Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Pepperoni Chips + Camera Tips



Pepperoni Chips were my own personal happy accident. One day, while heating pepperoni in the microwave, I let it go too long and voila, I wound up with wonderfully delicious crispy (as in potato chips) little slices of salty-heaven. I thought, how is it I've never had/heard of these before? I did a Google search for Pepperoni Chips, and of course, they are not new (is anything ever really new?) There were all kinds of methods (of course only one ingredient, so not much variation there) including baking in the oven, and my favorite, the microwave.

Here's how I do it. I lay the pepperonis in a circle on a paper towel on a plate (for even cooking) and cover them with another paper towel. Then I put them in the microwave on high until the sizzling stops (about a minute for my microwave). I let them cool a very short time (if I can restrain myself) and they become wonderfully crispy.
Other than how great they are, here's why I love them: They are easy, delicious, NO-carb, great as a snack and wonderful crumbled on a salad. It's like really crispy bacon without the strip of fat, and of course with great spiciness. I tried them at Suzanne's yesterday, and she liked them, too, I'm pleased to say.
For any of you health nuts out there, a few pepperonis aren't a bad thing, calorie-wise, and lots of the fat comes out into the paper towels (see middle photo above), so they're even better for you than the Nutrition Facts box on the label says! As for the no-carb aspect, I'm trying to really avoid all my favorite carb-laden things. The next thing I'm going to try is the Pioneer Woman's Bacon-Wrapped Jalepeno Thingies (bacon, cream cheese and jalepenos - no carbs there). Find the recipe here:
http://www.thepioneerwomancooks.com/2007/07/bacon-wrapped_j.html/
On to photo-tips. I had a time photographing the pepperoni close-up, so had to poke around on my camera and found a macro-closeup choice - it did the trick.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

More Food


In a nod to my new favorite blog, The Pioneer Woman Cooks (see link at left) and my strict new diet, I made one of my most favorite, simple, carb/sugar/fat laden desserts ever. It doesn't have a name - I've always just called it Mike's (my cousin) Wife's (her name's Sharman) Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Thing with Cream Cheese, but I've decided to rechristen it Carol's Cheating Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake. Too many, C's, couldn't resist. Don't you love alliteration?

It really is so easy. I show all the ingredients (except forgot to lay out one of the two eggs). You just mix the two things of cream cheese with the 2 eggs and 3/4 cup of sugar. Put one small (or 1/2 big) roll of chocolate chip cookie dough in the pan. Pour the cream cheese stuff on that, then lay the other half (crumble or just slice) of the cookie dough on top. Bake at 315 degrees (I never heard of anything at 315 degrees, but it works) for 40-45 minutes. Immediately take it to a neighbor (that's what I did). I resisted eating the errant pieces of cookie dough. That was the hardest part, because it's a reflex for me to pop cookie dough in my mouth, and no, I don't want to hear about the danger of salmonella in raw eggs - I figure I'm testing cake batter, cookie dough, etc., for the safety of the others who will be eating it. I know, it's a selfless, dangerous risk I take.

The egg thing reminds me. Does anyone else remember eating hard-boiled Easter eggs a month after Easter - straight out of the unrefrigerated bright pink plastic grass in the white plastic Easter basket with plastic flowers on it? Wait, I might be confusing the Easter basket with my bicycle basket. Anyway, how did any of us survive? Maybe that's why I can lick cake batter with no ill effects - I have surplus salmonella antibodies. And no, don't tell me that salmonella is bacteria, not a virus and therefore I cannot develop antibodies. I don't know if that's true, and I have a feeling anyone reading this won't know, so never mind about that.

Ok, it's time to end this prurient post. But first, I have to tell you the strangest thing (icing on the cake, so to speak). I checked the spelling (and meaning, too) for "prurient" at dictionary.com, and sure enough, it meant what I wanted to say, but right above it was an ad that said "10 Rules for Losing Belly Fat." Seriously. That's all.

Back in the Saddle

Evans is back to baseball practice/conditioning. Just about every day of the week. If not practice, he's running or lifting.

He's also driving to school every day so far this semester. That's been so freeing for all involved. He has a dentist appointment Tuesday morning, and will stop there on his way to school. It reminded me of his first checkup when he was two years old, and he laid in my lap in the dental chair and slept through the checkup! We've gone to church forever with our dentist, Dr. Tom, so didn't go the pediadontist route, so no kiddie-sized chairs, but we've been completely happy. Dr. Tom is a baseball fan, St. Louis Cardinals to boot, so he and Evans always have lots to talk about.

Evans' baseball season starts in February, and I'm not looking forward to the cold, windy hours of sitting outside, but it is fun to watch the games, and fun to catch up with the other moms. I always think of the days in July when we broil like rotisserie chickens - we span the whole Memphis temperature spectrum. For all my failures at being a good mom, I think the Saturday waffles and endless baseball game I've watched might redeem me in the end.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

More Signs of Spring

I took this photo of daffodil shoots the other day, on a quest in my yard for signs of spring. Of course, it's 31 degrees right now, and we are in the throes of winter - Memphis style. According to my Windows Vista Weather Gadget (love the gadgets), it will be 64 degrees Monday. Still, it's not as bad as in my former life, as an accountant, when I was facing three long months of sitting at a desk and cranking out lots and lots of audit/tax work. I made lots of money during those 50 hour weeks, but about 3 years ago, I woke up and knew I could never do another tax season. So here I am.

I'm writing my Saturday morning waffle-making blog. It was genius of me to put the laptop in my kitchen - now I can really multi-task. Of course, every once in a while, I get caught up in blogging and lose a waffle! The Hungry Teenager has commented more than once on his Saturday morning waffles (this tradition is just a few months old), so I've incorporated it into my day. I feel gratified to put my 22 year old wedding-gift waffle iron to use.

I'm thinking of getting a color scanner and Adobe Photoshop Elements. I might go with version 5 instead of the newer 6. It's much less expensive and apparently version 6 still has some bugs, especially with Vista. My only research consists of reader reviews on Amazon. Lundy gave me some other sites to research. Any thoughts about these products? All the Creating Keepsakes scrapbooking gurus use Elements, so I figure I can't go wrong.

Have I told you how wonderful Amazon is for any purchase? Recently I bought Microsoft Office 2007 at Sam's (we use Excel and Word lots around here), and subsequently found it on Amazon for $15 less - taking shipping charges (none) and sales tax (none with Amazon - 9.25% with Sam's) into account. Luckily, Sam's took it back since seal had not been broken. Will use $15 saved to buy cd's to burn all my million digital photos to cd and clean up hard drive. Gotta run to Office Depot today - received a coupon for 50% off - only good this weekend. Need paper, too.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

What's up, Chicken Butt?


I have a theme for this post. Poultry. First, the title comes from spending time with my cousins in Covington, KY (across the river from Cincy). They would say "What's up?" to which I'd reply "What?" Their answer, of course, was "Chicken Butt!" Maybe it was a regional thing. I don't know, but for some reason, thought of it today.

Maybe that's why my new fave blog - Pioneer Woman Cooks - inspired me to actually cook tonight. My results were wonderful. My prediction, based on this happy experience, is that chicken wings are not for long. Legs will knock them out of their place of honor. I told my son to think of them as chicken wings on steriods. To which he replied, "Isn't that a bad thing?" Kids are so literal. But of course, all chicken that's not organic is loaded with steriods, I'm sure. But I digress.

He's doing homework, so I don't have the Hungry Teenager's Seal of Approval yet, but the 46 year old mother of said teenager has fallen in love! With the chicken legs! Amazing. And easy. I will tell all my friends who are MHTBs (Moms of Hungry Teenage Boys). Better yet, I'll tell them to check my blog, which will send them to my new blog-crush, Pioneer Woman.

I need to figure out how to get her permission - hope she won't mind! Help, Lundy!! Even though my last post might have given the impression that I'm a blog expert, I'm still figuring out how it all works. Clearly I should limit myself to taking pictures of food and maybe doing a little laundry in between. That reminds me, I'm so in love with my Gorillapod.

What's a Blog?

Prepare to be amazed. This is by far my favorite blog of the moment!
http://www.thepioneerwomancooks.com/

Beautiful, step-by-step photos of decadent food. I promise you'll be hooked.

I've had several friends say they don't really understand blogs (after reading mine, no less!). Here's my definition: A blog (short for web-log) is an on-line diary of sorts. There are a limitless number of blog types, since they are unedited personal expressions. Sometimes the blogs are associated with a website. The number of blogs has increased exponentially due to easy-to-use, free sites like Blogger.com which make it very easy for the average computer user to self-publish on the web. I started blogging a couple of years ago out of a desire to share pictures of Evans on-line with his grandparents who live out of town. My inaugural post on this blog explains my purpose here. I've been exploring quite a bit lately, and have found the best blogs (like Pioneer Woman, above) by looking at the favorite blogs listed on my favorite blogs. Note to self: add a list of my favorite blogs along the side of this one. If you're interested in finding blogs you like, start with the website for a magazine in your area of interest (mine was Creating Keepsakes). They will be quality blogs, i.e. no weird stuff. Another way is to look at Blogs of Interest on Blogger.com, although they will cover a much broader range of subjects.

Great blogs will have lots and lots of comments, a reflection of a large readership. It is safe to leave comments since your email address will not be displayed, although you will have to enter it.

When you have your own blog, it's good to monitor comments (you can be emailed as they are posted). I hear you can wind up with strange things if you don't. I've decided that good photos really help make a blog good - lots of them are devoted to photography, so keep that in mind if you decide to join blog-world. To my friends, I'll be glad to get you started if you'd like my help.

I tend to go on blog searching sprees, bookmark ones I like, then come back to them later. I'm probably following 5 or 6 blogs regularly. The first blog I ever read is Lundy's: http://www.lundini.blogspot.com/

She always has fun, crazy, strange, informative posts, as well as lots of newsy ones about what's going on in her life.

I hope this helps. Happy blogging!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

The Staff of Life...


...unless you're doing low-carb or no-sugar, no-flour, Sugar Busters or some other variant of Dr. Adkins' plan. If that's the case, do a Google image search for bacon. Be careful, though. I'm some freak has come up with perversions involving bacon. Be very careful of image searches. Just the other day, I was looking for an image of Betty and Veronica from the old Archie comic books. I was shocked to see the depths of depravity that were reached - using these two innocent and lovely girls. Nothing is sacred.

On to the subject of this post. Bread. I baked it tonight. Two batches, or the equivalent of six loaves. I'm doing Suzanne's great sourdough version. It's like a pet - you have to feed it and exercise it at least once per week, more often is better. Suzanne and I have exchanged many emails regarding sourdough breadmaking methodology, and I finally have a batch I'm pleased with. It's still kind of heavy and a little dense, but it'll pass.

Oh, I used my new Gorillapod for this photo. I love the G-pod. It lets me take photos in low light without blurring. I can tilt the camera for a different angle, push down to lower the vantage point or straighten legs to raise it. It's very steady and slip resistant. If you've ever stacked books to try to get the camera steady and to the right height, you will love this. I do.

Caveat Emptor

I'll lose most of you with my long diatribe, but please read my rules for a hoodwink-free existence:

1) Check Better Business Bureau BEFORE you call.
2) If the repairman confuses you, call the company. Don't worry about offending the repairman. If he's honest, he won't mind. If he's not, he'll straighten up.
3) Ask questions. Think. Don't just have them do it to get it over with. It's not just the money - it's the principle.
4) Never pay in cash, even, or especially, if he offers to do it for less. Unless you want to be guilty of aiding and abetting.

Here goes:
I called an old Memphis company to get our iron storm/security door repaired. We bought all three of our doors from this company when we bought our house 18 years ago. I had figured out what was wrong - two screws attaching pneumatic arm to door had come loose. I tried tightening them to no avail. When I called, they said they'd send someone out within an hour, and they didn't mention a minimum fee for a service call (should have been my first warning sign, better yet, I should have asked).

The guy showed up, and told me there was a $75 service charge, to which I wondered aloud why I hadn't been told about it. He told me my weather stripping needed to be replaced, and he could do it for me, himself, not through the company. How about instead of saying it should have been a warning sign, I just put a symbol in parentheses, like (???). It comes up quite a bit.

I told him how I had tried to fix it and asked if there was a nut or bolt that had fallen off. He said yes. I asked how he would get to the inside of the door frame (all metal), through the top? - to which he said yes. I wonder if it was because I was sitting in the kitchen, just inside the back door, and would have seen him go through the top of the door (it would have been an acrobatic feat, or would have involved a special ladder to accomodate the back steps) that the turn of events happened as follows(???). Next, he needed to call the office. He said it would be $35. I felt like Detective Goran (Law & Order, Criminal Intent - my favorite tv detective, played by Vincent D'Onofrio) trying to pin him down to exactly what the $35 included, especially since it was so much less than the original $75 (???).

He said he could replace my weather stripping at the bottom for $40 (I thought he said $4, but was quickly corrected). I said, "No thanks, I think we can do it ourselves." Argument ensued about availability of special rubber strip that cannot be found at Hardware Store - only at this particular company(???). Regardless, no thanks.

While he was repairing the broken screws from the back of the door (no ladder or acrobatics required), I called another iron door company listed in the phone book. They said they'd sell me the whole weather strip, metal + rubber, for $10 per door. I don't think he heard this conversation, but strangely enough, after the repair, he offered to replace the weather stripping for just $20, paid to him personally, not the company(???). I should have said no thanks again, but gave in to the desire to have it done for the same price as buying it at the other store and spending the time to install it.

Ok, I won't tell you any more. I'm tired of the story. I could spend another 4 or 5 or 6 more paragraphs relaying the saga. I will only say that when I called Suzanne to tell her about the ordeal, she said she had had a bad experience with this company and that they had an unsatisfactory rating with BBB. Sure enough, I checked, and it was still unsatisfactory. I don't think they had a blip of bad service with a bad subcontractor. I think they are poorly managed and sadly, the company's long-held, hard-earned good reputation is not a reflection of the current state of affairs.

I got a refund for the excess charges ($30 refund, yielding a $25 net fee), but am left with a sad feeling about a family business losing value, and ultimately, failing.

Buyer Beware, and check Better Business Bureau.

Wreck of the Day


What a day. As I sit down to write this post, my Pandora station is playing one of my favorite songs - Anna Nalick's Wreck of the Day. The cherry on top is that the cat just threw up. Seriously, just this minute. I'm not making that up. Here's how my day went.

On my way to a business meeting (for which I was running late), got a call that the meeting was cancelled. That's ok. Forget that I could have easily slept another hour. Took advantage of extra time to call the company from which we bought our iron doors to get the back door repaired. That's a very long story - worthy of its own blog post, but suffice it to say I was hoodwinked and the repair guy got fired (or so the owner of the company said). Will explain in another post, to be titled "Caveat Emptor."

Next, the man who was supposed to come measure kitchen floor and bring tile samples at 2:00 never showed. After I called to inquire of his whereabouts, he called to say his basement was full of water and his heat was out, and he'd see me Thursday. That's ok.

Went to pick up prescriptions, and one of the refills was missing, natch. Just a few extra minutes' wait. Then headed out to door repair place for hoodwink-related refund, and drove past - easy to do on Summer Avenue.

Made it back home, with refund (a good thing). I feel like I'm in a John Grisham novel - the paranoid protaganist, running from the Mafia. I'm constantly looking over my shoulder for the supposedly now-unemployed repairman. Thought I saw a black pickup pull away as I drove up our street. I'm jumping every time I hear a real or imaginary car door shut. After all, he has my name, address, phone number and bank account information (from check I wrote).

On top of that, the weather is appropriately gray and dreary.

Gotta run - time to check on bread in the oven. My day's taking a better turn. I have to say, there have been times when this series of unfortunate events would have done a number on me, but amazingly, I'm ok. But then I have the aroma of baking bread to comfort me!

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Cottage Industries


Since I've started this blog, I've become aware of lots of women who have small businesses doing things they love for a little extra cash. They all seem to be party-related - isn't that fun! Mack's co-worker, Angela L., makes these adorable diaper cakes - perfect for a baby shower or gift. I don't know if you can disassemble it and use the diapers - maybe not, but wouldn't it be great for an emergency supply? Let me know if you're interested in one (leave a comment) and I'll get you her contact information. I'm also thinking of the pinatas and cakes I've featured in previous blog posts.

To all my crafty friends, I should share a website I recently became aware of: http://www.etsy.com/

Their tag-line is "Your place to buy & sell all things handmade." My sister-in-law, Marjorie, told me about it. She's considering selling some of her beautiful knitted items there. I received a yellow knitted cotton dishcloth from her for Christmas and it adds a little bit of luxury to wiping the countertops. I've been thinking of making some cards to sell there. There's a small fee to list your item and then you pay a certain percentage of your selling price when you sell it. Let me know if you've tried it.

Of course, the best cottage industry I know about is my friend Lundy's booming website development, design and search engine optimization business. She's so resourceful and energetic - I'm glad she invited me to partner with her on MomsLeap. Great things are in store!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Double Your Workout!


Anyone who knows me will totally ignore this post - who am I to give exercise tips! Bear with me - I think this is good advice. When I saw my good friend Angie Hamilton at Christmas, we made a pact to walk the half-marathon in December 2008. We walked in the 2006 St. Jude half-marathon - 13.1 miles. Yesterday, I thought of our pact and decided to take a good, brisk walk. I would have stopped after a mile or two, but I employed my fool-proof method to ensure a longer walk. I just walk directly away from my house until I've gone half my goal distance. It never fails me. I have to get back home. I do take my cell phone in case of a twisted ankle or dog attack, but so far have never used it. I came close a couple of times in the 100+ degree temperatures last summer. I had to ask for a water-bottle refill from a brave soul who was working outside in his yard (on my route) one day! I walked four miles yesterday - first time in several months to come anywhere near this distance. I will have to get serious in September. There's a scientific three month training schedule. For the 2006 marathon, I don't think I had ever really walked more than 9 miles at one time, but I managed to make the 13 miles in three and one half hours - a respectable 16 minute mile on average. I just thought of something funny. I made one port-a-potty stop and it was clear that every one was in a hurry because, suffice it to say, the potty was EXTRA messy - if that's possible.

I have lots of fond, funny, pleasant memories of that experience. It was a real challenge.

I used my new tripod for the photo of my running shoes. It's smaller than you'd think, but very nice and sturdy - I think I love it! Another photo tip is to get on the level of your subject. This small tripod was great for that.

After watching The Bucket List this weekend, I've been thinking a little about things I want to accomplish. I think the half-marathon is a good thing, even though I've already done it. I don't see myself ever aspiring to the full marathon - I just don't think it's healthy - not for this body, at least! I think my trip to Brazil in the spring will be a life-changing experience. I've looked at 1000 Places to See Before You Die - same idea, but it's totally overwhelming. I think it would be better if they did 10 places and really spent some time talking about them. Of course, the Travel Channel is a great way to visit lots of places on a trial basis.

Let me know what you'd put on your Bucket List (things to do if you knew you were going to Kick the Bucket). I'd love to know!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Pinatas + The Bucket List


Mack and I met the cutest couple tonight at the theater. We went to see The Bucket List (loved it) and we went early to get one of those great seats right behind the handicap section with the great bars in front to prop your feet up on. Even though the theater was practically empty, I asked if I could sit right next to this young couple who were taking up two of the three seats with foot-props. I assured them the theater would be packed because this was opening weekend for the movie. Instead of thinking I was weird and clamming up, they merrily chatted with me. I knew I liked them when Mack asked them where their three little girls were tonight and the husband replied "They're out in the car." The wife said, "We cracked the windows for them so they'd have fresh air." So funny.

As we talked, we found out that Tricia, the wife, has an internet company which sells pinatas. You can order a pinata like the one above for Valentine's day at:

www.partywithpinatas.com

There are lots and lots of other cute pinatas and party kits. There's an interesting history of pinatas - there's actually religious symbolism involved! Tricia said she's been working on getting her site to rank higher in the search engines, and I told her about my friend Lundy, who's an expert at that. While checking to see where Tricia's site fell in a Google search, I ran across provocative pinatas as well as Osama Bin Ladin pinatas. Who would have imagined? I was afraid to look at either site!

Good luck to Tricia and Nathan. They're moving to Denver in February for a new business venture - we wish them all the best.

Signs of Spring


No, these didn't come from my yard. They were $4.50 per pot at Kroger. I bought two to take to friends today. I did find daffodil shoots in my flower beds yesterday. I'm always excited to see the first daffodils. In Memphis, you never know when to expect them. I've seen them as early as January and as late as March.

My good friends Luanne and Mary Jane (sisters) have a sweet story about daffodils. They lost their mother a few years ago. Their mom loved daffodils. When her first birthday since her death rolled around in March, Mary Jane and Luanne were so touched and surprised when they walked outside that morning and saw the first daffodils of spring. That year was probably the latest I remember the daffodils arriving - it had to be more than a coincidence. God is good.

It's time to cut back the monkey grass, and I need to pull up the forlorn remains of geraniums from my flower boxes on the front porch. The asparagus ferns and ivy I planted there seem to have survived the cold just fine. My gardenia has survived, but I have my fingers crossed that my maidenhair fern will come back. I think it's normal for them to come back from the base. I have tried and tried to grow gardenias (my favorite flower), without success. I think I should plant the next one next to the house. The ones I've noticed that get so big and beautiful seem to all be next to houses - I'm sure it helps shelter them from the wind. I need to fertilize mine - it's looking very yellow. Let me know if you have any gardenia tips.

Today is the day for changing sheets and laundry (isn't every day laundry day?). I used to change them every Saturday but lately I've been letting them go to every other week. A friend was the mom of a college student who came home for Christmas break, and the mom realized that the kid had gone the whole semester without washing the sheets! This was a girl, too! I think I should start working on an instruction manual for Evans to take to college now. Except I guess the whole point of going away to college (besides getting an education) is to figure out this stuff on your own. I can't believe we'll have an empty nest in less than three years!

In the mean time, the nest needs clean sheets, so I'm off to that!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Photo Tips


Ok, here's a non-food post! I noticed that while on my (very) modified low-carb endeavor, my last two posts have not only been about, but have included photos of extremely high-carb foods - pizza and cake! I have to say that I'm proud of my pizza photo. I took two - one with the flash and one without. The one without the flash is by far the better photo. I've been noticing that lots lately. The biggest problem with taking pics in natural light (except bright sunlight) is that the slightest movement of the camera will cause the photo to blur. I've propped the camera on books or furniture a couple of times, but someone told me about the Gorillapod. It will stand like a normal tripod or it can wrap around a small pole or adjust to an uneven surface. It's 6 inches high and weighs just 1.6 ounces, so can easily go in your purse or camera bag. I just ordered it from Amazon for $20 - free shipping. Can't wait to try it out. Maybe I'll start using the self timer and actually take pictures with all three of us in them for a change.

Has anyone tried this? I'll give you my review when it arrives and I try it out.

Food, Glorious Food



Since I'm trying to watch carbs, I'm obsessing about my favorite subject, food. Big news is that Pei Wei is opening at Mendenhall and Sanderlin next Monday! I love Pei Wei. The Mandarin Kung Pao Shrimp is my very favorite. It's pretty spicy and the shrimp are kind of crispy - yum. My teenage boy likes their shrimp fried rice. It's made with brown and white rice and has plenty of veggies, but not too much. It's so much lighter than typical Chinese fare in Memphis.

Speaking of teenage tastes, I have to share my son's very favorite food made at home. In an effort to duplicate Memphis Pizza Cafe's great pizza, I bought the pre-made crust (Mama Mary's or Boboli's) and used Meza Tuscan Bruschetta as a base. I've only seen this at Sam's - let me know if you've seen it elsewhere. I haven't tried it yet, but I think Rotel Italian style tomatoes would be similar. You could probably doctor up some canned diced tomatoes with garlic and parsley and basil. This seems to make it different and fresher tasting than regular old pizza sauce. My son likes goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes as well as mozerella and parmesan. I bake the pizza directly on the rack. Miss Mary's makes a thin crust as well as the regular, but watch it as it burns easily (just made that mistake while working on this post). I like it with artichoke hearts, but that adds one more messy step. If you have teenagers, plan for one pizza per kid, and if you have leftovers, of course we all know how great leftover pizza is!

Let me know if you have any other good recipes, especially for teenage boys! Back to low-carb world...

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Sweet Celebrations



My friend Kim made this amazing cake - she is just about the most creative person I know. She also makes incredible banana nut bread - one of my very favorite things. I know because she brought me some when I was recovering from surgery this fall. Her business is called Sweet Celebrations - you, too, can have a cake this beautiful. I know she gets really busy in May and June for graduations and weddings, so plan ahead. If you're interested, let me know and I'll give you her contact information. We'll post more pictures and other information when we get the website up and going.

Kim's a fellow baseball mom, so we see lots of each other in the spring. Maybe not quite as much now that both our boys are driving. Beware the streets of east Memphis!

Seven!

That's how many cans I opened for dinner tonight. I think this is a subconcious reaction to reading the Sweet Potato Queens' cookbook. Here's the breakdown: creamed corn, rotel tomatoes x 2, whole kernal corn, black beans x 2, and chopped green chiles. Can you guess what I made? Mexican cornbread, black beans and mexican rice. I love rotel tomatoes. There are a million cornbread recipes on the internet with every combination of cornmeal (yellow, white, self-rising cornmeal), flour, buttermilk, etc. I adapted Paula Deen's recipe to what I had on hand. I have to say it was successful. I should be doing low-carb, but as you can tell, I'm majorly into carbs - the thrill of the forbidden. Maybe tomorrow.

I've been reading about Brazil - I'm going there in April. Did I mention that it only took 20 days to get my passport - non-expedited? I was pleasantly surprised. Anyway, reading about Brazil put me in the mood for the black beans and rice. I ate lots of them when we visited Puerto Rico some years ago. It's like gumbo in New Orleans, different everywhere you get it, but always delicious. Unfortunately, the Brazilian version of black beans and rice, feijoada, contains copious quantities of scrap meat - things like pig snout and ears and tail and hoof. I might become vegetarian while I'm there. Since cattle ranching is a big industry there, I might not be too popular, or even worse, will go hungry! That might be my ticket to losing weight!

Let me know if you can beat my seven can record.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Sweet Potato Queens

I think I've discovered the cookbook for me. It's called The Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Cookbook (and Financial Planner) by Jill Conner Browne. I have been laughing out loud. I found this at the library yesterday and coincidentally found out that she's coming to Davis Kidd this Sunday (the 6th) at 3:00 pm for a signing of her newest book - The Sweet Potato Queens' Guide to Raising Children for Fun & Profit. I just might plan to go!

I have to quote from the cookbook - it's just too funny:

"Recently we have noted with interest the trendy new job of Lifestyle Coach. This is somebody (who received on-line training from the absolute genuis who thought it up) you pay five hundred dollars an hour to tell you what, in their opinion, it is you ought to do in any given situation. Oh, hey, is this the job for me, or what? I always know what other people ought to be doing in any given situation. Always. I can't think of an exception right offhand. And here, all my adult life, I've been telling everybody what they ought to be doing in any given situation, and I've been doing it for free. And what's more, they didn't even have to ask me what, in my opinion, they ought to be doing. My sister has been providing the same service for all of her friends and acquaintances as well - and likewise, unsolicited and gratis. We are considering billing them all retroactively."

Anyone who knows Lundy and me will laugh at this, too! Maybe that's why we love the idea of starting the MomsLeap website. It's an opportunity to do Lifestyle Coaching. Maybe we should offer an on-line degree in Lifestyle Coaching. Let me know if you're interested in this, and more importantly, what you'd be willing to pay for this degree. We could do a really nice certificate, suitable for framing. If Lundy could stop building hurricane-proof houses and managing her various businesses (she's really busy with tax stuff), we could get this up and going! In the meantime, if you want to be entertained, take a look at her blog: www.lundini.blogspot.com I promise you, you will learn something new and interesting. It's good fuel for small talk at cocktail parties.

When I see the Queen Sunday at her book signing, I'll ask her permission to post one or two of her recipes here, and if she says ok, I'll share them with you - they have funny names and look very easy. Maybe I'll even review her new book here.

All for now.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Free Groceries!

Yes, it's too good to be true! I found free groceries in my own kitchen. I regularly throw away so much food and have decided to try to use some of what I have. Tonight I peeled five pounds of potatoes I've had for at least two weeks. I peeled lots off, but still got a big batch of mashed potatoes. One was rotten, but luckily had not started to stink yet. I can't think of anything that smells worse than a rotten potato. I have a 1 horsepower garbage disposal so it handles things like whole rotten potatoes and thick peels. I also made ceasar salad and used some garlic bread I had in the fridge for croutons. Just cubed it and toasted it - perfect! Now I have a mess to clean up!

I've been thinking of the old idea of cooking one weekend for a month, but with a twist. I thought it would be fun to have a group of friends get together and figure out a way to cook and assemble food for the freezer. I might order one of those books - it would probably have the math already done as far quantities go, and I'll bet a shopping list, too. I have lots of friends with great big kitchens so will volunteer one of them to have us over. I've heard Hope Pres does this. It would be perfect in a church kitchen. I'll have to see what I can find out. Of course, with this being Memphis, there's always the risk of losing your freezer full of food due to a power outage. Unfortunately we were out of town the first few days after Hurricane Elvis when everyone was having their "Empty the Freezer" grilling parties!

Let me know if you have any ideas you'd like to share about any of this - I'd love to hear from you.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

One Little Word - continued

Hi All,

I've found my word for 2008. It's "love". It came to me Sunday in church. I thought of 1 Corinthians chapter 13 - also known as the love chapter in the New Testament. Specifically verse 13 which says "And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 1 John 4:18 says "...perfect love casts out fear..." I considered making "fearless" my one little word because I have struggled with fear in the past. Then I realized that it is better to focus on love, a positive thing, and the fear would go away on its own.

I found this quote that describes how I'd like to approach this: True love is not a feeling by which we are overwhelmed. It is a committed, thoughtful decision. --M. Scott Peck

I'll be writing more about this as the year progresses. Let me know if you decide to try this - I'd love to hear your one little word!