More Cheese

Hey everyone. I didn't have time to put together a full-blown post for you.

But I did make another cheese recipe this week.

Oh. And FYI -- it just so happens to be the MOST REQUESTED RECIPE in the history of this blog.

BOOM!

I don't really have time to write anything witty and/or clever. In fact, I am heading out of the door as I type this. So I have created a sort of "recipe storyboard" for you involving a series of awful pictures and some random comments.

Enjoy.

Yes. This Recipe Involves a Schematic

Bread & Cottage Cheese in the Blender. Be Still My Heart.

The "Pancake". Before it went under the broiler.

The finished product. Before it went in my belly.

So there you have it! The ever popular Austrian Breakfast Pancake for your viewing pleasure. Give it a whirl! By the way. I didn't like it very much, but let me know what you think. I'll take a good old fashioned Terrace Tempter over this catastrophe any day!

OK--I am heading out for a nice long weekend, so please don't panic if there isn't a new Retro WW Rule posted on Monday. I will be sure to post the next Rule as soon as I get home! And believe me, its a BIG ONE. Omigosh Omigosh Omigosh....I seriously can't wait to tell you!

Until next time...

Cheese Time!

I am soooo excited about this next rule. In fact, I do believe it is the best part of being a Retro WW Gal.

It's the CHEESE!

RULE #3: CHEESE - Cheese is only allowed at breakfast or luncheon, not at dinner. 

At breakfast, 1 oz. hard cheese or 1/4 cup cottage cheese or pot cheese may be used, following your Menu Plan. At luncheon, 2 oz. hard cheese or 2/3 cup cottage cheese or pot cheese may be used.

FYI - Hard cheese includes: Cheddar, American, Asiago, Edam, Gruyere, Muenster, Parmesan, Provolone, Romano, and Swiss to name a few. Farmer Cheese and Pot Cheese are also legal.

But the cheese that gets top billing in my book is the one...the only...

I put this sh*t on EVERYTHING

Anyway. To prepare myself with all the information I needed for this week's Cheese "Rule", I decided to go to the Master.

So I called my mom.

Back in the day, my mom's favorite Retro WW lunch treat was a toasted "twofer" topped with a legal serving of Farmer Cheese and a packet of Sweet n' Low, placed under the broiler for a few minutes. According to my mom, it tasted just like cheese cake.

Alrighty then.

It's Called "Almost a Danish"

I didn't have Farmer Cheese, and I wasn't about to repeat the great Twofer Debaucle of 2010. But I did make myself a nice little "cheesecake" treat with some light wheat bread and cottage cheese. And it wasn't too bad. Who else out there is going to give it a try? Hit me up in the comments section and let me know how you liked it!

OK. Listen Up. Ohmigosh you guys...Get this. Later this week, I will be whipping up another cheesy concoction, and you will not want to miss it. Why? Because it is the NUMBER ONE READER REQUESTED RETRO WW RECIPE OF ALL TIME!!!!

That's right. I know you are all trembling with anticipation. And I will be making it for the first time EVER. This week. I am way more excited than I should be.

YAY CHEESE!!!!!!!

Bring It On

Well. It's Monday.

Are you ready?

The Original Weight Watchers Program had 12 "Rules". Count 'em.... TWELVE.

Starting today, we are gonna bust out the "Rules", one-by-one and in correct order; from start to finish until we get through them ALL.

I should warn you up front. Some Rules are easier than others. Some are just plain silly. And some are FREAKING RIDICULOUS. We will devote a week or two (or three) per each Rule, and I might even throw in a recipe or two.

I dare you to follow along. And please do share your thoughts in the comments section. I will share mine too. Don't be shy!

So here we go:

This Post will include the first TWO RULES!!!

RULE #1: Eat ONLY the foods listed in your Menu Plan, in the quantities specified 

and at the meals specified.

What does this mean? In short: DO NOT SCREW AROUND. Rule #1 Simply means... follow the freaking rules. And don't complain about it. Next?

RULE #2: EGGS - Limit them to 4-7 per week. 

They may be taken only at breakfast or luncheon, not at dinner.

So this week, we conquer Eggs. It's simple, really. Don't over-do it, and don't eat them at dinner. Got it? Good.

To begin my journey, I whipped up an egg recipe from the 1966 Weight Watchers Program Cookbook...

Speedy Summer Breakfast

2 Envelopes Sugar Substitute

1 Egg

1 Cup Buttermilk

1 Tablespoon lemn juice

1 small strip lemon peel

Put everything in blender and run for about half a minute. Serve cold.

Drink.

Yea, I just drank a raw egg and some buttermilk. And didn't throw up. So I am pretty much ready to take on the world! Cheers!

Beginning Again... Again

Wow. Is it August already?

When last we met, I do believe I stated that I am TERRIBLE at blogging in the Summer. Well, it's true. And apparently I am also terrible at eating healthy and following any kind of weight loss program during the Summer too. But I discovered that I am really good at eating ice cream every day and sitting on ass in the sun.

Ouch.

So it's back to the drawing board again.  Again.

That's right. You heard me. We are going BACK TO BASICS. And I am dragging all you bitches back on this Retro WW wagon with me.

Here's the deal:

We are starting with Chapter One and working our way through the "RULES" of the original Weight Watchers plan. One by One... Page by Page... Recipe by Recipe.

Every Monday, I will unveil a new "RETRO WW RULE" and a corresponding recipe (or two) throughout that week.

Now, here's where you come in, my lovely friends, followers and readers....YOU get to join in the fun by following the RULES along with me. Don't be a chicken! Its only one per week, so it will be nice & easy. And you can share your thoughts and feedback in the comments section. I promise to respond to any and all comments with my own experience as well.

We are all in this together. Misery loves company. Go Team Retro WW!

So enjoy your weekend, because starting Monday - we get back on track. And there's no room for crybabies on this Retro WW Bandwagon.

Summer Lovin'

One of my favorite movies EVER is "Rushmore". Have you seen it?

No matter. Anyway -- there is a great dialogue between two of the main characters that happens to be one of my favorite movie scenes of all time. It goes like this:

Herman Blume: What's the secret, Max?
Max Fischer: The secret?
Herman Blume: Yeah, you seem to have it pretty figured out.
Max Fischer: The secret, I don't know... I guess you've just gotta find something you love to do and then... do it for the rest of your life. For me, it's going to Rushmore.

source: IMDb

So what does all this have to do with my blog and the Retro WW Experiment?

Well. You may have noticed I haven't been posting much lately. In fact, it has been over a month since my last post. And a full two months since I have cooked up any Retro WW dishes.

I have received a few emails, Facebook messages and Tweets asking about the blog and wondering where I have been. A few people actually said they miss my posts. That made me feel really warm & fuzzy inside.

So I felt compelled to check in and let everyone know that all is well. And the posts are not going away. This blog is not going away. I am not going away.

I am just REALLY bad at blogging in the Summer. Seriously.

But here's the thing.

Even though you may not see me here for a few weeks or months, it doesn't mean I have "fallen off the wagon" or given up on Weight Watchers -- Retro or otherwise.

I am a Weight Watchers lifetime member. I am a Weight Watchers leader. I am a Weight Watchers ambassador. I am a Weight Watchers blogger.

I love Weight Watchers, and I plan to do it for the rest of my life.

It's MY Rushmore.

Here's to a wonderful Summer vacation for us all! I probably won't be posting much on the blog, but please do look me up on Twitter or Facebook so we can stay in touch! Otherwise, "I'll See You in September" as they say. In the meantime -- Here's a final thought from Jean Nidetch circa 1966...

See ya around!

Retro WW Hits the Big Time!

Hey guys! This month, Weight Watchers celebrates its 50th Anniversary.

And guess what? They released a kicky new cookbook to celebrate 50 years of eating like a Weight Watcher. The cookbook puts a modern twist on many of our favorite Retro WW classics, and even contains tons of history about the program and how the food plan has changed through the years.

No. They didn't ask for my input. Yes. That was a bummer.

But, the good news is -- I did get a chance to go on a local morning show here in Pittsburgh to talk about the new book and all things Retro Weight Watchers! I even got to show off some of my Vintage Pyrex and a few items from my Retro WW collection!

I know, RIGHT?!?

Check it out...



Now promise to meet me back here all throughout the month of May as we celebrate this momentous occasion! New recipes! Fun facts! Fifty is nifty!

Coming Out of Hibernation

If you follow me on Twitter, then you probably know that I have been incessantly complaining about the weather here in Pittsburgh for about 5 months now. Let me explain something: I despise Winter. Like it makes me evil and murderous. Couple that with the fact that my job forces me to spend a lot of time shlepping around outdoors, and the fact that this has been one of the worst Winters we have seen in ages. Well. Let's just say - Mimi has not been a happy person.

My basic attitude about everything in life has been...

"Ain't nobody got time for that. I'm too freaking cold!"

But this week, things are looking up. We even had a few days reach 80 degrees! I was ecstatic!

So I pulled out my Weight Watchers Magazine from Summer 1970 and found the perfect Warm Weather Delight!

This recipe combines two of my favorite ingredients: Knox Unflavored Gelatin and Nonfat Dry Milk. It also involves one of my favorite hobbies in the world: PUTTING THINGS IN MY BLENDER. Yahooo!

After ten minutes of spinning all of the ingredients with the Knox gelatin, a burning smell started coming from my blender, so I had to stop. But I was pleased to find that my Warm Weather Delight had really come together nicely. It was thick and smooth and creamy.

Like mayonnaise.

Ew.

It kept GROWING and getting thicker by the minute.

 I have to admit -- It did taste pretty good, though. Full disclosure: Since I didn't have any black walnut extract on hand, I used almond extract instead. Which was good, because I love me some almond flavoring.


I am hoping the warm weather is here to stay. Although as I type this post, I am wrapped in my fleece blanket and wearing my fuzzy slippers. I hear the high temperature today in Pittsburgh is going to be 50 degrees.

Uh oh. Better stay off Twitter.