Friday, February 8, 2013

Food and other items

I have been eating healthy lately, except on the weekends. I have decided that I need a food routine that I can really live with. Which means I can't deprive myself all the time of yummy treats that I want. I love desserts and baked good and chocolate.
But if I only allow myself such treats during the weekend-
and I eat healthy all week-
then I am at least making some effort.
And on the weekend- it is not like all I do is eat bad foods. But I let myself have dessert.
One on Saturday and one on Sunday if I so desire.
Here's my past few weeks naughty treats.

1-
The chocolate martini (the Godiva recipe is a dessert in itself)!
This is a delicious new discovery of mine- thanks for my niece's friend.
I COULD drink one every night, but I have been refrained. I actually haven't had one for over 2 weeks- but last weekend I finally bought some inexpensive martini classes and a drink shaker (which seems impossible not to own when you are at this age of your life).
Maybe tonight.

2-
A few weeks back Katie and I went to cheesecake factory and I had a slice of cheesecake.
(What else would you have at a restaurant called the Cheesecake Factory?)
Heavenly, artery busting, delicious slice.
Will skip this treat for another 6 or 8 months.

3-
My winter craving

I figured I better not show you the completed brownies or I would have to go make another pan.
I add chocolate chips to mine, and they are super easy to make, right in a kettle on the stove top.

4-


Dave's choice-
for the last 2 Sundays he has wanted strawberry shortcake.
One week we used can whipped cream until I complained about not having the deadly but delicious real  stuff.
So then we had the real stuff.

5- 
Date nut bars!
The recipe from this cookbook (this is a good book if you're looking for a book of baked bar treats) is particularly good since you cook the dates in orange juice first.


Ee-gads.
But these are heavenly.
(And if you need to justify, not just delicious, full of yummy dates which have a lot of nutritional value.)
No photo of finished bars on this one either, but I did make a pan-semi-healthy snack.

6-
I forgot to photograph this and we ate it, but you do get to see the now pot I got for Christmas from Costco that I wanted. I have been making a lot of chicken in wine- or my own version of coq au vin.
I roast a whole chicken in a bottle of inexpensive Trader Joe's wine with garlic, small potatoes, carrots, onions...yummy, and not super expensive since the wine is $3.50 and chicken is around $7 and the veggies aren't bad since you don't need whole bags of them.
Good yummy winter choice.

7-
Winter is all about CHILI!
Best chili cookbook -
well my only chili cookbook
Chili Nation

My favorite so far is Massachusetts chili.

8-
 True Blood: Eats, Drinks, and Bites from Bon Temps

This is actually not a bad cookbook. I have only tried one recipe so far, but the pork chops are just yummy! There's a few other items I want to try too. I love that there are lots of drink recipes and some great looking foods that are not going to take you days to make.
I would love to try that cake on the cover too. It just looks TOO yummy.
Don't you think?

9-

Yummy yummy meatloaf. What is better on a cold winter night than that? I showed you this a few weeks ago- I had to for dinner at a pub down in Boston.
And mashers and some onion rings and there was even some cheese on top.
YUM!

10-
Finally it doesn't matter that it is winter and chilly. A finely brewed beer-domestic or imported- whether with pizza, chili or with meatloaf-works for me.
Make it not too dark or too light...

So we have snow on the way they say-
a lot they say!
(1-2 feet-eeeks! Spot 30 inches-wow!) 
As I write this Thursday evening, I hope for a snow day!
I dread driving all the way home in bad weather but since the snow isn't going to be really bad until the afternoon and night, we'll probably be out in it.
And it will be a mess I'm sure as the snow will be flying by the end of the school day. 
Today it was a zoo at the grocery store and gas station.
Man alive-a zoo!
Oh my!

postscript at 5:38 Thursday evening-
They have cancelled school tomorrow!
YAHOO!!!!!!!!
Will let you know how much snow we actually get!!!
Enjoy your Friday!

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