I'm Dreaming of a White... Halloween?

Eastern Pennsylvania got hit with a pretty nasty snowstorm this weekend. Yesterday we had record snowfall amounts of 6-10 inches in the Lehigh Valley area. Our previous record was 2.2 inches, which fell in Allentown on October 31, 1925. It's not a lot of snow, but it's caused power outages due to trees falling. My sister and her family were without power most of Saturday.

Here are a couple before and after pictures, to give an idea of how much the weather changed.

That's me on October 28, raking leaves and doing some cleanup around the rock in my front yard. I was wearing my light fall jacket.

That's me again, on October 29. I'm wearing my heavy winter coat as I try to shovel very heavy wet snow from the driveway. That line of cleared driveway is actually the width of the area I had to clean. It took me over an hour to shovel the driveway. (I did get a little help from my husband near the end. I originally told him I wanted to do it all myself, but I got too tired.)

If there's a bright side to any of this, it's the fact that I got outside and was active. I also spent the time I was indoors making homemade soup. My house still smells good this morning from all the cooking I did yesterday!

Coping with Adversity

This is going to be a difficult post to write. As of December 31, I'll be out of a job. My company sold the publishing part of their business to another company, so I've been laid off. I would have marked my 30 year anniversary with them on January 18, 2012.

I can't say it's a big surprise. There's been talk about this for several years. I don't even blame my company for doing it. Publishing isn't their core business, so it makes sense that they'd sell it. I'm just in shock a little because starting over somewhere else is very scary, but it's especially so when you're almost 54 years old and have never worked anywhere else.

I'll develop a coping strategy. I'll make goals and schedules. I'll figure out what skills I'll need to get a job in a different kind of business. But not right now. I need to concentrate on getting through the next 2 months at work. I'll take January as a month for mental rest. After that, I'll attack this situation with as much energy and determination as I can.

Luckily, I'm getting 24 weeks of severance pay, as well as 10 days of unused vacation pay, and I can collect unemployment for up to 2 years. My husband has his job. We don't have a lot of debt to pay off. It's not the end of the world, but it's not a fun situation to be in. No matter where I end up, my life will never be the same. I hope I have the strength to deal with this gracefully.

My next posts will be back to the usual subjects. I have pictures from a couple fun meals I've had this week. No matter what, I won't let this situation stop me from enjoying my life as much as I can, within my new budgetary limits. :-)

Ithaca NY, Day 2: Iron Kettle Farm

The rest of the time I spent in New York with my best friend was at Iron Kettle Farm, in Candor. The place was a combination of country store, farmers market and petting zoo, with food vendors selling fair food along with seasonal specialty items such as cider donuts.

The farm was decorated for Halloween, with pumpkins dressed as people in various scenes. We saw pumpkin displays for Disney's Aladdin, Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz, in addition to pumpkins dressed for a wedding and one particularly amusing situation.

Not all of the pumpkins were decorated. There was a large selection of pumpkins available for purchase. There's something about this large field of pumpkins that appeals to me. I'm not sure if it's the color, or the fact that so many pumpkins were in one place.

The highlight of the trip for me was the farmers market. A large part of the market was dedicated to selling different varieties of apples. I bought Idared, Cortland, Macoun and Jonagold. I don't think any will replace Honeycrisp as my favorite, but it's been a pleasure tasting the subtle differences between varieties.

I had a wonderful time on the trip, and I hope to go back again sometime in the future, perhaps with my husband this time. The Finger Lakes area is beautiful, at every time of year.

My complete collection of photographs from this trip can be found at my website, here.

Ithaca NY, Day 2: Tim Hortons and Ithaca Farmers Market

On my second day in Ithaca, my best friend introduced me to the wonderful place named Tim Hortons. I'm no stranger to Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, but this was my first time visiting a 'Timmies.' There are no Tim Hortons locations in eastern Pennsylvania. I always think of them as being a Canadian coffee shop.

My best friend had coffee and a caramel apple danish. I had a pumpkin spice latte made with sugar free syrup and skim milk. I also had two small pumpkin flavored mini donuts (called 'Timbits'). It won't make me forget Starbucks, but it did taste very good.

After breakfast and checkout at the hotel, we made our way to the Ithaca Farmers Market. Unlike my local farmers market, this one had permanent stalls for the vendors. There was also a much larger selection of foods, baked goods, wine, pottery, jewelry and cooked foods ready to eat.

My absolute favorite thing at the farmers market had to be the popping corn shaped into a hand. Ithaca is part of the Finger Lakes region, so it was very appropriate!

Ithaca NY, Day 1: Taughannock State Park and Falls

No trip to Ithaca is complete without a visit to Taughannock State Park in Ulysses NY and its breathtaking falls.

Pictured: view of Lake Cayuga from Taughannock State Park

Pictured: small waterfall at entrance to the lower trail

Pictured: rocks stacked on river bed

Pictured: Taughannock Falls
The falls were very impressive, with a drop of 215 feet. We walked the lower (easier) trail to view them, which was probably a good idea since the trail was muddy and slippery because of the fallen leaves. We also drove to a higher lookout point after our hike, to view the shelf above the falls.

Ithaca NY, Day 1: Ithaca Commons

One area of the northeast that I've wanted to revisit is Ithaca, NY. I went there a few years ago with my best friend and loved it. When she said she was going there again this weekend, I had to tag along. We ended up driving there on Friday, staying overnight at a hotel, then driving back on Saturday.

Pictured: part of the Ithaca Commons
We parked in downtown Ithaca near the Ithaca Commons, a two block pedestrian mall. We were mainly looking for a place to eat, but we also enjoyed a little window shopping prior to lunch. After driving for over three hours, it was nice to stretch our legs a little before sitting down to have lunch.

Pictured: outside of The Mahogany Grill
We chose The Mahogany Grill, an American bistro, for our lunch. We could have gone to any of several restaurants featuring ethnic cuisine, but I wanted something less exotic.

Pictured: grilled pesto chicken sandwich, french fries and pickle
My lunch was the grilled pesto chicken sandwich. The combination of roasted red peppers, mozzarella and pesto made this sandwich different from most of the grilled chicken sandwiches I usually order. I'd love to go back to the restaurant to try their apple cider marinated chicken sandwich.

After we had lunch, we walked the length of the mall a second time, stopping at a kitchen supplies store, a shop for all things 'green' and a shop filled with all sorts of artistic pieces.

Mariani Honey Bars

I gave up on granola bars because of how many artificial ingredients they contain, but I do miss them. I'm always looking for a good snack alternative. I think I may have found that in Mariani Honey Bars.

Pictured: granola bar (oats, nuts, raisins, crisp rice and honey) and cranberry bar (nut, fruit and honey)
These aren't low in calories, but they aren't that much higher than a regular granola bar. The cranberry bar has 180 calories and the granola has 160 calories. Trail mix and sesame bars are also available.

According to the website, all of the bars are vegetarian, wheat and gluten free, kosher, preservative free, free of artificial flavors, cholesterol free and all natural. I tried the trail mix variety and I can also add that they taste great and are very filling. I plan to stock up on these and make them a regular part of my less processed diet.

Enjoying the Season

Pictured: trees at the Bethlehem Township Community Center
Sometimes walking feels like a chore, but when the temperatures are cooler and the leaves on the trees have started turning colors, it can also be relaxing. I love this time of year. I want to get outside as much as possible, since I know winter is coming soon.

Restaurant Favorites: Zoup Soup and Ciabatta Bread

One of my favorite places to eat at when I'm watching calories is Zoup. The food is good, the employees are always happy to let customers sample as many soups as they wish, and the whole atmosphere of the place is very laid back. It's the perfect place to get soup, one of the best comfort foods, ever.

Pictured: Zoup on Airport Road in Allentown, PA
There are a few soups (cream based) that can be high in calories, but most of the options for an 8 ounce serving of soup are under 200 calories. Add a 170 calorie hunk of ciabatta bread and it becomes a filling meal for under 400 calories.

I was in the mood for something I hadn't had yet, so I tried the Sicilian Pizza (vegetables, Italian sausage, sliced pepperoni, fresh basil, oregano and grated parmesan cheese, garnished with mozzarella cheese). It really did taste like I was having pizza in soup form. According to the website nutritional information, it was 150 delicious tasting calories, for a total of 320 calories with the bread. One of these days, I'll have to try making a similar soup at home.

I'm also fond of the Sonoma salad, which is greens served with gorgonzola cheese, dried cranberries and sliced almonds, topped off with a raspberry salad dressing. I love when salad tastes like a dessert!

Fall Foliage Festival, Jim Thorpe PA

Hubby and I went to Jim Thorpe on Saturday to see the fall foliage festival. It's being held every weekend in October. It was a nice opportunity to walk around the town, visit the shops, ride the train and see all the vendors in the farmers market.

The weather was perfect. It was cool enough to need a light jacket, breezy but not too windy, and slightly overcast. No one needed to worry about sunburn.

The farmers market was pretty typical of the kind of vendors we've seen at other farmers markets. Only one stand actually sold farm products. In the afternoon, Jay and I bought bought a cookie bar to snack on while waiting for our train ride.

Because we got to Jim Thorpe so early in the morning (in order to get a parking space), we had time to walk around town and look at all the shops and restaurants lining the streets. We didn't go into any of the shops, but we did have breakfast at the Bear Appetite Cafe.

After eating, we walked up the big hill to the Asa Packer Mansion. It wasn't open for tours when we got there, so we walked around the grounds until we could get into the mansion. Asa Packer made his millions as a railroad man and founded Lehigh University. His home was richly decorated with a lot of hand carved mahogany wood and beautiful chandeliers.

Right next to Asa Packer's mansion is the home of his son, Harry Packer. The Harry Packer Mansion is now a bed and breakfast hotel that holds murder mystery weekends. It's very fitting given that the Harry Packer Mansion was used as part of the inspiration for the design of the exterior of the Haunted Mansion in DisneyWorld.

By 1pm, we were ready to rest ourselves on a relaxing train ride. We boarded the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway train. We passed by many people enjoying the biking trail through the state park, as well as people in canoes and kayaks in the Lehigh River.

The fall foliage was very pretty, although we didn't see much of the bright reds we usually have at this time of year. Perhaps the rain and warmer temperatures had an affect on the coloring. Still, seeing the mountains full of beautifully colored trees was an awesome sight to behold. No one puts on a show that can top Mother Nature.

Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet

One of the most difficult places for me to eat at when I'm watching my calories is any Asian buffet restaurant. This is especially true when I go to Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet.

Pictured: Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet on Route 191 in Bethlehem

Pictured: seating within Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet

Pictured: green beans, steamed broccoli, spring roll, fried dumpling, spare ribs, two types of grilled chicken, General Tso's chicken and chicken in garlic sauce
There are so many choices, but I try my best to limit myself to one plate of non-dessert food and one plate of dessert. I fill my plate with a lot of vegetables, especially ones not covered in sauce, like steamed broccoli. I also try to eat some protein, usually chicken. Having one bite of several different chicken dishes is better than having a lot of any one kind.

My guilty pleasures are spring rolls and fried dumplings. I used to eat egg rolls, but the spring rolls don't feel as heavy in my stomach.

Pictured: pastry, fresh pineapple, canned pineapple and chocolate cake with whipped cream frosting
I always allow myself one plate of dessert. Today, I had one slice of cake, one pastry and two different servings of pineapple (since I didn't notice the fresh pineapple until after I'd taken some canned fruit). One of the great things about Asian buffet desserts is that they tend to not be too sweet. (It's probably a good thing that they're usually small portion sizes, too.)

I consider it a success if I can walk away from the buffet not feeling full. I know I can always go back another day if I feel like I missed out on something.

Favorite Restaurant Meals: Ruby Tuesday Chicken Fresco

Pictured: chicken fresco (grilled half-breast of chicken finished with vine-ripened tomatoes, lemon butter and balsamic vinaigrette), garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli
This is another good tasting meal from Ruby Tuesday's Petite Plates lunch menu.
According to their website, chicken fresco is 430 calories. With mashed potatoes and broccoli, it should total about 670 calories for the whole meal. That's why I typically eat half at the restaurant, and have the rest for later.

This meal is also one of Ruby Tuesday's Fit & Trim selections, which are dishes totaling 700 calories or less. I give them a lot of credit for offering delicious choices that don't break my calorie budget.

Peddler's Village, Lahaska PA

I went on a day trip to the New Hope-Lahaska, PA area with my best friend on Thursday. It's been many years since I've been there, so I was looking forward to it quite a lot. I wasn't disappointed. The main attraction for me was visiting Peddlar's Village.

Peddler's Village is a series of specialty shops featuring all kinds of merchandise including clothing, jewelry, gourmet food items, kitchenware and so much more. Anyone who has ever been to Old Mystic Seaport in Connecticut will notice the similarity between the two, although I find Peddler's Village much more upscale.

Not only did the shops have their holiday items on display, but the village did, too. Outdoors was decorated for fall and Halloween, and we even saw workers beginning to put up lights on the trees and bushes for Christmas.

The lure of the coffeehouse was strong for me, especially when we went inside and saw the old coffee roaster and smelled the delicious aroma of the various coffees. We didn't end up buying anything there, mainly because we were still very full from our lunch at the Cock 'n Bull Restaurant.

I was going to post some pictures of the inside of the restaurant, but my photos didn't do justice to the place. Instead, I'd suggest looking at the linked website's pictures. It was such a warm and inviting space. I'll share pictures of our meals, which were both very tasty. I had a turkey sandwich and my friend had a burger.

Pictured: grilled turkey sandwich (turkey breast, caramelized onion and Brie on a grilled brioche bread), dill pickle and steamed broccoli and carrots

Pictured: applewood smoked bacon burger (longhorn cheddar cheese, red onion, green leaf lettuce, horseradish mayo and Applewood bacon) and french fries

The only thing that could have made lunch even nicer would have been being able to enjoy it outside in the gazebo on a warm sunny day. Maybe next time we'll buy our coffee at The Coffee House and enjoy it in the gazebo (along with a dessert from the Town Crier Bakery.

Recipe: Pollo in Potacchio

I'm a big fan of Gina's website, skinnytaste.com. I'm also a big fan of crock pot cooking. When I saw Gina giving instructions for making Pollo in Potacchio (braised chicken with rosemary, garlic and tomato sauce) in a crock pot, I had to try it. The recipe can be found here.

The ingredients were all pretty much things that I keep on hand. My husband graciously agreed to sharing a little of his white wine with me. I don't usually cook with wine, but this recipe called for a very small amount of it. One thing I did goof up was that I used diced tomatoes instead of crushed tomatoes. I didn't notice my mistake until it was too late, so I had to add a small can of tomato paste to thicken the sauce.

Braising the chicken was a little messy, but I'm sure it added to the flavor of the meat. Because I had so much chicken, I had to braise the meat in two batches. I didn't worry about not getting rid of all the pinkness because I knew the meat would be cooking in the crock pot for a long time.

The carrots, celery, onions and garlic smelled good when they were cooking. If I make this meal again, I'll probably add more of the vegetables.

At this point of the cooking process, the chicken was still on the bone. I set the heat on low and cooked the chicken for about eight hours. On the advice of a friend, I used a crock pot liner to help with the cleanup after everything was cooked. It was a wise decision. I also think adding diced tomatoes was a good idea, since it meant my sauce had big chunks of tomato.

The chicken turned out so tender that it fell completely off the bone. I think I'd have preferred the chicken to keep its shape while still being tender, so next time I'll try making it in a large pot. The taste was fantastic, as was the smell of the house. There's something very comforting about food cooked in tomato sauce.

Because of some of my substitutions, I'm sure the calorie count is a little higher per serving than the 123 calories listed in the original recipe, but probably not by much. It will make a great meal served over rice with a side of vegetables.

P J Whelihan's, Bethlehem PA

Sometimes we plan to go to one place for lunch on the weekend, but end up somewhere else. That was the case on Sunday. We were going to another restaurant in the area, but decided to try out the newest location of P J Whelihan's Pub and Restaurant, instead. Hopefully, it will do well in the space that used to house Bennigans.

Pictured: outside of the pub and restaurant
The restaurant had a nice pub feel, with dark wood and subtle lighting. The space felt much more open than it did when it was Bennigans. There were a lot of televisions on the walls, all tuned to various sporting events. I could see where it would be a fun place to watch a game while having a beer and a sandwich.

Pictured: placemat with menu

Pictured: BLT and sweet potato fries with horseradish sauce
Since it was the last day of my planned maintenance dieting, I splurged a little. I'm glad I did because the sweet potato fries were perfect. I don't usually like sweet potatoes because they're too sweet, but these were done just right. The horseradish dipping sauce did a nice job of opening my sinuses. The sandwich was also yummy. It's hard to go wrong when ordering a classic BLT.

Pictured: bar with televisions and scoreboards

Pictured: patrons enjoying a 100 ounce beer
I'd be happy to go back there another time, as long as I'm not being super careful about calorie counting. Pub grub isn't the most diet friendly food.