The Most Wonderful Time of the year..

So, it's here. Starting tomorrow, let the eating and drinking begin. Parties, dinners, Pumpkin  everything, with a side of EggNog everything. In the words of Dennis DeYoung, the best and worst of times. We will struggle from now until New Years's Day to not eat and drink everything in sight.
No one is more excited than I am for all the holidays have to offer. I woke up at the crack of dawn today, excited to get to the grocery store and buy all my ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner. I already have made three delicious dishes, and none of them are Weight Watcher friendly. Mind you there are two of us, and I will have enough food for six. I mean Hanukkah and Thanksgiving on the same night! Foodie dream come true, there will be Latkes.
How do we take control of this situation? How do we keep from gaining ten pounds in four weeks?
Lets start by conceding to the fact, we might pick up a pound or two. But, there are plenty of days in between the celebrating to eat healthy. There are lots of days and nights without a party to go to.
I am going to try and stay strong on the days I can, and not beat myself up on the days I indulge.
It will be a fight to the finish, but I am up to the challenge.
Happy Holidays to all!
Until next time, Stay Strong!!

Summertime

"I eat so much less in the Summer, because it's hot and all you want is a salad"..Bullcrap!
I tried to buy into this myth, but it's just not true.
Summertime is about BBQ's, family vacations, dining Al Fresco and lots of cold alcoholic beverages.
The fact remains, it is a lot easier to lose weight in the winter.

This week was a whirlwind of new restaurants to check out and cold wine/Champagne to be had.
Last week was about a big BBQ at my house, and a fun Summer Friday off drinking Sangria.
Summertime means trips to the Dairy Queen and staying out till Midnight on a Tuesday.
So, there will be no weight lost until after Labor Day, period.
This is summer, and I plan to enjoy it until the white shoes are gone.

Come October, I will be home and and back to Turkey Chili.
I will be okay with going home on a Tuesday night.
I will be okay not having a scoop from Margie's.

I will be okay, a little plumper, but okay.
Till next time,

Column A or Column B?

When did my love affair with Asian cuisine begin?  At birth, I suppose...I am Jewish.
The stereotype of Jews at a Chinese restaurant on Christmas day, completely true.
I don't know it is the shared disbelief in Jesus as the lord, or the only place taking reservations that day.

Growing up, I spent many at Sunday evening choosing from Column A and Column B.
And I never met a sparerib I didn't like, bad Jew.

Let's start with memories of a bowl of greasy fried noodles and sickly orange sauce to douse them in.
Or what about the crunch of a delicious egg roll, doused in the same sauce,
mixed with a dollop of spicy mustard.
But, my favorite thing ever invented, the combination plate.
I got to stuff my chubby face with three different things!! Heaven.

Asian cuisine has come a long way.  Now we have so many choices, and I do not know what I love more. Is it the savory Thai dishes like Pad Thai? Or is is a spicy Tuna roll at my favorite Sushi spot?
Or how about a Bahn Mi sandwiches, sprouting up everywhere at Vietnamese joints?
So much Asian, so little time.

Recently in Hawaii, I had one of the best meals of my life.
I dined at Iron Chef Morimoto's restaurant.
A six course meal, that ranged from Whitefish Carpaccio to Waygu beef.
Absolute perfection. A long way from a PuPu platter.

Tonight I dined at Chicago's newest upscale Chinese restaurant LAO18.
Hints of old school Chinese (spare ribs) mixed with the new (Ginger Chilean Sea Bass).

I love that the world of food had evolved so much, and I am living in it.
But there is a spot on Lincoln Ave here in Chicago...where a bowl of greasy noodles and a syrup holder filled with orange sweet sauce awaits you..

Til next time..

"Nothing taste better than being thin".. Did Kate Moss says this??
I have been thinking about how every day, I chant this mantra in my head, but I'm still hungry.

When I try on something in a store and it's a smaller size, I agree with Kate.
I glow in the aftermath of my purchase and think I'm so glad I didn't eat that cookie.
I tell myself not having a cocktail for 2 weeks was worth it.
Those size 6 shorts, looked real good.

Then.. I drive by KFC, and get nostalgic.
I think back to a day, when  of a nice lunch consisted of an Extra crispy 2 piece and biscuit.
I smell Dunkin' Dounuts and remember my good old friend the breakfast sandwich.
I don't think thin tastes better.

I came home from work today, and was starving. The egg salad on 35 calorie bread wasn't cutting it.
I remembered I had (4) ribs stashed away in my freezer...
It was time to indulge. I busted them out. Guilt set in...
Then I remembered a day, when I ate double that with a side of Potatoes O'Gratin.
Those four ribs tasted great, and not feeling stuffed felt pretty good too.

So I guess Kate does have a point,  but once in a while..

Till next time,

Pizza. Delicious, cheesy and cheap Pizza.  For such a simple food, there is much debate.
I heard this week that Chicago was voted as the city with the best Pizza.
Then I read on WSJ.com, that New York was #3, behind Providence R.I.!!
My gut instinct is to tell you, this is just wrong. then I thought about it...

Pizza is one of the only foods, that is completely subjective.
What you think is the best, depends on many factors.
Where you grew up, being #1, hands down.

I have friend who grew up in small town Iowa. All he ever knew was Pizza Hut.
I have friend who grew up in Chicago, deep dish is what she was raised on.
I grew up in Brooklyn, I was raised on delicious-ness. (Is that a word?).
Our tastes can become more sophisticated, but we will still love what we grew up with.

I took my friend from Chicago home to Brooklyn one weekend.
I promised her, she would have the best piece of pizza in her life.
She did.
And though she admitted it, she still loves "Aurellios" in Tinely Park.
And I enjoy "Sarpinos" on occasion.

So who is to say any city is #1?
It's what's in your heart. Other pizzas come along, you must accept it.
But you can still always have your favorite.

And what do they always say, "Pizza is like sex, even when it's bad, it's good."

Till next tine,

This week, I felt like food won. I tried hard to resist, but too many delicious things came my way.
It started with lunch at a new restaurant. How can one pass up fries with a fried egg on top?
Then, the deconstructed Croque Monsieur and heavenly puff pastry dessert.
I tried to compensate by skipping dinner and tell myself it was one day, just one day..

Two days later, it was the trip to the new donut shoppe..Buttermilk Old fashioned and Apple Fritter.
I attempted to look up points on Weight Watchers for this snack..Yikes.
I ended my work week with one too many Bourbons and some chicken fingers.
Today I had a Bahn Mi for lunch and dinner. So much for one day.

I thought about my week, after I took the last delicious bite of my Bahn Mi.
Maybe some times we need to give ourselves a break.
I recognize that I have to get back on the straight and arrow, and I will.

But this week, Stephie=0, Food=1


Til next time,

Childhood memories are strange.
Do you actually remember things, or do you just hear the stories so many times, you think you remember them. My best memories, of course revolve around food. And I do remember.

My parents got divorced when I was four years old. I spent Sundays with my Dad.
I don't recall much of the first year. Things changed when I turned six years old.
I now had a step mom and new brother.  It was a difficult time, and Sundays weren't always so fun.
But Summer Sundays, were the best.

Every Sunday, we would head to Coney Island for the day. This meant a few things.
I would get to hang out with my Dad, swim and eat.
My Dad would make sandwiches for us to take to the beach.
These were no ordinary sandwiches. No ham and cheese for the Cochin family.

I would watch my Dad, over a giant pan filled with eggs, potatoes, onions and peppers.
He would just grab globs out of the pan and pop them in his mouth.
He would groan and shake his head, not even feeling the heat of the pan.
Then, he would show me his giant fresh rolls from the bakery.
He carefully wrapped each fluffy egg filled delight in tin foil, and packed them up.
A plum or peach would be thrown in for good measure.

I would sit in the car on the way, just thinking abouth the moment I could open the tin foil and take my first bite. My new brother could care less, and would disappear the minute we got there.
Dad would make a least two sandwiches per person, and I savored both of mine.
I loved these days at the beach with my Dad. If I was lucky, there might even be a trip to Nathan's on the way home. Nathan's had it all! Pizza, Cotton Candy, and of course Hot Dogs.
I loved to watch my Dad pop a whole hot dog in his mouth, gone in two bites.

I didn't always connect with my Dad. Our love for food, was our connection.
Things got tough between us at the end, and I didn't always care to talk to him.
But, every time we did speak, his first question would be "What did you have for lunch?".
I would describe each bite of the best meal I had that week, and he would do the same.
Somehow, things could be simple between us, just like those days at Coney Island.

Til next time,

Another "restaurant week" is coming to a close here in Chicago.
What is "restaurant week" you ask? For 10 days more than 250 restaurants in our amazing city offer price fixe lunch and dinner at discount prices.
If I could, I would eat lunch and dinner for all 10 days, but my wallet and waistline will not allow.
So, I settled for 2 lunches and 2 dinners. Today, I had my last meal of the 4.
To be honest, it was the only 1 of the 4 that I truly enjoyed.

Which lead to me to some thoughts..

Most restaurants, do not put their best foot forward. They offer the least expensive and probably least ordered dishes. Most of the meals I had, there were 1 or 2 standouts at best. The rest was mediocre.
And let's be honest, after the diet cokes, coffees and "special desserts", it's not such a deal.

Why are we so obsessed with going to these restaurants and participating in this ritual?
Why? Because we love to eat! It's just an excuse to show off our fancy palettes and say we have been to..fill in the blanks. Deep down, we just love to eat, and it's a great excuse.

Last night my fellow foodie and I experienced some new things. Potato ice cream, Pig tails and grilled cheese for dessert. Did we like it? Not so much. We both wanted to know where the salt was..

Today at lunch, we had a great waiter. We discussed restaurant week with him.
He kinda hinted that "restaurant week" started in New York, and maybe that's where it belonged.
Now, you know that I agree with that, don't be mad.

But I will stick up for Chi-town. When I moved here, it was Gibsons, Spaggio and Trotter's.
How far we have come. This is a world class food city. The highest rated restaurant int he U.S. is here in Chicago. So props Chicago, you do not disappoint. but at the end of the day, do we need "Restaurant Week"?

All we want here in Chicago, is to eat.
It could be a special night out at fancy place, or just good tater tots and chicken fingers.
I am okay with the latter.

Til next time,

It's the 1960's. I am at table in the Catskills, surrounded by my big Jewish family. The waiter asks me what I would like..I answer "The roast beef, rare please". The table explodes in laughter..
What 4 year old, says that? This one does.

Every since I can remember, my relationship with food has been different than most people's.
My childhood is marked by memories of food. some are good, and some are bad.
My grandmother's cooking, my mother's concern about eating, and my father's obsessive love for food have all played a part in how I feel about food and eating it.
My search for something delicious at all times, started then and has never ended.

I have struggled with my weight my whole life. I have been very fat, and I have been perfectly normal.
I have never stopped wanting to eat. It is a challenge every day. In my dream world, you can eat what ever you want and not gain weight. Just like that Albert Brooks movie. But that is just a dream.

I am the point in my life, where I don't want to be overweight, ever again.
I have learned to eat healthy and still have days where I can eat something delicious.
I live in amazing city with so many great places to eat.
I work in a industry, where you are wined and dined weekly. It's tough.

I have decided to write about my experiences with food, and share my stories about great meals.
I also want to share my struggles, and how hard it is to keep it under control.

This a food obsessed society, I am one of many.
Here we go..

When I was kid, I stayed with my grandparents every weekend.
My grandmother was about 5'0 tall and about 180 lbs.
Calories were not an issue, which meant they weren't an issue for me.
I could take a break from the Tab and Fig Newtons, I got at home

Once a month, Grandma had the ladies over for Mah Jong.
To say I was excited about this is an understatement, it meant the spread was coming out!
Plates of lox, bagels and cream cheese layered the Mah Jong table.
Delicious homemade tuna salad, egg salad and rolls, some of Ida's brownies.
"Come mamala eat something"..Oh I did. I still smile, when I think about those nights.
I was still to young to realize, being fat was bad. I could eat with abandon.

I knew then, that the way I felt about food, was different than most kids.
Spagehtti O's, no thanks. PB and J, I'll pass.
A big fat NY bagel smothered in scallion cream cheese and lox, yes please.

This is one many stories I want to write about.
Hope there is someone out there, who can relate, or at least enjoy reading this!

Till next time,