Bourbon Garlic Chicken with Rice and Lemon Spinach

Ingredients

• Rice
  • White rice
  • Butter
  • Water
  • Penzey’s Garlic Powder, to taste
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste
• Chicken
  • 2 chicken breasts (according to Spark Recipes, this would amount to 8 servings, 3oz. each—for my husband and I it is 2 servings)
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • Some bourbon (didn’t measure this; maybe 1/4 Cup?)
  • 1 small can mushrooms
• Spinach
  • 9 oz uncooked, washed baby spinach
  • 2 tsp butter
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh is best)
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Rice: Prepare the rice in a rice cooker (white rice, water, butter). Add garlic powder, salt and pepper
2. Chicken: Meanwhile, sautee the garlic in the butter. Add the chicken, mushrooms and bourbon. Cover and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160°F.
3. Spinach: While the chicken and rice are cooking, melt 2 tsp butter in a saucepan. Add lemon juice and spinach. Cook until the spinach is… cooked. Add salt & pepper.
4. Serve the chicken and mushrooms on top of a bed of spinach on top of a bed of rice.

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Football is a great game. It’s interesting, there’s strategy involved… so says my husband, anyway. I enjoy watching it; it’s a tradition in my family and having been born in Wisconsin it’s required that I bleed Green and Gold. Unfortunately it also means that I’m supposed to hate any Vikings or Bears fan by default. I disagree wholeheartedly with this.

The one thing about football that I hate is the tendency for football fans to cheer AGAINST a “rival” team, rather than cheering FOR their own team!

I have always had a problem with cheering when something bad happens to the team that my team is playing against, like a dropped pass or a missed field goal, rather than when my team does something good, like completing a pass or scoring a touchdown. When the Viking’s and the Packers play, or the Bears and the Packers play, I don’t get enjoyment out of the game if the Bears or Vikings are playing poorly; there’s no satisfaction in a win that’s easy. And cheering every time a Vikings player misses a pass or fumbles the ball only serves to alienate, anger, and even hurt those friends of mine who are fans of the Vikings. Do I really want to alienate my friends? Do I really want to spend my Sunday afternoons making them angry, insulting them simply because they like a team that doesn’t wear the same uniform as mine? That sounds rather counter-productive, meaningless, and unhelpful.

Let’s think about this, folks: someone you don’t know (most likely) is playing a football game hundreds of miles away (most likely) on TV (usually) and getting paid for it. So how does this, in any way, affect our lives? We still have to go to work on Monday, we still have friends and family that we need, and who need us, we still have all the same problems and successes waiting for us when the game is over as we did before the game started. So why do we have to add tension and meanness to our already complicated lives—lives that would be exactly the same if football had never been invented?

I have been to too many sports bars filled with too many people being jerks simply because the team that’s from their state/city/area is playing against another team that isn’t from their state/city/area. They scream and shout and sling completely untrue, mean and derogatory insults at anyone wearing the jersey of a team they are playing against. It completely ruins the game! Who in their right mind would enjoy spending their Sunday afternoons being angry? Being insulted? Being an asshole?

And there IS a difference between cheering FOR your team and cheering AGAINST the other team. For example:

Cheering because the other team misses their field goal: Not ok.
Cheering because your team tipped the ball, resulting in the missed field goal: Completely fine.
Cheering because the other team’s receiver missed the catch: Not ok.
Cheering because your defense had good strategy: Completely fine.

It’s all about attitude and it makes a HUGE difference.

The Packer’s lost their game last night and the Giants advance to the Championship. It sucks that my team lost, and I was quite passionate about the game while it was on. But when the game ended, it ended. It’s over. It didn’t ruin my life, or even my night. I’m happy for the Giants and I wish them no ill will. And what did I get in return? A whole bunch of Viking’s fans rejoicing in the defeat of the Packer’s, when their own team hadn’t even made it to the play-offs. I will never understand, or be ok with, cheering for a team to do poorly—especially when they’re not even playing against my team! I will never hope that any football player does poorly at their job. It makes for a boring game, for hurt feelings and for anger among fans, friends, and families.

People don’t insult other people when they want to bond or to make friends, they only do it when they want to make someone else feel terrible.

My recent foray into Potato Chowder made me realize how easy delicious soup can be so I tried it again last night. This time I took my mom’s advice of making the base out of butter, flour and milk. I also added a chicken dish I had made a while ago, but, of course, never measured or wrote down. But it was delicious so I figured I’d try again.

Corn & Mushroom Chowder and Cajun Rum Chicken

Meg’s Cajun Rum Chicken
Makes… several servings.

Ingredients

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• olive oil (oops, forgot to measure this one. Maybe 2 Tbsp?)
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire
• 2 Tbsp spiced rum
• 1 tsp Penzey’s Cajun seasoning

Directions

1. Cut chicken into strips. Mine were probably 3″ long, 1-2″ wide and 1/2″ or less thick
2. Add olive oil, worcestershire sauce, cajun seasoning and rum to a pan; stir until the cajun seasoning is evenly distributed. Add the chicken and stir to coat evenly
3. Cook chicken, covered, over medium heat until done (should be 162°F at center of thickest piece), flipping once during cooking

Notes for next time: Double the rum, worcestershire sauce and cajun seasoning. Or only use 2 chicken breasts.

Meg’s Corn & Mushroom Chowder
Makes 3-4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp flour
• 1-2 C milk
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• 1 can mushrooms
• 1/2 tsp Penzey’s dried oregano
• 1 tsp Penzey’s dried basil
• 1/8 tsp Penzey’s garlic powder
• Hot sauce (we are partial to Louisianna Hot Sauce)
• 1/4 tsp dried parsley
• pinch or two of kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp drippings from Cajun Rum Chicken (optional, but STRONGLY recommended)
• Shredded Cajun Rum Chicken (optional)

Directions

1. Melt the butter. Slowly whisk in the flour to make a nice, thick-ish paste. In a saucepan (I say this because I melted in a microwave and whisked in a smallish bowl, then transferred to a sauce pan) add the milk, stirring all the while, to get the consistency you want for your soup.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and heat through, giving a little time for the spices to really work through the liquid.
3. Optional: The chicken drippings. Up until this point it’s a vegetarian chowder, and it tastes… ok. When I added the rum/olive oil/worcestershire/chicken broth it became delicious.
4. Optional 2: Shred some of the Cajun Rum chicken and stir it into the soup! This was my original intention, but my timing was way off so the chicken ended up being served on the side. I did shred some up and stick it in my soup for lunch today. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Notes for next time: less corn and mushrooms or more soup base (butter, flour, milk). Also, use fresh mushrooms.

A note about my selling out to Penzey’s: Well it’s simple. Their spices are the best, hands down. You’d never believe the difference between the dried spices you get in the grocery store and those you get from Penzey’s. They’re much fresher and smell amazing. They are pricey, though. We are working, slowly, on our collection of Penzey’s spices but it’s worth it. The spices are more flavorful than store-bought spices so you end up having to use less and they last longer. If you can, definitely invest in some key spices from Penzey’s like oregano and basil. Your food will thank you for  it!

Ingredients

• 1-2 oz straight rye whiskey
• 1 lemon wedge, juiced (about 1/2 Tbsp juice)
• 1/2 tsp buckwheat honey
• dash of cinnamon
• 2 whole cloves
• 8 oz hot water

Directions

1. Boil the water
2. In a mug juice the lemon wedge, add honey and cinnamon (honestly, just a dash. Add too much and it will get clumpy. ewe)
3. To get really fancy, take a sharp knife and dig out 2 little holes in the lemon wedge rind. Insert the cloves in the little holes. Add the lemon wedge+cloves to the mug
4. Pour in the hot water and stir
5. Drink (carefully)!

Yeah, yeah, not the greatest picture. Note the cloves sticking out of the lemon wedge like alien antennae

Other things I might try:

• Hot Toddies (sarabozich.com)
• Hot Toddy Recipe (mademan.com)

I got a fancy schmancy new mini cheesecake pan from my hubby for Christmas so I gave it a try on New Year’s Day. It’s nice and heavy so it’s not going to warp over time or anything, and the bottoms are just little round disks that fit in each cup so you can just press them up from the bottom to get the cheesecakes out. No more fussing with forks and knives to try and magically make them pop out and look beautiful!

There was a good recipe on the box of the pan but it called for a crust made out of chopped nuts which I didn’t have. So I went online to find a mini cheesecake recipe that used a graham cracker crust instead. It was surprisingly difficult! Apparently these days people prefer a crust made from vanilla wafers. So in the end I used a combination of about 5 different recipes to make my mini cheesecakes. Here are the results:

Meg’s Mini Cheesecakes
Makes about 12 or more 20 2″ cheesecakes

Ingredients

• 2 C graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 C margarine 1/4 C butter, melted
• 1/2 C white sugar
• 2 – 8oz packages cream cheese, room temp
• 1/4 C + 2 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6-12 maraschino cherries
• 1/2 C chocolate chips (optional)

Ingredients for Chocolate Ganache (optional)

• 1/2 C heavy whipping cream
• 6oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Grease the cups of a mini cheesecake pan with shortening (or spray with cooking spray; I don’t like to use that stuff because it leaves a sticky film on all my baking things)
3. Combine graham cracker crumbs with margarine melted butter and 1/2 C white sugar. Mix with a fork until the mixture is evenly combined and crumbly. Press 1 Tbsp of the mixture into the bottoms of the cheesecake pan cups. (I went a little up the sides too, but that ended up being too much crust, so I’d recommend sticking to just the bottoms)
4. Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Add 1/4 C + 2 Tbsp sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat until silky smooth with no lumps. (Optional: Split the cheesecake batter in half and add the chocolate chips to one half). Spoon on top of the graham cracker crusts, filling nearly to the top.
5. Bake for 15 minutes 25 minutes.
6. Optional: Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan bring heavy whipping cream to a boil. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips. Do not stir. Let sit for 5 minutes. Then stir until the chocolate mixture is smooth and let cool for another 15 minutes.
7. When the cheesecakes are done, place the pan on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes to cool. Use a butter knife to gently loosen and remove the cheesecakes (if you’re using a pan like mine where the bottoms are separated from the rest of the pan, you can loosen the edges of the cheesecakes and press the bottoms up to easily get the cheesecakes out.)
8. Press one maraschino cherry into the tops of the plain cheesecakes. Spread chocolate ganache on the tops of the chocolate chip ones. I also left some of the chocolate chip cakes without chocolate ganache, and on some of the ones with cherries I put a dollop of ganache on top and pressed the cherry into that.

*Notes for next time: Less margarine in the crust… or actually use margarine. I used Crisco. The crust didn’t bake the way I wanted it to; it just sort of crumbled to pieces. Also, less sugar in the crust too. Turns out, graham crackers already have a ton of sugar in them so adding more into the crust was a bit of overkill. Then again, I dislike super-sweet things so those who like sugarsugarsugarsugar can probably keep the sugar in the crust. I may also not fill the cheesecake cups to the top with batter. The first batch I made came out of the oven after 15 minutes, cooled completely, and when I tried one it was still gooey in the middle, though the edges and top looked done. Bake longer, or fill with less batter. Or both.

Things I’d Like to Try Someday:

• Cinnamon Mini Cheesecakes With Pumpkin Pie Frosting (awakeninspiration.wordpress.com)
• imabonehead: Cooking Classy: White Chocolate Blueberry Cheesecake (cookingclassy.blogspot.com)
• Mini Twix Cheesecakes (simplybittersweetmcom63.wordpress.com)

Ingredients

• 2 cups peeled, cubed potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)
• 1 cup water (I found this was not enough. It boiled away before the potatoes were done)
• 8 bacon strips
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery (ewe. Celery is gross. I did not use it and never, ever will)
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted (I used cream of mushroom)
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I omitted this at first because I thought the bacon would provide enough salt, but I was very, very wrong)
• Dash pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (I didn’t use this because I didn’t have any)
• 1-2 tsp dried basil

Directions

1. In a covered 3-qt. saucepan, cook potatoes in water until tender.
2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet until crisp; remove to paper towels to drain.
3. In the same skillet, saute onion and celery in drippings until tender; drain. Add to undrained potatoes.
4. Stir in soup, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until heated through (do not boil).
5. Crumble bacon; set aside 1/4 cup. Add remaining bacon to soup along with parsley. Sprinkle with reserved bacon when serving.

Next time I will add more basil, possibly some oregano, and maybe even a dash or two of hot sauce. It was just a little too bland for my taste. I will add maybe 1/2 cup more potatoes too. A word of warning: do not add the bacon right away if you intend to make the chowder ahead of time and serve it the next day. It gets chewy and gross. Add it just before serving if you make it earlier. Honestly, though, I hate making bacon. It’s delicious, but it’s messy and I hate having to wipe down the stove surface, the side of the refrigerator, the floor surrounding the stove, the countertop next to the stove, all the things on the countertop… ugh. I might get lazy next time and just buy bacon bits.

We were successful!

About 200 people attended the event (the number may sound small, but it was a small venue… more than 200 and we may have violated a fire code) and even more read and watched the great coverage from our local media. People were drawn in off the street by the live music, and those eating dinner at the restaurant in the building came over to see what all the commotion was about. Many were shocked and surprised to learn about what is going on in our city and still more left with a desire to help stop sex trafficking.

We were also able to raise a good amount of money through the ticket sales, art sale, silent auction and donations so we can continue to raise awareness and bring healing to victims.

If you were unable to attend the event you can still donate to A Beautiful Rescue online at http://abeautifulrescue.com/donate.aspx.
You can also check out some photos of the event at http://abeautifulrescue.com/events.aspx.

And check out some of the great media coverage:

• Duluthians rally against human trafficking. Duluth News Tribune, Julie Krienke, for the Budgeteer.  12.09.2011
• Northlanders Get Together to Fight Human Trafficking. Fox News (KQDS), Dana Thayer.  12.02.2011
• Duluthians Bring Awareness to “Shocking” Reality of Sex Crimes, Northland’s News Center (KDLH3), Jena Pike.  12.02.2011

Related articles

• New Video: U.S. Taxpayer Dollars Facilitating Human Labor Trafficking on Military Bases (pogoblog.typepad.com)
• The Fight Against Human Trafficking (jadetanzil.wordpress.com)

Hello everyone! I’m writing today with the hopes that everyone who sees this will respond in a big way.

I’m going to start off with some numbers.

• 4000 children are sexually exploited in Minnesota every year.
• 350 Native American girls were victims of sex trafficking over a 4 year period – that only includes those who have spoken up
• “For every one [sex trafficking victim] that you hear about there’s probably seven to 10 that you don’t.” – Lt. Scott Drewlo, Duluth Police Department
• 1 in every 3 Native American women will be raped at some point in their lives
• 14 years old is the average age of most sex trafficking victims in the U.S.
• Victims are forced to have sex an average of 2000 times a year.

I am involved with an organization called A Beautiful Rescue which aims to end sex trafficking in the area of Duluth, Minnesota. Our immediate concern is providing the necessary services victims need to transition out of “the life.” Currently there is no central location that provides everything a victim of sex trafficking needs to become a survivor of sex trafficking.

The biggest need in this area is shelter. We need a home for these women and children to live in while they are receiving the care, love and support they need to recover and heal from their incarceration in the world of sex trafficking.

This is where you come in. THIS FRIDAY, December 2nd, if you are in or around Duluth I am begging you to come to a semi-formal fund-raising event being held at the Zeitgeist Arts Cafe at 222 East Superior Street, Duluth, MN 55802. The cost is $25 paid at the door and you will get to enjoy a specialty drink, appetizers, live musical and spoken word performances by local artists and survivors. There will also be an art sale and silent auction, with proceeds going to A Beautiful Rescue to provide after care services for victims.

For more information, a map, and an invitation you can print out and give to others, visit A Beautiful Rescue’s Events page.

I have seen comments posted from people claiming that this is a victimless crime. Why are we wasting time arresting people for prostitution when everyone involved gets what they want and no one gets hurt? I have an incredibly difficult time keeping my temper in check when I read things like this. I don’t know, maybe we are not doing a good enough job educating the public on why, exactly, this cannot, under any circumstance, be classified as a victimless crime. Maybe we haven’t spent enough time talking about how these women and children are kidnapped, beaten, verbally abused, threatened, drugged, raped, and sometimes even killed so that a sex trafficker can make money.

No one wakes up and says, “I know, I’ll be a prostitute. It will be so awesome!” This is an extremely violent crime and it is happening to 14 year olds. It’s not just once or twice, it’s YEARS, it’s 10 times a day, it’s 2000 times a year and not a single one of them said, “yes, this is what I want for my life.” Not a single one volunteered willingly to be violated and tortured day in, and day out.

That is why we are joining the fight to end it and to provide victims what they need to feel safe, loved and hopeful for a bright future.

Please join us December 2nd at the Zeitgeist.

Resources:

CBS (WCCO) – Duluth Church Starts Initiative to End Sex Trafficking
Liz Collin reporting, CBS, September 20, 2011

See reporter Liz Collin’s original report on Sex Trafficking on the North Shore from May 5, 2011 (CBS)

Fox News (KQDS) – “Breaking Free” from Sex Trafficking Coached in Duluth
Jacob Kittilstad and photojournalist Adam Jagunich, FOX, September 19, 2011

My sweet new Freeset bag

1. I bought a Freeset bag. They were selling these at the presentation. The bags are jute, high quality, and come in a variety of styles. They are made by Freeset, a company based in Calcutta, India. They also produce 100% FLO (Fair Trade Labeling Organizations) Certified organic cotton tee-shirts. From their website: “Freeset is a fair trade business offering employment to women trapped in Kolkata’s sex trade. We make quality jute bags and organic cotton t-shirts, but our business is freedom! We would like to see the 10,000 sex workers in our neighborhood empowered with the choice of leaving a profession they never chose in the first place.” Please look at the website and read more about their story and philosophy; I was blown away by their holistic approach to helping women break free from the sex trade in Calcutta. Not only do they offer the women a job, they also pay them twice the going wage for similar work, provide health insurance, training, financial and budgeting advice, childcare during working hours, literacy classes and retirement plans. They are also members of Fair Trade Federation (US based organization) and The World Fair Trade Organization. Their bags can be purchased at Better Way Imports, Tote Bags Direct, and Justice Ventures International (25% off Freeset bags until September 30, 2011). They also have a larger list of global vendors here. I plan to purchase these bags as Christmas gifts this year!

2. I’ve started reading the book Not For Sale – The Return of the Global Slave Trade and How We Can Fight It by David Batstone. I was hesitant at first because I wasn’t entirely certain I could, or wanted to, handle 276 pages of stories of abuse – that’s a lot of negativity to bring in to your life. I’m glad that I bought the book anyway. So far I’m on page 51 and so far it’s been focusing more on those who have taken a stand and the stories of successful activists/abolitionists working in Thailand and Burma to free children and women from the sex trade. It’s not depressing at all, it’s energizing and inspiring. $10.19 at Amazon.com or $14.99 direct from the Not For Sale Store.

Related articles

• Where and Why to Buy Fair Trade Goods (wisebread.com)
• Fair trade spirits (carpediemclub.wordpress.com)
• 1st forced into sex trade to get charges tossed (nydailynews.com)

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Psalm 10:18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

This is not your average “Working With What You Have” post. It’s not about baking or cooking or food. It’s about something much more serious and something that we are often blinded to or harbor prejudices about. Human Trafficking.

When we first moved to Duluth our pastor approached my husband and I at a membership meeting and asked us what our passions were. Wow, heavy question. Passion? There are plenty of things I like and things that are my hobbies, but a passion?

At the time I did not have a very good answer. There was nothing I am truly passionate about; nothing I would sacrifice much of anything for. Other than my husband and marriage there is nothing I would consider committing to and allowing to consume any large portion of my life. This began to bother me and I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so a few months ago I started praying and asking for a passion.

Yesterday I attended an informational seminar (from Breaking Free) on human/sex trafficking in the US, and more specifically in Minnesota, and my heart broke. How can I not be passionate about stopping this huge, evil, black market industry? Some statistics on the subject:

• 27 million people are being trafficked at any given moment (more than ANY other time in history), 80% are women and children (Kevin Bales of Free the Slaves and US Dept. of Justice)
• Human trafficking is a $32 billion a year black-market industry, second only to illegal drugs and tied with black market arms dealing (the U.N.)
• $10 billion of the $32 billion comes from the first sale of a human being, i.e. people are sold time and time again
• 90% of the children trafficked in the United States were also born in the United States
• Minnesota is ranked 13th in the nation for highest incidence in recruitment of minors (FBI)
• Human trafficking is blind to race, country of origin, and socio-economic status.
• The average age of entry into commercial sex in the United States is 12-14 year old (UNICEF)
• More statistics at Breaking Free

Last night I learned that human trafficking is widespread, it is in Duluth, and that Duluth is ill-equipped to handle the needs of trafficking victims. I have to get involved. I have to be passionate about this.

Psalm 10:18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

Resources

• Not For Sale – www.NotForSaleCampaign.org- “Not For Sale equips and mobilizes Smart Activists to deploy innovative solutions to re-abolish slavery in their own backyards and across the globe.” – International
• Shared Hope International – www.SharedHope.org – “Shared Hope International exists to rescue and restore women and children in crisis. We are leaders in a worldwide effort to prevent and eradicate sex trafficking and slavery through education and public awareness.” – International
• Girls Educational & Mentor Services – www.Gems-Girls.org – “Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (GEMS) is the only organization in New York State specifically designed to serve girls and young women who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking.” – New York
• Polaris Project – www.PolarisProject.org – “Polaris Project is committed to combating human trafficking and modern-day slavery, and to strengthening the anti-trafficking movement through a comprehensive approach.” – U.S. and International
• Veronica’s Voice – VeronicasVoice.org – “VERONICA’S Voice educates and provides resources to help clients with options to assist them in leaving a life of prostitution, sexual exploitation, drug addiction and violence, and to transition into new lives free from abuse. Survivors direct the programs and work with the clients at the VERONICA’S Voice SAFE Center.” – Kansas City
• US Department of Justice – www.justice.gov – United States
• Trafficking In Persons Report 2011 – www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2011/index.htm – “The Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report is the U.S. Government’s principal diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on human trafficking.” – United States
• Breaking Free – www.BreakingFree.net – “We understand sex trafficking as a vicious cycle of violence, abuse, incarceration, and addiction.  We understand that repeated experiences of violence undermines women and girls capacities to avoid further victimization. Sexual exploitation distorts the lives of women and girls, destroys families, and communities. ” – Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
• A Beautiful Rescue – www.ABeautifulRescue.com – “The vision of this ministry is to seek freedom and healing for the oppressed.” – Duluth, MN
• Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault (PAVSA) – www.PAVSA.org – “PAVSA is dedicated to the elimination of sexual violence in Southern St. Louis County through supporting victims, educating the community, and advocating for change.” – Duluth, MN