Lines to Remember

Yesterday I had mom laughing about something and she said, "I love your personality." I told her, "Thank you. I got it from my mom." Then she said, "Oh, is your mother still alive?" I leaned in close to her, took a good look, and said, "Well, you are my mom and you look pretty much alive to me!" She roared with laughter. Lately she has been coming up with the funniest things.

Carolyn asked her if she would like dessert. Mom said, "When you hear me say I don't, you'll know it's all over for me." Carolyn said, "Yep, all gone, over." She laughed heartily.

Tonight she asked me for a kiss. I obliged. Then I kissed her again. And again. When I asked her if she would like another one, she laughed and replied, "Oh no, you'll wear it out!"

I Took it all for Granted

Blimey! It's cold out today but the weather was Florida-perfect when our friends from the U.K. visited us recently. Carole never needed her jumper as the temperature was in the low 80's. The first portion of the week we needed an interpreter but eventually caught on to what they were saying. Every day Trevor put on his trainers and headed over to the gym to exercise and use the steam room. I had never been in the steam room before so Carole and I tried it out. It was so relaxing and cleared out our sinuses. I wondered why I had never before utilized it. Sometimes you have to see something through another person's eyes to appreciate it. The whole week was an eye-opener.



We rarely go to the beach here in Florida as we spend the summer at the beach in New Jersey. Our friends wanted beach, beach and more beach so we were happy to accommodate them. After two days at Anna Maria beach, two days at St. Pete beach, and a day at Fort De Soto beach, Trevor said our beaches were brilliant. He was right. The sand was soft, the surf gentle, and the beaches were free. In New Jersey they sell beach tags for $5 per person per day. We witnessed preparations for a wedding at one beach and pelicans diving for their food at another. Twice we had lunch on top of the roof overlooking the gulf at The Hurricane restaurant in St. Pete. We couldn't stay away from the Star Fish Company located on a working fish dock near the beach at Anna Maria. The picnic tables on the dock with birds and boats all around made for a very relaxing atmosphere. The seafood could not have been fresher. We felt like we were on vacation, too.



When feeling peckish, we ate Buffalo chicken wings, Cuban sandwiches, grouper sandwiches, fried shrimp, shrimp cocktail, seafood salad, fish chowder and more grouper sandwiches. That was just lunch. We indulged ourselves with some good dinners and celebrated Carole's birthday at my favorite Thai restaurant. We laughed as a server at a sub sandwich place tried to translate Carole's request for a tomaahto into a tomato.



We took two days off from the beach and shopped at the local mall and the outlet shops. Our friends got more bang for their buck here and purchased so many things that their luggage was bulging on their return trip. Carole had a big thrill at the supermarket when she purchased a large quantity of zip-lock baggies as they are unavailable over there. Who knew baggies could bring such happiness? Just one more thing I have been taking for granted.



After long days of sun or shopping, our U.K. friends were knackered. Out to the lanai they would go to snooze or read on the lounge chairs. They just couldn't get enough of the Florida sun and beautiful weather.



Each night we enjoyed cocktails outside on our lanai. Dave made Manhattans, Green Appletinis and Cosmopolitans. Trevor always toasted us with cheers my dears. Dave and I rarely sit outside to enjoy a sunset and drink before dinner but our guests opened our eyes to another pleasure found right here at home.



After they returned to the U.K., I received a note thanking us for their visit. Carole said it was their best vacation of the year. I was thinking, don't be daft! They had toured Egypt and Greece earlier in the year and Florida was their best trip? Perhaps, at the end of the day, it may be the simple things that make life enjoyable...things such as exercise, tasty food, shopping for bargains, beautiful beaches, relaxing around a pool, sunsets, good friends, and baggies.

Pictures Help Tell the Story

Trevor in the Gulf of Mexico in November. Water temperature around 64 degrees. Brrr.

Diving Pelicans Fort De Soto Beach St. Pete Beach Enjoying the beautiful day waiting for lunch. Perfect shot. bird watching View from the dock. Carole, Nancy and Dave at the Star Fish Company. View from the roof of the Hurricane Restaurant. What a great place to take guests.Carole and Trevor on the roof. The gulf at St. Pete beach in the background. Enjoying our Mohito drink and delicious lunch. A candid shot - both have our mouths full. After lunch on the roof. The Hurricane restaurantResting after a hard day of relaxing. Cocktails on the lanai.

A wonderful week of fun with our friends.

This Recipe Will Warm you up

Time for a new recipe.



Chicken Barley Chili



2 boneless chicken breasts, sprinkled with McCormick's Grill Mates Montreal Chicken seasoning sauteed in a little olive oil until cooked through. Then set aside, let rest and finally chop into small pieces.



Olive Oil

1 Onion, chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, chopped (about 2 cloves)

Two (14.5 oz) cans tomatoes with jalapenos (I used Del Monte Petite Cut Diced Tomatoes with Zesty Jalapenos)

One (16 oz) jar hot salsa

Two (14.5 oz) cans Swanson's fat free low-sodium chicken broth

One cup Quaker Quick Barley

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 Tablespoon Chili powder (I used 2 teaspoons of Chipotle Chili Pepper and 1 teaspoon regular chili powder) ** Note..the chipotle chili pepper seasoning gives it a smoky taste. If you don't like that, use plain chili powder. However, the chipotle gives it a great depth of flavor.



2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1-1/2 cups frozen corn



avocado chunks

cilantro

sour cream

fresh chopped jalapeno (optional)



In a saute pan, cook the chicken with the seasonings in a little olive oil about 7 minutes until cooked through. Set aside. Let rest and then cut into very small pieces (thumbnail size).



In a large pot heat a little olive oil, add the onion, green pepper, garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the next ingredients up to (but not including the black beans etc.) Over high heat, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the beans, corn and chicken, increase heat to high until chili comes to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for another 5 minutes, or until barley is tender. If, upon standing the chili becomes too thick, add more chicken broth or water (although I did not find this necessary).



Ladle chili into bowls. Top with chopped fresh cilantro, optional chopped fresh jalapeno, and low-fat sour cream.



This is very zippy and spicy. If you want to cut back on the spice, you can use plain chopped tomatoes without the jalapenos and/or use a medium salsa rather than hot. I loved the way it is presented here and cooled it off using additional sour cream. My husband added the fresh jalapenos as he likes to sweat while eating spicy foods. If you are serving this to children, you would definitely want to tone down the heat.



The avocado is a really nice touch and is extremely nutritious. It is a great source of folacin and is high in potassium and fiber. It contains carotenoids and vitamin E which appear to work together to battle prostate cancer cells. It helps your body make better use of antioxidants.

The black beans are an excellent source of B vitamins, including folacin as well as iron, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. They are high in fiber and are a low-cal, low-fat vegetable protein.



This makes a large amount of chili. Especially if you add a green salad, this will go a long, long way. Prepare to eat this for lunch for a few days following. Yum!

More Comments From Mom

Immediately following the election I told mom we had a new president. At that time, she was uninterested and unresponsive to my comment. I tried again last week and got very different results. I said, "We have elected a new president and his name is Barack Obama." Mom said, "Whaaaaaaaat?" "What kind of a name is that?" "Spell it." I then told her that he is black. "How did that happen?", she responded. I told her that a lot of black people who have never voted before voted for him and also that people wanted a change from the current administration. I added as long as he does a good job it may be a good thing to have a black president because it will help unite the country. I explained that his father was black and his mother was white. Mom said, "We should like them both." I didn't get the feeling that she was either for or against the idea of a black president. Rather, at 93 it was probably something she thought would never happen in her lifetime.

We discussed the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner and listed her various favorites. To creamed onions she loudly declared, "Love them!" So, they will have to be on the menu for sure.

A few other random comments from mom last week:

I told her I gained weight when our company was here. She said, "I'm glad you had plenty to eat."

Regarding a football game we attended: "I haven't been to one in a hundred years. I used to enjoy that."

She told me she was cold and I said I'd make her warm. Then she burst our laughing and said, "Don't burn the place down!"

I asked if she wanted a chocolate and she said, "That's a foolish question."

Today while I was trying to get her to do some physical therapy exercises she was getting tired. She paused for a while and I suggested she get moving. She said, "I'm just taking life easy." And so she should.