Whoooooooo Two

Remember my ultimate favorite owl bag. It has a friend now.



Some of my other bags:

Butterfly
Birds
Cowgirl
Life's a Beach
Cupcakes

I don't sell my bags it's just a hobby. :) Thanks to those who have asked. I'm just a purse-o-holic. I buy them (I heart Coach) and my Mom and I make them when we are feeling Martha Stewart-ish. Have no fear I had this addiction pre-op too so it's not a transfer addiction. I think it comes from years of shopping with my thin friends. I could never try anything on so I always bought purses and shoes. I was a "normal size" in those.

Candy, candy, candy I can't let you go...

I have to share this yummy find. There was a big bowl of free candy as I walked in CVS a week or two ago... some promotion to get people to switch their prescriptions over to CVS. Well I love freebies so I usually take a piece even though I can't indulge and I just pass it to my Mom. I looked down and realized they were Sugar Free. Score.

Sugar Free Werthers in two different flavors: Original and Caramel Coffee. OMG!?! These are soooo yummy. I seriously think they are better than the sugar version, creamier I think. I bought a bag of each flavor. Very soothing for scratchy throat days. They do warn you that eating too many may have a laxative effect... so don't get crazy ;) and suck the whole bag or you know where you will be spending the day...


Nutrition facts Werther’s Original Caramel Coffee Sugar Free

Serving Size 5 Pieces (about 16g)
Calories 40 Calories from Fat 10
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 0.5g 3%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol <5mg 0%
Sodium 50mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 5%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 0g
Sugar Alcohols 14g
Protein 0g

Ingredients: Isomalt, Cream, Butter, Flavoring, Salt, Ammonia Caramel, Emulsifier Soy Lecithin, Coffee Extract, Sweetener Acesulfame-K.

Allergy information:
Contains milk and soybeans.
Excess consumption may have a laxative effect.

Listening to: "Candy" Iggy Pop & Kate Pierson

This weekend

I went to the Farmer's Market yesterday to buy more leeks. I experimented Friday and made a seriously yummy veggie dish: a Cauliflower and Leek Gratin. If you are an onion lover you'll want to make this. It was sooooo good. We had it as a side dish with Chicken Marsala. Some time this coming week I think I will experiment and add chicken or beef to make it a whole meal. I'll let you know how it turns out. Here's the recipe and FP for version one:


Shelly's Cauliflower and Leek Gratin

1 head Cauliflower, broken into florets
3 Leeks, white & light green parts only, sliced
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon dried Basil
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 Tablespoon fresh Chives
2 Tablespoon Flour
1 1/2 cups Milk, cold
1/2 cup Frozen Peas
1/2 cup Grated Italian 4 Cheese Blend
2 Tablespoons Italian style dried Bread Crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Steam Cauliflower until just tender when a knife is inserted. Set cauliflower aside to cool while making the sauce. Slice leeks in 1/2" inch thick slices and wash thoroughly. Saute butter, leeks, salt and pepper, herbs till lightly golden. Add flour to leeks and cook for 1 minute. Add milk and cook while stirring constantly, when the mixture comes to a low boil and thickens turn off the heat. Put the cauliflower into the sauce, add peas. Mix to combine. Pour into casserole dish. Top with cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake until golden brown approximately 25 minutes.


I left the FM this week with zucchini, corn, cauliflower, mushrooms, garlic, more heirloom tomatoes (they have the best tomatoes) and a loaf of my Mom's favorite Austrian fruit bread. I ran some errands and then headed home to clean the garage. Fun stuff ;)

I did pause my cleaning to catch my co-worker/pal Amy's follow-up on MTV. All I can say is "Wow" -400 pounds is beyond amazing and inspiring. If you missed the show check it out on You Tube.

Oh, I did have a wow this weekend I will share. We have a swing in the backyard. It came with the house. Seats two. I sat on it once pre-op (alone) and heard a loud creak, got up quick and never sat on it again. Last night it was especially starry and my Mom and I decided to have coffee in the backyard. We both sat on the swing. Not a creak to be heard. Woo Hoo!


Highlights of the weekend:

* My garage is clean.

* I'm going to start enjoying my patio swing and I guess it's just in time ;) because apparently Mars is coming.

* I almost have my PS financing figured out... so I can look at scheduling a date soon. Ahhh! Exciting... scary.

Listening to: "Beats So Lonely" Charlie Sexton. I love this song. It was in the 80's movie "Some Kind of Wonderful" when Keith and Amanda are at Hardy's party. In case you didn't know I'm an 80's movie/music freak.

Casseroles and Karma

I made a "Comfort Food" casserole Thursday and I'm just getting around to blogging it.

I was having a bad day... headache, life in general and I needed something warm. Yeah, yeah, I know... you shouldn't seek comfort in food but it wasn't a donut it was a casserole. I basically adapted my Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole recipe to use what I had on hand.


Shelly's Cheesy Chicken & Veggie Bake

1 cup chopped Broccoli, steamed
1 cup Carrots, steamed
1/2 yellow Onion, chopped
2 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts, sliced into 1" pieces
1 Teaspoon Oil
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 can of Cheddar Cheese Soup
1/2 cup Mexican Cheese blend
dash Chili Powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
10 Ritz Crackers
1 Teaspoon Poppy Seeds
1 Tablespoon Butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Steam broccoli and carrots and set aside. Saute onions till golden. Remove from pan. Saute chicken in a teaspoon of oil until golden and cooked through. Add broccoli, carrots and onions to pan. Mix sour cream, soup, and cheese together and pour over. Stir to coat. Salt & pepper and chili powder to taste. Pour into a casserole dish. Crumble crackers in a Ziploc baggie, add poppy seeds and sprinkle mixture over the top of chicken. Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in the microwave. Drizzle melted butter evenly over crackers. Bake 30 minutes, until crackers are golden brown.

You could eliminate the topping if you wanted to make it even lower in carbs but 10 crackers spread out over the whole casserole is even OK in my carb-o-phobe handbook.


So I ate this and watched the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy and all was temporarily right with the world. Word to the wise do not go on classmates.com and look up a wretched nasty girl you used to go to school with. If they have a seemingly better life than you (loving husband, huge house, three cute kids) it can throw you into a funk. A quick IM exchange with my pal Sarah reminded me however that what looks good on paper (or in this case the net) isn't always reality. After all those three little cuties could have three different "baby daddies", the house... repo'd, and the loving husband... secretly gay.

I'm sure my Karma points went down for that but she really was a wretched human being. You'll have to trust me on this ;)