Fried Eggplant with Chocolate

Despite my own grandparents being from Italy, I've never heard of Melanzane al Cioccolato (Chocolate Eggplant) until I stumbled upon this original recipe by Italian chef Massimiliano Alajmo on Elizabeth Street. I guess it's common for Italians to use fried eggplant in desserts and top it will chocolate, ricotta, candied oranges, sugar, cinnamon, and/or sea salt.  With such an unfamiliar flavor combination, I had to test it out. It was amazing. Click here to read about my experience and the the minor changes I made to Alajmo's recipe.

Chocolate, flour, sea salt, olive oil, and eggplant.  The simple ingredients in this recipe couldn't be more tempting. Trust me on the eggplant. Someday I might be brave enough to make this sophisticated version Melanzane al Cioccolato.

Elizabeth Street Links

I've been saving these old pictures for a related post. But I can't think of anything. So instead, here's links to a bunch of my articles I've written for Elizabeth Street (my day job). Enjoy!

12 of the Best NYC Holiday Shows I found some good ones!

10 Pinners You Need to Follow Some obvious, some not.

Getting Ready for Spring: Planting Bulbs I followed my kids to school and took pictures of their classmates planting in a garden.

A Hip Homemade Holiday I interviewed Blogger Susan Petersen about her latest craft project.

*Rustic Slow Cooked Applesauce* Super healthy! Bonus: Makes your house smell amazing. 

10 Kid-Friendly Service Projects  Many perfect for the holiday season!

Wreck-It Ralph: My Experience

Jordan Ferney took these pictures awhile back in San Francisco. 

Health Coach Update

 how many days until it's thanksgiving again? 

I've mention I started a three month program with holistic health coach Jared Vaughn from Helios Health and Wellness a while ago.  As a result of following Jared's advice to eat a more plant based diet, I've lost ten pounds in six weeks. I'm down to 135. People have started to comment on my new look, I feel great, and my shopping trip on Saturday was the best I've had in awhile. All the work and changes I've made are starting to show. But still, my motivation to eat whole plant based foods has been waning. I can even pinpoint the moment: Thanksgiving dinner.  

That night I was reintroduced to bread and butter and cream. I forgot how much I love those things. What was suppose to be a one meal indulgence, has turned into a week long affair. I'm up a few pounds. No big deal. I'm more worried about that whole who gives a damn! attitude I have about food. Plus my stomach feels heavy and bloated. I don't feel as good when I wake up in the morning.  I talked with Jared about it last night. He's so motivating. While his advice is simple, I've been so resistant to follow it.

Jared's been asking me for weeks to write a food/mood journal as a tool to connect positive and negative feelings to what I eat, and as well as be accountable to myself and to him. I've done one before, but it seems so compulsive/obsessive.  A few years ago when I was working with a dietitian, I carried a small notebook with me and wrote everything down as I ate. Six months ago I found an app and took pictures of everything I ate. Psycho.

Instead, Jared suggested I take 5 minutes to jot down my food/mood at the end of the day. Doing it at once at night seems less crazy. Plus, he lives across the country, so it's the only way for him to monitor my progress and make tweaks in my diet. I understand. I'm committing to writing everything down for a week and sending him an email at the end of the day.  I made good with my promise today, including that large handful of chocolate chips I mindless ate while talking to my sister on the phone.  I'm sure she adored listening to my lips smacking.

Have you ever kept a food/mood journal? Isn't it so weird and embarrassing?! Writing my mood comes easy to me, but food? Oh, I don't even want to know.

FYI: While Jared Vaughn is a family friend, I paid to join his three month program and enjoy telling you about my progress. I even took hideous before pictures! ha Click here to learn more about his approach, click here for a FAQ, and click here for recipes (my new favorite). 

i had one of each. my favorite was the maple cream pie on the far right. the crust omg. 

licking the fresh whipped cream out of the bowl is the best. they hit up the Chocolate Reddi Wip next. i joined them.

My Birthday Present: A Night with Lena Dunham

Rob gave me the best birthday present ever. It put my Best of CVS Gift to shame.

I don't know how he did it, but he got me tickets to a screening of the movie This Is My Life followed by an on-stage conversation between Lena Dunham and Delia Ephron.  I knew the night was going to be good when I stepped out of my cab alone and Lena was also stepping out of her town car. I had that stop-smile-nod-say hi-moment. Then her assistant said, "Lena, stop! I want to take your picture. Oh this damn flash!" Lena stood alone in front of the MoMA and smiled. I love that she's still taking pictures in front of buildings. Totally genuine, like for her mom or scrapbook. She was so approachable and almost vulnerable standing there smiling. I had a fleeting moment when I wanted to jump in the picture with her. Instead I stared and watched.

We walked into the museum together and went our separate ways. She met up with friends (surprisingly old grown-up-parent-type friends) in the lobby while I waited for my friend Samantha Hahn. I don't spend nearly enough time with her. This was our first time hanging out without kids. Isn't that the best? To finally have a conversation with girlfriends without constant interruptions? I love Sam. I hope she doesn't mind me calling her that.

Sam and I walked into the theatre to watch This Is My Life. I cried from the moment it started until it ended. It wasn't even meant to be a tear jerker. I just related to it so much. I wanted to shout out, "No one understands this movie like me! You all think you do, but, no! I do the most!" I love that feeling.

The movie deals with simple issues just about every woman can relate to: sister relationships, work-life balance, mother-daughter relationships, using your life for writing material.  In the end, Lena basically said everyone in her life is material. I wish I could be that brave. I've got some good material/people totally going to waste.

I kept wondering why this movie wasn't a huge hit. It was made in 1992, the soundtrack is by Carly Simon, and it has a fabulous cast. Someone in the audience asked this question to Delia Ephron (she co-wrote the film with her sister Nora). She shrugged her shoulders and said, "It didn't go over well with audiences. It had a minimal release in New York and LA, that's it. I really don't know why. Just one of those things."

As soon as I got home, I ordered a copy. I had to have it in my life. I plan on having a movie night to introduce it to all my friends. But first, I have to buy a DVD player.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Year Two

portrait of a frog

I know I take the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade too seriously. I always attend the balloon inflation party the night before. I come home and lay out everyone's clothes. I set the alarm clock at 4:45am so Rob can secure a spot by 5am. I leave the house with the kids at 6am. No makeup, no breakfast, and too many layers of clothes. I even put my boys in diapers to avoid bathroom breaks.

While my friends walk around with their hot chocolate laughing, I stand nervously at my post right on the front row. Whenever I walked away to check on my kids, I keep an eye my spot. I wish I could play it cool, but I can't. I get choked up at the first site of balloons, marching bands, and confetti.  It lasts around 15 minutes before I can get it together. I love this parade. I will go every year I live here. I always tell people it's one of the rare things that lives up to my expectations.

she understands me

A year ago I wrote tips for watching the parade. Nine more pictures after the jump . . .

Our First Family Broadway Musical: Elf

Elf the Musical was the perfect introduction to Broadway theatre for my kids. They are familiar and love the story of Buddy. It's set in NYC. It's funny and has a magical ending. Hearing Ella laugh at all the right moments made me proud. Owen spent the first act eating a huge lollipop we got in the lobby. Oscar sat in Rob's lap. Intermission gave me the chance to clean up Owen and buy a bag of M&Ms for the family to share. Owen would have put maple syrup on each candy if he could. He can relate to Buddy more than I'd like to admit. When it ended my kids asked, "Was that the real Santa?" I'm not sure. Maybe! Regardless, I think he was perfectly casted. Hello, Neeewman Santa.

Thanks The Moms for hosting Sierra Mist night on Broadway with ELF! It was great! 
As I type this my kids are literally singing, "It's the Story of Buddy the Elf!" ha
What Broadway play should I take my kids to next? Seen any good ones?

5 Thanksgiving Day Activities for Kids

photo outtake from my old Pancake Insanity post. 

My kids love to help me in the kitchen. As soon as they hear me getting out cooking supplies, they ask, “What are you making? Can I help? I’ll stir! Please?” In the past, mom guilt has always made me say yes. I know the benefits of cooking with my kids. It has such potential as a time to chat and learn together. It just never ends up that way for me. I always end up stressed out.

Take last week, for example. I was making chocolate chip cookies (not these chocolate chip cookies of course) with my son Oscar. He asked if he could stir the dry ingredients. “Sure!” I said. A perfect age appropriate activity for him, I thought. I turned for a second to get the eggs out of the fridge, and when I returned, Oscar’s shoe was off and he was on his way to putting it in the flour mixture.

 “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” I asked, expecting him to respond with, "Gives it a little kick". But instead, with tears in in eyes, he told me he accidentally spilled some flour on his shoe and he was putting it back in the bowl. He didn't want to waste it. “Ugh. Fine." I said, "I’ll finish up. Just go." And that’s how the great bonding and learning moment ended.

Did I handle the situation perfectly? No. Could it have been a bounding moment? Yes. I admit I wasn't at my best. He ended up walking out of the room sulking while I finished the cookies in solitude and bliss! The cookies turned out amazing, I might add. And after one bite, he seemed to move on. Although I'm sure I scarred his tender soul for life.

So it was with great delight that I wrote this list of jobs to assign each kid on Thanksgiving. I suggest 5 specific and fun responsibilities for kids while you and other adults prepare the best Thanksgiving Day meal ever.  Enjoy!