Cranberry Cobbler

Here it is, in all its beauty. And it tastes good, too.

Cranberries Rule!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I hoard cranberries at this time of year.
Everytime I shop for groceries, I pickup two bags of cranberries to store in the freezer.
This month I've made two batches of cranberry scones, two cranberry walnut cobblers and about eight half-pint jars of cranberry ketchup. I gave all but two jars away. Later I'll make cranberry bran muffins and who knows what else? So you see, cranberries rule!

I was going to display a picture of the cobbler but alas I haven't figured how to upload it from my ipad2!!!!! $&@$&&@@@!!!!!

The ABC's of Me

I saw this on a blog I read so I thought I'd give it a whirl. For my one follower, maybe you'll learn something else about me.

Age: 61
Bed Size: Queen
Chore you hate: spring cleaning
Dogs:  Love them; maybe I'll get one when I retire
Essential start to your day: a good night's sleep
Favorite color: currently sage green
Gold or silver?: silver
Height: 5 foot, 10 inches
Instruments you play: piano, HAH!
Job title: Bond accountant
Kids: 1 grown
Live: in a house in Lexington
Mom's name: Bessie
Nicknames: Wilt the Stilt (from my childhood days, because I am tall); Camel and Wide-track Pontiac (from college days because of my figure)
Overnight hospital stays:  three (one for childbirth)
Pet peeve: Whining
Quote from a movie: "Something vexes thee?" From Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves
Right- or left-handed: Right
Siblings: Two, alas, only one living
Time you wake up: varies; I sleep like an old person - I wake up a couple of times but then go back to sleep
Underwear: Old lady type
Vegetables you dislike: Only boiled okra
What makes you run late?: Nothing, unless I oversleep
X-rays you've had: Lots, mainly for my knees
Yummy food you make: Strawberry shortcakes with home-made whipped cream
Zoo - favorite animal: penguins

Hey, Am I Still Here?

Yeah, I know it's been awhile. I have a lot of excuses. Shall I list them?

1. I moved my laptop from my dining table in the greatroom to a desk in my office, "where a computer belongs." Trouble is...out of sight, out of mind. I don't blog, check my e-mail or follow my friends on Facebook. I am totally behind in what's happening.

2. I have absolutely nothing to say. Hard to believe? It's true. Most of the time I'm quiet. But if you kick my bucket, I'll talk your ears off. Now why can't I just pretend you've kicked my bucket every day? Alas.

3. I got distracted by the holidays and a visit from my daughter. We took a trip to Cincinnati one Saturday; got in IKEA but Trader Joe's was closed.

As far as weight loss goes, I kinda stalled. No excuses there, really. The Weight Watcher plan changed a little and I am still trying to discipline myself to do what's necessary to stick to the plan. My knees have been a little achy for a few months now which puts a damper on most exercise. But don't worry. I will win.

Thanksgiving Is Only One Day

Remembering that holidays last for only one day is one of the things to remember when trying to lose weight. I love turkey and if I had cooked one, eating it would have gone on for days. Gone are the days of turkey sandwiches until there is nothing but bones left on Tom's carcass. My sister cooked the bird this year and it was quite moist. Fortunately, she fixed stuffing balls instead of stuffing the turkey so I only ate a tiny bit of stuffing. (I prefer stuffing from the bird.) I ate a little of my favorites - green bean casserole, greens, creamed peas and onions, mashed potato casserole, sweet potatoes and cranberry salad mold. I ate no rolls and only about a tablespoon of gravy. My plate was very modest compared to the heaping plates of the relatives. Later, I ate a tiny sliver of chess and pecan pies. No seconds and no "take-out." And glory, halleleujah, I lost 0.2 pounds last week.
Weight-watchers is launching some changes this week so I'm excited to hear about them. The little bit I was able to glean on-line sounds like what I'm already doing - eating a ton of vegetables and fruit. The counting game and points plan have changed, though, so stay tuned for more information.

The Slowest Loser Update

Yayyyy! I lost again this week, 1.2 lbs. I've lost a total of 16.8 pounds now. Lately, after reading "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, I've been eating fruit and vegetables, mostly. I veered off last weekend when I took a friend out to lunch after church. I let her choose the restaurant and she chose Red Lobster. If I didn't order fish, I wasn't going to get anything to eat. I definitely would have lost a little more if it hadn't been for the scallops and the few shrimp passed to me by my friend's son who had ordered endless shrimp.

This week I've got the challenge of getting through Thanksgiving dinner especially since all I've been thinking about is dressing. I love that stuff. Pray for me!! I know I won't be able to resist.

Weight-loss Update

I keep forgetting to tell you. I lost 0.8 lbs. last week even though I was not on my best behavior. The week before that I lost only 0.2 even though I followed the diet to the letter. Go figure! So thus far, this slowest loser has lost 14.6 lbs. I am reading, "Eat to Live", by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, so I expect I will be making some more dietary changes - ones geared toward disease-prevention and weight loss.

The Day Trip to Savannah

While vacationing at Hilton Head Island, I decided to drive to Savannah which was about only about 45 minutes away. I selected a trolley ride to get a quick look at the city. When you bought a ticket, it was good for the entire day. You can get on or off at several stops or simply keep riding it all day. I chose to get off at the Riverwalk. Most of the pictures I took was in this area.



This shot was of a hotel on an island across from the riverwalk. I don't remember the name of the hotel but it was one I had considered when I thought I might stay in Savannah. It was clear in the description of the hotel that you would have to drive over the bridge or take a ferry to get to it. It's huge but I imagine quite lovely.



This little market is where I bought souvenirs (is that spelled correctly?).



Now in spite of the fact that I rode the trolley around Savannah twice, I didn't get any pictures of the beautiful squares (there are 23, I believe) nor much of the other sites. However, as we were passing Paula Deen's restaurant I attempted to get a shot. Alas, Ladies and Sons is smaller than I thought and this picture doesn't do it justice. She has her own store next to but right before the restaurant. I didn't eat there; I wasn't in the mood to stand in long lines. You can see the trolley in the reflection off the window.

Vacation 2010, part deux

First of all, I am correcting an item from yesterday's post. The name of the public beach was Coligny Beach; at least I knew the name began with a "c".

Today's pics are of the sights at my hotel. These first two are of the pools at Hilton Head Marriott Resort and Spa. I'm told the water was cold and I had forgot my goggles, so I didn't get in. What a waste? Right?

These views are from my balcony. Lovely!!!



Vacation 2010

As my fans know, I visited Hilton Head Island recently. Today, I am posting pics from two beaches there. I think the first one was Codicyl Beach. It's a public beach located near a shopping tourist trap-type of place. It was very pretty and well-kept.

This second beach is what I'm calling the Lighthouse Beach but it's in the Sea Pines area. You had to pay a $5.00 entry fee to drive into the area. I'm told because it was a private residential area. There was a marina and once again, some shops willing to accept the tourist's money. (They didn't get another dime from me!! Not a surprise to my fans.)

 I'll post some more pics soon. Thanks for visiting.

Weight-loss Update

My apologies to my fan(s) but I've been preparing to go on a vacation trip, driving to Florida and Hilton Head Island and back, and then recovering, unpacking, de-bugging the car, etc. I just haven't had time to write. Anyway, I weighed in on Saturday and discovered I lost 1.4 pounds during my vacation. I assure you, I did not weigh, measure, count points or intentionally exercise. I think, however, that I end up being more active on vacation and I don't eat by the clock. I eat when I get hungry but very little when I'm driving; food plus driving equals drowsiness. Not a good combination driving the curves of Tennesee and North Carolina.

I'll post some pictures of my trip shortly.

Oh, my total weight loss thus far is 13.6. Slow but steady.

World Equestrian Games

Lexington hosted the WEG this year. I think this was the first time the games were held in the U.S. This city has been gearing up and gussying up for about two years. Streets were "remodeled" and replanted, the Kentucky Horse Park had a new indoor arena built and of course, businesses and hotels prepared to be overwhelmed. Well, we weren't overwhelmed but it has been interesting.

I was fortunate to get two tickets and chose to go the the "Reining" event. The riders took there horses through a certain routine without any noticeable tugging/pulling on their part. The most astonishing was when the horse was galloping at full speed ahead and was "reined" to a stop much like a man sliding into home base but only in a shorter distance. Amazing. Here are a few pictures.

I just discovered many of the pictures were too dark. Sorry.

The Slowest Loser, Week 9 Update

Okay, remember last week I didn't weigh in at an official meeting site; they were closed. So this week accounts for two weeks of loss...3.8 pounds. Whew!! Now I have lost a total of 13.4 lbs. That doesn't seem like much to me but due to the wisdom of the WW leader, I know that is a LOT. For the last two meetings she has passed around bags or sacks of can goods totalling various pounds. Last week the bag weighed 11.6. You won't believe how heavy that is until you try it.

Additionally, I passed a milestone - I've zoomed past my 5% weight-loss target. At various levels of success, WW awards the members with recognition and small tokens. Each week, members are recognized and applauded for losing 5 lbs. or simply resisting temptations or making lifestyle changes. My next big level of recognition is at 10% target, then 25 lbs. Other milestones are attendance for 16 weeks (indicating those who stay that long usually meet their goal weight), reaching goal and obtaining lifetime status. Corny, but reaching each level of recognition is a boost to my resolve. I am definitely on my way!!!

The leader always asks, "so what's working for you?" Good question. I always answer, " coming to meetings." Why? Accountability. I seem to need to answer to someone to make me stay on target.

Last week, I also enrolled in a community weight-loss/fitness challenge. We weighed and had our B/P, height, waist, and body fat recorded. Late in December, we get another set of readings to track our progress. There are several free exercise classes and coaching sessions, so no one has any excuse. I'm going to attend Zumba sessions on Tuesday and Friday, low-impact class on Thursday and aqua-fitness on Saturday. I'll walk on most days as far as my stiff knees will allow for now. I am so stoked for this. Stay tuned!!

Weekly Update

I didn't get to weigh in at a meeting. After driving all the way over there, there was a sign on the door - no meeting at the regular time. One of the other WW's said she remembered the leader stating there would be no meeting today. I did not hear that. So anyway, I think I lost around 2 lbs. according to my scales. I pretty much lived close to the edge this week again, so I'm happy with what I got.

A Blessed Cook, I Am

I told you about a good friend of mine who died recently. Well, her daughter called me recently asking me to cook her family dinner just to relieve the stress of cleaning out her mother's house and doing other things to get everything in order. Of course, I said I would but I was not able to do so for several days. Anyway, when I got around to it, what I thought of was to cook something I hadn't made since I was in my twenties -  Exotic Pot Roast. I remember making it and sharing the recipe for a fund-raising cookbook. But, I couldn't find the recipe the day I made the roast. So...you know me, I winged it. Well, today, I found the recipe and there were only four (in my opinion--nutmeg, chocolate, oregano and wine) essential ingredients I left out. Wow!!! I am blessed. I am publishing the original recipe here, sans meat tenderizer. I made it with pork loin and omitted the wine, chocolate, nutmeg, oregano, almonds and grated orange peel. I was afraid of adding the chocolate because I didn't remember the proportion. And I used about 1/2 cup of orange juice, not because I remembered that element from the original recipe; I was just trying to add a sweet, exotic element. I also used tomato paste (small can)instead of tomato sauce and beef broth which the pork simmered in a crock pot all day.

It was awesome, even if I have to say so myself. Her husband made a special effort to tell me how much he enjoyed it and her oldest son (3 years old) asked me what was in the sauce. You gotta love kids who appreciate food!!

Exotic Pot Roast

4 lbs. boned and rolled rump or top round of beef
3 T. vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 t. salt
2 cans ( 8-oz. each) tomato sauce
1/2 c. dry red wine
1 square unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 t. chili powder
1 t. grated orange peel
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. crushed oregano
1 can (1 lb. ) onions
1 can (1 lb. ) carrots
1/4 c. blanched, slivered almonds

Brown meat on all sides in hot oil in heavy kettle or Dutch oven. Pour off excess oil. Add garlic and chopped onion; sprinkle with salt.
Combine tomato sauce, wine, chocolate, chili powder, orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oregano; pour over meat.
Cover; simmer until meat is tender-- about 3 hours.
Drain onions and carrots; add to sauce in kettle. Cover; simmer until vegetables are heated through.
Place meat in center of platter; surround with vegetables in sauce. Sprinkle with almonds. Makes 6-8 servings.

I made this with pork tenderloin (I think about 3 - 4 pounds). The vegetables were all fresh so adjust accordingly. I also added fresh green beans because I simply cannot abide not eating green vegetables every day.

Week 7 and Counting

I gained .6 lbs this week. No wonder; I ate two buffet-style meals this week. One was after church and one was at work. I showed some control at both but I ate seconds at the work buffet. It's okay - I learned during the last weight-loss adventure that lapses occur. I'm just going to keep swimming!!!

Week 6 and Pumpkin Bars

I lost .2 lbs. this week. No wonder! I had another trying week with a different type of allergy, leaving me with a lump in my throat which has now moved to my chest. I paid little attention to what I ate. I just wanted to be well.

I made pumpkin bars today for my home group. The original recipe called for sweet potato but you know me...I substitute. I doubled the recipe because I thought the blondies were too thin. Here's the recipe:

Sweet Potato Blondies

(Makes 16)
Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup mashed sweet potato
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp canola oil'
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Blend all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour into a greased 8x8 baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until top of blondies begin to brown. Let cool before cutting.

Week 5 of the Slowest Loser

Last week I gained 1.4 lbs. I wasn't too upset; I had under-calculated points and exercised very little due to a tough schedule. This week, I lost 4.6 lbs. Wow! All I can say is since I had a steroid shot for an allergic reaction, I wasn't feeling any usual stiffness or discomfort so I walked and exercised like a much younger woman. Yahoo! Bring on the drugs! NOT!

Memory is a Good Thing

A good friend of mine died this week. Whenever I thought of her this week, I smiled. She was a lot of fun. She was a blessing to me and my family. Today was her memorial. Late yesterday afternoon, one of her daughters asked me to speak; I was relunctant to do so. What on earth could I say that would do justice to her memory? Well, God is good. Some things came to me, I said them and I believe (especially after feedback) that I said all the right things.
We are blessed to have a memory because through memories the dead live on. I will miss my friend but she is still alive in me.

The Slowest Loser, Week 3

Okay. Wahoo! I lost 2.6 pounds this week. Hmmm. What I instantly felt was awe and wonder. How did I lose 2.6 this week but only 1 last week? I ate more of my allotted points this week and exercised one less day. I don't know the reason for the success but I'm just going to keep going. I am thankful.