Were going to the zoo..zoo..zoo and how ‘bout you?

This weekend my folks are in town..boy are we having fun!!! Sat. The gals (My Mom and lil’ sis Karen and I) went to the zoo in the afternoon, saw some really cool animals. Having birds fly right past my head, or looking at the gorillas looking at us…We saw all kinds of magnificent creatures, rhino’s, giraffes, and apes oh my. It was really cool to see them up close, without having to travel to the jungle, or wherever their natural habitats are. We shared some yummy Nachos for our afternoon snack, and road a train around the zoo. So all you folks out there go to your local zoo and check it out, it’s fun for all ages.

While the gals were at the zoo the gents went golfing, .at the navel base. It sounds like they had an excellent time and the beer was really cheep! They all played well and my Dad kicked the boys butt’s. The boys were hubby Greg and bro-in-law Joe Bob.

After a power packed afternoon of fun we all came back to Casa De Nich’s and had a delicious dinner. We Had Grilled Tuna, Wild rice, And plenty of fresh veggies. I must admit my sis can get her grill on…After din din we played a little game that Karen won to her surprise, since see didn’t think see was very good at.. There was no shortage of laughter as usual. Fun was had by all!!!!

Have visited your local pub lately????
We did last night in honor of one of my comrades, it was his last day working with us at the club. He is embarking on a new chapter of his life, with an excellent employment opportunity. He's moving from jax down to the tampabay area, I wish it was me. So we get to the pub after work and start out slowly, as people join us the speed picks up...along with the endless supply of delicious beverages. We stayed there until we closed the place and the guest of honor and I had the pleasure of my hubby as are designated driver. The poor guy having to drive 2 throughly soused people around town and of course you guessed it, we ended up at Denny's at 3:30 in the morning. The night was a blast, best of luck my friend catch up with you on the west coast!!

So to put it simply I had to pay for my sins as i went to work. At least i wasn't the only one looking rough...cheers!!!

So what did you do last weekend??

This what I did… At work we had a celebrity chef event that is a fund raising event for a local hospital.
Starting Thursday we had our lunch hosted by Chef Paul Prudhomme. Click on his name above to see his website..We worked with his Executive Chef,his name is Paul too. We put together a lunch for 200 people, the food was yummylicious. They (paul and Paul) have worked together for 37 years in New Orleans. We got to watch part of his cooking demonstration, too.. he’s quit a funny gentleman. We briefly got a quick applause from him for being so helpful helpful. I even landed a personalized autographed copy of one of his books..pretty cool.
Then on Friday evening we had a reception, a meet a great for some other high profile Chef’s coming in to do our event on Saturday. The cool part was the center piece was a display of my food with lots of complements. Then it was off to the bar for our staff and guest chef’s. that’s some times the best part.. not the booze but for chit chat.
Then came Saturday.. I spent the afternoon making world class sushi with a world class Japanese chef and also incredible ice carver. I had the honor second year in a row to wear one of his formal sushi chef coats..pretty cool. It was black with white and silver fish..That went until late then off for drinks again. Needless to say we were up a better part of the whole night being silly and talking much silliness. Chef's do party hardy that is a truth and not myth. It was a very successful weekend, and a whole lot of fun too…a lot of work, but a great opportunity..
Sun…I slept off and on all day.. recovery mode shall I say more..nah…Monday back to work..Tuesday the same and Wednesday off…woohoo…

Happy Labor Day to Me!!!

The Mrs. didn't have to work this holiday. Wow pretty cool, since that is rare in my world. So what did I do? Well, the Mr. and I got up and went to the gym first thing in the morning. That's 10 ish for us night working folks...Came home and had cantalope smoothies for breakfast and a cup of coffee. The Mister went to work and i stayed home and relaxed, did a little laundry, watched a little boob tube, but overall I relaxed...woohoo!!!

Do you ever get the night time munchies? I do some times
So i found this while surfing to help answer me question.. maybe it can help you 2?

Q: How can I put the brakes on my non-stop nighttime cookie nibbling?
A: For years I used to eat on automatic pilot. I wasn't ever conscious about it; I just found myself standing in front of an open fridge. Then one day I stopped and asked myself why I felt so unsatisfied after supper. My conclusion? A lack of substantial calories.
But perhaps you're already eating well-balanced meals. Are you eating at breakneck speed? It takes a while for your body to know that it's full. Or maybe it's your environment that's leaving you unsatisfied? Make meal times more appealing: Try surrounding yourself with a vase of fresh cut flowers, soothing music and a pretty-patterned tablecloth.
If you watch television while you eat, the food commercials or food-centered events on some programs may unconsciously trigger your appetite. Shut the TV off, stop riffling through the mail and focus on your meals. You may be surprised how much more flavorful they seem when you pay attention to each bite. And greater meal satisfaction may curtail your free-for-all in the kitchen cabinets.
Crave volume? Try a few handfuls of baby carrots, grape tomatoes, celery dipped into peach salsa, air popped popcorn or something you can sip that'll keep your mouth full and your hands occupied. Great picks include a hot mug of broth, diet hot cocoa, flavored coffee or fruity herbal tea.

When you can't seem to draw the line there, try a few stop-the-cravings-on-the-spot tactics:
Brush your teeth right after dinner.
Gargle with minty mouthwash.
Chew a piece of very flavorful gum.
Eat a piece of "hot" candy. One Community User suggests eating a spicy cinnamon candy (just one) like Hot Tamales for a long-lasting mouth tingle.

So I think this was very helpful to me...
So back to work tuesday...I need to be off to bed to get my beauty rest..

Where do U live?

I live in the land of the lizards….
I emptied the dehumidifier in the bathroom and went out the front door to water my plants and two lizards jumped right in the door. And we have a lizard that lives in our fireplace…. does that mean we have some little bugs? I never see any, but I have nature’s best pest control on my side. On the other hand our little friends are a little on the pudgy side…hummm…

Next subject… the Mr. And I are back on healthy eating and going to the gym. I enjoy it very much, except for getting up early so we have time to work before work… I hope to be more svelte, in the future..

So here’s a great recipe for a no cook dinner…you should try it..it’s delish..
Chef's Orchard Salad
Place 1 1/2 cups mixed greens on each of two plates. Top each set of greens with 1/2 peach, pitted and thinly sliced; 1/4-cup blueberries; 1/4-cup small red seedless grapes; 3 ounces thinly-sliced deli roast beef; and 2 tablespoons raspberry vinaigrette or even balsamic..You can buy it…if you don’t want to make your own …yummy!!! You could even add a little goat cheese… I mean a little…