NOT. Memorial Day was touted to be the best day of the weekend, sunny and hot, beautiful for all the family cookouts going on. Well, the weathermen are 0 for 5 this week. I was reading the newspaper in bed this morning when the rain started. I immediately checked the forecast on the second page: sunny and hot. Where? Albuquerque? We waited until close to noon before setting up the yard with tables, chairs, grill and all the stuff one needs for a barbeque, but we still needed to wipe down the wet patio furniture and Adirondack chairs. Thankfully, with the exception of a short sprinkle, it was just cloudy for the rest of the party. And as my friend Denise said, it gave us something to laugh about all day.
Someone told me once that nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. Bullshit. They haven’t tasted Jane’s cheesecake.
Potluck barbeques are fun because you never know what’s going to be on the table. Along with the requisite burgers, dogs, and linguica we had chipotle chicken sausage; crunchy coleslaw; broccoli, raisin, and walnut salad; 2 or 3 pasta salads; veggies with dill dip; Mexican 7 layer dip with tortilla chips; chicken liver mousse with French bread; Cheetos; chips; cookies; cherry cheesecake; mandarin orange whipped cream cake; lemon squares, and a big chocolate and vanilla trifle. And I’m probably forgetting something. Temptations? They be plentiful. So how did I do?
While I ate more than I should have I have to say this is probably the least I’ve consumed on Memorial Day in 15 years. Here’s the thing; I normally don’t cook hamburgers and hot dogs at home, so on the one day of the year they are on the menu I indulge. One of each usually, and possibly and extra hot dog without the bun. And when 25 people bring awesome salads, appetizers and desserts and you’ve already blown it with the burger and dog(s), then what the hell; might as well chow down. And wash it down with a few beers. Well, not today. I began the day with an egg white omelet with vegetables, technically no Weight Watchers points. Zero, zilch, nada. Good start, banking my WW points for the rest of the day. I also made sure to have made said veggie platter with dill dip with low fat mayo and low fat sour cream so there would be something I could munch on without blowing all my points by 12:30. I couldn’t resist the chicken liver mousse, so I had one serving on a baguette slice: definitely worth the calories. I saw Steve snarfing a Cheeto and asked him if he was aware they were not on the list of WW power foods.
I grilled up all the carnivores’ delights and while my best intentions were to just have a low fat chicken sausage the Bubba burgers were calling me. They are like steak in burger form. So I had one, without the bun. I also had the chicken sausage (no bun), and a small spoonful of both coleslaw and broccoli salad. Not bad. After dinner I had one Corona Light, which is a far cry from the six-pack I would usually put away at an all day Memorial Day party. Hell, I deserve a commendation. But I fell apart a little bit over dessert. I’d been thinking about my cousin Jane’s cheesecake for several days. It’s usually her Memorial Day offering and I was both hoping she would and hoping she wouldn’t come bearing her magic spring-form pan of cherry topped wonderfulness. Alas, she did. Cheesecake-1, Deb-0. It was just a sliver and it, too, was worth the calories.
Later in the day I succumbed to a low fat hot dog and some watermelon, and two more bites of cheesecake. All in all I’d give myself points for effort but know I could have eaten better. It is but one day. And while I don’t want to be overweight I also don’t want to feel deprived or be on my deathbed and wish I’d eaten more dessert. Someone told me once that nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. Bullshit. They haven’t tasted Jane’s cheesecake.
I hope you all had a great day and have a better tomorrow.
