Something sweet...

Today I went with Micky to a bakery where I had the best truffle cake with mocha in the world! And for the occasion, nothing better to wear than one of my brand new vintage sweaters I bought at the Flea market.

 

 

They had such a good stuff, yummy!!

And then, I bought this wonderful skirt only for 9 €; such a good bargain! I really love it!

You can see I have not done much else today ... well, there's one I made ... I cut my bangs...

I'll show you tomorrow!! Thanks for reading!

Recipes and Reform

Boy, do I have a treat for you all today! Go to Gina's WW Recipes for some WONDERFUL and EASY recipes to try! My patient load is light today and I was able to spend some time perusing her blog this morning, saving TONS of recipes I'd like to try! If you enter your email address into her FeedBurner, you'll never miss a great recipe delivered right to your inbox!

Today for lunch I ordered take-out from Chili's Guiltless Grill (our microwave at work is still on the fritz)...the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich to be exact. It was really good! I was feeling great about my "Guiltless Grill" selection until I learned of the sodium...over 2,300 milligrams! Ahhh! At least the sandwich was only 386 calories, 7 grams of fat, and contained 9 grams of fiber??? :-/ Disappointing, Chili's! Very disappointing! I've also been reading Gina's blog, which has probably made me hypersensitive about sodium levels...which is a good thing!!!!!

Today for a snack I tried the Kay's Naturals Honey Almond Protein Cereal (gluten-free). I love the crunch of a cereal, but would be interested to see if the crunch held when served with milk (I ate the cereal plain). Most gluten-free products are "airy" in taste, weight, and texture...and the Kay's Naturals products are no exception. Though I should mention, I am a fan of the "light-weight" nature of gluten-free products...less bloat, I feel. The Honey Almond Protein Cereal is lightly sweetened, nothing over-powering which I prefer. Again, the portion size is excellent and one serving contains 100 calories, 3 grams of fiber, and 9 grams of protein! Nice work, Kay's Naturals...I am LOVING your products! Thank you!!

And in the news...a feather in the caps of those like myself in prevention...

A new poll for American's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows the majority of Americans consider disease prevention the MOST important element of health care reform.

The US Department of Health and Human Services aimed to reduce obesity rates to 15% in every state before 2010 (baaahahaha!). However, the trend is showing movement in the opposite direction -- obesity rates continuing to rise. As of 1991, no US state had an obesity rate over 20%. Today, only Colorado has an obesity rate under 20%.

In playing devil's advocate I have to propose...DO we (as a nation) want to change, or are we just sick and tired of our ill-fate if trends continue? 

If you had to take a side in this debate, what do you feel is consensus for the nation as a whole: 

a) improve health through prevention (nutrition, exercise, and preventative health care)

--OR--

b) continue Western medicine of treating the disease and not the problem

Roast Duck Breast with Pomegranate-Chipotle Sauce

     

    
WOW & OMG - whether you’re an old-schooler or a member of the texting generation, this recipe will inspire such a response. The dish is visually arresting. The picture above does not do it justice. My sauce was deeper, providing a better contrast with redder pomegranate seeds, which I think were more ripe than those in the picture. Similarly, my green beans were not overcooked, and thus more vibrantly green. I was inspired to do this dish, provided in the current issue of Bon Appetit, by the seasonal nature of pomegranates in stores now. The upcoming holidays also inspired me to do something special, and the red and green of this dish make it a potential Christmas-time selection. As wonderful as it looks, it is simple and easy to prepare. The sauce contains just a few ingredients and most of the prep time does not require attention. Similarly, roasting a duck breast is quick and easy. As for taste, what smells better than sauteed/roasted duck fat? The pomegranate sauce seems luxurious and decadent at the same time, and the chipotle spice give an added dimension that would make Bobby Flay proud. Treat that special someone to this recipe and you won’t regret it. Serves 2.
  
Ingredients:
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
2 cups pomegranate juice (such as Pom)
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1/4 tsp ground chipotle
1 ½ tsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp ground cumin
salt/pepper
1 6 oz. boneless duck breast
ground coriander
seeds from 1/2 a pomegranate
 
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. For the sauce, in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, stir sugar into the water until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil sugar until syrup is deep amber color, about 8 minutes. Add juice and broth and simmer down until sauce is reduced to 1 ½ cups. Reduce heat to just enough to keep warm and stir in vinegar, cumin, chipotle and salt/pepper to taste.
Score the duck breast by cutting through the fat, but not the meat, 5 times on the diagonal in one direction and 5 more times the other to make a diamond pattern. Season both sides with salt, pepper and coriander. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add duck, skin side down. Cook until skin is crisp and deep brown, about 7 minutes. Turn duck over and cook a further minute. Transfer skillet to the oven and roast: 6 minutes for rare, 8 minutes medium-rare, 10 minutes for medium. Transfer duck to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Thinly slice the breast cross-wise. Arrange slices on a plate, spoon sauce over, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. Pair with green beans cooked with butter and sliced almonds.
   

Ramean lagi-birthday party nya Tomoki

17 November 2009, selasa

Hari ini birthday party nya anaknya temen gw, dari semalem bingung juga, mo pegi ato ga? Soalnya cuaca ga mendukung, hujan seharian. Suami ngalah mo pake motor buat pergi kerja, so gw bisa bawa tuh mobilnya..hihi, thx ya papa....

Akhirnya dengan semangat 45, gw pergi da ke t4 temen gw, bawa pangsit goreng, sepagian sibuk bikin pangsit, mpe Xiang mewek juga gw cuekin,malah tambah mewek. Akhirnya gw gendong deh nyambil goreng..na lho?? Bayangkan gimana ribetnya, takut minyaknya muncrat kena dia...zzzzzzz. Mabok da kalo masak sementara anak rewel.

Nyampe disana, ternyata o ternyata gw tamu pertama nih..hihi, bisa nyomot2 makanan dulu, duh ga tau malu dah. Teman gw ini pinter masak soto ayam pake bumbu racikan sendiri, huh, kapan gw bisa bkin masakan Indo ga pake bumbu instant ya?? haha.

Jam 12an, uda pada ngumpul, akhirnya bisa makan2 nih, seneng dah. Bikin acara party ginian, seneng bisa ngumpul bareng org indo, ga usah pusing2 lagi pake bhs jepang, uda tinggal nyerocos sono sini dah n yg terpenting bisa makan makanan Indonesiaaa..

Acara terakhir pemotongan kue, kue nya juga bikinan temen gw yang lain...so ngumpul2 gini, kita saling bawa makanan, jadi rameee deh. Makanya game masaknya harus mulai lagi nih, biar pinter masakkkkkk..hohoho, ayo sapa yang mo ikutan???????