Nifty Fifties Momma's SF Non Dairy Hot Cocoa

Doug and I went to the Lebanon Yellowjackets football game Friday night like we have been doing for 12 years.  It had been a pretty nice week with mild temperatures along some beautiful clear blue skies but wouldn't you know Friday was cloudy and cold.  I decided to take my own hot cocoa not because I don't want to support band or that I am too cheap.  I simply don't want the sugar, cocoa, and water drink that is traditional at all football games that have cold weather.

 

We tried to take one of those couples cell phone camera pictures but miserably failed. Doug looks like he is passing gas and I look like I added rum to the hot cocoa and I am about to fall off the bleachers.  As you can see I had on my faith scarf,   that fuzzy gold stuff around my neck, that I was already bundled up.  "Faith scarf?"  you ask.  That is for another blog entry but if you don't like snow then you don't want to know.  Hey that rhymes.  I'm a poet and didn't know it.  :-D

 

 

I was glad I made my Hot Cocoa and had my Faith Scarf because I got pretty COLD. 

 

 Last winter I started using unsweetened almond milk and discovered I could make hot cocoa with it.  I am not diabetic nor lactose intolerant but there is a history of both in my family so I have been learning how to cut sugar out and some of my dairy products.  You will need the following to create this warm yum yum:

 

 

A good Thermos, unsweetened almond milk, cocoa, vanilla, and sweetener of your choice.  I set my burner on medium heat and have a whisk handy.  I measured the almond milk by pouring it into the Thermos first and then into the pan.  I takes about 2 tbsp of cocoa per cup of milk but you can add more if you want it more chocolaty.  I used 2 equals per cup of milk and one cap full of vanilla.  I stand there and whisk it continually until the cocoa is dissolved and  the milk is heated.  When I make this at home I sometimes put cool whip on it or sugar free marshmallows.

 

Just for fun a picture of Doug's Independence Bowl trophy that was in one of the pictures above.

Weekend with Grandboy

Being 50 for some people means being a grandparent.  I am one of those lucky people.  My beautiful grandboy Joaquin is truly a gift from heaven.  He enjoys coming to Mammy Granny and Papaw's house to play, get spoiled, and visit.  He likes to play with Daisy and Sumo although Sumo runs and hides because he's a wimp. 

Joaquin's momma,  my beautiful daughter Courtney brought him here this past weekend all the way from Oklahoma.  Doug and I enjoyed having them here.  I just wanted to share a few pictures from our weekend.



On Saturday we went to Mount Vernon for the Apple Butter Festival. This is Joaquin watching a souped up car go by. He got into the swing of the parade by picking up as much candy as possible that got thrown his way. He also shared with the little girl next to him.

Joaquin likes horses.  They had pony rides for the kids for five bucks.  It was worth the money to watch him ride.  When it was time to get off he didn't want too.  lol  This is momma Courtney helping her baby onto the pony.

Here we go, ready or not. He was totally ready. I imagine one of these days he will try to talk Papaw into getting a pony.

Look Mammy Granny I really am Cowboy Jack like Papaw says.

 

Did I mention he loves to go to the park.  There was a very nice park there for him to play at while Mammy Granny and Momma rested their feet from walking on the pavement for several hours.  He loves to go head first down the slide.

 

 

 

On Sunday afternoon we went to Bennett Springs to see Papaw fish.  He really liked standing there watching Papaw.  Then we went to the park at Bennett and here he is peeking at me through the jungle gym.  We played chase and I've got to say this 50 year old body was pooped at the end of the day.

 



 

On Monday we ate lunch at El Charro.  Joaquin thoroughly enjoyed the cheese sauce and chips as you can see its all over him.  We went after lunch to the park again where he tackled yet another slide.

 

Loved having Courtney and Joaquin here.  I can't wait until next time I see him.  She is doing such a fantastic job as a mother and Adam is doing a fantastic job as a father.  Of course Joaquin is doing a fantastic job stealing our hearts away.



Comfort Pie for Hump Day

What's more appropriate than good old comfort food to get you over the hump on hump day?  I actually made this for dinner last night but got to thinking that hump day would be a great day to make it because everyone has left overs in the ice box by Wednesday.  You don't have to necessarily make it with left overs but using left overs is so much easier after a long day at work.

Sunday night we had Almond Crusted Chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and green beans.  I had left overs from that big meal I fixed.  I also had some potatoes left over from a pot roast we had on Monday.  I was frantically racking my brain on what to do with the chicken since Doug IS NOT a chicken lover when Shepard Pie came to mind.  I decided to make my own version of Shepard Pie with chicken.  I didn't think calling it Shepard Pie was appropriate since there was no beef in it.  I also was not in the mood for Taco Tuesday.  Since all the left overs were comfort foods, thus came the name Comfort Pie.

The ingredients you will need are:

One pre-made pie crust (I used Best Choice Rolled Pie Crust-I like this brand) If you want to make your own crust go for it but the whole point is to have something easy and quick to put together after a long day.

Chicken cut bite size pieces
Gravy slightly heated in microwave for easy pour
Green Beans or whatever veggie you have left over
Mashed potatoes
Stuffing
Butter slices
Sliced potatoes (mine were from pot roast)

Preheat oven 350.

Unroll pie crust into pan.
Mix chicken and gravy together, then pour into crust as first layer.
Next layer is green beans or whatever veggie you have.
Then spread mashed potatoes from center out to about an inch from the edge of the crust.
Take stuffing and break it up so that you can sprinkle around the edge of the crust to make a ring around the edge.
Slice some butter and arrange the slices over the top of the pie.
Now top with the sliced potatoes.
Time to salt and pepper to taste.
Bake for about 45 min. to an hour until crust is cooked.  The stuffing and sliced potatoes will be crispy on top.

The crust adds a wonderful flavor to it all.  Even Doug liked it and will eat it again.  You can take this recipe and add whatever left overs from your comfort food you have.  It makes a nice meal for a cool fall evening or a cold winter night.

The two of us ate half the pan and we could have had it for tonight too but I wasn't going to push my luck with Doug.  Ha ha lol!  And NO THIS IS NOT a low carb dish.  You can't make comfort food low carb generally.

Contacts Are Like Truth

As I was putting my contacts in this morning, I got to thinking that putting contacts in is similar to facing the truth.  Where did I pull that idea out of the air?  I don’t know it just came to me in one of my rare moments of a flash of brilliance.  Yes, I do have them once in awhile.  No, I haven’t been keeping score on who is ahead brilliance or stupidity.  I am hoping that brilliance is leading but maybe that is why I had one of those rare moments of a flash of brilliance in order to face the truth.

When getting contacts you first must decide that you want them and need them.  Then you have to go to the eye doctor for an examination and of course plop down a wad of moolah to get the prescription.  It may take several tries to find the perfect prescription for you but once you do you are able to see.

Searching, wanting to know, and facing the truth is similar because you must first decide that you want it and need.  Of course we all need the truth in our lives but human nature specifically the flesh doesn’t want to face the truth.  The heart is willing and courageous enough to face truth, it was hard wired to do that by our maker.  The heart is always there waiting quietly in the wings of life’s stage to prompt you to speak and act out the truth of the script of your life.  We all tend to like to ad lib when we don’t know the truth or don’t want to face it.  We ad lib in hopes of stealing the scene but to ad lib it isn’t always what the director wants out of the script.

Now you have your contacts and the perfect prescription.  The next phase is learning how to look in the mirror and put the contacts in.  It’s no easy feat in the beginning.  It takes a lot of poking one’s self in the eye, trying not to blink, and keep a steady look in the mirror.  You discover that if you will look straight into the mirror and keep your eye on the contact it will go right in. 

Truth isn’t any different.  When you first face it you have to learn how to deal with it and use it.   Sometimes truth at first will be like poking yourself in the eye over and over.  Once you’ve poked yourself your eye tends to want to blink and close so it doesn’t get that finger of truth poked into it. But just as the contacts you realize that keeping a steady look in the mirror of truth and focus on seeing it will help the truth sink in.

One thing important about putting your contacts in is that you have them soaking in saline solution.  This keeps all the germs and nasty stuff off of them and keeps your eye from getting infected.  If your eyes get infected then you won’t be able to see or wear your contacts. 

 

You need some kind of saline solution in life to keep all the nasty things, half truths, and fears at bay so that truth can have its work in you and keep moving you in the right direction.  I think the bible is one of the first places you should go for answers to truth about yourself.  Praying, asking God to help show you what you need to change in your life is another avenue.  There also is all sorts of media out there in the world that is positive and truthful that can help an individual.  Common sense is definitely a place where truth resides.

Once your first contact is in you are already seeing better and this makes the next one go in easier.  When both are in you are able to see and face the day.  Truth is the same way.  Once you get the first part in you it makes the rest go easier.  The more you practice putting your contacts in the easier it gets.  Before long it is a piece of cake.  The more you practice the truth the easier it is to do it and the better you life will be because you can actually see.  Seeing the truth sets you free of dark places in you, fuzzy places in you, and places of fear that are in you.  It allows your heart to courageously go forward so that you can make changes, achieve dreams, and most of all be all that you are meant to be.

I tore myself away from the safe comfort of certainties through my love for truth - and truth rewarded me.  ~Simone de Beauvoir

We do not err because truth is difficult to see.  It is visible at a glance.  We err because this is more comfortable.  ~Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Low Carb Creamy Bacon Slaw

Ho hum another dinner to plan.  Doug is getting bored with our usual side dishes.  What is a girl to do?  As I prowled the store looking for candidates to add to my "meets" for the day,  I happened to be looking at the Walden Sugar Free dressings at Price Cutter.  I noticed a bottle of Walden Farms Creamy Bacon dressing.  My game plan for the protein portion of dinner was to grill pork loins on the grill outside.  Seeing the dressing I thought it would make a flavorful slaw.  I usually make a poppy seed slaw but the Creamy Bacon would make something different and perhaps gain favor with the king of the castle. You will need the following to make it:

1/2 bottle Walden Farms Sugar Free Creamy Bacon Dressing
1 pkg. Dole Classic Coleslaw
2 pkg. of your preferred sweetener.  I used equal
Handful of frozen peas (these aren't really low carb but the small amount will be okay)
Pepper to taste.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl about a hour before dinner and place in the refrigerator for the slaw and dressing to get acquainted and to chill.  This will also allow the peas to thaw appropriately.

Here is a picture of the dressing bottle.  I've seen this brand available in health food stores but I got mine at Price Cutter.  Walden Farms has a wide variety of dressings and various sugar free items.

Here is the finished product in my grandmother's antique ceramic bowl.  Doug said the recipe was a "fix again".  Nothing like a crowd pleaser if you can call two people eating dinner a crowd.  On the other hand I can't forget that Daisy and Sumo are sitting at our feet just waiting to vote their approval if a minute morsel falls to the floor.

I had to add this picture to the blog post as it is what accompanied the pork loins and slaw.  Fall is the best time to eat acorn squash.  We usually only eat it in the fall.  I top my squash with real butter, salt, pepper, cinnamon and brown sugar (I used Splenda's brown sugar to cut out sugar).  Put those seasonings on during the last 20 minutes of baking.  I've got to say my honey bunches was a happy camper after dinner.

Autumn Sunday Afternoon in the Park

What a beautiful day today was even though it was just on the cool side if you weren't standing in the sun.  Doug asked if I wanted to go to Bennett this afternoon.  He is trying to get all the last minute fly fishing in before the season ends.  The bell goes off at 6:30 now and the closing day is October 31, 2012.  I grabbed a coat and gloves then headed out to meet him there.  Fall is definitely here in the park.

Even the Park Store has a Harvest Porch. I was surprised at how many people would be there this afternoon. Still a number of die hard fishermen just like my fisherman. People not fishing were dressed in jackets and hats strolling around taking in every bit of God's majestic nature before Old Man Winter blows into town. Hopefully he will come with a real winter and not a pretend one, one with plenty of white sparkly crystal snow. Evidently he is already headed down to the good old USA, rearing his head in the north 40. :-D



Doug fishes on the east side of the bridge by the falls.  The above is one of many little paths down to the river.  They are short but steep paths full of rocks, roots, poison ivy, ticks, leaves, and probably snakes.  Of course they just taunt and challenge me to climb down to the river where all sorts of views are provided by nature.  This was the path I climbed down today.

Look what is still alive and well.  Can anyone say poison ivy without reaching to scratch?

                     This is the view I got for putting the effort forth climbing down to the river

Climbing back up to the pavement, I noticed this sign screwed to this tree.  I thought it a pretty cool sign.  I wonder how old it is and what the history is behind it?

This is looking up into the top of that Silver Maple.  I love looking up into the tops of trees, seeing the blue sky through the branches and leaves.

Doug can fish in this zone because he is talented.  He makes his own flies.  Have your ever seen someone do this.  It is pretty amazing the intricate work it takes.  Whoever said men don't have a way with their fine motor skills never met the men in my family.

I have now got my chair plopped down at the edge of the pavement.  I am dressed with long pants, a jacket with a coat over that, and gloves but it is still pretty chilly.  I follow Doug along the river as he moves downstream or upstream, dragging my chair along the way.  Sometimes he gets into a spot where I have to play peeping Tom.  lol  This was one of those spots but he caught a nice size trout.  If you look closely you can see his fishing pole and see how taunt it is. BRRRR....the wind picked up.  I started getting pretty cold sitting there.  I finally packed up to head home it was too cold to sit there and watch today.

More trees in the sky pictures.  Too bad the camera can't capture the gentle sway of the branches with its leaves marching to its tune.

The emerald green and various green hues of the spring was empty of fishermen which was a mild surprise to me.  It usually has a few in there fishing.  Little did I know that when I aimed my camera I'd capture another trees in the sky picture from the reflection in the spring.  At one time pioneers used the spring for gristmill because the of the cold flowing waters.  This spring brings a lot of enjoyment to people from all over country that like to fly fish.  It also helps our small town economically because of tourism it brings.

This was the only vibrant colored tree I saw out there.  I don't think we will have a spectacular leaf show this year because of the summer we had.  I headed out of this picture to get home and start our Sunday dinner.  I was glad I left when I did or I would have missed the following show from my front porch in the sky.

 

When I first noticed the balloon he was so low and close that you could see the man and wave at him.  I ran into the house to get my cell phone to take a picture (naturally the one time I don't have it on me lol).





This one is from my front porch.  You can see the roof in the top left corner.

He is flying higher now and leaving the neighborhood.  It is amazing how loud the hot air fire is when he pulls for it to blast.  I don't know all the technical names for the hot air balloon but I think you get the idea.

One last picture before he flies away.  He sure did perk me up from my afternoon sleepiness.  lol  I have to say it was an amazing afternoon.  I am always thankful for all the little surprises in life.







UPDATE to Lemon Lovers Gooey Bars

UPDATE: Lemon Lovers Gooey Bars have a secondary title now...Lemon Lovers Gooey Bites

I decided I would freeze the bars for the holidays since no one is here to eat them when the brilliant idea came to use a cookie cutter to make dainty bite size bars.

I used a square shape that has its corners rounded.  I first made sure the bars were cold vs. room temperature.  Room temperature makes them too sticky and gooey thus hard to make a clean cut with the cookie cutter.  You can use any shape you want but keep in mind some of the bars will be wasted when cutting out shapes.

Once I cut the bite size bar I gently pushed it back out of the cookie cutter from bottom to top.  This keeps from touching the top and marring it with your finger.

This made such a cute little bite size bar.  With all the other treats during the holidays to sample, bite size seems the way to go.  When I get them out of the freezer to serve I will display them on a holiday platter or plate with a doily underneath and a light dusting of powdered sugar.  A bite size dollop of whip cream would look adorable on these.

Preparation for freezing started with a plastic container.  I placed the first layer in and then laid a piece of press and seal plastic.  I choose press and seal because it is thicker than standard plastic wrap.  I then continued with this layering.

Plastic container is full now.  You can see I had cut one bite out with a heart.  If I had a smaller heart I would have used it.  I used a marker to mark the top of the lid with the name and today's date.  Now we will wait and see how these freeze.