OWN Network | Fashion and Fun after Fifty

What happens when it’s Friday night and you don’t feel like cooking, ordering pizza or going out and a bowl of cereal just won’t cut it? In our house when that happens we head straight to the garage and to the freezer. There is where I try to keep microwavable meals and snacks specifically for those occasions and last Friday night it was Lean Pockets Pretzel Bread Sandwiches.

I am not a big proponent of frozen meals & snacks because of the excessive sodium some of them contain but these Lean Pockets brand sandwiches are only 250 calories with 650 mg of sodium which isn’t a lot compared to others that contain well over 1000 mg of sodium.

The Lean Pockets Sandwiches were filled with Spinach and 3 Cheeses, Fontina, Romano and reduced Fat Mozzarella. I zapped one in the microwave for 2 minutes 30 seconds in the crisping sleeve then cut it in half. It didn’t seem like it had a lot of filling and could have had more spinach, but to my surprise it was quite good and hit the spot. The soft pretzel bread encased a flavorful mix of spinach and cheeses that paired well with my glass of Friday night wine!

Speaking of wine, I want to reintroduce my “play cousin” Cook E doe Face. She is a down to earth YouTube Vlogger who will have you in stitches as you watch her create some delicious dishes and “knock you on your butt cocktails”.

Cook E de Face is from Philly and I fell in love with her atty-tud (Philly slang) from the very first video I watched. In today’s world it is so easy to get caught up in the negativity but you know me, I like to keep it light. Cook E doe Face has me laughing out loud and reminds me of my own New York cousins. If it were left up to me she would definitely have a show on the Food or OWN Network!

Check out this recipe for Flatline Cocktail.

Have a fantastical day – Smooches!

Tags: cocktails, Cook E do Face, cousin, drinks, entertainment, family, food, food network, foodie, freezer, Lean Pockets, life, Live Strong, meal, microwave, New York, OWN Network, Philadelphia, positivity, recipes, snack, sodium, television, videos, vlog, vlogger, YouTube

Tyler Perry on the Oprah Winfrey Network

Posted by: DelBlogger on: June 20, 2013

In: Entertainment | Television and Movies
6 Comments

Oprah Winfrey launched the OWN Network on January 1, 2011, but I have to admit that I didn’t know what channel it was on nor what shows were being featured. That has since changed with the introduction of Tyler Perry’s two new hit shows, The Haves and The Have Nots on Tuesday nights and Love Thy Neighbor on Wednesday nights. My television cable box is now locked on VerizonFios Channel 161!

Tyler Perry, the genius behind the “Madea” stage plays and movies, had made his mark on the small screen with the TBS sitcoms House of Payne, Meet The Browns and For Better or Worse, which was based on his movie Why Did I Get Married?, but he has taken it to a whole new level with The Haves and The Have Nots!

Think of Dynasty, Falcon Crest and Dallas all rolled up for the 21st century, where the deceit and duplicity is doubled, but praying and thanking Jesus is the foundation. Not only is prayer and a strong belief in God prominently displayed in these shows, it is also what makes Tyler Perry the man that he is today. I honestly believe that his mother is sitting in Heaven on the right side of God, nudging him, saying, “see…see…that’s my boy…watch him work!”

Love Thy Neighbor is a sitcom featuring Mama Hattie, a strong woman running a diner, working hard and trying to keep her recently divorced daughter off her couch, because she just got her recently employed grandson off of it! I love Hattie’s feistiness and warm heart, and her voice will you have sitting upright. It seems as though all the cast members work extremely well together, each bringing their own style and flair. The stand outs are Tika Sumpter, who plays Candace, the beautiful devil diva in The Haves and The Have Nots, and Jonathon Chase, who plays Sam in Love Thy Neighbor, a hilarious man-child whose comedic timing and mannerisms reminds me of a young Jim Carrey!

If you haven’t seen The Haves and The Have Nots or Love Thy Neighbor, I urge you to check them out, I know once you start you’ll be hooked. When you do, make sure to join in on the weekly Twitter Chats because you never know, your tweet just might be retweeted by Oprah or Tyler – mine were!