Summer appropriate in November...?

I know I say it often, but this time I REALLY mean it:  Dinner last night was a goooooood one!  Super simple ingredients, most of which you may already have lying around the house + about 20 minutes of time will bring Crisp Gnocchi with Pesto & Goat Cheese to your table lickity split!

First up, I heated 4 mashed cloves of garlic in a drizzle of olive oil and let it all sizzle together for a few minutes... 

However, I HIGHLY suggest removing the garlic before step 2 and sparing yourself from having to fish it out once it starts burning in the next steps like I had to do. J

Next up, you add the gnocchi to the pan... 

Add 'em in a single layer and allow them to crisp up, without flipping, for about 4 minutes... 

Flip after a few minutes and let the gnocchi crisp all around...YUM!  Crisping them up gave em a nice little bite on the outside while still staying pillowy soft on the inside.  SUCH a cool way to cook gnocchi! 

Next in the pan, add some quartered *farmer's market fresh* cherry tomatoes....and at this point, possibly realize your pan is to small and you need to transfer everything to a larger pan.

Or maybe that's just me. 

Let the tomatoes cook up for about 3 minutes before adding the final ingredient:  Fresh pesto!  (oh, how I'll miss you $1 farmer's market basil!!!) 

Stir it all up and heat for a few minutes and it's ready to hit the table THAT quickly!

Top with goat cheese...and wallah!  A sorta fancy & all sorts of delicious dinner that you can whip up in under 20 minutes! 

And this dish of simple ingredients packs a flavor EXPLOSION!  Herby, garlicy pesto + tangy goat cheese + sweet tomatoes + crispy puffed gnocchis = flavors that CAN'T be beat.  You MUST try this one ASAP...it takes NO TIME and tastes beyond fantastic!  

And this dish was appropriate for yesterday because it had all of the fresh flavors of a spring/summer dish....that we had on a 70 degree day today in Jersey.  A day as in "I don't need a coat."  Alright, Mother Nature-it's nice & all, but I'm ready for some bundled up and brisk days as Thanksgiving gets closer.  Don't let me down.  hehhehehe

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!J

Memories & The Music Box...

Morning everyone!  Hope you guys had a great weekend!   Soooo the reason I had to get ready at 3:30pm for our Saturday night was because we were hitting the road down to Atlantic City!  And after tossing around a few places to try for dinner, this place just popped into my head:

Joe's Maplewood Restaurant is attached to some fun memories for me, as it is the place I remember going to for dinner after my dance group & I performed in shows at the casinos when we were youngerJ  (Like I said before, I have more memories of spending time in Atlantic City casinos as a kid than at the parkJ) hehehehhee...

Yep, that's me on the bottom left rocking my HUGE bangs and SUPER BLUEEEEE eye shadowJ  I won't name names of who else is in that picture...but I do know it was a fun memory for ALL of us!  (love ya, girlsJ)

So anyways...back to the food, and it was as good as I remembered.  First up was the house salad and some buttery, delicious garlic bread... 

What is it about Italian house salads??  They always just come out perfectly seasoned and so fresh and crisp and this one is no exception.

And while this may seem like an offshoot of an Italian restaurant, Joe's Maplewood's is pretty well known for their seafood, so I took 100 a few bites of my friend's lobster bisque and just melted!  It was soooooooo. gooooooood!  Smooth, rich & decadent....and one huge bowl!

And even though I walked into the restaurant for dinner with my mind SET on traditional ole spaghetti & meatballs, that changed quickly when I spied one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE MEALS ON THE MENU:  Spaghetti with crabs!  I was pretty hesitant to order it because I didn't want to make a mess (you can imagine how messy cracking whole crabs drenched in red tomato gravy can be!), so I was OVERJOYED when the dish showed up looking like this.... 

Those messy 'whole crabs were replaced with HUGE LUMPS of crab meat!  No muss, no fuss and I saved  Joe's from using up their nightly supply of napkins with this oneJ

And when I ordered my dinner I was asked if I wanted the crabs over FRESH SPAGHETTI. 

Ummmm...yes, please!!!  

Even in "Italian central Jersey," not many places do that now a days and that could explain why Joe's was PACKED from the minute we got there at 5:20 (and we had to WAIT 40 minutes!) to when we left around 7....and I can only imagine that was just the BEGINNING of a busy night for them.

And finally, I just could not *COULD NOT* leave without a bite of the Tortoni....a dessert I had fallen in love with all those huge bangs/blue eye shadow days ago! 

Almond ice cream topped with ground almond cookie and a cherry on topJ  It was a sweet end to a delicious AND nostalgic dinner!J

After dinner, we headed down to the Borgata for our evenings main event:  SNL alum Jim Breuer's comedy show which was HIL-ARIOUS! 

Random:  The Music Box theater at the Borgata was sooooooo nice!  For as BIG and FLASHY as that casino is, this was an awesomely intimate venue.  We paid not a whole lotta money for these tickets and we felt like we were almost in the front row.  I would LOVE to see an acoustic concert in this place!  (Lifehouse...ya wanna come to town??)

So that wrapped up Saturday and yesterday was spent with pumpkin pancakes, a walk in the park with Penny and dinner with my Mother-in-law.  Hope you guys had a good one!

And here was my workout schedule for the week to get you MOTIVATED this fine MondayJ :

Monday:  25 minute "Power Squad" yoga

Tuesday:  45 minute walk  (about 3 miles)

Wednesday:  30 minutes dance + 2 rounds of weights

Thursday:  "Weight Loss Yoga" -Level 1

Friday:  20 minutes of dance + weights

Sunday:  45 minute walk

Alright, well that about wraps it up for me!  Have a great Monday everyoneJ

Brrrr..... :)

Winter coat?  Check.  Blustery Morning?  Check.  Coffee to-go cup firmly in hand?  Check.  On this chilly & brisk November morning we were up bright and early to catch the Great Harvest Bread wormJ

Although, first order of business?  SUGAR!  Ok, ok..."breakfast"J  We just had to start the day with a trip to McMillian Bakery for their famous cream filled donuts (this time, sans powdered sugar which made you REALLY taste the cream!)  Always a delicious sugar high treat.

And then of course, onward to the Collingswood Farmer's Market.  I'm almost baffled how quickly these trees went from freshly bloomed to Autumn hues!  (of course...that's only in hindsight!  Summer feels ETERNAL while your living through itJ) 

And once we got to the market, signs of the season were allll around!

Loved all of the reds in this picture... 

We stocked up on all of our favorites...

Especially our fresh seasonal goodies! 

10 full size sweet potatoes for $4.00?  Yes, please:)  (a good reason to always eat 'in season' folks!  It's always cheaper!)

And LOTS of greenage!  I feel like this house has been LACKING in greenage!!!!!! 

We also brought home a mini jug of ASIAN PEAR CIDER  (sooooooo delicate & light!) 

And a loaf of THIS!!  An item I had waited a WHOLE YEAR FOR!!!   MWAH HA HA!

 

I'll share this magical "secret ingredient" soon...but I will say that I'm already saving 1/4 of it in the freezer because it is going to make the WORLD'S BEST "Day after Thanksgiving sandwich!" hehehehehe...J

On our drive home, we made a stop at my in-law's house...where I was completely obsessed with taking pictures of the tree in their front yardJ 

The sun shining on the BRIGHT leaves was just FALL MAGIC! 

Alright...I'm actually going to have to get ready for our night out VERY soon!  (YES...it's only 3:30J)  I hopefully should have a fun post to show you for my "weekend roundup."  Have a GREAT weekend everyone (and if you're in NJ...go enjoy the last of these GORGEOUS FALL days!!!!!)

Sugar & Spice...

Morning everyoneJ  I thought since I hadn't done a "breakfast/lunch" post in awhile that today would be a good day for itJ

After having a nearly 5 month love affair with bagel thins, I'm finally branching out back to my beloved oats.  The easiest way I have of making them 'on the go' is to add a 1/4 cup of dry old fashioned oats (and 1/2 scoop of chia seeds) to a large mug and to fill it 3/4 full with hot water once I get to work.  I let it sit for about 10 minutes to absorb the water, then I add a little milk, stir it all up and microwave for 1 minute. (watch carefully!  Oats tend to 'bubble over' quickly)  Then I add one scoop of pumpkin pie, honey apple or fig butter for a little sweetness and it's good to go! 

By letting the oats take the time to 'soak up' all the water & milk, this ends up making a HUGEEE bowl of oats for JUST the calories of 1/4 cup of dried oats!  (73 calories to be exact...although don't forget to factor in the milk & your sweetener of choice!) 

FYI- I also tried this with 'quick oats' and it came out VERY much like tapioca pudding (I think the "swelled" chia seeds helped!)  I liked it, but I'm not sure that's everyone 'consistency cup of tea'J  Just giving you a heads upJ

And after a near 5 month hiatus, I'm BACK to LOVING my ChobaniJ  I try to eat these at least 3 times a week, either for lunch or breakfast...

I had the yogurt along with one of these new Chocolate chip brownie & oat bars from Trader Joe's.  I can't say they will TOTALLY kick a chocolate brownie craving (they taste a bit too 'fiberous' for that), but they are still pretty tasty if you're wishing for something sweet.

ANDDDDD while I had all good intentions with my random snacks for the day...

...that all went by the wayside when the call of the 70 degree weather day just REQUIRED a trip to the Bent Spoon for a snack/'early dessert' afternoon treat...

I got to try the brown sugar & clove (sooooooooo spicy!) and the ROASTED PUMPKIN MASCARPONE (which I loveeeeeeeed for it's MELLOW spice).  Soooo perfect for the GLORIOUS FALL day that was yesterday: 

Ice Cream + Foliage = Not a bad dayJ 

I rounded out the day with some leftover Moo Shu Pork (that recipe made enough for 2-3 meals!!) and more 'mexican influence' from rice & beansJ hahahhahahahaha

And I show you all of this again because it took Scott & I TWO dinners to realize that lettuce wraps would have been an EXCELLENT low cal swap for the flour tortillas!  I was SO mad I didn't think of it soonerJ  Oh well...next timeJ hehehehehhe

So that wraps up my day.  Is this week going slow for anyone else??  Unlike my normal 'day ahead' thoughts, this week I am a 'day behind.'  I thought it was Thursday when it was Wednesday so now I think it most definitely SHOULD be Friday by now!  No such luckL Oh well...exactly TWO WEEKS till THANKSGIVING and I CAN NOT WAIT!

Have a good (yeesh) Thursday everyoneJ