Cooking with My Butcher's Help

I love to cook especially with fresh, local ingredients.  Now that we have Craft Butchery at Saugatuck Center in Westport, I especially like to eat what I cook.  Ryan Fibiger, the owner, sources organic, pasture raised and grass fed animals from local sustainable farms.  He brings in the whole animal and every part, from nose to tail, is used.

Ryan and the two other butchers who work along side him can tell you where the animal has come from and will butcher exactly what you need and how you want it.  I love knowing the source of what I'm eating and feel good that I can trust what I am putting in my body.

Just recently, I walked in and asked Ryan for short ribs. He cut them right in front of my eyes, fresh as can be. I got an excellent product and an education. Back home, I slow roasted the ribs with wine, carrots, garlic, onion, tomato and added parsley at the end.

The smell and the taste were phenomenal.  I served the ribs on top of stone ground grits with white cheddar cheese with  a side of dandelion greens. My husband and I could not stop eating it, but I made sure I saved a serving for my friend, Juliet.

I've enjoyed eating lemon-rosemary roasted chicken made with their free range chickens, veal meatballs with their organic ground veal and even pizza with their sage sausage. I am getting hungry just thinking about the goodness of Craft Butchery's products.

I better get busy making dinner, but first I'm on my way Craft Butchery to see what my butcher can suggest.

What to do With an Almost 3 Year Old Comes to an End

Sad, but true, I took Henry and his mama and dada to LaGuardia this afternoon for their trip home. It was a great week with lots of activities and good times! The next time H comes to CT, he'll be 3 and we'll have to find some new adventures!

Instead of partaking in the traditional "black friday' activities we drove to Stratford and bounced our way to a good time. Bounce U is the perfect place to get out some pent up energy. They have an activity called the Open Bounce a few times a day and it's a good idea to call ahead and sign up. They break up the kids into two separate age groups, under 6 and 7 up. This is great because if you have a little one, you won't have to worry about the older kids running around and playing a little bit rougher than you might feel comfortable with. The Open Bounce lasts for 1 and 1/2 hours. They start the kids in one room then switch them in 45 mins. so both age groups can enjoy both rooms. They have T-ball, giant slides, basket ball hoops, a Sumo wrestling ring equipped with giant gloves & Sumo outfits. They of course have large spaces to bounce in. There are party options for that special day and a room where the kids can take a break and have a snack.

On our way home we drove up Black Rock Turnpike and stopped at The Rugged Bear. Henry had a little accident and the staff was extremely helpful. They let us use the restroom to clean up then let H roam around in his diaper and vest. We found a great pair of pants on sale and we were ready to go. We weren't hungry, but if we were, A&S would have been a great place to by an Italian sub for the road.

Before our ride to the airport, DeeDee had one more adventure up her sleeve! I thought a little excitement would be a great idea before a plane ride. A true adventure...EarthPlace an nature discovery center is Wetport would be perfect. I love EarthPlace! They have live animals that have been injured, a colony of vultures, two bald eagles, rabbits, an indoor play area, lab and a fabulous outdoor playground.

While we were there today Miss Betsy had show and tell. We were able to pet a bunny and snake and learned quite a bit about both. For instance, did you know that pythons eat once a week? One of the resident pythons actually went five weeks without eating once! They have exhibits, programs and a nursery school. It's tucked away at the end of Woodside and also offers various trails for walking and exploring.

After all the excitement, we went to Coco Michelle in Westport for a quick hot chocolate. It's a European style hot chocolate and they call it a ChocoLatte...yummmmmmmmm! They also offer excellent coffee and handmade chocolates along with fresh baked goods. The coffee is FairTrade which is a bonus. It is now located across the street from the Westport train station.

I hope you have enjoyed the series and that I was able to share some places you might not have known about. Stay tuned for the next series. Happy Holiday's!!!

The Adventure Continues, Day 4

We woke to a gorgeous November day and felt that at 65 degrees, we needed to be outdoors! After packing a goody bag full of snacks and drinks and a snack bag for Cello, my Spinone Italiano, we were ready to go.

Our first stop though was Coffee an' Donut Shop in Westport on Main Street (across the St. from Bogey's). If you love donuts and want something special, this is the place to go. These tasty treats are homemade and you can get anything from a plain old fashioned to a coconut twist. My personal favorite is the cinnamon, crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside...yum! We were lucky it was during the week and after 9a.m. so we didn't have to wait on line. If your travels take you there on a weekend, be prepared to wait on a line out the door. You can also sit at a table or even better at the counters and have a regular breakfast. It's the place to go for that small town feel!

With donuts at the ready, we drove to Compo Beach in Westport. I love the fact that I can let Cello run off leash and play with other dogs. You can walk for quite a stretch although if you go with your dog, part of the beach requires you to put your pooch on a leash. Henry ran around, threw rocks in the water, collected seashells and thought it might be fun to swim like Cello.

Another great feature of Compo is the large playground. It was rebuilt a few years ago and it is a kids dream. With swings, rock climbing area, bars, slides and towers, there's something for most age groups. Dogs aren't allowed here so Cello and I had to sit by the sidelines and watch Henry explore with his mama and dada while pop-pop clicked away. The area is also totally fenced in and has plenty of benches for those parents or grandparents that need a break.

There is also a skateboard park for the more adventurous!

Tomorrow is day 5 and we're going strong. How does a morning at the fire station sound? Find out in tomorrow's installment of "What to do in Fairfield County with an Almost 3 Year Old".

Frank Bruni Comes to Westport!

The Westport Library was the place to be last night! That is, if you like Frank Bruni former New York Times food critic. Frank was the guest author and was there to speak about his memoir, "Born Round: A Story of Family, Food and a Ferocious Appetite". Frank started his discussion to a standing room crowd by explaining what he liked doing at these events. He would read two passages and then open up the floor to questions. He encouraged us not to be shy and to ask anything we wanted! Wow, now that's a dream come true...ask anything you like...hmmmm.

I was curious to know if after so obviously conquering his food issues (he looks fabulous), did he still have food demons and did he have to fight them everyday. Frank was quite candid and basically said that once he was honest with himself and knew how much he had to eat to be happy, he was able to keep a check on things. Incorporating exercise into his daily routine to offset his calorie count and controlling the size of his portions were key.

Someone asked what his favorite assignment was and he said he

didn't have one, but did have a least favorite...being a campaign correspondent. He said it was a tough assignment, very regimented and was quick to say that the candidates did lead a tough life during the trail. Another question was what were the consequences to a restaurant and/or to him if he gave a scathing review. The answer was interesting. If the restaurant is well established and is more about "the scene" then not much. He used Cipriani as an example saying that they were more about being a "club house" so his review was not detrimental. His main responsibility was to his reader and he felt that people were going out and spending good money to enjoy a meal and they deserved his honest critique. He said that his consequences were minimal and shared a story that one unhappy restaurateur took out a full page ad, opposite his review, pretty much saying that Frank didn't know what he was talking about. Frank was good humored about it and said that they were entitled to their opinion too.

He spoke lovingly of his grandmother and mother and the two passages he read (very entertaining) from his book were of these two influential women. Someone asked if Frank had visited his grandmother's hometown in Puglia and he said that he did and was treated royally. So much so, that he doesn't like to let them know when he's in town so as not to put them out.

Frank's dad was also in attendance and after spending an evening listening to his sons delightful stories and heartfelt answers, I'm sure he was extremely proud of him. When the Q & A was done, Frank was at hand to autograph his books. I told Frank that I would be blogging about the event so my inscription said "Keep on blogging and eat right!" I will make sure to remember those words of wisdom every day!

You can catch more, Authors @ The Library, by clicking on the link. If you're a Twilight Zone fan, Rod Serling will be the guest author tomorrow night, Wednesday, August, 4th.

Tired of Your Curls? Keratin is the Way to Go at Effi's in Westport!!

It's that time of the year when my beautiful curls turn into Medusa's dreaded locks. Yes, it's the heat and the humidity that do me in each and every time. This year I thought I'd try something new. For all you girls with curly hair, does that sound familiar? Here comes Keratin to the rescue!

It took me years to become one with my curls and after trying tons of products I came across Ouidad through a friend. Mind you she has stick straight hair and has always had curl envy. I used it for several years, but when I was in my garden in the summer my hair would still be frizzy and I'd look a little frightening!

Then came along Effi's Salon. I was at the Salon and overhead a few of the stylist's talking about Keratin. They said how much they liked it and how it really worked to control frizz...my ears perked up. They also liked the fact that it doesn't damage your hair and you have flexibility. I decided to ask about this Keratin treatment and Laurean, aka Hollywood came over to give me my education.

Laurean was amazing! She is the Keratin Queen at Effi's and does she know her stuff!! She first looked at my hair and asked me several questions, including how straight I would ultimately want my hair. She did suggest that I keep some wave in my hair so that I'd have a choice on either wearing it straight, straight or having some body. I was impressed with her knowledge of the product, process and her patience with ALL my questions. What is it exactly, how long does it last, how long does it take, will it hurt my hair, how much does it cost....

It turns out that it takes anywhere from 2 1/2 hours up depending on the length of your hair. You might be wondering why it takes so long. First, the product is brushed onto your hair in the same fashion as when you have highlights. Hollywood, takes only a few strands at a time that's how she's able to achieve such great results. After that, you sit for about 1/2 hour. She then takes your hair with the product in it and blow dries it straight with the same process of doing a few strands at a time. Then you're off for the day.

Depending on how straight you'd like your hair, you will be back in either two or three days to finish the process. I opted for two days since I still wanted some body. For two days you can't touch, wash, put your hair behind your ears, in a ponytail etc. All this insures that you will have the optimum results. After two days I was ready! Hollywood washed the product out of my hair and then worked her magic with her hair dryer. I could not believe it! Not only was my hair shiny, but it was silky! She gave me shampoo and conditioner for home care and told me that over the course of a week it would settle into the real finished product.

It's been a month since I had my Keratin treatment and it looks fabulous. The pic of me with my dog Cello was taken a month after. I wet my hair everyday and wash it every 3 days.

I literally do nothing except take a blow dryer and swirl it

around my wet hair. It takes a few minutes as opposed to the 20+ minutes it used to take when I felt like having straight her. The best part is that if it rains or it's humid...it still looks great! I have also just let it dry naturally and it looks just as good. The treatment is supposed to last 3-6 months, again depending on how often you wash it and other variables. The cost starts at about $300.00

One of my friends joked around with me when I told her I was having it done in CT. She asked, "You're not going into the City to have it done?". I'm here to tell you that after my consultation with Laurean I knew I was in excellent hands and have the results to prove it! Thank you Effi's and Hollywood!!!