Song of the Day: I Feel Good by James Brown

Dearest Readers,

I hope everyone is staying healthy, happy, and enjoying SOME of the newfound freedoms we’ve been allowed to enjoy over the past few weeks/ months. While I know it’s not like the life we knew prior to March, I’m happy to have the choice to go out and do things.

I have to confess something… I’m drinking coffee again. *insert epic forehead slap, sheepish shoulder shrug, and massive sigh here*

I successfully quit coffee for about a month and a half; then COVID and the world went crazy and shut down. My alter ego has a job that can be quite stressful, but she enjoys most aspects of it. When COVID happened, her job, like most “traditional” work places, ended up having to be boosted forward about 10+ years into modern day tech society. Tech is an accepted utility in her workplace, but not mandatory… SOOO- a lot of people ended up getting a robo wakeup call that they were hoping wouldn’t (ever) happen. So having a little bit of that sneak peak, let’s just say that the day job encouraged the cravings for the sweet, sweet nectar that is Stok Cold Brew mixed with my sweetener from Whole Earth Sweetener Co.

I believe it all started towards the end of March, the denier in me says it was April. Believe me, I’ve tried, SO hard to quit multiple times since then, but… everyone has their vices and if this is my worst one- I totally embrace and accept it!

I’ve really been benefiting from some of the healthier benefits of coffee, actually. I drink no more than 12 ounces, most mornings; I’ll drink 24 ounces if I really feel the need. I just went on a coffee buying binge last week and bought one of my old favorites: Blue Island “High Tide” cold brew pouches, and then the Starbucks shelf life cold brew in a plastic bottle… Please don’t tell me how many additives are in that… (I had two coupons that made them that much more tempting, don’t judge). I actually really enjoyed the caramel one, to my surprise. I don’t like caramel unless it’s the creamy, gooey ones that are homemade, it’s part of a praline, salted and covered in dark chocolate, or the salted caramel macarons from The Magical Macaron…. I’m open to people attempting to convince me otherwise though!

            I also feel like coffee is a good social thing too, although most places carry really good tea selections. I’m friends with a few coffee connoisseurs that always have something fun to share in terms of coffee and conversation. I somehow feel that coffee will probably always be here to stay, especially when most of the international borders open up again! There are some amazing countries out there that specialize in their coffee and it shows!

            Ok, so a little back story on this: I traveled to Europe for the first time in 2016(ish) and was drinking my diet sodas like water around then, too. BUT most of the hotels we stayed at didn’t have soda on hand, they had coffee or espresso instead. SO- I made do, and I’m so glad I did! Can we just say mind blown? I can’t drink espresso stateside, but when in Italy… I guarantee that you cannot get bad espresso or coffee there. We stayed in a few other countries too, but Italy’s coffee was most memorable. If anyone wants to try to change my mind about stateside espresso, be my guest! I always welcome a new learning experience!

Coffee in Mexico is phenomenal, too. I frequent Mexico, usually the Cancun/ Riviera Maya region, and love staying in the all-inclusive resorts. I also always get teased for asking for iced coffee anywhere we stay, why? Because Mexican coffee usually has a hint of chocolate and cinnamon in it! It literally makes my taste buds dance and my brain just melt like an ice cube, it’s THAT good.

I miss travelling! I am looking forward to the days when we can travel at will and go explore the world again! Til then, coffee and tea in hand…

Much love,  

Moi

P.S. I am not getting paid by any of these entities. I am linking them so that you’ll know what I prefer and if you want to enjoy them too, you can! Cheers!

 I, personally, like the chicken grilled; it doesn’t dirty as many dishes and it’s just as juicy. I will do the oven roasting if I’m in a time crunch and need to do other things at the same time. Now, I am not making any money from the products I recommend; but only recommending them because they taste damn good. Seriously.

Ingredients are, as follows:

3-4 Chicken breasts (thighs and tenders will work too)

4 tablespoons of olive oil (I use Central Market’s EVOO from Umbria, Italy)

1.5 tablespoons Spike Seasoning ($4.11 from HEB or you can find various sizes and prices on Amazon)

2 teaspoons (or to taste) Tony Chachere’s Original Cajun Seasoning

• I like a little kick in the back of the throat with the spice, so I use a maximum of 2 tsp.

1 tablespoons dark brown sugar (optional for those watching their carb intake)

• You can use light brown sugar, if that’s all you have on hand, but I prefer the dark brown because it gives it just a taste of sweet, but nuttier flavor because of the amount of molasses in the sugar. It compliments the spices better.

Oven Roasted Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit.
2. Take the chicken out of the packaging and either put it between two pieces of saran wrap or put two breasts in a gallon plastic storage bag.
   • I use the storage bag method, as I can toss the seasonings in the bag and shake it up without getting my hands dirty.
3. Once the chicken is in the plastic, take a meat tenderizer (it looks like a medieval torture device) and get your stress relief by pounding the chicken until it’s about 1/8^th of an inch thick (kinda skinny, but still curvy).
   • Put your favorite bass heavy song on and groove while tenderizing and getting your stress out. I recommend a song that makes you happy and makes you sing or dance or both; you’ll feel goofy, but the stress you felt a minute ago will disappear.
     • If you don’t have a meat tenderizer, a rolling pin, or a hammer, or the bottom of an empty bottle of wine, or some other heavy, unbreakable (and shatterproof) object will work just fine, too.
4.  When you’re done tenderizing the chicken, let it take a break. Put the Olive Oil on the chicken and massage the chicken, covering all of it– it will thank you later.
5. Take your Spike and Tony Chauchere’s and give it a good mix. Add your brown sugar, if you like a little sugar with your spice. (It’s really good either way, trust me!) Taste the seasoning and make sure the spice is good for your palate, add more if you want. The Cajun seasoning can be surprising sometimes, so I always err on the side of less.
6. Sprinkle the seasoning on the chicken, a teaspoon at a time. To evenly distribute the seasoning, massage the chicken with the seasoning.

7. Take a baking sheet and line it with foil; place your chicken on the foil and then put it into the oven for 16- 20 minutes. Use your best judgement on timing and, if you have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the chicken should read 160°+Fahrenheit. The juices will be clear and the meat, itself, should be white and not pink.

8. You’ll need to let the chicken rest for a few minutes before diving in and eating it.

Grilled Method:

1. Warm your grill up to about 350° Fahrenheit (about 5-10 minutes with a gas grill).

2. Follow Steps 2- 6, above. Tenderizing is optional, as the chicken will still be as juicy as advertised.

3. Transfer the raw chicken to a plate and walk out to your grill. Make sure the grill is clean; then, place the raw chicken on the grill.

4. Cover, and wait, for 2-3 minutes depending on the size of the meat you’re grilling. You will flip the meat after 2-3 minutes, and do the same for the other side (Side B).

• This will give you a good sear on both sides, allowing the juices to stay inside the meat.

5. Once 3 minutes is up, flip it back to side A for about 4-6 minutes.

• Side A should be a good golden brown and the meat itself will be mostly white on that side.

10. Flip it to Side B, and leave for about 4-6 minutes.

• You will know the meat is done when you cut each piece at the thickest part and it is white on the inside. If it is pink, leave the meat on the grill, but flip back to side A for about 2-3 minutes.

When you’re done with each of these steps, enjoy your chicken with rice and a side veggie!

I recommend forbidden rice (black rice) and oven roasted brussels sprouts or broccoli!

Oh, and if you have a picky eater in the family—this is a MAJOR hit with them too! I made it like I always do for my favorite picky eater- I got a 10-star review and several minutes of “Yummm”, “This is damn good.”, and “Can you make it again?”—all in one breath! So, I make this chicken frequently in my household! Picky eaters can enjoy with mac and cheese, plain rice, or whatever side dish they prefer!

Bon Appetit!

Much Love, Moi

P.S. Always, ALWAYS, Always wash your hands after, and during the process of, handling any raw meat or cooking food.

Song of the Day: “Feel This Moment” by Pitbull (feat. Christina Aguilera)

Can I just say, Pitbull is an incredible person? After attending a concert of his, not too long ago, it literally changed a lot of how I think. The man is an inspiration and just exudes so much positivity that he doesn’t need the LED lights; he could glow on his own. Ok, maybe that’s a stretch, but seriously… you HAVE to go watch him in concert or at least just watch his videos online. He is just an amazing and inspirational person all around.

Ok- enough fan girling…

I see that Sassy took over my blog, she did well! What a sneaky McSneakerson- love my furry little girl to pieces, though. She is actually about 10 years old now and tries her best to hide it, but we both are feeling our ages lately. I’ll pretend I didn’t see the post and see what other things she decides to write. Whodathunk my dog is a writer, too?!

I’ve decided that I’m not going to write about current circumstances that have turned millions of lives upside-down/sideways/into a spin cycle. I feel that enough people are doing that, already. BUT- I am going to do my best to distract you from chaos, in a positive way, one post at a time. How does that sound?

Oh, and the picture of the daisy? (I think it’s a daisy.) No significance, just something friendly and happy for you to look at.

Read on, for my first (documented) cooking adventure!

Much love, Moi

Song of the Moment: “Who Let the Dogs Out?” by Baha Men

My human left this glowing screen open and I got curious. She’s doing work on another computer, so while I figure out how this works…. Oh! I think I got it. I saw a squirrel in my back yard today, I have named him Fred. He’s quite a chatterbox, he’s also quite fluffy… I bet he weighs a lot. He’s nice, but skittish.

My human has been home for the ten sunrises and sunsets, this is NOT normal. She’s been cleaning rooms I’ve never seen the inside of. She keeps walking around and putting things in the trash and dancing and singing. I’m wondering if she’s sick. I sniffed her earlier, while she was asleep. She smelled fine. My male human, that she calls husband, has been home. He smells fine too. I shall report back with my findings. She is dusting things I’ve never seen before, she found them in one of the closets and they look like weird boxes. She made a grunting noise, so I’m guessing they’re heavy. This was yesterday. We have lots of dance parties and karaoke sessions together, I remember we used to do a lot of those. I can’t say that my human is the best singer, but if it makes her happy. I like to dance, it’s fun. My human smiles a lot when we do it, I shall wait until it’s time to dance again.

Today, she is working on another computer and chatting with people I can’t see. Is this what humans call ghosts? She did the same thing a few sunrises ago on her tiny screen and I heard my name, but it wasn’t coming from my human! I tried sniffing the device, but it just smells like my human. This is a mystery I must solve.

We went outside together to , “Stretch our legs.” As my human says. The weather is nice, I’ve been enjoying sunbathing on our nice cool patio. Fred comes to say hi too.

That’s all for now, I hear my human coming up the stairs. I shall report back later.

Sassy XO

Song of the Day: Me Too by Meghan Trainor

The Steeping Room’s Imperial Jasmine tea is by far my MOST favorite jasmine tea. It isn’t as bitter green as some jasmine tea’s that are out there. It has a beautiful sweet and earthy aroma and is perfect by itself– no sweeteners needed, IF you steep it as directed. Don’t have a Steeping Room near you? HEB has my second favorite jasmine tea under their “Cup of Joy” it is also my favorite “on the go” tea at work and has a similar sweet and earthy aroma and is also perfect all by it’s lonesome.

My song that literally got my blood pumping and my feet grooving today is “Me Too”. Meghan Trainor is definitely someone I would love to meet. Her music speaks volumes and almost always gets me (and countless others) moving and grooving to her music. That’s the goal right? Consider it accomplished!

Ok- my latest adventure is quitting… coffee. I know, I know, it’s sacrilegious! But let me tell you where I’m coming from:

About 11 plus years ago, I used to only drink tea and water. IF I wanted a soda, I would get a regular sugar Dr. Pepper or something. (I’m a native Texan, by the way… Dr. Pepper is practically in our blood.) I would always look forward to visiting my paternal grand parents because I was allowed all the Dr. Peppers to my heart’s content (usually about one per day). Granted, I would still really only want water, tea or Mr. Grape Kool-Aid.

10 years ago I was introduced to diet soda. I enjoyed Diet Coke, but LOVED Diet Dr. Pepper. So- I kept drinking it, then I kept drinking more and more. Until one day I realized I was drinking TWO liters of diet soda PER DAY. This realization happened about 6- 7 years ago… I attempted to quit, cold turkey… but that was an awful experience. Quite literally the sweats, chills, brain fogginess of an addiction that I didn’t think was an addiction. During this whole thing, I am still drinking water and tea like a fish.

Flash forward a year and I started only drinking 4-5 cans of soda a day. This is an improvement! Then we travel forward a couple more years and I kicked most diet soda to the curb (I still enjoy the occasional one (i.e. Diet root beer or Diet Dr. Pepper/ Coke in a pinch)). Yay!

Well, I began substituting coffee for soda. There could be worse vices…. I think I was ready to kick diet soda, and it’s chemicals, to the curb but not the caffeine.

I originally started with hot coffee, something like HEB’s Café Ole San Antonio and Houston blends. This was great, but still wasn’t a fan of hot coffee. Too bitter. I then discovered cold brew! Cold brew is actually made similarly to tea, coffee grounds are essentially steeped in cold water for 12-24 hours. It’s less acidic but much more caffeinated than regular hot coffee. I actually make my own! It’s really easy to do and GREAT for busy people who want to make something, then just forget it! I am definitely one of those busy people!

What I usually have is a 2-3 gallon beverage container, cold water and then my favorite cold brew mix. I like to mix mine up, I generally like Blue Island “High Tide” cold brew pouches (which is SUPER convenient, especially if I just want ONE cup!) and Bizzy Brew’s “Smooth and Sweet” cold brew grinds. I bought a cloth cold brew bag, on Amazon, to put in my container and will generally let my coffee steep overnight for about 8-12 hours. It’s delicious and I love having it every morning, especially in my line of work!

I totally experience the coffee headaches when I don’t have it, so that’ll be another fun adventure for me to suffer with… silently. I am quitting coffee because my ultimate goal is to go back to just tea and water. I am working on being healthier and just overall a lot nicer to my body. It is the only one I’m getting in this lifetime!

I am not getting paid or in any way advertising for any of these recommendations, just recommending these amazing products because they taste good. If any of you readers want to try something new, these are some GREAT products! Feel free to let me know your thoughts and opinions on them!

Anyways- I begin my coffee “detox” in the next week; it’ll definitely be an adventure! But totally worth it in the long run!

Goodbye coffee- Thanks for helping me kick another vice to the curb during our time together. It’s been a great adventure with you!

Much love and in health, Moi