A Date Night Staying In

Well, this post is about 2 weeks late. But as I was scrolling through the pictures on my camera, I realized I never shared the amazing meal J cooked up for Valentines Day.

As I mentioned here, we decided to stay in this year. We really had no plan as to what to cook and come Valentine's Day morning, I wasn't sure what to do. I just didn't feel like cooking, and the idea of dining out was gaining steam. Have I told you how much I love my husband? Getting a text that said, don't worry, I'll take care of it made my day. Works been busy, lifes been busy, and the idea of cooking a big meal after work stressed me out. J's work schedule is a lot more flexible than mine at times, which certainly comes in handy when needed.

Like when he decides to pull out all the stops. Walking in the door to this was the best. Yes, the glass of wine was already poured for me - what a guy.

Appetizers: Red Zinfandel, Manchego cheese, and garlic/lemon olives to start. (Manchego cheese is my favorite cheese by far, give it a try. It's not too hard, has a creamy, nutty flavor, and a slightly gritty texture)

Main course: Grass-fed sirloin with a red wine, mushroom, and rosemary sauce, sautéed broad leaf kale, and mushroom risotto. This is the way to my heart I tell ya. Heavenly food, extra mushrooms, red wine. You just can't go wrong. And if you haven't tried grass-fed red meat yet, I suggest you do. The flavor is incredible. It's pricey, but great for a special occasion.

Yes, this is quite possibly the biggest piece of steak I've ever been served. Plenty for an extra meal for us, and Tuck!

And dining with this handsome fella ain't all that bad either. ;)

Compliments to the chef!

How was your Valentine's Day? Try any new restaurants? Cook up a new meal? I'd love to hear!

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The Family Table

There are studies showing that families that eat meals together tend to stay together. It's an interesting concept, and obviously not always true, but in my personal experience, family meals are extremely important.

I'm so thankful to my parents for instilling in me the importance of eating dinner as a family. Yes, it's only J & I right now, and meals may end up getting eaten in front of the TV once and a while, but rarely does one of us eat without waiting for the other.

So although my must-have list is really not all that long, room for a large dining table is a must in our next home. If we were to have our immediate families over for dinner together - including parents, siblings, sibling-in-laws - we are looking at 13 ridiculously good-looking folks!

That being said, I find myself really drawn to a rustic farmhouse style table. But, a touch of chic by adding gorgeous chairs, or a dramatic chandelier. Something to add some glamour to the room. Here are a few dining rooms that I've fallen for.

Huge rustic table, modern white chairs

Link from Pinterest (via)

Herringbone floors, crystal chandelier, linen & nailhead upholstered chairs

Link from Pinterest (via)

Simple modern chairs, oversized chandelier, fresh flowers

Link from Pinterest (via)

I absolutely love the modern chairs in the first picture. Here's a way to really glam them up - 

via

I'm hoping that a dining room table is something we can tackle on our own. How fun would it be to feed our children someday at a table we built ourselves? Hopefully Ana White can help us out!

Have a wonderful Monday! J and I are off to see Imagine Dragons perform tonight. One of J's Christmas gifts from me. I know, I'm an awesome wife. Can't wait!

xoxo, T

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Pulled Pork

First off - Happy Valentine's Day! Any big plans for the evening with your special someone? J & I have decided to lay low this year. House shopping costs more than enough, so no flowers, no special dinner out, nada this year. We'll be hanging in and cooking a nice meal at home. 

Seeing as I don't even know when the last time I made it to the gym was, lets stick with food. How about another great recipe?

For some reason, I always forget I can use my crockpot to cook for us. Maybe it's because I don't have any family recipes or even memories, of crock pot meals. Maybe it's because I picked our crock pot up for a whopping $15 at Walmart one day, it has no pre-set timer, just high/low/keep warm. I have no idea. But what I do know, is that when I remember to use it, the meals are always amazing.

Who doesn't like pulled pork? So good. J & I love BBQ food. You just can't go wrong. We had a package of pork chops in the fridge that needed to be cooked this weekend. Unfortunately, I had little desire to stand over the stovetop and cook a big meal. This past weekend was all about relaxing, in between shoveling....

I started out by throwing in things we had that I remembered using the last time I made pulled pork, but then decided I'd double check a recipe. This recipe to be precise.

Because I was cooking for just J & I, and because I followed this recipe very loosely for 2 people versus 6, here's my rendition of it.

Ingredients - Serves 3 (a little extra for lunch the next day!)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 lb pork chops
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablesoon brown sugar
8 ounces water
1 cup barbecue sauce

Place the onion in the bottom of the crock pot and lay the pork chops on top. Sprinkle in the seasonings, pour in the water (I avoided the meat so that the seasonings would stay put). Crock pot cooking is that easy.

I cooked this concoction on low for about 6 hours. When we came in from shoveling out my car, the condo smelled amazing! I have to thank the cinnamon. This was the first time I've added cinnamon before and it was a great addition. I may have even heard J say this was the best ever....

Not the greatest photo, coloring seems off from the seasonings and cooked fat, but I promise you it's tasty!

Once done, we shredded the pork on a cutting board, drained the excess water from the crock pot, placed the shredded pork back in and mixed in the barbecue sauce.

And, if you know me, you know that BBQ must come with a side of mac n cheese. It's bad, but I just love that stuff!

I think next time I'll opt for fresh garlic versus garlic powder but other than that, I'll be saving this recipe for a future use! Nothing like an easy, delicious meal to serve up during a snow storm. If you give it a try, let me know what you think! Do you normally put cinnamon in your pulled pork recipe? J & I were both very pleasantly surprised by it.

Enjoy!

Spicy Pesto

It's been ages since I've posted a recipe.....but who's counting really? (oops!) 

Anyways, this is my go-to pesto recipe. It's from my girl Giada and it is awesome. My only change is that I use grated Parmesan instead of Asiago (personal preference really).

If you like a little heat to your meals, you have got to try this spicy pesto. The flavor from the jalapeno is perfect. 

Ingredients

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 red or green jalapeno, stemmed and coarsely chopped

2 cups grated Parmesan (or Asiago) cheese

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 ounces baby spinach

3 ounces arugula

1/4 cup olive oil

1 pound pasta

Blend the walnuts, garlic, jalapeno, grated cheese, salt, and pepper in a food processor until smooth.

Add the spinach and arugula and process until well blended. With the food processor still on, slowly pour in the olive oil.

Once your pasta is cooked, combine, and enjoy! I use a vegetable peeler to add a few Parmesan shavings to my meal before enjoying. A little extra cheese certainly helps with the heat of the sauce!

Let me know if you make this. J & I certainly love it. Hope you do too!

Peanut-Garlic Lettuce Wraps

This is one of those meals Sandra Lee would define as hardly homemade.

I am a big fan of lettuce wraps. Is it bad that I didn't realize J had never had them until we ordered the appetizer at the Red Lantern (here)? Oops.

Well, lucky me, he loved them! I had the weekend to myself recently, rare I know, so I actually planned out a few meals for the week. I decided lettuce wraps would be a great meal to make at home. How hard could they be?

I knew we had a sesame garlic marinade in the fridge that was about half full, so while at the store I picked up the following:

• Dry roasted peanuts
• 1 Head of iceberg lettuce
• Shredded carrots
• Scallions
• Steak, just under 1 lb for 2 people (since I knew I'd be cutting it up anyways I bought whatever was on sale)

Honestly, I had every intention of shredding a few carrots myself, but when the bag of pre-shredded carrots are staring at you for less than $2.00, it's worth every penny.

The sauce: In a blender, magic bullet, or food processer, whatever tickles your fancy, blend together the sesame-garlic sauce and a handful or two of dry roasted peanuts. Yes, it was that easy. And let me tell you, it was unreal. So tasty!

We prepped the sauce in the morning and let the steak marinade in it all day.

Peanuty-garlicky goodness right there

 The veggies

The prep:

1. Saute the meat over medium heat until done to your liking. We're a medium kind of family over here when it comes to red meat.

2. While the meat is cooking, rinse your lettuce, and then cut it in half. One half for me, one half for you.

3. Chop up 2-3 scallions depending on your liking and place in a bowl.

4. Place your shredded carrots in a bowl.

5. Pour a handful of dry roasted peanuts in a bowl, or more if you're like J & I.

6. If you have extra sauce, bring it to the table to add to each wrap.

7. Once everything is good to go, dig in! Peel a layer of lettuce, fill with the marinated meat, carrots, scallions, peanuts, and extra sauce. Wrap. And enjoy!

We both found this dinner extremely satisfying. It's a great healthy, light option for one of the many hot summer nights.

Let me know if you try it! We will definitely be whipping up a batch of these again. And like I said, this is so easy, I don't even think I can call it homemade.

Enjoy!

Quinoa Mac & Cheese

First of all, I have Shape Magazine to thank for this brainiac idea. In their March issue this year they have a whole section on lightening up hearty meals. I can't wait to try their French Onion Soup and Chicken Pot Pie recipes. Using quinoa instead of pasta in this dish provides you with more nutrients and is a great gluten-free option.

I found myself  thinking about my grocery list one Monday at work (when I didn't have a chance to get to the store that weekend) and I didn't have my magazine with me so I resorted to the internet to find the recipe. Surprisingly, I couldn't find the recipe anywhere on Shape's website! It was the weirdest thing. And I kept thinking, I must be looking in the wrong spot, or using the wrong search term. Who knows. All I know is that I personally could not find it.

So I did the next best thing and resorted to Google. Lucky for me, many people out there have made this dish and have shared their recipe. Thank you Good Clean Fun Eating for an easy to follow and surprisingly delicious Quinoa Mac & Cheese recipe! I say surprisingly because even with homemade mac and cheese, it's sometimes not as cheesy/salty as I'd like. But the cheesy flavor of this dish is spot on.

I followed the recipe as provided here. My only tweak being that I decided to add 1/2 cup of Trader Joe's organic frozen spinach into the mixture when it was time to add the shredded cheese. And next time, I plan on adding 1 full cup. Nothing like adding a few greens to a meal. And already having frozen spinach on hand, why not?

Ok, here is my go at Quinoa Mac & Cheese through pictures.

The necessary ingredients

Whisk together milk, egg, garlic, parmesan, cream cheese, yogurt, salt and pepper

Add mixture to quinoa once cooked (*cooked with skim milk & water), add cheese

Toss in some frozen spinach to be healthy

Pour into casserole dish

Cover with more cheese

Drool over the finished product

Enjoy. :)

With the way our work schedules currently are, I find it a whole lot easier and less stressful if I can prepare a meal ahead of time that J can stick in the over while I'm on my way home from work. The week I decided to make quinoa mac and cheese also happened to be the week of 80 degree heat here in Boston. Not a great combo.... I prepped this on a Wednesday night and put the uncooked casserole in the fridge for the night with plans of having J pop it into the oven Thursday night. 80 degree weather and living on the top floor of our building do not always bode well for us. And there was no way in H E double-hockey-sticks I was running the oven for 40 minutes. 

So in the fridge the casserole stayed until I cooked it up Friday morning while getting ready for work. And it was a perfect lunch to bring to work. And was still delicious when we snacked on it Saturday too. I really can't wait to make this again. I may make it as more of a side dish next time with some BBQ chicken or something similar as the main protein source, we'll see.

Turkey Meatloaf with Feta & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

If you're looking for a healthier option to meatloaf- here is your solution. I can take absolutely no credit for this recipe. It is a Giada De Laurentis recipe that can be found here. And with more than 350 reviews, you know it's good!

I will save you many of the details, and focus this post on pictures of the process Giada uses. After J & I tried this recipe I sent it to my mom, my mother-in-law, my sister, and my future sister-in-law. Everyone that tried it loved it! I have heard that it's a little salty and J & I did notice that this last time, so make note and adjust if you're not big into salty foods.

Both times I have made this recipe I have paired it with an arugula and shaved parmesan salad. We love arugula, and I think its bite pairs nicely with this meaty dish.

To shave parmesan cheese, use your veggie peeler. Yup, it's that simple. And makes such a nice presentation.

Also, the last time I made this, I pre-made it on a Sunday night, wrapped up the mixed meatloaf in cling wrap, and stuck it in the fridge. Monday night I had J take it out of the fridge an hour or so before I left work and let it warm up to room temperature. Then he placed it in a loaf pan, and stuck it in the pre-heated oven before I got home (hence the no pictures of the loaf pan). Coming home to dinner already in the oven was such a treat!

Some ways to modify the recipe I've thought about -

• add Spinach instead of parsley. Or in addition to.
• I've used wheat bread crumbs every time I've made it
• I've also used reduced-fat Feta cheese every time I've made it
• Use a leaner ground turkey
• I use skim milk rather than whole milk since we already have it
• Use goat cheese instead of feta....hmmm I may need to do this next time!

I hope you enjoy!

Baked Cod with Chorizo & White Beans

It's high time I add another recipe to this blog.

Growing up, we ate fish on Friday nights when we could. That's how my mom grew up, and that's how she decided to raise us. To this day, she still tries to cook fish on Fridays when she can and I think its a great tradition. The key to fish is that you really should eat it the day you buy it. So for J&I, most Fridays are out of the question.

The grocery store a few blocks from us is small and does not have a fish counter. So unless J can grab something on his way home from work, trying to cook fish during the work week is tough. So for us, Sundays have become the day we cook fish for dinner if we can. Now, this does not happen nearly often enough. And every time we have a good fish dinner, I think, why don't I do this more often?! Beyond not wanting to drive to the nearest grocery store or fish market to see what looks fresh, I really can't tell you why we don't incorporate more seafood into our diet. It's certainly a goal this year.

Well, lucky for J, I had a bridal shower this weekend outside the city and decided I'd hit the bigger, better, and definitely cheaper supermarket on the way home. And when I saw that fresh, wild caught cod was on sale, I knew EXACTLY what we'd be having for dinner.

I have to thank my mom for this recipe. I have no idea where she got it, but we love it. And anyone who's on the fence about fish- this recipe is definitely a great starter. There are so many other flavors going on, it's sooo good!

What you will need (for 4 servings):

1 tsp. EVOO

1 shallot finely chopped

2 ounces Spanish chorizo or turkey kielbasa diced

1 tsp fresh thyme (I used a dash of dried thyme)

1 pint grape tomatores halved

1/2 cup white wine, divided (yes, I used $2 buck Chuck, why not?)

1 15oz. can great northern beans, rinsed

1/2 tsp salt divided

1 1/4 lbs cod, cut into 4 pieces

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a cast iron/enamel skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. **If you don't have a cast iron skillet, you can use a medium saucepan on the stove top and coat a 9x13 casserole with cooking spray to transfer the meal from stove top to oven.

Add the shallot, chorizo and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute - 

Add tomatoes and 1/4 cup of wine. Cook stirring occasionally until tomatoes are broken down and wine is almost evaporated, 2 to 4 minutes.

While you have the wine uncorked, pour yourself a glass.

That's not really in the recipe, but it sure does make cooking more enjoyable. :)

Ok, next stir in the beans and 1/4 tsp salt. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle fish with remaining salt and pepper. If using an iron skillet, move the mixture around to place the pieces of fish underneath. If using a baking dish, place the fish in the baking dish and then top each piece with the bean and tomato mixture. Pour in the remaining 1/4 cup of wine. Cover with foil (or skillet cover) and cook until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

The smells from this dish are amazing. J & I were so eager to eat by the time it was done.

First glance - 

And plated with some green veggies - 

There were just about no leftovers from this meal. And being that its light, white fish I didn't mind indulging in seconds. 

It's a terribly easy dish to throw together with little clean-up if you're able to use the same pan for stove top and oven. Also, you're able to use one cutting board & knife if you prep everything at once - first cut the veggies, then the chorizo, lastly the fish. I think the colors and smells from it make it seem much more sophisticated than it is. Which earns me major points in the wife/homemaker department. ;)

I hope you'll give this dish a try. You will not be disappointed.

Bon appetit!