Appetite De Luxe

Bat Cave

2011-02-17T20:58:00.006-05:00

I honestly don't know what other name to name this particular post. Partly because I feel like I've lived in complete isolation for the past couple weeks. Work has been SO busy and by the time I get home, i stuff my face (with whatever my FAB mom cooked...yes, my Mom makes me dinner) and I go straight to bed.

Anyways, to make it up to you all for being such a slacker bloggette, I will now entertain you with a little bedtime Valentine's Day story...

Once upon a time, there was a lovely little couple. The girl is a hopeless romantic who is always daydreaming of being swept off her feet into Cloud 9 by prince charming on a white horse. The boy is a realist who believes in the occasional treat but has the understanding that being practical will get you further in life. Nonetheless, with Valentines Day nearing, Girl pretty much dreamed of what a perfect VDay would be....but then remembered that Boy is not the biggest believer in Valentine's Day so it would likely end up with a card and a kiss...(side note: according the priest at church, St. Valentine was indeed a GREEK...so there's no excuse) WELL, while girl was busy running around taking care of sick patients all day, she noticed the UPS guy with boxes of flowers and other goods. First thought in girls head "PSH!! Surely those must be for one of the other nurses from one of the husbands....must be nice". What do ya know...those boxes were for ME!!!! Yes, right there, front and center on the box was MY name. Who could it be from!?!? None other than MY boy...the very boy who kept telling me that Valentine's Day was nothing but a capitalistic holiday. Yes indeedy, he pulled a fast one on me....and let me tell you, he.did.great. Take a looksie:

Stunningly beautiful roses.

Now what on earth could be in THIS box...a rabbit, some eggs, a turtle?!?

NOPE!!!!

Nuts and Fruit!!!! What could be better?!? BfDeLuxe sure does know me well. Afterall, he knows that if he got me chocolates, I would not only eat every last one...but I would also blame HIM for me eating them.

This turned out to be such a wonderful Valentine's Day. Not only did BFDeLuxe totally surprise me AT WORK but I couldn't have asked for anything more than to be surrounded by my healthy, happy, loving family. Thanks practical, logical boy...ya done good.

My weekend in pictures...

2011-01-31T19:58:00.017-05:00

And a few words: So after working a VERY busy Saturday morning at the office, I was practically doing cartwheels out the door to continue what was left of my time off. Can you believe we saw over 50 patients in just THREE hours?!? That's a whole lot. I spent the rest of Saturday with BF De Luxe & his cousin (and his darling girlfriend). We watched Black Swan and cooked an AMAZING dinner. Btw, have you all seen Black Swan?! What an incredibly mind twisting movie. I, of course, LOVED it because I was a ballet dancer for 15 wonderful years.
On Sunday, which is almost always "family day", my sisters and their precious children were at my parents house for a nice, homestyle dinner. What better to way to end the hectic week than relaxing on the couch, in front of the fire, with the pitter patter of FOUR kids throughout the house. Y'all ready? Enjoy a recap of my weekend (in pictures).

Before you know it, the weekend is gone in a blink of an eye....Oh to be a kid again :)

SNOW day!!

2011-01-26T19:36:00.008-05:00

Welllll, not exactly. I unfortunately had a lapse in judgement when I picked a profession that is a 24/7 committment. In nursing, there are no "snow days" or "holidays" ...you clock in and clock out but truth be told, if someone drops down in front of you in public, you can't really turn your head and walk away. TWENTY-FOUR-SEVEN!!

Needless to say, tonight I was home at 5pm, and the snow was in full force. There are already several inches on the ground, the fireplace is crackling, and I have no intentions of going anywhere at all until work again tomorrow morning...so what's a girl to do?! EAT OF COURSE.

Tonight for dinner we had Lobster Mac N Cheese :

Boiled Zucchini

and Oven-Baked Thai chicken...

SO good...the zucchini is something I make at least once/week. I get the zucchini fresh from Wegmans, boil them, and liberally put Laconiko Olive Oil + S&P + oregano on them.... AMAZING!!! Then you dig into a bite of super savory lobster mac n' cheese, made with fresh lobster meat and freshly grated Pecorino Romano, Gouda, and Cheddar. The lobster is sweet and the cheese is salty sending your tastebuds on a heavenly ride.

You can't eat dinner without something sweet at the end, right?!

MmMmM...Vegan deliciousness to the ReScUe!!

I hope you all are enjoying your evening, no matter if there is snow on your front porch or not. Until next time...

Dinner for Two...

2011-01-12T19:23:00.031-05:00

Growing up in a big Greek household, I never understood the "table for two" concept. What do you mean JUST two? Umm, you mean TWENTY-two?! Anyways, I've always loved dinner in my house because it's the time our whole family sits down and enjoys each others company...or each other's chaos. Either way-you can see how it would be a huge change for me when BFdeLuxe suggested we do "Dinner for Two" a few weeks back to welcome in the new year.

What will our menu be? How do we even cook JUST for two? Will it turn out good or are we going to end up ordering chinese delivery? I don't even know how to turn on the grill!! Eeek!!
Fear not, my friends. Not only did we pull of NYE dinner without a flaw, but the food tasted SO good that it leaves me wanting more of it almost 3 weeks later.

Please, grab a glass of wine, kick up your feet, and join me while I take you through our first Dinner for Two...

The day began with an early trip to Starbucks for a couple of lattes to-go. It was a perfectly sunny, crisp winter day. Blue skies. Rolling country landscape. Air that smells so fresh with a hint of "cow".

From there we went to the loveliest little gourmet shop in Charlottesville, called FEAST!

FEAST mainly carries locally grown products but also some amazing meats and cheeses. Here we stocked up on a few things we'd need for our feast:

-Organic ground bison & 80% lean ground beef

-Sweet italian sausage

-Blue cheese

-Medium soft Brie

-Prosciutto

Let the cooking begin...

Organic bison, beef, sausage + an egg, chopped onions, parsley, S&P, and a wee bit of Panko.

BF was gracious enough to let me stay inside the perfectly heated house while he grilled outdoors in 20degree weather. That's love. Since I got to stay nice & warm I took the liberty of pouring a couple glasses of these incredible wines:

Slightly sweet with a bubbly feeling...SO good!

This is one of Unicorn's award-winning wines. One sip and you'll know why!! It's extremely light and smooth with fruity notes.

Time for the appetizers!!!

Are you catching the drift here?! Fresh prosciutto + Medjool dates stuffed with Brie + a drizzle of the only olive oil I use = Perfection!! The sweet and salty mix will send your tastebuds on a roller coaster ride!!

This olive oil has an extremely low acidity percentage & is completely unblended leaving your food tasting like you put butter all over it...except it's SO much healthier!!

At this point, time for another glass of Unicorn Traminette and time to make an amazingly savory BLUE CHEESE topping for half of our sliders...

This "Roaring 40's Blue Cheese" is actually much milder than your traditional blue cheese. The other topping was a bit more on the sweeter side using these ingredients of choice:

You can see large pieces of the figs in here!! Seriously, this is so versatile. I won't lie...I may (or may not have) taken a spoonful straight out of the jar and into my belly. Oops! Hey, I did it to make sure it wasn't toxic.
We then placed fresh spinach, bella mushrooms, and shallots in a pan with a liberal amount of Laconiko olive oil & sauteed into a heavenly little topping for the FIG burgers.

The Final Result...

And last but not least, ending the night perfectly...

BF taking charge of lighting a crackling fire...

and finger-lickin'-good Chocolate Dipped StRaWbErRiEs!!!

In all honesty, this was one of the most delicious meals I have had in a long time. For the last 2 years, BF & I have tried going "out" for NYE but this year we changed it up by staying in. The night couldn't have been better. We had so much fun getting ingredients, planning, and prepping this dinner for ourselves. And best of all?? We were in pajamas warm & snug watching the ball drop on TV.

I hope you ALL have been doing great 13 days into this new year. May it bring you lots of happiness, health, and blessings.

The End.

Happy 2011

2011-01-05T19:48:00.016-05:00

Happy New Year!!!! How are you all??

I have to say...the holiday season has always been my favorite-very magical & warm & fuzzy...but in all honesty, I think I enjoyed it much better before entering "the real world". I not only can't believe how quickly the holidays flew by, but also how unnecessarily stressful they were! But even amidst all the hustling & bustling, I still found time to enjoy one of life's greatest pleasures...B-A-K-I-N-G!

I'm truly at peace when I'm baking in the kitchen. My mind is clear, my senses come to life, and I get to see the fruit of my labor almost instantaneously.

Here is a little sneak peak of the various goodies that were made in KitchenDeLuxe this past season.

Sugar cookies (before)

Sugar cookies (after my niece&nephew got to them)

Hoodycreek cranberry/white choc/oat cookies (delish!!!) Melomakarona (amazing traditional honey-soaked Greek cookies)
White chocolate-dipped Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti Kourambiedes (Traditional Greek sugar cookie)

Homemade Peppermint Patties (YUM!)

Santa's plate Christmas Eve... Santa clearly liked his snack :)

Thanks for joining. Until next time...

Holiday Baking 101

2010-12-19T21:12:00.014-05:00

We all know the best part of the holiday season is all the baking that occurs. In my house, my Mom and I have always bonded over a big ball of cookie dough and box full of different colored sprinkles. I'm happy to say that this year is no different. Since the day after Thanksgiving, we sat for over an hour at Barnes and Noble flipping through countless magazines planning our baking menu for Christmas 2010. Here is the tentative list...keep in mind that working a full-time job in the medical field is not very conducive to how many things we have our list. Ouff, different story for a different day.

THE list:
-Peanut Butter kisses
-Sugar cookies with candy cane kisses
-Melomakarona (Greek tradition)
-Kourambiethes (Greek version of a sugar cookie)
-Various biscotti
-Gingerbread cookies
-Various Christmas loaves

Let's see what I can actually/realistically accomplish in the next 6 days. It's gonna be tough! Here goes my first recipe:

Candy Cane Sugar Blossoms

1. Preheat your oven to 350 & gather all your ingredients

2. In a mixing bowl, mix together butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and egg.

Mix until you get this smooth, creamy mixture!! So delish.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

4. Mix in to cookie dough alternatively with milk until you achieve this beautiful ball of joy.
5. Using a tiny ice scream scooper or teaspoon, scoop out even balls of dough and place them on a baking pan lined with a cookie sheet.
6. Take each individual ball and roll in whatever festive sprinkles you want!! This part is completely optional but it makes the cookies look really FUN. Caution- the dough is really sticky so you may want to spray PAM in your hands or flour them lightly.

Place your cookies in the pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes. Mine took exactly 9.5 minutes. DO NOT flatten the cookies before placing them in the oven. While your cookies are baking, unwrap your pepperminty kisses if you haven't already.
These are SOOO good. I may have eaten a handful while the cookies were baking...I don't remember exactly. I think it's called post-massive sugar consumption amnesia or something like that.

Once you remove the cookies from the oven, immediately press a KISS in the center of each cookie. Allow them to cool completely before you move them (or eat them). Your friends and loved ones will absolutely adore this variation to the traditional Blossom cookie.

Make these ASAP!!! I'm hoping that I can manage to make some more this week. Only 5 more days until Christmas. The baking pressure is on!!! Have a wonderful Monday everyone.

Tis the Season...

2010-12-09T20:19:00.016-05:00

Tis the season for a warm, hearty, belly-warming BOLOGNESE. I mean seriously, what's better after a hard day at work than a gigantic bowl of pasta with extra cheese & meat sauce?! Alright...I started off by heating up Laconiko olive oil.

Then, add in your choice of meat and cook until the pink color has left & the meat is slightly browned. I used ground beef but i'm sure ground turkey would've been just as delicious.
Stir in the oregano, red pepper flakes, and garlic and cook for a couple more minutes.
And add 1 cup of wine. YUM!! This is when the entire kitchen starts smelling like winter.
Stir in wine and add in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, S&P until combined.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat and allow this lovely little sauce to simmer for 10-12 minutes. In the meantime, bring plenty of water to a boil. I like to add in a drizzle of olive oil & a pinch of salt before putting in my pasta of choice.

Cook the pasta until you reach the desired texture. Now...back to the simmering sauce...
We aren't done yet. Now, add in your freshly grated nutmeg, fresh or dried basil (whatever you have), and some egg nog. I know, I know...the original recipe calls for heavy cream but let me tell you- EGG NOG is where it's at!!! It added such a uniquely satisfying but subtle flavor to the sauce. Try it. You'll love it!

While you let this bubble away, grate some Parmeggiano. The saltyness of this cheese is oh-so-amazing in the savory bolognese.
Combine the pasta with your bolognese in a very large serving bowl.

Serve this meal warm. Place a good amount of pasta in your individual bowl and top with plenty of Parm...a little glass of wine doesn't hurt either!

I'm so excited for you to try this recipe. You will LOVE it!!!! Look below for your grocery list.

Ingredients:
- Olive Oil
-1 lb ground beef (or meat of choice)
-4 to 6 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 Tbsp dry oregano
-1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you like spicy)
-1 1/4 cups dry red wine
-1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
-2 Tbsp tomato paste
-S&P
-1 box dry pasta of your choice ( I used elbows )
-1/4 to 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
-1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil or a few shakes of dry basil
-1/4 cup heavy cream (I used EGG NOG!)
-1/2 cup freshly grated PARM...ok, ok, I had more of 3/4 cups!

This recipe TRULY takes like 30-40 minutes total cooking time. PERFECT for a busy weeknight after you had a long day at work. Try it, love it, and leave me a message letting me know if you liked it or any variations that worked for you.

Kali Oreksi!! xoxo, C.

Pom Wonderful

2010-11-25T22:08:00.043-05:00

First and foremost, a HUGE thank-you to the wonderful people at POM for sending me all the great supplies I needed to host a dinner party for my loved ones. POM was so generous. I came home from work a few weeks back and found these waiting for me....FOR ME!! I never get surprises in the mail so I was ecstatic!!!

Are those POMS not gorgeous?!? I couldn't wait to dig in and try them...but wait a minute, how the heck do you open it? Fear not. The smart folks at POM thought of that too. They included a goodie bag FULL of amazing things, including a darling cutting board with instructions on "how to open a pomegranate".

Each one of my guests received one of these generous gift bags filled with coupons and recipes!!

Now, let's get talking about the menu I had planned for my POM supper.

MENU

Appetizers: Greek bruschetta with pesto; Baked Brie topped with raspberry jam, pomegranate seeds, and caramel

Aperitif: Pomegranate Sangria

Dinner: Baked ham (and a smaller Turkey ham) glazed with brown sugar, various spices, and a pomegranate glaze; Couscous with fresh herbs & Pom seeds; Fresh spinach salad with toasted walnuts, Pom seeds, freshly cubed Parmesan, and a Pomegranate Vinaigrette.

Dessert: Marble cheesecake served with a fresh raspberry & pomegranate topping

I had so much fun planning this menu, and with the help of my amazing Mom, who cooks better than anyone I know, we pulled it off without a hitch!! Grab a glass of wine, sit back on your comfy couch, and get ready to join me on my dinner adventure...

First came the Sangria...

A bottle of POM, an entire bottle of Shiraz, a cup of Organic grapes, 1/4 cup Metaxa, 1/4 cup simple syrup, a splash of Triple sec, one sliced green apple, one sliced orange, and 1/2 cup Pom seeds.

and one glass for me before I get started on the cooking :)

I love these glasses so much because of the Greek key, which is my heritage. I never get to use these fancy glasses so this was the perfect excuse to do so!! WARNING- this sangria is strong. Just when you think you're going to innocently eat the fruit on top, BAM!!! It hits you all at once.

HOW TO PROPERLY OPEN A POMEGRANATE

Step 1: Cut off the "crown" of the POM

Step 2: Make one slice down the middle, and another slice across (making 4 squares)
Step 3: Pull slices apart as if peeling wedges of an orange, then place slices in a bowl of water while you use your fingers to loosen up the seeds.
Do you see what happens?? The seeds sink to the bottom of the bowl, while the white membranous part floats to the top. You then take a sifter, throw away the white parts, and then scoop out your beautiful seeds!!

APPETIZERS

Greek Bruschetta

I love to use this mix of little tomatoes. The smaller tomatoes have much more sweet flavor and the various colors add such a nice touch to a traditional bruschetta.

Add in a bowl with several green onions (or red onions if you prefer), a hefty handful of crumbled feta cheese (I use Dodonis), salt & pepper to taste, and enough extra-virgin olive oil to coat. I really ONLY use Laconiko (www.laconiko.com). It's the best quality olive oil I've had.
Slice up your favorite loaf of bread. I chose to use an Italian loaf from Wegmans. Toast these for about 5 minutes until slightly crisp. Then, top with your favorite pesto. Mine is homemade and kept in the freezer until ready to use.
Then top with tomato + feta mixture. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until warmed & serve immediately.
These are so amazing...when you take a bite, you first experience the crunch of the toasted bread. Then you get the wonderful taste of the garlicky pesto, and savory feta. Bliss!

BAKED BRIE

I placed 1/2 jar of delicious Raspberry Jam in a saucepan with POM juice, pecans and Starbucks caramel sauce. Stir and bring to a simmer while you place your brie in the oven to bake.

One bite of this and you'll fall in love. The cheese is so smooth, melty, and buttery while the topping is crunchy and sweet with a hint of tart from the POM juice. While this is a lovely appetizer, it also makes for an AMAZING sandwich spread the next day. Place some of this on the inside of a turkey sandwich, top with spinach, and you're in for very pleasant surprise.

DINNER

First comes the salad. In a bowl I placed fresh spinach, cubed Parmesano Reggiano, finely chopped walnuts, a few POM seeds, and a deliciously sweet & tangy Pomegranate Vinaigrette (courtesy of Costco).

Then came the ham(s). One is a traditional spiral ham & the other is a turkey ham in case any of my guests preferred it.
Keep in mind that my camera is an ancient Kodak...not only did this look MOUTH WATERING in person but the smell would mesmerize you. It smelled like home. These were glazed with brown sugar, ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, raisins, pomegranate seeds, a squeeze of fresh orange juice, and POM juice. It made for an incredible tasting ham!!

Lastly, our couscous!! I used Israeli couscous. I prefer it's texture and size over the regular couscous,plus it cooks faster-a plus in my books. I first sauteed mushrooms in Laconiko olive oil with some salt & pepper. Once soft, I removed from the heat and added it into the cooked couscous, drizzled it with plenty of olive oil, added a bit more S&P, and cut in thick slices of fresh basil. Lastly, I added in the POM seeds.

Look how beautifully those colors pop out. And honestly, I wouldn't have originally thought these flavors would work so well together. But the sweetness of the olive oil, with the tart and crunch of the POM seeds and the earthyness of the basil made this such a success.

DESSERT

(The best part, am I wrong?!)

Homemade marble cheesecake with a homemade graham cracker crust. It is SO worth the effort to make this exquisite dessert yourself then to buy one in a store and be unaware of what ingredients are inside. Here there are no surprises- just whole, pure ingredients. What could possibly make this better??

The most splendid cheesecake topping, of course!! Whisk together and reduce fresh, organic raspberries with POM juice, some agave nectar for a sweet touch, and POM seeds. It's outstanding and really makes any cheesecake look so festive this time of year.

THE PARTY FINALE

The decor I chose was very personal. I have been collecting wine corks for a very long time. I decided to make name cards with each persons name and place them into a wine cork of that person's favorite type of wine. For example, my sister had Coppola Merlot, I had a sweeter dessert wine, my Dad had his all-time favorite Chardonnay, and my Beau had a wonderful white!
I placed a festive red runner on the dining room table and had a souvenir POM for everyone to take home and experience for themselves. Each one of my guests also took home those fabulous bags provided by POM. Did you notice the decorative pomegranate in the picture above?? That was given to us by one of our relatives in Greece. Pomegranates are not only thought to be good luck, or "kali tixi" as we say it in our culture, but they also grow by the plenty in the Southern most coast of Greece, where my boyfriend produces his insanely amazing olive oil.

I wish you ALL could have been at my party, because not only does my camera not do the food justice, but there is nothing more rewarding and satisfying to me then sharing my passion of food with those who I love and admire the most. I hope to continue to provide you all with new recipes and fun twists on different foods...Thank you for joining me for this POMtastic supper. Until next time, Kali Oreksi!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2010-11-25T21:45:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Wishing you all a VERY happy, healthy, blessed Thanksgiving holiday with your loved ones. I have so much to be thankful for this year...here's just a few:

My health-My Family & their health-my amazingly loving neices and nephews-my sweetiepie boyfriend-my sisters-the roof over my head-the fact that I know there will be food to eat tomorrow morning-my career-the patients who allow me into their lives each day-my comfy bed-the fireplace i'm sitting next to as I write this blog-The fact that I get to see my parents each and every day-this blog & those who read it...although I'm pretty sure it's like 2 or 3 of you, LOL...even so, I appreciate YOU!

What are you most thankful for this year?? Check back with me before the weekend is over. I'll be posting my recap of the POM Wonderful pomegranate dinner party I hosted :)

Tis the Season...

2010-11-11T21:36:00.006-05:00

Tis the season that all of my favorite things come out!!! While I was at Target tonight (supposedly only buying ONE thing), I came across these lovely little goodies. They already have my stamp of approval. Get to your nearest store and stock up now! You won't regret it.

Spiced peanuts, pecans, almonds, and cashews!! They are the perfect blend of sweet & spice!

Ghirardelli chocolate peppermint coffee!! Need I say more?! Can't wait to make this tomorrow morning before work...Mmmmm!!

My perfect little holiday-ish purchases. Made my whole day!!

I want to know...what are some of YOUR favorite holiday goodies?? Leave me a message. I'm always up for putting in a little something extra into my shopping basket...especially if it ends up in my belly :)

Who says PomPoms are just for cheerleaders?!?

2010-11-11T20:57:00.011-05:00

I am SO excited to do this post...I entered a contest through FoodBuzz and am now a Pom (pomegranate company) dinner host!!! The company was so gracious and mailed me not one, but TWO cases full of beautifully plump Pomegranates to assist me in making a full dinner for about 6-8 guests.

I couldn't have been more excited to come home and see these boxes in the garage. Hooray!! Not only that, but they also sent me a separate box full of goodie bags for my dinner party guests. Each guest gets a reusable Pom bag filled with wonderful coupons and recipes. Basically, I put together a gourmet evening using all the wonderful ingredients POM sent me, and then I blog about it!! Fans then vote and the winners get prizes. I am thrilled.

Look at these!!
Beautiful autumn decor
MY prize pack- I love great stuff!!
The reusable bags

LOVE my new Pom apron...so hilarious!!!

I hope you'll follow me through my POMtastic dinner party...it'll be in the next couple days. Get excited!!

Heart-warming chili + sweet cornbread

2010-11-07T20:03:00.015-05:00

Nothing makes me happier than feeling the crisp breeze outside, hearing the rustling of the leaves, and sitting in front of this...a warm, wood-burning fire. It's so welcoming & cozy.

What could possible warm you up even more than a bowl of hearty chili with homemade cornbread! My Mom and I got to work in the kitchen while Daddy-O took care of keeping the fire going. Make sure to give this recipe a try when the weather gets cooler where you live.

Ingredients List:

one white onion
one green pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic
one package of lean, ground turkey (or ground beef)
Salt & Pepper
Good quality olive oil
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Ground cumin
1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
1.5 tsp Chili powder
1.5 tsp Paprika
one can black beans
one can kidney beans
one can diced tomatoes (unseasoned)
one bottle of beer (I used Coors Light)
Small can of sweet corn
splash of vegetable stock for flavor

First, dice your onion and green pepper.

Place your ground turkey in a soup pot and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil to cook up the meat.
Is it just me or does anyone else get kinda grossed out by the smell when meat is first cooking? Bleh! Oh well...it's worth the final product.

In a larger soup pot, saute' the onions and green peppers in good quality olive oil. I only use Laconiko brand (http://www.laconiko.com/) because it's really important to me to have unblended, PURE extra virgin olive oil.
Once your meat is browned, drain it in a strainer so all the fats are removed. Then add the meat into the larger soup pot with the onions and green peppers. Add your black and kidney beans, along with all your beautiful spices.

Then add a splash of vegetable stock, your small can of corn, the can of diced tomatoes, your choice of beer, and S&P.

Don't all of those colors look so good?! Now cover, and bring to a simmer for about an hour. What to do for an hour, you ask?? Make CORN BREAD, of course! Prepare yourself...this cornbread is the best I've ever had.

Cornbread Ingredients:

1/2 cup Stone ground Yellow Corn Meal
1 cup all purpose, unbleached flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp oil (either olive oil or canola)
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup sweet corn

What to do:

Place all of your ingredients in a large bowl. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray then spread cornmeal mix evenly into the baking dish.

Place baking pan in a 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until the cornbread is cooked through.
Ooops!! I really tried...but I just couldn't wait until this cooled down. Needless to say, my taste buds came back the next day. Serve crumbled in your bowl of chili OR you can even eat it with a tiny bit of butter & honey. Kali Oreksi!! Let me know how you like it...

xoxo, C.

Happy Halloween 2010

2010-11-03T21:54:00.005-04:00

Hey everybody!! It has been TOO long since I've last posted. Don't worry- I have been doing a LOT of eating and picture taking so we have a ton to catch up on. First thing's first....how was everyone's Halloween?? Mine was lovely....filled with too much candy and lots of little kiddoes. Here are some pics I took of my holiday. I hope you enjoy...I'll be doing a couple new posts I really think you'll love. One is on a wonderful local winery owned by a very dear friend of mine. The other is on a soul-warming chili recipe that is perfect for this beautiful Autumn weather we've been having lately. Stay tuned!

What a SPOOKtacular weekend!

Spicy Stuffed Peppers...

2010-09-30T20:05:00.012-04:00

One of the MANY blogs I follow is this lovely gal over at http://canyoustayfordinner.com. Her recipes are SO delicious and very healthy. This recipe for stuffed peppers was just what I wanted for dinner tonight. Here is what you'll need for this EaSy recipe: For 2-4 people(depending on how much you eat)

-2 large red peppers or any other kind you prefer
-1/2 a red or white onion diced
-2 cloves of garlic minced
-Quality olive oil (http://www.laconiko.com/)
-2 small cans black beans (rinsed)
-1 small can sweet corn (rinsed)
-1/2 cup water
-2 tsp cumin
-2 tsp chili powder
-1/2 tsp paprika
-1/2 tsp salt
-small pinch Cayenne pepper
-Shredded cheddar cheese or colby jack
-Fresh cilantro, parsley, salsa, or sour cream (optional for garnish)

Let's get cookin'...

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easier clean-up later). Wash your peppers and slice them length-wise. Place in oven and roast for about 25 minutes. The skins should be soft when you take them out.

2. While your peppers are roasting in the oven, place a few tablespoons Olive Oil in a large saucepan and bring to medium high heat. Add your diced onions and cook 3-5 minutes, or until they become soft and translucent.
3. Now it's time to make your kitchen smell HEA-VEN-LY!!! Add in your garlic and stir for 30 seconds or so...MmMm...gaaaarlic!! Also add in your black beans & 1/2 cup water. Stir well.
4. Place all your spices into saucepan. Look how beautiful all these different colors are. Trust me, the flavors are equally as amazing. Just wait!
5. Mix everything well, then cover and bring to a low simmer for about 30 minutes. Once finished, add in the corn and stir. I'm not going to lie...i did eat a few...ok SEVERAL spoonfuls of this stuff right out of the saucepan. And yes, I burned the You-Know-What out of my tongue in the process!!
6. All the hard work is done!! Now have a blast and stuff those peppers to the brim!!
7. Top with your favorite shredded cheese (I used Cheddar) and broil for about 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly...Is there anything better than bubbly cheese?!? Oh yes...wine! We will get to that later. You could have SO much fun with this recipe. You could cook up some ground turkey and add in kidney beans. Or cook up some ground chicken and mix in sauteed mushrooms and spinach. Get creative!!! I'd love to know your favorite way to stuff peppers. Send me suggestions!

What on earth could make this meal better?? The BEST wine i've had thus far. I recently went to the Great Grapes festival here and tried this a-MA-zing bottle of sweet dessert wine by Horton.

I don't even know where to begin. Ok, i'll do my best. Imagine a wine that is so smooth you'd think it was in the same family as butter...but not just any butter...butter that tastes ever so slightly like cocoa. GOOD cocoa. THAT is what this wine is like. I would have never thought white wine + chocolate would be a good pairing....but this is my third bottle in 3 weeks. HOLD UP- I share!! I didn't drink it all by myself, most though ;) HAHAHA. Do yourself a favor. Go to your local TotalWine or go to www.hortonwine.com as soon as humanly possible and order yourself a bottle of this. It's great in the afternoon, it's great in the evening...it's even great for dessert before bedtime. ZzZzZz....you get the point. Go get it. Now.

I've missed you all. Hope you are still reading this blog...xoxo-C.

Housewife Biscotti

2010-09-10T17:48:00.018-04:00

Unfortunately, I am not a housewife (yet)...but I can make biscotti!! I don't know about you all, but one of my many guilty pleasures is watching the Real Housewives reality show on Bravo. One of my absolute favorites are the Jersey Housewives. I'm not sure what it is about them exactly...maybe it's the accents, the drama, the bling...but regardless, one of these chicks really knows how to cook.

I may be Greek by birth, but most of my preferences fall closer to Italian backgrounds. For example, I don't like baklava but i'm in LOVE with cannolis. I don't like lamb but i DO love pasta of all shapes and sizes. Oh well, it is what it is. For those of you who also share my love for this reality series,you are no strangers to the name Teresa Giudice. She has a new book out called Skinny Italian. What more could I ask for?? A book full of authentic Italian recipes that are also very health conscious. This recipe for Double Chocolate Biscotti came from her book.

Ingredients:
3 large eggs (preferably at room temperature)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 oz chocolate chips of choice (get creative!!)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup sliced almonds

How To Make:
1. Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. This makes for really easy clean up.
2. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend eggs, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract.

Mix for about 3 minutes or until you have a pale, yellow mixture. 3. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together.

This is so light and mousse-like!! At this point, mix in your chocolate chips and almonds or walnuts (whichever you have).
4. Flour or spray your work surface. Transfer your dough to your work surface and knead until everything is well blended. Shape your dough into a log about 12 inches long and 2 inches wide.

OMG, I wish I could have eaten this raw...but I didn't for obvious reasons. Ok, now place the biscotti log in the oven for about 30 minutes.
Once the 30 minutes pass, remove biscotti log from the oven and let cool on a rack for another 30 minutes.

LOOK at that!!! So warm and crumbly. Love it!!! If only I didn't have to bake it again.

Now, cut your log on a diagonal so each biscotti is about a 1/2 inch thick.

Here is the challenge...NOT eating the biscotti yet (because you have to bake them one more time briefly)...but I'll let you in on a little secret: The ends of the biscotti are more than likely totally cooked...so go ahead, have yourself a little cheat snack.

Place individual biscotti back on baking sheet, lower oven to 325 degrees, and bake for another 8-10 minutes.

Then, something magical happened...I heard the most amazing sound in the world...it sounded like this..."Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep"...MY BISCOTTI!!!! They were finally finished. Perfect timing, because they go absolutely splendidly with a cappuccino or iced latte.
Enjoy!!!!

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-04T21:46:00.014-04:00

This weekend was exactly what I love about this time of year. Clear blue skies and temperature highs in the upper 70s. Perfection. I was lucky enough to have this weekend off from work to spend doing what I love to do most- Cooking/Baking!! Today my entire family, kids and all, got together for a casual little cookout.

On the Menu:
-Port wine cheddar cheese log with Kashi crackers for an appetizer
-Wegman's cracked pepper sliders with whole wheat buns
-Homemade potato salad
-Homegrown, local tomato salad
-Coppola Merlot

And so we got started:
DaddyDeLuxe and I went to Wegmans (my absolute go-to grocery store) to stock up on some necessities. While there we found this lovely port cheddar cheese log.

Don't judge it by its color. This lovely "pink" delight is tasty!! It is coated with slivered almonds. I chose to serve it with whole grain Kashi crackers. What a healthy snack!! I ate that entire portion you see right there in the picture. Oops!!

Next, we cooked up these tasty little hamburger sliders. They are the cracked peppercorn ones. Best part is that Wegmans now has whole wheat slider buns. Wahoo!! Here are my little baby burgers on the grill.

They need just 5 minutes per side and they will be fully cooked. Half of these burgers were topped with Jalapeno cheese for an extra kick!!
The other half were topped with sauteed spinach and mushrooms for more of a savory, garlicky taste.
My sister requested a potato salad so I bought 2 bags of these yellow and red whole potatoes that can be steamed in just 8 minutes. No boiling water!!
My Mom worked her magic, added in a few ingredients, and Voila!!! A beautiful, healthy, delicious potato salad!!
I'm not the biggest fan of potatoes so I used some homegrown, local tomatoes and cucumbers, added in some S&P, oregano from Greece and olive oil to create a "Village style" greek salad. I left out the feta cheese because I already had some cheddar cheese for an appetizer and I planned on eating cheese on my burger. I thought I'd give my arteries a break!! So at the last minute we decided to throw on some delicious, juicy hot dogs. They were organic, no additives, etc. I'm sure you KNOW organic hotdogs don't come cheap....which is why letting ME "man the grill" was the biggest mistake anyone could've made. Just LOOK what happened to them!!!

OOpsies!!!! Y'all, i swear to the chocolate gods that I turned my back for just ONE minute...but who knows...maybe the couple sips of this lovely wine prolonged the actual time. Oh well, I'm sure the fam forgave me. Nonetheless, here's my lovely plate:
Drool...In my defense, i ended up eating a hot dog too and they were just fine...burnt and all. What a wonderful weekend with a wonderful family. I'm so excited for many more.

Ode to Lara

2010-09-04T21:32:00.003-04:00

I'm in love...with a lot of things. One of them being Larabars. I'm obsessed!! Not only are they absolutely delicious, but they are also minimally processed and super healthy (most have less than 5 ingredients). You can't beat that!! Ok, so today I ventured over to Wegmans for my weekly Larabar stock-up. I was very delighted to find some new flavors. Here you have it!!

From top to bottom : Peanut Butter Jelly, CarrotCake, Peanut Butter Cookie, Choc. Chip cookie dough, and Peanut Butter Chocolate chip

Can you tell that I have a love for PB?!? Let me just say, I have already tried the PB cookie one. I'm REALLY excited to try the other flavors as well. Anyone out there work for the Larabar company?!? Feel free to send 'em my way. They will not go uneaten :) Thank you Lara...or whoever you are for making these fabulous bars that keep me going during my long shifts at work. Cheers to you!

Happy September!!

2010-09-02T18:00:00.013-04:00

Today is September 2nd...do you know what that means?!? Autumn is right around the corner. YAY!! We are weeks away from hot toddys, apple picking, and decorating the house with pumpkins and gourds. Can you tell that it's my favorite season?? Ok, let's catch up a bit. In the past couple weeks I switched over to working night shifts at work. This means that 3 nights a week I go in at 645pm and return home around 8am. Sleeping during the day time took some getting used to (hence the lack of posting) but I'm pleased to say that now I have found some normalcy.

Tonight for dinner MamaDeLuxe and I are making this NEW pasta with her famous meat sauce. Ronzoni has a new light of pasta called "Garden Delights". While I usually only eat whole wheat pasta, this looked yummy so I chose to splurge on the enriched stuff. This particular box has tomato, carrot, and spinach enriched noodles. I'm excited to try it out!! Let's get started. First, we placed a package of lean, organic ground beef in a pot filled with an inch or so of water. This needs to brown & then drain so all the fat isn't in our meal. Does anyone else get grossed out by the smell of raw ground beef?? Weird, i know.
In the meantime, chop up a carrot, half an onion, and fresh Italian parsley. It's best to use fresh herbs at this point. They really do make a huge difference.
In a separate large pot, bring water to a boil so you can cook up your pasta noodles. While you're waiting, put some olive oil in a saute pan and add in your onions, carrot, and parsley. Throw in some delicious oregano, salt, and pepper. SIDE NOTE- where my grandparents live in Greece...WAY up in the mountains of central Greece, they have the most amazing smelling oregano. Our entire pantry here in the USA smells like the Greek Oregano. I can't help but think of my YiaYia and Papou each time I use this wonderful seasoning.
Add in your strained ground beef. Stir in with half a glass of sweet red wine. I got this German bottle from Trader Joes. It's really lovely, light, and sweet. The smell of what is in this pot reminds me of my childhood. It makes me think of the times my grandmother was here visiting us from Greece. Every morning before I'd leave for elementary school my YiaYia would ask me what I wanted to eat when I got home. My response was almost always "macaronada", which is Greek spaghetti and meat sauce. When I'd come home, the smell of cinnamon, bay leaves, and oregano would fill the air. Ok, now back to reality...I am unfortunately not in elementary school anymore...and my grandmother is now thousands of miles away.
Now, add in a large (28oz) can of crushed tomatoes, 1 or 2 bay leaves, a tsp of sugar, 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks, and 1tsp of white balsamic vinegar. I have found that adding in the vinegar evens out the sweetness from the acidity of the canned tomatoes. Stir in all your ingredients, cover, and simmer (on a level 2) for at least an hour. The longer and lower you let this simmer, the better your meat sauce will taste. This gives you a perfect chance to clean up your kitchen and do your dishes before dinner is ready.
My Mom whipped up an egg-free Caesar salad dressing. It was SO delicious. I absolutely love the flavor of anchovy paste. Here was our dinner result:

My big heaping pile of pasta + salad... And in about 7 minutes... GONE!!! Like magic :) Enjoy the rest of your week...come back because I'm planning on whipping up some amazingly yummy recipes such as: - Chocolate cinnamon rolls, -Cowboy cornmeal rolls, and -lemony date scones. MmMm

Greece

2010-08-24T10:35:00.004-04:00

Ok so in the past month and a half that BfDeLuxe has been gone, I've received ONE picture....ONE!!! (actually i didn't receive it at all, I stole it from his facebook profile-hehe). Anyways, the countdown is 3 weeks until he is home :) Brace yourself...you've never seen anything like this, unless you have travelled to europe. You just can't get beaches like this in America. Here you go:

THAT is what Bf looks at every single day from his house. UNbelievable!!! I'm not jealous or anything (yeah right!) but I'm sure we can figure out a way to raise my spirits. Any ideas? Do me a favor- Click on the picture to enlarge it...i'm thinking BfDeLuxe can buy me that yaught in the background. I'm kidding I'm kidding.

Down Home Cookin'

2010-08-23T20:38:00.006-04:00

I haven't posted in a LONG time!!! I've missed you all. So along with my new job I have also revamped my Circadian Rhythm. I am now officially a "night shift" nurse! Yes, that's right. I work through the night, come home, and I'm supposed to sleep...unfortunately it doesn't work that well for me because during the day i CANT sleep!! I like to be productive. We shall see where this takes me...

Anyways, as shocking as it may seem, I am also the owner of a shiny, new, gym membership!!!! No, i'm not joking! Needless to say, tonight I went to Pilates and when I came home, the house was filled with some VERY comforting smells. While I was rolling around and clapping like a seal in pilates class, MommaDeLuxe was busy in the kitchen making a healthy version of some of my favorite southern foods. Are you ready??

Baked "Fried" Chicken, Oven-roasted Cauliflower, and whole wheat creamy mac n' cheese!!

Omg this was so delicious...the chicken was marinated in buttermilk for over 2 hours & served with chipotle mayo after being "fried". The cauliflower was baked with red pepper flakes and balsamic. Lastly, the mac n' cheese was so creamy and included both cheddar cheese and parmesano!!!

Do you honestly think I forgot about dessert?? NEVER!!!! My Mom's amaaazing homemade brown sugar & cinnamon apple tart. Not too sweet, not too tart, and just marvelous with a small scoop of Breyer's BUTTER PECAN ice cream. YES, that was my portion. I ate about 1/4 of the whole dessert...and I may or may not have snuck in the rest of my neice's chocolate soft serve with rainbow colored sprinkles. Oh come on!! It was in the freezer for the past 3 days and I'm SURE she has forgotten about it by now. Oops!

Black Bean Burgers

2010-08-05T17:34:00.014-04:00

LISTEN UP, VEGANS!!! (we all know I'm certainly not a vegan). That aside, these black bean burgers ARE vegan...and trust me - one bite of these and you will not remember what a beef burger is! Even my Dad...my very GREEK, meat-loving Dad truly enjoys these.

I have to give credit where credit is due. I found this recipe on a fellow bloggers website. Check her out at http://www.thesingledish.com/

Ok, look at these and drool:

What You'll Need (for 8 patties):

2 small cans of black beans, drained and well rinsed

1 bell pepper of your choice

1 red onion

3 cloves of garlic

6+ TBSP flour (whatever kind you have)

4 TBSP good olive oil

2 TBSP cumin

1.5 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Optional toppings: Sliced tomatoes, arugula, fresh avocado, pepper jack cheese, etc.

How To Make:

1. Drain and rinse black beans well.

2. Use a food processor (or knife) to finely chop onions & peppers

3. Add onions and peppers in a large bowl along with the minced garlic, olive oil, flour, cumin, salt, and pepper. Take half of the black beans and mix in with these ingredients until they are smooshed and form a "paste" texture.

4. Then, add in the remainder of the whole beans and gently mix until everything is formed. If your mix is too wet, add more flour until you can easily make patties with your hands.

5. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate these until you want to cook. They can stay in the fridge for days!

6. When ready, you can either heat up a skillet with lots of olive oil OR broil them in the oven. REMEMBER: there are no raw ingredients so you're basically just cooking these for about 10 minutes, or until warmed all the way through.

Mmmm, seriously canNOT wait for you to try these!!!! Here is how I ate mine:

On top of a whole wheat wrap, with mini farm fresh tomatoes, slice avocado, romaine from my neighbors garden, and chipotle mayo. Just might be my new favorite meat-free meal!!

Have a great weekend, y'all !!! Make sure to message me after you make these and tell me how you liked it & if you made any yummy adjustments!

xoxo-C.

Moroccan Chicken & Coconut Rice

2010-08-01T20:24:00.019-04:00

I may have gone missing, but I certainly was not starving. A few weekends ago, I travelled a few feet to the local farmer's market and picked up this lovely packet of seasoning:

It's a pre-blended mix of Cumin, Paprika, Sugar, Cinnamon, and Salt. The women who sold it to me recommended I season up some chicken or meat with this. She spoke, I listened. I placed about 12 chicken tenderloins in a plastic dish with olive oil & enough Moroccan rub to heavily coat each piece.

Mix with your hands until all chicken tenderloins are evenly coated...then place in a large ziplock bag with all the juices & refrigerate. You can either do this overnight or even for just a few hours will do the trick if you're making this the same day.

While this was marinating in the fridge, I got started on my coconut rice (thanks to Jessica at www.howsweeteats.com). First, put 1 cup water, 1/2 cup LITE coconut milk (from Trader Joes), and 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract in a saucepan + 1 cup arborio rice. Bring to a boil, then cover until the rice absorbs all the liquid. Depending on your stove top, this could take 20+ minutes.
In the meantime, chop 1/2 a red bell pepper and set aside with 1/3 cup shredded coconut. I used sweetened because that's what I had but any type would have worked. Once the rice absorbs all the liquid, remove from heat & mix in the coconut, red bell pepper, and a good helping of freshly ground pepper.
While the rice cooled, I heated up an indoor griddle for the chicken. It took about 5 minutes per side for the thin tenderloins to cook through.

I also used some farmers fresh zucchini squash, brought them to a gentle boil, and cooked for a few minutes until soft...then topped with fresh olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice for a lovely, healthy side dish. In case you haven't noticed, I must have at least one green vegetable with each meal.

All together now!!

Ahhhhhh....so good!!! Even my Dad...my very GREEK Dad loved this dish. He went back for a second plate which is how I know the food is good. The chicken had an amazingly savory bite while the rice was a sweet, smooth surprise.

You didn't think I forgot about dessert, did you?!? That would be considered a SIN in my book. While at the farmers market, I picked up some beauuuutiful peaches. Grilled bourbon peaches & Greek yogurt sounded perfect for a summer night.

First, I sliced the peaches...

Then, I brushed them with a little olive oil, plenty of bourbon, a pinch of brown sugar, and a hefty dose of cinnamon...

I then grilled them for about 5 minutes on each side (or just until the peaches are warm and have grill marks). Serve on top of Greek yogurt (I used Chobani) with a drizzle of honey... Yes, those are colorful kids bowls...what can I say!!

I really hope you all make some Moroccan chicken soon. You don't need this seasoning packet. Just combine the ingredients in a bowl and go for it!! It feels SO good to finally be back and posting. I have another VERY busy and stressful week ahead at the hospital but I promise you I will post something along the way...even something simple. Have a wonderful week, y'all.

xoxo, Christina.

Search & Rescue

2010-07-26T19:50:00.002-04:00

Bloggees!!! I have missed you more than you know. I'm surprised you didn't call the Search & Rescue crews. Want to know where I've been? Certainly NOT on vacation...unlike BfDeLuxe, who IS, for the record, enjoying the Greek beaches on a daily basis for the next 2 months (grrrr).

This past week I have spent every single day in new grad nursing orientation. Although exausting, it has been so fun also!! I have met some really fantastic girls who will make wonderful nurses on their units. Tomorrow is my first day on the unit with my preceptor for the whopping 12.5 hour shift. The same goes for Wednesday and Thursday. Talk about being tired! Needless to say, I have not had time to actually post on here! I have been taking the pics I wanted to use for previous posts but I never actually had the chance to sit down and write them. Don't worry, I hope that tomorrow after my shift I will be able to spend even 30 minutes posting some of my quick & delicious recipes you can use when you're busy working.

What have YOU all been doing these past couple weeks?? Leave me a message letting me know what has kept you busy this summer. Can't wait to talk to you all again VERY soon.

xoxo, Christina

30-min "make ahead" lunch

2010-07-19T21:08:00.006-04:00

Today I woke up with a craving for eggs. This doesn't happen all too often because my cravings tend to be for sweet stuff. But as the day went on the eggs were still lurking in the back of my thoughts!! What's a girl to do?! Make egg salad of course!

First- Place 6 eggs in a deep saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over a medium-hot stove top. ONCE the water boils, the eggs will be completely hard boiled in 7-8 minutes.

Second- While the eggs are boiling away, chop 1/4 red bell pepper & 2-3 stalks of celery. Place in a bowl along with 3 tbsp Mayo, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and a few shakes of Cayenne pepper. Third- Once the eggs are finished boiling, rinse under cold water. This will make it easier to peel. Peel each egg, then chop thickly. You want your sandwich to have thick bits of egg, NOT puree.
Next, Combine eggs with the contents of the bowl. Gently mix with a wooden spoon. Cover, and refrigerate until you're ready to eat it!! I pre-made this today because tomorrow I start my NEW JOB!!! It's four days of classroom orientation before I hit the unit full force. I'm SO excited!! Nonetheless, I have four LONG days ahead of me and need something to keep me full. I have plans to put this egg salad in the center of a whole wheat tortilla, top it with fresh tomatoes & avocado slices, and eat it during my lunch hour.

Do you think the other new grads will mind if I stink up the classroom with the smell of eggsalad?! :) HAHAHA...

Have a wonderful Tuesday, everyone!! I'll be posting a great dinner idea when I get back tomorrow evening. Stay tuned...

Cookies to the Rescue...

2010-07-17T00:13:00.019-04:00

When all else fails, these cookies NEVER do me wrong. These are the most amaaazing vegan cookies I've had. You can really tweak them to include whatever "mix-ins" suit your cravings that day. Ready for these bad boys??

Let's get baking!!

What You'll Need:

2 cups of walnuts (if you prefer pecans they work just as well...or you can mix the two!!)

3 Tbsp canola oil (or whatever other mild flavored oil you have)

1/3 cup light brown sugar (I don't like my cookies too sweet-alter for your tastebuds)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups oat flour (or you can use whatever you have; I used a mix of white and buckwheat)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cups vegan chocolate chips (or if you aren't concerned about keeping them vegan, ANY chocolate works just fine)

How to Make:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a food processor, blend the 2 cups of nuts for about 20 seconds until fine. Add 3 Tbsp of oil and bled for 2 minutes, or until you get a "peanut buttery" consistency. Place this mixture into a large bowl.

3. Whisk together brown sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan on medium/high heat. Remove as soon as the mix begins to boil. (This doesn't take but a minute so stay close).
4. Pour sugar mixture into bowl with nut mixture. Add in vanilla extract & whisk until nice & smooth.
5. In a separate bowl, combine your dry ingredients ( Flour, Baking soda, salt, cinnamon).
6. Once well mixed, add into first bowl & stir until just combined.

The mixture will appear thick, don't worry...this is normal.

7. In a small bowl, combine raw oats with chocolate chips (or any other mix-ins you prefer). As long as the total sum of mix-ins equals 1 1/2 cups you're fine. I used one cup of Ghirardelli choc chips and 1/2 cup dried cherries.

Y'all...these Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips are insanely good. I'm not joking. TRY THESE, asap. They put semi-sweet choc chips to shame with their decadence. Also, when a chocolate craving strikes, you can eat 16 of these for only 6g of sugar...but I assure you, after 3-4 your craving will subside because they are RICH! I realize these ruined the "vegan" part of the cookie but I don't care...because they are delicious...AND i'm not a vegan :)

(Choc chips + Quaker Old-Fashioned Oats)

8. Add your mix-ins to the bowl with the nut/flour mix & stir with a wooden spoon until evenly combined. This is a little difficult due to the thickness of the mix. If all else fails, mix with your hands. BEST part... you could totally eat this raw if you can't control yourself because it's VEGAN! No raw stuff to worry about.

9. Take out two cookie sheets and line with parchment paper (or use baking spray). Using a mini ice cream scooper, fill up your baking sheets with even balls of cookie dough. I usually get at least 30-40 cookies.

10. Gently press cookies down to flatten slightly. Bake for EXACTLY 9 minutes & 30 seconds. This timing has been perfected by my trial and error. Any less and they'll be smooshy; Any longer and they'll be too dry.

End result...

Drooooooool!!!!!

I totally ate 4 of these back-to-back at 3am last night and then went straight to bed...and guess what?? I don't care!! Guilt free my friends. Not only are these PACKED full of whole grains & fiber, BUT they are also heart healthy with lots of nuts & dark chocolate. As we speak I'm going to eat one...for breakfast. Who said you can't eat cookies in the morning??

Sunday Family Dinner

2010-07-15T16:29:00.010-04:00

Although over a week late, I promised I would post about last weekend. This past Sunday, my family & I had a big dinner to wish BFdeLuxe safe travels to Greece. It's always so nice when I can spend time with all my favorite people at the same time, under one roof. What a blessing.

Our Menu

Hors D'oeuvres: Feta,Spinach, & walnut-Stuffed mushrooms (from Anne over at http://www.fannetasticfood.com/)

Greek-style bruschetta

Main Course: Homemade salmon burgers with lemon aioli mayo, BBQ ribs, & citrus Grilled shrimp

>Side Dishes: Potato & saganaki cheese skewers

>Dessert: Homemade individual very-berry cheesecake

Spending time with my bf & family at the same time is my absolute favorite thing to do. I know many families don't live close enough to do family dinners each week but it's definetely one thing I couldn't imagine my life without.

On a different note, BF made it to Greece safe & sound...OH! remember in my previous post how I said he is going there strictly for work and no play? I was wrong. He is DEFINETELY hitting up the Mediterranean waters each day (and rubbing it in my face). That little brat!! Gotta love him. I hope he'll send pics soon so I can post them!!

Have a great Monday, everyone!!

UPDATES!

2010-07-14T12:35:00.005-04:00

Hey y'all. So much to catch up on. I have good (great) news & I have bad news. Which do you want first?? Ok good news first...I passed my boards!!!!! Hip Hip Hooray!! I'm officially Christina, RN. Thank goodness. Lots of prayers later, I did it. I really couldn't be happier. "New Grad orientation" begins next week then the following week I'm on the floor with my AMAZING preceptor. I'm super nervous about being officially responsible for other people's lives but I'm also so grateful that I've made it.

Ready for the bad news?? BFdeLuxe is leaving :( While I'm bringing home the hard earned bacon, he will be here...

Yes that's right...BF is going to Sparta, Greece for not one but two whole months. WHAT?!? Does anyone else besides me see something wrong with this?!? Ok fine, I'm bitter. But I think I can be. In all fairness, BF will not be laying out on a beach chair everyday for two months. His family has many, many acres of land filled with olive trees in the southern coast of Greece. These aren't just regular ol' olive trees. They are planted in the SAND. As you probably know, sand is one of the best filtration systems in nature; So basically, there olive oil is as "extra virgin" as you can get. And let me tell you, it's AMAZING!!!

Bf's family have recently (in the past year) started importing this heavenly oil to the United States after placing 2nd in an international olive oil competition that took place in California. SECOND PLACE!!! I'm pretty certain this year they'll get first. I have no doubt. And please, don't think I'm saying this as a biased opinion. For many months, I bickered with BF about how "olive oil is olive oil...it's all the same". But let me tell you, it's not. Not even close!!! Don't take my word for it, try it yourself. Currently they have stores carrying their product all around Virginia and parts of Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Best part- it's on tap!!!! This means you're always guaranteed to get FRESH olive oil...not something that has been bottled up and sitting on the shelf for Lord knows how many months.

If you love to cook and are passionate about quality products, I really hope you'll give this olive oil a try. I assure you it's the best one you've had. And it's completely pure, first cold pressed, and straight form the source. No mixing of different nasty oils here!! I think their webpage is just about finished, here it is!!! http://www.laconiko.com/

(if it isn't up yet, PLEASE check back....)

Point of the blog is that BF is going to Greece to help his father with the gathering & processing of the oil. It takes SO much work. I'm hoping that with a little encouragement & positive comments on here from YOU, my awesome readers, he will agree to be a "guest blogger" and post some pics & stories of his trip.

I'm going to be so bummed here without BF but I'm hoping you all will keep me company. Now that i'm DONE DONE DONE with studying (well, at least until I start school again next summer) I will have plenty of time on my hands to cook & bake & post. I don't know how many of you actually read this blog because only 5 are actually followers...but I hope you know how much I enjoy doing this & how much I appreciate you all taking time to read my posts. Leave me messages & keep me company...61 days to go until BF returns. Let the countdown begin.

XOXO, Christina.

Typical Morning...

2010-07-10T12:09:00.004-04:00

Cell phone, laptop, Starbucks, PB toast, Fruit, and my NCLEX book...yup, typical morning.

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend so far!! Stay tuned, BFdeLuxe and I are cooking a nice meal tonight for the whole family. Drool-worthy pics to come...

Simple Summer-time Supper

2010-07-10T10:52:00.015-04:00

As promised from my last "Farmer's Market" post, I wanted to show you all what I did with the homegrown zucchini & squash I bought. This is a very common side dish to make using these beautiful vegetables in the Greek cuisine.

Doesn't it just look like summer?!?! So healthy & fresh. Ok, ready to make it?? Here we go...

First, place squash & zucchini into a pot of water, cover & bring to a boil.

-These will be completely "done" in less than 15 minutes after boiling. You just want them to soft when poked with a fork. Remove the veggies from the hot pot of water and place into a bowl to cool for a few minutes.

In the meantime...I'm going to prepare tonight's seafood- Tilapia!! I prefer to get these frozen from Costco. They make dinner time much easier. I wanted to make these in aluminum pockets. If you haven't done this before, you MUST. Not only will it keep your fish super juicy during the cooking process, but it makes for easy clean up too.

-First, lay out your aluminum foil sheets (one for each filet) & lightly coat with olive oil. This keeps the fish from sticking to the inside.

-Next, slice up some lemon or lime. I used lime this time, but it's up to you.
-Place one filet of Tilapia on each aluminum sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with plenty of S&P and paprika. Then top with 2-3 slices of lime.
-Now we make the pockets. Bring up all four side of the aluminum foil and make a tight seal at the top. You want to make sure they are puffy rather than flat. This allows the fish to cook without losing the juices.
-Bake these lovelies at 350 for about 20 minutes. The fish is done when it's flakey. While this is baking, let's get back to our vegetables. This step takes all of 2 minutes. Thickly slice your zucchini & squash, liberally coat with olive oil, and season with simple S&P and fresh lemon juice. I could eat these everyday.

-The fish was still cooking, and I knew I wanted something more with dinner, so I popped a couple sweet potatoes in the microwave for 6 minutes. (Sidenote-I really don't like the microwave. It's not a healthy form of cooking...but when the craving strikes for sweet potatoes I will not wait an hour for it to bake). -My favorite way to eat 'em, a little butter + a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Guess what? The fish is done...

-Serve this with its juices. Will not disappoint!! Look at the finished product:
- I hope you take some time to try out this yummy meal. You can tweak the fish seasonings to your liking. You could use S&P and oregano with lemon, or make it cajun style!!

Kali Orexi!

Weekend recap

2010-07-08T00:31:00.010-04:00

Hey y'all!! Sorry for the halt in blog action. Between the holiday weekend, studying for my boards, and wrapping up a fun wedding weekend, I haven't had much time to blog!!! I hope you all had a wonderful & safe 4th of July.

With that said, let me catch you up on some weekend fun & good food. Living in the DC area has so many benefits such as amazing shopping, food variety, conveniences, 1000 Starbucks withing a mile, etc...but one of my favorite things is that we have access to over 100 wineries just in under a 2-hour drive!! My parents and I packed up and drove to Rappahanock Cellars this weekend. If you're looking for a place to get away from all outside communication, this is it. Located in the beautiful Front Royal area, this winery is a gem!!
We tasted 3 reds & 5 whites + 2 amazing dessert wines. I must say, of the 10 wines I tried, I really was very impressed by at least 7 of them. My wine palate is still in the growing process so I'm sure you Wine-o's would have loved all 10. We ended up purchasing this lovely bottle:
-What makes the Noblesse Viognier different from their regular Viognier is that it is fermented & aged completely in stainless steel barrels. Their traditional Viognier is aged partially in French oak barrels AND in stainless steel. I absolutely LOVED it!! It initially gives off a citrusy scent of lemons & oranges but when you take that first sip you taste fresh sweetness. If you don't live near the metropolitan area you can order this bottle on their website. Check it out! http://www.rappahannockcellars.com/

-How cute is this little barn area?? There are tables & chairs where people can relax, picnic & enjoy some wine.

-I tried to convince BFdeLuxe to get up and sing me a little song on the stage but I'm pretty sure he ignored this suggestion. Stage fright?!

I also want to introduce you to my newest food splurge...homemade wine jelly! Yes, you read correctly. W.I.N.E. J.E.L.L.Y. Best part, during the cooking process, the heat doesn't get high enough to burn off the wine...so I guess you could get a buzz if you ate enough jars fast enough. They had 4 different types including Merlot, Chardonney, some other one I can't remember, and Norton. I purchased the latter. It is made with the RC's Norton wine & has hints of spicy cloves & mocha. Trust me, this tastes amazing on peanut butter toast and even better on top of baked brie. Yummmm!!!!

Wine jelly + Glass of wine = Double Whammy!

READERS: What are some of your favorite wineries near you?? What makes them stand out among the rest?? Leave me a comment!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!! xoxo, C.

Farmer's Market

2010-07-03T14:20:00.008-04:00

Summer + Saturday = Farmers Market to me. They have ever since I was a little girl. I look back and very descriptively remember my Mom and I taking our baskets and going into town for the freshest local produce. Mid summer we would get homegrown tomatoes, green beans, zucchini & squash, the juiciest peaches you can imagine...late summer/early fall would fill our bags with delicious crisp apples.

We are so lucky here in the metropolitan area to have some of the most lovely farmers markets. Today I went with my Dad and picked up these lovely little items:

Fresh Green Beans

-My Mom and I sit down and pick all the beans out of these, then put everything in to a pot & make a traditional Greek meal out of it with tomato sauce and potatoes (will blog this recipe when we make it)

JUICY homegrown tomatoes

-I'm thinking we are going to use these for fresh tomato, feta, & oregano salads...or fill them with ground turkey, feta, and orzo & bake in the oven.

YELLOW grape tomatoes

-Are these not adorable?? And the smell is so earthy!! These little balls of sunshine are wonderful on their own as a snack, but I prefer to chop them up & use them for homemade bruschetta. Not only do they add a different taste when mixed with red cherry tomatoes, but they also add wonderful color.

Zucchini & Squash

-BEAUTIFUL!! They really are. I like to slice these thick, steam them, then top with delicious olive oil & lemon juice. Amazing side dish!

Flat-Leaf Parsley

-I could actually smell this as I went into the farmer's stand. And at only $1/bundle, I couldn't pass it up. Fresh herbs are unbeatable in recipes, no?!

HAPPY SATURDAY!!

xoxo, Christina

Quesadillas...(and a porkchop)...and Wine

2010-07-01T22:11:00.024-04:00

I think it's safe to say that today was one of the most gorgeous summer days. Low 60's, High mid 80's + cool breeze. It was a perfect "sit outside and study on the laptop" kind of day. No?!

After spending hours reading on the back patio, it was time to get supper cooking. Have you ever had one of those nights where you just don't know what to cook? It was sorta like that. Mom & I wanted something light. Dad wanted porkchops & potatoes...so we kinda had a hodgepodge meal.

THE MENU

The girls (Mom n' Me) were having grilled chicken & veggie quesadillas with 1/2 a baked sweet potato each.

Dad was getting his porkchops & sweet potato.

THE PROCESS

-First we seasoned 2 chicken breasts & 2 porkchops

(The chicken was seasoned with S&P, olive oil, and a sprinkle of fajita seasoning; The pork chops with S&P, olive oil, lemon juice, and lots of oregano)

-Next we chopped 3 large button mushrooms, 1/2 a vidalia onion, 1 cup fresh spinach and 1 red bell pepper and sauteed them for about 5-6 minutes in quality olive oil...on that note, I am really anxious to introduce to you my FAVORITE olive oil in the world which comes freshly cold pressed from Greece. It deserves a post of it's own so stay tuned in the near future.

(For the veggies we used S&P and a sprinkle of taco seasoning)

-While these were sauteeing, we heated up the indoor griddle for the chicken & pork. First, we cooked the chicken since it takes longest. Then the pork. REMEMBER-pink is bad (this is the ONLY time those words will come out of this mouth, btw).

-When the vegetables are done sauteeing, I removed them from heat and added in this lovely bowl of chopped avocado & cherry tomatoes. - Now, we assemble...these are the fabulous wraps I used. They are not only super soft, but they are also whole wheat & healthy!! Under 200 cals for the whole thing PLUS there are only abot 5 ingredients in them. YES!!
-Cut cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces...
-Put one of these wraps on the FLAT side of the hot griddle and add veggies, cheese, tomatoes, and avocado to one side of the wrap...
-Sprinkle on whatever cheese you prefer (this time I used full-fat Taco cheese, mmmm)

-Flip the empty side of the wrap over and press. Let this grill until it becomes golden brown underneath, then flip and repeat. -Take quesadillas off the grill and cut into four slices...I was so hungry after being sick for 2 days & not eating that I refused to give up even a crumb from my wrap. Those 4 slices were going into my belly if I had to stuff them in there personally. Just LOOK at the result...

I can't forget about Dad's dinner!! Once the porkchops were done cooking, I plated it with his favorites- a sweet potato + cinnamon and applesauce! Look & drool...btw, the sweet potatoes were baking at 400 for about an hourish+...they do take awhile so you could instead microwave them for 5 minutes and get the same result. Go ahead, I won't tell.

This dinner was so perfect for a summer night. It was light, homemade, and full of really wonderful vegetables. I hope you try it soon!!!

WINE TIME

As promised, I have a few wines to review!! I took a few sips of each of these because I knew I wouldn't be functional if I had an entire glass. (Lightweight?!)

Not too long ago I had tried the El Molino Malbec and really liked it, so I gave this white one a try. This Argentinian white is very light, smells like flowers, and tastes ever so slightly of fruit, no hints of oak. It really is lovely on it's own or with a nice light dinner. If you can't splurge on your favorite expensive wine, this one is not only cheap but nice!

Root:1 Cabernet Sauvignon

Very nice Chilean wine!! Much lighter than a Merlot. Smelled like blackberries, but upon tasting it, I noticed a little coffee/chocolate hint. Good stuff!! This is probably much better accompanying a good pasta dish or juicy steak!

Three Fox Vineyards -Il Volpe Sangiovese 2008

This comes from a local winery here in the metropolitan area. BFdeLuxe brought it to me as a surprise! He said it's one of their award winners.Here is the description posted by the vineyard:

"...has the typical Sangiovese nose (yeasty, leathery) and palate (lots of cherry, toast, coffee, and spice notes). This is a wine to savor on its own. It's also big and bold to go with meats and cheeses..." (www.threefoxvineyards.com)

It reminded me a bit of Kombucha (for those of you who know what I'm talking about). I say give it a try yourself as my wine palate is still in the early stages of developing. My Dad really enjoyed it, so it depends on each persons preferences. Bf liked this winery so I'm excited to go there myself and taste the rest of their wines!!

" I've got a feelin..."

2010-06-30T17:54:00.014-04:00

And let me tell you, it was NOT a good feeling. I woke up yesterday morning feeling like "something" wasn't right. My ear kinda hurt, my head kinda hurt, and my nose was stuffy. Great. Just what I needed. Regardless, I went off to work that evening. After coming home around midnight & relaxing a bit, I realized that the "something" I felt this morning had now traveled to my stomach. OH NO!!! Please don't let it be what I think it is...

The 24-hour stomach bug.

What is it about this darned "bug" that makes it only attack you when you're just about in a deep sleep? Almost there...sleepy sleepy...then BAM!! You wake up feeling like your insides are going to war. I don't know about you all, but for me, nothing is worse than being sick to your stomach. I'll take the sniffles and sneezes ANY day. So needless to say, I was up until 5am bargaining with the toilet Gods..."pleeeease, if you make my nausea disappear I swear I wont go to starbucks for 2 days. " Something like that. Well, I guess since it went away at 5am I had to keep my promise. No starbucks for me today. The thought of coffee alone made me gag.

So what do you think a girl should do when she's sick like this?? Beg her Mama to fix her homemade soup, of course!! And as any good Greek Mama would do, she agreed. In my opinion, Mom's homemade chicken noodle is THE ultimate comfort food. It heals the sick stomach, warms the cold soul, and creates world peace...well, i'm sure it could if the world ate it.

PLEASE make yourself homemade chicken noodle just once in your life. I promise you won't regret it. Here it goes...

Mama De Luxe's Chicken Noodle Soup

First, Mom defrosted 2 chicken breasts and placed in a large soup pot with a 2 stalks of celery (whole), 2 carrots (whole), and half an onion. Season with a good amount of S&P. Fill the pot with enough water to cover all these ingredients & Bring to a boil...let simmer for at least 30-40 minutes (or until the chicken is fully cooked-NO pink).
Next, chop up another stalk of celery, one more carrot, and the remaining 1/2 of onion. Place in a different soup pot with a little olive oil and saute for 2-3 minutes.

At this point, take the contents of soup pot #1 & strain them into soup pot#2 (shown above). The point of doing this is so that any impurities from the chicken (like fat or whatever) will not go into your soup bowl.
Into the broth mixture, add either 1/2 cup of your favorite broth or 1/2 tsp of chicken base/bouillon. Then, my favorite part, throw in the NOODLES! Here is the brand I prefer:

It's healthy, whole grain, AND has 6g of fiber + 8g of protein per serving! Can't beat that. Make sure you about 1.5-2 cups more water at this step. REMEMBER, the pasta expands and sucks up a lot of water so you want to be sure to keep all the contents of the pot covered...unless you want broth-less soup.

Ok, while the pasta is simmering away, dice up your chicken breasts. I also use the cooked celery and carrots because I just love the taste. Totally optional though. Right when your pasta is just about tender, stir in the chicken.

Guess what...WE'RE DONE!! You have just completed your homemade chicken noodle soup. And all in about an hour. What better than something totally homemade that you can keep for tomorrow as well? Perfection.

I hope you enjoy this. My stomach couldn't handle more than this bowl but hopefully tomorrow I'll be back in action & ready to tackle more of this warm bowl of comfort.

Come back tomorrow afternoon, readers. I have to show you two NEW drinks BFdeLuxe surprised me with today. Here's a clue- One is a wine (shocking) and the other is something I'm sipping on right now in my bed which is making my sour stomach feel soooo much better.

Goodnight, bloggers!! (and thanks Mom & Bf)...

Vegan Chocolatey HEA-VEN

2010-06-29T16:51:00.010-04:00

I'm nowhere close to being vegan...but one look at this recipe I found on Alicia Silverstone's blog, The Kind Life, (yes, the same girl in "Clueless") and I was so anxious to put on my apron!!

Healthy Brownie Bites

Do you see that melted, gooey chocolate inside?!

Have you ever eaten one of those Lava cakes with the goo inside that oozes out when you stick a fork in? These are the much, much healthier version which taste identical.

What to do:

- Preheat your oven to 350F

-Spray your muffing pan with cooking spray. You can either make 8-10 regular sized muffins OR 16 mini muffins, which is what I did (they're mini...so I can eat more of them, right!?)

-In a small bowl, combine 1 cup UNsweetened applesauce + 1 tsp canola oil + 2 tsp vanilla extract

-In a large bowl, mix together 3/4 cup flour (I used part white, part buckwheat) + 1/3 cup UNsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 Tbsp instant coffee, and 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (regular work also).

Once combined, mix small bowl contents into large bowl. This will form a Mousse-like texture. So airy and light!

Use a mini ice cream scoop to fill your muffin cups. Don't be shy, fill 'em up to the top!!!

If you're making mini muffins, bake them for exactly 10 minutes. You don't want to over bake these...we want to achieve that ooeygooey middle. For regular sized muffins, bake for 20 minutes.

Seriously, y'all...RUN, don't walk, to your kitchen and make these.

They are a perfect, delicious, guilt-free treat!! And did you notice there is NO sugar in them?!? If you like the bittersweet taste of dark chocolate you will LOVE these. If you bake these, come on back here and leave me a comment telling me how they turned out!!

xoxo, C.

Humpty Dumpty

2010-06-29T15:46:00.015-04:00

There is something so wonderful about an egg. You can use it to make decadent desserts. Or you could simply cook it up any style you wish for a meal. You can have it runny, over hard, over medium, scrambled, omelet, poached, hard boiled...the list goes on! You not only can cook it to your liking, you can also top it with pretty much anything. I've heard of some very interesting combos before. My personal favorite is with ketchup. Since I was a youngin' I remember putting ketchup on my eggs. It's weird because no one else in my family likes them this way.
Nonetheless, when my Dad and I spend mornings together I usually make us eggs. Dad prefers a sandwich, whereas I prefer burrito-style. Here's what we created the other morning. Enjoy!

Dad's Breakfast:
-Started off with some eggs from Costco & Pepperidge Farm rye bread (his fav). He likes his with a little mayo.

-Next I heated olive oil in a pan & cooked up the egg.
-Once I flipped the egg, I added S&P and a slice of low-fat swiss cheese just until it melted.
-Dad really likes virginia ham on his egg sandwiches so I threw a couple slices on there for him. Here is his final product!

Now onto mine (which of course I think is better)...

-Started off with Nature's Promise whole wheat tortilla wraps. These are not only soft, but they are healthy!! Unbleached, unenriched flour AND no high-fructose corn syrup. SCORE!

-Next, I scrambled up my egg (I use the whole egg. I'm not afraid of the "fat" or "cholesterol" in yolks. There are a lot worse foods out there).

-Then I cut up the ingredients for my "burrito". I used canadian bacon instead of ham (less fat, less sodium, more protein), mushrooms (because I'm obsessed), and the SECRET ingredient to what makes eggs the very BEST...avocado!!! Don't knock it til you try it. It will change you.

-Put olive oil in the pan, saute the mushrooms & canadian bacon for a few minutes, then add the egg and scramble just until done (4 minutes or so).
-When done, place eggs & avocado in the middle of the wrap...

-Roll up, and serve with a side of your favorite fruit (mine was with super sweet blueberries today...and of course my daily soy latte from SBX).
I know it's hard to make time for a cooked breakfast each day, especially with how busy everyone's life is these days...but do yourself a favor, when you do have a few spare moments, cook yourself something delicious in the morning. There really is no better way to start the day than with a full belly.

Mystery Solved...

2010-06-29T01:31:00.013-04:00

Here's a SHOUT OUT to my newest blog reader, Sara @ http://www.nourish-and-flourish.net/ . Although she was the only one who guessed at what I may have been up to this past weekend, she guessed correctly!! I was in a dance recital (what?!). Yup, that's right...after taking 7 years off from my previous 15 years of dancing, I did it again...and boy, was it FUN!
I didn't realize how much I missed the smell of the dance studio, the feel of my ballet shoes, and the adrenaline that rushes through you when you're on stage with the blaring lights. This recital was extra special because it was the 1st for my four year old niece. She was SO precious!! I hope to share this experience with her again next year.

Anyways, as I'm sure many of you know, it's tradition that dancers get bouquets of flowers after their recitals. I didn't just get one bouquet...

(From BF de Luxe)

I got TWO bouquets!!

(From Sister de Luxe)

Aren't they beautiful?! I love having fresh flowers around the house. They make everything smell so lovely.

That's not all!! From my other sister, I got these amaaaazing little gems from my FAV local Cupcakery.

BF de Luxe recently visited a local winery and surprised me with this lovely bottle...

I was very impressed! It is extremely light & refreshing. Pop it in the fridge for a while and it makes the Perfect drink for a hot, humid summer day. This bottle is described as having fruity notes of melons, strawberries, and vanilla...HIGHLY recommend it!

Last but not least,

The softest, pinkest, most plush after-bath cover up EVER!! I have had my eye on this bundle of heaven for a long time & my Mom got it :) Let me tell you, this is super cozy to wear when you're just lounging around blogging in your room.

Check back soon...I have some more recipes coming...

Weekend Mystery

2010-06-25T10:47:00.003-04:00

Hey y'all. I have a mystery for you to solve. Guess what I'm doing this weekend?! I'll give you a couple hints...

1. This is not a horrendous bridesmaid dress such as the ones we all saw in the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"...thank God.

2. I'm NOT part of a Mariachi band

Leave me a comment below with your guesses...get it right & I'll give you a shout out! On that note...blog readers, can you introduce yourselves?? Even if you're stopping by for the first time, say hello & tell me something about you!! Thanks guys.

Twinkle Toes

2010-06-25T00:21:00.024-04:00

As I previously mentioned, BF de Luxe (who may be referred to as the following: "D", Spartacus, 300, BFDL, etc.) and I were going to cook dinner together tonight...but while I was twirling my Tutu around ballet class, he graciously decided to start prepping. Sweet deal for many reasons:

1. My hands didn't have to get dirty with raw chicken

2. I didn't cry (and stink) while chopping onions

and most importantly

3. Early prepping = Filling my belly faster.

So when I got to D's house, this is what I saw:

2 different kinds of onions (some for grilling & some for the bruchetta), 2 different kinds of chicken, and 2 different kinds of shrimp. Have you figured out what's cookin' yet?? You'll see!!

Next on the To-Do: slice the peppers

Spartacus didn't want to show his handsome face off on the blog yet...so the hands will do for now.

Once in a large bowl, add a good amount of quality olive oil, some balsamic vinegar, and enough salt to season. (I'm not including exact measurements in this post for a couple reasons. First, because I didn't do the prep work. And secondly, because in cooking there really is no exact measurement. Every person has their own preferences and nutritional requirements. I'm not a dietician or anything but I do believe that you when you eat whole, healthy foods, you don't need to measure.)

NEXT...begin skewering!!

"We" repeated this process until all the chicken & shrimp were on skewers. Keeping them separate is a good idea because the shrimp only take about 6-7 minutes to cook, whereas the chicken takes a bit longer. Raw chicken = Bad...unless you enjoy spending the night in your bathroom.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What we used: Chicken breasts & Frozen shrimp (thawed)

1/2 of the shrimp & 1/2 the chicken were marinaded using good olive oil, Juice of 1/2 a lemon, salt and dried oregano.

The remaining shrimp & chicken were marinaded using olive oil, a dash of salt, orgeno and a dash of red pepper flakes for a kick.

While BF was outside sweating over the grill, I stayed comfy cozy indoors & got started on the bruschetta. Someone has to do it!!

Step 1- slice up your favorite loaf of bread & drizzle with yummy olive oil. I used this bread from Costco. It's perfectly crunchy on the outside & fluffy on the inside.

Step 2- Bake the bread for 5 minutes in a 375 degree oven.
Step 3- In the meantime, dice up your favorite tomatoes. This would be a great opportunity to get some heirlooms from your farmer's market. You'll also need some good feta cheese for this bruschetta. I prefer the box of Dodonis which contains liquid. This keeps the feta from drying out. Crumble the feta & combine with the tomatoes in a bowl. Add in a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, and a few sprinkles of oregano. (My hands were so sloppy at this point I forgot to take a pic of the bowl. Sorry!)

Step 4: Remove sliced bread from the oven & heavily top each one with the tomato/feta mixture. You can pile these as high as you'd like but REMEMBER that you & your dinner guests have to fit it in your mouths...or you could be like me and dump it all over your dress. That's cute, too.

Final Step- Put back into the 375 oven for another 4-5 minutes.

VOILA

A perfectly grilled dinner (cooked by a cuteypatooty guy) + a cool, sweet glass of Canyon Oaks moscato = one VERY happy Ballerina.

Thanks, D...you can invite me over for dinner any day!

What is it?!

2010-06-24T14:35:00.006-04:00

What the heck is that?!?

A bean?
....nooooo

A pebble?
....Nahhhh

Well whatever it is, it's sitting pretty happily in my belly! Let me introduce you to my NEW favorite fruit...

the Champagne Mango.

This pretty little thing is SO delicious. My dear friend, Emily first introduced me to these at lunch during our cardiac rotation in nursing school. On the way home that evening, after being on the unit for more than 13 hours, I drove straight to the local Whole Foods and picked up a couple of these. They aren't like regular mangoes, which tend to have a more sour, chalky taste. These are extra juicy and perfectly sweet. One bite and I was hooked. I even got my 3-yr old nephew addicted! I don't know where you all live but at our local Costco they sell them in a pack of 6 for 5 bucks (a STEAL).

Do yourself a favor and try one of these next time you're at the grocery store. They are wonderful on their own or even added to some good Greek yogurt. Here is how I ate them today for an afternoon snack...
In a PINK bowl with some super sweet blueberries from Costco. This was perfect on such a stifling hot day.

Do you all like mangoes?! Leave me a message and tell me what's your favorite way to eat them. Check back late night tonight...BFdeluxe & I are cookin' up a great summertime meal for supper. Can't wait to share it with you.

I've gone BaNaNas!

2010-06-23T01:08:00.013-04:00

So, when I'm feeling bored (which is always), BAKING is one thing that will surely snap me out of it. I love it! It's the perfect "Type A" activity because not only is everything done with precise measurements, but it also will occupy you for at least 45 minutes. Baking is a pleasure because you follow instructions and get (almost) instant gratification.

Nonetheless, yesterday afternoon I decided to use up my blackened bananas. Do y'all throw away your bananas when they start to turn?? If so, change your habit & save your $$. Unpeel the bananas, wrap them up individually in plasticwrap, and freeze! This way, you'll always have bananas for breads or smoothies.
I don't remember where I found this recipe recently but it turned out perfectly!

Want some?? Ok, here's what you'll need:

3 ripe bananas (the riper, the sweeter)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour (I used 1 cup white & 1 cup wheat)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup shredded coconut

What to do:
1. Preheat your oven to 350F
2. Spray your loaf pan
3. Put bananas into a large bowl

4. and MASH

5. Add in the sugar, pineapple, and oil. Using a wooden spoon, stir until just combined.

6. In a medium bowl, sift together the flours,cinnamon & baking soda

7. Then add the flour mixture into the large bowl with the bananas.

Add in the coconut & stir with a wooden spoon until everything is just combined. OVERstirring can cause whatever you're baking to become stiff.

Once everything is incorporated, pour into your prepared loaf pan & pop into the oven for 45 minutes.

The top should be golden & a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean.

This is such an easy & healthy recipe for something that can be used as a breakfast to go or even a dessert with some coffee (AND it's vegan!). I hope you try this out soon. At the very least, it will fill your kitchen with amazing scents. Let me know what you think!!

Goodnight, bloggettes.
xoxo-C.

**If you have any recipe requests, please feel free to drop me an email**

Lovely Leftovers...

2010-06-21T22:13:00.011-04:00

If you know me, you know that I hate to waste food. I love (most) leftovers. A couple nights ago I posted about the delicious crabcakes my Mama & I made. When dinner time came around this evening I knew that's what I wanted to eat again. The only thing missing was the side dishes. Growing up, we always had 2-3 "sides"...so now I really can't eat a meal without them. On tonight's menu- Yellow cauliflower & some baked whole sweet potatoes (with some homemade butter my Mom whipped up yesterday)

How to:
1. First, scrub your sweet potatoes under running water. Pat dry with a paper towel.

2. Take a sharp knife and poke a few holes in each potato (this speeds up the cooking process) Then, individually wrap each sweet potato in a sheet of aluminum foil
3. Bake @ 375 for about 40-45 minutes (or until your fork easily pierces through the potato).

In the meantime...let's get our YELLOW cauliflower prepared.

First, chop off the big stem underneath the florets. Then break apart into bite-sized portions & wash under cold water.

Once most of the water has strained, put into a baking dish and add a good amount of Olive Oil, S&P, and a couple shakes of cayenne. WARNING- do NOT overdo the cayenne...it will come back to haunt you.

Bake this lovely dish of sunshine at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes (or until a fork gently pierces through the cauliflower). OPTIONAL- once you remove the dish from the oven, you could shave some Parmeggiano Reggiano cheese on top for an added twist. I am obsessed with this cheese. I get the 1/2 wheel from Costco on a monthly basis (Yes, I'm a pig. I eat the whole thing basically by myself).

Can you see that gooey melted cheesiness?! Never fails me.
So here was my completed leftover dinner concoction: a baked sweet potato (my FAV), my salmon cakes, and my cauliflower. MmMm.

AND a small glass of my leftover SaNgRiA since I didn't have to work...I've said it once & I'll say it again...watch out for the fruit!

Mondays = Reality TV

2010-06-21T20:34:00.004-04:00

Well, Monday nights for the past year have = working at the hospital. Tonight, however, I got a call that they didn't need me due to low census. Naturally, my first thought was "YESSS!!! I get to watch The Bachelorette AND Real Housewives of NJ". Are any of y'all reality tv junkies? I don't get to watch too much television but when I do, I love every minute.

Ok ladies, for those of you who watch the Bachelorette...who are you voting for?? I have missed a couple episodes but I know that thus far my favorite is Roberto.

He seems like a sweet & handsome, family-oriented, Southern gentleman.

I think Kasey is kinda strange...The whole getting a tattoo thing after knowing Ali for 2 seconds is a li-ttle extreme. No?! And don't even get me started on Justin, the entertainment wrestler. Oh boy. Something about this guy screams sketchball.

So, bloggettes, tell me...what reality shows do you find guilty pleasure in? Any of you watch the Housewives shows?? My favorite NJHF is Teresa. She is so funny & I think her girls are precious.

Ok, stay tuned...I'll post what I ate on this beautiful, tv-filled, evening...Here's a hint...1 part is a leftover from lastnight, 1 part is sweet & comforting, and the other part is stinky (pee-you!!) but Oh-So-Yummy.

Talk to you soon!!

Father's Day

2010-06-20T20:10:00.018-04:00

Today was a very special day. A day to celebrate the men that will forever shape the lives of their little girls. Our Dad's have a VERY strong influence on the type of man we marry. Studies show we either marry a man just like our Dad's...or nothing like them. I woke up so excited to celebrate the most special man...the one who has been there since my first breath. Come on girls, in most cases, no one will ever mean as much to you as your Daddy. With that said, my Mom and I woke up nice and early to start the cooking festivities.

First, I started on the sangria. (OK, i realize that my Dad doesn't even drink it...so I guess I made it for me. Oh well.)

Step 1: Cut up 5-6 strawberries, 1 champagne mango, slice an orange, and rinse off some fresh blueberries.

Combine the fruit in a pitcher with an entire bottle of your favorite red wine. You could pretty much make this with anything you prefer. Since I'm adding in a 1/2 cup of Brandy as well (Metaxa is what I used), I chose to go with a sweeter red...that way the sangria won't be too strong tasting. This was the first time I tried this lovely bottle:

B. Lovely sweet red wine. I took a sip of it before I added it to the rest of the mix & it was wonderful on it's own. Slightly sweet but not as much as a Moscato. SO good.

Look at all those beautiful colors!! The longer this sits the better it tastes.(Beware the fruit! It soaks up all the alcohol..so just when you think you're eat this innocent looking fruit...BAM!! You are seeing double). If you can't control yourself and you have to have a glass right.now.before.you.lose.your.mind, NO WORRIES! Just throw some ice cubes in your favorite wine glass and go to town. If you feel like you can wait a while, pop this baby into the fridge and let it chiilll.

With my glass full of fruits (and wine), MamaDeLuxe and I got started on the crab cakes. First, we washed and finely chopped 2 green onions, 1/4 of a white onion, 2 mini red bell peppers, and a bit of fresh cilantro.

Place in a large bowl & add in the juice from 1/2 a lemon, 2 tbsp mayonnaise, and about 1/2 cup panko (or your favorite breadcrumbs). You will likely need more but it's best to slowly add it in rather than to have tough crab cakes. Right?

Next, mix & mash everything up with your hands. I use gloves only because I'm squeemish...shocking. I know. My Mom graciously took over so I could take some photos. Once everything is formed, use a mini ice cream scooper to form even sized portions.

The next steps are as follows:

Form little patties with your hands.

Next, gently roll them in a separate bowl filled with panko. This adds an extra "crunch" to your crabeycakes.

Do this over and over until you run out of crabmeat. Place on an oven safe sheet & broil for about 6 minutes per side (or until nicely golden on top).Broiling is a nice option I prefer over pan frying the crab cakes. It keeps the dish lighter, healthier, and they actually end up crispier rather than drenched in oil. Here is a before picture. I don't have an "after" shot because my big Greek family devoured them before I even put them on a plate. That's life.

Once you eat your own, homemade crab cakes, you'll appreciate how much better they taste than the processed frozen ones you find at most restaurants (excluding the high end ones like @ Capital Grille...those are pure bliss).

My sister graciously made the caprese salad. This is so simple and easy and really adds something different to the same old lettuce & dressing "salads". Just slice up a nice beefsteak tomato on the thicker side, place a thick slice of fresh Mozzarella cheese on top, then top it with a large, fresh basil leaf. Drizzle the tops with quality olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette. Salt & freshly ground pepper are the finishing touches. Here it is! (Click to enlarge these. I want you to see the yumminess)

Oh so savory! I hope you all try some of these recipes soon (and leave me a comment telling me how they worked out for you). It's great to be back after a week long hiatus. Check back tomorrow. I'm going to blog about an AMAZING, classic Greek appetizer (cheese pockets- Tiropita) my Mom and I made. It's sure to be a hit at your next tapas party. Goodnight, Bloggees!

Glorious Morning

2010-06-20T00:37:00.013-04:00

I can't believe it's been almost a week since my last REAL post. Sorry, guys!! I was definetely in a funk these past several days. Then I woke up and had a great idea of how to get out of my grumpyfrumpy mood...BAKING, of course!! What better than something sweet, warm, and delicious?! To the kitchen I went. On the agenda...Morning Glory Muffins!! These are not only super yummy but they are also healthy (or at least healthiER than the sugar laden, saturated fattened ones sold at your local coffee shop. Here they are!

Tempted yet?? I thought so...ok, Here we go!

What You'll Need:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I use unbleached, unenriched but any type works.)
1 cup sugar (You could do 1/2 brown & 1/2 white if you prefer)
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 can (8oz) crushed, drained pineapple
2 cups grated carrots (about 6 carrots
1 large apple grated (I used a Granny Smith, but Fuji or Gala work nicely3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (pecans are also wonderful)
3 large eggs
1 cup canola oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

How to Make:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line your muffin pan with 16 cupcake papers
2.In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Then add the pineapple, coconut, carrots, apples, raisins, and walnuts. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the 3 eggs, canola oil, and vanilla extract.

4. Add the egg mixture to the large flour bowl & stir until combined.

5. Using a mini ice cream scooper, spoon the batter into the cupcake papers filling them to the brim.

6. Bake for about 30-40 minutes. Mine were done in 30 minutes. Just be sure a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the muffins. Let them cool on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes before taking them out.

At this point, you should be salivating...at the very LEAST, your kitchen should smell amazing...AND you should be salivating. Go on, eat one! I may be biased, but I think they taste amaaazing with an iced,double tall soy latte. Just sayin'.

Enjoy!

-C.

Time Out

2010-06-18T17:53:00.002-04:00

If there were a "Time Out" for adults, I guess I just had one...a long one! I've been in a major funk lately, hence the lack of blogging. Sorry guys!! Don't worry, I'm slowly getting out of the mood & am back with some yummy recipes!! Will post after I get off work tonight.

Happy Friday!

Simply Sunday

2010-06-14T00:20:00.035-04:00

I love Sundays. I always have. It's the one day a week, even as a little girl, I remember my entire family being together for the whole day. What could be better? In our house, the women (my two sisters, MamaDeLuxe, and myself) are the ones in the kitchen-cooking, baking, pouring the wine & chatting...and the men are usually doing other things...like watching tv or napping until the food is done. European men have it made. Enough said. Besides that, the house is filled with the sounds of childhood innocence. While sometimes I do enjoy a nice quiet afternoon (ie. last Saturday), majority of the time I love hearing the voices of my neices & nephews and the pitter patter of their little feet running through the house. Yes, today was perfect.

It started off with my Mom's amazing homemade egg salad sandwiches.
We started by boiling the eggs.

In the meantime, we chopped up red and orange bell peppers, a few green onions, and half of a regular white onion. Along with that we also zested about half a lemon.

To top the egg salad, we baked several slices of Pancetta in the oven. Pancetta is like a much healthier, less fattier Italian substitute for bacon.

Once the eggs were finished boiling, we peeled them (stiiiinky!), and cut them into halves, then smaller pieces.

Combine the eggs in a large bowl with all other ingredients & add a good amount of S&P, a few shakes of Cayenne, 2 small spoonfulls of Dijon mustard, and 2 small spoonfulls of Mayo (any kind will do).

Gently mix & set in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes. Once done, start assembling on your favorite bread (we used Arnold's rye today).

I topped the sandwiches off with Kraft's new Bacon&Chedder cheese slices. Lord have mercy. That's all I'm saying.

The day only got better from there. I started on my pie adventure (as previously posted) while the other gals got dinner started. On the menu...

Happy Hour & Appetizers:
I mixed 2 of my newest wines together for a milder, sweeter afternoon beverage. You may recognize lastnight's Malbec purchase. The other wine is Canyon Oaks moscato. Moscato wines are made from the muscate grapes which are much sweeter in taste. This wine has wonderful fruity hints to it.

Along with the wine we baked up some of Wegmans' Wine & Cheese flavored pork sausage. I don't usually gravitate towards sausage but this was very good. It had the perfect amount of cheese flavor with a slight kick at the end.

We also baked up some Brie cheese & topped it with Wegmans' mouth-watering caramel pecan cranberry topping. You can find it in their cheese section.I prefer Carr's brand crackers with my brie. A little more expensive but very delicious. I'm not kidding you, this was HEA-VEN-LY! I actually saw the skies part & could hear the angels singing, "ahhhhhhhh". Just like that.

Main Menu:
Sweet corn on the cob, which we coated with Olive Oil & cilantro

Beer,Bourbon,and BBQ'd ribs (literally melted off the bone!! )

Grilled chicken & Greek-style Ratatouille (called Briami)

And a nice, fresh salad topped with black olives, Parmesano Reggiano shavings, and dijon dressing

Finally, at the table...Happy Sunday, everyone. Hope you have a wonderful week.

Cherry Lattice Lusciousness

2010-06-13T21:00:00.019-04:00

Try saying that 3x fast! I recently signed up to do The Butter & Cream Summer Pie Spectacular with the girls over at
http://butterpluscream.blogspot.com/
Basically, the girls post 2 different "piesignments" per month. Whoever chooses to participate bakes the designated pie and then blogs about it, while sharing their personal recipe. It's a great, fun way to pass around some quality pie secrets! This weeks recipe...CHERRY!!

I usually don't make cherry pie for two reasons...first, because I refuse to use the canned cherries and fresh ones are a bit pricey. Secondly, because I'm not the biggest cherry fan. After testing out & tweaking a new recipe, however, I'm in love! While it does take a bit of time & patience, I hope you take a bake break this summer to make this pie for your loved ones (or just yourself!). I promise you they'll be thankful you did. Enjoy!

I used Martha Stewart's COOKING SCHOOL book to make my Pate Brisee (pie crust). You could use a store bought one as well, but if you have a little time, this crust makes all the difference.

Ingredients:
2 + 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 + 1/2 tsp salt
2 + 1/4 sticks cold unsalted butter
7 Tbsp ice water

What to do:
Step 1- Combine flour, sugar, & salt in food processor. Pulse a couple times to combine.

Step 2-Cut butter into dice-sized cubes and add to flour mixture. Pulse until coarse (few seconds). Don't worry if you see clumps.

Step 3- Add in 7 Tbsp water (1Tbsp at a time) and pulse just until dough forms. As you can see below, the dough should be keep a slight crumbly texture.

Step 4-Place dough on a floured surface. It's very important to properly flour this area because your dough WILL stick otherwise. Divide dough in half, form 2 flat disks, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Don't worry. In this hour you can clean your kitchen & get started on the pie filling.

The Filling... (Ok, this is where things get very messy)

Ingredients:
2 pounds of fresh cherries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 + 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch (this is used to thicken up the juices the cherries have)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Steps:
1. De-pit the cherries...not gonna lie, this step is the pits!! (HAHA-ok, i'm laughing at my own joke). I used a pitter but you could just as easily use a knife. Make sure you have a cutting board or a trash bag underneath this process because cherries STAIN. Also, wear gloves...your hands will look like you came out of a crime scene. I promise.

2. Place cherries in a large bowl & add all other ingredients listed above. Gently combine. Set aside, as this is the point where we assemble our pie.

3. Take one of your Pate Brisee disks out of the fridge. Liberally sprinkle flour over your work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out your dough into a disk (about 1/2 in thick). Gently place at the bottom of your pie pan. The disk should be large enough to come up and over the edges of this pan. Don't worry if it's hanging over. We will take care of it later.

4. Take bowl of cherries and pour into the pie pan.

5. Next, take out your second disk from the fridge. Roll out onto a floured surface just as you did the first one. Using a paring knife, make ribbons, about an inch wide. See pic below.

6. Time for the lattice. Use about 5-6 "ribbons" and lay horizontally on the pie.

7. This step is MUCH easier if you have an extra set of hands. The reason being is that while you are laying down a vertical layer, your kitchen helper can lift the horizontal layers to create the basket weave appearance. Next...VOILA!!

8. Bake your pie in the center of the oven @ 375 F for 65 minutes (or until crust is golden & cherries are gently bubbling)
9. Finished product!!

Drooool. Serve at room temperature (yes, you have to wait) with a baby scoop of quality vanilla ice cream. MmMm! Hope y'all love this recipe.

Whiney little WINE-r

2010-06-12T22:13:00.008-04:00

Today was a VERY low key Saturday afternoon. While sometimes I really enjoy having nothing to do, it seems that since I graduated in May there have been days upon days of "nothing to do". I'm not sure I like it. Anyways, as I mentioned in my previous post, I woke up after just a few hours of sleep to watch the Greece vs. Korea soccer match...only to see them lose. (Insert disappointment here). Well, I comforted myself with a nice, cold Starbucks latte. Shocking, i know.

After watching the USA vs. England game, however, I found myself face-to-face with boredom again but lacking energy to actually DO anything. What do you think I did next?? NAPPED of course!! And boy did it feel good. I woke up 3 hours later feeling totally renewed & motivated to do something that has been haunting my thoughts for the past month or so...

STUDY!! (Wait, didn't this crazy girl just mention that she graduated?!) YES, I did. But I failed to say that standing between me & my new job are the nursing boards. I'm really not looking foward to them, as I only have one shot at taking them before my fellowship begins. And YES, that is a wine glass next to my book, thank you very much. I'm pretty certain that a little glass of wine while studying makes the information soak into your brain better. Right?!

Anyways, I just bought a FAB new bottle of wine while spending my entire paycheck on 2 bags of groceries tonight @ Wegmans. I thought I was buying a Moscato but accidently picked up a Malbec. Luckily, I loved it!! This is a robust red that hails from Argentina. If you're newer to reds or if you aren't a fan of how strong Merlots can be, I highly recommend a Malbec. Bottoms up!!

Today was a boring food day BUT tomorrow morning I'm preparing a nice, big brunch with my MamaDeLuxe...so stay tuned for some yummy eats & recipes. Later Taters!

xoxo,
C.

WORLD CUP

2010-06-12T07:46:00.011-04:00

Today's the day!! If you know me, I'm a night owl. I don't like to go OUT late at night but i love staying up late in my home-reading, blogging, (snacking-shh). This being said, after 4 short hours of sleep I basically leapt out of bed in order to watch Greece play Korea in the World Cup. I'm thinking a Starbucks trip is in order after this game. USA plays at 830pm.

Greece

versus

Korean Republic

AND...

USA

England

GO GREECE & USA!!!

Beans, Beans, are good for your heart...

2010-06-11T13:56:00.023-04:00

Do you remember singing that lovely little rhyme as a child? Most kids don't eat a ton of beans...so how was it that we knew the result of eating too many beans would be excessive gas?? Guess we were just smart! ANYway, one of my all time favorite things my Mom makes is her Greek bean soup, aka Fasolada. Unfortuntely, I am not only out of the beans she uses for this dish, I also don't have a clue how to use the pressure cooker. That thing is SCARY...the way it whistles at you while it's cooking. And God forbid you try to open it "before it's time"...BOOM!!! I can see it now...me laying unconscious on the floor of the kitchen after being whacked in the head by the metal top of the cooker. Thank you, but i'll leave the pressure cookin' up to MamaDeLuxe.

Since I'm out of greek beans, i decided to use this lovely bag of Trader Joe's 17 Bean&Barley mix.

I've had it before and it's delicious! There is a ton of variety in bean shape, size, and color AND there is a whopping 13grams of protein AND 13 grams of fiber (uh oh!) per 1/4 cup serving!! Ok, so here we go:

Step 1- Either plan ahead and soak your beans in a bowl of water overnight, OR procrastinate like me & simply rinse them in a strainer before you prep.

Step 2-Gather all your ingredients on the chopping board.

Step 3- Chop all ingredients

Step 4- Combine dry beans in a large soup pot and add 4 cups low sodium broth of choice (I use vegetable) and a small can of plain crushed tomatoes...Bring to a boil .

Step 5- Saute ALL other ingredients with a moderate amount of GOOD QUALITY extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and italian seasoning. Don't be afraid of using a good amount of olive oil. It won't harm you. Greeks have been using olive oil VERY liberally (without measuring) for hundreds of years and we are still some of the world's healthiest people.

Step 6-Combine sauteed ingredients into the pot of boiling broth + beans and lower to a simmer. Season with some S&P and cover for about an hour (until beans are soft). **Don't forget to taste & season along the way ** Also,check the liquid level periodically...it may be necessary to add a bit of water just so the soup doesn't end up looking like the Sahara.
Step 7- Clean up your messy kitchen!! If you're anything like me, your kitchen will look like an explosion after you've cooked even the simplest of meals. Oh well.

Here is the final product!!

Combine with a nice salad & you've made yourself a hearty, healthy, and comforting meal.

KALI OREXI (Greek version of Bon Appetit)

What I used:
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
2 mushrooms
2 mini colorful bell peppers of choice
2 cloves garlic
Handful of fresh basil from the garden (a couple tsp of dried works as well)
Half a large onion
1 tsp of Italian seasoning
Eyeball amount salt & pepper
Liberal amount of Olive Oil
4 Cups low sodium Vegetable Broth (any brand)
Small can of crushed tomatoes (any brand)

xoxo- C.

Chicken of the Sea

2010-06-10T21:46:00.015-04:00

So today I had the hankering for a really delicious, healthy, filling salad for lunch. I recently purchased some canned salmon from Trader Joes so I could have for those times when hunger strikes fast. After gathering some essentials from the fridge & pantry, I was all set and super excited to make a yummy salmon salad. Well, that was until I actually OPENED the can. All I can say is...eww!
This was the lovely can.

and THIS is what was in it. Gross! Nothing gives me the heebiejeebies more than finding a ton if microscopic-sized bones in my fish. I don't think I'll be buying this ever again. Lesson learned: it's better to shell out a couple extra bucks for the quality salmon in a can. Have no fear, lunch was still a success. I opted for the classic canned fish- TUNA! This is my favorite one because it's clean, it's in water, and it's always fresh.
I started by straining the can of tuna along with a can of garbanzo beans. Let them dry off completely.
Next up, I chopped 4 Caprese' tomatoes, 1 avocado, half a Vidalia onion, and a mini cucumber and combined in a bowl. I then added 2 TBSP capers, a few pinches of dry parsley, and eyeballed some salt & pepper. I never measure my seasonings because for the most part, people UNDERseason their food...nothing is worse-trust me. Next, I squeezed in some fresh lemon juice & drizzled in a decent amount of my favorite olive oil (there is going to be an entirely separate post about this product, as it really does deserve it's own time to shine). Here's what I ended up with:
It makes me SO happy to see tons of bright colors in a dish. It really makes you want to eat it that much more. Ok, final step- add in the garbanzos & tuna and gently toss to achieve THIS beauty:

You could eat this as shown, or with some pita chips, but I preferred to place mine on a bed of lettuce with a tiny bit of Balsamic. The salad + these steamed veggies ...

and my belly was VERY happy!!

If my jeans could talk...

2010-06-10T21:15:00.003-04:00

That's a scary thought. If my FAV jeans could talk, they would have much to say. They would tell you that I've abused them by REFUSING to hem them (just for those few times I wear heels)resulting in being dragged around and ripped along the bottom. They would also tell you that I neglected & cursed them when they were slightly too baggy. But right now they would be singing an entirely different tune. Lately, my FAVORITE pair of jeans appeared to "have shrunk in the dryer". That's my story and I'm sticking to it. For whatever reason (but we all know it's the dryer's fault) my beloved jeans will not button & are on the verge of rippage when I squat. Lovely. As you can imgaine, I freaked!! What's a girl to do! I certainly am not about to fork out xxx amounts of dollars for new ones. Oh NO i'm not. So help me God, I will get back into these jeans. So this is what it has come down to.

Dates with Jillian Michaels. Oh gosh...does this involve sweating?!? I have only done ONE 20-minute workout so far and already I'm sore, waddling, and having hallucinations of hot fudge brownie sundaes. Between us, i'm thinking purchasing a new pair of jeans is the easier solution...just don't tell Jillian!! :)

"I'm Throwing on my Louboutins..."

2010-06-10T01:54:00.004-04:00

Uhh...yeah right!! Afterall, I just graduated from nursing school & I certainly do NOT own a pair of Louboutins. I admit, there is nothing more eye-catching than seeing a fabulous shoe and then seeing that perfect shade of RED underneath (sigh). Life goes on. On that note, I have been in the market for the perfect pair of nude stilettos. With a little time & patience, I managed to find just the ones I was looking for (and no, I didn't have to sell my soul to the red-bottomed devil to get them). Here they are:

The lighting is horrible in this picture but I assure you they are flawless...the perfect shoe that goes with just about everything. I have to say, when I first saw these I was a little intimidated because they are FOUR & a HALF INCH HEELS! After trying them on, though, I instantly fell in love. They not only are comfy (huh?!) but they are also low cut in the front which reveals the ideal amount of toe cleavage...oh come on, girls. You KNOW what I'm talking about. If you're looking for firmer buns, longer legs, and instant height, forget about diets...just invest in a pair of these shoes...

"Puttin' On The Ritz"

2010-06-10T00:51:00.017-04:00

I love that song!! I'm pretty certain I did one of my very first tap dances to it as a little girl...besides the point. So as I was saying yesterday, one of our dearest family friends graciously invited 8 of us ladies to have a Girls Dinner Out at The Palm . I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. Generally speaking, I'm not the biggest fan of Merlot...but the one we had with lastnight was superb!

It's called 14 Hands. What I liked most is that it had a fruity,mocha-ey aftertaste to it...very light as opposed to the heaviness most Merlots leave me. Next up was the main course. Feast your eyes on this bad boy:

Yup...a WHOLE lobster...per person.

This was so delicious and buttery. I ordered mine with a side of sauteed asaparagus (in olive oil with whole cloves of garlic).

They were very fresh and still a bit crunchy-which is my preference. The staff at The Palms were very accomodating. Not only did they come around and get all the lobster meat out for each person; They also cleaned your hands for you after the meal using lemon juice and hot towels. Bliss. Pure bliss. To end the night, we all shared some decadent death-by-chocolate torte

as well as the most fresh carrot cake I've ever tasted. The spicy nutmeg, cinnamon, and cream cheese frosting reminded me so much of Autumn.
In the end, this meal would not have been as wonderful without the company of these lovely ladies. Good food always tastes better when shared with family & friends

"What's your flavor...tell me what's your flavor..."

2010-06-08T16:09:00.005-04:00

Goodmorning! Today is one of the most beautiful days we have had in a long time. And what better way to start it off by feeding my addiction...my Starbucks addiction! Yes, I admit- I'm not just a regular ol' coffee addict; I'm addicted to the stuff that makes you search your couch cushions for pennies just so you can stand in that never-ending line, wait your turn, and get your 10 seconds of FaMe as you call out what sounds like jibberish. Phew!! That feels much better. So tell me, what is YOUR coffee drink of choice? Here's mine...

An iced, double shot, soy latte (...with caramel drizzle on top) What can I say, love at first sip. In other news, I'm going out for a fancy schmancy dinner tonight at The Palms/Ritz Carlton. I'll definetely be reviewing the food so stay tuned...

And so it begins…

2010-06-06T19:32:00.000-04:00

I’m so excited!! Today is my first post…EVER. I’ve been wanting to start a foodie blog for quite some time but never had the time to do it. After too many years in college, I have finally graduated with my nursing degree. That being said, my schedule has opened up and I can focus more on one of my absolute favorite things- FOOD!
Today I was feeling the need for something delicious, decadent, and tropical. One of my favorite food bloggers I follow had an amazing recipe for Coconut Rum Cupcakes. They turned out PERFECTLY! Check out www.howsweeteats.com This chick also has some other fantastic recipes.

Cupcakes HOT out of the oven…

Coconut about to be toasted for the tops of the cupcakes…

Frosted (Jessica used Malibu Rum in the frosting, but I ran out of it so I used coconut extract instead)

COMPLETE!!

You MUST try the recipe…it’s so yummy! Enjoy your Sunday everyone 