Thanksgiving should be honored everyday.

No, I don’t mean the gluttony of it all but merely spending time with loved ones and showing gratitude.

Isn’t that reason enough?

I love pomegranates. And at this time of year, they are in full abundance. I love adding them to salads for that unexpected pop of sweetness but most of all I love eating those juicy gems all on their own.

I have fond memories of de-seeding poms with my mom when I was younger. She’d cut them in halves while I wriggled them out from their hiding places. My mom would always make me wear one of my dad’s old shirts and fully cover my working space to avoid a downright bloody mess. While this method proved fruitful (pun intended) it wasn’t exactly the cleanest and most efficient way.

I have witnessed people whack their pomegranates over a bowl with a rolling pin to remove the seeds but no matter how deep the bowl was, juice inevitably splashed.

The method I most prefer is doing it underwater. While, yes, I had suggested to my mom in my youth to just eat them in the bathtub, but that is not what I mean here.

Simply quarter your pomegranate and coerce those gems out inside a large and deep bowl of warm water. Since this is done underwater, any juice that squirts out with be contained in the water. The seeds will drop to the bottom and the pith will float to the top. All that’s left to do is skim the pith and drain the water and you will be left with ruby seeds without the mess!

I trust this method so much that I didn’t even change out of my favorite white tee.

I took a break from writing on my blog mainly due to the passing of my mother in law in October. She fought a long and arduous battle with ALS for close to 5 years. When she was diagnosed I was just a newlywed, fresh from relocating from TX to NYC and had only lived with my husband for a few short months. We then decided it was best to live with her since she would become too weak to be on her own and at that moment, I ceased being her daughter in law and became her primary caregiver. Although we saw each other day in and day out, I never really felt I got to know her for her disease made it difficult to communicate. But I am reminded everyday of what an amazing woman she was because I see what an amazing son she raised. He is a true testament to all her hard work, love and devotion. She raised a gentleman with the biggest heart and now becoming a mother to a son of my own, I regret the missed opportunities I had to ask her for advice on a role she took on exceptionally well.

Not a phrase I’m crazy about but I definitely feel that way today. But sometimes all it takes to turn things around is a little giggle. Here’s a few things I stumbled across on pinterest that managed to lift my mood a bit.

A month ago I purchased a beautiful bouquet of fresh lavender with the plan to dry and preserve it. Was hoping to leave it by my bedside so that the lingering lavender scent would lull me to sleep. My monkey, however, was not going to let this happen. He’d quietly climb onto my bed and one by one see to the demise of each sprig of lavender. To avoid a full on massacre, I took what was remaining of my dried bouquet and made a sachet using just the lavender buds.

The survivors

Gently removing buds from their stems and enjoying the aromatherapy in my kitchen. I had no use for the stems but if you have a fireplace, throw them in with your firewood, for they will release a sweet smell as they burn.

Can’t you just smell it?
Ideas raced through my mind – I could make lavender soap, sugar, candles….but the scent of it all relaxed me far too much to have any desire to work. 

It’s important to sift out tiny particles so all that remains are buds for your sachet.

I used a mesh bag some earrings came in.

Now I get my bedside aromatherapy without all the mess and destruction from my little one.

Growing up in Florida and Texas, all the Fall Festivals I attended always fell short of my expectations. Pumpkin patches, hay rides and most importantly the cool crisp air  were replaced by us Southerners trying to cool off in shorts with water guns. Don’t get me wrong; a great time was had by all but it just felt like another summer fair expect for the fact that we had school the next day!

Since summer has officially ended and the weather has cooled down considerably in NY,  what better way to kick off the season then to attend a fall festival and one that can provide my little monkey with autumn memories I had always longed for.

Not quite understanding sitting next to vs. on the pumpkin.

Not the expression I was hoping for with this beautiful photo op.

Little monkey concerned about the broken pumpkin stem.

There’s a smile!

So brave. He bypassed the babies and went straight to feed the one with the biggest horns.

Unforgettable moment!

Pumpkin Dark Chocolate bread! Don’t mind if I do!!

I pride myself on my cooking skills and experimenting with new recipes and for the most part, my extremely picky husband has been more than happy with what I serve up on the table. However, after our first year of marriage, I have been told to refrain from Asian cooking due to the numerous bouts of indigestion and discomfort my dishes have caused. As much as I love Chinese and Thai food, for some reason, I just can’t seem to make it work. But I’m no quitter and so on nights like this, when my husband is away watching the NFL Kickoff, I like to dabble a bit in the uncharted territories of my recipe collections.

Today I’m starting simple: Pioneer Woman’s Sesame Noodles. This is as basic as it gets and if I can’t do this right, I fear I’m a lost cause.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces, fluid Thin Noodles, Cooked And Drained
• 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Hot Chili Oil
• 4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 4 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin

Preparation Instructions

Overall, I am pleasantly surprised that such a simple recipe could make such a flavorful dish. It was salty, sweet and spicy and definitely quieted my carb craving. My only gripe is that it was a tad oily, which accurately reflects most chinese takeout in NYC but if you’re making it at home, it should be healthier than that. My suggestion is that when mixing all the ingredients for the sauce, you reserve the canola oil  and only add as needed after the rest of the ingredients have been mixed with the noodles. I didn’t do it this way but after struggling to keep the slippery noodles on my fork, I wish I had. Replacing chili oil with crushed chili flakes will also help. But like I said earlier, a great dish nonetheless and one that I won’t be nervous to serve at dinner.

Last week I had to take a much needed time out from blog writing to deal with a serious case of the Terrible Twos. My little monkey is in the thick of it and we have started to implement time out. Not really convinced it will work but at this point, I am desperate to find something that he will take seriously.

First time out and will surely not be the last

Strict parenting and disciplining is what our household was all about last week but of course he’s still my baby and we decided to treat him to a visit to Sesame Place over Labor Day weekend. He was a bit too young to really enjoy most of the rides but had a blast splashing around in the shallow water and watching the parade at night.

On our way to PA and grateful for the peaceful drive.

Splash Castle was his favorite!

Everyone bracing themselves for the large bucket of water to turn over.

Fun but a bit intense for little ones.

Parade excitement!

Elmo!!!!

Hey Elmo!!!!

Exhausted!

Painting nails have now become an art form. One that I haven’t quite acquired yet definitely admire.
Links: 1 6  8 9 10 11 12 rest via Pinterest

Something I always have on hand are these Trader Joe’s Omega Trek Mix in single serving packs. They taste great, are good for you and most of all, satisfy my hunger. 

Trader Joe’s is known for their variety of nuts and dried fruits and combinations but this one is my absolute favorite. They are sold in large bags but I love the single serving pouches because then I know exactly how much I have had. They are great to toss in a purse, diaper bag or gym bag and even my little monkey loves the cranberries and roasted pepitas. While he has that, I enjoy the almonds, walnuts, pecans, and pistachios. These are salted and although I would prefer them not to be, I don’t mind so much as long as I just have one serving. Course I always get tempted for another.