A Day of Mixed Emotions
PIN IT!What an incredibly emotional Monday it has been, and it’s only 11 a.m. I woke up to find out Osama Bin Laden was killed, which was incredibly great news, to then find out 30 minutes later that my great grandmother also passed away this morning. A great day for America and a less than great day for my family 🙁 I’m definitely feeling quite a large mix of emotions. Because this blog serves as my journal, I’m going to talk, openly, about what I’m feeling. Hopefully it will inspire others to do the same!
Today is a very proud day to be waving this flag [Photo via]
When I found out about Bin Laden, to say I was only relieved would be a lie. I felt relieved, but also scared, worried, nervous, excited and happy. I’m relieved because this man hunt we’ve participated in for 1o years is finally over. But I’m scared, worried and nervous because I know the war is far from over. I know that he was just one man, with an incredible following. I know that his passing is going to ignite a fight from his followers, his people, which has the potential to destroy millions of lives. I know that the death of one man could never equal the death of the ideology he believed in, which will continue to spread, especially after his death. I’m happy, though, because their leader is gone, their figure head has fallen. The man who instilled all of these feelings of hate into their heads and feelings of hope into their hearts is gone. I’m happy because it brought our country together, if even just for a few moments. I’m happy to know that one man capable of such extreme acts of evil is gone. I’m happy and excited to be an American. Just as September 11,2001 shook the world to it’s very core, I feel May 1, 2011 will have the same aftermath.
I did not feel the same mix of emotions when I got the news about my grandma, I just felt overwhelming sadness. Although she was 95 when she passed, she had so much vigor and personality. Grandma Alice, here’s to you, a wonderful woman who made us all laugh with her sassy anecdotes and made us smile with her amazing compliments. We never quite knew what you would say and you always kept us on our toes, but you loved us, unconditionally, and always left us with some incredible advice. I know she’s in a better place, with her husband and her family, but it’ll be really hard to be here without her. One my fondest memories of her is when she would make lady locks and my cousin and I would sit and see how many we could eat in one sitting, yes, they were THAT good.
These little cream puffs are SO delicious. [Photo via]
So in honor of her memory, I”m making a batch of my own lady locks tonight. She was always so happy to make those for us. So Grandma, I know they won’t be as good as yours, but making them will make me happy and will bring me closer to you.
Like That? Try This: Almond & Strawberry Tart
Although I’m by no means a perfect housewife (or a housewife at all, really), but I have my housewife in training moments where I really feel all June Cleaver-y. Where I look in the mirror and see a big bun, a flowered apron, pearls, heels and a red lipstick grin smiling right back at me.
Those are some SERIOUS cheekbones, June.
I think June in all her glory would be very proud of me for last night’s dessert, strawberry almond tart with a dash of lemon juice. And guess what, Juney June, it was EASY!! Not only did this tart taste amazing, it looked absolutely gorgeous. Some foods just take fabulous photos (and some don’t) and this sassy little tart can consider itself a model. Want a sneak peek?
Pretty little tart, dontcha think? This is a fabulous dessert if you have a serious craving for cheesecake but can’t bear the thought of consuming that many calories. The ingredients are quite similar but this has over 500 less calories and 10 less grams of fat! You’ll satisfy your creamy craving and still have a body to flaunt! Plus, as you remember, June was quite svelte!
I also found this the perfect time to whip out my Emile Henry ruffled pie dish we got as a wedding present!
This pie plate is JUST gorgeous.
Strawberry and Almond Tart
What You’ll Need:
Crust:
- 36 honey graham crackers (about 1 and 1/4 cup crushed)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 4 teaspoons water
- Cooking spray
Filling:
- 2/3 cup light cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Topping:
- Almonds
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
How to Make it:
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- To prepare crust, place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, and water; pulse just until moist. Place mixture in a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until browned. Cool completely before you put filling in it. ( I learned that the hard way and had to re bake a new crust yesterday).
- To prepare filling: mix cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and extracts. Spread filling onto cooled crust.
- Cut stems off strawberry’s and assort around the tart. Place almonds (toasted, if you’d prefer) around edge and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the whole tart.
- Cover and let chill for an hour then enjoy!
Such a fresh, light and delicious dessert that is perfect for spring and summer! Next time I have a craving for cheesecake, I’m making this tart instead!
Nutritional Information per slice: 270 calories, 7 grams of fat, 45 grams of carbohydrates and 4.5 grams of protein.
Eat Skinny Be Skinny: Caprese Sandwich
I’ve been missing Italy HARD lately. But let’s get serious, I’ve been missing it since I left. That country has a strong hold on me and I’m already counting down the minutes until I can visit again. Let’s take a mind vacation for a minute, shall we?
Oh sweet, sweet Florence, how I long to be in you once again. (Sounds a little dirty, aye?) Because I can’t stop thinking of Italy, I decided to eat like I was still there. We all know how much I love making and eating bruschetta, so I wanted to take those ingredients and that flavor and make a sandwich out of it! I don’t believe in sandwiches for dinner, but this one was definitely worth breaking that rule.
Basically, it’s a grown up grilled cheese but what really makes it is the fresh basil leaf and fresh mozzarella. Even though I put 2 basil leaves on each sandwich, I still didn’t taste much basil. So my only recommendation would be to add another leaf to each sandwich. Other than that, these sandwiches are delicious! They only take about 10 minutes to bake and cost less than 10 dollars to assemble! Talk about a fresh, easy and budget friendly dinner! Serve with your favorite Italian vino! (I miss the fact that wine is only 5 euros over there).
Recipe makes 2 sandwiches.
Caprese Sandwiches
What You’ll Need:
- 4 pieces of sourdough bread (cut into sandwich slices)
- 4 slices of fresh tomato
- 2 round slices of fresh mozzarella
- 4 basil leaves (or more for taste)
- Dash of salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil
How to Make Them:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Brush one side of each piece of bread with olive oil. Stack bread (olive oil side facing down) with basil leaves, tomatoes and mozzarella.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until bread is browned and cheese is gooey. Let cool for a second and then eat on up!!
The bread was crisp, the cheese was gooey and the tomatoes were still juicy enough to leave you needing a napkin. This is a sandwich that is perfect for all ages! I can see this becoming a summer staple at my house, for sure!
Nutritional Information per sandwich: 314 calories, 12 grams of fat, 30 grams of carbohydrates and 13 grams of protein.
And the winner is….
Who is the fabulously lucky winner of the Amy Sedaris cookbook and adorable cake stand? I know, the suspense is just killing you…
…aka as Amanda Abbott of Eats Love Happiness! What is her favorite dessert?
“I love anything chocolate. I mean, I eat chocolate covered fritos…anything chocolate is my favorite dessert. :)”
Congrats again Amanda on this fabulous prize!
Claire
Tags:Amy Sedaris cookbook, contest, Crate and Barrel cake stand, giveaway, winner
My Realistic Life: A Lovely Sunday
Contest winner will be announced tomorrow!
Every so often, I have a completely perfect Sunday. As I’ve mentioned before, Sunday’s are a bit dicey for me. I usually get really upset because Monday is just around the corner and am filled with so much dread, I can’t actually enjoy Sunday. Well, thankfully, yesterday was not one of those Sunday’s. Yesterday was perfect.
We started off the day sleeping in, which for me, is nearly impossible. I have an internal alarm clock that wakes me up around 7-7:30 EVERY single morning. However, yesterday it was on snooze and I actually slept in until around 9! After I woke up, my pup, who NEVER cuddles, curled up next to me on the couch to watch a bit of news, er, Lifetime.
Isn’t he, just, the cutest thing you ever did see?
After a bit of cuddling, I got ready for our Easter brunch date with some friends of ours. We went to Vermillion in Old Town, which is a fabulously trendy restaurant in a restored town-home. I’m talking exposed brick walls, lanterns and a fabulous wine rack along the side of AN ENTIRE wall. Oh and the food and drink? AMAZING.
[Photo courtesy of Ryan Hicks]
I indulged in 2 delicious mimosas and the most decadent and fatty meal I’ve had in a LONG time, eggs benedict served OVER grilled cheese. I can’t even begin to imagine how many calories and fat grams were in it (the thought alone still haunts me) but it was definitely worth the splurge. The egg was perfectly poached and the bread was crispy and gooey. Absolute perfection. [I apologize in advance for the low quality iPhone pics!]
Whoever had the bright idea to put a poached egg on a grilled cheese definitely has my vote. However, this is one splurge I can only afford once every few years. My pants are already tight! Luckily everyone else was as stuffed as me so we decided to walk around Old Town and along the waterfront. The weather was ABSOLUTELY perfect.
After a lovely few hours of strolling around (I don’t stroll enough, I need to get on that) we headed home to take the pups out and so E could work on his paper. I took a nice little nap and woke up to the sound of thunder. I’m not a HUGE fan of thunderstorms but for some reason, I had the urge to grab the camera and take some photos of it rolling in. There’s just something so beautiful about a spring/summer storm rolling in. A little FYI though, lightning is impossible to get a photo of.
And then came the rain…
Rain can be so incredibly beautiful, can’t it?
How was your easter? Hopefully filled with lots of love, fun and food :)!
