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December 31, 2009

out of this world banana puddin’

Filed under: Blog,Breakfast,Comfort foods,Desserts,Dinner,Holidays — Tags: , , , , , , — Kristen :) @ 3:59 am

I couldn’t really figure out what the heck to title this post since it’s pretty random, but after much contemplation I figured it should be titled after the epitome of all banana puddings I’ve ever had. . .

After breakfast most of my morning was spent doing laundry and catching up on bloggies, so we ended up not getting out of the house till later.  My mom wanted to find a new laptop computer so we ventured out to Best Buy and found a pretty good deal on a Dell.  My mom is not savvy with computers, so Chris helped her out 🙂

Breakfast was one of my simple staples . . . this one included Nature’s Pride pumpkin granola, TJ’s honey O’s, TJ’s shredded wheat and cinnamon Puffins.  I topped it with 1/2 a sliced naner, frozen blueberries (I love how they turn the milk blue!) and 3 walnut halves.

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I had a pretty simple lunch too . . . An Orowheat sandwich thin (I think I like these!), spread with some cooked sweet tater, sliced TJ’s tofu, avocado and muenster cheese.  Then I pressed it in the foreman grill with some carrots and hummus alongside.  It was yummy and just the right size!  I love adding cooked sweet taters to pretty much anything because it lends a subtle sweetness 🙂

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Among the many food stops that we wanted to try to make on our trip here, one was Gary’s BBQ which is known for their homemade banana puddin’.

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Everything is very reasonably priced and the waitress always calls you ‘hun’.  I just think this is too cute because we don’t get that Southern hospitality in Vegas!  We first found out about Gary’s when it was featured in Southern Living magazine.  Chris had a few bites of their pulled pork sammie just to try it and really liked it.

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Their pudding is rich, ultra thick and to die for!  It’s definitely worth the drive.  I wish my mom and I would have shared one because I forgot how mondo they are.  I could only finish about 1/3 of it and then I was spent.  I ate too much, but this stuff is better than ice cream and just as deadly lol

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It’s so mondo, stuff was falling off the sides of the bowl!IMG_6758

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After a successful stop at Best Buy, we wanted to look at a few other nearby boutique shops for fun, but Chris slammed his finger in the door as we were getting out and we had to head back home.  Ouch!  But he is doing fine now 🙂

For dinner I whipped up some hearty meatloaf, roasted squash, parsnips and spaghetti squash.

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It was my first time making spaghetti squash and I think I’m in love!!  It is so simple to make and is so delish.  This will definitely be a staple in our house from now on, especially because it makes a ton and this one squash was only about $3.  In one cup of plain, cooked spaghetti squash there is only 42 kcals and a fairly good amount of vitamin C and fiber.  Yum!

For this I cut it in 1/2 and roasted it cut side down at 375 F with a bit of water in the sheet pan for about 30 minutes.  Then I turned it over, topped it with about 1/2 tbsp of butter in each half along with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder and continued to bake it until soft.  I also added some parmesan cheese once it was done.  Yum!

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Alongside we tried a new Malbec that we found at a local wine store called Total Wine.  It was nice and full with rich, chocolate-y undertones, but it wasn’t out of this world.  I much prefer the Layer Cake Malbec.

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I’m looking forward to New Year’s!  We made reservations at a local wine lounge/restaurant that’s going to have some live entertainment which should be fun.  Hope you all have a safe and happy New Year’s!!

Do you have any New Year’s plans yet?

December 30, 2009

southern safari

Filed under: Blog,Dinner,Favorites,Holidays,My Travels — Tags: , — Kristen :) @ 4:04 am

After a lazy morning, and a quick stop at Chik-fil-A for lunch, we all headed to Lazy 5, a local animal drive-thru park with over 750 different exotic animals roaming around.  It was sure an adventure!  I’ve been here once before, but we just drove the grounds in our car.  This time around we made an appointment to join a wagon ride and you can actually feed the animals right from your hand!  It’s so exhilarating and exciting to see them so close and we all had a great time.  I think I managed to take over 200 photos!

Here are some of the good ones . . .

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From left to right:  my mom, cousin and aunt.  Sure love these guys!

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I think this one is my favorite, look at that giant tongue!

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They also have a petting zoo to walk around after the ride.  While many of the animals weren’t out since it’s winter, there were still some roaming around waiting to be fed!

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I liked the reflection in this picture . . .

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FEED ME PLEASE!!

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We had such a blast!  It was sure chilly outside brrrr but the sun was shining!

After we got home, my mom and I took her little doggy Shadow for a quick walk.  My mom recently adopted Shadow after she was hit by a car on the highway.  Her right leg eventually had to be amputated, but she is doing really well now.  She is such a sweetheart!

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I was surprised at how well she does, and the other 3 legs make up for it 🙂

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For dinner we headed out again for some good southern BBQ mmm that is something that I don’t indulge in very often.  It’s fun to immerse yourself in different cuisines when visiting a city.  There is nothing that I enjoy more than trying and visiting local favorites that make a city unique.  I try to avoid national chains as much as possible to support local restaurants when traveling.

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We always try to make a stop at a restaurant called Lancasters.  It’s a great place to go to for some lip-smackin’ southern BBQ.  The inside has a ton of knick-knack items and racing memorabilia all over the walls and there’s even a real bus you can sit in!

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IMG_6700My mom ordered sweet tea.  Have you heard of this before?  Normally when you order iced tea in the west, it’s always unsweet tea.

If you order iced tea in the south, it is always sa-weeat tea (with an accent).

Chris usually orders unsweet tea and he was so surprised the first time he got the sweet stuff and about gagged!  I had a sip of it and this stuff is sweeet!  It has something near 60g of carbs for a large serving!!  Yikes!

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Every table gets a basket of hush puppies.  Oh my gosh, these are addicting!  I forced myself to only have two of these little bites of fried doughy goodness.

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For dinner I ordered the salt and pepper catfish combo with pulled pork, corn on the cob and baked beans.  I had one catfish filet, 1/2 the pork, 1/2 the corn and all the beans.  I also had one of the ribs.  Everything was delicious! The ribs were so tender and fell right off the bone mmm

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IMG_6722To continue the indulgence of local favorites, there is a great ice cream shop called Bruster’s that Chris and I wanted to make a stop at.  gah!  this stuff is so good!

I had the small cup with peppermint stick and chocolate peanut butter buckeye.  I was so glad I only got the small!  I’ve never heard of a buckeye candy before, but I am a freak when it comes to anything with peanut butter and chocolate.  What’s not to love?  The peppermint had real chunks of peppermint candy and there were swirls of peanut butter all throughout the buckeye flavor.  pure. heaven.

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ha, love the marketing on the napkin.  treat yourself.  Yes, that is sure what I’ve been doing lately, but why does food always have to be considered a way to treat yourself?  Especially with the holiday season it’s easy to get caught up in all the indulgence, or we try to avoid the temptation at all costs and make ourselves feel guilty if we don’t work off that extra bite of pumpkin pie.  Sometimes we don’t want to, and because of personal beliefs cannot eat the food that a host has prepared, but we don’t want to make them feel bad if we don’t eat their food.  I’m sure there are many other situations you have experienced also.  I’ve come to realize for me it’s important to not dwell on all the eating too much, enjoy the moments with family, friends and the food of the holidays for all that it is in the best way for my wellbeing.

Food is really what brings us together as a family, defines a region and sustains our bodies to keep us going and healthy.  I know that I have indulged in wonderful food and have relaxed probably a bit too much, but you know what, I’m enjoying it in moderation and am not going to worry about it for this moment in time 🙂

What are your thoughts on the holiday-food conundrum?

December 29, 2009

a simple breakfast

Filed under: Blog,Breakfast — Tags: , — Kristen :) @ 4:18 pm

IMG_6420 Most mornings there isn’t much time to prepare an elaborate breakfast and I’m sure most of you can surely relate.  Because of this we tend to fall into a routine, having the same 2 or 3 breakfast staples that are easy to make and tweak according to our cravings for the day.  I don’t think this is bad thing at all, especially if it’s healthy, filling and wholesome.  Plus different components can be adjusted based on what’s at hand, like different fruits, cereals, etc.  What breakfast should be is a priority every day, even with the limited time we have in the mornings.  I don’t think I’ve ever not gone without breakfast, or at least try to grab something quick out the door.  It gets the metabolism going, the brain functioning and prevents over eating throughout the day.

Breakfast is one of my favorites.  Hello Morning!

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Extending the wonderful breakfast for lunch I had yesterday at Toast, I wanted to utilize the leftover raspberry walnut pancakes somehow because they were so tasty.  For something simple, I warmed up 1/2 the pancake, topped it with a fried egg, a sprinkling of 2% cheese and a small slice of salty bacon.

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On the side I used 1/2 a pear as a bowl for some NF Greek yogurt with cinnamon.  mmm . . . breakfast doesn’t have to be something elaborate every day.

Yep, something simple and to your liking will do just fine . . .

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Other breakfast staples of mine during the busy week, that aren’t anything extraordinary but fit the bill include:

  • bowl of whole grain cereals (I have to mix about 4 different kinds!), 1% milk or soymilk, topped with sliced banana and a small handful of nuts.
  • peanut butter naan – toasted whole wheat naan, topped with pb and jam, a scoop of low fat cottage cheese, cereal and fruit.  It’s like a cottage cheese open-faced sandwich.
  • and if there’s time, I like to of course whip up a batch of good ol’ oats with hundreds of different topping/mix-in combos 🙂

Today we are going to spend time with my aunt and little cousin that are in town visiting!  We’re going to be romping around with the animals . . . hehe

What’s your favorite simple and quick breakfast staple?

December 28, 2009

west meets east

Filed under: Blog,Holidays — Tags: , , — Kristen :) @ 11:06 pm

Today was another great day, not having anything to do with work or school, and I think I may just as well go into shock when I have to go back : /

It started like most any other day, except I got to sleep in till 7:30am, I ate breakfast when their was actually glorious sunlight pouring through the windows, and I didn’t have to worry about going to work or school . . . so wait, I guess it wasn’t like most any other day! . . . another great thing about today was my first bloggie meet-up with Diana from The Chic Life! I was so excited and a bit nervous to meet with a fellow blogger, but I don’t consider her a stranger at all.  It’s like we were long lost friends catching up!  Reading all your different blogs, it feels like we are some how connected, and I feel so lucky to be apart of this blogging community where there are so many wonderful people.

I really enjoy reading her blog and her photography is stellar for someone who doesn’t think they know a lot about photography!  I’ve seen other meet-ups in the blogworld and I’ve been wanting to because it looks like such fun.  There aren’t too many bloggers in the Las Vegas area I don’t think, so it’s fun to meet new friends when you have the opportunity to over the holidays.

After much contemplation, because there are just so many choices out there, we decided to meet at a place called ‘Toast’.  It is absolutely adorable!!!  I go crazy over local places like this, so it was perfect.

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Isn’t it cozy?

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I already had a small bowl of cereal for breakfast, but I couldn’t decide if I wanted to continue with breakfast or lunch.  I am so indecisive when it comes to menu items, especially when there are so many good ones to choose from!  I read many reviews praising them for their breakfast, so I decided I should try breakfast!

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One of their specials was raspberry walnut pancakes, but I was also eyeing the cheese quiche.  I always like to order items that I would never really get anywhere else, and these two made it really hard to choose.  Diana helped with my decision and said to try the pancakes since they are quite unique, and I’m glad I did!  They were scrumptious.  Every bite had a tart/sweet zing from the raspberries and a nice toasty crunch from the walnuts.  I also drizzled some real maple syrup on the side and had one strip of crispy bacon.  Yum!  I could only finish half and took the rest to-go.

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Diana went for the chicken gumbo and 1/2 turkey reuben.  She graciously offered me a sample of the sammie and it was sure tasty!

Photo shots courtesy of Diana 🙂

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IMG_6339 Afterwards, we decided to hit up a nearby Starbucks to continue the conversation.  I think we chatted the whole 3 hours or so!  I was feeling like some hot tea since it was chilly outside and we both ordered some Zen, which is green tea with lemongrass and spearmint.  I would highly recommend this one and I think I may have to get a box for myself.

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We also shared a cinnamon chip scone and of course this was awesome, flaky and butterlicious, laced with pockets of cinnamon streusel.

Oh boy I’m on a carbo overload!  Dinner will include something green 🙂

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Thanks Diana for a great meet-up!  It was so nice getting to meet with someone who shares similar beliefs and passions and is such a nice person!  My heart is full and I’m so glad we were able to get together with the short time that I have here.  I still may try to meet up again for some zumba hopefully!

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After picking my mom up from work, we didn’t have too much time before the b-ball game and just grabbed something quick for dinner.  I made a big salad with sweet tater casserole on the side.  It was actually good used like a dressing for the salad, and I scooped a little bit of the casserole with each bite 🙂

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The Charlotte Bobcats basketball game was a lot of fun!  Chris, being the big sports fan that he is, was really looking forward to it 🙂  GO BOBCATS!

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They had a pretty big victory and afterwards we decided to check out the EpiCentre downtown.

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It has shops, restaurants and also a movie theater.  We wanted to see if there were any places open for some dessert, but everything was closing!  I guess we weren’t in Vegas anymore 🙂 The movie theater is neat because it has a restaurant attached and you can eat and drink in the theaters!  Diana said they have nice plushy chairs too.  Very posh and chic inside. . .

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Oh man, I’m pooped!  Maybe I’ve finally adjusted to east coast time.  Tomorrow will be filled with chasing around my little cousin who is visiting!

Hope you all had a nice Monday 🙂

December 27, 2009

fitting it all in

Filed under: Blog,Holidays — Tags: , — Kristen :) @ 11:33 pm

It is so true that I will have the time to get back into gym mode when I get back.  So I just need to stop worrying about it like you guys said!  It was actually a most beautiful day and the sun was shining!  I should have went for a run or something, but alas there were other activities to fit in the day 🙂

IMG_6283After breakfast, we headed to my step dad’s race shop for a little tour.  Even though this shop isn’t as big as some of the shops he’s worked at, it still amazes me how much time and energy goes into the racing industry.  It’s really neat.

Here are a few shots from the inside . . .

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My step dad said I can’t really post all the pictures we took 🙂

Next, we headed to a shopping mall called Birkdale.  They have a bunch of different shops with condos above and it’s fun to walk around, especially when the weather is nice.

For lunch we stopped at a place called Brixx which has the best oven roasted pizza mmm the crust is thin and crispy.

IMG_6298I started out with the Brixx salad and Chris got the tortilla soup special.  The salad is topped with goat cheese, pine nuts and a light balsamic vinaigrette, but I passed on the croutons and bread.

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We shared the BBQ pizza (I had 2 slices) and it was really good even though they forgot to take off the onions!  ewww!

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We also decided to share a tall NF peppermint mocha from Starbucks.  I haven’t had one of these in a long time too!

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IMG_6308After walking around Birkdale for a bit, we decided we had to stop at the Soda Shop, a cute little eatery in Davidson that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It has some pretty yummy sammies and other deli type selections along with many milkshake flavors, but my favorite part is the sweet tater fries!  We had to fit them in 🙂

Isn’t this the cutest downtown?  I adore places like this!

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Checkerboard tile and all . . .

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And for the finale . . .

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Oh boy these are quite addicting!  I portioned out 10 slices and Chris ate the rest mmm  It’s a good thing we don’t live close to here.

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Not much going on for the rest of the night, probably picking at leftovers and hanging out 🙂  My aunt and little cousin decided to come into town tomorrow to visit for a few days and we’re going to a Charlotte Bobcats game!  Not sure about the bloggie meet up yet, but we’ll see!

it’s a beautiful day

Filed under: Blog,Breakfast,Holidays — Tags: , — Kristen :) @ 3:52 pm

I can’t believe I am actually making a single meal post and not a long recap after a few days.  It’s so nice to be able to have that little extra time and enjoy the little things that make me happy girl 🙂

This morning was a lazy one!  After my mom left for work, and while my step dad and Chris were still sleeping, I got caught up on my blog addiction and made a lovely bowl of oats . . .

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This bowl contained:

  • 1/2 cup 1% milk, 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup TJ’s quick cook steel cut oats
  • 1/3 cup cooked sweet potato
  • 1/4 mashed naner
  • cinnamon and nutmeg
  • Toppings included Nature’s Path pumpkin granola, a few cinnamon Puffins and 1/2 sliced banana plus more cinnamon for sprinkling

Yum!!  It was my kind of morning.

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Now we are getting ready to leave and see the race shop where my step dad works as a tire specialist for a Nascar race team.  Many of the Nascar race shops are located in NC.

Next on our stop will hopefully include a tasty lunch at a cute place called the Soda Shop (love their sweet tater fries!) and some walking around at a place called Birkdale which has lots of shopping and condos above.  I love going there and walking around!

Hope you all are having a nice break too!  I have to say I’m beginning to feel a bit guilty about not hitting the gym as hard as I usually do and I can definitely feel it.  And that time of the month saying hello isn’t helping either : /  I don’t have access to a gym or equipment and it’s been chilly here, which is no excuse.  I know that I can get back at it when we return next week, so I am telling myself to just enjoy the break and family time and watch portions 🙂  I may need to buy some kind of workout video.

Have you been able to keep up your exercise routine?

December 26, 2009

it’s good to be home

Filed under: Blog,Comfort foods,Desserts,Dinner,Holidays — Tags: , , , , — Kristen :) @ 3:10 am

IMG_6173 Even though I was born and raised in Las Vegas, I consider ‘home’ to be anywhere family is really, and right now that is North Carolina.  It has been so nice getting to visit with my mom, step dad and grandparents!

I just feel so relaxed and happy here.  It’s nice to have a break from school and work, but I really shouldn’t be taking too big of a break.

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Our flight was without hiccups and we arrived late Wednesday evening.  Thursday we didn’t do a whole heck of a lot and slept in late, which was really nice.  We drove to Trader Joe’s and picked up a few last minute things.  For dinner I decided to make the Sausage Broccoli Pasta that is always a hit and my mom’s favorite dish.  It’s so easy and yummy!  She also had a bottle of Charles Shaw Chardonnay and it wasn’t all that bad actually.  I had a glass and a 1/2.

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After dinner we decided to watch The Hangover.  I’ve never seen this one before and it was pretty darn funny!  I sure hope that doesn’t really happen in Vegas! lol

Of course there was some munchin’ during the movie and we broke out the stash of popcorn my mom has.  Think we have enough?  The Trader Joe’s Lite Kettle Corn is my fav and I had a small bowl of that mixed with the regular lite popcorn and a few small clusters of the moose munch.  That stuff is too rich!  I also had a glass of Celestial Seasonings Mint Green tea which is my favorite after dinner tea.

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Today my mom had to work, but I just spent most of the rainy day prepping the sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie and turkey for dinner while Chris and my step dad watched sports.

Here’s what I had for lunch while drooling over the Southern Living Magazine and their praline pull-apart bread recipe 🙂  A simple pressed turkey sammie with roasted red pepper hummus, muenster cheese and 1/4 avocado.  I think I could just read recipes all day . . .

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IMG_6228I had an apple for an afternoon snack and my cat Tweety likes to lick the core!  So funny!

I was a little worried about the turkey though because my mom had only taken it out of the freezer a day and a 1/2 before!  It was only 14 lbs, but it needed at least 3-4 days to defrost.  So when I got up this morning I made a quick cold water bath for it, changed it a few times during the day and prayed that it would defrost and not get too warm.

At 2:30pm when I went to get the bird ready it was still kind of frozen in the middle, eek!!  So we ran some cold water down the cavity and pulled all the bagged middle stuff out.  It was actually the first time I have made a turkey all by myself!  After patting it dry, I rubbed the turkey and underneath the skin with this mix:

  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
  • 1-2 tsp poultry seasoning
  • garlic powder
  • salt and pepper

Place it in a roasting pan, breast up with 2 cups of chicken broth in the bottom of the pan.  Roast at 425 F for 30 min, then turn down the oven to 325 F and roast until the meaty part of the thigh reaches 165-170.  Be sure to baste it with the broth every 30 minutes or so.  Take it out of the oven and tent with foil for 20 minutes to rest.  This was the moistest turkey I think I’ve ever had!!  I was so relieved that it tasted good and everyone enjoyed it 🙂

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My mom had a Charles Shaw Merlot, and while it was nothing to sing home about, it was an easy red that didn’t over power anything else too much.

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I also made a sweet potato casserole from Cooking Light.  It was great, but next time I think I will reduce the sugar a bit more.

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Everything else we had alongside was really yummy too!

IMG_6245My grandma made corn bread stuffing and fruit salad.  We also had a green salad, honey baked ham, and Chris made some awesome gravy.  I’m not a gravy person, but his was really good!

Here’s my plate . . .

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IMG_6180And then . . . DESSERT!  I made another recipe from Cooking Light called vanilla bourbon pumpkin tart, except I didn’t have a spring form pan or bourbon and made a gingersnap crust, so it’s kind of like pumpkin cheesecake.  I also doubled the spices of course 🙂  FYI a few teaspoons of amaretto in whipped cream is amazing!

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Oh boy, I think I’m going to pop!  It was all so delicious.  I only had 1 glass of wine and 1 plate and I’m still full, but not uncomfortably full.  My biggest weakness is when we put all the food away I find myself taking more little bites and licking spoons darn it!

I hope you all had a nice Christmas if you celebrate and I can’t wait to read about all your holiday festivities soon!

I think tomorrow my mom and I are going to wake up early and do a little shopping to try and find some deals.  Maybe we’ll stop by the Carolina Blonde Brewery for a little tour?  So many things to try and do still with the family, and I love that nothing of it has to do with work or school 🙂

What’s your favorite part of the holidays??

December 22, 2009

even more holiday parties

Filed under: Blog,Holidays — Tags: , , , , — Kristen :) @ 9:26 pm

IMG_6023 Sorry I’ve been MIA lately!  I seemed to have killed yet another hard drive, so I have been without a computer for a little while.  While the hard drive that I was using was an old one from Chris’ laptop, he let me borrow yet another laptop from his work.  Hopefully I can keep this one functioning until mine comes back again.  I anticipate that it will be back today, just in time before I leave to see my mom!  I’m actually hoping that it will break one more time though, because if it does I’ll be able to get a new one yippee!  I haven’t had the greatest luck with my new laptop, while I had my last one for 7 years with no troubles hmmm

IMG_5988Anyway, I wanted to re-cap on some more holiday parties!  On Friday night we were going to have another couple come over for a fun pizza making party.  Unfortunately, our one friend got stuck at work till late and they decided to cancel 🙁  But, Chris and I still had a bunch of fun making pizza and drinking a little vino together!  It’s a super fun idea for a party though.  You simply make the dough and toppings the night before, take the dough out about 4 hours before the party to come to room temperature and then let your guests assemble to their liking.  This is also great if you have vegetarian guests because everything can be kept separate too.

Toppings included: chicken sausage, mushrooms, roasted squash, roasted bell peppers, olives and cheese!

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IMG_5987I have to say that the Willow Springs cab is THE best I’ve had, and it goes really well with a 5 year aged Gouda that I picked up from Whole Foods for a treat, & at $15.99/lb I don’t get it very often.  The cab is incredibly fruity and luscious with a nice balance of tannin and earth.  Pretty much any fruity red goes well with gouda though.  Chris’ parents got this cab for us from a wine club they belonged to, but I’m not sure if it can even be ordered anymore 🙁

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IMG_5973We also had some little munchie things for appetizers, including whole grain crackers, roasted red pepper hummus and bell pepper strips.  It was a lot of fun!  I had a glass & a 1/2 of the wine and I also downed a coconut water afterwards, I find it helps with hydration and any tummy issues 🙂

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The next morning I had prepped this breakfast casserole (adapted from CookingLight) and it was super easy to just plop in the oven.  This is great for company 🙂 I use 1/2 the bread it calls for and add in lots more veggies.

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IMG_6061The next party was the cookie exchange with the SwankyRD!  It was so nice to see Kristen again and chat with everyone there.  Oh my goodness, there were cookies and goodies everywhere!!  I ended up filling up two plates full of them since Kristen said to take them away hehe I actually didn’t eat too much at the party surprisingly, but did have a glass of red wine, an appetizer sandwich, some veggies and about a bite from 6 cookies.  They were all delicious!

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IMG_6000I decided to make the gluten-free chocolate chip cookies from Tam, which turned out to be phenomenal in my opinion.  I could hardly tell the difference between regular chocolate chip and to tell the truth I liked them better!  Check out the recipe here.  I also made chocolate baklava from Cooking Light and it was a huge hit too.  Even though this recipe is a bit time consuming with all the phyllo layers, I would highly recommend it.

Aren’t they just precious?  Yes, I talk to my food and love every aspect that goes into it.  It’s just so neat 🙂

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The baklava was to die for with every heavenly layer of phyllo, melted butter, nutella, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, cinnamon and honey.  Yum!

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IMG_2039After the party Kristen and I decided to check out Chef Guy Fieri’s Road Show at the House of Blues.  It was a lot of fun to see him in person!  I just wish he would have went on sooner because by 10 o’clock, I’m pooped.  We left at 11:30 and it still wasn’t quite over.  Afterwards, I wanted to grab something to eat and decided on a self-serve yogurt shop next door, I know not the best, but it was sure refreshing!  We decided to check out the lounge/club in the Mandalay Bay called the Foundation Room.  It was actually a lot of fun and the DJ was playing some great music.  Even though there wasn’t much of a dance floor, weIMG_2040 were sure getting our groove on 🙂  I love to dance, especially hip hop, and could dance all night practically, but knew I better head back before my body started to rebel from lack of sleep.  I didn’t get to bed until 2am!  I haven’t done that in ages.

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There sure was a nice view from the top!

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I didn’t even have any drinks, but the next day I tried to get up early and my head was throbbing, so I went back to sleep till 11am!  I haven’t done that in ages either, geezsh, I think I’m getting old 🙂  It was such a fun night though.

I can’t believe we are leaving to see my mom tomorrow!!  I’m so excited to just get away for a little while.  We don’t get back till the 2nd, but I still plan on blogging if my computer doesn’t break first.

I may be doing my first blogger meet-up too!  I’ve been talking with Laural and Diana who both live in the same area as my mom, so that should be fun.  I’m really looking forward to it.  I just adore all of you guys and all you do.

In other news . . . I’m hoping to make a final decision on a thesis topic, dun dun dun. . .   Here’s what I’m thinking so far, let me know what you think . . . Emily gave me the greatest idea to look at the use of probiotics in athletes and then I want to look at the rates of URTIs/sick days in athletes in a collegiate winter sport.  Or I was wanting to look at the benefits of corporate wellness or do something with corporate wellness because I have an interest with this as a future career.  I have to figure out how I would even do these studies along with research, research, research.  Thanks for all your ideas and encouragement!

I have also finally purchased a new blog template for WordPress!!!!  I’ve been wanting to do this and spruce up the blog for a long long time now.  I’m a bit overwhelmed with how to use it and transfer everything over, but hopefully I can figure it out over the little break.  I also contacted Zesty to see if he can help out, so stay tuned!  Maybe I’ll have to do some kind of new blog giveaway?  It will be a surprise!

Many thanks for all your support and wonderful comments.  I love everything about this blogging community, and while we may get a few negative comments here and there, all the positive ones make all the difference in the world to me.  I send you wonderful holiday wishes, yummy food and dishes, and happy new beginnings all year through 🙂

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

December 18, 2009

lots of comfort & the winner is . . .

Filed under: Blog,Comfort foods — Tags: , , , , , — Kristen :) @ 5:04 am

Hello everyone!  How is your week going so far?  I was so impressed by how many of you are on top of all your gifts this year!  I am still way behind, ugh!  But I’m not going to freak out about it.  I am also feeling much much better, still kind of coughy in the mornings, but much better thank goodness.  Humidifiers help me tremendously and I usually sleep with a sheet over my nose so I have moist air to breathe.  Is that weird?  . . .

I really enjoy the foods of winter because they are warm, comforting and mighty tasty!  It seems like I’ve been on a roll lately with the down home country cookin’.  These kinds of foods are also the best for leftovers and can be transformed to other dishes.

I just wanted to share a couple nice recipes that I enjoy during the winter and also announce the coconut water giveaway winner!!

The first one is cornbread-topped chicken pot pie mmmm!  Chris and I really enjoy this one and the addition of the leeks gives it such a wonderful flavor.  Give it a try it’s really yummy.

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The next one is my version of Italian-style meatloaf.  Gotta love all that gooey cheese in the middle!  This time I paired it with sautéed haricot verts with caramelized shallot and pecans, along with some roasted fingerling potatoes.  You know I never really eat ketchup unless I’m at a restaurant or if I make meatloaf!  For me I have to have ketchup with meatloaf 🙂

Mix this all in a big bowl:

  • 2 lbs lean ground beef
  • 1 jar TJ’s bruschetta mix
  • 1/3-1/2 cup quick oats
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 onion, diced & sautéed in a pan (I threw in some mushrooms too)
  • seasonings:  Herbs de Provence (or Italian Seasoning), garlic powder, salt, pepper
  • topped with a bit of ketchup
  • Mozzarella cheese for stuffing

IMG_5888 Pre-heat oven to 375 F.  Take about a handful of the meat mixture at a time to form about four, 1/2 mini meat loaves on a foil lined broiler pan.  Place some mozzarella cheese down in the center and then top with the rest of the meat mixture.  Make sure there aren’t any seams open, or the cheese will ooze out when baked.

Bake until a thermometer registers 155 F, take them out of the oven and let rest until the temperature raises to 160 F.  Enjoy!!

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It looks like it has a giant tongue!

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You can also make stuffed meatloaf burgers!

With the leftover meatloaf this time I chopped it up and threw it in some tomato and roasted red pepper soup from TJ’s, along with some veggies and pasta.  It was great & easy!

Ok, now on to the fun stuff . . .

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—–> COCONUT WATER GIVEAWAY! <——

Thank you for your interest in my post about coconut water.  I find it fascinating!  I also agree with many of you on the downside of its expense.  It is pretty darn pricey at $1.99/per 8oz carton and a bit less if you buy the larger bulk carton.  It’s also not as accessible as regular sports drinks and can be very hard to find at grocery stores here in the US.  It sure is a refreshing treat though.

The two winners of 5 individual coconut waters are . . . (generated by RANDOM.org)

*Naomi* & Lori

Congrats guys!  E-mail me kristen@eatingrd.com with your address and I’ll try to get that out before the holidays.  Let me know if you like it or even hate it 🙂

On Friday we are having some friends over for a pizza-making party!  I’m excited because I love these kinds of parties.  Everyone gets to make their own pizza and chose from different toppings.  It’s not really holiday themed, but it’s fun & will involve some vino!  Saturday I’m going to be baking like a mad person for the cookie exchange I’m going hosted by Kristen, the swanky dietitian.  I’m looking forward to it!  It’s going to be tough with all those cookies around calling my name, but we’ll see how I do.  I’m thinking about making a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie from Tam, but I can’t decide on the other?  I was thinking either chocolate baklava or mint chocolate cookies.  What do you think I should make??  There are too many good recipes out there, help me decide!

Hope you all have a great weekend!  I can’t believe Christmas is just about here, but I’m just excited about going to visit my mom 🙂

December 14, 2009

more holiday parties

Filed under: Blog,Holidays — Kristen :) @ 5:32 am

IMG_5949Well, the weekend was full of holiday cheer, lots of goodies and 2 more holiday inspired parties!

I am officially battling some kind of bug, but I’m not down and out and enjoyed them as much as I could 🙂  I just hate being sick and icky feeling, but I’m hoping I can fight it off in the coming week before I leave to see my mom!

Friday night was Chris’ work department holiday party.  It was a lot of fun to meet all the people that Chris works with and everyone is very nice!

Check out the spread!  My favorite part was the salad bar and the awesome bowls.  I wanted to take them 🙂

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The food was traditional Turkey Day style with roasted turkey, stuffing, chicken marsala, veggies and mashed taters.

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Here is my plate with all the fixings.  I didn’t eat all the taters and some of the turkey.  I also went back for some more veggies & a bit of stuffing.

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IMG_5924 Of course there always seems to be all kinds of desserts at these functions, so I had a small slice of cake and a 1/2 of a sugar cookie.

Chris & I brought the cake from Freed’s bakery.  I thought it was good, but the cake layer wasn’t big enough and the frosting/mousse dominated.  I’m not much of a frosting person, but it still was yummy.

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IMG_5936They also had a white elephant gift exchange.  Have you played this before?  Oh my gosh, it was hilarious to see the person’s face when they opened the gift!  Most of them were gag gifts, but that’s the fun of it.  Chris got this nice reindeer jelly bean dispenser.  What’s really funny though is that the expiration date for this thing is December 2005!!  I guess it’s been re-gifted a few times? 😉  Other gifts included a leopard snuggie, old musk perfume, a lava lamp and a slap chop hehe

The next party we went to was at my supervisor’s house on Saturday night.  Boy she went all out!  The food was wonderful.  Chris and I couldn’t stay long because we had to meet some friends at BJ’s later.  Talk about running around!

Here’s the spread . . .

I loved the tables with labeled cheeses to go with the white and red wines.  I tried the middle wine which was a cab from Chile.  It was very earthy and rich, which I love.  You really can’t go wrong with a wine from Chile.  I had a glass of wine and a slice of cheese.

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Here’s the main spread with lots of yumminess!

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Chris and I shared a small plate since we were going to be eating again in a couple hours.  My favorite were the spanakopitas!!!  I had to have two of these.  My supervisor is Greek, so these were homemade and delicious.  I also enjoyed a bite of baked brie mmm

Yet again another dessert table that looked wonderful!

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I had a bite of the mint chocolate chip cookie and a bite of a sugar cookie.  There was also fondue, fruit and port.  What a great host!

After leaving, we headed to BJ’s to meet some friends for a little get together.  I wasn’t really that hungry, so we shared a salad and a mini vegetarian pizza.  I also had a taster (5oz) of their nutty brunette brew.  I didn’t feel stuffed, but was definitely full.  I’m glad I didn’t go overboard.  Many times when I think I want to keep eating, I just take a step back and ask myself how I want to feel afterwards.  I hate that over-stuffed blah feeling & try not to go there 🙂

I’d say I did pretty good with the holiday intervention strategies, although it seems like all we’ve been doing is eating!!  I can’t wait till I get to feeling 100% again because I have to say I’ve been slacking on the gym with finals and presentations.  I tend to get cranky if I miss the gym time 🙂

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I tried to get some Christmas shopping done this weekend and failed horribly.  It took me 25 minutes to find a parking spot at the mall & by that point I didn’t have the patience for all the crowds!  I have yet to get most of my gifts and I’m not sure for about 1/2 of them . . . eek!  I can’t really spend that much either.  Chris & I were actually thinking about donating to a charity for some of our family.  Would that be lame?  I thought that would be really nice since so many out there are really struggling this time of year.

I’m working more this week to make up for the hours I’ll be gone to see my mom 🙁 but it will be worth it. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

How’s your holiday shopping coming along?

If you haven’t yet, be sure to enter the coconut water giveaway!

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