Bronner's Christmas Wonderland

This summer, Jack and I went on a trip to Michigan.We visited the "World's Largest Christmas Store" in Frankenmuth,Michigan.......What a sight to see!!
The store has been around for over 60 years, and covers more than 7 acres....that's 5 1/2 football fields.

They sell over 50,000 gifts and trims and the grounds are illuminated every evening with 100,000 lights! The store is open 361 days a year.

Pinch of This ~ Dash of That

Last night for dinner, we had some wonderful homemade Minestrone soup with crusty bread.

If you would like the recipe,then hop on over to http://suzyqcooks.blogspot.com She has some great recipes there.....mmm-mmm-good!!!

Gettin' Comfy,Now that's What I'm Talkin' about....

This week we bought a new recliner for the spare room,(Suzy's Retreat)!We've been looking to buy one for sometime now. Some were to big since I'm barely 5 ft....Others not the right color....is lime green back in? But when I saw this one I knew this was it!!...A little different,but I like that.

Now I'm all set....twin bed ( just in case the hubby snores ),television tuned to the Hallmark channel,lots of good reads,my sewing machine.......now all I need is a box of chocolates and a hot cup of tea.
ahhhhhh.....this feels good!!!

More Pittsburgh Firsts

The big Mac-1967
Created by Jim Delligatti at his Uniontown Mcdonald's, the Big Mac debuted and was test marketed in three other Pittsburgh-area Mcdonald's restaurants in 1967. By 1968 it was a mainstay on McDonald's menus throughout the country.

First Ferris Wheel 1892
Invented by Pittsburgh Native and civil engineer, George Washington Gale Ferris. The first ferris wheel was in operation at the World's Fair in Chicago.It was over 264 feet high and was capable of carrying more than 2,000 passengers at a time.

First All Aluminum Building - ALCOA - August 1953
The all aluminum faced skyscraper was the Alcoa Building, a 30 story,410 foot structure
with thin stamped aluminum panels forming the exterior walls.

South beach diet recipes

I've been thinking about Tori over at almost there and how well she's coming along with her diet.Stop by and give her a word of encouragement. I think she's doing great!

Here's a few recipes to try:

Country Salad - Phase one
2 eggs
3 cups shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce
diced onion
1/4 cup diced red or green pepper
Lawry's seasoning salt and pepper
" I can't believe it's not butter"(icbinb)

Put the eggs on to boil (8 minutes from rolling boil to hard cooked.) Put other ingredients except butter in a large bowl and toss a bit.when eggs are done,run them under cold water just enough so that you can handle them.Peel and halve each one and place a small pat of "icbinb"between the halves and lay it on top of the salad.As soon as it is melted,cut up the eggs into small pieces with a sharp knife right on top of the salad.Toss enough to mix in the eggs and coat the ingredients with the melted stuff.Serve immediately. Serves one as main meal.
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Spinach-cheese stuffed Chicken - Phase one
1-10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach,thawed
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
4 skinless,boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons Cajun dressing
2 tablespoons melted Smart Balance spread

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Squeeze excess water out of thawed spinach.
In a large bowl, mix spinach with onion, garlic, and cottage cheese and set aside.
Season chicken breasts with cajun seasoning,then place 1/4 of the spinach/cheese mixture into the center of each breast and fold in half.Secure with toothpicks and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.Drizzle with melted Smart Balance spread and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Serve with a tossed salad. Makes 4 servings.

These are healthy recipes,whether your on the diet or not. Enjoy!

Christmas shopping in Pittsburgh

The Good Old Days

Yesterday I spent quite a while scanning old photographs that my Mom found.She had one of my Grandmother when she was about 18 years old. It is a tintype,an old photo that was taken on enameled tin.The photo is the first one and she is the one on the left.Grandma died at the age of 89, in 1966, so this photo is about 112 years old!......It really made me stop and think.... that little piece of tin has been around for well over a century.I hope you'll enjoy these as much as I did.

Enough Snow...Let's Think Spring!!!

A Pinch of This ~ A Dash of That

Portuguese Sausage Soup

This is an old Rachel Ray recipe. When I first saw the ingredients, It didn't appeal to me, but I tried it, and now it's my favorite. The spices in the sausage give it wonderful flavor!

1 lb. ground sweet sausage,browned and drained
1 med. onion chopped
chopped garlic to taste
3 medium white potatoes,peeled and diced
1-15 oz. can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1 large can diced tomatoes
2 quart chicken broth
1-16 oz. bag frozen chopped spinach

Add all ingredients in large soup pot and bring to a boil , then turn to simmer until potatoes are tender.Serve and enjoy!

Share the Love

The Language of Flowers

In Victorian times,they weren't able to express their emotions in words.So they would use flowers as a language to tell what they were feeling for someone.They actually selected certain flowers for what they wanted to say.
pink Carnations - I'll never forget you
red Carnations - my heart aches for you.

Roses which symbolize love,also have different meanings based on their color and maturity.
Red and white roses together stand for unity.White roses represent purity,lavender for love at first sight,pink is for happiness,and orange signify desire.One single full blooming rose means
I love you.

If the feelings weren't mutual,flowers were used to send that message as well.
Snapdragon means deception
Yellow rose means decrease of love or jealousy
Bouquet of withered flowers - rejected love

Most people don't understand all these meanings,but it would be nice if they did and could explain what they gave that special someone in a card.

I hope you all have a very Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

The Cottage Look

So that's what it's called....I've been leaning towards that style for some time now.We lived in upstate New York for 4 years and I loved all the villages and quaint little shops along Lake Ontario. I have found so many new blogging friends with such beautiful furniture and accesories in their homes! These girls can make something out of anything...I need to visit Goodwill and the Salvation Army store more often.Thank you for the creative ideas, you've got my creative juices flowing.

Winter Scenes

There's a winter storm watch for our area tonight. Maybe 3 to 5 inches with freezing rain through tomorrow evening.This has been a strange winter, we've not had anymore than a dusting this year.This calls for warm slippers, the fuzzy throw and some steaming cocoa or vanilla.

Hot Vanilla

Heat milk to just before boiling...add vanilla and sugar (or splenda) to taste.It's different but I kinda like it!!

Pork Chops For Supper,Sadie?

When I was growing up we lived with my maternal grandparents.Grandma lived to the ripe old age of 89 and would tell me cute little stories about the people in the neighborhood.Farther up the road lived a widow named Sadie.
She had a parrot that would constantly ask,"Pork chops for supper, Sadie"? Well tonight it's... pork chops for supper,Suzy... and here's one of my favorite recipes.

Salt and pepper center cut boneless pork chops.Add a bit of chopped garlic to the top of the chops.I like the chopped garlic in a jar.
Sprinkle with paprika to add color.Heat a frying pan until it's very hot.Do not use any oil unless the chops are very lean.Sear chops over very high heat until lightly browned on each side.Pour 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar and 1/2 cup water over chops.Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for about 25 minutes until tender...That's it!
..I usually serve this with roasted yams.Here's how I make them:

Roasted Yams
2 yams
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon thyme (fresh is best)
salt and ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
halve yams,place cut side up in a shallow baking dish,just large enough to hold a single layer.Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with thyme.Season with salt and pepper.
Bake until golden brown and very tender,35 to 45 minutes.Onions can be added for extra flavor.

Any South Beachers out there?

Three years ago, I went on the South beach diet and was quite pleased with the results. Other diets that I had tried left me hungry all the time.On the S.B.diet,you're allowed 3 meals and 3 snacks each day,more than I would normally eat.I lost 25 pounds and have maintained it pretty well.I also started a weekly S.B.newsletter which ran for 74 weeks.So if you're interested,let me know,I would love to post a few recipes one day a week.

"Nothing Tastes as Good As Thin Feels"

Pittsburgh Firsts

First heart,liver,kidney transplant - December 3,1989
at Presbyterian University Hospital.

The First Internet Emoticon - The Smiley was the first
internet emoticon, created in 1980 by Carnegie Mellon
University computer scientist Scott Fahlman.

First Bingo Game - Hugh J. Ward first came up with the
concept of bingo in Pittsburgh and later took it nationwide
in 1924.He secured a copywright on the game and wrote a
book of Bingo rules in 1933.

How well do you hide it?

During Sunday morning's sermon the Pastor asked
"When you look at the people around you, what
do you see?"...Do you see well dressed people
with smiles on their faces....that seem to
have no cares or worries?

But if you could see inside you would see the
Mother that is broken hearted over a wayward
son...or a father that has just found out that
his teenage daughter is pregnant...a brother
who's job is being eliminated because of cutbacks.
We go to great lengths to hide the disappointments
of our everyday life.We feel isolated and as if
we are the only one that is feeling hopeless.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,whose mind
is stayed on thee,because he trusteth in thee....Isaiah 26:3

brrrrr

Brrrrr.....
Baby,it's cold outside...5 degrees this morning with a chill factor of 10 to 15 below!
Nothing like the 60 degree temperatures we were having here in Pittsburgh in November.
Well,this is the kind of weather that makes you appreciate your warm and cozy home and when you walk in after a hard days work....maybe a long drive home in traffic....and all you want is a bowl of hot homemade soup and some good crusty bread...yum!

New Blogger, can you help me? :)

Hello! This is my first blog. Although I have enjoyed reading other posts, I've never made any of my own. My daughter helped me create this blog, but I'm not sure how to make myself known to other bloggers,or how to link back.Any advice is welcomed and greatly appreciated!!!