Epic Meal Time

by Emily

I’m not talking about the Epic Meal Time, though those guys are awesome.

Muscles Glasses is a hottie.

I’m talking about yesterday’s meals. They were literally epic (you’ll see).

Breakfast was more nonexistent than epic, because I stayed in bed reading a book until the last possible minute. When I was utterly distraught over finishing Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan series my mom bought me the first book in several murder mystery lines. Yesterday I was finishing up Tess Gerritsen’s The Surgeon. It wasn’t terrible – I loved the way she switched point of view with each chapter from a different character’s perception – but I don’t plan on reading any more of hers. I actually have the latest TB book now but I’m making myself wait to savor it.

I had to be out of bed and out the door at a specific time because my friend Hillary and I were presenting our research on Ginkgo Biloba at a poster presentation.

Last major assignment of the semester, done!

After I changed out of my suit Adam and I went to lunch. We took a nice walk down Elmwood (a little over a mile) to Nickle City Cheese & Mercantile, an adorable new cheese shop.

The space looks great and they carry all sorts of cool lines that I’ve read about and wanted to try.

Adam and I got lunch and had a picnic outside.

We had a Sprecher Cherry Cola,

Mac and cheese with gouda,

and a grilled cheese of pimento cheese on pumpernickel with red onion.

Everything was great, but the pimento cheese didn’t have as much flavor as I was hoping for. We definitely plan on going back for fancy cheese.

On the walk home we stopped at the neighborhood candy store for mint M&M’s.

They are one of my favorites but I was feeling pretty satisfied from lunch so I only ate half of them.

The rest of our afternoon was spent running the rest of our weekend errands. Many took us to the mall.

Our final errand was at Cold Stone (legit!) where Adam and I split a kid’s chocolate frozen yogurt with butterfinger.

I like that Cold Stone has an option with less than 200 calories per small serving but this tasted a little “empty” somehow.

For dinner we went on a fancy date night! We had an amazing Groupon for Epic Restaurant and Lounge.

They brought us bread with oil to start.

And Adam ordered the Filet Sliders – with house-made sea salt and vinegar potato chips and smoked gouda fondue as an appetizer.

I ate a few chips dipped in the fondue and it was awesome.

Per usual, we did some sharing with dinner. I got the Grilled Rock Lobster Tail – with lemon and asparagus barley risotto drizzled with a garlic shallot butter and brocoli rabe.

He got the Cedar Plank Salmon – maple candied carrots, fresh arugula, smoked gouda mashed potatoes.

Gahhhh! Everything was sooooo good! Adam’s favorite bite was the lobster tail and my favorites were the broccoli rabe and the fatty end of Adam’s salmon. It was a great meal and a great time.

We extended the fun with Monkey Bread for dessert.

Oh, and we ordered a bottle of Prosecco with our meal.

Which is why you’re getting this post in the morning 😉

25Apr2012

Two Beers And A Book

by Emily

We’re still waiting on Spring but the weather has warmed up enough that walks are pleasurable. We took several today so I’m a happy camper.

This morning’s breakfast was a winner.

I topped a plain Siggi’s with melted Dark Chocolate Dreams pb (2 Tbsp) and strawberry jam (~1 Tbsp).

It looked just like an ice cream sundae! Tasted like one too.

Lunch didn’t happen – the husband got to come home at the last minute and he took me on a walking date – but when I got home from school I sank my teeth into this juicy Bartlett pear.

Produce is so flipping good this time of year.

And a 100-calorie bag of kettle corn.

Which is good any time of year.

Dinner looked a lot like Monday’s; white girl broad rice noodles with broccoli, and a spicy sauce.

I stir-fried ~1 serving of noodles and 2 cups roasted broccoli in 1/2 Tbsp evoo and a sauce [made out of 1/2 Tbsp sugar + 1/2 Tbsp tamari + 1/2 Tbsp Sriracha + 2 Tbsp rice vinegar] .

It was nice and spicy.

I’ve already got the rest of my evening planned –

A Blue Moon Spring Blonde Wheat Ale, a Shock Top Lemon Shandy, and book 2 of the Hunger Games, Catching Fire.

23Apr2012

White Girl Broad Rice Noodles

by Emily

If I had to name my favorite foods, Pad See Eiw would top the list every time. It beats out baby carrots and even jalapeño nachos, though it’s worth noting that diet pop isn’t a contender because it’s considered a necessity. Broad rice noodles have the best chew. If you get a well made dish of Pad See Eiw the noodles are almost like marshmallows, but in a delicious, savory way.

Tragically, I’ve never been able to find broad rice noodles on sale for the home cook. I’ve searched at Thai markets in Buffalo, Brooklyn, and Toronto with no luck. I haven’t given up hope but I’m not too broken up about it either. I figure that the universe is just telling me that we need to go out for Thai more often. Plus, I’ve found a white girl substitution that works in a pinch –

lasagna noodles

You simply cook the noodles according to the package directions, drain and cool, chop into large squares, and stir fry. The flavor and texture aren’t identical to broad rice noodles but they are good. It’s the closest I’ve come to approximating that great chew at home.

For tonight’s meal I made “broad rice noodles” with veggies and a spicy basil sauce. The final dish was chewy, spicy, healthy, and a little sweet and sour; we were big fans!

To make the meal, I used 1 Tbsp canola oil to stir fry 2 servings of chopped lasagna noodles, 3 small heads roasted broccoli, 2 roasted zucchini, and 2 eggs. Then I tossed everything in a spicy basil sauce and cooked it all for another 3 minutes.

spicy basil sauce

2 Tbsp finely chopped basil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp Sriracha

Dinner was great but I’ve been a hungry mungry all afternoon and my stomach is still growling! Before dinner I made myself a sliced green apple with 2 Tbsp Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter.

The cookie butter is tasty but it’s not exactly like Biscoff Spread. I still can’t put my finger on what the difference is.

When I was still hungry an hour after dinner I made myself a serving of Ritz crackers with 1 oz of melted Cabot 50% Reduced Sharp Cheddar.

Yummy, but not very filling. We don’t have a ton of options in the house though and I’ve definitly consumed enough calories for the day so I’ve decided to suck it up and just go hungry. Hopefully when I get back to work I’ll get distracted and my stomach will give it a rest!

Are you a broad rice noodle fan?

22Apr2012

Thai One On

by Emily

Good food, good friends, and a bit of work; ’twas the perfect Sunday!

Any day is sweet when your morning starts off like this –

If you don’t want to start your day with sweetened condensed milk I’m not sure we can be friends. I only had a small taste, I was using the SCM in a fun recipe and licking the spoon is practically a requirement.

We had brunch plans at noon so I also had this Cara Cara Orange in the a.m. to hold me over.

Good thing too, the wait ended up being lengthy.

Thankfully Betty’s was worth the time.

3rd year has been busy so it was great to get together with some medical school friends.

Apparently I think smoky eyes are a brunch look.

A Bloody Mary (extra spicy) was ordered the minute we got to our table.

Not gonna lie – I got a little buzzed; I’m officially a light-weight.

For my meal I had my eye on the vegetable hash –

Corn and poblano peppers topped with runny eggs sounds like heaven on a plate, but sadly they had run out. I ended up making a last-minute decision and choosing the apple and cranberry french toast streusel casserole.

The casserole was good but I should have stuck with savory, I just wasn’t feeling sweet. I ate about half plus two incredible stolen bites of Adam’s lox Benedict.

I didn’t have to wait long to eat again (do I ever?!); we went to the movies this afternoon and I polished off 90% of these pretzel bites.

This is literally the only time I would ever considering eating fake cheese, but boy do I shovel it in with pretzel bites! We saw “Cabin in the Woods.” I hate horror films a lot (even “horror comedies”) but we’re obsessed with Joss Whedon so we had to go. I didn’t adore the movie itself but I loved the fact that it was basically a giant commentary on the genre. No “Serenity” though 😉

Our friends were talking about the “five languages of love” at brunch so when we got home we decided to take the quiz. Here are my results –

And here are Adam’s –

We both are indifferent to gifts but need physical touch and quality time (I could have told you that before the quiz!) You’ll notice that I care much more about acts of service than Adam; a good thing since I’m basically worthless!

But I did make us an awesome snack.

When we lived in Park Slope there was a coffee shop on our block with the best-ever coffee granita. We were obsessed and Adam got a granita for free two years in the row because he was the first person to order it at the end of winter. This was my attempt at a Thai Iced Coffee style granita.

I know it looks like dog food but I promise that the taste and texture were great. Here’s the recipe –

Thai Iced Coffee Slush, serves 6

6 heaping Tbsp espresso roast ground coffee
3 cups water
14 oz can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

Place grounds and water in coffee maker of choice and brew according to manufacture’s instructions. Remove finished coffee from heat and allow to cool completely.
In a large bowl, whisk together coffee and sweetened condensed milk until homogenous.
Pour mixture into a 13 x 9 inch glass casserole dish and place in the freezer.
Freeze 8 hours or until fully frozen. Use a fork to break up the mixture every 2 hours or so, scraping the tines through until you’ve achieved a texture similar to wet sand.
Serve immediately. Slush will keep in the freezer indefinitely but you may need to use a blender to break it up if you wait more than 1 – 2 days to serve.

We loved it! The slush was milky and sweet but the coffee flavor was strong. Each serving has less than 200 calories so it’s the perfect light, summer treat.

We weren’t done having fun yet; next we cashed in a Living Social deal for dinner at Spicy Thai. Spicy Thai has my favorite pad see eiw in Buffalo but I was craving spice so I branched out.

Spicy Tofu – “(comes hot and only hot) fried tofu with green beans sautéed in spicy chili, garlic, and basil.” I requested mine extra hot and with broccoli thrown in for some extra veggies.

Awesome. It actually wasn’t as spicy as I’d hoped but the flavors were delicious. I loved how the tofu was a little bit sweet. I ate 2/3s and then gave the rest, and all of my rice, to the husband.

He ordered the Pad See Eiw and I took many bites of that as well.

Marshmallow noodles!

My tofu may not have been hot but my dish did come with some of these killer Thai peppers.

I always pick around the darker dried ones (I had a really bad experience at a Panda Express once) but today I tried one of the soft, bright red pieces. I spent a minute in tears with a tongue that felt like it had a hole in it, but ended up with a really pleasant spice flavor. Adam – who used to ardently hate all things hot – even tried one.

I’m so proud of him for branching out! He’s even the occasional Sriracha fan now.

On our way home we stopped in at Starbucks to get me the chocolate hazelnut tart that I’ve been mooning at for weeks.

I Googled when we got home and if I’d know that this guy only had 180 calories I probably would have gotten one sooner! The shortbread crust was everything I was hoping it would be.

Actually, Adam attempted to get me one of those last week but misunderstood and purchased a little apple pie instead (no thanks). I may not have eaten his treat but I was incredibly thrilled by the gesture. I guess I do care a little bit about gifts!

What is your most important language of love?

20Apr2012

Some Shrink, Some Grow

by Emily

Here is what our afternoon looked like –

While I was studying I ate a mini bag of kettle corn.

And I ate a cheese stick when we got back from our walk.

I made Adam’s dinner this afternoon and my meal was quick to assemble this evening. Earlier this week I cooked a big pot of lasagna noodles and all I had to do today was chop them up and the base of my meal was complete.

I gave the chopped noodles a quick stir-fry with 1 Tbsp canola oil, 2 cups frozen spinach, and 4 oz cream goat cheese. Half of the finished product went into a tupperware for tomorrow and the other half went into my belly.

It was a great meal, but I sort of hate how tiny greens get when cooked.

You know what grows with heat?

Marshmallows, the opposite of spinach in every way! They look funny because I microwaved them with a bit of cookie butter. This might be my new favorite dessert.

It’s a busy day tomorrow but we are deeply enjoying our Stargate: Atlantis marathon; I’m hoping to strike the right balance of fun and function with a 1am bedtime. Catch you in the a.m.!

14Apr2012

Sugar Saturday

by Emily

Today’s been sweet, literally. And it’s not over yet; I’m having a bowl of ice cream the minute I publish this post!

Breakfast was another fabulous yogurt-cottage cheese mix. A Liberte Coconut Yogurt served over the 1+ serving of 1% large curd cottage cheese. Plus a sprinkle of toasted coconut.

I don’t really enjoy cottage cheese by its lonesome, but mixed into yogurt or oatmeal it’s the bee’s knees.

We ran errands for what felt like forever today (3 stores for groceries?!!) and for lunch I introduced Adam to Manhattan Bagel.

I had a toasted jalopeño cheddar bagel with lox cream cheese. The bagels were great, nice and chewy, but the service was so bad I doubt we’d ever go back to that location [the Delaware location for any reading locals].

A frozen iced coffee was split at Wegmans.

Plus 4 pieces of salt water taffy from the bulk bins for dessert.

Watermelon was a favorite but I also enjoyed cherry cola and cookie dough.

For dinner we cashed in a Living Social deal for Thai House. We tried a lot and overall it was good but not great. Our appetizer was little fried cups with crab meat.

Meh. I only ate two but Adam did finish the rest.

Our meals came with soup so we both ordered Tom Yum.

Yum indeed; (jeez that was corny!) the soup was perfectly sour.

Another plus was the 2-1 deal on “thai-iced” beverages.

The husband did coffee and I did tea.

Delicious.

And for my meal I ordered the House Noodles, extra spicy.

Broad rice noodles with brocoli, boy choy, peppers, and egg. The extra spicy was actually spicy, a major plus over other local Thai places. But the noodles didn’t have the amazing “marshmallow” quality that I look for in good broad rice noodles.

Now we are home enjoying Cokes with lime.

And ice cream soon! Tomorrow brings lots of studying for Monday’s exam and a visit to the theatre for The Hunger Games!!!

8Apr2012

Easter Dinner

by Emily

I hope everyone’s Easter, Passover, or April weekends have been full of family and fun. It’s been good being here in Ohio and seeing lots of familiar faces. I’m feeling pretty good too but definitely still in need of sleep so I’ll keep this quick.

Breakfast. Scrambled eggs, piece of turkey bacon, toast with butter.

Lunch. Pieced together as best I could.

Cup of carrots.

Cup of Sahale Snacks Almonds with Honey, Cranberry + Sea Salt.

Mid-afternoon snack/fun. We walked over to the Cracker Barrel gift shop to peruse the old-time goodies.

Adam and I split a Double Cola.

And I finally got to try divinity candy, a Southern treat made of sugar, corn syrup, and egg whites.

I had that piece shown x 3. Delicious but the back of my throat felt like it was burning with all of the sugar.

Appetizer. A bagel chip with blue cheese pecan spread. x2.

Drink. Bud Light with Lime.

Dinner.

Orzo salad.

Party potatoes.

Stir-fried veggies.

Pretzel roll with butter. x2.

Fruit salad.

Bed.

Did you decorate Easter eggs this year?

1Apr2012

Three Dessert Sunday

by Emily

The weekend is over and I didn’t catch up on any sleep, aaaahh! After our late night (cough, 4:30, cough cough) I was thrilled to wake up to a pre-made breakfast. Overnight oats in a jar.

In a pb jar with just a little peanut butter left (approximately 2 Tbsp) I combined 1/4 cup of oats, 1/4 cup Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk, and a caramel Oikos.