100 Day Diet - Day 23

8:25 AM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments



I had to choose a magazine with Hugh on the cover *sigh*

I read an interesting little clip in Men's Health Magazine called 15 Ways to Rev Up Your Metabloism. I have blogged about the various ways to help speed up your weight loss and many of the things I have mentioned are on this list but there are a couple things on this particular list that I have not heard of before. I thought you might find it interesting and informative too.
Eat it.
The first thing is says is Don't Diet. This is something that I think we have all heard by now. If you starve yourself, your body thinks it is never going to see food again and begins to store fat. Then, as you burn calories, it burns them from your muscles. Muscles are a major fat burner on your body, so if you are getting rid of that, you are doing even more damage. On the diet I am on now, I am trying to eat all day long. The only time I do not eat is right before bed, with the exception of last night which I will get to later on. I try to have three meals and two snacks and to never be hungry except for at breakfast time.
Get plenty of sleep.
The next thing they say is to get plenty of sleep. If you don't get enough sleep your body is under a greater amount of stress and is less able to function properly. It also gives you less energy to burn off those extra calories. I always try to get eight hours of sleep a night. I don't always succeed but at least I give myself the time to lay down and rest.
Protein Protein Protein
The third thing is to eat more protein. I did not realize exactly HOW much protein one is supposed to be eating in a day. I was quite surprised to find out it is about .4g to .8g times pounds of body weight a DAY! That means I should be eating 60 to 100 grams of protein every single day. I don't even know how this is possible but they suggest that you add a serving to every meal. I do have an egg every morning and some sort of meat for lunch and/or dinner but perhaps I should try to ramp it up a bit.
Organic foods just taste better.
Next, they say to eat Organic whenever you can. The toxins in the pesticides are detrimental to weight loss among other things. It is more expensive but to save the full cost just buy the things that you know would have more toxins in them if they were not organic. This basically means, anything you eat the skin of should be organic. I already have learned to eat mostly organic because if my fruits and veggies are not, I dislike the taste. Once you have tasted farm fresh foods you simply can not go back to regular supermarket produce. There is so much more flavor when the fruits and vegetables are had crafted and cared for.
I wish my office looked like this when I stood up.
The fifth thing they mention is to move around a little more. They suggest that instead of sitting at your desk for long periods of time, stand up to do some of your work. An example would be to stand up when you are talking on the phone. I have to get up a lot at work but I do find myself sitting at my desk for long periods of time. After reading this article I have decided to stand up and do ten jumping jacks at least once an hour. I even set a little alarm. This will be easy so long as I have the office to myself. Once my office mate moves back into the room, which will be in a couple months, I might not be able to do that so easily. But we shall see!
I love my fried egg on toast.
I will go over the other ten in a later blog. I have bored you long enough
Yesterday I had my usual fried egg with tomato and mayo on toast for breakfast. I had cantaloupe for a morning snack. For lunch I had leftover tortellini with home made tomato sauce for lunch and yogurt for my afternoon snack. For dinner I ate a bunch of fruit.

Day 23 loss: 0.7 pounds
Total Loss: 7.7 pounds
Goal: 27.3 more to lose

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100 Day Diet - Day 21

8:33 AM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments


I wanted to do this 100 day diet so I can lose weight and then I would be able to come back to the blog and follow the same plan anytime I wanted to lose weight again in the future. I didn't factor into the equation Harvest. I make wine for a living. For people in this industry Harvest is the big deal of the entire year. This year it came late but it came nonetheless. I got distracted. I always get distracted. But this distraction is the mother of all distractions. I was not ready to adjust. I think I am sort of adjusted now to the 6 or 7 day work week and the 14 hour days.
So what I am trying to say is, sorry for not keeping up with my daily updates. What have I been up to the last two weeks? I have been a very bad girl. I have been going out to dinner, lunch, even breakfast. I just dont have time to cook. Plus I am very tired so when someone says "Let's just get take out.", it sounds like the best idea on the planet. I won't go into detail but I have had Vietnamese, cheeseburgers, sushi, Cuban, sandwiches, home fries, burritos, breakfast burritos, ice cream, pizza, cake, more cake, pie, coke and lots and lots of buttered popcorn, to name a few. It is difficult when the person you live with is not watching what he eats too but he is on track with me now and we agreed to only have take out once a week.
I have fallen into a little bit of a routine. For breakfast I have a fried egg on a piece of toast with sliced tomatoes and mayonnaise. I love this breakfast so much that I always want at least two but I restrain myself to only one. For lunch I have different things like an Amy's Vegetable Barley Soup or a piece of baked chicken that I just tossed in the toaster oven the night before. For a snack I have fruit and plain almonds. I am just starting to check out yogurt too. I really like this Aussie Dark Chocolate From Down Under I found at the store.


I will try to check in more often, I promise.

Today's loss: 0 pounds
Total loss: 7 pounds
Goal: 28 to go.

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100 Day Diet - Day 9

10:23 AM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments


I woke up craving protein so I had a fried egg on top of two of the bf's slices of pizza from the previous night. I know it is a bit of overkill but I have been spending the past few nights next to the bf's pizzas, take out and coconut creme pies. I had to break at some point.

I had the soup for lunch along with a bunch of strawberries and blueberries. I have so much fruit I dont quite know what to do with myself. I find that I am eating so much fruit that I am not drinking much water because I am perfectly hydrated from what I am eating.

I went to my parent's for dinner but there was a ton of unusual traffic due to some stupid man with a gun holed up in a hotel near the freeway so by the time I got there, it was too late to eat if I wanted to keep with the "not eating four hours before bedtime" thing.

This week is shaping up to be unhealthy for me. Not enough eating and when I do eat, it is weird things. Let's hope I even out by the end. The weekend is coming and I always screw up on the weekends.

Day 9 weight loss: 0.2 pounds
Total weight loss: 7.2 pounds
Goal: 32.8 pounds to go

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100 Day Diet - Day 8

11:20 AM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments


There just isn't enough protein in my Souper Soup. I spent the previous day eating only fruit so, naturally, my body was craving protein. I did not provide it with enough with the soup alone. So, for the whole day, I was tired and feeling run down. I had a large bowl of blueberries for breakfast and about a cup and a half of soup for lunch. I planned on having raspberries for dinner but I had a doctor's appointment and forgot all about dinner until I got home.

My doctor's appointment was regarding my Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have been struggling on and off with the disease for most of my life beginning when I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) at the tender age of 10. I have been able to manage the pain with various over the counter pain killers and anti-inflammatory medications. This past year the disease spread from my knees to my hands, wrists, elbows, ankles, toes and shoulder. I was put on Plaquenil (Hydroxychloroquine) and Prednisone. The Prednisone (steroids) worked great on the pain but they have nasty side effects like belly fat and face fat gain (moon face). As I slowly went off the Prednisone, it became apparent that the Plaquenil was not working.
This leaves me sitting in the doctor's office, forgetting to eat my dinner. The doctor put me back on Vicodin so I can ease the pain as I go off of the Prednisone. The next step is to go off of the Plaquenil and try something different. Sadly, it is advised not to drink alcohol when taking this medication. Oh well, the doctor said he would try to work something out with me seeing as how I make alcohol for a living.

Stressful, sleepy day. I do not recommend this day's meal plan to anyone. I even slept bad. Next time: much more protein.

Day 8 weight loss: 2 pounds
Total weight loss: 7 pounds
Goal: 33 pounds to go

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100 Day Diet - Day 7

7:34 AM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments


I had to make up for the naughty things I did over the weekend. I have to say, I do not regret the things I did because I had so much fun doing them! But if I am seriously trying to do a 100 day diet, I can't be taking days off every weekend.

After our movie night on Saturday, we had a ton of leftover fruit that never got used. I decided to spend the whole day of day 7 eating nothing but fruit. I had a big basket of strawberries for breakfast, a bowl of blueberries for lunch and some raspberries for dinner as I drove home.

It didn't make it easy for me when the bf is sitting next to me on the couch with an entire coconut creme pie on his lap, offering me bites. I managed to refuse these offers and go to bed on time. I actually got about eight hours of sleep!

Before I went to bed I made my super soup. You can reference an old blog of mine to see the recipe. I had researched a lot of different ingredients to come up with this soup. I added in foods from four categories: Fat melting, Detoxifying and Cleansing, Protein and Flavor. I also added foods like ginger to sooth the stomach during the tumultuous dieting period.

It took me no more than 10 minutes to blend up about 5 cups of the super soup. I plan on having that all week long.

Day 7 weight loss: 1 pound
Total weight loss: 4.9 pounds
Goal: 35.1 to go.

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100 Day Diet - Day 5 & 6

8:09 AM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments


If Zed of Zardoz can fit in a bikini, I should be able to too.

Well, I was good for about half the day, then all hell broke loose. I had my fried egg for breakfast and a bunch of fruit for lunch. I had a ton of blueberries and almonds which kept me pretty full all day. Then came dinner time. We went to the Supper Club and it was so much fun!
Miss V

We were shown to our bed by a really nice transvestite named Miss V. I remember V from when I used to frequent the club more often. I decided to have a little drink so I ordered a vodka martini. The bf went crazy and also ordered a drink. All their drinks had bed related names. I think he got a slumbertime which was berry vodka and muddled blueberries and a pomegranate syrup. It was yummy.

The appetizer was popcorn with a sweet and spicy syrup on it. We gobbled it down and tried to eat our neighbors too because it was divine. The first course came shortly after, luckily, so we did not get ourselves into trouble. It was a lovely soup with chunks of bacon in it. The first show was a fantastic Motown/Soul singer lady. She sounded and looked awesome in her gold dress. We were quite impressed.

The second course was served in a dog bowl. It was perfectly cooked fish on a bed of lentils. I tasted sliced almonds and raisins in there too. This was my favorite meal of the night. I wolfed it down - pun intended....get it? Dog bowl? Wolf? I digress...

The second show was like a bordello dance with four or five ladies in fishnet stalkings and fringe lined bustiers. They went around the room shaking their heineys.
Booty Shaking Contest

The third course was a steak in a sauce. It was ok but I missed the fish dish already. The show after this course was a little different from what I am used to. The wanted volunteers to do a "booty shaking" contest. About 20 women lined up in the center of the dance floor. To my surprise, the bf joined the contest too. So did a friend of mine. I felt compelled to enter too since everyone was up there.

My friend went and shook his hips all around. He got low and he got a little dirty. Next, was the bf. He shook it all he could. The dj gave him the nickname Lurch. Then it was my turn. I was nothing special. I hiked up my skirt a little and did a booty shake but it was more of a booty sway. If I really got it all shaking, it would be days before I could get it to stop shaking so I held back. The other 20 women were wild. One girl got her entire dress up over her shoulders showing way more than anyone wanted to see of her. She looked like a nine year old boy in little panties. Enough to make a person lose their first three courses. There were timid ones, mostly slutty ones, pretty ones and hideous ones. I was not picked to go to the second round. The bf was though. In fact, he made it to the final round. Then, he won! We left with a bottle of champagne and a new nickname. Not bad for one night out to dinner.

I look forward to going back again with friends sometime. We were buzzing from how much fun we had so we had a few more drinks back at the house. We ended up going to bed at 4am.

So, needless to say, I went off the diet a little bit. The following day took me even further from the diet. With only a few hours of sleep I was grumpy but we needed to get snacks for that night's movie night. We went to Costco and picked up a boat load of fruit thinking we would snack healthy by making a giant bowl of cut up fruits. We got weird looking melons, a huge pack of strawberries, five boxes of raspberries, a pineapple and more. Along the way I was snacking on all the free samples of food they had to offer. I had a fried chicken sandwich, a cheese steak sandwich, chips and dip and some hot links. All that mini snacking made me even more hungry so when the bf suggested we just swing by Taco Bell I just couldn't resist. Two mexi-melts and a chalupa later I felt much better but much worse at the same time.
That night we ordered four family sized pizzas for the seven of us. I must have eaten almost a whole pizza all by myself. Movie night was awesome though. We watched Zardoz and The Room. Two absolutely great bad movies.

I managed to get ten hours of sleep that night despite having a bunch of friends over. Sunday I still didn't keep to my diet. We went to two movies. Saw Final Destination 5 which was even worse than I had expected. Thank Goodness I only paid matinee prices. Then we saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes for a second time. In the course of these two movies I ate a whole medium sized bad of popcorn loaded in butter, a box of Reeses Pieces and a box of Malt Balls. I washed it all down with a small Cherry Coke. When we left the theater, the bf suggested we get sushi and I just cant turn that stuff down. We ordered six rolls, then picked up a giant bottle of sake.

I was feeling a bit sick from all the buttered popcorn so I could barely eat the sushi. I was, however, able to drink a bit of the sake. I drank just enough that my stomach felt better. Just before bed I gorged on six slices of left over pizza. Oops.
Papa Murphys
Back on track tomorrow, I swear.

Day 6 weight gain: 3 pounds
Total weight loss: 3.9 pounds
Goal: 36.1 pounds to go

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100 Day Diet - Day 4

9:03 AM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments



I always lose weight fast in the first few days of a diet. That is probably just because it is all water weight or whatever. I don't much care what the reason is, I just love the fact that I lose weight so fast, so easily. Another reason why might be because I start diets on Mondays usually and have all work week to be disciplined. The weekend is coming up and that is where I get myself into trouble.

This weekend we are going to the Supperclub for dinner. This is a super fun place to go for a night out. When I was single I was a VIP here. I used to show up nearly every night. There are several Supperclubs throughout the world. We are lucky to have one in San Francisco. It is a restaurant, a night club, a dance club, a circus and so much more. The most unique part of it is that you do it all in bed. The club is made up of beds and that is where you eat and drink...in bed! They serve you a four course meal, that is delicious and there is a show between each meal. You enjoy your meals in bed while watching the show. I have seen escape artists, trapeze artists, opera singers and a stripper in a water tank among many other interesting things. Even the servers are interesting. I have once been checked in for dinner in the men's bathroom by a transvestite sitting on a toilet.
I will not be drinking but I will be eating. I hope I dont gain too much because of it. To help make up for the indulgence I will be making my Super Soup this weekend with the wonderful fresh veggies my wonderful mother got for me at the farmer's market.

My meal plan has not changed much. I had half of a grapefruit because that is all I had left and a fried egg sandwich again for breakfast. This time I had no pepperoni so I put some left over salsa on it. For lunch I had a small, baked chicken breast and a big handful of fresh, steamed green beans, both of which I had cooked the night before. To those, I added a little bit of some left over spicy, ground sausage. It was a heck of a lot of food to eat but I was super hungry. I had breakfast at around 7:30 and lunch at 10:30. I got pretty busy at work and didn't even have time for my afternoon snack of almonds.
When I got home I was so very pleased to find the bounty of above mentioned veggies and fruits that my mother left for us. I was so hungry I downed a basket of strawberries before I was able to put everything away so that was my dinner.

Day 4 weight loss: 2 pounds
Total weight loss: 7.2 pounds
Goal: 32.8 pounds to go

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100 Day Diet - Day 3

12:55 PM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments

Still was too tired to work out. I started the day with another grapefruit followed by another fried egg on english muffin sandwich. I tucked a little of my remaining pepperoni and a little spicy sausage for flavor. For lunch I had the rest of the tabbouleh. For a night snack I had more almonds.
When I got home the bf was all about going out and getting junk food. I was able to resist at least. I had a Groupon I had to use at a really good Mexican restaurant so I said he could order anything on the menu. I drove him over, watched him get tons of super yummy foods and resisted the whole time. We got take out and I smelled the wonderfulness the whole drive back.

Once we got home, I was starving. He offered me bites and I just couldn't help myself. I eyed the spicy shrimp burrito. I asked the bf: Is it full of refried beans, cheese and rice? He answered: No! No! It tastes healthy. So I took a bite. Of course, it was a wonderful bite full of refried beans, cheese and rice with one little shrimp. I also ate a couple fried plantains.

Then I managed to pull myself together and steam up some green beans and bake a small breast of chicken. I nibbled on both but saved most for lunch tomorrow.

Day 3 weight loss: 1.2 pounds
Total weight loss: 5.2 pounds
Goal: 34.8 more to go.

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100 Day Diet - Day 2

8:09 AM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments


Yesterday I woke up, packed my lunch, snacks and breakfast and got ready for work. When I got to work, around 7:00am, I had a grapefruit to start my metabolism going. Then I had an egg that I fried up really quick this morning on an english muffin with four slices of pepperoni. I have this pepperoni laying around that I just don't have the heart to toss in the garbage. I don't like wasting food.

I got hungry at 11:00am so I had my lunch then. Lunch, I had made the day before. It was a homemade tabbouleh. I had all these left over veggies in my fridge from the Farmer's Market a week earlier that needed to be eaten. I put about a cup of Bulgar in some hot water for about 15 minutes while I chopped up the veggies. I sliced about a cup and a half of cherry tomatoes and three or four green onions. I diced up a whole bell pepper. I chopped up a bunch of parsley and mint that I picked from my garden. I added a clove of crushed garlic then I blended the veggies with the Bulgar and topped with a splash of olive oil and the juice from two small limes. Voila! Tabbouleh. This was enough for two lunches.
I am still eating pretty large portions because that is what I am used to. I am going to slowly get my stomach to shrink and get used to smaller portions. That is one of my problems, I stuff myself to the point of near bursting. This is a habit I need to break.

I was not hungry that afternoon but I was at my computer so I started snacking on some raw almonds. I ate a little tupperware container of them as I typed away at my desk.

When I got home, I was pretty tired so I did not work out. Maybe today, maybe next week. I do plan on working out though. For dinner I had about a cup of fresh picked blackberries at about 6:00pm.

I went to bed at 9:00pm a little hungry.

That was my day one. As usual, I lost a lot of water weight, as I do when I start a diet. It still looks really good on the scale though! Now, to get through today, and 99 more.

Day 2 weight loss: 4 pounds
Total Weight loss: 4 pounds
Goal: 36 more to go

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100 Day Diet - Day 1

9:25 AM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments


Well, it happened. Yesterday I went to put on a dress and it DIDN'T ZIP UP!!! Arghhhhh!

I guess that is my wake up call. I have decided to go on yet another diet. I scrolled through my blogs back to March 2010 and started reading how I did it last time. I am going to use those blogs to help me through it this time.

There are differences this time. First of all, I have no goal like I did then. I have no trip to Hawaii at the end of the journey. This has always been my motivation. But with the bf getting into a major car accident and some job troubles, money is a little tight. I still need to set a goal so tI have chosen Thanksgiving Break. Who knows? Perhaps by then I will be able to buy tickets to some tropical place as my reward. Thanksgiving Break is 101 days away from today. Ideally, I would like to lose 40 pounds. I know this is unrealistic, but I am going to aim for that anyways.

Another difference is that I am going to try to exercise a bit more this time.

To begin, I am starting to eat breakfast again. I will try to eat breakfast at 7am, eat lunch at 11am, a snack at 2pm and a light dinner at 5pm. This might get all screwed up during Harvest but we shall cross that bridge when we get to it.
Also, I am going to start off the diet with my Super Soup that I created a year ago in March. It helped jump start my diet last time, I am hoping it does the same this time.

And so begins my 100 day challenge. Wish me luck.

Day 1: Weight lost: 0.0 pounds

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Happy Fourth, Everyone!

11:44 AM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments


I made it a month with out going on a vacation. That is far too long for me. Luckily it is the Fourth of July Holiday weekend and I am getting out of town for four days!

The past month wasn't without it's treats even though I did not go anywhere overnight. I still got out and away. The weekend I got back from Europe there was a summer kick-off party at my brother's where I had a bit of wine and food. It was lots of fun. We did go to the Fairfax Festival but that was not the highlight at all. Too many hippies for me. The following weekend we had a pool party at our house which was a good time as well. Then last weekend was Woodies on the Wharf as it is every third weekend in June.

The view of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk from our Woodie's parking spot

My family has a Chevrolet Woodie car and we go down to Santa Cruz for the weekend. There are around 200 Woody Cars on the Wharf down there and a fun raffle we usually win fun things. Then we drive back home along highway 1, the Coastal Highway.

Driving home in the Woodie.


During the weekdays I have been taking my cruiser bike along the bike path that runs along the bay. This gives me a little work out as well as gets some sun on my skin.

The bike path I take on my cruiser.

But now it is time for a four day weekend getaway and I am super excited. We go up to a great camping place in the Anderson Valley. It is full of Giant Redwood trees. We have to reserve the camp spot almost a year in advance. That is how popular it is, specially over the holiday weekend. We have a list of our favorite campsites and go from our first choice on down. This year we got our fifth choice. We have never actually stayed in this spot, we only have seen it on our evening walks around the camp loop. I am not too worried.

My little tent.

The weather is supposed to be in the 90's. The campground winds between dense redwoods which gives plenty of shade. The campground is located in the middle of the Anderson Valley which has lots of wonderful wines and wineries. We like to arrive at midday, set up camp, then go wine tasting. We buy several wines and bring them back to camp to enjoy with meats and cheeses and other hors d'oeuvres. When the sun goes down it is time to make the s'mores. We usually have a nice port to go with the 70% cocoa dark Swiss chocolate in the s'mores and call it a night. Sleeping in a tent is so fun. I love waking up to the view of the trees above, the fresh air and the aroma of people making breakfast.

The view as I wake up

The are hiking trails that lead through the dark forest. The forest floor is padded with carpets of clovers which all gives the feeling of serene coolness.

Redwood Forest hiking trail.

After a brisk morning hike, it is off to more wine tasting followed by another night of food, wine and s'mores. S'ore making is an art. From the finding of the perfect stick to the marshmallow roasting technique.

I prefer a bent stick when roasting marshmallows.

On the actual fourth of July we head out to the coast. A short drive takes us to the town of Mendocino where they have a cute little parade. They throw out candy and give free rootbeer if you are willing to run into the street to get a cup. We shop the town then head to the beach for a picnic.

Little parade going by in Mendocino.

Happy Fourth to everyone! Have fun and be safe!

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Tiny Vacation #2: Tartiflette

8:59 AM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments


As I mentioned in the last blog, I am trying to cling to the feeling of vacation. My trip was so wonderful that I can't get my brain to come home. June 2 was a Thursday. It was a rainy, cold day in the Bay Area. The bf and I were talking about what to eat for dinner. "Something with potatoes.", the bf said.

We had a lot of yummy, fresh, organic, farm fresh potatoes from our last fruit and veggie delivery. The high quality potatoes reminded me of the delicious ones I had in Chamonix in the Tartiflette. The potatoes in that dish were small, thin skinned potatoes that had a really clean, almost sweet flavor. I knew what we were going to have for dinner.

Tartiflette is a dish from the Savoie region of France. It is traditionally made with potatoes, Reblochon cheese, cream and bacon. I made a slightly modified version of the dish because the bf is currently a vegetarian. Here is my recipe:


Tartiflette:

1 white onion, sliced thin
1.5 lbs thin skinned potatoes
2 tbsp butter
1 box Morning Star Farms Bacon strips or 1/2 pound bacon
1 8oz package Creme Fresh
1 pound of Reblochon cheese or other Savoie cheese
1/2 cup dry Savoie white wine

Clean and boil the potatoes until tender, let cool and cut into large slices, about a half inch thick.

Sautee the onion in a little olive oil on medium heat until they start to sweat a little. Add the bacon and allow that to cook in the pan too.

Grease a large casserole dish with the butter.

Place half of the onions in the casserole dish and cover with half of the onion mixture.

Place the other half of the potatoes and cover with the remainder of the onion mixture.

Spread the Creme Fresh over the whole casserole.

Split the wheel of cheese in half lengthwise so you have two half discs and place on top of the casserole.

Sprinkle the white wine, if you want, over the whole dish.

Bake at 450F for about 20 minutes or until the cheese turns brown and bubbly.


The main modification I made was the bacon. I wanted to add the smoky flavor without using meat so the bf could eat the dish but I wasn't sure how to do it. I also thought of using smoked mozzarella but decided in the end to use the faken bacon. I bought the ingredients for this dish at Trader Joe's and they did not carry the type of cheese I wanted but I did see a cheese that was from the Savoie region so I figured it couldn't be terrible and went with it. I think the cheese I used is a bit stronger than the Reblochon but the dish was perfect just the way it came out.

I drank a glass of the wine I used in the dish out of a glass I bought in Switzerland. It is a cool glass that shows the topography of the Alps around it.


We ate and ate all night Thursday and still had lots leftover for the weekend which was also cold and rainy so it was great.

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Mini Vacations - Something Special

12:41 PM AirplaneFoodCritic 2 Comments



I am home now. The trip was just fantastic. I am so glad I brought the Xoom with me so I could keep a little online journal. It took some getting used to. There are still a lot of things I can't figure out on the Xoom and with my limited access to the internet, I made some goofy looking blogs but that is OK.

Coming home was nice because I missed the bf and the dog very much. The day I got home, some friends came over and we had a movie night. Even though I could not stay awake past midnight. It is good to be home all the same.

But I miss vacation....already. The weather here is sucky; Cold, rainy, dark. Not the weather you expect to have in June. My arthritis is acting up, I am tired and I have to drive all the way to work everyday just like always. So I have decided to try to do little things every day to make myself FEEL like I am still on vacation. Something to feel special or to look forward to at the end of the day.

A nice, chilled bottle of Champagne to welcome you home from work.

June 1st is a Wednesday. I decided to treat myself to a nice bottle of Sparkling Wine. In the morning I put a bottle of Roederer Brut in the fridge. All day, while I was at work, I knew that little bottle was waiting for me at home. I know what you are thinking....I MAKE sparkling wine for a living...how could it be special if I get it for free every day?

Well, it is. I have not had a nice bottle of Champagne in a while. I love the wine we make but because this is a bottle of someone else's wine, wine I had to BUY, it becomes special.

Dr. Katz is one of the funniest shows I know of

I got home, put on some Dr. Katz, one of my favorite shows ever, and popped the bottle. I got out the nice champagne flutes to make it a little more special. We cooked up some chile rellenos which is one of my favorite dishes. I skipped the breading and the frying to try to keep it a little light. It was a great evening....specially for a Wednesday.

Tomorrow: Something else. Not sure what but it will likely involve food. I hope this doesn't make me fat!

2 comments:

Day 13: Riquewihr to Miltenberg

10:46 AM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments

<p>Despite the late night party downstairs, I slept great. Breakfast was the same as the day before only this time I got to sit by the old white lab who refused to move from where he had chosen to spend his morning, which was under my chair. Dad grabbed the car and picked us up in front of the hotel. It was a long drive back to Germany. I finished up a bunch of blogs. We were on the Autobahn so there was little to see. We stopped for a stretch before we crossed over the border. The rest stop/gas station was a big truck stop. Mom and I went in to see if there was any touristy stuff to buy. We found more than we bargined for. Unlike American truck stops, where they pretend that the truckers are not ...ahem....lonely....there was a sex shop. I could have picked up a sexy nurse outfit, some flavored body lotion or a snickers bar and some motor oil. After a stretch we moved on.
We stopped in a town called Obernai which is our last big shoppy town. Mom has been there before and I hear there is a great shop there to pick up all the stuff we regretted not buying earlier. I finally bought a little Alsation pot with a stork flying around on it like the one I are the Munster cheese and potatoes out of. We were dropped off at the store and agreed to meet back up in a half hour. Mom and I speed shopped. We went through the main o e where i really wanted a giant brown pottery vase but resisted. Then we ran through town looking at three other shops. We found the time to take some pictures of my head in funnt stork-related cut-out boards. We raced back to the meeting point just in time to meet dad. Turns out dad had a big time too. He parked, found a church, lit a candle for a safe trip home and bought a soda. And on we drove....
We stopped at another rest stop but this one was not as interesting...just toilets and parking spots. We crossed the border to Germany one more time.
We drove to a cute town in the middle of nowhere called Michelstadt. It looked boring and unassuming from the outside but looks are deceiving. We parked in a big public parking lot and walked to the town. To get to the town we had to walk through the ramparts again. I always love a town with ramparts. It is like a wall keeping out the ugly and in the cute. We shopped the little cobbled streets but found nothing new to buy. We continued on our drive until we got hungry. Mom said she was in the mood for Wurst so we stopped at a little stand on the side of the road. We each ordered a different kind of sausage. Dad and mom both got a local Wurst and I ordered the heisswurst which literally translates to hot dog. It was fantastic. We ate in front of the stand on the side of the road looking up at some old castle ruins. That is what is so great about traveling in this area. Even though we have been driving all day and we stopped randomly just because we were hungry, there is still something cool to look at. Onward we drove to Miltenberg in Germany. Our hotel is the cutest thing in the town. Apparently, it has been an inn since like the thirteen hundreds and al kinds of famous people have stayed there. Dutchees this and king that. Our rooms are totally cool. The P's room was made up of three little rooms. There was the main room with old furniture and sitting tables and chairs and then there was a little sitting room with windows everywhere. My room was really bright with a canopy bed. It looked out to the main little cobbled street.
We settled in then shopped the main street. It was later in the day and a lot of the shops were closing but the shops were mainly weird clothing shops. The clothes were all really wrinkly, baggy sacs. So strange. We made our way to the end of the street where there is a cute square with a fountain in the middle. A wedding couple were there having their pictures taken. Along one side of the square is a big cement block lined with trees and table in the center. We found a free table and ordered some ice creams. The ice cream menu was ginormous with photos of all kinds of crazy concoctions of fruits, creams and flavors. The waiters were coming out from the shop with all of then. They looked just like their pictures. Originally, I was going to order an eischocolate which is hot chocolate with chocolate ice cream in it but then I saw the menu. I ordered a Schwartzwald ice cream sundae. It was cherrys...a million fresh cherries, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a scoop of chocolate ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, all topped with a cherry syrup...holy cow was it good. It is all I want to eat from now on! Mom ordered a large eischocolate so I could eat half of hers but I didn't realize that I was getting so much in mine. I manned up and ate half of hers too. Dad got the eiscaffe.
With out new found energy we read all the menus in town to find where we were going to eat that night. We chose a Bavarian place because I was in a schnitzel mood. We went to our hotel rooms, opened one of Charles' wines and set to the daunting task of packing. An hour or two, and a bottle of wine later we were ready for a beer and dinner.
We walked to the restaurant and sat outside. We all ordered giant dunkel beers that tasted fantastic. I got the paprika Schnitzel, mom got the venison Schnitzel and dad got the pork in cream sauce Schnitzel. All three were so so good. We ate heartily.
I felt great with a belly full of a hot meal and cold beer. I didn't take a second to fall asleep. I slep probably the best of the whole trip. Good thing because tomorrow is going to be a looooong day. I don't wanna leave Europe!!!




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Day 12: Alsace: Modern Life, Medeivel Life

10:45 AM AirplaneFoodCritic 0 Comments

<p>Breakfast was French again. Less meats and cheeses but the croissants are hugem flakey and heavy with butter. We ate and got ready for my friend, Charles to pick us up at 9:30. He showed up in front of our hotel in a little white van so we could all tour the area in comfort. Charles worked two harvests at my winery. He worked in the cellar and on the presses. He was doing an internship and school project in California while attending college for enology and business management in Burgundy. The second time he came back I was happy to see him so i ran up to him to give him a hug. He was expecting a double cheek kiss and we kind of bonked into each other in an awkward body bump instead. This time I was practicing how to do the double kiss. When he walked up I grabbed him with gusto and gave him a muah muah. I guess I still did it wrong because he was expecting a left cheek to left cheek first. I will get it right one of these days.</p>
<p>We hopped in the van and he took us to all his vineyards. We took back roads over the hills towards Kayserville. Our first stop was a vineyard on a granite hillside. All of his vines were panted in 2006 so they were young looking. He has five or six vineyards but they are all really small compared to the Napa Valley. We were up on a hill and could look down on the rolling hills of vines and see all the little boundaries between the different owners. Most people try to plant north south but the topography sometimes makes them have to put rows where ever they fit. Charles said that just yesterday one of his employees had rolled the tractor down the hill. It is so steep in areas this isn't too u common. He said he, himself, had rolled a tractor just a couple weeks ago. He said you just have to dive out of the tractor before it takes you with it. The wins are so good here that I guess it is worth the extra dangers.</p>
<p>We bumped along the tiny dirt roads between vineyards. We passed a young man working in one of them. Charles said that is his cousin. Having been born and raised I the region and being the tenth generation in the business, he knew everyone in town I am sure. We drove up a hill to two war memorials. One was for the local French fighters who lost their lives. There was a whole graveyard and a directory of who was buried where and in the center is a giant French flag. The view was incredible. Charles'&nbsp; grandfather helped build the memorial. We drove down the hill a short ways to the American memorial. Here was a stone structure with some markings of what groups fought there, a flag and a stone map of the Rhine which could be seen in the distance. Charles said that on a clear day you can see the Alps on the horizon. We could see Germany and the Black Forest but the sky was a little overcast </p>
<p>The next vineyard we visited was his Pinot Noir. Here, the soil is a crumbly, red, ferrous soil. He is really proud of this vineyard because this is the one he considers his personal vineyard...his baby. The last vineyard we visited is right next to the town of Riquewhir. At the top of the hill we looked down the rows of Riesling as they led right up to the ramparts that wall the city in. Charles' vineyard plot is right next to Hugel which is a brand I have had before at home. The soil here is more gypsum and limestone. A little train passed us as we stood there. The train is a tour you can take for six euros. It takes you through town and up into the vineyards. We didn't take it but it looks kinda fun to do so sometime. We had no need since we had a local person to show us around.
Charles took us back to town where we toured his winery. He has one press and has another on order. The cellar has giant pine barrels that are a hundred years old with beautiful carved taps. He showed us his stone settling tanks and the big stainless steel tanks. There is a cute little library too. He is in the process of fixing up the cellar area for tours and tasting. We went back up to the main tasting room and store. He poured us several wines which were all so so delicious. We started with a Brut Cremant. It was creamy crisp with a moussey mouth feel. Next, we tasted the Muscat which was dry with a beautiful, floral bouquet. The flavors were roses and lychees. Then we tasted a Riesling from Mambourg then a Pinot Gris from the same region. The Pinot Gris was slightly sweet and was my favorite. We tasted a Gewurztraminer from Spore then another Riesling, this time from Shoenenbourg. We finished with a Pinot Noir from his special vineyard. It was fantastic. A beautiful, bright red color and red fruits on the nose. The balance of tannins, acid and fruit was perfect. The Pinot was not labeled yet and he opened it special for us so he recorked it to take to his grandfather. Charles was so kind to give me a bottle of Pinot Gris and my dad the Mambourg Riesling. Charles had to have lunch with his grandmother so we parted then. I kissed him backwards again and we just walked back to town. We had tried to buy anything with the Sparr name on it but Charles would not let us so mom got a little bottle opener that says SPARR TraditioN Riquewihr on it.
We freshened up at the hotel and grabbed a seat at our outdoor cafe for a little lunch. We were against a stone wall on some nice wooden chairs. The only other people there was a group of four locals having some Flammekuche and wine. We saw the man cooking the pizza on an outdoor oven and it smelled wonderful. We ordered two to share. One traditional one with little chunks of bacon, onions and mild cheese. The other we got had Munster, cumin, bacon and onions. We had some bubble water to wash it down...and to sober up from the tasting!
We hopped into the car and drove up up up to the castle on the hill, Chateau Haute Koenigsburg. It began to rain as we arrived. We paid the $12 entrance fee and entered the courtyard. The castle is from medieval times. They had the original painted walls, stones and layout. We followed a set route through old bedrooms, rooms with armor and weapons, a chapel, a huge dining room and a kitchen. I looked at the old weapons and imagined that they were actually used to kill people at one time. It is weird to think about. We went up to the tower where there are canons. There were a million little kids running around. It must have been field trip day. There were tour guides in old time clothes talking with great animation in French to the little kids. By the time we finished the tour it had stopped raining. I bought a Alsace dish towel with a stork on it and a little stork pin at the gift shop. Mom bought a little cannon that is also a pencil sharpener for dad.
We drove to Ribeauville which is another cute town and dad dropped us off so we could shop around. We bought a little can of boar pate to snack on. It was yum. All shopped out we returned to Riquewihr. I bought a little porcelin stork. We had drinks at the hotel. Somehow when I order a Campari and soda
they assume I really mean I want a Campari and orange juice because this is the second time they brought me the wrong thing. It was fine though cause it all tastes good. We had dinner at our hotel which seems like the place to be on a Friday night on Riquewihr. The joint was jumping. I started with the escargot. Ohhh man it was good. I want some right now just thinking about it. Hot, buttery and the perfect amount of garlic. Not greasy but very tender. Yum. Yum. Yum. Dad and I ordered the steak frites but both if ours were sort of tough. Mom got the tongue with a horseradish sauce. Hers was really good so I ate a lot of hers. I even ate the spaetzel that came with it. It was a long day so i grabbed a little pitcher of wine to take to my room for the night. The party continued downstairs until after midght but I didn't mind the noise, I was tired and fell right asleep.



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