"Sisters and the City"

I've never been a younger sister, don't know what it's like. So I rely on observing my two younger sisters & brother who were the product of me being their older sister. Nobody has entered therapy yet - knock on wood. :-) They certainly were the recipient of bossiness, teasing, bedroom door slamming, and the occasional pinch or pulling of the hair (okay, maybe more than occasional, us Vitto girls could get riled up!). I also organized/forced the siblings into many dorky musical/dance productions performed for our parents (to be immortalized forever on video tape)....hmm, they seemed to be having fun at the time.

Decades later, they have emerged as 3 of the most beautiful, talented, funny & caring human beings I have ever met - DESPITE me being their older sister. My beautiful & witty sister, Julie and I got some rare one on one time on Saturday over lunch. She is one of my closest friends, and seems to still like me even after I've ruined many cute pictures (see above), and days for her with my "too cool for school" older sister tude'. Actually, I'm going to blame my Mother for that picture. Did she honestly think I was going to be happy wearing the same dress as my two other sisters who were toddlers??? We all have forgiving to do. :-)

Julie and I headed into Lancaster City to eat & stroll

around this historic town.

Here are a few pictures of our afternoon....

First Stop: La Dolce Vita - a scrumptious Italian bakery & cafe

Lancaster and all it's uniqueness.

Some Amish ladies waiting for a downtown bus... Central MarketA quick walk through of the new contemporary & stylish

Lancaster Convention Center by Marriott

The pictures hardly capture it's vastness.

The brick building in the picture was left standing, and the new hotel was built around it. Preserving a piece of history. Back home clapping for Aunt Julie. Thanks for a great day Julie!!

Waldorf Sandwich

My sister Janelle and I had this amazing sandwich at a little cafe up in Newport, PA. We both LOVED it! I tried to imitate it, and it came out pretty well! I thought it was such a unique pairing of flavors for a sandwich. Hope you enjoy!

~The Waldorf~

Layer these ingredients on hearty toasted bread:

Oven Roasted Turkey (I used honey ham), Fresh Mozzerella, thinly sliced apple, lettuce, mayo, and top with Maple Glazed Walnuts.

Maple Glazed Walnuts:

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 T butter

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup walnuts

In a saucepan, mix syrup, cinnamon, butter & salt. Stir over medium heat until brown and thickened. Add vanilla, then nuts, and toss to coat. Cool on wax paper. **These are great over ice cream, salads, & tossed with mashed sweet potatoes!

Thanks to the Espresso Yourself Cafe for the inspiration!

And we have take off!

Grace has been taking steps here and there for the past few weeks....however, these past few days she has really taken off. I have a feeling we are in for increased bumps & bruises!

Chive Risotto Cakes

~Chive Risotto Cakes~

Recipe Courtesy: Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

4-6 servings (2-3 patties each)

This recipe includes ingredients that I don't use often (Panko, Arborio rice, Greek Yogurt), but I decided to "branch out" anyway, as this recipe looked so delicious on the Barefoot Contessa's cooking show. I was not dissapointed - and neither was my husband (which is who I aim to please at supper time!). He told me this was a keeper!

A quick note: the rice mixture does need at least 2 hours to chill before preparing them to eat. So it's not a recipe you start at 6pm. It's a good make ahead meal, as the last minute prep goes very quickly.

• Kosher Salt
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or 1 5.3 oz container)
• 2 extra large eggs
• 3 T minced fresh chives
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Italian fontina cheese (5 oz)
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3/4 cup Panko(Japanese dried bread crumbs)*
• *I used about 1 1/2 cups, 3/4 wasn't enough in my opinion.
• olive oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-low heat, and add 1/2 T salt and the rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. The grains of rice will be quite soft. Drain the rice and run under cold walter until cool. Drain well.

Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, chives, fontina, 1 1/4 tsp of salt, and the pepper in a medium bowl. Add the cooled rice and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, until firm.

Spread the panko in a shallow dish. Heat 3 T of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. From rice mixture into patties 3 inches in diameter and 3/4 inches thick. Place patties in the panko, turning once to coat. Place the patties in the hot oil and cook, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side until the risotto cakes are crisp and nicely browned. Continue cooking in batches, adding oil as necessary, until all the cakes are fried.

These risotto cakes are creamy on the inside and crisp on the outside - a wonderful combination! It reminded us of cross between creamy mac n cheese & crispy hash browns. In short...comfort food. Enjoy!

Hearty Mushroom Barley Soup

This is a hearty & delicious soup that makes a

perfect lunch or light summer dinner

paired with a sandwich or salad. It's very heart healthy too!

The recipe is from the cookbook

"Quick Fixes from Brand Name Mixes".

Hearty Mushroom Barley Soup - 4 (1 1/2 cup) Servings

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions (I use frozen sometimes if I don't feel like chopping & crying)
• 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
• 2 cans (14.5 oz) reduced sodium chicken broth (I prefer beef stock for this recipe, gives it more depth of flavor. I just combine 4 tsp of Better than Bouillon to 4 cups boiling water).
• 1 can fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 8 to 12 oz sliced mushrooms (give them a rough chop)
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking barley, uncooked*
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions (optional)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil and tilt pan to coat bottom of pan. Add yellow onions; cook 8 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden. Add carrots and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, cream of mushroom soup, mushrooms, barley, Worcestershire sauce & thyme; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in green onions, salt and pepper if desired.

*If using regular barley, the soup will need to simmer for 1 hour to completely cook the barley & thicken the soup.

I served this the other night with BLT's. Yum!

Pictures of Summer...

~Our 4th of July picnic with the Moriah Valley neighborhood~

You can barely see it...but this is our attempt at putting her down for a nap amidst 4th of July festivities. It was ultimately successful, but not without a little forehead peeking out at us for a good 15-20 minutes! So funny. There's no fooling her, she knew where the party was at...

Trip down to Bethesda

Great Grandpa so graciously filling the pool for Grace.

Bucket after bucket of warm water he brought...Aunt Lisa "prepping" her for the water.

Popsicles & toe biting with Grandpa

Day trip to Ocean City, NJ - so relaxing. Thanks Jeane`!

Father's Day

Tea Party with Mommy

Church picnic at Salem Evangelical...it's always good to go home.

Guitar/Piano player & Grandmother Extraordinaire!

More pics to come!

Hope you all are having a lovely summer!

Nacho Chicken

Okay...so this isn't the healthiest dinner in the world, but it definitely jazzes up boring boneless chicken breasts. Plus, my philosophy is anything that has Doritos crushed all over it, can't be bad. :-) This recipe is from Southern Living's Easy Weeknight Favorites cookbook.

Nacho Chicken - Serves 2

2 T Mayo or Miracle Whip (I think Miracle Whip is tastier for this recipe)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

1 large boneless chicken breast (I cut this in half lengthwise to make 2 cutlets)

3/4 cup crushed Doritos

1 T butter, melted

Combine first 3 ingredients, spread on each side of chicken. Dredge chicken in crushed chips. Place on lightly greased baking sheet and drizzle with butter. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is done. Enjoy!