New Recipes

I have been so bored with what I eat lately, that I have been searching and searching for new lo-cal recipes or recipes that I can doctor to reduce calories.

The first one, Mock Mashed Potatoes, I have been avoiding making this for years because I thought that it would taste awful. Maybe my sense of taste has changed, maybe my cooking skills have improved over the years, or just maybe it was a good head of cauliflower-but whatever the case this recipe tasted great made a good substitute for mashed potatoes.

Like always, my recipes are based on the amount of ingredients that you start out with and personal taste.

One head of cauliflower, cut into florets and steamed until really soft (about 15 minutes).

Low fat milk

Light butter

salt/pepper.

I put the steamed cauliflower in my food processor with less than a tablespoon of light butter and less than 1/4 cup of low fat, and pulsed until it had the consistency of mashed potatoes. Here is where you can get creative.

I put the mixture in a small broiler proof dish, sprayed with Pam.

I grated jarlsberg cheese and romano cheese together, spread it on top of the mixture. Then sprinkled a little bit of bread crumbs over it and put under the broiler until the cheese melted and the bread crumbs browned.

Another variation would be to brown onions and serve mashed cauliflower with them.

Recipe two.

Sweet and Sour Cabbage

I never tire of sweet and sour. This one is tomato based. It's the cabbage from stuffed cabbage.

Very low calorie, very easy.

Head of cabbage 1/4'd and the base where the thick core is removed after quartered.

Take each quarter of the cabbage and make about 1/2" or less slices, it should fall apart into individual pieces or help it out.

Brown onions in some oil on a low heat with salt and pepper in a dutch oven, remove and set aside.

Add the cabbage with some salt and wilt a bit, till the cabbage softens up.

Add...

tomato sauce 16 oz

can of diced tomatoes with the sauce

ketchup (about 1/4 of a cup or more)

tomato soup (optional)

white vinegar (a couple of splashes)

Sucralose (I start with 4 packages)

salt

pepper

Simmer for an hour or more, stir occasionally.

The art of cooking is to keep tasting to balance the sweet and sour. If it is too vinegary add more sucralose and vice versa.

I love this, especially good if you take some and mixed boiled shirmp in. Yum!

The Incognito Birder

Due to a bad case of cabin fever, we decided to make our way to Central Park Not a light undertaking since the city is still trying to clean up after the big storm. Our aim was to use our clothing as a blind. We needed to be discrete, we didn't want to frighten the birds.

We needed to blend seamlessly into park's current environment.

Just like this Brown Creeper can blend right into the tree and snow

This was the challenge...

We had to enter the Rambles from the path located near the Swiss Cottage and make our way to the feeders. The paths leading to them were covered with snow. We relied on our hearing to locate the feeders.

We were not disappointed when we finally found the them.

There was a lot of activity at the feeder today. There were Black-capped Chickadees and a Tufted Titmouse at the Peanut Butter and Suet Ball.

Birds were coming and going.

An American Goldfinch came to feed.

Tufted Titmouse, Chickadee and Goldfinch.

A Female Downy Woodpecker feeding on peanut butter on tree.

Junco, Tufted Titmouse and Sparrow feasting on fallen seeds.

They are so little and cute.

We walked around the Rambles, but there wasn't much more activity. Everything was covered with snow and most of the water frozen. There were some gulls on the lake, but no ducks.

There was occasional sunshine, but for the most part it was cloudy and gray out. Here is part of the Upper Lobe of the Central Park lake frozen over.

We left the park at the Naturalist's Gate on W. 79th St. A little known fact is most of the entrances are named.

Here is a site with their names http://veloso.org/gates.html

A little tradition of ours is to go out for Indian food after a hard day of birding in the park. Our favorite restaurant, Earthen Oven, is on 72nd and Columbus. They make a nice buffet.

Larry is putting on his Stabl-icers before making his way into the Rambles.

Notice how the beard blends right in with the snow.

He's camouflaged correctly, basic NYC black and blue.

And here I am

the stealth

Incognito Birder.

Reasons to be a Snowbird

Then and now pictures...

Just 2 weeks ago

I keep telling Larry that I want to be a snowbird.

I tell him that I want to spend the winter traveling in the south.

I don't want to buy anything in any one particular place, but rent a house for 2 months at a time in a different spot each year.

Here is the incentive...

Last night it snowed and snowed.

These are the pictures from in front of my building, couldn't venture much further down the block.

Usually you can hail a cab anytime of the day and night on Clinton St.

Doesn't look like we are going to be plowed out anytime soon.

The view from my living room window.

The beach at sunset on Sanibel Island in December

Clinton St in December.

Rockport TX in Feb.

Clinton Street in December

Doesn't look like I will be getting to my car anytime soon.

Guarjataca, PR in December.

Hard to believe that just a quick flight away, warm tropical breezes instead of wind gusts and real feel temperatures in the single digits.

(Look how happy I am, Larry.)

Picture this man, who was a delight to be with,

shoveling out a path to this car...

(the NY Times liked the above photo well enough to publish it on their site! see below)

and then digging it out.

How many more years till retirement?

On the NYTimes.com website. Send Your Snow Photos

My photo....

Here it is! The blog entry all have been waiting for...our trip to Puerto Rico!

Fun in the Sun!

Our Puerto Rican Vacation

another in the series of self portraits

they are beginning to all look the same

For a change of pace from our usual vacations spent at sewer treatment plants, we spent last week in Puerto Rico.

While NYC had a 14 degree windchill factor, I was in shorts. It was wonderful. I had mofongo or amarillos almost every day. I drank mango sangrias. Had fresh cooked empanadas, with homemade lemonade from a beach front kiosk.

Here is my favorite photo.

The first day we walked around the resort grounds, until we felt at home. The hotel complex was a little over the top and went the extra yard in coming up with ways for you to part with your money. Even though the only way you could get to the hotel was by automobile, they charged for parking. And they charged to rent those big queen sized beds near the pool. I thought that was a bit ridiculous.

Then you had to wear these fluorescent orange wrist bands while you were on the grounds. Security was so tight around one of the buildings that you couldn't walk on the beach in front of it and the guard actually asked us what room were we in. Some "macher" (big shot) must have been staying there, because men in black stood outside the building all night long in the drenching rain.

We went to El Yunque, the only Rain Forest in the US. It rained, naturally. I watched the tourists, who have no idea how to dress outside of a tour bus, buy umbrellas and rain ponchos in the gift shop during one of the rain storms. We went there, a few times, I really liked El Yunque and want to go back and drive to the end of the road.

A tangent-driving in Puerto Rico.

I love driving. When I was a kid, with my pockets full of change, I would sit in front of the simulated driving video games. Driving on the mountain roads in PR felt so familiar to me. I am way beyond thinking that I have a past life experiences. But I really felt I have driven on these roads before. And then I had an epiphany, driving on the mountain roads was just like playing a simulated driving game. Turn the blind corner, avoid the on coming car, hairpin switch backs, trying not to drive off the mountain cliff. What fun! Poor Larry!!!!

Back to the story...

Something I never expected to see was 4 foot long lizards (iguanas?) roaming the grounds of this luxury resort. They didn't need fluorescent orange wrist bands. I made this guy really, really angry. He got into his cobra pose and shook his wattle at me.

Are you terrified at the sight of my wavy wattle wiggling in the wind?

Are you scared yet?

The next morning Larry saw some leaves moving strangely on the tree next to our terrace-and there he was. I pissed him off so much that he followed us back to the room and was perched in the tree right outside my 2nd story bedroom. I'm getting paranoid.

You can't hide from me! I see ALL!

Do you think he saw Larry naked, and thought Larry was wiggling his wattle back at him? (ya gotta think like a lizard here guys). Was this going to be some sort of guy thing between the two of them for the next couple of days?

One of the really cool things about going on vacation is learning about cultural differences and having new experiences. Larry learned about ironing (culture shock) and that he can dry his wet pants by ironing them (a new experience).

Now that Larry knows how to do the laundry at the laundromat, iron and fold clothes, he will only charge $1.10 per pound to wash, dry and fold and $2 to press a shirt.

"This is really boring" says Larry Zirlin.

Sorry this was just too special a moment for only one picture.

Walking around the grounds of the hotel.

there he is again!

I see you!

Hey maybe I can get a digiscope image and find out where that guy was banded?

He was blown way far off course....

We left the rainy NE side of the island, drove right through the central mountains to the dry SW coast of the island. Again, it was beautiful. The hotel in Guanica was so laid back and relaxing, I fell asleep by one of the pools.

romantic sunset

Even though Larry didn't reserve a romantic dinner on the beach for me with rose petals strewn on the table, I forgave him

moon rise

But that damn lizard must had notified his friend, because the biggest toad in the world was waiting for me.

this guy was as big as my hand!

and just as ugly!

NE coast, the view from El Portal at El Yunque

SW coast from Rt. 333 heading toward Guanica

NW coast looking out from Guajataca

We are already planning our next vacation to Puerto Rico.

and I will be waiting for you!

Picture of ME!!!

Larry took this photo of me with my new jacket on. I am slowly pulling out the winter gear. Flannel lined jeans, fleece, 2 pairs of gloves. I was wearing long johns. Nothing like a wind chill factor of 28 degrees to get the blood going.

It was cold and windy yesterday. First we went to Long Island then to Jamaica Bay. We saw the usual cast of characters floating about.

Today was really windy and we decided not to go out birding. I went to Zumba instead and cooked Chicken with white beans for dinner. It was supposed to be white chili, but I only had red bell peppers in the house.

I think that I might start adding my recipes to my blog. I make lots of low fat, low calorie dishes.

Shari's Chicken and White Beans.

2 cups cooked white beans.

3 chicken drumsticks

3 chicken thighs
2 onions, diced

1 lb tomatillos, diced

2 yellow or red bell peppers, diced

jalepenos

salt, pepper, Jamaican Curry Powder (do not use Indian Curry Powder).

Remove Skin and excess fat from chicken and season with salt and pepper. Heat a cast iron skillet for a few minutes, spray with cooking spray. Brown chicken on all sides, remove from skillet. Add onions to skillet and sautee for about 5 minutes. Add tomatillos and peppers. Add more salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutess, add some water (if not using canned beans) and Curry Powder, stir. Add beans if not canned, and chicken, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. If beans are canned, use liquid from beans instead of water. And add the canned beans to the stew in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Adjust seasoning.

I wanted to keep my points low for the day, so I didn't serve over rice and, feel free to add garlic.

I have been busy calculating points for all my favorite foods this week. I am really liking this new system much better than the old one. I am happy that I have 29 points and that the fruit and most of the vegetables are zero points. I have been weighing and measuring my food again and I find that I am not using my flex points or my activity points. Maybe I will lose the 4 pounds that I gained and finally get 5 pounds below goal.

The picture seen round the world!

My picture's been posted on a blog from Scotland!

http://islaybirds.blogspot.com/2010/11/sun-28th-november.html

Woo-hoo!