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Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Sunday Dinners with Tony : Braciole

Good Morning Lovelies !!


   I wanted to start a new series for my blog and since I love to cook and bake I figured this would be a perfect fit! Sunday Dinners fit in with this because growing up my Family would get together on Sundays after Church and my Grandfather would cook and be in the kitchen all day making his Sauce or Gravy (whichever part of Italy you are from) My Grandfather is 100% Sicilian-Italian, First Generation American. Being the youngest of 8 he learned a lot, and his Mother my Great-Grandmother was an amazing cook. She passed down her recipes to her children, they then passed it down to theirs and now I know them! Special Recipes made with love and some with a little Louisiana Flare... you can't get any better than that!

I am kicking off this series with a big bang.... BRACIOLE !


Some grocery stores sell meat that is labeled "Braciole meat" "Flank steak Braciole Meat" you can also get "Round Top" meat, if you do not like this certain meat you can of course substitute with pork, hell even chicken, just make sure its sliced thin (or you can beat it thin)

For this meal I used the Flank Steak Braciole Meat... I got two packs of them which will equal 8 braciole.

Ok Step 1 is done. You got your meat!


Time to make your filling....

Garlic, Green Onions, Italian Seasoning Bread Crumbs, Parmesan Cheese, Parsley and Olive Oil.


Chop 4-5 Big Cloves of Garlic
Chop 1/2 of a Green Onion
1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese (add little by little until you get the flavoring you like)
up to 2 Cups of Italian Bread Crumbs
1/4 Cup of Parsley

Don't forget you need a heavy cotton rope to tie them shut!

You can add any seasoning you like, Substitute anything for something else. This is the base my family likes to use and depending on who is coming over sometimes we add a little more or a little less.

                   Mix your garlic, onion, Parmesan Cheese, Bread Crumbs and Parsley Together

 Then add Olive Oil, Start with 2 Tablespoons and work your way up. You do this to Moisten the Filling to make it "packable"


Step 2 is Done! You got your Breadcrumb Filling!! 

Now that your breadcrumb filling is done it is time to beat the meat and stuff the Braciole!!
But before I forget there is a secret ingredient to add... You want to have 4 to 6 hardboiled eggs ready to go. I like to cut them in to circle and then cut the circles in half, I find it is easier to roll that way but some people leave them whole, I have never tried it but it would definitely work. 

Now before you start to stuff the meat get a sauce pan or frying pan out and put cooking oil (I use Wesson Oil) on the bottom of the pan with a clove of garlic let it sit until you are ready to brown the meat. 

On another burner put your Sauce or Red Gravy however you say it. You want to take a cup of that and bring it over to your stuffing station.

Take the one piece of your meat, cut it in half and start beating it. You want to make sure they are nice and thin, it isn't suppose to be a thick meat roll. 

Once you have it thinned out place your eggs directly on the meat, followed by your breadcrumb mix and then put a little sauce on top. If you would rather not put the sauce you can add petite diced tomatoes and little of the juice it comes in. I didn't add that this time because not everyone in the Family loves a chunky tomato =] 

Once stuffed make sure you roll it tight, you may see some excess filling come out the sides or the bottom when you roll it and that's okay! This isn't a mess-free meal prep.

Once you rolled it tight, take your heavy cotton rope and tie that sucker on each side (see picture below) You don't have to tie yours as tight as I did mine. Just tie it enough to where the roll won't come undone and everything won't fall out. Double knot it and TA-DA! Cut the excess rope off and you are ready to fry those bad boys up. 


After you have rolled all of your Braciole, turn the burner on for the frying pan with your oil and let it get warm (same with the sauce, turn the burner on and get your sauce cooking if it isn't already)
Place your meat in the frying pan, let it brown on all sides then once they brown place them in your sauce, which is where they will finish cooking. Once you have placed all of your Braciole in the pot with the sauce you can cover it and place it on a low to medium heat let sit for an hour / hour and a half.


In the time you are waiting, prepare your favorite pasta and make a little garlic and cheese bread and Voila ! 

** Don't forget to take the rope off before you start to eat**

Dinner is served !

Enjoy!!



I hope you enjoyed this recipe and Doctor it up any way that you see fit! If you have any questions please comment below and I will be happy to answer them for you! 

Thank you and Bon Appetite !


XOXOX,
 L








Saturday, December 31, 2016

Baby Love

Hey Loves,



   Hope all is well and everyone is enjoying the Holiday season with their loved ones. Among all the chaos lets find the peace and happiness that create special memories <3 Sending so much love to you all this season.


  The last time I was on here ( I know it has been forever.. I am so bad at this) It was July and I was traveling with the Hubby. Since then a lot has changed =]

 We welcomed our beautiful Daughter Nathalie Giovanna at the end of October, and we can't imagine life without here.

 Which leads me to my next thing, I am by no means an expert in babies and I'm not parent of the year. I am just a new mom that has done trial and error with formulas, bottles and even diapers. Once we found what works for us everything has (knock on wood) been so much better.

 I am going to "review" everything so far that we have used with Nathalie. Hope this helps any and all Moms that may have been looking for what I was.. now lets get into the good stuff!



**Yes, I tried to breastfeed. No my milk didn't come in and she was loosing too much weight and it started to become a concern to us and her Pediatrician that we had to give her formula at 2 days old. It broke my heart but it was needed..

Here are the Formulas we have tried :

1. Gerber Gentle
This was the first formula given to us by our Pediatrician. To be honest we didn't know where to start with formulas since I was planning on exclusively breastfeeding. She was on this for about 5 days and something wasn't right, she was screaming and crying after every feeding so when we went back to the Pediatrician they told us that it was trial and error when it came to formula .. so our search for what worked for Nathalie continued..

2. Enfamil Newborn
She was on this formula for a whole 12 hours. We were going back to the Pediatrician that day and told them we finished the Gerber Soothe and went out and bought the Enfamil Newborn (since the label it was close to breast milk and I was still trying to pump at this point) she was still having fits after feedings and we knew that wasn't normal, so the pediatrician told us to stick with a gentle formula... bring on the next formula

3. Enfamil Gentlease

She had been on this formula for about two weeks, she started off okay and then she started having those screaming cries again. Something was just not sitting well with us, while she was still on this formula I called the pediatrician and they told us it could just be colic and it will get better... honestly, that answer was complete bullshit and ever since then we have been looking for a new pediatrician. 


4. Nutramigen

We took it upon ourselves to put her on Nutramigen, which is a hypoallergenic formula. We saw an improvement for a little bit and we thought all was well.. until about two weeks into the formula, still the same problem. Without going to the pediatrician first we decided to call a Pediatric Gastroenterologist. Made an appointment and he wanted to watch her first and see how she would be if she stayed on the Nutramigen and to just add Zantac incase it was reflux. We made her next appointment with him for two weeks from then. Within those two weeks we noticed blood in her stool. At our next appointment we brought one of the many diapers that had blood for him to check. Since Nutramigen is one of the most mild formulas out there he knew that she was sensitive to certain ingredients. He narrowed things down and diagnosed  Nathalie with Allergic Colitis. She is not able to have dairy or soy within her first year..which brings us to our last (hopefully) formula

5. Elecare

This formula... let me tell you, Thank Gd for it! It has been a complete turn around! She isn't having any more screaming in pain fits. She only gets testy if she is hungry or tired. Sometimes it doesn't seem like this formula fills her like the others but that is because they say it is thinner than "normal" formula. 
I'm not saying this will work for everyone but this is what has worked for us so far =] 




On to the next Category : Bottles! 

Okay so when we first found out we were expecting we knew that she would be breastfed with the exception of some nights being bottle-fed so my husband could have that bonding moment with her as well as giving me a little time to sleep. With that in mind at the time I looked at bottles that were highly rated for going from breast to bottle and back to breast. This review won't be based on bottle going back to breast, it will be more of an over all review for everything else =]

Since people are always talking about colic that is another thing we also looked for in bottles.
Anti-Colic Valves and Flow

1. & 2. Dr Browns Wide Neck  & Regular (the pink bottles)
The green (and pink) vent in these bottles are suppose to help digestion and reduce feeding problems. I like how the vent is removable for when you feel the need to feed without it. One thing that I would recommend, the flow which they have as a 1 still seemed a little fast for Nathalie, so we purchased the premie nipples which was an even slower flow and worked perfectly (I was only able to find the preemie nipples for the pink bottles, I never found them for the wide neck so I am not sure if they are available for that bottle.) We just started leaving the vent out for her feedings and she seems to be doing great.
Both bottles are available at Babies R Us



3. Nuk

These bottles were my least favorite! The "slow flow" nipple was anything but. With these I found Nathalie choking multiple times while using these bottles, so they were short lived and landed there way into a storage bin in the back of the closet. 

4. Latch by Munchkin

This bottle is one of our favorites. The flow, the way the nipple is shaped and moves along with her while feeding and the easy cleaning. Some have said that they don't like this bottle because mold gets into the Blue Anti-Colic valve, I have not had that problem so I can't say much about it. All I know is this is one of the best bottles. They aren't the cheapest but they aren't the most expensive either, they sell them in a newborn gift set where you get two of each size, a pacifier, different flow nipples and a bottle brush for $35. A complete steal considering each bottle retails for about $10.

our last and ABSOLUTE FAVORITE bottles are...

5. Comotomo 


THESE BOTTLES ARE AMAZING. Can you tell these are our fav?? I have nothing bad to say about these. Nathalie always grabs onto this bottle during her feedings. It's an all silicone bottle with the exception of the plastic color ring. These bottles are easy to clean, easy for baby to grab, the anti colic valve is placed in the nipple. We haven't noticed a lot of spit up when she uses these bottles. They come in two sizes 5oz & 8oz, and two color options green and pink (so precious).
Actually the only complaint that I have is that more places by me don't carry these bottles. The reason it took us 4 bottles to get to these is because I was hoping buy buy baby or babies r us would eventually get them in but NOPE and one day I was in Walgreens, yes Walgreens of all places and they had revamped the baby section and there they were staring at me ! I couldn't believe it, so I bought the two they had in stock and the rest is history.

Since finding the Comotomo but only having two =[ we use these with the latch bottles if needed.
When anyone asks us what bottles we recommend I always say Comotomo and if you can't find them anywhere Latch is the next best thing. 

Hope this helps you on the search for the perfect bottles!

Friday, August 5, 2016

July 'Make up' Favorites

Hello Lovelies <3

  How is everyone doing?? I hope that wherever you may be, that you are having the most beautiful day possible.
    I don't think I have done a Favorites post ... ever. While this will be my "first" it definitely won't have all of the products I want to put in. My Husband and I are traveling and I unfortunately didn't bring everything with me.. (make up essentials.. yes) So I will just dedicate this July Favorites to make up with an exception to a hair product that ever since using I can not live without. Will post a full July Favorites when I return home. Let's get started :*


 
Loreal Lumi Light Infusing Primer / Ulta

Dior Créme de Rose / Sephora
I know everyone that loves makeup and beauty products probably has this and swears by it.. It is absolutely perfect and feels amazing on the lips, I also love that it has an SPF of 10. Which you always need especially in the hot summer sun.  Pucker up :*

Becca Ultimate Coverage C.C. in Shell / Sephora
Was so excited when the Sephora by me finally had this shade in stock. I have been wanting to try it for so long, but they never had it (enter sad face) But the beginning of summer when everyone else starts to get a beautiful tan and moving up the color wheel for foundations.. the finally had my color in stock, and I was not disappointed in waiting and waiting for it. I absolutely love it, it is one of my favorite foundations and now that I know this is definitely my color I can order online if I ever have the Out-of-stock problem again. 


Kat Von D Lock it Foundation #44 / Sephora
Even though this is a heavier foundation and it is summer, I still swear by it. I love the way it goes on  (even though it dries quick) and how it wears throughout the day.
 Right now I am a little bit tanner than I usually am I mix this with the Becca Foundation (pictured above) they make the perfect combo and perfect color for my complexion right now <3 

Givenchy Poudré Premiere / Sephora
This translucent powder is amazing, yes the price is a little higher than most and this has a tiny fragrance. But, if you don't mind that then I would definitely recommend or try this out. Leaves the face feeling soft and doesn't show signs of powder which is a big plus for me =]


Anastasia BH Contour Kit (Light to Medium) / Anastasia BH
Absolutely perfect ! This contour kit has all the shades you would need to create the perfect silhouette for your face. The ones I use the most are Banana, Vanilla, and Java. 
Sometimes when I want to do a neutral eye day look I will use vanilla and fawn its like the perfect pair, slap on your favorite pair of lashes and BAM perfection all around. Love love love <3

Living Proof , Perfect Hair Day Shampoo / Ulta
I have been using this consistently for a little over 3 months and I just love it ! Absolutely love how my hair feels after washing and blowdrying. Hair looks healthy and I mean its just perfect. I haven't tried any other Living Proof products, if there is anything you all would recommend let me know!



Please let me know if there are any products you recommend that have worked better for you instead of the ones that I listed. I would love to try out some new products. Hope you enjoyed my mini July Make Up favorites .. look for a full favorites up soon <3 

Love,Hugs&Laughter,
L

Monday, August 1, 2016

Catching Up on Life

Hello Lovelies !

   It has been way way way too long since I last did anything on here..... let's see a lot has happened so instead of all the boring deets, I will go with the spark notes version. =]  Ready, Set, GO!

November 9th, 2014 - Got engaged to my Best Friend and love of my life.

January 8th, 2016 - Hubby and I got married and it was beautiful, it was the absolute best day of my life.. being able to marry your soul mate and spend the rest of your life together is a true fairytale and I can't wait to go through and create more memories together <3

January 12th - Left for our HONEYMOON!! St Barths here we come, it was absolute paradise and we can't wait to go back. These are only a few picture I took of the island... we flew in to Saint Martin and then hopped on the little Winair plane to St Barths. Once arriving we went to go grab our rental car and were escorted to our villa in St. Jean..




View from our Villa


Where we stayed <3 





Loved this bag, had to get it... from one of the many adorable beach shops in St Jean.


Passion Fruit + Vodka = Ah-Mazing <3 Dinner at Eden Rock


Driving around the island


Time for Snorkeling =] 



Rosé @ Nikki Beach







If these aren't words to live by on a beautiful scarf then I just don't know <3






Our Honeymoon was so beautiful we didn't want to come back =[ 





Fast forward to February 15th and hubby and I found out we are... expecting !! 
We were in definite shock but beyond thrilled! We weren't trying and I was on bc, we were thinking of waiting a year or two.. but the lord had other plans and is blessing us with a little one this October. 

This is how we told family =] 


The Easter Bunny =]




And then came the Gender Reveal April 23rd =]
Surprise!!





Can't wait for this to happen ;] At least it is a cute beach tote <3



Hope you enjoyed the spark notes version of what has been going on and I am going to try to update more often with fun baby stuff (even though she will be here in 79 Days but who's counting) among other things =] 


Love,Hugs&Laughter
L






Sunday, January 5, 2014

Perhaps a Bottle of Rosé instead.











     deets:
dress - Whitney Eve
vest - Caribbean Queen
bag - Chanel
shoes - Christian Louboutin
jewels - Cartier Love Bracelet, DIY necklace & 
feather enamel chunky bracelet (my design)


Love.Hugs&Laughter.
xo, L

Friday, December 27, 2013

detour.












deets:
bag. Michael Kors
boots. Steve Madden
sweater: Bardot
leggings: F21
sunnies: Dolce & Gabbana
jewels: Cartier


Love.Hugs&Laughter
xo, L