Comfort re-defined

What do you see in this picture? Yup, that's right - that would be fear in Brinkley's eyes. I would fear Kiki too, better known as Little Terror.  She screams at Brinkley, she pulls her fur, she yanks her ears, and tries to chase her around the house. Poor Brinkley! ....and sorry Brinkley no matter how much you beg me and plead with me, we can't return her, she is here to stay! Just try enjoy all the good stuff aka extra food you get fed and someone to play catch all the time ;)

I often think breakfast makes the best dinner...and lunch. I love breakfast foods...cereal, toast and jam, peanut butter and jelly, yogurt and granola, green smoothies, scrambled eggs, omelets...ALL. So why not have breakfast for dinner - it's comforting, fulfilling and oh, so good. So why not, right!

The chef made crispy Naan bread with mixture of sharp cheddar and parmesan cheese with arugula, prosciutto and a fried egg. While enjoying this delicious breakfast for dinner, I couldn't decide what I liked better - crispy Naan bread, or arugula with lemon dressing or fried egg, it was all so delicious, and heavy. Truly there was nothing light about this meal, but it was so comforting, so needed and so tasty.  The lemon dressing was so refreshing. The fried egg so creamy...oh boy I want another one!

Recipe: Crispy Breakfast Pita [source] - recipe slightly adjusted

Ingredients

2 6-inch pita breads Naan bread

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 large eggs

3/4 cup (6 ounces) mascarpone cheese mixture of cheddar and parmesan

Grated zest of 1/2 large lemon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 packed cups (3 ounces) arugula or baby spinach

8 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

Directions

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Brush each side of the pita breads with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and grill 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until crisp. Remove from the grill and cool slightly.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Crack the eggs directly into the pan and cook until the egg whites are set, 2 to 3 minutes.

Combine the mascarpone cheese, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth. Add the arugula and toss until coated.

Spread each pita with 2 tablespoons of the mascarpone mixture. Divide the prosciutto on top. Divide the arugula and mound on top of the prosciutto. Carefully place a fried egg on top of each pita. Season the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper, and serve.

Meatless Monday: Indian at home

We are celebrating Meatless Monday Week! With the exception of Tuesday, we are pretty much eating meatless this whole week. Yipee!!!!

I talked with my mom on Sunday and as always I shared our weekly plan with her. I told her no matter how much I like meat, eating meatless makes me feel happier, lighter and fully satisfied. To my surprise, she said she feels the same way. I find it so interesting because we are a family of carnivores, but secretly both my mom and I prefer vegetarian way of eating. What's even funnier, my daughter also prefers vegetarian over meat based meals. I guess the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree ;)

Today the chef prepared one of our vegetarian staples - chana masala. This light version of a favorite curry dish is a delicious way to celebrate Meatless Mondays. We served chana masala on bed of basmati rice. If you have greek yogurt on hand, it's great served on top.

Chana Masala Recipe [source]
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups fresh chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

2 teaspoons olive oil 

1 cup chopped onion 

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced 

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

3/4 cup organic vegetable broth 

1/2 cup chopped seeded tomato 

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1/8 teaspoon garam masala

Preparation

Sort and wash the chickpeas, and place in a large saucepan. Cover with water to 2 inches above chickpeas; bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, ginger, and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in salt, cumin, and pepper; cook 1 minute. Add chickpeas, broth, and tomato; cook 5 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in chopped cilantro and garam masala.

Weekly Menu and sweapstake giveaway winner announced, finally!

I am a few days late with posting our weekly menu, but I assure you we have one. I made the menu on my flight back home, mostly inspired by this little gem. It surely makes dinner planning easy ;)

I am determined to share with you each night of the weekly menu.  It's going to be real good - easy, quick, healthy, and baby approved :) These days, that is becoming the most important part of all of our meals.

Saturday: Leftover pizza and cilantro shrimp on bed of arugula

Sunday: Mushroom - Brown Rice Risotto

Monday: Chana Massala

Tuesday: Crispy breakfast pita...for dinner

Wednesday: Asparagus and Cheese tart

Thursday: Couscous salad with black beans, mushrooms and corn

Friday: leftovers...there will be plenty of them for sure

Q: What are you eating this week? What inspires your meal?


P.S. My biggest apologies to my readers who entered the blog giveaway...a few weeks ago. I have finally gotten around and picked a winner, well I didn't, but the random.org did, and the winner is (DRUMS PLEASE) - Lizzy Allen :) Lizzy, please email me address where you would like me to mail you your gift:-)

Weekend Lookbook

hello there...hope your weekend was a memorable one and Monday off to a great start. I returned from travels late Friday night and went straight to bed to be awaken on Saturday morning by the sweetest sound ever "Ma-Ma"!!!! My sweet little girl calls me "ma-ma". She still looks at me and says pa-pa, but here and there I get "ma-ma". My heart completely melts every time I hear it.

Our weekend was busy...very busy. On Saturday we attended a first kids' party and it was so much fun. Can't wait to plan Kiki's first birthday party or better yet a month of birthday festivities.

 We played A LOT. Of course Kiki pulls out all the toys, throws them all around, and moves on to the "real" stuff...

You know, all the stuff she is not supposed to be "playing" with. She knows she is not supposed to play with her wipes, but she waits for a moment I step away, pulls them off the shelf and takes one by one from the box. The problem is, as much as I say NO, I can't stop laughing - of course I am encouraging the behavior! Oh well...we only live once!

On Sunday we skipped our swimming class and decided to join our "yoga mamma" group, which was the best decision ever. 

 It is great to get all of the kids together and see them "play", but more than anything it's great to see all the moms and exchange tips, knowledge and experiences. I find it so useful to hear what everyone is going through. Even though all of ours kids are about the same age, they are all doing different things developmentally. 

 Kiki's favorite toy was a drum. I am actually crazy enough to consider getting one. I might as well...she is using all of the furniture as her drums anyway, so why not get her some. Crazy, right?!?!

 This is my favorite picture from the weekend. Kiki loves photo albums and books and having photo books of our family is wonderful. We are always showing her photos and telling her who is who. It makes us feel a little closer to everyone.

Q: How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?

Welcome Spring

Welcome Spring! My favorite season of them all...unfortunately we don't have the real spring in Miami, but we have our version of spring. Our version of spring includes temperatures in high 70s or low 80s, breeze, no humidity, laying by the pool, taking evening walks and enjoying wine in the back yard. It's absolutely my favorite time in Miami. So instead of crying and whining that Miami spring is almost over,  I've decided it's good time to celebrate it!

In spirit of celebrating calendar's first day of spring, the chef made a "spring has sprung green" dinner. 

 The chef made penne pasta with pesto, peas and shrimp with shaved parmesan. I love shaved parmesan.  After dinner, I proceeded to eat plain shaved parmesan. Absolutely delicious.

The green color always makes me feel better about my food choices - green means healthy, right? 

I also celebrated with a glass of Ca'Bolani Sauvignon Blanc. I always associate lazy summer nights with this wine.

Q: How did you celebrate first day of spring?

Meatless Monday

I read a great quote today by Margaret Mead "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, commited citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." This quote made me think of my commitment to Meatless Mondays.


When we started Meatless Mondays a few years ago it was such a novelty. I was on a health kick and eating meatless seemed like a cool thing. But with time it became the way of life. Meatless Monday has changed my life. I just can't bring myself to eat meat on Mondays any more. And when I do, I feel extremely guilty...as if I am cheating on vegetarian me. 


So why Monday? Monday is the beginning of the work week, the day when we settle back into our weekly routine. Unhealthy habits that took place over the weekend can be forgotten and replaced with positive choices. Having a Meatless Monday is a weekly reminder to restart my healthy habits. It's interesting how my commitment to Meatless Monday changed over time. At a beginning it was about trying something new [cool], but it became so much more - it is about me making better choices, about making a difference. As Margaret Mead said a small group of people can make huge difference, and by having at least one meatless day in a week, I know I am making my contribution to the better tomorrow.


So now that I am done with the philosophical part ;) let's talk about today and our meatless meal. The easiest way to try a meatless meal is to have some beans. Tonight, the chef made black bean burgers. They are easy to make and tasty, two of my favorite things in a recipe. I think the word that best describes them is "earthy". They were thick and hearthy, well spiced, just full of flavor. 

I have to say I was instrumental in tonight's dinner as we didn't have any bread crumbs or panko, but we needed something to hold the mixture together so I suggested steel cut oats and they were perfect!

You know what's even better, there are plenty of leftovers, for me and Kiki. I think she will love it too.


Side dish - perfectly seasoned and baked Alexia sweet potato fries. Always delicious!

[Black-bean burgers with avocado and sauteed onions]
INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
21/2 cups cooked black beans
1 small red pepper
3/4 cup steel cut oats
1 large egg


DIRECTIONS

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat. Add one small red onion, thinly sliced and cook about one minute. Add 1 teaspoon sugar and cook until dissolved. Add 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar and season with coarse salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and wipe the skillet. 

In a large bowl, mash 2 1/2 cups of your reserved bean mixture. Stir in steel cut oats, egg and the remaining 1 1/2 cups beans (un-mashed). Season with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and form mixture into four patties. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in your skillet over medium-high. Cook two patties until crisp on the outside and heated through – about 7 minutes, flipping once. Repeat with more oil and remaining patties.

The original recipe calls for mayonaise, but we only used ketchup on our "thin buns", yup we didn't have those either. The chef topped his with a little cheese, avocado and sauteed onion and I omitted onions and cheese, and used avocado and spinach. All I can say is, thank God we have leftovers for tomorrow.

Weekend Lookbook

If you looked up word "PERFECT" in dictionary you would have seen what my weekend was like - absolutely perfect! As usual, I wrote my weekend to-do list and set out to work on immediately, on Friday afternoon! So by the time Saturday afternoon rolled around, I was D.O.N.E. and ready to enjoy my weekend and not be bogged down with thoughts of what has or has not been done.

On Saturday afternoon we went to our friend's St. Patty's party and my little girl was a true princess. I absolutely love dressing her up. And she knows she is the cutest. Somehow of course we lost a shoe before we even left the house, but that didn't deter her from being the center of the attention. What's even more interesting, she knows it's photo time, so she poses and smiles. She is camera ready!

Kiki is entering the most fun stage ever - walking, standing, talking and playing. I am so in love with everything she does and how she does it. She is starting to show a very strong personality! I wonder where she gets it ;) She knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. We played with every single toy she has and of course a few of mine. I never thought I was going to enjoy playing on the floor so much!

While Kiki napped, I escaped to the pool and read. I haven't been to the pool since before I gave birth and it was so nice for couple of hours to lay in silence by the pool and read my favorite magazines. It was the most relaxing thing I have done in a very long time. I recharged my batteries and headed back in for some more playing.

 Time spent with the chef, Kiki and the sous-chef was glorious. It truly made it for a sensational weekend. I feel well rested, recharged and ready for whatever the week will bring.

Q: How was your weekend? What made your weekend special?

** all photos are taken with my iPhone**

Weekly Menu Plan

[source]

Last week was a very hectic with me being gone for almost a week. I haven't traveled since last October and a lot has changed since than. Kiki is much more aware of my absence and I have harder time leaving her and of course with that I have more guilt. 

She is eating "real" food now which means when meal planning I also like to plan her meals. When meal planning for the chef and me I am trying to figure out whether she can eat what we are having - did she get enough servings of veggies, did she get enough protein, making sure meals don't have nuts, eggs, etc.   Does she get enough of variety of foods? So much to think about...but I know it's all good for her. 

I do have to admit that I love that her favorite foods seem to be cheese, roasted pepper hummus and pita bread :) Can you tell she is my child? What is interesting, she does not like bananas! Have you met a kid who doesn't like bananas!?! Crazy, I know. The best thing about her eating food that we eat besides getting all the nutrients and developing her palette, is that I make much better choices now. I don't want her to see me eating junk, so when I need a snack I go for a healthy choice, usually fruit so I can share it with her. And she loves it!

Sunday: Chicken Milanese

Monday: Black bean burgers with sweet potato fries

Tuesday: Shrimp + penne with spring herb pesto

Wednesday: Broccoli rabe pesto + whole wheat pasta + turkey sausage

Thursday: travel, travel, travel

Friday: travel, travel, travel

Q: What's on your menu for this week? If you have babies, how do you incorporate their meals into yours without cooking everything separately? 

Las Vegas Baby

As you might have noticed it, I've been missing in action for a few days and that's because I was having loads of fun in Las Vegas. I went there for work, but it certainly wasn't all just work, there was quite a good amount of play involved too. After all, it's Vegas Baby.

Yes, I actually bought one of these for Kiki. I just couldn't resists and of course a few other little things. Nowadays, I can't seem to go anywhere without picking up something for her.

Besides the work, I thought time spent with my colleagues was really productive as I rarely ever see them since we are scattered all over the US. My "play time" involved going to some fancy restaurants, sipping good cocktails, drinking goof wine and shopping. One thing I love about Las Vegas is plethora of amazing stores and phenomenal offering of luxurious goodies. 

But before I even left, I packed almost all the magazines I have collected in the last three months (and there were many of them) an brought them with me. I used to be one of those people if the magazine came in mail or I picked it up at the store, I would immediately read it. Nowadays, I am lucky if I glance through it, reading a magazine has become a luxury. 

I had all kinds of magazines - food, parenting, healthy living and fashion and I am proud to say I got through them all. The only ones that I brought back with me was the "Cooking Light" magazine. This magazine is just loaded with great recipes and delicious foods. I can't wait to get home to try them out.

On the first day we walked into a restaurant at the new Cosmopolitan Hotel called "Holsteins" and as we were seated, we were asked to acknowledge a waiver for "Cooking Channel" show that was being filmed, unfortunately, I do not think we got on camera which was disappointing, but the food was awesome. I had a Main Lobster Roll with shoe string fries and aside of cabbage salad. It was delicious.

After we spent a whole day freezing in the seminars, we decided to warm up with some cocktails at the Sugar Factory, probably the best discovery of this trip. The Sugar Factory is a sweet-lovers' dream filled with delectable treats, scrumptious chocolates, and an incredible array of selections. 


The most fun decor I've seen in a restaurant in a long time - so bright and so fun!

I was so taken by the design and the look of the store/restaurant/bar - very whimsical, sweet and yummy.

[source]

I was in the mood for something sweet, so I decided on ALMOND JOY. It was like eating the real Almond Joy candy infused with vodka, a lot of vodka. If you like chocolate and coconut, this is your drink - absolutely divine.

Following our "warming up" drinks, we went to dinner at Michael Mina's restaurant at the Bellagio.

[source]

We started off with great appetizers - heirloom beet salad, main lobster tortellini, and truffle risotto butternut squash with shaved truffle - if it wasn't as fancy restaurant as it was I would have licked the plates - they were so delicious!

Since we were still a little hungry, we decided to share two main courses - phyllo crusted sole and truffled stuffed jidori chicken with savoy cabbage foie gras rice

Of course no dinner would have been completed without a good dessert

Since everything we have been enjoying has been on the heavy side, the next day I was desperately craving greens. It was a beautiful day and we wanted to eat al fresco, we decided to have a lunch at the "Sugar Factory". I didn't even bother looking at the menu past salads and decided on the Cobb salad. It was a deconstructed Cobb salad, very rich on greens and very little of anything else. All the ingredients were very fresh, but I wished there was a little bit more of avocado and eggs and there were no tomatoes, well there were dry roasted ones, but...oh well. I won't complain, it was very fresh and very green, exactly what I wanted.

Shortly after very crunchy and green lunch, I boarded the plane and flew to L.A. for my layover before heading home. I've never been to the LAX before, and I got to admit, I was not impressed at all. So after a few hours at a very boring airport, I finally boarded my red eye and arrived home just as Kiki was waking up. Best thing about coming home was getting hugs an kisses from my little munchkin! Snuggling with her is priceless...Totally worth it being late for work!

Somewhere in the air

As you are reading this post, I am flying somewhere across the continental US. 

Can you guess where I was?

I'll be home soon - many more photos to follow.

P.S. If you are friends with me on Facebook, you probably already know ;)

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for:

my patience

Cville cluster granola crunch

Starbucks pods

Black bean burgers

walks around the lake

last bottle of the day for Kiki - I get to hold her and enjoy the "baby perfume" - the best way to end my day

Google reader

Q: What are you thankful for today?

My First....Martha Stewart with Avery Giveaway...

It was love at first sight...Finally!...I can't believe it's finally here - Martha Stewart's Avery Collection for Staples. 

Yesterday I walked into Staples and stood in front of the MS Collection and wanted to buy every single item. Actually, let me retract that, I bought every single item! I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that I was “Oooh-ing and Aweee-ing” when standing in front of row of all these beauties.

Just like everything Martha does, this collection is clean, classic and pretty. The products are clever, pretty, simple, inexpensive - perfect to keep your home organized.

This collection is versatile and useful. There are over 300 items in the line and I overheard there is more stuff coming out.

Some of my favorite items are:

• Chalkboard labels that can be reused
• Self-adhesive weekly dry erase to-do lists for your fridge 
• A variety of filing pockets, folders, and accordion folder

Because I am so obsessed with everything Martha Stewart and I want to share my obsession, I am giving away this very chic and beautiful planning system. 

Prize includes:
Planning Binder
Planner Insert (labels)
Plastic Dividers

To enter this giveaway, check out the full portfolio and leave a comment below telling me which products you would love to have. No purchase necessary. Winners will be notified via email with the specifics on how to claim their prize. Contest ends 3/11/12 at Midnight EST. Winners will be picked by random.org.

For extra entries:

1. Follow "@Fauxfoodiegirl" on Twitter

2. Tweet this message "Obsessed with all Martha Stewart Avery Collection" #FFGgiveaway

3. Follow my blog on Networked Blogs

Full Discloser: This is NOT a sponsored post I just love office supplies! I am in no way affiliated with Martha Stewart, Avery or Staples, nor to they know how I am or anything about my obsessions with all things organized. I have purchased all the items myself and opinions are 100% mine.

When Chef is out of town

Ah, like Mother, like Daughter!

Tonight I stepped away for a second into the kitchen and when I came back, I found Kiki on the floor, doing this....

You have to appreciate her love of cookbooks...it must be in our blood:)

In the other news, the moment chef announces that he is leaving town, I cringe... What in a world am I going to do for dinner????? That's first thought that goes through my mind. The second thought, oh I will miss him! Priorities!

We all know I don't do well around the kitchen. I know my path to the refrigerator and that's about it, anything past that, well let's just say there is not much chemistry happening. Unless it has to do with this little box.

I found a way to really prettify it and make it my version of gourmet "homemade" pizza. 

I added two eggs, baked for 13 minutes on 425F

let it cooled off for a minute or two and than added some arugula

time to enjoy

the pizza, glass of wine and "Bethenny Ever After" (I am totally obsessed).

P.S. My big nice camera's battery died so all photos tonight were taken with my iPhone!