That may be the solution to my weight problem–only eat what I really want, not just graze all the time because the food is there or to try to satisfy a craving. Like I have said before, the best diet aids are not sold, but are self discipline by the individual wanting to loose the weight.

I do need to be more careful of what I eat but I will not start tonight—steak with baked potato and lots of butter!!  YUM! YUMMY!!!

Friday she asked for a fried egg.  By asking her questions, I determined that she wanted it over easy or maybe over-medium.  She ate one for breakfast, one for lunch and one for snack.

Today starts out a little different.  She came at 8:45 and by 10:45 she had eaten 3 eggs.  She asked that she have 2 for breakfast, which she readily ate.  mind you, this is nothing but the egg-no bread or grits or hash browns or rice.  Just a bare runny yolk egg.  Shortly after she ate, not more than 10 minutes, she ate 2 candy hearts and a very small bag of roasted peanuts and asked for more junk foods.  I said “no more junk, would you like another egg” and she said “YES” and ate it.

I need to do some research on the egg and see if it still poses the health hazard it did some years ago.  At least she is getting in some good protein.

BatMan likes eggs cooked this way, also.  SpideyMan does not like eggs.  I know of several people that eat ketchup with their eggs, I think I will ask him if he would like to try it.

Going to check FB home page and my farm in the FarmVille game, then I am going to work some on that crochet pattern I am trying to design.

I had been wanting soup for a while and with the temps so low, I thought it would hit the spot and it did.  My cornbread muffins were not as good as I would have liked but were edible.  I used Jiffy mix and added a little flour.  Next time I will make my own mix from scratch.

We think all that were there really enjoyed themselves and he too went home with the gift he had purchased.   Someone made the statement that maybe next year we will not play “Chinese Christmas” just show everyone what we bought for ourselves.

I do not think we will get together again until August at his beach house.  What fun we have there!

Told my brother I was preparing watergate salad and creamed corn for our lunch tomorrow but have decided to prepare 2 more dishes.  I will not have time to play any xbox 360 games.   I plan to also prepare the frozen field peas and snaps that the local grocery carries (they are really black-eyed peas before they are dried)and pasta salad.  My brother really likes the peas and I like the pasta salad.  He will probably fuss at me because I prepared too many dishes, but I bet he eats some of those peas.

I fried bacon slowly to get more grease from it and cooked the okra in the bacon grease.  I know it will be good.  We now have 3 pints of fried okra in the freezer.

FRIED/STEAMED OKRA 8-15-09

1 bag of 15 whole pods to place on top of beans or peas.

WHOLE POD OKRA

I have never frozen whole pods before. My mom use to freeze several packages a year in whole pods.

I do really enjoy preparing produce for the freezer.  Yes, it is time consuming and sometimes physically hard, not in strength, just tiring, but I am in my “element” when doing this.

The peaches are now soaking up sugar.  I should have them cooking but DH will be home in a few minutes so I am preparing his supper.  After we finish supper, I will start them.

I canned these yesterday.

8-14-09

This batch makes a total of 26 pints.  All but maybe a pound came from plants that DH put in the flower beds.

I made more peach jam Thursday using the recipe in the Sure-Jel Less Sugar Pectin package.  I doubled the recipe and it did fine.

PEACH JAM 8-13-09

The other recipe that I was using has better color.  I am going to experiment with those I prepare this afternoon, I am going to add maybe a tablespoon of pectin to the batch instead of the entire package.  Hope it works!!!  I’ll let you know.

DH came in from work yesterday saying, “I have more work for you to do” and handed me a grocery bag a little over half full of okra.  I also need to do it today.  Since the day is considered to be half gone, I need to get busy.

Why does one use a recipe?  To make sure the food is cooked to perfection or as near as possible.  DUH!!  I followed a recipe for the jam or at least I thought I did.  I had read on the net to make jam cook fruits for 25 minutes at a rolling boil.  So that is what I did.  Today, I am looking at the recipe again and Lo and Behold– cooking time is 1 hour on medium heat.

Well, the “jam” I prepared last night sure is pretty and taste really good with peanut butter in a sandwich, even if it does need to be a little thicker .

peach jam 8-2-09

The bottom jars in the back are more true to color, the others look to orange.

I hope what is cooking now will be jam consistency like jam should be.

We will eat it, regardless!

About 1 hour later DH asks if I am ready to go.  “Go where?”   He replies that I had said I wanted to go to Myrtle Beach.  So away we go.  We pass 2 big Farmer’s Markets  on the way, if they are open we usually stop just to see what they have.  Holden’s didn’t have anything we were willing to pay their price.  Indigo had peas by the bushel, a little high but not so high that I turned away.  We left with a bushel of peas and a hugh watermelon.

I shell peas for an hour or so Saturday night and then finish shelling them on Sunday.  DH helped shell on Sunday.  I refrigerate them in water and finally on Wednesday I get them prepared and in the freezer.  I shared with my MIL but still put 9 pints in the freezer.

I wish I could get at least 4 more bushels like these, I would share with my MIL. They were sold as Dixie Lee, I do not think they are but do not know what they are.  They are a little large for Dixie Lee and are just as tasty if not better.