I LOVE Frango Mints!!!

Before this week, I didn't know what a frango mint was. I was deprived.

But now I am enlightened and oh how glorious the world is, with the frango mints in it. I am also wickedly exhausted, having been going going going for I lost track of how many days in a row. That being said, I am short on words, but please enjoy this recipe!

Frango Mint Chip Cookies

Recipe adapted from cooks.com

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup grated Marshall Field's Frango Mints

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup chopped nuts

12 Frango Mints, halved

Cream butter, shortening and sugars until light. Add eggs, vanilla, and grated Frango Mints. Beat until creamy and well blended. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together, add to the beaten egg mixture, blending carefully. Fold in chopped nuts. Use a melon baller to scoop dough, and place half a Frango mint into the middle of each ball. Place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 8-11 minutes. Remove cookies from cookie sheets and allow to cool on rack.

Random Thoughts on Clothes

Behold: My closet...

Yes, I color coordinate. Can't help it.

Ok, so, yeah.. what depresses me.. I can only wear maybe 40% of my closet at present. Today my mom took a picture of me and it was the old -- More Chins than a Chinese phonebook -- type of picture. I really honest to God had no idea I looked that way!!

I've been real good about eating lately. Ok, good, not "real" good. I have cut back a lot on portion sizes, but I could probably make healthier choices. Working out? Eh. Sometimes.

Here's the thing.

I just bought 4 pairs of pants. Fall pants. I want to fit into them before the season changes! See, I'm in between sizes right now. The size pants I bought, I just kinda fit in them, but to go up that would be too baggy, aside from which - who wants to buy pants in a bigger size when you're losing weight?

That's my current goal. I'm not that far from it. The pants fit if I don't mind bulges and muffin top, which I do mind thank you. There are 11 weeks left this year, if I lose the healthy 2 pounds a week each week, I should be able to lose 22 pounds and fit into about 60% percent of my closet. Not a whole lot more, but a good start, and enough to fit in my new fall pants.

Why is this so freaking hard?!?! UGH. sigh. :o)

I have taken my "Before" pictures, which I am too ashamed to share. If after losing my goal of 50 pounds, I am feeling bold, maybe, maybe, maybe then I'll share what I came from.

Ms. Ex Hot girl has started a new fabulous blog that I've joined, the Bloggerhood of the traveling not so fat pants. I'm in a bloggerhood, whoop whoop! Check it out:

I don't know how to work a button yet, but click on the words above to go to link. And what the diggy to not knowing, but I'm still learning ol blogspot here.

If you're like me and need to lose, join the bloggerhood!!

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I'm a 31 year old college student, and now that I've been going to school during the day, it's mostly with students 10-12 years younger than me. And may I just say.

I was around when this was popular, and you should not be bringing it back. It's wrong. I mean, WRONG. Please pass word. Unless you are dressing up for Halloween - No-no. No. NO.

I witnessed this trend on several of the girls at school and chuckle to myself. I hope it's to myself anyway, chances are good that my non-poker face is showing my laugh at their expense. Just today, I saw a girl wearing flourescent yellow jeans, a matching t-shirt in the yellow, but with hot pink scribbles on it (!), flourescent orange belt, with clear jelly shoes. I tried shamelessly to take a picture, but it didn't turn out. I was trying to be inconspicuous but my camera phone wasn't fast enough.

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Yesterday we celebrated Canadian Thankgiving and I have some FABULOUS recipes to share. I didn't take any pictures so I have to wait for my aunt to get home and email me them. Super duper fantastic Thanksgiving recipes coming soon!!

Mozzarella Pasta Salad

Tonight I was in the mood for a lil something different than the usual flavors I cook with. I was thinking -- artichoke! Yes! I never did like the artichoke, or rather, never really tried it till that one fateful day. (harp playing and memory cloud forming over my head)

Maybe lots of people are introduced to the artichoke this way -- Spinach artichoke dip! So smooth, so creamy, yes it's love!

Nevermind it sounds like a word Jeff Foxworthy will or may have already used in his standup -- "If you hear me scream like a ninny when I see NKOTB live, you artichoke me."

Mozzarella Pasta Salad

1 (6 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts

1 (8 oz) package rotini pasta, cooked

1 (7oz) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and cut into strips

1/2 lb smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 in cubes

1/2 (5 oz) bag baby spinach leaves

1/2 (4.5 oz can) chopped green chiles, drained

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp pepper

Drain artichokes, reserving marinade. Cut artichokes into strips, and place in a large bowl. Add pasta and next 4 ingredients; toss gently.

Stir together reserved artichoke marinade, mayonnaise, and next 4 ingredients until blended. Add to pasta mixture, stirring to combine. Cover and chill.

481 calories/serving

Recipe from Southern Living Cookbook 2006

What happened to nice?

I see so much anger, greed and selfishness everywhere I go, it makes me ... sad. Whatever happened to nice? Where did common courtesy go? Why has goodwill gone from people's daily lives? I'm just wondering.

When shopping at a Target, I watched as a cafe employee called store security on a family who was helping themselves to a drink refill. (Hello? There's a self serve machine! Why would you limit the amount of soda people pump themselves with but put the machine in the seating area?) That's a person who is angry at the world. They were probably deprived of something in life and decided to make someone else's day just as shitty as their own.

I think people don't realize what they look like. How would the rude employee feel if, after work, they went to a bar to have a drink and unwind, and the bartender is having a personal conversation on the phone and takes 10 minutes to serve her first drink. Would they recognize that they are being treated just as they had treated their own customer? I'm betting not.

Dude. Step out of yourself and look back. See how other people see you. Do you want to be someone who is angry with the world? Focus your anger on what makes you angry, deal with it and move on. Stop spreading it!

Just today, I went to Panera to get a sandwich after work. 5 cars all pulled into the lot at the same time. The last car, whipped into the spot up front and a young girl flew out of her car, quickly walking fast as she could to beat everyone converging towards the door at the same time... in front of the sweet elderly people walking in together. (So cute, helping each other to the door, the type of marriage I hope mine will be at that age)

"C'mon Mah, Let's go get some supper at Panera, ooh they make those delicious sandwiches you like so well!"
"Ok darling, that will save me a night of cooking and no clean up! Splendid!"
"It's chilly dear, get your sweater"
**Drives to the Panera, getting cut off by young girl running inside to be served first! Didn't even hold door for sweet elderly couple**
"Let's not stand between that girl and food, eh?!"
"Poor dear, must be starving, that one"

That's selfish -- take maybe 2 minutes of your life, get your food 2 minutes later, to show some courtesy to sweet elderly people! They are living your future. What is wrong with people!

Michael Jackson said "If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change" Ok so I'm working on not glaring at or passing judgement on the stupid selfish idiots of the world. I'm not perfect nor do I claim to be, but I'll tell you one thing. I am looking at myself and trying to make a change. I would like to do something major too but I haven't figured out what that is. I'll let you know when I do!

In the meantime - smile at a stranger, hold the door for the person behind you. Say thank you if the door is held open for you. If someone cuts you off or lets a door close in your face, please stop spreading the rudeness. Be grateful you are not that rude person and keep on spreading cheer. Spirit fingers, yeah! I realized I'm sounding a little hokey but in all seriousness, the world needs less rude idiots and more nice people. Why not start with you?

Pumpkin Muffins

Oh Sweet Sassy Molassey, Happy Day!!

After getting an insider tip (thanks S!) I finally found pumpkin! It was a trip filled with anticipation, after being told there was pumpkin there, I rushed to the Pig immediately! I'm not familiar with the grocery store, so, basket in hand, tried to dodge assorted slow people with carts, less they try to find pumpkin before me. It was like the don't run in the halls run/walk you did back in the days of school - Run quickly to the first aisle, slow down - read the sign - no, not here, run to the next aisle, slow down, read the sign..

For the record, I *tried* to act calm and collected and did not run over any sweet elderly people.

And there it was - the baking aisle! Oh no, there's 2 people down there, what if they're getting pumpkin! Say it ain't so. As they walk by, take a bit of a peek in their cart, nope, no pumpkin, phew. I can't believe what this has come to.

Then I found the pie fillings - apple, no, peach, no, blueberry, NO! Where's the pumpkin!! I crouched down low to read the tiny labels, and there it was pumpkin, right underneath a big empty space. In a last hopeful effort I get down low and reach - kinda like those orange juice commercials where they reach way into the orange groves for their carton of juice - and aha!!! 2 cans waaaay in the back! Success! HOORAY!!

I finally get to use my pumpkin pan, check out how cute this is!!





It was only $10, you can get one for yourself here!

Pumpkin Muffins

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Sift the above ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside.

3 eggs at room temperature

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

3 tsp extract - I like to play with extracts. This time I used 1 tsp each of vanilla, maple, and orange. Feel free to use your favorites, or just use vanilla.

In a large bowl, mix these ingredients together until well combined. Slowly blend in the sifted ingredients until just mixed. Stir in one can of pumpkin.

Bake in a 325 degree oven. For the pumpkin muffins, 18-20 minutes. I also made mini loaves - those took 20-22 minutes, until your tester comes out clean.

I did sample - just one! Ok, two, they're small, and the rest are sitting, beckoning, in my kitchen. Any takers? Now.. to the treadmill!!

are you ...?

I had a really great day yesterday. I accomplished everything on the to-do list and felt so good I even got to bed at a decent time. Got up this morning for work, well. Mornings are never pretty, but today was ever so slightly better than normal. (How about that, being productive actually makes you feel better than lazy? How can this be?)

Then today I was brought down by a single question. The question that plagues every famous actress the minute she eats a cheeseburger. Maybe you know where I'm headed. Yes - the dreaded - Are you P~~~ Gosh I can't even type it, if you're not P~~ it is the single most horrible question you could be asked. Why would anyone ask unless it was very clearly evident I wonder?

I was asked this several years ago, and immediately after lost about 40 pounds and was skinnier than I had been since high school. I maintained for quite a while. Then I moved and got a desk job and it was over! I had planned on baking when I got home today, but now, I am vowing to spend an hour on the treadmill. Last night I did a dvd, Billy Blanks Tae Bo something I forget. Not your normal Tae Bo but one where they dance in it too. I'm sure I looked quite the fool. So much so that my dog thought I was going crazyyy and was either trying to imitate me, jump on me, or when it got really bad, he'd just look at me with clear amusement on his puppy face, head tilted to one side.

It's just one of those days, you want to crawl back into bed wearing comfy sweats, pull the fleece blanket up to your chin and watch movies. Not just any movies. Chick flicks.

Only that would defeat everything, since the point is to get out of that mode and into the gym.

But I do have this cute pumpkin pan I've been anxious to try out. Maybe if I get a kick @$$ workout in, I will reward myself with being able to bake, and will try just one! and give the rest away. Haha! See, bipolar - why can't I have the best of both worlds. Grumble.

Interrupted

I know this is so five minutes ago, but I thought it was funny. Check it out here: