Tag Archives: cheese

A Pre-(Impromptu)Party Post

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Ooof!  So far we have packed this winter vacation full of fun.  I’ve been AWOP (<–away without posting) so I’d love to give you guys a full recap, but frankly, we’ve got a party to throw!  Yes, the party is tonight, and yes, it was planned, um, today.

Yesterday evening we took my in-laws out to dinner at Pearl Street.  (No you didn’t miss a lunch post, I just didn’t eat lunch.)  I ordered a turkey reuben.

There isn’t actually a turkey reuben on the menu, but PS is fabulous so when I asked to sub turkey for corned beef they happily complied.

With cole slaw on the side.

We had some time to kill so we headed to Starbucks where I ordered a short, skim, salted caramel hot chocolate.

Then we headed to see….. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra!

No photography was allowed during the show, but I promise you it was as aesthetically pleasing as it was easy on the ear.  I didn’t recognize all of the music but the show closed with scores from “The Nutcracker” and “Messiah” and everything was wonderful.

During intermission, the husband and I split a cranberry juice with champagne.

Fast-forward to a morning that came way too quickly, and the husband and I were out the door to see his parents off.

We were out and about too early for Target, so while we waited for paper plates and napkins to become available we stopped into Bagel Jays to split a rye bagel with lox spread.

Delish!  The rye bagel was a pretty exciting concept.

During the fray I did take time to cash in a Groupon for a mani/pedicure.

And to grab lunch from the Wegman’s hot bar.

But then it was back to work!

We’ve got things mostly done now, so I took a break for blogging and dinner.

The other half of my turkey reuben was delicious.

But this microwaved frozen okra was not.

Even spicy paprika couldn’t save it.  I forced down half to get in my greens, but this was slime city.

And now I’m looking forward to seasonal beer, mint chocolate cake balls, and hot pepper peach cheese-ball!

Better Than 32Minutes in Bed or 2.8Miles by Car

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Hello, Saturday!  We’re having a fun visiting day, but stopped by the house to do a huge load of laundry chat so I figured I’d do a quick post.

We put the late in late-night yesterday, but I was determined to go to the gym today.  Our in-laws are staying in a hotel with a little gym so I could work out there, then shower in the room, and then head to breakfast.  Doing everything in the same building was soooo nice; I would up my gym time exponentially if there was one attached to my house!

I decided to hit up the treadmill for a short run.  My right arch was killing me so I kept having to take walking breaks to stretch my foot, but I manged 2.8miles.  With warm up/cool down I ended at 32minutes.  I was frustrated about how slow that is, but then I put it in perspective – 32minutes and 2.8miles of activity is never a bad thing!

Neither is breakfast at Pano’s!

Adam and I split the California Omlette, “avocado, sautéed mushroom, green onion, tomato, shallots, sour cream, cheddar, pepper jack and swiss cheese; served with home fries and (sourdough) toast.”

It was a tasty meal, and sharing left us with the perfect portion size.

I’m not sure entirely what the day will bring, but this evening will be spent at the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.  Can’t wait!

And the Camera Ran Away with the Hairbrush

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There was no day post today because my camera battery needed to charge.  Really I think suicide was a last-ditch effort on the battery’s part to avoid involvement in my train wreck.  It’s probably a good thing the earlier half of the day went without photographs.

I ate chips for breakfast – embarrassing.

I met Katie for lunch at Moe’s – repetitive.

And I did it all still in my clothing from the day before – why am I allowed to leave the house?

Thankfully the husband’s parents came into town for a belated birthday celebration and that got me to pull my act together.  I even took a shower.

Because if cake’s not worth clean hair, then what is?

First though, was dinner.  We needed quick wait, accessible parking, and good food – Jack Astor’s.  With lobster and crab dip to start.

I ate this plate x2.

And then I proceeded to terrorize the wait-staff.  Diet Roy Rodgers, please.

Once we got that figured out (diet soda, grenadine, cherry on top) I cobbled together a meal using pieces from three different menu items.

The end result was delicious.  A turkey burger with white cheddar, jalapeno zucchini relish, and fig jam.

I ate all of my turkey/toppings, half of my bun, and half of my fries.  Truth be told, I did not need the fries, but malt vinegar was available and I feel the end tummy ache was worth it.

After dinner we did a driving tour of Christmas lights. 

I couldn’t get pictures from the moving car, but the trees on Elmwood are just gorgeous!

Then we headed back to the hotel room for cake.  Actually, Chocolate Decadence to be exact.  “4 layers of chocolate sponge cake filled with whipped ganache, frosted in chocolate butter cream. Garnished with chocolate buttons and drizzled chocolate.”

I only ate a few bites of my piece (I wasn’t kidding about that tummy ache!) but it was pretty divine.

We spent a long time talking to my in-laws, hence the midnight post.  It’s been a fun day, and if I want tomorrow to be fun as well I’ve got to get to bed!

Holiday Dishes and Demons

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Do you have your holiday dishes out yet?  Other than the reindeer stuff (very nice, Kate Spade bowls and mugs) from my mom this little tree is my only piece.

It made lunch feel festive.

Although, lunch was pretty exciting (to me) all on its own.

Sandwich/salad, sandwich/soup, and soup/salad combos always feel like lunch at a restaurant to me.

My salad was a butter lettuce base with Newman’s Own Asian Sesame Dressing, Sahale Snacks Valdosta Pecans, and a bit of pulverized coconut.

I don’t eat salads at home that much – something about the lettuce skeeves me out – but this was a great combo.

My sandwich was a grilled cheese with tomato.

I spread two slices of Nature’s Pride Oatmeal bread with Miracle Whip, topped with tomato slices and two pieces of 2% provolone, then spread the outside with Smart Balance Light and pan-fried.

Yum!  The husband took a big bite (I made him a pretty gourmet mini-pizza for his lunch) and declared it delicious.

We watched TV while we ate.  Sidenote – has anyone seen the “Family Guy” or “American Dad” Chirstmas specials this year?  I think Seth McFarlane has some holiday demons, yikes!

Back to work!

Tastes Like Home for the Holidays

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My shower took forever because I couldn’t bear to get out of the warm water!  It’s already 10* outside, I’m a little afraid of what January will bring.

Tonight’s dinner utilized take-homes from my cultural meal project.

Callaloo and dumb bread with cheese!

Callaloo is a traditional Caribbean soup made traditional with callaloo, pumpkin, coconut milk, and okra.  Our version was slightly less traditional, with spinach, butternut squash, and coconut milk.

Still delicious though.  This is the recipe we used.

Dumb bread is a non-yeast-levened bread with shredded coconut scattered throughout.  I topped my serving with extra sharp cheddar.

This flavor definitely took my back to my childhood!  This is the recipe we used.

Leftovers for dinner meant less cooking time and more baking time!

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Brownies.

I followed the recipe on the Baker’s Chocolate box, but substituted the nuts and vanilla for 2 tsp cinnamon extract and 1 cup chocolate chips.

Quite tasty!  The husband said the cinnamon gave them a warm taste.

Brownies are usually my mom’s specialty but I think these definitely hold their own.  I ate two small ones.

Between the traditional Caribbean flavors and (not)mom’s brownies this meal tasted like home to us; which makes it a good meal for this week because we are gearing up for a trip home!  After all of our exams are done we are heading to St. Thomas for 10 glorious days.  Now I’ve just got two more exams to get through; I can’t wait!

What substitutions have you made on the traditional brownie recipe?  Which was your favorite?

Combatting Stress

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Today has been a big day – I had a nutrition final, a break, and then my Organic Chemistry final.  I knew 8am – 3pm was going to be a stressful, so I did my best to combat my lack of cheer.

Like wearing a nice pink shirt (new from Hanukkah).

And having Adam stop at Starbucks on his way to dropping me off at school (grande non-fat eggnog latte).

My first exam went pretty well, 84% at very minimum.  Sidenote – when I take multiple choice tests I always keep a tally of questions I’m not certain of so that I can calculate my lowest possible score.  Does anyone else do this?  Anyway, my class grade before the final was a 100%, so I’m not too worried.

Then I crammed.  Not gonna lie; I did not study Organic this weekend.  I really have no explanation or excuse for my study habits this semester; all I can say is that I’m pretty disgusted with myself.  I quit my job to go back to school, next semester I plan on treating school like it’s my job (because it is!).

For my mid-cram lunch I packed a ‘new things sandwich.’

1 slice 2% Provolone cheese and 3 slices Applegate Farms Turkey Bologna on an Arnold’s Whole Grain White Sandwich Thin.

The star of the show sandwich was definitely the Applegate Farms Turkey Bologna.

I’ve never actually tasted bologna before, but this was delicious!  There was a fabulous smokiness to it.

Does anyone else see that sandwich smile?

I also packed a baggie of baby carrots on the side,

and a 60% Cacao Ghirardelli square.

I probably should have packed more chocolate, because then I headed to Organic 😉  It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t terrible either.  I asked the teacher to look over my test at the end and he said that I wasn’t ridiculous.  Supposedly we can get our grades tomorrow, so I’ll be waiting with pretty bated breath.

Then I headed to the gym to work off the rest of my stress.  I did an intervals session on the treadmill –

  • 1 minute walking / 2 minutes running
  • x 13 (39 minutes)
  • with cooldown = 45 minutes, 4.0 miles

I had to wait on campus for Adam to pick me up (it’s 10* out there!) but as soon as this is posted I’m getting into the shower and then into my baking clothes!

No Complaints About the Food

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Today was – – – tiresome?  It wasn’t a terrible day, but I certainly have a lot of complaints about it!  I woke up to the realization that I’m getting sick, I felt sick all day, we were so busy all day that I couldn’t study for Monday’s two finals, and in the midst of not studying I found out that I got a B in my Anatomy Lab…  Boo.

One thing I have no complaints about is breakfast.

Kath‘s oat smoothies are genius!  And my holiday twist was pretty darn smart too 😉  This was a leftover serving of oatmeal, 1 frozen banana, and 2/3cup Silk Soy Nog, with a healthy shake of nutmeg.

Mmm-mmn!  The nutmeg totally took it to Christmas morning.  So did these pepermint flavored Now and Laters.

And then I was out of the house for the rest of the day.  We had lots of errands and doctors appointments, all of which moved like molasses.  Adam has a birthday tomorrow (25!) and I’ve got an idiopathic bone lesion.  Fun.

Lunch from Wegman’s salad bar was a bright spot.

But since I didn’t eat “lunch” until 4pm my hunger was so out of control that this barely filled me up.

A slice of buffalo chicken pizza was soon to follow.

Not gonna lie, this slice of pizza was not cooked and I went ahead and ate it anyway.

Adam headed to a coffee spot to study after the grocery, but I knew my best course of action was to get myself into my pjs and tuck into a large bowl of vanilla bean with caramel sauce.

Yep.  I’ll be on the couch if you need me!