Weekend in NYC: Day One

We got back from NYC late Monday night after a fabulous whirlwind weekend! Yesterday was spent working, doing laundry, spending time with my peeps, trying to ease myself back into "normal" life. I'm still trying to catch up and today is going to be another busy one, but I want to share a few highlights from our trip. Here's Friday, Day One:

We were up at 4 am to catch at 6 o'clock flight out of Ft Lauderdale, our plane landed at 9 am and we quickly made our way from the airport to the LIRR to the subway to Greenwich Village. Beren and I shared a cannoli at Caffe Dante.







"Snack" at Shopsins..Beren had the ebelskivers, I had the best green vegetable soup I've ever tasted!






Afternoon beer stop at the Ear Inn:



Late lunch at Katz's Deli where we shared a Pastrami on Rye:





Happy Hour at the best "dive" bar in Brooklyn, the Tip Top, where we made fast friends with Junior the owner and his family:



Then we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge...



Exhausted, we arrived at the Bridge Cafe for dinner. Sorry, no food pics, I was too tired to think, can't even remember what we ate but I'm sure it was delicious!



It was about 10 pm by the time we finished eating and my brother picked us up and brought us to his adorable little home in Long Island. Before hitting the sack, I took a peek at my pedometer: 29,656 steps walked which converts to over 14 miles!! Surely that helped burn off some of that cannoli?

More later, have a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday, MomWe Miss You

"Sam"
September 23, 1940 - February 3, 2009

Never Forget

On September 11, 2001, I was the wife of a firefighter...this image is especially meaningful to me.

Sending thoughts and prayers out to the survivors and victims of this terrible tragedy, especially the families of the firefighters who gave their lives trying to save others.

Blessings,

Rapunzel

On My Hearth: Portobello Mushroom Ragu

In the mood for some healthier Italian? I absolutely adore mushrooms, especially portobello, so this recipe is right up my alley! I'm adding a bag of fresh spinach that's languishing in the fridge and doubling the amount of tomatoes to make a larger batch. Yummy!

Portobello Mushroom Ragu

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2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion -- diced
2 cloves garlic -- minced
2 6 oz Portobello mushroom caps -- trimmed and diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
15 ounces canned diced tomatoes
Salt and Pepper
13 1/4 ounces whole wheat pasta

Heat olive oil in a large skillet and saute the onions until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes.

Add garlic and saute for 1 minute, stir in mushrooms and thyme. Continue to cook over high heat until the mushrooms have softened and given off their juice 2-3 minutes.

Add tomatoes and cook until the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve over whole wheat pasta.

Enjoy!

Good Morning...Not!

Cooking for the Family

I've been doing a lot of cooking this week, good therapy for me and puts big smiles on my family's faces. I've neglected to post the recipes, promise to be better about that this week!

Today I'm making Baked Ziti. I loosely follow the Soprano's recipe below but sans meat. To appease the vegetarians in the Castle, I use a meat-free sauce and serve meatballs on the side. I'm posting the original recipe below. Enjoy!




Ziti al Forno

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1 pound ziti
Salt
Sunday gravy made with meatballs (recipe below)
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup ricotta
8 ounces mozzarella -- cut into small dice

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Spoon half the ziti into a shallow 3 1/2 quart baking dish. Spread the ricotta on top and sprinkle with the mozzarella and half the remaining grated cheese. Pour on 1 cup of the sauce. Top with the remaining ziti and another cup sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cover the dish with foil. (The ziti can be refrigerated for several hours or overnight, at this point. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking.)

Bake the ziti for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 to 30 minutes longer, or until the center is hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 8 to 12.

Source:
"Sopranos Family Cookbook"
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Soprano's Sunday Gravy
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4 garlic cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste
Three 28- to 35-ounce cans Italian peeled tomatoes
2 cups water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 fresh basil leaves -- torn into small pieces


To make the sauce:
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Pat the pork dry and put the pieces in the pot. Cook, turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until nicely browns on all sides. Transfer the pork to a plate. Brown the veal in the same way and add it to the plate.

Place the sausages in the pot and brown on all sides. Set the sausages aside with the pork.

Drain off most of the fat from the pot. Add the garlic and cook for about two minutes or until golden. Remove and discard the garlic. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

With a food mill, puree the tomatoes, with their juice, into the pot. Or for a chunkier sauce, just chop up the tomatoes and add them. Add the water and salt and pepper to taste. Add the pork, veal, sausages and basil, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water.

To make the meatballs:

Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a large bowl. Mix together thoroughly. Rinse your hands with cool water and lightly shape the mixture into 2-inch balls. (Note: If you are making meatballs for lasagne or baked ziti, shape the meat into tiny balls the size of a small grape.)

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet. Add the meatballs and brown them well on all sides. (They will finish cooking later.) Transfer the meatballs to a plate.

After two hours, add the meatballs and cook for 30 minutes or until the sauce is thick and the meats very tender.

Source:
"Sopranos Family Cookbook"
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Flattened

I am trying to stay positive, I really am, but there has been so much crap going on lately, I feel flattened, just like Stanley up there.

In a nutshell, the past month has been a series of mishaps in several areas of my life - financial, personal, professional. From big things such as $400 vet bills, hateful e-mails from Beren's daughter, moving one child to college only to move her back less than a week later, a situation at work which may result in me losing my job, to smaller incidents of flat tires, burnt dinners and bounced checks, it's all just weighed on me to the point of exhaustion.

I know that there are much worse problems, that I am incredibly grateful to have a wonderful family and good friends, a nice home which I share with healthy, beautiful daughters and the love of my life. We are all healthy. Really, I am not making light of these things but how much ongoing stress is one person supposed to handle before they simply collapse?

I wake up with trepidation, wondering how many minutes or hours it’s going to be before the next catastrophe hits. Not a good way to live!

My friend Jersey says all of this chaos is due to Mercury in Retrograde and if so I'm gonna hole up in my house and wait for September 12th when it's all over!
Anybody want to join me? I'll supply the wine if you bring the chocolate.

Bittersweet

bit·ter·sweet (btr-swt)
n.

1. Bitter and sweet at the same time: bittersweet chocolate.
2. Producing or expressing a mixture of pain and pleasure: a movie with a bittersweet ending.

It's a bittersweet time here at the Castle, emotions are all over the map. You see, my littlest bird, my Bambi, has decided to go away for college. A natural, normal event, of course, but one I'm not quite ready for. (Is any mother ever ready for her babies to leave the nest?) She made the decision a few months ago and though I am so proud of her courage and independence, I admit there was a part of me who held onto the hope that she would change her mind. No, not my Bambi, once she makes a decision she sticks with it. She has a goal and she's going to meet it, come hell or high water.

So yesterday our family made the trip to the big ol' college town of her choice, unloaded B's possessions and proceeded to set her up in a little apartment.





Beren and I got her all settled in and then took she and her friends out to lunch...




made a run to the grocery store because there's no way I could leave her with an empty fridge! Then I reluctantly said goodbye, doing my best not to break down sobbing, and made the 2 hour drive back to our Ormond house. Kali & Lindsey stayed with her overnight, as did her boyfriend, so she won't be really alone until tonight.
I know there will be some homesick moments, days when she's tempted to pack up her kitten and head south, but I think she'll resist. She'll be ok..she really will..me? Well, that might be another story. I am dreading returning home to find her empty room, devoid of her pictures, momentos..the very essence of Bambi. I hope I can be as strong as she is.

In the meantime, my other kids will be stopping here for dinner before heading home, so I'll put my energies into the kitchen as I always due when feeling blue. A simply pasta dinner is in order, my Mom's Brownie Chip Cookies for dessert. These are the cookies mom has made over the years for every family occasion, happy and sad, we could always count on these delicious goodies being part of it. I'd like to think Mom's with me today, nodding with understanding and surrounding me with warm comforting hugs.



SAM'S BROWNIE CHIP COOKIES

1 box brownie mix
1 c. chocolate chips
2 eggs
1/4 c. oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Combine mix, eggs,, and oil in large bowl. Beat about 50 strokes by hand. Stir in chips. Drop by rounded teaspoon on baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cookies are soft to touch. Cool slightly before removing from baking sheet.

Note: these are not the prettiest cookies in the world..grin..but I promise you after one bite you won't care!

Blessings,

Eat, Pray, Love

"There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under the jurisdiction. I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with. I can select what I can read and eat and study. I can choose how I'm going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life-whether I will see them as curses or opportunities. I can choose my words and the tone of voice in which I speak to others. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts."
— Elizabeth Gilbert

My daughters and I went to see the movie yesterday, an early birthday celebration. To say that I enjoyed it is an understatement. I was deeply, profoundly moved. There were so many amazing moments, so many meaningful quotes..truly a life-altering experience.

Today is my 46th birthday and, like always, I will choose to honor today as my own personal New Year. There's much I'd like to accomplish over the coming year, changes I want to make and dreams to fulfill...I've decided that the title of Ms. Gilbert's book is the perfect theme for this, my 47th year on the planet..

EAT...mindfully and with passion
PRAY...and trust in the answers
LOVE...with wild abandon

Sounds like it's going to be one amazing year! Off to get started..

Blessings,

Alone Time

First, let me apologize for the appearance of my blog at the moment. My "webmistress" Kali is working diligently to get my background back but is having some difficulty. Since she's already a very busy lady running a business and my household while I'm away, it might take her just a little bit longer to get things up & running.

Today's horoscope is perfect. My Moontime arrived last night, earlier than I'd expected but considering the current emotional upheaval, it makes perfect sense. I'm going to take some time for myself today, perhaps immerse myself in a good book and then take an evening stroll on the beach..something to clear my head and allow it to process the events of the past few days.

August 7, 2010
Alone Time
Leo Daily Horoscope

Your need for privacy could be strong today, which may make you seek seclusion in a place that feels safe. While you might not feel lonely, your desire to be alone might be due to your need to sort out your thoughts. This would provide you with a wonderful opportunity to truly listen to what your soul wants. If you can, you might envision that your home is a sanctuary today, enveloped in a bright, healing energetic field. Within this space, you have the freedom to explore the depths of your spirit. With each breath you might imagine that you are moving closer to the truth that lies within you. Once you are comfortable and your mind is calm, you might wish to focus your attention on the more tangible issues in your life, asking yourself what course of action you should take.

Time alone gives us the space to reflect on our lives. For most of us, our lives are filled with responsibilities and activities, meaning we are never truly alone but are always surrounded both physically and emotionally by others. Sequestering ourselves away for even an hour, however, gives us breathing room. Without the distractions of other people, we are better able to connect with our deepest selves—the part of us that truly knows what we want and need to be fulfilled. As you make time for yourself today, you will better hear what your soul wants to communicate to you and do what is true for yourself.