Places to See, Things to Eat

"Put Mustard on it and Eat It"

2009-09-09T17:19:00.002-04:00

We have a saying at our house. "Put mustard on it and eat it." It's a saying that means, you can do anything, you just have to find a way to make yourself happy with it. Like when you were a kid and you didn't want to eat the weird looking vegis on your plate. I know the Wino would "Put cheese on it, and eat it". But it just doesn't have the same ring to it.
I personally like the mustard quote because, well, just like balsamic, everything is better with mustard. The Wino does not agree with me... But I know there are other mustard fans out there.
Since we recently made the long trek back to Phoenix, we had to empty out the refridgerator in Mass. Many mustards were sacrifice in the relocation.
At this moment, I have recovered 7 varieties, but the one I purchased from Trader Joe's today is worth mentioning. It is their brand, Aoili Garlic Mustard Sauce. It resembles the spicy mustard that you would find at an Oriental restaurant, but without the kick. The garlic flavor is present, but subtle, so you won't have to worry about offending people.
I was starving by the time I hit the Trader Joes, so when I reached the house, I immediately opened the jar of mustard to taste it with the Edamame chips I was munching on. I had a hard time putting it away. The mustard does indeed make a fantastic sauce or dip. Not to mention there are only 40 calories per serving. HA... sorry, that's MY serving. A normal serving is 10 little tiny calories. So, if you had self control, you'd be good.

I have some pork chops in the refridgerator that have implied their desire to be wrapped in my delightful mustard. hmmmm.... what's for dinner?

Ready, Set, DIET!

2009-09-03T16:50:00.005-04:00

I finally got on the scale this morning and discovered that I was one pound past my comfort zone.

Imagine my shock! After all, I didn't eat the skin of those hot wings last night. It had to have been the pineapple on the pizza, it was just over kill. So, I was forced to make an exception to my regular Monday, Wednesday and Friday workout schedule and I headed to the gym on a Thursday to work off all that pineapple fat.

This extra pound of lovin' will never due and I am not one to typically have the patience to wait for a few extra minutes at the gym to help me get back to shape. So, I have informed my husband that it is officially time for the diet to begin. He smiled in sarcasm as we said in unison, "It's time for the Rabbit Food." This is my husbands affectionate term for the delicious, but healthy meals that I make when 'we' diet.

I have a balanced diet. I eat whatever I want, in moderation, and when the scale leans toward the dark side... it's time for the 'rabbit food' until I am back in the safe zone.

I've dealt with the fact that my weight will fluctuate. I realize that no matter what I do, once a month, I am a bloated lard ass, no matter what I do or eat, so why not enjoy food and life... taking weight issues as they arise. Well, the scale has 'a-rised' so it's time.

I don't see these times as the torture that some of 'us' see it. Quite the contrary. This means a challenge. I learn how to make all my favorite things, keeping the calorie count as low as possible.

Ready, set, Diet.....

What's for lunch?

2009-08-22T16:29:00.006-04:00

Today I went to the store to collect the short ribs for my dinner tonight. As I chatted on the phone with my sister, she mentioned "Tostadas". Mmmmm. My mouth started watering and the brain wheels started turning.

So, I cruised around the store collecting the ingredients for my tostada lunch.

Finally, an excuse to use the griddle on my panini press!

I spritzed a roasted garlic, olive oil on the hot griddle and put the white corn tortillas, smothered in refried beans and cheese on to start cooking.

While that heated, I chopped green onions, cilantro and tomatoes.

When the everything was done, I place all the vegis on top, put a dollop of daisy and some tomatillos sauce over the top and sprinkled it with a little lime.

SUCH a yummy lunch. I hope I inspire someone else. I'm passing the inspiration. Go!

Macaroni, Slightly Paula Deen Style

2009-08-21T21:45:00.008-04:00

Do you remember a certain Savannah, Georgia trip? Well, if you missed out, it was a very LONG day that was supposed end in dinner at the Lady and Son's restaurant, but instead, ended in dinner with "Wanda" at the Cracker Barrel. A mistake that will never be forgotten.

With that in mind, I was watching the food network yesterday, trying to maintain my dignity as drool ran down my chin, when Mrs. Paula Deen made a macaroni and cheese in a crock pot.

In a crock pot?

Well, I had to see what that was about.

Of course, I never copy or repeat a recipe exactly, so my macaroni has been slightly modified from the original, to save calories. (She says with a giggle, laughing at the idea of a low calorie macaroni. Hahaha)

The first step was to heat the 2 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese (I used a vermont white chedder... my preference), with half a stick of butter. Well, I cut that down to a quarter stick and BAM, it's practically diet food!

You then transfer this mixture into the crock pot. Mixing in a 1/2 a cup of sour cream ( I used lite, since this is a low cal meal), 1 cup of milk (which I split, whipping cream and milk. I felt bad about all those calories I was taking out), then 1/2 tsp ground mustard, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Mix these ingredients together and add 1 bag of cooked elbow noodles.

When I tasted this, to ensure quality of course, the macaroni was sensational! Honestly the best I have ever had! However, whoever told Paula that mac and cheese could go into the crock pot should be fired from her staff immediately.

The first part of the process should begin 5 minutes prior to serving this delicious, creamy mac and cheese, and should NOT be cooked for any extended period. The flavor remains, but the creamy texture goes away. Which is what I suspected as I added the sour cream, but I did it anyways, trusting in Paula's decision.

If you're craving macaroni, I highly recommend Mrs. Paula Deens' recipe, but skip the extended cook time... sour cream and cheese don't deserve that kind of treatment. ;)

What Happened to the Diva Mom?

2009-08-18T00:20:00.006-04:00

Wow... so much for the previously mentioned goal of putting my nifty little tools to the test.

I have discovered, in the midst of dealing with 3 children and a husband... the crock pot is my favorite tool.

Don't get me wrong the bullet gets used. I blend and chop, dice and grind many things with it, but not enough to blog about it.

The panini press gets used, but mostly for grilling asparagus and peppers and such. Oh yes, it's very handy for that. Nothing like a fresh $0.12 anaheim chili thrown into a meal after being grilled real quick on the press. Much better than canned.

Ok, there might have been a few things to blog about.

Here's the truth. As some of you know... (I say 'some', assuming there is more than 1, being The Wino, reading this thing) I moved from Massachusetts a few months ago. I now live in Hell. Wait, there's another word for it... Oh yes, Arizona! Indian for "Hell".

I'm not a fan.

Hey, being a fan would be handy in this heat.

ANYWAYS.... I have been in low spirits these last 2 months. Blogging has not been the priority of my day. The small people keep me preoccupied and the rest of the time is spent doing 'busy work'... or plugging my ears, closing my eyes and saying "Na Na Na Na Na Na!"

My point.... Yes, I had one... Finally, I found something to pull me out of my funk. (Well, we'll all cross our fingers anyways.)

I discovered MonaVie. You may or may not have heard about it. It is an Acai Berry juice that you drink every day to improve your health.

Well, living in Hell has cause a level of stress that is wreaking havoc on me. So, I needed this stuff! The best part about it is, I can actually make money as well. Anyone that knows me knows that if I like something, I tell everyone I know about it. So, might as well earn some money and make us all healthy and happy to be living in this God foresaken place. (Yes, occasionally, the MonaVie may have to have Vodka in it for that to work.)

So, we're taking a little detour. I'm hoping that a few weeks from now, you're going to hear me raving about Hell and how much I love it here. Ok, Acai berry probably isn't THAT magical. BUT, Oprah swears by it, so... lets just see, shall we.

In the mean time, if you would like to try some for yourself, you can get some on my website.

I would LOVE to do this WITH someone. Please post your comments with me.

www.MonaVieSimplicity.com

Chicken Tomatillo Enchilladas

2009-07-24T18:06:00.013-04:00

Now, I know that my goal was quick, easy and healthy... but considering it was early in the day, quick and easy wasn't my most important goal... but Healthy, I got!

I've been dying to make fresh corn tortillas. So, I decided to use the skillet plates of my panini press and make some beautiful and healthy tortillas.

After throwing away a few bowls of crumbly dough, that I over watered to the point of mush... I decided to read the directions on the back of the bag, which I hadn't realized were there until I started cursing directly

to the bag.

After a few attempts at flattening the little dough balls, I discovered that a rolling pin and wax paper was the best method. The looks of my sad little tortilla blobs make it obvious that a tortilla press will be my next kitchen toy.

After my tortilla mess was cleaned up. (NOT being the quick and easy part of this meal) I proceeded to grill some vegis that I pulled from my refrigerator.

Like most of my meals, I did not start off knowing what I was creating. I knew that it would somehow involve my homemade tortillas, along with the tomatillos, green chillies and chicken.

So, I grilled the chillies, a yellow pepper and my tomatillos, threw them into my bullet and turned it into a sauce. I then blended cilantro, half a jalapeno (cause there are children eating it) and some green onions and threw that mixture into my crock pot with the rest. At this point it smells FANTASTIC! (I cook with my nose, so we'll find out how it tastes later.)

....Later

At this point, I just want to use my cute little individual baking dishes, so ENCHILADAS it is!

After about 6 hours of marinating in a crock pot, the chicken and tomatillo mix was ready.

I layered the homemade tortilla blobs, chicken mix and cheese, baked and created the PERFECT Enchilada.

I garnished my perfect enchilada with some light sour cream and some salsa verde.

I highly recommend you try this. And, let me know how it works for you... maybe you'll have better luck with your tortilla blobs. However, beauty aside, the flavors were EXCELLENT!

Home Cooking Made Easy?

2009-07-24T14:38:00.009-04:00

I'm feeling inspired. Well, technically, I'm feeling over stressed and over fed. So, inspiration was kind of forced upon me. I had a 'chat' with my scale, and dirty words were shared... I need to get on track!

I have purchased a few handy new tools that claim to make fantastic healthy meals, quick and easy.

So, I am going to put these tools to the test. Are they really as fabulous as they claim?

My Panini Press has a removable griddle and grill plates, so I should be able to do a lot with that.

After watching an infomercial for the Magic Bullet,

not only did I feel that we NEEDED one, but my husband was fairly excited about all the tasty meals they created on the tv and agreed we needed one as well.

School starts on Monday, so on top of all the millions of things I have to squeeze into a day, now I have to get up early and train myself to go to bed early.

As you know I'm used to eating out, so getting back into the kitchen shouldn't be painful. I am looking for healthy, easy meals that take no time to clean up.

Stop snickering... I have my new toys that claim they can do it... So lets see...

Chevy's Fresh Mex

2009-07-18T20:44:00.011-04:00

Last night I was craving something spicy and flavorful. Chevy's was an obvious choice! We have missed their fresh ingredients and roasted salsa, and we were all excited to be going there after our year in Massachusetts.

The atmosphere in Chevy's is very festive and casual. Patio lights criss cross through the restaurant and the whole place has a very festive and authentic vibe.

The tortillas are made fresh daily, with the flour tortillas being made right in the dining room.

I love the fresh and flavorful options they have on their menu. Anything involving asparagus or artichokes promises to be good, and they have several vegetarian options that involve these delightful vegetables. (Not that I'm a vegitarian, but some vegis are worth it.)

My mouth watered as I browsed through all the delightfully tasty options, and snacked on the fresh roasted vegetable salsa. Finally, my eyes came across that magic word... "Artichoke" I was very pleased to see that it was also used in the same description as the words "Mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, jack cheese, roasted pablano peppers and spicy habenero pesto sauce"

Chevy's KNOWS how to combine ingredients!

The combination of these ingredients was MAGIC! An indescribable combination of flavors that no one should miss!

I drooled over the desert menu that sat displayed on our table, but since I had forced all those light and crispy chips down before my meal, I felt certain I could pass on desert. My guests did not fill up on chips, clearly, so the Flan was ordered.

Now, I will be honest, I have never had flan. It always appealed to me, but I felt certain I didn't "need" it. After having this Flan, however, I am addicted!

I apologize for not having a better picture, I didn't expect that much flavor in such a simple little desert. As I proceeded to overfill my poor stomach, I decided that everyone should taste the Flan at Chevy's. Order your doggy bag with your meal and save half for later. Save room for desert!

How the Best got even Better!

2009-07-18T19:05:00.008-04:00

Well, if you've been following the sisters, you may have noticed a slight decrease in our activity. Not to make excuses, but have you been in Phoenix during the summer? The human brain has a melting point, and it's been touch and go for a while.

As some of you may know, I recently moved back to the Phoenix area from beautiful Massachusetts and have been searching for a home. My quest for a peice of MA in this lovely town has been exhausting. Apparently nobody has thought to build that yet. What's up with that?

I have had very little time to blog lately, but that is about to change. The house search is taking a break, time to focus on the food! :)

Everyone knows that a few of the wandering sisters are regulars at the Pita Jungle. For non Mexican food, that's as good as it gets!

Pita Jungle has been mentioned on the wandering sisters site before and for good reason! It's worth mentioning every time one of us goes there, but we try to keep limits, so that we don't bore you.

However, during my last visit, I recieved a surprise that may have increased my families visits, and I think it should increase yours as well.

For the first time, Pita Jungle now offers a kids menu!

I know... you may be thinking... "yeah, so?" But wait... these are not just your typical kids meals. You will not find a simple assortment of fried options on this menu. Your child, for $4.95, recieves a protein, a vegitable, fruit, a grain and a beverage. Yeah... I don't think my kids eat this healthy at my house!

Now, if you're not eating from the kids menu, I would also like to stress that Pita Jungles Garlic dip makes all your house hunting worries go away... or whatever worries you may have. If you order it with the chicken, it's practically a meal by itself. A heavenly delicious meal... makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Of course you know, my meal doesn't just stop there, I can not justify going to Pita Jungle without having a little of their greek salad. It's like an addiction... only it's healthy.

Now, if you haven't gone to Pita Jungle yet... for SHAME! Run to your nearest location immediately! You won't go wrong with any item on the menu, and now your kids can eat healthy as well, for a good price.

Skipping Ahead, to PF Changs we go!

2009-06-14T14:40:00.013-04:00

Enough stalling already! Somewhere in Florida, possibly in Walt Disney World, my brain went into overload and all blogging was lost. But I'm in recovery and it's time to get back to work. I've tried to organized my folder filled with pictures of delicious plates of food, but in the mean time, many many meals have passed us by, unreviewed! I know, it's just not right!

So on we go, skipping past the Organic taco shop in Miami, the Voodoo BBQ in New Orleans and hesitantly passing by the unforgettable Chuy's in Houston (not the same as west coast Chuy's).

The dish that will renew my blogging is at PF Changs, specifically the one located in the heart of Tempe, AZ. For those of you who are not aware, PF Changs is the more sophisticated version of Pei Wei, a favorite in our family. With reasonable prices, great atmosphere and nutritious, low calorie food... both of these restaurants rank very high on my list.

This visit in particular was more than about the food though. We were celebrating the reunion of some very special people in our lives. PF Changs provided the perfect atmosphere for this occasion. The restaurant itself is beautiful inside and with tall windows facing Mill Ave it provides a great appeal for any size party.

Our meal started with several well placed plates of the chicken lettuce wraps. I say "well placed" mostly because I was sitting next to 3 people who think anything wrapped in lettuce is too healthy for their taste... so more for me! Deliciously sweet and tangy minced chicken is layered on top of light, crisp rice noodles and then served with a separate plate of crisp, chilled iceberg lettuce. The combination is light, but full of flavor. This dish is one of my favorites at Pei Wei, and it was even better at PF Changs due to the delicious sauce that they served and mixed to your liking at the table.

For our meal, we decided to do Family Style. That means someone is elected to order all the right dishes (or hung if he fails) and the plates are passed around for everyone to share. For those of you who know me, know that I am all about tasting many things at one sitting. How great is that? That being said, I took one bite of the Candied Walnut Shrimp and my brain refused to accept anything else. I tasted several other dishes, but I can not for the life of me remember what they were.

These delightful little shrimps were very lightly fried and covered in a creamy, sweet and tangy sauce with candied walnuts and garnished with balls of honeydew melons. This combination created the perfect meal for a summer evening in Phoenix. The shrimp was warm, but the melon was cool and refreshing. With a measly 412 calories per serving, this was definitely a dish worth going for.

PF Changs is a semi formal environment with reasonable prices. Meals range from $8-$24, with every meal being made with the freshest and healthiest ingredients. Whether you're having a night out with your significant other, or your having a reunion of 12 of your closest friends and family, PF Changs is the perfect place to go.

If you visit the location in Tempe, AZ, don't fret about the parking, they will also validate your parking ticket.

The Cracker Barrel Restaurant

2009-05-21T20:21:00.006-04:00

Normally, I offer people reviews and advice on the food at an establishment. This time, I think I'll skip that part. Anyone who is going to the Cracker Barrel either knows the food... or I will go out on a limb and say that you'll enjoy it. It's down home cooking at reasonable prices. I would love to see more to their menu, but they're a big enough chain that I won't bother with that.

The biggest issue here is the location. This location to be more specific.

After spending the day in the pouring rain. We were looking forward to dinner at Lady and Son's, the restaurant of the Food Network Queen, Paula Deen. We still had over an hour left to wait, so we decided to check out a local antique shop. Unfortunately when we left the store, the rain started to come down, hard. Being cold, soaked and still having an hour to wait to check in, I said screw it, I really wasn't THAT big of a fan.

Our search for dinner began on the ride back to our camper. We drove around town as our navigation tried to convince us to turn around at each street. We were in search of a good home cooked BBQ, true to Southern style. I could go into a whole rant on not finding a mom and pop BBQ restaurant in a town like Savanna, but I'll skip that to save on time.

So, after our 30 mile detour, we ended up 2 miles from our camp, at the Cracker Barrel Family Restaurant. Laughing at the irony of us ending up at the place we intentionally passed up 45 minutes prior, we decided that obviously this was as good as we were going to get as far as a BBQ was concerned. I had hoped for something a little less commercial, but this would have to do.

We sat down, relieved that we had found a comfortable country environment, sure that our meal would be excellent. What we didn't expect, was Wanda.

Wanda is very confused as to why she is wandering around this Cracker Barrel. She was obviously let go from her previous job as a Walmart greeter, for being unqualified, and now she wanders around this establishment trying to shoo people away.

We discussed leaving after our first few encounters with The Wanda, but decided that we were too hungry to go through another 30 mile tour of the city. Wanda hovered over us as we were pressed to make our final decisions. Obviously she was late for a hot date.

The food of course was fabulous, the portion and presentation was less than I expected, but we were happy and full when we finished.

Wanda of course was on top of everything. How one finds a way to be rude at every step of a meal, when there are so many other customers to give the same delightful service to, I have no idea. As we left, I considered doing something that no one with waitressing background considers... I actually considered leaving behind a shinny penny that my daughter found in her pocket. But, alas, Wanda lucked out.

When we left, we were full and satisfied, but unfortunately for Store #52 in Savanna, GA, they still had to spend the evening with dear Wanda. Good luck guys.

If you're going to be in Savanna, and you NEED Cracker Barrel... Just make sure you're not seated in Wanda's section.

Zaxby's

2009-05-20T00:24:00.007-04:00

Yes, the Zensation salad is back at Zaxby's!

An Oriental salad with fried chicken, won tons, honey lime vinaigrette and a vegetable egg roll.

If you still have a pulse, you may not have ever heard of this salad, or possibly Zaxby's for that matter. We thoroughly enjoyed the chicken strips, the Texas toast and the spicy fried mushrooms...mmm. But I am afraid that regular visits to Zaxby's might be the end of us.

The dining area is attractive, clean and very pleasant to be in. The food is served hot and in better portion sizes than I expected.

We were very unhappy with the fact that they charge you for the sauces. If you are not a fan of their special sauce, you have to pay extra to get a small container of BBQ or Honey Mustard. Things like that in these economic times are just petty. The Zaxby's chain really should reconsider this policy.

This is definitely a restaurant run by high schoolers, so the staff's friendliness was very mixed.

Good luck all, and enjoy... but keep it limited, we want you back here to check out more fabulous places we visit.

Beef O'Brady's - Pawney Island, SC

2009-05-19T23:19:00.017-04:00

What can I say about Beef O'Brady's? We came to this restaurant by accident, but it ended up being the best experience of our entire trip. At Beef O'Brady's Family Sports Pub, you are welcomed by a warm and friendly staff and a clean and fun environment. The smells from the kitchen will have your mouth watering from the moment you open the door. Seeing as how I was stranded with no obvious time of release, I watch mouthwatering plate after mouthwatering plate pass me by. From the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich to the Fish and Chips, I was assured that whatever my choice, lunch at this establishment promised to be worth the wait.

I waited, out of the cold, for my husband to purchase the needed parts for our trailer. Alas, no luck, we were looking at actually spending the next 24 hours in this parking lot.

I glanced around at the plates on tables around me and thought... "Okay! Lets eat!" If you have to be stranded for a while, this is the parking lot to do it in.

I looked over the menu, thinking that I had a minimum of 2 meals here. Now, if you know me, you know that I typically look over a menu as if I have to narrow it down to only one. Well, this time, I lucked out. :)

I had my 2 meals all picked out. Later, I would discover that those efficient boys over at Advanced Auto had different plans for my dinner.

I was torn between the Frisco Patty Melt, a delicious beef patty with swiss and american cheese, lettuce, tomato, crunchy onions and special sauce on a grilled sourdough bread. I KNOW! You see why it was in my top 2 right?

Since I had 2 meals, my ultimate choice for lunch was the Baja Shrimp Wrap. Bite sized shrimp, fried to perfection and tossed in a special Beef O'Brady's sauce with coleslaw and tomatoes in a grilled flour tortilla. Yep, and now you know how I made my selection. Just the thought of my lunch makes my mouth water.

I highly recomend that you locate a Beef O'Brady's near you. However, if at all possible, visit the Pawley Island's location at

10337 Ocean HWY #17

Pawley Island, SC 29585

Southern Hospitality at it's Finest

2009-05-18T16:14:00.008-04:00

As if the Carolinas weren't leaving enough of an impression, we thought we'd add one more lasting memory before we left. We decided before leaving, we would stop off in Charleston for the night. I informed Todd that if we left in time, we could make it to the camp, go see Fort Sumter, have dinner on Restaurant Row, and be good to head out to Savannah the next morning. Obviously, "Planning" does not work in our favor. Being a family that normally operates best, "winging it", we should have thought better of this whole, "running on time" thing we had going this morning. We were only on the road all of 10 minutes, engrosed in our Angels and Demons book on CD, when the truck behind us started honking frantically, trying to get our attention. I saw the man pointing at the the side of our fifth wheel and I tried to follow his pointing to see what all the fuss was about. I saw nothing out of the ordinary. No doors flapping open, no fat cats holding on to the railing with fur flapping in the wind... what was the big deal?We pulled over into the Advanced Auto Parts parking lot (good luck, I'd say). Smoke came flowing out of the tire on the passenger side of the trailer... usually not a good thing. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that something inside the center cap had exploded, leaving smoke and melted plastic all over the tire rim. Being very limited in my knoweledge of the workings of axles, I can only say that bearings and oil should not explode while driving. Apparently, we were too heavy (the trailer, not me). For those of you who recall the Quakertown incident may remember that I am not in any way comfortable with my husband using a little jack to lift 10,000 lbs, and then crawl underneath. I'm even less comfortable with him doing this on a slope that doesn't work in his favor. But apparently, the memories of playing in the mud in Quakertown left him wanting to play with grease in Pawley's Island, SC.There will be humor in this adventure, some day. There may be many vodka tonics before the humor really shines through, but I'm sure some day we will look back and laugh at our moment of misfortune.

The one thing in all of this that will stand out over anything else is the people that we have encountered during this adventure. The guys at the Advance Auto Parts were the kindest, most generest individuals I have ever met! I have been to many auto parts stores. (I used to run parts for UTI, an automotive school in AZ) Typically when they don't have a part, they don't have a part. Well, the guys at this location were not willing to accept this. When they found that they did not have the part, they first called every store outside of their ownership to find it. When that failed, they proceeded to search their inventory by hand for other parts that might work. When that failed, the owner then drove to 3 unrelated marine parts stores, finally searching the inventory of the last store, by hand. I have never heard of this kind of customer service, anywhere!

Seeing as how it has been 6 hours... and counting... We have also had the fortune of meeting the delightful people at Beef O'Brady's, a great Family Sports Pub, right across the parking lot of the Advance Auto Parts, located behind the Waffle House.

After having parts of our trailer litterally explode, the Pub obviously appealed to me more than the Waffle House when selecting where to have lunch.

I definately chose correctly! This Family Pub is very attractive and clean. The food was delicious and the staff was caring and courteous. We imposed on their establishment for hours, bringing with us 2 very bored young children. Throughout the day, they continued to refill our drinks and bring us snacks, sympathising for our situation. (They will have their own blog, stay tuned.)

As we entered North Carolina, from Virginia, my spirits were down. I did not want to leave my beloved New England. However the people here in Pawleys Island, South Carolina have restored my spirits. If my adventure has a chance of introducing me to more people like them, I look forward to what lies ahead.

Many thanks to the crew at Advance Auto Parts and the staff at Beef O'Brady Family Pub!

I suggest you pay them a visit when you're in town.

10337 Ocean HWY #17

Pawley Island, SC 29585

A Day at the Beach

2009-05-17T17:54:00.005-04:00

I awoke this morning with a short person announcing, “Mom. Wake up. It’s 9-8-7. Time to go to the beach.” Boy, how time gets away from you. I had no idea I had slept in so late.

We spent a few hours on the beach, soaking in the rays that periodically snuck through the clouds. When the rain started to fall, we decided to go in for lunch and a nap. (Well, some of us napped, others impatiently tapped their toes.)

Finally, as the rain had ceased, we decided that we should go back out to enjoy the rest of the day on the beach.

My eight year old promptly planted herself within the tide line and proceeded to dig a hole, searching for ancient shells of species never seen before. (Glad to know that the museum of natural history had some effect.) Being within the tide line, the hole became increasingly difficult to maintain. The dig was beginning to take on the urgency of a fire fighter fighting a great inferno. Even the 3 year old saw that this was not worth continuing, so he rallied me for an invigorating game of ‘Ready Set Go’, in the waves. I remember once playing this game with my father in the waves, but when I played, I was the Jumper. This game started off, completely unruly. Jumps were random, making it impossible to not fall over. I had to inform him of the proper rules to this ocean game.

The point is to avoid the hit of the waives, or the foam that it produces. And since the point is not to pull moms arms out of her shoulder sockets, there has to be some sort of warning prior to jumps. So, we set the pace as “Ready, Set, Go…” jump. In reality, I would say, “Ready, Set, Go”, and he would continue to jump at his own pace.

Back at the dig… With water filling the whole periodically, the eight year old was increasingly frustrated. Not one to accept defeat, she decided to go with the flow and build “another ocean”.

After a good 30 minutes straight of ‘Ready, Set, Go’, the game never loosing its excitement, we had to call it due to rain.

All in all Myrtle Beach has been quite the success. Maybe some day, we’ll be able to come back, maybe even without the rain. (And that’s the last time you’ll ever hear me say that about rain.)

Life is tough

2009-05-17T11:20:00.003-04:00

Its hard work, but someone had to do it. How else would you know about the fabulous Myrtle beach, if I were not here telling you about it? I will just have to suck it up and do my job... as I sit in a well selected spot on the beach.

It's sand, water (at a comfortable temperature, I might ad) and very little sun at this moment.

Yes, life is good, and I am told that there are some sand crabs in need of my inspection. Tata for now!

Ben and Jerry's and the Elusive Candy Bar

2009-05-15T00:32:00.004-04:00

Beware! Apparently, somewhere out there is a candy bar called the 7 layer Coconut bar.

Lift your jaw off the floor and I will continue....

Ben and Jerry's went and made an ice cream sundae out of this candy bar. Oh, but they did. I will not be reviewing this. I know you may be shocked, because you're probably thinking, why would I not review such a thing. Well, I'll tell you. It's a combination of icecream, coconut, chocolate, walnuts, whip cream and whatever other coconut delights live in this alleged candy bar... the combination of such ingredients do not deserve to be insulted by a "Review". These flavors have already embedded themselves onto your tongue, and you will no doubt be looking for Pina Colada mix or an almond joy in your pantry shortly. So, I will leave you with just this brief warning. If you find a Ben and Jerry's, walk quickly. This is not doubt, NOT a "lite" snack and will leave you with coconut dreams for who knows how long.

Colonial Williamsburg, VA

2009-05-14T23:48:00.003-04:00

Colonial Williamsburg is a beautiful city in possibly the most beautiful state in our country. Yes, I know I said this about Pennsylvania, and I don't want to take that back, but WOW, Virginia! (I'm still reserving the right to use this statement again. I've been warned to save judgment for the Carolinas)

We woke up this morning, not really knowing what we were going to do in Williamsburg. We only knew that there was a 301 acre living pre-revolution town waiting for us 3 miles down the road from camp. (This is approximately 2.99 miles further than the railroad tracks... no, I'm not exaggerating.)

So, off we went, to join the colonist of the 17th century.

As we left, there was a small pause in Todds pulse as I reviewed the price list for attractions. Poor baby, so spoiled by all those free attractions in DC. We decided to tour the city a little before we settled on an option.

We walked around town, going in and out of shops, tasting delicious samples of cheeses, peanuts and ham. We stopped and listened and towns people interacted in the streets. We admired the Clydesdale's as the periodically marched down the cobble streets. We even had lunch in one of the local pubs. I can only tell you for certain that if we had another day to see everything, and possibly some shoes that were previously broken in, we would have purchased the passes for the city. Running about $55 for adults and $20 for children, it was evident that they would have been well worth the cost.

Sites that we were unable to get an inside included the Governors mansion, the capitol and many, many shops and homes where towns people acted out duties and events of "real life". Through the windows, you can see wood workers actively building in their shops, women baking in the kitchen and townsfolk holding petitions in the capital.

The buildings are beautifully restored, the costumes are well done. Not at all a cheep look. The towns folk really immerse themselves into their characters.

This would be a great place to spend a few days, soaking in the history and life style and then retiring to the beaches of Virginia.

Information Overload

2009-05-14T23:10:00.003-04:00

Well, I am now sitting in my "Cabin", which is what I have instinctively been calling my little house on wheels, in Williamsburg, VA. This location possibly has the slowest WiFi on the planet and try as I might, we are not going to be reminiscing photos of Washington DC during this post... it's just not going to happen.

However, if I keep going (not posting because of the picture issue), I may explode, and nobody needs that. This is new upholstery in my cabin.

There is only 2 things that you need to know about visiting Washington DC. First of all, book 5-7 days, at least. We were there 5 days and we had to decide to move on without seeing at least 2-4 days worth of stuff.

The second thing is, everything is free! Yes, Free. You pay for hotel and food, but nothing more if you don't want to. Tours are available, but seeing it on foot is certainly reasonable.

I have been to museums and zoos before. I have never been oooed or ahhhed and I have always left thinking... "Well, at least it was good exercise for that $50."

The museums that are located in Washington DC are nothing like the museums you've visited. I don't care if you have been ooed and ahhed somewhere else... believe me, these museums will knock your socks off! And, they'll do it for free! "I KNOW!!!" (a little Craig Ferguson reference)

Between museums, there are monuments and historical buildings to keep you busy. You can walk along the waters and green landscape, soaking in the enormous historical buildings lining this amazing town for days without getting bored. The sites that you see will leave you breathless, I promise. Speaking of breathless... As promised, by the time you reach the Lincoln monument... you will be breathless... in every sense of the word. Go ahead, eat whatever you want while you're in Washington, it will be impossible to hold on to any of those calories! (I really could have used a few monuments to walk up today)

I can not stress enough how much we loved our stay in Washington DC. If you ever have the opportunity to visit our capitol, do it, this was an experience we will never forget!

Washington DC Update

2009-05-11T08:25:00.005-04:00

Just so that you're aware, we are pausing for a brief intermission. Washington is quite exhausting and thinking and typing at the end of the day are impossible.

Moshulu, The Floating Restaurant

2009-05-10T00:19:00.005-04:00

I’m sure this is not the last time I will say this on this trip, but Philadelphia is the most incredible city I have seen so far in my life. Now, as I write this, I am about to plan my trip to Washington D.C, so I would like to reserve the right to take it back and re-designate that title.

We stayed in a little town in New Jersey, about 15 miles outside Philadelphia. When we arrived, work was swarming into our email’s, so we decided to take it easy for the evening.

The next day, as we finally headed into town, we decided to tour the outskirt, industrial area of the Philadelphia harbor, going in circles… by “we”, I mean, my psychotic navigation thought we should really soak in the sites of the industrial park.

So, we decided to ignore the retarded little unit and accidentally stumbled upon a very cool old ship in the harbor. As Todd commented on wanting to see it, I noticed that it said restaurant and Bar on the side. “Well…. Hello.” So, we stopped for lunch aboard the Moshulu. This ship has an amazing history, which you can read about Here, but you would never know about it, just on a visit alone. This ship is missing one major thing… Information. While we were there, we speculated about it being a cruise ship or a grand “Yatch” for the well off of the 19^th century. Not knowing it’s age or history, we could only imagine. With a little investigation, we found that this ship is the oldest 4 mast sail boat still afloat today. At one time, it carried coal, copper ore and coke, and in it’s hay day, it won the great grain race of 1939. It has changed hands from country to country since its creation in 1904. The interior is in the design of a luxury liner, which was done in a remodel in 1994, after a fire damaged it in 1989.

The menu at the Moshulu is not by any means extensive, but it’s also not unreasonably priced. You will be able to enjoy fresh salads, wraps and meat entrees during the lunch hours for around $8-$20 (at dinner, you are asked to check your arm and leg at the coat check). We were very pleased with this, considering the atmosphere we were enjoying. We expected to pay much more for less food in this type of place.

Prior to receiving our food, they brought out a plate with sliced French bread and cute little balls of butter, sprinkled with chives. I wouldn’t have thought to do this, but it was quite tasty.

I ordered the Roasted Vegetable Wrap, which included spinach, peppers, oven dried tomatos, onions and fried eggplant with a basil aoli, and served with Satur Farm Greens and a Green Goddess dressing. Now, I don’t know what the deal is lately, but if I don’t get a decent salad soon, I’m going to scream. I’m not sure what makes a green goddess dressing, but I wasn’t willing to eat enough to find out. The wrap was more than enough food and made up for the weeds on the side. I almost had the wrap sans fried eggplant, but this would have been a mistake. The combination was excellent.

Todd, is on a mission to find the perfect burger, so he ordered the ½ lb. Pirme Steak Burger. (Two words that when combined, are sure to be excellent.) This was a ½ lb of quality beef covered in 2 types of cheddar, caramelized onions and a chipotle aioli sauce. I thought the flavor was excellent. Todd was not convinced it was the perfect burger… so the quest continues.

Moshulu… I give you a 4 Wandering Sisters. Even if you’re only looking for a place to just have a cocktail, the atmosphere on this boat is too good to pass up. The food was great, the presentation is excellent, the experience is exceptional…

2 changes would have made this trip a 5…

First, if there was some history of this amazing ship, whether it’s posted or simply explained by the staff.

Second, salad dressings should not be green… unless there’s a lot of blue cheese. Throw some balsamic on there for heaven sake!

Hollywood Cafe and Sports Bar

2009-05-06T20:58:00.008-04:00

Located at Rt 45 and Elm Ave in Woodbury Heights, NJ, this vintage diner SCREAMS "SEE ME!"

There is no way to not see this place, but if you're heading West on Rt 45, you may never get back to it. Apparently New Jersey is adamantly again turns. Every intersection we came to had big signs stating "No Turns". Six miles down the road we decided we would be rebels and do an illegal turn so that we could get back to this brightly lit, red, Hollywood Diner.

There are 2 areas to this diner. One being your typical 60's diner setting, the other being a very charming vintage, eclectic sports bar. We chose to sit in the high ceilinged, flat screen filled sports bar area.

Feeling festive sitting there, I decided to order a draft beer. I asked the waitress if there were any specials going on. She said, "No, not tonight." I thought that was odd since upon entering, you're swarmed by signs everywhere stating all kinds of specials on every night you could imagine. But apparently we had bad timing. I decided to just go with a Samuel Adams Summer ale. Of course, as we were leaving, I saw a hard to miss sign, (from that angle anyways) stating that every Wednesday is $1 Bud and Bud Light Drafts. Gee, that seems like that would have qualified as a special that night. Not that I was feenin' for a Bud light... but hey, for $1, would have gone in that direction.

I took a few extra minutes to look over the menu, there were quite a few things that appealed to me. When a menu uses such words as "fresh zucchini, asparagus, artichokes and spinach" my taste buds start watering. My eyes wandered over several appealing little entrees, most costing $12-$16, however, prices did range from $6-$25. My husband suggested a wrap that was right up my alley, for around $8, it had chicken and asparagus and all kinds of yummy in it. I almost did it, but I said, "no, I want 'Dinner'." So, I settled on a Fresh Breast of Chicken Balsamico... Yes, chicken breast, fresh mixed vegetables and a Balsamic red wine sauce. mmmm! My meal came with a side salad and a vegitable (which includes rice and pasta at this establishment... not the vegi's I'm used to, but hey, what the hell?) I went with the Greek salad, which was quite impressive looking.

The flavor was a little bland and after almost breaking my teeth on the seeded olive, there were a few foul words... Why on earth do restaurants put seeded olives on your salad? Is it really too much to ask for your food to be edible from the get go? This goes for all you restaurant owner out there... just a thought... they do sell pitted kalamata's.

Anyways....

Within minutes, my dinner arrived. Now, I'm not one to complain about fresh vegi's... but why specify "mixed vegi's" and then only throw a few tomato's and LOTS of spinach into the pan, especially when you clearly have all those other vegetables at your disposal? Hey, I'm a fan of almost ALL vegi's, but I was expecting more than this. To ad to my disappointment, it was also a very bland sauce. The only way to get bland out of a balsamic and red wine combo.... wait, how do you make that bland? Clearly they worked very hard at down playing the flavor of this dish.

The atmosphere in this diner is great, I give it a definite A+ for that. Also, if you're suffering from a cold and you're having trouble tasting, you'll never know the difference in good food and this food.

I was a little confused by the Foot Locker uniforms though. I get that it's a sports bar and all, but it is mostly a retro diner, so the uniforms were just off.

Depending on why you're going, and how well your sinuses are working, I give it a 2-3 Wandering Sisters. The atmosphere definitely boosts this reviewers opinion of this one, but the food makes it hard to recommend.

The Old State Capitold building of Connecticut

2009-05-06T16:50:00.009-04:00

The Old State Capital building was built in 1872-1879, opening in 1878. This beautiful structure is set in the picturesque Busnell Park, which alone is quite the site. The cost was $2.5 Million to build, made from granite, marble and slate. The Dome is 24k gold leaf. Can you just image your state saying, “Hey, we’re going to need to raise the taxes, just a tad, so that we can erect this solid stone castle for us to meet in every month.” Oh, I’m sure that would go over well.

Well, it may never happen in this day and age, but I’m sure glad it happened in the 19^th century. Visiting places like this is my favorite part of this trip.

We were unfortunately late for tours, getting more than we expected from the Mark Twain house. As we arrived, we were informed that the self guided tour pamphlet was available and we could continue on our own. As we walked through the West Atrium, we came into the Hall of Flags. This was the most amazing site of old flags you could ever imagine. Some of the first American flags, so warn that only portions of them remained. I certainly know of a wandering sister who would spend hours in this room alone. We did not have the luxury of time, after all we had mud to play in, in Pennsylvania.

Richard, a security guard at the old state capital build was very helpful during our brief self guided tour. He told me where to go to see all of the high points before we left. If it weren’t for him, I would never have seen the Charter Oak Chair that resides in the State Chamber. History tells that in 1662, King Charles II gave Connecticut a charter, granting it a Colony. In 1687, the kings’ successor, King James II wished to take back this charter. The governor was said to have hidden the document inside a great white oak tree, which was then known as The Charter Oak tree. 150 years later, this tree was blown down in a terrible storm, and was carved into the chair that the Lieutenant Governor presides in today. The actual Charter is on display across the street in the State library/Museum/Supreme Court building. I wish I had had time to go see that.

I am going to let the pictures speak for themselves. This building was amazing. If you’re in the area, go check it out.

The Mark Twain house and Museum

2009-05-05T23:05:00.001-04:00

Hartford, CT has been a town on our list of Places to see for a while now. Not knowing what to do in Hartford, we did a little research online and found that the 2 places to visit were the Mark Twain house and the Old Capital building. I’ll cover the Capitol Building in a separate blog.

From the pictures online, the Mark Twain house looked like a very cool old place to go. Seeing as how this was supposed to be a historical adventure and learning experience for the second grade drop out (she was pulled out of school for this long trip), this seemed like a good place to visit.

When driving through Hartford, I must admit, we almost didn’t make it to the Mark Twain house. A few misdirected roads took us down some fairly scary areas of town. However, once we found the house, the environment was quite different. Just don’t leave anything too valuable in the car.

We expected to walk into the house and pay our entrance fee at the door, just like at the Newport Mansions. We were however, pleasantly surprised with our experience.

You enter through a museum building and while waiting for the tour to begin, you are able to wander through a room with a detailed timeline in the life of Samuel Clemens, aka, Mark Twain. Across from this room is a theater where you can watch a video summarizing the life of Samuel. I do recommend that you take the time to watch the video, either before or after the tour.

Our tour was lead by Al, who instructed me to refer to him as Benny if I did not like his presentation. I could have not been more impressed with his knowledge of the home and its occupants though, so he’ll definitely be referred to as “Al” ;)

Al was able to explain so many details about the home and the family, you truly feel like you knew them by the time you leave. There is stenciling done throughout the house on the walls and ceiling, contracted out by Louis Tiffany himself. Designed to mock mother of pearl, leather and gold, the stenciling is detailed and ornate. There is also Tiffany tiles around the fireplace in the dining room which I could not keep my eyes off. The details in the home are absolutely amazing. Paintings, vases and other trinkets around the house were duplicated straight from images taken in the home during the families stay, giving it a quite historically accurate view into the world of Mark Twain.

They run a tight ship at this museum, which helps maintain the integrity of the artifacts in the home, as at least 1/3 of the furniture and décor is original to home when Samuel and his family resided there. You are not allowed to eat, drink, chew gum or think edible thoughts when walking through the home. Ok, you can think about eating, but seriously, skip the gum, you do have to spit it out before you go in.

Our experience at the house was much more impressive than we expected. If you are in the area, take the time to check it out. Tickets for an adult are priced at a very reasonable $14 per person and children, ages 6-12 are $8.

Allentown, Pennsylvania, Finally....???

2009-05-05T22:50:00.002-04:00

I don’t recall where I heard it from, but someone told us that we should visit Historic Allentown, PA. So, after a good several hours of sleep, we all piled in the car to go get lunch in the town that put us through Hell to come see.

As we approached downtown Allentown, we ooed and ahed over the beautiful architecture, noticing that these building must have been very old, because they appeared quite run down. As we drove and drove, up and down streets our "oo" and "ah" turned to “What the…“ and “Lock your doors.” We continued to look for a place to eat, but that was now a back burner thought to, “How do we leave Allentown?” So, we stopped to buy hot dogs for the grill and headed back to the camper. Even with no cell service, it is still the more appealing option, but that could be the 4 hours of sleep talking.

Next time you accidentally find yourself in Allentown, roll up your windows, lock your doors, and drive quickly to the next town over, Hamilton. They have quite the impressive amusement park there.

Click the title to visit the Dorney Park website.

May 4th

2009-05-05T22:16:00.003-04:00

May 4^th. The day that will survive the trip as being the most entertaining, frustrating, stressful, exhausting day EVER! (fingers crossed)

The day began with a trip into Hartford to see the Old State Capital building and the Mark Twain house and museum. We stopped in Downtown Hartford for lunch at Woody’s, a cute little hot dog restaurant located at 915 Main St. in Hartford. I can’t say it was the best hot dog I’ve ever had. However, they did have great selection of hot dogs, hamburgers and a few sandwiches. Todds Philly Hot Dog very tasty.

On from there, we toured some quite scary areas in Hartford and then headed back to the Cabin to get back on the road. The trip from Connecticut to Quakertown, PA was to be the longest so far, 4 hours on the road. So far, we have been visiting our destinations during the day and then driving at night. It’s worked out well up until this point. Last night changed everything.

We arrived at our camp ground in Quakertown just before midnight. We learned 2 things on this leg of the trip that we will never forget. First, our camper is definitely not 12’. While holding our breath we passed through a wooden covered bridge, definitely true to Amish country imaging, which stood a maximum height of 12’1”. As we quietly inched under the cover, Todd and I leaning out our windows, we had a great sigh of relief when we realized that we would not be spending the rest of our night being the stuffing of an old Amish Bridge.

The second lesson of the night was, Pennsylvani,a as beautiful as these green, grassy rolling hills are… they are not ideal for parking a trailer after 3 days of rain. As we were parking our trailer, Todd pulled into the slot in front of ours to straighten the camper. Well, as it turns out, this slot was left empty for very good reason. The soil in this area of the park is the same consistency of cake mix. Watery cake mix. We spent the next 5 hours in Hell. If you can imagine, moving 8-9 tons of weight out of cake mix, while it’s raining is not an easy or enjoyable task.

I watched in amazement as the man of the year raised the truck, digging out cake mix from under the tires and wedging boards under the wheels to give traction. We were able to roll the truck about 1-2 feet at a time before each side had to be repositioned. After 5 hours of playing in the mud, we decided maybe this was the night we would stay in a hotel. Of course, there was 2 problems with this idea. First, we’re in Amish country, Hotels are not on every corner. Second, the problem with hotels is they want you to check out at 11am or pay for another night.

As we drove around in what seemed like circles through Quakertown, the clearings and parking lots started to call our name. After all, we drive with our house behind us and any parking space would have sufficed at this hour. After finding no sign of hotels, (which now makes sense), we decided to try another park located a little north of our destination. We raced the sun in reaching our bed as we pulled in to the park at 6am. Still holding true to his Man of the Year title, I watched, blurry eyed, as Todd hooked up our camper to all the necessary connections… which apparently included building a Coax cable to hook up. Apparently after the night he had, there was no way in hell he would be going to bed without watching some of his beloved news. By 7am, the sun was officially peaking it’s head and we were finally able to craw under the sheets for a brief nap as the cats were also able to come out from hiding.

The Mansions of Newport

2009-05-04T19:47:00.001-04:00

Pictures available on sidebar.... network issues

This is not the first time that we have visited these beautiful homes and it is certainly not the last.

Many people know about Newport, RI. I however, knew nothing about it until recently. For those who are not aware. Newport was considered the place to be by the elite of society in the 19^th century. The early 1900’s was considered the Guilded Age in Newport. The main attraction of the town being the “Summer cottages” of the very wealthy of the time.

One can not describe the mansions of Newport. A picture is worth a thousand words, but the amount of gold on the walls in some of these homes, a picture would be worth a million words, and I don’t have that much space. Unfortunately for you, pictures are not allowed in the mansions, so you’ll have to go see them in order to understand why they are so amazing. To look at the pictures you may find online, you would think… “wow, that’s just bad taste.” But in person, these homes are goddy, over the top, chaotic and every bit amazing! Guided tours, lasting 45 minutes to an hour give you insight into a world that most of us will never know. The beauty and history in these homes are not done justice by a book, or website. Only a personal experience will do in this case. Most of the homes are filled with original furniture and décor from the original owners from 1892 through 1906. Some artifacts dating back to 400 B.C. Other homes, or partial homes are filled with artifacts or replicas of the items of the period. Either way, the experience is priceless. From stories of summer guests and parties to the well known friends of the family, such as Thomas Edison himself, you will hear all about the lives of The Vanderbilts and other well known wealthy families.

There are about 7 homes in the society home tour. A tour of each house will run you around $20 per person or bundled tickets for a discount. A Society membership for a household will cost you about $90 and the entrance into the homes are free with membship. Now that we’ve visited twice, I would highly recommend paying for a Society membership and visiting every home, at least once or twice. You will not regret it!

One home is not included in the society tours, as the owner still lives in the home. This would be the Belcourt Castle. An amazing property with a unique story to tell. From the layout of the home and the unique hump in the library, intentionally put there by the lady of the house, to the lights installed by Thomas Edison himself. This home is a DO NOT MISS! Not every tour is child friendly. There are regular tours going on through the day, and then the evening will host a ghost tour or the candle light champagne tour which starts with a glass of champagne or sparkling cider and a toast from the owner of the home. The tour then proceeds and will amaze you with every detail of the house. The fact that the tour is partially lead by the owner of the home, who still resides in the home, gives you such an amazing experience in this tour. This tour will run you about $18 per person, with children under 3 being free.

So, next time you’re looking for the perfect place to vacation, consider the homes of Newport at the top of your list. You will not look at your home (or the fireplace in it) the same again!

Dinner at the Atlantic Beach Club, Middletown, RI

2009-05-04T19:44:00.001-04:00

Pictures to follow... Network issues

Right across from Tickets is the Atlantic Beach club. It’s a large building and we weren’t positive that we would actually be allowed in since we weren’t sure if it was a members club or not. But they didn’t shoo us away, so we decided to stick around. We joked about the “No shirt, no shoes, no service” sign on the door, mocking the fact that it didn’t specify pants were a requirement, but then we noticed a second sign that said “Proper dress required”. So, apparently, pants are optional, but dresses are required.

We were lead to the dining room, separate from the bar, which at this time appeared to be a 50+ night club, loud and hoppin’, (who’da thunk?) The room was lined with windows, which over looked the ocean… and parking lot.

The waitress immediately came to our table and pored water in the nice goblets, already set, and then disappeared for about 10 minutes. Seeing as how we were one of 3 tables in the large dining area, we aren’t sure where she possibly could have gone. When she finally came back, she brought a lovely plate with olive oil, a mixture of parmesan and peppers, a few drops of balsamic and a few olives. Well, had I had bread, I would have been impressed. A few minutes later, as I was rearranging our delicious little dip, she brought us some of the most delicious French bread I have ever tasted. At this point in the meal, I had high hopes for this dinner.

Our dinners came with a dinner salad, which I chose to try the house made blue cheese dressing. Mostly because there was no Italian or vinaigrette… which I should have found suspicious, but I was blinded by the delicious bread. This might have actually been watered down mayonnaise with a blue cheese chunk in it though, so once again, my greens sat uneaten. No amount of salt or pepper helped in this case.

Since Todd and I have agreed to not order the same dish, so that we can cover more ground on this trip, he ordered the Village Pasta, which was a fetticini with a garlic, wine sauce and Feta and I ordered a simple Chicken Picatta. A perfectly cooked chicken breast covered in a lemon wine sauce and capers and garnished with several baked lemon slices. With it came a helping of asparagus, which was perfect with the lemon wine sauce, and a side of rice… also good with the lemon wine sauce… In fact, we should have lemon wine sauce on everything from here on out.

Dinner was fabulous… aside from that failed attempt at a decent blue cheese dressing. The service was slow, but the atmosphere was pleasant and relaxing. We did not feel that the wait was an inconvenience because the location was quite pleasant.

I have to give this place a 3 Wandering Sisters. The food was excellent, the portions were perfect and the prices were very reasonable, considering this was a very nice restaurant. My chicken picatta, included a salad and 2 sides, and cost $18. The pasta included a salad and cost $13. Both kids opted not to have a childs meal, which will run you about $3.50-$5. Instead one had a bowl of clam chowder for $4.50, the other a cup for $3.95. Judging by the size of the cup (being the size of a double shot glass… fork out the extra $.55 for the bowl, it was large enough to be an adult meal.

Lunch at Tickets Bar and Grill

2009-05-04T19:35:00.003-04:00

Pictures to follow... network issues

During several driving tours of Newport, we have passed Tickets Bar and Grill a few times and have said each time, “We should stop there one of these times.” Well, today was that time. Tickets is not a very large place, but the atmosphere inside the restaurant is very comfortable, modern casual. The kitchen has a brick oven for making pizza’s, which normally would be an instant decision for The Todd. Instead, he went out on a limb and ordered the cheese burger. I was instantly attracted to the chicken soft tacos, as I am typically drawn to anything related to a Mexican platter. The kids played it safe with a pizza and chicken fingers. When the waitress asked me if I would like French fries, mashed potatoes or a side salad with my meal, of course I opted for a salad. However, she failed to inform me that this was an additional $1. This still only brought my meal to $9, so I was ok with it. Todd however thought he was getting fries AND a side salad, so he was a little bummed when his fri-less plate arrived. Since the children’s meals were large enough to feed a trucker, he opted not to make the waitress go back for fries.

The presentation of the food was great. I did not expect my 3 little chicken tacos to be perfectly rolled and presented as if I were eating a 5 star restaurant. I was very anxious to dive into my salad since I am typically a fan of most balsamic dressings. Well, balsamic anything really. However, I believe they might not have let the oil mingle with the balsamic for more than a second before putting it on my lettuce. Sadly, I couldn’t finish my salad. I felt fairly certain this was not the lightest part of my meal, in fact the cheese pizza in front of me was very likely less calories than the field greens on my plate.

The chicken soft tacos were in fact roll ups, filled with very tasty marinated chicken and just enough cheese. Not enough cheese if you are The Wino, but just enough if you are trying not to intake more calories than necessary. On the side of the tacos was sour cream, a tropical salsa and some fresh guacamole. The salsa was great, and very refreshing. The guacamole on the other hand, I believe was made with parsley instead of cilantro… interesting choice… not something I would have done, but it didn’t totally kill it.

In doing my part to make sure that everyone was enjoying a safe meal, I tested everyone’s food. The pizza tasted less than impressive. Having had better pizza from the frozen section of the grocery store, I left that all up to the Todds’ to finish.

I grabbed a fry off of the other plate, (I love fries) and strangely enough, that tasted awfully similar to a corn tortilla. How one accomplishes this, I have no idea. So, no temptation there. I went back to my chicken tacos, which were possibly the best choice on the table.

After we paid the bill, being a measly $28 for the 4 of us… (yes, a great relief from last nights’ meal) we were given little mints, which were excellent and we ended up sneaking 4 more as we left.

I can’t say I would recommend going for a pizza, but I would suggest you check it out when you’re in the area. The atmosphere is very comfortable and clean, the food is served with excellent presentation and in large portions, the prices are very reasonable and the service was good. I’d give it a 3 Wandering Sisters rating based on this visit, only because the meals could have been better.

The Barking Crab, Newport, RI

2009-05-03T10:08:00.009-04:00

We arrived in Newport around 7:30pm, STARVED! I read of The White Horse Tavern in a guide book and we were anxious to park our mobile chateau and boogy over to the White Horse. When we arrived, we were greeted by a woman who glanced at me, in my jeans and a sweatshirt, and my small children and instructed me to look at the menu before we would be seated, so that we knew what we were getting into. So, we left.

The Barking Crab won out.

This casual crab shack packs quite the character into this large eatery by the warf. There is a bar, which played sports, loudly and two separate inside areas to dine, both facing the warf with large window walls. When the weather permits, there is also a patio in the back, facing the Brick Market Place. At the entrance, there is a list of scheduled entertainment posted.

Immediately upon entering you see three large ‘pools’, stacked in a waterfall tower, filled with live crabs and lobsters. As we waited for our table, a lobster was chosen to become someone’s dinner and a sad little lonely crab sat in the window of the highest pool, looking awfully pathetic. After our face to face encounter with the sea bugs, I decided I would be having something else for dinner… something I hadn’t shared a moment with. This was an easy decision since apparently the down economy has not affected the price of these little bugs.

I started my meal with a Sankaty Light ($4.95) which was on draft. It was a sweet and heavy tasting ale, which made me very suspicious of the word “light”, especially since the tap was shaped like a lighthouse.

Our choices were very limited for dinner. Either we spent close to $100 to murder one of the sea bugs, or we could get a baked fish plate.

I chose to get the catch of the day. It consisted of a grilled swordfish steak, served with a vegetable medley of squash, asparagus, artichokes, beef steak tomatoes and capers, with a side of risotto for $25.

My husband ordered the Baked Schrod for $17… that’s right, NOT a burger, which was actually an option. His meal came with a squash and asparagus medley and the risotto.

I was unsure what swordfish tasted like, but one of my goals in this trip is to try new things… plus, she did said the 2 magic words… “Asparagus and artichokes.”

Our dinner was served on very little plates… for such prices, you’d think you’d get a whole meal. But the flavor was absolutely great. The fish was fresh and, not to sound cliché, but it tasted like chicken. The vegis were perfectly grilled. The risotto was excellent, flavored with lots of basil.

For desert, my husband chose the cheese cake.

I told him that I was not a cheese cake person, so that would help me not to eat too much of it. Wrong! The cheese cake, as sad and small as it was for $7.50, it was awesome! However, there should have been more of the strawberry glaze that was drizzled on the plate, or possible some fresh strawberry garnish.

Unfortunately our server, as sweet as she was, was very slow and several times disappeared (This bored the short one, and he ended falling asleep in front of his ice cream sunday, included in the $7 childrens meal). We often had to reach out to the bus boy or hostess for assistance.

In the end, the meal was only Almost satisfying. The selection was poor, the prices were scary, the portions were small, but the presentation and taste was phenomenal. I may not live in the area, but we do plan on visiting Newport in the future. The Barking Crab is very appealing with its location and crab shack atmosphere, but it is not one that I would visit again.

It only receives a 2 Wandering Sisters rating. Go if you must, the food is excellent, but be prepared to spend a fortune for a small plate of food, and try not to make eye contact with the sad little crab in the window of the crab pool.

LongHorn Steakhouse

2009-05-02T23:51:00.008-04:00

In an attempt to celebrate... morn, however you want to put it, the sell of our home in Franklin, we decided that a small shopping spree would be appropriate. It's my Prozac, and my dear husband was doing his best to cheer me up.

After a few dresses and a new pair of shoes for everyone, (only the shoes were for everyone) we decided not to avoid the savory smell of the steakhouse across the way. So, we headed over to the LongHorn Steakhouse for dinner and drinks with a friend and the in-laws.

We started out with a cold Wachusetts Blueberry Ale.

Cool and refreshing with a hint of fruitiness… I have found one for the favorites list. Then the waitress brought us a basket with a small, warm loaf of a sweet whole grain bread. Not wanting to be rude, we ate about 3 loafs between the 5 of us.

My husband and I had great intentions when we sat down and started browsing the menu. We had previously discussed how we should order a salad and an entrée everywhere we go and split the two, so that we would retail our girly figure. (Since we both stake claim on my girly figure, it’s referred to as “ours”) However, since I fall into that sad category of comfort eaters, I announced that we should get our own meals, as several of the little cows were screaming my name and since it would be glutinous to order all of them, I thought I could at least taste two of them. After all, my home was recently pulled right out from under me. It was the least I could do.

Our meals started with a Strawberry Pecan salad. Wild greens covered in Pecans, Feta, Strawberries, Mandarin Oranges and Grapes and a strawberry vinaigrette. To top it off, someone sliced 12 red onions (give or take) and strategically hid the salad with them. After removing most of the purple rings, we both agreed that this was a fabulous salad. Although, I could have done without the mandarin oranges, so the short red head at those, as he announced that he “likes salad.”

I was able to narrow my little moo cow meals down to 2 choices. My husbands dinner was the Portobello Peppercorn Filet, a 9oz. filet covered in 7 pepper spices, grilled and covered with Portobello’s sautéed in a cabernet wine glaze, with a side of mashed potatoes. (I was disappointed that there was no garlic mashed potatoes, but the waitress brought a side of garlic sauce to make up for it) My dinner was the Fontina and Wild Mushroom stuffed filet. A dainty little 7 oz filet stuffed with a creamy fontina cheese, roasted peppers and wild mushrooms and served over a roasted garlic cream sauce and a side of asparagus… Well, when you put it like that, how are you supposed to resist?

When our meals arrived, the initial taste test voted Todds filet the clear winner (The steaks did not photograph well). However, a few bites into my steak was when it occurred to me… didn’t I order something with a little more to it? Ah Ha! It was missing it’s stuffing! A dab of cheese in the center will not make up for the missing mushrooms and peppers. I informed the waitress of the mistake and she offered to have another steak brought out to me. I told her that that would not be necessary, but if I could get some of the sautéed mushrooms, that would be great. Instead I received a plate with mushrooms and peppers, covered in fontina cheese and baked to perfection. This little mistake could have been a meal all on it’s own, but combined with the juicy filet and garlic sauce… it was pure heaven.

I would say that this was a very enjoyable visit to the LongHorn Steakhouse, located in Franklin, MA. The service was great, the food was very tasty, and even the mistake on my meal was more than rectified. The environment was cozy and rustic, and the restrooms were clean and well maintained.

All in all, it receives a highly recommended 4 Wandering Sisters rating from this Diva Mom.

Our New Chapter Begins

2009-05-01T18:33:00.002-04:00

After much blood, sweat, tears and a lot of Vodka, I was pried away from my home yesterday. Six months of constantly working on bringing a fire damaged house to life, then 2 ½ hours after showings began, it was sold. I’m told that I am very happy about this, after all it means a whole new chapter in our lives, starting with the adventure across the country.

Every great adventure needs a starting point. Ours is the front yard of my sister in law’s house, a mile down the road from our old house. We’ve threatened to stay here for a few more years, just to finish the trailer. Apparently in order to do this correctly, we need a fully functional movie theater in every room and 7.1 surround sound with a built in sub woofer. I’m just waiting for my west wing to be finished before I’m ready to get on the road.

I started out the day yesterday an emotional wreck, quietly holding back tears… If you know me, you know, I do NOT cry. I hugged a few of my wonderful neighbors and said, “Talk to you later,” because “Good Bye” was not going to come out of my mouth. Receiving our nice little check eased the pain only slightly, so I announced that a shopping might be in order. Shoes didn’t heal the pain… Dresses didn’t do the trick. So we stopped at Village Liquor… That helped a little. We then decided, we should pretend like we’re celebrating, so we went to the Longhorn Steak house…

To be continued…

Acapulcos, Mass Style

2009-04-23T09:59:00.009-04:00

Good Mexican food is hard to find this far from the border. Being a native to Arizona, I know good Mexican food. It's my favorite food. Being this far from a Mexican restaurant on every corner has been tough. However, it is comforting to know that located right in the middle of Main St. in downtown Franklin, MA, there is a cozy little cantina where you can get all the authentic sights, sounds and tastes without the 3,000 mile commute.

The people that work at Acapulco's are terrific. Friendly, attentive, personable and you can count on the same smiling faces every time. It's almost like family, if you're like me and you're there every Friday.

Our Fridays, for the past year have typically ended with Margaritas and Chimichangas at our favorite restaurant. A pitcher of the house margarita will run you about $25 for about 8 glasses full. They offer a mild salsa just for the kids, so they can feel like the adults with their own salsa.

If you have had enough of tasting things and would like your taste buds to go numb for the next week, you can request a bowl of the habenero to go with your fresh chips. However, if you would like to taste... ever, I would suggest sticking to the real salsa, which you will not regret.

If you haven't filled up on the chips and salsa, you'll want to stick around for some very tasty entres. They make excellent refried beans, so anything you order including the beans will be phenomenal. An item I would recommend, that you won't find on the menu... a bean and cheese chimichanga. Yes, that's right, a bean and cheese chimichanga. A delightful bean burrito on crack! As much as I have missed having all my different Mexican restaurants in Phoenix, I will deffinately miss my bean and cheese chimi more.

The next item that I recommend is the Tacos El Pastor, with pork. These tacos come filled with finely minced, marinated pork that will tantalize your taste buds. These require a little work, as all the ingredients arrive separate on the plate, but it is for the best with this combination. Your receive a cilantro/onion mixture, shredded cabbage, and a special sauce which is made especially for this meal. I'm not sure what it is, but it's a perfect combination of tangy, spicy and sweet. With your 3 very full tacos, you get a hearty helping of their delicious refried beans, and rice, as well as a serving of a sweet, tangy mexican cole slaw, which always finds it's way onto my tacos. This plate will run your about $11, and you'll have enough food left over for lunch the next day. Unless you're like me, and eat like a fish.

Just a heads up, do NOT eat your entire meal. Request a box right from the get go and force yourself to stop half way in. You will NOT want to miss out on desert. Most people think, Fried Ice Cream. Yes, that is a very delicious option and an addiction to a certain individual in our party. However, there is another option that will make you think you died and gone to heaven. A sweet, Cinnamon Apple chimichanga. Yes, you're thinking at this point, the diet jumped out the window about half way into the meal, but one bite into the Apple Cinnamon Chimi and it will no longer matter. It is worth every bite.

So, next time you're in Franklin, stop by the Accapulco's and tell my friend Chuy, "Hi".

You Can't have Perfection All the Time

2009-04-18T20:06:00.011-04:00

Location, Location, Location....and nothing more.

Bellinos, located in the heart of Downtown Franklin, MA features a great Italian atmosphere and a very "Ritzy" feel, but not much more.

The menu features a very appealing array of options, including Pizzas, Pastas, Salads and combinations there of.

Our meal began with slices of bread that were absolutely worth the trip. Moist pillows of bread with a very tasty olive oil used for dipping. Dinner was looking promising.

I ordered a glass of the house Cabernet, which was tasty, and in a full glass, which I appreciated. However, I would not be able to tell you what kind it was, because their wine list simply stated.... "Cabernet Sauvignon". If you don't want to be burdened with choices, you'll love your full glass of $6 "Wine".

While my son's personal child's pizza was not half bad, unfortunately, I did not order the personal cheese pizza.

My dinner was a lemon chicken with a side of Spaghetti with marinara. First of all, after hearing the waiters glorified description of the meal, I imagined a tender, moist chicken breast drizzled with a garlicky lemon wine sauce,(possibly with capers) garnished with a twisted slice of lemon and a sprig of Parsley. On the side, a nicely portioned serving of al dente thin spaghetti with a hearty marinara sauce, (and in my head of course, it would be dressed with chopped basil or shredded Parmesan). This is what I image for $14.

What I received was somewhat different. I was handed a very large plate, made up mostly of green bushes and garnished with a very thin dehydrated piece of chicken. The chicken was obviously marinated in something yellow, but I'm not sure what that would have been. It tasted as if it were heavily covered with lemon pepper seasoning and left on the stove while the cook took his break. The noodles were bloated and retaining water, and covered with what tasted like a Chef Boyardee pasta sauce... watered down to stretch, just in case the other patron ordered marinara. After drizzling it with a little balsamic and pouring so much Parmesan on top that it almost qualified as an Alfredo, it was almost edible.

One would think, I may have just ordered the wrong thing. However, this being the 3rd chance at redeeming themselves, I don't hold out hope for a Five Star cuisine at Bellino's.

By all means... Go, enjoy a glass of "Wine" and the bread basket in the cozy Italian atmosphere, but when hunger strikes, consider moving on, there is a McDonalds right down the street.

JJ Mulligans Bar and Grille -Braintree, MA

2009-04-04T21:29:00.010-04:00

941 Washington St.

Braintree, MA 02184

781-849-7007

Our reason behind going to this establishment was originally because of the name. We thought that a restaurant with the same name as one of our favorite brother in law’s couldn't be too bad.

When you walk in, you notice the place resembles a sports lodge at an old country club or something. I could just envision the good ole boys sitting around, smoking and talking about the game that was on. This was probably easy to envision considering it did smell as if this was NOT a smoke free bar. Bad for those who don’t care to be in that environment, but good for those who want to be able to smoke when they go to a bar… (Which I feel they should be able to.)

We were promptly seated by a very friendly waitress, in the dining area, which was separate from the bar. Perfect since neither I or my 3 year old were in the mood for a cold draft at that hour in the afternoon. (Mostly him, I would have suffered through it.) The waitress, who did not wear a name tag, was very thoughtful, removing all sharp objects from the short males seating and bringing him a cup full of crayons and some coloring pages.

As soon as I opened my menu, my eyes were drawn to the Tuscan Chicken Wrap. A tortilla filled with fresh grilled chicken, and leafy greens mixed with tomato, feta and a creamy balsamic dressing. Yes, I do have a sixth sense on items involving balsamic, that should be apparent if you have read more of my blogs.

My husband decided he would branch out from his normal routine and try a cheese burger. Yes, that was a very sarcastic remark.

The food arrived within a very reasonable time. The presentation of everything was very appealing. I couldn’t wait to dig into my delicious looking wrap. Lucky for me, I was able to “control taste” the burger which was left abandoned as my husband was on a business call in the parking lot. Finders keepers, I say. The burger was delicious, obviously made from quality meat and grilled to perfection. Unfortunately, my idea of ‘grilled to perfection', differs from that of my husbands. Knowing that he would have just removed the still pink-ed meat and eaten a katsup sandwich, I waived that waitress over and explained that as perfect as it was for me, my husband would require much more burning. She was completely understanding about this and expressed that she also feels the same. The burger was completely remade fresh for him within a few minutes.

My wrap was perfect. The perfectly seasoned chicken was grilled to perfection and the salad mix that it was wrapped with was very fresh and crisp and the creamy balsamic dressing tasted light and homemade. All in all, our lunch was delicious, and only cost $22 for the 3 of us.

Items on the menu include

Salads - ranging from $4 for a half size, up to $12 for a steak and Portobello topped salad

Burgers and sandwiches all priced at $7-$8

Pizza with your choice of toppings, starting at $7

Entrees ranging from Pasta to Chicken or steak from $8- $15

Kids meals all priced at $5

I did notice all your usually suspects on tap including Guiness, Bud light and your Samuel Adams.

You could play Keno or buy yourself some Scratchers in the vending machine if you felt lucky, or you could just kill some time with the sports themed arcade games in the bar. TV’s are also available at every angle. So sit back and relax, enjoy the atmosphere, your company and the great food at JJ Mulligans. Tell them that The Diva Mom sent you!

Happy Eats!

The Alamo - Tex Mex in Milford, MA

2009-04-02T21:37:00.008-04:00

The Alamo

Location

55 Medway Rd.

Milford, MA

West off exit 19 from Hwy 495

This is a very quaint little family owned restaurant, located in an old Victorian house right on

Medway Rd. Its a family owned establishment. Remember this kid? His father is the owner of this little Tex Mex joint in Milford.

If you're looking for some great Tex Mex for a great cost, you come here. The chips and salsa are always fresh and tasty and you won't break the bank, no matter what you order.

They have entrees ranging from $5-$12. They also have an al a carte section which allows you to get a taco for around $2. Get a terrific bowl of Black Bean Soup for around $4, but make sure you have something to drink, it's got a kick.

The meals are made to order, so you get exactly what you want, and you know it's made fresh.

Upstairs is a full bar and Karaoke every Thursday.

If you're looking for some fresh Tex Mex or a fabulous Cadillac Margarita, go visit The Alamo! Tell them The Diva Mom sent you.

Weight Watchers Chocolate Cake

2009-04-01T20:34:00.004-04:00

In my attempts to find something absolutely scrumptious to help me through the pre-menstral times of my diet, I picked up these little weight watcher treats. I must admit, I was expecting something MUCH larger. But sad to say, I believe the picture on the box is a very accurate likeness regarding size. I was expecting them to taste a little like those sad little Entamenns brownies.

I was completely shocked when I took a bite and it actually tasted like a chocolate cake!

It certainly isn't a large chocolate cake, but I'll take 90 calories worth of individually wrapped heaven any day!

I highly recomend these moist, chocolately goodies!

Four Stars. I would say Five, but I'm docking it because of the size. ;)

The Kashi All Natural Sicilian Veggi Pizza

2009-03-29T18:54:00.009-04:00

While browsing the grocery store, I asked my two small children, "What do you want for dinner?" Being related to their father, of course, their reaction was, "Pizza!" So, I decided to get a few little mini frozen pizza's for them. Now, knowing that if I don't have something similar to what everyone else is eating, I will have to "control taste" every ones pizza... I decided to get myself a pizza.

I ran across this interesting option from Kashi and decided to give

it a try. It is the Sicilian Veggie. When I looked at the box, I saw the Eggplant, Curly Kale, Fire Roasted Red Peppers and Caramelized Onions on Kashi's 7 whole grain & Sesame with Fax Seed crust, which I have always loved. When I read further, I read that the sauce was a Balsamic-Infused White Bean Tomato Sauce. Right then and there they had me. Everyone who knows me, knows I love anything that incorporates balsamic!

This No Cheese pizza appealed to me in so many ways. I love that Kashi makes such healthy meals and so far, I haven't had anything from them that disappointed me, so as different as this sounded, I decided to give it a try.

It's a 10 inch thin crust pizza with 220 calories in each 1/3. Realistically, if you pair it with a salad or some vegetables, 1/3-1/2 of the pizza is very reasonable. Kashi is very good at combining the right ingredients that will make you feel very full and satisfied.

There's 11 grams of Protein

5 grams of Fiber

340 mg ALA (an Omega 3)

For those Vegans out there, this pizza is ideal

As far as taste goes...mmmmmmm! That Balsamic-Infused White Bean Tomato Sauce should be sold separately, I can think of a million things that sauce could be enjoyed with. The vegis on this pizza are not lacking in quality either! There is no frozen taste or tough textures with these toppings. This Pizza is a winner in my book. Perfect for an afternoon lunch with the girls.

Other Kashi pizza's include:

In the Original Crust:

Roasted Garlic Chicken

Five Cheese Tomato

Sicilian Veggie

In the Thin Crust:

Mushroom Trio & Spinach

Roasted Vegetable

Margherita

Mexicali Black Bean

I have tried almost all of these varieties and I would highly recommend everyone pick up one of them next time you're at the store.

The Perfect Cup of Coffee

2009-03-29T16:13:00.006-04:00

We all know, the price of life in general keeps going up and for many, the income is going down. There are certain things that quickly take their bottom position on the list of priorities. Often times we find ourselves cutting back on our beloved cup of coffee at the Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. (Depending on who's neck of the woods your in.) Well, don't fret, I am going to share with you the secret to making one fabulous cafe style cup of coffee, for less calories than those guys.

For a wonderful warm cappacino, try this.

First, you'll need the following ingredients for a most scrumptious cappuccino.

1. A good coffee. (Personally, I find that you can get an excellent flavored coffee at Ross, TJMaxx or Marshalls for around $5 a bag. My personal favorites are the Ghirardelli brand.)

2. A full calorie creamer. (Don't worry, this is only for frothing ability, we won't use much.) My favorite is the coconut creamed creamers, these add an excellent flavor.

3. A sugar free creamer. I usually use French Vanilla or Hazelnut, because these are usually the most common options in the sugar free variety. (The sugar free is about 15 calories as apposed to the fat free, which is about 25 calories)

4. A handheld frother. This is normally about $20, although, you can find them at Ross, TJMaxx or Marshalls for around $5-$10.

5. Dash of Cinnamon or Nutmeg (optional)

Now that you're ready. First thing you'll want to do is make your coffee. I make mine in a press because the flavor is very fresh, but any coffee maker will do just fine.

While you're coffee is "perking", add about 1 1/2-2 tbsp of the full calorie creamer into your mug. (The full fat creamers allow your cream to froth.) Then add about 2 tbsp of the sugar free creamer. (These measurements are assuming you are using a normal sized coffee mug, so depending on the size of your mug, you may need to adjust the measurements to taste.) Use your frother to make your creamer the consistency of about whipped cream, by lifting the frother up and down, you create the airing effect which will make it a perfect froth for your coffee (careful not to lift it all the way out of the liquid, it will splatter on you). Once you are satisfied with your cream, add the coffee and sprinkle the top with Cinnamon and nutmeg for a little extra flavor.

If you want to cool down, try this Iced Mocha Latte.

You'll need the following.

1. Coffee (this time, it is preferred to have a yummy chocolate flavored coffee)

2. Sugar free chocolate syrup.

3. Powdered Cocoa.

4. Some sugar free Creamer (French Vanilla would be perfect)

5. Whipped cream from the can. Optional

You'll want to prepare your coffee ahead of time so that it has time to cool in the refrigerator first.

You'll start with about 2-3 tablespoons of French Vanilla sugar free creamer. Add about 1-1 1/2 Tsp cocoa powder and use your frother to mix. You're not trying to froth, just mix the powder well.

Next, add the ice. Then pour the coffee to an inch below the top of the cup. Top it off with some whipped cream and drizzle with the chocolate syrup.

By using cocoa powder, instead of the chocolate flavored syrup that you can buy in the coffee section at your store, you're actually adding a little nutritional benefit to your coffee, and the vanilla creamer sweetens it.

So, there you go, cafe style coffee treats for about half the calories or less. To make these even more cafe style, you can purchase the hot coffee cups, or clear plastic cups (for iced coffee) at any grocery store.

Invite a few girl friends over for some iced mochas on the patio, you'll never miss going to the Starbucks again.

Rick's is the Place to be

2009-03-25T20:37:00.019-04:00

In the little town of Franklin, there's not an over abundance of restaurants available within the city limits. Being a family that likes to eat out a lot, this can be a problem. Amazingly enough, the lack of variety is more of a problem with the member of the family that only sees there being two legitimate options for dinner. Pizza or Cheeseburgers.

Occasionally, you need a good home cooked meal though. Fortunately, we know just where to go for that. I know... and yes, I love to cook, but I live with a man that thinks quality comes out of a blue box.

We decided a while back that the best compromise for us is a little quaint diner in the center of town, named Rick's. The atmosphere is great, with pictures of fresh fruit on every wall, updated fixtures and a great faux finish on the walls. You can tell that this restaurant is clean and well maintained. We also adore the owner. He's always there, noon or night, and he's always friendly and personable.

They have a packed 10 page menu that offers everything. Whether it's chicken pot pie, meatloaf and potatoes or a plate of Alfredo, you know you're going to get a delicious home cooked meal. They also offer crisp, fresh salads with delicious dressings, such as my favorite, the chardonnay

vinaigrette. For those with a limited view of what a home made dinner is, there is also a whole page of the menu dedicated to some

very tasty burgers. Since everything is made fresh, they can accommodate almost any special request.

As Rick noticed today, my favorite item on the menu is definitely the grilled Portobello Panini. The french baguette has a great density and really supports the juicy portobello and roasted red pepper inside. The grilled red onions are so flavorful without being overwhelming, and the

balsamic glaze adds just enough sweet flavor to top it off. The flavors perfectly compliment each other and what you get is a fresh, healthy and very satisfying meal. I personally love to add honey mustard to my sandwich, however, Rick introduced me to their special Chipotle sauce today, which I loved. I would never have thought to add the Chipotle sauce, but it was excellent!

Normally you get fries with your sandwich, but as you know I'm trying to loose a pound or two, so I stuck with my tasty side salad as a substitute.

We love our little home town diner and we're going to miss Rick when we leave. I highly recommend you pay him a visit and tell him that his Arizona customers say Hi.

Rick's

28 W Central St

Franklin, MA 02038

(508) 520-2424‎

Brain in Recovery

2009-03-22T15:47:00.002-04:00

OK. I know it's been a couple days. I've heard complaints about me slacking off. It's good to be missed, that's for sure.

I did do a lot of thinking over the last few days. That sounds too profound... I tried to process thoughts over the last few days. The truth is, I've been sick, which has caused a severe decrease in brain function. I have been able to ward off all ailments for the past 7 months, which being the winter, that's pretty good. However, in my extensive thought processing I have discovered the cause of the common cold, (or at least for me). I believe it's more than coincidence that every time I promise to eat right and exercise, within days, I'm sick. It's that damn elliptical! If you have one, throw it out at once, it causes fevers!

Now that I am coming out of my sniffly, sneezy, hacky/weezy state... it's time to get back on the right track. This time, that damn elliptical will not get me down for good.

Best Chili EVER

2009-03-18T21:35:00.003-04:00

The good news is, I have perfected my chili. The bad news is, I may have to never make it again. At this point, I may have to swear off all food... period (which may not be all that bad of an idea). I don't believe I've been this full since our night at The Gloucester House.... uh, the thought.

I had Todd take my picture...

Pull the Trigger

2009-03-18T00:07:00.005-04:00

Do you know what your trigger food is? I didn't even know what that meant. The trigger food is what kills your diet. If you want to keep to it and actually loose the weight, you have to identify your trigger food and cut it out. As the experts say, it's easier to avoid these foods than it is to eat them in moderation. (Boy, ain't that the truth!)

Here's the catch... How do you identify what your 'trigger food' is? According to eDiets, if you can eat the entire jumbo sized carton, box or bag of anything, it qualifies as a trigger food. OH FRIGGIN GREAT!!! Now I am going to be limited to eating... . . . . Well, I'll think of something.

To take the "trigger foods" out of my diet would otherwise be known as "Anorexia". I think I'll take a different method.

I have about 6 weeks until we close on the house and we get on the road. This means, I have 6 weeks to loose this, um, pound (give or take 7). So, I'm going to tweek the trigger method, just a little. I need foods that I CAN eat a lot of... So, here's my list...

A day of pampering for St. Patty's

2009-03-17T15:09:00.002-04:00

Well, after having an unbearable combination of colors streaking through my hair, and an interesting 'shag' do, I went to a friend for some hair modifications. She's a local hair stylist that works from her home down the street, which is very convenient for me. I love the casual and friendly environment that this brings, and she speaks my language with the price. I highly recommend this salon... and the assistant, a very small brunette, is pretty adorable as well.

It did not occur to me when scheduling this appointment that there may be some issues with having a Irish hair colorist do my hair on St. Patricks day. However, despite her best efforts, she was unable to achieve the green hue she was looking for. Instead, we reached a beautifully toned ash blond with subtle highlights. I guess, I will have to resort to some form of colored beverage this night to show my Irish patriotism. I've been told I have Irish in me... and well, as you know, if there is a holiday which requires you to have an alcoholic beverage to show your respect, despite the color requirements of this beverage, I will not fight it! It's just how I roll.

Cheers!

My weakness

2009-03-17T14:16:00.003-04:00

If I had to say that I had one weakness... yes, I know, a claim to have only one is a laugh all together... I would say it would be french fries. Just as I am heating my 260 calorie lean cuisine and thinking about how impressive it is that I will only be eating 260 calories for lunch... In walks the small child with a bag of Burger King fries. Being the sweet, generous and very busy small person that he is, he pawns this bag off on me so that he can move on to better things. Of course I decided to have a fry, because I am weak, very weak. They were cold, almost stale tasting, no doubt an hour or two old. I thought, 'geez, those are bad'. And I continued to think that with every fry I ate. It occurred to me, that clearly I will never meet a fry that I do not like. Clearly, they favor me as well, because they do tend to linger on my thighs.

I had just decided to heavily salt my stale, left over fries when my meal dinged in the microwave. SAVED BY THE BELL! Even burnt around the edges and cold in the middle, surely this meat loaf and potatoes "cuisine" was going to be much more satisfying than some old stale Burger King french fries.

To be on the safe side... I will need to find something else to munch on. You know... the meat loaf and potatoes... not as delicious as you would think. Go figure.

A second succesful meal down

2009-03-16T11:14:00.005-04:00

Shari would be so proud.

To top it off, I'm even going to go get ON the elliptical... soon.

Why is it that my husband can eat pizza and burgers for every meal and then do one day of yard work and drop 10 lbs? There is something so wrong about that. I don't care how much yard work I do, there is no way that would ever happen to me. Now, before certain family members start snickering over the image of me actually doing yard work in the first place. Let me just say that where I am now... yard work would not have been an issue. But that is another reason why leaving here makes me sad.

Celebrating?

2009-03-16T00:08:00.005-04:00

Well, we finally put the house on the market. There was a lot of mixed emotions on the whole idea of selling. Mostly on my part, but I think Todd has finally realized what we're giving up here as well. Selling has been a little bitter sweet. It's obviously time to move on to our next chapter in life, but this one has been so great, I'm just not sure I'm ready to give it up. We spent the last few days preparing for a highly anticipated open house. I assumed that after having a house fire and complete remodel from a couple from Arizona, the open house would be mainly curious neighbors. However, after an excruciating 2 hours of wondering, "Will it sell, will it not sell?" We FINALLY sold the house. Whew!

After a few teary eyed moments, I am very thankful for the whole 'rip the bandage off' effect, I don't think I could have gone through with it otherwise.

It's now time to focus on the next chapter. Hopefully they continue to top the last. It's been a good year here in Franklin.

As sad as it may be, we are very thankful that we had such a great realtor. We couldn't have done it without her. I hope she continues to do well in the future.

Thank you Nikki!

Re/Max agent, Nicole Wisniewski - www.nicolewhomes.com

Lunch at Panera

2009-03-15T22:57:00.005-04:00

Well... one successful meal behind me. It certainly helps when I sleep until almost lunch time... make note of that.

We decided to go to Panera Bread in attempts to 'eat lite'. I did pretty well. I think the fact that my stomach was in jitter mode because of the open house going on at home helped me control my appetite. Unfortunately, this was only a temporary appetite suppressant, considering we won't be doing that much in the near future. More on that later.

I enjoyed a cup of the Black Bean soup and a half Orchard Harvest salad. Mmmmmm

First of all, their black bean soup is fabulous. The red pepper and onion give it a great flavor without being overwhelming. The black beans are mild and have a great texture. If it were me, I would add jalapeno. Here's a link if you're interested in making a version of it at home.

http://www.recipezaar.com/Panera-Bread-Black-Bean-Soup-49737

Best of all, there's about 319 calories in a serving (in this version), only 14 of those from fat. (Panera claims that there is only 250 calories in there version.)

I also had the Orchard Harvest half salad. 210 calories of deliciousness. Romaine lettuce, dried cherries, pears, pecans and Gorgonzola with a cherry balsamic vinaigrette. OK, I'm a little hungry now thinking about it. If you have a Panera near you, you really should try it.

Good Job Panera... you saved me from a dreaded day of 'eating right'.

A daily dose of "Serena Logic"

2009-03-14T14:44:00.005-04:00

In Milford, MA, there is a little convenience store called Oliva's down on Main St. They make the greatest sandwiches. Unfortunately for me, they are not the lowest calorie sandwiches I would assume. This is why I only eat half of it. Mind you, half is still probably more than a foot long Spicy Italian from Subway, but in my eyes, half is a pretty good accomplishment! No fear, after eating half of my delightful Italian sandwich on french bread, I did not have a bag of chips, or a candy bar. Oh no... I decided I should play it smart. So, I had a weight watchers cookie. I figure, it balances out all those other calories. ;)

This may not be the same kind of 'logic' that you are used to. This is "Serena Logic".

The Fuzzy Culprit

2009-03-12T22:27:00.007-04:00

I was all prepared to tell you about my fabulous dinner tonight at Casa de Serena. I made some very yummy tacos. I made a taco salad for myself, in attempts to avoid any unnecessary calorie intake. Unfortunately, I have very little self restraint and I gave in and had one taco. Now my elliptical is snarling at me from across the room. Of course my back, stomach and husband would greatly disapprove a workout at this time. This leads me to my real story for the evening. The reason the husband would not approve of a work out right now is because we are trying to finish the last details on the house before the open house on Sunday. Just as I was finishing the kitchen clean up and thought my back was finally going to get a break, my husband informed me that I needed to paint the basement stairs before we could stop for the night (Oh goody!). It has to be done before he can lay the runner tomorrow.

Not only was I to paint the stairs, but I have to do several coats. I believe I've made my thoughts on painting very clear to most people... but in case you were not involved in those conversations.... I hate painting. Just as I finished the first coat, limping up the stairs with my back in spasms over being hunched over from an entire day of painting... I reached the top of the

stairs only to come face to face with the Fuzzy

Culprit himself. Mr. Trouble Maker. We stared at each other for a moment. I explained that he would need to resist the temptation to run down the basement stairs, despite the obvious urge gleaming in his eyes. He pretended to loose interest and started to walk off, giving me just enough time to reach the top of the stairs and start to shut the door. That's when that fat, fuzzy, pain in the ass ran down the stairs, right on the WET paint! Avoiding the MIDDLE of the stairs, which were left untouched since that's where the runner will go. Now, the left side of the stairs have Bugsy's "Personal touch".

He let me know his feelings on the whole paw scrubbing incident. Here it shows in his face.

He was later seen prowling around, no doubt, looking for more wet paint to personalize.

The Negotiations are Over

2009-03-11T22:01:00.007-04:00

Where O where to begin?

I currently live in Franklin, Mass, which I love. As a native of Phoenix, a rare breed I hear, its been good to get out of the heat and see some history on this side of the country.

Since we moved here a little over a year ago, I have been dying to go see all there is to see out here. Unfortunatley, a lifetime would still not be enough time to do that.

We spent a year looking for a house and then remodeling a house. Now that we're finally done and ready to settle down, my husband is bored and wants to move back to Arizona.

After a lot of 'discussions' on the subject, the negotiations were complete. I have agreed to move back to the desert, but not without conditions. I WILL see some serious sites! I'm not budging from my cozy little home until I've seen everything... or until the new owners insist I leave.