These Are a Few of

My Favorite Things...

A chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc (my recent favorite, Starborough, from Marlborough, New Zealand), gourmet chocolates from Ethel's, especially the lemon caramel hearts (thanks Maggie ;), and a bouquet of bright red tulips (which I would prefer any day over tired roses)!

A DELICIOUS TREAT YOU CAN FEEL (KINDA) GOOD ABOUT

A friend of mine introduced me to the "No Pudge" brownies several months ago and I feel as though I need to let everyone know...they are so goey and fudgey, it's really hard to believe that they are fat-free!! All you do is add 2/3 cup of fat-free yogurt to the powder mix, which contains all natural ingredients (I kind of cheat, and use Stoneybrook Farms Low-fat Organic "Banilla" instead of fat-free. It makes them extra delicious and adds only 2 grams of fat to the entire batch). ONE brownie will set you back just over 100 calories. A word of caution though... it's really hard to eat just one and eating half the pan in one sitting is not exactly "pudgeless"! ;)

SILICONE BAKING SHEETS:

CAN PLASTIC TRULY BE SAFE TO COOK ON?

I was given a couple silicone baking sheets for Christmas and I am very skeptical about their safety. I have used them several times and they "smoke" in the oven. They cause the smoke alarm to go off every time! On top of that, while they are piping hot in the oven, they bubble up and look like, well, plastic melting! I've baked cookies and garlic bread on them and they've turned out fine and tasted completely normal, but I can't help but wonder if experts will tell us ten years from now that plastic baking sheets have been linked to causing cancer...

Not going to find out the hard way...I've retired my set. I can still use them for other things maybe, but these guys won't be seeing any more oven time!

FIRST "HOMEMADE" LASAGNA

For some reason, I have always shied away from making lasagna. Maybe it was all the layering, but it sounded a bit complicated and messy. Growing up in an Italian family, you'd think that would have been a staple food, but we ate homemade spaghetti and manicotti much more often! I decided to give it a try and, although it was a messy process, it was WELL worth it!! I can't claim that it was entirely "homemade" however, because I didn't use my own sauce (that would have taken even longer) and I didn't make my own pasta... (tisk tisk, Nonna, I know)!! I was given a family recipe, but there weren't many exact measurements and I since it was my first time making it, I decided to go with the tried and true recipe on the back of the San Giorgio Lasagna box! I added an onion, green pepper & garlic, plus used a little more cheese and sauce than they recommended, but it turned out absolutely delicious!! Seeing the satisfied, saucy smiles on the boys' faces as they scarfed it down made it all worthwhile!

DANCING JELLYFISH

On Valentine's Day, we visited the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky, across the river from Cincinnati. We had a great time and Benny truly enjoyed it. The jellyfish really seemed to amaze him! Despite it not being a very romantic day, it was filled with lots of love!! My Nonna, Aunt Anita, cousin Dan and his entire family spent the day with us feeding tropical birds, watching the sharks swim and the penguins waddle. There were so many cool exhibits and animals to touch and experience! It was well worth the $20 admission price, although the cafeteria food was way over-priced and a little less than appetizing! I love how they force you to walk through the gift shop upon exiting! Great marketing technique, I'll give them props on that!! Ben walked away with a rather sparkly seahorse, complements of Nonna!

HERE'S TO DREAMING...Humboldt County, California

Beautiful coastlines,
lush forests,
vineyards peppered throughout the hills...
and plants growing the way nature intended...

Looks like heaven on earth to me, I'm ready to pack my bags and move out there tomorrow!!!

WEEKLY RANDOM PHOTO

What can I say, I LOVE my boys!!