Swoon...

Sorry for my delayed post this morning afternoon.  I was still swirling in all of the bliss of the Royal wedding todayJ

photo source

I thought it was so great!  Even better than I imagined and she just looked drop dead stunning!  Yeah Kate & Wills!J It's nice to have something HAPPY to celebrate in this crazy worldJ

Anyway...so I should probably get to dinner last night, huh??  Well, it wasn't an 8 tiered fruit cake...but it WAS quite delicious:)  We made a recipe from Cooking Light for Spring Pappardelle...

And you know how long this took?  Long enough to boil water & cook pasta!  Nice, right??

Once the pappardelle was all cooked (love these fluffy noodles!)...

...you added 3 handfuls of torn baby spinach & 1/3 cup of the starchy pasta water and ricotta to the hot pasta (and maybe I sneaked a few more tablespoons of cheese in thereJ)

And the main stars of the show:  The FRESH herbs!  How SPRING-Y is THAT???  I chopped up a 1/4 cup of fresh chives, dill & parsley...

...throw everything together in the pot with some grated cheese, salt & pepper.  Give it a mix...

...and WALLAH!  A super "fancy" dinner that was as difficult as boiling water and chopping a few herbsJ And it was SOOOO good!  The fresh herbs just gave such a potent and flavorful taste to those thick & sturdy parpadelle.  SOOOO GOOD!

And since I had to pick up pappardelle ANYWAYS, I thought I'd stock up on a few other Trader Joe's goodies.  Well....maybe slightly more than I had planned considering it was POURING rain outside when I went and was actually able to BROWSE the aisles!! (which, if you've EVER been in a TJ's, you know is QUITE a rarityJ) 

Into the cart went:

• Black bean & Corn Enchiladas
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Reduced Fat Mac & Cheese
• Rosemary Pecans & Cranberries
• Everything flavored Pretzel Slims
• Crinkle Cut Fries
• Blue Cheese Laughing Cow Wedges
• Cranberry Walnut dressing
• Three Layer Hummus
• Spinach, apples and red peppers
• And.........

...my most excited FIND of the day:  Caramelized onion dip!  I couldn't resist sampling some with a couple pretzels before dinnerJ

Oh man!  It was SOOOOO. GOOD!!!!  I'm already trying to think of uses for it outside of sitting on the couch with a bag of potato chipsJ hahahahah...burgers maybe??

And dessert last night was a little sweet treat brought for me by a Crumbs fairyJ:  their new Milkshake flavored cupcake...

OK...not that this wasn't good, but it wasn't really my favorite of their flavors.  It was a marble cake stuffed with (what looked like) a cookies & cream type filling and then topped with a SUPER SWEET vanilla frosting. 

Even I, the queen of sweet frosting, thought it was a bit much.  What was odd though because it didn't really match the websites description.  Oh well, maybe we got the sugar batchJ It's still a good day, regardless:)

Hope you guys are having a good Friday.  And ("Office spoiler alert") did anyone else cry when Pam ran after Michael Scott to say good-bye???  I bawled!  Sooo good!

Anyway...happy Friday, everyone!!

That sneaky first ingredient....

So, OK...dinner last night wasn't exactly a picture postcard, but it was pretty darn tasty.  So that balances things out, right???

On the menu we had some "cheaters" pulled pork & a NEW COUSCOUS salad creation!J

'6 hours of slow cooking in a crock pot', this pulled pork is NOT.  I'm sure everyone south of Virginia would have my head for using this method, but for a quick weeknight meal we just baked up two pork chops in some BBQ sauce:

...gave it a quick shred.  Added the pork and more BBQ sauce to a saucepan until it was heated through and wallah!  Cheaters pulled porkJ  It's not super tender, of course, but it's nice & saucy.  We likeJ

Andddd....drumroll!!!!!!  You know we lovvve us some couscous salad and since our Monday salad was such a hit that I decided to put 2 & 2 together to make...a Caprese couscous salad! 

Tuesday night I brought a cup of water to a boil.  Then added a cup of couscous to the pot, remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes.  Once all the water is absorbed, I mixed in a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil and some salt & pepper and let it cool over night in the fridge.

Last night I added about a cup of diced unphotogenic roasted tomatoes, a 1/2 cup of diced fresh basil...

...and about 1/2 a cup of diced fresh mozzarella...

(From Trader Joe's...of courseJ  I also added a little drizzle of the herbed marinating oil to the mix)

The flavored couscous gave just enough substance to carry the tangy tomatoes, herby basil and soft, chewy mozzarella.  We have another winner!  wohooooooooooo!  So good...try this and it will make you smile!

Another great dinner made better by the fact that the 2305972357% humidity of yesterday broke just in time for us to have dinner on the breezy sun porch.  What the hell is up, NJ???  I was wearing a tank top & watching my hair volume increase by the second yesterday...a week and a half ago I was wearing a winter coat!  Come back, SPRING!  I'm not quite ready for you yet, SummerJ

Dessert last night was a couple sweet treats that I had trolling around the fridge, so I figured I'd give them their day in the sunJ  First up was a salted caramel macaroon from DessertTruck Works...

Sweet memories of Paris, was this good!  I lovvvved how the slightly bitter caramel center went with the airy sweet cookie.  LOVE!  Macaroons are such a process to make that I will GLADLY let someone else do the workJ

And second, Scott & I split this sweet treat from Minamoto Kitchoan (just in time, as it 'expired' next weekJ)

Scott FLIPPED for this little sweet cake, which was funny when he looked on the back of the package and realized the first ingredient was KIDNEY BEANS!  I never would have been able to sell him on it if I had told him that straight off the batJ hahahahahahahaha....

So yeah...between the 397410375% humidity AND the WIND and 'flash flood warning' rains we are suppose to get today:  My hair is a supreme lost cause.  I guess mother nature just wants me to look like a wind blown Snooki until SeptemberJ hahahahhahahahaha....Hope you guys have a better looking Thursday than I'm going to have!J hahahahahahaha...ciao for now!

PS- Anyone else excited for the ROYAL WEDDING?????????????  I'll be up bright & early to catch the action live!!!!!!  CAN. NOT. WAIT! J

Super Simple...

Last night was one of those perfect dinners that used up a bunch of stuff we already had on hand to create a healthy, super simple AND delicious dinner (I LOVE when that happensJ)

I have to give all the credit to Scott for cookin this one up while I was off punching my way through boxing class last nightJ  He flattened out the chicken and cooked it in a little garlic and olive oil.  Meanwhile, he sauteed up an onion and some diced red peppers.  Once everything was cooked, he topped the chicken with the onions, red pepper & some diced mozzarella...and Wallah!

Never underestimate the power of a few delicious ingredients coming together to make a great meal.  How simple was this??  And yet, it was sooooooooooo good!

And, no, they are not very pretty...but it had been a hot minute since we had some sauteed zucchini, so I was happy it made it's grande reappearance despite their un-photogenic appealJ

Oh yeah...and we also had a slice of my friend's Mom's homemade Babka as a treat!  I love getting to sample other folk's holiday traditionsJ  SO GOOD!

So yeah...how easy was that dinner??  But it was definitely a winner...sorta like a fiesta chicken parmJ hahahahahha...

So...I actually managed to tackle a pretty big milestone for me this morning!  I guess I was riding the high from a fantastic class last night, that I decided to break out my Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred DVD and FINALLY tried out the LEVEL 3.  Literally, I hit the menu button and backed away from the TV....I didn't want to chicken out!J

And well....I didn't die!  Maybe because I warned myself that it was going to be completely brutal, that it just sorta lived up to expectationsJ hahahahahahahaha  Probably helps that I've done more planks than I could even begin to count in the last few months and a lot of the exercises were based out of planks (ending with lifting weights WHILE in plank = BRUTAL!)  But I survived and I felt pretty amazing afterwardsJ  Now let's see how long it is before I get brave againJ hahahahahhahaa...

Alright, well that's about all I got for you todayJ  Hope you have a great Wednesday, everyone!

Sun Porch Season...

So, there's one definite good thing about a jump in the ole thermometer:  It certainly put me in the mood for salads last night.  That OR the fact that between Easter and craving nothing but carbs last week while I was feeling sick, that I am just sooooo happy to be craving veggies again!  And after digging through the fridge, I realized we had all the makings of a caprese saladJ

And it was quite a yummy oneJ  My cutting board could pass for an Italian Flag, don't cha think?

In the mix:

• Lettuce
• Roasted tomatoes, (roasted for 30 minutes at 350 & cooled)
• Diced marinated mozzarella
• Fresh basil, torn
• Scallions
• Balsamic Vinegar

This totally screams WARM WEATHER!

And what made this salad taste even better was the fact that a cool breeze had picked up last night and made for some PERFECT sun porch weather.  So we made a quick swipe over all the surfaces and officially commenced it "sun porch season 2011!"  It was just too nice to be insideJ (SEE...I do embrace spring/summer occasionallyJ)

ANYWAY...since I had soo much to show you yesterday, I totally neglected to give you the exercise 'run down' of last week...so here ya go, to start off your 'motivated Tuesday'J :

Monday:  Yoga Meltdown-Level 1 + 45 minutes walk at lunch

Tuesday & Wednesday:  Down and outL

Thursday:  20 minutes of dance, weights & stretch (didn't go so wellJ)

Friday:  1 hour Yoga for the Warrior

Saturday:  1 hour Power Yoga  (soooooooooooo tough!)

And after last week's 'checkered' schedule, I was ALSO ready to get back to normal with my workouts this weekJ  So far, so good...and I'm hoping to make a visit to the Tuesday night boxing class...we shall see.

That about wraps up today...have a great Tuesday, everyone!

Rabbit Food...

So how modern is this?  After having our tortellini on Friday, of course our brains immediately started to wonder what we were going to have for dessertJ.  And how, pray tell, did we come to our final decision??  Via a Tweet from "The Bent Spoon"J  Sooo 2011!

It was TOUGH to pass up their cupcakes, but we were there for ice cream that dayJ  I had a scoop of lavender & marscapone, while Scott had a scoop of mocha.  But the REAL reason for our trip was the twitter-annouced arrival of: CARROT CAKE ICE CREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh man...it was soooooooooooooo worth the trip!  A tangy cream cheese base combined with carrots, pecans and spices.  Just so creamy & dreamy.  Perfect way to kick off the holiday weekendJ

Soooooo when I woke up to a dreary and rainy Saturday morning, my brain immediately went to baked oatmeal and what kind of new creation I could cook upJ  And after blissfully remembering the carrot cake ice cream from Friday night, I thought:  Why not CARROT baked oatmeal??

Fit for Easter bunnies & people, alike!J

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

Makes 2 servings

• 1 cup dry oats 
• 1 & 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk 
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon brown sugar 
• 3 shredded carrots (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves 
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix all of the ingredients together and pour into 2 small baking dishes. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. While the oats are baking mix:

• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar

Divide between both dishes to top oatmeal and cook for 10 more minutes. Enjoy fresh out of the oven or microwave the leftovers for 3 minutes.

Sweet, spicy and studded with pretty orange carrots...I think that's a pretty good way to have 'cake' for breakfast, don't ya think??:)  (ps-the leftovers tasted EVEN BETTER!) 

Andddd yes, carrot cake even got involved in our Easter morning breakfast as well!  This time with Julie's Carrot Cake Waffles with (the best part!) Maple Nut Cream Cheese Spread.  OMG...freakin TO DIE FOR! 

These 'spiced brown butter/lightened with egg whites' waffles just hit the spot.  And that maple cream cheese, holy heaven, it just put them over the top!  Plus they were super filling too!  We had 2 waffles for breakfast before 8am and these somehow held us over till our dinner at 3 o'clock!  Waffle MagicJ 

After breakfast and mass, yesterday afternoon I got busy putting together a recipe I had been DYING to try out since I had read about it a couple years ago:   Lemon Crepe Cake! 

I was always scared to try this, but after my "successful foray" at crepe making this year, I thought it was about time to finally give it a whirl!J

I made a DOUBLE batch of the crepe batter and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to settle.  And after 3 botched crepes, I found my nitch and may have found a few secrets to easy crepe makingJ

Secret #1:  Remove the pan from the heat and pour the batter onto the hot (greased or non-stick) pan by a measuring cup with a spout: 

Secret #2: Swirl batter to coat the bottom of the pan....but you need to be quick!  That batter sets really fast! J

Secret #3:  When you see the edges browning (30 seconds or so), start to loosen the edges with a spatula and use a fork to help you pick up the edge... 

Wiggle that spatula under there..... 

And FLIP! J

Once you get the hang of THAT, the crepes are pretty easy to make.  And if you're using TWO skillets, it makes the work just go that much quickerJ 

While the crepes were cooking, I whipped up a pint of heavy cream and mixed 3/4 of it to fold into the lemon curd for the layers.  Once the cream was sturdy (after being refrigerated for about a half hour) and the crepes were cooled, I got to work layerin the cake! 

I layered all TWENTY crepes with the lemon curd whipped cream...(I couldn't believe this actually WORKED, FYI!)

...and topped it off with the regular whipped cream and WALLAH!  CREPE CAKE! 

I thought this was pretty tasty and it seemed to be a big hit with the family!  I loved how the delicate crepe layers had a buttery and savory taste to go along with the sweet & rich whipped cream!  Definitely a unique dessert with a pretty good "WOW" factorJ  I already can't wait to try this with different fillingsJ

The rest of the day was really nice & quiet.  Look how cute my Aunt decorated her table... 

Each plate made complete with a little chickJ 

We had a mix of traditional dinners between my Mom's FABULOUS homemade raviolis, as well as ham, baked apples, scalloped potatoes and saladJ  Not to mention one of the things I look forward to the most:  Italian People's Bakery's special Easter tinted sesame bread wreathJ

I could eat the whole wreath and call it a dayJ hahahahahhahahaa....

And along with my crepe cake, my Aunt had made a COCONUT cake, which you KNOW I pounced onJ 

And I couldn't resist a piece of our traditional Easter dessert: Pastia!  It's a baked egg custard made with small egg noddles.  I know, I hate eggs...but all can be forgiven for pastiaJ  I'm going to have it for breakfast one morning.  I think that's legit, right?? 

So that about wrapped up our surprisingly SUNNY AND HOT Easter Sunday!  Hope you guys had a great one! 

And now that I said THAT, I can officially say that I am already OVER the heatJ How do I just know it's going to go from the 50's directly to the 90's this year!  BLEH!  Guess it's about time we got our sun porch spruced up for summer. 

Hope you guys have a good Monday!  Cioa for nowJ

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