Roger's View of the World, Love and Seafood Gumbo!
Seize the Day! Put no trust in the morrow! — Horace
I had originally planned to have an “Osturducken” this year, but somehow the Ostrich meat never arrived…. hmmmm … must be a plot!
Anyway, with my girls all ‘hell and gone from Cartagena!” … it was just Mom, me , Karla and Grandma June. However, the Turducken this year was de-licious!
Happy Thanksgiving to our American Soldiers Everywhere… and to our Trojans…
Roger Freberg
In my last post, I mentioned that I presented Laura with the challenge of finding a truly yummy dessert , now that we we’re on ‘maintenance.’ Obviously, we thought we might see what we could use that could be ‘portioned controlled’ to a reasonable amount (not microscopic)… that would also be delicious!
Laura was up to the challenge and dived into her recipes.
Both Laura and Karen love the Amarula carrot cake they developed as a result of Karen’s Public Relations internship in South Africa. Their recipe is spectacular!
I joked that they could bake the ‘individually frosted cakes’ that Nerus was so ecstatic about in a prior Stargate episode! Laura was thrilled with the idea… but if it ended up the size of a quarter, she said… then forget it!
Laura baked up 22 cupcakes from her recipe saying that this was the minimal size that she could honestly consider a ‘dessert.’ She ran to her computer to calculate the calories and other nutritional aspects of her recipe, divided by 22… and the results are on the left as you see them. Not bad when you consider a slice of cheese is often 7 grams of fat or more.
So what’s next, you might ask?
Thanksgiving is one of the more wondrous of holidays and it is one of the few that most Americans celebrate. As usual, we are having a ‘Turducken’ this year complete with all the cliche’ side dishes!
Obviously, we will be keeping at least one eye on the scale… but we will enjoy ourselves as well! Happy Thanksgiving… and remember those who serve that you and yours might enjoy the holidays!
Roger Freberg
Laura has been a little bored with some of the Jenny Craig Desserts. Now , that we are on ‘maintenance’ , she wanted to investigate ‘portion size’ of some of her favorite fun snacks.
Laura and Karen make Amarula Carrot Cakes to die for … and they really are nothing but delicious! Obviously, they do not qualify as a ‘diet dessert’… and only marginally in the right proportion!
This did not prevent Laura from being a bit clever and squeezing 22 cup cakes out of her recipe … and believe it or not… one of her cup cakes is very consistent as a dessert item for someone on maintenance… she has promised me that she will produce a label — as she did for the Chicken Tetrazzini — outlining fat, protein, carbohydrate content and the like. Stay tuned!
In the meantime… you can see how thrilled she is to find a REAL dessert that will still help her watch her weight… oh yes, that is Cream Cheese frosting as well!
Roger Freberg
Nearly everyone in America loves “Beef Stroganoff” and it has been my experience that opinions on how it is best prepared and presented are subject to debate.
Do you pour it over rice, potato strings or noodles? (Karen likes the potato variation she noticed while living in South Africa) Even those who use noodles do not agree on what kind is best.
What spices should it contain beyond simple salt and pepper? Do you add brandy or wine or both? Do you feel the sauce needs a dab of tomato paste or ketchup?
Fortunately, we found an expert whose authority is beyond question… Grand Duke Marcos Rogerov who writes that his recipe is the most tasty because he has stolen his ideas from everyone! He assures us that only the best ideas are included. Here is his recipe!
So, raise your glass of Valpolicella or South Africa red and enjoy!
Roger Freberg
(don’t forget to VOTE,check bottom link)
Well, the divine ‘Dr. Laura’ and I have finally met our weight goals at Jenny Craig! We did it!
Probably the most scary thing for ‘former dieting’ people is keeping the weight off. Fortunately for us, Jenny Craig has a simple program of ‘maintenance.’
This involves adding a larger amount of calories per day tailored to your individual needs… just enough calories so that you maintain your weight.
I augment their program with a weekly ‘event’: Wine, dessert, great company and ‘something special’ as a main entree. This weekend is another special: Bobotie (yep, I am addicted), South African Wine and Amarula Carrott Cake!
So, we’re happy with the ‘new’ us… and if you were ‘chubby’ as we once were and want to change… there is hope… read my blogs under the category “Jenny Craig”… and –hopefully– this will inspire you ,too!
Roger Freberg
Click on the logo at the left …or HERE in order to add your vote for Laura’s Psychology Blog!