Thoughtful Living: Pack an Extra Lunch

2 October 2016

A few weeks ago, I started packing an extra lunch to give to the homeless guys on the block that I adopted in NYC. There are usually two or three guys on that block.

I started packing an extra lunch, just to up my thoughtful giving game. Instead of giving the guys a little treat pack, I would give them a meal that I made in my own kitchen. This was about sharing the blessing I’ve been given. If God deemed that my refrigerator and pantry be filled with so much food (more food than I can consume myself), then I should share the bounty.

When I changed my diet a couple of months ago, I noticed there were certain items I could not donate to the neighborhood food pantry. It made me ponder what I should do with all of this food I can’t eat anymore. That’s when I realized I could cook up a few meals and give it to my guys during the week.

I have a bread machine with plenty of flour. I didn’t know what I could do with all of that flour after my lifestyle changed. Then I realized, I can bake bread for them.

A few days after I came up with the idea of making complete meals for the guys, I saw a Facebook posting about someone who used to do the same thing.

When the writer of the story was a young boy, his mother used to send him to school with an extra lunch for one of the boys in his class. She told him, “Give him the lunch before school.” He didn’t understand why. There were times he would hand the boy the lunch during lunch hour.

He didn’t realize until he was older that the reason why his mother asked him to give the boy the lunch before school was so that no one would know his situation. It was a way of hiding that boy’s poverty from their classmates. Kids can be cruel. His mother wanted to protect the boy from that cruelty he would have received from other kids by receiving this charity.

The author realized the invaluable lesson she was instilling in him. There are kids today that are humiliated because they can’t afford a hot lunch. It is even exacerbated by the school system when children have their hot meals taken away and have it replaced by a cheese sandwich.

A bunch of idiots on a school board decided to institute those rules of cheese sandwiches when parents failed to pay their children’s lunch bills. It’s the school system humiliating the child in front of all of the other children, because their parents are not paying the school lunch bill. They’re punishing the child for their parents’ failure.

It’s not right.

Imagine though changing that narrative if you are a parent. What if you sent an extra lunch with your child, just in case there was another child that was subjected to the cheese sandwich? What if you sent them with extra food for those children whose only food they will receive that day are from those school meals? There are some schools that have a private food pantry for impoverished children who are from homes that cannot afford food.

It is private so that other children do not know who is shopping that food pantry.

It is a shame that children have to fear other children finding out that they are starving. Children with the wealth of food on their tables should share with those who do not have that same blessing. This is a human quality that should be instilled in each and every one of us. We should not feel ashamed or overprotective of sharing our blessings with others.

I’ve seen people repulsed when I stop to give food to the homeless guys or stop to talk to them. Someone was telling me recently that he was out with a woman when they were stopped by a homeless man asking for assistance. He went to give him the few dollars he had in his pocket. The homeless man accidentally brushed up against the woman and she freaked out. She was so disgusted she said she had to go home and shower to get the homeless off of her.

When he told me this story, my mouth literally dropped. He re-emphasized the most important point, “They are human beings, too.”

We live in a world where there is so much abundance. It is unfathomable that anyone should go hungry in this country. How is it that we cannot share this wealth of food with everyone?

If you’re a parent, teach your kids a valuable lesson about being a thoughtful and giving human being. Send them to school with an extra lunch for those kids that are hungry. Get the other families to do it, too. If there’s no private food pantry, get the school on board to start one. If there is one in your child’s school, donate to it.

Kids that don’t have to worry about food have a better chance at succeeding in school. When they are focused on where their next meal is coming from or the fact that they are starving, they will fail in school. Even in colleges, this is an issue. Don’t think that just because someone got into college that they are not homeless or starving. They are still trying to better their situation, but it becomes difficult when they are looking at the clock hoping they get to the shelter in time or the fact that they are starving. When all you can think about is food, it makes it harder to concentrate on your studies.

It takes a village to help raise each and every child. We need to change the current narrative and stop being so divided. It is small changes like this that will help move our future as a society in the right direction.

For the adults, pack an extra lunch. You never know who you’ll encounter that may be hungry and starving. Maybe you already know someone that could use that extra lunch you’ve packed. There may even be someone in your own workplace or church congregation that can’t afford food.

Donate to your local food pantry. If there’s no community food pantry, start a giving box where people can put food in the pantry box. People that need the food can take what they want. This is about helping each other. No one in America should go hungry. Do your part and share your blessings with others. Not everyone gets that same blessing of a hot meal three times a day. Some people are praying for what you take for granted.

Eat Smarter: The New Way to Pasta

2 May 20162 May 2016

I am absolutely addicted to spiralized noodles! A friend of mine had become obsessed with zucchini noodles and wanted me to try it out, so she ordered a spiralizer for me and she started my latest food addiction.

Who needs all of those carbs from pasta noodles? Not me. Who wants to spend over half an hour just trying to cook a pot of noodles? Not me.

Spiralized noodles are easy to make and very addictive. They’re also so much healthier for you than regular semolina pasta. All you need is a spiralizer, your choice vegetable (zucchini and squash are the most popular), and a sauce of your choice.

I love spaghetti with meat sauce, but I don’t like that gut feeling you get afterward. Substituting the semolina spaghetti with zucchini noodles has become one of my favorite dishes.

The great thing about zucchini noodles is that you don’t have to boil them very long. Just bring a small pot of water to a boil, add the zucchini noodles (sometimes called ‘zoodles’), cook for 2 minutes (keep your eye on the clock), then remove the noodles from the water. Add the sauce of your choice on top and you’ve got an incredibly tasty meal.

After going Zoodles, I’m never going back to regular pasta. I ended up donating all of my regular pasta to the food bank.

I have been trying out other versions of spiralized noodles and recipes. I just recently made a Thai peanut sauce version with spiralized Korean squash. I didn’t even need to boil the noodles. I just tossed it into the stir fry and in a minute, it was done.

Trust me…you really won’t miss regular noodles.

The great thing about spiralizing vegetables is that you’re not only sneaking in more vegetables into your diet and cutting out the bad carbs, but you’re also consciously changing the way you’re eating. If you can substitute the bad stuff with the good stuff and the meal tastes amazing, why stick to the bad stuff?

My friend gave me the Pro Cuisine Spiralizer, which comes in a bundle that includes several accessories, as well as a little cookbook with recipes. It’s an inexpensive tool to add to your kitchen arsenal (currently $12.99 at Amazon.com). It’s perfect if it’s just you, or two people. If you have a family, you’re better off going with the bigger spiralizer for a few dollars more. The crank on the bigger spiralizer makes it easier to spiralize more vegetables. The smaller one is better if you’re only spiralizing one or two vegetables at a time.

I love my spiralizer. It’s one of the best gifts I’ve received in a long time,, and one of the best new tools in my kitchen.

The $1.50 Challenge End and Results

1 May 2015

The $1.50/day challenge ends tomorrow. For me, it ended sooner than I thought it would. Even though it did, I have to say that this challenge was very humbling.

On Day Two, I continued eating the pre-made meals I made for the week. Breakfast consisted of the congee soup, free coffee and soy milk, and water. For lunch, I had fried rice with a few carrot/celery sticks. For dinner, I tried to be a little more inventive with my food and attempted to create an Indian version of a burrito using the leftover lentil soup and some of the shredded chicken. I added Naan bread to the dollar count ($0.50).

Dinner was where the problems started to set in. I ate a few bites from dinner and then stopped. The cat ended up coming over and eating the rest of it for me. I just wasn’t interested in it. By breakfast on Day 3, I tried to eat some of the free cereal and free soy milk, only to find I had no interest in eating at all. This is where I could sense a problem is arising. To go two meals in a row and choose to not eat than to eat a poor man’s meal, that says something very strongly to me. There was a health problem arising.

As I contemplated ending the challenge to eat something healthier and more heartier (i.e. more than $1.50), I looked at my lunch of lentil soup and realized I was not hungry at all. I was about to go 3 meals straight without eating.

The last time I went through multiple meals of not eating, I was in a poor country…Morocco. I went 3 days without eating before my driver had to step in and arrange for me to eat something that met my palate (which ended up being Chicken Tagine Citron). That’s just the way that I am. I’d rather not eat than to eat something that was mediocre or boring.

This challenge humbled me in realizing just how fortunate I am. I’m thankful for the bounty that God has given to me over the years. Then I was humbled in realizing that even though I felt like I was starving by day three on only $1.50/day, there are people out there that don’t even have $1.50/day to eat the bounty I was able to create. Some may go days without eating, but that’s not by choice or stubbornness because the food doesn’t agree with their palate. They’d gladly eat a rotten banana peel from the dump if that’s all they could find.

I never really appreciated the life that I’ve been afforded until I took this challenge. It makes you thankful for the little things you take for granted. At the same time, it makes you feel compassion for those who only dream of being able to have access to such bounty. It also makes you wonder what is wrong with this world when there are so many countries that have way more than enough to feed their people that we find ourselves wasting so much food at every meal. Somehow we can’t find a way to share the wealth with those who have nothing.

Why can’t we help those find means to fight their hunger? I know in this day and age we are faced with countless issues on why we cannot end hunger, like war and politics. But when you look at hunger as a human rights issue, war and politics do not matter. Human beings matter more. They always will.

After I ended my challenge on Day Three, I noticed that I started getting very ill. I knew my health may become an issue by changing my diet and not having access to plenty of fruits and vegetables. That was the main reason I decided to end the challenge. At the beginning, I did have that ‘what if’ this lowered my immune system and I became ill, but I was willing to forego the scare just to challenge myself to understand what the majority of the world is struggling with. Well, the ‘what if’ went into a full blown fever, vomiting, inability to keep liquids or solids down, and later a horrible respiratory infection.

I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the medical services available to me. Yet, there are people out there that don’t have access to medicine or medicinal food (i.e. the good ole chicken noodle soup, broth, or orange juice). Some people don’t even have access to clean water. Some people have to walk miles just to fetch a jar of water. This is the world we live in. The difference between the haves and the have nots? Money and Where You Live on this planet.

I think many of us dream of One World someday where hunger and access to clean water is a thing of the past.

I donated $250 (my fundraising goal) to UNICEF through the Live Below the Line challenge. If you’d like to donate a few dollars to help children worldwide have access to food, water and medical supplies, please join me in donating.

If you can’t donate a few dollars, think of gathering a few non-perishable food items from your kitchen and dropping them off at a local food pantry or food kitchen. If you can’t afford to spare food or money, consider donating some of your time to help out at a food kitchen or pantry. They always need volunteers. Find ways you can help stamp out hunger in the world. Sometimes it starts in your very own neighborhood.

A “How to” Buying Guide: Caviar and Pâté

2 April 20158 April 2016

Ever been mystified by the whole caviar and pâté experience?

I was. So I decided to go out and educate myself on how to buy caviar and pâté, as well as how to eat the luxury items. The best way to learn is to go to the professionals.

Petrossian is the answer in both Paris and the United States. They are not only the experts, but they offer some of the finest goods on the market.

First off, caviar is expensive. The reason lies in the process of cultivating fish eggs. It is not as easy as one would think.

Caviar is not cheap, just less expensive — more affordable. The restrictions on wild caviar made the price very high. The actual progress in the production and the number of farms all over the world created more offerings. However, one should also remember that caviar is not raised, sturgeons are, and that this process takes over ten years. This is the reason why caviar will never be an inexpensive product. Plus, the fact that to create good caviar requires a lot of work and enormous specialized knowledge. Now, if the dream becomes affordable, then it will drive caviar lovers back to caviar — those who’ve stopped their consumption because of higher prices.

— Caviar Q&A with Armen Petrossian, The Daily Meal, by Yasmin Fahr

There are a variety of different types of ‘caviar’ out there. Let’s start from the beginning.

What and Where to Buy

First, the term ‘Caviar’ is used only from the roe (fish eggs) that come from sturgeon fish. It only comes from sturgeon fish. You will find that other variations of roe (like salmon roe) are labeled as salmon roe, not caviar. Caviar only comes from sturgeon fish. All other fish eggs that do not come from sturgeon fish is called roe.

Caviar is black, while salmon roe is orange. Depending on the fish, roe can come in a variety of colors.

If you are starting out and need a less expensive, but highly qualitative brand of caviar, start with the Classic Transmontanus Caviar. In Petrossian stores, the smallest tin is $51. Online, a small tin will cost $53.

You can also try the less expensive roe that comes from salmon, trout, or even flying fish. The reason why the eggs from sturgeon are so expensive is because for many years, the fish were considered an endangered species. In the quote above from Petrossian, it also takes many years to cultivate sturgeon. The less expensive roe comes from fish that are more bountiful.

If you’re in a city where there’s a Petrossian store, you’ll find more variety and that the prices are considerably lower in their stores than online. For instance, online, the Salmon Roe retails at $62, but that’s for a 250g tin. You can pick up a 50g tin between $12-$14 at the store.

I prefer the salmon roe and caviar. If the caviar wasn’t $50+ per tiny tin, this would be a staple in my home.

The are so many different grades and prices, with $50 being the cheapest and the price of caviar going upwards into the 4-to-5 digit numbers. The more expensive numbers depend on the rarity of a special harvest which produces an incredible batch of eggs that are unlike any other. For instance, one serving of Petrossian Special Reserve Ossetra Caviar costs $394. For 16-32 servings, the price goes up to $12,500. That’s one expensive dinner party right there.

Petrossian doesn’t just sell roe and caviar. They also sell baked goods (in store), chocolates, smoked fish, and other fish delicacies.

One delicacy I highly recommend is the Tarama Au Crabe Royal. It’s a mixture of créme fraiche, cod roe and crabmeat.

As for pâté, Petrossian offers some of the best pâté I’ve ever had in my life. Try the Pheasant, Pork & Duck with Figs, Pistachios and Port from Petrossian. The nice vinegary taste in each bite creates a sharpness of flavors that awakens your tastebuds. The Petrossian pâtés are far better than any other one I have ever tasted. They make all the rest taste like cheap liverwurst.

How do you eat Caviar/Roe?

Deviled Eggs from The Glamorous Housewife

There are a variety of ways you can eat caviar/roe. My favorite is definitely Deviled Eggs with caviar. You can create little stacks on top of a blini.

The varieties of ways you can eat caviar/roe are endless.

If you ask Armen Petrossian how he likes his caviar…nude. As in, by the teaspoon. You can follow it up with a glass of champagne or vodka, or a slice of blini.

You can purchase blinis or you can make them.

It is important to serve up caviar with a Mother of Pearl Sea Shell Caviar Spoon and NEVER use sterling silver. Using silver only degrades the quality of the caviar, and tarnishes the spoon. Luckily the caviar spoons range from a couple of dollars and on up.

Just remember that caviar hates metal and will instantly spoil it.

If you’re serving up caviar at a party, here is a HOW TO with pictures.

april2.4 — You can create stacks on top of blinis. Here: pate topped with tarama au crabe, with roe/caviar on top.

You’ll find that there are a variety of amazing ways to eat caviar. Maybe you’ll even find a certain kind of roe that you’ll love.

If you’re looking for recipes, just type in ‘caviar’ in Pinterest and you’ll find everything from appetizers to soups to main courses.

How to Eat Pâté

As you can see, I like my pâté with caviar. I’ve also eaten it alongside a baguette, some French jam, butter, fruit and cornichons on the side for an afternoon snack.

You can serve it up any which way you want. Try it on a sandwich, alongside eggs at breakfast, or with cheese and fruit. Some mousse varieties can be used to add on top of potatoes, as a dip, or even stuffed into vegetables. There are just so many ways you can eat it.

Fake Caviar?

There’s something about luxury that someone out there always tries to offer a cheap imitation. Don’t bother with the cheap imitations. You won’t enjoy it. How will you know it’s fake? Armen Petrossian elaborates in his interview with The Daily Meal.

How can you detect false wild caviar, or poor quality caviar?

Would you buy the wedding present of your daughter in the flea market, or on the net? Certainly not. You will go to a reliable source, a reputable company. It is the same with caviar. You go to a well-known specialist and let him or her guide you for your party. False balls called “caviar” are easy to spot. You put an egg on a sheet of paper and press. If there is no juice, only paste, then you know this is not caviar.

For expired roe, you can take some grains on your tongue and see if it creates an effect like small needles. If so, then your product is no good. Use your nose and smell the caviar. It should not have a strong smell like herring for example. A light, agreeable smell is what you should have. If you tilt the tin and the caviar is very oily, like a heavy soup, then this is a bad sign. Note that a little oil is normal. And if the grain is hard, with practically no juice, that’s also not good.

In other words, stick to the real stuff. Only buy from the best in the business. There is no such thing as shopping around for a better deal on luxury food. You won’t enjoy the lesser quality. In other words, it would be a waste of your money. Buy only the best and don’t throw your money away on cheap imitations.

If you are ever in a city where Petrossian has a shop, I highly recommend stopping in and trying their foods. They package everything up with ice and special containers so that you can get your purchases home without spoilage.They also ship out their merchandise the same way.

Petrossian also has cafes and restaurants where you can sample a little bit of luxury. Just come prepared knowing the tab will be considerably high.

If you can’t make it to a shop, but want to try out some of their delicacies, order online. You will not regret tasting the best of the best in the business.

French Food Made Easy: Laura Calder

1 April 20153 May 2017

French Food at Home by Laura Calder includes some of the most amazing French recipes you’ll ever taste. Laura simplifies it for you.

Before moving this site to a new platform, I experimented with a topic last year to see how it would be perceived. Each month would get its own region and we would take a look at all things from that region. We’re revisiting FRANCE and all things FRENCH to start off Diary of a Perfectionist Wannabe’s relaunch since it was so popular last year. We’ll take a look at French food, arts, culture, photography, books, etc. all throughout this month.

Each week we’ll be showcasing a cookbook and divvying up a few of the recipes from the book. This week’s French recipes are from Laura Calder’s book French Food at Home.

For those just starting out learning how to cook French food, it can seem a little daunting. As James Peterson writes, you could end up using every single pot and pan in your arsenal just to make one meal.

Calder makes the different processes of making French food a little easier.

For instance, this fabulous Honey Hen recipe with Lemon Pasta was so good, you’re not going to want to share it.

Honey Hen

Ingredients

1 chicken (3 pounds), cut into 8 pieces
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard*
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence

[*You can use Whole Grain Mustard as a less spicier substitute for Dijon mustard. It is equally as good.]

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Melt the honey in a saucepan and whisk in the mustard and herbs. Pour over the chicken pieces in a baking dish, and roll them around to coat well.

Bake, turning occasionally, until the meat is cooked through, well browned, and veiled in its dripping hot sauce, 40 to 45 minutes.*

[*Cooking times may vary.]

Lemon Pasta

This is one of my favorite, easy and simple pasta recipes from Laura Calder.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Grated zest of 4 to 5 lemons*
1 cup heavy cream
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
Salt and Pepper
Lemon juice to taste
1/2 pound fresh egg pasta

[*For extra zing and/or color, use a mix of lemon/lime zests.]

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. While you wait, melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the lemon zest. Pour over the cream and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the cheese, stirring to melt. Season with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice to taste.

Cook the pasta. Drain, return to the pot, and toss with the sauce. Divide among four serving plates, garnish as you like, and serve immediately.*

[Note: This dish must be eaten hot. When it goes cold, it basically turns into cold butter and pasta noodles.]

Toast Soup

If you’re like me, it’s a little difficult to get through an entire loaf of French bread. Instead of tossing the bread out when it starts to go stale, Toast Soup is the answer.

Ingredients

6 slices smoky bacon*
4 cups chicken stock
About 8 cups cubed French bread (roughly 1 loaf)
2 cups milk, more if needed
2 teaspoons sherry or balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard**
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

[*Note: When purchasing bacon make sure it says “Smokey” not “Smoke Flavored.” There is a major difference.] [**Note: You can use Whole Grain Mustard as a substitute for Dijon mustard.]

Instructions:

Fry the bacon until cooked but not necessarily crisp. Pour over the stock, bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover, and let infuse about an hour.

Meanwhile, toast the bread on a baking sheet in the oven until quite dark, but not burnt. Transfer to a large saucepan.

Strain the stock over the toast, reserving the bacon. Add the milk, vinegar, and mustard and purée until very smooth with an immersion blender.* Taste before seasoning with salt and pepper.

Cut the bacon into slivers and refry until crispish. Reheat the soup, whisking in the cold butter at the last minute to give it gloss. Serve piping hot with the bacon bits scattered over.

[*Note: For added texture, do not purée all of the bread in the soup. Leave a few pieces as is, but purée the majority of the soup.]

* * * *

Laura Calder’s book is one of my favorites. It’s a great beginner’s book into learning how to cook French food. She makes things simple because creating an elaborate French dinner can seem absolutely terrifying. The recipes are easy to intermediate and everything tastes absolutely wonderful.

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PopSugar Must Have February Box

19 February 20159 May 2015

February’s PopSugar Must Have box arrived last week filled with some very awesome goodies.

Here’s what was in the box:

1. Tarte Cosmetics Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush.

2. U.S. Apothecary Rose Water Bubble Bath.

3. ACME Party Box Company Bamboo Heart Cutting Board and Cheese Knife.

4. BaubleBar Mini Arrow Pendant Necklace [SIMILAR HERE].

5. Lemon Berry Tinted Balm 17 ml by Figs & Rouge.

6. Chuao Chocolatier Ravishing Rocky Road Bar.

7. Sally Beauty FingerPaints Nail color.

I didn’t keep the Tarte Cosmetics Amazonian Clay or the nail polish. I gave those two items away [due to skin sensitivities].

I loved the cutting board. I haven’t used it yet because it’s just so cute and looks stylishly good with the other cutting boards in the kitchen.

What I loved most about the box was the BaubleBar necklace. The necklace I linked to above is similar, but not quite what I received. The one I received has pavé detailing and retailed at $32. You can get the similar one for $12. I’m a huge fan of BaubleBar (almost all of my jewelry is from them), so it’s nice when I receive any jewelry from them. Always qualitative and beautiful pieces from the company.

I also loved the Figs & Rouge lip balm. I’m not a big fan of tinted lip balms, so even though this appears tinted, it’s not. It goes on clear. Also a good sign that this is truly 100% all natural, Matthew (my new cat) hates anything with a chemical smell. He always has this look on his face like, “How could you let me smell that?” when he smells any of my beauty products. With this lip balm, he actually liked it and tries to go in for a lot of kisses when I put it on. That means…this product is truly chemical free!

As for the Chuao Chocolatier bar…OMG, it was so good. The surprise is in all of the extras in the bar…the marshmallows and the salt on the caramelized almonds. I’m also a big fan of their Spicy Maya bars that have a hint of cayenne in the chocolate. I imagine that this is the way chocolate would have tasted if we were truly able to taste the chocolate delicacies from the movie Chocolat.

I haven’t tried the rose bubble bath yet, but I’m looking forward to it.

All in all, I liked the February box. The products may not be up to everyone’s cup of tea, but it had a lot of pluses in my book. The box is $42.75/month. Total cost of the items in this box retailed at $149.50. PopSugar is continuously proving that they are the best subscription box on the market.

Try The World: Paris Box

12 February 201519 February 2016

My latest Try the World box is the Paris Box. Who doesn’t love French food?

This box included La Mère Poulard sablés (cookies), Maison D’Armorine salted butter caramels, Domaine Des Vignes whole grain mustard, Charles Antona Corsican cherries and thyme jam, Clément Faugier chestnut spread, Flagrants Désirs dark chocolate bar with raspberry and two fruit jellies.

The whole grain mustard uses vinegar produced from grapes (similar to dijon) from the Vineyard at Domaine des Vignes. The difference between whole grain and dijon depends on the vinegar (or wine) used and the fact that the whole grain mustard is not completely grounded down like dijon.

Whole grain mustard is a bit of a staple in any foodie kitchen, especially if you’re cooking up a lot of French food. When recipes call for dijon, I prefer to use the whole grain mustard in its stead.

The sablés (cookies) are made with only 5 ingredients. The salted butter comes from Brittany. La Mère Poulard is a famous restaurant and bakery located in Mont-Saint Michel. Notables such as Ernest Hemingway and Yves Saint Laurent have visited this restaurant.

All in all, I really liked this box and the Venice Box. Both curated boxes are spot on for the essentials one needs in their kitchen from these two regions. They also pick the best sweets to add to the box.

My little guy, Matthew, can attest to that. He was a little spoiled with his first subscription box from Kitnip. He assumed this new subscription box belonged to him as well. He started sorting through it before I could finish taking everything out of the box. He was pretty determined there was something in this box for him [no, he wasn’t playing in the red filler, he was pulling the food out of the box].

He even tried to open up the mustard thinking that must be where his treats are [he has thumbs, so he knows how to open up jars…at least ones that were previously opened]. We didn’t discover what he could have until I opened up the caramels this morning and took a bite out of one. It was so buttery and good, I thought he’d like to try it, so I gave him a little piece. The way his eyes lit up with pleasure…I think his determination was correct…there was indeed something in this box for him, too.

Here’s a look at all of the goodies in the Paris Box:

If you’d like to order your own Try the World box, you can get $15 off your first box by subscribing HERE.

Marshmallows and Little Friends

4 February 20154 February 2015

Oh, the weather outside is frightful. But the fire is so delightful. So why don’t you pop a marshmallow on a stick, toast them over the fire, stick them in between two fudge graham crackers and have yourself a nice little treat during the winter months?

But let’s kick that marshmallow up a notch. Butter Baked Goods, a shop based in Vancouver, B.C., sells flavored marshmallows like strawberry, vanilla, toasted coconut, mint, coffee, raspberry, passion fruit, rose, violet, pumpkin spice, maple, pistachio, chocolate, lemon, matcha tea, peppermint, eggnog and gingerbread. It gives your s’mores or hot cocoa a little bit of an unexpected, but tasty surprise.

Butter Baked Goods marshmallows are sold in the US at places like Crate & Barrel and Dean & Deluca. Each bag comes with 10 marshmallows.

I ordered the peppermint flavored marshmallows as part of my Advent gifts. They tasted so good with a cup of hot cocoa. It even made the s’mores more delectable. While you can go old school and add the regular milk chocolate and graham crackers, I like to take that step out and just stick the toasted marshmallow in between two fudge graham crackers. Believe it or not, it actually makes for a better s’more.

Subscription Boxes for Our Little Friends

If you’re like me and have a little critter (or two or several) running around your home, you may want to consider ordering them their very own subscription box. For Matthew and Surita, they loved everything about this box curated for cats from Kitnip Box.

The toys I didn’t think Matthew would be interested in like that big pink worm looking toy with a tail, it ended up being his favorite. [Called the Caterpillar Kicker.]

I gave Surita the Play-N-Squeak Mouse and the Refillable Catnip Heart Toy (because Matthew doesn’t like catnip). She had such a great time with both…that is, until Matthew stole them both from her. He actually broke the mouse, setting off the chirping. I thought the battery would die out sooner or later, but after 3 hours, I got out of bed, cut the thing open and took out the sound box.

Matthew couldn’t sleep with all the chirping, so he hid in my office to try to sleep. When I came out to silence the toy, he came running out, thankful the noise was being brought to an end.

Twinkle Tweet toy. Available at Amazon.com.

Another favorite he was still playing with the next morning was the Twinkle Tweet. It’s a plastic toy with a few feathers in it that lights up and chirps. He is a big fan of chirping toys and things that light up. He likes to stalk the toy and then pounce on it from out of nowhere.

As for the treats, this box included Zuke’s G-Zees Tender Grain-Free Treats. It’s different than what my two little ones are used to, but they loved it and gobbled it all up.

So as much as my two little ones loved their first Kitnip Box, there was also a special theme. It makes this first box for Matthew a little extra special. Since Matthew is a recent adoption, it makes sense to help out other little ones that still haven’t found a forever home yet.
A portion of the February box proceeds goes to help Philadoptables in Philadelphia, to help out other furry pals while they are still in a shelter. You can order a Kitnip Box for your feline pals HERE. See below for more information and a special discount code [from the Kitnip mailer].

Subscription Box: Try The World

2 February 20159 May 2015

There are a lot of subscription box services out there lately, but nothing that is as close to representing the foodie side of “Perfectionist Wannabe” as the Try The World box service.

I got my first box a couple of weeks ago and I have to say…I am beyond impressed with what you get for $39.

My first curated box had a “Venice” theme. Included in it were a lot of food items representing the region…and food items that any Italian foodie should already have stocked in their pantry. But then again, some of this stuff is hard to find unless you get it directly from an Italian food market.

I loved everything about this box, especially the Dark Chocolate Limoncello. I try to eat dark chocolate for health reasons, but it’s always too bitter and not a pleasant experience. This Perugina chocolate bar was just right and delightful.

The black truffles and mushrooms were a surprise. I had ordered the Oeuf Mimosa (truffle and caviar deviled eggs) at Todd English’s Ca Va Brasserie in NYC a couple of weeks ago. It had a very distinguished taste to it. Opening up this can of truffles and I found the main ingredient to the Oeuf Mimosa.

I tried this in some couscous to add a little flavor. Just a little bit can go a very long way.

The Spaghettata mixture of herbs was a delight. I warmed it up in some oil, added some bell peppers, sweet bell peppers and sun-dried tomatoes (that I picked up in Venice) then tossed in some spaghetti and parmesan cheese for a satisfying meal during the Super Bowl.

The sweet onion pesto included in the box, I put on top of tilapia. It was so simple and, oh so delicious.

What I like about this box is that it allows you to try out new ingredients from different areas of the world. It’s also not too expensive and you get qualitative ingredients to experiment with. Each box comes with a few recipes to try and an informational background on the region.

The box is delivered every two months for $39. If you’re interested in joining, you can get $15 off of your first box by clicking HERE. {If you pre-pay, it’s cheaper.}

I’m looking forward to seeing what my next box has in store.

Have you tried “Try the World?” If so, what did you think?

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

11 December 2014

This year, I couldn’t wait to get the tree up, so on Thanksgiving Day, while the ham was still roasting in the oven, I put the tree up, decorated it, and began putting together the Advent gifts.

In November, I did all of the Christmas shopping I needed to do. I was done long before Black Friday hit.

This is the second year I’ve joined in the Frosty’s Friends program. This program is sponsored by Jersey Cares. People that sign up get a letter from a child with their Christmas toy wishes. This year, the kids asked for a lot of expensive gifts from Xboxes to DS2s to bikes, to not 1 Monsters High doll but 5 dolls, plus a Barbie and her car! I almost had a heart attack when I got the letters because I sponsored five children and they were all demanding really high ticket items including the now sold out Elsa’s Castle from Frozen.

Because I believe that children should have at least one amazing Christmas in their lifetime, I went ahead and bought them what they asked for…except for the Xbox One and the bike. I can’t ship bikes and the Xbox was out of the question. He asked for a DS too, so he got that instead.

I know a lot of people say I go above and beyond for these kids, but I believe that every child should have a Christmas, no matter how horrible their circumstances are. For these kids to be in the Frosty program, it means they wouldn’t have a Christmas if it weren’t for these gifts.

I will say this, I’m only going to sponsor one child next year. They are just asking for too much these days. This year’s gifts topped 4 figures between all 5 kids. I will say that shopping for all of them the second I got the letters actually helped me to score all of their coveted gifts long before they were sold out, including that now sold out everywhere Elsa Castle. I just hope the kids get their gifts and love them.

Part of me wishes I was there to see them open up their gifts, just to see their faces light up when they see that Frosty got them what they had been wishing for. To me, that look of joy and excitement on a child’s face…that’s what makes Christmas a happier day for me.

As for other charitable works this season, I ended up sending a Christmas box for the troops.

My brother is currently deployed, so he’ll be missing Christmas this year. We usually spend it together. With him away, that means we’ll both be spending this time without family.

He left Afghanistan a few weeks ago. I have no idea where he’s stationed now because they’ve been very secretive with each of the locations. He can’t tell me where he’s stationed until after he’s left each country.

We still stay connected on Skype via text messages. In those messages, he updates me on what he needs/wants while he’s out serving his country. His last message to me was that there apparently was no laundry detergent where he’s currently stationed. He asked me to send him some laundry pods. It was really fun discussing with the post office lady what was in the box I had to send through customs. She asked me, “What? They don’t have laundry detergent in the country he’s stationed in?”

Apparently not, because that was an emergency text he sent me.

The day after I shipped the Tide pods, I shipped out a huge box filled with goodies for him and his squadron. His only request was Ramen and Sriracha. He’s a huge gummy lover, so I made sure to fill it up with plenty of candy, too.

He just by chance mentioned that he didn’t have a bowl for the Ramen, so I ordered a bowl from Crate & Barrel with chopsticks so he could have his Ramen soup. What’s great is that Dollar Tree was selling all of this food for $1 each. A 5-pack of Ramen is $1. That beats what you pay at the grocery store these days.

I also found a few Thai microwavable products. I have no idea what it tastes like, but I’m sure he’s missing some good ole Pad Thai by now.

When I told him I shipped out the boxes and that there was more than enough for him to share with his colleagues, he responded that what I did was a good thing. I was supporting the troops.

It’s funny how he worded it, because he knows me. I don’t support war. I think our troops would be better off protecting us back at home.

This was the first time I’ve ever sent a care package to the troops. I think I felt more of that Scrooge spirit disappear after I mailed off the box.

As for trying to bring the Christmas spirit into my own home, I’ve been opening up a new Advent box every day.

A couple of years ago, I started doing Advent projects. The first year it was all about connecting to the spirit of Christmas. I had spent so many years not celebrating the holiday, that I decided to get reacquainted with the true meaning of Christmas.

I made sure to have plenty of Christmaslike activities planned from reading Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol,” to watching holiday movies, to learning all about the story of how Santa Claus came into being…that was my first year of Advent.

Last year, I opened up a bag with a new ornament for each day of Advent.

This year, it’s all about boxes. Each Advent gift had to be in a box with an activity for the day. This year, there were a lot of baking moments from cookies to pancakes for dinner.

Tonight, I’m having peppermint hot cocoa while watching a holiday movie. And yes, when I’m not at a hockey game, I’m watching holiday movies. On the weekends, ABC Family is on all day as they host their 25 days of Christmas movies.

With my latest addition to the family, Matthew Lucifer, around, I have had to put the tree and presents up on the kitchen table so he he won’t get into them. He’s super bad. Here are a few of his outtakes so far this season…

From trying to sneak out with the boxes to the post office, to standing on the charity gifts while I’m wrapping them, to laying on top of the boxes to be shipped out (which happen to be right next to the Christmas stockings), to getting into the decorations, to sitting on the charity presents…he’s been a handful.

That last picture…that gift…he ended up trying to rip open. Trust me, he’s been doing a lot of things he’s not supposed to be doing at Christmas. He gravitates between the naughty and nice list every single day. Naughty more times than nice.

This will be our first Christmas together, so I’ve already purchased his itty bitty toys. I had to give him a new Eeyore, because the other one he had he completely shredded. I still have to find a new harness for him and a few sweaters. Although, if worse comes to worse…we may stick to just bow ties because they’re much easier to get on him. {I learned he is a medium sized dog in clothes. Small is too small for him. He has a very large chest.}

All in all, I thought at first I was nuts for putting the tree up on Thanksgiving Day, but it ended up being a smart thing to do. Ends up Christmas started a little earlier for me this year. I needed to ship out everyone’s gifts weeks before Christmas. Thank goodness I finished shopping for everyone back in November.

Since my brother really can’t get any real gifts this Christmas, because he’d have to lug it from country to country for the next however many months, I decided to prepare for a bigger and better Christmas next year since he is missing Christmas this year.

This year is going to be a bit of a dry run. This is the first year I’ve done a Christmas tree. I plan on upping the ante for next year, including more incredible gifts than he got last year (because we are making up for a missed Christmas) and prepping the home to make it friendlier for his visits.

My brother is a gamer, so I ordered a new video game system, got a bigger, smarter TV, and now he can’t ask me about why I don’t do Blu Ray. In other words, this should be a big surprise for him. The last time I got a new flat screen, he showed up and looked at it and said, “Who got this for you?” I responded, “I did.”

“I mean…who helped you with this?”

“No one. I bought it by myself.”

I’m known to play dumb when it comes to technology, that’s why he gets all of my electronics for me. So doing this without him…I’m hoping he’ll be surprised when he shows up next Christmas.

As for this Christmas, I plan on keeping it low key, opening up gifts and then watching movies at home with some take out Thai food. Technically, that’s what my brother and I would have done anyway if he was home for Christmas.

I still have the Food Pantry to drop off items to before Christmas so my days of charitable giving are not yet complete. That means, more shopping to do.

I just want to end this with one last note on giving…for me, I don’t really need presents for myself because I buy what I want when I want it. I’m never truly in want of anything. But I realize that God gave me such an amazing life, career, and has taken care of me very well over the years. I have to share the wealth of what God has given to me. That means I donate to charities every month (St. Jude’s, Soles for Souls, World Wildlife Foundation and ASPCA). Once a year, I donate gifts to children in need. Every season I donate clothes and other items to the Vietnam Veterans of America. When I do a food order, I order extra items to donate to the food pantry. It’s an ongoing cycle of giving, because when you give to those who need, the universe returns the favor and provides you with the things you need. That is why I share the wealth God has given to me.

Giving is not just a one time deal around Christmas, it’s an ongoing thing. Yes, I am used to donating all of the time. It’s not a big deal anymore like it was when I first started donating. It’s part of the life I live. I know there are people looking for ways to get involved or to be giving during the holidays. Don’t just think of donating one time a year, do it all of the time. You’ll find that when you share your wealth with those who need help like children with cancer, animals that need protecting, or families that are hungry, you’ll find that your wealth ultimately grows substantially.

Every great financial adviser in the world will tell you that (and if they don’t, find a new one). It’s probably the smartest thing you could ever invest in…helping others. I go above and beyond because that’s what my heart demands. It has nothing to do with growing my own money. It’s just what my heart tells me to do. When you follow your heart, that is what makes this life worth living, because our universe becomes a much more magical place on this journey we are on when we give back.

If you are constantly depleting the bank account of good fortune in life, you’ll end up using it all. You have to constantly keep making good karmic deposits into that bank account if you want to continue living an incredible life. It’s just the way it works.

This may be my only post this month, because I’m working on upgrading this site for 2015 and working on new and improved content. I want to wish each and every one of you a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! Many, many blessings to you and your loved ones.

xxoo,

Michelle