Tickled Pink!

It is rare that I come out of Wegmans (our local grocery chain) with a smile and a tingle inside!

About six months ago, or more, I saw one of those "As Seen on TV" commercials for a stuffed hamburger press. . . you know the sales pitch, "BUT WAIT!  Order in the next 30 minutes and we'll include a second absolutely free, just pay additional shipping and handling."  I've always been hesitant to order through that venue.  You are sending your credit or debit card information to a business that you know nothing about.

The idea of stuffed hamburgers was appealing to me.  You can use just about anything to stuff the burgers - chopped bell pepper, spinach, chopped carrots - you are limited only by your imagination.  A neat idea and a different way to get added nutrition out of a burger.

I kept looking in local stores but never saw them. . . until today!  There they were hanging on a rack in the kitchen utensils section.

Can't wait to try it!

And winter just keeps hanging on

This has been a winter for the record books in the Northeast.  The Great Lakes are almost all frozen over, something that rarely happens.  The snow and cold just won't go away, it seems.

I find myself only venturing out when I have to. . . to go to work, to put gas in the car and get groceries or run the car through the car wash.  I much prefer the warmth of my home and the company of my two Labs, Morgan and Molly, than to feel the brutal wind on my face.

I've always complained about the stores putting seasonal merchandise out far too soon.  You know, back to school merchandise before the Fourth of July, Halloween items the end of August. . . But this year, walking into BJs on Sunday afternoon and seeing lawn hoses, fertilizer, and insect repellent instilled a sense of hope. . . a promise that warm weather really will come again.

It won't be long now before my annual trek down South to my cousins' reunion.  This will be our sixth year and it is more fun each year.  Days of t-shirts and sandals, sun hats and good times!

A 'what if' moment

I hadn't eaten vegetables in the last two days so I knew that had to change.  After my morning coffee and taking up time with the dogs, I needed to think about breakfast.  So I opened the refrigerator and there was the almost empty bag of brussels sprouts I bought last week.

No, I don't want brussels sprouts for breakfast, no matter how good they are, or how many ways I have prepared them lately.

There was nothing in the fridge that excited me.  Nothing in the pantry either.  I wasn't in the mood for oatmeal or scrambled eggs. . .

I wonder how brussels sprouts would go with an omelette?  Hhhmmm. . .

Amazingly, it turned out great!

I whisked the eggs with milk, tabasco sauce, allspice and a dash of nutmeg while the omelette pan was heating up.  Next I grated cheddar into a small bowl.  I took 4 brussels sprouts from the bag, washed them under water and sliced them very thin.  I looked in the fridge to see if maybe there was a red bell pepper to add color variety.  No luck there.

I placed the cheese and brussels sprouts on one side of the egg mixture in the cast iron omelette pan and let that cook for awhile.  Then a flipped the other side over the cheese mixture.

What began as a last resort to ease my guilt at not getting enough vegetables, turned into a really tasty breakfast!

An update on Molly

I appreciate the e-mails and phone calls I have gotten regarding Molly, my 12 year old Labrador Retriever who was diagnosed with cancer of the bladder in December.  She is still with me, although she is in decline.

The medication she is on has helped give her somewhat of a quality of life.

She continues to show minimal joy in things like getting a bone to chew on or getting my undivided attention.  When I let her and Morgan out back, Morgan will run and jump in the snow, even jumping over Molly at times.  Molly will do her business and walk back inside from the frigid cold and deep snow.

All of you know how much I love dogs, especially the Lab.  There is just something about the way a Lab looks at you with those loving and intuitive eyes that stays with you a lifetime and gets you through the bumps in the road of life.  I have owned four Labs dating back to the mid-80s.  Two of those have gone on to Doggy heaven.  It is gut wrenching to drive a dog to the vet for the last time and put your arm around them as the vet takes away their life, or what is left of it.

The only thing that gets me through that awful experience is the knowledge that I gave that dog a happy home for as long as I had them in my life. . . from the day I brought them home as a puppy and endured their constant crying those first few nights, through the fun times of walks and playing fetch, to making them happy with words like "ride," "treat," to the times the doorbell rang and the race to the front door began.

Thanks for listening.

Beatlemania

Fifty years ago today, the Beatles stepped off a plane in New York City.  I remember it well.  Here were four "mop top" boys that would change the music world forever!  Back then, their hair seemed incredibly long!  It really did!

Every teenage girl in America fell in love with them, especially Ringo!  I remember their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.  My how times change and those days seem so antiquated.

What are your memories of the Beatles?  And did you ever think they would still be a part of the music scene today?