Category — It Makes Me Happy!

I read about this cool new program last year, but I just rediscovered – and finally installed – this free tool to find missing photos on your laptop! And had a fun afternoon reliving memories!

Lostphotosapp.com is a free software program you can download to your pc or laptop, and search for all those treasured family and friend photos that have been lost in your email for YEARS!

And yes, Lost Photos  can then share your found photos on Facebook and Twitter!
Using Lost Photos is easy:

1. download the free app
2. enter your email address and password
3. Lost Photos will search your Inbox and Sent emails
4. watch as Lost Photo finds each photo
5. share, organize or save your photos
6. repeat for all your email addresses

Lost Photos works with dozens of email providers and promises it does not save or share your account information.

Lost Photos is a great tool for

• scrapbookers
• travelers
• family genealogists
• moms
• bloggers
• and anyone who likes to look at photos!

Lost Photos found literally hundreds of photos on my laptop… some I had no desire to ever see, then or now, and lots of images and GIF files that were attached to my emails. Lost Photos does offer some filters that can exclude some images, but I ran the whole lot out of curiosity. My stats:

91 minutes

over 14,000 emails (it deleted the running count to say finished)

947 photos

And I have 6 more email accounts…

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I was shopping on Lincoln Road Mall in South Beach yesterday, and wandered into one of my favorite little gift shops, the Pink Palm. I always find something there, but not yesterday. As I waited at the register for my friends to pay, a small plastic box caught my eye: EAR CAP Bling Cap.

What?

So I picked up the box: a little crystal ball dust protector that pops into the earbuds jack. What does it do? Absolutely NOTHING. Except look cute and blingy in my iPhone

Done and doner!

My white iPhone now has some gorgeous cobalt blue bling. $6.95 plus tax.

It makes me happy!

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Every year right after Thanksgiving I tape the 2 hour Rick Steves’ European Christmas on PBS Channel 11 in Chicago.

Throughout the holidays when I’m working, baking, cleaning or involved with other activities that don’t involved actually watching TV, I like to play and replay the show on my TV.

With Rick, I celebrate Christmas in

• Paris and Burgundy, France
• Oslo, Norway
• Bath, England
• Rome, Italy
• Austria
• Switzerland
• German cities of Nürnberg, Salzburg, and Obendorf

I’ve visited all these cities during the Christmas holidays, and I enjoy revisiting these souvenirs of my earlier travels.

Of course I could just buy the DVD: but I prefer to DVR it during Channel 11′s Winter Pledge Drive, so I can support public television while enjoying one of my annual holiday traditions. Its an easy way to remind me to give, and what’s wrong with enjoying while I’m giving!

Rick Steves’ European Christmas: it makes me happy!

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Paris is well-known for it’s bread and pastries, but I lived there several years before I discovered croissants aux amandes: delicious croissants filled with almond paste and covered with slivered almonds and powdered sugar. This became my all-time pâtisserie favorite, even passing tarte citrone. My favorite pâtisserie was Paul, a high-quality chain with several locations in my neighborhood. When I left Paris, I looked in vain for similar almond croissants in the US: but they didn’t even come close. I thought living in NYC I’d find an almond croissant that was nearly as good as those in Paris, but every lead turned up tasteless.

Paris under the palm trees at Paul

Then, I was rewarded: Paris under the palm trees. Paul opened several locations in South Florida, the closest about 20 minutes from us. Well worth the drive. So leisurely mornings were spent in South Beach at the Lincoln Road Paul’s, in beautiful café chairs, with croissants aux amandes and café au lait. So far, Paul has added locations in the Washington DC area, although they keep telling me they have plans to expand in the US.

In Chicago, I found several bakeries that made a decent almond croissant: Alliance Bakery on Division and on Julius Meinl on Southport – a short walk from us. Both serve Parisian-style croissants aux amandes, and both have great coffee…and outdoor seating, always welcome when we’re walking Mignette.

Then, the Trader Joe’s flyer arrived in the mail and announced: frozen almond croissants: 4 for $3.99! 5 minute walk, always in the freezer. I got my coat.

1. 5 minute walk + $3.99 = 4 frozen almond croissants

2. Thaw over night: they will double in size.

3.  Bake, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

5.  Bon Appetit!

Croissants aux amandes and Trader Joe’s: it makes me happy!

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It’s 5:19am so of course I’m on the couch emptying the DVR and skimming through moi iPad. Mrs Eastwood is a hoarder, but luckily she’s an unopened gift hoarder and I look up to catch her opening a leather scarf belt adapter: a clever little buckle that turns silk scarves into gorgeous colorful belts. Hers is blue (I think) and as she quickly tosses it aside, I remember I read about the Asprey scarf belt in the NYTimes a while back, and meant to put it on the wish-list. Tres clever, tres practical: I have a stack of gorgeous scarves I used to wear daily when we lived in Paris, but don’t wear as much in the US. But they’d look fabulous as belts!

The price seems steep: $235 up to $500. A quick google search shows me lots of ways to tie my scarves and use them as belts, but I really want the shiny leather belt buckle and the sleek finished look, so I amp up my search. Hmmmm, lots of belt buckles that I could use to loop the scarf into a belt, but still not right.  More google…

Score! Tallulah and Hope sells beautiful leather scarf belts with metal trim for £25… uhoh: UK: about $40. Of course there’s international shipping to deal with, plus VAT. More google search finds a promotion code for 20% off my 1st purchase, and when I apply, the scarf belt rings up at $20: yes dollars! This could be worth pursuing… The totals:

Now, let’s see how long it takes to arrive!

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The weather in Chicago has been a little fickle, but on those days when you’re craving something cold and creamy and and chocolatey – and trying not to break the calorie bank or the piggy bank – head over to Trader’s Joe’s freezer aisle. Grab a box of Gone Bananas. And sneak a bite…or 2. Basically Gone Bananas is a sliced banana, each slice dipped in chocolate, and then frozen. It comes 20 to a box, and usually 2 or 3 bites satisfy my craving. Usually.

Sure, I could buy a banana, slice it, freeze each slice, melt some chocolate, dip each slice, return to freezer, and then package.

But for $1.99, I’ll buy a box. And at only 10 calories per banana bite, I can walk off a few mouthfuls walking to Trader Joe’s and home again. (Each box equals 1 banana = 130 calories = 20 banana bites: I’m rounding up!)

TJ’s Gone Bananas: they make me happy!

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If you follow my blog, you know I’m a movie junkie. So wherever I live, whatever the local language, regardless of the price per ticket, on any given weekend I’m in a movie theatre. And from November thru February, sometimes several movies each weekend so I’m prepared for the Academy Awards. But, I don’t typically watch movies on TV at home. I like the whole going-to-the-movies experience: the big screen, a darkened theatre, stadium seats, slightly stale popcorn, and annoying people checking their cell phones, chewing with their mouths open and talking back to the screen.

At home we have a large flatscreen parked across from a comfy couch. Fresh popcorn. Diet Ginger Ale. A cute little white dog sitting on moi lap. And a shelf full of both the latest DVD theatrical releases and oldie-but goodies. I have friends with theatre rooms: darkened, stadium seats, and a well-stocked snack bar. I’d just rather pay $12 and go to the movies.

And I don’t like reruns: Once I’ve seen the movie, I’m done. I make a few exceptions for movies I load on my iPad and love to travel with: Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House, Julie and Julia, Ice Castles. My ambition is not to be able to quote all the good lines (unlike my husband and son who love quoting Ferris Bueller and Top Gun).

But the week of April 4 I’ll be at the movies to see the new release of Titanic in 3D. I’m not a huge fan of 3D, but I loved the Titanic (which I’ve seen only once when we’d just moved to Paris: I thought I’d figured out which movies were presented in VO (version originale) and when the credits began in French I thought I’d screwed up, but a few moments later the movie began, thankfully in English!)

See you when we set sail on the Titanic!

Moi tip:

I’ll be seeing the Titanic for 3D for free! How? I Viggled my way to a free movie ticket just by watching TV!

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Most ex-expat Parisians moan their loss of French cheeses, many still practically unheard of in the US. Personally, while j’adore le fromage Francais, I find the cheeses at specialty stores – such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and other gourmet shops – and the cheeses from my local farmer’s markets do a pretty good job of satisfying my craving for fresh, rich, indulgent cheese.

Until recently, the same couldn’t be said of yogurts. While many Americans jump off the plane and head straight to a Parisian street market or the local fromagerie, I headed straight to the Inno or Monoprix refrigerated section to indulge in richy, creamy, tangy French yogurt. While I  would readily have risked confiscation by smuggling yogurt into my luggage, I sadly feared 9 hours on the plane (plus 2 hours waiting for my luggage to bump down the belt) would curdle or liquify the yogurt.

Why French yogurt? I’ve always been a yogurt lover, but prior to my 1st trip to Paris I thought yogurt was overly-sweet, bright blue or red, lumpy, and pudding-like. More like a snack or dessert: good but not a meal. Back in the day I even bought myself a yogurt maker, and with a little plain yogurt starter I made my own plain yogurt and sweetened it with honey, fruit preserves and wheat germ (who’d heard of granola back then???) But lack of time (and counter space) due to family, job, house and dogs eventually buried the yogurt maker.

But now, Greek yogurt is firmly ensconced in the US and my craving for rich tangy yogurt is satisfied. Chez Moi I’m a huge fan of Fage, and TBG prefers the slightly sweeter Chobani. But this week, TBG made a grocery run and as usual, he didn’t stick to the shopping list.

And brought home Cabot Greek Yogurt. We were familiar with Cabot Cheeses: we love the American brand, always buy their cheddar. But I didn’t know they’re now making greek-style yogurt. Its rich, creamy, tart and a little sweet. Perfect with my morning berries and granola.

Yes, I’ll still buy Fage. But when I find only Cabot Greek Yogurt in the fridge I’ll be looking for a spoon, not my car keys.

Bon Appétit!

• Fage Greek 0% Yogurt: 17.6 oz $6.99

• Cabot Greek-Style Plain Yogurt: 2lbs $5.99

• Chobani Fat-Free Greek Yogurt: 32 oz $5.99

NOTE: Dairy prices vary widely by region. I’m in SoFlo now, so your prices may differ. For the best price, try Target or Costco.

Greek yogurt: it makes me happy!

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The holidays are officially over but I still feel incredibly busy: Too much travel? Too much baking? Too much online shopping? Too much Lifetime Christmas Movies?

Fortunately over the holidays I discovered 2 new treats that are making Moi life just a little sweeter…

Torani Sugar-Free Salted Caramel Flavored Syrup - I’m always up for a Starbucks trip. Recently I ordered my year-round standard (tall skim chai, extra shot, extra water, extra hot please!) SIL Katie ordered a sea salt caramel mocha coffee: how’d I miss that? Still missing NYCs posted calorie counts, I went online and checked the calorie count: anywhere from 220 to 450! So saved for special treats…

Then on a shopping trip to World Market I happened to see the Torani syrups, and noticed Sugar-Free Salted Caramel: voila! Now afternoons when I’m working at home I make my own salted caramel mocha coffee:

Salted Caramel Mocha Coffee

• 1 cup fresh hot coffee (I usually make decaf)
• 2 pumps Torani Sugar-Free Salted Caramel syrup
• 1/2 packet 25 calorie Swiss Miss instant hot chocolate

Sweet and salty and chocolatey – and less than 25 calories!

$6.99 per 250z bottle: and I like the convenient pump for a 1-time extra $1.99.

Marzetti Sweet & Salty Caramel Dip: niece Rachel came to visit, and gifted us 2 cartons of Sweet & Salty Caramel Dip and a big bag of pretzels: Uh- Oh! I held out for a week, but then I had to open the 1st container…huge mistake! So sweet and so salty and so creamy and so easy! I’m guessing it would be yummy with apples too…but so far I’m sticking to pretzels!

$3.99 for a 16oz container…but I’d buy 2…just in case!

Torani Sugar-Free Salted Caramel Syrup and Marzetti Sweet & Salty Caramel Dip…it makes me happy!

Moi Idea: I’m thinking I might try my nutella poundcake but with Sweet & Salty Caramel Dip in place of the nutella: this could be dangerous!

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Christmas around the world: I’m watching Paris dress for the holidays.

This afternoon we shopped Passy Plaza and had to stop and mire the shimmering gold and white lights. It’s not yet Thanksgiving, but it’s beginning to feel alot like Christmas…

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