Year: 2018

Food: Easter Cake or Any Occasion

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There’s always a reason for a home-baked cake, even if its simply a Saturday afternoon project you’ve set yourself to accomplish, cake is in. And considering the upcoming Easter festivities, I can’t imagine a better suited cake then this recipe: INGREDIENTS 1 cup canola oil 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt 3 large eggs 2 cups granulated sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups buttermilk 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 cup high quality strawberry jam 2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced honey, for drizzling CHAMOMILE CREAM 2 cups heavy cream 6 chamomile tea bags 8 ounces cream cheese 1/4 cup powdered sugar {more}

Food: Dinner Tonight – Roasted Cauliflower and Halloumi Cheese Tacos

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Last March I visited a friend in England and she introduced me to Halloumi cheese dish served in a Mediterranean restaurant in London. Since then I have included this amazing cheese in salads, and simply served fried with a bit of tomato sauce for dipping – kind of like mozzarella sticks in a restaurant without the batter.  You see the cheese has the best elasticity and even melted holds together very well – so you can actually use it in variety of appetizers and as a side dish. So, guess what happened to me when I saw this recipe for roasted Cauliflower and Halloumi cheese tacos!!!!!!!!!  With a beer of your choice to wash it down of course. My mouth is watering as I settle into my kitchen to duplicate the recipe: INGREDIENTS 1 large, or 2 small, heads cauliflower, cut into florets 2 tablespoons sesame or olive oil 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper 1 (14 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed 8 ounces halloumi cheese, sliced 1 cucumber or zucchini, shredded SPICY AVOCADO BASIL GUACAMOLE 1 avocado, halved …

Lifestyle: The Need for A Career Change

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Whatever the reason, all of us, at some point or another in our lives felt/feel the need for a career change. Sometimes voluntary and other times by force. The difficulty is being able to put yourself out there with a resume that will grab the attention of a recruiter past the algorithm set to weed out – believe it or not – boring resumes and those with the least qualifications. I say boring because there is a set list of words an employer is looking for to even consider glancing over your resume, or skill set and if your CV is not vocabulary savvy, then your resume is tossed into the cyber-trash.  Sorry to be so blunt – but I’ve learned a thing or two over the years while speaking with many recruiters and human resource personnel and feel the need to pass on the information. So to start off, this topic is an article plus illustrations about the best skills you would need to include in your resume to help get you started: And a …

Food: Dinner Tonight Chicken and Roasted Potatoes

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Ah the simple pleasures of chicken and potato and although the chicken Coq au Riesling recipe I found here is a meal in itself, I felt the need to make a roasted potato side dish. What? I need comfort food with the lingering wintery weather. So here it goes: Chicken INGREDIENTS 2 pounds skin on, bone in chicken breasts (about 4 breasts) kosher salt and pepper 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 1 sweet onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated 2 carrots, chopped 1 pound mixed mushrooms, halved 2 cups white wine 1 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons Sir Kensington’s Dijon Mustard 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 4 sprigs fresh thyme {more} Roasted Potatoes INGREDIENTS 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 2 pounds mixed potatoes, chopped into similar size chunks (I used baby Idaho potatoes and purple potatoes 1 lemon, juice plus zest 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated kosher salt and black pepper 1/4 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped 1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 8 ounces burrata cheese, torn {more}

What’s Been On My Radar This Week

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I am actually thrown off this week, thinking Sunday was Saturday and Today was Sunday. I am not sure why that is the case, but I don’t like it. I’m hoping that it is simply because I am juggling one too many ‘watermelons’. So while on the train this morning, I replayed all that has happened in a course of the past few days and decided to weed out the best and tell you about it. Since it has been raining on, on and off, and then back on, it’s been very difficult to complete the exterior painting of our home. We’ve had to stop so many times in the middle of the project, that it has led me to hate the colors I’ve chosen and plead for a second or third try in the actual hue that envisioned for house. Worst nightmare for painters – when the weather doesn’t cooperate and the homeowner takes full advantage of the delays – in terms of changing the entire scheme of things. So back to the commute …

Sunday Edition: Enlightening Ourselves

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I do love rain, even though this year, we’ve only just begun it seems, our full-on rainy season. Meaning that in January we had a month long sunshine and unseasonably HOT weather and then since the middle of February, weekly prediction of rain, and more rain – confusing all things blooming and the birds 🙂 So I’ve set aside a list of indoor activities to tackle, but not before I’ve had a chance to share some interesting reads online. {photo source} {photo source} {source for featured image}

Lifestyle: Movie Night and Wine

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Saturday night has become the official movie night in our household. Where we prep all fun snacks and buy a couple of bottles of wine and get comfy in our favorite spot on the sofa, with a dog in tow, and watch two films, we’ve either seen before or for the first time.  Here’s the beauty of movie night – there is so many ways to see films and shows now, that I don’t need to direct you to any particular streaming site, you know what you need to do. The only thing I am going to say is that – you can actually show up in your pajamas and messy hair and no one will care. So, here’s a list of films I do recommend just in case you are either on the fence about them or feel they are not your favorite genre, or even that they are on your radar. But here is the list:

Travel: In Celebration of Ireland

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Although St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow – some of us folks begin all the festivities today, at work and after work, and well into Saturday :).  Any reason for a good party, we Americans believe.  Although last year, while in Scotland on St. Patrick’s day I got a bit of the partying there too in Edinburgh, with a pop up outdoor (really indoor due to the unpredictable weather), bar, and a week long celebrating throughout the fair city. So, in celebration of Ireland, I have listed a few fun facts, just to prep you for some good old-fashion beer chugging and conversation.