Friday Foodie

We have now hit the time of the year when we slide quickly to the holidays!  But Summer has tightened its grip here in Southern California.  We are in the middle of heat wave with an expected high of 109 today.  I'm thankful for air conditioning, a swimming pool, and homemade ice cream!

Last weekend we had a special visitor.  Our niece, Leksi, is now in the Marine Corps.  She went to boot camp in South Carolina in January.  She spent most of the summer in 29 Palms, but as of about two weeks ago she is stationed at Camp Pendleton - just a little over 100 miles from us!  She will be there for the next four years.  We are so thankful she is stationed so close.  She will also be spending Thanksgiving with us.

I wanted to spoil her since she's been eating chow hall food for so long.  I tried two new things and a couple of things I'd made before.  Here's the roundup!

Oven-Roasted Corn on the Cob

I've made this before, but never posted.

4 ears fresh corn, husks removed

1/2 cup softened butter or margarine

Seasonings of your choice - garlic salt, paprika, etc.

Preheat oven to 425.  

Mix butter and seasonings together.  Spread on corn, then wrap each ear individually in foil.

Place corn on baking pan and bake 25-30 minutes until soft.

Santa Maria Tri-Tip

I asked Lisa (Leksi's mom) if there was any special food that Leksi had really been missing.  She said she likes just about everything, but probably hadn't had a good steak in a while.  When I did my grocery shopping, I found a Santa Maria Tri-Tip that was already seasoned.  I looked around for recipes and found quite a few.  Since mine was already seasoned, I was able to go directly to cooking:

Preheat oven to 425 (conveniently the same temp as my corn!)

Heat large, even proof skillet (cast iron for the win!) to medium heat.  When hot, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to coat the pan.

Add Tri-Tip and sear each side for 3-4 minutes, until a golden brown crust forms.  (Oh the delicious aromas!)

Transfer skillet directly to oven.  Cook 10-12 minutes per pound.  Mine was 2.6 pounds, but I didn't want to over-cook it, so I went for about 20 minutes.  Tri-Tip is usually thinner on the ends and thicker towards the middle, so it won't be evenly cooked - the middle will be medium-rare, while then ends are medium-well.

Remove from oven and add about 2 tablespoons of butter.  Swirl around in the pan to melt.  Cover with foil and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.  This will also let your meat cook a little longer.  The cast iron skillet will be very hot!

Place on cutting board and slice against the grain.  This is a little tricky, as the grain of the Tri-Tip changes.  At this point I could see that some of the meat was under-cooked, but there was plenty that was cooked to our liking - the under-cooked portions made excellent leftovers!

This was very tasty!

Peach Cobbler

 

I have an email from my Dad's sister, Aunt Suzie, dated December 4, 2009.   She hosted Thanksgiving for many years and I requested her cobbler recipe.  This recipe doesn't get any more old fashioned with approximate measurements and lines like "I use the pie crust recipe on the Crisco can" and " I just watched Mom to figure it out." But this was the cobbler that my uncles fought over each year, making sure they each got plenty!  Aunt Suzie's email:

For the cobbler in my pan I use:

12 cups of peaches

2 to 3 cups of sweetener (I use part sugar and part equal for cooking)

3/4 to 1 cup of flour
and about 2 tablespoons of butter on the top before you put on the to crust.
I use red hots instead of cinnamon and I just add about 2 tablespoons of crushed ones
or you can use about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
I use the pie crust recipe on the Crisco can.

I just watched Mom to figure it out.
It would only take about 4 cups of peaches for a 9" pie and cut the other ingredients

 

Here is how I made the cobbler for a 9" pie:

Filling:

4 cups of peaches

1 cup of sweetener (I used all sugar this time)

1/3 cup of flour
1 Tbs. of butter on the top before you put on the to crust.
1/2 tsp of cinnamon

 

Crust:
From Crisco.com.  This recipe has several different options, I chose the Double-Crust recipe:

2 C. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 C. cold Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening
4 to 8 Tbs. ice cold water

Stir flour and salt in large bowl until blended. Cut shortening into flour mixture using pastry blender or fork until shortening pieces are the size of peas. Gradually add just enough water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring with fork just until dough holds together and forms a smooth ball.

Shape dough into a ball for single pie crust. Divide dough in half and shape into two balls for double crust pie. Flatten into 1/2-inch thick disk(s). Wrap disk(s) in plastic wrap. Chill 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

 

*I did the first steps on Saturday morning, then let the crust chill.  I started the next part while my Tri-Tip and corn were baking:

 

Preheat oven to 425 (how convenient!)

Mix ingredients for filling.  (I should have cut my peaches in bite size pieces.)

Roll dough on lightly floured surface, rolling from center outward. For 9-inch pie plate, roll into an 11-inch circle. For 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate, roll into a 12-inch circle. Transfer dough to pie plate.

Fill unbaked pie crust according to recipe directions.  There were no directions for this part from my aunt, so I just poured my filling right in.

Roll out remaining dough disk.  I deviated from the Crisco directions here and chose to make a lattice top crust.  Using my pizza cutter, I cut strips approximately 1/2" wide and laid them across the top.  Fold top edge under bottom crust. Press edges together to seal. Flute edges as desired.

Bake 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

This!!  Oh, this was so good!  I was amazed at how good the crust tasted.  With so few ingredients, I really didn't expect it to taste so good, but it was fantastic!  I made homemade ice cream on Friday, so we topped it with vanilla ice cream for the ultimate summer sweet.  I'll be hosting some of our family for Thanksgiving this year and this cobbler will definitely be on the table!

Friday Foodie ~ Fun Fall Favorites

After reading the title of this post you may be thinking, "Chili and cornbread?  Soup?  Turkey and dressing?  Pumpkin muffins?"  You would be wrong with all those guesses!  My most recent Fall favorite flavors are in the form of ice cream.   It was in the upper 90s last week, so ice cream was exactly what I wanted.

 

I'm kind of obsessed with making a gallon of vanilla ice cream, then dividing it up in four quarts with four unique flavors.  This time I made Caramel Apple, Chocolate-Hot Tamale, Pumpkin, and Snickerdoodle.

I made a few changes this time and I think it turned out better than ever.  I started with my Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream recipe.  Once the ice cream finished churning, I divided it into my four quart size containers.  Instead of adding my flavors, I put the quarts in the freezer for about an hour.  I then pulled one quart out at a time and poured the ice cream into a larger bowl for mixing.  This allowed the ice cream to firm up a little more so when I added in the additional flavors they would not sink to the bottom of the container.  This worked like a charm!  Now on to the flavors...

Caramel Apple

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped 

1/2 cup Kraft  Caramel Bits

 

This was close to what I wanted.  The apple pieces were tart but the caramel bits got a little too hard after freezing.  I think I could have got the same flavor by adding caramel syrup instead.  Still, it was really good.  I'd say a 7 out of 10.

 

 

 

Chocolate-Hot Tamale

1/2 cup Hot Tamales, chopped

1/2 piece chocolate cake, chopped.

Last year Baskin Robbins carried a flavor called "Spicy 'n Spooky."  This was White Chocolate Ghost Pepper flavored Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Ice Cream and spicy Blood Orange Flakes and had quite the kick!  I tried to come up with something similar.  The Hot Tamales froze too hard like the caramel bits, but the flavor was good.  I'd call this a 6.5 out of 10.

 

Pumpkin

1 dozen Pumpkin Spice cookies, crushed.

The pumpkin spice cookie mix said that it would make 15 cookies.  They would have been very large cookies.  I made normal size cookies.  My first pan had a dozen and my second pan was a little larger and I was able to get another 20 cookies.  I cooked the pan that I wanted to use in my ice cream longer than normal, I wanted the cookies crunchy instead of soft and chewy like I usually make. This one was exactly what I was looking for!  Definitely a 10 out of 10.   

 

 

Snickerdoodle

Approximately 1/2 tube of sugar cookie dough

1/2 cup cinnamon/sugar mix

I bought a tube of "safe to eat raw" cookie dough.  I have been eating raw cookie dough for over 50 years so I'm sure I could have made this with "not safe to eat raw" dough, too.  I made small balls with the dough, then put them in the freezer until I was ready to add to the ice cream.  I mixed it with the cinnamon/sugar and dumped it all in the ice cream so there was a taste of cinnamon throughout.  This was another winner!  10 out of 10.

In case you're wondering, I plan to do some Christmas baking this year, but I'm pretty sure there will be a batch of Christmas ice cream, too!

Friday Foodie

I have two new recipes to share today.  The first one started on the Fourth of July.  Les grilled Filet Mignon and I made corn on the cob and mashed potatoes.  (Side note:  I make my corn on the cob in the air fryer and it is amazing!  400 degrees for about 10 minutes, flip once or twice.)  Anyway, while we were eating, Les asked if my Mom ever made potato pancakes out of leftover mashed potatoes.  I clearly remember her making them and having them for breakfast.  As a kid I thought that was so weird, so I never tried them.  That changed last week...

 

Mashed Potato Pancakes

 

Ingredients:

2 cups mashed potatoes

1 egg

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

 

Preheat griddle to high heat.  My griddle is old, so you may need to turn yours down.  These can also be made in a skillet, but you'll only be able to do about half the recipe at a time.

Mix ingredients well.

Spray griddle with cooking spray.

Spoon onto hot griddle and cook 5-6 minutes.  Flip and continue cooking until done, approximately 12-15 minutes.  As I said, my griddle is old, so it cooks slowly.  You really want these to cook a while or the middle will be cold, so if the outside is browning quickly, just turn the heat down.

 

"pre-flip"

These were so good!  Just a little crunch and very flavorful.  Les put butter on his last week.  I made them again this week with roast and we both put gravy on them.  And now I totally understand why my Mom ate them for breakfast - they would go great with an old fashion country breakfast of bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy.  A great substitute for hash browns or hash brown casserole.

Now on to recipe number two:

 

Last week I received an email from Chick-Fil-A advertising their peach milkshake.  It sounded so amazing and I was very tempted.  Fortunately, I had also bought some fresh peaches so I decided to make my own.

 

Peach Shake

Ingredients:

3 cups Breyers Carb Smart Vanilla frozen dairy dessert (this only has 6 grams of sugar per cup)

4 peaches, peeled and chopped up

Blend ingredients until smooth.

Pour in glasses and freeze until thickened.

Enjoy!

Makes 2 servings.  11 WW green points per serving.  In comparison, Chick-Fil-A's version is 31 points!  It was less than half the calories with approximately 20 grams of sugar versus 100 in the CFA version, with all the wonderful peach flavor you need.

Friday Foodie

Summer is in full swing around here and that means cooking foods that require less time in the kitchen.  I did a round up of summer recipes last year that you can find here.  One favorite that appears on Les' wish list each summer is Lemonade Pie.  This recipe came from Grandma Luella and I have made it many times through this years.  While shopping for the ingredients, my store did not have frozen lemonade.  Bottled lemonade doesn't work, I needed the concentration of frozen.  The only choices were orange or pineapple juice.  I went with pineapple and it was an excellent choice!

Pineapple Pie

6 oz. frozen pineapple juice concentrate (bring to room temperature)
4 oz. low fat cream cheese, softened
7 oz. fat free sweet condensed milk
8 oz. lite Cool Whip
1 graham cracker crust

Mix pineapple juice and cream cheese well
Add sweet condensed milk, whip until foamy
Fold in Cool Whip until smooth - do not over-stir or your pie will be runny and not set.  This works best if your Cool Whip is still partially frozen.
Add to pie crust and freeze for 1 hour or until set.

 

This was the perfect mix of sweet and tangy.  It is also cool and refreshing with no cooking required.  Makes 8 servings.

July 5th edit:  I should have added that the original recipe makes two pies.  That makes buying the ingredients a lot easier, so if you're feeding a family or a crowd, the original ingredient list is below.  You can also use full fat cream cheese and sweet condensed milk if you want.  Divide the pie ingredients evenly in the two pie crusts.

1 can (12 oz.) frozen pineapple juice concentrate (bring to room temperature)
8 oz. low fat cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) fat free sweet condensed milk
16 oz. lite Cool Whip
2 graham cracker crust

My Summer Riding Goal

Along with our wall building, the other thing Les and I have been doing a lot of lately is riding our bikes.  It started with my birthday ride of 35 miles.  Sometime in June I decided to set a new goal ~ a Metric Century!  That's 100 kilometers or 62 miles.

My training so far:

April 27th - 35.71

June 11th - 36.35

June 17th - 25.01

June 25th - 36.16

July 9th - 42.10

I've done some shorter rides and runs during each week as well.  Today I set a new distance record for me!  Les has been on all my long rides with me.  They're recovery rides for him and hard efforts for me, but it's been a fun way to spend a morning.

By the end of today's ride I was ready to be done.  Several hours later, I'm feeling a little sore, but so glad to have done it!  It's been a long time since I've set a big fitness goal, my last marathon was almost 5 years ago.  We are currently eyeing Les' birthday on August 19th as the day we ride our metric century.  Just a day shy of six weeks from today.

Anyone else have a fitness goal to share?

Friday Foodie Summer RoundUp (And a New Recipe!)

Tomorrow is the first day of Summer.  I don't know about you, but I definitely eat different foods in the summer.  A big bowl of chili or stew has no appeal when it's 90 degrees outside.  I also avoid turning my oven on when possible.  So here is a full roundup of recipes that I've posted here on the blog that are perfect for Summer.  We also eat more burgers on the grill, corn on the cob, and baked beans!  Of course, you can see all my recipes on the Friday Foodie page.

Main Dishes

Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil

Sausage and Pepper Sauce
Sausage Filled Ravioli

Slow Cooker Ham Scalloped Potato Casserole 

Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti

Chicken Tikka Masala

Acai Bowl

Fish Tacos

Kalua Pork

Side Dishes

Rainbow Fruit Salad

Apple and Carrot Salad
Salsa

Pasta Salad

Layered Salad

Broccoli and Cranberry Salad 

Chilled Soups

Blueberry Orange Soup
Chilled Berry Soup
Chilled Peach Soup

Sandwiches
Turkey Salad
Turkey-Apple-Apple Butter Sandwich
Sunshine Chicken Salad 

Breakfast
French Toast
Smoothies
Crunchy French Toast with Corn Flakes

Lemon-Blueberry Pancakes with Lemon-Blueberry Syrup

Desserts

Orange Creamsicle Pie

Lemonade Pie
Peach Cobbler
Berry Cobbler

Fruit Torte
Chocolate Eclair Dessert

Orange Creamsicle Muddie Buddies
Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream
Orange Creamsicle Cookies
Coffee Ice Cream

This week I used the Chocolate Eclair Dessert recipe and made a Lemon Eclair dessert.  It was so easy and SO very good!

Lemon Eclair Dessert

18-20 Graham Crackers
3 cups milk
2 pkg (3 oz) lemon instant pudding
8 oz. cool whip
1 tub lemon icing

Mix pudding, milk and cool whip together. 
Line bottom of 9" x 13" pan with graham crackers (my pan is slightly sloped so it took exactly 6 for the bottom)
Put 1/2 pudding mixture over crackers and top with another layer of crackers (this took 7 crackers for my pan.)
Put remaining pudding mixture over crackers and top with another layer of crackers (another 7)
Spread lemon icing over top of cracker layer and refrigerate for several hours.  You might be tempted to cut right into it, but let it sit for several hours so the graham crackers become soft.

Summer Time

Happy first day of Summer!  Summer for me as a kid meant two things:  swimming and youth camp.  We couldn't have survived the heat of Fresno without our pool and when it was time to get away, youth camp was a great place to go.  I've written dozens of posts about camp through the years and they usually contain these two pictures:

Junior camp, 1974, the year I received the Holy Ghost and Senior camp, 1989, the year Les and I met.  There were a lot of camps in between those two monumental occasions.  Growing in God, meeting new friends, being a camper and being a counselor.  There's just something about youth camp!

I made my way to the Ventura County Fairgrounds last night for Pacific Coast Camp.  It was my only chance to be there this year, but it was wonderful!  It was great to see so many friends, but the highlight was watching children and young people sing, worship, and pray.

Hurricane Harvey

Last Thursday Les and I went for a bike ride.  It was a little bit overcast and about 60 degrees at 7:00 a.m.  Perfection!

One week later, this morning at 5:00 a.m. it was as far from perfection as it gets. We have a wireless thermometer in our backyard that syncs with one in our bedroom.  I rubbed my eyes several times, sure that I was seeing incorrectly...

As much as I am not enjoying this heatwave, I am thankful to be safe and dry.  The pictures coming out of Texas this week have been so horrible.  I can't imagine what so many are going through. 

I've received several emails regarding giving to the victims of Hurricane Harvey.  There are many trustworthy companies that you can donate to.  Here are a few you may not be aware of (click the links to take you to the specific sites):

From now until Tuesday, ModSportswear will be donating $15 to Harvey victims every time an order is placed - donations will go to Compassion Services International.

Fleet Feet Sports stores all over the country are collecting new or gently-used shoes and new pairs of socks to donate to victims of the storm.

Modest clothing company, Jade MacKenzie Apparel, is based in Houston and is accepting donations on their website.

Bombas is a sock company that always donates a pair of socks to the homeless for every pair purchased.  They have already sent a donation to their partners at the Coalition for the Homeless in Houston.

Southwest Airlines is taking donations of Rapid Rewards Points to assist volunteers with travel expenses.

I'm sure there are many other ways to help, but these are a few of the unique ones that have come my way.  Please don't forget to pray for those who are suffering during this time.

Friday Foodie

I sent Les an email on Sunday that said, "Berry or Peach?"  The email contained links to two cobblers I have made in the past.  His response was "Peach."  Of course you can't have peach cobbler without ice cream.  I decided to pull out our ice cream maker.  In the past I've cheated and used a mix to start my homemade ice cream, but I made it from scratch this time.  Six weeks from today is the first day of Fall, so stop thinking about pumpkin and make these!

Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream
Makes 4 Quarts
2 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 cups milk
4 eggs, beaten
4 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1.  Combine sugar, flour and salt in saucepan.  Gradually stir in milk.  Cook over medium heat approximately 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly.
2.  Gradually stir about 1 cup of hot mixture into the beaten eggs.  Add egg mixture to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly.  Cook 1 minute; remove from heat.  Refrigerate 2 hours.
3.  Combine whipping cream and vanilla in large bowl; add chilled mixture, stirring with wire whisk to combine.
4.  Freeze as directed.  Mine churned for 40 minutes.

I made this on Monday afternoon and left it to harden for several hours.  I had moved it to our freezer and was getting ready to make my cobbler when our electricity went out.  According to the Southern California Edison website our power would not be restored until 11:00 p.m.  I quickly revised my dinner and dessert plans since my oven is electric.  The ice cream was frozen enough that we did enjoy our first serving without the cobbler.

Peach Cobbler (previously posted on August 6, 2010)

4 Tablespoons Butter
3/4 cup All-purpose Flour
3/4 cup Sugar, Plus 1 Tablespoon
1 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoons Salt
3/4 cup Milk
1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract, Divided
1 pounds Peaches, Peeled And Sliced (3-4 peaches)

1.  Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter in a 13- by 9-inch baking pan; set in the oven to melt.
2.  Meanwhile, whisk flour, 1 1/2 cups of sugar, baking powder, and salt in small bowl. Whisk in milk and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract until smooth. Toss peaches with remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. When butter has melted, remove pan from oven. Pour batter into pan; arrange fruit over batter.
3.  Bake until batter turns golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I was able to make this on Tuesday and it was worth waiting for!

The cobbler is going to be gone before the ice cream, but we have chocolate syrup and root beer on hand so it will not go to waste... although it may go to waist...

June 25th ~ Splash (Photo A Day)

June 24th ~ HOT (Photo A Day)

Our outside thermometer is a little dirty!  Fortunately it's has a transmitter and I can check the outside temperature without actually going outside.

91.4 at 2:50 p.m.

Yes, it's hot in these parts.  We've been in the 90s everyday since last week.  No triple digits, yet.  But when I think HOT, I think Fresno, in July, when it's about 85 at ten o'clock at night, there's no breeze and the old swamp cooler just can't keep up!

June 23rd ~ Summer Day (Photo A Day)

A lizard hanging out on the wall on this warm summer day!

Friday Foodie

While reading blogs yesterday I stumbled upon "Orange Creamsicle Muddy Buddies" by The Girl Who Ate Everything.  Orange Creamsicle Anything + Summer = Perfection to me, so I had to give these a try.  Luckily I was having company for dinner who could help me eat some of this. 

 

• 9 cups Rice Chex cereal
• 16 ounces vanilla coating (like CandiQuik which can be found at Walmart and Target)
• 2 Tablespoons orange zest (about 2 oranges)
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Place cereal in a large bowl.
2. Melt vanilla coating according to package directions. Once mixture has melted, stir in the orange zest and immediately pour over the cereal stirring and mixing until full coated.
3. Transfer mixture to a large sealed container (Tupperware) with a lid or a large resealable plastic bag.
4. Add the powdered sugar and seal the container.
5. Shake until thoroughly coated. Enjoy!

One of the things that Christy (the Girl who Ate Everything) mentioned was having trouble with her white chocolate.  It's finicky stuff when you try to melt it.  I followed the package instructions and it was looking great until I added the orange zest.  It became a thick mess in a hurry!  I did my best to stir it into the cereal, but it didn't spread evenly and I ended up with a lot of clumps.  I think next time I'll add the orange zest to the powdered sugar AFTER the cereal is coated.  It still tastes great - it's amazing what a small amount of orange zest can do!

Wordless Wednesday - Where You Can Find Me

Friday Foodie

After a very cool Spring, Summer arrived in full force this week. Highs in the 90s, staring at triple digits. What's a person to eat? Chilled soup, of course! I've tried three different recipes since we got back from our cruise - two this week. They have all been wonderful! On our cruise the soups were served as appetizers, we've been having them for dessert.

Blueberry Orange Soup

2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
3 cups orange juice (I used Tropicana Light)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

1. In a saucepan bring blueberries, orange juice, brown sugar and cinnamon to a boil; stir to combine. Dissolve cornstarch with water; gradually stir into blueberry mixture. Cook and stir until clear and lightly thickened.
2. Pour into a bowl; refrigerate overnight. Serve with Cool Whip swirled in. Garnish with blueberries and mint, if desired.

Nutritional info: 105 calories / 0.5 g protein / 13.75 g carbs / 2 g fiber / 0.0 g fat / 2 WW points plus per serving. Makes 4 servings

Chilled Berry Soup

1 cup vanilla soymilk
2 cups frozen unsweetened strawberries, partially thawed
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons sugar
Sliced fresh strawberries, if desired
Fresh mint sprigs, if desired

1. In blender or food processor, place soymilk, frozen strawberries, orange juice and sugar.
2. Cover; blend on high speed about 30 seconds or until smooth.
3. Pour into individual serving bowls; top with sliced fresh strawberries and mint.

This took no time at all. I didn't have orange juice on hand when I made this one, so I substituted V-8 Fusion Light Pomegranate Blueberry juice. Mmmm!! We didn't top with fresh mint, but we did add a little Cool Whip.

Nutritional info: 81 calories / 2.5 g protein / 15 g carbs / 2.25 g fiber / 0.375 g fat / 2 WW points plus per serving. Makes 4 servings

Chilled Peach Soup

16 oz. frozen peaches, thawed slightly
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup vanilla soymilk
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups orange juice (again, I used Tropicana Light)
dash ground cinnamon

1. Add all ingredients to blender.
2. Process until smooth
3. Chill for 2-3 hours before serving.

This was not as "peachy" tasting as I would have liked. It was good, but the orange juice overpowered the peaches. I'll probably try V-8 Fusion in Peach Mango flavor next time.

Nutritional info: 98 calories / 0.875 g protein / 18 g carbs / 1.5 g fiber / 0.10 g fat / 2 WW points plus per serving. Makes 6 servings

Good to Know

I was reading my latest edition of Runner's World magazine. Along with many helpful hints about running in the heat, staying hydrated, etc., there was a little tidbit I found very interesting...

Gelato actually has less butterfat than ice cream. A half cup contains 150 calories and four grams of fat versus 200 or more calories and eight grams of fat for ice cream.

Now we know why I didn't gain weight on our cruise. They called gelato a healthier indulgence! Bravo, gelato! I just found out we have a gelateria nearby ~ has anyone eaten at Melt Gelato?? We'll be giving it a try as soon as we get a chance! And they have my favorite -Stracciatella!


The magazine also suggested eating cold soups... I will be posting three cold soup recipes this Friday! Quick, easy, tasty, and super low in calories/points! An even healthier indulgence.

Summer Time

I realize that Summer officially started about a month ago, but it took a while for it to feel like Summer around here. But over the weekend, Summer arrived in full force. Highs have been in the high 90s and lows in the mid 60s. I'm not complaining, Summer is a season that I have learned to live with. Here's how I cope:

Awww... is there anything more refreshing than a glass of ice tea on a hot day?


I think I'm part fish, because I love swimming! As long as there are no critters in the pool with me...



I've also taken a dip in the pool the past two mornings after a long hot run.


So does anyone else think it a bit ironic that when I went to the mailbox yesterday, I pulled out not one, but two, Christmas catalogs?