tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25278194637419419732024-02-20T03:04:10.057-05:00Work in progressThe title says it all. I'm a work in progress and so is my blog.....stay tuned.Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-60010331443061661022012-06-05T15:48:00.002-04:002019-01-21T17:19:56.313-05:00"Cheesy" MacaroniOk, if you're looking for something that tastes exactly like Mac 'n' Cheese without using cheese, I don't think it exists. However, if you're looking for a healthier, lower points, non-dairy macaroni dish that has the texture and mouth feel of mac 'n' cheese and is super yummy, try this! It's fast to whip up, and I had all the ingredients in my pantry! I'll bet you only have to purchase 1 or 2 items if you cook on a regular basis.<br />
<br />
I started with a recipe I found here <a href="http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/10/easy-macaroni-and-cheeze.html" target="_blank">Easy Macaroni and Cheeze</a> and added to suit my own tastes. By the way, this website is awesome for vegan recipes!<br />
<br />
1 pound pasta, cooked according to directions<br />
<br />
<u>For the sauce</u><br />
1 1/4 cup water<br />
1 cup Silk original milk<br />
3/4 cup nutritional yeast<br />
3 TBSP cornstarch<br />
2 TBSP lemon juice<br />
1 tsp kosher salt<br />
1/2 tsp garlic powder<br />
2 tsp onion powder<br />
1 tsp dry mustard<br />
1/2 tsp smoked paprika<br />
1/2 tsp turmeric<br />
2 TBSP Tahini<br />
1 tsp miso<br />
2 TBSP Vegan Worchestershire sauce<br />
black pepper to taste<br />
<br />
Put the sauce ingredients in the blender and give it a whiz. Drain the cooked pasta, return it to the pot and pour in the sauce. Heat for a couple of minutes until the sauce thickens. <br />
<br />
Seriously, that's it. It takes 15 minutes or less and it is Yummo! It makes 6 cups. The whole dish is 57 WWPP.Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-2582945814967037492012-05-22T13:41:00.001-04:002012-05-22T13:41:32.110-04:00Hummus and Sun-dried Tomato PaniniThis one is so simple and only 7 WWPP.<br />
<br />
Hummus and Sun-dried Tomato Panini<br />
<br />
Take 2 slices of your favorite bread, I used plain old whole wheat sandwich bread. Spread each slice with 1 TBSP of hummus. Chop up some sun-dried tomatoes and add to one slice of bread. Top with the other slice. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a skillet. Grill both sides until they are a nice, crispy, golden brown. Or use your Panini maker if you have one. Devour!Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-22508553558484570732012-05-22T13:36:00.000-04:002012-05-22T13:36:13.060-04:00Pumpkin OatmealI know, it's not really pumpkin season, but it sure was good this morning after a cool and drizzly Manhattan commute. Almost like eating pumpkin pie for breakfast. Omar said all the guys at his office came over to smell it.<br />
<br />
<strong>Pumpkin Oatmeal</strong><br />
<br />
3 cups old-fashioned oats<br />5 cups water<br />1 can of pumpkin<br />1/4 cup maple syrup<br />
1/4 cup molasses<br />
1/4 cup brown sugar<br />
4 teaspoons
ground cinnamon<br />1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg<br />1/2 teaspoon ground
ginger<br />1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
1/2 teaspoon cloves<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
<br />
1. Combine all ingredients in saucepan. <br />2. Cook over medium heat until
liquid is mostly absorbed, stirring occasionally. <br />
<br />
The whole pot is 43 WWPP. I got 5 generous servings. (about 1.5 cups each)Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-45877734839994477892012-05-22T13:20:00.002-04:002012-05-22T13:20:34.874-04:00You won't believe they aren't eggs!The first time I made this Omar kept saying, "There's really no egg in here?" Seriously, this is good! <br />
<br />
Sunday night I made some, sauteed some mushrooms with tarragon and put it all in a whole wheat wrap for Monday morning breakfast. Just refrigerate and re-heat in the microwave for 30 seconds in the morning for a hot, delicious breakfast on the go.<br />
<br />
<strong>Breakfast Scramble</strong><br />
<br />
8 ounces extra-firm tofu<br />1 Yukon Gold potato, diced<br />1/4 teaspoon
salt<br />2 teaspoons ground turmeric<br />
<br />
Crumble the tofu in a mixing bowl with a whisk or by hand. Steam the potato
for about 5 minutes. (I did this in the microwave) While it is steaming, heat a saute pan up to medium heat and spray with cooking spray or add a little oil (count extra points if you add oil).
Add the tofu and salt. Gently and slowly stir it cooking for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir the turmeric and potato into the
scramble, cooking for 1 more minute.<br />
<br />
The whole batch is 12 WWPP. <br />Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-64427153481567585842012-05-22T13:10:00.001-04:002012-05-22T13:10:16.280-04:00Black Bean Chipotle Burgers<div align="left">
<strong><a href="" name="VVV"></a>Black Bean Chipotle Burger </strong></div>
<br />
<div align="left">
Makes 4 burgers</div>
<br />
1/4 red onion, minced<br />1 cup cooked black beans<br />1 chipotle pepper in
adobo sauce, minced<br />2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro<br />1 teaspoon ground
cumin<br />3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper<br />6 cloves roasted
garlic<br />2 tablespoons A1 Steak Sauce<br />1/2 cup cooked oats (cooked in
water)<br />1 1/2 cups bread crumbs<br />Nonstick cooking spray, for sautéing<br />
<br />
Sauté the red onion over medium-high heat until it just starts to turn brown.
Mash the beans, chipotle, onion, cilantro, cumin, black pepper, garlic, and
steak sauce together until you have a rough paste (there should still be some
texture to the beans, but the mixture should mostly be smashed). Add the oats.
Stir the bread crumbs into the black bean mix and let it sit for about 5
minutes. Press everything together and add more bread crumbs, if necessary,
until you have a tight dough. Lightly oil your hands so the dough doesn’t stick
when you form it into patties. Create palm-size patties. Spray a skillet with
nonstick cooking spray. Sauté the burgers over medium-high heat until slightly
browned on both sides.<br />
<br />
Notes/Alterations for next time:<br />
-This was too spicy for Omar. Next time I will leave out the chipotle peppers. I also added a dolop of the adobo sauce, which the recipe doesn't call for. I thought they were great, but not for those who like their food on the mild side. <br />
-I am going to try adding more onion and omitting the pre-cooking step. I like raw onion and think it will be fine, but I'll let you know.<br />
-I'm going to start with slightly less bread crumbs next time adding more as needed instead of adding the entire 1 1/2 cups at the start.<br />
<br />
6 WWPP per burger. Serve with your favorite condiments. I ate mine with avodado and olive tapenade. Make sure to count points for your bun and extras!<br />
<br />
Enjoy!Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-89661861731862512782012-05-22T12:53:00.002-04:002012-05-22T12:53:52.022-04:00Day 4........I'm on Day 4 of no meat and no dairy and it's going amazingly well. I feel terrific, my energy level has doubled, maybe tripled, and I'm eating the most delicious, healthy food. As I write this, I'm having my lunch of a left-over Black Bean Chipotle Burger topped with Avocado and baby carrots on the side. It is delicious! The burger recipe will be posted soon along with some other great recipes I've made the past couple of days.<br />
<br />
Day 2 and 3 I had pretty bad headaches and was a little tired and grumpy so I'm definitely going through withdrawal from something (most likely dairy), but I'm not craving meat at all. Even better, I'm not craving cheese. I have discovered that avocado is a great cheese substitute on a sandwich. It's like adding cheese AND butter, but with less fat and calories and so much better for me! Try it sometime.<br />
<br />
I'll keep you posted on my progress and update you on the recipes I find. Stay Tuned!Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-50570015018357862582012-05-19T17:05:00.003-04:002012-05-19T17:05:44.464-04:00Better than Tuna SaladI am always looking for healthy alternatives to the foods I enjoy. Recently, I've been reading a lot about the benefits of a plant based diet. A diet free of animal products boasts a lowered risk of every disease imaginable including heart disease, cancer, arthritis, allergies, inflammation, and pretty much anything that ails and/or ages you. AND it's better for the planet. <br />
<br />
For me, getting healthy is a must. I am closing in on 42 years in this body and some days, particularly days I eat poorly, I feel significantly older. Heart disease, diabetes, and cancer run in my family. I've recently added blood pressure medication to my daily regime, Omar is on meds for high cholesterol, and we both need to drop some significant weight and raise our energy levels if we want to live a long and happy life together doing things we enjoy.<br />
<br />
Thursday night I came home and asked Omar if he would mind if we started reducing the amount of meat and animal products we consume with the intention of eventually completely cutting these things out of our diets. (maybe) I was prepared for a bit of a fight. This is a man who loves his food! I briefly explained the health benefits and ( I love my husband so much) his immediate response was, "Ok, great! When do we start?" Seriously, no arm twisting at all. I'm a lucky girl. So I got together a few recipes I wanted to try and today we did our usual shopping, only we didn't purchase ANY meat. (don't worry, our freezer is still stocked with plenty of chicken, ground beef and ground turkey. I said gradually)<br />
<br />
My first recipe was a success! If you like Tuna Salad you will love this VEGAN version. Yes, I said vegan! Absolutely NO animal product. AND it's super low in points! Try it out. I promise you will love it. Omar said it tasted a lot like tuna salad and was surprised when I told him there were no eggs in it. He didn't even miss the mayo! <br />
<br />
<u>Better than Tuna Salad</u><br />
<br />
4 teaspoons Tahini*<br />
2 teaspoons plain non-dairy milk (use regular milk for a non-vegan version if it's what you have)<br />
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar<br />
1 teaspoon soy sauce (recipe calls for tamari, but I didn't have any)<br />
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard<br />
1/2 teaspoon kelp granules (I didn't have these so I left them out)<br />
1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup<br />
pinch of sea salt (I used Kosher salt)<br />
freshly ground black pepper to taste<br />
1 cup cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained<br />
1 stalk diced celery<br />
1/2 apple, diced (I used a Fuji apple)<br />
**The recipe called for the these 3 items, but I guess I was hungry and totally forgot to put them in. I will add them next time, but the salad was delicious as I made it.<br />
2-4 tablespoons diced green or red bell pepper <br />
2 teaspoons capers<br />
1-2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped<br />
<br />
In a bowl, whisk together the tahini with the milk, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, tamari, mustard, kelp granules, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Add the chickpeas to the bowl and mash slightly with a fork or potato masher leaving some of them intact. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.<br />
<br />
I served it on whole wheat bread with baby carrots and the rest of the apple.<br />
<br />
I made 2 large sandwiches with enough left over for a 3rd smaller, but still generous sandwich. The entire batch has only 10 WWPP. It was very filling, but not heavy.<br />
<br />
*Tahini is sesame paste. You can usually find it with the olives, with other Mediterranean foods, or sometimes in the produce section. It is used to make hummus and other Mediterranean foods.<br />
<br />
Try it and let me know what you think!<br />Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-81082926090408862262012-04-14T13:35:00.000-04:002012-04-14T13:37:20.704-04:00Southern Fried Squash - Not as fattening as it sounds, so read on!This is one of my all-time favorite recipes passed down from Granny. Serve this with the meatloaf in my last post and mashed potatoes. Southern heaven!<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Southern Fried Squash</u></strong><br />
<br />
3 lb. yellow squash, sliced in this rounds, about 1/8 inch thick<br />
1/4 cup corn meal<br />
2 TBSP flour<br />
2 TBSP vegetable oil<br />
salt and pepper<br />
<br />
Put cornmeal and flour in a large ziploc bag or a big bowl. Add the sliced squash and toss to coat. <br />
<br />
Heat oil in skillet, preferably cast iron, but non-stick works fine too. Pour the squash mixture into the skillet. Don't worry about the extra corn meal, it will crisp up and stick to the squash as it cooks. Cook over medium heat tossing occasionally until the squash is soft. About 30 minutes.Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-25419480022412007322012-04-14T13:28:00.003-04:002012-04-14T13:28:51.404-04:00Granny's MeatloafMy Granny Ceretha tought me how to make this meatloaf. When I was young, Granny would come to stay with my sister Lisa and I when Dad needed to travel for business. The first dinner she made each visit was meatloaf, mashed potatoes and fried squash. My favorite!!! The next day she would make a meatloaf sandwich for my lunch. It was widely known at Roswell High School that a meatloaf sandwich in my lunch meant that Granny had arrived! Omar loves this meatloaf. He asks for it at least once a month, sometimes twice. I always send him to work the next day with a meatloaf sandwich, just like Granny used to make. BTW, a meatloaf sandwich is whole wheat sandwich bread, meatloaf and cheddar cheese. No condiments needed.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Granny Ceretha's Meatloaf</u></strong><br />
<br />
1 lb. ground beef<br />
1 egg<br />
2 slices sandwich bread, torn into small peices<br />
1/4 cup milk<br />
1/4 cup ketsup, plus more for the top<br />
1 onion, chopped<br />
salt, 1 hearty pinch<br />
fresh ground black pepper, to taste<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. <br />
<br />
Tear up bread and place in a bowl. Pour milk over bread and let sit a few minutes to saturate the bread. Add the other ingredients and mix until well combined. Do not overwork the meat.<br />
<br />
Place mixture in a loaf pan, spread extra ketsup on the top and bake for 1 hour.<br />
<br />
*This recipe can be doubled but will be too big for the loaf pan. In this case, shape into a loaf and bake on a cookie sheet. Increase the time by 15-30 minutes depending on thickness of your loaf. A meat thermometer should read 180 degrees when meat is cooked through. I always line my cookie sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean up.<br />
<br />
**Sometimes I add a little fresh parsley or cilantro and 1/4 cup grated romano or parmesan cheese.<br />
<br />
***Any kind of bread works fine. You can also use 1/2 cup store bought bread crumbs or stuffing mix. Flavored croutons make a tasty meatloaf too, but make sure to soak them in the milk long enough to soften them. You also may need to add a little extra milk if you use croutons. The soaked bread is what keeps the meatloaf moist so make sure whatever you use is saturated! Don't add any herbs or cheese if you use the croutons or your meatloaf will be SUPER rich. You will need to go lighter on the salt also.Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-85601904496446449102012-04-14T13:03:00.000-04:002012-04-14T13:03:45.642-04:00Chicken Fajitas, Salsa Fresca and GuacamoleFajitas are a fun way to have dinner. At the Grant/Ramirez abode we generally eat dinner on the couch, the bed, the computer desk or wherever there's a spot to sit down. I know.....it's not the way newlyweds should eat, but if you saw the size of our Manhattan apartment you would totally get it. <br />
<br />
Thursday night Omar was going to be late getting home giving me time to leisurely make dinner without a starving man hovering over me asking, "When is dinner?" and "Can I have a snack?" About half way through the preparation of my meal I was feeling extra special and decided we were going to eat at the table. Well, that and with my extra time, the meal kept getting more elaborate. This turned out to be a most wonderful, unexpected, middle of the week date night! We enjoyed a delicious meal, talked about our day, reminisced and shared stories about our past, and all because I made food that needed to be eaten at the table. Believe me, I'm going to remember that trick! Here are the recipes:<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Chicken Fajitas</u></strong><br />
<br />
2 lb. chicken breast<br />
1 pkg. taco seasoning<br />
juice of 2 limes<br />
1 TBSP canola oil<br />
2 red bell peppers<br />
1 large onion<br />
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro<br />
Flour tortillas<br />
<br />
<u>Toppings</u><br />
grated cheddar<br />
sour cream<br />
salsa fresco (recipe below)<br />
guacamole (recipe below)<br />
<br />
Cut Chicken into 1/2 inch strips. Mix chicken with taco seasoning and lime juice. Marinate for about 30 minutes. <br />
<br />
While chicken is marinating, cut the pepper and onions into strips about the same size as your chicken and chop the cilantro.<br />
<br />
Heat oil in skillet on high heat. Add chicken and cook through, about 6-7 minutes. Add peppers and onions. Cover and cook stirring occasionally another 5-10 minutes or until your veggies are as soft as you like them. <br />
<br />
Assemble your toppings and put everything out on the table. Everyone can build their own fajitas.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Salsa Fresco</u></strong><br />
<br />
10 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped<br />
1 small red onion, diced small<br />
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped<br />
juice of 2 limes<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
*1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped very fine<br />
<br />
Combine first 4 ingredients and taste. If your tomatoes and lime are in season and ripe, you may not need any salt so always taste your salsa before adding salt.<br />
<br />
*If you like a spicy salsa, add the jalapeno. Omar doesn't like them, so I leave it out when I make it for him. It doesn't add a lot of heat, just that unique jalapeno flavor.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Guacamole</u></strong><br />
<br />
2 ripe avocados<br />
1 plum tomato, seeded and diced small<br />
1/2 small red onion, diced small<br />
1 garlic clove, very finely minced<br />
juice of 2 limes<br />
1/4 tsp. salt<br />
fresh ground black pepper<br />
<br />
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork. I leave the avocado slightly chunky.<br />
<br />
*Put the lime juice on the avocado as soon as you cut it open to keep it from browning.Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-56316406865648452612012-03-25T20:14:00.003-04:002012-03-25T20:16:55.769-04:00Turkey Breakfast StrataMake this recipe Saturday night and sunday morning breakfast is easier than ever. Serve with fruit for breakfast or a salad for lunch. <br />
<br />
I found several recipes similar to this one that called for various kinds of sausage. I wanted to keep it healthier and decided to make my own turkey sausage. I followed the herbs through the rest of the dish as well. This was delicious! It makes 8 generous servings at 10 WWPP each.<br />
<br />
<u>Turkey Breakfast Bread Pudding</u><br />
<br />
8 oz. ground turkey<br />
1 TBSP olive oil<br />
2 TBSP fresh sage leaves, chopped<br />
2 TBSP fresh rosemary, chopped<br />
1 medium onion, chopped<br />
6 oz. day old bread (I used about 3 oz of left over french bread and 3 oz of regular whole wheat sandwich bread)<br />
2.5 cups fat free half and half<br />
8 eggs<br />
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper<br />
1.5 tsp kosher salt<br />
2 tomatoes, diced, seeds and liquid removed<br />
8 oz. Swiss cheese, grated<br />
4 oz. cheddar cheese, grated<br />
<br />
Brown turkey in the olive oil. Add 1 TBSP each of the sage and rosemary, and a pinch of salt and pepper. <br />
<br />
Cut the bread into half inch pieces.<br />
<br />
Mix the eggs, half and half, salt, pepper, and remaining sage and rosemary.<br />
<br />
Spray a 13 by 9 inch glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. Layer half the bread, half the turkey, half the tomatoes and half the cheese. Add a second layer with the remaining ingredients. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover and bake 40 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-88865192021503347392012-03-24T20:04:00.000-04:002012-03-24T20:04:54.856-04:00Chicken JambalayaThis recipe takes a little help from a box of Zatarain's Jambalaya mix but I added personal touches to make it my own. If you like your Jambalaya spicy you're gonna want to add some kick to this one. If I were making it for a spice loving crowd I would have added a few dashes of hot sauce. Omar doesn't like spicy food so I toned it down a bit for him. Don't worry, there is still plenty of flavor, its just on the mild side.<br />
<br />
<u>Chicken Jambalaya</u><br />
1 box Zatarain's Jambalaya<br />
1 lb. Chicken breast<br />
1 large onion, diced<br />
1 green bell pepper, diced<br />
1/2 cup rice<br />
8 oz. tomato sauce<br />
2.5 cups water<br />
1 TBSP vegetable or canola oil<br />
salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste<br />
4 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro<br />
<br />
Heat oil in a large skillet with a lid. Cut chicken into small bite size pieces. Brown the chicken in the oil. Add the onions and peppers and saute for 3-4 minutes.<br />
<br />
Add the water and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil.<br />
<br />
Add the contents of the Zatarain's box and 1/2 cup of rice. Stir. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.<br />
<br />
Taste and decide if you need salt, pepper or hot sauce and make the necessary adjustments. <br />
<br />
Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.<br />
<br />
The whole dish is 49 WWPP. It makes 8 cups. That's only 6 points per cup! Serve with a 2 point salad and you've got a delicious and low points meal.Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-82827993051251049992012-03-22T21:31:00.000-04:002012-03-22T21:31:41.543-04:00Thanksgiving Shepherd's PieYesterday I could not decide what to make for dinner. I spent my lunch hour eating at my desk perusing recipes on Oprah.com. I found Prince William's favorite <a href="http://www.oprah.com/food/Cottage-Pie-Recipe" target="_blank">Cottage Pie</a> which looked delicious, but weighed in at 22 WWPP per serving. Given the anticipated serving size I felt reasonably sure I would be plenty full on half a serving for 11 WWPP, but something told me to keep looking. A few recipes later I saw sweet potatoes. That's when it hit me. I decided to make my own "Thanksgiving" version of Shepherd's Pie using ground turkey with onions and spinach in place of the traditional beef and sweet potatoes on top. Prince William's version also had cheddar cheese on top. And since cheese is ALWAYS a good addition and I LOVE blue cheese with sweet potatoes, I went with Gorgonzola. Check out my "recipes" page for this and other recipes.<br />
<br />
The entire 13 by 9 inch dish came out to only 66 WWPP. I decided to call it 6 servings at 11 WWPP each which was a very generous portion. I served it with a salad of mixed greens dressed with my Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette (also on recipe page) which is similar to the one in my last post, but better. It was so delicious and even better for lunch the next day! Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-70529609836907673682012-03-08T19:57:00.000-05:002012-03-10T19:58:48.175-05:00Dinner at home with friendsTonight my friend Rochelle is coming to dinner. I was planning to make spaghetti with ground turkey, but since I have company I decided to turn it up a notch. Also with only 1 pound of turkey in the fridge, I wanted to make sure there were plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow and lower the points a bit. Here's what I came up with:<br />
<br />
Suzanne's Turkey Bolognese<br />
<br />
2 TBSP olive oil<br />
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced<br />
1 large onion, chopped<br />
1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped<br />
1 lb. ground turkey<br />
1 jar marinara or homemade tomato sauce*<br />
3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press<br />
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown the mushrooms without salt. Don't skip this step or your mushrooms will lose flavor and texture. It takes about 10 minutes, but you can use the time to prep your other veggies. Once the mushrooms are brown, add the onion and peppers and saute for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and the peppers begin to get tender.<br />
<br />
Move the veggies to one side of the skillet and add the ground turkey.** Brown the turkey then mix the turkey and veggies together. Add the sauce, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the sauce until your pasta is cooked. Add 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese and toss just before serving. <br />
<br />
1 cup of pasta with 1 cup of sauce is 10 WWPP.<br />
<br />
*Normally I like to use my own homemade sauce, but I didn't have any in the freezer so I cheated a little with a good jarred sauce from the grocery store. I used Classico's Tomato and Basil Marinara. I'll post my recipe for homemade sauce soon.<br />
<br />
**You could take the veggies out to brown the turkey, but I don't have room on my counter and it just dirties another dish so I just move them over to the side while the turkey browns. <br />
<br />
I served my Turkey Bolognese with a mixed green salad with a simple balsamic vinaigrette:<br />
<br />
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar<br />
2 TBSP olive oil<br />
pinch of salt and pepper<br />
<br />
Whisk in a big bowl and toss with salad greens.<br />
<br />
Makes 3 servings at 2 WWPP each. I always alter my oil to 2tsp./serving and 1 tsp./serving of vinegar. When it's Just Omar and I, I use 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar and 4 tsp olive oil. To be honest, I don't always measure, but I try to get 2 parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar.<br />
<br />
I hint for taking salads to work: Put your dressing in the bottom of the container. Place your salad greens gently on top plus any toppings you like. When you're ready to eat your salad, toss it all together. This keeps your salad from getting soggy and wilted and prevents having to carry the dressing in a separate container. It really works!Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-71343265686486915272012-03-07T19:15:00.000-05:002012-03-10T19:59:20.199-05:00Michael Ciarello at the food cart + Veggie Caponata sandwiches for dinnerJohanna, Machina and I went to the Steaks & Frites cart for burgers on Wednesday for lunch. The burger was nothing to blog about, but standing online waiting for his burger was Food Network Star Michael Ciarello. And he is just as good looking in person! I tried not to stare, but I'm not sure I was successful. Man, I love New York!<br />
<br />
Another reason to love New York....Amy's Bread! To the dismay of my WW journal, Amy's bread is ON MY BLOCK in Hell's Kitchen and offers a wide selection of fresh baked breads and pastries every day. Luckily, the line is always out the door and down the block and I'm not willing to wait in line unless I really need something. Okay, need is a strong word, but I was making Veggie Caponata sandwiches and wanted some good sour dough bread on which to serve them, so to Amy's I went. In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I also got a loaf of Rosemary Bread for pre-dinner snacking with olive oil. LOL What can I say?<br />
<br />
My next stop was the cheese shop across the street for some fresh mozzarella. And again in the interest of full disclosure, the cheese shop was followed by a visit to the wine store next door. But I digress.....<br />
<br />
So back at home, I got to work on the Caponata. Here's the recipe:<br />
<br />
1/4 cup olive oil<br />
1 medium onion, chopped<br />
1 eggplant, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces<br />
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped<br />
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with their juice<br />
2 TBSP capers, drained<br />
1/4 cup white wine <br />
1/2 tsp dried oregano<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add chopped onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the eggplant and cook another 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and cook another 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and oregano and cook for 20 minutes until the mixture has thickened and the veggies are tender. Add wine, capers, salt and pepper. Serve on sourdough bread with fresh mozzarella cheese.<br />
<br />
Next time I make this, I'm going to add olives. I would have added them this time, but I was out :-( I think this would also make a good pasta sauce or side dish to a meat or lamb dish. Some feta cheese sprinkled in would be good too! Another idea I had for next time is to make extra to use in a breakfast frittata sometime.<br />
<br />
The whole big pan of it is only 12 WWPP so it's a great points deal. I would say it made about 6 cups. I made 4 sandwiches plus a big scoop of caponata on the side of each sandwich.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow night: Turkey Bolognese!Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-59033010987868478752012-03-06T21:03:00.000-05:002012-03-06T21:03:59.559-05:00A new spin on my blog.....A lot has happened since I last checked in. I met a wonderful man and we married on 11/12/11, I got a job at the National Audubon Society as the Administrative Assistant to the Legal Department, I've lost 30 pounds on Weight Watchers, and life in NYC is still awesome! I'm still teaching private music students, mostly piano right now, in addition to my "day job" and I cook a lot. Which brings me to the new spin on my blog. I often post my meal creations on facebook with great response from people who want the recipe so with my renewed interest in food and cooking, I'm going to try blogging about food for a bit and see how it goes. Any of you who know me know that food is one of my very favorite subjects. <br />
<br />
Did I mention that my kitchen has about 18 inches of counter space and room for only 1 person to stand? It's a challenge, but I still manage to create tasty and healthy meals that my husband loves. Hopefully, you will love reading about and making my recipes in your kitchen. I'll try to include tips and tricks for working in a small kitchen and favorite kitchen gadgets I like too! Oh, and weight watchers points when I know them.<br />
<br />
Sunday night for dinner I made <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pancetta-and-turkey-meatloaf-sandwiches=recipe2/index.html"></a><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pancetta-and-turkey-meatloaf-sandwiches-recipe2/index.html" target="_blank">Giada's Turkey/Pancetta Meatloaf</a> (4 servings, 7 WWPP/serving). I didn't make the sandwiches in the recipe, just the meatloaf. With it, I served <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/caramelized-pancetta-and-fennel-salad-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">Giada's Carmelized Fennel and Pancetta Salad</a> (2 servings, 5 WWPP/serving). *I used 1/2 the oil and less vinegar in the salad recipe to cut down on points. While my husband loved this recipe, I don't think I will serve the 2 things together again. It was very rich. <br />
Tonight we had the leftover turkey meatloaf. To go with it, I created a mixed green/potato salad. I boiled some red potatoes and tossed them with homemade vinegarette (recipe below) then added some mixed greens and tossed it all together. It was really good. The warm potatoes wilted the lettuces slightly and was quite tasty! I used about 10 oz of potatoes and all of the dressing below for 2 servings at 6 WWPP each. Will make this one again!<br />
<br />
Garlic Red-wine vinegarette<br />
1 tsp. dijon mustart<br />
1 tsp. red wine vinegar<br />
2 tsp. lemon juice<br />
1 garlic clove grated<br />
1/2 small red onion finely chopped<br />
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley<br />
1/4 tsp oregano<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
2 TBSP olive oil<br />
<br />
Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.<br />
<br />
A note on the creation of this recipe: I intended to use 3 tsp. red wine vinegar, but I ran out so I added a lemon juice instead. <br />
<br />
I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we did and I hope you'll follow my blog and send the link to your friends. I'm looking forward to sharing what's going on in my kitchen and my life in NYC.Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-30298840771525634772010-11-18T09:30:00.005-05:002010-11-18T12:18:17.392-05:00Drama at the Salon!It's been a while since I wore platinum hair and I really miss it. I stopped wearing it so light because it was really high maintenance, relatively expensive to maintain, and I thought my hair could use a break from the repeated bleaching. But after trying out most of the colors of the rainbow I've decided I would like to be platinum again. Having just moved to NYC this requires salon shopping. <br /><br />I like Aveda products because they are more gentle to my scalp during the bleaching process and they are plant based and more natural than many other chemical based brands. But they aren't cheap! So imagine my surprise when I came across a salon offering a $65 single process in their "New Talents" division. I am familiar with the New Talents concept because my salon in Atlanta had this distinction. They are hairdressers with less experience who generally do great work at a greatly reduced price. I was excited to find such a place in New York City.<br /><br />I made my appointment for Wednesday afternoon with Christian. When I arrived, I was told that New Talents was "downstairs" and I was led to the basement. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice place, just very different from the spacious upstairs area with lots of windows and light. But it a good price, so I'm not complaining. YET!!<br /><br />I stand in a very narrow hallway for a few minutes with no instruction and clearly in the way of everyone. Finally, Christian, a young, tall, lanky guy with tatoos and piercings from head to toe appears, calls me Susanna, and sits me in his chair. I tell him I want him to bleach it all out and apply a blue/violet toner. Simple! He acts as if he has never heard of this process. Nobody gets out of cosmotology school without mastering the bleach and tone. Instead, he offers a very elaborate plan involving 2 separate mixtures which is going to cost a little more money than I was quoted when I made the appointment. I ask how much more and he goes to "make sure" of the cost. <br /><br />He comes back and informs me that my $65 color will now be $130 because it is corrective color and a double process. They always get you on that "corrective color" when you first go to a new salon. As if every other salon has screwed up your hair and they must now repair the damage. I mull this over for a minute while Christian continues to re-explain what he plans to do to achieve the color I want. So I ask him what the "maintenance" process will involve including the cost. He says, "Well, I really can't tell you that until we see how it grows out. I mean you may need a gloss, for an extra $30, you may not. We just have to wait and see. It could be $65, it could be more, PROBABLY no more than $95." That doesn't include tax and tip so it's really more like $115 final cost. <br /><br />I am NOT happy. Christian does not know what to do at this point so he suggests we invite another stylist over for a 2nd opinion. I say that is fine and he goes to find someone. A few minutes later the salon manager is standing at my chair asking what the problem is and if I want someone else to color my hair. I tell her there is no problem. Christian suggested the 2nd opinion so I agreed to get one. She leaves to find my a 2nd opinion.<br /><br />Several minutes later the manager comes back and says that Christian is now uncomfortable coloring my hair because he feels that I do not trust his judgement and he needs for his clients to completely trust him in order for him to work on their hair. OMG really? Christian needs a mediator to deal with a client who calls him on a bait and switch?<br /><br />I decide this drama has gone on long enough and I tell her to send Christian back over. He comes nervously skulking back over looking like an abused puppy headed for the gas chamber. He apologizes to me for anything he has done wrong and tells me how uncomfortable he is feeling. I try to play nice and tell him I was just surprised by the cost and that it is not his colorist abilities that I am worried about. I did feel kind of bad for the guy. He obviously takes his "art" very seriously and I have really rattled him. I tell him I am going to need to think about it and do not want him to do anything today. We blame it on the front desk and part amicably.<br /><br />As I leave, I can't help thinking if this guy can't handle a high maintenance southern blonde, how is he going to make it as a hairdresser in New York City?Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-15195825455172578392010-11-16T09:55:00.003-05:002010-11-16T10:21:39.632-05:00Old Men in NYCOld men in New York are pretty bold. I guess they figure they have nothing to lose. I often have old men walk past me only to smile or say hello. They are for the most part harmless, but on certain occasions, they go above and beyond to get your attention. This was the case twice last weekend.<br /><br />I am walking along the Upper West Side with my friend Ira on Saturday afternoon, yes, I am actually with a man when this old guy, probably 70 or so and about 4'6" tall walks past me and says, "Hi! What can I do for YOU?" It was so amusing that I turned to look as we continued walking. He had stopped to stare at me. I guess he was waiting to see if I would take him up on his offer. Perhaps I should have asked for a bank statement and health records. Might have been a good gig for June!<br /><br />The next day, I get on the subway. Another old man, this one probably 70+ puts his hand over his heart and sort of bows toward me. I smiled and looked away, but he keeps trying to get my attention. He's mouthing all sorts of things I'm trying to ignore, mostly things like "you're beautiful" nothing lude or disgusting, but he's clearly a little off. I was WAY uptown headed home so I had a while on the train. Finally another lady gets on the train and starts to sit down next to him. He was sitting across from me. He tells her as she goes to sit down that she needs to offer that seat to the men who are standing. She did and we all had a good laugh. <br /><br />She sets about reading her magazine and he starts asking her questions about the article. She decides he is more entertaining than what she is reading so she engages him in a little conversation. He is still trying to reel me into this conversation. Next thing I know he is telling her how much he loves the blonde sitting across from him on the train. "But she doesn't love me back," he says. I say, "Oh, you say that to all the girls." He looks all hurt and looks at the lady next to him who says, "He didn't say it to me!" Then he starts talking about how I must know how to have a good time because blondes have more fun. About that time we get to my stop, which happens to be his seat mate's stop as well. He bids us a final farewell and delcares his love for me again. She and I got off the train and had a good laugh. Her commment, "That was totally worth putting my magazine down." <br /><br />What a character! You meet them in New York. No where else in America could you have that experience without being afraid for your safety. Here it's just a Sunday afternoon.Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-38054952078443294222010-11-05T09:37:00.009-04:002010-11-05T10:45:48.486-04:00A New Level of Intimacy at The OfficeEveryday from 9-2 I travel to the east side to a residential building where I work in an apartment that serves as an office for a very wealthy 75 year old business tycoon who we'll call Mr. A. Mr. A is a very nice man, and a great boss. He pays me well for what I do, which is practically nothing. Mostly, I print his e-mails as he never learned to use a computer and I send faxes and FedEx packages for him. He travels a lot and when he's on the road I get to knit, read, play on the computer, or do whatever I want while I field the phone calls. We don't get many when he's not in the office.<br /><br />When I first started working for Mr. A, we were in a studio apartment on the 10th floor. A studio apartment is a one room space. This one was about 20 x 25 feet with a small but separate kitchen and a couple of closets. There was a small hallway, about 4 x 6 feet, between the main room and the bathroom. That was my office. <br /><br />A couple of weeks after I started the job, Mr. A announced that we were moving to a bigger apartment on the 17th floor. We moved into the new apartment about 2 weeks ago. It is really nice. It is a 1 bedroom apartment and is MUCH larger than the studio on the 10th floor. The bedroom is my office. I have a nice view of the east side of Manhattan and a bridge crossing the East River that I have yet to identify. It's a big step up from the narrow hallway where people had to crawl past me to get to the bathroom. Mr. A's office is the living room area. Only the 2 of us work here except for his housekeeper who comes in the morning to make him a bagel, coffee, and fresh squeezed orange juice, then comes back in the afternoon to take out the trash and tidy up. So you can see how I think the new office will afford us both more privacy. That is USUALLY the case. Until yesterday......<br /><br />Mr. A likes to answer his own phones. It's not that he doesn't think I can do it or doesn't trust me to give him his messages, he just likes business to happen fast and answering his own phones is just faster. So unless he is out of the office, I do not answer the phone at all. Until yesterday......<br /><br />Yesterday, Mr. A must have been having a little tummy trouble or something because he spent a lot more time than usual in the bathroom. When a person has to climb over you to get to the bathroom, you get real familiar with their schedule. Most of the time he is real quick in there, he doesn't like to miss a minute of phone time. If the phone happens to ring while he is in the bathroom the door goes flying open and he runs across the room to answer it, often before the second ring and always before the third. Did I mention he is 75? I sure hope I have that kind of energy when I'm 75. <br /><br />His third trip of the day took a little longer........and of course, the phone rang.<br /><br />After 2 rings the door doesn't open so I decide I should answer the phone and take a message for him. I have no sooner said hello and determined who it is when I hear the bathroom door open. I assume he is finished and will be taking the call. I am wrong. From the bathroom he yells, "Who is it?" He still has not emerged. I call back to him with the message. He says, "ok," and the bathroom door slams shut. In this moment, to my horror, I have the full realization that I have just had a conversation with my boss, without benefit of a closed door, while he was on the toilet. Talk about a new level of intimacy. I'm not sure June is ready to handle all of this!Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-33617794317392545782010-11-03T17:24:00.002-04:002010-11-03T17:43:23.354-04:00I'm such a slackerOk, ok, ok, I know I am a total blog slacker. I just forget. But thanks to all you inquiring minds who keep reminding me to post. So here's what's going on.<br /><br />NYC is still just awesome! I'm so glad I moved here. It is by far the best thing I have ever done for myself. On one hand, I wish I had moved here sooner. On the other hand, I would have missed so much if I had. I guess everything happens at the right time.<br /><br />I'll post some good dating stories later, maybe while June is bored at work, but for now I'll just fill you in on what's happening in my life.<br /><br />I have several jobs now. My absolute favorite is my Sunday morning singing gig at Church of the Ascention on 107th street. Thanks to my friend Jamie Shiell in ATL for hooking me up with Preston, the choirmaster/organist. We do really great music every week. It's a fast paced setting, so I can't get bored, and the people are just lovely. Plus there are some real hotties in the congregation! And they pay me to be there!!! I have always felt so blessed to be able to do what I love for a living, but actually getting paid for singing takes the cake! So much fun!<br /><br />I have 6 students in my studio now and several more who are going to sign up soon! I met this one mom who has hooked me up with all kinds of kids from PS 163 on the Upper West Side. They are some of the sweetest girls I have ever worked with. They all love to sing and play the piano. We're planning a recital in December. I've also made some good connections at my church job. I think that is going to lead to lots of students too!<br /><br />If you've been following my Facebook page, you know that I have a job in the morning as an Administrative Assistant where my boss sometimes calls me June. I had worked there for 2 or 3 weeks when I walked in one morning and he said, "Hi, June." I looked puzzled, but he has a pretty heavy New York accent so I thought maybe he said Sue as he normally calls me Sue or Susan. He had a guest in the office that day, so I just went on about my business. A few minutes later, his friend needed a copy made of something and I hear my boss say from the other room, "June will do that for you." His friend came over and said, "June, would you please make me a copy of this?" I said, "sure, but my name is Suzanne." I stuck my head in my boss's office and told him that my name is Suzanne. He said, "oh, ok" and that was the end of it. Or so I thought. I was Sue and Susan for a while and then one random day I walked in and heard, "Hi, June!" And here we go again.......Most of the time now he calls me Susan or Sue, or if he's in a really good mood, I'm Suzie. His daughter-in-law's name is Suzie and he adores her so I consider this quite the compliment. I can't complain though, it's a REALLY easy job and it pays very well for what is expected of me. I get in a lot of knitting time there. I guess I really should put down the knitting and update the blog. LOL I'll try to do better.<br /><br />Meanwhile, thanks to my loyal followers. I appologize for making you wait so long. I will post some interesting NYC stories very soon. You know I have some!<br /><br />Thanks for reading!Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-37796170844699767632010-09-24T10:10:00.003-04:002010-09-24T10:18:20.314-04:00Company from AtlantaMy friend Greg from Atlanta came to visit this week. We had so much fun. We went bar hopping on Monday night and had a blast. Met all kinds of people and discovered a new cocktail. A Gin Appletini. YUMMO!! I'm not an appletini fan, nor am I a gin fan, but that drink was good!<br /><br />Tuesday night we went to see La Cage Aux Folles starring Kelsey Grammar. It was great. Unfortunately the guy who won the Tony for playing Albin was not there and we saw his understudy, but he was good too. The dancers were incredible!<br /><br />Wednesday night we saw Memphis. AMAZING!!! If you come to NYC, put this on your list of shows to see. It was absolutely wonderful. So powerful and moving. And the music and dancing was fabulous! I highly recommend this show.<br /><br />It was over all too soon as he had to leave on Thursday, but it was great to host my first out of town guest. Greg says the new couch bed is very comfortable so y'all come see me!Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-22971158600031214782010-09-24T09:53:00.002-04:002010-09-24T10:07:49.714-04:00Lots going on in NYC!Things are great in NYC! I really love it here. I'm making lots of new friends and work is picking up.<br /><br />I have a temp job until the end of the year. It is secretarial for a Donald Trump type business tycoon with companies all over the world. For the most part, I check and print his e-mail, because he doesn't use a computer, and occasionally send a reply to an e-mail. I had been there about 2 weeks when I came in one day and he started calling me June. I don't know where he came up with that. He had been calling me Sue or Susan for about 2 weeks. I finally told him and he didn't call me by name for the rest of the day. He finally started calling me Sue again the next day.<br /><br />The church gig is really fun. Nice people, and I get to sing a lot. They actually pay me to sing! Yay! I am starting some piano students next week that I got through an online referral service. I'm working on building my website at suzannedgrant.com. It's up and running, but needs a lot of work. I have to figure out how to make it look like I want.<br /><br />I've been through a lot of men, but none interesting enough to write about. I may have a few stories I can share. I'll write those up in a separate post. I will try to get better about updating on a more regular basis. <br /><br />Thanks for reading!Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-83936719140528747382010-08-08T18:43:00.003-04:002018-11-18T12:23:05.288-05:00Suzanne Turns 40I had a great 40th Birthday in NYC. I was a little worried since I have a total of three friends in the city and one of them was out of town, but it was fabulous!<br />
<br />
I slept pretty late as usual, but finally got myself out of bed and decided to go out for lunch. I walked around for probably 20 minutes trying to decide what I wanted to eat. I headed over to Amy’s Bread for a sandwich, but as is typical at lunchtime on any given day there was a line out the door. Plus, it’s not really a sit down restaurant and since it was my birthday I kind of wanted to have a leisurely lunch. <br />
<br />
I decided I wanted breakfast. Since it was 1:00pm my choices were limited so I headed to the Westway Diner, one of my local favorites. They don’t have grits, but their breakfast is pretty good and served 24 hours. The hostess seated me right by the window in the front of the restaurant. It was the perfect spot for my birthday breakfast. I had been there a couple of minutes when a man was seated next to me. The waiter came back and I ordered my breakfast. Then my neighbor ordered breakfast too! It was 1pm and we were the only two people in the restaurant eating breakfast. As soon as he finished ordering he leaned over to me and said, “You’re a breakfast eater too, huh?” I told him that southern breakfast was my favorite and explained how I can’t get grits anywhere up here and when I do find them, they are not very good so I’ve ended up making them at home a lot. I mentioned that I had just moved to New York from Atlanta and that it was my birthday. He told me about how he lives in Chicago and commutes to New York every week for work. Our breakfasts arrived and we talked all throughout the meal. He told me about lots of “southern” restaurants in the city and about his favorite breakfast spots in my neighborhood. Since it was my birthday, he bought my breakfast and said he would like to buy me a drink later if I was free. I had plans for dinner, but said I might give him a call afterward. We exchanged numbers, I thanked him for breakfast and we went our separate ways. I had quite the spring in my step as I left. I might be 40, but I’ve still got it!<br />
<br />
I went to the wine store and cheese shop next to get party supplies for later. Then I had a birthday pedicure. My toes are REALLY hot pink! Guess I wanted to make sure I didn’t look my age, even though I was just picked up at the Westway Diner. I met a lady there whose birthday was 2 days after mine and saw some people with really ugly feet. It made me grateful to have pretty feet.<br />
<br />
After my pedicure, time started moving really fast since my friends were due at my place around 6:00pm. I still needed to shower and my toes weren’t quite dry. I managed to get myself ready and set up the wine and cheese party. Brian, my new friend who lives across the street got here around 6:30. Andrew was a few minutes behind him and as I mentioned my third friend, Ira, was out of town. Except for Diner Guy, those are the only 3 people I know in town. We had a great time socializing over wine and cheese. Brian brought me a really cool book about New York “Then and Now.” I’ve really enjoyed reading it and learning some of the history of my new city. I think he and I are going to be really good friends.<br />
<br />
Around 7:30, Andrew, Brian, and I walked over to Basilica for my birthday dinner. The food was fantastic! I had manicotti and a lovely glass of Chianti. Andrew had some ravioli that I plan to get next time I go there. His was really good. The waiter brought us complimentary after dinner Amaretto for my birthday. We had a great time chatting and hanging out over great food and wine.<br />
<br />
As I figured, Andrew and Brian weren’t up for a late Monday night so after dinner I called Diner Guy. I don’t think he was expecting me to call, but he was more than happy to come out and meet me for a drink. We went to a local wine bar and drank more wine. A lot more wine! I would like to tell you how well behaved I was, but I’m sure you know me better than that. I’ll leave the details to your imagination!<br />
<br />
P.S. I saw him again on Tuesday…..to be continued……..Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-12256702194826286752010-07-24T16:57:00.004-04:002010-07-24T17:38:46.583-04:00Litter Box Turf WarI'm laying in bed watching TV and working on a knitting project when I hear a short hiss followed by several longer and louder hisses. I look over and see Maggie sitting in the litter box and Annabelle swatting at her. Since I believe Maggie is trying to use the bathroom in what little privacy I have been able to achieve for my poor kitties in this tiny new space where they are forced to live, I snap at Annabelle sending her to the other side of the bed, her new favorite hiding place since I filled up the space underneath the bed with vacuum bags of winter clothes. I go back to my knitting thinking all is well.<br /><br />A few minutes later, I hear more hissing. Once again, I look over to find the exact same situation unfolding. De'javu? I wish! Maggie is in the litter with Annabelle swatting at her. AGAIN!! I deduce that Maggie got upset and didn't get the job done earlier and has had to come back, so once again, I run Annabelle off to let Maggie potty in peace. I feel I owe it to her since I moved them to this studio apartment and took any and all privacy away from my poor kitties who are very old and used to a very different lifestyle. <br /><br />Maggie seems to do her business and get out of the litter box. The minute she gets out, Annabelle comes bounding across the bed and jumps in the box head first sending litter all over the apartment! Once she gets over the shock of her landing she sits there looking around the room to see if anyone has noticed. Maggie has moved to the rug and is smugly looking elsewhere to let Annabelle know that she is completely uninterested and that Annabelle has achieved absolutely nothing with her stunt. Maggie is one cool cat! <br /><br />Annabelle is the polar opposite of the "cool cat" and is not known for her patience. She very quickly gets bored and surrenders her position as she realizes that Maggie does not care that she now has control of the litter box. She hops out and claims a spot on the bed next to me. I go about my knitting thinking the whole thing is over, then out of the corner of my eye I spot movement. Maggie is getting back into the litter box. She circles around, digs a little, and promptly lays her entire body down in it. She stayed there for the rest of the evening. I guess this round goes to Maggie! <br /><br />I have since renamed them Rif and Bernardo. I guess there's just not enough turf in this studio apartment for the 3 of us!Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2527819463741941973.post-13891435498729233572010-07-09T19:25:00.000-04:002010-07-09T19:26:03.019-04:00My Lunch Date with Ricky RicardoNo, I did not actually have a date with Desi Arnaz, but this guy could totally have been his son! He looked like him, talked like him, and behaved in a very similar manner. I kept waiting for him to say, "Lucy, you got some splainin' to do!" Although he talked so much that Lucy would not have had any time to "splain" anything.<br /><br />I met Ricky online at a site my friend recommended I join. I should mention that this is a FREE online dating site and it is true that you get what you pay for. Ricky immigrated from Costa Rica seven years ago and while he speaks English well, he has a heavy accent and his grammar, particularly the written word, proves beyond any shadow of doubt that English is not his first language. But I didn't have to explain any words to him and he is here legally, both of which are a big step up from El Rancho, the last guy I dated in Atlanta.....jejejejejeje (that's how Rancho indicates that he is laughing in a text message. Makes me laugh every time!) <br /><br />I agree to meet Ricky for lunch the next day. He lives in New Jersey so he has to take the train into Manhattan, but he says this is no big deal as it's only about 30 minutes and he comes to the city about 3 times a week to visit friends and hang out. I would prefer to date men who actually live in NYC, but as long as he doesn't mind doing the traveling I will keep an open mind. <br /><br />Monday morning he texts me and tells me he will arrive at Penn Station at 1:48pm and will call me at that time to arrange a meeting location. Upon arrival, he calls and tells me to meet him at the corner of 7th avenue and 34th street, also known as Penn Station. I was expecting to meet him at a restaurant rather than a street corner, but I keep my thoughts to myself and head toward 34th street. He knows I am coming from 9th avenue and 46th street, but he does not offer to come my way. I reason that he has come all the way from New Jersey to meet me, I suppose I can do most of the walking, but I still find this a little strange. Most people here ask where you are then you both start walking toward each other and meet where you meet. So I head over to 7th at 34th in the 100 degree heat wave. He calls twice to find out where I am as if he does not realize that I have to walk more than half a mile to get to him while he just stands there. So I suggest that he walk over to 8th avenue and meet me there. By the way, 1 avenue is about the same distance as 2 or 3 city blocks. He seems uncomfortable with this suggestion and I am about to ask what the problem is when he says, "okay, I will ask someone where that is." He comes to New York City three times a week, always to Penn Station, and has to ask someone how to get from 7th avenue to 8th avenue? Let me just say that New York is the easiest city in America to get around in until you get south of the numbered streets, which we clearly are not. It's easy to figure out which way is north, south, east, and west. And once you've been here one time, you know that 8th avenue is west of 7th avenue. Do you see where I'm going with this? No way this man "hangs out" here three times a week.<br /><br />Somehow he makes it to 8th avenue. I see him from a distance crossing the street and I immediately know who he is. Remember how I said it is 100 degrees out? He is wearing jeans, a long sleeved black athletic shirt, the really tight ones like the football players wear under their jerseys when it's cold, another long sleeved button down shirt over that, and black loafers. The man is dressed for late fall in 100 degree heat! And I would be remiss if I did not mention the heavy gold link chain he sported around his neck. On a positive note, he did not wear tons of cologne like so many of my Latin friends.<br /><br />As I cross 34th to approach him, I see that he is talking to a short, older man. The man looks like a bum. I'm pretty sure he is hitting Ricky up for money. Ricky sees me and waves nervously and the man looks over at me. As I get closer, the man apologizes to me and walks off. I ask Ricky what that was all about and he is very agitated. He says the guy kept asking if he liked "mens." I kind of giggled, which was not the correct response as Ricky did not find anything amusing about this situation. He's a very serious sort. He says in a heavy spanish accent, "That man came up to me and starting saying, 'you like mens' and I say, 'no I like womens' but he kept saying, 'no you like mens' and then he picks up his arms like he is going to fight me and I raise my arms because I can fight, you know!" And so he continued this story for the next few minutes until I finally got a word in and asked where he would like to eat. He said he did not know this area very well and could I just pick something. I didn't know that area very well either, but it is a very busy and touristy area so I suggested we go toward 9th avenue to my neighborhood. He is nervous again. He has never been to 9th avenue and I don't think he is big on trying new things. Is anyone sensing that Ricky and I are not a match? Still, he's been on a train for an hour and a half, yes he did say it was a 30 minute ride in our phone conversation, so I don't feel as though I can ditch him just yet, even though he has definitely pulled a bait and switch as many guys online will do to get a date.<br /><br />Reluctantly, he follows me to 9th avenue where I have walked many times before and thought there were many restaurants. But do you remember what I said about the Chinese food? There were plenty of restaurants, but most were closed. It was Monday, July 5, which probably accounted for a couple of businesses being closed and I had only been past these at night when things are hoppin', so I'm guessing many of these establishments just aren't open for lunch. Ricky keeps asking, "Where you are taking me?" I tell him not to worry, there are lots of good places in my neighborhood. <br /><br />During our walk, I hear a lot about how much he likes to play soccer, he was semi-professional in Costa Rica, how much he works out, how he runs miles and miles and miles, and I'm looking at him thinking he is not in very good shape at all. In fact, he's overweight and kind of roly poly and soft. As we are walking, I keep having to slow down because he does not seem to be able to keep up with me. I am not generally one to be kept up with. I am usually the one who does the keeping up. I'm definitely getting the feeling that my date does not have the most accurate sense of self and in fact may have a pretty big case of delusions of grandeur.<br /><br />Over lunch I get to hear about his baby's crazy mother, complete with pictures of his baby who is 9 years old and lives in Costa Rica with her mom. He informs me that he only dates white women because Latin women all lie and cheat and he prefers older women because they are more mature and responsible. Did I mention he is 34? He tells me about the 50 year old woman who lives in the apartment under his who always tries to get him to come in and sleep with her, even though she has a boyfriend who regularly beats her up to the point that the police have to be called. Perhaps my friend Karen will pick this up on her new iphone police scanner app one night! He also tells me about his last girlfriend who left him for one of his friends when all he did was take care of her and treat her well. <br /><br />When I finally get a chance to speak, there were not many opportunities for me to talk on this date, I ask how he managed to get away from the store on a Monday. He suddenly gets very serious, takes a deep breath and says, "I am very honest person. I no lie to you. I have no work in 3 years." Seriously, 3 years? Didn't he tell me just yesterday that he was a store manager? He continues on to say that he had an accident. Something fell on him at work and to make a very long story short, he hired a lawyer and no longer has to work. He has had 2 operations already and will have 2 more in the next year. Of course these operations put him on complete bed rest and render him unable to move for weeks at a time. He can't work out and keep in shape anymore, and refuses to go to physical therapy because that is for whiners. I have now deduced that what he is actually looking for is a woman who will basically take care of him through all of this. Apparently, the cheating girlfriend left not long after the first operation. I know I should be feeling sorry for him at this point, but 2 hours into this very one sided date which has gotten worse by the minute I am ready to stand up and yell "NEXT" and get the hell out of there! You will be glad to know that my southern manners kicked in and I did not do this.<br /><br />Finally after 3 very long hours of listening to all of Ricky's self proclaimed attributes, both real and imagined, he paid our waitress, who had brought the check and stopped refilling our glasses about and hour earlier, and we left. He wanted to take me dancing to show me his moves and prove that he does not like "mens" but, by the sheer grace of God it was 5pm on Monday afternoon and the clubs were closed, so I dodged that bullet. Then he suggested we walk for a while. I thanked him for lunch and told him it was nice to have met him, but that I really was not up for another walk in the 100 degree heat. He tried to ask me out again, but I did not give him any encouragement and luckily, he was able to take the hint, stop talking and walk away without my having to be too blunt. I went home as quickly as I could and took a nap. <br /><br />And so, my NYC dating saga begins....<br /><br />NEXT!Suzanne D. Granthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09068363888570100759noreply@blogger.com0