Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful.

This is me. This is me in my rarest form. And though this may seem like it hasn't nothing to do with food, it has EVERYTHING to do with food. I love food so much that in order to be able to truly appreciate it I must work hard to try to maintain my figure(so I can eat and drink more, of course). This is me after only 3 miles on the treadmill(or "dreadmill" as my good friend rightfully so refers to it). Why must 3 miles on the treadmill feel like 6 miles in 90 degree temps outside?!  Now send me outside on a nice cool day and I can run for miles(well 9 is the farthest I've run straight through at this point, 2013 I'll run my first half marathon)...wind in my face, fresh air, stress just leaving my body. This treadmill thing is for the dogs(even though I have one in my house which I force myself to use). But I guess, all and all, it's worth the torture as in doing so at a 2 incline I just burned off a miso soup(which was fantabulous—from Tjsh(Tokyo Japanese Steak House in WoodBridge,VA), a spicy tuna roll, a tuna supreme roll(which had spicy tuna on the inside and was topped with two kinds of fresh tuna...yum), and  5 pieces of assorted sushi....oh yeah and also an ice cream Sunday topped with fudge(this was the REALLY bad part). My husband, daughter, and I all went on a 3 hour road trip to Ikea(which is always worth it in my book), all in one day....so we drove 6 hours in one day and walked around Ikea and spent our life savings(ok maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but close to it) with the rest of the hours in the day.  So we did much of our eating out of convenience. All in all I just wanted to post this beautiful encouraging picture of me after my work out to let you know it IS possible to enjoy food and maintain a somewhat of a decent physique(I am by no means a fitness queen..haha),  just don't forget to hop on that dreadmill and burn it off the next day, and yes, you might just look as beautiful as I do.....they don't call it the dreadmill for nothing!!!

Chili Dawg Wine, Are You Kidding Me?

This past Summer I attended the Neptune Wine Festival here at the ocean front in Virginia Beach. I sampled many wonderful wines some sweet, some bitter, some heavy, some light…..but the one that stands out most in my mind is the Chili Dawg 750 from The Peaks Of Otter Winery. I know it doesn’t sound too pleasant and I was hesitant to try it myself, but this odd blend of light apple wine and chili pepper wine was actually way better than I’d like to admit. I mean who drinks wine that tastes like a chili dawg? that’s just not classy! To top it off the wine pourer at the booth offered(recommended is more like it) a squirt of cheese whiz and a shot of wine and we were good to go!  Yes, you have to have cheese with your chili dawg,..there is no other way! I was pleasantly surprised by the combined flavors…the cheese, the light apple wine, and the chili pepper wine. No doubt I’ll be ordering a bottle very soon! Now as for the straight Chili pepper wine they gave me next called “ Kiss The Devil”, that nearly lit my mouth on fire, I’ll be passing on that next time!

Me soooo in love with Miso Soup (Yes, I am a Dork.)

Tis the season for Miso soup….ok maybe not the season but now’s as good a time as any.  Want to know how I judge a good Japanese/Sushi restaurant???  Yep, you got it, by their Miso soup.  Just like I judge every Mexican restaurant I go to by…well by two things really….their salsa and their Margaritas…but this is a whole other blog post.  I LOVE Miso soup. Every palate is different and not all may share my humble opinions but that’s the joy of eating.  I can be a food critic just for my own benefit!!!  Miso soup on a cold dreary day is a bowl of hot happiness.  I say “hot happiness” because that is the ONLY way to eat Miso soup, steamy hot!  The perfect Miso soup has to have just the right amount of salt….I like to be able to taste the salt but ofcourse overwhelming salt flavoring is not a good thing.  I like my Miso soup with cubes of tofu in it, enough so I know they are there.  I am not ashamed to say that I have frequented probably  all of the Sushi restaurants in my city….well maybe not all, but most…and I can count on one hand the places I have visited more than once because of their perfect  Miso soup.  Miso soup sets the standard of the restaurant for me.  Every lovely  Miso soup I have tasted has always been followed by the freshest sushi and most flavor filled entrées.  So in other words perfect Miso soup=perfect sushi restaurant.  There is nothing like a cozy bowl of soup in the cold Winter time….next time you’re craving one, try some Miso!!!  You might just find yourself thinking “Me soooo in love with Miso soup!”

Live to Eat Not Eat to Live

 I know how it all happened. I know how I fell in love with food. Blame it on New York.  I moved there when I was 19 with my boyfriend(now husband). I'm a beach girl, born and raised in Virginia Beach, so the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle was not really my cup of tea but I made the best of it. I took all the positives back to Virginia, where I am now home again with my family. I am thankful for the 8 years I did live in NY because it really did change who I am in alot of ways. Including the way I view food. The food, ohhhhhh the food, the food was AMAZING. From the hotdog stands on the side of the streets to the 5 star restaurants in Manhattan all the way to the local mom and pop diners in Queens....my palate was tantalized. I learned to appreciate every cuisine.  I was not and am not at all narrow minded when it comes to food. It was there I first tried sushi, raw oysters, freshly brewed ales, my first glass of wine, etc..... It was there I learned that you cannot eat just to live.....you must live to eat.....enjoy every moment, savor every bite, relish every sip.