Sometimes there is nothing like escaping Cary for a little bit and… puttin on the Ritz… or packing your Lillie Pulitzer and yoga pants so you can spa on Amelia Island with friends.
Isn’t North Carolina GORGEOUS?And then there’s Florida!
November.
November has never really been my kinda month. Even tho it is the month of thankfulness, somehow, I habitually slip into blandness. BLAH!
There’s that awful time change in November. My walks get chillier in November. The sun goes to bed earlier in November. And. The season gets too “peopley” and stressful in November.
So. I escaped the November feeling and took a flight to Amelia Island. I am so so thankful for Florida. It never feels like November there!
Flying out, this gorgeous view of North Carolina reminded me…as much as I am always escaping it, I do love my home.
This particular weekend I was away, my school distract conveniently gave staff the Friday off to reflect … and boy, did I reflect. In all of Florida’s non November-ness, I reflected on all I have to be thankful for.
I have grown so much closer to friends and family this year and we have been amazingly tight knit! I have never loved what I am doing for a job more than I do today! I am healthy… all those therapy IVs, acupuncture, yoga sessions, vitamin elixers… are working! I may not be living in that so called warm tropical country ALL year long, but I am able to escape there and to other warm locations to rejuvenate… and to refresh my gratefulness.
Thankful people are happy people. This I know is true.
It’s been a little over 24 hours since I’ve landed and I am already having Panamá withdrawals.
Currently, I am sitting in bed eating Panamanian chocolate, Whatsapping Roman, and researching where I can find some passion fruit.
On Wednesday, I had the misfortune of a 9 hour travel delay. Secretly, this was not quite a misfortune at all. I got to relish another Panamanian day of deliciously fresh jugo, booming city life, and one last opportunity to inhale the intoxicating smell of what Panama is… smokey, lemony, floral goodness.
I just love Panamá.
Yes. Panamá has my heart for many reasons. It’s home away from home. I don’t even like home because it’s cold here half the year. But… good schools, paying jobs, reliable hospitals, and friends help me stay in Cary. Besides… someone has to keep Cary fun!
This time in particular tho, leaving Panamá was a lot harder. The point of this trip was to visit family and allow my baby to stay in Panama to brush up on some Spanish, and do a little surfing while living with my parents this summer.
When we said our goodbyes, he cried and I cried. It was so hard. However, what kept me strong is knowing , this experience will be so great for him. I know he will be proud of his heritage and time spent with family is good for the soul. It most certainly was good for mine.
This day.
We decided to take a hike to the Tavida Waterfall. On the way up, we asked for directions from a police man. This police guy completely discouraged us from going. In typical Panamanian style, he inserted his own opinion on what we decided to do with our day.. he said, “why would you ever do that, it’s forever away”.
Thank you, sir! And maybe we should have heeded the warning. There was a fall down the mountains. A slip on the waterfall rocks. The attack of the colorful butterflies. And my personal favorite, a point in which 5 of the 6 people in the car had to get out of the car so my dad could drive up and over the mountain. My guilty conscience of over eating the extra breakfast weighed heavy.
We had plenty of laughs and enjoyed gorgeous views!
Relaxing days.
There were plenty of other days where we enjoyed beaching, pooling, and watching the rain coming and going.
Feast day -every day.
The eating was intense. But would you expect anything less of me? From my mom feeding me to our Panama City food tour…we had it all.
Family day.
Seeing my grandmother meant everything to me. A few weeks ago, she suffered some medical issues and is now on the way to recovery. I got to see lots of family- my mom and dad of course, and my aunt, uncle, cousins, and friends. This was the most meaningful part of the trip for me.
City day.
No trip to Panamá is complete without a Panamá city adventure.
Back home and I am already planning my next visit. Missing Roman bad, but thank goodness for ways to video chat and text. Kid is becoming a great photo taker!
Finally, 2021 brought me the travel therapy I needed.
As much as I love and aspire to travel the world, I don’t believe the value of traveling in your own backyard should be minimized. Covid most definitely reminded me of that and I learned to appreciate the little trips around NC and small USA getaways more than ever.
Howeverrrr….When the tiniest hope of traveling to Europe rumored, I was the first one at the door.
There is just something about traveling outside of the US for me that brings another level of joy to my heart.
You see, I am every bit of an enneagram 7… the Enthusiast.
Follow her. 🥰
An enneagram 7 is described as, obviously, enthusiastic, positive, fun loving …and get this… has a childlike energy to experience everything. Those who know me, know this couldn’t be more true.
Take that childlike energy and multiply that by 7 when I get to travel…and times that by 7 again when I travel internationally. I love love love experiencing new places. There’s no better feeling than feeling small in this world. What that does for my mental health is it allows me to think less of myself and my so called worries. My curiosity craves learning about everything that is NOT like me-to get lost in rich history in real life.
So I took my childlike energy and researched the heck out of Covid travel regulations, bought plane tickets for the family and wrote a 14 page itinerary for a trip to Greece.
This Greece trip was the perfect vacation. It was therapy in all kinds of ways. I filled my belly to gluttony. I enjoyed texting my closest friends about things that made me laugh and reminded me of them. Isn’t it so nice knowing no matter where you are in the world, your besties are your besties? I was thrilled to take millions of beautiful pictures. You know me and pictures. I did absolutely nothing for hours. I truly connected with my family. Guys, teenagers are the best. I don’t care what they say. I talked with locals about their economy and how Covid impacted them. It’s something everyone in this world has experienced in some capacity and we are linked to one another because of it. I got lots of sun. I walked many miles. And, did I mention, I ate everything?
I felt rejuvenated. I felt thankful. I felt filled.
If the 9 million photos below don’t move you to plan your next to trip to Greece, I’m not sure what will. At this time, Greece isn’t crowded. The locals are begging for travelers. The food. The views. It’s totally worth it. This being the second time in Greece, there’s still so much I wanna see. Believe me when I say, Greece must be on your bucket list.
A few travel trips to help keep the travel therapeutic. (This section is for those who asked me to compile my travel tips)
*Travel the way YOU like to travel. If you like beaches… find the beaches. Do you love food? Then schedule a local food tour (highly recommended btw). Remember, you do you, boo! I like to mix it up. I’m an E7 so I gotta have a little bit of everything.
*One carry on bag. One purse. I repeat do not check a bag or bags- SO many things can go wrong if you check a bag. You could lose the bag… what if you’re bouncing locations? How will your bag find you? Your bag could get damaged. Or. Worst on my list…you gotta wait for your bag to arrive. Wasting time at an airport is not for me. If you must… buy a cheap luggage bag at destination to fill with shopping items. Check only on your return home.
*Zipblock bag your clothes- I had my airport outfit then packed 5 dresses, 2 skirts, 3 shorts, 4 shirts, 3 bathing suites, 4 shoes, pjs/undergarments, charges, and 2 hats, and makeup for 10 days. YOU can get it all in one bag.
*Invest in travel friendly shoes-I always bring my weird Vibrams because I’m scared of what my feet could touch in the seas. Chacos? Birks? Rainbows?
*IF you’re a frequent traveler or just hate lines, TSA and Global Entry is the way to go! On the way back from Greece we “skipped” a 200 people line. This makes me happy.
*Create an itinerary but be flexible. Schedule free days and free time to randomly stumble upon restaurants and stores. At the same time, you wanna know what’s going on in the area you’re staying at as far as openings, hours, famous sites and foods.
*Check your expectations. This was the first time traveling to Europe with teenagers and it was every bit of awesome. Don’t be scared of it. Just remember. Teenagers sleep in, eat 6 times a day, and then they are still hungry. Sometimes you leave them behind to unwind with electronics. It’s ok. You always stop for more food.
*Upgrade to “Skip the Line” tickets. As you have probably guessed, I hate lines. My life has been cursed with the fact that I will forever be in the longest Chick Fil A line. However, you probably won’t find me standing in a museum line cause I upgraded.
*Travel Covid Tests. Results in 15 minutes.
Get your jet lag pills and now you’re ready for your trip. Enjoy this shorter than the original 14 page itinerary for inspiration.
Day 1
Trick the kids. You know I gotta have at least one prank going. It was fun to tell the kids that they were vacationing in Florida. Totally believable. We did. For one night. Fort Lauderdale was actually where we were taking our connecting flight to Greece. The older two had suspicions because they are older and argumentative. “Why we gotta have a travel pillow when the flight to FL is only 2 hours?” My baby just followed instructions. All three were absolutely surprised and thrilled when I told them over Mexican food. It was imperative that we find Mexican food because it was gonna be a long 10 days without my beloved Mexican Food.
Bar Ritas in Ft LauderdaleBest vegetarian nachos
Day 2
Fly to Canada. Canada is strict with Covid. Everything was still closed. They don’t play. Nothing to report here except flying for 8 hours Canada to Greece and eating maple cookies.
Day 3
Athens. Travel Ninja in full effect. My number one rule when traveling to Europe—- Sleep on the plane. No one shall sleep after we land. You are on Greece time.
I tend to pack the first day with lots of activities and site seeing to avoid the classic, “let me take a little nap” pitfall. We toured the Acropolis, Acropolis Museum, Mars Hill, Parthenon, Ancient Agora, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Anafiotika, and ended the evening exploring and eating in Plaka
Acrópolis Herod Atticus Odeon Temple of Olympian Zeus Acropolis Acrópolis Museum Anafiotika Plaka cats Just cute Dinner and breakfast views
Day 4
We drove to Corinth for some bible history and watched crazy people bungee jumping at the Isthmus canal. I could barely stand on the bridge without trembling.
Paul’s footsteps Gods and goddesses in Ancient CorinthTemple of Apollo Corinth Canal
Day 5
Santorini is one of those places that you must visit if you’re traveling to Greece. It’s a 30 minute flight from Athens. Arguably, if you’ve been to Santorini, it’s a one and done kinda place. I don’t know if that’s just me. Don’t get me wrong, I will never say no to Santorini, but I’ve done it already. It’s small and I wanna see more islands and places. It doesn’t even matter what I think about it because seeing my kids see Santorini for the first time was the highlight of the trip for me. I could replicate that moment a million times. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them so happy. This was their place and I think they could have stayed here for the entire trip.
Our itinerary included cliff jumping at Amoudi Bay. Yes, you have to walk up and down the 300 steps. Don’t ride the donkeys. Staying in a cave house and having a sunset dinner is a must.
Amoudi Bay cliff jumping Apparently you gotta eat it when you’re hereThe most beautiful night view Our cave house I think it’s squid. Nothing like Santorini sunset
Day 6
Santorini day two consisted of a wine tour, a donkey beer brewery tasting, and a visit to Kamari Beach.
Santos WineCheese! Olives!Kamari BeachYellow Donkey or Crazy Donkey… um crazy donkey.
Day 7
Mykonos is my place. Glamour, ruggedness, plethora of beaches, white washed stone town, shopping, food, and little churches everywhere. Three years ago, I had the privilege to lay my long legs on Ornos Beach and eat Greek salad and Greek donuts. I told the server from Kostantix that I was gonna come back and find her and do it all over again with my kids. And I did. Because I take a zillion pictures, I proved it to her. She laughed and laughed. This entire trip was built around this memory of mine–Ornos beach and donuts. And, it was everything I hoped it would be.
Loukoumades Strawberry daiquirisWindmills
Day 8
On day 8, I was glad to explore a different Mykonos beach- Paradise Beach. Truly paradise. They say your happiness is peaked on day 8 of vacation. Science says that even if your vacation is longer than 8 days, your happiness tapers off after day 8. Whatever the studies say… it was pure fact for me that this was the happiest day. The crystal blue turquoise water, the sun beaming down on me, and all the Greeks treating ME like a goddess because I never went a minute without food or drink an arms length away. Paradise was perfect and I could vacation here a lot.
Little Venice All the fresh. Obsessed with cappuccino freddo and real fruit juices. ParadiseParadise beach. All the sun. Feeling like I’m in Panama here. Watermelon drinks The 8th day of happiness found.
Ouzo
Day 9
We took a 4 hour ferry back to Athens. We saw many islands along the way and it was fascinating to see more of the inner Greece. This was our last night in Greece and I ended it with a local history food tour. It was great to get a little mythological lesson, see the markets, and talk to locals. I always stay up as late as I can the last night and take it all in and appreciated the great time we had.
Seafood market Nuts Real Greek coffee heated in sandNot sure. They said it would open my stomach so I could eat more. Tasted like rubbing alcohol
Day 10
A couple more Greek treats and an 11 hour flight back home. I was definitely ready to be home…In my own comfy bed…Use my own bathroom (the Greeks have plumbing issues, you have to throw away toilet paper- which is a stinky situation) and see my friends. Oh, wait. I got home and all my friends left on their vacations. Now, I get to sit back, fight my jet lag, and enjoy their photos. I am thrilled to see the world slowly getting back to travel. It will never be the same. And that’s ok. But, I sure will appreciate it even more.
There’s not a week that goes by that I don’t think about my college study abroad trip.
I day dream of the sailboats at the Gulf of Trieste. Which for the record, is where I’d love to go back for a concert… bucket list item… Pearl Jam in Trieste, Italy. Sometimes, I reminisce over my crazy courage to go white water rafting in the Swiss Alps (umm… a category 4? What was I thinking?). Other times, it’s the small reminders of fascinations like visiting Mozart’s home in Austria.
19
These days, I sit in wonderment over how my parents let me study abroad at 19 years young! I can’t imagine my soon to be 17 year old… gone from me, exploring the world alone…in just 2 short years. Then again, I feel like I’ve trained my kids well in travel. My study abroad experience was so defining for me, that I have made a study abroad trip a requirement in college for the wee three.
Of all the cool emotional experiences, like jumping off cliffs and crying at the German camps…I’m always asked… what’s your favorite part of all the travel?
My answer, is generally the same as it was when I was 19 years old… simply visiting food markets. The food!! It is consistently thrilling.
When I returned from that European study abroad trip…just a short 98 years ago…the hardest thing for me to adjust to back in the States, was no piazza foodie center, no side ally market, no screaming negotiations from vendors, no fresh cherries, and no gelato.
Mercado de la Boqueria in Barcelona
So. Every time I can get to a food market, I’m one happy traveler. This is where I can try to blend in with the locals and get a true taste of the culture. Probably, my favorite market I have ever been to was the Mercado de la Boqueria in Barcelona.
The variety of foods were insane. The bustling feistiness of the locals…All awesome. Here, in Barcelona is where I tasted paella, like for real real. Of course. Go to the source if you want the real deal. And ever since, I can’t stop with the paella.
I won’t claim that I’m a Paella expert but, I do claim that I’ve made all kinds of tasty paella and it’s ALWAYS loved.
Have guest coming over? Paella
Need a fancy dish? Paella
Comfort food? Paella
Too cold outside? Warm up with some paella.
To hot outside? Seafood paella will make you feel like you’re cooling off by the ocean.
Lonely? Paella
What goes with paella? Paella.
Ok, well what goes well with paella is pan con tomate and Spanish wine, olives and cheese. And a second helping of paella.
Head here for a basic veggie paella recipe. The sofrito is the most important part. Add broccoli, chicken, clams…You do you boo!
Last night, I did a quick vegetarian paella. I cooked shrimp on the side for the meat eaters. Delicious.
“Quick” paella 🥘
Cheers… and someone get me to a European market stat!
This is the most requested meal in my house by a long shot. It smells amazing and it’s rare that I don’t have all these ingredients on hand. This is my own one pot, “easy week night” twist to … Arroz Con Pollo! No one makes it better than my mom and this is not super fancy… but it’s absolutely delicious. And. When you can’t be in Panama and you NEED a fix fast… Here it is in, 30 seconds. Enjoy!
Arroz con pollo
Arroz Con Pollo
*Heat up dat oil
*Place chicken to cook. Add salt and pepper to taste.
* I love garlic so I add about half a tablespoon. Add more if you are riding public transportation this week.
*While the chicken cooks, chop onions, peppers, black olives, and tomatoes.
*When chicken is cooked, take the best kitchen utensil ever, scissors, and chop the chicken. This relieves stress btw.
* Add the chopped onions, peppers, black olives, and tomatoes. Remember, recipes are just a starting off point. I love green olives so much better than black olives, but the kids don’t. So, mix it up!
* I was blessed with the “cilantro is super refreshing” gene, so I add it to everything. If you think it tastes like soap, just add parsley.
* Let all that chopped stuff cook and simmer together. (About 20 mins) In your rice cooker, make rice. (About equal time for rice to cook)
*When everything is looking good… Mix together. Add water, or my fav, strained tomatoes for more flavor or juiciness. Add extra spices if needed. Sometimes some red cayenne pepper is everything.
* Close your eyes… pretend you are in Panama.. NOT in 30 degree weather in boring Cary!
Every time I order pizza, I think of the Pizza Town SNL skit with Aziz Ansari.
It haunts me. If you ever see me laughing for what seems like no reason, I am thinking about this skit! Click here
Here’s the next round of pizza stops we’ve had in the area.
Primo Pizza
I was introduced to this pizza a couple years ago. A few of us teachers from Centennial would stop here occasionally. We tried the calzone after a workshop one day and it was delicious! During the pandemic, it became one of my favorites simply because it has a perfect drive thru situation. This is solid NY style pizza. I love the crust.
Cary’s Primo Pizza
Raleigh Pizza Times
This might be my favorite pizza in the area. Definitely, top 5 or sure. Roman and I went here for a date night a couple nights ago. We couldn’t stop eating it. This pizza might be the reason I love Raleigh so much.
Maybe I should move to RaleighRaleigh Pizza Times: My Raleigh go to
Di Fara Pizza
Gonna give this newly opened Cary Pizza joint another chance. I think it was because it was opening week or maybe it’s the NY filtered water… we thought the pizza was sloppy. I loved it when I was in NY many years ago so hopefully it will be better next time we try it.
Cary’s Di Fara Pizza- great outdoor seating
Of course, we had Ricci’s pizza this week as well. That is a given. I tried their white pizza for the first time and thought it was great! While taking Gi to her gymnastics meet this weekend, we ate what we thought is the second worst pizza we’ve ever had. I won’t even mention the name of the place because I’d like to forget that experience all together. Plus, it was in Virginia Beach…and we’re not making this a national pizza thing.
We ARE continuing our national donut tour, however. We stopped at Sugar Plum bakery for this Texas Glazed donut.
I ABHOR waiting in line, but I did, for this huge donut! 😊
All I’m saying is… Watch out Big Dom’s…Cause Big Chanti made a dozen bagels and they were a huge hit! I promised a few of you the recipe. Please share if you enjoyed them as much as we did!
Just going to drop the NY STYLE BAGEL recipe here!
Follow it! I was a bit impatient, so, they’re not super pretty but they were super delicious!
Daaaang, Chanti!
Toppings:
Eggwash/Salt/Pepper/Garlic
Eggwash/Cinnimon/Sugar/Butter
Eggwash/Salt/Pepper/CheddarCheese/ParmesanCheese
Butter/Salt
Salt and Pepper & The CheesesCrunchy Chewy Cinnimon Sugar
Our busy schedules resurrected this week! We had everything from a travel gymnastics meet to an inauguration! There was some stress eating and some pleasure eating. Overall, an amazing foodie week!
Pizza Stops
As my ninja turtle friends would say, “truth, justice and a slice of pizza”. The inauguration brought some truth and justice (issues) to the forefront, and I ate pizza 4 times this week.
I accidentally left my wallet at home when we went out for lunch one day, so that led us to plan B… an online order from Pizzeria Faulisi in Cary. There is nothing but love for this wood fired pizza. With a mix of local Raleigh and authentic Italian ingredients..the flavor is fantastic. You’re going for more of a Neapolitan pizza here, and it is definitely worth the try!
The next pizza stop occurred when I almost ran out of gas (this would the 4th time running out of gas in this Jeep) and I noticed we were close to a pizza joint called Vicinos in Morrisville. You can’t just pass by a place that has a 4.8 google rating. We savored the crust and the NY pizza style. I’ll definitely have to do a side by side comparison of a couple pies with this one included.
Another night this week, I didn’t feel like cooking because of a massive headache, so the kids picked up a pie from our go-to place, Ricci‘s. Ricci’s is a mile away from our house and it really is top notch. We are so lucky to have it… from service to food, you can’t go wrong. Their garlic rolls (with cheese) are on another level. Ricci’s is an at least once a week stop.
The last pizza stop was at Trophy in Raleigh. I was passing by from Wye Hill and I thought… Why not? This pizza is the epitome of great bar pizza-feel good, crunchy, gooey, and cheesy!
Cary got some love this week! I was excited to start some readings for my grad class and nothing goes better with readings, than a hot cup of coffee to accompany. Brew, is an all time favorite and the place I stop at before hitting up Dom’s Bagels. DoNUT underestimate their doughnuts either. I order a dozen bagels each week because I just can’t go very long without Dom’s!
With drives back and forth to Stretch Lab and gymnastics this week, I discovered Esteamed Coffee’s location and it was the highlight of my week. I fell in love with their mission to support those with disabilities as they seek employment. Such a great place with great hot chocolate!
Sometimes, when you’re in Cary, you just have to stop at the old soda fountain shop for ice cream. Ashworth Drugs is our little old town pharmacy and is known for it’s hotdogs too. I can’t do hot-dogs tho. You know, the whole vegetarian thing and all.
Speaking of vegetarian, my all time favorite Apex restaurant is Provincial because NO one does a better vegetable plate. I was so happy to make it here this week. The veggie plate is superb every single time I have it. The plate is seasonal and rotating! It has been over a year and it was so good to be home! Be sure to order the kid’s Mac n Cheese. No shame.
Brew, Vanilla Latte with Almond MilkDom’s upside down donuts, Cinnimon Sugar and Asiago bagels with cream cheese… and always a plain bagel with butter Esteamed Coffee: 4 hot chocolates please!Mint Chip from Ashworth DrugsProvincial: Broccoli, Whipped Potatoes, Zucchini, Brussel Sprouts, Rice, Carrots, and Kids Mac N Cheese 😋
Raleigh Rants
The best food I had this week was at Wye Hill Kitchen and Brewing. I kid you not, you must go for the most delicious BBQ fries and beer cheese you will ever have. I know, you’re suppose to go for the beer and the views, but I urge you, ALSO go for the fries and their amazing sangria too. The outdoor seating was impeccable, with several heaters, so this cold wimp, was just fine. I can’t wait to go back again! Maybe I’ll get my Raleigh Beer Trail passport stamped next time!
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Thanks to my daughter’s gymnastics meet, I got to travel to a South Carolina beach, in January! I have to admit, my Covid fears are mostly centered around being in an inclosed space, CLOSE to many unknown people not wearing masks. Being a spectator to this meet gave me the chills. Fortunately for me, I was encouraged to drop her immuned-self off with her coach, while I kept a virtual eye on her from the hotel. This is the kind of gym mom I was meant to be. She had a great time, receiving several medals, and I provided donuts and views. This cute donut shop called Peace, Love and Little Donuts had really funky fun toppings.
North Myrtle, SCPeace, Love, and Little Donuts (oreo, salted pretzel, fruity pebbles, chocolate sprinkles, Banana split, m&ms, strawberry cheesecake, coffee cake, Reeses, Samoa, apple pie, s’mores)
That was quite a foodie week! Now, I have to detox…but Triangle Restaurant Week is upon us! I better get to running laps!
Let’s take a virtual culinary trip to France. Pour a glass of Shiraz and grab your Le Creuset…
Trader Joe’s Pacific Peak and whatever is clean and ready to use will do the trick too.
Palais Longchamp 2019
Confession: I rarely ever follow a cooking recipe.
The down side to not following instructions, like we were taught in 1st grade, is that I have never been able to rate a recipe online…. because I didn’t actually follow it. I also can’t really share recipes because I’m always like… Here’s my FAMOUS MEATball recipe, but DON’T put meat in it. (It’s not that bad, but kinda!) Nevertheless, there is a good thing about recipe rebelling. I am super flexible in the kitchen so I can whip up just about anything and…I can make most recipes deliciously vegetarian.
I am not willing to declare myself an AMAZING cook. What does it even mean to be a great cook? Heck, if I know. We’ve all been to restaurants that others LOVED but we hated it. It all comes to personal taste, I guess. What I do know, is I love food and my family’s consistent requests for me to keep on cooking, is flattering. When the kids voluntarily cook WITH me so they can learn their favorite meals…that means I am doing something right!
So.. I share my menus, occasionally, only for inspiration and a little escape. I don’t think I would ever enjoy recipe blogging. I am very, very, very, bad at giving out FOOD instructions. My poor kids will tell you how true that statement is. So many times they’ve asked questions like, “Mom, how do I cut the potatoes?” And my answer is usually… “The way you’d like to eat them!”
For me, the written recipe is the jumping off point. I adore those who can give recipe instructions so beautifully and eloquently. Thank you!
Menu:
Sometimes, we cook to escape.. and so we escape to France for a mostly meatless Monday menu.
Ratatouille, Veggie Quiche, Ham and Swiss Quiche, French Bread, French Cheese Board, Soufflé, Red Wine
Ratatouille:
This is my base guide for ratatouille. It is described as creamy and smokey because of the heavy cream and paprika. I am very visual, so seeing pictures and videos helps me envision recipes. I love that this recipe includes both!
Recipe Rebel Edits: I didn’t have any eggplant, so that’s not part of my dish. Instead, I doubled upped on the zucchini and yellow squash. Wine was subbed for the sugar… I adore a tomato/wine sauce. I didn’t use heavy cream because the parmesan was enough creaminess I craved.
Vegetables vibrantly served!
Quiches:
Anytime we have guests over, I make quiche. It’s a little fancier than just scrambling some eggs for breakfast. This recipe is a great one for after the holidays so you can use some left over ham. Sometimes, I make individual quiches from the recipe by putting the mix in muffin tins. The kids love this personal take! Here is the base guide recipe for both quiches I made for our French night.
Rebel Recipe Edits: Since I don’t eat meat, I made two quiches to accommodate. I don’t ever add the Italian seasoning from this recipe. For the meat eaters, the ham and Swiss quiche recipe was followed pretty closely except I added Gruyere cheese (and no Italian seasoning). I indulged in a veggie quiche which was made of left over ingredients I used from the ratatouille. For my veggie quiche, take out the ham and Swiss cheese, (and Italian seasoning), then replace those ingredients with double cheddar cheese and about a cup of zucchini, spinach, and tomatoes (combined).
They say they are meat eaters, but my veggie quiche is always the first one gone!
Soufflés:
Opposite to cooking, I don’t ever waver from baking recipes (unless I am doing a testing or comparison). Don’t mess with the sweets!
In 2008, I spent Christmas with my family in Versaille, France. We had the privilege of eating at Gordon Ramsey’s Au Trianon Restaurant. I instantly became obsessed with his soufflé and chocolate fondant recipes. There have been many many winter nights that I have whipped up one of the two recipes for comfort. These treats are always a perfect end to any meal and any day! Several years ago, someone gifted me Gordon Ramsey cookbooks, where I get these recipes from. I found them online, picture-less, but they are spectacular.
Is it just me or was that the longest first week of the year ever!!?
Still feels 2020 ish
I am of the belief that if you’re not changing, then you’re accepting. That’s not necessarily either a good or bad thing. You make it what it is as it pertains to you. Acceptance and change are both great things and it is what drives me to love a good resolution.
Sure, 80 percent of resolutions dissolve by February and only a whopping 8 percent of people attain their resolutions by years end… but what I have accepted about myself, is that I love to attempt change. I win some and I lose some.
2021 New Year Resolutions
* Routinelytake care of my skin.
This resolution includes finding a regimen I love that will make me enjoy the commitment of applying a minimum of a 4 night a week routine. The hope is for every day use… but let’s be real. I need this skin routine to be doable during travel and not take 67 minutes to complete.
Just started using this kit and so far I’m loving it!
Let’s remember…USE SUNBLOCK EVERY DAY!!
I love me some water and in the past, the convenience of grabbing a plastic bottle encouraged my healthy H2O habits. I was always drinking water. I noticed however, all around our house laid unfinished plastic water bottles, mostly from the kids, but admittedly from me sometimes. Our family vowed to rid of the plastic bottle habit completely. We did it, but my water intake has suffered and I can see it all over my body’s rattle snake skin. More water for the skin this year!
Me at 3:00 today NOT reaching my water goal!
* Hormonal Overhaul. Let’s just say, the one day PMS vibe has turned to a pretty much everyday punk mood. I’m sure it’s partly due to world events but I still find a need to do something about it…
Social media has never been an issue of anxiety for me until recently. All the crazy news and everyone’s divisive posts kinda get me down now. I don’t care about Facebook one bit. Instagram is my jam tho. I love seeing travel and food pictures and enjoy seeing what my friends are up to. I like seeing JLo post about her new skin care line. Sebastian Maniscalco clips always make me laugh! Call me crazy, but I like to see others doing well and happy. Instagram has morphed into a more negative platform lately, specially from celebrities. Even positive posts have a ton of comments that can bring the happy clown down.
Seriously, you can’t even post that you paid it forward at the Starbucks line anymore. All of a sudden by doing that, you’re enabling “Bougie Betty” and you’re just WRONG… WRONG… because you should have done something BETTER for a more important charity. I get the sentiment, but dang… people are just doing the best they can during a pandemic.
I plan to unfollow every person, which thankfully does not generally consist of my friends, that posts something hateful in my point of view. This is not to be confused with unfollowing people I don’t agree with. I love the diversity and have dear friends on both sides and all sides of the spectrum. However, the posts lacking tact and filled with tearing another person down and telling them they are not enough or just plain wrong, is not for me. I will follow the person who is paying it forward to who might actually be “Bipolar Betty”…
…like and love. You do you, right!?
Also, I want to revamp my supplement intake. Right now it includes everything from CBD gummies to ashwagandha. I just want to organize my supplement intake into less pills, make sure I’m getting everything I need and nothing I don’t. This below is not conducive to travel.
Anything to keep calm, focused, and sleeping well!
* FoodieFuture
When I worked in Raleigh, I enjoyed going to my favorite pizza shop after work at least once a week. Then the pandemic hit, and maybe from watching too many Barstool Sports Pizza Reviews, I started getting take out pizza from different shops and comparing them. This year I would love to try more pizza shops in the Raleigh Cary area and then make a “best of” list. I would love to do this with friends!
Pizzeria Toro is 💯 (Durham- pre-pandemic)
My North Carolina Donut list needs to be freshened up as well. There are a few shops in the Charlotte area for me to try. I’d like to retry a few shops I haven’t been to in years as well!
Wilmington NC (The Donut Inn)
I love cooking and baking and the pandemic has lead the entire family into some amazing cooking competitions and discovering new recipes. This is something I want to continue doing!
* Travel Goals
Let’s tread lightly on this one. This year, I would like to see mountains and see beaches. I want to add a visit to a new spa and hit up a vineyard if possible. These trips can be anywhere in the world… but I understand the restrictions… I may just be discovering my backyard a little deeper!
My crazy hope is to get to Boston this year. I am taking a class from Harvard so it would be nice to use their library, get my student card, and maybe explore Boston a little. I foresee us staying in our beautiful state of NC quite a bit so a mountains and beach trip is definitely doable and it could lead us to scratching off some foodie goals and NC bucket list items like the Land of Oz, Jockey Ridge, and Mount Airy (little Mayberry). All with safety first.
Resolution- Nerding out in one of my favorite cities
We managed an amazing US road trip last year, so I think we can make another safe one happen again. I’d like to add states the kids have never been to. None the less, we will stay cautiously optimistic!
* Wear less black. My closet is color coded for my sanity. There is a hefty chunk of black clothes to the left and then a trickle of the rainbow down to the right. This comes from my music performance days and now pandemic days. All my yoga pants are black…but I am hoping colors brighten my mood a bit.
*Include Spanish in my everyday life. I just want to keep up with my Spanish a little better. I want to listen to more Spanish music, subscribe to Ted Talks en Español, and my phone still has Spanish settings on.
So there’s my list! Fun and so easy to give up on all of them by February! I think I’m off to a good start!
Travel Ninja 