Food… How I love thee!

Yes, I think we all know by now that I love food… I mean, really love food!

I’ve cooked for the last two nights at our house. For those of you that know me, this is a VERY big deal!

Last night, I cooked a variation of the meal below which I made for my parents while visiting this summer.

For my parents, I made chicken stuffed with sundried tomatoes and goats cheese. The side was a salad and grilled aubergine topped with melted goats cheese. So good! 🙂

Last night, I made the chicken and had sides of mashed potatoes along with broccoli.

For my late lunch today, I made a salad of fresh white crab meat, avocado and cherry tomatoes that were topped with a very little honey mustard dressing. It was really good!

Tonight’s dinner was a take on chicken cordon bleu… I stuffed a chicken breast with gruyere cheese and Parma ham. My family requested peas and carrots. Let’s be honest – I don’t like peas and carrots, but I obliged the request and even had a few!

For a starter, I had my all time favourite of Parma ham and melon! It was very good and I would have been just happy having this as my main meal!

For some reason as of late, I’ve really started to enjoy French wines. I’m usually a champagne, Prosecco or Pinot Grigio fan; however, I found a French burgundy that I really like. I bought a few more variations at the store to start trying! You know what that means – I will be cooking a bit more in the near future! 🙂

I hope everyone has had a fabulous weekend! We’ve come back from holidays to Venice and Germany… So, I have lots to blog about! It is a 3-day weekend here in London and I think we are headed to Peppa Pig World tomorrow!

~Karen

The Party Doesn’t Stop!

That’s right… The fun continues! I’m sure many of you are wondering why I go into such detail about trips, etc.

I’m thinking ahead to years down the road. I’d like to print out my blog posts and have a ‘memory book.’ Until then, I will share the ins and outs of trips, meals, etc. with each of you! 🙂

So, the fun continued! As mentioned in my previous blog post, I would go out for another run this morning and search for a new route – not quite so uphill! The first 1.5 miles were the same as my prior day jog. Instead of turning left to go straight uphill, I took a right and went down by the beach! Look at these gorgeous views of the beach and island of Molokai.

I had a nice breakfast after my jog and then went down to the pool for some further R&R whilst Billy golfed. However, today was not an all day beach/pool day as we had a helicopter waiting for us!

We hopped in our Ford Mustang Convertible and went close to the Maui main airport to catch the helicopter. I was VERY nervous… Especially as they told me I was sitting in the front seat next to the pilot. Did I mention the entire front was a window?! Yikes!

The views were absolutely incredible and we saw loads of lush green spots, waterfalls and the volcano crater. Here are just a few pictures – not even sure they really capture the beauty. We went into some very amazing areas and saw where the opening for Jurassic Park was filmed!

Doesn’t that all look fake or photoshopped? It was incredible! We wasted some time after our helicopter ride in town before heading out to dinner. This dinner was by far one of the best that I’ve EVER had! We ate at Mama’s Fish House.

Take a look at the sunset pictures!

Now, on to the good part… Dinner! Starter: tuna sashimi (absolutely wonderful!); Meal: Lobster and Crab stuffed Mahi Mahi with a lobster tail on the top covered in a beurre blanc sauce (don’t think I need to really say anything further!); Dessert: Black Pearl (wafer ‘shell’ with dark chocolate mousse and a white chocolate mousse center)

On our drive back to the resort, we cruised along with the top down!! It was a perfect end to a wonderful day (after stopping by McDonalds for a $1 Large Diet Coke)!! Then, I fell into a food coma! But, it was so VERY worth it. If you are in Maui, you MUST try this place!

Happy weekend everyone! I’m at the airport lounge bound for Germany!

~Karen

Holiday… Day 2

You think I’d have plenty of time to blog given we are working from home this week for the Olympics. However, I have been incredibly busy!

The second day of our holiday kicked off really early! Nothing like jet lag to wake you up at 3:30. I think that was the only time on the entire holiday (6 days) that we turned on the tv! We are in such a habit of not watching tv these days.

I did what I always do each morning on holiday… Open the curtains and step on the balcony (if there is one!). Around 5:30, we saw the most gorgeous sunrise. Such a beautiful sight to start the day.

At this point, I realised the sun was up and I needed to get moving to get my run in for the morning!

So, I did! I took off for a 4 mile run ( completed this daily – courtesy of jet lag!). It was an incredibly hilly run! At one point, it was straight up for .75 miles. You guessed it, I found a new route for the next day! 🙂 The views were absolutely gorgeous.

I finished my run and then headed to breakfast, which was included in our room price and was a gorgeous buffet. You could order banana and macadamia nut pancakes – so in love with those!

I was finished with breakfast at 8am (that was Billy’s tee time) and had nothing to do until my reformer Pilates lesson at 10:30!

So, I went down to the pool and found the best lounge chair… As you could imagine, I had plenty of options! This was my view until Pilates. Until then, I read the newspaper (WSJ and Financial Times).

After Pilates, I came right back to this spot where I would sit (and snooze) until 4pm!

I recently read an article in the Daily Mail. They talked about the top 10 things couples argue about on holiday (we only disagreed about 6 of the 10, thank goodness!).

You see, Billy likes ‘active’ holidays… Me, not so much! Some might think sitting on a lounge chair from 8am until 4pm sounds horrible. Me, I think that is pure bliss! We’ve gone on holiday with these two other couples in the past… Love it! He has golf buddies and I have pool/spa/beach buddies! 🙂 It is all about balance!

We then headed off to Lahaina where we had dinner reservations at 6:30pm for the Hula Grill! It was SO good. Although, I would have been happy just having my appetiser and dessert… But, I had all three courses! The real kicker was the ocean front seating they gave us!

The shades opened up and gave way to gorgeous views! Thankfully, they kept the shades down until the sun was no longer in our eyes.

Here was my appetiser: Ahi tuna and avocado tacos! Main: locally caught fish and risotto; Dessert: Flourless Chocolate Cake!

During dinner, this was the incredible sunset!

Such wonderful food and gorgeous views… Oh yes, and wonderful company! You guessed it… After a 3am wake-up and much exercise coupled with eating, I crashed.

Kind of funny story. We had a wake-up call scheduled for 7am. Given we were up so early, we both set off for our day. I forgot to cancel the wake-up call and was mortified at the message when I came back to the room to change after Pilates! They went through their normal procedure when that doesn’t happen, which they call ‘potential missing person!’ They had security come to our room and then watched camera footage to make sure we had both come out of the room and were okay! Yikes!!!

That was day 2 of holiday! A kind of busy, but kind of not busy day! What do you prefer: active holiday, do nothing holiday, or a happy mix?

~Karen

Holiday Begins…

Well, my holiday is technically over now… However, it was a fabulous holiday and I was able to relax and enjoy time with family, and a kid-free holiday to Hawaii – thank you parents!

Billy and I spent a week on Maui and Lanai. It was absolutely beautiful! We had horrible jet lag, so we were awake by 5am and asleep by 8:30 most nights! That’s okay… I saw gorgeous sunrises and had a lovely run each morning!

First, let me rewind to the flight! We flew 9 hours… Kid-free, in first class and on a flat bed seat. Let’s just say that we relished in the silence! I watched some shows on my iPad, ready 250 pages in my book and took a nap!

We arrived in Honolulu and took a SMALL plane to the Kapalua airport where the hotel shuttle came and picked us up.

You see this swimming pool? I had always dreamed of going back to Hawaii and staying at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua. I even had this same picture (minus me and the people in the pool!) on the fridge for at least 10 years! Talk about a hint!!! Well, it came true and here I am! 🙂

To help celebrate my birthday, they had a bottle of champagne on ice and chocolate covered strawberries waiting complimentary – fabulous! This was a wonderful way to start the holiday off right!

We then took off exploring the grounds – it was beautiful!

We watched the sun for a bit and just decompressed!

We decided to head up to the lobby and just grab something quick…. Something about the 11 hour time difference from London was catching up with me! Plus, we had excellent dinner reservations the next few nights!

This was our view while we enjoyed a cocktail! 🙂

And then… My head hit the pillow at 8:20pm and I was OUT!!!! Until 4am the next morning…. But more on tomorrow… Tomorrow! 🙂

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

~Karen

My Big Girl Turned 3!

I remember so vividly the lead up to Lauren’s birth. It was the absolute easiest thing in the world!

I ended up spending 3 nights in the hospital ahead of being induced and NO clue what I was having. I really thought it was going to be a boy, but it was a little girl. We went the surprise route.

When I say little girl… I mean little girl! She was born 4 weeks early and weighed in at around 5.5 lbs. she was a little tiny thing! 🙂

Not now as she is my big girl! Here she is pretending to go to the airport for a holiday to America!

The poor little angel was under the weather with strep throat, but was very excited to blow out her candle!

And of course, open her presents from the Disney Store!

She loved her tea set and we’ve had plenty of tea as of late! If you’d like a cup of tea, please stop over!

Last but certainly not least… A Rapunzel towel! She loves “Tangled” and sings along to all of the songs with her big sister. She is excited to use her towel during the pool parties she is planning to have whilst in America!

The birthday celebrations will continue this weekend as she has a Peppa Pig theme party!!!!

Next up before the weekend… Karen’s birthday! 🙂

I hope everyone is having a great start to the week!!

~Karen

Did I Win The Lottery?

Well, I’ve decided that it is hard to win the lottery when you don’t play! If I was to win, I really hope it is in the UK as winnings are considered tax-free.

At work, we always have a discussion around working if you won a substantial lottery. The first time I was asked this everyone was shocked at my reply.

You see, if I won the lottery I would keep working. Yes, you read that correctly! Although, they never asked me where…

This is where I’d work

Yes, you saw that picture correctly. I’d work on the super yacht that I bought; however, it would be teaching reformer Pilates classes!

I absolutely love reformer Pilates and think I would get great clientele out in the Mediterranean. Clients could call me up or send an email to find out where I’d be and they could bring their yacht (or charter boat) up to mine and take an hour long session! 🙂 Then off they go to finish their holiday. I wonder if I could get a tax deduction since I’d run my business on the yacht or the cost of my fuel since I need to get around to various clients?!

Hey, what’s a girl to do if she can’t dream?! Besides, I don’t even play the lottery, but I do love reformer Pilates!

To answer that question – yes, I would work if I won the lottery! How about you… Would you work if you won?

Enjoy your weekend and I’ll have more pictures from Cannes tomorrow. Although, the yacht picture was taken while in Cannes!

~Karen

Enough!

We have had what feels like non-stop rain for the last 3 months coupled with cold weather. I’d had enough of this weather and booked Lauren and me for a flight to Nice and the Cote d’ Azur!

Lauren and I were heading for the airport via Gatwick Express! It is a 1.5 hour flight and incredibly easy. Here she is ready to leave the flat!

As soon as we landed, we were whisked away to our hotel and then quickly headed down to the beach. It was packed, but we had reserved seats, umbrella and towels! We weren’t excited about all of the rocks, but made the most of it!

This was at 5pm and look at how crowded the beach still is!

Our beach closed at 6, so we headed back to the room and quickly changed for dinner and the carousel! I’m sure you remember the carousel from our last trip to Nice! She loves this carousel!

This is where I really wanted to eat, but it was totally full until Tuesday night… We were only there until Sunday! 😦 That is okay as Billy promised to take me there in August when we get back from America.

I had a lovely dinner companion and we sat on a beautiful terrace!

My dinner was incredible. Right now, I’m addicted to anything and everything goat’s cheese with sundried tomatoes! My starter was warm goat’s cheese on a gingerbread crust with dried figs and green apple dressing on the top. The plate had some lettuce and sundried tomatoes… Oh my, it was SO great!

My main course was salmon with sorrel sauce and it was really nice!

Lauren was getting tired, so no dessert for me. 😦 After dinner, we took off for a walk on the promenade to watch the sunset. My favourite sunsets are those where you can see the sun fall straight into the ocean. This was a nice beautiful pink sky, but no sun falling into the ocean!

We were off to the hotel as we had an early morning to get to Cannes on Saturday, but I looked up and saw this… My ideal residence at some point in my life! Look at this window that is open. It has the most perfect location in Nice… Close to the nicest restaurants, looks onto the beach/Mediterranean Sea and great window/door that opens up!

As you can tell it was a perfect start to the holiday! 🙂

Do you have a favourite food similar to my goat’s cheese and sun dried tomato combination?

~Karen

Is it 1970?!

Before I get into the title of my post, I’d like to comment on my last blog post! I asked the question about everyone’s plans for July. This is likely to be a question that I ask at the start of each month!

I was able to find out what all my parents had in the diary for this month – for retired folks, they keep VERY busy! I also want to say happy (belated) anniversary to Jel!

Happy July 4th to everyone in America! I hope you have all had wonderful celebrations today. One of my friends on Facebook wished me a Happy July 4th… Hmmm… No real celebrations worth mentioning, especially since it was a work day and I didn’t leave until 7:45pm! Last year, one of my friends asked me if I was going to go dump tea in the Thames! That thought still makes me laugh.

Anyway… Are you wondering why I asked the question about the 70s? This was my sight yesterday at Lauren’s school!

Isn’t she precious?! I decorated her jeans with markers and her daddy found these fabulous accessories! She already had the Tory Burch tunic.

Her class had their end of year term concert and danced while singing to 5 songs from Abba. They did a great job and she loved every minute of it – in fact, I think she knows the words better than me!

Afterwards, two other moms and I took them to Primrose Hill Bakery! They had so much fun being silly and eating cupcakes, of course!

In celebration of July 4th, this is the cupcake that I chose!

I will leave you with one last picture – Lauren and her mummy!

I hope you continue to have a great day! Things will be busy tomorrow – work and packing for Lauren and me to leave on our mummy/daughter holiday! We are going to the Cote d’ Azur! I just love the French Riviera! 🙂

What did you do to celebrate July 4th?

~Karen

It’s 1 July… What Does That Mean?

The answer… Lots of things!

First, don’t be surprised… But, I actually cooked dinner! I pounded out some chicken breasts and then stuffed them with spinach, goat cheese and sundried tomatoes! Then, I rolled them up and baked them in the oven. It was so good, quick and easy! Definitely repeating this dinner item!

Today is Canada Day! I actually have several Canadian readers out there and Lauren says, “Happy Canada Day” to you! She loved her flag that I put on her hand so that all of my readers could enjoy it today! Please excuse the messy family room… I do have an almost three year old though… And small flat! 🙂

Now on to what 1 July means to me… It’s the beginning of MY birthday month!! 🙂

You see, it used to be only my birthday month… However, I now have to share it with someone… Lauren! 🙂 She was born four weeks early just so that we could share the same birthday month. It was close to being the same birthday though as she was born three days before my birthday!

I told her that it was ‘our’ birthday month today this morning. She quickly replied with, “No, mummy. It is MY birthday month!” So, there you have it… I can only assume this is how July will be for the rest of my life! Just as I was wrapped up in my ‘self pity’ an email came through! Tory Burch recognised my birthday month! 🙂

Isn’t it fabulous?! I can’t wait to spend it! 🙂

There are lots of other exciting things going on this month! Stay tuned for all of the excitement… Lauren and Mummy’s 2nd Annual Holiday, birthday celebrations, trip to Texas and finally… A trip to Maui! 🙂

I hope everyone is doing well and had a fabulous weekend! 🙂

What do you have planned for July?

~Karen

Yummy Food!

Okay, I think we all get the hint by now… I perfected the ‘art of doing nothing’ during our holiday to Tenerife! So, let’s get on to the good stuff – what I ate on the last few days for dinner!

Billy and I went on a date for the third night’s dinner! Bailey and Lauren went to Guest Relations and borrowed the movie ‘Tangled.’ Yes, this is Lauren’s favourite and she sings along to all of the songs – so cute! We ate at their sushi restaurant called Kabuki. Oh, the sushi was SO lovely!

When we sat down, they brought out a salmon starter.

For my meal, I had tuna sashimi along with a tuna sushi piece that had a dollop of Dijon mustard on the top along with a mini Kobe sushi piece burger. So incredible!

The next day, Lauren and I met Billy at the golf club after his round. The view was incredible and I had my camera!

For dinner on the last night, we ate at El Mirador and had an incredible table! I will let the pictures do the explaining! Dinner was tuna tartare, salt encrusted sea bass (must learn to make this) and a three-chocolate dessert! 🙂 All of the kids enjoyed having Bailey to play with! It was so fun to watch all of the kids run after her… And watch her act like a kid! 🙂 Several of the kids gave her a huge hug when she told them bye – they enjoyed having her attention!

And then, all good things come to an end… At least we had a beautiful sunset to end the holiday! Ahhh…. I need to frame these sunsets! 🙂

~Karen