I haven't been very active with this website in the past few months. I don't really have a good excuse...I've been busy, but I really could have made the time. I don't know what's wrong with me lately...I just don't seem to have the energy or desire to do much of anything. I need to make a belated New Year's Resolution: I'll keep up-to-date on all my projects.

(Well, one can hope, right!)...

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Well, when I started writing for this site, I was normally cooking for a pretty large family. Now, however, I find myself cooking for only two or three pretty often. Kids grow up, they move out, or even if they still live at home....they frequently are out with friends.

I have to admit, with my recent lazy streak, I haven't been doing a lot of "home cooking" in the traditional sense, but I have found some quick meals that work great for these situations.

One always easy and quick go-to meal is Raman noodles. (The kids can even make those themselves, when they will!) In fact, we had these for lunch today with grilled cheese sandwiches. Another packaged meal that the kids love is Chicken Fettucine Alfredo. It's one of those "everythin...

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I'm getting a really late start on my garden this year. If you've read my previous blogs, you'll know that I prefer container gardening, but have kind of tried some "flower bed" vegetable gardening, as well. (Without much luck, I should add!) This year, I just really haven't gotten in the mood to do much. I tried planting some strawberries in a new hanging basket/solar light post I got, but the plants died when we had really bad thunderstorms, followed by scorching hot days, followed by bad thunderstorms - again! So much for fresh home-grown strawberries! (or maybe not).

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Fun to make - mini pizzas the kids can make on their own.

Ingredients:
English muffins
Pizza or spaghetti sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Oregano
Garlic powder
Toppings of choice

Topping suggestions:
pepperoni or sausage (cooked)
green pepper
olives
mushrooms
cooked chicken
pineapple
onion

Use your imagination!

Directions:
1. Prepare the toppings you want by slicing, dicing, chopping, whatever.
2. Preheat the oven to "broil."
3. Cut English muffins in halves, and toast in the toaster.
4. After toasting, spread sauce on muffins. Sprinkle a pinch of oregano and garlic powder on top.
5. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the muffins; add ...

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I recently read an article "Japanese secret doubles weight loss" (April 25, 2011 edition of First For Women magazine), that I found very interesting. The article outlines several "secrets" that should increase weight loss, more specifically a probiotic that is "better than a diet pill."

It's all about cultured foods containing probiotics, prebiotics, and all sorts of bacteria that is supposed to be good for us. Sounds yummy, huh!

Anyway - most of us have heard about the benefits of probiotics in products such as yogurt, but the article explained how and why these things work, helping speed up weight loss and increasing overall good health.

Not a big fan of yogurt, I had been eating pudding that contains active bacteria...

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Cooking for a crowd isn't all it's cracked up to be. I recently prepared food for my son's wedding reception. We weren't really sure how many people would be there. We figured somewhere between 50 and 100, so we made enough food for 100.

It was a morning wedding, but the reception started at about noon, so we needed to provide a light lunch. We decided the easiest thing to do would be sandwiches. I found some really nice sandwich rolls at the Wal-Mart bakery, and we got an assortment of deli meats and cheeses. (I know, this is cheating, because it's not really cooking!)

We also cut up some fruits and veggies, made some salads, and provided chips and dips. It wasn't the fanciest wedding fare, but it fed the crowd!

The night...

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Yes, I know I shouldn't eat it (borderline diabetic and overweight)! And I don't eat it often. But, every once-in-awhile, I like to eat ice cream, and Blue Bell is my favorite.

I recently discovered that the nice folks at Blue Bell will give you a $1 off coupon every month, just for signing up at their website!

Of course, you have to be set up to print coupons. They print from Brinks, so if you've ever set up to print Brinks coupons, you won't have to download anything new.

So, if you love Blue Bell, go on over to their website, and sign up. You can print your fir...

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