Weight Loss Wednesday -- Fighting Fat After Forty

I am so excited to report that I have lost 5 (five!) pounds since I last posted on my weight loss/gain/loss journey! Those are 5 pounds that I hope to never see again!

I like the way Dr. Pam Peeke refers to losing weight -- she says that when you lose something, you hope to find it again; therefore, she prefers the term removing weight!

Speaking of Dr. Pam Peeke, I really like her books on weight loss and fitness. One of my favorites is Fight Fat After Forty. In this book, Dr. Peeke contends that 21st-century living seems programmed to make us fat. We squeeze every minute out of each day trying to accomplish all our goals and fulfill our many commitments, while constantly worrying that we are missing the mark. This kind of lifestyle produces stress, which can be "toxic" to our bodies.

Not only that, but the brain chemicals (such as cortisol) which are released to help our bodies handle the physical stress are powerful appetite "triggers." When stress hits, what kinds of food do we all crave?? Candy, ice cream, cookies, potato chips, etc. These foods provide the carbohydrates and fat to replenish the calories used when our bodies respond to stress. But in our society, most of our stress is mental and emotional, not physcial; therefore, our bodies don't require those extra calories.


Dr. Peeke has discovered that those extra calories consumed from stress-induced eating are converted to fat deposits that gravitate to one area of the body — the waistline. Fat deposits around the abdomen are associated with illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and cancer. That expanding waistline isn't just a vanity issue; it's a threat to your life, reports Dr. Peeke!

To avoid gaining toxic pounds (or to remove those excess pounds), Dr. Peeke recommends these ten simple strategies for meal planning and timing:

Ten Weight-Prevention Tips Every Woman Should Know:

1. Make sure to eat a healthy breakfast no later than 9 a.m., even if it means placing a bowl of oatmeal on your dressing table to eat while you put on your makeup. Some options: nonfat milk/yogurt smoothie with fruit; toasted English muffin with fruit spread; whole-grain cereal or oatmeal with raisins and skim milk, egg-white omelet and whole-wheat toast.

2. Eat a small mid-morning snack approximately three hours after breakfast. It will tide you over until lunch. Suggestions: a piece of fruit, a small fat-free yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, or one or two pieces of low-fat string cheese.

3. Try to eat lunch no later than 1:30 p.m. Lunch should include a healthy balance of high-quality, low-stress protein, fat and carbohydrates (see pp. 172-174 of Fight Fat After Forty for details).

4. Three hours after lunch is usually the beginning of the "CortiZone," when stress hormones plummet along with energy and mental concentration. It's also the most popular time for stress-induced eating, when you gobble a candy bar for a quick energy boost. Instead, eat something that provides high-quality, low-stress energy. Combinations of protein and carbohydrates are ideal, such as low-fat or fat-free yogurt or cottage cheese, along with a piece of fruit.

5. Dinner should be started anywhere from 6 to 7:30 p.m. It should include soup or salad, vegetables and a source of protein, such as poultry, lean red meat, fish, legumes or veggie burger. Mixed fruit could be served as a dessert item.

6. Try to have dinner completed by 8 p.m. at least four to five days a week. Dr. Peeke's favorite saying is that if "you eat after eight, you gain a lot of weight!" If you must eat dinner after eight, eat lighter and eat before you go to dinner. (Remember, the CortiZone and your vulnerability to eat mindlessly extends through midnight.)

7. Women over the age of 40 do not require dense complex carbohydrates (pasta, bread, potatoes or rice) after 5 p.m. These foods are rich fuel sources and should be consumed in moderation, primarily during the day. At dinnertime these starches should be considered as occasional treats (once or twice a week, in small portions). The goal is to strip your dinner of the dense calories from complex carbohydrates. These foods, which were once considered a staple, should now be an infrequent dinner treat.

8. Dispose of all fat-free desserts and snack items in your kitchen. They are riddled with low-quality, high-stress refined, processed sugars.

9. Typical restaurant portions are man-sized. At lunchtime, remember to eat only half of any restaurant portion of starch, and try to eliminate it at dinner. At lunch, one piece of bread is appropriate. Remember: The later you eat complex carbohydrates, the more weight you gain.

10. Water should be consumed throughout the day. Often when we think we're hungry, we're actually thirsty. Eight 8-ounce glasses should be drunk during the course of the day.


For information about Dr. Peeke, visit drpeeke.com.

My New Shoes Make Me Happy

Every Monday morning I look forward to reading my friend, Karen's blog, as she always publishes a "Makes Me Happy Monday" post. Karen has her share of trials, but she believes that it is her attitude and response to life that make the difference in a life well lived. Therefore, she is always looking for things that make her smile every day, not just on Mondays!

Do you know what makes me happy this Monday morning? My new shoes! This weekend I bought some new Skecher Sport shoes at Penney's. These shoes retail for $60, which I would never pay, but I had a 15% off coupon and they were also on sale, allowing me to get these shoes for only $36!

I just took a walk in my new shoes, and they made me Smile! I have never had such good support and such a cushioned walk! I Love my new shoes! Maybe having these great work-out shoes will encourage me to exercise more! That would really make me happy!

How to Cut Your Grocery Bills in Half!

I bet that title caught your attention! It sure caught mine -- which is why I attended a two-hour Couponing 101 class on Friday night and went back for Couponing 102 on Saturday morning. The workshops were taught by Kelly and Kasey from Time2Save.





These ladies are amazing! I could not believe the success they have had with couponing! I'm not ambitious enough to believe that I can really cut my grocery bills in half, with all the hungry mouths I have to feed, but what if I could cut it by 25%?? For me, that would be a huge savings! I'm excited about the possibilities!





You may wonder what these ladies talked about for four hours, but I can assure you that these sessions were packed full of helpful information and were also entertaining and inspiring. I learned tons of things I never knew about couponing, including where to find coupons (some of the places would surprise you!), how to organize them so I actually use them before they expire, how to combine coupons with sales and other discounts to maximize their savings potential, and how to really stretch my food dollar by mastering the art of stockpiling an item when it is available at a rock bottom price.




Now comes the hard work of figuring out how to apply my new-found knowledge to my own situation. My first project is to create my coupon binder, using the pack of baseball card sleeves I bought from Kelly and Kasey. Then, the treasure hunt for coupons begins! The next step is to plan my menus and grocery lists around the advertised sales, and then try to match up coupons to the sale items wherever possible, choosing one or more items per week to "stockpile."




I am excited, and a little overwhelmed, as I begin this journey. I will definitely keep you posted of my progress in the weeks ahead . . . .




Here is a picture of my friend, Jennifer, talking to Kelly. Kelly had such a sweet spirit and encouraged us to look for ways to give to others from our savings and to always be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within us. Kasey was creative and fun and very passionate about couponing! These ladies make a great team! Check out their website for helpful information about saving money at the grocery store or for information about scheduling a workshop in your area!

Jennifer's Mom tried several times to get a picture of us, but I just woudn't cooperate! The flash on my camera is so bright that I blink every time I see it! Jennifer looks great, so I am going to post this picture even though my eyes are closed and I look a bit dopey!

It was a lot of fun seeing Jennifer and we were both "wowed" by all that we learned! Hopefully, we can keep our enthusiasm in the days ahead as we attempt to slash our grocery expenditures through couponing.

A Sticky Situation!

Ever since Tiffany got her hair cut a few weeks ago, Bethany has been wanting her hair cut short like Tiffany's. Personally, I love little girls' hair long and I enjoy french braiding her golden strands, so I have put her off. However, she finally got what she wanted Friday afternoon.




She came into my room where I was sorting clothes with a big glob of chewing gum in her hair right next to her face. :( I took my scissors and started cutting! This is the result . . .

What do you think of Bethany's new look??

Cleaning and Decluttering

I've missed you all this week, but I've kept my computer time very limited in an attempt to get my house in order before starting back to school. The children and I worked our way through the downstairs this week, deep cleaning, decluttering, and organizing each room. I should have taken before/after pictures, as they would have been pretty dramatic, but I just didn't take the time to stop and take pictures before diving in.

One of the most dramatic transformations was the laundry room. I will never be able to stay totally caught up on laundry, but the laundry is pretty current, and the laundry room is amazingly Clean, Neat, and Freshly Organized! It actually motivates me to go in there and wash or fold a load! (Hey, I think I'll go change over the washer and dryer right now . . . )

The other area I am most excited about is the master bedroom closet. Everything we don't know what to do with seems to end up in there! Unbelievably, I can now actually WALK IN to my walk-in closet. My husband was definitely impressed with the improvement in the laundry room, and of course, with our bedroom and closet!

He's really going to be ExCiTeD when he sees what Josh has done to the garage!!!! Josh, of his own initiative, took everything out and cleaned and organized the entire garage. It was definitely an "extreme makeover!"

All we have left is the bonus room/school room, which we plan to tackle on Monday. Organizing the teacher cabinet is on my most dreaded job list at the moment, but I'm sure we will conquer the mountain of clutter and have another victory to celebrate!

It is such a good feeling to have everything clean, neat and organized -- if only it would stay that way . . . .

I don't want you to think that we were all work and no play this week. We did cool off in the pool a few times and we also took time off for an evening Scrabble game or two.

Scrabble can be FUN or FRUSTRATING! It just depends on the letters you draw and how the board plays out. I found this game to be FUN! Check out my letters . . .

Here is Tiffany -- trying to come up with a word to top mine! :)

Here is a picture of our final game board! With the help of my 30 point word, I was the winner, fair and square! :)

The second game was not quite as fun, especially for poor Josh. Have you ever seen a "hand" like this one????? What word would you spell with these tiles??

He went with "noun." And then just started adding an "n" wherever he could before finally turning in his tiles!

If that had been my "hand," I would have put one "n" in the Goodwill bag, taken one "n" to the Consignment shop, thrown one "n" away, and organized the other two in a Rubbermaid Tote! :)

Edit: Tiffany wants me to add that I only beat her by 2 points in the first Scrabble game, while she beat me by a whopping 12 points in the second game! :)

The Committee Strikes Again!

What fun to discover these boxes on the steps of our garage, full of fresh Georgia peaches, vine-ripe tomatoes, summer squash, and Vidalia onions!

We put our Super Sleuth skills to work and soon determined that this looked like the work of "The Committee." Notorious for delivering boxes of delicious food to our garage, and then speeding away before they can be caught, this group of three women is known for their clandestine acts of kindness and encouragement.

Since the discovery of the boxes, we have enjoyed delicious slices of red, ripe tomatoes, steamed and buttered squash and onions, bites of juicy peaches, tasty tomato sandwiches, and a melt-in-your-mouth peach cobbler. YUM!

A huge thank you to "The Committee!!"

Two Dozen for Tiffany!

Candles, that is!

Saturday was Tiffany's 24th birthday!!


Tiffany and I started the day by sneaking out to breakfast. Our destination was the Corner Cafe, where we chose a table outside to enjoy the unseasonably cool morning. We both savored a breakfast of eggs, grits, and freshly baked 8-grain bagels and coffee.





One unusual patron caught our eye. Her name was "Latte."

One thing I love about Tiffany is that she is so fun-loving. In fact, she is still a big kid at heart!

After breakfast, we did one of Tiffany's favorite things -- shopping!! :) After checking out the sales at Kohl's, we ran a few other errands, including stopping by the Dollar Tree for a balloon. (One never gets too old for a birthday balloon!) :)



Once at home, I started making Chicken Rocco for Tiffany's special birthday dinner. This involved flattening chicken breasts, placing a chunk of sharp cheddar cheese on top, rolling them up, securing with toothpicks and then browning in olive oil. Then, I placed the chicken rolls on top of a special rice mixture and baked at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Unfortunately, when I served the dish later that evening, I discovered that I didn't bake long enough, as some of the chicken was still raw and pink inside! Yikes! Fortunately, we were able to focus on our salads, while the chicken baked a bit longer in the oven!!!





After dinner, Tiffany opened her presents, which included following clues to uncover a floor length mirror framed with a picture board. She has enjoyed treasure hunts ever since her 4th birthday, when a treasure hunt culminated with her finding a big girl bike in the shed!








Then, she demonstrated her lung capacity by blowing out all 24 candles with one big breath!

It is hard to believe that 24 years have passed since I gave birth to a precious little girl, weighing 7 lbs. 11 oz, and measuring 21 inches long. She made her debut at 4:33 am on July 18th! (Those stats are indelibly stamped on my mind!) Up until that time, I had no idea what joy being a mother could bring, or how much love you can feel for a little helpless baby! Becoming a mother was certainly a life-changing event for me! And I have been blessed beyond measure to experience that miraculous event nine more times!

Here is a picture taken when Tiffany was just ten days old and her mommy was a mere 22 years old! (I really can't believe how young I look!)

Here is Tiffany on her first birthday, wearing a dress my Dad picked out for her.

Here she is at 4 years old. Already a budding fashionista . . .

Skip a few years . . . . here is Tiffany and Bethany in May of 2008 at Tiffany's graduation from Converse College. An intelligent and hard-working student, she graduated Magna cum Laude with a double major in Spanish and Music.

She accepts a hug from "Little Joe."

Tiffany is also very talented. Originally a Piano Performance major, who was blessed to attend college on a music and academic scholarship, this picture was taken after Tiffany presented her Senior Piano Recital, which was also in May of 2008.

Tiffany is a very capable, compassionate, creative, and caring young woman -- and I am proud that she is my daughter! Happy Birthday Tiffany!

Background Check

I love visiting all of the cute, creative, fun, unique, challenging, and inspiring blogs out there! Don't you?

In my travels around the blogosphere I've discovered some really neat blog designs from Thecutestblogontheblock.com. So, I decided to branch out and download a cute background for my blog. But, now that I've done it, I can't decide if I really like it. Is it too cluttered now?? What do you think? Also, the credit line is covering up my post titles and I don't know how to fix that.

Please leave me a comment and let me know if I should keep my new blog background -- or go back to the simple pink background I had before. I just can't seem to decide . . .

Weight Loss Wednesday

Still trudging along. No weight loss or gain this week, which is actually pretty good since I am on the "pantry diet" this week! No matter what diet I start off the month eating, I always seem to end up on the "clean-out-the-pantry-and-stretch-it-until-payday-diet!"

I am planning a big SAMS run tomorrow! I also plan to hit the Buy One Get One Free sales at Publix and Winn Dixie. I can't wait to restock my pantry, fridge and freezer with good, nutritious food!

Today was a good day. Tiffany and I got up early and followed our new morning routines, including a 2 mile walk this morning and then we squeezed in a challenging T-Tapp workout a bit later.

I lay down on my bed for a few minutes with Matt late this afternoon and we both fell asleep and slept for two hours!! WOW! I guess my new morning plan must be making me tired! When I got up I was surprised and delighted to discover that Hannah had made supper all by herself -- a delicious meal of lemon pepper tilapia, basmati rice, and steamed broccoli! She did a great job of digging through the freezer and finding the fish and then planning and putting together a wonderful meal!!!! Way to go Hannah!!!

Establishing a Morning Routine

Lately, I've been thinking about the need to begin getting up earlier, which means going to bed earlier, to facilitate the transition from the lazy days of summer to the busy days of school, which are just a fleeting month away.


Then, a friend challenged me to implement one new habit this week, in which we would keep each other accountable. So, I started thinking about what one thing I wanted to work on -- and kept coming back to the idea of revamping my morning routine. Of course, a morning routine encompasses more than one new habit, so I wasn't sure if it were the best thing to select. I was pondering what my new habit should be on Sunday afternoon.

Then, Sunday night, our guest preacher had an interesting sermon, based on Isaiah 40:29-31:

"He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth
strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men
shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles: they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint."

He had a very unique application of this verse, saying that as we actively wait upon God (clinging to Him like a spider clings to his web), God gives us strength to keep the lofty ideals that He inspires for our lives (mounting up with wings as eagles); He gives us strength to run during the challenging trials of life (running and not growing weary); and He gives us strength in the daily routines of life (walking and not fainting). He then shared a poignant story about a man whose family was forever changed as the result of a fatal car accident to illustrate how we take our daily routines for granted. Most of us would give anything to have those normal routines back after a crisis interrupts our lives. He then shared his own morning routine, which includes his personal hygiene, a time of Bible reading, prayer and waiting on the Lord, and a daily walk.


I felt like God used that sermon to confirm my desire to focus on re-establishing a solid morning routine, based on right priorities. So, this week I am working on creating and implementing a new morning routine. I will probably be tweaking it for awhile, but this is my foundation:


1. Rise early and dress for exercise. (Key is to get up when my alarm goes off!)

2. Make coffee.

3. While coffee brews, unload the dishwasher, and

4. Start a load of laundry.

5. Read Bible or Coffee Time with God. (I love this concept!)

6. Plan and pray over my day and my to-do list.

7. Quickly check email and online calendar.

8. Exercise (T-Tapp or walk).

9. Shower, dress, personal grooming.

10. Prepare and eat breakfast.

11. Clean up kitchen.

12. Complete morning chore list, while children complete their morning chore lists.



After our morning chores are completed, we will be ready to start our school day with its routines come mid-August. Before then, I plan to redistribute chores and create new chore lists all around. But, that will be the challenge for another week.



What about you? Are you happy with how your mornings are going? Do you feel like you are using your mornings wisely? Do you want to join me in establishing and tweaking your morning routine to be more productive and efficient? If so, please leave a comment or a link to your blog if you want to share what you are doing.

A Divine Appointment

I've missed the Girls today. Tiffany took Hannah and Bethany to SC to visit Ashlyn for the weekend. I know they are having a blast together -- but I miss them. Especially when it came time to clean house today! (wink!) Tiffany and Hannah and I generally divide up the downstairs, while the guys take a stab at the upstairs, which is the boys' domain.

To reward my diligence, and to keep the sparkling clean, freshly mopped kitchen clean for more than a passing moment in time, and because most of the family was gone (either out of town or at work), my sweet husband said he would take us out to dinner tonight. So, he and I and three of the boys were headed out to eat when we arrived at an intersection that was congested with two wrecked vehicles and two police cars. Suddenly, we realized that we knew one of the people involved in the accident. If you remember Abby, the "courageous cow" from yesterday's post, it was her mother, who is also one of our neighbors. So, we immediately stopped to see if we could offer her some comfort or assistance.

Fortunately, no one was hurt. Our friend had just called her daughter, and her husband was on his way to her aid, so while she was talking to the policemen, I glanced over and noticed the occupants of the other car standing off to one side -- a young man and a young woman, who both looked scared to death. So, I decided to go over and check on them. I discovered that they were a brother and sister on their way to pick up some pizza. She had just finished her junior year at the county high school and he was a college student from North Carolina. They were in a predicament, because their parents were both out of town -- and their father was overseas on business!!! They couldn't reach their father, whom they were very fearful of telling, and when they called their mother and told her they had just been in a wreck, she said, "Are you sure?!" (I guess she was in shock and denial!!!) Only residents of our town for a year, they didn't seem to have many connections. In fact, they were going to ask the policeman to give them a ride home. When I asked where they lived, I was surprised to learn that they live in our neighborhood, just one street away! So, after checking with my husband, I offered them a ride home, and they gratefully accepted.

So, we waited around for the policeman to complete his report and for the tow-trucks to arrive and haul off both vehicles, before we finally headed back towards our neighborhood to take them home. (It was fortunate we didn't have more kids with us!) On the drive home, we learned that they had only lived in the area for a year, and were in the process of moving back to NC. Apparently, they did not have any friends here, and had not been made to feel very welcome. My heart ached for them in their loneliness.

However, my heart also rejoiced in the way God orchestrates things! We were headed out to a nice, relaxing dinner together when we noticed our friend in distress, and naturally wanted to interrupt our plans to stop and help her. However, I believe the Lord prompted us to stop, not so we could assist our friend, but so we could help these two young people, who were obviously scared and stressed after being involved in an accident, plus they were stranded with their mother several hundred miles away and their father unreachable in a foreign country! My heart really went out to them, as I imagined some of my own older kids finding themselves in a similar situation, and I was so grateful for an opportunity to help them out, and show them the love and compassion of Christ!

This reminds me of the verse, "A man's heart deviseth his way; but the Lord directeth his steps." -- Proverbs 16:9. We make our plans, but God in His providence intervenes and directs our steps. I believe he orchestrated the timing of events so that we were at that intersection at just the right time, because we had a divine appointment!

I'm already thinking ahead to how we might be able to minister to these young people in the days ahead, before they move back to North Carolina. If you feel led, please pray that we might be an encouragement to them, and that we might be able to plant some spiritual seeds in their lives.

Well, back to our evening -- with the unexpected delay, it was rather late before we were seated comfortably together at Logan's Roadhouse, awaiting our food. However, Alan had to leave to take some food to his Mom, and then just as he sat down again, Joseph called to tell us he was getting off work early and needed picked up. So, poor Alan took a swig of his Diet Coke, grabbed a hot yeast roll, and got back in the car to pick up Joe! I found our waitress and added another entree to our order, and finally, Alan and Joseph joined us, and we all ate our dinner. It was definitely not the evening we had planned!!! But, one lesson we have learned with having a large family is to Always Expect the Unexpected!!

Matt thought it was pretty neat to crack open the peanuts, pop one in his mouth,
and then be allowed to throw the shells on the floor!
He asked me a couple times if that was OK --
just to make sure he had understood me correctly!

Cow Day '09

We've been salivating in anticipation, and finally, the day we've been waiting for arrived -- Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A!

Our family has been enjoying this day of Free Food and Family Fun for the last four years! Of course, I have a bunch of fun pictures to share!! However, I can't seem to move my pictures around as I usually do. I don't know what's wrong -- is it an issue with my laptop? Or an issue with Blogger??? I really don't know! Anyway, you will just have to view the pics in the order I uploaded them.

I'm having fun coming up with creative captions for my pictures! :)


I call this picture "Cow Crossing!"



This is Joe and his friend, Abby. Abby lives in our neighborhood and goes to school with the boys. Abby's sister was not courageous enough to go out in public dressed as a cow, so I commend Abby for her Courage! :) Thus, this picture is dubbed, "Courageous Cows!"




This one is "A Cow Chewing its Cud!"

And this is "A Cute, Cuddly Cow!"

Here we have "A Crazy Cow!"

This is our little friend, Jase, and I call this picture "Don't be a Coward! Eat Mor Chikin!"

Hannah says, "Georgia Girls Luv Chikin!"

"Freeze the cows! Eat Ice Cream!"

"Cows are Cool!"

How about -- "Cool Cows cook Chikin!" (since my son works at Chick-Fil-A!)

I'm running out of ideas here! Can you tell???? :) I'm calling these last two pictures "Bovine Beauties with cute cow noses!"

OK - that's it for Cow Day '09! I hope you enjoyed my crazy cow pics and corny cow captions!

Weight Loss Wednesday - How Sweet it is!

It has been a couple weeks since I've blogged about weight loss, which reflects one of my main challenges -- the Busyness of life. I did well on vacation, when I didn't have a multitude of responsibilities to juggle. It is so hard to stay FOCUSED on my diet with everything I have going on. In addition, the Zone Diet requires diligent planning and calculating of ratios to be most effective. So, I have been sputtering! Nevertheless, I have maintained the 3 pounds I lost -- I just haven't continued my downward trend.

One of the changes I have made in the last year or so while trying to lose weight is switching from Sugar to Splenda. Now, I'm wondering if that was such a good idea.

Recently, one of my daughter's good friends from college shared with her how she had gained ten pounds, but after realizing that the only change to her diet had been the addition of Splenda, she cut it out and subsequently lost the ten pounds. So, my daughter, who has mysteriously gained "the freshman fifteen" AFTER graduating from college, has decided to give Splenda the axe.

This makes me wonder if using Splenda is such a good idea?? I carefully avoided all artificial sweeteners for the past twenty-something years, while I was bearing and nursing my children, but now I have all of this weight to lose, and using Splenda seemed to be a splendid way of helping me reach my goals. Then, one day last week, I stumbled upon this post that mentioned some of the problems with Splenda, including weight gain.

Now, I'm not sure what to do. What do you think? Have you experienced any negative side effects from using Splenda? Plain old sugar isn't so good for you either. What's a girl to do??!?? What do you use to add a little sweetness to your life?

Recipe to the Rescue!

It's that time of the month again -- when the grocery money is all but gone, while the days of the month aren't! So, I was in need of a good recipe to make for supper tonight, something that would creatively use the ingredients I have available.






Then, I stumbled upon this recipe for Saucy Summer Squash Skillet. It looks really good and uses the bounty from our garden!







I can't wait to give it a try!! I'll let you know if it is a keeper!




Update: This recipe was delicious, and I actually prepared it as written!! We served it with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. It would be great served with some garlic bread too! It is a fabulous summer recipe, especially if you have a garden or a source of inexpensive garden vegetables.