More snow?? Oh, no!

Its now really cold and ice is everywhere. ... more snow possibly coming tonight.



That swan on the canal in Lindenhurst breaking the ice, so we fed her some bread.It looked like she was TOTALLY enjoying the camera's:)



Summer or winter, the sunsets are always beautiful here, on Long Island..

Do you know what was the other thing that is happening this weekend?



My new meetup group
Lindenhurst International Moms First Meetup

Hope you guys had a great weekend!

Winter Soup: A delicious bowl of health benefits!

Still snowing here! I stopped watching snow since we got enough snow and storm in New York this year:(

I know a way lighten up my day ..

..busy, busy in the kitchen making my winter soup to warm up all of us today!

2 potatoes
1 big carrot
I clove garlic(minced)
1 onion
2 celery stalks
1 leek
1 parsnip
1 turnip
lemon zest
1 tbsp whipped butter
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
a handful of parsley-dill mix(chopped finely)
salt, pepper,
chicken broth

Chop or dice all the veggies and prepare to boil. Combine the potatoes, carrot, celery, leek, parsnip, turnip, onion, parsley, dill and lemon zest in a pot. Cover them with half water, half chicken stock and boil until soft.
Pour into a food processor/blender and pulse-chop so that the vegetables are chopped finely. Return the mixture to the pot and to heat through. Add salt, pepper and garlic.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Blend in flour and gradually add the milk, stirring constantly and add the sauce to the soup. Thin the soup with some stock if you wish. Bring to a boil.

This easy to make recipe brings a delicious bowl of health benefits to your table and makes an excellent start to a winter dinner.

A few pics!

We 're having a tough winter here this year. A few pics from last week. Two people were walking their bikes through the snow. Wow, riding a bike on snow! I liked them enjoying the challenge of winter bike riding:)

There was another challenge going on worth to watch in Aria's room.

Lightsaber fight!

At least sleepovers make long winter nights more enjoyable:)

Then they were so quiet all of a a sudden..It made me think what was happening in there?

PS 3 Skate 2
They say they love it.
Lol, I'm pretty sure not more than I do:)

Asparagus& mushroom in olive oil (zeytinyaglı mantarlı kuskonmaz)

I had some asparagus left in the fridge and cooked them in olive oil with mushroom, carrot and potato cubes.

Half a bundle of asparagus (Snap off tough ends of asparagus)
10 mushrooms(cut in half)
1 small potato(cubed)
1 carrot(sliced)
I tomato(cubed)
1 onion(chopped)
4 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic (minced)
fresh parsley(chopped)
lemon zest and lemon juice
salt,pepper

In a large pan, saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add the asparagus(cut in half), mushroom, carrot and the potato cubes, lemon zest, spicy and saute for 10-12 minutes. Add the tomato cubes and chopped parsley in last a few minutes. Serve with lemon juice hot or cold. We had grilled lemon chicken thighs with this delicious veggie recipe.

It's worth a try. Cheers!

Hamilton Beach Indoor Grill 25325 H/ CSN Stores/Review

I chose an indoor grill for review from CSN Stores this time. Hamilton Beach Indoor Grill 25325 H and I'm very happy with my choice:) I'm always impressed by their fast shipping. It arrived earlier than I expected. It's just perfect size for my counter and I'm loving it!

What is so good about Hamilton Beach Indoor Grill 25325 H?

• Offers a clean and healthy way to grill. The grid system lets fats away from foods and the grids are removable& dish washer safe. No mess!

• You can make most meals in 10 min and it has auto shutoff timer.
• Double grill! For a large meal, you have more space. Opens flat for 185 sq. inches of grilling space. 12 hamburgers were ready at once, in 10 min.

Since I'm a summer person, I'm missing pretty much everything about summer. I have a long list. After I had Hamilton Beach Indoor Grill 25325 H, I dropped 'grilled meat and veggies' off the list:)

The food remains hot inside for quite a long time and you easily notice the difference to microwave heat.

I must say that homemade beef hamburgers were a hit ;

• 1lb lean ground beef
• 1 small onion(grated)
  
• 3-4 pinches coriander and paprika
  
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 clove garlic(minced), salt and pepper to taste.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and using your hands, shape into patties. Cook them until no longer pink in center. I served them on whole grain buns with lettuce, onion slices, tomato slices, pickle dill and I had mine with just a little bit hot sauce this time:) What is your favorite condiment btw?

Mushrooms, colorful bell peppers, chicken breast, steaks, fish, shrimps..It seems I'll be using it almost every day.

This grill does a good job with grilled sandwiches too. Tested just 5 minutes ago;)

Grilled steaks and asparagus are coming next for dinner. Will just dust the steaks with a combination of garlic and onion powder, paprika and dried thyme and cook as usual. Hamilton Beach Indoor Grill 25325 does a really nice job of keeping the meat juicy.

For asparagus; Lightly coat the asparagus spears with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and grill for a few minutes. Easy and fast!

Buttom line;
I've been using this grill the last few days, very easy to use as well as easy to clean up! The non stick, cooks quick and keeps food juicy. It works better on thicker pieces. After I noticed, really enjoyed the thicker cuts. All in all it is a very impressive appliance.

CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find anything you need whether it be small kitchen appliances, modern dining furnuture, fitness equipment, or even a cute cookware!Thanks to CSN Stores for sponsoring this review.

I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from CSN Stores.
The opinions I have expressed are my own.