Weigh In

I have been bad about weighing in lately but this week I did and I had a 3 pound loss! Yippee! I am determined more than ever to lose 10 lbs in the next 4 weeks. I know I must be crazy but I did my BMI and it did not make me happy but I have an ulterior motive. Aside from being healthy I want the weight off but I want something more. I want a breast reduction. I know TMI but for years it has bothered me. This is so ironic because back in the day when all my friends were getting boobs I had none - in fact I really had no body (ahh to think I wanted boobs and curves back then).

So, I have an appointment with a surgeon. I have suffered back pain, headaches and the fact that anytime I find clothes I have to go up a size because of my breasts. So I think the weight loss will help and it's a consultation. So that is my motivation for now.

Sunday Dinners

I have really wanted to get into the mode of making nice family dinners. Last week was Halloween so we just had pizza but this week I had a plan.

I had a nice London Broil and decided it was time to make it.

Pepper Crusted Steak with Horseradish cream on Garlic Crostini

Marinade

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1 Tablespoon peppercorns, cracked

1/3 cup of olive oil

2 lbs of London Broil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a Large ziploc bag completely covering meat. Let all air out of bag and let sit at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Preheat grill or broiler for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle meat with salt, grill or broil until med rare (or however you prefer your meat to be cooked). Cooking time will depend on thickness of the meat.

Let the meat stand for at least an hour, then slice thin. Serve on Crostini. Top with Horseradish sauce.

For my Crostini I had some roasted garlic from my butternut squash soup that I mixed with olive oil, salt and pepper.

I cut the bread on an angle and then with my silicone brush put the garlic/olive oil mixture on them. I then put in the broiler (Our grill did not have any propane).

The Horseradish sauce I made was

1/3 cup of horseradish

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/2 pepper

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/2 cup of sour cream

I also made a Butternut Squash Soup. The recipe is from my husband (who attended Culinary school - The Culinary Institute of America)**

1 Butternut Squash

1 1/2 head of garlic

1 onion

1 leek

salt

pepper

1/2 ginger

2 sprigs of thyme

1/2 lemon

Olive oil

32 oz Chicken Stock

Preheat oven to 350. Oil, salt and pepper squash. Place on a baking sheet and bake, rotating squash every 15 minutes until tender. Sweat the onion and leeks in olive oil, season with salt and pepper. When squash is tender, immediately remove squash from skins - very hot but it comes out easier this way. Add squash to onion and leeks. Puree squash, onion and leeks. Simmer 15 minutes. Add warm chicken stock, slowly, pureeing as you go. I tend to like it think but make it a little thinner because you will let it simmer for 20-30 minutes and it thickens up then. You don't need to use all the stock but I usually do. While it simmers I put the ginger (chopped) into a sachet and the same for the thyme (2 separate sachets).

I do another puree in the middle of simmering. Serve warm with Cream Fraiche on top. It is great to keep in the house during the winter. It is one of my favorites. Enjoy.

Enjoy.

Proudest Day

Today my baby did something so selfless and giving I am brimming with utter happiness and joy.

She donated her hair, 11 1/2 inches of it, to Locks of Love.

It was her decision. She has heard of other girls doing it, her aunt and cousins participate in a HUGE Relay 4 Life at their school ad a salon comes and does the cuts for people and my sister in law told me of another salon that does cuts for free and takes care of everything for you.

So when Maya came to me and I said I want to do it, we set up an appointment. She looks so amazing!

Here is her before:

Here is her after the braiding:

No turning back now

The full treatment was given by Everson from the Adam Broderick Salon and Spa

I am so proud of her and when my sister in law asked her for a video why she was doing this she said so she could help people, kids who are sick and don't have hair.

This was prompted from 3 years ago my sister in law getting Medulary Thyroid cancer and then after having all her lymph nodes removed and getting the all clear my mother in law being diagnosed with Leukemia.

So that was our day. I am truly so proud of my little girl.

School Projects

At the kid's school every year the librarian runs a little activity called "PumpKans." Basically you, umm I mean the kids, make a character from a book they read out of a can.

Maya wanted the Three Little Pigs. We made them out of small water bottles, felt, styrofoam circles, markers, paint and googly eyes. Oh yeah and a very hot glue gun (I still feel the pain on my nail - OUCH!).

We had fun making it together. It was fun. I just had to take a picture of the pigs with our haunted house.

Sam on the other hand wanted to do Dan from Bakugan. We had fun making his hair with pipe cleaners. This is also who he is for Halloween.

At the end of it all Sam said, "Mom, you always help us with our projects. Thanks."

That's what it's all about and I am happy.

Zizette

Cake Pops part 2

So I let my cake pops chill overnight as the recipe stated.

I melted the orange chocolate since Maya wanted to have "pumpkin" cake pops. I dipped the sticks in the chocolate and then put into the cake ball.

After that I started to dip them in the orange chocolate. It was not coming out well. The chocolate started to harden so I melted it some more BUT one of the balls broke in the chocolate and needless to say, there was a mess. Dump orange chocolate. No more orange.

Day 3: White chocolate. Modified the recipe a little. Good coverage. All covered. Then I drizzled chocolate to make them look like Mummies. Drew some eyes on them, very good.

I let them dry in a floral foam block. They came out pretty cool for a first time, I think.

Cake Pops Part 1

Okay, my baby had decided that she wanted a Halloween party for her birthday, so me being the mom I am obliged.

So, now I am doing everything I can to put togethe

r something that will be really awesome.

I am making her Cake pops. I started this evening.

Step one was to bake a cake as per directions. Cool cake and then crumble. Recipes have suggested to put it into a Cuisinart. I only have a small one, the blender was not really an option so I used my Cuisinart Blender stick (LOVE). It worked out great.

Step two was to mix with frosting and then roll into balls.

Step three was to let it sit on the tray overnight in the refrigerator (tomorrow I will be dipping them in chocolate and decorating them).

I am so excited to see what happens. I chose for these pops to make a confetti cake mixture and cream cheese frosting.

If I am able I am going to attempt to make a bunting with some fabric I have had for a few years.

Some eyeball cupcakes, bones chocolates and maybe, just maybe homemade candy corn. Hmm maybe I need a day off. Oh and Maya just asked for petit fours like the ones I made for her party last year! Thank goodness I have those ingredients in the pantry. I also was thinking of doing caramel apples with the kids.

That reminds me, I need to call one of my sitters to come and "assist" the party. Toodles for now.

Zizette

Sunday Dinners

As a teenager I recall having Sunday dinners made by my dad. My dad would be making shrimp on skewers with my bestie Jen and I putting it together and enjoying a great meal with my family. Everyone loved coming to my house on Sundays for dinner. I really enjoy having Sunday dinner for my family. It gives me a chance to cook and make fabulous meals (or not so fabulous meals) and at the same time have my children eat outside of their little boxes.

So, on some Sundays I am able to make fantastic meals that the children will try and we both enjoy. Tonight was one of those nights.

Tonight I made a Roast, with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Green beans with dill.

We actually had an added guest this evening (son's best friend) and we had a great time (I even made them chicken nuggets in case they wouldn't eat the roast).

Roast Beef with Dijon Caper Sauce

Roast Beef:

• 1 3-pound eye of round beef roast, trimmed of excess fat and sinew
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 2 cups low-salt beef broth
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons drained capers

For roast beef:
Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix thyme, basil, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Heat oil in large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with herb mixture. Transfer skillet to oven. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 130°F, about 40 minutes. Transfer to cutting board; let rest.

For sauce:
Place skillet with juices over medium-high heat. Add butter; stir until melted. Add flour; whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in broth; bring to boil. Boil until sauce is reduced to 1 1/4 cups, whisking often, about 6 minutes. Whisk in mustard and capers. Season sauce with pepper.

Cut beef crosswise into very thin slices. Transfer beef to platter. Serve with sauce.

Roasted Garlic Mashed potatoes

2 lbs of potatoes

1 head of Garlic

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

Butter

cream

Truffle oil

Cut off the top of the head of garlic, drizzle with oil, salt and pepper. Place in foil and wrap with top exposed. Put into an oven at 350. Peel and cut potatoes in quarters. Put into boiling water. When tender, remove from water, melt butter and cream.

Add warm butter/cream mixture to potatoes as you mash them, add the roasted garlic (just squeeze the garlic out of the skins and add truffle oil (Fairway has a nice olive oil with truffles that is fabulous). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Green Beans with Dill

Melt 1 TBS of butter in pan. Add Green beans. Little salt and Dill, toss. Serve. Very tasty.

It was a fabulous meal by all. I look forward to making some more in the future.

Zizette