FLASHBACK 1941

"you mean you forgot cranberries, too?"
okay...okay...i have to go back to 1912 for a second. marcus urann was an attorney and cranberry grower. since he didn't like waste, and cranberries are kinda seasonal, he perfected a sauce that he called ocean spray. jellied cranberries became available in 1941.
FLASH FORWARD today
there is always a discussion with my dad. which is better? fresh, homemade, cranberry sauce that my dad slaved over? or the canned~shaped jelly from ocean spray? although i enjoy them both...my personal opinion is it's just not thanksgiving without the can...sure, i know that processed foods are bad for me...sure, i know that fresh, homemade foods SHOULD taste better than anything that comes out of a can. but there is something about that molded jelly roll...something about those lines in the center...something about the struggle to get it out of the can...that screams THANKSGIVING DAY!!! so pardon me while i enjoy that red glop of cranberry with my turkey and sweet potatoes again this year...

want to know how to get the cranberry out of the can without destroying the perfect mold? 

#1~open the top of the can...#2~place can upside down on plate...#3~puncture the bottom of the can slightly. #4~gently blow in the hole you made.....the roll should slide right out of the can...

and we all know: presentation is everything...

can you use jellied cranberry sauce in a recipe? ummmmm....yeah you can...

PARTY MEATBALLS

ingredients:
14 oz can of jellied cranberry sauce (you can use whatever brand but i will always splurge on the ocean spray...lol)
12 oz bottle of chili sauce
2 lbs frozen, pre~cooked cocktail~sized meatballs

combine sauces in a large sauce pan and blend together over medium heat, stirring until smooth. add meatballs. cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until meatballs are heated through.

slow cooker method: blend together sauces and pour over meatballs in slow cooker. cook on high for 4 hours. 

makes 30 appetizer servings.

enjoy!!

        

^party meatballs^

FLASH BACK november 16, 1978

"it's wonderful to be here...it's certainly a thrill...you're such a lovely audience we'd like to take you home with us...we'd love to take you home" 

i have always been a beatles fan. i LOVE all things beatles. i LOVE when people cover beatles songs, or songs by former beatles. except. well....it's very rare that i'm happy with a cover of john lennon's "imagine". but, it's 1978. i am also a fan of peter frampton, the bee gees, and aerosmith. so, how excited am i that all of those people, and more, have made "sgt pepper's lonely hearts club band" into a movie?! super excited!!! sgt pepper's is about a small town band that makes it big and loses sight of who they are, getting caught up in the business. then, they must stop an attempt to take over their home town. it stars peter frampton and the bee gees as sgt pepper's band. it also stars steve martin, george burns, earth wind and fire! the soundtrack includes all but 2 tunes  from the sgt pepper album and nearly all of abbey road. the best being aerosmith's cover of "come together". i L~O~V~E this movie!
FLASH FORWARD 2009
i am flipping channels one rainy saturday. and i see that sgt. pepper's lonely hearts club band is coming on. OMG!!! i haven't seen this in FOREVER!! 5 minutes in...ummmmm. 15 minutes in...what? 30 minutes in...i realize the ONLY thing good about this movie is the music. when i was 13 i wondered why movies i liked never won oscars...now i COMPLETELY understand. 13 year old me was an idiot. but 45 minutes in i realize it's just campy fun. so if you like great music and silliness go out and find a copy of "sgt pepper's lonely hearts club band".....:)

          

 

^yes...i had the soundtrack^

^aerosmith as the future villains band^

FLASH BACK 1961

"we're S-H-O-PP-I-N-G, we're shopping..."
it's the day after thanksgiving. shoppers are out in force in philadelphia. auto and pedestrian traffic have put a strain on the city police. the philly police dub the day "black friday". the merchants don't like the term and attempt to change the name in 1966. they fail. 

FLASH FORWARD today
i am not a fan of black friday. to me, the savings just aren't worth the fight. but i have PLENTY of friends that absolutely love standing in line...in the middle of the night...in the freezing cold...just to be the first one in wal~mart, target, or the mall. this year is worse than ever...some stores will open their doors at 8p, thanksgiving day. 
so...you are one of those shoppers that will throw a throat punch to get that wiiu? you will roundhouse kick someone in the face for lol elmo? and you're wondering how to keep up with the black friday deals? well...i can help.

#1~tgi black friday app: designed for both iphone and ipad, this app allows you to see black friday deals weeks before the ads come out in the paper. this app allows you to keep a check off list for items you're looking for, can send push notifications to advise you when a new ad is available, and even offers shopping for deals that are already available.
#2~deal websites: there are several sites set up just to notify you of great black friday deals. provide your email and they will send you new ads as they become available. a sampling of these sites: blackfriday.gottadeal.com and blackfriday.com.
#3~store sites: all of the major retailers have websites now, and all of them provide links to their black friday ads. just enter your zip code to find the ad for your area. samples include: wal~mart, target, macy's, and khols.
#4~newspaper: yes. i said it. you could go out sunday morning...get a donut and a cup of coffee...and get a newspaper. how fun would it be to go old school?!! right?! am i right?! i know i'm right.

happy shopping peeps!!

                        

                        

FLASHBACK 1970 something

"Let me hear you say, this s%$t is bananas 
B A N A N A S"
i'm so excited! i just got my scholastic book club order and there is a book full of cookie recipes. EASY cookie recipes for kids!! i make snickerdoodles. yummmmmm!! my favorite!! okay. i'm bored now. i will never open that book again.


FLASH FORWARD today
just like when i was a kid. i'm all about simple recipes. i leave the complicated stuff to the bk. and NOTHING is easier than a banana pudding. and, since it's national banana pudding lover's month, i thought i would share my favorite banana pudding recipe. also, it's super easy! enjoy!!

ingredients:

3c cold milk
2 (3.4 oz) pckgs vanilla flavored jello instant pudding
30 nilla wafers (sometimes i do a little more)
3 bananas, sliced
1 tub cool whip (i actually prefer redi~whip, but it's totally up to you)

beat milk and pudding mix with a whisk for two minutes. let stand 5 minutes.
layer half the wafers along the bottom and up the sides of a 2~quart serving dish. follow with a layer of half bananas, then have pudding. repeat. then cover with the whipped cream. refrigerate 3 hours.
hints: healthier version? use reduced fat wafers and whipped cream. and i always use 1% milk.
also, i follow up with a few wafers before adding the whipped cream, but that's just me.

want a great snickerdoodle recipe? click here.

                              

 

FLASHBACK 1985

 
"looking out on the road rushing under my wheels..."
we load up in the car and off we go! ft lauderdale...here we come!! there is singing. there is screaming out the windows. there is flirting with boys in other cars headed south. it's spring break 1985. then there is sputtering. then there is smoke. then there is a car, hood up, with 4 girls staring blankly at an engine. we are so far from home. what are we gonna do? and then we see him. a man running across the interstate with a wrench in one hand and a jug in the other. we are pretty sure he's gonna beat us with the wrench and syphon our blood into the jug. he doesn't. he takes a good look at the engine and puts water in the radiator. he explains to us how engines work, and tells us to be safe. turns out, he's a trucker. when we tell him we don't know how to ever thank him he explains that he has daughters. he says that he hopes someone would do this for them if they ever need it.
FLASH FORWARD november 11, 2012
i'm at work. i sell handbags. i can tell you all you need to know about the different bags, from cross body bag to satchel. from fossil  to michael kors. i have limited knowledge of clothes. i can tell you about jeans, tee shirts, leggings, and tunics. but i don't give a flip about designers or brands. and formal wear? forget it! if i can't wear my chuck taylor's, flip flops, or biker boots it just ain't happening. i see this couple looking beyond stressed. the woman looks like she wants to cry. i ask if there is anything i can do to help them. "is this ALL the formal wear you have?" yes. i think so. "it's so limited and we are pressed for time. what do you have for a 78 year old grandmother of the groom that hates to dress up?" uh oh! this is totally not my area. remember how i said i hate formal wear? and i have people lining up in handbags that are definite sales and will help me reach my goal. but i get to work. it helps that the lady hates dressing up because i can relate. the daughter~in~law has picked out a gown. "she wears a size 12" how tall is she? "about your height.." perfect! i hold the gown up. it drags the floor and she would have to wear very high heels, unless you think she could rock the biker boots i'm wearing?! "we don't have time to have it altered. we won't see her until the day of the wedding. but the boots really do set it off!" the wedding is this saturday...in chicago. ummmmm...so i find out the whole story. turns out grandma of the groom lived in a nursing home in long island. turns out she lost her original gown, along with the few other belongings she had, to hurricane sandy. now i am determined to find her the perfect gown. an hour later, and formal wear hanging everywhere but where it belongs, we find it. a long black skirt, with an elastic waist that allows her to pull it up "urkel style" if it's too long. and a black top with matching jacket, both with minimal silver sequins. "can you tell me where i can find the boots?" ha! i got them at target. before they leave with their purchase, they both thank me for my kindness and give me a hug.
today  begins world kindness week (nov 12~18). do you have a memory of something incredibly kind someone did for you? and did you pay it forward? share it...i would love to hear all about it.

                         

FLASHBACK 2008

"bow wow wow yibbie yo yibbie yay where my dogs at?"
three dogs. we have three dogs. they run. they play tug of war. they dig holes in the yard. and they poop. they poop everywhere. so every day, after work, out i go with a pooper scooper and a trash bag and clean the yard. it's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it.
FLASH FORWARD today
we have maddie. she's an apartment dog. she gets long walks. she plays tug of war with the bk. and she poops. i follow behind her with a poopy pouch. what the flip is a poopy pouch, you ask? a poopy pouch is a bag specially made to pick up dog doo. you clean up after your own dog and toss the bag in a special trash can at the dog station. it's a wonderful idea. it's a wonderful idea if EVERYBODY does it. and that's my pet peeve. people that don't clean up after their animals. when i walk maddie, we spend most of that walk dodging grenades left behind from thoughtless dog owners. worst offense? a grenade left a mere two inches from the dog station!
why should you worry about cleaning up after your dog, besides not wanting me to throw a mental throat punch? #1~disease control. duh doy! dog poo can transmit diseases to other dogs, cat, and people. #2~makes your yard more user friendly. you, or your kids, can't have fun if your constantly dodging grenades. #3~fly control. ummmmm...you know flies like poo, right? right. #4~responsible pet ownership. i've seen neighbors fight over dog doo. no one likes having to clean up after someone else's dog. if you can't be a responsible owner, don't get a dog.
need easy solutions to poop control?

• bag it: you can use a grocery bag, an old bread bag, a ziploc bag. or you can buy dog waste bags, specially made for this and you don't have to worry about holes.
• scoop it: if you just can't stand the idea of getting your hand anywhere near the poo, you can use a pooper scooper. just scoop, bag, and toss.
• digest it: no! gross!! not you!! buy a doggie dooley!! it works like a septic system. so just scoop and toss in the dooly. this only works if you own your home. 

be a responsible owner and clean up after your dog. people will thank you for it :)