A Well Spiced Life

Strawberry Soft Serve

2012-01-24T18:26:00.000-08:00

Something I saw the other day stuck with me and I haven't been able to shake it- strawberry ice cream. Not normally my go to choice, I'm more of a chocolate girl, but I have been CRAVING some strawberries in a major way. As luck would have it the only sugars passing my lips this week come from fruits and veggies, and soft serve is as easy as a frozen banana. After dinner- a Clean Eating Magazine recipe won again- a lightened up version of taco bowls for me, and enchiladas for my main man, I attacked my TRX with a vengeance. My arms are jello, and my legs are shaking- but that didn't stop me from whipping up two bowls of homemade strawberry soft serve- by whipping up I mean I had to hit the pulse button a few times, complicated stuff we have going on! Into the food processor went 2 frozen bananas, and a handful of frozen strawberries. It did it's food "processing" for a few minutes, and viola- creamy, cold, strawberry soft serve without any additional sugars added! No extra sugar... no big deal!

something forbidden...

2012-01-23T17:50:00.000-08:00

What better way to spice up a Monday evening than to start it off with something a little forbidden, and a wine glass full of water ;) I have a special bag of forbidden rice I keep in my pantry. I save it for special recipes and Monday nights! Right before drifting off to sleep last night I flipped to a picture in my Clean Eating Magazine of Salmon over Forbidden rice salad and made a mental pin! After a long day at work it was nice to already have a plan for dinner.

Forbidden rice gets its name from a dish saved for Royalty, in Asia, a really long time ago- before Whole Foods made it un-forbidden to all us non-Royals! Google will tell you all the nutritional stats related to the black grained rice- totally worth a read. It will describe its slightly nutty flavor. Nothing you read will compare to the mild flavor and fantastic texture of actually eating the rice. Its worth a trip to the Whole Foods, no matter how many ~~hippies~~ hybrids cut you off in the parking lot... I joke... kinda :)

Tonight my forbidden bed... of rice.. was topped with Thai-inspired sauteed salmon and veggies. Veering off from Clean Eating's recipe I came up with this little beauty. Totally worthy of weekend dinner, but easy enough to make on a Monday- a rainy, inside recess, kind of Monday at that!

Bring two cups of water to a boil, add 1 cup rice. Cover and lower heat for 25 minutes.

While rice cooks mix the following together in a bowl:

1 diced red pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro- save 2 Tbsp for garnish

1 finely chopped jalapeno- seeds and ribs removed depending on how spicy you like it!

4 thinly sliced green onions- save 1/2 for garnish

2 minced cloves of garlic

You'll also need:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

2 tsp lime juice

4 Tbsp lite Coconut Milk- I seriously opened a whole can for 4 Tbsp- expect more Asian Food this week Hubby!

1 tsp sesame seeds

splash of vinegar- I used apple cider

Over mediumish heat, add oil to a pan and quick swirl the first 5 ingredients- less than 2 min. Add lime juice, soy sauce, vinegar, coconut milk, and sesame seeds and heat until just bubbling

Remove mixture from pan.

Allow pan to regain heat and add Salmon. Cook over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes per side.

When fish flakes its done- I like mine medium rare, so a little less time works better for me.

Assemble over your forbidden rice bed, and top with pepper/onion/jalapenos. Add fresh onion and cilantro on top.

I ate mine like this, ya know since I've broken up with non fruit sugar for the week, but hubs was super stoked when I drizzled honey sriracha over his. Equal parts honey and sriracha mixed and drizzled over ANYTHING and you're set! It was perfect for tonights dinner.

**Don't forget to find A Well Spiced Life on Facebook!!! Instant post updates for you and motivation for me... win win situation I think!

it's what's for lunch...

2012-01-23T05:14:00.000-08:00

Sunday generally sets the mood for my week. It will either be rushed with half finished projects, or a crossed off to do list that leaves me well placed for the upcoming work week. This Sunday was productive, a good sign for my upcoming, scheduled to the brim week! In order to maximize time at home Monday- Friday, lunches have been set up with easy to grab (and no sugar for me...) options that we can take to work. Hubby and I don't typically eat out at work, except for the occasional lunch date, which means we pack lunches everyday for both of us. Aside from being so much more affordable, what we pack is pretty healthy! There's standard always fruits, veggie bags, almonds, greek yogurt, and standard leftovers or salads. I have been consistently taking a leafy green salad. Sometimes its exciting- like tomorrows with roasted beets, goat cheese, and black olives- other times its pretty standard and leaves me hungry shortly after eating it, probably out of food-boredom. To keep things exciting, and make sure I have time to devote to my TRX and running shoes, our salads are set up and ready to go! Toppings and add ins are chopped up and ready to be assembled super quick! Of course leftovers always make an appearance throughout this week- we're starting with some super homemade beef and veggie soup.

Having dinners planned out helps too- but that isn't super rigid. Some nights I want to cooooooooooook, and some nights I just want to eat, and quickly! It all depends on what the day has been like. I make a loose plan, that is super flexible, or randomly browse the epicurious app! This week should include a veggie lasagna, meatballs (of some variety), soup (I'm thinking chicken and dumplings), salmon- and that is about as far as my planning goes.

With a few less things to worry about this week, maybe there will even be more posts! Could it be, AWSL has regained momentum?!

Hey Sug-ah!

2012-01-22T14:56:00.000-08:00

The other day a friend posted on FB (sidenote AWSL has a FB page!!! Welcome to the 21st century lil' blog o' mine!) a link about SUGAR!!! This comes coincidentally after a "Paula Deen has diabetes news cast." I have very passionate feelings about the S word. My sugar limitations are strictly a personal eating belief, that even in moderation- you can still have TOO much. We don't drink sodas, rarely have juice, and stick to desserts made in someones kitchen-mainly around the holidays. It's pretty easy to weed out the major sugar sources from our home BUT we do love our craft beer, red wines, dark chocolate, and Agave nectar. With debates surrounding agave and its likeness to High Fructose Corn Syrup, I feel like I am a hypocrite when I use it in coffee, oatmeal, or to sweeten up a smoothie! Why have one but not the other? To shake things up this week I'm taking the classic avoidance approach with the sweet stuff. Coffee will just be blonde, not sweet! Chocolate will be unapproachable, and red wine will have to just gather some dust in dining room for a bit longer.
- this mornings smoothie had no extra sweetness added, just the fruit!

This also means no more granola bars for breakfast, greek yogurt without honey, and paying extra attention to anything not homemade. EEEK!

Why this week? Why this challenge?

Why not?! No sense in putting something off, when motivation is chomping at the bit for a good personal challenge! I've nixed the major offenders- soft drinks, lil' debbies, juices, daily desserts- but that doesn't mean I can't make my diet even better!

Cheers (tap water in a wine glass of course- you can't buy that kind of class!) to a challenge!

Greetings From...

2012-01-22T06:46:00.000-08:00

~~SUNNY FLORIDA~~ er, Wintery Weather VA is more like it! We woke up yesterday to a wet, ice covered deck, followed by morning rain. Though today has been dry, the cool temperatures remain. Not to worry we are looking at high's in the 60's this week, because that makes a lot of sense! For some odd reason, I have been on a mid-winter smoothie kick. Last week it was pumpkin laced, today we have "Hi- wish I were on a warm beach, but not in a bikini yet" flavored variety. Your standard frozen strawberries, banana, and mixed fruit that you need to either use or get rid of blended with 1 cup greek yogurt, 1/2 cup 1% milk, 1/2 cup water, and topped with unsweetened shredded coconut.

Its pretty standard, but if I lean up against the fireplace (after I fight for a spot between these two heat hogs, like hubs demonstrates above), close my eyes really tight, I am suddenly sitting on a beach- with nothing but the sand, ocean, and my strawberry smoothie. Where did your breakfast take you today?

this and that

2012-01-21T18:12:00.000-08:00

2012 is off to a busy start! With so many things to accomplish, and so few free hours to do so, the blog has been lacking updates. I promise we aren't starving artists overhere! It's anything but. So far our new year has us planning an epic trip, catching up on the never ending decorating of our house, getting ready for a FABULOUS friend's Spring Wedding, checking off major life todos, and planning a 5 year anniversary celebration. Like anything a routine will develop- and things will settle down! Until then- FOOOOOOD!!!!

Tomato tower- with "oven fried" greenies!

Grilled Shrimp, rockfish, and pineapple

Hubby's BBQ chicken pizza- a Pioneer Woman Recipe

Grilled bread with Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese

Asian Seafood Stirfry

Fish Tacos- wrapped in lettuce

30 is the new....

2011-12-11T06:04:00.001-08:00

In the week leading up to my 30th birthday, I was given wonderful advice on how to approach the impending day! It's neat to see so many different perspectives on the topic of age. Taking jabs at myself, and my new "old" factor, was more in lighthearted nature than anything else, as I love where I am. So as the passengers of the "30 is the new 20 ship" take off, I'm going to hang out and let 30 just be 30. No reason to go down the road of the 20's again, once was enough thank you! Wrapping up a decade gives time to reflect on the MAJOR (ten years in the making) todo list. Checking off graduate school, starting a career, meeting- crushing on- dating- and then marrying my soul mate, selling a house in a depressed market and moving out to the country, rescuing 3 amazing animals, making new lifelong girlfriends and spending time with my 'oldest' friends, taking better care of myself, hiking mountains and sleeping on top of them, discovering our own ocean front oasis, and so much more. So much accomplished, and even more left to be discovered. So I welcome 30, it's challenges, excitement, and mundane moments!

To kick off my new year, we met up with my family at Tarrant's for dinner. With a wide selections of food and beer everyone's tastes would be met! The service was AWESOME, and the food was perfect. There was no rush to the evening, but no lag either. We sampled appetizers, ordered our entrees, and finished with desserts! I couldn't leave 29 behind without a chocolate covered canoli!

It was such a special night, to wine- er...beer- and dine with the people I love the most. After dinner, and hugging my parents goodbye, hubs, sister +1, and I went to Pennylane. Another instittution of the 20's that will always be a mainstay! We enjoyed another pint before heading home!

Friday's dinner was the kind of night where everything fits together so perfect, you wake up the next morning still glowing from the warmth of love that surrounded you!

Saturday's celebration brought on a romantic dinner for two at our favorite spot- no reservations needed! I was kicked out of the kitchen while hubby took care of everything. After a quick TRX fix, I jumped back into the book I was reading on my new Kindle Fire! I was invited back downstairs for the 1st of 3 courses! Grilled eggplant with parmesan. Simple and heavenly with a drizzle of balsamic reduction. My wine glass was never empty, and the service was extra good looking :)

Following the eggplant was a bowl of homemade Maryland Rockfish and Seafood soup. With fresh rockfish in the fridge, thanks to my FIL's recent Chesapeake Bay fishing trip, Steve created a soul warming bowl of seafood, veggies, and broth that I hope will be replecated many, MANY, times to come.

I was completely satisfied, and even still he hit me with a 3rd course. This time the rockfish fillets were marniated in olive oil and lime juice, before being grilled. They were accompanied by Israeli cous couse, with veggies and a garlic basil butter. The butter was not needed, but I couldn't stop from taking dips. The rockfish by itself was unbelievable!

We cranked up all of the Christmas lights- all 2000 outdoor twinkling bulbs- and headed outside to toast my birthday, and celebrate with a few more surprises!

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect welcoming into my 30th year! Being able to spend time with the people I love was the most perfect gift ever!

time to make the doughnuts...

2011-11-20T08:43:00.001-08:00

I am pretty late to the doughnut pan party, but I have arrived none the less!! I am so glad I added this $10.00 bed bath and beyond addition to my mini muffin tin, mini bread loaf, mini tart collection of bakeware. I do not pride myself in baking, but will on occasion create a healthier version of the good stuff that doesn't resemble cardboard.

Enter the doughnut.

Traditional fried doughnuts glazed in sugar are fantastic, however as I creep closer to 30 (20 more days!!!) I need not be reminded of every naughty nibble.... hello metabolism melt down!!!

source

If you're a fan of the Lindt dark chocolate bar with sea salt, then make these as is. If salt and chocolate aren't your thing, cut the salt back.

Baked Dark Chocolate Doughnuts

1 cup white wheat flour
1/4 cup agave nectar (won't make it too sweet- add more if you like but balance with a touch of extra flour)
2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder (1 Tbsp Hershey's special Dark Chocolate and 1 Tbsp regular Cocoa powder next time I'm going for 100% dark chocolate!!!)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt (less if you aren't a fan of the salty chocolate combo)
2 Tbsp cocunut oil
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients (if you are using sugar instead of agave nectar, mix it in with the dry. I mixed the agave with the wet ingredients.)

Beat in room temp coconut oil. Mix all wet ingredients together and combine everything in mixer. Stir ingredients until just mixed. No need to overdo it and make a chewy doughnut.

Use a spatula to move batter into a large plastic bag, snip off the end and pipe into the greased doughnut pan. *** I have a tall coffee mug I put a quart sized plastic bag in and fold the top around the edge of the mug. It makes the transfer much easier. I make a small snip on the bottom corner of the bag and pipe around once for each doughnut. I fill between 1/2 and 3/4 of each mold.

Bake for 8-10 minutes and let cool slightly before removing from pan. Grease again and make any remaining doughnuts. This made 9 total for us.

I drizzled organic maple syrup over mine before dusting with unsweetened organic coconut.

Sweet Tooth

2011-10-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

I have a weakness, my sweet achilles heal, if you will! I am a sucker for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I also have super strong will power, and can usually avoid a full on chocolate peanut butter binge. When I came across this recipe, I knew I had to make it.

Chocolate Peanut Butter balls....oh yes!

Mix 1 cup all Natural Organic Peanut Butter
1/4 cup organic maple syrup
1/2 cup Brown rice cereal

Roll into 2 Tbsp sized balls, and drizzle with melted chocolate.

Place in freezer until set (or store in freezer). When ready to eat, let them sit out for about 10 minutes!

There are no words....

My newest obsession.. one of them

2011-10-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have completely fallen in love with making granola bars. Every Sunday I look ahead at the week to see what kinds of food we have in the fridge, and plan a couple of meals for those nights when my brain cells are minimal. I also throw together a batch of granola for quick easy breakfasts or snacks. With anything, it gets better with time and each batch is tastier than the last. The base is always the same, however each kind definitely has its own unique flavor and texture. Pumpkin Granola is soft- almost like a cookie. Cocoa Coffee granola is crunchy. Fruit and nut is pretty standard chewy granola. No matter what flavor variety or texture it is awesome knowing what each ingredient is (and how to pronounce it).
The base for it all starts with

3 cup old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups Brown Rice Cereal- think Rice Crispies but Brown.
1 1/2 cups Millet cereal
1/2 chopped almonds/ raw unsalted cashew mix
1 cup dried fruit (cherries are awesome!)
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup + an extra tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 cup (extra full) brown rice syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoon cinnamon (I love cinnamon, if you aren't a fan use less)
dusting of nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper. Mix 1st 7 ingredients in mixer. Heat and stir together remaining ingredients, and add to the dry ingredients. Press evenly into pan, and bake for 20-23 minutes. Once finished, let it cool and cut into squares.

For different variations add ingredients to either dry mix or the melted mixture. Make them your own! You can change up the nuts, dried fruits, and flavors to create any combo you'd like!

Cocoa coffee- I added 2 Tbsp Dark chocolate cocoa powder and 1/4 cup decaf instant coffee into melted mixture before pouring it on. I LOVED them, however hubby wasn't as big of a fan. I could munch on chocolate covered espresso beans all day though.

Peanut butter granola- I added a 1/2 cup of peanut butter, and cut the almond butter down to 1/4 cup. It was very tasty, but very crumbly.

Pumpkin- add 1/4 cup pumpkin puree to melted ingredients. Make sure to add 1/2 cup extra oats to dry ingredients to help balance out the wetness of the pumpkin.

I store these in an air tight container on the counter for the week. We are lucky if they aren't all gone by Friday!

Soup Kitchen

2011-10-23T07:56:00.000-07:00

Soup is one of the most seasonal foods around. No matter what vegetables (or fruits!!) the season is producing, it is guaranteed to make a phenomenal soup. Spring's asparagus soup, summer's gazpacho, and winters hearty beef stews can be joined by fall's roasted root veggie soup. This creation was simple, and perfect for the first night of 30 something degree temps. Add 1 fireplace, a few glasses of wine (or Oktoberfest!) and you have yourself the recipe for a cozy evening.

1 small sweet potato
2 celery stalk
3 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
1 large parsnip
1/2 white onion
1/2 large fennel
1 leek
Fresh Tarragon
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Cayenne pepper
Veggie Stock (4 cups)
water (about 3 or 4 cups)
1 cup white wine

Set oven at 425. Roast garlic in skin, in olive oil- I do the foil pocket with enough oil to cover for about 15/20 ish minutes. Once it's done is soft, sticky, and squeezes out of the paper. I LOVE the softer flavor of roasted garlic.
Cut all other veggies into cubes/ pieces roughly 1-2 inches big. Onion can remain bigger.
Roast veggies for 30 minutes.
Place veggies and garlic in a food processor (I ended up doing 2 batches in the food processor). Pulse until smooth. It gets thick, so begin adding the veggie stock while in the processor. Once it's your desired consistency (chunky or creamy smooth- my favorite!) put it in a large dutch oven. Once all veggies are blended, and in the dutch oven add any remaining veggie stock and wine. My soup was super think, so I began watering it down to the perfect consistency for us. It took about 3 cups of water, but add it to your taste. Add fresh tarragon, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. I would say we used about 1 1/2 Teaspoon of sea salt, loads of black pepper- and 1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne. Tarragon was added while cooking, and as a garnish. The fluffy fennel fur made a perfect garnish as well! This soup is a welcome addition to my recipe collection, and I can not wait to make it again ... perhaps on Thanksgiving!!

will work for nachos!

2011-09-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I are distinctly different in the kitchen. He cleans as he cooks, leaving minimal work to do after dinner. I pull out and use everything, and leave it for after dinner. Double bonus when he cooks... and cleans... The other night Steve sent me out of the kitchen, and set to work on creating a dinner worthy of posting! I took a hint, and a nap on the couch, and patiently waited! I have a bad habit of trying to ~~control~~ help out... only to get in the way! Steve's creation was perfect in every way- just looking at the pictures makes my mouth water! I can't wait to be kicked out of the kitchen again!

Seafood Nachos

6 or so Large deveined shrimp
4 large scallops
2 pieces of flounder
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
homemade Pico de Gallo (his secret, not mine)
diced veggies (onion, red and green pepper, tomatoes)
tortilla chips

Lightly season flounder fillets (salt, pepper, garlic) and bake for 8 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Fish will flake when done! When cooked, shred fish into flakes. Saute scallops and shrimp- cut into small pieces. Build nachos, layering cheese and veggies. Add seafood on top and bake until cheese melts. Add pico on top and enjoy!

*** Update- I misspoke Hubs grilled everything!

The remedy

2011-08-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

My kitchen...it houses some of my most prized possessions- a Kitchen Aid stand up mixer, a red cast iron dutch oven, a refrigerator filled with fresh foods, and my wine glasses. Not only does it hold my treasures, it leads to the deck! A girl has to have priorities- hubby tries very hard to win my girly side over with jewelery. While I appreciate his effort, I am not the normal girl- I squeal with delight in my espresso maker and full size food processor. So when our state was rocked with an earthquake and hurricane within a 5 day span I retreated to the kitchen (and grill). Nothing warms my soul more than spending time in the center of our home.

Enter juicy Steve-burgers (grilled during and after a pretty ginormous Thunderstorm)
1 lb 90/10 ground beef
heavy splashes of Worcestershire
2 cloves fresh minced garlic
black pepper and sea salt
dried spices for rolling

Mix beef, Worcestershire, garlic, salt and pepper together and form 4 balls. Flatten slightly and roll the edges in a mix of pepper and spices to taste ( I am partial to spicy mixes with lots of course pepper). Depress the middle of the burger and grill on medium high heat for 3 or 4 minutes per side. Add cheese as necessary.
Steve won my heart and stomach by grilling me hamburgers early in our relationship. While we share the grilling duties these days, we often reminisce over the early days with every bite (he still outgrills me- and his burgers are hands down the best I've ever had!)

Nothing calms earthquake shocked nerves like juicy burgers with grilled potato wedges!

To soothe the pre-hurricane anxiety, pulled pork sandwiches are a must! Whole wheat buns hold the perfect combination of spicy pork with broccoli slaw.
My slow cooker did all the work in making the pork fork shreddable. Low heat for 6 1/2 hours left a 5lb pork loin perfect (and ready for sauce). There's no use rewriting perfection- epicurious has it taken care of here. Topped off with broccoli slaw, bbq is the answer to many ailments and anxieties. I like my slaw more peppery and vinegary, and would dare judge anyone in their slaw consistency preferences. To my broccoli mix (lame- store bought in a bag!!! It was a hurricane after all) I added 1/4 cup olive oil mayo (I'm hell bent on making my own mayo, just not today), small swirl of agave nectar, 2 Tbsp milk, and 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, heavy doses of pepper.

And if that hasn't taken care of restoring wrecked nerves, go here and make these. I wouldn't dream of changing one of Jenna's masterful recipes. She is a bloggin' kitchen all star. With trees dancing dangerously with each other- and a few tree casualties on our property- there was no sense in leaving the house yesterday. Five hours spent baking bread did not seem unreasonable, and after 1 bite I began planning the next all day bake session!

Today brings sunshine and relaxation- time to enjoy it!!

when in doubt...

2011-08-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

...make your own hummus! This post lacks pictures- and while I apologize, I most certainly do not feel sorry for every carrot dipped, hummus covered, pita lovin' bite I ate! Nope, not one lil' bit!! So let your imagination guide the picture- and follow closely! I promise home made hummus is better than anything you've ever bought- and worth the hours of soaking required.

Soak 2 cups of chickpeas overnight (OR speed it up by boiling them for 2 minutes, turning off heat, and covering for 1 hour)
Simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours
Use a food processor- and whirl together for 2+ minutes with the following.
1/3 cup tahini
2 Tbsp olive oil (I usually add more, depending on desired creaminess- but start with 2)
2 giant cloves of garlic (extra gaaaah-licky)
sea salt to taste!
3 Tbsp lemon juice
dash(es) of Cayenne pepper- I lurve the Cayenne pepper!

Then have fun and add whatever floats your boat- roasted red peppers, pickles (my hubbies fave!!), goat cheese (ummm honey can I have a goat?!), and enjoy with your favorite veggies and pitas.

I have doomed myself, and store bought hummus will no longer due.... thank goodness its easy as P.I.E. (which I have a long sordid history with.... damn you pecan pie!!!)

Peachy BBQ Burgers

2011-08-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Summer is quickly slipping by and each day I grasp at my last little bit of freedom before heading back to my j.o.b. I LOVE my job, but need my summers off to ~~rejuvenate~~ study innovative new approaches of reaching students from different demographics while preparing them for future tests, AND instilling them with skills to be critical thinkers, and leaders of the future. Just kidding- they teach you all that and more at COLLEGE!!!
Summer can KEEP it's humidity and 90+ degree days... this teacher doesn't want to go out for recess and need a shower afterwards- but I'll take the laid back evening of grilling (any night of the week). This week's grilled deliciousness is dedicated to my friend Marcee. She makes amazing chicken burgers with feta and spinach mixed it... and strawberry secret sangria. I'm not sure if it's truly a secret or if she just forgets how she does it each time. Either way I could eat/drink at her house everyday in the summertime... thankfully we share the same schedule! Now put down your best practices guide book, and turn on the grill!

Barbecue Chicken Burgers

1 lb. ground chicken- the lean stuff
mass amounts of black pepper and garlic- according to your taste! Just don't try and kiss me after eating one of my burgers or you'll be sorry!
salt
red pepper flakes- gives it fire
bbq sauce- store bought or home made
goat cheese
peaches-cut in 1/2 with pits removed
onion- 1/2 large white onion, sliced
olive oil
burger buns

Fire up the grill and get it nice and hot! Mix in salt, pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes well with ground chicken. Form 4 patties from the meat. Oil grill grates, once hot! Put burgers down and grill accordingly. I do a few minutes each side before flipping. Baste burgers in bbq sauce make sure it coats each side nicely- the sugars in the sauce should thicken and make it extra sticky on the outside of the burger. Meanwhile, cook onions in oil on medium heat for about 20 minutes. They will start to turn light brown. The longer you cook them the better- caramelizing onions is a low and slow process. I always rush it with a higher heat- thus not TRUE caramelized onions. If you have the patience go all out! I use a meat thermometer to make sure my burgers are cooked all the way, a few minutes before pulling them off put peach halves on the grill. Grill on each side- giving nice char marks. Once everything is ready, assemble your burgers! Top bbq burgers with a bit of goat cheese, onions, and sliced peaches.

Enjoy- a perfect edible representation of summer flavors!

Marry Your Best Friend

2011-08-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

Lesson 3 is the most important. Should you leave your campsite messy before having to move it- it will just make your move a bigger pain. Should you forget Benadryl... well you may be totally screwed. But make sure you are married to your best friend- if they aren't then you better start making them your bestie! I will not convince Steve that a couples massage and pedi are a great bonding experience... or that white wine is perfect in the Summertime.

Epitome of manliness

And while he tries, he'll never teach me about the trajectory of bullets and whatnot.... or that a ceramic dragon would look cool in ANY room of the house.. well maybe the garage.

Nothing says "Welcome to Our Home" like a dragon....

What makes him my best friend is that in ANY situation, I know that together we are capable of succeeding. Small tasks like cooking dinner together started our relationship off in the right direction. Small tasks turned into larger ones- purchasing a house, combining different tastes and redefining OUR combined style, taking care of our 4 legged fur babies, and being able to STILL have fun on a trip that went south just a few days into it!

Random acts of Beach Yoga

We mentioned packing it up and heading home- SHOULD the pups need a trip to the emergency vet. A decision not to take lightly, as we were on an island and would have had to call in the privately run ferry to pick us up.

please get me out of here

Our trip may sound like a nightmare to some- and believe me parts of it were!

Boy, I'm not taking you home til you catch me a tuna

We were also able to have a blast together, once we knew the pups were going to be fine. We goofed off in the ocean, spent hours catching fish, spotted sharks feeding REALLY close to the beach, saw the most amazing stars, cooked world class dinners, drank incredible craft beer, listened to soul stirring music, and fell more in love!

Fly Venom has been known to have this effect of people... true story

nom nom nom

Inspite of less than desirable circumstances, we were able to enjoy moments of bug relief- with an optimistic approach.

Beautiful sunset = flies gone, enter mosquitoes

Lesson #3- It's not about where you are, but who you're with. If the person you married becomes your best friend, you are good to go!

just like our first date.. only we're married!

Lesson 2- PPP

2011-08-02T06:14:00.000-07:00

So if you read the previous post, you have our PI history, our campsite fails, and a brief version of the bug attack. Far too much info for 1 post to recap our trip- the lessons learned in this trip will require multiple postings (happy reading!).
A year ago we took Blitzie on her last camping trip, and started a new tradition with the Black Dog and the Gray Bear.

Blitzie on Portsmouth Island in 2010

Marking our 1 year adoption with Whiskey, we were pumped to let them chase crabbies and play in the surf.

Whiskey Girl

Ramsey making her presence known

When we woke up with no wind, Thursday morning, we of course felt the lil' ninjas munching away on our ankles. It wasn't until the pups started running around in circles, nipping at anything, and pleading to us with their sad puppy eyes that we knew we were in trouble. Hubby stuck the dogs in the truck- blasting AC, ya know because what's better than being bit by bugs in 90+ heat!? We started the move. I checked on the ladies refilling water bowls, and making sure they were ok. Whiskey took the brunt of the bites and had HUNDREDS of little whelps forming from her paws to her snout. In the 10 or so minutes we were outside, she had been attacked and was starting to puff up with an allergic reaction. Steve asked me how she was doing, and all I could say was it was getting worse! My dude is pretty awesome under pressure. Both of us garnish a take charge, clear and concise mentality- and don't let direct orders cause our feelings to be hurt. So when I directly "requested" Benadryl- he was there. Water refills- all over it. And when he said we had to move, we moved. While our ankles provided lunch for the black flies, we carried our campsite out to open beach-by this time it was at least 96 degrees outside. The silver lining?! There was none! It was a craptastic situation- not to mention our minds were constantly worrying about the dogs and if the benadryl would even help! Forty five minutes of hell gave the antihistamines time to do their magic, and Whiskey started to look like herself again. Our campsite was up, in it's new location, and God blessed us with gusts of wind strong enough to take the black flies back to the dunes- leaving us the green headed suckers to deal with (they at least won't bother you if you reapply bug spray every 30 minutes.) Both pups spent the day in a Benadryl induced intoxication, and woke up the next morning feeling better.

Fully recovered

Whiskey on her crab hunt

Lesson #2- Pack Pink Pills.

Welcoming Party

2011-08-02T05:38:00.000-07:00

For the past three years we have set aside time to venture down to Portsmouth Island. Just south of Ocracoke, NC, PI was once occupied by a small fishing village. The village still stands, however the people have since moved off the island. We found PI in a small Outside magazine article a few years ago- the rest is history! Each trip has been marked by 'events' out of our control. The first trip- the mildest- was in June of '09. It was a great intro, and lured us into planning another.

I could do this every summer...

April of 2010 brought WIND. Sandblasting wind that shot down the beach- making fishing terrible, and ushering us into the safety of the dunes to retreat from it's fury.

Our desires of the PI experience were not met, so we again traveled back in 2010, this time bridging the last week of June, into the first week of July. The wind was much calmer, but still present. Thunderstorms rained down destroying our metal awning frame (basically palmed it flat onto the beach.) We retreated to the dunes...again. After a few enjoyable days of sunshine, we were set to head home. We packed up a majority of our campsite- leaving only the tent and some clothes to take care of in the morning. Thunderstorms again came through this time raging against our tent (a glorious North Face Tent, purchased as a Christmas Gift for hubby, on our 1st Christmas!) Poles broke, rain fly ripped, tent failed. We slept in the truck.

The Thunderstorm that ate our campsite

With high spirits we set out for our 4th adventure on PI, this time with 2 pups! We caught the ferry, drove up the beach to find our spot and set up camp, this time close to the dunes, so we wouldn't have to move it!

Wednesday and Thursday were warm, breezy, beautiful beach days. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were hot, dead calm days. Have you ever seen the Atlantic Ocean look like a lake?! It was scary calm. There were NO waves, NO wind and NO relief from these guys.

Source

Black flies, unassuming as they appear, are the ninjas of the bug kingdom. Swarming in from the dunes (because there was no wind to keep them at bay), they attacked both hubs and myself- as well as the dogs. We quickly made the decision to move our campsite closer to the water- to no avail, they just followed us. They laughed at our bug spray- 100% deet- and kept on mounting attacks at our ankles. The wind picked up, the bugs went back to the dunes, and we were finally safe from their onslaught. Lesson #1- you will ALWAYS move your campsite on PI, so keep it clean.

Stuff Your (face) Tomatoes

2011-07-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

Even though my garden isn't aplenty... my neighbor's is! Lucky for us we have neighbors that know how to grow some tasty veggies. This week we were blessed with a delivery of ripe tomatoes and cucumbers, from a very welcoming neighbor (who knows his way around a garden). We've been slicing tomatoes nightly as an extra veggie in addition to our dinners, but tonight the tomatoes were the centerpiece of dinner. Stuffed with pulled chicken, basil, garlic, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, olive oil, and topped with fresh parmesan, these were the perfect way to showcase tomatoes in a slightly different way. Arugula laid the bed, and summer squash with veggie marinara set to the side of each tomato. A glass of red wine, and dinner was served. While I wait and decide if I should dig into another one....the dark chocolate is eyeing me from across the room!

Preheat Oven to 375.

Remove the seeds and flesh of the tomatoes.

Save flesh, and discard seeds.

Roughly chop and mix flesh with cooked pulled chicken (this was from a previous dinner- slow cooked chicken breasts).

Mix with spices (minced garlic, basil, red pepper flakes).

Mix in bread crumbs and olive oil- and stuff each tomato.

Cook in oven for 20 minutes.

If you're on my deck...

2011-07-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

... you have to talk like a pirate.

With perfect low heat and low humidity- a July rarity in Va- we set up the deck for a 2 person party. The music was loud enough, the beer was extra cold, and dinner was a partial redo of a previous failed attempt! I sent my hubs a text earlier in the day asking him to make grilled apples for me! He is modest about his culinary ability and I am a kitchen hog- but I do love when he cooks for me. He is set on grilling everything (a personal goal perhaps?!) Apples (Granny Smiths)- while not the first thing that comes to mind when you fire up a grill- are pretty amazing when topped with goat cheese, agave nectar, and grill roasted pecans. It could double as a dessert, but we started our party off perfectly with them.

A few weeks ago we picked up beef marketed as "great for Kabobs"- they looked pretty... but they were so tough and chewy, we ended up with assorted grilled veggies for dinner. This time I went with beef tenderloin- finding a package that had 3 smaller steaks (each steak was roughly 3 ounces.) I cut them in to kabob sized pieces and marinated them in olive oil, garlic and splashes of Worcestershire- for maybe 30 minutes. I strung through peppers, onion, and baby portabellas, with a 2 pieces of beef on each skewer. They sat on a hot grill for just shy of 5 minutes and were grilled to perfection- no knife needed!

We stayed up late, listened to music, and had way too much fun to be classified as "adults."

Corn with a C...

2011-07-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

... not a K-that would be the 90's band who I listened to in high school... and for some reason had a crush on Munky... my poor, poor parents!

This corn is much quieter!

My main focus in the kitchen this summer has been to remove **as much** processed foods as I can- with exceptions! We are not a couple of hard charging purist who refuse ice cream... beer... wine.. or any other of life's lil' luxuries. Our food philosophy is simple- if listed ingredients are unrecognizable we tend to stay away, and try to recreate a cleaner version using real and whole foods- tend to being the key words... we are human after all! With that being said, this week was full of some extra tasty meals- created simply with fresh ingredients!

I grabbed a few ears of corn at the grocery store with every intention on grilling it as a side with dinner. When I started out in the kitchen, I went a different route, mainly because I didn't feel like gnawing on a corn cob! So with other veggies being chopped up, I let my corn boil for 10 minutes and then placed it on a hot grill- just long enough to get char marks around it! I cut it from the cob and mixed it in a bowl with the following:

1/2 chopped red pepper
1/2 chopped green pepper
1 clove minced garlic
1 chopped jalapeno pepper
1/2 avocado
1/2 small red onion- grilled
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper

I mixed, tasted, and adjusted the salt and pepper. It was so simple, so sweet, and gone so quick! We paired it up next to a mixed green salad- with salsa instead of dressing ( I am IN LOVE with Costco's medium organic salsa.... pretty much the only reason I go there!) and spiced and sliced grilled chicken breasts. I know I've done right when my guy closes his eyes and smiles after the first bite!

Squash coming out of your ears?!

2011-07-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

With an abundance of summer squash from family and neighbors I took to my favorite search engine to find creative new ways to use our bounty! The first recipe that caught my eye was from My Little Kitchen. I tweaked it by using 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, and 1/2 cup cornmeal- instead of the spelt bread crumbs. I nixed the tomato sauce, but think it would have been a great addition!

The second squash creation was a creamy summer squash soup- perfect even on a 90 degree day! Into the Dutch oven (which feels out of place in summer cooking) went 1/2 of a white onion roughly chopped, 3 cloves of smashed garlic, 3 chopped up carrots, 3 large yellow squash- peeled and cubed- and about a TBSP olive oil. Let it cook for 5 or so minutes until the squash is getting brown edges and the onion is getting soft. Add 4 cups of chicken stock - or veggie, but I used what was available- 1/2 cup (or more!!!) white wine. We were out of cooking wine, so in went some Chardonnay! Let it simmer until the carrots are soft- 10ish minutes...maybe?!. Add mixture into blender or food processor in small batches- or you will end up with soup EVERYWHERE....trust me! I whirl mine for a while... making it extra creamy! Put it back in the Dutch oven on a low setting and add 1 cup milk- I use 1%. To season the soup I add a variety of spices to taste. It started with salt and pepper, tumeric, and chili seasoning. After tasting, it needed cayenne pepper (a healthy dose!) and more salt.

Now I'm waiting for the next batch of squash to come in.... if only my green thumb was as successful as my kitchen creations!

4th Festivities

2011-07-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth of July! True to form we spent the weekend at the grill- be it holiday or snow day we can usually be found grilling out! Hubs sipped a Bells Lager, in the ever so patriotic American Amber Ale glass while grilling out some sliders and dogs.

I kicked off the evening with oven "Fried" green 'maters- they were dusted in cornmeal, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. I lightly spritzed them with olive oil before cooking in a 400 degree oven. They were totally edible!

With them we had peppers stuffed with goat and cream cheese, garlic, chili flakes (just a pinch) and hot sauce. These little beasts had a fiery kick for being as cute as they looked! They went into the same oven as the tomatoes, for about 20 minutes.

The pups enjoyed some quality deck time....

.... and hammed it up for the mama!!

After all was grilled we assembled the sliders- cut the hot dogs in half and topped them with everything from avocado, to pineapple... Hubby made multiple types of sliders! The options were awesome..

a. the Texas slider with pepper jack cheese, and BBQ sauce

b. bacon, blue with mushrooms and onions

There was no way to favor one over the other... so I had both!

Thank goodness they were bite size, we had to keep some room open for the grilled pineapple slices!

Our two person party ended up on the front porch, for the most amazing thunderstorm! The lightning was intense, and we were pretty insane for staying out in it! How could we not chill out and enjoy the light show provided for us... I mean it is the 4th after all!

The gratuitous patriotic Flag shot between moments of a pitch black and an electric silver sky ..

Morning brought a groggy couple down for coffee and coffee initiated the conversation on today's list of things to do...

1st up a RUN! We took off for a relatively nearby park. We haven't been to Poor Farm since the demolition of the beloved "flats" began...

So long sweet single track...

We managed to squeeze in a humid hour long, sweat inducing run! Most of the time we were laughing like children stomping through the puddles, jumping over downed branches- evidence of last nights intensity- and chasing each other through the twists and bends in the trail!

I'm most grateful for a long weekend with my dude, to close out a superb vacation! Blessed to have amazing family and friends... and honored there are individuals who have given their lives to ensure my safety!

Knee Deep

2011-07-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

After 7 sweet days on the beaches of Hatteras Island with my hubby's family and friends we returned home today with clear minds, full hearts, and a yearning to get back in the sand again! The week was full of adventures with the pitties, grilling out, and craft beers! Both pups enjoyed what we believe to be their first romp in the sand- in true pit bull fashion they attacked the crabs with a vengeance, kicked sand until their hearts content, and made their presence known in attempts to communicate with the waves. Our four legged fur babies had a blast!

Predawn beach patrol- waiting for the sun!

setting up for the day

Whiskey contemplating what we are doing up so early...

pit bulls in the sand

waiting to chase people around the pool....

So after a week of no guilt beach eating, flat morning runs, and mass consumption of hoppy brews we came home craving a light- grilled no doubt- dinner! I'm passing on beers for water- blasphemy I know. My insatiable craving for seafood led us to munch on grilled oysters (WSL style) while working on rockfish- lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, and dusted with Austin's Awesome Seafood Seasoning.... A.A.S.S. blend from Austin's in Rodanthe. Asparagus and roasted rutabaga "fries" held the veggie ground! Rutabaga fries are a tasty alternative their potato counterparts- we roasted them for 35 minutes in a 400 degree oven (before setting the stove to a low broil for 3 minutes).

Oysters

Bay Rockfish and asparagus

We are off to enjoy grilled peaches with banana soft serve- aka vegan fro yo! So long double scoops of real ice cream!

He thinks he's funny...

2011-06-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

...but I beg to differ! I mean who calls his very own wife out... publicly....on a blog... hehehe! I actually laughed -hard- reading Hubby's blog about tonight's dinner. In all actuality I have missed food updates, but enjoyed the break (our painful internet service can be unbearable!). Work proved to be extra challenging February- April.... workouts slacked.... food photos ceased... It is with renewed vigor that recipe writing and me time has come back in full effect. Before jumping into eats here's a quick recap of the past few months....

March- The windy month brought 2 family birthdays, desserts, and dinners galore!

April- hubs and I snuck away to South West Virginia to celebrate his birthday!

Birthday dinner- Crab stuffed flounder with asparagus and shrimp :)

May- one of my oldest girlfriends celebrated her upcoming baby boy with a shower. Selecting food was so fun- having her super fabulous photographer sister take pics of them was even better! If you're in Seattle look her up-Jenny Hughes!

Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms- Photo courtesy of Jenny Hughes

I went with Pioneer Woman's stuffed mushroom recipe- but tweaked it by substituting shrimp for the sausage, and adding red peppers to the mix! They were pretty awesome!

Grilled Veggies and Caprese Skewers- Photo courtesy of Jenny Hughes

Olive oil coated veggies made for an easy appetizer along mozzarella, basil, and tomato bites!

I promise we've been eating, drinking wine, switching from porters to IPA's, and slowly setting up our outdoor living space- now it's back to snapping photos of it all!

pt 3.... dinner

2011-02-20T06:53:00.000-08:00

We used the fresh oysters as an appetizer. It has been a longtime goal of mine to get hubby to like oysters as much as I do.... after 6+ years I finally won!

Grilled Oysters

1/2 doz. fresh oysters- scrub the outside of the shells

2 Tbsp butter (I used Earth Balance)

2 cloves chopped garlic- extra chopped!

2-3 splashes hot sauce- I used Habenaro hot sauce

1 tsp tarragon

Put oysters shells on a hot grill. After 2 minutes they should start to open. Take off grill-carefully try not to spill the juices! Pry open the oysters and scrape them loose. Return oysters on the half shell to the grill. In a small sauce pan put butter through tarragon on the grill. Grill for a 2-3 more minutes (depending on size of oysters, and preference). Rub with butter and enjoy!

Applewood Smoked Salmon and Shrimp
1 lb piece of Scottish Salmon
1/2 lb fresh shrimp
salt and pepper

Soak wood chips in water for 30 minutes. Fold a large piece of foil in half and place chips in center. Fold edges in (almost like a foil packet), leaving a opening in the top, for smoke to escape. Carefully move- with help- the grill grates and place directly on flames. I had to poke holes in the bottom of the foil pack to get the smokiness rolling quickly. Close grill and give it time to get nice and smokey!

Season salmon with Sea salt and fresh pepper. Place salmon skin side up on oiled grates. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip and keep grilling until preferred doneness. I like my salmon somewhere between medium rare- medium. The fish will just start to flake when pushed down. Meanwhile grill shrimp until pink! Applewood smoked shrimp are REALLY good- we've never had smoked shrimp before this!

Serve with grilled pineapple slices!!

Black Rice

1 3/4 cup water

1 cup black rice

salt and pepper

We picked this rice up a couple weeks ago at Nadolski's, but we hadn't had time to cook it yet. It went PERFECT with the salmon, shrimp, and pineapples. After all my mush rice experiences I took extra time to research cooking methods. All were relatively the same, and simple enough. Rinse rice. Bring water, with salt and pepper, to a boil, and then add rice. Cover and put heat on low. Cook for 35 minutes. Remove rice from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Black rice has a wonderful nutty flavor. It has high fiber and antioxidant properties, and is a great source of protein! It took a while to find it- and to remember to look for it! I definitely want to keep it on hand from now on. Steve and I loved it!!

... pt 2 Saturday shopping

2011-02-20T06:14:00.000-08:00

Saturday mornings have been a long fought battle in our house. Do we enjoy extra time with coffee, 'news', puppy play time, meanderings through the yard and woods.... or do we get up get moving, and start accomplishing the days goals?! Starting to run errands around 2pm is never a good idea- someone always ends up grumpy! Yesterday we headed off errand running mishaps by leaving around 10am! It was fantastic to wrap up the necessities- Home Depot- and stop in to a few extra spots- Home Goods... sorry hubs... and REI. We were searching for lanterns for our front porch, but left with marinades and sauces... As pay back for dragging hubs into home goods, I was followed by a giant ceramic bunny with wings. Steve carried it on his shoulder for about 30 minutes, nice and high for everyone in sight to stop and give us a puzzled look. What's with the seemingly normal looking couple and their affinity to ugly ceramic figurines...?!
The looks people were giving us were hilarious- it more than made up for the screaming children, claustrophobic aisles, and 4 mismatched lanterns we found randomly through out the store!

All the excitement left me hungry. We stopped by Umi, for a sushi fix! We missed the lunch hours, and were way to early for dinner. We went with a back up plan, and everything was made right, with a few sandwiches and roasted red pepper soup from Cafe Caturra!

Thanks to leaving early in the morning we were able to make another weekend trip to Nadolski's to pick up dinner provisions. Our game plan was pick up whatever fresh fish was out- and then go from there! We went with Organic Scottish Salmon, 1/2 dozen oysters, and 1/2 lb shrimp. It was all we could do not to add gobs of cheese, and slices of bacon to our order! Everything in moderation- especially in this shop!!

We made our way home let the grill heat up and feasted on some amazing eats!!!

prized weekend part 1

2011-02-20T05:49:00.000-08:00

Inevitably there are some weeks where every possible meeting, and scheduled event falls. This past week was one of those weeks. Busy! Hubby's schedule was altered a bit, mine was full to the brim. After a couple weeks of the bronchitis monster zapping energy and motivation, it was nice when the weekend arrived and we were both healthy, and ready to enjoy it.

Friday night started off with spinach and ricotta stuffed puff pastry! They were a fun, and easy little finger food- perfect for sitting on our deck in the warm evening air. Friday's 74 degree temps sent us outside for evening. We enjoyed nibbles, and drinks before grilling sea scallops and flank steak. Steve is always honest about kitchen fails and triumphs. He will be the first to tell me if the meat is tough or the veggies are mushy. My grilled flank steak has historically come out tough. The super lean meat is a great source of protein, but leaves something to be desired in the tenderness category. To combat this I marinated it for a few hours before grilling- using an extra dose of apple cider vinegar!!! We grilled it to about medium, before pulling it off and letting it stand for 10 minutes. The key to preventing beef flavored bubble gum is slicing it paper thin. This of course is easier with a nice sharp knife. Hubs loved it! I made a mental note- marinate for a long time, add extra vinegar, slice as thin as possible! Welcome back flank steak, you've been missed!!!

let's share...

2011-02-15T17:59:00.000-08:00

I share everything with Steve. Sometime's I am sure he doesn't care to listen to what I'm sharing- as in girly drama stuff that he has no understanding or interest in uderstanding....sometimes I share things with him that are hard for me to talk about.. These are the times that bring us closer, I'm sure. It is definitely a trust builder when you tell your loved one something you know they won't want to hear, but need to be aware of!

On a lighter note, sometimes we share germs. Nothing like a lil' bronchitis to say I love you babe!

Lucky for him, he could still taste last night when we shared our V-Day dinner!
As promised, here's the low down on last nights dinner!!

Chicken and Shrimp with yellow rice
In dutch oven cook yellow rice as directed (20 minutes or so).
On stove top saute cubed chicken with garlic and onion, in olive oil. Near the end of cooking the chicken add shrimp. Cook until pink. Remove chicken and shrimp from pan. Return pan to med-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 cup diced red onion. Cook for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup peas, 1 diced roasted red pepper, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, and chopped green onion. Cook for 2 or so minutes. Add veggies, chicken and shrimp to dutch oven with the rice. Season with salt and pepper. Splash with chicken stock, stir, and serve.
Easy!!!

Tonight's dinner included garlic chili sauce, chicken, noodles, and broth! Light your mouth on fire flavor.... or in my love's case just make your nose run a bit more. I spiked his ginger tea with a bit of Basil Hayden bourbon, for extra flavor and warmth!
Now it's time to veg out!

Here's to the next half of the week being a healthy one!

Valentine's day... and all that jazz...

2011-02-14T18:12:00.000-08:00

I am a Valentine's Day scrooge. Hubby doesn't seem to mind, we both love to do nice things for each other all through out the year. Candy, flowers, and fancy dinners are not my thing. I'd rather put a plant in the ground, share dark chocolate with sea salt every night, and whip up something tasty in my own kitchen.

I may have a jaded view of the arrow shooting punk from countless years of Valentine's dinner served to couples enjoying bottles of wine, and a prix fixe menu of appetizer, salad, entree, and a dessert for two. Not that I didn't have a Valentine's to share it with.... but much like New Year's Eve this holiday is pretty much lost to me. Years of restaurant abuse will do that to you.

If you are going to celebrate with your love at a restaurant this fine evening please follow a few simple rules.

1. Don't sit on the same side of the table.... it's just bizarre.

2. Stop making out when your server is striving to get your attention, after all you are there to eat!

3. Just like every couple in there, you are celebrating a special night (along with no making out) please keep hands and feet in plain view at all times.... you have no idea.

4. Don't be complicated and ask for multiple substitutions, you chose to dine out at said restaurant with it's fixed menu with limited options...

5. Expect to pay a prime price for you dinner, but don't stiff your server! They work hard to keep your order's straight, your dressing on the side, steamed veggies, no butter, grilled fish, light ice, twist of lime- no lemon straight, with a smile, and a of course "that's no problem attitude"....

Should you stay home, whip up some saffron rice with chicken, shrimp and veggies. Open a bottle of wine. Snuggle next to the one you love on the couch. That is my kinda ~~Valentine's Day~~ Monday ;-)

How to's for tonight's dinner coming up tomorrow. Right now I've got a Valentine to hang out with!

No matter how you spent it, I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day!

nasal sounding mouth breather.... hawt!!

2011-02-12T07:55:00.000-08:00

I have always boasted about an incredible immune system.... working with kids, but never getting sick.... flu shot- whatevs, I don't get 'em! Enter a slice of humble pie...

Monday I woke up with a raging head cold, miserable I went to work anyway- keeping a safe distance from everyone in sight. Tuesday and Wednesday were repeats. I succumbed to the "s" word, admitted defeat- I was sick! Thursday I sought relief at the doctor, only to find out I had a "virus that had to run it's course."

While there was no magic medication to cure my cold- I got serious help from hubs, soup, and ginger!

Hubby made a KILLER spicy chicken and white bean soup. It had enough red pepper flakes to set any die hard caspian fan's mouth on fire. I nursed it for days, loving every spicy drop. I swear every time I had a bowl I would feel relief for a couple of hours... and then go back for more!

My willingness to try anything for relief of a stuffy head, and tight chest led both Steve and myself on a search- led by my FAVORITE search engine. Each of us found MULTIPLE sites touting ginger's medicinal values. Ginger has widely been known to settle an upset stomach, but also can help knock out a cold! After getting some knobby fresh ginger, I began sipping on ginger tea. As with anything, excess has potential dangers, moderation is key! One tablespoon a day in hot water, with honey and lemon, opened up my airways!

soup, tea, and daily dose of puppy luv

Not everything you google is worthwhile, and your course of treatment should definitely come from a doctor! Mine said rest and liquids ( I just spiced it up a bit!). Thankfully I was able to get both with the help of a fantastic hubby. As I start to feel better, I realize I don't really ever get sick (here we go again) but when I do I am lucky to be married to this dude!

While laying on the couch, refreshing FB every ten minutes the other day, I decided to take a peak at hubby's blog. I love reading his posts! He added a new page. Check it out- OUT THERE !!!! It chronicles some of our favorite camping spots in VA and NC! Definitely lifts the mood of a sick girl, tired of winter, ready to roll out the sleeping bag again!!!

a well spiced cold....

2011-02-08T03:41:00.000-08:00

booo.....
The germs involved with my job have finally gotten ahold of me! All I want to do is curl up with smoothies, soup, and crackers. Hopefully whatever it is, it will quickly run it course and leave my poor sinus cavities alone!

Until then.... Bluberry Banana Smoothies, green tea, and homemade chicken soup for everyone!

Chicken Soup for a Cold
2 Chicken breasts- boneless, skinless or 3 chicken thighs
Olive oil
garlic 3 cloves
1/2 white onion diced
2 chopped carrots
1 celery stalk (halved and then diced)
lots of cayenne and black pepper, and salt
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups chicken broth
whole wheat egg noodles

Heat oil in dutch oven on medium and brown chicken on both sides. Add veggies to dutch oven , and cook until onions are soft and translucent. Add broth to the pan and allow to cook for a few minutes. Pull chicken out of soup and cut and/or shred. Place chicken back in the pan and season with pepper. I added a ton, because I can't breathe... probably wouldn't add as much next time. Season with salt. Add egg noodles to the dutch oven and allow to cook- around medium high- for 8 minutes. You don't want to simmer for too long or the noodles will get mushy.

No pictures of the soup! It wasn't that kind of night... more of a climb in bed around 7:30 with Nyquil kind of night for me!

The end of mush...

2011-02-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

This week was like ripping off a band aid. I knew it was inevitably upon us- 5 days straight of work. Nearing the end, I absolutely thought to myself "that didn't hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would." Winter has become a week by week affair. One week of uncertain weather, followed by a productive week with some beautiful (70 degree) weather. Next week is uncertain- but we're not quite there yet, so no need to worry!

Wednesday brought ABSOLUTELY gorgeous weather in Virginia! It was warm, breezy, and full of sunshine. Hubby had the day off for scheduled maintenance- i.e. physical therapy on his ankle. I had the day extended... by picking up extra hours of work...boo! With a to-do list a mile long I made it home ready to tackle the home to dos- PLEASANTLY surprised they had already been tackled! Chores were scratched off the list and I never had to lift a finger- win win!!! To top it off dinner was about 20 minutes from being finished and I was sent to the couch to chill out for a few! Part of an awesome marriage is knowing when you need to kick it up a notch so your partner can unwind. My better half has this skill locked on!

Dinner was Beef Stir Fry over Brown Rice.

beef (we used the stir fry strips from the meat section of the grocery store)

1 cup diced onion

1 green pepper sliced into skinny strips

1/2 cup green peas
5 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp ground ginger-we did not have any fresh on hand

3 Tbsp chili sauce

1 tsp honey

2 Tbsp soy sauce
splash of sherry

fresh cracked black pepper

Mix together honey, soy sauce, sherry, and chili sauce. Set aside. On the stove saute onion, garlic, and ginger for about 30 seconds in a tsp of oil. Add peas and peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Add in sauce and mix until coated. Remove veggies from pan. Cook beef for 3-5 minutes- crack black pepper over beef. Steve added a ton of pepper- which was perfect for us, but may not suite everyone's taste. Add sauce and veggies mixture in with beef, and mix together. Serve over brown rice and enjoy. (we also garnished with a quickly sauteed cherry tomato)

We've made more than our fair share of MUSHY brown rice. The dogs have eaten their fair share of unwanted, unusable brown rice. We have had many a kitchen curse word uttered after waiting 45 minutes for rice and having the end result being dog food! Enter GOOGLE... google saved us from our mushy rice! The original post was found on Saveur.com, however I read repeated re-postings and decided to give it a go. A few of the posts suggested using less water- which we did, and covering the pot with foil before replacing the lid for the last 10 minutes of steaming- which we also did. The result was AWESOME brown rice- sans mush!

Here are the 'how to's' thanks to Saveur!

Rinse 1 cup of brown rice for 30 seconds under cold water.

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add the rice and boil uncovered for 30 minutes.

Drain rice for 10 seconds.

Place rice back in pan, cover with foil, and replace lid for 10 minutes.

Fluff with fork- and revel in the fluffiness....

Enjoy the weekend!

5 things

2011-01-31T16:26:00.000-08:00

Here are 5 completely random and unrelated things about me! Followed by a totally easy and delicious dinner, of course!

1. My favorite breed of dog is the Pit Bulls, but I really want a pet pig and a pretty rooster to run around my yard (both barnyard animal varieties have been given a VETO by hubby... but I still totally want them!)

2. I didn't really like VA wine, until I started going to VA wineries.... and now I love it!

3. I believe leftovers make the best breakfast, and I rarely heat them up!

4. I love driving- I always offer to drive whenever we get in the car! I have had a daydream (or 2) about being a race car driver- like Formula 1 style!

5. I waited tables for a very long time- while in high school, college, and grad school.... one of the few places I worked was a diner, which may be where I drew inspiration for tonight's dinner! It was tasty- EASY- and devoured quickly.

Chicken Salad (two times) with Toasted Pita Bread
2 boneless skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup Italian Dressing
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1/3 cup Mayo- I use the lightened Olive Oil kind

1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

Start by cutting the chicken into thinly sliced strips. Cook over medium heat in the dressing and broth- cook until chicken is completely done, with no pink (ewh!)
Shred chicken into bits and pieces, before mixing with the all remaining ingredients.
Serve over a green salad with LOTS of cucumbers, and diced red pepper! Red onion also makes a great addition to the salad- and is perfect with the chicken salad.
For the toasted pita- rub generously with olive oil, add sea salt and garlic. Toast for a few minutes in a 400 degree oven. Enjoy the warmed pitas with the salad.

Tonights simple dinner was a fantastic way to cap off a day of brunch with my little sister! We headed to LuLu's! She had a country ham and crab omelet, while I went with smoked salmon eggs benedict- with spinach and crab hollendaise. Each was awesome- of course a mimosa always makes brunch better!

After brunch I swung by to quickly visit my friend and her new addition- they were able to head home today!!

The days festivities didn't end there- I jetted off to a baby shower for another friend and spent a few hours visiting with some dear girlfriends! HOLY PREGGER GIRLFRIENDS BATMAN- there are LOTS of new additions arriving in 2011!!!

I'm excited for PJ's and down time with my dude! Time to DIVE into the bed, and call it a day...'er night!

Keep your fingers crossed for mild weather this week- and no interruptions!!!

One Week!

2011-01-29T14:22:00.000-08:00

It's bizzare how a week can fly by! The last week of January was certainly one of those weeks. We almost made it through the week without a schedule interruption due to weather... almost! Maybe next week we'll stay on track... possibly?! I was happy to have extra time to put into cleaning up the mud the pups tend to drag in, reorganize cabinets that have been urking my nerves, and clean out some of my closet- to make room for Spring stuff! The show stopper of the week was my best friend welcoming her little man into the world. He is perfect and beautiful, and I can't wait to visit again for baby nuzzles!
My most enjoyed dinner from this awesome week was Proscuitto Wrapped Pork Tenderloin, with Kale Chips, and Quinoa-mac and Cheese (which still needs tweaking!).
Steve couldn't get enough of the pork! I'm glad I picked up two tenderloins ;)

I dusted a 1ish lb tenderloin with garlic, onion powder, dried sage, salt, pepper, and dried mustard.
Then, wrapped the pork in 3-4 pieces of proscuitto.
It was baked in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.
After giving it a chance to stand for roughly 10 minutes we cut into it. It was EASY- and super juicy!

Kale has been popping up on my random craving radar lately! I buy the whole (head?! leaves?!) BUSH of kale and cut the leaves in half up the stem.
Then I cut each half of the leaf into 3 or 4 pieces.
Place it in a plastic bag or bowl and cover with 2 Tbsp Olive Oil.
Shake bag, or mix in bowl, until all of the Kale is covered. If any parts are missing I cheat and spray with Pam Olive Oil spray!
Finish by dusting with garlic powder, sea salt, and cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like your food- we use a lot!)
It is baked in a 425 degree oven for 7 minutes (check them, they may need a few minutes longer).

Enjoy- they are addicting!

Sunday Gourmet

2011-01-23T19:13:00.000-08:00

Thursday, Friday, Saturday- they all came and went in one major blur of a couple of days! They were full of work, meetings, extra curricular work events, planning and craziness! While they didn't leave me a whole lot of extra time- Thursday I crashed around 7:30, and Friday I didn't get home until 8:30- they definitely left me wanting some normalcy this upcoming week.
We did a little bit of shopping Saturday afternoon. While perusing Tom Leonards, a place I often forget to go into but enjoy everytime we do, we came across a different kind of marinara. A jar of Dave's Gourmet Butternut Squash immediately caught my eye. A quick peak at the ingredients, and I decided to make my own version at home!
This morning, after a fast, windy, run, I got to googling Butternut Squash Sauces. I wasn't too excited about my findings, as most weren't exactly what I was searching for flavor wise. Many of them were squash and sage sauces. I found 1 website listing similar ingredients as the Dave's jar. I shut the computer and decided to wing it- tasting and altering as I went along.

I've never tasted Dave's Gourmet sauce before, so I'm not sure if this is a knock off or not- but it sure was delicious! This has a hint of marinara, but definitely not in the traditional sense. The squash makes it creamy, and sweeter than tomato marinara. We served it over whole wheat spaghetti noodles with a handful of arugula, roasted and sliced portabellas, and finished it with goat cheese- I'm definitely excited for tomorrow's lunch leftovers!

Butternut Squash Marinara

1/2 large butternut squash roasted (in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes)

5 cloves of roasted garlic (how to)

1 carrot roughly chopped

3 Tbsp tomato paste

1 can tomato sauce
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 large red pepper (roasted red pepper)
Basil (if using fresh, use a large handful- if using dried do a couple heaping tablespoons)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4-1/2 cup water- depending on desired consistency
3-4 Tbspn Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Put everything except the water in a food processor. Let it whirl for a couple of minutes, before heating on a stovetop. While heating the sauce up stir in water until your sauce reaches your desired cosistency. For me it was too thick not to add the water, but everyone's tastes are different. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Looking into this week, I'm excited to see the snowy forecast, is now more rain! I may get to work 1 whole week in January!!! I can't believe the first month of 2011 is nearing it's end... 56 days until Spring!

Chili!

2011-01-19T18:34:00.000-08:00

When googling the recovery time for hubby's ankle, I came upon a website that said the Universe would allow it to heal based on previous life experiences. Long story short, bad hubby= longer recovery, good hubby= quick recovery. Simple enough! While I think it was the MOST absurd information, I couldn't help but giggle when I felt as if the Universe was laughing HARD at me today-I guess since I'm not healing from surgery, I needed something to remind me where I stand.
Today was BANANAS. I couldn't begin to describe the events leading up to it being "THAT" day. When I got home, luckily dinner was working it's magic, on the counter. I set everything up so that I could jump over to the gym tonight- I was draggin'...er draggin' my feet... but reluctantly put on gym clothes. I made the proclamation 3 maybe 4 times that I was leaving... this after a puppy snuggle fest in the bed, an invitation to Steve to come gaze at the moon with me on the front porch, and a sweet Banana Sunflower seed butter snack- I HAD to go!!! Armed with H2O, Steve's mp3 player, and enough pent up energy from the day's events, I headed to the gym. I did a quick, intense cardio session on the elliptical and nice long stretch. It wasn't the heavy hitting time I had hoped for, but I will never regret getting a work out in!

When I made it home, Steve and I chowed down on the Stew! It was the perfect ending the the perfectly crazy day!

Oh yeah, and Universe if you're reading this.... try harder ;)

Beef and Black Bean Chili Soup
1/2 lb cubed stew beef
1/2 diced white onion
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 diced roasted red pepper
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1 shredded onion
1 can diced tomatoes
1 diced fresh jalapenos- or slices from the jar, if you don't have fresh
1/2 can tomato soup
4 cups beef broth
2 cups dried black beans
2 Tbsp cumin- I love cumin
2 Tbsp chili powder- I like A LOT
1 Tbsp dried onion
1 Tbsp garlic powder
Cayenne and salt to taste

Start a day early, allow the dried beans to soak overnight, and while your at it get to choppin'!!
Put everything in a slow cooker, and allow to cook on low for 8-10 hours!

We served it with Blue Corn Tortillas, and shredded pepper jack cheese. Greek yogurt would have been perfect on top too!

c-Rock On!!!

2011-01-19T03:38:00.000-08:00

So far so good this morning- no calls yet about delays or closings! It's a strange feeling having your work week out of sorts until Wednesday- we're halfway to the weekend already. Something tells me this weekend will be a great reward, as shorter weeks are often crazier than their 5 day counterparts.

To make life easier, and a trip to the gym more feasible this evening, I have dinner in the crockpot- working away already! My crockpot is a standard fixture in my kitchen. I try to use it once a week in making dinner (having that challenge also helps when planning meals throughout the week!).

A few weeks ago, I was making something- start to finish at 6AM. While the crockpot does all of the work cooking, it seems to forget prepping, and clean up! What was supposed to take a few minutes ended up taking 40- getting my morning off to a late start.

To make this morning run smoother, I gathered everything the night before. While making last nights dinner {veggified Turkey sloppy joes and broccili slaw} I cut extra onion, peppers, garlic, and set it aside for this morning. My blackbeans started their overnight soak. I pulled out the beef broth, and canned tomatoes. All of the veggies and spices were mixed in a bowl, the beef started defrosting in fridge, and I called it a night. All I needed to do this morning was mix it up in the crockpot.

Doing a few extra steps in the kitchen one evening is like investing in your week. The more effort put forth one evening, the more ~~free time~~ me time I get later. And while I wanted to park it on the couch right after dinner, I pumped myself up with "If you do THIS now, your whole evening is free tomorrow." Having 4PM-8PM open is a luxury, I didn't want to pass up!

Assuming our kitchen aroma is a precursor to a satisfying meal, I'll post ingredients this evening- and hopefully snap a few appealing pics of Black Bean and Beef Chili... er Stew (the jury is still out on which one it will be!)

Happy Wednesday

Late Morning!

2011-01-18T05:35:00.000-08:00

It seems like every time we get a week going, there is another weather system moving in. I do love my fair weather state- we are lucky to have 4 beautiful changing seasons- but I wouldn't mind a mild end to the Winter Season!

So with a few extra hours this morning, I was able to make muffins- but not just any muffins, Carrot Cake Muffins!

After yesterday's cleaning extravaganza, I headed to the gym for a much needed sweat session! I was cruising along on the treadmill- running intervals of 30-40 second sprints, with 1 minute recoveries (OUCH!!)- and somewhere 20 minutes into my work out I was salavating thinking about a carrot cake breakfast muffin.

With a little extra time on my hands this morning, I decided to google my craving and see what I could come up with for breakfast. There were plenty of cupcake recipes, and I do love a cupcake- just not for breakfast. I came across this muffin recipe on Food.com. I made small changes to the recipe, and they were just right! Steve couldn't get over how moist they are- my healthy whole wheat baking tends to be dry compared to the real stuff ;-)

Carrot Cake Muffins- adapted from Food.com

1 1/2 cups white wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/2cup brown sugar

1 egg

3 tablespoons coconut oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup 1% milk

1 (8 ounce) can drained pineapple

3 carrots shredded

1/2 cup chopped Walnuts

3 Tbsp unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350- line a muffin pan or spray with nonstick spray. Toast walnuts for 5 minutes.

Mix ingredients flour through brown sugar in a mixer or bowl. In a separate bowl beat egg, milk, vanilla, and coconut oil together. Mix pineapple bits, and carrots into the liquids. Combine the liquids with dry ingredients, and mix until everything is moist. Fold in walnuts. Spoon muffin mixture equally into muffin pan, and top lightly with coconut flakes. Bake for 20-23 minutes. When finished baking, pull out and let cool!

What is your favorite thing to make for breakfast, when you are surprised with a couple extra hours?!

Tapas Table

2011-01-17T18:52:00.000-08:00

We share a lot of amazing times in the kitchen here. I always say it's where we fell in love! With Steve's ankle healing, and him spending less and less time with his leg propt up on a pillow we set out to cook dinner together twice this weekend! I sure did miss my boy making a mess in the kitchen with me. We love doing tapas nights at home because we get to make and taste as many different things as we feel! So after a relaxing Sunday with family, we decided it was definitely a tapas night. While we were cooking, we decided to do a duel post as well. My husband can write, and illustrate with words, in a way that I could never do. He is concise and powerful, while I have a tendency to ramble- our 'discussions' are quite a sight to behold, as we are both very passionate, however our deliveries are extremely different. Below is Steve's go to list for an awesome night in- or in our kitchen, a 2 person party! Check him out at his blog!!!

There are those that would have you believe that it’s a show, that all of this glitter couldn’t possibly be gold, that ordinary people don’t create extraordinary cuisine. Those people would be wrong, as I can attest to the fact that my wife is truly gifted in the kitchen and that I am privileged to tag along.

Following my ramble she’s going to talk about our “Tapas dinner” and how it all came together.

I like to break things down into the simplest of forms, so here’s 6 things you might consider for making a memorable 2 person party.

King Family Vineyards Merlot

1. A candle
2. A small quaint table
3. 1 plate to share
4. 1 plate to serve
5. An imagination enhanced by the power of a “Google” search.
6. Death Cab for Cutie singing I’ll follow you into the dark”.

Enjoy!

Fried Goat Cheese

Cut goat cheese in to 3/4 inch think slices.

Dip in 1% milk and dredge in bread crumbs.

Dip back in milk, and return to bread crumbs.

Place in a pan with Canola oil- at Med heat.
Cook for roughly 10 seconds on each side- until golden crispy!

Garlic Shrimp on the Grill

Place shrimp in a cast iron pan with olive oil, minced garlic ( 4 cloves) and finely diced white onion (1/2 onion) and place pan on the grill. Cook until shrip are pink! Enjoy!

Mussels with Chickpeas

We started with roughly 10 mussels. Place 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/4 cup diced onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 diced roasted red pepper, and 7 cherry tomatoes on medium heat and saute. Add Chickpeas (1/4 cup), seafod stock (1/2 cup) and sherry- roughly 2 tsp to the mixture. Stir in mussels and cook until mussels are open. Serve with crusty bread!

Fish bites with Warmed Tortillas

Grill a mahi mahi filet (seasoned lightly with salt, pepper, and fresh lemon juice).

Cut into bite size pieces and serve with warm tortillas.

Steve garnished with balsamic glaze and hot peppers!

Grab a seat, and dig in!

Be sure to hang out for a while- and put on a sweet soundtrack to your life!

MLK day!

2011-01-17T09:57:00.000-08:00

What's this... a day off without snow?! I'll take it- and hopefully get some shopping done too! Before the shopping and heading to the gym can happen, I've got to get this place straight! With 2 big puppies that love to run through the woods in our back yard, and wrestle on the snow soaked ground, our hard wood floors are in constant need of mopping! The quicker I knock out cleaning the house, the quicker I can get into what I want to do today...being an adult is so much fun!

obviously they are up to no good....

I was SUPER stoked this am when I was reading my morning blogs while drinking my coffee, to see Skinny Runner had posted me on her Cat Lady Blogs section. I went back and forth on the decision to email her, but am so glad I did!! Thank you!!!!

I hope everyone has a fantastic Monday, and checks back in this evening for a recap on Sunday's Tapas Adventure in the Kitchen (with a special appearance by the Hubby)!

Wonky Wednesday!

2011-01-12T19:05:00.000-08:00

This morning's 2 hour delay was a blessing in disguise. Attempting to squeeze in a whole day's worth of work into 5 productive hours can be quite stressful. So what's a girl to do after a super long, er short day, fix something that's homey and comfort all in one tastey bowl.
Hubby was home today and pulled out some chicken from the freezer for us to have tonight. Ideas and cravings swirled all day from asian chicken with noodles and veggies, stuffed chicken, enchiladas, ... choices, decisions...
When I got home I went to the fridge and pulled out some veggies and set out to make dinner- something that had nothing to do with any of my cravings- Chicken and Biscuits (made without butter, or cream and whole wheat biscuits).
To make this healthy version of a southern classic is easy and quick.
You need:
1 medium carrot
1/2 white onion
1 box- 4 cups- of chicken broth
1 cup milk
3 cloves garlic
1/4 leek
2 chicken breasts- boneless, skinless
3 Tbsp flour- I use white wheat

For the biscuits- I used this recipe (but only made 1/2 of what it calls for and had plenty!)
In a Dutch oven sautee 3 cloves of garlic, 1/2 chopped white onion, 1 shredded carrot, and 1/4 chopped leek. After 3-5 minutes add chicken (that's been cut into small pieces) and cook for another 5 or so minutes. After the chicken has been cooked, remove it and the veggies from the dutch oven. Add 2 Tbsp tothe dutch oven- on medium to medium low heat add 3 Tbsp flour to the oil. Stir constantly for 4-5 minutes. While flour is cooking the raw flavor out, heat roughly 2 cups of chicken stock. Add the hot stock slowly to the flour and keep stiring until smooth- it will thicken! Add 2 more cups of stock, chicken, and veggies back to the D.O. Keep on medium low heat and add 1 cup of 1% milk. Put into a casserole dish and cover with small biscuits- I shaped mine by hand making them roughly 1 1/2 inches wide, and 3/4 inch thick. Lay over the chicken stew and pop in the oven for 30 minutes.
Eat it up!

There was no workout today- GASP! It wasn't that kind of day! But hopefully sometime tomorrow between work, and then working some more tomorrow night there will be a little me time- after all carving out solo time is one of my goals for 2011!

Pumpkin Flax Smoothie Recipe

2011-01-12T15:38:00.000-08:00

This was enough for 2- perfect for me and hubs to each enjoy!
2 frozen bananas
1/3 cup 1 % milk
1 container Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
2 Tbsp Agave Nectar
4 Tbsp Coconut Oil
4 Tbsp Ground Flax seed- which can absolutely be left out! It makes it super grainy
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp ground Ginger

It definitely needed some water to get it going in the blender... perhaps a new blender is in my future?!

Between the flax, pumpkin, bananas, and coconut oil I stayed full until lunch (which is around 11:15)!

Smooth-ie Criminal

2011-01-12T06:15:00.000-08:00

What's this?! A morning post!! I've got a couple of extra hours this morning, thanks to a 2 hour delay!
Normally I'm running around like a mad woman in the morning making sure the dogs are taken care of, lunches are made for hubs and myself, and dinner is pulled out ready to go when I get home. Having dinner pre planned saves so much time when I get home from work- 1 less decision to make after 8 hours on your feet is fine by me!
For myself, breakfast has to be easy, quick and nutritionally jam packed- it's easier to make healthy choices through out the day, if you start it off on a good foot!

Smoothies don't keep me full until lunch- enter 1/2 cup of oatmeal + 1 Tbsp of nut butter around 9:30- but by the time I get to eat I'm clear headed and not famished.

Enjoy in a wine glass- for lazy mornings at home- or while on your way to work in a travel mug!

Here's to being 1/2 way through the work week!!

See you this evening with dinner eats!

'Licious Fish-ous

2011-01-11T19:02:00.000-08:00

workout- Abs video
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Virginia has been hit with a snowy- ice mix that has put a kink into any sort of schedule that was supposed to happen this week! Work was canceled today, and they already calling for at least a 2 hour delay tomorrow. It means I can spend more time with "the patient" who's feeling better each day- and currently looking up 2011 trail races!!!

After his ~~manly meat-extravaganza~~ hamburger feast Friday, I sqeezed in two nights of fish in a row! We had Cedar Plank Salmon over Israeli CousCous with roasted tomatoes and brussel sprouts. We picked up cous cous at Trader Joes. If you've never grilled fish on a wood plank do it... this week! It takes about twice as long to cook, so plan accordingly. Here's how it went:
2 salmon filets

2 ish Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp lemon juice

pepper

dill

sea salt

white wine- splashes, not much

garlic- 1 clove

Marinate the fish for about 30 minutes, meanwhile soak the wood plank in water. Heat your grill up mega hot... around 500. Lay the Salmon on the plank and grill. Try not to drool over the smokey goodness coming out of the grill- keep an eye on the plank it should be smoldering not flaming. After roughly 20ish minutes remove the salmon from the grill and ~~start picking at it~~ serve over a grain with veggies.

We did the Israeli cous cous- which is like a tiny pasta- jazzed up up with garlic, oven roasted tomatoes, olive oil, and brussel sprouts (roasted with the 'maters).

While dinner is extra exciting when I have more time to cook- like a weekend or snow day- I'm really pumped for breakfast foods lately. With the addition of sunflower seed butter to the nut butter collection-that's growing- Oatmeal and apple slices have a completely different twist! I'm lovin' it.... Did anyone else catch the McDonald's oatmeal commericals?! I'm a skeptic- not sure what the Golden Arches would do to my beloved favorite breakfast, but it can't be good!

Tomorrow I'm pumped for Smoothies with coconut oil in them... We've had it in our pantry for a few weeks, and aside from stir fry really haven't used it. With a nutritional reputation like this, I'm stoked to start adding it to smoothies- for a daily dose of all that coconut deliciousness!

taking care of the hobbling hubs

2011-01-08T14:40:00.000-08:00

Hubby- now deemed the Patient- had his ankle surgery this week. All went well and he is on the mend. He's been a really nice patient to deal with- only minor threats to tie him down. He was most enjoyable right out of surgery, where he proceeded to tell me the nurses had beat his ankle with mallets... you know after they refused to give him his much requested unicorn horn. During his surgery I slipped over to Target- after all I'm still a girl- but made it back before he was finished. He knew ahead of time, but before he really came to, he let everyone know I had abandoned him in his 'hour of need'- he was laughing the entire time!

Since he's been such an easy patient, I decided to fix him a much requested dinner. He's been asking for a grilled hamburger, pretty much since he woke up from the surgery. I obliged and threw in some grilled 'fries.'

I've been craving veggies like crazy- so before dinner I threw together stuffed portabellas.

Remove the stems and chop. Put mushroom caps in the oven- 425 for 15 minutes.

Mix in crushed garlic, chopped onion ( I used red onion), basil, goat cheese, bread crumbs, olive oil, and white wine.
stuff the mushrooms.
bake for 10 ish... maybe 15 minutes.
top with roasted red pepper!

So during last nights snow storm the pups ran off their energy, and I enjoyed some vino on the deck- with snow drifting to the ground. It was a typical Friday night- minus the fact I have a 1 legged hubby!

Clean up your act!

2011-01-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

After a two week break from work it is time to get ready for tomorrow’s grind… Christmas Break was an excellent one this year, as hubs took off work to spend it with me! We enjoyed a rainy day at home- with decent temps!

This was the first time, since adopting the dogs, we have had such a significant amount time with both dogs, and really enjoyed seeing their growing personalities. Is it lame I will miss them so much tomorrow?! Many people go into the new year with certain broad goals- get healthy, lose weight, etc…. My unofficial goal no.1 is to clean up my eating. I’ve indulged in fantastic wines, beers galore, and had a chance to eat sweets at will- we never really keep sweets here so it was dangerous! Tonight’s dinner was approached from a “clean eating” perspective. Minimum processed stuff, whole grains, veggies, lean protein, and good fats! We started by making Soba noodles- these are made from buckwheat and give a great nutty flavor! Tossed in with the noodles are bean sprouts (rinsed to get rid of the excess sodium.)
We cooked brussel sprouts (cut in half), red pepper strips, and broccoli in boiling water- then shocked them in icy bath to stop the cooking- and prevent mush!
Sauteed Chicken in a bit of coconut oil, with ginger and garlic.
When everything was cooked we sauteed the veggies in coconut oil, seasame oil, a bit of soy sauce, sriracha, lime juice, and extra garlic.
Was tasty, wholesome, and clean!

My wine glass was full to the rim of ~~white wine~~ water, as we have to get a good night’s sleep before the alarm goes off at 5:15 AM, and I’m cleaning up my act .
I’m definitely excited to be headed back- I love a routine, the thought of Spring being so close… yet so far at the same time.
So the lunches are packed- kale and mixed greens salad with toasted chick peas and 32 oz. of decaf green tea- and clothes are ready. I guess it’s really time to start a work week!
Hubs is getting his ankle surgery Wednesday, and though it won’t be fun initially it opens us up to some awesome backpacking adventures when he’s healed- which were unfortunately weren’t taken as much as we had hoped last year.
Hope everyone’s New Year is off to a great start!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T19:57:00.000-08:00

Hello!!!! This wraps up 2010's bloggin' posts! I took a week off to hang out with family, hubs, and pups. We got some major todo's done- all without thinking about snapping photos of eats or worrying about how many calories were burned. 2010 was bittersweet with the loss of a dearly loved dog, but adoption of 2 sweet pittie girls- we couldn't imagine our house without their puppy paws running around! We took a couple trips to Portsmouth Island- our own deserted paradise. The first trip was windy- beyond windy. The second trip brought on a torrential downpour of rain and lightning show that rivaled any fireworks production to date- and destroyed our beloved North Face tent! We spent September- November working on home improvement and had a custom deck put on- the perfect spot for Spring gatherings galore! To ponder the past, and look to the present, we spent a day this week hiking up Crabtree Falls! Now that the holidays are about done it is time to put efforts into continuing the things that made 2010 great- and adding goals to 2011! We have house decorating aspirations-i.e. paint, tile projects, and finding the perfect art for the dining room-, race goals + fitness goals, and financial plans!! 2011 will be busy from jump! To ring in the New Year we celebrated at home with a holiday dinner of our dreams. Everything was grilled- lightly seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and lemon. All was enjoyed alongside a bottle of Cooper Vineyards Norton Reserve- my fave!!

tomato + fresh Mozz + balsamic glaze

clams getting ready for the grill

wine on the deck admist the last evening of Christmas lights

all done and ready for some hot sauce

New York Strip- post grillin'

Happy New Year!

I am not a baker...

2010-12-23T19:34:00.000-08:00

baking is not my thing- the butter, the sugar... it kills me, every tastey little bite...alas the only real food eaten today was pizza- from Leonardo's... it was amazing! After a whole day of baking I didn't want to even think about cooking dinner- enter the nom-tastic Super Delux...

Last year I made healthy treats for the holidays- people weren't having it! So now, once a year there is a dessert indulgence- and I've come to terms with it! Today's cookie baking bonanza started around 10 AM.-read, I started eating cookies at 10 AM!! I set to work with my coffee, kitchen companions, and began making treats for neighbors, friends, and family.

Ramsey was right in my corner, under my feet- occupational hazard- powdered sugar on the nose!

Pumpkin Spiced Walnut Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Last night we unveiled the wrapping paper. Our paper choices are a bigger surprise than the gifts themselves. Each roll gets a special hiding spot in each respective closet, until the wrapping and sharing. A Christmas tradition we started back when we were dating, it gets better and better each year. I look forward to wrapping gifts, knowing it holds such a special part of the season for us- end mushy segment. We each ooohed and aaahed the selections. I went with a retro teal, blue, sliver and white style for the hubs. He totally loved it. He knows I adore paisley more than 1985 and found paisley Christmas paper- bonus points for style!

Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles and brownie bites

There was a lil' something special from the ladies to me! How sweet... funny they found a couple sweet 22 oz bottles of beer for their Daddy- both IPA's. From Whiskey there is the Dogzilla black IPA, and Ramsey the Alpha Dog IPA. Pitbulls really are a thoughtful breed!
Rumor has it there is a Dogfather Imperial Stout in his stocking, but don't believe everything you hear...
I leave you with cookie recipes for all of the tastey treats being delivered in the morning!
(in each goodie bag is a treat for the neighbors dogs... er cat in one instance... for dog treats see this post- ahhh and check out Blitzie photos!!!)

Cheatin' Brownie Bites- ABSOLUTELY not from scratch

1 box of brownie mix + oil, eggs, and the water the directions call for

Preheat oven to 325

Spray mini muffin pan with non stick spray

put about 2 tsp brownie mix in each muffin spot ( I added heath bar to the middle of mine)

Bake for 20 minutes

Let cool

Run knife around edge

twist bites out and eat...

Go run 3 miles :)

Snickerdoodles

3 cups flour- felt so naughty using white all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup softened butter

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

Cinnamoon Sugar Dusting

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix the dry ingredients together well.

Beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs- beat some more. Add vanilla- beat again.

Stir in dry ingredients 1 cup at a time.

Cover dough and put in fridge for 1 hour.

Pre heat oven to 375.

Once chilled roll dough balls into about a 2 inch circle- roughly. Roll the dough ball in the cinnamon sugar dusting and place on baking sheet- 2 inches apart.

Bake for 11 minutes.

This makes roughly 4 dozen- try not to eat them all- it will test your forititude for sure!

Pumpkin Spiced Walnut Cookies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat oven to 350. Toast 1 cup Walnuts for about 5-7 minutes in oven while getting all of the ingredients set.

2 cups flour-again all purpose white flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 cup sugar

1 cuup softened butter

1cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup roasty toasty walnuts

Icing

1/2 of a 8 oz cream cheese package- I used the light version

1 cup powdered sugar

3 Tbsp maple syrup

Mix together dry ingredients

Beat butter and sugar togther until fluffy- using a hand mixer or stand mixer makes it much easier (unless you've got guns!!!) Add egg, pumpkin and vanilla and keep beating! Stir in dry ingredients, one cup at a time.

Cookie dough will seem wetter than typical cookie dough- but these bake into softer cookies!

Drop dough (roughly 2 tsp amount) onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Allow your cookies to chill.....

Prepare icing by mixing confectioners sugare, maple syrup, and cream cheese until smooth, creamy, and blended.

Okay-not being a baker I rig my "piping bag" using a ziplock. Fill it with icing. Twist the end. Snip a tiny... super small... corner off the end of the bag. Decorate at until your heart's content..

Even with this amount of frosting I had a TON left over- you could probably 1/2 the recipe and still be fine!

If I even look at another cookie I will lose it... but then again I am NOT a baker!

Merry Christmas!!

Welcome back, GYM...

2010-12-21T10:37:00.000-08:00

So sometime in September I decided that paying for the gym and not going- while I figured out a new curriculum, took a couple of classes, and spent way too much time at work.... so I put my membership on hold. Things have settled down a bit since September, and now I have the time and desire to get back into my routine. Enter today's hour long weights class- and jello arms! So pumped to have it back!!

my how you've grown...

2010-12-19T17:56:00.000-08:00

I am a home body... no lies a HOME BODY!!! I love my house, my dogs, my husband, my kitchen- coming up with whatever I want for dinner and only paying for the materials needed... love it!

bloggin' wih my favorite girls!!! ignore the pj's after 12pm and bed head... I'm on vacation

This homebody loves an occasional night out on the town every once in a while, however my every weekend, plus Wednesday and Thursday nights of painting the town red have long been put to rest- thank God... it gives ya wrinkles and bags under your eyes...

While my club days have been moved to my kitchen, I'll still a bust move to whatever we're listening to- again whatever we want to be listening to...

My drinks are ALWAYS top shelf, and my tab is minimal...

Life is good as a grown up!

Tonight this grown up and her better half wanted seafood- without heading downtown, we brought seafood to us!
Enter Coconut Curry Mussels- the appetizer that started this music playing, Christmas lights having, course after course of food and drink evening to our doorstep!
1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 whole chopped green onions
2 tsp Sriracha
dash of fish sauce
1/2 cup fish stock
1-2 tsp Curry powder- depending on taste
1 lb. Mussels- cleaned rinsed and ready to go
1/3 cup light coconut milk

Saute the garlic in the oil (which is a solid- that will liquefy with heat). Add all of the ingredients and cook till mussels open- if using previously cooked and frozen mussels cook until warm.

Easy- but delicious!!!

favorite table at our favorite spot

And then this character showed up...

I knead the bread!

2010-12-18T11:52:00.000-08:00

This morning's conversation started like this- me- let me know when your game is up, I've got pics to show you.
Hub- Pics of what?
me- Hamburgers, sexy hamburgers!

Some might find the thought of hamburgers- repulsive! I totally get it- the whole meat is murder thing, but this meat eater LOVES a good hamburger (and I'll totally bust out a black bean burger on a whim as well, but last night was beef!).

Don't shy away if your strict veggies only kind of eater, this post isn't about the beef, it's about the buns! ~~Being immobilized by 4 inches of snow~~ having extra time with a snow day, I decided to make my own sandwich buns. Bread (without a bread machine) walks a fine line of being great or dear God I wouldn't serve this to an enemy bad... the latter being my first attempts with bread! Persevering through some whole wheat bricks, I made peace with the yeast and have produced some edible loaves, rolls, pretzels, pizza crusts and- Sandwich Buns!!!
With any good recipe, comes humble beginnings, learning from your mistakes- and in my case purchasing a cookbook- The Mixer Bible.
And while I won't plagiarized the recipe- I will offer my tips to making edible sandwich buns.

1. whether or not you are using active dry yeast or Highly active dry yeast (which I opted for this time) use a thermometer to get the temps on your liquid just right. Too cool- yeast won't work, too warm- yeast won't work.

2. Active and Highly Active yeast are different- they require different TLC. I studied this website when I first attempted bread and still made mistakes.

3. Start early. Not only does it take hours to make fresh bread, if your buns don't turn out right, at least you have time to go to the store to pick some up!

4. Use the right flour- I attempted 100% whole wheat- very unsuccessfully. Now I use white wheat flour- but have a stock pile of white bread flour too. I have some very special flour from a farmer's market I'm saving- well I'm saving it until I pick up Vital Wheat Gluten- it always escapes me when I'm grocery shopping!

Making bread is hard- a frustrating and slow process. These tips don't even scratch the surface of bread how to's- there are websites devoted to it! If you find yourself in the position of wanting to make fresh bread- GO FOR IT! If it frustrates you beyond belief- I KNOW what you're feeling!!! I could devote an entire entry on the topic of "Temper Tantrums in the Kitchen- when things didn't quite go my way!"

After an afternoon of mixing, kneading, and risings plus an evening of "Snow Grilling"- dinner was served! Grilled burgers, Grilled sweet potato wedges, and Weston Farm Rosso- a delicious VA wine!!!

All was well with the world- well our piece of the world anyway!

With that I am making my way back to the gym- with hopes of not being recognized as the girl that hasn't come in 3 months!

Family Heirlooms

2010-12-17T05:25:00.000-08:00

Last night we ate braised pork tenderloin with asparagus, smashed potatoes and pan sauce! Tasty? Yes! Healthy? Absolutely! Quick? Sorta! It wasn't the end result that was so special, it was how I got there. I have always loved reading cook books- I mean sitting down, cover to cover, studying cook books. Lucky for me I grew up in a home where my mother- an only child- inherited her Dad's cook book collection. By collection I mean somewhere between 40 and 50 different cookbooks ranging from Hungarian cooking to southern American cuisine. There is a cookbook for any possible occasion needed. My first experience diving into one of her books was The Seventeen Cookbook- first published in 1964! What 12-14 year old girl doesn't oogle recipes, food photos, and potential menus? So maybe I've had this "kitchen problem" for longer than I'd like to admit..

Which brings me to last night- on a recent trip home I systematically started sneaking cookbooks from my mom's and bringing them here! I'd like to think I am sly- however on the drive home I called to make sure it was okay. Always a goodie goodie....well....

My first acquisition was Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I flipped to pork, gained a basic idea of what flavors I wanted- loving the simplicity of flavors- onions, Dijon, wine, salt and pepper. With appreciation to the no BS concise and directly stated wording, I set out to braise my pork in the dutch oven.

As I flipped through the time capsule I gained a better knowledge of how our personalities, life goals, and characteristics are partially molded by experiences and exposure, but also instilled in our souls having been passed down from generation to generation. I never met my grandfather, however I have been given the chance to explore my roots through his cookbooks. For that I am grateful.

Snow Day part II

2010-12-16T07:58:00.000-08:00

Before the snow:

What are the chances we'd have 2 snow days in a week... a week before a scheduled 2 weeks off! I'm not complaining- that will come later in the year when we are made to work a holiday or two! If the predicted 5 inches isn't gone by tomorrow, it'll be a super short week-

So what's a girl to do on a snow day- the chips, salsa, beer, wine, and chocolate are all stocked up! 8 AM would be pushing it to open the vino, so after topping off the gas in the hubs' SUV, making sure we have gas- for snow grillin' no doubt, the puppers and I headed out for a MUCH NEEDED walk. These ladies have been feeling a bit couped up- as apparent by their wild romps through the hallways.

We walked a chilly 1 1/2 miles before coming home to play with the tug-o-war, balls, and sticks that litter the yard. The snow started to come down- adding a dusting to the crunchy leftovers still on the grass!

After a warming bowl of pumpkin oatmeal- with pureed pumpkin, RAW almond butter, agave, and cinnamon- it's time for more Christmas Baking (this time for the neighbors and their pets)!

Stay warm!

Baby it's cold...

2010-12-14T03:38:00.000-08:00

The temps in Virginia have dropped to the single digits and teens- perfect for puppy walks in the morning, I think not! With the chilly weather, soup makes it way into our lives more frequently. This is fine by me- I love soup. I used to daydream of opening a little cafe naming it soup, and serving up different daily specials in a bowl... **sigh**

With a snow day, I had extra time to tackle some errands yesterday- some cleaning, shopping, and baking! I wanted an easy dinner that would warm up the hubs- who's job has had him outside, everyday for the past 8 days...

Enter Potato Soup- with extras!

3 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled

5 diced potatoes

1/2 head of cauliflower- chopped coarsely

4 smashed cloves of garlic

1 chopped green onion

1/2 cup chopped white onion

1 chopped leek

1/4 white wine

1 box organic Chicken broth

1 cup milk- skim

water-added to thin to liking

salt and pepper

Cheddar cheese for garnish

Fresh Rosemary for garnish

I cooked the bacon and then threw it in with everything else- minus garnishes- to the crock pot and came home to a a phenomenal smell after about 2 hours on high. Everything was still very chunky- and I prefer a creamy potato soup. Carefully I added small batches to the blender and whirled it until smooth. I left 1/4 of the soup in diced form, blended the rest, and mixed them together!

It was perfect for warming up after a snowy, blustery day!

Birthday Dinner!

2010-12-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

The birthday morning set the stage for a chilled out- relaxed day!! We wrapped some trees with lights, went out shopping for a bit, and then hit up Whole Foods to pick up ingredients for the splurge dinner at home! Having a December birthday means you celebrate in between parties, family gatherings, shopping, and all other festivities preplanned as early as October.

So that left us with a fire place, Christmas tree, movies, Veritas wine, and crab cakes- oh yes crab cakes. Thanks to my lovely friend Lauren, and a super sweet gift card to Whole Foods dinner was prepared -North Carolina Jumbo Lump Crab turned into giant crab cakes- with Roasted Red Pepper mayo, and Asparagus with balsamic glaze!

Crab Cakes- this made 5 large crab cakes

Jumbo Lump Crab meat- 1 1/2 cups approx.

1 egg

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped chopped roasted red pepper

fresh ground pepper

dash of Chesapeake Bay seasoning

squeeze of lemon

4 Tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs

3 Tbsp Mayo

mix in the breadcrumbs leaving the mixture moist

heat a pan to med/med high and brown the crab cakes on each side- roughly 2 or 3 minutes per side. pop in a 350 degree oven to finish- check after 10 minutes- go longer if necessary.

It was perfect- exactly what I would have had no matter where we ended up. Lucky for me we ended up at my favorite place- with my dude, and pups! Perfect!

birthday bliss

2010-12-11T09:21:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning... ahem... December 11th.... my birthday- in a full on birthday snuggle from the hubs! It was super sweet- and then he asked what I wanted for breakfast- well pumpkin pancakes and turkey bacon seemed like perfection on a plate. After being spoiled by girlfriends, having a fantastic dinner at Mekong- including a tasty Belgian beer, the perfect way to spend today is with my hubby- with some serious quality time, i.e. food, wine, and Christmas movies! We celebrated out on the town earlier this month with our Dashboard evening, so today will remain low key.

Without any prior pumpkin pancake experience, my faithful man set out with the help of Mr. Breakfast to create delicious pancakes- topped with greek yogurt, laced with syrup and blueberries. To satisfy the bacon craving, he 'whipped up' a veggie omelet- with asparagus, onion, mushroom and green peppers! He topped it with crumbled bacon and cheese... We shared the omelet, went back for seconds on the pancakes!

We originally planned a hike- however it's getting a rain check! We bumped it to the week before Christmas- even more reason to finish all the shopping, wrapping, baking, menu planning now!

decoratin' and dining!

2010-12-08T13:32:00.000-08:00

The Christmas partay last Saturday kicked the holidays into full swing, and led to Sunday's decorations. Now we sit back, relax and enjoy some amazing meals among the twinkly lights that are spread out through the house! The dogs are loving the decorations- I caught Whiskey chewing on the tree today...

Baked Chicken with Apple Slices on top-

apple cider and balsamic reduction

grilled asparagus

chili dusted sweet potato "fries"

beef and black bean burritos.... and the pit face!

To Love, honor, and...

2010-12-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

Take you to concerts for your birthday. Okay so not your traditional vows, but hey they work... right?! My grand finale of my 20's is approaching next weekend! My dutiful husband knows my LOVE for live music- anything from small jazz trios, college jam bands, country- old and contemporary, old hippie tunes, loud aggressive punk, and heartfelt emo... I LOVE IT ALL!!! I even try to make my music match my food, as much as the wine should.

Music sets my soul on fire.

So with a "Welcome to December" cold wind we set out Wednesday night for some tasty brews at Penny Lane Pub, followed by a 3 hour long serenade by different bands... we were of course there to see Dashboard Confessional- who after many glasses of wine at our wedding I decided it was appropriate to sing to my husband, in my bouquet, "Hands Down"...

nothing says "Welcome to married life" than having your tone deaf wife sing to you in her Gerber Daisies...

We had a fabulous night, which was recapped by the hubby here. Being married to your best friend is pretty awesome! Don't worry- what I lack in singing, I make up for in the kitchen...

spinach and tomato omelet with black olives, and a pear!

Christmas Marathon kickoff!

2010-12-05T08:05:00.000-08:00

Thank you for leaving tasty options for the Christmas party.... Jenny, the sausage balls will be making an appearance this month for sure! I decided to go with Chipotle Shrimp Cups from Cooking Light. The recipe can be found here- the only thing I did different was set the oven to 375, instead of 350. Everything else was pretty much the same. I did need to drain some of the liquid off the mixture, and added 2 extra chipotles in adobo... for more kick! I kind of have a thing for the smokey, spicy peppers!

The hub's work Christmas party was a great way to start off the Christmas Marathon, that is December! It started off with a light dusting of snow, a dash through the country, and finally ended up at the gracious host's home... immaculate, beautifully crafted home! No pics, as "can I put this on my blog?" sounds a bit strange! Floor to ceiling fireplaces, and hand carved wood floors set the backdrop for tasty eats, Fuller's London Porter- just 1 though, I was our DD, and catching up with people we rarely get to see!

Now it's time to finish what we started earlier this week.... decorating! The tree is here, but it's naked and ready for some sparkle... the outside trees are ready for their lights... and I'm ready to finish the task that is Christmas Decorating!!!

Whiskey and her Naked Tree

Help!

2010-11-29T16:47:00.000-08:00

The hubs had me pick out something to make for his company Christmas Party this weekend- only problem someone else is doing BBQ.... so my GINORMOUS pork butt will sit in freezer for a while long... I was really excited about making pulled pork sliders... oh well!

I need help coming up with an easy finger food for about 50 people....any commenters chosen will have my love and respect!!

"Vacation, all I ever wanted..."

2010-11-28T18:55:00.000-08:00

For the past 4 1/2 days I have been on vacation- mentally! I LOVE my job, yet there is something about a holiday that helps wash away stress that builds up in the daily routine. We- see my better half here , went on not 1, but 2 trail runs, cooked amazing meals, and shared in some excellent down time... all in all this Fall break has me pumped for the 3 working weeks until Christmas Break... I digress....

Let me rewind this little recap to last night's dinner. We are lucky, very lucky, to have family that will share one of the fruits of the Bay... the Chesapeake Bay...Rockfish!

We grilled up some PRETTY filets, laid it over Quinoa, and made a 'cream' sauce to go on top... by cream I mean fat free milk sauce. Thinner than a cream sauce, but worth it to me!

For the cream sauce I kind of went my own direction.... with no direction...

Serve over Rockfish and Enjoy!

1 Tbsp flour mixed into 1 cup skim milk

make the slurry and put over medium heat- add 1/2 cup white wine

bring to a boil and simmer for roughly 10 minutes- add Crayfish bodies (minus the tails which have been peeled and reserved for later)

Add a dash of Old Bay to sauce

Allow to thicken, strain out Crayfish, careful not to leave any parts... that wouldn't be fun to find!

Add a pinch of Parmesan cheese, crayfish tails and fresh shrimp

This was a figure it out as you go along kind of dinner! It ended up turning out very tasty, and hopefully we will get some more Rockfish Handouts, so we can dish it up again.

So this morning we woke up exhilarated and ready to tackle another run- sans any issues getting out of the driveway. It was too easy to get moving, we figured something was forgotten- but unlike yesterday's pre-run shenanigans today was just easy. We put in 4.3 miles on the trails, the rock and root laden down hills are hell on knees and ankles, so a slower pace was needed to forgo any mishaps... that and I'm still trying to regain my running strength and stamina- lazy bones!

Someone is ready for bed!

Dinner was created using.... leftover Turkey... is anyone else over turkey?

I like changing my dinners up, often using different flavors and cultural inspirations, so having SO much turkey to use can get a bit old.... well challenging.

In comes Turkey and White Bean Chili.

It was truly simple to make 1 can of cannelini beans, rinsed and drained, sauteed onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, carrots (strange yes but it worked), turkey, and canned tomatoes with green chilis.

Topped with a tiny bit of cheese, and healthy scoop of Greek Yogurt- this bowl satisfied the post run hunger that creeped up on us! Now it's off to read the new Fitness magazine, and crash out before getting back into the grind!

What Saturdays are made of...

2010-11-27T12:54:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I don't know if I truly love running or want to love running... it depends on the day and the run I guess. I do love how it makes me feel- and lately I've been avoiding running. Excuses, excuses- but should we really makes excuses to keep away from doing something that makes us feel so good?! Funny the way we humans work- I'd rather put away laundry and scrub bathrooms... I think not.

So this morning we hopped in the car- well after being met with one obstacle after another- headed to one of our favorite places to run, and had a blast. Stopping periodically to snap some photos, we still managed to put in a decent 4.5 miles. The dogs are pretty new to this whole running thing, so it's taking some time getting them used to not pulling, er dragging, me through the trails.

Today I kinda loved running... but only a little bit!

I love running up hills- LOVE IT!! It's going down them that I hate... bizarro!!!

Movin' along with my Whiskey Girl

We came home hung out, made some lunch.... and have gotten full use out of our "relaxing" weekend! For lunch Hubs had leftovers- Turkey Enchiladas! I was craving warmth so I set out to create a Turkey and Veggie soup. Mainly this was out of necessity to eat up leftover turkey, and finish eating up the veggies before heading to the store this week. Into my favorite (well one of my favorite) kitchen tool- the Dutch Oven- went garlic, onion, butternut squash, parsnips, celery, leeks, water, vegetable broth, turkey, fat free milk, fresh sage, salt/pepper, and sriracha -for kick! Nothing was measured, just a handful of this and that. To mellow out the sweetness of the squash the sriracha was added as a last minute ingredient! It gave it a spicy, sweet flavor that I was pleased with.
Afterwards it was hot tea time. I am definitely one who enjoys the festivities of the holidays- decadent food and bottomless glasses of wine.... mocha porters, and milk stouts.... oh my! I'll take all of the above, but it's JUST as important to celebrate the quiet moments in life. So today's crunchy leaves, chilled wind, snoozing pups, and hubs' trail companionship set my soul on fire- and my glutes!

So about that glass of wine....

Thanksgiving Day

2010-11-26T17:52:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day started at 7:30AM, when I awoke in a flurry of "it's here, it's here..." The family would be arriving 7 hours- but there was many a thing to accomplish in 7 hours. The house was clean, but I wanted it to sparkle! The dogs needed to release some of the energy that only a puppy can harness- times 2! On top of that, I needed to carve out a few minutes of me time- so with that I HIGHLY encouraged hubs to go for a mountain bike ride! With it, he had his solo time, got in some exercise, and I was able to crank cheesy music as I ran around and perfected last minute details! The arrival of my sister was only 2.5 hours delayed (only increasing the "me time" before everyone started arriving)- but it wouldn't be her if she came over on time.

Before everyone arrived I sifted through a mental checklist- Mom's corn pudding, MIL's sweet potatoes, Sister's Green Beans and pies, Turkey Roasting (rubbed with butter, fresh sage, pepper, and stuffed with an apple,) stuffing and mashed potatoes were laid out and ready to go!

Poor Bird- never had a chance..

Plans for a Thanksgiving Day Run were postponed- until tomorrow, maybe?!- but was quickly replaced with a chat session between hubs, sista' and myself.

Family arrived, everyone split into different sections of the yard and house to catch up, food was eaten, dessert was served and in a flash the night had come to an end- and naps were being had on the couch. If I could change anything about yesterday, I would slow it down. It seemed to fly by- like any good day does I guess! As a result the pictures taking slacked....

To relive it this morning we transformed leftovers into a tasty breakfast treat- ham with cranberry sauce, eggs, and pumpkin bread....yes, please!

So here's to 2010's reasons to be Thankful- the hubs- who puts a smile on my face, family, the pups, a job I'm passionate about, a home I miss when I pull out of the driveway, and friends that make me a better person.

Is it bad that I am already thinking about Christmas Dinner?! I am very excited for all that December will bring like.... Christmas Parties, my first 29th birthday, a fishing trip, Christmas, and New Years... wow.... I know it too will all fly by, just as Turkey Day did- but not without a conscience effort to stop and take it all in!!!

Thanksgiving Eve!

2010-11-24T20:02:00.000-08:00

The night before Thanksgiving may just be busier than the actual Thanksgiving event! Today consisted of cleaning, planning, and getting ahead on the holiday's cooking- namely breads, potatoes, and cranberry sauce.

The cranberry sauce is very simple. 1/2 cup OJ-Water mix, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 cups fresh cranberries. Heat the oj and sugar over med-high until the mixture is bubbling- add the cranberries and stir until most have burst. It's simple and fresh tasting- especially on top of the turkey!

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread- from Libby's!

Homemade dinner rolls- thank you all recipes!

Lamest yet- mini corn muffins- from a Jiffy Box... I should be ashamed but I was running out of energy!

All of this. in addition to the mashed potatoes made for a busy- exhausting evening!

Being ahead though should make tomorrow more enjoyable ( especially with Mimosas during the sister cookfest!)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! Check back for Updates on how it's going... and for anyone keeping tabs- it took 2 days in the fridge, and 4 hours in the sink (with water) to defrost the turkey- and I forgot the baster.... again....

Punkin'

2010-11-21T19:29:00.000-08:00

So he tells me I do this all the time.... obsess over an ingredient... run it into the ground.... decide I need to break up with the ingredient... only to start the vicious cycle all over again with something else.

Is there a helpline for problems such as these?!

So right now... and for the past month or so I've been obsessed with Libby's Canned Pumpkin Puree. I put it in everything.

My love affair with pumpkin is definitely a healthy one- fiber, vitamins A, K, C, and E, antioxidant, magnesium, potassium, and iron- that's a pretty rockin' nutritional resume!

So to get the mornings going there have been one of two breakfasts!

The first is a Pumpkin Smoothie

The night before I freeze a peeled banana. Add the banana to the following in a blender, and swirl!

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup greek yogurt

3 TBSP Agave Nectar

1/3 cup Almond Milk

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

( I also tossed in an apple to the mix one morning... it was awesome!)

extra tasty with a side of graham crackers!

The second is for mornings that require some warmth.

Pumpkin Oat Meal

I make normal oatmeal- 1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oats, 1/2 cup Almond Milk, and some water depending on consistency desired. In to the mix also goes pumpkin pie spice, 1/4 cup of pureed pumpkin, and 1 TBSP Raw creamy almond butter. I crumble a graham cracker on top, sit back, and nom nom nom....

So my dear pumpkin- who makes fall that much more enjoyable with your round little body, and healthy packed deliciousness- if lovin' you is wrong, I don't wanna be right!

Sunday- Yumday

2010-11-21T18:52:00.000-08:00

I am a lady of luxury... or so I was today! I left the house this morning to go pick up my mom. We visited a sick friend, headed over to my childhood friend's baby shower, ran errands around town- all before heading home to a 'licious dinner being fixed by hubs!

Hubs had it going on tonight.... on my way home he asked THE question- what are you feeling for dinner?

I mean after all it is a feeling- well, I'm feeling seafood, salad, I don't know why do I have to commit to one thing?!?!

I countered with what are YOU feeling?

This can go on forever some nights...

His answer was hmmm.. I was thinking Asian food!

PERFECT, I thought an Asian Seafood Salad sounded wonderful!

Fast forward 30 minutes and I arrive to the preparation of Asian Squid Salad, Grilled Curry Chicken- and Teriyaki Chicken, with a side of rice noodles and grilled veggies!

It satisfied every ounce of craving! The salad had a Nuoc Cham dressing (which was made from garlic-3 smushed cloves, Agave nectar- 2 Tbsp, fish sauce- 3 Tbsp, water -3 Tbsp, lime juice-3 Tbsp, and Chili garlic sauce- to taste). Dinner was amazing, the company- even better!

Now it's time to wrap my mind around the 3 day work week, before Turkey Day!!

I'm extra Thankful for the time I get to spend with the hubs and these two!

Lost Blogger...

2010-11-21T05:47:00.000-08:00

MISSING:

1 blonde 20 something who used to take pictures of her food and write about it-

last seen wrangling 23 little ones into book bags to be whisked away on a bus home....

I guess it goes without saying that I've been MIA! Obviously, I've still been cooking- and sometimes making DELICIOUS meals!

Caution- time to get your violin out for excuses- The Internet where we live was less than desirable (I could open email, but didn't have enough juice to respond.) With a new set up rolling, we are back in business... for now...

With my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE holiday only 4 days away, I figured now is as good a time as any to get back in the swing of things- after all I enjoy cooking, snapping photos, and jotting down random thoughts about the whole process!

With last years near melt-down state over lumpy gravy and a save by the Moms, there are sure to be interesting stories to share!

I leave you with a few pictures of random Fall eats and of course pups, and hope to return with my trials and tribulations in 2nd annual Thanksgiving Dinner - at our place! With answers to questions such as how long does it take to defrost that bird? And- ooooh that's why I should have gotten a baster- what do I do now?

Baked Spice Rubbed Chicken Ready for a Cranberry Topping

The pups in all their cuteness- somewhere along the way we adopted another one (that's a whole blog post!)

Tampa Chicken"- courtesy of my step father after a wine tour with my mom and sister

The Tower of Wine- at The Hague Winery

Fall off the bone...

2010-09-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

.... and into my mouth RIBS!!! I LOVE making ribs... and hubs loves when I make ribs too! We celebrated Sunday with bbq ribs, coleslaw, grilled asparagus, and a salad!

It all started with a dry rub! Ground mustard, onion, garlic, cayenne, chili powder, salt, and fresh cracked pepper created the perfect crust on the ribs!

After a generous spicy massage, and long rest, this bad boy went on a 500 degree grill for a few minutes on each side!
After getting a seared edge, into the crockpot it went.
The slow cooker did all of the hard work- a couple of hours on high, followed by a couple of hours on low- and the meat was falling off the bone!
I pulled the ribs out of crockpot, slathered them in a bath of bbq sauce (Sticky Fingers is my fave!) and popped them in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes to get the sauce extra sticky!

While the ribs were doing their thing in the oven, a side salad was thrown together!

Dinner was served- and enjoyed! This dinner was great way to wrap up a long and emotionally draining summer. I decided I am DEFINITELY ready for fall! Bring on crisp days, warm sweaters, running with OUT humidity, pumpkins, apples, and butternut squash (in everything!) And definitely more blogging about eats and adventures!!!

Whiskey in the Kitchen

2010-09-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

Everyone could use a little Whiskey in the kitchen, in my case Whiskey the new pup! She is lively, fun, full of unimaginable energy. One of her neatest traits is her lean- she will rest up against the wall, furniture- or my favorite me!

She was ever present in the kitchen tonight, while hubs and I had our 2 person party! We wanted to SPOIL ourselves with a fun date night in!

So we grilled up some lobster tails, corn, and red snapper- and made homemade mini crab cakes for our feasting pleasure. We brushed the lobster and corn with olive oil, salt, and a little pepper. The red snapper was dusted with garlic, cayenne pepper, chili pepper, and salt before going on a HOT grill!!

This went oh-so-well with mini crab cakes. When the decision was put before hubs-crab cakes or grilled scallops, he said hands down crab cakes always win!

Alongside all this food was Sierra Nevada Brown Ales- thank you brown ale gods! Music was going great, but went horribly wrong somewhere around 10PM... only to be remedied by David Gray's newest released album! His voice was PERFECT for our romantic night in!

This message brought to you by Whiskey- the min pit!

2010-08-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

So with a new pup, new school year, and insanely over scheduled hubs this weekend was the prime opportunity for a house cleaning- top to bottom, outside and in. I started off inside, and finished downstairs, hubs went to work outside. 8 hours later the outside was powerwashed and 1/2 of the inside was done- I was outside making sure he didn't fall off the roof most of the day! Pup was pooped from being out all day, and all was good in our well spiced home!

For dinner I had my heart set on Risotto... hubs never has his heart set on risotto. I usually don't tell him that's what I've made until the 18 minutes of constant stirring is complete. When prompted though, I couldn't lie, and under muffled breath stated seafood risotto?!?! No takers! Okay quick switch- fettucini with a cream sauce- still the same concept, rich and creamy, but with noodles-not rice!

GASP

Cream sauce you say?!

Cream sauce indeed- made with white wine and 1/2 and 1/2 instead of heavy cream. I believe in moderation, and yes even a little white sauce once in a while. While I poured light on the cream and heavy on the wine, the sauce came out perfect and was perfect along side scallops, shrimp, and jumbo lump crab meat.

While chores dominated the weekend, it is so nice to come away from it feeling like we accomplished so much.

Seafood Pasta Recipe

1/4 lb Jumbo Lump Crab Meat

8 Jumbo Shrimp

6 Scallops

1/2 cup half and half

1 cup white wine

3 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
3 tbsp fresh torn Basil
1 thinly sliced zuchinni
1/2 red onion
Olive oil... as much as you need :)
Parmesean Cheese
Cooked fettucini noodles-not rinsed!

Finely chop onions, and cook in olive oil on med low- about 10 minutes. Add garlic- cook another 2ish minutes. Dry shrimp and scallops on a towel, and turn up heat in pan to mediumish- not quite med-high. Cook shrimp and scallops- add zuchinni to pan and sautee a bit longer- turn down heat a tad. Add wine, then cream and simmer until thick. Crack pepper in pan, grate some parmesean over to taste. Gently add crab meat to sauce, and mix together. Add cooked noodles, continue to mix, and serve.... yum!

Workin' for the Weekend!

2010-08-15T04:05:00.000-07:00

This week flew by in a blur. I remember the students came back on Monday, there were some meetings sprinkled in through out the week, school supplies were stuffed into cabinets, forms, forms, and more forms were filled out sorted and inventoried, and then FRIDAY... glorious Friday! Last year I was lucky enough to work directly with some amazing women. I made incredible life long friendships- as we shared a hallway, we got to see each other multiple times a day! This year my friends and I are split up into different buildings for some, and opposite ends of my building for others. I am so happy to have my new team, and LOVE where I am, but miss seeing my girlfriends everyday! To catch up on the first week of school, we made it out to Weston Farm Vineyard and Winery to have our first "wine down" of the school year. I expect to have many more at this fabulous location. We tasted all of the wines, ordered a glass, and set out on the deck to overlook the acres of grapes, farm animals, and cloud covered countryside that relaxed even the most frazzled teacher-accompanied by random gun shots- someone gearing up for hunting season perhaps?! AHHHH sweet country living! I went with a glass of their Rosso- a blend of Cab Franc and Norton (norton being an all time fave wine)!

Picked this up to accompany dinner!

Our time passed too quickly, as we all dashed off to Friday night plans! Mine included a puppy play date with my younger sister and her two dogs. In an effort to keep up the "socialization" of our Min Pit- miniature pit bull- with other dogs we invited her to come out bring the dogs, and stay for dinner! It was a blast. The dogs wore each other out- and even had a visit from 2 neighborhood goldens, that make it an effort to sneak down here as often as possible (or just to the creek to cool off and get muddy)!

Dinner was simple, healthy, filling, and tasty! Mojo marinated grilled chicken breasts over brown rice, with lightly sauteed veggies and black beans. It was put together quickly- almost too quick for a weekend dinner! The veggies were sauteed and seasoned with cumin, garlic, pepper, and chili powder!

Wine was had.

Conversations continued.

Jokes were made.

Laughter filled the room.

This Friday definitely set a precedent for others!

Riders on the... mountain...

2010-08-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

So we woke up Saturday morning with the truck ready to take us westward on 64! This journey would be to Walnut Creek Park. Upon a 9:30AM arrival we set up in the parking lot with a handful of other riders.

Map in tow, we adventured out to ride a 11.25 mile figure eight.
Silly us, we saved a grueling up hill for mile number 8... live and learn! The park was the perfect place, perfect temp, and perfect distance from the house to be within a weekly striking distance- but new enough to send that little kid adventurous part of your brain (that EVERYONE has) into a frenzy! I believe WOOO HOOO sums it up.

This ride definitely took it's toll on me. Two wrecks- 1 bruised and battered leg, and 1 smashed pinkie finger- merely right of passage.. right of wreckage... one or the other, so I'm told!

hitting these rocks I promptly went flying off my bike, getting tangled up in it... but no tears!

Upon returning to the truck I announced to Hubs, that the time has come to retire the Cannondale. My fabulous first of bikes has been on many rides, logged many miles, and thrown me on the ground many times.

We came home and crashed again, this time in bed. When we woke up, pups took priority and a long walk was in order! Dinner was dreamt during the walk- and a trip to the store was next!

After picking up all of the ingredients we feasted on Asian Chicken in Lettuce Cups, Shrimp Spring rolls, and Homemade Baked Egg Rolls- this of course shared the spotlight with a glass of Vinho Verde!

a trio of sauces for dipping pleasure

And now as I reflect on my amazing weekend, I already look forward to the next one. See, my students return tomorrow- after too short of a summer! Time to put in practice careful planning, organized and precise time management, and prayers for sanity!!! Bring on another school year!

'Twas the Friday Before a New School Year

2010-08-08T11:04:00.001-07:00

After spending 3 hours trying to plan out the first 2 days of school, making copies, moving baskets of freshly purchased school supplies around the classroom- I finally closed up the computer and headed out! I knew hubs was already home ready to kick off the weekend- with the help of the "not quite 100% adopted but becoming more and more of a permanent fixture everday" dog "Wiskie."

We opened and shared a delicious bottle of red wine- which will definitely become a staple here! It was a shiraz viognier blend. I love a bold shiraz- one of my favorite reds- especially in cooler months! In the warmer months a chilled glass of Viognier- and definite summer white wine- fits the bill perfectly! Friday's hubby/wife 'wine down' gave us a chance to enjoy the best of both worlds- while this bottle was 95% shiraz and 5% viognier it was 100% DELICIOUS!

We shared cheddar stuffed banana peppers (thank you neighbors) wrapped in bacon, with grilled hamburger sliders. We called it a night relatively early- after loading up the montain bikes and filling up the camelbacks for Saturday's morning date!

upside down

2010-08-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! This bloggin' world has been turned upside down!!!

Just as I expected the school year has come and left little personal time in my days... weeks... ARGH!!! It is SO hard to find down time that my eyes aren't slowly closing, as sleep persuades me to get in bed around 9PM. I'm such an old woman this time of year!

So long mid week glasses of wine....

Long gone are days of gym classes and hard hitting workouts whenever the mood strikes...

Lately time has been taken up by this lil' lady as well. We've extended our trial period from 1 week to 2. It is hard to pass judgement when setting up the classroom has been number 1 priority for me, and Lord knows the hubs had 'one of those weeks.'

Dinners have been consistently wonderful, and healthy. Workouts have been tweaked to include 5AM runs. Strength training has not gone so well this week, but there is always next week.

For now the goal is to get into the groove, find a schedule, and POST MORE RECIPES!!!!!

Until then I will leave a teaser... Summer Chipotle Chili with White Beans along side Cheddar Corn (whole wheat) Biscuits.... satisfy my soul...

Show me your peppas!!!

2010-07-28T17:21:00.000-07:00

The other night our neighbor's dog ventured down to say hi- our's is the first stop on his neighborhood tour. Usually he heads to our creek to splash around and get dirty, but this time he hung out and played fetch- I think he is rallying for a new playmate! In due time he will have one, we've been approved by the bully breed adoption agencies WOOO HOOO!!!!

When retrieving their pup, my neighbors brought us some banana peppers from their garden. They were so pretty- they begged for a photo shoot!

Ideas for these babies quickly flooded my mind- I decided to stuff them with pulled pork.

Sometimes I make decisions 'spur of the moment' before checking out the pantry and freezer- lucky for me I had a bunch of super thick pork chops in the freezer and decided to defrost a couple! So into the crock pot this morning went two chops with some Mojo marinade and chicken stock.

I let them do their thing on high for 4 hours!

When I returned home from work- with another bag of farm fresh tomatoes from a student!!!- I decided that I would make enchilada sauce from scratch. WHY have I not done this sooner?!

I could have taken out the seeds, but naaawh- not tonight! Into the blender went whole tomatoes, olive oil, cumin, cayenne, salt, garlic, onion and chipotle peppers! I simmered it on the stove, and added about 3 Tbsp of tomato paste.

I stuffed the peppers with the pork and covered them with the delicious bubbling red sauce- I even had enough meat to make 2 enchiladas in whole wheat tortillas - which I baked with the peppers at 375 for about 20 minutes!

I LOVED this spicy dinner, and hubs well, I think he'll keep me around for a while after this one!!!

Cruel, cruel summer...

2010-07-27T17:34:00.000-07:00

Only cruel because it's almost over.

The summer is quickly winding down... and I mean QUICKLY! We have headed back to work this week to participate in workshops and meetings, and my the real world has hit me head on...
I've had to tweak my methods, but will hopefully maintain my 'OM' state of mind- acquired this summer by kickin' workouts, kitchen creations, and ME time!

Workouts happen first- out the door between 5 and 5:30! WOOOOOOO EARLY BIRD!!!! If I don't do it early, typically I don't do it- at least I'm honest with myself! Double duty- working out keeps me happy and gives me my time to myself... or with my hubs...

Food is still fun (I don't start cooking at 4PM anymore though-insert mega sad face). More extravagant meals are saved for the weekend...but that doesn't mean no healthy eats during the week. Did you see what hubs happened to make last night?! Super light and flavorful!

Lunches are put together the night before... so long midday grazing! This may be a good thing... but I will surely miss it! To help with back to school lunches I threw together a batch of black bean burger with chipotle peppers, and have them waiting in the freezer for an easy lunch option. I actually made these during my mood boosting cook-a-thon Friday night- however they sure are coming in handy now that it's that time...

Black Bean Burgers:
2 cups black beans
2 chipotle peppers in adobo-diced
1/3 cup cooked brown rice
2/3 cup cooked Bulgar wheat
splashes of olive oil
2 Tbsp garlic powder
dashes of worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp wheat flour
1 egg white
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
salt and pepper

I put 1 1/2 cups of black beans in the mixer with all of the other listed ingredient. I like the beans to be mashed up. Mix in the 1/2 cup of whole beans. Form burgers. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 ish minutes. Let cool, and CAREFULLY because they are a bit soft- put in baggies to freeze.

Ingredients are roughly measured. The burgers should have a sticky-slightly wet- feel to them. Ingredients can also be tweaked- I get SUPER creative based on what's in the pantry! Mushrooms make a great addition/ substitution!

With that it's time to makes tomorrow's lunch!

Homemade Pizza

2010-07-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

My poor, poor hubby- God Bless him! As my live in taste testing, Guinea Pig, he has endured some pretty awful homemade bread. Four years ago, I set out to make homemade bread- and not the sweet kind with baking powder and baking soda. Not this chick, I wanted to make the fresh baked farmhouse loaf that was perfect, with a slab of butter, and steam rising off.

EPIC

FAIL

REPEAT

I am not one to be defeated- especially by a tradition such as bread making. Hello, I was the new proud owner of a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. I could make anything.

WRONG

Bread= science. You have to check the weather, the water, the flour, the oven. You have to enlist the help of bricks in your oven, steam misting water bottles, countless cookbooks, countless websites, and yes countless loaves of bread that were dense, tasteless, and just wrong!

Over the past four years I have definitely plugged away at finding that feel of the dough- somewhere between sticky and smooth. I have stopped rushing the kneading process (how hard is it to let the mixer do the work for 8 or so minutes). I have made rolls, loaves, pretzels, and a beloved pizza crust!

It is no question we love pizza! When we lived in Richmond, we would get pizza from Leonardo's. Heaven. Now, with limited options-and the desire to make everything THAT tiny bit healthier- we do our own thing!

Pizza crust presents the same pain in the rear problem as all yeast breads. If you mess it up, you have a load of tasty toppings atop of cardboard. There is no disguise for a bad crust. Dough being the science that it is, is best followed from a tried and true recipe. I happen to use this one from my Cooking Light cookbook. I use highly active yeast, and white wheat flour. No it's not dripping in butter along the crust- but you absolutely could brush some on.

The recipe says it yields 2 crusts- I make 3. When I first started making it, the crust was hanging over the pizza stone and was a bit chewy for our liking. By dividing the crust into thirds, we had a thin and crisp crust that suited us better- and it fits on the pizza stone perfectly! I had never frozen the dough before, but popped one of these guys in the freezer this time. If the crust turns out just as tasty after being frozen, then there is never an excuse not to have homemade pizza-unless I'm being lazy...

With our his and her's pizza, a bottle of Horton Mourvedre dinner was served!

Stuffed 'Maters

2010-07-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

When I am happy, I cook. Mad- cook, sad- cook, pretty much any emotion results in me celebrating or not in the kitchen! About the only time I don't feel like cooking is when I'm sick. So it only seemed fitting to spend all of Friday afternoon in the kitchen.

Per the request of a dear, dear friend I wanted to do something different with tomatoes. Enter Quinoa stuffed Tomatoes! This figure friendly dish packs a major protein punch-without meat!

To prepare the tomatoes, I cut off the top and discarded the seeds. I scooped out the flesh. I saved the flesh and mixed it in with cooked quinoa, spinach, garlic, carrots, olive oil, and salt and pepper in the food processor. I spooned the mixture back into the tomato and baked in an oven at 375 for about 20/25 minutes.

*** Due to my propensity for over stuffing, one totally exploded on me! Learn from my mistake once it's full, don't continue to pack it in!

'Licious and low fat! We didn't eat them for dinner, but they made an excellent Saturday lunch! Throw on top of a mixed green salad and you have the perfect light lunch! The texture of the quinoa almost fooled hubs into thinking there was lean ground meat in the mixture!

Check back for more food we didn't eat until Saturday... homemade black bean burgers, pizza- with dough from scratch, and sun dried tomato dip- made with Greek yogurt!

Serendipity

2010-07-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

Before we knew Blitzie was sick we entertained getting another dog. With her age, we thought it would be the perfect time to rescue another dog without a permanent home. After our vacation, and things started spiraling down for her we decided to wait until she had passed to look- we didn't want to confuse or upset her anymore! We poured all of our time into taking care of her and keeping her as comfy as possible.. until... well you know until what!

After many tears, and not the cute tears either-I was a slobbering, snotty mess- phone calls, flowers (thank you seeeester and Whit!), and LOVE over the last few days we woke up feeling better! We miss her to death, but were definitely starting to feel better. We thought it would be fun to go out looking to see what dogs were at the adoption stands today. We love all dogs, but are so fond of Pit Bulls. We made it our adventure!

We set out to many different spots- 7 to be exact. At the 7th stop we finally found a pit bull rescue group. Ring Dog Rescue was set up at Strange's Florist in Short Pump. Ring Dog is a rescue group for pit bulls! We had only seen 2 other pits today. Out of 6 agencies, 1 had 2 pits. They all seemed shocked we were looking specifically for this bully breed- pleased, but shocked! I quote "We typically don't bring our pit bulls out because they get overlooked."

Heartbreak I tell ya!

I could JUMP on my soap box now about what wonderful dogs pitties make, and how in the 1920's they were THE family dog, nicknamed "nannie dogs" because of how well they are with children.... but nobody likes a soap box!

Anywho- we were talking to the adoption lady, as we were playing with a cutie, and mentioned losing Blitz. As we chatted her face lit up and she said " I saved her!" We were with the woman who brought our precious lil' lady into the Henrico Humane Organization. She remembered everything about her, where she came from, her foster home, and the pictures we sent to Henrico Humane after we adopted her- camping, and playing in the ocean! What are the chances of meeting the person who saved your dog 5 years after she was adopted?!

As we were talking with the woman about Blitz, we held onto the leash of a fun lil' gal- lab mixed with pit. She was PRECIOUS- playful, smart, sweet, and cuddly- but we had to leave pup with the rescue group. We have much to think about and don't want to follow up having a great dog, with dog that 'will do.' We want to visit with a few other groups and see a few other faces before we make our decision.... but our hearts did melt today (and not because it was 104 outside).

Check back for pics and recipes from yesterday- I am pretty certain that hours in the kitchen cooking will help fix just about anything!

Heaven is where...

2010-07-22T05:36:00.000-07:00

...you meet all the dogs you ever loved- from a sign on my parent's wall.

I am not the type of person to let my heart stay full of negative thoughts and emotions. I try to welcome each day with optimism, love, wonder, and kindness. When a large space in your heart, that has only known love and happiness, suddenly turns blue, it takes extra effort to find the positive, keep smiling, and remember the wonderful blessings you have in life. Today that place in my heart went blue.

In October of 2005 we went to the grocery store, where Henrico Humane had set up outside. I fell in L.O.V.E. with this white dog with the brown eye. She was calm, happy, cool as a cucumber. Her picture stuck with me and through constant pressure the boyfriend, now hubs, finally cracked!!! He adopted her and brought her home 1 week before Christmas. He knew it was highly frowned upon in the pet adoption circles to give dogs as a gift.... we live dangerously! For almost 5 years this precious white dog has given all of her love and energy to being the best dog a human could ask for. She learned to sleep in a sleeping bag, ride in a car crammed with camping gear, chase bubbles in a mountain stream, and catch crabbies at the beach. She has given licks and love to everyone that has crossed our threshold!

We are so sad to see her go, but so happy we were lucky enough to have adopted her. She is a part of our family and will be missed tremendously.

Love you Blitzie!!!!

The prized pig!

2010-07-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

While 'hubs' was ~~at work~~ floating down the James River with a buddy I was a whirlwind of activity! It started with an hour long Pilates/Yoga class that kicked my butt! I love Pilates- but I have limited yoga exposure. Yoga makes me feel so good when I'm done, so great in fact I have high hopes to keep it up once summer winds down- and the inevitable school year begins!

After a relaxing (core burning) session I headed to the my classroom to move desks in 10 different configurations and set up my computers!

Saving the best chore for last, I went to Costco to restock our freezer/pantry (I love grocery shopping). I was drooling over super thick pork chops when I decided they had to be mine, had to be stuffed, and had to be for dinner tonight!

Throwing a few more staples in the cart (flank steak, tomatoes... in bulk..., Tortilla Chips, pita crisps, hummus, and flat bread for wraps), I went on my way- out to pick up wine and beer for the weekend. Something about this bottle of Pinot Noir begged to be brought home.

Kitty Approval

After over doing it on the white wine consumption lately, I was really craving Pinot Noir. For me it's too hot to enjoy a Cab or Petite Sirah (my go to wines in cooler months), this was the perfect choice for a warm summer night- with spotty thunderstorms and all!

A super quick salad was thrown together with Organic Spring Mix (salad mixes make life so easy!), tomatoes, fresh basil, and cucumbers.

The salad was fine and all -but oh my noshing stars! Dinner tonight was yum!

After picking out the pork chops, I immediately knew they would be perfect for stuffing and grilling. I wanted to make something a bit different so I googled stuffed grilled pork chops. A lot of the usuals popped up including traditional stuffing, apples, and more fall friendly fare. Unhappy with the results, I changed my search to shrimp stuffed pork chop and found this inspiration for dinner. Did you happen to catch the nutritional chart to the right?!

When looking for din-spiration, I will often checkout favorite restaurant menus online- or put a couple of ingredients in a search engine. This usually helps get the creative juices flowing enough to whip up something with my own spin. My spin will change many fat/calorie laden ingredients to something with more nutritional value! Sometimes the method of cooking will create it's own problem- after all french fries are potatoes... right?! Instead of dropping them in the fry daddy, using non-stick spray cook them on the grill.

I digress... back to dinner!

I made more than a few changes to the recipe. We didn't have any crab, so I used scallops and crayfish along with the shrimp. I used olive oil in place of butter, and lightened the cream sauce by using 1% milk instead of heavy cream. Of course this changed the richness of the sauce- we just never have heavy cream laying around. To thicken the sauce I added a tiny bit of white wheat flour before putting in the milk. Instead of wrapping the pork chop in prosciutto, I used bacon-not so healthy but I only used 1/2 of a slice on each chop! I threw them on the grill for a couple of minutes before finishing in a 350 degree oven.

We enjoyed it over basmati rice and loved every tasty bite! The pork and spicy sauce compliment each other. Throwing in the seafood stuffing added a bit of sweetness that totally balanced out the meal.

Today's food has had a definite lightness to it- smoothies stole the show for breakfast! Hubs has plans to fire up the grill tonight! I hope grilled veggies make an appearance. Gotta love watching a man and his grill!

Eat Your Veggies

2010-07-16T03:41:00.001-07:00

This post was carefully written under the watchful eye of Blitzie- who is feeling so much better after a 1 1/2 weeks of being sickly!!!

We love all kinds of foods! I've never been one to turn down a juicy burger, or perfectly pulled pork platter, but recently veggies have been coming in 1st place on my plate. This could be due to a number of factors-
1. I hate throwing away food- such a waste! After vacay all I wanted was salad, so I bought WAY to many veggies and we've been veg eating machines!
2. It's summer time and slowly people are sharing the fruits of their labor with us (as well as our surplus of cucumbers).
3. After a sweaty workout, I really crave something light- veggies typically fit the bill. The downside is realizing you've started to get hungry again when trying to fall asleep!

Whatever the case may be I present 3 super fun ways to squeeze extra vegetables into your diet.

Spinach and White Bean Dip

When hubs came home from an EXCEPTIONALLY long stretch of work, I new he'd be ready to nosh. Usually tortilla chips and salsa, or cheese and crackers will do-but I wanted something a little different (and we are totally out of snackie foods)! Into the food processor went 1 can of rinsed cannellini beans, 1 clove roasted garlic (and the Olive oil I roasted the garlic with (maybe 2 Tablespoons), handful of baby spinach, lots of fresh basil, sea salt and pepper! It needed some help with its 'smooth-ification' so a tad more olive oil was added! The dip was a hit- the leftovers will make an appearance in a wrap today for lunch!

Gazpacho Accessories

Somewhere on my despised treadmill run- hate running on a treadmill, especially when I forget headphones and can't get my GaGa on- I started thinking about Gazpacho! I wanted it to have roasted garlic and basil accents.

So into the blender when 1 carrot, 3 tomatoes, 2 cloves of roasted garlic, 1 cucumber (15 inch cuke), a couple of splashes of white vinegar, a bunch of fresh basil, and salt/pepper.

After the soup pureed for a bit, I topped it with the diced fresh veg-accessories. We had cherry tomatoes, green/red peppers, onion, basil, zucchini, and cucumber.

Gazpacho with Roasted Garlic and Basil

The third way to sneak them in is to make a salad-not so sneaky! This one included spinach, arugula, grilled endive, onion, and sun dried tomatoes- drizzled with balsamic vinegar!

These 3 options made the perfect dinner for me! Knowing my hubs would want something a bit more substantial, he had an unpictured Chicken Parm and left his salad (for me to devour with lunch I assume)! I will be sure to post this recipe in the future, it was the best one yet!!!

I am sure there will be grilled carnivore action this weekend- and I'm okay with that!

On that note, I am off to get my Pilates on- only a couple more weeks of AM gym classes before I head back to the classroom! I wonder if I can teach reading groups while holding a plank?!