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Lazy day treat

Posted Monday, May 18, 2009, at 4:47 PM

Recently, there have been a lot of changes in my life. One of them, is learning the gift of not feeling guilty for coming home after a hectic day of work and propping my feet up to relax.

The house still needs cleaned, laundry still needs washed and someone still has to cook, but I don't feel so guilty for taking 10-20 minutes to do nothing but breath.

I read a book, draw and/or watch a bit of TV or play a few minutes of Pinball on the PlayStation II (that is if no one is already on it).

Sometimes I just sit and pet St. Ignatius around the ears and let him purr away my troubles.

With a glass of green tea, I've come to really enjoy the "lost moments of my day." There are also times when I treat myself and have a snack too.

Anyone who knows me very well, knows I love to eat crackers, with oyster crackers being my favorite. I try to keep a bag of them here in the office to eat at my desk, but they don't last very long.

However, I do enjoy lightly salted Saltine Crackers with cream cheese. Now the store-bought flavors of cream cheese spreads are good, I prefer to make my own treats.

Ambrosia is one of my favorites to enjoy on saltines, Wheat Thins or Ritz Crackers.

Mix one eight-ounce package of softened cream cheese, one drained eight-ounce can of crushed pineapple, a quarter cup each of toasted coconut, chopped pecans and almonds, a small bottle of drained maraschino cherries (cut in half), one tablespoon of fresh grated orange peel and two teaspoons of sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until use.

This spread is also great on fresh baked bread, muffins, short bread cookies, angel food cake or served on fresh cut fruit.

I hope that you'll be able to take a few minutes out of your hectic week to relax and enjoy some good food.

More from this blogger · Ivy Jacobs

Comments

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Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.

Ivy-I love your recipes! I just wished that you would include the serving size, grams of fat, etc. when you provide recipes. It would greatly help those of us who are trying to shed a few pounds but still enjoy good food in smaller amounts. Thanks! :)

-- Posted by millertime on Tue, May 19, 2009, at 9:13 AM
Sorry millertime,

I'm just an ordinary person who loves to cook.

Many of the recipes that have been passed down to me are from 50-60-70 years ago (some are even older) and there aren't any fat grams listed. I don't think anyone cared about that stuff back then.

(I think we spend too much time worrying about it now. My grandparents diet plan was as follows: Eat like kings for breakfast, princes for lunch and wandering paupers for dinner. If you're curious about the wandering part, they almost always went for after-dinner walks for exercise.)

If you go back to when many of the recipes I have were created, they were tough times. People were worried about survival and happy to eat a good family meal.

The only notice of being conscious about how fattening a dish might be in my recipe collection is a scribbled "Yum" or a note to "nibble" this recipe instead of "pigging out".

It was also a time when serving sizes were pretty much divide what you cook by how many people you are serving.

And, in my own personal opinion, I believe the food items people ate back then were natural, in-season selections that weren't filled with additives and chemicals.

My grandmother wouldn't cook with margarine for years because she believed it was bad to eat.

Guess I could post warnings stating that people "might want to walk this recipe off," but other than that I'm not sure how to help you.

If it's any solace, please know that I'm trying to lose a few pounds and become healthier myself. People often ask how I lose any weight (-25 pounds and still going) when cooking is my hobby. All I can deduce is that I'm cooking naturally by returning to recipes of yesteryear and try to make sure that I wander around our beautiful city after dinner.

-- Posted by MissIvy on Tue, May 19, 2009, at 4:19 PM
I love your recipes to, but I prefer that you

include a sample with you receipes.

-- Posted by busymomandstudent on Mon, May 25, 2009, at 2:19 PM
MissIvy,

50,60,70, years old come on that is a joke. You are nothing but a lier and thief. Trailer Park trash at its best is all this is.

-- Posted by nobama222 on Sun, May 31, 2009, at 12:54 AM
nobama222,

You're really a spiteful person aren't you! Did that comment make you feel better about your life, more superior? Would you have made it if you had to put your REAL name on here instead of hide behind a token persona?

This is a blog, and in case you're not aware, the person who writes it could comment about anything (and, if so inclined, be like you, a spiteful, angry and bitter person), but she doesn't.

I personally like the stories, the recipes and the comments shared here by readers. It's a nice change of pace.

You, on the other hand, should go back to commenting on the hard news section of the paper's website---where your true colors and comments show up and get shot down for the idiocy that they are!

-- Posted by Cy on Sun, May 31, 2009, at 10:20 AM
nobama222,

What a mean hateful person you must be to write something like that If you do not like MS.Ivy then why read her blogs? As a person that has known Ms.Ivy since we were kids and grew up into the women we are now, I, know for one she is not what you say. This is a woman that has been through all of lives ups and downs and then some. She has been through way more than any one person should go through and if you think you know her so well you would know that. Ms. Ivy we have been friends since I was that little girl walking in school with a brace on her leg and being made fun of and you were the one that stood up for me. From then on we pretty much did not seperate. I don't think I have ever told you what a difference you have made in my life. You keep on shining Ms. Ivy becuase there are those of us that love you and love reading your blogs!!

-- Posted by IndyBklyn99 on Sun, Jun 7, 2009, at 9:08 AM
nobama222,

What a mean hateful person you must be to write something like that If you do not like MS.Ivy then why read her blogs? As a person that has known Ms.Ivy since we were kids and grew up into the women we are now, I, know for one she is not what you say. This is a woman that has been through all of lives ups and downs and then some. She has been through way more than any one person should go through and if you think you know her so well you would know that. Ms. Ivy we have been friends since I was that little girl walking in school with a brace on her leg and being made fun of and you were the one that stood up for me. From then on we pretty much did not seperate. I don't think I have ever told you what a difference you have made in my life. You keep on shining Ms. Ivy becuase there are those of us that love you and love reading your blogs!!

-- Posted by IndyBklyn99 on Sun, Jun 7, 2009, at 9:08 AM

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