Carrot Pie

Here's a little Retro Weight Watchers recipe you're sure to love if you enjoy eating freakishly small amounts of food which take a ridiculous amount of time to prepare and cook.

This is literally the smallest and least appealing pie you will ever eat. Well, OK, maybe there is one pie that is worse. Lest we forget the Frankenpie debacle of October 2012.

I digress.

To make the WW Carrot Pie (Hot Stuff Cookbook 1978) - one must peel & grate some carrots until you get 1/2 cup. Blend the grated carrots with some brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon - and then you are ready to pop the sucker into a 350 oven for 30 minutes. NOTE: The recipe calls for a "very small pan". Luckily I happen to posses the smallest pie pan on Earth (Thank you, Pyrex).

Not Worth the Effort - Trust Me

Here is the finished product. I have positioned it next to some household objects. I thought it may help display the utter foolishness of this recipe and the puny portion size.

If Your Pie is Smaller than a Post-It, You've Got Problems

In case you were wondering - it makes one serving, it tastes like soggy carrots, and it is disgraceful to call this a pie. So there you have it.

The Liver Rule

I swear. Everything I do is a freakin' production.

This month is my 3-year blogging anniversary. And I needed to do something BIG. So I decided to eat Liver.

But I couldn't just quietly eat some liver like a normal person, could I? Nope. 

First, I held a full-blown "liver election" to help me choose the perfect dish. I pestered everyone I know on Facebook and Twitter and asked them to vote.

Next, I conspired with my WW buddy, Carl, who also happens to be the head butcher for a local gourmet grocery chain. He agreed to provide the livers. I was beyond excited! It was my first blog-related "freebie"! And it was a pound of Chicken Livers! What could be better?

Then, I made the journey to pick up the livers. All the way - snapping pictures of every moment.

My Local Purveyor of Fine Organ Meats

Liver Me Up!

One Pound of Raw Livers for Your Viewing Pleasure

Finally came the super-exciting, epic, fantabulous day when I decided to COOK THE GODDAMN LIVER for the love of Pete!

The chosen recipe, based on your votes, was Chopped Chicken Liver from the 1974 Weight Watchers Recipe Cards - Make Ahead Main Dishes category. I was super relieved that this was the winner, because it seemed like the least horrifying one of the three.

I started by cooking the liver in a skillet and sprinkled it with salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.

An Assault on the Senses

At first it smelled pretty good, and I thought to myself, "Maybe this won't be too bad."

But then after about 5 minutes - it began to smell bad. Like really bad. Like I had to crack a window because my dog started running around looking for a way out. The more it cooked the worse it smelled. I began to worry that I may not be able to do this.

But I did.

I cooked. I mixed. I chopped and pureed.

You Know Those are Dehydrated Onions on Top

I served it up with a fancy cucumber.

That's Right. I Scallop My Cucumbers.

I ate it. Not all of it, mind you. But a decent portion.

And now I am sitting here feeling kind of silly. All that drama over some liver. It wasn't even that bad, really. It wasn't that good either. It sorta tasted like mushy meatloaf or beefy hummus. I don't know. It's really hard to describe. 

It's all over now. The Retro Weight Watcher gals of the 60's and 70's were required to eat liver once per week. But, my friends, I can tell you with total confidence - I will never eat liver again. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Ms. Jean Nidetch!

So with that - Happy Anniversary to me! And thanks to all of you for putting up with me for three whole years! Cheers!

Go Big or Go Home

OK. I am just gonna put this out there...

This month, I will celebrate 3 years of Retro Weight Watchers Blogging.

Three years of hideous gelatin molds, cottage cheese concoctions, and nauseating tuna dishes. Three years filled with celery and bean sprouts in place of pasta. Three years of "desserts" made from bread crumbs and food coloring. Three years of chicken broth "martinis" and malted milk "cocktails".

However. If you are a true, die-hard Retro Weight Watcher -- you may have noticed one critical item has been conspicuously absent from my menu of shame.

Can you guess what it is?

That's right. Go ahead. You can say it.

LIVER.

Liver was required once per week on the 1972 Weight Watchers plan. Required.

And I have never eaten it. Never.

So here's the deal: To commemorate my 3-year Retro WW Anniversary, I am going to freaking eat some disgusting liver. Ugh.

And you, dear loyal followers get to choose which Retro WW liver dish I will prepare and eat right here on the blog.

Your choices are:

Baked Livery-Milky Goodness!

My Food Processor Will Never Be the Same Again

Liver and Pineapple on a Stick!

So yeah. I am already a little sick to my stomach. God help me.

Now please go vote for the liver dish you want me to prepare & consume! You may cast your vote in the comments section or on the ballot at the top right corner of the blog. Voting closes on February 10th!!! Liver! Liver! LIVER!!!!!!

Another Sad Soup

I took an un-official snow day.

So now I am sitting here at home watching the flakes fall and trying to figure out what to have for lunch.

Salad? Soup? Soup and salad?

Then it hit me. I am a Retro WW gal - I can have my salad and slurp it too!

That's right folks, for those of us who can't decide between soup or salad, and just can't be bothered to eat both, there's finally a solution...

LETTUCE POTAGE!

 

1/2 Head Lettuce

Water

2/3 cup skim milk

2 chicken bouillon cubes

Dash nutmeg

Combine 1/4 lettuce and 1/4 cup in blender; process at low speed. Empty into sieve. Repeat until all lettuce is chopped. Combine chopped lettuce, milk, broth mix, and nutmeg in saucepan. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Makes 2 servings.

Wow. This soup was, by far, the blandest thing I have ever eaten. And that's saying a LOT when you consider I have eaten this:

Chicken Buttermilk Loaf - the ultimate barf inducer!

And this...

 Cucumber Gel - it's worse than it looks!

OK, so my lunch was a major disappointment. Bummer. Therefore, I am officially declaring that this is the last time I will puree my lettuce. Ever.

And I don't think I'll be whipping up any more Potages anytime soon. Lettuce or otherwise.

50

In true Retro Weight Watchers fashion, I was conspicuously absent from any and all WW fun during the holiday season. There has been nary a celery stick, a carton of cottage cheese or a box of Knox to be found in my house since October. But now that January and the New Year is in full swing - Guess what???

I'M BACK!!!!!

I know. Soooo predictable, right?

Whatever. Getting back in the saddle was rough, but here we are. And strap yourselves in folks, because it is a new year, and Weight Watchers is celebrating a MAJOR milestone in 2013.

WE'RE 50!!!!!

That's right. Fifty years ago, Jean Nidetch made it official and turned her little idea into a full-fledged corporation.

Did you know:

• Weight Watcher's first "official" headquarters was located in a second floor loft above a movie house in Little Neck, NY.
• The rent was $75 per month.
• They opened their doors on May 15th, 1963 and over 200 people attended the first meeting.
• The meeting fee was $2.

Stay tuned for more fun facts, Retro WW recipes, and lots more as we enter the GOLDEN year of Weight Watchers.

The party is just getting started!

Christmas Wishes

Hi Retro Weight Watcher Pals!

I know I have been absent for the past few weeks from the Land of Blogger and Twitter as well as the Book of Face. And I know you have all been wondering, "Where is Mimi?" I am sure you have all been asking yourself the same question - "Has Mimi fallen off the Retro WW Wagon? AGAIN???"

So I just wanted to drop by to let everyone know that I am alive and well.

I have just been a little busy.

And I haven't fallen off the wagon. But I did gain 2.3 pounds.

Yes - 2.3 adorable, furry pounds of puppy love!!!

Meet Oakley!

I adopted a new puppy and he has been keeping me very, VERY busy! I really had no idea how much an 8-week-old puppy was going to cramp my fabulous style. Goodness gracious! But it has been totally worth it.

It is very hard to Tweet while holding a puppy

Anyway...I plan to get back to my regular blogging and Retro Weight Watchering in the early part of 2013. But in the meantime, I wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday Season!

Mimi & Santa in 1972

Hope Santa treats you very well this year! Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year!

In Which I Become a Food Stylist

Update: I still haven't met Jean Nidetch.

But recently I had the chance to meet and work with another really fantastic Weight Watchers Superhero, and that was almost as cool.

Last month, when the amazing Hungry Girl (Lisa Lillien) stopped in Pittsburgh on her book tour, I got a call from her publicist asking if I could help her out. Since I do some work at one of our local TV stations, the HG peeps got my name from a producer and heard I might be just the right lady to whip up some delicious dietetic food for her to display at her appearance on the local morning show - Pittsburgh Today Live.

That's right. I was Hungry Girl's "food stylist" for the day.

What a blast.

In many ways, Hungry Girl is a lot like Jean Nidetch.

• Jean started Weight Watchers in her living room with six friends. Hungry Girl started her HG empire with a small daily email service.
• Jean has lots of chutzpah. Hungry Girl has tons of spunk.
• Jean literally wrote the book on finding ways to enjoy your favorite foods in a diet-friendly way using lower-calorie ingredients. Hungry Girl takes it to a whole new level.

My experience as Hungry Girl's food stylist wasn't too much different than my usual food adventures. For example, I made some HG "Cowgirl Onions Rings" using onions, Low-Fat BBQ chips and Fiber One Cereal. As a Retro WW snack - I once made some French Fries out of Italian Green Beans. Also--For Hungry Girl, I made a cake from a box of yellow cake mix and a can of diet creme soda. My all-time favorite Retro WW cake was made of cornmeal and strawberries.

OMG. Hungry Girl is like Retro WW with a modern-day twist!

Anyway, the whole experience was terrific, and Hungry Girl couldn't have been sweeter or more appreciative towards me. And she even let me take a few pics at the studio...

Gratuitous Nerdy Fan Photo

Hell yes, I got my book signed. Holla! 

Girlfriend was NOT playing around with hair and makeup
 

Here is the final segment with all of the completed dishes all plated up nice and pretty. I made them all! You might even recognize some of the serving plates I used. I was soooo tempted to throw in a gelatin mold just to see if anyone would notice, but I thought better of it. Enjoy! And go buy her cookbook. It kicks ass!


Uh Oh! If you cannot view the video here, please click this link:
In The Kitchen With Hungry Girl « CBS Pittsburgh