You say Tomato...

Stuffed tomatoes are no new thing, but here's my attempt with no recipe and just some random stuff to make something yummy.

Wash tomato, cut top off, core out the guts inside.

Mix guts with salt & pepper, freshly squeeze lemon juice, oregano and/or italian blend of spice. Add some shredded mozzarella cheese.

Sprinkle cooking sheet/dish with some olive oil. Place tomato on sheet and fill with 'guts' mixture. Add more shredded cheese on top.

Bake at around 300F until warm and the cheese begins to melt

Serve and enjoy :)

How great would this be with Cheddar Cheese too? YUM

xo,

Michelle

Dear So and So

Dear Local Park,

For moments like this yeah I love you.

Dear Diet Coke,

I love you so so so much.

Dear Boboli,

Thanks for the best 'homemade' pizza that wasn't 'homemade'

Dear Polka Dot Reisling,

I kinda love you almost as much as Diet Coke.

Dear Winter,

I love you. I know everyone will say I'm crazy. But I'm in luuuurve with you and am already sad you'll be gone soon.

Dear Coldplay,

Re-finding "Lovers in Japan (Osaka Sun Mix)" and I love it. It sounds cliche but it's exactly what I need right now. Thanks.

Dear Tekserve,

Over $500 later, thanks for bringing my baby back to life.

Dear Girl Pals,

Thanks for suggesting that celebrating one of our birthdays involve "cupcakes for breakfast and champagne for dinner". You rock!

Dear Sister A and Sister E,

Mes choux...je t'aime.

Back to 'regular' blogging from here out.

xo,

Michelle

Being Crafty

Our apt is very much a ... mish-mosh of stuff. Frat-house chic is more like it but mish-mosh is funnier to say. I did a bunch of cleaning yesterday so I had the sudden burst to do more nesting today, mostly decorating.

I picked up 3 signs like this - live - laugh- love from Target all in white. So now I have to start getting crafty.  I plan for them to go on top of the kitchen cabinets. The cabinets and walls in the kitchen are white so the signs are going to need some more color. All 3 in a dark blue? Each a different color? Ahhh decisions. I see a Michael's trip in my future soon! 

xo,

Michelle

Shrove Tuesday

I have to really think my many years of French classes for remembering that today is Mardi Gras. That, and 4 years spent in Pennsylvania Dutch territory for college where it is called Fasnacht Day. My boss at my job on campus always came in with donuts. Yum. Some of you may know it as Pancake Day. Pancakes, donuts, or any fried food - it's a last feast before the season of Lent begins. 

Tonight to celebrate - breakfast for supper! 

Can't have a post about pancakes without mentioning this awesome youtube video from a few years ago. I love it!

xo,

Michelle

Tea Sandwiches for 60

Yeah that's right 60. 

I snapped this pic last week, no idea what I was in store for. 

I volunteered to make sandwiches for a local collegiate chapter of my sorority for their last round of formal recruitment, know as Pref.  Aren't I a nice alum?

Here's the menu, all laid out at the grocery store check out

~Cucumber slices with cream cheese on white bread

~Hummus and sprouts on whole wheat

~Nutella and granola on cinnamon raisin

2 loaves of each bread - yes I had 6 loaves of bread to attempt to get home unsquished. 

Yes, I cut all the crusts off....I still can't believe I did that!

I bought twice as much as I thought I would need for everything. Wooops

The sandwiches were a huge hit - and my fellow volunteers and I maaay have snuck a sandwich or two. :) 

xo,

Michelle

The Simple Things

Christina at Soul Aperture is doing a "Simple Things" post with a twist. For every "Simple Things" blog post her family will donate $1.00, to Doctors Without Borders (up to 250.00). Here's what a "Simple Things" post is...

"dear january, we love you but, it's time to show you who's boss! my friends and i are posting the simple things in life, that we appreciate. we will weave our words with love, gratefulness, meaning and spunk.no matter how big or small, we will bring light with the simple things."

Please consider writing your own "Simple Things" post and comment on her blog. 

So on to my "Simple Things"

*Watching it flurry at dusk*

*Making Hot Chocolate for a class of chilly 1st graders*

*Text messages from my mom*

*A nice glass of red wine*

*Having dessert first*

*Giggling over something really immature w/ a co-worker during our weekly mtng*

*I still have my Christmas tree up and I don't care who knows it*

*Turning on the lights of said Christmas tree every night*

*The little boy wearing pajamas that light up under his school uniform*

*Oatmeal*

*Ugg boots...I don't care what you say, my feet are sooo warm!*

*Texts, Facebook Messages, Voicemails and finally real conversations with my sisters*

*"Hey Miss...I brought something HEALTHY for snack!!!"*

*5years ago tonight my husband and I met and he remembers!*

*Comfy pajamas*

*Mittens that change into fingerless gloves*

*Stella Artois*

*Grilled Cheese Sandwich & Tomato Soup*

*The flicker of a candle*

*Dancing in the apt before I leave for work to whatever music I feel like*

*Escaping back in Mexico at least in my mind*

*"It's our pleasure to serve you" coffee cups*

*For compassion, faith, love and miracles, especially for and in Haiti*

xo,

Michelle

Help for Haiti

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong.  Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.  ~George Washington Carver

Laptop still out of commission. But there could be bigger problems. On that note, please consider donating to help with the disaster relief in Haiti. 

The Mayor's Fund for us NYC folk is devoting 100% of donations to the Haiti Disaster Fund. I love this story  posted on the Dept of Ed website about a few schools who gathered bags of change and sweet letters written by the students.  "Dear Haiti: here is some money and a bag of hope," wrote Hana, a third-grader at P.S. 188, in a letter. "I am praying for you every night. Remember there is always hope! Very soon everything will be fixed." Ohh...I cry just reading that letter! Kids have the biggest hearts and say such real, honest things. 

I got an email from International Medical Corps letting me know what their organization is and what they are doing in Haiti. IMC is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization, committed to the rescue effort. According to their website they are currently working at the  Hospital De'l Universite d'etat d'Haiti treating the injured. You can donate $10 simply by texting 'Haiti" to 85944 or you can donate online.

I'm also including a widget from their website in this post, hopefully it shows up. You can also donate here.

xo,

Michelle

Sounds like Chicken Pizza

But it's really Chichen Itza

Mexico - ahhh sweet Mexico. What an awesome, restful, relaxing, warm, tequilla & cerveza filled week. However...."someone" dropped the laptop. Laptop has a huge sad face right now which I'm trying to fix. In the meantime just a few photos I managed to upload

Agave - the Mexican restaurant at our resort - we went Christmas Eve & again a 2nd time. So yummy!

What I loved about the restaurants was you could tell careful thought was put into the interior design to help them feel authentic - beautiful drapes & furniture in the French place that made me think of Versailles - red fabrics and an overall very minimal feeling at the Asian place, etc. Very well done!

Yummy dessert

Beach days - wonderful!
Up on our rooftop deck - which will be the 'happy place' in my mind for days to come. Drinking some bubbly, but of course...

xo,

Michelle

"City Sidewalks, Busy Sidewalks...Dressed in Holiday Cheer"

"Hey Look! It's the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree!"

Is it just me or do tourists get stupider every year?

News Flash - it's one block over. KthanksBye

"Strings of Street Lights, Even Stop Lights, Blink a Bright Red and Green"

"As the Shoppers Rush Home, With Their Treasures"

Lyrics from Silver Bells by Livingston & Evans. I love that it describes the holidays in an urban setting! Yeah!

Snapped those pics last night on 6th Avenue. Love the decorations out front of the office buildings. In midtown the uniform is pretty much gray & black so it's SO nice to see some color during the winter. It looked beautiful with our first snowfall too :)

The last of our "Happy New Year" holiday cards were finished last night. Thanks to Tiny Prints for such awesome designs, as always. I celebrated with a glass or two of California's finest. The taller the glass the more bubbles you see, remember that for your New Year's parties. We're off to Mexico Thursday so I lift my glass in a toast to you. May your last days of 2009 be merry and your 2010 even brighter! Thanks for reading!

xo,

Michelle

It smells like the holidays

I am a firm believer that smells bring up memories, hopefully good ones this time of year. Since moving to Florida 10 years ago (holy cow!) my mom (i think) has enjoyed the open layout of the kitchen/dining room/family room in what was my grandparents house. I guess the formal term is a 'great room' with an attached small kitchen. While it's sometimes a little odd to celebrate a holiday so often associated with winter things in a place where there are palm trees in everyone's yard instead of pine trees but mom always makes it magical, like we were all little girls living back on Long Island again. I know we missed the snow our first Christmas there but I think not having to shovel was the best present our Upstate NY born dad has ever been given. Anyway back to mom - yum making her hot chocolate, cookies, and her 'magic' smelling mixture. No idea where she got the recipe for this but wow it's amazing. I wish I could knock down a wall in my little apt to get the smell to travel throughout and bring me back 'home'.

Fill a pot at least half way full with water. If you are like me and have a tendency to forget you have a pot on the stove, add more water to prevent burning - eek! Add Cinnamon Sticks, Whole Cloves and Star Anise. Add a liberal amount of cinnamon sticks but you can go easy on the cloves and star anise since they are so strong. Let simmer. Prepare to be amazed with a delicious licorice but cinnamon-y smell. Enjoy!

xo,

Michelle