It's January! And There's a Recipe!

This is a definite Foodie picture! 

 I made these for Christmas.  I used to make

a lot more but downsizing cramped my style!

It's January and time to address some topics specific to the new year.  But, what to choose!  I have been putting off this blog because I am overwhelmed with ideas!  HA!  Here are a few:

1.  Revisit my Bucket List from one of the first blogs I wrote after I retired.  This is kind of a catch 22--Energizing to start working towards checking off some but depressing because too many cost too much for my meager pocketbook!

2.  Talk about weight loss (a huge topic and advertising gimmick for the new year).  This is also kind of depressing.  I went in to get some stitches removed and had to weigh in.  I discovered I'd gained back about 15 lbs since my big loss after my revision surgery 2 years ago! I better put my money where my mouth is and try to deal with my vertical sleeve properly!

3.  Reminisce about many of our snowmobiling adventures!  I think that has possibilities.  Still not enough snow around here to actually snowmobile!

4.  Because I am a Foodie I can always write about food and recipes!  I actually am intending to add a recipe to this blog!

5.  Plans for exercising.  Yes, I do have some but I can't even motivate my self to write about them, let alone implement them!

6.  Write about my sewing adventures.  Now that I am living in town and have set up my sewing room this has a lot of possibilities.  I actually do have a plan for a couple blogs but I know some of my readers are not sewists (sewers has several meanings).  I would like to motivate them to take up this hobby but know it is futile to try with some of you! HA!

7.  Write about my Backwoods memories, also known as childhood memories.  I love doing this and as we grow older, I notice that my memories of certain incidents don't seem to match the memories of the other participants.  It's kind of interesting to hear their take on what happened as opposed to mine.  There are a wealth of stories from those days!

8.  "Fun family trip" memories! The Manville family trips and Christmas debacles are legendary in our family.  I'm sure all my readers can come up with some fun thoughts about their own "fun family adventures" as well!

Well, that just scratches the surface.  There are all those blogs I wrote and said I would continue in a later blog that I never did contine!  I also had some pretty cool blogs on the Blakeman Sewing and Vacuum sight that got lost when the sight was upgraded.  Now that I have rambled on I need some feedback from readers, friends and family as to what I should start with!  Today I think I will just post a recipe and a couple pictures and call it good.  Then I think I will go back and look at my bucket list just to see if I need to check some off and add some new ones!

  As I recall I said something about adding a new blog every day! I now know that is unrealistic for me.  I am too perfectionist about my writing and it takes me way too long to post a blog each day.  I have too many other things I like to do so I think it is more realistic to post every week or two.

  Anyway, here is my recipe for my Yogurt Sundae Breakfast.  It has developed over the last two years.  Here is the backstory.  Two years ago this month I had to have revision surgery from my lapband of 10 years to a vertical sleeve (a definite blog subject for later).  During the 10 years I had the lapband I never was able to eat breakfast.  Shortly after the surgery I spent several months with my college roommate, Annie, in Phoenix.  She is wheelchair bound and I helped her fix some of her meals although she could do her own breakfast.  I observed what she made every day except Sundays, but it didn't appeal to me. I thought with a few changes I might try it to see how my sleeve would react.  I tinkered with it and now I have my version of breakfast every morning and I do love it!

Ingredients for my breakfast

MEEMO'S YOGURT SUNDAE

1/2 Medium Banana

1/4 C. Noosa*Yogurt, vary the flavors

2 T. shelled roasted sunflower kernals

1/4 C. granola, i.e. Quaker's Simply Granola (I actually make my own)

Fresh sliced fruit or dried diced fruit, Craisins, raisins can be added with or used instead of bananas.

*I love Noosa!  I use the honey flavored or some of the flavors that are mixed with the spicy peppers!  Also Tart Cherry, Lemon, Lime, Mango, Strawberry Hibiscus, Raspberry Habenero, and some others.  You can use your favorite but I warn you, the Noosa is the best! Oh, and expensive unless it is on sale!

Layer the ingredients in a parfait glass or just mix them up in a bowl and enjoy!

Skyler and Kara helped to assemble my
bathroom cabinets while they were here!
My decorating is slowly coming together!

One Way to Idle Away An Afternoon

Here I am learning how to paint with watercolors on a cruise.

I am just a little embarrassed to do a show and tell on this story but here goes:

Yesterday the planned afternoon event here at the rehab center was "Painting With Cheryl".  Annie and I didn't pay much attention to it because we both must have had some kind of traumatic art experience in our youth and are definitely stick figure types  of drawers.  Annie claims she can't draw a straight line with a ruler and I just knew I had never had much formal training in the basics of drawing and painting.  It seems my early art experiences were mostly craft type things, although I do remember having to take some basic art class in college that had to do with the color wheel. There was also a class where I had to plan a house with all the furnishings and draw the outside elevations for it.  I pulled an all-nighter  on that, and my sister-in-law, Barbara Ann, had to come to my rescue and help me brick in the house exterior at the last minute to get the project done on time.

When I was on my cruise in the Panama Canal I got talked into taking a watercolor class with some friends I met on board.  We had a great time with a lot of laughs. I have to say the teacher was great, and I did learn a few basics, although my finished products certainly wouldn't win any prizes but were quite colorful. 

My friend Anasuya laughing it up in watercolor class on the cruise.

Back to Annie and I ignoring the call for the painting class.  About 10 minutes after the announcement a lady came to our door in an apron and invited us to come down and paint.  We both let her know we were not painters but she was not going to take no for an answer.  She told us she could teach anyone to paint and she didn't have anyone show up so we were it!  I remembered my friend Tory the art teacher in Owyhee and Wendover telling me the same thing.  I also thought about all the fun we had in the watercolor class so I ended up talking Annie into giving it a shot.

 

Penny's Work of Art.

By the time we got down to the rehab room where Cheryl had set up the painting table there were 3 others we had met on the way and talked into going too.  Cheryl had a painting she had done of the desert in fog at sunset that we were using as a guide.  It turned out that one lady was quite an artist and the rest of us were not.  We had a fine time and some good laughs.  It was very enjoyable and we got to take our pictures home with us.  Our families will certainly be fighting over who will get our lovely sunset pictures!  Cheryl did teach us some techniques and provided all the paint, brushes, canvases, and good advice while we painted.  I do think with the proper teacher I could learn to like to paint.  Maybe I need to stock up on supplies and go on You Tube........

 

Annie's Work of Art

On another note, here is something both Annie and I are much better at.  This is a recipe that Annie has made for many occasions through the years and people clamor for the recipe.  It is quite simple but delicious! 

 

This is more my speed.  I made some sushi on that cruise.

      Snicker  Cake

1 German Chocolate cake mix

1 pkg. Caramels (14 oz.) 52 caramels

1 stick margarine

1/3 C. milk

¾ C. Chocolate bits or just shake from bag if you like lots of     chocolate

1 C Nuts chopped

Mix cake mix according to directions.  Pour half of batter into 9”X 13” greased pan.  Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  Melt caramels with margarine and milk in the microwave for about ten minutes checking often to see when melted.  Pour over the baked cake, sprinkle with chocolate bits and chopped nuts.  Dot with remaining cake mix on top.  Bake additional 20 minutes at 250 degrees and 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

From Ann Tenant

Sorry, I don't have any pictures for you of this cake.  But you can use your imagination all you Snickers lovers!

 

An impressionistic study in art class on a rocking ship.  HEHEHE!