Bathroom Breaks

On the IPOD "Is This Love" By: Corrine Bailey Rae

Oh my I'm sorry it has been so long but when I say I have been working my tail off I really have ...yesterday alone I had count them 3 clients in Fort Worth which is a good 45 minutes from where I live... It was nice to get them all done in one day but my body is taking a beating for sure!

Over the weekend I had some 3D/4D sonogram pictures taken, I posted one on the blog but feel free to check the others out on my facebook page. It was an awesome experience I can't believe he already has a little personality in there... it made everything even more real.

I think that the worst thing about being 8 months preggers is the constant need to go to the bathroom...especially in the middle of the night when my legs dont want to cooperate. Anyone who works on their feet all day know what im talking about when I say that my feet and legs just take a little bit more time to start going in the middle of the night and in the morning but mix that with a bouncing baby boy on my bladder and the need to go potty like 5 minutes ago and what you get is a waddling uncomfortable pregnant girl running to the bathroon in the middle of the night with no feeling in her legs and more times then not a need to take a shower afterwards because she didnt quite make it. Im really ready for January!

I guess the point of all of this is so you are so humiliated by the time you give birth that you no longer really care what people think when your kid is screaming in the middle of the grocery store! But of course, I have no idea about kids screaming in public because my son will be a perfect gentleman...ya right!

Well I guess I should get myself ready for another day at work...Ugh!

xoxo chef a

Pain in the Back!

On the IPOD "Time Warp" Rocky Horror Show Soundtrack

Why oh Why have I been awake since 3 am...Ugh! This has been the longest week ever... I'm so excited to announce that I have just under 10 weeks to go. I'm definitely uncomfortable...don't worry I'm fully aware that it is going to get worse. To say that my back hurts is an understatement...it is like I can feel my insides moving around to make room for the little boy and I'm a tad bit over it! I have decided that there isn't a comfortable seat... well... anywhere!

To top it off I have a full day of cooking later today...

I have gained 13 pounds so far. I'm hoping to keep it at under 10 more, yet as I sit here eating a small bag of mini oreos at 4:30 am, I admit weight loss is not at the top of my list of "To do's" at the moment.

I can't believe I have to go to work right now...there are some days that I wish I had a sick line that I could just call and say I'm taking a personal day. See you would think because I work for myself that I could just take off whenever, but unfortunately that is just not how it works!

So after I make...
Chicken Drumettes
Seared Pork Chops
Miso glazed Salmon
Butternut Squash Soup
Chicken Fajitas
Hamburgers
Turkey Meatballs
Veggie Lomein
Shredded Chicken Tamales
and various side dishes

I will be taking a nice long afternoon nap.

If anyone has any miracle tricks to easing the 3rd trimester aches and pains please enlighten me, so far I have tried warm baths, heating pads, Tylenol (which I'm pretty sure is just a sugar pill!), and every pillow on the market!

Any new ideas would be lovely! I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween and at least got one bite of their favorite candy...Halloween candy doesnt have calories if you eat it standing up, right? I mean everyone knows that!

xoxo chef a

What a pain in the leg...

On the IPOD "Parachute" By: Ingrid Michaelson

To be honest I'm having a rough week... My work load is at an all time high, which is great financially but I'm having a major issue with sciatica. If you are unaware of what sciatica is, it is pain caused by nerve compression in the lower spine. Mine unfortunately has taken root in my left thigh and I have to admit that I actually considered ripping my leg off yesterday. It feels like my leg is on fire on the inside... Anyways besides being a pain during the work day it is also making Nia a bit of a challenge. Last night I found myself limping to bed while questioning how I'm going to make it through the holidays without slowing down.

My doctor suggested I get a pregnancy harness, it's like a bra for your growing belly that supposedly really helps woman who stand alot. Let's just say it isn't super sexy... but I guess if it works then it might just be the sexiest thing in the world. And since we are discussing bellies, mine has surpassed my boobs... I mean it is like it happened overnight...I mean I looked in the mirror in Nia last night and I swear it looked like I was carrying a line backer! I know those of you who have been through this before are probably saying..."Just wait!" but for me this is a very new thing and I can't even fathom what my tummy will look like in the next 4 months.

Anyways I'm really hoping that the harness thing works because if not I might just have to learn how to cook and dance from a seated position! Well since I fell asleep in the middle of writing this, it is unfortunately work time again. Ugh!

xoxo chef a

A Sweet New Year!

On the IPOD "Kaleidoscipe Heart" By: Sara Bareilles

So this is going to be short and sweet mainly because it is the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah and I'm slammed! On top of that I'm sitting in the waiting room at the hospital because my mom is having a knee replacement... This is my menu for the holiday for four different families...

27 pounds of Balsamic Braised Short Ribs
40 pounds of Roasted Brisket
16 pounds of Baked Chicken Drumettes
30 pounds Roasted Chicken
Sweet Potato Tzimmes
Green Bean Casserole
Spinach Soufflé
Roasted Carrots and Potatoes
Roasted New Potatoes
Israeli Couscous
Sweet Peas
Apples and Honey
Low Fat Blueberry Cheesecake
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake
Fresh Berry Triffle

Oy Vay! I sure hope I can fit everything in!

To the Jew Crew, I hope you have a wonderful and extra sweet new year!

I'm going to leave you with a question or a thought to be discussed at the next post....

Who is the your worst critic? And what role does it play in your everyday life?

P.S. This is the one year anniversary of my blog... I have not forgotten and tomorrow's post will reflect that!

Xoxo chef a

Dreaming Of Sleeping

On the IPOD "Shine On" By: Ryan Cabrera

Do you ever feel like you can't wait to get into bed... I mean not a normal "Oh I'm so tired", but more like a "you're the best bed I've ever had in my life and my pillows are my new best friends!" Yeah it sounds bad but if you are or have been pregnant I'm guessing you know exactly where I'm coming from... Unfortunately waking up at 3 am with killer heartburn was not part of the plan...

This week is another crazy work week, it's part two of the back to school rush. Tomorrow's menu includes:

Beef and Barley Soup
Pan-seared Filet Mignon
with Roasted Asparagus
Lemon Sole Picatta
with Oven Baked Potato Wedges
Grilled Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
Creamy Tuna Salad
Chicken Salad
Beef Soft Tacos
Honey Baked Ham
with Sauteed Green beans

After work I'm heading to Nia and then taking it easy before a huge cook day for clients in Fort Worth on Wednesday. I am getting a little bit nervous about working so much while in the last half of this pregnancy but I guess I'm just going to take it one day at a time and see how it goes...

I'm going to make myself fall back asleep, hopefully...

xoxo chef a

Credit Cards and Mommy Friends

On the IPOD "Straighten Up And Fly Right" By: Natalie Cole

Yesterday could have possibly been the worst day...it really started the night before.

On Monday we went to Buy Buy Baby to pick up the stroller I decided on and I was thrilled when I took it out of the box and took it for a spin, but then when it came to closing it up and then unloading it at my house let's just say it was a shame nobody was filming me. There were wheels going in every direction and handles hitting the floor and after a really frustrating walk into the building I was ready to take the stroller back. So I had a tiny emotional breakdown and then went to bed.

I knew going into Tuesday that it was going to be a hard day... I had two clients with extremely big menus and one of them has possibly the hardest kitchen floor ever invented! When I got to the first grocery store I rushed through to pick up all the items I needed only to find at the checkout line that I had lost my credit card... Luckily I had a check book, but it didn't take care of that sinking feeling of not having the card. As soon as I left the store I started calling Mike and my Mom to search for the card, Of course nobody could find it. I spent a good solid hour calling every store I had been to the day before, but didn't have any luck. By 9 am the card was cancelled and they were over nighting me a new one...

The first house I cooked at had 6 kids and 3 nannies in total playing within 20 feet of the kitchen. Between lunch and literally 8 snack times I have to admit that I questioned my ability to handle motherhood at least twice. By two o'clock my feet looked more like little sausages and less like feet... But I kept on to the next house... By 5:30 pm I was just wrapping everything up... It could not have been a longer day.

After realizing that there was no way I was going to make it to Nia, I decided to call my friend Lauren to see if I could bring the new stroller by to get her opinion... If there is anything I have learned from this experience it is that you should keep a mommy friend in your back pocket at all times... She showed me all kinds of good things about it that I couldn't even see because I was so overwhelmed with the mechanics. By the time I left I felt confident that the stroller was indeed for me. I think in general all strollers have their issues and with use most of them are fine it just might take a little time to get adjusted to them... Now I'm super excited about my stroller and I cant wait to get to use it!

Anyways to make a long story a little shorter...I ended up finding the card although it was useless since I had cancelled it... Oh well at least some creep doesn't have it. I had a feeling I would find it but you just can't take any chances. Oh well, thank goodness today is a new day!

xoxo chef a

Hot Hot Hot

On the IPOD "Like a Star(Live)" By: Corinne Bailey Rae

It is so Hot! To tell you the truth it is difficult to go the grocery store and to cook in this heat. The air-conditioning in the car can not even keep up...I find myself hitting the button a million times to make it cooler and it just won't move. To those of you reading this who are 8 or 9 months preggers...I don't know how you are doing it!

My menu for today:

Summer Chopped Salad
Truffled Mac and Cheese
Shrimp Quesadillas with Fresh Pico de Gallo and Guacamole
Creamy Chicken Spaghetti
Peppered Beef Sliders
Fiesta Lime Chicken with Mexican Salad
Beef and Barley Soup

While writing this I'm trying to ignore the fact that my allergies are out of control... isn't is too hot for things to grow???

Anyways I scheduled my next sonogram and I've decided that I'm not going to leave the doctor's office until I know what I'm having...My friend Jessica thinks this is hysterical by the way... She says she would never find out what she is having and she just thinks it's soooo funny that I want to know so badly but that my child won't cooperate.

How do people think that this guessing game is fun???? Just tell me already!

xoxo chef a

And then there were two of us

On the IPOD "Turn on the Radio" By: Reba McEntire



I have reached the point where I finally feel like there is someone else with me all of the time. What works for me is no longer what's important... my diet has turned into what works for you know who, because it really only takes that first night when you have downed a half a bottle of tums and you still feel like your chest is going to explode before you realize that whatever it was is just not worth it!

I have gained about a pound so far which my doctor seems pleased about. Although that is less than most at this stage it makes sense for me since I went into pregnancy still overweight. I'm still fighting with my normal response to stress which includes heading to the closest processed food available... While shopping at Buy Buy Baby yesterday I suddenly felt a tad bit overwhelmed and tore open a box of100 calorie bags of M&Ms devouring 2 bags within 15 minutes. Oddly enough it did make me feel better!

Lately my cravings have included broccoli salad, spaghetti and turkey meatballs with arrabbiata sauce, fruit of all kinds, and I keep having dreams about eating some amazing piece of cake but when I try to nail down the flavor I'm hoping for my mind just goes blank so I guess I will just have to keep dreaming about it...

The other weird thing is that the baby is now able to hear our voices and music so I definitely think more about the music I play in the car. You all know how important music is to me and was to my dad so I feel like it is my duty to expose this kid to the best of the best at the very youngest age. I also make Mike talk to my stomach because since he is at work so much I want the baby to get to know his voice as often as possible. I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm crazy...

And now on Saturday morning I'm watching "Raise Your Voice" in tears (gotta love hormones) before I head to my redo birthday Nia Class (power went out last week.) I'm really looking forward to getting back into the swing of Nia and working out in general, I have really been missing it. I never thought it would be such a challenge to get my body ready to work out again but 3 months of throwing up can really take a toll.

Broccoli Salad Recipe (This recipe is not low fat but it's southern and really good and you can add extra veggies and substitute light mayo to make it a better choice)

•5 cups fresh broccoli florets
•1/2 cup craisins
•1/2 cup sunflower seeds
•1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon (Optional, don't use if you want it to be lower calorie)
•1/4 cup of red onion, chopped
•Dressing:
•1 cup mayonnaise (you can easily use light mayo and use a tad less sugar)
•2 tablespoons vinegar
•1/2 cup sugar
Preparation:
Combine broccoli florets, craisins, sunflower seeds, crumbled bacon, chopped onion in a large serving bowl. In a separate bowl or large cup, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar. Add dressing to the salad and toss to mix well; chill thoroughly before serving.
I sometimes add cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, carrot slices, and/or celery

xoxo chef a

I've Been Missing You...

On the IPOD "I'll Be Missing You" By: Puff Daddy feat. Faith Evans & 112

I am so happy to report that I was finally given the go ahead to return to Nia this week. My first dance class was on Saturday and although it will take a little time to trust in myself that I will not mess anything up, there could not have been a better feeling than when I walked through the doors... I never in my life thought that I would actually miss a form of exercise, but low and behold I was soooo wrong!

I think that Nia might be one of the major things that have made the last 2 1/2 months so difficult. I mean weight loss has been a major focus in my life since about September and then all of the sudden I went from working out almost everyday and watching everything I ate to being preggers, not being allowed to work out and eating 75% carbs to try and calm the nausea. And on top of that it is not necessarily something you can openly complain about considering I've been on the other side of not being able to get pregnant!

But now that I'm not throwing up every second and it seems that I will be able to dance, I can be honest and tell you that there has been a part of me that has been missing all of it... not just the Nia classes, but also the feeling that I can somewhat control my diet. I'm by no means saying that I want my goal to be to lose weight right now, but I definitely like the idea that I can try to eat a more well rounded diet and hopefully have a really good and healthy pregnancy.

I am also excited about the fact that I can be a little more into work since food will hopefully never be my enemy again... This means I can discuss recipes and menus again and tell you everything there is to know about the upcoming chef convention and about the exciting class I'm teaching.

Thank you everyone for sticking through this morning sickness mess and supporting me to get back on track!

As for work tomorrow I'm making...

Chicken Fajitas with grilled peppers, refried black beans, and fresh avocado
Mock Fried Rice with Szechuan Grilled Shrimp
Classic Turkey Meatballs
Roasted Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Brussel Sprouts
Baked Crispy Cornflake Chicken Pieces
Fluffy Baby Spinach Souffle
Teriyaki Grilled Salmon
Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables

xoxo chef a

So..........

On the IPOD "Can't Go Back Now" By: The Weepies

Yesterday morning was just like any other except that I had an appointment with a specialist for some standard gene testing and a special sonogram to find out the baby's sex.

So there we ALL were, sitting in the waiting room of the doctor and by ALL, I mean Mike and I, my mom, and both of my in laws. My anxiety built a little when it hit me that I was going to be in stirrups with a vaginal probe in while the entire group was in the room but then it all changed...

As the nurse took me back for blood work I calmly asked, "So this is a vaginal probe sonogram right?" She replied quickly, "Oh no, this will be your first just regular old sonogram." Well at that moment all of the air escaped my lungs... "What! you are kidding right... my mind was set on the vaginal probe!" She looked at me in awe..."You would rather have that in front of everyone??" "Um YES, it's a chubby girl thing! The idea of sitting in a room on a table with my belly exposed while being rubbed on is not my idea of a good time!" She laughed. After she took at least a liter of blood she ushered me back to the waiting room.

And then it happened... "Amanda, We are ready for you!" Now let me explain that I really did want everyone to have to opportunity to experience seeing the baby, I just forgot about the fact that it might include me laying on a table not fully clothed.

I'm going to go ahead and say that the girl who was doing the sonogram was having a bad day, her mood was less than happy considering we were about to look at a baby, but in my head I had decided she was probably annoyed with the crowd. So she said, "ok I need you to pull down your bottoms to your bikini line." Um well I didn't even know I had a bikini line but I went ahead and pulled it down to where I was comfortable. Obviously not far enough, she then pulled it down so far I thought maybe we should have a drink first and introduce ourselves. I glanced over to my husband, who at this point was laughing because he could tell how uncomfortable I was! The ultrasound tech then proceeded with the sonogram. Look I am fully aware that she was looking for a baby the size of a lemon inside a tummy that isn't exactly small, but it literally felt like she was taking out her frustrations on me. There was a moment in time when I almost yelled, "Just get the !/?$%@! vaginal probe!!" And that is not something you hear everyday!

After 10 minutes of pain, she explained that the baby was breech and therefore she could not get a good view to guess the sex but that doctor would be in in just a minute to go over the scans... Now the doctor was very gentle, he knew exactly where to press to check what he needed to. He looked at every organ and checked the spine and explained to us that the baby looks great with no signs of a problem. He tried and tried to get the baby to move but of course I'm not surprised that my child would be stubborn, I would actually be more worried if it wasn't. Mike is now completely convinced it's a girl! Im still sticking with a boy, although I might be waivering slightly!

Im going to change gears slightly...the reason I had to rush out so quickly yesterday morning without posting the blog is because my client emailed me in the middle of the night that her dinner party had exploded to almost twice the size! I could have made a big deal about it to the client but honestly when I'm hired it is my job to make the client look good while making my service desirable so sometimes you just have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and move on with your day. After working a full day of clients making 20 different entrees and then a dinner party serving:

Chopped Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Hearts of Palm, English Cucumbers and Balsamic vinegrette

Char-Grilled King Salmon
Sweet and Spicy Corn and Pepper Relish
A large variety of grilled vegetables including local grown squashes and zucchini, bell peppers, organic carrots, and Asparagus

Wild Berry Triffle

Let's just say I really felt preganant by the end of the night!!! FYI my bikini line is covered in bruises, thank you very much ultrasound tech!!

So now we have to wait another 3 weeks before we know what we are having... I guess in a way we are lucky though, I've heard that they are really guessing the sex at 14 weeks anyways, and with my luck they would have guessed wrong!

Just so you know what you are looking at in the picture... the baby is of course facing up, the shadow like image in front of it's face is actually a partial view of the placenta. It is pretty cool what they can see these days!!!

xoxo chef a

Baby Marrone

On the IPOD "We All Fall In Love Sometimes" By: Jeff Buckley (I am fully aware that you have to buy an entire album to hear this song , but it is well worth it if you are a Buckley fan, you can also hear it at Rhapsody.com)

Well this is the newest picture of our little baby... I'm hoping when we go next Tuesday we will find out the sex and get some clearer pictures, but some cool things to note on this pic are the little white dots going across its tummy are of course the rib cage and the thicker white line down the back is the spine. Technology is pretty freaking amazing!!

The rest of the checkup went very well...everything looks good! I've lost a little weight, but I kind of expected that considering that I've been pretty sick at night. The goal from this point on is to eat healthy and try to maintain my weight until I'm feeling better.

I am working a lot this week...here are some of the Summer things I'm making for my clients:

Mexican Chopped Salad with Fiesta Lime Chicken, Homegrown Tomatoes, Black Beans, Roasted Corn, Avocado, and Sharp Cheddar Cheese with a Garlic Herb Vinaigrette

Gourmet Slider Burgers

Angel Hair Pomodoro

Jamaican Jerk Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa

Creamy Shrimp Salad with Toast Points

Crunchy Oven-Fried Chicken

Peppered Pork Loin with Roasted Garlic Au Jus

Grilled Vegetable Panini

Honey Barbecued King Salmon

Besides that... I'm beyond thrilled about my sleep away camp reunion this weekend!! It will be Mike's first time to experience my summer life as a kid. It is pretty cool to have my two world's kind of collide at least it seems cool now...

Ok well since I seem to be falling asleep over the keyboard...I'm going to take a short nap before work!

xoxo chef a

Praying to the Porcelain God

On the IPOD "Stay Here Forever" by: Jewel

One of my best friends Stacy came in town for the weekend and I have been looking forward to it for a really long time! We decided to go out for a really nice dinner at a restaurant called Loft 610 on Saturday night. As it got closer to the time we were supposed to go I was starting to feel a little funny... I ate some crackers and the feeling went away so we decided to continue with our plans.

When we arrived, everyone ordered drinks and although I don't miss the alcohol, I do miss the myriad of choices. We ordered a small appetizer of flatbread which we all shared and it was great. Stacy and I then shared a little salad of chopped veggies. When my dinner came a little wave came over me, but I pulled myself together. I had ordered Wild King Salmon but let me assure you obviously the baby wanted nothing to do with salmon!

I continued to eat a little bit because it is still mashed into my brain that food is the cure all for anything. Well it didn't take long before I was in the bathroom "praying." I finally thought it was over and went back to the table. Mike could see the fear in my eyes and sort of rushed the end of the meal... Stacy came back over to our place and things just got worse. Thank goodness everybody went outside when we first got there because another lesson I have quickly learned is that dinner followed by a car ride doesn't really work for me. When they came back inside Mike found me laying on the bathroom floor... It finally began to ease up and I finished the night with a popsicle.

The weekend continued with much of the same news... Here's to hoping cooking meals doesn't throw me into a tailspin today... fingers crossed!

My client menu for today is:

Chicken Souvlaki with hummus and tabouli
Chicken Enchiladas
La Scala Salad
Jalapeno Chicken
Chicken Fajitas
Egg Salad
Chicken Salad
Gazpacho
Balsamic Braised Short Ribs
Roasted Brisket with Carrots and Potatoes
Cucumber Salad
Roasted Mixed Vegetables
Key Lime Pie

xoxo chef a

P.S. I am considering switching the blog over to wordpress... Does anyone have any strong feelings about this? You would still be able to follow the links off of facebook and twitter but it would make commenting a lot easier for you, which seems to be a problem at the moment. Anyways if you have thoughts please feel free to let me know!

Why am I awake right now???

On the IPOD "What's Up?" by: 4 Non Blondes

I can't sleep...I mean let me rephrase that...last night I fell asleep at 9:30pm and of course now I'm awake at 3:30am. Ugh! There is nothing worse than being up in the middle of the night when you live with someone who wakes up if the floor squeaks. I mean Mike could have a party when I am sleeping and I wouldn't even hear it, but not me, I'm stuck in the office with no T.V. when all I can think about is the box of Chinese soup spoons that I need for a cocktail party tonight that are on the top shelf of the pantry. The issue is that I'm extremely A.D.D. so the chances that I will completely forget to get the spoons by 7 am is decently high!

Tonight's cocktail party should be a blast... One of my best friends is hosting it for her clientele and it is a great opportunity for me to open doors into a new group of women. At first she asked me to make chicken skewers...boring!!! Instead... I'm going to use the Chinese soup spoons and fill them with a twirl of Szechuan Peanut Noodles with a bite of Teriyaki Chicken on the top. Yum sounds good to me! And it better be a good party because I'm not thrilled about missing Nia!!

I have a family wedding this weekend which I'm soooo excited about, so yesterday I decided to go an see if I could find a new top to wear for one of the parties. Well I found this really cute black tank that is kind of crocheted at the neckline, unfortunately they only had one and it was a smaller size then I have been wearing but I grabbed it anyways and headed to the fitting room. First of all not to bitch but when will stores realize that trying on clothes under a freaking heat lamp is not comfortable and it actually makes me want to buy less. Note to retail clothing stores: The feel of burning flesh while trying on 6 pairs of pants makes me hate you and makes me never want to come back...just saying! Unfortunately, I couldn't walk away empty handed, the shirt fit and looked pretty hot actually! Whoo hoo!

For some reason, this is all I have been wanting...maybe because it's almost Summer!!

Gazpacho

1 large Hothouse English Cucumber, diced small ( like pico de gallo size dice)
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced small
1 Orange/Yellow Bell Pepper, diced small
2 cans Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 Sweet Onion, diced small
2 cloves Garlic, minced
3-4 cups of Tomato Juice
1/4-1/3 cup of White Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Cayenne to taste for spice
1 Large Ripe Avocado, small diced

Mix first 8 ingredients in a deep soup pot using 3 cups of tomato juice and 1/4 cup vinegar. Using a stick blender, pulse blender to break up some of the veggies, don't overblend...the soup is better a little chunky. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne and add more juice or vinegar if desired. Finish by adding the diced Avocado. Let chill for about 1 -2 hours or more and then serve cold. Note: The Avocado will not turn brown because of all of the acid in the soup so don't worry!

Options: You can also add fresh cut grilled corn or cilantro for a change

Have a good day!
xoxo chef a

Salted Toffee-Chocolate Squares

On the IPOD "Almost Lover" By: A Fine Frenzy

So this morning I got out of my bubble bath to see two new very uncomfortable friends residing on my chest... I've decided that the hormone shots are somebody's trick on poor innocent women. My boobs are easily the size of two cantaloupes and not in a good way, I feel like I'm turning into "The Hulk." Although my husband seems to not have as much of an issue with my two new friends, I unfortunately feel huge and have a slight attitude problem as well. I thought maybe I was bypassing the emotional part of it until someone asked me if I was feeling ok, and then as if on command I started tearing up for absolutely no reason at all, awesome!

I have been busting my butt at work this week and feeling pretty good about it. Yesterday morning I picked up a copy of "Everyday Food", It's a little Martha Stewart Magazine and found this incredible cookie recipe that I just had to try, so I picked up all the ingredients thinking that I would make them at some point. Then it dawned on me, I was going to be hanging out with two of my favorite girls (Jennifer and Lauren) in the afternoon, maybe we could make them together!

When I got to Lauren's house we got all caught up and then decided to try these bad boys out...by the way Lauren had no idea at this point that I was going to leave her with all of the cookies lol ! They took a cool 20 minutes and were fantastic, we even had to use a smaller pan and although I think they came out less crispy they still were fantastic! Jennifer took some home to her husband and his response was, "I think those cookies are pretty much the best things I have ever eaten in my whole life!" Wow that's a pretty bold statement...

Salted Toffee-Chocolate Squares
recipe adapted from Everyday Food, May 2010

12-13 Graham Crackers
1 8 oz Bits O' Brickle Toffee Pieces, in the baking aisle
1 1/2 cups Toasted Almonds, rough chopped
1 cup Butter
1/2 Cane Sugar
3/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
3/4 tsp Sea Salt

Set the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Use aluminum foil to line a rimmed cookie sheet (Let the foil hang over for easy removal).

Lay the full graham crackers on the baking sheet, touching each other. Sprinkle the toffee pieces and the chopped almonds evenly over the crackers. Set aside.

Combine the sugar and butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Bring the mixture to a boil (it will be foamy) and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for a few minutes, until the mixture has the consistency of a syrup. Remove from heat and pour over all of the graham crackers evenly.

Put into the oven and cook for about 12 minutes. The top should be bubbly when you remove it. Immediately sprinkle with the chocolate chips and sea salt. Let cool for about 10 minutes, and then use a pizza cutter to cut into 2 inch squares. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let cool fully before eating.

We didn't have a rimmed baking sheet so we just used a 9 X 13, lined it with foil and ended up obviously using less of everything!

Yum so glad I didn't take any home cause I would be eating them right now!! Thanks Lauren and Jennifer for helping a girl out! XOXO

Have a wonderful day!
xoxo chef a

Hunger Pains

On the IPOD "Be Still" by: Kelly Clarkson

I would be lying if I told you I feel completely normal right now at 3:16 in the morning. I'm having crazy dreams and I have woken Mike up three times and let's just say he's over it :).

Why is it that when I wake up in the middle of the night, I'm starving...like I haven't eaten in weeks. The sad thing is the myriad of things I'm in the mood for: I would totally eat a ramen cup of soup (most likely the saltiest and most processed food product on the market), I would also tear up some bagel chips and extra spicy hummus or even a can of green beans. I know the last one is just plain weird yet if you were to be spying on me at the moment you would see me opening a can of organic green beans, it's not that I wouldn't rather have nice fresh haricot verts (french green beans), but I don't have any and to tell you the truth there is something comforting about the odd metallic taste of cold canned green beans in the wee hours of the morning...

When I was gone last week I did alot of thinking... I have been teetering with the revelation that I'm a little burnt out cooking wise and I knew that I just needed a jump start. I needed time to visit local markets and to cook from my heart instead of counting every calorie. I needed to throw things in a blender and see what came out.

Being a chef is sort of like having an attitude problem. It is half real cooking knowledge and half cockiness. It is a delicate balance, because if you think too much or question yourself you could end up losing your edge. To be honest the issue with my client a couple of weeks ago threw me for a loop...it made me question what I'm doing as a chef. It wasn't that I didn't know the answers, I think I just had to find them out again... I know that my first love is dinner parties where I'm given some amount of creative control and I know that I like personal cheffing because it allows me to create bonds with the families I'm feeding. But beyond that how does artistry intertwine with crazy diets. How do I change the school of thought that has made americans want the most amount of processed food for the least amount of calories instead of a smaller portion of the best tasting real food? I don't know the answer yet, but I know that if I want to stick with this career I need to find out. I know that I'm more excited about work tonight than I have been in weeks and that's a good thing!

I don't know... I'm sure it has to do with my personal dieting...I need to find a way to allow myself to love food. I will never be someone who looks at food as a source of energy nor do I want that. My relationship with food has always been a love affair, it just used to be a manipulative abusive one and now I just want it to be a healthy one.

xoxo chef a

3 way mirrors

On the IPOD "Black Horse and The Cherry Tree" by: KT Tunstall

Bathing suit shopping is like society's cruel game on every female. First of all you have to take at least three days to get yourself mentally ready to look at your body in a three way mirror(aka the devil). Then once you get to the store you have to wade through all the beauties modeling the tiniest bikinis available (the only glory in this is knowing that they are most likely looking at their bodies in disgust as well.)

A couple of days ago I went on a mission to find a bathing suit that looked...well...good! I got to the store grabbed a stack of ten and headed for the dressing room. At first I was hoping that I was going to find a fantastic suit that made me look like a supermodel, but as I became more beat down by the vision in the mirror my desire to look like a supermodel turned into a desire to find one that just fit and looked half way decent. The most difficult thing about buying a bathing suit is spending a bloody fortune on something that you feel just ok in... I finally settled on a two piece tankini, a little black skirt and a teal (yes i said teal) halter tank with a built in under wire bra. The bra was a necessity... it is amazing how much skinnier you look with a good bra on, it made such a difference that I was willing to turn my back on my signature color of black. I mean don't get me wrong I am not going to be wearing it out on the town any time soon, but if I need to say go to the beach I will at least be prepared!!

I made the best fish tacos last night. I used a fish called Cobia, it was fantastic! The tacos were whole grain crispy shells, blackened Cobia, shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, feta, and a little guacamole. But the best part was the spicy avocado cream sauce that I served on top. You could use it in about a million ways: enchiladas, taco salad dressing, as a dip with queso and salsa. Here is the recipe:

AVOCADO CREAM SAUCE

1 pint sour cream (You can use light) but I always use "Daisy"
1 large avocado
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 cloves of garlic
2 T red onion, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Put first 5 ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. And chill until ready to use.

xoxo chef a

My trip to the vet...

On the IPOD "Ghost" by: Indigo Girls

So this fertility stuff is getting quite humorous. I went to the doctor Friday morning to get a trigger shot, not knowing that there was going to be a firm time table on when we had to "do laundry". When the doctor and I realized that the time table didn't work he explained to me that I could just give it to myself and the nurse went ahead and taught me how. I'm pretty sure that during the lesson I completely tuned her out and was just focusing on the prospect of putting a needle into my own skin... So I left the office knowing that I needed to find a way to get this shot in the next 4 hours. I called anyone who I thought might be able to do it and timing wise nothing worked. I finally had a last minute thought to call my vet. Yes you read correctly I actually called the vet to see if by any chance they would give me a fertility shot. You know you've hit rock bottom when you are getting shots at the vet :) . They were totally on board no problem at all thank goodness. I just wish I had a picture of me bending over right next to the dog scale!!!

Hey I went away thinking that if by chance I actually do get preggers at least I will have a really good story to tell my child about how much we wanted him/her.

To be honest the shot sucks, I feel slightly (lol) emotional and I'm surrounded by family, which leads to a fun mix to say the least!!! "May the force be with me!!!" Anyways I made an amazing dinner last night:

Chopped salad with cajun grilled shrimp and bloody mary sauce
Lemon Butter Grilled Mahi-Mahi
Smashed Potatoes
Oven roasted Asparagus

Yum so good!!

And now Im heading off for a run... to work off that lemon butter sauce!! Ill check back in later...

xoxo chef a

72 Hours of Cooking

On the IPOD "Heartstopper" by: Emiliana Torrini

I can't believe I am just now able to post this blog...I have literally been cooking for the last 48 hours and I have another 24 hours to go. Tomorrow night is the first Seder of the Jewish holiday of Passover. Passover is probably my biggest work day of the year. I don't know how it ended up like that but I think it has something to do with the fact that 85% of my Jewish clients stay in town and have a Seder. I am usually booked about 6 months in advance.

Anyways let's just say that I'm writing this blog on borrowed time... Tomorrow morning starts the last 8 hours of complete insanity. The best part about it is that I'm am able to fit in a little time to help my aunt with our family Seder. Here is what I have been cooking for my clients...

Beautiful Butter Lettuce Salad for 16 people
3 pounds of Fresh Grated Horseradish
30 pounds of Roasted Turkey with gravy
200 Chicken Drummettes
30 pounds of Apricot Chicken
35 pounds of Balsamic Braised Short Ribs
40 pounds of Roasted Brisket
Creamed Spinach Madeline for 80 people
Matzoh Charlotte (Sweet Cinnamon Souffle) for 40 people
8 pounds of Whipped Sweet Potatoes
10 pounds of Roasted Creamer Potatoes
Spinach Souffle for 25 people
10 pounds of Sauteed Haricot Verts
3 gallons of Matzoh Ball Soup
15 pounds of Tzimmes
6 dozen Meringue Cookies
2 Large Trifles
Strawberry Shortcake for 40 people
4 pounds Matzoh Toffee
Chocolate Ganache Flourless Cake

Let's just say that there is a very high chance that I will drink way too much wine tonight!!!!

I wish I could write more but to be honest I am finishing this at 5:30 in the morning after falling asleep with my laptop in my hands last night! I will be writing tomorrow...

Wish me luck!
xoxo chef a

The Toe

On the IPOD "That's Not My Name" by: The Ting Tings

This morning was one of those mornings where you wake up super early and you think about getting up and taking care of all kinds of things but then you fall back asleep only to wake up late!!! Soooo late that you pick up the closest thing to you to wear and hope that it matches... (at least I always have various pieces of clothing in the car just in case!) So I ended up in the car with a tank top and a mini skirt on and lets just say it was a tad cold!!! I found a bra and some yoga pants in my gym bag in the back seat and managed to slip them on in the parking lot of the first grocery store that I got to. (No unfortunately I can't say that this is the first time that I have gotten dressed in the morning in a parking lot!)

The reason I was in such a rush is because the Tuesday after spring break seems to always be the most ridiculous cook day...

Matzoh Ball Soup
Jalapeno Chicken
Fajita Chicken
Blackened Chicken
Marinated Flank Steak
Pan-Seared Filet Mignon
Salisbury Steak with Red Wine Marinated Button Mushrooms
Egg Salad
Cucumber Salad
Mixed Berries
Crispy Beef Tacos
Jalapeno Cheese Sausages
Oven Fried Chicken Drummettes
Pasta Primavera with a Spicy Tomato Basil Sauce
Pecan Crusted Tilapia
Chopped Salad with celery, cucumbers, carrots, mixed bell peppers, tomatoes, mozzarella, hard boiled eggs, cauliflower and a Garlic Dijon Vinaigrette
and ridiculous amounts of vegetable side dishes

I just got tired again trying to remember everything I cooked today!!

So, as you know I have really been pushing my comfort levels in the last couple of weeks... And the time came for me to actually try to wear a different color other than black.

On Monday morning, I wore a grey pair of pants to Nia and although I felt a little weird I handled it ok and was even able to forget that I was wearing them halfway through class.

Today was a completely different story... After work I took a much needed shower and then decided to try on the dark maroon colored dance pants that have been staring me in the face for the last few weeks. I slipped them on and off about 4 times before just deciding to go to class. Right before I left the house I switched tank tops (terrible idea!) When I got to Nia I immediately felt like slipping out of my own skin...

First off the tank top was wayyyyyyy too short! I slowly walked to the back of the room and took my old place as a "back row bitch". I was very honest with my friends that I was feeling a little uncomfortable...and I tried to stop thinking about it but then it happened... While we were turning I noticed something that by all accounts was maybe the worst thing I have ever seen in my life!!!! I had the dreaded camel toe! As quickly as possible I tried to adjust my tank top so that it would stretch lower...I'm pretty sure I even broke some of the stitching... Nothing was helping....the more we moved the higher it went. I tried to stop it! Between each dance move I pulled and yanked but nothing was working. I tried to tell myself that nobody cared but it didn't matter... I cared! The worst part about it was that Jule's playlist in class was incredible and I couldn't even enjoy it because all I could see was my worst enemy!!!!

I could not get out of class quick enough...I mean it was like the floor was on fire or something. My friend Arlene even called me to make sure everything was ok... I just have to say that I have never been happier to see my wonderful, loyal, incredible, stupendous black pants all lined up in a row waiting for me to come back home.

Don't worry maroon pants...I'll give you another shot...I just have to find a very long tank top!

xoxo chef a

Hoop, Hoop, Drop!!

On the IPOD "And the Birds Sing" by: Tyrone Wells

First of all thank you so much for your comments yesterday. It really does make my day to hear from you!

Well yesterday I took a Lenny Kravitz Hoop Nia class, like hoop as in hoola hoop mixed with Nia and all to the music of Lenny Kravitz. Lets just say the entire class got real tired of hearing my hoop hit the floor. I'm a star hooper on the Wii fit but obviously when hooping actually entails a real hoop, my skills are less than adequate. I'm by no means giving up...I even kept the hoop up for like 10 seconds but then my core pretty much gave me the finger! It was fun though...I'm always up for a new experience especially when there happens to be good music involved!

After class, I went to help my mom make a trial batch of a new flavor of jelly, "Extra Hot Hot Jalapeno" (My mom has a product line of gourmet jellies and sauces.) Just as I was filling the glass jar, it slipped out of my hand and slammed down against the hard floor. Thank goodness the glass didn't break, but when I say there was hot jelly everywhere, I mean there was hot jelly everywhere. All over me, all over the floor, and even all over the ceiling. After a good hour of cleaning I invited my mom to dinner at our house. The clumsiness didn't stop there...

A totally from scratch home cooked meal on the weekend is quite the anomaly at my house, but when I actually do cook, I tend to really cook. I decided that my husband deserved a traditional Italian Sunday dinner. While making the gravy ie: homemade marinara sauce, I managed to spill an entire bottle of crushed red pepper on the floor. As I was sweeping it up(not exactly my forte), I had an insane sneezing fit and actually had to step away from the kitchen for a good 15 minutes to compose myself! Dinner ended up being great except for the fact that Mike and my mom caught on to the fact that the pasta was multi-grain...Ha ha, I tried!

My streak of clumsiness hopefully came to an end this morning when I opened the back of my car only to not catch a bottle of jalapenoes rolling out and crashing on the ground...Obviously jalapenoes and I are not friends at the moment! Im going to go ahead and blame everything on the time change...

xoxo chef a