Why Aren't Winnie's Fingers Inky Lately?

I mentioned a while back that I haven't been creating a lot of cards lately due to the summer and spending time with family and friends.  One thing that I have been working on lately is my health.  I decided to get in shape and lose some weight.  So on June 9th, I started my new way of eating and dug out my old exercise videos (yep, they are VHS!).  One of the keys to my success has been really focusing on me, and spending time doing the WORK!  Well, it is nearly 2 months, and I have lost 19 pounds so far!  I am very happy, and, more importantly, I feel so much better.

I have been doing a lot of cooking and freezing to make my meals easier to deal with after work. Saturdays have been spent breaking out 2 crockpots and dutch ovens and cooking up a storm.  This has freed up exercise time for me which I desperately need.

Many of you know I love stamping, card making and tea.  What you may not know about me is that I love cooking, and spices and herbs.  I am happy in a stamp store, and just as happy walking through my favorite spice shop Penzey's.   Having a nice supply of spices and herbs on hand makes cooking a breeze.  I thought I would share pictures of my fun spice shelves that my late first husband Charlie, and Alan, have made for me.

This is only some of my stash; you will notice lots of small jars and larger ones of those I use often.  I have no affiliation at all with Penzey's, but love their products and their company values.

Hoping to get my fingers inky on a regular basis soon.  Summer is flying by and I sure miss it!

Until next time!

Leftover Mashed Potatoes, Anyone?

Hi, guys!  Just a short post that I thought you might enjoy.  Today I made mashed potato pancakes from leftover mashed potatoes.  I will let you in on a secret, I make a ton of extra potatoes so I will have leftovers just for this purpose!

I make large fat pancakes out of the mashed potatoes.  I then dust them lightly on both sides with flour. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and smoked paprika (if you can get Penzey's brand spices, I would highly recommend them as they are my favorite. I am NOT paid by them to say that, just want to recommend them to you).   I fry them up in a combo of olive oil and butter.  Let me tell you, they are delicious and my husband requests them as soon as he learns I have mashed potatoes on the menu the night before. My sisters and I all remember these from my mother's kitchen and us Poley gals never met a potato we didn't like.

Hope you have a great day!  I will be back soon with some inky creations!