2 Sense And Change

Gobbler Blues

2009-02-15T19:47:00.000-08:00

Okay, so all I see all over the Internet is ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers. You would think it were a national crisis. Honestly, there is more suggestions for solving the turkey dilemma, than there is for the energy crisis! If only there were as much interest in some of our more serious issues, we’d have it licked!

Anyway, I digress. There is a solution to the rescue. In my household, I am required to lay out the full on traditional Thanksgiving feast. (And I love almost every minute of it). Right up until it’s time to clear the table and fit all the remnants left by those ‘big eyes and little tummies’. Who needs table and chair party rentals? I need to rent a flippin’ 2nd fridge! So, a couple years ago I tried a different approach.

Now instead of spending my entire Turkey day in the kitchen, I prepare our basic dinner the night before. Just our immediate family sits down together for an honest-to-goodness family dinner. The 25 lb “big boy” is replaced instead with a 15 pound-er. Very manageable to deal with and much quicker cooking.

So, what happens on the real Thanksgiving Day? I take all the leftovers out, freshen and warm them and add another easy entree, like ham or prime rib or a salmon. The size here again is the shortcut key. Then I add a few fun and tasty appetizers. In a snap, I’m able to lay out this buffet spread for all our visitors simply graze as we visit and catch up.

If you didn’t notice, we are on day 2 and there are no complaints. By the end of Thanksgiving day, there is barely one nights worth of leftovers. But now, you have a smorgasbord of choices to keep it interesting.

By the time Christmas time rolls around, everyone is ready for turkey again. But you know, they expect all the other goodies, too. I really don’t mind. It gives me a chance to play with new appetizers and desserts.

Although, Thanksgiving is past (except for the leftovers), give this a go for Christmas and see what you come up with. Your family may grumble a bit when you change up the schedule. But they secretly want a bit of change. You aren’t completely tossing all your traditions; you’re just spicin’ it up a bit. You will be surprised at the creative juices that start flowing. Just by carving out a little more time for yourself, instead of so much turkey, your family will definitely enjoy us as well as your food!

Deceive Yourself & Win!

2008-12-27T13:12:00.000-08:00

In keeping with the season, I wanted to post on the subject of New Years' Resolutions. Undoubtedly, not a favorite among many I speak to, including yours truly. There are a number of ways in which to deal with the matter.

1. Deny-Ignore it and it will go away. Treat it as a non-issue.
(Self explanatory-not recommended. The guilt gets you one way or the other.)
2. Demean the resolution-Make the resolution so simple it will be impossible to break.
(Also, not recommended for obvious reasons.)
3. Devise a plan-Establish a resolution with increment, attainable steps built in to insure your success. Highly recommended, but how organized an individual are you?
4. Deceive yourself-Declare a resolution which is a reward with a resulting positive effect of another sort. (The pick of the litter!)
By way of explanation why No. 4 rocks, I'll give you a for instance.
For instance, you want to lose weight, a favorite for New Years' Resolutions, but one of the hardest to accomplish. Why is it so hard? Because you make it hard! If it is so hard, then you can hardly be held responsible for not accomplishing your goal? You bet. Before you stick your nose in the air, oh holier than thou, let me just point out, you have already deceived yourself into not sticking to your resolution. So, why not let the deceit work in your favor?
In other words, don't reward yourself for sticking to your resolution. Start with the reward as the goal and accomplish your goal as a matter of fact.
You've done this before, and already know how hard it is.
To accomplish the ultimate goal of weight loss, simply institute a resolution to do something nice for yourself this year, like a vacation to the Caribbean. Save your money to put in a 'trip kitty'. And hey, one way to save money is to take your lunch to work. It's much more cost effective to put together something from your leftovers than to buy lunch out. As well, you could make some smart diet choices to skimp on the calories as well as your pocket book. Because you know you'll want to look dynamite on the beach when you take your trip.
So, every time you feel like eating that Big Mac & Fries, take a break and go into the restroom, stand in front of the mirror and look over those areas you want to re-sculpt. The difference is you can make that choice feeling empowered, instead of impoverished!
By the end of the year, your trip kitty is swollen and your waistline has shrunk! Now don't you feel cheated and deceived? Who cares, you're lying on beach in a stunning bikini, showing off your stunning New Years' resolution! Success is sweet.

PS-One tip on the lunch thing whether it's your resolution or not. I take lunch 4 days a week and eat out once. My menu choice on the 4 days I take lunch is chicken and salad. Yes. All 4 days. One day I take left over roasted chicken and a side of green salad. The next day I take homemade chicken salad (made from my leftover roasted chicken. The 3rd day, I make myself a Cobb salad, you guessed it... made from my leftover grilled chicken. Day 4, maybe homemade chicken soup. Then on Day 5 I splurge and eat out. I go to Pollo Loco and get a Pollo Caesar Salad!

Not About Gay

2008-12-10T18:39:00.000-08:00

For my first post, I had a tug-a-war with my topics. Being fairly new to the blogging world, I thought I might test the waters slowly. It certainly was not my intention to blast off waxing controversial. But oh well, what the hell. Today with 'Day without a Gay' making the news, the choice was clear. Setting aside the question of whether it had a positive effect on the issue, I'm still mystified that so many people don't understand it. Gayness is there in the middle of the argument,and continues to overshadow the real issue, equal rights.
I read another post (not here), and paraphrasing she stated, she could not understand why "gays" would want the same kind of marriage she has, when they could simply have a civil union or life partner union...that 'gays' should be grateful to live in a free society like America.
She and other Prop 8 proponents don't seem to grasp the larger picture. This movement is protecting all our equal rights, including hers. It guarantees anyone the right to marry the one they love. It is not about negating her right to marry heterosexually.
Mightily obvious to this blogger, is she has no concept or appreciation for the free society she enjoys. All those who support and voted in favor of Prop 8 engaged in anti-American activity. Yes, that's exactly what I said.
As, I pointed out and will state again here, that Prop 8 illegally stripped individuals of the right to marry whom they choose, and is a step towards wiping out our constitution rights. It's about propagating intolerance, hate, ignorance and prejudice.
Shall we take another step backwards and strip the rights of interracial couples to marry?
The supporters of the proposition claim the law states marriage is to be between one man and one woman. Who do they think wrote that law? Just as we have realized preventing inter racial marriages was wrong, they should realize their definition of marriage partners was wrong as well.
America's laws are designed to protect the individual while not infringing on the majority. How did Prop 8 serve us to this end? If one commits their love and devotion and solely to another...that my friends is marriage!
And that's my 2 sense and change. Good to be here.