when a small town becomes a really, really big city

I visited Austin, Texas, for the first time ever this past weekend. It doesn't usually rain there, but it poured for the majority of my stay. My husband accompanied me on the first half of the trip - the second half and my initial reason for going was for a conference focused on the donor database I use each and every day for work. Austin is very cool and happens to be growing at a very fast pace. I am glad I was able to see it now, as I think there will be major differences even within the next six months. We spent our time eating our way through the city (the food is delicious, but very heavy), viewing art, having a mini spa day, and seeing some of the historic structures Austin is well-known for. We covered all of the major food bases and ate a Mexican-style brunch, a farm-to-table dinner, and a barbecue brunch. I ate more meat in the last few days than I've eaten in the last two months. Notable dishes include buffalo ceviche (not sure what got into me, but I literally ate raw buffalo meat with charred radish, onion, chilies, key lime, cilantro, and sweet potato chips), brisket, and sausage (andouille, turducken, and boar). Most of the art was modern art, which really tickled my fancy. I wish we were able to catch some live music, but instead we were only able to fit in a pop-music dance party at one of the bars on Rainey Street. I was thrilled with it; I'm not sure my husband felt the same way. Would I rush back there in a heartbeat, no, probably not, but I would visit again and next time I would stop at one of the hat stores we passed and pick out something to adorn my noggin.

plated, blue apron, freshology, platejoy, and purple carrot

Mine looked just like that - I swear!

I have pretty mixed feelings about all of these new companies who deliver meals to your doorstep. Do I think it is a neat idea? Yes. Did I end up cooking and eating things I never before thought I could put together myself? Yes. Is it a complete waste of packaging materials and individual containers? Hell to the yes! Are the cooking times all perfectly accurate and on point? Hell to the no!

I recently had experiences using Plated and Blue Apron. I tested out both companies using a free promotion (normally it costs $59.99 for three meals that feed two people). While I do think that is on the higher side of my normal grocery totals, when I cook dinner for myself I tend to make large pots of soup I eat for four days. The meals I chose to receive from both companies included things like duck, pork, cod, and chicken - all of which I would never put into a soup...well, maybe chicken. My favorite meal was Asian Duck Tacos with Pickled Cucumbers from Plated. I actually cooked duck and it was delicious - like whoa! I was so proud of myself, but must admit I have yet to recreate the meal and have no definite plans to do so in the upcoming weeks. Something I learned when putting together the Blue Apron meals is that I like to use butter as a cooking base, as opposed to olive oil. I do not think vegetables need to be prepared with two tablespoons of oil - it is gross. A little melted butter goes a long way and if the pan begins to look dry, I add a little water.

While I was VERY proud of the final products - they literally look like gourmet meals, complete with spices, colors, and garnishes - I was so disappointed by the amount of waste they produce and how inaccurate the cooking times were. Not only do they come in huge, insulated cardboard boxes; every ingredient is in its own Ziploc bag, or container. It makes throwing things together pretty easy, but you end up with an enormous pile of trash once you're finished. I also have a bone to pick with them about cooking times. Most of the recipes I chose said twenty-five or thirty-five minutes - not the case! One of my meals literally took an hour and a half. While I wouldn't make a habit of ordering these, it is nice to splurge every once in a while and skip having to make a trip to the grocery store. They deliver to most cities at this point, so you should try it for yourself, or just search the websites for recipes and make them with your own grocery shopping at a fraction of the price. Click here to visit the Plated website and here to visit the Blue Apron website.

plenty of sunshine heading my way...

Disney World was a very big part of my childhood and I clearly remember the sheer excitement that rushed over me the night before we left Massachusetts to travel south to Florida. There used to be a commercial on television that captured parents breaking the news to their children that they were in fact "going to Disney World", and the kid's reactions were spot on with what I felt. (A lot of shrieking and yelling and smiling and laughing and happy tears.) I would actually sleep better the night before Christmas vs. the night before leaving for Disney - that's how excited I got. Those were the good old days - when I would lose sleep over happiness and cheer, instead of stress and anxiety. Maybe I should plan a trip to Disney World...

I mention this, because I have something similar happen to me before a trip/vacation in my adult years, though it normally comes with a few moans and groans as a result of needing to research, figure out a schedule, make plans, and pack - I HATE packing. Although not quite as innocent, I am still thrilled it happens at all and continue to be grateful to get the opportunity to visit beautiful places in this country and beyond. Well it happened last night, because I am lucky enough to be going to Maine this weekend (as I mentioned yesterday). Gone are the days when Mickey and Minnie Mouse got me all riled up and instead, enter the time when eating a Maine lobster roll and visiting the official L.L. Bean store keeps me up at night. People say some things never change and while I agree, I think it is okay if sometimes they bend and flex. Here's to taking a photo (or two) with the gigantic L.L. Bean boot! 

clawed marine crustaceans with muscular tails

Even though it was two days ago, I feel like I still have to comment about National Lobster Day because let's be honest, I love lobster more than life itself. While I didn't have the chance to scarf down a one and a half pounder drenched in butter, I did order a shrimp dish that evening, which contained a tomato lobster broth. I am actually headed to Maine this weekend, where I will be able to make up for my poor lobster consumption performance on the best national holiday in America. Bring on the hot lobster rolls...and chowder, and shrimp cocktail, and steamers, and slaw! 

Lobster fun facts:
* Native Americans used lobster to fertilize their crops and bait their fish hooks.
* Lobsters used to be so plentiful they would reportedly wash up ashore in piles up to two feet high.
* Lobsters were routinely fed to prisoners, apprentices, slaves, and children during the colonial era and beyond.
* The first lobster pound was established in Vinalhaven, Maine in 1876.
* American lobsters - or Maine lobsters - can weigh up to forty pounds and grow up to three feet long.
* The largest lobster on record was caught off of Nova Scotia in 1988 and weighed forty four pounds.
* Lobster anatomy - brain in throat, nervous system in abdomen, teeth in stomach, and kidneys in head.
* When crowded in tight quarters, lobsters become cannibalistic - hence the rubber bands on their claws.
* Lobster meat contains fewer calories than an equal portion of skinless chicken breast.
* Lobster meat contains healthy omega-3 fatty acid, potassium, and vitamins E, B-12, and B-6.

you like potato...I like potahto

I am a Polish girl that really loves her potatoes. Normally, my love for potatoes keeps me out of trouble, but this past weekend that was not the case. I woke up a little "tired" after celebrating at a rehearsal dinner with "a number" of glasses of wine. With a full day of wedding festivities in front of us, my sister, husband, and I decided to try out a nearby breakfast cafe. We knew we needed to bulk up on a serious meal and heard great things about an establishment about a mile down the street from where we were staying. The place had a Celtic theme - even the waitstaff had Irish accents - but it was the menu I was most impressed with. They had potato everything! So, we did what any normal person would do and ordered some sweet potato donuts, potato pancakes, and an actual breakfast dish that contained eggs with you guessed it...a side of hash browns. We were so full after the donut course that we were unable to finish to most of our other delights. We didn't want to waste any of the leftovers, so we had it wrapped to go and went on our merry way....and I was so excited about said leftovers that I forgot my wallet on our table. I never lose anything (knock on wood), so I was very disturbed and shocked when I realized my wallet was not in its little home within my bag. Unfortunately, the cafe was also closed by the time I realized it, so I couldn't do anything until the following morning. Next time I eat potatoes out, I am going to take a deep breath and make sure I leave with my wallet. Make sure you know where your wallet is this weekend.

I can see clearly now...canadian style clear

I read the greatest article ever this morning about a drink from my childhood - Clearly Canadian. I thought I wrote a post about it at some point, but if I did, I did not label it "product" and I do not have time to rummage through almost seven hundred posts. (I can't believe I have written that many! Like whoa!) Apparently this amazing product, which in my opinion was WAY ahead of its time, is coming back. When I was a wee one and celebrated New Year's with my family, my sister and I would get to drink Clearly Canadian with our meal, which in most cases was beef fondue and an array of sauces my Dad would make. It was like future seltzer, but in the 90's...so I guess it was past seltzer?! Regardless, I am thrilled and hope it really takes off. While I don't love drinking soda, I will drink the s&!t out of Clearly Canadian. Click here to read the article for yourself.

it's not too late to whip it, whip it good

His waistband says
Mr. Whippy.

We are having an array of guests over for Memorial Day Weekend and I am SO excited - I just can't hide it. Our little beach party was planned far enough in advance that I was able to (finally) use my Mr. Whippy cards. I bought eight of these things years ago - like I am talking at least five, probably more - and have been waiting for the perfect time to use them. I sent three off to our friends, which means we still have five more to use at a later date. Score - more beach parties!

I wish my weekday evenings were not as jam-packed with things to do, but we are just going to have to make it work. Thankfully, the weather looks good for Saturday and Sunday and I typed up a draft menu earlier today. I went with our tried and true dishes, but it is only a draft and we could update it with different options, if we choose. Now I just need to figure out which days are for baking and which days are for cleaning. In addition to great food, fine wine, and friends, we also get to see a concert and dance our tushes off. This is going to be a hectic week, but the prize at the end of it is a three-day weekend and the start to summer. Bring it on. 

pizza, pizza, happy meal, pepperoni and cheese

We received an email at 11:10 a.m. this morning from our Director of Human Resources that read "Pizza is coming in for lunch as close to 12:30 as they can get it here. Please come on up to the kitchen and grab a slice" with a subject line of "National Pizza Day". Apparently National Pizza Day is in November, or at least that's what it said when I Googled it. However, today is National Pizza Party Day. I feel a little bad about not joining in the party fun and taking my slice back to my desk, but oh well. I also don't feel great about finishing off a week of pretty healthy eating with pizza, but oh well again. It is not like I had a ton and it was a nice treat. Let's hope the rest of my day continues to be as joyous and delicious. *The photo is from our pizza experience in Naples. I want to go back. It was a remarkable place when we were there in winter, I can only imagine how nice it is in summer.

cinnamon, spice, and everything not gluten

Obviously not mine, I
skip the grahams and stir
it altogether - no layers.

Back to breakfast. After reading about the horrors of eating wheat for breakfast (and lunch, and dinner, and snacks...) I decided to try something new. While I still have plans to perfect my breakfast-bars-gone-bad (which my husband continues to eat - bless his heart), I tried experimenting with a yogurt parfait. While there are millions of options, I tried to find something that incorporated oats (instead of granola), Greek yogurt (instead of regular yogurt), and bananas (I have been on a banana kick lately and my muscles are sore from all the yard work we have tackled) and found a recipe for an Overnight Pumpkin Spice Oats Parfait that sounded just delightful. While I can't add the bananas the night before because they brown, I can prepare the rest of it ahead of time. My first batch did not have enough spice, but the batch I made last night tasted great. I followed the amounts listed on recipe and was able to get two parfaits - even though it says one serving, it is a whole lotta yogurt. I also use Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie spice mixtures from Penzeys, instead of adding each individual spice listed in the ingredient list - and I add a lot; Greek yogurt is intense in the morning and there needs to be enough spice in order for it to taste like actual breakfast, in my opinion. I also just slice a room temperature banana and stir it in each morning (no time to blend up frozen bananas and make a pudding - let's be honest). I decided to forego the graham crackers in order to keep it healthier, but it would be quite delicious with a few sprinkled on top. Click here for the recipe.

enjoying something dark as the days get lighter

So do I!!

It finally feels like spring! I wish I could take a week off from work and (1) completely take care of our yard, (2) go on a long bike ride, (3) go for a three plus mile run, (4) go for a big hike, and (5) grill up a few dinners. Unfortunately that cannot happen, but we did spend the better part of this past Saturday pruning and cleaning up our yard. This upcoming weekend my plan is to rake our beds and put mulch down, then we will be ready to sail into summer and enjoy our surroundings. We moved our table and chairs back onto our patio (out of our shed) and once we were done for the day, planted our fannies on said chairs, relaxed, and enjoyed an ice cold Guinness. I didn't think I liked Guinness, but apparently I do. It looks heavy and although very dark, it is quite airy and light. I also just learned one Guinness is only one hundred and twenty five calories - sounds like a good splurge to me! While the healthy eating and exercise are going pretty well, I did allow for some splurging this past weekend - all in the name of my husband's birthday weekend. In addition to enjoying a Guinness, we also had dinner at our favorite restaurant (Drew's Bayshore Bistro in Keyport, New Jersey) and indulged. We didn't go completely overboard, but we definitely ate a lot more than we've been eating. I hope the weather is sunny and bright this upcoming weekend and we can have a repeat - Guinness included...but with a healthier dinner date.      

plain and simple - it is pretty and made me happy

I'm not going to say much because I have a million things to do, but I wanted to share a photo I found this morning. It is the most beautiful photograph ever. Simply put, it is butter and flowers - what could be better? Click here to read the full article about upgrading butter with edible flowers from Food & Wine.

creamy, spicy, healthy, fulfilling, dairy free, and delish

Photo from the website.
Don't forget the lime!

I really enjoy making soup, especially when it comes out well (duh!). Most of the time I don't choose anything super involved and it ends up being a very affordable way to eat a healthy and delicious dinner multiple nights a week. Another reason for choosing semi-easy to moderately-easy recipes is because at this point of my life I can get a sense about how something is going to come out when cooked by yours truly by looking at the recipe and the list of ingredients, and when I am making something that takes multiple days to eat, I don't want to be left with something I have no interest in. Yesterday I put together a Thai-influenced soup I found on the Whole Foods website. I was searching for something I could use seafood broth in because I had some homemade broth lying around after devouring a seafood feast with my sister this past weekend. (I boiled a few shrimp tails, a lobster tail shell, a few lemon slices, and a bay leaf and made my own broth. I was under the impression I could use it in place of any kind of broth, but I was quickly told by my husband and sister that was not the case. Oops.) 

Enter Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup with Shrimp. I omitted the garlic, added three times the curry paste (I like spice), used seafood broth instead of chicken broth, and added chicken instead of shrimp. I figured that created a good enough balance where I could get away with using my homemade broth creation. I was anticipating wanting to run the squash and liquids through a blender, but I used a fork to break up the squash and it made it perfectly thick (and created less dishes). I am excited for my dinners and will definitely be making this again. Click here for the recipe.

a-well-a herb, herb, herb, h-herb is the word

I am so excited! I signed up for a class about herbs (cooking herbs, ahem!) for next Saturday with the Monmouth County Park System. It costs fifteen dollars and I am thrilled to learn how to select, plant, grow, and preserve them. We will also learn about the folklore surrounding herbs, which I am really looking forward to because I LOVE fun facts, and their current uses. We also get to enjoy some herbed refreshments, take home recipes, and choose an herb plant to take back to our home. It sounds so happy and fun! I am quite interested to see what one of these park programs is like. Normally I am never around when courses take place I am interested in, but I will be home that weekend and need something to do. While we don't have a garden, I was thinking about planting herbs in pots around our patio and I wish it would warm up, so I could get started. I am antsy in my pantsy to get growing and excited to begin testing herb-heavy recipes with our homegrown creations.   

a chowder full of health that ages quite well

Photo from the blog
the recipe is on.

I will leave you with a recipe for the weekend, because why would I stop talking about food now?! Unlike gelato, this is VERY healthy (and requires little to no chewing). Lately I have had a real hankering for two things; plain cheesecake and cauliflower. Thankfully, I found a recipe that caught my attention for a cauliflower dish before I found a cheesecake one when perusing Pinterest last weekend. I made it last Saturday and have eaten it all week. It definitely gets better as the days go on, though the cauliflower gets softer and softer, which I don't particularly have a problem with, but I know some people do. This soup would work pureed, which would also alleviate the texture issue with the super soft cauliflower. I also added a ton of black pepper because I love it, and omitted the bacon and garlic. Corn would taste amazing in this too, but if you decided to puree it I would add the corn afterwards. I always wonder just how much of a difference one dried little bay leaf makes - what is the deal with those things?! I have never come across a recipe that calls for more than one, but they have zero fragrance. Maybe I should take a bite out of one some day. Click here for the recipe.

setting a long table on a farm and inviting the public

A dinner in California.

Let's keep talking about food! I received the official email about the 2015 Outstanding in the Field dates and locations yesterday and was really thrilled about it until I realized none of them work with our schedule. Ugh. I was REALLY looking forward to treating ourselves to a farm to table meal with wine in nature, but it looks like we are going to have to wait until next year. 

We had a few places in mind, but the dinners either take place during the week, or overlap with plans we already have. We also were not going to pay that price for dinner just anywhere - we had our favorites (Vermont, Maine, Hudson Valley, and western Massachusetts). Hopefully, this idea catches on and more people do it, which would hopefully in turn lower the cost. It is steep, but seems worth it if you are into the outdoors and knowing where your food comes from. The photographs are absolutely beautiful too and who doesn't like a pretty picture? So, I guess I will wait until 2016 and for now, our dinners in nature will take place on our back patio. Click here to browse the wonderfulness that makes up this food movement.

time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana

My new best friend.

Is it absolutely ridiculous that I am going to follow a super healthy post up with a post about gelato? Yes. Am I going to do it anyways? You betcha! (And for the record, it is very difficult to chew a lot. It is fine when eating things like chicken and egg noodles, but cauliflower chowder and tofu/veggie stirfry are soft to begin with. It is also much easier to do when eating alone - not that I am complaining about eating dinner with my husband because I would obviously choose it over pretty much anything in the world, but there isn't much room for catching up between all of the chewing.) Now, onto my newly discovered frozen delight...

I requested chocolate gelato the last time my husband made a trip to the grocery store. He returned with said chocolate gelato and a partner - Banana Chocolate Swirl. My initial reaction was "why did you buy that, I wanted something with a chocolate base" - and then I tasted it. Holy Toledo was it GOOD. I know a lot of people are scared of banana flavor, but this is amazing and there is caramel in it. Score. I wouldn't call it realistic banana, but I also wouldn't call it sicky, fake banana. I would call it heaven banana. I was floored at how delicious it was and will most definitely buy it again. You should try it, even if you're not a chocolate lover - it is definitely more banana and caramel.

I choose to chew and chew and chew and chew...

so slow...webs are forming

One of the ways I am trying to be healthier is by becoming a slow eater. I inhale food. If there was a contest for being the fastest eater, I would win by a landslide. It is going to be a hard habit to break, especially because I am starting off in the negative; my goal was to begin today and I was running so late this morning I had to skip breakfast (even though I pre-sliced all of my English muffins for a faster, more streamlined run around the kitchen) and then I realized at 1:30 p.m. I still hadn't eaten lunch and had an errand to run at 2:00, so you guessed it, I inhaled my salad, cottage cheese, and pineapple in under ten minutes. Ugh. This is going to be really hard. 

Someone I went to dance school with took this to an extreme (not surprising when talking about dancers and diets) and made an effort to chew every bite eighty times. She didn't eat with the rest of us because it took her so long - she ate by herself in the privacy of her dorm room. It honestly did wonders. She lost so much weight her face practically shrunk in half. I am not looking for anything that dramatic, I just want to eat a little less, get more nutrients out of my food, and actually taste my food (novel idea!) instead of mashing it up really quickly and swallowing. I am thinking about trying for a rate of twenty to thirty chews per bite. In researching this notion, I came across an eye-opening article and learned there are multiple benefits to eating slow. Click here to read the article, which is also where the photo above came from.   

a sweet and very, very low calorie snack

I was hoping Santa would put some original flavored Chapstick-brand chapstick in my stocking this year and he/she did. To my surprise and delight, he/she also put a stick of Cake Batter flavored Chapstick-brand chapstick in there and let me tell you - it is the greatest chapstick on earth. It reminds me of the birthday cake ice cream they sell a few streets away from our home at Nancy's Ice Cream Parlor. The ice cream is florescent yellow with a bright blue swirl of awesomeness and round rainbow sprinkles inside. It is heaven, and when I am too cold to enjoy a frosty treat, this chapstick does a great job of satisfying all of my sugary cravings. Hello zero calories and tastes delicious - I think I finally found the secret to snacking! Do yourself a favor and keep those lips silky smooth with the best tasting chapstick around and remember to apply it heavy, so your lips are still covered in lip balm after you eat off the first layer.   

a science project to set-up this weekend

Not my photo, but I am liking
the looks of that jalapeno.

I am definitely more of an earth science kind of person vs. formal/life/social science, but I am going to set-up an experiment this weekend and I really hope it works. The experiment comes from the Food & Wine website and the point of it is to grow your own salt - and not just any salt, flavored salt. The article suggests making a blood orange salt, but I was thinking about using sage. I wish I had a truffle or two laying around, but I think we are fresh out. Ha! 

My experience with flavored salt is few and far between, but we purchased extremely spicy salt when we visited Vancouver and I have also had smoked salt on the rim of a cocktail in Manhattan. Those were the two best flavored salts I ever had - and the only. Maybe I should try to make it spicy?! Regardless of the flavor, I will let you know how it turns out. My fingers are crossed that my efforts result in a tasty additive for our winter meals. Click here to read the article, and if you try it out yourself - good luck!  

make this, make this, make this, make this

Taken from my desk.

This is going to be short and sweet and somewhat repetitive because I wrote about it yesterday, but I had to share because it is beautiful and delicious. This is a photo of today's soup. If you are sick of boring cold lunches, you should follow the recipe I posted yesterday and make this. Hello bright colors and warm bellies!