The Skinny Italian: A recipe for looking good and eating great-who knew?

As most of us,we have one guilty pleasure(or two) that we may be embarrassed to say what it is or just laugh it off and admit it. One of mine is the Reality TV show "The Real Housewives of New Jersey". There are several shows that have this theme(such as New York,Orange County,etc) but the New Jersey series seems to be the one that interests me. I don't know why,maybe it's because my father used to live in New Jersey. Maybe it's also where my husband spent the majority of his time in the US as well. I have been to New Jersey myself since my family has friends still living there. Maybe because this Italian-American cast just reminds me so much of the big hair, big houses and drama that my ethnicity possesses as well.

 One of the girls on the show,Teresa,has made a cookbook recently called "The Skinny Italian". Teresa Giudice,is an Italian-American woman who is married to an Italian also and has four kids. She one day decided to make a cookbook out of all the recipes that she learned from her parents who are from Italy themselves. Her cookbook is not just any cookbook,but also an autobiography on how her parents immigrated to the US and kept their traditions alive,tidbits from her husband,and how to dress fabulous on a budget(Teresa was not always a housewife,she graduated from Berkley College and was a buyer for Macy's in NYC). The best part of the book is her step by step instructions on how to can and preserve tomato sauce(totally reminds me of us Macedonians and our canning of peppers for the winter months). There is also descriptions on how to choose the best olive oil,the different types of herbs,and more.

Here is the best part: The Real Housewives cast member did not know how to cook when she got married. All her recipes were learned through the phone! This is the perfect book then for you newlyweds(such as myself) who may never lifted a finger in the kitchen but has that inner housewife in them.

 The thing with this cookbook is that it is a very "busy" book with lots of pictures of not only her great slimming recipes but of her four gorgeous daughters and her fellow housewife friends. Teresa insisted that she was not going to write a cookbook that was "boring" but a cookbook that was fun to read and get a chuckle or two from it. It's an autobiography,self help book,and cookbook all in one.

"The Skinny Italian" can be purchased at Borders,Barnes and Nobles,and where I got mine at,Target. Target has the best price for this book ($15.99). Grab one today and start impressing your husband. Yes you too can be a housewife and fabulous!

Lake Michigan Waves

The Girl's Guide to Homelessness

I read an article today on Yahoo that totally inspired me. It was an article that was titled "10 Things Americans Cannot Live Without." As I continued to read the article,one of the things it mentioned was that the "laptop" and "high speed internet" was a necessity to most Americans. It gave a great example of a girl named Brianna,who lost her job in 2008 and ended up on the edge of homelessness. She sold all of her personal belongings and ended up living in a trailer. The one thing she did not give up was her laptop and the internet,which she used to surf the web to look for jobs. Her friend inspired her to write a blog about her experiences. Publishers were so inspired by her blog that she was offered a deal to write a book. Things picked up from there and she is now an advocate for homelessness around the world.

They say things happen for a reason. With the great recession continuing to affect millions of people,Americans are learning ways to cut out spending and hold on to what is most important to them. Whether this will last once the economy improves who knows. This is also a time where people have a chance to pursue what they love,or a career change. They say opportunity knocks,especially with some hard work,a positive attitude,and dedication.

Read her blog here: the Girl's Guide to Homelessness

My first photo of the view outside my 7th floor window.

I managed to capture this rainbow after a gloomy rainy day in Chicago from the window. I couldn't open the window because so many birds were circling around trying to get in. Still breathtaking though.

Falling into a funk,"Don't try this at home."

As I settled into my newlywed bliss,I noticed something that I am er, not exactly proud of.  

I can only speak for myself,but I have gotten too "dependent" on my husband. Now that I have a constant man in my life,I have sort of slipped on things that I was so used to doing on my own. There are certain things of course that I will always seek help for,like parallel parking the car for instance,a challenge here in Chicago although I do know how to definitely do it,my husband can just do it better.  

There was a stereotype that men from the Balkans don't really allow their women to have a separate identity and let them really to have friends and spend time with girlfriends. However,the post-communist generation has definitely become more open-minded, when it comes to these things,it really comes down to trusting your partner and we have that. In fact I encourage my husband to do the same and he also has a separate set of friends that he hangs out with. It's healthy for couples to have a healthy relationship with the outside world.

I fell into this funk where I really lost touch with the outside world,it just seemed easier to just plop on the couch after a 40-hour work week and have a glass of wine.  The thought of using public transportation sounded like such a hassle and it was just so much easier to just talk my husband into dropping me off wherever I wanted to go. I felt that calling up old friends seemed like a hassle too and in fact wondered why they were not calling me to go out instead.

So I had made some adjustments. I started attending yoga classes downtown on the weekends at Lululemon Athletics,which is great because they offer complimentary classes on the weekends. It is refreshing to wake up early with the rest of Chicago and do good for your body at the same time. Since I live on the North Side and parking is a pain downtown,I take the bus which is literally two feet away from my place and a straight shot 20 minutes to downtown. I find it so much easier and less of a hassle to use then the El. Not as bad as I thought. I have also reconnected with friends at the same time.

I will be attending a few events this month both during work hours and outside of work which I am excited for. And I am psyched to learn that my favorite house dj Collette will be here for a concert at Metro this month so I will be aiming to go to that as well.  In June,look for my blog that talks about my recent joining of the  Kidney Walk.

Chicago,I am back in full force.
 

Macedonia featured in April's issue of "State"

The US Department of State is featuring "Macedonia" on their monthly magazine,named "State" along with a featured article on Macedonia on page 20. Check it out,gives you some insight of where my background is from. This is also where I had my destination wedding.

Great minds think alike,I myself wrote an article for Gal About the Globe around the same time featuring Macedonia not too long ago.

View April's issue of "State" by clicking here: State

Also check out my blog post about Macedonia on Gal about the Globe

Please,we are in church,aren't we?

So Easter has gone and past,including my one week vacation. The weather in Chicago was fabulous, with several days getting up to the 80's. I did some killer shopping on the Magnificent Mile,walked along Lake Michigan,and rounded the week up by attending Church and visiting family in Indiana for some Easter Lamb.

I by no means am a bible thumper,but I do have a connection with the Eastern Orthodox Church. Before I start my rant I do have to say that not all Orthodox Churches are like this.But there is a time and place for everything.

Service started at 10:00 am and I unexpectingly arrived about half hour early. I walked in with my husband and did our rounds as we lit candles and did our cross and proceeded to sit down.  A bunch of old school ladies in their 60s and 70s sat down near me as well as people started pouring into the church. The next thing you know I couldn't help eavesdrop a rather annoying conversation and it went something like this:

Old lady No.1: "(insert name here)" now lives downtown,but ah,let them study downtown"(this church was in a Chicago suburb by the way as if it was so me far magical place,it's actually only a half hour away)

Old lady No.2 "(insert name here) is now the boss at the hospital,the problem is she cannot find a husband,but she doesn't need a man if she is the head of the hospital"

Old lady No.3" That's good,she will find someone one day.


If I was this girl they were talking about,I would be SO mad,and it is so SAD that such gossiping occurs when you are in the House of God.

In the meantime,my Husband had some old 80 year old guy nudging him constantly,asking him where he is from,what does he do,etc. My goodness,the priest is talking,why are you!? Gee,I didn't know church is used as a social hot spot.

 Then of course you got the late comers who pour in about half hour before the service ends,and of course no one is coming in quiet,as I strained to hear the priest continue with his sermon. Again,hello,you are in church.  

The service ended with communion services,which of course people were cutting in line,as if we were in some lunch line at an elementary school,how old are we now?

I try not to rant about things on my blog but this one I just had to. When you are in church,please do not do the following:

-Do not speak while the priest is speaking,it's rude.
-Do not gossip,you are in church,not at some coffee shop.
-Do not cut in line,push,or shove,we are not in kindergarten.

If you cannot follow these simple rules then I suggest you don't bother coming to church at all. End rant.