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Friday, March 31, 2006

I'm being naughty.

No, no, this isn't THAT kind of blog. It's just that there are probably 1,000 other things I should be doing right now, but I can't resist a little blogging time.

It's been every so quiet in my kitchen lately, but maybe I can bring you news from food blogs that HAVE been cooking.

I just discovered Moose in the Pantry through a Technorati link, only I don't know who to credit for the blog because it is ever so anonymous and mysterious. Looks like it was just started this week and already the pictures are way better than anything I am able to do, but the blogger claims this is not so with his/her cooking. I beg to differ, the chocolate loaf looks great. Welcome to food blogging, whoever you are!


Though I haven't had much time to post to my own blog, much less read anyone else's blog, I did check out La Mia Cucina after receiving a VRC submission from Lisa. Pretty blog! So many blogs, so little time.....
The photography at delicious days is truly awe-inspiring. Many times I must admit I don't even get to the words for being so taken by the photography. This isn't just a random food blog, folks, this is an online magazine, complete with photographs that could go up against any of the big food magazines out there. It's that good.

Just one of the many amazing photographs at delicious days

If you're as taken by good photography as I am, you'll want to check out matt bites. Looking forward to spending more time on his blog - fantastic.

I can see that I need to spend time updating my food blog links on the side bar. And after looking at all these lovely blogs, I'm getting the urge to change the look of The Savory Notebook again.....I just have not found my look yet. Maybe sometime after I stop working full time and get moved, I'll get a chance to create a look that sticks.

It will be quiet here for a while - I hope to find a chance to blog here and there, but it may not be possible over the next week or so. And now I really must stop being naughty and get a few things done before bedtime.....

Thursday, March 30, 2006

VRC: Most Requested Recipe

Jotting off a quick note to say that everyone will have an extra week to get their recipes to me for VRC: Most Requested Recipe. I will not have time to post a round-up until next weekend, on April 9th, so I hope more of you will join in and send me your most requested or most popular recipe - the recipe that wins you rave reviews every time.

For more information on what VRC is all about, please click on this link.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Catching Up

Time to play catch up here at The Savory Notebook after having houseguests since Sunday. My in-laws were here and the computer is in the guest room, so no blogging or computer time for me for the last few days.

Sunday we baked a couple of treats to have on hand while the in-laws were visiting. I decided to try Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies from Martha Stewart's Holiday Cookies book. These were good, but too cakey for my tastes. I don't know if I overbaked them or if they are just a cakey brownie, but they also didn't have the most impressive chocolate taste either. Next time I'd like to take the peanut butter filling from this recipe and try it on a better brownie. Cakey or not they are still good enough for me to be eating more than my share.

On a healthier note, we baked some whole grain muffins to keep on hand for breakfast.

Dinner that night was a new recipe from Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats - Pasta with Mushroom Cream Sauce. This was very easy to throw together and quite good.

Monday night the in-laws took us out to dinner, but Tuesday night I finally got a chance to cook for them. Too bad I didn't have time to come blog about it because it would have been perfect for Sweetnicks' ARF Tuesdays with all the vegetables we ate that night. I served the Very Creamy Vegetable Chowder with a veggie salad and crusty bread.

Just a short post tonight. I hope that life will settle down long enough for me to post more regularly again sometime soon, but it's not looking like that will happen for a while. In fact, my little blog may have to go silent for a week or so, but it will only be temporary. After that I hope to be able to post more often and bring back my exercise and fitness discussions as well.

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Danged little Key limes....


Way back during the holiday season when I was baking from Martha Stewart's Holiday Cookies issue, I was supposed to make Key Lime Bars, the request from my husband. I never did get around to making them, until today. Hey, it only took 3 months, but we finally made them!

I may never make them again. I don't particularly like juicing lemons or limes in the first place and to spend so much time juicing a whole slew of tiny little Key limes to only come up with 1/3 cup of juice is just way too annoying to do on a regular basis. I have seen Key lime juice in bottles in the store but have never wanted to buy it because I know I don't like the bottled lemon juice they sell, but after all of that work, it might just be worth a try! Either that or just be happy with regular limes.....

They did come out quite well, but just too much work for one little pan of bars. And for those who are observant - the picture below is NOT of the Key lime bar recipe, but I knew it was much prettier than anything I could take at home, so I used it anyway.

Photo from Martha Stewart

Next up, the pork and panko dish I have been talking about all week and still have yet to make. Once more it was on the menu for last night, but I totally forgot that it was Friday during Lent and therefore no meat allowed. We settled for the vegetarian version of Easy Layered Beans and Rice and decided to put off the pork until today. But would the pork still be good? Yes! Our pork loin seems to have survived our freezer mishap. This dish got thumbs up all around.

Wasabi and Panko Crusted Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce

Photo from Cooking Light

Thursday, March 23, 2006

This and That

Whoops, silly me, I forgot that I'm going out with the girls tonight and won't be cooking, so no pork and panko tonight. So, just a couple of quick notes instead.

There is another clip over on MSNBC of Anna's Today Show cooking segment - check it out! I sure hope that Anna can give us the dirt on Ms. Couric - she seems so nice, but I hear stories that say otherwise!

In other food and blogging news, Sweetnicks' blog has a sexy (and sweet) new look. Looks great, Cate.

And lastly, a quick reminder to send me links to your most popular recipe for VRC: Most Requested Recipe - the recipe that everyone asks you to give them or make for them. The recipe you know is guaranteed to get gobbled at any party. Send me your link and I will post a round-up by the end of March.

Off for a much-needed night out and hope to be back over the course of the weekend with more cooking notes and recipes.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Finally....

...a little time to blog.

Tonight - a big shout out to Anna of Cookie Madness (which appears to be in the middle of a renovation at the moment). Anna was the grand prize winner of the 42nd Pillsbury Bake-Off contest. How cool is that????? I first got to "know" Anna on the Cooking Light Bulletin Boards which are all a-buzz today with the news.

For her efforts, Anna won $1 million (!) and a set of stainless steel kitchen appliances. If, like me, you missed seeing it on TV, here's a link to MSNBC where you can find video of her exciting moment. Just scroll down to "More Today Show Video" and click on the arrows until you find the "6/14" clip. She’ll be appearing on the Today Show tomorrow morning to cook up her winning recipe. Now if only I remember to actually tape it. Congratulations, Anna! I can’t wait for your own write-up on your blog – details, details! You really need to take a peek at her recipe to see how waffle "Dunkables" fit into a savory chicken and stuffing dish! Very creative!

Joy Behar from The View has just announced that
Anna is the Grand Prize Winner and has won $1 million!!!!

Anna's winning recipe: Baked Chicken and Spinach Stuffing

The other night we made a Rachael Ray recipe from the 365: No Repeats cookbook I bought the other day. The boys loved it - in fact, DS#2 was in tears tonight because I asked him to share the leftovers with his brother. I don't know if that's good or bad???? I thought the dish was good, but it needed some tweaking before I’d be excited about making it again. But I can see why the boys liked it – ground beef, pasta, and cheese – all very kid-friendly. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t crazy about it – no vegetables (or not many)! I found this slightly different version on Food Network that looks promising too.

I hope to be back tomorrow night with a pork and panko review.......until then..........

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Grgich and Shrimp

Tonight's meal was born from the fact that DH deemed that last night's meal was not good enough for our bottle of Grgich Chardonnay. I'm sure he was right, but I was ready to drink it last night, just the same.

He said that only a seafood meal would do, so I picked shrimp. As I tried to decide what to make, I remembered a dish that was easy but elegant and delicious. It's supposed to be served over orzo, but I completely forgot to get it during my visit to the store today, even as I reached for a box of penne. Sigh. However, I was almost glad I forgot because we had some leftover brown rice that I was able to use up - just as tasty, more nutritious, and definitely more economical.

Picture from Martha Stewart

Shrimp Sauté with Orzo

Keep your eye out this week - I promise it will be better than last week. I want to make sure that DH has a proper send off!

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Back in the Kitchen

For the first time in a long time, I can't remember the last thing I cooked in the kitchen! Sunday we had pork and rice and that's the last interesting thing I can remember making. I'm not quite sure what happened........

Anyway, I'd like to do a good bit of cooking for the next week or so since DH will be leaving soon to start his new job in PA. I'm not sure what will happen to cooking in this house once it's just the boys and me. After all, I will have lost my best and most complimentary eater and therefore, much of my inspiration. All will not be lost, however - my boys are pretty good eaters and I will not be able to live on grilled cheese and pizza alone.


I picked up a new cookbook at school this week. Every month or so, a book club comes in and drops off books and other items for us to look over and purchase if we so choose. A while ago I passed up a Rachael Ray cookbook and have regretted it ever since. This time, no regrets. I bought Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats for $12. Same price as Amazon, but no waiting.


Tonight I was craving plain old comfort food - something a little starchy, a little cheesey. Pasta? Maybe rice? I started to envision a cheesey rice dish and I suddenly remembered a recipe that I tried once a long time ago and remembered enjoying. It was a vegetarian dish with rice, cheese and veggies. I decided to add some cooked chicken this time, along with some random frozen veggies that have been lingering in my freezer. I love these casserole-type dishes - not only are the warm and comforting, but they let you use up just about anything you like. For the rice primavera, I used the recipe as a base, but didn't necessarily follow it to the "T". It turned out pretty well, but definitely needed more color. Perhaps some roasted red peppers. Nothing spectacular, but it was warm and cheesey and comforting, just what I was in the mood for, so I was happy.



For tomorrow.....something with seafood so that we can open a nice bottle of Grgich Hill 2001 Chardonnay. I'm sure I would not be allowed to open those kinds of bottles while DH is gone. This wine is still our best steal ever - we got it at Meijer on clearance for $14.99 - it regularly retails for $42! We bought at least 6 bottles and this will be our last one. I have drifted away from Chardonnay over the years, but this one is excellent - not oaky.


Until tomorrow.....

Friday, March 17, 2006

Headed East, Almost Home.

Well, after 4 long, long months in our new house we've had enough and we're moving out. Kidding. Sort of.

We moved into our new home back in November. A house twice the size of our old house with a walkout basement and a big, if not particularly beautiful, kitchen. It sits on a golf course with lots of windows and great views. Not a beautiful home by any means, but lots of room and a pretty setting. We were pretty happy, if not a little house poor.

Then on January 31st, DH was laid off from his job. All that budgeting I've been talking about? That's the reason why. We had a good chunk of money in the bank, but not knowing how long unemployment would last and wanting to have something left when it was all over, we really clamped down on spending.

Anyway, DH has been interviewing furiously for the last 2 months and just accepted a position for a job in Central PA. On the positive side, Central PA is much closer to what we call home which is basically almost anywhere between NY and VA. I was born and grew up in NY, but also lived in MD for about 8 years inbetween. DH was born in VA and later moved to NJ. We both went to college at Lehigh University in PA, where we met and married. It's been 13 years since we left home and I think we're ready to go back, even if it's not all the way back.

I'm both anxious and excited. It's going to be a long few months as we try to sell our house and buy yet another house. The boys will finish out the school year here, so we'll be here at least until the end of May, if not a little longer. The cost of living in central PA is pretty similar to the cost of living here, so I hope we can find something nice and not have to give up too much. The company offers a very extensive relocation package, so at least we know we'll be rid of our current home within 5 months or so. And heck, I haven't even seen the area yet and don't know if I'll like it.

Then again, I didn't see this place before we moved here either and I didn't much care for it when we got here. But I adjusted and became pretty attached to it. Maybe not attached enough to stay here forever and pass up an opportunity to be 3-5 hours from most of our friends and family instead of a long and grueling 12 hours. We'll miss the friends we've made here, but we'll be closer to friends that we've been cut off from for a long time now.

Sadly, there are no Trader Joe's or Whole Foods within reasonable driving distance in PA, but we will have a Wegman's. I've never been to one, but I hear lots of folks rave about them. Not to worry though, we have friends and family who do live near all the great foodie places, so we'll just stock up on our visits and put in orders when they come to see us!

The top 10 things we miss about living near the east coast:

1. Seafood, especially blue crab. DH's parents now live in DE and we'll be about 3 hours from Baltimore, so bring on the crabs!

2. Being within easy driving distance of everything. Like NYC, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, etc. You can live on the east coast be within 2-3 hours of so many wonderful things.

3. The beach. We won't exactly be close, but it won't be a grueling 14 hour trip, either.

4. The mountains. Before we moved to IN, we lived in TX for 3 years. IN looks heavily wooded and hilly compared to TX, but nothing like home. Every time we would drive to my parent's home in VA, I'd start to long for the terrain of the east coast.

5. Friends and Family.

6. Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA. And Bethlehem/Lehigh in general. You know where we'll be sometimes during the first two weeks of August this summer.

7. Broadway. Love to see Spamalot.

8. Watching the Phillies on TV or going to a game. Okay, I put that on in there for DH. I could take 'em or leave 'em. Especially after Darren Dalton left.

9. Washington, D.C. I sort of already mentioned this, but it deserves its own number. DH and I were fortunate enough to take advantage of D.C. a lot during our childhoods and we'd love for the boys to have the same opportunity.

10. No, or far less, tornadoes. I look forward to being able to sit through a thunder storm without wondering of there will be a tornado watch or warning.

Just a random, not necessarily comprehensive or even accurate list, but it makes me feel better about moving to write it down.

Oh, one more thing. Remember all that meat and seafood we were trying to cook through to save money and use things up? Well, the list got a lot shorter the other night when the freezer was very slightly ajar (most likely by yours truly) and many things thawed completely. Goodbye deer meat. (Just between you and me, I'm not shedding any tears over that one.) Bye bye to most of the fish. We kept a few things that remained mostly frozen, and even though I'm confident they will be safe to eat, they will likely suffer in quality a bit. Fortunately the one pound of shrimp we had left was in our upstairs freezer. That darned door gets left open way too often. I'm thinking we need a chest instead of an upright. No leaving the door open on a chest!

Nothing going on in the kitchen here this week, but hope to get back in the kitchen this weekend. Stay tuned....

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

VRC: Most Requested Recipe

First of all, a bit thanks to Sweetnicks for hosting VRC: Cinnamon. Now I have a craving for cinnamon rolls....I knew that would happen!

The other night I posted about possible cutbacks here at The Savory Notebook. One of those cutbacks will be in the form of fewer VRC roundups. Not only will this take up less of my time, but we seem to have increasingly smaller numbers, so I'm not sure that the weekly roundup is really working in the first place.

The next roundup will be due by March 31st, giving everyone a good 2 weeks to get a recipe submitted.

This time I'd like everyone to share their most popular recipe. Do you have a recipe that seems to be well-received no matter who you serve it to? Does everyone request a copy of the recipe? Do you get asked to make this recipe over and over again? Does this recipe get passed around and become a favorite of friends and family? That's the recipe I want everyone to share here. Now most of us probably have more than one recipe that fits this description, but try to pick just one.

Hmmm...off to my recipe files to see if I can figure out what my recipe contribution will be!

Sunday, March 12, 2006

One Dinner, Two Events

Sunday's dinner ended up becoming an entry for 2 weekly food blogging events.

Due to the cutbacks (in time, not money) that need to happen here, I was going to skip making anything for VRC: Cinnamon and simply submit an old tried and true recipe that contained cinnamon. I decided, however, to stick to my original notion of challenging myself to try a savory dish with cinnamon. So, off I went on an internet search to see what I could find. Mind you, the search for a recipe alone can take me a very, very long time, so it's always a bit of a risk and usually a big consumer of time.

This time, however, I hit on a recipe almost immediately. Over at Epicurious, one of my favorite recipe resources, I found a recipe for a cinnamon-spiced rice that sounded like it would be a nice side dish for the pork tenderloin that we planned to grill that night. It also looked quick and easy, another bonus.

After that, I went in search of a new pork recipe that would go nicely with the rice dish. I went with second recipe listed on the Epicurious search and looked no further. Not only did it sound delicious, but it had many, many rave reviews AND, better still, it included an ARF ingredient - cranberries.

Unfortunately, I did not realize until later that these two dishes really didn't go together - I had been concentrating so hard on the cinnamon that I really didn't take into account the cumin seeds. With no time to make a change, I went ahead and made them both anyway. Each dish was excellent on its own, but as I rather belatedly expected, they really didn't go together. No worries - it was still gobbled up by everyone at the table.

I'm so glad to have tried the rice - it was very good. Easy to throw together, but so different from any other rice I've cooked. It made me crave a meat or fish dish that had other Indian flavors. The pork sauce was excellent. Also easy to throw together, even considering I used fresh cranberries to make a sauce as opposed to using canned sauce. Though very similar, I thought this sauce was much better than the cranberry, port and rosemary sauce that I tried a while back. I think the addition of balsamic was the key here. (Hey Mom, are you out there??? I think this has Dad written all over it, don't you????)

Not a new recipe, but I also made Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies. It's really all Anna's fault. Every time I visit her blog, Cookie Madness, I crave cookies. :-)

Don't forget to check out Sweetnicks on Monday night for VRC: Cinnamon and then again Tuesday night for ARF/5-A-Day-Tuesday.

Cinnamon-Spiced RicePhoto from Epicurious

Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry-Balsamic Sauce
So, one dinner, one post, two food blogging events. I think that's using my time wisely.

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Time for a cutback....

....in blogging, that is.

It's a lot of fun and I enjoy it, but it just takes up too much of my time. In the next few weeks and months, time may become an even more precious commodity and I will simply not be able to justify the amount of time I spend here.

I will be spending more of my time getting my house back into order and taking care of other business. There just aren't enough hours in the day to fit in cooking and blogging, while doing the necessary things like working, cleaning and other chores.

It may be a matter of simplfying my posts or simply posting less often. We'll see how it goes. Maybe one day I'll have more time to devote to this again. I certainly don't want to stop completely, but I don't see any way around a cut-back.

That said, here's what we cooked last night. It was very tasty and quite easy to throw together, but I'd make a few changes the next time.

Photo from Cooking Light

A quick reminder that Sweetnicks will be hosting VRC: Cinnamon on Monday night.

Hope to be back tomorrow...........

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

A Post About Nothing

In the spirit of Seinfeld, this could be considered a post about nothing.

I've had quite a few nights in a row now of interrupted sleep. There has been a bedwetting, a dog barking, a phone call, and then this morning, a "Mom! I think I'm going to throw up!". To which I answered "Well, don't stand there telling me about it, go to the bathroom!". Followed by a "splat" which at least meant he hit the vinyl floor.

Ooops, sorry, I hope you're not eating as you read this! Anyway, that's how my morning started today. And only an hour ago, the dog decided to join in the fun and retch on the carpet in the basement. Enough with the bodily fluids, already!

My rude awakening caused me to forget to weigh in this morning! And now I'm just too darned tired to write about exercise and fitness and all of that. I will try my best to get that all posted tomorrow as long as there aren't any more eruptions of who-knows-what from who-knows-who or other middle of the night interruptions that render me semi-conscious once again.

With DH out for the evening and one not eating, there wasn't much inspiration or reason to cook, so that's 3 days now of no cooking! Hopefully I'll be able to throw together something interesting tomorrow, but we'll see.

Thanks for stopping by. Sorry you encountered the post about nothing. At least nothing interesting.....and certainly nothing food-related.

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday #10

No cooking here tonight, so I'm delving into the archives to bring you a recipe for Sweetnicks' weekly ARF/5-A-Day. I didn't want Sweetnicks to feel like she had to resort to kidnapping again this week. ;-) See, it worked!

This is one of our favorite side dishes - very simple, but also different. If there is any left after dinner, it doesn't last long in the fridge as it tastes great the next day too.

Keeping it short and sweet tonight. Tune in tomorrow when I climb back on the scale for Weigh-In Wednesday. Even if the scale is not my friend tomorrow, I feel pretty good about the last few days.

Zucchini-Pecan Saute

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Monday, March 06, 2006

VRC: Italian

Thanks to all who participated this week. Numbers are still a bit on the low side, so I may consider going back to once a month or maybe trying a compromise and go twice a month.

Just a quick reminder to please put a link to this blog somewhere in your recipe post or in a separate post mentioning your involvement in VRC. It's sort of a I scratch your back, you scratch mine kind of deal, helping all of us to increase our readership. Many thanks!



First up is Alanna from A Veggie Venture with a recipe from her blog that has been on my "to try" list for a while now - Cauliflower with Pancetta, Capers and Parmesan. What an unusual and delicious-sounding way to prepare cauliflower.





Erika from Tummy Treasure is next with a Chicken Parmesan recipe from Giada DeLaurentiis. I have never made this before, but I know my boys would love, love, love it. I'll have to add this one to "the list".




Melissa from Mel's Kitchen brings us a very different take on pizza - Proscuitto and Pesto Pizza Sandwiches. Call it pizza or call it sandwich, these look fabulous. Now that's a cheese sandwich!








Haalo from Cook (Almost) Anything at Least Once chimes in with 3 recipes from her arsenal. First up is Italian Walnut and Marmalade Bread.








Haalo provides informative step-by-step instructions, complete with pictures, for making the Ultimate Gnocchi. I haven't made gnocchis in such a long time!




Lastly, Haalo presents us with Linguine with a Sage Butter Sauce and Sautéed Sweet Potato. Mmmm....







Here's something I've never tried before but would like to very much. However, I don't think I've seen it in the stores around here - that's what you get with rural living sometimes. For now,I'll have to live vicariously through Mona from Mona's Apple with her Sausage and Broccoli Rabe with Orecchiette.



Polenta. What a wonderful comfort food. And now that I know I can make it in the rice cooker, I love it all the more. This next recipe from Kevin at Seriously Good is definitely going on the "to try" list - . Pork, beef, mushrooms, polenta....oh my! I'm drooling over the Polenta with Two Ragus. I'd like to try it as written and also with just the mushroom ragu to make a heavenly, comforting vegetarian meal.


Michele from Chef Michele's Adventures give us her budget-minded, but yummy-sounding Italian Sausage Over Linguine and Lasagna Maria.



I have never seen this done before, but I'm going to have to try it! Kate from Pie in the Sky brings us a recipe that cooks the pasta in wine, turning the noodles red. As Rachael would say, how cool is that? So, I guess I can add Tuscan Spaghetti with Red Wine to my growing list of recipes to try.




Patti from Adventures in Food and Wine went to one of my favorite sources for recipes, the Cooking Light Bulletin Board, for this next recipe. Pasta Rustica with Chicken Sausage and Three Cheeses. Pasta, cheese, sausage - how can you go wrong?





And lastly the Penne and Vodka Sauce that we had last night for dinner. After having it for lunch today, I have to say that it could be better and it definitely tasted better last night. Still good, but something that could be improved upon.




I don't know about you all, but I'm getting hungry reading all these wonderful recipes. Many thanks to all who participated.

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Next week's VRC and this week's Menu

I am currently working on getting VRC: Italian posted tonight. You still have time to send me a link - I'll have it posted by 10:30 or so tonight. I was hoping to have it done sooner, but 24 is 2 hours tonight and I can't miss a second of it!

While I get the roundup organized, I wanted to let everyone know that we have a guest host for next week's VRC - Sweetnicks! Thanks, Sweetnicks, for agreeing to host next week. Sweetnicks has chosen CINNAMON as the theme. Mmmmm....I love cinnamon. Ever since I discovered Penzeys, I love it even more. I once compared Penzeys cinnamon to McCormick's and there was no comparison - the Penzeys had a far superior scent - deeper, richer and stronger. My own personal challenge will be to try a savory dish that uses cinnamon. Sweet seems almost too easy. That's my plan anyway - I can't promise that I won't get tempted by a sinful-looking cinnamon roll along the way...

I have thrown together a rough menu for this week. This keeps us to our strict budget - just about the only thing I needed to buy for this menu was fresh produce.

*Penne with Vodka Sauce + salad
*Fried Rice + Asparagus
*Shrimp Florentine + arugula salad
*Roast Chicken + stuffing + vegetable
*Wasabi and Panko Crusted-Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce + rice + veggie (I was excited to see this recipe in the new Cooking Light - it makes good use of my freezer/pantry items since I already have the wasabi paste, panko, pork and bottled ginger.) Pictured at right.....

I'll be back later tonight to present this week's roundup. It sure looks tasty!

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Sunday, March 05, 2006

Chewy Ginger & Spice Granola Bars - An Experiment

The marinara sauce is bubbling away on the stove as I type - smells wonderful. Competing with, and not exactly compatible with, the marinara is the smell of granola and ginger granola bars.

DH flew out of Detroit last week and made a stop at Trader Joe's in Ann Arbor. He picked up some Charles Shaw (or 2-Buck-Chuck as it's known) Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, along with a couple of odds and ends. One of those ends was a box of Trader Joe's Ginger, Almonds, and Cashews Granola. It was tasty, with little pieces of crystallized ginger in it. That got me thinking. I wanted to make granola bars and thought this might be a nice twist. I didn't want to use up the TJ's granola, so I thought I could take this granola recipe and turn it into a ginger granola bar. Then I started thinking about the Chewy Ginger Snaps and decided to try adding a bit of molasses and cloves to the mix. I also added some crystallized ginger and some currants that I had leftover from these cookies. I used this recipe as a base and even though I cut back the brown sugar, they still turned out a bit too sweet. I'd also love to find a way to make them less sticky, but that's probably just the nature of this kind of bar - kind of an exotic rice krispie treat. It was a good blend of spices and flavors, but the spices were a bit overwhelming - I would cut back on them just a tad next time. Still, not bad for a first try and definitely worth a bit more tweaking.


We'll be having our Penne with Vodka Sauce tonight, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow night to see the recipe in the roundup. We'll be serving it with a nice Chianti that has been waiting for me to open it since my birthday in July. I'm serving the pasta with a side of balsamic green beans.

It's now after dinner and I think that the vodka sauce was a success. It's very interesting to me how much the vodka, and especially the cream, change the flavor of the marinara. I really wish I had added some fresh basil, it really would have been a great addition to this dish.

Tune in tomorrow for the VRC: Italian Round up. I have about 8 entries so far and there's still time to get your entries to me. Also, stay tuned for an announcement on next week's VRC theme - we have another guest blogger!

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VRC: Italian Reminder


A quick reminder that I will be posting entries for VRC: Italian tomorrow night. Please send me your links by 9 p.m. in order to be included. I will accept late entries, but they may not be posted until the next day.

I will be making my entry tonight for dinner - Penne with Vodka Sauce. I'm going to use my marinara sauce as a base, and then try to turn it into a vodka sauce based on recipes I gather on the internet. I hope it turns out!

I hope to chime in later tonight with recipes for some granola bars inspired by a yummy cereal from Trader Joe's and maybe a banana muffin recipe - I have two very ripe bananas that need to be used up!

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Weekend Weigh-In - The Snack Monster and The Sugar Demon

The inspiration for this post comes from Erika over at Tummy Treasure who posted her own weigh-in this past Wednesday. And darn, doesn't that pizza on her blog make you hungry???? But back to the topic at hand. It sounds like Erika and I are definitely on the same page. Everything she has said, right down to finding it hard not to ramble when talking about healthful living, rings true to me. In her comment section, I wrote, "I think I've gotten to a point where portion control is pretty good, it's the snacking that's killing me right now. At work there are FAR too many temptations. I try to counter them by keeping healthful snacks with me, but today, I ate the healthful AND the junk.". To which she responded, "I do think I eat pretty healthily, but the snack-monster is really fierce. And I'll have a healthier snack like cottage cheese with pineapple, and feel good about eating something good for me. Then an hour later I'm downing a Snickers. That sugar demon gets me every time.".

The Snack Monster and the Sugar Demon. Two beasts waging war against our will power, trying to draw us to the dark side. How do we help build our willpower? How do we help ourselves resist the Snack Monster and the Sugar Demon?

I cannot indulge myself on a regular basis and expect to keep weight off, much less lose weight. Some people can do this, but I'm not one of them. So, I battle between what I should be eating and what I want to be eating. The Snack Monster and the Sugar Demon are still winning too often. Especially the Sugar Demon - it's my worst enemy.

I try to keep healthful snacks around and snack on them throughout the day to try to keep hunger at bay. Hunger will definitely send me in search of something to eat. Problem is, if there is something tempting me, I simply cannot resist, even if I'm not hungry. I think this is because this kind of eating has nothing to do with hunger and everything to do with taste and desire. These things taste good! I want some! I gotta have it! I can deal with this pretty well at home by simply not having the tempting items (which I have pictured on this post) in the house or by substituting healthier items to calm my cravings (such as drinking sweet tea at nighttime instead of reaching for something sugary). At work, however, I have no control over what is offered. It's sitting there, right in front of me all day long. At work, I have to rely purely on willpower and that's not my strong suit.

My other problem is that I cannot eat just one. It would be okay if I indulged if I ate just one chocolate chip cookie, but no, I have to have 5 or 6. Once I get that taste in my mouth, I want to keep tasting it and tasting it. One just doesn't do it. Sometimes the answer is to simply not have any so that the insatiable monster is not awakened. But that's no fun. I also love to bake - it's pretty darned hard to bake and not sample. There must be a happy middle somewhere, but it's hard to find it.

Since I do not seem to be able to rely on will power alone, I have found that I need to hold myself accountable for what I eat in some way. The tool I've used for accountability in the past is calorie counting. The problem with calorie counting is that I find it a bit tedious and I really have to be motivated to do it. There are two great online tools that I have used to help me - Weight Watchers Online and FitDay. Weight Watchers worked quite well for me except that I feel their Points are too low, especially if you are exercising regularly and especially if you are exercising pretty strenulously. One reason the points probably seemed low to me at the time was that I was not eating enough fruits and vegetables, food items that are often "free" and do not add measurably to your overall Points for the day. In the end, I was not crazy about spending $15 every month, so I went in search of something a little cheaper.

FitDay offers free services online, but they also have software - FitDay PC - that you can download for a one time fee of $30. It allows you to track your eating habits, your weight goals, exercise habits and more. If you don't find an item listed in their food or exercise lists, you can add your own, offering up a versatility and customization.

In the end, I think sometimes the bottom line is that you have to want it bad enough. Maybe if you stop and think about what you are about to eat. Is it worth it? That saying "A minute on your lips, a lifetime on your hips" is something to think about. Is it the momentary pleasure you might experience from that decadent treat really worth sabotaging your healthful living goals? And actually, in my opinion, indulgences are just fine, but within reason. Daily indulgences can be part of a healthful diet, such as a small piece of dark chocolate or perhaps a sweet whole-grain muffin, but you need to choose carefully and limit portion sizes.

This time around I'd really love to lose the weight without resorting to calorie counting. Calorie counting is something that is difficult for me to do each and every day. I might, however, calorie count for one week to give myself a reality check and remind myself how much food I can reasonably expect to eat within a 1500-1800 calorie range.

And truly, if I could just resist the urge to snack on junk, I'd probably stay within my calorie range pretty easily. Easier said than done. Time to battle those monsters and demons....

Tune in Wednesday when I step on the scale and talk about exercising.

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Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Wednesday Weigh-In (3/1/06)

Eat right and exercise. That just about sums up my weight loss strategy - or, rather, my healthy living strategy. Tonight, I'll focus on the diet part.

The word diet. I don't like that word. If you go on a diet, you can also go off a diet. Therefore, I'm never go on a diet, although I watch my diet. Does that make sense? There are times when I am careful about what I eat and times that I am not so careful, but no dieting please. Eating right is something I should be striving for all the time, not just as a means to an end.

Most diets are too restrictive or too limiting, at least for me. The Atkin's Diet goes against everything I believe in my gut about nutrition. While I think it's wise to avoid too many refined carbs and sugar, I cannot find my way to thinking eating so much meat, cheese and butter is a good idea. Yes, yes, carbs are reintroduced later on and the most restrictive phase only lasts a relatively short time, but there is a large part of me that resists anything that has to take things to an extreme, even for a short period of time.

The South Beach Diet makes a lot more sense to me if you want to go low-carb. This diet promotes low-carb eating, but it also shows people that all carbs are not equal and encourages whole grain foods. It also focuses on good fats, not saturated fats. Still, when I checked out the diet one summer, I decided that giving up things like fresh tomatoes and fresh corn, even for 2 weeks, just wasn't for me. These are healthy foods! I don't want to avoid them! And after all, it was August and the first tomatoes were beginning to ripen.....

Low-fat diets were the craze a few years ago. Much like the glut of low-carb products on the market today, manufacturers rushed to please the low-fat crowd with products such as Snackwells. I remember buying the Devil's Food variety and thinking they were pretty good. And no guilt. Or less guilt, anyway. Problem was, people were feeling so guilt-free, they were eating a whole box. And in the end, a calorie is still a calorie and too many of them can make you fat. I truly believe that a big part of the reason that researchers are finding low-fat diets don't work is because you can't simply eat low-fat and think you're done. There's much more to it than that.

You can have a low-fat breakfats by eating a white bagel with jelly, but that's still not terribly nutritious. Low-fat, yet, but not much beyond that. It took me a long time, but I finally figure out that these kinds of breakfasts left me ravenous a few hours, or even minutes, later. I started to read more (in part thanks to the popularity of the low-carb diets) about things like the glycemic index and how fiber, whole grains and protein are digested more slowly than refined carbs and can keep you feeling full longer. Makes sense. So now, instead of a bagel with jelly, I might have, at the very least, a whole grain bagel. Better yet, a bowl of high fiber cereal with skim milk, fresh fruit and nuts. Still low-fat, but tons more nutrition.

I eat low-fat, but not too low-fat. When I first began watching my fat intake, I was keeping my fat grams to about 30 grams of fat a day. With an intake of about 1500 calories, that was only 18- 20% of calories from fat. I found that amount too restrictive. I still watch my fat, but I'm more concerned about watching the saturated fat. I don't worry so much about the non-saturated fats - if I want a bagel for breakfats now, I'll try for a whole grain bagel and will allow myself the peanut butter I used to avoid since it's a good fat and will help keep me feeling full longer.

Right now my focus is eating good carbs and good fats. I don't completely avoid things like white pasta, but I try to eat whole grains and wheat blends as much as possible. I try to limit my intake of butter, cream and other saturated fats and while I don't severely restrict my use of good fats like olive oil, I do try to cut back wherever possible. On top of those two key elements, I try to incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables into my diet. That is something that I have really improved lately, but there is always room for improvement.

That pretty much sums up where I stand on healthy eating. No fads, no gimmicks - just sensible, logical, healthful eating.

So much to blog about, so little time. I hope to be back this week with more on weight loss, diet and exercise. I hope to start tracking my exercise habits, and perhaps my eating habits, more closely and possibly reporting on those, along with my progress on the scale.

Speaking of which, today was the day to get on the scale and it was good news! It was down 1.5 pounds, but I only recorded a one-pound weight loss on my ticker. I don't really completely accept what the scale says until I see it for more than one week in a row and I also rely a lot on how my clothes feel. Still, it does motivate me to see progress - just as long as I don't let the scale frustrate me when it doesn't give good news.


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