Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!
Weekend photos in review, old school style. Contex Weekend photos in review, old school style. Context: 1) saying goodbye until Easter, 2) sending him back with good bagels, 3) sunlight charging station, 4) the sun was out all day yesterday and it was glorious, 5) hitting the farmers market for my favorite garlic butter, 6) make a wish, 7) sun patterns, and 8) my sous chef
I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I’m going to make it count. Doo Wop Eats opened a few months ago in downtown Denville and their fries are LEGIT. They are hand cut and taste the way fries should … like potatoes! I add a sprinkle of salt and dunk them in a side of their special sauce and they are pure perfection. You can order a small bucket or a large one (better for sharing!), or as a side item with one of their other delicious menu items like their cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches or cheesesteak. I do believe they’re the best fries in town. I said what I said. Doo Wop’s menu celebrates all your favorite Jersey shore boardwalk treats, including Fried Oreos, clam strips and milk shakes and has a fun vibe for kids and families. 😍
The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that takes all of your favorite ingredients from a grinder (or sub) sandwich and makes it into a delicious chopped salad. It’s as easy as putting everything in a bowl and chopping it up. Perfect for busy days and lazy nights, light meals and warm weather choices. Ingredient list below. Enjoy!

One bag or arugula
One container of cherry tomatoes 
Quarter pound of hard salami
8 Oz of fresh mozzarella
One small red onion
1/3 cup banana peppers 
Handful of fresh basil
Half cup Italian salad dressing
3 T Kewpie mayo
2 T red wine vinegar 
Sea salt and black pepper

Chop it all up, add a half box of ditalini pasta, cooked. Mix to combine.

Recipe from GrilledCheeseSocial.
We had a fun little board party this week and the We had a fun little board party this week and the delicious whipped Brie I shared earlier was front and center. If you haven’t heard of board parties, it’s when every guest makes a different type of food board and brings it - so much fun noshing ensues! With toasted baguette slices, cornichons and local honey, this was mostly a French-inspired board. So simple to pull together and totally my kind of meal.
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Food and Life

Ten on Tuesday

April 20, 2010 · Narrative, Ten on Tuesday

MS Medal

  1. Some days I really am not friends with our dog, Eli.  Today was one of those days.  To the point that when Nick left the house for school this morning, he asked if Eli would still be here when he came home.  “But if he’s not, can we get another dog?”  Sorry, Eli, the kid sold you out in less than three minutes flat.
  2. When Nick was three, if we ate a piece of gum, candy or Tic Tac, we’d be really quiet when opening the wrapper so he wouldn’t hear and ask for a piece.  Madeline, on the other hand, has her own way of finding out what you’re eating.  “Mommy, ahhhh!  MOMMY, AHHHH!”  Demanding that I open my mouth and show her.  “Jelly beans?”  No, Madeline, I have nothing in my mouth.  I swear.  She must ask me five times a day if she asks me once, and I just got grilled before she went to bed tonight.  “Jelly beans, Mommy?”  No, Madeline.  “Gum?”  Nothing, Madeline, there is nothing in my mouth.
  3. If you ever have to call Emirates Air for any reason, allow yourself a good day and a half to get through.  Between busy signals, random disconnects and down computer systems, that’s about how long you’ll need.  And if you finally get through and that’s the exact moment your two-year-old proceeds to head towards full-on wail, the bathroom is a good place to hide out and finish your call.  Just sayin’.
  4. If you find that it’s the third week of April and you’ve only made three new recipes this month, you can fix things by making Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes.  Now to make another 20 recipes in the next week and a half to catch up.
  5. The National MS Society is extremely disorganized when it comes to running their 5Ks.  Sorry, guys, they need to be called out.  For a professional, national organization that regularly runs a multitude of annual 5Ks and assorted other fundraisers, their gaffes this past Sunday just weren’t cool.
  6. National MS Society gaffes aside, I am unbelievably proud of my medal.  Even though they ran out of them halfway through because they were busy giving them to everyone who quit the race on the first lap.  If you don’t plan properly and order enough for everyone who registered, then they should be saved for those that actually finish the 5K.  Not the three hundred or so that bailed after two miles.  While in line to grab lunch, we happened to see a volunteer with a few on her arm and made a beeline for her.  Just moments before, I had talked with another person who did the 5K.  She was diagnosed a month ago with MS, and as soon as she found out, she gathered a team together to do the walk with her.  Only to do it and find out that they ran out of the medals.  Once we found the few extra ones, we hunted her down in the crowd to give her one.  Her eyes welling up with tears said it all.
  7. I drink everything with a straw.  I’m not sure when this quirk first developed, but it’s been a few years in the making.
  8. Two weeks ago I lost my iPod.  Somewhere between the driveway and the first floor of the house.  I have about given up the hope of finding it.  Nick has graciously allowed me to use his until I cave and buy another one.  Not without saying, of course, “Don’t lose it, Mom.  You know, like you lost yours.”
  9. I would take a Zumba class every day if I could.  Right now, I’m settling for two days a week.
  10. I don’t like raisins unless they’re in a baked good.  It’s a texture thing.

Project 365
April 20, 2010, Photo #80

Favorite Pots

This pot is part of a set I bought … exactly twenty years ago. I remember the day very clearly. It was full-on garage sale season and I was at a sale with my Mom and came across a box of these pots and pans for sale. It was twenty-five bucks for the whole set and they looked brand new.  I looked through the box and then walked around the rest of the sale, coming back to the box when I was done.  I was only 20 years old, new in my first real apartment, and $25 was a lot of money to me.  I really debated about it.  I got the price down to $20 (my mom taught me well!), and ended up buying the set.  It was seriously one of the best investments I ever made.  Now nearly twenty years later, I still have the entire set and use them regularly.  They are ridiculously resilient and survived many burned ingredients during those first few years while I was learning how to cook.  Even now, so long after the fact, they look as good as new.  Love them, love them, love them.

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Posted In: Narrative, Ten on Tuesday · Tagged: 5K, iPod, National MS Society, Ten on Tuesday, Zumba

Comments

  1. mandy says

    April 20, 2010 at 10:02 pm

    Its incredibly unfortunate that the walk was so disorganized and that those who didn’t finish the race were given medals. I am so glad that you were able to get one and pass one on to the woman who had MS.

    Reply
  2. Joanne says

    April 21, 2010 at 6:16 am

    This is an awesome ten things. First of all you had me in hysterics with those first two. Poor Eli! And Maddie is obsessed with food already – do I see another food blogger in our midst?

    So proud of you (still) for that 5K! I’m sorry it wasn’t well organized. They really should get their acts together.

    Reply
  3. Kris #40 says

    April 21, 2010 at 9:24 am

    Great list!

    Love Zumba – usually try to make the Monday & Friday morning classes at the Y. Nights are too hard to get to. I did, however, just get the Zumba infomericial stuff, can’t wait to try it.

    Love that pot! They sure don’t make things like they used to. My sister has one of my mom’s pots (a dutch oven) that’s like 45 years old – makes the best pot roast.

    Reply
  4. Ramona says

    April 21, 2010 at 1:02 pm

    Please forgive Eli :)

    Little kids get stuck on the same thing all the time.

    Because I’m an analyst, disorganization drives me insane.

    Congrats again on your 5k finish.

    Great investment on your pots.

    I’ve always wanted to try Zumba.

    Reply
  5. thecoffeesnob says

    April 22, 2010 at 1:23 am

    I love the idea of this list- how random and interesting!

    Congrats on finishing the 5K run, Cate. What a feat!

    Reply
  6. Merry120 says

    April 22, 2010 at 9:30 pm

    Love your list of 10. I am so glad you found a medal for the survivor! I have done many races/walks/etc in the last few years and unfortunately I have found that many of them are poorly run. I have been in ones where the ran out of water so only the first & fastest runners got any water. Yikes!

    Reply

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Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!

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Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to ca Happy #NationalPuppyDay to these two. I used to call Clifford an asshat, because he basically was. But there’s a new asshat in town… 🙄 Clifford is now a freaking rockstar. His tumor and age have slowed him down a LOT and he virtually never misbehaves, and we are seriously so proud of him. Lola, on the other hand, is still full blown PUPPY. Tonight I’m assembling a gate to replace the wooden one she ate through. 😂 Berners love wood and she is OBSESSED with being in the kitchen. So one new metal gate coming right up as soon as I can figure out how to put it together.
Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!
Weekend photos in review, old school style. Contex Weekend photos in review, old school style. Context: 1) saying goodbye until Easter, 2) sending him back with good bagels, 3) sunlight charging station, 4) the sun was out all day yesterday and it was glorious, 5) hitting the farmers market for my favorite garlic butter, 6) make a wish, 7) sun patterns, and 8) my sous chef
I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I’m going to make it count. Doo Wop Eats opened a few months ago in downtown Denville and their fries are LEGIT. They are hand cut and taste the way fries should … like potatoes! I add a sprinkle of salt and dunk them in a side of their special sauce and they are pure perfection. You can order a small bucket or a large one (better for sharing!), or as a side item with one of their other delicious menu items like their cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches or cheesesteak. I do believe they’re the best fries in town. I said what I said. Doo Wop’s menu celebrates all your favorite Jersey shore boardwalk treats, including Fried Oreos, clam strips and milk shakes and has a fun vibe for kids and families. 😍
The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that takes all of your favorite ingredients from a grinder (or sub) sandwich and makes it into a delicious chopped salad. It’s as easy as putting everything in a bowl and chopping it up. Perfect for busy days and lazy nights, light meals and warm weather choices. Ingredient list below. Enjoy!

One bag or arugula
One container of cherry tomatoes 
Quarter pound of hard salami
8 Oz of fresh mozzarella
One small red onion
1/3 cup banana peppers 
Handful of fresh basil
Half cup Italian salad dressing
3 T Kewpie mayo
2 T red wine vinegar 
Sea salt and black pepper

Chop it all up, add a half box of ditalini pasta, cooked. Mix to combine.

Recipe from GrilledCheeseSocial.
We had a fun little board party this week and the We had a fun little board party this week and the delicious whipped Brie I shared earlier was front and center. If you haven’t heard of board parties, it’s when every guest makes a different type of food board and brings it - so much fun noshing ensues! With toasted baguette slices, cornichons and local honey, this was mostly a French-inspired board. So simple to pull together and totally my kind of meal.

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