Blog Posts by Lori

Chicken Soup for the Stomach

Happy Sunday everyone! It is November 7 th , and it is cold and rainy outside; the kind of day when a hot steamy bowl of soup would really hit the spot. Actually for lunch I had canned tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. It was very mediocre.

With the celebration of Advent right around the corner, and the traditional soup suppers at church, my mouth began watering for a great bowl of soup. Not something out of a can, but something homemade, filling and delicious.

My favorite, like the rest of the world, is the all time popular Chicken Noodle soup. With my recent discovery that my body doesn't tolerate carbohydrates well, I will have to settle for my second favorite: Chicken Vegetable. It is quick, easy, and cheap. What's better than all that?

Take a whole chicken, rinse and remove the giblet package (discard this, EWWW!). Toss it in a crock pot, fill halfway with water, salt and pepper lightly, and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Remove

What is your favorite fat free/low fat recipe?

Thanks,

Lori

Ho, Ho, Hey! What Just Happened?
Holiday enlightenment from an overworked Santa and his testy crew
Christmas 2010

www.sinclairinkspot.com

Apple Hill

So I took my annual trek to Apple Hill, California this week with my parents. I love Apple Hill. The weather is beautiful, and the scenery beyond description. We walked among the orchards and saw all of the fruit still ripening on the branches. The smell of fresh fruit, warm in the sun is a beauty to behold. I have decided that when I am rich and famous, I am going to buy an orchard and live up there among the fruit trees.

We saw the crafters, smelled the fresh baked pies, saw the presses squeezing the juice for cider, and then my favorite… the Fudge Factory.

Now for those of you who know me, I have been on a strict diet for quite some time now. I have lost 35 pounds, and it should come as no surprise sugar has been off limits for me for the better part of this year. Walking into the Fudge Factory I went onto sensory overload. I didn't behave shamefully though, after all, my parents were with me. I did, however, walk straight to the corner with the caramel

The Schizophrenic Diet

I have tried sssooo many diets sometimes my head spins. Low calorie diets, the hot dog and boiled egg diet, the belly fat diet… you name it and I have tried it.

So, I finally found a diet that works - or so I thought. I tried one of the popular no-carb, low-carb options, and lost 33 pounds. I was so very proud of myself. When I went to the doctor I bragged about it, until my blood work came back. Seems I lost 33 pounds, and gained 40 points on my bad cholesterol! How could this happen? I was eating healthier than I have in years, and the scale proves it. I cried. Then I called the doctor and cried again. "Now Lori," she said, "it could be genetic." Even that didn't comfort me much. My cholesterol is still high, and I now have to change my diet, yet again, from something that works to something unknown. I am Lutheran. We don't like the unknown. We tell God that all the time.

Low fat was recommended. After a consultation with a dietician, I was armed

My New Plan for weight loss:

I hate diets. They never work. I am told that your metabolism will eventually catch up to anything that you are doing. So, a new diet will work for a short while, then your body adjusts and it stops working. There's even a fancy term for it... they call it Plateauing. Personally, I call it stubbornness. My body revolts against anything that it doesn't want to do. When you tell me I can't have something, that's the only thing that I want. At that point my whole world turns OCD.

We all know that too much of anything is bad for you, especially in the red meat genre. One main problem that I have is portion control, and a love for beef. I do love vegetables, though. I have often joked that I could be really happy being a vegetarian. Although not a traditional vegetarian. I am not at all satisfied with a plate of steamed vegetables and a no-dressing green salad. From my childhood I have carried a love for soups, gravies, and sauces. I need texture too;

What's your favorite pancake?

February 23 is the IHOP-declared national pancake day. They gave away free pancakes to anyone who was willing to stand in line (in the rain here in California) from 7:00 to 10:00 am. I watched on the morning show as hundreds of people showed up. It reminded me of what a wonderful breakfast pancakes are. They are quick, easy, and delicious. Blueberry is my favorite. Here's my best recipe:

Blue Berry Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, separated

2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Topping:

8 oz. Cream cheese, softened

½ tsp. vanilla

3 - 4 tbs. sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat the egg yolks with the buttermilk and melted butter. Combine the dry and the wet ingredients into a lumpy

A Bouquet of Flours

For you, after Valentine's Day, I have a bouquet of flours. When I began my cooking journey I had no idea that there were so many different kinds of flour. Oh sure, I could read the bags. All Purpose flour I pretty much figured out. You could use it for anything. Cake flour I didn't buy since my cakes all came in their own boxes with nice pictures on the front. Bread flour I started buying when I got my first bread machine, and whole wheat stayed right there on the shelf at the store. If it was too heavy to carry then it was too heavy to eat. I have rules.

But I have learned that it goes way beyond that too. I have started listening to cooking podcasts and learned a lot more about my flours. Did you know that even among the common types of flour that you can buy in the grocery store, they differ from one part of the country to the other? For instance, flour in the south contains more starch than anywhere else. Also flours in the north east have more

One Smart Cookie!

So apparently you can teach an old dog new tricks! And, as much as I hate referring to myself as an old dog, I have to say thank you to all my readers. I asked for some help finding a great cookie recipe, and all I can say is WOW! Not only did you come through with some great recipes, but I also got an entire list of things that go along with it. First I have to say that the Nestle's Tollhouse cookie recipe was the most highly recommended. Above that, there were some oatmeal recipes, peanut butter, and I am still waiting for my niece to send me her "out of this world lemon squares" as soon as she is done with her homework. I plan on trying each and every one of them, but one thing that I learned is that it is not all about the recipe.

I got some good tips as far as the recipes go. Almost everyone agrees that you need to double the vanilla - always. One person said to use half again as much almond flavoring too. That one sounded good. We seemed to be equally