Nibbles & Bits from Debbie

Nibbles & Bits  November 2011    

The best part of the season starts NOW!!  A cornucopia of color, food, festivity, and family fun! Danish Creamery Butter sort of fun!  Could you eat a stick of butter too?  I know….I’ve had such a butter fetish lately…..it’s been my undoing!!!  I’ve even been thinking back when I was a kid spending the night at my best friend’s house and her Mom made us these crispy English Muffins that were drenched in pools of butter!!!  I’m not a fan of asparagus but when our friends had us over for dinner and she served those little trees in a shimmering lake of hot butter, I quickly developed my taste!!  I think with ENOUGH BUTTER, I could even choke down a lima bean.  Maybe.  Clearly, butter is the darling of the culinary world!!  It goes with everything from sweet to savory, fruit to vegetable, and is critical to crème brulee, croissants, and cheesy, eggy, buttery casserole!! There’s butter lettuce, butternut squash, butter cake, butter brickle, hot buttered buns and Butterball turkeys for heaven’s sake!!!!  Butter is taking over the world.  Onions sauté in it, marshmallows dunk and swirl in it, and chocolate bits dance with it….a drizzling, beguiling bed of BUTTER!!!  OH MY!!!

When I was watching every bite and counting every point, I DID keep butter at bay, and in its place, I used the 0 points plus Butter Spray, a handy helper in my condiment tool box.  I even kept a bottle in my purse for restaurant and movie theater use!!  There are THREE things I’ve noticed lately as the ring around my middle feels a bit plumpier:   1. I’ve given into my butter cravings,  2.  I’ve gotten haphazard about my morning walks and, 3.  I’ve been snacking on candy, crackers and cookies instead of FRUIT!!!   A triple threat!!  I had been SO GOOD FOR SO LONG!!!  And then I gave myself a hall pass!!  Bad idea!  Hello butter spray! Let’s hit the pavement!!  And put a padlock on the candy drawer!!!  Sometimes you just gotta go COLD TURKEY on these things!  The holiday season REALLY is upon us now and I DON’T want to be looking like a goofy Oompa Loompa!!  Those bad habits I’ve allowed to creep back in need to be kersquashed!!  Holy Calazone to that!!  I need to exercise some RESTRAINT, get MORE EXERCISE, and knock off the sweets!!!  Other than that…..I’m good to go!

I’ll be making our family’s favorite this year.  I call it Amish Style Thanksgiving.  The turkey and gravy simmer together in a crock pot, so we don’t have to do the pomp and circumstance dance of worrying about everything coming out together at the last minute.  I’d rather be at Disneyland gnawing on their seasonal giant turkey leg and a chimichanga, but I WILL be at home in the kitchen basking in the glow of family, dogs, and football games because some things you do for love…with a grateful heart…and a generous pat of butter!

Lovingly prepared by your friend in food, Debbie Ness, Weight Watchers Receptionist