Melissa Likes To Eat

144.2…Carbs and Protein

2012-01-27T16:00:00.001-08:00

Last night was leftovers. But these were leftovers that I was excited about: Enchilada Casserole and Spicy Black Beans:

It reheated well and taste just as delicious as it did the other night.

Breakfast this morning was an omelet made with egg beaters, mushrooms, asparagus and cheese. I also had a toasted English muffin.

I took the kids to school and then met the girls for Slim in 6. Same old, same old. I have nothing new to report on it.

I came home to change, start the laundry and make a quick lunch:

Turkey sandwich on wheat with low fat cheese, cucumbers, carrots and hummus. I just noticed that the last three meals are very balanced plates of carbs and protein. I always feel the most satisfied when I eat good carbs, protein and a little fat.

The kids had half-day so I picked them up and took them to get lunch. Later in the afternoon, I snacked on some clementines.

Tonight is going to be pretty chill….just cooking dinner and hanging out. I have a feeling that I will have a glass of wine in my hand very soon. :)

Is there a certain combination of carbs/protein/fat that fill you up best?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Enchilada Casserole,Egg Beaters,Slim in 6,Hummus

143.8…Powering Through

2012-01-26T16:40:00.001-08:00

Last night I made one of my favorite dishes of all time: Beef Stroganoff.

Now I know I keep promising you the recipe and I shall deliver…soon. Watch for it in the next couple of weeks. It will be worth the wait.

I was tired all day today. My son woke up in the middle of the night (which he rarely does) and I had a hard time going back to sleep.

I thought once I had breakfast and coffee, I’d wake up. Nope.

Breakfast was a toasted waffle with peanut butter and a grapefruit.

I took the kids to school and met the girls for our daily Slim in 6 session. Our current video “Ramp It Up” is getting a bit boring, although I’m still sore each day. We have to do that video this week and next week and then we move on to the next video.

After the video, I went to Zumba class. I felt slow during the whole class. I thought some exercise would help to wake me up but it didn’t.

I came home starving for lunch. I remembered that I had a bottle of balsamic vinegar that House of Balsamic sent me to try.

This particular balsamic vinegar, according to their website, was “aged for 6 years in oak barrels and 6 months in steel containers” and is “tart with delicate accents of wild flowers, grass and cooked mustard.”

I decided to drizzle it over a salad with tuna that I made.

The balsamic vinegar is quite delicious but it was a bit too sweet for my salad. I would prefer to use it on a caprese type of salad. I bet it would be amazing on that!

After lunch, all I wanted to was to lay in bed. But, alas, that was not going to happen. I had a bunch of repair people coming over to fix stuff. More powering through.

I picked up the kids from school and came home to have a snack.

Two Mandarin oranges and a Babybel cheese.

My husband is working late tonight so I don’t have to cook dinner. This is good because I don’t have the energy. Leftovers await me.

What are your tricks to help you “wake up” when there is no nap in sight?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Beef Stroganoff,peanut butter,Slim in 6,Zumba,Babybel,House of Balsamic

145.8…Enchilada Casserole

2012-01-25T16:19:00.001-08:00

News Flash: I made a new recipe for dinner last night. Yes, it’s true. And it felt good to get back into the kitchen.

I made a recipe for Enchilada Casserole found in the January/February 2012 issue for Cooking Light.

I really enjoyed it. The portions were large and satisfying.

Enchilada Casserole (Serves 4)

Slightly adapted from Cooking Light

1 lb ground sirloin

1 cup chopped onion

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup beef broth

1 Tbsp taco seasoning mix

1 (8oz.) can tomato sauce

4 (8-inch) flour tortillas

1/3 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and onion to pan; cook 6 minutes, stirring to crumble.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour, cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add broth, taco seasoning, and tomato sauce to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 1/2 cups tomato mixture to beef mixture; reserve 1/2 cup tomato mixture.

4. Place 1 tortilla in a 9-inch pie plate. Top with 1 cup beef mixture. Repeat layers, ending with tortilla. Spread reserved tomato mixture over tortilla. Top with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Cool slightly. Cut into 4 wedges.

Printable Recipe

Check out those layers! Each wedge is about 380 calories. Nice! I also made the Spicy Black Beans that came with the recipe:

For the Spicy Black Beans: Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add 1 cup chopped red bell pepper and 1 minced jalapeno pepper; sauté 4 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 (15 oz.) can rinsed and drained black beans. Cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro.

I also enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner.

It was a great night. :)

Breakfast this morning included a new find:

Dulce de Leche Cheerios! Have you tried these?

I ate some with almond milk and had a bowl of berries to go with it. The Cheerios are great! Love the caramel flavor. Have you heard that Cheerios just came out with peanut butter flavor!?! I NEED THOSE.

I took my son to school and my daughter back to the dentist (finishing her cavity filling-ugh). I stopped at Starbucks for a skinny vanilla latte along the way.

I took her back to school and went to Lisa’s house for our Slim in 6 video workout. My triceps are still hurting from Monday’s workout! Now there are four of us doing the videos: me, Lisa, Annette and Lauren. It is SO much more fun working out with friends!

After our workout, we went to Subway (again) for lunch. Earlier in the week I made the discovery about the roasted chicken breast. Today I made a new discovery.

Subway has BUFFALO HOT SAUCE. Get outta here. When I saw the bottle of it behind the counter, I almost fell into a pool of happiness. I didn’t have them put a ton of it on my sandwich just in case I didn’t like it. Let’s get real…that was not going to happen. Let’s just say that next time I’m going to have them load me up with it! I have a feeling I’m going to be back at Subway again this week. Oh, my poor readers!

Favorite flavor of Cheerios?

Have you tried the peanut butter Cheerios?

Technorati Tags: Everday,Enchilada Casserole,Dulce de Leche Cheerios,Almond Milk,Starbucks,Slim in 6,Subway,Cooking Light

144.8…Chinese Stir-Fry

2012-01-24T16:18:00.001-08:00

Last night, there was a constant smile on my face. Why? Because it was our semi-monthly “hot wing” night with our friends.

Gotta have the matching glasses to make it extra special. My friend Alicia whipped up another fabulous batch of our favorite hot wings. I brought over a salad (which we like to refer to as “filler”.)

I always start out with 4 wings (for whatever reason), then make my way up from there. I ended up with 14 wings…not too shabby but not the 16 that I ate last time. Look at our carnage (please ignore the children’s toys in the background):

That wasn’t all me people. There were 4 of us. :) I was a very happy camper.

This morning’s breakfast might not have been as exciting as 14 hot wings but it was delicious nonetheless.

Egg sandwich (toasted English muffin, egg beaters, slice of cheese) and a grapefruit. I dipped each bite of the sandwich in ketchup. My healthier version of a McDonald’s egg mcmuffin.

I took the kids to school, then headed over to Starbucks to get some work done. I enjoyed a green tea while I was there.

Then it was time for a cooking class at Great News! Today’s class was entitled “Chinese New Year Stir-Fry” and was taught by my favorite instructor, Phillis Carey. We love Chinese food at my house so I was really looking forward to getting some new recipes.

The first recipe was Shrimp in Black Bean Garlic Sauce:

Loved this! The sauce was excellent!

The second recipe was Velvet Ginger Chicken with Orange Sesame Noodles:

Another winner. I would make this at home for sure but I would add a bunch of veggies to it.

Next up was Mu Shu Pork:

I really enjoyed this. Phillis used uncooked tortillas instead of the pancakes that would be used. She just heated the tortillas up quickly in a skillet. Brilliant!

The next recipe was Moo Goo Gai Pan (Chicken with Mushrooms):

I really loved this one too! It was super simple to make…I will have to make this for my husband.

The last recipe was Curried Beef and Tomatoes:

I was most excited about this one and liked it the least. Don’t get me wrong, it was still good but the others were better. Phillis mentioned that you could add some soy sauce to it and I actually think that may bring up the taste to where it needs to be.

After class I ran some errands and picked up the kids from school. I was going to go over to Lisa’s house to do Slim in 6 by myself but I’m going to skip it tonight. I feel like I may be getting a cold and I have a ton of stuff to do tonight so I’m going to pass. I feel guilty not working out but it’s just not going to happen today.

I will be doing something tonight I haven’t done in awhile: cook a new recipe for dinner!

Do you feel guilty when you skip a workout?

What is your favorite Chinese dish?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Hot Wings,Egg Beaters,Great News,Phillis Carey,Starbucks

144.0…A Chicken Discovery

2012-01-23T16:16:00.001-08:00

After my eating shenanigans this past weekend, I wasn’t super hungry at dinner time. My son wanted a grilled cheese for dinner and I decided that sounded good so I had one too.

This morning it was back to business as usual for breakfast. Fage mango yogurt with blackberries and strawberries.

My husband took the kiddos to school. I got ready and went to Cardio Muscle class. Then it was time to meet at Lisa’s house for Slim in 6. We moved on to video number 2: “Ramp it Up.” It was about 45 minutes and incorporated the moves in video number one plus others. I will definitely be sore tomorrow. It wasn’t hard per se just the basics: lunges, squats, abs and arms.

Afterwards we went to Subway for lunch. My friend Lauren was ordering the roasted chicken breast sandwich and highly recommended it. I decided to give it a try. I always thought that the chicken looked weird from behind the counter. Lauren recommended getting it toasted so that’s exactly what I did.

So glad I tried it! It was delicious and much more substantial than the turkey. When I eat the turkey, I can barely taste that it’s there but the chicken was different. And I feel like it kept me fuller longer….all for just 40 more calories than the turkey. A chicken win!

After lunch, I went grocery shopping. I picked up the kids and had a snack:

Apple and light Babybel cheese.

Tonight is hot wing night at Alicia’s. Not exactly diet friendly but I’ll just count it as my cheat meal for the week. :)

Have you ever had the roasted chicken sandwich at Subway?

Technorati Tags: Everday,Fage,Slim in 6,Subway,Babybel

143.2 yesterday…Weekend Shenanigans

2012-01-22T16:57:00.001-08:00

And just like that, the weekend is over. Time flies when you’re having fun, right!?!

Friday night we took the kids to meet some friends for dinner at Villa Capri 2. I enjoyed some delicious wine.

We all split a Caesar salad:

For our entrees we split Veal Piccata and Rigatoni Bolognese:

I tried not to go overboard with my portion sizes and I think I succeeded. It’s hard when there’s huge plates of food in front of you.

Saturday morning was fabulous. I slept in until 7:30am, relaxed on the coach for a bit with a cup of coffee while watching the rain outside. I made a toasted waffle with peanut butter and a grapefruit for breakfast:

Then I got my workout on at spin class. I came home, showered, packed at went to The Grand Del Mar hotel for my friend Lisa’s birthday festivities.

I dropped my bag in her hotel room and we went downstairs to the Amaya bar for lunch.

Wine!

I enjoyed a cob salad for lunch:

It hit the spot!

We went back to her room to chill for a bit before getting ready for dinner. Dinner was in the Amaya restaurant. My friend Alicia and I split the Mushroom Risotto for our appetizer:

I enjoyed some more wine with my entree: Lobster and Crab Papardelle:

Delish!

After dinner it was off to Club M for some serious dancing action! I think I danced for 4 hours straight!

Me, Annette and Alicia leaving the club at 2am. That is WAY past my bedtime! We went back to Lisa’s room and crashed.

This morning I was more than ready for some breakfast! I ordered the breakfast burrito:

Eh. It wasn’t very good but I ate it anyway. The potatoes were good though! At least they had Cholula to go with it!

Then it was time to get packed and head home! I can’t believe Monday is almost here. One good thing about this Monday: it’s hot wing night!

What was the best thing you ate all weekend?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Villa Capri 2,Peanut butter,The Grand Del Mar,Amaya,Cholula,Club M

143.4…A Dinner at Home

2012-01-20T16:48:00.001-08:00

Last night I did something that I haven’t done in awhile. I ate dinner at home. I didn’t cook anything difficult though.

Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken, brown rice and steamed broccoli.

Even with all the eating out I’ve been doing, I’ve still been able to make good choices but it sure is easier to loose weight when you’re eating at home. Next week I plan on getting back into the swing of things by preparing more dinners at home.

At Costco yesterday I bought another box of Fage yogurt blends. So…that’s what I had again this morning.

This time I had the mango flavor with blackberries and raspberries. The mango is my least favorite flavor but it’s still good.

After I took the kids to school, I went to Lisa’s house for our Slim in 6 video. Same old, same old. I’m looking forward to moving onto the next video next week. After that, I went to Cardio Muscle class.

I was pretty hungry afterwards so on my way to my nail appointment, I had a mini Luna bar (also purchased at Costco):

The mini bars are 80 calories but they are quite small. The white chocolate macadamia flavor is delicious! It didn’t hold me over very long but I didn’t expect it to.

After my nail appointment, I picked up my daughter from school and then ran over to Von’s for a turkey sandwich for lunch.

We picked up my son, made a quick trip to Target and came home. I snacked on some grapes as soon as I walked in the door.:

I am seriously considering enjoying a glass of wine right now. I think I deserve it after all my hard work this week!

What was one healthy choice that you made today?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Trader Joe's,Fage,Slim in 6,Luna Bar

144.6…A Salad Kick

2012-01-19T16:51:00.001-08:00

I’ve really been on a salad kick lately. First there was my lunch yesterday at Urban Plates (I’m still thinking about that delicious bread with my salad.).

Then last night we took the kids to their school’s Open House. Afterwards we headed to Souplantation for some more salad!

I also had some chili and a baked potato. I usually like to pour ranch dressing all over my salad. Their ranch is the best! Last night I dipped my fork in the dressing then into my salad. It was hard but I ended up eating a lot less of it than I usually do.

For breakfast this morning I had Fage strawberry yogurt with strawberries.

I took the kids to school and then went to Lisa’s house for our Slim in 6 video session. We were actually both sore from the first day! I didn’t think the video was that hard but I guess my body thought so? After the video we both went to Zumba class for a little cardio action.

My husband was working from home today so we decided to go to lunch together at Delicias. I chose the Chopped Vegetable Salad.

It was a lettuce-less salad loaded with tons of different kinds of veggies tossed in a sherry vinaigrette. I decided to add grilled chicken. The salad was FABULOUS. There were shreds of parmesan cheese as well. Another salad win!

After lunch, I ran to Costco, picked up the kids from school and took my son for a haircut. We are actually staying home for dinner for once and I’m excited about it. It’s nice to be home!

What restaurant makes your favorite salad?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Souplantation,Fage,Slim in 6,Delicias,Zumba

144.8…Urban Plates

2012-01-18T14:09:00.001-08:00

Ask and you shall receive. Last night I mentioned that I was going to a friend’s house for dinner and was hoping that she’d serve a ton of vegetables since I’m on a roll with my healthy eating plan. Well….she did! Success!

My husband and I arrived at our friend’s house for dinner last night. We were immediately greeted with champagne and appetizers. There was a great veggie platter with ranch dip and some crackers spread with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes. I had a few crackers but mostly focused on the veggies.

We sat down to dinner and enjoyed a delicious salad:

Our meal was breaded chicken breast and tons of veggies! Hooray!

The chicken was perfectly prepared and the breading was nice and crunchy.

Dessert was not a vegetable but delicious nonetheless.

Cheesecake. I resisted a second slice of cheesecake….it was hard though!

I went to bed feeling really happy with my choices for the day. It’s a much better feeling that to feel like crap and wish you hadn’t eaten whatever it was that you ate.

This morning started on the right foot with breakfast:

Special K Fruit & Yogurt cereal with almond milk and a grapefruit.

I took my son to school, then my daughter to the dentist. After her appointment, I brought her back to school and then went on a walk around the neighborhood. For lunch, I stopped at a new restaurant nearby called Urban Plates. I had heard great things about it and was excited to try it.

Their motto is “Farm to plate and won’t break the bank.” They have an open kitchen and you can watch everything being made. You simply order and they prepare your meal in front of you using natural or organic ingredients whenever possible.

I ordered the Grilled Wild Ono Nicoise Salad:

It came with a lettuce blend, grilled wild ono, organic hard boiled cage-free egg, organic tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, capers, marinated olives, white balsamic mustard vinaigrette and the most amazing grilled foccacia bread ever!

I wasn’t going to eat the bread but one bite in, I knew I was in trouble. Everything was outstanding. If you are ever in the Del Mar area, go check out Urban Plates! I know I’ll be back!

Did you get at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies in yesterday?

What are your tricks for incorporating more fruits and veggies into your life?

Technorati Tags: Everything,Special K,Almond Milk,Urban Plates

145.4…Shocked

2012-01-17T16:14:00.001-08:00

I am beyond shocked that I didn’t put on any weight after my indulgent trip to Atlanta this past weekend. Maybe I can claim portion control? I mean, I didn’t finish EVERYTHING. :)

Last night we stopped at Garcia’s Mexican restaurant for dinner on the way home from John Wayne airport. I had some chips and salsa and a bowl of chicken tortilla soup.

The bowl was HUGE. I ate about half and called it quits. I think I was still full from my lunch!

When I woke up this morning, I was ready to get back to business! I started my day right with breakfast:

Fage strawberry yogurt with, what else….strawberries!

I took the kids to school and went right to spin class. Felt good to get a good workout in. A good workout deserves another right? After spin I went to my friend Lisa’s house. We are starting the Slim in 6 program!

We do the first DVD entitled “Start it Up” for the first week. It’s 25 minutes long and basically an introduction to the moves we will be seeing the rest of the videos. It wasn’t hard but my heart rate did go up during the lunge series. I’ll try and keep up my other gym classes for the first few weeks unless it gets too hard. The first video wasn’t challenging so we’ll see how this goes.

After our workout, we went to Subway for lunch. I had my standard turkey sandwich on wheat:

After that it was a ton of errands. I grabbed a green tea at Starbucks and picked up the kids from school.

Afternoon snack:

Tonight we are going to a friend’s house for dinner. Hopefully she’ll serve tons of vegetables. I’m on a roll! :)

Have you ever done any of the Slim in 6 videos?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Garcia's,Fage,Slim in 6,Starbucks,Subway

An Eating Extravaganza

2012-01-16T14:04:00.001-08:00

You all know I love to eat. On my trip to Atlanta, I took it to a whole new level. I really did the title of my blog justice. Have fear my scale, I’m coming to stand on you soon!

Saturday my family met up for lunch at Olive Garden. We had the standard salad:

I ordered the spaghetti with meat sauce for my entree:

Simple and delicious.

We went back to the hotel to get ready for my niece’s Bat Mitzvah. I did not photograph dinner but it was another buffet of different types of salads and fish. We danced and hung out until late. By the time we left I was hungry so we stopped at Taco Mac. I decided to go for it and order the hottest wings they had: “Death Wings.”

Yes. They tasted like death. Not because they were too spicy but because they tasted horrible. It was as if a pepper mill was dumped onto the wings. I ate a few and called it quits. Just looking at the picture makes me nauseated.

When I woke up Sunday morning, the whole room smelled like the nasty Death wings. I have learned my lesson to now ask if the wings are buffalo flavored, not death by black pepper.

Breakfast more than made up for the lousy wings. We met at Dogwood Terrace for brunch. There was a buffet and a menu to order from. I had a small biscuit and gravy from the buffet while I waited for my order to arrive. Behold Crab Eggs Benedict:

They were GLORIOUS. I was in love.

We all hopped into our cars and made the 1 1/2 hour drive to Chattanooga, Tennessee. We stopped at Rock City and were able to stand in a spot where you can see seven states at one time: Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky and Alabama.

We stopped for a coffee break at Starbucks. It was really cold out so my latte really hit the spot.

On our way back to our hotel, we stopped at Sugar’s Ribs for dinner.

I ordered the barbeque chicken with vinegar slaw.

It was delicious! There was an assortment of different sauces at the table to try. My husband’s white chicken chili was probably the best chili we’ve ever had. I also enjoyed an ear of corn as well.

We finally made it back to Atlanta. One of my brother in law’s wanted to pick up Five Guys burgers and fries and bring them back to our hotel. I’ve never had a Five Guy’s burger so how could I say no! Fortunately one of my other brother in law’s offered to split a small cheeseburger with me so the damage wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

Verdict: a delicious burger! I got it with everything: sautéed mushrooms and onions, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. Is it better than In N Out? No….but I think it’s an entirely different type of burger so I’m not sure it’s fair to compare the two. I will say that the fries are MUCH better at Five Guys!

We’ve stayed pretty much on California time this entire trip. So breakfast has not happened. We are usually ready to roll by 11:00AM (8:00PST) so it was straight to lunch after we got up and packed this morning. We all met at Provino’s Italian restaurant.

My brother in law who lives in Atlanta loves Provino’s so I was excited to try it. It did not disappoint.

Our meal was served with salad with their house dressing that was simple, yet amazing. I could have just eaten this salad as my meal and been just fine.

Then the garlic rolls from the heavens arrived.

These babies were doused with melted butter and tons of minced garlic. Once you got to the bottom of the bowl, there was a pool of melted butter. Holy heart attack. But let’s get real: they rocked my world.

By the time my spaghetti and meat sauce arrived, I was pretty full.

I still managed to make my way through some of it. I figured: better load up….you’re not going to eat like this when you get home!

Then it was off to the airport we went. Now I’m on the plane headed home. My diet officially resumes tomorrow. I can only imagine what I weigh after this trip of decadence. It was fun though!! :)

Have you ever had a Five Guy’s burger?

What is your favorite fast food burger?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Olive Garden,Starbucks,Sugar's Ribs,Provino's,Atlanta,Five Guys,Rock City,Dogwood Terrace,Taco Mac

Big Pie In The Sky

2012-01-14T08:53:00.001-08:00

Greetings from Atlanta! We are here for my niece’s Bat Mitzvah. When I say “we” I’m referring to our family plus my husband’s five brothers and sisters, my mother in law and her 17 grandkids (two are mine). :)

When we arrived Thursday night, we met one of my husband’s brothers and his family at Cracker Barrel. I had only been there once a long time ago but I had heard the biscuits were good.

They were! But, that’s about all I can say. Everything on the menu was either fried or covered in gravy. Now, you know I like my fried food but I guess I wasn’t really feeling it that night. I ordered the Fried Shrimp Platter which came with Hushpuppies and three sides. I choose corn (guess I should at least eat some veggies), Cole slaw and hash brown casserole (for my husband).

I ate the shrimp and some corn and Cole slaw and called it a night. We checked into our hotel and realized that my husband had taken the wrong suitcase. It looked EXACTLY like ours! I guess you really do need to check the tags! So off to the airport we went to switch the bags. After a successful switch, it was back to the hotel to go to sleep.

Since we are not used to east coast time, we work up at like 11:00AM. Breakfast had passed so we decided to all meet for lunch at Taco Mac. They had hot wings on the menu. I ordered them (DUH!) and split them with my husband.

They had like 6 levels of heat and we choose #4. It was spicy and delicious but definitely not too hot (like the crazy Volcano Wings I had in Mammoth). If we go back, I think I’ll go for it and try #6!

I ordered fish tacos with Cole slaw for my entree.

They were just ok. They didn’t have hot sauce (except for Tabasco which doesn’t count in my book) so I didn’t enjoy them as much as I’d like. I need to start carrying mini bottles of Cholula around with me.

We all went bowling after and I bowled my best game ever: 135! Go me! After bowling it was time to get ready for services for my niece. We went to the temple, attended services and ate dinner at the temple. I wasn’t allowed to take photos there so no food pics. I had a bit of hummus, pita, tomato cucumber salad and matzo ball soup.

After awhile we came back to our hotel. On the Atlanta episode of Man V. Food, there is a pizza place called Big Pie in the Sky. We decided to order one and eat it at the hotel.

Behold the 30 inch pizza:

Here is my hand above the pizza so you can see the size:

We had it cut into squares because there were a ton of us so the slices were smaller than the usual. I ate two of them.

A very LARGE empty pizza box.

My mother in law brought mini red velvet cupcakes too. I ate one of those too. I had to restrain myself from eating another. Good thing there’s no scale in my hotel room.

Any exciting weekend plans?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Atlanta,Cracker Barrel,Taco Mac,Big Pie In The Sky

145.2…I’m On A Plane

2012-01-12T13:16:00.001-08:00

I’m currently on a plane headed to Atlanta for my niece’s Bat Mitzvah. Don’t you just love technology!?!

This morning I almost didn’t get a photo of breakfast. I was rushing around packing while eating and almost forgot.

Toasted English muffin with Teddie peanut butter and strawberries.

Then we headed towards John Wanye Airport. We stopped at Coco’s for an early lunch.

Tuna salad sandwich and fries…one of my favorite food combinations. When I’m laying by a pool, this is my favorite thing to eat. Random, I know.

See you from Atlanta!

Have you ever used the Wi-Fi on board an airplane?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Teddie Peanut Butter,Coco's

145.4…Slow Sushi

2012-01-11T18:24:00.001-08:00

Last night was Bunco. Normally we meet at a friend’s house but we decided to meet at a restaurant for this month since it’s so close to the holidays. That way no one would have to stress about it. We decided to try a brand new restaurant that opened nearby: Sushi on the Rock.

When we arrived at 6:30pm, it was packed. I mean, PACKED. They don’t accept reservations but my friend had called ahead a few weeks ago so they knew we were coming…well, I think they had forgotten. The restaurant is really small and there were 15 of us. We had to wait about 45 minutes for some tables next to one another to open up. I felt really bad for the staff there….I don’t think they expected it to be so busy….they just opened a week ago!

The owner got us some wine while we waited and eventually we were seated. After another long wait, we finally ordered and began to relax. My friend Cathi and I split a bunch of stuff.

Potstickers:

The potstickers were really good.

Next up was the sushi. El Jefe Roll (Spicy tuna, cucumber, avocado and sprouts layered with yellowtail, masago and green onions drizzled with a garlic ponzu):

This roll was pretty good but nothing amazing.

Grilled Shrimp Roll (Hibachi grilled shrimp, crab, asparagus, cucumber, sprouts, avocado & sriracha aioli):

Eh. This roll was weird. We couldn’t put our finger on what exactly was wrong about it…it was just bland and weird.

Coco Roll (Coconut crusted shrimp, cucumber, avocado and sprouts topped with eel sauce and toasted coconut):

I liked this one better than the last one but it’s nothing I’d need to order again.

A few of us split a couple of desserts. This is where I felt like my meal took a turn for the better. :)

Cinnamon Sticks (basically churros but filled with Bavarian cream):

LOVED THESE.

Fried ice cream:

Not as impressed with this one but everyone else was raving about it.

Overall I was not impressed with the new Sushi on the Rock. I do realize that they have only been opened a week and need to work out their kinks. I wish them luck…they sure were popular last night!

This morning I decided it would be a “healthy eating day.” I haven’t seen much of those lately so I thought it would be a nice change of pace. :) Breakfast was Fage strawberry yogurt with strawberries and blackberries:

I took the kids to school and went to Starbucks to do some work.

I went to a meeting at the school, then a doctor appointment, then I stopped at Subway for a quick lunch:

Turkey Melt on wheat. I normally just order the turkey without cheese but I saw the melt was only 40 calories more so I went for it.

Then it was off to my dentist appointment and then to the school to get the kiddos.

I spent the rest of the afternoon packing. We are all leaving for Atlanta tomorrow! It’s my niece’s Bat Mitzvah this weekend.

Since we are not coming back until Monday, I really need to use up the produce in my fridge. I made a “use it up” salad for dinner.

Mixed greens, tomatoes, avocado, turkey, shredded cheddar cheese and El Torito’s Cilantro Pepita Caesar dressing. :)

I need to finish packing and go to bed. Early flight tomorrow from Orange County. See ya from the other side of the country!

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Sushi on the Rock,Fage,Subway,Starbucks,Bunco,El Torito

145.6…16 Wings & A Bottle Of Wine

2012-01-10T17:03:00.001-08:00

Last night we went over to my friend’s house for our semi-monthly “hot wing night”.

I love hot wings like nobody’s business. We have spent the entire NFL season perfecting hot wings. I think our recipe ROCKS.

My husband was out of town last night so it was just me, my friend and her husband. We all love wings with an immense passion. My husband doesn’t really get it. When we have “wing night” we have to make another dish so that he has something to eat besides wings. We call it “filler”. Since my husband was not in attendance last night, we skipped the “filler” and got right down to business.

We still had salad otherwise we seem like real gluttons. Let’s get real though: salad is filler too. We just want the wings. My friend and I set personal records last night with wing consumption. We each ate 16 hot wings. It was glorious. We also shared a bottle of wine. Did I mention gluttony? Did I also mention something lately about eating healthy? I cannot recall…

Things went back to normal at breakfast this morning:

Fage mango yogurt with strawberries and blackberries.

I took the kids to school and went to spin class. Thank goodness I’ve been working out….that’s all I have to say.

I came home to get ready for our friend’s new baby’s bris. After the ceremony, we had lunch.

Bagel with lox, cream cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers as well as pasta.

I went back for some sweets and coffee:

It was great seeing my friends’ new baby and catching up with old friends.

Tonight is Bunco and we are actually going out this time….to sushi! More eating! Woo hoo!

If nutrition was not a concern, what would be your ideal dinner tonight?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Hot Wings,Fage

144.6…Life Gets In The Way

2012-01-09T12:58:00.001-08:00

Sometimes life gets in the way of healthy eating. Let’s take this past weekend for example, shall we?

Saturday was my daughter’s birthday party at a local gymnastics place. We had some family stop by beforehand so we picked up Los Primos for lunch. I had a chicken burrito.

That’s was all that was in it: just chicken. Kind of weird. Even some lettuce would have been nice. Oh well. I guess I got my protein requirement in for the day.

The birthday party was a great success! My daughter loved it, all the kids had a blast and I didn’t eat any cake. Success!

A bunch of family came back to my house and I put out a bunch of different appetizers: chips/dips, cheese and crackers, etc. I had some wine and a bit of each of the appetizers.

For dinner, we kept it easy and picked up Chinese food at a local place.

I had a bit of everything. The family left, I got the kitchen cleaned up and went to bed.

Yesterday morning I thought I’d start the day on a healthy note:

Fage blueberry yogurt with raspberries and strawberries. Then it was time to load up the car and hit the road for my parent’s house near Los Angeles. Every other year my brother goes to New Jersey to spend Christmas with his wife’s family. So we do a “Fake Christmas” and celebrate with my parents after. This time we also were celebrating my and my dad’s birthdays (we were born on the same day: December 16) because we all haven’t had a chance to get together since.

As soon as I arrived, I got down to business with the wine, cheese, salami and crackers.

I think I could live on this combination of foods.

We opened gifts and just hung out. We also have a traditional in my family that the birthday person(s) get to choose what to have for dinner. My dad and I agreed on Zankou Chicken.

I ordered the beef schwarma plate. It comes with hummus, garlic sauce and veggies. Love.

Then it was time for birthday cake! This year we went with an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins.

Yes, that’s Gold Medal Ribbon flavor. My favorite. After that it was time to head home.

This morning’s breakfast was a toasted English muffin with peanut butter and a grapefruit.

I took the kids to school then went to Cardio Muscle class. After my butt whooping, I ran some errands and picked up lunch at Milton’s Deli.

Chopped salad. I love chopped salads….this one has everything!

Tonight is HOT WING night!! Get ready for some spicy photos! :)

Favorite ice cream flavor?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Los Primos,Chinese,Zankou Chicken,Milton's,Fage,peanut butter

144.2…A Dinner Party

2012-01-07T09:07:00.001-08:00

I’ve been to quite a few dinner parties but last night I attended one that took the cake.

My friend’s Sherry and Rich invited us and two other couples over for dinner. When we arrived to their beautiful home, they had an amazing display of appetizers ready.

Mozzarella and Smoked Red Pepper Crostini:

Cheese Puff Rounds (my personal favorite):

Let’s not forget the Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail:

Sherry makes these amazing Chipotle and Rosemary Roasted Nuts:

You have to make these. Prepare to eat them all at once.

After my champagne cocktail, I moved on to some red wine:

When we sat down to dinner, there was a menu at each seat. What a nice touch!

The first course was a Endive, Pear & Roquefort Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette:

Now you know I don’t normally like “fruit in my food” right? Well, I ate all my pears because they were so good! I think Sherry marinated them in something because they were especially delicious.

The main course was extremely impressive.

Roast Filet of Beef with Rosemary-Green Peppercorn Sauce, Mashed Potatoes with Mascarpone Cheese and Chive Butter and Roasted Asparagus.

Wow. I felt like I was at a fancy steak house. Except I was in someone’s home with good friends. I was smiling ear to ear!

As if things couldn’t get any better, they did.

Warm Molten Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream and Chocolate Cabernet Sauce.

I died.

I always thought I was a pretty decent hostess but Sherry made me realize I have a lot to learn! :) If you look up the term “Hostess with the Mostess” in the dictionary (or wherever you look up phrases) you will see a picture of my friend Sherry.

So…today’s going to be a busy one. It’s my daughter’s 5th birthday party and we are having tons of people over. I spent the morning getting set up, appetizers/desserts made and cleaning up. Breakfast eventually happened.

Scrambled egg beaters, diced jalapeno, shredded Mexican blend cheese, avocado slices and salsa.

Lots of work to do…..

What is your entertaining style? Casual or Elegant? I normally serve everything buffet style and extremely casual. For Thanksgiving I serve on my wedding china but everyone is in sweats. :)

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Egg Beaters

144.2…Birthday Carbs

2012-01-06T17:24:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was my daughter’s 5th birthday and my sister in law’s birthday. We went to her house to celebrate. When we arrived, there was chips and salsa a-plenty. I enjoyed some chips and salsa with my wine.

Dinner was hot dogs and hamburgers. I enjoyed a hot dog….

….and a hamburger.

Those were the only choices for dinner so you can’t blame me for eating badly. In any account, I enjoyed it immensely. All birthday celebrations should involve copious amounts of carbs.

And birthday cake.

Whoops. I guess it didn’t make the picture.

After my carb-fest 2012, I thought some non-carb items would be good for today. Like Fage yogurt with berries for breakfast:

I took the kids to school and went to Cardio Muscle class. I got my butt kicked. I got my a** handed to me. I got whooped. I think you get the picture.

After that torture, I went to relax while getting my nails done. Then it was off to pick up some lunch and my daughter from school.

I picked up a salad and a chicken kabob from Luna Grill and ate it when I got home. I was STARVING.

It was delicious. Beyond delicious. I’m glad no one saw me eat it….it would have been ugly.

I picked up my son from school and came home to FINALLY shower. Ick. Tonight we are going to a friend’s house for dinner. I love when other people cook for me!

Any fun plans this weekend? My daughter’s gymnastics birthday party is tomorrow and we have lots of family coming into town.

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Fage,Luna Grill

144.2…Three For Three

2012-01-05T16:12:00.001-08:00

The last three meals I’ve eaten have all been healthy. I’m on a roll!

I discovered this Lemon Dill & Capers Sauce in my pantry and thought I’d put it to go use with my dinner last night.

Tilapia with the sauce, brown rice and steamed spinach:

Excellent! My husband doesn’t like fish so I rarely make it at home. I really enjoyed it last night. Will have to remember this when he works late.

For breakfast I made an omelet using egg beaters, sautéed onions and a little cheese. I also had a grapefruit.

I took the kids to school, ran to the grocery store and went to Zumba. I’ve worked out 4 days in a row! I’m on another roll!! :)

After my workout, I helped out at the preschool. Then I attended my daughter’s 5th birthday party in her class. Today is her birthday!!!! I cannot believe she is FIVE!!!

We came home and I threw together a quick lunch.

Under all that lettuce is the rest of the brown rice from last night, some vegetarian refried beans, salsa, onions and avocado. It was a nice little “salad.”

We picked up my son and then came home. Tonight we are going over to my sister in law’s house. It’s her birthday too! We are going to have quite the party with the two birthday girls!

How are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Egg Beaters,Zumba

145.0…A Fabulous Cheat Meal

2012-01-04T17:14:00.001-08:00

When you are trying to eat healthier, you need a cheat meal every now and then for your sanity. Now, I realize it has only been three days since my healthy eats went into effect but still. I was pretty naughty for the last three months so I guess you have to start somewhere! Baby steps, people!

We met some friends at Hamburger Factory for dinner last night. We really love this place and hadn’t been in way too long! I had my first glass of wine in 2012.

We all shared hot wings.

Oh my…they were good! But we did learn something: our hot wings are better. I guess all the time and effort that we spent perfecting them during this football season paid off.

I rolled with a cheeseburger for dinner.

It rocked. I had two delicious onion rings as well. When I left, I was in a happy place. My “cheat meal” was worth every calorie. I went to bed smiling.

Today it was back to business starting with breakfast.

Fage blueberry yogurt with raspberries and blackberries.

I took the kids to school and went to Zumba. I came home to change and pack up a lunch for the road.

Turkey sandwich, Jalapeno Popchips and several clementines. I had a wax appointment to go and I didn’t have a ton of time for lunch so I had to eat it in the car. I don’t like eating in the car but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

My husband and I went to visit a friend in the hospital who just had a baby. When I had both kids, my husband decorated my hospital room with all sorts of birthday party stuff, complete with a cake with a candle with the number zero. It’s the kid’s birthday! So…we decorated my friend’s room and brought her an ice cream cake (which I had a tiny piece….don’t want to be rude and all).

Tonight the hubby is working late so I’m on my own for dinner. All I know is that it will be healthy!

Do you eat in the car?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,The Hamburger Factory,Fage,Popchips,Zumba

144.2…Repeaters

2012-01-03T16:16:00.001-08:00

I have good news. I used all my super powers and avoided both the bread basket AND the wine list last night at Il Fornaio. Great success!

I started with a cup of their Minestrone. Seemed appropriate on a cold night. Good way to get my veggies in too!

For my entree I ordered the Petto di Pollo al Peperoncino: Grilled free-range chicken breast marinated with sage, rosemary, thyme, crushed red pepper, white wine, Dijon mustard and lemon; served with spicy peperoncino sauce, sautéed organic spinach and roasted Yukon Gold potatoes.

It was delicious! I enjoyed every bite!

I have something to confess: I’m a bad food blogger. I ate the same breakfast as yesterday.

It’s not that I’m not creative, it’s just that it really hit the spot! Toasted whole wheat bread with Teddie peanut butter and a grapefruit.

The kids went back to school today. Ugh, I don’t like the morning rush and having to wake up early. Boo. But I did get to go to my spin class after dropping them off so that worked out well.

I ran a bunch of errands and came home for lunch. The bad blogger business continues. Same lunch as the last two days.

Turkey sandwich, Creamy Cole Slaw and Mexican Bean Salad. I ate the last of the Cole Slaw so you wont’ be seeing it again for awhile.

I picked up the kids from school and came home starving.

Wheat Thins and cheese slices=happiness.

With all this healthy eating under my belt, it looks like I’m on a roll right!?! Well, pardon the interruption but tonight we are going to dinner at The Hamburger Factory with friends. They have awesome burgers and hot wings. We have had this dinner planned for awhile so there is no escaping it….not that I want to, of course. :)

What if your favorite afternoon snack?

Do you repeat meals often?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Il Fornaio,Teddie Peanut Butter,Creamy Cole Slaw,Mexican Bean Salad,Wheat Thins,The Hamburger Factory

144.6…Back At It

2012-01-02T16:50:00.001-08:00

After my cleaning extravaganza yesterday, we all needed to get out of the house for dinner. Off to PF Chang’s we went. I went the lower calorie route and ordered the Shanghai Shrimp with Garlic Sauce with brown rice.

I ate every bite and loaded it up with chili sauce. Nice and spicy.

Keeping with my healthy eating routine for the new year, I incorporated something in my breakfast that I haven’t eaten in awhile: fruit.

Seriously…I cannot remember the last piece of fruit I had. Today’s fruit was especially good: a grapefruit from my mother in law’s tree. These grapefruits are the best. I also enjoyed a piece of wheat toast with Teddie peanut butter.

I did something else that I hadn’t done in awhile: I went to the gym. I went to Cardio Muscle class and had my a** handed to me. I guess that’s what you get for not working out for awhile and eating a whole bunch of junk for the last few weeks. Ah, the holidays.

I came home, showered and made lunch. Nothing exciting to look at. It was the same thing I ate yesterday.

It might not be exciting for you to look at but it tasted fabulous…again. Turkey sandwich, Creamy Cole Slaw and Mexican Bean Salad.

I took down the Christmas tree (boo!) and took my daughter to the dentist.

Hubby got an Il Fornaio gift card for Christmas/Hanukkah and wants to use it tonight. Hopefully I’ll be able to make healthy choices and avoid the bread basket and wine list.

What healthy choices did you make today?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,PF Changs,Teddie Peanut Butter,Creamy Cole Slaw,Mexican Bean Salad,Il Fornaio

145.0…And A New Year Begins

2012-01-01T16:25:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!!! I have good feelings about 2012!

Last night I enjoyed a fabulous four-course New Year’s Eve dinner with friends at Pamplemousse Grill.

We all enjoyed a champagne toast to start the evening.

With our champagne we each received an Amuse Bouche: Porcelain Spoon with Herb Gnocchi, Parmesan Cream & Shaved Black Truffles:

Bad photo but believe me, it was excellent. I was wishing they would have brought me a big bowl of it!

The first course was a choice of salad. I chose the Prosciutto & Baby Arugula Salad with Smoked Prawns, Red Endive and Citrus Vinaigrette:

This salad was amazing. The prawns were perfectly smoky and the prosciutto was tender and delicious.

The second course was a choice of risotto. I ordered the Risotto with Butter Poached Lobster & Baby Artichokes.

This was my favorite course. You could taste the butter in each bite of lobster.

My choice for the third course was a Duo of Creekstone Prime New York & Braised Short Rib Agnolotti with Sweet White Corn and Sautéed French Beans:

The final course was dessert. I opted for the Milk Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding, Maple Gelato & Variety of Berries:

Good choice! The bread pudding was excellent.

Hubby and I were home by 11:20. Somehow we managed to stay up to see the New Year, then crashed.

My New Year started fabulously this morning as I was able to sleep in until 8:30. Thank you kiddos!

I brewed a pot of coffee and started a project that I’ve been meaning to tackle for awhile: cleaning out/organizing all the kids’ toys and their rooms. Eventually I realized I was hungry but when I looked at the clock, it was almost noon! I guess that meant breakfast was long gone. It was lunch time!

Lunch was a variety of leftovers. A turkey sandwich, Creamy Cole Slaw and Mexican Bean Salad.

Then it was back to work. I got so much accomplished. Love that feeling!

So…let’s get to talking about New Year’s Resolutions. We all make them right!?! Well, this year my resolution is to get rid of excess. Excess weight, junk in my home, etc. So, here are my goals in 2012….let’s see if I can stick to them:

Get back to my happy weight of 135

Finishing organizing/cleaning out home

Pretty simple right? :) Tomorrow I will begin by going somewhere I haven’t been in over a week: the gym. :)

What are your New Year’s resolutions?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,New Year's Eve,Pamplemousse Grill,Creamy Cole Slaw,Mexican Bean Salad

142.6…Happy New Year’s Eve!

2011-12-31T13:42:00.001-08:00

Sorry I’ve been MIA lately but I’ve been too busy with this:

Happy New Year’s Eve! Back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow. :)

Any New Year’s Eve plans?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,New Year's Eve

Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta (Holiday Blog Hop)

2011-12-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

This time of year, all I want is comfort food. Something warm. Something hearty. Something with a lot of cheese.

I have the perfect dish that fits all my comfort food requirements with an added bonus: pasta.

You can use any cut of pasta you want. I chose shells because I like them. :) It’s like a fancy mac & cheese incorporating fontina, mascarpone and parmesan cheeses!

I even added some fresh spinach to the dish to make it seem a little healthier. See…I’m always looking out for you.

Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta (serves 4)

8 oz uncooked shell pasta

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup shredded fontina cheese

1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

2 cups of fresh spinach

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

pinch of nutmeg

Tabasco to taste

1/2 cup Panko

1/2 Tbsp butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; keep warm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour and milk in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Remove from heat; add cheeses, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Stir in salt, black pepper, nutmeg and Tabasco. Add spinach and cooked pasta, stirring to coat. Spoon pasta mixture in a 8x8 baking dish coasted with cooking spray.

Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in Panko until well combined. Sprinkle Panko mixture evenly over pasta mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley.

Printable Recipe

This post was the fourth installment of our Holiday Blog Hop Series. Our ingredient choices were wines (red, white or sparkling), white chocolate or mascarpone. If you missed the other bog hop posts, you can see them here:

Blog Hop #1: Bernice’s Pumpkin Bread

Blog Hop #2: Brown Sugar Pecan Bundt Cake

Blog Hop #3: Eggnog Bread

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Holiday Blog Hop,Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta

143.0…Boxed Cake Bliss

2011-12-28T06:23:00.001-08:00

Don’t get me wrong….I love to bake from scratch. But sometimes, you don’t have the time or patience. For those days, I have the solution:

Duncan Hines Triple Chocolate Cake Mix. I received this cake mix from the Foodbuzz Festival I attended and was excited to finally get a chance to try it. We had family over last minute on Monday night so I quickly turned the mix into a fabulous Bundt cake.

There are two parts to this mix: the regular mix plus a separate packet of chocolate that you mix with water. You swirl them together in the Bundt pan and it creates pockets of ooey gooey fudgy chocolate throughout the cake. Bliss.

For dinner I made potato latkes, Spinach Lasagna and a big mixed green salad.

For dessert, I served the Bundt cake with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Dare I say it again….Bliss.

Yesterday morning’s breakfast was leftover potato latkes with a couple of eggs.

I went to Costco and the grocery store and had some repairs done at the house. My husband had a lunch meeting at Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza so he brought me home my favorite salad for lunch: Chopped Chicken Salad.

Our family came back over for dinner. This time we kept it easy and picked up Chinese food. :)

For whatever reason, I could not sleep last night. So here I am, blogging at the crack of dawn. Hopefully I’ll get some sleep tonight. We have even more family coming into town today and we are all going to the Holiday Bowl tonight. Big day!

What’s your favorite boxed cake mix?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Duncan Hines,Lasagna,Sammy's Woodfired Pizza,Chinese,Foodbuzz

A Christmas Recap

2011-12-26T16:49:00.001-08:00

Christmas came and went. Presents were opened, food was eaten and in a flash it was over. It’s amazing how long you prepare for the holiday and it vanishes in the blink of an eye.

My Christmas holiday started on Friday when my parents picked me up from the train station. We came back to their house, I had a glass of wine and then we went out to their favorite local Chinese restaurant: The Grandview Palace.

We all shared some wonton soup:

I ordered the combination Kung Pao. It had beef, chicken and shrimp and it was spicy and delicious.

I enjoyed my dish with some steamed rice. We came back to the house and called it a night. I was asleep by 8:30PM. I did not get up until 10:0o AM Saturday morning. That is unheard of. I guess I really needed the sleep!

Breakfast (or brunch, really) was toasted cinnamon raisin bread with peanut butter.

I ran some errands with my parents and we stopped at another one of their favorite spots: Weinerschitzel. I enjoyed two chili dogs and fries.

Oh yeah. They were good! :)

That night I made one of my favorite meals ever for dinner: Beef Stroganoff.

I will have to share this recipe soon on the blog because it is fabulous. It’s definitely one of my top 5 favorite meals ever.

Christmas morning I made another winner: Eggs Benedict Casserole:

The last time I made this I broke the hollandaise. This time I managed not to screw it up! Success!

My mom served orange rolls with it. We have them every years. It wouldn’t be Christmas without them!

My plate:

I went back for another serving of the casserole and hollandaise. It tastes just like Eggs Benedict!

We opened gifts and hung out. Eventually it was time to get dinner ready. I made a prime rib and my famous Gulliver’s Creamed Corn. My mom made mashed potatoes and gravy and rolls. We were a good team!

I made an apple pie for dessert.

We enjoyed it with vanilla ice cream.

And that was that.

This morning I drove back to San Diego with my husband and kids. We have family coming into town from Texas and they are visiting tonight so I need to get cooking!

Is there a certain dish/dessert that you have to have every Christmas?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,The Grandview Palace,Peanut Butter,Weinerschitzel,Chinese,Beef Stroganoff,Christmas,Gulliver's Creamed Corn,Eggs Benedict Casserole

142.8…On My Way to LA

2011-12-23T15:24:00.001-08:00

I’m on a train! I’m Los Angeles bound to visit my family for the holidays. My husband and kids will drive down tomorrow.

Last night was date night at my house. My husband took me to Flemming’s for dinner. We had a gift card so it made it extra special. :)

Iphone photo my hubby took. :)

I enjoyed a fabulous glass of Pinot Noir.

I normally don’t eat the bread at the table but I had to try this one because the butters were so unique!

The butter on the left was a Chardonnay infused feta and the one on the right was a Sun-dried tomato. Both were excellent!

I started with one of my favorite things to order at a steakhouse: Lettuce Wedge Salad.

I always substitute the blue cheese dressing for ranch dressing but I leave the blue cheese crumbles on. Go figure.

My husband and I split a Filet Mignon and we ordered two awesome sides:

Potatoes au gratin and creamed spinach. I really wanted the Chipotle Mac & Cheese instead of the potatoes but my husband won in the end. Next time!

Fabulous meal! I hadn’t been to Flemming’s in awhile…..now I want to go back soon!

This morning I ate a bowl of Special K cereal with almond milk before heading to the gym.

I was the only one who showed up for Cardio Muscle class so it got cancelled. At least I tried.

I came home to get packed up and dressed. I made a quick tuna melt on a tortilla with a salad for lunch.

My husband and kids took me to the train station. I am currently snacking on some Wheat Thins as I type.

Tonight, it’s just me and my parents. I’m sure we will chill, eat something good and drink a ton of wine. My kind of night!

What sides do you have to order at a steakhouse?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Flemming's,Special K,Almond Milk,Wheat Thins

143.0…Conchiglie Al Pollo

2011-12-22T17:39:00.001-08:00

One of my husband’s favorite restaurants is Il Fornaio. He eats one dish there and one dish only. It is probably his favorite pasta dish of all time. Awhile back, I went to a cooking class at Il Fornaio. When the class was over, I asked the chef how to make the pasta dish and he told me. It was my husband’s dream come true. Last night was the second time I attempted making the dish.

The first time was much better. I think it was because I obsessively measured everything the first time so that it would be perfect. I didn’t measure the garlic and I obviously didn’t put enough in. The store did not have the large size shells like the restaurant uses so it looked different too. I’m going to share the recipe anyway with you because it turned out perfectly the first time. The dish is too good not to share! Below is the exact measurements/instructions that the chef gave me.

Il Fornaio’s Conchiglie al Pollo (serves 4)

Printable Recipe

1 Tbsp olive oil

12 oz diced chicken

8 oz cream sherry

3 oz roasted garlic

60 pieces julienned sun-dried tomatoes

10 oz broccoli florets

12 oz large shell pasta, dry

20 oz chicken stock

3 Tbsp butter

Pecorino Romano cheese to taste

Salt & pepper to taste

Add oil to hot pan. Sautee diced chicken until brown. Quickly add the garlic, tomatoes and sherry and reduce by half.

Add chicken stock and reduce until thickened.

Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente. Add broccoli in the last few minutes of cook time. Put pasta and broccoli into sauce mixture. Add butter, cheese and salt & pepper to taste.

This morning’s breakfast was a toasted English muffin with peanut butter with strawberries.

I went to Zumba class and then came home to wrap the myriads of presents that were taking over my closet.

Lunch was a tuna melt and a salad.

All of a sudden a baking mood struck.

Chocolate chip & M&M cookies! They seem to be a big hit over here!

Tomorrow I’m taking the train to Los Angeles to stay with my parents. My husband and kids will follow on Saturday. See ya on the flip side!

Where are you spending the holidays?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Conchiglie al Pollo,peanut butter,Zumba,Il Fornaio

143.4…Happy Hanukkah!

2011-12-21T16:35:00.001-08:00

Last night was the first night of Hanukkah. What did we have for dinner?

Pizza and salad. Not your typical Hanukkah dinner. I plan on making my husband’s favorite, potato latkes, on the last night of Hanukkah.

I had a couple of Boboli crusts and some fresh mozzarella so pizza sounded perfect! I put some of the freshly grated mozzarella on the salad as well. It turned out pretty good!

I’m really enjoying that the kids are out on vacation. No rushing in the morning…I can actually enjoy a cup of coffee and eat my breakfast peacefully. Speaking of breakfast…

I enjoyed a piece of toast with peanut butter and some strawberries.

I went to Zumba, took my daughter to a playdate and came home for lunch.

Turkey sandwich on toast with carrots and hummus. Simple yet delicious.

Tonight for the second night of Hanukkah, I’m making another one of my husband’s favorite dishes. It may appear on the blog tomorrow!

Do you like potato latkes? What should I make with them?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,peanut butter,hummus,Zumba

143.8…Ham & Cheese Puff Pastry

2011-12-20T16:58:00.001-08:00

I bring you one of the best appetizers you’ll ever eat. Yes, at first it looks strange. What is this big puffy square, you say?

It is none other than the fabulous Ham & Cheese Puff Pastry. I love to watch people at parties try and figure out what it is.

Once they taste it, they are sold. And it completely disappears off the plate. Try it. I’m sure you’ll get the same results.

Ham & Cheese Puff Pastry

Slightly adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 pound black forest ham, sliced
1/2 pound Swiss Gruyere cheese, sliced
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan.
Lay 1 sheet of puff pastry on a floured board and carefully roll it out to 10 by 12 inches. Place it on a sheet pan and brush the center with the mustard, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Place a layer first of ham and then cheese, also leaving a 1-inch border. Brush the border with the egg wash.
Place the second sheet of puff pastry on the floured board and roll it out to 10 by 12inches. Place the second sheet on top of the filled pastry, lining up the edges. Cut the edges straight with a small, sharp knife and press together lightly. Brush the top with egg wash and cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve hot or warm.

I brought the Ham & Cheese Puff Pastry to my friend Dina’s Holiday Party this past Sunday and, as usual, it was the first appetizer to go. :)

Continuing on with celebrations….last night we celebrated Monday Night Football at my friend Alicia’s house.

Aren’t we cute with our matching glasses!?! I saw this bottle of wine and brought it over because I thought it was also cute. Little did I know that the cork was RED! How fun!?! And I thought the wine was good so this will definitely be a repurchase.

Monday Night Football means hot wings. Alicia rocked our regular Hot Wing recipe. Of course they were off the hook.

Alicia also made her famous Sloppy Joe’s and I brought over a salad.

Sometimes the meal isn’t complete without some of these:

See’s Candy is my favorite candy in the world. This is true.

This morning I was in a cereal mood.

Special K Vanilla Almond cereal with almond milk. Then I headed over to Great News for a cooking class. On the way, I stopped at Starbucks for a skinny vanilla latte.

Today’s class was entitled California Holiday Wine Country Favorites. It was taught by my favorite instructor, Phillis Carey.

The first two recipes we ate together: Mushroom and Kalamata Olive Tapenade on Parmesan Toasts and Wine Poached Pear Salad with Blue Cheese and Mustard Vinaigrette:

The toasts were excellent and would be a great appetizer for a party. You could make the tapenade and just put the toasts out for guests to assemble themselves. The salad was good too…I even ate the pears (probably because there was wine on them).

The next recipe was Tarragon Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Port Sauce on Mustard Seed Mashed Potatoes:

This was FABULOUS. Both the chicken and the mashed potatoes went really well together. The mashed potatoes were unreal. The whole grain mustard gave it an amazing flavor.

Next up was Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon on Spinach Cakes with Pinot Noir Sauce:

Another winner! The spinach cakes were awesome and how can you go wrong with bacon wrapped anything!?!

Dessert was Zinfandel Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream:

Fabulous. It’s got wine it in….of course I loved it!

I sat next to a lovely woman who is also a food blogger! It’s so fun to meet other food bloggers. Hi Donna! Go check her blog out over at Dine With Donna!

What is your favorite appetizer to bring to a party?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Ham & Cheese Puff Pastry,Hot Wings,See's Candy,Great News,Phillis Carey,Starbucks,Special K,Almond Milk

143.4 yesterday, 142.0…Holiday Parties Galore!

2011-12-19T14:14:00.001-08:00

Oh my! The holidays are in full swing over at my house! We have been to back-to-back holiday parties. Let me fill you in!

Saturday night we attended a friend’s company’s holiday dinner at Eddie V’s in La Jolla.

I had never been before and was excited to try it! The view over looking the water was amazing. The champagne was amazing as well. :)

The table shared a few different appetizers. They all were excellent!

Beef Tartare:

Tuna Tartare:

I ordered the BLT Wedge Salad (Crisp Bacon, Maytag Blue Cheese and Buttermilk-Chive Dressing):

I don’t know what they did to the bacon but it blew my mind. I would order this salad again just for the bacon.

For dinner I ordered the Filet Mignon. We all shared a couple different sides: Monterrey Style Sweet Corn and Truffled Macaroni and Cheese.

Everything was fabulous. I have to give an extra special shout out to the Truffled Macaroni and Cheese. I would go back just for that.

For dessert….Chocolate Lava Cake!

I guess they found it was my birthday the day before. :) Overall fabulous meal at Eddie V’s. I would definitely go back!

The next morning it was off to “Breakfast with Santa” at our club. More champagne!

It was a buffet so I helped myself to some favorites: scrambled eggs, potatoes, French toast, bacon and sausage:

Plate number two:

The rest of the afternoon was spent wrapping gifts. I’m almost done!

Later yesterday evening, my husband and I went to a holiday party at my friend Dina’s house.

The party was a pot-luck and I brought one of my favorite appetizers ever: Ham & Cheese Puff Pastry. (Recipe coming tomorrow!)

Check out some of the delicious appetizers everyone brought!

I enjoyed some more champagne! I sense a theme here. :)

And tried some German hot mulled wine!

Dina and I:

Cathi and I:

Lauren, myself, Dina and Diana:

Alicia and I:

Lisa and I:

Then it was dessert time! My friend, Sherry, brought these DELICIOUS chocolate bars!!!

Then the tequila came out.

The rest is history. :)

Great time had by all!

This morning’s breakfast was toast with Teddie peanut butter and some strawberries. Kinda boring compared to all the fun food I’ve been eating.

I went to Cardio Muscle class and had a fabulous workout. I really needed that after all this weekend’s eats!

After class I ran a bunch of errands and picked up Panera Bread for lunch.

Half tuna sandwich and tomato soup. Delish!

Tonight is HOT WING night at Alicia’s! You know I’m one excited lady!

Are you done with your holiday shopping?

Have you been to many holiday parties yet?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Eddie V's,Ham & Cheese Puff Pastry,Panera Bread,Teddie Peanut Butter

143.4…Birthday Bliss

2011-12-17T16:14:00.001-08:00

Bliss is a world I’d definitely use to describe my birthday celebration at Burlap in Del Mar last night.

What is the definition of bliss to me? Well….it involves drinks…

and great food of course! We ordered a bunch of appetizers for the table.

Red Chili Rock Shrimp:

Sweet Potato Fries with Ginger Aioli and Brown Butter:

Hamachi and Jalapeno with an Onion Ponzu Sauce:

Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice:

Sesame Crusted Brie with Mango Jam:

For my entree, I ordered the Mahi-Mahi Dynamite with a Spicy Crab Crust:

My husband and I split a side of Garlic Noodles:

Bliss for me also means presents. At least I’m honest right!?!

I mean, I REALLY love presents.

Bliss=sparkly UGG’s.

It really does mean that. Look it up if you don’t believe me.

Bliss is also an amazing night with your best friends…

…and the most amazing man in the world.

Bliss isn’t complete without chocolate.

Being 35 isn’t that bad, after all. :)

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Birthday,Burlap

It’s My Birthday!

2011-12-16T16:05:00.001-08:00

Today is my 35th birthday! I love my birthday! So far it has been awesome and I expect it to get even better tonight! :)

Wednesday night, I actually cooked dinner. It’s been awhile. I made chicken and a fancy macaroni and cheese made with mascarpone cheese (recipe coming soon!).

Yesterday morning’s breakfast was toast with Teddie peanut butter and cantaloupe.

I took the kids to school and went to Zumba. Afterwards I got my nails done and stopped for lunch at Submarina.

I had a turkey sandwich and a side of macaroni salad. I’m a sucker for macaroni salad.

I ran a few more errands, picked up the kids from school and came home to pack. We were going to our friends’ company’s holiday party in downtown San Diego. Hubby decided that we should stay overnight so we don’t have to drive home and because my birthday was the next morning. Works for me!

We checked into the Hard Rock Hotel downtown and got ready for the holiday party which was held at the Ultimate Skybox overlooking Petco Park. The view was amazing! And so was the food! There was a sushi bar as soon as we got to the party.

You know I went back a couple of times. :) I enjoyed a couple glasses of wine over the evening.

For dinner, there was a bunch of appetizers. My favorite!! There were two different kinds of sliders: cheeseburger and salmon. Both were excellent.

There was also a street taco table!

I had one beef and one fish taco with rice. The fish taco was especially good.

The best was saved for last:

Check out this dessert bar! My friend made most of these and arranged this table! I was amazed!

The doughnut skewers and cake pops were especially good. :) It was also nice going back to our hotel and going to bed.

The first excellent thing that happened to me on my birthday was that I got to sleep in. Next, my husband brought me coffee from Starbucks. Then something incredible happened.

He went downstairs to the hotel’s restaurant, Mary Jane’s, and got me a GIANT breakfast burrito. It had scrambled eggs, house-made chorizo, pepper jack cheese and salsa. I put tons of salsa on top and went to town. It basically rocked my face off. I only got through half of it before I had to throw in the towel. I gave it my best shot.

We checked out of the hotel and went to my daughter’s Hanukkah party at school. I picked up my son and came home.

Tonight I am going to dinner with a few friends and I am REALLY looking forward to it. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!

Do you get excited or dread your birthdays?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Teddie Peanut Butter,Submarina,The Hard Rock Hotel,Birthday,Starbucks

Eggnog Bread (Holiday Blog Hop)

2011-12-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

Do you like eggnog? If the answer is yes, then I have the bread for you! If the answer is no, what the *#%& is wrong with you!?! I am going to change your mind with this bread!

All kidding aside, this Eggnog bread tastes like the holidays. Every bite is like a delicious sip of it’s creamy, rum-spiked drink counterpart.

Eggnog Bread

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups eggnog

3 Tbsp rum

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup oil

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 small box vanilla instant pudding

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar mixed with enough eggnog & rum to reach desired consistency

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

2. Blend together the eggs, eggnog, rum, sugar, vanilla, butter and oil.

3. Sift together the flour, vanilla instant pudding, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add to eggnog mixture and stir just enough to moisten; pour into prepared pan.

4. Bake bread in pan for about 60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, and remove from pan. Cool completely, glaze if desired and store in the refrigerator.

Printable Recipe

This post was the third installment of our Holiday Blog Hop Series. Our ingredient choices were eggnog, peppermint and gingerbread. If you missed the other blog hop posts you can see them here:

Blog Hop #1: Bernice’s Pumpkin Bread

Blog Hope #2: Brown Sugar Pecan Bundt Cake

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Holiday Blog Hop,Eggnog Bread

143.4...Hostess With The Mostest

2011-12-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

*Note: The AC adapter on the computer that has my blogging software is broken. I have to blog from a different computer using the lame blogger program. The format looks funky and I don't know how to fix it. Please bear with me for a few days. :)

Last night was our annual holiday Bunco. It was at my friend Annette's house. She is quite the hostess! As soon as I walked it, she had a glass of sparkling bubbly ready for me!

She had set several gorgeous tables!

There was an amazing dessert table!

After a bit of mingling, dinner was served.

I had a bit of everything: ham, green beans, salad, a roll and the MOST FABULOUS cheesy potatoes EVER!

For dessert, I also had a bit of everything.

Then it was time for our holiday gift exchange. Everybody draws a number and starting with number one, you pick a gift. You can either keep your gift or steal someone else's. It is always a blast! The gifts were especially awesome this year. I ended up stealing/being stole from a few times. I ended up with a beautiful gold sequin infinity scarf which I hope to wear very soon!!

I got home after 11PM which is super late for me. Getting up this morning was a bit rough. I was meeting some friends for breakfast a bit later so I just had a piece of toast for breakfast.

I took the kids to school and met some friends at Thyme in the Ranch. I ordered the quiche lorraine which was delicious!

The rest of the day was spent running errands. I'm trying to get the rest of my holiday shopping done. For me, this is cutting it too close!

Have you ever participated in a gift exchange before? Did you get something you liked?

Are you done with all your holiday shopping yet?

143.0…Shocked

2011-12-13T16:49:00.001-08:00

I am beyond shocked that I didn’t put on any weight on my trip to Mammoth. I ate and drank like a champion. Sunday night was no exception. We went back to Gonzo’s for dinner. The food was really good. I had more wine…duh.

I was having trouble with the lighting in the restaurant and couldn’t get my wine to show up. I had my friend’s husband hold up a white napkin to see if it would help. I thought the picture was so funny that I left it like that.

For dinner I ate a fish taco and tons of chips and guacamole. Their fish tacos are SO good!!

We came back to our rooms and crashed. We woke up the next morning, drank some coffee, packed and hit the road for home. I didn’t eat any breakfast because I figured we’d stop early for lunch. I was wrong. Eventually it started to rain and I thought that we needed to keep on going before the weather got worse. Well, it did. It started to snow….hard! There was no way I was going to stop in the snow so we keep going.

Finally at 3:00 I thought I was going to die from hunger. We stopped at the first place we saw: Buffalo Wild Wings. I had never been there before. I was more than thrilled. HOT WINGS!

They were pretty good. My husband thought that they were just ok. He told me they tasted so fabulous because I was hungry. :)

Then I went all out some more and ate a cheeseburger with Cole slaw.

I was extremely happy.

And that was the only meal I ate yesterday. We finally made it home, unpacked and went to bed.

This morning I had scrambled egg beaters, a piece of toast and cantaloupe.

I took the kids to school, went to spin class and then my hair appointment. It feels so nice to have my hair done! I went to Subway quickly for lunch.

Then it was off to my son’s Hanukkah program at school. There were cookies and brownies everywhere. I managed to only eat a few bites of the cookie my son didn’t want. I’m saving up my calories because it’s Bunco tonight. It is our annual gift exchange Bunco and is always a blast! Looking forward to catching up with my friends tonight!

What is your favorite meal of the day?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Mammoth,Gonzo's,Buffalo Wild Wings,Egg Beaters,Subway

Stuffed Oatmeal Raisinet Cookies-The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2011

2011-12-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

I’m proud to announce that I participated in the first annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!

What is it you ask? It was the fabulous idea of two blogs: Love and Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen:

“The premise is this: sign up. Receive the addresses of three other food bloggers. Send each of them one dozen delicious homemade cookies. Receive three different boxes of scrumptious cookies from other bloggers. Eat them all yourself (or, you know, share. If you want. No judgment either way.) Post your cookie recipe on your blog. See everyone else’s cookie recipes. Salivate. Get lots of great ideas for next years’ cookie swap. Rinse and repeat.”

I was sold. Apparently, so were 624 other food bloggers.

I knew exactly what cookies I wanted to make. Way back when, I participated in a blog bake sale and bought some amazing cookies from Erin at The Spiffy Cookie. I didn’t know Erin but I knew that Stuffed Raisinet Cookies sounded like something I needed to try. Boy, was I right.

Now I have come to love Erin and all of her creations but this one is my personal favorite. It’s not your standard oatmeal cookie. These babies have Raisinets in them and are stuffed with cream cheese. Yes, you heard me right.

Stuffed Oatmeal Raisinet Cookies
Makes about 2 Dozen Cookies

Original Recipe: The Spiffy Cookie

Ingredients:
Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Cookies:
1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup Raisinets
Directions:

Add the filling ingredients to a medium bowl and mix well. Let the mixture cool and solidify in the refrigerator until ready for it.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla with a hand held mixer until well blended. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture, stirring until just combined.
Fold in rolled oats and Raisinets. Shape dough into balls—about 2 tablespoons each.
Remove the filling mixture from the refrigerator and stuff each dough ball with 1 teaspoon of the mixture. Place about 2 inches apart onto a silpat-lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 2 minutes and remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Printable Recipe

I sent all the cookies to the three people I was matched to. In return, I received 3 (one dozen) boxes of cookies! Sounds like a great deal right!

Even though it’s too late to join this year, if you are interested in participating next year, please visit HERE to sign up.

I am already debating what to make next year!

Technorati Tags: Everyday,The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap,Stuffed Oatmeal Raisinet Cookies

Volcano Hot Wings

2011-12-11T16:44:00.001-08:00

Mammoth is fabulous.

Last night we all went to Giovanni’s for pizza. And wine.

My husband and I split a salad. Check out all the containers of ranch dressing. I was in love. There is nothing like GOOD ranch dressing. This stuff rocked.

Mammoth has the hottest hot wings I’ve ever had. Enter: Volcano Wings:

Our server warned us that they were habanero hot wings and they were no joke. She was right. My husband ate 4 and I managed to eat the rest. My lips were on fire and I loved every minute of it. I need help.

I also enjoyed a slice of this:

That was some seriously good pizza! I definitely ate too much and went to bed with a food coma.

This morning, we dropped the kids off for their second day of ski school. The husbands went skiing as well. My friend and I went for breakfast at a little place called The Breakfast Club.

The restaurant had an interesting style and decor. They apparently love the “cow motif.”

Yeah.

My friend and I split an enormous home made biscuit with gravy. It rocked.

I ordered two eggs with hashed browns and wheat toast.

We drove around for a bit to look for some shopping but there was none. :( We eventually went back to the lodge to meet our husbands for lunch. We were still full from breakfast so I went with a liquid meal.

We hung out for a couple of hours while everyone finished skiing. My son did SO awesome!! My daughter not so much but she gave it a great try!

Now we are back in our hotel room. It’s our last night in Mammoth and we will head out tomorrow for our long drive home.

What was the best thing you ate all weekend? The volcano hot wings. :)

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Mammoth,Giovanni's,The Breakfast Club,Hot Wings

Greetings From Mammoth!

2011-12-10T13:19:00.001-08:00

During the holidays time really escapes me. I had planned on blogging about my upcoming family trip to Mammoth but before I knew it, I was here!

We took the kids to Mammoth for the weekend with some friends and their kids to try skiing for the first time! More on that in a moment.

Wednesday night we took the kids to Olive Garden. I had some wine.

Tons of salad:

And a simple bowl of spaghetti with marinara:

Thursday morning’s breakfast was an egg beater sandwich on a toasted English muffin with a slice of cheese and a side of strawberries.

I dropped the kids off at school and had an hour to kill before I had to go back to the school to do some volunteer work. I spent that hour at Starbucks enjoying a latte.

I had a wax appointment right afterwards and then I had to go to Target with a list a mile long. I didn’t think I’d have time to stop for lunch so I brought lunch with me.

Turkey sandwich, Wheat Thins, an apple and dates (which I didn’t end up eating).

I picked up the kids from school and got everyone packed for Mammoth. My husband and I went out for a little date night at my favorite restaurant, Firenze.

More wine:

We shared the Chopped Caesar salad:

I ordered the Linguine al Vongole (linguine with clams in a spicy red sauce):

I ate EVERY bite.

Yesterday morning’s breakfast was a toasted English muffin with Teddie peanut butter and strawberries.

My husband and I took the kids to school and went to Starbucks (again) to kill some time before my son’s Jog-a-thon. I used my free birthday coffee certificate and got a BIG latte. :) (My birthday is next Friday, Dec 16th. Gifts are accepted.)

I love that the school does a Jog-a-thon every year. It’s a great way to raise money and keep the kids active. Afterwards, we took both kids and hit the road for Mammoth! It’s about a 6 hour drive. We stopped a few times so all in all, it took 7 hours. We stopped along the way for Subway and I ate it in the car. The drive was long but peaceful. I did most of the driving and enjoyed it.

We finally arrived at our hotel, checked in and met our friends. Then it was off to Gonzo’s for dinner. More wine!

I enjoyed some chips and salsa too. For my entree I ordered a cheese enchilada and a fish taco.

The food was really good….especially the fish taco. I wasn’t sure if a snowy town did good Mexican food but they did! Score!

Guess what is right downstairs in our hotel?

Starbucks! I’ve really been spoiling myself lately.

My husband and his friend went skiing. My friend and I dropped our kids off at ski school. My kids have never skied before. Neither have I for that matter. I have no desire to ski. I have an intense fear of falling so my fear really holds me back.

No worries! We went shopping and had a nice lunch at a place called Burgers instead. Yes…..more wine.

Tuna sandwich and fries:

Fabulous! I’m chilling in the hotel room for a little bit until it’s time to pick up the little ones. I hope they had fun!!!!

Do you like to drive long distances? I love to drive!

Do you ski?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Olive Garden,Starbucks,Firenze,Egg Beaters,Teddie Peanut Butter,Mammoth,Subway,Burgers,Gonzo's

143.0 yesterday; 143.4 Barbie Likes It Hot

2011-12-07T16:34:00.001-08:00

It’s no secret that I like things hot. By hot, I mean SPICY! Do you know who else like it hot and spicy too??

Barbie! It’s been awhile since Barbie has made an appearance on my blog.

It was “Hot Wing Night” at my house Monday night. Our friends came over to watch football and enjoy our favorite hot wings.

Check out that messy bowl of goodness.

My friend brought her Barbie too. She likes it hot as well.

I also made my favorite chili and my friend brought a salad.

With some ranch dressing to dip the hot wings in, I was in heaven. I ate about a dozen wings. I would have loved to eat more but I just couldn’t do it. Oh well….I gave it my best shot.

Tuesday morning’s breakfast was an egg sandwich on toasted wheat bread with a slice of Swiss cheese and an apple.

I dropped the kids off at school, went to spin class, came home to change and then my husband and I hopped in the car for Los Angeles. My sister in law just had a baby and there was a celebration at her house. They had a wonderful buffet with different types of salads, breads and desserts. I enjoyed a bit of everything. No pictures sorry! It was a little hectic there (there were SO many people) so I didn’t spend time trying to take pictures. We drove home and went to bed.

This morning’s breakfast was Fage yogurt and strawberries:

I took the kids to school. A bit later my friend picked me up. We headed to a tea for an organization that we are members of. They had quite the spread of tea sandwiches! You know how I feel about tea sandwiches!

Check out the fruit display:

Pineapples shaped like palm trees with fruit skewers attached. You just grabbed a skewer right from the “tree”!

Fabulous!

I tried to fit as much as I could onto my small plate.

I ended up having to go back for seconds. Big shocker, I know.

Check out the dessert display:

I went straight for the cupcakes.

Chocolate with chocolate frosting, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and red velvet with cream cheese frosting.

The cupcakes themselves weren’t the best but the frosting was pretty darn tasty! The sandwiches all rocked. I love tea sandwiches. I really wanted to just grab the entire display plate of them and run but that probably wouldn’t be appropriate tea behavior.

Afterwards I picked up the kids from school and came home. I think we are all going to go out to dinner tonight. Yeehaw!

Do you like it hot? I’ve only been over-spiced three times in my life. Yes, I remember all three instances.

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Hot Wings,Fage,Barbie

142.0…Four Meals

2011-12-05T13:56:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was a day centered around food. Meal number one was breakfast. Then lunch time rolled around so I ate some more of the Creamy Macaroni and Cheese. Meal number two.

This time I added tuna and peas to it and it took it to a whole new place. While it was beyond delicious, I probably didn’t need to eat such a big lunch when I was going to a baby shower later that afternoon.

Meal number three:

The baby shower was a tea and there were a ton of delicious tea sandwiches, scones and mini desserts.

I am a HUGE sucker for tea sandwiches. I just love them. I had two plates that looked like this:

Even though I had already eaten, I made quite a dent in the sandwiches. I skipped the desserts but enjoyed two glasses of champagne. :)

Check out all the gifts my friend received for her baby shower:

She was seriously showered!

Meal number four occurred later that night at our club’s holiday party. There was a buffet of all sorts of holiday foods: turkey, prime rib, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, veggies, salads and rolls. I enjoyed some prime rib, mashed potatoes with gravy, veggies and salad.

And a couple glasses of wine. :) Normally, they make a really good bread pudding. I tried one bite and passed. It wasn’t as good as normal. Or maybe I had just eaten way too much that day to enjoy it. Either way, I skipped dessert. I guess you can’t have it all right?

Breakfast this morning was a toasted English muffin with peanut butter and an apple.

My husband took the kids to school and then I went to Cardio Muscle class. I started the class very tired and lethargic but was so glad I went. Great workout!

I went to the grocery store and came home to make lunch:

Turkey sandwich, carrots and hummus. I’m sure it looks like I’m trying to be healthier today. Wait until you see what’s for dinner though. Here’s a hint: it’s Monday Night Football….and the San Diego Chargers are playing! Go Bolts!

Are you finding that you are eating more than you normally do lately?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Creamy Macaroni and Cheese,Hummus,peanut butter

141.2 yesterday; 142.0…A Bad Choice

2011-12-04T09:53:00.001-08:00

Friday night was an exciting night in my house. My husband was out of town so I ate an early dinner of Creamy Macaroni and Cheese leftovers with tons of Cholula hot sauce and a glass of wine.

Then I was in bed by 8PM. Yeah, like that.

Yesterday morning’s breakfast was a toasted waffle with Teddie peanut butter. I’m just about out of fresh produce so no fruit with my breakfast. I need to go the store apparently.

I dropped my son off at a friend’s house and took my daughter to my friend’s daughter’s baptism. After the church ceremony, we all went to our club for the baptism lunch.

Chicken breast served over a delicious risotto with veggies and some sort of cream sauce. I really enjoyed it.

When I enjoyed even more was the cake.

There was a layer of Snickers filling in it. HOLY CAKE DELICIOUSNESS.

My daughter and I picked up my son and since it was dinner time and I did not feel like cooking, I went through the McDonald’s drive-thru for Happy Meals. I like how the size of the kid’s fries are smaller and now come with apples too!

So…what happens when you’re feeling lazy and tired? You eat McDonald’s too. I ate a burger and a few fries (by the time I got them home they weren’t that good) and felt pretty crappy the rest of the night. Ugh.

I went to a friend’s house for poker night. I’m a pretty new poker player so it took me awhile to get the hang of it but once I did, I had a blast! I only lost $2!

Remember how I went to bed at 8PM on Friday? Well, last night it was more like midnight. My son thought waking up at 6:30Am this morning was a good idea. I beg to differ.

Breakfast was still lacking of fruit.

Egg sandwich with cheese. Love.

Today I have a baby shower and our club’s Holiday Member Party (love this party every year!). Have a great rest of your weekend!

When’s the last time you regretted a food choice?

Favorite card game?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Creamy Macaroni and Cheese,Teddie Peanut Butter,Cholula,McDonald's

141.8 yesterday; 142.2…The Gym Misses Me

2011-12-02T17:52:00.001-08:00

Happy Friday everyone! Wow….this week flew by!

Wednesday night, I transformed my Creamy Macaroni and Cheese leftovers into a new meal.

I mixed some of the macaroni and cheese with peas and a diced tomato and baked it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Usually I find that mac and cheese does not reheat well but this turned out fabulous!

It had congealed much more and was the perfect consistency!

Thursday morning’s breakfast did not have a single fruit or vegetable in it. I just wasn’t feeling it. All I wanted was a tortilla, egg beaters, cheese and Cholula hot sauce.

My wish is my own command. Sometimes you just have to live on the edge.

I took the kids to school and met my friend for some holiday shopping. We stopped at Bloomingdales for lunch. I ordered a tuna sandwich and fries.

Too bad the fries were cold and the tuna sandwich was dry. Boo! I was not about to complain and have to wait for another….that would be a waste of shopping time. So I just ate it.

I picked up the kids from school and came home to change for a Jewish Federation dinner that my friend invited me to. The speakers were so amazing and inspirational. I can’t remember the last time I went to an event like this and was thoroughly enthralled with the speakers. At times, you could hear a pin drop in the room with all 500 of us.

Too bad the food wasn’t as sensational. We started with a salad which I didn’t photograph. Not everyone knew about the blog and I felt weird taking pictures of my food at an event like that. My friend ended up telling everyone about the blog so the camera came out. ;)

The main course was some sort of fish.

And root vegetables and rice.

At least they had wine. :) The dessert was pretty good. It was too dark during dessert to take pictures but there were all sorts of little mini desserts that we passed around the table.

This morning’s breakfast was simple: Fage yogurt with strawberries.

I dropped the kids off at school and then went to the gym. There was a mix-up with the gym’s schedule so no one came to class so I left to run errands. My workouts have been seriously lacking the last couple of weeks. This time of year I become a bit more relaxed about getting my workouts in which isn’t good. Hopefully next week will be better!

I went to get my nails done and picked my daughter up from school. I was super hungry and decided to visit her favorite restaurant: Souplantation.

I had my usual but skipped the pizza bread. (The horror!) When I went to go get some, they were in the middle of making a new one and didn’t have any out. I took it as a sign that I did not need to be eating copious amounts of pizza bread at that moment.

I got my car washed (a rare occurrence) and picked up my son from school. We have no plans tonight and I’m grateful for that. I see an early bedtime in my future. Can we say “grandma”??

Are you consistent with your workouts during the holidays?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Creamy Macaroni and Cheese,Egg Beaters,Cholula,Bloomingdales,Souplantation,Fage

Brown Sugar Pecan Bundt Cake (Holiday Blog Hop)

2011-12-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

For the second installment in our Holiday Blog Hop series, the choice of ingredients were cranberry, pecan and vanilla. I chose pecan as my ingredient and I couldn’t be happier because I discovered an amazing Bundt cake!

This Brown Sugar Pecan Bundt Cake was super simple to make and was delicious! And as an added bonus, the house smelled amazing when it was baking. This is a cake perfect for the holidays or any time of year for that matter! So the next time you need to bring a cake to a party, the decision on what to make has been made for you.

Brown Sugar Pecan Bundt Cake

Adapted from Kraft Foods

1 package (2 layer size) yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

1 package (3.4 oz) Jell-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

4 eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

2/3 cup water

1/2 cup oil

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle pan with combined 2 Tbsp sugar and 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon.

Beat first 6 ingredients with mixer for 3 minutes or until well blended. Add brown sugar and nuts; mix well.

Pour into tube pan and bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes. Loosen cake from sides of pan; invert onto wire rack. Remove pan; cool cake completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

Printable Recipe

This is the cake I brought to my brother’s house for Thanksgiving. I promised you would get the recipe if it turned out. Have I ever let you down? :)

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Holiday Blog Hop,Brown Sugar Pecan Cake

143.0…White Chicken Chili

2011-11-30T14:16:00.001-08:00

My friend recently had surgery and I thought it would be nice to bring over a homemade meal. What’s better on a cool evening than chili? And not just any chili….White Chicken Chili.

White Chicken Chili (Serves 6)

Slightly adapted from Phillis Carey

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp minced fresh jalapeno
1 ½ tsp. ground cumin
1-14oz. can cream-style corn
1-7 oz. can diced green chilies
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1-15oz can S&W Premium white beans, rinsed and drained (or any small white bean or navy bean)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ½ cups shredded Jalapeno Jack cheese (or white cheddar cheese/jack cheese), divided use

In a large pot heat oil over medium high heat. Cook onion, yellow pepper and jalapeno for 3 or 4 minutes or until softened. Add cumin, corn, green chilies, broth and cream. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Lower heat and stir in beans and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally to blend flavors, about 10 minutes. Stir in chicken and season with salt and pepper. Heat a minute or two to warm chicken. Stir in 1 cup cheese, stirring until melted. Serve immediately with remaining ½ cup cheese sprinkled on top.

You can do this ahead but put the chicken in when reheating.

An easy way to cook the chicken: put 2 or 3 chicken breasts with bone & skin in a casserole dish, cover with plastic wrap, poke a few holes and heat for 7-8 minutes per pound. When juices run clear, it’s done. Let the chicken cool a little to handle, and then shred away! Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Last night we decided to take the kids out to dinner to my daughter’s favorite restaurant: Souplantation. I had a huge salad and chili.

Plus their amazing pizza bread. Does anyone have the recipe for this? I would love you forever.

This morning’s breakfast was a toasted English muffin with Teddie peanut butter and some over-ripe cantaloupe which ended up in the trash. Blech.

I took the kids to school, volunteered for a bit there and then picked up some groceries.

Lunch was a bit of the White Chicken Chili that I made for my friend. Quality control, you know.

The rest of the day I’ve been baking all the cookies for the The Great Food Blogger Swap 2011. You’ll have to be patient for the recipe but these cookies ROCK!

Favorite chili toppings? I love onions and shredded cheese on my chili!

Technorati Tags: Everyday,White Chicken Chili,Souplantation,Teddie Peanut Butter

141.8…Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

2011-11-29T16:41:00.001-08:00

I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief now that life is returning back to normal after the Thanksgiving holiday. Well, not a sigh of relief exactly as my to-do list this week keeps growing by the minute. Oh well!

Yesterday’s breakfast was fast and simple: Teddie peanut butter on toast.

Yesterday was spent catching up on email and starting to work on my to-do list. I went to my Cardio Muscle class and picked up kiddos from school. I had plans on doing a bunch of Cyber Monday shopping but I had received SO MANY emails from different companies advertising their deals that I became overwhelmed. I didn’t end up getting anything except what I had planned to buy.

Lunch was also fast and easy: Pea Soup.

I haven’t been feeling that well so soup sounded perfect!

I had planned on making macaroni and cheese in the slow cooker for Thanksgiving but I nixed it when some people cancelled at the last minute. Less people=make less food. Since I had all the ingredients for it, I made it last night instead! I decided to not do it in the slow cooker but bake in the oven instead.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Adapted from Paula Deen, Food Network

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8-ounce box isn't quite 2 cups)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stuck) butter, cut into pieces
2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. To the cheese/butter mixture,add the sour cream, soup, salt, milk, cream, mustard and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Printable Recipe

*The original recipe called for 3 eggs. I read through a ton of the comments and some people said leave the eggs out if you like your macaroni and cheese more creamy (I do). Others said just use one or two. I left the eggs completely and added a bit of heavy cream to thicken it and it was a little too creamy. Next time I will add one egg and see what that does.

I served the macaroni and cheese with some baked chicken and steamed broccoli.

This morning’s breakfast was a toasted waffle with peanut butter and cantaloupe.

I took the kids to school, went to spin class and came home to change. Then it was off to the mall to buy a bunch of gifts for upcoming birthdays/events. I stopped at Nordstrom for lunch. I ordered a half panini and cup of tomato basil soup.

I started eating my soup before my panini arrived. :) I love that soup! I mentioned on Twitter today that I need to make it at home. I have their cookbook!

I ran out of time to get all my shopping done before it was time to pick up the kids from school. Guess that means I have to go back huh? :)

Did anyone snag any good Cyber Monday deals?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Teddie Peanut Butter,Creamy Macaroni and Cheese,Nordstrom

Tailgating After Turkey Day

2011-11-28T16:44:00.001-08:00

Saturday morning I woke up from my post Thanksgiving food coma wanting more food. Breakfast had to be hearty. Enter: egg tacos.

Two scrambled eggs, two tortillas, shredded pepper jack cheese and tons of hot sauce.

We hit the road for Los Angeles (again!). This time it was for the USC vs. UCLA football game. We checked into our hotel and grabbed some lunch at The Yard House. I enjoyed a glass of wine:

My husband and I split sliders and fries:

And I ordered a Seared Ahi Caesar Salad:

It was really good! I enjoyed my lunch immensely!

Then it was off to USC for some serious tailgating action!

Eventually it was game time. The game was a shut out: 50-0 USC! Now, that’s the way to do it! :) I split a turkey dog with my husband during the game. After the game we went to our favorite Mexican food shack near campus: Chano’s.

Hello bean and cheese burrito. After a long day of tailgating, that tasted amazing.

We went back to the hotel and went to bed. I woke up yesterday morning to room service:

Eggs Benedict=one of my favorite breakfasts ever!

My sister in law, her husband and kids came over to swim at our hotel. Yes, it was 80 degrees in Los Angeles yesterday. We picked up food from The Yard House again. I liked my Seared Ahi Caesar salad so much I had it again:

I also ate some of the wings we ordered for everyone to share:

I thought they were going to be spicy buffalo style hot wings but they weren’t. They were more like Asian style spicy wings. Oh well.

At 5PM, we hit the road back to San Diego. By the time I arrived home, I had had it. Exhausted. It was a great few days but I think I’m going to be paying for it for awhile. :(

What’s your favorite item to order at a restaurant for breakfast?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Yard House,USC,Chano's

Thanksgiving Part Two

2011-11-28T14:11:00.001-08:00

Friday was my turn to host Thanksgiving dinner. With a total of 31 people scheduled to come, I had a lot on my plate!

First things first: make the pies. I made an apple pie:

And a pumpkin pie:

Then it was time to get all my appetizers out. Bean Dip:

Cheese platter:

Cinnamon-Roasted Almonds, Pumpkin Bread and Pumpkin Butter:

And a few other appetizers that didn’t get included: Taco Dip in the slow cooker and Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Dip. At that point, I started to get so busy that pictures just weren’t happening. My guests started to arrive and Thanksgiving craziness began.

I did mange to snap a picture of the two turkeys before they went into the oven.

Since my brother was so skilled the night before in carving his turkey, I let him carve one of mine and I had my brother in law, who is a doctor, carve the other. I figured he’d be good with the knife. :) He was.

Soon, it was time to eat!

We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, Gulliver’s Creamed Corn, rolls and peas. None of which got photographed. :(

Eventually I sat down with my family to enjoy all my hard work!

Just when I thought it was time to relax, it was time to get up and put out the dessert bar!

We had enough desserts to feed a whole neighborhood. Besides the two pies, I made a cheesecake, chocolate cake, homemade vanilla ice cream and homemade whipped cream. WOW!

Then the massive clean up project began. I had so many clean up helpers that the job got done pretty quickly. I finished up after everyone left and fell into bed. My kitchen had never seen so much action. :)

So….what was the best thing you ate during Thanksgiving?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Thanksgiving

142.4…Thanksgiving Part One

2011-11-28T12:10:00.001-08:00

They came.

They ate.

I conquered.

The past several days has been a eating, traveling and clean up whirlwind. Thanksgiving was a huge success! I hope everyone had a great one! My kitchen has never seen so much cooking in one day! I’m going to do my best to get you caught up in the next several posts.

Thursday we drove to Los Angeles to have Thanksgiving dinner at my brother’s house. Since we were doing Thanksgiving on Friday this year, they decided to host on Thursday. Thanksgiving twice? Yes please!

My brother and his wife:

The table was set beautifully!

When we arrived, we were greeted with an entire table of appetizers! I dominated the cheese and salami. :)

And I also did some dominating on this:

Oh yeah.

Eventually it was turkey time!

My brother was in charge of carving it. He had never done it before so he consulted You Tube.

He did an amazing job!

My sister in law, Stephanie, also did an amazing job on the Thanksgiving meal. Everything was DELICIOUS!

My plate:

I went back for seconds. Duh.

Dessert time arrived and I was pretty stuffed. I did manage to try the cake I brought:

It was pretty darn good! Stay tuned for the recipe later this week!

Thanksgiving Part Two post to come……

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Thanksgiving

143.0…Thanksgiving Throw Down

2011-11-23T20:31:00.001-08:00

I feel like I participated in some sort of Thanksgiving Throw Down today. The cooking was fast and furious. I think every bowl, spoon and cooking device was used. I was on fire.

Last night I had another “meal from the freezer.” Oven-Fried Greek Chicken Bundles with Lemon Dill Sauce, Orzo and Broccoli.

The orzo was from the freezer too! I was surprised how well the chicken reheated. Dinner was delicious!

Today was going to be a busy day so I needed to fuel up properly. Toasted English muffin with egg beaters and Swiss cheese and some cantaloupe.

I took the kids to school, went to a meeting at the school, did some last minute Thanksgiving grocery shopping and grabbed a latte at Starbucks.

I came home and the Thanksgiving cooking bonanza began.

I made two Bundt cakes, one cheesecake, two batches of brine, another batch of Gulliver’s Creamed Corn (because I didn’t think one batch would be enough), two batches of cinnamon-roasted almonds, onion dip and I brought out all the cooking equipment/pots/pans needed for the big day.

Tomorrow we are all going to my brother’s house in Los Angeles for Thanksgiving. Then it’s my turn on Friday. I’m hosting 31 people. Yes, 31. Hence, the crazy preparations today.

I’m bringing a Brown Sugar Bundt Cake to my brother’s house. If it turns out, I’ll share the recipe. It sure smelled good when it was baking!

Eventually I had to break for lunch. It’s times like these when I’m glad to have a quick frozen meal in the freezer.

I received a few coupons for Michael Angelo’s frozen meals when I attended BlogHer this past summer. So far I’ve been pretty happy with their products. Today was no different. I really enjoyed this vegetable lasagna.

I made a quick salad to go with it. Great lunch!

Here are the Cinnamon-Roasted Almonds I made:

They turned out pretty good!! I substituted the water for vanilla extract and doubled the cinnamon.

After all the food was prepared, it was time to set the tables. Table number one:

Table number two:

And table number three aka the kids table:

After all that, there was no way I was cooking dinner tonight. We all headed to Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant. I enjoyed some chips, salsa and wine.

I ordered the Enchiladas Rancheras for my entree.

That looks quite the healthy plate of food doesn’t it? :)

I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Will you be participating in Black Friday shopping? I did that once and vowed never to do it again.

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Thanksgiving,Egg Beaters,Michael Angelo's,Garcia's,starbucks

144.4…Cookie Dough Truffles

2011-11-22T13:33:00.001-08:00

The wait is over. I bring you: Cookie Dough Truffles.

These are the “cookies” I brought to the Cookie Exchange Party I attended this past Sunday. These little babies are rich and delicious.

Cookie Dough Truffles

Adapted from Food Network

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 pounds semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Directions

In a large bowl cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in flour and add milk. Add chocolate chips, mixing well. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on waxed paper; chill 2 hours.

*Note: Since the dough is sticky, roll your fingers into flour. This will make it easier to roll.

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or slowly in the microwave. Using 2 forks, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover. Place on waxed paper and chill to set. Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Printable Recipe

I made my truffles way too big. The cookie dough balls itself weren’t too big until I dipped them in the chocolate. The recipe is supposed to make 5 dozen but I only got 45 out of one batch.

Last night we headed over to my friend Alicia’s for Monday Night Football aka Hot Wing night.

It’s important for girlfriends to have matching blinged out wine glasses just in case you didn’t know.

I brought over my favorite Cole Slaw:

I went a little heavy handed on my dry mustard measurement. Note to self: do not do that next time. The spice of the slaw was a little much.

Speaking of spice…..the hot wings last night were perfectly spicy. Let’s take a look as the liquid gold is poured over them.

Pure heaven.

Look how dainty my little wing serving is. Don’t worry. I went back four more times. I ended up on Alicia’s couch at the end of the night. Wing overdose.

I like how my weight has jumped up four pounds in the last four days. I guess that’s what happened when you eat your weight in cookies and hot wings.

I thought today I might try and eat healthy. Let’s see how it goes. Breakfast was innocent enough: Fage yogurt with strawberries:

I took the kids to school and went to spin class. Last day I’ll be exercising until Monday. Should be interesting…..

Lunch was a quick tuna salad:

I waited too long to make lunch and had to eat a couple of handfuls of Wheat Thins while I was making the tuna salad.

I need to pick up the kiddos, take my son to the dentist and make dinner. Tomorrow I have a Thanksgiving to-do list that is a mile long. Wish me luck!

Have you ever made chocolate truffles? This was my first attempt. I ended up having to make two batches and it took forever because of it. It might be awhile before I make them again. :)

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Hot wings,Cookie Dough Truffles,Cookie Exchange,Fage

142.6…Cookie Exchange Extravaganza

2011-11-21T14:28:00.001-08:00

Let’s talk cookies. I have never seen as many cookies as I did yesterday at my friend Cathi’s Cookie Exchange party.

All my best girlfriends were there and we had a blast!

Best friends, cookies and champagne! Does it get any better than this!?!

There were an abundance of appetizers:

I brought Cookie Dough Truffles (recipe to come tomorrow):

Check out all the gorgeous cookies that everyone brought:

Then came the tough job of tasting all of them!

The display of cookies was memorizing!

Then it was time to collect all the cookies!

The “take home” box:

Anyone want to help me with these???

The rest of the afternoon was spent in a cookie coma. There was no way I was going to cook dinner so we decided to meet some friends at our club.

I enjoyed a glass of wine:

I split a “Wedge” salad with my husband:

Sundays at our club are “Slider Sundays”. You get two pick two different kinds of sliders. I choose the Angus Beef Slider and the Fried Cod slider.

Both were delicious!

This morning’s breakfast was an egg beater sandwich on a toasted English muffin with a Laughing Cow cheese wedge and an apple.

I went to Cardio Muscle class, then to Trader Joe’s and Ralph’s grocery stores. Wow….what a madhouse the stores were today! I’m glad all my Thanksgiving shopping is done! On the way home, I picked up a roast beef sandwich from Submarina for lunch.

I picked up my daughter from school and came home. I need to pick up my son from school and make a few things to bring over to my friend’s house for dinner tonight. It’s HOT WING night!!!!

Are you hosting Thanksgiving or attending?

What’s your LEAST favorite dish at Thanksgiving?

Technorati Tags: Everyday,Cookie Exchange,Egg Beaters,Submarina,Laughing Cow