Cooking for a family is always a challenge for moms. The problem is that with hectic schedules, you have very little time, and you have a lot of different palates at the dinner table. Will will eat most anything I place in front of him. Liza is a carnivore. And a seafood lover. She would do well on a paleo diet, but losing candy would kill her.

Jack, on the other hand, prefers his food in a restaurant.  There are only a few things that I make that get his thumbs up. He still loves my broccoli, tofu meal, and last week, I managed to make some darn good farmer's market butter beans that got his seal of approval. Other than that, he pretty much dislikes most items I place in front of him unless it is bacon, eggs, pancakes, steak, plain pasta, a stir-fry, tacos, or a Joey burger,

I got the following recipe a Hello Fresh kit when I was a regular customer a few years ago, and everyone loved it. I buy frozen shrimp a lot from Whole Foods/Amazon prime, so it makes it very easy to put this meal together in minutes.

A Hello Fresh Recipe

I think the panko crust on top of this dish made it even more delicious.

Instructions

Wash and dry all produce. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.


Zest lemon until you have 1 tsp zest, then cut into halves. Cut one half into wedges. Mince or grate garlic. Thinly slice basil leaves. Core, seed, and thinly slice bell peppers.


Toss bell peppers on a baking sheet with a large drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast in oven until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.


Melt 2 TBSP butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add panko and toast, stirring, until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Once water is boiling, add farfalle to the pot. Cook, occasionally stirring, until just al dente, about 9 minutes. Scoop out and reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.


While pasta cooks heat a large drizzle of olive oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Rinse shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add to pan and cook, tossing, until almost opaque, 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and cook, tossing, until fragrant, about 1 minute more.


Toss pasta and bell peppers into the pan with shrimp. Add lemon zest, 2 TBSP butter, half the basil, pasta water, and a squeeze of lemon. Bring to a boil and let bubble, occasionally stirring until a sauce has formed 3-4 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon (to taste).


Divide pasta between bowls. Sprinkle with panko and remaining basil. Top with a large drizzle of olive oil and serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.

Update: This bill was passed and signed into law by Governor Cooper. In N.C. as of July 1, 2017 you can have an alcoholic beverage with Sunday brunch beginning at 10 a.m. 



As I told you earlier this week, my family rarely goes to brunch unless I'm traveling. I went to brunch locally a few weeks ago on a Sunday in downtown Raleigh and ordered a bloody mary. I ordered that drink for a few reasons. Personally, I love the tomato-based, spicy cocktail. I rarely drink them so it was a treat for me. Also, mimosas and bloody marys are a traditional part of a brunch menu. I was at Pizza La Stella to help promote the restaurant's brunch menu for future visitors to N.C.  That's what I do. I market experiences.

When you visit a city, it may be your tradition to have brunch before you head home. Raleigh has no shortage of places to brunch.  We are certainly a foodie city, and you can point yourself in about any direction and find a good place to eat.



As a Raleigh local, I don't partake in brunch too often on the weekends unless I'm traveling. I blame it on being a parent. I'm sure there are other excuses as well such as not wanting to get out of my pajamas before noon. But, let's just say that when I brunch, it better be worth my getting dressed and out of the house. A delicious Bloody Mary needs to be involved, too.



The Hines recently visited Pizza La Stella at their invitation on Fayetteville Street for brunch. This local, Neapolitan style Italian restaurant, under new management, recently partnered with NC company Smash Waffle to serve a weekend brunch.  After we visited, Smash Waffle announced it is also opening its own triangle location. I'm not sure if that move will change the partnership in the future for Pizza La Stella's brunch menu, but for now, it's a staple on this local Raleigh restaurant's menu.

We live less than ten minutes from the heart of downtown Raleigh and this restaurant. On the day I decided to do a rare family brunch, half the streets in downtown were closed for the Ironman Race. It took us almost 25 minutes to get where we needed to be. We had to park block and blocks from where we were going. That won't happen to you on an ordinary Raleigh day.  I had one child complaining that she had to walk too far to get where we were going.  I had another child asking why I made him change clothes.  And then there was Will who said absolutely nothing except I was not helping him find streets that were open to traffic.

Let's just say that a lot was riding on this brunch at Pizza La Stella, or I would be in the doghouse for getting my family out of the house before noon on one of the hardest days to travel to downtown Raleigh for a meal.

Long story short, Pizza La  Stella took me from the dog house to the title of the Queen of Brunch on this day. This face. That's what it looks like when a Campfire Smash Waffle is placed in front of her.



Jack ordered the Chip, Chip Hooray Smash Waffle.  The kids loved these waffles, but they could not finish them. They were adult portions and really sweet.



As for me, I ordered the Pizza Pot Pie which is a wood-fired skillet with a fried egg, roasted Brussel sprouts, roasted red pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms in a garlic, confit cream. It was one of the best dishes I have tasted in a very long time. I cannot rave enough about this dish. I will go to brunch again there just for this entree. It is dish created by the restaurant's own culinary team.



Will chose to order the calzone which is also served at night. He was impressed. It's not as puffy as other ones. He would get this again.



I will definitely add Pizza La Stella to my list of local favorites. I'll probably visit more at night, but I was quite impressed.

Oh, and those Bloody Marys? So good. I had two.  Pizza La Stella opened in December 2016 and replaced Bolt Bistro. The menu at Pizza La Stella is about wood-fired cuisine. Two large ovens, handmade in Italy, are the only warming devices in the kitchen to cook pizzas, wings, stromboli, calzones and even Brussels sprouts. In the pizza oven, pies will be cooked at about 1,000 degrees and ready in about 90 seconds. Everything else will get crispy in the other oven, which is set around 750 degrees.



Pizza La Stella 
219 Fayetteville Street
Raleigh, NC




Book Raleigh area Hotels from my site directly from Marriott, Starwood, Hotels.com and Expedia

Within Walking Distance
Raleigh Marriott City Center
The Sheraton Raleigh Hotel 
The new Residence Inn Raleigh Downtown by Marriott (Accepting Reservations for July 2017)
Holiday Inn Raleigh Downtown
Hampton Inn and Suites in Glenwood South

Quick Uber Rides Away
The Aloft on Hillsborough Street is 2.3 miles away.
Doubletree by Hilton Raleigh Brownstone
Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary
Mayton Inn in Cary
Renaissance Hotel North Hills
AC Hotels North Hills
And many more places to stay in Raleigh and Wake County.



Disclosure: We were media guests of Pizza La Stella, opinions are my own and I do not classify myself as a brunch expert, but the Pizza Pot Pie....go for it.  If you book a hotel stay using my referral links, a small commission will be made. Thank you for booking through this blog and supporting editorial/media writing. 

When you walk into Sephora, Ulta, a Department Store or even your local drugstore, a number of beauty products on the market is staggering. It's a billion dollar industry and there are some ugly truths behind this business. There are hardly any safety regulations in this industry. Something that says natural may also have a hidden manufactured fragrance. Natural doesn't always mean safe. And synthetic doesn't always mean harmful. This article is a good education piece as well as this piece on greenwashing and what five terms of beauty products really mean. 



The truth is that the European Union has banned or partially restricted over 1,400 ingredients from personal care products. Canada? Less than 600. The United States? The answer is 30. Safety laws restrict just 30 ingredients known to cause health risks, cancer, and hormone disruptions.

A beauty cleanser is something you use daily.  Sometimes twice a day. There are thousands of cleansers on the market. Beauty blogs are always listing the best and many cleansers are never even repeated in lists. I use Beautycounter Nourishing Cream Cleanser (Retail Price: $26). It lasts about 90 days and equals to .28 cents a day.




This list of "BEST" cleanser ranged from $8.99 to $52. My cleanser is the middle for price ranges.

Some of the drug store brands that people lean toward buying are CeraVe, Neutrogena, Cetaphil, Clearasil,  Aveeno, and Simple Cleanser for as little as $2.99. They all look like simple and safe cleansers, but upon further investigation, you are putting your health at risk. There are lots of ingredients in the red zone.


And more expensive does not mean it's safer either. Click the link to look at Kiehls, Clarins, Elizabeth Arden, and Clinique ratings on the EWG.

Out of all the products I've mentioned in this post, Beautycounter has the safest rating. But, Beautycounter's mission is to educate consumers on making safer choices. The products are fantastic, but some people cannot afford it or even fathom paying more than $10 for a cleanser. This natural living blog has checked the EWG and has a list of other natural and safe cleansers based on the EWG ratings at some lower price points. Beautycounter is committed to changing safety regulations so that you can find safer products everywhere. I know my cleanser works and I love what it has done to my skin.  Prior to Beautycounter, I used some harsh dermatologist products. My skin did not look as good.

Beautycounter bans 1500 ingredients known to cause health risks. The Nourishing Cream Cleanser is made with coconut oil and aloe leaf extract. This lightweight daily cleanser is hydrating and soothing. Witch hazel gives the creamy formula skin-toning properties for a fresh, taut appearance.

Twice a week I use the Essential Nourishing Cream Exfoliator (Retail $34 and lasts an entire year). This gentle yet effective, exfoliating cleanser relies on non-abrasive jojoba beads instead of plastic to help slough off dry skin and sweep away impurities, revealing a fresh, radiant complexion.



I also use essential oils and moisturizers on my face, but I don't want to go into that topic today. I want to keep it simple with cleansers. Everyone should be washing their face.  Everyone needs to have access to knowledge because knowledge can help you make better choices.

Beautycounter has a Band of Beauty Member Program where clients get free shipping, special perks, and 15 percent back on purchases in product credit. The yearly membership rate is $29. If you buy a one-year membership today and purchase $50 in product, you will also receive a free membership gift.



Disclaimer: Opinions are my own in this piece. Income will be made if any Beautycounter is bought from this site. 

Broccoli salad is not necessarily a dish that I gravitate to on salad bars or at picnics. I don't dislike broccoli salad, but usually, the base is mayonnaise and a whole lot of sugar. When it comes to sugar, I would rather eat a piece of poundcake instead of eating it in a broccoli salad.

We recently hosted a family reunion, and I made broccoli salad for it. I know what you are thinking. It's odd that I would pick to make a dish that I rarely eat to make at a family reunion, but I had interviewed the owner of the North Carolina-based Little Black Dressing Company for a North Carolina product campaign and really became a fan of her dressings after trying them.

And you all may hate me right now if you do not live in North Carolina (because unless you order the dressing online you will not be able to replicate this recipe) because I firmly the believe that the Creamy Dreamy Vinegarette dressing is what makes this salad so delicious  Will thinks the cranberries and glazed walnuts help, too, but I know with 100 percent confidence that it is the dressing that is the star.  I also have to give credit to the talented high school student Lillian Knepp who won $500 for the development of this recipe at the Dixie Classic Fair in North Carolina's Triad area.



The BEST BROCCOLI SALAD YOU  WILL EVER TASTE RECIPE

• 4cupsbroccoli florets
• 3/4cupdried cranberries
• 3/4 cup   chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cupColby Jack cheese
• 1/2cupshredded carrot for garnish
• 1cupDreamy Creamy Vinaigrette

1. Cut fresh broccoli off stem and into small florets. In a large mixing bowl, mix broccoli, dressing, cranberries, cheese, and walnuts. Pour into serving bowl and garnish with shredded carrots or extra cheese.