Not a Favorite Night.

Tonight we hit an all time low on our culinary journey. Thumbs down from the majority of the family... out came the back up cereal and ramen noodles. The mood was short. The picture posted makes me happy. It was taken at Mimi and Zadie's house when they hosted a greek night to share in their trip to Greece in 2010. This certainly makes the mood a little better.

Who doesn't love meatballs? Really. I for one thought they were delicious. Andy slaved over preparing them. It was a time consuming venture which didn't help the mood once the judges announced their dislike. What was I thinking... bad mom. I even chose a mediterranean curry cous cous. I laugh now. Why did I think their palettes were suddenly changed and all grown up.

I found this recipe through Pinterest, a site called nook and pantry.

Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 lb. ground lamb
Half a medium onion, finely chopped
1 slice of bread, crust removed, pulsed in a food processor or chopped in small cubes
1/4 cup milk
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
Zest from 1 lemon
1 egg
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbl. fresh dill or mint, finely chopped
2 to 3 Tbl. fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp salt, to taste


1/2 cup or more dried bread crumbs
Vegetable oil
Heat 1 tsp vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat and cook onions until softened. Remove from heat and stir in minced garlic.
Mix the onions and garlic together with the other ingredients except for the dried bread crumbs and vegetable oil.
Form the meatballs. Roll the balls in bread crumbs.
Heat about 1 tsp of oil in nonstick skillet over medium high heat. I didn't use very much oil because the meatballs exuded quite a bit of oil. If you find that your meatballs are dry, add more oil so they don't dry our or burn. Brown all sides of the meatballs until they are fully cooked, about 10 minutes.
Make about 20 meatballs.
Serve the meatballs in a pita with freshly chopped tomatoes and Tzatziki sauce. Your own little Gyro made from scratch!


I had better tone it down with the next few days. It may be time to dial back the amount of days we dine in each country. The family is starting to bubble.

Half Greek.

Tuesday was an unusual day. We had a funeral to attend for our friends Dad. It was rainy with a slight winter chill in the air. The kind of day that you want to cozy up on the couch with a blanket and watch movies all day while eating Velveeta popcorn.

Reality check. No couch. Andy and I plus my mother-in-law, Jane provided a meal for the family last night. We made 2 huge pans of pasta, an antipasto salad and bread. Because we're in Greece, I brought over nearly homemade Spanakopita for an appetizer. I consider anything you do to prepare store bought food, nearly homemade! Really, it's all in the baking. You have to set the dial for perfect temp, unwrap the package. Then there's placement of the pan. Serious stuff here.

Spanakopita is a greek savory pie, made with phyllo dough and stuffed with spinach and feta cheese. It is most often considered a "snack" in Greece. There is also a fasting version without eggs or dairy products that is eaten during the Great Lent. (We didn't follow the fasting version). We have made this before with our greek friend, Megan. It's very labor intensive and tricky with the phyllo dough. Delicious outcome however. Due to our hectic week, we opted for the Costco version. I would highly recommend their version.

Forecast today, cold and windy. Still dreaming of Velveeta popcorn.

Velveeta Popcorn
Popped corn
Velveeta
Butter
Cajun popcorn seasoning (optional)

Pop your popcorn, microwave or other. Melt a chunk of velveeta and a tablespoon of butter in microwave. Pour mixture over popcorn, a little at a time. Toss the popcorn. Add seasoning. Pour more mixture. Toss. Repeat until the cheese is gone.

I know this sounds odd, but it is dynamite. My friend Beth introduced this delicacy to me when we were in college. The butter helps make the cheese a little runnier for easy pouring and tossing. Result is cheese chunky popcorn that is a meal in itself. Happy Is.

A Little Packet of Goodness.

How can we go wrong with the basics of Greek living.... feta cheese, kalamata olives, tomatoes, artichokes, capers... more please! We have arrived in Greece and enjoyed our 1st greek meal. Hannah asked what we were having for dinner on our way to picking up Katy from dance, and I replied, "chicken and Cous Cous". She replied, "Is that greek?" Elie replied, "Hannah, anything is greek, we could have tacos this week and call it greek"... little did they know I failed to mention how we prepared the chicken...note that I had company in my taxi cab tonight. Swimming is officially over for the season. More free time awaits. I need to get used to it.

Hannah loves feta. She thought the chicken could have used more of it. Elie thought the chicken had no flavor. I scraped the topping off of hers to avoid the gross comments. Should have left it on. It was a wonderful light meal and very easy to prepare. Who would have thought chicken could be spruced up so deliciously in a packet that steams the meal in the oven.

Mediterranean Chicken Packets

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, (6 to 8 ounces each)

Coarse salt and ground pepper 

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained 

4 artichoke hearts (from a 14-ounce can), quartered 

12 Kalamata olives, halved and pitted 

4 teaspoons capers 

1/2 cup crumbled feta (2 ounces) 

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning 

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place four 12-inch squares of parchment paper or heavy-duty foil on a work surface. Place a chicken breast on one half of each square, leaving a 2-inch border; season with salt and pepper.

2. Dividing evenly, top chicken with tomatoes, artichokes, olives, capers, and feta. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and oil. Fold parchment over ingredients, and crimp edges to seal.

3. Place packets on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until chicken is opaque throughout, 20 to 22 minutes.

4 Days Complete.

Way to go Hannah! Racing a total of 3,500 yards, nearly 2 miles of all out fast in 4 days. Glad to end the meet with another LTB (life time best) in the finals tonight. What a long, tiring 4 day bender, hanging out in the swimming pool. All worth it. The experience, priceless.

So we put the short course season behind us and take a break from it all until April. My taxi job just got easier, yay me.

We are off to Greece this week for our fine dining. Appropriate to end an athletic week by heading to a country where ancient greek athletics was very important. The ultimate greek goal was to be the best. All aspects of life, especially athletics, were the focal point of this concept. The athletes competed for honor, not material goods, hence the olive wreath that was given at Olympia, winning a victory.

Hannah may not have "won" the competition, but she did win against herself. That's the difference in swimming. You are a team, but ultimately are competing against yourself, to improve your best... your own victory.

Looking forward to a healthy week in Greece.
Happy Is.

A Brief Pause.

Last night was the first night I did NOT blog since the beginning of this culinary experiment. I was trapped in a place where I couldn't share my thoughts. I was empty. My dear friend, Jody lost her father yesterday. It was a shock for all. Though age was not completely on his side, it was a sudden departure. So very sad. My thoughts and prayers are with my extended family. God love you Al and Jody, Spencer and Max.

We have dropped off the grid in terms of culinary cuisine, hanging out in Iowa City. Swimming, lots of it.
I tried to share an act of kindness yesterday morning with a swimmer friend where I volunteered to run the girls to warm-ups at 6:50am. Well, it backfired. Apparently thinking we were in the same hotel, I waited and finally found out we weren't in the same hotel! A quick scurry to race to the meet in time for warm-ups, a little late.

Hannah has had a good meet, not great in her mind. We can sum it up with her saying, I'm going to go to more practice after this meet...starting in April! She has realized that hard work and effort in practice makes for better meet performance. Funny how that works:)

We gear up to finish out the swimming weekend as I plan for our departure to Greece. Very excited to eat a little healthier and experience a different culture.

Swimming Noodles in Iowa City.

Tonight kicked off the USA swimming senior state weekend in Iowa City, IA. Hannah got out of school at 11:30 am and drove up with her friend, Haley. I traveled solo, catching up with my mom on the phone from Newton to Iowa City. We covered two weeks of missed conversation and it was wonderful.  I arrived in time for Hannah to swim the 1000 freestyle. For those of you who don't know what that means, it's 40 laps in the pool. She did well, dropped 9 seconds and looked strong.

We left the meet at 8:30 pm and headed for Noodles & Company for a quick dinner. Hannah enjoyed buttered noodles and I experienced Japanese Pan Noodles, a spicy mix of caramelized udon noodles, tossed with broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, bean sprouts and black sesame. Deliciously fast dinner.

Andy is home with Elie and Katy, collecting the things we've forgotten. Reminds me...he needs to bring the camera... they will join us tomorrow night. I did remember to tell him to drop the fish off to our neighbors on his way out of town.

What random act of kindness did I accomplish today? I brought yummy homemade protein bars to my co-workers, emailed the recipe to them and offered a real taste of the virtual recipe. I also held open a door for a random someone with a 20 lb. bag of ice I was balancing on my shoulders at the local convenience store.

The act of kindness for the bars came from my friend Jill, who sent me the recipe so I could make a batch for the power weekend of swimming. Very easy.

Z3 Bars
1 cup honey
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup whey protein (I used vanilla flavored)
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix and press in small pan. Refrigerate. Cut in small squares of make small balls. Can add dried cranberries, cocoa covered almonds, flax seeds or flax, or other.

I added 3 Tbl. of flax. could easily add more.

Enjoy!

Moqueca – Brazilian Seafood Stew

A Brazilian Tradition minus the Ashes.
Today marks the beginning of the Lenten season, a time when Christians observe the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. During Lent, it's said that you should participate in fasting or giving up certain types of luxury as a form of penitence. So our intentions of the day ended up less than intended.

A typical day in the life of us... started the day with three girls at the dentist by 7:30 am. After a trip to Krispy Creme and dropping them off at school, our days began. Work ended early with a trip to the hair dresser (a luxury I'm not giving up)... followed by picking up soccer kids in the carpool, dropping them off at home...picking Hannah up and taking her to swimming...going to Indian Hills for teacher conferences for Elie...back home to get Elie and Katy....off to pick up Hannah from swimming... to arrive at St. Francis for Ash Wednesday service...only to realize mass started at 7:00pm...30 minutes too late... Katy started crying... Hannah was shouting to leave...I finally cracked and race out of church. Not a very good start to this religious season...

Katy calmed down as I mentioned chocolate muffins and microwave popcorn that we were going to pick up at the store. We arrived home to a house filled with a wonderful aroma of our Brazilian dinner that I had given Andy the responsibility to deliver on. And tasty it was. He made a wonderful dish called Moqueca, a traditional seafood stew in Brazil and Brazilian Pao De Queijo, little  cheese bread. Originally from the beautiful state of Minas Gerais, they are made with a farmer's type of cheese.

Moqueca – Brazilian Seafood Stew

INGREDIENTS

Soup

1 1/2 to 2 lbs of fillets of firm white fish such as halibut, swordfish, or cod, rinsed in cold water, pin bones removed, cut into large portions or 1 to 2 lbs.un-cooked shrimp.

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup white rice (optional)

1 3/4 cups boiling water (check your rice package for the appropriate ratio of liquid to rice for the type of rice you are using)

1 teaspoon salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 Tbsp lime or lemon juice

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

1 cup chopped spring onion, or 1 medium yellow onion, chopped or sliced

1/4 cup green onion greens, chopped

1/2 yellow and 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded, de-stemmed, chopped (or sliced)

2 cups chopped (or sliced) tomatoes

1 Tbsp paprika (Hungarian sweet)

Pinch red pepper flakes

1 large bunch of cilantro, chopped with some set aside for garnish

1 14-ounce can coconut milk

METHOD

1 Place fish pieces in a bowl, add the minced garlic and lime juice so that the pieces are well coated. Sprinkle generously all over with salt and pepper. Keep chilled while preparing the rest of the soup.

2 Back to the soup. In a large covered pan (such as a Dutch oven), coat the bottom with about 2 Tbsp of olive oil and heat on medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook a few minutes until softened. Add the bell pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. (At least a teaspoon of salt.) Cook for a few minutes longer, until the bell pepper begins to soften. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and onion greens. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered. Stir in the chopped cilantro.

3 If you are planning on serving the soup with rice, start on the rice. Bring a couple cups of water to a boil. Heat one Tbsp of olive oil in a medium saucepan on medium high heat. Add the chopped 1/2 onion and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the raw white rice and stir to coat completely with the oil, onions, and garlic. Add the boiling water. (The amount depends on your brand of rice, check the package. If no amounts are given, add 1 3/4 cup of water for every cup of rice.) Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes, after which, remove from heat until ready to serve with the soup.

We didn't serve this with rice, just the rolls which was plenty of starch. 

Brazilian Pao De Queijo
1/2 cup milk 

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

1 egg 1 cup tapioca starch 

1/4 cup farmer’s cheese  

1 T Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese, grated 

1/2 tsp salt

for topping (optional) fresh rosemary leaves, chopped kosher salt

Add all ingredients, except those for the topping, into a blender. Blend very well at full speed, stopping a couple of times to scrape the surface of the blender’s cup, making sure no bits of tapioca starch are left unmixed.

The mixture will be a little thinner than pancake batter. Pour the batter in mini-muffin tins, to no more than 3/4 of their capacity, as shown here. The recipe makes 24 little cheese breads.

Add a little bit of salt and rosemary on top, place in a 400F oven, and cook for 20 minutes.

What a great meal for a crazy mixed up night. The flavor of the stew was fantastic and the bread was like eating popovers. Seriously solid stuff. 

Back to the lenten season... My dear friends Al and Jody shared a really funny thing from their son, Max who has been studying lent at school. I laughed with tears when I read it. So now I ponder, what kind of sacrifice am I going to give to this lenten season... Elie is giving up gum... not sure about Katy. Hannah may be giving up her phone if she doesn't lose the teenage attitude (sorry H..had to zing you)... me, I will try not to eat sweets, maybe. Or beer, crazy, or chips. More importantly is what I can do to be a better person. Be nicer. Have more patience with my teenager. Unexpected kindness. That is what I'm going to strive to do for others during this lenten season. Because, really, true happiness is found in helping others and making other people's lives richer because of kindness. 

Happy Is.

Brazilian Grilled Flank Steak

Trombones on a Tuesday.
Elie had a solo band ensemble this afternoon where she tooted her trombone standing tall and proud in front of a judge. We find out how she did tomorrow!

Tonight, we served up Brazilian steak.  Barbecued meats (churrasco) are served in churrascarias, Brazilian barbecued-meat restaurants, with a salsa-like sauce as an accompaniment.  It was a perfect choice for our simple meat-eaters. We prepared the meal as the recipe follows with the exception of keeping the hot pepper from touching the kids half of the steak. It was delicious. Fresh, light and finally no heaviness to the meal. We broiled instead of grilled due to the month of February in Iowa. Though we could have since the weather has been so mild. Too much work in the dark. Instead, cleaning house was on the docket this evening. 

We are gearing up for the Lenten season to begin tomorrow so seafood will be our meal choice. 

Brazilian Grilled Flank Steak

INGREDIENTS

STEAK

• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 small hot pepper, such as jalapeño or serrano, minced
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 pounds flank steak

SALSA

• 1 14-ounce can hearts of palm, drained, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 small hot chile, such as jalapeño or serrano, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• PREPARATION

  1. Preheat grill to high (see Broiling Variation).
  2. To prepare steak: Combine garlic, hot pepper, oil and salt in a small bowl. Rub the mixture on both sides of steak.
  3. To prepare salsa: Combine hearts of palm, tomatoes, onion, hot pepper, cilantro, vinegar and salt in a medium bowl.
  4. Reduce grill heat to medium and grill the steak 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut the steak across the grain into thin pieces. Serve with the salsa.

  TIPS & NOTES

  • Broiling variation:
  • Instead of grilling, in Step 1 position oven rack 6 inches from the heat source and preheat broiler. In Step 4, cook steak on a broiler pan under the broiler until medium-rare, turning once, about 10 minutes total.

Crock Pot Brazilian Saffron Chicken and Rice

Rainy Days and Mondays.
God Love Karen Carpenter.... what a tired Monday, yet life doesn't slow down to say, "oh hey, we know you're tired, long weekend, poor thing...you need sleep and we're going to slow it down for you"...

So the band carries on and our first meal in Brazil was a crock pot dish (ok, so I was somewhat organized today), Brazilian Saffron Chicken and Rice. I had to brown the chicken and chop up onions and peppers before work and then race home over lunch to turn it on. Home at 8:20pm to enjoy it after my taxi shift, grocery store and gas stop this evening.

The chicken fell off the bone, delicious. Elie and Katy liked the chicken, not the rice. Must have been too fancy with red pepper, onion and ham in it. Hannah didn't eat! Poor thing came home with a tummy ache after swimming. I'm crossing my fingers that she gets over her sick feelings soon. State meet is 3 days away... Andy thought the chicken was kind of bland... come to find out, I left out the sliced olives step which would have made a huge difference. My other curious question is why the recipe is called "saffron" chicken when there isn't a mention of using saffron as an ingredient. I was going to add a pinch but of course, forgot. And while I'm at it, I couldn't find any history about this meals origin. Which makes me think the recipe I found was a knock-off on Brazilian cooking? I ponder. I also forgot to snap up pictures of the meal. Signs of the tired...

All and all, it served its purpose, to feed a tired family after a great weekend. Looking forward to an energetic Tuesday!

Crock Pot Brazilian Saffron Chicken and Rice
4 lbs broiler-fryer chickens , cut up 
3⁄4 teaspoon garlic salt 
1 tablespoon olive oil 
3 ounces chopped fully cooked smoked ham 
1 medium onion , chopped
1 medium red bell pepper , chopped 
14 ounces chicken broth 
8 ounces yellow rice mix 
1⁄3; cup sliced pimento stuffed olive

Directions:

1 Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt. 

2 Heat oil in 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat

3 Add chicken and cook until brown on all sides; drain.

4 Place chicken in 4 quart slow cooker.

5 Top with ham, onion, and bell pepper. Add broth.

6 Cover and cook on Low 5 to 6 hours until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

7 Remove chicken from crock pot. Stir rice mix into mixture in crock pot, add chicken. 

8 Cover and cook on High about 1 hour or until rice is tender. 

9 Serve chicken and rice sprinkled with olives.

Packing for Brazil.

Sunday night...ready to call it a weekend. We packed a lot in and got nothing done around the house. It's amazing how sitting at a pool and virtually checking out can be so tiring. Elie had a great state weekend. She finished proudly ahead of herself in all but two events the entire weekend. A highlight was breaking :30 in the 50 free!!! Her last relay was a stellar performance, swimming the 100 Fly. The relay was 1/2 a pool length behind and she caught up to her competition by the end of her race.. so proud.

We were then off to World Thinking Day with our Dutch Letter Bars in hand. Food wasn't the biggest hit for kids wanting to shed their dollars so we ended up bringing our batch home. Lucky us:). Lost and hour of sleep the night before, gained a batch of Dutch Letter Bars...

Tonight, we went out since all that hard work of sitting on our chair butts all weekend was exhausting! No cooking, just planning for our travels to Brazil this week. That's right, Rio-de-Janeiro, watch out. Unfortunately, it's going to be a short trip for us since we have to be back in the states for the Senior USA Swimming State Meet starting on Thursday in Iowa City. Go Hannah.

State Swimming.

What a great day. It started with our dueling cell phone alarms going off at 5am. Well rested and ready to go on 5.5 hours of sleep!  Showered, Elie's sandwich ready to go, (which received a thumbs up), our wheels were up at 6:05am. Our journey to Marshalltown was quick, arriving 20 minutes before we needed to. Elie was VERY happy.  She swam like a champ today, dropping time in every race in the morning session. It was such a positive day for our team. All kids dropped time again after last weekend at Regionals. A huge kudos goes out to our coaches. The taper was spot on! After our 12 hour day in the pool (with a 4 hour break of eating and shopping), she ended with no more fuel in the tank. Game over. Until tomorrow. God love her! We shopped like champions too, FYI... 2 pairs flip flops, 1 bottle bath and body works mini lotion and 1 pair of earrings from Claires...$8.00.. so proud of us:)

So you can imagine, dinner plan wasn't happening. We grabbed a Little Caesars Pizza on the way out of town after 7pm. Hot and ready to eat which resulted in a very happy swimmer. Arrived in Des Moines to pick up Katy at Grandma Jane's and then home to prepare for tomorrow's meet.  Oh and to bake a batch of Dutch Letter Bars for Katy's World Thinking Day Girl Scouts event we will be attending tomorrow after the meet.

Dutch Letter Bars
One stick margarine

One stick butter

One 8oz can/tube of almond paste

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

Melt margarine and butter. Add eggs and almond paste. Add sugar and flour. Blend thoroughly and spread in well-greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Watch the last few minutes of baking time as you don't want to overbake these.

World thinking day is an event where each troop in the area picks a country to represent. Holland is Katy's troops country, hence the dutch letter bars. The girls are encouraged to make something to represent the country as well. All items are sold and the girls go around with their passports to get stamps and try new things from every country. It's a really cool event, open to the public tomorrow from 2-4pm at Southwoods School in West Des Moines.

Until tomorrow-this cat's going to bed once her teenager arrives home....

My Comfort Meal.

Most people choose mashed potatoes & gravy or chicken noodles or Lasagna as their comfort meal. Mine on the other hand is Salmon. Call me crazy but I crave it like someone craving a juicy burger. It's not just the Salmon itself, but the combination of grilled salmon served over a bed of pesto pasta that makes me feel at home. Now don't get me wrong, a cheeseburger is sometimes what the doctor orders when needed. Like on a weekend when it's "ok" to indulge in a double cheeseburger from McDonald's (bonding time with Katy)...

Tonight, we needed a meal that had a mix of lean protein and carbs for miss Elie who is swimming in the 12 & under USA swim meet this weekend in Marshalltown, Iowa. Now, the meal had to be tailored a bit to make Elie happy since she doesn't find Salmon to be her comfort food. So I switched her portion up and served Tilapia with a rich parmesan, butter, mayo, lemon juice mixture. So much for the "lean" in her meal. The meal was gobbled up with a side of Asparagus and Broccoli.  Healthy meal night before meet, check it off!

We discussed morning breakfast meal with Elie since we have to hit the road at 6am. I suggested an Omelet with nothing in it served on an English Muffin. It sounds funny but the kid doesn't like cheese melted in anything! She thought about it and then mentioned a slice of canadian bacon would go good with it. So, I was off to the grocery store to pick up canadian bacon for my swimmer, thinking this is really an Egg McMuffin without the cheese...hhhmm. I guess the egg is mixed so she doesn't see the yolk.

Dedication, not only from the athlete but from the parents is what makes a winner!  Good Luck Elie!!!!

Broiled Salmon (usually grilled in summer)
Purchase.
Slice.
Season.
Broil on low.
We left the skin on to broil and then cut away the skin once cooked. This lets you broil without having to flip.

Pesto Pasta
Noodles-boiled
We use frozen pesto cubes from our summer harvest. You make fresh pesto from your homegrown basil plants and place in ice cube trays, placing in freezer. Once frozen, you pop them out and place in baggies and store in freezer. So convenient and cheap to have fresh pesto all year long.

Mimi and Leftovers.

A typical meal in America, especially on a Thursday night. Some noshed on Steak, some noshed on the wonderful Angel pasta which Hannah is going to make sure to give Amy a big Thank you next time she sees her. She LOVES LOVES LOVES it. She stayed home today with a bout of the cruddy cold sore throat illness and ate the pasta for lunch AND for dinner. Elie on the other hand ate the steak before swimming and then Fruit Loops after her swim practice! Go figure.

So I've stumbled on a website thanks to my friend, Dina who made a wonderful video for her husband for Valentine's Day. It's onetruemedia.com and it's super cool for us amateurs. You can make :30 videos and post for FREE. I'm dabbling right now and will begin to expand my talents once I find enough time to focus on it. I made a Birthday card video for my mom since it's her Birthday tomorrow. She's celebrating on an Island in the Caribbean so mailing a card wasn't an option. This is just a snippit of a beautiful woman whom I love with all my heart. She is my #1 fan, my friend, my mom. It's funny, a girl never loses that feeling of needing a mom.

Happy Birthday Kathleen Irene! May you use enough sunscreen as not to get burned on your Birthday. Now you can say you've heard from your youngest prodigal daughter 2 hours (1 your time) before your day is celebrated.

Happy Is Mimi....