Oh How I Have Missed You!

I have missed blogging oh so much! Especially recapping all the amazing meals, restaurants and drinks I have had the pleaure of eating, experiencing and drinking. The last year and a half has been very exciting though and has been keeping me busy. These past 9 months in particular have been amazing. A quick recap: 1. I started graduate school 2. I got engaged to the love of my life Don Pepe and 3. I lived and studied Psychology in Bali, Indonesia for one month! Pretty exciting stuff which will be detailed in future posts. The most memorable moment however, was our engagement =)

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” - Virginia Woolf

It was quite the surprise and I am the happiest woman on earth! Our families were very happy as well and threw us a mini celebration the night after our engagement.

The cakes were as good as they looked. Strawberry shortcake yum my favorite. And here is a glimpse of the ring:

The start to a great year! More to come...

Family Time!!!!!!!

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them."  -- Desmond Tutu

I've always wished I was a part of those families where every Sunday they get together and have a big meal, talk about memories, and recap each others weeks. I used to think only TV families did that. I promised myself when I had a family, I would start that tradition. One that would last even when they were older and living on their own.

As you get older, you start to value family more. I'm beginning to learn on a day to day basis that NO ONE is going to love me like they do, and because of that I'm making an effort to spend more time with my lovely familia!

Yesterday I visited my aunt, uncle and 3 younger cousins for some Sunday Funday excitement! My aunt is a bigggggg cooking motivation for me. There's rarely a time I visit that she's NOT cooking for her family, and everything is deeeeeeelicious. I love her ability to take ingredients that you would not think of making together, and turn it into an amazing meal! It's nothing extravagant either, just very simple but delectable dishes. Proving, sometimes simplicity is better!

She made shrimp scampi over Spanish rice, with string beans and platano maduros (sweet plantains). It was a Yumfest!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here she is preparing the shrimp. Reason #1 why I hate cooking shrimp - cleaning them!! Yuck! I'm glad she took this mission on :-)

Maduros ready to be cooked!!! Cook them in oil and sprinkle some brown sugar over them. Yum! Reason #456 why I love being Puerto Rican - Having these bad boys with a meal!

Yum! Spanish rice waiting to be eaten...BY ME!!

Shrimp Scampi! I believe she added a little chicken broth, butter, garlic and oregano. So simple, yet sooo delicious!

String beans! She cooked them in chicken broth with a ham hock and salt, pepper and garlic for taste.

TaDa!! The finished product right before I happily devoured it. :-) And of course no meal is complete for me without my glass of wine.
Do you have any family traditions? Or want to share any of your favorite family recipes/meals!? I would love to know :-)

~Eat Up, Drink Up or Shut Up ~

"Everything you see I owe to spaghetti."  - Sophia Loren

How beautiful was Sophia Loren??

GORGEOUS! And you know what? She wouldn't be caught dead on a low carb diet. Such an awesome example of a woman who embraced her curves and knew how absolutely beautiful they were. Her confidence in her body is something we as women should all have. Don't stop eating what you love, like pasta. =) Eat what you want, when you want and enjoy it. Just watch your portions and and make sure not to over indulge!

Now to my recipe of the week!

I think I might have been Italian and Mexican in my past life. I could seriously eat pasta and enchiladas everyday if I could. Of course not together, that would be gross!

The other night I made a delicious Shrimp and Scallop Scampi over pasta and it was, as my friend Kristi likes to say, "amaze-balls!"

It was soooooo good that when my aunt, whom I was house sitting for, came home from Hawaii, I decided to make it for her too. This time, since I was out of shrimp, I added broccoli and chicken! Yum!

Scallop, Chicken & Broccoli Scampi over Pasta

Ingredients

Scallops

1 small head of Broccoli

Chicken (I used pre-cooked chicken from Trader Joes. Amazing!)

1 stick of butter (I didn't say this would be the most healthiest)

Garlic (I use the already chopped fresh garlic in olive oil. Its perfect for when you really dont have time to chop it yourself. You can find it at any supermarket)

Parsely

1 small chopped onion

Cayenne Pepper

Pasta (any kind will do)

Ok, so I apologize for not having exact measurements. I kind of just eye balled it with this one.

Directions:

Melt butter in a pan and add the chopped onion. Let onion cook for about 2-3 minutes. Then add all other ingredients. I would say about 1 1/2 tablespoons of chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon of parsely, and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper gives the sauce a nice little kick. Add about a handful and a half of scallops, the broccoli and the chicken and let it cook for about 5 - 8 minutes over medium heat, or enough to make it simmer. Stir the mixture often so the sauce doesn't thicken.

Cook pasta as you normally would then pour this deliciousness over it and EAT!!!!

Pair it with a Chardonnay and you are good to go. YUM!

Salud!

**Spotlight Friday's**

“Leave the gun. Take the cannolis.” - Clemenza, The Godfather

This quote really doesn't have much significance to today's post, except that it is one of my favorite lines from this Classic movie, and one of my coworkers said it today, I cracked up, and so I decided to share =)

"Food is our common ground, a universal experience." - James Beard 

I swear, for some reason I have the most influential, engaging conversations, during a meal. Any meal! Theres something about gathering around food that gets people communicating, and I love it! Some of the most memorable conversations with Don Pepe have of course been over a meal or while sitting on the couch having a glass of wine.

Recently, during NYC Restaurant Week, we visited:

City Lobster & Steak

121 West 49th Street

New York, NY 10020

Courtesy of NYCGo.com

It was over our 3 course dinner here that I figured out the exact direction I wanted to take my career, and it was liberating. (I stress about that alot).

The food was delish! And for $35 it was even more delish!

Don Pepe enjoyed the calamari, 2Lb lobster and Red, White & Blue Shortcake for dessert and a couple of Pinot Grigio's. I tasted his lobster and who knows what seasoning they used but it was amazing! Kind of spicy and sweet, it was pretty much indescribable.

I got a Caesar salad (which by the way was THE best I have ever tasted thus far, i was tempted to lick my bowl =/ but we were in public ha ha), the Petit Filet Mignon with Crab meat, and Profiteroles Arabica for dessert which is basically coffee ice cream between two fluffy pastries drizzled in Chocolate Espresso sauce a.k.a the most delicious decadent dessert in the world.

Overall it was a great meal, not only because of the food, but for the company and the excellent conversation!

I do recommend City Lobster & Steak for a nice night out on the town and definitely during Restaurant week! It receives the Official Cupcakes & Caviar Stamp of Approval!!

I'm Back!!

Phew! I have been on a serious hiatus! I have been so consumed with the final preparations for my uncles wedding this past Saturday that I have completely ignored my blog! But, the wedding was a success! He is so happy, and when I gave my speech and told him that he was one of the greatest men in my life, I cried like a baby and so did he lol My uncle is a great man and I'm so happy for him!

On another note, i would like to finally introduce my bf Done Pepe. I mention him in a lot of my posts, mainly because he is so supportive of my food addiction, and that's why i love him :-) ha ha

Me and Don Pepe

~ Eat Up, Drink Up, or Shut Up ~

So lately I've had so many situations that I've allowed to bring me down. So many things from the past that have scarred me and caused me to be afraid of living my life and following my own happiness! But I refuse to let outside influences control my happiness and the outcome of MY life! It is true what they say, you can't make someone else happy, unless you are happy with yourself.

So I've decided to take a completely different approach to my blog! I'm sure I am not the only person out there who falls into a low from time to time and we all need inspiration, positivity and joy in our lives! What brings me joy? Many things, but of course Food! So everything will still somehow incorporate this, but there will also be something inspirational to take from it!  I would also like anyone who reads to share their thoughts as well to the questions or ideas I share! Let's draw inspiration from each other!!

Don't worry, I will still keep my normal ~Eat Up Drink Up or Shut up~ and **Spotlight Fridays** posts!

This quote has inspired me so much today:

"When I get lonely these days, I think: So BE lonely! Learn your way around loneliness. Make a map of it. Sit with it, for once in your life. Welcome to the human experience. But never again use another person's body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilled yearnings." - Elizabeth Gilbert

I find that I am slowly but surely accepting the idea of loneliness! It doesn't have to be a bad thing! As a young woman, living on her own, working FT, going to school and trying to keep up with the day to day life, I need that time to unwind and bask in my own essence! Sipping on a good wine and eating some great comfort food are some ways I "Sit With" my loneliness.

Penne A La Vodka

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup vodka
1 pound penne pasta
1 pint heavy cream
Directions

1.In a large skillet over medium heat, cook garlic in olive oil until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, breaking up a bit with fork. Stir in basil, salt and pepper and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in vodka and cook 15 minutes more.
2.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3.Stir cream into sauce and cook 10 minutes more. Toss with hot pasta.
 
I had this for dinner last night and it is one of my favorite comfort foods and so easy to make!!
 
Pair this with one of my favorite wines YellowTail Shiraz - Grenache!! A not too dry not too sweet Red.
 
 
 

What do you do when you're looking for some quality alone time? Please share!

 
 
 
 
More simple recipes can be found at Allrecipes.com

I'm A Diet Failure

Photo Courtesy of Zazzle

So I have to fit into my Bridesmaid dress and I have about 3 weeks to do it. I tried it on at the Bridal store and it litterally took 2 people to zip it up! I mean I'm not huge, I wear about a size 9 (now) but I do have some toning up to do so my underarm and back fat isnt hanging over the top of strapless dress, litterally!! What was i thinking when i thought i would be able to fit into a size 8? Especially after the sales woman told me the dress runs small? Why did I say "Hey its ok, I'll order it anyway and just make sure i lose some weight"?

Yeah Right...

I'm a lover of all foods that are "bad" for me! Ice cream, Cookies, Cake, Cupcakes, Cheeseburgers, Pizza, Wings, Fries, Fried Chicken, Rice & Beans, Candy, Candy, Candy, Cotton Candy, oh and did i mention Candy?

Did you notice I did not mention one vegetable or fruit?

I mean don't get me wrong, I do like a nice salad every once in awhile and fruit can be very refreshing, especially in this NY heat wave, however if I'm given a menu and tons of choices, guess what? I'm not picking a salad! =/

It amazes me that im not 500lbs already, but like the old wives tale says, it will sure catch up with me. I usually try to diet about 3 times a month and its always an epic failure. I've tried the Atkins Diet, FAIL! The Lemonade Diet, FAIL! Detoxing, FAIL! Eating smaller portions, FAIL! Cutting out sugar, FAIL! And...I think you get the point! People often tell me I should just join a gym or go for a run, but heres the problem with that, I HATE EXERCISING!! I have no motivation to run around a track aimlessly or spend another car insurance payment per month to go to the gym! That's another FAIL!

So basically my hopes for fitting into my bridesmaid dress are slim to none if I cant find the motivation to buy a pair of running sneakers and hit the track in 3 weeks! I guess I'll be taking a trip to the tailor and letting them work their magic!

Oy vey! I'm sure I would have more motivation if I had a running/gym partner?? Maybe? Or someone that followed me around just to punch me in the nose whenever I didnt pick the salad?

Who knows, one of my 30 Before 30 accomplishments is to run a marathon! So i have 7 years to get some motivation. Until then, I guess im content being the "Dieting Failure".

He Knows Me so Well =)

I've been pretty stressed out lately and just received an email from Don Pepe with nothing but this picture.

It seriously just made my day! He knows me so well =)