Hey all!
Long time no chat. This will probably end up being a long and rambly post as I have a lot to share! Last week was one of those weeks where I just could not get out of my own way. Come on, I know you all know what I'm talking about. I had so much to do and all I could manage was to get myself to work and back and watch re-runs of the real housewives. Terrible, I know. There were multiple factors that contributed to my morose mood (ehhem I think my female friends can relate to one of them!), but I am glad I am finally chugging to the other side! I KNOW that I am a lucky girl with so many great people in my life, however nothing really illuminates just how special and wonderful the people I hold dear to me are until I am going through a rocky, moody, patch and may need a little extra lovin' from them. I'm sure you all have people like this in your life. To my special people you know who you are- I love you to pieces, and I am grateful each day for your presence in my life :)
So, I guess I'll start with some goodies from last week. I decided to give my handsome son a bath on Wednesday evening as he was frankly starting to stank. Toby is definitely not a lover of the tubby, but once you get him in there, he pathetically plops down and just lets it happen. It takes about 4 towels to dry him, and he turns into a MANIAC once free from the confines of the tub. He frolics around the apartment, running from one room to the other, wind blowing through his mane. I guess it's kind of similar to the feeling I get when I leave the hair salon with a fresh blow out, right?!
I apologize for the demon eyes. I snapped this on my phone and could't adjust the pic. He is kind of a little demon though so I guess the pic is fitting :)
Thursday evening I attended and AWESOME yoga class in Jersey City. The sister of one of PJ's coworkers is teaching Thursday nights at 7:00pm for $15 a class. I was very excited at the prospect of having a regular yoga class to attend as there really isn't a yoga studio in Jersey City that has a convenient class schedule or focuses on the yoga style I enjoy. The instructor, Jaclyn, is teaching at a community space in Jersey City that is absolutely adorable and it was a perfect place to practice! I loved the flow of her class, her instruction, and her attentiveness to each individual in the class. As I have stated in previous posts, I typically do yoga from a web-based source so I don't benefit from the actual pose specific adjustments that a yoga instructor can provide. If anyone is interested in taking the class on a Thursday, send me an email and I can get you the details!
After yoga, I headed to dinner with some friends at a local restaurant called 30 Acres which is a farm to table restaurant. Their menu changes daily, and both experiences I have had there have been enjoyable. I also love that it is a BYOB establishment as I would rather choose my own bottle of vino.
Both of these wines rock ,and I have had each a number of times :)
Yum.
Grilled Octopus. This was my favorite dish I had that night.
I had the cavatelli for my main dish. I thought it was good, however when my friend Le-La took a bite of it she asked me if I thought it tasted like hot dogs. It wasn't quite the same after her comment because then I too noticed a distinct hot doggy flavor. Hmmm.
If anyone saw my post last week about the importance of drinking out of a great wine glass, you can probably guess that I was extremely disappointed when this glass showed up at my table. Worst. Glass. Ever.
In other news, I made some great cookout worthy dishes this weekend and thought I would share the recipes as they were all fabulous!
1. Tortellini Death Salad
First off,I apologize for this horrible picture. My mac crashed and I am working on a DINOSAUR of a computer that freezes every time I try to rotate the photo. I lost a lot of pictures as well so this is an old pic I have of the salad, and this particular photo just doesn't do it justice. You'll just have trust me :)
ANYWAYS! I know the name "Death Salad" is weird but I will tell you how this recipe earned it's title. My mom developed this AMAZING antipasto salad years ago. It is delicious, easy, and a major crowd pleaser. While she was making the salad one day, she realized that along with bringing it to cookouts, the majority of the time she has made it has been to bring to someone when a family member passes away. Hence the name, death salad.. perhaps not the most tactful name? You can call it what you want!
Do yourself a favor a make this for your next cookout. I make this for EVERY cookout I go to and there is never a scrap left!
Tortellini Death Salad
(adapted from Lynnie ! )
1-2 pkgs frozen cheese tortellini (I usually try to fine the tri colored tortellini)
Cook the Tortellini according to pkg directions.. Drain. Rinse, Drain again. Toss with a small amount of olive oil to stop from sticking together. Refrigerate until chilled (overnight)
Add some or all of the following to the chilled tortellini:
1 can baby corn
1 red pepper, chopped
1-2 jars drained marinated artichokes
cherry tomatoes
salted cashews (these are important)
pitted black calamata olives
chunks/square of provolone cheese
pepperoni, or genoa salami, or prosciutto cut in pieces
salt and pepper.
Make a dressing :
Start with a good amt of pesto. (1/2 c) Dilute it with more olive oil and add balsamic vinegar to make a tangy dressing. Dress the salad and mix well. Chill. Save additional dressing to add to salad before serving (usually it sucks in some of the dressing and may need a bit more)
Decorate top of salad with a fresh basil bunch in the center.
2. Panzanella
Simple, Easy, Delish. Enough Said :) You can grab almost everything you need at the farmer's market!
Panzanella Salad:
(adapted from Lynnie!)
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
12 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
Parsley, coarsely chopped
Optional: tablespoons capers, drained
For the vinaigrette: 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons vinegar (any kind will do)
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.
Panzanella Croutons: 3 T butter
1-2 T olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 T finely chopped parsley
6 cups cubed day-old bread (1-inch cubes)
Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper
Optional: 6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and preheat a cookie sheet in it.
Melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until it foams. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute—do not brown garlic. Add the bread cubes and toss to coat with the butter/olive oil/garlic mix. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the bread to hot baking sheet. Bake, stirring once or twice, until the croutons are crisp and lightly colored on the outside but still soft within, about 8 or 9 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with the cheese and toss again while warm to melt the cheese.
Let cool. Store in an airtight container.
In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss the salad with the all the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend
3. Key Lime Cupcakes with Blackberry Frosting
I have been DYING to make these little slices of heaven for months, and this weekend I finally did. I will say the recipe is pretty involved, but it is worth it in the end. Per my mother's advice, I always read the comments other readers post on various recipes I am thinking about making . Based on the reviews for this recipe, I cut the flour by 1/2 a cup and used preserves for the filling instead of making my own. Also, I only had almond milk so I used that in the frosting instead of regular milk. It didn't make any difference in the flavor.
**Important** The original recipe does not explain how to fill the cupcakes so I'll tell ya what I did. You slice a little circular hole (not too deep) in the center of the cupcake, plop in some filling, and put the little cupcake " hat" back over the filling hole. I tried using a knife, but the ridges were making the cake crumbly so I used ... a bobby pin. It worked perfectly! :)
Key Lime Cupcakesrecipe adapted from Baked Perfection
http://www.bakedperfection.com/2011/04/key-lime-cupcakes-with-blackberry.htmlmakes 30 cupcakes
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons key lime juice
zest of two limes
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sour cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease or paper-line 30 baking cups.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla, key lime juice and lime zest; mix well. Add the flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream (batter will be thick). Fill muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely and frost as desired.
Blackberry Filling
recipe from Baked Perfection
1 32oz container frozen blackberries
3 tablespoons sugar
Juice of one lemon
3 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch of salt
Place blackberries in a small bowl and sprinkle with sugar, let thaw. Drain blackberries, reserving liquid. Squish the blackberries and push through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds, set aside. Add enough water to the blackberry liquid to equal 1 cup. In a large saucepan, combine the blackberry liquid, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt. Heat and stir until the mixture boils and thickens. Cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to use. (This can be made several days in advance and any leftovers works well on toast, on pancakes, or mixed in plain Greek Yogurt.)
Blackberry Buttercream
recipe from Baked Perfection
2 sticks butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup blackberry filling (seedless blackberry jam or preserves can be substituted)
pinch of salt
6 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk
Beat butter and vanilla until creamy. Mix in blackberry filling and salt. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until combined. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency.
Totes Adorbs.
I forgot to take a pic of the finished product (Whoops). I added the fresh blackberry garnish just like the pic above. The only difference between my presentation and the original recipe was that my frosting wasn't as pink as the original. I'm guessing that's because I used the lazy man's filling!
Speaking of the filling, I used this Sarabeth's jelly to fill my cupcakes! How lucky was I to find this?
Alright kiddies, that's all I have left for this evening. I have a busy week ahead, and I am planning on some fun activities! I'm also going to be sure to take some time to sort through the ever amounting clutter in my brain so that I can continue to make choices and changes that will allow me to be my happiest and healthiest :)
I will leave you with a little something written by the Great Dr. Seuss that my momma sent to me this morning. It really helped me to put things in perspective and get my week off to a good start.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.
And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.
No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!
xo
Sarah
