Country Wonderland

Country Wonderland – The Backbone to the Blog Name

Wonderland past: A distant childhood memory of imagination, happy endings and always being the perfect height.

Wonderland present: An adult realization of real life – working hard, missing moments to dream and being the wrong size in the thighs & waist… ALL THE TIME!

I grew up wanting to be Alice, actually I think I want that more now than ever. I wanted to jump down a rabbit hole and tumble gently to a new realm of life. I wanted to speak to animals and inanimate objects that came to life in strangely captivating ways. I saw the world in different colors than most because I tried to find the fantasy under a rock, behind a tree, behind a coat in the corner closet. I’d always keep an eye and ear open just in case. I never wanted to miss my Alice opportunity.

Once, when I was about ten years old I wrote a book. It was a mere 10 pages. I did all the artwork myself. The story was about a special girl named Alice who had a quilt she made herself with a pair of pants sewn into them. At night when she’d go to bed, she would slide into the pants and the magic would begin. She’d start to fly to her Wonderland way up high in the clouds and see the world from up above. I don’t know what happened to that story but I do know it is a clear memory in my head still.

My Wonderland has become a dream of owning a farm house with rolling hills of land and a family that always puts one another above all others. My Wonderland would consist of gardens, dozens and dozens of dogs, lakes, dreams and a front porch swing. I hope everyone has their own Wonderland dream like I do. I think I’ll start my own Wonderland story again. Maybe I’ll even share it with my favorite three readers and you can escape with me through my created Wonderland.

March 18, 2017 0

This story is going to scream PREEEUUUS (aka Prius). My 6ft+ tall muscly full on American male, bought a 15 year old battery & gas operated Prius. This amuses me, my daughter, her best friends and even my brother immensely. It’s cute (okay it’s cute because it’s tiny) but I mean honestly, Jim looks ridiculous driving this thing.

Years ago I would not be caught dead riding in this shithole car. (I know, tell ya how I really feel right?) But fast forward and here I am saying, let’s go to the furthest Wal-Mart at 10pm on a Friday evening because Prius. Because Prius gets 50 miles per gallon. Because Prius allows us to park UP FRONT! Because Prius makes Jim drive less like a freakin’ lunatic (really the world is a better place ‘because Prius). But Prius does not look anything like my Jeep or Silverado. Let’s be real… she ain’t real purdy… she’s dented. She’s rusted. And she’s low riding. But inside – boy o boy – she’s interesting.

There’s a moment for the first ride I thought the damn car died and we didn’t even back out of the driveway. Because Prius was going into ‘Stealth mode’ as Jim says. You know that joke where the woman didn’t know her husband up and left in the middle of the night because he had a Prius and she didn’t hear the car start or move? Totes similar. The Prius works off battery and you literally can’t hear a darn thing. Honestly, where was this car when I needed to help friends in High School and early College years to stalk exes and their new loves? Would have been amazing I tell ya. Okay so the Prius came to life in 2001 when I was 21 but still, it wasn’t something I would have even contemplated owning.

3-5 hours of driving a day for my buff sweetie is the back story to the thousand dollar Prius. You can’t drive a truck with a V8 and be able to eat for the week too. So instead of $150 in gas a week, maybe its $40. Because Prius.

Believe it or not, I actually have a morale to this story… it isn’t always what is on the outside that counts. The inside is where all the good stuff happens. Just because something looks a certain way, doesn’t mean it is a certain way. And I know I called the car a shithole earlier, but she’s not… that was just my initial “can’t believe he’s buying that car” reaction. Now let me go back to ‘Because Prius’.

Because Prius, we have a super ass slow start at the red lights. It is darn near impossible to be first off out there. People pass us but then we pass them. Because Prius slow and steady starts always win out in the end. The sprint of life doesn’t work. A quick sprint here or there is okay, but it’s marathon that keeps on driving forward that wins out. You know – be a better person than you were yesterday? Reigns true my valued readers (all 3 of you).

There’s absolute fun in watching another driver roll up next to Jim in the driver seat and see their face when it isn’t a granny driving – why – because Prius. And it is even MORE fun when Jim has words with said persons because Prius they see a puppy dog. What they don’t know is my man is more resembling of a wolf and a crazy wolf to boot (which is awesome for me because we be a team). It gets fun.

And as soon as Jim pulls in the driveway today I’m going to be ready to go ridin’ along in his automobile. Because Prius saves money, the environment, miles and wear and tear on my trucks. And to be honest, it is fun. So bring it on stealth mode!

March 11, 2017 0

I have the opportunity to work from the comforts of my home when I don’t have in person meetings. Which is great, but sometimes it means I don’t take the time I should for lunch. I do however usually cook something with whatever I have around the kitchen.

Last week I was craving a taco and had shrimp in the freezer (courtesy of my local BJs. If you have read the Lemon Garlic Chicken recipe, you know this isn’t a shocking detail at all. I’m literally a walking BJs ad.) Here’s the recipe and my interesting techniques likely NOT master chef approved (although I haven’t died yet – just sayin’).

Quick Shrimp Lunch Taco’s (roughly 10-12 mins)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil (See BJs brand – I used this one since it has a hint of coconut flavor – There’s another kind if you don’t like the flavor of coconut by LouAna that doesn’t have any hint of flavor or coconut scent)
Shrimp – 4 per Taco (For this recipe I did 14 shrimp – It is what was left in the bag so I could eat extra shrimp as a snack later!) I used frozen Extra Jumbo Uncooked Shrimp (Yep – BJs!).
Chopped Onions (literally just two shakes or more or less based on your liking – and remember – working on 10 min quick lunch taco’s – I didn’t have time for cutting an onion)
Garlic Powder (about 1 tsp)
Parsley (just a pinch aka sprinkle)
Pink Salt (just a crack or two – from BJs)
Taco Seasoning (1/2 tbsp)
Corn Tortillas (I used Guerrero brand – and brace yourself – not from BJs. I got these gems at Shoprite)
Any taco toppings you wish to add like avocado, fresh lime wedge to squeeze, jalapenos, corn salsa… anything that tickles your fancy really. I didn’t have anything enticing on hand or time to make corn salsa so I opted to eat the shrimp with corn tortillas alone. I don’t think I would recommend cheese or sour cream. Just doesn’t seem tasty to me.

Now that you have all the players, let’s start with the HOW and some Directions.

Grab your shrimp and place in a small bowl in the sink. Run cold water over the shrimp to thaw them (Pay no attention to the directions on the bag – they don’t tell you to do this) This step is ONLY if you are using frozen shrimp. If not, no need to send them swimming.
The kind of shrimp I get (pictured above) have the shells on, as the water is running to thaw them, peel the shells off and discard. Again – only if you have shells. I get these because they are more cost effective and you can keep the fancy tails on for show in shrimp scampi and the shells add flavor to certain dishes.
Once the shrimp are thawed (takes about the time it does for you to peel) drain the water off and pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. Toss the shrimp in a bowl.
Place the onion, garlic, parsley, pink salt and taco seasoning in the shrimp bowl and toss to coat (see the coloring – grayish and translucent).
Place the Coconut Oil in the frying pan and place on medium high heat. It melts rather quickly. After two minutes it should be perfectly warm. Toss in the shrimp.
Cook the shrimp until they are pink and white. You do not want translucent or gray looking shrimp. These won’t be delicious unless you are into the raw shrimp thing. I am not. It takes roughly 2-3 minutes per side. Then I toss around for extra good measure.
Warm up the corn tortillas in a frying pan. These ones puff a little when ready. Use high heat for about 30 seconds on each side.
Place shrimp inside tortilla and enjoy! Add anything extra fancy you wish or enjoy as is. I do not recommend flour tortillas with seafood. Just a heads up!

It is a really quick recipe when you don’t have to read through all my commentary.

December 20, 2016 0

I absolutely LOVE when Jim says he wants something to eat. I take it as a challenge. A couple months ago I received the “I want something lemony and garlicy and chickeny”. So I toss something together and he says “write that one down”. Excitedly, I write it down. Wait about a week or 2 and try it again. When it’s just as yummy during the repeats, I get giddy.

Well, it is about high time I post the Garlic Lemon Chicken recipe!! I’m sure if you choose to Google search, you might end up with something extremely similar BUT I like mine (with my amazing commentary) so in case you are daring enough to try it… here goes!

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts (I go to BJs and buy theirs – $1.99 a pound or less)
extra virgin olive oil (for the pan – I have a spray bottle where I add my own)
garlic salt (I use a grinder with sea salt and garlic together – from BJs)
pepper (yup – the kind in the grinder from BJs – see the theme here?)
flour (enough to coat chicken) plus 1 tbsp for sauce set aside
1 lemon (you’ll be zesting and juicing)
1/2 small vidalia onion minced or small dices (or any sweet variety will do but I can’t guarantee it’s deliciousness)
1/2 tbsp parsley (I never have fresh parsley but if you do – have at it – you just might need a little more – I think dry is a tad more potent, although I swear I never taste it and only use it for aesthetics!)
5 garlic cloves minced (if you don’t like garlic as much as me, you might want to dial this back some and just go with the lemon and 2 cloves maybe. Oh and if your garlic turns blue-ish green from the lemon, it’s the acidic combination of ‘semi’ fresh garlic aka slightly older but still edible and lemon. It will not kill you. It’s just a mind over blue/green matter at that point. Still tastes just as good. Garlic doesn’t usually turn colors… just a warning in case you ever see it. However if black – likely burnt and needs to start all over again.)
1 cup water (if you want to add more later – that’s okay – I like the sauce thick)
1 tbsp Minor’s chicken base (I LOVE this stuff and I also grab this from BJs – I’m like a BJs ad – they should pay me.)
1/3 stick of butter

Directions:

Clean chicken breasts of all fatty parts and other parts that don’t look delicious (like veins). Cut the breasts into about fists size pieces. See my photo for my sizes. A fist was the best I could come up with!
Season the chicken breasts with the garlic salt and pepper.
Coat the breasts with flour (easiest to place in a shallow bowl or shake it up in a plastic Ziploc baggy).
Spray 1-3 squirts (or probably 1-2 tbsp) of olive oil into frying pan. Heat pan on medium to high heat. Usually 3 minutes.
Once heated (oil should sizzle when food is placed) toss in onion and stir around for 2 minutes. Remove and place in bowl. You’ll add these back in when you place the rest of the liquid in.
Spray with oil if none is left in the pan. Place all breasts and leave alone for 5 mins. Then flip again for 5 minutes. Flip again for another minute and make sure your heat is lowered now to a low medium. Your chicken should be close to no pink by now. If not, cook a smidgen longer.
Toss the butter into the frying pan. (I take the 1/3 stick and cut into 4 pieces and spread strategically around the pan).
While the chicken breasts are cooking on low medium heat, it is time to get ready for the sauce. In a small bowl (I use a Pyrex measuring cup) combine water, chicken base, minced garlic cloves, zest of 1 lemon, juice of 1 lemon, parsley, flour and mix together.
Toss the lemon halves in the frying pan.
Gently pour mixture over the chicken and add onions back to pan.
Reduce heat to a simmer and let sit for 10 minutes until chicken is fork tender and fully cooked through.

I usually serve with homemade pasta.

Enjoy and make sure you comment any variations! I’d love to hear them.

December 13, 2016 4

Saturday I made “Santa Wonderland” Cream Puffs by a lucky mistake. I hope my mistake actually happens again tomorrow morning when I make cream puffs for my coworkers for our first annual “Pot Luck Luncheon”.

If my happy little mistake works again in the morning, I’ll post the regular what I was supposed to do recipe (you know where they are cream filled INSIDE the puff) and the OOPS! “Santa Wonderland” puff version where I had flat puffs for Santa hats and Christmas tree squares .

Cross your fingers – because I am – for once – hoping to mess up again!

December 13, 2016 0

Thor, named for the meaning found in Wikipedia, “a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of all of humankind“, is a tiny terror when it comes to bed stuffing. See exhibit A below:

I am on # 3 so far. Yes, my precious love muffin has tested my DIY skills three times over in less than a month.

I’ve resorted to fixing the beds by covering with fabric from my local Wal-mart. I typically only purchased whatever was on sale. Since I have only done this three times and spent less than $5 on each dog bed resurfacing, I’m not being very picky.

So here’s one… with my little Thor peacefully enjoying the comforts of my first dog bed makeover. Which he has not nibbled at yet. (Check out the dog toys – those are my homemade dog toys I did a few nights ago… you’ll see the same fabric in the third remake of beds in a moment).

So dear Thor, slayer of dog beds, has struck one more time while being left home to roam the house for hours. Exhibit A above is the same as Exhibit B below (just the stuffing has been tossed out). Notice the holes completely through? He really did a number on this one! I bet he was so proud of himself.

Here I go again! So tonight I went looking for the fabric I had left over from the dog toys I made to see if any of the scraps would fit. Well guess what, they wouldn’t cover more than half of the bed unless put together. See Exhibit C. Yes, that’s me hand sewing two fabric scraps together. Why am I hand sewing you ask? Whelp, I have no idea where my sewing machine is at. Probably the storage unit with my snow pants and other cold weather items.

I added some extra stuffing and did the ‘no sew’ method around the edges… trust me… this is easy peasy when you have odd bed shapes for dogs. Plus, hand sewing would have taken an eternity for me to do. My patience, skill level and my short, easily distracted attention span would have taken over and the dogs would be laying on pins. In all seriousness, the bed is done and Ralphie (the best NON-CHEWING NON-DESTRUCTIVE dog ever) is snoozing away on it.

I do still need to trim the edges to make the knots look even, BUT the DIY revised dog bed is done. I am really hoping I never have to redo another dog bed again, but I rather redo the beds than sand and stain my dining room table. That’s a Thor tale for another day, but a snippet of what’s to come, he ate the wood leg on my pretty dining room table. At least he’s become wiser … he ate all the evidence. GASP!

December 7, 2016 2

I like to experiment and test things out! 1124161810a-1 You’ll see random updates as I work my way through self teaching of culinary fundamentals. The majority will be from my own brain with a bit of help from the culinary textbook ‘On Cooking’. And I have to admit, my great grandmother, granny and mother have taught me a lot as well. Plus I’m a perfectionist so I stalk my food. No burnt cookies here. Ever. Okay, maybe not ever because I am a bit scattered and distracted A LOT so it has been known to happen.

The photo you see here is from my Granny’s birthday cake. She didn’t want “no dumb cake” so I whipped up some cream puffs in four flavors, hit a toy store for a Western horse and cut one of the boxes I was supposed to use for moving to make a birthday cake that wasn’t like one she’s ever seen.

It was a huge hit. She took the whole box home. I had to print a photo I took on my cell and off she went to show off her ‘birthday cake’. I hope I’m still that cute when I am 40 years older.

This moment is what started my idea of blogging about the things I might experiment with and learn throughout my culinary journey. Enjoy!

PS – I’ll post the cream puff recipe the next time I make them (in a couple weeks for a holiday party). This way I can show you step by step how to do it. Everyone loves visual images when baking! (Okay, maybe not everyone, but I sure do!)

December 6, 2016 0

SMILO 11/28/16

SMILO 11/28/16

Happy Monday! I’ve made a SMILO for 3 weeks in a row now. You should be very proud of me. I even started a secret blog this past week as well. And I am telling no one – well I mean I just told you all – so let me rephrase – I will tell no one where to find it, but you all know I have one.

The week that passed has been very interesting. My little puppy Thor was neutered. My daughter has a concussion. I hosted Thanksgiving. And I am selling my townhouse. Wednesday I had more people in my townhouse than I had on Thanksgiving doing appraisals, inspections, surveys, and more and the only thing that was scheduled was the appraisal. Which brings me to my SMILO topic: Communication.

Let’s start at the basics… communication by definition is “the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else” according to Merriam-Webster.

Communication allows one or more persons (even animals) to be open and expressive. Thor was expressive in his disgust with my puppy altering surgical procedure. It was loud and clear. My daughter expressed her boredom on several occasions since she was not allowed to do anything stimulating until further advisement from the doctor. Try telling a teenager no phone or music or tv. Thanks doc.

Communication from the realtors about who was coming for the townhouse is where it was lacking. The buyers thought their realtor would just miraculously know they selected a home inspector and set it up for the same time as the appraiser. So here I am working from home, watching my teen with a concussion lay on the sofa next to me, and there are a ridiculous amount of people flowing in and out. Honestly, I had no idea who was coming, going, whether an inspector, a parent of the future homeowner, etc. It was rather obnoxious to be honest. And only obnoxious because I wasn’t aware.

With everyone there needs to be clear communication. No underlying hidden mice type. Being a Project Manager, you completely understand this requirement. Communication is not only expressive, but it is also listening, repeating and documenting. You need to listen. Then you need to repeat to make sure what you heard is correct… trust me… more times than not during the repeating process, something has altered. And it is not because you heard incorrectly, it is because the person you are repeating it to just heard what they communicated and they realize there is more to it OR they didn’t say it just right OR they heard it and decided they didn’t like what they communicated themselves.

After the repetitive nature of the communication, clarity is achieved and then documented. And trust me, documentation is key. Your mind has to recall too many details over time to accurately get it right each and every time. For me, I need to write down everything. I have to recall details for too many people and dogs at work and home to be on point all the time. I’m good, but not that good.

If you need an example, let me recall a fabulous little humorous ditty about a graphic designer and a secretary who lost her cat. It shows you how communication is lost if not properly communicated! Check it out here… (Although you may want to just jot this down and read it at home – you know since it is not work related). http://thechive.com/2010/08/03/secretary-loses-her-cat-and-asks-graphic-designer-at-her-work-to-create-a-missing-poster/ The secretary emails the designer and needs a poster for her cat Missy that went Missing. It leads you through multiple rounds of how communications can be misinterpreted and provides a visual to bring it all together. It’s a good read. Truly.

To bring it all in, no matter what you do, how you do it, you need to communicate. It’s just a part of life. Heck, even some people communicate with themselves (at which point this is okay until you start answering in full on conversations – then I recommend you see a shrink – just sayin’ folks!). Be open, listen to understand and not just hear, ask questions, REPEAT, REPEAT again, and document it!

December 6, 2016 0

SMILO 11/21/16

The second SMILO is here! I don’t know what I was thinking by picking a weekly blog let alone on a MONDAY! Goodness me, this wasn’t my most brilliant idea I’ve had to date. Any who, let’s get down to business… Let the SMILO (Sennette’s MonDay in the Life Of – if you already forgot or missed the first one with the explanation) begin!

I’ve worked for TD for over 16 years now. I started as a Customer Service Representative in the Stratford NJ location (at the time – it was Commerce). I’ve held a bunch of roles throughout the years. Each and every one allowed me to learn more about the bank and my love for our culture has never wavered.

I received a call late last week regarding my TD credit card. It can be easily forgotten how much behind the scenes work is conducted to make your personal information safe. I don’t know all the algorithms used or understand the whole technical aspect of how a credit card works, but I do know this… The folks at TSYS & our US Bankcard team are top notch.

I was sitting at my desk in the 12000 building on a conference call and my personal cell rang. Of course I let it go to voicemail – not because I was on a call to be honest, because it was an 855 #. If I don’t know you, I reject you. This only works since it is my personal cell. I obviously would never reject a number at work I didn’t know. (or would I – you shall never know). After my call was over, I dialed my voicemail. It was a TD representative asking for a call back ASAP as there was suspected fraud on my account.

As any person would be leery (so I hope) I Google the 855 #. And a bunch of “this isn’t TD Bank. Do not call the # back” notes appeared. Being the intelligent person I am – I call the # anyway. And as they start asking me a TON of personal questions, I start to panic. And instant message a friend in the US Bankcard group… to ensure I am okay and not opening myself up to more potential fraud. Number confirmed, I am all safe! But let me be a guide to you… just flip your card over and call the # on the back. Less worrisome. Truly.

So I speak with this wonderfully kind woman, whose name at the moment escapes me, and she starts walking through some rather interesting charges. I can’t exactly type them on a work blog – I’ll just put one out there because it just helps the story – Nudity Jeans (really folks!?!). So there we have it, $1000 bucks in erroneous charges in less than two days’ time. And the only reason they were caught was because of the settings TD has that a normal person wouldn’t even know about and probably don’t think much of it. You just swipe and go. Or insert and go now.

I was lucky they caught them. As we were on the phone more charges were coming through (and these aren’t small amounts – the one that was newly coming was $236 for those interesting jeans).

There’s some dispute paper work coming to my home address and a new card. In the meantime I am without a credit card. No Amazon shopping for me at the moment. GASP!

My SMILO is a smiling nod at the US Bankcard team. You really do make TD a better place to bank. I thank you!

And for my blog reading friends – remember to check your statement as often as possible and only call #s on the back of your card for your own well-being.

December 6, 2016 0

Country Wonderland

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