Calling All Divas!

Okay, I don't know that I would call myself a diva, but I can dream, right?

I guess it is only fitting that I would be a 1950's diva since I love all of the classic movie divas. I mean, who wouldn't want to be Tippi Hedron, Eva Marie Saint or Sophia Loren?

You are a 1950s Diva

High heels, pretty dresses, classic makeup... You're a feminine beauty who knows how to play up her assets!

What Decade Diva Are You?

The Sunny Side: Somewhere out there, I have been called a Diva!

I Love Cheating!

Do not get alarmed, I have not lost my mind. (well, that is definitely up for debate...)

If there is an easier, faster way to do something... I will try to figure it out, and if you know about it, I want to know about it.

This weekend we had a dinner party with some of John's work friends and their families.

This is not us, but let's pretend it was this luxurious!

It was loads of fun. However... I had to confess that my delicious (if I do say so myself) lasagna :) was a total cheater recipe! And, in my excitement I said that I would post my recipe for all to enjoy. Now, I would have preferred to be thought of as a fantastic cook, using age-old italian recipes from my hubby's italian ancestors, but... there it is.

We love lasagna around here, (that could be part of my weight problem, but that is for another post!) but who has that kind of time? I mean, besides the time, who wants to wash three pots after dinner, either?

Tried the 'no-boil' noodles-- gag me. Totally mushy and grainy. Yuck! So, I invented my own process. I can have the lasagna on the table in 50 minutes. This is not a joke, please to not attempt to adjust your monitor.

Sweet Basil Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef
1 bottle Classico Tomato Basil spagetti sauce
1 can tomato sauce
1 large tub of cottage cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella or italian blend cheese
1/2 box lasagna noodles
salt
pepper
basil
parmesan
secret ingredient: 2 cups VERY HOT WATER in a measuring cup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brown ground beef; salt and pepper the meat; add spagetti sauce and tomato sauce; bring to a boil and turn off.

In a 9x13 glass pan layer:

meat sauce (just a bit to cover the bottom of pan)
lasagna noodles
*pour some hot water down the center of each noodle*
meat sauce (1/2 of it)
cottage cheese (half of it)
2 cups mozzarella
sprinkle with basil and parmesan;

Repeat the layers a second time
Discard remaining water

Cover with foil; bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5 more minutes or till cheese is a bit browned.

Voila!

At the party, one of the runaway dishes of the night was a delicious apple dip dessert, so I would like to post it, too.
It is from my sweet friend Kelly. It is another super-simple recipe that is magically delicious!

Caramel Apple Dessert Dip

Wash and slice lots of apples; do not peel. She used Fuji, but she says that Red Delicious are yummy too.

2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 jar Smuckers caramel topping
Chopped pecans

Mix the cream cheese and the sugar (I presume with a mixer; I forgot to ask)-- correct me in the comment section, Kelly!
Spread the cheese mixture into the bottom of a glass pie pan, or any pan with sides.
Cover with the caramel topping.
Sprinkle with the nuts.
Garnish with a few apple slices (sticking up in the middle so people know what to do)
Serve beside the bowl of apples as a most delicious dip.

Enjoy!

If you have any crazy-easy recipes, please share!

The Sunny Side: Yummy stuff is easy to make, and people think that you are super-awesome! :)

Silent Scripture Sunday

For today's post I have decided to copy (since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery- teehee) Holly's tradition of Silent Scripture Sunday.

Matthew 7: 7-11
7 ¶ Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

I have the pleasure and great responsibility of teaching the young women at church. Today's lesson is on God the Father.

Our Father in Heaven is the ultimate loving parent. Think of all that you do for your children and the deep and abiding love that you have for them; how it grows and strengthens the more that you care for, teach and take care of them. Would we ever want to be out of contact with them? No! Would we do everything that we can to help and assist them? Yes! Do we sometimes have to let them learn things the hard and painful way? Unfortunately this is true. Do we spoil them by giving them their every frivolous wish? We shouldn't, but this is a tough one, isn't it?

Our Father in Heaven wants to help us. He wants to guide us and give us comfort and relief. He wants to give us all of the 'good gifts' of life.

I am very grateful to know that I have a loving Heavenly Father.

Enjoy your Sabbath Day.

And So It Starts...

Another January, and as soon as it hits I am thinking, 'I want to lose 10 pounds by Valentine's Day.' (not that I only need to lose 10, but... it sounds valiant, right?)

The problem? I am a lazy dieter. I can't stand counting, weighing, journalling.
I'd rather not eat at all than have to count it.

Problem #2? Voracious appetite late in the day. I won't even go there, folks, cause it isn't pretty. Let's just put it this way. I love food.

Problem #3? I am in the vicious circle of being too tired to exercise, and yes, I am well aware that I will get energy from exercise-- being aware of the right thing to do doesn't necessarily make it any easier.

Well, today I threw out tons of candy, froze some cookies and got all sorts of other junk out of the kitchen. That is my first step. One small step for me, one large step for my eating plan.

In the meantime, I wonder what is in the fridge? Pathetic, I know.

A Brand New Year

I can't believe that it is 2008!

I remember when I was a little girl and using all of my math powers to figure out that I would be a whopping 31 years old in the 'Year 2000." It sounded so far out there, and I thought that I would be an old lady!

Now we are just 2 years away from the 'space odyssey' year of 2010. Unbelievable.


So, it is both comforting and disappointing to know that not much has changed, and then again everything has changed in the 'new milennium.'

I remember when the pocket calculator was invented. (my kids laugh at this)



I remember seeing the rooms full of computers on tv and being told that one day there would be a computer in every home. No one believed it, I mean who has that kind of room?


I remember going to the computer lab to type out papers in college and printing them out with the lovely dot matrix printer-- yes, I am aware that most of my audience isn't quite sure what that is... but maybe there are a few out there who are dinosaurs like me.


Our first video game system was ATARI and we absolutely loved PONG. I mean, get a load of those graphics!




I remember when the key fob was a novelty, no, a LUXURY.



When I was a kid, we just bounced around the car on road trips. There were no seatbelts in back seats.



Back in the Stone Age, we would run around the neighborhood for the entire day and our only rule was to come in when the street lights came on. If mom pulled out the whistle because you hadn't shown up yet, then you were in BIG trouble.



Our first cell phone was the thickness of a few decks of cards.



I think this might actually be it. It was the first 'flip phone'. Very cool. Our kids laugh at this, too.

But some things haven't really changed.

Kids still mimick daily life in their play. There are a few differences, though. When my older two girls played 'telephone', they would stand it up on the table or pretend to hang it on the wall when they were through. My younger kids, however stick it in their pocket or purse!

Kids still try to pull the wool over their parents' eyes, but now we are the ones with eyes in the backs of our heads. I didn't even notice them growing there!

Technology still dates us. I mean, Maddy's first cell phone didn't even have a camera, hello! Wait till she tells that one to her kids!

Girls still hang posters of hearthrobs in their rooms. They get giddy as they get ready for dances, and can talk and giggle into the wee hours of the morning. (can you tell that we just had a house full of giggling teenage girls here last night getting ready for the New Year's Eve dance and then talking about the results of said dance for hours?)

So the point of this post? None really. I am just amazed at the year. This is the year that I turn 40. The year that I would be really old according to the childhood me. And it is here.

Bring It On!