She Knocked It Out of the Ballpark!!

My admiration for Hillary Clinton and her ability to deliver a speech was reconfirmed again last night at the Democratic National Convention.

She has an amazing ability to speak with poise, eloquence and clarity. She is able to connect with her audience and last night she spoke to one of the most diverse.

She follows with exact precision all of the things one is taught in public speaking courses. She is an expert at keeping an open face, appropriately using pauses, gesturing effectively, and maintaining a rhythmic flow of words.

I am motivated and inspired to hopefully someday become an ounce as good as she is. (I get a lot of practice at work.)

She has a gift and she has mastered this art.

Thank you Hillary and I hope to have the privilege to contintue to learn from you.

Ya gotta love it......... :)

Summer Salads

I hosted a dinner party on Friday night and my theme was "Summer Salads". The menu consisted of:

Tomato & Mozzarella
Mexican Corn Dip / Salad
Chicken Salad
Pasta Turkey Salad
Broccoli Cornbread
Chocolate Sheet Cake
Black Cherry Sangria

Here are the recipes:

TOMATO & MOZZARELLA
ingredients:

Mozzarella Ball

Tomotoes

Olive Oil & Vinegar Dressing

Basil Leaves

Thinly slice the cheese & tomatoes. Alternate slices of cheese & tomatoes on a dish. Drizzle with olive oil & vinegar dressing. Sprinkle with basil leaves.
For parties, I usually cut the tomato & cheese into small cubes or triangles and serve them on toothpicks. Alternate tomato & cheese with about 4 pieces on the toothpick. It makes for a nice, colorful presentation.

MEXICAN CORN DIP / SALAD

2 cans Fiesta / Mexican corn (drained)
1 carton sour cream
1 cup mayo
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 tbsp chili powder
jalepenos, chopped - to taste

Mix all the ingredients and serve with tostato chips.

To make it more of a salad, add fritos to the mix.

(Meme's serving bowl)














This picture does not show how truly yummy this is.
It's a great dip to take to a party. People love it!!



CHICKEN SALAD (recipe by June K.)

I wanted a very simple recipe, nothing fancy, with few ingredients. June gave this to me a few years ago. It's very yummy and people always want the recipe!














1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2-3 green onions
1/2 envelope Ranch Salad Dressing Mix (not dip mix)
1 cup mayonnaise
pepper
















Boil chicken then shred it.
Combine the dressing mix with the mayonnaise.
For the dressing mix, it's approximately 1/2 envelope per pound of chicken.
Add the green onions & pepper.
Stir in the chicken.
For parties, I serve on either a croissant or potato roll.



PASTA TURKEY SALAD (recipe by Mel)

1 box Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad classic pasta salad mix
1/2 cup poppy seed dressing
1 1/2 cups cubed turkey (I buy 2-3 thick slices in deli then cut into cubes)
3/4 cup halved red grapes
1/2 thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted














Empty pasta into saucepan with boiling water. Gently boil uncovered 12 minutes. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Shake to drain well.

In a large bowl, stir together seasoning (from pasta box) and dressing. Add pasta and remaining ingredients. Toss to combine. Better if chilled before serving.

(decorative bowl gift from Jackie)


BROCCOLI CORNBREAD (recipe by Mel)














2 pkgs corn muffin mix
10 oz. frozen broccoli - thawed (I rinse under cool water)
1 cup cottage cheese
4 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted

Mix the ingredients and pour into a 9" X 13" baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.


BLACK CHERRY SANGRIA

1 bottle red wine
1 cup orange juice
1 cup black cherries, pitted and halved
3/4 cup grenadine syrup
1/2 cup grand marnier















Combine all the ingredients and stir well.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours but best if overnight.
I like to put mine in the freezer about 4 hours before serving so it is slushy.
Serve over ice.
Makes about 8 glasses.

Lake LBJ

See my vacation blog for pics.

Visit from the LJ Crew

YAY! The LJ Crew came back!! Last summer we did Dallas and this summer we did Ft. Worth. Friday we spent the day in Plano and went to the Fox Sports Grill at The Shops at Legacy.

On Saturday, we went to the uniquely texan Stockyards in Ft. Worth. The streets are lined with saloons, restaurants, souvenir shops and western wear stores. It's home to the famous Billy Bob's of Texas and the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. We had lunch at a great steakhouse called Riscky's. The Cattle Drive had much to be desired, but I guess as native Texans since we've seen it and done it before in natural settings, the herd seemed sluggish. The highlight of the Gunfight Show was seeing Blake jump like an Olympic high jumper when the first shot was fired.

Our next stop was to the Texas Christian University (TCU) campus. Our group loves to visit college campuses so this was a highlight for sure! The tall trees that tower over the academic buildings and residence halls are a stand-out feature of this campus. We were so impressed with the identical architecture of the old and new buildings. The campus spreads over 268 acres and has an enrollment of 8,900 students.

After withstanding the blistering heat of 102 degrees on a day spent mostly outdoors, we drove back to my house and either jumped in the pool, took a cool shower, watched tv or all of the above. We had take-out fajitas from La Hacienda Ranch. The BEST beef fajitas! As geeky as it may seem, our Saturday night entertainment was watching the Dave Ramsey Show. Not only does he provide great financial advice, he is hilarious!!

Enjoy our pics!
(To view at own pace, click each picture; for slideshow, click play.)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

New Car
After 10 years and nearly 200,000 miles, it was time to give up my Acura and get a new car. Yesterday I purchased a 2008 Honda CRV.

Happy 30th Birthday DIA !!

Dia turned 30 on June 16th and we went to Pete's Dualing Piano Bar to celebrate. Not since my days living in Austin have I been to a piano bar. Now I remember why my friends & I used to go to Ivory Cats almost every weekend. If I have to miss the Young and the Restless marathon on Soap Net, this is the only other way I'd like to spend a Saturday night.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

"Sex and The City"
Movie Premiere

I was part of movie history on Friday, May 30. I did not realize I would be part of history until after history was made.

For our May outing, the Girls Dinner Club decided to dine at the Studio Movie Grill to watch the much anticipated "Sex and the City" movie. As I entered the lobby, I was blown away at what a big deal this was. Short of shopping at the annual Harold's Tent Sale, I can't say I have ever seen so many women packed in to 1 place at 1 time. Yes, you guessed it, women were dressed to the nines, full make-up & hair, high heels, drinking cosmopolitans, giggling, taking pictures. It hit every point in the Websters Dictionary of a "Girls Night Out". (Meanwhile, I schlepped in wearing capris & flip flops, hair up in a clip, tired after work all week, really just wanting to watch the movie - not realizing I was entering "an event".)

I was a big fan of the HBO series and continue to watch re-runs. I purposefully did not listen to or read any movie reviews. I wanted to watch it without any preconceived notions or expectations.

The movie was GREAT and I want to see it again! The best part of it for me was it was like seeing 4 old girlfriends. I was so tangled in the lives of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda & Samantha during the series, the movie was like taking a trip to see them and catching up on lost time. It saddens me that the movie was my last visit with them but I know it has to end somewhere and it's best to end while you're still fresh.

During any "Sex and the City" conversation, the most commonly discussed question is, "Which girl are you most like?" For me, take a guess. Scroll to the bottom for the answer.

Old Friends: Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, Samantha


New Friends:
Teresa, Lynn, Ashley, Julie, Veronica, Coleen, KV
(not pictured is Adriana)


The Answer: Charlotte (without a doubt; there is not even a close second or a mix of any 2 characters)