Year: 2012

getting what you want out of life and having the belief that it can happen

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While I often ponder over the why’s and why nots of life, like most of us do at one point or another, I coinsidentally came across something here, which not only made me think, but also made me smile.  So, I decided to share the infomration  with as many people as I possibly can, since it is something I truly believe and occassionally lack the patience to see it when it’s right there in front of me. Do you do the same? You Are What You Think 4 steps to creating your perfect world using the power of thought   According to neuroscience studies, the adage that you should “be careful what you ask for” has more teeth to it than you might imagine. Your brain is very good at attending to whatever you direct it to. It’s kind of like when you go to buy a car and you think you’re the only person in the world who will have that shiny, bright purple VW Bug; then you drive it off the lot, and …

healthy recipe: fig, ricotta and hazelnut hors d’oeuvres

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There are evenings, when I come home from work, I don’t necessarily want to have dinner or even bother with making one, so I open a bottle of red wine and put together something quick to pair it up with and voila it’s dinner. (I don’t recommend this if you have small children in the house 🙂 ) Anyway, here is an easy recipe I found here and I must say it is heavenly and a wonderful pairing with a bottle of red wine on those evenings when you need to have an out of the norm experience. Grilled Fig, Hazelnut and Ricotta Crostinis Ingredients: 1 cup part skim ricotta 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon hazelnuts, lightly toasted 1/2 cup honey, divided 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 10-12 fresh figs (mission or kadota or whatever is local), cut in half lengthwise 1/2 French or sourdough baguette, sliced into ½ inch slices and lightly toasted 1. Place ricotta, hazelnuts, 1/4 cup honey, and ground cinnamon in a food processor and process …

healthy recipe: thanksgiving menu countdown with williams-sonoma in mind

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One of my favorite stores happens to be, Williams Sonoma. I can walk through the store once a week and feel completely inspired to cook a meal just by all the wonderful gadgets and fancy boxed goods they have so perfectly displayed along the selves. My most favorite time to visit the store however, is the holiday season, which is  from late October through early January, and explore what they suggest to include as part of your holiday menu. The most amazing of course is the smell of cinnamon, warmed apples and various other spices emanating throughout the store, enticing you to follow your nose straight to the cash register with something to take home for the holidays. Anyway, in addition to the store’s charm and decor, they have an entire section on their website with recipes for the holidays. Since I am on a healthy eating kick, I couldn’t help but hone in on the Herbed Quinoa and Red Rice Stuffing with Kale and Pine Nuts. Check out the recipe here or below: Looking for …

one of those days in the blog world

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There are days, it’s unusually difficult to feel creative or inspired to do anything. Today happens to be one of those days, where after an excruciatingly turn-offish  campaign season, which lead to the most predictable results, compounded by the fact the weather turned from 85degree sunny and beautiful to an overcast, cold day, I have lost my  inspiration. But, that’s okay, it happens to the best of us. I must remember however to keep my chin up and stay focused and I am sure this feeling too shall pass.

dessert recipe: pumpkin crème brûlée

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I don’t know too many people who do not like Crème Brûlée, maybe that’s a bold statement, but I am almost certain, the fact, the dessert is almost on every menu in most restaurants, is a clear indication it is a favorite. So, since  the holiday season is upon us, here in the U.S., I couldn’t help but fall in love with a recipe I found here, concerning crème brûlée and pumpkins. :). Check it out: 1/2 cup granulated sugar 5 egg yolks 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1 cinnamon stick 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 1 vanilla bean 3/4 cup. pumpkin purée 4 tsp superfine sugar reserved for top of brûlée Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks. Combine the cream, cinnamon stick, nutmeg and vanilla bean (de-seeded) in a saucepot, and bring to a simmer. Slowly whisk the hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture through a fine-meshed sieve. Whisk in the pumpkin purée. Divide the mixture among four 8-oz. ramekins and place in …