Punta Cana - The Majestic Elegance

My trip to Punta Cana was in January, but I've been spending so much time reading I haven't had time to blog about it until now. The trip was fantastic. It was my first time to theCaribbean, and worth every penny.

After a lot of research, I settled on the Majestic Elegance. Not only is it a newer resort, it's got jetted tubs in all the rooms, white sand beaches and a lot of other perks. I particularly liked the lagoon style pools.

I was told that the airport was one where you leave and board the plane via the tarmac, but didn't realize all of the buildings would be open air with huge fans.

The Majestic is 2 resorts, that attach along a shopping strip which includes the kids club. Due to overbooking (which we learned later happened a lot) we spent our first night on the Colonial side. While this meant we had to change rooms the second day, it did come with 2 perks. First, that our bracelets allowed us to use the facilities on both resorts, and second, we got a $100 credit for use at the spa. :) The main lobby (shown above) was spacious and pleasant.

Down a double staircase from the lobby was a bar and the entrances to 3 of the restaurants. It also had covered walkways to the theatre and rooms on one side, and an outside bar, shopping area and other rooms on the other side.

The rooms circled manicured gardens and pools, with other gardens or the pool on the balcony sides. The rooms themselves were large, with double sinks, a shower with a regular head, wall jets and rain function, a jetted tub, balcony, separated sitting room, 4-poster bed (or 2 double beds), TV with DVD player and wall safe.

Coverstitching!

I now understand why so many people online suggested getting separate machines for serging and coverstitching. Changing the machine from one to the other's a bit of a process. On the other hand, everything gets easier with practice, and this machine allows me to do a serged edge with chain stitching (for a very secure seam). So it's a toss up. I'll try to post either a video or photos showing all the steps involved in switching the machine over so other people with that question have 'all the facts' before they buy. People explained it was difficult, but no one said precisely what you had to do.

I finally got brave enough to try coverstitching. I'm fairly comfortable with serging, but have never coverstitched before so wasn't sure where to place the fabric (since the seam is down). Was I supposed to cover the seam or sew close to the seam and cut any excess fabric? The DVD that came with the machine didn't mention coverstitching at all, so I looked at a few online videos.

After some test strips, which helped me learn a bit about tensions, and making sure I'd threaded the machine properly, I coverstitched a new hem on a t-shirt.

And by golly it worked! Guess coverstitching isn't a scary as it seemed. What I have to work on is threading, and a better technique for finishing, so I don't have to cut the threads so close to my sewing (and then rethread the needles/looper).

Cookbook Review: Fast And Fresh Vegetarian by Marie Simmons

Pros: colour photo center spread, tips at the start of each section, 'make a meal' box on recipe pages, lots of recipes

Cons: recipes require lots of ingredients and can be time intensive, some ingredients are hard to find

To review this cookbook I tested 6 recipes. Here are the results.

First up, Quick Supper Frittata. It took longer than the stated 30 minutes to

cook, and there were several mini steps (some of which are better prepared in advance rather than when you're cooking, like the egg mixture). I used roasted red peppers rather than piquillos and a sharp cheddar instead of Pecorino Romano. But for all the effort of making this dish, it was worth it.

Second I made the Lentil and Vegetable Soup with Smoked Paprika. I'm not a fan of celery so I left that out. It did make the soup less 'full' looking, so in future I'd try to substitute something in its place, like sliced cabbage. I also couldn't find smoked paprika (I finally located it a few days after trying this recipe). I used sweet paprika instead, which has a much mild

er flavour and didn't do the soup justice. My version was bland, so I added in some roasted garlic and red pepper spice. With the smoked paprika the spiciness would be fine. Also realize that if you're adding the yogurt or sour cream (which is what I used), you won't taste much of the spices anyway because the cream will supersede everything.

Next I did two recipes for a meal. Toasted Flatbread With Goat Cheese, Sauteed Greens and Crispy Shallots for the main and Roasted Asparagus with Parmigiano-Reggiano Crumbs as a side. While the asparagus was easy to prepare, I found the amount of parmigiano used made it on the strong side for my taste. But the asparagus themselves were perfectly baked, cooked through yet crisp. For the flatbread recipe, again there was a fair amount of preparation involved and I didn't use enough of the greens (I halved the recipe to serve 2 people and didn't realize how much the greens would wilt, so keep that in mind). Even omitting the crushed chilies, the cheese and greens were flavourful enough that it wasn't a problem that the flatbread wasn't completely covered.

The one recipe I tried that I didn't really like was the labour intensive Broccoli, Dill and Lemon Spread. I think I'd have preferred this one had the broccoli not been boiled before pureeing all the ingredients. Making this required boiling the broccoli, sauteing the garlic and using a food processor. So in addition to the prep work, there's a lot of clean-up required.

Finally, I made the Lentils With Roasted Red Peppers, Dill, Mint and Feta. I was afraid the peppers would be too 'smoky' to blend well, but the combination - especially the feta - worked well. Eaten on rice, this was a filling and delicious meal.

Book Review: Dexter Is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay

Pros: lyrical writing, introspective, darkly fun

Cons: predictable

Dexter is astonished that upon the birth of his daughter his homicidal instincts desert him for more... human... ones. Suddenly he wants to be Dex-Daddy, hang up his knives and steer Astor and Cody away from the dark path.

But life intrudes in the form of his sister and a possible kidnapping/murder case involving cannibals. And a figure from his past starts to become cozy with his family, leaving Dexter disoriented.

This is a lighthearted novel that examines the darker side of life. Like the others in the series, it's light on the gore and heavy on the lyrical writing. Unlike the previous books, Dexter develops actual feelings. It's fun watching him reevaluate life and try to understand emotions he's only faked before.

While the story gets predictable towards the end there were some good twists I didn't see coming, like an unexpected request by Deborah.

One of the best of the series.

Health Book Review: Just 10 Lbs by Brad Lamm

I know I said I wouldn't review the book until I'd gone through the diet, but I'm quickly realizing that sticking to a set plan doesn't work well for me. So I figure I'll review the book without my failure/success weighing in on my impressions of the book/plan itself. I do intend to try the diet and see how things work out.

Pros: the diet focuses as much on changing your attitude - towards yourself as well as to food - as it does on correcting eating habits and encouraging more exercise. The book encourages you to consider things you do well, on increasing your self-esteem and improving your body image - through a body map and other techniques. One of the first things you have to do is discover what kind of eater you are (do you eat because of an emotional imbalance? because you love the tastes and textures of food?, etc.).

I think there's an advantage to doing the diet for a month, including the 'mindful meditation' (prayer, yoga, some kind of exercise that focuses on your body-mind connection) and other practices. Once you're in the habit of doing the exercises, you're likely to continue them after the diet is over. You're also supposed to learn and be satisfied by proper portion sizes - rather than the significantly increased North American portions we generally have.

The book includes a sample meal plan, recipes and daily challenges/affirmations to keep you focused.

Cons: he suggests that farmers markets are cheaper to shop at than grocery stores and going to them is a way of ensuring more fruits/vegetables in your diet for less. This simply hasn't been my experience with farmer's markets, which are (in my area at least) significantly more expensive than shopping at grocery stores. But that's a minor point.

Another minor point is the idea that following healthy guidelines will prevent diseases. I don't like this because it implies that if you're sick you had an unhealthy lifestyle. Some diseases are preventable through healthy eating, exercise, etc. Others are not.

A more important point is that I don't like the idea of cutting an entire food group from my diet. I'm a firm believer that everything in moderation is good for you. Or at least, not harmful. I find it strange that with all the care he's taken on designing the diet he has no chapter on reintroducing grains/legumes (beans, lentils, rice, pasta, bread) back into your eating plan once you've lost the weight. There's no guideline of 'replace 1/2 the protein with 1 cup pasta/rice if using' to show what a portion size of those would be or what you should take out in order to fit it into a healthy plan. Are you simply meant to cut them out forever? I wonder how long it would take to gain back the weight you lost if you're not employing smart choices when bringing back otherwise axed foods.

And when he lists the approved foods it's hard to tell if you can add in other vegetables not on the list or if you should stick to what examples he's given (for example my favourite vegetable, corn, isn't on the list).

Ultimately, it seems like a healthier diet than many on the market, in that it focuses on the entire body and mind as a unit, rather than simply focusing on 'bad foods' or 'good foods'. And while it's not perfect, I'll still be trying to follow as much of the diet as I can.

New Year's Resolutions

Sorry about the break. December's a busy month - especially since I had to work more around buying presents, etc.

One of my New Year's Resolutions this year is to... drum roll please... lose weight. Original, I know. But, I've already started working on it. Netgalley had a diet book on offer a month or so ago, and I've finally had time to start reading it. Unlike a lot of diet books that focus on big results, this one focuses on small, manageable results. Just 10 lbs, by Brad Lamm. I haven't had the chance to finish reading it, but I already like what I see.

Lamm's focus is to increase protein and vegetable consumption (reducing carbohydrates) while at the same time, getting you to increase your overall care of your body. The idea is that if you don't love your body - extra weight and all - you'll be more likely to fall off the diet and gain the weight back. It's also less a diet than a way of thinking (or not thinking) about food.

He starts by subdividing eating habits, you are how you eat. Do you eat out of habit whether you're hungry or not?, out of stress?, because you love the tastes and textures of food? If you don't know why you're eating more than you should, how can you stop?

And yes, exercise is mentioned.

In other words, it sounds like a plan that could work. I'm not too keen on the 'pray to a higher power to lose weight' component of his 10 step plan, but if I lose my 10 lbs I'll do it.

My problem now is wondering when to start. I need a week to get rid of the white potatoes and bread around the house. And sometime in January I'm planning a trip to the Caribbean, so that will affect things.

Ultimately, I suspect I'll start next week, and if the vacation interferes, I'll just restart when we get home. Regardless, I'll post progress markers, and at the end of my trial (which will be more than the subscribed month, after the vacation's added) I'll write up a review of the book/plan.

Other resolutions are to learn how to use all the functions of my new serger (including the special feet) and sew some clothes.

I also want to get my wedding album finished. It'll be two years soon... about time I'm done that project.

My New Serger Is Here

When I got up I didn't have much planned for the day. Then the doorbell rang and my new serger arrived! I'm impressed with how quickly UPS got it to Canada from the States, but not impressed by the fact that I wasn't made to sign for this expensive package. In fact, considering the delivery guy was driving away as I got to the door, I wonder what would have happened to it had I not been home to collect it right away. I'd have been righteously angry indeed had someone stolen my serger because the delivery company left it on my front porch.

I opened the box and found my extra thread, 8 serger feet, workbook and DVD on top. Underneath was the serger in it's factory box. I set it up and started reading the manual before realizing that once I got going on that all blogging would be ignored and I had an interview to post.

So now that my blogging obligations are done, it's back to the serger I go. :)