How to have a thankful thanksgiving.

So this year I'm going to sit on the couch, at my daughters house and smile and say things like..... 

Are you sure I can't help...

....... and Baby that smells soooo good I don't know how you do it.

   and the ever popular ...

It all looks so good I don't know where to start. 

After the feast.... 

I'm be saying things like.........

 Oh my goodness I'm full as a tick. 

and

 You really out did yourself my dear, and you'er sure I can't help with the clean up.

 My favorite

 ........We really did enjoy it Honey.

 It was so much fun would you like to do it again for Christmas?

I'm sure this will be the face I get.

Southern Round-Up ~~~ Robo-Style

We Travel from the corners of the map.

We stay in the same condo, with the same friends,

tell the same stories and eat the same food.

 . How is it we have new and more exciting fun each year? 

It's because we are the same crazy people and still love each other in an "OMG  you do that too!" ,sort of way. 

It truly is a "From each according to their ability to each according to their needs kinda group."  I mean where else would you find a group of gals ready to wander all over Pier Park helping me look for a "Gator Chef " .

When all we came out of with was a hat (for Jan), and some bump-its (me) from the as seen on TV store. LOL 

We had a wonderful lunch at a local place I can't remember the name of  maybe because they used chili on my super nachos but that's another story.

Jan had oysters and I so love Stacie's comment about them....

She says, in that way only Staci can...Hummm interesting presentation ...with the one eyebrow up, 

Jim you know what I mean right?

This is what she was looking at. They came out on a lunch tray from ( insert any chain here).

I also learned that you just can't take good pictures when the boat is rocking.... lol Sorry guys... It has been longer then I thought and I forgot about the wake.

Just when you think it's safe to take a picture. The next wave hits. 

It never gets old looking at these pictures ... I laugh every time... and I was the only one not drinking... LOL

More to come later ... busy with my crazy life ...run here, take this one there, pick up meds. Call in and pick up meds we forgot about needing ... How you forget about your insulin? Finish brides maids dresses and Gown for a Wedding coming up. Sew me a new outfit for a wedding coming up soon. 

I so enjoyed the trip and the down time. I needed it and my little walks on the beach. Glad I didn't find out the doughnut shop was open till the last day there............. Or the walks would have been for nought.

So back to real life in real time. 

Looking forward to next year and wondering where we will be. I hope on the water at a beach somewhere but will go just to see the "family" ... and the rest of  The G.R.I.T.S. Mafia.  

Love  Robin  

Things I find fun....

That don't you have gator nuts in your pantry?
I'm ready for game day Yes I am.

 It was a happy forth of July ...and No Sugar added!

 Paw Paw was so happy , Go Jimmy Go !

I will be looking for or making her a Tony Stewart outfit















You can't not smile at that face.



Izzy said this so I had to take a picture.---->>>     

"oh look granny it's your tattoo!"



I love fireworks!

Yes lunch should be fun.

 Yes I want one ------------->>>>>>> This color is good too.

 Sometimes you just have to laugh!

In the Wal-Mart parking lot.

Love the pink .... Yes some times you just have to

say flock it .....---->>>>>>..

Who loves ya baby......                           

              you know your laughing.

Trick Guacamole ,or Another way to fool you family healthy.

I'm watching what I eat and cutting calories where I can. I have been using an on line tool called

http://www.loseit.com/index.jsp#Home

I'm also trying to give up dairy for at least a week to see how it goes.

I have heard that this may help lose more weight faster, if you are allergic to dairy.

With these two things in mind I have been looking for ways to keep with the plan and still enjoy what I'm eating.

I do not have to give up anything. I have chosen to change a few things.

I have chosen to take an alternative route rather than the interstate to fatlandastan.

Yes I am dedicated to making healthy choices,but lets remember also that my real love of food and cooking got me where I am today.

OK there are other issues too but that is my monkey and will not be in a blog anytime soon.

So if I can have what I want for a few less calories by cooking it a little different. Then I'm up for the change. If it taste good then it really is a win.

Happy to report this was a happy and tasty change.

Almost everyone has heard of "The Hungry Girl" well this is the tail of how I tricked my family into eating one of her recipes.

More importantly how I tricked my mother in law into eating tofu.

Hell the real truth is how I tricked myself into eating tofu. 

I'll give the people who know me a moment to get their heads around that last statement...... True enough I did not eat it plan or cubed in a meatless recipe. But to replace the creamy goodness that is cream cheese in a guacamole recipe; well that's just witchcraft. Deceitful trickery at the least.

 Here are the cast of characters in our Little play. It's been said that "All the world's a play." So I say then have fun with the role.

First make sure you have the house or at the least the kitchen to yourself.(rule #62) Covert operations go best when only a few people are involved.

Drain the peas and Tofu... again I will give the people who know me a moment to "simmer" the words... peas and tofu. I know it's not easy to hear.

Now as the peas and tofu drain you need to hide all evidence that peas and tofu were ever in the kitchen .

This is important. If you give the least hint that you changed the recipe even a little from what the family is use to.They will always look in the trashcan first. Trust me on this one.  In 92' I tried to use generic mac & cheese and was found out by a 4 year old.

! HIDE THE EVIDENCE!

  (rule #18)



 

Scoop out the avocado and place in the food processor. Let's take a minute to thank the inventor of this little gem. It's a wonder,a time saver. A boon to cooks' universal.

I for one would not want to be without mine. That being said; chop the tomatoes by hand the food processor renders them unrecognisable.

(rule # 25)There is always a trade off.

Making sure no one is around add the whole can (15oz.) of peas to your processor, with a 1/4 cup of the tofu. Now blend till smooth. I add my onions and peppers here. One jalapeno pepper and 1/2 of a sweet onion.

It doesn't matter if you can tell what they are, little bits of "zippy" in

a sea of green yummy goodness I hope.

 Transfer to a different container.... here is where you get left to your own devices. You could put this in a really nice serving bowl if that is the practice at your house, I would not.

 (rule #63 Don't draw added attention to yourself when trying to fool anyone.)Or KISS. Keep it simple stupid.

This is just asking for questions. Questions that just don't need to be asked or even pondered.

Fold in the tomatoes and chill for about 2 hours or over night.

Now is the tricky part.

Judging you family .... no no no  not that kind of judging.  Unless your into all the drama and grief you bring on yourself.

Assess the group tendencies towards anger and violence (rule #6 Asses the situation.) 

How mad at you are they going to be if you tell them after they eat this new lower carb., fat, and calorie recipe change. Is telling them worth it.

You have to find the "Joy Level" received by the telling. 

To do this you will need to assign your laugh factor a number from 1 to 100 subtract the "cold shoulder level" (also on a 1 to 100 scale) you may receive from the party fooled.

 This is the "Joy Level". This number divided  by number of days it will take them to get over the trick you played on them.

If you do not get a number grater then 8 I say keep it to yourself or blog about it,but don't tell.

Here is the recipe from Woman's World

Mash 1 15oz can of young peas,drained.

Add 1/2 cup mashed avocado

1/4 cup well drained silken tofu

4 tsp lime juice

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/4 of an onion chopped

1 sm. jalapeno

ground cumin & chili powder to taste

fresh cilantro if desired.

(or if you like the taste of soap in your food.)

Yeah I'm one of them. I don't know why but this stuff taste like soap to me, and it makes me Itch if I get it on my skin. But that's another blog............

So on Hungry Girl she says it's about 78 calories for 1/3 cup using Greek yogurt in place of the tofu. With the tofu it's about the same only 85 calories for the same 1/3 cup. and no dairy.

http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1043

 So I liked this dip. It was wonderful on my taco salad and really good on my special k "chips"

Mother in law did not see any difference.

 I'm not telling anyone I made a big change in the Guacamole recipe for now. Well no one but you guys. "Wink,wink,nudge nudge."

The Joy Level of this trick is in the fact she and I ate something that was lower in fat and good for us too.

OMG my eye ,OR I'm blind ;son of &$%(*&#@!



Friends stopped by yesterday evening to pick up something. She had been slicing jalapenos for her loving hubby. They have a love hate relationship with peppers. He loves em, she hates em! Long story short she rubbed her eye and omg poor thing. That oily juice was still on her hands. Reminding me I have not written the sequel to How making pepper Jelly got started. 

Ghost Peppers in Vinegar



So here we go..........

I was making Pepper Jelly for Christmas gifts and like a goober I had my contacts in. Yes dear friends and genital people, I had my contacts in.

I don't feel I can stress this enough,

 My contacts were in my eyes.

Really bad idea when working with hot peppers. So make notes for later in this story and in your lives.

I wear gloves this is a good idea when working with peppers. As more than a "sometimes" cook I too feel like.... I Got This.... {Hands rotated outward in a game show model move to indicating all items on counter top are covered by this statement.} and that wearing gloves just slows me down and cuts back on my dexterity. I have learned the hard way Gloves are a must. Fashion smashion I'm no diva but you gotta glove. When it comes to hot peppers even mildly warm ones. It's not about burning fingers it's about were the fingers go after the pepper slicing or chopping.

We all do it ....rub an eye, scratch a nose. Oh and then it's on like Donkey Kong.

Last year I was making "Jingle Bell Jelly" that is what I call the pepper jelly I make for Christmas. I give this as gifts and leave some under the tree for gifts for the Magi. This was covered in the prequel to this blog. "How making pepper Jelly got started." To save time Magi in our house are the people who show up with a gift when you didn't expect it. My grandmother always kept some little something under the tree for the just in case people. Most of whom will be relatives, or co-workers that didn't get the memo "no gifts" you know who you are.

Now back to how I was rendered sightless for a short time. I had put on gloves... No. As I explained earlier they hinder my dexterity. (Note to self... right and being blind doesn’t) I would love to say that I had on gloves and somehow cut one and that's how this all started but NOOOOOh I was too smart for that ... remember ...I GOT THIS.....{insert game show model move here}  Well I didn't "got this" as well as I thought. I had an itch and rubbed under my eye and oh the burn well I added water to some baking soda and put the paste under my eye and soldiered on. I would take care of this after I was done with the Jelly.

When I was finished with the jelly I decided to take out my contacts (remember My contacts were in my eyes.) I had washed my hands with baking soda and lemon juice and also again in "go-jo" that grease cleaning stuff men keep in "the shop" or on your sink cuz "well I don't have a sink in my shop" So again I was surprised and the shocked at the pain in my eye when I put my fingers in it to remove my contact. 

My brain seized up at this and for a moment I felt what I call personal panic. It's that unforeseen moment right before you get your grip on whatever has happened. I was sure my eye was on the floor and the burning/searing pain I felt was going to last forever. My mind is a lot like a big lint screen, picking up lots of tidbits of information along my way in life. Some of which I'm sure has gotten mixed with others. 

So my calm little info man says.... "No no no; eyes can't reach the floor ...but they can rest nicely on your cheek attached by the nerves and tendons holding it."  Really that's all you got at a time like this? Really!? "It's highly unlikely you have dislodged you eye in the first place, and if you going to shout I will just have to leave."  I don't need that I need to stay calm. Now while I'm trying not to step on my eye (I did not believe my inner calm) and stop the pain. He who never gets his way is in the living room chatting up a storm about something he has seen or is going to do or OMG my eye. 

Yes this once it is allllll about me and I have to stop this pain. I know now why when they train law enforcement on how to use the pepper spray they take away the guns first.... If I had one now I think I would shoot myself to make it stop.

Watado! watado!! watado!!! Now my calm self has been joined by my inner child and she is scared all to hell and back. Dancing from one foot to the other and shaking my hands like I can't find a towel. I tell her water we are going to wash our eyes out with water.

If that doesn’t work were going to take them out and wash them, hell ones already out and on the floor someplace. Ummm, well no that can't really be true. Mr. Smarty info man said so.

I still wonder if this is true or not as I try to splash water in my eye at the sink ....no good not fast enough it's really is making it worse.

My brain locks up again ... saying something about how was that possible. I really thought the pain was at the highest level.... wow was I wrong.

I'm on auto pilot now ... I strip out of my clothes and doing so smack my toe on the leg of my vanity bench moving it a good 5 inches. Oh goodie blind and gimpy LOVE THIS!  Reach for the shower door & ram hand into wall by door.

 Good blind, gimpy, and now I need a hook for a hand.  Ever notice how everything is multiplied when you’re in pain to start with.

 

Oh good my inner Drama Queen has showed up..... Saying "Wonderful just mother loving Wonderful! You’re a frocking pirate, frocking wonderful.

If you die now I'm going to stand before St.Petter naked and looking like a freaking Pirate." I could remind her that the pirate act was not my idea but what good would it do she is way to stuck-up to hear me.

I find the door and slide it open. I reach in not a fast this time see I can learn. Turn on the water full blast and step in..... HOT! Screams inner child.  Well guess I can't learn. I turn down the hot. I wash what is left of my eye and without thinking reach to remove the other contact from my left eye.

Son of a flying monkeybisket! OMG What the hell was I thinking....

Infoman..... "I don't think you were."

Inner child… "Watado! Watado!! Watadooooo!!!!

Drama Queen.... "Really?"

ME ...Stand back and give a gal room … I Got this.... Oh wait that’s how this started.....

I did get the other contact out of my eye. Happy to report the other eye was in fact in my head all the time not on the floor. My toe is not broken and I do not need a hook for a hand. I really would put my eye out then... but that is another Story. I was drying off when hubs came in to say ...oh that's where you went.... I was talking to you and poof you were gone. ...Oh wow did you know your eyes are all red Hun?

You gotta love a man like that. Comes looking for you, and is worried about a little thing like red eyes after a shower. Thank goodness he doesn’t know how many people were in the shower with me. LOL