Cake, Craziness and Looking forward to Calm!

September has been a crazy month. Between several ridiculous heat waves (I swear when you're pregnant the hormones make you experience hot weather on an entirely new burning-from-within level) my kids going back to school and birthday parties galore, my head truly feels like it is about to explode. I've been meaning to sit down and write, but demands of my kids schedules which I've finally seemed to have gotten under control and work, just wouldn't allow me to stand still for 5 minutes let alone sit down at my lap top!

September 7, 2011. First Day Of School! Lia started
Kindergarten!

Every year as September approaches I get both excited and filled with tremendous fear all at once. Excited to celebrate all the wonderful events and eat cake, fearful I may pass out and sleep all of October once the month is ever. To name a few, four of my amazing girlfriends all have their birthdays this month, two on the same day! My brother in law's birthday, my sweet co-worker Lianna (Happy Birthday! Hope you're enjoying Italy!), and my wedding anniversary are all in September. Oh and of course this year Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) kicks off the Jewish Holiday season on none other then the eve of September 28! My daughter's and mother's birthdays!

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake
There have been quite a few of these this month!
This is my absolute favorite from Sweet Lade Jane Bakery
LOVE THEIR CAKES
http://www.sweetladyjane.com/

Wow, I got exhausted just typing all that. Its not that I don't adore these joyous events, the delicious food that goes along with the celebrations, the birthday songs, cakes, etc. Its just that September doesn't leave much "me" time. My "me time" doesn't necessarily involve "being alone". I just want to be able to breathe, sit and write for a bit and prepare a good meal here and there. So after doing some thinking and embracing the fact that September is almost over, I've decided to make do with what I've got. Meaning, I will use its remaining 7 days the best I can and enjoy!

I will cook a great meal for Rosh Hashanah, and celebrate my mother's birthday by taking her to see this super cool acrobatic extravaganza http://www.cami.com/?webid=1928.  And on the last day of this eventful month I will finally find out the sex of our baby and wrap it all up with what I hope will be an amazing meal at Bouchoun http://www.bouchonbistro.com/ for our anniversary! I promise after a long nap, October should be a month filled with much more frequent posts and tasty recipes. That's after Lia's 5th birthday party on October 1st! OK so it looks like September will spill a bit in to October after all :)

Sunny Memories





My Boys June 2010 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

I just got back from a long walk around my neighborhood and FINALLY it seems that warm and sunny days are on their way. The sun shining on my face catapulted me straight in to "vacation mode". And although that is not hard to do as I think about travel quite often, this is the time when I REALLY get antsy and start craving a new place to go.  
 
Our last big summer trip was in June 2010 to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. When Planning this trip, we chose based solely on wanting beautiful water and white sandy beaches. Oh and also because Club Med where we chose to stay is UNBELIEVABLE for kids. As a matter of fact its so great for kids that this was our 3rd Club Med (we've been to Ixtapa and Coral Beach in Eilat, Israel as well). http://www.clubmed.us/cm/resort-punta-cana-dominican-rep_p-115-l-US-v-PCAC-ac-vh.html 

We booked, survived the 16+ our trek with connecting flights (nothing scares us after flying to Israel with 3 and 18 month old) and pretty much knew what to expect. What we didn't expect is to arrive and find ourselves smack dab in the midst of the "Club Med Wine and Food Festival". I just about fell over. As a result, Punta Cana pops up in my mind quite often when I think back to culinary adventures and experiencing beautiful new places. 



Dr. BBQ

Not only was I surrounded by the most gorgeous turquoise clear water, sand that felt like a goose down comforter under my feet, but Celebrity Chefs as well! This I did not expect. Nor did I ever imagine that here on a family vacation at Club Med I would partake in daily live cooking demos, BBQ's on the beach with Dr.BBQ http://www.drbbq.com/ doing his "thang" and nightly wine tastings. I still have the bar of pure cocoa from the night we sat in on a chocolate-themed cooking demo while sipping an incredible glass of a perfectly sweet and semi-dry glass of Port.

   

  

Me and my Port

Food Festival or not I would not survive a Club Med vacation without the bread stations they are so known for. Particularly the WHITE CHOCOLATE BREAD that is a staple of Club Med whether you are in Morocco, France or Dominican Republic. To go and not help yourself to a piece of this heavenly creation with breakfast, lunch, dinner and all your snacks is a crime. Because without this waste-line expanding, sweet and special bread I would simply never go to a Club Med again! OK I'm kidding, I'm looking into the one in Greece as we speak. Since the menus at Club Med usually reflect the cuisine of the destination I cannot wait! Grilled octopus and moussaka, here I come!

Local fisherman in the Dominican Republic

The sand and water were truly spectacular

Its no coincidence that a little sunshine has me fantasizing and reminiscing about tropical vacations. Yes, you can call me a spoiled Los Angelino if you'd like BUT we did have "the wettest December since1889" according to The LA Times, so I am not completely off. I am ready for my flip flops, shorts and warm sand under my feet. And although I won't be heading to Punta Cana, we are off to Nuevo Vallarta Mexico in just three weeks. I don't expect to stumble upon a food festival again but I am sure delicious food will be all around me. The resort we are staying in is known for exceptional gourmet dining. YUM!!! I will eat and report back. Hasta Luego!