Crazy Cravings! Chocolate Covered Cherries!

Okay, so my pregnancy cravings (combined with quitting smoking, I'm sure) have definitely kicked in and been working overtime...yesterday all I could think about was eating Chocolate Covered Cherries. So I went in search of a recipe to make some from home! Here ya go!

Chocolate Covered Cherries

Submitted by: Meredith Rated: 5 out of 5 by 63 members

Prep Time: 1 Hour

Ready In: 1 Hour Yields: 60 servings

"Maraschino cherries are wrapped in sugar then dipped in chocolate flavored confectioners' coating and chilled."

INGREDIENTS:

60 maraschino cherries with stems 3 tablespoons butter, softened 3 tablespoons corn syrup

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar 1 pound chocolate confectioners' coating

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Drain cherries and set on paper towels to dry.
2.	In a medium bowl, combine butter and corn syrup until smooth. Stir in confectioners' sugar and knead to form a dough. Chill to stiffen if necessary. Wrap each cherry in about 1 teaspoon of dough. Chill until firm.
3.	Melt confectioners' coating in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Dip each cherry in by its stem, and place on waxed paper lined sheets. Chill until completely set. Store in an airtight container in a cool place. Best after 1 or 2 weeks.

Quick and Simple Meal Idea

Monday night we made the infamous Wal*Mart trip to our new local Super Wal*Mart. Yippee...now rather than cruising aisles for an hour stocking up on household necessities and "must haves" and weeding out the "want to haves", you can spend TWO HOURS doing the same thing, now that the grocery department is open. Oh joy. LOL No, but really. The bargains are great, as always with Wal*Mart. They carry a HUGE selection. However, by the time we'd strolled from the back of the grocery department (where, idiotically enough) the frozen foods are located (ie, ice cream) through the meats and produce section, our guilty pleasure (said ice cream) was more like melted mush cream....ugh.

So, arriving home two hours later, stocked up on all kinds of goodies from a rice cooker to cat litter we decided that we were way too tired to attempt to cook dinner. Even after planning out 4-5 meals and purchasing the goods for them.

Finally, about 8:30pm (2030, Mel time!) we sucked it up and decided to cook. We were tired, cranky, and HUNGRY! We settled on Biscuits and Gravy---something that I'd been craving for a couple of days now. Funny, considering that the first time I'd ever even HAD biscuits and gravy was some two months ago.

15 minutes later, we were eating!! I am not kidding you, this was one of the easiest, most filling, delicious, and easy to clean up meals I'd made in a while...

So if you get home from work (or Wal*Mart) late, in a hurry to get the kids off to baseball or soccer practice, or just want something satisfying yet simple, here ya go!

Quick and Simple Biscuits and Gravy

1 roll refrigerated Pillsbury Country Style biscuits - (makes 8 biscuits)
1 - package Country Style Gravy mix
1 - package Jimmy Dean sausage

Doyle browned the sausage while I baked the biscuits (14-17 minutes, but they were done at 15) and made the gravy, which took about 5 minutes, max. We garnished it with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light, salt and pepper (hot sauce for Doyle), and served it with corn. =) YUMMY!!!

Oh and the cost of the whole meal? $6.98. And we had two leftover biscuits. Beat that, Denny's!!!

Trivia Tuesday : Dating and The List

So I'm "borrowing" or "recycling" rather, this post from my Blog over at MySpace because I thought it was worth sharing! And since originally posting this, I'm glad to say that I've FOUND someone who meets every item on The List. Wow. Too good to be true?! Well, I certainly hope not, because I'm having his baby!! Now, I think I'm the lucky one!

Dating and The List
Current mood: accomplished

So I've been giving this whole dating thing a lot of thought, mainly because, well---I've never DONE IT. Driving home last night I was listening to KMPS and they were talking about dating. And how long it's been since callers have been on dates. For one 20-year old girl, it was three years. She is married with two kids. Another called in saying it had been 7 years. And another 6 months. Barring Valentine's Day--and last night's dinner with my married friend, Carl--my last date was...a week ago when Doug took me to dinner at Farrelli's. I have been divorced since Jan 17, 2007---but it's been 8 months since I kicked Justin out and all of that time, I've been on three dates. Three REAL dates. Yup. That's it. Now, of course that seems like a lot to the girl who hasn't been on a date in three years. Or the dude who's last date was seven years ago... For me, who has the unfortunate tendancy of jumping into things way, way too quickly---it seems pretty piddley. LOL

My cousin Shaun told me last July/August after Justin moved out---that I needed to take a year "off". No dating. No relationships. Just focus on myself. I didn't listen very well. =( (Sorry, Shaun!)

My counselor has said to date. But to take things s-l-o-w-l-y...and to focus on ME FIRST. Her advice was to not LIVE with anyone until you'd dated them for a year. Wow. I've NEVER done that. LOL

Brooke, Misty, and Doug all said the same thing: date a lot of people, don't get into a relationship right away.

And last night, over dinner with Carl---who I've known for 12 years and at one time considered a surrogate big brother---we discussed this as well and he mentioned that I should take a year off. And that I should make a list of what exactly I was looking for in someone.

Good idea! =) Soooo...with some thought, here's my list!

THE LIST

1. Honesty. Hands down, most important to me. I don't care who you are in my life: husband, boyfriend, friend, family...don't lie to me. I would much rather have the truth anytime, rather than a lie---sugarcoated or not, though I am pretty blunt so am not offended when people are blunt with me. In my "best interest" or not. How can lying ever be in one's "best interest?" Hm. (Mel, you know what I'm talking about!)

2. Trust. Which brings us back to honesty. I HAVE to be able to trust you. I am sometimes too trusting, but I also have a hard time trusting again if I've been burned.

3. Loyalty. Don't cheat. 'Nuff said.

4. Family oriented. Now, I'm not looking for someone who's looking for me to BE their mother---but I'm talking about someone who has a good family base and likes to, well, spend time with their family. =) My family is utmost important in my life, I like to spend time with them (hell, I've worked in the same office as my dad for 9 years now and have lunch with my mom almost every day). I like to spend time with my family--and not just on holiday's or birthday's--but sometimes just because.

5. Friendly/Outgoing. This is a must, because next to family, my friends are most important in my life--some of them are LIKE family to me--I like to spend time with them and if I am doing so, I want someone who won't mind hanging out with my friends as well. Sure, sometime's it will be a 'girls only' thing---that's fine. Go spend time with your friends too. But other times we might all go out---to dinner, bowling, a bar or club, and if you're going to just sit there then it's not going to work for me.

6. Must like cats/dogs. Hellllllooooo...I have four indoor cats, one outdoor cat, and an indoor/outdoor Border Collie dog. No exceptions will be made. Deal with it.

7. Good values/morals. I'm not looking for another drug-addict! Or a cheater. I want someone with a good head on their shoulders, someone who KNOWS right from wrong and isn't constantly making wrong decisions that I have to live with.

8. Good work ethic. My dad is a work-aholic. And has been my whole life. I am used to that. It's fine. What I can't stand is a guy who is constantly calling in sick or worse yet---off work JUST BECAUSE for a long period of time (ie: MONTHS!). If I am working full time, then you can too! =)

9. Decent credit history/amount of debt. Don't laugh. The last few relationships I've been in, have been with people who either A) have bad credit history/bankruptcy, or B) tons and TONS of debt. I am tired of fixing people. I want to find someone who isn't a project!

10. Fun/Conversation. I want to find someone who I can not only have a good time with--and like being around--but someone I can talk to, not at. I like trying new things and am usually up for anything.

11. Gentleman. You know. The guy who opens doors. For once, that would be nice! =)

That's all for now. I do have the right at any time to add/alter The List to whatever I deem necessary! =P

Product Review: New Venus Breeze Razor by Gillette

Okay, so have any of you tried the new Venus Breeze Razor by Gillette? It's the one they've been advertising on TV all day long, you know, with the "built in shaving gel bars." So I was shopping at the local Super Walm*Mart last night and found myself down the shaving cream/razor aisle staring right at the new Venus Breeze...it was $8.97 for the razor, two refill blades, and a case holder thingy...so I decided WHY not?!

Now, first off, this is HUGE for me...I haven't actually used a woman's razor in, well, years. I swear by the Men's Mach 3 by Gillette for a better, closer, nick-free shave. And I am pretty picky when it comes to that!

So this morning I rip open my new Venus Breeze (much like a kid opening presents at Christmas!) all excited to try my new purchase...it even looked really cool with said "shaving gel bars" in purple on top and bottom of the three-blade razor part. I tried it in the shower. Waaalaaaaa...WOW!! It really WAS cool!!! =) No shaving gel needed. Bye bye, Skintimate, hellllooooo Venus Breeze!

And it's perfect for traveling too, you don't need to pack the huge cannister of shaving gel or scramble all over the place looking for the "travel sized" ones...thanks, Gillette!!

Long time, no see! Update and Exciting News!!

Wow, well it's been a few weeks since I've posted anything...but I have good reason for being absent, I swear! As many of you know, I found out on May 4th that I am expecting! Yeah, as in having a baby!! Wow, huh?! I think by now most of you, as well as myself, have overcome THAT unexpected shock! Especially considering how I'd never really planned on having kids. Anyways, back to the basics...um, well, we all know HOW it happened (heh heh *wink, wink*), but apparently I conceived somewhere around the middle of April, which gives us a due date of January 07, 2008. Three weeks after my 29th birthday. A day before my brother's birthday. A week before my best friend's birthday. And two weeks before my dad's birthday! Talk about winter babies running in my family, eh?! =)

So I had my first doctor appointment on May 8th with my new OB for the routine paperwork, initial visit, blood work (bleh, have I told you how much I HATE needles?!!), and first ultra-sound! Yep! I got to actually SEE my baby on my first office visit! How cool! And oh my gosh, if THAT didn't make it totally hit home!!

You've probably noticed the little pregnancy tracker ticker down at the bottom of my Blog so ya'll can share this amazing experience with me, step by step. And I'll be sure to keep ya posted!!