TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG

Hi there everyone. I am so sorry I have been M.I.A. for the last couple of days. I am going through some very rough times in my personal life and have not been the best company to visit with. So I took a couple of days away to regroup, collect my thoughts, and gain my composure. I'm praying that starting today, things will be easier and improve each day there after. SO, it seems that I owe you alot of info, huh? Well never fear, the next couple of posts should have as much stuffing as your Christmas turkey! LOL!

First I want to bring you this article I saved that I saw on Yahoo. Its about reminding women to breathe in stressful or painful, etc. situations. More than ever I have to keep reminded of this right now in my life and I thought for those others who may be out there, this might help you too! Being reminded to breathe is good for your body, have you ever just taken a deep breath (I mean a full and purposefull breathe?). While meditating, breathing is something of a distractor. It allows the mind to relax so people can sleep better and not have as much anxiety. Also Oxygen is a natural drug, when you take a few full deep breaths your brain is almost experencing a natural "high". EMT's say that sometimes for those people that were having anxiety attacks or what they thought was something worse... a little oxygen saved the day. So no matter what we are going through in life, remember to stop for a moment and just BREATHE!

Remind me: why do women need to be reminded to breathe?
by Piper Weiss

There are at least four songs by female pop singers with the title Breathe. Yoga studios across the country bear the name. An entire network for women is devoted to Oxygen and Bliss Spa has created a signature oxygen treatment. Meanwhile, Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus have "Breathe" tattoos. Now Drew Barrymore is the latest to imprint the reminder on her body. Is breathing something we're chronically forgetting to do? If so, I'd like to recommend a portable oxygen tank.

Not that kind of breathing silly! In the world of wellness, breathing is a luxury. You pay $20 bucks to have someone tell you to just focus on your breathing. (Also to remind you to thank yourself for showing up.) The age old practice of meditation gets choked in translation to take the form of a congratulatory reminder that you're already doing something. That thing being the bare minimum to stay alive. You're breathing. Isn't that great?

Shouldn't our self-expectations be a little higher? We are owning the job market, we're bearing children in our 40's and 50's. Back up. We're bearing children. I'm pretty sure the breathing thing under control by comparison.

In Lamaze, breathing techniques are supposed to refocus your attention from the unbearable pain of a human detaching from your organs. So what are Drew or Miley doing that is so painful it requires a ink-stained Lamaze coach at the ready?

The self-help industry has made a killing on the idea of "women who do too much." The common complaint being: "I don't take enough time for myself." And that's true of a lot of women who juggle work, family and relationships. We're nurturers and all that, but we're also highly capable creatures. Multi-tasking is in our DNA. There has never been a time when women haven't been expected to be responsible for keeping alive multiple humans at a time. It's what we do. We also breathe if we're lucky.

The implication is that we're dysfunctional. And like the word "relax" the more you're instructed to do it, the less you're able to. It fosters anxiety and coddles the panic. If anything, I'd rather it be one less thing to think about it. If I'm not aware of it, my body is working fine. The things we've got down, shouldn't be dwelled on. Things like confidence, organization, anger-management wouldn't be bad reminders. Personally, I could use the tattoo "shower". But breathe? I can do that in my sleep.

Not so for Taylor Swift song, who's song Breathe speaks directly to a guy who needs to give her CPR every minute. "I can't breathe with out you," she sings. That right there may be why he left. Talk about pressure. So no wonder we're given applause when we do it on our own. We've really turned a corner with our expectations of what makes an independent woman.

Then there's Michelle Branch (who performed her song Breathe at the Oxygen festival, above. ha). "When life's like an hourglass stuck to a table, just breathe," she advises. I would suggest leaving the Salvador Dali museum, drinking lots of water and never ever letting someone talk you into dropping acid at that high-art funhouse again.

(Just a corrective note- Piper, you're confusing Anna Nalick and Michelle Branch! Anna Nalick's song is "Breathe (2 AM)", which has the lyrics "And life's like an hourglass glued to the table." The Michelle Branch song you linked to is a completely different song, also entitled "Breathe". You might want to fix that last paragraph!)

And my apologies, but it seems the box office was closed for renovations the last couple of days for MEMORABLE MOVIES week. But fear not, the remodeling is done and tickets are now available! So I am gonna bring you some movies that maybe had 1 or 2 memorable foods that really stick in my mind and I thought would be fun to feature. Whether or not you make them is a whole other story LOL!



Fried Green Tomatoes

(Synopsis: 1991 comedy-drama film based on the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. It was released in the UK under the novel's full title. Directed by Jon Avnet and written by Fannie Flagg and Carol Sobieski, it stars Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary-Louise Parker and Mary Stuart Masterson. It tells the story of a Depression-era friendship between two women, Ruth and Idgie, and a 1980s friendship between Evelyn, a middle aged housewife and Ninny, an elderly woman who knew Ruth and Idgie. The centerpiece and parallel story concerns the murder of Ruth's abusive husband and the accusations that follow.)



Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
5 green tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 cup crushed saltine crackers
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt and pepper. Place the crushed saltine crackers in another bowl, and the beaten eggs in a third bowl.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip each tomato slice in the egg to coat, then in the flour mixture. Dip the floured tomato slice back into the egg, and then into the cracker crumbs. Place the coated tomato slices in the hot skillet, and fry until golden brown on each side, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Add more butter to the pan, if necessary. Serve hot!



Armadillo Grooms Cake from Steel Magnolias

(Synopsis: 1989 American comedy-drama film about the bond among a group of women in northwest Louisiana. The movie is based on a 1987 off-Broadway play by Robert Harling, which in turn dealt with the playwright's experience with the death of his sister. The title suggests the female characters are as delicate as magnolias but as tough as steel. The action centers on Truvy's beauty parlor and some women who regularly gather there. The film begins on the morning of Shelby's wedding to Jackson and covers events over the next three years, including Shelby's decision to have a child despite having Type 1 diabetes and the complications that result from the decision. We also get a glimpse of the unlikely friendship between Clairee and Ouiser; Annelle's transformation from a shy, anxious newcomer in town to a good-time girl and then to a revival-tent Christian; and Truvy's relationships with the men in her family. Although the main storyline involves Shelby, her mother and Shelby's medical battles, the underlying group-friendship among all six women is prominent throughout the drama.)The comedy-drama takes place in Louisiana and stars an incredible cast including Dolly Parton, Sally Field, Daryl Hannah, and Julia Roberts, among others. It explores the bonds of women, and the armadillo grooms cake debuts. The armadillo cake is made for the wedding of Jackson (played by Dylan McDermott) and Shelby (played by Julia Roberts) by Jackson's Aunt Fern.
The popularity of the movie, the uniqueness of the cake, and the comedic lines surrounding the cake in the movie have made the armadillo grooms cake popular years after the movie's release.

People choose armadillos as a grooms cake for reasons other than its appearance in the movie, of course. Many Texans embrace the armadillo as a mascot, since it is the state mammal of Texas. Randolph Community College in North Carolina claims this armored creature as a mascot along with other schools across the country. Whatever your reason for coveting an armored gray critter cake, it is sure to be charming.



The Bleeding Armadillo

Since grooms cakes are often fun, quirky, or unique, a bleeding armadillo cake can be a perfect choice. In Steel Magnolias the type of cake makes it appear as if it is "bleeding" when cut into slices. The type of cake used to achieve this affect is a red velvet cake, which is a rich, sweet cake that can be made with or without chocolate flavoring. Instant red velvet cake mixes are widely available in supermarkets, and recipes are also available.

The exterior of the armadillo is often made with a butter cream or cream cheese frosting that is colored to resemble an armadillo. While the cake in the movie was made with grey frosting, frosting can be white, black, brown, or other shades. Fondant frosting is used in some armadillo cakes to lend a smoother appearance, and airbrushing used to add detail. The back of the cake may be detailed with score marks or frosted to resemble an armadillo's scales.

An armadillo cake can be served on top of a sheet cake if necessary to accommodate more people for a large wedding party or if served at the reception. Surrounding details can include frosting or plastic grass, insects, logs, and lizards to evoke an armadillo's natural surroundings. Other cakes are shaped as if the armadillo is lying flat on the ground

Making the Cake

Since an armadillo cake requires a bit more work than a standard sheet or round cake, it may be best reserved for experienced bakers. For those willing to try, the cake can be made using a football cake pan as the base and using a mix or recipe for red velvet cake. The head, arms, legs, and tail, can be made from using sections of a loaf cake or from rolled fondant or butter cream frosting. Petal dusts, available at many bakery suppliers, can be used to add sheen to "scales" of the finished cake.
All in One Bake Shop also offers a recipe and full instructions for an armadillo cake, making it possible for anyone to enjoy this unique type of tribute to the groom.



Shrimp Cocktail from Beetlejuice

(Synopsis: 1988; Thanks to the carelessness of a cute little dog, newlyweds Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin are killed in a freak auto accident. Upon arriving in the outer offices of Heaven, the couple finds that, thanks to a century's worth of bureaucratic red tape, they're on a long celestial waiting list. Before they can earn their wings, Davis and Baldwin must occupy their old house as ghosts for the next fifty years. Alas, the house is now owned by insufferable yuppies Catherine O'Hara and Jeffrey Jones. Horrified at the prospect of sharing space with these obnoxious interlopers, Davis and Baldwin do their best to scare O'Hara and Jones away, but their house-haunting skills are pathetic at best. In desperation, the ghostly couple engage the services of a veteran scaremeister: a yellow-haired, snaggle-toothed, profane, flatulent "gonzo" spirit named Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton). The problem: Beetlejuice cannot be trusted-especially when he falls in love with O'Hara and Jones' gloomy, black-clad teenaged daughter Winona Ryder.)



Tejano Style Shrimp Cocktail

By: Rey Garza
"For those of you unable to make it to south Texas, A shrimp cocktail made Tex Mex style to include cilantro and chile serrano for that authentic flavor that will blow your tastebuds away, without leaving your home! Serve with saltine crackers."

Ingredients

1 pound cooked medium shrimp, chilled
1/2 large cucumber, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 large tomato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
8 green onions, thinly sliced
1 ounce fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 lime

Directions

In a large bowl, combine shrimp, cucumber, tomato, green onion, cilantro, and serrano pepper. Stir in tomato sauce, and vinegar. Squeeze lime juice over mixture.

** For more kick, add an additional pepper **

Well kids I need to get off of here for awhile. I want to thank everyone for coming. I also want to let you all know that I am toying with the idea of shutting down The Frugal Mom on November 30 (my 1yr. anniversary). I would leave it up thru the end of the year so you could pull your favorite recipes and crafts off the site. I have lost a lot the last few months and I don't feel I can continue to bring you a wonderful journey like I used to. Maybe I just need a break, I don't know... nothing is written in stone yet. Anyways, be safe, be smart, and be frugal. HUGS!