Wine, Cheese and the Warm Summer Breeze

Summer is coming to a close...tear, sniff, sniff.  But before we say goodbye to Summer 2009, I have one more simple activity that you should try to fit in before the leaves start falling: wine and cheese on the beach with your better half, your girlfriends, or anyone that you want to enjoy a lovely evening with while listening to the waves of the Long Island Sound and watching the bright sky turn a million gorgeous colors before sunset.

My FAVORITE pick for this activity is a cute beach that I was introduced to this Summer:  COMPO BEACH, WESTPORT, CT.  Did I mention that this beach is just the cutest little thing going??

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(Sidenote:  While on maternity leave this Summer, I traveled to this beach numerous times with my two girls and various friends and family.  It is convenient, quiet, clean, close and cute! You can park your car no more than 50 feet from the beach, go back and forth to gather the 23 bags you have to carry all of your kid gear, watch your kids go to the water while you sit back in your chair and not worry about anything.  Great snack bar with nutritious options, but you know me by now, I say pack your cooler for convenience and cost savings! Best of all - they have the Mother of All playgrounds-which will not disappoint!)

So, back to the Wine and Cheese.  My husband and I had a lovely evening back in July up at Compo Beach with my sister in law Tiffany and brother in law Joe.  We packed chairs, a candle, a picnic basket loaded with different cheeses, crackers, fruit, and most importantly WINE.  (Don't forget the wine opener and glasses!) Open bottle, pour, and enjoy!  We had a fabulous time unwinding, and catching up - all while watching the waves and digging our toes in the sand.  FABULOUS.

If you don't live in the area, take this suggestion and find yourself a quiet spot to do the same.  While I love Compo beach, I am sure that any place you choose to spend some quality time with loved ones will work just the same.

Note:  There is a $20 fee to enter Compo Beach, but it's worth it.

Recession Proof Beauty

Ladies, if you're like me these days, I'm always looking for a bargain. However, I'm not willing to compromise on quality or at least the "appearance" of quality.

While shopping in Target this weekend, (please pronounce with a French Accent for some pizazz) I found some amazing deals on Revlon cosmetics. (Now, by way of background, you're talking to a girl who would head straight to the Nars counter at Lord & Taylor for her gorgeous, yet overpriced cosmetics. Ahhh - that was all Pre-Madoff. Dammit, this guy has even screwed up my beauty routine. I digress.)

Anyhow, I purchased these lovely Revlon Color Stay 12 Hour Eye Shadows in both Blushed Wines and Sultry Smoke for $5.93 each!!!!! HELLO? Can we say score??? The package even has nifty instructions on how to get the "look" and shows you which colors to apply to what part of your eye.

Also in my bag was Revlon Liquid Liner in Black Brown, which I've used for years. It's precise, stays put and looks fabulous. All for $6.24!

I completed my shopping spree with a fabulous, 5 strand, funky gold necklace from the Jewelery Counter for $12.99! I showed it off to my family and everyone swore it looked like it could be sold at Plaza Too or Bloomie's for 10x the price.

Throughout this recession I've learned that you don't have to have a million bucks to look and feel like a million bucks! Happy shopping ladies!

Chips and Salsa

A few weeks ago my husband came up with a brilliant idea (and I'm not being sacarstic...yet) to host an adults only get together at our house. So, I diligently sent out the evite for our "Drop The Kids, Pick Up The Beer Party" to all of our friends. Within seconds I received several "YES" RSVPs-which lead me to believe that everyone, myself included, was desperate for a night out without having to carry a diaper bag, talk over a screaming newborn, or answer a preschooler's one thousand questions all starting with "Why?"

The night before the party, my hubby opened the fridge and asked me what all of the food in the fridge was for. I looked at him as if he's crazy and responded somewhat snottily: "um, for the party we're hosting tomorrow night". Naturally, he showed me his contribution--which included industrial size bags of tortilla and potato chips with a side of salsa. I, on the other hand, made the following quick and easy appetizers which when paired with my husband's chips and salsa, were FABULOUS.

Mexican Bread Bowl

Grocery List:
1 Pane Di Casa (round Italian bread)
1 Large Seeded "Il Forno" Bread (This is my absolute favorite bread. It is crusty and sinfully delicious. It can be found at North End Meats in Eastchester only on Fridays and Saturdays, however, if you know you will be needing it, call Anna an order yourself a loaf the day before)
however, if you cannot get your hands on this bread, any crusty loaf will do, but I can't make any promises that it will be as delish.)
1 large container of sour cream
1 block of cheddar cheese or a bag of shredded cheddar cheese
1 jar of salsa

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut a circle into the top of the pane di casa; gently pull the top off the bread and proceed to hollow out the middle creating a simple "bread bowl".

In a separate bowl mix the sour cream, jar of salsa and shredded cheddar cheese. Pour mixture into the bread bowl. Put the bread lid back on top to cover the mixture. Wrap the entire pane di casa in aluminum foil and place in oven for about 1 1/2-2 hours.

Take the Il Forno bread (or other crusty loaf) and cut into cubes. Use the cubed bread to dip into the Mexican Dip.

Be sure to serve this dish HOT.

Spinach and Feta Wontons

Grocery List:

2 packages frozen spinach
1 container of crumbled feta cheese
1 package of wonton wrappers (found next to the tofu in the fruits and veggie aisle)
Chopped Garlic

Assembly:

Wontons should be at room temperature
Defrost/Thaw Spinach. Wring out all excess water.
Coat a pan with olive oil and saute the chopped garlic until golden brown. Add the spinach and cook until spinach is warm and well coated with olive oil and garlic. Let the spinach cool down before adding the crumbled feta. Set aside.

Get yourself a small bowl of water. You'll use the water to seal the wonton wrappers.
Gently peel the wrappers apart to make sure you're only using one at a time, then spoon the spinach and feta mixture into the middle of the wonton-follow the instructions on the package on how to properly fold and seal the wonton.

Next, heat a small amount of olive oil in a pan. Gently place a batch of the wontons into the pan and saute for approximately 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve hot.

Cucumber, Hummus and Tabbouleh Bites

Grocery List:

1 large English Cucumber (the one in the cellophane wrapper)
1 large container of hummus (my favorite is the Roasted Pine Nut by Sabra)
1 large container of Tabbouleh

Assembly:

Cut cucumber into slice. Place a dollop of Hummus on the Cucumber. Place a spoonful of Tabbouleh on the hummus. Serve. (Could it be any easier?)

Sweet Potato Rounds with Feta & Chives

Grocery List:

4-5 thin sweet potatoes
1 block of Feta Cheese
1 package of chives

Assembly:

Peel sweet potatoes. Slice sweet potatoes into 1/4 inch rounds - just thick enough to be able to scoop out a little pocket. I use the small side of a melon-baller to scoop out a tiny little pocket or indent really, in each sweet potato round. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees until just before they are soft. Timing all depends on the size of the sweet potatoes, so keep a close eye on them. You don't want to cook them all the way through because they will go back in the oven for another 10-15 with the feta and chive mixture.

In the meantime, finely chop the chives. Then mix the feta and chives together in a bowl. After the sweet potatoes have baked, assemble by placing a small spoonful into the center of each sweet potato round. Place back on the cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until the feta melts. Serve HOT. Tiny bits of heaven I tell you.

To save time, I usually make all of the mixtures, i.e. mexican bread bowl dip, feta and chives, the night before. I also bake the sweet potatoes the night before so that on the day of the party, all I have to do is assemble and place in the oven.

Olive Roll Ups

Grocery List:
1 large jar of green olives with pimentos
2 cans black olives
1 package of cream cheese
1 bunch of scallions
1-2 packages of whole wheat tortillas

Assembly:

Slice all olives. Chop scallions, (use both the green stem and white bulb.) Place cream cheese in a bowl and mix. Fold in olives and scallions. Spread mixture evenly over an entire tortilla. Roll tortilla like a cigar, then slice into rounds. These make tasty, colorful, sophisticated looking, pinwheels.

Red Sangria
While the boys are drinking their beer, I served Yago Sant'gria for the ladies. This can be found at any liquor store and you can't miss it b/c it is brightly colored purple bottle. Slice up some oranges, lemons and apples and drop them into the sangria to make it look like you made it all yourself.

These recipes are simple, but delicious, and will not disappoint your crowd.

Our party went until about 3am, which is super duper late for us parents, however, it was just what we needed. Good friends, good times and just a little more than chips and salsa.

Enjoy!

P.S. I must give credit where credit is due, so thank you to my sister in law Tiffany for teaching me how to make and serve a mean appetizer!

Surviving Sesame Place

So we decided to take a trip to Sesame Place on the hottest day of the summer. Yes, I brought my 3 year old, Giuliana and 2 month old, Sofia to Sesame this past Sunday and Monday. It was quite an experience and WOW, do I have some survival tips for you.

First, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, go to Sesame Place on a weekend. It was overwhelmingly crowded, (not to mention over 90 degrees), completely disorganized and lines moving slower than molasses. All of this combined makes for one cranky and sweaty mommy.

For those who have not been before, the park is small enough to do in one day IF there are no crowds. I personally liked the overnight stay and would highly recommend it, especially when traveling with an overtired and overstimulated pre-schooler. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriot in Bensalem, PA, about 8 mins from Sesame. It was clean, convenient and well priced as compared to those closer to Sesame itself...a perfect place for everyone to get some shut eye before having breakfast with Elmo.

Bright and early Monday morning we headed to Sesame for a 9:15 breakfast with Elmo and friends (be sure to purchase tickets for this online before your trip-it sells out quite quickly and you wouldn't want to disappoint your kids-remember, you're fabulous! See TIP#1 below).

Breakfast all in all was really cute! Some pics with Elmo that you can buy for $20 bucks (my choice would be to have a family member or someone take pics with your own camera. Stand right behind the Sesame camera guy for the best shots, he didn't seem to mind at all). Breakfast was a buffet of french toast sticks, tater tots, something that resembled scrambled eggs, bagels, cereal, coffee and juice. Moms, this was NOT Weight Watchers friendly at all...so if you're watching your waistline, pack yourself a point friendly breakfast. Breakfast is about an hour, so it's over by 10am, just when the park opens. My suggestion is to high-tail your double stroller to your choice of water rides...my personal faves: Big Bird's Rambling River and Sesame Streak. Giuliana LOVED both and rode them several times throughout our trip.

Tip #1: Purchase your Park and Breakfast tickets online BEFORE your trip to save time and keep your sanity.

Tip #2: PACK A COOLER
No bigger than 14x11. Load it up with WATER, JUICE BOXES, LUNCH AND SNACKS. Then rent a locker for $20 (with a $5 refund when you return the key) - keep it in there...this way, you will avoid waiting in line for food and drinks, which literally killed hours of our day. The eating facilities are small, crowded, hot and the food, well, just OK. You can find a nice salad, but everything else is the standard, greasy, stuff.

I would tell you to pack a nice bottle of Merlot for some romance, but I don't think it would make it through security.

Tip #3: BRING A SPRAY BOTTLE
The "mist" stations are few and far between here at Sesame, and when we did find one, it wasn't working. My poor baby was sweating and all I wanted to do was mist her...I looked high and low in the gift shops for a spray bottle, with no success. So, I resorted to using a wet paper towel.

P.S. THERE IS NO SHADE ANYWHERE!!!!!!! NONE. I had to feed Sofia behind a building in the shadows of an HVAC system...and I'm not exaggerating.

Sesame can get crowded very quickly, so make sure you do your favorite things first. No matter what, you will be waiting in line for quite some time. It's a slow go, but your kids will have fun and you will be the most FABULOUS mom in their eyes. You can have fun if you're prepared.

Hopefully I helped to make your trip a little easier and FABULOUS.