C'mon in. Sit. Have some coffee...

In an effort to stay in the kitchen, yet back away from the food this week, I borrowed an idea from Stacey over at Stacey Snacks (with her blessing, of course). And if you haven't been over to her place yet- go! You will always learn much, leave inspired, and never be disappointed.

While we bought our home 10 months ago, there are still a few boxes left to unpack, window treatments to make, and decorating to be done. This will be our home till we're old and gray, so I guess I don't have to be in too big a hurry.

With the exception of the range, we did purchase all new LG appliances. We love them, especially our three door LG refrigerator, except for the "silent" series LG dishwasher. It isn't very silent, and it's on it's second sump replacement (thank God for warranties), and it doesn't dry worth a darn. Our next purchase will be a new range, and we are looking at the Maytag Gemini. Without rearranging the kitchen, it's the closest I will get to a double oven for awhile. While our house has gas heat and water, for some reason the gas line was not run to the kitchen, so we are stuck with electric, unless we want to foot the bill to run the gas line to the kitchen. We are seriously considering it, but the tree in the backyard is just running out of bills...

Definitely, one of the reasons we decided to buy our home was the size of the kitchen, and the open feel it had relating to our family room. I love being able to have people over, relaxing in our family room, and still being able to speak to them from the kitchen, or, having them in the kitchen and not feeling like I have to ask anyone to get out of my way.

There was an awful, little gold light fixture above the table, that my hubby replaced with this one instead...


Our home is about 7 years old, and we knew when we bought it, despite it's newness, that some day, cabinets would need to be replaced. I definitely love the amount we have, but I guess the previous owners used this home solely for income property, and the cabinets were not "loved" as ones own. So, someday... maybe some a bit darker, with a bunch of nice, deep drawers and slide out shelving. In the meantime, I am absolutely in love with having a pantry...


An entire room to store a million things I don't need (I swear, I do not eat 90% of the things in there while I've been on this diet).


And all the cookbooks I have to have


With enough dishes and silverware to feed 40, because I hate paper plates for company.

I love having a counter at my every turn.


With even more to set up a buffet now and then.


I finally have a great kitchen "triangle"


And places to decorate with "all that clutter" as my hubby likes to call it.




The only thing I'm probably a bit weird about is how things are put into my kitchen drawers. I hate digging for things. Especially when baking, I want to open a drawer and find what I need right away. So when you open mine, you see this...


But I swear, my bedroom closets are trashed, and the laundry pile huge, I promise. No pics there though. I ain't that crazy to post pics of my dirty laundry. I did seven loads today- and there is still more.

And at the end of the day, when I want to unwind, have a glass of wine, and share my treats with you, this is where I am perched.


It's my formal dining "slash" living room. But having a couch right next to my table looked odd, so I opted for a nice desk instead.

So this is it... my "crib".

I feel very, very, blessed. ..

Rambutan

Isn't this the funkiest little fruit you've ever seen..? It's known as a Rambutan. Of course this little guy isn't as pretty as a freshly picked one, but with a trek all the way from Indonesia, I guess a little change in color is to be expected.

I was bored last week, and decided that if I couldn't (ok, shouldn't) stuff my face with unhealthy things, I'd go in search of healthier stuff to snack on. One of my favorite places to go when I am bored is AJ's Fine Food's. I love the unique food items, the prepared meals, the gift items, and they also have a fabulous wine cellar.

While walking through, I came across this little critter. I honestly thought it had something to do with seafood, but then felt pretty stupid since I was obviously in the produce department. I was so intrigued by it, that I bought two of them. Only two. At $12.89 a lb. It was either going to be an expensive fruit that I hated, or a cheap, spiny looking pet.

After I cut the Rambutan open, I started to laugh. It was if it was staring at me. The color of the fruit creeped me out, too. It really looked as if an egg had gone bad.

But once I popped the little bugger out of his shell, he looked less like an egg and more like an eyeball. It even felt like what I thought an eyeball would feel like. Maybe I should have saved this for Halloween..?


I braved it though, and took a bite. I have to say, it was pretty tasty. It had the texture of a very smooth kiwi, it's taste similar, but not with the tartness that a kiwi can sometimes have.

I still have no idea what kind of recipe I could possibly make out of these. But the entertainment value was pretty good, and they did keep me from eating the Toll House bar cookies my daughter made. Have I mentioned I can't wait until this diet and fitness challenge is over..? Only 23 lbs more to go...

I "heart" you , Boston

If I don't take a break from thinking about food, I will accidentally climb into my freezer and eat the frozen Reese's Peanut Butter Cups some one put in there around Halloween. I've lost 9 lbs in the last 3 weeks... I can't screw it up. Thanks for understanding. So in the meantime, I thought a trip down memory lane might be fun.

While leaving exercise class this morning, me and a couple of the other moms were talking about music and old lead singer crushes. It was funny how we all went crazy for some of the same guys. But I will never forget this one- Brad Delp, the lead singer of Boston, one of the greatest groups of all time.

I remember, when I was a teenager, taking my Boston album to school so that I'd be able to play it in art class- on a RECORD PLAYER!!. Even the teacher (who was fairly young herself) was singing away with us. This was me, long, long, ago in a teen galaxy far, far, away...


And this is the song that, to this day, I will sing along with in the car and not care who is staring at me.



You turned it up, didn't you..? You're singing along, aren't you..? Don't worry, I can't hear you... Bust out!

Wow, 100th post today! Giveaway, too!

Wow, I can't believe it- my 100th post. I look back to my first one and just laugh. I had no direction and just a stock blogger template. Now, a custom blog design, and everything I see has the potential to be a post, so I snap pictures of everything these days.

I am also amazed, no, stunned, that I actually lost 4 lbs this past week! There is truth to diet AND exercise, and it seems when you find the right plan of action, it doesn't feel like diet and exercise. It just feels good. I have energy. I'm not hungry. I eat at least 1000 less calories a day than what I was prior to beginning my journey, but now, eating the right foods, feel like I am cheating every day. This feels good.

I've relied a great deal on the recipes from the Hungry Girl cookbook. It is not gourmet by any means. It is, however, simple everyday fare that leaves you content, and not feeling like you have been gypped- you know- when you buy a box where the dessert looks like this
and what you really end up with is this


That is just wrong. Purely sale-intended evil in a box.

Hungry Girl, however, delivers. When you see a photo in the book that looks like this:

You can feel confident that yours will look like this:

and this:

and this:



At only 108 calories and 2g of fat per cupcake, that's pretty sweet (pun intended).

Caramel Pumpkin Pudding Cupcakes

• 2 cups moist-style yellow cake mix (1/2 of an 18.25-ounce box)
• 1 cup canned pure pumpkin
• 1/3 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
• 2 tablespoons sugar-free maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for topping

• 3 cubes (about 1 ounce) chewy caramel
• 2 teaspoons light vanilla soymilk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all cupcake ingredients in a mixing bowl with 1/3 cup of water. Whip with a whisk or fork for 2 minutes until well blended.

Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with baking cups. Evenly spoon batter into muffin cups.

Place pan in the oven and cook for about 12 minutes (until cupcakes have puffed up but still appear a little gooey on top- I actually cooked mine for 20 minutes).

Once cupcakes are cool enough to handle, arrange them closely on a plate so that the edges are touching. Place caramel and soymilk in a tall microwave-safe glass or dish (mixture will bubble and rise when heated).

Microwave at medium power for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir mixture vigorously until smooth and thoroughly blended. (Return to microwave for 30 seconds at medium heat if caramel has not fully melted.) Immediately drizzle caramel sauce over cupcakes.

** Be VERY careful with caramel topping in microwave- I burned my first batch! I'd do 30 second increments until thin and pourable!

ENJOY!

Oh yeah, I forgot, there is a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive their very own HungryGirl cookbook!

Just leave a comment with your favorite diet tip or trick. Remember to LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS! You have until Wednesday, the 18th of February, 8 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, to win! Good Luck!

Winners will be chosen using Random Integer Generator

King Arthur Flour

I had such an enjoyable day today with my mom and dear family friends! King Arthur Flour Company had Glendale, Arizona as one of their stops on a National Baking Tour, and we were lucky to have front row seats! The class was interesting, informative, and I definitely learned a few tricks, as well as finally understanding why I had some failures in the past. Our Instructor, Carolyn Hack, had a wealth of information to share. I just wish I had had the extra time to stay afterwords and bombard her with questions... another time I suppose.
For those of you not familiar with King Arthur Flour, it has been around for over 200 years, and I have to say is THE best flour I have ever used, especially when it comes to my breads and rolls. They never add bleach, bromate, or chemicals of any kind, which results in a pure, natural, and consistent product. I have used their Classic 100% whole wheat bread recipe for years (the recipe is on the back of the bag), and it is the only 100% whole wheat recipe I've ever used that has amazing flavor, rises perfectly, and has a wonderful texture. For those that have children that don't care for whole wheat, they have an amazing White Whole Wheat Flour that can be used instead.

They have thousands of fabulous recipes listed right on their site. Everything from baked goods to appetizers, family dinners to Super Bowl Treats. They are easy to follow recipes, and if you find yourself a bit challenged or simply have a question, you can email your questions to the baker and you'll be certain to get a response.

Every time I bake breads or cinnamon rolls as a gift I like to bake them in these Bake-and-Give pans. They always seem to add more of a special touch to something you've already put your heart into making. They aren't terribly expensive, and I usually buy a ton after Christmas when they have their wonderful clearance sales.

Sadly, we were not able to try any of the breads made today... something about the board of health not allowing them to do so. All of the ingredients smelled heavenly though, and I did manage to get a picture of the dough they used.

This is the Almond Filled Braid:

This is the Monkey Bread:
And these were the heavenly smelling Cinnamon Rolls:

They did have a tremendous amount of raffle prizes that sadly, I didn't win.

But they made up for it by giving everyone a small, pamphlet sized cookbook, a package of Red Star Yeast (with whom King Arthur has partnered with and who makes the baking classes free!) a dough scraper, and a $10 King Arthur gift card! It was definitely worth going to see. Check out their site to see if they are going to be in your area.

Who are you spending time with?

This is a fun thing to do... if anything just to see what interests everyone out there. It's a great conversation starter! Thanks to Jenn over at I Hate Whine for this idea... Maybe she'll head up a book club next and we can all post our thoughts on the same book..? Why, Jenn, what a fabulous idea, you have time, right..? HA! Bloggers note: Sorry... this is a desperate failed attempt at humor...

The rules are : Get the book that is on your nightstand or where ever you happen to do your reading. Open to page 56 and find the fifth sentence . Post the next two to five sentences and these instructions on your blog.

Don't get your favorite book, just the one you are reading now!

The Book I am reading is called These is my Words by Nancy E. Turner. It is the diary of a young woman as she journeys across the Arizona Territories in the late nineteenth century. She writes of her early life with a caring mother , attacks by Comanche Indians while on the trail, and of her incredible love for a Calvary officer.

Page 56 of this book is actually only a paragraph long, so I will post its entirety:

cont'd: "Papa, and I said I didn't know for sure, and he asked again but I can't figure it. He got real quiet and thoughtful, and then after a while he rode off and I didn't see him until we stopped for supper that evening. I 'spose he has found a little girl to spark and there will be no prairie flowers in Texas after this winter."

Ok, your turn now! Just let me know if you do so I can see what you are reading!

Well hello, Sexy Boy...

I've missed you... I've been thinking about you all year. Your soft, supple exterior. The way you melt into my arms. Oh, how I can never forget your distinct, yet unmistakable scent. Your kiss makes everything so, so, much better... Don't worry baby, next week, it's only you, me, and the Turkey. I've already told him just how amazing your massages are...

A First For Everything...

I saw this over at I Hate Whine ... Thanks Jenn!

1. Who was your FIRST prom date? Jeff Johns. Although in Pennsylvania at the time (1981) we had Junior Prom's and Senior Semi's. I was a year older than Jeff, but I still had fun!

2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love? No, sadly he died in a car wreck in 1981. He was my 9th grade BF, and I had kept in touch with him even after we moved away from New York.

3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink? A White Russian- ugh!

4. What was your FIRST job? A bagger at Basha's Grocery when I was 16. I met Julia Child there when she came in to purchase produce with her crew for a show she was doing here! That was a moment to remember forever!

5. What was your FIRST car? An early 70's Ford Maverick, light blue, with bath towels stuffed into the rusted out holes {{{giggle}}}.

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today? My oldest daughter.

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning? My husband, because he wasn't home from work yet. I was worried!

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?Ummmm... that was 1969. that would require way too much thought, and after trying to get my 2 year old into bed for a nap, my mind has just been through a Cuisinart.

9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane? From Long Island, N.Y. to Phoenix, AZ. Yeah, try that one during an Arizona summer... I think my hair still has singe marks.

10. Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with them? Yup! Her name is Shannon. We only speak about twice a year, usually 4 days apart, to wish each other a happy birthday and catch up on the years family gossip and high school memories.

11. What was your FIRST sport played? Hahahahahaha.... heeheeheehee.... hohohohoho!!! Oh, my sides hurt from laughing so much....

12. Where was your FIRST sleep over? At a girl named Kim Bilanski's in the 2nd grade .

13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today? My local partner in crime, Paige.

14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time? My cousin, Bonnie.

15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning? Looked out the window to see if my hubby's truck was in the driveway.

16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to? Kansas

17. FIRST tattoo and/ or piercing? My ears at 9... Now, while I will say "no" to the tattoo, my sister swears that a cosmetic tattoo is the same as any old tattoo- Comments, anyone?

18. FIRST foreign country you went to? Only to Mexico.

19. What was your FIRST run in with the law? In High School, when the Police saw a group of us smoking cigarettes. I haven't had one in over 20 years- ugh!

20. When was your FIRST detention? I think in 9th grade.

21. What was the FIRST state you lived in? New York.

22. Who was the FIRST person to break your heart? My 9th grade BF... but sadly he passed away a few years later.

23. Who was your FIRST roommate? A girl named Sara.

24. Where did you go on your FIRST limo ride? To a TV interview.


Now, it's your turn everyone! Let me know where to see your answers!

Yearbook Yourself

Thanks, PW, for sharing this surefire boredom cure... Yep, that's me, in "my" 1960's do! Yes, I have 4 more loads of laundry, papers to sort and organize into filing cabinets, a bedroom to rearrange, more pics to put on the wall before everyone comes for Thanksgiving... so I guess I can't really say I was bored. I just didn't want to do what I know I HAVE and SHOULD be doing. No, this is way more fun. Seriously, you try... go get yourself the 'fro you've always wanted.

Arizona State Fair!

On Saturday I took Teddy, Jessica, and a friend of Teddy's, Blake, to the Arizona State Fair as an early birthday "party" for Teddy (Anthony had to work and Tayler stayed home with Daddy). We had a great time! The boy's HAD to play Rockband! They even had a few people coming over to watch them, because The Ted-man is pretty darn good at it! People watching, as always, was pretty entertaining... let's just say that clothing was meant to cover one's body, not to act as a shoelace... The Fair cuisine was delicious, as usual. Nothing like a 2 lb smoked turkey leg, or Indian Fry Bread sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled with honey... don't forget the hand dipped corn dogs and fresh squeezed lemonade, Yum-O!! But Teddy's favorite food was the free grilled Spam samples! He even went back for more! It was a super day... till next year!