Shrimp Spinach Pasta in Garlic Cream Sauce :: 2 Minutes at a Time!

Ingredients
1# shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
8 oz cooked linguine
2 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 c whole milk
1 c unsalted chicken stock
3 oz grated Parmesan cheese
4 c fresh spinach

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to the package, omit salt. When done, drain well and keep warm.
In the meantime,
2. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add flour and garlic; cook 2 minutes or until browned, stirring constantly.
3. Add milk and stock, whisk for two minutes. Add cheese, stirring for 2 minutes. Add spinach. Cook 2 minutes.
4. Salt and pepper shrimp. Add to skillet. Cook 2 minutes.
5. Toss pasta and sauce. Enjoy!

Chicken Cacciatore Over Zoodles

Chicken Cacciatore Over Zoodles

Ingredients

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 tbs olive oil

15 oz can diced tomatoes w/ basil, garlic, oregano

6 oz can tomato paste

2 tbs minced garlic

Grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions

1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, cook 3-5 minutes on each side until browned.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Zoodles

Ingredients

6 zucchini

1 tbs butter

Sat and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Julienne peel zucchini. Toss everything in a microwave safe glass dish and cook in the microwave (approx. 6 minutes).

Guinness Beef Stew & Mock Mashed Potatoes

Guinness Beef Stew

Ingredients

12 oz boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and thinly sliced

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

5 tbs olive oil divided

2 c chopped onions

1.5 c diagonally cut carrots

6 oz baby bella mushrooms

6 oz can tomato paste

1 tbs mined garlic

¾ c Guinness beer

1.5 c unsalted beed stock

1 tbs all purpose flour

Directions

1.       Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbs olive oil. Add beef to pan and cook for 3 minutes. Remove beef.

2.       Add remaining olive oil. Add onions through mushrooms. Sauté 1 minute.

3.       Add tomato paste and garlic. Cook 1 minutes.

4.       Add beer. Cook 1 minute. Scraping the pan.

5.       Combine beef stock and flour with a whisk. Add to pan. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

6.       Stir in beef and cook for 1 minute.

Mock Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs minced garlic

1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped

15 oz can Cannellini bean (white beans)

½ c unsalted vegetable broth

Chopped fresh parsley or chopped fresh scallions (or both)

Dollop sour cream (optional)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1.       Heat olive in a large pot. Add garlic and cook until slightly browned. Then place two inches of water in pot. Add beans.

2.       Place steam basket into pot. Add cauliflower. Cover and steam about 10 minutes.

3.       Combine everything in a food processor and puree until smooth.

4.       Serve warm on top of the stew.

Critical Info for Trying to Prevent the NOAA Beaufort Lab Closure :: Deadline Monday March 31

Between the adorable kitty photos, numerous hashtags, and daily checkins, I like to use my social networking skilz for the greater good.

Read this:

http://thefisheriesblog.com/2014/03/24/are-noaa-administrators-and-president-obama-giving-up-on-a-century-of-research/

And if you feel that that this closure is a grave mistake, use the form letter below as a starting point.  If you do make changes, please remember keep your message on point. The message we want the committee to get is 1) Remove the proposal to close NOAA's Beaufort Lab and 2) Ask the Beaufort leadership for current, correct information on funding the lab.

Email your letter to CJ.Approp@mail.house.gov by Monday March 31.

*****

Name

Affiliation

Address

I am writing the following letter as a private citizen on behalf of myself during off-duty hours using only personal resources.  I am not speaking for the federal government or any of its agencies in any capacity.

I am writing to specifically discuss the proposed closure of the NOAA Beaufort Laboratory located in Beaufort, North Carolina.  The lab is part of the Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and houses employees of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Ocean Service (NOS), and National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). 

I urge the proposed closure of NOAA’s Beaufort Laboratory be removed from the NOS budget.  Currently, the lab houses 108 employees from NMFS, NOS, and NERR.  The costs associated with upkeep and maintenance of the lab were inaccurate and outdated in the NOAA explanation of budgetary items.  There were mistakes in the number of employees at the facility and incorrect calculations used to detail the budget item.  In the past several years, several activities have been completed to keep the facility in good working condition including the replacement of the administration building and maintenance building, replacement of the bridge to the facility, seawall repair, improvements to the air conditioning, and other improvements, which totaled approximately $14 million.  Finally, an updated engineering report (2014) documents that the facility is NOT structurally unsound.

Closing the Beaufort Lab would be a tragedy.  The Beaufort Lab is a stalwart of fisheries and oceanic science that has produced many well known scientists.  The Beaufort Lab has a good reputation for advancing science in population dynamics and stock assessments; Gulf and Atlantic menhaden biology, movement, and assessments; harmful algal blooms; hypoxia; pathogens; and snapper and grouper monitoring and ecology.  NOAA has repeatedly recognized individual researchers, research teams, and the Laboratory as a whole for the outstanding quality of scientific work completed.  Several of the area fisheries labs have located in Beaufort due to the NOAA lab’s presence, including Duke Marine Lab, North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, CMAST, and the Institute of Marine Science.  The NOAA Beaufort Laboratory is the center of productive fisheries science informing fisheries management for the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and is currently the only NMFS lab between Sandy Hook, NJ and Miami, FL.

Specific items of note from each line office include:

NMFS:

Stock Assessment Science:

·     The NOAA Beaufort Laboratory provides the stock assessment science that determines how many fish can be caught in the southeast United States.

The stock assessment science of the NOAA Beaufort Laboratory focuses on marine fish populations that are ecologically and economically vital to the region and nation, including snapper-grouper and pelagic species managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Atlantic menhaden managed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and Gulf menhaden managed by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission. Commercial landings from the South Atlantic have been valued at $176.5 million, supporting a centuries-old cultural way of life, and saltwater recreational fishing in this region tops the nation for its economic impact on sales and jobs (East FL and NC generate $5.3 billion and 47,000 jobs). Atlantic menhaden support the largest fishery on the U.S. east coast, and Gulf menhaden support the largest fishery in the Gulf of Mexico, with a combined value of $127.7 million. 

Fishery-Independent Surveys:

·     Fishery-independent surveys collect data on fish populations for stock assessments and research, using standardized sampling gears and methodologies.

The Southeast Fishery-Independent Survey (SEFIS), run out of the NOAA Beaufort lab, collects annual information on the abundance, distribution, sizes, and ages of economically-important reef fish species like groupers and snappers on the U.S. East Coast between North Carolina and Florida. Using fish traps and underwater video, SEFIS determines whether reef fish species are increasing or decreasing in abundance so fish stocks can be managed with much greater certainty. The SEFIS staff has developed a close working relationship with fishermen in the Carolinas due to their co location in Beaufort, NC. NOAA’s Beaufort Lab is ideally situated, centered in the middle of substantial commercial and recreational fishing industries and a thriving marine science community. If the SEFIS staff was forced to move out of their survey region, ties with the fishing industry and the marine science community would be effectively severed, ultimately resulting in a significant disconnect between the National Marine Fisheries Service and the communities to which they serve.

N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve:

Impacts of Closure to the Reserve, Strategic Location, and Facility for the Reserve:

• N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve staff are currently located at the NOAA Beaufort Lab, which serves as the headquarters office for the program.
• In 2002, Congress provided NOAA with “… $5,000,000 for the Beaufort Laboratory for necessary repairs to existing facilities and to construct a joint laboratory, dock, and other facilities in collaboration with the Rachel Carson National Estuarine Research Reserve.”  (Public Law 107-77, See S.Rept. 107-42, p. 106-108.) $1.32 million was invested in NOAA ($1.28 million) and state funds ($42,046) for the construction of a joint building at the NOAA Beaufort Lab to serve the Reserve’s mission.
• The joint building was completed in 2007 and was constructed specifically with the Reserve’s education programs in mind: the auditorium regularly hosts coastal training program workshops and the teaching classroom hosts school groups, teacher workshops, field trips, and lectures to support K-12 Estuarine Education Program activities. 
• The NOAA Beaufort Lab is a 5-minute boat ride from the Rachel Carson component of the Reserve; this close proximity is essential for conducting Reserve activities efficiently to conduct mission-critical programming including educational programs, water quality and habitat monitoring and research programs, and stewardship of the site including species monitoring, debris clean-ups, feral horse management, and access point maintenance. 

Reserve Activities at the NOAA Beaufort Lab, 2008-2013:

Education

K-12 field trips

·         177 educational programs

·         4947 participants

Teacher workshops

·         28 teacher workshops

·         412 participants

Summer camps

·         109 camp sessions

·         921 participants

Summer public field trips

·         96 field trips

·         1123 participants

Stewardship

Volunteer service at the Rachel Carson Reserve

·         1170 volunteers

·         2873 volunteer hours

Site management

·         The NOAA Beaufort Lab provides an ideal base from which to manage the Rachel Carson Reserve due to its close proximity to the Reserve site, location on calm inland waters, and boat launching facilities. Additionally, many NOAA staff conduct or have conducted research at the Rachel Carson Reserve and are able to provide professional perspectives that are valuable to Reserve research and management. 

Research

Research permits

·         31 research permits issued for research conducted at the Rachel Carson Reserve

Water quality monitoring

·         Water quality inventory and monitoring stations at Middle Marsh and Shackleford Banks, in partnership with the National Park Service

Coastal Training Program

Coastal Training Program workshops

·         31 workshops

·         1076 participants

In conclusion, closure of the NOAA Beaufort Laboratory would be a poor choice scientifically, economically, and would leave a large part of the east cost without the science that they deserve.  The numbers used to estimate the costs of maintaining the facility in good working order were incorrectly estimated and inaccurate numbers of current employees were provided for the budget.  In addition, the federal government has invested in this laboratory over the long-term, and to close it now would be a gross misuse of government resources. 

Sincerely,

Your Name

Lamb Stew with Kale Mashed Potatoes :: Happy St. Patrick's Day

Ingredients
2 bone-in lamb chops, trimmed and thinly sliced
Salt & pepper, to taste
5 tsp olive oil, divided
2 cups finely chopped onion
1 bunch diagonally cut carrots
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbs tomato paste
2 Tbs minced garlic
3/4 cup Guinness Extra Stout
1.5 cups beef stock
1 Tbs corn starch
3 baking potatoes
2 cups kale, chopped
1/4 cup scallions
1 Tbs butter
1/2 cup whole milk

Directions
1. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper.
2. Heat large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbs of oil to pan, swirl to coat. Add lamb and bones, cook 3 minutes browning on each side.
3. Add carrots, mushrooms, onion, and thyme. Saute 4 minutes.
4. Add tomato paste and garlic. Saute 1 minute. Add beer, scraping loose bits. Saute 1 minute.
5. Whisk together beef stock and corn starch. Add to pot. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
6. While stew simmers, peel and chop potatoes. Boil until soft. Drain. Add kale, scallions, butter, and milk. Mash. Salt and pepper to taste.
7. Ladle stew into bowls. Add a scoop or two of mashed potatoes. Serve.

Maintenance :: A Calm Quiet :: Transitions :: Ah-ha!

Edited 01/08/2014 21:30

For me, 2013 was all about maintenance. Maintaining my relationships. Maintaining my job, my house, my health. Maintaining my sanity.

Last year, I had friends that got married and I had friends that got divorced. Beautiful babies were born with all their perfect little fingers and toes. Wonderfully talented, sweet people died. Friends lost their jobs and several friends (me included) were furloughed. Yet, I had friends that moved far away to take better paying positions with new, exciting opportunities.

Overall, I don't feel like I got ahead this year. But, I don't feel like I fell behind either.

I suppose that must be why it has been so difficult for me to choose a resolution for the New Year. By this time in previous years, I would have a bunch of resolutions held over from previous lists, making note of those whose ass I kicked, those that kicked mine, and those I intended to carry on forever. I would have written some witty banter about all the things I did over the past 12 months and how great doing those things with the people I love made me feel.

This year, there is no such list. There is no witty banter. This year, there is only a calm quiet. At first the quiet felt strange. Wrong, even. Then something amazing happened.

Today at the beginning of my regular Wednesday lunch yoga practice, my instructor said something that, hyperbole intended, changed my life. He said, Sometimes we get so caught up in what’s next that we forget about the transition.

And it was not until the drive back to the office after practice that I thought of something another yoga instructor said at the beginning of an early spring, late afternoon practice over two years ago. She said, Mind the gap.

Queue the choir of angelic voices, the overhead light bulb, the dinging bells and blinking neon signs. I have had my Ah-ha! moment.

For 2014, I promise to enjoy the transition. Revel in the journey. Mind the gap. And, let go of what’s next.

What does that mean? Firstly, it means putting down the phone and looking up, around, and at the world again. It also means lingering in bed a few moments after the alarm has gone off before beginning my day. It means making every bite or sip, every breath, every heartbeat count. But, most of all, it means being perfectly OK with where I am. Right. Now.