I Was Told There’d Be Book Club

by Emily

Book club was a success! And Adam got off of his shift early and got to spend the afternoon with me, so it was a great day all-around.

I got up early to do some final cleaning (when people come over I like to pretend that we’re not slobs) and snacked on a bag of popcorn and a slice of 2% provolone while I worked.

I also did some major 2-for-me-and-1-for-the-bowl-ing while I prepped the fruit salad.

At 10 my friends arrived and we feasted.

We may not have really talked about the book (I Was Told There’d Be Cake) but at least we had some good eats!

My plate had potatoes,

fruit salad,

cheesy baked eggs,

and a crepe (so cool!) with Biscoff spread on the inside.

We also made hibiscus mimosas.

It was all great fun. No people pictures though because we suck at remembering to take them. I always have my camera with me (duh) so I need to do a better job at snapping candids.

We book clubbed until after 3pm and then my cultural meal pattern group and I baked some Irish soda bread to bring to our presentation tomorrow. By the time they left I was starving again and my study motivation was seriously waning. But I have an important cumulative exam – spanning two semesters and material from 2 courses – tomorrow. What to do, what to do?

Somehow the husband and I decided that the solution was to go out to dinner and study at the table while other people prepared our food!

We went to an all-you-can-eat sushi spot that has a longish wait between courses and it was actually perfect. I’m not prepared for tomorrow by any means, but I got a lot more done than I would have at home.

I also ate a lot. I just plain don’t have time to break the pictures down, but here’s a shot of what I ate.

Wow! Highlights included edamame, tamago (sweet egg) sushi, and tempura zucchini.

And we stopped at Wegmans for a candy cane for dessert.

Sweet dreams!

3Dec2011

Long Dog In A Little Coat

by Emily

Sorry I keep disappearing. No one actually cares besides my mom, but she really cares! (Sorry, mom!) My personal school semester seems to have ended two weeks ago, and since real school runs until December 15th it’s been sort of a problem.

But today was busy. So busy in fact, that I woke up at 7:30 but didn’t have my first ~~bites~~ sips until after 10am.

A mug of White Christmas tea with 1/4 cup of eggnog.

The tea contained peppermint and ginger so all of my favorite holiday flavors were present in this mug.

My morning included dog walking, house decorating and grocery shopping. Then I took a quick break for lunch.

This open-faced sandwich was stupendous. I topped a thick slice of bread with cranberry relish, some shredded rotisserie chicken, and a few slices of melty sharp cheddar.

The tang from the cranberries paired really nicely with the cheddar.

Adam had to go to the mall to replace his eyeglasses (Webster) so I tagged along. We also finished up the last of our Christmas shopping and cashed in a coupon at DQ.

I got a mini candy cane chill blizzard. There were little pieces of crunchy peppermint throughout and I loved it.

The flavor and texture actually reminded me of that great peppermint stick chocolate bar Adam and I ate last week.

We made a quick stop at home to pick up the little destructor and then we headed to Pet Smart. Someone has been getting chilly on walks.

Oh. My. Goodness. I don’t even have the words to describe how cute Webster looks in his new sweater (thanks, mom!). Sidenote – every single time we go out on a walk someone/many people comment on how cute Webster is, so I always tell him that he’s “the toast of the town.” Then today I got to ask how The Toast liked feeling toasty!

My evening included coffee cake cooking, more cleaning, and dinner.

We split a bag of Bird’s Eye garlic cauliflower,

and made a batch of Rachael Ray’s Beer-Braised Meatballs.

I subbed in turkey meat and chicken stock for the beefy bits, but otherwise followed the recipe. We think this one’s a keeper.

And for dessert I tried a small slice of the coffee cake.

Pretty good. I’m actually not the hugest coffee cake fan but I’m hosting book club tomorrow and I needed a brunch-appropriate cake (we read I Was Told There’d Be Cake).

Are you a pet dressed? I’m not really into it (my mom tried to buy Webster a bandana of the month club and we staunchly put our feet down) but the dog seems kind of wimpy and I don’t want him to be unhappy on walks.

30Nov2011

Hello, Bob

by Emily

So, this morning I looked like this –

and now I look like this –

I like it, I think!

I always sort of hate my hair whenever I get it chopped, but I’ve gone short several times now so apparently that’s not holding me back! I ended up having 14 inches to give to Locks of Love, which is great.

A friend and I went during a long break between classes and it was fun to see people’s reactions when we got back. “Wait, didn’t you have a pony-tail this morning?!?” I surprised Adam too. He picked me up from school and his mouth fell open when I walked out to the car!

BC (before the cut) I ate half of this Coconut Chocolate Chip Clif Bar for breakfast.

And AC (after the cut) I bought a great green juice.

This was blend of spinach, kale, carrot, and cucumber; from a new spot just blocks from my apartment.

This was so good, and “only” $4. I predict I’ll be there more often than I can afford!

Adam picked me up after school so we could make a quick grocery trip. We each picked something from the cookie bar for funsies before we did boring stuff like toilet paper.

I chose cinnamon nut rugala and I’m now on the hunt for a rugala recipe to make at home.

While I was fixing Adam’s dinner I snacked on some canned pineapple over 1% cottage cheese.

My dinner was supposed to be some of Monday’s “leftovers,” leftover.

A heaping bowl of pasta, shredded chicken, and tons of peas, topped with parmesan, cranberry relish, and a drizzle of evoo.

I love this bowl so much more than I do anything I eat on Thanksgiving. But I got up to do something halfway through and when I came back there was a dog face in my bowl! Webster’s sort of an asshole.

Instead I ate this Smart Ones Brocoli and Cheddar Roasted Potatoes.

Not as good as the dinner I shared with the dog, but not as bad as it looks either.

Have you ever given to Locks of Love? If you have long hair – how many times have you gone short?

28Nov2011

“Leftovers”

by Emily

Did everyone have a fantastmic Turkey Day weekend? (I did!) We had a great last 1/2 day in Miami, including brunch with one of my best college friends, but got back into town late enough and with enough to do that I knew I was better off not blogging.

I didn’t have it together to pack food this morning but, though I got a little cranky around 1:00, I managed to make it through the school day without food. Fueled or not, I am so proud of myself for making it to the gym during the break before my last class. 35 minutes, level 6 random, on the elliptical.

I had an after-school errand that made me have to wait longer to eat, but I was ok with it. I was off to see a boy.

Love him. And I was so proud, when I went to the vet to pick him up they told me that he was perfectly behaved and everyone was going to miss him. I took him on a quick walk when we got home and he hadn’t forgotten any of his training during our five-day absence.

He’s a genius.

He’s also shedding like a mad man. When Adam got home we went out for a lint brush to remedy the winter coat/dog fur situation and also dealt with the food issue.

It’s worth not eating all day to get Wegman’s hot bar for late lunch. I got a heathy mix of fruits,

and veggies.

Delicious. I haven’t made brussels sprouts at home in ages but they are always my favorite thing on the buffet line.

Dinner was a winner as well.

Who says you need Thanksgiving leftovers to have a day-after-Thanksgiving inspired dinner? Into our bowls went a serving of pasta, some shredded rotisserie chicken, peas, a bit of parmesan, and a big dollop of cranberry relish.

I made an extra serving too and I’m excited about having this again as leftovers.

I tried to do some drinking with dinner.

But this Angry Orchard Hard Cider was too sour (it tasted almost rotten!) for me and I only managed a few swigs.

What did you make with your Thanksgiving leftovers?

27Nov2011

Best Ever

by Emily

It’s a good thing I decided not to blog after dinner yesterday because we ended up staying out for drinks! It was a late, fun night.

We started our evening with dinner at Las Culebrinas, Adam’s favorite Cuban place on the planet. They have rolls with the best garlic butter.

We also ordered some appetizers to share.

Fried plantain with shrimp in red sauce and mozzarella sticks.

For dinner I got Mahi Mahi crusted in corn flakes and topped with a honey mustard sauce.

It was a little too fried for me but the sauce was so good.

And it came with a side salad with great dressing.

We did lots of sharing (though no one went near Adam’s beef because he was moaning so loudly – and whispering sweet nothings to his chocolate flan – and we were all a little afraid). I ended up eating the equivalent of 3/4 of my plate.

Afterwards we walked around Coconut Grove for some more people watching. And somehow ended up at Uncle Moe’s for drinks. Like the Cow Tipper.

Here’s a shot with my hand for size comparison.

My mom and I split this one, obviously. It was tasty, but not as strong as it sounds.

Which is good, because I was feeling good this morning. I decided to skip the hotel breakfast, which was lackluster yesterday, and get in a quick gym trip instead. 15 minutes on the treadmill for a bit over a mile.

I ate my stolen pear for breakfast.

Along with a NuGo Dark bar packed from home.

And we stopped by our old favorite Thai place for a bubble ~~tea~~ smoothie.

Strawberry coconut smoothie with bobba.

So freaking good!

Plus a few peppermints for freshness.

Amid the day’s exploration we also spent some time at the mall. I know shopping seems like a strange vacation activity, but my parents live on an island so it’s more exploratory for them than the beach. My dad shared a pretzel with me while we were there.

I ate about x2 what’s pictured. We were practically frozen so I also bought an earl grey with steamed skim milk.

A few stops later, and we were at my favorite place on the planet.

Where I made the biggest cup of froyo I’ve ever eaten.

Everything chocolate and caramel, smothered in marshmallow.

Heaven. Pure heaven.

And the evening only got better. The plan was to go to Joe’s Stone Crab, but a 2-hour wait scared us away. The disappointment was very serendipitous, because we ended up having a best ever dinner at Joe’s less formal take-away spot next door. You ordered your food at a counter and brought it to the booth yourself and it ended up being just perfect.

To start, Adam and I split a seafood bisque.

It was creamy and tangy with big chunks of fish.

Then the four of us split an order of stone crab.

Stone crab is like the best crab you’ve ever had, on steroids. It is meaty, yet tender and buttery.

I got most of two claws, dipped in butter and mustard.

I drank a spicy bloody Mary with my food but I was too excited about the crab to remember to photograph before a few sips in.

For the rest of the meal, my mom and I split two sandwiches.

The shrimp po boy and the lobster Reuben.

The po boy was good, though I mostly ate the shrimp out of the bun, dipped in remoulade.

The Reuben was out of this world. Everything that’s good about a Reuben but with the added amazingness of lobster.

Everyone kept laughing at me for chewing with my eyes closed but I just couldn’t help it. The big pieces of meat were absolutely perfect.

I thought I couldn’t be happier, but then Adam bought me this t-Rex juice container.

Best trip souvenir ever.

My favorite activity in any city is bike riding, and for the hour after dinner that’s just what we did.

It was so much fun, though our times in the sand basically left my thighs burning! Then we spent another hour walking down the club strip on South Beach for the ultimate people watching. It was the best vacation day ever. The best.

24Nov2011

Happy Thanksgiving

by Emily

We’re in Miami!

Can I just say, how little I did I manage to pack for two people for four days?

And that’s with the husband’s giant boy clothes taking up extra space.

Our day of travel went smoothly, minus my yogurt (in a perfect peanut butter jar!) getting tossed at security. We slept though the first flight and then spent three hours walking around the Chicago airport.

We got a strange 8am meal, splitting a Baja chicken burrito from Burrito Beach.

I asked for chicken, red rice, black beans, corn, cheese, sour cream, and roasted veggies.

Supplemented with a tangerine packed from home.

I was pleased with the job I did packing food for this trip.

(Adam also had a downright gourmet salad in my backpack.)

I ate a sandwich – Applegate Farms Turkey Bologna, Crofter’s Grape Spread, everything Bagel Thin – on flight number two.

Plus Peanut M&Ms bought from the airport.

I also started reading the all time funniest book ever on the plane.

Clearly Webster liked it too. I laughed aloud so many times I’m sure our seatmates were thinking of muzzling me.

Before we knew it, we were on the ground and hugging my parents at the gate. We are so freaking excited to be with them (especially in Miami!).

Our first stop was a nice walking tour of our old haunt, the U!

So fun to see how the campus had changed in little ways. I will admit to becoming a bit nostalgic when we walked past the building where I took all of my English classes. Plus it’s fun that Adam and I got to date here for four years.

Our next stop made my heart sing.

Self-serve froyo is high on my list of things to be thankful for! I did keep the serving small though (we were about to head out to a nice Turkey Day dinner!); dolche de leche and taro froyo with fruit, a smidge of marshmallow, sprinkles, and lots of popping bobba.

If we manage to sneak in a froyo every day of the visit I think this will end up being the best vacation ever.

For dinner we headed to the Chart House.

The shirt that Adam has on here is actually the one he got married in!!!

I started my meal with a Blue Moon.

And a really great roll with butter.

And for dinner I went traditional.

Sliced roast turkey,

cornbread stuffing,

mashed potatoes,

cranberry relish,

and creamed spinach.

The spinach was soooo good, but overall I probably ordered the wrong thing since I actually hate most Thanksgiving foods. I only ate a 1/3 or so of my plate; but at least I won’t have regrets about “missing”anything, and Adam is thrilled with his plate of leftovers.

My meal came with pecan pie.

But there wasn’t a preference issue that kept me from eating this, the pie was just plain nasty. Store-bought (crappy store-bought) pie, Chart House? You can do better.

But what really matters on Thanksgiving is family, and I got to spend the day with my three favorite people. And I hope all of you, Americans or otherwise, got to spend the day with your nearest and dearest too.

22Nov2011

Yes, You Want Cake

by Emily

This post is for Katie. And for everyone – not to worry, I did eat food-food today, I just wanted to get this posted asap so y’all could enter the giveaway.

What do you get when you combine these things?

Cake!

Seriously.

My mother-in-law made this one Thanksgiving and it blew my mind. There’s also a ton of varieties on the internet, going as Crockpot Cake or Dump Cake. You can pair any combo of cake mix and pie filling that suits your fancy, so the possibilities are practically endless. And you basically just dump everything in your crock pot and go.

I had a very hard time picking a flavor combo – carrot cake mix + pineapple filling? devil’s food cake mix + cherry filling? spice cake mix + apple filling? – but in the end I decided to use Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake Mix and Comstock Premium Strawberry Pie Filling.

I brought my cake into class today (I actually I made it during class in the back of the room!) and everyone loved it. The 18 of us finished every last bite!

Crock Pot Cake

1 box Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake Mix
21 oz can Comstock Premium Strawberry pie filling
8 Tbsp butter, chopped

Spray the inside of your crock pot with baking spray.
Pour pie filling into the bottom of the crock pot.
Combine butter and cake mix and sprinkle on top of pie filling.
Cook, 2 hours on the low setting.

Giveaway

I received my cake mix and pie filling for free as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker’s Program and they want me to share with you guys too.

Three readers will receive two coupons for a free box of Duncan Hines cake mix. To enter to win –

leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite kind of cake is
post a link to this giveaway on Twitter, and leave a comment on this post letting me know that you’ve done so
post a link to this giveaway on Facebook, and leave a comment on this post letting me know that you’ve done so

You can do any or all of the above to enter. Contest ends Wednesday, November 23rd at 2pm EST.

27Oct2011

Fruit In My Purse, In My Chocolate

by Emily

I should NOT be blogging right now but I needed a study break! Tomorrow is going to suck; I’ll leave it at that.

Breakfast was grabbed quickly but ended up being good. A Revolution Foods Organic Berry MashUp.

I’ve seen some chatter on the internet about how lame it is for grown women to eat “baby food” but all I have to say to that is – sorry you don’t know what’s good? These are delicious and if you can find another way for me to stick a half cup of berries straight into my purse, I’m all ears.

Plus a sample box of Cascadian Farms Dark Chocolate Almond Granola from HLS.

This was so crunchy and tasty that I actually snapped a picture on my phone to remind myself to buy more!

Since you can already see my warm jacket peeking out from those pictures I’ll admit defeat and show you bundled up look –

It was in the low 30’s today, there could have been snow! There’s even another shirt on under that top layer (which was Adam’s!).

Not to worry, no one could see that I was wearing stripes + stripes + plaid, that layer was purely for bundling.

Towards the end of our 4-hour class our instructor took us on a field trip across campus to see some of the research posters being presented by faculty from across the disciplines. We got out of class early and they had food, score!