Frances Ellen Speaks!

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Archive for February, 2009

San Antonio, Texas

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

Photo From

In keeping with my suggestion that you vacation in the good ole’ USA, here is another suggestion.

If you want to visit a city that has something for everyone, San Antonio, Texas fills the bill. When I visited, I stayed at a hotel located on the RiverWalk, so I could exit the hotel and stroll along the cobbled path that winds along the San Antonio River. There are lots of shops and restaurants along the way.

My best experience while in San Antonio included a stop at the IMAX Theatre to see the story of the Alamo. Next I walked across the street and toured the Alamo. If you happen to visit in the month of March, a reenactment of the battle is performed on the Plaza.

Other attractions include: SeaWorld, Six Flags, McNay Art Museum, Tower of the Americas, Loads of Golf Courses, and while I was there I found some interesting Antique Shops.

Like I said, something for everyone.

Vacation On A Budget

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

If you’re like a whole lot of other people, you can’t afford to go abroad for a vacation. Getting there is expensive, even if you’re able to find a decent group deal. Worse, the dollar exchange is really, really bad at the moment.

Still, you’d like to get away for a little while, maybe in the spring or summer. The answer is simple. Travel in the good ole’ U. S. of A. If you happen to live close enough to any of these locations, you can plan a road trip. Best of all, you’ll be helping our economy while you enjoy yourself.

I’ll give you a short rundown of cities I’ve visited that didn’t disappoint. I’ll start with my two absolute favorites.

  • Niagara Falls, New York. Whether it’s daytime or nighttime, the Falls are the main attraction. They’re awesome, to use a word which means, “Go see for yourself.” They are lit at night with colored lights–truly a delicious sight. Then take a day-trip across the Rainbow Bridge into Canada. Experience the Falls close-up on a short boat trip aboard the Maid of the Mist. How does it feel to be so close to the Falls: surrounded by rainbows, mist splashing your face, (you’re given a raincoat as you board the boat), the deafening roar? For an all too brief moment, your senses go wild: Seeing, Feeling and Hearing. Even the smells are memorable. There are loads of other things to do and see. This is a “must see” destination.

  • Grand Canyon, Arizona. I was in Las Vegas a couple of years ago (not a place you want to go when you’re on a budget). I had never been to Las Vegas before, so I thought I should see it at least once.  My real reason for going was because it got me smack-dab around the corner from the Grand Canyon. Before my feet ever hit the airport in Nevada, my Grand Canyon bus trip had already been booked and paid for. I’d seen pictures of the Grand Canyon hundreds of times, so I figured I knew what to expect. No! There is no way you can conceive its vastness, or its beauty. The only way I can possibly explain its size is–after spending several hours at the Canyon (which was not enough time), I returned to the bus for my return trip back to Las Vegas. The driver handed out pamphlets of the Canyon. On the inside of the four-folded pamphlet extending from one edge to the other, was a photo of the Grand Canyon. I asked the driver where we were exactly. He pointed to a tiny speck and he said, “That’s where we’re at and, actually, my stubby finger is too wide for this map.” That probably doesn’t explain it very well. Suffice it to say, if you haven’t already seen the Grand Canyon, put it on your Bucket List.

Bruschetta & Crostini

Sunday, February 8th, 2009

Someone asked me this week, if I had any good recipes for Bruschetta. Here they are. If you use a smaller loaf of bread, like French bread, the tasty morsels automatically become Crostini. You can serve them as an appetizer, while waiting for the main course to be served, or eat them right along with your meal. Superb!

Bruschetta – Tomato & Basil

Use 8 thick slices of Italian bread

Rub both sides with 2 large halved cloves of garlic OR sprinkle sparingly with garlic powder

Brush both sides with virgin olive oil

Toast the bread or, if you prefer, broil in oven-making sure to brown both sides.

Combine:

4 ripe tomatoes, cored and diced

½ cup fresh basil, chopped

Salt, pepper

Spread on bread or serve separately so that each guest can prepare their own.

Bruschetta – Tomato & Mozzarella

Prepare Italian bread as above, but DO NOT toast.

Top each slice of bread with shredded mozzarella. Broil till the cheese is bubbling. Remove from oven and top each slice with diced fresh tomato and fresh or dried oregano. (Go easy on the oregano)

Bruschetta – Garlic, Butter and Cheese

Use 8 thick slices of Italian bread

Spread with thin coat of butter (real butter)

Sprinkle with garlic powder (sparingly)

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese covering the entire surface

Broil until golden

Top each slice with diced fresh tomatoes or eat “as is” with no tomato added.

Good For The Waistline, Good For The Pocketbook, Too

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

cheeseburger

It’s time to cut out some of the fast food drop-ins on your way home from work. Notice I say some, because there are days when you’re just too tired to cook, or you don’t have time to cook, or you’ve got to have a greasy cheeseburger, no matter what!

On those days when there’s no getting around it, be prepared. It doesn’t have to be a fast food burger. I buy a pound of ground beef, but instead of freezing it, I shape it into four burgers (very simple–nothing whatsoever added to it). Those individually wrapped burgers are always in my freezer. I freeze burger buns, too. Instant meal!

And if you want to make it healthier, smother every burger with tomato, lettuce, pickle, onion and a little cheese. The more lettuce, the better. It adds crunch.

Another thing you might want to consider is, once the kitchen is cleaned after dinner, put up the “Closed” sign. I don’t mean literally, but I remember my mother wiped and dried her kitchen sink. She shined the faucet and folded the towel and, believe me, you didn’t mess up her sink after that. It was her way of closing the kitchen for the night. It was a good policy. No one in our family had a weight problem back then.

And, incidentally, if you want to read a book about losing weight the fun way, try reading a book written by Janice Taylor titled All Is Forgiven, Move On. I mention her book because one of her suggestions is to close your kitchen at 9:20 p.m. every night.  My mom was doing that back in the 50’s.

Janice also has some nifty charts, some great recipes and motivation ideas for getting healthy and staying that way.

You might also want to visit Janice’s site http://ourladyofweightloss.com/ It’s an interesting read.