Well, I know we do.

It’s my son.

I can’t criticize him too much, though.  I was the same way.  Didn’t like my corn touching my mashed potatoes, despite the fact that my sister loved mixing them together. I’d sit next to her and think, “Ugh! How could you!?”

So last week, when my son suggested adding some swipes of Nutella to a few graham crackers, I thought, “Sure! Automatic buy-in (because he suggested it) and super economical.” When I was a little girl, I remember trips to Europe with my sister. We treasured that chocolate hazelnut taste because we knew we would never have it after we returned to the States because no stores sold it.  Now, however, it’s readily available (at least where we live).  What’s more…it’s not primarily made with HFCS anymore.

Since that day, he has asked for the same treat more than once, so I decided to share this simple idea with my readers.

If you have some picky eaters and are frequently seeking snack suggestions, I recommend giving these little treats a try.

Happy snacking!

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I’ve read many articles about how the “Latte Factor” eats into budgets, so I made a conscious effort to cut back on my visits to Starbucks.  The trouble is that, especially at this time of year, I wanted to continue to consume delicious coffee (and get that much needed caffeine intake) so I invested in a quality coffee maker.

And I’m glad I did.

Today, my “Fridays for Gratitude” selection is my coffee maker:

With its elegant, sleek design, practical thermal carafe, GoldTone filter,* and auto shut-off, this Capresso MT500 Coffee Maker offered everything I wanted in my coffee maker.  I wish it had a larger capacity (only makes 10 cups) but, other than that, it’s the best I’ve owned.**

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*When I purchase coffee, I ask the barristas to grind it for a gold filter.

**Not including my French Press, but I’m only talking about standard coffee makers here

Recently we had the pleasure of dining in a fabulous restaurant…with our kids. Gasp!  I know, many people believe kids simply have no place in certain five star restaurants, but we believed they were ready.

I’m happy to say that they made us proud.  We enjoyed good conversation, told stories and shared perspectives on life (granted, my kids are almost teenagers).  But what we most enjoyed discussing was the food.  Item after item delivered to our table was a culinary delight but also wowed us with its artistry.  Here’s one example: (note: it’s not a very good photograph (taken with a camera phone in very low light) but it will help illustrate the chef’s exceptional presentation).

Whipped cream served as the base, followed by layers of meringue filled with vanilla ice cream, a dark chocolate hat (filled with marzipan) and a marzipan scarf, all sprinkled with enough powdered sugar to make you dream of the coming winter.  In fact, the look on my son’s face made it clear that he wished the snow were real and he had made the snowman himself.  Outside.  In our yard.  Didn’t happen last year.  Maybe he’ll be luckier this year.  In the meantime, he had to settle for this work of art that also functioned as his dessert.

I have no idea how much time went into making the many creations we devoured, but I am grateful for the effort.  Special celebrations deserve memorable food and good conversation.  It’s particularly gratifying when both involve your family.

I’m feeling very blessed and grateful today.

My mom always told us to put happy, wonderful memories up on a shelf to take down on a gloomy day.  I’m happy to say that this day gave me a few more boxes worth of joy for my gloomy day shelf.

Although I have to admit…I hope it snows soon.

and asked the waiter if the restaurant sold them or if he knew where I could buy one.  The restaurant did not sell them and he had no idea where they were from.

Enter my handy dandy iPhone.

I read a few key words on the carafe, entered them into Google on my iPhone and in a matter of minutes…voilá! I found the website for these thermal carafes.

Isn’t technology grand?

.

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UPDATE (11.30.08):

Want something more elegant (as requested in an email to me)?  How about this one?

Or visit the Alfi website for a variety of well designed carafes.

This little item brings me so much joy –

Might sound a little nutty, I know, but it’s true. We run both hot and cold filtered water through it. So in addition to cool glasses of aqua, we can instantly make tea (or anything else that uses hot water). It also comes in handy for removing stubborn labels or cleaning sticky sauces off of kitchen shears. Because of this little gem I drink more tea than I have in years (and probably also because there are so many wonderful choices of teas available now!).

Bottom line?  If you have the chance to install one, I highly recommend it.

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*Mainly because I’m participating in NaBloPoMo and it sounded like a great idea for a regular feature.  As some people have mentioned on Twitter, it’s important to “add value” so, with this feature, I’m attempting to do just that by sharing ideas or telling you about something that improves my quality of life.  Then maybe it can improve yours, too (or at least give you some good ideas).

I’m happy to say that they made us proud.

We enjoyed good conversation, told stories and shared perspectives on life (granted, my kids are almost teenagers). But what we most enjoyed discussing was the food. Item after item delivered to our table was a culinary delight but also wowed us with its artistry. I love good presentation. I especially appreciate food which is aesthetically pleasing as well as outstandingly delectable. Tonight, our kids experienced countless plates and platters of gorgeous food. Here’s one example: (note: it’s not a very good photograph (taken with a camera phone in very low light) but it will help illustrate the chef’s exceptional presentation).

Whipped cream serves as a base, then layers of meringue filled with vanilla ice cream, a dark chocolate hat (filled with marzipan) and a marzipan scarf, all sprinkled with enough powdered sugar to make a young boy  dream of the coming winter. In fact, the look on my son’s face made it clear that he wished the snow were real and he had made the snowman himself. Outside. In our yard. Didn’t happen last year. Maybe he’ll be luckier this year. In the meantime, he had to settle for this work of art that also functioned as his dessert.

I have no idea how much time went into making the many creations we devoured, but I am grateful for the effort. Special celebrations deserve memorable food and good conversation. It’s particularly gratifying when both involve your family.

I’m feeling very blessed and grateful today.

My mom always told us to put happy, wonderful memories up on a shelf to take down on those inevitable gloomy days. I’m happy to say that this day gave me a few more boxes worth of joy for my gloomy day shelf.

Although I have to admit…I hope it snows soon.

Happy post Halloween!

Now, what do I do with all this extra candy????

As a result, I have had my share of challenges in putting healthy, tasty meals on my family’s table each night. I’ve mentioned before that I love to bake and I can make just about anything if presented with a great recipe, but can I creatively throw together a few things and make something fabulous?  Only in my dreams.

Over the past couple of months, however, something seems to have clicked.

And you’ll never guess what pushed me over the edge.

Sausage.

It’s true! I don’t eat much red meat and have never really cooked with it.

So I’ve been learning to make burgers and tacos and such but what really helped was my discovery of the many various types of sausages out there on the market today. I’ve found Chipotle Cheddar, Andouille, Chicken Apple, Chorizo and more. The greatest success with my family came from a simple italian sausage I found at our local supermarket. In the morning I sautee it, slice it up and serve it for breakfast, and for dinner, I remove the casing and make a simple and delicious pasta which every member of my family enjoys.

I give credit to my husband for the other secret to making successful dinners: bottled pasta sauce.  Walk down the pasta aisle in any grocery and you’ll likely be floored by the vast array of flavors and brands of sauce.  Rather than just dumping the cold sauce onto your boiled pasta, add fresh ingredients specifically chosen to suit your family’s tastes.

Want to try it? Here is my step-by-step process:

After removing the casing from the sausage, I chopped it up then sauteed it in olive oil with sliced button mushrooms and minced garlic.

I seasoned that mixture with salt and pepper a few times.

Next, I added a cup or two of pasta sauce right from the jar:

Meanwhile I had a pot of water heating to a boil for my pasta.  I chose conchiglie.

I threw a few frozen rolls into the oven to bake for about ten minutes:

At this point, my sauce looked like this:

After draining the pasta, I returned it to the same pan, then added the sauce to it, transferred the pasta to a serving bowl, sprinkled some fresh parmesan on top along with a few pine nuts (I would toast them next time) and it looked like this:

Et voila!  Delicious, simple dinner for your family with just a little more effort.

It’s great for those busy fall evenings when you’re driving around town transporting kids to various activities.  Quick and easy.

You know, this cooking thing isn’t so bad after all.

…or doing something that makes you feel like a kid.

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You know it’s a great party when you just can’t finish the cake. Right?

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