Family Traditions - Holiday Show stoppers

Every family has those certain recipes that are only made during the holidays or a special occasion. I think that they are great not only because they really are delicious, but because they are made with love.

My grandmother taught my mother and my sister to make certain dishes. They are very, very close to the original but not the same. Someone once said that the extra flavor is the love of the person making the dish. My grandmother always had that look on her face when she cooked. The only problem in sharing my grandmother's recipes is that they are so complicated. Latin cooking is a laundry list of great ingredients and several stages of cooking. Christmas dishes start the week before. It is the honest to God truth. Tamales, pernil, torrejas, y hojuelas. Fantastic food but very labor intensive.

At the same time that I was thinking about the memories of holidays past, my chef came home and said he was asked to submit a family recipe to the local county newspaper. He immediately called his mom to get his Nana's cookie recipe. Nana was a fun lady. She lived to be 100 years old. Her secret to longevity was being close to family, gambling in Vegas and drinking either 1/2 beer or a small Manhattan at night. I met Nana already in her ninety's, but even then she was a beautiful woman. There is a certain femininity that women over 70 have that we seem to have lost today. Nana never left the house without her makeup and her pearls. She went to have her hair done at the beauty salon on a regular basis. I am lucky if I shower and go. And I knew immediately I would like her because she loved the color pink. I love PINK.

I am going to share Nana's recipe here in her honor. Pick up the phone and get your family recipes. Print them, store them in a safe place and pass them down from generation to generation. Some of your grandchildren might not be able to meet your grandparents. But bring a batch of their cookies and tell them a family story over a glass of milk. I will save this one for her great-granddaughter Finley. I will have her come to the house and have a play-date with her favorite uncle to make the cookies during these holidays.

My Husband's Nana Katie Halfway Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 cup shortening
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed
3 egg yolks + 1 tbsp water slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

For Topping
1 package chocolate chips
3 egg whites
1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
1 package chocolate chips

Mix shortening, vanilla, white and brown sugar well. Add egg yolks that have been blended with water. Mix until creamy. Sift the next 4 ingredients together and add to the shortening mix.

Take the 3 egg whites and whisk (or use an electric blender) until stiff peaks have formed. Add 1 cup of brown sugar a little at a time while whisking until peaks form again.

Grease a cookie sheet and spread the shortening mixture evenly over the whole cookie sheet. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over mixture and press into the dough. Then spread egg white-brown sugar mixture over the top of cookie dough.

Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool and cut into pieces. Enjoy. If you have any leftovers, store in an air tight container.

In these hard economic times, let us remember the important things. JESUS is the only reason for Christmas. We celebrate His birth. Then we celebrate the blessings of life. Our family, our health, food on the table and a roof over our heads.

And we celebrate the memory of those that have gone before us and the love they left behind.
Carl David
Mary Katherine (Katie)
Zoila Albertina
Tomas
Alice
Jizz

Entertaining on a time and money budget

Hello again, I have to talk about budgeting time. My life is insane right now. I hardly have time to do anything. I don't want to complain because I am so lucky to have a job, but it seems that work is all I am doing lately. I feel that I have to prove to my bosses that they made the right decision in keeping me on board. I am working 14 to 15 hour days. The only day I have a break is Tuesday nights when I teach zumba at my church. http://www.zumba.com/ http://www.teamchurch.com/

And the weekends is all about catching up with housework, laundry and finish work I brought home to work on. See a pattern? But I am still looking forward to the holidays. So I have to come up or have compiled great ideas to save time yet not skimp on great food.

Holiday season starts with Halloween for me. I have a ball giving out candy to the kids. I decorate the front of my house with spider webs. I have a cape in spiderweb motif. I don't like the scary part of Halloween, I like the fun dress up part of it. And we play music. Techno, electronic, dance kind of stuff that my son comes up with. We have played music for several years now, and each year when my neighbors see me setting up they ask if I am going to play the music. I think the parents enjoy it more.


Thanksgiving Day is my all time favorite. It is the only true blue American holiday. No one else in the world celebrates Thanksgiving the way we do. It is the one time of the year that our focus shifts to being with each other and being grateful. People go to extreme lengths to get home. I love cooking Thanksgiving dinner. One year my sister wanted to cook the turkey and have dinner at her house instead of mine. I remember waking up that morning and feeling lost. I usually have an affair with the turkey. By noon the smells should be permeating my house. And it wasn't happening. But the worse was the next day and not a leftover in sight. Terrible. So this year I AM COOKING A TURKEY. My other favorite part of Thanksgiving Day is breakfast. We have a hardy breakfast and then dinner. No lunch. And by dinner I mean an evening meal. Sometimes they say dinner in the south, but they really mean lunch. Dinner for this northern girl is in the evening.


Breakfast on Thanksgiving morning is a wonderful time. The comfort of having your family safe at home, the soothing feeling of a warm cup of coffee and breakfast. I had seen this time saving idea on TV done by Paula Deen. But the other day I received an e-mail by a great lady named Carol and I was reminded about it and I am so excited to share this with you. I have integrated both methods into one.


There are so many challenges when feeding a crowd.
1) Picky eaters
2) Timing, so that you can sit together and eat.
3) Budget.


Omelets In A Baggie, that's right in a baggie.

And you can make it interactive. What a fun way to start the day. Even the ones that are not morning folks might brighten up with this.


Have a variety of ingredients in small bowls all chopped up for choosing. Here are a few suggestions. Diced ham, chopped cooked bacon, chopped onions or green peppers. Sliced mushrooms, chopped tomato, cooked hash browns and salsa. Salt and pepper. You take one plastic baggie per person. Make sure they are zip lock baggies. Open it up and spray cooking spray in each one. Set them aside. Get a big pot and fill it 3/4 of the way with water. Heat up the water to a low rolling boil. Have 2 eggs per person. Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the bag (not more than 2) shake to combine them. Hand it to each person. Have them add the ingredients that they like, a little seasoning. Mix up the ingredients gently in the baggie. Make sure to get the air out of the baggie and zip it up and gently put the baggie in the hot water. You can have at least 6 omelets cooking at the same time. Cook for 13 to 15 minutes. While they are cooking toast some bread. Once the omelets are cooked, use a tong to remove from the hot water and transfer to a kitchen towel. Cut the baggie open and slide it on to each individual serving plate. Place a couple of pieces of toast on each plate, sit and eat. Easy and fun. And you are all together.

DON'T FORGET TO SAY GRACE!!

My friend by the beach

I have mentioned my friend Glenda on my blog before. I have known her since our kids were babies, 19+years. We met attending church. Good place to meet friends. You know their heart is in the right place. Glenda is not perfect by any means and I am so glad. She is fun, a fantastic sense of humor and so loving. We have been in and out of touch over the years, but our bond has always been there. We were going through raising toddlers, cheating ex-husbands, doubting our faith and doubting ourselves. But every time we were together or just talking on the phone it was like a breath of fresh air. Even though we were struggling with everything, it was still a fun thing.

I am so jealous of Glenda because she is one of the most talented people I know. THE WOMAN CAN PAINT! And I don't mean in an amateur way. We are talking art gallery calibre. I didn't ask her if I could post this picture, but it is my very favorite of her paintings. I personally think it embodies everything that women are all about. Disheveled, beautiful, sad, elegant, melancholy, romantic, etc. The name of the painting is Ardith in the Morning.

Glenda now lives in Virginia Beach and I had promised her that if I were ever in her neck of the woods, no matter what I would stop and visit her. So I did. I called her while we were on the road towards VA. It was last minute, but I also knew she would move mountains for us to get together. We made arrangements to meet at a sports bar. Glenda and her husband had arrived first. Side note, we had not met each others "new" husbands. When I walked through the doors of the establishment I see this blur running towards me at full speed with arms wide open and I was tackled. It was fantastic. Glenda and I had not seen each other in years. It was the best hug and greeting ever. From that point on it felt like we had never skipped a beat. The only thing is that everyone calls her Glenny now. Sorry, I just can't get used to that, she will always be Glenda to me.

We introduced our husbands and then we took over a table and talked and talked and talked and talked. And to top off the evening, the bar had ALL YOU CAN EAT CRAB LEGS. Love love love. Tons of crab legs, tons of butter and lots of beer. Good friends and a good time makes food taste even better.

I asked Glenda about her paintings and she told me she hasn't painted in a long time. I will not share her personal issues without her permission. But I was heartbroken. I hope she starts soon. I have always wanted to hang one of her paintings in my home. We had a fantastic evening. It was hard to leave. But she has told me that she is coming to town in December to see a Carolina Panther's game. I am so excited. We will try to get tickets for the same game and go tailgate up a storm. To be honest they are really coming to see Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings, but I forgive her only because it's Brett and I understand.

The next morning my husband and I decided to walk around the beach. My husband said that the reputation of Virginia Beach in the past was that it was a bit dirty and a lot of loitering took place. I don't know about then, but it couldn't be further from the truth now. Virginia is for Lovers, and it is in full force at the beach. What a beautiful place. What was so surprising was all the art work along the boardwalk. The boardwalk is now made of cement though. It is so organized. There is a bike lane. That is so great of the city to think about sharing the boardwalk.

It was the perfect day for a walk, not to hot or scorching sun.

We knew our vacation was coming to an end and that we had to face reality soon, but at the same time we were happy that we were on our way home. There is nothing like sleeping in your own bed.

I AM IN LOVE WITH A NEW GADGET

My stepfather's birthday was this past Saturday. My mother wanted to celebrate with a different kind of food. We almost always have Latin food. Having lived in New York City we have had friends from almost all over the world that taught us to cook a variety of international dishes. And if not, we had different restaurants we could go to and try a variety of global cooking. My mom wanted to go Italian. So my sister, my mom and I sat and discussed the menu. This is a big ordeal, planning a meal. In my family it has to be perfect, and a lot. When my mother cooks it is not for just the folks that are attending the get together. She plans enough food for all of us to take to work for lunch and have leftovers the next day in all the households that showed up.

The menu consisted of:
*Antipasto
*Sauteed shrimp fra diavolo
*Steamed clams with spinach, topped with cream sauce and baked
*Spinach and shrimp lasagna
*Buffalo mozzarella topped with grilled Roma tomatoes, strips of basil and drizzled with balsamic vinegar
*Cannoli Cheesecake

All of the above was for 7 people only. And then I wonder why I am struggling with my weight. It should be against the law to know how to cook as wonderful as my mother does. My sister and I picked what we were going to make in order to contribute to the party. My contributions were the antipasto and the dessert.

The antipasto all was store bought, but it turned out amazing. Even buying things from the store takes some thought. You have to combine the ingredients properly in order to end up with an amazing dish. I went to a super warehouse store to buy the different components. I found a jar of grilled vegetables in olive oil. Absolutely amazing. It contained grilled eggplant slices, artichokes and red peppers. I added mozzarella balls to the platter and pimento stuffed olives. The colors were beautiful. We served it with crostini's.

When we had the conversation about the dessert, my first thought was to make a tiramisu. But I knew that everyone is familiar with tiramisu and I wanted to learn to make something new. So I went to the good Ole' dependable google and I entered the words "Italian Dessert". And the one thing that caught my eye was Cannoli Cheesecake. In New York City we all have had cannoli's, so this was the choice.

I am going to share the recipe with you. You need to make this the day ahead. And this is definitely not diet food.



Cannoli Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1 3-pound container whole-milk ricotta cheese (6 cups)

7 large eggs

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp. grated fresh orange peel

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate mini-chips



Topping:

3 Tbsp apricot preserves, melted

1 can mandarin oranges (whole segments in light syrup)

1/4 cup shelled pistachio nuts, skins off.



Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease and flour an 8 inch spring form pan. Tap out the excess flour. Wrap the outside of the pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, molding it tightly around the pan to prevent water from getting into it. This is key. Take your time in making sure water won't get in the spring form pan.


Process the ricotta cheese in a food processor, scraping down the sides once or twice until it is completely smooth. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla extract and grated orange peel until blended. Stir in the ricotta. Blend until smooth.


Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Place the spring form pan into a large roasting pan in the oven. Pour hot tap water into the roasting pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until the top of the cheesecake is golden and the cake pulls away slightly from the sides of the pan. The middle will still jiggle slightly when pressed lightly.


Turn off the heat and prop open the oven door about an inch. Let cake cool in the oven for about 45 minutes, not disturbing it. Remove from the oven, then remove the foil. Let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.


3 hours before serving, take out the cheesecake, unwrap and run a knife around the edge to loosen away from the spring form pan. Open the spring form and move the cheesecake to a platter. Melt the apricot preserve and spread half on top of the cheesecake. Add the mandarin slices around the top. Add the rest of the apricot preserve over the mandarins and sprinkle the pistachios over the top.



Now the recipe originally called for orange slices but I substituted it for mandarins instead. They are a time saver and a bit sweeter. Also, I put the pistachios in a plastic baggie and I pounded them into a coarse grind. I thought it would be easier to eat. My family loved it. Now, it is not an overly sweet dessert. I thought it would be with all the toppings, but it wasn't. Some people prefer desserts that don't make your teeth cringe. And it is not a creamy cheesecake. Ricotta cheese has a grainy consistency which I imagine was the way the dessert was originally made. Cheeses were not over processed back in the day. I think that in order to appeal to the American palate, I will add less ricotta cheese and substitute the balance with cream cheese. I will let you know how the test comes out.


Now, where does my new gadget come in? With the orange peel. I normally do not like the peel (zest) of citrus fruit in desserts and breads. I guess it is because the zest bits are big and chewy, and you can taste the bitterness of the white part of the peel, the pith. This microplane just skims the surface of the fruit. It made the most beautiful tiny curls of zest. The white pith of the fruit was never touched. And when I added it to the cheese mixture, you couldn't even see the zest. It was a wonderful hint of citrus throughout the cheesecake.


Go to your local kitchen supply store and get a microplane. You can grate fresh nutmeg, which is an ingredient for pumpkin pie (hint hint-Thanksgiving is right around the corner). You can grate hard cheeses as a garnish and of course fruit zest.


Here is a picture of my new baby. I purchased this one at a kitchen outlet on sale.



One thing on blogging about food is that I need to learn to carry a camera with me at all times and I forgot to take it to my mother's house this time. So I guess I have to make another cheesecake :-)

I stand corrected

I received a message today from an anonymous reader saying that I had the wrong picture of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel as my intro. I stand corrected and have taken the picture off. Like I mentioned I was driving and I could not take pictures. I was just so excited to share this beauty that I didn't really see the name of the bridge. But this has given me a new place to aim for in Maryland. Thank you to my reader. I am excited I have a new place in my beautiful country to see in the future.

In this day an age of hard economic times, I am a big advocate of supporting your home country. When President Obama took over The White House, it was announced that he was going to decorate a few rooms with furniture MADE IN THE USA. I was stunned at the backlash that he received. Now, I am not a politician or like to debate policy or even create a lot of controversy, but this topic touched a chord with me. He was chastised for saying he was going to use pieces made in this country only. He was accused of protectionism. IT IS THE WHITE HOUSE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!! Our White House, where our presidents have lived since the early1800's. Construction began in the late 1700's. I appreciate the gifts that have been received from around the world and are on display, but every permanent piece should be MADE IN THE USA, period end of story.

I know that it would be exciting to travel to other countries, but these 50 states are gems. Instead of Rome, Italy there is Rome. Georgia. Instead of Paris, France there is Paris, Illinois. London? It's in Ohio.

I am as guilty as the next person in having purchased products not made in this country in the past. I have a Nissan Sentra. I would trade it in and buy an American car, but I can't afford to do it now. But now when I go to the store and shop I really, and I mean really try to by products made in MY country. I have found light bulbs, kitchen throw carpets, thread and any produce or fish I can find at the grocery store. I was taught by my parents that the solution starts with you. One small purchase at a time. I love the way private labels try to trick you. The food labels say, "Distributed by City, USA". What are they distributing? A tanker full of imported product? We are all in this right now, buying foreign and working for foreign. Baby steps.

I admire my husband for trying to support the local farmer at the restaurant. Local tomatoes, apples and herbs. Yes, the products are more expensive, but it is worth it in so many ways.

We went to Cherokee, NC one time and I went around the shops to find Native American Pottery. When I looked at one of the clay pots on the bottom to see who made it, I was stunned. Made in China. It took several shops and asking around to find a true Cherokee made artifact. We went to the museum shop and I found a cutting board made in arrowhead motifs of different inlaid woods.

Here is the link to the shop:

http://www.cherokeemuseum.org/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=CM&Category_Code=W

This is a picture on the museum website of the cutting board I purchased. Absolutely beautiful. I can't bear to cut on it. I have it next to my stove with my spices on it. I can look at it every day.

My parents are immigrants and I am proud of that. We speak the language and eat the native foods in our house. I will never forget that. But my parents came here looking for all things USA.

I don't remember who told me this joke:

There were 3 Latinos trying to get to the USA. They hitched rides, walked the desert, had little food and water and swam across the Rio Grand. They were able to jump the fence and run into the night towards Los Angeles. Once they arrived in Los Angeles they asked their friends and family members where were the factories to get a job? One of their uncles answered them and said, "Hey man, didn't you hear? They moved to Mexico!

P.S. I am Latina.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

I know I haven't written in a while. Life is insane these days. Too much going on. But I'm back and I have to share this experience of going over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. It is one of the most amazing things I have seen. And I was driving the car. I have driven over the 7 mile bridge going from the edge of Florida towards Key West and that was pretty amazing. But the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is astounding. It is 20 miles long. I don't think I can do it justice by explaining, so I am obtaining some data from the website.

For over 44 years, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel has captured worldwide attention as a modern engineering wonder and an important East Coast travel convenience. Crossing over and under open waters where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, the Bridge-Tunnel provides a direct link between Southeastern Virginia and the Delmarva Peninsula (Delaware plus the Eastern Shore counties in Maryland and Virginia), and cuts 95 miles from the journey between Virginia Beach and points north of Wilmington, Delaware.
Following its opening on April 15, 1964, the Bridge-Tunnel was selected "One of the Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World" in a worldwide competition that included more than one hundred major projects. In addition, in 1965, it was distinguished as "The Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement" by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
To date, over 100 million commercial and passenger vehicles have crossed the Bridge-Tunnel. In order to meet future traffic demands and provide for a safer crossing, construction of a parallel crossing project began in summer 1995, and opened to four-lane traffic on April 19, 1999. No less challenging than construction of the original span, this project once again drew focus to a remarkable achievement in engineering and construction.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel spans the Chesapeake Bay between Cape Henry and Cape Charles. It is the largest bridge-tunnel complex in the world. Measuring 17.6 miles from shore to shore, the Bridge-Tunnel consists of of more than 12 miles of trestled roadway, two mile-long tunnels, two bridges, four man-made islands, almost two miles of causeway, and 5 ½ miles of approach roads, totaling 23 miles. The Bridge-Tunnel's concrete supporting columns are called pilings. There are 100 miles of pilings, 5189 in all. If placed end-to-end, the pilings alone would reach from New York to Philadelphia.

Now back to my story:

The picture above shows you the sections were ships and I'm talking big ships go through. It is mind boggling. The picture below is a satellite photo of the bridge. If you study the picture you will see the breaks in the bridge. That is where you go underwater into the tunnels.

It is a bit unnerving to be on a stretch of bridge and all around all you see is water for miles. Then you go down into this tunnel. And there are signs all over for you to maintain your speed - 50 mph. Then my husband mentions he wants to stop at the gift shop. What you don't know is that at exactly the end of the 2nd tunnel, going at 50 mph, you have to make a sharp U-turn to go onto the side road towards the gift shop. Talk about burning rubber with the Highlander. My heart was pounding. So we stopped at the gift shop and immediately I looked for post cards. I couldn't take pictures while driving, so this made up for it. My husband had also mentioned a pier. Now I am not a big fan of heights and this pier is very high. And it was a very windy day. There were a lot of people fishing.

Notes about fishing at the pier from the website: Striped bass entering or exiting the Bay must pass through the Bridge-Tunnel complex, and past its' islands and pilings. Barnacles, shellfish, and various crustaceans make the rocks around the islands their home. They attract baitfish, and the baitfish attract stripers. Cast up near the rocky shores of the islands in the early mornings, and catch the stripers feeding on the baitfish.
The stripers use the pilings to hide behind, and ambush baitfish being swept past the pilings by the tidal currents. Fishing is usually best around the pilings on the outgoing tide.
Besides striped bass, more than 20 other species of fish are caught around the Bridge-Tunnel.
It is said that fishing at the Bridge-Tunnel varies between good, better, and fantastic!

We didn't do any eating at the pier because we had to get to Virginia Beach to hook up with my girl Glenda.

Crazy Busy

I want to apologize for not posting on my blog. I am just waiting for the troubled waters at work to settle and make sure I still have a job by the end of the week. I am behind on the vacation information and recipes and my MADE IN THE USA notes. I haven't cooked, neither has my hubby. Life has been insane. We are working and working and working. By the time we get home we are eating pizza out of a box. Pitiful. We are the cooking house, not pre-made. My son's friends call this The Condiment House. The kids always wanted to raid the refrigerator and all they ever found were jars and jars of sauces, marinades and spices. I promise that soon I will post regularly. Hugs, D.

Ferry Ride from Cape May to Delaware

We checked out of the hotel and drove to the pier. It was a windy day, but it was still great to be at the coast and not at work. Once you go all the way down to the coast to Cape May, you would have to drive up and over to get to Delaware. So we took a ferry. We were on our way to Virginia Beach. It was a spur of the moment thing. I wanted to see my friend Glenda. But I will get back to her soon.
This ferry is pretty big, even motor homes were lined up to board. Once we drove on to the ferry, we went upstairs and found a table. The ferry ride is approximately one hour. My husband went to the bar and got 2 Bloody Mary's. I went to the gift shop to get a deck of cards. We started playing and I took a sip of my drink and I was totally surprised. The Bloody Mary was really good. I have only had one better than this one that no other bar has been able to surpass and that was in Altoona, Pennsylvania at the Blairmont Country Club when my brother in law got married. So when we were ready to order the 2nd Bloody Mary, I went to get it so that I could see how the bartender prepared it. I was a bartender and I love to see how cocktails are prepared by fellow bartenders.
Now I debated whether I should share the recipe or not because my dream is to open a bar along with my husband. And having a great Bloody Mary recipe is key to attract customers for brunch. But being the softy that I am, I will give you at least the ingredients, but you need to experiment and make it your own.
So here you go:
Worchestershire Sauce
Tobasco sauce (optional)
Pepper
Triple Sec
Rose's Lime Juice
Vodka (Pepper Vodka if you like spicy)
Bloody Mary Mix of your choice.
You can either make them individually or a pitcher full.
Garnish with a wedge of lime and a celery stalk.

The country club Bloody Mary's had other garnishes that were so surprising, but those I am not sharing those. You will just have to come to our bar some day.

Now what made the ferry ride real fun was all the rocking and rolling. The day was gray and gloomy and with a lot of wind. This ferry does not have the stabilizers like a cruise ship. If you get motion sickness, my heart goes out to you. Going to the restroom was an adventure. Every stall has handle bars. My husband told me that even the urinals have a handle bar. The guys can't use 2 hands. Too funny. The captain tells you to leave your car without an alarm because with all the rolling, the alarms are constantly going off.


What I hadn't noticed since we were one of the first one's on the ferry, was a whole row of motorcycles. When we went back to our car to prepare to disembark I was floored. They were awesome. All shapes and sizes. Harley's and custom made. I had seen a few folks in leather, but there were a whole lot more. There was a tricycle that attracted my attention. It was custom made for the owner. We talked to the owner and I asked him if I could take a picture of his bike. He said that I could even get on it to get a picture. Now normally I hate to have my picture taken, but I did just for the bike, but I am not posting it here.

Once we were in our car, all the bikers were standing around and they turned on their radios synchronized to a rock n' roll station. It gave me the chills. I WAS JEALOUS!! They seemed so happy. It was not your typical kick-butt riding group. They were firefighters and police officers and from other professions. I asked them where they were headed. One of the guys said they were going to Bike Week at Ocean City, Maryland. And then, they turned on the bikes, ALL OF THEM. The rumble was amazing. My husband has always talked about owning a bike. Now I can see myself holding on to my hubby with a cool pink helmet and riding into the USA horizon.


Our next destination was Virginia Beach. I wanted to visit my dear friend Glenda. This was a spur of the moment decision. There are certain people you meet in life and they leave an indelible mark on you and Glenda is one of those people. We met attending a church over 20 years ago. It seems like it was just yesterday. I hate to say it, but I don't remember how we started being friends, but I thank God we did. There are times we have lost touch with each other, but she has always been in my heart.


What I didn't know was that to get to Virginia Beach from the direction we were coming from, you have to cross the Chesapeake Bridge Tunnel to get there. EVERY, and I mean EVERY American has to cross the Bridge Tunnel at least once. WOW, that is the only word to describe it, WOW. I think it ranks up there as a wonder of this country.


Next story - crossing the Chesapeake Bridge Tunnel.

Atlantic City, New Jersey

After Annapolis, we made our way to Atlantic City, NJ. My husband's family has always loved card playing. They are really good at it. There are pictures of my husband, with his brothers and sister playing cards at a coffee table, betting with pennies. My those were the good ole' days. When I see now how much those professional poker players make on TV today, I wish they would have trained him more. It amazes me how casinos are run. You have to get a card. It looks like a credit card. It has your name and 'player ID number'. Every time you go up to a video poker machine, Keno or something like that, you have to insert your card. If you go to the card tables you give your card to the dealer. With this card, they keep track of how much you spend, lose and win. The more you go to a certain, the more offers you get in the mail to stay at their hotels for free. We were able to stay at Harrah's for free for 3 nights. We just stayed 2. You can only gamble so much without expendable income. The food we ate around Atlantic City was actually fast food type. Pizza on the boardwalk, creamsicle custard twist on a waffle cone. But one thing is for sure, the food was EXPENSIVE. One slice of pizza was $3.75. Maybe it was because it was the boardwalk and also it was still summer time even though it was almost the end of it. It was nice walking on a wooden boardwalk again. It had been years since I done that.All the hotels that have casinos are so over the top with decorating, but having all that tackiness makes it so much fun.

But my favorite thing of the trip to Atlantic City were the wind turbines. I think that is what they are called. When I had heard about them before and seen them on TV, I never imagined the shear size of them. At the entrance of Atlantic City city limits are several humongous wind turbines for energy. I was stunned. I remembered that the residents of Cape Cod and also Martha's Vineyards have been fighting to NOT have the wind turbines in their area. I can understand their point of view, but at the same time I prefer to see the turbines in the view than continue depending on other countries that hate our guts for fuel and energy.

Fact:

The Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm in Atlantic City, New Jersey, is the first coastal wind farm in the United States and the first wind farm in New Jersey. It became operational in December 2005 and consists of five 1.5 MW turbines built by General Electric. Each wind turbine reaches a height of 397 feet.The wind farm is located at the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) Wastewater Treatment Plant on U.S. Route 30 and is visible from highways approaching Atlantic City. The treatment plant will use between 35% and 60% of the wind-generated capacity from the wind turbines, providing about 50% of the wastewater plant's electricity needs, with the remaining energy being provided to the main power grid for resale as premium renewable electricity.

Source: Wikipedia follow the link for a picture of the turbines at Atlantic City.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2094/2304705048_437d85e04f.jpg

It is amazing what you see when you travel this beautiful country. My retirement dream is to sell our house, purchase an RV hit the road and visit America The Beautiful.

From Atlantic City, NJ we drove to Cape May, NJ. The reason we went to Cape May was because a few years back my husband attended his cousins wedding there. I couldn't go at that time. He liked the city and wanted to take me back. One of the things that Cape May is known for is the Victorian Homes that have been converted to Bed & Breakfast Inns. They are very colorful. We walked around town and took pictures that I am sharing here.

The evening we were there it was very windy and cool and I forgot to bring a sweater. I was going north and I didn't even think about it. We stopped in one of the souvenir shops and I was looking for a zip up hoodie. The majority were loud or 'touristy'. Then I saw one that was light gray and white stripes. I looked at the tag for the size. Lo and behold, it also said "MADE IN THE USA". I was ecstatic. I didn't hesitate to buy it. I honestly believe that if every american, and there are 250 million of us right now, purchased one thing that is made in the USA at least once a week can help save jobs. I will write about my adventures in trying to purchase made in the USA soon, especially when it comes to food.

After I walked out with my new hoodie, we went to a restaurant by the beach. I ordered a drink called Tidal Wave. It was yummy. The danger with a drink like this is that you can easily over indulge and be in a heap of trouble the next day, so I only had 2. But I remember the recipe very well. Since I have bartended before I watched carefully to get the mix.

Fill shaker with ice, add:

1 shot of Cruzan Coconut Rum

1 shot of Midori Melon Liquor (add a little extra if you like it sweeter).

3 ounces of pineapple juice

1 shot of Sprite.

Shake and pour out into a tall glass.

Add a cherry for garnish.

Cheers!

Next adventure is the ferry ride from Cape May, NJ to Delaware.

Annapolis. Maryland

After we went to the wedding in Washington, DC, we drove to Annapolis, Maryland. The goal was to visit the son of my husband's boss at the U.S. Naval Academy. At the beginning I thought this was going to be boring, but when we arrived I was totally surprised. The academy is a beautiful place. But what amazed me the most were the young men and women walking around in these pristine white uniforms with all the pride the in world. They say the youth of America is on the road to perdition, but when you visit the worlds 2nd largest barracks that holds 4500+ students it makes you take notice. There are sons and daughters in training to defend you and me and above all the USA. I was overwhelmed. In one of the buildings, they engrave in the granite walls the names of fallen former students. The dates are not old, not a part of history. The dates are present. As a mother I can't imagine losing a child. The sacrifice goes beyond what we really see.



The young man we went to visit is thinking of becoming a U.S. Navy Seal. They go on the most dangerous missions around. If he wanted to he could be a high paid engineer or work on computers. His math skills are bar none. I remember him in diapers toddling around the kitchens of the restaurant. Now he walks tall, very tall.
We asked him out to lunch but it so happened that he couldn't leave base that weekend. He recommended we go to Main Street for lunch. There were a lot of choices. Rule of thumb is to always ask the locals for the best eateries. We stopped at a hardware store to buy batteries for my camera and the lady working the register recommended 3 places. We picked The Federal House.

The atmosphere was real casual. They had TVs with football games on. The Carolina Panthers were playing so of course that was the pick of the day. My husband ordered a Shrimp Salad and I ordered Fish N' Chips. The fish was Rock Fish. I had never had it before. It was very good. FRIED FOOD IS VERY GOOD. Actually, FRIED FOOD IS YUMMY!. I remembered to take the picture after I had half eaten it. Big portion size.

It was awesome. Something as simple as fried fish and french fries can bring a smile to your face. Add a little malt vinegar and you have a party. No wonder fish fry places are so popular. I don't normally eat fried since I try to keep from ballooning on my weight. But during this vacation, it was Fry Fest.

Here is a link for the recipe of one of my favorite chefs, Tyler Florence. His Fish N' Chips.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/fish-and-chips-recipe/index.html

My husband has a Fish N' Chips on his menu at the restaurant. He uses Tilapia. It is a light, white, flaky fish. So if you can't find the fish that Tyler recommends, try Tilapia.

In the next couple of days Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Letter from my son

I have a teenager that just flew the nest to college. He is my only child. In the days leading up to the date of his departure I was very anxious. My son and I have always been very close. He was 4 when I divorced his father. And we spent the next 7 years together, just him and I. It was very tough for me to think I was going to come home from work, open the door of my house and not here him yell out, "Hi Mom". When you decide to have a baby, no one prepares you for the emotional roller coaster you will experience for the rest of your life. Parents tell you time and time again how hard it is, but you never really believe it until they put that baby in your arms. Life changes in an instance.

We dropped off my son at the college and later that evening kept driving north to go on vacation. I was doing my best to not cry. Other parents hold a party that the kids are finally out of the house, but I was heart broken. I was putting up a front to be strong, but I really just wanted to become a big puddle of tears. Thank God for a good husband. A few days before he left, he told my son that he should write me a letter. He told him I was going through an emotional time and that a few words from him would mean the world to me. My husband was debating whether he should give me the letter immediately after we left him or until our vacation was over the following week. But he realized I needed something and he also wanted me to cry it all out so I could enjoy myself. And OH BOY! The letter made me BALL MY EYES OUT. But it was great and I felt I could move on and be happy for my son and myself. And what amazed me most was to read the maturity in my son's words. I would like to share the letter with you, so here it goes:

Mom,
I wanted to take a little time to say how thankful I am to you for all the things you have done for me through all these years. I know it is hard to let go of your baby boy, but there is nothing for you to regret. You have raised a great young man who, although is a little unique with his ways of thinking and doing things, is a honest, respectable and dedicated person.
You have taught me many things about life and its workings with a strong heart and love like not other. Whenever you hear the words "perfect mother" always think of yourself and be proud of what you accomplished. I may have been stubborn and hard to deal with at times, but you were always there to correct and fix things no matter how insane the problem was. You were always there to be a friend and someone to hang out with. You were always there when the times got tough at school. You were always there when I had emotional times and needed someones shoulder to cry on. You were always there to teach and practice what you preach. You were always there to be the mom you needed to be, and I could not have asked for a better one.

As I grow older and become more independent, please remember that I am never tossing you aside or forgetting you. Just as you grew into an adult and started going through life, it is now my turn to do so as well. I will always do my best and be responsible for my actions as you taught me to do, as well as keeping determined and headstrong no matter how well or bad a situation may be. It is true that I have made mistake's in the past, but I have learned from each one to better myself for the future. I will not be one of those crazy kids you find on MTV or VH1. Instead you will read of my accomplishments and awards in magazines and the news. I will work my hardest and do my best so I may graduate and begin a successful and entertaining career, especially doing something I love to do.

Please do not become lonely and sad when you leave me at college. I know it will be hard, but this can also open a new chapter in your life as well. It's time to start doing things for you and rewarding yourself. After 19 years of living with me, you've earned it! Do some things that make you happy, things you have always wanted to do but couldn't before. Take this time to get closer to my step-dad too. Just because I have left does not mean no one is around to love you. My step-dad is a good man and he loves you very much. I am eternally grateful to him as well for everything he has done for me. I love him very much.

Please remember that I will always love you, no matter when or where or why. Even though I am at college, I am always your son. Be proud of what you have accomplished. I promise your hard work will never go to waste.

Thank you for everything in my life, from newborn to young man to man. Nothing I can ever do will be able to measure up to everything you have done for me.

I love you mom, with all of my heart.
Your son.

Can't type anymore...tears again, but happy tears.

Ate our way through Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and North Carolina

We just got back from vacation. We drove approximately 1100 miles. And you know what? We have a beautiful country. I am so glad that our GPS (named Stella) took us on back highways instead of the interstates. Our main surprise was on Highway 29. Going through New Jersey there were so many shops, taverns and businesses catering to cowboys. Rodeo signs were everywhere. You normally think of New Jersey as an industrial state with big cities. It seemed like we had been transported to Texas via New Jersey. It was fun and made the drive very entertaining.

I have put on a lot of weight this trip. We ate lunch with my son at the university cafeteria. They have really good food at UNCSA. The university has a chef on staff to feed the kids. My son told me that if you ask the chef for something special he will have it for you the next day. I have chef at home and ask for the same and all I get is funny looks ;-)

We had fried chicken in a little town in Virginia. It was awesome. I hadn't had fried chicken in a very long time. Maybe that is why it tasted so good. We spent the night somewhere in Lynchburg, VA at the Summerfield Suites by Marriott. The breakfast buffet had these wonderful sausage patties. Funny how you find delicious things where you least expect them. My husband ate 2 sausage and egg bagels. Breakfast was enough to tie us over until we arrived at the Ritz-Carlton in McLean, Va. We were going to attend a wedding. Now the Ritz-Carlton is definitely not our normal stomping grounds. We were able to get the "wedding rate" for the night. I guess for once in my life I can say I stayed at the Ritz. Our rooms were very pretty. In the bathroom they have robes for you to put on after a shower. I had to take a picture of my hubby wearing the robe for posterity.

The wedding ceremony and reception were held at the Congressional Country Club in Washington, DC. I loved the simplicity yet elegance of the wedding. I think that when you put too much hoopla around, it distracts from the most important thing and that is the bride and groom. The setting itself was so beautiful, it did not need additional fluff. The couple looked like models out of a magazine. The groom is my husband's cousin.

The dinner was very elegant.

I took pictures of the table setting.

The molded butters. You can make these for a special dinner, especially with the holidays coming up. Get silicone ice trays that have special shapes. Coat the mold with cooking spray and fill with room temperature butter. Scrape them flat. Put in the refrigerator to harden. A few minutes before serving, un-mold them on to a plate or individual bread plates if you are only entertaining a few folks. These were shaped as the dome of the Congress Building.

And my very favorite thing, the candy bar. The couple put out these sweet bags that you could fill up with all sorts of candy. I wanted to dive in. I filled one up for my husband and one for myself and these were the snacks we ate during the rest of our drive.

I loved this idea. You can do it for any occasion. Just take any glass bowl or goblet and fill it with your favorite candy. There were gummy bears, M&M's, Starburst, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, etc. Get some clear plastic scoops and let your friends get high on sugar. What a sweet ending to a wonderful day. I wish the happy couple lots of love.

On Vacation

New blogs coming soon!

By The Sea

I have been going at the speed of light this week. Normally I can keep up a fast pace, but this has been very trying. Work, getting my son ready to move to college, preparing to go on vacation, cleaning house, family, pets, laundry, etc. And I haven't had time to cook. I needed a break. The opportunity presented itself this past Wednesday. I had to attend a work related seminar in Charleston, SC. I was going to leave Tuesday night and spend the night in Charleston. But after a full day at work and teaching my Zumba class, once I arrived at home I didn't want to leave. So I got up at 4:00am, and left the house at 5:00am. I stopped for gas and a cup of coffee and headed to Charleston. Being in the car you can't answer e-mail or clean a toilet. So I turned on some relaxing music. I tried not to think about stressful things. I sang some songs since I was alone and wouldn't torture anyone with my off key voice. I prayed thanking God for the sunrise. And I really looked at my surroundings this time. Traveling on US highways can be downright boring. The same things exit after exit. Gas stations, the fast food giants, Wal-Mart and Lowe's. But this time I concentrated on the trees and wildflowers that are still growing. I took in the color changes of the sky during dawn. It was a nice drive. I took my class at the Charleston Marriot which ended at lunch time. I wanted to have lunch in Charleston so I asked the bellhop at the hotel to recommend a place where the locals go and that is not too expensive. He recommended a restaurant called Fleet Landing. It is on the waterfront. The picture here is from the outside patio of the restaurant.

Their menu had some unique selections, but I wanted to order something my chef makes to compare. I ordered the She Crab Soup to start and then Shrimp & Grits. The soup was good. They topped it with a drizzle of sherry. That is the squiggly line you see on top of the soup. OK, I am prejudice. I like my chef's soup better. But it was good.

Now, the shrimp and grits I was not crazy about because of the brown sauce. I am used to the traditional dish that is made with a creamy sauce. It wasn't bad, just not to my personal liking.

But I was happy anyway. I had the view of the sea. Before I headed home, I drove around for a little bit. I drove by the U.S. Customs building. Almost everything I have been working on at my job this past year has been related to customs, so I had to take a picture from the car. The building reminded me of how majestic this country is. In spite of all the negative things that we might see in America, it is still the land of the free. As a woman I can drive a car. I can go to a restaurant by myself. I can wear shorts (I changed from my work clothes in the hotel restroom). And I can write about it all without fear.

The sea has always been my favorite place on earth. There are days that I need to stop, take a deep breath and savor life. I can't always get to the coast to put me in that frame of mind, but I am glad that I went.

Have a Heart

Yesterday my family got together at my mom's house to enjoy the last vestiges of summer. We were also giving my son a send off to college. Everyone brought something to the table. My mother made a great potato salad. What I love about it is that it is not sweet. She adds paper thin cut carrots, celery, onions and pimento stuffed olives to it. Spanish flair potato salad. My sister brought a salad and her dressing was very unique. Herbs de Provence vingrette. Herbs de provence have a touch of lavender. You can buy a small packet of just the herbs at World Market to try out. And she also brought corn on the cob in husks to grill. The best way to grill corn is soak it in water, husks and all for a couple of hours. When you are 30 mins away from serving your meal, put the corn ears on the grill and close the lid. Save the water. If you don't have a cover, try aluminum foil. You want to create some steam. Every ten minutes turn the corn a third of the way and sprinkle some water on each ear. Do this again in another 10 mins. Uncover the corn and stop adding water. Now you want the husks to brown. Do not worry if they burn a bit. It gives it a wonderful roasted flavor.

To serve, have some prepared butters on the side.

Here are a few options. Make sure your butter is at room temperature for easy mixing.

Garlic Chive Butter - fresh chopped garlic and chives.

Chili Lime Butter - powdered chili, juice of 1/2 lime. You can use fresh chopped cilantro instead of chili powder for another flavor.

Sun-Dried Tomato Basil - 2 sun dried tomatos and fresh chopped basil

If you have left over butter, put them in the fridge and you can use them on pasta or chicken for another meal.

I had purchased some chicken drumsticks. I seasoned them with salt and pepper only. There were 3 dozen drumsticks. I planned for leftovers. Just because it was Labor Day the next day, I didn't want to labor on my day off. The reason the seasoning was so simple, I had taken a variety of BBQ sauces. With 9 people in attendance, you have to try and please them all. BBQ sauce selection was:

Wasabi Teriyaki BBQ sauce

Mexican Beer and Chipotle BBQ sauce

Mother's Mild BBQ sauce

Mother's Hot and Wild BBQ sauce

Now, the suprise of the evening was my stepfather's kebobs. He is from Peru. I saw this plate with a lot of kebobs that had little pieces of meat on it. I initially thought he had taken a steak and cut it very small for appetizers. Now I was right on the appetizer thing, but it was not exactly steak. A little history first. In poor countries, every part of an animal that has been slaughtered is used. The skin (leather) for shoes and clothes. Horns for instruments or weapons. The jaw can become an instrument in Africa. You get the picture. Even in the USA in time of slavery, the slaves where given the lowest of the cuts of meat to consume. But out of necessity comes ingenuity. Chitlins where born in the south. Now it is being served "a la gourmet". Well the same happened in Latin America. The best cuts of meat where given to the Spaniard masters and the inerds were given to the servents. Again ingenuity insued. In Peru today, kidneys, brains and heart from the cow are delicacies. I will be very honest I have never had kidney, brains or heart. I have had tripe though in soup or tongue. Great stuff. Peruvians have national dishes that are very unique. I have mentioned this before, Latin Americans eat VERY differently from one country to another.

But back to the cookout with my family. I was almost finished with the chicken and corn. I asked my stepfather that I wanted hin to cook his kebobs, but to show me how. He said he cut the heart into bit size pieces. He took olive oil, finely chopped garlic and pepper and added it to the cut heart and tossed it. He let it marinate for an hour. At the same time he took the skewers and soaked them in water to avoid burning. Then he made the kebobs, and put them on a platter. I had taken a picture of the platter but lost it some where along the way. In a separate bowl he made another sauce to add to the kebobs while they are grilling. They have to stay moist during the cooking process. Here are the ingredients:

1 cup of La Vina Red Cooking wine. If you can't find this brand, Holland House is another great brand.

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

Salt

Mix

Turn the heat of the grill on medium. It will have been hot from cooking all the other ingredients. Put the skewers on the grill and immediately start brushing the wine/oil sauce on it.

As soon as you see the meat browning on one side, turn it and marinate it again. I learned that if you overcook heart, it gets tough very fast.

Now I am the adventurous eater of my family. I immediately tried a piece. It was absolutely amazing. It tasted like a wonderful piece of filet mignon, just not as "muscley". I don't know how else to describe it. I immediately called everyone to gather around the grill and pick a kebob. My stepfather had some hot sauce on the side and a cold beer for the adults. I promised my teenage son and his girlfriend that they would not find it gross. I was not worried about anyone gaging. The kids loved it. They went back for seconds. Now the miracle was my chef. I could have easily tricked him because he had not seen the kebobs. He was busy inside watching golf on TV. But I wanted him to know what he was eating, so I told him. He was already making those "I am disgusted" looks on his face. I promised him that he would like it. I even had the kids show him that they were eating heart. AND HE DID!! I was so proud of him. Then he says he would have been better off not knowing that it was cow heart. I will never understand men. By telling him he was already prejudiced, but inside I knew he liked it. He was just to proud to admit it. Of course he added a lot of hot sauce and a swig of beer.

Don't have any final ideas about how something is going to taste. I understand though. Even I have my limits. My food can't be alive, it can't be slimy, it can't look like an aracnid and it has to be prepared in an extremely clean environment. With those limits I think I can try something at least once. And if you don't like it then at least you have a new conversation subject about that crazy time you ate ......

Enjoy!

To Sear With Love - Part II

During my last visit to the doctor, my bloodwork revealed that some of my numbers were a bit high. Cholesterol was one of them. I knew automatically where that was coming from. RED MEAT. In my house my hubby is a steak and potatoes kinda guy. He can cook a mean steak. There is no resisting that ribeye. Tonight he brought home a flank steak topped with a roasted corn salsa. Wow. And he makes the most awesome shrimp scampi and also a Cajun style BBQ shrimp. Shrimp is HIGH in cholesterol. You have to really watch your shellfish intake. So I have increased my intake of fish instead. Now my chef is not a fish lover, but my son and I am. There are two fish that he does eat occasionally. One is Mahi Mahi and the other is Tuna. His fish has to be fresh and in fillet form. I haven't found a good fishmonger in the Charlotte area. If you know of one, I would love to know. But there are a few good sources. One for me is through the restaurant. Market value drives his ordering and what is fresh at the time. Unfortunately this source is not available to everybody. But there are Asian markets that have fish tanks with live fish in it. They are swimming around in the tanks. Alive is definitely fresh. The down side is you have to either take it home whole and clean it yourself (YEW), or pay an extra fee for it to be cleaned for you. If you love fishing and don't get squimish, this is the way to go. There is a big Asian market on the corner of Sugar Creek Road and Tryon St in the Charlotte area. Check for Asian markets in your area for fresh fish. Another source is Harris Teeter Supermarkets. They have really been improving their selection. The pictures you see here are tuna steaks we bought at Harris Teeter. There was a time that I would go see the fresh fish counter and balk at the prices. But then I remember that I have paid at least $25.00 an entree at fancy restaurants to have fresh fish. For 3 people that is $75.00. I still love going out to eat. Fancy restaurants don't have TV's playing football and I can get my husband's attention for a while. That alone is worth the money :-).
So if you buy 2 lbs of tuna at $10.99, you are still saving a bunch of money.
We love tuna blackened. I have previously posted the Horsey Sauce to accompany the fish, but my guy loves it just blackened, no sauce.
We serve the fish with rice and a side of either fresh steamed green beans or steamed asparagus. Here is the picture of our great Harris Teeter Tuna find.

They have the most wonderful red/pink color. They were cut 1 inch thick. He sprinkled the tuna steaks with blackening spice. He then took my new skillet and heated it up and then added 1/4 cup of olive oil. He added the tuna to the skillet to sear it.

Depending on the thickness of the tuna and how well you like it done determines the amount of time you should cook each side. We like it rare in the middle. My hubby calls it variables. It depends on the pan, how high the heat is, the thickness of the fish, etc. It can be exasperating cooking with him sometimes because he cooks with his eyes now. He can see how it is cooking and get it right. I still need instructions. But he says that for a 1" tuna steak, cook it for approximately 2 minutes each side. Isn't this a thing of beauty? I had a feast. We put on some jazz music on the ipod stand in the background, and a wonderful Pinot Grigio. The TV still had football on, but that's OK. I am blessed by God. Wonderful food on the table and my guys sitting by my side. That is what makes it taste even better. Love of God, love of family and love of food.
I hope you enjoy.

I NEED COMFORT

There are days when I am totally inspired to write. I have ideas swirling in my head and I can't wait to get on the computer. Today I was not in the mood to write. It was a tough day at the office. But I started thinking about the day again. This morning I had my cup of coffee and I was ready to tackle the issues at hand. In walks our service provider with a dozen Dunkin Donuts. Inside I was jumping up for joy. DONUTS!! And then I was mad. I try so hard to control my love for sweets and carbs, but with my stress level at an all time high, I didn't stand a chance. I succumbed to the donut. Now, my favorite donut is a simple non-glazed cake donut. I know you might think it is boring, but it is a donut in its purest form. The sweet cake. The cute wrinkles in the center where the dough was removed to form the hole. The golden brown color where the dough was fried. And the grand finale is dunking that donut in my coffee. Comfort at it's highest. You feel the stress leaving your shoulders with every bite.

Do I relate food to my feelings? Absolutely! I am an emotional eater. Add to that my new knowledge of cooking and mixing flavors, my waistline will probably not see single digit dress sizes for a long time. After 9/11 I noticed the trend of a lot of magazines and chef shows to feature comfort foods. Pot Roasts, Casseroles, Meatloaves, etc. When my son went to the emergency room a few months ago, I noticed the vending machine was being attacked. Nervous family members devoured the chocolate bars. I can't tell you the scientific reason for eating while stressed, but I know it works.


My favorite meal of the day is breakfast, but I don't always have time during the work week. Too much rushing in the mornings. I love to start slow and take in the dawning of the day. So I do big breakfast on Sunday mornings before church, on days off or while on vacation. Pancakes or french toast, scrambled eggs and bacon. YUM!! The best pancakes I have ever, ever, ever eaten came from a recipe I saw on TV Food Network. They are from Chef Tyler Florence's Ultimate Cooking. Besides being a cutie pie, the boy can cook. You add ricotta cheese to the batter. I cook a special breakfast on Thanksgiving morning for any out of towners while we watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We eat a little heavy in the morning, no lunch and then gobble tons of turkey at night. And when I made these, everyone flipped at how good they were. I wish I could take the credit, but it was just a lucky recipe find.


The pancakes are light and fluffy and you top them with roasted apples and crispy prosciutto. Amazing. The only down side is you can't make them fast enough for the swarm that descends on your kitchen.

Here is the link to his recipe on how to make these fantastic pancakes. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Apple season is coming upon us so keep this recipe stored.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/ricotta-pancakes-with-roasted-golden-delicious-apples-and-roasted-prosciutto-recipe/index.html



French toast is my 2nd favorite comfort item. My chef makes the most fantastic stuffed french toast at the restaurant. It is a completely decadent fattening food. He takes 2 large slices of french bread to make a sandwich. In the middle he spreads a mixture of cream cheese, brown sugar and cinnamon that was blended smooth. Then he cuts each sandwich into 4 triangles.

In a separate bowl he has a batter. He dips each triangle in this batter and into the deep fryer it goes. The batter puffs up and the cream cheese mixture melts in the center. He plates all 4 pieces, sprinkles powdered sugar on top and serves with maple syrup.

You eat your french toast with a freshly brewed cup of coffee and it feels like you have just been given a wonderful hug. What a way to start a great day that the Lord has made. Amen.

Kielbasa & Red Kidney Beans

Are you are in a hurry and with not a lot of money to feed a family of 4? This it the dish for you. Double it if you have more mouths to feed. Or take leftovers for lunch. It is a favorite in my house. I came back from teaching Zumba and going to the supermarket tonight around 8:15pm and I had dinner done by 8:50pm. And it took a little longer because I was taking pictures of the different steps. So here is the list of ingredients:

1 package Polish Kielbasa (right now Bi-Lo has buy one get one free).
2 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
Several sprigs of chives or cilantro. I used chives this time since I have them in my herb garden.
5 small tomatoes quartered. I had some in my garden too. Just picked.
1 tsp of Goya Adobo seasoning. Or use your favorite seasoning. You can't go wrong.
Salt & Pepper
1/2 yellow onion diced
2 cans dark red kidney beans. Do NOT discard the liquid.

Cooked white rice for serving. I have a rice cooker. No fuss, no mess, awesome rice.

Take the kielbasa out of the package and slice it in 1/4 inch slices.



Mince the garlic, quarter the tomatoes, dice the chives and the yellow onions.



Take the saute pan and a heat it up, add the olive oil to warm up.



Add the chopped veggies and saute until translucent. Sprinkle with the Goya Adobo Seasoning.


Add the kielbasa and cook until the sausage is heated up and the tomatoes are starting to release its juices and the skin is starting to shrivel.


Add the 2 cans of kidney beans and all its juice. This will make a great sauce. Cook until all the ingredients are nice and hot and the sauce has thickened a bit. Taste for seasoning. This is where you add some more salt if needed and some pepper.


Take a bowl and put a bed of rice in it.


Top it with the kielbasa-bean mixture. Add some of the sauce.


Serve with a small side salad or cooked broccoli. Want to save more time? Buy the tomatoes that come diced and that already contain either garlic and oregano or chilies and lime. The process is the same, you just get wonderful different flavors.

I love the versatility of kielbasa. Do you have a box of pasta in the pantry? Cook it as normal. Slice and saute the kielbasa in some olive oil and garlic. Add a can of your favorite spaghetti sauce. Add the pasta and mix A nice change from meatballs. Hope you enjoy this quick tip.

I do these fast dishes quite a bit in order to have dinner with my family. I read somewhere that children who grow up in homes that sit down together to eat and the parents who actually listen to them are less likely to become involved in drugs or smoke cigarettes. I think it works. Thank God my boy has not been involved in either thing. The conversation might be out in left field when you talk to kids or teens, but it is important to them. Food can bring you together and you get to know each other better. Memories are created at the dinner table. I will always cherish mine.