Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Tiny pleasures...

laurencecollection@etsy.com







I have a friend in Kansas City.  She is from France and brings back wonderful beads every time she returns home to the U.S.  
She makes earrings that are  whimsical and artsy.  
I am  amassing her entire collection, I believe.  I hang them in my bathroom on the edge of a brass tray.  Everyday I look at them and  enjoy her styles, colors, and designs.

Life is always changing...

This past week has been quite interesting as far as long term life decisions go! For those of you who don't know, my husband is a Respiratory Therapist who recently decided to start going back to school to become a Physician Assistant. The plan was to only work PRN (only when needed, or when he wanted to work, instead of full time) and then to go to school full time. The school he planned to go to is a 50 minute drive or so from our house and he would basically have to start over again, because they did not take many of his previous credits.

As far as I was concerned, this past month has been quite hard on me emotionally. I felt like what I wanted to do in life was on hold, while waiting for him to finish school (again :p) with me working full time for insurance and bills.

Then last week I got a text message from David while he was at work saying that someone on night shift had resigned and if he should talk to his boss about possibly going to nights? Wow, that would be a change!! However, it also seemed like God had sent us a compromise to the problem we had been struggling with.

So after much discussion and prayer, David decided today to make the switch. He will still be working what is considered PRN, as needed, but will be filling in the gaps on night sift instead of day shift. Night shift will mean more money per hour, however there is still the school issue. So he has decided not to go to the school he originally planned on going to. The new school, he has actually looked in to it before, is an online program that he can have finished in a year and a half to get his bachelors. The previous school would have taken him most likely 3 years or more to finish before getting into a PA program.

Please keep us in your prayers! It will take some getting use to, but if it is God's will, things will all work out! 


30 benda org perempuan tak taw mcm mane nak bgtaw org lelaki

i found this dlm FB. a friend of mine punya friend. ''-____-''


1. Bila sorang wanita mengatakan dia sedang bersedih,tetapi dia tidak menitiskan airmata,itu bermakna dia sedang menangis di dalam hatinya.

2. Bila dia tidak menghiraukan kamu selepas kamu menyakiti hatinya, lebih baik kamu beri dia masa untuk menenangkan hatinya semula sebelum kamu menegur dengan ucapan maaf.


3. Wanita sukar nak cari benda yang dia benci tentang orang yang paling dia sayang (sebab itu ramai wanita yang patah hati bila hubungan itu putus di tengah jalan).


4. Sekiranya sorang wanita jatuh cinta dengan sorang lelaki, lelaki itu akan sentiasa ada di fikirannya walaupun ketika dia sedang keluar dengan lelaki lain.


5. Bila lelaki yang dia suka dan cinta merenung tajam ke dalam matanya, dia akan cair seperti coklat!!


6. Wanita memang sukakan pujian tetapi selalu tidak tau macam mana nak menerima pujian.


7. Jika kamu tidak suka dengan gadis yang sukakan kamu separuh mati,tolak cintanya dengan lembut,jangan berkasar sebab ada satu semangat dalam diriwanita yang kamu tak akan tahu bila dia dah buat keputusan,dia akanlakukan apa saja.


8. Sekiranya sorang gadis mula menjauhkan diri darimu selepas kamu tolak cintanya,biarkan dia untuk seketika.Sekiranya kamu masih ingin menganggap dia sorang kawan,cubalah tegur dia perlahan-lahan.


9. Wanita suka meluahkan apa yang mereka rasa.Muzik,puisi,lukisan dan tulisan adalah cara termudah mereka meluahkan isi hati mereka.


10. Jangan sesekali beritahu perempuan yang mereka ni lansung tak berguna.


11. Bersikap terlalu serius boleh mematikan mood wanita.


12. Bila pertama kali lelaki yang dicintainya dalam diam memberikan respon positif,misalnya menghubunginya melalui telefon,si gadis akan bersikap acuh tak acuh seolah-olah tidak berminat,tetapi sebaik saja ganggang diletakkan,dia akan menjerit kesukaan dan tak sampai sepuluh minit,semua rakan-rakannya akan tahu berita tersebut.


13. Sekuntum senyuman memberi seribu erti bagi wanita.Jadi jangan senyum sebarangan.


14. Jika kamu menyukai sorang wanita,cubalah mulakan dengan persahabatan.Kemudian biarkan dia mengenalimu dengan lebih mendalam.


15. Jika sorang wanita memberi seribu satu alasan setiap kali kamu ajak keluar,tinggalkan dia sebab dia memang tak berminat denganmu.


16. Tetapi jika dalam masa yang sama dia menghubungimu atau menunggu panggilan darimu,teruskan usahamu untuk memikatnya.


17. Jangan sesekali mengagak apa yang dirasakannya.Tanya dia sendiri!!


18. Selepas sorang gadis jatuh cinta,dia akan sering tertanya-tanya kenapalah aku tak jumpa lelaki ini lebih awal.


19. Kalau kamu masih tercari-cari cara yang paling romantik untuk memikat hati sorang gadis,cubalah rajin-rajinkan tangan menyelak buku-buku cinta.


20. Bila setiap kali gambar kelas keluar,benda pertama yang dicari oleh wanita ialah siapa yang berdiri di sebelah buah hatinya,kemudian barulah dirinya sendiri.



21. Bekas teman lelaki akan sentiasa ada di fikirannya tetapi lelaki yang dicintainya sekarang akan berada di tempat teristimewa iaitu di hatinya!!


22. Satu ucapan 'Hi' sahaja sudah cukup menceriakan harinya.


23. Teman baiknya saja yang tahu apa yang sedang dia rasa dan lalui.


24. Wanita paling benci lelaki yang berbaik-baik dengan mereka semata-mata nak tackle kawan mereka yang paling cantik.


25. Cinta bermaksud kesetiaan, ambil berat, jujur dan kebahagiaan tanpa sebarang kompromi.


26. Semua wanita mahukan sorang lelaki yang cintakan mereka sepenuh hati..


27. Senjata wanita adalah airmata!!


28. Wanita suka jika sesekali orang yang disayanginya mengadakan surprise buatnya(hadiah,bunga atau sekadar kad ucapan romantis).Mereka akan rasa terharu dan merasakan bahawa dirinya dicintai setulus hati.Dengan i! ni dia tak akan ragu-ragu terhadapmu.


29. Wanita mudah jatuh hati pada lelaki yang ambil berat tentang mereka dan baik terhadapnya.So,kalau nak memikat wanita pandai-pandailah...


30. Sebenarnya mudah mengambil hati wanita kerana apa yang dia mahu hanyalah perasaan dicintai dan disayangi sepenuh jiwa.



Curly café


Isn't this one of the most gorgeous catalogs and lovely clothes you've ever seen? This is so inspiring!





I really believe that we must keep alive the child of our heart!

Chicken Marsala

  
  
    
What is the difference between Messina and McNuggets?  Syracusa and Special Sauce?  Palermo and, well, you get the idea.  Find yourself sailing near McDonalds?  Chart a course for Marsala, Sicily that is.  The other night, I prepared breaded chicken cutlets for my kids.  Dredged in flour, egg and bread crumbs, these home made "nuggets" fill their need with little more than a dollop of ketchup to top it off.  I, of course, have deeper needs.  I have a need to feel the ocean air in my face.  I need to have the sun so bright that even wearing sunglasses makes me squint.  I need old men on park benches, old ruins on hillsides, and old recipes made with the newest, freshest, most basic ingredients.  I need new fish caught from old seas.  I need new discoveries in old towns, towns so old that the list of conquerers is too long to read.  
    
Sicily fits this description.  I have never been to Sicily, but will go some day.  And until that day, I will eat in Sicily, or at least my transient idea of Sicily, until I experience the real thing.  I admit, that cooking with Marsala wine may be more of an American thing.  Sicilians, I believe, serve their fortified wine, the good stuff I'm talking about, not the swill you buy at the supermarket, as an aperitif between first and second courses.  Like a Port, it goes well with cheese.  Here in America, land of the lowest common denominator, our mass-produced Marsala is not good for much more than cooking.  But that is ok, because it gives us another way to transform everyday chicken cutlets into something more interesting, something more special, something named after a town in Sicily.  Soften some shallots, brown some mushrooms, reduce some Marsala and some chicken stock and voila! Another evening where I am that much closer to being in Sicily.  Serves 2.
    
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
salt/pepper
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small can of sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup Marsala wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
     
Directions:
Heat the oven to 200 degrees F.  In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of butter over medium-high heat.  Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts.  Cut them in half lengthwise to make to thin, flat cutlets.  Pound flat if desired to make the cutlets a uniform thin thickness.  Season each with salt and pepper.  Lay out the flour, eggs and bread crumbs in their own plate or bowl.  Dredge a cutlet through the flour, shaking off excess, then the egg, then the bread crumbs, and place in the hot skillet.  Do the same with a second cutlet.  Cook the cutlets for 2 minutes to brown and then turn the cutlets and repeat.  Remove the cutlets to a plate with a paper towel and keep warm in the preheated oven.  Wipe out the pan and heat another tbsp each of oil and butter.  Repeat the cutlet cooking process.  When the second batch of cutlets is removed, add the shallots to the pan and soften for a minute or two.  Add the garlic to release it flavor and then add the mushrooms.  Stir and cook a few minutes to release their liquid and brown slightly.  Add the Marsala wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits.  Simmer and reduce the wine by half and then add the stock and rosemary.  Simmer and reduce the sauce by half or more.  Season to taste.  Turn off the heat and add the last tbsp of butter.  Stir in the butter and then place the cutlets in the skillet, coating with the sauce.  Plate the cutlets and then spoon out the sauce on top of the cutlets.  Serve.
     

Transformations

I feel another transformation coming on in my life. A lifestyle change.
Just thinking about my body and what I put in it. In preparing for the future, I want my body to be as strong and healthy as it can be..getting rid of all toxins. I'm starting a RAW diet today. When it comes that time for a little one, I want to provide the best environment for him/her to thrive. 
I will keep you posted on my progression into this journey of the unknown. Today is going to be filled with raw fruit smoothies, nuts, beans & veggies.  If I get brave enough I may try one of those awful looking veggie smoothies. There are tons of really great recipes out there, and wonderful books. If you want to know more about the RAW diet check out this link: http://www.rawfoodlife.com/
This is not a diet, nor will I be starving myself. It is a lifestyle change and I will make sure my body is getting all the vitamins and minerals it needs to remain in a healthy state.
On top of all this, I am doing cardio 3 days a week, kick-boxing one day a week, and yoga one day. I think a combination of all is going to give me great energy, and help clear my mind. I think it will be good for the soul.
 

bercakap dengan abah mampu buat aku tenang

this evening. i cried in my room, about an hour ago. i took my phone & search for 'aabah'

"abah dkt mane?"
A: abah baru sampai parking rumah. kenape?
"abah naik masuk bilik qilah"
A: okay.


honestly, i cried for nothing. absolutely nothing. i heard ppl say, "sometimes, we need some space alone" but, let me tell you something, "sometimes, i need some time to cry alone' ;P


A: eh... kenape menangis?
"......."
A: sedih risau ape?
"qla menangis x semestinya sedey risau. marah pun nangis"
A: marah sape hari ni?
"tak de sape..."
A: habis tu kenape ni?


"abah... pernah tak rase, hidup abah ok, sempurna, i mean u got fmly, career, friends. but it wasn't good enough. there is something missing. and it's like... u r nothing, with everything u got"

A: pernah. tp... cuba pandang ke bawah, dr pandang ke atas. maksud abah, pandang org yg lebih susah. bkn lebih senang. bersyukur & berpegang dgn apa yg kta ada hari ni. mmg dlm hidup kita, kita tak akan pernah dpt semua yg kta nak. tak akan pernah. tp... ingt apa yg boleh menaikkan semangat kita utk lebih berusaha.

"tapi... abah tak pernah ke rasa, mcm semua org ada itu, ada ini. tp abah mcm tak ada apa-apa. mmg abah ada semuanya, mcm qla ckp td, tp mcm...ada lg bnda yg kurang. macam abah ni menyusahkan semua org keliling abah & mcm tak tahu da apa tujuan sebenar abah hidup"

A: abah tahu cita-cita qila tnggi. nak pakai kereta itu ini. memang kene kerja keraslah nak sampai ke tahap tu. lagi satu, org yg jaga solat, nampak air muka dia lain. rezeki dia tu berkat. macam datuk Z, (bkn nama sebenar), dari 1 star, dia naik 2 star. gaji dia naik mendadak. sampai dia tak tahu nak buat apa dgn duit dia. sbb benda halal ni mahal mana sgt? benda haram yg mahal. tgk air muka dia, perasan tak? keruh je. tp, Allah berikan rezeki tu utk dia jgk.

silent. i was thinking... why did Allah awarded him (Datuk Z) with such a lot of wonderful things, (well, i knew him in-person, very well) when he don't even know how to be thankful to Allah?

i listened to abah, quietly. thousands of thoughts flying through out my mind. and, for now, let's look at the day, in a positive way. and why did i say i need to cry alone, some other time? -- it reminds me of who am i, who are we, life, and back to the one & only -- Allah.

Monday, August 30, 2010

NUTRITION TIP OF THE WEEK

                   DOUBLE CLICK ON ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Cooking Mama 2 : Japanese Cheese Cake

Tema masak kali ini CAKE.. gue pilih Japanese Cheese Cake
Sekalian buat kue ultah buat mertua-ku yg ke-73.
"Semoga panjang umur Mami, sehat2 selalu, diberkati selalu.. Amin"
Dan semoga suka sama kue ini ^^

Bahan-bahan :
Campur dan ayak :
50 gr tepung terigu serba guna
50 gr tepung maizena

Bahan :
60 gr mentega tawar
250 gr cream cheese, biarkan pada suhu ruangan
120 ml whip cream
3 kuning telur
1 butir telur
2 sdt kulit jeruk lemon parut
5 putih telur
1/8 sdt garam
125 gr gula pasir halus
1 sdt air jeruk lemon

Topping :
2 sdm selai aprikot
2 sdm air

Cara membuat :
Siapkan loyang bulat, alasin dengan kertas roti, olesin mentega. Pasang oven suhu 150 derajat.
Campur mentega, cream cheese dan whip cream dalam wadah, didihkan dengan api kecil.
Lalu aduk hingga lembut, angkat dari api.
Kocok putih telur hingga berbusa, masukkan gula dan air jeruk lemon sedikit demi sedikit sambil terus dikocok sampai terbentuk kerucut-kerucut tumpul (soft peak).
Tuang adonan putih telur ke dalam adonan cream cheese, aduk rata.
Tuang campuran ini ke sisa adonan putih telur, aduk rata.
Tuang adonan ke loyang, panggang dengan cara au bain marie selama kurleb 75 menit sampai permukaan matang dan kuning keemasan.
Keluarkan dari oven.
Setelah benar-benar dingin, lepaskan cake dari loyang.
Panaskan selai aprikot, dan air. Oleskan ke permukaan cheese cake.

A flickering snippet here and there...




























I've really been enjoying my new discovery lately...
other people's blogs.  
I really like reading about other people's lives, 
especially 
those people who are traveling or who are living the life of an expat in France.  
I'm not so sure about having a blog of my own.  I'm really not as interested in my own thoughts as much as those of others.  
I'll give it a chance.  
I like how creative I can be through a blog.  
I also have a budding interest in photography.  I just bought a new camera last month.  I didn't realize how much I enjoy photography.  I am a keen observer of things, people, 
anything really.  
Recording these observations in photos is really satisfying.

I keep posting some of my photos on Facebook.  I really don't want all of my "friends, relatives, and acquaintances I don't really know but just HAD to request friending" to see all of amateurish attempts at photography.  I've realized I need an outlet for my self expression so I am going to try this blog-thing.

I am following 
Vicki Archer's blog 
right now.  
She is an Australian living in Provence, France.  We will be travelling to Provence in 3 weeks so I found her blog while doing research for our trip.  
It is just lovely and made me want to attempt one for myself.  
So, here it goes!  
This is my first entry.  
I'm going to try and download, upload?? photos soon because that's what I really want to see.

I'll mention the title of my blog and explain it in my next post.  
If 
there is a "next" post.

Menu plan Monday

Here is my menu plan for this week. Trying a couple new recipes this week, which is exciting!


Mon – Burritos with rice and tofu
Tues – Barbequed Gluten (Of these ye may freely eat)
Wed – Potato Gnocchi ( Simply Delicious Vegetarian )
Thurs – Left-over Buffet
Fri – Supper @ In-laws
Sat – Sandwiches, chips, fresh fruit/veggies
Sun – Hotdogs 

Happy Menu Planning!

Heather


Be sure to link up with OrgJunkie if you are doing "Menu Plan Monday!"

i-pod touch, I got ya!

Yeeey.. Since long2 time craved for this gadget.
After I saw Trace's one, I feel like I want it alsooo!
Finally I get it! XD

My life almost perfect, hihi
I bought it this morning and thanks to mommyyyy for giving me this :')

my new ipod touch. Yeyyyyy XD
I bought the 8GB one with price RM779
Its cheap here than in Indonesia i think? :)

*wink*
olalalala.. my life getting perfect XD
i have buddy to be my company on 3hrs 20mnt bored flight Makassar-KL

this is the case i bought the night after.. :)
all my fave colours..
red + yellow transition to orange + pinkkkkkk! ♥
3 coats + screen protector for RM 119
although its hard to stick the screen protector XD

Beach in Jupiter

I've been real busy lately working on my professional design life, so I haven't had much time to post anything new. I completely re-designed my branding including: my website, my resume, my business card, and my art. I have built two websites to add to my portfolio to hopefully bring more business in.

If you'd like to see what I've been working on in the design world goto: www.katrinagelino.com

On another note...this weekend was pretty busy. Nathan and Dustin went down south to Jupiter for some scuba-diving. I drove down there the next day to check out a new dog beach for bella and I. She always has such a good time there.  Digging enormous holes, chasing birds, sniffing butts, running with doggie friends. I didn't get too many pictures, because of the sand issue, but I did capture a few moments.


I just love the one of her paw in the sand. Its so funny. The top picture is at the Square Grouper..a wonderful little place on the beach where we got some lunch. A great relaxed atmosphere there. We'll be back for sure. What did you do this weekend?

Ramazan Reflections

After a long hot day, the patience with which all fasting Moslems await the appointed hour for iftar, the meal which breaks the fast, to be annnounced from the local mosque or on the radio is impressive. The further west, the longer the wait. Of course, Ramazan,the annual 30-day period of fasting between sunrise and sunset does not always fall in the summer: it moves back ten days every year. This year, however, has seen record high temperatures with the believers fasting for 16 hours straight. Nothing must pass their lips: not even an aspirin and certainly not a cigarette. A real test of faith indeed.

A Typical Village Ä°ftar meal in the Aegean

Traditionally, first a date and some olives are eaten accompanied by copious glasses of water. This is followed by soup – çorba - probably lentil ,or tarhana,made from crushed wheat and yogurt, and then the main meal, typically vegetable-based with a little mince or chicken in it.
A cupboardful of delicious,hot pides!
(pron: 'peedeh')

The special Ramazan bread, the large gloriously round pide, baked twice a day in the local fırın, will accompany this.


Osman, our local baker


A tray of gĂĽllaç
(pron: 'goolutch')









Watermelon and cheese are favourites but the piece de resistance is dessert: kadayif, the ‘shredded wheat’ baklava; kemal paĹźa; and the most popular, gĂĽllaç, a light, layered, milky confection. 85% of all gĂĽllaç is consumed in Ramazan. Mehmet, our gardener, says in the village they usually have sĂĽtlaç, essentially a rice pudding, presumably because it is cheaper.

Ramazan desserts: sweet and sticky!
What happens after Ä°ftar

Mehmet and the other men go to the mosque from 10 – 11pm. Being a man of many talents, he is also the village barber so he then opens his Barber’s Shop and cuts hair till 2am. Afterwards he will socialize until 3.30am when all devout Moslems enjoy sahur, last chance to eat and drink before sunrise. The older men , and the women too, will sleep from about 11 - midnight till they hear the sound of the davulcu beating his drum for sahur. This is becoming a dying tradition and in Istanbul, is actually forbidden. After sahur, back to bed for everyone. By now it will be about 4.30am.

Background
In the Aegean area, near Ă‡anakkale, where I have been for the last few weeks, this holy month of fasting has its own special flavour. As Mehmet told me, for the villagers it is like a holiday. Each household saves up approximately 500 TL (about $350) to survive this period as unlike in the city, they, especially the men, don’t work unless they have to eg tending sheep or cows. They actively don’t want to work so that they can pass the daylight hours more easily by sleeping. Iftar is eaten with family and friends and there is very much a festive atmosphere after the strictures of the day. Mehmet says that about 30% are not fasting in the villages these days and no blame is attached. Girls start at about 12 yrs old and boys around 13 – 14. But they start gradually: 1 day, 5 days, 10 days, or every other day, for example. There is huge tolerance.

This year Ramazan will finish on Wednesday 8 September, a special day called Arefe, a half-day holiday, and is immediately followed by a festive 3-day national holiday called Şeker Bayramı (9, 10, 11). If you visit Turkish friends during this time, it is customary to take something sweet as a present, symbolic of all that was given up during the fast. Your household help will appreciate this too. Just before the Bayram, you will notice large boxes of chocolates on sale at all the major supermarkets for this very purpose.

Ä°yi Bayramlar! Have a happy holiday!

Dinosaur Chicken Nuggets

  
  
Anthony Bourdain, noted author, television personality and chef, has a chapter in his latest book Medium Raw devoted to how he and his wife are scaring their toddler daughter away from McDonald's.  In the evening, after bedtime, they stand outside her door and whisper loudly tales of missing children last seen going into McDonald's.  Subtle comments are made on park benches about the cooties one can get by getting too close to Ronald.  Through means overt and covert, they are waging a war for the heart and mind of their daughter.  I can see why.  I imagine that for a chef, McDonald's is the true great Satan of our age.  His war is what we these days call existential.  He fights not just to win, but to define who he is and who he wants his daughter to be.
    
I have a similar story about shaping my son Jack.  It starts with me sitting in one of those little toddler chairs that barely comes up to the knee.  Knees are a consideration here because they are now very close to my chin.  I sit there with my ex-wife and Jack's pre-school teacher for a periodic parent/child conference.  Around the room are all the tools and objects of a Montessori preschool:  blocks and beads, buckles and polishing supplies.  This is mid-way through Jack's first year, and as a 4 year old, the tasks are mostly about working his little fingers, following instructions and learning routines.  The teacher is happy with Jack.  He is a good boy and a good student.  She describes his little friends in the classroom and how he likes to spend his time.  And then she drops a bomb, a neutron bomb, the kind that kills everything within miles without destroying any buildings.  She says his favorite activity is:  flower arranging.  The images and feelings that go through my mind are wild and extreme, flashing lights, worlds shaking and turned upside down.  A mental eyes rolling to the back of my head follows as I emotionally flail in images of a future florist, a passionate flower decorator, spending his days with lilacs and lillies, and other flowerphiles.  No. No. No.  That is not going to be my son.  The next day, I go out and by him a toy gun.
   
Mind you, this was not about making my son a future cold-blooded, jarhead, Rambo.  He was and remains a sweet and thoughtful boy, concerned with life and animals and protecting the weak.  Just now he will do so with a gun, leaving a trail of bad guys behind.  That evening in the classroom I didn't rail against the teacher, asking her what she was trying to do to my son.  I didn't rail against my ex-wife, asking what kind of future man we were raising.  I didn't rail against my son, scaring, scolding or otherwise souring him on flower arranging.  I merely handed him a toy gun, a Star Wars Clone Wars laser rifle to be specific, and off he went to pursue the rest of a now better balanced childhood.  Take that Count Dookoo, Pow, Pow (and take that flower arranger, bam, bam).  Does this make me a good father or bad?  How about Anthony Bourdain, right or wrong? From what I read, he sounds like he is a wonderful, loving, thoughtful father.  I consider myself one as well, but we do have different styles to parenting, and food.   
    
So, on what to eat for dinner, yesterday I had made my boys penne with a cauliflower ragu.  Of course, I didn't tell them it was cauliflower ragu.  That would be a death knell for getting children to eat it, and honestly, I was nervous that they wouldn't.  They asked what it was and I replied merely "pasta."  They nodded, picked up their forks, and wolfed it down like young boys do.  Later, they asked if they could have dinosaur chicken nuggets tonight.  No begging, no negotiating based upon forced fancy food the previous evening, just a simple reasonable request.  I said yes.  The trains are running on time, why get in the way.  My kids are eating the new recipes I make occasionally, the healthy food I serve them almost always, and if they want nuggets once in a while, then that's ok with me.  Besides, I try to convince myself, these are baked, not deep fried.  Serves 2.
    
Ingredients:
10 dinosaur shaped frozen chicken nuggets
  
Directions:
Place the nuggets in a microwave safe bowl and cover.  Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes.  Allow to   rest 1 minute.  Serve with a big dollop of ketchup.