Food Coma

Sorry for the lack of posts, folks. I've been busy stuffing my face. yummy yummy
There's a lull in the action, so I thought I'd check in before I take another nap.



My sister and her fiance came out to visit so I got to make a whole Thanksgiving feast: turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green salad, cranberry sauce, stuffing, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, and spice cake shaped like a turkey. We also went out for sushi one night, donuts and greasy food at the ESPN Zone. Honorable mention to the cheese trays, toffee, mini chocolate bundt cakes and cheesebake on other days.

No wonder I feel a little sick to my tummy. Weight Watchers weigh in is going to be a complete disaster on Wednesday. Have the Kleenex box ready, bitches.

Hotlanta Housewives Reunion

I watched the Real Housewives of Atlanta Reunion show. It was so awesome. The viewers sent in some really catty questions like: Nene, why do you wear cheap clothes that show your saggy, old boobs? tee hee

They also featured several clips from Kim's country singing career. Her album will be released in January 2009...can't wait.

Nene called Kim a "trashy hooker" and threatened to rip the wig off her head. hot. Kim made up a story about having cancer. That's some baaaad karma right there, folks.

Who didn't love it when Lisa informed Kim that she had no talent. Stupid Kim pressed the issue, so naturally Lisa threatened to flip her over the couch and that she was not the one [to trifle with]. retarculous

The real highlight was when almost-too-gay-to-function Dwight said that the girls looked great except for Kim who needs some work to come into the 21st century. When she gasped and asked what was wrong. He calmly informed her that her hair needed some major work. burn. awesome.

You should really tune into Bravo this weekend to catch the reunion in one of the million reruns. It's definitely worth it.

Word of the Day: Scalawag

I'm seriously in love with pirate lingo. Walk the plank, matey. Aaaaargh! Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. Battle down the hatches! My personal fave: scalawag...

Honestly, when is the last time you heard scalawag in non-pirate conversation? Believe it or not I heard it tonight on the reality show Real Chance of Love. One of the skanks was making fun of the other skanks by calling her a scalawag. seriously.

I bet you're wondering what this particular scalawag looks like. Here you go:



This lovely wench is a former porn star. Ahoy there, mateys!

Ode to Cladeedah: a Visual Poem

Thanks Natalie Dee.

Christmas Cookie Bake-a-Thon

Every year I like to make Christmas cookies. I give them to friends and neighbors and take some big plates into work. It's getting to be that time of year, so I need to start planning what I want to make.

I always make sugar cookies but everything else is up for grabs. I made gingerbread cookies last year which turned out well. My husband bought me a cookie press so I may do some butter cookies too.

I was wondering if anybody out there has any suggestions on old favorites that I should make. I like to bake from scratch so basically nothing is too hard or detailed. What can I say? I'm an overachiever. I'll take your suggestions for about a week or so and then I have to get down to serious planning. Thanks, guys!

Victory at the Scales

You may have noticed that I have been suspiciously quiet about Weight Watchers the past month or so. To make a long story short, I was close to abandoning ship. I had gained back some of the 35+ pounds I lost...bummer. I decided to buckle down and push away from the table.

Guess what? I'm proud to say that at yesterday's weigh-in, I was down .8 pounds. It's a huge relief to be headed in the right direction again. Thanksgiving will be tough next week, but I'm not going to let another lapse become a collapse.



As a side note, I've switched over to Weight Watchers' core plan. Basically, you can eat all you want from a list of approved foods. In addition, you have 35 flex points for things off the list. The list includes everything you would think--fruit, veggies, lean meat, legumes, whole grain. You know, the stuff you know you should be eating instead of margaritas and doritos. dee-licious.

Starbucks Recipe: Caramel Macchiato

My favorite drink at Starbucks is the caramel macchiato. yummy. They even make a non-fat, sugar-free version so I'm in heaven. If you folks want to make it home, here's the recipe (from an ex-Starbucks employee):

Caramel Macchiato
The average coffee mug is probably equivalent to a Tall (12-oz/355 mL). I am not following precise Starbucks standards, though if you must know it's properly one shot of espresso, about .75 oz syrup (.25 oz per 4 oz liquid capacity).


milk
espresso
vanilla syrup
your favorite caramel sauce
In a regular-sized coffee mug, add vanilla syrup and steamed milk. Top with milk foam and add freshly brewed espresso through the foam. Drizzle with caramel sauce.


Iced Caramel Macchiato
Same ingredients, plus some small ice cubes and (optional) whipped cream

In a pint glass or iced tea glass (we're assuming 16 oz), add vanilla syrup and fill about 3/5 of the way with cold milk. Add ice almost to the top and pour espresso (2 shots would be typical) over the top. If you've done it right, the espresso will mix in only about halfway down without stirring. If adding whipped cream, add it here. Drizzle the top with caramel and enjoy.