Old Photo Friday: Big Brother

Who: Alex, Ken and Amy Lee
Where: Alameda, CA
When: Alex looks to be about 2, so I'll say 1993-94

Brian's big brother, Ken is visiting from Alameda, CA this weekend. It's our annual Super Bowl in Seattle weekend and we love showing Ken around Seattle (West Seattle).

I just couldn't resist digging up an old picture of Ken! Love ya, man!

Enjoy!
Stacy

Recipe of The Week: Cuban Pork Stew

This is an adaptation of a Weight Watchers Slow Cooker stew that we made last week. It was the perfect spicy bowl of yum that you love to eat on a cold winter's night.

Enjoy!
Stacy

Cuban Pork Stew
Adapted from Weight Watchers

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds pork loin, cut into cubes
juice from 1 1/2 limes, divided (see below)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup vegetable broth (or water)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 sweet potato, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
juice from 1/2 lime

Directions:

Put all ingredients into slow cooker (crock pot) and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4-5. Check after a few hours and add extra water, if desired.

With 30 minutes left of cooking, stir in chopped cilantro and the juice from 1/2 lime.
Serve plain as a hearty stew or over 1/2 cup white rice.

Image courtesy of Google Images

Weekend Wrap Up in Portland

A quiet weekend in Portland with Blondie and Chick!

How was your weekend?

Enjoy!
Stacy

Menu Plan Monday: Welcome February!

Welcome February which includes a Leap Day this year! Does anyone have a birthday on the 29th?

We are wrapping up month one of the Weight Watchers program and you know what.....we are seeing some real results here on Rebecca Lane. Cheers to us!

I am excited to try two new recipes this week....Meatless Monday's pasta and a yummy sounding crock pot stew. I love the flavors of Greece.

Also Pop is coming for a visit Monday and Tuesday. Bring some snacks, Pop!

Enjoy!
Stacy

Monday: Bow Tie Pasta with Mushrooms, Spinach and Pine Nuts and a Big Garden Salad
Tuesday: Crock Pot Greek Chicken Stew with leftover salad
Wednesday: Monterey Jack Turkey Burgers
Thursday:Classic Cobb Salad

Old Photo Friday: Stacy at Sydney Harbor Bridge

WHO: Stacy
WHAT: Sydney sightseeing
WHERE: Circular Quay/Sydney Harbor Bridge/Sydney, Australia
WHEN: 1995

Showing my parents and Sandra Australia and having them experience my life there was truly a wonderful adventure. From time to time, I hear people talk about their dream of seeing Australia. It's hard to believe that I had the opportunity to live down under for three years and share that experience with my family. If you missed this picture of Chick and I, here is a great shot of the Sydney Opera House.

Enjoy!
Stacy

Recipe of The Week: Vegetable Quesadillas

Weekends appear to be my biggest challenge in the weight loss battle. Structure is key with any diet and sometimes my weekend structure is a bit....well....unstructured.

Last week while thumping through a Weight Watchers cookbook, I came across a recipe for Vegetable Quesadillas. These little bundles are so filling and quite versatile. Simply fill them with your favorite veggies and only a bit of cheese. This is my adaptation so NOT weight watchers points plus, but still a good low calorie meal.

Enjoy!
Stacy

Vegetable Quesadillas

Ingredients:

Serves (2)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small zucchini, cut lengthwise and sliced thin
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 red, yellow or green pepper, seeded and finely sliced
1/2 jalapeno pepper (optional), seeded and sliced thin
salt
pepper
1/2 tablespoon cumin
2 medium flour tortillas
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/2 cup shredded jack cheese
2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream (optional)


Directions:

Heat oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook vegetables 5-7 minutes until translucent and onion begins to brown.

Season with salt, pepper and cumin. Remove veggies from the pan and set aside.

Back in the saute pan, add one tortilla and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add half veggie mixture, one tablespoon cilantro and half the cheese. Gently fold tortilla over in half then remove from pan. Repeat with second tortilla and serve with sour cream (optional).

Image courtesy of Google images

West Seattle Weekend Wrap-Up: Storm Aftermath

Brian and I manged to get back to West Seattle without too many problems last Friday night.

To be quiet honest, in our little neighborhood, with the exception of our street, you'd never know that a nasty snow and ice storm hit the Seattle area 72 hours prior.


Our biggest concern, was Sammy as our pet care was unable to check in on him for three days (we did however have a neighbor that came over to give him some fresh food/water). He's a pretty cool cat and kept excellent watch over the house while we were gone and as a result, he chowed down on all the food he wanted, got constant petting, naps and full on attention the entire weekend. In my next life, I am coming back as a house cat.

Being at home afforded me the luxury of getting the house decorated for Valentine's Day which is just three weeks away!

Enjoy!
Stacy

Top photo courtesy of Google Images and Beach Drive Blog; my camera would not shoot much in the dark on Friday night, but trust me....we still had a good layer of snow/ice that Brian shoveled off front walkway and porch.

Menu Plan Monday: January 23-27

The end of our first month of 2012 is coming to a close. So far, we've adapted to the weight watchers eating plan and neither one of us feel cheated, especially at dinner (even though our portion sizes have shrunk BIG TIME).

Another bonus is the crockpot meals which not only give us a night off in the kitchen, but nice leftovers (that taste better the next day, anyway).

I am in Portland this coming weekend so a full weeks menu below!

Enjoy!
Stacy

Monday: Pasta Primavera (MEATLESS MONDAY)
Tuesday: Grilled Pork with Arugula and Tomato Salad and Pan Seared Broccoli
Wednesday: Chili-Beef Tacos
Thursday: Fend for yourself night; Chick has dinner out
Friday: Flank Steak with Grilled Onions and Sauteed Shrimp
Saturday: A Big Garden Salad along side Slow Cooker Bacon and Potato Chowder
Sunday: Blue Cheese Chicken Burgers

Old Photo Friday: Brian at Petting Zoo Part II

Who: Brian with first grade classmates
What: Elementary Field Trip
Where: Outside Newark, DE
When: 1966-67

Here is another photo of Brian on a first grade field trip to a petty zoo (see first photo here). I love that he is surrounded by girls and with that adorable look on his face.

Enjoy!
Stacy

Recipe of the Week: Sticky Date Pudding

I vowed that I would never ever ever divulge this recipe. It was "gifted" to me by my dear Australian friend, Jodie. It's been my signature dessert for many years...it was like a hidden treasure that was mine all mine.

Then several years ago, it started popping up on bistro menus, in specialty food shops and online....other bloggers who found this holy grail of a recipe began sharing it with the world. Suddenly, it was no longer my secret.

I was asked to make this for Chick's birthday last week. So my gift to her and to the rest of the blogging world is my (Jodie's) classic pudding.

For those of you not familiar with what a British/Australian Pudding is....think moist spongy cake, typically lathered with some sort of sweet gooey sauce (don't think Jello Pudding).

Enjoy!
Stacy

Sticky Date Pudding with Carmel Sauce

Ingredients:
(Cake)
1 1/4 cup chopped pitted dates
2 cups water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

(Sauce)

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Butter 9 inch round baking pan.

Place dates in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring frequently until dates breakdown and become a sauce, about 10-15 minutes (please note; you may have to add more water).

Remove dates from heat and add baking soda (the mixture will foam up); then set mixture aside.

In a bowl mix cream the butter and sugar together, then add eggs. Gently mix in the flour, salt baking powder and vanilla. Add date mixture to the flour mix and stir together (your mix should resemble the consistency of pancake batter).

Bake cake for 20 minutes then drizzle 2 tablespoons of sauce on top and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until center is cooked.

(Sauce) Melt butter is small sauce pan and add brown sugar and cream. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer.

Serve cake warm in thick slices with a generous amount of sauce on top.

Jodie, Jackson and Greg - Melbourne, Australia 1997

West Seattle Weekend Wrap Up: SNOW!

Not much for Marco Polo and I to do in January after a blow-out holiday season. I fought another round of crud over the weekend, but was delighted to see the snowfall on Sunday afternoon.

We got about 3 inches in West Seattle and it was just beautiful!


Round two of the snow is expected later this week. Our La Nina winter has finally arrived.


What are your thoughts on snow? Pretty? Dysfunctional? Do you love it or dread it?

Enjoy!
Stacy

Menu Plan Monday: Middle of January 2012

It's week two of the healthy eating and living plan at Rebecca Lane and good news is....we are both still alive!

On the up side, I received a crock pot/slow cooker for Rebecca Lane at Christmas, then embarked on a major diet (bummer).

Good news is that Weight Watchers has about 30 really awesome crock pot recipes so each week, I'll be adding one to our menu. Last week's pork stew was the BOMB!

Who out there loves their crock pot?

Enjoy!
Stacy

Monday: Porcini Risotto with Spinach Salad (this is a cooking light recipe)
Tuesday: Spicy Meatloaf with Green Beans and leftover salad
Wednesday: Lemon Roasted Salmon with Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Thursday: Crockpot Beef and Black Bean Chili

Old Photo Friday: Dancing at Pop's 50th!

WHO: Family and friends (L-R; Beth, Uncle Larry, Sandra, Vicki, Stacy, Rosemary and Pop)
WHAT: Dancing to the oldies (with the oldies); Pop's 50th. Were we doing the electric slide?
WHERE: Eugene - I believe at the Red Lion Inn
WHEN: December 1993

This was a great party! This was right after Uncle Larry came out and danced to the YMCA

Enjoy!
Stacy

Recipe of the Week: Thai Fish Chowder

I just about fell over when Chick pulled this recipe out of Rachel Ray's December magazine and asked me to make it. There was just something about the idea of a fish soup that didn't sound right (and NOT Chick-like). We loved all the components, and are big Thai/Vietnamese foodies, but fish chowder has never sounded appetizing to me.

Basically, this yummy meal turned out to be a Vietnamese/Thai fish chowder, which was a perfect cold winter's night quick meal - done in 10 minutes.

Something can be said for trying a dish outside of your comfort zone.

Enjoy!
Stacy

Thai Fish Chowder

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 oz. thin rice noodles

1 can coconut milk

1 tsp. green curry paste

salt

1 pound tilapia, cut into 2 inch pieces

8 oz. cole slaw mix (shredded cabbage)

2 limes, 1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:

Cook rice noodles according to package directions

In a large saucepan, whisk together 2 cups water, coconut water, curry paste and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Stir in the fish and coleslaw mix and simmer until the fish is opaque and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice.

Divide the noodles into 4 bowls. Ladle the chowder over the noodles and top with cilantro. Garnish with a lime wedge.


Recipe courtesy of Rachel Ray
Images courtesy of Google Images

Menu Plan Monday: January 9-12

How is January treating you?

We all know that it is a long, cold, dark month....but it's also open to new beginnings and new possibilities. Today at Rebecca Lane we start getting serious about weight loss, eating healthy and exercise.

We know that it is not an easy process, but one that we are willing to begin. I hate to make resolutions because they are so easily broken, but we are going to see just how good we can be to ourselves and go from there. Most of our meal for at least the first 8 weeks are weight watchers based/inspired. We will be counting points and staying away from sugar, alcohol and large amounts of carbohydrates (alcohol for at least the next 30 days).

Enjoy!
Stacy

Monday: MEATLESS MONDAY! Penne with Vodka Sauce and Spinach Salad
Tuesday: Oven Fried Paprika Chicken Cutlets with Roasted Asparagus
Wednesday: Mushroom Hamburgers with Chopped Greek Salad
Thursday: Cuban Style Pork and Sweet Potato Slow Cooker Stew

Old Photo Friday: Happy Birthday, Sandra!

WHO: Sandra Kay Suter

WHAT: Summer in the Sun

WHERE: Just a guess, but probably Eugene or Cottage Grove

WHEN: September 1964 (Age 3)

Happy Birthday, Sandra who turned 51 yesterday!

Happy Birthday, Sandra!

Happy Birthday, Chick!

In honor of your special day, here are some interesting tidbits, events and birthdays that took place 51 years ago.

• Year 1961; began on a Sunday. As MAD Magazine pointed out on its cover for the March 1961 issue, this was the first "upside-up" year—i.e., one in which the numerals that form the year look the same as when the numerals are rotated upside down—since 1881

• On January 20th, John F. Kennedy becomes our 35th President

• In March, West Side Story wins the Academy Award for best picture

• In April, the Bay of Pigs invasion occurs; the failed invasion severely embarrassed the Kennedy Administration
• In May, the Apollo Space Program began; President Kennedy's goal...put a man on the moon by the end of the decade
• At Fenway Park in Boston, the first All-Star Game tie in major league baseball history occurs, when the game is stopped in the 9th inning due to rain.

• In August, construction of the Berlin Wall begins, restricting movement between east and west Germany.
• On October 1st, Roger Maris of the New York Yankees hits his 61st home run in the last game of the season against the Boston Red Sox, beating the 34-year-old record held by Babe Ruth.
• Barbie gets a boyfriend, when the Ken doll is introduced by Mattel.

Others who share a 1961 birthday:

January 5th - Sandra K. Suter, fabulous roommate, auntie and friend!

January 13th - Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Actress

January 26th - Wayne Gretzky, Hockey Player

February 10th - George Stephanopoulos, American political consultant and commentator

April 3rd - Eddie Murphy, Actor

April 23rd - George Lopez, Actor

May 6th - George Clooney, Actor

May 29th - Melissa Etheridge, Singer

July 8th - Toby Keith, Country Singer

September 25th - Heather Locklear, Actress

November 19th - Meg Ryan, Actress

Enjoy! Stacy

New Year's Day Tradition

Happy New Year!

Last year, Brian and I were lucky enough to start 2011 off with a walk down to Lincoln Park.

Once again this past New Years Day (Sunday), we had the opportunity to take a quick walk through the park to start the new year. We love traditions!

Enjoy!

Stacy

Menu Plan Monday: Welcome 2012!

Happy New Year!

This is our last week before the big new year's healthy life challenge kicks off. Yikes!
We are going to totally change our eating habits...big time at Rebecca Lane. Watch out!

Here is our menu for this week with lots of goodies!

Enjoy!
Stacy

Monday: Happy New Year! Bowl Games on TV...Nachos for dinner!
Tuesday: Charlie's Cabbage Rolls with creamy mashed potatoes
Wednesday: Tortilla Crusted Tilapia with Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Thursday: Chick's Birthday!

Happy New Year!

Here is a Smilebox Scrapbook of the second half of 2011.

This free scrapbook customized with Smilebox

To see the first half of our year, click HERE

Enjoy!
Stacy