Do you spend Superbowl Sunday on the couch eating unhealthy snacks, watching guys in better shape than you play football? Is your fridge the only place you’ll ever see a 6-pack? Then you need to make my nachos this Sunday. These are not like any nachos you’ve ever had.

Look at the picture!  Mine are healthy and nutritious, crunchy and delicious. I won’t lie – they take a little work, but you won’t feel like an over-stuffed football by the second half… you won’t need a time out to take a nap… your waist band won’t snap from too many chicken wings… the sofa springs won’t be audible every time you sit down… you won’t need double coverage to hide your stomach… your stomach won’t hurt from having one turnover too many… your friends won’t be scrambling to get your heart started again… your trip to the bathroom won’t be third-and-long… I think I will cut back on these really bad jokes… but make sure you roll out my nachos… they are the bomb.

Click here for the recipe.

Click here for the video.

“I wish it would stop raining in PA; it looks like I’m 4 wheeling with it!  I love this car!!”

My man, Denis, has been the love of my life for over 25 years but if the house caught on fire and I had to run back in to save just one thing, Denis would have to find his own way out. I would save my iPad! I love love my iPad! I take it everywhere I go – I even take it to bed to read or play games. I’ve been looking for a carrying case since I won’t ever leave it in the car but nothing came with a shoulder strap. So I decided to make one.

I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics last night and bought some reversible quilted material (cost: $4.66) and spent about 45 minutes to put it together. The wide strap is comfortable and now I can take my iPad everywhere I go and never have to leave it in the car. I left Denis in the car once but I was mad at him. Served him right.

We drove back home yesterday after getting my stepmom moved. She’s now in a gated retirement community with good security so we have peace of mind. There wasn’t much time for fun or any shows but we can do that next time. We did have a great dinner buffet at the “M” which is a new hotel/casino as well as a really bad meal at the Mandalay Bay coffee shop –  don’t go there. The only gambling I did was the five minutes it took for me to lose at roulette and blackjack.

It’s so good to sleep in my own bed. Why are hotel beds so uncomfortable? Who knows what kind of abuse they take… Maybe there was a large man convention there last week and the Incredible Hulk and Andre the Giant were having pillow fights on that bed. Who can sleep anyway when you’re up all night looking for bed bugs? I have to stop watching those shows about horrible things in hotel rooms. This time I brought some disinfectant wipes and cleaned the doorknobs, phone, remote control (the worst!), and I found a hair in my bathtub! It was not mine. Next time I’d like to bring one of those UV lights and a pair of goggles to look for blood stains on the wall! I should just stay home!

Well, my gambling buddies, I wanted so much to surprise someone with a win but it was a bust. (: I told the dealer what I was doing and he suggested playing all the numbers at once for better odds.  I did and the number that came up was 33….. Boooo!

Since blackjack is my usual game, I tried that too – and I lost 20 bucks there too! Oh well, it was still fun and the next time I come here, I will try to win for somebody again. Thanks, guys, for playing along.  It looks like I have better luck with my baking.

We are off to Las Vegas for the week! My stepmom is moving and Denis and I are going to help with the move. I’m making her a surprise batch of my caramel corn as a housewarming gift – she loves that stuff. But we will make time for some fun… a little blackjack… a few sluts…. oops, I meant slots but we should see plenty of both.

I have a fun idea. If anyone has a lucky number, I will put a dollar on it for you in roulette. Can you play a dollar in roulette? Whatever the minimum bet, I will place it in your behalf. If your number wins, I will send you the winnings, assuming you trust me with your dollar. Oh wait — it’s not your dollar — but I will send you the winnings anyway. And keep my dollar. The winning odds on a single number are 35 to 1. (Denis will witness the bets)

This offer is good for the first 15 people who send me their lucky number. There are 36 numbers on the wheel. So I guess we’re having another contest of sorts. Should be fun. Good luck!!

Anybody who thought MY hair was big back in the day can start singing a different tune now.  Back in 1991, we did a show featuring twins – always looking for the ones you couldn’t tell apart. These stunning sisters, Sari and Staci, looked exactly alike and had us all mesmerized with their hair. They were great guests but as the host, my only regret was not asking how they did it… pin curls… rollers… curling irons… was it natural… how long did it take?

Sari & Staci, if you’re out there, I would love to hear from you.

Click here to watch the video.

Well, it  didn’t take me long to disappoint myself in 2012. We’re only five days in and I’ve broken most of my New Year’s Resolutions. Let’s review:

1) EAT LESS SWEETS, EVEN IF I BAKE THEM MYSELF. (I’m still eating my leftover Christmas cookies and refuse to stop until they’re gone)

2) WALK MORE DAYS PER WEEK THAN ONE. (I haven’t walked yet this week. I’m afraid if I leave the house someone will take my Christmas cookies)

3) SPEND LESS TIME AT THE COMPUTER. (Here I am)

4) ACCEPT THAT NO WOMAN OVER SIXTY SHOULD WEAR PIGTAILS. (or clothes from the drugstore either, but I do both, so what? —  other people should mind their own beeswax)

5) FINISH MY COOKBOOK BEFORE SUMMER. (I have to taste all the food, I won’t have time to walk, and I’ll be at my computer until summer… in my pigtails and drug store clothes!)

I hope I’m not the only one who couldn’t make it through the first week without crumbling like a six-month old pfeffernusse.

Oh deer.

Something bad happened in my back yard last night.

I’ve come across a lot of things out there, but this is a first. And a sad one, too, but this is nature after all. We found a deer’s leg bone – picked clean. I wonder what happened to it…

Coyotes? Bobcats? Mountain lions? I only have two questions:

1) Where is the body?

2) Why not the squirrel??

I hope my home cooking motivates more people to cook. I cook almost every day and make everything from scratch. My main meals are late breakfast and dinner with multiple snacks in between. As my dad used to say, “Smachnego!”

Friday, Feb. 3rd

• Salad and chicken fingers for dinner

Thursday, Feb. 2nd

• Pounded lemon chicken & steamed vegetables for dinner

Wednesday, Feb. 1st

• Pizza and salad for dinner

Tuesday, Jan. 31st

• Spaghetti with olive oil & garlic + salad for dinner

Sunday, Jan. 29th

• Homemade tortillas and a western omelette for breakfast

Saturday, Jan. 28th

• Sardines with roasted brussel sprouts & potatoes for dinner

Thursday, Jan. 26th

• Chocolate cupcakes

Wednesday, Jan 25th

• Nachos for dinner

Tuesday, Jan. 24th

• Spaghetti bolognese + salad for dinner

Monday, Jan. 23rd

• Turkey fried rice for dinner (with leftover frozen Thanksgiving turkey)
• Marble pound cake for dessert

Saturday, Jan. 21st

• Oatmeal & stewed prunes for breakfast
• Minestrone for supper
• Oatmeal cake with broiled coconut-pecan topping for dessert

Friday, Jan. 13th

• Cinnamon rolls for snacking
• Pepperoni pizza + spicy cabbage salad for dinner

Thursday, Jan. 12th

• Lemon chicken with butternut squash + salad for dinner
• Oatmeal-fig-chocolate chunk cookies for dessert

Tuesday, Jan. 10th

• Whole wheat French toast for breakfast
• Sardines with roasted vegetables for dinner

Sunday, Jan. 8th

• Rice & beans + cabbage salad for dinner
• One-bowl chocolate cake for dessert

Thursday, Jan. 5th

• Chicken cutlets, spaghetti with chard & steamed broccoli & brussel sprouts for dinner

Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012

• Deviled eggs & sourdough toast for breakfast
• Chicken-mushroom rice with broccoli + salad for dinner

Friday, Dec. 30th, 2011

• Oatmeal with papaya for breakfast
• Farfalle (bowties) with beans and greens for dinner

Wednesday, Dec. 28th

• Turkey fried rice for dinner

Monday, Dec. 26th

• Sardines with Greek lemon potatoes + salad for dinner

Christmas Day

• Cheese blintzes & mango for breakfast
• Dinner: (see Thanksgiving Day) Ditto plus sugar cookies

Christmas Eve

• Whole wheat bread for my stuffing
• Fudgey brownies

Thursday, Dec. 22nd

• Vegetable fried rice for dinner
• Double chocolate chip cookies for dessert

Tuesday, Dec. 20th

• Cheese blintzes for breakfast

Sunday, Dec. 18th

• Crepes for breakfast
• Pasta with asparagus, spinach & cannellini beans + salad for dinner

Friday, Dec. 16th

• Another batch of granola
• Mexican rice & beans + crudite for dinner

Tuesday, Dec. 13th

• Mushroom-chicken rice + romaine salad for dinner

Saturday, Dec. 10th

• Cinnamon-raisin bread
• Short ribs over noodles with broccoli side

Friday, Dec. 9th

• Baked tilapia with asparagus & boiled Yukon Gold potatoes for dinner
• Tapioca pudding for dessert

Thursday, Dec. 8th

• Egg salad on toast with papaya for breakfast
• Pork fried rice for dinner

Wednesday, Dec. 7th

• Hard boiled egg, sourdough toast & papaya for breakfast
• Pork Loin with roasted vegetables for dinner

Sunday, Dec. 4th

• Two-bran muffins & pineapple for breakfast

Friday, Dec. 2nd

• Oatmeal & papaya for breakfast
• Sweet & sour chicken (version 2) for dinner

Wednesday, Nov. 30th

• Bran muffins for breakfast
• Sweet & sour chicken + salad for dinner

Tuesday, Nov. 29th

• Orange-sesame chicken  with green beans & asparagus for dinner

Monday, Nov. 28th

• Oatmeal cake with broiled coconut-pecan topping

Thanksgiving Day

• Roast turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, cranberries, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, whipped cream.

Tuesday, Nov. 22nd

• Egg scramble with broccoli, yellow squash & potatoes for breakfast
• Beef stew with carrots & mushrooms + salad for dinner
• Whole wheat dinner rolls for dunking in the stew
• Blondies for dessert
• Turkey stock for Thanksgiving

Monday, Nov. 21st

• Sardine with roasted purple potatoes & steamed vegetables for dinner

Friday, Nov. 18th

• Breaded chicken cutlets with lemon + salad for dinner
• Chocolate pudding for dessert

Wednesday, Nov. 16th

• Mac & Cheese, new healthier version
• Pumpkin pie bars for dessert

Monday, Nov. 14th

• Skinless chicken thighs with fingerling potatoes, steamed veggies + salad for dinner

Sunday, Nov. 13th

• Farm bread from scratch
• Scrambled eggs with salmon for breakfast
• Apple pie bars for dessert

Friday, Nov. 11th

• Polish cabbage rolls + salad for dinner
• Oatmeal-fig-walnut-chocolate chunk cookies for dessert

Thursday, Nov. 10th

• Broccoli, Kale, Spinach, Cannellini Bean & Ziti saute with cabbage crudite for dinner

Tuesday, Nov 8th

• Batch of granola
• Chicken & mushrooms with broccoli + crudite of raw cabbage & yellow peppers for dinner

Monday, Nov. 7th

• Crepes with jam for breakfast
• Mushroom raviolis with garlic & olive oil + salad for dinner

Sunday, Nov. 6th

• Breakfast burritos for breakfast
• Rustic country bread

Saturday, Nov. 5th

• Squirrely Bread French toast with mango for breakfast
• Tortillas

Friday, Nov. 4th

• French Canadian pea soup
• Canadian butter tarts

Thursday, Nov. 3rd

• Roasted pork loin with brussel sprouts, sweet potato & carrots + salad for dinner

Tuesday, Nov. 1st

• Sesame seed breadsticks
• Fresh cranberries

Friday, Oct. 28th

• Spaghetti & Meatballs + salad for dinner
• Granola bars

Thursday, Oct. 27th

• Deviled eggs
• Mushroom barley soup
• Tortillas
• Stewed my own prunes

Wednesday, Oct. 26th

• Cheese pizza + kale salad for dinner
• Fresh tomato sauce
• Beef stock

Tuesday, Oct. 25th

• Cheese blintzes for breakfast
• Three-hour sweet pickles
• Baked vegetable-ziti casserole + salad for dinner
• Pumpkin pie bars for dessert

Sunday, Oct. 23rd

• Rustic Country Bread
• Broiled salmon with steamed broccoli, Brussel sprouts & sweet potato for dinner

Saturday, Oct. 22nd

• Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Friday, Oct. 21st

• Chicken drumsticks, pinto beans & Mexican rice + crudite for dinner

Thursday, Oct. 20th

• Tortillas from scratch and deviled eggs for breakfast
• Leftover stew + salad for dinner
• Chocolate pudding for dessert

Wednesday, Oct. 19th

• Oatmeal and raspberries for breakfast
• Vegetable beef stew + salad for dinner

Tuesday, Oct. 18th

• Whole wheat French toast for breakfast
• Fried rice with leftover chicken & steak from Benihana + salad for dinner

Wednesday, Oct. 12th

• Granola bars from scratch

Tuesday, Oct. 11th

• Egg, pepper, onion & ham scramble burrito for breakfast
• Sesame orange chicken with broccolini for dinner

Monday, Oct. 10th

• Red beans & brown rice + kale & romaine salad for dinner
• Homemade sesame breadsticks

Saturday, Oct. 8th

• Egg salad sandwiches for breakfast
• Spaghetti with sirloin meatballs, garlic bread + kale salad for dinner
• Brownies with chocolate chips, walnuts & pecans for dessert

Friday, Oct. 7th

• Chicken thighs with carrots & potatoes + crudite for dinner
• Yesterday’s biscotti for dessert

Thursday, Oct. 6th

• Fresh Tomato-Basil Spaghetti Sauce
• Double Chocolate-Dried Cherry Biscotti

Monday, Oct. 3rd

• Broiled salmon and steamed green beans, brussel sprouts & carrots for dinner
• Chocolate pudding for dessert

Sunday, Oct. 2nd

• French Canadian Split Pea Soup

Friday, Sept. 30th

• Fruit & yogurt smoothie for breakfast
• My “Easy Casserole” & chopped salad for dinner
• Peanut butter cookies for dessert

Thursday, Sept. 29th

• Pizza and salad for dinner

Wednesday, Sept. 28th

• Oatmeal with bananas for breakfast
• Chicken & five vegetable fried rice with for dinner

Tuesday, Sept. 27th

• Potato, onion, peppers & egg scramble for breakfast
• Chicken with garlic pasta & broccolini for dinner

Monday, Sept. 26th

• Whole wheat french toast, honeydew & white peaches for breakfast
• Out for dinner

Wednesday, Sept. 21st

• Homemade tortillas & scrambled eggs for breakfast
• Sweet & sour pork for dinner

Monday, Sept. 19th

• Red beans & brown rice + chopped salad for dinner
• Apple pie bars for dessert

Sunday, Sept. 18th

• Scrambled eggs, wheat toast & cantaloupe for breakfast
• Potato gnocchi with browned bread crumbs + salad for dinner
• Pineapple frozen fruit bar for dessert

Friday, Sept. 16th

• Vegetable-Chicken Stew with homemade rolls
• Yesterday’s brownies for dessert

Thursday, Sept. 15th

• Oatmeal & bing cherries for breakfast
• Spaghetti with collard greens, a meatball + salad for dinner
• Fudgey brownies for dessert

Wednesday, Sept. 14th

• Yogurt and five-fruit smoothie for breakfast
• Salad and potato leek soup for dinner
• Banana sundae for dessert

Monday, Sept. 12th

• Forgot to eat breakfast
• Chicken, potatoes & broccoli + salad for dinner
• The rest of the chocolate pudding for dessert

Sunday, Sept. 11th

• Granola for breakfast
• Broiled salmon, kale with rice + salad for dinner
• Chocolate pudding for dessert

Friday, Sept. 9th

• Peanut butter sandwich with cantaloupe for breakfast
• Roasted pork loin with steamed carrots, brussel sprouts & sweet potato for dinner

Thursday, Sept. 8th

• French toast & a smoothie for breakfast
• Orange-sesame chicken with broccolini for dinner
• A piece of dark chocolate for dessert

Wednesday, Sept. 7th

• Oatmeal for breakfast
• Tomato – cucumber salad and pasta with fresh tomato sauce and kale for dinner
• Rice pudding for dessert

Monday, Labor Day

• Smoothie with orange, apple, banana & yogurt for breakfast
• Barbeque ribs & chicken, potato salad, & cole slaw for dinner

Friday, Sept. 2nd

• Whole wheat French toast for breakfast
• Chinese beef & broccoli + crudite for dinner
• Double chocolate chip cookies for dessert

Thursday, Sept. 1st

• Whole wheat crepes with jam & cantaloupe for breakfast
• Margarita pizza + salad for dinner
• An extra slice of pizza for dessert

Tuesday, Aug. 30th

• Egg salad sandwich on whole wheat bread & an apple for breakfast
• Leftover chicken/potatoes with broccoli + salad for dinner
• Whole grain oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert

Monday, Aug. 29th

• Toasted Squirrely bread with peanut butter & jam for breakfast
• Skinless chicken thighs with potatoes & brussel sprouts + salad for dinner
• Marble cake for dessert

Friday, Aug. 26th

• Made sesame breadsticks
• Oven fries, marinated beets, sardines + salad for dinner
• Apple pie bars (AGAIN!) for dessert (I know… just deal with it. They are that good!!)

Thursday, Aug.25th

• Bran muffins & cantaloupe for breakfast
• Stuffed chicken breasts with pasta + salad for dinner. The chicken did not turn out.

Monday, Aug. 22nd

• Deviled eggs to have around
• Skinless, boneless chicken thighs with Yukon gold potatoes & kale for dinner

Sunday, Aug. 21st

• Chinese sweet glazed spare ribs, leftover rice + salad for dinner
• Blondies & milk  for dessert

Saturday, Aug. 20th

• Out for Chinese for dinner
• Made butterscotch blondies for dessert

Friday, Aug. 19th

• Chicken fried rice with multicolored vegetables

Wednesday, Aug. 17th

• Chicken with mushrooms & broccolini + salad for dinner

Tuesday, Aug. 16th

• Meat loaf with spaetzle + salad for dinner
• Marble cake for dessert

Monday, Aug. 15th

• A can of sardines with roasted vegetables for dinner

Sunday, Aug. 14th

• Made healthy marble loaf cake with no butter,
  just canola oil

Friday, Aug. 12th

• “Blaster” bran muffins for breakfast with milk
• My version of El Pollo Loco chicken with rice & beans for dinner + salad
• Yesterday’s cookies for dessert

Thursday, Aug. 11th

• Granola & blueberries for breakfast
• Leftovers + salad for dinner
• Made oatmeal/fig/chocolate chunk cookies for dessert

Wednesday, Aug. 10th

• Flax Plus cereal & galia melon for breakfast
• Broccoli & beef Chinese-style for dinner
• Apple pie bars for dessert

Sunday, Aug. 7th

• Made a big pot of chicken noodle soup
• Baked rustic country bread

Saturday, Aug. 6th

• Blueberry pancakes for breakfast
• Beef & yellow vegetable stew for dinner
• Sweet potato chocolate cake for dessert

Friday, Aug. 5th

• Granola & cantaloupe for breakfast
• Broiled swordifsh w/asparagus & salt potatoes + salad for dinner
• Skinny Cow bar for dessert

Thursday, Aug. 4th

• Yogurt for breakfast (lunch meeting – split a turkey sandwich)
• Short ribs over noodles + greens & peppers salad for dinner.
• Homemade double chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

Wednesday, Aug. 3rd

• Homemade bran muffin, milk & mango for breakfast.
• Out for Chinese for dinner.
• Home for homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

Tuesday, Aug. 2nd

• Toasted Squirrelly Bread with peanut butter + jam for breakfast
• Chicken & vegetable fried rice + salad for dinner
• Fig bar for dessert

Monday, Aug. 1st

• Hard boiled egg & toasted Squirrelly Bread + cantaloupe for breakfast
• Vegetable soup & angel hair pasta with olive oil & garlic for dinner
• Banana sundae for dessert

Sunday, July 31

• Whole  wheat crepes with peaches for breakfast
• Sardines with roasted root vegetables for dinner
• Fig bars for dessert

Thursday, July 28

• Cheese blintzes with blueberries for breakfast (already made – the last ones)
• Marinated cucumbers + spaghetti & meatballs for dinner
• Watermelon for dessert

Wednesday, July 27

• Autumn Wheat cereal and a peach for breakfast
• Chicken and peppers + salad for dinner
• Apple pie bars for dessert (yes, they are that good!)

Tuesday, July 26

• Granola for breakfast (already made)  + papaya
• Made 3-hour pickles
• Margarita pizza + salad  for dinner
• Apple pie bars for dessert (yes, I made them again!)

Monday, July 25

• Granola for breakfast (already made)
• Chicken cutlets with steamed broccolini, pasta with Saturday’s sauce + salad for dinner
• Bread pudding for dessert (already made)

Sunday, July 24

• Cheese blintzes for breakfast
• Grilled salmon with sweet potatoes + salad for dinner
• Bread pudding with my own egg bread for dessert

Saturday, July 23

• Whole wheat crepes with jam for breakfast
• Baked braided egg bread with poppy seeds
• Spaghetti sauce with my own tomatoes on pasta + salad for dinner
• Butterscotch pudding for dessert (already made)

Friday, July 22

• Whole wheat French toast for breakfast
• Beef & broccoli stir fry for dinner
• Butterscotch pudding for dessert

Thursday, July 21

• Oatmeal for breakfast
• Torillla Pie + salad for dinner
• Kitchen Sink Cookies for dessert

Wednesday, July 20

• Crepes with strawberries for breakfast
• Salmon patties and roasted vegetables for dinner
• Apple pie bars for dessert (already made)

Tuesday, July 19

• Hard boiled egg and homemade tortillas for breakfast (already made)
• Bowtie pasta with spinach pesto + garbanzo bean salad for dinner
• Oatmeal cookies for dessert

Monday, July 18

• Homemade granola for breakfast (already made yesterday)
• Beer can chicken, roasted potatoes & asparagus for dinner
• Apple pie bars for dessert