I'm an Addict!

Ever stop to think about your addictions? I truly believe we all have at least one. Some people get addicted to computer games. Others spend hours binge watching television. Others can’t pass up a book sale. Some people have never met a piece of chocolate they didn't like. There are those that cannot get through a day without exercise. Thrill seekers are addicted to adrenaline. I think every activity known to humans has extreme devotees. For most of us, though, we devote some time everyday or every week to things that make us happy and that we cannot imagine living without. I believe that as long as it does not interfere with your relationship, job or health, finding activities or interests that you love is an important part of life. 

One of mine is coffee! I should qualify that and say good coffee. One of the hotels we stayed at in Florida offered a coffee maker and packets of coffee in the room. I got up, made a pot, took a sip and spit it out! My husband looked at me, shook his head and asked where I wanted to go to get some coffee. Smart husband! 

Another of my addictions is reading. I belong to three book clubs and manage to read all the books for them, plus others I pick out for myself. Jigsaw puzzles cut into my reading time, though. Once I get started on one it is really hard for me to stop. Literally hours have gone by and I hardly noticed. Crosswords are another of my favorite pastimes. When I see the Saturday New York Times puzzle I literally get a thrill of happiness. My husband has witnessed me doing a happy dance before I get started! When I have work to do I will make deals with myself so that I get it done. For example, if I need to do laundry, I will tell myself to do a load and then I can read a chapter. I wrote a blog about this a couple of years ago. 

I also love to shop! More specifically, I love to find a bargain. This time of year retailers are just about giving things away. I was at a store last week where I had seen a pair of pants in the past that I liked but I thought were overpriced. When I saw them a few days ago they were on a rack that said $5! I grabbed them and went to pay. The clerk told me they had been marked down to $1.99! That gave me a thrill. This ties into one last addiction I will share, organization! It is time for me to clean out my closets and dressers, donate or consign what I can and start the new season with a mix of new and old items. You can bet the new pants will be part of my wardrobe and if someone compliments me on them I will have a good internal laugh while I say thank you! 

Remember, my business is called the Task Tamer! If you would like to hire me to help you with shopping or organizing, give me call or email me! 

You might think that I should have mentioned cooking as one of my addictions. I actually am more addicted to seeing the end product. Kind of like with exercise, the process isn't necessarily the part I love, but seeing the outcome is very satisfying. This week’s recipe looks really fancy and can create a wow factor, but is really easy! Preparing potatoes in a Hasselback technique looks much more complicated than it is and you can top them with anything you like! Think of it as a fancy, stuffed, baked potato.

Chili Cheddar Hasselback Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed

1 1/2 + 1 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 cup Quorn crumbles (or crumbled tofu, tempeh or even ground beef)

2 medium tomatoes, such as plum or roma

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon chili powder (or more if you like it spicy)

1/4 teaspoon each, onion and garlic powder

Salt to taste

1/4 shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil. Slice potatoes using Hasselback method. Check out this video to see how to do this. Basically, you will cut your potato into very thin slices that do not go all the way through, so the effect will be to make the potato look like a fan. You can place chopsticks on either side of the potato to help prevent cutting all the way down. Gently rinse potatoes in cold water to help them fan out and to remove excess starch. Place potatoes on prepared baking sheet and brush 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil (I used Wegmans basting oil for this part) over them. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until tender and crisp looking.
2. While potatoes are baking, heat remaining tablespoon of oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Place crumbles in pan and heat, stirring occasionally. Shred the tomatoes using a box grater placed in a shallow dish. This will give you fresh tomato without the skin. Add to saute pan along with tomato paste and spices. Sauté until browned. Set aside.
3. When potatoes are done, remove from oven and switch to broil. Divide the chili crumbles and cheddar cheese among the potatoes and broil for one minute, until cheese melts. 
4. Top with any favorite chili toppings like sour cream or Greek yogurt, green onions, bacon bits, etc.
5. Enjoy!