Tag Archives: seafood

Burgers and Boba

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I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day.  We got the holiday off, which meant I had time to go on a date with the husband and catch up on school-work.

I started my day with a 0% lemon Oikos.

I was so thrilled to see the new Oikos flavors on our shelves!  This was smooth and creamy with just a bit of tart flavor.  I have the pineapple variety waiting for me in the fridge as well.

Plus the last of my Chameleon Cold Brew with skim milk and ice.

I’m not sure if it’s because I used a bigger ratio of coffee:milk today or if it’s an effect of the bottle sitting open for a week, but today’s cup was more bitter than my previous ones.  Nonetheless, I’m still very sad to see the coffee go.  I’ve marked it on the 9/23 week’s list in advance to celebrate the end of my retainers.

When we walked around the park a few weeks back, both Adam and I had a major hankering for a zoo trip.  After running an errand this morning, we decided we should take advantage of the husband’s rare day off and go for it.

We were disconcerted by the wrap-around-three-blocks line,

but quickly got over it when we found out that Tops was offering special $1 admission for the day.

Score!  They were hosting a few games on the premises as well and I won this cup of Mike and Ike’s.

I ate half during our visit and think that the sugar helped me make it through the heat.

We saw so many animals!

My favorite reptile is the Dab Lizard and I was thrilled to catch a glimpse of one today.

Do you have a favorite reptile.

I packed a big bottle of water in my purse but rocking jeans was a big mistake; I was dripping the minute we stepped out of the car.

Since a mid-day shower was required anyway, I tried my hand at this 4-minute workout –

Holy crap!  I was basically dying by the end.  The husband and I have decided to do it 3x/week.  4-minutes is always doable.

Lunch was sushi from Wegman’s.

Pssst, Buffalo peeps, this another item with money off from the student coupon packet.

This afternoon, I finally did something with these purchases from our trip to Toronto’s Koreatown.

Taro milk tea + rainbow boba = mmmmmmn!

It was too much fun (and a cross-off on a birthday list goal!) to have made these items from scratch.

I spent most of my evening hard at work, but did find time to make a great dinner.

Roasted green beans,

and a Reuben Stuffed Turkey Burger.

I ate mine on an onion roll with extra sauerkraut, Swiss, and 1000 island dressing.

Reuben Stuffed Turkey Burgers, serves 6

  •  lb 94% fat-free ground turkey meat
  • 1 cup sauerkraut, squeezed to remove as much liquid as possible
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1.5 tsp dried caraway seeds
  • 3 (1 oz)-slices Swiss cheese
  • 2 Tbsp thousand island dressing
  1. Slice cheese into quarters; you should end up with twelve 1inch x 1inch squares.
  2. Place meat, sauerkraut, egg, breadcrumbs, and caraway seeds in a large bowl.  Use your hands to mix until well combined.
  3. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, divide the meat mixture evenly into twelve 1/4-cup portions.  Flatten six of the portions into patties.
  4. Place 1 tsp thousand island dressing and two cheese squares in the center of each flattened patty.  Top with remaining portions, pressing on the edges to “seal” the patties.
  5. Place a greased grill-pan over medium-high heat.  Cook burgers until browned and fully cooked through; 5-8 minutes on each side.

I’m off to join Adam and Webster on a walk!

Are you a reuben sandwich fan?

Co-operating With My To-Do List

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I have officially accomplished more today than I did the entire rest of the summer, no lie.  On my to-done list:

  • go to the DMV
  • renew my BSC parking pass
  • make a copy of my proof of malpractice insurance
  • confirm my class schedule
  • sign up for the co-op
  • work
  • make 2 recipes for dinner
  • make snack for Adam’s poker game
  • complete summer work for my professional portfolio
  • put away clean laundry
  • set up binders for school
  • blog

Woot!  I work tomorrow and still have a few things to do on Sunday, but I feel good about heading back to school on Monday.

The DMV was amazingly quick and painless, probably because I got there soon after they opened.  I recently discovered that my licence expired more than a month ago so this was an important errand to accomplish before school starts and I have to drive to my internship.  My photo probably will look something like this –

Holy hair brushes, Emily, learn how to use one!  Also, I might be old enough that it’s time to figure out concealer before my next id photo.

I ran around all morning and didn’t have time for breakfast so I drank a Starbucks Vanilla Double Shot Energy on the walk to work.

Also on my walk, I stopped in at the co-op and became an owner.

This errand was even quicker and less painless than the DMV.  Locals, did you know that Lexington Co-op will refund your membership fee if you move?

For my lunch break today I grabbed food at Globe Market.

Side note – once school starts my buying food at work habit needs to die a quick death.

Thai Peanut Noodles that were astonishingly tasteless and disappointing,

and a crab cake that more than made up for the lackluster noodles.

I found a GIANT hunk of claw meat in my cake and was so pleased.

Work went well.  I dropped off the rest of the Cookie Butter Fudge a few days ago and apparently everyone really liked it.  My lack of breakfast hit me hard as we closed up shop at work.  A Starbucks’ unsweetened Arnold Palmer was consumed on the walk home,

and these surprisingly delicious Caramel Brule Chocolate Bites were shared with Adam while I cooked.

At least those purchases were bought via a birthday gift card with a 2pm treat receipt.

I went full-on fancy for dinner, though my plate did end up unfortunately monochromatic.

A Shallota Salmon Burger patty,

with a serving of Buttery Bok Choy Gratin.

Rachael Ray’s gratin only got middling reviews but my salmon burgers were a hit.  Several of Adam’s friends who are here playing poker tried them and gave rave reviews.

But maybe they were just sucking up because they knew I was making *brown butter and candied bacon popcorn* for them to snack on –

I don’t think I’ve ever been more jealous of a snack!  I consoled myself with a Rascal’s Wild Red.

But that was disgusting (it tasted like cough syrup to me) so a few sips in I traded up for a Michelob Ultra Light Cider.

Michelob will never be my beer of choice, but their cider was damn good.  120 calories per bottle (and naturally gluten free).

I assume it will be a late night for Adam but I’ve got an early morning at work so I’m going to go curl up in bed with a Patricia Cornwell novel.

Do you belong to a co-op?

Canoe-dle

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As the start of my 2nd to last week before school begins, I say “hello, Monday” very reluctantly.  My day got off to an odd start because I spent an hour searching for a food truck whose Twitter stream had lied to me.  I really want to cross that off of my birthday list before the summer ends.

I ended up getting lunch at the hot bar, which was probably cheaper and certainly healthier.

Chana Masala,

veggies,

more veggies with a little tofu,

and the large space was supposed to be fruit but I got flustered and forgot.

In a crowd I’m wonderfully decisive but when I’m alone I tend to get overwhelmed by too many choices.

I had a small iced coffee with skim milk while I shopped.

I’ve officially begun hoarding pumpkin things – I’ve got three cans of puree and three beers! – even though I know I won’t touch them until October.

When I got home I broke into an exciting purchase.

Luigi’s Birthday Cake Italian Ice.

Amazingly, it was a little too sweet for me and I only ate half.  I’ll have to see what I do with the rest of the cups.

At 5 o’clock I did manage to cross something off of my list, a friend and I cashed in a Groupon and went canoeing!

We went out on a two-hour ride and managed to keep up our paddling the whole time.  We even got to spot several deer.

It was fun to get some nature time.  Over all we did really well, though there was one very shallow area that we got stuck on in both directions.  On the way back I actually had to put my feet out of the canoe and give us a push!!  I can’t wait to see how my arms feel tomorrow.

Right now my biceps feel good, but I am pretty darn tired.  Like, dinner sounded like an impossible feat, tired.  Instead of cooking, I ate this spicy salmon brown rice roll for dinner.

And I’m going to fall into bed the minute I press publish.  Good night!

TJ, Totally Jazzed

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The past few days have been a ton of fun.  I’ve done a lot of eating!

Yesterday morning I got started on one of my 27 things.

I knit a few things as a kid and it seemed to come back to me pretty quickly.  My grandma has had to help with a couple of disasters though.

I had yogurt for breakfast and moved on to another kind of yogurt for lunch.

Self-serve for the win. I did a mix of desserty flavors topped with all of the chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel things.

‘Twas good, but whenever I go crazy decadent I always realize that I like my plain tart with fruit and boba the best.

Our Friday activity was The Greene.  We went for shopping, walking, and people watching.  And eating. We got Turkish for dinner at Pasha Grill.

They gave us delicious bread with sun-dried tomato oil for dipping.  My piece, x2.

I should have held off on the basket because I ended up needing bread with my dinner as well.

I ordered the cold appetizer sampler as my entrée.  [clockwise]

  • Hummus – pureed chick peas with a hint of garlic, tahini, fresh lemon juice, and olive oil. 
  • Pilaki – pinto beans with carrots, green peppers, and diced potatoes in a light tomato and olive oil sauce.
  • Tabuli – cracked wheat tossed with tomatoes, sweet onions, fresh peppers, parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil.
  • Haydari – thickened homemade yogurt with fresh dill, mint, garlic, and walnut.
  • Eggplant with tomato sauce.
  • Babaganush – smoked eggplant puree flavored with tahini, olive oil, and garlic. 
  • Ezme – finely chopped tomatoes, onions, walnuts, and hot peppers, mixed in olive oil and herbs.
  • Dolmasi – grape leaves stuffed with rice, pine nuts, raisins, and flavorful herbs.

Delicious, delicious, delicious!  The babaganous and ezme were my favorites.  I did a pretty good job on my meal too.

Plus 3 more pieces of bread for dipping.  My only complaint about the dish is that it didn’t come with pita bread.

Iced Vanilla Rooibos Latte for dessert.

Plus a small square of chocolate,

and tastes of nougat that my parents brought from Canada.

End scene.

I started today with a 1 hour bike ride with my parents.

I had a small plate of food at home to tide me over.

Baby carrots,

and pretzel bread with beer cheese.

Then I ate my way through our day’s destinations.

A giant diet pop with strawberries at Sonic.

Fun stop #1 was the 2nd Street Market.

I got an arepa with cheese, black beans, and plantain.

I’ve always wanted to try an arepa so this was fun, but a little too “bready” for me; I left the bottom half of my corn cake behind.

Then I spotted Sweet P’s and my mom and I split a sea salt caramel popsicle.

Yuuuum!

Fun stop #2 was Trader Joe’s.

We loaded up a cart and I also got some brown rice sushi for the road.

TJ’s has some of the best packaged food ever but their sushi always has too much rice.  I ate half and saved the rest for later.

Dinner was an insane summer feast.

Cantaloupe,

my grandma’s delicious chicken salad (she always makes it with toasted pecans and grapes and this time she added dried cranberries),

unfried green tomatoes,

and buttered corn on the cob.

I mmmmmmmmmn’d my way through the whole meal but the corn practically killed me!

I had a big cup of Heath Bar ice cream for dessert.

Good as well, duh.

Tomorrow is our last day of family time and then on Monday we hit the road.  I’m sad to be leaving my grandma but glad to be returning to my boys.

Three Days Into Your Trip

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Hello from Ohio.  I know I  haven’t blogged in a few days, these old folks are keeping me busy!

Adam had to stay in Buffalo (he’s going to be a doctor so we don’t feel bad for him, though we do miss him!) but Tuesday morning my mom, dad, and I logged 8 hours in the car.  After some tearful goodbyes, of course.

I did brunch on the road.  Rockstar.

Sandwich – turkey, sandwich thin, pepperjack.

Coffee with skim milk and three sugars.

We split a lavender cookie my parents brought from Canada.  The base was marzipan and the almond lavender combo was divine.

And finally, we made a pit stop at a gas station with the best soda fountain of all time –

I made a giant Coke Zero with Strawberry Fanta and was in heaven.

My grandma fed us a ridiculously tasty dinner.

Swiss Chicken,

fried mushrooms,

fresh corn,

and fruit salad.

Everything was amazing.  I went back for a few more ‘shrooms and half a cob more as well.

Pineapple upside-down cake for dessert.

And then I passed out in a food coma.

Wednesday morning I ate more fruit salad for breakfast.  Topped with boozy whipped cream!

Plus half a banana.

And coffee with skim milk.

Lunch was this fun honey lemonade.

And a turkey sandwich.

Toasted English muffin with thick sliced turkey, peach jam, and pimento cheese.

We ate dinner at Ruby Tuesdays.  Salad bar for everyone.

I ordered the Asian BBQ Salmon with grilled green beans for dinner.

Good, but my green beans are better!

And now I’m thinking about breakfast.

P.S. Hi, husband!!! We miss you bunches!

New To Us

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Today was fun!  I love having visitors because it forces you to explore your own town.  We went to several new-to-us spots today and quite enjoyed them all.

Breakfast at Lake Effect Diner.

I’ve put off going for years but now we’ll be going back, soon.  I loved seeing this on the menu –

but I actually went with a vegan choice.

Vegan Burger – “house prepared veggie burger with blend of navy beans, barley, oats, vegetables, herbs, and accented with toasted sunflower seeds.”

I ate every bite, sans bun, topped with ketchup and red onion.

I also ate several bites from my dad’s turkey sausage.

I loved that menu was loaded with vegan, vegetarian, and poultry substitute options.

Lunch was consumed at the mall.  A piece of pretzel with tons of mustard.

Self-serve froyo, duh.

A little tart froyo, a lot of popping boba.

Plus an orange in the car.

Our main afternoon entertainment was wine tasting.

We went to Schulze, Niagara Landing, and A Gust of Sun and had many tasty pours.

We broke mid-tour to look at Lake Ontario.

Then finished up with a champagne toast.

Adam and I shared at several places so I think I drank a little less than last time.

We ate dinner at AcQua, which was good but not as good as it could/should have been.  Bread with butter to start.

x2.

I ordered the shrimp and scallop scampi for my meal.

I gave away 80% of my scallops and packed up 80% of my pasta for Adam’s lunch but adored the giant shrimp (dipped in cocktail sauce).

Dessert was the best thing going.

I ate half each of the last four macarons.

Pistachio, maple and apple, chocolate hazelnut caramel, and strawberry with marshmallow.  A delicious way to end the evening!

Days One And Two

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My first two days as a 27-year old have been busy/crazy/fun/carb-filled/fantastic.  And the third day brings a workout, a shift at work, and night-time plans with friends so I’ll try keep this recap short.

I started my birthday early in the morning with yoga.

60 minutes of hot yoga.

Adam’s birthday gift to me was a run (he is a million times faster than me so going at my pace is a gift), so I refueled in between workouts at home.  A Honey Stinger Waffle at home,

and a G2 consumed during our run.

We did 8 sets of 2:00 minutes running / 3:00 minutes walking; 40 minutes and 3.3 miles.

And then I opened my birthday present from my parents.

They sent a few things, the best of which was this little covered wagon.

Read this post if you don’t get it.

And then I painted birthday nails.

And Adam took me to the mall.  I bought underwear.  Apparently I’ve reached the age where I buy myself the lame gift.  But we also stopped at DQ.

Frozen peanut butter hot chocolate, you complete me.

And then I went to work.  On my birthday.  Because I’m old.  Actually it was no big deal; I was glad to have something to fill my day while all of my friends were working.  When I got done at 7:30 a friend picked me up at work at the fun began.

First we went to Starbucks where I spent the cost of a tall iced coffee with skim milk to learn that they no longer give free birthday drinks.

Then we headed to Mixology, a favorite bar.

And then I was drunk.  Really.  Drinking after a day of no solid food was a bad idea.  I had a cake vodka with club soda.

A root beer vodka with club soda.

And two mini drinks that the bartender kindly served us when he learned it was my birthday.

My friends and I had a great time and it was the perfect way to ring in a new year.

I made it to the apartment door before calling Adam to threaten bodily harm if I wasn’t fed immediately.  We got me this small bag of chips.

And I shoveled in 75% of this “garbage” calzone – macaroni, onions, mustard, hot sauce, cheddar, and chicken – in a matter of minutes.

It’s possible that I passed out – fully dressed, without retainers or brushing my teeth, snoring – minutes after that, but who can really say?

I got my Wednesday off to a much healthier start.

Green juice from Ashkers.  I customized my order and ended up with kale, spinach, cucumber and carrot.

It was delicious.

For a more conventional hangover cure, Adam and I split a bagel.

A toasted everything with lox cream cheese.

It was delicious as well.

For lunch we shared sushi.

Half each of a philly crab roll and a shrimp tempura roll.

He got an extra piece of the tempura roll and I got all of the wasabi.  He even shared his seaweed salad with me.

For our afternoon fun we took the dog to the park for a long walk and session of ball throwing.  He was ridiculously cute but I somehow deleted all of the photos I took (which might have made me cry a bit).

Dinner was a great salad.

Romaine topped with Jazz apple, sharp cheddar, buckwheat groats, and peanut sauce.

I ate extra cheese and apple in addition to what went on the salad.

Plus buttered toast.

And two biiig spoonfuls of chocolate hazelnut butter for dessert.

This post took so long to write that the 3rd day of 27 has begun.  Off to bed I go!

Sushi Date

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I had a bunch of errands to run and yesterday somehow felt really busy.  No post because I never actually ate any meals, mostly I took random spoonfuls of cookie butter and stole salt and vinegar chips from the husband.

Instead of a recap I’ll share a few of the highlights –

#1 – I met up with a few friends and over coffee we finally figured out our room situation for FNCE – the AND’s yearly conference.  Three (maybe four!) of us are going and we managed to find something safe and affordable.

#2 – My easy errand took me to the mall.  I am loving the “birthday month” deals that have been rolling in.  I’ve wanted this Sugar lip duo from Fresh for years and Sephora just gave it to me for free!

#3 – While I was at the mall (see #2) I drank something that has changed my life forever.  Peanut butter frozen hot chocolate from Dairy Queen.

Since the first sip it’s basically been all I’ve been able to think about.  I’ve already started trying to figure out how to recreate it at home.

Today was fairly lame on the food fruit.  The things I ate were all great but I didn’t eat all that much.  Quality over quantity?

A small bun with ~1 Tbsp evoo for dipping.

Juicy green pear.

Bottle of Classic Green Tea from Honest Tea.

Dinner was extra exciting because we made a quick turnaround on a recent Groupon purchase and headed out to eat.

We were both impressed with Sakura Sushi.  The service, speed, and food were all good.  The menu boasted a bunch of fun rolls (like the “Buffalo Roll” with spicy fried tuna!) but Adam and I both stuck with what we knew.

I got a green salad with ginger dressing to start.

And a Spicy Crunch Salmon Roll.

Deep fried salmon / mango / tempura flakes / spicy sauce.

Yum!  It wasn’t the easiest thing to eat like a lady, but the taste was worth the mess.  I obviously could have gotten something healthier but this was a nice compromise between a plain roll and the cream cheese stuffed, whole roll tempura options that I was eyeing.

We had to spend a little bit more money to use up our Groupon so the husband and I split a dessert.

Coppa Mascarpone – a chocolate cream, followed by a smooth mascarpone cream, topped with amaretto cookie crumbs and chocolate curls.

It was fun way to end the date.

Adam and I have skin checks across town tomorrow morning and I am determined to get in bed so that our wake-up isn’t brutal.  I’ll be dreaming of peanut butter frozen hot chocolate!