So I’m about to hit you with the most amazing Sunday dinner roast ever. Yes, it is pricey, but it is so worth it. This is my husband’s favorite meal, and pretty much the only thing that he requests on a regular basis. He claims it actually makes him emotional, it’s that good. As long as you buy a good cut of meat, your work is pretty much done. You just cover it in a little rub, let it roast away, then whip up a quick gravy using the drippings. We are talking out-of-this-world flavor. Although working with a cut of meat that is on the pricey end can be intimidating (you don’t want to mess it up!), I’ve made this at least 5 times, and it’s always come out perfectly, except for the one time that I tried to use a less expensive cut. Still good, but not as amazing as usual. Trust me – splurge a little for a special dinner!
Rylan 6 Month Summary
I seriously cannot handle how big Rylan is getting. I feel like with Brandon (our first) I couldn’t wait for him to crawl, talk, eat real food, etc. But with Rylan, I’m thrown off when he starts growing up. He’s at that perfect little age where he’s still really portable (no plethora of toys or ipads needed for a quick trip out), but engaged enough to have fun with. I’ve never been one of those overly emotional mothers, but after packing away some of his “6-month” clothing that was too small, I got a little teary eyed. My sweet baby is growing up!
August Restaurant Round-Up & Giveaway Winner!
I feel like the Jean-Georges restaurants I’ve visited have been a bit of a hit or miss. There are a few that I love (like Nogatine & Dune) and some that I really don’t (Lagoon in Bora Bora). But after 3 visits to ABC Kitchen, I can assure you that this one definitely falls into the love category. It won a James Beard best new restaurant award in 2011, and is consistently serving up delicious organic and locally sourced dishes. Everything is super fresh and seasonal (pretty much all of nyc has jumped on the farm to table bandwagon). It’s great to know that there is always going to be something new and delicious each time you go, but I have a few favorites that I would really like to see back on the menu this fall (squash toast and fried chicken, please!). At this visit, we started with a heirloom tomato toast, then split the burger and squash blossom pizza. The pizza was amazing, and worth going back for in itself. For dessert we had the ice cream sundae, which includes popcorn and candied peanuts and is swimming in chocolate sauce. Hungry yet?
Independent Play – Starting Early
Establishing independent playtime can be a great gift to both children and parents. It allows the child to learn to entertain themselves and also provides a wonderful environment for experimental learning, since mom and dad aren’t there to help them out. For the parents, independent playtime means a break in the day that they can use to accomplish any number of things (or accomplish nothing by cruising the internet the whole time- not that I’ve ever done that), knowing full well that their child is in a safe environment.
{Giveaway!} Get Healthier Challenge
I think we could all use a little motivation to get healthier, and what better motivation than a fun challenge! Slimkicker is a healthy living and fitness app that provides forums, calorie counting tools, challenges, and giveaways to entice users to make healthy changes. You earn points by counting calories or completing challenges that can be used towards rewards. They want to hear from you what diet or fitness challenge you’d like to participate in, like not drinking soda or eating processed meats for a week.
Mexican Lasagna
I have totally been having one of those days. And at the end of a day like today, grilled chicken and steamed veggies just ain’t gonna cut it. But I also don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen cooking up a feast worthy of a major guilt trip afterwards. I just want something yummy (i.e., not healthy) that will be ready in the time it takes Special Agent OSO to do his 3 special steps. So Mexican Lasagna is what’s on the menu tonight in our house. There might also be a michelada or two (or 3).