Cookie Monster Cupcakes

Cookie Monster Cupcakes!!

I'm getting out of control this summer with my creative food making.  The way I see it, I've got just over a week until school starts (EEEEK!) and I've got to maximize my kitchen time!  So today's project was Cookie Monster Cupcakes.  As usual, the internet gave me the idea, I just ran with it and was so delighted that I thought I'd share.

I started with a shopping trip on a quest to find Candy Melts for the eyes.  They have these at the craft store Michael's.  The array of baking and candy making supplies  - found in the wedding department (?) - was dizzying and gave me inspiration.  I escaped with white Candy Melts (a product by Wilton) and a small tube of black icing.  Simply smearing a bit of the icing on the underside of a candy = googly eye!



As for the baking side of things, I've been lazy on the cake making lately - this is another box mix.  The Hy-vee ones are really pretty good.  I made a buttercream by ad-libbing, then made my homemade chocolate chip cookies, including some extra small ones (~1-1.25" diameter).  I let everything cool, then I assembled.






1.  Lightly frost the cooled cupcake with blue icing, then cut a slit where the cookie will go.  Insert cookie.  I eventually found an angle is best.

 2.  Pipe icing around the cookie and all over the top of the cupcake.  I tried all squiggles, all stars (as shown to the side), and all smeary stars.  The fact is, as long as the top looks a little messy, is blue, has googly eyes and has a cookie, it will clearly be the cookie monster.  See the last picture for a couple of the different icing efforts.

3.  Add googly eyes.  Eat.

I think tinting the icing green, using silver cupcake liners, and just putting on a black line for the mouth would make a great Oscar.  I've seen Elmo, too, but I don't think I'd bother with him for myself as he was after my time.  Overall, it was great fun, though definitely time consuming baking everything and piping all the detail.  Worth it at least once!

Shark Week Food Fun

Watermelon Shark!

So we had a Shark Week soiree to attend, and I decided to Google "shark week recipes" and found the watermelon shark.  My gut reaction was "I could never do that!" but then I read a post by someone who said he'd never carved watermelon before and couldn't believe how easy it was.  I began to believe, despite never having carved a watermelon before either.  It was easy.  All I needed was a big sharp knife, a small sharp knife, some black grapes, and a big spoon to scoop out the innards.

Directions:  Find an oblong watermelon - this may be harder than you think.  I found a lot of fat near-spheres.  The end without the big scar should likely be the nose, so lop off the other end at an angle.  Cut mouth cavity, then switch to small knife and score a line for teeth.  Others suggested a dry erase marker to pre-mark this.  Run knife just under the green skin - between the green and white layers.  Peel off strip of green for teeth region, cleaning up any little .  Scoop out innards, leaving a couple inches on the bottom for a base, but cutting pretty close to the white right by the teeth.  Cut teeth - I was sure I'd be pretty bad at this and I was, but it doesn't matter, does it?  Carve out small eye holes and stick in black grapes, then use a toothpick to secure a triangle of rind from the piece that was cut off as a dorsal fin.  Fill shark mouth with chunks of melon from the scooped/sliced off melon and grapes and serve.  I put mine on a bed of kale since it was all wavy and I thought it looked like ocean water (hey - if a watermelon can be a shark, kale can be water).

I made awesome "Life's a Beach" cupcakes, too.  Again, I found these by Google, so I'm not too original.  I did labor over what flavors to use, though.  I opted for a caramel cake mix from the grocery store (I do cheat sometimes) with homemade cream cheese frosting.  The sand is just graham cracker crumbs.  Frost half, dip in crumbs, frost the other half in blue.  Add "shark fin" chocolate chip.  The flavors worked very well together!

When the party is over and the fruit is eaten, lure a cat to stick its head into the watermelon shark with a treat.  It's hilarious.  

Ratatouille Tart

In my opinion, this is the best thing I've ever made.  I don't say that lightly.  Not to be overly boastful, but I've made a lot of good things.  But this is the one dish that rules them all.  Maybe it's the french shallots, maybe the fresh garden tomatoes, maybe the hardneck garlic...  Take the time to make it and decide for yourself.  It's a modified version of Ellie Krieger's Ratatouille Tart.

To experience this bliss, you'll need:  cornmeal, flour, salt, butter, vegetable oil, water, eggplant, squash or zucchini, tomato, olive oil, cooking spray, french shallots (or regular), hardneck garlic (or regular), white wine, herbs of choice - thyme and rosemary are suggested, goat cheese, and parmesan.  And definitely some time.  It's worth it.

Crust:
2/3 c cornmeal
1/3 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 t or less salt (see note)
2 T cold butter
2 T vegetable oil
3 T water
Note:  Amount of salt should vary with how much parmesan you want to add later.  Both will add saltiness to this and you don't want to lose the flavor of the other ingredients.  If you're big on parmesan, I'd expect you can cut the salt in the crust entirely.
Preheat oven to 350F.  Pulse dry ingredients in food processor a few times until mixed.  Add fats and pulse just until mixed.  Add water and pulse just until it comes together.  Press into a tart pan or a 8" springform pan, covering bottom and ~1/4" or 1/2" up the side.  Gently press foil down onto tart dough to cover, and then weigh the foil down with pie weights (or dry rice or dry beans that you save for this purpose).  Bake covered for 10 minutes.  Carefully uncover, then continue to bake for another 5 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool.  While crust is baking, prep vegetables.  Change oven temp to 400F.

Veggies:
Thinly (~1/8" thick) slice:
1 japanese eggplant (a thinner, longer variety similar in shape to a zucchini)
1 yellow squash or a zucchini
2-3 small diameter tomatoes - make these slices a bit thicker, ~1/4"
Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and then lay these slices out as a single layer.  Spray with olive oil or more non-stick cooking spray and very lightly sprinkle with salt.  Allow to sit for a few minutes and then put in the oven for ~15 minutes or until soft but not brown.  Cool.  I have a lot of veggies in these pictures because I doubled the recipe!

Return oven to 350F

As veggies are roasting, prepare the remainder of the filling:
2 shallots, very thinly sliced - I recommend french shallots
1 clove hardneck garlic
A dash of white wine (optional)
A pinch of dried thyme leaves
A few leaves of fresh rosemary, chopped finely
Olive oil
Note:  French shallots, pictured here, just have a richer flavor and are indescribably better than regular shallots (which I also love).  The hardneck garlic I've had is much stronger than the standard garlic varieties you can buy at the grocery store.  If you cannot find hardneck garlic, then you may want to amp up the amount used if you're a fan of garlic.  If you're in the Iowa City area, then Adelyn's Garden (run by Dave and Katharine Campbell) has a stall at the Farmer's Market with excellent garlic, squash, eggplant and even the french shallots, for that matter!
Another note:  The herbs are my choice.  This would also be great with basil or I think even a bit of sage or fresh oregano could have its place here though I haven't tried them.  Chives could be good, too.
Saute shallots on med-low heat in just a bit of olive oil until soft.  Add minced garlic, cook for ~30 seconds.  Add dash of white wine and herbs.  Allow to cook until wine has evaporated.  Feel free to repeat addition/evaporation of wine if time/patience.

Assembly:
Cooled crust
Cooled baked veggies
Sauteed shallot mix
small round of goat cheese
FRESHLY shredded parmesan

Take a minute to carefully distribute the shallot mixture across tart crust so that every bite gets a bit of it.  It's worth the minute.  Top with a thin layer of freshly shredded parmesan.  Layer veggies in a pretty way - I usually alternate eggplant-squash-tomato around the outside, then whatever I have the most of will determine how I pattern the inner layers.  I like to put a couple of slices of tomato over the top at the end.  Dot the vegetables with small chunks of goat cheese, just break off chunks that are ~1/4" square and put all around the tart about 1" apart.  Top with a generous layer of freshly shredded parmesan.  Bake at 350F for ~20-30 minutes or until cheese is melty and you're salivating because it smells so good.  Allow to cool a bit (tortuous) but serve warm.

The crust is flaky-crumbly-slightly crunchy.  The parmesan lends saltiness (as does the salt in the crust), the goat cheese is creamy.  Fresh tomatoes from my garden are amazing and, to me, the quintessential summer food.  The dash of white wine and those french shallots add a tangy...  I can't really explain it.  Just make it.  It's delicious.
 

My Favorite Low-Calorie Recipes

Losing the weight was a matter of taking in fewer calories than I burned.  I did that primarily by reducing portion size, and not depriving myself of delicious things.  High fiber foods also helped me to feel full.  I figured I'd share some of my favorite recipes of the healthier meals I made (and continue to make).  I'll just add to this over time...

Shrimp with Broccoli

Chopped broccoli florets from 1 bunch

Raw peeled, deveined shrimp (~8 oz)

Chopped garlic (more or less depending on how much you like it - I use a LOT, ~2T total)

Low sodium soy sauce

Toss broccoli with half of chopped garlic and steam until done to your liking.  Toss shrimp with other half of garlic and steam until done (can alternately saute these in ~1t of olive oil with a few drops of sesame oil).  Do NOT overcook shrimp - it only takes a few minutes and they will become rubbery if overcooked!  Top bed of broccoli with shrimp and sprinkle with soy sauce.  Serve over brown rice if desired, makes 2 servings.

Portobello Wrap

Marinate a portobello mushroom in balsamic vinaigrette (store bought or homemade) for at least an hour.  Grill on a Foreman grill or use a grill pan or broil it until cooked through.  Cut into strips.  Add to a high-fiber tortilla, like those from La Tortilla Factory, and add your favorite other fillings - shredded carrot, mixed greens, a small amount of goat cheese, alfalfa sprouts, tomato, avocado, bell peppers, cucumber, hummus, etc.  I find it tasty warm or cold.

Go-To Chicken Dinner

Pound 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts until they're ~1/4" thick

Heat a nonstick pan on medium heat with ~1/2T olive oil

Add chicken breasts, lightly seasoning with salt and pepper as you cook them

After turning them over, add ~1/4c chicken broth to the pan and a couple splashes of white wine or the juice of half a lemon (too much of the lemon can get bitter fast!).  Add some dried oregano to taste or parsley for color.

Finish cooking the chicken, and the liquid will reduce.  Add more lemon as desired.  Serve with fresh green beans (or asparagus) that was steamed or blanched then tossed with a small amount of oil, lemon juice and chopped garlic.

Mmmm.  Broccoli.

Toss raw broccoli florets in a large plastic bag with ~1T olive oil, a few dashes of soy sauce, a heaping tablespoon of chopped garlic, a couple oz of feta cheese, and a splash of lemon or lime juice.  Bake at 350F until it is cooked to your liking (I don't like it to get mushy).

Ina Garten's Lentils (from her Salmon and Lentils recipe)

This is barely edited from foodnetwork.com - I took out the salmon part because I found it made a spattery mess, though it tasted fine.  

1⁄2 pound French green lentils (lentilles du Puy - they hold their shape after cooking and never turn mushy like "regular" lentils)
1⁄4 cup good olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onions
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 1⁄2 cups chopped celery (4 stalks)
1 1⁄2 cups chopped carrots (3 carrots)
1 1⁄2 cups Homemade Chicken Stock, or good canned broth (ahem)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons good red wine vinegar (n.b. no more, no less - it makes the dish!)

Place the lentils in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes, then drain.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saute pan, add the onions, leeks, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the drained lentils, celery, carrots, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add the vinegar and season, to taste.

Sweet Potato Biscuits and Turkey Sausage and Gravy

Ok, this isn't exactly healthy.  But it's healthier than it could be.  Adding sweet potato to the biscuits makes them slightly less of a guilty pleasure, and the turkey sausage cuts a lot of the fat of pork sausage.  Biscuit recipe slightly modified from chow.com 

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup 2% milk
1 cup baked, mashed sweet potato (about 1 medium potato)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cold
Heavy cream for brushing the tops
1. Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside. In a separate large bowl, mix together milk and mashed sweet potato until evenly combined.
2. Cut in cold butter to the dry ingredients until butter is coated. Add milk mixture and mix lightly until a lumpy dough forms.
3. Turn out mixture onto a floured surface and knead just until it comes together. (The dough will not be smooth.)  Handling the dough as little as possible gives biscuits a lighter, fluffier texture.
4. Pat into a circle and use a floured rolling pin to roll dough to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or glass, cut the dough into rounds. Avoid twisting the cutter!  Gather leftover dough into a circle, reroll until dough is used.
5. Place biscuits on a baking sheet, brush tops with heavy cream, and bake until the bottoms are golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.

While biscuits are baking, put the contents of a packet of turkey sausage into a saute pan and crumble.  Cook until it is no longer pink.  Add a couple pinches of freshly crumbled sage.  Add ~1T olive oil during cooking if pan is dry.  Sprinkle 1/4c flour over sausage, and cook for 30sec or so, then add 2 cups of skim milk.  Bring back to a simmer and it will thicken.  Add salt (or powdered chicken boullion) and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Serve over biscuits.  

Apple-Cinnamon Sticky Buns

Because we all need a little sin in our diets...  I only very slightly adapted this from the Midwest Living recipe.  I’d like to find a way to enhance the apple flavor even further (maybe use a recipe for apple cider caramel?  Find a way to incorporate apple sauce?).  As cinnamon rolls with a hint of apple, though, these are phenomenal!

Ingredients

6-1/4  to 6-3/4 c  all-purpose flour

2  pkg  active dry yeast

2  c  milk

1/4  c  granulated sugar

1/4  c  butter

1  t  salt

1    egg

3/4  c  packed brown sugar

3/4  c  sugar

1/3  c  all-purpose flour

1 1/2  T cinnamon

3/4  c  butter

2  c  finely chopped peeled apple

1 1/2  c  chopped pecans

1  recipe  Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2-1/2 cups of flour and the yeast. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat and stir milk, the 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the 1/4 cup butter, and the salt just until warm and butter almost melts. Add milk mixture to flour mixture. Then, add the egg. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping side of bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour until smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes total). Shape the dough into a ball. Place dough in lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease the surface of the dough. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled (45 to 60 minutes).

4. For filling, in a small mixing bowl, combine the 3/4 cup brown sugar, the 3/4 cup granulated sugar, the 1/3 cup flour, and the cinnamon. Cut in the 3/4 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Peel, core, and chop apple just before dough is ready – tossing it with a small amount of lemon juice will keep it from discoloring.

5. Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Grease two 13x9x2-inch baking pans; set aside.

6. Cut dough in half and roll half into a large rectangle. Sprinkle with half of filling, apple, and nuts. Roll up from long side, jelly-roll style. Pinch to seal edge.

7. Prepare Caramel Syrup. Pour into baking pans. Cut dough, crosswise, into rolls about 1” thick and place (~12 per roll, depending on size of rectangle), cut sides down, into prepared pan. Repeat for second half of dough.  Cover and let rolls rise until nearly doubled (about 20 minutes).

8. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned and rolls sound hollow when lightly tapped. (Place baking sheet under baking pan to catch any drips.) Invert onto serving plate while warm.

Caramel Syrup: In a saucepan, melt 3/4 cup butter or margarine. Stir in 1 ½  cups packed brown sugar and 3/8 cup corn syrup. Cook and stir until sugar melts. Remove from heat.

I Am Crushing Your Head(ache)

a.k.a. "What I've learned about migraines through far too extensive experience..."

Migraines suck.  Those of us who have them know all too well the difference between a good day and a migraine day.  If you're "lucky" enough to only have 1 or so a month, then you can possibly take the day off.  If you have a ton of them, then you have probably been desperate to manage them, like me.  Overall, I feel better than 10 years ago - I have a handle on some things that cause them, and a drug combination that usually beats one when I've got it.  If ANY of this can help you manage yours, then I didn't write this in vain.  Please comment if you have anything to add.

Personal headache history:

I’ve had headaches my whole life.  I remember days as a kid when my head just killed.  Around age 27, they morphed from whole-head events to a more classic migraine.  I used to get by with 800 mg of ibuprofen, but that started to upset my stomach and lost its effectiveness at killing the headache as well.  In early 2007, I was at an untenable peak of 15-18 migraines per month.  Since then, a lot has changed – my meds, my diet, and my ability to “suck it up” and just work through it (though not without some griping, sorry).   I’ve learned a LOT about headaches and triggers and fixes in the last 4 years, though some months are still better than others.

What I tested (***indicates that it is a trigger for me)

Wheat

“New” cheese (anything that can be store brand would qualify)

Aged cheese (hard grated fresh Parmesan, for example)

“Smoked” things

***Some barbeque sauces/spice rubs

Citrus

Pomegranate

Berries (blueberries, strawberries, cherries, raspberries)

Milk chocolate

***Cocoa

Splenda

***Aspartame

Magnesium

Daily vitamin supplements

***Caffeine imbalance

***Pork (even the organic, non-preservative laden stuff)

***Alcohol (one drink)

***Dehydration

***A dry room at night

***Too much salt

***Regular soy sauce

Low sodium soy sauce

***Chewing gum for too long (jaw muscles)

***Massages

***Hormonal fluctuations

***Subway subs (might just be the turkey, but I’m not willing to check)

Some things change over time.  Alcohol was not initially a trigger of mine.  It’s only in the last year or so that it suddenly seems to have become an allergen – I get super stuffy after drinking even one drink of any sort, and a headache will follow immediately.  Some are about quantity – I can have pork in small quantities, like a slice of pepperoni pizza, but two days in a row that has repeatedly triggered a headache (mushroom is fine!). [Note: see 1/14/12 update below]

Caffeine was a big one, too.  I had to give up Diet Coke when aspartame turned out to be incredibly evil, and I tried Diet Rite because it was a Splenda pop.  Well, Diet Rite has no caffeine.  I thought the Splenda was killer for a while, but as it turns out, Pepsi One is fine as are all other Splenda products.  When I started drinking coffee, I’d fill a travel mug daily and take it to work.   My headaches spiked.  I went back to pop, they decreased… I tried half-caffeinated coffee, and they’re fine.  My head is  Goldilocks.

Hormones can be held steady.  Ask your OB.  No hormone changes, no spikes in headaches once a month (hmm... I feel like I should not punctuate this sentence...haha).  One thing my doctor mentioned, though, is that if you have a migraine with aura, then you definitely do not want to be on an estrogen-based hormone for birth control (or any other reason!).  It doubles your risk of stroke - plenty of medical research behind this, google it and see the journal articles.

ADDED 4/27:  How could I forget dust?  Sweeping the garage, pouring in new cat litter, or even extensive house cleaning (with emptying the vacuum canister repeatedly) can be a huge trigger for me.  A dust mask is silly looking but helps 100% of the time - that's not hyperbole, that's the actual figure for me with multiple trials with and without something to filter the dust out of the air I breathe through my nose.

With respect to testing, the only way to be sure about things is to go on a radical “migraine diet” and cut out everything that may possibly offend, then add things back in one at a time, with a 2 or so week period in between (depending on how frequent your headaches are).  Removing things one by one may not be telling.  If I were to remove cocoa from my diet but not aspartame, I’d not know that cocoa is a trigger because I’d still be having headaches from the aspartame.  If I remove everything, but then add things in one by one, then when the headaches re-appear, then it’s clear what the culprit is.  Of course, not all headaches are diet related, so lengthy periods of testing are typically best to be sure it’s not weather/allergies/etc. that’s causing the pain.  Honestly, I was never able to eliminate mine to get a baseline, but I saw spikes that were associated with these triggers often observed over months of observation.

  

Other patterns:

• Weather seems to play a big role, totally uncontrollable
• Seasonal allergies trigger my sinuses which give me... migraines.  I take a bevy of allergy medications which help a LOT.
• SLEEP is critical.  When my doctor heard that I really don’t sleep at night after about 2 hours, she prescribed Ambien.  I was very apprehensive at first, but now love it.  I sleep at night for 6 hours or so!  I've heard horror stories, too, but I'm pretty lucky. (See 1/14/12 update below)
• I need to keep the thermostat cold!  My head seems unable to properly thermoregulate me and if I’m sedentary, my head will overheat in a warm room.  It’s oddly ok if I’m gardening in 90 degree heat and sweating.  It’s got to be the sweat…
• Clenching my teeth at night gives me a migraine!  I have a little device to bite on that was molded for my front teeth that keeps the back ones from coming in contact.  I don’t grind, I just clench them and the jaw muscles are tense. 
• Stress – what can you do, eh?  Many days in a row of working 6am-11pm will cause a headache by the middle of day 4.  That’s not really a surprise.   I think it’s jaw clenching and exhaustion, actually.
• Weight - As it turns out, losing all the weight seems to have helped my immune system a lot, but not my headaches.  I guess I won one game but another is not yet over... 

What helps when I’m getting the “first seeds” of a migraine:

• Splashing my face with cold water
• Hot compresses on my sinuses or running them under the hot shower, though my scalp has to stay cool. 
• A slathering of Vicks VapoRub under my nose (this also helps with the humidity level in the room at night, though I think the smell is tied in, too)
• Taking the time to completely relax the muscles in my head/face for a few minutes

Drugs

Some are just not stoppable, I find Imitrex + 1 Aleve the best relief.  The addition of the Aleve has increased the length of the relief for me and increased the “kill rate.”  My migraines used to always come back and last for 3-5 days, but now they often go away on day 1.  They make a combo pill now (Treximet) but it’s still brand-name only, and I can get the Imitrex as a generic and buy store brand Aleve – a much cheaper combination.  Unfortunately, I find I cannot take migraine meds until I’m 100% sure it’s going to “launch” into a full blown migraine.  Doctors always say “take this at the first sign” but I am pretty sure that if I take the pills prematurely for something that would have gone away, then I end up with terrible side effects.  I’m best off with the pills and a nap, but if I can’t nap then a bit of movement about 20-30 minutes after taking them seems to help. 

I’ve also been prescribed Topamax and Amlodipine for migraines as preventatives.  The Topamax dosage has gone up over time and the side effects have gone away (I thankfully never had aphasia).  The Amlodipine is to help “relax” my blood vessels and keep them from “spasmodic episodes,” I don’t think I’ve noticed a headache difference, but my lowered blood pressure (which was low-normal) is now VERY low.  I should probably drop that one.  An antihistamine and Flonase keep my sinuses at bay (+real Sudafed as needed), and Ambien makes me sleep.  I wonder sometimes what life off drugs would be like, but then I remember how many headaches I used to have ALL THE TIME.

I’ve identified a lot and yet a lot is still a mystery.  As of right now, though, after a foul March (weather?), I’m having a great April – only 2 days of headache!  The 21 day stretch without one was the longest in 10 or so years.   

Got anything to add, please share!

1/14/12 Update

Life has changed, and so have my headaches.  After making the incredibly difficult decision to end my marriage, I've been on my own for 5 months now and have seen marked improvements in my headaches.  I have been able to incorporate pork and moderate amounts of alcohol back into my diet without repercussions.  The line of "how much alcohol is too much" is a fine one to tread.  Certain wines can still get me with a half-glass, but others I can have 2 glasses with no problems.  Same goes for beer and liquor.  I can drink my favorite beers again, though, without the pain that they had caused.  Diet pop with aspartame is still a no-go.  Dust is still evil.  Small amounts of barbeque are ok.  I still don't regulate my head temperature well and I prefer cool conditions - unless I'm active.  

I can only conclude that the constant stress brought on by an unhappy relationship was exacerbating the impact of other triggers.  I'm constantly testing the boundaries with thing I'd like to incorporate back into my life, and I've definitely found my limits (and paid for it sometimes).  The toll of the daily stress was also likely responsible for my problems sleeping every night.  I no longer require the assistance of Ambien more than once or twice a week!  I've also stepped down off of the preventative migraine medication (Topamax) and not had trouble.  It's liberating.   

Cream of chicken with wild rice soup

Soup is my cold-weather day food.  Cream of chicken has always been a favorite, and when wild-rice is added in, it gives it texture and a nutty flavor that can't be beat.  Finishing the soup off with white wine gives it a depth that, in my opinion, makes this soup go from 4 to 5 stars.  I buy those mini 4-packs of white wine to have around when cooking instead of having to open up a big bottle.  This is modified off an old recipe I found somewhere years ago and it is an absolute winner.

1 1/3 c wild rice, uncooked
meat from a 3 lb roasted chicken
~1c chopped celery
~1c chopped onion
~1 c chopped carrot (I use the frozen ones!)
~1 c sliced mushroom
2T oil
6c chicken broth
1/2 c butter or margarine
3/4+ c flour
4 c skim milk
1c white wine
+salt (or chicken bouillon) and pepper as needed

1. Cook rice as directed on package in either water or chicken broth (or water + bouillon).  Stop ~10 minutes before end of cooking time.
2. In the meantime, clean chicken off bone, removing fat/gristle and cutting into bite-sized pieces.
3.  Saute celery, onion, and carrot in a very large pot in ~2T oil on medium heat.  After ~5 minutes, add mushrooms and continue to saute ~10 more minutes.
4.  Add chicken broth and set to simmer.
5.  If any excess liquid remains in the rice, drain it.  Rice should be beginning to crack open.  Add drained rice to soup.
6.  In a separate pan, make a roux - melt the butter over medium-high and then stir in the flour to make a paste.  Slowly add milk, one bit at a time at first, stirring thoroughly until it's smooth.  Repeat.  This is a slow process.  If you get lumps, use a whisk to smooth it out, but also use a spoon to get all the flour stuck to the bottom of the pan.
7.  Add some of the hot soup broth to the bechamel to thin it, then whisk it all into the soup.
8.  Finish soup with chicken, white wine and adjust flavorings by adding salt (or chicken bouillon) and pepper.  Allow to simmer for ~10-15 more minutes.