This really happened

Memorial day has come and gone. I wish all the calories I consumed over the holiday weekend were also gone, but to no avail. Not being around friends and (the bulk of my) family can be so overwhelming, but it really affects me hardest during any kind of celebration time. Of course I realize that how I imagine the gatherings back home, are far more fantastic than they really are…I still long to be apart of all of it. So to make myself feel better, I went down the path that leads to high numbers on the scale. I also went on several hikes – so all in all, I’m feeling all right about my choices.
I am always aware that I need to keep a focused eye my weight. If I lose sight of what I need to be doing, within a week I can gain up to 10 pounds, if not more. When you think about it, one month of blurry vision can be a brutal size difference! So to get myself back on track I thought I would share what brought me to this point. About a month ago I was at the store. Remember, I live in a tiny town that I know almost no one. I was wearing a pair of very old capri’s, a t-shirt and a pair of flip flops, I never wear makeup, and my hair was pulled back in a pony tale/bun. This is not exactly how I would look if I were to go out of my house back home. But, there is a certain feeling of freedom that comes with not caring. It was right before the dinner hour and there were a lot of people shopping for their evening meal, before they headed home for the night. I had my I-pod on full blast, as is my routine when I shop (blocks out the noise of screaming children), and was happily going up and down the aisles trying to figure out what wonderful creation I could come up with for supper. Out of the corner of my eye, a blue, rectangular plastic item caught my eye. It was the Windex wipes I had been looking for, for months! We have 4 dogs, and the car windows are the canvas for their doggie nose juice artwork. Driving can be almost treacherous with all of the “culture” caked on the windows. Eagerly, I bent over to snatch up the wonderful discovery. At that same exact moment, I knew something had just gone terribly wrong. On the I-pod Duran Duran was singing “Girls on Film”, but through the song I could swear I heard the sound of fabric tearing!
O H M Y G O D ! I just tore my pants! As fate would have it, prior to going to the store, I had been in the swimming pool, and when I was getting dressed decided I would skip the underwear, as I would be just putting my suit back on when I got home. So, there I was - with the entire crotch of my pants torn, in the middle of the store. I quickly looked around to see if anyone had witnessed my catastrophe. It appeared that I was in the clear. Now I had a decision to make; do I ditch my cart and high tale it out of there OR do I pull my t-shirt down as far as it will go and finish my business? I laughed out loud, and shopped on! After seriously considering going home, I remembered where I was. I knew no one. The thought of being known as the crazy lady at the grocery store, with her pants split just made me giggle. Needless to say, I didn’t do a very thorough job shopping that day, but I did realize that I could make some changes in the way I shopped, that might prevent me from letting it all hang out while I shopped!


This is a recipe request from Michael, the finest young man I know.

MDP French Toast
(This one takes a little time but is well worth it. Start the night before you want to eat it).
Tear apart 1 boule (from the French for "ball") Kings Hawaiian Bread
the bread pieces should be about the size if 1 inch cubes
spread the bread pieces over a clean counter, and let sit out for a few hours to let it get dry (stale)
Place the bread into a buttered 12x12 pan
In a large bowl, mix together:
7 eggs
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ cups milk
pinch of salt
1Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Mix it together until all ingredients are blended (be careful-don’t let it get too bubbly, too much air is a bad thing)
Pour the mixture over the bread and cover (plastic wrap or foil is fine)
Place in fridge until the next morning
In the morning pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F
Cook your French toast for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the pan CLEAN. The top should be a golden brown.
As soon as it comes out, place pats of butter over the top, so that it is almost covered, then dust powdered sugar over that. The butter and the powdered sugar make a glaze. Slice and serve, repeat until gone!

Sometimes we add fruit (peach would be my favorite) – but this recipe never needs syrup! The melted butter and powdered sugar on top of the sweet bread is all you will need.
Enjoy!