Author Archives: Emily

STT; Thursday Afternoon – Saturday Morning

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It’s a busy day (the day before Christmas!) but I just couldn’t bear not sharing (pictures of all, descriptions of few) what I’ve been up to!

Thursday

Thursday afternoon, my mom treated me to lunch at Pesce, a newish Italian spot. We split the two things that sounded best. A spinach salad with craisins, candied pecans and goat cheese,

and a (fried) bbq chicken flat bread.

The husband has been calling about missing me and asking for pictures, so – Hi, husband!

Do you like my new top?

For dinner my parents and I headed to Victor’s Hideout for some good local cuisine.

Our plates came with plantains, fungi, sweet potato, rice and beans, and salad.

Plus I ate a roll with butter.

Here, my dad and I split two plates.  He got the fried shrimp,

And I got ole wife, a local whitefish.

Head on, scrape the meat off the bones… It was intense but tasty.

That evening I headed over to the apartment (bachelor pad) of two high school friends who just moved in together. 4 of us from a regular group were there together and it was fun to do some reminiscing. Adrien served me a tasty vodka-soda-lemon thing at some point.

But I stuck to one drink because I was driving (on the left … in the rain … without traffic signals because half the island didn’t have power). My mom did text around 1:30 to see if I was dead, which I thought was sweet.

Friday

Friday morning I may have overslept. I missed my gym window too, which was annoying. But I got up in time for breakfast.

That bowl was 1 egg, 2 whites, ~3 oz leftover spicy chicken, a handful of shredded cabbage, 1 Tbsp butter, and 2 Tbsp cocktail sauce. I’m not even going to attempt to describe it.

Brunch was Christmas in a convenience package.

A gingerbread Clif bar that I took one bite of and then trashed in horror.

And an eggnog Nutrament that I swooned over.

Plus I got a chaispresso (chai, espresso, 2% milk) during afternoon errands.

Friday night my parents hosted a Hanukkah party!

It was great getting to see everyone, and it was extra great that my uncle made his (best ever) latkes.

I took many appetizers bites. I actually did take a photo of every single one, so I’m going to consolidate them grid style –

My cousin made matzoh ball soup.

Here is my dinner plate –

Salad, noodle kugel, and a tiny bit of salmon.

And my mom made “Crack Pie” (of Momofuku fame) for dessert.

Tiny slices because it was basically a pie of caramel in an oatmeal cookie crust.

Saturday

This morning I had my mom drive me to school so I could run some laps on the field.  I have no idea of distance, but I jogged 20 minutes straight; plus a quick, walking warm up and cool down.  I am not in running shape at all so it was interesting to see a workout out in the wind!

And I’d like to wish a very Merry Christmas tomorrow to all of my readers who celebrate!

Chocolate Gingerbread Bars

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Do you like Biscoff?

Then these are the bars for you.

I know I’m posting this recipe pretty close to the wire if you were hoping to make it for a Christmas gathering, but I promise that this one is good year round.  I actually didn’t even get to taste these at my party because my friends descended on the plate like hungry vultures.

Chocolate Gingerbread Bars

Loosely adapted from Jenna’s Oh Baby Bars.

Yield:  48 squares; Prep Time: 30 minutes;  Cool Time: 1 hour

  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
  • 1 and 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup Biscoff Spread
  • 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate
  • 5 oz dark chocolate
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 2 Tbsp gingerbread flavored syrup (optional)
  1. Use a mixer to cream together butter and sugars.  Blend in Biscoff spread until smooth.
  2. Use your fingertips to press mixture into an even layer in the bottom of a greased, 9×13 inch baking dish.  Place in the fridge while you continue with the recipe.
  3. In a double boiler or over very low heat, melt together chocolates, 1 Tbsp butter, and gingerbread syrup (optional).
  4. Pour melted chocolate over Biscoff layer and use a spatula to spread smooth.
  5. Place in the fridge to cool for at least 1 hour. 
  6. Use a knife to cut into small squares.

STT; Wednesday Afternoon – Thursday Morning

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Wednesday

Yesterday afternoon I made another stop at the gym; woot!  I hopped on the treadmill for 9 sets of 2 minutes running/2 minutes walking.  36 minutes and 3 miles.  I’m going to need to make myself do some strength training soon, but for now I’m taking baby steps.  Plus, my legs got sore enough that I decided to make Thursday a day off.

After a shower, I was heading downtown for a mini-meet up my old school was hosting.  I hate going to things like that by myself; I am seriously the worst with faces.  I love getting to catch up with people but if I’m not with a friend to tell me who people are then it feels more stressful than fun.  Thankfully (ha!) there really was no one I knew there, just a bunch of younger kids.  I met up with one friend from my class and we quickly fled in seach of dinner.

Crystal – a high school friend that I am thrilled is visiting the same time as I – and I headed over to Benny Iguanas, the new location of a sushi place that was very popular back in the day.  I started with a tofu/veggies miso soup.

And got a cucumber-avocado roll for my meal.

The catching up was better than the food, but the meal wasn’t terrible.

Thursday

I started this morning with dessert.

Plus a little of this –

And some of this –

The holiday season just isn’t complete without some “Carebears Nutcracker.”  Though it’s possible that I “borrowed” that DVD from a Blockbusters in Brooklyn 3 years ago!

I also had breakfast.

A 2% Pineapple Chobani with a sliced banana.

And now I’m heading to lunch with my mom, hopefully for more sushi!

How do you feel about high school reunions?

Cheesy Bacon Horsey Dip

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I came up with his combination on a whim the morning of our holiday party and it ended up working perfectly. This dip is creamy and cheesy with just a bit of bite from the horseradish.  If you choose to omit the bacon and Worcestershire, 3-4 Tbsp of soy sauce would give a comparable yet vegetarian sense of umami.

We paired ours with pretzel chips and carrot sticks.

Cheesy Bacon Horsey Dip

Yield: 1.5 cups; Prep Time: 15 minutes

  • 8 oz package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 and 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
  • 1/2 cup Miracle Whip or reduced fat mayo
  • 1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped
  • 2 Tbsp prepared horseradish
  • 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 5 slices turkey bacon, roughly chopped

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and use mixer on medium speed to combine.  Place in a covered container in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.

You could also use a food processor but be careful not to overmix; you want some chunks of bacon embedded throughout.

STT; Tuesday Afternoon – Wednesday Afternoon

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Tuesday

Yesterday afternoon I ran some errands with my mom during her break.  Including getting me a small square of macaroni and cheese for lunch.

West Indian style mac ‘n cheese is baked with cheese on top.  It’s fantastic, obviously.

Then I went downtown to run errands with my dad.  For this trip I made myself an iced coffee.

With skim milk and 1 Tbsp of gingerbread syrup.

During the afternoon I snacked on carrots,

and chocolate.

Then I made an effort not to be a total loaf this vacation and made dinner.

My parents are wimps so I had to sub two cans of tuna fish for sardines, but other than that I followed my recipe for Sardine Mushroom Tomato Sauce.

With roasted squash and okra on the side.

I never could find good okra in Buffalo this fall, I can’t even tell you how excited I was to spot it here.

I spent the evening baking with my mom, but since my retainers were in no nibbling occurred.

And to my Jewish readers – Happy Hanukkah!

Wednesday

I started this morning with some stewed tamarind.

Tamarind has this unique, tangy yet earthy taste.  It has lots of seeds so whether you are eating it stewed or straight from the pod you have to be careful.  The best way to eat it is to swish a bite around your mouth (without chewing!) and then spit out the seeds when the flesh is gone.  Looking very ladylike I’m sure.

I also ate a leftover serving of whole wheat penne with 1.5 tsp of olive oil, a shake of salt, and a sprinkle of parmesan.

Plus two 7-layer bars,

and more chocolate.

I didn’t realize until I stated writing this post, but I’ve kind of eaten nothing but pasta and chocolate for the past 24 hours!!  I’m heading to the gym this afternoon and I guess I’ll make veggies a priority for dinner!

Now I’m back at school, trying to catch up on e-mails and eating this Greek Gods honey Greek yogurt.

P.S. No Window Shopping Wednesday this week.  With all the wishlist posts floating around it just felt a little tired.  I’ll be back with it after Christmas, next week.

Have you ever tried tamarind?  If you’ve eaten any authentic Thai the answer is probably yes, it’s often used in Pad Thai.

Cinnamon Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

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Adam adored my Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal Cookies so much that I just had to make a variation for our holiday party.  These have a similar texture to the originals but have been jazzed up a bit with cinnamon.  If you can’t locate the cinnamon M&M’s (I found mine at Target) you could substitute an equal amount of cinnamon morsels.

Cinnamon Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Yield:  50 small cookies;  Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes

    • 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 and 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 3/4 cup butter, softened
    • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
    • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 tsp cinnamon extract
    • 2 and 1/2 cups rolled oats
    • 1 cup cinnamon M&M’s
    • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.  Prepare ungreased baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  Stir to combine.
  3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars.  Beat in eggs and cinnamon extract.
  4. Working in small batches but taking care not to overmix, beat dry mixture into wet.
  5. Stir oats, m&m’s, and chocolate chips into the dough.
  6. Drop tsp-sized balls in even rows on baking sheets.  Bake for 13 – 15 minutes.  Cookies will not really brown, but you are looking for there to no longer be any areas that appear raw.
  7. Cool on trays for 2-3 minutes then remove to cool completely.

STT; Monday Afternoon – Tuesday Morning

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Tuesday

When I was finished on the computer yesterday I went down to the gym with my mom.  I basically haven’t worked out consistently all year (fail!) but I’m hoping to kick start a routine during my extra free time this vacation.  Just in time for 2012 resolutions, eh?  Last night I did 40 minutes on the elliptical at random level 6, followed by 15 minutes on the stationary bike.

Then my mom took me to dinner at a salad bar.

The salad bar concept is fairly new in St. Thomas and people are more than just a little excited about it.  Between my near-daily Wegmans consumption and extreme Whole Foods lust I consider myself a bit of a salad bar connoisseur.  And this one was pretty good.

I got a small scoop of pasta salads,

a big scoop of cole slaw,

and romaine lettuce with a few chopped veggies (including lots of pickles!), raisins, peanuts, and vinegar for dressing.

And then my dad fed me this peanut brittle bar for dessert.

Monday

This morning I got up bright and early to catch a ride to the gym.  50 minutes on the elliptical at random level 3.  I brought a book to start but ended up just wanting to spend some time with my thoughts.

I got home around 8:30 and crashed into what felt like the most necessary nap ever.  I’m allergic to something in the air here and if my sniffles continue I foresee lots of naps.

Then I came back to school and snacked on a Jazz apple,

and some candy I stole from a teacher gift my mom got.

She’s the lower school (kindergarten – 5th) librarian at my old school and people are crazy about her.  You should see the kinds of looks I get here when people find out who my parents are.

As soon as my mom goes on her break I’m going to run some errands with her and try to find some lunch.  I’m making dinner for my parents tonight, so please think tasty thoughts for me!

Eggnog Loaf with Eggnog Glaze

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This quick bread comes together in a snap and feels festive without being too sweet.  I used traditional, full fat eggnog for this recipe so I can’t guarantee it’ll work with a lighter variety.  Be sure not to skimp on the nutmeg!

Eggnog Loaf with Eggnog Glaze

Recipe loosely adapted from Jenna’s Cinnamon Walnut Bread.

Makes: 1 loaf; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 45 – 50 minutes

  • 2 cups plus 1/2 tsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup eggnog
  • 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.  In a small bowl, whisk egg.  In another small bowl, toss butterscotch chips with 1/2 tsp flour to coat.
  2. In a large bowl, mix 2 cups flour, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and sugar.
  3. Stir in egg and eggnog, taking care not to overmix.  Fold floured butterscotch chips into dough.
  4. Pour dough into a greased loaf pan and bake for 45 – 50 minutes, until top is browned and an inserted knife comes out clean.
  5. Allow to cool completely before cutting.  Drizzle glaze over slices as desired.

For eggnog glaze

Whisk together 2/3 cup powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp eggnog.  Store glaze in a covered container in the fridge until ready to serve.