“Have you ever met anyone who was sorry they exercised when they were done?  Beginning is the hardest part, but make it a daily habit!  You’ll keep the pounds off; one of the side effects of exercising is less food cravings!” - Marisue

Get going!  Get the blood pumping! It will clear your head and mind of stress, and you’ll feel so good about your accomplishment!  Daily Exercise!  It’s the thing to do!

Here are some quick tips for adding exercise to your day:

• Experiment!  Forget being an expert!  Do you like moving to music? Go for privacy and dance to your heart’s content.  Who cares if you’re all coordinated and in rhythm!  You’re MOVING! 
• Add 5 minutes to running errands and walk around the store  the whole time.  Just walk!
• Pair up one exercise with something you like.  Music? walk to it.  Shopping?  Walk longer.
• Stay motivated.  Feel your body tighten up and celebrate all the small successes!
• Bored and craving food?  Lift weights.  Keep those hands busy and full of something heavier than a cracker!
• Don’t eat more just because you exercised!  Write down what you’re eating and make sure you’re not adding little bites here and there.  It will find you.
• Less belly fat means lower risk of heart disease as well.  It’s worth the effort!
• Lifting weights just twice a week helps women lose abdominal fat and keep you from gaining belly fat.

So, Lift those 3 pound hand weights!  One Two Three -  come on, let’s go!, One Two Three, Four, Five  Hint: Do 10 sets of ten.  Find a spot that is a bit of a pain…and bounce the weight in that direction.  Feel the pull? bounce it ten times, rest, do it again, rest.  repeat.  You’ll get to a hundred before you know it. 

Eat healthy, don’t diet.  Find your healthy choices, and load up on veggies and greens.  You will feel full and satisfied.  If you’re eating good veggies and have cut the “white and sweets” out of your diet, and you’re walking and lifting small hand weights, you’ll see the beautiful healthy you in a few weeks.  It works!

Ready in a snap, this is an excellent accompaniment to the Crab It Hot Dip.  It just doesn’t get any better than this; unless you use Artichoke shrimp dip instead, with spinach?  YUM!

Ingredients:

2 c shredded Swiss cheese

1/3 c mayo, not fat free, sorry guys

2 TBLS minced FRESH oregano (no substitutes)

1 tbls grated onion, 1 tbls cider vinegar (or lemon juice)

1 loaf French bread, halved

Procedure:

1. Combine the cheese, mayo, oregano, onion and vinegar.  Spread over cut halves of bread.
2. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 400F for 8 - 10 min until cheese is melted and lightly browned.  Best eaten when warm, or use for the Crab It Hot as Dippers.

“While you’re grilling, feed this to your hungry bears!  Even if you’re not a fishy person, this will please the palate!  Set out the crackers or crusty bread chunks!” 

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c chopped green onions

6 garlic cloves, minced (fresh is best, 2 tsp of prepared minced. or less to taste, but garlic makes this dip!)

1 tbls butter

1 tbls mayo, not fat free

8 c shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (or Gruyere if your prefer. Just choose one that is creamy)

4 cans 6 oz each crabmeat, draiined, flaked and cartliage removed - go for the gourmet, you want the “good stuff”

hot sauce if you dare

Trisket’s new flavored crackers and crusty bread chunks

Procedure:

1. Saute onions and garlic in the butter until tender. (Use olive oil if you prefer)
2. Transfer to a 3 qt slow cooker; add may and stir in cheese.  Cover and cook on low for 30 min until cheese is melted.  Do Not Scorch!!  Heat slowly.  That’s why slow cooker is recommended, not a saucepan on the stove.
3. Stir in crabmeat; cover and cook 1 hour or longer until heated through.  Serve warm, adding hot sauce at the end if you dare.

Enjoy the moans and groans as they eat…but, save some room for the main course, like baby backed ribs!

If you don’t have the habit of sticking anything on a stick and grilling, you just haven’t found out how easy that kind of cooking is ~ what a sweet way to end the day!

Picture this:

You’re exhausted.  You’ve had a long day at the office and are bone tired and hungry.  Whether you’ve got  a family to feed or 2 or 1, it’s easy if you’ve got thawed meat (cut up in advance is good), fresh veggies and a few skewers, either metal or wood.

Start the electric counter top grill, turn it to low, and go take a quick shower.  When you come back, take your chunks of raw chicken, lamb, or sirloin and place them on a skewer, alternating chunks of yellow squash, small onions or onion chunks, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes to your liking. 

For extra flavor, spray your food laden skewer with an olive oil spray, sprinkle salt, pepper, lemon juice and a bit of ceyenne for a kick. 

10 minutes on the grill - for an internal temperature of the meat of 160 degrees F, turning once or twice, and you’ve got heaven on a stick.

Tip:  If your skewers are wooden, you know to soak them before grilling.  Red onions are sweeter and make tasty combinations for eating on a stick meals. 

A delicious salsa for your skewer meal:

Dice 2 cups of cucumbers and 2/3 cup chopped red onions, add 2 tbs lemon juice and 2 tbs chopped fres dill, and then drizzle with at least 1 Tbs olive oil.  Add salt, pepper if I’m dining with you, and lightly fold in a bit of Feta cheese.

Are you saying “yum” yet? 

One more before I go:

“Corney Avacado Chunk”

Dice a ripe, peeled avacado, add 2 cups drained canned or frozen corn, add 1/3 c chopped red bell pepper, add 1 tsp or 1 tbs lime zest, 2 tbs lime juice, 1 tbs olive oil,  1tsp each of fresh oregano, salt, and a dash or more of cumin.  Cumin is a bit strong, so add to taste.  Stir carefully, and place on top of grilled chicken, pork, or even beef.  All grilled, of course, ON-A-STICK.

See you tomorrow!  You’ll be grinnin’ if you’re grillin’!  Ciao, Amigos!

MMMM! Today, I can smell yesterday.

I just close my eyes, and think of cinnamon, sugar, and buttery biscuits. Within seconds I’m there. The stirring and kneading of dough, cutting biscuit forms, and sprinkling pungent spices on an early morning at the farm is a clear picture. I also see me dodging the butter churn. I loved it for about 3 minutes, then I begged to quit.

Even in the 60’s, my grandmother and great aunts lived as they had for years. As a family of 10 children, they told stories, joked and cooked, concocting dish after dish from memory of countless times baked.

My cooking is influenced by those generations of people in my life: My mom, her mother, and grandmother’s sisters. Farm life influenced them.

For me, sitting on a stool in that warm scented kitchen, listening to these women who seemed to know just what life was all about, was the safest place in the world to be. Sometimes, they would say the funniest things and I would nearly fall off the stool as I laughed. My cheeks - all of them, would be sore from those deep belly, tear jerking laughs..

I thought it great fun to be popping off the stool a zillion times to hand the ingredients to the cook. The scents that filled the air made you feel that all was right with the world.

Pie doughs, biscuits and yeast rolls were made daily. This next recipe makes me think of lazy evenings with me listening to adult talk, growing drowsy with a stomach full of sweet somethings:

“Blackberries & Toppers” - The dumplings in this recipe are made from Bisquick Baking Mix, not the “scratch” ones from “yesterdays.” And, of course, they didn’t have a slow cooker, but this comes close to their style, Shhhh…

Ingredients:

• Thaw and drain 1 14oz package frozen blackberries (3 cups)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar to 1/2 cup, depending on the tartness of the fruit and your desire for “sweet”
• 1 tsp lemon juice - fresh
• 1 cup Bisquick Baking Mix
• 2 tbls sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla or almond extract
• Ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts, your choice, optional

Procedure:

• Mix blackberries, 1/3 cup sugar, water, and lemon juice in large slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on low heat setting for 3 - 4 hours; for high heat settings, 1 - 2 hours or until mixture is boiling.
• Add vanilla flavoring and nuts right before you add the biscuit mixture, towards the end. Stir lightly.
• Mix baking mix and 2 tbls sugar in small bowl. Sitir in milk until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop dough by about 6 spoonfuls onto hot berry mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Cover and cook on high heat setting 20 min, no more than 25 minutes. Test dumplings by inserting a toothpick into the middle of one. It is done if the toothpick comes out clean.

Spoon this deliciously sweet smelling berry dish into a bowl and top with ice cream or whipping cream.

Any frozen or fresh berry can be used for this dish. If frozen is used, be sure to use berries that are NOT frozen in syrup.

I favor the slow cooker style desserts because they are great for getting you out of the kitchen fast.

My aunts and grandmother spent lots of time on their feet, creating sweet somethings that fill my memory even today. I can’t duplicate those days, or the love they put in their cooking, but I try.

A little tyke we had for about 6 months, called this dessert “Bakberry Toppers” and when he asked for it, he’d say he wanted the “black round things with toppers.” We shortened the name to Blackberry Toppers.

Enjoy this with your loved ones, too. If it’s just for you, then you still have a wonderful guest for dinner! YOU. If you get the chance, sneak in a partner to eat with, just so you can share the “MMM’s”

(this post first published on http://hubpages.com/profile/marisuewrites)

Chicken To Die For!

Serves 12, Start to Finish Prep 8 hours, 50 minutes, Prep time 35 minutes

Invite the Family, The Boss and All The Office - It’s A Sure Hit!

Where’s the Beef?  You Won’t Miss IT!

Ingredients:

2 tbls olive oil

5 large cloves garlic, halved

1 small white onion quartered and separated

1 1/2 pounds tomatillos (about 13)

3 medium to large jalapeno Chile’s, seeded unless you want to burn your mouth

1/2 c loosely packed fresh cilantro - 10 - 15 sprigs

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

12 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Red pepper flakes to taste ( optional)

Preparation:

1.  In a 10 inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot.  Add garlic and oinion, cook about 5 minutes stirring constantly, DON’T BURN THE GARLIC.

2.  Remove husks nd rinse tomatillos well.  Core top stem area or each, cut tomatillos into quarters.  In lg food processor, place roasted garli and onion, tomatoillos, jalapeno, cilantro, 1 tsp of the salt and the sugar.  Cover, process until almost smooth.  You want it to be a little thick.

3.  Pour 2 c mixture into small serving bowl, cover and refrigerate to use a s salsa.  To make marinade, add remaining 1 tsp salt and the cumin to remaining mixture in food processor.  (You didn’t throw it out did you??)  Cover and process 10 seconds.

4.  Place 6 chicken breasts in each of 2 gallon size resealable freezer plastic bags, divide marinade between bags.  Seal bags, shake to evenly distribute marinade over chicken.  Refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours. Turn bags at lest once while marinating.

5.  Take salsa and place on counter or table.  Take the bags of chicken, tongs, metal spatula and a serving platter to grill.  Salsa should be room temperature when served with the grilled chicken.

6.  Heat gas or charcoal grill.  Carefully brush oil on grill rack or use a grill spray formulated for hot grills.  Place chicken on grill over med heat; discard marinade.  Do not use to brush on chicken.  Cover grill; cook 12 - 5 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut.  Turn the chicken once during cooking.  Serve each chicken breast with about 2 tablespoon of salsa on top.

Nutrition Info:

Per Serving: Cal 250; Total Fat 8g; Sodium 490mg; Dietary Fiber 1g

Tips:  Leftover chicken is great cut into fajita strips.  For Extra Appeal:  Place strips of onion and bell peppers, squash,  and any other  firm vegetable in a grilling basket and grill alongside the chicken. 

Are You Licked by Fire, Kissed by Smoke?

Would You Like To Be? 

If so, Then this is the grilling spot for you! 

Grilling is easy, but of the fire beware….

Take your time

Pin back your hair…

the embers are watching!!!

So grill with care…. 

(by Marisue Alsobrook)

On this site, we will be putting it all together…

here…

and here….

Is the Kitchen Alien To You?

Are You Stuck in The Fast Food Lane?

man and fire…beware the burning embers