Carbonite, Minions, No Peace.

I sell Avon, right? So a customer called me yesterday and placed an order, I went to enter the order in my Avon database and it wouldn’t open properly. All the stuff I had on customers, past and current orders, etc. etc. was gone. The backup was gone, the database was gone, my tranquility was gone. I checked my laptop but the last backup I had copied to it was from June 2012. Panic. Then I woke up, I have a continuous backup system called Carbonite which I pay for every year and which is off site. Opened up the files, backed up my Avon programme, lo and behold it worked again. Wonderful. I have been using this backup programme for years, I don’t know why it took me so long to think about it. Nor is it the first time I have had to use it. One of the best times is if you have to restore your whole system, although you have to install all the programmes, Carbonite has all the data saved for you. Great and a time saver.

I trust you have noted my new Spunky Soldier badge. I am a minion for L. Diane Wolfe for her hosting duties in the A to Z Blogfest taking place in April. Really this real minion picture is what we should all be showing in our capacity as minions. Did you see the movie, Despicable Me? I tried to watch it because I thought the minions were so cute, but found the actual movie to be a waste of time. Despite the fact that I am an animation fan par excellence, I thought this one was despicable. Anyway, that is a digression. I had a visit from one of my fellow Spunky Soldiers today. I need to go visit the others so we can get to know one another.

I stayed at home on Monday afternoon instead of going bowling as I was feeling a tad off colour. I ended up listening to drilling and banging in the apartment upstairs, just what I needed. Think they are laying new carpet. No peace for the wicked. We would really like new carpet in our apartment but the furnishings would be a big problem, not sure how we would cope. Need to get in touch with the realtor.

I love rice – it makes a nice alternative to potato or pasta. This sounds like an enjoyable dish.

Spanish Rice Bake

By The Gluten Free Goddess
WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com

Make this Southwestern-inspired rice dish as spicy or as mild as your taste buds prefer. We serve this as a vegan recipe, but if you love cheese, try topping it with fresh crumbled goat cheese.
Ingredients

• 2 cups brown rice, long or short grain
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus a splash to moisten the rice
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1  sweet or red onion, diced
• 1  bell pepper, red, yellow, or orange
• 1  fresh yellow tomato, chopped
• 3/4 cup roasted or frozen corn kernels*
• 2  roasted or fresh green chillies, seeded and chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1-2 teaspoons chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 14 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes with green chillies with juice
• sea salt, to taste
  

Instructions

1. Cook the rice in 5 cups of fresh water. Use a rice cooker to do this or cook the rice in a covered pot.
2. While the rice is cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat and add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic, chopped onion, sweet bell pepper, and cook for five minutes.
3. Add the fresh yellow tomato, roasted or frozen corn kernels, roasted or fresh green chillies, and lime juice, to taste. Stir-fry very briefly, just until crisp-tender.
4. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
6. When the rice is cooked, assemble your casserole: spoon the cooked brown rice into a casserole dish. Add in and stir dashes (to taste) of: sea salt, chilli powder, cumin, touch of cinnamon, and chopped fresh cilantro or parsley.
7. Add a splash of extra virgin olive oil to moisten the rice. Stir.
8. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes and the skillet vegetables. Add fresh chopped herbs, to taste and toss to combine.
9. Cover and bake for 25 to 35 minutes until the rice is piping hot and heated through.

Tip
Note* To roast frozen corn, spread kernels on a baking sheet and roast at a high temperature until slightly charred; or pan roast them in a large dry skillet until sweet and toasty.

Have a great day