may never tell another hunter where they saw the best pig or deer, but I am certain if a woman complimented another woman about her berry pie, she would be sure to offer up where she found the best berry patch on the other side of the pond. HAHA!! I think we are like to share our good findings with our friends & family, but also just so darn proud of ourselves for our great finds that we just feel the NEED to share! I guess I just never really thought about this until I heard this discussion and found it very funny and true!

Venting

This weekend was supposed to be such a great, relaxing weekend taking the kids to Northshore Lake Tahoe. All in all it was a great weekend, but why is it that your teenage children can always act so bored? I understand that they don't always want to do what we want to do, but don't they realize that I am always sacrificing for them? So why is it that if I want to run down and play the 5 minutes on a slot machine tourney that I won during breakfast they act like I am the worst mother in the world? My children are really good....don't get me wrong, but in the same breath, I do everything for them, and hardly anything for me. I guess when they are parents they will realize everything I do for them, but that still doesn't help my mood right now. All I ever wish for is that I run out to get the mail and when I come back in one of them is unloading the dishwasher without being asked....or taking out the garbage.....SOMETHING! Why is it that to get something done, I have to be mean? I wish that they would see what needs to be done, and do it.....if they see that something needs to go in the laundry or garbage or dishwasher, wouldn't you think they would just do it without me asking? Why would you walk out of the bathroom past a dirty towel on the floor and not throw it in the laundry? I feel like I am in a very bad mood right now...not sure why....unappreciated I guess. I sacrificed a lot this weekend to make things less boring for them, but they were still bored, and so was I half the time because I was trying to make it better for them. Someday I guess it will be appreciated. I know that I call my mom now and tell her sorry for the things I did. I guess you don't realize it until someone is doing it to you. This is sounding like I didn't have fun in Tahoe...I did, but worried too much that the kids hated it. This is just probably how all teenagers act, I am just venting a bit. My kids are the world to me, but they also need to know that I have a life (or do I?) outside of them. I have actually given my life up for them. Just about the only thing I do is a once a month Bunko game.....and I always have guilt about that. How do I get over this?? I don't know. Does anyone have any suggestions for me???? I could use some help here. But it goes deeper than my kids. My husband's social life has not changed since kids. And he has no guilt about it. I know that he doesn't know the name of their dentist or Doctor. (he knows it is Kaiser for the Doctor, but not the name) It is my fault as well.....I would rather just pick things up myself than start a fight about it...and they all know this. How do you change something that has been established for so long? It is so hard for me because when I do things for the kids they always say thank you and I really feel they are thankful....but I would just like them to do something for me that I can say thank you for. WITHOUT ME ASKING FIRST. WOW! Maybe I need a cocktail and bed!! I feel bitter today!

Good Intentions

So I started this blog with such good intentions..because I never really run out of things to say. Anyone who knows me can verify this. But as life is swirling around me, I have found it hard to get on here and write. I have recently found myself looking for a job. I have not interviewed for a job for 8 years. It is a little intimidating and scary! The woman (young lady) who interviewed me could have been my daughter, yet if I get hired she will be my boss. I am always amazed how I don't feel as if I am aging until something like this happens. I was so very nervous, yet I think it went well. I am the type of person though, who when I want something, I want it NOW, and this waiting to hear crap is killing me! Why couldn't she have at least given me a notion of whether or not she was even a bit interested in me? It's like trying to get a date with someone who is playing hard to get, and you really don't know where you stand!

Father's Day was over this past weekend. My husband and son went camping as I tried to get everything ready when he got home to have his whole family over for a BBQ. Everyone brings something and it is great....I just had to get the house ready...do the BBQing and make sure the beers were on ice. I did pretty good. The only thing he had to do on Sunday before everyone got here was help me to carry a heavy table up to our backyard BBQ area. SO I think he was happy. It was a fun day filled with family, food and cocktails! Can't beat that!

I will try to keep up on my blogging from now on! Hope everyone is FABULOUS!

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