It's Christmas Time!

And we finally decorated our tree! We put on the Christmas music, opened a bottle of wine, and hung some ornaments. Why did we wait so long to decorate you ask? Because Jazzy LOVES the Christmas tree, loves to sit under it and play with the branches, and try to climb the tree. So, we decided to wait on decorating it so he has less time to rip off the ornaments :) Usually we put ribbon and beads, but we didn't this year, we figured it would be safer for the kitty. He is very cute and very helpful, he even helped decorate, take a look!



We decorated our mantel...


We even put some lights up on our balcony!


I bought a Christmas collar for Jazzy, but he wanted no part of it :(


My next Christmas project? Cooking for Christmas Eve! More to come on that later, so here are some more cute Jazzy pics!



Merry Christmas!

Our New Addition!

Meet Jazzy, the new addition to our family. As you may have read, we lost our Kitty a little while back. We missed having a pet around, so we adopted our new little guy from the Kitten Connection. They rescue cats and foster them until they can find homes for them. Jazzy was 8 weeks old when we got him, all grey with a little white on his neck. He grew very comfortable very quickly in his new home. He is very playful and affectionate, and lots of fun. He is also a polydactyl cat, which means he has extra digits, which for him resulted in thumbs on his front paws. Here are a few more pictures of Jazzy for you to enjoy!

BLT Pasta

I love Racheal Ray, I always find some good recipes from her. This is my version of a recipe she made on her talk show one day. It is also one of my husbands favorite meals!

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti or angel hair pasta
6 slices pancetta, sliced about 1/2"-3/4" thick. Then dice.
1 small red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, or 2 tsp garlic paste
3 small packages grape or cherry tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
1 can sliced black olives
1 cup dry white wine ( I usually use either leftover chardonnay, or buy a cheaper brand of it)
handful or 2 of grated parmesan cheese
1 bunch fresh basil
arrugala

In large heated skillet, brown up pancetta. No need to add oil, there is plenty of fat on the pancetta. Once it starts to brown, add red onion. Once the onion has softened, add the black olives and garlic or garlic paste and stir. Add the grape or cherry tomatoes, and cover. Let simmer until tomatoes start to burst. Once they burst, add white wine and stir. Add canned tomatoes, and parmesan cheese. Add fresh chopped basil. Simmer covered while spaghetti or angel hair is cooking. Drain pasta, and mix with tomato mixture. Dress plate with a bed of arrugala, add pasta, add a little more arrugala and serve.

Cioppino!

I recently found a great recipe for cioppino in the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook. Here is the recipe:

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup water
10 oz boneless firm white fish (hake, monkfish, tilefish) I used cod loin.
12 medium littleneck clams
12 medium mussels, scrubbed and debearded
8 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

In a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Saute the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, wine, tomato paste, parsley, pepper, basil, oregano, bay leaf, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add fish; simmer uncovered, 3-5 minutes. Add the clams and mussels; simmer, covered, 3-5 minutes. Add the shrimp; simmer, covered until the clams and mussels are open and the shrimp is pink, 3-5 minutes. Discard any unopened clams and mussels and the bay leaf.

Makes 4 servings
Per serving: 261 calories, 7g fat, 1g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 39 mg Cholesterol, 526mg sodium, 14g carbs, 2g fiber, 26g protein

Point Value=5

You can serve as is, or serve it over pasta like I did. I used angel hair pasta. Would also be good with whole wheat pasta. This dish was really easy to make and my family loved it!

Goodbye Kitty :(

2 days ago, my poor little guy had to be put to sleep. It was completely unexpected. He was 5 years old, and up until a few days ago, appeared healthy. He looked good, he ate, he played like a normal cat. On Thursday he was a little sluggish, so I made an appt with the vet for Monday. On Friday, he was just completely lethargic, wanted nothing to do with anyone, would hide, and would not eat or use his box. I was worried, but was never expecting the outcome we got. I took him to the vet early Monday morning, and turns out he had end stage leukemia and lymphoma. He was not in pain, yet, but only had a matter of days left. As much as I loved him and wanted him with me, after talking with the vet, decided to put him down, I loved him too much to let him suffer. I left his little carrier at the vet, I could not bear to walk out with it empty. I have never been a big fan of cats until he came along. He was with me for the good times and bad, and I very much miss his quirky little personality. I still want to call him when I come home, and first thing in the morning when I wake up. I know this is a sad post, but was hoping it might help me feel a little better by writing about him.

A couple pics of Kitty...
Kitty checking out his mama's Easter tulips

Goodbye Kitty, thank you for all the good memories you gave us, mommy and daddy will miss you!

Cover Girl Lash Blast Rave!

I love when I find something new! I have been in desperate need of a new mascara, my one true cosmetic essential. Lancome discontinued my all time fave Amplicils, and I replaced that with Bourgouis Volume Glamour. It's good, not so easy to find. I have not been a drug store makeup girl for years (Smashbox, Chanel, MAC, and Nars are some of my favorites). After hearing so much about Lash Blast I decided to try it, and......I LOVE IT! My lashes look long, full and most important, natural! No clumps, and goes on easy. The handle on the wand is a little big, some people may need to get used to it. AND, with a price tag of $8.99, it can't be beat! Just wanted to share :)

Artichoke Dip

Here is a simple recipe for a delicious dip that I always make when I entertain, and is suitable for any occasion.

Recipe:

1 can quartered artichokes

1 small jar marinated artichokes

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup grated romano cheese

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

cracked black pepper, to taste

1 round bread loaf (pumpernickel, sourdough, or whatever you prefer)

Completely drain can of artichokes, then drain marinated artichokes, keeping about 25% liquid. Add both to food processor, and pulse a couple of times until the are well chopped, but not mushy. If you do not have a food processor, you can also use a hand masher. Add cheeses, mayo, sour cream and mix. Add black pepper (I use about 1 tablespoon) to taste. Set aside. Cut a circle on top of bread loaf and remove bread, to create a bowl. Save excess bread. Pour the dip into the bread bowl, and bake on 350 for about 30 minutes, until top just starts to turn a golden brown color on edges. Serve on a pretty plate, with some light crackers (I love sesame seed crackers) and the excess bread. Enjoy!

Potluck

Last night I had some friends over for a wonderful evening, and thought we don't do this nearly enough. To make things interesting, I have suggested doing a potluck maybe monthly, but making a bit of a game out of it. Decide on a theme, such as northern italian, carribean, game night, etc. and then randomly choose (like a drawing) who will bring what (appetizer, entree, dessert, wine, etc.). Be prepared to talk about your dish, what makes it relative to your particular theme. I think it is a fun way to get together and have fun, as well as to step out of your kitchen comfort zone and try something new!

Cooking

Cooking is something I have always loved to do. I have never been much of a recipe person, but am now starting to get into following recipes. I learned to cook by old family recipes, being inspired by one ingredient, and by being creative and creating my own dishes. I have some wonderful dishes to share, that I will post shortly. This past Easter I finally made some pizza gana (sp?) and it was quite delicious, light not heavy, and received many comliments. Some of the recipes I will be sharing are pizza gana, mac and cheese, pancetta pasta, artichoke dip, and stuffed mushrooms. Check back soon, and I will have recipes and pics posted!