Sugar and Spice and Everything R-O-M-A-N-C-E

It’s that time of year! Everyone is thinking “r-o-m-a-n-c-e” even if it isn’t in a positive light. With Valentine’s Day is coming up, for many it means sharing a romantic meal with someone special. For others it means wallowing in the single life and sending nasty tweets to Hallmark. But for others it is simply another excuse to get together with friends and share a meal.

For many, the act of dining together is something to be celebrated. There’s a growing trend in home design to make kitchens larger with more gathering places like islands, built in breakfast nooks, etc. People come together over food.

Think about it—after weddings there are typically receptions with amazing spreads and cookie tables, after funerals there are lunches celebrating the life of the recently passed where loved ones share stories and pasta salad. Study groups share pizza and girlfriends share buckets of popcorn on movie night. Food is not just an energy source; it is a social element in our lives.

So this week, as you’re preparing to celebrate love or friendship with the special people in your life think about doing something simple and sweet to let them know you appreciate them. It can be as simple as picking up their favorite caffeine infused drink from the café or as involved as hosting a dinner party for your friends. Whichever route you take, know that it truly can be “the thought that counts” and don’t put too much
pressure on yourself to get everything perfect!

Need some inspiration? There are lots of websites and Facebook pages dedicated to creative meals with a Valentine theme.

Here are a few I recommend:

♥ Martha Stewart’s Valentine’s Day Recipes:
Of course Martha has a section of her site dedicated to Valentine’s Day with an emphasis on dessert!

♥ Recipes Filled With Love:
This Facebook page has TONS of user submitted ideas so you know they are relatively easy to execute!

♥ The Pampered Chef:
The Beta site provides some deliciously simple recipe ideas with a focus on chocolate!

♥ Epicurious:
Check out their Romantic Menu Planner for inspiration!

And of course I wouldn't leave you without a sweet recipe. For something fun to do with your sweetheart, friends or the kids in your life— have a sugar cookie decorating bar! Whip up a batch of these sweet treats, let them cool and then decorate with shades of red and pink frosting, different sprinkles or just powdered sugar. They will all be as unique as the person decorating them but equally delicious! Enjoy!

Need more recipe ideas? Do you have questions about cooking? Email me at diane.ferritto@gmail.com. Your question could be featured in my next post!

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Sugar Cookies
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown from The Food Network website

Prep Time: 15 min
Inactive Prep Time: 2 hr.
Cook Time: 9 min
Level: Easy
Serves: about 3 dozen-2 1/2 inch

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Directions
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes
or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

.Copyright 2012 Television Food Network G.P. All Rights Reserved

New Year, New Me

It seems almost everyone makes some type of resolution, commitment or promise to themselves or someone else this time of year. Google created a way for people to post their resolutions online and upload their resolution for the world to see.

I uploaded two:
1) Go Paleo
2) Finish my master's degree

The first one is about improving my body. The second is about improving my mind. They are both about food.

My month of Paleo went really well in December. Meats and veggies. Nuts and seeds. Some starch. Few fruits. No dairy. No sugar. Nothing processed. Down seven pounds and four inches in my waist.

Worth it.

I want to keep both resolutions. Paleo will start when I come back from vacation. I'm not sure what I'll have access to until I get home. In the meantime, I'm compiling a list of resources and recipes to make sure I have a plan in place for my return. One friend suggested Paleo Table but I haven't checked it out yet... Anyone else have suggestions? If you do, please leave a comment for me :) or if you're interested in a lifestyle change, let me know and we can tackle this resolution together!

My thesis is going to be about food, too. I am going to learn a lot about food over the next year. I want to learn about the way people write about food. Think about how many bloggers focus on specific types of food or food critics in the newspaper. There are magazines dedicated to recipes and evaluating recipes. There are new cookbooks out all the time and critics on those as well.

I'm not sure what specifically I'm going to look at but I'm planning on analyzing either a blog, book or series or set of blogs or books. I'm taking suggestions.

Periodically I'd like to post portions of my research here for your feedback. And I welcome it. The whole point of research, from my perspective, is that it is meaningful-- not just written to make the author sound smart or to satisfy a graduation requirement -- and helpful-- it allows others make better informed decisions or directs them to useful information.

What do you think I should focus on? Writings about the Paleo diet? Texts (not the SMS variety-- texts as in the literary kind) about the trend toward eating organic? Something else? Should I focus on blogs? Magazines? A book? Newspaper columns?

Hopefully I'll be able to start my thesis when I kick off my Paleo resolution! Let me know what you think!

Clean Start

Happy Friday!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted and I’ve been trying to decide what direction I want to take with this blog.

Since my trip to India I’ve felt a little like nothing else I write matters as much as that two week experience.

But I realize that there are a lot of things going on here at home, in my life and the lives of my family and friends that are just as special and important that deserve to be memorialized, shared or exposed for their educational, entertaining or nonsensical value!

Just recently I started writing a column for The University of Akron’s student newspaper, The Buchtelite. I’ve never written for a newspaper before but it is giving me a “professional” outlet for my writing and I’m getting a little thrill out of seeing my writing published on something other than the internet. To me it is rewarding and justifies, even if in the smallest way, the time that I put into writing and researching. If you haven’t seen the column, check it out! Let me know what you think. My first three are below:

First Column     Second Column     Third Column

As some of you know (based on my last column or talking to me personally) I’ve started on somewhat of a lifestyle change. I don’t want to say “diet” because that invokes feelings of disdain and competition. What I’m doing will hopefully lead to a healthier, less stressful version of my life. Because of various factors I’ve struggled with my weight and like many women, I have a hard time accepting that my size is what my size will always be. So I decided to participate in Advanced Performance Crossfit’s 30-Day Clean Eating Challenge.

Back in October I took advantage of a Groupon offer for Crossfit classes. My super sweet friends Alwynn and Bethany, signed up with me. Crossfit is a super intense style of workout based on functional movement and building a stronger body for life, not just for show. Crossfitters advocate the Paleo/ Caveman style of eating which is what the 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge is based on. The Paleo plan consists of lean meats and proteins, lots of vegetables, tree nuts and seeds, some fruit, a little starch. Nothing processed, nothing with refined sugars, no frozen meals, etc. However, for the Challenge, we were allowed one good dairy (think plain Greek yogurt) and one whole grain (brown rice or Ezekiel bread, etc). So I went for it.

Next week is the last week of the challenge. Since the start of the 30 days I’ve done pretty well about sticking to the plan. I’ve allowed myself the cheat day for Thanksgiving—I mean who could honestly pass up my mom’s pies! But aside from that, I’ve been pretty good about avoiding carbs, dairy and processed food. I cut out popcorn—my FAVORITE snack food and I haven’t eaten a whole wheel of Brie in a long time. But it’s been HARD.

The first forty eight hours I was a complete nightmare. I wanted carbs and I wanted them bad.

But then it passed. I’ve been taking in at least 64 oz of water every day. I keep track to make sure. And I gave up my vegetarian ways and reintroduced red meat to my plate. Chicken still grosses me out. I eat cauliflower and eggs, burgers without the bun and salads like they’re going out of style. And I feel great. This change in my daily habits has helped me shed eight pounds overall and I haven’t gained anything back from week to week. In the past I’ve been able to drop weight and then fluctuate up and down but I’ve remained consistently down. Some weeks I haven’t lost anything but I haven’t gained either and that to me is a victory. And I’m shedding inches too. Slowly. But inches nonetheless.

Yes, I have days (like yesterday) where I don’t eat clean and stuff my face with some bread and cheese but as I’m taking my umpteenth bite of Crostini I remember, it’s a lifestyle change and it takes time and there are always challenges. I’m not going to deprive myself but I’m going to be more conscious going forward. So then I put the slice down and drink some more water.

If you’re headed into the holiday season with fears of what it will do to your waist line, I would encourage you to read about the Paleo approach and try out Crossfit. It’s not easy but after the first few days I could tell it was worth it. I feel better and you can too.

A Pin a Day?

So, I've been thinking about how incredibly awesome some blogs are.  I've been reading quite a few on my lunch breaks as of late and am truly inspired by these writers.  They share their ideas, beliefs, triumphs and failures.  These women (mostly women anyway) put themselves out there and are truly working collaborating with their peers and reaching out to inspire others. 

And now, I'm inspired. 

I love to read and write and share ideas.  That's why I have my own business as a consultant with The Pampered Chef.  That's why I work in direct marketing full time and develop ways to reach out and connect causes and people emotionally so that they get involved in our nation and in the lives of others.  It's why I work with RAIN Marketing, LLC so that I can get creative and work on social media and event planning and research!  It's why I'm working on my graduate degree.

Which after pondering how I could combine my love of fashion, social media, marketing, cooking and basically ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that sparks my interest...  led me to this idea... I want to challenge myself to post each day, using the fastest growing social media outlet out there (Pinterest!) as my prompt.  I'm thinking a collection of "A Pin a Day Keeps Boredom Away!" posts are in order...

What do you think? Should I test out recipes? Try decorating ideas? Attempt DIY beauty treatments? And then report back?

Let me know... if you say yes, you'll probably get a few good laughs out of it!

p.s. you should probably check out Delightful Order's blog if you're in need of some organizational help. Trust me. It will make your life beautifully orderly and you'll spend just as much time on there as you would Pinterest!

End of a journey.

I am exhausted. But I am thankful. I am home and I had a wonderful trip.

The last two days have been a blur. After leaving Kolkata EARLY Thursday and arriving in Doha, Qatar, I had the opportunity to walk around the city.

Our group walked the coastline towards downtown. We passed house boats and ferries that looked they were built one hundred years before the city.

We opted to go for a cultural experience instead of shopping in Doha. So, we went to the Museum of Islamic art.

It was fascinating to view each piece but I only made it through one level before the dim lighting and quietness got to me. After eleven days of constant noise, motion and light, the museum was no match for me.

I opted to spend the rest of the afternoon watching what I would describe as wealthy Saudi men, British scholars and Korean tourists take tea in the lobby as I listened to their conversations-- clearly not understanding any of it!

In the evening we returned to our hotel-- Holiday Villa where the people watching was just as intriguing.

Did you know that Harley Davidson is popular in Saudi Arabia? Well there is a SA motorcycle club-- according to their cuts anyway. I was surprised but intrigued. Lots of men were gathered-- presumably for the squash competition (don't ask me what squash is- i'll tell you it's one vegetable I rarely eat). It was just incredibly interesting to watch even though I couldn't understand anything.

Then early this morning, 5am Doha time, we boarded a shuttle for the airport. And I've been up ever since.

As I sit here in the LaGuardia airport I can barely keep my eyes open. I'm exhausted. But thankful for the past two weeks. I never got sick even though I often felt exhausted and on the verge of being ill. I saw so many wonderful sights and had some incredible experiences.

In addition to all of that, my eyes have been opened to the impact poverty has on a child, their family, the community and society. I hope I have been able to accurately portray the reach of the poverty in India while also conveying the hope and perseverance. India is home to amazing, beautiful people and part of my heart will belong especially to the children there.

If you are interested in having an impact on the children of India I encourage you to check out sponsoring a child through Compassion International. Their holistic approach is unmatched.

Thank you for your prayers and comments. I appreciate them both and look forward to sharing more with you personally :)

See you soon!

Variety. A day full of excitement.

At 8:30am we were boarding the buses to travel to the CDC which we would be serving for the day.

On our bus ride I put my camera down and tried to really take it all in. There are so many hard working people here. They set up shop early with fruits, vegetables and fish. Seeing the cats crouched on the bench near the fish made it obvious why we were told not to eat anything out of a street vendor.

The colors are so amazingly vibrant. Tomatoes and mangos are deep red colored-- without dye! With the exception of the meat, everything is beautiful. The colors and designs of the fabric reflect the beauty of the natural surroundings-- flowers, plants, birds..

But the day had a different kind of beauty as well. Playing with and teaching the children, aged 6 to 14, was such a joy. They were all smiles and hugs today-- wanting autographs and telling the women they were beautiful.

We also had the opportunity to do another home visit. Today a group of us went to the home of a young boy who lived with his parents and grandparents. He is an only child. The five of them live in a one room house which they had six of us ushered in to. We sat on their bed and leaned up against the family bicycle while the boy told us that he enjoys the Bible stories and playing games with his friends. He wants to work in an office when he grows up.

The most touching part of the visit was at the very end though. As we began to leave the grandfather began to cry. The translator said he was upset because his family was too poor to afford seating for all of us. He asked that we pray for his family to have a better life.

After all of the ups and downs of the day we returned to the CDC. One of the staff members gave us an amazing handmade cross before we left. Her picture is below. She has such an amazing ministry to the children though her crafts. Please pray for her for continued blessings upon her.

Joy

Today's word is joy.

After a relatively brief ride to the neighborhood where the child development center (CDC) was located, we were told the buses were too large to navigate the last few miles. We would take rickshaws from there.

Hooray! It was such a fun experience! I sat up front. Our guide looked at me and said "hold on or you will fall out" with a very serious look!

It was great to ride through the jungle area and see everything from a normal point of view instead of up high from a tour bus. The coconut and banana trees were amazing. The smells were overwhelming-- both good and bad.

When we arrived at the CDC the older children were prepared in marching band fashion with a song to welcome us!! All the younger children lined each side of the dirt road as we were paraded in. Even in the sweltering heat it was fantastic!

Every little boy and girl wanted their photo taken and we all obliged them. Mothers would shove their children forward to have their little ones memorialized in our minds forever.

We enjoyed fresh bananas as we listened to the priest talk about the work that Compassion is doing in the area. He oversees this particular CDC alone and he asked us to pray for him. The Muslim and Hindu religions are equally popular in that particular area and although there have not been any issues, he is alone and would like another Christian leader to come alongside him to help with the work. Obviously the Compassion staff are there but to lead the church and oversee the project is a huge undertaking.

We were able to hear stories from mothers enrolled in the child survival program (CSP) and visit some of their homes. The home my group visited was really like an entire village!

The grandfather (a Muslim), his daughter, his granddaughter (the mom enrolled in CSP), grandsons and grandchildren live together in the same section of the cluster of homes. Despite his religion, he welcomed us in and wanted us to take pictures of him and his family.

The joy that the CSP enables is evident on each face. One mother brings back valuable information to her entire village and the CSP offers programs and meetings for the entire family-- especially targeting the in-laws who's religion is mostly Muslim with some Hindu.

These mothers learn life saving health information that especially benefits themselves while they are pregnant and once they give birth. But those lessons carry over to all of the other children as well.

While enrolled in the program they come together with other moms and moms to be for Bible study and quizzes. They sing songs of praise and dance. They pray for one another.

Seeing the impact of the CSP was so wonderful today. God is doing amazing things and each mother enrolled is doing his work.

Please pray for the CSP's here in India and all over the world.