Today marks the day that Jim and I are finally getting back on our routine. That means heading back to the gym and eating healthier! We fell off of our plan when we took our trip to Vegas in June with our friends and for our one-year anniversary. Plus, it didn’t help that my schedule has been so erratic. At work we have had two manager’s put in their notice leaving only Clairissa and I to run the restaurant. This is a little scary because we are only nine days away from the start of pre-season football and the Olympics and a whole month of summer left! Today also started my hunt to find the perfect manager to work for me, that’s right, ME! A few weeks ago Robert asked me to become the General Manager of the restaurant while he concentrates on rebuilding his home that he lost in the October Wildfires. I am actually really excited because I know I am up for a huge challenge but it’s going to be a great experience. My family and friends may not see me until February when football season ends but hey, it’s worth it right? Okay, enough of a mini update. . .going to cook dinner, recipe up later tonight!

Oh yeah! My package from New York’s pasta and cheese company has arrived! Last week Jim and I were reminiscing about our trips back to his home state of New Jersey and all the good (and fattening) food that we love. His friend Jacki owns a restaurant called, Ravioli and More in Long Beach Island. This is Jim’s hometown and since it is considered New Jersey’s Hampton’s there are many restaurants that are to die for. The best late night restaurant is the CHEG (chicken or the egg), if you want to try some serious wings they have many to choose from and their porkroll breakfast sammies are the best (http://www.492fowl.com/). Of course, when your back east you have to have a Philly or have a slice of pie from any of the amazing pizzerias. Seriously, you all know me and my obsession for food, but New Jersey brings it to another level! Even the grocery stores pack it in and offer the best assortment. Well, where I am going with this is that I have been craving some of Jackie’s amazing ravioli so I found the company that she orders them from and had my favorite flavor delivered. When I was browsing their site I stumbled onto the sweet potato gnocchi, which just happen to be one of our favorites and we tend to bring bags of gnocchi home with us to the west coast. I have never seen or had sweet potato gnocchi but I am sure that I can create an amazing meal out of this. Okay, I am rambling again but I am so excited to bring the east coast back into our home since we haven’t been able to get back to see the family.

So, I have to admit that I have not had it in me to blog. It’s not like I haven’t had plenty of things to write about, but just the thought of having my hot laptop on my lap just hasn’t seemed appealing. But here’s a recap of what we have been up to:

Jim and I kept up with our “Skinny Bitch” diet and frankly, we are in dire need of it to reconvene! I celebrated by birthday on the twenty-second of June with family and friends and then six days later we headed to Vegas with our dear friends and then stayed two extra days to celebrate our one-year anniversary, which was amazing! It’s crazy how fast one year has gone by. When we got back from Vegas we were right back into the grind and have been keeping very busy re-planting our front planter and trying out some new recipes! As for my health update, I am headed back to the doctor next week for a fourth round of ultrasounds. About halfway through June my doctor placed me on hormone therapy as a last chance result before surgery. So, with fingers crossed I will hopefully receive positive news the first week of August when I go back to the OB/GYN. It has been mentally and physically challenging for me to get through this but my family and friends have been very supporting (plus making fun of me for my “hot flashes”). I will keep everyone posted on my update as soon as I know. Another fun summer activity that I have gotten back into is bowling. As many of you know, I started bowling at the age of seven and actively stayed involved until the age of twenty-one when you are technically no longer considered a “junior” bowler. Last Monday, my work bowled in “Operation Homefront“, it was so much fun and triggered my lost passion. Nerdy I know. Well, Jim and I went bowling again on Saturday and had a blast. It was like I never stopped and I still had all my moves. . .ha ha. What this all boils down to, is that I am considering joining a league and getting involved again in tournaments, just like the old days! Okay, I am rambling but it’s been a while. Below are a few pictures from the past month. I promise new recipes will be on the way. . .

Oggi’s “Brew-Stars” Bowling Team

Jeneane, Jen, Elise, Me and Vanessa in Vegas: Lewd Act ’08

My Twenty-Sixth Birthday; Starting it out right with shots all around!

Our One-Year Anniversary

Jen’s Twenty-Seventh Birthday Celebration at Le Creperie

The Crew at TAO beach

Oggi’s Management; a Day in the Box

After the game we headed to the “Fleetwood” where we met up with Charger’s players, Kris Dielman and Nick Hardwick (and the Padre’s Brian Giles).

Jim and I at the Palazzo

Toby Keith Concert. I met up with an old friend from High School at the Kenny Chesney concert so we went Toby Keith’s style of Bigger and Badder and had front and center tickets!

I ♥ Country Concerts!

After watching The Deadliest Catch: Best of Season 3 I had a huge craving for crab cakes. I have been trying to cut out a lot of fat so I opted to try this recipe from Cooking Light. They weren’t that bad, I think next time I will try them with a mango salsa instead of the tangy butter. If you love crab cakes give ’em a try, you won’t notice that you cut out the fat!

Crab cakes

• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 pound lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed
• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• Cooking spray

Vegetables

• 21 baby carrots (about 12 ounces)
• 5 small red potatoes, quartered
• 4 medium shallots, halved lengthwise
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces haricots verts, trimmed

Sauce

• 2/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter

Preparation

1. To prepare crab cakes, combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Gently fold in crabmeat. Gently stir in 3/4 cup panko. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
2. Divide crab mixture into 8 equal portions (about 1/2 cup each); shape each into a 3/4-inch-thick patty. Place remaining 3/4 cup panko in a shallow dish. Working with 1 patty at a time, dredge in panko. Repeat procedure with the remaining patties and panko.
3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat both sides of crab cakes with cooking spray. Add 4 crab cakes to pan; cook 7 minutes. Carefully turn cakes over; cook 7 minutes or until golden. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, cooking spray, and remaining 4 crab cakes.
4. Preheat oven to 450°.
5. To prepare vegetables, leave root and 1-inch stem on carrots; scrub with a brush. Combine carrots, potatoes, and shallots in a small roasting pan. Coat vegetables with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Toss. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes, turning once. Coat haricots verts with cooking spray. Add haricots verts to vegetable mixture; toss. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
6. To prepare sauce, combine broth, shallots, and vinegar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 4 minutes); remove from heat. Stir in butter. Serve with crab cakes and vegetables.
   Yield
   4 servings (serving size: 2 crab cakes, about 1 cup vegetables, and about 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce)

Recipe Courtesy of Cooking Light April 2008

I created this blog not only to show our lives as newlyweds but also to document my two other loves; food and my family. For many that really know me they know that my dream from as far as I can remember was to go to Culinary Arts school. During high school I had looked into: Johnson and Whales, Le Cordon Bleu and the CIA. However, I quickly realized that financially I would not be able to spend over $30,000 on my education. I decided to take the alternate route and head to my local JC, where I would eventually transfer to CSUSB to earn my B.A. in English. Through this time (of a hellish six-and-a-half years) I put cooking on the back burner and stuck to making fabulous holiday dinners with my Dad. My Mom describes my cooking as, “never making anything normal and simple”. Which I would have to agree with. My television is always on the food network as it has been since the channels beginning days. I never write a recipe down and barely look one up unless its baking. I have a niche for remembering what my fav celebrity cooks are whipping up and I have even written Emeril a hate note (this was when I was in the seventh grade). I collect cookbooks so they can sit on my custom cookbook bookcase my Dad built in my kitchen, but only as trophies to collect dust and to reflect on who I have met while on their book tours to Williams Sonoma. My life revolves around food and making others happy by endulging into my cooking. I wish to share with you my journey as I find that lost cook who loves nothing more than a good day’s food (but simply re-vamped of course!).