Glitzy Kitsch is now open!

Okay, the Glitzy Kitsch store is now open. But consider it a "soft" opening because not everything is on there yet. For two reasons really. One, it takes a long time to list each item, at least for me. I'm still learning what works and how to do it, etc. The other reason is that there are two schools of Etsy, and that is either re-listing frequently or adding new items frequently. I have decided to add new items daily, since it is cheaper and seems more logical. But again, I am still learning so that may change.

As you can see if you check the store out, we have a pretty eclectic mix of items. Some vintage things (which are coming to the site) some jewelry, some clothes, some housewares. I like it because I don't have to do only one thing, I can do lots of different things. MY mom likes it because she can play too. In all, we're having a blast just making this stuff.

My mom is more, well let's say refined, than I am. Her stuff is time consuming, meticulous and elegant. Mine is quicker, funkier and more folk art that fine art. Val has been taking beading classes with us to and her stuff is like my mom's, intricate and elegant. But it has brought us closer together. THis week we are all taking a metal working class together. I think I'm the one most interested but they are so good at exploring with me.

Okay, off to list more items on Etsy. Take a look at the store and let me know what you think. And thanks for joining me on this little side trip on my journey of life. I'm never sure where I'm going but I sure have fun getting there!

Amigurumi

Amigurumi (ah-mee-goo-roo-mee)- it is the Japanese art of crocheting little stuffed things. A lot of times it's dolls or animals, but I have taken to making food (hmm, surprise, huh) and other inatimate objects.

So why would someone want to buy these things from me? I'm not sure, except they are cute and fun. They really serve no functional purpose. But who cares, I'm having fun making them and I hope that someone will have fun owning them.


An amigurumi potted plant. Never needs watering and never dies. It's practically maintenance free (occasional dusting maybe?)


An amigurumi apple a day keeps the amigurumi doctor away!


This one is my favorite. I just love the little amigurumi popcorn kernels. It's fat free...and like most fat free popcorn it doesn't taste very good. But it's still fun to look at.

Glitzy Kitsch debuts in 4 days!!!!

Ups and Downs and Really Downs

So here is how the last week has gone.

Graminator is doing better, after I took her off some of the medication that as prescribed for her. It was an anti-seizure medication that they give as a precaution to all brain injured people. She didn't have any seizures but the medication was turning her into a walking vegetable. Seriously, if I had continued it for the full month as prescribed, I don't think there would have been any Graminator left. I'd rather she risk a seizure than be catatonic. Between a reduction in her medication and some physical therapy (I love her physical therapist, she's awesome and works Gram out very hard, which has made her much stronger) she is coming back to us, albeit very slowly. Now if I could just get her to eat. She is not eating very much, and only eating that due to us spoon feeding her or reminding her to eat every 20 seconds or so. If we didn't do that I do that I don't think she would eat anything at all. If anyone has any ideas on how to increase her appetite, I would LOVE to hear it!

I got a stinkin' summer cold. I had one at the end of June and wasn't quite over it when the Graminator went to the hospital. So a week after she was in the hospital I got another cold, this one much worse than the first. I've had it for two weeks now, and it shows very little sign of going away. It's now manageable, not miserable, but I;m still full of phlem and coughing. Then Tuesday I slept on my neck wrong and have been unable to move my head more than about thirty degrees in any direction. So much fun when I cough or sneeze because of the added neck pain. Yippee.

Glitter City Sweets now has a store on Etsy. I'm trying it out to see how it works before we launch Glitzy Kitsch. Sales have been good and I'm learning the tricks. It has meant double orders this week so I'm busier than normal. Plus trying to get everything photographed for the new store. And working on more things for both stores. So busy, but ultimately rewarding.

Plus this weekend is the 48 Hour Film Festival (You write, shoot, edit and complete a short film in 48 hours) and I'm in charge of writing this thing. We will get a genre, line of dialogue, character name and prop on Friday at 7pm and I'm supposed to have the script done by 9:30pm. There are lots of fingers in this pie, which could make it very difficult to distill into a single vision. But I'll do my best. It's been in the 112º to 114º range in Vegas so shooting should be lots of fun. Whomever decided that the Las Vegas event should be in July should be strung up mid-day outside to experience why this event should really be held sometime between November and March. Just sayin'.

Okay , gotta so get the Graminator ready to go have another CT scan of her brain, so see if the hematoma is getting smaller. Cross your fingers that it is good news and son she will be back to, well, as normal as can be expected. Thanks Loyal Readers and I'm hoping your lives are full and happy!

Viva la France!

Today, in honor of Bastille Day, Glitter City Sweets introduces a new line of French pastries.


French macarons - a crispy almond meringue shell that yields to a chewy interior and sandwiched with rich, flavorful buttercream. So yummy. Available in Vanilla, Chocolate, Pomegranate and Rose - yes, rose, and trust me the incredible texture of the macaron combined with the unique flavor or roses is INCREDIBLE!


Madeleines - Proust's favorite cookie is actually a little tea cake. It's distincive scalloped shape is the reason for the crispy edges and light cake center. Buttery, luxurious and delicious. These scream for a lovely afternoon with a cup of tea and a good book. Available in the Traditional flavor (vanilla with just a hint of fresh lemon zest), an out of this world Orange and Spice (perfect with a cup of orange pekoe perhaps?) and Lavender, which has a wonderful fragrance and taste.


Sablés - These are a distinctive French butter cookie. Different from shortbread in that they are enriched with fresh eggs, they are a lovely crisp cookie that crumbles in your mouth. Sablé means sand in french and that sandy texture is what makes this cookie so delightful. Claim to this cookie varies up and down the French coast, but all we know is that the lovely combination of butter, eggs and sea salt is brilliant. We make ours in three flavors, Vanilla Bean, Ginger and Pistachio.

These cookies have been in development for several months, perfecting our recipes so that when you bite one of our French cookies, you truly get a taste of Paris! Here is what our French cookie fans said about our macarons:

"The beauty of French macaroons is their texture. A perfect one brings pure joy in biting into it. These French macaroons do exactly that! Beware, though: they're not just addicting, they become a religion." Tina Y., Las Vegas, NV

"Best macarons in the West! Biting into the thin, crisp shell and finding the gooey goodness brought me right back to the streets of Paris. As good, if not better, than any Parisian macaron I've had." Lauren P., Las Vegas, NV

We hope that all of our fans enjoy them as well!

An Esteemed Graduate?

Blanca graduated from Kinderpuppy today. It's a basic obedience class where she learned sit, stay, come, lie down, leave it, touch and some socialization with other dogs and people. She won a prize for being best behaved on a leash. She got a certificate and a little ribbon.

All of this makes me laugh because just a few hours before class, she brought me a present. It was a bottle of black dye that she found somewhere in the laundry room. She generously fetched it from the nether regions for me...only first she chewed the bottle and got black dye on her blanket, the steps she uses to get onto the couch, my lap and oh yeah, all over herself. My little blond puppy looked more like a Dalmatian than a Chihuahua. She had dye on her paws, in her mouth, on her tongue and just about everything else too. After trying to scrub her clean in the sink, I finally had to take her into the shower with me.

So I got her cleaned up in time for her to receive her obedience award. Don't tell on her okay? She's pretty proud of her achievements. She liked her ribbon so much, she ate it.

Walk a Mile in My Flip-Flops

So the Graminator had to be hospitalized with a subdural hematoma (okay, it was actually an epdiural hematoma, but since most people are familiar with the 'subdural' phrase, let's not get too technical, okay?

The hematoma is a bleeding in the brain. When our brains get older, they become a lot like a walnut in a shell. When young. the walnut is nice and plump and meaty and fills the whole shell. When we get old, the brain shrinks up a bit, like an old walnut and can rattle around a bit in there. Sometimes if the brain rattles a bit too much, a weaker vein or artery can break and cause bleeding in the brain. Most of the time they can't pinpoint what event actually caused the bleeding. Most likely a fall. The Graminator did fall a few weeks ago but we didn't think it was serious or that she hit her head, although to be honest, at the time I was far more concerned with broken bones, since the last time she fell she broke her pelvis. But like whiplash, it doesn't take much to rattle an 89 year old brain, so the fall is our best guess as to how it occurred.

Now this bleeding was most likely very slow an occurred over several weeks. But how we noticed was that she slowed up a bit, was a little wobbly, then she seemed to have trouble chewing and swallowing, then a bit of muscle weakness on her left side. Now keep in mind that she is 89 with moderately severe Alzheimer's. Slowing down seems, well, normal. Difficulty chewing and swallowing is a sign that her Alzheimer's is progressing to the next stage. And while the muscle weakness was a concern to me, she was lucid, able to communicate and did still have function on her left side. Since she sleeps on her left side, we thought she might have slept wrong and pinched a nerve or something. Still, these were enough of a concern that when we really noticed them on Sunday night, we called the doctor first thing on Monday. And have you ever tried calling an HMO on a Monday morning? It's probably easier to get the Vatican on the phone. But I finally got through and got her an appointment for Tuesday morning.

When she got up on Tuesday she was actually better. Less muscle weakness and a little more stability. But we took her to the doctor anyway. The doctor (whom I will admit, I don't like very well. She used to have an AWESOME doctor who has now been promoted to the head of the whole HMO. This new doctor, well, let's just say she doesn't have the most compassionate bedside manner I've ever seen. Frankly, she's a robot with a really bitchy nurse) told us that these were signs of a stroke and that we should have taken her immediately to the ER. She called the ER and told them we were on the way.

Now, I don't want the Graminator to be admitted to the hospital if it is at all possible to avoid it. She has only two to three days in the hospital before she is so weak, confused, disoriented and agitated that her recovery is greatly imperiled. So I took her to the ER with great trepidation. The triage nurse at the ER also chastised me for not bringing her to the ER when we first noticed the symptoms.

OKAY PEOPLE, LISTEN UP: Spend a month or so taking care of her and then tell me how to do my job. Wipe her ass on a daily basis. Get her to eat more than two bites. Lift her in and out of the shower. I spend 24/7 with this woman, looking after every function, to ensure she is safe, happy and healthy. Since she got out of the hospital the last time (where, after only two weeks, she had pneumonia, a huge bedsore, a staph infection, wasn't given her proper medications and couldn't walk) I have had her care for the last two years in which she has GAINED weight, walks daily, reads her paper most days and has maintained her health at a good level, all while having a debilitating, and eventually fatal, brain disease. So if I'm not perfect, I'm still doing one hell of a job, while giving up pretty much every semblance of a private life. I haven't been to the movies in over a year. I never hang out with friends. What little time I do have for myself is devoted to running my business. I buy her food, diapers, bed pads, meal supplements, pretty much everything but her medications, for which I am reimbursed (for my time and supplies) the princely sum of $800 a month. I'm not complaining, just stating a fact. If she were in a nursing home, that would cost more than $800 A DAY.

So when she exhibited a change in behavior that was concerning, but not severe, I made the reasonable move to take her to the doctor. Should I have rushed her to the ER? Maybe. But the same symptoms that indicated to the doctor a possible stroke, could easily have been simply due to age and Alzheimer's. In fact, as one ER doctor told me, if I had rushed her to the ER before her symptoms started to resolve (by Wednesday her functions were at 98% of baseline) they probably would have given her unnecessary medications and brain surgery. Instead, because the bleeding had stopped and was in fact healing, they kept her for observation and repeat CT's then released her HOME. So I'm not saying that I did the right thing, just that I did the very best I could under the circumstances.

So please, while it's really easy to armchair quarterback, please keep in mind that we are all human. No one is perfect. Most of us are just doing the best we can. There is a way to educate and inform without the sanctimonious, judgemental crap. I'm just saying.

Spilling Guts

I know it's been a while since I have blogged, claiming the excuse that am too 'busy' but I realized that without writing I have all of this stuff built up that I need to purge from my soul. So let's play, catch up, okay?

The Graminator just got home from the hospital. After noticing a bit of unsteadiness and inability to swallow correctly, her doctor told us to take her to the ER, suspecting a stroke. It wasn't a stroke but it was a subdural hematoma (brain bleed). No surgery (at 89 that was just not a can of worms we wanted to open) just medication and repeat CT scans in her future. But now we have to fight to get back to where we were. It's a constant struggle and some days I feel like I'm drowning.


My beloved Java passed away in April. She was fifteen years old and acted like a puppy for all but the last three weeks of her life. I was devastated when she died. I still miss her. I have a new puppy, Blanca. She is not a substitute for Java, but a new companion. She is terrifically smart. She does not destroy my shoes (but my library books are a bit more dog eared than they should be) and she LOVES to rip Kleenex into little tiny pieces. Under my desk looks like a snow storm. I would keep her from ever getting another tissue but the Graminator leaves them everywhere. Puppy heaven.

The cutest puppy ever!

Business is going well. Cookies, cupcake, cakes and marshmallows are selling like...well, hot cakes! I'm introducing a line of French pastries on July 14th (Bastille Day). A national retailer has ordered (and ordered and ordered) samples of the marshmallows to sell in some of their upscale stores. I have stopped holding my breath because of all of the changes they have requested (new package size, new labels, etc) but it has still been an interesting process and quite flattering because of all the samples they requested from many marshmallow companies, I was told that mine were the best. Nice compliment.

Here's the new marshmallow packaging.

And French macarons!

Mom and I are working on a new business venture, working on a handcrafting business. We will be up and running, selling our products on Etsy, next week. I have had a blast learning new craft techniques. I am now crocheting, knitting, making jewelry, sewing and upcycling new and vintage clothing. Now if I could only get three more hours into a day, I would be set. But it helps to fill some emptiness that I'm too afraid to examine or define.

The first necklace I designed. It's called "Blue Roses"

I have to go check on the puppy and the patient. But I will post more soon, whether I still have Loyal Readers or not, because I have missed the venting of my soul. If you are still out there, Loyal Readers, I missed you!

February

February was a short month that was jam packed. I had lots of orders for valentine's Day, including a rather elaborate box that was intended for a young man to ask out a young lady for a Valentine's Day dinner.

It was a treasure box. I embellished a beautiful box with pearls and sequins and lace and a picture of the young couple and I lined it with silk tulle. Then inside was a series of heart shaped cookies with a word written on each that said "Will" "you" "be" "my" "Valentine's" "date" "?" followed by a large cookie that had the details of the date (time, place, etc.) on it along with a cookie with a crag down the middle that said "Don't break me". And then in the box was tucked some little heart cookies that looked like the little conversation heart candies you used to get in grade school, some heart shaped marshmallows and some custom double heart lollipops, one with the couple's names on it and the other with their picture on it. All in all it was an incredible box. So incredible that I believe it could have been used to propose marriage, or at least be used as one of the 'date boxes' on a reality show like "The Bachelor".

Oh, did I mention that that the young man asking for the date was SIX? Yes, six years old. His mother (think "Real Housewives of New Jersey") ordered the box to send to the little girl (at seven, she was an 'older woman'.) She wanted something that would completely knock the socks off this kid. Poor little girl, no other man in her life will ever ask her out without her thinking "Where's my elaborate box, you schmuck?" It's an awfully high standard to hit at such a young age.

Alas, appropriate homage was not paid for the efforts on this endeavor and the date never actually got to happen. Too bad, photos of the restaurant looked nicer than almost any restaurant I've ever been to (they reserved the table by the fireplace with the mothers perched at a slightly less nice table nearby.) But the course of true love never did run smooth, especially in kindergarten.

Here are some pictures of the Valentine's creations I did this year.

Heart Shaped Marshmallows


Assorted Heart Shaped Cookies


Valentine's cookies for the family


Will you be my Valentine?


The infamous "Box"

She Has Returned!!!!

Dear Loyal Readers,

Please forgive the long extended absence. It was not intentional but it happened none the less. I do apologize, it has been a roller coaster couple of months but I shall endeavor to resume the daily writing. In the meantime I shall catch you up, and we will go chronologically.

Starting the week I abandoned you, Loyal Readers, there was a special cast and crew screening of "You People". It was held during a strange rainy season here in Vegas, and so I thank all of the Loyal Readers that braved the storm to attend...oh, wait, I should just thank Chandler since he's the only one who made it. (I am forgiving Dyann because she had some upheaval in her life at that time therefore her absence is excused, but the rest of you - and you know who you are - are on the list!)

It was a truly fun night and I enjoyed the experience thoroughly. I even got to use my new Flip camera that Will and Val got me for Christmas and shot my own documentary about the premiere. Here it is:



Again, it was so fun and there is a lot of footage I left out (including Chan and I with dueling Flip cameras) but it was a great start to what I'm sure will be a successful run for the film.

Right now the film is being entered into film festivals far and wide and most recently an actual game of "You People" based on the game in the film has been developed and is now being test marketed. A game playing night along with auction of items from the film and other prizes is being planned for mid May to raise funds for more festival entry fees. Stay tuned for more developments!

Okay, that brings us through January, the next post will be the February chapter. Thanks for sticking around!

I'm In Love With A Dead Guy

At least that's what my Mom says. I have been reading the works of Dalton Trumbo lately and she might be right.

For those that don't know, Trumbo was on of the "Hollywood Ten", a group of writer's who were blacklisted in the 1940's and 1950's for being suspected communists. A victim of the McCarthy era politics, Trumbo was imprisoned, impoverished and scorned for belonging to a political party he joined only for a few years and quit because be found the meetings were pointless and about as radical as Wednesday church readings.

Trumbo was an amazing novelist, screenwriter, poet, dramatist and intellectual. He went from making $75,000 a script to around $1,000 a script when blacklisted. He took many writing assignments during the blacklist just to feed his family, and could even turn out a script with a fellow blacklistee in less than 10 days (in days before fax and computer, they couriered the script back and forth. Trumbo often wrote dialogue for scenes that he didn't even know what was going to happen next in the story because that hadn't been couriered to him yet.) Trumbo and many of the other blacklistees were even nominated for Academy Awards under pseudonyms (Trumbo won in 1956 under the name Robert Rich for The Brave One)

While his novels and screenplays are, in my opinion, genius, it is not for these I fell in love with him. It is a book called "Additional Dialogue: Letters of Dalton Trumbo 1942-1962" that has me entranced. Copies of letters and excerpts of letters Trumbo wrote during that time give great insight into the man and what he was experiencing. It is also evidence of a truly great writer.

The art of correspondence has been lost, I'm afraid, amongst illiterate voice mails, tweets and test messages. But reading Trumbo's letters is a glimpse of a bygone era, when great men wrote great letters. Trumbo's letters are brilliant, with acerbic wit, cutting humor, charming affection for his wife and children, desperate appeals, and amazing insights. Let me tell you, that man could write a complaint letter that was basically an 'eff you' and make it sound incredibly erudite and humorous. I have laughed out loud, worried and fretted over situations and feel as though I have been formally introduced to his friends and family. (Mitzi, if you are ever in Vegas, call me, we'll do lunch.)

Now for the bad news and my appeal to you Loyal Readers. I got this book at the library, and they had to pull it from storage for me. I need to own this book, but internet searches have only revealed a few copies priced over $100. A little beyond my current used book budget. It will remain my life's mission to own a copy of this book. So if you are ever browsing a used book store and run across a copy (hardback or paperback, I'm not picky) and it is under $50, please purchase it for me and I will reimburse you. And if you ever get the chance to read it, please do so. No matter what your political beliefs this is an intimate look into a piece of history. And he was a professional baker for a while too, can you see why I love him? Of course, he's a dead guy who looked a lot like my grandfather, but he's still my literary dream man.

Oh, and the next time you watch Spartucus and see that famous scene where the slaves all proclaim "I am Spartucus!" ... Trumbo wrote that (based on the book by Howard Fast, gotta give credit, even though Trumbo himself was originally credited as Sam Jackson because he was still blacklisted.)

Week Two

Despite a challenging week (have you ever made 150 cupcakes without eating even one? I can now say that I have!) where I fell way short of my exercise goals, I lost a respectable two pounds. But I know I could have done better and am redoubling my efforts this week.

I think probably the most important thing for me is to remember that when you don't do as well as you want or you 'fall off the wagon', you need to continue right on with your plans and not make the little slips a permanent slide. I know I have been craving fast food like crazy and was so tempted, even trying to come up with ways to justify why I should have some. For some people they just call it will power and move on, but for those of us with compulsive eating issues, it isn't just will power. It's so much more complicated. But again, the point is to keep at it, moment by moment.

On the cleaning front, 31 in 31 is going really well. I got rid of dozens of magazines and cleaned out the Christmas sweaters from the trunk of my car, plus other accumulated junk in my car so I am up to 24, with still lots of time left. Who knows, I may exceed 31 in 31. Thanks Maura!

Orders are stacking up for Valentine's Day and I've got lots of orders to go out this week so I better get to the bakery. Have a great Martin Luther King Day, Loyal Readers!

Best Popcorn Maker. Ever.

I like popcorn. But when you are eating healthier, you have to watch popcorn for its hidden dangers. Like movie theater popcorn that has a zillion calories and it topped with buttery flavored oil. Or even microwave popcorn with its cancer agent butter flavor. But for me, hot air popcorn was not an option. Hot air popcorn always tasted stale and yucky to me. But now that it has been discovered that popcorn has as many polyphenols as red wine (not to mention low in calories and high in fiber), we wanted to eat more popcorn.

Since my mom wanted a hot air popper, I went looking for one. After checking several stores in my area with no luck, I went to my trusty Amazon. While reading up on different poppers, I noticed a microwave popper that seemed to be more than just a plastic bowl with a lid. Called the Presto PowerPop Microwave Popcorn Maker, it was a plastic bowl with a lid, but had two extra features. A black plastic base on the bottom that acts as a concentrator to heat the popcorn and another concentrator on the inside that's a disposable cup in silver, like those crisping sleeves on Hot Pockets.

I bought this model because it was small, easy to use, inexpensive and my mom had mentioned making popcorn in the microwave. I also got it because it said that it could be used with or without oil and I figured Mom could use it without oil and I could use it with (the inner concentrator cup is good for 12 batches if you use oil or 24 batches if you don't.)

We made our first batch without oil to test it out and I was amazed. It popped more quickly than most microwave popcorn and came out light, fluffy and perfectly popcorny. Since I HATE burned popcorn and therefore shut the oven off probably before I should, we did have some unpopped kernels but I get that with any microwave popcorn. What I think made this popcorn so good (and different from hot air poppers) was the steam that built up inside the popper made the corn taste fresh and moist, not dried up and stale, It was so good that I kew I didn't need to use any oil after all.

Of course I love butter on popcorn but since I would drown it in butter if I could and that's not exactly diet friendly, I spritz mine with "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray and sprinkle with popcorn salt. It's a notch below where real butter is but for almost no additional calories, it's an acceptable substitute. You could also sprinkle with herbs, parmesan cheese, etc.

So the next time you are looking for a new popcorn maker, check out the PowerPop. I totally recommend it. Delivers as promised, easy to use, quick and at less than twenty bucks a great value. It comes with eight of the inner cups which if you make nearly daily popcorn without oil should last you nearly eight months but you can buy more for about four dollars for a pack of eight. You can use any kind of popcorn in it (I bought some gourmet 'mushroom' style popcorn which is great except for it has a TON of hulls. Just a warning.) and it cleans up easily. Go get poppin'!

If It Quacks Like A Duck

Then it must be...duck fat fries.

Duck fat fries have been around a while at the fancy restaurants but while I have heard how superb they are, I haven't gotten to eat one. There are restaurants in Las Vegas that serve them but most are pricy places on the strip that are a bit beyond my budget. But for Christmas I asked for a few gourmet ingredients so that I could play with them in my own cooking. I asked for truffle oil and duck fat. My mom doesn't drive much so she just gave me cash to buy the myself. I could have ordered them online but the shipping costs would eat up most of the budget given. So I looked around town (I mean, c'mon, Vegas has to have this stuff, right?)

First I decided that perhaps I wanted truffle butter instead of truffle oil. The butter has way more truffles in it that the oil does (some of the oils contain no truffle at all). I saw the truffle butter at Whole Foods, even in the tiny location by my house, so I am fairly confident I will be able to pick it up when I want to use it.

Right before Christmas when I was shopping with Val I saw they carried duck fat too, in the deli case. So last week, when I read a recipe in Cooking Light (yes, Cooking Light) for a dish called "Poutine" - a pile of duck fat fries covered in a sausage gravy and topped with cheese curds - I knew I wanted, no, NEEDED to get the duck fat. So I headed to Whole Foods, where there was no duck fat left and the two rather rude employees I asked about it were either unable or unwilling to help me find out if they would get more in. Sadness descended upon me.

On Sunday we went out to breakfast and to a new grocery store in the valley, Glazier's, which is a trek from our house but, since we all wanted to go, we made an outing of it. (There is a Home Goods in the same shopping center and I found a great display platter for photographs of products for the website and Mom found a wonderful picture to hang in the living room.) It is a great market with lots of interesting things (and if you are from the East Coast they have lots of products that are hard to find out west, like Wise potato chips and Tastycakes). They had lots of 'gourmet foods' at reasonable prices (Tina, if you are reading this, they had your smoked duck readily available) but alas, no duck fat.

Finally, yesterday, since I had to head over to Kelly's to pick up some screeners I decided to make one last effort and try "The Butcher's Block", a small specialty butcher shop nowhere near my house. When I went in I thought I recognized the owner from when I worked at the grocery store in college. He said he did indeed work for the same grocery chain I did at the same time. After I left though, I think it was actually when I worked at Treasure Island that I remember him from. Either way, small world. He did indeed carry the duck fat and scooped me out a half pound. (Eight ounces cost me two dollars and fifty cents, less than good olive oil would cost.)

Speaking of olive oil, it turns out that duck fat, although an animal fat, has more monounsaturated fats than butter and is more like olive oil in that respect. So while it isn't perfect, it's not a bad fat to use. It's soft, even refrigerated, and very light in color. It has no smell and melts very quickly. The recipe in Cooking Light was for baked fries with just a touch of the duck fat. I made a half recipe (no gravy or cheese curds, just the fries. While Poutine sounds delicious, I really just wanted the fries. Plus, I only like really fresh cheese curds, like the ones you get at the Cache Valley outlet in Utah when you drive to Salt Lake City.) You heat a sheet pan in the oven, put on a tablespoon of duck fat to melt, toss the julienned potatoes to coat them with the fat, sprinkle with salt and roast in the oven until golden brown, about 45 minutes, turning them once.

I don't usually like home made fries. They aren't as good as when you go out. And baked fries, even less. But these fries? Oh my heck were they good. Crispy on the outside, still deliciously potato-y on the inside, salty and wonderful. And at less than 200 calories a serving, something I can include even on my healthy eating plan. The only problem? My mom said I didn't make enough. I made a half recipe and she said I need to make a full recipe next time. The Graminator even munched hers in record time.

So if you see duck fat fries on a menu, try them. Or find some duck fat and make the baked version. Ron at the Butcher Block says he carries it all of the time but suggests that you call ahead since he stores it in the freezer so he can set it out to soften so he can scoop out what you need. Since I only needed a small amount he was able to get it for me no problem even though I hadn't called ahead. They are at 7625 S. Rainbow (at Rainbow just past Warm Springs) and their phone number is 702-558-6328. I also got a really nice smoked ham steak which is going into tonight's dinner and some crab and lobster stuffed mushrooms. The meat there looked phenomenal, They had some filet mignon that was to die for. A little out of my budget this week though. They will totally help you.

If I can eat healthy and still include some delicious duck fat fries, I might just make it after all!

Week One Recap

Because Maura is inspiring me with her honesty, I'm posting my "diet log" for last week. I was at or under my calorie goal every day (except Sunday which is my "Free Day") I walked a mile each day four days last week. I wanted it to be six days but I'm not beating myself up over it. New week, new goal of at least 5 days - I'm still hoping for six but will be okay with five. This is aerobic walking which is more than just walking, it involves some strength training as well.

Okay, here is my week:

Monday
Omelette - one egg omelette with onions, green peppers, mushrooms, salsa and cheese.
1 cup 1% milk
16 cherries
1 cup homemade vegetable soup
1 Lean Cuisine frozen entree (the orzo pasta in it was bad so I didn't eat the whole thing)
1 cup popcorn (the new microwave popper we got is AWESOME, I'll post about it some other time)
1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
1 serving Antipasto pasta (the recipe is from Cooking Light and it is phenomenal. My mom said it is the best pasta she has ever eaten)
1 cup steamed broccoli
1 seville orange torta (it's like a cracker, got it from Whole Foods, so good)
1 mini cupcake (shared a package of three with Mom and the Graminator. Only 33 calories. I needed 10 more to be satisfied, but didn't)
1 glass iced herbal tea
64 ounces water

Tuesday
Omelette
1 cup 1% milk
1 cup popcorn
1-1/2 portion Spanish Tuna Salad (recipe from Cooking Light)
3 steamed beets
2 pieces ciabatta bread with butter (I didn't get lunch this day since I was out running errands so I ate extra bread at dinner instead)
2 marshmallows
1 cup low fat ice cream
1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
64 ounces water

Wednesday
egg toaster sandwich - 1 egg over easy, 1 slice low fat shaved ham, 2 pieces light bread, 1 tablespoon Cheez Whiz
1 cup 1% milk
1 cup homemade vegetable soup
1 slice thin crust tomato and cheese pizza
1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
1 portion skinny buffalo chicken
1 portion skinny potato skins
1 cup cut up carrots, celery, radishes
1 oz low fat ranch dressing
1 snack pack pudding
64 ounces water

Thursday
omelette
1 slice light bread tasted with 1/2 tablespoon jam
1 cup milk
1/2 portion of leftover buffalo chicken and potato skins
1 marshmallow
1/2 cup fruit punch
1 glass iced herbal tea
1 serving canned healthy tomato soup
1 serving toasted turkey bacon guacamole sandwich (recipe in "Cook This, Not That" - so good!)
1 cup orange sherbet
64 ounces water

Friday
omelette
1 slice light toast with jam
1 cup 1% milk
1 cup homemade vegetable soup
1 slice thin crust tomato and cheese pizza
1 serving homemade bare burrito bowl (brown rice, pinto beans, lettuce, tomato topped with stir fried fajita chicken and bell peppers)
1 tablespoon sour cream
3 marshmallows
1 cup orange sherbet
64 ounces water

Saturday
omelette
1 slice toast with jam
1 cup 1% milk
1 bowl chicken noodle soup
2 flatbread crackers
2 marshmallows
1 cup bok choy salad
1 cup steamed thai eggplant
1 serving that beef with coconut rice (recipe in Everyday Food. My favorite go-to stir fry)
1/2 cup steamed snap peas
1/2 Newcastle Beer
1 cup low fat ice cream
64 ounces water

Sunday - my free day!
2 over easy eggs
1/2 slice ham
1 order home fries
1 order biscuits and gravy
1 Reese's candy bar
1 homemade hamburger
1 black and white cookie
1 can San Pelligrino Limonata
50 ounces water

Even though Sunday was my free day, I only went about 600 calories over my daily goal.

The result....week one, 8 pounds lost. (I know, cruel of me to make you read all that garbage for the payoff )

And now on to week 2!

Words to Live By

I think too much. Way too much. Some days I wish I could just turn my brain off. And a lot of that thinking is negative, like why 'friends' don't answer emails or about disagreements that happened years ago. I dwell and obsess and make myself miserable. I know it's a flaw, but have a hard time not doing it (I'd love resolution in all areas of my life but that just ain't gonna happen.)

So when I saw this quote the other day, it struck a nerve and I copied it down, to look at occasionally and try to remind myself to just let things go. Easier said that done for 'she of the evil memory' but I'm trying.

"Finish each day and be one with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." Ralph Waldo Emerson

I like that and I hope you do too, Loyal Readers. It is a new day, begin it well!

Doesn't Taste Like Diet Food

Last night I made a delicious (and low calorie) meal. So delicious, it was difficult to believe it was low calorie. When I first start watching what I eat, the first thing I do is crave what I shouldn't have. Like bar food. As you know, Chan and I have indulged in 'Grease-Fest" at our local bar many times and pigged out on the various deep fat fried foods. So it's not surprising that when I start eating healthy, that's one of the things I crave.

I went to the bookstore to buy a new calorie guide (I had an old one but Calorie King puts out new ones that contain restaurant statistics too and these change frequently and I like to be prepared in case I go out to eat.) I spotted a new 'cookbook' called "Cook This, Not That". It's from the guys who put out the "Eat This, Not That" books that give you substitution suggestions to save you from the highest calorie foods at restaurants. These books have surprised me in the past because the choices they suggest aren't always the ones you think would be better but salad is not always the way to go (thank goodness). So this new book has some restaurant food that they have slimmed down and given you recipes for so that you can save both calories and money by eating at home.

One of the recipes that first caught my eye was a potato skins recipe. Instead of deep frying the skins then loading them with cheese and bacon, you basically make a twice baked potato (so none of the yummy middle gets thrown away). The potatoes are little but you still get cheese and bacon, just small amounts. They looked so good I just had to make them. (I did make a few substitutions of my own, lowering calories even further, using buttermilk - my new secret weapon - and lower fat cheese). They were FABULOUS.

But what to make to go with them? Bar food etiquette dictates buffalo wings or chicken fingers. But those aren't low cal or low fat with their deep fry. So after checking the Internet, I adapted a Weight Watchers recipe and made mine with chicken breast chunks that were stir fried without oil and glazed in a butter-less wing sauce. Oh my gosh, were they good. So good that Mom snarfed hers down and even The Graminator cleaned her plate. Served with carrot sticks, celery sticks and other cut up veggies, it was the perfect imitation of bar food done light. Better than most bar food in fact since the chicken was nice and meaty and the potatoes were so yummy. Of course the portion size was smaller but every bit as satisfying. This was a diet dinner even a "Hungry Man" would love. And all for under 500 calories!

Thanks for the support and encouragement Dyann. Yes, we have to take it one meal at a time. Brava to you for following your vegetarian goals. Part of our eating lighter goals is eating more vegetarian meals. It would be great if we lives someplace where there was an abundance of produce (like Maura and her farmers markets) but Whole Foods has some nice veggies that can take us somewhere other than canned green beans.

We have a new Loyal Reader from 'across the pond' in the UK. Welcome FrenchEclair! I appreciate your recommendation of the book "French Women Don't Get Fat", a book that was a sensation here in the USA for a while but fizzled out. I think it's great that you are such a Francophile but most Americans aren't big fans of the French so adopting a French lifestyle isn't popular here, nor is it very practical. Again, I'd LOVE to live somewhere that has access to great markets, masses of fresh produce, trips to the bakery for fresh baguettes. But alas, I live in the middle of a desert where the only thing that grows is the heat index. But good for you.

Now some advice for you, FrenchEclair. I don't know how old you are but if it has always been your dream to visit Paris, just DO IT! Don't wait for time or finances or the approval of others. Spring is coming and soon it will be "April in Paris". Max out your credit cards, borrow coin from friends but get yourself to Paris even if it is only for two days. If you live in the UK, France is close so there is no excuse. Take a train, plane or automobile. Stay in a hostel, private room or sleep on a park bench. Wandering the streets of Paris is free. Stroll the Seine. Visit Montmarte. See the Eiffel Tower. Spend a few Euros on a baguette and some cheese and cheap wine. Don't wait, my new friend, or years will go by. Excuses will continue to pile up as to why you can't go right now. But don't let them. Grab your passport, a camera, a notebook and just GO. Your dream is an easy one to achieve. Don't worry that it's only for a day or two, once you get a feel for Paris, then you will find a way to go again and again. And stop at a sweet shop for me and buy a 'guimauve' (that's French for marshmallow, isn't that fabulous) and tell me how it is. I am perfecting my version of 'batons de guimauve' right now so I'd love to know how the ones in Paris are. But go, please. I promise you that you will never regret it, even if it makes money tight or people shake their heads at you. You will regret not going, and life should never have regrets. Go, Go, GO! I will put some Edith Piaf on my iPod and think of you.

Okay, off to fulfill marshmallow orders (and not tasting them is killing me)/ Thanks to all of you Loyal Readers, for your love and support of my dreams!

Inspiration

So we are on day three of the new lifestyle. I won't call it a 'diet' because it's actually a long term behavior modification plan. I haven't felt too deprived yet and I have instituted my exercise regimen of walking a mile a day (this will increase as I build strength and stamina.)

Maura and Chan have also started their lifestyle changes. Maura is blogging her common sense diet. And if I know Chan, his involves some scheme that involves only an egg sandwich a day and an exercise routine that rivals that of an MMA fighter. Hey, if it works for him (and it has in the past) then I don't judge. I couldn't do that, for fear of killing everyone around me. But both of us have chronic weight issues so I understand. We used to go to Outback and split a steak dinner - he ate the steak and salad and I ate the baked potato and veggies.

That was when I was doing the Susan Powder no-fat diet. Remember her, the crazy one with the spiked bleached blond hair? You could eat all you wanted as long as you didn't eat more than so many fat grams per day. Everyone came out with these fat free products, except they were all full of sugar. Not very healthy. All I did was drink soda and eat candy corn. I lost twenty pounds but was in danger of killing my blood sugar.

Then came Atkins. This was early Atkins before it was modified to include 'good carbs' and lower fat. That was when you could have eight pieces of bacon and four eggs for breakfast but no toast. The recommended snacks were cream cheese and macadamia nuts. Yeah, that was healthy. We called it the 'steak and scotch' diet because old guys everywhere were on Atkins and having giant steaks and swilling down scotch and telling everyone about their diets. I still can't comprehend how they lost weight eating that much fat and calories but they did see results. They also saw great rises in their cholesterol levels. So Atkins modified and South Beach came along. I don't think Atkins is as much fun as it used to be. As for me, I did Atkins for two weeks (the induction phase) then cracked. I couldn't see myself wanting to live without bread, potatoes or pasta. I made my mom take me to lunch at this Indian restaurant. The waiter apologetically told us it was an all vegetarian restaurant. After two weeks of nothing but meat, I said "bring it on!" Best dosas and aloo gobi I have ever had.

So the last time, when I actually lost a great deal of weight, was when I just ate less and exercised more. I know, scary concept, huh? No craziness, no eliminating everything, I even got 'cheat' meals where I could have whatever I wanted. I started walking one to two miles a day, six days a week. And I go to a website that helps you figure out your basal metabolic rate (that's the number of calories your body needs just to 'run the machine") then deduct 500 calories a day to lose a pound a week. Add in the extra calorie burn from the aerobic exercise and there you go. I followed this last time and lost 55 pounds in about 23 weeks (so about two pounds a week.) While the focus is on 'healthier choices" like leaner meats, lots of fruits and vegetables, nothing is excluded as long as I account for the calories and Sunday is my 'free day' where I don't even have to count them. I track what I eat every day in a log, so I know where I am. (Like last night, I was way under my calorie goal and wanted dessert, so I had some ice cream. And still ended the day under budget)

My goal this time isn't as much a certain target number, as much as it is to keep off whatever I do lose. See, last time when I took off the weight, I joined a gym (giving up the in-home walking six days a week to work out three days a week with a trainer) and stopped writing down everything I ate, started eating fast food again, stopped measuring my portions, stopped going to the gym and low and behold, I gained the weight back. See, I am a compulsive overeater (Hello, my name is Shae, and I'm an overeater) and when I stop consciously controlling myself, I relapse into constant overeating. Easy to understand why, hard to control. So this new plan is to ALWAYS keep it under control. Whether I lose ten pounds or fifty, the goal is to never gain that back. Which means never slacking on watching what I eat and, more importantly, how much I eat.

So thanks Maura and Chan, for inspiring me. I'm not as brave as Maura and I know I won't lose as much weight or as quickly as Chan but it's nice to know that I'm not rowing the boat alone. Someone pass me a celery stick!

Losing Weight

Almost every woman I know resolves to lose weight each new year (and periodically throughout the year.) This is true no matter what size or shape she is already. Maybe it's because of the unrealistic fashion icons but even skinny girls think they need to lose weight.

Well, that's certainly true at our house. My mom wants to lose 10 pounds because she is heavier than she has been in a long time. That's partly my fault. She has been an enthusiastic supporter of the bakery, maybe too enthusiastic when it comes to taste testing. Plus I make delicious dinners every night. So delicious that even the Graminator is weighing in at more than I expected. Plus the scale isn't particularly kind to me either. So it's time to stop indulging constantly and to start indulging on a more infrequent basis.

I know how to lose weight. I did it once, losing more than fifty pounds. I know I could do it again and I don't want to be the reason that my family is unhealthy in any way. So we are all eating healthier with an eye to losing a few pounds (except the Graminator, she needs the extra weight in case of illness or injury...but we only want to maintain her weight, not increase it.)

For my part, this means cooking meals that are just as delicious but lower in fat and calories and not using my family as test subjects for new recipes. (Or if I do need taste testers, making sure it's only a taste, not an entire tray of something.) I like cooking challenges so I'm up for it. We cleaned the house out last night of any tempting holiday remnants and stocked up with lots of healthy fruits and vegetables. I made a huge pot of veggie soup for my mom to eat for lunches and snacks because she wanted some. I'm going to get back into my in-home walking routine because it's a low impact exercise that I can't find an excuse not to do (um hello, you do it in your house so you can do it naked at two a.m. with no equipment...see, no excuses.)

I am detoxing from fast food and soda (also known as "Shae's crack") It's way too easy for me to consume large quantities of fat and calories with fast food and soda so I have to "just say no". In a month or so I can have the occasional soda (as a dessert but not with meals) and not more than one per week. It's just empty calories and actually encourages me to eat more.

My goals are modest. If I am exercising every day and eating healthier, I don't care how much weight I lose. I don't have a specific target except not being so sedentary and remembering portion control. But I want my family to be healthier so if doing this helps them, then bonus if I get healthier too.

Before when I lost all the weight, I relaxed the rules for two meals a week, I think this time it's going to be a Sunday free day. So I won't feel too deprived. Now if I can just not taste every batch of marshmallows....

My Life Resolved

Happy New Year everyone! I'm not sure if 2010 will be better than 2009 since I woke to extreme intestinal distress, which I hope is not a metaphor for 'this year will be S#%T' (hopefully it's more like 'don't eat assorted leftovers at one in the morning.)

I did terrible on my 2009 resolutions, having done so well on my 2008 resolutions. So maybe the lesson is to make resolutions that aren't about me? I could re-affirm the 2008 resolutions but since I pretty much follow them every day, I guess it wouldn't mean much. So I guess I'll make some serious ones again, but really try to follow them more. Here goes.

1. I will moisturize more. I live in the desert and my skin is starting to remind me of that fact. So wherever there is skin, there will be moisturizer!

2. I will promote Glitter City Sweets and the 'brand' more. The marshmallows are selling incredibly well, followed closely by the cookies so it may be time to dump some products and re-focus on other things.

3. I will update the GCS website at least every month and try to stay ahead of the seasons instead of rushing to catch up.

4. I will get back into a daily writing habit. I am first and foremost a writer and I'd better remember that if I ever want to get anywhere with it.

5. I will take advantage of every opportunity and potential opportunity that presents itself and exploit the hell out of it. I let too many things slip through my hands instead of making the most out of it. Not anymore. Be it writing, acting, comedy, business or whatever else I'm doing, I will maximize, Maximize, MAXIMIZE my opportunities.

6. I will try to stop being such a hermit. I will actually schedule those lunches I keep promising, I will call my friends 'just to talk' and I will not accept that Facebook is a substitute for real social interaction (ditto for texts and emails.) And I will see more than one movie in a theater this year.

In the spirit of the New Year, I am also joining in on Maura's "31 in 31", her annual de-clutter movement. (See the rules on her blog). If I start with the trunk of my car, I could hit my 31 in one day (but think I'll be truly ambitious and consider my car as one thing...okay, maybe two. Between my car and magazines, I should be done in less than a week.)

Oh yeah, there is also eating healthier, exercising more, blah, blah blah. 2010, here we come.