Your votes are in....and I'm the winner!

When all the votes were counted, when all the chads were examined, 94% of you thought I was married to a Cal Ripken look alike! How lucky am I? VERY! Here are the top 5 reasons I KNOW I'm a lucky girl!



5. He has excellent Wahl clippers and wonderful hair ideas!



4. He is incredibly supportive!



3. He is the Spiritual leader of our home!




2. He loves our little girls like there is no tomorrow!



1. The number one reason I am a lucky girl - drum roll......

My hubby is slightly OCD (Not unlike my first born - Logan) and continually cleans our home, does our dishes and organizes my closets. Are you jealous?
For you single gals out there...I HIGHLY recommend this personality trait in your future husband!!

What is your favorite characteristic in your mate?

French Dip - Man Size!

With Football season upon us - I knew it was time to get the crock pot out and make my man his favorite sandwich. He has no idea what goes into this dish, the time it takes and the overall effort on my part to make him HIS sandwich - and I like it like that. If he knew it took 2 minutes when I woke up in the morning and 2 minutes to put it in the bread - I might not receive all the accolades he gives me (so lets keep this blog between you and me- wink)



French Dip
1 (3lb) beef roast shoulder cut
2 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
3 to 4 peppercorns
French rolls
Provolone or cheddar cheese

Place roast in slow cooker. Add water, soy sauce, and seasonings. Cover and cook on high for at least 6 hours. Remove meat from broth, shred with fork and keep warm. Strain broth, skim off fat. Pour broth into small cups for dipping. Serve beef on rolls. I slit rolls, place 2 pieces of cheese on one side, wrap in foil and bake at 400 for 10 minutes.

Now a little bit about the man I cook for....

Jamie (He wants to be called James - but he is Jamie to me) has been my rock for 14 years now. These past two years, my rock, has turned into a pillar. He is VERY Scandinavian, and thus keeps his emotions tucked way down deep - which is great for our relationship because I wear mine on my sleeve, my shirt, my cuffs, my pants, shoes, and sox. I can fall to pieces watching a fast food commercial! He is the yin to my yang, the PB to my jelly, and the cinnamon and sugar to my leftsa!

When my hubby and I were in NY this summer he was running to get cash so we could buy cheap Broadway tickets. On his way to the ATM someone shouted out "Hey, there's Cal Ripken". My husband not only came back with the money for the tickets - he brought with him a head so big it didn't fit in the theatre that night. You be the judge...Am I married to a Cal Ripken look alike?

Log your vote at the top of my blog!

Blitz Torte by Bobi (and Betty Crocker)

My Mother has a school friend that she sees every summer and they plan lunch around the time of her friends birthday. After serving "cake" one year she found out that the recipe was a favorite cake Helen's mother had made. Her mother now nearing 95 attends the luncheon also and this year when the cake came out she accused my mother of stealing her recipe. My mother acquiesced.

My mom uses that old Betty Crocker cookbook I have mentioned before and on page 242 - lo and behold - the stolen recipe appears.

Blitz Torte (Lightning Cake) - Beautiful...meringue top encrusted with sugar and toasted almonds.

Mix thoroughly . . .
1/2 cup soft shortening -mom uses softened butter
3/4 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
Beat in . . .
4 egg yolks, well beaten
Sift together and stir in . . .
1 cup sifted Gold Medal flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Stir in . . .
3 tbsp. milk
Spread batter in 2 greased and floured round 8" layer pans.



For meringue, beat until frothy . . .
4 egg whites
Beat in gradually
1 cup sugar (half confectioners')
Beat until stiff and glossy.
Spread half of meringue over batter in each pan.
Sprinkle each with half of . . .
1/2 cup shaved blanched almonds
2 tbsp. sugar

Bake until cake tests done and meringue is set. Cool. Then remove
from pans. Place one layer on serving plate meringue-side-up. Spread
with Rich Custard Filling (see below or page 241 of Betty Crocker Recipe Book) Place other layer on top meringue-side-up. If desired, pipe with Sweetened Whipped Cream.

Temperature: 325 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. 12 Servings.



Rich Custard Filling:
Mix in saucepan . . .
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Gold Medal flour
Stir in . . .
2 cups milk
Cook over med. heat, stirring until it boils. Boil one minute.
Remove from heat. Stir a little over half of this mixture into. . .
4 egg yolks (or two eggs), beaten
Blend into hot mixture in saucepan. Bring just to boiling
point. Cool and blend in . . .
2 tsp. vanilla or other flavoring.



Thanks mom for interrupting your lunch to snag some pictures for this post! Now that is dedication to your daughter!
Helen is lucky to have you as a friend- but I am even more lucky to have you as my mother!

WW Fettuccine with Walnut Sauce

This is a lovely dish that is ready in the amount of time it takes to cook the pasta. This recipe proves you don't have to sacrifice taste and quality when you are in a rush! It comes out of the "New Complete Cookbook" on page 400.

Weight Watchers Fettuccine with Walnut Sauce
Serves 4
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
6 ounces fettuccine
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
2 Tablspoons minced flat-leaf parsley

1. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, broth and lemon zest; mix until smooth.
2. Cook the fettuccine according to package directions; drain and place in a serving bowl. Top with ricotta mixture, then sprinkle with walnuts, Gorgonzola and parsley; toss to coat.

Per Serving: 271 callories, 10g total Fat, 3 g Saturated Fatt, 55 mg Cholesterol, 129 mg Sodium, 33g Total Carbs, 2g Fiber, 12g Protein, 136 g Calcium.
Total Points per Serving: 6.

Evelyn's Calico Bean Pot Baked Beans

This is my friend Sarah - I bet you thought I was going to say Evelyn - didn't ya!? Evelyn is the name of her mother-in-law's mother. Her Mother-in-law, Kay, gave her this recipe, and I am so glad she shared it with me! They invited us over for a "Back to school" BBQ and when I saw the recipe for the baked beans - I knew I needed nothing else to eat!



You know any recipe hand printed on a 1970-ish recipe card and loved throughout the years - is worth its weight in gold! This did not disappoint! These Pot-o-Beans were a Pot-o-Gold in my opinion!

Calico Bean Pot Baked Beans
8 slices bacon - crumbled
4 onions, sliced
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 (1 lb) can B&M Beans
1 med can Northern Beans
2 (1 lb) cans Seaside Lima Beans
1 can dark red Kidney beans
Optional - brown a few "Little Smokies", slice and add to mixture before baking.



Fry bacon and onions together until tender (about 10 minutes). Add rest of ingredients, except beans.
When all ingredients are mixed throughly - add beans. Sarah just drained top juice off beans - but did not rinse any of them.
She has not been able to find canned Lima beans in a while, and often substitutes light red kidney beans or pintos. She said it was a great way to clean out your pantry of all those cans of beans. Try black, pinto, or anything else you have on the shelf!



Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.



When it comes out of the oven - it has the most amazing caramelized top on it!
BEWARE: Mass consumption of this dish can produce many enemys
(YOU KNOW WHY) - and guess what...You won't care!!!



Sarah's hubby Ed prepared the chicken and sausage! They were perfect! Thanks guys for a great BBQ!

Cancer with a side of Egg Salad

If you have read my profile on blogger you know that I am a cancer survivor. When I was 36 years old, and on my way to tennis one day - my doctor called and told me that I carrying around two types of cancer. I totally held it together for that phone call, went and played my doubles tennis match (kick booty) and then proceeded to fall apart as I was leaving the court.
Since I didn't know the other two ladies my partner and I were playing that day - I'm sure I gave them a game they will never forget! Now that I think back on that - those poor ladies I lost it on. I'm sure they didn't know what to do! Let's face it - I didn't know what to do!



I immediately went out and bought books like the ones pictured above. I hunkered down and cried behind my closed doors as I mourned the loss of my boob, my hair and my mayo! That's right...I said MAYO! I love mayo. I love chocolate. I love chips. I love pretty much anything that has an ingredient list a mile long and is a color that is not normally found in nature!
The books I was reading were telling me that breast cancer cells need certain fatty acids to grow and a low fat diet is best.
This couldn't be. Mayo and I go way back. We're buds. He (Hellmann's) had gotten me out of many sticky stiuations. Not really but I was definitely in love with him! I thought I would never be able to love on my little man with the blue bowtie ever again.



I do still love him - DEARLY, but I have decided to start seeing less of him! I broke it to him gently and I think he took it pretty well. This egg salad is a wonderful rendezvous with my favorite bow-tied "Mann"



Rindy's Egg Salad
6 Hard boiled eggs, cooled
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
2 tsp prepared Mustard
1 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp onion powder

Smash eggs. Add the rest of the ingredients! Enjoy on roll or toast!

Potato Souffle

Do you want to make your potatoes happy? Just tell them they are going into this recipe and you'll see the smiles in their eyes!



Most recently I made this to go along with "MarY's" pork - or as I refer to it "MY" pork! I took it to the new parents and so I made it in a disposable dish - The tired mommy can just throw it away, and that, my friend, is the real gift!



This recipe starts with 2 cups of mashed potatoes. I usually cut my potatoes into fourths and boil.



On one of my trips to my parents cabin in the Catskills, I found this jewel in a box in their garage. Since my mother didn't know the last time she had even seen it, she knew she could easily part with it. Lucky me!! I am now the proud owner of a 1970 something potato ricer. My gadget total is now 1067!



I don't know how hard it is to use a 2008 potato ricer, but I have decided that "Potato Ricing" should be an Olympic sport! I literally broke a sweat trying to push those puppies out those little holes. My daughter Logan was laughing at me and asked to try. She quickly agreed and now is in training for the 2012 Olympics in London.

Potato Souffle
2 cups mashed potatoes (warm or cold)
milk
8 oz cream cheese
2 eggs
1 small onion (I just use onion powder)
2 Tablespoons flour
3 1/2 oz can french fried onions
salt and pepper

Mash potatoes using half as much milk as normal. Add softened cream cheese, eggs, onion and flour. Beat at low speed until blended, then at high speed until fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour into a greased 9 inch round baking dish. Sprinkle french fried onions over top.

Bake at 300 for 35 minutes.

Picture at top is a double recipe.

Enjoy your happy potatoes!