And Now For Some Happy News...
I’m going to be an auntie again. SOON! My brother and his lady are expecting their first baby in a couple of weeks and I’m so excited :)
It really does my heart good to see my brother so happy and at peace. It took him some time to get to this place, but as they say… it was all worth it. Kim is a wonderful girl and they are really great for each other. It took me some time to warm up to Kim… it was a while before I met her in person and to be honest, my brother hadn't had a ton of luck in the love department. I've always felt protective of both of my brothers, and I've never really connected with anyone he's dated. He would tell me how great she was and of course I was happy that he was happy but I didn’t actually meet her for almost a year after they met each other. I was actually prepared to be underwhelmed. And I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Kim is smart, funny, confident, warm, generous, and loving. She’s strong, creative, and believes in making things rather than buying things. Bob and I were definitely more than impressed and couldn’t be happier for Eric. They are kind to each other and treat each other with respect. They are proud of each other and take care of each other. It’s good.
And now… they’re going to be parents! This kid is going to be very lucky… his parents are already very devoted to him and he will be surrounded by so much love and happiness. He’ll have his cousin Vinny to teach him a thing or two, as well. Vinny’s my brother Nick's son and he’s the sweetest 6 year old you’ll ever meet. One look at his blue eyes and you’ll basically do whatever he wants. Ice cream? Sure, kid. Pony? I don’t see why not.
Kim is already bringing my brothers and dad together for family time - things like pumpkin carving parties and cookouts. Living so far away from them, it’s tough not to be there for this stuff, but they’re pretty good about taking pictures and sharing them. Now I just have to talk them into video chat! They can set me and Bob up on the table… it will be just like we’re there.
Hmm... maybe they’ll set me up for the delivery…
Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Roasted Potatoes
Last weekend, The Mister cooked up this delicious dinner and I made him write down how he did it because I had to share it with you. This was so tender and delicious. He's a little bit of a rosemary freak and we happen to be lucky enough to have a huge rosemary bush outside so he just went out and snipped some for our dinner. I'm a little embarrassed to admit how fast I wolfed it down.
1 - 5 lb chicken
2 - 3 lemons
5 - twelve inch long stalks of rosemary
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Butter (we used Earth Balance)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Rinse chicken and pat dry, remove giblets and any unsavory bits
- Finely chop one stripped stalk of rosemary leaves and set aside
- Drizzle olive oil over chicken and rub into skin
- Cut two lemons into 1/2 inch thick slices
- Cut remaining rosemary stalks into 4 inch pieces
- Slide two lemon slices under the skin of each breast along with two rosemary stalks and butter
- Rub butter on skin and season with chopped rosemary, salt and pepper
- Fill chicken with remaining two rosemary stalks and lemons slices
- Cook uncovered for 35 minutes or until chicken is golden and crispy
- Baste chicken liberally before returning to oven
- Tent with heavy duty aluminum foil and put back in for 40 minutes at 425 degrees
- It's done when the juices run clear
- Let stand for at least 5 minutes before cutting in order to let juices distribute
The potatoes were simply Yukon Golds coated with a combination of canola oil, about 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped dill and salt and pepper to taste. Roasted for about 35 minutes at 425.
So what's the pink stuff, you ask? That, my friends, is Mark Bittman's Red Cabbage and Apples from his "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian". This was so easy, good and healthy. I found the recipe on this blog, which is quickly becoming another favorite.
So there's your next Sunday dinner, folks. Enjoy!
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Snow Soda Review
So I got an email last month from the lovely Victoria, on behalf of Snow Beverages. Turns out Snow Soda is based in New England and now available in Rhode Island. Victoria wondered if I’d like to give it a try and let me know what I think.
Here’s the thing… I’m not a soda gal. Sure, I enjoy a fizzy beverage from time to time… but I really do try to stay away from the stuff. But the idea of Snow intrigued me… check out what Victoria had to say:
“Snow Beverages is inspiring a Soda Revolution using only natural ingredients and vitamins while keeping all the fun and delicious indulgence of soda. Snow comes in the real soda flavors you know and love but is made with only natural flavors, natural colors, pure cane sugar and is fortified with vitamins C and B's for an extra health boost. Our mission is to provide people in the Providence area with a healthier soda option!”
Natural ingredients and vitamins? In soda? Ok, Snow Soda, show me what you’ve got!!
I was pleasantly surprised. I really was. Victoria was kind enough to send me 3 of each flavor – Pure Cola, Cranberry PomRaz, and Lemon Lime. The mister and I sampled each of them, and I brought the rest to the office to share with my co-workers. My favorite was Lemon Lime, followed by Cranberry PomRaz, with Pure Cola coming in last. I think the Pure Cola just didn’t have enough fizz for me. It seems my co-workers agreed:
Snow Cranberry Pomraz
Luisa said: “refreshing, not too sweet and perfectly carbonated, good taste”
Lemon Lime
Derek said: “Better than the regular cola, but still not as carbonated as I'd like. The flavor is more robust. This one I might actually buy.”
Julie said: “Delicious!! Really like it, could use more carbonation. I like all the vitamins.”
Listen, this is not a health food. Snow doesn’t try to claim that it is. They recognize that soda is an indulgence and their product happens to be a natural, healthier version of that indulgence.
I can see myself using the PomRaz for cocktails or ‘mocktails’ for when we have company. Mix it with club soda and some lime and perhaps some vodka.
Snow is also dedicated to doing their part to “Save the Snowflakes”, donating 1% of sales to non-profit initiatives that work to try to reverse the effects of global warming.
The Snow Beverages website is super user-friendly, with an FAQ section, store locator, info on Save the Snowflakes, and info on the company.
If you're a Rhode Islander, check out these locations where Snow will be giving away free samples! If you go, let me know what you thought of Snow!
Friday August 13th (today!)
- Naragansett Beach 4-8 PM Beach st and Oceanside Pl
Saturday August 14
- Clements Market 11-3 PM 2575 East Main Road, Portsmouth, RI 02871
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My Friends Have Gardens and I Have 100 Posts!
Check out the giant pile of fresh from the garden veggies that was so generously shared with us by Angela. Angela is our friend Karen's mom and lucky for us... she lives right down the street :) After my shameless Facebook post the other day asking whose garden I could raid for tomatoes, several of my friends volunteered to share theirs with me. Karen was one of them, bringing with her some cucumbers from her garden when we got together last week. Then she told us that we should stop by her mom's for tomatoes. Score!
I don't have a garden but this time of year I just really crave right-from-the-ground veggies. There's such a difference between tomatoes or cucumbers that you pluck from your (or your friend's) yard and ones that you buy at the store. I really believe that the longer it takes to get to you, the more flavor it loses. Since Angela hooked us up with some basil, too, the Mister and I will be enjoying delicious caprese sandwiches for dinner!
Oh and our Hostess With The Mostess friend Kayla promised to pass on some of her heirlooms! I'm way excited about this too and will have to find an awesome recipe that will highlight their goodness. Anyone (Jim?) have any ideas? Oh, I should tell you... I don't like my tomatoes hot, unless they're super pureed. Also, I don't like onions or peppers. So some sort of salad would be great... ok, go!
So... this is my 100th post!! I can't believe I had something to say 100 times. I have gained some great followers during this time and I want to thank those of you who keep coming back! I hope I've been able to offer information and tips that have been useful. I know that I've learned a lot, as well. Thanks for all the love :)
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