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Seriously Yummy Simple Desserts

One of my nieces can cook but rarely does.  The other one loves to cook.  For this past Labor Day celebration, Bethany made one of these desserts and told her sister how to make the other.  I was a very good girl and didn't have any, but the recipes look delicious, and Jack assured me they were. 

The rat.

Anyway, I give you Bethany's recipes:

4-LAYER DESSERT

First Layer
1 C flour
1 C chopped pecans
1 stick butter, melted

Mix together and press flat on bottom of pan.  Bake at 350 until golden brown.

Second Layer
1 C confectioner's sugar
1 small container Cool Whip
12 oz cream cheese, softened

Mix on medium to high speed.  When crust cools, spread this layer on top of crust.

Third Layer
2 boxes instant chocolate pudding

Mix as directed on box and spread on top of white mixture (2nd layer).

Fourth Layer
Top with another small container Cool Whip and sprinkle with more pecan pieces.

Now, my sister-in-law said she's made this, using instant lemon pudding instead of chocolate, and coconut instead of pecans on top.  This version sounds equally tasty to me.


CHOCOLATE CHIP PIE

1 Graham cracker pie crust
1 pkg Chips Ahoy cookies
1 C milk
1 container Cool Whip

Dip cookies in milk and layer evenly over pie crust. Cover with layer of Cool Whip.  Continue with layers of milk-soaked cookies and Cool Whip to desired depth.  Crumble several dry cookies and sprinkle on top.

Could this one get any easier?

Sorry I didn't take pictures of the desserts, but I was having serious cravings and couldn't trust myself to focus on them. You'll just have to use your imaginations.

Maybe I'll make the easy one and take it to work one night...like when I have a stomach flu or something.

Labor Day Fun

Jack and I headed down to Alabama this weekend to see family--some of whom I've never laid eyes on, and some I haven't seen in 10 years or more.  It was fantastic!

We couldn't all get together at the same time, which is probably a good thing, but we got to see all my nieces, nephews, in-laws and out-laws, grandnephews and my grandniece.

Here are some of my favorite pics from the weekend:

(This one's for you, Audrey!)

(The water was only 73 degrees, but we were all crazy enough to go in with our clothes on!)

(Well, not ALL of us.  Some had good sense.)

There was a ton of food; we are Southerners after all. Got a couple of super simple, yummy dessert recipes from a niece.  At least, I heard they were yummy.  I didn't try any myself but dang it, I sure wanted to. Don't know if I can adapt them, but I'm hoping so.  We got back this evening and I'm too tired to hunt them up right now, so I'll post them later in the week.

Hope you all had at least half as good a time as I did!

Smooching Babies

I've been smooching babies--back with pictures and a couple of recipes on Tues--maybe Wed.

Wednesday Weigh-In

 Remember when I had my stress echocardiogram in March of last year? All those resolves I had to lose weight, attain better lab results?

Well, somewhere along the way I've strayed.  Mightily.  Chalk it up to whatever, but they are only excuses, not good reasons. My doctor has only been prescribing a month's worth of anti-cholesterol tabs at a time, as this is his way of blackmailing me to come in, so I caved and went and had my labs drawn.

Yesterday was my appointment to go over the results with him.

They were awful.

I had a suspicion they would be; after all, I reached my highest weight ever about 3 weeks ago. I have been so uncomfortable, huffing and puffing at the least bit of exertion, almost unable to tie my shoes.  It was disgusting and disheartening.  The South Beach Diet worked for me before, but I kept putting it off, dreading doing without simple carbs for 2 weeks. Who really wants to give up ice cream, baked potatoes, bread, and those yummy Reese's cups?

But something clicked in my head.  Enough.  I scheduled the labwork, started the diet, and bit the bullet. It hasn't been easy.  The first two days I felt awful, headachey, irritable and overwhelmed. Jack is trying to be supportive, but he's a white bread, sweets after supper, meat and potatoes kind of guy. Some nights I end up cooking different dishes for each of us, and there have been a couple of off-days spent cooking to have things ready to take to work. I really don't like to cook.  I just like to eat.

But the good part is, I've lost 12 lbs already!  Although I haven't dropped a size yet, my clothes are not so constricting, and I haven't had to buy the next size up, thank goodness.  My center of gravity has changed, too, making me feel lighter and more energetic. Another few pounds and I will start an exercise program.  My knees have been taking the brunt of the weight, and the left one has really been bothering me, so I need to lose just a little more so it can tolerate long walks.

My doc and I have set a date in December to recheck my labwork.  Hopefully I will be able to come off the diabetic medication he started me on yesterday. I hated to start it, but it's time to swallow my pride and accept that I need help--from several sources.
To that end, I've also joined Stephanie's Wednesday Weigh-In to hold myself accountable. Her blog is A Ditchin' Time Quilts and she's had this group going for over 3 months now. The group loss should exceed 200 lbs sometime today! Check it out, and it's not too late to join up with us, if you're facing the same challenges. There's comfort in numbers, you know. Well, numbers of people, not numbers of pounds.

And if you're interested in the South Beach Diet, besides the official website, there's a blogger who has been developing some really yummy-sounding recipes after losing 42 lbs on the diet. Her site is Kalyn's Kitchen, and I plan to spend some more time browsing her blog. Her recipes are a bit more down-to-earth than the South Beach folks'.

So, anyway, every Wed. I'll have a brief post about my progress.  This is your advance warning, in case you want to skip it!