Marz was in our house

We had dinner tonight with Marz...poor thing wasn't feeling well...thought about not letting his germs in...but after all, it is Marz:)

Ever since I read Amy's post on how to make a salmon steak look pretty, I just had to do it myself. The end result looked the same but the process was not as clean as hers was! I found that my husband had hijacked my kitchen twine for some half-done project around the house. I had salmon slime all over my hands. It was fun and gross:)

Salmon steaks seared in the grill pan and finished off in the oven. I made a reduction of orange juice, dijon mustard, honey and dill to drizzle atop the salmon. YUM! Hubby said it tasted like marmalade - he didn't even know it was an OJ base either...he's so smart! Roast potatoes and garlic as well as a creamed sweet corn and sage veggie served alongside a salad. This is what Marz and Hubby ate...I had a huge salad with a can of tuna on top!

Dessert was a healthed-up cake mix using applesauce and egg whites instead of oil and whole eggs. I had a container of espresso buttercream frosting that I made from a previous time, so that saved me some effort. I just let it de"frost" and spread it over the cooled cake. I've never made a cake like that before. I liked the guilt it took away, but it wasn't moist and delicious like it should have been.

Let's talk about portion control

I'm going to make a HUGE effort to pay attention to my portion sizes at meals. I'm not going to try and trick myself into eating less, I'm actually going to weigh my food and not pile it on as I normally would. Hubby bought me a food scale for xmas ( I asked for it!) and I used it last night for the first time.

Naturally, this will affect the husband as well, so I can imagine he'll be sneaking into the fridge for the leftovers after I've gone to bed. That's 100% okay with me....because I'd probably do it if he didn't:D

I've read sooooooooooo many books, magazines and web articles on this subject...but never felt the motivation to take charge of it. If something tastes yummy, I just want to eat A LOT of it...but no more. No way.

I have taken on a 12 week challenge to drop 15 pounds and I know I can do the work. The food is what's next:
* Woman's fist or baseball - a serving of vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist
* A rounded handful - about one half cup cooked or raw veggies or cut fruit, a piece of fruit, or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta - this is a good measure for a snack serving, such as chips or pretzels
* Deck of cards - a serving of meat, fish or poultry or the palm of your hand (don't count your fingers!) - for example, one chicken breast, ¼ pound hamburger patty or a medium pork chop
* Golf ball or large egg - one quarter cup of dried fruit or nuts
* Tennis ball - about one half cup of ice cream
* Computer mouse - about the size of a small baked potato
* Compact disc - about the size of one serving of pancake or small waffle
* Thumb tip - about one teaspoon of peanut butter
* Six dice - a serving of cheese
* Check book - a serving of fish (approximately 3 oz.)
* Eyeball it! - Take a look at the recommended serving sizes on the new USDA MyPyramid Food Guidance System. Get out a measuring cup or a food scale and practice measuring some of your favorite foods onto a plate, so that you can see how much (or how little!) a ½ cup or 3-ounce serving is. This will help you "eyeball" a reasonable serving!

This was our dinner last night - perfect portion sizes and it looks like so much food! It was 4 oz baked sweet potato, 3 oz lean pork tenderloin, 1 cup of spinach and 1/4 cup each of tomatoes and mushrooms. I drizzled just a *touch* of olive oil and white balsamic vinegar over the top. It was enough and it was yummy:)

I'm baaaaaack...... Here's a long post for ya:)

A week in England is definitely long enough time away from the California sunshine. It was a great trip, we got lots of photos...unfortunately I was too lazy to change any of my camera settings so some of them turned out a bit spazzy. If you'd like to see all of the lovely photos plesae visit my smugmug gallery:
Pictures of the England trip

While there, I was only able to run twice. Hyde Park in London was an amazingly surreal early morning run. I ran alongside The Serpentine...where - I'm told by my hubby - some crazies break the ice in the middle of winter and swim the distance of it! Now, I've done some cold water swimming in my life....but frozen river water? I don't think so! The second run I got in was in my hubby's hometown of St. Helens, the perimeter of Sherdley Park. This is always a nice and easy run. Every other day was just too cold, wet and dark for me to motivate.

Although we ate semi-badly in the UK, I didn't gain any weight....but I was completly bloated the entire time....thanks to the beer. That's all gone now, thank god. I can see my waist again:D They just don't have a salad mentality over there. You're pretty much stuck with boiled meat packed in pastry dough...or chips with everything. His family loves leaving chocolate and chips out to eat and they graze on it all while watching tv. It's very dangerous. It's a good thing we had things to do away from home all week.

We toured London - Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Piccadilly Circus, Soho and Kensington.

The rest of the trip we went shopping at the Trafford Centre in Manchester, walked around Liverpool to see the birthplace of the Beatles' music, and drove to Wales and stopped at Caernarfon Castle.

Mom and I also spent a day at the Haydock Park horse races while Les finished up his shopping. We won on two out of the three races we bet on!

I have to tell you that we were totally raped by the exchange rate. Every $100 was only worth 54 GBP. That hurt a lot, so we didn't spent a whole lot of money. I wish our president would get his head out of his ass and stop weakening our dollar with this war - and people need to stop using credit cards. We're a country in debt and our currency is worthless.

I got right back on track as soon as I came home. Mom and I went on a bike ride, here she is about to pass me:
I've been to track practice with my tri club (Silicon Valley Triathlon Club)...which was an amazing workout. I'd never push myself that hard on my own, so I've decided to show up every week - to get the most out of the $65 I've paid for the past three years for the dues! I've also been to the gym for strength training and can definitely notice some muscle definition in my arms, quads and bottom. YAY!

I've not touched any of the chocolate that is in this house right now because I took some pictures of myself in a bikini - it's just wrong, I shouldn't have this much fat on my body. So, I look at the pictures when I want to snack....that keeps the bad habits at bay for now. I'm going to take weekly pitures so I can quantify my progress. I've given myself a 12 week goal to get from 165 to 150. Then the next 12 weeks will get me from 150-135. I'll stop around 140 if I think I look too thin. Then I will be happy:)

There you have it, KT all caught up. Go forth and conquer the world my friends, it's the start of the new year and you can do anything!

I'm off to England folks! And WCB #30

First I want to let you all know that I've been really good about working out the past few days. I have gotten some kind of weight lifing bug and have really stepped my gym workouts a bit. I stumbled across this site and realize that I think I'm just not lifting enough. Now, I don't want to be super cut like the woman on this site, but I do want to have my lean muscle increased by A LOT. So, I've joined their email list and am absorbing all the information I can;)

Hubby and I are taking my mom to England for a week, we leave tomorrow. It's hubby's mom's 50th birthday and we're surprising her with this visit. It's going to be a great trip. I have my running shoes and cold weather gear with me, so there's no excuse not to get fit while on vacation! No SLACKING off for this girl:D

Happy New Year everyone, thank you so much for all of your support! I leave you now with a photo of our little Stella...whom I will miss sooooooooooo much. I'll especially miss her slashing me in the middle of the night. Damn wild kitten!


Those of you that would like to join in the kitty blogging fun, visit Clare at Eatstuff and provide your permalink to her in the WCB comments. If you'd rather post your doggie pics, head on over to Sweetnicks and do that too!

Not a whole lot of workin' going on you say?

Yes, I am well aware of this. Thank you very much. The holidays turn me into this extremely lazy cow and I just want to be on the couch or sleeping. My poor bike has been neglected for two weeks and I can't even remember when I was in the pool last. It's been two weeks since I've been to the gym too. I was doing so good during the beginning of my off-season too.

I have got to do something before our trip to England on Sunday. There will be very little chance for exercising over there.

OH JESUS! As I type this, my evil hubby brought cookies into the living room! Damn it all to hell...Waaahhh:((((

Homemade Pasta Sauce

You have to admit that this is much better than last night's meal, right? Oh, yes it is. I like my pasta sauce to be a bit spicy and salty. I had a hard time getting it right tonight. Something was just not right. Les liked it a lot though.

Lean ground beef, onions, LOTS of garlic, salt, oregano, dried chile flakes, flat leaf parsley, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste. I also added a tiny bit of brown sugar and a splash of white balsamic vinegar too.

To me, this is the perfect consistency, but I would have liked it just a bit saltier. I think I would have overdone it though...not everyone loves salt the way I do. I would marry it if I weren't already happily married to my Englishman that is also a genius:)

BBQ Spare Ribs

Soooooooooooooooooooooo unhealthy, I know people! But, but, but...we really wanted them! And when I saw Les reaching for a BOXED appetizer of spare ribs from the grocery store freezer section the other day. "Oh, no!" I said, "Honey, let me make you some yummy ribs and leave these here:)"

I bought de-boned pork spare ribs and started them marinading in my proprietary marinade. They soaked in this spicy and citrus-y mix overnight. Due to the citrus, the meat cooks a little bit...which is okay;) I put them into the oven for 1.5 hours covered with foil at 350 degrees. Turn them over one time in the middle of cooking. The trick to good ribs is "low and slow" braising. Kinda like Long Slow Distance running is to a triathlete;)

While they are in the oven I'll make my proprietary bbq sauce. After the first 1.5 hrs of cooking, I'll remove the foil and drain all juice from the pan. Then you brush half of the bbq sauce on them and put them back into the oven for a half hour. At the end of this half hour, turn them again and brush the other half of the sauce on.

Serve with a salad...it's the only way to reduce the guilt. Notice I said 'reduce', not 'remove':D

Christmas Dinner 2005

Keith, Mom and my neice Raquel spent Christmas evening with us. Les made dinner and it was scrumdidliumptious! He made us a spicy mustard crusted roast beast, roast potatoes and bacon-wrapped sausages, parnips and yams. I made the obligatory green bean casserole only because I was craving it.

I am so happy when the family is here and the hubby cooks, so I got a double bonus for Christmas:)


Here is a blurry photo of us at the table, still trying to figure out the settings on the new digital camera!


Mom made pumpking tartlets and I made a fruit tart with citrus cream cheese filling.

Healthy (er) Turkey Reuben

It's funny how cravings work...I couldn't decide whether I wanted a grilled cheese sammy, a bowl of saurkraut ora piece of turkey. So, I brought it all together and made a turkey reuben with homemade thousand island dressing.

Trying on clothes = pain

Okay, I know I'm not a fatty boom-batty, but still...when it comes to trying on new clothes...it's seriously hurts me. The small dressing rooms that make you look like a giant, the horrible lighting that falls right into every crevice on your thighs, the mirrors that *seem* to distort your shape and turn you into a smooshed version of your real self....and let's not forget about the size and fit of the clothes themselves.

I feel like I'm getting bigger each time I shop, but that just can't be the case. It seems like all the cute clothes are catering to size 2 women with eating disorders. Booooo to the clothing manufacturers for making me feel aweful about myself >:-( Boo.

Have you seen this?!!!

OH MY GOD, I'm dying of Cute Overload!. You must see for yourself..go...go now!

weird KT

Nytro tagged everyone to do this and I laughed my ass off when I read hers. She is, by far, the quirkiest virtual person I know;) What is most peculiar, though, is that we have some of the same weirness going on and I just didn't think there were people out there like me!

So, I like to catalog what sets me apart just as much as the next person, so here you go...I'm not sure how many you'll get because I'm a bit tired...but at least I'm making an effort:P

1) I eat half of my sandwich the normal way and pick the other half apart and eat each ingredient separately.

2) I only eat Doritos that have A LOT of flavor dust on them.

3) The clothes in my closet have to face left otherwise it will keep me up at night- but at least I don't color code them.

4) I must be in the middle of multiple projects at once and not finish one before moving on to the next...I do them all at the same time in little spurts...this drives me CRAZY...but I can't stop it.

5) I do not dust anything in my house and I only scrub things every other month. Everyday the house gets a wipedown with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. Hey....we rarely get sick in this house, so I must be doing something right!

6) I kill every indoor plant that comes to live with me. But all of my outdoor plants do just fine.

7) I like to lie....well...not lie...but disagree with people even when I know they are right! It's sick, I know.

8) If I had a phaser like Captain Kirk in Star Trek did, I would shoot every single person I come in contact with.

9) I like and respect my animals more than most people.

10) I cannot put my makeup on if my husband is watching me.

11) I do not like talking on the phone...as a matter of fact I hate it very much.

12) I eat all the chocolate off of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup first, then eat the peanut butter.

13) My hubby and I have our own language that only we understand. Currently our favorite catch-phrase is "shnarfy parps". It's most likely used when we're bored, tired or ready for bed. Instead of saying, "let's go to bed", we say "shnarfy parps!" When hubby is reeeealllyy tired, he yawns and says, "shnarfyparparama" at the same time:D

14) I am addicted to chapstick. I have around 15 tubes of it at the moment. I re-apply often but have only once been able to finish a whole tube. I either get tired of the flavor, wash them in the machine, or lose them.

15) I can't EVER seem to find anything to wear. No matter how many clothes are in my closet, I never like any of it.

16) I have three tattoos: purple four-leaf clover on my lower back, purple and blue yin/yan symbol on my toe, sun-moon-stars on my left ankle. I tried to remove the one on my toe with "magic tatto removal cream" but it was a load of crap and didn't work.
17) I love to nap. Napping is good.

18) I have no patience at all. And don't anger me when I'm being impatient...that just turns a bad situation to worse in zero seconds!

19) I love Halloween and the Fall because it's spooky.

20) I have always wanted a unicorn, but not even my hubby will get me one.

21) My guiltiest pleasure is sneaking into the freezer at night and eating ice cream right out of the container! Okay, maybe not my *guiltiest* pleasure...but this is not an X-rated site and I don't know you that well...so bugger off!

22) I am a certified equine sports massage therapist:)

23) I once knocked a (female) bartender out cold for laughing at me while singing karaoke. I was only slightly intoxicated!

24) If I could, I would live in these shorts, this hoodie and these socks.

25) I have guilt. Mostly about the free greeting cards or address stickers that the Humane Society and World Wildlife Fund send you. If I get these things, I have no choice but to send them money. I also have guilt about eating too much. If I eat too much, I must immediately go to the gym or I'll do an extra half hour the next days' workout. Sick.

That's all I can think of for now. Maybe I'll update it if I dig deep into the scary recesses of my soul to admit to having more weirdness.

Kitty Spoons for WCB#28

Stella and Butterscotch love each other very much. Stella, the slasher kitten, must always be touching Butterscotch in some way or another. If Stella is in her kitty condo and Buddy is on the platform below, she has to stick her little paw out as far as she can and touch his head. If he's sitting in the middle of the living room, she has to run up to him and stick her butt right in his face and then sit on him. This is what usually ends up happening though....it doesn't matter where Buddy is sleeping, she must sprawl out on him like she is below with her long back leg. It's just too cute!


Cat food bloggers unite every weekend and share photos of your gorgeous kitties with us! Those of you that would like to join in the kitty blogging fun, visit Clare at Eatstuff and provide your permalink. If you'd rather post your doggie pics, head on over to Sweetnicks and do that too!

Anniversary Dinner

Today marks the third year of the hubby and me being married blissfully. I am so incredibly lucky to have him to share my life with. He truly is my life, my love, my everything and I know that I will love him with all I am forever and a day and even longer than that.

I want to tell you how thoughful my hubby is and why he is such a stud. 1) He actually takes the time to figure out what each year's anniversary gifts are and 2) he acts upon them. The first anniversary gift is paper so he bought me a book of Oragami! The second anniversary is cotton so he bought me a yellow cotton t-shirt with the very first note he ever wrote me ironed on the front! The third year is leather so he bought me a pair of leather gloves for our trip to England in January. See, told you he's a total stallion! I can't wait for our 60th...that's when I get diamonds:D Hey...he's set the presidence already...can't change the rules now:D

I wanted to make him a yummy dinner because he has been working so hard and he takes such good care of me and our furry children. I greeted him when he came home with a kiss and a Guiness Draft and set to cooking our anniversary feast:D

Hors d'Oeuvres -
Shrimp and fresh cocktail sauce - the easiest thing to make ever! Ketchup and horseradish sauce...lots of horseradish:)

Salad -
Spinach salad with grape tomatoes, hearts of palm and citrus ginger dressing (from "Fast Entrees" by Hugh Carpenter book that Sheri bought me for xmas, thanks Sheri!). I tasted the dressing each step of the way with my new tasting spoons that I took out of my new tasting spoon bowl...that Sheri also got me for xmas:D

Main Course -
Grilled New York Strip topped with marinated mushrooms. Broccoli with Fontana and Havarti cheeses topped with crisp crackers and a twice baked yam.


Dessert -
Rich Chocolate Mousse...half semi-sweet and half bittersweet chocolate...all Ghirardelli. This was my second ever attempt at mousse and I am proud to say that this was nice...nice...nice. Les couldn't bring himself to eat the heart, so he ate everything he possibly could and made the structure unsafe for future building. His mousse has been condemned!

Find the Kitty and Weekend Cat Blogging #27

Stella loves to burrow and find little hidey-hole places. This is how she and I play, I try to make the bed and she gets in all the blankets prohibiting any kind of straightening up at all:D

Today is another lazy day, I am really feeling off my game. Perhaps some cookie-making might make me feel better...yeah...cookies...that's going to make me feel great!

Cat food bloggers unite every weekend and share photos of your gorgeous kitties with us! Those of you that would like to join in the kitty blogging fun, visit Clare at Eatstuff and provide your permalink. If you'd rather post your doggie pics, head on over to Sweetnicks and do that too!

Sleeping All Day

That's what today was all about. For some reason I just had to do it. I woke up at 7:30am like normal and then fell right back asleep until 11am. Then the hubby and I lazed on the couch all day watching Food Network and National Geographic Channels.

I managed to get off of the couch around 2pm to make an incredible lunch. It's amazing what you can put together when you don't have much in the fridge. I made a carrot risotto figole. Carrots, white beans, risotto rice and some butter and olive oil and broth. I had some canadian back bacon in the freezer so I threw that in as well. I topped it all with the last of the cumin gouda and a sweet chile pepper sauce. Yum. It's all gone, I've never seen Les get up for seconds with last bite from the first serving still in his mouth!

After lunch, I watched a little more tv and then went back to bed until just before 6pm. Now I finally feel rested! I think my body needs more recovery time from all the gym work I've been doing the past couple of weeks. I've really been hitting it hard, lots of weights and cardio combined. I can feel my body becoming stronger, now I've just gotta start my base training to get the fat off. Long Steady (not necessarily slow) Distance...I'm calling for you buddy....get out of bed!

Cumin Cheese Covered Chicken

Sunday at the Santana Row Farmer's Market Les and I sampled some cheese from the Oakdale Cheese Company. We liked the Cumin Gouda the best so I had two plans for it. The first was to smother chicken breasts with it and carmelized onions....and the second to be revealed in a couple of days.

I made Oma's red cabbage recipe except this time added some chili pepper flakes...whooooooooo sweet and spicy! I roasted the broccoli because it's just my favorite way to eat it. I had a huge salad for lunch and am still full from it, so I only munched on a couple of broccoli florets. Les got the full plate because I'm a good wifey and I take very well care of him:D

Best Birthday Surprise

Last night, Les told me that he was taking me out for dinner on my birthday...no different than any other birthday, right? Wrong! Sneaky hubby gathered about 20 of our closest friends and family to surprise me on the anniversary of my 30th year on this planet. In a previous life, I came from another planet...but that's a different story to be saved for a time when I can make something up that sounds really clever;)

We went to Gordon Biersch and I walked up and saw all of my favorite people there with big smiles on their faces because they pulled one over on the old K-to-the-T! This is a case of turn about is fair play for the surprise parties I threw for the hubby the last two years in a row.

So we ate dinner and drank and were merry and all that. Then I got PRESENTS! Goddam I love pressies. I love the entire process...the shaking of the package, the tearing off of ribbons and bows, the unwrapping sounds of crinkling paper...and most of all the wonder and amazement of the item itself. It's something that is all mine..nobody elses...MINE! It turns me into a two year old, I swear. See....cheesy smile and the excited hand-clap of getting pressies!


After dinner, we hit Blue Monkey bar for another drink and that's where I snapped this photo of Marz "Elvis Monkey" Faram, Les "Smiles Nice" Carter and Joe "I usually have my eyes shut in photos but not this time" DiFalco:D

Also got this one of me and my Mommy


And to end the night off right, we walked over to the Hookah Lounge and chilled with some passionfruit and apple-mint tobacco smoked out of the hookahs. I am not a smoker, but have become hopelessly smitten with the hookah and the yummy (not wholesome or healthy, mind you...) goodness of tobacco filtered through water...yes..I know what you're thinking...but this is different from the typical bong you may - or may not have if you're Pres Clinton - smoked when you were a stoned twenty-something living in San Diego:P You need not be a smoker to appreciate the hookah. And my last gift of the night was from Marz when he bought me my very own hookah! It's white and came with a silver carrying case and he also sprung for some mango flavored tobacco and a box of charcoal. Thanks Marz...sweetie..you rock! Here is a pic of us with the hookah:)


The hubby did real good about bringing the friends together and I love them all very much...awwww...:) It felt so special and it definitely softened the blow about that whole turning 30 issue....even though I wasn't all that stressed out about it in the first place. My friend Misha said, "welcome to the dirty thirties"...I'm not sure what that means...but I'm excited to find out!

Pics of the night can be viewed here on Marz's SmugMug and here on KT's SmugMug

Potato Leek Soup

Last week, I made some scrumptious potato leek soup with inspiration from Sara at I like to cook. Les and I picked some big leeks up from the Santana Row Farmer's Market along with little red potatoes. This soup was so easy to make I can't believe it's taken me so long to decide to try it.

Although I do appreciate this potato soup recipe, I will NOT EVER attempt the Penis Stew recipe that she has posted (for fun)...for the love of god some folks come up with some crazy shit to eat! Anything that calls for penis and the need to scald it is just plain wrong.

Sautee the leeks with olive oil, shallot, garlic, salt and pepper. Add potatoes and about 4 cups of broth to the saute and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Then puree in a blender or food processor with heavy cream. I served this with more cream and a sprig of parsley. Yum.

Birthday Flowers and perfect opportunity for WCB #26

Les' folks just sent me some amazingly beautiful birthday flowers. Stella is intrigued by their beauty and wants to know what they taste like....bad kitty! Here she is admiring the gorgeous scent they are infusing throughout the house.


Those of you that would like to join in the kitty blogging fun, visit Clare at Eatstuff and provide your permalink. If you'd rather post your doggie pics, head on over to Sweetnicks and do that too!