BROWN SUGAR AND CRUSHED RED PEPPER BACON

Bacon....bacon is a blessing to my taste buds. Oh bacon how I love thee....let me count to ways....ohhhhh so many. If I tried to name them, it would be like a reenactment of the scene in Forest Gump with the shrimp lover. So, I will spare you the time, because you know we would be here till midnight...or LONGER!!! I am a sweet n spicy kinda gal.....comes as no surprise that I like my food like that too!!! Hahaha!

I am going to share one of my favorite things of all time right now. I beg you to make this....puhleezzzzzz!!! I must insist that you make this. Go...now!!!

So all ya need is BACON, brown sugar and crushed red pepper flakes. SIMPLE...right???
Combine 1 cup brown sugar with 1 tbsp red pepper flakes (more if you like it extra spicy) and mix in a plate that is large enough to hold a whole bacon strip. Place the bacon on the plate and cover and pat the sugar mix onto the piece of bacon. Continue until all bacon is covered. Place the bacon on a foil lined baking sheet that has a cooling rack for cookies on it. This will help keep the bacon from sticking and make clean up a breeze! Put the bacon in a preheated oven at 375 degrees and cook for 20-25 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on it and check on it at about the 15 minute mark. If you take it out and feel like you want it crispier, just place it back in for a few extra minutes.

Hope you enjoy this recipe!! 

Science Experiment for kids, exploding bag.

Wanna know a super simple way to entertain and teach your kids something with ingredients you probably already have on hand at home?? Well watch this quick video.....the kids and I had a great time seeing what happens when you combine 2 ordinary household items in a plastic bag. It resulted in more of a pop of the bag, but was really neat for them to see. Also we had a time when we couldn't quite seal the bag completely and that was a DUD....hahaha.

Hope you try this and have some fun! Oh yeah....ingredients 1 tablespoon baking soda, 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1/4 cup of hot water, 1 square if toilet paper to wrap the baking soda in and twist it into a small pouch and last a  sandwich bag with a seal top.

How to make cascarones or confetti eggs for Easter

Easter is Sunday and I am looking forward to seeing my family and celebrating.

The kids are  so excited to crush confetti eggs on one another.....so I figured I would do a real quick video on how to make these fun eggs.

How to make confetti eggs or cascarones

Jello cookies- Great for Valentines Day

 

Jello Cookies

I don't know what genius thought this up....but I am so happy they did. I mean, talk about thinking outside the Jello box!!! Well, turns out I have been thinking of  Jello as a delicious one trick pony....BUT IT SO ISN'T!!! Oh friends, we have sadly been underutilizing this delicious little power house. According to the smart ladies over in the Pinterest world, it can be added to icing and it will add flavor and color, same for cakes. MIND BLOWN!!!!

Things you will need for this fun little batch.

1 3/4 cups of flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 6 oz package of your favorite flavor of Jello
3/4 cup of softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Begin by creaming butter and sugar together, once light and fluffy add the egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, add the Jello, flour, and baking soda. Mix well. Now slowly begin to add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in small amounts, until all the dry ingredients are well incorporated. Chill dough for 30 minutes- 1hr.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 7 minutes.

Look at how vibrantly colored the dough is....and the smell seriously makes your mouth water.

This is how lazy I am today folks.....didn't even remove the scraps. It was like coloring inside the cookie cutter lines with sugar and pretty little heart shaped sprahnkles.....suh fun....purrrrdy!

End result is a soft, chewy cookie, that is very flavorful with an interesting.....tanginess? Very interesting and DELICIOUS! TRY IT! Let me know what you think and what flavor you make.

Fake snow, REAL mess and real fun!

So what did you to for New Years Eve? Well normally we have a major family party and tear it up on the dance floor busting out all of our fancy dance moves! LOL! We make a night of it. We wake up eyes blood shot and recalling the previous evenings shenanigans and all make breakfast and it is tons of fun! Been doin it for years!!! This year was the first year in I can't remember how long that we didn't. So because I knew the kids were so sad that we weren't going to see all the cousins, I decided we would do some activities. We were gonna make fake snow and this gloop and we played bingo forever! There were fights about who was going to call the bingo numbers....ahhh the joys of family. We rented Turbo.....but the kids had the MOST fun with the fake snow and using their toys from the movie Frozen.

Here is a video to show you how easy it is to make!!!

Now, I had never made fake snow, so I was sooooo clueless as to the mess that would ensue! Oh, but the kids had so much fun and it kept them occupied for so long! So the truth of the matter is that I was "lucky" enough to have escaped clean up for this disaster because I ended up in the ER. So yeah, the olders had to clean up the youngers disaster, and I learned the valuable lesson that this is an outdoor activity.

Witness the mess, but the smile! Baking soda was everywhere.....I cannot say that enough. Here is the super cool thing!!! ONLY TAKES 2 INGERDIENTS AND YOU MOST LIKELY ALREADY HAVE THEM! Conditioner, preferable a white one to keep it looking like, ya know....snow. We just used a cheap bottle of coconut Suave, and it smelled delish! You need 3 cups of baking soda and 1/2 cup of conditioner, mix until all the baking soda is moistened with the conditioner and then have a go at making some "snow balls".

Look at how real the "snow" looks! Pretty cool huh!

HAVE FUN!!

Gallbladder removal and journey (not the band...sorry :()

Gallbladder and Hypothyroidism. Did you know that these issues are related? Neither did I. The most annoying thing that I have heard in the past week is, "Oh, your GI should have caught this gallstone issue a long time ago." My surgeon isn't annoying...the fact that this was "missed" for so long is annoying...ya feel me? I then tell my surgeon how I TOLD my GI I believed I had gallstones, (thank you Web MD) to which the pompous, arrogant jerk replied adamantly and repeatedly, "No, I am confident in my diagnosis and you have IBS." I was asking him to do a gallbladder ultrasound and if he wouldn't do that, to at least give me something for the painful attacks I was having. He said no and no. He was so dismissive. Not open to anything I was even telling him. That was the last conversation I ever had with THAT JERK....which in my mind to be honest is the NOT the name I use for him. Yeah, when I think of him, I am dressed like a Ninja underneath my sneaky white lab coat (like a Dr.), spitting out foul language and hurling small sharp, shiny objects into his abdominal cavity and the empty cavernous hole that for most humans houses a beating heart and he is like "Hey, it hurts when you throw razor sharp gadgets into my soft belly and chest area, and I say, "Oh, no, no, no, don't mind that, its a simple bout if IBS." Muahahahaha. Ahahahaha.....you know just like Vincent Price laughs at the end of Thriller. It did cross my mind to lay my putrid, dysfunctional, stone and bile filled gallbladder  in his bed sheets......(Yeah, you know, like in the Godfather....with the horse head? Funny? No?) Ok, not really, but for sure, the foul language starts to flow....anger...yeah there is quite a bit of anger. I started having these "attacks" several years ago and had no idea what they were. As I searched the wondrous Internet, I came across the gallstone diagnosis. I learned how diet can affect this issue and so I was careful to eat fatty foots sparingly. I did notice that it wasn't always fatty foods that spurred the attacks. I had more attacks. I spoke to a friend and fellow blogger and she told me she was going to do a liver cleanse. She gave me the info, I did it. For sure it wasn't the most pleasant 3 days of my life. Oh and as a gift of completing the liver cleanse/flush, I ended up with a migraine. Oh, my body is so sweet. NOT! I had to drink down this horrible Epsom Salts and water solution for a few days at certain times of the day while fasting and on the third day, you drink an Olive oil and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice solution. Google it, search YouTube, you will find loads of information on this. To put this in Layman's term, horrible tasting water solution goes in, horrible water solution comes out....yes water. I should have just slept in the bathroom. When it came time to drink oil, I had to think of it like salad dressing. That was actually the easy part. Anyways, like I said, you can find lots of info on this through your own searches and as always, I am simply sharing my experience with you, I am not suggesting you  do this without talking to your Dr.. So yeah, not a fun time, not for the weak and guess what?! I WENT THROUGH ALL THAT NONSENSE and later when I asked my regular Dr. to do the gallbladder ultrasound, which she so graciously agreed to, I found out that those pesky suckers were not moved by my attempt to eliminate them. So, for me.....that gallbladder/liver flush didn't work. After I got my ultrasound results, I met with a surgeon and went home and did some searching. There were people who said it could be controlled by diet and others who had it removed and told me of the icky bile dumping side effects,(that's a fun google search too!) which was a MAJOR, MAJOR concern of mine. After I had my surgery date,  I backed out and proceeded on a way more healthy diet. I did good, then the Holidays hit.....cue the creepy slasher movie music ala Mike Myers and then bam, New Years day....OMG! The gallbladder attack pain is like child birth....it's the only thing that I can liken it to. I have had 4 babies, 4 C~sections. With the birth of my first child, I tried to be all strong Mama and refused the epidural. Hours later and 4 hrs plus of PUSHING ALONE (that means minus active labor), I was on the operating room table, I couldn't really say no. So the gallbladder attack pain was bad, severe! The first few gallbladder attacks, I suffered through, pain, chills, sweating...I am surprised they didn't find me like Elvis on the bathroom floor (minus the drug use). After a few of those episodes, I thought....hmmmm, it might be wise to go to the ER so that they DON'T find me like Elvis. Anyways, with diet I was able to stay out of the ER for quite a while. Dun dun dun....

So New Years Eve I ended up in the ER...can't say I missed it. I was a big tough girl, or so I like to tell myself. I will say though that there were a few tears that HAVE made it down the side of my face simply because I at times feel betrayed by my body. How can it be such a horrible sport? OK, whatever, I just always try to remind myself that I have so many blessings.....so, I will not go there. So, another ultrasound was performed and "Helllloww"  stones (remember that episode of Seinfeld where Jerry doesn't wanna give up the voice? Classic!) nice to confirm your existence once more, as if your manifestation of excruciating pain were not enough to convince me of your continued undesired existence. My bile duct was hovering in the realm of normal to not normal. So I was sent home. I ate applesauce for 3 days and a Red Vine which almost sent me back to the ER begging for help!

At my preop, I met my surgeon who totally treated me like a human. Aye Dio mio!!! Seriously, he shook my hand, gave me eye contact, listened to me and calmed my concerns for bile dumping. He EVEN stepped outside to answer a call regarding a Dr. apt for his own children. I found that very endearing. He went so far as to tell me that if I called the next morning and said I didn't want to do it, that he wouldn't be mad in the least. It was my decision. He did make it clear, I would have more attacks. Boo. He said what he did differently than other surgeons was inject this dye into the duct to see if there were any stones in the duct and if there were, he would have to refer me to the GI, I would have to stay the night and have another procedure done. Surgery day, I was nervous. I made sure to tell my surgeon thanks for treating me like a human during my preop and for listening to me AND for not just sitting there and taking notes. I told him this, literally on the verge of the "ugly" cry. Lol, wish I could have blamed it on the drugs, but sadly....I cannot. What can I say, the medical community doesn't seem too kind lately. Ladies and gents, I chose the rockstar of surgeons and he saw those stones in my bile duct and removed those unwanted suckas his self.....booyah! And saved me some monay!!! Oh yeah....happy dance.

See the curious looking infinity sign drawn on my bandage? That wasn't me! What goes on in those OR rooms......hmmmm, makes ya wonder! Maybe they were watching Toy Story? To infinity and beyond!

These are the steri strips I am waiting for them to fall off. There are also 2 other curious looking pokes that are in my belly above and below that one incision in the middle. What happened there????

I need better lighting, the beautiful purple color and all its majesty cannot be fully appreciated.

Suh puhrtttyyy! I love purple, its my favorite color. I normally wear it in clothes, but on my skin for over a week? AWESOME!

Me and my family BEFORE I went under.

That my amigos is my gallbladder removal story in a huge Monsanto sized genetically engineered nutshell....hehehehe.

And might I just go ahead and quote Journey.....Don't stop believin'!!!!!

There are good Dr.'s out there and on this day, God blessed me by putting this one in my path!

Going back to work

So, I have gone back to work. It wasn't a fun decision to make since I have been home with my kiddos for several years now and LOVE it. I tried putting off going back to work for as long as utterly possible, for the simple fact that I have been dealing with this hypothyroidism. I wish I could be like, I take my pill and it is magic....ALL BETTER! As I have mentioned before, for some people that have this, taking the pill is the magic that repairs everything. I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE LUCKY PEOPLE. Turns out untreated, it causes anemia (for which I had a blood transfusion) severe stomach issues for which I have been to the emergency multiple times. I can say that those issues are gone! YAY! Okay, wait....not completely gone. I mean it just hasn't been bad enough to send me to the hospital....but, hahaha, THAT IS AN IMPROVEMENT. No more paleness and looking like my body has been drained by a vampire.....hoorah! Gone is the bone shivering cold I used to feel in the middle of summer. I can actually MOVE! I can have a day where I clean my house! As much as I HATE, DESPISE, LOATH, DETEST....(uh, you get the pic?) cleaning....I have the energy to do it sometimes. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love for my house to be clean! Love it, love it, love it! Makes me feel GRRRRRREAT for the few seconds it is clean! I can't think right, when it's dirty. I am in a bad mood, if it's dirty. I snap at people, when it's dirty. But don't be all thinking that it is clean all the time. See, I am one person in this 6 person army and the subordinates (is it wrong to include my hubby in the subordinates....hehehe...okay, fine, he is an equal...you guys are no fun. Hahahaha.) do not share my love for a clean abode. I mean, I think they like it to be clean, but don't want to do the work. I understand, I mean there are so many other fun things to do with your time.......say like sitting on the couch like a lump on a log scrolling through Netflix trying to find yet another show that has 5 season worth of espisodes THAT YOU NEED to watch NOW! Yeah, there are important things that can be done with "cleaning time". (Is that where the period goes?) Does anyone know where I can take Freshman English? As you can tell, not enough attention was paid by yours truly during that time of my vida. MAYBE I can just show up and sit by my daughter in her class....THAT WOULD BE FUN! NOT! Ugh, who wants to go back to high school...not me! So for now you shall be perturbed by my misuse of the English language and its mechanics. Anyhoooo, oh yeah....so cleaning, like the end result...hate the process. Oh yeah, I have a new lovely symptom from this hypothyroidism that has been disrupting what should be a peaceful life....JOINT PAIN. OMG, it is so bad. I have never experienced this so severely in my life until several months ago. I was like and old arthritic dog begging to be put out of my misery. The Dr.'s gave me pain meds that didn't help! It is so funny, they gave me this medicine and it was a topical ointment......DIDN'T HELP WORTH A DAMN! However when the hubby hurt his back and used it, took him OUT! He was asleep well over half the day. So, I am 106 lbs and he is over 250....what is wrong with this picture??? So yeah, I have been in pain. WHAT DOES THIS have to do with work? Well, let me share.......see, I got this job thang, where like they give you money for walking......basically...hahaha. No really, it is called picking. Ever done it before? No? Well, for the average person, it is kinda cool. You get your fitness on WHILE at work and COULD IT GET ANY SIMPLER THAN WALKING? DO NOT BE FOOLED PEOPLE! This job is BUHRUTAHL!!!!!! (that means brutal with lots of dramatic intonation.) They (the boss man/lady) are all like, this is like, such a fun playyyce to work! WHERE IS THE FUN??? Because after my shift and during, I must take body numbing medications to make this body fit for mobility. Walking 9 hrs a day....solid. Sounds like a breeze. Talk to my feet. I am talking like 9.5 hrs NO sitting, this is not a joke or an over exaggeration. I could probably walk to L.A. I would be a great hunter gatherer cave woman with these walking skills....lol. My body is BARELY starting to adjust, (or is that the meds.....dunno...lol.) I get home and I am WIPED! BUT, BUT, BUT...........wait there is a reason why I haven't thrown in the towel just yet. See, while I have worked in offices wearing suits and talking to the major decision makers for some great companies, I worked 5 days a week. I had to beg for time off. One time, I didn't get to see my baby girl on her first day of Kinder. I know....boo hoo, there are many Mommies out there that don't get to see these milestones. I was so used to doing that....wahhh. In this job however it is very flexible in terms of days off and there are even days where they are like hey, you want tomorrow off? Hellz yeah, that is what I scream in my head! I have 3 days off and I LOOOOOVE THAT! I am trying to hang in there, I really am. Plus, I kinda thought that by getting a job where I was moving all the time, that my body would have to surrender and be like, get over it joints, she wins. These joints are putting up a hell of a fight I gotta say, but I am giving them the finger with the meds. So who is winning now? Really, I don't know hahaha. Oh well, so that is the situation for now. I am writing this on my day off, sitting in my bed, still in my jammies and still having pain even though there is no amount of walking that shall be done today.....well, for now anyways, because I hear Costco calling my name, I hear pecans (for pecan pies)and massive pounds of cheese (for mashed potatoes)and random samples of food....should I answer their call?