#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

On Budgets and Menu Planning {and Recipe: Parmesan Chicken and Biscuit Pie}

March 22, 2012 · Narrative

Parmesan Biscuit and Chicken Casserole
So it seems that just when you think your mother can’t be right about one more thing, she really can be.  I am terrible when it comes to finances.  Always have been.  My sister was the super-saver.  I was the teen begging for a ride to the mall to spend a crisp $5 bill burning a hole in my pocket.  Although that temptation has long since subsided, I’m always a work in progress.

My mom suggested keeping track of where I spent every dollar (from a Starbucks run to a newspaper to paying an insurance bill) for a month.  I really just did it to reinforce the fact that I knew where I was spending money.

And, of course, I didn’t.  Not completely anyway.  For the entire month of January, I kept careful track in a little notebook I carried everywhere with me.  At the end of the month, I gave her my notes and she plugged the numbers into different categories (food, entertainment, medical, clothes, utilities, etc.).  In a glance I could instantly see how much I was spending and on what.  Some totals (food, for example) downright shocked me.  Others I had a firm handle on (more like the fixed expenses).

I was spending way too much on food.  Even rationalizing that that amount included everything from cleaning supplies and health and beauty aids, right down to cat and dog food … it was still way too much.  Even given the fact that I cook so much (and a lot of it is for freelance work).  Still.way.too.much.

The other thing that glared at me as I looked at the numbers?  If you look down the food column (which also indicates what stores the money was spent at), it showed $15 here, $3 there and oh $2.67.  There were maybe 20-25 entries for the month.  Running into the store every time I need something causes extra time, gas, and energy.  Seeing how many stops I (unknowingly) make during the course of a week (or the month) was another eye-opener for me.  Especially at what gas costs these days.  And as for extra time?  I don’t have much of it, and if I have extra time, I’d much rather spend it doing something fun with the kids, family, or friends.  Not making three trips to the grocery store in one week, you know?

So for February, I started to make little changes.  I planned menus.  For every week.  I shopped twice during the month at Shop Rite (online, see more on that below) and got nearly everything I needed.  But more importantly perhaps, I allowed for flexibility.  I might not have the exact dish on the exact night I schedule it for, but I had a plan and the ingredients, so I was ready.  I also built in nights for leftovers, foraging in the freezer, and using already-purchased pantry items.  To further grab hold of what was going on in my kitchen.

And then I went one step further.

I ordered all our grocery needs online.  There are a bunch of grocery stores that do it (including Stop ‘n Shop, Shop Rite, and Fresh Direct).  As an aside, I’m totally jealous of those of you who have Fresh Direct.  It’s gotten closer to us as a delivery zone (my mom loves it and uses it, as does my sister), but so far, they don’t deliver to our town.  Each place has pros and cons.  I use Shop Rite because I think their sales are better.  Every other Friday, I placed my order to cover what I would need for the next two weeks.  Then I supplemented it by one weekly stop at the store to stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables because a) that stuff isn’t going to last two weeks and b) some of it I want to see and feel.  And then one trip every two weeks to Costco.  Because some of their items are cheaper.

So instead of making 3-4 trips a week, I was now down to six trips a month.  All told.

I honestly couldn’t wait for the end of the month (February) to see the effect this planning had on our food totals.  Ready?…

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Roast Pork Torta

September 9, 2010 · Narrative

Roasted Pork Torta

With the kids back in school this week, I worried momentarily about our new evening routine.  They usually come to the gym with me a few days a week, but with homework, earlier bedtimes and alarm clocks buzzing way earlier than they should, I wanted to make an attempt to be organized from the get-go.  This week, it meant a menu plan.

Truth be told, I’m usually good for only a few weeks with a menu plan before my good intentions quickly go by the wayside, as you may very well recall, so it remains to be seen how long it will really last.  For now, though, having a plan for dinner every night makes it a bit easier to keep us (and my work-outs) on track.

I have a stack of new-to-try recipes that either fit the “clean eating” guidelines or can be easily tweaked to fit, so when I threw together this week’s menu plan over the weekend, I leafed through those first.  It seems like I got a bit lucky that the pile had the roast pork from yesterday, and a recipe for Pork Tortas as well.  Could I really be so organized as to use pork from yesterday’s dinner to create an entirely new meal tonight?  Most of the time, no.  But this time?  You bet.

This Pork Torta recipe comes to us from the good folks at Cooking Light magazine.  Although their recipe specifically calls for using pork chops, I knew roast pork leftover from last night’s dinner would be perfect, and make tonight a breeze.  And it was, and it did.  Because the pork was already cooked and ready to go, pulling this together was simply a matter of slicing up a few vegetables, toasting the bread and layering it all together.  One bite and I was hooked.  Between the butteriness of the avocado, the juiciness of the tomato (and WHY is it so hard to find ripe tomatoes in New Jersey in the summer, for pete’s sake?!) and the sharp bite of the onion … oh my, so.very.good.

If you make the pork from last night (and you really should), this is a great way to serve up the leftovers in disguised this-isn’t-really-last-night’s-dinner way.  Full-on flavor for five minutes of time?  Don’t need to ask me twice….

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Straight from the Cookie Jar: Extra-Special Chocolate Chip Cookies

January 11, 2010 · Narrative

Cookies in Jar

It seems like the quest to find the elusive “perfect” Chocolate Chip cookie is much like my ongoing quest to find the best macaroni and cheese.  So many recipes, so little time.  Since I don’t have a terrible sweet tooth, I don’t try a million chocolate chip cookies to find “the” one, but every now and then one intrigues me enough to hit our oven.  Such is the case with these Extra-Special Chocolate Chip Cookies.  What’s so special about them?  The potato chips.

The recipe comes from Woman’s World magazine, and I promise you won’t readily pick out the fact that there are potato chips in the cookies.  You do notice a slight crunch here and there, and the tiniest taste of salt, but just enough to force your hand back in the cookie jar again and again.  Trust me.  And hey, it’s the perfect way to finish up some dregs of potato chips that are lurking in the pantry.

I noticed this recipe made larger sized cookies, a little too big for the kids to grab for a snack, so when I was making the recipe, I made some larger and some smaller, perfect for little hands.  Don’t do that.  When the cookies were cooled, I tried one of the small ones and was very “eh” about it.  Then I went back later and had a larger one.  Nothing “eh” about it.  So good, and soft, and crispy, and, well, extra-special, just like the recipe says.  Even better when warm from the oven.  I get roughly 16 cookies when I make this recipe, and we made it twice last week.  I’d say it’s a keeper.  No doubt.

Extra Special Chocolate Chip Cookies

When it came to last week’s menu plan, I was pretty proud of myself.  I only missed one recipe, the omelet.  I did need to rearrange the days a bit because things came up, but since I shopped on the weekend for the groceries, it was easy to be flexible since I had everything on hand already.  I did have to nix the meal for Saturday since we ended up having company over (a friend I haven’t seen in 23 years – how cool is that?!), but that’s still like an 80% success rate, so I’m pretty happy with that.

This week’s a little screwy with Madeline being sick and us being housebound.  I made a plan over the weekend, but haven’t made it to the grocery store yet.  Hopefully I can go tomorrow and stick with the plan.  If not, then I plan to work on the freezer and make a dent in it.  I don’t know how it gets so full so fast!

Monday: Dinner out

Tuesday: Raid the Fridge and Pomegranate Martinis (new WW recipe)

Wednesday: Company over: Artichoke Bread (new TOH recipe), Roasted Cauliflower (new WW recipe), Meatloaf (new Martha recipe), Toffee Topped Fudge Brownie Tarts (new Ultimate Cookies recipe)

Thursday: Lunch – Mushroom and Swiss Panini (new WW recipe), Cranberry Shortbread Bars (new TOH recipe), Raid the Fridge for Dinner

Friday: Marilyn’s Mac and Cheese (new Country Living recipe), Sherry Bleu Cheese Spread (new GH recipe)

And lastly, today’s daily photo.

Project 365
January 11, 2010, Photo #11

Too Much Time on My Hands

One would think I have OCD or a little too much free time on my hands.  It could be both.  Some days neither.  Free time?  Seriously?  This is what happens when HP keeps you on the phone for a ridiculous amount of time but is still unable to fix your printer.  Moreover, they make it worse.  Hey, at least the pens in the pen cup, one of four on my desk, are now color-coordinated.  I love this pen cup.  I originally used them as “goody bags” for Madeline’s first birthday last year, a find for $1 at Wal-Mart.  Good recycling, I’d say. …

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Menu Planning Monday, January 3rd-9th

January 3, 2010 · Menu Planning

New Curtains

For the first time since I started Weekend Photos in Review, I’ve got nothing for you.  I know, terrible.  I was a lazy bum all weekend.  Well, if you consider putting away all the Christmas decorations, tracking down and hanging curtains, doing six loads of laundry, errands and shoveling out my office being lazy.  The weather has been crazy windy, so bad that it’s completely unmotivating to leave the house.  Staying in does wonders for increased productivity, that’s for sure.

So since I have no good pictures to speak of, will you settle for my first menu plan for the New Year?  In my long list of things to do this weekend, planning the menu was one of them.  Here’s what the week looks like:

Sunday: Company for dinner, Smoked Salmon Cream Pasta, Crab Rangoons (still just as good as the last time I made them) and Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels (new recipe)

Monday: Veggie and Cream Cheese Omelet (breakfast, new recipe), Two Step Macaroni and Cheese (new recipe), fresh fruit, steamed vegetables

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Homemade pizzas for the kids, dinner out for me

Thursday: Gorgonzola Burgers with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce (new recipe), roasted potatoes

Friday: Out with a friend

Saturday: Spaghetti Marinara with Roasted Sausages

…

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#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛

Pinterest

#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨

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