It's Time for New Year Resolutions

What I Hope to Achieve in 2013

First Published Dec 26, 2012

Update: Yea... some things never change.

Thanks for reading. October, 2025

I must admit, 2012 was not one of my better years. Money was tight -who doesn't have that complaint, except of course the muckity-mucks in Washington for whom the bad economy is merely a political issue and not a reality.

I'm having a hard time keeping up with the bills, and work isn't exactly plentiful right now. Some weeks, at my day job, I don't get more than 12 hours. At my hourly pay, that barely covers a week's worth of groceries.

I've been experiencing chronic fatigue associated with hypothyroidism, but don't want to go to the doctor because the insurance company is always a pain about paying (though I make my payment every freakin' month) and I'm just too tired to deal with all their bullshit.

I suffered through a week of the most miserable flu in October. I don't usually get the flu, and if I do, I'm over it in a day or two. So I was pretty mad about being laid up a whole bloody week.

In December, I got a ticket (first in over 30 years), broke may toe (Won't go to the doctor's- see above), and my car broke down - twice.

On the plus side, I had a great Christmas. Everyone in the family is healthy, and we spent Christmas Eve eating pizza and opening presents. My toe still hurts like the devil himself is chewing on it, but I'm sure this too shall pass.

So my resolution for 2013 is to not have such a crappy year.

Now, I understand the current administration in the White House has no intention of worrying over the economy. The First Family isn't likely to experience foreclosure, have to go on food stamps, or forego a doctor's visit because the insurance company won't pony up.

But I'm not going to let the self-serving fools in Washington make my life more miserable, though it seems they do enjoy trouncing the working poor. I'm going to set out few simple goals, and I'm going to accomplish them. 

Ø  Create a recipe for the perfect gluten free brownie

Ø  Develop low-fat, vegetarian meals my husband will actually like

Ø  Make more cooking videos

Ø  Start a gardening blog

Ø  Exercise more- even when I'd rather take a nap

Ø  Find inner peace

While the big shots in Washington wreak havoc on the lives of their constituents for their own amusement, I, and many of you, will persevere. I resolve to have a better year in spite of the politicians and their Wall Street cronies. I resolve to have a better year in spite of health insurance companies and over-zealous policemen. I resolve to have a better year because I want to have a better year.

 

Wish me luck as I wish good luck for all of you.

Recipe for Apple Sausage Stuffing

First Published Nov 16, 2012

Update: I still use this recipe today. It's really good.

You can watch the video on YouTube, demonstrating this recipe: How to Make French Apple Sausage Stuffing

Thanks for reading. October, 2025

Original Post: When it comes to Thanksgiving, my husband I tend to cheat a bit on our low-fat diet; we love our gravy and mashed potatoes with turkey

. We also like stuffing, the soft/crunchy concoction of bread, veggies and meat.

I'll make apple sausage stuffing this year, and I want to share that recipe with you. It's chicken sausage, instead of pork, so I feel like I'm at least trying to be a little low-fat.

But first, a bit of history.

The bready mix we're familiar with today likely had its origins in ancient Greece and Roman kitchens, but as to it being called stuffing, that dates back to the middle ages. The bread and veggie mix was called farce, meaning 'to stuff': It was a play on words referencing the brief and humorous plays, called farces, 'stuffed' between long and boring religious presentations.

Victorian sensibilities, however, found the word 'stuffing' a bit too graphic, and applied the term 'dressing' to the mixture. Today, the two words are interchangeable, and dressing may be cooked without getting stuffed into a bird's backside.

Apple Stuffing

1 lb ground French apple chicken sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery

1 stick butter or margarine, divided
8 cups cubed bread, divided
2 cups chicken broth, divided

2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 large sweet apple, chopped

1 1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley

1. Over medium high heat, brown the French apple chicken sausage in a large pan in a teaspoon of oil, adding the onion and celery to the pan when the sausage just starts to brown and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, just until the veggies are tender. Remove the mixture from the heat.

2. Put half the butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add 3 cups of bread cubes to the butter as it starts to melt, stirring to coat and moisten the bread cubes. Add approximately 1/3 cup of chicken broth to soften the bread.

3. Add the chopped apples and jalapeno peppers to the bread mixture, along with the remaining butter and stir to combine.

4. Add the remaining bread cubes and remaining butter to the pot. Stir to combine and melt the butter. Slowly add the remaining chicken stock, stirring the mixture to ensure all the bread cubes are thoroughly moistened and softened. Turn off the heat and stir in the sage and parsley.

5. Spoon the bread mixture into a buttered casserole dish, cover and cook at 375 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. Allow the stuffing to rest for approximately 10 minutes before serving.

Tips
For a little more sweetness, add dried cranberries or raisins to the mixture while adding the remaining chicken broth.

A note about jalapeno peppers- The smaller the pepper, the more intense the heat. If you just want a little heat, use larger peppers. If you can't find fresh jalapenos, use canned, but test for heat levels before adding.

Celebrating Vegetarianism

October is Vegetarian Awareness Month...and no, that doesn't mean you have to buy cards or gifts for the vegetarians in your life. It means you, as a meat eater, should spend a little time trying to understand why someone chooses to follow a vegetarian diet, and how such a choice affects other aspects of their lives.

One example is how some vegetarians also opt to eliminate other animal products, such as leather or fur, from their lives. They may do this because they feel that killing animals for the sake of clothing is inhumane. These are compassionate people. What these people are not are zealots.

They do not leave pamphlets on your doorknobs touting the re-emerging practice of Meatless Monday, a practice born of war. How ironic that something that is now considered humane started from a most inhumane action.

Vegetarians do not gather in front of the meat counters at supermarkets and terrorize those perusing packages of top sirloin or rump roasts. They do not picket or protest or otherwise engage in acts of culinary disobedience.

Vegetarians just don't eat meat. It's that simple, and that complex. As anyone who reads this blog with any frequency knows, my daughter is a vegetarian and has been all her life. Her father and I have teased her, good naturedly, about this lifestyle choice, as she has teased us about our food choices. But her decision, from the time she first started eating solids, to reject meat has presented me with challenges that have proven to be opportunities.

All of us in our family eat healthier because I've always had to include meat free dishes in our family meals. When my husband was put on a restricted diet because of his heart surgery, I was challenged even further, but it would have been all the more difficult if I hadn't already been familiar with cooking from a vegetarian point of view.

With food trends being so well-publicized now, thanks to Food Network and Food Channel and all the foodie magazines, blogs and websites, one would think vegetarianism would be no big deal. But as my daughter points out in her blog post, "5 Ways to Help Vegetarianism While Not Giving Up Meat," some people still don't get it.

She tells of eye-rolls and heavy sighs, and people trying to trick her into eating meat. Shame on them. Shame on them for their deliberate ignorance and their disrespect. Food is essential to our lives, to our well-being, and food choices are a part of who we are as sentient beings.

So take a little time this October to set aside any food prejudices and make a few meatless meals, and offer to break bread with your vegetarian friends. You just may find that they are presenting you with culinary opportunities you hadn't yet imagined.