Shrimp "Spear-It"

Asparagus Whole-Wheat Pasta with Lemon Dressing
serves 4
(found in Self, April 2011)

1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
8 oz whole-wheat penne (I used whatever we had leftover)
a packet of sun dried tomatoes, chopped
a packet of fresh basil, chopped
2 TBS grated lemon zest
2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup crumbled feta
I added a bag of frozen shrimp for extra protein

1. Boil asparagus until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove asparagus from water with a slotted spoon.
2. Add pasta to boiling water and cook as directed on packet.
3. Drain pasta and add to bowl with all remaining ingredients except cheese. Stir to combine.
4. I heated a skillet with olive oil and warmed the shrimp for 5 minutes and added to the mix.
5. Sprinkle cheese and salt to taste.

Karl's reaction: "This is refreshing! I like it. But maybe next time get the shrimp without the tails on."

Men! I tell ya! I liked this one a lot. The lemon zest really added some fun flavor!

Tweet

Read More

Chicken with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Balsamic Broccoli

Chicken With Fresh Tomato Sauce and Balsamic Broccoli
serves 4
(found in Shape Magazine...either March or April 2011 issue)

4 4-ounce chicken breasts
1 tsp paprika
   salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 12-ounce microwaveable bag broccoli florets
2 tsp olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
4 TBS balsamic vinegar (I used Aceto Balsamico from The Olive Tap in Downers Grove, Illinois. My aunt gave it to us as a shower gift. SO GOOD. Check out their website and get some today!)

1. Preheat broiler to high and place an oven rack 8 to 10 inches from heat. Line a broiler pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with paprika and season with salt and pepper. Place on pan and cook for 5 to 7 minutes per side or until meat is no longer pink in the center (160 F internal temp).

2. Microwave broccoli

3. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and olives, cook for 2 minutes more or until tomatoes are soft.

4. Divide chicken among four plates and top with tomato mixture. Place 1/4 of broccoli on each plate, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.

Karl's reaction: "Ohhh, babe, I really like this one a lot. This is real good. Mmmmmmmmm."

Tweet

Read More

Sitting Still

Is there such a thing?

My mom told me when I was little, I slept a lot. My older brother never slept. She had to wake me up to feed me and poke me to make sure I was alive. If only I could go back...

For the past year, I've been spending every minute of free time writing a book. And today I feel like I'm going to jump out of my skin. Why? My book is finished, tons of queries are out to agents, some even have my full manuscript in their hands, and I'm wondering what's next. Why can't I sit still and glow in the fact that I just did something huge? Why can't I enjoy the peace and quiet of this beautiful spring day? I think it's because I've always had something going on every single weekend for the past year, and now I have a weekend where I am caught up (or so I think). And I don't know what to do with myself. Sure I have projects sitting on the burner, but it's almost like I've been paralyzed and those other projects aren't enough to feed my tank.

In the meantime to keep my brain busy, I've been Googling. What are the agents doing right now? Is it one person reading my manuscript? Are they passing it on to others? Are they showing editors? I've come up with plenty of different responses, which only make me think even more. Kind of like when you Google "why does my throat itch" and minutes later you're pretty sure you have throat cancer.

Patience. A word I have heard many times in my life, but have such a hard time accepting. You better believe God and I have been conversing quite a bit these past couple of weeks.

So last weekend I decided to outline my latest book idea and during the week I started to write something new, which was really crazy in itself. And then I started to think of all these metaphors. I feel like my first "baby" is out in the world right now and I can't stop thinking about her, no matter how hard I try to distract myself. And I feel like I need to tell each agent, I know she might not be perfect in your eyes yet, but I love her and am so happy with her, but I'm still willing to work hard to make her the best yet. I'm fast and I'm eager to learn and I want her to run free in the world so bad.  But don't they already know all of this? Who wants to look and sound like a complete nut job? I guess I do since I just contradicted myself. Ha!

I live an insane life. And I'm a doer. I almost fell over when my boss told me that not everyone wants to grow and learn. They are content with doing the same job, with the same three responsibilities day in and day out. What? Are you crazy? I need to be doing ten projects at once to feel like I'm actually making a dent in my to-do list. Why is that? Why can't I simply r-e-l-a-x?

So for the first time in a really long time, I'm going to allow myself to go for a run and enjoy the quiet. By the time I get back, I guarantee I'll have a list of things to do and topics to Google.

How do you keep yourself calm while you wait?

Tweet

Read More

Quick Easy, Healthy Lunch

Tuna and Bean Salad
serves 4
(found in Women's Health - April 2011)

2 cans of 3 oz chunk light tuna packed in water
1 can up cannellini beans
1 carton of grape tomatoes, sliced
1 can of corn
2 hearts of palm (canned), sliced - I used a whole can of artichokes instead because I couldn't find hearts of palm
1 tsp fresh parsley
1 TBS olive oil
I added a squirt of lime, but I think lemon would be good too.
1/4 diced red onion

Karl's reaction - Oh, this is refreshing! It's good.

Tweet

Read More

Healthy Salmon Surprise

Sorry it's taken me awhile to get a food post up here. Before we left for Mexico, I grabbed a couple magazines and mixed together pieces of healthy recipes to come up with a really delicious salmon dinner! Here it is below. It was super quick too and we both woke up feeling really good after eating this!

Salmon Surprise
serves 2

2 wild salmon fillets
1 bunch of asparagus
1 carton of grape tomatoes
1 can of chick peas (drained and rinsed)...I would have used cannellini beans instead if I had some lying around.
1 jar of already prepared pesto
1 lemon
1 bundle of basil
salt
pepper
olive oil

1. Heat 1 TBS of olive oil in a large skillet. Salt and pepper salmon (to taste) and put in pan. Cook 3 minutes each side. Heat sauce pan with splash of olive oil and water. Throw asparagus in and cover.

2. Remove salmon and put on plates. Add a couple drops of olive oil to skillet Cut tomatoes in half. Dump can of chick peas, 1 TBS of prepared pesto, lemon juice, pepper to taste and tomatoes in bowl. Stir and mix. Heat on skillet for few minutes and use another tablespoon of pesto sauce. Stir. Top with fresh basil. Spoon mixture on salmon and side with asparagus.

Karl's reaction: This is really good!! Oh yah, babe!

Tweet

Read More

The Power of Friday

Can I say, "Thank God it's Friday (TGIF)"? What a week. Here's the latest going down in my life  - in no particular order or according to awesomeness.

1. After a looong travel day on Sunday: PHX to IAH, layover in Houston, then IAH to MSP...oh, not to mention a passenger on both flights suffering from either the worst hangover of her life, heat stroke or the flu, we managed to survive (Karl barely) and came home to find a letter from Karl's association. In short (and the nicer version), we have to put Karl's place up for sale. We must face the truth. We both have feared long enough thanks to the amount of "stuff" that still remains in it and the fact we have no room in our current town home. We're just going to have to accept our loss and move on with one house. I've been spending every second writing, so cleaning has been the last thing on my mind. That all changes this weekend. And this is why I'm going to happy hour tonight.

2. Will it ever stop snowing!? I thought by the end of March (or at least last year), Minnesota warms up a little. I saw geese frozen in the pond by our place yesterday morning (my car showed 11 degrees). I thought I was going to cry. The poor lil guys couldn't move!!! On a positive note, I think Karl and I will try to snowshoe once more...that is, if we get his place cleaned out first.

3. I received two requests for my full manuscript and a partial from some really awesome literary agencies! As in, they are so awesome I danced when I read all three of their emails. They are the three I really, really want and like. Of course I had to go out and buy some of the books of authors they represent. I am so excited and my patience is truly being tested right now. I also became a finalist in the 250-word SHOW ME THE VOICE writing contest!! Cool, huh? There were around 135 writers and 20 of us were picked! I'm excited to see if I get picked as one of the top three by the agent reviewing them. More to come next week.

4. Karl and I are confirmation mentors again this year during the Lenten Season. I have the coolest 8th grader ever! Sometimes I think we 'adults' get so busy, we forget to be silly and young. Our ages are really just numbers and we need to remember to laugh and be fearless like we were in 8th grade! Maren's bringing lots of joy to my life right now. The book we're reading this year is the book of Hebrews. Something I need to read because it's a reminder to TRUST and RELAX. God has our back. He knows us better than anyone. And God doesn't create duds as people. He creates some kick ass people. Time to shine!!! And I haven't felt stronger about that last phrase than this week.

5. Tis the season for weddings! Everyone who knows me knows I LOVE WEDDINGS. How about three in a row come the month of May? Whoa! One in Chicago. One in Milwaukee. And one in Shakopee. Throw in a handful of baby showers and I'm sure life will get crazy. And I wonder why my summers go so fast....

6. Remember that New Year's resolution I had earlier this year? It went something like, "This year I will stop biting my nails"? Yeah... That's a no-go. I seriously need help. Is there nail biters anonymous somewhere? I watch people's faces fall in horror when they catch glimpse of my nasty habit. Ugh!! Help!

7. After watching The Biggest Loser last night on DVR, I started thinking back to an entry I wrote in the Star Trib. The blog was about Making Our Dreams a Reality. I believe it's possible. And it starts from within. Look at the contestants at the beginning of the season on Loser. They're so unhappy and so lost. But once their transformation starts, they grow so much inside. See what getting healthy does for people physically and mentally? When you continually push forward and listen to those voices inside, things happen. Amazing things.

On that note... If you can dream it, you can do it.  - Walt Disney

Tweet

Read More

A Good Query Letter

Is it really about the query letter? Is less really more? I will be the first to answer YES to both of these.

A month ago I sent out my first query to about ten or so agents. Sadly, my query was long. As in, I had to resize to 11-point font Times New Roman to get it all on one page. Even though I liked it and everyone who proofed it seemed to like, I still wasn't sure of it. Something in my gut kept second guessing everything. And by last Friday, I had seven rejections and one 'yes' for a full. However, the query I sent to the 'yes' agent was an abbreviated version of the one I had sent the rest of the agents. The reason for that? I had a published author look at it and she was like..."umm, too long. This is a synopsis not a query..." And she helped me shorten. Hello, Christie. That should've been your first big hint.

I took a week and a half off from sending queries because I attended the Midwest Fiction Writers Meeting and learned pointers from some great women (and men) and was really skeptical of my query afterwards. I was totally impressed by this group. I didn't know what to expect or who would be there. Yet, I felt super comfortable and VERY welcome, which was pretty sweet. One gal, Amanda Carlson, came up to me after the meeting and gave me her name and website. Of course, an hour later I was following her on Twitter and reading every bit of information on her website. I emailed her a brief summary of my query and my one-sentence pitch. She responded with, "Not a big enough hook. You need to make it tighter."

Yet, the right words weren't coming and everything I wrote looked goofy. After a quick vacation (and much needed break) to Arizona and hiking up a monstrous mountain (twice), I had time to think and clear my head. I was putting too much pressure on making everything perfect. It's my darn Type-A personality - I love perfection. The most important lesson was I needed to write for me again. I just needed to let my own voice out and think like an agent. What busy person wants to thumb through a million query letters over a page long. Hook them and get to the point. I know as a graphic designer, I like white space. As a manager, I look for personality. It's easy to teach someone skills, but nearly impossible to train someone to get a personality!! For heaven's sake Twitter gives me 140 characters and when I'm optimizing our web pages at work, I have 60 characters to make our company searchable with a few keywords.

On the plane ride back, I was inspired and the words came. The difference: my latest query is about 250 words and I - AM - CONFIDENT sending it! So yesterday I sent out seven queries. Today two. In 30 minutes from sending one of them out yesterday, I had a request for a full. Today, two hours later, I had a request for the first 50 pages and a synopsis. Plus, my awesome crit pal, Julie Lindsey, had an inspirational post on her blog about 'getting some cheerleaders'. It totally motivated me to stay focused on my dream!

Also if you've been reading my blog, you'll see I entered another writing contest. I had to write the first 250 words of my manuscript. I realized after I posted and didn't get picked for the 312-words writing contest, something was missing and maybe I needed to rework my first chapter. And thanks to both contests, I was able to see that. So I revised. I don't know the results of the 250-word contest yet, but I can tell you I love my new Chapter One and the agent who requested my full yesterday read the first three chapters and wrote, "I'd be delighted to read your full manuscript."

Yesssssssssssss!!! I screamed. This learning stuff is fun. Oh, writing, how I love you!!!!!!!


Watch out Black Mountain! Here we come!! (Cave Creek, Arizona)

Reached the top!! Booyah! We don't mess around!

Tweet

Read More