Good morning. It's already 72 degrees here and heading up to 85. Sunny, too! Welcome, Dody and Groomingal! This is a great place to come for support, for weight loss and other things. I'm heading out in a few minutes to do my weekly grocery shopping. I keep a running list all week on my computer, so that by Friday morning, I'm ready to print it and go. I never used to be quite this organized until I started on Weight Watchers this time. It really keeps me in line to know exactly what there is to fix and eat. I'm still cooking every evening, and so far, most of the recent attempts have been successful! QOD: No plans so far. We did so much running around last weekend, and hubby is taking it easy this week but still going in to work after having a heart cath on Monday. So, he'll probably just want to lie around and watch tv. Thanks for the good thoughts for Aubrie. I'm really proud of my Dson and DDIL for remaining so calm about things so far. That's also the reason I was so happy to keep the girls for them Easter weekend while they go visit my other son and DDIL for a nice distraction. And, it has nothing to do with the fact that I LOVE being with my granddaughters! LOL McPeg, I had cabin fever yesterday, too. It was very overcast here and it just made me feel so gloomy. I'm thankful for the sun today! Have a great weekend, everyone!

I made some really good marmalade yesterday. It's very easy and so tasty. It could just be the oranges I used too. They are a thin skin small navel. Easy Orange Marmalade It makes one jar and is good on toast, or for whatever recipe you use Orange Marmalade for. 1 medium navel oranges 2 tablespoons water 1/2 cup sugar Select Navel oranges that have the thinnest peel. If the orange is large double the amount of water and sugar. Wash the orange thoroughly. Cut off both ends of the orange. Cut the orange in half, cut each half in about eight sections. Place the orange sections in the food processor and pulse until the peel in is tiny pieces. In a medium saucepan place the processed orange, the water and the sugar and bring to a gentle boil. Boil for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. (It could take more to get thicker) Let cool, then place in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Refrigerate to store. When it is cold it is ready to eat.

I saw the Coney Island hot dogs on Diners, Drive ins and Dives the other day. It really looked good! The second recipe looks like a glaze for beef, pork or chicken!

This corn & pecan dip has gotten raves on the Food Forum. Corn & Pecan Dip 2 8-oz. pkg cream cheese, softened ¼ c. lime juice 1 Tbsp ground cumin 1 Tbsp ground red chiles (I used 2 tsp cayenne and it was plenty hot) ½ tsp salt dash black pepper ¼ c vegetable oil 1 16-oz. can whole-kernel corn, drained 1 c. chopped pecans 1 small onion, diced (I like more) In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except corn, pecans, and onion. Beat until smooth with electric mixer on medium speed. Stir in corn, pecans, and onion. Serve with tortilla chips Or how about the classic spinach & artichoke dip? This recipe is from Southern Living. FLORENTINE ARTICHOKE DIP 1 (10-ounce) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed 2 (6 1/2-ounce) jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained & chopped 3 garlic cloves, finely minced 1/2 c. mayonnaise 12 oz cream cheese, softened 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 c. freshly shredded Parmesan cheese 1 1/2 c. French breadcrumbs, (homemade...see note) 2 Tbsp butter, melted DRAIN spinach; press between layers of paper towels to remove excess moisture. Drain and chop artichoke hearts. Combine spinach, artichoke hearts, garlic, and next 4 ingredients, stirring well. SPOON into a lightly greased 11" x 7" baking dish. Combine breadcrumbs and butter; sprinkle over spinach mixture. BAKE uncovered at 375° for 25 minutes. Serve with assorted crackers, bagel chips, or breadsticks NOTE: To get 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs, tear off a piece of baguette. Pulse in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Measure crumbs, tear off another chunk, and repeat procedure until you get 1 1/2 cups These toasts are excellent. Robust Onion Cheese Toast 1 cup mayonnaise 1 8-zs pkg cream cheese, softened 4 oz blue cheese, crumbled 2 Tbsp chopped parsley 2 Tbsp minced onion ½ teaspoon minced garlic ½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce ½ teaspoon white pepper 1 loaf sliced cocktail rye bread Combine mayo, cream cheese, blue cheese, parsley, onion, garlic, pepper sauce and white pepper. Cover and chill for 2 hours to let flavors blend. Can be made up to 2 days in advance. Spread 2 teaspoons mixture on each slice of bread and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with plastic and chill until ready to serve. To Serve: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Uncover baking sheet and bake 10  15 minutes until toasts are puffy and slightly brown.