The Rest of Summer

One more MIA post and then on to more exciting things. All I can say about the remainder of summer is that it flew by way too fast. I had SO much fun, ate so much delicious food, and made a ton of fantastic memories. July consisted of two particularly special events: a reunion with friends in Portland, ME and one of my best friend's weddings (in Franconia, NH). 

I cannot say much about the food that we made during our reunion weekend, because the food we ate out was just so superior to anything we made ourselves. We ate delectable lobstah rolls at the Portland Lobster Co, gorged ourselves with delicacies from Nosh, and of course, drank lots of wonderful Maine beers. 

Enjoying our Saturday night lobster roll dinner 

Then there was the wedding. A weekend of laughing, dancing, drinking, eating, and being in the presence of so much love it almost makes you cry. Admittedly I was not expecting the wedding food to be anything out of the ordinary--my previous experiences with wedding food consisted of really bad or too much to handle. But I was shocked by how delicious all of the wedding food was, particularly the cake. Kate and Kevin have set a VERY HIGH bar for all future weddings, and not just because their food was so damn good. The only word to describe their wedding: epic.

The newlyweds cut their cake

The first weekend of August was special (as always) because of Brendan's birthday. This year we spent the weekend on Cape Cod and celebrated with a New England style feast: homemade lobster rolls, corn on the cob, cucumber salad, potato salad, and Brendan's favorite birthday dessert combo: chocolate cake, with chocolate frosting, and mint chocolate chip ice cream (only Breyer's will do). A very delicious and successful 25th birthday.

Brendan's 25th Birthday Meal

For the rest of the summer we spent basically every weekend on the Cape, where we ate endless amounts of food prepared by my dad, mom, uncles, aunts, and the occasional meal out. Delicious food, but unfortunately I don't have any photos. However, I do have photos from two wonderful meals that Brendan and I made together, toward the end of August. The first was our end-of-summer grill meal: salmon (nothing on it except some black pepper and salt), shrimp (marinated in olive oil, pepper, salt, and lots of garlic), sweet potato fries, and cucumber salad. The second meal was a super quick dinner that I highly recommend to anyone looking for a low-hassle recipe--it's a quinoa salad that highlights some of summer's best produce, but can easily be modified to include fruits and veggies from whatever season we're in. 

Grilled salmon, grilled shrimp, grilled sweet potatoes

Quinoa Salad with Peaches, Arugula, and Quick-Pickled Onions

I was really terrible about documenting the meals I made this summer, just as I was awful at writing blog posts. But I promise to be better! I just started a graduate program in nutrition, which means cheap, healthy, and quick recipes are on their way...look out, because Brunch for Bitches is back in action!

MIA in June

I know I am being rather slow with posting the events of summer...but nonetheless: June! June was a very exciting month for me. It started off with a trip to DC to visit some of my high school dance friends, and attend an annual work conference. Sadly I have no pictures or tales of delectable food, since I was living out of a hotel and my diet was comprised of whatever the hotel had to offer. In stark contrast, the following weekend Brendan and I went to my co-worker's (Michelle) house for one of the most orgasmic, gastronomic experiences I have ever had. Michelle is an amazingly talented chef and her boyfriend, Steve, is a spirits guru. We ate a six-course meal, complete with drink pairings for each course. The theme: New Orleans in the North End. Enough said. We started the meal with some mint juleps and the evening only went upward from there. 

The menu was as follows: 
1. Salad of greens with homemade pumpkin brittle and blue cheese
2. Casamento's Charbroiled Oysters
3. Oysters Rockefeller 
4. Shrimp Beignets
5. Mr. B's Gumbo Ya-Ya
6. Chocolate Yummy 

Yes, I was obnoxious and took pictures of everything we ate...but wouldn't you, if your meal looked this damn good? Needless to say, our New Orleans night in the North End was one of the highlights of the entire summer. Thanks, Michelle and Steve! 

The end of June was the 3Day Breast Cancer Walk...60 miles in 3 days. It was an exhilarating and draining--emotionally and physically--experience, and I am so happy to have gone through it all with my mom. The food during the walking event was nothing to write home about. We ate a lot of salty snacks (like pretzels), eggs every morning, and some mass-produced food for dinner each night. The third night, however, was our victory dinner. We crossed the finish line in San Francisco during midday, attended the closing ceremonies, took long showers at our hotel, and then booked it over to a delectable sushi dinner. I have never been so happy to eat sushi--seaweed salad, raw salmon, eel roll, and spicy yellowtail roll. Not to mention a new dish: fried baby octopus! It tastes very similar to calamari, but a little bit weirder, since you can see the whole animal as you chomp down. 

Unfortunately I don't have any personal cooking stories from June. I am sure I made something yummy; but between the New Orleans meal and our celebratory sushi dinner, I can't remember anything else I ate. I promise I have recipes in store for my tales of July and August!

MIA: May

So you probably noticed that I have been MIA for quite some time...Last you heard from me, Oatmeal Snack Bars were all the rage. But trust me, I have not solely been eating snack bars for the past 4 months. Quite the opposite, actually. I have had a slew of events to attend this summer (a graduation, bachelorette party, birthdays, reunions, and wedding...to name a few)--all of which consisted of mouth-watering bites and innovative recipes. Sadly this blog was put on the back back burner, as I prepared dozens of recipes in addition to working full-time and preparing for graduate school. Yes, being far too busy with other real-life issues is my excuse for being MIA. But I am back! And I have so much to share from my summer excursions. Let's start with May: 

At the beginning of May, Brendan and I spent a wonderfully relaxing weekend on the Cape, which included doing lots of laundry, cooking some delicious meals, and seeing my cousin perform in her last high school musical: West Side Story. 

Friday night dinner
Sausage, Mushroom, & Basil Pizza

Pizza with roasted asparagus

Saturday morning breakfast
Spinach omelette with roasted sweet potatoes and fresh strawberries

The following weekend, we trekked up to Hamilton, New York for my brother's college graduation. Damn, I felt old (and still do). Saturday evening's celebratory feast was a simple, yet decadent Italian buffet. Everyone from the family contributed to the meal. My contributions included bringing all the cured meats and cheeses, and making Dried Cherry and Ginger Cannoli for dessert. They were frickin' phenomenal and surprisingly easy to make. That said, I did not make the cannoli shell...just the filling.

The final weekend of May--Memorial Day--I hosted my very first bachelorette party for one of my best friends from college. There were no strippers or raunchy dance clubs. It was a simple and relaxing event. We spent the weekend at my parents' house on Cape Cod lounging around, catching up on life stories, eating lots of delicious food, having a late-night dance party, and taking turns shooting a BB gun outside. 

The bride-to-be practicing her sharp-shooting skills
Photo by Ebbe Sweet Photography©

Saturday night's menu

--Guacamole

--Salsa

--Double-Layer Beef Tacos (just the beef mixture, not the double layer part)

--Blackened Shrimp Tacos

--Lentil Taco mixture

--Margaritas

Sunday night's menu 

--Caramelized onion and shallot dip (recall that I also made this for New Year's Eve)

--Sweet and Spicy Pepperonata

--Spring Vegetable Penne

--Salad with feta, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and Marcona almonds

--Lots of wine 

Overall, May was a pretty successful culinary month. More to come on the food and adventures from June, July, and August!

Better Than Granola Bars

It was over a year ago when a friend (Sarah) made a delectable dessert for me during one of our bi-weekly potluck dinners. I asked for the recipe and Sarah almost immediately emailed me the link to the blog where she found the recipe...365+ days later I finally visited the site and made the recipe. The original recipe is actually a "baked oatmeal snack bar", which Sarah turned into a dessert by adding chocolate chips and a bit of sugar. The original bars are not quite a bowl of oatmeal and not quite a granola bar. But OH.MY.GOODNESS are they fantastic! 

Screw the insanely expensive granola bars you buy at the store, which are made with all sorts of "-ose" ending ingredients (fructose, dextrose, sucralose, glucose...all synonyms for sugar) and sometimes partially hydrogenated oils (recall: Quaker Oats Chewy Bars).  These "Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars" are simple, sweet, and super easy to make, without all the additives. 

I wish I could take credit for these brilliant bars. But alas, the author of the blog "Kath Eats Real Food" is the true genius. Her original post is a base recipe--flexible and easily adapted to whatever is in your home pantry. Below is the ingredient combo that I chose to make. Admittedly I did add a teeny bit of sugar to sweeten things up (even though the original recipe does not call for sugar); but 2 tablespoons for 9 bars is hardly a crime.

My ingredient combo for Kath's Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars : 

Dry

-1 1/2 cups old-fashion rolled oats

-1/2 cup chopped walnuts

-1/2 cup dried cranberries

-1/4 pumpkin seeds

-1 teaspoon cinnamon

-1 teaspoon salt

Wet

-1 1/4 cups skim milk

-1 egg

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-2 tablespoons agave nectar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Mix dry ingredients
3. Mix wet ingredients
4. Combine wet into dry ingredients
5. Pour mix into an oiled 8x8 or 9x9 pan
6. Bake for 40 minutes
7. Cut into 9 squares
8. ENJOY!

Individually wrap the bars for a grab-n-go snack!

Warning: You may become addicted to making these bars, just as I have. Since making the first batch (on Monday) I have made two additional batches of oatmeal bars. The second was like Sarah's--a dessert bar--with chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, shredded coconut, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds. The third batch was a regular snack bar, with golden raisins, almonds, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, and no additional sugar. Trust me, these are WAY better than granola bars. 

Movin' Right Along

As a college student I had the time and resources to hit the gym daily (in addition to weekly dance classes and rehearsals). Maintaining an active lifestyle was a no brainer. As a post-college adult, in the real world of maintaing a work/life balance, I have found that fitting exercise into my daily life can sometimes be quite difficult. In an ideal world I would have the time, energy, and motivation to:

• Get up at 5am and go to the gym for an hour--done with exercise before the day even begins
• Take an actual lunch break (instead of eating while I work) and go for a 30 minute walk
• Attend yoga class twice a week
• Go to dance class a few times per month

Sadly I do not live in an ideal world--I barely have the energy to get my butt out of bed after hitting the snooze button 3 times. And I have a sneaky suspicion that a lot of you do not live in an ideal world either.  Laziness, work, and life just get in the way. 

Sure, I have a handful of friends who are exercise fiends: cross-fit competitors, yoga-instructors-in-training, spin class enthusiasts, and hot yoga gurus. Hats off to you all for making exercise a non-negotiable part of your day. Seriously. And I know that my city friends pride themselves in the amount of time they spend walking every day. I am earnestly jealous that you all have jobs to which you can walk, rather than spending 45 minutes commuting (one way) to work (not that I'm complaining or anything...). However, I know that there are at least a few readers out there who struggle with the same exercise commitment issues that I face. It is for those people that I write this post.

I can think of 50 excuses as to why I cannot fit exercising into my daily routine, but I know that these excuses are null and void since exercise is such a key component to living a healthy lifestyle. So, over the course of the past few months I have made small adjustments to the way I go about my day, in order to be a bit more active and stay in-tune with my body. Here are some recommendations:  

• Trade your desk chair for a exercise ball. Caution: this is not for everyone! Though sitting on an exercise ball helps improve your posture and strengthen your core, you may find it uncomfortable to sit on a ball all day, while simultaneously trying to maintain your balance and work. Try keeping both a ball and chair by your desk. Sit on the ball for 30 minutes, then switch to a chair for an hour. Repeat. It took some time to get used to the feeling of always sitting with my back straight (and abs activated), but eventually I got used to it. Test it out and find an exercise ball routine that fits your body. 
• Stand while you work. At first it seemed odd to have my laptop on such a tall desk, but I immediately found that I am much more attentive and energetic when I stand and work on my computer. I wiggle around, sometimes stand in "tree pose", and even do a little dance as I type (my office mate finds this quite amusing). But beware: if you normally eat at your desk, you may find yourself eating while you stand (guilty). My next goal is to actually take a lunch break and sit while I eat. Baby steps...
• Take a 15 minute walk outside. Now that the weather is getting warmer I find myself frequently gazing into the sunshine and longing to be outside. My skin needs vitamin D! I've started taking a 10-15 minute break at least once a day, to get outside and be active. And I can walk about one mile during that time...not too shabby. Next step is to get into the habit of taking two daily breaks.
• Sign up for an event. There are organized walks and runs all over the country, especially in major cities. I'm not encouraging you to sign up for the Boston Marathon--an unrealistic goal yields poor results. You'll shortly flake out from doing the event at all. But signing up for something like a 5k (walk or run!) may be just the motivation you need to do a little bit of training. Bonus points if the event is for a charitable cause! This year my mom and I are going to walk in the Susan G. Komen 3Day walk--3 days, 20 miles per day, 60 miles total. You can be certain that I found some motivation to start training for that!
• Set a weekly goal. Training schedules are tough to stick to. With such a capricious work schedule, I cannot do the exact type of exercise on the specific day listed in a training schedule. Instead, I have weekly goals. In training for the 3Day Walk, I have a set number of miles walked and cross trainings completed for the week. I can work on the goals whenever my schedule permits. 
• Buy a yoga mat. Having a yoga mat means that even on cold, rainy days you have no excuse for sitting on your bum at home. Follow an online instructional yoga video (this is my favorite site). Do some self-taught yoga on your own. Spend 10-15 minutes stretching right when you wake up or right before you go to bed. Tone your abs.  A yoga mat makes exercise an easy at-home activity.
• Take a weekend bike ride. Okay, so I haven't actually done this yet. In truth I am scared sh!tless about riding in a city. However, there are some very nice bike trails nearby and Boston's Hubway program means I don't have to buy my own bike.  My goal for the summer is to find my inner child and go for an aimless bike ride with Brendan.
• Have a dance party at home. Who needs a club or a dance studio? Whether you're doing laundry, making dinner, or need to let off some steam from a bad day at work, turn on your 'party' playlist and shake it! Brendan and I have had numerous spontaneous dance parties while waiting for something to finish cooking in the oven. It may not be a typical "exercise", but dancing certainly gets your blood pumping and body moving.
  

Obviously if you are trying to lose weight or train for something like a marathon, then you'll need to hit the gym more regularly. But if you are looking for a way to add a bit more activity to your life, in addition to or as a supplement for the gym, then these few tips will keep you movin' right along!

Do you have any tips for adding some wiggle and jiggle to your life?

The Best Soup EVER

I am not a soup connoisseur...I haven't been cooking long enough to be one. But this past Monday I made a soup that, thus far in my life, is the best soup EVER. And I'm not being biased because I made it. Brendan's reaction was just as amazed as mine. He took a bite of soup and said, "Gina, this is one of the best soups you've ever made. No joke". Though I cannot take credit for the recipe, I will take credit for doing a terrific job of following instructions! Seriously, if you have time to make this soup over the weekend or sometime in the near future, DO IT. It is so frickin' easy to make and will blow away your taste buds when you try it. You will not regret the decision to make this amazing recipe. 

Sweet Potato, Apple, and Chipotle Soup (from Moosewood Restaurant: Cooking for Health)
Serves 10 (1 cup servings) or 5 (2 cup servings)

Ingredients:
-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
-1 large onion, chopped
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-3 celery stalks, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
-2 large sweet potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
-1 large apple, chopped
-1 tablespoon canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (add extra for more heat!)
-4 cups vegetable broth
-1 cup water
-1 1/2 teaspoons salt
-1/2 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1 cup unsweetened apple juice

Directions:
1. In a medium soup pot, warm the oil. Add the onions & garlic and cook for 5 minutes. 
2. Add all remaining ingredients, except for the apple juice. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. 
3. Turn the heat off. Add the apple juice to the pot. Using an immersion blender, or working in batches in a blender, puree the soup until it is smooth. 
4. Enjoy! 

*Note: depending on how much chipotle pepper you use, this soup will be pretty darn spicy. Be sure to have some good bread, cheese, or a glass of milk on the side!

Use the Whole Head

Last week's adventure: using a whole head of red cabbage in three different dishes. Success? You bet. I was inspired by the most recent Bon Appetit and Vegetarian Times magazines, each of which listed a recipe that not only sounded delish, but also called for red cabbage. Turns out one head of cabbage (even a small one) yields a lot more than I thought, so I quickly found a third recipe to utilize the leftovers. Don't let your cabbage go to waste...use the whole head in different recipes!

For easy prep, slice all the cabbage at once and keep it in a bowl with saran wrap, or in an air-tight container. That way, the prep work of chopping the cabbage for each recipe is already done! If you are trying to figure out what to make for dinner or lunch for this coming week, try one, two, or all three of these: 

Beer-Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Red Cabbage (from Bon Appetit)

I used 1.12 pounds of pork tenderloin and therefore only made half the amount of marinade.

Chickpea and Red Cabbage Pita Pizza (modified from Vegetarian Times)

I made enough cabbage for 2 pizzas, so below is my modified ingredient list for the cabbage mix. I made the full amount of chickpea mix, since the leftovers taste great on a sandwich or with some raw veggies. Also, I did not toast my own cumin seeds and then grind them; I just used regular ground cumin (no need to do that extra work!). Click on the link for directions on how to make the recipe, but omit step #3 (toasting & grinding cumin seeds).

Cabbage mix for 2
Ingredients:
-2 cups red cabbage, sliced
-4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
-2 teaspoons honey

Our Favorite Raw Slaw (adapted from Moosewood Restaurant: Cooking for Health) 
Serving size: 1 heaping cup
Ingredients:
-3 cups kale (about 1/2 of a large bunch), finely chopped 
-1 cup red cabbage, minced
-2 carrots, grated
-1 apple, grated
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
-2 teaspoons dried thyme
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-fresh ground black pepper
Optional
-1/4 cup dried cranberries
-1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Directions
1. Make the dressing: whisk together the oil, vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper
2. In a large bowl combine the kale, cabbage, carrots, and apple in a large bowl
3. Pour the dressing over the 'slaw and mix well.
4. Top with dried cranberries and sunflower seeds, if desired
*The longer the 'slaw sits, the better it will taste!