Everyday it seems we have more and more unsafe food in our world. How long will it be and there will be no good food left, unless you grow it yourself do you really know how safe your food you buy is. I try to buy the best produce possible and the best meat but everyday there is a recall of one sort or another. Everything we eat is processed to one degree or another, it is very hard to raise your own meat when you live in a city, maybe moving to the country is one option.

I’ve decided to go ahead with my first plan of buying my mother a spice rack for Christmas. Her old wall spice rack fell and broke into a million pieces a few months ago, what a mess that was! Now I don’t proclaim to know a whole heck of a lot about spice racks, but I’ve been taking a bit of time and looking around online and I’ve seen a few kitchen spice racks that I think she would welcome into her kitchen.

My mother is one of the best cooks around and she really depends on her spices. I’m not sure why she hasn’t replaced the broken one, except that maybe she knew it would be a good gift idea for someone to get for her for Christmas, much like I plan to do. My mother is a hard one to buy presents for, so this is the perfect opportunity for me to get her something that she really needs and hopefully will use for a very, very long time to come.

My sister that lives in Oklahoma has a very different motif in her home, her home is a log home that they have decorated in the western style, with saddles as chairs and old guns on the walls she also has western dinnerware. that is very attractive and very fun to use. You can see most of the items she has at her home at Western Cowboy Home Decor, check out their web site at westerncowboyhomedecor.com, a fun shopping site for people who love the west and western decor.

With the price of everything rising we have decided to horde a bit of food and water, just in case there is a national emergency. We look at the expiration dates and only store foods that have at least a year shelf life left in them, and we will rotate them as they get close to expiring. I wish we had a stockpile of gasoline that will become the hardest to buy if the price keeps going up. Maybe after the election next fall prices will get back to normal, I hope.

As I went to pour the milk on my morning cereal this morning I caught the whiff of sour milk, as I brought the carton up to check I looked at the date still in date for 3 more days. OMG the aroma of sour milk hit me, I still smell it, next to skunk and perhaps week old laundry sour milk is the worst smell in the world. I still have the reek of it in my head several hours later. I will have to go buy some new milk as soon as I’m not nauseous any more.

Since being a fan of the lollipop for as long as I can remember, I am always on the look out for new and exciting lollipops to either try and/or give away, preferably with each variety that I pick up along the way. I just love them all. For a short time in my youth I was even called “Kojak” who was the very famous and completely bald TV Cop from back in the 70′s that almost always had a lollipop in his mouth. Since I refused to shave my head, that nickname didn’t stick (excuse the pun) for too awfully long.

Anyways, I’m on the lookout for some new cool lollipops to get for Christmas. When I wrap my gifts I like to put a lollipop on each one, added to the ribbon and bow, my signature touch I guess you could say. Having the Internet is a great way to find new varieties as well as some of the older types that you don’t see much anymore or that are not being sold in your particular area.

Don’t these pumpkin spice lollipops look and sound yummy?

We bought our turkey for Thanksgiving Day today and it is a huge beast, dang thing must weigh 25 pounds, maybe 30. It is the biggest turkey I have ever seen not on the hoof. (Yes, I know turkeys don’t have hooves!) We used to have some huge old turkeys on the farm when I was a child but we did not eat them, we always had one of the young turkeys for Thanksgiving, my Grand Mother said that they were tender and tasted better than the old ones. I love all the food and football coming in a matter of days and I can not wait to get this huge turkey into the oven on Thursday it will be terrific.

Today’s extreme obesity statistics are a major concern to just about everyone right now. We have become a population of over eaters and of course the cost of the related medical care is eating us alive. I realize that most of the people I know are dealing with weight issues.  Being overweight and suffering from those complications are weighing heavily on their mind as well as their bodies. To be honest, there are a few family members who could stand to lose a few pounds, nothing major though, ten to twenty pounds, tops. Something like an Extreme Body Workout or a 90 Day Review Program wouldn’t hurt them any, I’m sure of that.

I’m finding out that there are places to help folks that need assistance. A friend of mine wants to make arrangements to attend a Weight Loss Retreat in a few months, when he is able to take some time off of work. Instead of taking a vacation and just lying on the beach somewhere, he is willing to work on improving his beach body and his health by losing weight and learning new life skills, such as nutrition and exercise.

He found this Weight Loss Resort on the Internet and is excited about the prospect of seeing some results as soon as possible. I wish him luck and hope to see a whole new, healthy and happy person when it’s all over and done with.

This is a guest post provided by Fitness Alliance

This Christmas I have been invited to fly up to New York City to spend the holidays with an old high school friend who I haven’t seen in so very long. She moved up there to the big city shortly after high school and we have been keeping in touch via emails, texting and now there is Facebook that we have been enjoying as of late.

She has never married and has a great social life spending a good amount of time at the Gay bars and the Coffee Shops that are so abundant in New York City, especially in her neighborhood. She works at one of the high end Hotels and has met a lot of people from all walks of life and has made a lot of contacts along the way, which she can’t wait for me to meet and get to know on my trip up there.

Besides seeing a good friend, it will be nice to spend Christmas at one of the finer Restaurants that she is always bragging about eating at, without me having to spend the day cooking here for the whole family, which is something that I always end up doing year after year after year after year…….

The weather has finally turned cold and wet. I have to admit that summer is totally gone and that winter is fast approaching.

We had a freeze warning last week, so I’ve moved all the potted plants indoors. I have not yet seen frost on the ground, but I don’t want to take any chances.

Last night it dropped about 20 degrees and started raining. Today is a cold wet day that screams for comfort food. I could really go for meatloaf or mac and cheese tonight.

There are only two places around here to get a nice selection of breakfast foods on a buffet. The place closest to my house is the Shoneys. They have a breakfast bar for about $6 but the selection is very limited. I can eat there once in a while and be happy with it.

The better place to go for a full breakfast buffet is the Golden Corral. They charge $10 but the selection is 5 or 6 times better than what Shoney’s offers. I could eat at Golden Corral every day of the week and have a completely different breakfast plate every day. Not bad for ten bucks, but it’s a 15 minute drive in the wrong direction to get to it.

There are maybe 6 or 7 different stores within 10 miles of my house where I can buy groceries. The store that is closest to me is a Food Lion. This store is the most expensive store for groceries, so I don’t go there much and try to buy only what is on sale.

The weird thing is that with all these different stores – some of them huge – that there is not one that carries all the brands and all the items that I want to buy. I have to go to 3 stores to get all my groceries for a well stocked pantry. That is so frustrating.

I’m starved and haven’t been able to get out to get some lunch yet. I want something fast and filling, for under $5. What can I get for lunch that is not a burger and fries? I am so sick of burgers I really need something else for lunch. Chicken sounds boring. Maybe a gyro?

I am always amazed that so many people do not know about Pierogies. These are wonderful, tasty dumplings stuffed with potatoes and cheese. I buy them frozen at Sams Club and boil however many I need for my meal. They cook up in just 5 minutes and only need butter, salt and pepper – or you can sauce them with spaghetti sauce, white gravy, beef gravy or salsa for a variety of extra flavors. They are a great side dish with just about any meat you serve at dinner.