Challenge Accepted Broha! ;)~

This weekend Kat and I went to my brother's house for his daughter's birthday party. I spent some time with him in the kitchen just shootin' the shit. He was telling me how he recently started a blog about music. Here is the link to his site The Music Performer .... He asked if I ever write mine anymore. The answer was an embarrassing no... In fact I haven't written in about 3 years... and it was 2 years between that last post.... so really it's been almost 5! 

A lot has gone down in that time. To keep real short... My mom passed in June of 2010. One month later I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer. My world has been turned upside down and inside out. I've been literally  fighting for my life in this time... Since I write about my life here too I just couldn't deal with putting it all out there! But I think that I have pushed through and am ready to share and start writing again! Plus my brother challenged me to write a post by Wednesday!... Well challenge ON little broha!

This easy recipe is one of my fav morning comfort foods!

Toasted Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Cups 

6 pieces of organic bread of your choice with crust cut off
6 strips of bacon cooked off 3/4 of the way
6 organic eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice. I like cheddar!
1 scallion chopped
Pan spray
makes 6

1. With a rolling pin (if you dont have one a can of soup will do)  roll the bread out till its flat. Cut the bread in half to make 2 triangles so you have a total of 12. 

2. Spray the inside of the cupcake tin. Place 2 of the bread triangles in the holder and press them down a bit. 
3. Add the bacon to make a circle. 
4. Crack an egg in a small bowl to make sure there are no shells before you add it. Carefully pour the egg into the cup. 
5. Add  cheese of choice on top.  Pop it in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 min or  until whites are set and yolk is to desired liking. 
6. When cheese starts melting sprinkle  scallions on top and continue cooking time.
7. ENJOY!!!

Almost 2 Years Gone By... :)~

I have been inspired to start posting recipes again by the women who attended the cooking class with Dr Veronica Waks this past week! :) ......To all my loyal peeps who have me bookmarked and stop by every now and then to find a recipe ...thank you!!! ... and to my new readers Welcome to ~My Little Peace of the Web~

I can't believe it's been almost two years since I have posted... So much has happened, and my life is... well, Let's say... it just IS... thank Goddess!...

Here is a new recipe for y'all... and props to Kat for the photo... it came out so crystal clear....and she took it with her phone! :)~

~peaceandlove~ TM

Summer Lentil and Bulgur Salad

1 lb Dry Green Lentils

1/2 Cup Dry Bulgur

1 pt Grape tomato halved

3-4 Carrots small dice

1 Small Red Onion small dice

Baby Spinach

1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

Salt to taste

Rinse lentils. In a large pot add 6-8 cups water and bring to boil. Add lentils and simmer gently for 15-20 min until tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. To prepare the Bulgur place grain in a heat safe bowl. Pour boiling water over to cover at least one inch above grain. Let sit for 1 hour and drain excess water. In a large bowl add lentils, bulgur, tomato, carrots, and red onion, and spinach. Toss with vinegar and salt to taste... ENJOY!!! :)~

Teriyaki Pork Chops w/Mango/Avocado/Pear Salsa :)~

Aaaaaaand I'm back!......Ok so it's been a min or two or 4 months... If yer reading this...THANX for coming back!.... My dinner was soooo yum-a-licious tonight it gave me inspiration to leave a quick recipe.

Teriyaki Pork Chops with Mango/Avocado/ Pear Salsa

4 Pork chops on or off the bone

I like mine on... Tastier!

Marinade
1/8c Teriyaki sauce
1 organic Scallion chopped

1 TB packed brown sugar

smidge of organic honey

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Marinate the pork for 2-4 hrs covered in the fridge

Mango Salsa

1 Mango peeled and diced small

1/2 Bosc pear small dice

1/2 Cucumber seeded and diced small

1/2 Avocado small dice

2 TB Red Onion finley chopped

1 Scallion chopped

1 tsp Chopped Cilantro

Juice of 1 Lime

smidge of organic honey

Kosher Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix together and refrigerate for at least 2hrs

I cooked my chops in a sautee pan on medium heat and got a nice carmelization on each side..Would be great on the grill too!... Serve with the Mango Salsa.... I had a Spinach salad with mine.... YUMMMM!.... Enjoy! :)~

Spanakopita Recipe w/ Video

Spanakopita



1 Large Leek cleaned and diced
3/4 c Scallions cleaned and chopped
1 Med Onion diced
1 TB xvoo
2 Boxes frozen Spinach (thawed and squeeze out excess water)
3/4 c Crumbled Feta cheese
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
2 TB Fresh chopped Dill
3/4 tsp Gound Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Ground pepper


5 Sheets fillo dough (room temp..Keep covered with damp cloth to avoid drying)
3 Tb Melted unsalted butter

1 Egg yolk
2 TB Milk

Get pan nice and hot...add the oil and the leeks, scallions, and onions. Turn heat down to medium and sautee till tender. Set aside and cool. In a bowl add the spinach, feta, parmesan, dill, spices, egg, and cooled onion mixture. Mix well.

Preheat oven to 400. Grease 9 inch round baking dish with non-spray or butter. On a flat surface carefully place a fillo sheet down. With a pastry brush paint on the butter. Start from the center of the dough using outward brush strokes only. Lay the buttered fillo sheet into the dish with 2 inches overhanging the side. R epeat steps with the fillo... turning pan 1/4 turn with each additon of fillo making a total of 5 sheets. Add the spinach filling. Fold overhanging fillo inward all the way around to make the top crust. Mix the yolk and milk togethert in a bowl. Carefully brush on top of the pie. Place on center rack of oven and bake for 40 min at 425 or until golden brown .... Serve hot or cold ... ~ ENJOY~ :)~

Stuffed Zucchini, Tomato, and Pepper Recipe... :)~

It is day 7 of no meat... Even Ba-Con... Yeah that won't last for too much longer!... LOL...been having a craving!

Kat has been asking me to make stuffed zucchini for dinner one night... So along with the zucchini I picked up a giant tomato and some red & orange peppers, and stuffed them up too! Wish I had gotten a couple of Japanese eggplant....next time!

Here is the complete recipe and a short movie that I put together to go with it.

:)~ Enjoy! ~(:




Stuffed Veggies

1 zucchini cut in half lengthwise and flesh scooped out
2 Organic Bell peppers of your choice cut in half lengthwise and deseeded
1 Large tomato
2 Japanese eggplant cut in half lengthwise and flesh scooped out (May as well add the eggplant too!)

Rice & Vermicelli
1/3 cup broken up whole wheat spaghetti
1TB butter
1c Long grain rice
2c boiling veg stock

In a pot melt the butter and add the broken up pasta and cook on med for one minute stirring constantly. Add the rice and boiling stock, Stir and cover. Turn heat to low and simmer with lid on for 20 min, Cool and set aside.

Stuffing
2TB XVOO
1 Large onion diced
1/2c Diced red bell pepper
1 Organic carott shreded
1c Chopped zuchini that was scooped out
1/2c Chopped tomato that was scooped out
1 Scallion chopped
1 Clove garlic minced
1 pkg frozen organic spinach thawed and the water squeeed out
1 TB Chopped Parsley
3/4c Grated Reggiano Parmigiano
1/2c Seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4c Heinz Ketchup
S&P to taste

Bread Crumb Topping

In a bowl mix together
1/2c Seasoned bread crumbs
1/2c Shreded Reggiano Parmigiano
2tB Melted butter

Tomato Puree is made with 1c whole canned tomato and juices pureed in food processor with S&P.

In a hot pan add 2TB XVOO. Add the onions first, and sautee till translucent. Add all of the remaining chopped vegetables to the pan and season with S&P. Turn heat down to medium and let veggies cook til tender stirring occasionally.
Mix the egg, ketchup, parm cheese, and bread crumbs together and add to the veggies. Turn off heat and add the rice and mixture...Stir together and refrigerate for 2hrs.

Stuff hollowed out zucchini, peppers, tomato, and eggplant till heaping. Sprinkle with bread crumb mixture, drizzle with XVOO, and top with tomato puree.
Place in oven proof dish with remaining tomato puree, and Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 25 min or til golden.

Goin' lacto/ovo veghead again!... :)~

I have been wanting to cut meat out of my diet again for awhile now, but my reluctant carnivore of a partner has made it kinda hard to be true to this lifestyle change. So last night I went to Vegetarian Time's site and found this. It's 3 easy steps to start cutting meat out!

I went and grabbed a piece of paper and pen and asked Kat: What are 3 vegetarian meals I make that you like... So she said Stir fry, Chili, Pasta Primavera...Then I asked how about 3 things I make that I can change to be vegetarian... and we came up with Stuffed Peppers without the sausage/chopped beef, Eggplant Parm instead of chicken, and took two ideas from the website.... Bean Burritos and Veggie burgers. That's 7 meatless dinners... Then I came up with Pasta and gravy, Risotto, Portabello Quinoa, Salad, Polenta, Spanakopita, and Soups....

There are 14 different meals here we know we like .......Plus tons more ideas on the net!..... See we can eat without meat!....Well at home anyway... I don't expect her to be loyal for lunch!

We picked 5 ...and I made a list for the store. I went shopping today and kicked off the new eating lifestyle with Eggplant Parm with spinach ravioli topped with gravy and sun dried tomatoes, and baby greens with balsamic vin and xvoo.

I also made salsa and hummus from scratch for snacks that we will eat with some organic pita chips...... Tomorrow Hearty black bean soup with grilled polenta! :)~

House For Auction in Naugatuck, CT ,,,Click Image To Enlarge For More Info!!!

House for Auction in Naugatuck, CT

Click on the image to enlarge for info!

In our super tough economy this is a great way that someone could benefit from somone's misfortune. Although this isn't a foreclosure you can certainly get a steal of a house.This is a great starter home for a couple or small family. Convieniently located close to Route 8 & 84. It's a central hub as it's located roughly 20 mins from Bridgeport or New Haven and about 45 min from Hartford.Anyone interested should contact the Attorney listed at the end of the notice.Even if you yourself are not in the market, maybe you know someone who is...spread the word!

House For Auction in CT. House for Auction in Naugatuck, CT. Houses for public auction in CT. Looking for a house for auction in CT

PEACE... :)~

Wishing you all a litte Peace during the holiday season... I know I sure could use some!

Bread Pudding Recipe... :)~

Bread Pudding

In a bowl mix together:

2 1/4 c Milk
3 Eggs
1 1/4c Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/2c Rasins
1/2c Chopped Pecans
1c Peeled & diced grannysmith apple

Add 5c Stale bread cut into cubes . Mix well and let sit for 45 min.


Spray some non-stick spray on an oven proof dish, and add the mixture. Bake at 350 for 1hr. or until firm. It will puff up and deflate within minutes of cooling.

Serve warm with Whisky sauce... or I like to eat mine with some chocolate ice cream!


Easy Whiskey Sauce:
4 oz can Condensed milk, 1 oz Fine Whiskey..mix well.

Celebrate GOOD Times .. C'mon!

GO OBAMA!... Nuff said!!!!!!!

Election 08

Ok here is how my day went.... Kat and I got to the polls at 7am and waited in line to vote for almost 2 hrs. Which would've been fine with me if I had actually voted. When we got to the table where they look up your name, mine wasn't there. Even though I registered to vote in March of this year when I renewed my driver's license at the AAA office in Stratford CT ....

So now they put me in a new line to fill out a provisional ballot. More waiting.... Finally they gave me the paper work... As I read it I noticed that there was no place for me to cast my vote for Question 1 or 2 or any other race besides the presidency and congress Hines/Shays. ...What What WHAT!!!???... Como Que COMO!!!??? ... WTF???

So now I am told that I would have to got to Town Hall (which is in a bad part of the city ....where there is NO Parking) and wait in line all over again if I wanted to vote on Prop 1
So I took my paper work and crumbled it in my hand and walked out.

I registered 7 months ago so that this wouldn't happen... and it wasn't just me... Everyone that was in the 2nd line with me were told the same thing.... WTF!!! ... I wonder how many people were turned away and told that they had to go wait someplace else for another 2 hours, and then didn't because of the time and the inconvience???

Turns out allot! .... I went to City Hall and waited another hour for someone to take my name/ address/ DOB.... so they can tell me which long ass line I have to yet still stand in. While I was waiting there was this young Suit trying to keep people happy by answering questions and making phone calls like the lady who took my info. After about 45 min I went up to him to see if he could help me... He listened but could do nothing and appologized, as I had heard him do to at least 10 others.

Finally the lady called my name and told me that I am NOT registered. I told her that I registered when I renewed my driver's license. She asked at the DMV and I said No at the AAA office in Stratford. She just repeated herself and said that they have no record of me registering, and if I wanted to vote for only the president I could stand in a line that was at least 2hrs long. I wanted to scream soooo loud at this point, but there were 2 very large police officers standing there and I didn't want to start trouble... Cause I gotta tell ya, iffin I had let my mouth run loose I am most certain I would've either been escorted out or arrested!... So I told them they can take my vote and shove it... and walked out! I did not vote today. I tried twice to no avail...

You would think that after over 200 yrs of voting we could come up with a system that works. One that lets people who have been responsible and have registered on time be allowed to vote at their designated spot... oh yeah and to have every vote count...None of this electoral college shite... a vote for a vote! ... Dare to dream!

On the up side... I had the chance to edjimicate some peeps! Over the weekend I had over 400 hits to my site from mostly people in CT looking for info on Prop 1 in CT. .... Woot Woot!

VOTE NO on Prop 1 in CT :)~

Ok...I'm about to get all political up in here cause in just 4 short days WE the People of the US of A are having one of the most historical elections for a new president...
So get yer butt out there and VOTE!

It is especially important for us here in CT for our local vote...

Here in Connecticut we have a clause in our state's constitution that requires the question to be posed on the ballot every twenty years: "Should there be a convention to amend the state constitution?"

Holding a convention isn’t change, it’s politics as usual. State legislators decide who goes to the convention, not the taxpayers. It will be a convention of lobbyists, politicians and special interests groups.

The public has no say on what the lobbyists propose to do to the constitution. The political group pushing for the convention will use it to ban marriage for gay people, outlaw abortion and take away people’s rights. Big businesses will use it to give themselves special tax breaks, overturn environmental laws and take away workers’ rights and benefits.


In early October CT became the 3rd state to legalize same sex marriage by a vote of 4-3 by our state's Supreme Court. The court ruled that the state had “failed to establish adequate reason to justify the statutory ban on same sex marriage.”

Woooot! Wooooot!... Hurray for CT... right???!!!... WELLLLLL....


Soooo of course the religious right peeps/Catholics are heading a campaign to overturn this decision by running ads on our local radio stations. Ok they have their right to free speech...but be straight forward with what you are saying!!!
But Ooooh Nooo...They are being sneaky and hiding behind the guise of "Power to the People" telling people if they are not happy, and don't trust the decisions that their local politicians make..Or if they want more "rights for the people" then they should vote y to amend our constitution...


MORE RIGHTS FOR WHO???... Certainly NOT ME!!!... These "Religious Right" people want to take away OUR Civil Rights! What the HELL ever happened to SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND FRIGGIN' STATE?... The Church SHOULD HAVE NO SAY...
HELLO PEOPLE!!!...GETTING MARRIED IS NOT A RELIGIOUS RIGHT!!! Come on, think about it...People who don't believe in "their God" ,or any god at all for that matter, get married every F-ing day... but that is OK???

SO given what I just said...WHY???...WHY do people think that they have any right to TAKE AWAY MY CIVIL RIGHTS AS A CITIZEN OF THE USA?...

So I ask my readers: Think about what I said here today... Whether you live in CT or not....because eventually this decision will come to your state too!

VOTE NO ON QUESTION 1 if voting Connecticut!

That's Soooo Gay!... :)~

I saw this commercial the other day and I just LOVE IT! It's one of the "That's So Gay" adds.. At first I thought the shopper was the chickie that plays Tina on The L Word... but after further googling... i couldn't find anything that linked the two... so KTGRL and T... Good catch!.. LOL

There are a few words or phrases that I cannot stand to hear coming from the mouth of a straight person... It's one thing (totally still not condoning the usage) for people who are gay/lesbian to say these things... You know.... like when a black person uses the N word....

So when I hear people say these things..."Faggot, Dyke, Queer, and...That's So Gay..." when I'm out in public I usually can't refrain from saying something to enlighten them as to how hurtful and insulting they are being... So here is the commercial courtesy of YouTube...

Happy National Coming Out Day! :)~

Last year I posted about how I came out to my dad... and then deleted it after 2 days... Well I'm going to try this again... and maybe I will keep it this time....maybe!

So... A tiny bit o back story here.....
My dad is a "Born Again Christian" ....It was the religion I was raised in, and conformed to till the age of 26..... For over 10 yrs. I had suppressed my feelings because I was led to believe that God wasn't going to love me anymore if I were to have sexual wants and desires that involved women... The people in my church would've prayed over me and asked god to heal me and would've tried to "cast the demons out of me. "...For Realz!... "The Demons"

So when I was 26-27 I stopped going to church and I finally started coming to grips with My relationship with My god, and what that meant to ME... Why would this loving god just stop loving me because of who I loved???... Why?!?!?!.. and then I had this epiphany one day while listening to an Etheridge tune called "Talking to My Angel.... It just made me realize that "everything was going to be alright! "

So with all that said ... here is the short version of my "coming out to my dad"...

It was 1994.....I was at my then girlfriend Becky's house. I had called home to check the messages on the answering machine, and my step-monster had left one saying that I needed to call my dad right away!!!... That Jay...(my ex) had come over for dinner and had told them things.... That my dad had asked him if he thought that we would ever get our act together and finally get married already......
So Jay tells them that I didn't want to date men anymore....that I was a lesbian and was with women now.... That's right ...around my father's dinner table without me there he had the balls to tell my family that I was gay....

Granted it was partly my fault for confiding in Jay a month earlier. I had told him that I had started seeing a woman, and that I didn't think it would be a good time if we were to try to get back together again right now... I know I hurt him in many ways with this...From his ego to his heart and everywhere in between... but I seriously didn't think that he would lash out like he did....

Soooo anyway.... I called my dad's house and the step-monster answered... she told me that I needed to talk to my dad right now.....I told her that I wasn't ready to discuss this with them yet, and that I would do it in My time.... My way! .....

You know...it's funny...even funny Ha Ha!..... I don't even remember the conversation I wound up having with my dad about being gay... The Jay story is way better anyway....Ha!

Here are the lyrics to the Melissa Etheridge song that helped me come to grips with my sexuality... I'm sure the words had a totally different meaning to her... but it shouted to me that it was ok to come out of my little closet and say Yes I Am to the world!!! :)~

Talking to My Angel

Don't be afraid
Close your eyes
Lay it all down
Don't you cry
Can't you see I'm going
Where I can see the sun rise
I've been talking to my angel
And he said that it's alright

I've always had to run
I don't know just why
Desire slowly smoking
Under the midwest sky
There's something
waiting out there
That says I've got to try
I've been talking to my angel
And he said that it's alright

This town thinks I'm crazy
They just think I'm strange
Sometimes they want to own me
Sometimes they wish I'd change
But I can feel the thunder
Underneath my feet
I sold my soul for freedom
It's lonely but it's sweet

Don't be afraid
Close your eyes
Lay it all down
Don't you cry
Can't you see I'm going
Where I can see the sun rise
I've been talking to my angel
And he said that it's alright

Hey Little Sister... :)~

Happy Birthday to you...

You live in a zoo...

You smell like a monkey...

You act like one too...

Cha-cha- cha!

Happpy Born-day shout out to my younger sister Lisa....She turns 40 today.

Welcome to the elite 40 set little sister! ....Your 40's are gonna ROCK...I swear!!!

We had a picnic at her house over the weekend to celebrate with some old friends and family. Here are some pics of the day.

Chili Stuffed Pablanos ... :)~

Vegan Chili Stuffed Pablano

2 TB xvoo
1 lg onion diced
1 ea small red, yellow, orange, pepper large dice
1 zucchini diced
3 carotts peeled and diced
3 ribs celery peeled and diced
1 lg clove garlic fine grate
1 corn on cob...cut kernels off the cob
1/2 jalepeno seeded and minced
2 cans organic whole tomatoes roughly chopped
1 lg Bay leaf
1 can each organic black, and garbanzo, and kidney beans rinsed and drained



On medium hi heat add the xvoo to the pot... get it nice and hot,and then add the veggies... Season with salt and pepper. Turn heat down to low and cook for 10 min stiring often. In a separate sautee pan on med heat toast 1 1/2 TB cumin and 3TB chili powder for 1 min. Be careful not to burn this! Now add the spices to the veggies and mix well. Add the chopped tomatoes and the juice with the bay leaf. Bring pot to a boil and then turn down to very slow simmer for 1 hr. At the very end add the beans and continue to cook for 10 more min

Slice a V into the top of the Pablano pepper as shown. Fill with the vegan chili and top with cheddar cheese! Place in oven proof dish and bake at 400 for 20 min or until cheese is golden and bubbly. Enjoy!... :)~

Call Me Cra-zazy... :)~

You know what today is???...I'll give you a hint...

Go shorty it's yer half berfday!... Go shorty it's yer half berfday!


That's right people... I celebrate my half birthday... I am 42 1/2 today...WoooooHoooo!
Seems as though I'm not the only kook out there who celebrates.... Here are some 1/2 birthday cakes I pulled from a google search... Ha!

Playing With the Full Moon RIsing... :)~

Tina Fey or Sarah Palin... :)~

Last night I couldn't wait to see Tina Fey and Amy Poehler portraying Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton on the season opener of SNL..... It was friggin' priceless! ....I wish Fey would come back and write as well as do the news with Poehler....They just play off of each other so well!

Best line in my opinion goes to Hillary at the end where she invites the media to "grow a pair" and if they can't...then they can borrow hers!

Here it is just in case you missed it!...or just want to watch it again and again...I've watched it at least a half dozen times already! Enjoy! :)~

Go Serena! :)~

In just a few minutes my GRL Serena Wiliams... #4 ranked....will take to the court against Jelena Jankovic, # 2 ranked player in the world in the US Open Womens finals tonight. This is Jankovic's first time in the Grand Slam final, and Williams is looking to win a third Us Open crown!

I just love to watch Serena play.... Her strength and Power when she hits the ball.....her passion when she makes a great shot..... and how she will talk to the oncoming ball as if she can coax it out of bounds when it's coming long.

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of attending the Open with my friend Ella! ...Very COOL....Thanx bud!...We got to see Roger Federer...(which some kid near us kept calling him Roddick while routing him on the whole match)..and the Robredo & Tsonga match. For the women I only remember watching Bammer and Bartoli.

I've only been to the Open one other time, and that was way back in 1990, when I got to see Argentina's hottie Gabriella Sabatina play.

Here is a short 2 min video curtesy of Youtube of Serena beating Dinara Safina #6 in the semi-finals.

GO Serena! Woot Woot!.. :)~