Under Pressure

I recent became an iConvert, so I gave my Blackberry to my oldest son. He said, "I'm going to feel like a jerk." That's how I feel when I go to a grocery store where someone bags my groceries for me. Somewhere along the line, that became my job. It wasn't a job I did well, there was too much pressure - as soon as I got started, the person behind me needed my space, much the same as the short stint I did working at the Jolly Green Giant factory in Glencoe, Minnesota when I was 18. My "job" there was to line up cobs of corn on a conveyor belt under a laser beam so they could go through a cutter to make perfectly sized frozen cobs of corn so people could enjoy that summer feeling all year round. My hands were next to the guillotine and I had steam under my feet and cold frozen air above me, all while standing on a 1' square platform, six stories above the ground. I would glance around me and see others visiting pleasantly in Spanish, while easily keeping up with the conveyor belt, all while my corn kept piling up like a disaster on the interstate during rush hour. I lasted about 6 hours. The next day I signed up for Fall classes at the AVTI to become a bookkeeper (that's what we called accounting in the early 80's).


Aldi understands grocery bagging pressure. Your groceries go back in a cart for you to take to a long counter to bag at your leisure. If you want to put laundry detergent in the same bag as your vegetables, you have their blessing.

I haven't written recently because I have been on two vacations, one from heaven, and one from hell. The first was spent in Fairfield Bay, Arkansas. The second was spent in front of my broken computer. I am happy to say that I am now writing from a new iMac, a gift from the husband I do not deserve. I haven't figured out universal formatting, hence the odd look to today's entry.

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Spaghetti Pie

Toss cooked spaghetti, parmesan, and egg. Place in 9" pie plate. Press along sides and bottom to form a crust.

• 8 oz. spaghetti, cooked and drained
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained (or ground turkey/vegetarian substitute)
• 2 cups spaghetti sauce
• 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix cooked meat and spaghetti sauce. Spread over spaghetti crust. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into pie slices.

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Disclaimer: I do not own these recipes. I cook from memory and often adapt things I've seen, tasted, heard about, or read about.

Crock Pot Pizza Fondue

Our Meteor cherry tree and the neighbor's pink flowering crab tree are blooming and I am sick! Down and out sick with an allergy I only get when the flowering trees bloom. I avoided this dreaded thing last year because my mom and I went on a cruise out of San Diego (her first). We only went as far as Catalina Island and Ensenada, but it was great fun - we did a Baja wine tour to this hidden beautiful area about an hour from Ensenada. I don't drink wine, but I had a lot of fun watching everyone else. 

I am going to make cherry salsa this year with the cherries from my tree, right now I am counting my cherries before they ripen, and so are the birds.

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Crock Pot Pizza Fondue

• 1 jar spaghetti sauce (any type/flavor you like)
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp. corn starch
• 1 pkg. peperoni slices
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• bread (bread sticks or torn pieces of a French or Italian loaf)

Grease Crock Pot with olive oil.

Combine all ingredients except cheese and bread. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. Add cheese during the last hour.

Dip bread in sauce.

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Disclaimer: I do not own these recipes. I cook from memory and often adapt things I've seen, tasted, heard about, or read about.

Chicken Bruschette Bake

I am a little obsessed with the Crock Pot lately. The main reason is because I am lazy, but also because a Crock Pot uses 72% less power than an oven, even with the longer cooking time. I used to think of it as a winter appliance, but I'm sure the energy savings is even greater in the summer when you think about having the oven on and running air conditioning.

My mom gave me this recipe. I adapted it for the Crock Pot. I am also obsessed with Aldi's Grilled Chicken Breast Strips, they will be coming up often in the future, unless I get sick of them. They are kind of expensive ($7.99), but that's a small price to pay for grilled flavor and not having to deal with raw chicken.

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Chicken Bruschette Bake

• 1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies, do not drain
• 1 pkg. stuffing mix for chicken
• 1 can chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. minced garlic in olive oil
• 1 bag of frozen grilled chicken breast strips
• 1 tsp. dried basil leaves 
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 2 tsp. olive oil

Add olive oil and chicken strips to Crock Pot. Layer mozzarella cheese and basil on top of chicken.

Mix tomatoes, stuffing mix, broth and garlic in a bowl; pour on top of chicken and cheese. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-6 hours.

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Disclaimer: I do not own these recipes. I cook from memory and often adapt things I've seen, tasted, heard about, or read about.