As you may know, I’m something of a magazine fanatic. What’s more, I refuse to part with them. My daughters and I pass them around, then one of us will lay claim to the booty and file it under “Mine, all Mine!” I collect most of my magazines like the treasures they are – especially the ones with great recipes. A great day is when I return from the store with bags of wonderful groceries and an armful of new magazines. I can only imagine the expression on my face when I see that new magazines have been put on the store’s racks. I must look like a kid as he leaves school for summer break.
ECSTASY!!!
There are a couple of magazines that I simply put into the cart the minute I see a new issue. Others, I’ll thumb through – making sure it warrants a trip home. One of the magazines that automatically go into the cart is Woman’s World. For less than $2.00, Woman’s World is the greatest literary bargain you’ll ever find. Possibly the greatest bargain left in the world. Basically, this magazine is smiles from cover to cover. There are always countless adorable pictures and wonderful stories that warm your heart and comics that make you laugh out loud. You know, the kind you cut out and pin to your refrigerator.
Speaking of pictures, there’s a photo of a kitten smelling a poppy in the most recent issue that gets me every time I look at it. Someone needs to tell this kitten that she’s simply too cute. I’d looked through the magazine half a dozen times before I even realized that beneath the kitten’s picture were GORGEOUS pictures of poppies on tablecloths, plates, handbags, shoes, bracelets, and even a sundress. This crazy cat lady had never noticed them before.
In addition to the photographs, stories, and funnies, each issue has priceless beauty, fitness, money, and health advice. In this particular issue (April 9, 2012), for example, you can find the following:
- Stay Stroke-Free For Life
- 6 Easy Ways to Stop Thinning Hair
- Dodge the Year-Round Flu
- 9 BEAUTIFUL Spring handbags
- How to Use Makeup to Make You Look Slimmer
- How to Improve Your Mood Quickly (One suggestion is coffee – no wonder I’m seldom in a bad mood… I’m seldom without a cup of coffee nearby)
- Treat Sensitive Teeth
- End Joint Pain
- Lose 9 Pounds in 2 Days
- How Chocolate is Good for You (Man, I seriously love this magazine…)
- Contests (win $1,000 in groceries!)
- A Bunny Bonnet Cake Recipe and Instructions
- 5 Gorgeous Breakfast Recipes
- Turn a Can of Soup Into Dinner
- Easter Favorites (Recipes which include a Flourless Orange-Chocolate Cake, Leg of Lamb, Cupcakes, and Matzo Ball Soup)
- Spring Decorating Tips and Ideas
- How to Make Designer Eggs
- Crossword Puzzle (in every issue – love these)
- How to Slim Down with Spices
- What Your Food Cravings Reveal About You
- Horoscope (again, in every issue)
- Sudoku
- A Couple of Brain Games
- A few short stories
- Chicken Soup for the Soul Story (these are always amazing)
All of that (and more!) for less than $2.00. Freaking amazing.
The adorable Easter Cake in this issue:
Below is one of the recipes in this issue. It’s a “Lighten Up” Recipe for Double Strawberry Bars and I can’t wait to try them.
Double-Strawberry Bars
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 pkg. (8 oz) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, at room temperature
4 Tbs. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! cooking and baking 79 percent vegetable oil spread, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 cups frozen sliced strawberries, thawed and patted dry with paper towels
3/4 cup low-sugar strawberry preserves
1/4 cup blanched sliced almonds
1 Tbs. coarse white decorating sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13″x9″ baking pan with foil; coat with cooking spray.
Mix flour, cinnamon and salt; reserve. On medium speed, beat cream cheese and butter spread until blended. Beat in granulated sugar until combined. Beat in reserved flour mixture until combined.
Turn out onto unfloured surface; gather mixture into smooth dough. Reserve 1 cup dough. Press remaining dough into bottom of pan.
In bowl, toss strawberries with preserves; spread over dough in pan. Using fingertips, crumble reserved dough over strawberry filling. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 35 minutes or until golden. Cool. Sprinkle with decorating sugar. Using foil, lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into bars.
