Things I Learned This Weekend

Lesson 1-The internet recipe for replicating White Kastle hamburgers does work, but it REALLY stinks up the house. You know it’s bad when you cook salmon the next day to cover up the burger smell. The next time I make these, I will fry them outside on the grill burner.

Lesson 2-Baked salmon patties are not nearly as good as those fried in butter.

Lesson 3-The caramel filling for homemade turtle cake is pretty close to the perfect “sweet”. Of course, it contains two of my favorite food groups, caramels and real butter. Eating it out of the pan is better than eating a slice of the finished cake.

Lesson 4-Children ALWAYS ask the question you most do not want to answer. My 14 year old daughter portrayed Jesus’ mother, Mary, in a program for small children at church Friday night. The first question one of the children asked her? “What’s a virgin?” She was mortified but handled it well.

If it seems I had food on my mind a lot this weekend, it’s because we are participating in a “Biggest Loser” competition with several friends. It lasts through April, and there are fines for backsliding. I am satisfied with my weight and am not actually dieting, but my husband is, so I will be supporting him with healthy meals and lots of encouragement. I also stepped up my exercise program last week after falling off the wagon for three weeks. Plenty of exercise allows me the luxury of occasional desserts and fats, but at age 42, it takes a LOT of exercise to maintain. I hate the calorie counter on the treadmill. It ticks away at a snail’s pace when I’m running. It must be broken! If, when I take a bite of something sinful, my mouth would hurt as bad as my thighs do when I’m running, I might not have to work so hard. My goal is to have abs of steel one time before I get old, hopefully, before my 25th class reunion this year. I think I’m already behind.