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This weekend we were invited to a fish fry. It was a pot luck fish fry with some great friends who also happen to be some of the most creative people I’ve ever met. Hanging around with this crew, a pot luck dinner is elevated into something that really transcends that idea of a mere... [Continue Reading]The post Caramelized Onion Dip appeared first on ColorMePink!.
A quick search of this blog will show you that I really like Caprese Salads – but there really are a lot of different things you can do if you don’t mind being ever so slightly unconventional. A dear friend gifted me some hand made Italian sausage that her father gets in Miami and I... [Continue Reading]The post Italian Sausage and Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil, Pasta Salad appeared first
This afternoon, my daughter and I were out running errands and participating in a little retail therapy in some of our favorite stores. We were getting hungry and couldn’t decide where to go, when I remembered that I’d heard really good things about Slyce Bistro. Since it’s very near our house, we decided to give... [Continue Reading]The post Slyce Bistro Ocala appeared first
We just moved and we’ve been eating less than appetizing things. We even had Burger King on moving day and it was truly awful. So, while I wouldn’t exactly call this health food, I would call it satisfying, delicious and better for you than something you ordered while sitting in your car. The idea came... [Continue Reading]The post Pulled Pork Stuffed Peppers appeared first on Color
Remember a couple of weeks ago when I attempted my first curry? Well, this is my second attempt at Indian Cuisine and while I’m not sure it’s exactly traditional – I wanted to use what I had on hand and really start to get to know these unfamiliar spices. Here’s my take on Indian Spiced... [Continue Reading]The post Indian Spiced Slow Cooker Stew appeared first on ColorMe
On more than one occasion, I have thought to myself that I spend far too much money on flavored oils. Although, there is a blood orange infused oil made by “O” that I buy at Stella’s that I can’t live without, but I digress. Anyway. I have this beautiful basil plant that is chock full... [Continue Reading]The post Basil Infused Oil appeared first on ColorMePink!.
I’ve been threatening for a long time, at least a couple of years that I would learn to be comfortable cooking Indian Cuisine – I mean it’s perfect for us… Lots of fresh veggies, lots of heat, lots of flavor. What’s not to love? I really enjoy Indian Cuisine, but it’s so intimidating (for me... [Continue Reading]The post Curry Attempt One appeared first on Co
There are so many great things available in our co-op lately – that I really can’t seem to make a decision as to what I want each week. This week, I got a ton of stuff, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, corn on the cob, cucumbers, avocados and more… I don’t want any of it to go... [Continue Reading]The post Grilled Salmon with Corn, Tomato, & Avocado Salsa appeared first
Growing up, I spent a lot of time in courthouses. When I wasn’t being pulled from one or another parent’s home, I was in trouble for truancy, running away and was certainly considered a “Person in Need of Supervision”. I’m not mentioning this so that anyone will feel sorry for me, or think any way... [Continue Reading]The post Courthouses, Old Wounds, & Letti
Guess what I found?! Chemical free, heirloom seed, non-GMO, local, corn on the cob! I was so excited and when I got it home I couldn’t decide what to do with it. So we cooked it in some boiling water (my favorite method is to bring a large pot of water to boiling, put the... [Continue Reading]The post Corn, Tomato, Cucumber, and Bacon Salad appeared first on ColorMePink!.
This is a ridiculously simple, absolutely delicious fish soup that takes so little time you won’t believe it. All measurements were just what I had on hand and what the fish monger had in stock and fresh – you could adjust to suit your needs. Three tablespoons olive oil 5 yellow onions, peeled and chopped... [Continue Reading]The post Simple Fish Soup appeared first on ColorMePink!.
Every year I say I’m going to go, but every year I don’t make it there for one reason or another. This year I promised friends (and my children) that we would absolutely go. The morning of our trek, I really didn’t feel like it. I was so tired. We’ve been so busy lately and... [Continue Reading]The post Hoggetown Medieval Faire appeared first on ColorMePink!.
Ever since I heard the first whisper of a fine Mediterranean restaurant opening in Ocala, I was very excited. Mediterranean food, in my opinion is some of the most delicious, thoughtful, comforting food on the planet and this Irish girl loves it like it was her own. Specifically the flavors of Greece seem to me... [Continue Reading]The post Feta Mediterranean Cuisine in Ocala appeared first on
Sometimes I forget dinner. Usually if my kids are out I actually plan to forget about dinner, but about 8:30 or so, I start to get hungry. This is what I had on hand (on purpose), and it was so good, I thought I’d share. Absolutely wonderful snack for those times that you deserve something... [Continue Reading]The post Late Night Snack appeared first on ColorMePink!.
This time of year there’s always something going on and it’s not always possible to get everything done and get dinner on the table. I’m always looking for new, local places to try, rather than the corporately held restaurants, so when I passed by this little place, tucked out of the way, and the lights... [Continue Reading]The post Oasis Restaurant appeared first on ColorMePin
There’s nothing better than realizing that everyone is hungry for dinner and then remembering that you have a gorgeous meal waiting for you in the slow cooker. This was out of this world. I don’t know why I thought the sweet potatoes would stay in tact and after a friend mentioned that maybe they’d be... [Continue Reading]The post Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs and Sweet Potatoes in
Sometimes, on my husband’s days off, we like to take day trips. Sometimes we go to the beach, or a nearby city, but lots of times we head to the nearby retirement community, The Villages. This place is like Disney World for retired people. There are so many things to do, there’s live entertainment in... [Continue Reading]The post City Fire in The Villages appeared first on ColorMePin
So after the huge Thanksgiving feast, I decided that one pasta dish wouldn’t kill us… after all, we were going to Paleo hell in a hand basket anyway. I had these gorgeous little farm grown, chemical free tomatoes that the farmer call “little uglies”. I beg to differ – they were beautiful! I chose a... [Continue Reading]The post Linguine with Roasted Tomato Sauce ap
What a weekend! See that picture? The one with the lake? That’s where I spent Thanksgiving. I know – I’m really lucky, aren’t I? Well even more important than the scenery, were the people I got to hang around with. My friend’s mother lives on this gorgeous property and every year they have family come... [Continue Reading]The post Reasons to Be Thankful appeared
There are so many reasons to love Fall – two of them are Brussels sprouts and pomegranates. The combination of these two foods is remarkable. Bitter earthy sprouts, with sweet, tart pomegranates are just made for each other and they’re so pretty. The bright green against the ruby red – I just love this. And... [Continue Reading]The post Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Pomegranate
After three weeks of no processed carbs, I decided that I was going to indulge in a splurge of my favorite kind. The kids and I had been out the entire day and the last thing I wanted to do was cook. Haley and I had been to Pavarotti’s a couple of weeks before and... [Continue Reading]The post Pavarotti’s Pizza and Restaurant appeared first on ColorMePink!.
Today I’d like to welcome guest poster Laura Thompson! I know Laura in the “real world” and I’m always impressed with how she does the coolest things on a budget – she has graciously agreed to post here now and then with some of her fantastic tips! Laura is an active Girl Scout Leader and... [Continue Reading]The post You Paid What?! appeared first on Col
Trying to stay low carb and having a child who won’t eat anything that ever walked, can be a bit of a challenge. Veggies are easy and most of the time we just prepare our animal protein separately and Haley supplements with beans, tofu etc. There are times however, that I just want to make... [Continue Reading]The post Vegetarian Taco Salad appeared first on ColorMePink!.
Today I’d like to welcome guest poster Laura Thompson! I know Laura in the “real world” and I’m always impressed with how she does the coolest things on a budget – she has graciously agreed to post here now and then with some of her fantastic tips! Laura is an active Girl Scout Leader and... [Continue Reading]The post Cruising For A Deal? appeared first on ColorMeP
This dinner was thrown together in the supermarket – well, sort of. I didn’t have any protein defrosted, so I ran to Publix and picked up some chicken sausage. While I was there I noticed that baby spinach and plum tomatoes were on sale – that’s one of my favorite veggie combinations, so I bought... [Continue Reading]The post Roasted Sausage with Spinach, Tomato and Goat
This week the local co-op had eggplant and okra available and I knew I had to do something fabulous with them, so I made a roasted eggplant and okra with peppers and onions along side a grilled, local, grass fed, chemical and hormone free skirt steak and a tossed salad. Simple, fast, healthy and delicious!... [Continue Reading]The post Roasted Eggplant and Okra appeared first on ColorMePink!.
Horse and Hounds Restaurant is a favorite spot of a friend of mine and she’s always talking about what a great place it is. When we both had a free afternoon, we spent it lingering over food and wine and really had a wonderful experience. Since it was a weekday, a bit later then the... [Continue Reading]The post Horse and Hounds Restaurant appeared first on ColorMePink!.
Have you ever craved cilantro? I crave it a lot and I’m always looking for different ways to use it. This was fast, easy and delicious! I was afraid that adding the beans would make it to heavy, but the fish is so light and fresh that it was perfect. I hope you enjoy this dish... [Continue Reading]The post Grilled Fish with Black Bean Salsa appeared first on ColorMePink!.
We’ve been eating out an awful lot lately – but sometimes you just need a break and with our busy schedule lately I just couldn’t do it all. Saturday we were all hungry and had no food in the house, so we decided to go someplace close, that we’d never been, that wasn’t super expensive.... [Continue Reading]The post Gyro Grill Ocala appeared first on ColorMePink!.
When my daughter and I go out alone, most of the time we end up at a sushi place. There are a couple of good ones in Ocala – but we had never been to Sushi Bistro on the Square in Downtown Ocala, so that’s where we decided to eat. Walking in, the place is... [Continue Reading]The post Sushi Bistro appeared first on ColorMePink!.
I love apps. I love free apps the most, but every so often I come across and app that I feel is worth paying for. When I looked at Treed for the iPad, I had to have it. It’s more than I usually spend on an app, but the interface was so beautiful that I... [Continue Reading]The post Treed for iPad – Goal Planning App appeared first on ColorMePink!.
On a Sunday Night in September, I had some chicken breast that needed to be cooked, my daughter had a friend over who is a little bit of a picky eater, my daughter is a pescetarian who needed some additional protein and then there were the rest of us. I put together this particular meal... [Continue Reading]The post Roast Chicken Breast, Reduction and Bean Salad appeared first on ColorMePink!.
Last night was the first of what I hope will be many ridiculously fun evenings. Our friend Michele has started hosting an open mic night at Fiore’s Cafe, on Pine Ave. in Ocala. The small, very intimate venue is perfect for a very engaged audience and the terrific talent that showed up was such a... [Continue Reading]The post Fiore’s Cafe appeared first on ColorMePink!.
Even though I live in Florida, the first day of Autumn still feels like we should be breaking out the slow cooker. Organic chicken thighs were on sale and I thought they would make a hearty and very easy to do, slow cooker chicken stew. 16 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 2 hearts celery, cleaned trimmed... [Continue Reading]The post Slow Cooker Chicken Stew appeared first on ColorMePink!.
I met a friend for lunch this week and she’d been talking quite a bit about this place, so that’s where we decided to go. Located on Pennsylvania Avenue in Dunnellon, this spot has been spruced up a bit since it’s last couple of incarnations. There was a nice little lunch crowd and our server... [Continue Reading]The post Penn Station Deli & Grill appeared first on ColorMePink!.
Lately I’ve gotten pretty vocal about politics. I’ve surprised a few people with my views and I thought I would take a moment to explain my decision. Maybe I can help someone with a similar mind set who is having a hard time giving up so many long held beliefs. You see, I’ve been a... [Continue Reading]The post Why I’m Voting to Re-elect President Obama appeared first on C
I’m pretty obsessed with the summer vegetables right now. Local, gorgeous squashes, okra, tomatoes. Deep summer flavors that I will miss once their gone for the season. The local farm had zucchini that looked more like ginormous cucumbers than they did squash. The skin was so thin and the texture was perfect. I know I... [Continue Reading]The post Grilled Zucchini, Squash and Onions ap
*Warning* bad language below… Scared? Click here Those friends of mine? The ones who’ve been sewing for years? They’re right about my fabric choices. Turns out trying to create something that’s velvet with a slippery polyester lining is a little out of my skill set just yet. Mrs. Barasch my Home Ec Teacher, although mean,... [Continue Reading]The post Things I Have Le
I have a problem. I’m completely and utterly addicted to grilled okra. The problem? We’re coming to the end of the season, and frozen okra just isn’t going to do it for me. I’m devoting myself to eating grilled okra as many times as possible in the coming weeks in the hopes that I’ll be... [Continue Reading]The post Chicken in White Wine, Red Pepper, Garlic Sauce
You know, I live in Florida and I’ve never cooked grouper. Crazy, right? I’ve eaten lovely, fried grouper sandwiches on Clearwater Beach, but outisde of that, I’ve never eaten, much less cooked it. Last week when I went to my favorite fish monger, I decided it was time to do the whole “local” thing and... [Continue Reading]The post Roasted Eggplant, Tomatoes, Pepper
There seems tobe a lot of talk lately about community and with that, the idea of reaching out to people. I recently read an article about a woman who did her best to avoid eye contact on the street, in stores, walking her dog in the park and how she was actively trying to change... [Continue Reading]The post Connection appeared first on ColorMePink!.
So, everything’s decluttered, now what? Well, with all this added space comes unlimited possibilities… Which means you’ve got to make some choices. But which ones are the right ones? How do you know which path to ultimately follow? The good news is that you don’t have to choose just one. You can have multiple paths, leading... [Continue Reading]The post Tell Me What I W
Last night, I was watching the closing ceremony of the Olympics and NBC’s errors in broadcasting aside, I enjoyed it. What I enjoyed most was watching the athletes walking in, side by side, holding each other, jumping up and down, taking pictures, all with these wide open faces. It made me cry. Here are all... [Continue Reading]The post Hope for the Future appeared first on ColorMePink!.
So, I’ve gone on about how I’m doing so many new things and how I’ve not been cooking and I have to tell you how freeing that has been. It’s like I finally admitted to myself that I needed to refocus. Cooking and coming up with new recipes has been such a part of my... [Continue Reading]The post New Plan: Step One – Declutter appeared first on ColorMePink!.
Yesterday, Haley (my daughter) and I had a day to ourselves. We had some errands to run and a lesson to get to, but after that we were free to do as we pleased. We decided to have an early dinner at Stella’s Modern Pantry . Always a favorite gourmet shopping destination they also have an... [Continue Reading]
I just don’t. It’s been coming for a while – Anyone who’s been paying attention here can see that I haven’t been doing a lot of cooking lately. I’ve been uninspired… at least in the kitchen. While I know it’s not true, I feel like I’ve done everything I can with the ingredients that are... [Continue Reading]
Some of the best meals are the ones that come about because you have no idea what to do with an ingredient! I was lucky enough to come across some very local okra and I was a little skeptical. I don’t like to fry much, anytime I’ve had them stewed they had that dreaded sliminess... [Continue Reading]
There are so many great organizations in our area that have been terribly affected by the economy. One of my favorites, OWLS is having an event to raise much needed funds to continue operation. If you’re a chili chef, or just a chili lover, please consider getting involved. To give you an idea about what... [Continue Reading]
Sometimes I just want pasta, don’t you? Doesn’t matter how much I’m trying to be good about what I’m eating, every once in a while, the thought of al dente, delicious, semolina pasta just takes over my imagination and I must have it. When I got some gorgeous, local eggplant the other day, I could... [Continue Reading]
So I had some leftover wine… shocking, I know… and I thought I’d try making a sauce to go over some chicken breasts. I also had some mangos that were perfectly ripe and I wanted to use them too. I wasn’t super sure about the mangos in a pinot noir sauce, so I thought I’d... [Continue Reading]
