Happy New Year! We spent New Year's Eve in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania with Nick and Stormy. Again, we forgot to take the camera along, so here's a very fuzzy picture, again, taken with the cell phone, of Stormy and me in front of the restrooms at Isabella's just before it turned midnight. We had a great, late dinner there. I had chicken scallopini and Bob had the veal. Then we gathered around the bar with the restaurant staff to watch Dick Clark, Ryan Seacrest and Kelly Pickler bring in the New Year. Stormy provided the crowns, horns, jingly-sticks and glow in the dark thingees. The balloons are courtesy of Isabella's.

We shopped at the King of Prussia Mall, outside Philadelphia on New Year's Day, but had to cut our trip short because Rob, who got in to see the dentist about his wisdom teeth on Tuesday, after we had already left for PA, was told that the teeth needed to come out NOW. So, we left Philadelphia at 1:30 and got home about 11:30 PM. and on Friday morning we took him into Fort Wayne to have them taken out. He really did pretty well with it. We found out that, like Bob, he's a hard one to put under with anesthesia. He kept telling us that he was fine and he could drive, but watching him try to eat a milkshake in the rearview mirror indicated otherwise. He also passed up a funny note from the back seat inquiring about the location of his tongue. He doesn't remember any of that now.


Here we are modeling all of the law firm SWAG (stuff we all got) that Stormy gave us from her employer, DLP.




Injured in a motorcycle accident? Call us.
Victim of nursing home abuse? Call us.
Dog bite? Call us
Slandered? Libeled? Call us. Call us.
Annoyed? Irritated? Crusty? Ouchy? CALL US!




Here are some of the, more intriguing gifts I received for Christmas. A giant, "glamorous" acorn, A Louis Jadot Beaujolais bottle, flattened into a tray, a "Well, Butter My Butt and Call Me a Biscuit" rural calendar, a "Davy Crackit" squirrel nutcracker and Slinky Dog. Roxanne is a little bit afraid of that Slinky Dog.




I noticed that many of my blogging friends have listed goals and resolutions for 2009, and I want to get in on some of that action too. Of course, we should all probably just exercise,read, pray, and smile more and eat and spend less, and we'd be in a much better state, but, anyway, here are my specific 2009 goals:




5. Lose that same thirty pounds that I've been saying I'll lose every year since Rob was born. No - let's make it twenty.

4. Have more people over for Sunday Night Candlelight Supper.

3. Break it off with the mailman.


2. Better my time in the 500 Mini Marathon (yes, I'm in)


1. Refrain from using the term "sorry carcass" when referring to my husband in this blog.




At last, the Paper Whites are blooming. They make the kitchen smell like
spring.



Coming this week: The Biggest Loser Year Deux!

Recipe of the Week: Stormy and Nick prepared this dish for us on Tuesday night. They also added shrimp, crab meat, and a few dashes of red pepper to the mix. I duplicated the meal for Bob on Sunday night. It's very rich.

Deb's Scallops Florentine

1 pound sea scallops

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie plate. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Rinse the scallops, and drop them into the boiling water; cook for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and pat dry. Place on the bottom of the prepared pie plate.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the lour. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, or until thick.

Squeeze the spinach dry and spread over the scallops. Pour the cream sauce over the spinach and top with mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and bread crumbs. Sprinkle Old Bay Seasoning over the crumbs. Bake for 15 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

"Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don't know what they are, or who the person is you're talking to. Then, on the way out, slam the door." Jack Handey