Simple Southern-Style Red Sauce Recipe

As I have mentioned many times before in my blog, I enjoy entertaining and I enjoy cooking. More often than not, the easiest meals or appetizers to prepare turn out to be the best.

This is a great sauce recipe for use with meatballs, as either an appetizer or for meatball sandwiches. It’s also a great sauce to use with those little mini-wieners from Hillshire Farm and others.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the following:

• 1 cup ketchup (Low-sodium for  a diabetic-friendly sauce)
• 1/3 cup grape jelly (Sugar-free for a diabetic-friendly sauce)
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (Optional, if you like a little heat)

Whisk these together until well-blended. Continue to stir occasionally until just starting to bubble. This recipe makes enough sauce for either 2 packages of the mini-wieners or 3 dozen 1″ meatballs. I prefer using the original-style meatballs, rather than italian-style or swedish style. If you’re serving more than these amounts, just increase your ingredients accordingly.

I like to prepare the sauce first while the meatballs or mini-wieners are heating in the oven, according to the directions on the package, and then pour over the meatballs or mini-wieners in a slow cooker set on warm for serving. Your guests can then serve themselves, using a slotted spoon or toothpicks. Simple, quick and mighty tasty.

Delicious teas for the holidays or anytime!

As I have mentioned many times in the past, I have a website that I created and still operate, One Cup Shoppe, that is dedicated to the enjoyment of single cup coffee and tea making. Since we are in the midst of the holiday season, I thought I would reprint here my reviews of two teas that I think you might enjoy making and serving to your holiday guests.

Rooibos Cinnamon Apple tea

As it steeps, my kitchen begins to fill with the aroma of the holidays. Just like the smell of turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie remind me of Thanksgiving, the smell of an apple pie baking in the oven reminds me of Christmas. So it is with the wonderful aroma of the Rooibos Cinnamon Apple tea from Adagio Teas. Yet, that’s only the beginning.

This wonderful blend of cinnamon, apple and South African red rooibos tea almost tastes like liquid apple pie. Add some sugar and you’re there. It steeps to a beautiful reddish brown color and tastes like dessert, due to it’s sweet aftertaste. Because it’s caffeine-free, you can enjoy it anytime. I know I will be serving this with dessert when friends come by for dinner. It also makes a very tasty iced-tea.

You definitely want to try the Rooibos Cinnamon Apple tea from Adagio Teas. I can see this becoming one of our year-round favorites, especially during the holiday season.

Mayan Chocolate Truffle tea

Herbal teas come in many types and flavor combinations. Because herbal teas are usually made from “non-tea” ingredients, most are caffeine-free. A truly memorable herbal tea is one that combines flavors in a way that makes you just keep coming back for another cup. Such is the Mayan Chocolate Truffle tea from Mighty Leaf Tea.

The Mayan Chocolate Truffle tea from Mighty Leaf Tea combines small chunks of apple, strawberry and chocolate with cacoa nibs and tiny flecks of chilis and red peppers. The resulting taste is really different and really good. It’s ideal for anytime of the day, but especially as a dessert tea. The taste of the chocolate really finishes nicely, giving it a sweet aftertaste with just a bit of a spicy bite from the chilis and the subtle lingering fruitiness of the apple and strawberry bits.

I love this herbal tea and I think you’ll also enjoy it. I definitely suggest the Mayan Chocolate Truffle tea. It’s part of a 6 tin loose leaf chocolate flavored tea sampler set from Mighty Leaf Tea.

Into The Eyes of An Angel!

Thursday, November 12th, did not start out like any other day, because we knew that Staci, my oldest son’s wife was going to be induced. We knew that, sometime during the day, we would be getting the news about the birth of our first grandchild. The call finally came and we welcomed Grace Addison into the world at 3:21 in the afternoon. I left work early and drove to the hospital a lot quicker than I probably should have. After waiting for last minute examinations of mother and daughter and the first time Staci was able to naturally feed Grace, we were able to go into the birthing suite and see the newest miracle in our lives. Shawn, proudly beaming down at his daughter, was kneeling over the crib where little Grace, 8lb 8oz of perfection, was sleeping,  and Staci was in bed, putting on her best smile despite how sore and tired she was. There were probably 700 pictures taken that evening and all the adults in the room agreed that this first grandchild for all the families was going to be very spoiled. Shawn asked his brother Nick to be the godfather, which was a nice addition to the evening. Not wanting to steal any arm time away from the grandmothers in the room, I declined the chance to hold my granddaughter that first evening as it was also rapidly approaching the end of visiting hours and we all knew how tired both Shawn and Staci were. Hopefully, I would have a chance to spend a little time with Grace on one of my days off the following week.

Tuesday rolled around and Shawn asked if I wanted to stop by. When I walked into their home, I went upstairs to their family room to find Grace sleeping on Shawn’s chest. We talked for a bit and then the moment I had been waiting for came around. He asked if I wanted to hold Grace. I gently picked her up and cradled her in my arm, settling down in their rocker for the next hour and a half. It’s hard to put into words all the feelings that rose up in me as I looked down on my granddaughter, sleeping so peacefully, dreaming whatever it is that little babies dream; all the feelings like pride, happiness, joy, contentment and, of course, love. There’s an old Welsh proverb that goes: “Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild”. I guess that was what I was feeling at that moment. No matter what was going on outside or anywhere else in the world, I was feeling wonderfully at peace while holding little Grace. She shifted a few times and I placed her on my chest where she once again fell asleep. Staci was on the couch trying to get comfortable and watching us; Shawn was busy doing laundry and putting away clothes, and watching us. Grace and I were oblivious to all of this. She shifted again and I put her back onto my arm. Just then it happened. For just a second she opened her eyes, and in that short moment the smallest of smiles broke upon her beautiful little lips. I felt like I was staring into the eyes of an angel. She then fell peacefully back asleep, almost as if knowing how loved and protected she was. A little while later it was time for mom to awaken her for a feeding and my first extended time with Grace was over.

We take so many things for granted in our lives each day and it’s moments like this that makes me realize once again how blessed my live is. I have had two miracles born to Kathy and I, our two sons Shawn and Nick. Their lives have turned out wonderfully. Now, I have another miracle in my life, my granddaughter Grace. I so look forward to watching her life unfold, watching her make discoveries as she grows. Most of all, I look forward to everyone of her smiles, her eyes beaming like those of an angel.

You did what at your age?

The title of my blog is: Starting at 60 – You’re Never Too Old To Start Something New! As you may have noticed, I haven’t posted anything for a while. The reason for this: I’ve started something new in my life, something that has taken quite a bit of my time. I’ve started a new career.

One may ask, “How do you start a new “career” at the ripe old age of 60?” Well, one definition of the noun career is: ” a person’s progress or general course of action through life or through a phase of life, as in some profession or undertaking”. Therefore, I have begun a new “phase” in my working life, a new career.

The various “phases” of my career have spanned over 40 years as a working professional. I spent over 30 years in the securities industry as a stock broker, trader and trade desk manager. Then, I spent nearly 10 years in different retail environments, the first 4 of those years as the owner of my own custom picture framing business.

Then, about 2 months ago, I was recruited by a head-hunter for the new position I am in today. I am one of the National Admissions Advisors for the Online Campus of Colorado Technical University. CTU is a 45 year old, highly-acclaimed, regionally accredited institution of higher learning with 5 ground campuses and an award-winning Virtual Campus. They offer a large variety of degree programs at the Associate’s, Bachelor’s and Master’s levels, along with a large group of support staff that offer a diversity of services to help each student along the path to their graduation.

What all this means is that I have the satisfaction and privilege of being able to help people affect a significant change in their lives. I get to help people start the journey towards a new life and perhaps a new career; to fulfill some of their goals; to reach for some of their dreams.

Some people might say that at 60 one begins to count the number of days until retirement. Not this guy. I have no plans to retire anytime soon. Happily, I count the number of people whom I help to improve their future quality of life by going back to school and getting their degree. If any of you out there have thought about going back and getting your degree, give me a call at Colorado Tech at: 800-416-8904, ext 75926. I’d consider it an honor and a pleasure to help you too.

Simple Side Dish My Family Loves!

Here’s a quick and easy side dish we all love and probably have with dinner at least 2 or 3 times a month. We call it:

Cheesy Rice

Ingredients:

Equal parts Minute Rice and warm water – 1 cup makes about 2 servings, 2 cups makes about 4 servings, etc. Adjust quantities of each to your dinner needs.

Velveeta Mexican Mild cheese

Margarine

In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil. While heating to a boil, add in 1 tsp of margarine per cup of rice and water you’re preparing. Cut a 1/4 inch thick slice of the Velveeta, again per cup of rice and water, tear the Velveeta into small chunks and put into the water while it heats. Stir occasionally to allow the margarine and Velveeta to melt completely. When the water comes to a boil, pour the rice into the saucepan and stir slightly to make sure the rice is immersed in the mixture. Cover, remove from heat and let stand for 20 minutes.

The rice absorbs the cheese and the mild spicy flavor, adding a little zest and richness to your meal. Try it. If you like rice, I think you’re going to love this as a side dish. My entire family loves it. We’ve served this to family and friends many times and it always gets a big thumbs up response.

Making really good coffee or espresso

As I sit here writing this post, I am enjoying one of the best cups of coffee I have ever brewed. I almost wish you could be here so I might share the rich, smooth non-bitter taste that is possible using the Aeropress Coffee and Espresso Maker by Aerobie.

From start to cleanup takes less than 3-4 minutes. Heat 10 oz of water to approximately 175 degrees. This is the recommended temperature for brewing the best tasting coffee or espresso; hotter than this can cause your coffee or espresso to taste bitter or acidic. The best way to get to this temperature is by heating your water in a microwave and then using a thermometer, experimenting until you have the timing right.

After placing a filter into the cap, twist the cap onto the chamber and place the chamber onto a sturdy mug. Put 1-2 scoops of your favorite fine to coarse ground coffee into the chamber and then pour enough hot water into the chamber to fill to the 2 cup level marker. Stir the water and coffee with the included paddle for 10 seconds. Wet the seal on the plunger and insert the plunger into the chamber, using a gentle downward pressure. Maintain this gentle pressure for about 20-30 seconds or until the plunger bottoms out on the coffee grounds. Congratulations, you just made your first double espresso, or your can fill your mug to the top with the rest of the hot water for a typical American-style coffee.

Cleanup is simple. Twist off the cap and push the plunger the rest of the way to eject the used coffee grounds. Rinse the seal to remove any remaining grounds and you’re done. You can even rinse the filter and re-use it if you like.

Coffee, espresso, lattes, cappucinos…all are brewed easily, quickly, inexpensively and with great results. Try the Aeropress Coffee and Espresso Maker by Aerobie. This might just be the last coffee or espresso maker you buy.

A Tale of the Missing Link

As you may have noticed from one of my previous posts or from the links to the right of my posts themselves, I have a web site called One Cup Shoppe. I’m rather proud of the fact that I put the entire site together myself and am especially pleased with the feedback I’ve gotten from a number of visitors to my site. One Cup Shoppe specializes in the concept of single cup coffee brewing and tea making. I’ve put a lot of time into my site, a labor of love due to the fact that I have a real passion for coffee and tea.

Well, imagine my surprise a few weeks ago when, during the posting of a new tea review on my Corner Booth blog page, I discovered that every one of the links on every page of my site had been wiped out. I have over 50 pages with multiple links on each page, all gone. A quick and rather terse phone call to the web hosting service got the response that it could have been either software or server error, but there was no way to tell how it happened and, therefore, no way to tell who was responsible. The bottom line was that I had a lot of work ahead of me.

Why, you might ask, am I putting all of this in my blog here? Simply, it goes along with the general theme of this blog that you’re never too old to start something new. I started One Cup Shoppe when I was 60, and I’ve now learned the importance of daily upkeep and maintenance of a web site and, in the event of a meltdown, how to reconstruct something as important as a web site that has a number of loyal followers who look forward to occasionally signing in to see what’s new.  Did it take me a lot of work to fix: yes it did. Was it educational: absolutely. Does One Cup Shoppe look and work nicer than it did before the meltdown: never been better.  When life throws you some lemons, make some lemonade. Every day offers something new to take on, regardless of what age you might be.

Signals…

We encounter many signals throughout each of our days. Dark cloudy skies are often a signal for rain or thunderstorms. Sirens act as signals for emergency situations. A growling stomach usually is a signal that you’re hungry. An alarm clock going off is a signal to get up and get going. A flashing amber light is a signal to slow down for road work. I could go on, but you get the point.

In today’s fast-paced world there is a set of signals that are very important for every adult to use; however, they are used far too infrequently by so many people everyday. I’m talking about the TURN SIGNALS IN YOUR CARS, TRUCKS AND SUVS!!!

Not a day goes by that I don’t encounter some inconsiderate or lazy driver that, for whatever reason he or she might have, refuses or forgets to USE THEIR TURN SIGNAL. It is THE LAW in most states that, when changing lanes, merging into or out of traffic or turning left or right onto another street, you MUST USE YOUR TURN SIGNAL. Yet, it is beyond me why there are so many so-called responsible drivers that just can’t wrap their heads around the fact that USING YOUR TURN SIGNAL is such a simple way to avoid causing an accident and, therefore, becoming a safer, more considerate driver.

All the unsafe, inconsiderate lazy drivers know who they are. Yet, these same unsafe, lazy, inconsiderate people seem to have forgotten a few facts. No one is born with the right to drive. Learning to drive safely is an important task and becoming a licensed driver is not to be taken lightly. Operating a motor vehicle is a privilege that is earned, not granted automatically at age 16 or 18 or whatever the legal age is from state to state.

Come on, people. START USING YOUR TURN SIGNAL every time you drive. I do, and I know there are a number of us that use them every time we drive. Leave the dark side and come on over to the considerate driver team. We welcome you to our safer, winning ways.

Life is Good!

As is the theme of my blog, you’re never too old to start something new, my wife and I are preparing for a new undertaking coming sometime during the beginning of November. We’re going to be grandparents for the first time. We’re both tickled pink and can’t wait for the blessed event. As I started to write this post, I got to thinking about just how many things I feel truly blessed for.

I’ve been married for over 36 years to the most wonderful woman a man could ever hope to know.  She still hasn’t found sufficient reason to kill me in my sleep, so I guess I must be doing something right. Of course, every time she hears me say that her answer is always, “Yet!”.

I have 2 wonderful sons that I couldn’t be more proud of. Shawn, my oldest, has a great career as a personal trainer and general manager of a large health club. He married a wonderful woman, Staci, and the two of them are the ones expecting their first child early November.

Nick, my youngest, and his wonderful wife Katie, just recently finished their graduate school work at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Both of them are starting their new careers down in Champaign and just this week moved into their new house.

If it seems like I’m bragging, I guess I am a little. I can’t tell you how fortunate I feel to have had this much good happen to me in my life. I guess you just have to step back every once in a while and take stock of your blessings to realize life isn’t as tough as it may seem on some days.

A wonderful marriage to a wonderful wife, two terrific sons married to two great ladies, a grandchild on the way  …..  life is good!!!

Easy to make Italian Steamed Chicken

Once a month my wife Kathy and I get together with 2 other couples for dinner and cards. Every third month it’s our turn to have everyone over to our house. One of our favorite recipes to serve is Italian Steamed Chicken.

The ingredients are as follows:

• 6  boneless skinless chicken breasts (thawed)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 8 oz. no salt added tomato sauce
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp sugar substitute (I like to use Splenda)

Place the thawed chicken breasts in a larger microwave-safe casserole dish, spreading the meat out as much as possible. Mix all the other ingredients into a sauce and pour the sauce over the chicken breasts, making sure to cover all the meat. Cover. Heat in your microwave at 70% power for 16 to 18 minutes.

I like to serve this with a nice tossed salad made with romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, shredded cheese and zesty croutons, and some good garlic bread. I found the recipe at a diabetic-concerned website, so it should be healthy for just about anyone. It’s very simple to prepare and can be started not too long before the guests arrive.