I Gotta Feeling that my trip rocked!

Here I am in front of the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, FL. Yes this is the rundown dump we had our Leadership Conference at, LOL, Of course it was a fabulous resort, that's how we roll with Tastefully Simple.

We had the most fun at the best conference to date. I say this everytime. Each conference and trip is the best ever. This one is going to have a special place in all our memories. Let me explain, as it is with most things in life. Oprah was involved.

Back in 2002, I attended my first Tastefully Simple Conference. Our conferences always have a theme. The theme of that conference was Believe. And our conferences begin and end with a Welcome address and an "Off You Go" Address from our CEO, Jill B. Strahan. Now from the get-go I noticed a couple things about these addresses. One, Jill likes quotes. and Two, Jill likes to tie in her speeches to in the days before youtube a movie and now in the last few conferences a viral video.

What the heck you say? A viral video. Yes really, the very cool inspiring ones that spread like wildfire because when you watch them you get goosebumps. For example at our National Conference in August. Jill's address was centered around Susan Boyle on Britan's got talent. How Susan walked out there and everyone laughed at her, but she doesn't let them get her down and she started singing and bam! Everyone was blown away and amazed.

This time Jill showed us the video of the Black Eyed Peas kicking off the Oprah show downtown and the dance that starts w/one person and spreads out to 21,000 people on Michigan Avenue. I would have posted a liwk to it here but well, I couldn't figure out how to do that so if you haven't seen it you really have to go youtube and put in 'black eyed peas oprah' and watch it.

Then we discussed what the Leadership lessons were in the video. Such as, as a Leader sometimes you may feel like the lone woman up there dancing by herself, but if you are having fun and you put yourself out there, the next thing you know people want to join in.

But wait that isn't the really fun part about the story!

On Saturday morning, two consultants came onto the stage, Jody M and Leigh H and said. You know what? We were thinking wouldn't it be fun if we all did the dance to that song, here tomorrow morning and surprised Jill? And then there was thunderous applause. So whilst our CEO was off leading a panel discussion in another conference room, Jody and Leigh taught us the dance. And in 17 minutes we had the plan and had practiced. With the help of the HQ team at the conference, and about 600 consultants who can keep a secret, Jill was none the wiser.

Sunday morning Jill walked out the the I gotta a Feeling song, because that was going to be her walk-on music anyway, and we all stood up and clapped because that's what we do.

And then Jody was standing in front of the stage dancing all by herself, crazy lone woman dancing and Jill laughed and had a look on her face after Jody was dancing for about 15 seconds, a look like,
"Okay Jody, I get your point, why don't you go sit down now."
Right about then the 32 Senior Team Mentors started following Jody
and then the music picked up and !!! Everyone was dancing. The whole room. And Jill cried. Because really imagine, all those people, your sales managers so to speak, are fun enough, and care enough to give you your own Oprah moment.

It was such fun. Stuff like that never happened when I worked in an office!

When we sat down I saw that one of the resort employees was on his cell telling someone what had happened and how he thought we were great. Wonder if he recorded it on his cell and uploaded it to you tube!

I don't like winter

Woohoo, I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Orlando, Florida!!! I am so glad to be going! I don't like winter. I don't like being cold and trying to run w/o falling on ice, and I don't like wind chill factors. The only thing I like about cold weather is Golden Winter Soup (butternut squash recipe) and boots. Other than that, give me warm weather, heck give me loads of humidity. And fresh fruit, and salads and grilled chicken, etc etc etc.

I was thinking that I should send a client newsletter tonight before I go, However, I am going to wait because I really shouldn't spend the next hour doing work on the PC instead of spending quality time with the family. IE ask them to be quiet and stop fighting 500x.

For the Tastefully Simple leadership conference we are staying at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, which looks really nice. And icing on the cake, rather literally is that the resort's excecutive chef is award winning Pastry Chef David Ramirez who loves making chocolate creations. Ahhh yummm. Good thing I ran 8 miles today in preparation for some delicious desserts this weekend. :-D

The things I love about these leadership trips is 1. Earning them for free, 2. Staying at really nice resorts, and 3. It's the weekend of MLK day which means no one has to work/go to school at my house the day after I get back, so I can relax from my relaxing trip Sunday night and not worry about getting people out first thing Monday Morning.

And now I have to go play the comfy pillow game with Anna. This is a game she made up. :-D

Recipe and the Biggest Loser

A new season of the biggest loser started last night, so to go with that I made a new healthy recipe that I felt was lacking something, it just needed some more flavor. This one is meatless. :-D Maybe it was because I substituted swiss chard for the broccoli rabe since Jewel apparently doesn't stock it anymore. Too bad I don't accross the street from a Trader Joes. I added 2 tbsp of Garlic Garlic and then I added another tbsp because, like I said it just needed something more! I think it is the broth that you add, too much broth IMO.

Broccoli Rabe, White Bean and Fontina Pasta from Eating Well

Ingredients

8 ounces whole-wheat shells, fusilli or chiocciole
1 large bunch broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, or 8 cups baby spinach
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 19-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese
2/3 cup Toasted Breadcrumbs, optional (see Tip)
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, according to package directions. Stir in broccoli rabe (or spinach) during the last 2 to 3 minutes. Drain. Dry the pot.

Whisk broth and flour in a small bowl until smooth. Heat oil in the pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broth mixture and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, until it thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Add beans, vinegar, salt and pepper and the pasta and broccoli rabe (or spinach). Cook, stirring, until the mixture is heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat; add cheese, stirring until it melts. Serve immediately, topped with Toasted Breadcrumbs, if using.

To make toasted breadcrumbs, trim the crusts from 2 slices of whole-wheat sandwich bread. Tear the bread into pieces and process in a food processor into coarse crumbs. Toss breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Cook in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until golden and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.


Funny Children who are mine:
On listening to me making a Dr. Appt for Her:

Anna says: Why do I have to have a check up at the dr. I say: because your school says so. Anna says: Ohhh It's because I talk all the time, that's why. Did Mrs. Ziel call you? LOL!!!!

On going to bed after 2 weeks off school:

Bryce says: Ma, you are lucky, you have a job but you only work a few hours a week. I have to go to school all the time. I say, I know Bryce I am living the life. Go to school and maybe someday you can work as little as I do. :-D

While watching the Biggest Loser, two contestants are introduced as being from Pennsylvania:

Patrick says Ma, Is Pennsylvania where all the Vampires come from? No Patrick, That is where Cousin Chris and Aunt Lisa live, Transylvania has Vamps.

A new decade!

Well here we are it's 2010! A new decade is here. I like the start of a new year, I like resolutions and trying different things. In fact I found an app for that, well actually it is an app for making vision boards. For me that is where I put my goals for the year, and goals are what I like to make at the beginning of the year as opposed to resolutions. Goals just sound better to me.

Anywho on my vision board I have run the Chicago Marathon. So that is a big goal. Tom is starting out the year on the exercise and healthy eating bandwagon. I've been making some meals out of my Weight Watchers Slow Cooker book and my Best of Cooking Light Cookbook. Last night I made Brie and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Chicken Breasts and as a side I made stuffing because I thought stuffing with stuffed chicken breasts was funny. But the stuffing was tooooo salty. The other side I made was fresh spinach sauteed in Tastefully Simple Meyer Lemon Infused Oil (from last summer's catalog I really really hope it comes back this spring!) and Garlic Garlic. And that turned out really good. It's hard to believe that the Stuffed Chicken Breasts was a light recipes but it is and it was great!

Today I have Mediterranean Beef Stew with Olives and Basil in the slow cooker. This recipe is from the Weight Watchers cookbook. Tommorow's dinner, I dont know yet, I have to get a list together and venture out in the cold for provisions.

All of this typical January Weather, the cold and the snow we never totally get used to having, is really making me look forward to the Tastefully Simple Leadership trip next week. I love palm trees. Esp. when it's winter!

The Little Drummer Boy Saves Christmas

I think I have a little cold. I really should have made some Chicken Noodle Soup tonight, but instead I made a mistake into dinner. (a dinner the kids wouldn't eat but I enjoyed.) Yesterday I went to Aldi and thought I purchased 2 cans of Chicken Noodle Soup (their version of Chunky soup). The kids call it twisty noodle soup and they like soup for breakfast, and I figure it's a good breakfast on a cold foggy day, such as this AM. So I opened a can of soup this morning and looked down, and well wouldn't you know it, I had grabbed one can of 'twisty noodle soup' and 1 can of Chicken Corn Chowder.

You are not surprised to learn no one was going to eat Chicken Corn Chowder for breakfast are you? Of course not.

This afternoon, I thought I might as well try and do something w/the open can of soup. What I came up with was,
1 can of Chicken Corn Chowder
1 1/3 uncooked rice
1 cup h20
1 cup chopped up leftover cooked cauliflower
1 teaspoon Garlic Garlic (TM Tastefully Simple)
about 1 tbsp Italian Garlic Bread Seasoning (TM Tastefully Simple)
Mix it all together in a casserole dish, cover said dish w/Aluminum foil and bake for about 45 min at 350 and I served it to myself with baby carrots.

Today Patrick told me he is going to make a movie where the little drummer boy saves the baby Jesus from the evil dark lord. Sounds like a blockbuster for the holiday, the little drummer boy defeats the evil dark lord through his magic sound. I told him he needs to write this stuff down!

My Holiday Open House Menu

Simple Sweet Bell Pepper Pinwheels

Perfectly Potato Cheddar Quiche

Meatballs with Pomegranate Chipotle and Merlot Sauce in the Slow Cooker

Cheesy Chive Warm Dip Mix with Bread

Artichoke & Spinach Quiche

Oh So Olive Dip mix and Assorted Veggies

AND FOR DESSERT:

Nana's Apple Cake prepared with 1 cup fresh cranberries. Topped with Warm Up! Instant Mulling Spice mixed into Cool Whip.

Apple Crisp Cheeseball Pizza

Awesome Amaretto Cocoa and For the Love of Cookies!

 

The open house is on Wed and the weather doesn't sound too promising, it will be the coldest weather we've had since last winter, but hopefully people will come because I really don't need to be alone with all of the above! Today is our team Christmas party and I've been running around the house all day making sure I don't forget anything I am supposed to bring such as my ornament for the xchange, a couple of gifts for team members. And the damn cookies for the cookie exchange. LOL we were supposed to bake 65. I started out a few days ago making spritz cookies but those didn't work out. I couldn't get my cookie press to work. I was in a cookie exchange yesterday, so for that one I took peppermint cream Oreos, dipped those in white chocolate and put sprinkles on top. I went through 4 bars of white chocolate for 47 cookies. Today I didn't want to go and spend $20 on more white chocolate So today I made Warm Up! Shortbread Cookies, which is a variation on a recipe that has been on my fridge for weeks. Duh! Should have made those the first time around. Only problem with today is that I ran out of flour and so there is 1 batch of cookies (42 cookies) instead of 65 and at this point I have to go with what I've got!

 

Here is the recipe. Warm Up! Instant Mulling Spice is a new product this fall. :-D

 

WARM UP! SHORTBREAD BY VICTORIA HAMEL

1 cup softened butter

1 tsp. pure almond extract

1 tablespoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons Sugar

2 cups flour

 

For sugar coating blend:

2 tablespoons Warm Up! Instant Mulling Spice

4 tablespoons Sugar.

Mix well in order given. Shape into 1 inch balls. Bake at 300 for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly and roll in sugar coating. Makes 4 dozen.

 

 

 

 

Wine Pairings for Holiday Meals

Wondering what wines to serve?

* Chardonnays pair well with Turkey
* Cabernet Merlot blends are a great match for a Crown Roast. The kids want me to make one of those so they can see the little chef hats on it. LOL
*Gewurztraminer, or the Gewurztraminer/Reisling blend that Coopershawk Winery sells, goes really well with the saltiness of a yummy holiday ham.
*Making a Roast Duck? Go with a Malbec.
*Roast Lamb? Try a Pinot Noir!

Now what about for Tofurkey? There is no agreement on this one being that it is not white nor red meat!
Some say go with a Pinot Gris or Chardonnay others say a light red such as Pinot Noir or Beaujolais Nouveau. (I like the Charles Shaw Beaujolais Nouveau myself)

Guess what we are watching tonight?

Yippee! I love National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation! I might even make a cup of our Awesome Amaretto Cocoa
So yummy you don't need any cookies with it. And speaking of cookies, I found some seasonal ziploc baggies for my cookie exchange cookies (ie the only cookies I'm going to be making) So now I am ready to get out the cookie press and make some spritz cookies.

Come to think of it the Awesome Amaretto Cocoa would pair nicely with some yummy Spritz Cookies.


Ingredients

* 1 cup butter, softened
* 3 egg yolks
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2/3 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon pure almond extract

Directions

1. Mix the butter or margarine, sugar, egg yolks and almond extract. Add the flour and mix by hand.
2. Spoon into cookie press and press onto ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugars.
3. Bake in preheated 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven for 7-10 minutes.


And yes, I'm going with the Christmas Tree Cookie Shape.

All I need is some moose mugs (Available on Amazon.com 2 acrylic mugs for $49.99!)for my cocoa and the holiday movie watching experience will be complete.

Camembert Cheese

Aldi has some yummy cheeses on special purchase this week and I picked up a wheel of Camembert cheese for only $2.99, so I need to make this easy and really delicious Camembert Cheese Pasta recipe by Jamie Oliver. I couldn't find my copy of the recipe so I googled it and here is the recipe and for fun it has metric measurements. Anna and I are the only ones who will eat this in our household, so if anyone wants a serving or two, let me know!

Exciting news, one of my recipes made it into this month's Tastefully Simple Everyday Easy Recipes, click here to check it out!

Ingredients
(serves 4-6)

- a box of Camembert Cheese (250g)
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, pick the leaves off the woody stalk
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- 100g grated parmesan cheese
- 400g dried rigatoni
- 150g fresh spinach

Directions

1. Open the box of cheese and unwrap it. Place it back to the wooden container (Note: mine did not come in a wooden container so I placed it in a oven safe dish like what you see in the photo).
2. Score a circle into the top of the skin, then lift it off and discard.
3. Lay the garlic slices on top of the cheese, sprinkle some pepper and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil.
4. Scatter the rosemary leaves over the top and gently pat with your fingers to coat them in the oil.
5. Bake the cheese in a preheated oven of 180C (350F) for about 25 minutes, until golden and melted.
6. When the cheese has 10 minutes left to cook, add the pasta to the pan and cook according to packet instructions.
7. When the pasta is cooked, add the spinach to the pan - it only needs cooking for 10 seconds or so.
8. Drain the pasta and spinach to the pan and let it wilt.
9. Drizzle with a couple of good lugs of extra virgin olive oil and add the grated Parmesan. If the sauce is too thick for you, add a splash of reserved cooking water to thin out a bit. Season with salt and pepper and give it a good stir.
10. Remove the cheese from the oven. Divide the pasta between your serving bowls. Either drizzle the melted Camembert on top or pop cheese on the table and let everyone help themselves to a lovely, gooey spoonful.

Thanks-giving

So many things to give thanks for!

* Buses that take the kids to and fro school
* Barilla Plus Pasta
* That I'm not lactose intolerant! I love gouda, edam, Dubliner cheddar cheese, etc. etc. etc.
* Working from home means I can go for a 1 or 2 hour run most every weekday morning whilst Anna is in school!
* That I am not injury prone and can run w/o pain.
* Bryce loves Cub Scouts, and Patrick isn't interested in it--meaning I don't need to take out a 2nd mortgage on a 2nd mortgage to pay for the scouting expenses for 2 kids.
* Earned a free Trip to Cancun with Tom
* All the great hosts who invite me into their homes which leads me to earning free trips!
* Going to Tastefully Simple's Leadership Wild Ride w/my Tastefully Simple friends.
* Earning the Leadership trip totally free!
* That I'll be in Florida in mid January.
* All the stuff that is only available during select times of the year:
Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Peppermint Bark, Sierra Mist Diet Cranberry Splash, the Dairy Queen Blizzard w/crunched up peppermint candy and chocolate chunks.
* That I lost 15 pounds this year
* Actresses who don't get botox or facelifts, it's so distracting when they do, they look weird.
* Patrick loving holiday traditions and party planning.
* being in walking distance of a Dunkin Donuts
* Tom having a job and HEALTH INSURANCE!
* All the great women that make up my Team! They ROCK!
* That Tastefully Simple redid their compensation plan so I make more money as a leader and at my parties, plus the hosts get more free stuff!
* Boots, it just makes the wintertime more livable when you can wear boots.
* People who shovel their sidewalks.
* That I don't have to fly on a plane to do the Chicago Marathon in 10/10
* Facebook, I love seeing how the people I know are doing!
* Aldi's and Trader Joes cheap food, cheese and wine!
* The kids not wanting 50 thousand things for Christmas.
* Anna asking for a Bruschetta Cheese Ball Mix in her Christmas Stocking.
* my iphone!!!!! Love that there is an app for Constant Contact
* Steve Dahl Podcasts
* A warmer than average November
* I can take a vacation from work when the kids have Winter Break
* All the moms who want to help w/Anna's classroom parties!
* My kids having great teachers and living in a great school district
* I like my family and they like me.
* Kids and the magic of Christmas.
* Good Babysitters
* Living in Chicagoland
* The internet
* the Kindle app on my iphone, finally the problem of a reading light to read in bed is solved!
* Good Friends and Great Family.

testing

I am using MS word to write my blog post just to see how it works. I have a bad headache but don't feel like getting up to get ibuprophen, or is it ibuprofen? Ah, it's fen not phen. Though I don't think ibuprofen is going to fix my headache.

 

RANDOM THOUGHT:

I feel bad for Prime Minister Brown of England. I too have dreadful handwriting. I think he probably should switch to sending email condolences.

In a perfect world

Perfect only exists in the dictionary, but just for fun, in a perfect world after all the wishes for goodwill on earth, this is my list.

1. a new laptop that runs super fast and never takes more than 3 seconds to load a page.
2. everlasting funds to purchase kindle books.
3. a second home in Hawaii
4. a new pair of running shoes 1x a month
5. 8 days a week.
6. a kitchen aid mixer with all the trimmings. :-D

and no flu bugs!!!

What do to with Halloween Candy

Just like the day of our family photos, Halloween was cold. And windy. and cold, finger and toe numbing cold. And while this weather didn't deter the Hamel children or their BFFs Sam and Owen, it did deter many of the kids for whom I had candy waiting for at my house. And that caused a major flood of candy around here. I did my best to make my way through butterfingers, Almond Joys and Reeses, but I gave up fast. I was so done with chocolate that the next day, when I ran the Hot Chocolate 15K, a race that promises all the chocolate you can stuff in your pockets at the finish, I didn't even take a handful of chocolate. Sad isn't it?

So I googled "candy for soldiers" on the internet and found the info below and boxed up a priority mail flat rate box full of Halloween Candy.

Halloween has come and gone: the costumes are put away, the kids have come down from the sugar high, and the jack-o-lantern is starting to wilt... and there are still pounds and pounds of candy all over the place! What to do?

Our military men and women deployed around the world always enjoy candy in their care packages, and this is the perfect time of year for shipping chocolate--the cooler weather means it's less likely to melt! Patriotic kids and parents can send extra Halloween candy to Soldiers' Angels, who will make sure it brightens the day of a service member far from home (please be sure to send "the good stuff,"--no crushed/melted candy or broken/torn wrappers, etc).

Soldiers' Angels asks all Angels to spread the word and get their community involved in sharing their Halloween candy to give our troops a taste of home.

If you live east of the Mississippi, please ship your Halloween candy to:
Soldiers' Angels
112 Greenhill Road
Ramseur NC 27316
(Dropoff avail. M-F, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.)


If you live west of the Mississippi, please ship your halloween candy to:

Soldiers' Angels
914 Tourmaline Dr
Newbury Park, CA 91320


And if you wanted to cook with your leftover chocolate candy you could use this recipe from hersheys.com and make a cookie Pizza, and use chopped up mini candy bars in place of the various chips the recipes uses.

COOKIE PIZZA

INGREDIENTS:


* 1 package (18 oz.) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
* 12 assorted HERSHEY'S MINIATURES Chocolate Bars, unwrapped
* 1/4 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips, HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate Chips
* 1/4 cup REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips
* 1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Premier White Chips
* 1 bag (10-1/2 oz.) miniature marshmallows
* 1/4 cup HERSHEY'S MILK DUDS Candy made with chocolate and caramels


Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Press cookie dough evenly onto 12-inch pizza pan. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, break or cut chocolate bars into about 1/4-inch pieces.

2. Remove cookie from oven. Evenly sprinkle surface with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chips and chocolate bar pieces. Cover "toppings" with marshmallows. Sprinkle surface with chocolate covered caramel candies. Return to oven; bake additional 5 minutes or until marshmallows are puffed and lightly browned. Cool. Cut into triangles. About 12 slices.

I'm a slacker...

We have no carved pumpkins this year!

Yes. it's true. And well, I didn't buy and pumpkins for the children to carve, and Im not going to get any and we aren't going to be doing any carving. This is both good and not so good. It's good because it's big, messy and carpal tunnel syndrome inducing. It's bad because I like fresh roasted pumpkin seeds.

Thanksgiving is coming!!!

A friend passed on a post she found on emails from crazy people, I think this is too funny!

From: Marney
As you all know a fabulous Thanksgiving Dinner does not make itself. I need to ask each of you to help by bringing something to complete the meal. I truly appreciate your offers to assist with the meal preparation.
Now, while I do have quite a sense of humor and joke around all the time, I COULD NOT BE MORE SERIOUS when I am providing you with your Thanksgiving instructions and orders. I am very particular, so please perform your task EXACTLY as I have requested and read your portion very carefully. If I ask you to bring your offering in a container that has a lid, bring your offering in a container WITH A LID, NOT ALUMINUM FOIL! If I ask you to bring a serving spoon for your dish, BRING A SERVING SPOON, NOT A SOUP SPOON! And please do not forget anything.
All food that is to be cooked should already be prepared, bring it hot and ready to serve, warm or room temp. These are your ONLY THREE options. Anything meant to be served cold should, of course, already be cold.
HJB—Dinner wine

The Mike B Family
1. Turnips in a casserole with a lid and a serving spoon. Please do not fill the casserole all the way up to the top, it gets too messy. I know this may come as a bit of a surprise to you, but most of us hate turnips so don’t feel like you a have to feed an army.
2. Two half gallons of ice cream, one must be VANILLA, I don’t care what the other one is. No store brands please. I did see an ad this morning for Hagan Daz Peppermint Bark Ice Cream, yum!! (no pressure here, though).
3. Toppings for the ice cream.
4. A case of bottled water, NOT gallons, any brand is ok.

The Bob B Family
1. Green beans or asparagus (not both) in a casserole with a lid and a serving spoon. If you are making the green beans, please prepare FOUR pounds, if you are making asparagus please prepare FIVE pounds. It is up to you how you wish to prepare them, no soupy sauces, no cheese (you know how Mike is), a light sprinkling of toasted nuts, or pancetta, or some EVOO would be a nice way to jazz them up.
2. A case of beer of your choice (I have Coors Light and Corona) or a bottle of clos du bois chardonnay (you will have to let me know which you will bring prior to 11/22).

The Lisa B Family
1. Lisa as a married woman you are now required to contribute at the adult level. You can bring an hors d’ouvres. A few helpful hints/suggestions. Keep it very light, and non-filling, NO COCKTAIL SAUCE, no beans of any kind. I think your best bet would be a platter of fresh veggies and dip. Not a huge platter mind you (i.e., not the plastic platter from the supermarket).

The Michelle B Family
1. Stuffing in a casserole with a serving spoon. Please make the stuffing sans meat.
2. 2.5-3 qts. of mashed squash in a casserole with a lid and serving spoon
3. Proscuitto pin wheel – please stick to the recipe, no need to bring a plate.
4. A pie knife

The June D Family
1. 15 LBS of mashed potatoes in a casserole with a serving spoon. Please do not use the over-size blue serving dish you used last year. Because you are making such a large batch you can do one of two things: put half the mash in a regulation size casserole with lid and put the other half in a plastic container and we can just replenish with that or use two regulation size casserole dishes with lids. Only one serving spoon is needed.
2. A bottle of clos du bois chardonnay

The Amy M Family (why do I even bother she will never read this)
1. A pumpkin pie in a pie dish (please use my silver palate recipe) no knife needed.
2. An apple pie in a pie dish, you can use your own recipe, no knife needed.
Looking forward to the 28th!!
Marney

*********************
I rec'd my Foot Network November Magazine and I am working my way through some recipes as Thanksgiving try outs. Last night I made this:
Emeril Lagasse's Bacon Braised Green Beans.

I was really hoping this would be a big hit w/Patrick as it combines 2 of his favorite foods, green beans and bacon. He just got upset about it and said he likes his food not mixed together. I still coerced him into trying it and he didn't like the dish. I thought it was OK, but didn't wow me. I def. felt it was lacking some salt when prepared as directed.

Sad to say I suppose that I'd preferred a green bean casserole over this recipes! Clearly I need to work on my tastes.

Directions

Excerpted from Emeril Lagasse's book, Emeril 20-40-60 (HarperStudio)
Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 6 slices bacon, diced
* 1 cup thinly sliced onion
* 2 tablespoons sliced garlic
* 2 pounds green beans, rinsed, ends trimmed
* 1 cup chicken stock, canned low-sodium chicken broth or water
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Set a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is well browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the green beans and toss to combine with the bacon and onions.

Increase the heat to medium high and add the chicken stock. As soon as the stock begins to boil, place the lid on the pan and cook the beans for about 6 minutes. Remove the lid, season the beans with the salt and pepper, and toss well. Replace the lid and cook until the beans are tender, 1 or 2 minutes longer.

Remove from the heat and transfer the beans to a serving dish or small platter.


*************
I wanted to try out Anne Burrell's Chestnut-Potato Puree, this one looks really good and is only 5 ingredients. However the key ingredient, 1 bag of frozen peeled chestnuts is not something they carry at my Jewel. Heck I don't know where one might find a bag of frozen peeled chestnuts. I was thinking I might have to go to Whole Foods, which is a drive. but if you can find the frozen peeled chestnuts, I bet this is really good!

Directions

Excerpted from a book Anne Burrell is featured in, New York Cooks (Sixth & Spring)
Ingredients

* 1 bag frozen peeled chestnuts
* Kosher salt
* 1/2 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
* 1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream, heated
* 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Place the chestnuts in a large saucepot and fill with water. Season generously with salt and bring the pot to a boil. Add the potatoes and continue to boil until the potatoes are fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Drain the cooked potato-chestnut mixture and return to the pot. Add the hot cream and cold butter and stir vigorously until combined. Check the seasoning; add salt, if needed. If the mixture is a little stiff, add more cream and butter until it reaches the desired consistency. Place in a serving bowl and cover with foil until ready to serve.

Stuff I like lately

Looking for a good book? Currently I am all about any and everything by Charlaine Harris. It's October, what can beat a good action adventure w/a telepathic Heroine w/a shape shifting boss, who is torn btwn a weretiger and a couple of handsome vampires. I love a good vampire story! The author looks like a sweet southern woman somewhere in her 50s, but she can write some wild stories!

I got the best. mascara. ever. Really it makes you look like you have lashes for miles and doesn't involves getting pharmaceuticals! (ie Latisse) It's Avon's Super Curlacious Mascara. I don't think I paid but like maybe $6 and it rocks!

Now in the recipe department today I made an easy appetizer because I had some Pillsbury reduced fat crescent rolls on hand:

Sweet Bell Pepper and Turkey Bacon Bites
1 pkg reduced fat crescent rolls
1 tbsp Tastefully Simple Sweet Bell Pepper Dip
2 tbsp minced green onion
4 slices turkey bacon crumbled
8oz (ie 1 block) reduced fat cream cheese

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients cept the crescent rolls together. Open up the crescent rolls and pinch the triangles together to make 4 rectangles. Then take 1/4 of the cheese mix and spread it on each of the 4 rectangles. Roll up a rectangle, then slice into 8 pieces and place cut side up on a baking sheet. Repeat for a total of 32 bites. Bake for 12-15 minutes, cool and serve.

Oh and the other stuff I like lately is the vanity sizing on Sonoma Corduroy pants sold by Kohls, of which I bought a pair of size 6 pants yesterday. Seriously. size 6. haha! I don't wear a 6. But hey I'll take it, it's good for the ego!! Only in the land of Sonoma!

Things I have been cooking lately.

Last year I managed to have us not turn on the heat until 11/1. This year we had to breakdown and turn it on, on 10/11!!! We left September and went straight to the end of November. And with that, it's time to really cook.

The other day I made the Cheesy Chive Beer Cheese dip from our website, it was fan-tastic! Super Super good w/crusty bread.

Sunday I was in a pumpkin mood so I took my Nana's apple cake and added one cup pumpkin, 2 egg whites and 1/2 a cup of Peacans. Yum, but wait there is more! then I mixed 2 tbsp of the new Warm Up! Instant Mulling Spice w/a container of low fat whipped topping. It was fantastic on top of the Nana's Apple Cake. (well pumpkin cake). I could have eaten the whole container.

I finally used the acorn squash that I had sitting around with this recipe:

Acorn Squash Slices:

INGREDIENTS

* 2 medium acorn squash
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup maple syrup
* 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
* 1/3 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash squash. Cut in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membrane. Cut each half crosswise into 1/2-in. slices; discard the ends. Place slices in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with salt. Combine syrup and butter; pour over squash. Sprinkle with pecans if desired. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until tender.

Today it is chili with ground turkey in the slow cooker. Mine has beans and ground turkey, the one Tom thinks I should make because it is his dad's recipe is ground beef, no beans and ketchup is the main ingredient. Blech.

Now Jewel had this special where certain items were 10 For $10, 5 for $10, 4 for $10, and 2 for $10, then if you bought the number to equal $10 you rec'd an extra $3.00. So I saw that Birdseye Meals for 2 were 2 for $10, less $3 for 2 for $7 and I had 2 coupons each one reading $1.50 off 1 Meal for Two. So that made the final price 2 for $4, so I went ahead and bought a couple of the meals. If I didn't have the coupons and Jewel didn't have the special, I wouldn't buy it because, you know I try to avoid the premade frozen meal aisle. Anywho, with my awesome deal I bought the Meals and one was very good. It was Spanish rice with shrimp and chicken. The amount that constituted a meal was a fair amount and the rice had a nice saffron flavor. I would buy this again if I have coupons and Jewel has a great deal.

Really Really Really Good Pot Roast

Last week it was in the 80s here in Chicagoland. This week we are barely hitting the 60 degree mark. And you know what that means? It's time to cook Autumnal food!!! Yesterday I made a scrumptious Pot Roast courtesy of Tyler Florence of the Food Network. Tyler Florence is my fav chef when it comes to recipes that are simple yet delish. Rick Bayless is my fav fav chef. Just so we have that all straightened out!

Below is the recipe with my changes. One change is that I omitted the bay leaf the recipe called for because I can't stand bay leaf. It reminds me of pre-natal vitamins. BLEH. And 2 instead of Sea Salt and Ground Pepper, I used Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt and I slathered that all over the Pot Roast, with great results:

Ingredients

* 1 (3 to 4 pound) piece beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 can crushed tomatoes
* 1 cup water
* 2 yellow onion, halved
* 2 garlic cloves, chopped
* 1 bunch baby carrots
* 2 celery stalks, sliced
* 1 cup button mushrooms, stems removed and sliced in half
* 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (i used one)
* 4 sprigs fresh thyme


Directions
Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot that has a tight cover; heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat. Brown the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Pour in the tomatoes and the water. Scatter the vegetables and herbs around the pot roast, season with salt and pepper; and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Braise for about 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork tender.
Slice the pot roast and arrange on platter surrounded by the vegetables. Serve with the pot juices.

Coopershawk Winery

Last night I had a spur of the moment opportunity to go to Coopershawk Winery in Orland Park, one of my favorite restaurants. I've been there enough times that I've had all the chicken entrees and all of the 'favorites' marked by a feather on the menu.
So this time I had the pistachio-encrusted grouper with their Pinot Gree. The grouper was fabulous, buttery with the pistachios crispy and crunchy. The asparagus tasted like it was springtime and the mashed potatoes were, as aways a carb-lovers paradise. I liked the Pinot Gree by itself, but with dinner I should have just had water. Lesson learned on that. I'd tell you about dessert, but I am not a dessert person. The only time I have dessert at a dinner out is when it is at a Tastefully Simple conference or trip and the dessert is part of our dinner. If I would have had dessert last night, I think I would have liked a 1/2 portion of the grouper! It was that good.

Just call me Mrs. Wingate.

Yesterday at dinner Anna said that Mrs. Ziel wasn't the teacher today, that she had a substitute, Mrs. Wingate. She then went on to ask if she could call me Mrs. Wingate. I told her no and she asked again about 10 times.

Not suprisingly, I got frustrated. I said. What if I started calling you Sally? Would you like that? Anna said, do I get to call you Mrs. Wingate? I said, I guess. she said, Okay Mrs. Wingate, you can call me Sally. You can call me Sally in the morning and the afternoon and at night you can call me Anna, got it Mrs. Wingate?

I said, got it. Then she said, what about the brothers? I said OK, we'll call them Bob and Jeffery. Who's who? she asked. Bob is Patrick and Jeffery is Bryce. And dad? Oh he is Mr. Wingate I said. And so it went all night.


Here is a recipe I found on Sparkrecipes, it is fabulouso!!!! You have to try it, really it is amazing and healthy.

I made a few changes and am renaming it:
Mrs. Wingates Amazing Scallops Pasta Dish:

Whole wheat angel hair pasta or Barilla Plus Angel Hair (barilla plus is my favorite)
1 lb of small/medium size scallops (defrosted if frozen)
2 tbsp olive or canola oil
2 tbsp of Garlic Garlic
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cup chardonnay
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
grated parm cheese if desired
fresh ground pepper

Make pasta as directed. Spray pan w/Pam and when the pan is med/hot add the scallops searing them until they are just lightly brown on each side. Then remove the scallops from the pan, turn down the heat to medium. Add oil to the pan and sprinkle the pan w/ground pepper and add the chopped onions and garlic garlic, and a bit of sea salt. Saute for 3 minutes, then add the scallops, tomatoes and wine to the pan. Simmer until the scallops are cooked through (about 3-4 minutes). Add the parsley and additional salt and pepper if desired. Spoon over pasta and then serve adding parm cheese if you'd like.

Bryce Says

So Bryce says what can I eat, I am hungry.
I say, you just had some Macaroni & cheese.
He says: I know but I want to have a party in my tummy and right now there is only a few people.

LOL There's a party in my tummy, so yummy, so yummy!

Tastefully Simple Fall-Winter 2009 Catalog

Tastefully Simple Fall-Winter 2009 Catalog

Shared via AddThis

For the first time ever, we have our catalog online, so that you can page through and see what is new right on line! Very Green!

Beautiful weather, sad day.

Ah a very sad day today in our house. Tom had to take his beloved dog Cookie to the vet and have her put to sleep. He is a bit of a wreck as Cookie was his number one girl. She lived a long and wonderful life of 14 years and really that was due to Tom's TLC, she had cancer twice and other health hiccups along the road and it was only in her last few weeks that she was not the Cookie that we knew. I had the kids make Tom cards while he was at the Vet and then I told him not to feel guilty about golfing this afternoon. The weather today is in the mid 60s and spectacularly sunny with those clouds that make the sky look exactly like the Simpson's sky they show in the opening credits.

Tom is golfing today with his cousin Mark who is having surgery this coming week, so doubly (sp?) the reason for him to go out.

I had my last Spring/Summer Tastefully Simple party last night, it was a great party with two ladies scheduling parties for the fall and both of them may very well just go for it and become consultants with the $99 special for September. At home I am working on experimenting w/our new products.

I was feeling adventurous this AM and I actually took the pampered chef springform pan that I don't even know when it got it, out of the packaging and used it to make a cranberry Tangerine tart. Since the Cranberry Tangerine Cheesecake Mix (a new Tastefully Simple product) has most of the work of a tart already done, I felt like I could branch out and give the scary springform pan a go. And the tart is now in the fridge and I think I might just have a big slice of that for dinner...hey it has fruits in it and dairy and even eggs and a graham cracker crust so that covers the 4 food groups, IMO.

I rented Sunshine Cleaning and I think I'm going to go into the bedroom and watch it, since the kids are being quiet and entertained w/the 2 Nintendo DS games we rented yesterday. At least I hope that is why they are being quiet.

pics from Shining Chef and Conference

Shining Chef Competition

I am back from our Tastefully Simple conference. It was a great time! I was invited to be part of the training on stage. But nothing boring like a lecture w/a powerpoint presentation, I was invited to participate in Tastefully Simple's Iron Chef competition AKA Shining Chef!

Sleep was hard to come by in the days leading up to the big event, and when I got onto the stage, I was afraid for a few seconds that I might faint cause my legs got shakey but then the action started and I was fine and we had a blast! All the consultants really got into the fun cheering us on and they on our recipes and Kristin D. was crowned Shining Chef, for her recipe using our new Roasted Garlic & Herb Dip mix. My other competitor was Kim Zangar and she made tortilla pizza with Gotta Lotta Garlic Salsa, also a new product. My challenge was to make an entree using our Warm the Oven Savory Dip mix. I made Warm the Oven Au Gratin, recipe below. Each of our recipes will be on the Tastefully Simple website on 9/1/09.

This week the kids are back in school and wouldn't you know it but Patrick came down with a cold or the flu and missed school Friday. Right now, his fever is broken and he is on the mend, and Bryce is now lying in bed feverish.

On the one hand, the start of school means that summer is on the wain, on the other hand it gives me a better structure to work at home. With only a couple weeks left for our Summer Line and a new host program as well as a great special for new consultants I have tons to do.


Here is the recipe I made up for the Tastefully Simple Iron Chef Competition:
My cuisine didn't reign supreme, but this recipe still rocks.

Recipe: Ham and Warm the Oven Au Gratin

* 1 package of Warm the Oven (WT0)
* 1 softened brick of cream cheese
* 1.5 cups (aka 12oz) heavy whipping cream
* 2 med or 1 large shallot, minced
* 2.5 lbs (approx 8 cups) Yukon Gold Potatoes scrubbed and cut into 1/4-1/3 inch slices
* 1 fennel (aka anise) blub thinly sliced (note this is my potato casserole secret ingredient)
* 2 tbsp Onion Onion
* 2 cups diced ham
* fresh ground pepper to taste
*cooking spray

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees

Mix 1 package of WTO into a softened brick of cream cheese in a small bowl. Set aside. Next sliced unpeeled Yukon Gold Potatoes into 1/4-1/3 inch slices, then thinly slice the fennel bulb and mince the shallot.

In a med. saucepan (pref. one with a thick bottom) place the WTO mixture, shallots and heavy cream. Turn the stove on to med. low heat and cook stirring until the WTO is melted and the mixture thickens. Remove from heat.

Spray a 9x13 inch casserole dish or pan with cooking spray. Layer 1/2 of the potatoes, fennel and ham in the pan. Then pour 1/2 of the WTO mixture evenly over the pan. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of the Onion Onion. Add fresh ground pepper to taste. Then repeat.

Place on rack in the middle of the oven and bake uncovered (this is key) until the potatoes are super tender--45-55 minutes and the top is a deep gold crust.

Let stand for 5-10 minutes and serve.

eh...

Today I took chicken breasts pounded them so they were evenly about say 1/2 inch thick then i coated them w/sour cream and breaded them w/bread crumbs mixed with 1/2 a packet of Warm the Oven dry. Then I baked them for about 25 min in a 365 degree oven. They were, eh. Alright, just needed something, not sure what yet. I also cooked cauliflower and the mashed the cauliflower w/prepared warm the oven dip--and that was yummmmm. (1/2 a packet of WTO with 4 oz of cream cheese)

I also took 1/2 a packet of WTO and whisked it into 1 cup of whipping cream, simmered that on the stove and added in 1 cup of diced tomatoes and 3 chopped cooked slices of turkey bacon and served that over Barilla Plus Angel Hair pasta for lunch. that's my version of carbonara pasta. Good thing I ran 9.5 miles today, eh?

So continues my adventures on the hunt for a really really good Tastefully Simple Warm the Oven entree!

**************Nicest thing anyone has said to me in a while*************
The nicest thing anyone has said to me in a while happened yesterday at church. Now what happens when we go to church is that Tom and I basically try to keep a lid on Anna, who doesn't seem to get the idea of not talking and sitting when you should sit and not going to get a drink of water and so forth. So it was another stressful hour at the end of which I was singing and bryce was standing next to me.

So Bryce whispers in my ear: You should be up there (he pointed to the choir) because your voice is beautiful)

awwwweeeee.

Recent Recipe Creation

This could be called Italian Stir Fry or a Skillet Meal. I made it with 1/2 a box or 8oz of bow tie pasta.

*2 boneless chix breasts pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
* 1 packet of Tastefully Simple Warm the Oven Savory Cheese Dip
* 1/2 cup of olive oil
* 1 tbsp of vinegar
* 1 can of diced tomatoes
1/3 cup of green pepper
1 small zuchinni sliced and 1/2'd
8oz of bow tie pasta or your favorite pasta.

In a small bowl whisk 1 packet of Warm the Oven into 1/2 a cup of olive oil, then whisk in 1 tbsp of vinegar. Take a ziploc bag and put in the 2 chicken breasts, then add 1/4 cup of the Warm the Oven Mixture (reserve the rest). Squeeze out excess air and put in the refrigerator to marinade for 30 minutes (or more)

**** after marinading****
1. begin making pasta according to box directions.
2. Spray your favorite skillet with Pam, turn heat up to med. high, add Chicken Breasts and cook in the pan for about 3-5 minutes on each side until each side is nicely golden brown.
Take the chicken out of the skillet, add the green pepper and zuchinni and saute for 2-3 minutes, then add in the rest of the Warm the Oven Mixture and the tomatoes to the skillet and turn down the heat to med. low. Diced up chicken, add back to skillet and let everything simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the pasta is al dente, drain pasta. plate the pasta, and top with the Warm the Oven Chicken and Vegetables, and serve.
Should make 4 servings.

Next

Found the charger for my camera battery!

First here is how the butterfly cake I made for Anna's bday turned out. The fun thing was that the colors on it matched the dress Anna came home in after her girls night w/K. The next picture you can see Anna has been primped and pampered in true princess style, complete w/curls, a tiara and the 'pretty nails' she has been begging for since school let out.

She wore the nails until it was time to open presents and then she was faced with a big decision. Keep the nails or rip open the pile of gifts. What's a girl to do? She went with ripping off that wrapping paper!

And the last picture is Bryce with his new glasses! He is very excited to see things--especially really getting to see fireworks for the first time. I am so grateful that there was a frog sitting on a lily pad when we visited the Little Red Schoolhouse a few weeks ago! If the frog wasn't there, I wouldn't have been very suspicious of Bryce's eyesight! The frog was about 6 feet away from us on a lilypad and Bryce just could not see it. The frog lead me to ask some questions and Tom took Bryce to the eye doctor and sure enough, Bryce is near-sighted.

The glasses are literally opening up new worlds for Bryce and I am confident he will see a big increase in his baseball batting average this fall!

Happy 4th of July!!!

We are having a few people over today for the 4th for some food and to break in my fire bowl. See pic above, I got it for free w/my Tastefully Simple Indulgence points--something we get monthly based on our sales. So I'm very excited to try it out, we have everything needed to make S'mores.

This morning I have been working on preparing the menu for our 4th of July Celebration.

We are going to be having...
*veggie tray w/Tastefully Simple Bacon Bacon dip
I like whole carrots vrs the flavorless baby carrots they sell, so I'm cutting up some real carrots along w/celery and everyone's fav. Sugar Snap Peas
*Fruit/Cheese/Cracker tray to go along w/a selection of white wines :-) The Kraft Natural Cheese is on sale really really cheap at Jewel so I got one of each of the cheeses that they make, and then I blew all my savings on some yummy Gouda cheese!
*Chicken Breasts marinaded w/Tastefully Simple Sassy Sangria Grill Sauce
*Corn on the Cob brushed w/butter and sprinkled with my favorite seasoning ever, Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt.
*One guest is bringing Potato Salad and the Baby Blue Cobb Salad. Recipe from the TS fan page on Facebook

I am also making a salad, one with no dairy products in it, because Tom can't do dairy, this recipe is from the Hungry Girl Newsletter:

Crunchy Sassy Chinese Slaw

PER SERVING (about 1 cup): 111 calories, 3.5g fat, 375mg sodium, 17.5g carbs, 4g fiber, 10g sugars, 3g protein -- POINTS® value 2*

This slaw is so good, it's hard not to eat ALL of it (so do everyone a favor and make a double batch!)...

Ingredients:
One 16-oz. package Mann's Broccoli Cole Slaw
1 cup canned water chestnuts, drained and sliced into thin strips
1 cup canned mandarin orange segments packed in water or juice, drained and chopped (and rinsed, if packed in juice)
1 cup chopped scallions
2/3 cup Newman's Own Lighten Up Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions:
In a large bowl, toss all ingredients together, and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Stir well before serving. Enjoy!

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

AND FOR DESSERT:
Smores!!!!

or my festive brownie creation:

Prepare the Tastefully Simple Truffle Brownies as directed.
Mix 1/2 a container of lite Cool Whip w/a large scoop of our White Mousse Chiller Mix and top the brownie once cooled.

Then take blueberries and cut strawberries and make a flag design!
Lastly,
Patrick really really wanted a jello dessert, so what we made red jello in a round bowl and then right before serving I am topping that w/Cool whip and then putting blue jello on top of that.

Now it's time to cross fingers for no rain tonight! Happy 4th of July

Heading to the Taste Today!

We have been having a very busy time around the Hamel family to end this wonderful month of June. Thursday I was off doing a great Tastefully Simple party, then on Friday we all participated in Relay For Life Oak Forest, which was fun and tiring. I couldn't find the charger for my camera battery so I have no picks. :-(

Saturday we went to the baseball picnic where they had 5, count them 5! jumpy houses or whatever those giant blow-up things are called. The kids were over the moon over all the jumping choices. Then after all that fun, later in the day, we went to a Graduation party in Flossmoor. The party was a fun and welcome relief for all of us after spending about 45 minutes driving around LOST trying to find the party--because our GPS stopped working due to low battery and because I lost the mapquest directions I printed out.

Sunday we went out for a late lunch with the kids, at which Bryce was like out of his mind w/misbehaving-ness. We figured out that his behavior was due to him being insanely hungry because we didn't realize he didn't eat his breakfast. Yes I know we are super rotten parents to not notice the poor middle child blew off his breakfast. Then Sunday night I had a lovely time at my Tastefully Simple party over by Midway.

Yesterday the kids got to go to day camp and I got to run for a long long time, then I was 'forced' to make good on my promise to take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese. Actually Monday at noon is a good time to venture into CEC as there were minimal other children there. Note to self: keep a good book in the car at all times so as not to be stuck at CEC w/o a book.

And today in about an hour I am off to the Taste of Chicago. Hopefully we'll be able to see the Barenaked Ladies and hopefully it won't rain. It is about 25 degrees cooler today than the last time I went to the Taste w/K. (Summer 2007) On that day it was I believe a heat index of 123 degrees Celsius.

When it comes to the Taste I am of the opinion. 1. don't take children. 2. only get 'taste' portions so you can try more! Number 1 is already accompished and so all I have to do today is accomplish number 2. A very do-able to-do list!





Taste Portions I'm thinking I'll try:

12 - The Grill on the Alley
909 N. Michigan Ave.

¢ Gazpacho with Chopped Avocado and Chives; Grilled Anjou Pear Salad with Walnuts and Maytag Blue Cheese

48 - Las Tablas Colombian Steakhouse
2942 N. Lincoln Ave.
(Crunchy Plantain Chips and Sweet Plantain Wedges)
¢ Verdes (Crunchy Plantains)


31 - Polo Café and Catering Bridgeport U.S.A.
3322 S. Morgan St.
¢ Garlic-Mozzarella Cheese Bread; Crispy Noodle Shrimp

30 - Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria
958 W. Wrightwood Ave.
¢ Chopped Salad; Bruschetta

54 - Adobo Grill
2005 W. Division St.
¢ Churros; Cheese Empanada