Archives for 2011

M&S Pizza: The Best Pizza in New Jersey?

April 19, 2011 · Narrative

For the last few Fridays during Lent (you know, that time when we’re not supposed to be eating meat), we’ve gone the pizza route. A new tradition seems like the best way to combat the fact that I sometimes forget it’s No Meat Friday. And a perfect way to add another pizza review to our ongoing quest for finding the best pizza in New Jersey.

M&S Pizza has two locations. Both in Rockaway. About a mile apart from each other. On the same street. I don’t get it either, but imagine maybe there’s a fun story behind the “why” of it. In the meantime, although we’ve lived in the area for nearly 10 years now, this was our first visit to either of the M&S locations.

I love old school. I love things that remind me of being 16 years old again. Well, some things anyway. Sixteen was not exactly the rosiest of years. Just ask my mom. But M&S is old school in a charming way. Which is a good thing, because if you don’t appreciate its charming, old school ways, you’d walk in and think the restaurant is very dated. See? It’s all in your perspective.

That picture would be Nick’s perspective. The very familiar, very hard red booths. The little pads of paper that they use to take your order. And my favorite? The honor system. You place your order. Sit down. They bring it to you. And you settle up when you’re done. I love that, in this day and age, there are businesses that still believe in the honor system. And trust it. And are old school.

Now the pizza. Speaking of school… remember pizza day when you were a kid? Remember what the pizza tasted like? This is that pizza. The same exact taste. The same kind. The familiarity of back then. This is not OMG pizza. This is not the best pizza in New Jersey. But this is the pizza you grew up with. And that, my friends, is in a class all by itself.

No massive air bubbles that I love. Not an overwhelming amount of charred little bits along the crust. No thin and crispy crust. It’s more on the doughy side. But it’s packed with cheese. Behold the cheesiness.

It’s standard. Familiar. Tasty. Serves its purpose. Will I get a craving for it any time soon? No. Will we stop back in? Sure.

A few details:

Coke establishment
Very friendly staff and plenty of seating
They take credit cards
Decent size menu of standard fare
Busy on the weekends, but enough staff to meet the demand
Very reasonably priced. Four slices, a salad and two drinks was $13.50

M&S Pizza II
456 US Highway 46
Rockaway, NJ 07866
(973) 361-9137

PS – I hear their Buffalo Chicken Pizza is a must-try.

Miss our other pizza reviews?

Luigi’s in Succasunna
Reservoir Tavern in Boonton
Margherita’s Pizza & Cafe in Hoboken
Star Tavern in Orange
Grimaldi’s in Hoboken
Annabella’s Pizzeria in Parsippany
Fenicci’s Restaurant & Tavern in Hershey, PA
M&S II Pizza in Rockaway, NJ

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Eat. Live. Be. #14: What Supplements Do You Take?

April 18, 2011 · Narrative

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

I braced myself.

“All those pills you take… is everything ok?”

“In that little green container?”

“Yes, the one with the days of the week on it.”

“Oh yes, everything is fine. Those are just all the supplements and vitamins I take.”

“Ahh, gotcha.”

And then I rattled off what the container held so there wouldn’t be cause for worry. My friend had every right to be concerned though. I’ll be the first to admit it, I take a lot of stuff. It was such an inordinate waste of time opening up all the bottles every day, when a co-worker suggested getting a pill dispenser to ration out my daily pills, it was one of those “duh, why didn’t I think of that?” moments. But it definitely makes it look like something is seriously wrong with me if you don’t know better.

I have always taken a multi-vitamin and extra Vitamin C. That’s a given. Over the past year and a half, I have seriously upped the regime to include fish oil supplements, calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin B-12, flax seed and green tea supplements. I even had to upgrade to the XL pill dispenser after just a few weeks. But the thing is, I’ve only been sick once (last week, as a matter of fact) in the past 18 months, so I have to believe that what I’m doing works.

Fish Oil – lowers your triglycerides, lowers blood pressure, prevents and treats arthritis and promotes healthy joints.
Calcium – helps keep bones healthy, and per Dr. Oz, most people don’t get enough calcium from their food sources.
Vitamin B-12 – helps develop your red blood cells and is used to make the protective coating around your nerves; it plays a key role in brain and nervous system development and the metabolism of cells.
Flaxseed Oil – studies show it can reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Vitamin D – essential for the growth and development of bones and teeth, and protects against multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune conditions. A higher intake of vitamin D has been associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer in women.
Vitamin C – stimulates the immune system, helps prevent and treat infections and diseases, aids in the production of white cells, helps form and maintain collagen (the basis of your connective tissue) and even assists in lowering your cholesterol.
Green Tea – promotes increased metabolism and aids in weight loss.

I keep the Vitamin C tablets separate (since they’re soft, they don’t do well mixed with the others when I ration out the week ahead), so I take those at work, along with two of the three green tea supplements.

With the way I and the kids eat, I know we’re getting a ton of vitamins from all the fruits and vegetables we eat, but I don’t think it’s enough, and studies have shown that even if you’re hitting all your marks with the proper amount of recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables, it’s still not enough. This regime just bumps it up a notch, and as a single mom, I just can’t afford to get sick. Who will take care of me and the kids? :)

I’m not quite sure why it’s necessary to write the days of the week beneath the letter of each day. My first thought, because it’s raised, was that it would help those that are blind, but my smaller dispenser doesn’t have the days written out on it.

I’ve priced out most of the supplements, checking online and stores when they have their sales combined with coupons, and Costco seems to have the best deal for the ones I’ve researched. No surprise there. If you stock up there, just be sure to check the expiration date against how many pills you’ll have to consume before they expire. I haven’t had any issues, but just something to be aware of.

I’m one week behind on my ELB posts since I wasn’t posting last week, so I will do this week’s topic (what’s on our playlists) later this week. To find out what’s on the iPods of my fellow ELBers (and what supplements they do or do not take, from last week’s topic), please visit them at the below links:

Sarah Caron from Sarah’s Cucina Bella
Joanne from Eats Well with Others
Chris Arpante – Melecotte
Patsy – Family, Friends and Food
Claire – Cooking is Medicine
Sarah Rogers – Sarah’s Sweet Creations
Rivki from Healthy Eating for Ordinary People
Claudia from Journey of an Italian Cook
New Jersey Epicurean

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Weekend Photos in Review

April 17, 2011 · Photos

Project 365
April 15, 2011, Photo #104I don’t know who has it worse – the cats or the kids.

Beer Margaritas, courtesy of The Neighbor Wife. Recipe coming soon.

Pizza with gorgonzola, peaches, caramelized onions and mushrooms and much more.

Project 365
April 16, 2011, Photo #105

Need a name for this new bread recipe … it has zucchini, dried cherries, walnuts and coconut in it. Any creative minds want to help?

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Creating and Preserving Memories

April 15, 2011 · Narrative

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

When there was an opportunity to blog about Shutterfly and their photo books, it couldn’t have come at a more opportune yet poignant time. It turns out Charles Dickens knew what he was talking about. The past seven days have been, seriously, the best seven days and the worst seven days I’ve had in a long time. Fulfilling and challenging. Exhilarating and trying. For a myriad of reasons. On multiple levels and areas. I, for one, am glad this week is over.

That being said, one of the negative aspects of this past week was a power surge that hit the house while I was gone last weekend, taking pretty much every piece of technology along with it, from dial tone and microwave to printer and hard drive, and everything in between. My beloved hard drive. That houses about 18 months worth of work from my job, freelancing articles and invoices, Christmas card lists, personal letters, you name it, I wrote it, it was there. But just as importantly, photos. Photos of cherished moments over the past year and a half. Memories with my littles. Their important moments and milestones. And all the insignificant day-to-day ones too. There is the tiniest shred of hope that some is recoverable, and I’m hoping against hope that that light still shines, but I’m prepared for it to fade without producing.

It’s certainly not the end of the world, just one of the more difficult pills to swallow this week. To be perfectly honest, it has been an emotional week for a long list of reasons, and I hate that. I like things that I can control and am trying to wrap by head around the things I can’t. As a dear friend reminded me more than once … I can’t control everything, and not everything fits neatly into a box. A lesson I still work on.

Before the hard drive failure, I had plans to get all my photos into albums. Admittedly I still have pictures of Nick’s first year that have yet to be put into an album. I had finally figured out how I wanted to catalog everything and now I may be back to square one. Let this be a lesson to all of you… go back up any photos you have on your computer now. Get a flash drive and put a second set on there. Print your pictures and put them in albums. Don’t put it off. Do it, do it, do it.

Whether or not Shutterfly was sponsoring this post, I would still recommend their photo books to you (and their awesome announcements too, one of which I used to announce Madeline’s birth three years ago). Although I would love to be a scrapbooker, and have many of the accessories to do so, I don’t have the time or patience. I much prefer the photo books … clean, uncluttered, easy to lay out and free from worries of hard drive crashes! And I am moving “organize photos and order photo books” to the top of my list, without question.

This weekend, the kids and I are going to drag out my boxes and boxes of photos and begin the task of at least sorting them by category and year, and go from there. Once I see what is salvageable from my hard drive, ordering photo books is next on the list.

Have an awesome weekend! Take tons of photos, of anything and everything. And back them up. Please.

P.S. Are you a blogger, too? Click here to register for a chance at 50 free announcements!

This post is part of a series sponsored by Shutterfly. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Recipe: Chickpea Salad

April 14, 2011 · Clean Eating

I love chickpeas. In a salad bar salad. As a snack on their own. In Mediterranean recipes. And I love that they’re part of hummus, which can always be found in our refrigerator. One of these days, I need to share Beth’s hummus recipe. Good stuff. But for today, a recipe from me … Chickpea Salad.

Super simple, and a perfect way to take advantage of whatever crisp lovelies your local grocery store or farmer’s market are offering up. Use it as a guideline and mix and match with some of your own favorite ingredients too. And if you want to change it up even further, instead of serving it as a traditional salad, as I did, it also tastes great in lettuce leaves or wrapped in a tortilla with a protein of your choice.

However you serve it, it’s a great way to celebrate Spring flavors and chickpeas… all in one yummy bite. Ripe, buttery avocado? Check. Fresh cilantro? Check. Juicy tomatoes? Check. Guilt-free eating? Check, check, check.

As if you need another reason to eat chickpeas, did you know that one serving gives you 51% of your recommended daily needs for fiber? It is packed full of good stuff, helps fight off bad cholesterol, and is clean eating at its finest, so eat up, baby!

I’ll be back here tomorrow with an extra post for the week… until then!

Project 365
April 14, 2011, Photo #103
New Greek Inspired Turkey Burger recipe that I created tonight for the folks at Betty Crocker. Yummy stuff that I totally burned my tongue on.

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What I Wore Wednesday

April 13, 2011 · What I Wore Wednesday

I promise I’m not headless in real life. Those that hang out with me can surely attest to that. Two headless pictures in as many days though, I can see this might be a problem. All in the interest of getting the best shot of the shirt for you, of course.

Get thee to Target‘s clearance rack. You just might be lucky enough to score something fun for yourself too. This gold-matte sequined tank top was a mere $4.98 on the 75% off clearance rack. Danielle over at Take Heart got herself a whole outfit for ten bucks. You need to dig through, but bejeweled tanks and ten dollar outfits are certainly worth a few minutes of your time, yes?

Sequins are a funny thing. When we were kids, my mom was all about the sequins and the glitter and the sparkle. She still is, but in smaller doses. It didn’t do anything for me back then. But now? I’m all about the small doses of glitz. Color me a convert.

For more What I Wore Wednesday outfits, be sure to check out The Pleated Poppy.

Project 365
April 13, 2011, Photo #102 (and a bonus!)

Tried to go to this restaurant for lunch today with a co-worker, but it turns out they don’t open until 3:30 pm, which would explain why the parking lot is always empty when I drive by. Madeline was enthralled with the leprechaun painted on the side of the building and wouldn’t leave before touching it. Hey, maybe she brought home some luck ‘o the Irish.

If it’s Wednesday, it must be time for Kids Zumba!

Recipe: Caramel Pecan Bars

April 12, 2011 · Narrative

In the interest of keeping everyone happy, another non-healthy recipe for you tonight. These Caramel Pecan Bars are in a Taste of Home Brownies magazine that is currently on newsstands; I was looking for something quick and simple that would cut neatly and this certainly filled the bill. The pecan flavor really comes through, for sure, but these remind me a bit of Blondies, which I’m not as big a fan of. The recipe notes “that the bars really capture the flavor of pecan pie,” and there is a definite hint of that, without the gooeyness of it. If you’re looking for something new to get out of a chocolate rut, this might be just the thing, but with its two sticks of butter, two plus cups of sugar and two cups of pecans, a massive work-out will be needed right after to absolve you of any guilt you may have. Aside from one tiny nibble to determine edibleness, the work-out I just came back from is still firmly intact.

A little photo catch-up from the past week, and then I’m off to find my remote and a pillow because the two and a half hours of sleep I got last night just aren’t cutting it anymore. Today is only Tuesday and this week has seriously kicked my hide. I came back completely replenished after a few days away , only to be depleted very soon after. Another friend, who is having an equally challenging week, texted me that God only gives us as much as we can handle. While I definitely believe that, I just wish he didn’t think I can handle quite as much as he gives me. At some point, it has to be someone else’s turn, because I need a break. Insert big deep sigh here.

Project 365
April 4, 2011, Photo #93
Whenever I feel an inkling of any sick or sniffle or ache coming on, I go get this Ten Ingredient Soup from a local restaurant. I don’t exactly know what all the ten ingredients are, and I’m pretty sure that it’s better that way, but it never fails to work a little magic for me.

Project 365
April 5, 2011, Photo #94
Beth and I got the new shellac manicures last Saturday. This is what it looked like on Day 4, completely chip-free. The manicure is a few bucks more but is advertised to last up to 14 days.

Project 365
April 6, 2011, Photo #95 (and a bonus)
Last week, we took two of the kids’ friends to Zumba class. Since they’re both joining us again tomorrow (with a third for good measure), I think it’s safe to say they were hooked.

Project 365
April 7, 2011, Photo #96
I can’t remember what this sandwich is called, but it’s from Panera. I want to say it was called a Power Sandwich, but don’t hold me to it. Whole grain bread, egg whites, ham, Cheddar, amazingly good.

Project 365
April 8, 2011, Photo #97 and a bonus

Breakfast on Friday. Guilt-free and delish.

Project 365
April 9, 2011, Photo #98
So excuse the fact that I’m headless, go get yourself this shirt. Victoria’s Secret, of course, but the softest and most comfortable thing ever.

Project 365
April 10, 2011, Photo #99
Sunrise. Gorge.

Project 365
April 11, 2011, Photo #100 (yay!)
Inside Out Onion Roll Sandwich. Recipe coming to a computer screen near you.

Project 365
April 12, 2011, Photo #101 (caught up!!)
This book is one of our new favorites. Seems a little strange to think of Weird Al Yankovic as a children’s book author, but it’s a great book. Lots of big words and thoughts to stimulate Nick’s mind, and fabulous illustrations for Madeline (who, surprisingly, totally got the concept of the book; doesn’t hurt that they’re studying professions in school this week, so that worked out to my advantage). The rhyming, although the sentence structure is a bit longer, reminded us a bit of Dr. Seuss, whom we love dearly, so if you have littles that you read to at night, grab this one. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. If you happen to buy it (or anything else at Amazon for that matter) through this link, this single mom gets a teensy percentage of your purchase and is very much appreciative (and any other time you happen to be going shopping at Amazon, if you click on the (rotating) cookbook picture/ad in my sidebar to the right, the O’Malley clan gets a little commission, and we thank you. Public service announcement over). …

Review: Mamoun’s Restaurant, Hoboken, NJ

April 11, 2011 · Narrative, Restaurant Review

Reality has a way of quickly biting you in the arse sometimes, doesn’t it? A quiet but swift reminder that it still very much exists. Last week was Spring Break. For Nick. For me. Not so much Madeline, because her life is like a never-ending Spring Break. We all had a great time. I came back replenished, very clear-headed about a lot of things, and ready to conquer the world. Well, small parts of it that are mine anyway. But I also came home to a house with no power.

Power has since been restored, but unfortunately a messy wrath was left behind. So far, no computer, phones, tv, printer, and, unfortunately, the list is growing, including a fridge that I sadly had to empty.

Luckily I had a few posts that I wrote before I left, so I was able to quickly post this at lunch time today, but unfortunately no new pictures until everything is righted in the O’Malley household. Until then, bear with me.

I love Middle Eastern food. Falafel. Tabbouleh. Hummus. All of it. So when a new Middle Eastern restaurant opened up in Hoboken, I couldn’t wait to try it. Although new to Hoboken, Mamoun’s is not new. They have a location in Greenwich Village in New York City, a falafel restaurant that first opened up its doors in 1971, and the oldest falafel restaurant in New York. They also have a second location in NYC (on St. Mark’s) and another one in New Haven, CT. If you’re lucky enough to be near one of their restaurants, do grab a bite. You won’t be sorry.

Our dinner was take-out, and when we got back, we had an assortment of little foil-wrapped mystery packages to sift through.

It took me forever to decide what to order. It all sounded so good. And truth be told, the prices are so inexpensive, you could order half the menu and still not break the bank. I went with their falafel veggie sandwich combo. It has chopped fresh vegetables, falafel and their special sauce. I had no idea what some of the ingredients were, but it was so good, it didn’t matter.

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Weekend Photos in Review and Spring Break

April 3, 2011 · Narrative

Project 365
April 1, 2011, Photo #90
Nick playing with my new wireless remote. Best thirteen bucks I’ve spent in a long time.

Some of us are apparently too klutzy to leave a pedicure without saran-wrapped feet. My partner in crime left without saran-wrapped feet. Apparently I need protection from myself.

Low-fat black cherry smoothie from Panera. It just might be my new obsession.

*Photo by Nick

This is a new game called “let’s see if we can suffocate the cat before he tries to escape.” No cats were harmed during this game.

I heart this. Aptly titled Double Trouble.

Pistachios. Honey. And a bunch of I don’t know what, but so very good….

Recipe: Pear Custard Bars

March 31, 2011 · Narrative

In the interest of being nice, you’re going to pretend that you’re looking at a nice clean-cut bar so I can hit the sack. This is called I-cut-too-soon-and-didn’t-let-it-cool-sufficiently-in-the-interest-of-getting-a-picture.

I ran into a friend at the grocery store today and she chided me for my web site having “gone healthy.” Kris, this recipe is for you. ;)

I’ve been making Pear Custard Bars sporadically for the past few years. They aren’t a huge “go to” for me personally to eat, but they are usually well-received and liked so I keep it in rotation. One of my co-workers is pregnant and Pear Custard Bars happens to be one of the things she likes. She swore them off awhile back when she was following Weight Watchers, but now, as with most pregnancies, she’s giving in to cravings. So I decided to tempt her.

This time, instead of following the ingredients and recipe for the base of the bars, I used Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough instead. Because I still kept it in an 8×8 baking dish, it did have to bake a little longer than the package calls for. I took mine out after about 20 minutes.

Sugar cookie base. Creamy filling. Sweet, soft pears. Healthy? Not so much. A sweet treat to indulge in once in awhile? Absolutely.

Project 365
March 31, 2011, Photo #90

My parents dog, Beauregard, today, in one of his more ungentlemanly poses.

(photo from yesterday’s Zumba class; Nick is quite the sport. He didn’t really want to go, but I made him because she wanted to go. It will even out when soccer starts in a few weeks.)

The Madeline Files:
Today my mother called Madeline “bawdy,” and it certainly seems to fit some most days. That might have something to do with the fact that the newest phrase she learned (and unfortunately loves) is butt-crack. The joys of having an 8-year-old brother. She is going to be a perfect guy’s girl when she grows up, given some of her habits.

As we were in line at the grocery story today, she asked me if the cashier was a boy or a girl. You know, in a stage whisper of course. As we were leaving, she said “be quiet old man” to the innocent gentleman sitting on the bench by the exit. Girl’s gonna need a muzzle soon. He needn’t have worried. She ended her night calling me an old lady.

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iPad Bargains

March 30, 2011 · Narrative

Last week, we stopped at the store to get a few items on our list. The kids always have a hard time getting past Target’s Dollar Spot. Nick scored a package of eight mechanical pencils and Madeline? Well, she had a whole handful of stuff I made her whittle down, settling on an Elmo notebook.

Later that night, she was looking for her “iPad.” Did I know where it was? Did Nick take it? Where’s the pen that went with it?

I had no idea what she was talking about, and it took a little while to figure out exactly WHAT we were searching for. You know, since I don’t own an iPad. And speaking of which, she certainly doesn’t either.

She meant the Elmo pad. Of course.

I don’t know where she even heard the phrase iPad since no one I know has one. But ever since then, she has called her Elmo notebook an iPad.

love the poses!

Now there’s a bargain I can live with. You can get your very own iPad in the Dollar Spot of your local Target. I have a feeling it’s the best deal around.

Project 365
March 30, 2011, Photo #88
Today I was feeling very off. Not sick, but a headache, lethargic and nauseous. When we got home, I asked Madeline if we could lie down a bit, and she readily agreed. Then she checked my head. And my stomach. Wrote me a prescription on her iPad. Got me a blanket and a drink. And watched tv quietly so I could rest. And then my nurse fell asleep.

Brach’s Jelly Beans: What’s Up?

March 29, 2011 · Narrative

When I texted Sarah that picture yesterday, she said something about me having too much free time on my hands. I swear I don’t. It was, at the time, a mindless activity while I was downloading some photos.

Every time I grab a bag of jelly beans (Brach’s tiny jelly bird eggs only), I look in the little cellophane window to see what colors I see the most of. I know it sounds silly, because I rationalized that the bags probably settle a lot during shipping and I was sure the colors were evenly distributed.

I was wrong.

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