Thanksgiving Confession

Yes, I want to confess...

We were all excited about Thanksgiving meal. David loves to cook and he is always in charge of any Holiday meal. This time was no different. He made a list, did grocery shopping, took turkey out of freezer and put it in our fridge. Thursday morning I took turkey out to spice it up and cook but ... it was hard as a rock. We were in deep trouble... We needed a bird fast... The only place that was open was Walmart. We ran there but every turkey was frozen... we decided to buy a large 8 lb chicken... It was cooked. We had homemade stuffing, mashed potato, mashed sweet potato, corn casserole, corn bread, pumpkin bread, gravy, pumpkin cheese cake, you name it, we had it. So, we decided that we were to call our Thanksgiving chicken "THE BIRD".  So... the Bird was served, it was golden brown and juicy and was well received. 

Conclusion: Thank you Walmart for making our Thanksgiving possible!

Trip to Niagara

Many of you already know that David (dh) and I went to Niagara-on-the-Lake in October. We like to go there for 4-5 days so we can spend time just for us. No agenda, no plans. We go to the Welland Canal, watch one of the drawbridges open and close, watch Lift Bridge going up and down (see pic below), watch ship go through the lock.

this Lift Bridge lifts the road for ships, WOW!

















Here is the Falls - view from Rainbow Bridge

 

Also, we went to see "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" that was played as a part of Shaw Festival.

And ... everything would be great ... however I was sad. This is why: after all our luggage was placed in the car, David set me down and told me that he was told by his family doc that he had a lump on his thyroid. I was not sure if I wanted to go but he was looking forward to the trip so we went.

Upon our return, he had blood test and ultrasound. Both tests were negative! Woo Hoo!

I went from this

to this:

Thanks for reading and commenting!

A glance at what you may find at a Russian Grocery Store

How many of you, my team friends, shopped Russian Grocery Store? Not many? Well, I am going to give you a short tour.

Last week I went to Baltimore, MD area to shop for some Russian goodies and here are some of them:

Buckwheat is very healthy for you. As I am writing this, my hubby is making meatloaf with buckwheat mixed in it. He is trying this for the first time. Will see if we like that.
















Some sweets are a must! hehehe!









Marinated mixed mushrooms! I added chopped onion and olive oil.



Dinner is ready. I'll be right back.

My attempt to alter one old Russian recipe

I like these Russian cheese cakes. Here is the list of ingredients:

• ·         500 gr of Farmer’s cheese (has to be fine paste so grind cheese in meat grinder)
• ·         1 egg
• ·         3 Table spoons of sugar
• ·         Vanilla, salt and lemon zest (to taste)
• ·         All Purpose Flour 
•       Butter

They have a shape of pancakes or hamburgers; the only difference is that they are made out of Farmer’s cheese. I try to avoid consuming sugar, white bread, white rice, white everything… due to being pre-diabetic. According to my doctor, I can eat anything I want in what I call “mild” quantities in one sitting (does that mean I can have many sittings per day? How many?). Mild is good… however I like chocolate and good fat creamy ice-cream. As much as I can, I try to use sugar substitute, brown rice, whole wheat bread, whole wheat flour, etc.  Yesterday I made an attempt to alter this old Russian recipe and here what I got:

• ·         1 Lb of Ricotta cheese (already fine paste)
• ·         1 Egg
• ·         1 Tb spoon of sweet and low
• ·         Vanilla, salt and lime
• ·         Whole wheat flour
• ·         Olive oil

              

        1. Mix all ingredients. Add enough flour so the mix doesn’t stick to your hands.

       2.  Place some flour on the flat surface (I use a HUGE butcher’s board).

       3.    Spoon cheese mix into that flour, roll in your hands and form a pancake shape.    

        4.     Heat some butter (I used olive oil) on your frying pan.

        5.   Place cheese cakes and fry on medium until golden brown.

        6.       Serve warm. Sprinkle with powdered sugar (sugar substitute). Sour cream on the side.

I like them with pancake syrup but I use organic blue agave (a low glycemic organic sweetener).

Do you want to know if it tasted the same as the original recipe? It was not bad but NOPE, not the same. I am willing to sacrifice for some real chocolate and ice-cream !!!

P.S. There something special about August 17. 22 years ago I came to this wonderful country, which gave me so much! YEY to my 22!!!

Teamwide Huge Sale by PromoFrenzy Team

The best Team ever runs a very special sale this month. This is a truly great time to do your holiday shopping, my friends. Discounts are great! The items are all handmade and each of the artisans takes a great pride in their product and stays behind the quality.

 To find items that are offered by the Team members, go to Etsy and search for promofenzyteam. There are over 4,000 items made with love. Happy shopping!

Care for Pearls

I do not know about you but I am a huge pearl lover. I have a color coordinating pearl jewelry set for just about every outfit in my closet. Today I decided to share with you some “care for pearls” tips.

According to Woman’s Day Magazine: 

• ·        store pearls in a cotton bag – never plastic – separate from other jewelry.

• ·        Wipe them off with a dry cotton cloth after wearing.

• ·        To ensure that pearls stay lustrous, think outside the jewelry box: wearing them regularly will keep them polished, thanks to your body’s natural oils.

This is what Silpada Designs recommends:

If pearls become visibly dirty, dilute a teaspoon of Woolite in a quart of water. Immerse your pearls for 10 to 15 seconds, dab them with a soft cotton cloth and lay them flat to dry.

I hope you learned something new from my blog.

Thanks and have a wonderful day!

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Wordless Wednesday, Hmmmm... I like it. It is right up to my alley!

Please tell me what do you think I captured in those pics. Do not spend too much time, just give me your best guess.

Have FUN!

Thanks,
Inessa