Thar' they are...

Yep, those are my chubby nubbys

the reason for this photo is I couldn't figure out why I had cut my toenails at an angle

then I realized I stand like a duck

with my feet spread apart

so my big toes are painted at an angle....

in red

like this   /

NICE

but when I just stand like I always do you can't tell

so HORAY for duck feet!

Cheecky

Have a great day!

HAPPY DAYS! or Pasco Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Hi  Ladies!

I had my meetup group over for a potluck and boy was it fun!

What a great group and we always have so many laughs, I love it!

Some of you were asking for the recipes so here goes ;)

Turkey

Ingredients


1 (12 pound) whole turkey

6 tablespoons butter, divided

4 cups warm water

3 tablespoons chicken bouillon

2 tablespoons dried parsley

2 tablespoons  minced onion

2 tablespoons seasoning salt

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Rinse and wash turkey. Discard the giblets, or add to pan if they are anyone's favorites.

2.Place turkey in a Dutch oven or roasting pan. Separate the skin over the breast to make little pockets. Put 3 tablespoons of the butter on both sides between the skin and breast meat. This makes for very juicy breast meat.
(I accidentally put the butter on the butt then realized it was the wrong side so I had double butter, Oops)
3.In a medium bowl, combine the water with the bouillon. Sprinkle in the parsley and minced onion. Pour over the top of the turkey. Sprinkle seasoning salt over the turkey.

4.Cover with foil, and bake in the preheated oven 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C). For the last 45 minutes or so, remove the foil so the turkey will brown nicely.

Sweet Potatos

4 1/2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes


1/2 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup milk

1 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup butter

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

2.In a large bowl, mix together mashed sweet potatoes, 1/2 cup butter, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs. Spread sweet potato mixture into the prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and flour. Cut in 1/3 cup butter until mixture is crumbly, then stir in pecans. Sprinkle pecan mixture over the sweet potatoes.

3.Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Mac and Cheese

Kosher salt

12 ounces gemelli, cavatappi or other spiral-shaped pasta

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

1/2 cup whole milk

3/4 cup shredded yellow sharp cheddar cheese

3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, chives and/or scallions

Directions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, mustard and cayenne and stir with a wooden spoon to make a paste. Cook, stirring, until the paste puffs slightly, about 1 minute. Whisk in both milks and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened and creamy, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the cheddar and jack cheeses and all but 2 tablespoons of the parmesan and whisk until melted; keep warm.

Combine the panko, herbs and/or scallions, 1 tablespoon butter and the remaining parmesan in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until the butter melts, about 1 minute; toss.

Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup cooking water, and return to the pot. Toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, then stir in the cheese sauce, adding the reserved cooking water if needed. Season with salt and top with the breadcrumb mixture.

Key Lime Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting
From the kitchen of Michele McCarthy

Mix:

1 Box Lemon Cake Mix

1 Small Box Lime Gelatin

1 ¼ Cup Vegetable Oil

½ Cup Orange Juice

5 Eggs

Glaze:

4 Tablespoons Confectioner Sugar

½ Cup Fresh Lime Juice (2 ½ - 3 Limes)

Frosting:

1 Stick Butter (Softened)

1 (8 oz) Cream Cheese (Softened)

1 Box Confectioner Sugar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Cake: Mix first five ingredients beat 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour into 3 (9 Inch) round cake pans. Bake 350˚ for 25 minutes (or till done in the middle)

Glaze: Mix Confectioner Sugar and Lime Juice. Drizzle over layers while cake is still warm.

Frosting: Cream together Cream Cheese and Butter. Blend in Sugar and Vanilla.

Let cake cool completely before frosting.

if there is another one you wanted let me know and I'll e-mail the cook  ;)

Also, I asked Cess to send be the hash browns recipe and I'll post it when it is received!

I just gotta say it.....

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?

Ok, I shouldn't still be angry.

It's been almost 2 weeks but I can't stop thinking about him...

This is Trooper.

We met last week at the Tails & Tuxes Gala

for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay

I am totally in love!

:)

The hubs, not so much.

I want want want to adopt him

but the hubs is beyond allergic to practically everything

so I have been terminally SAD.

But this is not the sad story.

I met Trooper at the Benefit because he had been adopted

but his adoptive parents were not very attentive

and Trooper got hit by a car.

I'm not sure how he got back to the Humane Society

if he walked there all smooshed up

but somehow he got back.

The car crushed his front leg

The Humane Society had a super awsome vet

volunteer to take care of him (YEAH)

but he had to have his leg amputated

OMG

Just hearing the story made me want to hit someone

I DO NOT condone violence at all

but boy I was angry

and this was not the only rescue story that brought me to tears.

He was wearing a body cast

that the volunteers decorated to look like a tux

and he was hobbling around on three legs.

He was SO happy and excited to meet everyone and I was thinking

boy he is a star tonight

what a great personality

I'd love to have a dog like him.

Frankly, I'd love to have an attitude like that.

That is a great lesson.

Bad stuff happens and it can get worse

but don't let it get you down

cause I'm way better off than most peple and

I thank "god" everyday

for my amazing husband

and that I'm so lucky to stay home and take care of him.

So I will always think of Trooper when I'm down

and resolve to be a happy, good person

cause at least I have all my fingers and toes.

Shopping Addiction

Hi Ladies  :)

For those of you who are not aware

I have a little shopping problem

the hubs calls it an addiction

silly man

I'm not sure when it started but it peaked last June.

Yes, June at the Lilly Pulitzer warehouse sale ;)

Now, I am a Ross/TJ Maxx person and so when I see a deal I buy it.

Unfortunately there are times when things don't fit or look as cute with something as I thought. Also, I'm not very good at holding onto receipts to return things. (Thank god Target has the Credit Card system thing where they scan and poof there's your receipt)

Anyhow, when the guest bedroom closet got full of things that didn't "work", I opened a little Ebay store to move them off to a new home.

Then last year I went to my first LP Warehouse sale while the hubs sat home watching baseball. I got VERY caught up in the excitement of $39 flats So, essentially, I bought one of everything I loved

for myself, my sister (who I don't speak to) her kids, the hubs, my nephew in Oklahoma.

Oh yeah it was great!  Till I got home and had over $1000 of Lilly that didn't fit.

Cheeky

So when I got the email from Lilly anouncing the Warehouse Sale next month I immediately told the hubs I wasn't going. Who was I going to buy it for? I've gained a little weight and don't fit in the clothing

so escentially I'd be going for shoes and handbags and the handbags were gone by noon

on the first day last year.
So...what to do?

(ummm, handbags....)

Well then the hubs says, "Haven't you made a nice little profit from Ebay?

That extra money could pay for your trip and a few things for yourself."

This is why I married him.

Joy Joy Happy Happy

I still haven't decided if I'm going to the "PARTY"

but at least I have the green light

Can you believe this is from Talbots too?

I think I love Talbots

Ring: $39

Bracelet:  $59

Happy Mothers Day!

Hi there!

I hope all the moms are having a great day

I got my mother in law this Rowallen Hope Tote for Mothers day

I totally LOVE it!

I thought it would be perfect cause she can carry her laptop and magazines etc

rather than this giant duffle that she usually carries everywhere

 Plus it's a lovely Khaki that will go with everything

and frankly I think it looks very professional

When I showed the hubs

he wasn't excited

hum

She works for a company that distributes magazines to specialty grocers

so she has tons of magazines everywhere

and I mean everywhere

So I thought this was perfect

fortunately he didn't think it was that bad cause

he didn't ask me to return it

and he didn't get something else

but now I'm paranoid that she'll hate it, UGH!

Men

I don't know why I'm beating myself up

it's not like she'll tell me she hates it

it will just sit in her closet and she lives 2000 miles away

I hope she likes it

Vern Yip: Art of Giving

(this is a picture of him projected on a screen)

Last week I attended the Art of Giving Benefit with guest speaker Vern Yip

What a cutie pie

It was super fun and they had a special Martini

the Yiptini for everyone during the Silent Auction

Delish

I, of course, cried during "this is how you help change children’s lives" segment.

The food was marvelous & I won 2 Silent Auction items!

YEAH

The Benefit raised over $150,000 for the United Way summer programs

Silent Auctions are the BEST!!!

Publix is a grocery chain in the south and they have a department called Aprons that does in store demonstrations of quick and easy meals but they also have a cooking school and I won seats for 2 to the beginner class! YEAH!  So the hubs and I will be attending classes for the next 6 weeks in order to increase our (my) cooking proficiencies. heh.  I'm really excited about the chopping/knives class. Maybe I'll be chopping like Julia Childs at the end!