Making My List

I don't call them resolutions....I call them goals or as I title it on my piece of paper, "My Wish List for 2010" I have been making a wish list for over 10 years now and what it does for me is gets me to do the things that I want to do so life doesn't pass me by. The items on the list that I don't accomplish, I put on the next year's list (that is if I still want to do them). My list's of past years included, sky diving, back packing across the white mountains and traveling to different places. I have done a lot of fun things in my life but looking at this year's list, I have definitely calmed down with age or I would rather say have done many adventurous things in my life.

1. Weight loss. This is a biggie for me. I chose to call it a change in my lifestyle. I have blogged about my weight gain due to stress and my relationship with food has to change because I am very unhappy with myself. At the end of my goal, I plan on going on a cruise (I need some kind of a price for my motivation lol)
   
   
2. Exercise. For weight loss, something to do that is healthy for me and make me feel better about myself.
3. Continue to evolve spiritually. I have a strong spiritual belief system based on Eastern Philosophy, Native American Spirituality and Buddism. I take a little of each and practice it in my life. I want to add Yoga and Reiki into the mix.
4. Not allowing unhealthy people in my life. I have let go of many friends this past year due to our unhealthy relationship/s. And I want to continue to attract people to me that help me grow as a person not suck the life out of me.
5. Travel. This will only happen after I lose weight. I love to travel and have been doing so for many years. On my list this year is a cruise which has become my favorite way to travel. Also on the list - More trips to NYC, Beach, The Maine Coast, Mystic.
6. ? Career change. This is another biggie. I am not sure what I want to do or where I want my life to go. But I am really unhappy with my current situation and for me, that is no way to live.
7. Weekend getaways with my husband.
8. Pay off my bills.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Hope In A Jar

I have written in a previous blog what skin care line works best for me. I am a true believer that you have to find the product that works with you individually. What works for say my bff, may not work for me. I love the Oil of Olay Pro X line and posted about it in the past. I am always in search of the magical facial product that will take years off my face and I have. Over the years I have spent a fortune on facial and eye creams and haven't seen that much of a difference, especially the eye creams. Believe it or not, I find the Oil Of Olay Pro X Line has done wonders for my skin. It is affordable and works great! But I also believe that you do have to mix it up depending on the weather, hormones or that maybe your skin just gets used to the same product.

I am a big fan of Sephora. Unfortunately, there are no stores near me (NYC has one on every block and is also where New Yorkers freshen up on hot days ;) lol) so I shop Sephora on line.

One of my gfs turned me on to the "Philosophy" line of products and have to say that I fell in love with their skin care line. In my quest for the perfect skin care regime and felt it was time to change things up again, I decided to try their eye cream, "Eye Hope" which states:

What it is formulated to do:
Philosophy Eye Hope™ Advanced Anti-Aging Eye Cream provides moisture and protection for the delicate eye area. It is designed to diminish dark circles, reduce puffiness, and minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. A dose of antioxidants fortifies skin against future damage.

$48.00

I have to say that it is a great eye cream and I have already after a week's use, seen a difference in my dark circles, bags and wrinkles around my eyes. So I just delved into purchasing the advanced aging cream line, called "When Hope Is Not Enough" facial serum, facial cleanser, moisturizer and replenishing night cream. I can't wait to get it and hope to find the same results for my face as I have with the eye cream - will let ya'll know. I love to share what works for me because I know we all want great looking skin! I will continue to use the Oil Of Olay Line too because it has done wonders for my face.

$20.00

$38.00


$45.00

Link to Sephora and Hope Product line....

http://www.sephora.com/

https://www.sephora.com/search/search_results.jhtml?command=text&attr1=hope&attr2=&/com/lvmh/commerce/catalog/search/iphrase/proxy/IPhraseSearchFormHandler.search=search&_D:/com/lvmh/commerce/catalog/search/iphrase/proxy/IPhraseSearchFormHandler.search=+&searchString=hope&x=0&y=0&_DARGS=/includes/searchFinder.jhtml

Link to my blog about the Oil Of Olay Line. You have to try the Microdermabrasion kits!

http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6468938310755696125&postID=2320533986567736963

This Gift For My Husband Had Me In Mind Too lol

If you know me or have read my blogs, you know that Jerry and I love teas! We love a variety of different flavors and they are loaded with anti-oxidants. We both have wanted to start drinking pure tea which is loose leaf tea because of the great flavor and health benefits. As I have posted in an early blog about my love for teas, Jerry's neurologist suggested him drinking teas for the healing properties for an added benefit to help with his MS and the loose leaf is loaded with healing properties.

I bought him a tea infuser for Christmas. I guess you would say it was a gift for both of us lol!! So I started with two of our favorite varieties - Green and Camomile. And let me tell you, there is a world of difference with the flavor - absolutely amazing. One of our favorite vareties is Tazo which you can get at Starbucks or if you are like me, an online shopper, you can purchase them on line. I bought the infuser from another favorite tea brand Twinings.

Below are the links to the sites...

http://www.twiningsusa.com/products.php?id=16
http://www.starbucks.com/retail/tazo.asp

Two More Of My Christmas Dishes

~*Our Christmas Dinner*~

It's a tradition in my family to have an Italian Christmas meal. I love lasagna and I love to eat (no kidding huh lol). I make lasagna and sausage and peppers every year for the holiday. This year, pressed for time and working over the holiday, I prepped my food early and just had to pop it all in the oven, with the exception of the lamb that I made today. I also cheated this year and used the "Prince Ready Made" lasagna noodles - no muss, no fuss. Although I prefer fresh noodles, I used these to save time. I am going to post my pasta sauce again for those of you new to my blog. It was my Dad's recipe and it's delicious!

Lasagna

• One Package of Lasagna Noodles
• 16 oz of Ricotta Cheese
• 16 oz of Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/4 Cup Romano Cheese
• One Egg
• Tablespoon of Fresh Basil
• Tablespoon of Fresh Oregano
• 3 Pounds of Ground Beef
• Olive Oil

In a large skillet, line pan with olive oil. Add ground beef. Cook beef until lightly browned. In a mixing bowl add ricotta cheese, romano cheese, egg and herbs. Mix well. Cook lasagna noodles as per directions or use the ready made noodles like I did this year and your pasta sauce. In a baking pan begin to layer ingredients. Place noodles to cover bottom of pan. Add ricotta mixture, cover the ricotta with mozzarella, add beef, top with sauce. Repeat this process until it tops your pan. I top mine off with the remaining ground beef. Bake for an hour at 350 degrees. Add sauce to taste.

My Pasta Sauce

• 3-4 Large Cans of Crushed or Whole Tomatoes (depending on your preference, I use the Crushed)
• 1 small can of Tomato Paste
• Tablespoon of Fresh Basil, chopped
• Tablespoon of Fresh Oregano, chopped
• Teaspoon of Parsley leaves
• 6 Cloves of Garlic (Once again to taste, we love garlic)
• Pasta of your choice

Place all ingredients in large pan and cook on low heat for 10-15 hours (that is the trick)

You can add meat as per taste.

Sausage & Peppers

Yet another very easy recipe that I make.

• 2 Packages Of Sausage of your choice. My husband and I love spicy food, so I go with hot.
• 6 Bell Peppers. I go with green and red for the holiday.

In a large skillet brown sausage. Cut up peppers length-wise. In a baking dish add sausage and peppers. Cook for 3-4 hours until fork tender. That's it!

The meal with the roasted lamb from my previous blog...

YUM!

An Unexpected Recipe For Me - Roast Lamb

I have never eaten lamb with the exception from a gyro let alone cook one. My husband bought a lamb so I decided to add it to our Christmas meal today. It is sooo easy to cook and very tasty!

• Ingredients

2 Tablespoons of Fresh Rosemary
3 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 Whole Clove of Garlic
5lb Whole Lamb
Mint Jelly

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place lamb on a rack in a baking pan. I cut a whole in the top of mine and put in a clove of garlic, rosemary and butter. Rub the rosemary and garlic on the roast. Place water and butter in the bottom of baking pan (eyeball it)

Bake at 450 degrees F for 20 minutes uncovered to crisp the outside. Turn oven down to 350 for degrees an hour. Marinade frequently during cooking process. Serve with mint jelly and potato and veggie of your choice.

ENJOY!!

~*Cinnamon Banana Swirl Bread*~

~*Cinnamon Banana Swirl Bread*~

Ingredients

• 1/3 Cup White Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 2 Cups White Flour
• 1 Tbs of Baking Soda
• 1 Cup White Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1 Banana - sliced
• 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease or spray loaf pan. In a small bowl, mix together 1/3 cup of white sugar and 1/3 cup of the brown sugar add 2 teaspoons cinnamon; set aside.

In large bowl combine flour, baking powder and remaining 1 cup sugar. Combine egg, milk, and oil; add to flour mixture. Stir until just moistened. Pour half of the batter into pan. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon/sugar mixture and layer with the sliced banana. Pour the remaining batter over the bread mix. Add the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture to top of the bread. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.

ENJOY!

• 
  

Egg Nog Pound Cake - Great for the Holidays

At one of our in house work Xmas parties one of my employees made this and brought it in to work. And MY GOD, I was in love lol!! Egg Nog is a favorite of mine and have to say this pound cake is delicious! I decided to add my own kick to it and used cheese cake frosting mmm!

Egg Nog Pound Cake

• 1 Package of Yellow Cake
• 1 Package of Instant Vanilla Flavor Pudding and Pie Filling Mix
• 1 Cup of Egg Nog (I used Lite Egg Nog for less calories and it is tasty)
• 3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 4 Eggs
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Ground Negmeg
• You can top it with Confectioner's Sugar, Topping of your choice or Cheese Cake Frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bow, combine cake mis, pudding mix, egg nog and oil. Beat on low speed until moistened. Add eggs and nutmeg then beat on medium high speed 4 minutes. Pour into greased and floured pan (you can use fluted or bread pan). Bake 40-45 minutes and insert a toothpick in the center - when it comes out clean it is done. Cool for 10 minutes remove from pan. When cooled completely frost or sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

ENJOY!

Snowed in Cooking :)

We are getting our first major storm of the season today. They are saying up to 2 feet of snow. So will be snow bound in the house - fireplace lit, Xmas tree aglow, hot tub calling my name. But cooking has to be a part of the mix.

Today I am making pork roast. I love simple recipes that are easy to cook but taste delicious. Also making the classic Green Bean Casserole which is a favorite in my family. Now that is so easy to make it's ridiculous lol!

~Pork Roast~

~Potatoes~

~Green Bean Casserole~

I love using Adobo for cooking pork. It really makes the meat so tender and gives it an extra kick.

Pork Roast

• 3-4 lb Pork Roast
• Potatoes of your choice (I am using baby canned Potatoes)
• Crushed Garlic
• Adobo Seasoning
• Paprika
• Olive Oil

Place pork roast and potatoes in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Crush Garlic (I use a garlic press to crush garlic). Rub the entire roast with the garlic and adobo seasoning. Sprinkle the roast and potatoes with paprika. As the roast is cooking periodically baste it with the juices from the pan. Cook at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours.

Green Bean Casserole (Recipe on the back of Campbell's Mushroom Soup)

• 1 (10 3/4 oz.) can CAMPBELL'S Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 Can of Mushrooms
• 4 Cans of Green Beans (amount depending on how much you want to make)
• 2 FRENCH'S® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions

MIX soup, milk and mushrooms in baking dish. Stir in beans and 2/3 cup French Fried Onions.BAKE at 350°F for 30 min. or until hot.Top with remaining 2/3 cup onions. Bake 5 min. until onions are golden.

ENJOY!

Hey Friends! A Moment of WTF! lol

I have to say that I love this site and all the wonderful women that I met here :) I look forward to checking in everyday in the lives of my new friends here.

I apologize that I haven't responded to my blogs. I have been missing all your comments since I think, around Thanksgiving. Somehow my alerts in yahoo went into my "spam" folder and I was pretty p/o'd let me tell you. I changed the alerts and will keep checking my spam folder.

Thanks for the wonderful words and support <3

My Wonderful Husband

I was having a particularly difficult day today over Christmas. I am trying my best to keep my spirits up but the holiday is bringing up alot of grief issues this being the first Christmas without my mother. We were crazy about Christmas. I am on-call for work on Christmas which adds even more stress to this year and have to work as of now - Xmas Eve and Xmas Night. So, no Xmas Eve celebrations for me and Xmas day will be limited to spending the morning with Jerry and then he is going to his son's house for the afternoon since I have to sleep to go in for the 11-7 shift. After my meltdown we decided to have "Our Christmas" on Saturday.

He gave me one of my Christmas gifts today and I am so overwhelmed with feeling loved and full of gratitude for having this wonderful man back in my life again. The gift was something so special and so thoughtful and a connection to my Mom. My Mom and I had a love for angels and always exchanged them as gifts on holidays or "just because". If you haven't read my earlier blogs, two days after my Mom died, I would see butterflies everywhere, all the time. And believe it was her in spirit. There is alot of meaning behind butterflies, spirituality and death. He said he wanted me to have it now to help get me through the next week. They are just beautiful to me and I am so blessed to have him in my life.

~Trinity of Angels~

1. Angel of Protection - Guardian Angel

2. Angel of Peace - Peace to your heart and in this life

3. Angel of Promise - Of my Love, for Your Health and Happiness

My Christmas Menu

My Christmas Menu

Recipes to follow next week :)

My passion is cooking and my biggest stress reliever. It is only going to be Jerry and I but we both love to cook and well umm...EAT LOL!! I took Wednesday the 23rd off to cook all day.

Hors d'oeure - Shrimp and Crabmeat Dip with Italian Bread

Lasagna

Sausage and Peppers

Calamari

Stuffed Mushrooms

Macaroni and Cheese (I never made it from scratch and want the kind with the "crunchies" on top :)

Cauliflower with Cheddar Cheese (have to throw a veggie in lol)

Dessert

Cheesecake

Eggnog Pound Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting (also a new recipe for me)

This is definitely not a low carb, low fat or low cholesterol meal lol!!

Looking To A New Year, A New Self

I haven't blogged in so long and I have really needed to but there are somethings that I have gone through this month that are just too personal to post. I wish that I could, because writing is so healing for me but sometimes things are better left unsaid and/or shared in person with someone that you can confide in.

I'm doing ok, better than I was. I have been going through alot surrounding loss....loss of my mother (the biggest), loss of friendships, loss of my old life (which is a healthy thing but still a loss), loss of my entire being as it was. I have however gained much insight and strength through all that I have gone through this year.

I have made a commitment to myself to re-invent myself yet again, with a much needed overhaul.

• One thing is my health and fitness. I am trapped in a size 14 body that is naturally a size 6. I gained an enormous amount of weight when my Mom was ill and became an emotional eater a g a i n. This has happened to me three times in my life during very traumatic times and have lost the weight. So far I have lost 15 of the 70lbs that I have gained but have a long way to go and with the holidays here it has proven difficult to "be good". I can do it, I know that I can. I figure if I add exercise into the mix, the weight will come off faster but also will help with the stress and anxiety that I feel that leads me to eating.
• Number two on my list is to continue to build on my spiritual self. I continue to evolve spiritually but want to delve even further into it with Reiki and Yoga. And continue to grieve the loss of my mother in a healthy way and realize that she is still with me and always will be as I keep her alive by emulating the qualities in her that I loved the most.
• Third is to increase my strength as a woman. I have always prided myself as being a strong, independent woman but I still get hurt too easily and it's exhausting. I need to depend more on myself than others.