As 2020 nears its end, it is not an exaggeration to say that this has been a difficult year for all of us. With the COVID-19 crisis causing so much pain, and with this year's presidential election, stress levels seem to be at their all-time highs.
One of the best ways to get through this tough time and start 2021 on the right foot is by taking care of yourself and your health.
Scheduling meetings and connections can sometimes take longer than the meetings themselves. Have you ever been caught in an email chain trying to schedule a meeting or connection with a colleague, vendor, service provider or business partner? The back and forth providing available times can be time consuming and frustrating.
We all are facing a new reality and a new normal during this crisis: working from home. And even though creating secure remote access to your company's resources falls on your IT (Information Technology) department, every team member is responsible for taking the proper security precautions as they work remotely, especially from home.
This lovely lady hardly needs an introduction since she’s our ray of sunshine at Imagine IT, but we would love for you all to get to know our favorite Princess Buttercup a little better. Kristen, otherwise known as KC, has been with us for nearly 8 years.
With the weather turning colder, we all tend towards comfort food! This Tortellini soup is a Fall family favorite of Barb's from Allrecipes! Bon Appetit!
Barb mentioned if you want to save half for another night, hold out half of the pasta and veggies to add fresh the second night.
We are huge fans of this pork green chili recipe. It’s quick (as far as I know…because my husband makes it) and the flavors are amazing! Tom doesn’t stray too far from the original recipe for his version, although in his own words, “I may get a little heavy handed with the garlic, cumin and salt”. If my daughter, Katie, had anything to say about it, she would double the garlic!
Kristen has been perfecting her coconut poke cake for a dear friend who is also a coconut lover. They think this version is the bomb! Hope you do too!
This is an easy-to-make, beautiful, rich coconut-y cake that ideally is made the day before (and kept refrigerated).
Ingredients:
1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist Vanilla cake mix (or your preferred vanilla cake mix)
3 eggs (or as mix directs)
½ cup vegetable oil (again as mix directs)
1 cup water (as mix directs)
1 bag (14 oz) Sweetened Coconut Flakes (any brand)
Coconut Extract (found in the baking aisle near the Vanilla Extract)
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
½ can Cream of Coconut (found either near the sweetened condensed milk or near the adult beverage mixes)
16 oz container of Cool Whip
Preparation:
Preheat oven as directed by cake mix.
DD is not one to brag about her cooking...but everyone at the office seems to gobble up her tuna melts. Here's to future office gatherings with tuna melts for everyone!
Tuna Salad Ingredients:
(Makes 2 sandwiches)
1 Can of Tuna (Wild Planet Albacore Wild Tuna from Costco) (drained and mashed with a fork in a medium size bowl)
2 T + finely chopped white onion (Vidalia - adjust quantity to liking)
3 T + finely chopped dill pickles (Costco – Gedney Dill Pickle Babies) (adjust quantity to liking)
2 + squirts of Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
¼ cup Hellman's Mayo
**Blend above ingredients with a fork**
Sandwich Building Ingredients:
Sliced tomatoes (Costco – Campari or Flavor Bombs)
6 slices of cooked bacon (Costco – Kirkland Signature brand fully cooked bacon) (crisped in the microwave)
Sliced pickled jalapenos (optional…but Andrew turned me onto this…and it’s pretty amazing)
8 Cheese slices (4 per sandwich - cheddar or co-jack mostly used at work…but muenster and cheddar combo would get nice and gooey)
4 slices of Dave’s Killer Bread (21 Whole Grains and Seeds) (Works well with any bread…but this is what we typically have at the office…or Cottage bread)
Spray the outside of each slice of bread with cooking spray (if I were at home…I would probably use butter) and then flip over.
When you meet some bean counters you understand why they excel better at being nose deep in spreadsheets instead of talking to people, but not our bean counter, Chrystal! She’s an amazingly charismatic and kind-hearted people person too! Chrystal has been with us for 6 years on the Finance Team and has recently expanded her role to include Cultural Ambassador! What the heck is a Cultural Ambassador you say? Well we are making it up as we go…but we couldn’t let this happiness seeking, zen minded awesome person count beans all day! Chrystal is not only leading the Happiness Committee in finding new ways to expand the culture within our team, which is especially challenging during these remote workdays, she’s also hosting one on one happiness coaching with our folks.
Ciarochi Family Pasta Sauce Recipe
Kristen, aka KC or Princess Buttercup's, family is originally from Sicily. She was kind enough to share her family's delicious pasta sauce recipe with us! Can't wait to make this and dream of being back in Italy!
Serves about 10 hungry people when poured over 2lbs+ of pasta
Prep Time – about 15-20 mins
Cook Time: 2.5 – 3 hours
Ingredients:
1 12 oz can of tomato paste (any brand)
1 28 oz can of tomato puree (any brand) – keep the can to measure water below
2 cloves of garlic, halved lengthwise
1 heaping Tbsp dried oregano (any brand will work – I use Penzeys Turkish Oregano)
1 heaping Tbsp dried basil (any brand will work – I use Penzeys California Sweet Basil)
3 Tbsp sugar
1 ½ puree cans of water
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Optional:
1 (or 2) package(s) Sweet Italian Sausage (sausages not ground – I usually Johnsonville or the store brand – you could also sub Hot or Mild Italian Sausage)
LET’S BEGIN!
Step 1 - If including the sausages – preheat oven to 350 degrees.