Love, Lies, and MotherhoodAbout Jolene NewmanCool Sites

Archive for August, 2009

Dinner at Jo’s…

Monday, August 31st, 2009

This was our dinner last night…

Cajun Seasoned Pork Loin w/Fingerling Potatoes and Green Beans with a Lemon Dill Sauce

Cajun Seasoned Pork Loin w/Fingerling Potatoes and Green Beans with a Lemon Dill Sauce

I have started to cook from my new cookbook called Clean Food by Terry Walters.  It is about eating seasonal and densely nutritious foods.  I’m not sure, but I think that she is actually appealing to a vegetarian audience, but since us Newman’s love us some meat, I decided that some grilled pork loin would go quite well in this menu.  Now the pork loin I just used some cajun seasoning that I had in the pantry…nothing fancy.  Then I adapted the fingerling potato and green bean with lemon dill sauce from the book.  I added some orange bell pepper since it was in season and I sauteed a little bit of shallots too since I usually need some type of onion flavor with my veggies…Layers of flavor people, layers.

My version of Terry Walters recipe

My version of Terry Walters recipe

Here is the adapted recipe…I thought I didn’t like dill, until I had this dish and I realized it is delish in a small amount.

Fingerling Potatoes and Green Beans with Lemon Dill Dressing

2 pounds fingerling potatoes (or any small potato)

2 pounds green beans

2 shallots diced (I added this to the recipe)

1 orange or other bell pepper julliened (I added this to the recipe)

DRESSING:

1 garlic clove minced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons fresh chopped dill

1 tablespoon fresh chopped flat leaf parsley

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Steam potatoes in a large pot until nearly cooked through.  Add green beans for the last 2-3  minutes of cooking until they are bright green and al dente.  In a saute pan, use half of the olive oil and saute shallots and garlic.  When they are translucent, add bell pepper…cook for two minutes.  Then add the cooked potatoes and green beans…saute for another two minutes.  Turn off heat.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Add the rest of the olive oil, lemon juice, dill and parsley.  Gently fold/stir until all the ingredients are combined.  Serve immediately.

This was so very delicious and Brook absolutely loved the different colored potatoes.  She got a kick out of a potato being purple!  Enjoy!

First Day of Preschool…

Monday, August 31st, 2009

So, really she started what we call, “big girl school” in January…but, she wasn’t of “preschool” age.  So, even though she was going to Dynamite already, it was really like a test run for us.

Today though marked the first day that Brook officially started preschool!  My little four year old looks so big!

Brook 4 Years Old, First Day of Preschool

Brook 4 Years Old, First Day of Preschool

She was very excited about being in Ms. Rocio’s class and was probably even more excited about wearing her new dress and Dorothy shoes…I mean what four year old princess wouldn’t want to wear the red glitter shoes from Target on her first day?

Because she was familiar with the school, she was very happy to be back and was all smiles at the front gate…

img_8720-medium

Brook In Front of Her School

She gave Ms. Rocio a big hug and even had a group of her friends come and give her a very warm welcome.  Then we gave her kisses and our love and headed out the door.  Looking in through the window, I noticed that she got right to work, being a social butterfly and ready for a day of learning.

Gotta love the Montesory!!!

Can’t wait to hear all about her first day!

The City Suits Me…

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

There is so much to talk about and I don’t even know where to begin…

My husband has given me some wonderful gifts in my life; love, trust, laughter, happiness, children and security.  But, there is another gift he has blessed me with, one that I probably wouldn’t have in abundance like I do today…and, that is the gift of travel.

This year, Carol and Rich watched our two wonderful children so Travis and I could spend a few days in Manhattan.  It was more than I ever wanted.  This trip was luxurious in every way!

We did some touristy things and then we tried to act like New Yorkers on some of our other adventures.  We did the double decker tour bus which is a fabulous way to see the city.  We basically saw every major landmark New York has…and boy do they have them.  We went on the downtown bus the first day and then the uptown bus the second.  I think I’m more of a downtown type of girl.

We stayed at a hotel one block away from Times Square which was so much fun…every day we woke up and either caught a bus or the subway there and it was like….BAM!  You are here in New York baby!

Times Square In All Of It's Glory

Times Square In All Of It's Glory

So, as far as some of the things we did…and really I am only listing this so 20 years down the road I can look this up and remember…

We hung out in Times Square and ate bagels there (oh by the way, this really was a food trip), we had slices at Ray’s pizza (two different ones across town and both world famous :) _) and shared a mile high pastrami sandwich at Roxy’s.  We welled up at Ground Zero and couldn’t believe the devastation, even to this day…We had drinks with stock brokers by Wall St. (I think it was called Stone Street) and hung around the New York Stock Exchange.  We saw Lady Liberty, the Bull and ate lunch in Central Park by the rowboats.

Eating A Slice In NYC...It Seems They Are All Named Ray's!

Eating A Slice In NYC...It Seems They Are All Named Ray's!

One of the Memorials for Sept 11th.  My Heart Goes Out to Everyone Who Lost Lives and Loved Ones That Day

One of the Memorials for Sept 11th. My Heart Goes Out to Everyone Who Lost Lives and Loved Ones That Day

Travis In Front of the New York Stock Exchange...The Boy Loves Being Around Money Makers!

Travis In Front of the New York Stock Exchange...The Boy Loves Being Around Money Makers!

Taunting the Bull!

Taunting the Bull!

We had drinks at Clo on Columbus Circle…coolest wine bar ever!  We sat in the seats of the Saturday Night Live Studio 8 H.  We tried to drink the 10 light and 10 dark at McSorley’s and had an amazing dinner at Del Posto’s.  It was a six course pasta and wine paring meal in which after a brief talk with our waiter, he magically and swiftly took our menus away and created this tasting menu just for us.  We chilled with the locals at a trendy bistro called Rauol’s in SoHo and speaking of SoHo, we bought some very hip items at the boutiques there too.

Lunch with the Rowboats in Central Park

Lunch with the Rowboats in Central Park

Holding My Lights and Darks at McSorley's

Holding My Lights and Darks at McSorley's

Our Tasting Dinner at Del Posto's

Our Tasting Dinner at Del Posto's

We walked around a young designer studio where I purchased a really cool bracelet from Marc Berstein…so if he ever becomes big, I can say I knew of him when…

We danced the night away at a rooftop club in the Meatpacking District and saw a surge drill from the NYPD on our way to Macy’s.  We ate at the famed Peter Lugar’s Steakhouse and got lost in Brooklyn at night which is not recommended.  We had brunch at Chelsea’s Market and ate at a great restaurant that specializes in local organic cooking.

My Mecca...Where I Would Love to Spend Any Day of The Week...Can We Say Next Food Network Star?

My Mecca...Where I Would Love to Spend Any Day of The Week...Can We Say Next Food Network Star?

Chelsea's Market

Chelsea's Market

The Green Table Had A Fabulous Menu and Concept

The Green Table Had A Fabulous Menu and Concept

We saw Wicked on Broadway and it was absolutely fabulous, walked around the diamond district drooling and hung out with some crazy drugged out weirdos on the subway.  Disclaimer:  Travis wants me to tell you that not everyone riding the subway are hopped on drugs…We only had two seperate experiences of individuals being high while we were in the same car as them.  Really quite actually sad to see since one was only about 8 or 9.

We had $18 cocktails at the Waldorf Astoria just so we could say we were there and finally we bought the kiddies some I Heart New York t-shirts and walked around the largest Toys R’ Us in Times Square so we wouldn’t go back empty handed.

I’m sure there is more that I am not thinking of at this moment.  It was so much fun and I can’t wait to go back and explore more of the city.  Thank god you walk everywhere, or else I would have gained 20 pounds instead of the three or four that I did.  Boy, it’s fun being a foodie in New York.

One of the Lies…

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

So I named this Love, LIES and  Motherhood because I thought most Mom’s kinda tell half truths.  They do this to be nice, to deny their own truth or maybe they are just better at this Mom job then I am.  Hopefully it’s the latter.  But here is a lie I think we all tell ourselves before the babies come…

3am feedings will be wonderful…

This is a lie…At least for me.  Oh, and I also think the saying, “you can sleep when the baby sleeps,” is another lie because you are going to want to be up even if you are exhausted.

Case in point…I should be asleep right now.

If I was smart I would be.  But, even though exhaustion has set in, I also love the quiet few hours I get almost every night if I stay up.  This is the time for me to connect with Travis, watch mindless t.v., read or surf my sites.  I should be asleep, but there is something to be said about having this time also.

Also, I think this time wouldn’t come with such a hefty tired price if Blake would just learn that night time is for sleeping straight through…wish I could get that through his head…one day,  my sleep through the night will come.

Till then…I better get my z’s while I can…Nighty-night.

A Year In Pictures Days 29-35

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

This was during the big New York Trip, so I have to thank Abby and Carol for keeping up with the picture taking.

A Year In Pictures - Day 29

A Year In Pictures - Day 29

A Year In Pictures - Day 30

A Year In Pictures - Day 30

A Year In Pictures - Day 31

A Year In Pictures - Day 31

A Year In Pictures - Day 32

A Year In Pictures - Day 32

A Year In Pictures - Day 33

A Year In Pictures - Day 33

A Year In Pictures - Day 34

A Year In Pictures - Day 34

A Year In Pictures - Day 35

A Year In Pictures - Day 35

I really don’t have stories for you about these pictures, since I was only here for one of them and I think you all know the one I’m talking about!  Travis and I had fun on our trip, but nothing beats being all together as a family…we missed this guys a ton!  Till Next Week!