These 2 sisters can cook!

These two sister's I got to know right at the beginning of my motherhood phase of life. Who knew then that God was going to bless my life with three daughters!! I was raised with all brothers, and my Mom was 7 inches shorter than me. (needless to say we could only share clothes for about 6 weeks of my life!). I was fascinated (I mean Fascinated! Make me laugh & cry at the same time) with their stories of growing up, how they fussed at times, and how alike & how different they were from each other. Believe it or not there are 3 sister's in their family, the other one, just did not attend our church. (however, Robin impacted my life as well because i "borrowed" her girl's name, and turned it around thus naming my baby girl "Grace Caroline".). They also could relate with my stories because they had a baby brother as well.

Now these two sisters are wonderful cooks & wonderful hostess!

Here is a picture of Kerry on the left side,me in the middle & another sweet friend on our right. (this was taken at a Christmas cookie exchange party, where we wear our PJ's, eat, play silly games & exchange cookies)




Kerry is known for her amazing frozen Slushes that she serves guest during the hot summer months. (bourbon Slushes, frozen sangria etc..)
My favorite is her Frozen Sangria!!
Kerry's Frozen Sangria recipe:
1/2 C of sugar
8 ounce can of crushed pineapple
2 1/2 C of dry Red wine
1 1/2 C of Orange juice
1/2 C of Lemon juice
Mix in blender then freeze.
Dip frozen concoction Into glasses, top with Pinot Grigio or Ginger Ale.
Yummy!
(for large groups such as a 24 people, she quadruples the recipe)

Kerry is a motivator! Kerry has taught me: the value of consistent exercise. Kerry runs. I've been her friend while she has trained and worked hard to run in everything from a 5K to a Marathon! Kerry has now taken her motivating attitude and self discipline to the next level and now teaches exercise classes at the local Y. Kerry is always encouraging to others who want to start exercising or is feeling frustrated with the whole process. However she never hits you over the head with it, she is always graceful about her pursuit of being healthy & fit!! (by the way she also knows & can recall the lyrics to about any song she has Ever heard-so unfair!)
Here is a photo of the two of the two sister's that I am sharing about today. Kerry is on the left, Wendy is on the right. Aren't they lovely!




Wendy is the other sister I was telling you about. Wendy is a positive,Sanguine in personality, never meets a stranger, girly girl, who is always the encourager!
Wendy makes the best Artichoke Dip!! (warning you might be tempted to push everyone else away from this dish & eat it all by yourself!)

Wendy's Artichoke Dip:
1 can of artichoke hearts (drained & chopped)
1 C Mayo
1 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 C or more of shredded Parmesan cheese (real finely shredded bought in a tub already shredded)
8 ounce of softened cream cheese
1/2 C of sour cream
2 Garlic cloves-crushed
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp Worchestire sauce
2 tsp shredded Parmesan cheese
Chop artichoke hearts, combine mayo, cheese, sour team, add garlic,fill weed,Worchestire sauce, spread in 8x8 or 9x9 square pan (that had been well sprayed). Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 mins. After taking dip out from the oven sprinkle with the remaining 2 tsp of shredded Parmesan cheese.
Serve with bagel chips.

Wendy taught me the value of encouraging words! Wendy also modeled the gift of being friendly and kind to others as she touched the life of those around her. (Also she taught me what the word toile was & what Mercury glass is)

I did not know that I was going to become a mother of three girls! However God knew and he was preparing my heart for this, by hearing these two sisters stories of childhood. I am so thankful that they shared their stories with me! I am filled with hope, that even on days that my girls don't like each other very much, that these teen years will pass and they will love each other dearly and be close friends!

Hope you enjoy the recipes from today!

Remember you are rubbing off on those around you!
What are you leaving in the lives the people your path crosses with today?
Amy

Due to my obsession with Pinterest - I felt I was obligated to try some new things this last week. My first attempt at something new was making the Rollo Brownie (see below) Here is a link to the recipe found on baking addiction that was posted by guest blogger Kristan from Confession of a cookbook queen. Her blog is to die for!

The second thing I was inspired to make for this past holiday weekend was the above photo of Mexican appetizer cups. My family loved these! Some even went so far as to say "just mix the filling and set it out in a bowl and serve with tortilla chips and call it a day". You can find this recipe at the Pillsbury website.

I also painted the little princess's toes to look like strawberries. (sorry I had not cleaned up the paint that had gotten on her toes before I took this picture) . She however did not care - she loved her strawberry painted toes.

Above is a photo of the oldest princess's nails when we were about half way done "tie dying" her nails. You can find an amazing tutorial at "hey nice nails!". This was a fun activity, but really messy!

Hope you have a great day, and that you are inspired to try something new today!

Pancake Lovin'

First, off this is not a diet recipe. This is a recipe that I made, one evening when my family was wanting Breakfast for dinner (remember just because I am on a diet does not mean that my hubby and kids want to be on one) . I am so not a morning person I am not sure that I would want to make pancakes from scratch for breakfast, however for dinner I will take all those extra steps. The peach pancake recipe is from the cookbook "Mary Mac Tea Room". Which I guarantee you is jam packed with good down home southern recipes. Not very many of them are low calorie or low fat. However yummy they are.

Peach Buttermilk Pancakes:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (OK, maybe a smidgen more)

2 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups canned peach chunks, drained (you can use fresh peaches as well)

maple syrup

Stir together the dry ingredients, set aside. In another large bowl, beat eggs then add buttermilk. Blend in dry ingredients. Once mixed, stirred in peaches. Lightly butter a large griddle, over middle heat. Pour batter in small circles on griddle. Cook 2-4 pancakes at a time. Once tops of pancakes bubble flip over to cook the other side. Once both sides have been cooked remove pancakes from hot griddle. Continue making pancakes until the batter has been used. Served pancakes warm with maple syrup.

My family loves to occasionally have breakfast for dinner. Does yours? My family gave this pancake recipe 2 thumbs up, they could not speak because they were too busy eating.

Oh, and Amy over at Mamie'sQuilt posted about this yummy pancakes she made called "cinnamon roll pancakes". I am going to make this for the family this weekend!

Down 27 pounds!

OK, well here is the latest diet update. I am down 27 pounds -Yeah! This puts my weight about what I was when I broke my arm back in August. Whew! That is a good start! I only have 70ish pounds left to go!
I am still using my "lose it" app from Itunes. I keep track of the calories I eat, and the calories I burn through exercise. I try to keep the calorie intake at the end of the day between 800 and 1,000. I walk or exercise most days 45 Min's to 1hour. I am currently enjoying Leslie Sansone 2 mile walk, and the "Calorie Burn Boot camp" on ExerciseTv. I have started to include a 5 min arm workout located on the Wikio news page. (I've included a link if you want to check it out) by Tracy Anderson, the creator of "The Method" work out, also Gwyneth Paltrow's trainer.

One of my Favorite New recipes to help deal with family breakfast on the weekend is this "Petite Cinnamon Swirls" recipe. My family loves it, and 1 swirl has 102 calories, so I can have this along with 2 tablespoons of scrambled eggs (46 calories), and 1/2 cup of grapes (50 calories) and have similar things to eat with the family for the weekends "Big Breakfast" for approx 200 calories. Not bad!

Petite Cinnamon Swirls

1 8 ounce tube refrigerated low-fat crescent dinner roll dough

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons grated orange zest (makes a huge difference!!)

1/3 cup raisins

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 Tablespoon fat-free Milk

Preheat the oven to 375.

Unwrap the dough - DO NOT SEPARATE IT!!!! Place the dough in one piece on a flat surface. In order, sprinkle with the cinnamon, orange zest, and raisins. Press gently into the dough.

Starting with one long end, roll up the dough jelly-roll style, making a log about 12 inches long. Using a serrated knife, cut crosswise into 12 slices. Bake on a nonstick baking sheet, placing about an inch apart. Gently press down on each roll to slightly flatten.

Bake for 1-0-011 mins, or until beginning to turn golden.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the confectioners' sugar and milk until well blended. Spoon over the rolls as soon as they are removed from the oven. Enjoy!

How are those of you doing who have been working on weight loss this spring, doing? Any recipes or tips you would like to share?

sleet, snow, and ice oh, my!!

Well when the temperature drops it is time for all those warm yummy drinks!!

Here are two of my favorite recipes for warm drinks during this time of year.

Warm yummy Hot Chocolate mix:

1 cup of non fat dry, powdered milk

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup dry vanilla coffee creamer

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

4-5 regular sized candy bars (Hershey/dove brand- chopped into bite size pieces. I will be honest I have even used chocolate chips for this recipe!)

* mix above ingredients in bowl, and store in a storage bag or plastic container. (I usually double this recipe since I have 3 kids plus their friends that come inside after building snowmen.) This is a great recipe!! and I provide marshmallow's or cool whip with cocoa for sprinkling on top for the kids to choose between.

Chia Tea Mix:

2 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ground all spice

1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper

1 1/2 cups of instant tea unsweetened!!

1 1/2-2 cups sugar

1 cup powdered non dairy coffee creamer

1 cup powdered vanilla flavored non dairy coffee creamer

1 cup non fat dry powdered milk

***combine above ingredients and store in plastic storage bag or plastic container.

serve with milk/hot water. (I have a large Large coffee cup - so I use about 1/3 cup mix to a cup of hot water and a splash of milk)

***variation: for a chocolate chia tea mix, add 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa to above mix.

(below is the view out my front window, on my front porch-ahhh!)

I hope you enjoy the above recipes!! I live in Oklahoma which my city has only experienced a blizzard two times in it's history!! So we are all snowed in and trust me we are enjoying the above recipes with a smile! (that is as long as we have power!!)

(below is a picture of all the clothes my kids take off, once the come in - can you say laundry time!!!)

Stay warm, and bundled up and enjoy this season!!!!