TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s !!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seatbelts or air bags. **Heck, MY dad cut the seatbelts OUT of the car.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with sugar, but we weren’t overweight because . . WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo’s, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD’s, no surround-sound or CD’s, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms……….WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned . . . HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them . . . CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.

And while you are at it, send it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn’t it?!

This is something that my dad would have done.

I recently purchased a remote control clicker dealybob for my camera (that’s a technical term) just so I didn’t have to hunt down a warm body to snap the photos. Then, I finally tied them down (actually I threatened not to feed them) and I forced them AND myself into a family photo. I didn’t want to push the bar by making them dress up or anything. Hell, even I didn’t want to dress up. I just wanted a casual photo of us together as we are everyday. Sounds simple, right? Weelllllll, not so much.

Not when you have some moron (who is snapping the picture, by the way) who can’t even LOOK at the camera.

Then you have the same moron (who is snapping the picture, by the way) who can’t stop laughing because her children keep cracking her up.

Then you have oldest son who keeps making faces while moron snapping the picture is clueless.

Then you have oldest son who keeps making faces while moron snapping the picture is even LESS clueless.

Then you have oldest son who keeps making faces cracking up younger brother to the point where he’s red in the face and about to squirt something through his nostrils.

But FINALLY, after much whining and complaining and laughing and goofing around, we finally got a couple that could be our “official family portrait”. . . at least for another twenty or so years. Which one do you like better?

Choice #1

Choice #2

When the “photo session” was all over, my mother, who had been sitting in the wings, asked me, “If you won a million dollars, would they complain that much if you ask them to help you spend it?” I think NOT. What a workout! It was easier when they were little and I could threaten them with an early bedtime.

But here I am. We survived Thanksgiving! No trip to the cabin this year with the ex’s family, although I hear that we did miss some really funny (or not so funny) moments. We were missed and that was really nice to hear. Even though we missed the reunion, Thanksgiving still turned out okay. The food was all fabulous. . . if I say so myself. I was too busy running at warp speed to get any pictures. Well, except for the pie disaster as seen below.

I’m all about keeping it real. And real means this. If this had happend 20 years ago, I’d have had a meltdown. But these days, I just laugh and shrug my shoulders because I know me. . . and accidents like this F.O.L.L.O.W. ME. And to think that my oldest boy wants me to do YouTube videos of my cooking. Hahahahahaha! They’d be considered Comedy, not Cooking. Here, I had the brilliant idea of putting the pies on a cookie sheet just in case they spilled over (Hey, I’m paranoid after my mom’s birthday cake episode) and I was in no mood to be cleaning my oven the night before Thanksgiving when I was going to need my oven at 8am. No - so I used a cookie sheet for any spillage that should run amuck.

I have to preface this with the fact that I have probably a half a dozen brand new cookie sheets (Can we say “CloseOut Sale”?). But NO. Do I choose one of the new ones? NO! I do not. I chose the oldest, rattiest one I own. I plopped the pies on there and baked for 30 minutes. Two pecan pies, I might add. With pecans rolling in at a whopping $6.99 for two cups. The cookie sheet that I chose WARPED in the oven. I don’t know how it did it. But it WARPED. Sending one pie spilling all of its contents all over the cookie sheet and up under the one pie that remained level. So this is what you get when you use a cookie sheet that’s so old you should set it out to pasture. . . which I DID. The bastard messed up my pie! It had to GO!

So this is just to let you all know. . . . I am a total mess in the kitchen. There can’t possibly be video taken. PLUS - when I sat down to Thanksgiving dinner, I LOOKED like I’d just been rung OUT and hung up to dry. There was no June Cleaver in her pretty dress and well coifed hair, no Betty Crocker looking fresh as a new day. No - there was rung OUT and hung up to dry ME. (I changed into a clean t-shirt people!) And I was SO tired that I couldn’t even eat. For people that know me - THAT’S TIRED. I was in constant motion that day for 14 hours and when I went to bed that night. . . . I died. Only to get up and start over.

:::::::::

Oldest, my guest blogger from time to time, Chris, went out shopping on Black Friday with some girlfriends of his. They had a schedule and a plan and I gave him a credit card to use. I informed him that if he FOUND a Wii Fit, to purchase that sucker. And he FOUND ONE!! How fun! I had no idea. I’ve heard about them from friends, but had no idea how it could really be fun because the word “exercise” is like a four-letter word to a Nun. But let me tell you. . . just watching my super-competitive kids on this thing is HYSTERICAL!! And don’t even THINK they’re going to let their MOM beat them at a stinkin’ video game. Forget about it. (Use your best New York accent on that one)

THIS consumed the entire rest of the weekend!! I’m not lying. Aside from a few errands on Saturday and making Turkey and Dumplings on Sunday, NOTHING else was done this weekend. Then Monday morning came. . . a really bad Monday. . . and I was too tired and too sore to drag my turkey-laiden behind out of the bed. But I did it. And have been behind ever since. This picture is us in order; Adam the youngest, Chris the oldest, me, and Michelle, Adam’s girlfriend. I like the Wii Fit simply because it made me the littlest one. I’ve never been the littlest anything. THAT, my friends, is how to motivate this girl.

Excuse me while I go work off my turkey-laiden behind, please. Then tell me how YOU spent your holiday weekend.

Usually the boys and I go up to my ex-husband’s family reunion they have every year at Thanksgiving. They rent a cabin in the mountains in West Virginia and we all grab a spot on the floor to call our own when we decide to lay our heads down. . . which isn’t often. There’s always a ton of people of all age groups coming and going and a flurry of constant activity the entire weekend. It’s a lot of fun! I know it sounds unconventional that I would still spend a holiday with the ex-husband and his family, but I LOVE these people. So he and I couldn’t stay married, it doesn’t mean that I can’t spend a day or two around him. His family loves me, even if he doesn’t. Plus my presence is usually cause for slight annoyance for the current wife. (Yeah, I’m going to Hell, I know) But this year, I won’t get the pleasure.

This year, my oldest has to work Friday, Saturday and Sunday only having off for Thanksgiving Day. We, technically, could have gone up for the day, but a ten hour round trip within 24 hours just didn’t sound fun for anybody. So we’re celebrating at my house. The boys will come over. Their friends will stop by. My mom will be there. Football will be on. I’m making a TON of food! (I just don’t know how to do ANYTHING in moderation). Here’s the menu:

Honey Glazed Ham
Roasted Turkey
Cornbread Dressing
Mashed Potatoes
Giblet Gravy
Corn Pudding
Squash Casserole
Cranberry Sauce
Dinner Rolls
Pecan Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Peanut Butter Cornflake Bars
Pecan Mini Kisses Cups
Brandy Balls

What are YOU having for Thanksgiving?

I mean, haven’t you gone to parties and had those little mini quiches or those little mini pecan pies (pecan tassies, I think they call them - yum) and thought how dainty the food looked? When you walk by the tray and you grab one or two of these little things, you don’t feel like such a glutton. . . because they’re tiny and dainty. What people don’t see is that I walked by the tray 47 times. No one ever sees more than one or two in my presence . . . because, well, I’m dainty like that.

What? You don’t believe me?

I wouldn’t either. There’s nothing dainty about me except for my mini muffin pan thingies that I make. Like last night. Last night I made Pecan Mini Kisses Cups. Aren’t they just adorable?

And what’s not to like? You’ve got pecans and you’ve got chocolate Kisses - both equally delicious. That’s GOT to be a winning combination, I thought. And I was right! Seriously, if you have a mini muffin pan, you should make these. HUGE hit, I promise. And if you don’t have a mini muffin pan, I added one to my Amazon store over to the right so you don’t have to search high and low. Then you too could make these. This is all you need:

PECAN MINI KISSES CUPS

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 pkg (3oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbl butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
72 Hershey’s Mini Kisses brand Milk Chocolates, divided
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped pecans

In medium bowl, beat 1/2 cup softened butter and cream cheese until blended. Add flour; beat well. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together egg, brown sugar, 1 Tbl. melted butter and vanilla until well blended.

Shape chilled dough into 24 balls (1-inch each). Place balls in ungreased mini muffin cups and press onto bottom and up sides of cups. Place 2 chocolate pieces in each cup. Spoon about 1 tsp pecans over chocolate. Fill each cup with egg mixture.

Bake 25 minutes or until filling is set. Remove from oven and lightly press 1 chocolate piece into center of each. Cool in pan on wire rack.

They are SO GOOD!

This is the recipe as it’s written in my latest Hershey’s cookbook, however, there are a few things about this recipe that I altered for convenience. My grocery stores do not carry the 3 oz packages of cream cheese, so I chopped an 8 oz package of cream cheese in half. Four ounces is close enough for me. Second, I went to three different chains of grocery stores around here and I could NOT find the Mini Hershey Kisses. (I looked Hershey people! Couldn’t FIND them!)

THIS is the bag that eluded me so. So I used chocolate chips instead; the Milk Chocolate chips (not the semi-sweet chocolate chips). They were still Hershey’s, just smaller, so I used four inside each cup instead of two. Not having the EXACT ingredients did not stop me from trying these puppies. And they were fantastic! Alterations and all.

So if you’re looking for something to take to a Thanksgiving dinner or any kind of party over the holidays that’s delicious, out-of-the-ordinary and SURE to impress, make these. Everybody will be oohing and aahing for the recipe.

Do YOU have a recipe that guarantees ooh’s and aah’s at holiday get-togethers?

Whether one has boys or girls, I think it is fantastic to get them in the kitchen early. You can see that my oldest has been helping me in the kitchen since he was a wee tike.

Wasn’t he precious?

Here’s my now grown son featuring one of his favorite dishes that he likes to make.

::::::::::

Hi! It’s Chris here again, the oldest son, and I’m sharing another recipe. This recipe is really easy and I cook it just about once a week. I would consider it somewhat healthy too. There isn’t much to it. Here is all you need:

SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS

1 Red Onion
1 Green Pepper
1 Pack of hot smoked sausage
Ready to serve minute rice (brown or yellow)
Minced garlic in olive oil

First you chop the red onion and the green pepper into pieces. Put those pieces into your pan with a little bit of olive oil. Then cut the smoked sausage into pieces and add to pan. After all vegetables and meat have been added, now add some minced garlic. How much depends on how much you like garlic, I put about 3 spoons of it in mine. Gives it some extra flavor. Now mix it all up in the pan and cook on medium. Cover and stir occasionally. The way I now its done cooking is when the red onions seem more clear than red.

After that cooks, cook the rice according to the package directions and then you’re done. Just mix the rice and the sausage and peppers in a bowl and enjoy.

You can use whatever rice you like, but I use the ready to serve minute rice because it comes in cups that cook for 60 seconds and it makes the perfect size bowl of rice. It’s super convenient for a single person. Plus the rice usually comes with a coupon on the inside. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. By the way, it may be a little spicy, so feel free to use other flavored smoked sausages, but I think the hot kind adds more flavor to the dish.

Let me know how you like it!

“I would like a chocolate lava cake for my birthday, thank you very much. Even if it’s just made in my honor with pictures and the really cool recipe. (that gives you, like 16 days to the 22nd, so get cracking)”

I humbly took her request. That’s how I roll. Here, today, I made a Chocolate Lava Cake for my friend, Sleep Deprived Momma, who will be 30-something years old tomorrow. (a true friend never tells) HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!!

I’d actually never made Chocolate Lava Cake before. I’d seen recipes and pictures and knew that it LOOKED good, but I didn’t have the little ramekins you use to bake them in. Momma was my inspiration to get me off my tailend and go find them. And find them I did.

The thing about this recipe is that I didn’t realize how easy it is to make. It comes across as quite fancy and decadent, but I’m here to tell you that it’s easier than pie. Here’s all you need:

CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE

6 oz Semi-Sweet Baking chocolate
6 oz Butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Liberally butter four individual ramekins. Melt chocolate on very low flame. Add diced butter; stir until melted. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar until it starts to whiten. Stir in melted chocolate and then the flour. Pour into ramekins. Bake for 10 -12 minutes.

Tip ramekins upside down onto dessert plates and serve.

You may wish to accompany it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or some whipped cream. Either, I’m sure, would be delicious. But it’s totally not necessary. These cakes are so yummy that they literally melt in your mouth! They are so good!! And seriously, so quick and easy. I’m keeping this recipe front and center for when I need to pull out a quick and impressive dessert. I promise you everybody will just swoon with delight when they’re eating this. So good!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!!

]]>