My Boo is Five Years Old Today

The fire engine cake I planned to make for my son for his birthday.

My failed attempt at the fire engine cake...the poor thing disintegrated and collapsed. :(

My son turned five years old today, and we had a great day. My husband and I woke him up by singing happy birthday, and he loved it. I baked cupcakes for his friends in school, and he was so excited by them! There have been so many times when he didn't pay any attention to gifts or birthdays or Christmas or any other holiday, so the fact that he was excited by the cupcakes is a huge deal! He even counted the M&M's on the cupcakes...there were three on each one. He was adorable. Then when he came home from school, there were a couple of cupcakes left over, and he wanted one!!! So, he and his sister had cupcakes for snack. He didn't eat it, but he did lick the frosting, which is also a big deal!

I had planned on making him a fire engine cake, and found what I thought would be an easy one to make by Betty Crocker. However, it was not easy, and my cake disintegrated into crumbs until it collapsed. So, I called my husband and asked him to pick up a cake on the way home, and we had ice cream cake instead.

My son wasn't feeling very well because he has a cold, and in fact, we all have colds. My husband feels worse than any of us, poor guy. So, we didn't have the neighbors over for cake like we planned, but I did bring them over a few pieces.

My son loves having happy birthday sung to him, and he tried really hard to blow out his candles. He even opened up his birthday card and present...which he also never does. So, we were so happy! He loved listening to his happy birthday song message from my mother, and Then my brother called to wish him a happy birthday, and he said, "Hello Uncle R..." and thank you. Wow. It was a great night. :) What a great birthday for my Boo.

Happy Birthday sweet boy. Mommy loves you.

Maple Sugar Tour

This is the syrup they had for sale at the nature preserve where we took our tour. It's available for purchase from Justus Asthalter Maple Syrup Inc.

We went on a maple sugar tour at a local nature preserve. This weekend we were still sick, but not too sick, and it was the first nice days in ages...temperatures were in the forties and it was sunny. Also, it was my husband's birthday weekend, so we wanted to spend some family time together.

The tour began with story time around a fire. The storyteller told two American Indian stories about the origins of the use of maple syrup.

The first one is about how maple syrup used to drip from the trees and the people sat under the streams and got fat and lazy. Manabohzo, a Native American Hero thought this just wasn't right, and poured water into all the trees so the people had to work hard to turn the sap into syrup.

The second story was about a chief who threw his axe into a tree out of anger, and sap poured out. His wife caught it in a birch bark bowl, and used it to cook because she thought it was water. The food became very sweet, and that is how they discovered that the "water" could be turned into sweet syrup.

Each child received a small pouch that they wore around their neck, and with each stop on the tour, they received a small, laminated picture to remind them of the stories they learned. Here they received a picture of a birch bark bowl.

Here we learned to identify a sugar maple tree. We need to look for ovals, faces, and "Y"'s. The silhouette of the sugar maple is oval. The bark of the tree is shaggy, and you can see faces in it. Every branch forms a Y all the way from the trunk to the smallest twig. Here, the children received little twigs to put into their story pouch.

My husband is in the plaid jacket carrying our son in this picture.
Then we learned how to tap the sap. A hole is drilled that can only go about 2 inches deep so as not to hurt the tree. A hollow piece of wood or metal is put into the hole. A pail is hung or placed underneath, and the sap drips out. A cover is put onto the pail to keep out water and critters.

Here is what the sap looks like. It looks like water. We even got to taste some, and it tasted like slightly sweet water. Sap is 97% water, and only 3% sugar, so it takes a lot of sap and time to make maple syrup.

Here the children received a picture of a drop of sap for their story pouches.

Here is the heating element they use to boil down the sap into syrup. They keep it over low heat until the water evaporates. Different grades of syrup from Grade A Fancy to Grade B are achieved by using sap from different times during the season (there are grades in between these as well). Grade A Fancy is a light amber syrup from sap collected early in the season (right around now), and Grade B is from sap collected near the end of the season, which lasts for about 4-6 weeks.

Here is where the heating element is located, in the Sugar Shack.

After the tour, I bought some maple sugar candy and maple syrup. I am going to make up a story board for my son's class and send in the maple sugar candy so they can all taste it. Then we went out to dinner for pancakes and waffles, and I brought in the maple syrup. Boy, it was delicious! If you've never tasted real maple syrup, it has a thinner consistency than pancake syrup, it doesn't have the sickening sweet smell, and it has a wonderful depth of flavor, so you don't need to use as much. It's much more expensive because it's so labor intensive, but for a treat, it's wonderful.

It was a lot of fun to go on the tour, and great to get some fresh air for a change. Boy oh boy did we have cabin fever. If you have a chance to go on a maple sugar tour, you should definitely go! :)

Lunch with Carole at the CIA Part 2

Last Thursday I went out to lunch with my cousin Carole from Carole's Thoughtful Spot, and you can read the first part of my post here, and Carole's posts here and here.

Once we placed our orders and paid for them, we found a table and got a high chair for my daughter. When you place your order, you get little number cards that you place in a little holder on the table so the students know where to bring your food.

A student came first with my Coke, which was in a bottle. I always order soda without ice because it takes me awhile to drink it and it gets watery when there's ice in it, and I think that's yucky. I also like to pour my soda in a glass to get some of the bubbles out. Usually, when you order a drink in a cafe, it comes in a glass, so I thought it was a little odd that the waitress just brought a bottle. Then she asked me a question that I'm so glad she asked. "I dropped the bottle. Do you want to just wait awhile to open it, or should I bring you another one?" I'm glad she asked me so that the soda didn't explode all over me, but why was this even a question?????
"I'd like a new bottle please, and may I also please have a glass?"
"Oh, you want a glass?"
"Yes, please." That's why I asked for it.... hmmmm. LOL

So in the meantime, my cousin and I talked and laughed. I'd tell you what we were laughing at, but I think it was one of those "you had to be there" moments. But we had a good laugh. My daughter was as good as can be and played happily and drank her sippy cup while my cousin and I talked. Finally, my food came. I had to wait awhile to taste it because they took even longer to bring my cousin's meal.

Then, it was time. This is what I got:

Braised Beef Short Ribs
Slow-braised beef short ribs served with sautéed Brussel sprouts, pearl onions and deep-fried potato croquettes.

Except there were baked mashed potatoes instead of the croquettes...which was A-okay!

So, first I took a bit of the mashed potatoes. There was a crunchy crust with a cheesy, mass of decadence beneath. I gave some to my daughter, but she didn't want any. ?! Then I sliced off a piece of the short ribs. I really didn't need a knife. The meat just fell apart. It melted in my mouth, mingled with the flavors of wine, salt, onion, and spices. Delicious. The pearl onions were cooked perfectly, soft but not mushy. The Brussels sprouts were also perfect, tender inside and caramelized with a bit of crunch on the outside.

It was a perfect meal. I couldn't finish the whole thing, so I asked for a to-go box to pack it up in. Since my daughter wasn't interested in anything I was eating, I took out a jar of baby food for her. She was also uninterested in this. So, we went to the default...french fries. This was a hit. She ate while she transferred the fries from their container to my to-go box and back. Unfortunately, at some point, someone took my food away, so I had no leftovers to bring home in my box. Alas.

My cousin said she'd go up and get the desserts and coffee while I stayed at the table with my daughter and watched our bags. It didn't occur to me that this meant that she would be treating me and I didn't think to say anything until she got back! So, Carole very nicely treated me to:

Praline and Caramel Gâteau
Praline mousse layered with almond cake, house-made praline, and coated in dark caramel glaze.

It looks like a little mousy, doesn't it? It's so cute! And those are 24 karat gold leaf "whiskers" on the "nose".

I also had cappuccino with a chocolate biscotti. You can't really tell, but they shape the foam on the cappuccino into an apple.

You can also see in this picture all the layers of the cake. It was very creamy, and I could taste all the different flavors. The praline in the top layer of praline mousse added a nice crunchy texture within the creaminess.

As you also tell from the picture, the dessert aroused my daughter's interest (and one of the cats scratched her hand). She swiped the chocolate curl from my gateau, and enjoyed some herself. She has a sweet tooth like her mother and her great grandfather. Later, unnoticed by me, she also stole my biscotti. Well, she needs it more than me...I'm sure it felt good on her teething gums.

So after a wonderful meal with wonderful company, I was warm and full and happy. Then my daughter began to cry. She was tired. She had been an absolute angel the whole time, and it was time to go. She was out cold almost as soon as I got her into her car seat.

If you're ever in the Hudson Valley, Hyde Park area, I highly recommend visiting the Culinary Institute of America. If you're short on time and funds, breakfast or lunch at the Apple Pie Bakery Cafe is a great choice since you don't need reservations, the food is as good as any of the fancier restaurants, and you can enjoy an entire meal for about $20.

Lunch with Carole at the CIA Part 1

Cool Chandelier at the CIA

Yes, I had lunch at the CIA. I'll bet you never knew they were known for their food. The first time I ever ate at the CIA was with my uncle who took my husband and me there as a thank you gesture...a VERY nice gesture that I have never forgotten and never will. I didn't know what to expect, thinking about eating at the CIA. I figured they must have Top Secret food. I soon found out that CIA stands for the Culinary Institute of America. That's where Bobby Flay and Chef Duff graduated from, in addition to many other famous and not so famous amazing chefs. It's a renown culinary school in Hyde Park, NY. It is absolutely beautiful, and it has several wonderful restaurants both upscale and casual.

As a matter of fact, I met my cousin Carole from Carole's Thoughtful Spot for lunch at the CIA yesterday. She wrote an absolutely wonderful blog entry all about the school and the restaurant where we had lunch with wonderful pictures. As I was carrying two bags and my daughter, I didn't take any pictures until we were inside, so please visit Carole's entry to see beautiful pictures of the CIA, stunning views of the frozen Hudson River, and pictures of the restaurant.

I was so thrilled to be meeting Carole for lunch because we have always had so much fun together, and also because I had been cooped up at home with sick children for weeks.

The last time we met for lunch, we were very health conscious and had Lean Cuisine frozen pizzas with Crystal Light and Weight Watchers ice cream bars for dessert. Yesterday, we did not think about one single calorie. It's a good thing too, because we probably would have needed a good accountant to figure out how many calories we consumed.

The goal of the day was to get out, relax, laugh, eat delicious food, enjoy ourselves, and revitalize. We chose the Apple Pie Bakery both because of the menu and because I could relax and not worry about my daughter making noise or a mess.

I'd been to the Apple Pie Bakery once before. Confronted with the delicacies, delights, and temptations, I ordered an egg white omelet and water. The Apple Pie Bakery really is the worst place to order an egg white omelet and water. There is a plethora of artisan breads, rich meals, and display cases full of artistically prepared desserts of every kind. You can see a slide show of the Apple Pie Bakery as well as the other items they offer here and the cafe menu is available here and the dessert menu is here. Take a look and see what you would order...you just might be taking a ride, sail, or flight over to Hyde Park within the next couple of minutes. Anyway, I wasn't about to make the same mistake twice and felt my arteries begin to harden just thinking about what to choose from the menus.

So as not to spoil Carole's surprise, I will end my post at this point as well and reveal what we had for lunch and dessert and how much fun we had in my next post. You will also get to see more relevant pictures, since the silly picture of the chandelier is the only picture I took (because I was laden with child and bags) that does not reveal what I am not yet ready to reveal.

To be continued...

Sorry for Not Posting

My son has had one virus on top of another with just a few days in between, and I've been consumed with taking care of him and still trying to get everything else done that needs to be done. So, I hope he'll be feeling better soon so that I can get back to blogging.

Adventskalender

The Adventskalender I made for my son

This is what's inside all those packages...except for the scissors and tape, of course. ;)

These are the Adventskalenders my cousin made for her daughter (on top) and her husband made for her (on bottom). Since her husband travels so much, she made one for him with their pictures behind 24 little windows she made in the paper.

This is the Adventskalender my aunt made for my other cousin before she hung the gifts on.

Here it is with the gifts on.

Advent, for those who may not know, is the four weeks prior to Christmas during which Christians spiritually prepare for the coming of Jesus. It's also a time for counting down and waiting and anticipating. While I was growing up, my Grandmother (who was originally from Germany) used to get me Advent Calendars. They were pictures with little doors all over them. Each little door had a number from 1-24 or 1-25. I'd open a door each day to find a little picture and bible quote, and I did this every day until Christmas Day.

I recently was emailing my cousin and Aunt in Germany, and we were talking about Advent Calendars, and they were describing how they made Advent Calendars (Adventskalender in German) for their children and grandchildren. I thought it was so interesting and asked how they made them, and they described them to me.

They have a little trinket that they wrap and number and tie onto something. My cousin uses a garland as well as a piece of cloth with loops sewn onto it. Onto each loop a package is attached. there are 24 loops. My Aunt made these for my cousins when they were children, and still makes them for them. She surprised her son by hanging it in his house while he was out so that he could find it when he came home.

I thought that was such a nice custom, and I decided that we would start the same custom. So, I went to the Christmas Tree Shop, which I call the $2 instead of the $1 store because their things are slightly nicer and only slightly more expensive. I bought 24 gifts, the most expensive one costing $2. I also got a little garland to tie the gifts to. I wrapped the gifts, numbered the gifts, and put them onto the garland. It looked so nice. Then I had to figure out where to hang it. So, I found a blank wall and put up two nails to support the thing, and swagged the Adventskalander over the nails.

I was hoping my son would understand and like it. I put it up while he was at school, and told him when he got home that I had a surprise for him. I brought him over to see, and he looked and said, "Oooooooooo". I was so happy!

And he seems to understand that we can only open one gift every day, and he looks forward to it.
First we have dinner at the table, then I light a candle on the Advent Wreath and read a portion of the Christmas story from the Bible, then we sing happy birthday to baby Jesus, then we (well, I really) blow out the candle, and THEN it's time to open the day's gift.

The first day I got him gel clings that he had a lot of fun putting on the window and then ripping to pieces. The second day he devoured a candy cane. The third day he got a harmonica that I hope (along with blowing out the candles) will help him to learn to blow since he can't do that yet. Today he got a little froggy that lights up when you touch the two prongs on its bottom or when you put it into water. When he opened the present (which he did mostly by himself, which is a completely new skill), he said, "Ooooo a frog!" I could hardly believe it! This is wonderful stuff!

So we sang Five Green and Speckled Frogs and then dinnertime was over.

It was a nice night, and a nice new tradition.

Happy Advent!

Gingerbread Men

All ready to bake complete with step stool for my son
Rolling out the dough

My daughter takes a turn making a gingerbread lady because my son has zero interest in making cookies

I finally get my son to make one cookie
The cookie in the middle is my son's Picasso-style gingerbread man cookie

Yesterday, we had planned on baking gingerbread men and decorating the tree. I had been talking to my son about it, and he seemed very excited. He just loves gingerbread men. He doesn't eat, so he doesn't eat them, but he likes to look at them, and he likes to make them out of Play-do. So, I thought he would be very excited.
Well, things don't always go as planned. I had everything all ready to go when he came home from school yesterday, but yesterday turned out to be a tantrum day. I don't know if he wasn't feeling well, if he was just tired, or if it's just part of his condition, but he was a very naughty boy yesterday, and it was a pretty miserable day.
We still managed to make one cookie together though. He made one and my daughter made one. His came out like a Picasso gingerbread man because he tore it apart and threw it onto the cookie sheet. Being positive, I look at this as being creative. :) He had no interest in doing any more and did not want to decorate. My daughter had fun for about 10 seconds, and then she was done too.
I put them down for naps, but my son was just as naughty when he woke up and threw tantrums and pushed his sister over most of the night. We eventually went out and he was well behaved then, but as soon as we got home, he was ornery again. So, it was bedtime. I finished the cookies, and we'll try decorating the tree again today.

Dark Chocolate Benefits During Pregnancy!

dark chocolate for pregnancy

Intentional Chocolate has some great news about the benefits of dark chocolate during pregnancy! It turns out that eating five or more servings per week of dark chocolate has been found to be incredibly beneficial for pregnant women! This awesome news comes from Elizabeth Triche and her colleagues from Yale University. They studied 2291 pregnant women who gave birth between 1996 and 2000. They researched the connection between how much chocolate the pregnant women ate in their first and second trimesters and the levels of theobromine, a telltale component of chocolate in the umbilical cord blood of their babies. They found that those who ate the most chocolate were at a 70 percent less risk of experiencing preeclampsia. These findings were published in the journal, Epidemiology, and you can read the abstract of the article here.

Well! I wish someone had included me in a study of the benefits of dark chocolate during pregnancy, and I wish I had known about Intentional Chocolate before today!

Intentional Chocolate is a really cool company. They give back 50% of their profits to worthy causes. They have a secret ingredient they put in their chocolate...intention. They actually have experienced meditators, some of whom trained with the Dalai Lama, meditate over the chocolate to instill good intention in the chocolate. Intentional Chocolate even conducted a double blind study that showed that eating Intentional Chocolate elevates mood, energy, and overall sense of well being. And, their chocolates and gift baskets are beautiful and thoughtfully prepared.

So, stock up for yourself! Send a beautiful gift basket for Christmas, to improve the health and well being of someone who's expecting, or to anyone who could use a thought, a prayer, or a blessing in the form of chocolate!

My First Acorn Squash

Acorn Squash Acorn Squash cut and prepared a-la-Paula Deen

Acorn Squash look like flowers when they're cut in half...so pretty!

Baked acorn squash...delicious!

Tonight I cooked and ate my first acorn squash, and I must report that I and my husband both thought it was delicious!

The squash really did look like an acorn before I cut it, and then like flowers after it was cut in half. I got a recipe from Paula Deen (who manages to make a vegetable 9 points), and wound up only using about half the ingredients...the recipe calls for cutting a squash in half, scooping out the seeds, and then brushing the halves with 2 tbs. softened butter mixed with 2 tbs. brown sugar, and 2 tbs. maple syrup. So, we each had 4.5 points of vitamin A, but the squash was so lovely that I think it would have been delicious with less or no sugar.

Our fridge is chock full of vitamin A...we have sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, and we had the acorn squash too...November should be good vision month! :)

What I'm Eating for Lunch These Days

Well, not every day, but most days, this is what I eat for lunch. Two cups of mixed greens, 12 sun dried tomatoes, 1/2 cup of garbanzo beans, four tablespoons of lite vinaigrette, and 20 oz. of Crystal Lite fruit punch. It's quick, it's easy, it's huge, it's filling, it's beautiful, it's nutrient dense, and it's delicious. AND it's only 5 1/2 points for the whole thing. It also provides 5 servings of vegetables , a serving of protein, and 2 1/2 glasses of water. Not bad.

Also, I keep forgetting to post my weekly weigh-in. Last week I lost 1.2 lbs. I had gained almost 10 pounds of weight I had lost over the summer, and this brings me just 3.8 lbs. away from where I was. So, I'm down 36 lbs. since I had my daughter. Not bad. Not as good as it was, but not bad. Also, I have a new scale that is accurate, so I never had lost quite as much weight as I thought I had (as I was going by my home scale and the Weight Watchers scale), but it will come.

I went to my Stroller Strides class again today. I had gotten to the point where I wasn't so terribly sore after classes, and then I had to miss some classes because I was sick and had trouble breathing, and then my son was sick, my daughter was sick, and now I've missed three classes and have to start again. Last time I went to class I aggravated my epicondylitis in my left elbow (that's tennis elbow, ha ha...I don't remember how I got it initially...not by playing tennis, that's for sure, but this time I did too many wall push-ups), and my right knee, which has bursitis (swelling), usually hurts. So, today, I took it a little easy and didn't jump or use the resistance bands because my elbow was bothering me a lot today. I figure it's better to make it through the class without injuring myself so that I can keep going. The class still kicked my behind anyway. It's hard to go back after not going, and the other women in the class are in fabulous shape, but everyone is very nice, and maybe I can inspire someone else walking through the mall who thinks they can't keep up...I just keep going.

My son inspires me a lot...he has to work hard to do everything, he has a lot of trouble keeping up with everyone, but he just keeps going...so, so do I.

How About a Last-Minute Dinner Party for 300 People?

I couldn't imagine 300 people showing up at my doorstep for dinner, unannounced, nor do I believe that 300 people would fit into my little apartment. I do not have 900 eggs in my refrigerator. However, in the interest of blogging, let's suspend belief. Omelets for all! Bon Appetit!

I've been reading a lot about people being inspired by Julia Child after seeing the movie Julie and Julia. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I have loved Julia Child since...I was a child. I've been reading her autobiographical "My Life in France" and love it.

Some of the things I love most about Julia, besides her exuberance and lust for life, is the fact that she didn't find her true calling until she was in her late 30's (like me), and that she had a wonderful relationship with her husband (like my husband and me). Each one was the other's biggest fan, they worked hard together like a real team, and they were best friends who were deeply in love and had a lot of fun together. It's refreshing.

My own recent cooking inspiration has been omelets. I was watching an old episode of the French Chef where Julia makes an omelet. I found a video clip of it on You Tube. I have been making "silly" omelets for my daughter, which involve me jubilantly shaking the pan while she laughs hysterically. It's a great bonding experience to cook with your children, even if they're under 1 year old. Give it a try!

The Funniest Sign and the Best Ice Cream

Tonight we all went out for ice cream at Heinchon Dairy Ice Cream. On the way there, we passed the funniest sign we have ever seen. There was a sign (as you can see above) that said, "Judge Crossing". WHAT does that mean????? Do we need to watch out for a robed figure suddenly running in front of our car? Might there be a rogue wig flowing through the air? We got a lot of laughs about this one. AND the picture above I downloaded from Geocaching.com because it was posted as a waypoint by MY OWN COUSIN. You see, the same sense of humor obviously runs in the family.

This sign we passed on our way to the Heinchon Dairy's Ice Cream parlor which is housed in an old farmhouse right next to a farm. The ice cream is made from the freshest all natural ingredients, including milk and cream straight from the Heinchon dairy down the road. It doesn't get any better.

We got out of the car, and the smell of country air filled our heads. A clean smell of life...a mix of freshly cut hay wafting over from somewhere, mixed with trees and flowers. It was intoxicating. That became mixed with the aroma of home made ice cream toppings as we approached the door to the parlor. Oh boy. Inside, there are old school desks as well as traditional ice cream parlor tables and chairs. There are also tables outside on the porch and picnic tables in the grass behind the house. We ordered ice cream for all of us (although the kids didn't eat more than a spoonful each, and my husband wound up finishing it for them...it was a sacrifice). I got my ice cream topped with home made hot fudge, and when I put the first spoonful in my mouth, I was immediately transported to my childhood because the fudge was made with Baker's Chocolate...the very same that my Grandmother used to make the frosting for my birthday cakes. We chose to eat outside at a picnic table so my son could run around and climb on the straw bales, and we could sit and savor the experience of enjoying old fashioned good food just a step away from its original source in the serenest of settings. It was simply a wonderful experience in every way, and as Julia Child always said, "Everything in moderation!"

Barbecue

Well, today I am going to be putting together our new barbecue. We used to have an electric barbecue when we owned our co-op on Long Island, but the fire marshall changed the rules to say that NO barbecue of ANY kind was allowed to even exist on the patio, even if it wasn't being used. They imposed a $500 fee for anyone "harboring" such an offense. So, we had to get rid of our beloved barbecue. Since we moved upstate, we've been allowed to have an electric barbecue, but just never got around to getting one until now. I'm very excited. Electric barbecues work really well, and once the grease drips down on the heating element and burns, you get a great charcoal flavor in the food. It's a beautiful thing. And, it's nice not to have to heat up the kitchen, and it's also a great way to cook healthy food...AND no pots and pans to scrub!

My very favorite thing to eat barbecued is corn. When I go to a carnival, I don't want the fried dough or anything else...I want the roasted corn. When I cook corn without a barbecue, I throw it into the oven, husk and all, and roast it. Most of the silk burns away, and I peel down the husk and use it as a handle. The very best is when the local corn comes into season...there is nothing better...not even chocolate. The first time I ever ate roasted corn in its husk was over my sister's house...as a matter of fact, my sister is the one who bought us our first electric grill.

Well, I'd better get to work! I think I'll roast an ear of corn while I'm working.

An Argument for New York Pizza

There's an ongoing debate about which is better...New York Pizza or Chicago Pizza. Well, if you've ever eaten at Uno's Pizzeria, you know that Chicago style pizza is deep dish pizza. It's delicious, but do you KNOW how many calories and how much fat is in one of those "individual" pizzas??????

If you get Pizza Skins, which is a pizza dough stuffed with mashed potatoes and onions, and topped with cheddar cheese and bacon, it's got 60 points, which is three days worth of food!!! For those of you not familiar with points, that's 2400 calories and 155 grams of fat. And that's BEFORE you put on any of the sour cream they give you, AND they consider this an appetizer.

For a plain, ordinary, "individual" pizza, you'll be getting 1740 calories and 36 grams of fat, or 37 points...before you put on any of the three toppings they allow. Eek.

One slice of New York pizza is six points. One wedge of an "individual" Chicago style pizza is 1/2 of a serving, and it's also 6 points per wedge, but it's so much smaller!!!!!!!! Two wedges of that pizza can fit into a teacup.

I can't believe how much of this pizza I've eaten in my life. Uno's discloses all this information on its website and in a book at its locations, but I think it's still surprising. No wonder it tastes so good.

Chef Jacques Pepin on Top Chef

Top Chef Head Judge Tom Colicchio (whose cookbook "How to Think Like a Chef" my wonderful husband bought me for Christmas) and Host Padma Lakshmi (too bad she's not good looking...Ha! Holy Cow, if only I looked like that!)

This Wednesday at 10 pm EST on A&E, Chef Jacques Pepin will be a guest judge on Top Chef. I'm so excited to watch!

Top Chef is one of my favorite TV programs. They're up to the fifth season already! I started watching during the second season, and then was lucky enough to catch a marathon of the first one. The show starts with 16 contestant chefs, and they are eliminated one by one (occasionally two by two), until there's only one standing. That last one standing becomes the Top Chef for that season, and they win all sorts of neat stuff like $100,000, an editorial feature in Food and Wine Magazine, and a spot at the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen.

The show begins with a quickfire challenge, where the chefs are given some sort of rules and a short time limit to come up with the best dish they can, or to compete in skills, or to identify or name ingredients in a dish they taste. For example, on one episode, they had 30 minutes to create an amuse bouche (amuse the mouth...a small mouthful to whet the appetite) using only ingredients they could find in a vending machine. Sheesh. LOL

Then they go on to the elimination round, which is more involved. Again, they have a challenge and usually limited resources or ingredients to work with, and have to make the best dish they can...like cooking a Thanksgiving Dinner using only microwaves and toaster ovens.

If you haven't checked out the show yet, give it a try. It's a lot of fun to watch. :)

By the way, none of my posts are paid...I just like to write about stuff I like. :D

Jacques Pepin

It astounds me that there are so many people who don't know who Jacques Pepin is, so I am going to tell you right now. :)

Jacques Pepin is my favorite chef. He's been around for a very long time, is extremely talented, and seems to be very down to earth. He cooks very complicated fancy food, and very simple food. I have two of his cookbooks, and I use them often. They are "Fast Food My Way" and "Simple and Healthy Cooking". He has a brand new cook book out called "More Fast Food My Way", and there is a television series based upon the recipes on public television. Although I don't have the techniques to make food quite as fast as he, the recipes are certainly doable as weekday evening meals, and many of them are nice enough to be presented as special meals as well.

My favorite recipe from the books I own is from "Fast Food My Way", and it is Stuffed Scallops on Mushroom Rice.

I don't own "Jacques Pepin Celebrates", but in this book, he shows you how to cook a fish in pastry that you shape and mark like a fish, as well as how to make a Buche de Noel, which is a Yule log cake. He shows you how to make chocolate bark for the log, made a branch, and even meringue mushrooms.

He is renowned for his techniques, and his book, "La Technique" is a textbook at the French Culinary Institute where he is the Dean of Special Programs, as well as anywhere the fundamentals of French cuisine are taught. In this book, for which there is also a video, he shows basic techniques of cooking and lots and lots of knife work. In one of my favorite segments, he shows you how to carve fish out of mushrooms as a garnish.

Public television gets all its money from its viewers, and they offer incentives to get you to pledge money. Well, a few years ago, I was so sorry that I wasn't rich. They were offering a day of cooking with Jacques Pepin, then dining with him, with wines paired with each meal... for $500 per person. Ah well. Maybe when I win the lottery.

If you'd like to know more about Chef Pepin, you can read the entry on Wikipedia, which is very informative http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Pepin, and his books are all available at bookstores and on http://www.amazon.com/.

Honey Baked Ham

There are Honey Baked Ham stores all over the country, but there isn't one within a two hour's drive of where I live. I used to live on Long Island, and used to have my choice of two stores. Admittedly, these hams are expensive. However, they are absolutely delicious...the best part is the outside where they torch some sort of sweet mixture like brown sugar and honey into a hard glaze. As you pull apart the spiral sliced ham, pieces of this coating chip off, and when you eat them, they melt ever so delicately in your mouth. Well, I was reading their website one day trying to find a closer store (unsuccessfully), and saw that they will ship a ham. Naively, I thought that would be great. Unfortunately, and I should have been able to figure this out for myself, the coating is all melted by the time the frozen ham defrosts in the fridge, and is, for all intents and purposes, gone by the time it is served. WHAT A BUMMER!!! It did still taste quite good, but not better than something I could have made myself without a terrible amount of time or effort, and it was not worth the expense. So the new question is, is it worth a four hour round trip drive? I'll have to think about that one...