Free For All!

I love free.  Free is good.

But the thing I like best?  A sodium free cookie.

Now what do those look like to you?  If you said "Peanut Butter Cookies" I award you. . .well, an internet cookie!

These cookies are not only sodium free they are also gluten free and. . .[drumroll] NUT free.

Yep - the best part is they are delicious and taste just like peanut butter cookies. And  I wouldn't kid about that Tadpoles. They are my favorite cookie.

We went out Saturday in search of sodium free baking soda and baking powder, which do exist. SCORE! But evidently not in Sterling VA. BOO! So I had to order them over the interwebs. YAY for the Health Market and their 10% discount, All of that is neither here nor there when I stumbled upon this:

Courtesty of: www.peabutter.ca

It is called "No Nuts" and it is nut, peanut, sodium and gluten free. Go them!  And since I didn't use any flour in the recipe - bonus - it was still gluten free!

My only health concern, obviously, is sodium - but nice to know I can take it a couple of steps further.  If you leave off the chocolate drizzle it is even dairy free! Woot

Making them couldn't be easier.

Easy PEAsy PEAbutter Cookies

1 cup of peabutter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg - Eggs do have sodium, but I used two yolks [6 mg of sodium per yolk] and the end result was too nominal too count as sodium content.  Most of the sodium in eggs is in the whites.

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients together well.  For the bigger cookies take one rounded tablespoon - small cookies one rounded teaspoon - and roll into a ball. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.  [I rolled mine in cinnamon sugar, but you don't have to]. Dip a fork in sugar and crisscross the tops of the cookies pushing down slightly.

Bake large cookies for 16 minutes, small for 8 minutes.  Let cool completely on cookie sheet before removing to paper towel.

For the chocolate drizzle/dip:

Melt one cup of semi sweet chocolate chips with one tablespoon of shortening in microwave. [2 min on 70 %] Stir well to make smooth.  Dip cookies or pour chocolate in a pastry bag or sandwich bag, cut the tip off and drizzle!  Oh, I almost forgot - place dipped cookies on a baking pan covered in wax paper or place plain cookies on same pan and then drizzle.  Refrigerate until firm.

Like I said, so easy.

I haven't been having too many good days lately, sorry, but it helps not to dwell on it or talk about it. Recipes and pictures of food are so much more fun, dontcha' think?

I'll try to see ya' on the flipside, but if not - hopefully it is because I finally fell asleep. heehee Know I think of y'all often and miss you.

Make it a great one Tadpoles!

Nicely Done Britain!

How fantastic were the opening ceremonies of the London Olympics? WOW!

Our favorite parts were the Queen and what a great sense of humor she has. I don't know if you can say this about a Monarch, but she is so cute.  We also enjoyed all the wonderful music through the years and the London Symphony Orchestra with Rolan Atkinson.  And, of course, "Hey Jude" at the end.  

Just fabulous.  I am still smiling.

So. . . .

In honor of our friends across the [true] pond I made y'all a cake.

Chocolate Peppermint Cake

With Whipped Chocolate Frosting and Peppermint filling

 When Pooldad mentioned it was a round Union Jack Wallene replied "It's a round cake."

heehee

 It was really good according to Spottie.

It was so strange - but in a good way -  to see the streets so quiet at 8:00 pm because everyone was home watching the ceremonies.  I am so excited for the next two weeks. We love the Olympics. :D

 

Enjoy your weekend Tadpoles - we'll see ya' on the flipside.

Who Am I?

[Besides a woman in desperate need of sleep?]

I bet you can guess.....

 heehee

POOLDAD!

It's the red moustache, don'tcha think?

Yes. That is Pooldad with the lobster aftermath.

And yes I have a really great story of why we had a delicious lobster feast last night instead of  the "Kitchen Sink Soup" I had prepared.

Stay tuned. I think you're going to love it.

Truth Is Thursday. . .

[Juli you can pick your chin up off your keyboard now. Thank you. heehee]

Truth is. . .that is what I saw when I walked out of my bedroom last night. Never a dull moment with these two around. . .

Been a while since I have done a "Truth is. . ." post but since I am trying to keep up with this blog I thought what the heck.

Truth is. . .I am done keeping my fingernails long.  They grow fast and don't break or chip, but I am growing a wee bit tired of spending half my time picking dough and pie crust out from underneath of them. [You're welcome for that mental pic'.]  It is such a pain in the patoot.  I got so fed up yesterday while making dinner that I stopped in the middle of the pie crust and grabbed the clippers. And chopped those suckers off - flour, fats and all.  Took me until today to file them tho'. hee

Truth is. . .I still can't sleep [color you surprised, I am sure] so this morning I made banana bread and paid all our bills.  We are now broke, but the house sure smells yummy. :)

Truth is. . .I am kidding about being broke.  It is just a little tight this next month with Squirrel going back to college and three birthdays coming up.

Truth is. . .this will be my last mention of baking [on this post anyway] but did you know that baking soda and baking powder are EXTREMELY high in sodium?  I knew this, but it isn't something a lot of people think of when they bake.  Thankfully they do make sodium free substitutes for both and I am buying them online from Amazon tomorrow.  I would really like to be able to eat the cakes and quick breads I make.

Truth is. . .I have never been one to write a birthday wish list or a "What I want for Christmas list" so much, usually only if Pooldad insists then I vote for socks or pajamas, but I have a new found appreciation for actually wanting things.  Things for my new hobby.  A hobby I promised I wouldn't mention in this post again, but y'know what?  There are a bazillion really cool toys, products and ingredients that I covet, but would never think to buy for myself.  I skippyhappydanced in the grocery store the other day when I discovered my store carries European butter.  ::swoon::  And that is just the beginning.

Truth is. . .and this is a biggie.  I blew it on vacation.  BIG TIME.  And I paid for it.  Although we were gone for nine days we only ate out twice - once for pizza and once for a hamburger at IHOP. But...I did manage to eat everything, and then some, of what I made at home. For example - remember I mentioned "buckets of popcorn"?  I wasn't kidding.  And shame on me - I put salt on it.  A LOT of salt.  All told I gained 10 lbs+ of water/congestion in a few days. Stupid.Stupid.Stupid.  I have been so good for so long that I think I had a false sense of security and thought "Well, one piece of pie won't hurt" even after I had already had popcorn, and also bread and a piece of cake at lunch. It adds up and it adds up quickly. We came home and I damn near ended up back in the hospital. My doctor told me to come in to see him and I actually told him "No." I don't want that and I certainly don't need the lectures about how they are working so diligently to take care of my other health concerns that how dare I endanger my health further with something that is so easy to control.  It took me 4 days but I managed to go back to my pre vacation weight, but my little foray into all things salty really screwed me up.  It only took three years [from my initial diagnosis], but I learned my lesson. THAT is a wagon I won't be falling off of again.  The salt wagon, heehee - I'm keeping that one. ::wink::

Truth is?  I am tired of it all.  Really tired.  And not just physically.  I miss me, I miss being able to stand up, sit, lay in bed - just BE - without being in pain.

Truth is. . .I can imagine how weary you are of hearing me repeat myself.  Can you imagine how bored I am living it?

Truth is. . .I wish my world wasn't colored by how sick I am and instead was actually just the daisies and lollipops I imagine it would be if I wasn't sick.  Because outside of those issues, we have a pretty damn nice life.  And I know it.  I wish I could enjoy it a bit more.

Ah well, that is being greedy I suppose.  It could be worse, right?  I know that too.

On a funnier note - Pooldad doesn't realize I have thrown him under the bus by offering up a guest post from him and so far he is winning in the voting. Bwahahaha - thank goodness the man is such a good sport.

Take care Tadpoles. I am off to make lunches and get the family on the road.  Just another day in the pond. Enjoy yourselves and take care of YOU!

Overheard At the Pond

In our home the hiearchy, at least in Spot's, eyes is as follows:

1. Pooldad

Pack leader

2.  Skippy

Food Source/Walker

3. Wallene

Her big sister

4. Spot

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

and way down here?

 5. Squirrel

Don't misunderstand me - Spot ADORES Squirrel, but Squirrel has gone off to college one too many times for the pup's taste [I think] so Spot feels it is her right that she gets to take Squirrel's place, because, y'know, SHE is here all the time, not our daughter.  The dog constantly tries to dominate Squirrel in the usual doggy ways.  It can be quite funny [if it wasn't so sad. giggle]

Whatever. 

I obviously have too much time on my hands.

I am analyzing the dog.  

But wait!....it does have a point. :D:

We were all hanging out in the den tonight watching TV when Wallene began to tease Squirrel by pushing the ottoman out from under her.  A lot of giggling, screaming and carrying on ensued which made the dog excited.  My favorite thing since she was sitting on my lap.  ::eyeroll::  Spot was jumping up and down, barking frantically at the girls while Dad and I laughed.  That just made the dog bark more.

Before the poor girl stroked out I chimed in with "Wallene leave the dog's humpee alone, would you?"

Squirrel shot back, "Oh great! Does this mean I am the dog's BLOW UP DOLL now?"

We fell out laughing.

So nice when the kids grow up and can share what they know, isn't it?

Okay, so that was a lot of post for one funny line - I'm trying here. In fact, I have several posts I want to write, but the motivation...it eluuuuuuuuudes me.  So help me out - I will give you the titles to some of the ones I am considering and you guys vote on which one you want to read. Fair?  Desperate?  Boring? 

Here goes:

1. More Meltdowns Than Three Mile Island

2. Bringing Back the 80's One Perm at a Time - A Pictorial

3. The Post Where Skippy Loses Her Shit 

    I have already written this one out - and well, I am still on the fence about posting it. A lot of cussing Tadpoles. :)

4.  The Masked Baker - A Vlog on "How to Knead Bread" 

    I have been asked this a few times and I promised Tony one, so if this gets voted in I may get my behoohoo in gear and actually do it.  Me and flour. What could be more fun, right? ::yawn::  Oh and you get to hear my lilting voice. ha!

5.  I'll Believe it When I See It

6.  A guest post from Pooldad [one where he doesn't talk about me - see? I let you off the hook there.]  The man has some funny stories.

7.  Another comic

Okay, that's all I have for now. If you guys think of anything else, let me know - but I need a kick in the pants right now.

Otherwise I analyze the fish next.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

See you on the flipside gang!  Make it a great day. :D

What the....?!?

It takes a lot. . .I am talking a LOT to bring me down.  Considering all that is happening in our little part of the pond, I think that is saying something about how I [we] handle life's ups and downs.

But...but...what the &*^%?

I woke up this morning, sat down at my computer and the first thing I saw?  The mass shooting in Colorado. Link to the Washington Post story HERE.

Sigh.

What is going on?

What possesses a 24 year old man, a neuroscience PhD canidate, to go into a packed movie theater and start shooting at hundreds of people he doesn't know. Men, women and children who have never done him a bit of harm?  There are 12 people dead and 60 more in the hospital.  I canNOT even begin to fathom the terror, the sheer panic those poor people must have been feeling being trapped in a darkened movie theater, choking on some sort of gas as bullets rained down.

I am honestly ashamed to be an American sometimes.  I know that isn't very supportive of my birth country - but the shooter is one of our country men. A fellow citizen who killed several more of our own men and women.

Why?!?

It saddens me to my core.  I just want to curl up and cry.  Cry for the lives lost, those struggling to survive and for the mess that this country is in that a person can purchase weapons and walk, unhindered, into a public place and KILL.

It's as if someone said "Thank you for paying $12.50 to attend your own death. By the way, how was the movie?"  I don't mean that in a flip way either.  It is just how callous it is all becoming and I struggle to understand it.

What is this world coming too?  What. . .How. . .WHAT am I supposed to tell my kids?  How the hell do you explain this to them when you don't even understand it yourself?  I certainly can't restrict my 20 year old daughter from her computer or the television and what about her little sister?  How do I look into my baby's face and tell her, yet again, about the ugliness that exists in this world? How can we sit back and watch as youth loses a bit more of it's wonderful innocence because someone decided to do the most unconscionable thing imaginable?


I feel so powerless. Is anyone safe, anywhere, anymore?  Is there anything any of us can do?  Sure,  we can pray. Pray to a God or to your higher power or to the tree in the back yard - whatever. . .but doesn't it feel like that tree isn't listening anymore?


I do well to stick to blogging about kids, pets and food.  I am not particularly eloquent or well-written, but I didn't know where else to turn.

And I didn't want to cry alone.

I could end this post in my usual way, wishing you well and promising to "see you on the flipside", but at the moment it just seems so hollow.  It isn't that I wouldn't mean it, I do, every single time I write it.  I COUNT on the flipside Tadpoles, believe me. I have to or I would know that my illness had won. . .but I just don't know about the rest of it anymore.

Skippy

Go Forth And Make Pizza

Our dinner.  It slide a bit when I cut it. :)

Top 10 reasons to make pizza tonight:

10.  It is Friday night
 9.  What is better on a Friday night than homemade pizza?
 8.  It is so simple.
 7.  You probably have all the ingredients on hand.
 6.  You can top it with anything you want - even peppers out of your garden like we did.
 5.  It is faster than delivery.
 4.  It is cheaper than delivery.
 3.  It tastes better than delivery.
 2.  I am sharing the recipe.
 1.  I am much cuter than David Letterman, wouldn't you agree? :)

This dough takes maybe 5 minutes to mix up, another 5 minutes to rest, 1 minute to roll out, 5 minutes prebaking the crust, 1 minute topping it and a final 10 - 15 minutes cooking time.  Amazing, right? It is so delicious and reheats in the microwave like a dream.

Quick and Easy Pizza Dough

Serves  3 or 4

2 1/2 tsp yeast [Rapid Rise or Bread Dough Machine]
1 tsp white sugar [I used Nevella - it's like Stevia - and you can't tell the difference]
1 cup warm water [Run your tap.  When the water runs warm on your wrist, like you are checking a baby's bottle, it is warm enough. Don't make it too hot.]
2 1/2 cups all purpose white flour - or bread flour.  You can also use half and half white and wheat
2 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp salt
cornmeal [optional]

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Have one rack on the lowest level and the other rack in the middle of the oven.

1.  Measure sugar and yeast into a bowl; pour warm water over it.  Let it proof [sit] for approximately 10 minutes until foamy on top.
2.  Pour in oil
3. Mix the salt in the measuring cup with the first cup of flour; pour into the liquid and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
4.  Add remaining flour, mixing well.  The dough will be sticky.  Toss a scant handful of flour on your counter top and dump dough onto it. Knead it around the flour, adding additional scant handfuls until the dough is no longer sticky and you can form a ball.  Now leave it be for 5 minutes

Have your pizza sauce*, mozzarella cheese and toppings ready to top.

5.  Sprinkle cornmeal on either a pizza pan, cookie sheet or pizza peel [make sure you have placed your pizza stone in the oven to preheat if you are cooking on that].  Roll out dough into a 12 inch round or a comparable rectangular size for your cookie sheet and place it onto the cornmeal dusted pan/peel.  Make sure you form a higher crust than the middle of the pizza.  Just use your fingers to bring up the edges and sort of indent all the way around where you want your crust's thickness to be.

6.  Pre bake the crust alone -No toppings - for 5 minutes on the lowest rack.  Remove from the oven.  If it is puffy in the middle [where the sauce and toppings go] just use a fork and fork it in a few places - it will deflate a bit.

7. Now top that sucka'. :D  We used leftover spaghetti sauce, 2% lowfat shredded mozzarella cheese, with andouille sausage, onions and green peppers.  ::drool::

8.  Pop it back in the oven and bake until the cheese is all melty and the crust is nice and golden brown.  Brush with a bit of olive oil when it comes out of the oven for a softer crust.

Let it set for 5 minutes before cutting [into 6 generous or 8 regular size pieces], serving and devouring!  I serve melted [unsalted] butter with a bit of herbs and garlic powder for dipping the crusts in - I could just eat that to be honest. :D

It may stick to the pan a bit. If this happens just use a fine edged spatula and run it around underneath to unstick it.  The upskirt should be a nice golden brown.

*Be creative with your sauce.  If you don't have pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce you can cut fresh tomatoes thinly, brush the crust [after pre bake] with a bit of olive oil and layer them, add the cheese, etc. or take fresh or canned tomatoes and puree them with some italian seasoning or a little salt, pepper and a dash of sugar to make your own sauce.  You are only limited by your imagination.  And the ingredients on hand. :)

You can divide the dough and make two thiiiiiin crust pizzas or use an oven safe pan and make a deep dish pie.  The possibilities are endless - in fact, I am off to make bread sticks for dinner tomorrow night.  I promise Tadpoles, this recipe is THIS easy and SO, SO good!

I should be around most of the day Friday if you have any questions about the recipe - if I don't have your email and you have a question, just check back in comments I promise I'll reply.

If any of you tries this easy peasy, delicioso recipe PLEASE let me know how it turns out, 'kay?

See ya' on the flipside Tadpoles. :)

ETA:  The girls and I ate that whole pizza [pictured] and Pooldad wanted some for lunch today. So this morning I made him one to take to work. The only hiccup was that I was out of olive oil and down to one cup of white flour - so I used 1 1/2 cups wheat flour, vegetable oil and just for kicks and giggles I used Mrs. Dash in place of salt [sodium free crust BONUS] and Nevella sugar substitute [sugar free crust DOUBLE BONUS] instead of sugar.  Although I still prefer the olive oil - the girls and Pooldad liked this crust better.
So, now I am SURE you have the ingredients in the house. Mix it up - you can't wreck this recipe. It is so dang good. :)

Hugs to y'all! Skippy