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Post by Chris too on Jan 12, 2008 21:57:08 GMT -5
Dear Husband. Likewise dd - dear daughter, ds - dear son. Don't go lettin' that mind wander too far
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Post by Chris too on Jan 14, 2008 14:33:01 GMT -5
Another trick to help you get a sweet tooth under control is to avoid all sweet drinks - even diet drinks. The sweetness in them encourages your sweet tooth to flourish. Trade in the sweet drinks for non-sweet, or at least very, very low sweetness, like very lightly sweetened iced tea, and learn to like coffee with just creamer or black. The calories in the creamer are nothing to the candy bar you crave because of putting Splenda in your coffee! Of course plain ol' water is the best, and the good news is that the more often you forgo other drinks for water, the more you will like the taste of pure water Chris too
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Post by Chris too on Jan 7, 2008 22:15:44 GMT -5
My tip is to increase your muscle mass. One of the reasons that men lose weight faster is because their muscles burn the fat even when they are just sitting on their butts - it's called resting metabolism. So lift those weights, girl. I too love the Biggest Loser, and you see Jillian killin' them with the weights & making them run FAST - way faster than they think they can. The successful ones have gained lots of new muscle mass & so burn that fat faster.
Oh, one more: if I have a weakness, say Ding Dongs, I up the ante - I learn to dispise the easy-to-get Ding Dong by comparing it to a really good petit four. I'm not tempted by my church's weekly offering of doughnuts anymore because I remember the wonderful French bakery I used to go to for "pains aux chocolate" (non-crescent shaped chocolate croissants). Even Crispy Creams are blah compared to that. I convince myself that I will be disappointed with the quality of whatever is being offered to tempt me, so why bother?
One more: wear tight pants. It's harder to overeat if you are wearing tight pants.
Best wishes! Hope you are a big loser! Chris too
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Post by Chris too on Nov 26, 2007 23:14:51 GMT -5
Yep. We laugh over that one every time
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Post by Chris too on Nov 23, 2007 8:50:04 GMT -5
For all of you who are the shopping guru's among us, who got up at 0dark:30 to go shopping: did you get anything good? I want to read here about the great deals you got - live vicariously the shopping thrill So let us all in on the glory & post it here, please Thanks! Chris too
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Post by Chris too on Nov 10, 2007 8:59:49 GMT -5
Tammy, I use powdered ginger. So make proper adjustment for the fresh stuff if you're using it. Pumpkin custard is so packed with flavor that a plain, buttery, flaky crust sets it off nicely, but most people think so little of the crust part that any crust will do. I have been known to eat the custard right out of the shell, leaving the crust behind on my plates - I'm picky about my crust I'd love to try your pastry for other recipes. Will you share the recipe for it? "pastry is not one of my favourite things to make" ditto. And now that you've seen my recipe, you know why. "Easy as pie?" whoever came up with that one must've bought their pies in the freezer department!! Chris too
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Post by Chris too on Nov 9, 2007 18:29:25 GMT -5
You may change your mind when you see this recipe Pastry to make 2 pie crusts 1 1/2 cup flour (all-purpose, not self-rising) 1/2 tsp salt 1/3 cup butter straight from the fridge, cut into pieces 1 egg 2 Tbs ice water Mix together the salt and flour in a medium-sized bowl (preferably with a handle) or food processor. Cut the butter in using either a pastry cutter or a food processor until it looks roughly like course-ground corn meal. Whisk together the egg and the ice water. Loosly pile the flour mixture onto one side of the bowl and drizzle on the water a bit at a time, while moving the wet bits to the other side with a fork. If you do this right, the whole bunch will be damp but will not look like it will stick together in a million years. On particularly dry days, you may need to add as much as a tablespoon more ice water, but try not to (it can toughen the crust). Divide this mixture into two parts and press them into balls (they will - if not, a little tiny bit of water will help). At this point, most recipes tell you to form them into disks and stick them in the fridge for an hour, but we've been very gentle with the very cold butter, so I skip that. Do it if you want. Put one of the balls on a large sheet of plastic wrap on a flat, dry surface, and press it into a disk. Try to make it nice and round and "heal" any dry spots with a dribble of water. Put another sheet of plastic wrap on top and start rolling from the center outward, turning as you go. You will have to peel the top plastic up and put it back down regularly because it wrinkles up. I prefer this to using excess flour to prevent sticking. You can pick the whole thing up, flip it over and roll it from the backside too. Do all of this until the circle is large enough for your pie dish. Peel off one of the plastic sheets and carefully flip the thing into your pie dish. Move it around however you wish and shape it loosly into the dish, then peel off the other plastic sheet. Trim the edges however you like, do the other one, and you're good to go. Happy baking! Chris too
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Post by Chris too on Nov 9, 2007 8:41:02 GMT -5
Do you have a pie crust recipe? I'll assume you do.
to prepare the pumpkin: cut off the top of the pumpkin and scrape out all its "guts." Split it into 4 quarters and place them, along with the stem-less top, skin-up on a large rimmed baking sheet. Put the sheet in the oven, pour some water into the sheet (enough to cover the bottom), and bake at 325 deg. F. until the meat of the pumpkin is soft ~1 hour. It will smell marvelous while baking. Let it cool, then pull the tough peels off and stick the meat in batches into a blender or food processor to mash nicely - or you can use a potato masher. The smoother you blend, the smoother your pie will be. My DH loves it nice and smooth, but I prefer a few pea-sized lumps. So you choose.
Two Pumpkin Pies 3 eggs + 1 yolk 3 cups cooked, blended pumpkin 1 1/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 1/4 tsp salt 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ginger 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1 3/8 cup whole milk 1 1/8 cup evaporated milk (not sweetened, condensed)
Mix together the pumpkin with the eggs & beat well. Combine all other ingredients except the milks, add to pumpkin, and beat until smooth and even. Add the milks and blend well to get a smooth, even custard. It will be rather thin. Pour into two already prepared pie shells (I can send a recipe for this too, if you want) Bake at 375 deg. F. for 70-80 minutes. You know a pumpkin pie is done when you stick a slim knife into the center and it splits (like custard).
If you remember that this is just a pumpkin-flavored, custard pie, you'll do well.
Have fun! Chris too
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Post by Chris too on Nov 2, 2007 8:18:14 GMT -5
This is an article that my dad wrote for his fraternity's newsletter (hence the references to "brothers") that I asked him to e-mail me 'cause I knew you'd enjoy the nostalgia of it as much as I do. It's kind of long, but worth it.
Winter
By Jon Handy National Sergeant-At-Arms
For many, the word alone conjures visions of death and destruction, the frozen wastelands of Antarctica, Russian prisoners in the Siberian Archipelago huddling together at night to keep from freezing to death, and Northern Alaska where, at 70 below, your spit snaps and freezes before it hits the ground. Ah yes, winter.
In Indiana, the season is upon us. This thought elicits different visions for Hoosiers. The frost is on the pumpkin, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost touching the trees and turning the landscape into a winter wonderland. Our thin-blooded Southern brothers simply cannot appreciate the thrill of a robust snowball fight, the exhilaration of speeding down a snowy hill on a sled, or skating on a frozen lake on a moon-lit night with an open fire awaiting us on shore to warm our chilled hands and faces. It truly makes one feel ALIVE and part of this beautiful world that God has created.
There is also serenity in the muffled silence that snow brings, in the crunch of the snow under your galoshes, and, as Robert Frost said in Stopping by Woods on A Snowy Evening, “To watch his woods fill up with snow.” Something magical and calming happens when the snow begins to fly. It brings kids to the window just to watch in silence, and Dads to the woodpile out back to bring in firewood for the fireplace. Then, once lit, the fire demands that you find an easy chair to sit and watch the flames and smell the pleasant aroma of the smoke while sipping on a hot chocolate or Dads special eggnog. Mom might be in the kitchen preparing the “family recipe” chili or filling the house with the titillating fragrance of cookies baking in the oven. Winter has so many pleasantries that I cannot begin to name them all.
Don’t get me wrong. All this bliss does not come without a price. There are a lot of accidents on the streets and roads (mostly from people who don’t know how to drive in the snow), and it’s no fun getting stuck on an icy road or driveway. Then there are the snow days when we have to miss school and work (I guess that’s a bad thing), and if the electricity goes out because of frozen and downed power lines and you have to miss your favorite TV show. Ice storms are a rare but destructive force. Still, all the negatives are short and worth suffering because they have a tendency to bring the family together and unite us against the elements.
Winter enthusiasm does begin to wear thin in February. The sleds are in the garage by the skates, both untouched since late January. The wind takes on an icy chill that penetrates your winter coat, the skies turn gray and I begin to yearn for the warm sunshine on my face. I start hoping for an early spring and watch for signs of new life emerging. The March winds still bite the exposed skin and the thermometer still refuses to pass 35 or 40. Then, I see a Robin. April warms up and the showers hold hope of green foliage and May flowers. Isn’t spring wonderful? The month of lovers has arrived and all of nature seems to be celebrating.
Summer is a great time for the young and old alike. Swimming, fishing, vacationing and turning tan – well, sort of tan. We Northerners just don’t have the skin for a deep tan. Sun burning is easy, but tanning takes most of the summer. We really have to work at it, and I think I’ve decided that pale skin is not all that bad. They say it is kind of in vogue because of the rise in skin cancer due to the ozone layer thinning. Even summer begins to get wearisome going into the dog days of summer (mid-August to mid-September), and “after the boys of summer have gone,” according to Don Henley.
Then an amazing change begins. The leaves turn color (usually after the first freeze in October) from various shades of green to red and purple – yellow and brown – orange and auburn – and shades that seem to go off the color chart. Some years it takes weeks for the change, other times it happens almost over night. For those who have never seen this, other than in photos, it is awe-inspiring to witness this explosion of color that no photo can capture. Fall is, without a doubt, my favorite time of year.
My Southern brothers can relax; I do not intend to become a Snowbird. I love visiting the South, but where would I vacation if I moved south? I am a Hoosier through and through. The change of seasons is food for my soul and I love every one of them. I lived in Hawaii for three years. I loved it there. It is surely the Paradise of the Pacific, but when I returned in 1963 with my new bride and walked across the tarmac at Midway in Chicago in sub-zero weather with the wind blowing and snow flurries in the air, I was home!
God Bless, and Hug a Brother
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Post by Chris too on Oct 3, 2007 21:56:17 GMT -5
I love that! I emailed it to three moms. Thanks!
Chris too
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Post by Chris too on Sept 24, 2007 10:25:31 GMT -5
Rob Roy is one of my favorite movies, only partly because of the scene in the beginning with his wife that shows how convenient those kilts can be Chris too
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I WON!
Sept 11, 2007 8:36:51 GMT -5
Post by Chris too on Sept 11, 2007 8:36:51 GMT -5
Jackie, whether or not you do have a booth - and it sounds like you won't really need one - you should make up a brochure to hand out at this event. Be sure to include your newly-acquired title of BEST ARTIST in AMARILLO on the brochure and some pics of you and your work. I'd say put a coupon on it, but I have no clue how a coupon would work in an art gallery unless you teach classes. BTW - I knew that you weren't disparaging my DH's line of work - I was just jabbing back in fun. He has fun with using a hick accent and saying he's a heatin n air man (the high-brow term is HVACR technician - wow ). So your comment made me grin Chris too
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I WON!
Sept 10, 2007 21:20:22 GMT -5
Post by Chris too on Sept 10, 2007 21:20:22 GMT -5
Woo hoo!! Go Jackie!! I voted, but I never win anything, so I won't be holding my breath for the basket My DH is a "heatin' 'n' air" man, and he once set up a booth that actually pumped cold, conditioned air into the tent. Popular booth. Maybe you'll get that kind of booth Chris too Woo Hoo!!
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Post by Chris too on Sept 7, 2007 23:07:57 GMT -5
Wow. I'm watching Dr. Phil on the Tonight Show - and he just now said "everyone is paparazzi today. If you don't want to see it [on the net] don't do it." But still sad for her.
Chris too
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Post by Chris too on Sept 6, 2007 21:05:52 GMT -5
This is a great opportunity to provide some great information about Ds. You can dispell myths - that might be a good format for you. Cover some common myths. You are the best one to choose which ones to cover for your area. E (Molly's mom) did a montage a few months ago that had a format of: "they say..." "truth is..." or something like that. You might want to go back in the general forum to something like April or May.
Have fun & let us know how it goes! Chris too
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