Twice Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

I love Eggplant Parm, but I don't eat it that often because it is very rich and filling. So I decided to create a recipe that would be lighter in taste and on the waistline. I kept it traditional by keeping the breading but I lightened it up by baking it instead of frying it.

The Recipe:
2 Medium Eggplants
Salt & Pepper
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Cup Seasoned Breadcrumbs
2 Eggs Beaten
1/2 Cup Flour
2 Cups Marinara Sauce
Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (I would'nt skimp here because the flavor it worth the extra money and effort)
Handful of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Olive Oil Spray (I use Mazola Pure)

Peel the eggplants and slice them lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices. Salt the slices and let sit for about 15 minutes to release moisture and bitterness. Rinse under cold water and pat dry.

Line up 3 pie plates or platters and fill one with flour, one with the beaten eggs and the last with the breadcrumbs.
Season the flour with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Dust the each eggplant slice with the flour, dip in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs. Spray 2 baking sheets with olive oil and place the slices in a single layer.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes until the slices are golden brown.


Spray a square pyrex pan with a little oil and spread a layer of marinara sauce on the bottom. Place about 3 slices of eggplant down and add a layer of sauce and sprinkle with about a tablespoon of parimigiano cheese. Continue layering with eggplant, sauce and cheese. Sprinkle the top layer with the mozzarella cheese and more parmigiano. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes and enjoy!

Mom's Pineapple Upside Cake

This cake is a always a hit and so simple to make.

Follow the directions on your favorite boxed yellow cake to prepare the batter.

For the Topping You'll need:
2 round cake pans
About 1/2 cup Walnuts
About 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
A can of Pineapple Rings
Maraschino Cherries
2 Tablespoons of Butter or Smart Balance Spread

Butter or spray the cake pans. Spread the Brown Sugar on the bottom of the pans and then sprinkle on the nuts. Place the Pineapple rings on top in a single layer (as many as will fit comfortably). Place a cherry in the middle of each Pineapple. Now add the batter and cook as directed on the cake mix box.

When cooled, just place a serving plate on top of the cake and flip it over. Viola! Now you have 2 perfectly pretty cakes- one for you and one for someone who has great taste. Or as Mom would say "Someone who deserves it"!

Eat Your Vegetables!

My Weekly Roasted Veggie Medley.

Every weekend I go grocery shopping and buy a bunch of fresh vegetables. When I get home I try to take the time to wash them and prepare a couple of different side dishes to use for the upcoming week. It makes it a lot easier to eat healthly during a hectic work week if the veggies are already prepped.

This is one of my fav's. It's a combination of broccoli, carrots, green beans, celery, black olives, green olives, portabella mushrooms and herbs. I wash and cut everything, put it in a glass dish with a tiny bit of water, and microwave on high for about 8 minutes.

They are actually ready to eat just like this, but I drain them and put them on a foil lined baking sheet, coat them with olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic powder, italian seasoning and place them in a 400 degree oven for about 25-35 minutes. This sort of caramelizes them and brings out all of the sweet flavors in the veggies.

Now I have fresh roasted veggies to eat when I'm to busy to make them Monday thru Wednesday. Try it and let me know how it works out for you!

You Must Subscribe Today!

This is the superlative, unparalleled and magnificent Cooks Illustrated Magazine. It is THE magazine to get if you love food, love to cook or are still learning the basics in the kitchen. I have learned so much from just breezing through an issue.

The format is easy to follow and the recipe are endlessly tested until perfected. There is a step by step explanation of the tests they performed, the failures and the final perfect result. I love that fact since I don't have the time to test and re-test recipes that I have messed up on in the past. There are some great tips for time savers and kitchen gadgets too!

The illustrations are wonderful as well, as you can see on the cover. You could even frame the covers for a beautiful piece of artwork to hang on your kitchen walls.

There website has some free recipes and you can order the magazine and cookbooks there as well...Click Here

I just recently ordered the 2005 full year of magazines bound in a hardcover with easy reference guides. I am supposed to get a Free Microplane Zester which I have been eyeing for a while. I always see the fancy chefs on the Food Network using them, I can't wait. I also have the chance to win a KitchenAid Mixer which I really want. I have used my Mom's many times-it's the best. Wish me luck!

I Made It To The Big Time!

Remember those Italian Prune Cookies I made (a few blogs back)?

Well I submitted a photo of them to ALL RECIPES.COM and they put it up. I'm famous Check It Out!

PRACTICE SAFE LUNCH. Use A Condiment...Sparingly!

It's great to give your food a little more "umpth", but be careful with those condiments. You could be adding too much sodium, extra fat and actually taking away from the great flavor of the food you're eating.

Do you remember that cartoon "Don't Drown Your Food" that Louis sang on Saturday mornings who taught us about nutrition? Go Here and click Don't Drown Your Food on the page

Sunday is Yumday!

I made three meals for Sunday because I couldn't decide what I felt like eating. It all started Friday at the market. I bought a bunch of brocoli rabe. It had a tag on it with a recipe for rabe pizza. I love white spinach pizza, so I thought the rabe might be good too. So I bought some mozzarella cheese and planned on making it. When I got home I realized the tag on the rabe had a different recipe on it. I grabbed the wrong one. The recipe was for Penne with Olives and Rabe. That sounded good too. I also had a roasted chicken breast and some puff pastry crust in the freezer that I've been wanting to use for Chicken Pot Pie.
What a dilemma. That's when it hit me, just make all three.


Last week I bought some pizza dough and didn't feel like making pizza so I shaped it, baked it, wrapped it up tightly and froze it plain. I knew it would come in handy. Since it was aready cooked, all I had to do is defrost it and prepare the rabe topping.

I started by washing the rabe and cutting it up in small pieces. Then I boiled it in a large pot of salted water for about 8 minutes. I took the rabe out with a slotted spoon and transferred it to a strainer. I reserved about half a cup of cooking water in a measuring cup and brought the pot of rabe water back up to a boil. Then added the pasta (I used a shape that looks like gnocci).

Next I sliced 4 large garlic cloves and chopped another 5 in small pieces(for the chicken pot pie). Heated 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and added the sliced garlic. Cooked it for about 2-3 minutes on medium low heat, and added some sliced olives, salt, pepper and the broccoli rabe. I took out about half of this mixture and set it aside. Now I added the reserved cooking liquid to the rabe in the pan, added my cooked pasta and mixed to coat. I transferred this to a serving bowl and added grated parmesan cheese. One done.

I added some grated Asiago Cheese to the reserved rabe mixture, brushed the top of my pizza crust with olive oil, added some mozzarella cheese and spread on the rabe. Added more mozzerella cheese and a little more oil. Put it in a 400 degree oven and cooked for about 10 minutes. Two Done.

Now the Chicken Pot Pie, on Friday I already prepared my veggies. Cleaned and chopped carrots, celery, mushrooms, and brocoli stems. I put the carrots, celery and brocoli in a small bowl and microwaved on low for about 6 minutes. So I melted 2 tablespoons of Smart Balance Spread and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cooked the mushrooms. I took them out of the pan and added the reserved chopped garlic. This cooked for about 2-3 minutes on medium low heat, then I added a 1/3 cup of flour and wisked for 2 minutes. Added one 14 ounce can of low sodium chicken broth, 1/3 cup of reserved rabe water, a splash of white wine, 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of mustard and dash of paprica. Cooked 10 minutes, added my chopped cooked chicken breast, cooked veggies and the cooked mushrooms.

This mixture went into a pie plate and was topped with the puff pastry. I brushed the top with a beaten egg and put in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Three done!

Mom provided the blueberry pie and I topped it with Breyer's Natural Vanilla Ice Cream. YUM!

So needless to say I won't be cooking this week with all these leftovers. I can't say I mind!

Tea Bag Trivia

Did You Know?
If you want to decrease the amount of caffine in your tea, steep it for one minute, discard the tea and steep again in new water. The first minute of steeping yeilds the most caffine. Good to know, huh? Let me know if you try it.

It's Food Haiku Tuesday!

Oh Food I Love You.
But Why Do You Torment Me?
Always On My Mind.

It Was A Great Easter...Thanks To My Friends On The Food Network

This Easter I had a little help from Rachel Ray and Giada DE Laurentiis on the Food Network. Rachel Ray hosts the show 30 Minute Meals which I usually watch daily at 6:00pm & 6:30pm. Giada DE Laurentiis is the host of Everyday Italian at 4:30pm. I tape it everyday and watch it at night. I had family over for Easter and served a Triple M BuddaBall Spiral Sliced Ham, and served one of Rachel Ray's recipes, the Roasted Baby Potatoes with Rosemary and two from Giada, Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice and the Chocolate Hazelnut Tart. All three recipes were fantastic. I altered them each to my taste.

For the Roasted Potatoes, I used her recipe, only I added sweet potato pieces, which I think really made this dish extra special. As the potatoes roasted the sugars from the sweet potatoes caramelized and added extra yumminess. I also cooked them about 15 minutes longer than she does because I like my potatoes golden brown and crunchy. They were delicious.
The Tomato Stuffed with Rice was as good as it looks. To simplify things, I used Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (Brown Rice). It takes 90 seconds to cook and the brown rice is much more nutricious than plain white rice. For you sceptics out there, you wouldn't even know it was brown rice because there are so many fresh herbs, cheese and seasonings that give it such a great flavor. Trust me. I even left the cheese out of one for a lactose intolerent relative and he still loved it.

When I saw the episode on the Chocolate Hazelnut Tart, I couldn't wait to make it. Easter was the perfect reason to try it. Instead of the frozen thawed crust Giada recommends, I used an organic chocolate ready crust. This worked out really well, although I had extra batter which I was afraid would overflow so I made another small square pan. In this pan I made my own crust using graham crackers and melted Smart Balance Spread. I actually liked this one even better. I have to say, the hazelnuts were a pain to peel but I guess it was worth it in the end. The texture is kind of like a peacan pie only a little more dry and dense. Deelish!

If you want to try these recipes, you can click on the underlined recipe names above-they are links. Try my alterations, I think you'll love them!

Italian Prune Cookies

These cookies rule. I have wanted make them for so long, but I didn't have a recipe. I finally made them for Easter. Although it was not an easy recipe to find.

Every time I did a search, Jewish Hamatachen would come up. I finally found one on all recipes.com. The recipe comes up as Prune and Raisin Filled Cookies. Here is the link I altered it by using canned prune puree in place of the raisin prune filling in the recipe,which made it a little easier.

I cut the recipe in half and I'm glad I did because it made three large loaves even with just the half recipe. These cookies are definitely a labor of love. The dough is a little difficult to work with. So if you love prune cookies make them, if not, go to your local Italian bakery. That's if they even make them. They are hard to find. Specialty Italian cookie stores are your best bet.

EASTER CAKE...It's Light and Delicious and Dressed For the Occasion!

What says Easter better than angel food cake with layers of fresh strawberries, mixed fruit and banana, all mixed with instant vanilla pudding and cool whip. I dusted shredded coconut on top and around the bottom and jazzed it up with food coloring and jelly beans. If I had peeps it would have been even cuter. Oh well there's always next year.

Attention Chocoholics, I MADE BROWNIES...

I don't normally use these easy pouch mixes because they have trans fats and a lot of foreign ingredients, BUT, last night I did. My mom bought it and gave it to me just for the heck of it. I asked her why and she said I don't know, I guess because they're easy and cheap.

She's right. They are cheap considering all the ingredients you would have to buy to make homemade brownies. The cocoa, sugar, flour, vanilla, etc.

And they are easy. All you need to do is add 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of water, and 1/4 cup of oil. I actually felt guilty making them because they are too easy.

Of course, I changed the recipe as always to suit my taste. (I think it's a control thing). I added 1/4 cup of unsweetened apple sauce in place of the oil to reduce the fat. Although I did add 1 tablespoon of oil, just for texture. I also added peanut butter chips. I know, THE FAT, but it's ok if they add more flavor and texture. I don't hate all fat, just the unnecessary ones.

They turned out pretty good for a pouch mix. However, if I really need a chocolately brownie fix I would make the ultimate recipe-ONE BOWL BROWNIES. The recipe is on the BAKERS CHOCOLATE BOX. If you are a chocoholic, you would flip over these brownies.

Ja'eat Yet?

Try a Frittata!

No, it's not a flying saucer or a moldy pizza. It is an open faced omelet. It is made with eggs, veggies and cheese or whatever you like that is left over in the fridge. It is a great quick dinner when you don't feel like cooking.

Start by sauting your veggies in a oven proof non-stick frying pan in some olive oil and butter, scrabble the eggs (about 2 per person), add them to the pan with the veggies. Add salt, pepper, whatever spices you like ( I use garlic powder and italian seasoning), and either shredded cheese or grated romano or parmigiano.

Pre-heat your boiler. Once the bottom is set place it under the broiler for about 2 minutes. That's it. Eat it with some nice crusty bread and call it a night.

Update On The Ugly But Tasty Cookie*

*See the Post below.
I may not be the best photographer but believe me the cookies are worth trying. I also forgot to mention that I altered the recipe a bit to make it lower in cholesterol and fat... I used 1 cup of Smart Balance in place of the butter. If your a purest when it comes to cookies by all means use the butter. But my tasters and I can attest the Smart Balance really works in this recipe.

The King Of Cookies

Attention Chocolate Chip Cookies Lovers. This could possible be the best cookie I have ever had the pleasure of making. It is chewy and delicious. I happened to be watching the food network this weekend and Alton Brown of Good Eats was babbling on about three different styles of chocolate chip cookies.

He called them the thin & cripsy, the soft & puffy and the chewy. Now I started to listen carefully. I have made a couple hundred batches of cookies in my life and have alway found it hard to master the chewy texture that I so desire. So when this scientifically inclined chef said there was a secret to the perfect cookie I watched with bated breath. Apparently the trick is to use bread flour (because there is more gluton, which makes things chewy) and to use more brown sugar than white sugar. The molasses in the brown sugar holds on to moisture and therefore translates to a moister cookie. Viola!

So I made them and I was actually surprised that I had time to take a picture in between eating them all. I even tried a variation on the recipe. Once the batter was mixed and ready for the chocolate chips, I divided it in half. I put chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut in one batch and cinnamon, raisins, coconut and walnuts in the other. What can I say, I like variety. I was in heaven. So do yourself a favor and go to FoodTV.com and look up Good Eats.

The episode aired Saturday April 1st and Sunday April 2nd. Print out the recipe. Oh and by the way cut the cooking time down to about 10-12 minutes, my first couple of batches came out a little dark and crispy. Still good though. Enjoy!

Got ultra pasturized Milk?

If your like me, you can't stand the watery look and taste of skim milk. Well, get out your shopping lists-Hood Simply Smart® Fat Free Milk has found a way to make skim milk taste like 2%. It's a technique called ultra-filtration which removes some of the liquid that gives lowfat and fat free milks that watery effect. It even has 25% more natural protein and 20% more natural calcium than whole milk. It’s also low in cholesterol. Yee Ha! I use it in my cerel, in cooking and even baking. Of course there is a price to pay- It is a little more expensive than regular convenience store milk but it is worth it. Try it and you'll agree, even your milk mustache will look better.

Guilt Free Snacking...

Like To Snack?...Try Smart Balance Popcorn. It's Tasty and Good For You! I had given up eating microwave popcorn because of all the preservatives, trans-fats and endless list of unrecognizable ingredients. I highly recommend Smart Balance popcorn. I also use the Smart Balance Spread in place of butter. It has no trans-fat which is the worst type of fat and contains a patented oil blend that improves cholesterol. The popcorn is available in Movie Palace Extra Butter and Light Butter varieties. Give it a try, you'll be glad you did! I plan on trying the Smart Balance Peanut Butter soon. I'll let you know the verdict!

Quick & Healthy Sesame Chicken With Brown Rice

After a long hard day at work, a night of cooking isn't always a lot of fun. Last night I came home from work tired, but hungry and didn't feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen. I had some chicken tenders marinating in the fridge and some veggies I had cleaned and cut up over the weekend ( a great time saver for weekdays). I had no idea what I was going to make.
So I started looking in my cabinets and found a bag of Uncle Ben's Ready Brown Rice (an absolute life saver), a can of quartered artichoke hearts, black olives, green olives and a jar of red roasted peppers. I looked in the freezer and remembered I had frozen some left over chicken broth and a jar of long forgotten sesame seeds (2 more great tips).

If you open a container of chicken broth and don't use it all, pour it into some ice cube trays, freeze them and pop them in a freezer bag for future use. Four cubes is about a 1/2 cup. Because seeds and nuts spoil easily, always keep them in the freezer, they will keep a very long time. In the fridge I found a lemon, a jar of minced garlic (which I use only in a pinch and only a brand that has no added preservatives), grated Asiago cheese and fresh parsley.

I toasted the sesame seeds on a baking sheet for about 5 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Rolled my chicken tenders marinated in a little Wish Bone Italian Dressing into the seeds. Placed them on a foil lined cookie sheet and baked for about 12 minutes on 475 degrees.

In the meantime, I heated up my broth cubes, juice from one lemon, a little extra virgin olive oil and added the artichoke hearts, olives and red roasted peppers, and brown rice. I then added about a teaspoon of fresh lemon rind from the same lemon, salt, pepper and the Asiago cheese.

Next, I got my mixed veggies (broccoli spears, green beans and sliced carrots into a microwave safe dish, added a very little water, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. I placed them in the microwave for about 10 minutes (I like my veggies on the soft side). When they were cooked, I added a little e.v. olive oil and sat down to eat. I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as I did!

He's Not a Wimp, He's Just Courageously Challenged.

Poor baby. He has had better days. I recently took him to the vet for a heartworm test and to the groomer on the same day. For him, the day couldn't be worse. He doesn't enjoy anyone poking and prodding at him or for that matter bathing, brushing, combing, cutting, etc. He was a nervous wreck. When I picked him up he was spent. So we made one more stop. Petco, for a new sweater of course! He deserved it.
But this did not cheer him up. For the last 3 days he has been sort of limping and scooting on his but. I put a call into the vet and they informed me that he may have to have his anal glands squeezed. OUCH! What a strange coincidence, I thought. He hasn't been to the vet or the groomer in over a year, and the day I bring him he has a anal gland problem? He can barely sit because he is so uncomfortable. They said it is the equivalence of doggie hemorrhoids. Keep your chin up, poops, better days are coming.

To learn more about anal glands check out this link: CLICK HERE

Why Is It?... Prunes Get A "BUM" Rap!

Prunes are a very nutritious and delicious fruit. For those of you who are unaware, a prune is a dried plum. They are naturally fat-free and cholesterol-free and loaded with fiber, vitamin A and potassium. They are almost the perfect food.

So why is it that so many people snub the prune? They way I see it is, if you like plums you should like prunes, Right? Not really. Many people cringe just at the mention of the word PRUNE. Is it because they are packed with fiber and thus may help in (to be polite) moving the digestive tract along? I would think that this is a good thing.

I recently made prune cookies. Needless to say they didn't get the warmest reception. But I don't care, I like them and will continue to sing their praises! EAT MORE PRUNES!!!!!!!!!

Spring Bling-Live Roach Brooches... This One Is Definately an Annie Don't!

Click Here to Watch the video, It's a must see!
I Guess the pest control companies are in trouble. People are going to be catching their own bugs and making a fashion statement. Hey if we're going with the creepy crawly stuff, I have a few thousand spiders at my house that could definately create a fashion frenzy. Yikes, lets not go there.

Hey Joey You Forgot Your LunchBox...Oh Wait It's Your Car.

This is the wave of the future. The Smart Car.
Actually this is the smart fortwo coupe pure. If you want to keep it pure.
This is the smart fortwo coupe pulse. If you're feeling sporty.
This is the smart fortwo coupe passion. If you want more luxury in your life.
This is the smart fortwo coupe BRABUS. If you like to stand out.
There are also "forfour"options available. Yeah maybe if you're an elf.
OK I'm all about saving energy, keeping the environment clean and all that good stuff, but I never thought that I'd be driving a postage stamp. It's cute but I just don't know. I heard it's actually 4 feet shorter than the mini cooper.

Oh yeah there is one more...
The onfoot coupe renaissance. If you're felling a little retro. Come on Edna take your shoes off wer'e going for a ride!

Damsel in Distress or Neighborhood Watch Gone Wrong?

It's around noon on Friday and I'm driving down a local street and I'm in a bit of a hurry, so ok I'm speeding. All of a sudden out of the clear blue sky a woman standing on the sidewalk starts furiously flagging me down. She was standing with two other guys. One guy was on the phone and the other was just standing there with her. My first thought was this lady is in trouble and must need my help.
In a flash, she's running out in front of my car and I jam on the brakes. She is now standing in front of my vehicle with her arms flailing. So I'm thinking ok what do you want? She starts screaming "THIS IS A ONE WAY STREET"!...WHAT? I've driven down this street many times through the years.
So I roll down the window and gesture for her to come over. She firmly places here hands on her hips and wails "I'M NOT MOVING!... TURN AROUND!" So I gesture again for her to come over and assure her I just want to know when they changed the street to a one-way. She comes over and tells me with much antipathy that it's been around six months. And then informs me that I was also driving way too fast.
Ok lady, who put you in charge of traffic duty. Are you going to issue me a citizens ticket and arrest me. Give it a brake. Ok so maybe she may have saved my life or that of someone else. I don't care. She was crazy; standing in front of my car like she was he-women. God forbid I was in a bad mood that day...She may have been flattened.

Torta Di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph's Day Cake)

This is my tribute to Saint Joseph's Day...An Angel Food Cake with layers of Pineapple, Strawberries, and Blueberries topped with Chocolate Covered Strawberries. The colors represent the Italian Flag: Red, White and Green. Green? You say what's green? Surprise, surprise, the blueberries when mixed with instant vanilla pudding and cool whip turns the mixture to green. And Ok so the pineapple isn't exactly white so use your imagination. Nevertheless, it was pretty tasty and my co-workers concur.

These Babies are Trend Setters!

These beautiful sneakers were a christmas gift from my friends Jen and JOJO. They decided to chip in and set out to Walmart one snowy day to purchase these gems. I think it put them out a whole $10.00 The velcro fasteners are a must for the woman on the go...Me.

The detailing is classic to these 80 style fashion icons. When I opened the package and unveiled the goody two shoes, JoJo and especially Jen were rolling on the floor in hysteria. They want me to wear them when we are on deadlines along with my dress clothes. If you know me, you couldn't imagine me with these on. I guess that's why it's so funny to them.

The idea came about because at the end of a long hard day, "my dogs are a barking". In other words, my feet are killing me. OK I know what you're thinking... She must wear those pizza slice shoes with 5 inch heels where all your toes are crammed together into a triangle. NO. I wear very moderate shoes, yes there is a heal but certainly not stiletto's. I just walk a lot and it takes a toll.

So anyway, yesterday was one of those dog barking days. By the end of the day I was practically limping. So Jen instantly suggests wearing the "vellies". So I did. Actually I left them on and went to my Mom's house for dinner. Well mom was having some work done in the house from a guy I hired for her. When I got there I forgot all about the vellies on my feet and also changed into one of my moms old shirts. I looked hot!

Well apparently this guy thought so, because when he finished his work, he asked to talk to me alone and asked me on a date. WoW. W00000000000000000W. I was stunned. Of course I refused and informed him I had a boyfriend. But that's not the point. He thought I looked hot. So listen up ladies. If you're trying to find a date, slip on a pair of these trend setters and knock em dead.

Ok Kids Gather Round...

There's nothing like Rice Crispy Treats! They make you feel like a kid again. Make some you'll be glad you did!

This is JOJO...

We work together and her desk is right next to mine. She is really nice and kind and generous and we have alot in common. Ha ha.

WHY IS IT

Why is it that everytime I leave my house early in the morning I end up at least 15 minutes late to work?????

THOUGHT OF THE DAY...

Don't Wait For Inspiration, It May Never Come.
Just Do It and Inspiration Will Follow!
(Adapted from Gilad during my workout this morning at 6am on Fit TV)

Splat Didn't Spoil Her Spunk

This sophomore cheerleader from Southern Illinois University in Springfield, Ill., has truly inspired me. While performing a routine during a time-out in Sunday's game against Bradley, she lost her balance atop a human pyramid. She fell 15 feet and landed on her head. Ouch. Parametics put a brace on her neck and placed her in a gurney. As they wheeled her away and the band played the school's fight song "Go Southern Go", she gave the thumps up and began to cheer (using her arms, the only thing not strapped down). Wow. She said she didn't want to distract her fellow cheerleaders or the basketball team from the game. That's what I call a team player.
We should all have this kind of enthusiasm for life, altruism and determination. If only.

To All Who Witnessed My Transfiguration... I'm Truly Sorry!

I haven't been the easiest person to get along with lately. I don't know why but I've been a Bitch. I can really relate to the hulk. When someone sets him off, he just transforms into a beast. I get it. I've done it. Only Devoid of the green.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I didn't really think that this cake was blog worthy, but my loyal enthusiast Jen prompted me to put it up. It is so easy that it is embarrassing. A Betty Croker cake mix and some canned pineapple, brown sugar and walnuts is all it takes. Enjoy!