Everything in moderation

Diet, what diet?

It has been extremely hard to stick to my diet this weekend. Everyone deserves a free pass, as long as you keep it in moderation. I don't take free bees very often, in fact I've been sticking to my plan very religiously. I knew this weekend would be tough on me, so I made a serious conscious effort to portion control.

Saturday, my Mom made Banh Xeo. It's kind of like a crepe, we call them Vietnamese pancakes. My Mom hasn't made these in I can't even tell you how long. They entail a great deal of effort to make, and it kind of causes a big mess. Basically they are crepes filled with bean sprouts, onions, shrimp, bean curd and beef or pork. You eat them with fresh greens, cilantro and leaf lettuce. It's amazingly good, and seriously addicting. I did a really good job and only ate two of them, and I was full instantly. It's one of those foods where you have to eat it right away while it's still hot and crispy. I like eating them later, but my Mom insists that I shouldn't. 

No food will ever compare to your Mom's. It's just a given fact. When I was in LA, Twixxy took us to a place in Westminister for some authentic Vietnamese food. Although it was great, it was nothing to compare to my Mom's food. Their style of cooking was a bit different, but still extremely delicious. I love Vietnamese food. Mom has been teaching me slowly her recipes, she makes it look so damn easy! Anyway, someday I'll master it and be able to pass it on to my children. 

After we all had full bellies, we decided to take a mini road trip to Ithaca. I love Ithaca, it's really fun and there's lots to do...weather permitting of course! Jon Jones was fighting Saturday night to defend his title, and we've made it tradition to watch it at Eddie's. I took the girls to a winery there, and it was fabulous. Six Mile Creek is a really quaint vineyard with an awesome staff. The girls did 12 tastings, while I kept myself at only six. It was more than enough for me, and I totally felt loopy after. Remember, I haven't been drinking really at all so I've become a totally cheap cheap date. Their wines were really great. I'm just starting to get into wine, so I prefer the sweeter ones. Not super sweet. I usually stick with a reisling or a good Niagra. I found one wine there, Pasa Tiempo that I liked very much. Whitney and I drank the whole bottle during the fight. It wasn't hard to do! The fight was great! Jon went the whole five rounds (first time ever!) and they declared him the winner. By the time we left the girls were super sleepy, and I had damn near lost my voice from screaming so loud! We dined in Ithaca that night at our favorite restaurant there, The Boat Yard and we were all more than stuffed. It was a really great time spending the day with friends and family, laughing and chatting it up! Can't wait to do it again!

Fresh local goat cheese to pair with our wine!