Samhain Blessings

My altar is prepared, table is set..off to have a glass of wine under the moonlight..sending Samhain blessings to all who honor this sacred eve.

Weekend in NYC: Day Four

Monday morning we slept in a bit, got up and decided to explore my brother's Long Island neighborhood. Being the skinny, never having to diet guy that he is, he suggested a walk to the local Italian bakery.
Seriously? As if last night's cannoli wasn't enough temptation? Not wanting to be a party pooper, I donned my sneakers and off we went.



While Beren and my bro scanned the rows of pastries, cookies, cakes, etc, I had my eye on the bread. Swooon...my weakness. I was salivating thinking about a hunk of that doughy goodness topped with a dollop of butter or a swish of good olive oil..droool...





And yet, when it came down to it, I walked home with a box of cookies to bring back to my kids and while my menfolk had this for breakfast..



I ate this..



along with a Jenny Craig breakfast bar. Can I have a HUGE round of applause for willpower, please?

Once their sugar coma wore off, we jumped in the car and headed to Fire Island. Ooh, spending some time in the "country" was just what I needed after several jam-packed city days!





We then visited this charming little town, Cold Spring Harbor..





where I had the best chicken curry salad (1/2 a sandwich, saved the other for dinner on the plane) at the Gourmet Whaler and did a bit of window shopping. Such cute things, if I didn't have to pay to check more luggage I'd be maxing out my credit card on these goodies!





We got back to the house and enjoyed a glass of wine on the front porch, soaking up the beautiful sunshine before heading for the airport. Arrived back home around 9 pm where I opened up that box of cookies for my (skinny) children, watched them ooh and ahh in pure pleasure. Sigh...

Total steps logged: 13,137 which is about 6.2 miles.

Now, what I know you're all waiting for...after all of those yummy (yet moderate) meals, all of the wine & beer, combined with miles & miles of walking..how was my weigh-in on Wednesday?

Well, I stayed the same. No gain, no loss, which is exactly what I expected. My Jenny Craig consultant wasn't surprised, either, and we both agreed that while I could have done better(less wine, more salad), I was comfortable with my choices and enjoyed my vacation to the fullest! No deprivation, no over-indulgences, no gain. No worries! Also, even though the scale doesn't show it, my clothes do feel looser and my legs look tighter so perhaps I lost some inches as well.

I'm back on track and can already see a tiny loss on my bathroom scale, am looking forward to a good weigh-in next week! But first, it's Biketoberfest in Daytona and guess where we are?

Stand by for more tales of our adventures! *wink*

Have a Beauty-Full Day,

Weekend in NYC: Day Three

I'm so glad you're all enjoying my little NYC recap!

Sunday morning Beren and I got up early, took advantage of the free breakfast at the hotel (I had a banana and my Jenny Craig cereal bar) and took a leisurely stroll down Lexington Ave. This part of town houses an abundance of Indian restaurants and even at that time of day the air was heavy with the scent of curry. Yummy!

Since Beren loves the Hard Rock Cafe and collects glasses from each location we visit, we decided to zip on over to Times Square and get that task out of the way. Unfortunately, since we arrived before noon he was not able to enjoy a beer inside his glass before purchasing it. Damn! We forget that some cities have that silly no-booze-for-breakfast-on-Sunday rule, never thought NYC would be one of them! Oh, well, we packed up our empty glass and away we went.



By this time we were getting kinda hungry and I heard pizza calling my name. So, off to Little Italy we went! There was a 30 minute wait for Lombardi's so we explored the area a bit until our name was called. Oh. My. God. The pizza was just as good as I remembered from our last visit!



My brother arrived just in time to help finish off the pie, perfect timing and no leftovers to carry around the city! Two slices of this deliciousness, worth every bit of walking needed to work it off!

Since it was now after noon and Beren was hankering for a beer, we took a nice long walk to McSorley's, a pub he'd read about. Apparently we hit the after-church crowd because this place was packed already! We each had two small pints and off we went.



We arrived back in Long Island with just enough time to change clothes and freshen up before the highlight of the day - dinner with the infamous Allan of Almost Gastric Bypass! We met Allan and his lovely wife Sue at his favorite Italian restaurant, Mio Posto. Joining us was another lovely blogger friend, Jacquie from Can't Wait to Lose It with the Band and her husband Steve. Allan had promised us a "real" Italian feast and he delivered! I am amazed at the willpower I exhibited by turning down the bread basket and the pasta, and we won't even discuss the dessert! Take a peek at his blog if you want to see pics but suffice it to say it was a heavenly meal! The company was great, food to die for, an all-around perfect evening. Thanks, Allan!







One quick nightcap at the local Ale House before climbing into bed, tired and content. Steps logged: 15,033 which is equivalent to about 7.11 miles.

One more day in NYC to share! Have a Beauty-Full Day,

Weekend in NYC: Day Two

Saturday morning we slept in just a little bit, headed into the city after breakfast. The first stop was Central Park to see John Lennon's grave as it was his 70th birthday. Now, I admit that I am not a Beatles or Lennon fan per se, but my daughter Bambi is and I wanted to get pictures for her. Besides, it was an historic event and shouldn't be missed. Well, unfortunately the crowd was so deep that I wasn't able to get anywhere near the Imagine mosaic but was able to snap a shot of the plaque. We also walked by his home and the gate where he was shot, crowds were gathered taking pictures but that was much too morbid for me!



Beren and my brother stood in front of this statue, thought it was appropriate considering it was Columbus Day weekend.



We walked around a bit, had lunch at a little Indian restaurant and then headed toward the Pig & Whistle where we had a cocktail...



and met up with the fabulous Ms. Bitch*Cakes! I'm so glad she had time to hang with us a bit, what a pleasure it was to meet her! She is one lovely lady, and just as fabulous as I expected!





Oops, we were having so much fun that time just slipped away and we were running late, time to check into the hotel, grab a quick dinner at Heartland Brewery and head to the show at Radio City Music Hall!



As you may know, Lord of the Rings is Beren's all-time favorite series and holds special memories for us as well, remind me to tell you about it sometime. So, seeing the film with a live orchestra was amazing and very meaningful to us both.



We were both tired when we arrived back at the hotel but managed a nightcap at the wine bar next door before climbing into bed. Oops! Let me check the pedometer..clearly we took more cabs that day because we "only" walked 11,661 steps, about 5.52 miles.

Time to wake up Beren and get ready for work, please stay tuned for more of our adventure in the Big Apple!

xoxoxoxo

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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