And Carter Makes Three

Lettuce Wraps, Two Ways

2013-03-06T20:34:00.005-05:00

The healthier eating continues...hooray. Even better, our exercise has continued as well (running and 30-day shred for me and Crossfit for Ryan). Eating and cooking are really important to us, so we continue to try to find new ways to make healthy but tasty things. These are two recipes we've made for dinners this week (the leftovers were just as good for lunch the next day too). We took two recipes that are family favorites and modified them: tacos and chicken fried rice. Both are lower carb and lower calories than the originals and use lettuce wraps to replace the taco shells and rice.

Up first, Lettuce Wrap Tacos:

Start by cooking the meat: in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Once oil is hot, add 1 pound of lean meat (beef, turkey, or chicken) and cook for about 10 minutes until browned. Break meat into small crumbles (I've found a potato masher does the best trick). Add your favorite taco seasoning (or use your own- mix of chili powder, cayenne, garlic salt, onion powder, and Mexican oregano) and 1 cup of water. Once water is simmering, reduce to medium-low and cook until liquid evaporates. Now it's taco time! Using bibb lettuce as a "shell" add the meat and top with whatever your favorite toppings are (cheese, avocado, salsa, jalapenos, etc.). Yum! The leftover toppings and meat made for a delicious lunch the next day.

Next, Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps:

This is a similar preparation as fried rice, just without the rice! Start by sauteing two large diced onions in 2 tablespoons peanut oil over medium heat (about 30 minutes). Once onions are cooked and starting to caramelize, remove from pan. Add 4 whisked eggs to the pan and cook over medium-high heat for about 1 minute until cooked, remove from pan. Add more peanut oil and add 1 pound of ground chicken to the pan. Cook until browned and cook through (about 10 minutes). Put the onions and egg back in the pan with the chicken along with the juice of 2 limes, 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, 1 teaspoon siracha sauce, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Serve with more limes and bibb lettuce. Ryan said he didn't even miss the rice in the dish, it still had the same flavor.

Eggplant/Mozzarella Sliders

2013-03-03T09:10:00.003-05:00

We've officially made it a full week with healthier eating. There have been high points (losing 4 pounds in a week) and there have been low points (drooling and whining in the bakery section at The Fresh Market), but hopefully we're on the right track. I would never think I would say this, but I actually am enjoying running. It's not the easiest thing in the world with a stroller and a dog in tow, but they keep me motivated and laughing during my run.
In our continued quest to make healthy, but still fun dishes, we made a twist on eggplant Parmesan and came up with these eggplant "sliders." They were a cinch to make and really good. They'd make a great dish for a party because they could be made ahead of time.

Start by peeling one eggplant and slice it into 1/2 medallions. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

When the oil is hot enough, add the eggplant and season with salt.

Saute on each side for about 6-7 minutes.

Once eggplant is cooked through and nicely browned, let rest on a paper towel for a few minutes. Let them come to room temperature before assembling.

To assembly, take one slice of eggplant and put one small spoonful of crush tomatoes (or a tomato slice), then one slice of fresh mozzarella, then top with fresh basil, and finally add the second eggplant slice.

Now are these better then breaded and fried eggplant drenched in tomato sauce and cheese and served with a heaping bowl of pasta (carb withdrawal...)? Definitely not; but are they a good substitute? For sure! It made for a fun dinner last night, and along with a glass of wine, it was a great night (and Carter slept through the night...yay!).

Eating Well, Starting With Fish

2013-03-01T11:21:00.001-05:00

Scamp with asparagus in a lemon-champagne sauce

We've been kind of half-trying for the past few months at eating healthier, but unfortunately will power has never been a strength of mine. Like most people, we struggle with eating healthfully yet also economically. Now that Carter is eating all "big people" food, we also have that factor to contend with (and somehow avoid giving him a diet of only milk and chicken fingers...his preference). Tomorrow marks one week since we've been on a real healthy eating kick. It's not necessarily a diet, but more of conscious effort to limit carbs to fruits and vegetables and eat less. Perhaps the biggest change we've made is eating all "real" food, i.e. nothing processed. As a lover of cereal and bread, this is tough! I'd like to say after a week, all my cravings are gone, but that's just not true.
It's also really hard to come up with fun and tasty recipes. To be honest, the majority of our dinners are roasted or grilled chicken with a side or steamed vegetables. This recipe I'm sharing was actually fun to make and incredibly delicious. We went to Walt's fish market last weekend and got a filet of scamp (kind of like grouper).

Heat a large frying pan to medium-high and pour in two tablespoons canola oil. Meanwhile season the fish with salt and pepper (any white-flesh fish would work for this recipe, also is great with chicken cutlets).

Cook fish for about 4 minutes on each side or until there's a nice crust developing and fish is starting to cook all the way through. Turn heat down to medium.

Add 1/4 cup of champagne or white wine and the juice of 2 lemons. Bring to a bubble and then reduce to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in a 350 degree oven, roast 1 pound of asparagus until just under al dente. Remove from the oven and cut into thirds.

Add the asparagus, 2 tablespoons butter, and a little more salt and pepper to the pan with the fish and sauce. Stir gently to incorporate and you're ready to serve.

Made for a tasty dinner.

Apple and Onion Soup

2013-02-13T13:16:00.001-05:00

When Ryan and I were in Blue Ridge, GA we ate dinner at this amazing restaurant called Harvest on Main. We were not expecting to get gourmet, organic food in the middle of the mountains in Georgia, but sure enough that's just what we got! Everything we ate their was amazing, but the star of the show was the appetizer- their take on French onion soup. It was made with three different types of onions and used apple juice instead of beef broth for the liquid. Last night I tried to recreate this dish with a few adjustments.

To begin, start by browning 2 packages of apple chicken sausage (this soup doesn't necessarily need the chicken, but it makes it that much more tasty) in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a dutch oven (or any heavy-bottomed pot).

Once the chicken sausage looks like this, remove from pan with a slotted spoon, leaving behind any grease. Store the meat in the fridge until ready to eat.

To the same pan, add 3/4 stick of butter. While that melts, slice 3 large sweet onions and 2 red onions. To slice thinly, cut in half and then cut into thin half-moons.

Add the sliced onions to the melted butter and season with 1/2 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Stir onions that they are all coated in butter and salt and pepper. Turn heat down to medium-low. This is where patience comes in, because you can't rush this process. The onions need to cook for a long time in order to get that delicious French-oniony flavor.

After 30 minutes, onions will start to soften and caramelize. Add in a bunch of thyme (held together by twine so it's easy to remove). Continue cooking on medium-low.

After an hour, it will look like this, turn heat down to low and continue cooking.

After a total of two hours, the onions will be completely cooked down and their sugars rendered. Turn heat back to medium and you're ready to add your liquids.

For the liquid, add 1 cup marsala wine, 4 cups 100% apple juice, and 2 cups chicken stock. Season to taste. When soup begins to bubble, turn down to low and allow to simmer until ready to serve.

To serve, add the chicken back into the soup. Scoop soup into a bowl and top with a piece of toast and cheese (it's best with Gruyere, but we used Monterrey Jack because it was way cheaper) and bake until cheese is melted.

Best Onion Dip Ever!

2013-02-02T22:31:00.004-05:00

You can't have a tailgate or Super Bowl party without a yummy dip. Besides guacamole, this is my go-to dip: caramelized onion dip. It's really easy, the only part that's remotely difficult (which it isn't) is waiting for the onions to caramelize; but other than a few stirs, it's a matter of patience.

To start with, slice 3 large sweet onions very thinly.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. When oil is heated and butter is melted, add the sliced onions and season with 1 teaspoon of salt, cook for about 10 minutes.

After those ten minutes, turn heat down to medium-low.

Onions will begin to caramelize, this picture (above) is after sautéing for 30 minutes. Keep on going!

This is after 45 minutes of cooking. It's kind of a pain to have to wait that long, but it's not labor intensive at all, and the flavor is unparalleled.

In a stand mixer, add 2 packages (8 oz each) of cream cheese (let sit out for a few hours, or even over night so it's completely softened), 1 cup of sour cream, 1/4 cup of mayo, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme. Mix until completely combined and whipped. Then add onions.

Serve with tortilla chips. Tastes even better the next day!

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cookies

2013-02-02T21:04:00.002-05:00

These are a take on my favorite Giada recipe of all time- her lemon ricotta cookies. I use a little bit more lemon juice and zest, and this time used meyer lemons instead of conventional ones (adds a little bit more of a orange note instead of just pure lemon).

Like most cookies, start by creaming together sugar and unsalted butter (2 cups white sugar and 1 stick softened butter...side note, is there anything worse than waiting for the butter to soften for baking!?) in a stand mixer or with electric beaters (if you don't have stand mixer, start saving now because it is quite possibly the greatest kitchen tool I own) for 2 minutes until creamy and well combined.

Meanwhile, zest 3 meyer lemons (regular lemons will work too) and juice them.

To the sugar & butter mixture, add 2 eggs (one at a time), 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and half of the zest. Mix to combine. Then add 15 oz ricotta cheese and mix again. In a separate bowl, mix together 2 cups of flower, 1 teaspoon baking powder (unfortunately I didn't have any, but luckily for me, I have a wonderful husband who ran up to the store...another side note, I'm not sure I ever cook or bake something without having to send him back to the store for something I forgot; thank god we live a mile from Publix!), and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add those ingredients, a third at a time, to the liquid mixture. Be careful not to over combine.

To bake, pre-heat an oven to 375 degrees. These cookies will spread out some, so careful not to over crowd the baking sheet. (Another purchase that is wonderful- silicon baking pads...amazing!) Spoon about 2-tablespoon sized scoops of the dough. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until slightly brown on the bottom of the cookie. Allow to cool slightly before putting on the glaze. Speaking of the glaze...

In a bowl, add 2 cups of powdered sugar and the rest of the lemon zest. Start adding the lemon juice slowly and mixing together. Continue adding lemon juice until glaze is the right consistency- easy to spoon but not too liquidy. It should look like-

Once cookies are slightly cooled, spoon the glaze over them. Allow to harden before storing (I store in fridge so glaze is hard). These freeze really well too. These cookies are my absolute favorite. They have the consistency of a cake, rather than a cookie and are super flavorful. Enjoy!

Super Bowl Nachos!

2013-02-02T20:50:00.002-05:00

Carnitas (pulled pork) Nachos:

This recipe is really quite simple. It's not traditional carnitas (cooked in lard), but they are still very delicious and make a cheap piece of pork shine like a tenderloin. To start these nachos, you first need to slow cook the pork like you would for pulled pork. For our recipe, whisk together in the slow cooker: 1 tablespoon siracha sauce, 1/4 cup barbeque sauce or ketchup, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 head of garlic sliced in half (don't worry about peeling it).

Once sauce is mixed, put in a 4-6 pound pork shoulder (or Boston butt, with or without a bone); stir it around so it gets coated in the sauce (hard to do in our's because our slow cooker is small). Then fill the cooker with enough water to bring the liquid to the top. Put the lid on and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 10-12 hours.

After it's ton, it'll be completely fork tender (don't worry if the liquid looks greasy, you're going to strain it). Let cool for at least an hour before handling.

Pour entire contents in a strainer and pull out bone (if there is one) and garlic pieces and any pieces of fat if there any. Pull the pork apart with tongs or two forks (if it doesn't easily pull, then it wasn't cooked long enough!). Mix with favorite barbeque sauce and you're ready for pulled pork sandwiches, quesadillas, or in this case nachos! (More pictures to come of the nachos.)

The "Big Game" Menu

2013-01-31T16:38:00.001-05:00

I'm looking forward to this year's Super Bowl. While I'm disappointed that my Giants won't be in it this year; in a way it'll make it much more relaxing to watch since I won't have a vested interest in the outcome. I know there are ways to make healthy alternatives to tailgate snacks, but really what's the fun in that?! I'll post pictures once the cooking has begun, for now I'm just putting together my shopping list.

On the menu for our Super Bowl party is:

- Carnitas nachos with corn & avocado salsa

- Caramelized onion dip

- Green chicken tortilla soup

- Lemon ricotta cookies

Links for recipes:

Nachos!
Best Dip Ever!
Meyer Lemon Cookies

Cannoli Filling Mousse

2013-01-20T15:58:00.002-05:00

Cannolis are one of my all-time favorite dessert, but I've never attempted to make them at home. The idea of frying the shell seems a little daunting (and a lot of work!). So this recipe is a take on this loved dessert, without the hassle of deep frying.

Start by whipping 2 cups of heavy cream in a stand mixer or with electric beaters. Remove whipped cream and put it in a separate bowl. In the mixing bowl, whisk together 2 containers of whole-milk ricotta (the ones I used were 15 oz each) with 2 teaspoons of vanilla, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk together until ricotta is smooth. Once mixture is smooth and silky looking, fold in whipped cream and 1/2 cup of chopped semisweet chocolate (either chips and shavings). Let cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours before eating (I pipped it in a martini class using a freezer bag). Serve with extra chocolate on top. Super easy, and so insanely good!!

Chicken Chili With White Beans & Swiss Chard

2013-01-20T15:51:00.001-05:00

In honor of NFL playoffs and "winter" weather (I think it was sub-70 degrees this week, so that counts), I made chili. I do love a classic red chili with beef, but I actually prefer a white chili made with chicken. This recipe is actually inspired by a Giada recipe on Food Network, but I tweaked a bit to make it ours.

This chili could not be easier, and is actually pretty healthy (well maybe not the giant pile of cheddar cheese, but oh well!). To start with, in a large dutch oven or pot, heat over medium heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add 1 large onion diced and season with salt and pepper.

Cook until onions are cooked through, but not long enough that they start to turn brown.

After the onions have been sweated, add 2 pounds of ground chicken (or equivalent of ground turkey), 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cayenne, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (spices can be adjusted according to preference), and 1 teaspoon salt.

Turn heat up to medium-high and cook, while stirring frequently, until chicken is cooked through (about 10 minutes) and broken up into smaller pieces. Add 3 minced garlic cloves.

Add 3 tablespoons flour over the top of the chicken mixture and stir for 1 minute.

Once flour has been "cooked" for 1 minute add 2 cups of frozen corn (no need to defrost ahead of time) and 2 cans of white cannelini or white kidney beans (strain and rinse before using).

Next add 1 quart of chicken stock. Stir to combine and when chili begins to boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer for at least an hour.

After an hour, chili should be thicker, add 1 large bunch of Swiss chard (we used red, but rainbow would work fine, really any greens would work). Beforehand, wash and cut chard so that it's just the leaves and no stems.

Continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes or so until chard is wilted down and soup is desired thickness.

Serve with a healthy dose of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (it's healthier if you don't, but what fun is that?!). We had this chili the next day for lunch and I think it was even better the next day.

Cheesesteak Subs

2013-01-13T13:07:00.002-05:00

I know this is a controversial recipe to attempt, especially for those located in PA, but Ryan and I were both craving cheesesteak sandwiches and wanted to make them ourselves. We got some NY strips on sale at Fresh Market (I know, I know, you're supposed to use rib eye) and were ready to try it!

For our version of the yummy Philly sandwich (hoagie, gyro, grinder, sub, etc.) we sauteed 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced, in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, add 2 cups of sliced button mushrooms to the saute pan. Continue to cook on medium for another 5 minutes, and then reduce heat to medium-low.

Cook onions and mushrooms for at least 30 minutes, or until caramelized.

Meanwhile, it's time to slice the steak. 30 minutes before slicing, put steak in the freezer so it cuts better. Using a really sharp knife, cut across-wise into as thin-as-possible slices. Set aside sliced steak until onions and mushrooms are cooked. Take onions and mushrooms out of pan and turn heat up to high. Add more olive oil and add the steak, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the mushrooms and onions again, turn heat down to low.

Add slices of American cheese over steak mixture and cover with a lid to melt.

Add the cheesesteak mixture to sub rolls and serve!

It came out so delicious, it makes me wish I could eat this everyday for lunch (not sure cardiologists would approve!). It's a perfect dish for watching football playoffs or the Golden Globes (??).

French Toast With Orange Butter

2013-01-13T12:56:00.004-05:00

Okay so today was a cheat day (every now and then you just gotta!), that began with French toast. I never really had French toast growing up (my mother has an aversion to anything "eggy"), so I love to make it now and experiment with different flavors. This morning we made French toast with orange zest and topped with an orange butter.

Start by making the butter the night before. Allow 1/2 stick of unsalted butter to come to room temperature. Put in a small bowl along with 1 tsp orange zest and 1 tsp fresh orange juice. Stir to combine and then place in plastic wrap to harden in the fridge. It's easiest to do it the night before so you don't have to wait for the butter to get cold and hard.

When you're ready to start making the French toast, crack 4 eggs in a large, shallow bowl along with 1 tsp orange zest, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 1 cup half and half. Whisk to break yokes and combine. Meanwhile, slice 1/2 inch thick slices of challah bread and soak in custard.

Heat butter over a hot skillet (did I mention Ryan got me a really nice Calphalon skillet for Christmas?!) and add custard-soaked bread slices. Cook for a few minutes on each side until they're golden brown.

Serve French toast with orange butter and maple syrup. Even Carter got in on the French toast action. (Apologies for the paper plates, all the regular ones are in the dishwasher!)

We try to not to splurge on breakfast very often, but when you do, this is the way to do it!!

Shrimp Scampi With Spinach

2013-01-13T12:47:00.003-05:00

While I love traditional Americanized shrimp scampi with lots of butter and pasta, this version is healthier and still has the flavor of scampi (minus the butter). While nothing really replaces the deliciousness that is pasta, sauteed spinach does make a good substitute.

Start by heating a large clove of garlic (smashed) in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When garlic starts to get fragrant (about 5 minutes or less), remove from pan but leave the oil. Keep the garlic and mince.

Next, add a dozen (or more) peeled and deveined shrimp to the same saute pan, still over medium heat, and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Cook until shrimp and almost cooked through (their shape will become like "C's" and turn pink.

Add the juice of 2 lemons to that pan.

Then, add 12 oz of baby spinach to the pan (it'll look like a ton, but it'll wilt down a lot) and the minced garlic used to flavor the oil earlier.

Continue cooking and stirring until the spinach is wilted. Check for seasoning and add more salt and red pepper flake if needed.

Serve as is, or over rice and enjoy!

Bowtie Pasta With Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

2013-01-08T19:45:00.002-05:00

In an effort to eat a little bit healthier (and to counteract the leftover birthday cake) we made this pasta dish. It'd probably be even better with turkey or chicken sausage, but none of the selection at the store today looked that tasty. We'd never tried broccoli rabe before, but thought it was pretty good, like a cross between spinach and broccoli.

For this dish, start by heating 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is heated, add 5 sliced links of hot Italian sausages.

Cook until sausage starts to brown (don't worry about them cooking all the way through), then add 1 heaping tablespoon of chopped garlic.

Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn't burn. Then add 1/2 cup of red wine and 1 can of crushed tomatoes (1 large can or 2 smaller ones), along with a handful of freshly chopped Italian parsley and basil.

When liquid starts to bubble, turn heat down to low. Continue to cook until ready to eat (the longer the better!). It should reduce and thicken the sauce. Taste to seasoning.

Meanwhile, wash and de-stem the broccoli rabe.

In a large stockpot, boil some salted water. Add the broccoli rabe and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until starting to wilt.

Then using a pasta scooper, add the broccoli rabe to the sauce (it's ok if some of the cooking liquid gets in the sauce too).

In the same stock pot, cook 1/2 box of Barilla Plus bowtie until al dente. When pasta is cooked, strain and add to the same pot as the sauce (it allows the pasta to absorb the sauce better than just scooping it on top).

Serve with fresh herbs and grated parmesan.

What To Do With All Those Leftovers??

2013-01-07T19:46:00.001-05:00

Like most people who throw a party, one of the perks (or negatives depending on how you look at it) is leftovers. Thank goodness we have a huge fridge that we were able to store everything! We've since discovered that Carter loves chicken meatballs, so that takes care of those. We were trying to decide what to do with the pulled pork leftovers (there's only so many sandwiches you can make!) and came up with the idea of quesadillas. They came out so good!

Ingredients for Pulled Pork Quesadillas:

4 cups of bbq pulled pork
2 medium onions, sliced thinly
1 cup sauteed mushrooms
1/2 cup whatever your favorite bbq sauce
Whole wheat tortillas (2 per quesadilla)
1 tablespoon butter, plus more
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella

In a small frying pan, over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and season. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring often, or until caramelized. Add the cooked pulled pork and mushrooms and the bbq sauce. Turn heat down to low. Meanwhile in a skillet or a flat-top cooker, melt some butter and heat over medium heat. To make the quesadilla, put one tortilla, then sprinkle with cheese, then a layer of the pulled pork/onion/mushroom mixture, then one more layer of cheese, and then top with another tortilla. Heat as is for 5-8 minutes until cheese begins to melt, then flip so the top side of the tortilla can get heated through and browned. Let quesadilla cool on a cutting board for a few minutes before cutting. Serve with extra bbq sauce.

Carter's First Birthday Party

2013-01-07T19:34:00.002-05:00

On January 4th, Carter turned one year old. I still can't believe it's been a whole year since he was born. It's been the best year in my life. Since it was such a momentous year, we wanted to celebrate and that's why we threw a birthday party for Carter and our close friends and family. It was a great afternoon and Carter had a great time. He got to crawl around with all his friends and get icing and cake in every crevice of his body! To save money on catering, and plus I enjoyed cooking, we made the food for the party. Everything was easy to prepare and able to be made ahead of time, so I could enjoy the party instead of cooking the whole time. We made bbq pulled pork, chicken meatballs with marinara, cheddar and cayenne macaroni and cheese, kielbasa, and an assortment of crudities (my wonderful mother helped with those). We have tons of leftovers, but they've all been delicious! I had so much fun planning his party, I wish I could help out other people!

Our birthday boy

Crudities

Iced Tea and Lemonade

Guest book

Party favors ("C" shaped cookies)

First taste of cake

Even daddy got in on the action

Vacation with Carter

2013-01-02T06:08:00.000-05:00

Over Christmas we took Carter on his second vacation ever and first big road trip. The furthest we've gone with him before in the car was to Tampa, so driving all the way to Northern Georgia was a bit daunting of a task. We left at 7 in the morning and the first few hours of the trip were a breeze, but when we got to the Valdosta area, Carter started to get fed up. But after stopping for awhile, he was good to go until we got to just south of Atlanta. Right around when Carter was reaching full crankiness, we hit a huge traffic jam. Because we didn't want to drive on our cabin's crazy mountain dirt road at night and we couldn't make Carter sit in the carseat any longer (it was so tempting to take him out of the seat and hold him, but we didn't risk it), we decided to stay the night in Atlanta. We got a good deal at a hotel downtown and ended up having a nice night sitting in the lounge at the Ruth Chris's and walking around Centennial park. In the morning we took our time and arrived at our cabin in Blue Ridge, GA a little before lunch time. My parents had arrived the day before with the dogs. We had a great time on our week's stay there, complete with a little snow too! One of the most fun things we did was take a train ride up to Tennessee through the gorgeous Northern Georgian countryside and rivers. We also really enjoyed walking around downtown Blue Ridge. If you're ever in the area, you must eat at Harvest on Main. It held it's own to some of the meals we've had in Vegas, New York, etc. The ride home was a little rough with more traffic jams and Carter getting fed up, but we made it without staying the night somewhere. It was really great spending Christmas in the mountains with my parents and Carter, made for a great memory of his first Christmas. It was a lot different than our past vacations (pre-baby). We've always gone to big cities and done a million things during our trips. This time it was all about relaxing and spending time with family. We're looking forward to future trips with Carter (and even Sadie too). We hope everyone had a great holiday and a happy new year!

Carter playing with a measuring cup, who needs toys?!

Christmas morning with Grandpa, and Sadie keeping a close eye on all the presents

What's in here?

Crawling around on the deck

Brrr, Christmas day

Family time!

Grandpa, Ryan, and Carter getting the fire pit ready for hot dogs and smores, yum!

Ryan and Carter posing in front of the mountains, the top of which is covered in snow

New Years Eve Dinner/ New Years Day brunch

2013-01-01T16:01:00.002-05:00

For the past few years now, Ryan and I have stayed home, cooked an amazing dinner, drank champagne (except last year when it was sparkling grape juice), rented movies, and avoided the chaos of amateur hour that is NYE. I feel like there's always so much pressure to have "the best night ever" on New Years, and it never lives up to the hype. Our relaxing celebration was even more fun this year with Carter here (although the fireworks around did wake him up once...seriously when did it become like 4th of July?!). We splurged and went to Whole Foods to get the ingredients for our dinner. Our menu was grilled dry-aged NY strip steak, lemon poached lobster tail, risotto, marsala mushrooms, and of course champagne! We hope everyone had a terrific start to 2013.

The poaching liquid for the lobster tails, 2 sliced onions, bunch of fresh thyme, and 8 cups of seafood stock

2 pints of button mushrooms, simmered in butter and marsala wine along with fresh thyme (so good, especially because they were simmered for 3 hours)

2 spiny lobster tails

Grilled to perfection to medium-rare thanks to Ryan

Not a bad way to spend a NYE!

For breakfast/brunch this morning we had paprika and sweet onions home fries with scrambled eggs. For the potatoes, we sauteed 1 large, sliced sweet onion in 2 tablespoons of olive and 1 tablespoon butter and season with salt and pepper over medium heat for 10 minutes, until they were just turning brown.

Browned onions

After the onions were browned, we added the diced Yukon gold potatoes (4 of them)

Add the potatoes to the same frying pan, and add 1 more tablespoon each of butter and olive oil. Add 1 tablespoon smoked paprika and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat with a lid on for 10 minutes. When potatoes have started to get soft, add the onions back in the pan, and continue to cook (with a lid) for another 10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes so that the potatoes/onions on the bottom of the pan don't get burnt.

After adding the onions back in the frying pan

Continue cooking until potatoes are crispy around the edges and easily pierced with a fork. Serve with some soft-scrambled eggs (whisk 4 eggs with 1 tablespoon half and half and cook over low heat until softly curdled).

Christmas Breakfast

2012-12-21T14:47:00.005-05:00

For the past few years, Ryan and I have had this delicious Italian version of a bread pudding for Christmas morning. We make it the night before so that it is even better the next morning (and no cooking necessary). We actually prefer it cold with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, but it'd be just as tasty warm with maple syrup too. This recipe is from Giada, the only difference is that we use fresh berries instead (usually just strawberries).

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/berry-strata-recipe/index.html

Merry Christmas to all!

Vegetable Lasagna (without the noodles)

2012-12-20T11:11:00.000-05:00

In our quest to avoid refined sugars before our vacation, I have been craving pasta like no other. Last night's dinner was an attempt to fill that void without chowing down on some linguini. I attempted to cook the vegetables so that they would resemble lasagna sheets, and you know, it kind of worked. I'll admit nothing replaces the yummyness (that's a word, right?) of pasta, but it was pretty darn close and very tasty. The best part was that it was made ahead of time, so all I had to do when Ryan got home was heat it up to melt the cheese.

Ingredients for Vegetable "Lasagna":

2 large zucchini cut, lengthwise, into 3/8ths inch strips (I used a mandolin)
1 large eggplant peeled and cut into 3/8th inch strips
3 medium onions sliced, medium thickness
4 tablespoons olive oil (plus more if needed)
Salt and pepper
1 large can crushed tomatoes (or leftover marinara)
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 bunch of fresh basil (plus more for garnish)
Parmesan for garnish

The bottom layer-zucchini

Before baking in the oven

Start by heating the olive oil in a large frying pan. When oil is hot, add the zucchini in a single layer (I had to cook it in two batches) and season with salt and pepper. Cook on each side for 3-4 minutes, or until slightly browned. Meanwhile, in a large baking dish, spread a few spoonfuls of the tomatoes on the bottom, then add the cooked zucchini on top. When all zucchini are cooked and added to the baking dish, cover with a few more spoonfuls of tomatoes and sprinkle with mozzarella. Repeat process with eggplant. When sauteed eggplant is added to the baking dish, again top with tomatoes and mozzarella and also a handful of the basil. In the same frying pan, add the onions and cook on medium-low for about 30 minutes, or until caramelized. Add those to the baking dish as well and top with the rest of the tomatoes and cheese. Cover with tin foil until ready for dinner (will keep over night). When you're ready to heat, put in a 350 degree oven, uncovered until cheese starts to bubble (if you like your cheese brown, then cook a little longer). Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Serve with more basil and some shredded parmesan.

It turned out really delicious, the only modification I would make would be to cut the veggies into spheres or smaller pieces. This dish would freeze really well too.

Holiday Dinner- Side Dish

2012-12-19T15:27:00.003-05:00

It's time to start planning on what to make for Christmas dinner. In our family, we always have some sort of beef as the main dish (whether it's a rib roast or tenderloin), but the sides vary. I tested this recipe the other day to see if it was "up to par" for a holiday meal, and it passed with flying colors. It was delicious, rich, and flavorful. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients for Ultimate Creamed Spinach:

1 pound washed baby spinach (I used fresh, but you could use frozen too)
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
4 strips of thick cut bacon (or 6 original cut) cut into strips (lardons)
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk (4%)
Salt and pepper to taste

Thickening the milk mixture

Ready to eat!

In a large frying pan, add the bacon, butter, and onions over medium heat. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until onions are browned and bacon is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper Turn the heat to medium-low. Sprinkle the flour on the bacon/onion mixture and stir for a minute until flour is starting to cook. Add the heavy cream and whisk until the lumps are gone (will be super thick), slowly add in the milk while whisking. If mixture is still too thick you can add more milk. When liquid starts to simmer, turn heat to lowest setting and add spinach. It will quickly wilt down when it cooks. Serve immediately, or keep at low setting until ready to serve. I didn't do this when I cooked it, but it'd be good with a garnish of freshly grated parmesan too.

Easy Weeknight Dinner

2012-12-14T11:57:00.000-05:00

I am almost to the point where I can't bear to think of eating another salad for dinner, so this menu is a good substitute, and still pretty healthy (and cheap). Even though it's my favorite side dish, I am also getting kind of sick of sauteed zucchini with garlic (not that it's not totally delicious). This dish took a total of about 30 minutes, start to finish, including chopping.

Ingredients for the Zucchini Carpaccio:

1 pound, cleaned zucchini sliced into ribbons (I used a mandolin to slice it into 1/8inch ribbons)
2 tablespoons good olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Shaved parmesan (to taste)
Sea salt and cracked pepper
1 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Ribbons of zucchini

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and let sit in the fridge to chill before serving. The longer it sits, the better it will taste. Make sure the zucchini is very fresh and ripe, since it's being served raw.

Ingredients for the Chicken Thighs:

1 pound chicken thighs
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup chicken stock or dry white wine (I ran out, so I used stock instead)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil to coat the bottom of the frying pan
Basil to garnish

Finished chicken with oregano, lemon, and onions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Rub the oregano, zest, salt and pepper over the chicken thighs (make sure they're with the bone and skin). Add the chicken to the frying pan, skin side down and cook for 5 minutes, or until skin is totally browned. Flip and sear the other side for 3-4 minutes. Transfer chicken thighs to a baking dish and bake until cooked through (about 10-15 minutes). Meanwhile, add the onions to the same frying pan and season with salt and pepper. After 1 minute, turn heat down to medium-low. Once onions are cooked through, add the lemon juice and wine/stock. When liquid starts to bubble, turn to lowest setting. When chicken is cooked, serve with lemon/onion sauce and basil.

Strawberry Salad

2012-12-11T13:06:00.003-05:00

Most people probably associate strawberries with summer time, but luckily for us Floridians, we are already starting to get the delicious fruit in season. These berries are quickly becoming a favorite of Carter's as well (especially pureed with some yogurt). After this past weekend's cookie fest, the healthy eating is back on (at least until next weekend, ha!). This is a salad I am having for lunches this week, and it actually gives me something to look forward to that is also filled with nutritious goodies (granted it'd probably be even better for me without the bacon, but hey, it's just a little bit right?!).

Ingredients for Salad:

1/2 dozen fresh strawberries cleaned and sliced
1 sliced onion, caramelized and cooled (I cooked it the night before)
1 tablespoon crumbled goat cheese
1 slice bacon, crumbled
2 cups baby mixed greens or baby spinach
Some sort of nuts would probably go well too, walnuts or almonds, but I hate them, so not in my salad!
Cider vinegar dressing (whisk together 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 tablespoon dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 2 tablespoons canola oil, salt and pepper)

Toss all salad ingredients with dressing in a large bowl and then serve on a plate. If taking to work, them put the salad dressing on the bottom of some tupperware and then put all the ingredients on top and toss right before serving so lettuce doesn't get wilted.

Holiday Cookies

2012-12-10T16:17:00.002-05:00

I love this time of year for so many reasons (the number one being able to experience Carter's first Christmas), but I also love the tradition of baking holiday cookies and treats. For one weekend a year, my kitchen is a complete disaster with flour and chocolate powder on every surface, cookie racks filled with cooling goodies, green and red sprinkles creeping into random places, and dishes piled feet high. It's total chaos, and I absolutely love it! I would love to claim I made up all my own recipes for baking, but since it is much too precise to estimate, I used other sources for recipes. I've attached some links to my favorites (the only change is that I double the vanilla in every recipe, I love the stuff!). Being the good little boss's wife, we made tons extra so that Ryan could take some into work to share with his staff and faculty.

My number one cookie decorator

Sugar cookies

Chocolate Chip

Ryan approves

Chocolate cookies dipped in candies

Trays of cookies for Ryan's staff

In the coming weeks, I'll post some more recipes that we make around Christmas. If anyone has any can't beat cookie or anything else recipes, please share!

For dark chocolate truffles (no pictures, they were eaten before I could!): http://www.ghirardelli.com/recipes-tips/recipes/dark-chocolate-truffles

For the chocolate chip recipe, I use the recipe on the Ghiradelli chocolate chips bag, but here's a link to the same one: http://www.ghirardelli.com/recipes-tips/recipes/chocolate-chip-cookies

For the sugar cookies: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/sugar-cookies-recipe/index.html

For the sugar cookie icing, I mixed together one 12 oz bag of powdered sugar, 1 stick of softened butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 3 tablespoons whole milk until thick and smooth and then added food coloring.

For the chocolate dipped cookies: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/chocolate-cookies-with-dipping-bar-recipe/index.html

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

2012-12-07T21:33:00.002-05:00

Some of our baking ingredients

Our fridge has been consumed by ice cream base, cookie dough, and truffle ganache

Cooookie Cooookie, as Carter's favorite Sesame Street character would say. This afternoon (thanks to a napping baby and an amazing husband who went shopping for me) I was able to prep and make all the fixins' for our Christmas gift goodies (might even have to sample a few for ourselves, hey...we've been dieting for two weeks I think we need a cheat night!). I'll post links and final pictures of the end products.