What's On My Plate

Notes for this week:


I am trying to make the Spring Pappardelle again. It slipped through the cracks this week, but the picture on Cooking Light looks so good, that I just have to try to get it made. Plus it has morels. Enough said.


You might be wondering what the Empty Bowls event is on Thursday night. According to their website, "Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort to fight hunger and was created by The Imagine Render Group. The basic premise is simple: Potters and other craftspeople, educators and others work with the community to create handcrafted bowls. Guests are invited to a simple meal of soup and bread. In exchange for a cash donation, guests are asked to keep a bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world. The money raised is donated to an organization working to end hunger and food insecurity." I am blown away by the concept. The High School in my town is hosting the event. The bowls were crafted by students. It should be a spectacular evening! To learn more or to find an event near you, visit The Empty Bowls Website.


I think that is all. If you have a menu planned and you would like to post it here, you can do it two ways. 1. Post your picture on your blog and link to it below. or 2. Join the What's On My Plate Flikr Group and post it there and then link to it below.


Let me know if you have any trouble.  Oh and if you have any killer recipes we should all try, leave them in the comments.


P.S. I am including a goal for myself in the note section of my pad. Maybe if it is staring me in the fact, I will actually do it...

WOMP - A Makeover

Yesterday I talked a lot about doing the things that make me happy. Food, nutrition, menu planning and sharing all of that with you adds to my joy. Taking a picture of what I cooked? Not so much. That isn't because I'm not proud of my food. I'm just not proud of my food pictures. 

Up until about two weeks ago, my camera was pathetic. My family rectified that situation on my birthday. I was given an amazing camera so that I can better document my culinary adventures! I am blessed and overwhelmed by their generosity and thoughtfulness. I can not wait to start posting pictures that show my food to be the incredible, delicious, vibrant  food that I know it to be! Look for those pictures starting later this week.

That wasn't the only issue though. Taking a picture of dinner every night was stressful. Sometimes things get crazy around here. Kids and adults are on different schedules and headed in different directions several days out of every week. Getting  a shot of a perfectly composed plate isn't always possible. 

It isn't that I want to give up on WOMP. 

I just need to make it work in my life.

So I give you: WOMP (What's On My Plate) - A Makeover

Each week, on Monday, I will post the weeks menu. This gives me the opportunity to menu plan, and document culinary adventures. I will also post links to the prior weeks recipes, if they were hits. Anything that is a Deadly Zin creation will be documented in it's own post, and I will link to it in the next weeks WOMP.

For example, I am very excited to share with you my incredible Chipotle Smashed and my Healthy(er) Huevos Rancheros.

I am also revamping the linking process so that you can link a picture of your weekly menu even if you don't have a blog. Maybe a WOMP Flikr group? Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

And who knows, maybe seeing what everyone else is cooking will inspire us to travel in new culinary directions! I would love knowing what's on your plate!

Taking Stock of What's Most Important

You may or may not have noticed my absence in the last month. I have been struggling. Struggling with motivation, inspiration, energy, and joy. It is hard to post when you are unsure of what makes you happy,

You see, I was struggling with my image both on my blog and in my life. I tackled a diet trying to get back to who I wanted to be, and that only made matters worse. Adding deprivation into uncertainty can never yield a positive result.

So for the last few days I have been taking an inventory of what makes me happy. Blogging is one of them, but it is not number 1 on the list.

Number 1 is my husband. Tim is where this amazing life began, and without him it would be nothing.
Numbers 2, 3, and 4 are a 4 way tie with number 1, and those are my kids. Loving them and making them feel loved is paramount to my happiness.
Number 5 is my family and friends and in many instances those things overlap. I am blessed to be able to call much of my family my closest friends, and many of my friends are my family of choice.
Number 6 is volunteering. Having the opportunity to make the world a better place and then doing it, is a gift.
Number 7 is food and wine. I was shocked to see that it falls this far down the list, but it does. It is still ahead of all other extracurricular activities, and finding a way to enjoy it both as a healthy lifestyle choice and make it affordable are what drive me. Expect to see more of this here on the blog.
Number 8 is being outside. When I spend too much time indoors, or sedentary, I am miserable. Being a part of the world around me is a vital part of my soul.
And lastly,
Number 9 is exercise. When I am more active, I feel better. And when I feel better, I have more energy for the first 8 items.

So that is it. I would love to wrap it up in a nice and neat 1-10 list, but there are no bonus points for neatness here. Being real and valid are much more important.

You should expect to see some changes on the blog over the next week or two. I am excited to get back to it, and include more of the things I am passionate about.

Sophia Loren said it best, "After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery. It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe. Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life."

The first makeover starts tomorrow.