My Little Avengers

May 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment


My entire family enjoyed Marvel’s The Avengers when we went to see it with a group of friends during its opening weekend. That is why I couldn’t resist buying these cute little shirts while shopping online at Children’s Place. (They were only $8.50, down from $12.95.) The kids LOVED them. They promptly tossed aside everything else that was in the box and begged to wear their new tees immediately. If you have or know anyone who has a kid that liked the movie, this would make an inexpensive gift even at full retail price….

Too bad that the tees don’t come in sizes for men…Reggie wants one :-) . Now, I am looking for a cool Captain America (the character that Reggie identifies with the most in the movie) tee to buy for part of Reggie’s Father’s Day gift. If you see, a super cool (not “cute”) one that is reasonably priced, please let me know. Thanks!

Filed Under: My Life

How to make pico de gallo guacamole

May 16, 2012 By 4 Comments

I have had guacamole on the brain for the last couple of weeks. Since we have started Taco/Mexican Tuesday night dinners at our home, I have been learning such delicious new recipes. (I have a recipe for simple crockpot black bean and a super-easy, super-delicious 4-ingredient salsa that I have made. I will share them by the end of the month.) Today, I want to share a guacamole recipe…and my process for coming up with foods that both my family and I enjoy. (Cooking really isn’t that complicated!)

As you may know, I have a somewhat obsessive personality. Once something gets “stuck” in my mind, I just have to figure it out. That’s what happened with my desire for a great, homemade guacamole. I didn’t grow up eating guacamole, so I went to my local grocery store and looked at the ingredients on the pre-packaged guacamoles. (When I can’t pronounce the ingredients, I move on!) I was pleasantly surprised to find Calavo’s guacamole with 8 real ingredients: Hass Avocados, Tomato, Onion, Jalapeno Pepper, Salt, Cilantro, and Garlic. Since I had (and enjoy!) 6 of the 8 ingredients in my home already, I decided that this was the type of guacamole that I would make. So, I bought a couple of Mexican avocadoes (since Chef Aarón Sanchez said that they are the best to use) and some jalapeno peppers. I was all set. Well almost…avocadoes are hard when you buy them. You need to keep them in a brown bag for 5 days or so before they are ready to be used.

Finally, the avocadoes were ripe enough for me to make guacamole yesterday. I knew what I wanted to put into my guacamole, but I still needed to figure out the amounts to use. I put all of the ingredients into my google search bar to see which recipes popped up. (I usually look at the first 5 to see what commonalities they have and start experimenting from there.) This time, I couldn’t find any recipe with all of the ingredients, but a Martha Stewart one came close. I have changed several things including adding an extra half of an avocado (the flavors were too strong with just 1) and garlic; including all of the tomato; and the preparation (I’m simple – no special tools, besides the back of a spoon, are needed to mix this guacamole together. Also, I like my guacamole to be a little more substantial, so I don’t finely chop anything…except for the jalapeno and garlic!) In any event, I loved, loved, loved the final result. Michael (the only other avocado eater in my home) did too. It’s the second best guacamole that I have tasted.  Chef Aarón Sanchez‘s guacamole at Centrico is still the best. Oh, well…here you go:


Pico De Gallo Guacamole
Adapted from Classic Mexican Guacamole from Martha Stewart Recipes
Yield: Approximately 1½ cup

Ingredients:
• 1 ½ ripe Mexican Hass avocado, peeled, pitted and lightly mashed
• 3 tbsp tomato, chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp chopped onion
• 1 1/4 tsp jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Directions:
1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

2. Use immediately or as another option, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the guacamole for 30 minutes before serving.

Filed Under: Food & Recipes

“Click and Improve” improved my Mother’s Day weekend

May 15, 2012 By 4 Comments

Ahh...spa!

I hope that your Mother’s Day weekend was memorable. I had a wonderfully relaxing one. I had the day “off” on Saturday. I went to Manhattan to meet up with a thoughtful girlfriend who unexpectedly treated me to an early Mother’s Day breakfast. After that, I went to a spa appointment for a hot stone massage and lunch before heading home. The best part is that I returned home to a super clean home. (While I was out, my home was being cleaned courtesy of Click and Improve, a new online resource for home improvement and repair needs for NYC, Westchester County and Long Island.)

I really appreciate the persistence of Anthony from Click and Improve! He has been reaching out to me periodically since early April to try out one of the company’s service providers, and “by coincidence”, I chose Mother’s Day weekend to do so :-) . Overall, Click and Improve offers a variety of services that would be helpful for people (like me) who don’t have the time, energy and/or skill set to undertake home repair projects. While I was able to unclog my sink drains in the past, that’s about it for me. Leaky faucets, room renovations, painting and things like that are definitely in my “outsource to a handyman (or woman)” category. On the other hand, I can do some of the services – like deep housecleaning and painting – that Click and Improve offers. I just prefer that someone else do it. I’m a minimalist and seeing clutter – except for when the kids are actively playing with a bunch of toys – bothers me so my home is rarely ever a total mess. However, I don’t enjoy time-consuming tasks like deep cleaning all of the kitchen surfaces. (It’s funny that we had a housekeeper come in once a month to do the super deep cleaning when I only had one child. Now, that we have two sons, we only get a cleaning service on special occasions. That’s backwards, right? Reggie helps out a lot more now since he finished his graduate degrees though. I guess that it all evens out.)

Anyway, it’s really easy to use Click and Improve. You just select the job or service that you want on their site. (I chose “maid service”.)  Then you answer a few questions. (I chose the “I need my house cleaned (interiors) option; followed by “I need to clean my apt. (general cleaning)” and “I have a 2 bedroom apt.”) If I wasn’t reviewing the service, the price that I would have paid ($125) is comparable to what I was paying almost four years ago.

You can get a better idea of how the process works by looking at their brief video:

 

In any event, I was beyond pleased with their home cleaning service. I was at home to let the team in and the first impressions were favorable. They called before ringing my bell. They also brought their own vacuum – something that none of the other cleaning services that I have ever used practiced. Most of all, I especially liked the fact that a man came along with the woman housekeeper to make sure that she was settled in before he left. It just made me feel better about that cleaning company overall, because they are protective of their workers. (There are some crazy folks in NYC…) When I returned home after the heavenly massage and delicious lunch, I found “my guys” relaxing in a clean home…that I didn’t have to clean. How cool is that? No dusting, floor cleaning or deep cleaning of the kitchen or bathroom for this mom on Mother’s Day weekend. Thanks to Click and Improve, I could remain in my “massage state” a while longer…

In any event, if you are a renter or homeowner in NYC, Westchester County or Long Island, I recommend that you try this service when you need your next referral for a home contractor or service provider. I liked what I saw and I’m confident that you will too.

Filed Under: Mother's Day 2012, My Life, Reviews Tagged With:

Quiche Lorraine Recipe
(Easy One Dish Meal for Mother’s Day Brunch)

May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment


I have been to several brunches and events lately where various quiche dishes have been served. That’s why when I was thinking of an easy one dish meal that “my guys” could make for Mother’s Day, quiche immediately popped into my mind. Since I like bacon and scrambled eggs with cheese for breakfast, I made a couple of Quiche Lorraines…which is simply a fancy name for a quiche made with cheese and bacon. It was a hit in my house…we went through two quiches in two days! Sean was my little helper as I made the test quiches, so he will be able to “instruct” Reggie and Michael this weekend. In any event, this is a simple recipe that your kids can make for Mother’s Day with a little oven supervision by another adult. (Seriously, Sean can do all of this by himself…besides the oven parts!)


Easy “Mother’s Day” Quiche Lorraine Recipe
Yield: 1 quiche

Ingredients:

  • 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
  • 8 pieces of bacon
  • ¾ cup shredded cheese
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Cook the bacon according to the directions on its package. Note: the bacon will basically stay at the same consistency that you originally put it into the uncooked quiche. So, if you like your bacon crisp (like “my guys” preferred the smoked bacon that I used), then be sure to make it crispy from the start.) Once the bacon is cooked, crumble it and place it into the bottom of the (room temperature) pie crust.

3. Sprinkle the cheese over the bacon. Many people use gruyere or Swiss cheese in this quiche, but you can use whatever type of cheese that you enjoy the most since it’s your special day. (A four-cheese blend – Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Colby and Cheddar – was my choice.)

4. Whisk the eggs, milk and seasonings together. Basically, I prepared my egg mixture the way that I normally cook my eggs (with seasoned salt and pepper). I don’t normally use milk in my eggs, but that addition is a must with quiche.  Pour the egg mixture on top of the bacon and cheese.

5. Place the quiche in the oven and let it cook for 35 – 50 minutes. When you insert a toothpick (or butter knife) into the center and it comes out clean, it is ready. With my particular oven, it was cooked perfectly at 40 minutes both times. Take the quiche out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Food & Drinks, Food & Recipes, Mother's Day 2012 Tagged With:

Four Mother’s Day Brunch Recipes
(Banana Muffins, French Toast, Frittata & Pancakes)

May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I prefer eating breakfast foods later in the day, so brunch is one of my favorite meals. Following are four recipes that I think would be a delicious part of any Mother’s Day brunch menu…


Best Banana Muffins
Yield: One dozen muffins

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick of unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
  • 1 tsp of baking soda
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • 1 cup of mashed, very ripe bananas (Approximately 3 bananas)
  • 1/2 cup of sour cream
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a light coating of butter on the bottom and sides of the muffin pan (or use cupcake holders).

2. In a bowl, cream together butter (that is at room temperature) and sugar until it is light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture and beat all three ingredients together well.

4. In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and salt). Combine them with the mixture in the first bowl and blend everything together well.

5. Add the mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Stir everything together well.

6. Scoop the batter into the muffin pan and let the muffins bake uncovered for 16 -18 minutes. (When a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, the muffins are ready.)


French Toast Recipe
(Serves 2 – 3)

Ingredients:
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup of milk
-2 teaspoons of sugar
-1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
-butter
-4 to 6 slices of day-old bread (4 if thickly cut/6 if regularly sliced sandwich bread)

Instructions:
1. Whisk the eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon together in a large, shallow bowl.

2. Dip both sides of each slice of bread in the mixture thoroughly coating the bread. Place the battered slices of bread to the side.

3. Coat your 10-inch nonstick sauté pan or griddle with a thin layer of butter and heat on medium heat until it is hot. (You can tell that it’s hot enough by letting a few droplets of water fall on it. The water will sizzle/ “dance” when the pan/grill is ready.”)

4. Place the battered bread in the heated pan or griddle and cook until golden brown on each side. This will take approximately 3 – 5 minutes per side. If you’re cooking with a pan, then you will be able to cook 2 slices at a time.

The thing that I love about basic recipes like this one is that you can always change them up based on who is eating the meal. How do you like your French toast? My brother is simple, so he just wanted French toast made with whole wheat bread. However, you can use thicker cuts of bread like challah, brioche, etc. As another option, you can also add vanilla to the dipping mixture. Once the toast is cooked, you can sprinkle it with confectioner’s sugar for a “pretty” touch. You can add sliced fruit (bananas, strawberries, etc.) on top.


Pancetta Chobani Fritatta
(Recipe courtesy of Chef Jason of Chobani Kitchen)
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
8 eggs
Fresh thyme (? how much thyme)
1 cup 0% plain Chobani
1 tsp olive oil
2 oz  diced onions
¼ cup diced pancetta
2 oz asparagus
2 thinly sliced Peruvian potatoes
6 cherry tomatoes sliced
4 slices of Gruyere
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Whisk the eggs, thyme and Chobani together until the Chobani is smoothly blended with the egg.

2. Place a nonstick pan on the stove at a medium high heat. Pour the olive oil in the pan and sauté the onions in the oil until they are caramelized.  Remove the onions from the pan.

3. Place the pancetta into the pan and cook it until it is tender.  Remove the pancetta from the pan, but leave the oil in the pan.

4. Cook the asparagus in the pancetta fat and remove it from the pan.

5. Then add the potatoes to the pan and cook them until they are crispy.

6. Place the egg mixture (from Step 1) into the pan and cook it on medium heat. Add the pancetta, asparagus and onions to the egg mixture. Place the tomatoes and cheese on top of the egg and place the pan into an oven until everything is done (approximately 3 minutes).  Season and serve.


Serena’s Homemade Pancakes
Yield: 6-8 pancakes

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups of reduced-fat milk
  • 3/4 cup of ricotta cheese
  • 2 cups of fresh fruit (I used blueberries, raspberries, and blueberries.)
  • 2 tbsp of butter
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp of lemon juice
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp of butter

Cooking Instructions

  • Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder together in a large bowl.  Next, add the eggs, milk and ricotta cheese to the mixture. (You can add additional milk if you want thinner pancakes.)  Then, add the lemon juice, cinnamon, and fresh fruit to the mixture. Mix everything together until the batter is smooth and has reached your desired consistency.
  • Add approximately one tablespoon of butter to a large frying pan. Turn the flame to a low setting and let the butter melt in the pan. Use a small measuring cup to scoop out the batter and add it to the pan. (As an alternative, you can use a ladle or large spoon to scoop the batter.) Let the pancakes cook on one side. When they start to “bubble”, turn them over and let them cook on the other side. Serve the pancakes while they are warm along with your favorite toppings (maple syrup, butter, sugar, or plain). Enjoy!
Filed Under: Food & Drinks, Food & Recipes, Mother's Day 2012