That's Amore

So, it was Tuesday evening and Ian and I had just gotten home from work.  There was an eggplant sitting in our refrigerator that was screaming to be used ASAP. (I had already thrown out the first one I bought because it went bad.)  You see, I had a recipe for Eggplant Rollatini sitting out on the kitchen counter for over a week and, although I couldn't wait to try it and hopefully wow my mouth and my husband's, I had to keep putting it on hold.  On Tuesday, I promised myself that I would not throw out another eggplant and so I was determined to somehow get at least part of this (somewhat complicated) dish made in the 45 minutes I had before heading to ballet class.  I started flying around the kitchen getting things prepared and thinking that it was almost certain that Ian would have to take over and execute this bad boy.  I found myself suggesting that maybe I should skip ballet so that I could stay home and finish dinner.  It's not that Ian can't cook...he follows recipes quite well...but sometimes too well.  He wants to be sure he's getting it exactly right and can become somewhat distressed with all of the perfectionism.  I didn't want him to have to go through all of that alone while I was away doing plies.  I realized that I was making myself seem much more important and essential to this whole process than I really was and I left it all in the hands of my husband.  When I returned home, dinner was made and the table was set and we had the most delicious meal.  He's the best. I'm controlling. 
I thought I would pass along the recipe.  It came from Cardona's Market, my very favorite Italian market in Albany.  I've given it to you just as Cardona's composed it.  We made a couple of revisions to the recipe and I've included those in italics.  Be prepared to get hungry....

Cardona's Market Eggplant Rollatini
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
For the eggplant:
1 medium/large eggplant (peeled and sliced lengthwise)
2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
3 large eggs
oil for frying (preferably 10% blended oil) * we used vegetable oil
For the filling:
1/2 cup onions diced
1 Tablespoon garlic crushed
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 cup bulk sausage meat *we omitted the sausage
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 pound ricotta cheese
1/2 cup chopped spinach *we used frozen spinach and microwaved it according to package directions
1/4 cup white wine
Additional:
1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Take the slices of eggplant and dip them in the egg batter and then the bread crumbs. 
2. In a frying pan, heat 3-4 Tbsp of oil and fry the slices of eggplant.  Drain on paper towel.  Set aside.
3. In a separate frying pan, heat butter with a Tbsp of olive oil.  Add the onions and saute until clear.
4. To the same frying pan, add the loose sausage meat and cook on medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the spinach and garlic and stir together.  Add white wine to deglaze pan.
6. In a mixing bowl, pour the contents of the frying pan and add the bread crumbs and ricotta cheese.
7. Take the slices of fried eggplant and lay them flat on the table.
8. Add 1-2 Tbsp worth of filling to the center of the eggplant.
9. Roll the eggplant up.
10. Take a casserole dish and pour a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of the pan.
11. Place the eggplant in the casserole dish and cover with sauce and then top with shredded mozzarella cheese.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Mangia!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I  must admit that Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays.  I'm a sucker for all of the red and pink and hearts and sweets and frogs wearing crowns and...did I say sweets already?  I made a batch of real Toll House chocolate chip cookies for Ian on Thursday night while he was at his soccer game.  I may have eaten so much cookie dough while waiting for each sheet to bake that I didn't have any room to eat actual cookies once they were done.  But don't worry...I still managed to stuff one (or two) of those goodies into my mouth before I went to bed with a stomach ache.  To add a special touch to the cookies, I used a tube of red decorating icing with a couple of different piping tips that I already had in my cabinet of baking supplies. 

Oh...and if you don't already have one, I highly recommend getting one or two of those silicone baking mats for cookie baking especially.  I baked one tray without the mat (because I was too impatient to wait for the other tray to bake first) and could really tell the difference in the texture and degree of "doneness" in the cookies.  The mats run around $15. Silpat is one brand and Bed Bath & Beyond has a brand of their own.  I added one to my wish list because clearly I'm too impulsive to have just one. 

More important than the baking tools is the love that you put into those sweets for the sweet.  Ian came home from his game and didn't even notice the intoxicating aroma of fresh baked cookies, but when he walked into the kitchen and saw this token of my affection, he swooned.  And then he ate one and swooned some more.  I'd say it was a good start to our first Valentine's Day as husband and wife.  Tonight, we're celebrating by exchanging gifts and going to dinner at The Wine Bar & Bistro, a romantic little hole in the wall in Albany.  I think I'll also try and persuade my valentine into watching The Time Traveler's Wife on pay-per-view.  I hope your Valentine's Day is full of the things you love.

Working On My Fitness

Back in the old days when I was a fiancée and planning the wedding of my dreams (I could say "our dreams," but who would I be kidding?), I had several favorite wedding blogs and sites I would follow for inspiration.  It was there that I learned hip bloggy phrases like "swoon worthy" and "STDs (that's Save The Dates), and that, if I allowed myself to look long enough, I would find enough pictures of perfectly beautiful nuptials to inspire 365 dream weddings for Dr. Husband and I.   One thing I saw mentioned on a couple of different blogs would prove to be a gold mine in preparation for the wedding and way beyond.  It was this:

I know...not the wedding blog image you were expecting...not a soft and lovely photo of a delicate pastel bouquet...not a stack of picturesque pink macaroons...not the simply glamorous letter pressed wedding invitation on hand-milled paper with the kind of calligraphy that has the perfect number of flourishes and loops.  No...it's Jillian Michaels...hard. core. ass kicking and name taking.  The 30 Day Shred has to be the most referenced workout DVD on the Wedding Wide Web.  Brides were swearing by it and I had been toying around with the idea of getting myself in the best physical shape of my life just in time for my wedding day. 

So, I went to Amazon.com and looked it up to see what other people had to say about Shredding.  I didn't expect much from a 20-minute workout--I have to be honest.  But hundreds of people were giving testimony to the power of Jillian...not to mention, the DVD only cost $9!  I put that bad girl in my shopping cart so fast I think it counted as some kind of exercise.  When she arrived in the mail a few days later, the Shredding commenced and I quickly realized what all of the hype was about.  The 20 minutes flew by as I moved through 3 phases of 3 circuits each including 3 minutes of strength exercise, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of ab work.  I swear that in a matter of days I could see some definition in my upper arms and I was SOLD.  Oh yeah...and I got those arm muscles despite the fact that I couldn't find my little purple hand weights and so used cans of beans instead.  (Don't tell Jillian.)  Also, I think you're supposed to do the workout every day for 30 days, but I didn't abide by that.  Still, I saw results.  People were commenting on my "fitness" and I told everyone who would listen that it was all thanks to a lady (?) named Jillian, my TV and DVD player, and 2 cans of green beans.  Even some of my guy friends were trying it (but using much heavier weights, of course).  I spread the word to my Mom and passed on my copy of the DVD to her as I had the workout memorized by then.  She's been Shredding like mozzarella ever since and I'm so proud of her! 

Well...when the wedding day came, I felt I had actually made that idea I had been toying around with come to fruition.  I don't think I have ever felt so confident about my body as I did then.  Luckily, it stuck with me through the 5 days of gluttonous perfection that was our honeymoon.  Then, I moved to Albany and that seemed to be the only "moving" I was doing for a while.  In lieu of searching the web for wedding planning inspiration, I found myself googling phrases like "newlywed weight gain."  I managed to get myself motivated enough to re-create the Shredding workout in our new living room, but Ian would sit there with this look of sheer terror on his face out of concern for the new flat screen television and anything else of value in the living room that might be jostled in my wake.  It was so easy to give up.  But then...Santa came and gave me back my will to Shred and this time it was even stronger because The Good Doctor vowed to get Shredded, too!  Since January 3, we've been Shredding three times per week after work.  (We have to feed Abby dinner first or else she'll lick us to death during ab time.)  Ian is a huge motivating factor for me and we've even advanced to the Level 2 workout this month!  It truly is a great exercise program. For those of you who haven't tried it yet...I double dog dare you to. 

She's Back!

Abigail Snots Fitzpatrick Haag has returned to her Albany home with all of the sass and unsatiable appetite for food and affection that she left with.  Dr. Husband and I are so happy to have her back.  As some of you may know, Abby made the journey from NY to NC with her Grandma back in November (thanks, Mom!)so that she could spend some quality time at Camp Grandpa and be "home for the holidays."  I missed having her around the house and I'm pretty sure she's the World's Greatest Snuggler, so I had to turn Ian into a spoon for a couple of months.  I have to admit, though, it was nice to not have to rush home to let the girl out or to have white hairs covering almost every piece of clothing I own.  And I know that my Dad takes the very best care of her so it's nice to know that she's in good hands. 

Last weekend, Abby made the return trip from Asheville to Albany with my Dad and the notorious Mr. Pickles (the dangerously adorable basset/beagle mix who hails from Knoxville, TN).  I was so excited to see the 3 of them pull into the driveway last Saturday.  I love having my family here because for a couple of days Albany doesn't seem so far away.  Dad was floored by all of the work we had done around the house.  (The last time he saw it was when we were moving in.)  We were showing Dad around the house when I smelled something horrible.  Pickles made himself very comfortable in our bedroom and left us a housewarming present (emphasis on warm).  Dad took care of "things" and then settled in for a relaxing (and tasty!) evening. 

Before Dad's arrival, I shopped at Cardona's Market, the best Italian market and cafe in town, for dinner fixings.  That night I made (with the help of Cardona's) spinach and walnut tortellini and spinach ravioli with alfredo sauce, sweet Italian chicken sausage, fresh Italian bread, sauteed yellow squash and red onions, and sauteed broccoli rabe with garlic and olive oil (thanks, Dad!).  It was so delicious.  For dessert, Dad helped me make my favorite molasses cookies (thanks, Martha!).  To get the recipe, click here.  The next day, for breakfast I made French toast with the leftover Italian bread.  With our tummies full,  Dr. Husband took us on a driving tour of the Capital Region.  We saw a couple of the houses that my dad lived in while he was growing up.  We took him to see some areas that had been built up since he moved away from Albany.  Our last stop was for lunch at his favorite deli in Albany.  Mmmmm....grilled turkey reuben sandwich.  Dad had to get on the road after that, with Pickles as his co-pilot.  It was a quick visit, but it was great nonetheless.  Now, I sit here on the couch writing this post with Abby cuddled up next to me, a cup of coffee nearby, and Sopranos reruns on the tv....I love Sundays. 

Baby Love (It's not what you're thinking)

\ˌre-zə-ˈlü-shən\                         Merriam-Webster's OnLine Dictionary

1 : the act or process of resolving: as a : the act of analyzing a complex notion into simpler ones b : the act of answering : solving c : the act of determining
2 : the subsidence of a pathological state (as inflammation)
3 a : something that is resolved b : firmness of resolve
4 : a formal expression of opinion, will, or intent voted by an official body or assembled group
5 : the point in a literary work at which the chief dramatic complication is worked out

When I think of the word "resolution", I think of two things: conflict resolution and New Year's resolution.  As a psychotherapist, I spend much of my work day trying to understand and resolve conflicts (usually somebody else's, granted).  But when January First rolls around, I think I tend to get stuck on the definition of the word...how it implies that before something can be "resolved" it must first be in a state of disrepair, incompleteness, or uncertainty. Usually the minute I settle on my New Year's resolution(s) it seems like I'm setting myself up for some kind of punishment.  I imagine a judge in a colonial white wig looking down over his spectacles and saying, "Katie Lauren Fitzpatrick Haag, I hereby sentence you to 1 year of guilt and regret for (inevitably) failing to uphold your resolution."  I get bogged down by all of the things about myself that could use some improvement and lose sight of the fact that what is symbolic about January First is that it is a NEW year and an opportunity to start afresh.  Just look at that Baby New Year...those pink chubby cheeks (both sets) and fat little limbs and know that from his perspective January First is the start of something great...it's time to go confidently into the new year and be as much of yourself as you possibly can (even if that means wearing nothing but a top hat). 

So...this year, I'm taking a tip from Baby New Year.  I will not "resolve" to be different.  I will aspire to be more myself.  Here are some of those aspirations...

To let myself laugh more and laugh harder

To pray when I think about praying

To send little notes and trinkets to the people I love when I'm thinking of them

To sing louder and more often whenever and wherever

To focus more on what I have than on what I don't have

To give compliments to others when they come to my mind

To be more confident in my self and those around me

To be more present with my family and friends


                                                                                                    

ReLOVING Pastimes

It's back to the bar for me.  On the night Ian and I celebrated Christmas together and exchanged gifts, we were opening the little gifts in our stockings.  I put my hand in my stocking and pulled out a lovely wrapped package from Santa.  Inside was a pair of pink Danskin tights.  The next package I pulled out was a long-sleeved black leotard...like the kind I remember the "older girls" wearing at the dance studio I attended as a little girl.  Ian knew that I had been thinking about revisiting ballet lessons since moving to Albany and so he printed out the enrollment form at the studio I found and filled it out.  Then Santa put it in my stocking.  I was so excited to receive those gifts and felt so loved and encouraged.  That night I tried on my new gear and had to reconcile the fact that I was a grown woman wearing something I had only associated with childhood up to this point.  On the bright side, I didn't have the little girls' character underpants hanging out from my leotard and bunched up under my tights.  Although I noticed that I do have some bunching along my torso where the waistband of the tights sucks my midsection in.  I also had to wonder whether or not I should wear a bra with my leotard...a question that never crossed my mind the last time I was a ballerina.  I still need to go buy my ballet shoes, so I'm hoping that while I'm at the store I'll see some adult ballet dancers in their dancewear so I can have a better idea of how to dress on the first day of class.  I'm hoping some sort of skirt or warm-up pant is involved!  Regardless, starting January 18th I will again become a ballet dancer...even if just for one night a week. 

Christmas in New York

I apologize, again, for no post last Sunday.  I hope my faithful readers haven't lost hope on me and my blog.  Last Friday, Ian and I went into The City for the weekend to see friends Alec (Ian's Best Man) & Robbi.  They were gracious hosts and made their sweet 400 square foot apartment in the West Village feel like home to us.  On our first night there, we went to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and then we ventured to some local favorites including a pub called Kettle of Fish.  It turns out that the Kettle was opened in 1950 and was a hangout for beatniks such as Jack Kerouac and Bob Dylan. 

Jack Kerouac then...

Me now...

So we enjoyed some beer and eachothers' company and then played a game of darts.  Typically, I would abstain from dart playing as I consider myself to be a major handicap for my teammate.  But, I decided to give it a shot so to speak.  It was couple vs. couple and after a few turns, I had hit maybe a couple of targets.  It was my turn again and I was aiming for the 18 when I hit the bullseye.  Ian couldn't believe it.  He told me to aim for the 18 again so I tried to follow his advice and hit the bullseye again!  I'm pretty sure my third shot stuck in the wall below the dartboard.

The next day, after having fresh hot bagels delivered right to the apartment door, we went shopping in SoHo.  Santa got me a pair of jeans at Bloomingdales.  Give me one day in SoHo and my Christmas list grows exponentially!

We had a great time in NYC and even got to meet up with some friends of ours from Knoxville on Sunday for brunch.

While The City is exciting and a great place to visit, I was ready to come home.  We've spent the past week getting ready for Christmas in The Nest.  Personally, I don't think the Rockefeller tree has anything on The Haag Family Christmas Tree.

I mean, does Rockefeller have these?

 
Ian and I are having our "Christmas" tonight since we won't have much space to bring gifts along with us on the flight to NC.  I'm so excited to see what else Santa brought me!