Great Salad

There is no love sincerer than the love of food. -- George Bernard Shaw

Another one of my interests include cooking. I love finding new recipes and trying new things. I also make my own concoctions at times, but I don’t think that taste as good as what others tell me they do.

Over the weekend, we wanted a good salad. There is an Italian Restaurant in Northern Indiana that is known for their amazing salad. The actual recipe is a family secret, but I found this online. I made it this weekend and it is just as good as the one from the restaurant. I just had to share it with you!

p.s. don’t be afraid of the anchovies!


Casa D'angelo Salad

Ingredients
• 12 ounces iceberg lettuce
• 12 ounces romaine lettuce
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup garlic-flavored croutons
• ½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3 anchovies
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ¾ teaspoon pepper
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup olive oil or vegetable oil

Directions
Toss lettuces, peppers, bacon, mozzarella, and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese into large mixing/salad bowl, set aside.

To prepare dressing, combine anchovies, vinegar, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic, sugar, cornstarch, and remaining parmesan cheese into blender.

Mix in blender, slowly adding 1 cup oil.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

Combine salad, croutons, and dressing, serve.

Happy Day!

There are two ways to pass a hurdle: leaping over or plowing through... There needs to be a monster truck option. -- Jeph Jacques

Another one of my favorite things to stumble upon on the internet are holidays. Not the well known everyone celebrates days, but the obscure, fun days. Such as today, January 7, 2010 – today we are celebrating “Harlem Globetrotter’s Day”, “I’m Not Going to Take it Anymore Day”, “International Programmers’ Day”, “Old Rock Day”, and I am sure you can find many more spending a few more minutes on the internet.
So, in case you are interested, old Rock Day is an opportunity to enjoy and appreciate old rocks and fossils. Perhaps you can start a rock collection. You can go out on a field trip in search of old fossils (the rock kind). Or, if you choose, you can just play with old rocks. Or if you are in my neck of the woods, you can just watch the snow fall.

Have a great day! – no matter what you celebrating!

18 Rules for Living

"Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion." -- His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Stumbling within the internet I found Dalai Lama's 18 Rules for Living.

Dalai Lama’s 18 rules for living

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs:
Respect for self
Respect for others
Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

A little about me

I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end. -- Margaret Thatcher

The best way for me to start out this blog is to tell everyone a little about myself. I am 29 years old and fearing the big 3-0 (which will be here in 71 days). I was married at the ripe old age of 20. Had my daughter when I was 22; my first son was born when I was 24; and I was 26 the day my second son was born.

In February of 2009 I filed for divorce after being hit in the face with the realization that my husband was not faithfully committed to our marriage. After the divorce was granted and a custody battle took place, the Judge made his decision and granted my ex husband full custody of the three tweedles. I am now only be able to see them pursuant to the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines (every other weekend and one night a week).

So here I am – a few days after the initial shock – I am doing my best to keep an open positive mind. I know that I must be strong. I know that I AM strong. I know that I must make the best out of every moment that I do get to spend with them.

On a different note, but yet the same …..

I work full time as a legal assistant in the labor and employment department of a large law firm. I have a wide range of interest (some which are mine and some of which I have been coaxed into by my tweedles and/or boyfriend) – cooking, the internet, outdoors, BMX, motocross, the list goes on.

My boyfriend is amazing. We have definitely had some of the most trying moments in our relationship during this past year. These moments have made us grow so close together (maybe marriage close?!?!)

I believe this is a complete rundown of me and my present situation in life.

With all that has been on my mind lately and the beginning of a new year, I thought this is the ideal time to start this thing called blog. So, set back and enjoying the read. I would love feedback – please share your thoughts, your motivations, your words to help me (and others) get through our rough times in life, enjoy the good and move forward to the future.

and I almost forgot ... the one word to describe me .. ADORKABLE -- Adorable and a dork!

.·:*¨¨*:·.Welcome.·:*¨¨*:·.

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. -- Bill Vaughan

January 2010 ~ the beginning of a new year, a new decade and new journeys in my life.