Sweet Coffee Dreamer

I have very strong opinions about baby names.  Most of the time, my opinion is, “I don’t like it” or “what on earth?!”  I really believe in children being named a NAME, not an animal or fruit or fabric…..worse yet, something made up.  Yes, I know that all names were made up at some point, but the amount of names used in the history of our civilization is so grand, I don’t get why people feel the need to create a name.  Oh wait, yes I do…..their child is sooooo unique and sooooo special that they are above a “pre-used” name.  But I digress…

I really wanted to write about the trend to revive names most people associate with their great-grandparents.  I do have to say I admire parents to want to revitalize names from the past.  It isn’t my style, but I do like it.  I like it so much in fact, I named this trend “elderly chic”.

Claire, Sylvia, Ava, Grace, Emma used to be the names of our great aunts but now they are in daycare, preschools and kindergarten classes everywhere.  It conjures of images of pregnant women wandering through nursing homes asking the residents their names.  Poor Gladys and Blanche get looked over every time…

Have you ever had goat cheese?  Can I just tell you how creamy and decadent it is?  It really shouldn’t even be put in the same category as cheddar or bleu.  It makes the goat at the petting zoo seem like a sacred animal to me.

Let me tell you about this incredible salad.  It is healthy, wonderful and so very easy.  You will love it.

(This makes 2 servings.)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of leafy greens
• 1/2 cup of walnuts
• 1/2 cup of dried cheeries
• 1 cooked chicken breast, diced
• 1/4 cup of Goat Cheese!
• Poppyseed Dressing

Instructions:

Divide the greens onto two plates.

Cook walnuts in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 3-5 minutes. Keep them moving.  Once done, set aside to cool, then divide onto two plates of greens.

Put half the cherries and have the chicken breast on each plate.

Goat cheese is difficult to work with, as it is very creamy.  You can use a knife to break it up into small pieces.  Half goes on each plate.

Lastly, drizzle with dressing.  When you take your first bite, be sure to get a little bit of everything on your fork….that is when it is the best!

So….what do you think?

It’s 8:35am and my darling daughter is still asleep. Does she know her mother is patiently trying to figure out how to maneuver this new blog world? Bless her heart.

The title “Sweet Coffee Dreamer” was born out of a brainstorming session over, yes, you guessed it….a cup of coffee. I’ve always been a dreamer. I am a passionate daydreamer and I truly believe it is a skill. In my work life, my ability to dream has benefited my career. I once had a boss who delighted in my ideas for new and better ways of doing things. My ideas weren’t always practical or spot-on, but they often sparked an even better idea or simply a new way of looking at a problem. Rather than dismissing my not-always-perfect suggestions, she would say, “keep dreaming”. See, it turns out that too many people don’t dream or if they do, they keep it to themselves out of fear. They worry that they might look silly or might be wrong. Me? Nope! I guess you could say I have enough blind confidence in my dreams and ideas that I boldly share them. This is not to say that I don’t sometimes kick myself for speaking too soon! Oh trust me, I have spouted off many “great ideas” that fell flat when really analyzed. Yet, I won’t stop.

So, you will find here my thoughts, ideas and ramblings about food, family, raising kids, wanting a cleaner more organized house and life, in general. I don’t have all the answers….but I do have a lot of great ideas. (famous last words?)