Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night
was spent with just our immediate family. It was fun getting together and enjoying each other's company but the boys were with their Dad for Christmas break this year and it just wasn't the same without them. Every other year seems like an off year at Christmas.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Dreading Holiday Eating
I have been eating so bad lately - I'm not even going to weigh myself. I know the outcome will be bad! All I can do is try to eat with caution on Christmas - thank the Lord that I'm not a sweets person. But it means that I'm a turkey and oyster dressing person. I can't wait for my Mom's oyster dressing!
TURKEY LEG (WITH SKIN), 4 OZ, 6
WHITE MEAT TURKEY (NO SKIN), 4 OZ, 4 POINTS
♦HAM WITH BROWN SUGAR COATING, 3 OZ, 2 POINTS
SPIRAL SLICED (BONE IN, HICKORY SMOKED), 3 OZ, 4 POINTS
SPIRAL SLICED (BONE IN, HONEY CURED), 3 OZ, 3 POINTS
BLACK FOREST (SMOKED), 3 OZ, 2 POINTS
MAPLE GLAZED (HONEY COATED), 3 OZ, 2 POINTS
VIRGINIA HAM, 2 OZ, 1 POINT
GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE, 1 CUP, 5 POINTS
GREEN BEANS (STEAMED), 1 CUP, 0 POINTS
♦CORN CASSEROLE, 1/2 CUP, 8 POINTS
CORN, 1/2 CUP, 1 POINT
♦CANDIED SWEET POTATOES, 1 CUP, 8 POINTS
MASHED SWEET POTATOES, 1 CUP, 4 POINTS
♦BAKED SWEET POTATO, 1 LARGE, 3 POINTS
♦GARLIC MASHED POTATOES, 3/4 CUP, 6 POINTS
PLAIN BAKED POTATO, 1 LARGE, 3 POINTS
♦SCALLOPED POTATOES, ½ CUP, 4 POINTS
AU GRATIN POTATOES, 1 CUP, 13 POINTS
CANNED CRANBERRY SAUCE, 1/4 CUP, 3 POINTS
HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE , 1/4 CUP, 2 POINTS
BREAD STUFFING, 1 CUP, 8 POINTS
WINTER SQUASH, 1 CUP, 1 POINT
♦PUMPKIN PIE, 1 SLICE, 9 POINTS
PECAN PIE, 1 SLICE, 12 POINTS
APPLE PIE, 1 SLICE, 7 POINTS
PLUM PUDDING, ½ CUP WITH 1 TBSP SAUCE, 9 POINTS
WHITE ROLL (WITHOUT BUTTER), 1 ROLL, 3 POINTS
WHEAT ROLL (WITHOUT BUTTER, 1 ROLL, 2 POINTS
WHIPPED BUTTER, 1 TBSP, 2 POINTS
LIGHT MARGARINE, 1 TBSP, 1 POINT
BROWN GRAVY, 1/4 CUP, 2 POINTS
WINE, 2 OZ, 1 POINTS
MULLED CIDER, 1 CUP, 3 POINTS
EGGNOG ( HOMEMADE WITH OR WITHOUT LIQUOR) ½ CUP, 4 POINTS
EGGNOG (REDUCED CALORIE, STORE BOUGHT, NO LIQUOR) ½ CUP, 3 POINTS
EGG NOG (STORE BOUGHT WITHOUT LIQUOR) ½ CUP, 5 POINTS
Saturday, December 20, 2008
T's Birthday - The Big 10!
I found a recipe I'd like to try. I think the boys will really like it. I might just whip it up for Christmas.
Blueberry Delight
1 (3) oz. pckg. blackberry gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (15 oz.) can blueberries
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (8 oz.) pckg. creme cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 - 2 cups chopped pecans
In large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Drain liquid from blueberries and pineapple and stir into the gelatin. Pour into 2 quart mold (or large pyrex dish) and refrigerate until firm.
Mix together softened creme cheese, sugar, sour cream and vanilla and spread over the congealed gelatin mixture. Sprinkle creme cheese layer with chopped pecans and chill for approximately 30 minutes. Invert (or cut into serving size pieces) and serve.
*NOTE: I add the creme cheese mixture AFTER the gelatin has set up and become firm. It makes it much easier to spread. I also add the pecans in with the creme cheese mix and then add MORE pecans on the top.
So far, here is our menu for Christmas Day:
Turducken - it's a boneless duck stuffed inside a boneless chicken stuff inside a boneless turkey. It is soooo good. The duck keeps all of the meat so moist.
Ham - Mr. H's ham from work
Oyster Dressing
Collard Greens
Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potato Souffle
Rolls
Pies - Pumpkin, Pecan and Chocolate
Iced Tea and Cokes
I made a spreadsheet for the holiday planning. When I figure out how to do a screenshot, I'll post a pic.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
More Christmas Parade of Homes Pics
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Christmas Parade of Homes
Friday, October 31, 2008
Halloween fun
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
A quote from thewwchick blog
—Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Everyone loves a small town parade!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Meal In Honor of My Family In the South & Hurricane Gustav
Black Bean Brownies????
Black Bean Brownies
1 box Betty Crocker Low Fat Fudge Brownie mix
1-15oz can unseasoned black beans in water, drained and rinsed, pureed in
¼ cup water
I pureed the black beans and the water in my Magic Bullet food processor then mixed it with the brownie mix then dumped the mix in a greased 12 muffin tin. You basically follow the baking directions on the package. I just so happened to use the muffin tin as it’s more accurate as far as a serving size. Sure, it turned out my muffins were 3 points each (I found out that the gentleman in my meetings makes these one point by cutting the brownies into very small servings- my cavities are bigger than what he is dishing up so I went with the muffin tin).
162 calories
2 grams of fat
5 grams of fiber = 3 points
So not only were they brownie/muffins DE-LISH (there is not even a hint of bean taste) but they are packed with fiber and super low in fat making them great even for people not on Weight Watchers. And one of the very, very best parts of these brownies? You can lick the bowl clean without fear of salmonella from the raw eggs typically used in other brownie recipes.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
My Brother
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Fun at the ballpark!
T and H love to watch Hornsby, the Driller mascot. They even have their baseball gloves signed by him. That's pretty cool, man!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Hash How Eggs
In my family we have always called them Hash How Eggs. I have no clue why. They were a speciality of my Dad's. Gosh, I miss him being able to teach the boys about all of the great things we did when I was a kid.
The best part of a Hash How egg is the soft yolk. Yum! All you have to do put some butter in a skillet, tear a hole out of the middle of a piece of bread, crack an egg in the middle and fry until your egg yolk is runny but the white is done.
You also put the middle of the bread in the skillet to fry all nice and golden brown too. So good.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Old friends
Pure Heaven....in sandwich form
When I was a very small child, my brother and sister (who are 12 and 10 years older than me) would babysit me during the day in the summers while my Mom worked. I have the most vivid memory of my brother making a tomato sandwich with tons of mayonnaise and garlic salt. Soo, sooo good. You cannot get any better than that. I'm talking soul food. So healthy, yet so sinfully fattening.
The problem is...my family is from Alabama. In Alabama, mayonnaise is another food group and I adore it. I'm not sure it adores me but I worship mayo on any kind of sandwich; turkey, ham, veggie, it all sounds good to me.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
An exciting life......not really
Maybe I want to be a mom who just worries about what private school my child should attend or what supper club to attend this month! Dangit! I deserve to be able to shop on 5th Avenue and eat at the most expensive restaurants! I mean, in our family, the choice for dinner is either Sonic or Mazzio's pizza. Oh, or a bbq place. That's about it. In a small town with no choices, it makes us eat at home an awful lot. But then I read on to one of the last posts in my friend's blog and she had a list of the things she misses most about living in New York City and you wanna know what two of the things were.....................Sonic and Mazzio's Pizza.
Just goes to show that sometimes being in the big exciting city just isn't what it's all worked up to be. Maybe I should just be satisfied that we have those choices and appreciate the life I have. Sure puts things into perspective when you read that all your friend wants in New York City is the only thing you have.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
My favorite baseball player
This is my nephew Brett Butts, in his current player profile and when he played baseball for Auburn University in Alabama. Last summer he was drafted in the 19th round by the Atlanta Braves. One of the prouder moments for my family. He is a good guy and has worked hard to get where he has already. He currently plays for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He's really enjoying himself and I hope living in every moment. I wish him all the success in the world. And.....I just don't want him to forget me when he hits the Big Leagues!
Lunch with an old friend
But, it's so much fun seeing where all of our old friends end up. My favorite thing is looking at MySpace or Facebook at pictures of everyone's kids. I love kid pictures. I guess it just makes me happy for all of my old friends that they have found peace and joy in their lives. Some of my friends from high school have really turned into very successful people, and I don't mean that in the business sense only, I mean it in the family, good person sense.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Cooking for two meals
While at the store, I tried to think of a way to reuse the chicken without Mr. Hautemama knowing it was leftover food. Mr. H hates leftovers....as in completely despises leftovers. But, I also know that he doesn't pay that much attention to me when I'm cooking. He just leaves me alone to do my masterpieces. So, he would never know that I used chicken from the fridge and not cooked fresh tonight.
My great idea for the leftover chicken and porkchops was fajitas. I bought some Laury's fajita seasoning packets, onions, green peppers, flour tortillas and I was good to go. I just cut up the meat into thin slices, diced some jalapenos (my secret weapon), put it in a skillet with half of the fajita seasoning (too much sodium in the whole packet) and about a 1/4 cup of water to saute. I made some Mexican rice that I had in a box in the pantry, warmed the tortillas and when the meat was sufficiently warmed we were ready to go.
I also cut up one breast of the chicken and cooked a packet of Lipton Chicken Fried Rice and stirred the chicken into the pan with a little of my jalapeno pepper (yum). Great idea for lunches this week. That's also a cause I'm trying to champion. The eat leftovers for lunch and don't go out to eat for lunch cause. I hope I can stick to it.
What ideas do you have for cooking one time and using it for other meals?
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Dogs do love the sun
Our dog Allie really loves to lay out in the sun. She's definitely a sun worshipper. The problem is...she's a white boxer and if she's really going to partake in the sun for any amount of time, we have to put sunscreen on her. Not only do we have to slather the kids with sunscreen, now we have to worry about the Diva Allie and her wicked suntanning.
I've never actually seen a dog sunburned but I guess it's a true ailment that can afflict white dogs. But she does love to lay out in the yard right next to the boys when they are playing in their Bonzai pool and slide.
Don't you love summer and watching dogs and cats just enjoying the heat from the sun's rays? It makes me want to just lay down on a towel in the yard and not move. Makes the worries of the world seem so irrelevant.