I wont even bother to post the recipe since there are so many easily found online. Don't make the mistake I did. Start out with 1/2 or 3/4 of a tub of frosting. If you make the "dough" too soft, the balls slide right down the lollipop stick once you dip them in the chocolate.
My beloved readers, please help! This photo of my child and husband is entered in a calendar photo contest for the Children's Eye Foundation.
My daughter was born with Septo-Optic Dysplasia, a condition which has left her with no vision in her left eye. Until I had a baby with eye issues, I had no idea how lost one could feel with an unfamiliar diagnosis. It's organizations like this that help parents make connections and find answers. Children's Eye Foundation produces an annual Calendar to promote awareness of pediatric eye issues. For more info on them, click here.
You can vote every 24 hours until October 1st. You don't have to register or give email or anything. Just bookmark this page and click once to vote daily on "like dad, like daughter". The calendar's theme is "love at first sight". This photo was taken at one week old and was an impromptu moment between my husband and daughter. My hope is that our photo makes it onto the 2011 calendar. Thanks so much in advance.
Dear OnlyBurger,
Thank you for a grilled-onion-cheddar-laden burger complete with handcut fries. You made my workday. I've missed you! I promise not to stay away so long next time.
Seriously, if you haven't checked out onlyburger, do yourself a favor next time you have a hankering for a burger but don't want to sit down in a restaurant. Today was the perfect day to take advantage of an outside lunch! They take phone orders and you can always find them via their website and twitter.
DAY 45
Weight this morning:
149
Exercise:
Nada
Yahoos:
Last night was my first night off Nyquil and though I would have been able to wake up and work out, I didn't. I still don't think my body is quite ready. Tomorrow I should be though!
Yikes:
I seem to gain back my weight over the weekends every week because I go hog wild with indulging in alcohol and sweets. I'm going to try to be better this weekend. I haven't posted in so long because I couldn't bare to post that I was back over 150. Now I'm not.
I received this email in my inbox this morning so sorry for the late notice.
“I just wanted to give you an update on what is happening with Bullock’s BBQ. Tommy’s business has suffered through this presumptive salmonella issue…to the tune of an 80% drop in customers and cancellation of almost all of his catering business. DCVB has met with Tommy 3 times this week to help with strategies for coping with this. At 5:30 Tuesday night there were 8 cars in the parking lot…and as you know, this place typically has a line outside that wraps around the building when it opens.
This is the oldest continuing operating restaurant in Durham. It’s a Durham landmark that draws visitors and they are in trouble. In 58 years of business Bullock’s has never received a health inspection rating of less than an A. So far, the health department has found NO violations, NO sick employees and only have a presumption of salmonella…on an order that was taken from the building…but even that is not definitive as of yet. Bullock’s has cooperated fully as the health department came out and tested all of their food and processes.
Here’s what you can do to help:
We have planned an event at the restaurant at noon this Friday (tomorrow, May 7th) where we’ve invited all the chefs in Durham to come and eat lunch (with their chef whites on). Even though it is the Friday afternoon of graduation, most of the chefs contacted have said they will be there to support Bullock’s.
This is a pay-for-your-own lunch event…so just come on down. (Bring Cash…Bullock’s does not take credit cards.) Your attendance will go a long way in convincing the public that it is safe.
Jim Wise and Kevin Davis have already blogged about this.
We have commitments from at least 3 television stations to do a story and be there Friday. In addition to the story about Tommy and Bullock’s we’ll provide the media with information that will help emphasize again what a great dining destination Durham is.
What Bullock’s needs more than anything are some some customers to help boost consumer confidence.
Thanks for being there tomorrow (or any day) if you can to support Tommy and this Durham landmark..
Shelly Green
President & CEO
Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau″
DAY 39
Weight this morning:
149.5
Exercise:
Nada
Yahoos:
Still sick as hell but still sticking to the diet.
Yikes:
DAY 38
Weight this morning:
150
Exercise:
Nada
Yahoos:
I worked out yesterday but have come down with the miserable cold my daughter had so aside from my head pounding and spinning, I just don't have the energy or lung capacity to do cardio exercise first thing in the morning. We've done really well sticking to the diet so far this week.
Yikes:
Damn, how hot did it get this weekend anyways? I can't believe our neighborhood pool doesn't open for another 3 weeks!!!!
DAY 36
Weight this morning:
151
Exercise:
Nada
Yahoos:
I'm back on the diet after a serious departure this weekend. I pulled an abdominal muscle last week that seriously hindered my ability to do my turbo jam workout. I did a good amount of walking this weekend though!
Yikes:
Due to my birthday celebrations, we were completely indulgent this weekend. Cake, ice cream, alcohol and carbs. All the good stuff birthdays are made of :) I slept in this morning because I wasn't really able to get much sleep this weekend due to a sick baby. At least that's my excuse for not working out today...Tomorrow is a new day!
DAY 29
Weight this morning:
150
Exercise:
20 minute turbo jam.
Yahoos:
We took a break from the diet this weekend to celebrate our anniversary. We're back on as of this morning and I'm impressed I'm only a pound heavier! I'm also proud that we still ate very wisely despite declaring a break from the diet. Go us!
Yikes:
DAY 26
Weight this morning:
149
Exercise:
Nada again. I was too tired. Baby is cutting teeth and was a little restless last night so I needed the sleeping in until 6 today.
Ate/drank:
I'm done logging what I eat and drink. It's too much to keep up with.
Yahoos:
It appears this week I've just maintained. Ah well. Back on the exercise routine next week!
Yikes:
DAY 25
Weight this morning:
149
Exercise:
Nada
Ate/drank:
I'm done logging what I eat and drink. It's too much to keep up with.
Yahoos:
This weekend we're celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary and have agreed to drop the diet for our lunch and dinner on Saturday. I'm so looking forward to it!
Yikes:
Oops! I forgot to pack my string cheese today! And I so didn't feel the workout this morning. When I woke up at 4:30, I just set the alarm for later. Ah well. I had a beer tonight. I was coerced by my hubby :) We still ate responsibly though!
As I was rushing this morning to get myself in the car (running late as usual), hubby directed me to look down. I never would have noticed this little guy. It was a reminder to me that it's important to look around once in awhile and appreciate the beauty of this life. It's easy to forget in the daily hustle and bustle all of the beauty that surrounds us. I stopped for a moment and watched the little guy, and ran inside and grabbed my camera (what was one more extra minute?).
I have to admit, I've never even noticed all the lines and translucency in a snail's shell. They're beautiful.
DAY 24
Weight this morning:
149.5
Exercise:
45 minute turbo jam workout
Ate/drank:
1 frittata square (approx 1 egg and 1 cup cooked spinach and mushrooms)
1 cup skim milk
diet Dr. Pepper
handful of peanuts
8 baby carrots and 2 tb hummus
Garden salad with 4 ounces ground turkey
cherry coke zero
1 string cheese
1.5 cups mashed cauliflower
4 oz grilled chicken breast
1 cup steamed green beans
1 SF chocolate pudding with 1 tb peanut butter
Yahoos:
Hubby and I are doing well with South Beach! I'm getting a little bored with all the veggies (with what I can prepare with little time), but tonight I'm going to do grilled chicken breasts and mashed cauliflower.
Yikes:
DAY 23
Weight this morning:
150
Exercise:
I had all the best intentions but decided more sleep was needed. Tomorrow I will do the 45 minute workout!
Ate/drank:
1 frittata square (approx 1 egg and 1 cup cooked spinach, mushrooms, ham)
1 cup skim milk
1 Cherry Coke Zero
handful of peanuts
1 piece string cheese
1 garden salad with 4 oz. chicken breast
4 baby carrots with 1 tb hummus
4 oz pork barbeque
1 cup collard greens
1/4 cup peanuts
1 SF fudgsicle
Yahoos:
Yikes:
The final one (I think) I'm going with. Costco is a great resource, by the way, for printing photos. I've yet to find a local place that compares with the quality. I went to Target once because I wasn't in the mood to battle the crowds or stand in line to exit Costco. Never again! Target may be okay for casual snapshots but the black and white was just awful. The colors at Costco are always spot on and the black and white prints have nice rich, neutral blacks. I'm going to get this dry mounted as a 16 x 20 print for $15. Can't beat that!
DAY 22
Weight this morning:
150.5 (there's the bloat I was talking about ;)
Exercise:
45 minute turbo jam workout
Ate/drank:
1 frittata square (approx 1 egg and 1 cup cooked spinach, mushrooms, ham)
1 cup skim milk
1 diet Dr. Pepper
1 string cheese
handful of peanuts
garden salad with 4 oz london broil and light ranch dressing
1 diet Dr. Pepper
2 ground turkey lettuce wraps
1 cup stir fried veggies (with sauce)
1 SF fudgsicle
Yahoos:
Yay for returning to exercise this week, and for attempting the longer harder workout! While I dabbled with the first phase of South Beach last week, now that hubby is home, we're both doing it full-fledged (as of today).
Yikes:
We seriously indulged this weekend with alcohol and carbs and sweets. What better way to kick off a diet?!
DAY 19
Weight this morning:
148.5
Exercise:
Not this week :(
Ate/drank:
1.5 frittata square (approx 1.5 eggs and 1.5 cup cooked spinach)
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup peanuts
Diet Coke
1 large garden salad with almonds and a grilled chicken breast
Diet sunkist
1.5 cups broccoli slaw
1/2 cup baked beans
2 glasses red wine
crackers
Yahoos:
Despite my diet deviation twice this week, I've managed to maintain the loss. Woohoo!
Yikes:
I feel a glass of wine in my immediate future. It's the weekend!!!
(click for biggie)
DAY 18
Weight this morning:
148.5
Exercise:
Not this week :(
Ate/drank:
1.5 frittata square (approx 1.5 eggs and 1.5 cup cooked spinach)
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup peanuts
8 baby carrots
1 can of green beans
1/2 cup shredded italian beef
1 diet Dr. Pepper
2 cups Chinese chicken with mixed vegetables
2 glasses of wine (had to finish off the bottle haha)
Yahoos:
I think having a sweet vice has been part of my problem with success until this week. Finding a diet soda I can stand, has fulfilled my sweet tooth. Yay for learning!
Yikes:
DAY 17
Weight this morning:
149
Exercise:
Actually I ended up walking about a 1/4 to 1/2 a mile to and from a CPR course this afternoon! Better then nothing I suppose!
Ate/drank:
1.5 frittata square (approx 1 egg and 1 cup cooked spinach)
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
2 cups garden salad with ranch dressing
1.5 cups stir fried veggies
celery and baby carrots (about a cup)
2 glasses of wine
1.5 ounce muenster & sharp cheddar cheese
10 olives
1/2 avocado
a serving of crackers
1/2 cup strawberry ice cream (120 cal)
Yahoos:
I hesitate to say it, but I see a trend forming here...Yay for breaking the 150 mark!!!!!
Yikes:
I am going to jump off the diet for a couple of glasses of wine tonight. I know they'll help me sleep well and this single mom thing this week has had me up about 5 times a night (I just am not sleeping well). Oops well since I was jumping off for the wine, I figured I'd do crackers and ice cream too. No self control!! Again, it was worth it.
DAY 16
Weight this morning:
151
Exercise:
Maybe I'll get some in tonight but I doubt it.
Ate/drank:
1 frittata square (approx 1 egg and 1 cup cooked spinach)
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
3 baby carrots
garden salad with 1/2 chicken breast
diet Dr. Pepper
10 olives
naked veggie burger with a whole sliced roma tomato and 1/4 cup guacamole
rainbow broccoli slaw
Yahoos:
Another pound down? I'm proud of myself through making it through my first day with no starch or sugar (despite being surrounded by it). Hopefully I make it today too!
Yikes:
This is a bloat week for me so I won't be surprised when that scale goes back up.
Well I'm going to try to do a modified version of the South Beach diet this week. I'll enter phase 1, but I think I'm going to keep fruit. We'll see how it goes. I made a big frittata this weekend and cut up a bunch of veggies (a main requirement for south beach).
DAY 15
Weight this morning:
152
Exercise:
Does going up and down the stairs count?
Ate/drank:
1 frittata square (approx 1 egg and 1 cup cooked spinach)
1 cup skim milk
10 peanuts
1 garden salad with 1/2 skinless chicken breast and balsamic dressing
1 diet Dr. Pepper
4 baby carrots
2 cups veggie stir fry
Yahoos:
My frittata for breakfast actually left me not hungry all morning. The snacking on peanuts was just to keep my blood sugar up until lunch. So far, so good!
Yikes:
Ouch caffeine headache! I broke down and drank a diet Dr. Pepper around 2.
DAY 12
Weight this morning:
153 (after workout and 1 glass of water)
Exercise:
20 minute turbo jam workout
Ate/drank:
1 bowl of cereal with skim milk
12 ounce Coke
1 small apple
Rotisserie chicken and roasted potatoes
1 dove chocolate
handful of trail mix
italian beef sandwich (small)
1 glass white wine
Yahoos:
Wow did I want to stay in bed this morning. I even sat downstairs on the floor for a good 2-3 minutes once I'd changed, contemplating whether to just slump over and nap right there or put my sneakers on. I feel good about following through. I don't know how much of a chance I'll have to workout next week so I'm glad I ended this week right.
Yikes:
DAY 11
Weight this morning:
152
Exercise:
I slept in and it was good.
Ate/drank:
1 bowl of cereal with skim milk
12 ounce Coke
1 small apple
handful of peanuts
1 volcano roll
1 shrimp tempura roll
1 dove chocolate
15 jelly bellies
Rotisserie chicken, creamed spinach and roasted potatoes (a rather large portion)
2 miller lites
Yahoos:
The scale went down? *shakes head*. Okay whatever, I'll take it!
Yikes:
No workout for me this morning. I didn't set the alarm when I went to bed last night and I told myself if I woke up in time to work out, then I would. Woo hoo for sleeping until 5:30 (when the baby stirred). Leave it to me to take something relatively healthy like sushi and be totally unhealthy about it. "Yes, I'll have the one smothered in creamy sauce and one that's deep fried please. Do they come with butter for dipping?" UG. But you know, it was sooooo worth it.
DAY TEN
Weight this morning:
154 (after workout and 1 glass of water)
Exercise:
20 minute turbo jam
Ate/drank:
1 bowl of cereal with skim milk
12 ounce Coke
banana
handful of trail mix
grilled chicken burrito
roasted corn
1 dove chocolate
chocolate pudding cup with a tsp of peanut butter
veggie lasagna (with alfredo sauce)
2 glasses of wine (I needed it damn it)
a handful of crackers and an ounce or so of muenster
Yahoos:
The scale did not go UP today. Woofuckinghoo. Perhaps it sensed my dissatisfaction yesterday? I'm thinking next week I might bump up the workout to the more intense one (30-35 min?) and do it at night. Hubby is traveling so I wont have the time in the morning. We'll see how that goes!
Yikes:
Yawn. I'm tired despite the 20 minute turbo jam and my morning caffeine. The pudding was completely unnecessary. I just ate it because I was bored. I do too much eating because of boredom. Oops on the wine...and cheese...and crackers.
DAY NINE
Weight this morning:
154 (after workout and 1 glass of water)
Exercise:
20 minute turbo jam
Ate/drank:
1 bowl of cereal with skim milk
12 ounce Coke
1 banana
handful of peanuts
2 fish (tilapia) tacos with slaw and cream sauce (and they were goooooooood)
1 apple
1 grilled chicken burrito
1 serving roasted corn
1/2 cup of rocky road ice cream
Yahoos:
The alarm woke me for the first time in a loooong time this morning. I wanted to roll back over and go back to sleep, but alas, I dragged my fat ass out of bed and got my turbo jam on.
Yikes:
Okay why is the scale going the OPPOSITE direction????? Maybe I need a new scale. Bastard.
DAY EIGHT
Weight this morning:
153.5 (after workout and 2 glasses of water)
Exercise:
20 minute turbo jam
Ate/drank:
1 small bowl of oatmeal with 1/4 cup of raisins
12 ounce Coke
1 apple
1 mean cuisine swedish meatballs
1 package of Lance nekot cookies with peanut butter
1 romaine salad with pickled onions, parmesan and hazelnuts
Parpadelle with duck ragu
Yahoos:
I managed to get back on track this morning.
Yikes:
It appears I'm back where I started a week ago. I had a heavy starch weekend though and I think I'm just holding the carbs as weight temporarily. I hope to see that scale return to where it was a few days ago by tomorrow or Wednesday. I think I overdid it on indulgence this weekend. We had a dinner party and I seriously overate with the antipasto and the entree. Oh and then there was dessert later...OOPS! I meant to take photos of the food, but I was too busy entertaining :)
I get the weekends off my diet and exercise. I have always done dieting this way. I have to have downtime or else I can't pull it off all week long. So any healthy eating and exercise over the weekend is just bonus in my book!
DAY FIVE
Weight this morning:
151
Exercise:
I didn't set the alarm and actually managed to sleep past 5 am for the first time this week. I've worked hard and I deserved that extra sleep. I also woke up NOT SORE this morning. It appears my body is already acclimating to movement ;)
Ate/drank:
1 small bowl of oatmeal with 1/4 cup of raisins
12 oz Cherry Coke Zero
1 small apple
handful of peanuts/trailmix
1 small iceberg salad with ginger dressing
2 sushi rolls (8 pieces each)
Yahoos:
Still no ice cream (yesterday)! I know this doesn't sound like an accomplishment, but I've literally eaten ice cream or chocolate every single day since I was like 3 months pregnant. This week, it's just been a small (hershey's kiss size) piece of chocolate daily.
Yikes:
Okay I ended up having late night ice cream. And it was good damn it.
DAY FOUR
Weight this morning:
151.5 (after workout and drinking one large glass of water)
Exercise:
I did the 20 minute turbo jam. I stretched afterwards. I'm noticing that I'm beginning to limber up a little. Thank goodness. Monday I couldn't come close to touching my toes!
Ate/drank:
1 huge bowl of apple cinnamon oatmeal
12 oz Cherry Coke Zero
1 mean cuisine "cheese ravioli" (not bad after I added a good amount of salt). There are only 6 in there, so I cute them each into 4 pieces so that I would eat them slower and trick myself into thinking it was enough.
1 petrified orange (those that look great until you peel them and split them open and they're all dried out). I still ate it though because I was HONGRAY.
1 package cream cheese & chive on crackers
12 ounce Coke
1 dove chocolate
1 chicken and avocado quesadilla
1 serving wheat pretzels
2 bottles of Killians
Yahoos:
The scale budged again! I'm proud of myself for working out this morning. I said last night (as I was finishing of glass #3 of wine) that I'd take today off, but when I woke up at 4:30 (yes again) and couldn't fall back to sleep, I decided to go for it! I've enjoyed the energy it's given me. I've also managed to keep myself from indulging in ice cream for the 3rd night in a row. Yay!
Yikes:
The pretzels at 10 pm were completely unnecessary. And they were the result of being influenced by 2 beers. Why do beer and pretzels go so well together? It's like cigarettes and coffee...
DAY THREE
Weight this morning:
152 (after workout and drinking one large glass of water)
Exercise:
I woke up at 5 am today and I did the 20 minute turbo jam AGAIN. Woohoo! Am dragging some because I actually woke up around 4:30 and couldn't fall back asleep.
Ate/drank:
1 bagel thin with 1.5 tbsp cream cheese
1 small apple
8 oz Coke
1 Fiber One oats and chocolate bar
1 small apple
1 mean cuisine chicken, artichoke and spinach panini (worth every one of the 310 calories!)
12 oz Coke
1 dove chocolate
1 tbsp peanuts
100 calorie bag of popcorn
Chicken taco salad (minus the taco!) with lime dressing and sour cream
1 serving of everything crackers
3 glasses of Chianti (had to finish the bottle!)
Yahoos:
I'm proud of myself for only 1 glass of wine last night. Usually it's a 2 glass minimum :) Woohoo the scale budged! I'm sure it's because I drank less water though. I guess we'll see!
Yikes:
3 glasses of wine *shakes head*. Well it seemed like a great idea at the time. At least wine is good for you, right?
Thanks to everyone for your support yesterday. I definitely want to lose more then the 6 pounds. I was up about 8 pounds prior to pregnancy so my ultimate goal is somewhere between 135-140. I've been able to maintain that weight before so I know it's realistic (even though I'd love to weigh 125).
DAY TWO
Weight this morning:
153 (after workout and drinking two large glasses of water)
Exercise:
I woke up at 5 am today and I did the 20 minute turbo jam AGAIN. Woohoo! I wasn't as exhausted after the workout today as I was yesterday either.
Ate/drank:
Bowl of oatmeal
8 oz Coke
1 small apple
1 tbsp peanuts
1 mean cuisine roasted veggie pizza (totally tasteless BTW and not worth the 340 calories. It was all crust).
1 chocolate pudding cup
6 mini-carrots
1 tbsp peanut butter + 1 serving of whole wheat pretzels (6 mini rods)
cheese (about 8 oz each muenster and sharp cheddar) & crackers (about 2 servings of wheat thins)
1 glass chianti
Yahoos:
Despite my arms being sore and my bed being comfy, I still rolled out of it and laced up my sneakers. 2nd night with ice cream in the house and I didn't touch it! Go me!
Yikes:
I really could have chosen a wiser dinner then wine, cheese and crackers, but oh well :)
So it's been a year and the baby weight isn't gone. A year and 2 weeks actually. I lost all but 6 pounds within a week or two of delivery and have basically maintained that weight. I did get sick and got as close to 2 pounds away from pre-pregnancy weight, but now I'm back up. I am terribly out of shape. I have gotten used to this enormous appetite that pregnancy and breastfeeding has given me and now that I stopped breastfeeding, the pounds are actually going up.
So starting today, I will watch what I eat and I am committed to trying to exercise during the week. I know this is probably of no interest to anyone, but I'm going to journal it here because I think I will make wiser choices and not opt for that doughnut or slice of cake in the breakroom if I have to record it somewhere. And I do not want to start a separate blog for this. So I'll record stuff here throughout the day and hopefully hold myself accountable and hopefully not bore any readers I have to tears.
DAY ONE
Weight this morning:
153 (after workout and drinking two large glasses of water)
Exercise:
I woke up at 5 am today and I actually did the 20 minute turbo jam. I'm patting myself on the back for that one.
Eaten/drank:
1 whole grapefruit
8 oz Coke
1 Bagel Thin with about 1.5 tbsp cream cheese
1 Fiber One Oats and Chocolate bar
12 oz Coke
2 cups veggie rice casserole (see below)
5 mini carrots
handful of peanuts
2 smallish bean and cheese burritos with green sauce and sour cream
Yahoos:
I declined the crueller offered by my coworker and have resisted the bowl of candy outside of my cubicle all morning. Did I mention I woke up at 5 AM to work out? Oh and I stretched TOO!
Yikes:
2 glasses of coke? Totally unnecessary.
Impromptu Veggie Rice Casserole
While cooking 1 cup of dry wild rice in a separate pot. I sauteed some celery, onions and carrots in a little canola oil until soft in a medium saucepan. I added 2 tbsp of oil to that and 2 tbsp of flour and cooked over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Next I added in about a cup and a half of milk (any variety of milk works) and cooked another 10 minutes to make a basic white sauce. I added in a frozen bag of corn and stirred and removed from heat. I seasoned to taste with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Once cooled, I cracked and mixed in 2 eggs. I microwaved fresh cauliflower and broccoli (about 4-5 cups) for 2.5 minutes to soften a little and mixed into the pot of veggies. When the rice was done, I mixed that in too. I preheated the oven to 400. I poured my soupy mixture of veggies and rice in a 2 quart casserole dish and baked it until the eggs were set (about 35 minutes). I topped with about a cup of shredded sharp cheddar and returned to oven. I turned the broiler on and cooked until cheese was melted and bubbly. All in all, not too bad on the calorie intake. A cup of cheese to 5-6 entree servings and minimal oil used.
You don't honk or yell when you get cut off by another driver so badly, that you have to slam on your brakes. Why? Because you don't dare wake the newly sleeping child in the backseat.
Talk about feeling conflicted.
Make this tonight and devour it tomorrow with some corned beef and cabbage. This is the easiest bread ever. If you don't have buttermilk, you can sub regular milk. Just measure out the 2 cups and add 2 tbsp of vinegar to the measuring cup. Allow to sit 5 minutes. It will curdle. Then add it to the recipe as specified! It's soooo good.
Irish Soda Bread (adapted from allrecipes.com)
Makes one loaf
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup of raisins
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Blend egg and buttermilk together, and add all at once to the flour mixture. Add raisins. Mix just until moistened. Stir in butter. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Wrap in foil for several hours, or overnight, for best flavor.
I made cupcakes for my daughter's first birthday. It was important to me for her first bite of dessert to be not only homemade, but from scratch. I used Martha Stewart's, "Yellow Butter Cupcakes" recipe with a modification. I couldn't find cake flour so I used all all-purpose flour. The cupcakes, while being very good, weren't what I had in mind. They were somewhat dense and didn't resemble yellow cake. They were closer to white cake. Oh and I should have trusted my intuition when I read in her recipe to fill muffin cups. I know better then to go over 2/3 full...I ended up with less then 36 but that's okay.
I made two icings for these cupcakes and the combination of the two was DIVINE. First I made a raspberry buttercream and a basic cream cheese icing. The cupcakes were a hit and I had lots of fun decorating them. I did have to refrigerate them both to harden slightly before piping them. It was a little warm in the kitchen. I also had quite a bit of the raspberry buttercream leftover. After taking "frosting shots", I ended up throwing out about 1.5 cups. This cupcake was devoured by the birthday girl. Well worth the effort :)
I made this for my daughter's first birthday party this weekend. Yes it's really been a year already! Hard to believe! If you're a cheesecake lover, you must try this recipe. It's incredibly easy and delicious. Her party was the perfect excuse to whip it up.
Chocolate chip cheesecake dip (frome recipezaar)
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients:
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter, softened
1.5 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.5 cups semisweet mini chocolate chips
Directions:
Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in sugars and vanilla.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Cover and store in refrigerator. Serve with graham crackers, vanilla wafers or graham cracker sticks.
This morning, after dropping my daughter off at daycare (a process which takes no less then 20 minutes), I sat in my car in my work parking lot. As I reached into the passenger seat to gather my slew of bags for the day, I inadvertently looked down at my lap and noticed something strange.
I saw a seam. I actually looked closer with disbelief, that not only did I not notice I was wearing my skirt INSIDE OUT, but my husband didn't notice either. I had encountered I don't know how many people at daycare looking a fool. However, being parents, I'm sure they understood.
So there I sat in the work parking lot, now knowing I HAD to go inside wearing my skirt inside out. I even debated for a millisecond whether or not it was possible to correct my wrong in my car. Not possible. Hahahaha!
I took the suggestion of Brown Eyed Baker and made these moist, fluffy, chocolatey cupcakes. I didn't have any vanilla extract left over for the frosting, but that so didn't matter. They were heaven. And aren't the little white chocolate hearts cute? I just melted some bark and drizzled the shapes on waxed paper and let set. I delivered a plate to my nice new neighbors and we're devouring the rest.
As my daughter nears the one year mark, I feel a need to document some of the things I've felt since her birth. At a time in my life that I felt I truly knew who I was and what I wanted in and out of my life, the birth of my child, and returning to work, have flipped me upside down. I never knew I could love so fully or feel so vulnerable. I've got a handle on things, but it's been a journey and it's constantly changing.
My list of worries and concerns in no typical order:
Since becoming a Northern Durhamite a couple of weeks ago, I've become painfully aware of our limited takeout options within a 4-5 mile radius. Don't get me wrong, we like living further out, but I do miss the plethora of options I had being closer to city center. Where we are now, we have several options for fast food, sandwiches, mexican and take-out chinese, but that's it.
Driving home this weekend I noticed a sign for a new retaurant next to Chik-fil-a in the old Bull City Deli building (prior to that I think it was a Schlotzsky's). I was intrigued and not two days later read the restaurant opening report at Carpe Durham. Last night, I dropped in to grab some take out. I noticed the signs advertising a take out window, but didn't see it set up just yet.
The decor is nice; a peachy stucco interior, filled with booths, soft Italian music playing. The lighting is soft, but bright enough to see your food. It felt very much like a family Italian restaurant to me. It's run by an Italian family and all the staff that I encountered was extremely friendly (especially Karen the bartender). While sitting at the bar, waiting for my food, I could hear only Italian being spoken in the kitchen – a good sign.
There are many vegetarian options and a lot of eggplant dishes, if that's your thing. For dinner, it's mostly pasta, brick oven pizza, panini, seafood and chicken. They also have a nice selection of salads. If you're a beefeater, this isn't the place for you. I found the pasta options to be priced kind of high for it not being freshly made pasta, but they do have a "make your own" section where you can customize pasta and sauce and add on homemade sausage or meatballs (not available last night).
I selected "Pasta Della Nonna" which was fettucine with ham and mushrooms in a tomato cream sauce. For the hubby, I ordered spaghetti with pesto and sausage. I tacked on two side salads with the house Basil-Chianti vinaigrette (for an extra $3.50$3.25).
The food was great. Everything was well seasoned. The pasta was cooked perfectly. The only complaint I have was portion size. The pasta dishes were definitely entree size, but not enough to have leftovers for lunch (which is what I'm used to from the nearby Pomodoro). The salads were honestly really pitiful for $3.50$3.25. 5-6 pieces of cut up romaine, 4 slices of olive and cherry tomato, some red onion, a few pieces of roasted red pepper, a couple of baked pizza dough squares and a slice of cucumber. This isn't local organic produce or anything so I really expected more lettuce for the price. The ingredients were great, as was the dressing.
We'll definitely go back, but probably for lunch or perhaps a special occasion. I'm curious about the pizza. The little breadsticks that came with the entrees were nice and crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I can't see dropping $40 for take-out (entrees and salads only) on a regular basis. I think Pop's definitely has them beat for dinner (food and selection).
Life has been busy.
We survived the holidays and had fun celebrating them for the first time with our rapidly growing baby girl. We've enjoyed watching her accomplish milestones and at the same time have been saddened by how quickly she's becoming a girl, and not so much of a baby anymore. Oh and did I mention she decided to get mobile exactly 2 weeks before we had to pick up everything and move?!
We decided to try to sell our house after much encouragement from our phenomenal realtor/friend. Much to our surprise, it was under contract in 2.5 weeks, the week of Christmas nonetheless. It was a pleasure to pass our family's first home on to a couple who truly fell in love with it. I know they'll take good care of it. We bought a bigger home, in a quieter area with more land. Though I miss being so close to downtown, we hardly ever actually dine at restaurants and it's just as easy to live the extra 10 minutes away and grab takeout on the way home for date night. Oh and have I mentioned the quiet? No bass-thumping, lawn-parking neighbors to speak of. Our first weekend in our new home we were greeted by our next door neighbors with a plate of homemade cupcakes, and our neighbors across the street offering to shovel our driveway. Niiiiiiiiice.
Last weekend we settled in more, hanging things on the wall and even getting out to do a little shopping. Our new home feels like home and I think life is beginning to slow to an almost manageable pace again.
**Shameless plug**
I am attempting to further my photography passion (and hopefully make a little extra money) by doing portraits. I've got a studio space in the new house complete with lighting and backdrops. If you need some photos taken, consider using me!! There are plenty of photos on this blog, but if you'd like to view a few samples, you can do so here.
