BEETS, BRISKET, BUTTERNUT SQUASH & A Special Pelican Named Peri

Okay, the winter is winding down and it is time to take off those winter pounds and the best…BEST way to do it is going back and getting strict on my WHOLE 30…which as you will see below is really not a hardship. The hard part is the portion control and if I can be on a diet and like the food enough to worry about portion control that is a good thing…

Enjoy the food recipes….

I came across a recipe for Creamed Swiss Chard, which as a fan of Creamed Spinach, I had to try.

I took out the flour and the bread ingredients, because I am trying to be gluten-free.

Creamed Swiss Chard with Gorgonzola and Walnuts

In this bulked-up version of the classic side dish, chard replaces spinach, and Gorgonzola adds depth and a creamier texture.

serves 6-8

Ingredients

3 bunches Swiss chard, trimmed, leaves halved lengthwise, and cut into 2″ pieces

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 (8-oz.) piece Gorgonzola cheese, rind removed

1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

¹⁄₂ cup roughly chopped walnuts

Instructions

Cook chard in salted boiling water until wilted, 1–2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chard to a bowl of ice water until cold; drain and squeeze completely dry; set aside.

Heat oven to 400°. Grease a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with butter; set aside. Heat 6 tbsp. butter in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high; cook garlic and onion until golden, 6–8 minutes. Stir in flour; cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and cream; cook until sauce is thickened, 4–6 minutes. Remove from heat; crumble half the Gorgonzola into pan. Stir in reserved chard, the nutmeg, salt, and pepper; pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Toss remaining butter, and walnuts in a bowl; sprinkle mixture over chard. Crumble remaining Gorgonzola over top; bake until chard mixture is bubbly about 30 minutes.

OMG!!! It was delicious! I made it again when I finished off this serving below.

Then I went into my Greek cravings and thought I would try to make Tzatziki. I use the FAGE yogurt because it is low in sugar and carbs, which is what I am striving for in my diet.

 

I have no idea where I came up with this one, but I thought it may be good! It was good and HEALTHY!!

ROASTED BEETS, SUNFLOWER SEEDS & FETA

INGREDIENTS

1 bushel of beets

1 T. olive oil

Handful of sunflower seeds

Handful of feta cheese

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

I rinsed and sliced the beets and placed them on a cookie sheet that had been drizzled with olive oil. I placed them in the oven @ 400 degrees for 12 minutes, each side.

I let them cool and then cut them in 4 parts and tossed in a bowl. Added the remaining ingredients. I really like how healthy and light the dish tasted.

 

ROOTBEER BRISKET

INGREDIENTS

 

• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup kosher salt, plus more
• 1 8–10-lb. untrimmed flat-cut brisket
• 1 onions, sliced
• 1 12 ounce can beer –instead of beer, I used 1 bottle of Root beer

 

DIRECTIONS

• Put brisket in the crockpot and add ALL the ingredients. Cook on low for 8 hours and check to see if meat falls apart when you put a fork in it. If not, cook till it reaches your desired consistency.
• Let brisket cool slightly. Remove and shred or slice. EAT!
• Do ahead: Brisket can be braised 1 day ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.

 

I then decided to try something that looked like a meal I would get in New York.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, SAUTEED CABBAGE & BRISKET

INGREDIENTS

1 butternut squash

1 head of cabbage

2 T. olive oil

2 T. butter

Salt and pepper to taste

brisket as prepared above.

 

DIRECTIONS

I cut the squash in half and spread butter and salt on it and roasted it in oven @ 375 for 30-35 minutes.

I steamed the cabbage, cut it into chunks, cooked with butter and salt.

Then I layered it.

Squash first, cabbage second and brisket on top!

While I was doing this…my sidekick was relaxing in the hammock!

A friend’s friend, Lisa, discovered that great spice shop down in St. Pete called Savory Spice.

Savory Spice Shop

The great thing about this particular spice shop is you could buy a small packet of a spice to test it and see if you liked it without spending a lot of money on it. My mom always talks about one of her favorite Indian dishes being Rogan Josh. I bought a small packet to try. I cut up a chicken breast and cooked it in coconut oil in my wok. I took it out and then I added a little more oil, and some diced onions and a garlic clove and then when they were translucent and aromatic, I tossed in a heaping tablespoon of the Rogan Josh stirred it all up and then threw the chicken back in and tossed it all together.

I really liked it! Now, if you don’t have Rogan Josh at home. You can find the ingredients to Rogan Josh and combine them together to create your own mixture, but this was easier.

I had a bunch of oranges and they did not have a very long shelf life. I decided to make orange shakes. Sometimes I blended them with tonic water. Other times a few heaping tablespoons of yogurt. Either way, it makes a healthy late afternoon sweet, healthy treat!

 

On the professional side of life, my mother re-worked the illustrations for Peri’s Sanibel Island Adventure.

Here is a new picture of Alexander the Alligator.

And here is the new cover art (front and back) to the book with the revised art titled:

Peri’s Sanibel Island Adventure

Here is a link to buy the book from Amazon!

BUY Peri’s Sanibel Island Adventure

Also…Peri has his own website and invites you and your children to explore the world with him…check it out:

Peri the Pelican

I know I am biased since I created the website but I love the soothing waters when you open it and I love the waves washing up on the HOME page. Hope you enjoy it!!!

Until we meet again…

Enjoy! Eat, travel, laugh…often….

Food, Parks and Great Services

The scale moved! It was only a pound, but I will take it, because it just pushed me over to the other side of my weight loss hill. Let us all now break out into a rendition of hallelujah.

This paragraph above just wants to be in bold and big print. I have no idea why. All I can tell you is I can’t stop or change it. So odd.

I had to shock the system and give my metabolism a kick in the pants. I couldn’t think of a better way to do it than a big bowl of yummy Pad Thai from Thai Express. The irony is that I didn’t even get halfway through it before I became satisfied and full. Amazing what a good diet can do to one.

The remaining portion is in the freezer for the next time I need to shock the system or satisfy a Pad Thai craving.

Summer Fair came to Cincinnati for their annual art and craft fair and people can be so talented.

               

After the fair, we went to Green Dog Café in Columbia Tusculum, which is a forgotten (to me) gem. We had delicious salads.

We both ordered:

Harvest Salad

Organic greens, local jonathan apples, dried apricots, sunflower seeds & walnut vinaigrette

The following day I had a meeting with a well-respected engineer and architect that has quite the resume. He wanted to talk sustainability issues for the building. As a board member, it was my duty to listen to his proposals. However, this is the funny part. He started the meeting with the fact that if he had his druthers he would have placed our 18-story building in a different direction according to sunlight and he would have made them two story units as opposed to single ranch style units. Okay, how am I supposed to change that fact at this point in the game? He is very shrewd but I did find it humorous the suggestions of structure to a 50 year old, 18-story brick building.

 

 

A dear friend of mine has been kind enough to share his wives Cook’s and BON APPETIT magazines with me. I can’t get enough of those food mags. My favorite to which I prescribe to thanks to an annual Christmas gift from my mom is SAVEUR. The problem with these magazines is that you can’t read them hungry. At night if I curl up in bed with one, I either need to have a spoonful of peanut butter before I read or during reading.

 

I noticed that Bon Appetit is having a BA Super Foodies group, which for foodies sounds intriguing.

 

The other noteworthy and intriguing I found is Edible Destinations. I would LOVE a trip based on food of that region. OMG! I love this idea. Couldn’t do it now on my diet or my bank account but definitely something to aspire to in the future. But if you can…

 

 

I told you I had this wonderful recipe at my friend Mary Lou’s and I would ask her to share it with me so I could share it with you. She wanted me to make sure that you all knew it is not her genius but rather she found it in another food blog. Regardless, it is yummy. Enjoy!!!

 

 

Speaking of other blogs, a blog I follow called Eat Cincy, she and her daughter go do cool adventures and eat in new places, but they discovered this at Findlay Market and I love the concept behind it. Have I piqued your curiosity? It is called Good Eggs. Check it out.

 

Another nice idea is the Cookies and Cream Service, where you can call up and have cookies delivered to a friend, client, and/or a family member on the spot. Love this idea!

 

 

I started to save my coffee tins so I could make these one of a kind birdhouses but it was taking way too much paint and I did not have the place or space to hang them, but maybe you do. It is such a clever and economical way to feed the birds.

 

 

I have been on this smoothie mission and after many variations I think I have found two Erin Holzman variations that I like best!

Erin’s Smoothie options.

Fruit (frozen or fresh)

1/3 c. Coconut milk

1/3 c. Coconut flakes ( I like the sweetened since I don’t use sugar.)

Dates (I use 2 per person)

Shake of Cinnamon

Shake of Ginger

(Option of a shake of Nutmeg)

Capful of Vanilla flavoring

5-8 raisins

(Milk optional- if so roughly 1/3 c.)

A Kale leaf

1/4 c. of yogurt

1t. peanut butter

(Optional: Pinch of lemon zest)

Blend.

Some days I add all the ingredients and other days I don’t! The other thing I made and have used in some smoothies is I made ice cream WITHOUT sugar!!! I took the milk and the cream and the eggs and I made ice cream. One batch I tossed in dates and figs to sweeten it and another batch I used almost brown bananas to sweeten it. I will take a 1/2 c. of that ice cream mixture and add it to thicken a smoothie.

 

I love this dog but do I have to worry about her tendency to kill not just lightly chew but destroy her toys?

A common practice in Paris and a lot of other European cities is to cook the fish with the bones in it. Most Americans shy away from this practice. It is a shame and I am guilty of it as well, but bones give flavor. That is why the rotisserie chicken is better cooked with the bones instead of preparing a boneless chicken breast.

Every now and then, I do cook the fish with the bones. One day I was at this amazing market in Cincinnati called Jungle Jim’s and found a piece of red snapper. Here it is before the cooking preparation.

And after….

All I added was a teriyaki sauce and cooked it not even 20 minutes. I love that flavor it is reminiscent of the Thai fish I used to love to order down in Chinatown.

Have the fish shop do all the prep on the fish so all you have to do is stuff it and peel out the spine and little bones. I guarantee you will love the fish!

In the winter months, when I am wanting a snack. My go to snack has always been an apple with peanut butter.

My summer go to snack is going to be tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil from my garden drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper and downright delicious.

 

 

My go to food when I am too lazy to defrost something from the freezer is omelets. I made a delicious omelet with avocado cream and bacon.

 

 

Here is the recipe for the avocado cream. I gave it last week but used it in this omelet and really loved it.

 

AVOCADO CREAM

2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled

2 T. (HEAPING) ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ t. lemon zest

Kosher salt

 

My basil plants are not big enough for me to do my caprese salads and make a lot of pesto, but I found a recipe for mint pesto that I thought I would try, because mint grows like crazy. You make it like pesto but with mint instead of basil. I tried it on the tomatoes and it was ordinary at best. Then I tried it on strawberries and watermelon and it was yummy!

 

 

Here is a sneak peek at the latest Peri developed with his trademark attributes all ready to go become a stuffed animal.

 

 

 

He is a creation thanks to my brilliant and UBER talented artistic mother who some how did not give me any of those artistic genes. I wish I can draw. Glad, thrilled I can write but I wish I could draw too! Thanks Mom. I love the pelican!!!! And you too!!!!

 

A friend called me and told me it was National Donut Day. I decided that I should break the diet to support this holiday cheer.

Apparently, a lot of people felt this way because the line for the donuts was a bit long.

 

       

 

The donut was yummy! Cheese danish in a cheese crown shape…can’t explain but I really like it.

 

Then my friend “L” and I walked around Over-The-Rhine (OTR) and through Washington Park and then down by the river. I am so impressed and proud of the beautiful work they have done in my city.

 

Until we meet again…

Enjoy! Eat, travel, laugh…often….

The Things One Can Do with Cauliflower….OH MY!

I am working on a project for kids and cancer. A lovely woman over at Children’s Hospital arranged with childhood survivor’s of cancer to speak with me about their experiences. It was deeply moving to talk to these courageous people, who fought so hard under such difficult measures to beat this nasty disease. They were ALL so energetic, bright, mature, full of life and hope and they all spoke of the silver linings that they got out of such a horrific disease. It really makes one pause and take notice of what is truly important in the world.

Those conversations are so diametrically different from my experience at Car X for an oil change. I found a coupon for $17.99 + I was to bring in canned goods for the homeless. My printer was not working so I couldn’t print it. I called to see how long it would take and they told me no more than 30 minutes. When I arrived and handed them the keys they told me to come back in an hour or MORE! I told them about the coupon and the printer. They told me they could not pull it up for me. Really? In 2015, you don’t have the Internet and access to it? Really?

I went for a walk and came back an hour later and they still were not ready. The mechanics found a WHOLE host of things wrong with my car that could be fixed for high prices. One of which is a procedure that my mechanical friends had NEVER EVER heard of. Flushing the brake fluid for $80. So, I pushed them on the coupon and suddenly they have Internet but can only find the $19.99 coupon. BUT they ask me why would I want that when the oil change is $34.99 and they already gave me $10 off that! I said I want the $19.99 coupon if you won’t honor the $17.99 coupon. Fine he said and …wait for it…with tax that is $24.99. You know…I may be mathematically challenged but I know NOT even 6% tax doesn’t equal up to 24.99 from 19.99. More like $21 and change and I know it may seem silly but I felt SO taken advantage of and don’t go there. And the next day, I get in the car and they didn’t reset the oil light. Bastards.

So, here is the juxtaposition of two polar opposites. These saintly kids that are amazing and have gone to hell and back and turned out remarkable versus these piece of crap car people who will screw you over for a dime. I understand the one but not the other.

Karma, people. Karma.

I went to see my doctor and she practically bounced in the room with excitement seeing that I had lost 15 lbs. She was more excited than me. Probably not a good sign. Again, I do not think I was that big! Jeepers! All pictures to the contrary.

However, you will love this…like doom and gloom and a Stephen King horror film she said to me. “You know you can never go back. EVER!!!!”

Let me clarify the context here. I can never go back to bread and sugar. The way she said it made it sound like I could never go back in time! As if I hopped into Marty’s time machine car in the film BACK TO THE FUTURE and I am now stuck in 2015 and there is no going back.

By the way, I lost another pound! I am now 16 lbs. down and 19 to go. I am literally three pounds from the halfway mark! SO EXCITED!

Confession. I have slowly integrated sugar…not a lot…back into my life and let me tell you. A little does NOT go a long way! A little makes me want more…so some days I have peanut butter (has sugar) and some days I don’t. Some days I eat the honey Greek God’s yogurt that I love and other days I need to stay away. Sugar is like a drug. It is insane!

Last time I blogged I was looking at my sodium intake, which seems to be okay now that I am eating fresh everything. So, I decided to look at my fiber intake. We as women should eat 25 grams of fiber a day. Do you have any idea how hard it is to do that and stay within a calorie restriction? I tend to hit 13-15 grams daily. I eat an apple for breakfast, 2 clementine oranges for an afternoon snack. Veggies with lunch and dinner and grapes for desert and I am still 10 grams below where I need to be? That is a lot of fiber!

Sadly, I went to a funeral. At the funeral, I saw my absolute favorite of all-time babysitter’s parents. They told me there daughter was coming to town and I must come see her and be her surprise. At 8pm on a Monday evening they called me to come over. They were there, she was there and her little brother that I in turn babysat and he was cute as a kid, little more than cute as an adult but I tried to pretend to not notice that since after all I babysat him.

So, this babysitter I am convinced played a crucial role in my wanderlust. My sense of adventure. She said she just brought it out in me, but I think I learned from her. She stayed with me when my mom went out of town. So, one day she is dropping me off at school and says she will pick me up after school when she is finished skydiving.

I said I want to go skydiving with you! She said call your mom and if she says yes, you can go! I waved goodbye and told her I would see her after school. There was no way my mom was going to let her kid jump out of a plane. I knew it.

Another time, she met some hot Spaniard who invited her to the Bahamas for two days. So, she took me to her parents’ home. I didn’t even know these people. Never, ever had laid eyes on them and she left me with them for 2.5 days. “Bye Erin, see you in a few days! You will be fine!”

Thankfully, her older brother took me under his wing and was great! (her parents’ fabulous human beings) Also great was the fact that the football team was coming over for dinner. Me and a football team. Always a silver lining.

So, here is Kathy my favorite babysitter and now the mother of 5 kids of her own. And still so cool. And those parents’ she ditched me with….love them. Great, great people. Think about how your kids would deal with being dumped at a stranger’s house for 2 days.

My cousins were all back in town after venturing to Florida and Arizona and we met at a place in Madeira called La Petite Pierre. This adorable little French bistro that I have never noticed before that day with some yummy food. My cousin Pam and her mom, Aunt Connie had pizzas that smelled and looked great and I had a salad Lyonnaise with bacon, shallots, Lardons, sherry vinaigrette, poached egg and a Parmesan tuile on top. Highly recommend it for food and ambiance.

I had a ball at the Cincinnati Zoo with my friend Mindy and her kids: Wagner, Ruby and Brady. They are home schooled and so they were learning things that I knew and forgot or just simply never knew. I love animals.

I love Mindy and Ed’s kids. They are such great kids! They are such great parents!

What do you do on a Saturday night with nothing to do? You get two friends together and you teach them how to play RumiQ. The one I had taught the week before…and it was a lot of fun!

My sweet pool friend Mary Lou and I went to the College Hill Coffee House for breakfast. I ordered a yummy omelet with onion, spinach, cheddar cheese and ham and an iced coffee. Mary Lou and I are pool-walking buddies. We walk laps in the pool and chat so it was a treat to see her off-season.

Every year, the staff in my building hosts a St. Patty’s Day party for the building owners. One must wear green, which I had forgotten to do the night before for another St. Patty’s Day party. The night before party was with friends and the friend hosting is an amazing cook!!! She made the most wonderful corned beef. I love corned beef. Well, the party the employees did was a carb fest. Donuts and bagels. The only thing I could eat on the table was a spoonful of cream cheese. All in all, it was a fun party.

I am not eating the donuts and the bagels and yet I am ONLY losing one pound every 2 weeks. I know it is that damn sugar. I know if I go strict again it will continue off faster but I don’t want to be that strict. Next life I am coming back with an incredible metabolism!

Onto the food and cooking….

I made a pork chop with sautéed spinach, onion and garlic on top and drizzled béarnaise and crumbled bacon on top of that! Every bite was yummy!

I saw somewhere where someone took yogurt and plopped it onto a cookie sheet a teaspoon size of yogurt and you freeze it. Once frozen but it in a container that can reside in your freezer and when you need a pop of yogurt or something sweet you can eat it like candy. It looks like white chocolate silver dollars. It doesn’t taste like that but it tastes like frozen yogurt.

I made this amazing cauliflower bread. Yes, bread made out of cauliflower.

CAULIFLOWER BREAD RECIPE

Put florets in Cuisinart. Blend well, but don’t puree.

Heat in microwave for 8 minutes.

Stir in an egg and mozzarella cheese. This will bind it all together.

Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. (DO NOT use aluminum foil it sticks to foil. Hard to get off of it.)

Spread olive oil and flatten the cauliflower dough onto it.

Heat oven to 400 and bake 16 minutes or until it turns a little brown on top. Directions say 16 minutes. This took me 30-35 minutes…..to get it to look like it does below….

Let sit for at least 10 minutes. This is a crucial step. If it doesn’t sit. It will fall apart when you cut it.

The girl who has not had bread since DECEMBER….took a couple slices of the cauliflower bread and spread pepperoni and mozzarella on it and placed it under the broiler and made pizza. I put roasted leeks on another square and melted mozzarella on it. That night for dinner, I made grilled cheese sandwiches with it and the next morning I smeared butter on it and pretended it was toast. No, I have not missed bread at all.

One night I turned it into a dessert. I rubbed mascarpone cheese on it with dates that I had pureed. It was yummy.

Apparently craving pizza. I made an omelet and put tomato sauce, sliced yellow onion, oregano, basil and melted mozzarella on top. It made me happy!

There really are ways to get around my lifestyle change in food especially since I can’t go back. (Insert scary laugh her while tossing your head back!)

Before I leave you…here is a sneak peek of where Peri is heading next…we are in the process of creating Peri’s very own blog….

 

Until we meet again…

Enjoy! Eat, travel, laugh…often….

Einsteins to Katzingers and UC to OSU & Lots to Eat In-between

Life is funny! Sometimes. Other times…not so much!! I have heard people say what is your 5-year plan? Your 10- year plan? You can’t plan life. Life happens! I find it so comical when someone asks me that question. I have no idea where I will be and what I will be doing and neither do you! I heard a great quote years ago and for your non-religious but spiritual friend here it is…

“MAN PLANS AND GOD LAUGHS!”

It is so true. Don’t plan your life. Enjoy your life!

Something really, REALLY sad happened and it makes the above so true! And it goes to show how life can change on a dime. In a New York minute! Grab your happiness when you can. Where you can! Life is short! Appreciate everything!

The couple that bought my grandmother’s home in Wyoming. Caveat here. The nicest, most down to earth, salt of the earth people; lost their 23-year old son, and it shook me to my core. He was driving down a street behind an 18-wheeler and the car BEHIND him…the car he had NO CONTROL OVER hit him from behind with such FORCE that it shoved his car under the truck and killed him. I did learn that it wasn’t instantaneous, which I find a blessing and a curse at the same time. Blessing that the family gets to say their goodbyes and I DO believe people in comas can hear those words, right or wrong, I believe it, and you aren’t changing me on it. Curse because I just hope he was not lying there in pain, maybe it would have been easier to just go to those puffy clouds in the sky.

His organs went to save the life of others. I love that! Even in death, Charlie did something heroic to help others. He was a good kid. A sweet, kid. A real tragedy. Happens all the time, but when it hits so close to home and affects people you really care for, it hurts like the dickens! My heart goes out to the family.

I have spent my LIFE listening to my dad tell me it is unnatural for a child to predecease the parents and that there is nothing worse. He does not know this from personal experience. I am an only child. BUT…because he told me that countless times spanning several years, when I was diagnosed with cancer 4 years ago, he was the one I feared telling the most. He handled it the best, but the thought of the chance that I could die before my parents and what it would do to them was excruciating to me. In a lot of ways, I was more worried about their fears than mine. And then to see these parents so torn…it just makes me think and put things in perspective. It forces you to take the time and say what is important, so my blog readers…I implore you to do the same. Life is short. Enjoy! Be happy. Tell the ones you love, how much you love them, how important they are because life can change on a dime and in a New York minute, and because I am a humorous soul at MY core…you know what I am going to say next…GO EAT SOMETHING YUMMY!!!! You deserve it!

On with the food and the blog…the heavy part is over reflect on these important words while you eat that chocolate brownie or drink that Fleur de Bee.

Onto the enjoyments of life…and reading the crazy tales of my life.

I came back from my trip to New York and I did very mundane things like bathe the stinky dog that smelled like a New York sewer and as much as I love the scents of New York there are some I CAN live without! Dulce and I went to Clifton and did our lovely long walk and she had to sniff out all the messages from all the previous dogs that she had missed spanning several days.

We ran into my friend Beth and her boyfriend David, which it was so nice to meet him after hearing about him for so long! They invited us back to their home for brunch.

We finished our walk and I went over there. I don’t know if it was the spontaneity of it, or the fact that their home was so reminiscent of a Cambridge home, or the food was so like the food of the Cambridge brunches I used to attend, but being in their home, with those foods, in that setting took me back to Sunday brunches in Cambridge, Massachusetts at my friend Philip Greenspun’s home and at my friend Sebastian Fixson’s home. Both MIT grads, both hosted fabulous Sunday brunches with MIT nerds and I say that with great affection!!! The guests were brilliant and came from across the globe and the food was intriguing, unusual, delicious, and worldly. The company of all these friends and their conversations were exhilarating. I actually did more listening than speaking at those brunches. I wanted to soak it all up!

Here I was at Beth’s and she was serving figs (which I couldn’t find in Cincy), fresh raspberries and a bowl full of grapes. Dolmades, stuffed grape leaves, which I adore! Then David made an omelet of sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and olives, which I replicated for the next three days because I enjoyed it and craved it so much!

It was a wonderful surprise and it was such a lovely day and such a great way to ease myself back from New York. I spent the day with a New Yorker and her beau!

That evening a small group of friends were being treated to a dinner at the Public Incline in Price Hill next to the Queen’s Tower (and Primavista) with an equally cool view of Cincinnati, and somehow, I was fortunate to make the list!

Here are the views and the fried pickles…they were yummy!

My friend Stacey and I went to try Fusian in Kenwood. I had tasted their food at my friend Josh’s daughter’s graduation party. The guy behind the counter remembered me AND my order. It was so cool and eerie at the same time, but even more impressive. We had a great lunch!

I think what I REALLY loved were their teas and I am not a tea person! They were delicious! And I loved being able to eat gluten free sushi!

That evening Shirley, Vivian and I sat on Shirley aka Trouble’s balcony and tried to solve the problems of the world while Shirley brushed all the knots out of my sister Dulce’s hair. I asked Shirley the secret of the dog NOT crying when she brushed her. She said her hair had a lot of knots so she was gentle because she sympathized!

9.11.

After all these years, I feel like every year I handle that day better and in the last few years I feel unaffected, but then I stay away from the news on 9.11. I don’t need to relive it again and again. I saw something on the internet about 9.11 and OH SO STUPIDLY clicked on it and it was the police officer or fireman ringing the bell in memory of those lost that day and it catapulted me back in time and how I felt that day. I wept! Uncontrollably. It hit me like a ton of bricks! And then I heard God Bless America and cried all over again. That is a wound that scabs over, but never fully heals.

Joan and Charlie invited me to brunch with their friend Amber. Amber and Joan met MANY years ago when they both were on a vacation to Italy and they were the only two in the group that had a true sense of adventure so they became the duo explorers and became fast friends and have remained friends for a long time.

Amber is a NYer! And she and I got to talk about food and chefs and she was impressive!! We sure had a great time discussing food! It was so much fun and so now I have made a new friend too!

After doggy sitting my sister Dulce for 10 consecutive days with a short break when Trouble took her, it seemed that the monetary value of LeVain’s chocolate brioche and hockey puck dark chocolate cookies was a priceless exchange, but I still felt like it was not enough for two people to be awakened DAILY by a dog that is a morning dog. 6:30 am. SO RIDICULOUS! You do not work, Dulce. No reason to be awake at the crack of f—ing dawn! Sleep late, pooch. Well, I invited Jo and Dave the doggy lifesavers over for brunch! Of course, she thought they were coming to see her. SHE IS SO SPOILED!!!!

Every other Monday, if I can, I go sit with my friend Mare who is going through chemo for colon cancer. She is such a trooper. I have a hard time going from my car to her seat in the room. Passing all those people with tubes everywhere…is hard, but once I get to Mare’s seat I am fine! And it means the world to her! And we have fun chatting up a storm!

I had a meeting at Children’s Hospital about a book I have written. Will keep you posted as it progresses!

Ruth Harriet comes to town, which means two things….BUSY and how much can any one human being eat?

My mom arrived and we first went and ate lunch down @ The Banks @ a place called Jefferson Social.

We were able to sit outside and eat with Dulce in tow. We shared a con queso dip with chips. We chatted with a man who lived around the block and came to work there with his dog in tow.

Then we went home to my place and relaxed and then we ventured out to a place called Littlefield. It is a bourbon bar down in Northside that has great small plates. We aren’t bourbon people, but we are foodies.

We shared lamb meatballs with jalapeno fig jam

and then a BLP, which is bacon lettuce and peaches. They had a HUGE bourbon list and we passed on that and they had a really interesting drink list, which we decided to come back and try another day! They had this purple drink with an edible hibiscus flower in it. For dessert, we shared an upside down banana cake.

Friday evening we were invited to my friends Joan and Charlie’s place for cocktails and nibbles. The array of Asian food nibbles was quite interesting. We made plans to come back for Joan’s Venetian surprise for my mom.

Saturday, we packed it in tightly. We started at SIDEWINDERS for Mexican lattes and then progressed to City Flea to walk the booths of the local artists selling their wares.

We dropped off Dulce and then went down to WCET for their Kid’s Club event.

They had all these life-sized animals from a variety of shows walking among the kids. I volunteer @ CET and my mom used to in the 70s, so I asked if I could bring her back! They said yes, and so glad we did, because we were assigned to the face-painting table and she is an artist (aka my children’s book illustrator) and I AM NOT!!!! So, when kids asked to be a Bengal tiger, or get a butterfly painted on their hand…she could do it. I COULD NOT!!! They had little cutout designs for ME to place on faces and color in the lines.

Here is some of her work…

 

Then we went to UC Homecoming down on The Banks of the Ohio River. It was cool to go to it, and my mom a UC graduate loved it, but the floats were kinda lame. Apparently, because they had to drive the floats from Clifton to downtown and that is hard on a float, they don’t do a lot to them. People said when it is near the school the floats were MUCH different!

My mom got her pic taken with the Cincy Bengal tiger! She was so excited!!!

After the parade we went to Clifton and stopped at DRUNKEN BENTO to buy sushi to go. We were going to go to THAI EXPRESS and get pad Thai To me, the best Thai in Cincy but it was closed for a leak.

So, we went to another nearby place for a Bubble tea and we got SO much more than “Just” tea.

 

There was “something” in the tea! I have no idea what, but something in there that made me delusional and my mom overly tired.

We slept it off!

We woke up and ate sushi and were happy and happy to be home!

The next morning we woke up and did our traditional thing! One does NOT, cannot, WILL not go to Burlington Flea Market without a SIDEWINDERS Mexican Latte in hand. It is sacrilegious to not have one!

So, we went to Burlington coffees in hand and wandered around looking for things to inspire creativity.

I found the perfect ring to hold my magic sand. If you want to know more…you will have to read the book when it comes out!

Then we came back to the condo for the last day at the pool! I love our pool and I love my pool friends!

Then I took my mom to THE COMET to listen to bluegrass music and share a burrito with me. I think she really loved it!!! The music. Not the burrito. It was her first EVER burrito. She is more an tamale gal!

The next day we took a long walk along The Ohio River so she could see all the wonderful things they have done along the river. They have done such a nice job.

My favorite is the metal swings looking out to the river. Dulce and Mom liked that too!

Then my friends Tom and Linda came over to meet my mom and visit and chat. They had a wonderful time. I knew they would get along well and easily.

That evening we went to Django for dinner. I had the Cowboy Stew, which I really like with Southwest chicken and pork and served with jalapeno bacon cornbread.

My mom was REALLY digging the fresh combinations of spinach, tomato, onion, guacamole, verda crema on a rice cake with bacon. A real gem!

The following morning we went to meet our cousins for breakfast at THE SLEEPY BEE and my mom and I shared the Avi omelet and the horrible sounding (to me) pancakes that ROCK, because the butter and the maple syrup and the fact that they taste good AND ARE HEALTHY is such an awesome merger!

Here we are with our family. AND this is real, true, blood family. Both of my folks are adopted but my mom found her birth family. They are so cool! I love them!!!

After brunch, we went to get my mom’s haircut. She was begging to find someone good to cut her hair! Finally, she did.

Then that evening, she was going to get her surprise dinner at Joan and Charlie’s.

Here is the background story. YEARS ago, when I was backpacking through Europe after college, my mom came and met me in Venice. A restaurant named Madonna Trattoria or Trattoria Madonna was recommended to us. We ordered an appetizer of squid ink pasta with squid ink on top of it, and an entrée. The app was SO UNBELIEVABLY KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF GOOD AND SCRUMPDILLY-UMPTIOUS that we cancelled our entrees and ordered more squid ink pasta with squid ink sauce. EVER since that time…we have tried to find it, re-create it and it is NOT sold in this country. Well, it is in small packets that are NOT the same. We can find the pasta but not the sauce. I went back to Venice when I was living in Paris in 2004 and ate it again, but since then, nothing.

Fast forward to the present, Joan and Charlie spend a month in Venice and she brought some back and served it for dinner. I was stuffed but managed to stuff two full plates down into my belly…I was in heaven! HEAVEN! Now, I am craving it! Crazy good!!!

And here is a pic of this restaurant with the magical pasta and sauce…

The next day my mom and I took out our passports and traveled to Harrison, Ohio to go to the highly recommended vet named Laurie.

It was a bit of a poke and seemed even further for my mom and I, but the vet was a great gal. And she had a Boston terrier puppy mix there…OH SO CUTE!!! They called him Squishy. Isn’t he? He was like a belly full of jelly.

Why is a puppy/dog/cat/elephant/hippo adorable with a large waist but people don’t think humans are? That really bums me out! They say everything goes full circle. I am hoping that the folks from the days of Rembrandts, Renoirs and Matisse paintings who were full figured come back into style one day! I am not saying super chubby, but cute chubby should be CUTE!

That night we went back to LITTLEFIELD to try the Fleur de Bee, which consists of Prosecco, Violette, St. Germaine and Raspberry. They’re insanely good. They knocked both of us on our ears, duffs, tushies, you name it. One drink. The edible flower was delish. I highly recommend it.

Then we went home and I cooked a homemade meal and my mom set up the balcony for a candlelight dinner. She is so into the ambiance while you know me. I am so into the food!

The following day we had the Sanibel Sandpipers over for a meeting. The Sanibel Sandpipers are a group of retired women in my building that I have gathered together to sew my Peri the pelican stuffed animal. Here they are with their red noses. I will explain the noses later.

Later that evening and I do mean much later. Around 9ish, we went to dinner hop. We did it last Fall. We go to 2 restaurants and share two apps at both restaurants.

We started at a fairly new restaurant in Cincinnati called Salazar. The acoustics were atrocious. You can’t hear a damn thing! I hate, detest loud restaurants. I want to talk to the people I am with not shout and grin a lot.

Most people favor the little fried oyster sandwich with kimchi, radish sprouts, and garlic mayo. It was good but the bread overpowered it. Too much bread. My favorite was the duck leg rillette. It comes in a jar with four slices of Blue Oven bread, jalapeno jam, and pickled red onion and to merge all those flavors together is quite the symphony of tastes. I would go back for that one!

We left there and bellied up to the bar at Jean Robert’s Table. We shared a lobster salad, which was called the Red’s Lobster salad and contained cracker Jacks in it for the Cincinnati Reds. It turns into the Bengals Lobster salad when football season kicked into full gear. It was good. How can good lobster not be good? But I wasn’t in love with it. We had an oyster omelet, which I did really like and my mom was blah on it. It contained oysters, ginger, lemon, bacon, spinach, mushrooms, and Kentucky’s sheep’s cheese. I enjoyed the medleys of all the foods together and there was an interesting texture to it all.

The following morning we went to breakfast with my friend Lynn. She had found this cute little place downtown Cincy, which I am not sure I had ever been to and it was an eclectic little neighborhood. Lynn had read about THE CHEAPSIDE CAFÉ in the paper and I would have never found it if it had not been for her. It was in this tiny little, obscure, architectural gem of a building. The name comes from the street name and it was adorable. Fresh herbs were growing on a shelf. A mural sized photograph of a Cincinnati hillside covered a portion of the wall, while a wood structure captured the majority of the wall. Outside was a wooden teepee that we ate inside of it.

 

 

I had the smoked salmon sandwich with cucumber, pickled onion, and herb cream cheese on salted rye.

Lynn and my mother had the breakfast sandwich, which consisted of a fried egg, bacon, and pimento cheese on multigrain bread.

I thought mine sounded better, but I thought theirs was hands down better than mine. Then we ordered some yummy, although espresso sized cappuccinos. Sorry folks, those capps need to be bigger! Because it is too pricey to drink two and one is just too small!!!

After breakfast we went to the Zoo. My mom had not seen the Cincy Zoo in over 20 years! It was so much fun to go there with her and see her face as she saw all the wonderful enhancements to our Zoo. I remember being at the Zoo with my mom as a young child.

Then we went to Findlay Market, which we both marvel at the fact that when we lived here years ago, we didn’t take advantage of that market. It is truly fabulous! We bought food for dinner and then went home and had another dinner out on my balcony! My sunsets ROCK!!!

The following morning we drove to Ohio State University for the OSU v. UC game! My stepfather has kept his OSU tickets since his college days. He’s now 76! Do the math! I stink at math! So, my mom and I had the tickets and we were going to see my stepsister’s oldest son who was a freshman at OSU. To me, seeing Matthew was a highlight!

But first, I asked to go to Katzinger’s!

I was so ridiculously excited for a good Jewish Deli. I knew it wouldn’t be New York good, but I held high hopes! And it is really, really hard to compete with Carnegie Deli, Katz’s, 2^nd Ave Deli and Eisenberg’s. It just is!

But when I walked in the joint. I felt like I was in a New York deli and that is such a beautiful thing.

You can’t go wrong with a corned beef and pastrami sandwich.

I had to try the potato pancake. Nice crunchy outside.

And the rugelach was KILLER!!! I mean KILLER!!! And the bagels were VERY tasty too! We brought one home for breakfast the next day!

Then we went to the game. We parked in China, but the transportation was so unbelievably good.

It was neat to see the stadium!

My stepsister, Amy’s son, the freshman at OSU and I haven’t seen each other since he was a tot!

He is so adorable! Here is a pic of him with his Auntie Erin.

And his Abu, which is Spanish for grandmother.

Matthew is part of this group called O block. Here is a pic of where he sits!

It is so cool to see the band write out Ohio with people.

The seats were in a great location as you can see but they were MISERABLY uncomfortable. Benches with no backs! I cannot sit on a bench without a back for hours on end. I don’t sit on bar stools unless they have backs. I know what it will do to my back. Agony! You know I am not a complainer but that stinks for me.

A ex-UC football player sat next to us. He was adorable!!!

The next day we went on the Northside House Tour. It is so cool to see the unexpected gems and what people are clever enough to do inside and outside their homes.

And then you just stumble upon a random cool house. Look at the top of this house!

After the house tour we went to visit the Guggenheims who lived up the street from us and were one of my folks’ best friends when I was growing up! And my Uncle Jack, who has Alzheimer’s, who I never thought I would see again was home from the facility. They are really, really good people!!!

Then my friend Stephen threw a party for the pool people with yummy nibbles. My mom had a ball visiting with people.

We went to King Wok and I of course had the Moo Shu Pork. It was good and plentiful!

It has been there a long time and Polly Campbell gave it a good write up! My mom says she can’t find good Chinese food in Savannah. So there we were!

Last day my mom was here! My friend Jennie who my mother A-DOR-ES!! Came to breakfast. My mom made this breakfast of guacamole, feta cheese, and a fried egg on top. She placed hers and Jennie’s on a place of sourdough bread. I skipped the bread.

Here was her inspiration.

We sat and talked and had a wonderful time! Then we went to Einstein’s so my mom could get bagels to take back to Georgia. They had a doggy bagel for Dulce! You know my mom got that for her. Then I took my mom to the airport. Hard to put your mom on a plane to go home and pack up a house and start a new life. My heart goes out to her on what a trooper she is being through this whole ordeal. So unfair. My stepdad is a REAL stinker!!!

Until we meet again…

Enjoy! Eat, travel, laugh…often….

APPLE-less

I had to turn my computer into Apple for a week. It was like having surgery and losing the use of a hand or foot. I didn’t know how to function. I was lost. I completely was out of my element. I am CONSTANTLY doing some form of work or answering emails and I don’t do that on my phone. So, I was a fish out of water without my computer.

Look at the Apple Store window…I thought this was really cool….

 

 

I did things I like to do that I rarely make time to do. I had Carolyn and Jo up for cappuccinos. We sat on my balcony and sipped our drinks and chatted.

 

One Friday evening, I went with a bunch of friends to the Brazee Street Studios in Oakley. It was so cool! They offer classes in making fused glass, making mosaics, etc. Here is some of the work from their in-house artists and just cool things to see.

 

 

 

 

We came back from the artists’ studios and went to the pool and your non-drinking friend was given a Pomegranate martini. It was delicious!!!!

 

The next day was the City Flea in Washington Park. My friend L went early and called me and simply said, “YOU ARE GONNA LOVE IT!!!”

 

I went with Trouble and Viv and sis, Dulce and it was rows of tents filled with all kinds of things. People had made jewelry, art, soap, candles, vintage goods, family relics, and Victorian style mirrors painted in vibrant colors. Dulce got to meet two baby goats.

 

 

I drank a Mocha coffee that the Coffee Emporium people blended on the front of a bicycle with pedal power. Here is a pic of a kid doing it. Do you see the blender on the front of the bike?

 

I came home and took Dulce for a walk and we had our second dingle berry experience. Fortunately, I walked by a church that had a hose attached to the side. I looked up to the heavens and said, “Lord forgive me!” Just kidding. No, I didn’t.

 

I hosed off Dulce’s tushy in the grass and rolled the hose back up and left.

 

My mom and I have been working incredibly hard on this cancer book. It has been such an arduous process. I have spent hours, and hours on it. My mom has spent equally or more on the artwork, and my friend June has probably spent the same amount as us on the stuffed animal. It is really fascinating to see the behind the scenes work that no one sees. People see finished products and have no clue the time that goes into it. I spent at least 6-8 hours for at least 14 days trying to correctly format the book. It was ridiculously hard. We tried to do some new and innovative things with this new book and it has been an uphill battle, but hopefully well worth it.

Here is the new Peri.

 

I talked to my dear old friend Jill from Capitol Hill, D.C. She lives between D.C. and Ireland. We have been friends for years. It is interesting to hear how D.C. is constantly evolving from one that lives literally two blocks from the Capitol.

 

I took another long break from my solitude of being computer less and had my friend Mary Lou down for a birthday cup of coffee. She walked in the door and said, “Dulce, I really came to see you!” Dulce is quickly becoming a hit here. She’s adorable.

 

Check out her blog: http://theurbanleash.wordpress.com/

 

It was nice to have some time with good friends before my 6 mo. appointment to the oncologist and the breast surgeon. ALL is okay! Yeah!

 

The oncology appts. aren’t scary it is the mammogram appts. especially when they call you back to do more films. Yikes. I was doing a lot of toe tapping that day. Thankfully, my dear friend Jo was with me.

 

Okay, imagine the Cincinnati Pops performing in a big field in the concert called The Concert on the Green. We had a picnic table, folding chairs, food, coffee, Bailey’s, etc.

 

And it poured…

 

And poured and Dulce was on my lap with a blanket around her….

 

And they played…

And then there were fireworks…fireworks makes everything better!

 

We ended up back at my place around the dining room table eating and talking till almost 1 in the morning.

 

The next day was the Burlington Flea Market. I haven’t bought anything at these fleas, because I am more interested in purging than acquiring, but I love to look.

 

 

So, our building decided that we should welcome newcomers with a high tea. Stephen went to a purveyor of teas and purchased some scrumptious choices.

The rest of us brought cookies, finger sandwiches and came to meet the new folks. Sadly, not even half showed up, but we still had a nice time.

 

The following day, I royally fell off my low carb diet. I had Charlie and Joan over for French toast, bacon and coffee. I have this killer good bread that I bring back or my mom ships to me from Jerry’s supermarket on Sanibel and it is cinnamon swirl and has a coffee cake crumble crust and it is just so yummy!!!

 

We ate like kings, retired to the balcony and chatted and had a lovely time. Such lovely people. I am so glad I met them. Joan and I could talk for hours and never run out of conversation.

 

I went to meet my childhood friend of 40 years for coffee. Josh! I call him Henry ever since his Bar Mitzvah invite came to my house when we were 13 and I learned his first name is Henry. His wife had been in Israel when the bombing began. She had to go into bunkers 6-7 times. She even took a picture of a rocket soaring through the sky. Imagine living in that type of terror constantly. I remember during 9.11 a bunch of us said this is one day like this…Israelis and the Arab people live like this everyday and have for thousands of years…

 

There is a band in Cincy that is famous called THE MODULATORS. When I was in high school, I used to sneak into bars with my friends to watch them perform. Well, their hit sing is called SEX ON A REGULAR BASIS. I have the t-shirt. It is such great vibrant colors.

 

 

 

I never wear it in public but last week, I did. Why not? I was going to walk in the cool, hip, Clifton area with my pooch! Well, a Muslim man that passes me from time to time. I say hello and he says hello and thank you. I wonder if he thanks me for saying hello or thanks me for acknowledging him despite the tensions between the Muslim population and the rest of the world. The other day, I passed him in my shirt. I hadn’t seen him in DAYS!!! I said hello, he said hello, and than I got a LOT of thank yous. I guess it was the shirt. I was mortified. I should not have worn the shirt. He giggled. It made him laugh. It made me turn bright red. Oh well, a little levity in life goes a long way….

 

 

Until we meet again…

 

Enjoy! Eat, travel, laugh…often….

 

Open-Faced Club Sandiwches to Flourless Chocolate Cake to Ribs, and More….

When I arrived back at the Cincy airport my father was there to greet me. He had offered to pick me up and take me to one of my old favorite restaurants that had shutdown and re-opened under new management. Walt’s Hitching Post in Kentucky. It was going to be my birthday dinner. It was on the way home from our airport, and we used to go there when I flew into town and my dad would pick me up at the airport.

 

I grew up going to Walt’s as a kid. We went with this family named the Lukins. The waitresses with the beehive hairdos used to sneak Dr. Lukin extra plates filled with ribs. They loved him. I always thought if I ever got married that I would have my rehearsal dinner there. I crave ribs. I think it is up there with sushi, pizza, steak and Graeter’s ice cream!

 

The place was structurally the same but the interiors were classed up a bit.

 

They are pushing to be more of a “steak house” than a “rib joint.” They said it was all the same, but the ribs were a little different and the sauce had a definitive change. When we left my dad said, “I think they will definitely become more well-known for their steaks.” It was good, but it wasn’t great! But I am pretty content with a slab of ribs, home fries with onions and a house salad with 1000 Dressing. Heaven on a plate!

 

My dad was trying to eat them with a fork and knife. His proper side comes out at the most odd times. As I am sitting there with a mouth and fingers covered in rib sauce.

 

I came home and I was restless. I have this building (aka a dorm) full of friends and I wanted to go visit. I went knocking on Carolyn’s door. I knew she would be awake at almost 10pm, but no answer.

 

The next day my dad suggested taking a walk together. He never comes to Spring Grove to meet me. This day he did. He kept saying are we almost done? Are we almost done? It felt like we were walking forever. Poor thing. I am referring to me. Just kidding.

 

I came home and I saw a lady in the mailroom that I have seen so many times and never knew her name. When she said Joan. I said I have heard so many great things about you. I wasn’t sure you existed! We chatted. She was lovely! She was so easy to talk with. She invited me up for a drink. I said no, she and her boyfriend insisted. I had a ball. I finally realized I really needed to get home. I went to the elevator and my friends Karen and Bill stepped out and invited me down. I knew I should go home, but little social butterfly went down there for a bit. This is what I love about my building. So many fun and fascinating friends under one roof. It really is like a college dorm.

 

The next morning was my birthday and my dad showed up with a schnecken. I can’t believe he went all the way downtown to Shadeau Breads to get me a homemade Schnecken. Schnecken’s rock! And so does my dad!!!! I grew up on them. They are made with a ton of butter (almost a literal measurement), raisins, cinnamon and lots of hard work, time and love.

 

I had a few slices with a glass of milk and I was really happy. I tried to get my dad to share it with me, but he wouldn’t. I was quite surprised because he REALLY loves Schnecken.

 

I was told that there are no calories on your birthday! Everything has zero calories and you can eat whatever you want! I am a firm believer of this way of thinking. Plus, when you survive cancer, birthdays become very special and must be celebrated!

 

My two best friends from law school, Alex and Annette took me to Trio’s for lunch. Alex was on the diet that I would begin on the Monday after my Friday birthday. We decided to eat with him and the three of us ordered a steak salad. It was exceptionally yummy. It was a flat iron steak on a field of greens with shaved red onion, crumbled bleu cheese and grape tomatoes. How I love steak! Let me count the ways!

 

 

Then my birthday cake was a slice of flourless chocolate cake. That is hands down probably my favorite cake. Nothing like a dense piece of rich chocolate.

 

That evening was my birthday party. I am sure I had consumed my entire calorie allowance for the day after the first slice of Schnecken, but calories don’t count on birthdays!

 

My friends: Stacey, Mindy and Lisa came over for dinner. Lisa who is the amazing, talented baker made a variety of cookies for dessert that included: Snickerdoodles, Peanut Butter Cookies and Chocolate Chip. I didn’t think I liked Snickerdoodles till I ate one of Lisa’s.

For an appetizer, I went with a simple oldie. I took tortilla chips, salsa and three Mexican cheeses that I melted on top for yummy Nachos. Dinner was an opened faced club sandwich with homemade Russian dressing on top and then we had cookies.

 

We sat and talked for hours. I really like my friends. We had a really nice time. If I could pick men like a pick friends…DON’T I WISH!!!!

 

Later that night, Shirley aka Trouble called and asked if she could take me to breakfast in the morning for my birthday. I said sure. She wanted to try one of my favorite places the good ole Sugar n Spice.

 

Off we went. We sat there forever waiting on a table. The place was packed. I played with a few kids. I went and got the basket of ducks that they could pick a rubber duck. They were totally psyched!

 

Here is where I am probably different than most people. Most people celebrate their birthday on the actual day and watch what they eat to some extent. I celebrate for about a week and don’t count calories at all.

 

That night, I had so much leftover food that I invited my building friends who I am really close to up for another birthday dinner, a repeat of the night before.

 

The next day after treating myself to one of my New York bagels for breakfast with leftover steak, OMG good!!! Everything bagel with cream cheese is my favorite!!!!

 

I went for a walk in my beloved Spring Grove. I have never ever ever seen so many tree company trucks in one place EVER! I asked what was happening. I asked a worker. Apparently, they bring people in the spring to get the trees healthy and check on them and care for them. I was so shocked and so impressed with the care for these monster beauties.

 

Well, Monday came and after a weekend of pure indulgence, I started the only diet that has ever worked for me. THE ZONE DIET. I did this back in Boston many moons ago and lost 35 lbs. and now it was time to do it again. I hate pictures of myself. I avoid them like the plague and being a cancer survivor it is just one more thing I can do for myself to lower my odds of reoccurrence. At first, the thought of it is daunting, laughable and absurd, but once I get in the groove it is not bad at all, and actually pretty cool.

 

The way I did it years ago and decided to do it now is that you don’t eat pasta, rice, bread, potatoes, or corn. I am sure that sounds miserable to many of you. You get your carbs in the form of veggies mostly and fruits secondly.

 

Here is the other thing that at first miffed me years ago and again years later. You try to eat protein that is roughly the size of the palm of your hand. The first few days one starts this, you may think, and I definitely thought, “Are you on crack?” Who can eat that little and feel full?” Well, so you have the protein the size of your palm, the veggie serving is the size of your entire hand and then you add a little fat in there and that mixture of protein to carb to fat is what puts your body in “the zone!” It is fascinating! So, at first you want to cry. You say to yourself, if you are I, I can give up bread and pasta, but I am NOT giving up sushi! Bite me!

 

Here is what happens, doing this you take the sugars out of your diet. Sugar is what makes you hungry. You stop getting hungry, you shrink your belly (literally and figuratively) and you eat less and the weight starts to fall off. First week is usually water loss and in my case water and chocolate loss, and I lost six pounds!!! Second week, I lost one. I am two weeks out and 7lbs down! I am thrilled but what really excites me is what a difference it has made in places that it never dawned on me I would notice.

 

I got a couple bizarre or maybe not so bizarre side effects from chemo, and eating like this has completely eliminated them. AND…I am not always hungry, I feel better, I have more energy, and I am staying away from sugar and there is this big thing…okay big argument of whether cancer loves sugar or not! It depends on whom you ask. So, if I really lessen the sugar intake…it can only help me.

 

I went fourteen days without chocolate. It was like going fourteen days without sex! Wait, I do that ALL the time. What can I compare it to? Well, you get the point. It wasn’t too bad but by day 14, I was itching for a bite of chocolate. I had 6 Nestle morsels and it totally satisfied me.How shocking and insane is that!

I haven’t had any since!

 

Here is the fun shocker though! How many recipes are out there that I can eat that are technically on my diet? And really good stuff? When was the last time you heard of a diet that you could eat bacon? Ribs? It is all about the portions and staying away from the white stuff (aka bad carbs). So, I am psyched. We will see how I do. So, far so good, but I think I will share some recipes with you, because there is some really great stuff to eat! I have shelves of cookbooks and my Saveur has so much that I can cook from it. It actually is kinda fun and exciting. Eventually, I will get the shakes and have to go to Graeter’s for a mocha chip, but so far the idea of it is too sweet for me. I know! SHOCKING!!!!!

 

Trouble and 007 came over for our usual Wednesday evening get together and we have talked about this for years and are finally doing it. We are taking the Megabus to Chicago to go to Wrigley Field and see the Reds v. Cubs. Wrigley Field has been on my bucket list for a long, long time. Megabuses are supposedly great! I used to take the Chinese bus from Boston to NY and back all the time and it was great and cheap. Did you know about Chinese buses? They go all over the place! When I used to go it was btn $10-15 each way! (That is roughly the cost of these bus tickets!) It was filled with students mostly. Some had movies you could watch, but it was easy and cheap.

 

My mother instilled a SERIOUS imagination into me. I can look at clouds and see shapes, animals, faces, and I saw something the other week that tickled my funny bone. I saw a wild turkey come running at lightning speed, up a hill from a pond and she/he looked both ways and ran like hell. That is what I literally saw, what the creative soul that I am saw was a little bit different. Imagine one of the birds from the cartoon clip called SHOE. Imagine him being a she in a dress and holding it up so it doesn’t drag along the pavement. Imagine her being chased by an animal even bigger than her. Imagine how that animal would feel. The facial expression was: “Holy mackerel, I need to get out of the hen house. Here comes my husband! Yikes!” And then running like hell. THAT is what it looked like….change the story as you see fit.

 

My friend Mindy and her hubby went to Haiti to pick up their FIFTH child!!! (The second one they have adopted from Haiti). Mindy’s mom was not so sure about taking her granddaughter Ruby to The Cincinnati Nature Center and asked if I would do it.

I did. Love Ruby! She is such a cool kid.

The class was called Writing in Nature. Kids would look at things and write. They would draw things. They did all kinds of things, but the coolest thing was they took a shallow pan and covered the bottom with shaving cream and then put a few drops of food coloring into the cream, swirled it around and put their plain white journals into it and it created all these cool tie-dye journal covers. I wanted to go home and do it.

 

We left the Center and stopped at Jungle Jim’s International Food Store. Here is a pic from this wacky store.

 

They carry food from ALL over the world. Ruby and I went to Ireland, India, Turkey, Jamaica; we went all over the place and just by walking up and down grocery store aisles.

 

I bought a whole fish. The man behind the counter gutted it for me. I had cooked a few whole fish in New York, because I learned to do it living in Paris and it does give the fish more flavor, but I wasn’t sure I would remember how to get out the spine and bones. Apparently, it is like riding a bike and I forgot how easy it is! I also forgot how knock my socks off good it is too! See, something I can eat in THE ZONE!

 

I was supposed to have a book signing on April 26^th, but next to no one RSVP’d! My friend Temple said, “Surely people who have been through a wedding, a large party understand the importance of the RSVP and your need to know your numbers for planning food & seating, and it is so bloody easy to do! It is either YES or NO.

 

And a number of how many you will bring.” A person could simply respond, “Yes, 4!” Thanks would be nice but I’m not going to push my luck! I was sad to cancel. My friend Lisa was going to do the food and everyone missed out on her baking!!!! But I will do it again this summer, maybe on the hill outside here at my home.

 

That afternoon, I went to my Aunt Connie’s surprise birthday party. Aunt Connie is such a cool lady. The first time I met her, I was at my first family reunion with my mom, who is adopted. My mom found her birth family. And her mom was not the softest pillow on the couch…let me tell you, so I was REALLY leery about meeting these people. I tried to forewarn my mom that they might not be warm and fuzzy or even welcoming to her. I couldn’t have been more wrong! I just love them! Well, at that reunion, I spent a lot of time talking to Uncle Dave and Aunt Connie. Aunt Connie is cool. We had a ball. Her b-day party was held at an honorary cousins house. She is a hoot. Actually, both sisters are just too cool. The hostess and I discovered we are both HUGE Sugar n Spice fans. I left my cup at their house “accidentally” so they will have to meet me at the restaurant to return it to me. See, sometimes, I am smart!

 

I gathered a group of roughly 8 women together to sew Peri the Pelican dolls. One lady took the ball and ran with it. She is a masterful sewer. It looks spot on a pelican. Sadly, I think it needs to be more goofy and imperfect, but I will keep you posted. Once, we get our little assembly line together to sew the little birds. Watch out! I can’t wait. I think it will be a ball! Doing research on the doll, I found this totally adorable pic!!!

 

My New York friend Mare (who is also back in Cincy) and I took a 1.5-hour walk in Spring Grove last week. She is amazing. Battling colon cancer and fighting it all the way and her attitude is fabulous!!!

 

I went to dinner at Jennie’s house. I love, love, love her cooking! I had to ask: any bread? Nope! Any rice, pasta, potatoes, breadcrumbs? Nope! Okay, I can come. I have no idea what she did to that tenderloin but it was tender, juicy and delicious!

Then she made a big salad to go with it. ALL IN THE ZONE!!!! Her daughter was irate that Wyoming High had cut the senior double lunches for next year? Pray-tell-why? I am thinking a liability issue? The powers to be are insinuating it is because they fell in the rankings on a national level. If a public school is ranked in the top 100 in the USA, I think they should be happy. Think of how many schools there are in the country?

 

Mare invited me to meet her son-in-law and her two granddaughters for dinner at The Mariemont Inn. I had never, ever been and I think it has been there forever! I ordered a hamburger without the bun and a side salad. The hard thing to NOT eat and I said, “DO NOT even put them on my plate!” The burger came with crispy onions. How good does that sound? I didn’t want to be tempted and I know, I can cheat a little here and there but I am a woman on a mission!

 

This is fascinating to me. Two granddaughters. One is a fabulous eater and the other eats chicken nuggets and mac and cheese, so basically nothing. Their dad said do you want to know why the difference? I really did. Here is one kid eating asparagus, pea pods, and mushrooms and the other Mac and Cheese. He said when the first child was born he decided he was NOT going to cook down to her, he was going to make her eat up to them. Brilliant. And he is a fabulous cook! Second child, he went back to work and Mom, love her, is not a cook, so she went the easy route and viola. One is a great eater and the other is not, but they are so cute and sweet at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter!

 

I had a Kentucky Derby party on Derby Eve! I told everyone to wear a hat. I am a hat nut. I have lots and lots of hats! I used to have an Annual Derby party when I lived in NYC! I had everyone bring something sweet or savory. I had lots of leftovers that I am still eating. It was a nice time.

 

Here is something I did and it was yummy! I made an omelette and I cooked the egg and then in the omelette, I spread some leftover artichoke dip and some leftover spinach dip. Can you say, YUM!

 

Monday morning, my friends Carolyn and Jo and I went to a new joint called Tags. It was adorable. I have a picture below. I ordered an omelette called CRACK OF DAWN that contained bacon, Swiss cheese and spinach. I always ask them not to bring “the tempters” on the plate. The tempters being bread or potatoes. Instead she gave me some fruit. It was good. Really cute place and nice, nice people.

 

There is a bike ride my friend Heather did in New York almost ten years ago. It is the 5-Burrough bike ride. She said it was such a cool way to see so much of New York and you get to cross bridges and it is a ton of fun! I never did it. Then my friend Lizz did it last year. My friend Matt did it this year! I want to do it next year! It is the first or second week in May. Hopefully the weather is like the weather now and downright gorgeous outside and what a great way to see Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island (never been there), Queens and Brooklyn.

I came out onto my hammock on my balcony the other night to take a 15-minute siesta. I set an alarm on my phone. Fifteen minutes turned into 3 hours. I hit the snooze for 3 hours! I love, adore, relish, treasure my hammock! This is not my hammock or my view, but you get the idea.

 

I knew I was not going to sleep that night. I was emailing around midnight and received 2 emails from Jo and Carolyn seconds apart. I emailed back and said we need to meet on a balcony since we are all awake. Jo invited us to her place. We sat on the balcony with the city lights of downtown in the distance and we laughed and talked till about 1:30a.m. It was so much fun!

 

I have this dear, dear friend from Washington, D.C. We worked together in a lobbying firm and were chatting one day many, many years ago about our parents. I told her my mom was an artist and she painted furniture and she was really talented. Jill seemed genuinely impressed and interested and with that our boss came up to us and asked Jill if her dad would autograph a poster for his girlfriend! His girlfriend picked up the poster at her dad’s show at THE NATIONAL GALLERY @ The Smithsonian!

Here I am talking about my mom the basement art painter and my friend Jill’s dad is an artist too, but her dad is in THE NATIONAL fricking GALLERY. Jill is probably reading this blog and laughing! I called her one night from a Sotheby’s auction in NY and said your dad just sold a painting for over 2 million. It is cool, but at the end of the day, he is just Jill’s dad and he wasn’t always famous. He paid his dues like so many greats before him. Well, I got a kick out of this…I am reading my SAVEUR magazine and there is a recipe in it that they claim is one of her dad’s favorites. I scan it and send it to her and her sisters. Her one sis emails me back and says, “I’m with my dad. I’ll ask!” What a weird, small world we live in!

 

My dad is an identical twin. My dad and Uncle are inseparable. They do not go a day without talking EVER!!!! I am named Erin. My Uncle Bob has a daughter 10 years younger named Perin. Erin & Perin. Our fathers are fiercely close, but Perin and her brother Langdon and I barely know each other. Today, Perin and I went to breakfast. We used to look alike years ago. Not so much anymore. My dad said we sounded a lot alike on the phone. I didn’t believe him. However, we traded a few phone calls back and forth recently and I almost could not tell the difference between her voice and mine on the phone. I told my dad and he said, “Well, lets see! Your dad’s are identical twins and we had daughters. Makes sense to me!” We had a ball at breakfast and are going to try to make a habit out of it with our dad’s! If we can get them to join us. We sure hope so!

 

Until we meet again…

 

Enjoy! Eat, travel, laugh…often….

 

Arla, Tennis, A Capp, Luminaries, My Love, and the Golf Cart Parade

I have this friend named Arla and her hubby George. They are from Connecticut, but to me she has a thick New York accent. We play tennis together. She is a nut! She tells it like it is and at first (many years ago) I was a little off-put by it, now I just love her! She cracks me up! She is extremely talented. She has this fun bright colored house and she is a good cook.

She had my mom and I over for dinner and this really nice couple name Janet and Wayne. Janet and I play tennis together as well. Janet & Wayne are from Nova Scotia. One of the first times I played tennis with them, a friend, Michael and I were looking for someone to play doubles with us and we found them. They kicked are butts. I was SO thrown by how good they were. Michael and I still talk about it till this day. You just never know what people have up their sleeves.

So, Arla made a big pot of turkey chili with a variety of toppings that included green onions, cheddar cheese and sour cream. She made a side salad that was really yummy. I still don’t know what was in it, but the dressing was yummy. Dessert was AWE-SOME….she made dark chocolate brownies using Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa’s recipe. I have the recipe at home and have never tried it, I am so picky about brownies. I love these Fat Witch brownies that I used to buy at Chelsea Market down in Chelsea in NY, but never find ones that compare. THESE did! Then she had a black walnut ice cream. I have never heard of it. It sounded awful and it was delicious!

Then, you will love this….a group of ladies, other tennis gals pulled into crazy, wacky, fun Arla’s driveway blaring music, honking the horn like a bunch of teenagers! They are all at least 60! Just goes to show that age is ONLY a number!

At Arla & George’s dinner,  Wayne asked if we would be interested in attending the tennis dinner the following night at SANDBAR. We said yes.

Okay, I had coconut shrimp and fried plantains with a dark chocolate and raspberry sauce drizzled over it. It was so yummy.

I went up to the manager and told him so. I showed him my now healed leg since he was the manager that NAGGED me to go to the doc! And I told him how good the food was! He said he STILL hasn’t read the blog, but he will. Hope he reads how yummy that dish is! Who would have ever thought to put chocolate on shrimp? I just love that sweet and salt flavor at the same time. It sends my taste buds into their happy place.

Next day, we went out for blood and breakfast. My mom had to give blood and then we went to the Sanibel Deli for breakfast. I had a fried egg that SHOULD have been runny, but wasn’t, because I forgot to ask. It came  with sausage and cheese on a croissant. It was good. The capp left little to be desired.

Here is the funny thing and again demonstrating how small this island really is. When my mom was giving blood. A man came out of the office and immediately lit a cigarette and stood by his truck to smoke it and read a NEW YORK POST. I got out of the car and walked with the dog to a nearby shop to get away from the smoke.

Guess who sat next to me at the breakfast joint? You got it! Mr. I need a smoke! And it was outside eating so he lit up again. I could escape him once, but not twice!

We took Dulce to visit Patty the Vet. I used to go with my mom to the vet as a child. Loved it. I thought I wanted to be a vet except that I suck at math, okay at science and I can’t deal with animal death. But everytime I go in a vet’s office, which now is ONLY Coral Vet on Sanibel and Patty rocks! I think…did I miss my calling? Then I ask myself, could I put a dog down if I had to, and I get my answer.

Sanibel Luminaries is put on by the Kiawanis Club. All the members go around and deliver the brown bags filled with sand and a candle and then a different group in the organization goes around to light them. They extend from one end of Periwinkle Way to the other end and it is so pretty. Shops, restaurants are all open and the shops serve snacks. My mom always thinks that will constitute a meal. Three cubes of cheese, two of ham, and four carrot sticks is not a meal.

I was lucky enough to be allowed to set up in front of The Island Cow. There were two potters there, a scarf maker and I, the writer. The night started slow for me. I witnessed a four-year old child walk up to the guy next to me and tell his mom he liked the pottery and point and pick up what he liked. (personally, I would have killed my child if he/she did that!) I silently laughed to myself because the child was walking around the table saying I like this, this is my favorite, and the mom bought all the pieces he picked. Butter my biscuit and call me Sunshine. I would not have believed it if I hadn’t seen it.

Finally, the books began to sell. A man looked at BRAND MY ASS and then at me. He said is it scandalous? I said yes. Not 50 Shades, but it has some fun! He asked all about it and I told him and then added, “I never tell people, but the main character Belle is a serious foodie. A friend joked if I could write as well about sex as I do food…the money I could make.” He said, “I am a retired chef. I will take it.”

I had another gal come up to me and she said, “I hear you have a book on divorce that will help kids. I came to get that!” I sold her a copy of TURNAROUND KIDS

TURNAROUND KIDS made me a little nervous after I wrote and published it. I may have said this before, but I was not sure how it would hit people. However, a dear, dear friend Ellen read it and she said she thought it was great and it hit all the key points and had great ideas for kids and parents, so it gave me a little more confidence I was on the mark. My dear friend, Jennie’s daughter, read it and said it was spot on, so I know I hit the kid market, I wasn’t sure about hitting the parent market, but now I feel like I did.

My little love, my sweet, sweet girl, my favorite and only four-legged sister came running onto my bed the other morning to greet me and she PLUNGED into my face and now I think I have a hematoma under my eye. Does this mean I can’t exercise my eye for a month? I am totally kidding here. I don’t think it is a hematoma, but it looks like someone punched or scratched me in the eye.

I am so bummed no one has asked me about it. I want to say I fought with my mom for a pint of Queenie’s ice cream, and it got physical and she beat me for it. But no one has asked. I forgot to tell Queenie that when I saw her at the Farmer’s Market on Sunday. She would have loved it!!!

Okay, we went to the Golf Cart Parade up on Captiva. People were so clever and creative. They went down the main drag in Captiva…okay the only drag in Captiva and people had decorated them SO well. It was awesome! Highly recommend it.  If the pics look okay and I can figure out how to add more than one, I will include them in the post.

and finally Santa and Mrs. Claus……

Monday I went to play tennis with my Beachview girls. I was so excited! I arrived at the courts and stepped out of the car to see the man who sat beside me on the trolley shuttle ride to the Tweenies Christmas lighting the week before. He had moved here from Arkansas and reminded me of a sexy Vet back in Cincy. Small, small world.

Tennis was so great! I had to be there at 8am, that didn’t matter, every two games we switched sides and the one side we were all blinded by the light. That didn’t matter. I was just happy to be on a court and not have an injured leg. Yippee!!!

Well, I hear it is I HATE Florida day(s) up North, because Florida is the only state that isn’t freezing it’s tush off. I feel CRAZY lucky to be here!!!! So, on that note, I need to go take a swim before I meet Sylvie, Ellen and their dogs: Rala, Rumo, Winnie, Cookie, Sadie, Tess and Bella with my sister Dulce on the beach!

Okay, we came home from the beach and I started to work on another version of my Peri the Pelican™ prototype and I look across the floor and there is a CLEAN pair of my green shorts crumpled into a ball on the floor. I pick them up and there are holes near the pocket. I reach my hand into the pocket and there is another hole the size of baseball in the bottom. I must have left a treat in there and it went through the wash (how scary it survived) and I had folded them and they were sitting on my bed waiting to go in a drawer.  The aroma from the treat must have been too powerful for Dulce to resist. So, I go to find her and she is sitting in front of the coffee table with an UNWRAPPED tampon in her mouth. Just a plastic tampon hanging out the side of her mouth like she is smoking a Cuban cigar. And you know what? I STILL love this nutty dog!

Until we meet again…..

Enjoy! Eat, travel, laugh…often….