Hi everybody! It's good to be back!
I hope you missed me. ;-)
We took the entire family to New York City this past
week, so my son
could play in a baseball tournament and my daughter
could take
advantage of a dance scholarship.
We combined "business" with pleasure and saw some
sights. As usual,
NYC was bustling and energetic and fun on a grand
scale.
We visited Ground Zero for the first time since 9/11,
and I must say I was
surprised by how moving it is, even with all the
construction going on. If
you have a chance to visit NYC, make sure you pop into
St. Paul's
Chapel right across from the street where the towers
stood. It has
several exhibits from those very sad days, and you
will be inspired to
take a few quiet moments out of your busy world to
remember that life
is indeed precious.
Here are some of the pics:
One of the other highlights (besides learning that
there is, indeed, a
Starbucks on every corner) was the food. In the
past, we'd always
stuck to safe options, like McD's and the occasional
deli. (When you've
got kids in tow, McNuggets always work.)
We took the advice of friends and visited Carmine's
off Times Square
for family-style Italian. The kids
declared: "best food in the world"!
We also tried John's Pizzeria near Times Square.
If you like thin crust
with delectable sauce and perfectly melted cheese
cooked in a
traditional brick oven, you'll love this stuff.
The kids declared: "best
pizza in the world"!
If you ever go to NYC, definitely ask the locals where
they eat. We're
glad we did.
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In the spirit of sharing good food, let me share a
couple great recipes with
you that my family has been enjoying recently.
They're not only tasty,
they're good for your waistline, too.
If you're using "Real People Don't Diet" to lose
weight, stick these recipes into your meal rotation and enjoy
eating like a "real" person.
extra virgin olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves
1/4 red onion
fresh or frozen broccoli florets, in smaller pieces
1 package natural chicken sausage (we like sweet
Italian), sliced
1 lb. bow tie pasta, cooked and drained
zesty Italian dressing
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Cover the bottom of a skillet with olive oil and saute
garlic and onion until soft. Add broccoli and saute 2-3 minutes,
then add sausage. Drizzle Italian dressing over mixture to taste;
continue to saute and stir until broccoli is cooked.
Add mixture to bow-tie pasta and toss with cheese. Add more
Italian dressing, if desired. Serve hot!
Mouth-Watering Chicken and Veggies
(This is our favorite for a cool or rainy day--your
mouth will water as it cooks.)
6-8 frozen chicken tenderloins
1 large can cream of chicken soup
1 envelope onion soup mix
3 cups frozen carrots
1 1/2 cups frozen broccoli florets
1 1/4 cups skim milk
1 lb. wheat penne (we prefer Barilla)
Place tenderloins in bottom of 4-quart slow
cooker. In a separate bowl,
mix remaining ingredients. Pour over
chicken. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
Serve over cooked and drained pasta. Terrific
with a side salad of baby
Romaine and spinach.
=====
You can get more of our family recipes in the special
cookbook bonus to
Of course, as I get new meal ideas, I'll keep sharing
them with you, my
virtual friends...