Chocolate Cherry Protein Smoothie

Every morning is filled with good intentions.  I always start the day out making relatively healthy choices.  Most days the choice is either oatmeal, grain cereal with almond or rice milk, or a one egg (sometimes just egg whites) spinach scramble topped with a bit of goat cheese.  Lately though, I've been trying to incorporate more protein and fiber as I start the day.  Enter ..... the smoothie.

It's always good to have a bag or two of frozen berries, cherries or bananas on hand.  In this case I went with frozen cherries and unsweetened cocoa for a tasty protein shake.  Now if only I could continue with those good intentions throughout the day!

Chocolate Cherry Protein Smoothie

In a blender combine the following:

1 cup coconut milk (almond or rice milk can also be used)

1 scoop (1 heaping Tbsp) protein powder

1/2 cup of frozen pitted cherries

1 tsp unsweetened chocolate powder

1 tsp flax seeds or flax meal

1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

Blend together and serve!   You can also make it thicker and frostier by crushing several (4-5) ice cubes in the blender before adding main ingredients.  Enjoy!

Lobster Rolls

Several years ago we traveled to the East Coast to observe the Fall colors.  We timed it right, the week the leaves were changing from faded colors to every color imaginable ranging from pale yellow, orange, and to flaming crimson.  Beautiful!  It was a feast for the eyes as we meandered from Connecticut, through Massachusetts and on to Bar Harbor, Maine and back.

Near Bar harbor, Maine

One of our first stops happened to be Newport, Rhode Island where a Lobster fest was being held!  How did we manage that?  Finding a parking spot was something else since people from miles around had the same idea.  But, that didn't deter us.  We had lobster on the brain and wanted some in our belly!  I 'd never tasted a lobster roll, and upon first glance it just appeared to be some lobster meat mixed with mayo and celery on a hot dog bun.  What?   But somehow, something that plain and simple  melted in my mouth and I could see why it was all the rage along the eastern seaboard.

Around the Holidays seafood seems to be more plentiful in these parts and the price is right.  Lobsters were going for $5.00 each at the local market, so we grabbed two.  Actually, they were so tiny that two would not even satisfy one person.  This was the perfect opportunity to experiment.  Lobster roll coming up.  This is my version of Lobster rolls made in the high desert!

Lobster Rolls

2 (4-5 oz.) lobster tails, boiled, cooled, peeled and chopped

Place lobster meat into a bowl and add:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp chopped celery

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 Tbsp chopped onion (optional)

salt and pepper

Mix well and set aside.  Melt about 2 Tbsp butter in the microwave.  Brush 2 hot dog buns (I used whole grain) with the butter and spread on the lobster blend.  Serve and delight your taste buds!  So simple, too!

2013 - A Year in Review - Part Two

The last six months of 2013 were joyous, tumultuous, with dreams coming true and dreams that turned into nightmares.  Let me explain.   As July approached my life was picture perfect.  We finished our remodel on time (just in time), celebrated our 39th anniversary and prepared for the upcoming wedding of my only son to his lovely wife, Leilani.  Some time was spent making batches and batches of assorted biscotti for the morning of the wedding
.

biscotti making day

The couple who plays together, stays together!

The wedding and after party finished up and the newlyweds went on their honeymoon without a hitch.  The weather in these parts is always scorching around my birthday so off to Lake Tahoe we went, although not as frequently as we should.  It's so close!  

My Love and Lake Tahoe

With so much pain and tragedy in the world I was feeling blessed that my life was beautiful and serene, never realizing that a train was fast approaching head-on.  The last week in July my brother decided to leave this world and for those left behind, our world turned sideways.  I think about you every day, Dave....R.I.P.  Life as we now know it continues to be "interesting".

August and September were a blur.  If I hadn't taken so many pictures, I probably wouldn't be able to recall what I did during that time.  We spent time with family, took my parents to the rib cook off, was able to see Steely Dan in concert and my hubby's brother came up to play with his band "Soul to Soul", a Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute band.  He rocked it!

Steely Dan - great show!

"Stevie Ray"  rockin it

During this time we welcomed a little bundle of cuteness to the family.  CJ, brother of Nacho!

CJ.......pretty cute!

Then we celebrated a birthday in Paris!  How does hubby get so lucky?  Yes, our trip to France was a lifetime dream of mine, but I only got a "taste" and need to return!

Paris...Notre Dame

French girl on the river Seine across from Notre Dame

November, of course, was Thanksgiving.  Grandma's pumpkin pie, grandpa's stuffing and gratitude for the blessings we continue to receive.

December brought Christmas, and a surprise visit from my sister.  I wish she lived closer...  Grandma DeMarzo finally received a pacemaker and her health is improving!  So, things are looking up and life is truly like a box of chocolates!  You don't know what you're gonna get!   2013 will go into the history books as one of the best and one of the worst!  Ahhh  life.....  I wonder what's in store for 2014!!

2013 - A Year In Review - Part One

This is a tough one!  For me, 2013 was filled with joy, sorrow, trials and tribulations.  Hmmm..sounds like LIFE!  Fortunately, I'm the one who can pick and choose what I can write in this post, accentuate the positive, eliminate (skip over or diminish) some happenings that went on during the last year.  Here is just "the tip of the iceberg".

Ouch....that had to hurt!

Perhaps, this should have been an omen of things to come.  A screw!    This was implanted into my mother's foot/ankle to stabilize a problem after enduring several surgeries to correct it, this was her souvenir.  She appears to be doing better but favors that foot.

soup

lamb curry

February, because of the frigid Winter,  was spent mostly concocting more hearty dishes like soups and stews.  This is primarily a Food Blog so I need to mention food in a few paragraphs!  The main attraction was, however, my son as the host of Lake Tahoe TV!  Great job...a natural performer!  He stepped in from his behind the scenes position, that was Director, Producer, set design, etc, etc.

Mr. Lake Tahoe TV

In March we celebrated my mother's 83rd birthday!  We are blessed to have both of my parents here, and relatively healthy at that!  And in April, my dad turned 84....hooray!

83 candles!

French onion soup for grandma's birthday

Our house guest in February and April....Lulu

Along with much better Spring weather May started the BUSY season.  Tending to flowers, planting in my yard and my parents yard (the wedding reception site), a fun trip to Sacramento with future daughter-in-law for a wedding dress fitting,  A birthday celebration, Mother's day, and welcoming my brother as he moved back from a short stint in Montana.  Another fun time was digging up the septic tank lid....what??  Yes, you read that right, but no, it wasn't something we'd want to do again anytime soon!  Okay, that month made me tired!

Beautiful almost daughter-in-law...she said yes to the dress!

My May flowers never let me down

A wildflower walk in the forest

Digging up a large portion of our yard for septic tank.

June was equally a whirlwind.  Getting closer to the wedding day we planted more flowers, went to the Rodeo, planted sod in parent's backyard for reception, and decided to go forward with a family room/extra bathroom/guest bedroom remodel/makeover.  I guess I've been watching too much HGTV, huh?

Planting sod for the wedding reception

Part Two of my 2013 Year in Review will be in the near future!  It gets better and worse!  Stay tuned....

Chicken Cutlets Marsala

This is the "new" veal.  Why buy those pre-pounded/tenderized veal cutlets, which are quite pricey, when you can disguise some chicken breasts?  The trick with making a great cutlet is in the preparation.  That means slicing the boneless chicken breast as thin as you can.  Then take those slices onto a cutting board (individually), cover with plastic wrap and pound with a mallet.  This will tenderize the meat substantially and thus reduce the time they take to cook.  You'll be able to cut them with a fork!

Marsala is a fortified Italian wine from the town of Marsala in Sicily.  It's flavor is similar to Port or Sherry.  For this recipe you can substitute Sherry, Madeira or even a white wine if that's all you have.  Sometimes I'll flavor the cutlets with lemon, but I decided to use up some mushrooms making a Marsala sauce.  Delicious!

Chicken Cutlets Marsala

2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced and pounded

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

For the breading mix:
Put the following in three separate pie plates:

1/3 cup egg whites or 1 large egg

1 cup flour

1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs

I usually dredge the chicken in flour first, then the egg and lastly the breadcrumbs.  I find it's easier to do all the breading of the chicken and have them on a plate ready to cook.  You may have just enough of the flour, egg and breadcrumbs, but if you get low, just add more.

In a large skillet, melt the butter with the oil.  On medium heat (when butter starts to sizzle) add the chicken and cook in batches.  The cooking time is just a few minutes on each side because you've pounded then so thinly.  Put on a large serving plate as they become done.

When finished cooking the cutlets, lower the heat to low and add 1/4 cup Marsala, a large handful of sliced mushrooms and saute for a few minutes.  Add a handful of chopped parsley, stir and pour the sauce over the platter of chicken cutlets.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4.  We always have leftovers (on purpose) which made some great sandwiches the next day!

Italian Frangipane Mini Tarts

I know, Christmas has passed, but I wanted to share this recipe I made this year.    For so many reasons I've never been much of a baker.  Too little time when I worked,  too much altitude where I live and too much of a temptation to have all those baked goodies lurking in my home!

A new addition, which will become a tradition, was a recipe for frangipane bites or mini tarts.   These were made using almond paste and cake flour and each mini bite contained a "secret".  You can "switch up" the secret ingredient with maybe a ginger chunk, chocolate chip or dried cranberries.  For this trial I used dried apricots since they compliment the subtle almond flavor nicely.   Try your hand at it!  No need to wait for the holidays to make these.

Italian Frangipane Mini Tarts

1 stick or 8 oz. butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup almond paste

1/3 cup cake flour

about 15  dried apricots

1/3 cup sliced almonds (for garnish)

sugar or decorator's sugar (for garnish)

You will place paper liners into 2 24 cup mini muffin trays.  Combine all the ingredients from butter through flour in a food processor, blending until smooth.  Fill each mini muffin cup only about 1/3 full.  They will puff up.  Snip the apricots up and press a piece into each cup.  Sprinkle with a few sliced almonds and dust with sugar.  Bake for 14-15 minute in a 350 degree oven.  Cool and pop them in your mouth.

Happy New Year

As I reflected over the last year and all of it's happenings, I have vowed or maybe made resolutions to move forward as best I can.  I came across this saying.  "Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year" - Ralph Waldo Emerson.   I would hope those are good words to live by. Even though the slate is clean for the New Year, I like to think that last year and all the years leading up to this point have been and continue to be "building blocks"...a chance to make things better and an opportunity to transform my world.

If you're like me...I am a huge list maker.  I just function better if I have something to guide me.  I have grocery lists, books to read lists, a list of classes I want to take this year,  foods I have never made, but would like to, on my bucket list, another garden list (plantings), a general daily list of things to do and last, but not least, a travel bucket list.  Whew!!   

As for a New Year's resolution I decided the following sentence will be my mantra.  NOTHING WILL SURPRISE ME, BUT EVERYTHING WILL AMAZE ME.  Does that make sense?

In keeping with the "list theme" I'll be doing my most popular posts of 2013 (that is the posts that received the most hits) and my recap of the year post.    Of course, I'll create many more dishes to write about.  Stay tuned...Happy New Year to all and God Bless!