1. Menchie’s

I'll take one of everything

They opened one scarily close to my house. Which means it’s always taunting me. I hadn’t been in there since it opened about a month ago…but last week I was really craving it and Jay decided to go with me. Jay isn’t much of a dessert person so I didn’t think much of it, but I think I created a monster! Now he is more hooked than I am. It’s dangerous. Why didn’t they think of this “create your own” yogurt concept about 25 years ago when I started eating it? I just love how you can have whatever you are in the mood for. Chocolaty, fruity, they have it all…even pretzel goldfish, which I will be experimenting with shortly.

2. Bella’s Dog Collar

As most of you know, this isn't Bella…but the pic from Amazon.com

My sweet little Bella is a total nightmare on walks. She pulls, pulls, pulls. I’ve tried buying different harnesses over the 2 years we have had her but she either keeps pulling or tries to bite them off. This Sporn Pull-Stop Harness actually works! It’s finally pleasant to take her on a walk. Unless we see another dog and she goes ape $hit…that’s another story.

3. Long Walks

Goin on my lunchtime walk…the benefits of winter in FL!

I get my stitches out on Friday! Yay! Until then…I’ll keep walking. I’ve been walking during lunch lately. It’s been so nice out, taking walks around my office has been a breath of fresh air, literally. I stick my iPhone in my pocket, switch to my Croc flip flops, and do almost a 3 mile loop. When my stitches come out, the plan is to work out in the AM and keep up my walks.

Happy Valentine's Day!

What are you lovin this week?

The earliest known reference to French toast is in the Apicius, a collection of Latin recipes dating to the 4th or 5th century; the recipe mentions soaking in milk but not eggs (though the editor adds eggs) and gives it no special name, just calls it Aliter Dulcia (another sweet dish). Here is how it’s eaten around the world…

United Kingdom: It is also known as “eggy bread”, “egg dip” or “gypsy toast”: a version with jam was once popularly known as “Poor Knights of Windsor”. It is rarely found in cafes, but more of a household recipe.

Hong Kong: It is made by deep frying stacked sliced bread dipped in beaten egg or soy, and served with a slab of butter and topped with golden syrup (refined sugar syrup) or sometimes honey. Two slices are normally used and a sweet filling is usually added.

Hong Kong Style French Toast

India: This version is salted rather than sweet. The egg is beaten with milk, salt, green chili and chopped onion. Bread is dunked into this mixture and is deep fried in butter or cooking oil. It is normally served with ketchup.

Greece: The name of the dish translates to “eggslices” and is typically made from slices of stale bread soaked in milk or water to soften it, dipped in egg, fried in oil and eaten with sugar and cinnamon, cheese, jam or just by itself. It is usually eaten as a breakfast food or cold snack.

Spain: It is called Torrijas and is typically made during Lent, out of thick slices of bread soaked in milk or wine, dipped in egg, fried and then drenched in spiced honey or cinnamon.

Germany: Arme Ritter (poor knights) are made from bread leftovers as a fast and simple meal. There are several local alternatives in serving: with a mix of sugar and cinnamon, filled with plum-jam or with vanilla sauce. Sometimes it is made with wine instead of milk, and called Betrunkene Jungfrau, “drunken virgin”.

France: French toast is called Pain Perdu, which means “lost bread” in French. It is called “lost bread” because it is a way to reclaim stale or “lost” bread. The hard bread is softened by dipping in a mixture of milk, cinnamon, vanilla and eggs, and then fried. The slices are pan-fried in butter and traditionally served dusted with powdered sugar and jam on the side. It is usually served for dessert.

Rabanadas from Brazil

Brazil: They call it Rabanadas and follows the Portuguese recipe of soaking leftover bread in milk then quick dipping in egg. It is quite often used to celebrate a birth, as well as at Christmas, Easter and New Year celebrations. After being fried, it is sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon only. A variant consists of adding some red wine to the milk. It may be eaten hot or cold.

Why is it called French Toast? Nobody really knows, but it was not invented in France. The main theory is that French style baguettes were the main bread used in the U.S. and that’s how it got its name here.

What is your favorite hot breakfast dish?

These can easily be gluten free if you use brown rice flour like Christin’s original recipe. You can even make them vegan just by using vegan chocolate chips and all peanut butter instead of nutella.

Chocolate Chip Nutella Chickpea  Cookies
makes 15 cookies, total time: 30 minutes

• 1 15-oz can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
• 2 tbsp nutella
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 ½ tbsp all purpose flour
• ½ tbsp agave nectar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1 pinch salt
• ½ packet stevia
• 2 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Combine all ingredients (except for the almond milk and the chocolate chips) in a food processor until well combined.
3. Add almond milk one tbsp at a time while the food processor is running until the dough reaches a smooth consistency.
4. Scoop the dough into a bowl and fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Use a heaping spoonful for each cookie, roll between hands to make a smooth ball, and place balls on foil or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
6. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes.
7. Remove from oven, allow to cool on sheet for a few minutes, and then move to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Can be stored for several days in an airtight container, or put in the fridge or freezer for longer storage.

They are rich and gooey chocolate treats! Out of the oven they were so melty and delish, and the flavors got even better after letting them sit for a few hours. I gave one to my 2 year old neighbor and she couldn’t get enough….and she is picky! I’m so glad I have some left to snack on the rest of the week.

What is your favorite “healthy” treat?

Jay started off with a Newcastle and I started off with Chardonnay.

They entice your appetite with a basket of shrimp crackers. These airy, crispy crackers are a great way to start the meal. They have a mild shrimp flavor but nothing crazy.

We had to order an appetizer. They have lots of good options, from wings to calamari. We settled on the Shrimp & Pork Imperial Roll. It was a crispy, thin wrapper stuffed with goodness. The only thing I would have changed is that the sauce could have been thicker and more a little more flavorful.

Now it was time for the pho! I saw a few HUGE bowls of this stuff stroll by me while we were eating our spring rolls. When it was my turn to get one of these bowls of goodness it did not disappoint. I ordered the Beef Pho, which had uber-thin slices of beef sliced rare onto the hot broth and cooks almost instantly. On the side was siracha, hoisin sauce, jalapeno, sprouts, and thai basil. I tasted the broth and it was delicate and fragrant. But I still needed to adulterate it. I added half the sprouts, 1/3 of the siracha, most of the hoisin, and most of the basil…and if the heat wasn’t enough I added 1 slice of jalapeno.

I mixed it all up and it was a bowl full of beefy, noodly, spicy yumminess. After slurping away for about 15 minutes, I was only half way done. For only $9, I got 2 meals out of it, yay! Now that is way better than a value meal.

We will definitely be back to Basilic! Great service, nice atmosphere, and reasonable prices. I wish it didn’t take me two years to go there.

Have you had pho?

Carrots have been used in sweet cakes and puddings since the medieval period, when sweeteners were scarce and expensive. Carrots, which contain more sugar than any other vegetable besides the sugar beet, were much easier to come by and were used to make sweet desserts. The origins of Carrot Cake are disputed but it is thought to come from Gothenburg, Sweden.

The popularity of carrot cake probably grew in Britain because of sugar rationing during the Second World War. The ministry of food encouraged many people to make cakes from carrots, and distributed recipes all over England. This cake love migrated over to the U.S. with the returning troops.

In the United States, carrot cakes (as we know them with cream cheese frosting) first became commonly available in restaurants in the early 1960s. At first, carrot cake was more of a novelty, but people liked them so much that carrot cake became standard dessert. In the 1970s, it was actually on a list of “Top 5 Food Fads”.

The Non Carrot Cake – Chai tow kway a “fried carrot cake” is commonly found in Southeast Asia as a breakfast or snack item; however there is zero carrot in it. It is made primarily of radish and eggs.

We started the class assembling crab cakes. I was the lucky one to get to mix it all up. It started off with lump crab, panko, mustard, mustard powder and Duke’s mayo (what they recommend if you’re using store bought). Then I folded in jumbo lump crab at the end. These babies got scooped with an ice cream scoop, then refrigerated to set up. At the end of class they were seared on a skillet then finished in the oven. We made a melon salad & tasty mustard/jalapeno aioli for the top.

Next were the tarts! We used pre-made phyllo shells and stuffed them with goat cheese, a small piece of potato, and sautéed leeks. Over the top a mix of crème fraiche and egg was poured on. These were creamy and delish!

Our meat centric app was the steak brochettes, a simple skewer of Queso Blanco, steak (forgot which cut), and mushrooms. They are grilled first then put in the oven. I couldn’t believe the cheese didn’t melt!

Now for one of the simplest hors d’oeuvres, the stuffed dates. We cut slivers of manchego, mint, and cooked pancetta, and stuffed it in the date’s hole…hehe. Then put a stick in it and you’re done. They were baked in the oven, but unfortunately mine were a little overdone, booo. They kinda look like beetles, but I promise they don’t taste like that!

I saved the best for last, by far my favorite bite of the night, and sooooo easy! We had a 6” long piece of prosciutto and put a dollop of boursin cheese in the center. We plopped a peeled and de-veined shrimp on top and wrapped the prosciutto around to for a “purse”. After they were done baking we drizzled on balsamic glaze. I would have inhaled the whole tray if my common courtesy didn’t kick in.

Everything came out of the oven, and we enjoyed all this with a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

Then, just as we were about to leave I heard a voice calling to me …”Want to try some bacon fudge?”. Uhhhh…. Does a bear $hit in the woods? HELL Yeah! It was utter deliciousness. It was a peanut butter chip and chocolate chip fudge with bacon in the mix and on top. We were so lucky that the class the previous night was “The Almighty Bacon”. It was the perfect ending to a fun night!

If you could learn to make one dish, what would it be??

1. Naan
Pretty much the only times I’ve had naan was at Indian restaurants. I always ask beg for more. To me it’s one of the best tasting breads ever. It’s slight dense, soft, and a little chewy…kind of like the best pizza crust ever. I finally bought some! I might make pizza, or a hummus wrap, or fill it with some curry chicken? Hmmmm…

2. YouTube Yoga
Even though I can’t do any real physical activity now, I still love talking about fitness and all the things I will get back to doing very soon. I’m a total newbie to Yoga and wanted to try to work on my moves before I took a live class. I started doing some research on Yoga on YouTube and found some great stuff! Even if you are a downward dog hater like me, or a seasoned yoga pro…there are some great videos. Many are in the 15 minute range, but you can do a quick morning stretch or watch a few of them. There are classes geared towards all types of interests…like running, flexibility, digestion. My two favorites are Yogatic and Tara Stiles.

3. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
I can’t believe I didn’t start watching this show until about 6 months ago. It is so friggin funny! I love how they are sarcastic, rude, apathetic, greedy…pretty much how you don’t want to act in life. But that’s why this show is so good. They are already on season 7, and I’ve been trying to DVR every episode I haven’t seen. I might have to break down and rent some of the first few seasons DVDs.

What are you loving this week?

The pain and stress hasn’t messed up my appetite though. Today I went to Whole Foods for lunch and got a filling salad. It had spring mix, tuna, quinoa, wheatberries, taboulleh, radishes, tomatoes, feta, red peppers, balsamic vinegar and goddess dressing.

Then I saw this on Facebook…it would be perfect for Jay for Valentine’s Day. He loves is obsessed with bacon!

Do you eat more or less when you are stressed?

Then I had my yummy hot doggy! A long time ago I received 1 free coupon for National Deli Hot Dogs and we’ve been buying them ever since. I added some American cheese, onions, National Deli mustard (the only kind Jay will eat now), and Frank’s Red Hot. This dinner really hit the spot.

I woke up this morning with a sore armpit and a hungry stomach. After a quick shower and painfully trying to put a shirt on I made some Chocolate Shakeology and hit the road for work.

Today was the day I had to get the gauze pulled out of my incision…I was dreading this the whole friggin morning. But nevertheless, I am still super hungry lately…even though I haven’t worked out since Sunday. I grabbed a Fage 0% Cherry Pomegranate Yogurt and threw in a handful of walnuts. It was good!

At 11:30 I was at the doctor’s office awaiting more pain.  To my surprise, taking the gauze out wasn’t so bad.  BUT, putting new gauze in sucked!  It stung SOOO badly from the medicine it’s soaked in.  Now on Friday I have to go back to get sticthes.  UGH.  Now back to my food… the last meal I’ve eaten so far was lunch. I had a yummy Ezekiel Sandwich with barbecue chicken I had leftover from the crockpot. I’ve been taking it to work since Jay is sick of it, hehe. I think he can only eat something twice in a row max. Here is the easy recipe!

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

• 6 chicken breasts
• 1 ½ cups your fave bbq sauce
• 1/4 cup Italian dressing
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Worchestire sauce
• Dashes of hot sauce to taste

1. Place chicken in crockpot.
2. Mix all other ingredients in a bowl and pour over chicken.
3. Cover and set for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
4. When it’s done cooking, remove chicken, shred, and place back in crockpot uncovered on low for about 30 minutes.

Now I’m done for the day, time for cooking class with Mom while my friends are at the Kyle Richards book signing right down the street from the cooking school!

What was the best thing you ate today?