This time of year who wants to be spending all their time in the kitchen? Here is a quick recipe thats very yummy so you can have more time outdoors enjoying the weather!

ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray

4  7- to 8-inch whole wheat flour tortillas

1  cup coarsely shredded purchased roasted chicken

1/2  cup feta cheese

1/4  cup thinly sliced red onion

1/4  cup chopped cucumber

1/4  cup grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1/4  cup kalamata olives, halved

2  tablespoons whole flat leaf (Italian) parsley leaves

1  tablespoon whole fresh oregano leaves

1/4  cup bottled Greek vinaigrette salad dressing

directions

1. Coat one side of each tortilla with cooking spray. Place tortillas, sprayed sides down, on a cutting board or waxed paper. Sprinkle with chicken, feta cheese, red onion, cucumber, grape tomatoes, olives, parsley, and oregano. Drizzle with dressing. Fold tortillas in half, pressing gently.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Cook quesadillas, two at a time, over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes or until light brown, turning once. Remove quesadillas from skillet; place on a baking sheet. Keep warm in a 300 degree F oven. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. To serve Cut each quesadilla into three wedges. Makes 4 servings.

We have all heard that hydrogenated oil is not good for our diets, but if your like us you “Have” to know WHY? We did some digging around and came up with these facts about hydrogenated oils, pretty interesting stuff, check it out….

Oils have been hydrogenated for many decades, to prolong their shelf life and make the oils more stable. Hydrogenated oil is oil in which the essential fatty acids have been converted to a different form chemically, which has several effects. Hydrogenated oil is far more shelf stable, and will not go rancid as quickly as untreated oil. It also has a higher melting point, and is often used in frying and pastries for this reason. When hydrogenated, the chemical structure of the oil is changed, which scientists in the 1990s began to realize could result in negative health effects. Hydrogenated oil is made by forcing hydrogen gas into oil at high pressure. Both animal and vegetable fats can be and are hydrogenated. In general, the more solid the oil is, the more hydrogenated it is. Two common examples of hydrogenated oil are Crisco and margarine. In the 1990s, it was realized that these products might have deleterious health effects, a tragic irony since they were originally produced and promoted as being healthier than conventional oils. The unstable fatty acids in oils are unsaturated fats, which have been determined to be healthier for consumers, acting to reduce cholesterol in some cases. When hydrogenated oil is made, these healthy fats are converted into a new type of fatty acid, known as a trans fat. Trans fats are not at all good for one’s health. In some highly hydrogenated oils like margarine, trans fats can make up almost half of the total fat content.  Trans fatty acids work to increase LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, and they also decrease HDL cholesterol, which is “good” cholesterol. This means that the fats in hydrogenated oil are far more damaging than even saturated fats, which medical professionals have already determined to be harmful. There is also evidence to suggest that trans fatty acids may bioaccumulate in the body, because the digestive system has difficulty figuring out what to do with them. As a result, a diet high in trans fats will result in weight gain.

Consumption of hydrogenated oil has been linked with diabetes, coronary disease, and obesity in a wide number of scientific studies. In the 1990s, many activists began to lobby for clear food labeling, indicating when products contained trans fats. Other activists went further, attempting to ban trans fats because of their detriment to human health. All medical professionals agree that people should limit their consumption of hydrogenated oil to avoid exposure to trans fats, and should eat foods with healthy fats such as nuts, avocados, and olive oil.

Garage-Girls and Carlisle Events are pleased to announce the winners of the 2010 Ultimate Biker Makeover…..  Runner up is Judy Reed and the grand prize winner is David Bardwell.

The two contestants were chosen along with Kathy Redman from a group of over 20 submissions of who was most deserving of an Ultimate Biker Makeover. The final 3 were then placed up on garage-girls.com for public voting.   The final 3 all had compelling stories of why they were in need of the makeover, but after the publics vote the 2 winners have been chosen.  Runner up Judy Reed is a 52-year-old rider that desperately needs help fitting her bike to herself

Grand Prize Winner David Bardwell has been down on his luck after losing his job at a Chevrolet dealership and has been forced to sell his house and possessions to care for his family. Both winners will be getting hooked up with…new riding Jacket and Gloves from Z1R, a Vega helmet, HD Footwear boots, a cleaning kit from Wizards Products, a years subscription to IronWorks Magazine, a case of Synthetic oil from Spectro Oils, a pair of riding glasses from 7 Eye, T-shirt from VaVaVroom, and a technology case from Otterbox. David, the grand prize winner, will also be scoring parts for his motorcycle such as, accessories from Kuryakyn, A set of AVON Tires, a Mustang Motorcycle seat, and lots of other goodies.

They need your vote to win.  Who will you choose?

The contestants are;

David Bardwell 
down on his luck after losing his job at a Chevrolet dealership and has been forced to sell his house and possessions to care for his family.

Kathy Redman After losing her husband to cancer all she wants to do is one day get his 81 Shovelhead back in running condition in his memory.

Judy Reed A 52 year old rider that desperately needs help fitting her bike to herself

Last summer was my first season as a RiderCoach and the first couple classes we held were unique in that the students were many of our employees from our shop, Klock Werks. And many of these new employees came to us with little or no experience on or around motorcycles. Actually, many had never even thought about riding a motorcycle at all. Our Media Relations and Event Coordinator, Melissa, is one of those people. She came to us from an entirely different industry, and really didn’t have “learn to ride a motorcycle” on her to-do list. So this story that I’d like to share today is one about trusting that if a new challenge is put in front of you, it must be for a reason, and also finding the courage to travel down any road.

I’ve traveled many roads in my own life. Some smooth paved highways, some really windy mountain passes, some full of potholes, and some that I just should not have been on at all. But the roads that we’ve traveled are what we can look back on to find the courage to travel down the next new road placed in front of us. So if you’re afraid to get on a motorcycle for the first time, look back on your life. There is surely a road you happened upon that was rough, but you survived it. Find courage from that experience, and try new things! Melissa figured why not? Might as well try it. It’s an opportunity in front of me. So try she did. And PASSED!

Well, the twist to this story is that Melissa travels with me when I go on speaking assignments doing my ANY ROAD presentation, and we had an American Motorcycle Association (AMA) Women’s Conference scheduled in August, in Colorado. Early last summer I began teasing her that we were going to RIDE out to it. She would say, no, I can’t do that, and I would say, yes you can! It became kind of a funny joke until next thing you know Melissa is sitting on a 2004 Harley Davidson Ultra with her clothes in the saddlebags, ready to take off on this new adventure! She took the class in June, and we were headed to Colorado in August. Ha!

We rode to Colorado and back! A 1700 mile adventure for a woman that had never even thought about riding a motorcycle just one year earlier. Now that is walking through a door of opportunity and not looking back! Go girl! The lessons learned out on the road are always things that you can use in life. Melissa learned some things on that trip, as did I. New challenges (who knew the wind could be so intimidating?), new fears (I sure don’t want to drop this big bike!), new excitement (I’m really doing it!), new thoughts (the view from the motorcycle is different than a car!). And you’ll never forget that special trip that marks a time when you tried something you had never even thought about trying. Sometimes that is where the biggest blessing lie – in doing something we didn’t have “planned”. So I encourage you….try new things. And whether you’ve thought about riding or not, it’s one weekend of your life, WHY NOT give it a try? It might be a blessing in disguise.

Don’t be afraid to go where the road leads you!

Ever get jealous thinking those awesome musicians you worship are “living the life”  think again.  For most hard core dark metal bands that couldn’t be farther from the reality.  Film Maker Pawl Bazile is wrapping up “Living the American Nightmare” a “ROCK”umentary that takes you on a hell ride into the lives of these artists, who struggle in the underground music industry. These guys have sacrificed immeasurably for their art only to end up as starving artists. The irony is, these bands, these musicians are world known, you can buy their music at any mall or online store and yet they are struggling to keep their art alive.  Working 40-hour blue-collar jobs, to keep a steady income because playing out and performing is actually putting them further into financial hardships.

The cast includes  A-list musicians from bands like, the Misfits, Type O Negative, Black Sabbath, Bouncing Souls, Mister Monster, Overkill, Danzig, Son Of Sam, Life Of Agony and many more.

To follow the journey and to be informed of “Living the American Nightmare” please visit http://www.livingtheamericannightmarethemovie.com/ or check them out on FaceBook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Living-the-American-Nightmare/108951772481461?ref=ts

You guys remember the overall Ang did of Share Ross, former Vixen bassist and mystical wonder…   well let’s delve back in to what Share is doing these days….

Share’s “Raw Pirate Gourmet” site is ideal if you are looking to try something new~or if you would just like to add a bit of variety to your diet. Would you like an alternative to the everyday humdrum garden salad? Check out this site and you will find ingredients of which to make a salad that will blow your mind. The next time that you cook dinner,in lieu of the aforementioned “humdrum” salad,replace it with a seaweed salad! Highly nutritious and remarkably flavorful. A meal fit for a pirate. You wouldn’t have to don an eyepatch or have a parrot perched on your shoulder~(though it would make for some interesting dinner conversation).

So go ahead. Broaden your horizon check out Raw Pirate Gourmet. Ahoy matey!

By, Angela Arpin