Mazzou's New Year's Eve Fried Rice dish

Mazzou's Aromatic Fried Rice:

   I created this Asian rice dish based off of Mollie Katzen's aromatic fried rice recipe in The Enchanted Broccoli Forest! We love to eat it for New Year's Eve along with homemade cabbage rolls and egg roll filling, sweet and sour chicken bites and more!

Ingredients:
2 cups raw brown rice cooked in 3 cups water (with butter and salt to taste) until done- 20-30 minutes

Spice mixture:
1/2 cup pre-cooked unflavored sausage or ground beef
(or: tiny sausage or ground beef meatballs seasoned with below mentioned scallions, ginger, garlic and salt to taste)
1/2 cup wine vinegar
8 minced scallions
3-4 slices ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt to taste

1 Tablespoon peanut oil
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
2 large clove garlic, crushed
1 heaping teaspoon freshly minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/4/ to 1/2 cup white wine (to taste)
2 beaten eggs
1 large carrot, grated (shredded)
Plenty of black pepper!
3/4 cup chopped toasted cashews
Sesame oil, for serving

Steam rice.
Combine spice mixture and cooked meat in a small bowl; set aside.
Heat the oil in a wok or large heavy skillet. Saute the sesame seeds, garlic and ginger with the salt over medium heat for 3 minutes.
Add the celery and stir-fry for another 6-7 minutes.
Add the wine, and stir-fry for a few more minutes.
Add the rice and continue stir-frying a few minutes.
Add the sausage/spice mixture and the beaten eggs.
Mix in the grated carrot last, so as to not over-cook the carrots.
Stir-fry until everything is heated through and eggs are set.

Serve hot topped with the toasted cashews and drizzled with extra sesame oil.

Mazzou's Maple Granola-Crusted Chicken Breasts or Salmon filet

Maple granola-crusted chicken breast served salad-style

Maple granola-crusted chicken or salmon

  I first fell in love with cooking when I was just seven or eight years old and it didn't take me long to begin experimenting and creating my own recipes.  Now,  several years later I am known for my love of  dreaming up new ways to present the most classic foods. I find that chicken and salmon are two of the best foods to experiment with new and unique flavors and seasonings!

Maple granola-crusted salmon filet

 One of my more classic creations which is sure to please a variety of taste buds and which can be enjoyed year-round, is my newly-invented and perfected maple granola-crusted chicken breast or salmon filet....I promise you, from the first bite you will be delighted by the combination of flavors! 

Ingredients: 
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6.4 oz each) or 4 four-six ounce wild alaska salmon filets
1/4 plus 1/8 tsp. salt (or to taste; the goal is to sprinkle evenly over each piece of meat) 
1/4 tsp. pepper or to taste 
1 large clove garlic, crushed
2 Tablespoons melted butter (or olive oil)
1 Tablespoon tamari soy sauce
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 cup Golden Girl Forest Maple granola
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon butter or oil for browning meat. 

   Prepare meat 1-8 hours ahead: 
1. Gently pound out chicken breasts to about 3/4 inch thick, focusing mostly on the thick portion of the chicken breasts (skip this step if using salmon).
2. Sprinkle each breast or filet evenly with salt and pepper. Place meat in a 4 cup capacity glass dish or container. 
3. Mix together the garlic, butter, soy sauce and maple syrup. Pour over chicken breasts or salmon and cover dish tightly. 
4. Let chicken marinate at least a couple of hours; preferably overnight. Only let salmon marinate 1-3 hours.
   To cook meat: 
1. Prepare granola by separating 6 Tablespoons from the cup of granola; place in a plastic baggie and crush with a rolling pin. 
2. Pour the entire cup of granola (crushed and whole) in a shallow dish. 


3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs. 
4. Remove chicken breasts or filets from marinade, reserving marinade. Dip each chicken breast or filet first in the egg mixture, then in the granola mixture, pressing the granola into the meat (with the salmon, press into the pink fleshy side, not worrying too much about the skin side).

5. Heat olive oil or butter in a shallow frying pan on medium heat; gently brown each chicken breast in the oil. Add more oil to pan as needed to keep meat from sticking. Fry for about 2 minutes per side. Follow same directions for salmon, only fry skin-side down for 3 minutes without flipping.

(chicken breasts)

(salmon filet)

(chicken breasts browning)

6. Place golden-browned meat in a 9x13 baking dish, drizzle reserved marinade over and bake at 350° Fahrenheit  for about 20 minutes or until chicken temperature is 165° Fahrenheit. For salmon: bake at 350° Fahrenheit for 7 minutes or until meat flakes easily when cut with a fork.

pictured: 1 filet of salmon hot out of the oven!

 To serve: 
The maple granola-crusted chicken breasts or salmon filet can be served warm from the oven, drizzled with a honey mustard dressing and accompanied by a salad and roasted potatoes. Or, let chicken cool a little more and slice. Serve chicken slices on a bed of fresh green salad and drizzle with a honey mustard dressing.

(ready to eat: maple granola-crusted salmon!)

(hot and ready: one maple granola-crusted chicken breast with honey mustard sauce)

Book review: The First Principle by Marissa Shrock

The First Principle

Author: Marissa Shrock

This book is a winner! It makes my top 10 of 2014, I think (having read it in December 2014)!

I casually started it one afternoon and could not put it down! I completed it the following morning (it was hard to stop reading it just to go to bed, but I mastered that difficult task)! This futuristic novel is absolutely amazing. The author is not only an excellent writer, but she has this stellar story line which I am just blown away by. 

As I finished this book I realized I was left with some questions; not too many as to be confused and dissatisfied, but rather enough that I really hope the author is planning a sequel! (please!!!) 

Without life, there can be no liberty or pursuit of happiness. In this futuristic novel, changes have occurred to North America which are -unfortunately- imaginable. The United States of America has become the United Regions of North America in which many of our worst dreams have come about. The government has more control than ever, including the power to decide who can have children and who can't. Population management includes the rule that underage pregnancies be terminated immediately. Birth control for girls under 18 is mandatory and since teenage sex hasn't diminished but rather increased by this futuristic year, abortions are constant. There is, however a remnant of people fighting against all this wrong. They are known as the Emancipation Warriors who are primarily Christians. Vivica Wilkins, the main character in this book has no idea what she will be getting into when she starts forming personal convictions against the Population Management law. Ironically, Vivica is the daughter of the governor of her territory and, as you can imagine, is in a far-from-ideal situation for expressing opinions opposing that of the government. 

I have no desire to give the storyline away, so all I will say is that things progress rapidly in this novel! Vivica finds herself swept into a world of danger. Should she rely on the Emancipation Warriors in her time of need? Should she trust a group of people she formerly thought of as rebellious? Should she stand up against her own mother? 

This book is a strong stand against the evils a government can inflict. Well-written and exciting, the reader will not be disappointed. I was brought to tears at some points by the all-too-realistic situations. Most of all, I was inspired and convicted. This is a powerful book with a strong message and I can't wait to read a sequel!

For conservative readers: This book may not be appropriate for younger readers. 

Teenage sex is a major, although discreet, topic in this book. 

There are some violent and graphic moments in this book which may be too much for younger readers. However, I think it is excellent for teenagers on up!

DISCOUNT FOR A LIMITED TIME HERE

I received this book from Kregel publications in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!

Reviewing music for cash with Slice the Pie

Slice the Pie.com review....

''Slicethepie Ltd sent you $10.00 USD

Just thought you'd like to know Slicethepie Ltd sent you $10.00 USD.''

   This year I have been quite active in joining a variety of survey and/or reward sites. Its been awesome bringing in extra cash this way! 

Since I just successfully received my first payment of $10.00 from Slice the Pie.com I thought it would be a great time to share the news with all of you! 

1. What in the world is SlicethePie.com? 

It's quite a unique site where people who love music and writing reviews simply listen to 30 seconds of music and (hopefully speedily) form their thoughts into a critical review! If you have a good ear for music (and who doesn't?) and can type your thoughts quickly, this is an ideal way to earn extra cash! It's also ideal for multi-taskers (such as myself).

2. Each little review garners a few cents. As you advance up your scale of experience, you gain more per review. See this helpful article. 

3. I would recommend that you don't try reviewing the 10 minutes surrounding every beginning of an hour. Their system updates then and you may not get paid for the review you were entering. 

4. Last, but most importantly, the music on this site is ALL from budding musicians. Some have talent, many don't. Therefore your goal as a reviewer is to provide constructive criticism. Don't worry if you are not a music teacher; just provide thoughts as to what you, the listener experienced (good or bad) at different portions of the piece. 

Have fun!

  I was considering Slice the Pie as a low-reward company, and rightly so when you consider what a pittance 12 cents is. However, eventually, 12 cents and 8 cents and so on will add up to $10.00. As I discovered to my glee. Comparing SlicethePie with Swagbucks.com, SlicethePie isn't really bad at all. Considering that each swagbuck you earn through the latter program only equals 1 cent, earning 8-14 cents per review on SlicethePie isn't bad at all! This is a great option for multi-taskers (such as myself) and the bed-ridden!

In closing, I was waiting until being successfully paid before publishing this review. I have successfully received my first $10.00 in my PayPal account and therefore feel confident in recommending this program to you as well. 

Natural solution to orthodontic pain! How I naturally avoided pain during headgear treatment

Pain...
it's something we've feared since we were born! Nobody chooses to experience pain, yet it's constantly threatening us in even the smallest daily activities!
  Sometimes pain is accepted as a necessary side effect of a good thing. And in some instances that is true. Childbirth comes to mind. However, wouldn't it be great if we could do something to lessen some of the pain in our lives?
   I have many options, but the one I have been most recently relying on is...Cayenne pepper!
Although an adult, I recently got orthodontic braces and just this week began wearing headgear. To even my own surprise, I breezed through the first 15 hours straight without more than a little pain near the end of those hours! I have continued to don the unusual device and although I can tell my teeth are moving (tenderness is obvious), I have not really suffered any pain.
The reason this time? Cayenne pepper! For the 10 days preceding my orthodontic appointment, I downed 4 gelatin capsules of Cayenne pepper daily!
Cayenne has been proven to lessen sensitivity to pain. I cannot tolerate spicy foods, so I ingested the pills instead of flavouring my food daily with the spice.

Vitacost is our favourite place to purchase health supplements and herbs and spices! Sign up through our referral link and then search Cayenne pepper. You can buy the spice loose, and then add empty gelatin capsules to your order. Or you can purchase already capsuled Cayenne.
Choose what best suits your needs, and then add this beneficial spice to your daily routine!

Since I mentioned orthodontic care, I want to mention that cayenne in capsules is an excellent option for giving your child who is ''suffering'' orthodontic treatment! Not all children can tolerate heavily-spiced foods, yet many can swallow capsules, making this the perfect solution to their pain/discomfort.

Check back soon for more pain-related and health supplement-focused posts!

Free paper? YES! Get 3 free reams of paper from Staples by following these steps!

Three Free Reams of Paper at Staples – 

Right now you can get 3 FREE reams of paper from Staples.com!
If you have done such offers before, you won't be intimidated by the instructions below...I have not tried this out yet but it looks easy. Just keep this page open so you make sure you have the link to the rebate page ready. 

1. Add 3 Staples 8.5 x 11 Multipurpose Paper, 10-ream Cases $53.99 each to your cart!
Total = $161.97
2. Head to checkout
3. Select the “Pay with Visa Checkout” option to save $30 off $150 order
4. Pay $131.97 (+tax) Don't be frightened...follow next orders to save your money!
5. Submit for three-four $44 Visa Prepaid Cards

 via Easy Rebate for purchasing this paper

Final Cost FREE!

Kellog's rewards free points January 5th 2015

Have you joined Kellog's family rewards yet? It is another fun way to earn points to save up for small rewards! Although my family doesn't purchase many Kellog's items, there are often free codes being posted online and I have garnered a tidy amount of points on account of these codes. 

Sign up today, and enter these codes for 75 extra points!

Enter the codes KFRTHANKYOU25PTS and KFRTHANKYOU50PTS to receive 75 FREE Kellogg’s Family Rewards points. I’m not sure when these codes expire. Points can be redeemed for coupons, books, magazines, toys, sweepstakes entries, donations and more. 

Free energy bar samples

You can't beat free snacks....sign up for these ones in less than a minute!


QUEST NUTRITION FREE SAMPLE
Quest Nutrition energy bar! Choose from a variety of flavours.











ABBA PALEO FREE SAMPLE
Abba Paleo bar sample- choose from 3 flavours.

Free SPONGE hair ROLLER pack JANUARY 5TH 2015 only

 For JANUARY 5TH 2015 ONLY and while supplies last, ShotCost.com is offering new customers a FREE 6 pack of sponge hair rollers. 
   During the checkout process you will have to ‘like’ them on Facebook in order to complete checkout. 
No credit card is required. Offer is good 1/5/15 only, while supplies last.