Tortuga–adventures in Punta Cana have started–Macaws included!


The group of 8, myself included, arrived yesterday, via ways of Newark, New Jersey airport! We arranged this vacation some months ago and it has come to fruition! I am the youngest of the group and my grandfather is the senior adventurer at a few months shy of 90!

Yesterday, upon arrivel in the evening, we all checked in to our prospective rooms and got ourselves set up and met up for dinner at the all inclusive resort.

The “first” day on the restort, I spent the bulk of it on Tortuga beach at the enclosed resort–which included playing with a local Macaw and got a beach side pedicure–from a beach pedicurist–an absolute delight and much needed–which inspired my grandfather to also get his feet worked on–we both were calloused and crunchy but when our lovely lady was finished, we became beach worthy!

The other’s in my group decided to spend the day in the pool with the swim up bar and live entertainment, about 1 block away–and enjoy the full amnenities of the resort.

Super Veggie Tiki Masala–over pasta–easy and filling


1 16 oz box of Rotini Pasta, Cooked to package directions, Al Dente

8 oz, raw mushrooms, sliced

1 large Red or Yellow bell pepper, corred and sliced into thin strips

1 yellow onion, peeled and choppped small

1 Jar Tiki Masala Sauce (I really like the kind from Aldi)

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 tablespoon Coconut oil

*You can use really any vegetables you like, I just happened to use the veggies I got from a friends garden and/or on managers special

Saute veggies briefly in coconut oil with the curry powder for 5 minutes,then add the jar of Tiki Masala Sauce

Serve over hot pasta,top with Mozzerrella or Feta Crumbles

Start to finish takes about 20 minutes, great last minute meal ideas

Garden Goodies makes Eggplant Parmesan


My Sweetness, along with his mother and abuelita (little grandmother) have a delightful garden at their house this year and have bestowed upon me a lovely variety of garden fresh produce and “farm” fresh eggs (yard fresh really with their awesome flock of ladies.) So, what is a girl to do but make a veggie meal out of it!

1 bunch of scallions, large bell pepper, large eggplant

1 jar of Marinara sauce (if you can make it from scratch, kudos!)

1 cup of Cornmeal flour

4 eggs

1 bag of shredded mozzarella or sliced provolone

Coconut or olive oil

Seasoning/spices of your choice

Slice up the scallions and bell pepper into “spears”

Have and slice the eggplant into 1/3-1/2 inch slices, trying to make the thickness as uniform as possible for even cooking

Layer bottom of baking dish with a bit of marinara and half of the bellpepper and onions with about 1/3 jar of marinar

Dip each piece of eggplant into egg wash and cornmeal flour twice and lightly fry on both sides until lightly brown in olive or coconut oil

Layer eggplant on top of first layer of veggies, top with cheese

layer another round of veggies, marinara and eggplant

Top with remaining marinara, a bit of salad and remaining marinara sauce, bake for 30-45 minute as 350 degrees Fahrenheit, until cheese is toasted and melted on top and dish is hot completely through.

If you prep this in an aluminium take away dish or baking tin, you don’t have to bake it immediately but can freeze it as a meal prep for later–bakes nicely from frozen or can be shared as a welcoming dish, a freezer meal for the expectant parents, a warm meal for a loved one recovering or just as a special treat for someone and the aluminium toss pass never needs to be cleaned or returned! (No need for the church ladies to write their name and phone number on the bottom anymore!)

I like to lightly sprinkle McCormick Grill Mates “roasted garlic and Herb” seasoning between each later for a little extra pizzaz. Happy Cooking!

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A Co-Worker in Need–Help Nicole Maneri Overcome Medical Crisis


 Nicole Maneri is a fellow co-worker and our manager has set up a GoFundMe to help Nicole out.. She had an unexpected medical emergency and has been hospitalized. She was admitted with Mxydema Crises along with a kidney and liver infection. She has been at the hospital for a week and will continue to be there next week. She has 2 young boys that she has to provide for and will not have income coming in for 2-3 weeks. Please help me raise money so she can feed her children and pay her bill-even $5 would help!

Help Here!

A Walk along the boardwalk–a picnic in the evening sun at Larry W. Abernathy Waterfront Park, Clemson, S.C.


A lovely and delightful way to enjoy Spring time in Upstate South Carolina–Clemson hosts a lovely waterfront park, just off of Tiger Boulevard (parking is easily done at the local Wendy’s and the trail head is just a 1/2 block away!)

The trails are all marked and either paved or done with a board walk style, offering many picnic tables and benches and hanging swings over beautiful docks and more! I witnessed many couples and groups of friends using the lovely accomodations along the trail!

I walked a total of 40+ minutes, taking a little break in the sunshine to get some sunshine on my very winter white legs, while I enjoyed a picnic that I purchased at Wendy’s-I chose the $5 grab bag (with a slight upcharge for a larger drink!)

The breeze was blowing lightly off of the Lake while I enjoyed watching the fishermen ply there talents and skills from their boats, thoroughly enjoying the light refreshing days of Clemson, S.C.

Pesca-Veggie Curry–Feeds 2-4 people for Cheap-Homemade for the Win


A super easy meal to make–with very common, often in household ingredients (and if you purchase ingredients, the items not used can be used in other stuff easily!)

1 large yam, washed and coarsely chopped

2 big carrots, peeled and shredded/chopped

1 medium purple onion, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (creamy or chunky, doesn’t matter)

1 tablespoon Curry Powder

1 tsp each, dried ginger, black pepper, Garam Masala, sea salt

1 tablespoon coconut oil

3 Tilapia Filets (I like the frozen ones from AlDI)

4 cups of cold water

Put everything in a large, deep skillet or medium sized pan, except fish

Simmer and stir for 10 minutues, put the fish on top, cover and let simmer for 40-45 on medium heat until fish is done and veggies are soft/cooked through. Mix well to break up fish and incorporate everything together.

Can be eaten as is or served over cooked rice. If eaten as it, serves 2-4, if served over rice, served 6-8.

+Can be altered to be vegetarian or vegan by eliminating the fish!

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Day Light Savings: Springing Forward with a Picnic on the Twelve Mile River, Cateechee, South Carolina


The days are growing longer and springing forward with the time change today extends the sunshine, albeit cutting an hour of sleep off. What’s a person to do but to catch the rays on the riverbanks and perhaps rock out to the humms of the rapids.

While seeking a different venue (my digital map wasn’t working properly) I came upon the river and it’s idealic location, simply because Lay Bridge Road is closed/blocked off, allowing a pseudo parking area to be created and locals/adventureres to enjoy the serenic setting. Catechese Dam on lay bridge road is also a minor historical site as well.

I stopped by the local store and chose a few items for a picnic, sticking my purchase in a re-usable small shopping bag as I don’t currently own an actual picnic basket and the durable bag makes it easy to carry my food items to and from the site (plus, the handles don’t dig into my fingers, especially important when carrying items on an adventure!)

While I am a fairly skilled person I realized that hunting and gathering for my food isn’t really conducive for feeding myself, packing a picnic is a very affordable way to eat well without breaking the bank or spending a small fortune on take-out (my entire picnic would have easily fed 2-3 people for less than $8 total.) I usually pack a bit extra–in case I stay out a bit longer than expected, meet a new friend, etc-one may never know what excitement adventures lead too and who doens’t like good snacks and food to eat and share?

The weather has been dreary, grey rainy skies lately and with a clear, sunshine filled cool day, it was a lovely adventure to enjoy the river and lay on the banks and soak in the sun, eat my picnic and enjoy the sounds of nature serenade me with their melody. A special treat? A group of 4 kayakers paddled by with their colorful paddles and head gear on!

A little video I snapped of the river, about 1/4 mile from the historical damn sign

Easy Homemade Chicken and Rice soup


Hot homemade soup is great for any occasion and why not make it easy on yourself and your wallet?

2 cups of leftover chicken, diced (or 1 large can of chicken breast)

2 chicken boulion cubes

1/2 cup of dry white rice

2 carrots, peeled, and diced

lemon zest (dried or fresh)

sea salt and pepper

1 tsp dry basil

1 tsp minced garlic (I like the jar stuff)

1 small green bell pepper, cored, and diced

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 small onion pealed and diced or 4 green onions, snipped, and diced

a few white mushrooms, washed, diced (optional)

Large Pot, filled with 2-3 quarts of good, clean cold water

Dump all ingredients in the pot and let simmer for roughly 45 minutes. Enjoy!

*on a side note, instead of using canned chicken and boullion, my sister boils the whole leftover rotissiere/baked chicken, saving the broth for the base of chicken soup and cleans the leftover meat off the bones once removed from the pot after boiling. Either method is easily used!

Easy Chicken and Veggies pot–a quick, hot meal for a cold day


Super easy and takes very little time!

1 small can of chicken breast, drained

1 medium bell pepper (I used a green one), seeded and chunked

2 green scallion, cleaned up and chunked

1 tsp of flax seed

1 tsp of Tony Satchere’s seasons (or any season of your choice)

1 large can of yellow kernal corn, drained

Put everything in a medium sized pan and simmer for 10-15 minutes on a low-medium heat and enjoy! Serves 3-4 people. It’s less than $6 for the whole pot, pretty darn affordable to feed people!

The Beautiful Joining of Two Hearts-The Margaret Johson and Christoper McCann Wedding


The Joining of two hearts!

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Christoper McCann!

The wedding was officiated by Pastor Stephen Oelhafen (also the bride’s brother-in-law) at St. John’s Lutheran Church, with a lovely, heart felt-Ceremony!

The couple met in college and found love, may they enjoy many many decades of bliss together!

The happy couple dancing at their reception