Key Lime Indeed....

I've been hitting the Greek yogurt like it's been going outta style lately.  Normally, I eat Nancy's Nonfat Plain yogurt on everything: pancakes, baked potatoes, in baking recipes, in my mashed potatoes, in homemade macaroni and cheese.  It gives everything a creamy richness without adding a ton of fat.  Plus, Nancy's seems to have more live active cultures than any other yogurt I've ever run across.  There's also the awesome connection to one of my favorite authors, Ken Kesey.  It's even somewhat local to a Portlander.  Nancy's is based in Springfield, Oregon.  

Then, I found some yogurt in the clearance zone at the grocery store.  It was 75% off, seeing as it was about to expire.  I don't normally eat conventional yogurt, but this was clean.  Completely natural ingredients, just not organic.  Dannon Oikos Greek yogurt in Key Lime.  It's so dang difficult to find lime yogurt in general, let alone KEY lime, and Greek style? 

Good God, I was sold.  I never looked back.  It was the most delicious thing I've put in my mouth since cheesecake.  Or brownies with vanilla bean frozen yogurt on top.  This isn't just yogurt, it's a full-on dessert, and I'm fanatically in love.  It tastes exactly like a completely authentic Key Lime pie from Key West.  I formerly lived in the Keys, so that's saying something.  This yogurt makes me Keys-sick.  

You need to put this in your mouth as soon as possible.  You won't be sorry.  You can experience a bit of this:

UPDATE!  

Nancy's Creamery now makes Greek Yogurt!! Rejoice!  I've already contacted them to see about whipping up some lime flavored yogurt.  Keep your fingers crossed, Y'all!

The Quest to Fit into a Wedding Dress

On a cold, blustery, rainy afternoon in the Pacific Northwest--the first one of the season, mind you--I waited for almost an hour, damp to the core, as trains were delayed in downtown Portland.  Once the line I needed arrived at the stop, it was jam packed with folks trying to get home from work.  There were screaming babies, elderly men coughing directly on me....in short, a lot of closeness.  And coughing.  

A mere two hours later, I already felt like I was coming down with something.  Seriously.  Unbelievable, right?  I had already been turned on to an amazing concoction by a close friend in an effort to ween myself off booze.  It's a detox elixir that she found on Kimberly Snyder's blog.  

It's merely ginger, lemon, two shakes of cayenne, and a little honey, if you so desire.  While you're boiling your water, peel a couple tablespoons worth of ginger.  Make sure you cut it in small cubes.  If you mince it or otherwise slice it too small, you will have to filter ginger chunks  using your teeth.  Nobody wants that.  

What's great is that it gives me the lovely illusion that I'm drinking a hot toddy, but is virtually calorie-free.  It's also great for digestion and immunity.  Not only that, but it helps in detoxification of the liver.  Amazing.  I highly recommend it.