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Archive for the ‘Dessert’ Category

on what I’m giving up for Lent

Posted in Dessert, eating issues, God, healthy, Weight-loss/Nutrition on February 12, 2013 | 1 Comment »

What?!

Yes, Lent.  Never observed it before in my life.  (And, actually, I’ve always kind-of regarded it with a bit of a ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude as if to say, “Don’t you know giving up soda doesn’t get you anywhere with God?” Confession #1 of the evening right there.)

Anyway.  I am, in fact, giving something up for Lent this year.

DESSERT…

Six days a week.

I realize that giving up sweets/dessert entirely would have been so much more, well, climactic, but it would also be setting myself up for almost immediate failure.  Setting realistic goals is a no-brainer, and this three-times-a-day sweets girl going cold-turkey would have disastrous ramifications.  And I also realize that for some of you out there, giving up dessert 6 days a week is nothing.  (My husband included.)

But let’s get to the heart of the matter.  (Because that’s really where it all starts.)

I’m halfway through week three in my Made to Crave devotional, and have been sensing that I need a change.  I’ve been so dedicated to waking up early, putting my devotional time first, yet the scale isn’t going in the right direction.  I realize it isn’t about the number on the scale, but it is an outward reflection of my inner obedience to God.  High scale numbers = mindless munching and emotional eating I’m not supposed to be doing.

So, when I realized that Ash Wednesday was a matter of days away, I figured sacrificing something I hold near and dear (and have always been so hesitant to give up, right Emily!?) like dessert was just what this girl’s heart needed.  I’ve been indulging in too many sweets all over the place, and it needed to stop.  However, the thought of giving up EVERYT SWEET THING FOR SIX WEEKS terrified me.  Like, seriously.  It wasn’t until my friend, Regina, and I discussed over coffee (and, OK, some treats) and came up with our plan:

-Limit dessert (TRUE dessert) to ONCE a week–this turns dessert into what it should be: an occasional indulgence, not an every-night-because-I-want-it thing.  And it will give me something to look forward to each week, perhaps even a dessert date with Andrew

-Bring back the measuring cups! Regina said her mom always told her to introduce something new while giving something up during Lent.  We’re getting back to portion control as a way to be obedient to God in our eating habits.  It’s hard to mindlessly munch if you have to measure it all out ahead of time.

-Stick to structured meals and snacks.  This isn’t exactly something we put on paper, but it’s a good rule of thumb: If it isn’t part of a regular meal or pre-planned snack, avoid it.  It’s fine (good, even) to snack on an apple and cheese stick on the way home from school, but really, Holly, do you need the extra Wheat Thins while prepping dinner, too?

So, that’s the plan.  Six weeks of putting God first over our cravings for sweets, comfort foods and boredom eating.

What do I hope to gain?

-A deeper relationship with my God, who I’ve been seeking half-heartedly for awhile now.  Despite my diligence with Made to Crave, I feel like it’s going in one ear and out the other.  These ‘checks’ are a way for me to demonstrate his power in my life.

-Control over my diet.  I talk a big talk about healthy eating, but I have some deep-seated eating issues I need to deal with before it’s ever going to be under control.  If I want to one day help others be healthy, I need to be healthy, too–and that includes my head and heart.

-Perhaps I’d like to LOSE a few things, too….  I’d be lying if I didn’t hope this six-week sacrifice also helped me lighten up a little.  Again, the number on the scale is a reflection of how much I’ve let God fill me and not food; shedding a few pounds is an indication that I’ve sacrificed.  KEEPING THEM OFF IS AN INDICATION I’VE CHANGED.

I appreciate your prayers (and I’m sure Regina would, too!) as I embark on a journey that could truly be difficult for me.  I’ll keep you posted every once in awhile :)

 

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sweet surprise

Posted in Andrew, cupcakes, Dessert on October 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

What did I find at our door? Nothing but a giant box of FIREFLY CUPCAKES!!!  Our friends in the cupcake business heard about Andrew’s accident and gifted us with some yummy treats :)

Here are some of our goodies, with the invalid himself in the background:

 

Good thing we (who am I kidding?  I’m going to benefit more from this than Andrew will…) have plenty more to enjoy :)

Thank you, Wendy, and the whole Firefly crew!!!  p.s.  Andrew and I were in on Tuesday night enjoying the pumpkin (me) and the blood orange vampire 0ne (btw, he deemed it his absolute favorite!) and we loved all your halloween decorating!  also, so glad we were in that night, since he got hurt the very next day…!

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Easter weekend

Posted in baking, Barefoot Contessa, breakfast, candy, chocolate, cookbooks, cooking, Dessert, Exercise, Family, Food Network, maple, Running, sweet potato on April 9, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Happy Belated Easter!  I had all sorts of fun things to blog about this weekend, but kinda took the weekend ‘off’ and this is my first chance to sit down (Not really, I still have TONS of schoolwork to do, but this is somewhat time-sensitive, too.  If I wait too long, it will be old news!) and type it all out.

There was LOTS going on this weekend for us, with Andrew’s grandmother visiting and Abigail home from school…

I ran in the Bunny Hop 5K…and scored SECOND PLACE in my age group!  Holy smokes!  Seriously…despite some of my recent PRs here and here, when I saw the 1,011-runner crowd lining up, all hopes of placing went right out the window.  In fact, I was having a bad morning due to a sudden neck spasm and stress (what else is new?), so I really had to pep-talk my way through the entire (almost all uphill, if that’s possible) race.

The neat thing was that the course went right by Andrew’s parents’ driveway!  I waved as I passed the first time… (I’m in pink and purple.)

Andrew’s family (and the dogs!) came out to cheer me on…

Here I am on the way back, just a 100 yards or so from the finish.  LOVE my purple running pants!

Andrew was convinced I’d placed in my age group (based on the small number of ladies who finished ahead of me), so we waited around for what seemed like forever at the finish for them to post results.

At least the oranges were good and even the store-bought oatmeal raisin cookies were decent.  Andrew ate my hot dog, but I caved and got another one and ate about half when the results still weren’t posted…

Sure enough, I DID place–I got SECOND!  Prizes for the Bunny Hop are chocolate bunnies, which, despite their appropriateness, are (in my mind) a bit counterproductive.  Carolyn had the brilliant idea to throw mine in the freezer and use it to bake with later.  It’s currently crushed into small pieces and chilling with my other chocolate.

We spent the day relaxing at Andrew’s parents’ house and running errands on Main Street.  We wanted to show grandma the new cupcake place, and while there, I picked up this little guy:

Perhaps the most memorable event was our dinner Saturday night, and, as usual, I got no photos.  We ended up at a local hibachi grill/Japanese Steakhouse/sushi bar due to our large party (8) and lack of pre-panning (it was 6:30 and we were trying to find a restaurant without an hour wait).  Can I just say the Layers aren’t big on change, ethnic food OR fish??

Let’s just say that if Carolyn’s face had frozen they way she was turning up her nose at the menu, she’s be one unhappy camper.  In all honesty, Andrew and I were pretty nervous–we’d taken everyone here thinking it was akin to a Benihana, but it turned out to be about 95% sushi and sans-hibachi tables.  Our table ended up with five chicken teriyakis, one beef teriyaki, one soba noodle and one edamame order with an Alaska roll.  Can you tell which one was mine??

The night wasn’t a total loss; we ended up in a room of our own and had a few good laughs, and everyone got to experience a few things out of their comfort zone :)

Happy Easter morning!  I got up early to cook breakfast :)

I made the Clinton Street Baking Co.’s buttermilk waffles (thanks for the book, Susy!), maple-roasted bacon and fruit.  I even made the maple butter from the cookbook and it. was. divine.  Even Andrew loved it.

As always, we did Easter baskets.  Andrew’s is full of junk food and candy.  I threw in a Bananagrams game, thinking it would be a good 2-person game for the house.

Andrew (as usual), went way overboard with my basket this year:

He collected all sorts of my favorite gourmet/health foods, like sweet potato chips, Luna bars, flavored seltzer, Starburst Jellybeans, Ritter chocolate with Marzipan (Heather introduced me to it before we moved last year)…

…brie and special topping…

…I’ve been DYING to try this chocolate bar since I saw it in a Food Network magazine like two years ago!

Dave sent me home with some Cadbury creme eggs last weekend, and I broke into it Easter morning!  (I was good; I only ate half, though.)

Andrew particularly liked his tangerine-flavored Jelly Belly carrot.  I had to force him to eat one before church…  Seriously, who has to be forced to eat ONE jelly bean EVER?  I wasn’t going to eat a bunch of candy all alone!

After church (we accompanied the Layers), we rushed home to finish our contributions to the meal and walk the dog before heading back to their house.

Butter ‘lambs; are a big deal around here.  I saw them at the grocery store a week or so ago and wondered where they’d been all the other Easters of my life.  Not where I lived, apparently.

I made caramelized pear, sage and orange biscuit bites, a recipe I found in a cookbook of Susy’s last time I was at her house. They were pretty darn good, but I don’t know if I’d make them again.

I also made Pioneer Woman’s Tres Leches cake for dessert.  I. CAN’T. STOP. EATING. IT.  Seriously.  I had two pieces yesterday and two pieces (so far) today.  Not good.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out before Abigail had to head back to school.  I studied for my Micro test (I have THREE tests and a quiz this week…say a prayer for me, people!).

The rest of the family played ‘bean farmer,’ which I believe is really called Bonanza.

Andrew taught grandma.

Carolyn opted out and instead searched for dishes on the iPad.

After a light dinner of sandwiches and leftovers–not that anyone was terribly hungry–Andrew and I headed home to rescue the puppy and prep for the week ahead…if only I’d had another day off!

I’ll be up for air sometime on Thursday!

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mrs. nye’s pies

Posted in baking, Canada, Dessert, Friends, maple, pie on April 7, 2012 | 1 Comment »

A few weeks ago, I spent an afternoon with one of Andrew’s best friend’s mom, Mrs. Nye.  Her son, Alex, and Andrew went to school here in East Aurora together and played on the basketball team.  They’re a bit of an unlikely pair (Alex is a bit more fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants and works in the broadcast news business; he’s creative and perhaps a little rough around the edges) but they totally work and both have a strong entrepreneurial spirit.

Anyway, his mom, Ann, is famous around here for her pies–she even had a small home business going for awhile–and pie is one thing that makes me nervous (I’m always afraid I’m going to mess up the crust), so I enlisted her help.

She was prepped and ready to go before I even arrived; she even has a handy pie-rolling station/cutting board built right into her countertop.

My mistake #1: I never use enough flour for the board.  Don’t be stingy, Holly!

We started with flour, salt and shortening in the mixer until it resembled a pea-like consistency, then started adding water.  Mrs. Nye doesn’t bother with the ‘it must be ice-cold’ business!

Then, just when it was starting to hold together, we formed it into balls/discs by hand.  Again, lots of flour!

Rolling them out…

Now, here’s the tricky part: getting the crust INTO the pan…  It’s always the part that makes me sweat.  I’ve always relied on the ‘drape it over the rolling pin and hope for the best’ method.  Mrs. Nye doesn’t sweat it at all; she just rolls it out and before you know it, it’s on the pie plate and she doesn’t care how it looks–it’s on the bottom, anyway.  (I knew there would be some nuggets of wisdom in here…)

Crimp the edges however you like–this one was for a one-shell pie–and then grab a fork.

For pre-baking a pie shell, make little punctures ALL OVER THE PIE with a fork.  Another thing Mrs. Nye doesn’t mess with is pie weights (she’s a bit of a minimalist).

There’s my pie!  This one was a maple syrup pie–Andrew and I are huge fans of the one we had at Aux Anciens Canadiens in Quebec City a couple years ago–and I found a recipe in the pie “bible” at Susy’s house.  More on the recipe later.

Mrs. Nye was preparing apples for the rest of our pies, which we would assemble and freeze.  Who knew you could do that?

More dough rolling…

…pie-filling…

(My tried-and-true apple pie recipe is from a friend of mine’s mom, which is really just a basic recipe, and then I add LOTS of cinnamon–a tablespoon–and orange juice and orange zest.  I saw the citrus addition on a Barefoot Contessa episode and took it to be God’s truth, and it is.  The cinnamon is all me.)

…and now, the second crust!  Here is where I start to get REALLY nervous.  I mean, this is the one that people actually SEE, and it has to fit over the top.

Use water to ‘glue’ the edges before draping with the second crust.  (Again, who knew??  No one ever told me this.)

Finish by tearing any extra crust off the long parts and use them to patch other areas, if necessary.  For Mrs. Nye, who can actually roll her crust into a relative circle, this is probably an UNnecessary step.  For me, it’s the only way my crust actually stretches from side to side…

Life goal #1: master yeast bread

Life goal #2: master pie

Life goal #3: master homemade ice cream

Life goal #4: not get fat in the process

(Hey, a girl can dream…)

Anyway, about the recipe.  So Andrew and I just DIED over this maple syrup pie we had on a trip to Quebec City awhile back (the fact that it cost an arm and a leg and we WENT BACK A SECOND TIME should tell you something), and I’ve tried a couple times to make one at home.  Imagine, if you will, a pecan pie without the pecans, but still a crunchy ‘crust-like’ top layer.  That, my friends, is a maple syrup pie.

Sadly, the recipe we used from the pie “bible” (below) wasn’t quite it.

This recipe is a little closer–I made it for our Bible study shortly after returning home from our trip–but wasn’t exactly right, either.  Guess we’ll just have to go back and try it again!!  Actually, we’ve been trying to arrange a trip with Emily and Dan up there during the winter, so maybe next year??

Below is me with the baked maple syrup pie.  Man, did it smell good! I had to scoot out after it finished, we I took it home to surprise Andrew, and then we showed up at the Nye’s with the rest of the pie to share with them.

The reason this post has taken me SO LONG is that I wanted to wait until I actually baked the apple pie from my freezer (that, and life just has a way of side-tracking me lately…)  Well, with only two of us, it’s not all that practical to just throw a pie in the over with no one to help us eat it!

Last night was the perfect excuse–Andrew’s grandma came for a visit for Easter–so I packed it up and brought it over to the Layer’s to have after pizza and wings.

Sadly, I forgot to take a photo of the baked pie…by the time I remembered, it was almost gone!  The crust looked pretty nice–one of my best, perhaps–I can tell you that.

And since I can’t have pie without ice cream or whipped cream (the maple syrup pie is best with freshly whipped, slightly sweetened whipped cream to cut the sweetness), I asked Andrew’s mom to make sure some was in the freezer.  I also brought the salted caramel sauce (Did you know it’s most definitely pronounced “car-A-mel,” not “car-mel?”  I heard that on the radio the other day.) Susy sent home with me and it was fantastic.

It’s kind of a mess in my bowl, but, as my mom would say (and I bet Mrs. Nye, too), ‘it’s all going the same place.’

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can food incite feelings of naked-ness?

Posted in baking, banana, beans, beer, coffee, cooking, cranberries, creamer, Dessert, eggs, honey, hummus, Ice Cream, maple, nut butters, nuts, Oats, peanut butter, salad, spinach, wine, yogurt on January 22, 2012 | 4 Comments »

Or, rather, the lack of food?

OK, what I’m really getting as is that feeling you get when you forgot to wear your watch.  You know, that naked/’I forgot something’ feeling?  I was thinking about it the other day, and I feel that way about my fridge sometimes.  As in, if I’m out of certain things, all is not right with the world.  I feel like we have no food.  I feel like I cannot cook or clean or anything until I get to the store.  Most are probably obvious, but others, not so much.  Here they are, in no particular order:

1.  Spinach – I probably eat this stuff at least once a day, if not more.  I’ve started trying to eat my salad FIRST, because I think if I did that, I would eat even smaller portions for dinner.  The trouble is, it makes sense to eat the hot food first, as it will eventually cool down, whereas the salad won’t.  Dilemmas, dilemmas.

2.  Yogurt – I make my own, which means I need some leftover yogurt as well.  Andrew is a huge fan of Kefir, so I like having that around for his breakfasts.

3.  Bananas – I use half to sweeten my oatmeal and have been known to slather them in peanut butter, too.  I used to hate them once they got really ripe, but now I don’t mind so much.

4.  Fruit – Right now it’s citrus, as well as these tiny organic Honey Crisp apples I found awhile ago.  They are THE BEST.  I don’t care that they are $5.99 a bag.

5.  Coffee creamer – Duh.  Although, I’m seriously entertaining thoughts of switching to one of the Silk or Coconut Milk flavors once I finish this bottle, or even one of the more “natural” ones.  Anyone have any thoughts?

6.  Eggs – I don’t eat them very often by themselves (although I LOVE a good omelette!), but the lack of them means no baking, which would put me in a tailspin.

7.  Cheese – I usually have a block of parm, as well as a container of something else like feta or blue or gorgonzola.  They go in eggs, on top of salads or even with fruit.  Cheese sticks are an essential item; I pair one with an apple for a snack.

8.  Nuts – I have a giant bin I keep in the freezer of just about every nut around (three varieties of almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds…) for baking, making granola or topping salads and oatmeal.

9.  Seltzer – I’ve started drinking flavored seltzer sometimes when I just want something other than water.   I used to absolutely hate the “flavor” (it’s carbonated water with a tiny hint of flavor, but not sweet), but it’s something I’ve gotten used to.  I’m vehemently opposed to drinking my calories (except infrequent sodas and small amount of honey in tea, and, of course, beer and wine), and at 89 cents for a large bottle, I figured I should try to like it.

10.  Ice cream – I’m actually on the fence about this one.  I am an ice-cream-aholic.  I am.  Except that I don’t eat it that much; if I did, I’d have more room in my freezer!  Seriously, I have like five pints of Jeni’s and Graeter’s ice creams we’ve brought back from Ohio, plus a christmas flavor of Perry’s I bought thinking Andrew would like it.  He doesn’t, which means I’m stuck finishing it.  What I need to do is learn to have just a small scoop each night–the problem is that even when I use a small bowl, once I start scooping, it’s like I can’t stop.  I think I need a 12-step program…

Well, that’s probably about it. I also like having the ingredients to make things like hummus and granola on hand at a moment’s notice, so I guess I could include oats, real maple syrup and honey on that list, too.  Oh and dried cranberries (as well as other fruits) and nut butters.  I guess I could just keep going…

The good news is that I’m all stocked up right now and feelin’ good!

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it was a german kind of night (a few nights ago…)

Posted in Andrew, Barefoot Contessa, cooking, Dessert, ethnic food, german food on December 13, 2011 | 1 Comment »

OK, so school has really taken a toll on blogging, among other things…  Admittedly, blogging (here and for the c0-op) is potentially the ONE area of my life that really can drop off a bit, so I had to let it.  Oh, it’s been hard.  There has been guilt.  There has been worry.  There have been myriad un-published posts swirling around in my head since September.  But drop it did.  Thankfully, with my new iPhone, blogging hasn’t completely disappeared; the short posts it allows me to upload have been my saving grace this semester.  I’m even toying with the idea of blogging with it primarily, instead of trying to make it to the computer all the time…

Anyway, here’s yet another post that was written long ago and is just now being finished and uploaded…(sigh).

I made sauerbraten and spaetzle Friday night.  Andrew and I traveled around Germany a year or so after we got married and have lots of happy memories of the country, the trip and the food.  We’re BIG foodies; WHERE we eat on trips is potentially the biggest part, at least for me.

Anyway, I saw a recipe for sauerbraten and homemade spaetzle in a Food Network magazine forever ago and ripped it out, knowing I would make it someday.  Well, that day came Friday.  Actually, it started Tuesday by marinating the roast in a mix of red wine, beef broth, red wine vinegar and onions with all sorts of spices, to include juniper berries.  Thank goodness Wegmans has juniper berries!  I’ve been known to go on wild-goose chases for ingredients, and I don’t have that kind of time right now.

Basically, sauerbraten is a roast with a bit of a vinegar-y flavor.  We both really like it.  It cooks in a similar way as well, so when I got home from school Friday, I took it out of the fridge and after a short “decompressing period” (not for the meat, for me) I started cooking.

The sauerbraten was PHENOMENAL.  Andrew announced it as a “top 10″ and couldn’t get enough.  The sauce was rich and thick with just the right “bite” to it.

I served it with the homemade spaetzle; the recipe for which was featured on the opposite side of the page.  I love doing that–making a whole ‘meal’ I find in a magazine, or making each component from scratch–it just feels better that way.

However…  Spaetzle, I have learned, is not for the weak.  And I’m not weak, so I’m not sure who it’s for.  Either that, or a spaetzle press is a mandatory accessory.  Basically, you make an egg-y dough and force it through the large holes of a colander, while holding it over boiling water.  Sounds OK, right?  WRONG.  The dough was so thick and springy that it was terribly difficult to get it through the holes, not to mention the awkward position of having to hold it over the stove.  It took about 45 minutes and I thought my forearms were going to fall off my body.  Never gain.  Next time, I’ll look for it at Wegmans.

I also made a “sweet hot” cabbage recipe Andrew loves.  It’s another Food Network magazine find and since he won’t eat sauerkraut, it’s my go-to cabbage dish for meals with pork and apples or sausages or something.  And anytime I make coleslaw I have to bring out all the cabbage recipes I can find; I refuse to buy pre-cut coleslaw mix, and cutting up those heads of cabbage yield SO MUCH.  After making some coleslaw and this recipe, I still have a ton left, so I’m trying a sauteed cabbage recipe in a couple nights.  Thankfully, other than drying out a bit, cabbage keeps for awhile in the fridge.

What a mess!  (Andrew did the dishes–hence the photo–what a sweetie!)

Streudel is such a German dish and Andrew loves it, so I thought I’d whip up an apple crostata with a pie dough I had in the freezer.  Well, things never go as planned for me (go figure…) and dinner was later than I had thought, so I actually ended up making this a couple nights later when Carolyn and Ben came over for a movie.  It actually worked out well; more people means fewer leftovers to tempt me!

Today is my day “off,” which I hope will be filled with chemistry and present-wrapping!

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a list

Posted in Co-op, cranberries, Dayton/Ohio, Dessert, hadrian, House, Ice Cream, Lists, plants, Pumpkin, school on November 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

1.  Long time no type.  Buried in schoolwork and life.  Not necessarily in that order.  Attempting to force myself to come up for air.

2.  Chemistry is hard.  Like, fail-out-of-class hard.  (Not me, but you know what I mean.)  I knew there was a good reason to fear it back at Penn State!  Anyway, I’m doing alright, but a recent bombed quiz has shown me I need to devote more time to Chem and less to Anatomy.

3.  In all my busy-ness today, I decided I needed to make bread.  That’s so like me.  Why?  I had to “revive” my starter that’s in the fridge.  And have I forgotten about the GAJILLION things of bread we brought home from our Thanksgiving trip?  (No fewer than 1.5 loaves of rye bread, 10 bagels, 8 onion rolls, plus crackers.)  Our house is carb central!

4.  My Thanksgiving pumpkin pie was the ugliest thing ever (thanks to my impatience with store-bought crust), but tasted great.  Get the recipe here.

5.  Speaking of recipes–I just managed another blog post for the co-op.  It’s about cranberries and I included the cranberry brisket Andrew loves so much.  Read it here.

6.  I am now “officially” a New Yorker; I took care of getting a new license and registering the car.  License should be here in about a week!  It’s kind of exciting, in a really anti-climactic sort of way.  I think if we’d moved into a house we were excited about, everything would feel different.  Instead, everything still feels very temporary.  But, nonetheless, it’s still neat to see the Pilot with its new yellow and blue license plate.

7.  We named our plants.  Well, I named our plants.  Andrew just went along with it good-naturedly.  My dear friend, Emily, inspired me.  She has such beautiful, healthy, vibrant house plants.  I am so jealous.  She and I recently traded some plant clippings and she mentioned one of them was named ‘Stella.’  Now, I’ve heard of people naming their plants before, but I just never have.  I mean, mine don’t normally last that long…it was never a good idea to get attached.  However, I do have one that has lasted FOUR years now!  Andrew and I were in disbelief when we realized it.  So, on the way home from our Thanksgiving holiday, I used my phone to look up names and their meanings (again, such a ‘me’ thing to do–we’re talking the significance of the names of HOUSE PLANTS) and we decided to call the big, four-year-old one “Gerard” which means ‘hardy.’  (We’ve been calling it ‘hardy’ since I hadn’t killed it yet, so we figured why not?).  I have one other plant, an orchid Andrew bravely got me for Valentine’s Day this year.  (I don’t know what he was thinking.)  Anyway, it did alright for awhile, then the blooms fell off, then I panicked until I found out that was normal, and just when it was growing another stem and bloom, one of the movers bumped into it on our table and broke it off!  I was heartbroken.  I looked up ‘long-suffering’ and ended up with “Patience.”  She’s been through a lot, that one, and just the other day I noticed a tiny bud getting ready to sprout from the moss–hurray!  And now, I have Emily’s purple one to re-pot, who I have been calling “Stella 2.”  Between the animals and now anthropomorphic plants, we have one full house!

8. I’m supposed to be working on psychology homework.  Must hurry!

9.  Hadrian has been down for the count all day today–GLORIOUS!  I’ve been so productive.  (In case you’re wondering, any time he returns from ‘puppy camp’ he sleeps 24/7 for about two days.  Totally normal.)

10.  We have 7 pints of ice cream in our freezer, plus the remnants of two Jeni’s that Emily and Dan brought us, plus a tiny bit of homemade Jeni’s vanilla.  SEVEN unopened Graeter’s and Jeni’s pints.  That’s like $45 in ice cream (hey, don’t judge my expensive taste in ice cream!).  My brilliant plan: tiny scoops, both to make it last and keep it off my hips.  I’ll let you know how it goes, but I’m not terribly optimistic…

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i finally got it…

Posted in Andrew, Date Night, Dessert, yogurt on November 3, 2011 | 1 Comment »

…Olive Garden Pumpkin Cheesecake!

I’d been craving it ever since we went Sunday for Andrew’s mom’s birthday lunch.  It’s THE BEST (better than Cheesecake factory, in my opinion) and it’s fall and I couldn’t help myself.

I had all these good ideas beforehand, like having the waitress box up half before bringing it to me or cutting it in half right away.  Neither of those situations happened.  I ate the whole thing.  Every last crumb.  And you know what?  I wasn’t terribly upset with myself afterward (which does happen sometimes), but in retrospect, it wasn’t THAT good.  I mean, it was good.  VERY good.  But it wasn’t SO good that I HAD to have every last morsel last night.  Yet again, I ate it all and regretted it after.  Why does this happen?  It’s a lack of willpower, I tell you.

Andrew got the warm apple crostata, which truly was amazing and worth every last calorie-laden bite.

We don’t go to Olive Garden very often (really, NEVER), so it was a fun little date to splurge on dessert.

The best part of the night?  Andrew getting his finger stuck in the cup!

Yes, it really was stuck.  Like, he-started-to-panic stuck.  I giggled.  Obviously, he got his finger out but I’m betting he’ll think twice about doing that again.  Or not.  Andrew might be one of the smartest, brightest engineer/businessman/everything else-people out there, but this was a VERY “Andrew” thing to do.  Again, all I could do was laugh.

Today is my day “off,” at least until tonight, so I have a LONG list of random chores and homework to do before then!  I’m so sore I can barely walk (I tried out the 5:45 a.m. bootcamp class at the YMCA yesterday), so my planned run might turn into a brisk walk with the dog.

It’s chilly out today!

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candy corn…what?

Posted in candy, Dessert on October 19, 2011 | 2 Comments »

Look what I found a week or so ago at Wegmans:

It’s candy corn.  But it’s not.

It’s blackberry cobbler-flavored candy corn!  (They also had apple cinnamon, tangerine orange and caramel flavors.  I personally think it was the blue/purple color that drew me in…)

Genius!  Seriously, whoever thought to give flavor variety to candy corn deserves a medal.  Or to be whacked upside the head…I can’t stop eating it!  All this time candy corn had never been a draw for me.  Ever.  I just never really liked the flavor.  No calories of candy corn to be counted.  No cravings.  No guilt.

Not anymore…now it’s all I can do to just take 2-3 at a time and limit that to a couple times a day.  I know, I know…it’s my own fault.  I went and bought the stuff.  I held out, but then Carolyn went and bought those orange pumpkin candies and I lost all determination.

Oh well, Halloween comes but once a year, right?

And while we’re on the subject of sweets…  My sweet-tooth is OUT OF CONTROL!  Seriously.  It’s like it has reared its ugly head after all those months of counting my calories and has declared victory over both my willpower and cravings…

I’m sure part of it is just this time of year–it’s pumpkin season, which for me means ANY excuse to have a pumpkin-y treat is a good one, because it’s fall and fall only comes once a year (kinda like Halloween, huh?) and the weather (warm cup of coffee with massive amounts of maple-brown-sugar-latte-flavored creamer, anyone?).

Anyway, it is BAD people.  Yesterday, I had SIX cookies.  SIX.

Granted, the first three were my afternoon snack and they were Tate’s, which are paper-thin so you don’t even realize you’ve eaten any until it’s too late.  The last three?  No excuse.  I knew I shouldn’t have walked to the lobby to “check out what they had for dinner” AFTER I had already had dinner.  I discovered WARM, melty chocolate chip cookies and it was all I could do to not take the entire tray back with me!  To top it all off (no pun intended), I added a teeny tiny scoop of ice cream to one when I got back to the room!  Holly, what is wrong with you?!

(And did I mention ANdrew got me a box of Fowler’s chocolates for Sweetest Day?  I’ve been picking at those…  AND I discovered that adding caramel sauce and granola to pumpkin ice cream is an awesome make-at-home-sundae…

Help needs to come soon!

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the rest of the trip

Posted in coffee, Dayton/Ohio, Dessert, Friends, Ice Cream, New York, Pets, Running, smoothies on August 25, 2011 | 4 Comments »

Andrew and I got back late last night from our week-long trip to Ohio and Indiana.  It was filled (to the brim!) with friends, family and ice cream.  Yup.  Those three things pretty much sum it up.

After spending some quality time in Indiana with Andrew’s family, we headed back to Dayton with one more vehicle than we left with.  We’re now the proud owners a 2001 green Chevy Silverado, and boy does Andrew look good behind the wheel!

We squeezed in one more trip to Graeter’s to meet an ROTC-friend of mine who I found out was in town.  Charlie is a weapons officer on the RC-135 and is stationed in Omaha, NE, and is currently going through the weapons school in Las Vegas.  I’m so glad we got a chance to visit, even if it was only for 20 minutes or so, but I wish we’d gotten a photo!

Andrew continued on to Orrville, OH, where he had a business trip and I headed to Susy’s house for a couple days.

We ran (of course) 6 miles in 47 minutes flat — sweet!  This is going to sound crazy — we kept trying to slow down, but we must have been feeding off of each other and ended up pushing it the whole way.  The next morning, we thought we’d take it easy, but ended up doing 4 in 31:14 — almost exactly the same pace!  This whole running-WAY-faster-than-9-minute-miles-with-ease thing is still new to me…  Thanks Susy!  I owe it all to you.  And my 20-pound weight-loss.

After hurriedly showering, we grabbed our friend Jennifer and left for some shopping.

GOODWILL!

There are NO good Goodwills in Western New York.  I think there might be some in Amherst, but it’s a bit of a drive, so I haven’t ventured up there yet.  I was in DESPERATE need of clothes that fit, and I really lucked out!  My haul included two pairs of Gap jeans, two pairs of American Eagle cords, a pair of J. Crew khakis (almost exactly like my favorite pair that I had to give up!), two pairs of shorts, three skirts and a pair of BCBG “tuxedo” pants (they have stripes of sequins down the sides) — not sure where I’ll wear them, but they were in mint condition, looked fabulous on and probably retailed for $100 — I had to.

Onto more Dayton favorites…

…Trader Joe, I have missed thee.

I’d already done some shopping with Emily here, but I picked up some more essentials, like granola, peanut butter and mango gummies.  One can never have enough.

Sara, a house church friend who met us Sunday for lunch, told us about the new popsicle place that opened up across from TJ’s.  We had to go.

It’s a little gourmet treat shop and they have all sorts of fun flavors of popsicles.  Susy got the raspberry/lime/coconut, Jennifer chose the honeydew/basil/lime and I was craving the banana pudding with vanilla wafers — all were yummy!

We’d been doing our shopping at TJ’s for the soiree Susy had planned for that night — an ‘open-house’ of sorts so that all our friends could stop by to see me while I was in town!  Was that not the sweetest thing she could do?  Love her :)

While I’m gushing about Susy, I’ll just go ahead and continue.  She is the most EXCELLENT wine-and-cheese party-thrower EVER.  Seriously.  It’s all we ever did for get-togethers at her house and they are always just fantastic.  I’ve always wanted to be the kind of person who organizes and attends wine and cheese parties.  Susy, thank you again for making this dream a reality.

Anna helped me make Ina’s brownie pudding for dessert.  Topped with vanilla ice cream, it is heaven on a plate.  Or in a bowl.  It’s basically like eating brownie batter without the raw-egg grossness.

We bought wine at Trader Joe’s, made flatbread pizzas and a fresh mozzarella and tomato pasta salad with Susy’s homemade pesto, arranged meat, cheese and cracker platters, roasted garlic and set out olive tapenade and eggplant dips.

OH. MY. GOSH.  Have you ever had bleu cheese with figs drizzled with honey?  I hadn’t, either.  I don’t even like bleu cheese, at least not very much.  In fact, until a couple years ago, I thought it smelled gross.  And it kinda still does.  But I am telling you, combine it with figs and honey, and it’s like dessert.  DESSERT.  Seriously.

Our running friends Nicole and Kathy came over, and Jennifer returned as well.

Later on, Kathryn and Mia stopped by as well.  These two are hilarious.  HILARIOUS.  I LOVE hanging out with them.  I think they bring out a less-tightly-wound side of my.  That, and a little wine helps, too.

We decided to howl at the moon that night and headed to the movies to see The Help.  I’d read the book just before we moved, so I’d been looking forward to seeing it.  It seemed like it jumped around a bit, but I love Emma Stone (although I think I liked her better about 10 pounds heavier–she just looks too skinny now) and really enjoyed seeing it with my girlfriends.  Now Andrew is off the hook and can take me to see something else!

We stayed out past midnight, and because I didn’t say no to Susy’s shot of espresso from that afternoon, it was 2 a.m. before I fell asleep…

…little did I know she, just two floors above me, was having the same insomnia!

Good morning!  I welcomed Susy’s espresso this time.

After our run we didn’t have time for a sit-down brunch before I left, so we went to one of our favorite haunts, Tropical Smoothie.

In true Susy-fashion, she convinced me to pop into Goodwill one more time on the way home.  We learned Goodwill is a ‘two-hand’ job…  Must. Finish. Smoothie. First!  I scored a white J. Crew tuxedo shirt (to go with the BCGC pants, perhaps?) and a bunch of long-sleeve shirts and a Gap sweater in anticipation of cooler weather in NY soon.

I left, picked up Hadrian from puppy camp in Troy and got on the road.  Andrew and I had decided to meet outside Cleveland and then continue on caravan-style.

I knew there was a Jeni’s somewhere in Cleveland, and it turns out it’s not far off of I-271!  We were stoked.

It’s in Chagrin Falls, OH, which is just about the cutest, quaintest town you can imagine.  Let’s just say it makes adorable East Aurora look like a ghetto.

It was a nice chance to take Hadrian for a bit of a walk and stretch our legs.  I’ve been on a waffle cone-kick of late (I think it’s because it takes longer to eat than in a dish, thus more enjoyment – ha!), and I got all seasonal flavors: blackberries and sweet corn, blueberry and lemon yogurt and peach buttermilk.  I told Andrew, upon finishing my treat, that I could go back and get a whole other one no problem.  No joke.  There is just something about Jeni’s.  It’s not heavy like other ice creams, and the flavors are so light yet intense…almost addicting.

We got back on the road with three more hours to go.

I’d been craving Chick-Fil-A for dinner during the entire drive, knowing there is one about an hour and  half from home in Erie, PA.  I told myself not to get the cookies and cream milkshake, since I’d already had ice cream…

NOPE!  I went all out.  I hadn’t had a CFA sandwich in months and I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t.  Now that we can’t have it all the time, I figured it’d be OK to totally splurge on exactly what I wanted: a sandwich, (small) fries and a shake.  And it was all I had dreamed it would be.

Andrew was holding out for a Pasquale’s pizza when we got home, which he picked up on the way.  I wish I could tell you I resisted the urge at 10 p.m. at night to have a slice, but I can’t.  Oh well, this morning was a new day!

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