Creamy Sausage Orecchiette

This entree is one of my best served dishes and I thought you'd like to see how I make it! I've got some KARATE garlic cooking up with my side dish of Rapini... but the real star of this show is the Chive and Onion Philadelphia Cream Cheese added to my sausages, onions, mushrooms, and orecchiette! Enjoy! Xox <3 Dina Udo

Cream Cheese Rambo

If you have a computer and you go to any recipe, food, or video site, then y'all already know about Ms. Paula Deen's Philadelphia Cream Cheese recipe competition. I've gotta tell you- this competition has been one huge barrell of FUN! I've submitted two video entries for the side dish and appetizer challenges. Now I gotta say I actually thought I might have a shot at this thing- but friends, let me tell you.... After seeing the creative, excellent, and INSANE awesomeness of the videos that are being submitted- I'm not so sure that I'm even a contender anymore! You've just got to check out this video of Jenny Drumgoole- she's a Yale MFA graduate and a SUPERB performance artist! Now of course her video might be breaking the submission guidelines (though I don't see how!) but still- what a romp this submission was! It made my day! What a hoot! I'm telling you... this video could change lives! LOL. Just love it!!!! Brilliant!! Hilarious!! Watch it the whole way through! For more of Jenny you can visit her website and witness her mega-watt talent!!





Xoxo <3 Udo

Earth Day is almost here!!

Hi Friends!
It's almost Earth Day and in case you didn't know, Earth Day is also my Birthday! Yeay!!! I can't wait for April 22nd! What better way to celebrate the earth than with an awesome EARTH BOX!

In case you don't know what an EarthBox is... read about it here on a previous post I did on them... THEN
go to facebook... make EarthBox your friend and please tell your friends, your family, neighbors – even the mailman to become a fan of EarthBox on Facebook!

If they reach their goal of 6,000 fans (or more, of course), on April 22nd (Earth Day), they will be offering a 1-day 20% discount on all EarthBox products to their Facebook fans!!

They are already up to 5,253 fans!! Come on! We can do this!!!
Xxoox <3 Udo

Udo's MediterAsian Sushi Roll

This exciting, flavorful, and exotic appetizer combines the robust, salty, and delicious flavors of the Mediterranean with the crisp, delicate, and sublime textures of Asian cuisine resulting in a fusion of flavors. This recipe is one that I created based on the marriage of my Italian-American background with that of my husband's Asian heritage. You really get the best of both worlds with this dish and you'll 'wow' your guests (and yourself!) with your new skills as a home sushi chef! Enjoy! Xox  <3 Udo

Philadelphia Freedom!

In case y'all haven't heard... Ms. Paula Deen celebrity chef of the Food Network is holding a recipe contest using Philadelphia cream cheese as an ingredient to your special dish. Guess who's in the running to snag that $25K prize and shot at Food Network fame? Well- I hope it's yours truly! LOL... check out all the fun here and you can even catch a glimpse of me making my famous Pieroghi (Pierogi) Casserole below. Enjoy! Xoxo <3 Udo

Let's get cookin' girls!

It's all about attitude!

It's so easy to forget what really matters in life when we are lulled into boredom by the everyday things we have to do as adults. Practical concearns like keeping house and paying bills can consume you if you let them. Sometimes we forget to nourish our inner spirit and to stay focused because we distract ourselves with things that do not matter. Are you living your life with passion and purpose? What is your passion? What makes you crazy excited? What do you look forward to working on? Instead of comparing yourself to others, remind yourself that there is enough love, abundance, creativity, and great ideas for everyone in this universe! The creative mind is overflowing with peace, joy, and happiness- all you need to do is claim yours.

Remember- being happy is not a gift, it is not a thing that happens to you when you've finally made it, it is not some freak luck thing that happens to some people and not to others... Here's a secret....

BEING HAPPY is a CHOICE.

Make the decision to be happy! =D Make the decision to feel good today. Decide to feel love, to share love, to live today as if it were your last! Don't worry about what will happen this week or next week or if you will figure out your future... just take it one day at a time. The first step towards living the life you want is to live as if you already have it. Cultivate a positive attitude. If you just don't know what to do and you find yourself doing nothing... do this. Turn your thoughts to positive self talk. Instead of sitting on the sofa- go for a walk and on your walk, think positively to yourself. Instead of surfing the internet for hours on end sit quietly in meditation- and focus your thoughts on positive and loving ideas. When worries or anxiety get a grip on you, take a deep breath and use positive self talk. This is the very first step towards creating the reality you deserve.

Here are some videos to help get you started.

Remember...

Every journey towards something...

is a journey away from something else.

Enjoy!
Xoxox <3>Udo

Thought for the day...

I'm too blessed to be stressed!

I have an attitude of gratitude!

Learn it.

Live it.

Pass it on!

Feel good today!

Will Smith on DECIDING to be who you are.

Just DECIDE who you want to be or what you want to do- and BE it. DO it. I want to represent an idea. I want to represent possibilities! I want to represent magic. There's an incredible power that 'making a choice' has! MAKE A CHOICE. Just decide and then from that point the universe is going to get our of your way!

Great butt? All you need is a chair!

I love Tracy Anderson! And y'all know I just adore Gwen Paltrow and her GOOP. This week they highlighted Tracy's method to toning and shaping your body- which is incredibly effective!! She's the trainer that Gweneth and Madonna use to get into such ridiculous shape! Check out this terrific video for toning butt and thighs. Enjoy! XOxo <3 Udo





And for your upper body.... its so funky and cool!


Total body tone-up

Toltec Wisdom on Love and Loving

So beautiful. Enjoy this short presentation on Toltec Wisdom this Valentine's Day!

Sprouted Pizza

Last night I made a delicious sprouted pizza to enjoy in place of our usual delivery. So easy to make and really just the most enjoyable way to eat a food that digests like a vegetable! No intestine clogging white flour or sugar here! Nope. Just organic, healthy foods for people who enjoy the simple pleasure and wholesome nourishment nature provides!

Good digestion is key to good health and this sprouted grain flour is easy to digest! Look at that succulent pizza! AHHHHH!! Doesn't it make your mouth water?

The pizza is made with sprouted spelt flour or sprouted wheat flour (you pick - I used a little of both!). I made a red and a white. My husband, who does not like olives, had no complaints and devoured half a pie of the white and quite a few slices of the red! I, of course, am hooked!

Here's the recipe... very easy to do! Just pick up some sprouted flour at the health food store and get cookin' tonight! The recipe is one that I adapted from Janie Quinn's cookbook: Essential Eating.

Xoxox <3 Udo

Sprouted Pizza Crust:
2 tablespoons of organic sucanant
1 cup of warm water (similar to really hot tap water- keep it around 115-120 degrees)
2 tablespoons of country fresh cream butter (any butter will do of course!)
1 teaspoon or so of sweet pink sea salt
3 cups of sprouted flour (wheat, spelt, quinoa, you choose!)

• In a medium sized bowl, combine the organic sucant and water - swirl about a bit with a fork or wooden spoon or whisk. 
• Add the yeast and let it stand for a few minutes
• Swirl it about a bit to get those bubbles foaming. 
• Let the yeast water stand for a couple minutes. 
• Add the melted butter and salt to the mixture. 
• Now begin to add the flour one cup at a time and mix with a wooden spoon.
• Combine gently until the dough starts to form a ball and pull away from the bowl.
• If the dough is too sticky add more flour.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured (with your sprouted flour of course) surface for a few minutes until it becomes smooth, elastic, and shiny. About 10 minutes?
• Spray the bowl with a quick shot of Pam Olive Oil baking spray (or you can use a paper towel that has a teeny amount of olive oil on it and wipe the bowl with it. 
• Place the kneaded dough in the bowl and cover with a damp dish towel. 
• Let it sit for about 15-20 minutes (I am very impatient and really only let mine sit about 3 minutes. heh) in a warm spot. 
• Punch down the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin. 
• Place the rolled out pizza dough on a cookie sheet that has been sprinkled with corn meal.
• Add your toppings (see below) 
• Bake at 475 for 10-15 minutes... until it looks like it's done. Cut into 8ths with a pizza cutter

For the white pizza I tried to keep it really low-cal so I didn't add any oil or sauce. I used carmelized onions, black olives, baby spinach leaves, mushrooms that had been sauteed in a teeny amount of butter and olive oil and seasoned with salt and tarragon, pink sea salt, pepper, and a few dollops of salty yogurt. I added some sea salt to the yogurt and mixed it up in a small bowl before I dabbed it onto the pizza (that was my 'cheese'). 

For the red pizza I added baby shrimp that had been sauteed in garlic and butter and seasoned with Old Bay seasoning, caramelized onions, red pizza sauce, and low-fat organic mozzarella cheese.

Soooo good and you won't feel heavy or bloated afterwards! Enjoy your sprouted pizza! We sure did!
My guesstimated calorie count for one whole pizza crust (all cals listed are approx.)

Flour (400)
Butter (200)
Sucanant (60)
-------------------
660 for the crust divide into 8ths = approx. 85 cals per slice (crust only)

Hemp Granola

Let me tell you what... adding hemp granola to the raw carrot cake I made the other day was a GENIUS idea! Wow... this stuff is insanely delicious and now I have a crunchy, sweet, and salty snack to boot! Try some today! Soooo dang good! This is the kind I use. Enjoy! Xoxo <3 Udo

Raw Goodness - Carrot Cake...

My mouth is watering as I write this post. Last night, I made REAL carrot cake. Raw, uncooked, carrot cake. Wowwiiie! Talk about sinfully delcious - and NO guilt! Here's the recipe...

• 7 peeled carrots chopped into small pieces
• 1 cup of almonds (soaked overnight (I didn't have time to soak mine)
• 1 cup or so of raisins
• 1 cup or so of shredded coconut
• 1 splash of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of honey or agave nectar
• 3 tablespoons of coarse bran (or psyllium)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 dash of pink sea salt
• 1/3 cup of ground flax seeds
• Dashes of cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg to taste

Process the almonds and carrots in the food processor. Transfer to bowl and gently combine the carrots, almonds, coconut, raisins, sea salt, lemon, flax seeds, spices, honey, and vanilla (all ingredients). Press into a 9 or 10" springform pan. Let sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours until set. Add icing (see below) to the top and cover with shredded coconut.

For the icing:

• 1 cup of raw honey
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• splash of vanilla extract
• 2 cups of soaked almonds (I didn't soak mine)

Process in food processor and spread carefully onto center of cake and blend outwards. Cover up the edges with shredded coconut.

Outrageously delicious!
Outrageously raw!

Enjoy!

XOxo <3 Udo

She's chopping Brocccooollllayyyyy!

Leave it to Dana Carvey to tempt me into making a delicious, wholesome, rockin' broccolli salad last night! Oy Gevault! Ahhhh! I'll never go a week without having my raw broco salad again! This delicious dish is one that will cleanse your body and your palate making you feel light and alive! Enjoy the enzymatic action of raw produce as it nourishes and heals your body... your body needs this! Broccoli is a proven anti-cancer agent... and when I say 'cancer' I don't just mean the googly mess that eats your insides up... I mean negativity, harsh words, negative thoughts, and crappy attitudes... give em the ol' heave ho! with this essential salad!!

Enjoy!

XXoXO <3 Udo

• Big bowl of tiny chopped broccolli (I bought a very large bag of pre-cut, pre-washed broccoli at Sam's club yesterday so the hard part was already done!)
• Juice of one lemon. You have to get one of these little wooden dandies. So fun to use and my are they efficient! Wooden hand-held juicer.
• A dazzle of olive oil
• A sprinkly of fleur de sol or sweet pink sea salt
• A sprinkly of cinnamon
• A sprinkly of garam marsala (it has cumin and other spices in it)
• A handful of pine nuts (toasted if you like)
• A clove of garlic (minced)
• 1 tablespoon of organic sucanat (only 15 calories!)

Flavor and swirl and toss to taste. Let it marinate a bit in a ceramic (non-reactive) bowl. Serve and Enjoy!

Dana Carvey is chopping broccoli....

Outta This World!

Check this out! NASA will be conducting some night launches fairly soon which means you can probably catch a glimpse of rocket fun from your own backyard! To get the details of the when and where click here for the full article.

During the mornings of Feb. 8, 9, 19 and 20 it may be possible to see Endeavour and the space as two separate entities, appearing as bright moving "stars." At all other times during the mission, you'll see only one singular bright moving star, as that will be when the two space vehicles are docked together.

Where to look

• Southeast U.S. coastline: Anywhere north of Cape Canaveral, viewers should initially concentrate on the south-southwest horizon. If you are south of the Cape, look low toward the north-northeast. If you're west of the Cape, look low toward the east-northeast.
• Mid-Atlantic region: Look toward the south about 3 to 6 minutes after launch.
• Northeast: Concentrate your gaze low toward the south-southeast about 6 to 8 minutes after launch.

For most viewers, the shuttle will appear to literally skim the horizon, so be sure there are no buildings or trees to obstruct your view.


UPDATE: Shuttle is in orbit!

Enjoy!

XOxo <3 Udo

FREE Global Telecasts on Stuff you like!

I just about flipped out over this news! Check out these free online learning sessions in the areas of health, wellness, and personal development. LOVE IT!!! FREEBIES!!! Terrific! Enjoy! Xoxo <3 Udo

Are you too clean?

Did you know that using common household cleaners like bleach and solvents can harm your fertility? Yep. Check out this terrific short video from Women's Voices for the Earth to learn more... And for goodness sakes, stay away from that crazy bunny!

Here a fish biscuit there a fish biscuit... Everywhere a Dharma fish biscuit...

Inspired by our friends over at kung foodie I couldn't help but make some LOST Dharma fish biscuits for our gathering... No worries- no fishy or shrimp taste here... just good ol' sugar cookies with a recipe I found here. Added equal parts red and yellow food coloring and hand cut with a steak knife... baked until they fluffed up a bit at 350 (10 minutes) I think. Enjoy! Xoxo <3 Udo



Check out Mr. Friendly's Fishbiscuit Rap:
Hey you got yourself a fish biscuit... how'd you do that?

Oh and can't forget our Dharam Drinks! Dharma Lager anyone? Or Dharma Merlot? Ahahaha! Enjoy! And you too can make your own Lost Dharma products by cutting out and pasting these fabulous logo pdfs  here.

Enjoy!

Sawyer wins a fish biscuit...

My Dharma Swan Station Fondant Cake for our LOST Season 6 Party!! Weee!

Yahoo! Look what I did! Weeeee! All by myself! FROM SCRATCH too! I am such a LOST nerd! Ok- so my original plan was to go to Sam's Club or Costco or whatever and ask them to please take this LOST Swan Station logo and airbrush it on to a cake for me...like how they do it with photographs. I just wanted to have a cool cake to bring to our Season 6 LOST Premeire party... so I had the ingenious idea to have a LOST cake made...

Well, I went to Sam's club today and the girl there told me that they weren't allowed to reprint a logo or photo from a television show onto a cake without the express written permission of the copywrite owner. What?! It's a cake people... but point taken - guess a major retailer like Sam's Club can't take any chances... though the evidence would soon be destroyed via someone's piehole. Whateveah. Frustrated... I decided to head up to Michael's. I mean what the heck... how hard could this be? It's a CAKE! And I LOVE CAKE!

Well... guess who taught themself how to make fondant tonight?! I'll give you a hint... it wasn't Benjamin Linus! I picked up a spring form 9" cake pan, some icing, icing coloring (black) and headed home. I didn't even pick up a BOX cake! Nope. This baby was made FOR REAL from scratch.

I found Paula Deen's easy 1234 cake recipe and made that. (I used 1 cup of yogurt instead of one of the sticks of butter to make it a little healthier). I didn't have self-rising flour so I found this recipe online to substitute. The batter was enough for me to make 2 nine inch cakes so I layered them with buttercream icing in between and all over. Wow! A fun double layer cake. I guess I could have used the recipe for my famous coconut cake but I wanted to try something else out... something totally basic. After I made fondant using this recipe, I rolled out the white fondant and dyed the other batch black. Then it was just a matter of using a steak knife to cut out the black parts and the swan and pasting them onto the cake with a pastry brush and some filtered water. Neato!!!!

I had some help cutting out the shape of the swan from the other LOST geek (and a gorgeous one at that) that I live with. I'm not exactly Ms. Artistic when it comes to drawing - and Lord knows I do not have a steady hand nor the patience to be consistent... so lucky me for being able to break my brilliant husband's concentration (he had been writing for 14 hours straight) by giving him a little swan crafting break.

Now- the LOST party is obviously not until Feb. 2nd... and that's like a week away! I'm going to make another cake this weekend ... probably Sunday night to have it ready for Tuesday night... so what to do with this one? I can't wait to taste it!!!!

I think I will treat my LOST obsessed co-workers to this on Friday...or Thursday (the old time LOST watching night circa Seasons 1,2,3)  whattya think? Think they'd like to try it out?

I still have to put the DHARMA letters on there... but for the most part this masterpiece is d_o_n_e.

DONE! Dang, It looks pretty good! hehehehee!

So excited!!

So fun!

Enjoy!
XOxoxo <3 Udo

Kale Chips = OH YES!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! My new obsession..... KALE CHIPS!!!! OMG! These delectable dainty little 'chips' are EXTRAORDINARY!!!! I just love them! Wowow! Good bye pringles and hello slimmer thighs! Ahha... Delicious!

Kale Chips:
1 bunch kale
pink sea salt
extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
lemon juice

Cut or tear up the kale leaves (and stems- or you can remove the stems if you want) and put into a big bowl. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil and lemon juice over the leaves, give it a good sprinkly of sea salt (pink is my favorite). Massage the leaves for a good 5 minutes until they soften up a bit. Places leaves in a dehydrator - careful not to overlap them. Dehydrate on 115 degrees for about 6 hours or until crispy. WOW! My mouth is watering just talking about them!! Wowza kapow! Healthy delicious and full of nutrients! Eeeeee!

Enjoy!
Xoxox <3 Udo

Wanna feel good?

It's so easy to forget what really matters in life when we are lulled into boredom by the everyday things we have to do as adults. Practical concearns like keeping house and paying bills can consume you if you let them. Sometimes we forget to nourish our inner spirit and to stay focused because we distract ourselves with things that do not matter. Are you living your life with passion and purpose? What is your passion? What makes you crazy excited? What do you look forward to working on? Instead of comparing yourself to others, remind yourself that there is enough love, abundance, creativity, and great ideas for everyone in this universe! The creative mind is overflowing with peace, joy, and happiness- all you need to do is claim yours.

Remember- being happy is not a gift, it is not a thing that happens to you when you've finally made it, it is not some freak luck thing that happens to some people and not to others... Here's a secret....

BEING HAPPY is a CHOICE.

Make the decision to be happy! =D Make the decision to feel good today. Decide to feel love, to share love, to live today as if it were your last! Don't worry about what will happen this week or next week or if you will figure out your future... just take it one day at a time. The first step towards living the life you want is to live as if you already have it. Cultivate a positive attitude. If you just don't know what to do and you find yourself doing nothing... do this. Turn your thoughts to positive self talk. Instead of sitting on the sofa- go for a walk and on your walk, think positively to yourself. Instead of surfing the internet for hours on end sit quietly in meditation- and focus your thoughts on positive and loving ideas. When worries or anxiety get a grip on you, take a deep breath and use positive self talk. This is the very first step towards creating the reality you deserve.

Here are some videos to help get you started.

• The first one is really upbeat and feel good.
• The second one is Lilou Mace (a youtube personality) guiding you through a quiet meditation.
• The third one is a wonderful Reiki meditation from a soundtrack that I use when I do Reiki on my husband (he loooooves his weekly Reiki session - so cute!!! It really soothes his mind from a a hectic work week and bolsters his creativity).
• The last one takes quotes from the Secret to remind us what to focus on.... whew!

Remember...

Every journey towards something...

is a journey away from something else.

Enjoy!
Xoxox <3>Udo

Thought for the day...

I'm too blessed to be stressed!

I have an attitude of gratitude!

Learn it.

Live it.

Pass it on!

Feel good today!