I saw your picture today....

You know how some people don’t like having their picture taken? I don’t mind it. I’ve always been “photogenic” and little bit of a poser. As in, one who likes to pose. Of course, in the past couple of years, as I’ve gained weight, I’ve learned how to pose myself so that the extra weight just isn’t visible. I’ve gotten better about it since my recent weight loss, and after fully accepting that this is who I am….But that doesn’t stop me from preferring to take pictures from the “myspace” angle…you know the one I am talking about….when the Camera is about a foot higher than your head, and you look great and never have double chin and where one doesn’t quite look like themselves.

So, When I went home for Christmas, my mom informed my family (including my husband) that we would be taking family portraits, at JC Penney’s. I wasn’t to worried. My mom has always had our forma pictures be from the Bust up. I wasn’t feeling self conscious, my family had been telling me how great I looked. I was pumped. Until I saw the proofs…..
I cried in Penney’s. Hi, I look 6 months pregnant in this picture. Now, I was not sucking my stomach in, so in reality maybe this is what I look like. It doesn’t help that my brother (who is a Sergeant in the Marine Corps) is incredibly ripped and fit. Bastard. I didn’t want anything to do with this picture, and my mom didn’t end up ordering it.

She ordered this one….

This is also a picture that I would normally not be fond of…but I like it. Because we look natural in it. We were actually laughing and trying really hard to smile normally for the camera, and it was fun. This picture makes me happy, thinking about the fun memory I made with my brother, whom I don’t get to see very often.

Looking at these pictures, is hard and freeing at the same time. It’s just a picture. My face actually looks great in it, my hair looks spectacular, those jeans make my butt look great. So what if I an arching my back and pushing my stomach out. It’s me. And I accept that, or at least I am learning too.

Feels Like Home To Me...

Does anyone else love that song? So…Thanksgiving is tomorrow. After many, many, many hours of debate and discussions and a few hurt feelings…we finally have thanksgiving plans. My Father In Law is going back to Ohio to see his family, My mother Inlaw, Me and my hub, his sister and her husband are all going over to my Husband’s Uncle’s house. Sounds like it should have been simple to say. “oh Uncle Dave you want to Host? What shall we bring?” But no..it wasn’t. I’ll spare you the sordid family drama details.
Kelly’s post yesterday got me to thinking about Thanksgiving. Well that along with the death of a family friend. I thought, how selfish are we (my in-law family, not the ubiquitous we ) to be spending days and time and tears arguing about where to have thanksgiving dinner, and who will bring what, and how some one felt like someone else was being selfish and bossy, and how someone else felt like someone was being a jerk. Wow. We could have had thanksgiving anywhere, and we are blessed enough that if we wanted to…we could have four turkeys and double or triple of every side dish…and we can’t for one minute get over ourselves enough to think about that? It’s sad really.

I think the same goes for healthy eating on T-Day. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am definitely an advocate for eating in moderation while eating to enjoy ones self. But think about all of the time we spend worrying about how much we are going to eat, because there is MORE than enough for everyone (and enough to have leftovers for days). There are people out there who are worrying about how they are going to eat at all…on any day. Or even people who wonder how they are going to afford a Turkey for their family.

Scott and I bought a turkey two weeks ago. We didn’t know our plans yet…so we bought a turkey. Not really for us, cause well..it was a 24 pound turkey (Scott can’t quite seem to grasp “small”) but to give away or take to my parents for Christmas or something. My co-worker confided in me that she and her husband are barely getting by right now, and that they still needed to buy their turkey. So I gave her ours, and honestly the joy that I felt when I gave her that turkey, was greater than any amount of pumpkin pie could ever give me. (which is clearly…a lot).

Anway, I didn’t intend for this post to get preachy, or Holier Than Thou Look At Me I Gave Away A Turkey….(which I hope it wasn’t)…I was going to write about how I am making pea salad to take to Scott’s Uncle’s House…does that make him my Uncle in Law? Anyway…pea salad..it’s amazing and I don’t feel like it is a holiday with out it. And I HATE peas..hate hate hate. I’m making it tomorrow morning….it’s delish.
I’ll post pictures along with the recipe tomorrow, but I thought I would post the recipe now, incase anyone was looking for that last minute side dish…

Mom’s Infamous Pea Salad
20 ounces frozen petite peas-thawed and uncooked
½ lb center cut bacon-cooked then crumbled or chopped.
2 green scallions
Dash of Lemon Juice
Dash of Season Salt
1 Tablesppon Light Mayo
½ cup fat free sour cream

Directions:
1. Mix mayo & sour cream, set aside.
2. Stir gently peas, bacon, scallions, lemon juice & seasoned
salt.
3. Add mayo/sour cream gently stirring all ingredients.
4. Serve well chilled. (This is the magic ingredient)

Ok, seriously it is so good. And the second magic ingredient is the bacon. One time we tried to be really healthy and use turkey bacon, and it did.not.cut.it.
This is so good that not only do I eat it with my pea hatred, but I also used to eat it when I was a vegetarian. Make it. Today…for tomorrow.

And I really will post pictures, maybe even PW style.

Holy Macaroni!

I love macaroni and cheese. I do. I love it. It has two of the worlds most amazing foodstuffs combined in one dish. Pasta and Cheese. Seriously everything is better with cheese.

My parents never fed us with stuff that “comes out of the box.” No Rice-a-Roni, Hamburger Helper, boxed cake mixes, not even Kraft Macaroni. Subsequently, I viewed all of these foods as a “Treat.” Ha ha…..the irony of that cracks me up now. Of course, my knowledge of “real food” verses “food products” makes my view on what constitutes a “Treat” a little bit different now! (Of course, some companies like Annies, have combined the best of both worlds.)
So, even though we didn’t have Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, in all of it’s processed glory…we still had Mac N’ Cheese, and it was my favorite dish growing up. I requested it for any special occasion in which I got to choose the dinner (so mostly my birthday).

My mom made me a cookbook when I got my first apartment, it has several of her favorite recipes, and I love that book. And of course, Mac N’ Cheese is in it.


I am going to call his Marmee’s Microwave Mac n’ Cheese. (Yes I call my Mom Marmee, ala Little Women).

Ingredients:
3 T. butter
½ Cup Milk
2 Cups Cheese
½ t. salt
½ t. dry mustard
4 drops hot sauce (I use Tapatio and I use WAYYY more than four drops.) Gives it a little kick!
2 T flour
Ground Pepper
7 oz macaroni shells.

Method:
Cook macaroni according to package direction
While noodles are cooking melt butter in a 2 quart casserole dish in the microwave.
After butter melts stir in flour, salt, mustard and hot sauce.
Stir in milk (concoction looks absolutely disgusting at this point…just roll with it.)
Microwave for 3 minutes, take out of micro and stir with a fork.
Microwave for another 3 minutes.
Add all cheese and stir. Microwave 30 seconds to ensure melty-ness.
Add drained pasta and stir, making sure all of the noodles are incorporated.

Microwave for another 5-7 minutes, or until heated through.
Serve with freshly ground pepper.

Seriously…..it’s the best and it’s so so so so easy. And it makes a lot, and is filling.

I served it with roasted green beans. (washed, trimmed, tossed with olive oil and salt for 15 mins at 450).

oh honey...

So, Scott's Cousins are visiting from Ohio this week, and tonight we are hosting the inlaws and cousins for a BBQ (too bad it's only 60 degrees!) and we are in charge of the two most important parts of dinner.....the meat and the dessert.

I made brownies. See?
But this isn't just any pan of brownies. These are from the amazingly talented Jenny from Picky Palate .
Have you been to her website? So cute. and her recipes? So amazing looking. The best part? She makes most of them up. I. can't. do. that.
So I stole her recipe for Cookies and Cream Brownies with Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache. See....not just any pan of brownies!

Look how shiny the Ganache is! I think it means I did it right! The recipe is simple, and it's semi homemade-using boxed brownie mix.

The cookies and cream part? It's cream cheese (I used neufatchel) mixed with sugar and oreos. I could have eaten just that for dessert! You can see a chunk here. Scott kindly obliged to eating a test piece so I could get a shot of the insides. Again, my cook book will be called "Ugly food that tastes good." You should have SEEN the mess I made making stir fry last night.

I didn't have a piece last night....but I did lick the spoon with the ganache on it.....who could have resisted. I'm so excited to have a piece of this tonight.