SPINACH NOODLE CASSEROLE from Valerie's Kitchen

Gather up the necessary ingredients for this hearty-- light on the calories dish.

4 Cups extra wide egg noodles
1/2 Cup frozen chopped spinach
1/2 Cup finely chopped onion
1/2 Cup Parmesan grated cheese
1 Cup evaporated milk
3 Tablespoons Canola cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon  ground Turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Oregano

In a medium 2 quart pot bring 8 cups cold water to a boil. Add egg noodles. Cook until tender about 10-12 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water, drain again, then set noodles in a buttered casserole dish.
In a small saucepan bring  1/2 cup of water to a boil covering bottom of pan with chopped spinach. Cook until done and drain juice. Set aside.
Over medium heat using a small skillet, sautee chopped onion in 3 Tablespoons Canola cooking oil. Add all remaining seasoning. Blend, add spinach and remove from heat.
Heat evaporated milk over low heat, stirring constantly as milk will scorch if left unattended, add grated Parmesan cheese gradually while mixture thickens. After it comes to a full boil, remove from heat. Slowly pour hot mixture over cooked noodles in casserole dish.
Gently toss together in casserole dish the spinach and noodles. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, bake in 350*F oven for about 30 minutes. Makes 4 servings.   

Pineapple Chicken from Valerie's Kitchen

With the holiday season nearing, good food is always welcomed when we get together with friends and family. I'd like to share some of my special dishes and delights.

4 medium chicken breasts  
8 oz. can sliced pineapple
1/2 cup NAKANO seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon Carribean Jerk Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
3 tablespoons seasame seeds (optional)

1. Rinse and clean chicken under cold water then drain on a paper towel.
2. Sprinkle both sides with salt,  black pepper, oregano and ground turmeric. Use Carribean Jerk Seasoning on bottom side.
3. Marinate seasoned chicken breasts in 1/2 cup NAKANO seasoned rice vinegar in a covered container overnight or at least five hours before cooking.
4. When ready to bake in a 350 degree oven, before placing chicken in a shallow baking dish, drain on a paper towel first. Add one pineapple slice to each piece then sprinkle seasame seeds (optional). Bake one hour and fifteen minutes.  

THE EPITOME OF MY HEART by Valerie Alston

I cried out loud, I could not refrain~ The intensity of what I felt over and over again~ I knew love was much of life~ Bitter sweet roses laced with pain~ Ask the lonely and you will feel~ The difference between what is fake and what is real~ I tried to explain, I tried to be true, but only the wind listened, brisk as it blew! As my lover left a throbbing sensation of what was inside~ I was on a trip that shifted into overdrive~ Forever more my heart denied~ My tear stained face, I cried and cried! Fan the flame of burning desire~ For what I am I will inspire~ A love put in its perfect place after all those lonely nights~ A heart so cold, as cold as ice while we grew distant in a heated fight~ And when I saw my lover with her that day~ I knew it was just another power play~ His ego allowed him to be head-strong~ As he played the part in another lover's sad song~   

Touched by the Rain by Valerie Alston

Does it really matter whose fault it was that everything fell apart?  I felt your heart, I felt your pain, Our eyes met that day in the rain~ And I never felt the same, I never knew love like this before. Together our energy was as one. It was our time, our place, our hearts that met and a love was shared and it grew inside of me. The rain felt good against my skin, fresh as the morning dew. The touch I felt from you, to me, opened my eyes to see what a romance clearly can be. As gently as the drops rolled down my cheeks, it was the rain I felt, it touched me in a way that remained with me all that day! 

CONNECTIONS by Valerie Alston

A stagnate piece of mold floated on top the swamp water in a wooded area. It kept trying to connect with all the other mold that drifted by but couldn't. One day it rained so hard till the swamp water over-flowed onto a grassy patch under a tree. When the water went back down, the small mold clung to the tree with all its might! Then the sun came out and gave new life to the mold. As it begun to grow, it wound itself around the tree and reached the top. All the leaves had fallen to the ground, the tree dried up, but the mold never let go. It was happy wrapped around a tree so big and strong. Together, they made a perfect union. The mold and the tree grew to love one another since they had made the right connection!

ALL THERE IS by Valerie Alston

The essence of life is to love and it shall be returned to you.