Someone is shrinking
and that someone is me! Finally! I’m really hopeful that I have gottne of the diet yo-yo, and that I have lost that three pounds for good. Yeah, did I mention I have lost teh same three pounds five times now? Whatever! But I am sitting here typing this at my standard adult weight, and I am planning to go ahead and try to lose down to where I was right before I weaned DaBaby. And mostly, because I am vain, and I looked so good. There I said it out loud. Of course, having to be very aware of my fat intake is only helping, so perhaps my insides will look good, too!
Anyway! Yesterday, I noticed that the shirt I was wearing was too big. How cool is that? I’ll need new clothes!! Not that I haven’t purchased new clothes recently, because we both know I have, but you know, a girl needs new things after she loses weight. It’s like, mandatory, to replace those things you under-grow, right? Right.
Well, of course, I love a good deal, so I’m looking at coupons, and I noticed that over at Coupon Codes Mall, they have a category for clothes. That will come in real handy in another couple of months. Do you think I am too old to “shop the bunny”? Ok, ok. Maybe not too old, but probably way too conservative.
Cass in the Kitchen: Chocolate Epiphany
Hey ya’ll! I’m still slogging through that book back log. Seven and a half inches to go! It seemed appropriate though, since the next book up dealt with food, to go ahead and relaunch the weekly Cass in the Kitchen segment. I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy my foodie self, and I missed dishing about dishes! Today’s book, though….it’s something else.
If diet is a four letter word, then this book could embarrass a sailor. I felt my arteries clogging just looking at it. I have to be right up front, and tell you that having been told to watch my cholesterol, I only allow myself 20 grams of saturated fat per day. Now, I can bank those grams, if I don’t use them all, and I do that quite regularly. You may remember that my family eats hot dogs every Saturday, and so I bank for that day and other grand occasions ;). And now, I bank grams of saturated fat for this:
You would, too. Right? Right.
I tell you, I could just cry! See, I think baking isn’t baking without real butter and real cream and real eggs. I like my cool whip now, but nothing substitutes for real cream. Nothing. I know there are recipes out there that employ less-than-full-fat-and-flavor dairy substitutions, but they are just that–substitutions. And I know butter is outrageous spendy, but when it comes to a perfection of cookie texture, butter flavor shortening doesn’t even compare.
The recipes here run the gamut from Chocolate Rice Crispies (surprise, not made with chocolate cereal as I had always imagined) to Chocolate Marshmallows to Chocolate Pecan Tart to the 18 layer (I counted in the picture, ya’ll) Gateau de Crepes with Green Tea Cream. But if I could make any one thing in this book tonight, it would be the Trio of Chocolate Mousse Cake. It’s umm, three different mousses frozen in layers, and ya’ll……….I love me some mousse. Made with cream. And eggs. And chocolate. I’m thinking I may need to forgo the hot dogs for a couple of weeks and cash in those grams for some of this.
In the back of the book are some great tips like how to brown butter and a simple sugar syrup (useful for iced tea and coffee as well as desserts) and how to temper chocolate (that’s what makes it shiny and gorgeous.
You know what? Ya’ll get ready and come on over. I can start that Mousse Cake, and when you get here, we can all have just a few bites, and my mouth and my arteries will both be happy. AND, I won’t have to wait so long to taste it!
Can I just say
that I now totally understand why public school teachers have work days? Becasue writing lesson plans with The Wiggles and assorted squabbling in the background takes a lot of concentration, and not a little self control.
A Different Book
Speaking of my monumental tower of books to read, I need to tell you about one that I didn’t tell you about. Oh. Well. That was a stellar sentence, now wasn’t it? Yeah. Ok. So.
One of the gubernatorial candidates here in North Carolina sent us a book about himself. Yes, a real and true actual book! Like, over a hundred pages of biographical information: bound printed matter, with pictures! Soft cover, but still. It was a book, ya’ll.
Which leads to the questions I had: where in the world do you get something like that published AND how much does it cost? So, I had to do some poking around. AuthorHouse, Book Publishers who cater to those who wants to self publish, can get your book ready to print for as little as $598. Now, that cost includes one complimentary author copy, and I could not find out how much additional copies would cost without filling out a contact form, which I declined to do. But the upshot answer to my question is: not as much as I thought per book.
Of course, the other side of my brain is screaming that a politician can pay that much for a potential vote ….. but, I am just not going to go there right now. At least, not on this blog
New Month, New GiveAway (finally) Tweed by Nancy J. Thomas
Whoa, it’s about time, isn’t it? Yeah, I know, I am such a slacker! Tweed is a nifty book by Nancy J. Thomas. It was released in April, and I’ve had my copy here on my desk for some time, but … man, it seems like life just kept coming, what with deaths, and computer issues, and schooling and all that stuff. You know that song, Mama said there’d be days like this?? Well, I feel like I’ve been singing that song for about six months now! Enough about me!! Let’s talk about tweed.
I like the look that tweed yarn gives a garment. Fresh off the needles, a garment made with tweed has history and character. It looks like it’s been loved for a long time, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s not so prissy that you are afraid to touch it, nor yet so coarse that ou are embarrased to wear it. It’s just there, wooly and warm and wearable.
Miss Thomas starts her tweed buffet with a section on stictch patterns, including a few cables and some knit/purl combinations, and then she proceeds to some (mostly) unisex accessories and other beginner patterns. She even includes some felted pieces. She has sections for advanced beginners and intermediates, and it is in this last section that I first began to drool. The Scottish Isles Pullover is delightfully shaped, majestically cabled and presented in my most favored shade of my well favored red. (ok, I also like pink, but…red).
And then, in the advanced section, I did meet a fantasy in pink, the Northern Ireland Peplum Sweater. Sigh. Ya’ll. There are not enough hours in my days. I badly want that sweater. Well, both of them, but … a lace peplum? Oh yes. It is enough to make a knitter weep with desire. Or at least this time-challenged, thwarted-by-life knitter. This blogger who used to knit and still desires to do so.
(I made a deal with myself today–as soon as the pile of books is off my desk, I get to knit. Did I mention that the pile is dwindling? It still towers over my knitting basket, though. )
Ok, does anybody want this book? To be sure, someone does! Here’s how to get it:
The contest will start when I hit publish, and will run through midnight July 31st. I’ll announce the winner via random number on Friday August 1st. You can get an entry by commenting on this post. You can get another entry by “stumbling” this post. (You can use the button right under the post (or your toolbar) to do that.) You can get two more entries by writing about this give away on your own blog with a link back to this post. And if you are a member of a crafty or cooking type forum, and you post about this giveaway with a link back, you’ll get another entry. You’ll need to come back and let me know you’ve done that by leaving a link to your forum post in the comments. If you stumble, let me know that as well, as I have discovered that StumbleUpon sometimes fails to track all stumblers.
If you have never commented on this blog before, then your comment will be moderated. I’ll approve it as soon as I get back to the keyboard
I think that’s enough fine print, let’s get started!
Rocking the Cascade
or rather, I guess I should say that I *wish* I was rocking the Cascade. A few weeks ago, I snagged a chance to test the liquid Cascade against a competitor. Now, ya’ll know I am cheap, cheap, cheap and liquid dishwasher detergent never enters this house, right? I do use Cascade powder over the store brands, because it just plain does a better job. And now…….
Well, now I am wishing I weren’t quite such a cheapskate. I really enjoyed the light fresh scent of the Cascade, and the dishes were clean. I can’t say cleaner than usual, because I don’t feel like the liquid Cascade necessarily out-performed the dry, but I can tell you that I had far fewer loads where the soap didn’t get used. The up-shot is that I will be looking for liquid Cascade to go on sale, so I can stock up.
And guys?? If you want to send me another bottle, I am so on it. In fact, I am out by the mailbox. Waiting.
New Rvs
Are ya’ll sick of me talking about backyard camping yet? Oh, well, sorry to hear that, cause, how can I not talk about something so fun?? I’ll try to tone it down until mid-July, when we are doing it again.
You know, part of the reason backyard camping appeals is that we can’t fit all our stuff and all our people in the van. Nonetheless, dh has hinted a few times that he’d like to go to a KOA or something. In order to do that, we’d have to get a second vehicle, and since I really like the concept of indoor toilets, I think he needs to be looking at New RVs. Or used ones, even.
You know what else I found on rvs.com? Links to campgrounds that are way cheaper than KOA. Lots of them. Including horse camps. You know, where you can ride horses. Yeah, for 12-24 bucks a night. I realize the horse riding would be in addition to that, but still. That’s way better than the $80plus quote I got for KOA.
Wordle
Hey, ya’ll. Meet my Wordle. Click to embiggen. This has been popping up all over, but I am giving props to Amy, since I clicked through from her link. Who knew I said nipples often enough to make it large? Oh well, at least it’s drawer and not drawers!
