healthy recipe: fig, ricotta and hazelnut hors d’oeuvres

There are evenings, when I come home from work, I don’t necessarily want to have dinner or even bother with making one, so I open a bottle of red wine and put together something quick to pair it up with and voila it’s dinner. (I don’t recommend this if you have small children in the house )

Anyway, here is an easy recipe I found here and I must say it is heavenly and a wonderful pairing with a bottle of red wine on those evenings when you need to have an out of the norm experience.

Grilled Fig, Hazelnut and Ricotta Crostinis
Ingredients:
1 cup part skim ricotta
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon hazelnuts, lightly toasted
1/2 cup honey, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
10-12 fresh figs (mission or kadota or whatever is local), cut in half lengthwise
1/2 French or sourdough baguette, sliced into ½ inch slices and lightly toasted
1. Place ricotta, hazelnuts, 1/4 cup honey, and ground cinnamon in a food
processor and process until smooth. Set aside.

2. Preheat a grill or grill pan over high heat. Brush figs with oil and place cut
side down onto the hot surface and grill on each side for 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool, about 5-7 minutes.

3. To assemble: Spread 1-2 tablespoons ricotta mixture onto each crostini and
top with a grilled fig; finish with a drizzle of honey and serve.

{for photo and recipe credit, please click here} 

boutique hotel pick – tharroe of mykonos, greece

Right about now, exactly right now, I am seeing myself in a far away place, where I could nap alongside the pool, or sit on a lounge chair on the balcony of my suite and watch the world go by and just maybe make an effort to leave the hotel just to experience the nightlife on the island of Mykonos, Greece.

To make this happen, I have to include one of my favorite hotels on Mykonos – Tharroe Of Mykonos, to set the stage for one of the most relaxing holidays/vacations imaginable.  BTW this would make a wonderful Mother’s Day gift:

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drinking while dieting – does it work?

At the beginning of this year, I decided to consider following a more regimented diet, to not only lose a few pounds, but also preserve my health. The sad thing is that I decided to give up social drinking as part of that plan.

The upside is that  although I feel better, I  am often times tempted to order a drink when in a social setting. So, just to give me the motivation to fight the urges and stay focused, I decided to do some research about drinking while dieting.

From what I read, there is a clear message that I need to stay away from most alcohol, even if they are labeled as “low-calorie” or “skinny” drinks.  The true culprit to most drinks are the “carbs” which are often times overlooked. So,  even if I  (we) think we are consuming “diet friendly booze” that is not necessarily the case. For a more elaborate explanation, please click here and here.

In the meantime, drink a small glass of wine if you must or simply a tall glass of water with a slice of lemon, lime and orange and call it a day. Happy dieting

holiday classic film recommend on a cold winter’s eve

While I understand, this week may be hectic for most as they shop last minute for gifts and draft up the menu for the holiday dinner, I suggest taking one evening off from all the madness and having a date night with a loved one by simply watching a class film, while munching on popcorn and drinking champagne. Fireplace is highly recommended but optional, the original classic film (from list below) is most recommend, a remake just won’t do for this particular experience.

holiday party cocktails

Every year I dream of hosting a holiday party and after contemplating the venue, I end up not following through.  This year however, I have decided to host a small get together with friends and with it I asked each person to find a unique cocktail we can all try and bring it to the party. While I wait for their suggestions to create my drink menu, I have found some of my favorites so far. Click on the photo for the recipes

My selection: elderflower champagne cocktail

kettle one manhattan

candy cane cooler

mexicocoa

cranberry punch pizzaz