December 26, 2009

Just a few more days, before the beginning of the New Year. Have you started making any new goals or resolutions. I have many short goals & some long-term goals. I have finally given up on one of my long-term goals. After six years, without going into details-it's time to call it quits. I hate to give up, but sometimes enough is enough. So today, I realize that I am a very lucky woman, but I am also a failure. I have always achieved all of my goals in life, until now.

So now, I have to figure out a new long-term goal. One of my goals in the long-term, at least 10-15 years from now will be a cruise-around-the-world. Unfortunately, my budget and work won't allow it any sooner. A short term goal that I have is to lose some weight-one pound at a time. Actually, I have been doing the starvation type diet for the last week, even with being sick. I have grown to enjoy turkey sandwiches with mustard on diet bread, as well as twenty-five calorie scrambled egg whites.

I have many weight loss books under Valerie2901-on my EBay listing-too many too list, if this is one of your New Year's resolutions-to lose weight or to take control of your body.

Yesterday's blog was about eating more often at home and bringing the casserole dish back. Recession type eating. Look under the general cookbooks heading on EBay or Valerie2901. Here are some more books to pursue with lots of casseroles to make:

Around the Kitchen with Club Mad-for a group at Northeastern State Univ., OK-published 1994

Vintage Recipes of the Northwest-Rose City Historical Society, Portland, OR-published 1992

Cooking With OCEAn-OnslowCounty Emp Assn, Jacksonville, NC-published 1996

30 Minutes or Less-from Home Economics Teachers-published 1999

Miracle Blender Cookbook-Tested Recipe Publishers-published 1967

I have to tell you I'm impressed-already some of the casserole cookbooks I have recommended have been bid on. Remember casseroles are not just about ground beef!

The Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas, attached to the Mandalay Hotel had 20 gingerbread houses displayed with a working carousel in the middle. Done by the chefs at the Four Seasons, these gingerbread houses were sold to benefit the American Cancer Society in Las Vegas. An impressive display, so well done, they didn't look real. They raised over $6,000-kudos to the Four Seasons.

The applications for the National Pie Championships are now in. Visit www.piecouncil.org/Events/NationalPieChampionships/ for information and applications. There are 4 categories: Commercial NPC/Independent Baker NPC/Amateur NPC (my category)/Professional NPC & Junior Chef NPC.

It's probably a little late to enter the competition, but there a NY Cake Convention scheduled for January 2-5, 2010 at the Hotel Pennsylvania in Manhattan, NY. Go to www.cakeconvention.com. Actually there is still time to enter if you're ready with that great recipe, but if you're in the area, it would certainly be fun to attend and plan for next year.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val