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Friday, October 26, 2012

MMMM-Good MMMM-Good Campbell's Sun-Ripened Yellow Tomato Soup ♥

Here comes Winter.
It is time for ME to stock up on Canned Soups. I really like to have Soups in the pantry for when you just need a Warm Comfort fast light meal. The Chunky Soups and a sandwich are perfect for AJ's lunches. Double Noodle Chicken Noodle is a favorite after school snack for Madison. And I crave a bowl of Tomato Soup and a Grill Cheese when the snow starts to fall. Every pantry should have the basic Cream of Mushroom, Chicken, Celery and Cheese Soups for those winter oven Casseroles.
I am a coupon clipper and I love finding coupons for New Items on the shelves. You feel pretty good about trying something New if you are getting 50 cents off of the product. Well I had a coupon for a New Campbell's Soup...
 
 
 Sun-Ripened Yellow Tomato. I love the "Regular Campbell's Tomato", but thought "what the hey, I will give you a try".
 I did like the convenience of the pop-top lid and that the can is Recyciable.
 The color of the Yellow Tomato Soup was just that...Yellow.
 The instructions say to add one can of Water, but since I always make the Regualar Campbell's Soup with milk, because I like it Creamy, I used milk in this Yellow Tomato Soup also.
 So far I like what I see and smell as I am warming it up on the stove top.
Now comes the Truth... the taste test. I add salt & pepper and a dab of butter. A slice of bread and some Whole Wheat Crackers. Hoping I have just not wasted my time and money on something I am going to feed to the trash, I taste the soup. Ummm not bad, ummm pretty good, hey I LIKE IT! I eat the bowl in front of ME and go and pour the rest from the sauce pan into the bowl and eat it. YES! it is good great!
Yesterday Madison and I went to the store and I bought 4 more cans with no coupon, paid full price and didn't blink an eye, it is that good. I am sure this soup is Seasonal for the Fall, so if you see this Yellow Tomato Soup you might want to pick one can up, it could be gone in a wink!
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Speaking of tomatoes. If you have a Red Eared Slider Turtle as a Pet (like I do), a tomato diced small is a great healthy Treat for him or her.


Friday, October 19, 2012

FUN da-middles Versus Hostess Cup Cakes

I have been seeing this mix on the store shelves most of this past summer. I love novelty Cake Mixes. They come and go pretty quick. I  found a coupon in the Sunday Paper for $1.00 off a box of these Fun da-middles. And soon after, they went on sale in my favorite Grocery Store. So how could I resist not picking these up and giving them a try. They come in Delvil's Food and also Yellow Cake. I choose the chocolate. They made me think of the Hostess Cup Cakes.
 The ingreidents needed were simple: 2 eggs, water and oil.
 Toss everything in a mixing bowl.......
 and beat for 2 1/2 minutes.
 This box will make 12 regular size cup cakes, but I choose to make 6 Jumbo cup cakes. Jen got ME 2 of these Jumbo Cup Cake/Muffin tins for Christmas last year and I love them. The brand is "The Main Ingriedents" and you can purchase these at Dillards. They are Champagne colored nonstick carbon steel. They have silicone handles that do not get hot in the oven. The Jumbo Cup Cake paper cups are made by Willton.
 Instructions on the box say to fill the cups 1/3 full. You then knead this little white bag of filling 20 times and cut the corner and squeeze it out evenly over the batter.
 You then take the remaining batter and cover up the filling. Then you bake.....
 25 minutes and this is what you get!
 While the Cup Cakes were baking I made the frosting. I put a little white in a baggie before I added the chocolate.
 Because these are a very dark Devil's Food I choose to make a Milk Chocolate using melted Hershey Milk Chocolate candy bars. One little tip I learned  years ago when I took Cake Decorating Classes was to use a stainless steel off set spatula when decorating cakes or cup cakes. That little bend in the spatula make a world of difference.
 Well these Little Cakes look pretty good just the way they are, but I felt they were a little naked and since they reminded me of Hostess Cup Cakes.....
 I put a squiggle on top with the white frosting I had saved in the baggie. I cut a hole in the corner of the bag and drew on the squiggles.
 Now they really look alot like a Hostess Cup Cake. But how do they taste?
 
Hey they aren't to bad. The filling is like Marshmallow Cream.
If I had a Fun da-middles and a Hostess Cup Cake in front of ME, which one would I choose to eat with a glass of milk?
Hands Down...the Hostess Cup Cake. Some things you just can't duplicate!
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Saturday, October 6, 2012

Sometimes you get what you ask for...A JONES FRACTURE!

One of the greatest fears of Seniors is falling. That is why we put up hand rails in bath rooms by the toilets, bath tubs and showers. Shower chairs to sit on when we bathe. Hand rails on porch steps. We go up and down stairs slower and more sure footed. We Seniors tend to have less throw rugs to trip on in our rooms. We slow down our walking, to a safe gait. Some purchase the "I FELL DOWN AND CAN"T GET UP" bracelets. We also ask our loved ones to call us regularly if we are "home alone". I myself have done most of these thing in the past decade. I have "gone down" a couple of times but never had any injuries. Well my "Luck" ran out the evening of Oct 4, 2012. I went out on the back porch to get in the dumpster that sits right next to the porch landing. I think I got to close to the first step down and slid off, loosing my balance, falling down the steps onto the cement block patio on my left side. Thank Goodness AJ was in the back yard and heard ME yell. I laid there for a few minutes before sitting up. I had not hit my head, my left shoulder hurt some, my left wrist and palm hurt pretty bad and my left foot would not hold any weight at all. Do you need 911 he ask, no I said just call Jen...which he did. With her help, they got ME in the house and in a chair. She wanted ME to go to ER but I said no, and that I would go to my family Doc the very first thing in the morning, which I did. AJ took off the day from work to get me into the Doc. After a series of x-rays we found out the wrist was a sprain and the foot was broken. It is broke at the 5th Metatarsal Bone of the foot and is called a Jones Fracture. This fracture can happen to dancers, women     wearing clunkey shoes and falling off the side of them, and of course is very popular with athletes that do any kind of running. I was told it is a hard fracture to heal since there is little blood flow to that area of the foot. Family Doc is setting ME up an appointment to see a Specialist early next week. He will make the desision on a cast, boot or maybe even surgery (UGH). I will have to be off of it completly for 8 weeks, no body weight at all, said my Family Doc (UGH again!). My Mom has a Hoveround Scooter that is sitting dormant and I plan to use that here in the house. Below are a couple of pictures of a Jones Fracture. My x-ray looked just like this. Looking at that little break, you would not think it was so bad.....but trust ME..it brings your mobility to a BIG STOP!
 

 
 
 
 I am at day 2 and I really am Fit- to- be- tied! AJ has been wonderful. No complaints...but I feel so useless. We have always shared household chores and now AJ is doing 99% of the things that need to be done on a daily basis. He will be doing chores I, under regular circumstances, I would never let him do. This I am sure will be a Test to see just how much we can tollerate each other for the next 2 months, him giving and ME taking. 
I have been a little overwelmed this past summer. My Mom being very sick and in the hospital for awhile, working with the nursing home trying to keep her off of Psych Drugs, repairing her home so it can be sold, my legs have hurt and weaken the past few months and I had to have tests done for blockage (there was none :o)...) trying to support Jen in her ventures, tending daily to my Beloved Madison through the summer (which is almost 100% a joy), putting up with this OK heat day after day and then there is also my eBay that takes up alot of my time ( that has almost turned into a job and not just a fun hobby). I found myself saying "I NEED A BREAK! quite often. Well this should teach ME that sometimes you get just what you ask for!
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I feel like a Bird with a Broken Wing.