This weekend

I'm going to Denver, Colorado this weekend to visit one of my best friends who moved there for her job a few months ago. Denver is a city filled with restaurants that serve up an array of amazingly delicious food and creative cocktails and I'm lucky that my friend is a foodie like me! I'm going to take a ton of pictures to create an epic Denver post when I get back!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!!

Just a side note: Kacey of Kacey's Kitchen went to the Great American Beer Festival last year and her post HERE has had me just itchin' to go since shared her experience on her blog. Seriously....this post has had me drooling since last September.

Picture borrowed from the DCF website: http://www.denvercountyfair.org

Besides being a foodalicious foodie, Kristen (my friend), is also a super duper fiber spinning artist and she's entering some of her wool in a contest at the Denver County Fair. Below is a picture of Kristen's latest creation (I love her color choices!) They have many different pavilions at the DCF -- one of which is a Kitchen Pavilion and you know that I'll be hitting that one up, food and drink in hand.

Kristen's wool (she gave me permission to share this WOO HOO!!!) I love it! :)

Besides the Denver County Fair, just to give you an idea of some of our activities (*cough* eating activities *cough*), below are some of the places that we're going to go:

Euclid Hall

Snooze, an A.M Eatery

d Bar Desserts

You KNOW that I've already scoped the menus out! I can't wait to post pics and reviews when I get back!

In addition to sampling amazing food, we are also going to go camping (we = Kristen, myself, and her Denver friends) Saturday night. Kristen is going to make her mom's amazeballoons spaghetti Friday night for us to take with us so that we don't have to subsist on s'mores and hotdogs (although I would be more than ok with this).

All around, this is going to be an incredible weekend. :)

Delicious Dip for your chip!

I like love green dip. My friends can back me up on this one since they were there when I made myself physically ill a couple of birthdays ago from eating way too much of this stuff at a restaurant called El Tiempo. (Their dip is seriously fantastic and addictive...)

Since my experience at El Tiempo, I like to tell myself that I have developed a bit more self control as I've aged/matured (*snickers* yeah right...), BUT I haven't eaten myself into a food induced illness in a while. Coma yes, illness no.

I cooked dinner for my parents this past weekend and it was there that I put this green dip together. This stuff is mild enough to take to any party, and tasty enough that it's popular with everyone! :)

Yummy Green Dip

• 4 medium sized avocados
• 1/2 container of sour cream (about 8oz)
• 4 green tomatoes OR tomatillos
• 1/3-1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
• 2-3 tsp. minced garlic
• Jalepenos, seeded (I ended up using 4 mild jalepenos)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients other than the salt and pepper in an electric mixer or blender. Blend until creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a garnish of fresh cilantro. We ate ours with tortilla chips but carrots/celery/cucumber would also pair well.

Happy eating! :)

Pulled Pork

I was cruising Annie's Eats the other day looking for a yummy (and easy!) recipe to make this weekend and boy, did I sure hit the nail on the head with this one!!!

The prep time took NO TIME at all and all I had to do was stick around the house and turn my pork shoulder over every hour. My apartment smells AMAZING right now! :)

Shredded Pork

4-7 lb. pork shoulder

1 onion, quartered

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. ground cumin

¼ cup brown sugar

3-4 garlic cloves

1-2 tbsp. salt

pepper

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

2-3 tbsp. white wine vinegar

2 cups water

Rinse and pat dry the pork shoulder.

 

Combine the onion, spices, brown sugar, garlic, salt and pepper to taste in the bowl of a food processor.  Add the olive oil and white wine vinegar.  Blend mixture until totally combined.  Pour over the pork shoulder.  Rub over the whole surface of the pork, being sure to cover any folds or crevices. *NOTE* I unfortunately do not have a food processor so my onions remained chopped. It was still delicious. :)

Place the pork in a Dutch oven or roasting pan and add water to the pan.  Cover tightly and roast at 300° for several hours, turning once every hour.  When it is fork tender turn the heat up to 425°, remove the lid, and roast skin-side up for 15-20 more minutes until crispy.  Let rest 15 minutes.

Shred the pork shoulder using two forks.  Pour some of the juice from cooking over the shredded meat to keep it moist.  Serve with warm tortillas, lime wedges, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo. (And cheese if you're a cheese-love like me!!!)

 This was seriously nom-tastically delicous! Five stars!!!

Happy Eating! :)

* Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats

Word association games

Here I am, sitting at work playing the waiting game for my report and an idea just popped into my head that is slightly food related (really...do I ever actually stop thinking about recipes/food/techniques/delicious new kitchen appliances/cheese?!), but is also kooky and random.

Thought process:

Hmmm...I wonder what my family and friends are up to this weekend? I'm making this new dish on Saturday, I hope it turns out well. I really hate that my pictures suck on my blog. I wonder if my family and friends actually read this blog. I wonder if they would like the Saturday dish. WHAT IF MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS WERE A DISH?! WHAT KIND OF FOOD WOULD THEY BE?!

 The end.

So I'm going to play a little word association game here on the blog (yes with myself but I'm ok with this). I'm going to list my family and friends and then put the first food item that pops into my head next to them! WHAT A GREAT TIME PASSER ON THIS FRIDAY AFTERNOON WHILE I WAIT FOR MY REPORT TO PUBLISH EVEN THOUGH IT'S ALREADY 3PM CENTRAL TIME.

Moving on...

Lauren's Game

Nana - Meatballs

Boopsie - Black Licorice

Mom - Bluebell Dutch Chocolate Ice Cream

Dad - Brie Cheese

Frank - Pickles

Maggie - Chocolate

Erin - Goat Cheese

Kristen - Caramel Cinnamon Rolls

Amanda - Kinder Hippos

Ryan - Sugar

Jenny -  Dr Pepper 

Megan - Steak Lupe

Jason - Tamales 

Tim - Turkey

Keith - Bagels

Mollie - Wine

Stephanie - Avocado

Sharon - Oreo Cupcakes

Rebecca -Butterscotch

Jordan - Wings

I know I'm slightly crazy right now but these are what popped into my head!! And yes, wine and Dr Pepper aren't technically considered food but WHATEVER!

.......

I would just like to add that between the cookies I brought that I baked last night, some cake someone brought in, and the mini twix that Mollie tossed onto my desk, I've consumed a lot of sugar today.

"I made THIS and there is no milk in the house?! Seriously...?!"

I got started blogging a little over a year ago after stumbling upon the foodie blog, Kacey's Kitchen. Not only is she all around awesome (the girl does roller derby for goodness sake!), Kacey's blog is engaging, fun to read, and effing hilarious!!! She even emailed me back after I sent her a quick admiring note instead of treating me like the food blog creeper I am WOO HOO!!! The name of my blog is actually a tribute to Kacey and her food bloggy awesomeness....not just a lack of creativity FYI.... ;)

As of the writing of this post, her latest entry was something that was so mind blowing, I had to attempt it the first chance I got. To quote from Kacey:

Do you need something to completely blow your co-workers minds? Do you need to leave your friends in a sugar coma for a week? Do you need a dessert that is simple to make??? Hell yeah you do!!!

Go forth and make these, now. Just be sure to have a gallon of milk on hand and a nice cozy spot to nap after you've pigged out on them!

Yes, yes, and yes!

Kacey's Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 sticks softened butter
• 3/4 Cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 Cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 10 oz bag chocolate chips
• 1 bag Oreo Cookies, (Like Kacey, I used the double stuff -- go big or go home!!!)   

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

In a stand or electric mixer, cream butter and sugars until well combined. I cut my butter into chunks and let them sit until they were room temperature. If you've read my other baking post...you know that I've learned this lesson the hard way!

Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda (I sifted mine just to be sure).

Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.

 

Using a cookie scoop, take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo Cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo Cookie is enclosed with dough.

Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes (mine were perfect at 10min) or until cookies are baked to your liking.

Look at him...TAUNTING ME with the minutes left to bake!!! *Shakes fist!!!*

Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Serve with a tall glass of milk, enjoy!

And yes, the title of this blog entry is true. Can you believe I don't have any milk in the house?! With this kind of karma, you'd think that I kicked a puppy/made a child cry on purpose/cut in front of a little old lady in the grocery store line or something! To put the universe into balance again, I am bringing these to share with my coworkers tomorrow...lucky them right?!

P.S. As an added bonus, I have a KILLER chocolate cookie recipe now! EEEEeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Happy eating!!!

*Recipe adapted from Kacey's Kitchen.

Annie's Mom's Clam Sauce

Annie from Annie's-Eats does it all. Wife, mother of two young children, doctor...I have absolutely no clue how she manages everything and yet still finds time to bake and cook and blog all about it! This woman is an inspiration!!! I have a not-so-secret-foodie-crush on her and have forwarded the link to her blog many times over to friends. :)

One of my favorite things about Annie's blog is that she has such a variety of recipes for all different skill levels. Since I am just getting back into the kitchen, I found a quick and easy recipe for clam sauce on her website that would be perfect for me to make during the week. I will say this though, as yummy as it was, I think I will tweak it next time by adding some herbs and wine to the sauce. Either way, the original was tasty!

Linguine with Clam Sauce

• 12 oz. linguine pasta
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (6.5 oz) cans minced clams, juices reserved
• ½ cup heavy cream (or half-and-half)
• Salt and pepper
• Grated Parmesan, for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well. Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat until the butter is completely melted.

Add the garlic to the pan and sauté until golden and fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the reserved clam juice to the pan, bring to a simmer, and reduce by about half.  With the heat on medium-low, stir in the clams and the heavy cream.  Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Portion the pasta into warmed serving bowls.  Spoon some of the sauce over the pasta and top with grated Parmesan, if desired.  Serve immediately.

* Borrowed from Annie's-Eats

Happy eating! :)

Fluffy Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

If I had known how quick and easy these pancakes were to make as opposed to packaged mix, I would have made these yummies ages ago! I mean really -- they were SO EASY to make!!! I'm never purchasing boxed-pancake mix again......EVER!!!

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter, plus some for frying
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

In a large bowl, sift together the flower, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat the eggs with the buttermilk and melted butter. Combine the dry and the wet ingredients into a lumpy batter. Do not over mix.

Heat some butter in a skillet or a griddle over medium heat. Spoon 1/3 cup of batter into the skillet/griddle and sprinkle the top with blueberries. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. (note: I look for the little air bubbles popping up to know when to flip.)

Serve with maple syrup. (serves 4-6 people or one redhead with cats over several days)

As a side note, I wish I could say that I don't have a picture of the finished product to add because I was distracted by winning the lottery or there was a zombie apocalypse going on but the truth of the matter is, is that these were SO DELICIOUS AND FLUFFY THAT THEY WERE GONE BEFORE I COULD EVEN THINK OF TAKING A PICTURE IN CAPS!!!

The leftover batter is in the fridge -- I know what I'm having for breakfast Monday morning....

Happy eating! :)

What is it about red velvet cupcakes?

Two things:

1.) I have red hair.

2.) I like eating cupcakes.

Therefore, I think that I am qualified to make a post about red velvet cupcakes. Also, while I'm at it, icing bags are more complicated than they appear to first time time users who don't now read the instructions.

This was my first time ever baking from scratch. From the cake to the frosting, I boldly made the promise to find the best red velvet cupcake recipe I could and bring the cupcakes in for Ana's birthday. Classic example of not thinking before I speak! First time EVER and I'm promising birthday cupcakes to a friend and the entire office will be eating them?! As a side note, we have a woman who regularly bakes from-scratch cakes and brings them in. I'm competing with her legacy?! What was I thinking?! Luckily for me, I didn't completely fail (only a teensy bit), and the hyenas ended up wolfing them down before 8:15am anyway.

*Queues the music*

Enter the red KitchenAid stand mixer.... (yes, those are angels singing!)

I knew exactly where to start. Bakerella is a very gifted baker and blogger extraordinaire. I've been an avid fan of hers forever and I knew that she had the red velvet cake recipe that I was going to use for Ana's birthday cupcakes. Without a ton of ingredients and her stamp of approval, I knew that her recipe was a winner as long as I could execute it.

Baking is science. Unlike cooking, you need exact measurements or else a little bit extra of this or not enough of that and you can pull a lump of goodness knows what from your oven. Execution my friends....execution is key.

Everything was going swimmingly until I realized that my butter was not room temperature. This is the teensy bit of failure that I was alluding to up above. Butter cannot be rushed. Putting it in the microwave (as I did) does not give you the consistency that is required for baking. Lesson learned -- my cupcakes were not as fluffy as I would have hoped/liked! To speed up the process, you can cut your butter into smaller, tablespoon sized chunks for them to become room temperature faster. Remember, you cannot speed up softening your butter by putting it in the microwave! AHHHhhh!!!

OK moving on.

Cupcakes baked and cooling on my bar area, etc. etc., it's time to make the icing! I'm not a particular fan of icing but let me tell you...this frosting was AMAZEBALLOONS. Good thing I live by myself - I was practically spooning that stuff into my mouth it was so good!!! (By the way, if anyone asks me about the frosting spoonage, I'm totally denying it.)

Frosting made, now comes the next tricky part. I was trying to go all fancy-pants mcgee with the frosting application. Normally, I spoon it on from the can but since I was making this stuff "from scratch," I wanted it to be as pretty as possible. I had purchased from Michael's a piping kit that included the plastic bags and metal heads to pipe different frosting designs on cakes/cupcakes/cookies. Guess who didn't read the instructions. Guess who figured out after the fact that the metal heads are applied from the inside, not held on the outside by the baker who then gets frustrated and ends up yelling at cake. THAT'S RIGHT, ME!!!

Not knowing how to move forward after sharing that bit, I'm just going to post another picture and the recipe and then go poor myself a nice glass of  some "wine of shame."

*Cheers!*

Red Velvet Cake

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 Tablespoon cocoa

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 Tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 oz. red food coloring

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease and flour two 8 inch cake pans.
• Lightly stir eggs in a medium bowl with a wire whisk. Add remaining liquid ingredients and stir together with whisk until blended. Set aside.
• Place all the dry ingredients in your mixing bowl and stir together really good with another wire whisk.
• Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on medium-high for about a minute or until completely combined.
• Pour into cake pans and then drop the pans on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
• Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• After about ten minutes, remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack. I also cover in plastic wrap while the cakes cool.
• Then make the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 cups confectioners’ sugar

• Sift sugar and set aside.
• Beat cream cheese and butter on high until creamy. Add vanilla.
• Then, add the sugar in batches. Scrape down the sides in between each addition.
• And frost away.

*Both cake and frosting recipes are from Bakerella

Woo hoo the blog is back!

Long time no talk foodies! After a long hiatus from blogging, I have returned in full force *cough* more like baby steps *cough* but HERE I AM! I'M BACK!

As an FYI, all of the posts below this one were recovered from my first blog. As of yesterday, I have consolidated all of the old ones here and am now using Blogger as my super duper awesome (and free) platform. Free = win!

Ask anyone who knows me, and he or she will tell you that I really enjoy food. Like...I enjoy food. I love the preparation, the presentation, the texture, the smells and tastes, all of that good stuff that goes into a meal that you are proud (or maybe not so proud of). When I dine out, I try to decipher all of the different elements that went into making the dish so I can attempt to make it at home in my own kitchen. I can't say that I've ever recreated a dish perfectly, but I've definitely improved on a couple enough that I'll make it my way again!

My break from blogging was largely in part due to the fact that I live on my own. As much as I love being in my kitchen, it is so easy to to come home from work and choose to pop a frozen dinner in the microwave instead of tie my apron on and get to work. Living on my own, I don't have anyone other than myself to cook for and the cats could care less if I make anything or not. Cats are not good motivators people, not one bit.

If anything, Murphy and Jenny inspire me to be lazy and take naps:

Yesterday, I had a bit of a "come to Jesus" talk with myself about getting back into the kitchen. I was trying to remember the last time I had prepared something....ANYTHING for myself and nothing came to mind. I made my grocery list, went to the store on my way home, and tied the apron around my waist and it felt great!

This chili casserole is incredibly fast and easy to make -- perfect for a weeknight when you're home and tired from work. I tweaked a few things to try and make it healthier. "Healthy" and "casserole" are not two words that you typically see in the same sentence but I did my best and I didn't feel like the dish lacked flavor or mouthfeel.

Texas Two-Step Chili Casserole

• 2 Lbs. lean ground beef
• 1 Jar (34oz.) Cookwell Texas Two-Step Chili Mix (I purchased this at H-E-B)
• 1 Bag (16oz.) frozen tater tots
• 2 Cups (8oz.) 2% Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

1.) Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Place tater tots over bottom of baking dish; when oven is hot, place dish in oven until "taters" are slightly crisp.

2.) Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in chili mix; bring to a boil and simmer 5-10 minutes.

3.) Pour chili mixture over tater tots and top with shredded cheese.

4.) Bake 10-15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

* I chopped up green onion to put on top of mine. Other topping ideas include: sour cream, avocado, pico de gallo.

 

Besides being incredibly easy to make (and to clean up!), this was flavorful and something to consider serving to picky eaters. Seriously...who doesn't like cheesy-chili and tater tots?!

Happy eating! :) 

P.S. I'm still using the camera on my iphone...bear with me!

I LOVE NY!!!

My adoreballoons big brother recently moved to the Big Apple to begin his orthopedic surgery residency -- a five year long program that will be (you know it!!) jam packed full of visits from moi.

My mom and I were travel buddies this visit, and managed to cram five days worth of clothes into one carry-on bag each and a smallish tote (we're talking miracles here foodie friends...MIRACLES). We arrived at the hotel and set out with our stomachs growling and maps in hand. I can officially say that "I heart NY" because of all of the delicious goodies that we searched out and stumbled across during our trip. Again, apologies for the crappy pictures, they're from my iPhone.

Let me just begin with "YELP" IS YOUR FRIEND!!! The places we enjoyed the most were those that we never would have found without the help of Yelp and the reviews of the Yelp foodie contributors.... Thanks guys! We (and our tummies) love you!

All time favorite place that everyone MUST visit is an idyllic little hole in the wall on the Upper East Side called Alice's Teacup Chapter II. Mom and I were a little late leaving the hotel the second morning and we picked Alice's for breakfast/lunch. Alice's Teacup makes a variety of fresh, homemade scones every day, along with delicious sweet treats and teas. Each diner has a different design on his or her china and drinking tea from a sweet little teacup in a beautiful room creates a truly memorable experience. Mom and I ordered a "Mad Hatter," which is a selection of scones, sandwiches, and treats meant to be shared. For the scones, we ordered a traditional buttermilk (served with fresh strawberry preserves and clotted cream), ham and cheese, and pumpkin. Every scone up to this point that I had eaten was very hard and left me wondering what all of the English fuss was about. Alice's scones had the texture and consistency of homemade biscuits: they were warm, slightly dense but still fluffy, and just MELTED in your mouth.

We each chose a sandwich to share. At the suggestion of our server, Mom chose their curried chicken salad. It was a yummy combination of chicken, a hint of mayo, red onion, celery, granny smith apple, on semolina bread with golden raisins and fennel. I chose chicken breast, granny smith apple, and herbed goat cheese on seven grain bread.

For dessert, we had an assortment of fresh baked cookies and a delicious lemon tart. It was light and the perfect end to a lovely lunch.

 I need to check my camera (HOPEFULLY I didn't delete it...), because I photographed a delicious Italian dinner that Mom and I had on our first night. Terrazza Toscana is Zagat rated and has a snazzy, young atmosphere. They make their pasta fresh, and after you have homemade pasta, you never want anything else! MMMmmm delicious, delicious carbs...

Mom started with a salad of braised pear on a bed of peppery arugula, dressed with a light lemon vinaigrette and shaved pecorino cheese. I'm slightly ashamed to admit this, but I can't remember what salad I had! It was one of the specials and I liked Mom's more (go figure). For our entrees, Mom ordered veal scallopine, which was sauteed with pinot grigio, pine nuts, golden raisins, and spinach. I went the pasta route, and ordered rigatoni with crushed tomatoes, garlic, buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil. Deep into our food comas, we managed to hail a cab and called it a night after that.

We did experience NY pizza on our trip...how could we not?! Lombardi's is the first (and arguably the best!!!!) pizzeria in New York. Also Zagat rated, be sure to order the meatball pizza if you go. Lombardi's meatballs were so incredibly fantastic, we ordered a side of meatballs to add to those on our pizza. Combine that with Brooklyn Lager on tap, you have a memorable (or not so memorable since in my food craze I forgot to take pictures) meal.

Thomas Keller is a famous and critically acclaimed chef on both the east and west coasts. He has won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation and his NY restaurant, Per Se, has three Michelin Stars. Did we dine there? ....Nope! However, we did enjoy a tasty lunch at his restaurant, Bouchon Bakery, above the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle. We had a gorgeous view, and noshed on food that was delicious and beautifully presented.

Mom ordered a salad with perfectly poached scallops, crisp asparagus, and greens that I have no clue what they are, all dressed in a delicate and flavorful vinaigrette.

I ordered a sandwich. Yes, a sandwich. Before you start writing rude comments about "how one can go to Bouchon and only order a sandwich?!" I insist on you looking at the picture because this was NOT JUST ANY OLD SANDWICH. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY DELICIOUS SANDWICH!

Served warm, it contained roasted chicken breast with an aged, sharp chedder spread and spicy mustard....a lightly dressed salad with a nice tangy dressing....freshly baked, toasty bread....this foodie friends, was one hell of a sandwich! Combined with the view, I'd definitely recommend Bouchon Bakery to future NYC touristas looking for a good time.

Things I would GIVE for us to have Pinkberry down here:

*My right arm (I'd still have my left arm to shovel frozen yogurt in my face)

*One gajillion dollars (one sec, I'll write you an IOU)

*Cupcakes (except the ones from Crave because I don't want to hurt their feelings)

*The entire cast of Jersey Shore (I can perform my own fist pumps)

*Anything ELSE that I could POSSIBLY dream up to trade for Pinkberry every day....*sigh* It's so good...

For the summer, Pinkberry is offering watermelon frozen yogurt that you can add fresh watermelon on top of to make it THAT MUCH BETTER!!! Before my first bite, I thought that it would taste like any other old frozen yogurt....Pinkberry IS NOT any old frozen yogurt. Rich, creamy, slightly tangy, and low in calories -- they have an abundance of fresh fruit and other toppings (like chocolate and fruity pebbles!) to make it your own. If something is good, you know I will do my best to snarf it down. After waiting a bit in line, I received my treat and I SAVORED my watermelon Pinkberry cup like it was the last of its kind while walking around Columbus Circle. I <3 Pinkberry!!!

These meals stood out (or because I remembered to take pictures before I dug in), but TRUST ME, we enjoyed many other meals that didn't make it to the blog. New York is such a different place compared to Houston.....it has so much personality and character all crammed into one tiny island. We had a list of things to do but barely made a dent! We saw no Broadway shows, did little to no shopping (I bought shoes because mine broke within the first several hours of walking), took no tours, we didn't make it to Chinatown or Little Italy...

Holy cow...what DID we do?!? Walk, eat, stare up at the buildings, eat, drink water, eat, repair shoes, eat, buy books to read in our sweltering hotel room at the end of the day, visit Frank, EAT!!!

I can't wait to go back!!!

I Heart Breakfast

It's been a little while since I've posted but I promise, I've definitely been eating yummies (the pictures are all stuck on my real camera as opposed to my crappy iPhone camera that I've been using)!

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day by far. Nothing seems to satisfy me (discounting the awesomeness that is cheese *drools*), more than piping hot, perfectly (or not so perfectly) cooked eggs, crispy bacon, and something to soak up the egg yoke with (in the form of toast *drools* or hashbrowns *drools drools*). Sunday mornings are especially great for breakfast at home or brunch out. In this case, I decided to do BOTH!! "Both!?" I'm sure you're asking. Yes - that was not a typo! I'm going to have both!! At this time, try to contain your envy....thanks. ;)

I'm meeting the parentals around noon at this great little brunch place called Cafe Benedict. Having woken up reasonably early, my stomach demanded eggs and toast. How could I say no!? One fresh egg over easy and one toasted English muffin with two pieces of crispy turkey bacon later, I am drinking hot tea and digesting on my couch, updating this blog. No pictures of my breakfast...I could pretend that the reason is because it was pretty basic, but the truth is that I wolfed it down with a smile on my face before I even thought about taking a picture! So instead, I'll post a pic of my cute little teacup set that I'm sipping my hot tea from. I'll update this post later with a picture of the yummy-ness that will be my brunch!

As promised:

Las tapas son tremendas!

Oh. Em. Gee.

Last night, I was invited over to Ryan and Erin's for Spanish wine and tapas. For those of you who are not familiar with "tapas," let me give you the brief (and ever helpful) Wikipedia definition:

Tapas (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtapas]) is the name of a wide variety of appetizers, or snacks, in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or warm (such as chopitos, which are battered, fried baby squid). In North America and the United Kingdom, as well as in select bars in Spain, tapas has evolved into an entire, and sometimes sophisticated, cuisine. In these countries, patrons of tapas restaurants can order many different tapas and combine them to make a full meal. The serving of tapas is designed to encourage conversation because people are not so focused upon eating an entire meal that is set before them.

Oh. Em. Gee. I know right?!

Two days of kitchen labor produced three incredibly delicious dishes and LET ME TELL YOU -- THEY WERE DELICIOUS!!!

I was able to muscle myself into the kitchen (wine in hand) to take some pictures to make all of you foodies out there jealous of my incredibly talented and adventurous friends.

Wine:

Erin stuffed mushrooms with breadcrumbs, goat cheese, scallions, red bell pepper, and fresh cilantro. These little bites melted in your mouth! The creaminess of the goat cheese combined with the bite of fresh cilantro and bell pepper tickeled my tastebuds and I went back for seconds and thirds (and fourths and fifths when their backs were turned muah ahahaha!).

She blended together serrano ham, manchego cheese (mmmmm), tossed a little salt and pepper and then breaded them with panko bread crumbs and fried them to a delicate crunch.

Lastly (but certainly not least), they made piquillo peppers stuffed with shrimp salad. Piquillo peppers are miniature bell peppers from northern Spain and they have a smoky-sweet flavor. This paired perfectly with the shrimp salad (shrimp, garlic, mayonaise (hallelujah!!!), salt and pepper, and a splash of nice medium-dry sherry) to make a yummy addition to our meal.

I have the privilege and the pleasure to be involved (maid of honor WOO HOO!!) in Ryan and Erin's wedding. She and I ended our night holed up in the study discussing wedding details (like bouquet choices, linens, and menus NOM NOM!), and it was the perfect end to a perfect Tuesday night. I suspect Ryan was in a food coma on the couch -- he LOOKED how I FELT when I walked by to get more wine! ;)

What the HECK am I going to make when they come over next for dinner at my house?! Suggestions please!!!

Happy eating foodies! <3

Eggs + Leftovers = OM NOM NOM

I love eggs. We all know this.

What most people DON'T know however, is how much I LOVE making yummy breakfasts/lunches/dinners by combining leftovers from the fridge with eggs!

Sunday morning, I combined leftover spinach (with this yummy bacon vinaigrette dressing), feta cheese, eggs, and salmon (sorry for stealing your lunch Mom!) to make an exciting (I thought) new plate for Maggie to eat for breakfast. If any of you foodies out there follow Top Chef (*swoon* Tom Colicchio), they showed an episode where they highlighted a Top Chef fact: if you want to see what makes a top chef a TOP chef, ask him/her to make you eggs. :)

Mine are still a work in progress but at least I didn't over-heat the salmon!

I -REALLY- need to get a decent camera. These fuzzy iphone pictures just aren't cutting it. :(

Anywho, happy eating! :)

Whirlwind of a weekend!

My big brother graduated from medical school this weekend and holy moly was it fun!!! I baked two batches of cake balls and cake pops for the festivities (destroying my tiny kitchen in the process), and we managed to devour almost all of them (even after stuffing our faces with more goodies from the fridge!).

The devil's food ones were the hands-down faves but the carrot cake put in a good show. Nom nom!

We had family come visit from out of town and it really made the whole occasion THAT much sweeter! We did a lot of gabbing, crying, and laughing this weekend as we gathered together to watch Frank walk across the stage and receive his MD.

We had lunch at McCormicK & Shmidt's, where we gobbled our way through appetizers like portobello mushroom and goat cheese bruschetta, steamed clams, a crab, avocado, and mango tower, tempura shrimp, and more. In my excitement to snap pictures on my iphone to document these yummy treats, similar to a great California redwood falling over, I too fell out of my chair in the restaurant and crashed to the ground -- what a spectacle! Having more family in town also means more people to laugh at you when you make an ASS out of yourself in your nice dress at a nice restaurant. The best part is that ALL of the foodie pictures that I ended up taking were fuzzy and sent to the iphone picture trash can later! Fun times... ;)

It has been a long four years and we are so incredibly proud of Frank's success. Congratulations buddy! <3

Cake Balls/Pops:

• Pillsbury Devil's Food mix, chocolate-fudge frosting, orange (vanilla flavored) and dark cocoa shells.
• Pillsbury Carrot Cake Food mix, cream cheese frosting, vanilla shell.