Leah Rade

e-mealz.com

Those of you who know me or read my blog regularly, know how much I love to cook.  You probably also know that I HATE to shop.  Combine that with a super busy schedule, and you've got the perfect storm for wasteful spending, which fortunately, I hate worse than shopping.

I think I've just found the perfect solution in e-mealz.com.  I just subscribed today, but for $5/month, to save time and money, it's a no-brainer.  According to the website, and numerous customer reviews, e-meals provides easy and delicious mean plans that will simplify your life, save time & money so you can make time for your family.  Check it out and let me know what you think.  They even provide point-system meal plans for those of us subscribing to the Weight-Watchers life-style.  I'm excited about this new tool!

Thanksgiving Reflections

I really enjoyed Thanksgiving this year.  Michael was home for almost a week.  Alana's boyfriend, Gary, flew in from Ohio; and my dear friend Rob Greenberg spent the entire day with us.  I love to cook - it's a stress reliever for me and I'm told that my level of stress is conducive to the amount of food that I cook.  I don't necessarily believe that...but here's the menu...you be the judge.

Homemade, from scratch, pumpkin pies (2)
Homemade, from scratch, lemon meringue pie (includes fresh-squeezed lemons)
Glazed, baked ham (not from the ham store)
Smoked turkey breast (from the ham store)
Cornbread, sausage, chestnut dressing (I roasted the chestnuts)
Traditional sage dressing
Macaroni and cheese (7 different kinds of cheese)
Mashed red potatoes with roasted garlic
Green bean casserole
Sweet Potato casserole
Grilled asparagus
Steamed corn
Ambrosia (in honor of my mentor, Sherri)
Rolls
Gravy

Guess how much Half-N-Half was used?  Heavy Whipping Cream?  Butter?  Let's just say I made Paula Deen proud.  It was a great day and I'm thankful for my family and friends!