I Heart Wine Country too!

I woke up bright and early (before my alarm went off - woah!) Sunday morning. This was partly because I was excited about our day of wine tasting and partly due to this sinking feeling that I forgot to put my pupusa in the fridge. D'oh! Suspicions confirmed. I definitely left my 3rd pupusa in the zipper portion of my purse and it smelled like pupusa in there! Nononono! To make matters worse, the pupusa greased out of the bag so a) I felt gross having consumed all that grease the night before and b) I worried my purse would have a giant stain in it! Thankfully it did not - Amee, don't you love how I take care of your designs?? :p

There were six of us headed to Healdsburg for a day of wine tasting and I was super excited. Not only were we headed to the land of zinfandels (my personal fave), but we were planning on stopping at deLorimier Winery first!

Why was I excited about deLorimier? Well, about 3 years ago Jamie and I went to Farrah Olivia for restaurant week. I chose the optional wine pairing with my meal and fell in love with my second glass of wine (and dinner!) - Mosaic Malbec. We were just coming off of a trip to Buenos Aires so I was all about the malbecs. I wrote the name down and anytime we were near wine, I made a point to look for it. No such luck.

I then reached out to Selin since she was in the land of wines and my sister and parents figuring maybe they had more options being near NYC. Fail. I even tried to get to the vineyard on my first trip to SF but alas, too far out of the way for our day trip to Napa :(

Recently I got a text from Selin and turns out she was driving past the vineyard! AH HA! Totally on my 'must make it happen' list for this trip.

We get to deLorimier and find out there's a festival going on at all the Russian River Wineries. Apparently this weekend was the 11th Annual Wine and Food Affair - for $40, we could get free tastings AND free food pairings at 80 vineyards. WOAH. My kind of festival ;) We were kinda skeptical about the whole $40 ticket thing but the woman at the door totally sold us on it once she said we might run into problems getting tastings otherwise. Sold. They gave us a wrist band, map and wine glass and off we went.

Delorimier was serving this bad ass Grilled Rib-Eye Steak Chili made with one of their wines. AMAZING! Thick, but a little soupy, nice heat and the super tender rib eye bits were little nuggets of heaven. *sigh* oh wait, we're at a winery...the wine! Turns out they only make the Mosaic Malbec once a year and it's so popular, it sells out quickly (Selin did her research)...they weren't even tasting it that day!

Thankfully Selin jumped in and convinced the ladies to check if they had any bottles since her crazy friend flew across the country for this stupid wine and low and behold - two bottles (one for tasting and one for me!)...the 2006s were waiting to be bottled. Score!
After a little more tasting, I also grabbed a bottle of the tasty Mosaic Meritage :) Check out the gorgeous views:
Next up was Hanna Winery where they were serving Endive Cups filled with French Lentil & Prosciutto Salad with Peppers.
I wasn't really into the food, but the Jasmine Vixen was one of my favorite wines though I refrained from buying.

We turned back around to visit Hawkes Wine and as much as I hate to admit it, we went just for the Skirt Steak Tacos with Cabernet Chili Sauce. Oh my god. Best. Sauce. Ever. EVER! It was pretty packed (probably b/c of the delicious food!), so we grabbed a quick taste and sat outside to enjoy the perfect weather and scenery:
As soon as those tacos were gone, we scooted on over to Simi Winery for some Lamb & Herb Meatballs with Creamy Polenta and more soothing scenery!
They even had an outdoor kitchen...I want one!!
A couple meatballs later and we were ready to go to Ridge Vineyards Lytton Springs. This was #2 on my must visit list ever since I tried their Geyserville last month. They too were serving meatballs, but they were Sicilian Meatballs with Spaghetti (by the time we got there it was bread) and I think they were the best meatballs of the day :)
I walked away with a bottle of the Geyserville (another bottle they opened for us - thanks!!) and their Lytton Springs - both delicious blends!
All the reds they were tasting were fantastic, but those two were my favorites. We lingered a bit longer here. Why? Oh yes, GORGEOUS.
We stopped down the road at Mazzocco Sonoma for some Lamb & Rosemary Meatballs with Rice Pilaf and a surprise treat - Butternut Squash Soup!
As if there weren't enough meatballs in our day ;p The wines here were pretty good, but I found myself moseying over to the Reserves Collection table and tasting a glass of their Petite Syrah...and promptly buying a bottle. Impulse buy! That's just what happens at the end of a wine tasting day ;p

The next and final stop was Wilson Winery because we got a little lost getting to our planned destination. SO glad we stumbled upon this place because they were serving Caramelized Onion Quesadillas with Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Basil Salsa & Famous Marinated Tri Tip OMG! The quesadillas were kinda lame, but the tri tip was phenomenal. I don't even know if I've ever had tri tip before...but I NEED it now! So tender and flavorful, though I'm not really sure why it was served on a tortilla?
The long line for the tri tip wasn't too bad since we had this glorious view:
Check out all those grapes!!

How on earth did I get all these bottles home?
Two rolls of bubble wrap and these were safe and sound in my suitcase. Phew!

It's getting late so I'm off to bed - early and long day at work tomorrow. I can't wait to gush about my last meal in San Francisco!

Mimosas, Fried Chicken & Waffles, Gorgeous Weather.

Apparently a weekend trip to San Francisco isn't complete without Bottomless Mimosa Brunch!
We paid a visit to Bar Johnny in Russian Hill
where we drank some deliciously refreshing mimosas and noshed on Fried Chicken & Waffles.
The chicken was perfectly crisp and boneless, though it could have used some seasoning or even just salt in the batter, but whatever, it had me at first crisp. It came with syrup and a barbecue-y chutney sauce that had a little kick to it - great combination.

They also had an amazing plate of Fried Chicken & Mac n Cheese that looked like heaven. Such creamy looking macaroni!

We continued the madness at Pier 23 Cafe, a pier turned bar with a gorgeous view of the bay.
Well, we were sitting in the middle of the deck so lots of people got into my picture :\

Lots of drinks and snacks were consumed, though no happy faced glasses of sangria
and then we went in search of more food...duh!

We made a last minute decision to see Norm Macdonald (ha, remember him?) at the Warfield Theatre so we rushed over there to buy tickets before heading to the Mission for some pupusas!
La Santaneca De La Mission was worth the transit adventure. We were in a rush so we quickly ordered and were so excited when our pupusas arrived. I got three pupusas (don't judge!) - pork, pork with beans and cheese, and pork with cheese. To go with the pupusas, there was a fresh salsa and a tangy cabbage slaw that was a perfect balance with the richness of the pupusa. Perfect $6 meal. Yes, $6.
I had the plain pork first, followed by the pork bean and cheese pupusa and um, I'm not a fan of the pork, bean, cheese combo. I think I just wasn't into the texture of the beans? The plain pork pupusa was by far the best piece of food I had all day :)

I threw the last pupusa in my bag for later since we had to get over to the Warfield ASAP.
We found our seats during the opening act and promptly fell asleep. Apparently an early morning followed by a day of eating and drinking is not a good idea before 1.5 hours of Norm Macdonald. I found myself randomly laughing and passing out. Good times!

We were all exhausted by the time we got back to the apartment so we immediately went to bed - early morning departure for wine tasting the following day! I think that's a good sign vacation has arrived, no? Wait til you hear about my not so pleasant surprise the next morning...

Why I heart San Francisco Part I

Hello Hello! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and I can't wait to read about everyone's FoodBuzz Festival recaps!

As you already know, I passed on the whole Festival to hang out with a friend of mine and although I really wish I had a chance to meet up with fellow food bloggers, I don't regret my choice. The past couple of trips to San Francisco have been crammed with touristy activities and I've loved it. I really didn't have an agenda for this trip, except maybe confirm that I really do want to move ;)

After my 3 hour nap and 5 hour flight on Thursday, Selin and I grabbed coffee and planned our weekend meals - yes, food is always the first thing on our minds! To kick off the weekend of eating, we headed to A16 in the Marina.
It took me awhile to put two and two together, but Selin had mentioned this place when Jamie and I were out over Memorial Day weekend. She raved about Monday night meatballs and apparently the pizzas are some of the best in San Francisco. It's other claim to fame - one of the Next Iron Chef competitors, Nate Appleman, was co-owner and executive chef until this summer.

We decided to split a Romaine and Chicory Salad with Lemon and Olive Oil (no pic b/c well, it was just a plate of greens!) and Funghi Pizza (roasted mushrooms, smoked mozzarella, grana padano, garlic, oregano, wild arugula).
The salad was so fresh and light tasting! So simple and delicious...just what I needed after the wedding meals. The pizza was fantastic - several varieties of mushrooms, just the right amount of arugula and a hint of fresh garlic. They had a dish of chili oil at the table and it gave just the right amount of spice!

We also had a glass of wine with lunch (hi, vacation!), though I forget exactly what we got. The waiter was so knowledgeable and gave us a couple suggestions based on what we said we liked - I guess it's kinda standard living in the area, no? I think it would be weird if they didn't know their wine!

After a long and light lunch (a little pricey, but worth it), we stopped at Miette on the way back to the car so I could sample my very first macaron (not a macaroon)
This little hazelnut sucker was $1.75 but really yummy! I might like these even more than macaroons! The outside is a little chewy and the inside is a nice creamy contrast - who knew I was missing out on such a great treat all this time!

We vegged out for a bit and did some more food planning before Selin headed to a class, and no napping! I braved the bus for the first time and made my way to Union Square to meet Quinn and Allison from Green Dog Wine. Kudos to them for hanging out shortly after arriving! We walked over to Otis Lounge, which was a little too loud for a Thursday night catch up, but we stuck around for a couple glasses of wine before heading to Dell'uva in North Beach.
A glass of wine later we were ready to call it a night. I was so glad to get some catch up time with Quinn and meet Allison!

The next morning I was on my own and I actually devised a plan for the day. Huge deal for me since I'm not a big planner! I was feeling good so I laced up the sneaks and went for my first run since the marathon. Totally against the advice of my physical therapist (I'll fill you in on that later) and doctor, but whatever, it was a 1.5 mi run AT MOST.

I ran in the rain/mist along the Embarcadero blasting Britney (hangs head in shame...sort of...not really :p) and felt great. My destination? The coffee I've been craving since Memorial Day!!
Blue Bottle Coffee!!! I love this coffee so much. I neeeed it here! This was the first time I've gotten it at the stall in the Ferry Building, but there's a great view of their 'drip' coffee process (but I didn't take this picture)
Perfect end to a refreshing mid-morning run! I wandered around the Ferry Building for a bit with my coffee before heading to the BART station to begin my journey for the best Banh Mi San Francisco has to offer.

One of Selin's friends mentioned this place that serves some crazy good Banh Mi and I knew I HAD to check it out. I trekked out to Civic Center/Tenderloin for Saigon Sandwich...the line was a good sign in my book (well, this picture doesn't show it) ;)
I waited about 15 minutes in line for this little $3 roast pork sandwich. Why? Because a) banh mi is freaking amazing and b) I only heard rave reviews about all the sandwiches at this place - even the tofu!
I had to BART and bus back to Selin's (there are like 2 stools in the whole restaurant) and I couldn't stop thinking about the yummy sandwich I had in my hand. Could not wait!! I finally unwrapped it and snapped a quick picture to capture my glorious lunch
Ok yeah, it just looks like a roll. AMAZING. Totally worth the wait. The pork was flavorful and moist, the bread was perfectly crusty on the outside and squishy on the inside, the sauce was to die for and the pickles/veggies/peppers were incredibly fresh tasting. I could have eaten two of them :[ I'm going back next time we're in town and trying the roast pork and pate combo.

Dinner was a homemade southwestern-inspired salad with roasted chicken before we met up with some of Selin's friends at Rogue Ales Public House.
To kick things off, I started with a Dead Guy Ale - which I really just picked on a whim.
Apparently it's their most famous brew...I may or may not have had it before. Either way, it was fantastic. And followed it up with the Morimoto Imperial Pilsner
I forgot I don't really like pilsners and this one was a pretty intense one. It had a cool glass that was printed like this bottle, but really, that was the best part of it. Ah well. We bounced around to a couple other places, including the west coast equivalent of the Big Hunt - North Star Cafe.
I confirmed it by ordering a ton of Black Velvets and loving them. HA.

We closed the evening with some pizza from Golden Boy - totally beats Pizza Mart any day.
It's definitely thicker pizza (I'm a fan of thin crust), but it's SO DELICIOUS. As with almost every restaurant I've been to in San Francisco, they use all local and organic ingredients...and I'm learning that it always leads to better tasting food! The line was INSANE and you order from that front window. Here's what it looks like without the mad rush
Overwhelming regardless of large crowds fighting for pizza...I just pointed at one w/meat and veggies on it. Tasted like the best thing on the planet :)

Phew. That was a ton in one post! Stay tuned for pupusas, wine tasting and Korean 'tacos'!!

Going back to Cali, Cali, Cali

Super shuttle will be here in an hour and I'm taking time to blog. Dedication, no? I'm also taking a mini break from my early morning packing. Here's hoping I don't forget anything! ;p

In a few hours, I'll be landing in one of my favorite cities - San Francisco. Woooo! Unfortunately, I'm not headed to the Foodbuzz Festival like most of you guys are...I'm off to visit Selin!! Hooray! I thought about going to the Foodbuzz Festival, but it just seemed like SO much to do in one weekend. However, I am going to try my best to meet up with a couple bloggers as long as their festival schedules allow it!

Jamie's off to Korea on Friday...poor planning on my part. I booked this trip when he was originally scheduled to leave a few weeks ago and I'll admit I was kinda bummed when I realized that I cut our last week together short. And it's been anything but a laid back week. I've been running around like crazy and we really only got to hang out/veg for a few hours yesterday (hence my last minute packing and blogging this morning) :( Ah well, 3 months will fly by right? The past 3 days sure did.

Since we had a stray acorn squash and some chicken sausage that needed cooking before we both left, our brilliant culinary minds (ha) came up with this random dish - Penne with Acorn Squash and Mango Jalapeno Chicken Sausage.
Not bad for a random experiment! Next time I'd use butternut squash instead and definitely some parmesan - the pepperjack was a last minute addition because it was either that or mexi-blend cheese :\

Penne with Acorn Squash and Mango Jalapeno Chicken Sausage
1/2 lb penne, cooked according to directions
1 small acorn squash, cubed
salt
pepper
nutmeg
olive oil
1 package Aidell's Mango Jalepeno Chicken Sausage, cut into disks
1 c spinach or arugula
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c shredded pepperjack cheese

Scatter squash on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
In a pan, brown chicken sausage over high heat. Lower heat and add onions.
Cook onions until browned and softened
Add greens and cook until wilted before adding squash.
Stir sausage and squash mixture into a large bowl of penne.
And stir in cheese. Serve immediately.
Parmesan or another salty sharp cheese would have been perfect with this...if only we had some :\

Alrighty, I'm off! I'll be back with a full food/wine/travel/maybe running report on Monday! Have a great weekend :)

Back to cooking and blogging

And it feels sooo goood! :)

Howdy strangers! I feel like it's been weeks since I last blogged and even longer since I made a decent meal at home!

Jamie's mom came over for dinner tonight and we whipped up some Grilled Salmon with Orzo Salad. I took a mini-break from a crazy week at work to get my FoodGawker fix and came across this recipe on We [Heart] Food. It looked simple enough for Jamie to jump in on in case I got stuck at work late AND it looked light and delicious. Sold!
When I got home, Jamie was already hard at work chopping up the cucumber and tomatoes for the orzo. I got the water boiling and started chopping up some dill on the nifty cutting board my dad made out of a leftover chunk of kitchen counter (corian?)
Jamie picked up a 1.5 lb salmon fillet from Whole Foods that we were able to cut into 4 equal pieces. Check out how rich that color is!
I decided to sprinkle on some garlic powder since I thought it could use a little extra flavoring.

Some artsy lemon zest
My microplane is kinda wee but I love it. I'd like a regular sized flat microplane one day, but not right now. This one gets the job done!

Heated up the grill pan and cooked the salmon according to the directions (are you amazed? I sure am!)
Mixed up the orzo salad, threw some mixed greens on a plate (you know I needed to) and voila! Dinner!
Aside from the burning smell that always happens when the grill pan is used, I think dinner was a success! I'm definitely keeping this recipe on hand. It was light, simple and flavorful! I might add some more veggies to the orzo salad next time...artichokes, hearts of palm, corn (just kidding!). Betcha the salmon would be even better on an actual grill ;)

Tonight's dinner was exactly the sort of meal I was looking for, especially after a long weekend of eating out and eating heavy foods. When I last wrote, we were prepping for a wedding weekend in New Jersey for a good friend of mine/old roommate from college. I was running around a lot last week for both jobs so Friday night, I was not really into cooking a meal. We ended up at Fresh Med in Cleveland Park.
We've ordered from Fresh Med a ton of times (delivery is WAAAY slow) and have enjoyed pretty much everything we've tried. This time around we both went with platters - Jamie got the Mixed Platter (Chicken taouk, ground beef kafta, and lamb shish kabab, served with hommos, house salad, and rice) and I got the Chicken Platter (Grilled tender cubes of marinated, boneless chicken, served with hommos, house salad, and rice). I must say, the food is SO much better when it's eaten immediately and not after an hour or so of traveling.

Early Saturday morning we hopped on a train to my parents' house in New Jersey where we ran a few errands with my mom and ended up at the Phil-am Colonia lunch buffet. Um, Filipino lunch buffet is nothing but trouble. Here was my first plate:
Clockwise from the rice: Fried Dilis (translation, deep fried itty bitty fishies that taste delicious w/rice), Lumpia Shanghai (not the best I've had), Pancit Palabok (I only had a bite b/c it had no flavor. I might be partial to my mom's), Caldereta (beef stew that I NEED a recipe for), Pakbet (this is what my squash dish tasted like!), and Lechon Kawali (um, no plate is complete w/out some roasted pork).

I went back for more of the Pakbet because I realized I really do love it...the bagoong (fermented shrimp paste used in Filipino cooking) adds a nice briny taste to the dish, more than my fish sauce/squash/kale experiment. Who knew? I used to think that stuff was stinky and gross. Now I just think it's stinky, but delicious!

The other repeat on my plate? Caldereta. My gramma used to make a beef stew all the time when I was little. Beef stew had a very distinct flavor and look in my mind. I once tried to make a beef stew because I was craving it and failed miserably. Why? Because apparently this is a 'special' beef stew and there are tons of different versions, some that include vinegar and some that even use cheese (random, I know). I'm determined to find the perfect recipe. Anyone out there have one?

Jamie's dessert was a simple banana...
Of the mini variety.

We didn't have too much time to digest since wedding festivities began at 6:30 Saturday evening. My parents dropped us off (hi, high school moment!) and the eating and dancing madness began! This was my very first Indian wedding and I must say, SO. MUCH. FUN.

The cocktail hour was free of alcohol but loaded with fun food. My favorite of the night:
Not really sure what it was, but it was this crispy shell with a filling that looked like beef but wasn't, pomegranate, a yogurt sauce and some other sauces. It was such a great refreshing, slightly spicy flavor explosion!

I also loved the dosa filled with potatoes
As I said, there was a ton of dancing and I even jumped in on the stick dancing! Woo! We all scarfed down the main courses pretty quickly so I forgot to take pictures. Plus it was pretty spicy so I was a bit overwhelmed. Once I find out exactly what we ate I'll be sure to post!

Sunday was Baraat and the wedding ceremony. We all jumped in on the groom's side since we figured we could go either way ;) That meant we dance/walked/cheered between a van blasting music and the groom on a horse. Not lying - this is the most fun I've ever had at a wedding before. Also, please note I'm wearing A COLOR. Huge deal for me. I felt a little out of place even with a non-black dress! So many fun and happy colors at this wedding!
Dinner was a bit of a blur, probably because I had a couple of these
and was reunited with the AU crowd, minus Jamie who had to leave after an hour to catch a train back to DC.
I do remember the food was delicious and not as spicy as Saturday and the cake was gorgeous
AND I've never seen so many people on the dance floor at one time before! Awesome time!! Congrats to the bride and groom :)

I'm still here!!

I haven't forgotten about blogging...it's just been a super crazy few weeks! I'm making a tasty dinner tonight so I'm hoping to post some time tonight. PROMISE! I miss blogging and my blog buddies!

In the meantime...are any of you planning on being at the Foodbuzz Festival this weekend?? I'll be in San Francisco from Thursday to Monday and am trying to organize a couple blogger meet ups. Let me know if you'll be around!

Food Recap!

With all the MCM stuff going on, I've neglected all the fun food! Here's a quick recap of the weekend/week's eats:

Pre-race meal was sushi at Murasaki in Tenleytown. Jamie and I have been here a couple of times and Murasaki hasn't disappointed us yet! The menu is a little overwhelming with all the pages and photos, but it's so yummy! We started with an order of Jumbo Shumai and Tsukune (chicken meatballs with teriyaki sauce) for the table.
For the main event - assorted sushi (I actually forgot what I ordered, but I know I got a few nigiri and 4 or so rolls) and Chicken Yakisoba. It was just the right amount of food for the five of us! I know it's a little weird, but I do love sushi pre-long run...it has salt, lean protein, carbs, fat, and it never makes me feel gross full! Two thumbs up in my book!

Post-race was sort of an act of desperation. While V headed to Clarendon for food w/her fam, we decided to skip the overcrowded metro (I've never seen so many people spilling out of the metro entrance before!) and head back into the District. Everyone was tired from walking, so we parked ourselves near the Key Bridge to hail cabs to the closest restaurant with beer-a-plenty - Cap City.
It's not my favorite, but it does have a wide variety of food and beer...plus, it takes large parties and was close to where we parked.

First up, BEER. Delicious beer. I wasn't thrilled at the idea of it at mile 22, but I sure wanted it after the race was over! I went with the Pale Rider Ale as I browsed the menu for food.
I wanted EVERYTHING on the menu...well, at least the entire appetizer section ;) I was too lazy to dig around Jamie's backpack for my camera so no pictures. We got an order of Black & Tan Onion Rings and Jalapeno Cheese Dip for the table. The onion rings were ok, but the cheese dip definitely hit the spot! For my first meal of the day, I went with the Grilled Chicken Wrap (fresh salad mix tossed with chicken, roasted corn, tomatoes, cucumber, black beans, cheddar and chipotle ranch dressing wrapped in a tomato basil tortilla) with Sweet Potato Fries.

I have no idea what the deal was with my stomach...I ate half my wrap and all my fries and was done. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy! Don't worry, the food didn't go to waste, I ate it almost immediately after we got back to the apartment. I also cracked open my celebratory bottle of wine:
I picked this up on Friday at the new wine store near job #2. They offer free tastings daily and this was the first one I sampled. It was a little out of my typical wine price range and I decided it would be my gift to myself ;) It's deliciously crisp and light!

Jamie, Sparky, my folks and I vegged out to a Cake Boss marathon before I declared it was time for dinner. My declaration was met with somewhat crazy looks, but eventually we got two pizzas delivered from Angelico - the Angelico Special (tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham, caramelized onions and roasted red peppers) and the Vegetariano (tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, red onions and black olives).
If I could, I'd dump more veggies on the Vegetariano. Do you think more veggies makes for a delicious pizza?? I do ;)

Monday Monday eats. Susan stopped by the store to get fitted for proper running shoes and I invited her over to join Jamie and I for dinner. My mom brought a vat of Chicken and Pork Adobo down with her so we heated it up for dinner.
Served with it was a cucumber salad/pickly thing my mom makes
And some Lumpiang Prito (?) a family friend made from scratch - I totally googled because I only know Lumpia Shanghai :/
Usually I'll serve lumpia shanghai with a sweet chili sauce or Mang Tomas All Purpose Sauce. With this other kind of lumpia, I put out bowls of those sauces plus a bowl of garlic and cider vinegar.Susan made some small salads for us and dinner was served!
YUUUM and it was like a home cooked meal, but not.

Tuesday was Tofu Tuesday! I started catching up on blogs and saw that Paige over at Running Around Normal could use some fun tofu recipes. While I was at the Giant, I grabbed an eggplant and a container of extra firm tofu and brainstormed....

Hot 'n Peanutty Eggplant and Tofu
1 block extra firm tofu, cubed
1 baby eggplant, cubed
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp szechuan sauce
2 tbsp black bean sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp chili oil
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp water or broth
squirt sriracha sauce

Whisk last nine ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet and saute eggplant until soft. Add tofu and cook for 3 minutes before adding sauce. Stir sauce in and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Serve immediately over rice.
For an out of nowhere experiment, I thought this was pretty good! It reminded me a little of something else I made with eggplant, but better. I'd add some thinly sliced onion next time or another vegetable...just to add a contrasting texture.

What's dinner without dessert? I was feeling nice so I allowed some frozen treats into our shopping basket this time:
This is one of my favorite Ben & Jerry's flavors, next to Cherry Garcia. I think I have a soft spot for fudge chunks.

Tonight was a lonely dinner since Jamie's off at a happy hour with old coworkers out in Reston. I've been craving some of this ever since I threw it into our grocery cart!
I can't eat JUST shells n cheese and hot sauce...c'mon, gotta have a veg of some sort in there! Hm, what to add? Peas!
And some Trader Joe's Corn and Chile Salsa just for fun (um, this stuff is like crack to me but I don't think it was a good idea on the mac).
I like to line the bottom of my bowl with some greens (spinach, arugula, you name it) before putting something warm in it so they wilt a little.
The party in a bowl with a generous dousing of Texas Pete
How do you like to mac??