REMINDER: Mommy's Night Out

Our Ladies Night is in 2 short days!! :) 

PLEASE come to Ambience. You won't be sorry!! RSVP not necessary, just show up!

They are providing the "ambience" (ha) with wine, fruit, and cheese platters and special deals just for the West New York Mommies group. 

There is no obligation to buy anything -- just escape your family for the evening and come hang with the girls. 

They're located next to Panera in City Place on River Road and are expecting us from 6 - 8pm. 

As added incentive, I'd like to note that this is the last month I'll be planning events for the WNYMommas. 

We are packing up the fam and heading for warmer weather (sunny Florida). I'm super excited (albeit a little sad) to leave because this pregnancy has been a struggle in balancing time spent with Hunter and time spent resting my body. Kingston is due in a couple months and being close to family would be a huge relief (versus maintaining the single-mom status I had while Trav was hustling as an Investment Banker). 

SO if you don't come to Ambience, Baby Loves Disco, and any of our evening playdates in the Playroom, there is a good chance I won't be seeing you and you'll be on your own for Mommy activities from April going forward. ;) Wishing you all the best!!

HOLY MOLY Xanadu!

Why am I just now hearing about this development? It's going to be right next door to us!!

Xanadu Meadowlands

Quick & Delicious

This morning I was pressed for time -- actually Kingston was telling me if I didn't eat within 15 minutes there would be heck to pay -- so I got out my trusty waffle mix from the pantry.

Like most of us I prefer making homemade pancakes and waffles - however this mix has saved me many a Sunday morning. :)

The mix I used was the "complete" kind that just needs water added. I can totally taste the difference between homemade and mix-made so I decided to substitute the water with half buttermilk and half water to add a little flavor. I also added about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, and ground some cinnamon sticks into the mix. (Serve it with melted butter and hot maple syrup.) 

This made 2 Belgian-style waffles.

I should've taken a pic but we ate them so quickly when they came off the iron that I didn't have a chance!

The waffles were SOOO yummy and easy and Trav complimented the recipe. I wanted to share because sometimes we forget that we don't have to follow all the instructions on the package - us mommies are usually in auto-pilot mode. I also add applesauce and cinnamon-sugar to my pancake mix to spice things up a bit...or 1/2 cup of oats and 1 sliced banana tossed in a little maple syrup. 

Bon Appetit! 

Ha! In Your FACE Manny Ramirez!

I am a huge fan of Chelsea Handler and I DVR her show, Chelsea Lately, as my guilty pleasure. :)

Last night's show she sent a message to former Red Sox player, Manny Ramirez:

Well played, Chelsea. Well played. 

Haiku Share

My g'friend, Lara, started this trend today by proclaiming it Haiku Tuesday. I wrote a haiku (below) for her site and thought it would be fun for you to share too.

A Haiku is a non-rhyming Japanese poem with the format of 3 lines with the syllable pattern of 5/7/5 meaning the first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables, and the third line has 5 syllables. 

Leave your own haiku as a comment to this post. :) 

Here's mine:

Still in my PJs

My hair resembles a nest

Smelling of baby

Recipe of the Week - Pappardelle Pasta

I made this lunch for us today before Travis' flight out. It was yummmmy and simple. Hunter loved it, too! (I found the recipe in everyday FOOD magazine.)

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 package (8.8 ounces) pappardelle pasta or 8 ounces fettuccine

2 tablespoons butter

2 ounces Parmesan, shaved with a vegetable peeler

Directions

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onions and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and cook, without stirring, until onions have released their liquid, about 5 minutes. Uncover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes more. When bottom of skillet darkens, add a few tablespoons water, and scrape up browned bits with a wooden spoon (you may need to do this 2 or 3 times).

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When onions have about 10 minutes left to cook, add pasta to water in pot, and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot.

Add onions and butter to pasta in pot; season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Gradually add enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta. Serve pasta topped with Parmesan.

Helpful Hint

The secret to this pasta is cooking the onions until they're a deep golden brown; to keep them intact, stir only occasionally. Pappardelle, like other egg-based noodles, cook very quickly (even when sold dried). We like this pasta with butter-and-cheese sauces, such as this one.

Huntington L.I.

This weekend we took Hunter to Trav's cousin's home in Huntington Long Island. He really enjoyed the playground (above).

Now Trav is on a flight to San Diego for a possible job opportunity in California. I'm solo with Hunter, which is what I was used to for so long...but these days my preggy self struggles with basic tasks without panting! ;)

Trav returns mid-week and Mom arrives later in the week so this coming weekend I'll be loving having my family together. 

I'll be available next week for play-dates...also remember Ambience is on Thursday night! Goody!