eat.drink.laugh.love.

Veggie patch update

2011-06-02T18:38:00.000-04:00

Just a quick veggie patch update (on a super sunny afternoon). The back garden is doing well. Tomatoes are growing each day. Here is a close up of the Roma tomatoes: grow guys! grow! Peppers are coming along slowly.

On to the bounty from the front yard. This is the second giant batch of rainbow swiss chard, some of which will get used tonight, and the rest will travel to PA. (The first batch went to Meg). You will also notice that there are 4 rainbow carrots!!! My first carrots!!! 2 white, 1 orange and 1 purple. I can cross carrots of my Whole Foods list tonight. The beets are not ready yet. The radishes and lettuce that I threw down before we went on vacation are doing well.

Next, is this alien: kohlrabi. It is a fun word to say. He came in the CSA and I am super excited. I was checking them out at the King Street Market the other week. So I have a delicious plan for him this evening. Will share later.

Franklin isn't doing so well. A lot of his leaves are turning yellow and falling off. We'll see. He is getting a drink right now. Natural suggestions?

Finally, us. On vacation. In LA. For 5 delightful, relaxing days. We went hiking. We ate a lot...including some amazing vegan meals (more on that later). We laughed with wonderful friends while drinking delicious wine, gathered around a hand made table under an old avocado tree. We went to church together. Yes, it was that perfect. I can't wait for them to come out and visit us, but I also am looking forward to going back in the spring.

"2011" The First Half (almost)

2011-05-15T14:44:00.002-04:00

2011.

One of my goals was to blog more.

Current status: FAIL.

January, February and March were CONSUMED with running and yoga. It was pretty amazing as each Saturday morning I hit a new "all time high" for my mileage. My longest training run was 23 miles on March 5th. I was going to yoga on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays and running Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. By March I just didn't want to have to run anymore. But it all paid off and I finished my first marathon on my 29th birthday. It wasn't the time I had projected at all, I hit a few bumps along the way that I was prepared for, but I did it. The end. If you want to know details, feel free to ask, but I'll need at least a glass of wine get going.

Now I have been training exclusively in my New Balance Minimus Trail shoes. Not running or going to yoga as consistently as before, but I'll get back in the groove. I am enjoying watching my pace drop as I get stronger. I was at 9:27 average in December and last month I was averaging 8:20. I am also addicted to Nuun tablets in my water. Current favorite flavor: grape. And finally, we have made some great new friends in the pasts weeks a months through running. All runners are a little nutty and that is perfectly fine with me.

Status of some other goals:

Make pasta and ravioli: SUCCESS.

My parents and Tim gave me the pasta roller and cutter attachments for my Kitchen Aid. With Tonya's help and counter space, we made tons of pasta and ravioli. The following weekend, Tim, my mom and I made more pasta (plain and whole wheat) and some ricotta and asparagus ravioli. I have not made any pasta since...

Weekly dinners with friends and eating more fish: PARTIAL SUCCESS.

We are officially in love with cedar planks for grilling. Twice we have grilled salmon and twice it was delicious. My parents have decided that almost eveything they grill shoudl be on a cedar plank: salmon, trout, chicken, potatoes...

We shared some cedar plank salmon with friends on Easter (after our 2nd annual bike ride in for Sunrise Easter Service). No recipe for the salmon. Just lemon juice, and slices, some garlic and butter and olive oil. We also had a salad with some roasted asparagus and horseradish scalloped potatoes. The potatoes were so delicious, I am waiting for the slightest excuse (and free time) to make them again.

And, the garden: SUCCESS.

Meet Franklin. He is our new peach tree. He lives in the front yard along with swiss chard, carrots, beets, radishes, lettuce, cilantro (left over from last year), rosemary, sage and various flowers.

The back garden is doing well too. This year we are attempting red onions in addition to yellow and red bell peppers, roma tomatoes, yellow pear tomatoes, anaheim chili peppers, chives, basil, more sage and thyme. In more back yard news, we are working with a contractor to build a deck! A whole 8x14 deck. We are super excited. Construction has not started yet.

That is all for now. I have to get back to some research that I initially sat down to complete. Hopefully that will result in another update in the coming weeks.

The current schedule is as follows:

Monday: yoga

Tuesday: run

Wednesday: hills or track

Thursday: run and/or yoga

Friday: yoga

Saturday: long run

Sunday: off

I am trying to find time in there for some creative cooking as well as some much needed scrap booking.

We'll see.

French Onion Soup: B-E-A-utiful!

2011-01-03T08:57:00.000-05:00

I have been in need of this comfort food for some time now. It has been cold. Really cold. This morning there was a wind chill of 8.5 degrees. NOT to be confused with 9 degrees... because that is obviously much warmer.

So, french onion soup. Easy. Don't be intimidated.

Chop lots of onions. I like a combination of red and yellow.

Saute/caramelize in butter.You want dark brown.

Add a pinch of thyme.

Deglaze with a splash of red wine.

Add lots of beef/onion stock. Simmer.

Taste. Simmer. Taste. You'll know when it is perfect.

Toast your favorite bread. We use Ezekiel. I cut it into bite sized pieces and set on top of my soup.

Sprinkle generously with cheese. This is VERY personal. My Mom like mozzarella. I have seen provolone and swiss used. I used gruyere.

I missed out on the best part because i am not sure if these bowls are oven safe. Place under the broiler until cheese is golden and bubbly. I used the microwave.

I grilled a steak too. But I wasn't feeling it once it was cooked.

Wrap up 2010

2010-12-29T11:11:00.000-05:00

To start, I'd like to say that I am extremely thankful that Tim and I have each other and our families, our health and happiness, our house and our jobs as we end one year and start another.
I wish health and happiness to all of our friends and family. It has been a crazy, trying year to say the least. I would really appreciate it if everyone could stay healthy in the future.
Please? Thanks.

What happened?
I am now a runner. I prepared for and ran my first race this year: Love the Run You're With 5K (that 5K a few years ago doesn't count). That lead to a few more 5Ks, a 4 miler, a 36 hour relay where one of my runs was 7.4 miles (my most miles to that point) at 3am, through a battlefield, a piss poor marathon training that resulted in an injury and deferment and a 10K that I actually trained for so I could qualify for another marathon. I will wrap up this "Year of Running" with a New Year's Eve 4-miler with Tim.

How things have progressed:
stability sneakers: barefoot running
no need for training or consistency: running with a group 3 days each week, including Saturday long runs
Polar heart rate monitor: Garmin 305
not taking marathon training seriously: taking marathon training very seriously
cheating on a 3 mile run: running 10 miles without stopping
35 minute 5K: 28 minute 5K

Injuries:
Left IT Band (January)
cause: shoes too big, running on a treadmill, increasing mileage too fast
Right ankle sprain/strain with Achilles strain (September)
cause: lack of strength from piss poor barefoot training

In addition to running, we have started to eat healthier too and just general paying attention to how certain foods make us feel. New to us in 2010: quinoa, chocolate soy milk, greek yogurt, soy joy bars, Annie's Goddess salad dressing.

2010:
January: first running injury
February: First 5K, Dr. Kathy
March: I turned 28, Wedding #1
April: American Odyssey Relay
May: Wedding #2, planted an AMAZING veggie garden
June: Wedding #3 in Chicago and work trip to St. Louis
July: Anniversary #5 and DMB concert
August: barefoot, Chappaquiddick
September: Tim turned 30, Wedding #4, 3 years at job, second running injury
October: Tim ran his first marathon, the Marine Corps...how fitting
November: Joined a running group, ran a 10K (qualified for National Marathon)
December: Purchased "cold gear"...no more running in 50 layers and coming home soaking wet, Vegas had his ACL repaired, got a new grill for Christmas

What is coming down the line for 2011?
January: unlimited yoga!! (thanks BFF)
February:
March: National Marathon, I turn 29
April:
May:
June:
July: Anniversary #6
August:
September: Tim turns 31
October: Marine Corps Marathon
November: Hawaii vacation with my family
December:
In general: make pasta, make ravioli, get back to weekly dinner with friends, eat more fish, get all pictures in an album and organized, sell stamp sets that I don't use, downsize "stuff" in general, write more letters to friends and family, plant an even better garden! I'm not terribly thrilled with anything that I have cooked this year. That is a problem. There seems to be a fine line between what my running body craves (quinoa, avocado, beans, milk) and what I read in Food & Wine (butter, cream, beef, alcohol). I need to work on that.

Curry quinoa cakes

2010-12-08T11:12:00.001-05:00

By this time you should know my LOVE for quinoa. If not, I LOVE QUINOA. I am always searching for recipes that utilize this super-food and recently I stumbled across this one. Quinoa AND curry... beautiful! Tim already had quinoa cooked for the week, so it didn't get cooked in chicken stock. I excluded the peas (not really a fan) and since I didn't have red curry paste I used curry powder and cayenne powder. Apparently I forgot the corn starch, I didn't notice, and I made a pretty good sized batch so I needed 2 eggs and a little more of everything else. I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup to form the cakes and flipped them into a pan with a little oil. They held together really well.

I threw boneless, skinless chicken thighs (yum) in the oven with a curry seasoning meant for potatoes and cauliflower and added a little tandoori. The flavors were so different but complimented each other perfectly.

Of course, I topped it all off with tzatiki.

Tim said he could eat quinoa cakes forever, I agree.

I will now be testing variations- yum!

Dijon chicken let down

2010-11-23T13:09:00.000-05:00

This is a very boring picture of a very boring batch of Dijon chicken.

I am upset because I was so looking forward to it being "knock-your-socks-off" wonderful and it just wasn't.

I couldn't hit the right balance with sauce. The ratio between chicken stock, Dijon, and cream was never right. And I am starting to wonder if this is NOT meant to be served over whole wheat noodles. (I used to eat this over cheap, white, angel hair pasta.) At least the chicken was fabulous.

Don't be discouraged, 9 times out of 10 this turns out brilliant...I was just too nervous about playing the Giants.

Dijon Chicken

Boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or thighs)
While still frozen, sprinkle with pepper, mustard powder and a tablespoon or two of Dijon mustard and a tablespoon or two of water. Let thaw.
Cook chicken in a pan or pot (you will use this to make the gravy later). Make sure that the chicken gets a nice golden crust. When the chicken is done, remove and set aside.

The sauce is "simple". It is a combination of more Dijon, chicken stock and maybe some mustard powder and pepper. When the flavor is right, thicken. Remove from heat and stir in either a bit of sour cream, plain yogurt, or cream.

Serve over pasta. Originally angel hair, but now whole wheat...whatever floats your boat.

Cranberry Crawl Catastrophe

2010-11-21T13:29:00.002-05:00

http://cdn.wn.com/pd/40/77/6f027d02ca8576f85b461ed0f2b0_grande.jpg

The Potomac Valley Track Club hosted their Cranberry Crawl 10k on Saturday. First off, it was $5 to register so that was wonderful. Second, they post their results online so I could use them to register for the National Marathon. I just needed to come in under 1:05. No problem. All training runs were under this. My average mile these days is a hair under 10 minutes. That makes me happy.

Anyway, so Tim and I are out there saturday morning running around Hains Point, and we see a Park Police officer talking to race officials. For reasons unknown to me the permit was revoked and the timing for the race stopped after 57:37. So anyone who came in after that can contact race officials and infomr them of their time if they kept it or an "approximate". Are you kidding me! But wait, it gets better. I was right at the front of the start line. Started my watch when they said go. Made it to mile 1 in 7:59. Amazing. I pulled my sleeve back over my watch and hit the "stop" button! I realized this at mile 3. This particular watch and jacket have a history...the jacket likes to turn my watch on and off. No big deal, I can see that they are still keeping time. So I reset and hit start for my second/final lap. 28:56. Wonderful. But they are no longer keeping time as I cross the finish. I know I rocked it but I feel guilty for giving them a time less than my last 6.2 training run. So I tell them 1:01. Then the guy who crossed right behind me (at least they had our numbers in order when we finished) said he clocked 59 minutes. But my 1:01 was already down, I couldn't change it. So now I'm just bummed. Bummed that my watch and jacket malfunctioned. Bummed that they stopped timing 3 minutes before I crossed the finish line. Bummed that my time isn't "honest". I short-sheeted myself.

I have to find out if the National Marathon will even count that time, that is my Monday task. I may have to race another 10k in 2 weeks.

I'd rather not.

I'm bummed.

I'm going to go drink excessive amounts of milk and sulk.

And make dijon chicken for dinner.

And the Eagles play the Giants tonight. I'm nervous.

Tim ran it in 45:02! This is his longest run since the marathon.

Thanksgiving Plans

2010-11-17T10:06:00.003-05:00

http://images.marthastewart.com/images/
content/web/goodthings/gt043_autcentr01_xl.jpg

We are a week out and I haven't thought about 1 thing "turkey" related. Part of this is because we are going home this year, the other is that there will only be 5 of us. I don't know how to cook any meal for JUST 5 people. I can barely cook for 2. I know how to cook for a small army: End. Of. Story.

So while I wasn't running last night, I flipped through some November issue magazines, my recipe book and my own head. I had to stop and text my Mom, who happens to be in Maui with my dad on vacation, and ask: "How do we cook Thanksgiving dinner for 5 people?" Her beautiful answer:

"Any way you want...without restrictions."

I love my Mom to bits and pieces!

Here is a rough draft...

Appetizers:

Salad:

Kale and Apple Salad with Pancetta and Candied Pecans. We have never really had a salad before Thanksgiving before, but this looks amazing. Worth a shot.

Main:

Mashed Potatoes: I can't screw with tradition. Boil potatoes in salted water with a few cloves of garlic. Strain and remove garlic. Use a masher or ricer and add butter and cream, salt and pepper. The End.
Turkey rubbed with homemade sage butter. I have used this since 2005 or 2006. I don't use this recipe for stuffing. Seriously, my arteries hurt when I shove butter under the turkey skin. Don't be surprised when you gravy is green-ish.
Sweet Potatoes: Inspiration required...*update* I am beginning to think that you can't screw with these either. Roast, peel, mash add butter, cream, citrus, maple syrup, place under broiler for crunchy top.
Stuffing: I have only screwed with this tradition lightly, and that was to blend my Mom's recipe with one Tim had grown up with. Saute finely chopped onions, celery and bacon. Add poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Toss with bread cubes you chop and left out over night (away from Mr. Vegas). We have always used white bread, this year I hope to sneak in some whole wheat bread. Add chicken stock as needed. Make sure there is enough to stuff your turkey and a separate casserole.
Crescent rolls...obviously
Cranberry Sauce: I have to admit I'm a fan of the can.

Dessert:

Maple-Apple Upside-Down Cake

And because you HAVE to eat WHILE you are cooking, I'm thinking this will do the job for breakfast.

Monday runs are nice*

2010-11-15T19:18:00.000-05:00

*this statement is probably good for this day only.

It was a really nice day today, 60's I think (I wouldn't know, being locked in an office building all day). So I got home and threw on shorts, a thermal long sleeve tee and a light running jacket, said I was sorry to Vegas for not being able to take him, and out the door I went.

6.2 miles round trip down Eisenhower Ave. And my time (drum roll please): 1:01. That means I averaged UNDER a 10 minute mile. I know it was by a hair, but I'll take it. I felt fast again today. I don't know why or how I have been able to push myself, but I'm not arguing.

Okay, now on to a serious night of football. Eagles at Redskins. I can't tell you how odd it is to see McNabb in burgundy and gold on the side of a bus.

Tim boiled some chicken wings that I will happily roll in hot sauce and blue cheese. And to balance that out a salad (arugula, baby spinach and mixed greens) with heirloom tomatoes, Goddess dressing, and some chips, salsa and sour cream.

Go Birds!

Productive Sunday

2010-11-14T19:22:00.001-05:00

It was a seriously productive Sunday. I think Sunday's are most productive when you don't shower. It is almost 7pm and laundry is still going. Clean sheets and blankets on the bed. Linen/medicine closet organized. A few things from Whole Foods. This is our new back door rug from Target. Vegas approves.

I made acorn squash, sage and sausage risotto for dinner.

Frizzle 1/2 pound of chicken, sage breakfast sausage with a small onion and a few cloves of minced garlic. You should do this in your risotto pot or other heavy pan. I opted to not use my risotto pot, I don't know why. I should have used it.

Slice/cube your acorn squash. Please, don't try to be fancy. No one will see it. It is NOT worth chopping off a finger. Toss in some rosemary and sage sprigs, a little chopped garlic, EVOO and I added some poultry seasoning. Cover with foil and roast at 350 until it is easy to poke with a fork. I lost track of time. It was a load or two of laundry.

Back to the sausage, onion and garlic. Deglaze with some wine, I used red (Green Truck Petite Syrah. Surprised?). Toss in your arborio rice (used white instead of brown this time) and saute for a few minutes. Add warm/hot stock. I had chicken with some mushroom going (my taste buds are all over the place today). You know the deal: add stock, stir, stir, stir, let stock soak in, stir, add more stock, continue until your rice has just a bit of a bite to it, or no bite...whatever you like.

Squash finished roasting.

Peeled the skin off and tossed it in the processor with a splash of cream.

Stir the squash into the risotto. I didn't remember and I didn't adjust my stock. It ended up a little stickier that I had hoped but I'm not picky. A little parm cheese and it was good to go.

It was spectacular. I may go back for more in a bit. I'm pretty excited to have it for dinner with Tim tomorrow night. He'll be impressed with the nutritional data* and happy to stir in lots of cheese.

Okay, back to my glass of wine, laundry and maybe round 2 of risotto...I think my pajamas are calling my name. I'm pretty excited to run tomorrow, I'm thinking it is going to be a Vibram run. I added some new stations to Pandora that I am looking forward to. 3 miles-ish.

*I am working on a post about vitamins and minerals. Tim cramps up something fierce while running. He is fully hydrated and loose/warm but we have figured out it is a mineral deficiency. Tums/Rolaids are almost an instance relief so he carries them with him on long runs. They saved him around mile 20 of the marathon the other week. We are trying to work more of these minerals into our diet (magnesium, potassium and sodium). I'll keep you posted.

Thoughts appreciated.

I love fall, and other thoughts

2010-11-14T11:06:00.000-05:00

So with running taking up more and more of our lives I have started to expand my blog snooping. I found these two last week and I love and hate both of them already. Love, because they eat, drink and run like me. Hate, because they run A LOT faster than me. Yes, it has boiled down to that. I hate a person because they run faster than me. Does it give me more reason to push myself? Yes...for a minute. But really, I like reading their blogs. And it we can win this watch for Christmas from a blog Tim found. I will be able to tell my splits instead of starting my green Adidas sport watch when I start running and stopping it when I get home and saying "great 50 minutes for 5.1 miles, I think that was the mileage, let me check Google Maps again".
Anyway I have been on my own this weekend. Had a random and fun day yesterday with friends. Visited the National Portrait Gallery to see the personal Norman Rockwell collections from Steven Speilberg and George Lucas that was really special. We ate EXCESSIVE amounts of samosas and chick peas from Ravi Kabob followed by ice cream from the Dairy God Mother. I had the most amazing pear vanilla popsicle. Wow. And then a trip to Michaels and Ulta to wrap up our day. I have a GIANT sage green scrapbook with extra filler pages that I am very excited about. I have pictures, labeled and organized, from 2004 when we moved to VA through now. They need a home. Today I am doing heroic amounts of laundry, even the curtains are getting washed. I wish I had 2 or 3 washers and I lived in the country so I could hang everything on a laundry line to dry. I love that smell. I have 5 layers on and the front door open as well. I am thawing out some sage turkey sausage. My mouth says to roast some squash with a little sage and onion, frizzle up the sausage and make a delicious risotto. Maybe some mushroom buoillon will make it in there too. I'll keep you posted. Running is doubtful today. The 10K I wanted to do was full, so I registered for one next weekend. I'll run tomorrow I swear.

Beef Stroganoff

2010-11-12T11:28:00.000-05:00

Beef stroganoff is amazing. I think it has healing power. Something about onions and baby bellas browning in a pot, the beef and red wine and a swirl of sour cream.

I will admit that I made the BEST batch ever last night. This was confirmed by the friends that stopped by and ate as well as Tim, who even ate the mushrooms!

Recipe for success:

3-4 small yellow onions, diced (don't make the mistake of using sweet onions, this will not result in success)

1- 8oz package of cremini mushrooms, halved or quartered

Brown in a deep pot with some olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Remove from pot and set aside. Make sure your pot looks like this one. Those bits and pieces are worth their weight in gold.

2.5 pound roast beef, cubed, tossed with flour, salt and pepper

Brown the meat in the pot with some more olive oil.

Once the meat is browned you can add the onions and mushrooms back in.

Add good red wine (Green Truck, Petite Syrah), pour a glass for yourself at this point too. Some beef stock and a mushroom bouillon.

Cover and simmer until the beef falls apart when touched with a fork. Make sure that the gravy tastes spectacular. Thicken with corn starch. When the heat is off stir in a big scoop of sour cream.

Serve of noodles. Egg noodles are traditional. I used other pretty noodles I had on hand.

*Picture of end result coming soon*

Life & Pumpkins

2010-11-10T13:35:00.004-05:00

So I noticed that is has been QUITE some time since I have posted...September.

Let me give you a recap and we can all get on with life.
My Mother-in-Law has been fighting throat cancer and dealing with radiation. That has meant lots of weekend trips to Pennsylvania. Radiation is over and there is a PET scan next month. We are all optimistic.

The day of my last post, that delightful long run...I sprained my ankle. ON THAT RUN. Yeah, didn't roll it, nothing silly, just felt burning (tearing) on the outside of my ankle and up my Achilles and then I couldn't even walk on it. Never good when you are at mile 12 on a 20 mile excursion. So there was rehabing with Dr. Rose. I deferred my Marine Corps registration to next year.

The Phillies were in the playoffs so that obviously took up a lot of time :) and the Eagles...well, it has been exciting.

Nothing crazy in October. Tim ran the Marine Corps. It was his first marathon. I am so proud of him! We ate excessive amounts of whole wheat pasta. I can't look at the stuff right now.

So welcome to November.

I am back to running. Vegas tore his ACL. Holidays are right around the corner. Had a blast with our friends last Friday laughing about eggs, underwear and everything else. There was beer and wine involved. My cheeks hurts. I love them!

What does all of this mean?

Veteran's day 10K for me on Sunday. Have to run a qualifying 10K, under 1:05 to qualify for the SunTrust DC National Marathon on 3/26/11. My new goal is to run my first marathon on my 29th birthday. I don't know if I will qualify on this run, I have a back up run in December if I need it. I am THAT slow.

There have been no cooking adventures except for this "pumpkin stuffed with everything good". I had high hopes. I used whole wheat bread, caramelized red onion, sage and rosemary, Gruyère, the cream and garlic and nutmeg, salt and pepper. It was bland. Beautiful, but bland. I am not giving up. I have new and improved ideas for this guy. Apples, smoked gouda and mozzarella...mmm. But the one AMAZING thing that came from this was BEEF BACON. Yes. Go. Now. Buy it. Cook it. Eat the whole pound (then run). I could eat beef bacon with a giant glass of red wine and be totally content.

As for Mr Vegas. Surgery and rehab are in his near future (11/23). Right now he is on an anti inflammatory and pretty restricted. He likes this spot on the sofa. He can get away with it right now because he is cute. He hops around on three legs and looks like a kangaroo. So sad.

Is that all? I hope so. Whoever said "what does kill you, makes you stronger" sucks. I disagree. But I'm moving on now. No melt down, just a hair cut tonight.

I have off tomorrow for Veteran's Day. I feel something like braised short ribs or beef stroganoff in my future. And some serious home organization.

Okay. Let's get back to normal now.

Speaking of running

2010-09-16T15:19:00.003-04:00

I had to stop and take this picture on my Saturday long run...ahh the Potomac. There were some extra puffy clouds over Maryland, high 60's at this hour and just beautiful.
Something to think about: I carry my phone with me on my long runs. I turn on Google latitude and give certain people access to my location (Tim, Mil-o, Kev-o) so that they know where I am. It is a "just in case" measure, but I like the idea.

More quinoa...what else should you eat when running 19 miles on a Saturday

2010-09-16T15:10:00.003-04:00

The pictures aren't great but they get the point across. Quinoa, your favorite color of bell pepper (diced), tomatoes, shredded boneless, skinless chicken and this bbq sauce (spicy is the was to go). Mix it all together and top with feta (if your name is Tim) or blue cheese.

As for the 19 mile son a Saturday. Yes. It happened. And it was lovely way to burn 2600 calories. (I also managed to consume a burger...with a fried egg, bacon and avocado and a side of sweet potato fries)

Did I mention the Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale that I washed this down with. Oh I LOVE fall. I love all things pumpkin.

i will NEVER eat fast food again

2010-09-01T09:49:00.000-04:00

During my morning surfing I stumbled upon this blog. Someone documented/photographed a McDonald's Happy Meal for 3 months. They purchased it and let it sit out on the counter...NOTHING HAPPENED. NOTHING.
Okay. Okay. Some of the comments made me think a little...like this would be better if done side-by-side with a homemade burger and fries and bun...but either way...I'm going to go sit with my own thoughts now.

Productive Monday

2010-08-30T17:58:00.002-04:00

Vacation is over. We drove home from PA this morning after a 2 night pit stop. We left the island on Saturday morning, our ferry to Woods Hole, MA left Martha's at 8:15am. We arrived in under an hour and drove off the boat and up the road. But there was a noise, like rubbing/grinding, then it stopped. We stopped at a gas station, filled up, checked under the hood and the tire pressure...nothing. Okay. My parents, who were on an 8:30 ferry caught up and off we went. Driving on 195 North, not even an hour into the drive, there was a thumping that sounded like a flat tire...not a flat tire...Tim and my Dad diagnosed the problem and after 10 phone calls to find a service station open we limped to a sketchy repair shop with my parents right behind. It was the tire bearings on the front driver's side. Our tire could have caught on fire or fallen off, and apparently it is a freak thing. 2pm and $300 cash later, and we are on the road. That was exciting. PS the guys there were super nice!

So back in Alexandria, our garden has been pruned, milk purchased, laundry started and Tim is currently mowing the lawn. I made a giant batch of quinoa for the week, and tonight we will feast on grilled veggies and roasted peppers. That HUGE yellow squash is from OUR garden! Cut some regular and purple basil and tossed that, along with some chives, lime juice, goat cheese, garlic and black pepper in the food processor. I think tomorrow I will grill some chicken and toss whole wheat pasta and left over grilled veggies with the herb cheese.

I will post about all of the eating that occurred this past week, once I sort through everyone's pictures. But know that there was fresh clam chowder with clams we dug ourselves, Grandmom Jean's spaghetti and meatballs, a great batch of my chili and a ton of other deliciousness.

This is my fridge...

2010-08-30T17:56:00.007-04:00

Government Contractors, Alex. VA, 2-person + dog
household, training for a marathon, 2010.

As most people these days, I have to pop through and check everyone's blog almost every day. Today Meg's blog mentioned a guy who took pictures of the contents of various people's fridges. I, of course, had to look through all of his pictures and felt inspired to look in my own fridge. We just returned from Whole Foods and a week of vacation, so there are no leftovers, but I'm pretty happy with what I see. Quinoa on the stove, and haven't rinsed the beans yet (cooking/prepping for the week).

Sunset from the outside shower...

2010-08-26T20:40:00.002-04:00

There is an outside shower attached to each house here, and because of "island plumbing" we are encouraged to use it instead of the inside shower. No problem! This is the view, at sunset, from the shower. Not bad. One of my early morning showers had a backdrop of giant sailboats. The only tricky part is taking a shower while there are 70 mph gusts and mist, it is a cardio workout to say the least.

Vacation in T minus 3 days

2010-08-19T10:00:00.001-04:00

Last July my Mom's side of the family converged on "R Estate II" for a week of eating, picture taking, fireside laughter and other "rustic" adventures and activities. There was fishing, dogs swimming, clay bird shooting and general all around good times. Do you remember the food?

This year we are venturing to Chappaquiddick, MA. 16 people + 3 dogs + 3 houses (with kayaks) and beach just a few feet from the front and back doors = a week of fun!
I am excited to have my first lobster roll and hopefully catch some seafood for dinner, to run on the beach and take a ghost tour in Martha's Vineyard. I'm excited that instead of dress pants and blouses and heels, I can run around in a bikini and flip flops. I am ready for star gazing and wild, curly hair and sandy dog kisses.
I'll also admit that I am excited for football season to start when we get back.

Today's bounty

2010-08-18T09:21:00.002-04:00

8 hot peppers, 2 cherry tomatoes and 1 San Marzano that is growing from the compost. I rubbed the 2 little guys on my shorts and ate them immediately after their photo-op, they were delicious, better that the one I had on Monday. We are in a battle with the squirrels, they are city squirrels. They don't scare easily. Vegas can chase after them but they just sit on the fence and wait, and chatter away. If they don't stop eating my tomatoes I am not going to be able to make salsa, that is depressing.

Here is an updated picture of the garden. It is a little dark, but not bad from the camera on my phone. There is squash that I keep threatening to pull out, but every time I see a baby squash coming, I can't do it...there are 2 or 3 right now. It will live to see another day. radishes are coming slowly, I think the squash blocks their light. Rosemary is quite happy. Cucumbers are going nuts. Purple basil and variegated sage is doing very well also. Tomatoes are happy.

Here is an updated picture of the cucumber. He is getting so big! And there are a ton more coming. Hopefully they will hang on until we get back from vacation and I will turn them into pickles! I can't wait to grow theses again next year, I will have to rig something a little better than an up-side-down tomato cage.

Note to Self: make THIS

2010-08-17T13:25:00.001-04:00

Meg made oven roasted tomatoes, which are all the rage right now, and placed that on top of some herbed goat cheese. The goat cheese was stellar and my mouth waters just thinking about it. Mix in chopped parsley and chives and a healthy dose of lemon juice. I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate this into the pork chops that are on the menu...will keep you posted.

Giant zucchini from the neighbor

2010-08-17T11:13:00.009-04:00

Apparently, my parents' neighbor can grow some crazy huge zucchini. I decided that it should be sliced, rolled in garlic and olive oil and grilled. Tossed with caramelized red onions, fresh tomatoes, toasted bread cubes and a bit of basil and white balsamic. Holy amazing salad. I could exist off of this! My Dad was a huge fan too. He suggested we add scallops from a previous Mario B meal. I say we should toss it with what ever we catch in Chappy next week.

Barefeet

2010-08-17T11:13:00.008-04:00

These are my new running "shoes"...not for all of my running/marathon training...yet. I have to build up strength first, so for now I wear them around a lot too. They are way cool. Just thought I'd share.

And the peppers...

2010-08-17T11:05:00.002-04:00

This has been our most productive plant...probably 15 peppers to date. I have started freezing them because I don't know what else to do. They are not overly spicy...once the tomatoes turn red I'll make a mean batch of salsa.

Cucumbers!

2010-08-17T10:56:00.003-04:00

Look at this little guy! I have to take another picture to show you how big he is :) He is going to make a great pickle.

What the heck has happened in the past month?

2010-08-17T10:42:00.000-04:00

It has been odd to say the least. So hot that I don't want to eat, let alone stand over the stove or turn on the oven. I stumbled on to the Upper King Street Farmers' Market, and this wonderful buffalo summer sausage. The first night it was dinner, along with some nondescript crackers, Irish cheddar, and Nancy's Sharp & Creamy mustard. I went back for seconds and shared with my parents, they gave it a thumbs up too.

Chi-town...stupid Blackhawks

2010-07-08T21:10:00.000-04:00

The day after the Flyers lost the Stanely Cup to the Blackhawks Tim and I flew to Chicago for another wedding. Us and 3 friends shared a suite on the 33rd floor of the Sheraton. While this trip was all about eating and drinking, I failed in the picture taking department. A family friend picked us up from teh airport, we had lunch at Hackney's. Apparently it is "North Shore" place to go, really good burgers with endless fries and fried onions. One of the options for teh burger was a pretzel roll...interesting. Thursday we ate dinner at the Weber Grill, yum! Again with the pretzels, they served them instead of bread...I like this city. Friday we went to Wrigley to see the Cubs play the Sox. I ate a hot dog, but it wasn't a "real" Chicago style dog, I'll be honest...I din't notice. I'll blame it on the beers from the Goose brewery before hand. That evening was the rehersal dinner at Gino's East. This was my first experience with Chicago pizza. The dough was more like a buttery flaky crust and then everything was just piled inside. Not bad, but I'll take thin crust from Philly any day. Saturday was wedding day aboard the Odyssey and then trolleys to take us bar hopping. Molly's cupcakes are amazing: browned butter icing on vanilla will knock your socks off!

From Chicago I flew to St. Louis for a work conference. This was the view from my room. Do you feel bad? It was HOT! There was a tour to go to the top. I paid. Got in line. Waited. Then this 4 foot tall door opened to reveal a little "pod" that was supposed to hold 5 people and take you "train style" to the top. Um NO. I handed Tony my camera and backed away. All I could picture was getting stuck in this pod with these large people and ps it is 90+ degrees outside...I can't even think about it. So I have great pictures form the top...that I didn't take. Oh well. I bought some post cards from the gift shop while the guys were taking in the sites. Apparently they asked Tony if he was okay in small spaces...I was never asked!
Tony and I ate pretty well while we were there too. Baked/fried beef ravioli is amazing, the bbq pulled pork wasn't bad either and french onion soup with beer instead of wine for de-glazing...holy geeze. Local brews, not including Budweiser, were yummy. We sat 4 rows from the field and watch the Cards play Seattle...I couldn't tell you who won. I met some great people. It is so nice to put faces to the voices of people that I talk to every day. Over all...not that impressed with St. Louis...sorry. Maybe next year.
Vegas, however, LOVES his Missouri stuffed cow!

Garden!! Thank you Husband!!

2010-07-07T20:33:00.001-04:00

This is our garden. So you get the full effect I put it on the right side of the screen. You should now feel like you are looking at the back yard coming up from the basement steps. Tim did all of this. I love him. You can see the stump sticking out, that is a tree he cut down. It holds empty pots, it also acts as a seat for our very well fed groundhog (he and his family live under the shed). So what's growing? Roma and cherry tomatoes, serrano peppers, cucumbers, straight neck yellow squash, mini globe and purple basil, parsley, chives, plain and variegated sage and dill. We also planted marigolds. in Pennsylvania, marigolds keep the bunnies out of the garden. In Virginia, critters eat the flowers as fast as they can grow. I have a fence up too, but find letting Vegas out in the back a few times a day does a pretty good job. This picture was in May. We're in July now. I'll take another picture soon. There are a bunch of mystery tomato plants that grew from the compost we mixed in, as well as some other squash looking leaves. The tomato plants that are growing out of the composter itself are beautiful. I can't wait for tomatoes!
Please also notice the grass, I know you can only see a bit. Sod is a wonderful thing. $100 and the whole back yard was done!

D&K Rehersal Dinner/Picnic: Quinoa Salad edition

2010-07-07T20:07:00.001-04:00

Our wonderful friends got married over Memorial Day weekend, it was a weekend long party of beautiful friends and amazing family. For the rehersal dinner/open house I concocted 2 quiona salads (it was pretty warm outside). The first is "greek-ish". Goat cheese, dill, caramelized red onion, kalmata olives, marinated artichokes, chickpeas, red wine vinegar and some EVOO. The second is my go-to "mexican-ish" salad. Black beans, roasted corn and red peppers (from the Whole Foods salad bar), orange bell pepper, cilantro, green onion, chopped chipoltes in adobo and a little extra chipotle powder.

Both salads disappeared. A job well done.

Did I mention I was an honorary bride's maid and Tim was an hornorary groom's man. (I'm not sure what he is doing here...)

Brain Food or Lesson in healthy fats and vitamin absorption

2010-07-07T19:50:00.000-04:00

Bacon. Tomato. Spinach. Avocado. Fried Egg.

The fats in the bacon and avocado along with the vitamin C in the tomato help you take in the iron from the spinach.

My mouth waters just looking at this picture.

It was amazing. I have nothing else to say. Go make this NOW.

My "to do" list

2010-04-30T16:08:00.002-04:00

I LOVE the idea for this Cuban themed party... I may have to nix the run (don't ask) and substitute tequila (odd I know). I would make these pork sandwiches too, my Dad made them for the Superbowl so they have his seal of approval. And I know there are a few other articles in Food & Wine that I could soak up.

Hmm what else...need to find some new creations with quinoa and I want to try to cook one fish dish once a week. Smitten Kitchen has been on a roll lately, I sit at my desk and drool. Kate gave me some wedding cupcake samples the other day. One of which was a vanilla cake with a browned butter cream frosting...I nearly died. I HAVE to figure it out.

Okay. Off for a beer, then class, then a party at Meg's.

1 more week and I'll be back

2010-04-30T10:51:00.000-04:00

FINALS

(Math for Economists and Macroeconomics)

Need I say more?

Between running and studying there hasn't been much time for anything else. Well...thats a lie. April was full of exciting things:
DC Improv with friends, we saw the guy from Cash Cab. My cheeks hurt from laughing.
Got rid of our old, king size mattress and purchased a WONDERFUL, queen size Tempurpedic. This entailed sanding and patching walls and a new coat of paint on the walls and ceiling. We slept on our futon for 2 weeks...not glamorous.
Easter: rode bikes into DC for Sunrise Easter service at the Lincoln Memorial. Came home, cooked dinner for friends, got silly from 2 glasses of wine and ate a lot of dessert.

Had a work conference for 2 days...so nice to put names and voices with faces!
Tim and I got new bike helmets and each got a heart rate monitor for our training...Did I mention that we are registered for the Marine Corps Marathon on Halloween?
Ran another 5k. Finally got under 30 minutes (that was after we rode our bikes 4.5 miles to get there)! Yeah me!
Bachelorette party...this resulted in a 2 day hangover (I now know that I am old.)
Family visited from Boston for 5 days :)
Ran a relay from Gettysburg to DC in 36 hours with 11 of my craziest friends (including my husband). We started at 8am on Friday morning, and ended around 6 on Saturday evening. I ran 3.5 miles at around 3 on the first day, 7.4 at 2:30 in the morning and then 6.8 down the C&O Canal on the last day. After a shower and sleep, b/c there was NO sleeping the whole time, I am excited to do it again next year.
.

Go Team Go! That's me with the coffee and Tim with the winter hat on.

Go Phillies!

So that was my month of April. Yes, I could have posted about Easter...there was eating and drinking and laughing and I love everyone who came...but that just didn't happen.

I'm ready for May. After finals. No classes for a while. Watching my garden grow. Cooking. Eating. Running. Training. Cooking more. Weddings. Vacations. Family. Evenings outside with a glass of wine and my BFF. Chatting. Laughing. One more week.

The gift of food...

2010-03-23T12:58:00.007-04:00

I was on the receiving end of this today! How lovely!

First I was greeted with half of an english muffin with almond butter and jelly. Thank you Husband!

Then at lunch, friends/coworkers stopped by and asked for a plate. I gave them a paper plate and a few minutes later I was presented with a beautiful salad! Greens, arugula, radicchio, I think I saw some spinach, also, peppers, cherry tomatoes and roasted golden beets all topped with a raspberry vinaigrette. So delicious! Thank you!

Finally...artichokes

2010-03-23T12:24:00.003-04:00

I FINALLY found time to steam these buggers! I read over Meg's directions and the ones she linked to, and well...it wasn't that scary! I chopped off the top inch and the bottom stem, pulled off a few outer leaves and placed (bottoms up) in a pan with chicken stock, chardonnay, 4 smashed cloves of garlic, some bay leaves and thyme and a half of a giant lemon. They simmer for about 45 minutes (just like they were supposed to). I removed them from the broth and set them aside. I then used the broth to make risotto. I used a short grain brown rice and some onion, garlic, thyme and wine to deglaze. Threw in some green onions and goat cheese at the end. This also gave me the chance to use my risotto pan from Tim (a Christmas present). I definitely noticed a difference from just my standard saute pan, I think it took a little longer but I was able to maintain that "bite" that I usually pass right by. I heated up some herb roasted chicken quarters that I made on Sunday night.

Tim added feta to his risotto...imagine that! And he was only willing to try 1 leaf from the artichoke. He said he couldn't get over how they looked...(hmm).

I happily sat on the sofa in my sweat pants with the bottle of wine and dipped leaf after leaf into lemon butter. I had butter/broth running down my arm and butter finger prints on my wine glass. Delicious. The risotto and chicken were wonderful too...but really nothing that special. I imagine this will be my dinner when I get home from class on Wednesday night.

I think artichokes are not a weeknight meal. First of all, I think they are kind of a "sexy food." It probably has something to do with the butter and "fingerfood-ness." But at the same time, they are more of a sitting around with friends and wine and laughing and munching. I can picture them in a big bowl and little, individual bowls of melted butter all around. I'm thinking Easter, while the lamb is on the grill maybe. But Easter isn't sexy...maybe we should forget I said that. Who says artichokes are sexy...geeze! I may have to start a new category of "foods I think are sexy." I crack myself up sometimes.

PICTURES TO COME

"It's wedding season, kid!"

2010-03-23T11:48:00.004-04:00

We're down for 5 of them...and I am pretty sure that NONE are going to be cash bars.

The first was this past Saturday. Stacey and Dave got married at the beautiful Chesapeake Bay Beach Club. The ceremony was outside, next to the water at 5 pm...so almost sun set. It also happened to be the most beautiful first day of spring anyone could ask for: 75 degrees, with sun and a few puffy white clouds. Stacey walked down the aisle to "Here comes the sun"...she was glowing and her Dad beamed. It was short, sweet and in the end they said "I do" and kissed. I love weddings! I love being married! I love Tim! (sorry if you gagged a bit on that one)

We all made our way inside to the reception where, as we were walking through the doors, we were greeted by lovely smiling faces holding trays of beer and glasses of wine. (I don't actually remember if they were smiling, but I was.)

And it gets even better...the whole night there was finger food being cocktailed around then later, there were food stations set up :) I was in heaven.

So I'll get on to the goodness...

First and foremost, the BEST tea sandwich EVER: fluff and peanut butter on white bread...I almost cried.

Also, peanut butter and jelly.

Mini Kobe beef burgers.

Shooters of tomato soup with a wedge of grilled cheese.

Fried shrimp "chopsticks...think of a "cigarette style" egg roll with a spicy duck sauce

Chorizo stuffed dates wrapped in applewood smoked bacon

Petite Mozzarella with Grape Tomato and Basil

Veggies and fruit...which happened to be right next to the dance floor...nothing like dancing with a baby carrot in one hand and a glass of pinot noir in the other.

Mashed Potato Bar: Garlic mashed potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes piped into martini glasses with a self serve fixings bar of cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, chives, brown sugar, cinnamon and mini marshmallows. I died and went to Heaven.

Little shooters of delicious crab bisque...to wash down the amazing crab cakes of course.

I know I ate more...but I also drank more...so maybe the pictures will give a few more hints. Otherwise, there is a sample menu that rang a few bells.

They cut the cake at the beginning so there was a variety of cake the whole time. And at the end a candy table emerged with candy in all shades of purple.

We ate. We drank. We laughed. We loved.

It was the most perfect first day of spring ever!

Foods I want to like: Artichokes

2010-03-09T09:52:00.003-05:00

Artichokes. I want to like them, but they seem scary. The trimming and the scooping of the center and the lemon juice so they don't turn brown...

But hearing about steamed artichokes dipped in melted butter with a great glass of crisp white wine...my mouth waters. I want figure it out, I want to like that! (I want Tim to like them too!)

It just so happens that Meg posted about a recent artichoke and butter experience. I am going to copy that...maybe I will make just 1 and Tim and I will share it as an appetizer. This weekend's eating schedule is filling up fast.

I will keep you posted.

Clamy Chowdah

2010-03-09T09:10:00.003-05:00

This is another meal that the only proof can be found in my love handles

This is actually one my mom whipped up while we were home for a few days, I just acted as the prep chef...so I get to post it with some credit.

Clam chowder. New England style. NOT Manhattan style (me making yucky face). So simple, yet so intimidating...potentially because I never really paid attention to the actual cooking. I used to be more of the "eater" type.

Anyway, SUPER easy!

Chop onions: 2 large or 3 medium

Chop celery: about 5 stalks

Saute in some butter until soft

Add a healthy does of Old Bay

Meanwhile, boil potatoes.

We used a bunch of red potatoes with the skin on that I cubed

You can use white skinned potatoes, you can peel them...totally up to you

When potatoes are done, strain them and give them a rough mash

Add them to the oniony, buttery goodness

*think potato soup

Add milk and some cream

Add cans of clams...here is where I may or may not have been paying attention. I believe by this time I was enjoying a Golden Monkey.

Now, I pulled out all the cans of clams in the afternoon. There was a variety of minced and whole clams. I remember my mom strained some and not others. I'll need to follow up on that. But there were about 4 cans that went in.

In past batches we used fresh clams as well, obviously that makes a huge difference.

Let this cook. Add salt, pepper, celery seasoning if needed. Taste frequently, don't burn your mouth.

You'll know when it is done. Maybe I'll attempt a batch this weekend...then I can add details and pictures.

No proof...

2010-03-08T12:55:00.004-05:00

I realized that I slacked through the end of February. Not in the cooking department, in the picture taking and posting department. Sometimes I get so excited (or disappointed) about a meal, I fail to capture the moment. Plus, I was recently told by my Dad that the picture of my "stoup" was horrible...I knew it wasn't great...but it got the point across "big bowl of beef stew...read on for details". I'm going to need to work on this.

Anyway...I tried to make lentil dal again, this time using green lentils and some quinoa. I guess I didn't rinse the lentils or the quinoa enough because it was really bitter. Tim liked it but I was just plain grumpy about the matter. The veggie samosa did cheer me up a bit.

I also tried this recipe for chana masala. I was hoping for the really dark flavor that I get from Spice Express, but my taste buds were disappointed. Don't get me wrong it was DELICIOUS, just not what my mouth was expecting. A few changes: I only had smoked paprika and I thought the recipe said 2 TABLESPOONS...so it was extra smoky, and I also added a healthy does of curry powder. We ate it over quinoa with some garlic naan and it was yummy. The leftovers were nice and thick and spicy. I would make it again without question.

I know there have to be a few other meals in there. We have been frequenting The Light Horse in town. We have a waitress upstairs that we like and the food is so wonderful. The beer selection is killer.

A few of my favorites:

"Dressed" Potato Chips caramelized onions, chives, trio of melted cheeses

smoked wings (you MUST try them)

the soups! (I love chive oil)

King Street Burger roasted mushrooms, bacon, caramalized onions, swiss

Margherita Burger roasted tomatoes, basil pesto, garlic, mozzarella cheese

Breakfast Burger topeed with bacon and a fried egg, sunny side up (this one is all Tim)

Roasted Chicken Salad mixed greens, arugula, caramelized red onions, toasted pinenuts, orange segments, orange sherry vinaigrette, goat cheese, topped with roasted chicken breast

Chop Salad chopped iceberg, bacon, egg, kalamata olives, pulled roasted chicken, tomatoes, topeed with sliced avacado and goat cheese, house-made ranch

Okay now I am hungry. There are boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the fridge...maybe Dijon chicken, or just bbq with a baked potato...mmm.

Buckwheat pasta with mushroom cream sauce and chicken

2010-03-08T12:01:00.003-05:00

No fancy title here....

So I have had it in my head for a while that I wanted to make (actually make from scratch) buckwheat pasta. I was convinced that I could make it without white flour and possibly even without whole wheat flour...I guess this shows my utter lack of knowledge regarding pasta making. I ended up using some pre-made buckwheat pasta from Whole Foods. I found it near the wasabi and ginger. I have also had it in my head that the buckwheat pasta, how ever I stumbled across it, would have to be paired with some wonderful mushrooms and cream and thyme (that is my newest spice kick...thanks to Kara and her chicken from the snowstorm). As you know, mushrooms present a bit of a problem in my house, so I must tread lightly.

First I browned half an onion and a bunch of quartered creminis (with some butter) in my giant frying pan. I added dried thyme and a bit of fresh sage. Then I moved everything to the edges of the pan and added 3 lovely boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Those had been sitting in the fridge for a day, sprinkled with more dried thyme. (I'm telling you, it is almost an obsession) I let them get nice and golden and cooked all the way through then removed them from the party.

Next...the wine. I de-glazed the pan with some pinot noir, probably Yellow Tail, but I can't be sure, and added some chicken stock and a bit more wine. When that tasted perfect I fished out the mushrooms and swirled in some plain greek yogurt and a little corn starch to thicken it up.

Served over buckwheat pasta, mushrooms optional, with some asparagus roasted with some garlic and olive oil (it was on its last leg and we needed to eat it NOW). I had enough left over that I had pasta and half a chicken breast for lunch for 2 days. I love leftovers.

I would do this again with out question. If you're not crazy about the "tang" from the yogurt, just use cream.

**PICTURE TO COME**

Beef "Stoup" and Whole Wheat Herb Drop Biscuits

2010-02-15T16:40:00.005-05:00

Wow- that was a long title, and sorry for the Rachel Ray reference...but now you understand that I made excessive amounts of gravy.

I was a little crazy on Saturday with the cooking...I felt bad because Tim was at work and I was avoiding doing homework (in fact...I am still avoiding some reading...imagine that!)

It was kind of chilly and I just wanted to hunker down (Tim makes fun of me for saying that) and cook...not eat...just cook. And this meal was 100% worth it.

I cut up a london broil into cubes and browned them in a pot with some oil, thyme, garlic (3 big cloves), and onions (2, quartered). Deglazed with some red wine (managed NOT to pour a glass for myself) then added some cubed red potatoes, a bag of baby carrots, a big can of whole tomatoes (plus the juice), some beef stock and (for a twist) a small container of creamy butternut squash soup. I don't know why...the soup just asked if it could join the party...who was I to say no? I also threw in a big sprig of sage for good measure. Then, I let it simmer for 4-5 hours, until the cubes of meat melted in my mouth. Tasting gravy and and occasional piece of meat is a benefit of being "the cook". At the very end I swirled in some greek yogurt and cornstartch to thicken it up...holy delicious!

The whole time the stew was simmering and making the house smell amazing, I knew it needed biscuits. I have never made biscuits on my own. My Mom used to make quick, drop biscuits from Bisquick mix and they were delicious. But, I only have buckwheat pancake mix in the house. So after some internet research I compiled a few recipies and created these beauties.

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

3 tablespoons butter, cubed, chilled

1/2 cup milk

fresh pepper

dried thyme, a pinch

fresh sage, minced

The food processing was interesting. I was nervous. How "chilled" is chilled? I stood in the fridge and cut the butter and added it in phases directly from the fridge...maybe that was a little dramatic. And all the recipies said not to "over mix"...uh...okay...

Spooned about 10 biscuits onto a cookie sheet and tossed them in the oven at around 400 degrees. When discussing temperature and our oven, always say "about"... one minute it is 350, then it is 450...and I wonder why all baked goods, even though they are cooked on the top rack, have burnt bottoms.

Anyway, this meal got the exact reaction I was looking for. A glowing husband! Yeah me!

Talking Muffins for Tim!

2010-02-13T12:37:00.004-05:00

And they say "Eat me I'm good for you!"

If you know Tim, you've probably heard the talking muffin joke more times than you can remember. So this morning while he is away, I decided to make a batch of banana millet muffins. The followed the gist of this recipe from Whole Foods. Swapped out the pumpkin for some aging bananas and used 1/2 cup of all purpose flour and 1 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour. A swirl of honey may have been added as well. I also lightly sprinkled the tops with raw sugar before baking. I just ate one warm with some butter...crunchy and delicious.

The 10 Things You Need to Eat

2010-02-11T18:51:00.004-05:00

This is our new favorite book and I just thought I would share. We have made several things and loved every one of them. The Berry Banana Avocado smoothie was really good, and I turned some into ice cream. Red lentil dal was super, but I am on an "Indian spice kick" right now so it all tastes wonderful. (Somehow I got caught up in the excitement of dal and yogurt sauce, I forgot to take a picture...it really isn't a pretty thing anyway. Recipe below.)

So the 10 foods (clearly on the cover of the book):
Quinoa (check)
Beets (never had one)
Avocado (check, but could eat more)
Berries (check)
Lentils (check, but could eat more)
Spinach (check, but could eat more)
Tomatoes (check and check)
Super Fish (canned tuna counts...but we could do a lot better)
Nuts (check)
Cabbage (needs work)

Red Lentil Dal
2 tsp ground of the following:
coriander
turmeric
cumin
cloves
cardamom
1 tsp round cinnamon
2 small dashes cayenne
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup canola oil (I say less)
2 medium onions, chopped
1 heaping tbs fresh grated ginger
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups dried red lentils
3 cups chicken or veggie stock

Stir all spices together in small bowl.
Heat oil in pan and add onion. Cook about 5 minutes then add spices and cook a bit longer.
Stir in ginger, tomatoes, lentils, and stock and bring to simmer.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook about 20-25 minutes until lentils are soft and mixture is thick.

6 more weeks of winter...

2010-02-11T17:44:00.007-05:00

I just realized I haven't updated in quite a while. Not making excuses but I started classes again, Wednesday and Thursday nights (Math for Economists and Macroeconomics) and I have not been able to run for the past 2 weeks due to an IT Band injury, during and after a run it felt like an ice pick was being jammed into the outside of my knee. Super fun. I have been seeing a sports chiropractor and hope that I can start to run again this weekend. Thankfully a race we were going to run Sunday, has been moved to the end of the month.

Cooking wise, not a whole lot has been going on. Tim is going to take over 1 night a week. He declared that he will only make a recipe if it entails quinoa. Okay, fine. His first adventure was turkey and beef quinoa meatballs. I sat at the table and studied while he banged around in the kitchen with Mr. Vegas always under foot. He is a different kind of cook than me, he used a food scale to make sure each meatball was the same size. That is what you get when you marry a Marine. The meatballs turned out delicious!

I'd say we doubled the recipe, maybe more than doubled since we came out with 3 dozen meatballs.

Here is the original recipe. Courtesy of The 10 Things You Need to Eat:
3 tbs canola oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
1.5 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
3 tablespoons fresh parley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cook onions over medium in oil, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Mix all ingredients together until smooth.
Roll into 2-inch balls and place on foil lined baking sheet.
Bake for 20-25 minutes at 425 until browned but still soft to touch.

I wrapped the rest up in batches of 6 and froze them for later dinners.

Next update: the snow. The first blizzard (yes blizzard) hit Friday into Saturday and Sunday. We got an easy 2 feet (That is my husband in the tee shirt shoveling snow). We rescued 4 of our friends and their 2 dogs on Saturday when their power went out. That resulted in a pretty bad hangover. Their power was restored on Sunday. Washington DC is not equiped to handle this amount of snow. So we had off on Monday and Tuesday. Metro was running above ground, the roads were caked with ice and slush. Tuesday night, blizzard #2 hit (yes #2). That dropped another 14 inches of snow before it left on Wednesday night. That was followed by 60 mph gusts of wind. So, off of Wednesday and Thursday.
I had really good intentions of cooking wonderful meals while we were snowed in, but that just didn't happen. We ate all of the leftovers, some onion soup I whipped up, and a few egg and cheese sandwiches. Beyond beer, hot chocolate and coffee...I'm just not feeling inspired. How can you be when the snow outside is up to your hips? I decided today I am ready for spring. I am ready to plant a garden and wear shorts. I want to run.

Wednesday 2/10/10 during Blizzard #2.

UPDATE: Monday is calling for a "clipper" but only 4-6 inches or so.

Quinoa...for breakfast

2010-01-25T10:13:00.003-05:00

I was really excited to find in February's MSL a recipe for quinoa...for breakfast! Instead of using water, use milk (1%). Add some cinnamon and sugar (raw) and I added a bit of cardamom. Simmer. Sprinkle with fresh blueberries so it looks just like the picture. (Maybe next time I'll try raspberries or strawberries, slices of banana would be good too)

I packaged it up for Tim and I to eat for breakfast at work on this muggy January Monday morning (it is supposed to be 60 today). Freaking delicious!

Here is the picture I took with my phone...

"You don't think you're actually going to fool me..."

2010-01-25T10:12:00.004-05:00

That is what Tim was proclaiming over my shoulder as I was mashing cauliflower. He doesn't like cauliflower, it will not taste like mashed potatoes! Why did I make so much? I was going to be eating it all by myself. Well, it wasn't mashed potatoes. It was a beautiful blend of garlic and onion and chicken stock and CHEESE all tossed with whole wheat pasta (I used sage instead of rosemary, and a bit of half and half). And seriously...it was sharing a plate with a t-bone steak...no ground for him to stand on. (The steaks marinated with EVOO, sea salt and pepper, sage and garlic...melt in your mouth wonderful!) Tim ended up trying the pasta. He added feta, are you the least bit surprised? And...he said he would eat it again!

Next time I might add a bit of crushed red pepper flakes with the garlic and onion and maybe a bit of ricotta. I will also use better Parmesan cheese. Maybe bake the whole mess for a bit?

Please note: this make a HUGE amount. 2 people could cut this in half and still have enough for leftovers.

bon appetit does it again!

2010-01-21T09:50:00.004-05:00

I am in love with quinoa! Don't worry, Tim knows, and he is in love too. It fits in nicely with our "eating healthy" makeover and it is just good. Since my knee was hurting last night, I didn't run...which meant I could bust out a dinner that would take more than 10 minutes to prepare. I found this which sounded "zippy" and full of protein. I pretty much followed the instructions to a "T" except for the cumin seeds. I also made some roasted chicken with garlic, lemon and paprika...and a little "gravy" for Tim.

It was wonderful, even the chick peas, which I think have a very odd texture and I am not 100% in love with them. I would have added more zucchini, but that is just me. I could eat grilled (or in last night's case, pan sautéed) zucchini all the time. I did feel it could have been a bit spicier, maybe next time I will add a serrano pepper.

Non Traditional Christmas Dinner

2010-01-15T10:53:00.009-05:00

So this year's Christmas dinner was a little odd. My brother wasn't in town yet and my Mom didn't want to make a big "to do" over the meal. Understandable but still weird.

This meant no turkey or ham. Instead she told me there would be some pork tenderloin marinated in an Asian ginger sauce and maybe we could remake the grilled lamb from this summer. My head was spinning. This was just weird. How this was all going to be pulled together was beyond me. So I started think and planning and making lists (what I do best). I figured the pork would be like a side "theme" but I could make something to go with it. And the lamb would be the main dish with a few nice, low key sides.

I remembered Meg's honey ginger latkes...that would be something completely new and it would tie in the ginger...why not! Served with sour cream and some apple sauce spiked with ginger.

I let my Mom handle the herb roasted potatoes. And we made the lamb the same as before (something needs to be "tradition" here).

For desert I made my favorite chocolate red wine cake. This time I used Red Truck Petite Sirah. And the only other addition was Chambord to my homemade whipped cream...HOLY AMAZING!

The latkes were a hit between my Dad and me, but we share the same taste-buds. I wasn't impressed with the lamb this time, it seemed was almost a bit dry. It wasn't a memorable meal.

Next year, I'll take control. Maybe I should start a list now.

BEST sneakers EVER!

2010-01-15T10:00:00.004-05:00

They make my toes sing and my body not hurt after 4.3 miles. I am on pair #2 and still so, so, so in love! Just thought I would share...

Is it possible to eat too much chili?

2010-01-15T09:33:00.009-05:00

That is what my Mom asked me last week when I was making a quick batch of chili. I thought about it again this week as I was making yet another batch. I just can't help myself!

I'll start with saying I have been 95% doing South Beach Phase 1 for the past 2 weeks. No carbs, no fruit, no sugar. I was "over served" throughout the holidays and I needed to detox a bit. I say 95% because I may have had a small meatball sandwich to console myself while the Eagles were losing to the Cowboys in the playoffs. At the same time I also started running again (I was running a bit before Christmas). We are training for a race in April. Anyway...eating enough of the right foods was a bit tricky. Chili was my answer.

I went super simple.

1 pack ground turkey

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)

1 can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)

Chili powder

Chipotle chili powder

1 large onion

1-2 cloves garlic

1 large can chopped tomatoes

1 can chopped tomatoes with chilies

That's it! It took all of my personal strength not to add pumpkin puree or chocolate or cinnamon. Then I had to watch Tim eat his bowl with a lovely piece of crusty bread. Ouch! I was able to add a bit of cheese and just a splash of light sour cream. So, chili again for lunch today and probably for dinner tonight since Tim is off snowboarding.

Sunday: bring back whole grains and some fruit (I miss apples!)

THIS is NOT S.O.S.

2010-01-15T09:17:00.005-05:00

I am very, very, very sorry if you have ever had something referred to as "Shit on a Shingle". I've heard of it and it sounds awful!

Jump to Christmas morning and my Mom and Dad making Creamed Chipped Beef together. Well, kind of together. There is usually some loving bickering about who started this show, and who is stealing this show, and who is getting in the way...you get the idea.

No matter who is involved in the show, it always turns out amazing! It makes your soul smile! It also almost makes you forget that there are presents in the living room waiting to be unwrapped.

So here is the gist:

2 onions, diced

1-2 pounds of dried beef (get it sliced at the deli counter), dice this up as well

half & half

milk

butter

Saute your onions in butter until nice and golden brown.

Add half to 3/4 of the beef and let this get a little crispy and delicious.

*try to refrain from eating all of the left over beef sitting on the cutting board

Now add cream, milk whatever...you want to cover what you have in the pan.

Add the rest of the beef.

Simmer.

Smell.

Taste.

Pepper maybe?

Thicken with a bit of cornstarch and water.

Serve over your favorite toast. Resist all urges to inhale this! I have burnt my tongue on the first bite on numerous occasions...I don't want to say it isn't worth it but please be careful.

Curry-and-Yogurt-Braised Chicken Thigh Goodness

2009-12-02T16:05:00.013-05:00

12/2/09

One of this week's "Recipe of the Day" happened to be one of my all time favorite meals to cook and eat for days! (My Dad would say it is "Top 5"...mind you his "Top 5" contains about 100 items that are ever revolving) Thank you Food & Wine for introducing me to Curry-and-Yogurt-Braised Chicken thighs. I remember the first time I made it we were floored and immediately in love! Chunks of tomatoes: good, spicy: good, chicken: good, lots of "gravy" for Tim's rice: good. I personally am a huge fan of the creamy and spicy contrast with the slightly crunchy sweet corn; Greek style yogurt makes everything better. A few modifications...I like to use thighs with bone (more flavor) and sometimes skin (which I peel off as they simmer) but really you can use any piece of chicken you have, canned tomatoes work just fine (and then you don't need to add water) as does a bag of frozen corn. Basically I make this in a double batch regarding the chicken and a triple batch regarding the "gravy" and always extra serrano...we like spicy. (Note: it does get spicier as it sits). This is one of those meals you should cook a day ahead so it has time to sit and "contemplate life". It also freezes very well. This batch we are having for dinner is actually one from the freezer. I plan on eating too much tonight and too much again tomorrow for lunch (good thing I ran 3.5 miles today)

Arugula on the side...

2009-12-01T19:46:00.014-05:00

Arugula was on my list of "foods I want to like". I always see it in restaurants and as a "background" to so many dishes. It kind of looks like a dandelion leaf and guess what...it kind of tastes that way too.

As a break from eating leftover turkey and stuffing, I pulled out a nice steak (used the traditional marinade) and cooked some roasted garlic, nutty brown rice (yes it was from a box...I seem to have an endless supply from my days of shopping at the Commissary). I cooked a few onions and a portobella cap in some butter...yum...Tim can pick around the mushrooms.

Finally, the salad...some lovely arugula, grape tomatoes and goat cheese with some homemade dressing. I'm not really the "make-your-own-dressing" kind of girl but this is arugula we are talking about, I felt like it needed "homemade". A bit of EVOO, balsamic vinegar, some red wine, fresh pepper and bit of dijon and lemon juice. Apparently the dijon keeps it emulsified. Meg says "emulsified" when ever she talks about dressing, I think it sounds like fun word :)

So Tim and I sat down for a lovely dinner and a nice glass of pinot noir. His reaction to the arugula: "I always want to eat grass because it looks like it would taste good. But this is what I bet it tastes like." Translation: arugula does not taste good. He then compared it to eating raw spinach; he only eats it b/c it is good for him, not because it tastes good. I wasn't a huge fan either...maybe I need to keep at it...or just stick to plain old spring mix.

Rogue Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-30T09:16:00.015-05:00

Since moving here to Alexandria, a three and a half hour drive home dealing with crazy drivers on 95 is not something we look forward to. Still, we get home pretty often, so we are lucky. For some of our friends, the drive/flight is longer and they just can't get home for all the holidays. So, in 2007 we hosted our first "Rogue Thanksgiving" for a small group of friends that couldn't get home. It was a huge success! Tim and I decided that every other year we would stay in Virginia and host who ever was stuck here.This year we took charge of the turkey, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, apple dip and cranberry chutney over goat cheese (T ended up taking the tail end of this home in a zip lock bag). We left the rest to everyone else.

The inspiration for our 22 pound bird came from here. I stuck with my "safe" turkey butter...2 sticks of butter (soft) mixed with a ton of chopped sage (from the AeroGarden) and some lemon zest.

The gravy recipe I followed more: turkey neck and gizzards, an onion roughly chopped, a few sprigs of sage and thyme, a small handful of whole black peppercorns, a few cups of apple cider and turkey stock. Let that simmer with itself most of the day and add liquids from the turkey so the pan in the oven wouldn't over flow. The only issue here was that I ran out of corn starch to thicken the gravy and I am not 100% comfortable with using flour...so thin gravy it was...no one minded.

Our turkey was stuffed with pretty plain/traditional stuffing. Half a pack of bacon, a head of celery and a few onions finely chopped and cooked in a pan together. Mix with 5 loaves of bread, 2 eggs and some turkey stock, fresh pepper, a handful or two of fresh chopped sage and some thyme and a sprinkle of poultry seasoning. We had "inside" and "outside" turkey...and according to the people around our table, both are completely different, and equally wonderful.

*NOTE: I have a "bread-aholic", specifically cheap white bread. He can smell it for miles! So he plopped himself down right next to me when I slices bread. Of course I'm a pushover and tossed a few micro-bites his way

Finally, the sweet potatoes. I started doing the sweet potatoes a few years ago, mainly because I am not a fan of the candied "yams" with mini marshmallows on top...this recipe was by far the best ever and the one I will use until I am old and wrinkly. A few notes: you can cut the recipe in half and still serve 12 people, add a bit

of half and half when you are mashing everything together, fresh black pepper adds something nice to it and make sure you use really good maple syrup!

Other AMAZING contributions:

C: home made macaroni and cheese and super wonderful deviled eggs. People were most concerned with getting the mac and cheese to take home after!

K&T: roasted asparagus (and this is a woman after my own heart, she tied little bunches of asparagus together with green onion...too cute!) homemade cranberry sauce and a chocolate pecan pie...I will have to see if she is willing to share the recipes.

K&D: red-skinned mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and a pineapple, yellow cake desert that called for 2 sticks of better but thankfully it was just as good with 1 stick :)

Thank you all for a great Thanksgiving...hope everyone enjoys their leftovers!

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

2009-11-16T07:10:00.009-05:00

I found this recipe back in October and have been working up the courage to test it out. The thought of pumpkin IN my chili is a little scary. I whipped up a batch on Saturday afternoon, I used the recipe for "inspiration". And by that, I mean I looked at it a few times last week and never printed it out so the theory of "wing-it" came in to play.

Saute with a splash of oil:

1 yellow onion (finely chopped)

1 green bell pepper (finely chopped)

1 serrano (finely chopped)

2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

chipotle chili powder, dark chili powder (about a 1:4 ratio, maybe 1:5)

fresh ground pepper

Once this is all delicious, add a pack of ground turkey. I think they are all about 1.2 pounds. Frizzle. Get it good and brown for nice depth of flavor.

Add:

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)

1 can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)

1/2 small can tomato paste

1 1/2 cans pumpkin puree (I started with one and thought it could use a little more)

water or chick stock if necessary

Let that simmer for 20 minutes of so.

Taste.

I decided to add more dark chili powder and a splash of cinnamon (maybe a 1/2 tsp).

Let it simmer until you think it is done...or until you can't stand it any longer and you HAVE to eat a huge bowl...or 3. (I chose to top with a bit of cheddar cheese, some sour cream and fresh chives)

Tim got home Saturday evening and apparently had a chili sandwich for a midnight snack. He didn't realize there was pumpkin in it. I told him Sunday and, when we ate it for dinner AGAIN, he noticed and loved it. The whole house smelled great!

Champagne Thursdays!

2009-11-12T19:54:00.007-05:00

Its just me and Mr. Vegas (who has apparently decided to be camera shy) for the night...so I thought I would bring back an old "tradition". CHAMPAGNE THURSDAYS!! (Thanks "Failure to Launch") When Tim is around he reminds me that Champagne Thursday usually leads to a rough Friday, I'm feeling lucky. Plus, I can't think of anything better to wash down the sushi that was delivered earlier (yama, rock n roll, rainbow). Also, this is a good chance to tell the world, or who ever ends up reading this, that Presto brut prosecco is the BEST ever*. It can be found at Whole Foods for around $10. Seriously, can you say "no" to that?

ALSO, I am fully aware that I am not drinking out of the "appropriate glass" I'm sure that my $10 bubbly will still taste great and I will still drink the whole bottle :)

And finally, before I settle down with my sushi and Grey's Anatomy, I would like to thank HLR. She gave me a cute little dish towel that is ALWAYS appropriate.

*The best ever is officially Dom Perignon, the 1996 specifically, but I can't justify a bottle of THAT every Thursday

***Champagne Thursday was a success! No headache on Friday!!

BEST steak marinade E-V-E-R!

2009-11-10T19:25:00.004-05:00

We had 4 T-bone steaks for tailgating on Sunday (Eagles lost to the STUPID Cowboys) and I rubbed them with my fail-proof ingredients. Rub with good EVOO, a little salt and pepper, fresh crushed garlic and red wine. You can just stop there and your steaks will be wonderful. You can also go a few steps further, as my Dad prefers, and add Montreal seasoning and/or Trader Joe's 21 seasoning mix. The scallops that are partially hidden by smoke are wrapped in bacon and topped with Maple BBQ sauce...Holy Amazing.

Thai Beef with Chiles and Coconut Rice aka "Asian Fish Sauce is Scary"

2009-11-10T19:06:00.007-05:00

I have had this recipe on the fridge for months and I finally had the inspiration to tackle "fish sauce". I was expecting the whole Thai and chiles aspect to make this spicy...I was wrong. Next time I will use serrano peppers. I also didn't feel like ground beef did this any justice so I cubed 2 sirloin steaks and browned them with the garlic, chiles and ginger. Then I actually used measuring spoons for the soy and fish sauce, basil came from the AeroGarden. Next time I would double the sauce amount. The fish sauce was pretty scary. As soon as it hit the hot pan it just stunk! I really thought that our food was going to taste just like that smell. Fortunately, Meg was right and it added just the right amount of flavor that you can't quite put your finger on. The coconut rice was very light and nice. I don't even think Tim noticed...otherwise he would have probably turned his nose up at it. I also suggest some green onion (green and white parts) to sprinkle on top.

I will absolutely make this again.

Butternut Squash Risotto with Scallops

2009-11-05T09:03:00.010-05:00

In my endless searching to find just the right recipe to "break the ice" with butternut squash, I found this for a pumpkin risotto...close enough. Then, after a few more searches regarding butternut squash risotto I felt confident that I could "wing-it". I picked up scallops from Whole Foods and used sage from the AeroGarden. I simmered cubes of squash in some milk with a bit of butter and sage for about 20 minutes, then mashed it roughly with a fork. Meanwhile I browned a few pieces of bacon (cut up into little pieces) and some shallots, onions and garlic and "risotto-ed" away (using chicken stock). When the risotto was 99% done I stirred in the squash. Next time I will leave the squash a little chunkier and stir it in at the 80-90% mark. In another pan I caramelized onions then cooked then scallops (in the same onion pan) with brown butter and sage. The key to amazing scallops is to dry them off before you put them in the pan. Set them all in the hot pan with the sage and butter and let them get golden and crispy on one side, then carefully flip them and allow the other side to crisp up.

To serve, top risotto with caramelized onions, drizzle the scallops with some browned butter and sage then a healthy (or unhealthy) amount of fresh Locatelli. No truffle oil here...maybe it will be in my stocking at Christmas. If you are my BFF...then you also add an undisclosed amount of Frank's.

Columbus Day at the Mountains...

2009-10-21T18:42:00.008-04:00

With highs in the mid 40's obviously we had to eat to build up that nice layer of insulation for the winter ahead...okay maybe it wasn't that drastic but seriously, who doesn't like to eat?!?

To say that Friday night's meal was a little excessive would be an understatement. Filets, lobster tails, shrimp, stuffed clams, and grilled potatoes.

Can you say "butter overload"? Yum. I'll admit that I sent this picture to friends of ours that could not come...I needed to let them know what they were missing :) No fancy recipes were involved, except for the shrimp. Another Mario B. recipe from my Mom's cookbook. I will share her variation as soon as she writes it down for me (chances: slim to none).

For dessert I decided to make another Nutella pound cake. I tried to get creative and make 3 layers of Nutella and four layers of cake. DON'T. When Food & Wine tells you to put 1/3 of your batter on the bottom, they mean it. Apparently without enough batter, the Nutella sinks to the bottom and cements the cake to the pan (no matter how much Pam you used). We suffered through and managed to pry it out piece by piece and choke it down (are you getting the sarcasm here?)

Saturday we explored and found a maple syrup farm. I highly recommend whipped maple syrup, it is a whole new level of heaven. Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs by Tim (aka BFF). There was no shortage of garlic bread. Delicious as usual. No pictures, too busy eating Parmesan cheese with a side of noodles and sauce.

One of the reasons we went north was to see the leaves change. We hit the peak weekend and hiked to a private (Grand Canyon of PA) overlook. Awesome.

Finally, no trip to the mountains would be complete without a ranging bonfire and roasted marshmallows. Leave it to the BFF to find WHOLE trees...

First & Last Tomato Sandwich (much delayed)

2009-10-21T18:26:00.003-04:00

I'll be honest, I made this sandwich before I had my wisdom teeth removed...that is how "not up to date" I am with life. Its okay, I'm working on it.

Anyway...summer is not complete without a tomato sandwich. Requirements: fresh tomatoes (preferably from your own garden and still warm from the sun), cheap white bread (toasted), mayo, salt and pepper. It is THAT simple and THAT good. Bacon and lettuce need not apply.

Foods I want to like...

2009-10-21T16:04:00.007-04:00

My BFF thinks I am a nut for this but, I have an ever-changing list of foods that I want to like. I guess it also includes things I want to try in recipes, like truffle oil (but really, $20 for that bottle...maybe a stocking stuffer).

Currently, my list is not very long, butternut squash is pretty high up, along with all other fall/winter squashes. I also have 2 medium turnips waiting patiently for...something wonderful. I feel a calling to make something with argulua and some "fall-ish" greens, but that will probably not bode well considering the BFF's dislike for most cooked, green vegetables (I'm pretty sure "fall" is not his season for eating...leafy greens, mushrooms, squash, apples, pears and other fruit along side meat...). We'll see....this will be ever-changing.

RECAP: 3rd (not 4th as I had thought) Annual Fall Party

2009-10-05T10:54:00.063-04:00

First I must start by saying this was a HUGE success and thank you, everyone for coming! In about 6 hours we consumed a keg of Harp, about 4 gallons of chili, and a few thousand dessert calories.

The chili this year was pretty good...

8 pounds of ground beef

5 yellow onions

1 red onion

8 cloves of garlic

1 gallon of kidney beans

1 gallon of San Marzano tomatoes + juice

1 small can of tomato paste

chili powder

cinnamon

raw sugar (b/c I was out of brown sugar)

and some AMAZING organic cacao powder

plus a few other spices

Desserts:

Sex Cake, aka Chocolate-Red Wine cake.

First, the batter. It smelled so good, almost like a chocolate covered cherry, (or sex) but better. Instead of a

bundt pan I used a Mary Ann pan. This allowed for me to add fresh raspberries and instead of sprinkling with 10x sugar, I dusted it with more cacao powder. I didn't really see the point to the homemade whipped cream, but people ate it anyway. Make a mental note for when you make this to save some batter for yourself. I sat down with a large spoon full and a glass of Cellar No. 8 Zin. The cake turned out moist and delicious. I would rather not admit how much I actually consumed.

Also, at some point in the near future I would like to make a few cakes at once and use different types of red wine...

Nutella-Swirl Pound Cake was my next adventure. Not only have I never made a pound cake, I have never had Nutella. I am aware that most people think the latter is a sin. Super simple recipe. I advise heating the Nutella a bit so it spreads easier. Also, the act of "swirling" will take some practice. The end was my favorite slice because it was slightly crunchy...but 4 eggs and 2 sticks of butter...this is a once, maybe twice, a year recipe.

Spiced Carrot Stout Cake. This was somewhat disappointing. Super simple, use any boxed carrot or spice cake mix. Replace the water with your favorite stout beer, this year I used something called "Black Bear". Bake as usual. For the icing I used a block of cream cheese (minus what Tim needed for his bagel), 10x, butter, a splash of 1/2 & 1/2 and a bigger splash of stout. Just adjust to get it to the right consistency. I'm not a big fan of carrot cake so that was my main issue, but it just couldn't even hold up next to the chocolate and Nutella. Oh well. I have a ton left if anyone wants some.

Finally, Granny Smith apples with dip. My mouth just started watering... Slice your apples and squeeze some citrus over them. Then mix one large container of marshmallow Fluff with 2 blocks of cream cheese. Dip your apple slice into the goodness and enjoy. There are a few people who did not leave the vicinity of this bowl the whole night...you know who you are.

Thank you everyone for remaining mostly tame; I was not on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor or walls on Sunday. Vegas also had an excessive amount of fun with his new friend Buddy, even though he did not want to share his monkey.The REAL 4th Annual Fall party will roll around next October or November...Tim suggested Veteran's day weekend.

Happy Fall!

We will be hosting our "Rogue Thanksgiving" this year for those that cannot get home to be with family. Please let me know if you are coming.

Saturday in PA

2009-09-20T09:20:00.014-04:00

Let's start by saying I couldn't get warm...so a hoodie AND sweater were required today. After a morning of lounging, a trip to Jim & Ralph's (great fruit and veg stand), homework (Stats), visitors and a disoriented run to the grocery store, Mom and I got started on dinner and dessert.

First the pie: pear butterscotch (not sure why the picture changes to vertical). Pears were $2.50 for 4 pounds...but I didn't buy in excess today. I used a ready made crust and a box mix to roll out the top layer and stars. Homemade pie crust is not something I am ready to take on quiet yet. It turned out wonderful and we served it with a scoop of vanilla caramel ice cream.

Then Mom used her birthday present, Mario Batali "Italian Grill" Sea Scallops alla Caprese. The scallops didn't get seared quite like they were supposed to but it was delicious...and beautiful. She uses her own form of a CSA as well...the neighbors on each side and behind have huge gardens. Tomatoes, to the left and basil, to the right for this meal. We also contributed tomatoes from our garden in VA as well. And this woman...she NEVER measures anything when cooking, EVER! But when the recipe calls for "drizzling 2-3 tablespoons of EVOO" over the mess...she breaks out the measuring spoons because "olive oil scares" her. **we are going to have to work on this one**

I made a recipe I saw on Food Network on Friday afternoon after my surgery. I don't know why it stuck in my head that I HAD to make it...something with the drugs maybe. Sicilian Penne with Swordfish and Eggplant. I used shells b/c that is what was here, added cannellini beans and a little extra fish. I was also a bit heavy handed with the crushed red pepper flakes. Yellow Tail's Pinot Grigio did the trick in my glass and for de-glazing purposes. The final requirement was a huge loaf of (still warm) french bread. I would have grilled it a bit but I was not allowed :)

Yes, we ate the pie AFTER dinner. And yes, we cooked enough for a small army even though it was only the 4 of us.

Update...

2009-09-18T11:11:00.004-04:00

It has been a while I know. I still remember how to cook and drink beer and wine with family and friends...I think. Last Wednesday and Thursday were my first classes at Johns Hopkins and Friday I had emergency surgery to remove 4 wisdom teeth. There is nothing exciting about ice packs, pain pills and chipmunk cheeks. But a good note if you ever can't open your mouth to fit in a spoon or can't chew..."Naked" juices makes a great protein shake. Each bottle has about 30 grams of protein. I am not back to 100% yet, but close. I also have to add a few notes from eating "events" prior to last week and I should have some wonderful additions after our trip home this weekend...I'll get to that in between statistics and microecon. homework and reading.

Rest In Peace: Crock Pot

2009-09-01T08:43:00.006-04:00

I had an amazing dinner planned for last night. Black beans were "marinating" and pork was all good to go in the crock pot. Turned it on before I left for work. Got home to raw meat! The crock pot died. No churros with peaches and rice pudding either. Thank goodness for Southside's 1/2 price po' boys on Monday. Beans and peaches will go in the freezer for another day.

Chicken, Green Bean, Corn, and Quinoa Salad with Goat Cheese

2009-08-27T07:10:00.004-04:00

Made this beauty last night. I added cherry tomatoes and used quinoa instead of farro. About a pound of chicken too. As usual, I used the recipe for "guidance". That big white blob on my plate is a lovely hunk of goat cheese. Yum!

So good I am eating it for lunch today. Nice, light, and super healthy.

*UPDATE* So Tim ate this as well...with some reluctance. He decided that as we sat down for dinner he was "really in the mood for something with gravy or sauce." Hmm. Okay then, good luck with that one.

Tim's favorite risotto

2009-08-26T12:29:00.010-04:00

Tim is a sucker for anything with sun-dried tomatoes. Knowing this fact, I came up with: sun-dried tomato, basil and garlic risotto.

Start with a pound of sun-dried tomato, basil and garlic chicken sausage from Whole Foods.

Remove from casing and saute in a large pot. Remove from pot and set aside when cooked completely.

In the same pot, you may need to add a little EVOO or butter, saute some onion. A whole, a half, a quarter...totally up to you. I used a whole white onion. I can't remember the last time I cooked with a white onion and I'm not sure if it made a difference taste-wise, BUT yellow onions at Whole Foods have been beat-up and mushy with a bad case of fruit flies.

To your beautiful onions, add some minced garlic ( I used 2 big cloves) and fresh basil. Saute this for...5-10 minutes? Until everything smells good.

->Meanwhile, have another pot on simmer with a combination of chicken stock and canned tomatoes (with juice).

When everything in your pot looks good add arborio rice. You can read serving info. on the side of your container...I just throw some in. Stir this in to your onions, etc and let it turn golden a bit. Don't forget: your burner should be on low to med-low.

Okay now you are golden. Add some simmering liquid to the rice. Just enough to cover it. Give it a good stir. Toss in some whole basil sprigs if you want. I like crushed red pepper too.

->Now the goal is to keep adding more liquid each time it simmers down. The more you stir, the more starches will be released from the rice and the better your risotto will be.

You will notice that the rice will start to turn a little transparent on the edges as it cooks. It is personal preference when you think it is done. Some people like a bit of a bite/crunch and some, like me, want it soft all the way through. Obviously, stop adding liquid when it gets to your version of "done". You can stir in your sausage now or let people add their own.

Last, but most important, right when you turn off your burner, give your risotto a swirl of cream :)

I can't help but add excessive amounts of Locatelli cheese to mine, Tim apparently felt it called for feta.

This is a meal that is wonderful as a leftover.

"Hello, Noah? I'd like to place an order for an Ark..."

2009-08-25T19:13:00.013-04:00

It rained this weekend...A LOT. I had minimal inspiration to consume calories other than left over Valentino's pizza and the last of the Sierra Nevada Summer. And my camera battery died too...

Tim, however, felt inspired after a trip to Giant. He made pork chops which marinated in a raspberry-chipotle bbq sauce and baked potatoes. If you ever see this sauce at Target (it is Archer-Midland brand) buy it! So wonderful! But I can't get the thought of goat cheese out of my head. Maybe some sort of tailgate dish: goat cheese with raspberry-chipotle sauce over it...not sure what to use as a "dipper". You will notice, it required chardonnay, beer, and a bit of lemonade with lavender-lemon vodka.

The other highlight of the weekend was the arrival of my AeroGarden. Tim thinks it is ugly and wants to build a shelf for it in the basement. I think it looks just fine next to the stove. So I set it up Saturday afternoon and today (Tuesday) I have basil, chive and thyme sprouts! Still waiting on dill, sage and oregano.

Side note: Tim and I saw Julie & Julia on Sunday morning...read the book first, then see the movie...

Shells coming out my ears...

2009-08-25T18:58:00.007-04:00

After a long weekend at the beach with my Mom, I had a few extra eggplants that needed a cause. Not really wanting to stray from from comfort I decided on stuffed shells, Emeril provided guidance. I do recommend tossing everything in a food processor to get it to a uniform "stuff-able" size. Added ricotta, cottage and mozzarella cheese, lots of fresh basil from the garden and a mountain of garlic. Finding shells to stuff took me to 3 different grocery stores...sometimes I really hate Virginia. Two boxes and 70-ish stuffed shells later...I don't have the energy to cook any quite yet (don't worry I frozen all of them).

TRK put some in a casserole with some sauce and tossed it in the oven, she said they were pretty good.

Always a benefit. I'll be passing out more as requested.

Corn & Black Bean "Salsa"

2009-08-13T10:01:00.010-04:00

1 bag frozen sweet corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tomato

a few chopped mild green chilies

Cilantro (just a splash)

And then came the experiment...quesadillas! I have never made them before, I figured it would be easy like a pancake or an omelette. No. I will be finding corn and black beans in my kitchen for the next month!

First, I tried to do one whole tortilla, fill it with the above mixture,

sauted onions and green bell pepper and a bit of cheese, then top it with another tortilla. HOW the HECK are you supposed to flip that bugger? I ended up sliding it on a paper plate then flipping it back into the pan...first e

xplosion of corn and beans. Attempt #2: cut a tortilla in half and fill it up the same way...same issue. How do you flip it without everything INSIDE slipping OUTSIDE? Second explosion of corn and beans. DUH! Which takes me to attempt #3: FOLD the tortilla (like a taco) and fill. Flip on the closed edge and not such a huge mess will occur. That was the longest brain fart in history! FYI: frozen corn EXPLODES in a frying pan. It is hot, and it sticks to skin. Do not cook in short and bare feet.

After the war zone quieted down, these buggers turned out GREAT! Tim was surprised they were so good WITHOUT any meat. To me, it was just another good delivery method for sour cream. They accompanied a Mexican spiced tri tip from Trader

Joe's. NOTE: Directions said cook 25 minutes after searing on both sides. This was waaay too long and our meat was "well" done.

Last night I used the rest of the balck beans, corn and tortillas and we had 2 open faced quesadillas in the toaster oven.

Veggies!

2009-08-13T09:22:00.010-04:00

This is my FIRST eggplant! Woo! Hoo! It wasn't huge, bigger than my hand, but I was afraid that our friendly neighborhood goundhog would taste it before I could. I chopped it up and added it to the chicken vindaloo we had on Friday night. I used a spice/oil packet from Whole Foods...HOLY AMAZING (and heartburn).

I have two more little guys coming and a lot cute purple flowers too. I also have another plant that I started from a seed, he is about 6 inches tall, waiting to see if anything happens with that one. My plan is to make Sausage and Eggplant stuffed shells next week. Maybe I will take a turn on Kirby Pasta Night.

Finally, the San Marzano tomato plant. This guy took forever to grow, and for June and most of July I thought he was a gonner. But now...there are at least 30 tomatoes growing, none turning red yet. I wonder how many batches of spaghetti sauce I will be able to make? Maybe some can go into the Fall Party Chili. Any good recipies are always appreciated. FYI: these guys are WAY cheaper to buy (canned) from Costo, about half the price of Whole Foods and they make a HUGE difference in sauce.

Mom's 50th Birthday Italian Feast

2009-08-10T11:32:00.004-04:00

Since we couldn't get her to Italy for her birthday (instead she settled for Tioga), the next best thing was to cook like she was there.

On the top rack: Pancetta wrapped peaches with basil and balsamic and new potatoes with rosemary, shallots, garlic and EVOO. The peaches were to die for!

Main rack: boneless leg of lamb stuffed with garlic and marinated in balsamic vinegar and rosemary with some other secret spices. Also, rosemary-skewered shrimp, small rosemary stalks work just as well as the huge ones, just don't forget to soak them in water ahead of time. I am in love with lamb!

Finally, what you don't see: Melon and peach salad with prosciutto and mozzarella. I would suggest crisping the prosciutto in the oven or on the grill first and break it up over the salad just before serving.

We sat outside at the picnic table. There was a beautiful vase of wild flowers that Grandmom Jean picked, a selection of wine, and a setting sun. It was a very close second to being in Italy :)

Hot Wing Dip

2009-08-08T11:59:00.006-04:00

Whipped up a batch of hot wing dip to take to Tim's company picnic this afternoon. Holy hot outside!

This make enough for a small army...

4-12.5 oz cans chicken, drained

2-8 oz blocks cream cheese

2-12 oz containers WisPride sharp cheddar cheese

1.5 cups or 1-12oz bottle Frank's Red Hot Original (you can also use the Hot Buffalo style)

.5 cup blue cheese or ranch salad dressing

I think it is best to mix the cheeses first then add chicken, one can at a time, then hot sauce and dressing.

A hand mixer is fine, even if you have a spotted stalker, but next time I will use the Kitchen Aid mixer.

Serve hot/warm with tortilla chips.

Tasting is a critical part of this recipe...

You can adjust this in a million ways: Blue cheese crumbles, fresh chicken...

3rd Annual Fall Party (2008)

2009-08-07T13:20:00.022-04:00

This was our first fall party in our new house! It was the first time many people had been over since we moved in (March). After all was said and done we hosted about 25 people...not too shabby!

My version of Cincinnati Chili:

Saute excessive amounts of diced onion and half of an excessive amount of garlic.

Add ground beef and brown. Drain off as much fat as you can.

Add can(s) of chopped tomatoes with juice.

Add can(s) of kidney beans, drained and rinsed.

Add flavors (These vary each time I make a batch.

The amount changes too...it is whatever smells right.) All spice, brown sugar, chili powder, chocolate, cinnamon powder, coriander, cumin, molasses, tomato paste. Sometimes a bit of nice dark beer. Salt and pepper. Like I said...I stop adding and combining when it smells good.

Let simmer for a while.

Taste.

Adjust flavors as needed.

I think it is best to make this a day or two ahead of time so it can sit with itself.

Yes, this WAS the biggest pot I could find :) *NOTE TO SELF* Be careful with such a large pot, the bottom chili burnt a little because I could stir properly.

It can't be a party without Apple Dip

(thanks Mom)

1 part marshmallow fluff (If you happen to make one peanut butter and fluff sandwich during this part it really won't make a difference)

1 part/block cream cheese

Mix with hand mixer.

Serve with slices of Granny Smith apples. (Don't forget to sprinkle them with lemon juice)

Please note Mr. Vegas patiently waiting. My Mom taught him that if he sits right next to you while you are using a hand mixer he will get to lick the beaters. He also knows that the hand mixer is only used to mix delicious things. I have not helped this situation...or his waistline.

Stout Spice Cake

I forget where this recipe came from, I want to say Martha Stewart but I can't find the actual recipe anywhere. I plan on mkaing it again for this year's party, I will be able to update then.

From what I remember:

Cake

2 boxes of betty Crocker Spice cake mix

2 or 3 eggs

2.5 cups of Oatmeal Stout beer

splash of oil (maybe)

Follow baking instructions on the box

Butter Cream Icing

10x sugar

butter

1/2 & 1/2

Oatmeal Stout beer

Toasted, carmelized nuts on top are an added bonus. I burnt the first batch AND ruined a pan!

This made 2-9" round cakes and one "loaf" in my adorable pumpkin vine mold from Williams & Sonoma.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

This came from several recipies in Food & Wine

*will update later*

Of course, it wouldn't be a party without beer and wine. And it wouldn't be a GREAT party without keg stands. (Out of respect for you guys I will not post the pictures...hehe)

This is me...jumping on the train...

2009-08-07T11:09:00.002-04:00

Inspired by my decision to "write a cook book" (maybe that will actually happen by the time I am 92) and Miss Meg, I'm going to start with a blog. There will need to be some back tracking. There are a few AMAZING meals that have happened in the past that must be revisited.

Some have pictures, some don't. Some recipies are still in my head, some are not.

Events to be revisited:

Italian Feast from "R Estate II" for Mom's 50th birthday (July 2009)

3rd Annual Fall Fest (October 2008)

Thanksgiving(s): I think this will need to be an ongoing section

I'm sure I am missing a few...

So, I'm going to roll with this. Wish me luck.