My Trip to Downtown Detroit

Cold met my toes as I got into the car. “My first day on the monorail.” I thought. ” Wow.” As we drove toward Detroit, we saw the long blue Ambassador Bridge. “Someday we’ll be on that bridge.” I thought.

When we got to American Coney Island, I was already warming up. But when dad opened the door, a blast of cold wind met my face. I didn’t want to leave the warm car. But reluctantly, I got out of the warm car to stand on the cold sidewalk and waited for Dad to pay for parking. Cold wind kept blowing into my face as we crossed the street.

Finally Dad opened the door to the restaurant and one last blast of wind met my cold face and we stepped into, for the first time, the world famous American Coney Island! As we sat down, (way in the back of the restaurant) and as dad told the waiter what we wanted, (hot dogs with fries and coke) I gazed out the window at the cold street outside. I saw cars passing the place then stopping at the light ahead. I sighed and then got up from my seat.

“Where are you going?” said Sarah. “The bathroom,” I said. I needed to go to the bathroom AND I wanted to see what the place’s bathroom looked like. I didn’t like Lafayette’s bathroom at all. It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years! Gross!!!!! But when I opened the door, it was completely different than Lafayette’s bathroom! The walls were clean and it didn’t look like someone throw up in there! I went to the bathroom for 2 minutes then I went back to the table and shared my info with Dad and Sarah.

“Wow. “Said Sarah. After lunch we walked through the Lafayette Garden (yes, Lafayette!) A light breeze fluffed my hair as we walked from the garden to the monorail station.

We put our coins in (click!) and then walked onto the platform waiting in the biting cold for the monorail. Even though I was wearing a big coat, I was sill shivering in the cold air. “Is that it?”I said. There it was, coming down the track toward us, the monorail!

As I climbed on it, I felt excited. My first time on the monorail! I sat down on a seat and stared out the window and after a minute we began to move. And as we moved across the track, we made stops once every minute.

On the third stop, a family stepped on board. One of the kids looked like Merida from Brave. She looked at me and I looked at her. “Hi.”I said. She was a bit shy through almost all the ride, until we saw Canada across the Detroit River. “Wow!”She said. Mom was not there so I took pictures for her.

When we got to our stop, I said bye, and stepped off the monorail. I felt cold on my toes as we walked toward Comerica Park. The Tigers will play at the park that night. We searched for our family paver stone hard. We looked and looked. Until….” Dad, here!”I said. There it was, reading, GO TIGERS JACOBS FAMILY.

Then we walked to the pro shop and entered. The place was PACKED with people, I tell you! As I saw a Tiger hamburger plush doll, I saw the people from the monorail standing a few feet away!

We left the shop and rode the monorail back to the car. As I got in warmth filled me up very fast. At that moment I started a new goal. When Mom gets home I will tell her all about my trip to Downtown Detroit.

(note: this is a Personal Narrative Lauren wrote for her English class about their adventure while I was in  Florida)

Orange Food Tastes Good!

(Apologies to Anne Burrell.)

Thanksgiving is next week!  When did that happen? We're going up to Jeff's parents' for dinner, and bringing pumpkin pies.  When Jeff was a teen, an entire pie was reserved just for him, but he's more moderate now. I'll make a traditional pie and whipped cream to go with it, but it's nice to have something in the healthier arena as well.

I made Chocolate Covered Katie's Crustless Pumpkin Pie last night. It was very easy and everyone really liked it. Not having to make a crust saved a ton of time and effort.  Since we're not vegan, I added an egg, but left the oil out.  Less than 100 calories per slice!  I also added a little ginger, because I love that bit of kick. Next week, I'll make the traditional version, but I'll be making Katie's version regularly this winter.

I also made Roasted Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Pilau last night, to go next to pork chops/fish.  The girls thought it was ok, but Jeff really liked it. Like, said three times how much he liked it.  I didn't have pumpkin, but I got a kuri squash last week, and they're pretty close, so I used that. I don't like how sweet potatoes sometimes get black spots when you roast them in the oven (no, they weren't burned), but they're still tasty. I used vegetable broth instead of chicken, and added some diced dried apricots because I had them and it sounded good.  I'm going to mix the leftovers with either diced chicken or ham for lunches this week.  This is another one I'll be making pretty steadily. 

The Calculus Dress

I've made a lot of things over the past ten years or so with my sewing machine. I've made Halloween costumes, Christmas dresses, Easter dresses, sundresses, pajamas, skirts, tote bags, lunch bags, quilts, and hats. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting.

But most of those things have been for kids, either my own or others. Last summer, I decided to start making a few things for myself. A lot of this was due to a seriously depleted wardrobe. I'm not much of a clothes horse to begin with, and losing weight left me with a lot of space in my closet. This is certainly a good problem to have, but it's still a problem.

I made a couple skirts for myself, nothing too difficult, and learned a little about what works for me and what doesn't.  But I wanted something a little more challenging.  I found Simplicity 2217 and really liked the wrap style of the bodice. I found a couple yards of a nice heavy fabric in the basement. It's a peacock teal, with a subtle woven effect on the right side, and I thought it would be just right.

Once I got the pattern, I knew I'd have to make a muslin first. I didn't want to cut into my fabric before I was sure what I had was correct. I first measured the pattern pieces, then myself, and realized that the bodice pieces would have to be lengthened. I've actually done that before, so I wasn't too worried. But then I looked at the bodice front pieces, at the jagged line along the bottom (to accommodate the pleats).

Enter the "deer in the headlights" look.  Um.  Well, that's different. I'd never seen a pattern piece like that. A Skype to my mom was in order.  She was trying to explain to me what I needed to do, but it just didn't translate to me, even though I could see her. Without being able to manipulate the fabric, we weren't getting anywhere. The realization hit us both at the same time. I needed to go to Florida so we could sew together!  When my Dad found out about the idea, he insisted on paying for my plane ticket, as a birthday & Christmas present for me. Is he great or what?

I packed with happy anticipation.  I was really looking forward to learning some new skills & tricks and advancing my knowledge.  I realized that sewing is kind of like math. Sarah & Lauren can use the machine to do basics--addition & subtraction, if you will.  I know lots of people that can do "multiplication & division" sewing.  I know a few people who are doing "pre-algebra, exponents, maybe a little scientific notation" sewing.  I'm confident in my "algebra & geometry" sewing.  I was expecting the dress to take me to "trigonometry" levels.  It would be a stretch, but not insurmountable. 

Nope.  Once I got down there and my mom started working on it, I realized that this was a "calculus" dress.  Hell, "ADVANCED calculus." Luckily, my mom has done "NASA-level astro physics" sewing.  I realized that fitting and tailoring are well beyond what I can do, and more than I could learn in the course of a weekend in Florida.  That level of work really needs more of an apprentice like program.

So my mom ended up doing all the heavy lifting on this dress--she determined where the pattern pieces needed to be altered, did all the darts and pleats, put in the zipper, and made sure every seam she worked on was perfect.  I learned how to ease a seam, and how to stitch a facing so it would lay flat--both "trig" tricks if I ever saw them.  I also set in the sleeves and hemmed it.

And so I give you (drumroll, please) . . .
The Calculus Dress.

We're on our way to church now!

Breakfast

I am a carb junkie, no doubt. Bread pudding is one of my favorite things ever, my stepmom's Thanksgiving stuffing being a close second.

I made Skinny Apple Pie Bread Pudding for breakfast this morning.  It was really good, but I ended up eating way too much of it. Sarah also liked it, but Lauren just thought it was ok.  I don't have custard cups, so I used my square 8x8 baking pan and used an extra piece of bread.  It worked out well, but did I mention that I ate way too much of it?  I'm going to get some custard cups/ramekins soon, because that kind of portion control is really necessary for me.

I'd also like to try Pumpkin Baked French Toast, which is essentially the same thing but with pumpkin (also vegan). Dark Chocolate Chunk Bread Pudding looks ridiculously delicious, but it's no even remotely appropriate for breakfast.  That's another one that needs ramekins for portion control, so I have an excuse to wait on that one.

Sewing post coming SOON!

What's Cooking?

(a dressmaking post will be coming soon)

I made Apple Scones last week, and they turned out pretty good, but not as amazing as I'd hoped. I'm sure that's largely due to the fact that I've largely fallen off the healthy bandwagon, and am more used to cooking with a lot more fat & sugar than these called for.  I might make them again, but I'd rather go for some cinnamon rolls.

I took some BBQ chicken and put it into biscuit turnovers last week, to rave reviews from both kids. I'm trying to think of other things I can put inside a biscuit.  Sloppy joe meat looks the most promising based on kid reactions.

I'm also trying to decide what to do with the lone pound of ground beef in my freezer. One pound can go for burgers or chili or sloppy joes or meatballs or shepherd's pie or Hamburger Helper. It's not quite enough for pasties.

All of those are good things that will get eaten.  But I'd really like to try empanadas. They're similar to pasties, in that they have meat & vegetables and have a pastry crust, but the meat is cooked ahead of time, and of course the flavors are totally different. I really like trying new things, although they aren't always a hit with everyone else.

Fun Project

I'm teaching a basic sewing class at our co-op, and so far it's been crazy but fun. The first week we made t-shirt tote bags. Last class, we made water bottle totes out of old pairs of kids' jeans.  The class always whizzes by, and I'm really glad I have a helper who knows how to sew, because otherwise we would never get done.  

Our next project is a Trapper style hat,  based on http://www.fleecefun.com/trapper-hat.html

I made a practice hat last night, just so I could see if it would work out ok. I made the medium size, and it fits Sarah pretty well, but when I make one for myself, it’ll be a large.  I didn't bother with the optional front piece, because I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. 

I dug around in the basement for leftover pieces of polar fleece.  I knew Sarah would love the lime green, and I wanted the other piece to be purple, but there just wasn't enough, so I used some of the girly camo that I got years ago to make snow pants.

Assembling the pattern pieces and cutting out the fabric was really easy, as was sewing the front and back together.  When it came time to close up the V in a seam, I accidentally caught too much of the rest of the fabric in the seam. After I took it out, I carefully trimmed the seam so there wasn't as much bulk to get caught.

Then I made the tassels, but had a hard time knotting them at the bottom. I realized I should have just gotten another piece of thin fleece and tied it off with that. I'll carefully undo the knot and do that this afternoon. I tacked them to the flap pieces, keeping them turned up and out of the way. If I'd had safety pins, I might have actually pinned them, and I'm still considering that for the class.

Then it's just a matter or putting one hat inside the other (right sides together, of course) and pinning them. I always have my students pin parallel to the seam, so for this, the perpendicular pins indicate where to start and stop sewing.

.

 Once it's sewn together, turn it carefully right side out, then tuck one into the other--it doesn't matter which is which, because this is totally reversible. Make sure the tassels are pulled all the way out, and the seams are nice and even. Tuck the opening in on itself and carefully topstitch around the edge, about a quarter of an inch in. This is the most fiddly part--the stitching shows, and the part on the flaps with the tassels is thick, so it's slow going

The whole thing took less than an hour, even with taking all the pictures and ripping out that one seam, and calling Sarah down to hold the strips while I braided them. I tried it on myself and it was a little tight, but it fits Sarah well--she's been wearing it pretty much non stop.  Lauren already asked if she can have one, and I'll be making one for myself as well. I really hate cold ears in the winter, and when it's windy, I worry about earaches, so those long flaps will be great. In fact, I can see myself making LOTS of these hats in the next few months!

Adventures in Dressmaking, Hiatus

When last we left our intrepid novice seamstress, she had a bodice that was too big for the accompanying midriff band.

OK, enough third person--too much work for today.

I Skyped my mom, who said, that NO, I shouldn't make the midriff band bigger, because it did actually fit.  I just needed to adjust those pleats some more. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to do that. I could use trial and error, but that's a recipe for wasted time & frustration. I was also concerned that the V of the neckline would be too deep--I want to be able to wear this to church, after all. My two solutions--a tank worn underneath or a stitch at the neck--were both vetoed in favor of actually doing it correctly.  Well, if you put it that way . . .

As I was pondering the limitations of Skype and thinking yet again that I wished we could actually be physically together, we both had the serendipitous realization that we SHOULD physically get together.  My birthday is coming up, and I thought that my flight down could be my birthday present, and my flight back home could be my Christmas present.  And it looks like that will hopefully work out, thanks to my Dad. There are many details to work out still, including my crazy schedule, but I think I'll be able to have a girls' weekend down south sometime next month. In addition to sewing, we're thinking about pedicures and sushi.  So there probably won't be too many sewing posts for a while, but once I'm back, I should have lots to share.

Adventures in Dressmaking, Part 2

I recut the front bodice piece this morning, and it went together much better. You can see the old piece in the background and the newly cut one in the foreground.

I realized there was another issue, though--the midriff band is suddenly about two inches too short on either side. I realized that since I'd extended the bodice, the band would have to be extended as well.  I didn't bother with doing that right now, because it's just the muslin and I'm trying to see how the overall fit is. The sides are still sewn together, so I can check how it fits.

Except I can't. I can't check on myself because I can't see myself and adjust on my own body.  It feels like there is a LOT of extra fabric in the back, far more than would be necessary to accommodate a zipper, but I can't tell for sure. My plan is to Skype my mom with it on and have Sarah pin the back for me, and do the best we can with that.

I did have some mental whining about wishing my mom was actually physically up here, but Skype is certainly better than doing this just over the phone. 

In zucchini news, I made the quiche, and it was good, but the caramelized onions were the best part. And nobody else had any of it. Next time (yes, there will be a next time), I'm going to skip the crust. The delicious, flaky crust is just extra work, extra fat, extra carbs, extra calories.  Yes, extra delicious, but that's not the point.  I'll also shred the zucchini & squeeze out the extra water--even though I sauteed the veg first, the center of the quiche was a little soggy.  I can do better, and I don't really need a recipe for it. 

Adventures in Dressmaking, Part 1

I never did get to the quiche, but I've got onions going in a big pot right now, and if I manage to run out and get some eggs, I might make it tonight.Then again, maybe not. I have to leave for work in just a few hours, and there's still a lot to do around here.

I've had my eye on Simplicity 2217 for months. I like the wrap style of the top especially. I found a couple yards of a pretty teal fabric in the basement, and since Simplicity patterns were on sale, I picked it up, along with some thread and a zipper. Man, matching teal is hard.  One color makes my fabric look very green, and the next makes it look more blue. I got the closest I could find.

I knew that getting the right fit on the bodice would be the most difficult part, so I decided to make a muslin, or test bodice. On my mom's recommendation, I also did a little pre-cutting measurement. The front bodice piece measures 16 inches from the top of the shoulder to the bottom. When I put the tape measure up to myself, that 16 inches went from the top of my shoulder to just under my bust. It would be just right, except for seam allowances.  I decided to add an extra inch and a half to the bottom of all the pieces.  This was fine for the back, and the bodice side. The bodice front, where the pleats are, was much harder because it's not a straight cut, but I thought I did ok.

The first step was to get those pleats in. I'm not good at pleats, but I managed to get them in. I attached the side bodice to the front, then realized I'd done it backwards. Notches are our friends; don't ignore them!  Basting stitches are better friends, though--I ended up using my seam ripper a lot already, and those big stitches made it so much easier.

Once the pleats were in and the bodice & side bodice attached (I didn't bother with the facings since it's just a muslin), I overlapped the right & left sides of the bodice and basted them down.  And there was the big problem. I realized that when the pleats are in, the bottom edge of the fabric should still be straight. It wasn't. I decided when I started this that I was going to be as meticulous as possible in order for it to turn out right. So I took out all the pleats, which was disheartening--the very first steps of the project are off to a rough start.  I'm going to do them over either later this afternoon, tonight after work or tomorrow morning. I don't have any kind of deadline on the project, but I don't want it to languish in the basement forever, like so many other things have. 

She's Baaaack!

A friend I hadn't seen in a while said to my Friday, "you need to blog more!" I thought, "yeah, I've gotten out of the habit." But now I come here and look and holy cow! I didn't blog at all last month?  I have been pretty busy between work and the kids, but I haven't done lots of sewing or cooking.

That's about to change. I'm trying to do a lot with all the zucchini from my garden, including zucchini bread and pancakes, and tomorrow I'm going to do a zucchini & caramelized onion quiche.

And I was digging through my fabric in the basement (all 8,034,932 yards of it) and I found a couple yards of a teal linen-weight fabric that I really like, enough to finally do Simplicity 2217.  This is far and away the most complicated pattern I've ever gotten, and I'd really like to do a good job with it, so I'm going to take my time and be as meticulous as I can. That includes making a muslin for the bodice to make sure it'll fit properly. As I was reading through the instructions, there was a lot that looked unfamiliar, so I'm sure I'll be making lots of "Sewing 911" calls to my mom, probably with Skype. I'll also try to take lots of pictures to document how it goes.

Recipe Review: Peach Pie

I never seem to find good peaches. When I see them in the produce market, I pick them up and smell them, but they never smell very peachy, so I usually pass them by. But yesterday, I wanted to make a peach pie, and I figured that since I'd be cooking them, it would intensify the flavor, so I grabbed about ten.

I was using this recipe as a guide, but knew I wanted to do a crumb topping instead of lattice. I briefly considered skipping the crust altogether and just going for a crumble, but crust isn't hard, and I wanted that flaky texture along with the crunchy crumble and tender peaches. I made the crust and stashed it in the refrigerator, then got to work on blanching the peaches.

Blanching peaches just means plunging them into boiling water, leaving them there for a minute, then putting them in an ice water bath.  The peels should come right off. And they did--for the first peach. Maybe I didn't leave them in the water long enough, but almost all the peaches had to have the peels cut off, instead of peeling away from the flesh. This was the most time consuming, annoying part. Moral of the story?  Use frozen peaches!


After that, it was pretty easy.  Roll out the crust and put it in the pie pan, building it up a little higher on the sides. Mix the sliced peaches with white sugar, brown sugar, flour, cornstarch, cinnamon and ginger. Pour into the pie crust. Top with your standard flour/oatmeal/brown sugar/butter/more cinnamon & ginger crumble topping. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 and bake another 45 minutes or so. Let the pie sit in the cooling oven (there are two advantages here:  it thickens better, and doesn't take up valuable counter space).

I got some caramel praline crunch ice cream to dish on top--which really was gilding the lily--but vanilla would have been good, too.

The pie was good, but not bursting with that summery peachy goodness I'd been hoping for. Moral of the story? Use frozen peaches!!! 

Note that there are no nutritional statistics for this recipe. Between the flaky pie crust, sweet peach filling, crunchy topping, and ice cream, one serving had enough calories for a full meal. It was definitely a splurge, but well worth it.

Recipe Review: Honey Lemon Bars

I've been wanting to make the Skinny Honey Lemon Bars for ages.  First, I didn't make them because I didn't have the right size pan. Then, I was low on honey. Then, the friend that Sarah had over doesn't eat eggs (instead, they made sugar cookies that were so good, they're totally my new go-to recipe).

Finally, I made them on Saturday. And I followed the recipe exactly. I know--shocking, right?  But it seems pretty carefully calculated, and I didn't want it messed up. So no tweaking on this one. The result?  They're pretty good. Both girls love them. I just like them. For me, it isn't an A+ recipe for two reasons.  First, the honey taste kind of competes with the lemon. I like honey, but I think I'd like a different sweetener for this one. Also, the crust layer is thicker than the lemon layer. As far as I'm concerned, that's backwards.

Will I make them again?  Maybe, but I think I'm likely to look for a variation that has a different lemon layer.

Greek Yogurt Love

The Aldi near me has recently started carrying Fage 0% fat Greek yogurt, which means that that's one less thing I have to trek to Meijer to get. I've started getting two containers a week, because I go through so much of it.

What do I do with it?  Well, there's the standard yogurt & fruit snack, smoothie, or popsicle.  Sometimes I make a classic Swiss Birchermüesli (soak some oatmeal in milk for about half an hour, then add yogurt, grated apple, and as much fresh, in season fruit as you can stand--lovely dinner when it's too hot to cook). Last week, I started making yogurt pancakes. I saw the original idea on one of the MyFitnessPal message boards, and tweaked it a little.

Here's how I do it: mix 6 ounces Greek yogurt with an egg and a half a teaspoon of vanilla. Mix in 1/3 cup whole wheat flour and a teaspoon of baking soda. Cook as with regular pancakes. Makes 5 or 6, depending on size. Nutrition:  302 calories, 36 carbs, 6 grams fat, 29 grams of protein, 4 grams fiber.  That's for the whole batch!!!  I generally don't bother with syrup or butter. The real beauty of this recipe is that there is so much protein and it's relatively low carb. I feel like I'm always "chasing" protein, and unless I have eggs, it's hard for me to get at breakfast.

In contrast, the pancakes I make for the kids have about 25% more calories, 30% more carbs, half the protein, and half the fiber. I might have to start making yogurt pancakes for them, too. In that case, I'm going to need a lot more yogurt, and should probably start making my own, but that's another post.

Expectations

Will post basement results soon.

Since my mom is in town, I've been thinking a lot about sewing. The other day, I took a bunch of fabric over to her and we played, "What should this be?"  I got some great ideas and it was a lot of fun. Yesterday, she came over for a few hours so she could help me with some more concrete things, like taking in some shirts and making some skirts.

I tried on the last skirt I made, the blue six-gored. She immediately said, "It's too big." and we discussed how to make it better. It'll mean taking the waistband off, but I should do that anyway since I did a pretty sloppy job of it. I'll take the gores in at the top, but leave the bottom as is. I'll also make the elastic smaller.

I have this really pretty, batik-y looking rayon in blues & white. Very summery, very drapey. I was thinking circle skirt. My mom said the for a circle skirt to really look right, it needed a proper waistband and a zipper. I've been putting off working with this fabric since I got it weeks ago, because the thought of a circle skirt was intimidating to me. I didn't want to deal with all that bias finishing. She suggested a slightly gathered skirt. I could get it cut out of one piece (selvedge to selvedge), with one seam, an elastic waist, hem, and done. I've made skirts like that a bazillion times before and knew I could whip it out in my sleep, so I got started.

I made it, and tried it on.  It looked nice, but not the full, drapey, flowy, girly skirt I'd had in my mind. And therein lay the problem. I had an expectation of what this fabric should be, and this wasn't it. It's not bad; it just isn't what I want for this fabric.

So my time with the seam ripper is going to be longer than I thought. I don't really mind taking it apart. I have enough left over to add to it to make another six-gored skirt, which I know will be flowy and drapey and girly the way I want. I'll even be able to use the measurements from the one I already made once I get it fixed. This also gives me time to bite the bullet and get the Serger fixed.

The ironic thing is that I have a plaid seersucker that I love (used it to make golf shorts for the girls a couple years ago) that will be perfect for a simple gathered skirt. I will easily have three new skirts next weekend.

Of course, I have no idea what I'm going to wear to church this morning.

Home Stretch

The kids will be back on Sunday afternoon. I'm not working again until Monday. That means I have today, tomorrow, and Saturday to get the basement as done as I can.

This week's Purple Heart pickup:

 This week's garbage pickup:

This week's progress:

Most of the stuff that had to go out has gone out. There will still be extra garbage next week, and another Purple Heart pickup sometime in July. But most of what is still down there stays down there, and that's the really hard work--figuring out what to do with all the stuff that stays. Finding room for it, keeping it tidy & organized.

Today is mostly about clothes & fabric.  I have laundry to do, clothes to sort, and fabric to fold. It's a good thing it's cooler down there!

Realization

So even though I've removed 12 metric tons of crap from my basement, it still looks like a garbage truck exploded.  But now I think I understand a little better why that is, and what to do about it.  Also:  a weight loss correlation.

Essentially, what I'm doing is sorting into two categories:  stay and go. The "go" can be either garbage or donations, but it gets out of the basement.  But all the "stay" stuff is still there.  Yes, I know:  duh. I've been so busy trying to just get through the masses of piles (Jeff called it a berm) and move forward, deeper into the basement, that I didn't do much with what's left behind. I didn't really have a plan for what to do with the stuff that stays. 

But I think that I've made as much forward progress as I'm going to for a while. I've gotten quite far back, all the way to the stuff that has been in boxes for years.  This kids can't be blamed for that stuff, but it's fairly neat and contained, and I'm willing to leave it for the time being.

Now it's time to go back. Back over the pile of shoes and start figuring out what will go where. Back to the books and toys that I do want to keep. And that's where I get stuck. I don't know what to do with it all. We have a couple shelf units (full) and bookshelves (fuller). There are some plastic storage bins, also largely full. So I'm not sure exactly what will happen to all the stuff we still have down there. That's my next big challenge, and it's what I'll be working on this weekend.

The weight loss correlation:  I've been working through the basement by taking one area and just getting through it.  "When I'm done with this section of floor, I'm done for the day, and it will look so much better without that big pile."  But when I am done, I don't see the difference. All I can see is what isn't yet done.  There's a similarity to looking in the mirror. I know I've lost weight. I know my clothes are smaller. But when I look in the mirror, I don't really remember what I used to look like.  I see old pictures, and just feel perplexed.  I don't remember how that felt. The only difference is that I know I'm happier when I look in the mirror than I was a year ago.  I guess that'll have to do.

How is this possible?

While the kids are in Florida, I'm cleaning out the basement. This is a truly Herculean task--fully half the basement wasn't even accessible.

This is just the front part of the basement. It doesn't even begin to show the true measure of the worst part.
I've worked on it every day, sometimes only for an hour, sometimes longer. 

Purple Heart has come out once so far.

This is actually only about half of what they took today.  I managed to get a lot more toys and a few more bags of clothes out before the truck came.

A friend came out to pick up dozens of books for a book exchange she's having this weekend, saving me an extra trip.

(OK, turn your head to the side, because I can't get the picture to rotate.)

I've dragged countless bags of garbage up the stairs.

And the result?  The basement looks worse now than it did before.  Seriously!

Yes, I can see a lot more floor than before. Yes, I know that it's better.  But I'm so tired, and there is so much left to do. The clothes, the toys, the SHOES.  I have until the end of the month until the kids come back, and I'm determined to get it in really good shape before then.  I'll update again next week.

Recipe Review: Skinny Taste Snickerdoodles

We're going to a friend's today for a pool party. Yes, I'm aware that it's 55 degrees out. Luckily, the friend also has a hot tub. We're hoping this will be a recurring event, and when talking with the mom in charge, I suggested that (since we're all trying to be healthier lately) we make a point of bringing healthy foods and the recipes.

When I suggested this, I was thinking of things like Cold Sesame Noodles. Middle East Panzanella. Corn and Black Bean Salad. All delicious things on a hot summer day. Um. Did I mention the bipolar Michigan weather?  I decided to make cookies instead.

Specifically, Gina's Skinny Taste Snickerdoodles.  And yes, I did modify the recipe. I don't have cream of tartar (subbed baking powder for it & the baking soda) or agave syrup (subbed honey). Also, I think I let them cook a little too long. Once they're cool, they're pretty crunchy, and I strongly prefer a chewy cookie.

They're very tasty, though, and the kids really like them.  This is one that goes into the "make again" file.

More Sewing

Some good, some bad.

First, the good. I have a bunch of shirts that are 2X from last fall that are now too big & rather sloppy. I decided to see if taking in the side seams would help any.
Example #1:

I turned it inside out, and drew a new line, then cut and pinked the edge. I just eyeballed it to see how it would go. 

Example #2:

Pretty much the same thing, but with a knit/t-shirt instead of woven/button down style.

So far, I was pretty pleased. I had taken two shirts that I never wear and turned them into items that I could wear to work or church. My wardrobe is pretty limited, and my budget is very limited, so I was happy to get extra use out of these things.

Next, I wanted to re-purpose a particular skirt. It's a long, somewhat A-line, very light & floaty fabric, kind of an ethnic print. Very nice for summer, and would go well with that orange top above. I carefully pulled out the waistband, and took out the side seams, then took it in along the sides and reattached the now reduced waistband. I had considered just using the fabric itself to make a totally different skirt, but decided to keeping the original style was the most expedient thing. I was hoping to be able to wear it to work tonight.

I'm not wearing it to work tonight. The hem is a mess--very uneven--and the waistband is still too big. I Skyped my mom to get advice, and she said that the issue is that I still don't know how to properly fit things. I agree with that, but the real issue is that I wanted to get a skirt done today. I've put it aside and will try something with it when she's here in July.  This is a better alternative than chucking the whole thing in the garbage, which was the direction I was heading.

I do still have plans for other fabric, though. There's the new stuff I bought at JoAnn's, and I have an actual Liberty Print from Nassau. I think I'm going to make a circle skirt for myself out of that one. I also have some blue that looks vaguely like denim. Short/skirts are what I really need right now, because I only have three pairs of shorts, and two of them are a bit too big.

In the meantime, I need to go find something to wear to work tonight.

Sewing Day

(Note: I don't know why my pictures are all on their sides--I edited them so you don't have to turn your head, but blogger is ignoring that. Sorry!)

I really wanted be able to take all day yesterday for sewing, but distributing the mulch out front took all day Tuesday, and distributing the peat out back took all day Wednesday (also, the kids had Field Biology at U of M Dearborn). So no sewing until today.

First, I started with some cool fabric that Sarah's been in love with forever. I don't even remember where I got it. It reminds me a little of the Russian nesting doll design. It was very easy--a seam up the back, being sure to line up the border part of the print. Then I put in an elastic waist, and she was done. I didn't even need to hem it, because the print ran all the way to the selvedge edge, so I used it. She's very happy with it.

Then I started on Lauren's skirt with some fabric she found in the basement this morning. I don't know where I got that from, either (this is a continuing theme, apparently). I was talking with a friend the other day about circle skirts, so I decided to give one of those a try.

I've never actually made a circle skirt myself, but I understood the general principle, and my stepmom made a few for me when I was in college and I loved them. I looked up a couple youtube videos, and started cutting. After I cut the circle and shook it out to show Lauren, then refolded it , I noticed that there was some overlap, so it wasn't truly a perfect circle. I didn't want to start trimming and trimming, though, because I was afraid that before I knew it, I'd have a micro mini circle skirt, and that's really not what I was going for!

I cut out the waist circle, had her try it on, and then shaved a tiny bit more off because it was a skosh tight going on. I really wanted to avoid making it too big, though. I used bias tape to bind the waistband, then added elastic inside it. I used more bias tape to bind the edge. I thought about turning it under, but I kind of like the border look to it, and it went much fast that way. I had a bad moment where I was sure I wasn't going to have enough. Seriously, it had never occurred to me that a brand new package (3 yards!) of bias tape might not be enough to run around the hem of this little skirt! Luckily, I had just enough left over from the waistband to finish.

After she tried it on, I realized that it really is quite uneven. It isn't noticeable if she's got the longer part in the back, but if it's off to the side, she looks a little cockeyed.  If (oh, who am I kidding? WHEN) I made a skirt like this for myself, I'm going to be very careful to make sure my circle is absolutely perfect. But Lauren likes it, and it's a nice play skirt--very twirly! 

Oy

I am so tired. I woke up at three, and couldn't get back to sleep. I was on the computer for a while, then watched a little TV, then dozed on the couch until 7. I'm really dragging today. Also, my knees are very stiff, I'm sure due to all the salt & junk I ate at the party last night.

I still have a busy day planned--I need to get a (slow) walk in, and there is a lot of yard work and laundry to do, and of course school work. I'm also working tonight.

The plan for dinner is to grill up a bunch of stuff that we can then eat throughout the course of the week. I have some small steaks for us to eat tonight, but I also got brats and will make some hamburger patties. I might also marinate a couple chicken breasts, and slice some zucchini to put on as well.

Time to wake up!

Recipe Review: Martha Stewart's Tiramisu Cupcakes

Last night was Sarah's Girl Scout end of year party. She volunteered for me to make tiramisu (with cupcakes as a backup plan). Uh.  OK. I love tiramisu, but I've never made it. I found a few recipes that looked reasonable, but realized I'd have to hit Meijer to get the mascarpone cheese. I avoid Meijer whenever I can, and only go when I needs several things I can't generally get at my regular stores (kosher salt, bulgur wheat, whole wheat flour, etc.). Since I was going, I decided to get other stuff as well. Grrr--I hate paying higher prices for things I know I can get cheaper at other stores.

To top it off, they didn't have mascarpone cheese. I was irked, but decided to hit Westborn Market on my way home, because they have a whole ROOM for cheese, and I was pretty sure they'd have it, as well as ladyfinger cookies. As I pulled in the Westborn parking lot and saw no cars, I realized that they were closed. D'oh!

I decided that cream cheese would have to suffice (which I already had at home), and that I could run down to Randazzo's produce market for the ladyfingers--I've seen them there a million times, but never gotten any. I dropped the groceries I already had at home, then got back in the car.

Dun dun DUN! Randazzo's had also closed!  I growled the whole way home, and googled "Tiramisu cupcakes." Of course, good old Martha Stewart had a recipe. It called for a few things I didn't have, like vanilla beans & of course mascarpone, but I had decent substitutions. It looked a little complicated, but whatever, right? The next morning, I copied it and holy cow! Are you kidding?  That's one complicated recipe!  I thought to myself, "these had better be some STELLAR cupcakes for all this work."

I made them, and took them to the party, and they were good. Sadly, they were not stellar. I didn't use enough of the coffee syrup for fear of them being soggy, so most of them were a little lacking in oomph. Again, not bad, but not worth the work.  Know what would have been stellar?  Yeah. Tiramisu. If I ever have a need to make it again, I'll plan a little farther ahead and just make the real thing, which seems worlds easier.

Hello Again

So I have some catching up to do, eh?

The CropWalk went great. The weather was just right, and aside from one monster hill, actually not too difficult. Yes, I was tired and my feet were sore when I was done, but I made it through. As I rounded the final corner, I looked at my phone to see how long it had taken me:  130 minutes.  Really? I was expecting a little faster than that. Then I realized that when we started, we were at the back to the pack, and it was hard to move ahead. That's fine if you're just strolling along, but I think that next year, I'm going to make a point of being closer to the front so I can maintain my natural stride the whole time.

As for my weight, I've gotten back in the groove. I made a goal to get at least half an hour of exercise every day this month, and I haven't missed a day yet. The first week, it was mostly on the Wii, but I realized that I really manage my stress better when I walk outside, so I've started doing that in the mornings again, and I'm glad. I did something to my ankle today, though--it's kind of sore, and I don't know why.

As of this morning, I'm officially down to 206.1.  I don't plan on even trying for "onederland" before Memorial Day, but by the time my mom & stepdad bring the kids back at the end of June, I should be there.

Up tomorrow: another recipe review.

It's All Good

Surgery was fine. We got in early, but still had to wait a bit.  Injecting the anesthesia into the IV was the most painful part (and that only lasted a few seconds before I was out.  I've got a monster bandage on my neck, but it doesn't hurt much at all, and I'm actually hoping that I don't have to cancel class tomorrow after all. We'll see how I feel in the morning. I'm kind of tired, but not as tired as Jeff, and am getting around just fine.

Still going to milk it for all it's worth, though. :)

Brownie-Off

I love me some brownies. When I first made the Drop 5 Pounds brownies, I loved them, but I'm always on the lookout for something with fewer calories. I saw in my Cook Yourself Thin Faster cookbook that they had a recipe for "Fudgy Brownies" that looked pretty good, and are only 89 calories each (adjusted for 12 servings instead of 16).

I made a batch Friday, and they were ok, but definitely lacking that chocolate hit from the other recipe. I think that the extra cocoa powder and the coffee make a big difference. I'd still like to try and find a brownie recipe that smacks me in the face with chocolate flavor but is fewer than 100 calories per serving--I might have to just develop it myself . . .

Week 16

I know--I said I wasn't going to weigh in again until May 1st because I wanted to concentrate more on just being healthy and living the way I know I should. And I have been doing that. But I still need that accountability and that validation from the scale occasionally.. I wish I didn't; maybe someday I won't. I plan to take next week off and weigh in again on the 29th, since that's a Sunday.

Official results:  207.9. That's 141 pounds total, almost 12 pounds this year, and 3.5 from last week.

The Crop Walk is in three weeks, and I can do 4 miles without too much difficulty. I realized today that I'm not really pushing myself on these walks. I don't run at all, and although I am tired when I get home, I know I could do more. Depending on how surgery goes, I need to step it up.

Ignoring the Scale

I've been eating really badly lately. Like, a whole box of Girl Scout cookies in an afternoon level badly. It's been a pretty stressful week, for a variety of reasons.

I'm back in the groove, but I'm still going to ignore the existence of the scale until May 1. I'm having minor surgery on Monday to remove a lymph node (docs assure me that they don't think it's serious, but they want to check it more thoroughly), and I know I'll be retaining some water after that. I think a couple weeks off from the pressure of the scale will be helpful.

Whatever the number is on May 1st, I'll deal with.Until then, I'm just going to do my best to be as healthy as possible.

Shopping

Yesterday, I took the girls shopping for Easter clothes at Kohl's. They each managed to find something they liked--Lauren a sundress & cardigan ("I can really run in this") and Sarah a racerback dress with a t-shirt to go under it--and since we were there anyway, I tried a few things on myself.

I got four dresses, all of them in this general style. They all looked like tents. They looked cheap and flimsy, and I couldn't stand how I looked in any of them. If I'd had more time, I would have looked for more and different options, but the kids were getting restless.

So I ended up being frustrated and annoyed that I couldn't find anything that I remotely liked, but I did come away with renewed motivation to eat better and get more exercise, because I really did not like how I looked in those dresses. Hopefully things will go better at Macy's, and I have gift cards there, which is a bonus.

Edit: I love Macy's. I loved the first thing I saw at the top of the escalator--a springy watercolor skirt. I found one in a size 16, knew it wouldn't fit, and grabbed it anyway. A yellow basket weave detailed top in XL to go with it, and I hit the fitting room.  I was right; it didn't fit. But it almost fit. And I loved it as much on as I did on the hanger, even though it was too tight. I could barely get the zipper up, and I knew I'd never be able to sit in it.

I went out to see if they had it in an 18, and the nice salesgirl called three times to try to find one. Finally, they realized that there was one out in Ann Arbor. I really didn't want to hike out there tomorrow, so I reluctantly kept looking. And looking. At one point, I did head up to the plus department on the third floor, but saw nothing I liked at all. Back on the second floor, I found several skirts to try on, and a sleeveless sheath style dress with flowers printed down one side. That's another one that almost fit that I loved.  But nothing else was really grabbing me. There was plenty that did fit, but none of it was appealing enough to buy. I was heading back to the counter to see if I could work something out where I could get the sale price on the original skirt at the other store tomorrow when I saw another rack of dresses. I grabbed one similar to this, but a different pattern. The neck was a pretty deep vee, but I figured I'd give it a shot.

Sure enough, it was way too low cut for me. But other than that, it looked pretty good. So I realized that I'd use the same solution that Sarah had--a tank underneath, and problem solved! I quickly found one, tried them on together, liked it quite a bit, paid, and was out the door just before closing time.

It's not a perfect dress. The colors aren't as bright and sunny as I was hoping for, and the waistline does hit a little high, but it's pretty and it works for now, and both pieces were less than $50. I think I can wear my sandals with it, and I'll find some earrings.

But the memory of that one flowered dress is really going to keep me on the straight & narrow for the foreseeable future. That was a killer dress, and someday I'm going to be able to wear that kind of thing. And I will rock it.

Week 14

That was faster than I expected. The previous gain came off, and took a friend with it. Down 2.4% (5.3 pounds) to 211.2.

I got some exercise, but certainly not every night, and last night, I ate way too much while Jeff's brother & sister-in-law were over (chips and dips and dessert, oh my!).  I didn't weigh in this morning, and am going to resist the scale until at least Thursday, or maybe for a full week, before I weigh in again. I want to focus on good habits: exercise and good eating. 

I still have a LOT to do this week, but I'm only working one night. I don't have all the week's dinners planned out, but I have some ideas. The weather should be warm enough to get back to walking outside. The CropWalk is in barely a month. I've walked four miles a couple times, and it was long, but manageable. I'd like to do that walk once a day this week.

Facing the Music

I haven't weighed in for ten days. I almost didn't weigh in this morning, but I knew I needed to see what the damage was. I'm up four pounds, which when you consider how I've been eating during those ten days, isn't bad at all.

The biggest problem has been in the evenings. I'll start out great during the day, but then keep on eating after dinner. There's a reason I made myself a rule that I won't eat past 6PM. Last night, I did manage to talk myself out of making popcorn to watch during a movie, which I see as a sign of a better mindset.

I still have a ton of stuff looming over me, but I'm trying to get on top of it this week. It's cold again, so I don't know how much outdoor exercise I'll be getting, but I'll make sure to get on the Wii tonight, since I don't have a class to teach.

I do feel more energized and empowered, and I'm determined to kick this. I'm not going to make a timed goal for how much I want to lose, but I'm going to shoot for at least 1% of my weight each week until I break 200.

Week 12

I am not weighing in this morning. I'm tired and crabby and ate way too much the past two days. Lauren's had a substantial fever since about 3AM Saturday, and I've kind of gotten behind the 8 ball. I'll get back on it this week.

Week 11

I'm officially weighing in a day early this week because I'm spending the night with the girls at my Dad's house (my stepmom is going to be at a wedding several hours away, and doesn't want him to be alone all night, just in case). I can't weigh in there, so I'm taking today's weight.

212.3 is pretty good--that's down 1.5 pounds from last week, which was my goal. Is there part of me that still wishes I was losing faster? Uh, YEAH! I think about what weight I'd like to be at Easter and by Memorial Day. But I'm trying to keep the big picture in mind here, and just keep plugging along, doing what I need to do.

Speaking of which, if I don't get out for a walk now, I won't at all. Later!

Not This Time

So I've been thinking more about the Corktown 5K this weekend. Schedule conflicts abound, and I just can't see spending $30 for what essentially amounts to a t-shirt. I can run/walk 5K any old time on my own, so that's what I'll do.

The May Crop Walk is free, though I will be fundraising for it, so that's still in the works. That is a BIG one. 5K isn't much more than I'm already doing, but 10K is twice that. I was trying to plan a route around my neighborhood that would get me up to that. I'll have to go quite a ways to get to that point. I have about 8 weeks until then.

My "daily training plan" is as follows:

• 1st week (to March 16):  at least 2 miles of walking or 45 minutes of Free Step 
• 2nd & 3rd weeks (to March 30): at least 3 miles of walking or 60 minutes of Free Step
• 4th & 5th weeks (to April 13): at least 4 miles of walking or 80 minutes of Free Step
• 6th & 7th weeks (to April 27): at least 5 miles of walking or 100 minutes of Free Step
• 8th week (to May 4): at least 6 miles of walking or 120 minutes of Free Step

Free Step is only if the weather is bad or there is no time otherwise. Walking outdoors is preferred.  I can take no more than one day a week off. I think this is a reasonable plan, and if I can stick to it, I'll be able to finish the CropWalk. I'm not going to even think about my speed this year.

Edited because I realized I didn't have a "4 mile" increment!

Exercise

Yesterday was gorgeous, so I went outside for a walk. I've gotten a few half hour walks with Jeff, but nothing near the hour I'd regularly do last summer, so I decided to step it up just a little bit. I added a couple extra blocks, which took my time from 29 minutes to 37 minutes. Not a lot, but I did feel the difference.

An hour later, Jeff got home, very stressed about work. Dinner was just about ready, and he said, "Do you mind . . ." At this point I was steeling myself to hear, "get takeout," but he finished with, "go for a walk." I paused for a second to turn the burners off the stove, slap some lids on, get the fish in the refrigerator, and get my shoes & coat. I knew the broccoli would be oversteamed, but it was a small price to pay. We did the basic half hour, and I had to jog a little to keep up with him, but it was a good walk.

I'm hoping to go out again this afternoon. It's windy but warm, so I'll make sure I have a hat. I also tried a plank for the first time today. I was relieved that I could actually do one, but I only held it for about 30 seconds. I also did ten pitiful girly pushups and 20 barely sit ups. I'm going to start trying to incorporate more strength training. I was watching Our Big Fat Weight Loss Story, and realized that if my family were to do that fitness test, I would definitely slow everyone down. I can't do squats or lunges, and I'm weak in general. I'm starting to get to the point where I care less about being skinnier and really want to be stronger. I need to form a plan and start keeping track of what I'm doing.

Song I don't yet have on my iPod but really want: Kelly Clarkson's Stronger. There's a girl at our church about Lauren's age who says that when she gets married, that's going to be the song playing when she walks down the aisle. Can't wait for that wedding!

Week 10

Down 3.6 this week, to 213.8. That's officially overweight, yay!

I had my follow up doctor's visit today. Predictably, the lumpy gland is still lumpy, so she wants a CAT scan. She reassured me that it was just a precaution, which I understand. It's just a pain to schedule. She was thrilled with my blood pressure, which was 110 over 66.  I joked that Jeff would tell me to eat something salty now, and she got seriously alarmed. "What? No! Why would you do that?  This is great where it is!" I reassured her that it was just a running joke with us. Jeff cracked up when I told him about it.

Plan for this week is to step up the walking--the 5K is this Sunday, and assuming I can scrounge up the necessary $30, I'm in. But I've only been walking about half an hour at a time, and this will take at least twice that. The friend that I'm going with usually walks about an hour a day, and I don't want to slow her down.

Recipe Review: Chocolate Almond Meringues

Originally from Ellie Krieger, but (all together now!) "I tweaked it." I didn't have almond extract, so I used vanilla. And I like dark chocolate much better than semisweet, so I used two of the little 70% bars I get from Aldi (almost two ounces). I also didn't have cream of tartar, so I just left it out. I didn't bother to blend the sugar down to superfine, either. The eggs were the only thing I didn't alter.

I'm so glad I have a stand mixer, because it made the whole process a breeze. Separate three eggs, putting the whites into the mixer, and beat on medium. Once the egg whites get foamy, add a teaspoon of vanilla and a third of a cup of sugar (slowly), and keep beating to soft peaks. Finely chop the chocolate, then add it in and keep mixing like crazy to stiff peaks. No, I didn't take the time to fold in ever so carefully. I thought about just spooning mounds onto the parchment paper, but did use a sandwich bag to pipe them out.

The piping went ok, but my technique needs work. They came out looking a little . . . um . . . scatological, if you know what I mean. . I got 33 out of the recipe instead of 20, but they're pretty small. I could have made them bigger, but I really like the smaller size.

The verdict?  SOOOOO GOOD. I'm bringing these to potlucks from now on. The bits of chocolate (which sometimes got stuck in the piping bag) are wonderful. The crispy edges are my favorite part, but the chewy centers are good, too. Next time I'm at Meijer, I'm going to get some coconut extract and a lime, and zest the lime into the sugar. Mmm, tropical!

Since I got 33 cookies out of this (they're not all the same size, so these numbers are just an average), they're each 19 calories, 2 carbs, 1 gram of fat, and 1 gram of protein. I've already eaten five. 

A Day of Rest

Well . . . kind of.

Monday was a very busy day. We left the house at 9:30, ran an errand for my Dad, had annual checkups for both girls, dropped off Girl Scout cookies to my sister, visited my Dad and looked through a mountain of old pictures, went to Lego Robotics, and then got home by 6:30. Schoolwork was light that day. We had tomato soup (made early that morning and reheated when we got home) and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.No exercise.

Yesterday was a busy day. Schoolwork in the morning, then I took Lauren and a friend to another friend's house to work on Girl Scout stuff. I stopped to get groceries on the way home, had lunch & did more schoolwork with Sarah. Then we picked up Lauren & the friend and went back to the friend's house to ooh and aah over her new baby sister. Then we picked up a friend from Sarah's Girl Scout troop and her mom and went down to the library so the girls could go camping with the troop. Dropped friend's mom back at her house, then came home to finish schoolwork with Lauren. Pot roast for dinner. I had potatoes, rutabaga, onions & carrots in with it, but I also baked some sweet potatoes and roasted a little cauliflower. We have lots of leftovers in the refrigerator today. Exercise was a half hour of Free Step on the Wii after dinner.

Today, I don't have to leave the house, at least until after dinner, when we'll head out to Lent service at church. There's still a lot to do, of course. Two of Lauren's friends are coming over to hang out and work on writing their plays. I'm sure they'll also get some time in on the Wii and in the basement. Schoolwork for Lauren before & after that. I want to roast some almonds, and--as long as I've got the oven heated up--make granola and meringues. I also have to make a bunch of phone calls, and get some exercise. Dinner will be beef and noodles, left over from last night, although I'll probably have beef & barley myself.

Guess I'd better go get dressed!

Week 9

Up a pound and a half this week--no surprise, since I partook in a fabulous fish fry yesterday. The happier news is that I've flirted with "Overweight" instead of "Obese" three times last week. I'm hoping it will stick around this week.

I'm also hoping for more exercise this coming week. I did 30 minutes of Free Step on the Wii today, and then got a half hour walk around the neighborhood with Jeff. The weather is supposed to be moderate this week, and snow isn't forecast for several days, so I'm going to try getting out walking more frequently. It was 34 degrees when we went today, so any temp above freezing is obviously doable for me.

Looking forward to a better result next week!

Recipe Review: Pasties

I make pasties a few times a year. They're not hard, but are rather labor intensive, so it's something I make to stash in the freezer. A friend wanted to come and make some with me, but our schedules don't mesh very well, so I decided to do a Pioneer Woman style post, with as many pictures as I could. I got the original recipe concept here, but of course have tweaked it.

First, the crust. I use a standard pie crust recipe of 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup shortening, and about a cup of water. Mix the salt & flour together, and cut in the shortening. Add the water a bit at a time. You might need more or less depending on the day. If you add too much, you can add more flour later. My dough was a little wet, and I had to use a fair bit of flour when rolling it out. Once the dough is all mixed, stash it in the refrigerator while you make the filling. You can use any crust recipe you like, or even buy premade from the store, but crust is easy and cheap to make yourself.

I like to use a pound of ground beef and half a pound of ground pork for my filling, but I've also used all beef in the past, and it's still good. Since ground pork generally comes in one pound packages, I use the other half pound for Szechuan Pork & Green Beans. You also need potato, carrot, onion, and rutabaga. I started with a half cup of each, diced pretty small, but had a lot of veg left at the end, so for official purposes, I'd just use 1/3 cup of each. A good pinch of salt, few grinds of black pepper, and a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce for seasoning.

A note about rutabaga--it's a classic ingredient in pasties, but can be hard to find. It's also pretty annoying to deal with. You only need a small amount, so feel free to leave it out. If you are going to use it, the leftovers can be mixed in with mashed potatoes, or added to soup. I only used less than a fourth of mine. You need to cut slices, then cut the skin off, then chop up pretty small.

Once all the vegetables are diced, mix them with the meat & seasonings. Stash that bowl in the refrigerator, covered, while you roll out the dough. Be sure to use enough flour so that the dough doesn't stick to the board. I used a 3 1/2 inch cutter, which is a really nice size. In the past, I've used a small plate to cut circles and folded them in half over the filling, but I like this way much better. Once you have a bunch of circles cut out, put a scant quarter cup of filling on half of them. Use the remaining circles to cover the filling. Since the filling is mounded up, bring the bottom edge up to meet the top and pinch together.

Once they're all made, brush with beaten egg and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, until golden brown. In the past, the pasties I've made have been yummy but not much to look at. These look almost professional!  Jeff commented that they look like little bundles of goodness. 

I got 21 pasties out of this batch--more than I expected!  Another bonus of making them so small. Just out of curiosity, I put the ingredients into MFP's recipe tool to see what the stats were (since I had a fair bit of crust left over--another first!--I adjusted the measurements a bit). For each: 207 calories, 14 carbs, 12 g fat, 9 g protein, 1 g fiber. That's a lot of fat, but the overall calories are considerably lower than I anticipated.

Recipe Review: Salmon Two Ways

I'd like us to eat more salmon. Lean protein, omega-3 fats, etc. But it's expensive, and not a family favorite. I got a slab of frozen salmon on sale last week and cooked it up last night. Again, I'm sad to report that this is NOT the dish that will convert us to fish lovers.

I used the Honey Mustard glaze recipe from Cook This, Not That (which also had a bit of butter, brown sugar, and soy sauce) on half and a store bought Asian Orange Ginger glaze for the other half. There were problems right off the bat. First, it wasn't fully thawed from being in the refrigerator overnight, so I did a speed thaw under cold running water. That works fine for thin tilapia fillets, but it wasn't so great for this.

The recipe called for roasting at 425 for about 10 minutes. I know from watching Top Chef that if the white protein comes out of the fish, you've overcooked it. Well, that started happening with mine before it was even done cooking. It looked very unappetizing, as you can see from the picture.

The taste was ok. Lauren did like it, but didn't have seconds. I liked it, and will have the leftovers cold on a green salad today. I thought the honey mustard was good, so I'll make a dressing of that to go over the top (equal parts of each), along with the greens, tomatoes, and red onion.

The search for the elusive "yummy fish recipe that the whole family likes" continues. I haven't given up, but I don't have anything in mind for my next try, either.

Week 8

Ha. So there. Down to 215.8, which is over five pounds down from last week, and half a pound less than my previous lowest. I stayed on track this week, even yesterday when we had ribs for Jeff's birthday dinner. I did half an hour of Wii Free Step every day except Friday, when there was no time in the day.

I'm going to keep with this plan for another week. I don't expect a big loss this week, because I don't have a big gain to bounce back from. Yeah, I'm OK with that.

Challenges for this week: I'm working less (only one day), but Sarah's chosen Chinese food as her birthday dinner. Instead of me picking my own entree, I'm going to have a little of whatever everyone else gets (there's always plenty), and some wonton soup. I think I'll make some brown rice to go on the side instead of the plain white rice the restaurant provides. I might even have a potsticker, depending on how the day has gone.

For exercise, I'm going to keep doing my daily half hour of Free Step. For recipes, I want to try recipes for salmon and meringues (no, not together).

The Doc

I finally had my doctor's appointment today. Weigh in was 220. Not where I wanted to be, but it's where I am. Doc is happy with my progress, wanted to know how I was doing it, if it was healthy. I assured her that I was counting calories, etc.

The only issue was that one of the glands under my chin was a little swollen. I can't specifically remember being sick recently, so she wants to see me back in two and a half weeks to check it again. If it's still swollen, she's going to send me to an ENT to check it out.

"What would they do?" "Probably a CAT scan or a biopsy." Urrrrrrrrrrrrgh. Anyone who knows me knows that more doctor visits is the absolute last thing I want. Yes, we need to be sure everything is OK. But right now my main goal is to boost my immune system as much as I can.

Off the top of my head, that means:

• elderberry syrup
• chicken broth (got some brewing in the crockpot right now)
• garlic
• ginger
• my standard vitamins 

We'll see how it goes. 

Recipe Review: Lighter Brownies

The Cooking Channel has a new healthy living show out called Good Housekeeping Drop 5 Pounds. I watched the first episode, didn't hate it, and set the DVR to record it. It's got cooking, exercise & general healthy living tips, from a few different hosts. The recipes are generally the kinds I like--easy and healthy, without many Franken-food ingredients (Hungry Girl, I'm looking at you!).

The Lighter Brownie recipe looked especially good, so I copied it and tried it yesterday.

Holy cow, I need to buy more cocoa powder. They were really good. I did change things a little bit, but only out of necessity. I don't have "trans fat free vegetable oil spread," but I do have butter, so I used that. And I (sadly) don't have an 8x8 baking pan, so I used my old 7x9 pan. I also cut them in 12 instead of 16. So the calories are a little higher than the 95 listed on the website. Mine came out to 129. Yes, that's about a third higher, but it's still pretty good for a brownie.

Now, these are not massive, thick cakey brownies. These are fairly thin, chewy, fudgy brownies with pretty intense flavor. There was barely enough cocoa powder in the can, so I added the last of it, and it might have been just a hair too much. But they're goooooooooooood. They definitely have that "oomph" that I'm looking for, the "I'm done" signal.

I looked in my Cook's Illustrated Best Light Recipe as well, and there is also a brownie recipe there, for 130 calories. I'm wondering how it'll stack up, so I might give that a try as well in the future. But for now, this recipe is my go-to for brownies, and I'll be making it frequently.