Because It's Friday

And I went out to dinner with my sister, and because life is short...

I ate dessert first.
I had a Diet Coke with it.
I am also going to watch The Hunger Games.
So full of contradiction, yet completely satisfied :)
Have a great night!

Breakfast Out

Although I do not put much thought or effort into what I eat for breakfast, it is my favorite meal of the day.  I love breakfast.  Cream of wheat with a teaspoon of sugar and skim milk are in my bowl and several cups of black coffee sustain me until lunch.  And, I am happy.
However, every once in a while I like to go out to breakfast.  It is my favorite meal to eat out.  And, I like to eat local.  Today we went to the Red Coyote Cafe.  It is a quaint little joint that made us feel right at home.  You don't really have to get dressed up.  You can wear sweats and set on the comfortable furniture...

and play checkers while drinking your coffee...

 

or take dorky pictures of each other being crushed by checker chip cups...

And, nobody minds...

Well, most of us didn't mind :)

The food was excellent...

Breakfast burrito to die for :)

Chocolate chip waffles to die for :)

and we left with full bellies and smiles on our faces because we know we will be returning there soon.

Enjoy the company you are with and eat together.
“Eating is not merely a material pleasure. Eating well gives a spectacular joy to life and contributes immensely to goodwill and happy companionship. It is of great importance to the morale.”
— Elsa Schiaparelli

Buffalo Bills Preseason Football and Veggie Pizza

Tonight the Buffalo Bills are playing against the Denver Broncos.
That means two things in my house - pizza and I have to watch TV in DJ's room.
There will be no pictures of DJ's room.  (It's not pretty :)
However, the pizza is very photogenic and delicious to boot.

I picked it up at Wegmans earlier this week. 
God, I love Wegmans.  It may very well be my favorite store.
I actually miss it when I go on vacation.  That's a whole other post.
Here's a closeup of the pizza.
Just look at all those veggies :)

And, here's a closeup of my favorite boy in the whole wide world - DJ.

We both give the pizza a big thumbs up.
Let's hope the Bills' performance tonight is thumbs up worthy also.
While DJ enjoys the game, I am off to his room to watch gymnastics.
Go Bills :)
Have a great night.

Spring Fever Weekend

In anticipation of this upcoming weekend (temperatures in the high 60s, near 70 :), I made a fruit salad using what I had at hand.  No food reminds me more of spring/summer than this.  And, it is sooo good for you.   

Have you seen the recent studies on strawberries?  Click here to watch a segment that was featured on ABC News with Diane Sawyer.  Strawberries not only taste good, but are good for you too!!! 

Just ask your mother :)

Is It Green or Red With Envy?

Whichever way the saying goes, if you place green tomatoes in a box (or bag) with an apple, you will end up with red tomatoes :) 
The ethylene gas emitted from the apple causes the tomatoes to ripen quicker.

Trust me it works!!!
Your friends are going to be green with envy and you are going to have a delicious tomato :)

Baked Tilapia and Scavenger Scotties

What do you do with the leftover items in your refrigerator?  After a period of time, you have to throw them away.  But what if they aren't that old, there is still some nutritional value in them, and you need to eat something and they are the only items you have on hand.  You do what I do.  You improvise.

My latest and greatest improvisation (creation) was baked tilapia.  With a bunch of extra spinach, tilapia fillets, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and a can of crushed tomatoes on hand, you too can have baked tilapia.  By placing the above ingredients in a 13 x 9 pan in the order listed and baking at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes (or until fish is flaky), you could have a nice, easy dinner or lunch ready in no time...

Who knows, a roving, Scavenger Scottie may even magically appear at your side and try to place you in a trance with her cute little brown eyes with the hopes that she can lick your plate clean after you are done eating...

Use what you have on hand and create some magic for those around you today.  Have a great day:)

Blueberry Muffins

Yesterday I spent the day cleaning and preparing to paint my son DJ's room.  He is not in favor of this AT ALL!!! Nonetheless, I continued on.  The men (Dave and DJ) moved a bookshelf to the barn and carried photos and pictures to the barn where they will be stored until the room is complete.  There was one picture, however, that I could not put in the barn.  It is a poster that I had framed.  I purchased the poster while visiting Sweden for a family reunion when the children were very young.  It is a picture of a little boy feeding a bear blueberries.  That little boy in the poster reminds me so much of DJ.

So to thank my boys for helping me with my project, I decided to make them blueberry muffins this morning.

I got out my favorite Betty Crocker Cookbook that my dear friend, Pat, gave me,

got out the ingredients, and got to work..

They baked for 20 minutes...

Cooled for 30 minutes...

And most likely will be gone by tomorrow.
Unless I freeze half of them, that is :)

I hope the rest of your weekend is enjoyable.

Thank you again boys :)

Finger Lakes Goodness

My sister is coming to my house tomorrow and she is bringing some special guests with her - her best friend and her best friend's daughter; all the way from San Antonio,Texas.  I will be preparing a scrumptious meal for them and it will be prepared with locally grown fruits and vegetables produced right here in the Finger Lakes. 

Where did I purchase said fruits and vegetables? 

Why at the Canandaigua Farm Market. 

Located in the pavilion on Mill Street, it is a wonderful market filled with a variety of seasonal items
- all very reasonably priced. 

I was greeted by Abby. 

Hello Abby Girl. 

I call her Abby Girl...

There is an assortment of flowers (I bought gladiolas)...

Fruits and vegetables (I bought Yukon gold potatoes and green beans)...

Wine (I bought Sweet Gus - he reminds of Snoop, what can I say)...

And locally produced honey...

I did not get a picture of the jams (I purchased a pepper jam that I will be putting over a block of cream cheese for an appetizer - SO GOOD - trust me) and baked products, but there were many. 

If you get a chance, check out your local farm market, I think you'll like it:)

Now I have to start getting ready for tomorrow. 

Have a great day :)