The birthday cake

Between Christmas and New Years is dear Jiggy's birthday. Every year I try to do something special but, there have been times that it just didn't get done. This year was going to be different. He loves yellow cake with chocolate frosting and this was the year he was finally going to get one.


I have been trying to concentrate on more local so KING ARTHUR FLOUR located in Norwich Vt. was the natural choice to search for that special recipe. It wasn't long before I found this

CLASSIC YELLOW CAKE WITH FUDGE FROSTING It was perfect!! A one layer cake that would not be overwhelming for a person just getting ready to start that NewYears diet and yet rich enough to let him know that I didn't forget and yes his birthday is worth celebrating even if it does fall smack in the middle of the busiest holiday season.

I creamed my sugar and butter then added the eggs 1 at a time, then beat for 2 minutes till light and fluffy. The recipe called for plain yogurt (not low fat) well, would you believe that right after Christmas, due to slow deliveries , such a yogurt could not be found in all the 2 hours that I scoured our little towns grocery store. I settle for regular sour cream. After alternating my flour mix with the sour cream I lined a cake pan with parchment paper.Instructions implied removing the cake from the pan could be a problem.

I carefully spread the batter and popped it in the oven. Time was getting short,Jiggy would be home from work in just a few hours and I wanted to be finished before he arrived. He makes his own work hours so the possibility that he would walk through the door at any moment was in the back of my mind. Paranoia was setting in...........don't you think?

Baking done ..........seemed a bit high in the pan. Maybe it would come out in pieces!!!What would I do then? Hand him a plate full of crumbs while I sang Happy Birthday !!!!

Not to worry..........it came out clean and ready to frost.

Recipe for the fudge frosting makes enough to frost 3 cakes. Really......I'm not lying. They suggested letting it run over the cake and that the excess could be wiped with your finger should you so wish. As you can see, I did a lot of wishing...

Final results..............check out that smile. That's a happy camper. The single candle was a reminder that today we celebrate the first day of the rest of his life.....................said the hobbit

It's all about the soup

Modern medicine, amazing isn't it. Can you just see your grandfathers face if you told him to get a new knee? My pepere already thought we were all from another world,this would surely put him over the edge.

Here he is with his therapist Jamie and Willem checking on his flexibility. The goal is 130 degrees. Not a problem, he has surpassed that and is heading for new territory. And to what do we own this miracle to?? Great surgeons? Above average hospital care?Caring therapist? Well they did their part,but, I think it was all about my soup.

You doubt me??? Then you just have to try this soup and see if it doesn't make you feel on top of the world.......Really! Every one involved in Jiggy's care has told me the more weight he loses the better his recovery will be. In some cases the body takes up to 24 months to heal completely,so,we could see improvement for the next 2 years. Soup has played an important role in our everyday activities through most winters ,but especially this year. Everyone has had changes in there lives lately and I truly believe soup is the crutch we need to lean on.

This soups takes no fancy steps and can be made in a jiffy.

2 TABLESPOONS BUTTER (no salt)

1 LARGE ONION

1 POUND OF CARROTS

1 PEELED LARGE SWEET POTATO

1 PEELED LARGE BAKING POTATO

1 HEAD OF CAULIFLOWER

2QTS OF WATER OR VEGGIE BROTH

SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

MINCED FRESH DILL

1 CUP OF SOUR CREAM

Put everything in a pot a (not the sour cream) and simmer till everything is tender. Puree 1/2 or all the veggies Return to the pot .Add the sour cream and stir to blend,heat to serving temp and season if necessary with salt and pepper. A dollop of sour cream and an additional sprinkle of dill when serving is up to you.

You'll have about a gallon of soup,so,pass it around. I sell my soups in the winter time but, this one is going to an elderly neighbor. She's my #1 taster. Hope to get back soon. Have so much to share but, my schedule is crazy right now. Miss you all.....................said the hobbit

what are we eating

Like many people,we started the new year with weight lost as one of our plans for January.

Salads of course,should be included in everyones daily intake. Not as easy as it sounds.There is something about a cold salad in the winter that just isn't very tempting. However the commitment was made so that Jiggy could reach his desired goal of ***lbs. He still won't let me put it in writing......silly boy.What to do to make it more tasty?

At Christmas I made this raspberry vinegar as a gift and had a few spoonfuls leftover. Of course I couldn't throw it away.Then the light bulb went on and I thought "why not use it as a dressing for the salad?"His favorites are blue cheese, thousand island and anything else creamy and rich that would be a no-no.So,without saying a word I sprinkled about 2 teaspoons all over the salad and gave it to him. "Oh my God.What did you put on this salad?It taste like fresh raspberries!"Ah, a winner!! I could sprinkle this on without worrying about adding tons of calories to the salad.But, I was out of raspberries and the vinegar took 3 weeks to make!!! I did have blueberries however so I put a cup of berries in a quart ball jar added the 1 and1/2 cups white vinegar and 1/2 cup superfine sugar. Instructions are to shake at will for 3 weeks and it will be ready to strain and use. After a week I took a little taste and it was nasty.I continued to follow the simple directions and shook the jar whenever I walked past it and did not taste again till the 3 weeks were up.

Look at this gorgeous cruet of blueberry vinegar. And the taste is fabulous!! As with everything in life, patience is an important part of the process. Good things come to those who wait.Whoever said that was right.

I'm still making my bread every week. A slice of this with the salad and a cup of soup fits the bill for a perfect lunch. Hubby is at the 30lbs lost level so I think we are doing something right. I think we'll stay on this course for a bit longer. Now that I'm thinking of the garden,maybe a section on salad is in order. Do you have the garden bug yet? I bet you do.........said the hobbit

The story of the shrinking hubby

Well as you all heard Jiggy got a new knee for Christmas and now he has no excuse to shed those extra pounds that he blamed on his inability to exercise.

He is feeling much better and already hard at work doing his thing. We brought all his tools and gizmos downstairs to the main hallway so he could get his groove back. No slacking in this house.
In order to help him along I am putting his progress in black and white as they say so that he knows someone is watching.

We are taking a year to accomplish this feat. No crash dieting here. It's a whole new learning curve for him and baby steps will work best. That was his usual soup bowl on the left. More of a vegetable bowl but,that 's what he had evolved to. Soup dish on the right is what we are now using. Probably a saving of about 2 1/2 cup of soup. That and half a sandwich of chicken salad on my homemade bread is what lunch consist of.

These are my favorites.Aren't they cute. Tiny little casseroles that hold just the right amount of meat or vegetables for someone who is trying to cut down.I've been cooking ahead and just re-heating in them. I put them next to an 8 ounce cup so that you could see they size. Surgery was Dec. 15th and he has been under my watchful eye,but, as with most men he is losing quickly. We don't have an official weigh in yet but,the pants are falling off and he thinks it's time to shop. The real test will be when he is free to roam in his vehicle with his buddies. Lunch meetings with his clients to discuss upcoming cases is a common excuse. For now I have to say "the man" is doing a great job of doing the right thing.

What direction to take?

By now most of you have decided which direction to take for 2011. Not so easy here. This past month has been filled with new schedules,Dr.'s appointments and trying to keep things as normal as possible.I tried to keep the list small and doable so I don't get too upset if I slip between the cracks,so bear with me. What I usually needed a morning to do now takes the better part of a week.

My first goal was to update my Christmas card list,and, I got it done. I have never made an effort to send out cards, thinking it a waste of time and money but in the past few years it suddenly became clear that making the effort to let people you care about know that they are in your thoughts at this most important time of the year. Not wanting to leave anyone out I carried a box of envelopes with addresses' that I always meant to write down in a book so that I could finally get rid of that excess paper. So after 3 years of checking and double checking I finally sorted the whole mess and have a beautiful Christmas card list to work from next year. Who knows maybe I'll even try my hand at making cards this year. Goal #2 is to make a garland from the old cards.I've seen several of these and I'm hoping to get one done in the month of January.

Now for the gross stuff. This is the back of Jiggy's new knee. Talk about black and blue. He's coming along very well and has a whole new attitude about what he's doing and how he wants to get there. I'm a big part of his plan so, our big goal this year is to help him lose ***lb You see he has done less and less in the way of exercises in the past 12 years because he constantly put off having this surgery done.

Here is the front .Not so bad,right? So my little goals will have to take a back seat because this weight lose is top priority. He's got the right attitude and even though it's a lot of weight I think he can make it. We're going to take it one day at a time with Christmas 2011 being his deadline to lose about 2 lbs a week.His Doctor told him he's eating nothing wrong just too much so first thing on the list is to cut the portions in 1/2. I'll keep you posted as to his progress.

But fear not I have 2 crafty daughters who will make sure I get my share of cooking and crafting.Want to see what they're up to? This is my Christmas addict She thinks Christmas all year long and has lots of plans for us crafters this year. Maybe you'd like to join in the fun?Can't think about the holidays yet ? Head on over to #1 daughter blog and see how she makes coming home to make supper a little less stressful. Well enough news for now,I've got to get to work on that garland.............................said the hobbit