Slow Travel: Salad Samplers # 6 (5/31) Fajita Salad w/Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce

Sparked by encouragements from AnnieNC from Slow Travel, I decided to make this week's Slow Travel Sunday Salad Samplers salad. It was selected by Kim, What I Really Think.

Thanks Annie for the little nudge and thanks to Kim for a very delicious and nutritious salad.



Fajita Salad with Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into thin strips
Cooking spray
6 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 1/3 cups thinly sliced green bell pepper rings
1 cup sliced red onion, separated into rings
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons sliced ripe olives
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium tomato, cut into 8 wedges
Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce

Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add chicken; toss to coat. Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat until hot. Add chicken mixture; sauté 8 minutes or until chicken is done. Set aside.

Divide lettuce and next 6 ingredients (lettuce through tomato) among 4 bowls; top with chicken mixture. Serve with Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 serving salad, 3 ounces chicken, and 1/3 cup sauce)

CALORIES 520 (38% from fat); FAT 21.9g (sat 6g,mono 6.8g,poly 6g); IRON 5.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 101mg; CALCIUM 360mg; CARBOHYDRATE 34.7g; SODIUM 1061mg; PROTEIN 3.6g; FIBER 6.6g

Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/3 cup skim milk
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, minced

Combine all ingredients, and stir well with a whisk. Cover sauce, and chill.

Yield: 1 1/3 cups (serving size: 1/3 cup)

CALORIES 113 (65% from fat); FAT 8.1g (sat 1.2g,mono 2.4g,poly 4.2g); IRON 0.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 10mg; CALCIUM 32mg; CARBOHYDRATE 6.6g; SODIUM 254mg; PROTEIN 3.2g; FIBER 0.1g

PhotoHunt - Book (s)

"Every once in a while I enjoy reading a good trashy novel"


I'm a little late on my photo this week because first I couldn't decide and second I had to take new photos! :)

The quote came from someone I met at a work conference a few years ago. While standing in the check-out line at the airport, I spot a person (of very high ranking I might add) from the conference waiting in line a few feet behind me. After acknowledging each other's presence she saw that I was reading a book and asked what book was I reading! Feeling embarrassed that I wasn't reading some great literary novel, I hesitantly told her that I was just reading a trashy book! She smiled and giggled and said, you know what Kathy don't feel embarrassed, every now and then I enjoy reading a good trashy book!


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Scotland: It's your turn . . .

Well, today I was off due to the Memorial Day Holiday and decided it was a good day to officially begin my trip planning. In honor of this occasion (and it is something to celebrate since I have a tendency to procrastinate), I am introducing my traditional Trip Planning Blog/Website and have added it to my sidebar:

Trekcapri Discovers Scotland

With each trip that I take, I always manage to find one standout video which I use for inspiration throughout my trip planning. After much research, I found this beautiful youtube video called Scenic Scotland. Watch it and you will understand my attraction. It has these beautiful images of Scotland set to a very famous song called Caledonia. According to Wikipedia, Caledonia is the Latin (more romantic and poetic) name given by the Romans for Scotland.

PhotoHunt: Plastic

With all the things made of plastic I had a difficult time finding a photo for this week. Go figure!

I finally settled on a "Plastic" baton that traveled 120 miles through the beautiful mojave desert . . .


Last weekend was our B2V celebration party (one of several) and I was asked to create the Team Slideshow. Well, I'm no Pedro Almodóvar or other famous director, but I'm happy to report that everybody loved it! Watching it brought back so many great memories. The plot was simple: carry a plastic baton 120 miles. :) And here's a little trailer like sample. LOL!




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And on this long Holiday weekend we honor all those who gave so much for our freedom! Happy Memorial Day to everyone.

Final AI Recap: Kris Allen wins Idol . . . .

Congratulations to Season 8 American Idol winner, Kris Allen! Although I was hoping Adam would win, I'm not entirely upset that Kris won. He's very talented and he deserves it just as much as Adam did. And besides, I'm pretty sure Adam will be just fine.

What an Awesome results show! Queen Latifa, Keith Urban, Jason Mraz (love that song), Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas, Cindi Lauper (I really loved this duet with Alison), Lionel Richie, KISS, Carlos Santana (it was great seeing him perform), Steve Martin, David Cook (very cool to see him after the loss of his brother and for him to donate all proceeds of the song he sang to cancer research), Rod Stewart and the last big surprise guest, Queen (loved their performance with Adam and Kris)! Never expected them! Sorry, they couldn't get David Bowie Annie & Anne.

It was so great seeing the top 13 Idols perform throughout the show and they all looked fabulous each getting to sing with one of the guest stars at one point during the evening. Very entertaining!

And BTW, I can believe that they brought back Norman Gentle and Drama Queen Tatiana Del Torro by awarding them a Golden Idol award and extending their 15 minutes of fame, but I shrieked when they gave an award to Bikini Girl! Why can't they give special awards to people like Kai Koloma and the other great singers who had great stories to tell. Oh well, I guess that's show business!

Thanks so much Annie, Brenda, Maria, Marcia, Menehune, Barb, Girasoli, Jane, Sandra and Anne for stopping by and sharing your recaps and comments. It was a lot of fun!

And so, Season 8 comes to a big Ding Dong end (sorry but I just had to do one more for the road)!

And that's my Final Recap! Keep on Rocking AI . . .

AI Recap: Living up to the hype . . .

Last night's Season 8 Finale lived up to all the pre-hype and I would say that it was probably the most evenly matched dual in American Idol Finale history. The high powered vocal performances of Adam Lambert going up against multi talented low keyed Kris Allen. They are the "best" of Season 8 and so creative and talented in their own unique way.

And here's how the big dual went:

Round One:
Adam Lambert - Personal Choice - “Mad World” by Tears for Fears
Kris Allen - Personal Choice - “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers

Round Two:
Adam Lambert - Simon Fuller’s Choice - “A Change is Gonna Come” by Patti LaBelle and Sam Cooke
Kris Allen - Simon Fuller’s Choice - “What’s Goin’ On” by Marvin Gaye

Round Three:
Adam Lambert - Winner’s Song - “No Boundaries”
Kris Allen - Winner’s Song - “No Boundaries”

I loved all the performances and I find it almost impossible to compare each of their performances. But this is a competition and so here's how I saw it. I thought Kris Allen edged out Adam in the first round. Loved that song and loved his performance. Adam was good too. In round two, I loved Adam's bluesy A Change is Gonna Come a little better than Kris's wonderful performance of Marvin Gaye's meaningful classic "What's Goin' On". And in the the final round, I thought that Adam sang Kara's "No Boundaries" a little better than Kris.

For me last night lived up to Simon's big ding dong show prediction. There was no runaway winner, no lock . . . a near virtual tie! But no matter who takes the title in the end, I honestly think that Adam and Kris will be stars in the music/entertainment industry.

But, there can only be one winner. So who will it be? Adam or Kris? I know who I'd like to win, but so I won't jinx myself I'm not going to make a prediction here. I managed to register as many votes as I could last night before crashing and like everyone else I'm going to wait to find out who the voters picked as the American Idol Season 8 winner in tonight's results show.

And the final question of the day. Who will be the surprise guest performer? Will it be KISS, David Bowie (and I'm crossing my fingers and toes for Annie & Anne that it will be David Bowie), or will it be someone else to perform tonight in this season of surprises and twists! Can't wait!

And that's my Recap! Keep on Rocking AI . . .

American Idol Performance Finale tonight . . . .

I've not blogged about AI except for after each show, but tonight is the American Idol Season 8 Performance Finale and it will probably be one of the biggest in Idol history. The two best (according to the judges and Idol fans) will be performing for the Idol Crown and I can't wait.

And for fun, there are all these rumors HERE of who will be the "big" surprise performer on the results show. KISS has been named along with possibly, David Bowie to sing with Adam Lambert . . . that would be very cool!

Enjoy the show, "THIS" is American Idol . . . . (couldn't resist Ryan's signature introduction!)

PhotoHunt: Painted

Painted paint brushes! :)


I happened across this colorful and interesting display, while wandering aimlessly somewhere in Venice,Italy.

"Wandering always leads to discovery. Especially when you're in Venice!" ~ Trekcapri


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AI: Adam & Kris in the American Idol Finale . . .

Whoo hoo! Final two on American Idol will be Adam and Kris! Last night was intense and it was fun seeing all the eliminated Idols in the audience. Annie, did you see Anoop? I like him better without the beard. And it was great to see Alison and Megan too! No doubt they are here to prepare for the finale show next week where I'm sure they will be performing in preparations to kick off their summer tour!

Although I'm so happy for Adam and Kris, I was really sad that Danny had to leave. I think he will have an awesome career. It was very touching watching him get emotional during his hometown parade. I thought all the hometown videos were excellent. It seemed that Kris was the most well attended and now I can see why he keeps defying all the predictions of elimination week after week. He is very popular. And did you see all those screaming girls! I just loved his rendition of Falling Slowly from the movie Ocean, which they were playing in the background.

So now we have our American Idol Finale set. It will be high octane rocker/performer Adam Lambert and humble and super talented Kris Allen next week to compete for this year's American Idol title. And as Simon put it, the finale will be a "ding dong" show! I kind of understand what he means. :) Next Tuesday, will be the greatest AI Finale show of all time, so mark it on your calendars!

And that's my recap! Keep on Rocking AI . . .

AI Recap: Three Idols compete for final two . . . .

Last night, Adam, Danny and Kris competed for the right to move on to the final two on Idol! One song was chosen for them by the judges and the other a song of their choice. And here's how it went . . .

First up, Danny Gokey sings Dance Little Sister by Terence Trent d’Arby, an upbeat jazzy song. Liked his performance, but didn’t like Paula’s song choice.

Kris sings Apologize by One Republic, a song chosen by Kara and Randy! I thought it was very good and was surprised that Kara was a little hard on Kris in her comments. Interesting that Randy and Kara shared their song choice while Paula and Simon were able to choose a song by themselves . . . I thought Kris did a great job!

Adam sings One (Awesome song) by U2. I totally Loved it! I also thought it was cool that Bono himself called Simon to give his permission for Adam to sing it! Simon said it was a brilliant performance!

And now, the songs chosen by the Idols . . .

Danny sings You Are So Beautiful by Joe Crocker. All the judges loved it and I did too!

Kris sings Heartless by Kanye West. I thought he did a really great job and so did the judges.

And saving the best for last (ha, ha!) Adam sings Aerosmith’s Cryin. Just a little too much screaming for my taste, but hey that's the song and that's Adam. And thank you Simon for reminding the voters to vote and not assume that your favorite will move on.

Although my fav is still Adam, I think all three Idols gave a standout performance last night! May the best two Idols move on! BTW, I voted last night and I am keeping my fingers crossed for you know who to win. :)

And that's my Recap! Keep on Rocking AI . . .

PhotoHunt: In Memory of . . .

"If Roses grow in Heaven,
Lord please pick a bunch for me,
Place them in my Mother's arms
and tell her they're from me."

In memory of my Mom who loved flowers . . .



My photo of the week (which I set to a beautiful song) was taken on a beautiful spring day in St. James Park in London, England.


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Happy Mother's Day weekend to all the mothers out there!

Scotland: Movie Review "Local Hero" and Why I have Caledonia on my mind . . .

A couple of weeks ago, I set my sights on Scotland for Trip 2009 and even blogged about it HERE. Once I made up my mind and shared it with my blogging friends . . .

I learned a little about the food in Scotland starting with a veggie option for the well known Scottish dish called Haggis! A tip I learned from Sandra. But wait there's also scones, shortbread and Scottish whiskey! I'm not a big drinker but while in Scotland I must have a wee taste!

Although an English speaking Country I will still be excited to learn some of the interesting terms used. Flygirl mentioned the wonderful Brogue accent!

I have also discovered the beautiful music offered by Scotland and why the famous folk song Caledonia is so popular! I browsed through videos and have been discovering the beauty that awaits me in Scotland!

Several years ago there was a "Special Edition" in the Bon Appetit Magazine with some great information on the "Taste of Scotland". Marta was so kind to find her copy and mail it to me so I could take some notes for my trips. After reading through it I am finding out that there are many flavors to Scotland's cuisine and I think that I will have a fabulous eating experience there. Thanks so much Marta for taking the time to share this wonderful resource with me.



When hearing about my decision, AnnieNC highly recommended that I watch a 1983 Scottish movie called "Local Hero" and Marta seconded her recommendation. I loved it! Without giving too much away, I found this movie to somehow mirror the joys of Slow Travel. It is about this hot shot corporate executive who values everything that money can buy (fast cars, nice apartment, etc). He travels to this small Scottish fishing village to negotiate a business deal and is forced to spend several days there where he slowly gets into the flow of life. He soon discovers that all the things he once valued aren't as important to him as the things that went unnoticed by him and what he now sees for the first time as more beautiful and exciting. It's fun to watch the transformation. It is a wonderful movie with interesting and quirky characters, beautiful and inspiring scenery and with a cool soundtrack. I am especially fond of the movie's theme song, "Going Home" by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. Beautiful! Thanks Annie and Marta, I'm definitely downloading the soundtrack!

Thank you everyone so much for the recommendations, ideas, support, resources and inspiration. I am definitely off to a great start for my trip!

AI Recap: Rocker Girl Alison leaves Idol, we're down to 3 . . .

Last night Rocker Girl Alison was sadly eliminated from American Idol! She did so great making it all the way to top 4 so Kudos to this 17 year old! I enjoyed watching her farewell video and although in tears, she did an awesome farewell performance. I have a feeling that with her talent (at only 17 years) she will have a great career in music. Ryan told her that he would play her first recorded song on the radio. That was nice. And I would definitely buy her CD!

So, top three is an all guys affair with Adam, Danny and Kris. Next week they will compete for top two and the grand and long anticipated finale will be on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 for the title of American Idol! And although my fav is still Adam, I think that this is anyone's competition to win since they are all talented!

Okay,now that I have all the niceties out of the way I'll fess up and say that IMHO I thought that Alison should have made it to top 3 based upon the previous night's performance. Sorry, but having a little whine session! :)

It was great to see Chris Daughtry (another great talent from Annie's North Carolina) perform last night. As Annie pointed out in her recap comments, Chris himself was eliminated in the same 4th spot in season 5. And being that Alison is eliminated in the same exact spot, it is interesting to read that according to Wikepedia "Daughtry is the fourth most successful American Idol contestant in the history of the show, in terms of record sales, behind Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Clay Aiken. He is the most successful contestant from his season and the most successful non-winner or non-runner up." A point made because I'm still whining over Alison's departure! All kidding aside I really do like all top three Idols and they all deserve to be in this spot so Kudos to all of them...finally done with my whine session.:)

BTW, I was really surprised to see Paula perform. She still has the moves!

And that's my Recap! Keep on Rocking AI . . .

AI Recap: Rock-n-Roll night on Idol . . .

Hold on to your seats! Last night I expected the two rockers, Adam & Alison, to really bring it! And they did! And here's how it went . . .

After telling us about the Stage sign falling, Ryan introduces the top four Idols! They all look great, but I have to say that Adam and Alison look especially great! Can you tell who I'm pulling for! :)

First up, Adam sings Whole lot of Love by Led Zepplin! All I can say is Adam killed it! And he really set the tone for the night. All the judges (of course) loved it and so did I!

Alison is next with Cry Baby by Janis Joplin! If there is anyone who can follow Adam's killer performance, it would be Rocker Girl Alison! I loved it! And finally Alison defends herself from the judges comments! And that gets her a very nice compliment from Simon!

Another new twist (Is it just me or are these twists getting old!), the Idols are paired up to sing Duets. First up, Kris and Danny sing Renegade by Styx! The judges like it, but Simon ended with saying that Danny was better than Kris. You could just see the wind knocked out of him. This format seems a bit unfair.

Kris sings Come Together by the Beatles. Rock isn't his strength, but I thought he did a great job with his performance. The judges were luke warm.

Last up, Danny sings Dream On by Aerosmith. I really like Danny a lot, but I'm not sure I liked his song choice! Still, I thought he did a great job! The judges were also luke warm.

The closing performance was only fitting! Rockers Alison & Adam singing Slow Ride by Foghat! They were so awesome together! Great ending to Rock night on Idol!

My standout performances of the night, Adam and Alison! My standout duet performances of the night, Adam and Alison!

And that's my recap! Keep on Rocking AI . . .

PhotoHunt: Walking

These shoes are made for walking . . .


This week's PH theme reminded me of that classic song by Nancy Sinatra and THIS scene from the movie Kinky Boots!


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