I am excited to tell you I will be attending the Valpo Brewfest on October 2nd. I am a long time beer aficionado and so is my husband we frequent bars based on their selection instead of their food or entertainment selections. This event is boasting over 125 brews and amazingly the sample glasses we get to keep are pints. I have a sensitive palate and I love to take notes on beers and the complex flavors that good beers have. I am trying to get a list of the beers that will be provided for sampling so I can make myself a worksheet to take notes on for each beer. I may sound like work but I would gladly work for a chance to try all those beers. I am planning on giving a detailed account with picture of this event so look for it on October 3rd & 4th.

To quote a blogger I admire… "I have been abducted by life"! Thanks Ree for summing up my summer so far. I think it has been at least 15 years since I spent this little time behind a computer. I used to spend my entire day in my pajamas behind a computer monitor and I have my expanded waist line to show for it. My goal starting now is to some how reconcile my love for food my busy life and my need to shed a small child's worth of weight. I certainly won't give up gourmet food I will just have to adjust my portions accordingly. For instance tonight I made Japanese Golden Curry and much to the chagrin of my kids I added 3 times the normal amount of veggies and used less starchy vegetables like Okra, eggplant and zucchini. Even though they were groaning and moaning while I made it they sure wolfed it down without any prodding. I still cut down my portion to about a cup of Jasmine rice and not quite a cup of curry making sure to get as many veggies in it I could. It has been a week now since I decided it was do or die time and I am doing a pretty good job of controlling my portions and not going on a sugar binge like I usually do after a couple days of trying to lose weight. It is hard for me because as a chef it is so easy to just run to the pantry and whip up something decedent and horribly fattening. I have employed a couple tricks that I have learned over the years that I know work for me. The first is green tea, constantly drinking green tea gives me a ton of energy but also seems to control my appetite. If I am feeling a craving coming on, I can just chug a glass of iced tea and usually the craving goes away. Owning a CulinaryTeas.com helps me keep stocked up. I brought home a half pound each of pear and watermelon kiwi green tea yesterday. I am also not blocking myself from eating anything. If I want chocolate I can have it but only a small amount so that I am not using my days worth of calories on one little snack. This seems to also keep me from not binge eating.

I hope you will all enjoy reading about my passion for food and my new found passion for getting healthy. There will be plenty of new stuff thrown in like beer reviews, gardening tips, and glimpses into the circus that I call life!

Love,