Guilty Pleasures, AKA Things too stupid/disgusting/embarrasing for me to admit to loving... until now.

I know I've been neglecting this little ole blog of late, and I don't know if anyone is still even reading. I apologize for that, and I will say that I've been doing some soul searching about whether or not I'm going to continue this little venture.

But.... for the time being I thought I'd share a deep dark secret with you.

I love Easy Cheese. There. Now I've said it. Yep. I love cheese from a can. I know it's disgusting. I know it's a horrifying color. I know that I shouldn't, but I do.

And I'm not alone. One Thanksgiving not so long ago a certain male sibling who shall remain nameless and I went through two cans and an entire bunch of celery BEFORE we even sat down to dinner. If only his wife had been home to stop us. She could have saved each of us a lot of heartache a huge stomach ache.

Whew! I feel so much lighter now that I've gotten that off my chest.

Look What I Can Do!

As I mentioned in a previous post I attempted, but failed to make a homemade banana cream pie.

I considered giving up completely after the rubbery mass I produced the first time, but my mama didn't raise no quitter.

Soooooooo, although I live alone and knew I'd probably end up eating enough banana cream pie to make me puke and increase the size of my hiney, I persevered. I'm not one to back down from a challenge... especially one in pie form (mmmm pie).

The custard for this pie is made from brown sugar rather than white, and includes both cinnamon and nutmeg, so it's not the traditional vanilla custard used in banana cream pies. Intriguing, no? This time I knew a little better what I was doing, ignored some of the more confusing directions while making the custard and ended up with this:




instead of the rubbery industrial sludge I got last time.

Then, after waiting for the custard to set, I layered custard and bananas and custard and bananas and then made the topping from whipped cream, vanilla, and sour cream. It was so pretty when I finished:



Here's a cross section:



mmmmmmmmmm. And, it tastes better than it looks. Really. And if you don't believe me, ask these two people:


(actual yummy faces.)

If you'd like to have one of these lovelies for your very own you can find the recipe here. (Just don't cook the custard as long as they tell you to. When it get's to pudding texture STOP cooking people!!)

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

1. The Good: My students participated in a Socratic Seminar on Elie Wiesel's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech today, and for the most part they did so well it made my teacher heart grow three sizes too big. One boy came up with two of the most complex, beautiful and applicable analogies to explain an important concept I have ever heard and caused me to think about Wiesel's words in a new light. Of course I had one group that decided that instead of having an open dialogue that they would fight for the sake of fighting and ignore my repeated warnings. I yelled. But the good thing is, I was able to calm down and give them constructive criticism when all was said and done.

2. The Bad: My doctor's appointment originally scheduled for tomorrow in Mesquite, NV has been rescheduled for NEXT Wednesday in St. George Utah. This is bad for a couple of reasons. a)It's another week before I can ask my doctor any questions or find out how long I need to wear this boot or how I'm coming along, and b)it's a further drive and a change in time zones. I'm going to have to leave school early, and even though it won't cost the district one thin dime (my prep period is last on Wednesdays) I'm going to have to take a half a day.

3. The Ugly: I attempted to make a banana cream pie from scratch today. I've never made a custard before and it ended up the texture of soft rubber and the color of sludge. It didn't taste bad (so I'll try it again), but it was a strange texture and it was UGGGGLLLLY.

Something I'm thankful for...

Every Thanksgiving it's my job to make the dinner rolls. It's a long process involving multiple risings and a big mess, and I love every second of it. I love the smell of milk and honey, of yeast and flour. I love the sticky mess on my fingers and the melted butter in the bottom of the pan. I love watching the dough rise as if by magic and the beautiful brown color and smell of the rolls as you take them from the oven. Most of all I love the memories it brings back.

My paternal grandma taught me to make these rolls when I was a very little girl. I was so little that she'd put the giant ceramic bowl on a stool and bend if half while she mixed the dough so that I could help stir. She taught me the "feel" of good dough and just how to push it through the circle of your thumb and index finger so that your rolls will rise high and smooth and uniform.







She also taught me how to make her cinnamon rolls with their complicated twists containing cinnamon and sugar and caramel coated crispy bottoms.






But most importantly, by teaching me her secrets, she was telling me how much she loved me.

And, although she's been gone a long time, when I make these rolls, I feel like I'm telling her the same thing.

Chex Mix Redux

Go and buy these. Eat them. Smile. Chocolate(ish) and Caramel for 100 Calories? FABULOUS!!

Wednesday morning confession...

Confession: I love fast food breakfast sandwiches. I looooove them. They are greasy, totally unhealthy, and leave me feeling slightly bloated, queasy, and filled with self loathing. But I get over those feelings and give in time and time again. I'm trying to lose weight and be healthy, so they are not a part of my diet any longer. This makes me sadder than I care to admit.

So, yesterday when I was in the freezer section of my grocery store I saw that Weight Watchers has a English muffin breakfast sandwich with Canadian bacon. Yes. An Egg McMuffin rip off. I bought it with fear and trepidation, knowing that it wouldn't satiate my fast food cravings, but willing to be proven wrong. And.... I WAS! It was yummy and cheesy, and totally hit the spot! So, I'm recommending it to all of you who also have this secret breakfast shame. I enjoyed the entire eating experience and I don't feel the slightest bit bloated or filled with self hate. Two thumbs up!

Two things. . . maybe three

Sooooooo. . . .

1. I was hit on by the old man greeter at Wal-mart today. Yeah. He was older than my father by at least 10 years and made a suggestive comment while placing his hand on my lower back. Luckily for him, I was shopping after school on a Friday and was about half brain dead. In fact, it didn't hit me just how innapropriate the whole situation was until I got into my car. First I laughed in shock, then I shivered in disgust, and now I'm ok except for the involuntary shudder that rolls over me everytime I remember the experience. (THIS IS NOT THE SOLUTION TO "THE MAN PLAN"! Also, it reminds me of a conversation I had with a male friend of mine years ago. He told me that guys only hit on girls they think they have a chance with. . . WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT ME?????!!!???!!)

2. I have eaten a wonderous and low fat thing. I will share it with you: Pringles Stix. They are little packets of bread sticks and they are WONDERFUL. I ate the honey butter flavor and they weren't just good for a low fat or calorie snack, but truly truly delicious. Go buy them!



3. I get to see my mission president, John Bailey tonight! I'm so excited. It's been at least 10 years since I've seen him,at a mission reunion. I didn't really get to talk to him that night since there were so many of us. Tonight it will only be five of us so we'll get a chance to catch up. President Bailey is Australian, so it's not like I can just drop by when I'm in the neighborhood. I really love this man, so this is a treat. The only thing that would make it better would be if Sister Bailey was in town as well. I love her to little bits and pieces and used to do a rather fantastic impression. . .

Chewy Sweet Fiber-Filled Goodness

A couple of months ago I visited my friend Jill (who at last glance was 29 years old. . . and counting :))during my long weekend Nevada Day extravaganza. As always, Jill was a veritable font of knowledge about foodstuffs. She introduced me to several delicious foods in bar form, but my favorite has to be Fiber One Oats and Chocolate granola bars.
They are sweet, but not too sweet, chewy, and have fiber coming out of their ears (errr if they had ears, but then it would look like a face and then I could NOT eat them.) I was so in love with the Oats and Chocolate variety of these bars that I didn't even look at the other kinds. I'm kinda a one bar woman if you know what I mean. But, yesterday I went to Target as I am wont to do and on a whim I bought not only the Oats and Chocolate but also the Oats and Peanut Butter variety.



Oh. My. Goodness.
They are delicicous.

So delicious, in fact that the chocolate ones and I are breaking up. They are, in fact a dim memory if one walked past me on the street it would only look vaguely familiar. So if you haven't yet, check them out.