November 12th, 2012
This past weekend we decided to make a quick trip to New York City. My brother-in-law had never been to New York so we decided to take a train from PA to NYC. What I did not realize or what others in our party did not realize is that the train ride would be a little over 4 hours. I did not realize having a toddler plus a few small bags would make this trip challenging but it was definitely an experience. I believe I am now much more prepared for my airplane trip to Texas in December.
Since Ryan had some classes to teach on Friday we were not able to leave until after 11 am but I was fine with that because I could get Julianne to nap. She napped more than an hour but then I had to get her up which was sad because she was still very much asleep. How cute!
As soon as I got her ready we headed to the station and met up with Ryan and parked our cars. We were ready for our first train to NYC!
We had wonderful weather and we tried to take as few things with us including one diaper bag in a backpack. I did not carry Julianne in the Ergo the whole trip because well it is somewhat difficult carrying her and myself and the baby! It was exciting side carrying her for the first time.
Julianne really enjoyed the train ride. It was very challenging keeping a toddler occupied and distracted. She loved standing on our legs and reaching out for the train tickets and saying hello to strangers. She got a bit hot so we took off her fleece pants to cool off. Daddy tried to do some work meanwhile. Ha!
When we finally arrived we took the subway to our hotel and then headed out to dinner. We were famished! Since Ryan and I had been to NYC back in 2011 we knew there were several places we wanted to go back to. Lombardi’s was the place we chose to share with our family. It was delicious! Even Julianne had her first crust with marinara and chowed down, loving each morsel!
After dinner, we decided to split off for the evening. We knew we had to take Julianne back to bed and some clean up time so we let my sister and BIL head out to Times Square and Serendipity 3. (Jelaous!) We stopped right across the street into Rice to Riches, the place shown in the movie Hitch. I totally did not know it was a dessert place but when Ryan found out it was a rice pudding place I knew he would need to have something. We decided to split a dark chocolate pudding and a tiramisu flavored rice pudding. SO delicious!
We took the subway back to the hotel and got off one stop before our hotel so we could show Julianne Grand Central Station. She loved it, especially the constellations on the ceiling.
When we got to the hotel, Julianne was SO excited to roam around and jump on the soft pillows on the bed.
The hotel provided a crib that she enjoyed sleeping in but it was not so exciting when she woke up at 3:30am. It is hard to have 4 people sleep in one room plus a baby but it was doable.
What happened the next day? Stay tuned tomorrow!
All these pictures were taken with the LG Intuition, a sample phone from Verizon. Disclosure: I’m a part of the Verizon Savvy Gourmet program and have been provided a wireless device to use and review. I have not been compensated for a positive review; the opinions shared are all my own.
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November 9th, 2012
It hit me this past week that I was not pregnant during the winter months the first time around. I have been going a little batty trying to find time to go to consignment stores and inquiring on area mommy boards if anyone would have a coat to lend me.
I found a peacoat among my winter clothing that will fit me one more month so I am doing okay with that. I have had someone let me borrow their red coat so I think I am doing well in that department.
Then I realized the sweaters I owned covered half my tummy. Sheesh. How silly could I look.
This week I received some coupons by text from Target for $5 off of $20 or more purchase of Liz Lange maternity clothing. Score! I decided I would make two transactions and invest in two sweaters.
In the meantime I am looking at layering and using nice scarves until I am able to find some good combinations. Until then, have a wonderful weekend!
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November 8th, 2012
Did everyone survive the little or big snowfall? We had 1/2 an inch in our area and it was COLD! I cannot believe that the snow is here already.
I believe Julianne and I are having a hard time not getting to go to the park but we have a new indoor playground at our local mall that we have visited already!
I do not know about you but those playgrounds get dirty quickly especially since there are parents that STILL bring their sick kids to them. Sigh. I just do not understand it. Either way, we probably will take walks in the mall and pass by it so she can see kids play.
On Monday, Julianne and I took a walk with the Ergo carrier. I used my Peekaru cover that I received a year ago and still bundled her up before we left. It was a 20 minute walk and very comfortable despite being 24 weeks pregnant. This can be worn on the back too so we are hoping to use this in New York this weekend. Even though it was a fun walk, carrying a baby and a toddler is a lot of work.
I do not know about you but when it gets colder all I want to do is bake. I like smelling seasonal smells in the house so after I saw a delicious recipe for an apple bread ring by Cake Duchess I knew I had to make a similar recipe, veganizing it and adding some more mixin’s!
These were delicious rolls and really not too sweet. You cannot go wrong with this recipe. They are even nice warmed up the next day with a strong cup of coffee. Get to your baking and make these today!
Apple Cinnamon Almond Rolls
by Noelle Kelly / veganized and adapted from Cake Duchess’ apple bread ring
Prep Time: 90 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients (16 rolls)
Dough Ingredients
- 7/8 cup warm So Delicious coconut milk (no more than 110°F [43°C])
- 1¼ tsp. ( 1 packet) active dry yeast
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 4 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 flax “eggs” (2 Tbsp flax seed meal + 6 Tbsp warm water) (mix and set aside for 5 min)
- 4 Tablespoons Earth Balance margarine, room temperature
Apple Filling
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 4 Tablespoons Earth Balance margarine
- 5 to 6 medium to large apples (I used Fuji), peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- juice of two lemons
Second Filling
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 teaspoons So Delicious coconut milk
Instructions
For Dough
In a mixer, with a dough hook attachment, add the warm milk and yeast. Mix until blended. Add the sugar and mix about a minute. Slowly mix in 1 cup of the flour until combined. Mix in the flax eggs until they are combined. Then add the margarine in small chunks and beat well. Add the remaining flour a handful at a time and mix in until a soft but knead-able dough is achieved and the butter thoroughly incorporated. Knead the dough by hand on counter until it is smooth and satiny for a couple of minutes. Add a touch of flour if dough is too sticky.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise and room temperature until doubled in size for 1 hour.
While the dough is rising, make the apple filling
In a medium-sized skillet on medium heat, toss in the brown sugar and margarine. When the margarine has melted. Add the apples, water, cinnamon and lemon juice to the sugar mixture. Cook the apples until most of the water evaporates; remove from the heat and let cool completely.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Spray a 9 x13 glass dish. Deflate the dough and dump out onto a clean counter. Roll the dough out into a rectangular sheet about 16″ by 12″ (40cm by 30cm).
Mix 1/2 cup brown sugar with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 3/4 cup sliced almonds. Spread over the dough and then spread the cooled apple filling over the sugary dough leaving a little dough exposed around the edge.
Carefully roll the dough into a cylinder along the long side. Pinch the dough along the seam to hold it closed, then put the seam on the bottom and adjust the carefully shape into a cylinder.
With a very sharp knife, cut the log into 16 slices. Place the sliced pieces into the dish, with the flat sliced edge down and the seam on the inside.
Set aside to rise uncovered until doubled in size; approximately 30-40 minutes.
Bake at 350°F (180°C) for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. When cooled, drizzle on the icing. Enjoy!
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November 7th, 2012
I am really excited to share this review with you this week. I am a huge fan of jewelry, especially when it comes to sterling silver. If there is something you did not know about me is that I love making my own jewelry but it is all more focused on designing and beading and nothing compared to what Rose Kren makes in her daily life.
I find myself endorsing Rose because well, even though I now live in Pennsylvania, I still miss Michigan and local business there. I somehow did not experience local businesses while living in Texas, so as I learned about small towns and cities in Michigan, I discovered fun and amazing companies.
I actually came across Rose Kren’s jewelry company, .Sprouts., through a friend on Facebook. I perused her Etsy shop and I was floored by the quality and design of each piece posted in her store. Rose hand crafts each piece of jewelry using the highest quality of products.
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| Rose in her studio (picture from .sprouts. FB page) |
Even though my review is focused on sterling silver, Rose uses copper, fine silver, and antiqued nickel free brass to make numerous pieces. Another point to make is that she purchases all her supplies from locals.
What did I get from her shop? One of my favorite pieces of jewelry happen to be rings. My husband knows it and depending on our vacation or trips we look for special local shops to purchase a special sterling silver ring. Okay, I lie, it has only happened once and it was in New Mexico. I wear that ring a lot too! I only wish I could but when I go to shows I always gravitate towards the rings.
As I perused the Etsy shop I stopped and stared at all the stacked ring options.
I knew I had to choose from one of these.
When I opened my box I loved how shiny and new the rings looked. To think that these rings were all hand crafted and created by Rose. It was beautiful. It was a perfect weight and instructions on how to take care of my rings were included. Nice!
The great plus about stacked rings is that they can be worn all together or individually.
Don’t these look fun? I love them! Even though Rose allowed me to review this piece of jewelry I ordered another piece from her store that I am giving as a gift. I could not share that picture of disclose any information as it might ruin someone’s birthday but I LOVED THE FINISHED PRODUCT! I cannot wait to share it with my friend.
Are you a jewelry lover? Go to the .sprouts. Etsy page and check out all the beautiful pieces. Rose can make anything special order especially for friends or family.
If you order now, here is what Rose is doing. She in general donates 10% of her profits to charity but for now until the end of the month she is doing this:
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November 6th, 2012
A while back I received a lovely package from Rose Romano’s that was beautifully packaged. It took me quite a while to come up with a recipe because well being pregnant sometimes causes a few challenges. Tomatoes happen to be in this category.
NO worries! Now that we have had family stay with us for several weeks, coming up with meal plans is very essential. I am not one to plan ahead of time but the same day based on ingredients I have on hand. I know that sounds crazy but it usually works really well most of the time.
Not so much when pregnant. Some days I just do not feel like cooking or even feel inspired to make a great meal.
Look at these bottles! Each 16-ounce bottle contains delicious marinara that I did not have to prepare. Two bottles are made with red bell peppers and the other two with green bell peppers. Do I make spaghetti? What about a polenta dish with the sauce? So many choices yet so little time.
Once I decided what to do with 2 bottles of this marinara, I decided to use one of each bell pepper color. Even though these are ready to use, I decided to add them to my slow cooker over some chicken.
I have never had chicken cacciatore but after perusing several recipes and ideas, I came up with my own recipes.
Look at these colors and imagine the flavors because it was a hit with the family!
Do you not love the fact that the bottle is labeled “All Natural?” Here is a link to the ingredients that each bottle contains which also has 5 calories per serving too! This sauce is authentic and made with Italian love. It does not come any better than that!
I had my sister make a big pot of creamy mashed potatoes along with a green salad made with baby greens. It was all in all a filling and satisfying dinner. NO hassle and no mess with a sauce ready to be used.
I plan on making some mozzarella sticks or patties to dip into this marinara. I cannot wait!! I will be sharing soon.
In the meantime, check out this recipe and enter the giveaway. You TOO can have a chance to win 4 bottles of this delicious marinara.
Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
by Noelle Kelly
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Ingredients (4-6 servings)
- 3-4 pounds chicken breasts, either boneless or bone-in
- 2 16-ounce Rose Romano’s Italian Peppers (one green and one red)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 pound fresh carrots, peeled and diced in 2-inch pieces
- 3 onions, cubed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Rub chicken with salt and pepper and add to the slow cooker. Add the chopped carrots and onions and then pour the sauce over the chicken along with the water. Place slow cooker on low and cook for 8 hours.
Serve with mashed potatoes and a green salad.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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