Superbowl wrap up!

NFL Superbowl XLVIII

The biggest Sunday in football is around the corner. If you want to score the MVP (most valuable party) award by serving up a killer menu just serve up some of these favorites!

Mini taco bites!! Superbowl!

Seahawks! Yes folks ...MY TEAM IS IN!!! I couldn't be more excited! IN fact my entire family seems to have gotten into the spirit! Everywhere I go in the Seattle area, I see flags, tee shirts and even houses decorated in the team spirit colors! Yes, WE ARE IN!

Pic 1-My 93 year old Mother holding her Great Grandson (just afew hours old) both in their Seahawk gear! Pic 2- Amy, my daughter in law in the hospital with a custom made hospital gown I made for her the day before and her newborn son, Cooper Owen. Pic 3- My brother Bob with his Great Nephew Cooper!

It's time to get serious! The big game is days away! We need a menu plan, we need recipes....Heck WE NEED A PARTY!!! We're closing in on Super Bowl XLVIII  and Sunday's big showdown between the Denver Broncos and my hometown team, Seattle Seahawks. This game calls for a party filled with plenty of great finger foods, some Cheddar Bay Biscuits and a slow cooker filled with White Chicken Chili. And to keep you away from bags of frozen hot wings and tubs of pre-made dips and salsas, I'm giving you some new recipes and a wrap up on Friday of old favorite's that are perfect dishes for your Super Bowl party fare!!

Skinny Cheddar Biscuits!

Last week end was a huge football weekend for Seattle and I got caught up in the excitement with our local team, the Seahawk's, who as it turns out, are going to another Super Bowl!! Yahoo! We had one more hurdle ahead of us, the seemingly insurmountable San Francisco Forty-niners.

Chicken Soup Skinny!

My figure friendly series is continuing. This soup is amazing! The cheddar biscuit is figure friendly as well!

Rosemary infused Chocolate Chip cookies with a sprinkle of Sea Salt!

My inspiration for this recipe came from a wine tasting/pairing that Wee Bear, TT, Amy, Holly, Nate and our little Madison Lee went to before Christmas. I arranged an afternoon in the Covington Wine Cellar that included a tour with winemaker David Lawson, barrel samples, a flight of four wines and food pairings. On the menu at the cellar was something that really caught my eye......Chocolate Chip Rosemary Cookies. Now, the cookies that Chef Bergstrom made for us, had just a sprinkle of rosemary on the top, but, it got the wheels turning in my head!

JJ's MOCK Fried chicken! Figure Friendly!!

Just in time for Sunday dinner! Run, don't walk to the store and buy these ingredients! This is a "10"!

I love fried chicken, in so many ways....it speaks to my soul, growing up with it every Sunday. However, I cringe at the thought of all that FAT! Thank goodness I have perfected a healthier oven-baked version, with a surprise ingredient, that tastes just as savory and juicy as the indulgent original. The original being "Dot's Sunday Fried Chicken", my Mom's fried chicken. We looked forward to this delicious, succulent fried chicken every Sunday, served with baked potatoes, green beans with bacon and buttermilk biscuits! YUM!
 

Chocolate fudge smoothie! Figure Friendly!

This is amazing and anyone with a chocolate weakness will be satisfied with this delicious smoothie dessert. Everyone that knows me, knows I'm a "Chocoholic"! When I found this recipe on the Dr. Oz website, I thought, this looks like it could be good, my friends............it's amazing!

Easy Ham and bean soup! Figure friendly!

Whenever I bake a ham I always save the bone, because it can be used in soups or stocks to which it adds a lot of flavor. If I don't have time or am not in the mood, I just throw the ham bone in the freezer for later. This soup is so simple and tastes so yummy! Ham and bean soup lends itself beautifully for a ham bone because the longer you simmer the ham bone, the more flavor you get from it and you need to simmer the beans for an hour or two in this soup anyway. You do need a bit of time to let it simmer but it is really worth it! Despite being so simple this has to be one of the best soups around and it is Winter comfort food that will surely satisfy everyone! It is, figure friendly, budget friendly and full of flavor!

Top Healthy Companies 2013

Pilates on the edge of the Grand Canyon!

For employees at these companies, going to the office is hardly the daily grind. From software companies to food service businesses, these workplaces are making the 9-to-5 a happier, healthier place every day. That means providing workers with benefits such as on-site fitness classes, child care centers, healthy subsidized meals, and fun perks like regular happy hours, company retreats, and open, light-filled office spaces. 
 
Each company is listed according to rank, although each size category is a separate division (meaning that #1 in the "huge companies" field is not comparable with the #1 entry in "tiny companies"). While each of the companies described below (and many others that didn't make this list) have exemplary health benefits, they looked for businesses with perks that go truly above and beyond what's expected.

Mandarin Orange Salad! Figure Friendly Series 2014

This is how it looks, frequently! My salad, my lap top and my water!!

I eat a salad almost every day. I grab a big bowl, then toss in whatever ingredients I have on hand. It might be chicken, left over steak, miscellaneous greens, green onions, beets, radishes, shredded cabbage, toasted nuts, cherry tomatoes, crumbled cheese, and so forth – whatever I have on hand. (But I hold the alfalfa sprouts; does anyone really like those?) I make a simple dressing in a measuring cup or salad dressing carafe and I am set.