Ja cię kocham…

I hope all of the Mommies in the food blog world had a FABULOUS Mother’s Day!!  I can envision your sweet, little children bringing you breakfast in bed or making a darling card out of construction paper and stickers and the grown up children giving you a phone call or paying you a visit that simply made your day.

You deserve it, Mommies.  You have worked so hard all of our lives to bring us the best that life has to offer and we thank you!

In case you didn’t already pick up on this – I absolutely adore my mom.  And honestly, she makes it very easy for us to love her.  The Mommy is such a giver and is literally the strongest, most loyal and loving woman that I have ever met.  Growing up she braided my hair, ironed my clothes, wrote me cute notes in my lunch box, drove me to dance lessons, cheered me on at field hockey games (which she still does even though I’m all grown up), and much, much more.  I don’t know what I would do without my mom.  I love you, Ma!  You’re the most beautiful woman on this planet, and I thank God for you each and every day!

Bearing this in mind, this Mother’s Day was very bittersweet this year because it was so exciting to celebrate the many accomplishments of my mom but we were missing another mother of equal importance.

My Mom and her Mom (Mom Mom) in 2007.

As you  learned from this post, our amazingly wonderful Mom Mom passed away less than a month ago.  In the few weeks since then we have been fortunate enough to have much to celebrate – my mom’s birthday and my sister’s wedding.  We are so thankful to have many joys in our lives at a time that can often be overwhelming.

Even though Mom Mom wasn’t physically present at our Mother’s Day Dinner we made sure to honor her by using her dishes.

Small things such as preparing a loved one’s favorite meal or using his or her every day dinnerware brings about a sense of comfort and love.

Are the dishes adorable?!  I think so!

This Mother’s Day, The Mommy and I made a simple but fabulous dinner.  It wouldn’t be a family meal without The Mommy and I in the kitchen cooking together!

Normally when I’m cooking a family dinner, I make a detailed schedule of when to prepare and cook each dish and inevitably wind up behind schedule for some reason like talking too much or forgetting something like BAKING A CAKE.  Yes, I forget to bake cakes.  I’m that bad.

Thankfully, this meal was very relaxed in terms of preparation and cooking.  Maybe I’m getting a knack for cooking family meals.

We made very low maintenance dishes that required few ingredients and minimal active prep time.  For once I didn’t have every last detail written down and wouldn’t you know it – everything came out PERFECTLY and ON TIME.

Sometimes I look back on past meals and wonder why I feel the need to make things so complicated.  I’m truly learning that less is more.  I know I keep saying that over and over again in this blog, but I cannot stress it enough!  LESS IS MORE!

I’m going to give you the run down of our menu and will post individual recipes in the near future.  I’m just too excited about this meal that I want to show you what we made!

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Pumpkin Hummus with Semi-Homemade Pita Chips

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Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

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Scalloped Potato Gratin

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Nutty Greens with Bacon and Blue Cheese

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And we had vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate syrup for dessert!

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It was delicious!  I loved being able to spend more time with my family without having to constantly pop into the kitchen to check on the food.  After dinner, we sat around with coffee and chatted around the table until 10pm!  It doesn’t get any better than that.

Yes, that is a homemade birthday cake.  And yes, I baked it.  And yes, it actually turned out!   At some point I will learn how to put icing on a cake, but right now I’m just excited that the cake itself wasn’t underdone.  Let’s just say that I was going for a rustic look.

Emmy, of Cleanliness is Next to Godliness, and I decided to throw The Mommy a fantastic birthday dinner that surrounded her with good food, family, and lots of laughter.  Being The Mommy means that she cannot stand by and let us have all of the fun in the kitchen.  She wanted to help cook, too!

The Mommy prepping the tomatoes for the Mediterranean-Style Stuffed Chicken

My sister was a good sport because she and I were supposed to cook everything together, but unfortunate circumstances (mainly traffic and last minute food purchases) led me to arrive a mere 30 minutes before dinner.  I manged to bake the cake and make the salad, but the majority of the work was done by my sister.  Thanks, Emmy!  Although, I don’t think she completely minded because normally we celebrate The Mommy’s birthday at my house and I do all of the cooking.  Now that Emmy has a house of her own and is getting married in LESS THAN A WEEK it was her turn to show off her culinary skills that she has mastered for her husband-elect.

Above: Please note the Birthday Wine glass on the table.  The Mommy uses it every year!

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Emmy sauteing the chicken on her new stove!

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Emmy did a fantastic job hostessing for the very first time!  Not only is it so exciting to have been there and shared in the joyous occasion, it is equally wonderful to share it with all of you!  Our (mainly Emmy’s) meal served 8 people and was incredibly inexpensive.  This feat in itself is something that should make Emmy proud.

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And just because it’s fun: I bought The Mommy a pot of herbs from Trader Joe’s and we used it as a centerpiece.  It smelled fabulous as we ate!

So please take notes!  This is how you can prepare a charming and flavorful dinner for 8 people without having to break the bank but all the while being super proud.

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Now onto the food!

Pea Pesto

Emmy made this fabulous Pea Pesto served with crostini and crackers.  (I’d like to note how simple it is!   A few ingredients can take you a long way!)

Source: Giada DiLaurentiis
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, defrosted
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1/3 cup olive oil

Directions:

Pulse together the peas, garlic, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a food processor. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

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Mediterranean-Style Stuffed Chicken

Source: Food Network
Serves: 8

Ingredients:

8 boneless, skinless breasts of chicken
3 cloves minced garlic
1-1 1/2 packages thawed, drained frozen spinach
1/2 cup white wine
4-6 ounces. Feta cheese, cut into 4 pieces
3 tablespoons Olive oil
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2-3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 teaspoon dried basil

Directions:

Cut a two inch pocket into the thickest part of each chicken breast. Stuff each pocket with spinach and feta cheese and seal with a tooth pick. Season each breast well with salt and pepper. Heat oil over medium high heat and saute the breasts until golden brown on all sides. Remove chicken to a plate and cover with tin foil.

Add onion to remaining oil in pan and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in white wine and bring to a simmer. Stir in tomatoes and basil. Bring to a simmer and return chicken to the pan and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove lid and season sauce to taste. Serve with butter noodles tossed with parsley.

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Smashed Red Potatoes

I’ll have to double-check with Emmy about how she prepared this one!  I know it involved milk and red potatoes with the skin on it.  I mentioned preparing this first and then putting it in a crock pot while we prepared the rest of dinner.

If you are able to prepare anything and put it in the crock pot or in a warmer drawer of your oven, I highly suggest it!  It alleviates so much stress of having to make sure everything is served hot.

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Steamed Broccoli

Ingredients:

3/4 c. water
lemon slices (optional)
minced garlic (optional)
2 small or 1 large bag frozen broccoli
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil (optional)

Directions:

This is how The Mommy makes her broccoli: Place water in a small pasta pot or large skillet.  Add lemon slices, garlic, and broccoli.  Place on medium heat and cover.  Turn broccoli every minute or so to make sure that all broccoli is getting adequate steam.  When broccoli is ALMOST done, turn off the heat, and drain.  The broccoli will keep steaming when you transfer it to your serving dish and cover it.  (If you wait until your broccoli is fully cooked there is a good chance that it will keep cooking and turn yellow and mushy.)

Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and gently toss when ready to serve.

This is how Emmy makes her broccoli: Place the water and broccoli in a microwave-safe casserole dish (she omitted lemon slices), cover it and heat in the microwave for 4-5 minutes.  Toss it if some broccoli remains frozen and heat for an additional 30 seconds to minute.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

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The Mommy’s favorite Salad – Purple and Blue Crunchy Salad

Unfortunately I had already tossed the lettuce before taking the picture so you can’t see all the purples and blues that are hiding underneath!

We call this “crunchy” salad because The Mommy LOVES when her salads are very crunchy.  The radicchio and walnuts add the crunch that she considers to be a stress reliever

Ingredients:

dressing of your choice – mom likes balsamic or citrus vinaigrette*
2 heads romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
half a head radicchio, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup walnuts
2 oz. feta cheese, cubed
salt and pepper to taste (we like LOTS of freshly cracked pepper)

Directions:

Place 1 Tbs. of dressing at the bottom of a large serving bowl, add remaining ingredients and gently toss.  Garnish with extra blueberries, walnuts, and feta.

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Southern-Style Strawberry Cake

Source: Joy the Baker

Ingredients for Cake:

1 (18.5 ounce) box white cake mix (without pudding)
1 (3 ounce) package strawberry jello
1 Tablespoon self rising flour
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup fresh strawberries, finely diced.

Directions for baking cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the cake, combine to cake mix, Jello, flour and sugar in a large bowl.  Mix well.  Add the oil.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition  Add the water and strawberries and mix well.  Divide the batter evenly into three 8-inch round baking pans that have been oiled and floured.  Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean and the layers pull away from the sides of the pan.

Transfer the layers from the oven to wire racks.  Let them cool, still in their pans, for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, run a knife around the inside edge of each pan, then unmold each layer onto the racks to cool completely.

Ingredients for icing:

1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, softened
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 box (1 lb.)  powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
pink food coloring
4 sliced strawberries

Directions for icing:

To make the frosting, in a bowl combine the cream cheese and butter.  Beat until soft and pliable and no lumps remain.  Add half of one box of the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract.  Beat until incorporated.  Taste test it.  If it isn’t sweet enough, add the second half of the box and mix until incorporated.  If you would like a smoother consistency, and a slash of milk.  If you would like a thicker consistency, and a bit more powdered sugar until the desired consistency is achieved.

Put the coconut in a small bowl and sprinkle with two or three drops of pink die.  Mix with hands to distribute the color and wash hands immediately.  Once the cake is frosted, decorate the top of the cake with the shredded coconut and sliced strawberries.

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After an amazingly satisfying meal, we sat and had coffee and chatted.

Starting in the front and going counter-clockwise: Emmy, Dad, my hubby (looking at the ceiling for some reason), Emmy’s husband-elect, Uncle D., Kitty, The Mommy.

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The party didn’t stop there!  The Mommy loves the fact that Emmy lives in a prime location for walking to different parks, restaurants, and shops so we stopped at a local Mexican restaurant for drinks.

And if you haven’t noticed, I’m in absolutely NO pictures because (clearly) I’m the photographer.  Emmy took some photos as well and will be posting about this fabulous day so maybe she has some of me in my flour-covered Phillies t-shirt.

Anyway, thank you for stepping into the lives of Ja Cie Kocham and Cleanliness is Next to Godliness!  We certainly had fun together and hope that you can take something away from our charming and inexpensive birthday dinner!

The ladies of the family celebrating Mom’s birthday in 2007 – Mom, me, Mom-Mom, and Emmy

Writing this I realize that it has been close to two months since I have posted anything on Ja Cie Kocham.  The past two months have been filled with tremendous joys and utter sadness, both of which have kept me from taking the time to cook meals worth blogging about.  Exactly one week ago, our family suffered a tremendous loss that will take a lifetime to overcome.  My unbelievably sweet and loving Mom-Mom passed away unexpectedly.

Mom-Mom was the ultimate peacemaker and matriarch.  She was always calling (and I emphasize ALWAYS) to make sure we were all tucked in safely, always making sure that we were happy and healthy, and always ready to offer invaluable words of wisdom and encouragement.

I miss you so much already, Mom-Mom.

Me and Mom-Mom bustin’ a move at my wedding in 2006.  We seriously had a crowd of people surrounding us cheering us on.

She and I always laughed at the fact that I am a “mini-Mom-Mom” worrying about everyone else, dancing around the house for no reason, and being ornery as sin.  I still have an answering machine  message that Mom-Mom left me telling me how to curse in Polish.  (She only told me because I asked.  Hehe.)  See??  We’re both ornery!  (Sorry, Mom!!)

My beautiful sister and soon-to-be-wifey (soon-to-be meaning in a week!), is posting all of Mom-Mom’s favorite recipes.  Since I was a little girl, I helped Mom-Mom make her famous Mashed Potatoes and Filling.  I treasure the memories that she and I share and cannot wait to pass these recipes along to my children (that have yet to conceive… and apparently Mom-Mom was antsy in her pantsy for me to birth her great-grandchildren).

Mom-Mom all decked out in her princess gear for her birthday last year.  Awwww… you are so beautiful!

I love you so much, Mom-Mom, and cannot wait until we meet again.

This picture makes me laugh because on the bottom there is half of a head.  This man for some reason thought that we were taking a picture of him.  He made sure to get the perfect pose – and we didn’t take a picture of him.  Poor guy.  We won’t tell him that the picture wasn’t of him.

For Valentine’s Day 2010, Jay and I along with Travis (Jay’s best friend) and Abby (Travis’s fiance) went to The City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia.

Jay, Travis and I met at Temple University in North Philadelphia.  (Go Owls!)  Abby went to DeSales College, but we try not to hold that against her

To start off our weekend of festivities, we went to Chinatown for an enormous lunch filled with hot tea, rice, and hot chili sauce.  Then we sported our Cherry and White gear and headed to a Temple Basketball game where they ROCKED Rhode Island.  I know it’s Valentine’s Day weekend, but the four of us LOVE sports so much that our lives wouldn’t be complete without at least a basketball game.  I mean, I missed my field hockey game to go to Philly – I had to make it up somehow!

Once upon a time I would stand in the crowded and wildly enthusiastic Wild Cherry student section cheer my heart out for our team.  See all the students behind the basketball net?  Those are some dedicated fans.  Temple Basketball games are an experience.  I recommend them to everyone.

After the game, we strolled back to our hotel, lounged a bit, consumed some drinks and potato chips, and decided on dinner.  We ended up at the Fox and The Hound for some much needed french fries and late night chit chat and we busted a move in our seats to Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance.  Well… at least Abby and I did.

The next morning (Valentine’s Day) we paired off with our loved ones and went to breakfast.  Jay took me to my all-time favorite restaurant on the entire face of the earth – Sabrina’s Cafe.  There are two locations in the city, and we decided to check out the one in the Art Museum/Fairmount District since it was a few blocks from the hotel.  I discovered my love for Sabrina’s while strolling through the Italian Market in search of fabulous produce and opera singing.  Oh how I adore Sabrina’s.  It makes my heart flutter.

This place is so popular that we had to wait almost 90 minutes for a table.  Typically when we are told that the wait is that long, we go somewhere else.  Not when you’re at Sabrina’s.  It is well worth the wait.  Plus they lavished all the freezing cold soon-to-be customers with warm, buttery, chocolate scones as we waited.  And we all waited patiently.  I’m telling you, this place is worth it.

While we were waiting we found a dying snowman.  He didn’t look to happy.  My guess is because we haven’t been able to feed him snow in over a week, but not to worry droopy snowman, we are getting snow on Monday.  And apparently 40 inches of the white ca-ca in the 3rd week of March.  At least that’s what I’m told.

Oh, and also some cute kid dancing his heart out to some imaginary song in his head accidentally kicked me in the shoulder.   His tough-looking father said something not so pleasant to him in Russian and the kid came over and said sorry.  I was still laughing at the fact that he was prancing around.  I want to hear the song that he was dancing to… it looked like it had to be a good song.

After a very long time withstanding the winter chill, we finally got to thaw out and sit with a piping hot cup of coffee.  And we realized that it was now lunch time.  Thank God they serve breakfast all day.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery.

Then we had to decide what to eat and that was a challenge that I was ready for.  Below is the Valentine’s Day Dinner menu.

Oooh… this sounds good, too…

In the end, I chose a salmon burger topped with grilled asparagus, portabello mushrooms and spicy mayo, sweet potato fries and coleslaw fit for a king or queen!

Jay got peach and blueberry french toast stuffed with nutella and raspberry jam.  I have never seen a more massive plate of french toast in my life.

Clearly we couldn’t eat all of our food, though we wanted to.  So much food for a very reasonable price.  I love you, Sabrina’s.  Thanks for making my Valentine’s Day so memorable.

Then we had to walk it all off by reuniting with Travis and Abby to see the Body Worlds Exhibit at the Franklin Institute.  If you have never heard of The Franklin Institute, you need to go.  It is an ENORMOUS science museum for children and adults in Philadelphia that is dedicated to Ben Franklin’s inquisitive nature and all of his inventions.  Such a cool place.  And it’s right by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Natural History Museum if you want to make a nice day out of it.

Thank you for taking the time to check out my incredible Valentine’s Day weekend.  It was truly amazing.  AND to top it all off, we ended it with a pit stop at Whole Foods and feeding the sheep at Jay’s parents’ house.  Amazing indeed!

It’s a party up in here!  This time last year, I posted for the very first time and had no idea what was going to come of this blog.  Little did I know that I would have so many foodie friends (HUNDREDS of you!) and so much support!  Thank you!

And in celebration of Ja cie kocham’s birthday, I’m making chocolate covered pretzels – a boatload of them.   They are festive, easy to make, and I’m probably going to eat them all within a few days.

I’m also going to use this time to recap on some of my favorite recipes of the year:

Breakfast:

Peanut Butter and Banana French Toast – Heaven on a plate.  ‘Nuff said.

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Appetizer:

Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms – What a crowd pleaser!  Make sure to double the recipe because these will be gone in minutes!

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Pizza:

Pear and Blue Cheese Pizza – Wish I would have thought of this one sooner!  Seriously melted in my mouth.  I could have eaten the whole pizza by myself.

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Sandwich:

Grilled Vegetable, Herb, and Goat Cheese Sandwich – Perfect for a picnic and requires no refrigeration!

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Chicken Dish:

North African Grilled Chicken Paillards – Add ethnic flare to your chicken with a few pantry staples!

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Lime Chile Steaks with Pico de Gallo and Homemade Guacamole – Home run dish.  Bursting with flavor and super healthy to boot!

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Vegetarian:

Lemon Chickpea Stir-fry – AMAZING.  Nothing is more gratifying than making a very healthy meal that is so full of flavor.  I had several people ask for the recipe because they loved it so much.

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Pasta:

Linguine with Bacon, Baby Spinach, and Sage – I found this recipe on the back of the pasta box.  Always check the back of boxes for recipes.  They tend to be real winners!

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Side Dish:

Grilled Pineapple with Agave Nectar (or Honey) and Coconut – Elegant, healthy, delicious!

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Cookie:

The best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER.  They were huge, fat, chewy, and absolutely sinful!

Thank you for spending time with me in my little corner of cyberworld this year.  Here’s to many more years together!

Image Courtesy of PhotoBucket.com

We are blessed.

We are blessed to have food in our fridge, we are blessed to have a fridge, and blessed to have a home to store a fridge and its food.

Many people are not as fortunate.

As you probably know, the country of Haiti endured a devastating earthquake on January 12 displacing tens of thousands of people from their homes.

In case you did not know this about me, I have my Master’s degree in Global and International Education.   I have studied the trials, tribulations, and successes of developing and developed nations around the world.  Through my studies I have developed a passion for the well-being of children in developing nations.   The minute I heard about the travesty in Haiti, I instantly thought of all of the children that cannot find their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters.

They need our help.

Each and every one of us has unique gifts to help people in need whether it’s within our own country’s borders or internationally.  In case you are sitting at your computer wanting to help Haitians but aren’t sure how, I am here to help you.

Be mindful of the sad fact that there are a lot of scams online asking you to donate money to Haiti when there is absolutely no intention of giving that money to those in desperate need.  Through my years of study, I have come across genuine, reputable and effective organizations that thrive on saving lives of those in need.

If you feel the urge to help the people in Haiti or even elsewhere, here are some of my recommendations:

UNICEF
Save the Children
World Food Programme
Global Grassroots
Oxfam International

There are MANY other organizations from which you can choose, but these are organizations that I personally recommend due to knowing employees/volunteers or working with them through my internship with Darfur Alert Coalition.

Take the time to research an organization that best promotes your desire to help.  What you may consider a little bit of money or food goes a LONG way to those who have nothing.

Image Courtesy: 123Greetings.com

Please be safe, be smart, and HAVE FUN!!!

It’s the time of year that we like to reflect on our past in hopes of living a bright and happy future.   Stick with what works, ditch what doesn’t…but most importantly just enjoy today.  Personally, I know that Jay and I have a lot to be thankful for this year.   As much as we seek change, we are also taking the time to appreciate what we don’t want to change – our happy marriage, our wonderful jobs (we are each blessed to have two), our health (I am particularly thankful for this since I was diagnosed with melanoma and just found out that we got it all), and our loving and supportive family.   Oh, and Jay is also thankful for the Three Stooges Marathon on today…

I know we’ll be using our smoker for some heavenly pork ribs along with apple-bacon sauerkraut (not smoked…hehe)!

My friend Lynn posted a fun question on Facebook today:

If someone told you 10 years ago on New Years Eve that you’d be where you are now, what would you have laughed at them for?

• I would have laughed at the fact that I would know how to cook and enjoy it.  Mind you, I was a senior in high school 10 years ago….

Take time to think about that one.  It’s fun!

Happy New Years Eve!

The New Year is quickly approaching, which means many of us are racking our brains with ways to make our 2010 better than our 2009.  Some of us want to volunteer more and spend more quality time with family, and others want to lose weight and/or live a more healthy lifestyle…or you want to do all the aforementioned, plus more!

Let me start by stating what is the obvious to me – my dad is my hero.  Everything he does, aspires to be, and accomplishes is so motivating and so awesome.   His New Year’s Resolutions are a little different than your typical lose weight and save more money resolutions.  Not that those aren’t great… every year I vow to lose the same weight and it never happens.  I tend to lose some weight, rejoice, and then overindulge.  Oops.  Some day love handles… I will defeat you!

Anyway, about my dad…sure he’s running 5 miles a day now (GO PAPS!)…

It must be disclosed that we are loyal Temple Owls fans despite the Nittany head gear

…but what makes his resolutions so intriguing are how personal they are.  And the fact that he sticks to them:

• Don’t sweat the small stuff or even the large stuff
• Let others finish what they are saying before he speaks
• Read one book a week

These are all great ideas!  I am sure that many of you out there in cyber-world also have very cool resolutions that set themselves apart from the traditional ones.

For those of you that are like me and can’t help but want to live a healthier lifestyle each January, this recipe is for you.

The holiday seasons are coming to an end, and I have allowed myself to overindulge a little (okay… a LOT) without guilt.  Seriously what’s the point of eating the food if you’re going to feel guilty about it?  You don’t enjoy it.  So I say if you are eating the savories and sweets this week, please take time to enjoy them.  If you’re going to fret about it, you might as well not do it.

That being said, I am noticing that I am feeling a little more sluggish and run down than usual.  And it’s simply because I haven’t been eating and exercising the way I should be.  It’s amazing how food alters your mood and more importantly your health.  You are what you eat.  This week, I am sweet, fat, and delicious because that is what I am eating.

Well not today!

I had my biweekly bout of insomnia and starting researching new recipes that are easy and healthy.  Just the way I like it.

I came across Oatmeal Pancakes from the Clean Eating Magazine.  These were very good although the texture was initially off-putting.  Pancakes don’t normally feel like oatmeal.  BUT oatmeal is so good for you (Oprah starts her day off with a bowl of it every morning) and it is incredibly filling.  Often I get so excited to eat my oatmeal and then taste it and wonder what I was thinking.  This recipe is a new way to consume that healthy bowl of oatmeal.  I added a little turbinado sugar to the batter so it wasn’t as blah as unloved oatmeal can be.  I’m glad that I did.  Next time I will add vanilla extract, too.

I couldn’t finish the meal!  I am a piggy, and I could not finish one serving.  LOVE that!  And it’s a different type of being full.  When I eat junk and need to unbutton my pants, I feel sleepy and overloaded.  These pancakes fill you but unbuttoning is not necessary!  I still feel light and healthy even though I am quite full.

Try these out!  They are a little different in texture, but they are a great start to a healthy and satisfying day!

Oatmeal Pancakes

Source: Clean Eating Magazine Online -  Nutritional information on website.

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

3/4 cup quick cook oatmeal
3/4 cup egg whites (from 5 or 6 large eggs)
1 Tbs. low-fat cottage cheese
1-2 Tbs. turbinado sugar (not reflected in nutritional value)
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 Tbs. agave nectar, honey, or pure maple syrup (Grade B)
1/4 cup berries (strawberries, blueberries) – (I used bananas and added a little almond butter to each pancake, also not reflected in nutritional value)

Directions:

Mist small pan with cooking spray and set over medium heat.

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except agave and fruit (and almond butter if you’re using that as well).

Pour into pan in pancake form. When sides start to brown, flip, cooking for about 3 minutes per side. Serve with agave and berries.

That one banana slice decided to be different.  I was just haphazardly slicing them onto the pancakes.  Ha.

Here’s to a healthy and fun-filled New Year!

If I had known all along how easy this was to make, I would have been doing this instead of buying it!   I LOVE Greek yogurt.  I use it in dips, in desserts, and in my baking.  It’s so creamy and full that it makes other yogurt seem weak.  My only issue with Greek yogurt is its expense.  It’s $5 for a teeny container or nearly $2 for a single serving.  I can’t justify that.

Well, I have found a solution.

Are you ready for the easiest recipe of all time (aside from just buying something from the store)??

Homemade Greek Yogurt

Source: Sunny Anderson

Yields 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

4 cups plain lowfat yogurt

Directions:

Line a strainer with a paper towel and place the towel-covered strainer on top of a bowl.  You don’t want the bottom of the strainer to touch the bowl.

Pour yogurt into strainer and place in fridge for 7-8 hours or overnight.  When it’s done, the liquid will be in the bowl and you will be left with the delectable Greek yogurt in the strainer.  Please note that the amount of yogurt will reduce, but you will still have plenty to use.  Discard liquid in bowl.

Enjoy!

This Christmas will be the first time that I host a holiday dinner for a large crowd!  Needless to say the past month has been filled with scouring through recipes, testing them out and deciding whether or not they are worthy of a Christmas Feast.  My main struggle is trying to keep things fairly simple while creating an elegance and charm that sets this meal apart from any other weekend.  Simple Elegance.  Hmmmm…

One thing that drives me insane is an overly crowded dinner table FILLED with decorations, serving plates, glasses, butter, jam, and much more!  I am definitely one that enjoys simplicity and a fairly clear table.  (That was a MUST for our wedding -  a beautiful table with room to see the table cloth!)

Our wedding table scape…

I like to have a separate little table for large platters of food to give guests the room to breathe and more importantly room to eat!

This being said… I have to be honest with you.  I’m “hosting” Christmas dinner at my parents’ house.  I know!  After all of this explaining and these pictures… nope, I’m not having dinner here.  My home, as adorable and warm as it is, isn’t suitable for a crowd of 12.  Half of us would have to eat in the living room and the rest in the dining room and kitchen.  I prefer all of us at one table.  My parents’ house can accommodate such a crowd and my need for togetherness.   This doesn’t mean that I don’t like it when family members sit at different tables.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with people eating in the living and dining room at one time.  A lot of the time this is what happens at my house when we have guests over so please don’t think that I frown upon this.  It’s just for this particular meal I have a vision of all of us together because this is the first time in a very, VERY long time that we have so many loved ones gathered at one time.  I can’t wait for there to be too many family members to fit at one table!

Anyway, I really want to introduce to you these cookies from Nigella Lawson.  I just want her British accent and her incredible ability to speak as if she’s reading from a novel.   Nigella is absolutely lovely in every sense of the word.

These cookies are chocolate shortbread cookies.  Amazingly good but easy to dry out.  So keep a close eye on them.

Nigella’s Chocolate Christmas Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

Source: From Nigella Christmas by Nigella Lawson. Also found on Oprah.com

Ingredients:

For cookies:

2 1/4 sticks (18 Tbsp.) soft butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder

Topping:

2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup boiling water , from a kettle
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Christmas sprinkles

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325° and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl and, when you have a light, soft whipped mixture, beat in the 1/3 cup cocoa powder (sifting if it is lumpy) and, when that’s mixed in, beat in the flour with the baking soda and baking powder. Or just put everything in the processor.

Nigella recommends using vinyl gloves when handling the dough due to its sticky nature.  Personally, I didn’t find it necessary.  Pinch off pieces about 1 tablespoon in size, roll them into balls, then slightly flatten into fat discs as you place them, well spaced, on your cookies sheet.

Bake each batch for 15 minutes; even though the cookies won’t feel as if they’ve had enough time, they will continue to cook as they cool. They will look slightly cracked on top.  Mine never got that crackly appearance but I took them out anyway because I didn’t want to dry them out.  You’re icing them anyway.

Move the cookie sheet to a cold surface and let it sit for 15 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack, with a sheet of newspaper under it (to catch drips while topping them).

To make the topping, put the cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar, water and vanilla extract into a small saucepan and whisk over a low heat until everything is smoothly combined. Take off the heat for 10 minutes.

When the cookies are cool, drizzle each one with a tablespoonful of chocolate glaze—it will help “glue” the sprinkles on in a minute. Use the back of the spoon to help spread the mixture, though an uneven dribbled look is part of their charm. After you’ve iced 6 cookies, scatter with some of the Christmas sprinkles and continue until all the cookies are topped. If you ice them all before sprinkling, you will find the cocoa “glue” has dried and the sprinkles won’t stick on.

From Nigella Christmas by Nigella Lawson.  Copyright © Nigella Lawson 2008. Photographs Copyright © Lis Parsons 2008. Published by Hyperion. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved.