A Holiday Sweet Treats Party

     Page One Hundred Sixty-Five.
     And so it begins. The holiday season is here and with it parties, presents, rushing, decorations, frustration and tons of ridiculous food, little of which is healthy.
     In a couple of weeks, I'll be having a holiday gathering which will hopefully be pleasant and not too big. Here's my theme. I'm going to make all the real food and I've asked my guests to bring the crap. I figure most people have one holiday sweet specialty they make every year. Why shouldn't there be a party devoted to those home-made goodies? I'm sure others have done this type of thing before. With luck it'll work.
     I'll make beef tenderloin with French bread for sandwiches, chicken pot pie, ribs, mac 'n cheese, vegan rice & beans, cole slaw and a tray of fresh, raw veggies. Then, there will also be dishes of dried fruit strewn about. Plus, of course, bowls of nuts. This menu is very eclectic and might adjust, but you see the direction I'm heading. (Understand, my friends are of the "wide range" variety.) I'm also thinking of buying a couple boxes of Ho-Hos and Twinkies just for the fun of it.
     I know that home-made Russian tea biscuits will probably show up. There will also be the typical variety of home-grown cookies, date-nut bars, lemon bars, berry and pumpkin pies, chocolate cake and Lord only knows what else. Somebody may bring fresh pralines. Wouldn't that be great?
     This party will be in two weeks. If I start cooking tonight, it should all be ready by then.

I Need Some Pralines Now

     Page One Hundred Forty-Four.
     Having a serious craving for pralines. Hate to admit this but never made them in my life. Allegedly, they're very easy to make, too. Just don't feel like experimenting right now. Going downtown to the ballet this evening (Swan Lake) so while downtown, going to Petterson Nut Company. They sell pralines and they're very good. So...
     By the way, if you've ever flown in an airplane, you've probably eaten their nuts and snacks. They're a massive supplier to many different airlines. And wow! is their stuff good.  

Dieting While Attending The Feast Of The Assumption - How I Did

     Page One Hundred Twenty-Six.
     Per one of my blogs last week, I was determined to attend the feast and still remain on my weight reduction diet. So... how did I do?
     Okay. I attended three times: Thursday mid-late afternoon; Saturday evening and late Sunday night for the fireworks. 
     Thursday: I deeply soul-enjoyed the one slice of sausage pizza which I purchased. However, afterwards I was still hungry and didn't have the defenses in place to protect myself from the Devil's wares. I purchased a small order of fries (which was huge) but was only able to eat about 1/3 or so before I was full. Then just prior to leaving I bought a pound of cinnamon pralines, but ate none while walking. Later that night, I ate about 1/2 ounce.
     Friday: ate about 1 more ounce of the pralines.
     Saturday: no pralines that day. At the feast had one more slice of pizza. An hour later purchased one single meatball. Then got a lemonade.
     Sunday: no pralines at all. At the feast had one more slice of pizza. An hour later purchased one single meatball. Then got a lemonade. Enjoyed the stunning fireworks.
     So, I'm moderately pleased with my performance. (But, I'm stuck with almost a pound of the Devil's pralines on my kitchen shelf. Do you want them? I'll mail them to you. Seriously.)
     On Saturday, in the middle of this whole thing, I got some good news. At my gym they tested my percentage of body fat. The preferred fat content of gentlemen my age should be 22% or below. I'm at 21.6%. This is with a loss of ten pounds, ten to go. If you ever hear me complaining about my fat, tell me to be quiet.