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starting the new year off LIGHT

Posted in cooking, fish, healthy on February 1, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Happy February, all!  (OK, where did January go???)

This post has been in the works for awhile now, and I’ve been dying to get it up here.  What set out to be a few snapshots of some of our ‘photo-worthy meals’ (yes, Andrew and I refer to them that way) has become a compilation of healthy meals we had in January.  I’m really proud of myself (and Andrew) that we have faithfully stuck to the “Meatless Monday” and one fish-dish per week goals I set for the new year.  And that we’ve–for the most part at least–stuck to the weekly menu plan and haven’t ordered pizza when the schedule got crazy.

Going forward, I’m adding one more weekly goal:  fix one meal from our list of ‘favorites.’  Andrew’s biggest complaint, by far, is that I make awesome stuff and save the recipe, but he never sees it again because I’m too busy trying new things.  It’s completely normal for me to put together five or six meals of completely new recipes, including side dishes.  That’s like 12-15 new recipes a week!  (I’m exhausted.)  And I love my husband and want to (finally) listen to what he wants.  So, a few of our favorites will be making a comeback :)

So, without further ado, here is my tribute to our healthiest month yet:

(Note: And all of these meals were planned AND eaten before I even saw Cooking Light’s current Jan/Feb “Start Your Year Off Light” spread.  I’m a little behind…what can I say?)

BTW–Cooking Light had THREE contributors this month with “RD” after their names…perhaps that will be ME one day!

Anyway, all that to say that we’ve been eatin’ pretty healthy around these parts so far.  Not that we were fast-food junkies, or even really needed to overhaul any part of our diets (OK, except my dessert habit, but that’s my own burden to bear), but I really wanted to add a little more structure to our weekly meals and, of course, make them even healthier.  But not less tasty.

Enter ‘Meatless Monday.  You can read my post for the co-op about it here, which includes the link to the actual ‘Meatless Monday’ site.

In short, I made two resolutions this year pertaining to our weekly dinners: to eat fish once a week, and to (purposefully) go meatless once a week as well.  I say purposefully only because I wanted to use MM as a chance to explore new ingredients/sources of protein, as opposed to using it as an excuse to make pancakes or spaghetti and marinara for dinner.  (Not that either of those are bad options–in fact, we had pancakes for dinner last Saturday night with the Nyes!

So anyway, here (in no particular order), are some photos of what we’ve been eating lately, as well as the link to recipes when possible:

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Everyday Food Mag’s Fish Tacos and Spicy Slaw.  I’ve made this a couple times now and Andrew is a huge fan, believe it or not.  Served with blue crunchy corn shells and avocado, as well as spanish rice.

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BTW, this is our new favorite wine: Layer Cake’s “Primitivo.”  Emily gifted it to me because of the name, and it’s a mild red both Andrew and I like a lot.

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Quinoa and Lemon Soup from my Quinoa 365 cookbook.

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Tilapia cooked with basil olive oil and lemon vinegar (Christmas gifts from Heather!) in a foil packet.

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Morningstar Farm’s Spicy Black Bean burgers served with spinach and all the traditional burger fixins’ on homemade bread.  I don’t normally buy “vegetarian” burgers at the grocery store, but Mrs. Nye gifted me with a box of these from her freezer, and I sensed if I didn’t use them they would succumb to freezer burn.  Don’t know that I would buy them again, but not half bad.  Andrew ate it, but didn’t want seconds.

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Mustard-roasted Chicken with Vegetables: an old-school, back-pocket classic.  This is one of three chicken recipes I cut from a Real Simple magazine forever ago that I make over and over again.  The other two are: Barbecue Apricot Chicken and Chicken Paprikash.  You can’t go wrong with any of them.

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Roasted asparagus, broiled salmon and a Barley and Fig salad from Ancient Grains for Modern Meals.  Andrew really liked the salad, which featured dried figs, green onions and a lemon dressing.

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This one was a toss-up, but Andrew ate it nonetheless.  It’s Cooking Light’s Smoky Black Bean and Butternut Squash Salad.  I’ve had it in my ‘to-try’ binder for more than a year and decided it was time to try it, Andrew’s dislike of beans be darned!  It was quite spicy–chipotles in adobo will do that!  Add avocado next time and it would be even better.

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Cooking Light’s Sweet-Spicy Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry, served with Spicy Cabbage Stir-Fry.  The chicken stir-fry was pretty good, although I totally overcooked the cabbage.

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Cooking Light’s Seared Scallops with Bacon, Cabbage and Apple.  My photo of my plate didn’t turn out well, but the color I got on the scallops was beautiful.  I’d never made scallops before, and Andrew had never tried them.  Can you believe he admitted they “weren’t fishy at all,” and that “I’d eat them again” came out of his mouth?  I almost fell out of my chair.

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A couple nights ago I made CL’s Quinoa and Roasted Pepper Chili, and can you believe Andrew had TWO BOWLS?! It featured pinto beans (which I find to be much milder than kidney beans for chili), zucchini and roasted bell and poblano peppers.  The flavor was traditional chili, but more vegetable-y.  Quinoa is a grain that is high in protein, so it’s an excellent option for meatless dishes.

Last night I made CL’s Beef Stroganoff, which is a dish I loved growing up, but I’m sure my mom made it with Cream of Mushroom soup and sour cream.  This healthier recipe featured a flour/beef broth mixture and just a tad bit of sour cream (I used plain yogurt instead).  I thought it was wonderful, but since Andrew picks around mushrooms, I don’t know that I’d make it again.  It was nice, however, to feel like I could make something I really wanted and that Andrew would eat it despite the offending ingredients.  He’s maturing like that :)

In case you’re wondering, I don’t keep all the recipes I try.  In fact, I barely keep any of them.  I make it, and unless Andrew and I are blown away, it goes right in the trash.  The truth is, I have too many cookbooks, magazines and already-torn-out recipes to keep any that aren’t absolutely fantastic.  I try to remember particular methods or ingredient pairings (like how coarse-grain mustard is excellent for pork or roasted potatoes) and then toss the recipe.  I’m also aways on the quest for “the best” recipes, like the best chili or butternut squash soup, so I’m constantly trying and comparing new and old recipes.  For every 10 recipes I cook, 9 are new and maybe only 1 is from the “favorites” binder, much to Andrew’s chagrin.

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in the nick of time

Posted in Andrew, cheese, cooking, sweet potato on May 1, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Or is it ‘knick?’

Anyway, remember that Sweet Potato Chili Mac I said I was going to make while Andrew was gone?

Well, I finally made it tonight for dinner, only T-minus 21 hours before his arrival back home tomorrow.  I swear, that man has turned me into a procrastinator!

It was good, but just like the Steakhouse Side Mac (featured in the same article), it failed to really meet that “mac and cheese” flavor need I was after.  Guess Andrew will just have to go out of town again soon!  No, just kidding…  In fact, I’m actually starting to miss him.

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the mice, they are a-playin’

Posted in Andrew, baking, bible study, bread, breakfast, busy, cheese, church, Co-op, cookbooks, cooking, EA Advertiser, eating issues, eggs, Exercise, Food Network, Friends, gifts, ginger, God, hadrian, hummus, King Arthur Flour, nut butters, oatmeal, peanut butter, pear, pineapples, Pioneer Woman, soup/stew, sweet potato, talking, thai, trader joe's, wine on April 30, 2012 | 2 Comments »

At least this one has been…  Playing, and school-working, and running and cooking…   I have been a BUSY girl these last few days, filling my extra free time to the max!  So busy, I haven’t even had time to BLOG-gasp!

Let’s see…where did I leave off?

Well, Andrew’s long gone, but I can’t not post about the fantastic dinner we had Wednesday.  Foreign!

I pulled this recipe for Banh Mi sandwiches out of a Food Network magazine back in 2008 or 2009.  It has, literally, been sitting in my “to try” recipe binder (in the fish section), waiting for such a time as this.  Well, the stars aligned last week and I finally made them…

You can see the fish peeking out from under the watercress and carrot.  The seasoning for the fish was super easy and really good–I just sauteed coconut oil (which is solid at room temperature) for a minute or two, added some Thai red curry paste and cooked it a little longer, then slathered it all over the fish before broiling.  It smelled SO GOOD.  I’m keeping the recipe because I think it’s such a unique flavoring, and the asian sauce you make to go with it was a winner, too.

Andrew left Thursday, which was the night I made my hawaiian pizza.  Check out my solo dinner set-up:

Disclaimer: About a minute after I took the photo, I traded the magazines for the laptop and perused my usual: Kath’s blog, Facebook and People.com.  I call them my guilty pleasures.

Check out that perfectly browned cheese!  With a good red sauce, hawaiian pizza cannot be beat.  Although I don’t know that I’ll be using fresh mozzarella next time for pizza; it’s best reserved for caprese salad.

Thursday night was also the night I chose to clean the WHOLE house…kind of like a mini-spring cleaning.  I always clean when Andrew leaves…  The way I see it: the earlier I get the place cleaned up, I longer I get to experience a clean house without having to pick up after anyone else!  It’s been glorious…

The next morning, at 6:30 a.m. no less(!), Emily and I did one of our Made to Crave discussion dates over the phone.

Is it bad that I was eating at the same time I was discussing a Bible study about CONTROLLING eating???  I suppose I should fess up and admit I printed out TWO cookie recipes from King Arthur Flour’s ‘best cookie line-up’ just moments before this shot was taken…

Also, note the “cookie-like” object on my plate…  They’re called “Anytime Cookies” and they’re from an online site called Nourished Kitchen.  I made them a day or so before Andrew left and WOW.  Loved them!  Super easy, SUPER healthy (no added sweeteners–just sweet from dried fruit) and the texture was great.  They’re kind of like a mini-muffin more than a cookie.  But at only 127 calories, they’re easier to have as a snack with some fruit or yogurt (or both) than something bigger or heavier.  I’ve shared them with some local loved ones (and Susy in her pre-half-marathon care package–tell me what you think!) and they raved.

Recipe is linked.  They use coconut flour and unsweetened, shredded coconut.  Coconut flour is higher in protein and fiber than regular flour.  Most grocery stores with a ‘natural/organic’ section should have coconut flour there, or in their gluten-free section.  That’s also where you’ll find the unsweetened, shredded coconut–the kind in the baking aisle is (heavily) sweetened.  If you absolutely can’t find the unsweetened kind, use the regular and perhaps decrease some of the fruit.  Or you’ll just have sweeter cookies, which if you’re not used to things like plain yogurt and unsweetened applesauce, might be a good transition for you, anyway.

OK, now that I’ve COMPLETELY digressed from my weekend re-cap…

I made this recipe for sweet potato and coconut soup, the recipe for which has been hanging on the fridge forever…  I knew I’d have leftover fish from the Banh Mi, and I thought a coconut-flavored soup would be perfect. PCC Natural Markets is a ‘chain’ of co-ops in Washington State and a friend from the co-op here sent me a link to the soup awhile ago.  Thanks Mary!

I roasted the sweet potatoes instead of steaming like the recipe called for–check out these babies!  Like dessert, I tell you.

Friday was filled with school-working, since I cleaned all night Thursday…  Chem lab to finish, two Micro labs to finish, Chem practice quizzes to prep for the actual quiz, Stats homework… Not to mention paying bills, random emailing and phone-calling, co-op blogging…

Friday night I enjoyed my soup topped with a dollop (I love that word, don’t you?) of plain lowfat yogurt (to sub for sour cream, of course!), cilantro and chopped peanuts, paired with leftover fish, edamame and white wine.  As my friend Regina said when she saw the photo (I sent her a photo of my food–I AM that weird)…”Def not an Andrew meal!”  Nope, not an Andrew meal, although he does eat all of these things (points for him), he does LOVE any of them.

Saturday morning, I read the paper!  What a relaxing pastime…  Now I know why people sit and read the paper on Saturday mornings…  I’m usually up and going early on Saturdays, either the gym or early-morning shopping at Wegmans to beat the crowds (I like shopping so much I’d rather get up EARLY and go to enjoy myself than be rushed and crowded–grocery shopping, to me, is an EVENT).

If you look close enough, you can see yours’ truly’s byline on the front page, ABOVE the fold…(!)

I did hit the gym later that morning and tried a “punk rope” class.  It’s basically a circuit-training class with jump ropes, and while it wasn’t as high-intensity as it could have been, it was a nice change and a great time slot (8:30 to 9:15) for a Saturday morning workout.

I spent the afternoon with Carolyn bridesmaid-dress shopping…

…and we found a winner!  She’s liked this one from the beginning, and was finally ready to declare that this was it.  Ours will be black with a black ribbon, and Abigail’s will be black with a hot pink ribbon.  If you’re reading this and you know Abigail, you know that that is SO her.

I’d made plans with Regina for later that night (when was I supposed to get any of my Chemistry done, you ask?  I was asking myself the same thing…), but we didn’t know if we were going to stay in, or go out, so I decided to have something ready just in case.  Enter Triple Ginger Biscotti.

Yet another recipe that’s been hanging around for awhile… Not even sure who sent it to me…?  Susy, was that you?  They turned out well, but the recipe made A TON.  Should have halved it.

Regina and I stayed in and enjoyed out biscotti and tea after walking Hadrian.  So glad she was up for a walk despite the chilly temps; I’ve been thinking a lot lately (because of Made to Crave) about how EVERYTHING we do (socially, at least) is centered around food–meeting for drinks, dessert, coffee, lunch–the list goes on.  Now that the weather is getting nicer, it will be easier to meet up for more active activities like walks or runs.  Just something I’m trying to start doing to decrease foods’ ever-present status in my life…

(STILL chastising myself for not getting a photo of dear Regina…I’m such a terrible blogger!)

Sunday mornings are normally my run mornings, since it’s easier to run outside around the house than get to and from the gym before church.  Despite my late bedtime Saturday night–Regina and I were talking until at least 10:30–Hadrian got me up at 5:45 and I decided to go with it.  After polishing off some coffee, biscotti, the last Anytime Cookie and a banana, I headed out with Hadrian for our 3.4 mile loop.  I’d decided to do a long run (a.k.a. something in the 9+mile range for me), so after dropping him back off at home, I set out for my 7.4 mile loop around Orchard Park.  The stop at home was perfect; I was able to shed a pair of gloves (I wear two!) and add my sunglasses.  And since no one wants to run 10.8 miles, I added a 3-minute loop near the house, which upped it to more than 11.1.  Not an even number, but at least 11.  I was tired, but satisfied.  I hadn’t run more than 7 miles in a LONG time, so busting this out was good for me.

All that running done by 8:45 a.m.!  Still plenty of time to refuel and meet Andrew’s family for church.  I read my friend, Emily’s blog (a fellow RD-in-training here in Buffalo, not to be confused with the oft-mentioned Emily with whom I’m doing M2C) a couple days ago and she had a ‘toasted marshmallow cheesecake‘ oatmeal that I HAD TO TRY.  I knew it would be perfect post-run.

Yes, that is Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter melting on the top.  Deliciousness, and pure indulgence.  At least with peanut butter one gets a little protein; cookie butter is just dessert, people.  Also, I had to leave out the ‘mallows, I was fresh out!  But, since I’m not a huge marshmallow fan, anyway, (love ‘smores!), it wasn’t a big deal.  SO GOOD, I could have liked the bowl.  In fact, I might have.

After church and lunch at Panera with everyone, Carolyn and Ben and I headed to Target for some errand-running.  So fun to see what they registered for!  I treated myself to some new gym towels–mine were getting pretty ‘tired,’ for lack of a gross-er word–and some other things I needed.

LOOK!  The pineapple in action!

I packaged up every last piece of that biscotti!  Had to get it out of the house for my waistline’s own protection.  Note: this photo was taken at about 4 p.m. Sunday, at which time I had YET to start any Chemistry…  I had completely one practice quiz the night before, but still had two to go.  My procrastination drugs of choice: 1.) baking 2.) cleaning 3.) anything else that needs to be done around the house.  That way, I still feel productive while ‘wasting time.’

Oh, and I also changed out my purses for spring!  Goodbye my lovely green leather (but ridiculously heavy!) bag, hello Paris purse!  The blue striped bag was a Target purchase to corral all my giftcards and coupons, since the red bag is a bottomless pit.  Not a single pocket to be found inside…

Biscotti packed up…now on to Chemistry! I did a practice quiz, followed by leftover sweet potato soup and veggies and hummus for dinner, then another practice quiz.

After taking the dog for a brief, and chilly, walk, I sat down for the real thing.  Deep breaths abounded…

And I was handsomely, and shockingly, rewarded with a 100%!  Holy smokes!!  Seriously, I know I whine and complain about Chemistry, and while I have an A in the class, it’s still super hard and I never quite know what’s really going on with all those electrons and ions and things swimming around in solution…  Anyway, I’ve NEVER gotten a 100% on a quiz in either semester of Chem so far, so this was huge.

Except that it wasn’t.  The quiz took all of 15 minutes since EVERY SINGLE PROBLEM WAS ONE THAT HAD BEEN ON THE PRACTICE QUIZZES.  I repeat: I had the answers in front of me.  Seriously. I mean, on all the past quizzes there have been a handful (maybe 5 or 6) problems that matched up with practice quizzes, but never ALL of them.  My theory?  Dr. Barton rewards those who do the practice quizzes, because that’s the kind of guy he is.  Let’s just say I was in total shock and had to keep checking to make sure I’d taken an ACTUAL quiz and not another practice quiz.  And for fear that you think I exaggerate about how bad Chemistry is, this 100% will allow me to drop the 72% I got on the last quiz…

And it was a HUGE blessing, too!  The extra time I gained by finished the quiz so early allowed me to prep my breakfast:

Pioneer Woman’s Breakfast Bread Pudding.  It’s essentially a ‘breakfast casserole’ but less egg and assembled like a bread pudding.

I order to lighten it up a bit (and it is just me by my lonesome), I halved the amount of sausage.

I am, as I type this, enjoying a bowl of this and a pear for breakfast.  YUM.

Signing off now–whew, this was a long one!

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while the cat’s away the mice will play

Posted in Andrew, avocado, banana, BBQ, cheese, coffee, cooking, creamer, mango, Movies, pineapples, Pioneer Woman, pizza, sweet potato on April 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Andrew’s out of town for a few days starting tomorrow–he’ll be spending a couple of those days in Texas with Silas and Heather (and Margaret!) to attend Silas’s graduation from pilot training, then heading over to Houston for a conference.

(I realize some of you are gasping at the thought that I would announce to–potentially- the whole world that I’ll be home alone without a big, strong, strapping man to protect me.  In my defense, two things: first, my blog is SO not that popular, and second, we have a giant dog.)

Soooo….what does Holly do when Andrew leaves?  She makes macaroni and cheese!  Duh!

I’ll be making Cooking Light’s Sweet Potato Chili Mac, among other things that involve cheese, like Pioneer Woman’s Breakfast Bread Pudding.  But first, I had to grocery shop!  (It’s like crack to me, seriously.)

I went with a list (of course I did–have I ever NOT?), but allowed myself a few splurges along the way since Andrew wasn’t going to be home.

The list:

1. More bananas.  If I run out, I get panicky.  I used to only eat them when they still had a little green on them, but now I’m way less picky.  Plus, if they’re too far gone, there’s always banana bread :)

2. Seltzer!  I LOVE mixing black cherry and vanilla.

3. A mango.

4. An avocado–what better to add to a ‘southwest’ salad to go with my chili mac?

5. Two ORGANIC Pink Lady apples.  Such a treat.  Did you know apples are number 1 on the “Dirty Dozen” list?

6.  Bow-tie pasta for my chili-mac… You do not even want to know how much time it took me in the past aisle to choose between elbows, spirals or the bow-ties.  (All whole wheat, of course.)  Actually, (and in the vein of journalistic integrity) I went to the store for elbows, doubting I’d find them in whole wheat, but when I did I wondered if I’d prefer spirals because I was making a “chili mac” and not a true macaroni and cheese (in which case elbows would DEFINITELY be preferred), and it was only AFTER I put the spirals in the cart I noticed the bow-ties.  In wheat.  For 20 cents more.  I said “price be damned” (not really, and not out loud–thankfully–but you know what I mean) and grabbed the bow-ties.

7.  Canned pineapple chunks.  I’m also making a hawaiian pizza while he’s away.  I have pizza dough, leftover pizza sauce, fresh mozzarella and deli ham in the fridge…  I mean, is that a no-brainer, or what?

8.  Cottage cheese. Buying pineapple (canned or fresh, but I prefer fresh) necessitates buying cottage cheese, and vice versa.

9.  Bottled creamer.  Confession to make:  I’m back on the wagon, at least temporarily.  I’d been trying out homemade creamers, then no creamers…  Andrew’s mom sent me home with a bottle of “Warm Cinnamon Sugar Cookie” and I got hooked all over again. (Well, maybe not hooked, but it sure is convenient.)  With cinnamon roll and butter toffee-flavored coffee at home right now, I figured the vanilla caramel flavor would go quite nicely.  The truth is, until we make “good” coffee (a.k.a. NOT something from a ‘pod’) at home, I don’t care about dumping sweeteners and flavorings into it.  Health-wise, I’m not thrilled, but I had to.

10.  And in case anyone wonders if I love my husband…  I got him some treats for the road.  Funyuns (eeewww!), Combos (these are my mom’s travel food and they’re ours, too–please note the ‘Made with Real Cheese’ sign in the upper left corner of the bag…Andrew doesn’t seem to mind THAT real cheese), and orange gummi bears, all in their own box.  Andrew loves orange anything, and these were definitely an impulse purchase if there ever was one: while waiting in the check-out line, a woman was next to me, already digging into her container of red (cherry) gummi bears, which piqued my interest.  I was about to grab blue raspberry for my guy, when I saw orange.  Done deal.

And check out what else I found:

We’re also white-cheddar fans, too.  (Is that ‘too’ redundant since I have ‘also’ in the same sentence?  Someone tell me…)  We’ve had a Netflix DVD sitting on the coffee table for more than a week now since we’re HOOKED on Big Bang Theory–thanks a lot, Carolyn–and we have to watch it TONIGHT before he leaves!

(You also don’t want to know how much time I spent in the popcorn aisle, trying to figure out which kinds to get…  Andrew likes extra butter, I like Orville Redenbacher’s “natural, simply salted” variety–can you blame me that I don’t like the FILM of grossness that coats one’s mouth after eating other kinds of microwave popcorn???   Anyway, I ended up getting Andrew his own ‘snack bags’ of the movie theater butter flavor, and figured I could always share mine with him.)

At least ONE of us will be eating well while he’s gone!  Who am I kidding? Don’t even get me started on how much I’m going to miss all the awesome Mexican and BBQ I could have had if I was going to San Antonio with him…)

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almost! a pizza tragedy

Posted in beef, cookbooks, cooking, local/organic, Pioneer Woman, pizza on April 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

So, I may not be quite the ‘gourmet’ chef Andrew makes me out to be ALL the time…

…if you think THAT’S bad, you should have seen the other guy!  (a.k.a. the hunk of ORGANIC beef roast I bought for Pioneer Woman’s Carnitas Pizza.

(Actually, upon further inspection of the meat itself, it had only formed a nice ‘crust’ on the outside and was still quite edible on the inside–thankfully!  Otherwise, Andrew might have killed me.  In fact, I moistened the shredded meat with a little apple juice I had stashed in the freezer since our HOTEL STAY last year… Side note: I am my father (the pack rat)’s daughter.)

Apparently, leaving a roast in the oven while out of the house is too much for me to handle; not 10 minutes after we left for church I had a panic attack and tried to make Andrew turn around.  I suppose I could have done the math on the cooking time a bit better, and certainly should have added some more liquid to the pot before departing…

Anyway, her carnitas pizza (the recipe for which must not be online), piqued my interest from the moment I saw it in the book.  It’s a regular pizza crust–I used one I found in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (best one yet!)–with green tomatillo salsa, fresh mozzarella slices, sauteed red pepper and onion, then baked and topped with the warm meat and sliced green onions.

Let’s just say Andrew was on his 5th piece before either of us knew what was happening, but I suspect that had more to do with the crust than the toppings, unfortunately.  Or fortunately, I suppose.  I’m on the hunt for a go-to pizza crust recipe…could it be that the search is over?

I enjoyed the last two pieces for lunch today–YUM.  While I may not make the exact recipe again, PW does have a bunch of neat pizza recipes on her website and in her newest cookbook, and we seem to be on a pizza kick lately!  It’s the “best crust” hunt, I tell ya.  My favorite pizza, you ask?  HAWAIIAN, all the way.

And, just in case you were wondering about that pot….

…GOOD AS NEW!  Nothing a little elbow grease and a brillo pad couldn’t handle.

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Easter weekend

Posted in baking, Barefoot Contessa, breakfast, candy, chocolate, cookbooks, cooking, Dessert, Exercise, Family, Food Network, maple, Running, sweet potato on April 9, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Happy Belated Easter!  I had all sorts of fun things to blog about this weekend, but kinda took the weekend ‘off’ and this is my first chance to sit down (Not really, I still have TONS of schoolwork to do, but this is somewhat time-sensitive, too.  If I wait too long, it will be old news!) and type it all out.

There was LOTS going on this weekend for us, with Andrew’s grandmother visiting and Abigail home from school…

I ran in the Bunny Hop 5K…and scored SECOND PLACE in my age group!  Holy smokes!  Seriously…despite some of my recent PRs here and here, when I saw the 1,011-runner crowd lining up, all hopes of placing went right out the window.  In fact, I was having a bad morning due to a sudden neck spasm and stress (what else is new?), so I really had to pep-talk my way through the entire (almost all uphill, if that’s possible) race.

The neat thing was that the course went right by Andrew’s parents’ driveway!  I waved as I passed the first time… (I’m in pink and purple.)

Andrew’s family (and the dogs!) came out to cheer me on…

Here I am on the way back, just a 100 yards or so from the finish.  LOVE my purple running pants!

Andrew was convinced I’d placed in my age group (based on the small number of ladies who finished ahead of me), so we waited around for what seemed like forever at the finish for them to post results.

At least the oranges were good and even the store-bought oatmeal raisin cookies were decent.  Andrew ate my hot dog, but I caved and got another one and ate about half when the results still weren’t posted…

Sure enough, I DID place–I got SECOND!  Prizes for the Bunny Hop are chocolate bunnies, which, despite their appropriateness, are (in my mind) a bit counterproductive.  Carolyn had the brilliant idea to throw mine in the freezer and use it to bake with later.  It’s currently crushed into small pieces and chilling with my other chocolate.

We spent the day relaxing at Andrew’s parents’ house and running errands on Main Street.  We wanted to show grandma the new cupcake place, and while there, I picked up this little guy:

Perhaps the most memorable event was our dinner Saturday night, and, as usual, I got no photos.  We ended up at a local hibachi grill/Japanese Steakhouse/sushi bar due to our large party (8) and lack of pre-panning (it was 6:30 and we were trying to find a restaurant without an hour wait).  Can I just say the Layers aren’t big on change, ethnic food OR fish??

Let’s just say that if Carolyn’s face had frozen they way she was turning up her nose at the menu, she’s be one unhappy camper.  In all honesty, Andrew and I were pretty nervous–we’d taken everyone here thinking it was akin to a Benihana, but it turned out to be about 95% sushi and sans-hibachi tables.  Our table ended up with five chicken teriyakis, one beef teriyaki, one soba noodle and one edamame order with an Alaska roll.  Can you tell which one was mine??

The night wasn’t a total loss; we ended up in a room of our own and had a few good laughs, and everyone got to experience a few things out of their comfort zone :)

Happy Easter morning!  I got up early to cook breakfast :)

I made the Clinton Street Baking Co.’s buttermilk waffles (thanks for the book, Susy!), maple-roasted bacon and fruit.  I even made the maple butter from the cookbook and it. was. divine.  Even Andrew loved it.

As always, we did Easter baskets.  Andrew’s is full of junk food and candy.  I threw in a Bananagrams game, thinking it would be a good 2-person game for the house.

Andrew (as usual), went way overboard with my basket this year:

He collected all sorts of my favorite gourmet/health foods, like sweet potato chips, Luna bars, flavored seltzer, Starburst Jellybeans, Ritter chocolate with Marzipan (Heather introduced me to it before we moved last year)…

…brie and special topping…

…I’ve been DYING to try this chocolate bar since I saw it in a Food Network magazine like two years ago!

Dave sent me home with some Cadbury creme eggs last weekend, and I broke into it Easter morning!  (I was good; I only ate half, though.)

Andrew particularly liked his tangerine-flavored Jelly Belly carrot.  I had to force him to eat one before church…  Seriously, who has to be forced to eat ONE jelly bean EVER?  I wasn’t going to eat a bunch of candy all alone!

After church (we accompanied the Layers), we rushed home to finish our contributions to the meal and walk the dog before heading back to their house.

Butter ‘lambs; are a big deal around here.  I saw them at the grocery store a week or so ago and wondered where they’d been all the other Easters of my life.  Not where I lived, apparently.

I made caramelized pear, sage and orange biscuit bites, a recipe I found in a cookbook of Susy’s last time I was at her house. They were pretty darn good, but I don’t know if I’d make them again.

I also made Pioneer Woman’s Tres Leches cake for dessert.  I. CAN’T. STOP. EATING. IT.  Seriously.  I had two pieces yesterday and two pieces (so far) today.  Not good.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out before Abigail had to head back to school.  I studied for my Micro test (I have THREE tests and a quiz this week…say a prayer for me, people!).

The rest of the family played ‘bean farmer,’ which I believe is really called Bonanza.

Andrew taught grandma.

Carolyn opted out and instead searched for dishes on the iPad.

After a light dinner of sandwiches and leftovers–not that anyone was terribly hungry–Andrew and I headed home to rescue the puppy and prep for the week ahead…if only I’d had another day off!

I’ll be up for air sometime on Thursday!

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how we spent our saturday

Posted in baking, breakfast, chocolate, cooking, Friends, whole grains on February 12, 2012 | 2 Comments »

There was baking.  There was snow.  And gym-going.  And car-repairing.  And cake-tasting.  And, finally, a little ice skating.

Let’s start at the beginning.

Andrew’s truck had been on the fritz since Monday morning, and in the course of the week, Andrew and his friend Bart (featured here at Waldfest and here at the ‘beach’), diagnosed the problem as being the fuel pump.  (Bart used to work on race cars in college–like, REAL race cars–and is an engineer at Moog and one of those super-brainy-but-cool types, so I felt like we were in good hands.)

So, after lots of research and You Tube “how to replace a fuel pump” video-watching, Andrew and Bart made plans to replace the part Saturday morning.

Company on Saturday morning = BIG BREAKFAST!

I decided to make pancakes AND waffles (waffles keep better in the freezer) and maple-roasted bacon.

Bart and I like chocolate-chip pancakes, so I added mini-chocolate chips to ours.  I even had whipped cream on hand, too–SCORE!

Waffles staying warm in the oven…  Side note:  I’ve been doing this for awhile now (using the oven to keep waiting waffles crisp and warm) and in just this past issue of Cuisine At Home, someone wrote in and offered this EXACT TECHNIQUE in the reader advice section, and got $100 for it!!  Note to self: wrack brain for something to suggest.

I set the table with three kinds of nut butters, Kefir, plain yogurt, orange segments, pineapple, butter, maple syrup, ginger maple syrup, orange juice and bananas.  And that’s not including the main courses…

We all enjoyed breakfast before the boys headed outside–did I mention it finally snowed–to start the car project while I tackled clean-up.

Look!  They’re twins!  Bart brought over some extra work clothes and gloves (he does this kind of thing a lot), which was nice since the cold weather necessitated multiple layers.

…and multiple trips inside to warm-up and read directions.  (Not sure why Andrew looks pregnant here, but since it’s him and not me, I’m happy!)

Bart, complete with knee-pads…

…Andrew, who was probably wishing it were just a bit warmer.  After our mild week, they certainly did not luck-out on weather for the project.

After I took a snow-filled walk with the dog and went to the gym for a run, I rushed home to shower and get lunch ready for everyone.  Thankfully, I had a great assortment of leftovers (I felt a little guilty serving guests leftovers, but by now, I feel like Bart is almost family, and Andrew’s dad–who had come over to watch the snowy repair job–IS family, and the leftovers WERE pretty special) like homemade coleslaw and roasted potatoes, along with homemade rye bread and sandwich stuff.

I dashed out the door after my last bit to meet Abigail, Carolyn and Andrew’s mom at Butterwood’s, a local bakery for some wedding cake-tasting!  This, of course, would have been a perfect opportunity to take some photos for the blog with all the beautiful cakes and desserts, but, alas, I did not.  I really waver between wanting to be a hard-core food blogger and photo-ing EVERYTHING, and on the other hand, trying to not let it take over my life.  So, no pretty cupcake photos here.

We stayed afterward and got desserts and drinks–I chose a red velvet cupcake that was just gorgeous and  tasted completely divine–thankfully, I still have half to enjoy another time :)

With the sourdough starter that I left out from making the pancakes and wafflers earlier, I made this focaccia.

We didn’t end up eating any that night, because Bart talked us into going out with him to ice skate!  I so tried to stay behind to do the myriad things on my to-do list (you know, like take a chem quiz, finish two labs, write an article, write two blogs, not to mention a million other things), but at the last minute I couldn’t say no.  I threw on some long underwear and ran out the door with Andrew!

We headed downtown for some ice skating (there is a free rink on the main thoroughfare in the city) and to check out some of the snowboarding at WinterFest.

Don’t you just love my scarf?  Andrew got it for me to go with my coat for Christmas–beautiful!  I’m LOVING the J.Crew Stadium Jacket we scored on Black Friday…  It cinches at the waist and is SO FLATTERING.  And it has a hood.  I have never wanted a hood more than I have since moving here.

After skating, we headed to Pearl Street for dinner, and to warm up!  My fingers were just about frozen, despite the awesome glove liners I got recently.  I enjoyed their Cherry Wheat beer, some onion rings (really hit the spot), a roasted veggie sandwich and their completely splurge-worthy fries.  Seriously, I could really just have their fries for dinner and be happy.

Bart recently discovered a new bar downtown that has a trivia night, so he brought us to check it out.  It’s called Founding Fathers and IT IS AWESOME.  I mean, the proprietor was wearing a tie–is that my kind of place, or what?!

There are flags and U.S. presidential history everywhere–it’s a smart-people bar (I may be a little rusty on my history, but Andrew and Bart aren’t!).  Andrew and I have never really felt “at home” (well, who does, really?) at a bar since we choose not to drink all that much, but we (well, really just me, probably) have always wanted to be a “regular” somewhere, and this is the kind of place I could see us going to often.  I’m not saying we’re going to go every Friday, but we’d like to give their trivia a try (it’s the first Tuesday of the month), and it just felt like somewhere we’d fit in.

It’s pushing 10 p.m. and I still haven’t taken that Chem quiz…

 

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homemade bagels

Posted in Andrew, bagels, baking, bread, breakfast, Co-op, cooking, yogurt on January 31, 2012 | 1 Comment »

A couple months ago I found a recipe for “real bagels” in Cooking Light and immediately thought of my sweet hubby and his affinity for everything bagels.  (I hate them; they may have a great savory flavor, but the onion and garlic are just way too strong!)

Obviously, this was a weekend activity, so I pencilled it in for two weekends ago.  Well, that weekend came and went without the making of any bagels, so I was even more determined to cross it off this weekend!

I had intended this to be a pseudo-together project with Andrew; I was, after all, making them mainly for him.  I like a good bagel as much as the next person, but try to limit my intake of simple carbs that come in the form of GIANT breads.  Rule of thumb: go halfsies. NO EXCEPTIONS.

It being a Sunday afternoon, Andrew was all but passing out on the couch when I called to him in need of his photography skills…  (I might have guilted him, a little.)  The truth is, our kitchen right now just isn’t really big enough for two to be working, and I’ll be honest, I like to be the only cook in the kitchen.  It’s my territory.  Hands off!

(Plus, Andrew is a way better picture-taker than I am; with our atrocious lighting situation here in the kitchen and dining room, it’s all I can do to take a decent picture, let alone one that actually shows the real color of my subject.)

I halved the recipe (how in the world would the two of us be able to eat 12 bagels before they got stale?) and put the ingredients into the bowl of my mixer.

The recipe calls for barley malt syrup, which is a natural sweetener found in lots of bread recipes.  It’s similar to thins like agave nectar, brown rice syrup and maple syrup and it is more mild, so it doesn’t raise your blood sugar as quickly as other sweeteners.  I couldn’t find it anywhere in Ohio (it’s the kind of thing you find in the ‘crunchiest’ of natural grocery stores) and had to purchase it when Andrew and I were at King Arthur Flour during the fall of 2010.  I have, however, seen it in the ‘nature’s marketplace’ at Wegmans–hurray!

After a 6-minute go-around in the mixer, you knead the dough by hand for just a minute or two.

(Seriously, how to food bloggers do it??  I would never be able to photograph and work with messy hands; I’m way too much of a neat-freak and OCD about equipment.  Andrew would KILL me if I got food on his camera!  That, and I’d never get anywhere since it would take twice as long to make everything if I was taking pictures, and it already takes me a long time since I’m so fastidious about cleaning as I go and measuring and things.)

After a 30-minute rise, you divide the dough into equal portions…

…and, using your fingers, poke a hole through them and stretch it out a little.  They rise again for a few minutes on a tray while you get your water boiling.

I’m a HUGE King Arthur Flour fan and order WAY too much from them (they have such cool stuff!) and one of the things I got last time was this bag of everything bagel topping.  Andrew was in heaven when we saw it.

Traditional bagels are boiled before being baked, which creates a ‘doughy’ texture, and is what the recipe calls for.  We’ve had bagels in Montreal (which are only baked) and NYC (which are boiled) and you can really tell a good bagel from a mediocre one.  I love Panera as much as the next person, but their bagels are NOTHING compared to a fresh, puffy, boiled bagel from a Jewish hole-in-the-wall place in the city.

Side note: Andrew’s favorite place to get bagels, interestingly enough, is a place called Buck’s Bagels, located just down the road from my parents’ house outside Philadelphia.  I guess the interesting (and sad) part is that my family didn’t really ever frequent the establishment much!  We had no idea such a gem was just a mile away!  I remember my dad going there a couple times, but that was it.  So, so, SO sad.

Side-side note: That is one of my dreams: to be a ‘regular’ somewhere.  I think it stems from such a transient childhood; all I want now is to have a home and be known there and have a routine and be an actual ‘part’ of the community.  (I have to admit, between being involved in the co-op and writing for the paper, I think I’m on my way!)

After a 30-second boil (I wasn’t clear on whether or not you were supposed to flip them or not), you place them on a grate to drain and sprinkle with topping, if desired.

I made four everything and kept two plain, for me.

(BTW, I’m eating half of one of my plain bagels RIGHT NOW for breakfast!)

I joke that Andrew is so picky that I can pull a hot cookie out of the oven for him and he’d refuse it (no lie, but in his defense, he isn’t very big on chocolate-chip); not so with bagels!  It was all he could do to wait until they were cool enough to touch after baking before grabbing one of his everything bagels and chomping it down!

I, of course, wasn’t about to inhale one of mine (we had dinner plans with friends in just a few short hours!), but I wanted to taste my creation so I had a bite of his, with a little butter.  YUM!  Absolutely perfect texture!

I know I’m a little ambitious in the ‘make-everything-from-scratch’ category, but these really are pretty simple.  With their short rise and boil times, you could feasibly make these on a Saturday morning and enjoy hot bagels for breakfast–not something you can say about cinnamon rolls without a TON of prep the night before.

Speaking of making things from scratch…  I hinted at my weekend projects in yesterday morning’s post; be looking for that soon, too!  Also, I’ve done TWO blogs for the co-op recently: kale and grapefruit!  Next up: a promo for an upcoming event and more citrus!  After that, I’m looking forward to non-produce posts, like yogurt-making and baking (it is winter, after all), which will include my banana bread!  Stay tuned!

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can food incite feelings of naked-ness?

Posted in baking, banana, beans, beer, coffee, cooking, cranberries, creamer, Dessert, eggs, honey, hummus, Ice Cream, maple, nut butters, nuts, Oats, peanut butter, salad, spinach, wine, yogurt on January 22, 2012 | 4 Comments »

Or, rather, the lack of food?

OK, what I’m really getting as is that feeling you get when you forgot to wear your watch.  You know, that naked/’I forgot something’ feeling?  I was thinking about it the other day, and I feel that way about my fridge sometimes.  As in, if I’m out of certain things, all is not right with the world.  I feel like we have no food.  I feel like I cannot cook or clean or anything until I get to the store.  Most are probably obvious, but others, not so much.  Here they are, in no particular order:

1.  Spinach – I probably eat this stuff at least once a day, if not more.  I’ve started trying to eat my salad FIRST, because I think if I did that, I would eat even smaller portions for dinner.  The trouble is, it makes sense to eat the hot food first, as it will eventually cool down, whereas the salad won’t.  Dilemmas, dilemmas.

2.  Yogurt – I make my own, which means I need some leftover yogurt as well.  Andrew is a huge fan of Kefir, so I like having that around for his breakfasts.

3.  Bananas – I use half to sweeten my oatmeal and have been known to slather them in peanut butter, too.  I used to hate them once they got really ripe, but now I don’t mind so much.

4.  Fruit – Right now it’s citrus, as well as these tiny organic Honey Crisp apples I found awhile ago.  They are THE BEST.  I don’t care that they are $5.99 a bag.

5.  Coffee creamer – Duh.  Although, I’m seriously entertaining thoughts of switching to one of the Silk or Coconut Milk flavors once I finish this bottle, or even one of the more “natural” ones.  Anyone have any thoughts?

6.  Eggs – I don’t eat them very often by themselves (although I LOVE a good omelette!), but the lack of them means no baking, which would put me in a tailspin.

7.  Cheese – I usually have a block of parm, as well as a container of something else like feta or blue or gorgonzola.  They go in eggs, on top of salads or even with fruit.  Cheese sticks are an essential item; I pair one with an apple for a snack.

8.  Nuts – I have a giant bin I keep in the freezer of just about every nut around (three varieties of almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds…) for baking, making granola or topping salads and oatmeal.

9.  Seltzer – I’ve started drinking flavored seltzer sometimes when I just want something other than water.   I used to absolutely hate the “flavor” (it’s carbonated water with a tiny hint of flavor, but not sweet), but it’s something I’ve gotten used to.  I’m vehemently opposed to drinking my calories (except infrequent sodas and small amount of honey in tea, and, of course, beer and wine), and at 89 cents for a large bottle, I figured I should try to like it.

10.  Ice cream – I’m actually on the fence about this one.  I am an ice-cream-aholic.  I am.  Except that I don’t eat it that much; if I did, I’d have more room in my freezer!  Seriously, I have like five pints of Jeni’s and Graeter’s ice creams we’ve brought back from Ohio, plus a christmas flavor of Perry’s I bought thinking Andrew would like it.  He doesn’t, which means I’m stuck finishing it.  What I need to do is learn to have just a small scoop each night–the problem is that even when I use a small bowl, once I start scooping, it’s like I can’t stop.  I think I need a 12-step program…

Well, that’s probably about it. I also like having the ingredients to make things like hummus and granola on hand at a moment’s notice, so I guess I could include oats, real maple syrup and honey on that list, too.  Oh and dried cranberries (as well as other fruits) and nut butters.  I guess I could just keep going…

The good news is that I’m all stocked up right now and feelin’ good!

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a list

Posted in cheese, Co-op, cooking, cranberries, Dayton/Ohio, dinner, Granola, hadrian, peanut butter, Pumpkin, Running, thai, Uncategorized, vet on January 16, 2012 | 2 Comments »

1.  I start school tomorrow.  I’m uncharacteristically nonchalant about this.  I’m prepared and ready to go back, but not nervous in the slightest.  Have I, dare I say it, grown up?

2.  I made a friend today!  Actually, one of Andrew’s friends.  Is that weird?  One of Andrew’s friends from high school found me on Facebook, started reading my blog (yay!), then emailed me.  We really hit it off and met for coffee today, then the BOGO shoe sale at the local running store.  She and I are very similar (which makes sense, I suppose, since Andrew and she were good friends) and are looking forward to a dinner date with our respective spouses.

3.  Speaking of running shoes… I bought two pairs for what I paid last summer in Carmel for one.  Sheesh.  Good running shoes, for me, are akin to air, water and peanut butter, so at the end of the day, I’ll pay a pretty penny if I have to.  But, scoring a good deal for your pair of choice online isn’t always easy, so I was jazzed that the shoe sale today yielded another pair of my current style and a trail runner with support for me to wear in the snow.  SWEET!

4.  All I wanted to do this winter break was cook and bake, but with three trips in as many weeks, I didn’t exactly have the free time I’d anticipated.  However, I’ve been making up for lost time these last couple days! I’ve made two loaves of sourdough, a giant batch of sourdough waffles to freeze, pumpkin granola, ham stock with the leftover Thanksgiving ham bone (destined for ham bone soup tomorrow), pumpkin-cranberry rolls and a menu for the week chock full of new recipes, to include cod and mung beans (not together).  I. CANNOT. WAIT.

5.  I made the best kale ever tonight–Andrew said it was a ‘Top 10,’ which is saying something since he’s so picky.  It’s a recipe I replicated from something I got at Earth Fare this past week in Ohio.  I’m blogging about kale this week for the co-op, so be sure to check it out there for my recipe!

6.  I also made some great cauliflower (Andrew said “he’d eat it again”) tonight using a recipe a gal we met while in Canandaigua sent me.  It’s a Cook’s Illustrated recipe.  In terms of cauliflower, it was fantastic.

7.  I was reading the Jan/Feb issue of Cooking Light on the elliptical this morning.  Mistake.  EVERYTHING in there is awesome.  (Except that I can’t make half of it due to Andrew’s dislike of cheese.)  Sad.

8.  This month’s Cuisine at Home is also a winner.  Between the two of them, I found recipes for Pad Thai and Tom Kha Gai soup–my two favorite things to order when we go out for Thai food.

9.  I’m trying to figure out a new gym schedule for next semester that includes a yoga class…  All the good ones are at times I’m unavailable!  It’s either going at night (not my first choice) or cutting it close between the gym and class.  Decisions, decisions.

10.  There is a pair of boots I’ve been drooling over since before Christmas, and I’ve been itching to order them ever since.  Theoretically, I have the fun money to do it, but after all Hadrian’s trips to the vet, our traveling (gas, food, Starbucks…), random impulse buys (ahem, the shoe sale and those $20 LOFT pants that fit like a glove), I feel like I need to keep waiting.  Again, I ask, does this mean I’ve grown up?  (No, probably not, since I’m also daydreaming about this awesome J.Crew dress I found to wear to not one, but TWO occasions this year…)

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