Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Giving thanks...

It's almost 1 am. I'm stuffed. But still on a bit of a sugar high. And the caffeine from all those coffees... It can only mean one thing. It's Thanksgiving!


We had a lovely dinner at the in-laws. A nice turkey with all the trimmings and then some. For desert, a little something something I made and brought along: pumpkin cheesecake with whipped cream, caramel and pecans. Actually, my heart is beating faster just remembering. It was delicious. Super impressive looking (don't you love that?) and honest to goodness, probably the simplest cake I ever made! Thank you Kraft Canada, cream cheese, canned pumpkin, pre- crushed graham crackers, cool whip and caramel sauce in an easy squeeze container ;0) Would you believe that this one took less than 30 minutes of active time to make? And it was such a hit everyone thought it was better than pumpkin pie. I know you want to know how to make it so here's the recipe ;0)


Now this was the second day of eating debauchery because yesterday we gave thanks for my sister's cookery skills! She made a traditional "ragout de patte de cochon" which translates literally as pig paw stew. Sounds freaky, I know. In actuality, though, totally freaky good! Let's just say we all ate very well and then for desert, I brought a little something something there too... Apple cheesecake! Also from Kraft Canada (love that site!). I modified the recipe a tad by adding a layer of caramel sauce under the cheesy goodness for extra decadence. A total hit also. You can get the recipe here ;0)

Would this be a bad time to mention that I joined Weight Watchers? I did, like way back at the end of August but I've been such a blogging slacker that I hadn't gotten around to telling you about it yet. I nearly fell off my chair when I found out just how far out range I was for my height and how much I need to lose. I guess I'm one of those lucky people who think they look better than they actually do, heehee! It's true though, sometimes I catch a glimpse of myself in a shop window and think, that chubby lady looks familiar and then realise it's me! Anywho, I'm actually enjoying the WW plan. It's simple. It works. I'm optimistic ;0)

This weekend though...total right off! It's all soup and egg substitute frittata for the rest of the week to make up for it. Good thing I enjoy those too!

Okay, okay! I know some of you are wondering about the knitting and the peace sweater... but sadly, I got nothin'! Not because I haven't been working on either. It's just that it's all become very complicated and I want to do it right. My original plan was to charge for the pattern and then write a check to Doctor's Without Borders (aka Knitters Without Borders) but when I mentioned this to my father in law he was really worried about the tax implications for me and I just can't afford the liability so I've contacted the fundraising people for the organisation about the best way to make sure they get all the money and that I don't have a personal income tax nightmare on my hands and am waiting to hear back...

I'd also like to host the pattern on my own site and it turns out that's a lot of work too ;0)

But I've set a cold hard date for the launch: November 1st!

I hope you'll bear with me and stay tuned...

Cheers!

17 comments:

  1. YUM! That all looks so good! I'm glad you had a nice Thanksgiving feast. I did WW about 7 years ago, lost 20 lbs and kept it off. I can't say enough about the program. I hope it works for you! Are you still nursing? I was always jealous of the points that nursing moms got to eat!!!

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  2. Anonymous9:56 a.m.

    Wow! Both desserts look totally yummy!

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  3. Thanks for the recipe links! I'll bet even a reluctant cook like myself can make those.

    Good luck with the Weight Watchers--and strength for the holiday season all all its edible goodies.

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  4. Oh my goodness, those cheesecakes look fantastic! I am going to make the pumpkin ones for our Thanksgiving feast here!
    That's great about WW. I have done it, numerous times (I keep getting pregnant!) and it works. Good on you Anny! ;)

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  5. those deserts look AWESOME - I printed out the recipes to try since we'll be hosting Thanksgiving at our house for the first time this year - AHK! :) Good for you on the WW thing - I lost 37 lbs. last time I was focused (of course, when I stopped doing it, I gained 1/2 of that back). I'm back on the program though too - GOOD LUCK!!! :)

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  6. De-lurking here to say that I will wait, though anxiously, for the peace patterns. I'm so impressed with the lengths you're going to just to make sure the money gets to the right place etc. Fabulous. And the sweater and hat look amazing. And the desserts. And, oh yeah, I'm supposed to be losing weight too but keep baking. . . argh. :)

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  7. Oooo, yummy desserts. I too catch glimpses of myself like that, and think something similar ;) Oh, well I don't think I'm committed enough to WW yet LOL. Good luck with all the technical stuff with your peace sweater pattern.

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  8. Anonymous10:52 p.m.

    Best of luck with Weight Watchers - I joined three months ago and have lost 22.6 (it's important to add that .6!) pounds. I really think it is the best diet plan out there - they teach you how to eat - not just tell you not to eat!

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  9. Staying tuned! Definitely! And I've bookmarked this post for later consumption, I mean, perusal. Yum.

    I need Weight Watchers too, dammit. Go you.

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  10. forgive me for my possibly ignorant question...but what is the story behind Canadian Thanksgiving? We (my american co-workers and I) noticed the holiday on our calender and were a bit confused.

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  11. Those desserts look delicious. I did WW (online version) last year and I loved it. I will be back on it after I give birth this year.

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  12. Anonymous12:57 p.m.

    I've got the Kraft Canada website bookmarked- I use it several times a week. I don't mind cooking, I just hate decision-making.

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  13. I will be visiting the Kraft web site for sure! Yummy! And congratulations for all your nice knits! It is always a pleasure for the eyes! I'm tagging you for an "8 Random Things" meme. You can find the rules and my own answers on my blog. Hope you'll play along! If not, no trouble, I'm tagging you because I really enjoy visiting your blog regularly.

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  14. Those recipes are decadent! My waistline doesn't thank you, but I do! I forget...are you still nursing? I was looking into an "organized" weight loss regime and had actually stopped by a Herbal Magic store but their program isn't allowed for nursing moms because of the herbs. I remember doing weight watchers years ago...is it still the same? (Weekly meetings where you get weighed, paying weekly, etc)

    By the way, I don't remember if I posted then, because I'm really behind in catching up on my blog reading, but the buddy bags are beautiful and I really hope you do well in selling the pattern!

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  15. Anonymous2:16 p.m.

    hi anny, just wanted to say how much i enjoy checking in on your blogging!i love to see how your boys grow and i am looking forward to more info on your peace sweater.

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  16. amde a pumpkin cheesecake, too- but I used crushed gingersnaps for the crumbs in the crust- let me tell you-DELICIOUS!!!!! (I just put the gingersnaps in my food processor-turned them into crumbs PDQ)

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