Mama Ritas- Thousand Oaks

Pomegranate and Fuzzy Navel Margaritas. yum!

Chips and salsa...also yum!

Albondigas soup was really yummy.

Special of the night- chicken empanadas.
I really didn't care for them but the rice and beans were super yummy.

Chile Relleno was tasty and my hubby said he would order it again.

We tried Mama Ritas in Thousand Oaks with some friends on Saturday night. It was featured on Kitchen Nightmares so we were excited to see what Gordon Ramsey had accomplished. The restaurant was crowded but it wasn't so noisy that you couldn't hear each other talk. The decor was really cool and there were lots of TVs with sports playing which made my honey happy. He likes to keep tabs on the Lakers score. All the food tasted very fresh and the service was excellent. We will definitely be returning. yum!

Cloudy with a Chance Of (Barefoot Contessa) Meatballs

Cesar Salad

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Girl Scout Cookie Ice Cream, with Thin Mints and Chocolate sauce......yum!

This last weekend we had a movie night with some friends. We rented Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It was cute but only worth watching once. Have you seen it? I heard it was made from a really popular children's book, but I haven't read it. I made the meatballs from my Barefoot Contessa cookbook and our friends provided the rest. The recipe was good but the sauce was a little watery. Next time I'll try pureeing the tomatoes. Also, I used 1 lb beef and 1lb pork. I can't bring myself to buy veal. I know some of you major foodie will scold me....but those poor baby cows.
Anyway, I hope everyone has stocked up on Girl Scout cookies since it will be a whole year before they come back.

Chocolate Cake

I've been saving this post (it's from March) in the hopes that I would find the photo I took of the cake. I still can't find the photo, may have accidentally deleted it....oops, but the recipe is so good I must share it anyway.

For my hubby's birthday, I made him chocolate cake from my new cookbook. It was delicious. We've been having a slice every night after dinner and it's totally worth the calories.

I will share that I had frosting disaster. I bought organic powdered sugar and it made huge lumps in the frosting. On my second try I started sifting the powdered sugar to get all the lumps out (and since I'm very clumsy) I dropped the sifter and sugar went everywhere. Luckily, I had enough sugar to try again but I was really frustrated to waste so many ingredients.

Luckily, I was in a good mood and laughed about it rather then cried. Sometimes, I can't help but shed a few tears when my food doesn't turn out right.

Here is a link for the recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/beattys-chocolate-cake-recipe/index.html

Loving my Barefoot Contessa Recipes

We had an Irish Soda Bread bake-off today at work. I lost by one vote. So sad, but the winner's bread was really yummy. I used dried cranberries since I didn't have any raisins.

Last night for dinner I made oven fried chicken and potato salad. The potato salad was really good but I don't know that I'll make the chicken again. It was a lot of work.

Yum!

Yay, it's the weekend. I love the weekend. Especially, since Monday is my hubby's birthday which means there will be lots of yummy food for the next couple days of celebrating with family and friends.

I made these caramel pecan bars. Can you say DELICIOUS? They were so good and I'm so sorry to the blogger who posted the recipe because I can't find my notes and I'm unable to truly thank you. So, if you read this, please let me know and I'll give you the proper credit you deserve. These were especially yummy with coffee during a late night of playing Mexican Train. Have you ever played Mexican Train? It's a domino game that is truly addictive.


Last week my wonderful husband came home with a surprise for me......This cookbook that I have been wanting. His love language is definitely not romantic gift gestures so I was really really excited that he would bring this home for me when it wasn't a special occasion. Starting next week, I'm going to cook my way thru all her recipes. First up, chocolate cake to be served for the birthday boy. I'm sure I'll be blogging about it later.


Of course all these yummy eats have been cramping my weight-loss challenge. My friend came over last night and she hasn't had any success either, but we again vowed to do better. LOL
Today, I managed to lace up my new sneakers and go for a jog. Oddly, the sneakers made the toes on my right foot go numb. Has this ever happened to you? I can't figure out if it's because they are new or I was wearing them too tight. hmmmmmmm....

Shepherds Pie

I'm always excited to try a recipe from another blogger and since my hubby loves Shepherds Pie I made him the recipe from http://foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com/2010/03/easy-shepherds-pie-adapted-from-rachael.html

I substituted ground turkey and chicken sausage for the meat, but everything else was the same. Even though I'm not really a casserole fan, I enjoyed this and there was plenty of leftovers for a couple of lunches.

Oscar Party Eats

Tiramisu Trifle, yum!

Fresh Salsa.

Guacamole

Empanadas...these are amazing. Here is the link for the recipe http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Beef-Empanadas-239955

Chips with nacho cheese.

Any reason to have a party and eat some yummy food makes me very happy. I made empanadas and a tiramisu trifle. Our friends provided the rest. About half-way thru the Oscars we all fell into food comas, yawned our way thru the boring commercials, desperately wished we could fast forward thru most of the acceptance speeches and cheered when Jeff Bridges won Best Actor. Did anyone else cry when Sandra Bullock gave her speech? Seriously, I got all choked up. I really wanted Meryl Streep to win but was happy for Sandra. It was a great night, although I'm doing a horrible job in my weight-loss challenge. Hopefully, my friend ate her way thru the Oscars too. Did you watch the Oscars?

Blogger Award and Nominations

Yay, my first blogger award. Thank you Chey from http://cheycancook.blogspot.com/, so sweet of you to nominate me. She has a great blog about my favorite thing- cooking.

As always, there a rules for this award:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award. Thank you Chey!
2. Copy the award & place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Share 7 interesting things about yourself.
5. Nominate 7 bloggers

Soooo....7 interesting thinks about me...hmmmmm.
1. I have seen the movie Julia & Julie so many times that I have each scene and dialogued memorized.
2. I read the Bible every night before I go to sleep.
3. I play my iPod at work and have been caught dancing in my chair. Embarassing. LOL
4. I have 3 kitties (too many according to my husband) Mason, Minute and Malone.
5. I like to eat leftover Chinese food cold.
6. I rarely close a drawer or cabinet all the way. Makes my husband crazy and one day just to irritate him I opened all the kitchen cabinets and drawers before I left for work. So funny.
7. When I go outside to walk or jog alone, I take my pepper spray with me. Yes, I'm a little paranoid.

7 Bloggers I'd like to nominate:

1. Kristen http://www.changeofpaceforme.com/
2. Amanda http://twobooswhoeat.blogspot.com/
3. Ashley http://thehappylittlehome.blogspot.com/
4. Erica http://www.fashionmeetsfood.com/
5. Risa http://www.bakedperfection.com/
6. Danielle http://peacefulcooking.blogspot.com/
7. Melissa http://cooketteonline.blogspot.com/

White Bean Soup

Last night for dinner I made White Bean Soup. I subsituted 2 15oz cans of beans rather than use dried. It wasn't as thick as I prefer bean soup to be, so I would add less chicken stock next time, but it was still really yummy and low-cal. I topped it with croutons and some parmesean cheese. Yum!

www.foodnetwork.com/.../ina-garten/...white-bean-soup.../index.html -

$50 Weight Loss Challenge

Last night my friend and I ate way too many chips with way too much salsa and then got into our bathing suits to jacuzzi in the rain. Although we had a great time, we couldn't help but lament about our weight, as girls seem to always do when they are together. So....we decided that by April 15 whoever loses the most weight gets $50. That was enough motivation for me to get out of bed early and promise to eat well and exercise for the next month. This morning I woke up energized and ready to begin my weight-loss efforts which will hopefully not be ruined by going to Lupes tonight.

I made oatmeal for breakfast with chopped apples, cinnamon and a little brown sugar. Also, I'm trying a new tea from Trader Joes called Yerba Mate. Have you tried it? It's pretty good, especially with a little honey.

I've been thinking of trying Jillian Michael's line of supplements. Have you tried them and noticed a difference?

Aurorae Yoga Mat Giveaway

Ok, here is another "Let's Get Fit for the Summer" Giveaway. It's being held by Two Boos Who Eat. She's got a great blog that I'm happy to share with you. If you'd like a chance to win please go to the link below:
http://twobooswhoeat.blogspot.com/2010/03/aurorae-yoga-mat-giveaway.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TwoBoosWhoEat+%28Two+Boos+Who+Eat%29

Fashion Meets Food Giveaway

I don't normally share giveaways from other bloggers but swimsuit season is right around the corner so I thought most would be interested in this one. Fashion Meets Food is offering a cool Fiber One package. Check it out:
http://www.fashionmeetsfood.com/2010/03/20-days-away-from-spring.html