Deanna Carpenter

We had a lot of cookies and treats for the holidays. I bought two fruitcakes by Claxton and eat a small slice of that every day for as long as I can make it last. They are wonderful – moist and fruity and the perfect size for small taste before bed.

But the fruitcakes are gone, the cookies are gone, and all I have left for treats is a small box of chocolate covered pretzels. When those are gone I’ll have to bake a batch of something nice.

Wish I could have stayed home and watched the entire inauguration ceremonies. I got to see a little of the crowds and coverage early in the morning, though. I thought Barack looked very confident and composed. His wife was beautiful although her choice of clothing continues to be a little off the wall. Especially her color choices. There is no way in the wolrd I would ever agree to wear a yellow green dress like she had on in the morning, but I don’t have the same skin tone and coloring that she has.

I hope to hear his whole speech online some where. I missed that – the most important part.

About once a month I have a craving for a handful of potato chips and some dip to go with it. Sometimes I’ll make my own dip by mixing dried onion soup into a half cup of sour cream. But if I can find Deans onion flavored dip at the store, it’s just as good and often cheaper than the ingredients I need to make my own. The chips have to be Lays – they are light and salty and not too oily.

That’s my choice for snack of the day today. Just a few and the craving goes away.

My step dad’s birthday is today. As we are all adults and I rarely see him, I can’t cozy up and call him “dad.” But if he takes care of my mother and makes her happy, then we are cool.

I think they are going out to dinner at a nice restaurant tonight to celebrate his birthday. They don’t eat out very much anymore because they both have developed food allergies and sensitivities, and eating out increases your exposure to some of the foods or ingredients that cause bad reactions.

But they do have a couple restaurants that they know and trust, so I hope they have a nice dinner out and that he has a happy birthday.

Everyone knows that ketchup is made from tomatoes and vinegar. Vinegar is made from apples. So the condiment is actually two fruits. But should they count toward the daily allowance of fruits and vegetables?

Apparently the jails in Virginia have decided that ketchup does count as part of the inmates nuitrition. Sounds like a weak excuse to skimp on feeding these people nutritious meals and save a few bucks. I say B.S.

They may be in jail but starving them to death is not supposed to be part of the punishment.