Sandbox List Adventure 10: The Tastiest Ten Minutes of the Day

I don’t know if every kid dreams about it, but I know they think about it. I used to think about it a lot, when I was five, six, seven … all the way to 37. Yup. To this day I think about it, and it makes me smile. However my dentist says it’s my weakness and charges me an obscene amount of money to fix my cavities. He says I may have to give it up. I say they need to work harder on inventing better toothpaste because there’s no way I’m giving it up. It’s like air. A necessity.

Milk. Cream. Sugar. Those are the basic ingredients.  I’ve had them on their own multiple times, but they are definitely best when they are churned together and frozen, sealed tight in a container … just waiting for me on aisle 7 of the supermarket. Dude. That’s the best. Ben & Jerry’s. They are geniuses … geniuses I tell you! My kids are aware of this phenomenon and always look forward to birthday parties because ice cream is usually one of the side dishes. And even though I get to have some secretly once or twice a week, it’s something that my kids may get once a month. You know, I’m trying to develop healthy eaters.

So when we were driving home from the book festival this weekend and I asked my son what he wanted for dinner I was surprised by his answer, but even more surprised by my own.

“What do you want for dinner?” I asked as a red light stopped us in front of a 31 Flavors.

“Ice cream.”

“Ice cream? You can’t have ice cream for dinner.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not good for you. It’s only supposed to be a treat once in a while, and usually after your meal.”

“I have not had ice cream in a long, long, long while and I already had my snack.”

“You haven’t had dinner.”

“Ice cream can be dinner.”

I paused, thinking about my college days.

“So can we have ice cream for dinner?”

I thought about his Sandbox List Adventures and nodded.

“Yeah, I guess you can. Just for today.”

Dude. The woo-hoo was like a SuperBowl touchdown with two seconds to go in overtime kind of woo-hoo. It was a pretty big one. So I turned the corner and drove the car into the 31 Flavors parking lot to begin our Sandbox List Adventure.

 

We arrived and the seatbelts couldn’t be taken off fast enough.

 

There were many options to choose from and I was sure he was going to fancy it up. I know I was thinking about it.

 

When he saw these I thought … dude it’s on. He’s most definitely going to ask for one of these.

 

And while he was contemplating his cone purchase I was contemplating a cake purchase. Oreo cookies make for a great cake accessory.

 

But before he decided, we did a little taste testing.

 

And it was funny, with all the available choices, he decided on a cup. Chocolate chip with chocolate sprinkles. Dude. He definitely takes after me.

 

His sister didn’t really have a choice, but was definitely enjoying the Cookies N’ Cream.

 

It was the fastest dinner they have ever eaten. There was no fighting. No spoon dropping. No reminders to finish eating. Just concentration and focus, in addition to a lot of smiles and spoons dancing around in creamy cool deliciousness. In fact I had to tell them to slow down. I didn’t want to deal with their first brain freeze. I told them they had to eat slowly and enjoy it. The adventure lasted about ten minutes, but it was the tastiest ten minutes they had all day.

 

 

Weekly Image of Life: Getaway

 

 

Getaway

 

Stress.

Anxiety.

Frustration.

Anger.

Counting to ten doesn’t seem to be working?

Need a getaway?

Trader Joes has your passport.

Chocolate Lava Cakes … they take me anywhere.

 

Weekly Image of Life Challenge Courtesy of This Man’s Journey

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lunchtime

Bruschetta

Lunch.

I’m usually a carnivore, consisting of hamburgers and foot-long Italian sandwiches, but for some reason I decided to eat a Julie & Julia signature meal.

However it was in Guat proportions.

No tiny mini breads here.

Just ginormous half loaves of crunchy, tasty, savory, garlicky, fresh, and satisfying ingredients.

I had four servings.

Why not?

There was no Trans Fat.

Lunch.

Happiness Project Update 22: The Food Network Adventure Begins

This is where failure usually happens. You think being 37, I’d be used to it by now and maybe even immune to it, but no. It still stings. Even though there is an abundance of chocolate covering every stumble and fall, it’s not easy “finding the lesson” when things don’t go the way you hoped. But when things work out, it’s definitely a do-a-cartwheel feeling.

“Do what you do.”

Pursuing a passion. I’ve got lots of these, and thanks to The Happiness Project I’ve been able to do many cartwheels this year and last year, most of them involving sports or other adventures requiring BenGay afterward, like the triathlons, and The Warrior Dash. But I think this chapter may be asking me to pursue a passion I haven’t done yet.

Image via happiness-project.com

And I wondered, well other than sports, writing, television, movies and books what else am I passionate about that I haven’t explored? I’ve dedicated parts of my Happiness Project these last couple of months to plenty of athletic adventures that made me feel genuinely happy and not just momentarily, but the whole entire day. It was an emotional high and it had nothing to do with chocolate. It was just the rush of being successful and accomplishing something I set out to do.

That pushed the reset button on my life and I decided … yeah I want that feeling. Pictures are great, but I soooooo want to bottle that up and open it and relive those feelings for when one of those crappy days rolls around and slaps me in the face. So I continued my athletic adventures. I’ve enrolled in a beginners roller derby class and registered for an urban climbing race, which also benefits the American Lung Association. I’m on a mission to do an athletic adventure at least once month and maybe I won’t need that special bottle.

I continue to write as that is one of my biggest passions and I get a great sense of satisfaction every night when hit that “publish” button on my blog. I feel like I did something. Just the other day I reached the 400-posts mark and it felt good to reach that number. I didn’t tell anyone, but I didn’t need to in order to feel fantastic, the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream which involved chocolate was reward enough. Plus I’ve got to admit, I patted myself on the back and gave myself a gold star.

Movies and television I am so on top of that. In fact I may be too on top of that. Some people say it’s not that great to watch a lot of television or movies, but I say why not? Television and movies are awesome. Sometimes they provide escape, comic relief, or inspiration and I’m always for that.

But this chapter inferred I pursue something new, or something I hadn’t done yet.

“What you choose to do on a free Saturday afternoon is an indication of your passion.”

Normally the answer to that involves, sports, working out, television or movies. But there were two things that came to mind. Food and travel. I’m all about food. I love it. I enjoy it. I look forward to it. I savor every bite. Sometimes I even dream about it. And the calories? C’mon now. It’s me The Guat. Calories don’t matter, I just walk it off or buy bigger pants. And travel? If I had any money I would being traveling places at least once a month, but since I’m a poor writer all I do is travel to the supermarket with coupons and dream while I’m in line. But I could make travel possible, even if it’s just for a weekend.

So there it was, I found my answers. But in order for the chapter to work, I’d have to choose just one and seeing how I’m financially challenged, food would probably be the better choice. And what an awesome second choice, right? Who doesn’t love food? And I could probably travel to places through food, right?

So in addition to my other projects I’ve decided to pursue food. Eating it mostly, but cooking it of course. I’ve decided to try a new recipe once a week. I’m really not one for following cookbook recipes since I’m a big Food Network fan, but I’ll take the recipes from wherever I can find them. Julia Childs cookbook, Authentic Guat recipes cookbooks, Tyler Florence, Bobby Flay, Emeril, Paula Dean, or any of the cooks featured on the network. But I’m not going to fool myself into getting a Rachel Ray recipe and thinking I can do it in thirty minutes. Because I’ve learned the hard way. That chick is lying. It takes at least an hour.

But no matter how long it takes I’ll finish. Whether it’s baking or sautéing, I’m on a new adventure. It’s culinary and it will probably involve chocolate. Oooooh. Maybe in every dish. Stay tuned because the Food Network Adventure begins.

The Pre-Tamale Feast

It happens every year … well at least for the past seven years. My people splurge on the Guat tamales every year. At least fifty tamales packed in our fridge for the holiday eating season. And believe me, they get eaten. So what happens before the Guat holiday feast? Before I’m bombarded for tamales for days?

The Pre-Christmas Eve Carne Asada BBQ.

The grills are unveiled and we get to work.

There’s nothing like good food to help you get through the family holiday dysfunction.

And so we begin with salsa … sometimes the master of heartburn, but we all love the spicy tomato dish that accompanies the bag of chips we’re scarfing down.

 

For my cousin … the vegetarian, an aluminum envelope packed with seafood and with flavor.

 

For the carnivore in all of us. As you can probably tell … there were no leftovers.

 

I’d like to thank Pappy’s Seasoning for making this possible. Yeah none of these Shish Kabobs made it to the “save-it-for-lunch” container.

 

The last shrimp plate ready to be taken out to the table, with all the essential accessories. Apparently they decided on light beer … because of the holidays. You know … people tend to gain ten to fifteen pounds.

 

It was a great bounty of seafood and deliciously marinated flank steak, accompanied by cilantro-lime rice, beans, corn on the cob, tortillas, radishes, and big pants. I felt like I was surrounded by dishes from the Food Network All-Stars. I was pretty proud of my beginning culinary skills. But I wasn’t able to take pictures of the rest of the side dishes. I figured you knew what all that looked like … well in truth everyone attacked the kitchen at once and I couldn’t snap my shot fast enough.

But I did get a plate. Both shrimp and steak.

And for once … for once I didn’t have to wash the dishes after the meal. Thank God my brother-in-law was here. Taking one for the team.

 

The Stretchy Pants A.K.A. Sweats Make a Comeback

When I got the email the first thoughts that popped into my head? Frosting. Sprinkles. And Christmas. Dude … It’s on. It’s raining … there’s traffic … but it’s on.

I had never heard of a cookie decorating party or a cookie exchange. I had heard of a pizza party, a tamale making party and tamale exchange party, but never a cookie decorating party. I need to read more Parenting-Martha Stewart-Home Crafting magazines.  Well … not really. They don’t have a sports section.

But in any case the craftiness of the party was sweet and I can’t believe that this idea had never occurred to me before. I mean considering my undying love for all things sweet and chocolatey I should have known. But it was all good, my friend Margaret schooled me, and she probably added a couple of pounds in the process as well. But no worries. I have stretchy pants. They’re called sweats. I don’t care what Vogue or Fashion Runway people say, they’re essential to the food lover. Some people go upscale and use yoga pants. I have those too, but c’mon now, let’s stop playing these games. Yoga pants after a cookie party? Dude. No yoga going on here just vegging out and catching up on some Law & Order Special Victims Unit. But all the cookie guilt may lead me to do some sit-ups, but not tonight.

Tonight I reminisce and think of all the tasty sweets. And tonight starts with one cookie.

 

First rule of cookie parties  … bring a couple of dozens. So my cookie of choice … Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk. I’m surprised they made it there in one piece.

 

With my friend in a new house and me accidentally driving to the old one, we got to the party a little late. But it was all good, they had the spread waiting for us.

 

In the midst of all the frosting and sprinkles I decided to check out the cookies that my other friends brought.

 

This raspberry cookie bar had me at hello. I must have eaten five at the table and taken a couple more to go. It was my moral imperative. I needed more fruit in my diet today. I only had like one grape in the morning.

 

After all the taste testing I decided to check on my son’s cookie creation skills. He was on top of it.

 

His favorite was the green M&M Christmas tree.

 

However once he was finished with the decorating process, he took a bite out of every cookie. When I told him not to because I thought we were going to share our creations with others, his response was:  “I have to. I won’t know what the cookie taste like if I don’t mom. Sometimes they need more M&Ms. Sometimes more sprinkles. I need to make sure.”

In the end, it was all right because everyone had plenty of frosted sugar cookies to go around.

 

The masters at work … creating more.

 

I even got into the mix and created my own cookie magic. It was a goner on the way home. A victim to traffic.

 

This one was a goner too. Traffic and cookies just don’t mix.

 

My friend also had some awesome homemade guacamole with a hint of green tomatillos, which I would have taken a picture of, but I was too busy eating and my phone ran out of memory space. I tell you … stretchy pants … they’re making a comeback tonight.

A Night With The Little Chefs

 

 

Usually Friday nights consist of Cars. Despicable Me, Madagascar, or The Lorax, followed by a lot of jumping around and hyperactive woo-hoos for the hero. Movie night. We do it twice a month and I’ve seen each of these movies at least five times. At least.

But tonight my son had a different plan.

Pizza night.

 

First step … hit the deli for our special ingredients.

 

 

“Mom, this does not look like pizza.”
“We have to cook it first. Make it into a pizza.”
“Ohhh … let’s get started!”

 

 

Other than eating, this is the part he enjoyed the most. There was flour everywhere. My one-year old daughter got into pizza baking too, however she just decided to be in charge of the flour. The flour throwing that is … on the table, on the floor and at the dog. Sometimes I wish we still had a DustBuster.

 

 

I told him that he needed muscles for this part of the pizza making — that perhaps maybe mom should do this part of cooking.
“Mom, I got muscles. Let me show you.”

 

 

I was hoping to guide him during this phase of the cooking, however he felt the need to be Top Chef. His sister … still throwing flour.

 

 

 

We had a little over a pound of shredded cheese. My son felt the need to use all of it. I mentioned that he might want to save some for later. He just shook his head and said: ‘Mom, I thought I was the chef today?”
I zipped it.

 

 

 

Now the waiting game, which consisted of Nickelodeon.

 

 

His final masterpiece … Although I wish I had a better camera because this picture didn’t do it justice. My son was so proud of his creation he took a couple of slices over to the neighbor’s.

 

 

We ended the evening as it should always be ended. Cannolis. We battled for the chocolate one …

 

There’s nothing like a Friday night with the little chefs.

 

Lobster and Remembering to Dance to Your Own Rhythm

Good food becomes a great reason to take a long drive. Even when you have two kids, you stuff a bag full of emergency toys and snacks for the drive and hope they don’t want to hear the Head-and-Shoulders-Knees-and-Toes CD for the entire forty-five minute road trip. But you’d do it just for the food.

Luckily Blake Shelton, Eric Church, Josh Turner, the sounds of country music, and the occasional Taio Cruz song seemed to make the ride pleasant enough for everybody so we didn’t need the Romper Room/Wiggles musical. The fact that there was absolutely no traffic helped too.

What was our destination? Lobster Fest, and not the Red Lobster kind either.

 

Our first lobster festival

 

As any neurotic mom would, I made sure we arrived early, so we had time to check out the sights.

 

We rented a bike and built up an appetite. However in retrospect I really should have worn shorts. Pedaling in jeans is so not cool. But I did work up a sweat. Thank God for Degree deodorant.

Every time I’m at the pier, beach, or ocean I come across some mermaid or Poseidon-like statue.

 

My daughter seemed to enjoy the scenery and the ride.  And we enjoyed watching her.

 

We looked at the boats and then wondered why we couldn’t be weekend boat people. Then I noticed a few boat people flip-flopping it down the road, not showered and smelling like teen spirit. Then I realized I couldn’t be a boat person.

We decided we had enough of the boat people and headed to the lobster festival for some good food and thirst quenching beverages.

 

However seeing how I was the designated driver, I had the other kind of beverage.

 

But there were all kinds of people and all kinds of beverages being shared today. These are just of few of the people who came to enjoy the festivities.

 

And this is where the kids hung out, including my son. It was a win-win.

 

After all that playing we went to visit our guests of honor. They were flown in from Maine. I felt pretty bad that these were on death row.

 

But we still got in line and witnessed the process.

 

These were the hard-working boys bearing the heat and working the lobsters.

 

Lunch was ready.

 

This was Big Louie.

 

This is the amount of butter it took. Remember, you can never have too much butter.

 

This was the beverage of choice.

 

This was our view during lunch.

 

This was our entertainment during lunch. Apparently it was the Age of Aquarius all afternoon long. I decided to check out the dance floor.

 

This was the lead dancer, strutting his stuff.

 

However this couple … this couple takes the Dancing With The Stars Trophy. As I was jamming to my own beat on the sidelines, a regular Solid Gold Dancer, I noticed this couple … This awesome couple grooving to their own rhythm. While almost everyone stared in judgement and disbelief, I smiled, clapped, and celebrated. It reminded me …  always remember to dance to your own beat, even at a lobster festival.

 

Thank You, Raja … It Was a Great Escape

Finally … a night out.

This is where I met Raja

 

As I waited 15-20 minutes for my table Zack the Waiter passed out the most tasty garlic herb bread bites ever

 

We finally got a table by the fountain … where the best waitress/server ever told us the specials.

 

We scanned the room and there he was … the bread guy. Most people fear carbs but I welcome them. I embrace them!
“People just want me for my rolls,” he said.
“Me, too.” My friend replied. “Me, too.”

 

For starters …

 

We ordered the soup … which according to Raja was @#$%^! good. Anything that inspires that kind of passion had to be @#$%^! good. And it was …

 

My friend, Maria, suggested we have another bottle of wine and being the good friend that I am I was supportive. Very supportive.

 

I felt Italian … The entire restaurant sang “That’s Amore” and we raised our glasses in a toast. Constantly. We get that happy wine feeling. We begin drunk texting.

 

This is Raja and my friend Maria. Raja toasts with us. She laughs with us. She encourages the wine drinking. She is awesome. She had us at hello.

 

I can’t even begin to describe the deliciousness swirling in my bowl. If you care about calories you shouldn’t even look at the picture … luckily I don’t care for calories. I care about flavor. I had a lot of flavor to accompany my wine.

 

You can never have too much bread … NEVER. I know I couldn’t. This was my third plate.

As always I end the meal with chocolate … layers of chocolate.

As we wait for the car, I notice the hoochie-mamas and their six-inch heels freezing and waiting for their ride. I realize that next time I should wear something other than my t-shirt, jeans, and New Balance attire. But then again … Raja thought I was awesome as is … so New Balance it is.

 

I will return again …

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Merge

The Masters of Merge

Merge

For when Friday night traffic hits you on a Sunday afternoon.

For when the jackass at work gets promoted over you.

For when  you say “Let me speak to your manager,” and they say “I’m the manager.”

For when you get another rejection letter and then see Snooki‘s book at Barnes & Noble.

For when you thought you had your first night off from the kids in two months and your dude, chick, or partner never shows up. They forgot and you have no CSI: Crime Scene Investigation skills when they stroll in at midnight.

For these times, you go to The Masters of Merge … Ben & Jerry‘s.

They combine unusual flavors to help ease your mind. They merge ingredients that have no business hanging out together into a sweet deliciousness that makes you forget about the calories. They merge stuff like vanilla bean ice cream with salty caramel swirl and fudge covered potato chips to produce ice cream awesomeness.

Ben & Jerry’s … The Masters of Merge.