The best part of living in New Orleans- bar none- is the opportunity to work with some of the coolest kids in the city-wait, scratch that- I mean, the whole freakin' world. It's always an adventure, manuevering day to day through the handful of zany, boisterous and always unpredictable experiences that have come to define my teaching experience in NOLA. Perhaps what I love most about it is the fact there's never a dull moment; the mood of the hour changes just as much as the infamously bi-polar sunny-now-stormy skies above the place we call home. A calm, balmy sea can just as quickly turn overcast and thunderous with the flick of an over-turned chair or a swift and mighty curve ball of a runt's shoe-turned-weapon. All madness aside, my kids are amazing. A bunch of fun, wild, wide-eyed, dream-filled chitlins who possess as much heart as brilliance up in that cranium-filled noggin' a theirs.
Jeremiah, show-casing his butterfly. Whoaaa, this is so tight!
Hey there, Mr. Potato head!
playing kitchen.
BUGS!!!!!!!
skyscraper.
What can I do you for, Ms. S?
Car heaven.
Higher, make it higher!
girly girls.
tuff boys.
School's fun when it's Writer's Workshop!
Recess rocks!
Look- I'ma model!
Can I just bottle up this smile and wear it on a rainy day?
Teaching ordering numbers on a # line.
Guided Reading Rockstars.
Discovering new worlds in Independent Reading time.
Who said that gourmet food had to weigh you down? For the part I edition of my new cooking foray as a step into a healtheir lifestyle, I decided to take a detour from my Southern roots and the accompanying "deep fry" methodology this lifestyle purports. Now don't be fooled by this gal's retreat into Fresh-ville; there are places for smothered chicken and deep fried crab and crawfish monica drowning in cheesy goodness, but if ya want to be a "Skinny Bitch", you gotta eat like one. Introduce: California fare with a twist- Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa and a side of saffron rice. I let the walkin' do the talkin' as I whipped up an indelible entree sure to solicit many ooh's and ahh's, and with just the minimal amount of damage. Who knew eatin good in the neighborhood could be so easy? My waistline is thanking me right now.
For the salad, I used 1 whole avocado, 1/4 of a red onion and a fresh plum tomato, all chopped fine.
A couple squeezes of lime juice, some S & P, and you've got yourself a winner. I used the Whole Foods sea salt variety and some fresh peppercorns.
Now on to the real piece de resistance: the saffron rice, which when served with any main dish, makes any set of taste buds dance the jitterbug. I found these delicate threads at Whole Foods, which for that entire amount seen above, came at a nice chunk of change- $10 bucks to be exact. Known to be the most expensive spice in the entire world, they were worth every bit their weight in gold. I crushed mine and soaked them in some low sodium chicken broth to bring out the flavor and color in the rice dish.
This is the Basmati rice I picked up at an International Market. PAM was kind enough to make her debut at just a fraction of the calories- no oil needed.
A little bit of diced onion, the crushed saffron threads, a few cups of chicken broth and a few cloves of crushed garlic later, we were all set. I cooked this on medium for about 25 minutes.
Now on to the chicken: this easy and quick marinade was delightfully tasty- just a few tbsp of fresh squeezed lime, a few tbsp of olive oil, chopped up cilantro and a kick of parsley, we were rockin and rollin.
I threw a few halved chicken breasts into the marinade and gave them a good drizzle.
Ahh, the rice. The saffron gave it that amazing color. I fluffed mine up a bit to create a voluminous effect. Call it hairspray for the rice.
I used a grill pan for the chicken. Just heat up, spray some PAM, and you're ready for the chicken to go on. BAM!!!!!!
And finally, the finished product. I promise you that every bite was more delightful than the previous. And that, my friends, is what good cooking's all about. :)
As the first post to kick off the new year, I wanted to share something I came across, a story of miraculous transformation and rebirth. A testament to the enduring human spirit and the redeeming and ever compassionate universe, this man's story has me giddy with delight. AMAZING things DO HAPPEN. Everyday.
Paralleling my own exploration into the new year as I shed the old, tethered skins of yesteryear, letting go in my wake all the pains, mistakes and regrets, instead realizing a more resilient, kind and beautiful me, this story is just another reminder. A glimpse of hope, a lesson learned, and proof that with God, anything is possible. That in all our humanness, there is something glorious and divine and undeniably invincible. Now that's what being human is really all about, isn't it?
An ongoing editorial of my open-faced eddy of thoughts and (occasionally) dotty exposes of cerebral artifact. A zany canvas of soul-eclipsing revelation and staggered blips of nuance, artistic creed and sublime self-illumination. Welcome to my love affair; welcome to my life.
Jeremiah, show-casing his butterfly.
Whoaaa, this is so tight!
Hey there, Mr. Potato head!
playing kitchen.
BUGS!!!!!!!
skyscraper.
What can I do you for, Ms. S?
Car heaven.
Higher, make it higher!
girly girls.
tuff boys.
School's fun when it's Writer's Workshop!
Recess rocks!
Look- I'ma model!
Can I just bottle up this smile and wear it on a rainy day?
Teaching ordering numbers on a # line.
Guided Reading Rockstars.
Discovering new worlds in Independent Reading time.
Best line leaders NOCP ever saw.
Numbers, numbers, everywhere.
Peek-a-boo, I see you! 
