Music: Memories of growing up . . .

Last night, blogging pal AnnieNC tipped me off to American Idol's rerun of the top 13 contestants singing Michael Jackson songs for theme week. That was fun watching the rerun of performances again (especially Adam, he he). And as I watched the show I remembered Annie's comments on my blog about the passing of Michael Jackson and how she was a huge fan of the Jackson 5 and also of his later work as a solo artist. So was I. And then Marta chimed in and we reminisced about how we all grew up with his music. I remember during my clubbing days when a Jackson song started to play, people would crowd the dance floor and you couldn't move. He was and will always be the "King of Pop" to generate that kind of energy! And even today whenever you hear one of his classics from his Jackson 5 days or his more current work being sung (even from new and upcoming stars), you can't help but feel the music and maybe do a little head bob and shoe tap.

Here's a great video of the Jackson 5 performing such hits as I'll Be There and Never Can Say Goodbye as seen in this Motown 25 Years Anniversary Performance! They were really amazing together!

And then as a solo artist from the same Motown Special, here's Michael with his unforgettable singing and dancing performance of Billie Jean.

Thanks for the AI tip and for the walk done memory lane Annie and Marta! Listening to Michael's songs again made me realize that music plays such a huge part in our lives both in the present and while growing up.

Thanks for the memories MJ! Peace . . .

Sunday Salad Samplers # 10 (6/28): Grilled Chicken Salad with Tarragon Pesto

This week's selection was made by MarciaB, Happy Trails For Us, My Relunctant Blog. Marcia found this recipe from the April Edition of Bon Appetit.

I found this recipe so easy to make and very delicious. With the grilled chicken and bread it made a pretty hearty meal and I'm going to enjoy leftovers for lunch tomorrow at work and also dinner. Yay! I really loved the pesto dressing and managed to use my food processor for the first time in more than a year! :) I really loved this salad and will definitely make it again.



Here is Marcia's recipe and instructions:

Grilled Chicken Salad with Tarragon Pesto

Makes 4 servings Ingredients

1/4 cup (packed) fresh tarragon leaves plus 2 teaspoons chopped
1/4 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
4 tablespoons pine nuts, divided
5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
2 teaspoons chopped shallot
6 tablespoons (or more) olive oil, divided, plus additional for brushing
4 boneless chicken breast halves
4 1/2-inch-thick slices country-style French or sourdough bread
1 5-ounce package mixed baby greens
1 cup thinly sliced radishes (from 1 large bunch)
1 cup thinly sliced Japanese cucumbers (about 1 1/2)

Preparation

Place 1/4 cup tarragon leaves, parsley, 2 tablespoons pine nuts, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and shallot in mini processor; chop coarsely. With machine running, gradually add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper. Add more olive oil by teaspoonfuls to thin, if necessary.

Whisk 2 teaspoons chopped tarragon, remaining 4 teaspoons lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons oil in small bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush chicken breasts on both sides with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until grill marks form, skin is crisp, and chicken is cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to work surface; let rest 5 minutes. Using clean brush, brush both sides of bread with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until dark-brown grill marks appear on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Place greens, radishes, and cucumbers in large bowl. Toss with dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide salad among 4 plates.

Cut grilled chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange 1 sliced chicken breast atop salad on each plate. Spoon tarragon pesto over chicken. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons pine nuts over salads. Serve with grilled bread slices.

PhotoHunt: Flags

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Slow Travel Sunday Salad Samplers # 9 (6/21): Grilled Romaine with Citrus Ceasar Vinegrette

This week's Grilled Romaine Salad with Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette was selected by Cindy Ruth of Baked Alaska.

This salad was so easy to prepare and very delicious! This was actually the first time that I have grilled lettuce before and I just loved the flavor created by the BBQ. I decided to serve this wonderful salad with a grilled BBQ Halibut steak. It went really well together and made a great meal.


Here's Cindy's wonderful recipe and detailed instructions:

I chose Grilled Romaine Salad with Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette. I adapted this recipe from one I found on FoodTV. One substitution that I often use when making this is to substitute part of the olive oil in the dressing with lemon-infused olive oil. It's not necessary to do it, but if you happen to have some of the delicious lemon olive oil, this is a great place to use it.

GRILLED ROMAINE SALAD Serves 4
2 heads romaine lettuce
Extra-virgin olive oil
Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette, recipe below
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Chopped tomatoes
Homemade croutons, if desired

Preheat grill to med-high. Rinse and pat dry the lettuce. Cut the 2 heads in half lengthwise. Brush surface with olive oil and grill about 4 to 5 minutes total, turning occasionally. Place each wedge on a salad plate and drizzle with Citrus Caesar Vinaigrette. With a vegetable peeler, shave some pieces from a wedge of Reggiano-Parmigiano over each salad. Top with chopped tomatoes and homemade croutons and serve.

CITRUS CAESAR VINAIGRETTE
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients in a pint jar with a lid. Secure the lid, then shake to blend. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.

And if you're looking for a good Halibut basting recipe, I found this great one on CDKitchen

To Change a shower head . . .

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." ~ Clarence Budington Kelland

My dad was really great at fixing and building things. When I moved into my own place I remember my dad purchased all these great tools for me in case I needed them. There was this one visit when he taught me how to change my first shower head! He said that I needed to know how to do that. Today, I noticed that my shower head needed changing. I pull out the very same tools he bought for me, my spare shower head and as I begin my work, I started to remember and smile . . .

Happy Father's Day to everyone!

PhotoHunt: Creamy

It's creamy, cool, very delicious and just one of the many, many things I love about Italy . . . Gelato!




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Music: Live and in person . . .

I think we all have favorite artists that we really enjoy listening to, but I bet that there are maybe just one or two that we would do just about anything to see perform live and in person. This post is all about my absolute favorite artist, the cool one himself, Prince! Annie, notice how I didn't wait too long to bring up the cool one! :) And when I do miss an opportunity to see him perform I can whine about it for days as I did HERE.


"There is only one man who is so loud he makes you soft, so strong he makes you weak, so honest you kinda feel bashful, so bold he defies you to be subtle, so super bad it feels super good. He is the only man that I've ever seen, that lights, electric guitars, slides, pianos, dances, voices, splits, and song. Song so powerful that you are forever changed - songs that make you laugh and cry, dance and think. Songs that made me look at songwriting as stories that are untold passions dying to be heard. Because of him I have never wanted to be like anyone but myself. Because of his music my music has wings to be different." ~ Alicia Keys


From the second the lights dim in the arena and the audience erupts with applause, chants, screams . . . until his encore performance of Purple Rain and his smooth exit off stage, Prince totally delivers!


The cool one doesn't' have special staging, flashy dancers or other distractions that many artists have during their shows. He doesn't need it. For Prince, its all about the music! And for three wonderful concerts during the summer of 2004, I had the extreme pleasure of witnessing his genius "Live and In Person"!


And to memorialize my unforgettable experiences, my concert tickets, Musicology CD's and purple streamers that I grabbed while they fell at the end of each performance . . . .

Scotland: Four things I want to see . . .

When I first started thinking about Scotland I immediately thought of three things that I really wanted to see: Edinburgh (heard it was a beautiful City), the Highlands (I've always wanted to see it) and the Island of Skye (for its amazing landscapes and grazing sheep)!

I had mentioned in my trip planning blog that for some crazy reason I really wanted to see some sheep while in Scotland because they looked so different. Blogging friend, AnnieNC, mentioned to me that a friend of hers sent her a postcard of a cute sheep while visiting Scotland and told me if she found it she would post it. It turns out that the photo on the postcard was of a little baby cow rather than a sheep. :) I'm so glad that she posted it. You can read about her story and see her postcard HERE. The unusual long haired baby cow was identified by another Slow Traveler, Andrew, on Annie's blog as a Highland Cattle. This breed has a pretty caramel color, long horns and long fur to withstand the harsh and cold weather of the Highlands.

Here's a cool video of a cute little whirlwind Highland baby cow.



Thank you so much Annie for taking the time to find your friend's postcard and for posting it on your blog. And now there are four things that I really want to see while in Scotland! And BTW, I have a feeling I'm going to need a thicker coat! :)

Slow Travel Sunday Salad Samplers # 8 (6/14): Shrimp Salad

This week's salad was selected by Jgk, Keep your Feet in the Street. It is so easy to make and very delicious!


I had most of the ingredients already in stock except for the Old Bay Seasoning, red pepper and dill, tarragon or parsley. I wish I was lucky like AnnieNC who has a wonderful garden to pick fresh ingredients from. I had never cooked with Tarragon before, so I picked it over the other two ingredients. I lucked out with the large shrimp being on sale and the bonus, it had already been deveined! Whoo hoo!

I followed Jan's instructions but trippled it for a potluck I am attending later. And since I had to take a photo of my salad anyway, I decided to have myself a little snack before the potluck! Yum! Thank you so much Jan for this wonderful recipe! I know that I'll be making it again.

Here is Jan's instructions for a simple, summery and good Shrimp Salad.

1 pound extra large shrimp (16-20)nfresh, wild if you can find them.
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
¼ cup mayo
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, tarragon or parsley
1 large stalk celery chopped
¼ large red pepper chopped
salt and pepper

Steam the shrimp for about 5 minutes in water with Old Bay. When cool enough to handle, remove shells and chop into about 5 or 6 pieces per shrimp. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss in the chopped shrimp and chill.

Serve over a bed of lettuce of your choice (I used Romaine).

PhotoHunt: Lock

Who knew that a simple lock can symbolize an unbreakable love! Here, hundreds of locks are left by couples from around the world at the monument to Benvenuto Cellini located on the Ponte Vechio Bridge in Florence, Italy.


More love locks can also be found at the Ponte Milvio in Rome, Italy, on the Great Wall in China, on the Love Lock Fence on the Nam Shan Tower in Seoul, Korea, in the city of Pécs in Hungary and on the Bridge of Love in Kiev, Ukraine.


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Slow Travel: Sunday Salad Samplers #7 (6/7): Roasted Corn & Wild Rice Salad

Deborah, Old Shoes - New Trip , selected a Roasted Corn & Wild Rice Salad for this week's Slow Travel Sunday Salad Samplers.


I bought most of my ingredients at Trader Joes with the exception of the Craisins (which I shamelessly had to google to find out what they were) and the Rasberry Vinegar which I got at Bristol Farms. Since I forgot to read the part about having it chill over night for the flavors to blend in, I woke up early to make it so I can put it in the refrigerator to chill all day until dinner time!

This is a very delicious salad! I just loved the crunchiness of the sunflower seeds and flavors made from the wonderful combination of ingredients. I would definitely make this salad again! Thank you Deborah for a great choice. And thanks to Annie for the tip on not overcooking the rice. I was so tempted to leave it on longer, but listened to her tip and it came out just right.

Deborah's recipe instructions are as follows:

The recipe is very easy. It keeps well and freezes well. You can serve it both chilled or at room temperature. Great for picnics where you don't want to worry about spoilage.

1 package - uncooked wild rice (the original recipe called for wild rice blend), Deborah used only wild rice for the stronger flavor.

2 cups - frozen roasted corn nibblets (I used the Trader Joes brand as recommended)
1 cup - finely chopped celery
3/4 cup - shredded carrot
3/4 cup - craisins
2/3 cup - toasted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup - finely chopped red onion
1/3 cup - raspberry vinegar
1 tbs - olive oil
1 tbs - low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp - grated orange peel
1/2 tsp - pepper

Cook rice according to package directions: omit salt and fat. Cool. Combine rice, corn and all other ingredients in a bowl; stir well; chill overnight to blend flavors. Serve cold from fridge or bring to room temp if you prefer. This makes a pretty big batch, so you might want to halve it.

PhotoHunt: Advertisement

Best way to advertise! Give a free haircut on a hot summer Beach day in Southern California! :)




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Music: Songs that inspire . . .

" Music can change the world, because it can change people." ~ Bono, U2~

a2 fin @ Yahoo! Video

This performance by Adam Lambert was incredible! And remember this awesome performance during our recent change in our young history! This beautiful Sam Cooke song was performed brilliantly by Bettye LaVette and Jon Bon Jovi at President Barack Obama's inauguration celebration concert: A Change is Gonna Come

After American Idol, AnnieNC, suggested that I continue to write about music as an ongoing topic of interest. I think it was a fabulous idea because music is important in our lives. It's not just something we dance to, listen to on our long commutes to and from work or on the phone while on hold (he, he)!

And so for my first post, I wanted to write about how Music is important in our lives because they can also inspire and represent a time in our lives that we find inspirational.

Thanks for the idea and inspiration Annie!