Stay-Home-Saturday

Thank God! :) Since it's been about 4 degrees the past few days...yesterday TOTALLY needed to start with a warm breakfast and oatmeal was the way to go! I was looking around for something to swirl in my oats and found this jar of Maple Cream in the fridge....

I stirred in a spoonful and topped my oats with a sprinkle of almonds and my Costa Rica vanilla powder...TOTALLY hit the spot! Especially because I ate it curled up on the couch with my dog while watching figure skating. (cause I party like that;) hahahahahahaha....

Lunch was the return of the GREEN MONSTER...dun dun dunnnn...:)

I also had one of those Quaker Mocha squares this afternoon...did NOT like! It had about 87 flavors, and all of them tasted fake-y! Not cool. Guess you can't win with all the food finds;)

And after a successful trip to the Asian Market...our dinner was Forbidden Rice stir fry!...

I read about black rice, or forbidden rice, in my "Food & Wine" magazine this month and was totally intrigued! So I was so excited when we found it at the market:)

We cooked 2 cups of rice with 2 cups of chicken broth and let it simmer for 30 minutes. (it took awhile, the rice was pretty chewy) for extra POW I mashed in some roasted garlic and salt into the rice. Scott's a stir fry master so I let him handle that one! We had another good night of "eating the rainbow" with the carrots, bean sprouts, baby corns, scallions, spinach, onions and snow peas. Soooo good!

And we also picked up some steamed pork buns...(which may be making another appearance again later this week;)

So all of this combined with the cupcakes made for a fun (and delicious) Stay-Home-Saturday:) Today we have "Moraccan Chili with 10,000 grains of sand" simmering in the slow cooker...now just to deal with the aroma wafting out of my kitchen for 2 more hours! My stomach is grumbling already!;)

What's your favorite dish for a lazy day??

I LOVE Cupcakes...

No for real...I REALLY love cupcakes! Who couldn't? There pretty much a perfect food...and quite adorable to boot which just makes them irresistable!:) Today we checked off an item on the "Jersey's Top Food List" by venturing to Plainsboro's Sugar + Sunshine bakery to sample some winners...and winners they were:)

This box of fabulousness contained:

• Strawberry cake with strawberry frosting...
• Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting...
• Coffee cake with mocha frosting...(guess who that belonged to;)
• Banana cake with chocolate frosting
• Coconut cake with coconut frosting (MINE, ALL MINE!!)
• Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

We had all intentions of being good and saving these for dessert after dinner...but we didn't even make it out of the damn PARKING LOT before breaking into the box:) I choose the strawberry cake...just look at that frosting! Frosting on cake can be too much sometimes, but you can NEVER have too much frosting on a cupcake...never!

Really REALLY good...and my favorite part was that they were made with pretty natural ingredients. I could tell as soon as I saw seeds in the strawberry frosting! And (excuse the half eaten cupcake!) but I loved how the cake was just tinted pink, not that overly processed pink color in most...so I guess that means I can feel less guilty about eating it, right??...right???I was so full after dinner tonight that I'm holding off on the coconut cupcake until tomorrow. (No small feet, let me tell ya! ;) I still don't know if I love them as much as the cupcakes from "The Bent Spoon" in Princeton, but they were certainly fabulous! Scott actually took a page from my book, and described the carrot cake cupcake as "sick, it was so good" ;) hahahahahhahahahaa...

Fabulous Thai!

So normally Scott and I go out to eat, MAYBE, 2 or 3 times a month. So explain to me how we ended up eating out 4 times in one week?? :) hahahahahahhahaa....but they were all great food & great company, so who can complain??

So I failed to take my camera with me to dinner last night...but just HAD to blog about what we had cause it was FABULOUS!! :) We went to Thai Kitchen in Hillsborough, so if anyone ever asks you to go there: JUST. SAY. YES:)

We had:

• Split a soft shell crab salad appetizer. The salad was a mix of mango, scallions, cabbage and a delicious sauce....TO DIE! Sooo good, if this was all we ate, I would have been FINE!
• For dinner I had Ped Chiangmai, which was roasted duck with peppers, cashews, pineapple and scallions in a hoy sen sauce. It was one of those dishes where I PLANNED on only eating half, but it was somehow just GONE before I knew it. Delicious!
• Scott had Chicken Pa Nang which was Panang curry in coconut milk with lime leaves, onions, carrots and peppers over Jasmine rice. Yum!

And as if my night couldn't have gotten any better, somehow THIS THAI PLACE had one of the best desserts I've EVER HAD: Coconut Creme Brulee. OH MY GOD, I could have died right there and been happy. I was....there are no words....it was tears inducing. That's all I can say:)

So yeah Thai Kitchen!! (and yeah Annie & Boboa for picking it out!;)

So after 2 days of eating out, I am soooooooooooooo ready to cook!!!! We're making a stop at Sugar + Sunshine bakery to pick up some cupcakes for dessert tonight (Thanks Jersey Foods list!) and then to the Asian market for the Chinese New Years party with my girls next week! So I think tonight's dinner is going to be from our shopping adventure. So stay tuned...

ps-Honey Peanut Butter = Awesomeeeeeeee! ;)

Date Night...Mexicana style...

Tortilla Press is my favorite Mexican restaurant this side of Los Angeles. I'm actually such a nerd, that I'm signed up for their weekly emails (although, is that really all that shocking?:) So when I got an email about their special "Mexican Comfort Foods" menu this week...I knew this HAD to happen!!

TP has the BEST guacamole around, but we had to pass on it because we knew we were headed for 4 courses of fabulous-ness:) However, we still got some chips, salsa and black bean dip to start...yum!

We split appetizers, which is a great way to taste lots of stuff:) I gave him one of my mini chipotle peanut pulled pork BBQ sandwiches with spicy slaw...

And he shared one of these babies with me! Breaded chilhahua cheese with Tijuana marinara sauce....it was a mozzarella stick's Mexican and airier cousin! :)

I'd been hearing a lot about Cinncinatti 5-way Chili on the Food Network lately, so when I saw it on the menu I knew I had to try it. It was ok. It's hard for an Italian to grasp chili on pasta:) I guess if I ever find myself in Cinncinnatti, I'll try it again though. "When in Rome..." ;)

My dinner was roasted pulled chicken simmered in yellow mole with masa dumplings...a Mexican chicken and dumplings:) Pretty tasty!

And Scott got the Carne Asada grilled steak with achiote roasted potatoes and a lime chile dipping sauce. I got to swap my green beans for the asparagus, so I was a happy girl:)

And of course, what's a fabulous meal without dessert?? I got the Mexican chocolate and challah bread pudding with mexican cinnamon & vanilla. It had a nice rich taste from the challah and little cinnamon chocolate nuggets that were SO good....but they served it cold. It would have been even more amazing hot and gooey...I'm just sayin;)

However, Scott barely spoke while he ate HIS dessert, which means he REALLY REALLY liked it:) He had a coffee ice cream filled cream puff with Patron XO enhanced coffee sauce. I did get ONE spoonful of the ice cream and it WAS really good:)

I tried out the Coconut Cream Pie Laura bar for breakfast....it was SOOOO good! And I had to break into the Honey Peanut Butter, so I'm having that for lunch today with some celery sticks:) I love sampeling new food finds! Happy Friday!

More Food Finds...

I work within a stones throw of both a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's...and do you know what that means?? TROUBLE! :) I went in to WF SOLEY to pick up some bananas and stock up on some "True Lemon" and ended up finding some new finds and old favorites. Here are a couple for your viewing pleasure.....

I'm a big fan of Peanut Butter & Co's Maple & Cinnamon Raisin All Natural Peanut Butter...so I was pretty excited to find HONEY Peanut Butter! Can't wait to try this on some celery sticks for lunch next week!...

I've actually been to the Peanut Butter & Co. "restaurant" in NYC. http://www.ilovepeanutbutter.com/ I had a Pina Colada Peanut Butter sandwich...sounds gross? No way, it was a revelation:) Of course me & my Mom drug about 8 jars of the peanut butter all the way home on the train only to discover they sold them at my local Whole Foods...but it was still fun. The Whole Foods ones don't have that authentic NY taste to them;)

And for what could potentially be a really good day for me and Scott...I found him a Espresso Chip Gnu bar and a COCONUT CREAM PIE Lara Bar for myself:) The only way I can justify spending 220 calories on this tiny bar is the fact that the ingredients are: Dates, Unsweetened Coconut, Almonds, Cashews & Organic Coconut Oil. That's IT! Love that:)

And here's an old standby that I recommend if you've never tried it. Fage also makes delicious (and lower cal) strawberry & peach versions, but the honey just seemed more "winter-y"...

That's all I got for now...me and the hubbs are hittin up Tortilla Press in Collingswood, NJ tonight for a last minute date night, so I'll take some good pictures:)

Pistachio Pork Chops & White Hot Chocolate

So here was an impromptu dinner that we threw together. Usually we stick strictly "to the menu," but somehow we had a glaring gap on our list for Wednesday (my fault, I'm sure...I think I was suppose to pick:) But I was happy when I found this recipe and realized we had everything for it already in the house. So here was our pistachio-crusted pork chops with roasted garlic couscous and steamed broccoli....

Have I mention how much I LOVE broccoli?? Well, here goes...I. LOVE. BROCCOLI! Raw, steamed, roasted...bring it on:) Even when I was a kid I was a fan:) So you'll be seeing a lot of it on here:)

Pork Chops ~> http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/dinner-recipes/Pistachio-Crusted-Pork-Chops

For dessert, I tried out the elusive Timothy's White Hot Chocolate K-cups (THANK YOU KRISTIN!!!)...I topped it with some cool whip and a sprinkle of vanilla powder and cinnamon I bought in Costa Rica (so good!)....

It was shockingly...glaringly WHITEEEEEE! They weren't kidding around with this one. I definitely LIKED it, I just don't think it tasted like white chocolate or ANY hot chocolate too much. It kind of almost tasted like a cup of melted whipped cream, and really, who's going to complain about that??:)

Top Jersey Foods

I am a lover of lists...and food lists just make for a good day! A co-worker sent me this article (thanks James!) and I sense a road trip coming on ASAP!!! This list has so many great options, it's enough to make me swear off chain restaurants...well, forever:) Gotta love Jersey and our fabulously tasty cheap eats!

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/dining/index.ssf/2009/12/top_picks_for_the_decades_best.html

I can certainly vouch for the Hudson street DeLorenzo's experience:) I will argue to the death that there really is no better pizza around. And I believe we might be sampling Sugar + Sunshine's cupcakes this weekend....coconut cupcakes with coconut buttercream frosting??? HELLLO! I'm THERE! :)

Meatloaf Quesadillas with Cilantro Cream

So we took the Food Network magazines suggestion and made quesadillas with the leftover "Skillet Meatloaves"... topped with cilantro sour cream. Cilantro has totally grown on me since we went to Costa Rica and it was pretty much served on EVERYTHING...

Here was my quesadilla before it was capped off and sent into the grill press:) We used whole wheat tortillas, reduced fat colby jack cheese, black beans, scallions, cumin and some avocado....oh yeah, and the leftover meatloaf, which gave it some extra flavor and a little BBQ kick...

We rounded out the meal with a side of sauteed peppers. It was actually a pretty colorful meal between the green avocado, cilantro, scallions and pepper mixed with the yellow, red and orange peppers...we followed those "eating the rainbow" guidelines pretty well with this meal!

Meatloaf Quesadillas ~> http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/meatloaf-quesadillas-with-cilantro-cream-recipe/index.html

New Food Finds!

A true highlight to my day, let me tell ya;) Here was the run down of my shopping finds:

Weight Watchers Carrot Cakes WITH creme centers...yum!

This might not be too new, but it was new to me. I found Bailey's Irish Cream Coffee Creamer to go along with my new Irish Cream K-Cups! St. Patty's day IS just around the corner...

And since Scott is a lover of all things coffee and hazelnut, I (being the wonderful wife that I am;) had to pick him up the new Quaker Hazelnut Latte oatmeal and these Dark Chocolate Mocha Hazelnut Granola Squares...

The verdict is still out on all of these products, I'll let you know how they are as we try them! ;)

Cauliflower & Creme Brulee

Talk about 2 ends of the culinary spectrum:) I made this roasted cauliflower dip for lunch and had it with some multi-grain tortilla chips from Trader Joe's. The dip had a lot of strong flavors in it, but I thought they all blended pretty well...plus I'll eat anything with sesame seeds:)http://foodandwine.netscape.com/recipes/roasted-cauliflower-and-sesame-spread

And since the eggnog creme brulee went so well, I thought I'd try pumpkin per a "birthday brulee" request:) It was a little thicker than the eggnog, which I wasn't crazy over. I dig a light brulee:) I also attempted to use maple & cinnamon sugar for the crust, but they just burned. Note for next time:)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/pumpkin-creme-brulee-recipe/index.html

Next Brulee attempt: Mocha:)

Mini Meatloaves and Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes...

This is the perfect 'middle of winter' dinner:) We actually skipped the whole step of cooking the meatloaves in a skillet, and just threw them in the oven for 40 minutes.

For the sweet potatoes, I baked them for 45 minutes at 400. Scooped out the middles and mixed them with a little butter, brown sugar, maple syrup and lots of cinnamon:) I filled up the potato skins and sprinkled em with a little more brown sugar and baked for 15 minutes...they were sooooo good!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/mini-skillet-meatloaves-recipe/index.html

Ruth's Chris Steak House

Here's what $35 will get you at Restaurant Week in Philadelphia:) You really can't pass up these deals and opportunities to try different places. Sorry the pictures are a bit dark, I didn't really want to FLASH in the middle of the place ;)

Here was my lettuce wedge...complete with an obsene amount of blue cheese dressing...

Filet Mignon...and some creamed spinach and mashed potatoes, which were TO DIE FOR:)

And can you ever go wrong with Creme Brulee? I should have gotten a picture of the chocolate mousse though...it literally tasted like a melted candy bar.

So overall, not too shabby:)

Whole Foods Salad...

Who doesn't love a good salad bar?? Whole Foods has a gorgeous one:) Love it! I made an awesome salad with mixed lettuce, carrots, white beans, chickpeas, corn, a little blue cheese, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli and some balsamic chicken. SO GOOD!

However, the Synergy Kombucha...oh my! Has anyone had it?? I refuse to throw it out because it was $3.99 a bottle, but it's still sitting on my desk 2 hours later, barely touched...it's certainly...different....

I'm going to Ruth's Chris Steak House in Philadelphia tonight as part of Philly restaraunt week! Check it out ~> http://www.centercityphila.org/life/RWRestaurants.php over 100 restaurants are offering prix fixed menus for $35 for 3-4 course dinners! Can't beat that. Our reservation isn't till 9, so hopefully this salad holds me over;)

Buche de Noel

Yes, I'm aware that it's January 22nd...but with SO many treats during the holidays, I'm forced to make Christmas desserts into the New Year;) (Just wait, I'm going to be trying out Croquembouche in July! :) Anyway, tree logs are winter-y too, right?? I know it's not as pretty as what my friend makes over at http://www.pieceofcakedecorating.com/, but it was a decent effort:)

Buche de Noel
3/4 cup cake flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup fat-free milk, at room temperature

Filling

3-4 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

2 cups fat-free nondairy whipped topping

Frosting

8 oz. light tub cream cheese

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

1.-Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 15 x 10 x 1-inch jelly-roll pan with nonstick spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper; spray again with nonstick spray, then lightly flour.

2.-To prepare the cake, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; mix well. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, sugar and vanilla and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes. With the mixer on low, gradually beat in the flour mixture and milk in 2 alternating additions each until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

3.- Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 8-10 minutes. Spread a kitchen towel on a work surface and cover with a piece of wax paper. Sprinkle the wax paper with the confectioners' sugar. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake and invert the pan and warm cake onto the wax paper. Remove the parchment paper. Starting at the long side closest to you, using the towel to help, carefully roll up the cake jelly-roll style. Allow to cool completely, about 45 minutes.


4.-Meanwhile, to prepare the frosting, in the bowl of the electric mixer, place the cream cheese, sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Beat on low speed until just combined, then increase speed to high and beat until smooth. With the mixer on low, add the melted chocolate; increase the speed to high and beat until smooth, 2-3 minutes.

5.-Unroll the cooled cake and remove the wax paper. Combine the whipped topping and confectioners' sugar and spread over the cake and again roll up jelly-roll style. Place the cake seam side down on a serving platter. From one end of the cake, with a knife on a sharp angle, cut a wedge. Spread the cut side of the wedge with 3 tablespoons of frosting and attach it, frosted side, near one end of the top of the cake, to make a "knothole." Spread the remaining frosting to cover. Using the tines of a fork, etch circles on the ends of the cake and on the top of the attached wedge. Run the tines along the length of the cake to make bark lines. Cover and chill 3 hours or overnight, then cut into 18 slices.

1 slice: 159 calories, 5g fat.

Chili Cook-off 2009

Hi everyone! I thought I'd post these pictures since they are very food related:) They are from a chili cook-off we had last January. It was a great party to beat the winter blues!

The score sheets, it was serious...:)

Some of the competitors prepping their entrees:
My entry...Buffalo Chicken Chili with blue cheese pancakes....which we're burnt, hence my downfall... ;)

The judges table...

The winner's circle:)

And here was our First Chili Cook-off Champion, Renee...who came to win, and win she did!!! (I believe the quote "after 6pm, we are no longer sisters" was uttered...;)
Part of her presentation...bread bowls and a Frito dipping station...I'm tellin you, she was gunnin for that blue ribbon!! :)
We laughed, we cried, it was better than "Cats"...we are having a Chinese New Years party next month, so stay tuned!

Buffalo Baked Chicken with Blue Cheese Coleslaw

This is seriously one of our favorite meals. We have it, at least, every 2 months:) It's the perfect way to have buffalo wings and blue cheese for "less". And maybe not too shabby for a healthy Super Bowl alternate....

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/buffalo-baked-chicken-blue-cheese-celery-carrot-slaw/

Slow Cooker Turkey

I'm telling you, the slow cooker is the way to go to cook a turkey. Sure, you miss the crispy skin...but who cares! You shouldn't eat the skin anyways:) It's way better to throw him in there, baste once an hour and 6 hours later, you have turkey that is falling off the bone. Trust me on this one people, you may just weep with it's simplicity!

Herd Roasted Turkey Breast with Apple Cider gravy...Yum ~> http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/herb-roasted-turkey-breast-with-pan-gravy-recipe/index.html

And here was our full meal with sweet apple cider string beans and autumn gratin potatoes...I even got approval from my Mother-in-law :)

String Beans: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/green-beans-with-apple-cider-recipe/index.html

Potatoes: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/autumn-potato-gratin-recipe/index.html

Monday Night = Salad Night

Every week in our house. I guess you could consider it our Weekend detox:) We usually only alternate between a few types, but here's my favorite. Ground Turkey breast mixed with taco seasoning, corn, black beans, onions, avocado & a handful of tortilla strips. And no dressing needed, which is great! Yum!

Grits & a few thousand K-Cups

So Sunday morning's breakfast consisted of some very un-photogenic Cheese Grits:) We cooked them overnight in the slow cooker. I'm sure they have 1 minute Grits in a can, but I loved waking up to my breakfast already cooked:) hahahahahhaha....We used 5 cups of water, 1 cup of grits and salt....cooked for 7 hours and added some shredded cheese and chives at the end. Yum!

And since the grits were sooo not pretty...here's another picture:) This is Scott's solution to our 1,000 variety of K-cups situation:) Not too bad for an unused bread drawer and a couple pieces of cardboard:)

The True Mocha Squares....

Remember my Trader Joe's Mocha Squares?? Well, here they are captured in all of their photographic glory, courtesy of my friend over at http://fiftytwothousandwords.blogspot.com/. Check out his new blog, his photographs will blow your mind!!

Spinach Linguine & Chocolate Cake

If you eat spinach, you get chocolate cake. That's a rule, right? Well if it's not, it should be! I knew I couldn't get too far into this blog without mention my favorite health expert and Skinnygirl, Bethenny Frankel! And since these are both her recipes, I figured I'd group em together to make one fabulous meal and dessert:)

Here was the Spinach, Chive & Ricotta linguine. (A special shout out to my vegetarian friends on this one! I know I have at least 2! hahahhahahhaha :) We skipped the pine nuts and added an extra bag of spinach...cause that's how we roll...

http://www.bethenny.com/spinach_pasta.htm

And life really can't get any better than Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze, can it?? Well, it can! This cake is vegan, all natural and totally guilt free! So grab a fork and GO! :)

Chocolate Cake from "The Skinnygirl Dish"

1 1/4 cup oat flour

1 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (the darker and higher quality, the better)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1.-Preheat the oven to 350. Put all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir until combined.

2.-Pour the batter into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through the baking time. When a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, it's done.

3.-Let the cake cool completely, then top with Peanut Butter Glaze. Slice & serve.

Peanut Butter Glaze

1/2 cup raw sugar

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons soy milk

2 tablespoons creamy 100% peanut butter (the natural kind, no sugar added)

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons real vanilla extract

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix with a hand blender until the sugar crystal are dissolved. If they aren't dissolving, you can gently heat the mixture until they do. Heat on low on the stove or on 50 percent power in the microwave, sitting every 20 seconds. (Although my friends seemed to enjoy the little sugar crunch:)

Love, love, LOVE these books! They are both FILLED with great tips and recipes! They get my highest recommendation:) (I lost 7 pounds the week I read "Naturally Thin"...so that's a testimate to Bethenny!)