January 2, 2009

Do you make New Year’s Resolutions or not? I happen to like making New Year’s Resolutions. In my mind, it’s more of a goal, than a ‘promise carved in stone’ that I’ll feel bad about if I don’t succeed. I want to reflect on the past year, say goodbye to it, and say hello to the New Year with some short term and long term goals.

It’s funny that several things BigSis mentioned are exactly the same as some of mine. Of course, after everything that has happened in our family these past couple of years, we’ve come to the same realizations on what we feel is most important. I’m going to try to keep this short and sweet so we can move on.

• Decide between the two churches that I’ve been visiting this past year and join one. (This is a top priority for me this year, so I couldn’t leave it off of this list, but that’s all that needs to be said. I don’t want to discuss religion or politics on this blog.)
  

• Spend more quality time with family. (I don’t want to wake up one day and realize that I worked at times when I should have stopped for a few hours to spend some quality time with family.)

• Laugh more. (I just told SirHoney yesterday that was one thing we need to make sure that we do more in this upcoming year. The daily stresses of the business should not consume our lives so much that we can’t make time to laugh more!)

• Make a commitment to go to yoga class three times a week. (I just feel better physically and mentally when I stick to this schedule)

• Lose 5 pounds this month. (I’ve got to kick start the year by being focused on increasing my cardio and adding some weight resistance training to boost my metabolism and lose a few pounds.)

• Eat better. (I have to make the time to get back to weekly meal planning and shopping so we aren’t going out or picking something up during the week. And, I want to substitute a fruit for an afternoon snack instead of breaking out the Triscuit and cheese!)

• Be more forgiving, more patient and worry less. (I’ve been working very hard on this for over a year and will continue to make it a priority. I want to forgive things that have happened in the past, not worry about the future and just enjoy today!)

• Work smarter. (I have to multi-task less and follow my daily Time Map more closely in order to be more efficient.  I need to set aside specific time for blogging, emailing, and commenting and designated time for accounting and paperwork. I’m going to TRY really hard to not toggle back and forth throughout the day.)

That’s it in a nutshell. I think we’ve officially said goodbye to 2008 , so let’s say hello to 2009!

BigSis, maybe we should talk about what’s in store for the future of BigSisLilSis for 2009?

~LilSis

January 1, 2009

I’m really excited to welcome 2009 and say goodbye to 2008!  It was a rough year! Even though we are in California, I have to celebrate New Year’s Eve the way I always have, and that’s the Southern way. It’s Southern Tradition to bring in the New Year with ham, black eyed peas, greens, and cornbread! I don’t care where we live, that’s just what we do. I grew up celebrating the New Year that way in Texas, and I’ve done it that way every year since. We even did it when we lived in New York and we do it here in California. It just wouldn’t be right to do it any other way!

We almost celebrated this New Year’s Eve alone, until at the last minute, we decided to make a few calls, and ended up with twenty friends and neighbors over to help us bring in the New Year. I decided to stick to tradition and make everyone wait until midnight for the peas and ham.  Some of my friends didn’t quite understand why we do this, but that’s just the way we do it. Period!

I told them it was bad luck to eat them before midnight, so not too many of them complained. We were always told that it brought even more good luck if you counted how many peas you ate. I stopped counting after 365. I’ve seriously been eating peas since midnight and it is now five p.m! I did sleep from 3:30 a.m.to 8:30 a.m., but have been eating peas during all waking hours today. I think I might explode! Here’s a little sample of one of the many bowls I’ve eaten today.

And here’s the complete plate of ham, peas, greens, and cornbread. Just in case you didn’t know, the greens symbolize prosperity. They aren’t my favorite, but I’m actually afraid of what might happen if I don’t eat them. Last night, I forgot the cornbread, so this morning, I made the cornbread muffins.

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year! I’m really looking forward to this New Year and all it has to offer. I’ll talk about my Resolutions tomorrow.  I’m not thinking too clearly right now. It might have something to do with “Black Eyed Pea Overload”!

~LilSis

January 1, 2009

~BigSis

December 31, 2008

Need a last minute appetizer to take to a New Year’s Eve Party?  Or maybe you’re hosting your own New Year’s Eve Party and have decided that you could use another appetizer?  If so, here are a few more very quick and easy last minute ideas.

This first one is a ‘Rachel Ray’ spin on the Insalata alla Caprese, which is a real favorite of mine.

Cherry Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Skewers

I container cherry tomatoes
1 pound marinated mozzarella balls
Fresh basil
Short wooden skewers or the longer toothpicks

Take the skewers and just alternate a cherry tomato, a basil leaf, and a mozzarella ball. I’ve added a Kalamata olive, also.  Arrange on a festive plate or on a bed of lettuce leaves and you’re done!

It doesn’t get any easier than that and it’s better than taking a bag of Fritos and a can of bean dip!

Here’s one more simple, but festive, cheese spread. BigSis came up with this variation many moons ago!

Homemade Pimiento Cheese Spread

1 small jar chopped pimentos, drained
Kraft or Hellman’s mayo (not Miracle Whip!)
1 pound Sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. celery salt

Combine cheese with pimentos and seasonings, and enough mayonnaise to moisten mixture and hold it together. Serve in a festive bowl surrounded by crackers of your choice. This cheese is best if you can make it a few hours ahead so the flavors can blend, but don’t worry if you make it right before the party. It will still be fantastic!

If you still need a few more ideas, check out The Recipe Girl for a huge selection of hot and cold finger foods.

If you need an idea for a New Year’s Eve cocktail, Tyler Florence shows you how to make up two festive champagne cocktails.

Wishing you a safe, happy, and healthy New Year’s Eve!

~LilSis

December 30, 2008

Anyone need an idea for a New Year’s Eve Party Appetizer? I love New Year’s Eve Parties and I love appetizers, so this is right “up my alley”!  I’m a little more in my league talking about appetizers versus talking about pies, cakes, and cookies. I actually have several friends that call me ‘The Appetizer Queen’. (I’ll take it, I’ve been called worse.) Whether it’s a New Year’s Eve Party, Christmas Party, Halloween Party or just a Cocktail Party, you can bet that I’m bringing an appetizer.

I’ve always preferred to host a “Cocktails & Hors D’oeuvres” party versus a sit down dinner party. And, we all know that I’m not the one in the Progressive Dinner chosen to do the dessert! Nope, my house was always the Appetizer house!

Since the party is only a day away, I want to share these first three recipes because they are better if you make them ahead and refrigerate overnight.

(I wish I had photos of all of these to show you; but like Christmas and Thanksgiving, New Year’s snuck up on me too quickly to get all of these recipes made and photographed.)

Sun Dried Tomato Spread
Prize Tested Recipe from De Anne Pearson,
Austin, Texas, Winner in the Fresh Herb Ideas Category
for Better Homes and Gardens Contest 1997

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. Olive oil
1/3 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. dried tomatoes, snipped
1 8-oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. snipped fresh basil
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese
Baguette-style French bread slices, toasted

In medium skillet, cook garlic in oil til light brown. Add wine and dried tomatoes. Cook, uncovered, over low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Drain excess liquid. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine cream cheese, basil, and Parmesan cheese. Cover and process till smooth. Add tomato mixture; process til almost smooth. Transfer to serving bowl. Cover and chill 4 to 24 hours. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Serve with toasted baguette slices.

(Note: I’ve never used a food processor for this recipe. I’ve always just mixed by hand and I like it because the tomatoes stay a little chunkier.)

HVR Cheese Ball
This recipe is from BigSis’ cookbook! She has always called this the HVR Cheese Ball. I’m telling you; no one can ever figure out these simple ingredients, but everyone loves this cheese ball!

(2) 8-oz pkgs cream cheese
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Original Dressing Mix
2 T. dill pickle relish
1 package thin sliced beef, minced
1 c. pecans, chopped

Mix together all ingredients except pecans. Form into a ball and roll in pecans. Best if refrigerated 4 to 24 hours. Serve on a festive plate surrounded with crackers of your choice and your done! How easy was that?

I made this next one for a big New Year’s Eve Party we had in Texas several years ago and they were the hit of that party!

Grilled Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon
This recipe is from The Martha Stewart Cookbook

1/2 c. olive oil
2 T. champagne vinegar or good white wine vinegar
3 T. chopped fresh dill
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound large shrimps (13-15 per pound) peeled and deveined, with tails intact
5 slices very lean bacon, sliced very thin

Combine the oil, vinegar, dill, and garlic in a bowl. Add the shrimps and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Cut each slice of bacon into thirds and wrap a piece around each shrimp, securing well with a toothpick. Grill over hot coals, or on a gas grill, until the bacon is crisp and the shrimps are cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes. You can also grill them under a hot broiler, 4 minutes on each side, being careful not to burn the bacon or overcook the shrimps. Serve warm.

And, I love a good artichoke spinach dip. This one uses Alfredo sauce instead of mayo and is a lot like some of the recipes served in restaurants.

Artichoke & Spinach Dip Restaurant Style
(You can find a printable version of this dip recipe on All Recipes)

4 cloves garlic
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (10 oz) container Alfredo pasta sauce
1 c. shredded mozzarella
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic in a small baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 20 to 30 minutes, until soft. Remove from heat. When cool to touch, squeeze softened garlic from skins. Mix the garlic, spinach, artichoke hearts, Alfredo sauce, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and cream cheese and spread into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Cover and bake 30 minutes or until cheeses are melted and bubbly. Serve warm. This is so good on slices of toasted baguette bread or on Triscuit.

And, in case you missed one of these previous posts, BigSis and I both love to take the Cheesecake Crunchy to a party. (We can’t make it to keep at home or we’ll eat the whole thing ourselves.) And since BigSis is a vegetarian, these Stuffed Mushrooms aren’t her favorite any more. But, these are a crowd pleaser! I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve made these!

BigT does a version of stuffed peppers that have very similar ingredients to the Stuffed Mushrooms. These require a little prep work cleaning the peppers, but everyone loves them.

BigT’s Peppers

15 fresh jalapeno peppers
1 pound Italian sausage
1 (8 oz) cream cheese
1/2 pound bacon

Cut peppers in half lengthwise. Clean out seeds with spoon. Set aside on foiled lined cookie sheet. Saute sausage and drain. Add the cream cheese to the sausage and mix well.  Spoon into peppers and wrap 1/3 slice of bacon around each pepper. Bake at 350 for approximately 20 – 30 minutes. Put under the broiler for a few minutes to further brown the bacon, if desired. Drain on a paper towel, then serve warm.

Bo’s Version of Brie and Cranberries

1 (14 oz) Brie Wheel
3/4 c. Craisins (dried cranberries)
1/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. pecans
1 egg
1 T. water

(What I love about this type of recipe is that you can alter the quantities of these ingredients if you want. You want less pecans, put less pecans, like more craisins, put more craisins. These don’t have to be exact measurements.)

Take a warm knife and slice the Brie in half horizontally. Stuff the Craisins, pecans, and brown sugar in the middle of the Brie and enclose with the Puff Pastry. Cut off any excess pastry and brush all over with the egg wash made with the egg and 1 tablespoon of water.  Bake at 350 degrees til pastry is brown, about 30 minutes.

If you have time to be a little creative, you can make festive little cutouts out of the extra pastry to decorate the top of the Brie. For Christmas, Bo made holly and berries for the top of one brie and a wreath for the other. She said they turned out really cute! For New Year’s, you could try a martini glass or a some confetti.

Counting Down to 2009!!

So, those are just a few of our family favorite appetizer recipes. I hope that this may have given you an idea for something new to make this year. If not, stay tuned! I’m hoping to have one or two more really quick and easy appetizer recipes for you tomorrow.

~LilSis

December 30, 2008

New Year’s Eve will be here within a matter of hours, and you may be thinking about what to serve your hungry crowd.  Plain chips? Mixed nuts? Chex Mix?  How about something as easy as those options but tastier?

Salty...savory...slightly spicy...delicious!

I work with G, whose husband C is a great cook.  His family has a recipe for a snack mix they call “IT”. IT is really simple, but IT is so delicious that you can’t stop eating IT!  Fortunately, IT makes a HUGE batch!  You can see that you have lots of leeway in the amounts of dry ingredients to use.  Just use what you like and IT will turn out great!  Don’t leave the curry powder out though.  I don’t usually like curry, but the small amount of it in this recipe gives it a great subtle flavor.  There’s something about the combination of the curry, fresh garlic and butter with the salty ingredients that’s just yummy!  Thanks for this recipe, G and C!

IT rocks!

IT

Mix together in large roasting pan:
2 bags Fritos
1 box CheezIts
Pecans
Walnuts
Sliced Almonds
Popped Popcorn

Mix in saucepan:
1 tsp curry powder
3 dashes Tabasco
1 Tblsp Worcestershire
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 or 2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp salt
2 sticks melted butter

Pour heated mixture over dry ingredients and toss to coat evenly.  Cook in slow oven at 250 degrees for 1 hour.  Stir occasionally.  Dump into brown paper bag to drain.  Store in tightly sealed container when cool.

~BigSis

December 29, 2008

Do you have a big fancy party to go to this New Year’s Eve? Or maybe you’re hosting a soiree at your home? Either way, you no doubt want to look gorgeous and you may be looking for a new “party face”. Have you ever thought to look on YouTube for makeup tutorials? There are some fabulous ones out there, and the cool thing is you can actually see the look done. If you’re a visual learner, this is the thing for you. I think one of the best video makeup teachers out there is Miss Chevious. Besides the video, she also gives you a complete list of all the products she used in the look if you go to the MissChevious channel on You Tube.

There are a few different looks here, so make sure to follow whichever one you prefer. You might even like to change up the looks slightly to make sure they match your facial details. For example, you might want to change the eyeshadow to make sure it enhances your eyes, or you could consider changing your eye colour by using the bausch and lomb contact lenses. That could give you a completely different eye colour to make sure the makeup really stands out properly. Anyway, this is a Christmas makeup look that she did, but I think it would be pretty for New Year’s Eve too, perhaps with a gold dress?

This look is Miss Chevious’s modern interpretation of Marie Antoinette; really heavy on the eyelashes with pink lips. I love this look! I can see it with a white or pink dress, or even black.

This look is called Icy Winter Chill, and I think it could be beautiful with a silver or white dress. It’s very Snow Queen!

I’ve saved the most dramatic for last! This is the look that Miss Chevious specifically designed for New Year’s Eve, and it’s definitely over the top! It’s based on hot pink and black, and would probably be most suited for a night out hitting the clubs, rather than a dinner with the in-laws! To me it’s kind of Morticia Adams meets Hello Kitty! I definitely couldn’t pull this off, but I know there are those of you who can, and if you can, go for it!

If none of these seem to be a fit for your style and your coloring, check out the rest of Miss Chevious’s videos on YouTube. You’ll be hooked!

~BigSis

December 28, 2008

It’s definitely a busy time of the year and we all have more to do than usual. When I’m feeling overwhelmed and stressed, it is even more important to make sure that I exercise every day. On the days when I may not want to go to the gym or if it’s not nice enough outdoors to go for a run, our new Wii Fit game is going to make it so much more fun to do something at home. I’ve never been good about doing exercise videos at home, so having a Wii fit game that can help me is great. Even if you don’t have a Wii at home, you can use an emulator similar to the Dolphin iOS emulator to turn your phone into a Wii console! If this is something you’re interested in, you can learn how to install dolphin emulator here. Not only is it great for keeping you fit but it makes a great Christmas gift!

The Wii Fit is really an amazing game! Thanks Bo for the great Christmas gift! I’m not going to lie, I was a bit skeptical about this game at first, but once I realized how popular it was amongst people who enjoy playing the Nintendo Wii, I just knew that I had hit the jackpot. I would even go as far as saying that it’s on the same level as these options for wii games download because these are very enjoyable too. My friends are just some of the people that would know how good these games are. So, we couldn’t wait to get stuck into the Wii Fit. On Christmas Day, we all took turns getting weighed and getting our BMI calculated. (Sounds like fun, huh?)

I intentionally have not stepped on a scale in a long time. And, I really had no intention of doing so on Christmas Day after a week of parties and overindulging. So, when we got the Wii Fit, HayHay persuaded me to get on the balance board. Not only does it weigh you very precisely, it also calculates your BMI. First, you take a body test and go through a few balance tests that enables the Wii Fit to calculate your BMI and your Wii Fit Age. (And it also tells you if you’re overweight.) If you’re not happy with your weight or your BMI, you can set a goal and track your progress daily. Visit the Nintendo site to check it out!

Once you start training, you can choose from yoga, balance games, strength training or aerobics. I had a friend from my yoga class tell me that the yoga on Wii Fit was really hard and she was right! It’s really good and the hula hoop is a hoot! I think HayHay and BigT like the snow skiing the best.

My BMI was good, but I’ve set a goal to lose a little weight. I’ve recorded my goal on the Wii Fit and am now putting it in black and white so the pressure is on! My first New Year’s Resolution is to lose five pounds in the next month.

If I crank up my regular exercise routine and add some fun aerobics from Wii Fit, I’m hoping, and praying, that I can accomplish this goal.

~LilSis

December 27, 2008

I agree with what you said, LilSis.  I hope that everyone had a great Christmas!  I also hope that you aren’t in the midst of that after-Christmas-darn-it’s-all-over-letdown feeling since we’re in that weekend after Christmas and before New Year’s.  I don’t have those blues this year, but some years I do.  What I do have right now is a GIANT list of things to do this weekend.  You know the list…I bet you have one too.  It goes something like this:

• Put away all the Christmas paraphernalia: wrapping paper and bags, treat bags for food gifts, extra Christmas cards you didn’t send, etc.
• Put away all the great gifts you got.  BTW, read the manuals and send in the warranty cards!
• Unpack from your holiday trip.
• Go to the grocery store for FOOD, not flour, sugar and butter.
• Drink as much water as you can to try to flush all that “stuff” out of your system that’s making you feel sluggish today.
• Try to figure out which of the deadly leftover temptations in your refrigerator can be frozen to get them out of your sight. And keep them out of your mouth.  And off your butt!
• Clean out your closets to make one more donation to the women’s shelter before year-end.
• Balance the checkbook!  Yikes!
• Return that gift you bought just in case, but didn’t need after all.
• Buy New Year’s cards since you didn’t get around to Christmas cards.
• Buy thank you cards.  Actually fill them out and mail them.
• Catch up on laundry.
• Catch up on house-cleaning. especially if you have New Year’s Eve company coming.
• Think about what you might want to buy with any gift cards or cash you received.  The New Year’s Day sales are just around the corner, so watch for the sale offers in the paper, mail and online.
• Catch up on everything that you got behind on in the last week, like going to the bank, refilling prescriptions, buying pet food, and going through the mail.
• Start to weigh your New Year’s Eve options.
• Go to the gym to try to burn off that fudge!  How can that much damage be done in two days??

That’s my list.  How about yours?

And by the way, while we’re in the list-making mode, how about using one of these?  I can get my pink fix and my Franklin Covey fix at the same time with these awesome products! And BONUS!  They’re having a sale through December 28th!

FlipNotes are only $7.95 and so cute!

This Pink Portfolio is letter size and $69.95. Pricey but pretty!

For electronic lists, how about this laptop bag at $189?

However you like to organize your to-do lists, use your method of choice to get started on your 2009 resolutions! I’m working on mine!

~BigSis

December 26, 2008

We’re hoping that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and was able to spend some time with family and friends and maybe even relax a little bit. We are really used to having large family gatherings during this season, so we really missed not being with either side of the family this Christmas.

Luckily, we have wonderful friends and neighbors that know we don’t have family in California so they were kind enough to invite us to join their families. Thank you to D & J for inviting us to join their family for Christmas Eve Dinner and to V & C for including us at their family dinner on Christmas Day. BigT was at his dad’s for Christmas this year and I couldn’t fathom the idea of cooking a big Christmas Dinner for just three of us. We had intended to just go out to dinner, but instead, we had a great time with our friends and really appreciate them welcoming us into their homes.

Unfortunately, today is a normal work day for many of us so there is no time to sit back and relax. It’s back to the grindstone and lots of year end accounting for me. (snarl)

Since New Year’s Eve is right around the corner; in the next several days, BigSis and I will probably be talking about appetizers and party food, and maybe I’ll come up with some special cocktail to welcome in the New Year.

Oh, and then, we need to get down to some serious business and talk about New Year’s Resolutions!

~LilSis