Sylvia's Scenario

I have a new recipe to get my chocolate-fix which I can add along with my  macadamia nut clusters  recipe.  This new recipe uses seeds that are high in nutrition and high in anti-inflammatory properties which is why this recipe is called "super".  Or you can use chopped nuts of your choice, too.  I use macadamia nuts since I always have them on hand but I chop them up in my food processor to make smaller bits.   I also process pumpkin seeds to make them smaller, too.   There are lots of variations of this recipe depending on what you like.  I got this recipe from  Hannah Freese, RD  and will post the recipe as she has it but I will add notes the way I've been making it so you can see some options.  I am still using my favorite dark chocolate from Trader Joe's - Pound Plus.  I wrote how to find the best dark chocolate  here.   You want to avoid the dark chocolate that is high in cadmium that is a toxic heavy metal like...

We are having a cold Spring so far this year so we are not barbecuing that much even though we are all eager to get outside and enjoy some warm weather.  It just hasn't arrived yet.  So, here is a Spring-type dish that I've made twice recently and it passed the family taste test.  I've made it for a family dinner when the kids and grandkids came over and they all loved this dinner.  We usually have the grandkids spend one or two nights here over the weekend to give mom and dad a little bit of a break and then everyone comes for dinner on Sunday.  I am always thinking of family meals to prepare and to experiment with on my family.  I served this recipe with a big bowl of fettuccine mixed with the sauce of this recipe because it makes a lot of very tasty sauce.  You will want to lick up every bite of it.  Sometimes I make meals in the crockpot if we are out and about with the grandkids on the weekend, like last weekend when we took them to the Seatt...

We had our first (extended) family gathering this Easter for the first time since February 2020 at my nephews house. Our last gathering was right before the pandemic when another nephew got married and we had a big family dinner at our house to celebrate that I wrote about here .  It's weird to think it's been over two years now.  Of course, we get together with Lauren, Nick and family almost every weekend for a family dinner so I am lucky to be able to see them often.  But a big group like this one is a very special occasion.  We were mostly excited for the grandkids to be able to play with my nephew's son who is close to their same age and they also have a much bigger yard than we do for an Easter egg hunt. So, it was perfect.  Because of the pandemic, all our holidays have been with my immediate family only, with Nick and Lauren but it's so nice to see the grandkids be able to play with other kids for a change and we've been yearning to have this experience ...

I've been feeling like Tex-Mex food ever since I returned from my trip to Sedona last weekend.  My friend, Marge, and I took this trip as a restorative trip because of the loss of her mom and her husband recently.  It's been tough for her the past few months so we knew we needed to take this trip and we're so glad we did.  The Red Rock Country, where Sedona is located in Arizona, is known to have a very healing effect on people so that's why we headed there.  Nature is always good for the soul and the nature in Sedona is over the top.  The natural beauty is in every direction that you might look.  As if the natural beauty there wasn't enough, Sedona is also known for it's vortexes or spiritual "power spots".  This is where the energy of the life force of the earth is especially strong and they are all over the place in Sedona.  These are places that help you become more in touch with your feelings and find inner peace and solace.   There are ...