Quick but needed update to my faithful followers

Like the new avitar? I do...

It's about as realistic as the last one...
Neither of them look anything like me, though I absolutely FEEL like both of them, as somewhere inside, thoses photos are lurking...

They are certainly who I represent on the INSIDE...
I do not take good photos...Some people do, I am just not one of them...
I am ALWAYS better looking in person, as most will attest...
Even in keeping with that fact, I do not have a recent photo to put there, or I probably would...
I don't as of yet, (soon to change) have a computer situation that has photos on it, so I simply must use other photos at this time...
Honestly, though I look nothing like this woman or the last, I'm told that I don't hurt the eyes terribly, I promise...
I wanted to post a quick entry, to my faithful followers, to let you know that things at work are better, and that yes, it looks as though I am going to survive...
It has been one helluva hard course, and still has its bumps in the road, but after this last weekend, it appears as though some of my "we don't like you" co-
hearts have loosened their bogus first impressions, and actually appear as though "maybe we do like you..."
Just wanted all of you to know, who have suffered along with me in this horrendous new path, that it appears as though things will work out in the end...
I am happier now and hopeful, and I just wanted all of you to know....
LATER....NICOLE...

EARLY IN THE WEE HOURS..AS EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD DREAMS...

Yes, one can feel quite alone when it is 4am in the morning, and it's not as though you don't WANT to go to sleep.

You SO would love that.
You SO would have loved that hours ago...

But you are a person that quickly learns survival techniques when needed...

If you want to work nights and make the big bucks, you gotta stay up the night
before you begin your stretch, to make sure that you sleep before you work the
next night..
The following days to sleep take care of themselves...

Simple..

Or you would think so, yet honestly, it appears as though many do not adhere to that simple technique, hence the incredible number of night shift employees literally falling over in an almost unconscious state...

I have actually heard slight snoring, thinking that it was one of the many patients,
only to turn around and see the head nurse in a slightly catatonic state...

This is simply not going to be me...I would rather suffer the night before, and
stay awake during my shift...

I have never been a "public" sleeper...
Kind of a private thing for me...
Any extremely vulnerable state is and this is no exception...

Drooling is just not attractive, unless controlled, (i.e. my avatar of red lips
with a slight drip of drool...that's artistic...if not downright fabulous..)

As far as an uncontrolled amount of drooling, I will avoid it as long as any self respecting woman can!
(Hence the difficulty in TRULY getting any serious sleep on a plane...)

So, here I am writing a new entry at a peculiar time...

Lucky for you, I am going to post three really great recipes...
You're gonna love em...trust me....

Why?

Well they're all three what I like to call "summer friendly" ones...

Two of them are cool and tasty beverages....

What's not to love about that during these sweltering times? (and it's just beginning !)

For those of you that don't have 100 plus degree weather for months on end, then
as we like to say in these here parts....
Bless yer little hearts! (this is Texas slang for you know what...)

I digress...
Back to the beverages....

One of them has alcohol, or as we say in the hospital biz...ETOH
Gotta love that for brunch...
You know you do!

(I used to as well, but do try to stay away from it these days, unless a large
nap is on the menu after brunch)
Something about a cocktail or two at 1PM...Not the same effect as an evening one..

Well, honestly, I find a great Bloody Mary hard to pass up...
Where I live, great and spicy Bloody Marys are the standard at a lot of places...

I still contend though, that the VERY BEST SPICY Bloody Mary (my favorite) can
be found in Manhattan...

Yep, Manhattan in the Flatiron District at Bobby Flay's restaurant, Mesa Grill...
Try not to miss a Brunch opportunity there when I am visiting...

Always a toss up...Norma's or Mesa? Two favorites...

Now I also love a place that my family likes to brunch that has a "Bloody Mary
Bar"...

Very nice, all set up with the "fixins" and after you get your vodka and
ice from the waiter, you go to the "Bar" to make your own version with a large variety of great ingredients...

I KNOW that it is why we love this place for brunch, though the small jazz band
and the food IS delicious as well...

I will also post a beverage that is non alcoholic and wonderful..
Peach Iced Tea...the very name screams SUMMER

Finally a very refreshing Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken, Arugula Pesto, Feta
Cheese, olives, and seasonal red, yellow, and any color grape tomatoes...
We have Emeril to thank for this one...

These recipes work well for a light brunch/lunch.
Round it out with some great crispy rolls and maybe a light fruit dessert...You decide...

I'm thinking Key Lime Pie, but then again, I've been on that same note lately,
so do take that into consideration...

SOUTHWESTERN BLOODY MARY (VERY SPICY)

6 SERVINGS

3 CUPS CANNED VEGETABLE JUICE
2 TABLESPOONS FRESH LEMON JUICE
1 TABLESPOON MINCED FRESH CILANTRO
1 TABLESPOON WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
1 TEASPOON FINELY MINCED SEEDED CANNED CHIPOTLE CHILIES
1 TEASPOON GROUND CUMIN
1 TEASPOON SUGAR
2/3 CUP CHILLED GOOD QUALITY VODKA (LIKE GREY GOOSE OR CHOPIN OR BELVEDERE)

ICE CUBES
6 CELERY STALKS WITH LEAFY TOPS
6 FRESH RED CHILIES

MIX FIRST 7 INGREDIENTS IN PITCHER.
CHILL MIXTURE UNTIL COLD, AT LEAST 2 HOURS OR OVERNIGHT (BEST)

MIX IN VODKA

FILL 6 TALL GLASSES WITH ICE.
POUR BLOODY MARY MIXTURE OVER.

GARNISH WITH CELERY AND CHILIES





PEACH ICED TEA

3 ORANGE PEKOE TEA BAGS
4 CUPS COLD WATER
5 (5 OUNCE) CANS PEACH NECTAR (ABOUT 3 1/3 CUPS), CHILLED
1/4 CUP CHILLED SIMPLE SYRUP OR TO TASTE

SIMPLE SYRUP
1 1/3 CUPS SUGAR
1 1/4 CUPS WATER

PEACH SLICES AND BASIL SPRIGS FOR GARNISH

PLACE TEA BAGS IN A QUART SIZE GLASS MEASURE OR HEATPROOF BOWL.

IN A SAUCEPAN BRING WATER JUST TO A BOIL AND POUR OVER TEA BAGS. STEEP TEA 5
MINUTES AND STRAIN THROUGH A SIEVE INTO A HEATPROOF PITCHER. COOL TEA AND CHILL, COVERED, UNTIL COLD, ABOUT 1 HOUR.

STIR IN NECTAR AND SYRUP. SERVE TEA OVER ICE IN TALL GLASSES AND GARNISH WITH
PEACH SLICES AND BASIL SPRIGS.

TO MAKE SIMPLE SYRUP:
IN A SAUCEPAN BRING SUGAR AND WATER TO A BOIL, STIRRING, AND BOIL UNTIL SUGAR
IS COMPLETELY DISSOLVED. LET SYRUP COOL AND CHILL, COVERED. SYRUP MAY BE MADE 2 WEEKS AHEAD AND CHILLED, COVERED.

YIELD: MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
CAN DOUBLE OR TRIPLE



PASTA SALAD WITH ARUGULA PESTO, GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS, AND FETA

1 LB. BONELESS, SKINLESS, CHICKEN BREASTS
OLIVE OIL
SALT
PEPPER
EMERIL'S "ESSENCE" SEASONING
1 BUNCH FRESH ARUGULA, TOUGH STEMS REMOVED, WASHED AND SPUN DRY, PLUS BABY ARUGULA, FOR GARNISH
1/2 CUP PACKED FRESH PARSLEY LEAVES
1/2 CUPS LIGHTLY TOASTED WALNUTS
2 TEASPOONS MINCED GARLIC
1/2 CUP GRATED PARMESAN
1 TEASPOON FRESH LEMON JUICE
1/2 TEASPOON SALT
1/4 TEASPOON GROUND BLACK PEPPER
1/4 CUP EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
1/4 TO 1/2 CUP OLIVE OIL
1 LB. PENNE PASTA
1 PINT RED GRAPE TOMATOES, HALVED
1 PINT YELLOW GRAPE TOMATOES, HALVED
1 1/4 CUPS CRUMBLED FETA CHEESE (BEST TO USE GOOD QUALITY)
1/2 CUP ROUGHLY CHOPPED PITTED OLIVE-CURED OLIVES

PREHEAT A GRILL. DRIZZLE THE CHICKEN WITH OIL AND SEASON WITH SALT, PEPPER, AND ESSENCE. PLACE ON THE GRILL AND COOK UNTIL COOKED THROUGH, ABOUT 4 MINUTES
ON THE FIRST SIDE, AND 5 MINUTES ON THE SECOND SIDE.
REMOVE THE CHICKEN FROM THE GRILL AND CUT INTO CUBES.

IN A FOOD PROCESSOR, COMBINE THE ARUGULA, PARSLEY, WALNUTS, GARLIC, CHEESE, LEMON JUICE, SALT, AND PEPPER, AND PROCESS ON HIGH SPEED UNTIL THE GREENS ARE FINELY CHOPPED. WITH THE MACHINE RUNNING, ADD THE EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL AND 1/4 CUP OF
THE OLIVE OIL IN A STEADY STREAM AND PROCESS UNTIL SMOOTH.

BRING A LARGE POT OF SALTED WATER TO A BOIL. ADD THE PASTA AND COOK UNTIL AL DENTE.
DRAIN THE PASTA AND SHOCK IN AN ICE BATH AND PLACE IN A BOWL. TOSS WITH SOME OLIVE
OIL SO IT DOESN'T STICK.

TOSS THE PASTA WITH THE ARUGULA PESTO TO TASTE. LET COOL WITH PLASTIC WRAP, AND REFRIGERATE UNTIL WELL CHILLED. TOSS THE CUBED CHICKEN, RED AND YELLOW TOMATOES, FETA, AND OLIVES TO THE PASTA, AND TOSS TO COMBINE. ADJUST THE SEASONING TO TASTE, AND SERVE GARNISHED WITH BABY ARUGULA.

SERVES 4-6 MAINS

NEW RECIPE, BREAKFAST, ELOISE, AND A PASSION FOR ROOM SERVICE

I am absolutely NOT a breakfast person, nor have I ever been.

Now by that, I mean that I do not like to eat directly upon rising.

My stomach must wake up first. This takes at least a couple of hours.
There are three times when I DO love to eat breakfast, though.

1. For Dinner
2. For Brunch (late)
3. Room Service in a fabulous hotel

Ah, Room Service...gives me the chills just to mention it..

I adore Room Service, especially for Dinner.

It's terribly decadent to chilax in a beautifully decorated hotel room, order a
must-see movie on the tube, put on a plush hotel provided bathrobe, and order Room service....

Room Service Dinner with a very Dry Martini...Nirvana


Then there is Breakfast Room Service.

I do less of this, but have been known to do it, as it gives me time to get ready for whatever I am doing for the day.
Breakfast brought on a gorgeous cart...
Perfect start to the day!

I ALWAYS order the same, but very much adored Breakfast....

I LOVE a fruit, granola, and yogurt parfait...Almost every Hotel that I have stayed
in, has a version of this.

It's pretty, light, and satisfying, and you almost feel as though you are having dessert for Breakfast...

With the addition of two beautiful silver pots containing hot freshly made coffee and another with cold water,
a fresh flower in a small vase,
sometimes the addition of a homemade muffin,
real silver flatware and cloth napkins...
Hmmm...and all I have to do is sign?

I love that they want to pour your first cup...

I am, and always will be,
A "LUX HOTEL DIVA"

There is no denying it,
or any end to it.

When making plans for a trip, the Food and the Hotel are MAJOR COMPONENTS...

(A big apology to my family, who don't claim to know where I came from, as I
was not raised to be who I am today.)

One must realise that "Eloise" was my favorite childhood book.
When I first visited "The Plaza Hotel" in New York, I felt like I was home!
"Eloise" was everywhere!

My first little friend!

www.eloisewebsite.com

I dreamed of living at "The Plaza" just like Eloise.
Eloise first introduced me to Room Service and Lux Hotels.

It's all Eloise's fault...

Why they even have "Eloise Weekend Packages" at the Plaza...

Completely outrageous, of course...


Question...

Have you ever had dessert for Breakfast?

Oh C'mon now, let's get real...

I can't be the only one...

I remember that on a talk show one time, Sylvester Stallone, who is big on keeping
his body healthy and very much in shape, mentioned that if you ARE going to eat dessert, that you should always consider eating it in the morning, so that you can burn it off the rest of the day.

I have never been a huge believer in the "don't ever eat after a certain time" etc, because I have a friend that is a Dietitian who promises that your body does not know what time it is, and that the calories one takes in and burns has nothing to do with the actual time of the day...(This is somewhat nice to think about working night shift!)

I HAVE certainly, in my time, had dessert for breakfast..

That last piece of Limeade Pie? (Yes, I CAN plug my recipes on my own website! See previous post "Renaissance Women Post a Poem and a Pie", (great picture, poem not
too shabby either...)

You Shameless Wench!

Back to dessert for Breakfast....

How bout a quickly heated up piece of last night's Apple Pie?

I also have had a couple of homemade cookies with coffee, and sometimes if available, a piece of cake...

I like savory breakfasts, but more so for dinner or brunch (late)

Ever had a really great cinnamon roll for breakfast? YUM!

Now, none of these are very healthy, grant you, (save the parfait.)

I am now going to post a recipe for an addition to your other "go to" Breakfast recipes/traditions.

I think that it solves the dilemma of trying to have something healthy (yogurt, granola, fresh fruit, nuts), and having your Breakfast sweet as well.

This one comes from Caprial and John's kitchen, those wonderful chefs in Oregon..

BREAKFAST FRUIT CRISP

SERVES 12

TOPPING:

1 cup flour
1 cup granola
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts or pecans
1/4 cup coconut (could delete if you don't like...SHAME ON YOU!..See "Coconut Cravings")
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter

FILLING:
2 pints raspberries or blackberries
2 pints strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 cup sugar
Pinch ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Garnish:
2 cups vanilla yogurt
Fresh mint

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the topping place flour, granola, nuts, coconut, vanilla and brown sugar in a medium-sized bowl and mix well. Add the butter and mix with your finger tips until
the mixture resembles a coarse dough. Set aside.

For the filling, place berries, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and vanilla in a large bowl and toss to mix. Place in a 9x11 inch baking dish. Crumble topping over berry mixture.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

To serve, place the warm crisp on plates and top with yogurt and mint...

YUM!

MISERY LOVES POETRY

Last night I went to dinner with some old friends.
We meet on average about 5-6 times/year to catch up with each others lives.
It is almost always enjoyable, as dining with old friends tends to be.

I woke up yesterday from one of my MANY daytime naps,
(working nights screws up your sleeping system completely),
and realized that I would rather get another flu shot then go to dinner.

The inevitable, "how is your new job?"; "how are things with you?" questions were just not something that I felt like dealing with.

If I could have just answered "THEY SUCK!", and be done with it, I could have handled it.

Unfortunately people always must know the details...

I'm upset about the "details"...
I'm trying to get away from the "details"...
The "details" are making me miserable...

No, it's not the patients, even though at times they can get to be a bit "much" (refer to previous post...)

In a "Cliff Notes" version of my new job...

It is sort of like a milder though still potent version of "Lord of the Flies"

Remember that book?

Thematically it basically hones in on the "world" that one lives in, being run by a bunch of hoodlums, and no one is around to monitor their actions, etc.

Unfortunately it is like one big maniacal dysfunctional family that does NOT want new members...

One finds that out pretty quickly...
They cannot wait to let you know that you are "NOT LIKED"...
That pretty much sums up the new job...

Why, I have even gotten used to some of the nurses, who as I previously mentioned, would be a "shoo-in" in the Salem "Zombie Parade" next Halloween...with a little makeup job, who knows?
With very little coaching, these women could drop right into juicy roles in "Dawn
of the Dead Part 12"...

Well, unfortunately, I NEED this job...
If you have never HAD to stay at a job where you are quite unhappy, you cannot imagine what it feels like...

Almost like what I imagine an unwilling prostitute must feel like...

You have to be careful not to completely lose your humility...your spirit...the very eccense of who you are...

Frankly, this is all a bit too much for me at this time of my life...

Thank heavens that there are books...dreams...
Sometimes they are the only things that can get you through these difficult periods
in life...
So...
Favorite books as of late...

A THREE DOG LIFE by Abigail Thomas

NOT BECOMING MY MOTHER (and other things she taught me along the way)
by Ruth Reichl

JULIE AND JULIA by Julie Powell (reread because the movie is coming out, with a screenplay by Nora Ephron, starring Meryl Streep as a young Julia Childs)

SAVAGE BEAUTY (reread because I love it) by Nancy Milford about the life of
Edna St.Vincent Millay

And my newest favorite...didn't want this one to end!
I LOVED, I LOST, I MADE SPAGHETTI
by Giulia Melucci

Now for the dreaming part...it's not really dreaming...I just have not decided...
though "dreaming" about it always makes me feel better...

In the Fall I will go somewhere that makes me feel happy...

I just got through telling my older son that one should be "happy" wherever they
are..as happiness is INSIDE!
Well rehearsed parental BS...

Anyway...

I may go back to Boston perhaps, or very possibly, Montreal and Old Quebec City...
Am researching it now...MUST get passport

Don't get to take a very long vacation until Fall...
Until then, can only take 3 day off...

Plenty of time to fly to San Francisco, or visit my friend in Colorado

ANYTHING!!!!!

MUST ESCAPE WHENEVER POSSIBLE!!!!

Sorry this was not a more "cheerful" little passage....

Must revert to telling you stories of interest from the past until the present
is a prettier picture...

And now for the poetic side of me....




A POEM FOR THE PITIFUL
(or how to write something completely childish and feel much better afterwards...)


So you say
they don't like me.
Well, it's not
hard to see
that hurting
one's feelings
comes easily
to thee

Wish I could
tell you
"just go
get in line"
with all of
the rest of
the ignorant
swine.

But finding
a job
is too hard
to repeat.
I guess I'll
stay here
amongst
big smelly feet

I'll listen
to banter
so childish
and vain,
then come back
tomorrow
for more
of the same.

I vow
to be silent.
Don't have
much to share,
with those
who are rude
and are
missing
some
hair

Okay,
so it's not nice
to call you all
"swine"
With hair that is
thinning,
and smelly feet...
Fine!

A "Tet for a Tat"
Isn't that
how it goes?
One MUST not forget
to make
fun
of your
nose...

Is that one
a fake?
Oh c'mon
say it's so.
Tis a pity
the face
that must
wear it,
ya know..

Ah,
NOW I FEEL BETTER!
Why didn't I see
that poetry works
in such
strange ways
for me?....

Much better
than fighting
and stronger
than wine.
Don't care
if it's silly...
For laughter's
DIVINE!!!!

A HORROR STORY WITH A CHICKEN ENDING

But of course I am still with you...
Just a bit mentally and physically exhausted..mostly mentally, but yes I am still around...
Thought I might share with you "Highlights" of my new job....

The first night I worked, as I was about to leave, my phone rang..

It was my boss, who called me to "warn me" or "prepare me" of the staff's mood due to the fact that my night shift manager, whom I had not met yet, has been fired...

He started the conversation by saying that there was no reason to worry...that
there was extra security on to oversee my new workplace...(there was no security
present when I went to work that night, by the way...)

This manager was a very long term employee...
I was to meet him and orient with him my first few weeks there...

Apparently he was being threatening as of late, and finally spit out the "big one"(very similar in my mind to saying the word "bomb" while standing in line at
an airport...)

He said that he was going to come up to work, bring his revolver, and "take some people out"...

Still don't know who he meant, but I've watched enough CNN/"Law and Order",to see that they usually just enter the department and blow everybody away and then themselves...

My boss added, "He doesn't even know what you look like"..

If that was suppose to be comforting, it SO wasn't..

It would be unusual for a whacked out nut to stop and say, "Hey, I don't know you, and wish you no harm, so please leave before the craziness starts..."

Nothing like the "first night jitters, eh?"

Anyway...never a dull moment...
On to other delights...

I have a psychotic patient right now, whom I took care of earlier this year at a different hospital.

At that time,I did not realize that he was psychotic, just knew that he was a little "different"...

He and his family were very, very kind and friendly to me...
Now after a traumatic surgery that none of us would want, he is full fledged
"NUTS TO THE MAX"...

Either he refused his needed medications or someone needs to adjust them (after
last night he is refusing ALL meds)

When I first heard about him in report, I did not recognize the name, but the therapist who gave me report on him, told me that he would not go in there anymore, because the patient was very abusive verbally to both the caregivers and his family.

At the time, I remember thinking, "you don't really have a choice, buddy, as the guy is on therapy..."

My first night to see this patient, was a couple of nights ago...I walked in, recognized him, and though he was quite strange, he seemed very "relieved" to
see me..

"Oh thank God you're here...someone that knows what they're doing", he remarked..

He then quickly followed that with, "Don't ask me anything...I cannot speak"
which, of course he could and was...(besides which, I wasn't asking him anything)

"Alrighty then", I thought...

I was quite surprised that he was the patient that I had taken care of before...
In the back of my head, I told myself, "he is treating everyone else horribly, and it is only a matter of time before YOU join the illustrious group of

"THE ABUSED CAREGIVERS"...

I also have ALWAYS believed that the "pedestal" is a very unlucky place to
be standing, as one always falls the hardest from that vantage point.

Last night, my premonition, or let's just call it "experience", proved to be all
too true...

There was a much unfortunate misunderstanding between his nurse and myself...
I was called to come up to see a patient who really needed me...
Unfortunately the nurse got the info wrong, and so I came up to see another
patient, who is always calling me to tend to him...

I did therapy with this patient, and after about a half an hour, came out to the desk and stayed out there for at least another 1/2 hour charting...

Suddenly the psychotic patient's wife, flung open his door and came out to the desk frantically saying to me..."DID YOU NOT KNOW THAT WE HAVE BEEN CALLING FOR YOU FOR TWO HOURS!!!???!!!???!!! WE TOLD THE NURSE TO CALL FOR YOU!!!!!DID YOU NOT KNOW?"

I of course told her that I did not, apologized, and was putting on my isolation gear and the wife, who knew me from before, said, "I know that you could not have known", which was true...

While I was putting on my gear to enter the room, I could hear through the door,
the screaming, not just from him, but the screaming between the two of them...

The night nurses glanced at me with pity, which is the first time they had shown any expression on their faces, other than disdain, since I have started working at this new place..

That's another story entirely, and I will not bore you with it.

Let's just say that the night nurses at my new job could use some "happy pills" or SOMETHING to make them appear more human...

(As it is, they are somewhat reminiscent of those that participated in the infamous "Zombie Parade" in Salem that I previously have blogged about...After
taking them all in for a couple of weeks, I KNOW that I've seen those faces
somewhere...Just hard to completely recognize them without their ghoulish makeup,
limping, and moaning...

Back to the "psychotic room"...

I entered...I had not even opened the door all the way, before the "FIRE OF WRATH"
came upon me like a "DRAGON IN HEAT"

I will not elaborate, but let's just say, that I tried my best to apologize for the misunderstanding, the wife told him "Nicole DID NOT KNOW!" several times, but none of this was listened to...

The patient DID need me to quickly alleviate a problem he was having, and making worse with his yelling, swinging, hysterical ranting, and I still went to his bedside and did what I needed to do to take care of his physical need at that
time...

I was not able to do this, without dodging and swaying, because this guy wanted to kill me AND his wife...

Have you ever seen a three year old screaming and swinging his arms and legs and throwing himself on the floor at a grocery store or somewhere?

Picture this scene with a grown man who also has a firm grasp on the very worst
of the English language, or slang I should say, who also wants to take those around him down, and you've got the picture...

Oh and then picture me, right next to the bed, doing my thing to help him breathe, swinging and dodging in and out of the bed...

I had to take off the gadget that lets him talk, and he was still yelling, though
could not be heard, and when his wife told him "you can't talk right now", well...that is where he really got ballistic...

Miraculously I emerged physically unscathed, and my gown and gloves helped me
out, still

I really don't appreciate having a nightmare with even more outrageous and
magnified images of this "scene" taking the star role.....

Too bad you can't decide what you're going to dream about...
Wouldn't THAT be cool?

Wonder if that will be possible in the future?
Kind of like renting a DVD, but you could rent a "dream" and somehow be able
to "play" it as you slept...

Bizarre?

Not out of the question, when you think of a cloned baby, etc...Stranger things
can happen even now...

I felt so sorry for this patient, and especially his wife, but on the other hand
I couldn't help but think,

"THEY REALLY DON'T PAY ME ENOUGH TO DO THIS!"

So...the beginning of my "orientation" to my new job has been, um, unusual, but
not boring...which is essential for a girl like me...

When I have come home in the morning, I have just fallen in bed, only to wake to
get ready and go back to this "dream job"...

There are other dynamics that make for an interesting first few weeks of my employment, but I feel that this is enough for the time being...

NOW FOR MY FOODIE FRIENDS, MY ABSOLUTELY BEST RECIPE IN THE WORLD FOR...

"MARINATED CHICKEN BREASTS"

This recipe is old, used many times, and is still, after trying many different recipes, the most delicious of all marinades....
Because of the fruit juice, it can have a tendency to burn, so watch it carefully, and remember that most people overcook their chicken.
Boneless chicken breasts cook very quickly, so try not to overdo it...
Anything over 5 minutes is too long...
I seriously think you will LOVE this recipe....

The taste is simply DIVINE!

Serves 6

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless breasts of chicken (6-7 ounces each)
46 ounces pineapple juice
16 ounces soy sauce
1 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 garlic clove, minced

Combine pineapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and garlic; mix until sugar is dissolved...

Pour marinade over chicken and let stand, refrigerated, for 24 hours, turning once and stirring marinade occasionally.

Remove chicken from marinade, drain and charcoal broil over medium fire for approximately 5 minutes. (of course you could grill it over gas, or other methods)

Serve on 6 inch hoagie rolls with romaine lettuce, red onion and tomato.

Of course you don't have to put it on the rolls...I usually don't...I serve it
along with sides...

This would also be great as just PART of your BBQ, along with ribs, steaks,
hamburgers, etc...OR
as the main star in a great salad with, hmm...maybe Ranch Dressing?
Or a great wrap?

You decide!

Hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

Wish you were here to go outside and grill it for me!

Oh well..
Later....
Nicole

CRAVING A STORMY SCRUMPTIOUS SUNDAY DINNER

I think that I shared with you guys earlier in a post, that working night shift
illicits a continuous craving for home cooked yummy meals...

Well, and obviously coconut as well!

The likelihood of you getting to eat a scrumptious meal is pretty slim...
(unless you have a *wife..more about that in a minute...)


If you are not working, you tend to be sleeping or lazying around..

You certainly find it hard to get into the whole "cooking event" that a
Sunday-type dinner requires...

I am a newbie though...Maybe I will figure all of this out soon/and or will
find more energy to do it in the near future..

(Oh, and I don't have to tell you that all the guys that are married come
to work with Tupperware bowls filled to the brim with "homemade goodies" that
their *wives cooked and packaged for them...)



WHERE IS MY *WIFE???

THE CHEF????

A "MADE FOR ME" PARTNER THAT IS A BRILLIANT COOK?

Okay...now I'm just going overboard..

Might as well ask "where's my Johnny Depp?"

Paleeeeese...



Well, today, I don't feel like cooking this scrumptious meal..(plus there is no one around to help me eat it..son had to work...)
That doesn't mean that I don't have the recipes and know how to do it..
Can't fool you guys...You KNOW better....

These are "Storm-proof Meals", unless all of your electricity goes out..
If that happens, it's "head for the breakfast bars"...

It has certainly been a stormy season so far...

This meal was developed keeping the "storm" possibility in mind..(hence no
need for the grill)

So...Here is what I would have to eat today, "Mother's Day", if there were
someone to cook for me (and forget about "tea-time" sandwiches...I WANT SOME
REAL FOOD!)

Most of you will recognize some of the recipes that I have previously posted at
Foodbuzz....(the ribs being one of the most popular that I have ever posted..Yes,
they're THAT good)

One of them is new...The "Honey Jalapeno Glazed Corn Muffins"...
Love that sweet and spicy combination...

Hope that you make this meal and enjoy it...
I will continue to fantasize about it


The only other suggestions for this meal, is that you add a green salad,
coleslaw, or a quick green steamed veggie that you like...

I did not add dessert, as I don't know that one would want it after this meal,
but I am a huge fruit packed Popsicle freak (the Whole Foods kind), so that would
be my "light" dessert suggestion.

ENJOY!!!

OUTRAGEOUS OVEN BBQ RIBS
(FROM MY RECIPE BOX)

SERVES 3-4 (Can easily be doubled)
5 TABLESPOONS SUGAR
3 TABLESPOONS HONEY
3 TABLESPOONS SOY SAUCE
1 TEASPOON SALT
2 TABLESPOONS KETCHUP
1 CUP HOT CHICKEN BROTH
4 LBS SPARERIBS ( BE SURE TO ASK THE BUTCHER TO TRIM FAT AND SEPARATE BACK BONE, AS THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP IN USING SPARERIBS…NO PROBLEM, THEY’LL DO IT…)

IN BOWL MIX ALL INGREDIENTS EXCEPT RIBS.
POUR MIXTURE OVER RIBS. (PUT THEM IN AN EXTRA LARGE ROASTING PAN.)
MARINATE IN REFRIGERATOR FOR 2 HOURS (MORE IF YOU LIKE, THOUGH NOT NEEDED)
BAKE AT 300 DEGREES FOR 3 HOURS, UNCOVERED, BASTING EVERY 30 MINUTES, AND
TURNING OCCASIONALLY.



HOT PEPPER CHEESE AND GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
(FROM "THE OLD HOUSE" RESTAURANT IN SANTE FE)

6 SERVINGS (WELL MAYBE…)

10 garlic cloves (unpeeled)

3 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 TBLSP. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup grated hot pepper Monterey Jack cheese
3/4 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wrap garlic in foil
Roast until tender, about one hour.
Peel, (wait until cooled then squeeze garlic cloves out of peel…)
Place in small bowl; mash with fork.

Cook potatoes in pot of boiling water until tender, about 25 minutes.
Drain.

Heat oil in same pot over medium heat.
Add garlic and shallots and saute’ for 2 minutes.

Add potatoes, and cook until potatoes begin to fall apart, stirring occasionally for about 6 minutes.

Mash potatoes in pot.
Mash in butter, then cheese and sour cream.
Season with salt and pepper.


SWEET CORN ON THE COB
(FROM FANNIE FARMER'S)

Just before cooking, husk the corn, pull off the silky threads, and cut out any blemishes with a pointed knife. Drop the corn into a large pot filled with boiling salted water. Cover the pot and let the water return to a boil again, then turn off the heat and keep the pot covered. After about 5 minutes, remove enough ears for a first serving. You can keep the remaining corn warm in the water for another 10 minutes without its becoming tough. Serve with lots of butter and salt.


HONEY JALAPENO GLAZED CORN MUFFINS
(FROM "FAMOUS DAVE'S BBQ")
SERVES ABOUT 8


1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup stone ground cornmeal
1 (9 ounces) package yellow cake mix
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Jalapeño Honey Glaze:
1/2 cup butter
1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded, finely diced
3 tablespoons red bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup honey
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Instructions:

Combine both cornmeals, cake mix, baking powder, salt and cayenne in
a bowl, set aside.

Combine milk, buttermilk, oil, eggs, brown sugar and honey in a bowl and mix well. Add to the Cornmeal mixture and mix gently - there should be no lumps, but do not over mix. Fold in the mayonnaise. Let rest, covered, in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 400° F. Spoon the cold batter into a greased muffin tin or a cast iron skillet. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean and the top is golden brown.

In the meantime, make the glaze by heating butter in a saucepan until melted. Stir in jalapeno and bell pepper. Bring to a simmer. Stir in honey and cayenne. Bring
to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
Drizzle over muffins/cornbread.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OF YOU MOTHERS!!!
YOU HAVE EVERY INCH OF MY RESPECT!!!
BEEN THERE...DOIN THAT!

"LOCKER LOONINESS" AND THE "LITTLE THINGS"

Thought I dropped off the earth?
To be honest, it has felt that way the last week..

I have been orienting on DAYS for my new job....
As you recall, I am now a NIGHT PERSON...
My equilibrium is out of whack...

I do my first orienting on night shift tonight..
It should be interesting...

Just finding a place to lock up my things appears to be "a challenge"
They don't have enough lockers...

No hospitals ever do...You would think that "lockers" were gold and contained
precious jewels...

Hospitals care about security for the patients, but when it comes to
the employees....well.....not so much...

I am continually cross examined as to WHY I "feel the need" to lock up my
belongings during my 12 hour shift...

This even led to a conversation this week about how my new coordinator does
not even lock her home...

Completely BIZARRE...Do these people not watch the news? Do they not receive
weekly fliers on their doors from the police department concerning new warnings
of crime and theft in their areas?

I do..

I chose a long time ago not to live in "never-neverland"...
Suppose these folks still reside there...

I have found from a lot of recent experience that because no one EVER cares about the "locker issue", one has to go about fixing it "on their own".

I was taken to my new department only once during the last few days of orientation.
I asked the day manager to help me with a locker...

He looked at the lockers (as if he has never noticed them), and said...
"Hmmm...I don't know...We don't really have enough..."

I saw where many (on days and nights) had big lockers to themselves...

How silly of me to think that those could be shared!!!....

I asked a couple of therapist present if they would "share" with me...

I told them that I carried my own lock and would remove it in the morning when
they came to work...

Both men looked at me as if I had asked them to leave their first born on
someone's front porch....

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" they declared with the confidence of "Kings of the Kingdom"

The Manager told me..."um..well most of these guys have been here a long time,
and they are NOT going to want to share their lockers..."

FOR GOD'S SAKE...DID THEY BUY THE LOCKERS THEMSELVES?

ARE THEY FILLED WITH DRUGS AND PORNOGRAPHY?

WHAT'S INSIDE OF THE LOCKERS THAT THESE MEN DO NOT WANT SEEN?

I am quite aware of what it is though...

It's the ol "That's my toy, and YOU can't play with it"

I know because I experienced this phenomenon before..

As I recall I was about 5 years old...

Ridiculous...

This hospital is not in the best part of town and leaving my stuff
in the car is not an option, so not sure what I will do....

"Well, honestly, I have worked here for 150 years, and NOTHING has ever been
stolen from me..."

(I hear this everywhere I go)

Talk to the hand...I am not the person to tell this to...I NEVER buy it...

It certainly has NOT been my experience...

I will utilize only ONE example...

The first trip that my then young son and I took to Disneyworld for 10 days!...
our luggage was stolen...NEVER to be retrieved...

Imagine having to buy clothes inside of Disneyworld..

A "world" where a small coke is $4.00.....

Also on that trip...my son goes into a park bathroom, and leaves his new precious "Mickey Mouse hat" on the sink (he was quite young, in his defense)...

Needless to say the "Mickey Mouse hat" was gone when he returned to the sink...

If I had NOTHING in my purse, it would be stolen, but in fact I DO carry my
credit cards, etc, because in a big city like this, and far from home,
YOU HAVE TO...

Sorry to go on and on about the "locker thing", but it does illustrate to me,
just how these "seemingly little things" are not really that "little" and DO
cause me concern, and frankly MORE than annoying feelings...

Furthermore, these "little things" are the reason for the ongoing inability to
submerge myself in "Meditation" and other helpful practices, that could help
calm down a relatively high stressed personality such as myself..

(Privately I've always maintained that a "meditational state" for a girl like me
is only possible during anesthesia or death....)


This "Locker Looniness" does not tend to make the "new person" feel welcomed...

Somehow I don't think that these "KINGS" care very much about that...

Heck, that's probably a practice that's "out of date"...

Who am I kiddin?

Next I'll be requesting the location of the ladies room!!!

(Whoa girl...settle down..)

Looks like a little "high maintenance" is at play here...

NOTE TO SELF...Figure out everything yourself..

Oh the JOYS of being the "new person"...

Wake me up when it's over...