Week 34 Sunday (9/7/14)

Recipe Review      

Today’s Recipe and Location:           Creamy Rosemary Potatoes

         Found in: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl         Pages: 204 - 205       Copyright:  2009  Harper Collins

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/10/creamy-herbed-potatoes/

I figured out that there are 433 calories per serving, if 9 servings or 325 calories if 12 servings are made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

You can just see the creamy goodness!

         These are the very best potatoes I have ever eaten. They are creamy and full of fresh herbs which gives them an amazing flavor. I took them to my Mom’s house for a party and heard praises all around. The sweetest comment came from Tom Meyer. He said that if I didn’t come for Thanksgiving dinner, then he would just have to make these potatoes. Thanks, Tom!  Mom and Ron had great advice on how to make the recipe better. The first thing was to cut the potatoes a little thicker. They were very thin, because a little more substance would be better. That means just changing the setting on the mandolin up one level. Mom and I both thought that the potatoes either have to be smaller or cut into thirds. The potatoes I used were huge and one piece was double the length of a fork. Smaller would be better. I was thrilled that I only had three servings leftover. That speaks volumes to me. Another Ree success story!  Try this one on Thanksgiving and then just sit back and smile. Donna - there may be creamy rosemary potatoes in our future.

Trivial Triffles

         How many remote controls should a house own? I have three in the living room alone. What the heck, man. There are also seven more in other rooms in the house. What if they get mixed up? YIKES!  The price of technology.

Memory Musings

         Earlier this week I wrote about my apartment in St. Petersburg. When I moved there I loved that it had several pools and a swampy area. When I was looking at the complex, the manager took me on a walk around and shared all of the amenities with me. Fortunately, she realized I was from the north and gave me warnings about Florida.

         The first warning was regarding the swampy area. She taught me that as long as the ducks were in the water, it was probably safe to walk along the shore. She did share that the reason for the chain link fences around the pools were because of the alligators. She said as long as there was easy food (the ducklings) they usually left people alone. She also taught me that an alligator can outrun a human being in a straight line. She said I should zig zag because gators cannot change directions like humans.

         I am very grateful for the wisdom of that woman. I survived my years in Florida.

Week 34 Saturday (9/6/14)

Recipe Review         

Today’s Recipe and Location:           Cobb Salad

         Found in: The Pioneer Woman blog

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2014/06/cobb-salad/

I figured out that there are 478 calories per serving, if 8 servings are made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

It would have been prettier with tomatoes.
You can't even see the lettuce through all of the goodies.

         I am a big fan of Cobb Salad! I had to vary her recipe a little bit, because I could not add the colorful tomatoes. This salad made me so happy. Eating this salad causes me a little grief because it does have green lettuce as well as avocado, which plays havoc with my Coumadin. I ate it because it was wonderful, fabulous, and gosh darn it – I really wanted it. I sat there savoring every bite. I will just pay the consequences later.

Random Reflections

Yard Art 

Stepping Stones

       Stepping stones are a wonderful addition to the garden. I use them as decorations, but they are wonderful to mark a path through the flower beds. Some of my stepping stones are colorful because they were store bought. Many of the ones I have are made of concrete, and have a fabulous leaf-design imprinted on the top. They were a gift from The Alfred family. They are extremely sturdy and easy to walk on. I always sprinkle polished rock around the path, which adds interest to the walkway. One of my favorites was a gift from Team-8-1 at Wredling. It has all of their faces on the top. I smile at it every time I walk by that bed. 

This one was given to me by the Wredling staff.
Their pictures are present on the stone.
I love this stone.
A big thank you goes out to Sharon Zicherman, Tracy Dockum,  Alicia Honnert, Renee Boehm, and Terry Celaya.

This one is 3-D 

The best saying!

These are both made of concrete and were a
gift from the Alford family. I love these today as
much as I did when I received them.
There are six in all.

Helpful Home Hints

         I have been cleaning out my bedroom closet and realized that I need to tackle EVERY closet and get ready to change out seasonal clothing and give it, keep it, or throw it away. It is amazing how in the course of one year we accumulate so many items. The hardest thing for me to give away are my coats. I know that I have several that no longer fit, but for some reason this has been difficult. Okay, cut the coat cord and purge!

Week 34 Friday (9/5/14)

Recipe Review

Today’s Recipe and Location:           Thousand Island Dressing

         This is my recipe, not Ree’s today

         This is such an easy recipe to make, that I am surprised when people buy salad dressing when they could have fresh dressing made in a few minutes. My all time favorite salad dressing is 1000 Island. All you need to do is to use two parts mayaonnaise, and one part ketchup and mix them together. Then add a little pickle relish and a splash of juice and stir again. Then I add salt and pepper to taste and you are finished. I am not really big on pickle relish so there are times when I don’t even add it in. I must admit that it is fabulous!

      

Fabulous “Family and Friends” Food

Dirt Cake

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter, softened

1 (18 or 19 oz.) package of sandwich cookies (crushed)

1 package of cream cheese

1 small container (12 oz.) of Cool Whip

1 (6.5 oz. package) of instant chocolate pudding

2 + 2/3 cups of whole milk

Directions: 

         Break up the cookies in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or in a blender.  Now, take 2 cups of the cookies and add in the softened butter. Set the remainder of the cookies aside as a garnish for the top.  Some Moms have made this dessert in cups, but I like it in a ramekin. Set aside.

         Mix the cream cheese with 2 -3 Tblsp. of whole milk until it is smooth. Once blended, add in the Cool Whip. Set aside.

         Now blend the pudding and milk.

         Now we begin the layering process. The bottom layer is the cookie mixture. Next, goes the cream cheese layer, now add the pudding layer, and add the leftover cookie crumbs to the top. For the dirt idea I have seen parents add candy worms and serve it with a spoon.

         I have no idea where this recipe came from, but this was given to me by a Mom in one of my classes. I only wish I had written down who she was.

Week 34 Thursday (9/4/14)

Recipe Review                 

Today’s Recipe and Location:           Egg in the Hole

         Found in: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl         Pages: 46 - 47       Copyright:  2009  Harper Collins  OR

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/07/egg-in-a-hole-see-alternate-names-below/

I figured out that there are 270 calories per serving, if 1 serving is made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

Just break an egg or two in a hollowed
out hole in the center of the bread

It did ooze out the bottom when I flipped the bread

Add a little salt and a lot of pepper

Get out your fork and enjoy!

         Talk about a simple, fast breakfast…..this is it.  I liked the idea of this and it is definitely fun to look at. I used a cinnamon bread for added interest. The eggs are prepared sunny side up which is not my favorite, so I took the pictures and then put them back in the pan and cook the egg until is was over hard. This would not make a beautiful photo, so I first did it Ree’s way and then made the adjustment.

Random Reflections - The Glorious Garden

Rudbeckia vieties “Little Susy” black-eyed Susans”

I love the vibrant color!

The plants are thick and bushy

A great addition to every garden

A front yard border

         Rudbeckia adds so much to the flower beds. I have never had trouble with insects even though they do have some enemies. My butterflies love that flower bed. They have even spread to other sides of the house which is fabulous!

         Mine are in full sun in the backyard when the heat is a killer. I think they do best in well-drained soil. I do

leave them up for the winter to help the birds.

       

Irksome Ideas and Images

         One of my pet peeves is call waiting. When I changed my company to Comcast, she asked if I wanted call waiting and I declined. Unfortunately, she put it on anyway. Even though my phone has this capability, I NEVER use it. First of all, when I tried it I did it wrong and disconnected both parties. What a drag.

         The reason I dislike call waiting is that I find it rude and disrespectful to the person you are talking to on the phone. I am not so important that I need to interrupt one call to take another, If it is important, the second caller will call again. If I am talking to someone who asks to put me on hold to answer another call, I tell them I will wait exactly one minute and after that they can call me back. I am not wasting my time waiting for anyone to take another call. How Rude!

Week 34 Wednesday (9/3/14)

Recipe Review      

Today’s Recipe and Location:           Cowboy Calzones

         Found in: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl         Pages: 114 - 115       Copyright:  2009  Harper Collins

I figured out that there are 548 calories per serving, if 11 servings are made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

A few were a little overcooked.

They turned out pretty well. I have the at least four of
these in the freezer for another day.

         I loved making these calzones. This is the first time I have ever tried one, and I really enjoyed it. Ree makes 8 or 9 so I made 11. The calories count for her size would have been about 800 calories, so I made them a little smaller so they were 548 calories. That is more doable for my life right now. I did like them.

         My neighbor, Nicole, tried one and said it reminded her of a pot pie crust with a breakfast middle. I agree with her, and really like that these make a great meal. I also took them to school and fed them to my team one day. They all enjoyed them, too.

      

Gabbin’ About Gratitude

         I am so grateful to live in a country where I feel safe. The world is such a scary place, and I am happy that I get up every morning and never think about my safety. God Bless, American and the Americans that keep us safe.

Memory Musings

         During one summer, I decided to leave Panama City and move to St. Pete Beach, where the Capt. Anderson docked in the winter. I loved working for the Anderson family.

         Finding an apartment was okay. I found a nice third floor walk-up apartment in St. Pete. It was a one bedroom, one bath apartment with a screened in porch. The drag was that it had no elevator, which made moving a little harder. My cats and I really enjoyed our winter in St. Pete.

        

Week 34 Tuesday (9/2/14)

There is hope in the world!  I learned something new recently.  I learned how to make the pictures fill the entire screen so the people and items are easier to see.  Good Lord! Some things take so long to figure out for me - technology being the main one.

Recipe Review      

Today’s Recipe and Location:           Smoothies

         My ideas on different possibilities – no Ree today.

Calories will vary depending on your choices of ingredients

I know it isn't the most appetizing breakfast,
but the taste can blow you away!

         I love having a smoothie for breakfast. I used to create one made with milk, a banana, a Granny Smith apple or two, and some malted milk powder. The powder was to make me believe that I was drinking a chocolate shake. My friend Jenny and I bought a NutraBullet from Bed, Bath, and Beyond which makes creating a single serving smoothie a breeze. If you are going to make several for the week, I recommend a regular size blender.

         Lately, I have been making one with a lot of protein in it. I am a cottage cheese freak. Mom used to serve us cottage cheese on peaches or pears. My current shake is made of cottage cheese, vanilla yogurt, 2 bananas, and some granola and some of that healthy powder from the health food store. I am thinking of changing my fruit to peaches because that seems like a nice change. Of course, berries would be a great substitution if I could eat them, but I can’t.

        

Special Event:  The Aurora Farmers’ Market

My cousin, Linda, introduced me to the Aurora Farmer’s Market. I loved our first trip. I bought some of the most amazing cheese. One was triple whipped and layered like a cake with apricot jam between layers. It was really more of a dessert than a slice of cheese. The other was a fabulous dill cheese. This is so flavorful on a wheat cracker.

         My other purchase was sweet corn. I purchased six ears in a green mesh bag. This was the sweetest corn I have ever eaten. I didn’t even put any butter on the corn because it just wasn’t necessary.  What a great place to shop.

My Gorgeous Girls

         I love being home during a long weekend. The Labor Day Weekend was extremely important because I needed to catch up on a lot of things like: the laundry, the yard, the blog, cooking, and cleaning the house.

         The true joy of the weekend was spending time with Willow and Sage. Tonight, as I work, Willow is at my side on the floor sleeping. Sage is lying by the front door incase we have an intruder. Oh my Lions, and Tigers, and Bears (only in Sage’s mind, of course).

         So for me, happiness is time at home with my girls.

Week 34 Monday (9/1/14)

Recipe Review      

Today’s Recipe and Location:           Cinnamon Rolls

         Found in: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl         Pages: 36 - 39     Copyright:  2009  Harper Collins  OR

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/cinammon_rolls_/

I figured out that there are 233 calories per serving, if 76 servings are made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

Here they are as they get ready to rise yet again.

They are now big and puffy and ready to go into a hot oven.

Hot out of the oven

I could just sink my teeth into these rolls

When Ree wrote that it would make 50 – 60, I thought that was the perfect amount for school. I should have known from previous experience that she makes bigger portions than I do. So, I made 76 rolls. I was happy to be able to share cinnamon rolls with several neighbors as well as take about 50 to school.  I must say that they were really amazing. This would be a great go to food for a large gathering .

Random Reflections - Bucket List

One of the things I would like to do is to learn a great deal about fostering animals. One of my goals for retirement is to foster animals at my home in Kentucky. I love animals and would like to help care for animals in need. I think that would be a good use of my time, and it would give me tremendous pleasure.

Becky’s Bucket List #23

I would like to learn more about fostering animals

Visit the narrowed list of Kentucky towns each for a weekend

Have a B.M.I. of 24.9 or lower

Return to Florida/Alabama and see old friends

Play tennis again

Learn to play bridge

Have an in-ground pool

Finish writing a book on the Scent Family

Save up enough money for a down payment on my Kentucky house

Research every town in Kentucky in hopes of relocating

Work on learning calligraphy and bettering daily penmanship

Begin making my own clothing using a mannequin

Volunteer at an animal rescue

Visit all 50 states

Photography courses

Complete all of Mom’s and my scrapbooks

Go skiing again in Colorado

Meet the Duggar family

Watch every nominee and winner for the Academy Awards to date

Remodel my kitchen

Take piano lessons

Write 2 books for my great-nephews

Travel to Wales

Travel to Scotland

Alaskan cruise

Why Weight?

8/24                  Sunday                  1,698 calories         nothing                 

8/25                  Monday                 1,957 calories         Curves                 

8/26                  Tuesday                 1,750 calories         Curves

8/27                  Wednesday            1,559 calories         Curves

8/28                  Thursday               1,699 calories         Curves

8/29                  Friday                    1,578 calories         Curves

8/30                  Saturday                1,930 calories         nothing

Goal:             78.2 lbs.          (100 lb. loss between 6/1/14 – 6/1/15)

                  -    5.3 lbs.         this week’s loss

                      72.9 lbs. lbs to go

Calories this week were great. I didn’t hit 2,000 calories on any day and that is one of the keys to this week’s weight loss. The funny thing is that on Friday, I ate only 1,578 calories but I was soooooo full. This is because I ate brisket. For some reason brisket keeps me full for hours on end. I think I am doing well. I have lost 27.1 pounds in three months. I am well on my way to losing my 10 pounds in a year. Yee Ha!

        

Sun.                   8/24                15,595 steps               3,524 calories burned

Mon.                  8/25                  8,369  steps              2,877 calories burned

Tues.                 8/26                  8,982 steps                2,976 calories burned

Wed.`                8/27                  8,983 steps                2,976 calories burned

Thurs.               8/28                  7,399 steps                 2,757 calories burned

Fri.                    8/29                  6,731 steps                 2,663 calories burned

Sat.                   8/30                  *** had trouble getting my FitBit charged today

Boy, can you tell I am back to school full time this week!  My steps dropped from over 10,000 every day to between 6,731 – 8,982. Bummer!  I was so busy this week that I didn’t have time to walk the dogs and do a little extra moving. I really need to up these numbers next week.

Wants and Wishes

         I really want to take my Mom with me and locate every house I have ever lived in and photograph it. I know the homes from when I was in first grade on, but I have no idea of the places we lived when I was a baby or youngster. This would also be fun to go with Mom and enjoy her memories.