It's all about the little things...

...So we're trying to change our diets for many reasons and that prompted me to start looking for sweets to make that weren't so terrible for us. (Insert a looooooong sigh here!) All the Splendas and Truvias and Agave Nectars at the grocery store make my head spin. On a good note, our local Walmart started carrying Meyer lemons. I couldn't believe it!!! I was super excited because a regular lemon just won't do what Meyer lemons do in anything. And they were cheap, too. If you've never used one, the only way to describe their flavor is a lemon and a tangerine all mixed into one. Not too sweet, not too sour.  So of course I had to find a recipe for sugar-free lemon curd because I had 2 boxes of phyllo tart shells waiting to be filled with some sort of yummy goodness---AND I had Meyer lemons. We had to have some supper to go with dessert so I fixed baked spaghetti...one with noodles and one with spaghetti squash and experimented with the lemon curd tarts. I made a simple cream cheese topping to spoon on the top and I'll definitely be making them again. My sweet Mama (who was the 2nd one after my husband to see my 'blog in progress') immediately said, as I was putting a few of them on a plate, "You have to take a picture of them!!" So I did and here they are. 
*Note: She also said my baked spaghetti squash was better than Pastabilities. Now, who has the best Mama in the world? Yep. That would be me.

Yum!

We love Christmas...and we love to EAT during Christmas. Don't get me wrong--we don't go hungry any other times during the year. We eat then, too. It's just that we have found the treats and snacks during the holidays somehow morph into morsels containing more "yumminess." I'll buy truffles any day of the week but making your own is pretty satisfying.  

Just a few simple ingredients and you have your own truffles...dark chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream make up the ganache for the center and cocoa powder is all you need for the outside. Way cheaper than the store-bought ones and sooooo decadent :) 

For neatness, I used the mini muffin liners....The second batch used the same ingredients...just added almond extract to the ganache and rolled the truffles in chopped almonds.

...and from there I made peanut butter fudge....

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble....for my thighs, that is.

           Yummy!

...and it didn't stop...."Trash" (Chex mix), Muddie Buddies, Chocolate dipped pretzels, walnut fudge, pretzel squares with the little Hershey Hugs in the middle, Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal bars.....

Simple little goodies.."Simple" is becoming my middle name. It was all pretty fast and easy but disappeared in the blink of an eye...well maybe a "shut" of the eye because we all know how sugar crashes work :)

Perhaps the goodies we all enjoy during the holidays are so delicious because of the company surrounding us while we indulge...Yep. I think that's it. 

And so it begins....

...Now I'll test the blogging waters.  Dip my toes in first to see how comfortable (or uncomfortable) it may be...Perhaps I'll wade in a little and see how it goes.
I've downloaded music and uploaded pictures. Made a few PowerPoint presentations back in the day... I've MySpaced and Facebooked. Bought and sold on Ebay...and that's about the extent of my technological skills. Really. 
Of course it's fun to post the latest family pics and peruse through those of friends but in all honesty, I'd rather be drinking coffee and creating. Doesn't really matter what it is, as long as I'm making something. A meal, a scarf, jewelry, things to display in our home..or things for others to display in theirs.  I love all things primitive and I love simplicity.
Luckily, my husband likes to create as much as I do.  He's not a fan of computers so he leaves the technological stuff to his 'oh so techno-savvy' wife (hehehe.) He appreciates and embraces my crafty messes, as I do his.  My son loves to make anything and everything.  It's only fair that we try to appreciate his creative messes as well...as there are sketch pads, pencils, markers and hundreds of plastic beads to be found in all areas of the house at any given time.
This blog thing will hopefully be a way for me to share some of the things I love...and perhaps make those things available to others. 
Either way, I'm still going to be drinking coffee and tinkering so it's a win-win no matter what happens.