This 1950 movie starring Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor was remade in the 1990’s.

Post your guesses here!

Answer will be posted on 2/12/11.

Chicken and broccoli casserole is a family favorite that I whipped up on a whim and the results couldn’t have been better.

Cooking time is approximately 45-50 minutes. Preparation is approximately 5 minutes. Yields 12-15 servings.

Ingredients

– 10 oz. of frozen diced chicken breast

– 1 cup of large broccoli florets (frozen)

– 1 lb. of pasta (any shape or cut)

– 8 oz. of shredded Italian or mozzarella cheese

– 1 small can of Campbell’s cream of chicken soup

– 1 small can of Campbell’s broccoli and cheese soup

– 1 teaspoon of parsley (fresh or dried)

– 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400.

Boil pasta for 25-30 minutes, then drain and add to oven-safe casserole dish.

Cook frozen, diced chicken per bag’s instructions (adding 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper). You may use fresh chicken, if desired.

Boil frozen broccoli for 10 minutes then drain and dice into bite-sized pieces.

Prepare cream of chicken and broccoli and cheese soups as directed (see can for details) and add to cooked pasta. Mix to coat pasta.

Add cooked chicken, broccoli and garlic salt to pasta and mix well.

Coat entire casserole with shredded cheese.

Garnish with fresh or dried parsley.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Great side items for this meal are a garden salad and dinner rolls.

Enjoy!

Love to all!

CC

If you’re busy like me or don’t want to commit a lot of time to cooking, this quick and easy recipe is sure to become a favorite! Many of the ingredients are optional, so you can really make this salad your own.

Cooking time is approximately 25 minutes and prep time is approximately 5 minutes.

Ingredients

– 1 bag of frozen buffalo chicken strips

– 1 bag of pre-mixed salad

– 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (any variety)

– 1/2 cup of croutons (any flavor)

– 1 tomato (any size) – optional

– 1 cucumber – optional

– 1/4 cup dressing of choice – I prefer Kraft’s Roasted Red Pepper Italian

Preparation

– Bake buffalo chicken strips as directed on the bag then cut them into bite-sized pieces.

– Rinse and drain pre-mixed salad and put into a large salad bowl.

– Add diced buffalo chicken strips.

– If desired, dice tomato, cucumber, and croutons and add to salad mix.

– Pour dressing over mixture and gently toss.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

For added pizzazz, use tortillas to make buffalo chicken wraps!

Please post feedback if you try this recipe as-is or make alterations.

Love to all!

CC

Don’t get me wrong, I know people who swear by their chiropractic visits, but for some reason, my visits don’t result in long-term improvement. Sure, I know that chiropractors don’t promise to heal all that ails their patients, but what should I expect after a visit?

Case in point, I had a visit today after debilitating pain that has led me to reach for my crutches for the last several days. The treatment that I received during the visit was remarkable and I walked out of there with less of a limp. But here I sit several hours later in the same amount of pain that I limped into the doctor’s office with. What gives?!

Shifting in bed hurts, trying to get out of bed is excruciating, standing from a seated position is torture, and walking is painful. I like working out, but right now, it’s not something I can do routinely. On a good day, I sneak in a workout between mild bouts of pain, but there’s nothing mild about the pain this time. To sum it up, my lifestyle has been cramped due to the pain.

This is the second time in less than a year that I’ve received treatment for this problem and I’m at a loss for how to resolve it. I’ve seen two chiropractors, I soak in the hot tub for temporary pain relief, and my heating pad has become one of my new best friends.

Will I need surgery? Should I amp up my yoga routine? Do I just need to relax and just expect that chiropractic visits will be my new normal? Speaking of normal, visits to chiropractors are a normal part of care for people seeking both pain relief and routine alignments. According to Dr. Kelly Andrews of Spine-Health, an estimated 6%-12% of the US population seeks chiropractic care each year. In 2009, the projected number of visits was expected to range from 18 million visits to 36 million visits to chiropractors. Let’s add me to the list of people who sought chiropractic relief in 2011. The jury is still out on whether or not this will become part of my routine.

I have hopes of running my second 10K this spring, but the odds aren’t looking great from where I sit (painfully). However, I do know that God makes miracles happen all day every day. Perhaps my issue is too big for the chiropractor alone, because it’s a God-sized thing. I guess that’s my cue to tenderly get down on my knees and call out to Him for healing (and for a little help getting up from my knees).

Have you ever had chiropractic care? Was your treatment successful? Is it part of your regular health care routine?

Let’s chat!

Love to all!

CC

As a winter storm of epic proportions blankets much of the nation in snow and ice this week, I wondered if I was ready for an extended power outage. Perhaps because the power flickered a few hours ago – giving me a scare and glimpse of what life would be like without electricity in the dead of winter.

“Where are the flashlights?”, ” How will we cook if the electricity goes out?” (Wish we had a gas stove.) ” Will we be able to stay warm, or will we need to flee to the nearest warm hotel?” These are all questions that I pondered during a very brief powerless (no pun intended) life tonight.

Before panic sets in within your house, there are many things you can do to stay safe and warm. North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives suggests having the following items on-hand in case of a winter weather emergency:

The Essentials

• Food: Food that requires no cooking or refrigeration such as bread, crackers, cereal, canned foods, and dried fruits. Remember baby food and formula if you have young children.
• Water: In case water pipes freeze or rupture, keep a supply of tap water or purchase bottled water. The recommended amount of water to keep is 5 gallons per person.
• Medicines: Roads may be inaccessible for several days due to the storm. Make sure to order or refill any prescriptions that family members may need.
• Identification: Make sure to keep forms of identification with you such as social security card, passport, photo ID, and driver’s license. In addition, make sure to have bank account information, and insurance policies.

Emergency Materials

• Alternate methods to heat your home:
  Dry firewood for a fireplace or wood stove
  Kerosene for a kerosene heater
  Furnace fuel (coal, propane, or oil)
  Electric space heater with automatic shut-off switch and non-glowing elements
• Blankets
• Matches
• First Aid kit and instruction manual
• Multipurpose, dry-chemical fire extinguisher
• Flashlight
• Battery-powered radio, clock/watch
• Extra batteries
• Shovel
• Rock salt
• Non-electric can opener

What if you’ll be driving in the midst of a severe winter storm? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recommends planning your travel and checking the latest weather reports along your route. They also offer the following tips to keep you prepared in the event extreme winter weather:

• Carry a WINTER STORM SURVIVAL KIT:
  • blankets/sleeping bags;
  • flashlight with extra batteries;
  • first-aid kit;
  • knife;
  • high-calorie, non-perishable food;
  • extra clothing to keep dry;
  • a large empty can and plastic cover with tissues and paper towels for sanitary purposes;
  • a smaller can and water-proof matches to melt snow for drinking water;
  • sack of sand (or cat litter);
  • shovel;
  • windshield scraper and brush;
  • tool kit;
  • tow rope;
  • booster cables;
  • water container;
  • compass and road maps.
• Keep your gas tank near full to avoid ice in the tank and fuel lines.
• Try not to travel alone.
• Let someone know your timetable and primary and alternate routes.

My home-preparedness kit is excellent, but I’d be in big trouble if I were stuck in my vehicle this winter. How do your home and vehicle survival kits fare? “Bring it on!” or “Yikes, I need help!”?

Let’s chat!

Love to all!

CC

Did you know that the average price for a movie ticket these days is nearly $8? While that amount might sound low, it includes prices for matinees and children’s tickets. Not so cheap-sounding anymore, huh? And we haven’t even brought up the cost of concessions. Yikes!

The high price of movies has pretty much kept my family away from the big screen, except for blockbuster movies or special occasions (kids wanting to blow allowance). Instead, we opt for Netflix. In fact, we’ve turned to Netflix for our movie needs for five years now and it has never disappointed. You simply can’t beat having movies delivered to your directly to your mailbox (and now your PC) for a small fraction of what it would cost to take your entire family to the megaplex.

Besides price and convenience, I love that Netflix has an incredible selection of family-friendly titles as well as my favorite thrillers and documentaries.

Netflix does have some competition from companies like Red Box, On Demand, and Blockbuster (the kiosks), but none of those are game-changers for me. There’s something about an all-knowing movie-selection company that sends what I want, when I want, and suggests things that I’m not even aware that I want for the price that I want to pay.

The next family movie night in my house will undoubtedly involve a movie from Netflix and some inexpensive theater-sized treats enjoyed from the comfort of our own sofa and pj’s.

Do you Netflix, or are you among the $8 movie-goers?

Let’s chat!

Love to all!

CC

Sure, we’re still in the dead of winter, but I can’t help but to think about warmer days ahead. Today is the first day that the sun made an appearance in over a week, so I’m in a springy kind of mood! I can smell…almost taste…the warm, spring air despite the frigid reality that awaits outside my door.

In case you forgot one of the most important cold-weather holidays, Groundhog Day, is in just three days. And as we wait with baited breath for Punxsutawney Phil (or Buckeye Chuck for Ohioans) to tell us whether or not we’ll have six more weeks of winter, I’m already thinking about what kind of freshness I will conjur up in my home with a few gallons of paint, new fabrics, and a good cleaning of all surfaces. By the way, regardless of what either rodent has to say, spring will arrive on March 20 at 7:21 P.M. EDT.

With a lot of help from my personal cleaning brigade (A.K.A. husband and children), I’m looking forward to being able to clean every window, open every set of blinds and curtains, let in outdoor air through every door and window, clean or replace floor coverings, purge or donate piles of now-unwanted goods, and plug in the season’s sweetest air fresheners. That spells spring to me!

So when will this spring cleaning plan of mine launch? It depends on when the weatherman believes we’ve had our last snow of the season.

When do you start spring cleaning? What are some of your spring cleaning rituals?

Let’s chat!

Love to all!

CC

Achoo! Last week, I began writing an article about how to protect your family from the flu. Ironically, that very day before I finished writing, I began experiencing flu-like symptoms. How could that be? I wash my hands so frequently the skin is cracked in several places.

Hand-washing, isn’t the only way to protect your family against the flu, but it is one of the most important. Below are tips that can help protect your family against this season’s flu outbreak, which is now well underway.

Avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes. Touching an infected person or item and then putting your hands on these areas is a sure fire way to spread the infection.

Cover up! The flu virus can be easily spread by infected persons who cough and sneeze without covering up, so protect yourself. Turn your head, cover your mouth and nose, and wash your hands, if possible, when someone near you sneezes or coughs. Better safe than sick!

Get the flu shot. Although it’s late January, it is still not too late to get the flu vaccine. It is also now easier than ever with most pharmacies offering them at low cost and with no appointment necessary.

Limit close contact with those infected. I know this is easier said than done, since infected persons may not exhibit symptoms the first day or so. It’s even more difficult to stay away when someone in your household is infected and relying on you for care. Wearing latex gloves and using disinfectant wipes can help prevent the spread of flu between your sick loved ones and their caretakers.

So you’ve done everything you could to protect yourself and you still end up with the flu. Now what?

Drink plenty of broth and tea. These are great ways to get extra fluids and lower your body’s temperature. While drinking something hot may not seem logical when your temperature is already high, it does help to promote healing. The heat from these hot drinks causes perspiration, which works to lower your temperature and soothe your sore throat. Herbal and decaf teas work best, so stay away from caffeinated drinks and they dehydrate the body.

Drink plenty of electrolyte-rich fluids. If you’re having bouts of vomiting and diarrhea, replenish lost electrolytes with drinks such as Powerade and Gatorade.

Use steam baths to aide in decongestion. These can be purchased at most grocers and pharmacies for under $20. You can also achieve the steam bath effect by turning your shower water to the highest temperature, closing the bathroom door, and inhaling and exhaling deeply to clear the lungs. Be careful to limit your time in the steam to no more than 10 minutes to avoid exhaustion.

Get lots of rest. Remember that it takes at least two weeks to fully recover from the flu, but your recovery may take longer if you do not get enough rest when the symptoms first hit.

Let’s chat and share your home remedies.

Love to all!

CC

Now that the semi-final games have been played, football fans around the country are getting set for the big game. Those of us who aren’t able to score tickets to see the action in Dallas are making plans for the next best thing, Superbowl parties.

Whether you’re hosting a party or attending one, refreshments are sure to be a big deal. Post your favorite Superbowl food and drink recipes here for a chance to be featured in an upcoming blog.

Congrats to the Steelers and Packers for advancing to the championship game! Which team are routing for Superbowl XLV?

Game day is Sunday, February 6, 2011.