So ever since I attended my first Pampered Chef party, ehhh 15 years ago, my mom is a Kindergarten TA and I went along to all the "parties" with her, I have been obsessed with this invention! SOOOOOO cool! But, I'm so cheap, I never wanted to pay the price they were selling for. Every time I go to a Goodwill, I keep my eye out for one, and finally, the other day, I landed one!! Wooooo hooo, I was a happy girl!
Note, it's not Pampered Chef and it was a whopping $2.59 :)
So thankfully, we had 2 gala apples at home. I got home, rinsed everything off, yeah yeah yeah I know I should have sterilized the contraption but I was too eager to peel, core and slice my yummy gala apple!
1. The clamp doesn't open wide enough for our counter so I had to put in on a TV tray.
2. The peeler function didn't work and it mushed the beginning of the apple.
3. One we got it started... PERFECTION! Soooo stinkin cool!
4. It cored like a champ!
5. Eating apples this way is just too fun :)
6. After we completed our 2 apples, we looked in the box and found a missing part... oops, haha guess we'll need to buy a few more apples and try out that peeling function again!
Here we go...
See the apple mush? This was before we fully tightened the clamp...
Almost finished...
Perfection! Look at that fun apple!
Anyways, once we get the peeler function working, I can turn into an apple pie making machine, yep my old youth pastor's wife gave me an AMAZING recipe that I adore (thanks Bekah)!
So, as you can tell from this blog, and from pictures of me and my hubby... we like to eat! hahaha we tease that we are the "fat" ones of our friends! haha all kidding aside, we love food and exercise.
I stumbled across this list of foods you should eat before you die and decided to see how I matched up in the culinary world. I like good food, not fussy, fancy gourmet items, so I don't think I will EVER complete this list. Check it out and see how many you can cross off :)
Using the list below, count off how many of these 100 foods you’ve
already tried. I’ve crossed off the 53 foods that I’ve eaten. What’s
your number? I got 46 ... not too shabby :)
I received a facebook message this morning from a dear family friend of ours regarding her mom, my godmother's sudden passing due to a massive stroke and it hit me like a ton of bricks. My prayers and love goes to her husband, Mr. Arlos out in Crowell, TX and the family that will be traveling there for the service.
Momma Mamie is the "fiery redhead on the left" this was taken a little less than 3 years ago in Dallas, TX.
I know I will get a lot of this information wrong but this is my memories of Momma Mamie and Mr. Arlos:
1. Growing up, they were our next door neighbors in Cary, NC
2. No, they are not blood related, but they loved me and my sister as we were their children.
3. They were from way down south, TX and Louisiana and were all things country, guns, country music, crawdads, and skinny dipping.
4. We were always welcome in their home at anytime of the day/night.
5. One morning when I was in elementary school I wanted french fries for breakfast and my mom would make them for me, so I high tailed it over to their house and Momma Mamie fixed them for me :)
6. I'm almost positive they disciplined me more than my parents, but it was out of love.
7. We use to ride around town with the windows down in her Maroon Bronco blasting "friends in low places" and other country greats.
8. They had daughters and granddaughters we probably thought, and still to today consider cousins and we miss them dearly.
9. Momma Mamie loved Mickey Mouse, every time she went to the eye doctor she'd get a tiny Mickey sticker on her sunglasses lens.
10. My mom LOVED her jambalaya and red beans and rice.
11. Momma Mamie use to tell me that she was going to sneak into the back seat of my future "dates" car and make sure there was no hanky panky going on, I think she even said she'd have a shot gun with her :)
12. When they left Cary, they moved to another town about an hour or so away and she had her dream, and in ground swimming pool! We'd go over and play on hot summer days, but beware, if you show up unannounced she may be swimming naked as a jaybird in her pool (and she would encourage you to do the same!) Though she never got us in there nude :)
13. When they moved to Texas, we still kept in touch by mail and phone calls, it was always a delight to hear her sweet voice.
14. I was able to travel to Dallas, TX for work in September of 2010 and her and Mr. Arlos picked me up in their shiny red truck and took me out to Chili's. I brought photos of my wedding and my family and we caught up. We didn't skip a beat... it felt like we picked up exactly where we left off.
15. We spoke many more times on the phone after that, she was informing me on their health/surgeries and all the great grand babies, and how me and Charles needed to come out to their property in TX and shoot her guns. She was so proud to hear my southern accent and my gun knowledge, especially the fact that I have a concealed carry permit. She said her favorite gun was the Judge, and I could come and shoot hers anytime :)
16. We last spoke about 2 months ago on the phone. Seriously, every time we were saying goodbye, I cried.
This ragin' cajun' held a very special place in my heart and I am so blessed to have been loved by her. I pray for Mr. Arlos and the family as they heal from their loss. I pray she is dancing in Heaven and leading everyone in Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton songs :)
You see that video above, yes, click on it. It's only about 5 minutes
but the lyrics and the "main character" in the song is truly the reason
I'm alive and breathing today, same goes for you, even if you don't want
to admit it.
I'm so glad you're here! This says a few things to me:
a) You're a follower of mine and you check my blog regularly... bless you! hahaha
b) You randomly stumbled upon this post because you saw me post it on facebook and you were bored so you decided to click on it.
c) You were curious and decided to check it out even though you don't know me or share my same beliefs.
d) You googled something and my blog randomly came up, yes, that happens often... WELCOME!
(Yes, there are many, many more reasons you could be here but regardless of that reason, you're here and I've got some pretty amazing things to say today... so please stay.)
I'm not afraid to share my faith with anyone, family, friends, a complete stranger... if there's something you're that passionate about, you shouldn't be ashamed to shout it from the roof tops!
This is one of those for me.
Jesus Christ
Son of God
sinless
perfect
God and man
born of a virgin
was shamed
beaten
put to death on a cross
placed in a tomb
3 days later rose again
He is alive today!
Did all that just sound like complete and utter nonsense to you? Are you someone that thinks, "yeah, great story but it's not for me, glad you like it, but please, don't shove it down my throat." Or was it more like "Kim, this is complete and utter craziness, he was just a guy people made up, you're wasting your time learning about him and following him. You're going to live a crappy life even though you've "drank the Christian cool-aid", your life is probably pretty boring and you Christians are too happy, sappy and nice. Thanks, but no thanks."
or
Did you think. "AMEN! Yes I know that man, I know him as my Lord, my Savior, my God! I know and believe what the Bible says and I follow that risen Savior with reckless abandon because I know, through his life, death and resurrection... and my admission of his existence, belief in his power, confession of my sin I will have eternal life in Heaven once I leave this Earthly life!"
As you know, this weekend we celebrate Easter. To some, Easter is all about pastel colors, eggs, bunnies, new dresses and spring. To me, it's about remembering THE MOST AWFUL and THE MOST BEAUTIFUL event in all of time.
So once again, from my heart to yours...
1. God created the world, it didn't just happen by chance or a "big bang".
2. He also created you and me and everyone and everything else that is or has ever been alive.
3. Life WAS perfect, Garden of Eden... heard of it, Satan tempted us, we gave in, the perfection was destroyed and we messed things up.
4. Jesus was born and sent to Earth for one purpose, to save the world from the sin we created.
5. Jesus was alive on earth for only 30 some odd years but he came bringing good news and he made friends and foes.
6. He was publicly beaten and put to death on a cross.
7. He died.
8. Was put in a tomb.
9. Rose from the dead and now reigns as King of Kings and Lord of all in Heaven.
10. He is my Lord and Savior and I do hope you know Him as the same.
Please, if you want to comment, comment, if you want to email me or call me, I'd love to speak with you. If you still think, after all this, that I am crazy and wasting my life and my life... so be it. I will be praying for you because, dear friend, I would hate for you to die and spend eternity in Hell. And you know what, if I'm wrong and this whole Jesus thing isn't true... at least I lived my life having hope and faith in something that caused me to think beyond myself and positively impact people around me.
mMm okay I LOVE the white cheese dip from Mexican restaurants but, y'all knowing how cheap I am... I HATE to pay for it. Really it's like $3.50 or more for a tiny bowl, and you can buy it at the grocery store and it's over $4?! REALLY!? So, one time, when I was at my hometown favorite Mexican joint, I asked them, "What kind of cheese is this? Is it some secret, addicting Mexican delight?" The waiter laughed and told me it was actually, WHITE AMERICAN CHEESE.
No, I'm not kidding. Seriously... THIS STUFF
So, I decided to give it a try.
"Mexican White Cheese Sauce"
1. Unwrap 3 to 4 slices of White American Cheese.
2. Tear cheese into smaller pieces and place in a microwave safe bowl.
3. Microwave on high for 15-18 seconds.
4. Take out, stir, add in a splash of milk.
5. Heat for another 12-15 seconds.
6. Take out, stir, add more milk.
7. You're trying to get a nice, thin melted texture, so keep repeating these steps until you have your desired consistency.
8. Take bowl in hand, open a bag of chips and enjoy!
Seriously, THAT EASY! A whole package of white American cheese is less than $3 and you can get about 4-5 batches, or 8-10 servings out of it. Yeahhhhh, take that expensive cheese dip :)
