Ok.  Time to catch up!  Stay tuned!

Tom has decided that he wants to go through Tyler Florence’s cookbook, Stirring the Pot, and try out each recipe, one by one.  I wasn’t too keen on starting with rooster, I figured it might be safer if we went with something a little more familiar.  So, we made chicken parmesan, bruschetta and caesar salad with homemade dressing (anchovies and all….yikes!).  It was de-lish!  I love being in the kitchen with Tom, we are complete opposites in there.  I’m very much the little of this, little of that girl.  He’s more like, “it says to dice the onion…so how big should the pieces be?”  Cracks me up.  Mr.  Precise.  We just laugh at each other. 

Anyways, it turned out great!  Get in the kitchen with someone you love! 

Captain Adorable thought it was wonderful!  When dinner was all said and done, and that little boy above needed a bath, Tom got the kitchen back in business.  I wasn’t mad at that!

Mamma Melina’s has been our spot for years. It was this goofy little treasure that we have gone to for ages. We know the guys who run it, and we have our special dishes that the chef whips up for us. We first found this place by accident. We were looking for the Seven Gables Theatre to see “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” We saw a movie poster on the door, and walked into what we thought was the theatre. We were pleasantly surprised to find this cozy little Italian restaurant tucked in down there. They pointed us in the right direction for the movie, and we decided that that was going to be our first stop after the movie let out. After seeing the movie, which we loved, we found ourself in a cozy little table being told the specials of the day by a man with a thick Italian accent. We were having a moment. Major moment. Like, stop the clocks, we’re in heaven.

We went there after Tom asked to court me, and a bazillion other special events. We know what the door sounds like as it opens, and we know they will never fix that broken window pane. That was fine with us, because we also knew that the food would always be amazing, and our awkward little Italian friend would always come over with his minature pad of paper asking what we would like him to play for us on the piano (our personal fav was when our neighbor Jesse asked him to play Maroon Five’s, “This Love” – classic).

Well, Mamma (actually, her sons) decided to go all fancy on us. They moved into a brand spankin’ new building right across from University Village. The new place is hip, happening and fresh – even the toilets have heated seats. There is nothing to dislike about the new place, except that it’s just not the old place. It’s like your perenially awkward country cousin suddenly showing up in heels and lip gloss. And looking hot hot hot. I think we could learn to love this place.

Rocco likes it!

We look forward to sharing a meal there with many of you, if we haven’t already.

Ciao!

He sneezed, looked at me and said, “WOAHHHH!  Big bless you!”  Yes Roc, that was a big bless you. 

Ah-choo!

It was a hit, so I’ve got to share!  It was too hot to turn the oven on, so I went the no bake route!  Good choice, for sure.

I told Rocco it was cheesecake, he definitely liked it, he just couldn’t remember what it was called.  He would ask for a cheese stick, so I would grab one and he’d get all upset…apparently, I am in interpreter too.  Then he just decided to call it a cupcake, I kept telling it was call cheesecake, and he just looked at me like, “Hey mom, I hear you, but that makes no sense.  Those things don’t go together!” 

Call it whatever you want…just don’t call it late to dessert. 

Here’s where I found it:  http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2010/08/04/no-bake-cheesecake/

Here’s the recipe, it’s SO easy.  You can make this thing in no time at all!

No-bake Cheesecake

20 sheets graham crackers (about 2 packages), crushed
12 tablespoons butter, melted
4 tablespoons sugar
2 8 ounce packages cream cheese at room temperature
juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup  heavy whipping cream (optional)

1. Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Freeze for about 20 minutes.

2. To make the filling, use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese, lemon juice, and vanilla. When it is well mixed, add in the condensed milk, a tiny bit at a time with the mixer on low (if you add it in all at once, you’ll get lumps, so easy does it), until it is all incorporated and smooth. If you are adding in the cream, use the same method, by adding a little at a time. Beat the mixture for about 3 minutes more. Pour cream cheese mixture into the chilled crust. Place cheese cake in the refrigerator for 3 hours to firm up (you can jog it along by putting it in the freezer for awhile, too).

3. To release the cake from the pan, you may want to run the sides of the pan under hot water for a few seconds—being careful not to get the cake wet—and then use the release clip.

Summer fingers and toes deserve a happy summer color just as much as Christmas fingers and toes deserve the shiniest red you can find.

I found my summer color on a friend’s toes at a wedding a few weeks ago. I zipped over to the nail place, asked them for three coats of this gem of a color. I love it. Love it, love it, love it.

I love it so much that I want a bottle (or two) of it of my own! Both my mom and I have searched high and low…no luck. I can’t find this darn polish anywhere! Grrrr. It’s the little things, I tell ya!

If you are still reading, I’m sorry, and I love you for it. You were warned.

If you see this color anywhere, let me know!

OPI
“Hey! Get in lime!”

I can’t believe I am about to post this.

“MMMMMMOOOOOOMMMMMMM?  … I want OOOOOUUUUUUTTT?”

Good morning, son. I will never get tired of your face.

Never.

Here’s to lazy Saturdays.

To start:

A Banana, Chocolate & Almond Panini

Take two slices of whatever kind of bread you prefer, go ahead and slather it with butter – this is not the healthy part of the meal.    Add sliced banana, chopped almonds and Nutella or your favorite chocolate bar.  Stick it in the panini maker for a few and bam! there you have it.  Goey, chocolatey, nutty, banana-y goodness.  Dust with powdered sugar and serve.  Ok, you can thank me now.

To balance out the sugar, we knew a protein and some veggies were called for.  So, we made the yummiest omelet ever.

It was filled with cream cheese, mozzarella, and spinach.  We took baby tomatoes and lightly sauteed them with garlic and olive oil, that went right on top of the omelet.  It was finished off with fresh basil, and let me tell you, it was divine.

Do it.  Go.  Now.