Hi friends!

I’m sorry for not posting last night, but I was just having too much fun! Lately, life was been awesome and I’ve been having a total blast; it really is the most wonderful time of the year!

Falling right in with my perfect life moments lately, right now I’m all snuggled up under a blanket, sipping on Coffee, and blogging and it’s lovely.

Yesterday was a wonderfully busy day full of fun and great eats. I started the day with a Green Monster.

My workday absolutely flew by because I was giving my students their last major test of the semester so they were busy and diligent and I got to get my classroom re-organized as the end of the semester rapidly approaches.

I spent my lunch break reading about the Amanda Knox trial while eating my Hummus Wrap, Apple, Adora, + Vitamin.

So, what do you guys think about that Amanda Knox trial? I don’t think I know enough details to fully understand it all but I do feel so bad for her parents.

After work, I scurried over to Helmet Midtown to get my hairs cut because as much as I love having long hair, it’s getting a bit ridiculous. I took a picture in my work bathroom to illustrate the length.

And then I took another picture to illustrate how my hair has been making me feel lately.

I meant to look annoyed…but I think I just look confused!

After getting my hair cut (nothing too drastic – just two inches and some layering), I hurried over to Whole Foods to pick up some munchies because my parents, brother, and SIL were coming over for a loft tour. My community does a really cool event every December where some people open up their lofts and pair with a local artist to show off how they decorated their living space and the artwork itself. It’s fun…and free!

I set out a tray of Bread, Manchego Cheese, Tallegio Cheese, Olives + Peppers, and Proscuitto.

And I put out a plate of Supremely Spicy Hummus with Crackers + Stacy’s Pita Chips.

We cracked open a bottle of wine and just sat around for a little while chatting before wandering around my building. It was a really good time! And I got some cool ideas for new ways to utilize the space in my loft! Now i just need the cash…

We didn’t finish up until after 10 so dinner options were a bit limited but we were all starving! We headed over to Six Feet Under because it was close and sounded tasty!

The table split an order of Rat Toes to begin, which was basically a jalapeno stuffed with a shrimp and wrapped in bacon. Mmmm…bacon.

I had picked up Cookies and Ben & Jerry’s at Whole Foods earlier so I went light on dinner to save room for dessert! I ordered the Fish Stew, which was the perfect meal for a chilly December night. It was full of fish, scallops, mussels, and shrimp all in a spicy tomato sauce.

We all sat around and told family stories that J hadn’t heard before and suddenly, it was 1 am and time to head home. I came back and made a bowl of deliciousness – Ben & Jerry’s Half-Baked and Americone Dream + WF Chocolate Chip Cookie. I don’t think I need to state the obvious but I will – it. was. awesome.

J and I stayed up late watching the DVR and chatting. It really was a perfect Friday night!

Okay, it’s time to get my Saturday started! Happy weekend!

As a student in Paris a few years ago I happily subsisted on cheese, baguettes, crepes and wine. Occasionally, we’d splurge at Pizza Pino on the Champs Elysées before a night out, and onion soup at Au Pied de Cochon before the morning after. Life was good. Life was cheap.

Now, a few years later with an abysmal exchange rate, we can’t seem to be getting a decent meal without forking out €40 a head. What hurts more is that, more often than not, my €40 is going to get me some overcooked meat or fish and heaps of greasy fries. At such instances wine is almost a necessity, as no matter how cheap or expensive you just can’t seem to go wrong with it in France which massively softens the €40 blow.

Whilst a student, I had neither the luxury nor the company to visit expensive restaurants and brasseries, hence I was never really aware of the culinary hierarchy present in Paris. But now, after a hard day’s work on my feet running around the Marais house-hunting, the last thing I would look forward to was a plats à emporter (take-away box) from the greasy Asian trateur. I could really appreciate a nice glass of wine and a proper sit-down meal. And after too many mediocre meals at brasseries on picturesque tourist-trap squares we are wiser.

One of my most memorable meals was at Guy Savoy on Rue Troyon. We were in there for four hours being pampered, spoilt and fed till we cried big fat tears of joy. It’s old school, white tablecloth, and not at all stuffy. After about seven courses, when we thought we’d have to request having a nap on our seats, our eyes lit up like neon bulbs at the sight of the dessert trolley. This trolley is legendary. Creamy rice pudding, full-flavoured and smooth chocolate mousse, cute little button macarons, ice creams, sorbets, cookies and cheesecake – it was like heaven on wheels. And Monsieur Savoy popped out of the kitchen to say hi while we were elbow deep in pots of pudding. Completely, utterly, totally worth two week’s rent.

Not every unforgettable gastronomic experience requires one to sacrifice their home. Le 404 on Rue des Gravilliers (Marais) is a fine example in the €40-€50 bracket. It’s a buzzing, lively, Moroccan restaurant that does the best tagines I have ever tasted (and, apparently, the best shoulder of lamb N&D has ever tasted). And as far as cocktails in Paris go, the Mojito there was not bad either.

As with any popular restaurant in Paris, booking ahead is a must. Even though we booked on the day, had we just rocked up – unannounced and uninvited – we would’ve been turned away as all the tables were crammed (and this was a Tuesday night).

My lightly spiced Hariri soup made of lentils, chick peas, coriander and lamb and was the tastiest warming bowl of health I’ve ever had.

Hariri soup

N&D’s Briouat aux Crevettes aux Champignons Sauvages (prawn and wild mushroom samosas) was more mushroomy than prawny but packed in a punch of dense flavours in small crispy pastry parcels. The shoulder of lamb should really be renamed as the shoulder of Goliath. It was MASSIVE. Not being a big lamb-gal myself, the little chunk I tasted was not over-whelmingly lamby and was very tender.

Shoulder of lamb

Soup, samosas and shoulders – all good and great. But if tagines were comparable to carnivals, my chicken and pear tagine was like a Mardi Gras in Rio. What a party. Not that I’ve been, but I’ve been told there’s no party like the Mardi Gras in Rio. And I can tell everyone that there’s no tagine like the chicken and pear at Le 404. Perhaps there is a better one in Morroco but this would be right up there with its native sister.

Chicken and pear tagine

If you ever visit Paris, please re-consider getting that Louis Vuitton monogram bag (besides not being particularly attractive, there are plenty of knock-offs on the high street and eBay) and Louboutins (again, plenty of red soles out there), and instead spend an afternoon or evening at Guy Savoy’s. If you must have that bag, consider Le 404 for a fun night of Moroccan charm.

Today was much better after yoga. I think  it was because I fell asleep for ten minutes before practice started. HA!

Lunch: Flame Broiler with Jeanette & Mia

Dinner: Men Bei with Jeanette & William and Mia!

Man, I am still so full of noodles and broth! YUMMO

BUSY day! Whew, I’m finally able to take a break so I can catch up on here. OK, lunch was kind of random but filling and tasty, so no cpmplaints. I’m proud of myself, I made it through lunch with no soda! Woo hoo!! I drank a huge class of water instead. So lunch consisted of a single serving pack of broccoli & cheese (only 60 calories!), one string cheese (80 cal.) one hard boiled egg (78 cal), a 1/4 cup of cottage cheese(45 cal) and about 20 peanuts(50cal)! Thats a whole lunch for only 315!

About 3:30 I ate a special K bar (90 cal). so that brings the days total so far to about 550. I’m going to eat some fresh berries when I get home and then who knows what is for dinner….

I also want to go for a walk. Maybe my boyfriend and I will walk to dinner downtown, we live close enough and that way i wont feel guilty eating out. Just no alcohol (I haven’t had any since Monday! Crazy!) and no soda, and healthy menu choices only!

Have a nice Friday night, mine will be tame seeing as i work at 8am! I’ll be back after dinner with an update!

Take care,

This must work

Rippers topped with spicy brown mustard and famous Rutt's Hut relish

Rutt’s Hut
417 River Road
Clifton, NJ
#973-779-8615
Cost Per Dog: $1.99 with tax

If you ever find yourself in Jersey I have to recommend that you stop at Rutt’s Hut.  It’s a little greasy spoon of a restaurant that has been open since 1928 and has the best tasting hot dogs ever*.  Do you wanna know what they do that is different than the “normal” hot dog joint. They deep fry them. The first time I heard this I turned up my nose and said “that sounds gross I would never eat that!”  Trust me it’s not gross and they are not greasy.  The dogs are freshly cooked and done in just about 30 seconds of hitting the hot oil. The skin of the dog rips open which gives this dog the nickname “ripper.”  The dogs have a small crunch on the outside and the inside is hot and juicy. If you are feeling especially adventurous you could even try a cremator.   That is a hot dog that has been deep fried for even longer than the classic ripper.  They get a crunchy texture that some say almost tastes like overcooked bacon. I personally have no idea. I like my dogs cooked the classic way.  Just a small note these dogs are served plain and and fuss free.  They are put on a plain white roll and put on a weird floppy plate that sorta reminds me of a flattened coffee filter. I have read bad reviews about this joint and in my opinion I think the fuss free attitude of this restaurant may be part of it.  I don’t need a million toppings and sturdy plate to make me love a dog. Either it’s good or it’s not. In this case…it’s good. Then again I realize we all have own opinions and you certainly cannot please everyone.

Now back to the dogs

Another fantastic thing about this restaurant is their delicious relish. I swear I could a  large bowl of that stuff with or without a ripper.  It has a mustard base and contains cabbage, onions and carrots and that is just about all I know. If you ask for the recipe you will be told it’s a secret but instructed you can buy it to take home The other thing I love about this restaurant is the feel of the place. When you pull up the restaurant is divided by the kitchen in the middle and the stand up and eat side on the right and the sit down restaurant on the left. We always choose to eat on the stand up side. You walk up order a few rippers, a small Pepsi and an order of onion rings (which are sooooooo delicious and freshly made!)  In about five minutes you will have everything you need to enjoy a nice dinner, snack, lunch, fourth meal, etc. Mr. Nutmeg Nanny and I always make sure to eat a few rippers on our way home from Devil’s hockey games. I’m still waiting for the day I see Brodeur or Parise in there eating a dog….man those men are hot!

*Now I know some of you may disagree with me but since it’s my blog I reserve the right to pretty much say whatever I want

First Picture: Outside of the building - Second Picture: Inside the restaurant - Third Picture:The little childrens counter - Fourth Picture: Mr. Nutmeg Nanny and I inside the restaurant

Ripper with spicy brown mustard and famous relish.

More reviews about Rutt’s Hut:
Holly Eats – My favorite dive restaurant critic
Serious Eats – A great foodie website

Photo Credit: Outside Rutt’s Hut photograph courtesy of Wikipedia.  All other photographs taken by Nutmeg Nanny

Thursday being the day my unrelenting son is relentlessly chauffeured from one class to another , we make it a point to end it pleasantly – generally with dinner in a restaurant , or Pizza Hut.

Yesterday we tried  Sagar , a North Indian restaurant in Bangsar , KL. Right next to Bangsar One and opposite TMC makes it easy to locate. The restaurant has a lot of seating space outside…just right for a nice cool night….but that is hardly the case here..and so we went in where the AC beckoned us. The menu had a variety to choose from and the Methi Malai , Mint Gobi Chadka along with Romali Roti we selected were very tasty.The prices are slightly on the higher side , but the ambiance coupled with the excellent ghazal singing show makes it worth every penny ! The only small disappointment was the dessert – rasmalai…while the malai tasted great..the “ras” was a trifle too spongy and hard.

On the whole – a nice place to eat.We got back home quite late , with heavy tummys….and the ghazals still ringing in our ears…

Here is this month’s featured content from the American Dietetic Association, right in time for the holidays, during which there are many events and parties which all involve food and drinks! This is definitely a must-read to keep your diet on track during the holidays!

Healthful Tips for Holiday Eating

As the holidays approach, parties become numerous, and with each party comes the challenge of keeping your commitment to healthful eating.

If you are hosting a gathering this holiday season you can reduce fat and calories without sacrificing taste by swapping out a few ingredients in your favorite recipes.

• Using two egg whites in place of one egg can reduce the cholesterol and produce the same tasty result.
• Use low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth in your mashed potatoes to add flavor and lighten holiday fat content.
• Substitute applesauce for oil, margarine or butter in muffins and quick breads like banana bread.  Try substituting a small amount at first, as the more you substitute the more the texture of the finished product changes.
• For dips, sauces and pie toppings, use non-fat yogurt, sour cream and whipped topping.
• Sliced almonds make a delicious, crunchy topping in place of fried onion rings.
• Choose reduced-fat or non-fat cheeses for salads and casseroles.

Pack your shopping cart with plenty of fresh vegetables like sweet potatoes, winter squash, broccoli, carrots and green beans. Apples, cranberries and pears combine easily for a tasty salad, fruit crisp or topping for the turkey.

If you are a guest at a dinner party or other gathering, consider these tips to keep your night healthy, happy and safe:

• If you plan on treating yourself later, start your day with a small meal that includes whole grains, fruit, dairy foods and protein like eggs, ham or peanut butter.
• Don’t starve yourself beforehand. Rather, eat a small, lower-calorie meal or snack such as fruit or a bagel so you aren’t tempted to overdo your calorie intake for the day.
• Select carefully between foods you definitely will eat, those you will sample and those you will skip.
• Don’t rush to eat. Socialize and settle into the festivities before you eat.
• Move your socializing away from the buffet or appetizer trays. This will minimize the unconscious nibbling.
• When it comes to drinking alcohol, start with a calorie-free, nonalcoholic beverage. Satisfy your thirst before having an alcoholic drink. It is recommended that women have only one to two drinks per day and two to three drinks per day for men.

Keep in mind, even a single drink will affect your reflexes for several hours. If you plan to drink, keep your holidays merry for everyone by designating a driver who won’t be drinking.

The holidays are a great time for celebrating with friends and family over food and drinks. But with just a little preparation, you can keep off the extra holiday pounds and still enjoy all that the season has to offer.

Source: The American Dietetic Association

Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?

Wow, can I pick my top 3? (If this was still 2008, there’d be none of this waffling. I’d have my top choice, hands down. But that’s a story for another time.) How about Good Friday, after an excruciating drive down to my grandparents’ for Easter, when I met my family at Pepper’s — the best Mexican restaurant EVER — and immediately downed a double margarita? (I had spent over an hour of my drive stuck in traffic. For awhile I amused myself by taking pictures every time I came to a full and complete stop. 10 pictures and less than 2 miles later, that got old). Oh, what a relief.

Going to Pepper’s is a tradition. Every time I see my grandparents, we have to go there. It’s not an option. Fresh margaritas and the best red burrito sauce I’ve ever tasted. And fresh salsa with the perfect amount of heat and unending bowls of warm tortilla chips. Mmm. But the best part is whether it’s just a few of us having a quiet lunch or the whole family, loudly taking up the entire back room, Pepper’s is a place of catching up. Sharing stories. Learning what’s going on with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. And practicing my horrible Spanish accent with the waiters, who even recognize me — one of them even knows my usual order. (Get the bean and cheese burrito. With the red sauce. My tastebuds die of happiness every. single. time.)

And this particular time was just…the well-deserved climax of that hellish drive. I was texting my dad and brother — iPhone users both — for traffic updates. Screaming myself hoarse and nearly crying with frustration. And impersonating an Indy driver (in my Tacoma) once traffic finally cleared. First time I’d seen everyone since the previous August, for the most part. And because they had already been there for awhile, stalling and waiting for me, they put my order in as I approached the freeway exit and I arrived at the table almost exactly at the same time as my burrito. Now that’s bitchin’ timing.

Then there’s my graduation dinner at Madonna Inn. Again, the whole family (pretty much) was there. Good drinks, good food (steakhouse!). Celebration — of my graduation from college, my brother’s graduation from high school, and my birthday. And we sat right next to the small dance floor with the live band that played mostly oldies (waltzes and stuff) but we still had a blast dancing.

Finally, Riva’s Grill at Tahoe last August. Once again (can you guess it?), the whole family was there — another tradition. Riva’s is known for their Wet Woody drink and seafood. Oh man, their crab chile relleno appetizers nearly did me in. Riva’s is a bit on the nicer side, so we were on our slightly better behavior — a little quieter and toned down. But still. It was that same atmosphere of enjoying our food and each other’s company.

Here’s what I’ve realized, abstractly before, more concretely after writing these out. Growing up, I didn’t get a lot of “traditional” sit-down family dinners. With the three of us constantly going to various games and practices, scout meetings, etc. etc. etc., it was a rare event to even have the whole family home at dinner time (especially once we reached middle and high school). And we’d usually have the TV on, scarf our food, and all go back to homework or whatever we were doing. It was when we ate out as a family that we sat together and talked. I never understood how Americans get impatient in European restaurants with the slower, less-attentive service. I love being left to eat my meal in unrushed peace. And that’s why, no matter how broke I get, I’ll always make sure to have enough for the occasional dinner out with friends and family.

Do you prefer at-home meals or dining out? (And have you checked out the Best of 09 Challenge yet?)

When I was interviewing for my new job, a girlfriend of mine mentioned that she used to frequent a restaurant nearby. I tried it out yesterday, and had a yummy lunch of inari sushi with eel, ginger salmon, and tempura vegetables. I read Yelp reviews about the food being bland, but I think the reviewers must not have been familiar with simple food made with good ingredients. I could have used a little bit more of a ginger kick on the salmon, but I was able to appreciate the fish itself, and it was all really satisfying. I’ll definitely try it out again, as I was curious about some of the interesting food combining going on on the menu. At $22, though, I won’t be making a habit of it.

Anyone know where to get a bento box for less than ten bucks in the Washington Sq/Union Sq area? I really need to get back on the bento train myself, lest I spend all my money on lunches, or live at Murray’s Bagels…

My apologies for the dead silence on here of late. As far as cooking and dining implements go, I have exactly one spoon, one bowl, one fork, one pair of chopsticks, a butter knife, and a bunch of sharp knives unpacked. I haven’t even ventured into pots & pans. Tonight was the first night in almost three weeks that I “made” myself dinner, and it was just a bagel with hummus, sliced grape tomatoes, and baby arugula. It tasted so good to me that I ate it all standing over the counter. It strikes me as funny to have been so starved for what is typically a speed meal for me. I can’t wait to unpack everything else.

I know your hump day is pretty much over, but that’s even better!!

Last night I planned on making salmon for dinner, but it had gone bad so instead I heated up some leftover pasta that my mom had brought home last week.  This pasta came from Fazolis.  Fazolis is basically Italian fast food, and I wasn’t too excited about going last week because my last experience there wasn’t great.  They’ve revamped their menu, though, and have some fancier dishes.  I was very pleased with what I got the Tortellini and Sun Dried Tomato Rustico.  It had tortellini, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and pesto in a cream sauce.

What you see below (which my mom ordered) was the Tortellini Robusto, which is one of their oven baked pastas.  This was about half the portion left and I bulked it up with steamed broccoli.  Very tasty!!

This morning for breakfast I filled a whole wheat pita with two eggs, some cheddar cheese, and some hot sauce.

This kept me full for a good 3 hours or so.  For a snack I had a Fiberful fruit strip.

Around noon I broke into my lunch, which was a packet of Madras Lentils, a bag of Food Should Taste Good tortilla chips, and an apple.  I REALLY like these lentils.  Check out your local Costco if you’re interested in trying them.

My afternoon snack was a pumpkin nut muffin (I REALLY need to stock up on Libby’s pumpkin bread mix!) and a Diet Coke for the caffeine.

I know the diet soda isn’t the healthiest thing so I need to get some tea with caffeine.  I prefer fruit teas, and they often don’t have caffeine.  ANY SUGGESTIONS?

When I got home a friend, Brian, had brought his Chiweenie, (chihuahua-dachsund mix), Romo, to play with our dog.  Here’s a video of them playing.

Brian invited us to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays so the salmon and polenta thathad planned for dinner will be on tap for tomorrow.

Ruby Tuesdays was SUPER dim inside so I couldn’t get pictures of the salad I got at the salad bar (romaine, spring mix, spinach, edamame, broccoli, cucumbers, carrots, ham, 1000 Island dressing ) or the wine (Estancia Pinot Grigio).

For my entree I ordered the sirloin with lobster mac & cheese.  I substituted the mashed potatoes for mashed cauliflower.  I ate about half of everything.  I took a picture of the half I brought home where the lighting was better.

This was VERY good!  I can’t wait to have it again tomorrow at lunch.

For dessert we went to Dairy Queen and I got the small dipped ice cream cone.  I took a picture, but my phone ate it.  It was HUGE, I don’t think it was a small.  I ate all the chocolate coating, about half the ice cream and the cone.  I scooped about half the ice cream into Josh’s blizzard cup.   I didn’t really like it very much.  Too sweet.  I prefer McDonald’s ice cream cones.

Eating out in restaurants with children is an adventure. I am getting better at doing it solo with the children, but it’s still not the way I would spend the majority of my meals. And not just because that would get expensive.

We have only had to leave a restaurant once altogether this year because of my girls’ bad behavior. They were just all-out crankified, and I didn’t want to deal with it let alone expose other diners to it.

But for the most part, 2009 has been a year of fun in restaurants. Flora and Kate both love Bocktown (and Flora thinks it’s better than a toy store!); I plan to keep Las Velas between my husband and me. We ate out a lot when we had the G-D fruit flies.

And then, there was the perfect solo-parenting dining experience, the best restaurant experience of 2009.

Progress

You know what kind of blog post I would love to stumble across?

A post about well-behaved children in a restaurant. And I don’t mean 10 and 11 year olds — I mean a post about a mom sitting with her almost 5-year-old and 2.5-year-old, and how very well behaved they were.

I would like this post to be written by a server in said restaurant, or by another patron, one there without children.

The post would extol the behavior of these two girls. It would describe how they sat in the booth, coloring (“What a smart mom, for bringing something for her children to do while they waited for their food,” this poster would write), drinking their lemonades without spilling them (“…and the restaurant did not have plastic kid glasses with lids! Just straws.”). Our observant, uh, observer would note that the children did not run around the restaurant. They did not scream, and when they got a little loud, how the mother leaned in and quietly reprimanded them, asking them to use their “inside voices.” And how well the children responded.

This on-looker would note other remarkable things, such as:

“Even though the wait for food was long, in toddler terms — about a half-hour for vegetable lo-mein and tofu with mixed vegetables — the children did not get out of hand. When the mom, a very striking red head who could not have been more than 32-years-old herself*, noticed her younger daughter getting bored with the coloring book, she pulled out her iPod® Shuffle™. She put one of the ear buds in the child’s ear, and the other in her own (no doubt to make sure the song was suitable listening for a little one).

“Her daughter was instantly fascinated. The older daughter wanted to listen, too, and walked to her mother’s side of the booth without fuss. The mother had her listen for a bit, but the girl was, eventually, more interested in going back to her own seat, and the book she had been ‘reading’ beforehand.

“I believe I overhead the mother tell the younger girl that she was listening to Coldplay’s ‘When I Ruled the World’. How nice to know that parents expose their children to more than toddler tunes or the tinkly sounds of classical music redone for babies.” [Little would this person know that the next song was Rihanna's "Breaking Dishes", which caused a little seated booty wriggling.]

And then the observer would exclaim over the fact that the girls ate their dinners with minimum fuss.

“When the food first came to the table, the older daughter balked at what the mom was calling ‘Chinese spaghetti’ (pretty and clever! what a lucky man her husband is). But the mother assured her that she did like it, and put some on her plate, along with rice and some broccoli from the tofu and mixed vegetables. The mom doled out similar amounts to the younger daughter, who also wanted some of that baby corn in the tofu dish. I think the younger daughter actually ate all the baby corn she could find!

“And after sampling some rice, both girls tried their ‘Chinese spaghetti’. The older girl’s eyes lit up. ‘Hey,’ she told her mother, ‘this is good! I love it!’ Both girls proceeded to have two more helpings of the lo-mein, plus rice and vegetables. Being more familiar with kids who won’t eat much more than hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and mac ‘n’ cheese, I was amazed at the adventurous palates of these two cutie pies!”

That’s the kind of thing I would like to see on-line. Instead of people bitching about how their dinner was ruined by rambunctious kids whose parents let them run rampant; instead of servers complaining about clueless and inattentive adults who let their kids get away with the equivalent of (in a busy server’s mind) murder.

But it’s like a-hole protesters or loudmouth, rude celebrities getting media attention. People don’t cover the good news, all the planes that land safely.

Which if you think about it, is encouraging. Maybe the ill-behaved kids are noteworthy but more rare. That way of thinking is probably either hopeful or naive, I know.

This is all a round-about, fanciful way of saying: My children were angels the other night when the three of us went out to dinner. And I hope someone other than me, their ridiculously proud mommy, noticed.

*Hey, it’s a fantasy.

See the comments here.

Starting December 1st 2009, the downtown Minneapolis and St Paul locations will serve gluten free pizza 7 days a weeks.
That tells you how popular their Tuesdays and Wednesdays must have been.

Also note, they are selling their gift cards- great gift for all your GF friends. IF you buy $100 worth, you get $25. Heck, if you go alot yourself, buy them and keep the great savings for yourself.

I’m not stoked about not having work right now, but I am very glad it means I have more opportunities to see friends/family!

Jeanette and Mia stopped by and we decided to head out to the mall for shopping & lunch. Mia is such a good baby.. she let Mommy and me do our window shopping without fussing.

Mia looks skeptical about our tostada pizza, but I am going to guess that she was strategizing on how to get that slice into her tiny little mouth!

Tostada pizza & bbq chicken chopped salad. Man. I really grubbed at lunch.

Remember when shopping for Christmas was easy and fun? You could go to the mall and leave with two hands and even shoulders weighed down with bags? For some reason, the ease and motivation to do such shopping has left my body entirely. Sure, I get excited sometimes when I see something I know someone will like, but lately, I’ve been thinking about the practicality of gifts and how everyone I know has everything they need or want, really. So.. how to combat this lack of gift-buying excitement..??

And she really is the cutest..

This one is a true humdinger of a deal!!! Restaurant.com is doing their annual “Feed it Forward” campaign. Every single day from now until Christmas you can send up to 30 people FREE $10 Restaurant.com gift certificates… at NO COST to you! Share this deal with your friends and ask them to send you FREE $10 gift certificates too.  With these FREE $10 gift certificates, you can buy $25 gift certificates to tons of restaurants near you. So, with the click of your mouse, you’ll get $25 gift certificates for FREE! This is a real “no brainer,” folks!

Here’s what their site says:

“Enter up to 30 different email addresses below every day until Christmas. We will send a free $10 Restaurant.com Gift Certificate to each recipient you choose. Have something special to say? Personalize a brief message to accompany every gift certificate. Want to help others? Send us your reasons for giving through Feed It Forward™. You might see your message on our site. Don’t forget to share the gift of giving with your friends and family.”

Expires: December 25, 2009

20 Secrets your Waiter will Never Tell You

Reader’s Digest gets the scoop on what’s really going on in restaurants

What would two dozen servers from across the country tell you if they could get away with it? Well, for starters, when to go out, what not to order, what really happens behind the kitchen’s swinging doors, and what they think of you and your tips. Here, from a group that clears a median $8.01 an hour in wages and tips, a few revelations that aren’t on any menu.

What we lie about
1. We’re not allowed to tell our customers we don’t like a dish. So if you ask your server how something is and she says, “It’s one of our most popular dishes,” chances are she doesn’t like it.
—Waitress at a well-known pizza chain

2. On Christmas Day, when people ask why I’m there, I might say, “My sister’s been in the hospital,” or, “My brother’s off to war, so we’re celebrating when he gets back.” Then I rake in the tips.
—Chris, a New York City waiter and the founder of bitterwaitress.com

3. If you’re looking for your waiter and another waiter tells you he’s getting something out of the stockroom, you can bet he’s out back having a quick smoke.
—Charlie Kondek, former waiter at a Denny’s in Central Michigan

4. If someone orders a frozen drink that’s annoying to make, I’ll say, “Oh, we’re out. Sorry!” when really I just don’t want to make it. But if you order water instead of another drink, suddenly we do have what you originally wanted because I don’t want to lose your drink on the bill.
—Waitress at a casual Mexican restaurant in Manhattan

What you don’t want to know
5. When I was at one bakery restaurant, they used to make this really yummy peach cobbler in a big tray. A lot of times, servers don’t have time to eat. So we all kept a fork in our aprons, and as we cruised through the kitchen, we’d stick our fork in the cobbler and take a bite. We’d use the same fork each time.

  
6. If you make a big fuss about sending your soup back because it’s not hot enough, we like to take your spoon and run it under really hot water, so when you put the hot spoon in your mouth, you’re going to get the impression — often the very painful impression — that your soup is indeed hot.
—Chris

7. I’ve seen some horrible things done to people’s food: steaks dropped on the floor, butter dipped in the dishwater.
—Waiter at a casual restaurant in the Chicago area

What you’re really swallowing
8. If your dessert says “homemade,” it probably is. But it might be homemade at a bakery three miles away.
—Charity Ohlund

9. I knew one guy — he was a real jerk — he’d go to Costco and buy this gigantic carrot cake for $10 and tell us to say it’s homemade. Then he sold it for $10 a slice.
—Steve Dublanica, veteran New York waiter and author of “Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip — Confessions of a Cynical Waiter”

What drives us crazy
10. Oh, you needed more water so badly, you had to snap or tap or whistle? I’ll be right back … in ten minutes.
—Charity Ohlund

11. We want you to enjoy yourself while you’re there eating, but when it’s over, you should go. Do you stay in the movie theater after the credits? No.
—Waiter at a casual restaurant in the Chicago area

12. My biggest pet peeve? When I walk up to a table of six or seven people and one person decides everyone needs water. I’m making a trip to deliver seven waters, and four or five of them never get touched.
—Judi Santana, a server for ten years

What we want you to know
13. Sometimes, if you’ve been especially nice to me, I’ll tell the bartender, “Give me a frozen margarita, and don’t put it in.” That totally gyps the company, but it helps me because you’ll give it back to me in tips, and the management won’t know the difference.
—Waitress at a casual Mexican restaurant in Manhattan

14. If you’re having a disagreement over dinner and all of a sudden other servers come by to refill your water or clear your plates, or you notice a server slowly refilling the salt and pepper shakers at the table next to yours, assume that we’re listening.
—Charity Ohlund

What tells us you’re trouble
15. I get this call all the time: “Is the chef there? This is so-and-so. I’m a good friend of his.” If you’re his good friend, you’d have his cell.
—Chris

16. The strangest thing I’ve seen lately? A man with a prosthetic arm asked me to coat check it because the table was a little bit crowded. He just removed his arm and handed it to me: “Can you take this?”
—Christopher Fehlinger

17. We always check the reservation book, scan the names, and hope for someone recognizable. I’m happy if the notes say something like “Previous number of reservations: 92.” If they say something like “First-time guest, celebrating Grandma’s 80th birthday, need two high chairs, split checks, gluten allergy,” then I start rummaging through my pockets for a crisp bill for the hostess and I make sure to tell her how much I love her hair fixed like that.
—Charity Ohlund

How to be a good customer
18. Use your waiter’s name. When I say, “Hi, my name is JR, and I’ll be taking care of you,” it’s great when you say, “Hi, JR. How are you doing tonight?” Then, the next time you go in, ask for that waiter. He may not remember you, but if you requested him, he’s going to give you really special service.
—JR, waiter at a fine-dining restaurant and author of the blog servernotslave.wordpress.com

19. Trust your waitress. Say something like “Hey, it’s our first time in. We want you to create an experience for us. Here’s our budget.” Your server will go crazy for you.
— Charity Ohlund

What you need to know about tipping
20. If you walk out with the slip you wrote the tip on and leave behind the blank one, the server gets nothing. It happens all the time, especially with people who’ve had a few bottles of wine.
—Judi Santana

msnbc.com Food & Wine

Yay! Who-hoo! Who-hey! I’ve lost five pounds in this first week alone. I’m thrilled. I’ve been good 90% of the time and it’s really paying off. I wore an old frock for the Soap Awards this week . I last wore it at Christopher Biggins’s birthday party in December and I was so fat the top zip burst open. Lionel Blair had to sew me back into it so I could carry on partying. This time it stayed up.

To be honest I even cheated this week. I had a night out with my friends where I had red wine, pudding and a nice steak and chips. I think you should always allow yourself one night off a week when dieting then you can really look forward to it, not feel deprived. And boasts to your mates about how much thinner you are.

 I’m getting the hang of portion sizes now, and feel I’ve got a much healthier approach to them now after just one week on the product. Even on my “cheat” night out I found that I couldn’t eat as much as normal. I had a steamed asparagus to start as I’m really trying to up my intake of fruit and veg to at least five portions a day. Then on the naughty courses I ended up leaving some of the chips, and half the cheesecake. Not like me. I usually have the whole lot. And then somebody else’s. But I’m getting used to the smaller portions and I felt full on this.

Off to meet my new gym trainer Guiseppe this week – I’m going to combine the diet with a new exercise regime. Get all the wobbly bits toned up so I (hopefully) have nothing swaying or flopping out of my bikini come summer.

At the start of this diet we found out my body consisted of 26.5% fat. Not brilliant. About the same as a cheeseburger actually.  Now, the plan is to do exercises that will up the amount of muscle I have and reduce the amount of fat. If I have more muscle I’ll be able to work out far more efficiently and will actually burn off more calories a day, which will help, keep my weight down in future. I will also have a smaller bottom and – hopefully – arms like Michelle Obama. That’s the theory anyway. At the moment both look a bit lardy.

Giuseppe has prescribed weight-based training with lots of squats, thrusts, and balance work. And I’m also going to go to dance classes because I love them. He said something about me signing up to do some charity runs too – but I pretended I hadn’t heard him. One step at a time Giuseppe.  I can barely run a bath at the moment.

 
RECIPE TIP:

Beans and rice combined acts like some sort of super double-strength fat burner. I’ve bought in bags of black beans, and soak a couple of spoonfuls overnight before boiling it up with brown rice for half an hour. Five minutes before it’s ready add leeks, spinach, and perhaps some prawns – and there’s a gorgeous lunch, which will keep overnight in the fridge.