Ummm, Ummm, Good!!!

MARCHPHOTOADAY

I've joined the Marchphotoaday Challenge along with Mama Tink and some other bloggers. Basically, every participant posts a picture of a specific subject for each day of the month.

Today's subject is "delicious":

I'm a Chesapeake Bay gal -
Steamed crabs are a way of life here!

Crabs are a lifestyle here, not just a meal. Eating crabs is usually a social event, even if you do it every week or even more often. They're messy and you do need to use your hands. You set the table with newspaper, butcher paper,or even old grocery bags. You need a knife and a wooden mallet. (Although we've often made do without the mallet - a swift bop of the knife handle will usually work, too.) When you get them out, you generally refer to the restaurant as a "Crab House" and it usually is not formal. Folks tend to talk among the tables at such joints and the mood is usually a good one. Crabs are a "Happy Food!"

If you've never tried one, it should be on your bucket list.

Here's the list if you'd like to play along with the March Photo Challenge, too.

Unsolicited, Totally Uncompensated Product Review - Fit & Active Smores Drizzled Mini Crisps

"Hello. My name is - Oh, just call me Ramblin Mama - and I am a rice-cake-a-holic."

There. I admitted it. No more hiding in the closet, chewing slowly to hide the crunching sounds.


Maybe I just have an addictive personality. Yesterday, I used the term obsession with regard to my tendency to overdo my love of stitching. (Don't you think "obsession" sounds so much better than "addiction"?)

The Big Guy and I both love some crunchy with our munchies - and, Oh, we DO love our munchies! I swear, he's an enabler. I purposely keep the snacks on a shelf I can't reach just to limit my access. I'm often too lazy to get the stepstool so I end up passing them by. BUT, now that he's around the house more, I've found if I mention wanting them, he'll get them down! (There's a reason to marry a tall man!)

We prefer flavored rice cakes. (Plain are a bit bland.) Long ago we discovered the ones with caramel flavoring and usually have a bag on hand. They make great car snacks as they're not messy and not subject to temperature conditions. We do a lot of roadtrips! (Incidently, cinnamon sugar flavored rice cakes are a perfectly legitimate breakfast food - and can be eaten on the run!)



We're lucky enough to have an Aldi's as our closest grocery store so we buy a lot there. I recently discovered and fell in love with their Fit & Active Smore's Drizzled Mini Crisps. I mean, what Gal can pass up something labeled "smores"? (I was a Girl Scout and smores were a standard Girl Scout treat. I think it's part of the GS Alumni code.)
















OMG, I LOVE these! The box describes them as "Marshmallow Bits & Rich Milk chocolatey Coating in a Delicate and Satisfying Snack." They ARE !!!

The little 90-calorie individual packs ARE actually satisfying. There are (approx.) 31, 1-inch diameter mini crisps in each bag. The Big Guy can even swipe a few and I don't mind! (Most of those 100-calorie mini snacks on the market just seem to whet my appetite and leave me wanting another packet.)

Okay, back to the smores. Each pack is considered a full serving at 90 calories, just 3 grams of total fat, 6 grams of sugar and only 90 grams of sodium. Only bad thing about these is there are only 6 packages to a box! At $2.49 a box, I consider them reasonably priced. (Have you bought a single candy bar recently?)

Oh yeah, if you're concerned about the extra packaging (what with all the individual packets), the packing itself is made from 70% recycled materials.

Now, all this talk about these delicious morsels has made me a tad hungry - gotta go get me some crunch!

***I have not been paid or compensated in any manner for any review of this product. this is merely an item from my grocery cart that my family and I are very happy with and I wanted to share the news.

Friday Flashback Foto

March 2009:

They had individual birthday cakes for the Big No. One !!!!

The Big Guy and I had lunch with them today. They've become great little dining companions and, at 3 1/2, they kept us entertained with news of their everyday life.

We loved it!!!

Happy Labor Day, y'all !!!

Okay, hope y'all are having a great weekend ! The weather has turned to simply fantastic here - upper 70s - low 80s, a slight breeze and lots of sunshine ! We're enjoying it while we can. Yard and garden work called to us on Saturday and then a big evening out. We're rarely out late but we didn't get in till 3 a.m.!!!
The first party of this holiday weekend was Sunday. Luckily we didn't have far to go as the get-together was right next door. In fact, we had dueling smoking grills in both yards. The Big Guy did two turkey breasts on our smoker while the neighbor had the sausage, burgers, hotdogs and chicken on his. Wow, the air around here smelled great!!


There was tons of food, good music, a dose or two of spirits, dancing and fantastic fellowship among friends. (Who, incidentally, also happen to be our terrific neighbors.) Seriously, no one had to worry about driving home or traffic. The farthest anyone traveled was about 700 feet!!







As time went on and we all became more mellow, there were even dance lessons!!!


We are so lucky to live on a block with such great, caring people. Most of us have been here together for several decades now. We only regret that a few of our neighbors were not in town for this social event. We missed them. Maybe next time.

Today is another annual get-together that we always look forward to. This one is a semi-annual event that includes folks I've hung out with for over 4 decades!!! There are some we see weekly and a few we only see at this party. Always good food and lots of hugs, chatter and memories. (Oh yeah, there's ALWAYS some great roasted corn done on the grill at this one, too!)

Whatever you're doing today, I hope you're with friends, enjoying good food and lots of laugh. Be safe and happy on this holiday weekend!!

A Perfect July Day !!!!

Music!! Music!! Music!! Summertime heat and fantastic food at a terrific venue = Great Day!!We headed for Westminster, Maryland today to the Summertime Festival at the Carroll County Farm Museum. This use to be known as the Surf & Turf Festival and featured lots of seafood, beef and other tantalizing treats. Last year, they decided to expand the image a bit and changed the name to encourage more family participation.

In addition to great food, the event is known for some of the best music in the region. Today was no exception. They featured three bands, all of which gave super performances.

Big Cam and the Lifters, the first on today's lineup has been around this end of the world for over 30 years and we've followed them for about the last 22 years. They're known for everything from Doo Wop up through 60's rock and roll with a few 70s thrown in. Their lead singer (a man who helped form the original Del Vikings but was shipped overseas just weeks before their first recording session thanks to the draft), passed away in September. They are still extremely good but just not quite what they were in the past. I believe they're experiencing some adjustment pains and I see them regaining their edge in the near future.


Poison Whiskey followed them giving a rocking, driving performance of solid rock hits from the 70s and 80s. This is, in my opinion, one of the best the Mid-Atlantic has to offer and we've heard most. All we could say was "Wow!!" They made you forget you were sitting outdoors in 95+ heat.




Bringing up the rear was Never Never, yet another of the best bands in the Baltimore area. They're known for their Led Zeppelin covers and they do them almost better than Zeppelin! We stayed through to the last note and enjoyed every minute of it. (Originally, we'd planned to leave early to catch up with some family and friends at another music event being held at one of the local wineries this evening but we were just enjoying this one way too much to leave!)






Along with the terrific entertainment and tasty food choices, this is a beautiful venue. Easy close parking , real bathrooms, lots of shade trees and picnic tables and so much more. The event featured lots of activities for the kids, a small craft sale area, a huge classic car show, a burger grilling contest, corn cannons, a politicians' crab picking contest and lots more. We just sat back and enjoyed the music, some food and a fantastic breeze under the trees.



***Oh, yeah, one more fashion rule based on another day of observing festival folks. If the top of your tube top is only about an inch or so above your elbow joint and you are NOT baring more of your breasts than is generally acceptable, you're a bit too old and droopy for a braless tube top, no matter how good the rest of your figure is !! Also, if you're wearing a tube top and dancing vigorously, you should check it's positioning occasionally! Just sayin'.



What a fantastic summer day!!!

Huff - Puff -Stretch - Pull - OUCH!!

Well, here we are, just about all the way through January. So how are you doing on your goals (or resolutions) about exercising or getting more physically active in general? Me? Not so hot.

I decided to take a beginner's exercise class at the local rec center. I bent twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. I even might have sprained something.


By the time I got my leotards on, the class was over !!

--------------------
I had just prepared that post, when my sweet s-i-l sent this e-mail my way:

T'was the month after Christmas, and all through the house,
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibbled, the chocolate I'd taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber),

I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."

As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt...
I said to myself, as I only can,
"You can't spend a winter, disguised as a man!"

So, away with the last of the sour cream dip.
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip.
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
Till all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won't have a cookie, not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won't have hot biscuits, orcorn bread, or pie.
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore...
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all, and to all a good diet.

Ain't it the truth?!?!