The summer this year has been very mild in comparison to years past where temperatures would surely reach the one hundred and fifteens or higher by July and August. This morning I actually got up for an early ride the the temp at 5am was near 75 F! That is unheard of really. It of course has still been pretty darn hot though and turning on the oven is only done as a last resort if you want to get roasty toasty. I made some tasty recipes this past weekend that are nice and refreshing for summer… (more…)
August 1, 2011
December 31, 2009
out of this world banana puddin’
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.
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 🙂
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’.
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.
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
It’s so mondo, stuff was falling off the sides of the bowl!
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.
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!
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.
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 26, 2009
it’s good to be home
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.
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.
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.
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 . . .
I 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 🙂
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.
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.
Everything else we had alongside was really yummy too!
My 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 . . .
And 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!
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??
June 21, 2009
party time
I absolutely LOVE planning for events, especially events that involve food and friends! I think I should be a caterer and go to culinary school (this is my dream someday). While I don’t handle stress/anxiousness too well sometimes, I love the stress of the kitchen. That rush you get when you prepare something that turns out so well you want to jump or giggle, or the sheer disappointment you feel after messing up a dish and the determination to tweak it and make it better the next time (or right at that moment!). I love preparing great nibbles and seeing the joy on people’s faces when they are enjoying the company of great friends and food.
Even with lots of planning, things just don’t always go as planned haha, and this is where I get a bit discombobulated :/ This week was pretty uneventful, but I did get in a small fender bender on Wednesday that put a ‘dent’ in things so to speak. I was okay thank goodness, but my poor car got about $2,000 worth of damages. The guy in front of me with the truck didn’t even get a scratch, go figure! This is my first accident, so I hope that my insurance won’t go through the roof. While I did get a moving violation for following too close, I don’t even remember being that close. All I remember is coming to a slow stop, starting to go again and before I knew it I was smooshed in the car in front of me. I didn’t have enough time to react, and the guy in front of me also hit the guy in front of him. Not a pleasant experience, but not too bad. I was just bummed because my gym plans were shot! Crazy I was thinking about that, but I’m definitely glad it wasn’t more serious. After filing a claim with my insurance and blah, blah, blah, I’m waiting for the body shop to finish the work . . . (big sigh). Have you ever gotten in a car accident? They scare me so much, and when I first started driving I about went into a panic attack every time I got into the car, especially on the freeway. I didn’t get my license until the middle of my junior year of HS! Now I’m not that bad, but they still give me serious chills.
On to something more fun . . . . PARTY TIME!
Once all the planning, prepping, making and cleaning was all done, it was so nice to have a cocktail (or two!) and enjoy the good company of family, friends and yummy nibbles celebrating our first home.
Oh and I have to fess up that I got myself a new toy! I didn’t really ‘need’ it, but really believe that it will be a great investment for the future of my blog, business and tasty travels. Drum roll please . . . . it’s the Canon Rebel XSi aahhh! I’ve been dreaming about taking pictures like these for years. Yea, I could have gotten a new road bike, a flat screen tv, a bedroom set, or fake grass in the backyard, but I decided to get an awesome camera. What is wrong with my head? I love learning about food styling, and while my pictures are not professional at all, I hope to start learning a lot more about photography, particularly with FOOD! By the time I made my decision, (I swear I was contemplating all freaking day!) it was too late to get it here by the party date, so I decided to speed ship it for a little extra so I could have it for the pics. Let’s see how I did for an amateur right out of the box . . . There is so much to learn with this thing!
And if you have ANY experience with food photography, lighting, etc, by all means please give me some ideas and feedback for what works best for you 🙂
Here’s the spread:
For munchies to start:
Assorted cheeses – Colby, fontina, sharp cheddar, aged gouda, honey and grapes
Brie, herbed brie, and aged parmesan
Bruschetta with fig compote, goat cheese and crispy prosciutto. We also had caprese bites with balsamic reduction.
Panzanella Salad
Chocolate Fountain! This was a hit, who doesn’t love dipping things into falling chocolate?!
Spinach artichoke dip with Hawaiian sweet bread, this is always a crowd pleaser.
Roasted Veggie Calzones with marinara dipping sauce (still have to work on the aperture and depth of focus)
And we got a new TV!! I think I about died right then. Buster likes watching TV haha
It was such a wonderful party, and while it took most of the week to prepare for it, it was so much fun. I think we will have to have another party soon because we have a ton of liquor left! I forgot to take pictures, but we opened up 3 bottles of wine, had that lemon champagne punch (It was so good!), and also made another cocktail, and some pyramid apricot ale beer. We still have a giant thing of vodka, coconut rum, cranberry and pineapple juice left. We’ll have to keep it for another time. Now I have a ton of dishes in the kitchen and loads of wash I need to get cleaning (boo!) . . . and Happy Father’s Day! Give those men in your lives a big hug!
What’s your most memorable party that you have hosted?
December 16, 2008
Oh the Holidays!
I love this time of year, especially the smells of wonderful baked goodies coming from the oven, tempting the senses and taste buds! I think cinnamon is my favorite spice for sure because it’s great on pretty much anything sweet or savory. For as long as I can remember my grandma and I would bake cookies and goodies for the holidays for family and friends. My grandma is particularly known for her sugar cookies and fudge, whose recipes were passed down from my great grandma. I would tediously plan the line up, along with those special people in my life who would receive such yumminess. Baking all day and night, I was perfectly content, although exhausted and relieved when they were all finally wrapped and sent.
My fiancee Chris and I decided to give tins to family and friends filled with a variety of festive homemade treats again this year. Usually there are always a couple tried and true recipes that everyone loves and are requested year after year. This would include the pumpkin chocolate chip squares and maple spice cookies from martha stewart and CookingLight, respectively. We also tried to make two new items this year, including peanut butter peanut brittle from a fellow R.D. friend and chewy chocolate chip gingerbread cookies from Martha Stewart.
Even though the holidays are filled with goodies that are usually high in calories that can expand our waste lines, just remember moderation and activity are key. We don’t want to deprive ourselves or attempt to lose weight during the holidays because that just sets us up for failure and disappointment with ourselves. We need to think of our calories as a budget, so if we decide to indulge on a couple cookies, maybe skip that glass of wine and go for a nice long brisk walk instead. Don’t let yourself get discouraged and give up trying to eat healthy all together. If you have one mishap (say have your pie and eat it too) don’t throw it all out the window, just get back on track. Every day there is a choice we make and every day is a fresh chapter to health. So go ahead and have the holiday goodies, but make sure you keep on track, stay focused with portion control, fit in some activity and have fun with family and friends! That’s really what the holidays are about, right?
If you ever need some great recipes for holiday goodies to give out to family and friends these are some great ones that we and our family enjoy very much!
Here is a picture of Chris and I doing some quality control . . .
