Community Magazine November 2008

88 Community magazine as pressing that they need to complete within the next five minutes! Accept other people’s limits. If people you’re working with are not accomplishing as much as you would like, appreciate the effort they exert and focus on what they have accomplished, rather than complaining about what’s left undone. Persistence Ever visit a house where the members all clean up after themselves and know how to cook? In all likelihood, someone was persistently telling them what he or she wanted, cheering them on, and providing positive reinforcement by repeatedly noting their good qualities. Don’t nag, but be persistent in training the kids to do their share. The trick is to recognize the difference between perseverance and obstinacy . Choose your battles wisely, and carefully determine which demands are non- negotiable and which lend themselves to some flexibility. For example, you might want to relax your demands that the house always be squeaky clean, even if you refuse to compromise on some other issues. Orderliness Everyone has their own system of organi- zation. Free spirited or impulsive people could probably accomplish a lot more if they had some structure to their day. Choose a structure that works for you, and stick to it. However, being organized should bring peace of mind, not anxiety. Your neighbor may need to have things happen at exact times, but you may be fine with a more generalized routine. Allow flexibility within your orderliness, Try to follow your routine, but stay cool if it doesn’t happen. Flexibility What happens when you put in all the work for plan A and life still takes you to plan B? The answer is quite simple: go with plan B. We’re not always in control. We just have to do our best and realize that things don’t always work out the way we planned them. Our criteria for “must haves” may change as our households and times change. Mothers who never let their kids eat outside the kitchen seem to let their grandchildren eat cookies all over the house. People who never cared about organization may suddenly find the need to organize later in life. Good luck in figuring out what “must have” works for you! RECIPES: Onion Garlic Chicken with Rice Tami Tawil Ingredients: Cooked boneless, skinless, shredded chicken • 1 chopped onion • 2 cloves crushed garlic • 1 glass Uncle Ben’s rice • 2 glasses water • 1½ packets G. Washington brown broth • ¼ cup slivered almonds • Directions: Sauté onion and garlic in oil 1. Add rice and sauté 2. Add water, broth, and salt and bring to a boil 3. At boiling point, stir well, cover pot, and reduce heat 4. to simmer for 20 minutes Spoon rice from pot and 5. mix with chicken pieces Toast almonds and add 6. just before serving R ecycling is not just for paper, plastic and cans. Shaatra house- holds have been recycling leftovers for as long as anyone can remember. But if last night’s chicken and potatoes sound as exciting to your family as laundry day, don’t despair. Yesterday’s main course can be fresh and exciting with an extreme makeover. The quick and simple dinners below can be made with common ingredients you probably already have in the house. Though the reci- pes call for shredded chicken, they are interchangeable with shredded cooked turkey. So stop using the “L-word” when recycling dinners, and prepare to see smiles from your family at suppertime. Easy Chicken Tortillas N.H. Ingredients: Cooked boneless, skinless, • shredded chicken ½ onion • 1 package round corn • tortillas 1 package Ortega fajita • seasoning ( optional) Directions: Sauté onion in 4 tbs oil 1. Add chicken, season to taste 2. Mix well and set aside 3. Open one tortilla, and fill chicken in center of tor- 4. tilla Roll tortilla like a cigar 5. Close with toothpick in center 6. Deep fry in oil until golden brown 7. Set on paper towel to absorb the oil 8. Chicken Makeovers