October 2016 - NY Foodie Family

Five on Friday {Ready for Halloween!}

Posted on October 28, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Hooray for Friday! Are your kids as excited as mine are for Halloween?! Tonight my daughter goes to her first middle school dance. It’s a Halloween-themed dance with costume contests and treat wars. She is super excited! I can’t believe that she’s old enough to go to a dance! Sunday we plan on going to our local trunk-or-treat event and then of course Monday is Halloween. So lots of fun Halloween stuff going on. I just need to finish stocking up on candy.

Here are five from this week:

1.Date Night– Date nights are few and far between for my husband and I. Last Saturday, Nicole, owner of Westchester County Mom’s Blog (the local blog that I am a contributor for) gave me two tickets to see Yesterday, a Beatles tribute band. We shipped the kids to my in-laws for the night and my husband and I got to enjoy dinner out and the show. It was a lot of fun and the seats were great! We’ve dubbed ourselves Beatles tribute band groupies, since this is now the second Beatles tribute band that we’ve seen.

2. Watching – Besides the usual Grey’s Anatomy, This Is Us and the Real Housewives, I also watched Audrie & Daisy on Netflix. It’s a documentary that focuses on the story of two different high school teenagers who were sexually assaulted and the effects that the assaults had on them. In the age of social media, online bullying is real and can have drastic effects, as this documentary shows. As the mom of a tween, this really makes me fearful of her getting older.

3. Eating – Besides cooking dinner every night, this week I also made Banana Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Muffins. These muffins are super moist and tasty! We’ve been enjoying them for breakfast and snacks. The recipe made twenty muffins so I was able to freeze some of them to have on hand for an easy breakfast on busy mornings!

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4. Reading – I’m in the end of participating in a team reading challenge on goodreads and need to read a bunch of series books. So, I’m trying to catch up on some of the series that I haven’t finished. I somehow missed reading a couple of the books in the Alex Cross series. I am currently finishing up James Patterson’s London Bridges. It’s one of his usual quick, suspenseful reads.

5. Just For Fun – The World Series is going on, as if you didn’t know! I know this is a big achievement for the Cubs and thought that this Halloween light show was fun and full of team and Halloween spirit!

ICYMI on the blog this week:

Monday I shared our weekly meal plan.

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Tuesday I shared a roundup review of some Election-themed children’s books.

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Thursday I posted a recipe for Ham, Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche.

Linking up with Tif, Andrea and April! Have a great weekend!

Ham, Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

Posted on October 27, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Meal planning is a necessity in our house. With everyone’s busy schedules, it ensures that we have dinner on the table each night. In an effort to make dinners that my kids will enjoy, I’ve been enlisting their help in my meal planning. Each week I ask them for one dinner that they would like to see on the next week’s menu. Recently, my daughter requested quiche. Quiche is pretty easy to put together. So, using ingredients that I know the kids like, I put together this Ham, Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche. I adapted the recipe to make enough for two quiches, which left a whole quiche leftover for my husband and I to enjoy for breakfast during the week. This was a kid approved dinner that I served with a Caesar salad.

Ham, Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com via JenCanCook

Ingredients:
2 frozen (9-inch) frozen pie crusts, thawed
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 (8 ounce) ham steak
1 (12 ounce) bag frozen broccoli
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. ground mustard

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place thawed pie crusts on baking sheet.

2. Cook broccoli as directed on bag, decreasing cook time by 2-3 minutes.

3. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, sauteing about 5 minutes, or onions are translucent. Add the ham and broccoli to the skillet, mixing to combine. Evenly divide the onion mixture into the two pie crusts.

4. In a large bowl beat eggs, milk, shredded cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, thyme and ground mustard. Pour the egg mixture into the pie crusts, dividing evenly.

5. Baked in the preheated oven until a knife inserted into the center of the quiche comes out clean, approximately, 30-45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Children’s Election Themed Books

Posted on October 25, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

With school elections recently occurring in most schools and the presidential election quickly approaching in November, I have been reading lots of election and presidential themed children’s books. I have read some picture books with my kids as well as getting them election themed chapter books for them to read on their own. This is by no means an exhaustive list, we were just very limited on time! Here is a round up of the children’s election themed books that we have read recently.

Picture Books:

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Madam President by Lane Smith – A little girl spends the day imagining what it would be like to be President. The reader learns a little bit about the Presidential duties while the illustrations add a humorous touch. (Rating: 3/5 stars) This book was borrowed from the library.

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Presidential Pennybaker by Kate Feiffer – Tired of doing his chores and being told what to do, Luke Pennybaker decides to run for President. As he travels the country, he campaigns for the “birthday party” and has the White House painted orange. But Luke soon realizes that being President gives him even less time for watching TV, bike riding and playing. (Rating: 3/5 stars) This book was borrowed from the library.

Beginning Reader Books:

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How Not to Run For Class President by Catherine A. Hapka – Third grader Will decides to run for class president with the help of his little brother Steve. Steve is in Kindergarten, so the whole storyline was hard to believe. Running a successful campaign is touched upon. This is a level four book in the Step Into Reading series. (Rating: 2/5 Stars) This book was borrowed from the library.

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Pedro For President by Fran Manushkin – This beginning reader book is targeted towards readers in K-2nd grade. Pedro decides to run for class president. His teacher Miss Winkle guides him and his opponent Katie Woo through the election process including figuring out how they will help the class, to making posters and speeches. The book has three short chapters with lots of colorful illustrations. The end of the book includes several resources including a glossary, writing and discussion questions and some school-related jokes. As seen on the cover and throughout the illustrations in the book, there is a multicultural class of students. (Rating: 4/5 stars) This book was borrowed from the library.

Chapter Books:

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Double Trouble (The Doodles of Sam Dibble #2) by J. Press – Third grader Sam Dibble has decided to run for class president. The teacher makes reference to the presidential election that occurs during the class election. While this book is the second in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone. There are lots of fun illustrations (doodles) throughout with short chapters, which makes this a great book for the beginning chapter book reader. (Rating: 3/5 stars) This book was borrowed from the library.

Middle Grade Fiction Books:

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Ellie for President (The Ellie McDoodle Diaries #6) by Ruth McNally Barshaw – As editor for the school newspaper, Ellie hears about the upcoming school election. Her friends convince her to run for class President and help her run her campaign, which means she’s unfortunately running against her friend and crush, Jake. Will she win the election? Although this is book six in the Ellie McDoodle series, it reads like a stand-alone. Through the story and fun illustrations/doodles readers learn a lot about the school election process. (Rating: 4/5 stars) This book was borrowed from the library.

What is your favorite election themed children’s book?

Weekly Meal Plan {Week 54}

Posted on October 24, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Oh Monday how I detest you! Another Monday means another start to a very busy week. Luckily, having a weekly meal plan keeps me organized and ensures that I have dinner on the table every night. Recently, I have been asking the kids to give me one meal that they’d like to see on our meal plan for the following week. This past week’s meal plan, seen below, included a quiche at my daughter’s request and Velveeta Mac and Cheese, which my son wanted. This helps me in coming up with meal ideas as well as ensures that there’s a dinner each week that I know that the kids will enjoy! Here’s a look at what was on our weekly meal plan this past week:

Saturday: It was just me and my daughter for dinner so we got Panera takeout.

Sunday: I made Slow Cooker Beanless Chili. My mom was in town and came over for dinner. I’m not a big bean fan but I do like a nice bowl of chili and this one fit the bill! I served the chili over rice and with a side of biscuits.

Monday: I made Ham, Cheese and Broccoli Quiche (recipe coming soon!). I served this with a Caesar Salad. My daughter had requested that I make a quiche and I came up with this one since it had all the ingredients that she likes. Plus, I had enough ingredients to make two quiches so my husband and I had breakfasts for the week.

Tuesday: I made Velveeta Mac and Cheese from a recipe from Food.com. It’s allegedly the same recipe right off the box (my box of Velveeta didn’t have a recipe). Yes, I bought and used the Velveeta block of cheese. Yes, the mac and cheese came out pretty tasty. However, cost-wise, my husband and I were trying to figure out if it was easier and cheaper to buy the boxed Velveeta shells and cheese. It’s a toss-up. We ended up with plenty of leftovers for lunches. I served this with a garden salad using peppers, radishes, onion and tomatoes from our CSA.

Wednesday: I made Crab Cakes from a recipe on allrecipes that I adapted. I served them with Simply Potatoes Mashed Potatoes and sautéed Swiss Chard from the CSA. The kids were not a fan of the crab cakes, but my husband and I enjoyed them. I rarely make homemade crab cakes and probably won’t again, since the kids didn’t like them.

Thursday: I made Slow Cooker Chicken Bacon and Potato Soup from Cooking Light, October 2016. Thursdays are crazy here with after school activities and piano lessons until 6 PM. So, there’s not a lot of time for me to make dinner when we get home, unless we want to eat super late. On Thursdays I either make a slow cooker recipe or premake dinner during the day and we reheat it when we get home. This recipe wasn’t a quick throw it in the slow cooker and forget about it recipe. It required cooking bacon, sautéing onion, carrots and celery and browning chicken all before being placed in the slow cooker. Then half-way through potatoes had to be added and chicken had to be shredded and bones removed. That being said, this was a tasty soup that we all enjoyed. It provided enough leftovers for lunch for the family on Saturday. #KidApproved

Friday: I made our usual homemade pizza. However, this week I made Spinach and Artichoke Dip Pizza from Closet Cooking for my husband and I. This pizza had all the flavors of spinach and artichoke dip, which I love, but it wasn’t my favorite in pizza form. Overall preparation wise it was fairly easy to put together, which isn’t always the case with specialty pizzas.

What are you having for dinner this week?

Five on Friday {Home Sick Edition}

Posted on October 21, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Happy Friday! This has been a long week around here. After two weeks of multiple days off, the kids finally had a full week of school. All activities are in full swing now so both kids are going to school early and staying after on some days. It’s crazy trying to keep track of everyone’s schedules! And add to that me being sick for most of the week. My husband was extra awesome this week in getting the kids up, ready and out in the mornings. I’m glad that it’s me who was sick this week though and not the kids. I know it’s not fun sitting in a classroom all day and not feeling well. I’m hoping for a pretty low-key weekend. The kids are spending the night at my in-laws on Saturday so my husband and I can have a date night. Sunday they will bring the kids back and we will probably get lunch. But otherwise, not much else is planned around here. Here are five from this week:

1. Girl Time – My husband spent most of Saturday with my son at a Cub Scout event. My daughter and I spent most of the afternoon shopping. Then we stopped at Panera to pick up some dinner and ate it while we watched The Hunger Games. My daughter is almost finished reading the series for the first time and LOVES it. As she finishes the book we are watching the movies. Great bonding time!

2. Watching – Nothing new this week. Just the regular rotation of Real Housewives of OC and New Jersey, Grey’s Anatomy and This Is Us.

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3. Reading – I have just started reading Pretty Little Liars. It’s been on my to read list forever and I’ve been holding off on watching the series on Netflix until I’ve read some of the books. From comments on Instagram, it seems that the show doesn’t totally follow the book, but I always like to read the book first!

4. Cooking – After eating three course dinners every night on our recent cruise, it’s been nice to have some home cooked meals. This week’s menu included Slow Cooker Beanless Chili (see recipe link below), Crab Cakes (pictured above), Homemade Mac and Cheese, Slow Cooker Chicken, Bacon and Potato Soup and Spinach and Artichoke Dip Pizza.

5. Buying – I was in major need of some fall nail polish. On a recent trip to Walmart I bought a bottle of this Revlon Vixen. I’m not even sure what nail colors are in this season, but I love this dark burgundy polish.

ICYMI this week on the blog:
Monday I shared my September book reads.
Tuesday I shared a recipe for Slow Cooker Beanless Chili.
Thursday I wrote about our recent cruise experience on the Carnival Sunshine.

Linking up with Tif, Andrea and April! Have a great weekend!

Carnival Sunshine {A Review}

Posted on October 20, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Overview:
The Carnival Sunshine was previously the Carnival Destiny. In April 2013 the Destiny underwent an $155 million renovation and was renamed the Sunshine. The ship weighs 102,853 tons and carries 3,006 passengers. There are over 1,040 crew members coming from over 50 different countries. The ship currently departs from Charleston, SC, New York, NY, Norfolk, VA and Port Canaveral, FL and cruises to the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada/New England and the Caribbean.

Review:
Last week, my family cruised on the Carnival Sunshine out of New York City. We traveled to St. John and Halifax on a five night cruise. My husband and I had previously cruised on the Carnival Fantasy almost eight years ago. This was the kids’ second cruise, but first time on a Carnival boat. We drove into the city and parked at the terminal for $40/day. The check-in process was smooth, but very slow. Arriving at the port, checking in and finally boarding the ship took over two hours.

Once onboard we visited our stateroom. We chose an inside cabin that slept four. We were surprised to see that the kids’ beds were directly above us! They loved sleeping in an “upper bunk.” However, the setup of the room made the room feel especially small. Space on a cruise ship is at a premium and cruise ship rooms in general are not very roomy. This isn’t usually a big deal for us, as we tend to just use our room for sleeping and changing.

This was our first time cruising to Canada. The weather was a bit chilly and since we were heading north to even colder weather, we knew this was not going to be the kind of trip where you lay out at the pool. However, we were surprised to discover that the main pool on the ship is heated. My son took advantage of this on both sea days. My daughter wasn’t feeling well and she agreed she shouldn’t swim with the weather being so cool.

Each evening on the boat we received the FunTimes which provides an activity, music and dining schedule for the next day. This was helpful in planning our days on the ship. Carnival Cruise Lines has a reputation of being the “fun and party” cruise line. However, unless you like trivia or Bingo, we found the indoor planned activities onboard tended to be limited. This was especially noticeable on our first fun day at sea when the weather was cold and rainy.

Granted, if the weather was warmer, we would spend the majority of our time outside. The Sunshine has a WaterWorks area with three water slides. However, they are not heated!

Up on the SportsSquare our family played miniature golf and also completed the SkyCourse, part of which is pictured above. I was surprised at how well the kids did completing the course and how scared I was! But we all finished it and my husband and kids even did it a second time on our trip.

There is also a basketball court, foosball tables, pool tables, shuffleboard and a giant Twister game board and Checkers board on the deck. A jogging track circles the SportsSquare as well.

Carnival Sunshine has Camp Carnival, a kid’s club for children ages 2-11. Groups are normally broken down by ages (2-5), (6-8) and (9-11). Because of the low number of children registered during our trip, they combined sections and had one large (6-11) group. However, our kids didn’t participate in many of the Camp Carnival scheduled activities, opting to spend time doing things with me and my husband. Even though the camp is open until 10 PM at night free of charge, we only made use of this one evening so my husband and I could go see the Love and Marriage Show! Otherwise, the kids came with us to the evening shows. Late night babysitting is available until 1 AM for a $6.75 per hour fee, though we didn’t make use of this service. One of our favorite Camp Carnival activities was a family digital scavenger hunt. It was lots of fun!

My husband and I visited the gym once while onboard. Cloud 9 Spa offers massages, facials and more at an additional cost, which we did not partake in.

A casino operates onboard when the cruise ship is at sea. There are lots of different slot machines as well as tables. There are also more than nine different bars on board the Carnival Sunshine. Unfortunately, alcohol is not included in the price of a cruise. Luckily, my husband and I are not big drinkers. For those that do enjoy drinking, the ship offers CHEERS!, an all-inclusive beverage package that can be purchased.

Each evening there was plenty of entertainment. Playlist Productions put on three different shows while we were onboard, with Epic Rock being my favorite. There were also two different comedy shows, karaoke, the Love and Marriage Show as well as Hasbro Family Game Night.

The Carnival Sunshine has a shopping area known as the Fun Shops. Here you can purchase clothing, souvenirs, liquor, jewelry, watches and more. There’s also Cherry on Top, a candy shop onboard. Next to the candy store is the 24 hour arcade.

And last, but not definitely not least, we need to discuss food. The wonderful thing about cruising is that there is ALWAYS food available and most of it is included in the price of your trip. The Carnival Sunshine has several dining options.

There are two assigned dining times in the main dining room for dinner at 6 PM and 8:15 PM. However, for those cruisers who don’t want to be tied down to a set dining time, Carnival also offers My Time Dining. When we booked our cruise we were assigned to the 8:00 PM dining time. However, with two children who are normally in bed at 8 PM on a school night, I didn’t want us eating that late. The first evening we were able to dine during the 6 PM seating and by the next morning the maitre’d we spoke with had assigned us to the My Time Dining. This dining program allows you to check-in at the desk anytime between 5:15 and 9:45 PM and be seated within 15 minutes in the dining room.

Each day that night’s dining menu was available to peruse outside the dining rooms. If a three course, sit-down dinner is not your thing, the Lido Restaurant offers a buffet for all meals. The Carnival Sunshine also has Cucina del Capitano (Italian), JiJi Asian Kitchen (Asian), Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse and Bonsai Sushi restaurants which require an additional cost to dine.

Our family found that the BlueIguana Cantina and celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s Guy’s Burger Joint offered some of the tastiest food on the ship. The BlueIguana Cantina had made-to-order breakfast burritos as well as tacos and burritos during lunch hours. Guy’s Burger Joint, available for lunch/early dinner offered a selection of burgers served with fries.

There is a 24 hour Swirls frozen yogurt and soft-serve station. For an additional cost JavaBlue Café offers coffee and pastries and the Shake Spot sells all kind of shakes, including some “grown-up” shakes that contain alcohol.

Overall, we found the food on the Sunshine to be just okay. There is plenty of food available in terms of quantity on the ship, however the taste and quality weren’t impressive.

Our family had a great time on the Carnival Sunshine. A vacation where this mom didn’t have to worry about the cooking and cleaning is a good one! Unfortunately, we didn’t have control over the weather, which wasn’t great for a majority of our trip. While what we saw of St. John and Halifax was beautiful and when we cruise again, it will be to a warm location!

Slow Cooker Beanless Chili

Posted on October 18, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

It has been awhile since I did a recipe post. With the weather getting cooler I’m all about using the slow cooker to make tasty chili, soups and stews. I made this beanless chili this past Sunday evening when my mom came over for dinner. I enjoy chili but I’m not a fan of beans, so this chili was perfect. This recipe does require about 20-30 minutes of prep before putting it in the slow cooker. If your house is as crazy as ours is in the morning, you may not have time to prep this before heading off to work. However, it makes a great weekend meal. I prepped this in the morning and we were able to do errands throughout the day, without having to worry about what was for dinner. This was a winner with the family and the leftovers provided lunch for us the next day. If you want to add a little heat and spice to the recipe you can add jalapeno or poblano peppers (when sautéing the onion and garlic) and/or cayenne pepper (when adding the spices). I served our chili over rice with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese, but feel free to add any other garnishes your family enjoys!

Slow Cooker Beanless Chili
Recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds ground turkey
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons Kosher salt
2-3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato paste
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 bay leaves
2 cups rice, cooked
sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese for serving

Directions:
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once heated add the olive oil. Add the onion, sautéing for approximately five minutes until translucent. Stir in the garlic cooking for a minute. Add the ground turkey to the skillet, breaking up into crumbles. Brown the ground turkey for approximately 10 minutes. Once browned add the chili powder, paprika, cumin and salt, mixing to combine. Cook for two minutes and then remove the skillet from the heat.

Pour the ground turkey mixture into the bowl of the slow cooker. Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, maple syrup and bay leaves to the slow cooker, stirring to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. When finished cooking, if chili is too thick, add another 1/2 to one cup of chicken broth.

Remove the bay leaves from the chili. Spoon rice into a bowl. Ladle the chili on top of the rice and serve with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.

September 2016 Reads

Posted on October 17, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Happy Monday! We are home from our cruise and I am back into blogging! Unfortunately, while I was away I missed the monthly Show Us Your Books link up. Although I couldn’t link up, I did want to share my September 2016 reads. September was a good reading month in terms of quantity, as I was able to read several books. Here they are listed in order from least to most liked.

3 Stars:

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The Girls by Emma Cline – A teenage girls gets involved in a cult in the 1960’s and escapes being part of a tragic incident. Although this is a New York Times bestseller, I wasn’t impressed.

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The Mistresses’s Revenge by Tamar Cohen – I recently read Cohen’s newest book The Fallout and wasn’t impressed. This book wasn’t any better. It shows one woman’s demise and that of her lover after he ends their five year affair.

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Still A Work In Progress by Jo Knowles – This is a recently published middle grade fiction book. Noah is a middle school student whose older sister has battled an eating disorder. It appears that she has relapsed, which effects the entire family, especially Noah. I think Knowles provides a realistic view of the ups and downs of middle school, friendships and family difficulties.

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Unidentified Suburban Object by Mike Jung – This is a middle grade fiction book. Chloe Cho is a 7th grader, Korean-American. She is the only Asian student in her school. Although she is eager to learn more about her Korean culture, her parents are very resistant. The story was enjoyable until midway when Chloe makes an important discovery, and then it went downhill for me after that.

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The Widow by Fiona Barton – This book is told from three different points of view – Jean, the widow, the reporter and the detective. When little Bella goes missing from her yard and is never found, Jean’s husband Glen becomes a prime suspect. Jean stands by her husband, even as she discovers things about him that she never new. This was another book recommended, “for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.” However, I didn’t find it very suspenseful.

4 Stars:

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Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll – Have you ever been confused as to whether you’ve actually read a book or just know the story so well from movies? That’s how I felt with this book. Prior to now, I’m not sure if I ever actually read this classic. If I did, it was probably as a child. My son and I read this book together aloud over the course of a month. I hadn’t realized how antiquated the language was, however he understood the gist of the story.

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All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker – 15 year-old Jenny Kramer is brutally raped and injured in the woods near a party she attended. At the hospital she was given a drug to help her forget that night. But now she’s working with a therapist to retrieve her memories from that night to help her heal. This book fits the psychological thriller category with several twists. Add in characters that are all dysfunctional in their own way and you have a good read.

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All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood – Wavy’s dad is a drug dealer and her mom is a drug addict. At eight-years-old Wavy don’t speak or eat in front of people. She has taken on the role of caregiver for her younger brother Donal. When Kellen, one of her father’s workers gets in a motorcycle accident she ends up saving his life by getting help. What ensues is a love story between a young girl and a man. The book is told through the points of view of multiple characters in the book. As disturbing as the relationship is, the story is riveting.

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Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris – This book was more psychological than a suspense thriller for me. I found Jack Angel to be a psycho and Grace was naïve. Overall a good read for me though.

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Just My Luck by Cammie McGovern – This is another middle grade fiction book that I read this month. Fourth grader Benny blames himself for his father’s aneurysm. Since the accident, he hasn’t been himself. Add in a teacher who starts acting strange and dealing with two older brothers, one who is autistic, life is tough for Benny. Having worked with autistic children, I thought this book did a great job of giving a realistic look at autism. It also touches on being kind and friendship.

Five on Friday {Ready for Cruising}

Posted on October 7, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

Happy Friday everyone! And what a happy day it is for us. We are leaving tomorrow for our cruise tomorrow. We will be spending five nights on the Carnival Sunshine visiting Halifax and St. John in Canada. It will be quiet for the next several days on the blog while we are away. This week was a relaxing week for us. The kids had off from school Monday and Tuesday for Rosh Hashanah. Unfortunately, they are so busy during the regular school week that we ended up doing a lot of errands and shopping. It’s really hard for me to go shopping without them, now that they are both very opinionated about their clothing and style. We did squeeze in a lunch at Five Guys though! Here are five things from this week:

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1. Reading – This week I finished reading The Girl Before by Rena Olsen. I’ve been on a psychological, suspense reading kick lately and this book did not disappoint. It is a disturbing read about the human trafficking trade and one girl’s brainwashing and naiveté. Despite the uncomfortable topic of the book, Olsen’s writing had me captivated to see how it would all end.

2. Television Watching – After taking a several season hiatus from this show, my husband and I have started watching American Horror Story: Roanoke. I’m not sure why I do this to myself since I really hate scary shows and movies!

3. Movie Watching – I just watched Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates the other night. Guys, this movie was BAD! I cannot recommend this and feel like I wasted an hour and a half of my life watching it. I am a big fan of Anna Kendrick, which was the only reason in me watching it. Don’t waste your time.

4. Eating – This month our supper club decided to go out to eat for tapas, rather than make them, which was our original theme. We ate at a local restaurant in Peekskill called the Iron Vine. I think we ordered almost every tapas on the menu, in two different rounds of eating….plus dessert. It was really good!

5. Family Time – Last Sunday my family and I were invited by Stop & Shop to attend the New England Chowdafest in Westport, CT. We had such a great time getting a sneak peek of Stop & Shop’s new line of Nature’s Promise soups. Then we got to walk around and try all different kinds of soups and chowders from restaurants throughout the area and rate them on a ballot sheet. It was delicious and fun family time!

ICYMI this week on the blog:
Monday I posted our weekly meal plan.
Wednesday I shared my October Currently in the monthly linkup.

Linking up with Tif, Andrea and April! Have a great weekend!

Currently October 2016

Posted on October 5, 2016 by nyfoodiefamily@gmail.com

October is here. This week my kids have enjoyed two days off for Rosh Hashanah. Next week they have three days off from school for Columbus Day and Yom Kippur. Although they’ve only been in school for a month, these days off are much appreciated. Their schedules are jam-packed with all kinds of activities so it’s nice for them to have a day to relax. I’m linking up with Anne and her co-host Jacqui for the monthly Currently link-up. Here is what I’m currently:

Cheers-ing – Pumpkin Spice! I think people tend to either love it or hate it. I’m on the loving it side. I’ve been embracing the limited time I have to enjoy it all!

Organizing – It’s time to go through my closet and do the shoe and clothes switch out and clean out. I have to get rid of the sandals that won’t make it another summer and see what fall clothing I want/need to buy.

Dreaming – of our family cruise! I feel like I’ve been talking about it forever and the time has finally come! We leave Saturday to cruise to Halifax and St. John’s Bay in Canada. I’m really looking forward to the relaxing, quality family time we’ll get to have.

Buying – workout clothes. Last month I joined the gym as a birthday present for myself. I felt it was finally time that I got in shape. Since I haven’t worked out in ages, I don’t have a lot of clothes. I’ve been shopping around and trying to buy just some solid capris and leggings and a variety of tops. As I continue to work out more I’ll keep adding to my collection!

Listening – to my son playing the piano while I’m typing this! He started lessons this summer and has just taken off with the playing! He’s really good about practicing without being reminded. It amazes me how far he’s come in just a couple of months!