I'm still rolling through my office, trying to organize every inch of it, with the help of my friend, the professional organizer. We're making great progress. Tops of my desks have stayed mostly clear. My files are filling up. I'm finally seeing blank space on the shelves in my storage closet, the result of some purging.
There is much more to do before the job is done. My organizer strongly suggests I get my cookbook collection all in one place and that place should be my office. Cookbooks live on shelves in the storage closet in my office, on shelves and in a bookcase in an extra bedroom, in a pile next to my bed and a few on the ottoman in the living room. I shudder when I think of consolidating this enormous number of books into one space in my office. I fear the "organizer" will tell me to start choosing cookbooks to put in a "give-away box."
It wasn't until I moved to the West Coast, that I realized how many
people had been deprived of one of my favorite childhood treats - Whoopie
Pies. A New England favorite, Whoopie Pies were always part
of bake sales, school lunches, and family gatherings. And, they were
quite often the confection upon which many mother's were judged. The
variations in the pie (which is actually cake) and the sweetness and
texture of the filling can differ greatly with each recipe. My Aunt
Mary would often lament about the pies turning out too flat, or the
filling too runny. Our next door neighbor, Mrs. Ekberg, made a
memorable Whoopie Pie, with a completely unique cooked
cream filling, a recipe that she never shared, but I later discovered
the method while researching frostings for Red Velvet Cake. At home, my
sister has become the family champion of Whoopie Pies, and has a blue
ribbon from the county fair to prove it.
The day after Easter I always find myself with a huge pot of leftover ham stock. In my family we traditionally eat boiled ham and eggs for the holiday. It's a very simple meal that I look forward to every year. I love hard-boiled eggs, so Easter has always been a favorite time of year, because I get to eat all the foods I love, including chocolate. But what to do with all the leftover ham stock? My mom typically makes ham and bean soup, but in the past few years I've started my own tradition of making ham and split pea soup.
Omelets are a great main course. Perfect for breakfast but also satisfying as lunch, dinner or a snack.
Holidays can be treacherous times for anyone trying to shed weight…unless you’ve learned how to fill yourself up and fake yourself out with The Skinny versions of the foods you crave!