New Jersey - the Land of the BEST Food!

Okay, I'm hungry.... and I'm disappointed.  Last night for a treat, my friend and I tried out a new Italian restaurant that boasted being just like Up North - and Authentic.  Well, after eating there I can say, maybe the owner is, but his staff that is cooking and preparing food isn't!

I ordered Sauteed Calamari in Fra Diablo sauce over linguine... I got a bowl of spaghetti in a slightly spicy sauce, with a few pieces of calamari mixed in it... so it was a treasure hunt for the itty bitty tiny morsels of squid... disappointing when you are expecting a bowl of this:

So, that restaurant is marked off my list as a No Go...

I am so jealous of my friends in New Jersey, they write of their trips and evening fun at these incredible Italian places, or breakfast of good bagels, or even diner food!  Here, I have choices of chain restaurants, and the one's that aren't chains that are good, well their egos hit their prices, and that makes an enemy to my pocket book and I don't go....

SO.... one day I'll be back in New Jersey and get some REAL food... for now I'll just settle with the fact that I like my own cooking, as well as, I do have a great Indian restaurant near home!!!

My Habibi - the Hair Ball

This cat is such a mess, he refuses to drink out of a bowl, but only the water from a running tap... when you walk into the kitchen, he's sure to jump into the sink and start fussing for the water to be turned on...

Blahhhh Dreary Day.....

Well, today I went out in the chill and wet grey weather and had lunch with friends... had a veggie omelet with fresh fruit on the side... it was "ehhh" okay.

Looking through healthy recipes... I found this one:

Moroccan vegetable tagine

A new store has opened in our area for produce and meats...called FreshFields Farm and I have heard that you can get organic and local farmer's produce for a 1/3 of the cost as at a place like Whole Foods.  I am going to check it out this week, as I plan to make some healthy vegetarian meals this weekend to pack and freeze for next week's dinners and lunches.

My favorite Eggplant Dish... I have a hard time writing down my own recipes because I do everything without real measurements.  When I was taught to make this dish, it was by watching and helping, but the person did not use actual measurements as well....he just threw it all together....

Eggplant Dish:

2 peeled and cubed/diced eggplants

2 sliced/halved zucchini and/or yellow squash 

1 onion (peeled/chopped)

1 T. Minced Garlic

1 small can of sliced ripe olives (optional)

½ c. of chopped Kalamata olives

1 Large Can of drained Petite Diced Tomatoes

1 box/container of Pomi Crushed Tomatoes

2 lbs. of browned/cooked/fat drained ground turkey, ground beef or sirloin (optional)

½ t. cinnamon

½ t. nutmeg

1 t. ground pepper (I usually do ground pepper from the mill – so this is really to taste)

2 T. Heaping or more– Italian Seasonings or just Basil

Feta Cheese (I use a LOT – like two containers of crumbled or half a huge block from BJs)

1 bag of shredded Provolone and/or Mozzarella – or either one…. Provolone is the best

Olive Oil

 Preheat Oven 400 degrees

 I saute the onion, garlic in olive oil and set aside and then cook the ground turkey 

 In my large casserole dish I toss the eggplant and squash with the contents of the pan of onion, garlic and olive oil  and the olives and cooked meat (I have been going vegetarian and leaving out the meat)

 Then add in the tomatoes and seasoning

 Then the seasonings and the cheese liberally – mixed evenly

 Then pop the dish in the oven for an hour until the eggplant is mush….

 I serve it with:

 Couscous – when you go to Trader Joes get a tiny bag or find Sunkist at the store mixed fruit -  some dried cherries/raisin/apple fruit mix and some chopped up small pieces of sundried tomatoes – when you add to boil the water for the couscous, add the dried fruit and tomatoes, they will plump up … then when fully cooked – fluff and garnish with pine nuts and parsley on top ….

Or, I love this with Brown Rice.... 

EXCELLENT DINNER !!!!!

Christmas Tidings

I will be cooking and filling the house with delicious smells, filling the house with some Christmas music, and having a lovely Christmas Eve dinner with my son... and friends will pop in and say Hello, knowing that I'll be home and not going anywhere ... very sad about that.... but, I'll make the best of it.  

So, tonight's movie fest:  Red 2, The World's End, and The Lone Ranger.... I know my favorite will be The World's End, I wanted to see it when it was in the theaters and never got the chance.

Merry Christmas to All.

Cheers!

Happy Birthday Dad.... 

Spirit of the Holidays....

It's very difficult to find the Holiday Cheer... BUT, I can find the "Spirit" when I listen to the music.... my favorites this year are instrumental and acapella....

Music soothes my soul, my heart, my mind... how can it not lift you up some?

SO, instead of dwelling on the fact that my father is not with us anymore, that I cannot make it to my mother's for Christmas, I am missing my nephew's first Christmas, that I am so far away from my family, and so many "dilemmas" and "issues" ... I drift off into listening to music, and try to think of things that are positive, plan things that I "CAN" do and afford that can make my loved ones happy, and remember that "the thought" counts so much more than anything else...

A little chocolate goody on the taste buds does help too!!!!