“A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch.” ~ James Beard

There have been a lot of changes going on here with regards to diets. It seems like I have been on every diet known to man. I decided to have a chat with my doctor and we are trying a new approach. Slow Food.

Yes, I am joining the slow food movement and getting rid of my Diet Coke habit. I love to cook. I love to cook REAL food. I hate all the non-fat, no calorie, psuedo food. I am going to start enjoying real food but watch my portion sizes. My doctor seems to think this is the best way for anyone to lose weight. Get rid of the chemicals and eat the nouritious stuff.

There is a lot more I need to write down about this but for now I will leave you with my latest cake invention. Don't worry, I haven't started eating all the cake I want. These are going to work with Sean tomorrow. My best friend and I were trying to come up with a new flavor.

You know those yummy chai teas you can get at Indian restaurants? Well, I love them and thought they would go really well with chocolate. The cake is chocolate with chai mixed with milk instead of water. I added a couple extra splashes of pure chai mix to the batter before putting batter in the cups.

The icing is vanilla buttercream with cinnamon and 1/4 cup of chai mix. Then I sprinkled cinnamon and powdered vanilla on top.

They are so yummy

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano P

Saturday was our 6th anniversary.  I can't believe how fast the past 6 years has just flown by. We decided to do a weekend in downtown and it was amazing.

Sean booked us a room at the Hyatt at the Convention Center. We had a room on the 37th floor (the top floor) and had access to the Regency Club. It was great! Our room was huge, the view was gorgeous (we could see the mountains and pretty much all of downtown), the snacks at the Regency Club were tasty, and the service was impeccable.

On Friday we went down to the RC to have a drink and some snacks before we hooked up with our friends Rob and Amy at the Peaks Lounge. The concierge in the club was so nice. She bought us each a beer for our anniversary. We also found out that her boyfriend used to live in our house back in the early 1980's. It was crazy! She asked if the seafoam green paint was still in our basement. You can still see it in some spots. LOL Met our friends, had a couple cocktails, and headed out to dinner. We went to Cafe Berlin. They serve the best German food in the States. They were out of bread so they gave us a round of Apple Schnapps. I LOVE real German apple schnapps. It is smooth, sweet, and tastes like apple juice. Very, very, dangerous. :) Loads of beers and lots of schnitzel later we ended up back at the Peaks Lounge for some Irish coffees.

Saturday was awesome. We got to sleep in!!! No baby, no piggies (our dogs), no phones, just quiet. We hit the breakfast at the RC, went back to the room, lounged some more, then went to see Ratatouille. SO CUTE! I loved every single second of it. I think Disney should release Gusteau's cookbook. It would make them a ton of money and would be really fun and cute to have. After the movie we headed back to the hotel and took naps.

Then it was time for dinner at  Venice Ristorante & Wine bar. We each got a tasting menu. Sean got the Veneto and I got the Lombardy. Our tasting menus aren't listed on the website but holy crap they were good. You can read the description for most of the items on the website but there are a few that aren't on there. This is a sample of our dishes: Carpaccio al Profumo di Tartufo, Insalata alla Grappa di Camomilla, Insalata di Pere, Pappardelle alla Veneziana, Gnocchi di Pere (the gnocchi were like little air pillows of deliciousness), Risotto con Spinaci e Salsiccia, Risotto all’ Aragosta e Fragole, seared tuna, seared beef tenderloin with fois gras (MMMMM), Tiramisu, and a crepe filled with a deep milk chocolate and hazelnuts served with homemade hazelnut gelato. We also had incredible wines, a bottle of Prosecco, a couple glasses of white wine, and finally some dessert wine (a gift from the Chef for our anniversary), and cappuccinos with Frangelico to go with dessert. I can't even begin to explain how good the food was. The whole dinner was almost 3 hours long. They treated us like superstars. I have never had this good of service in a restaurant in Denver. We were totally pampered but they weren't in your face either. I can't wait to go back!

Today, as we headed home we went by the Kwik-E-Mart. It is SO fun. If you love The Simpson you have to find one. We bought a couple doughnuts and a 6-pack of Buzz Cola. I wanted to get some Krusty-O's cereal but they were out until Wednesday.

Loads of pics under the cut!

The brown buildings and grass to the left is where I went to school. That is the Auraria campus.




THE KWIK-E-MART!!!

“I have a great diet. You're allowed to eat anything you want, but you must eat it with naked fat people.”

Geeze, I have been a slacker. I haven’t made a post since April. What can I say? I have been really busy. And, having a two year old doesn’t leave much time to be on the computer.

My trainer and I have been kicking butt at the gym. We are working on a trade system. For every cake I bake for her I get 4 free sessions! It is the perfect arrangement.

She has had me doing a zillion squats. My favorite ones have me holding a medicine ball over my head while squatting. OUCH! They hurt…but it’s a good hurt. ☺

I have been working really hard but the scale isn’t going down. I don’t understand it. I have been eating very well, doing loads of cardio, and weight training shouldn’t the scale be headed downward? It is frustrating. I am going to make an appointment to talk to my doctor about this. I am also curious about Alli (http://myalli.com/) so I thought I would ask him about that as well. To be honest, I am so frustrated I want to discuss the Lap Band with him. Wow. I never thought in a million years I would type that. Is it horrible to get surgery because you’re fat? Is this the lazy way out? How much more do I have to do lose weight? Arrgh!!!!

Anyhoo, it’s time to go play with Bug. I am lucky to have gotten the 5 minutes to type this up. LOL

Falling Off The Wagon-The worst part is, you swear you won't. You swear you won't, and then you do, and then the evening is lost. ~Ben No

What is it about stress that makes a person eat? The stress level here at Casa Dargen is through the roof. Sean is flying out of town for an interview on Tuesday. If he accepts the job we will be moving to Arkansas. Talk about stress!

Today, my mom and I went out for shopping and lunch. We had gyros and falafels for lunch. Then tonight for dinner I made my version of Maggiano’s House salad, bowtie pasta, and chicken parmigiana. It was fattening and absolutely delicious. But did I stop there? No. After dinner I hate 4 huge pieces of English toffee.

Seriously, what is wrong with me? We have been eating so crappy the past week and half. I have had no motivation to cook dinners each night, which means take out. I feel like I am getting fatter not skinnier. My trainer is going to kill me when I tell her of my recent eating habits. It is like I have fallen part way off the wagon and am holding on with one hand.

How do I pull myself up? I want to be the one driving the wagon not just hanging on. I think once Sean finds a new job everything will get back to normal. I wish I were the type of person that doesn’t eat when they are stressed or depressed. Hmmm, I wonder if I can change my way of thinking…

It is a very mixed blessing to be brought back from the dead. ~K.V.

A man who made a difference in my life has died. Kurt Vonnegut may have died but his words will be with me until I die. I hope my daughter has the same admiration for him.

So it goes.

Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun

Oh my Goddess, today has been a horrible food day! This is what painkillers can do to me.

Yesterday we took Agnes to the children’s museum to run around. While we were there she crawled into a cave and I decided to crawl in after her. BIG MISTAKE! I completely jacked my back muscles up. It was so bad last night I ended up at Urgent Care. I was relieved this has nothing to do with the back surgery I had in February. The doctor gave me some muscle relaxants and painkillers. I took some today and all I wanted was a Big Mac.

I haven’t had a Big Mac in years! It probably tasted so good because I was high on Vicodin. Hahaha Then tonight for dinner I made Chicken Marsala and not a low fat version either. This recipe is full of butter, whipping cream, and freaking amazing! Here is the recipe http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/232152. It is SO delicious.

Anyhoo, I guess we all have to fall off the wagon sometimes. I went to the gym today for a light workout so I don’t feel as guilty as I should. ☺ Here is a tip: if you ever hurt your back be sure to keep moving around. It truly helps it feel better. If you sit or lay around your back will get stiff and hurt even more.

Tomorrow I need to crawl back up onto the wagon and ride it all the way back to the gym!

Pump it. Pump it real good!

Wow! It has been so long since I made a post. Things here at the Casa have been crazy. Family has come into town, Sean was laid off, Agnes was sick, I was sick, etc.

My Grandma is in town and today we went to Red Robin for lunch. Everyone got these huge burgers, fries, and chocolate malts! Don’t worry I behaved myself. I had a cobb salad with no dressing. But, man, I could have eaten a basket of those fries. They looked so yummy.

I have started back on lifting weights 3-4 times a week. I can seriously feel my body getting stronger. It is such a cool feeling!

Somehow my personal trainer found out that I know how to decorate cakes. She asked if I would make a Napoleon Dynamite cake for her sons 14th birthday. We made the best deal. I will make the cake and she will give me 4 1-hour training sessions! WOOT!! 4 sessions are around 285 bucks. I think I am definitely getting the better end of the deal, but shhhhhhhhhh, don’t tell her that. ☺

Hopefully, the next few weeks will be less crazy and I can update more. I have so much I want to write about!!