Artichokes with Sausage and Lemon

There's no denying my love of the following things: artichokes, sausage, and Tyler Florence. Unfortunately, I had a mediocre experience with all three the other night. 

I've had my eye on this recipe for Artichokes with Pork Sausage, Lemon and Sage for awhile now and I figured now would be the time to test it out since artichokes are in season! I made a couple minor modifications that I didn't think would make much of a difference and I just wasn't that impressed by the final product. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't horrible...it just wasn't as good as I had thought it would be. I ate dinner and all I could think was meh...all that work for this?

Seriously, the only recipes I follow all the way through are in all of Tyler Florence's cookbooks. He has never steered me wrong and the photos/descriptions are always pretty close to the real thing. That is why I was so shocked. Sadface.

Here are the modifications I made. Maybe I'll give this another go with no modifications. Agh. Still can't get over how blah this meal was.

My modifications:

Sausage - I used two turkey brats because I couldn't find a plain pork sausage and I was in a turkey sausage mood. I know pork is pork and it always lends more flavor to a dish than turkey, but I don't know how much saving the pork sausage would have done to the dish. Maybe a spicy pork sausage?

Onion - I didn't have a shallot on hand and I didn't have anything milder than an onion. I minced it up super tiny.

Potato - I had a handful of fingerlings leftover so I thought I'd throw them into the dish. They were pretty small so I figured they would cook fairly fast.

Bake - So the original recipe doesn't call for baking, but I wanted the tots to cook and soak up the flavor.  I browned the sausage instead of cooking it all the way through and placed it in the dish with all the ingredients. Baked it covered for 15-20 minutes and dinner was done.

March ingredients used: artichokes, herbs, lemons, onions, potatoes

This was also my first time cooking with whole artichokes. What an experience. It's a whole lot of effort and dinero for a whole lot of nothing. I have a new appreciation for prepared artichokes. 

I learned how to prepare them by watching a bunch of videos online and stuck with the original recipe for steaming. Exciting.

As those steamed, I enjoyed a glass of the wine I used to steam them.

O hello sauvignon blanc, long time no sip!

Stephen Vincent 2009 Sauvignon Blanc

Fantastic! Crisp, not too acidic and slightly fruity. I thought I tasted a hint of nectarine, but whenever I say that the tasting notes always say melon. Apparently my tastebuds confuse melon with nectarines. I picked this bottle up at Whole Foods mostly because it was the most reasonably priced bottle. What a pleasant surprise. At $12.99, this is definitely going on my list of bargain bottles! 

Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Taters

All playing well together.

After Saturday's successful trip to the farmers' market, I created a pretty well balanced dinner with a bunch of ingredients currently in season. Some elements were more successful than others, but I've noted modifications in the recipes below. Hope you enjoy them!

To start things off...

Mixed Greens with Fennel and Roasted Beets
Mixed salad greens
1 beet, roasted and cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 avocado, sliced
1/4 c fennel, shaved

Vinaigrette
1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp champagne vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp tarragon
salt
pepper

Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients and toss a small amount with the mixed greens (you don't want to douse them in dressing). Add fennel, beets and avocado on top. Toss before serving.

The main course...

Green Garlic Chicken Roulade

2 chicken breasts, butterflied

1 stalk green garlic

2 1/2 tbsp plain greek yogurt

3 tbsp parmesan cheese, shredded

1 tbsp hot sauce

salt

pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Puree green garlic, yogurt, hot sauce and parmesan cheese together. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Spread 1/4 of mixture on each breast half, roll chicken up tightly and secure with two toothpicks. 

Place chicken in a baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165. Let rest for a few minutes and slice before serving.

Caramelized Onion and Brussels Sprout Hash
3/4 lb brussels sprouts, shredded
1/3 c caramelized onions
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp canadian bacon, finely chopped
1/3 c fennel, shaved
1/4 tsp lemon zest
salt
pepper

Heat butter in a saute pan over medium high heat. Brown bacon, then add fennel. Cook for 2 minutes before stirring in brussels sprouts. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes. Add onions and lemon zest, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
1-2 c fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp dill
freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 400. Toss ingredients together and spread out on a baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes.

March ingredients used: avocado, beet, brussels sprouts, fennel, green garlic, lemon, onion, potato

For dessert, Jamie and I snacked on a variety of baked goods we picked up on our walk through Chinatown:

Sweet Melon Cake (texture was a little weird...sort of like a shredded vegetable meets spongy texture) and Mini Custard Bun (not what I thought it was going to be, but not bad...moist cake with a tiny little custard bit inside)

Coconut Tart (Jamie was into this one, but I did not care for the texture. It was a moist spongy cake with a whole lot of shredded coconut) and Lotus Moon Cake (the ratio of filling to cake was weird and there was a salty surprise in the middle).

Personally, I wasn't that into any of the baked goods so I ended up snacking on one of the many oranges I collected that morning. It needed to be done.

Aaaand we're back to running!

After a good 2 week break (though, I'm not too sure I'd call it a break with all the stuff I got done) from running, I made my triumphant return on Tuesday night.

I wanted to introduce Jamie to my Tuesday night ritual and all the fun people I've met so far. I don't think either of us was really prepared for a 5 mile run. Nope. Not at all.

It was a gorgeous day for a run with just a touch of wind. My stupid bus never showed up and I started panicking about making it in time. I got creative with alternate bus routes and ended up getting dropped off a few blocks further than originally planned. I booked it to meet Jamie and then we jogged a bit to get to the Marina Green in time.

Plan was to head over the Fort Mason hill and see how I was feeling once we hit the turn around for 4 miles. I started out feeling a little pukey and tired (I think I was just really worked up from being late and running to the run) and I definitely felt that 2 week break. Yeeh. Not fun.

Jamie and I ended up doing 5 miles and I barely had enough energy to shuffle back up the Fort Mason hill at the end. Then I looked at my watch. We were running well under 10 minute pace. OH. That's why. D'oh! We ended up finishing in 48 minutes and even though my legs weren't tired, my lungs were. Tsk tsk tsk!

What kept me going the whole time? Knowing that group dinner was at Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers (yeah, I need a week of meat detox ASAP)! I browsed the menu earlier that day and the turkey burger craving hit.

To start, Jamie and I split a half order of Sweet Potato Fries. They definitely lived up to their reputation :) I kept things simple and ordered a Barney's Turkey Burger (flame-broiled ground turkey. Served with fresh red onion, tomato, lettuce & pickle). I also opted for some American cheese on my burger. What? I actually prefer American cheese over Cheddar on my burgers. There's just something about a Kraft Single that screams backyard bbq.

My burger was ENORMOUS. It was almost the size of a CD! Don't worry, it wasn't super thick...just alarmingly flat big. Anyway, I thought it was cooked well...flame broiled - check. Cheesy goodness - check. Lots o ketchup and mustard - check check!

Jamie opted for a fancier burger. He got the Guacamole Burger (burger with guacamole and sour cream) and it looked super messy.

That's it for this quickie non-photo post! More to come...my latest project: making meals on the cheap. Stay tuned. It should be interesting.

Aaaand more catching up!

Man, it's like I can't get a break here! haha. We've just got one computer between the two of us right now until next weekend (when hopefully my computer will be back to normal!) so I haven't been able to blog as much as I'd like. :(

With my extra time, I've made a few fun meals and thought I'd share them with you guys as I sit here sipping on a much needed glass of vino waiting as my chili simmers (more this evening on my vat o delicious).
My favorite glass to drink wine from. No clue why, but I love it. In case you can't see the side, it just says 'Bah!'

Since my kitchen has been neglected for the past few weeks, I made sure I incorporated some fun meals this weekend. Do you ever get really excited about a whole afternoon of cooking? I sure do. :)

I kicked off the weekend with a light fish dish on Friday night. Quinn posted a recipe for Baked Flounder with Feta and Spinach a few days ago and I thought I'd give it a shot. I went with a bag of frozen cod instead of flounder because a) I really don't trust the seafood counter at my closest grocery and b) I didn't feel like making the trek elsewhere. It's true. We all get lazy sometimes.

The recipe was super easy and required very few ingredients - fish, breadcrumbs, feta, spinach and lemon. Hi, easy end of the week meal! I only had panko on hand so I spiked it with the last bit of Greek seasoning my mom gave me, some crushed red pepper, salt and garlic powder. Popped that baby in the oven and 20 minutes later, dinner was ready! SO what I needed.
Next time I might throw the feta on top of the panko so it gets a little melty on top. The panko sort of fell all over the place as I plated :[ oops. Despite my plating snafu, the dish tasted great!

Last night was another quick dinner experiment since I got off of work at 7 and had to be in bed early for my race this morning. So I've read about this Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend on a few blogs recently and figured since it contains all my favorite grains, why not give it a try? I mean, if I love all these grains (israeli couscous, red quinoa, orzo and baby garbanzos) on their own, shouldn't this be a little bag of heaven??

As you know, I can't ever use a bag of anything by itself and this bag o grains was no exception. I picked up a baby eggplant, yellow squash, tomato and a shallot to spice things up a bit. With the grains, I roasted some chicken thighs we had in the freezer and voila! Perfectly balanced pre-race dinner. Wooo!

Veggie Grains
1/2 bag Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend, cooked according to package directions
1 baby eggplant, diced
1 small yellow squash, sliced into disks, then quarters
1 medium tomato, diced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 to 1 tbsp hot pepper sauce

In a large pan, heat olive oil and saute shallot until soft. Add eggplant and tomato and stir for 2 minutes. Cover, lower heat and let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in salt and balsamic vinegar, cover and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir in squash, cover, turn off heat and let sit for 4 minutes.

Add grains and hot pepper sauce to eggplant mixture and stir until combined. Serve immediately.

YUM. It's even better the next day :) I busted into this jar of hot pepper sauce we got at (of all places) the airport in Budapest.
Go figure, it's one of the best sauces in the kitchen these days! It has a nice smokey, spicy flavor...a little bit goes a long way. It's also a bit salty so I use it in small doses. In my opinion, a chili garlic paste would work just as well in its place :)

For the chicken, I was at a total loss. I threw some rosemary, thyme, kosher salt, minced garlic and black pepper into a bowl. Jamie doused the chicken thighs with some olive oil and stuffed the herby mixture under the skin and sprinkled some more on top. A quick splash of lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon) and they were ready to go into a 450 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Perfect combo with the grains!

Time to check on the chili! Recipe and race recap will follow later on tonight!

100th Post, lots of food and A GIVEAWAY!

Happy Monday, bloggers :) I'm happy to report that this is my 100th post! WOOO! Why am I so excited? Well, I initially had doubts that I'd stick with this whole blogging thing, but thanks to you all (however many readers I have out there!) I've made it to the triple digits :) Yay!!

In honor of this milestone, I'm going to share some of my favorite running-related items with one winner.

Here's how to enter (You have until 9pm EST THURSDAY 8/20 to enter):

1. Leave me a comment on this post - 1 entry
   
2. Mention this giveaway on your blog and link back to this post - 1 entry
3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway - 2 entries
4. Add me to your blogroll - 2 entries

And what do you get for all that work?

A pair of my absolute favorite sock EVER - the Balega Hidden Comfort. It's seamless, thin on the top, cushioned on the bottom and wicks moisture away from your feet. What more could you ask for in a running sock?? I wore these during the Baltimore 10-Miler when it stormed for the first 5 miles. My feet were blister-free and they didn't even feel squishy in my sneakers! Sometimes I love sitting in the office just in these socks...they are that amazing.


Two Mocha Clif Shot Gels. I swear by these on my long runs. I was hooked on the GU brand gels during my first marathon and tried these while training for Chicago...ADDICTED. The texture of these is much better compared to the GUs - they aren't as thick. The flavor is fantastic...just like a chocolate covered espresso bean or a cafe mocha! These have just enough caffeine in them to give me that boost on Saturday mornings when my body just wants to stay in bed ;)

A pack of Watermelon Luna Moons. Hey, solids aren't for everyone. I'm still giving them a shot because they taste like a delicious treat mid-run! Hell, I'd eat these like candy if no one stopped me ;p After sampling Blueberry and Watermelon, I decided Watermelon had just the right amount of sweetness to be consumed mid-run. I hope you like them too :) They taste like watermelon fruit snacks from elementary school days...ahhh memories!



My must have earphones that I tell EVERYONE about - the JVC Marshmallow Headphones (though, they are really earbuds). I'm really picky about headphones/earbuds because I'm convinced my ears are either too small or funky shaped. Stuff that fits normal people, never seems to fit me. Grr. I stumbled across these 'buds a couple years ago and have been hooked since! They've stayed in my ears through numerous sweaty sessions on the treadmill and I love them for that. They also come in a variety of colors, but I'm sharing my fave - lime green :)

And of course...the Nuun! Nuun is great to keep on you at all times because well, you never know when you might need it. Jamie and I found ourselves in quite the dilemma in Grenada last November and luckily I had a tube of Nuun in my bag. When water isn't enough, portable tablets of electrolytes are a quick fix. These are also great to stick in your pouch for a long run. Fill up at a water fountain, pop a tablet in and poof! Instant electrolyte replenishment. Pure genius!

Good Luck :)



Now on to the eats!

As promised, here are the details from last night's Gnocchi Experiment

Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage
1 lb gnocchi, cooked and drained
2 links chicken sausage
1/4 c chicken broth or dry white wine
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 handful arugula
1 shallot, minced
1 c grape tomatoes diced

Brown sausages in a large pan. Remove and cut into thin disks; set aside. Deglaze pan with wine or broth, reduce heat and add butter. Once butter has melted, increase heat and saute shallots until soft. Add tomatoes and sausage and cook until sausage is cooked through. Add arugula and saute until wilted.
Stir in gnocchi and cook for three minutes. Serve immediately.
Not bad for my first gnocchi experience! I think the dish would be equally good without the sausage...or a different flavor of sausage (I used that Chicken Habanero and Tequila sausage from the market and thought it was a bit overpowering).

Tonight's dinner was a throwback to our Grenada vacation last November. Jamie and I seem to be a bit obsessed with trying to find a recipe for the pigeon peas and rice that kept showing up at all our meals. I attempted one a few months ago (maybe pre-blog?) and it wasn't quite what we were looking for. I think tonight's recipe might be close!

Pigeon Peas and Rice (adapted from TriniGourmet.com)
1 c long grain rice
1 c pigeon peas, rinsed and drained
1 c lite coconut milk
1 c chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp thyme
1/2 tbsp butter
1 small tomato, chopped

Simmer coconut milk, broth and thyme in a medium pot for 15 minutes. Add butter, tomato, rice, salt and pigeon peas. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.
To go with the peas, I got a little frisky and experimented with marinade for some boneless skinless chicken thighs.

Sweet Curry Chicken*
3 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 tbsp sliced lemongrass
1 tbsp guava jam (or maple syrup)
1 tsp sesame oil
splash fish sauce
1 clove garlic, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let chicken marinate for at least 10 minutes before placing on a baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes at 400 degrees.
*I may have to revise this recipe...I wrote down the ingredients and for some reason I have lemongrass down twice so I think there's something missing from this. Hmph.
For a green veggie, and because I wanted to experiment with okra, we had some Indian Style Okra

Indian Style Okra (adapted from Allrecipes.com)
1 lb okra, sliced
3 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
splash chicken broth

Heat butter in a large skillet and saute onion until soft. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
And everyone invited to the party:
Not a bad meal! The rice and okra combination was a little rich for me, but I LOVED my chicken experiment! It was just the right amount of heat and curry flavor. Jamie mentioned he didn't even notice the guava jam I threw in (I really just saw it and dumped it in for no reason) so maybe next time maple syrup will do. No need to waste the precious guava jam!!

Phew, that was a massive posting! I promise I'll keep it shorter tomorrow ;p

One last thing...I think you should check out this posting over at the Special K Treatment, not only because I won a new book (just in time!), but because she has created a cookbook of everyone's 'ME Meals' - Meals you make just for you. ME Meals aren't made to wow people, they are made because you want them. My ME Meal might repulse some people...in fact, I'm pretty sure most would find it gross...but you know what? It makes my belly happy and is my ultimate comfort food. :) I think you should share your ME Meal too :)

Ahhh Sunday!

Hihi! Hope everyone enjoyed their weekends! I had a long overdue relaxing weekend :)

That 3 mile run I considered doing this morning didn't happen. For some reason, I woke up really sore...which had me a little shocked. I don't even get this sore when I go all out for a half marathon...and this was totally a leisurely/slow run. Could the extra time (3 hours) and not the distance (14.45 mi) be the possible culprit?? Bizarre. Definitely had me scratching my head.

I did want to get out and moving to loosen up my legs (I'm also thinking my lack of stretching could have done it too. Oops.) so I convinced Jamie to metro with me to Dupont Circle, walk to the Borders in Farragut North and back up to Dupont Circle to wander around the Farmers Market before metroing home. It wasn't more than a mile of walking, but boy was I sweaty. It was hot and pretty humid out at 10:30 am so I was glad I didn't go on that run.

We hung out at Borders for a bit, having a little too much fun in the travel writing section. I ended up with these two books:
I took note of a couple others I was interested in, but not quite ready to commit to buying just yet. I'm already about 100 pages into Julie & Julia and am loving it so far. Part of me wants to also read My Life in France, which is Julia Child's autobiography and the other book the movie is adapted from. However, I don't see myself zooming through the autobiography in the next week, so I guess I'll read that another time ;)

After pulling ourselves away from Borders, we walked back up to Dupont Circle and braved the crowds at the Farmers Market. This time I definitely had enough cash on hand and we came home with a few goodies.
AMAZING golden donut peaches. I grabbed a donut peach awhile back from the Giant and let me tell you, these put that one to shame. The description for these golden ones said it had a mango/apricot flavor to it and the woman at the stand let me sample one...I was hooked. It was pleasantly tart and juicy. I only wish they were a smidge bigger ;)

Grape tomatoes in a wide variety of colors! I did a walk by sampling of these and decided I needed a box :)

On our way out of the market, we found a stand with empanadas so we decided to sample two...because everyone needs a snack while walking ;) I got a Spinach Empanada (which kinda had a kick to it)
Jamie went with the Smoked Salmon Empanada that tasted like a salmon cake with something smokey/sweet in it.
Once we got back to the apartment it was pool time since running buddy #2 was waiting in our lobby (thank you, metro for your constant delays). Ahh pool time, how I've missed you. This is where most of my reading was done today...along with some napping and floating :)

A few hours later it was time to start cooking the paella and once again Jamie stepped up and took charge. Woo! He was working from the recipe that came with the paella kit his dad got from La Tienda, a company based in Williamsburg, Virginia that we frequently get catalouges from. The kit came with everything needed to make a small pan of paella, minus the chicken and shrimp and any other meat/seafood you want to throw in. Jamie decided on following the exact recipe and used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and shrimp.
Here's Chef Jamie hard at work sauteing some onions, garlic and parsley in the super cute mini paella pan that came with the kit.
The final product...YUUUUM.
Chef Jamie wanted me to show y'all the WHOLE pan...since I made him hold it in front of the window while I took a bunch of pictures hehe.

For dessert I scooped out some of the fruit salad I made while Jamie was cooking away.
I'd like to say that these fruits were picked up at the market, but no. They are courtesy of the Giant :\ Fruit salad was on our list for the week so I made a HUGE bowl to scoop from for lunches. In the salad: kiwi, grapes, strawberries, blackberries and pineapple. Since dinner was kinda fancy looking, I decided dessert had to be a little more dressed up than a bowl full of fruit so I topped fruit with a scoop of greek yogurt and drizzled it with honey and ta daaa
Dessert was born. Not quite the same as my breakfast yogurt parfait, but it was pretty yummy!

I'm off to close out my fantastic and relaxing Sunday with some more reading. Maybe you should pick up a copy of Julie & Julia too ;p What's your favorite way to spend a Sunday?

Ahhh city life...

...with it comes fun things like seeing a RAT STUCK IN CONCRETE while cruising through Woodley Park! SIIIICK!

Sorry, it was too freaky of a sight not to share! I wonder how long it will take for someone to take it out! *shudder* Anyway...

Tonight we did a trusty 4 mile out and back route from the apartment to Dupont North. It's not one of my faves, but it's a good standby route - well lit and full of shops for when I do have to run alone, it incorporates a wee hill, and most importantly, I know exactly where the 2 mile/turnaround mark is!

The weather was sticky- 89 degrees with 42% humidity! Blech. Definitely water bottle worthy. Also Body Glide worthy! Unfortunately, I made the mistake of wearing shorts that were just a tad too loose and got chafed...not even the layers upon layers of Body Glide could protect me :( Lesson learned!

41 minutes later, we're back at the apartment and Jamie's making rice and nuking some of the Claypot Chicken Curry:
We just made a few changes to the original recipe - 2 tbsp curry paste, 1 tbsp fish sauce, some bamboo shoots and frozen corn! MUUUCH better this time...check out those red flecks of hotness! MMM Good!

Today's run marked the transition to 4 mile short runs in my training. Wooo! This is kind of a big deal since I've never really stuck to my weekly runs before (not that I am now, but 2 out of 3 weekday runs is a HUGE improvement for me!), meaning I've never really gone beyond a 3 or 4 mile weekday run.

I'll admit that I've kinda gotten used to the one long-ish run a week thing. In fact, I look forward to that long-ish run every week. It's just knowing that sometime soon, I will have to commit at least an hour to running 2-3 days a week that freaks me out. That's a whole lot of time for a weekday! I'm one of those people that feels like there's never enough time in the day! Gah!

Not going to lie - I have no qualms about skipping a 3 mile run. It's short...I hate short runs. With 4 mile runs, I feel kinda bad skipping them and when it comes to 5 miles and more, I start to feel guilty. I NEED to do them. Why is this such an issue you ask? You see, these runs require either getting up early or finding the motivation after 8pm...and I love my sleep. I NEED it. I probably get more sleep than necessary, but I cherish it and it keeps me from being cranky in public. Plus, I think I might be just a tad bit over my head with all I've taken on lately. Sleep is my ME time. *sigh* perhaps it's time for a summer sacrifice...
SO, in an effort to maximize post-work time, I'm doing dinners a little differently this week. First of all, we splurged on takeout last night while Jamie took control of the kitchen and made tonight's dinner in advance. Tonight, while blogging and eating, I'm making a casserole of sorts that will keep our bellies full for the next two days. AND on Thursday, I'm going to prep my BSI entry/Friday dinner...how's that for multi-tasking?? :)

What are some small changes you've made in your daily routine to accommodate running/working out?

Monday...again.

Today was just one of those days where I felt like I was taking crazy pills - nothing made sense and I think I was constantly giving people the 'are you kidding me?' face. Ah well.

Worked both jobs today and was somewhat inspired by our display of gels and what not at job number two to write a post on nutritional options, but I think I'll save that for another day. For now I think I'll just enjoy the fact that Jamie started cooking dinner on his own before I walked in the door :) AAAND Vacation 2009 is coming up in just 1.5 months (damn skippy I'm starting the countdown)!!

Can anyone guess what Central European city we'll be visiting over Labor Day weekend??
Hint: Europe's second largest river runs through the city.

Tonight's dinner (started by Jamie and finished by yours truly) was a quick Chicken and Tofu Stirfry.
No clue what Jamie used to marinate the chicken, but they were super flavorful and tender! I'll let him add the details later. I threw in some soybeans, shiitake mushrooms, green pepper, oyster sauce, a splash of rice wine vinegar (random), soy sauce and the rest of our black bean garlic paste. Not a bad stir fry if I do say so myself :)

Jamie's off to Ohio this weekend so I might just bring back my favorite veggie while he's away...
BROCCOLI!!! Oh, how I've missed you! I got really excited when I popped over to Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog, this week's BSI host, to find out that broccoli is this week's ingredient!! Yes, broccoli makes me so excited that it gets two exclamation points.

I'm off to attempt some work before hanging out with my foam roller friend and crashing. Tomorrow is 6 mile Tuesday and I couldn't be happier about it (even though the humidity is back - btw, check out Val's Marathon Monday post about heat, hydration and gels...VERY important stuff!) :) Is it strange that I really hate the thought of doing my 3 mile runs? Ha. Two years ago, I NEVER would have typed those words...

G'nite :)

Moving eats at Saint-Ex

Hello again! Just got back from helping Susan move into her new home (in a pretty sweet location I must add). After lots of sweating and lifting (my chicken arms can only handle so much ;p) we did an early dinner at nearby Cafe Saint-Ex. Yep, paella got put on the back burner.
I've only been to Saint-Ex for beers before (pretty decent selection!) and have been a bit curious about their food. Another perk was that they had outdoor seating - perfect for tonight's weather :)

I was a little shocked when I saw the prices, but Jamie happened to notice that they offered a three course $32 prix fixe option before 7pm. Since we were early birds, the three of us decided to do the prix fixe option and sample each others dishes. *Since they change their menu frequently, I can't seem to find any of these dishes on the website so I'm doing my best to recall the details of the side dishes!

To start we got Grilled Georgia Shrimp (with barley salad and cheddar), Chicken Confit Sliders, and P.E.I Mussels (with sausage).
Notice the beady eyes on the very much attached head?? I chopped those suckers off and gave them to Jamie. Though I'm kinda curious about the whole sucking tasties out of shrimp heads (because that's supposed to be the best part), I really wasn't feeling it. The barley salad was nice, but the cheddar was a little random. The shrimp was grilled so it gets a thumbs up for that, but it was a little dry and salty closer to the tail.
The sliders tasted a little like chicken salad sandwiches...not bad, but not exactly what I expected. Totally addicted to the spicy onion relishy thing on the side though.
I feel like you really can't mess up mussels...unless you add really random ingredients to the broth. I have a soft spot for steamed mussel dishes that have bits of sausage in them. There's something about that combination that just does it for me. This one had a ton of onions which made for fun dipping.

Our main course options took a little more time to decide on (we ended up with two different menus at our table so once we decided on entrees, we found out some were not correct or had different sides). We ended up with Wild Alaskan Salmon (with toasted almond quinoa and fennel slaw), Grilled Sirloin (with wild mushroom risotto and baby corn), and Eco Friendly Foods Pork Chop (with crispy potatoes, onions and tomato)
So my salmon was REALLY REALLY orange. I don't know if I'm just eating some sad salmon or if this was just crazy colored salmon or what...it was good, but a little charred (as you can probably see). Loved my quinoa, but when do I not love quinoa ;) I was even ok with it having golden raisins in it! Slaw was nice and tart!Jamie's sirloin was nicely cooked and the mushroom risotto went perfectly with it. The baby corn was a little random, but whatever...it's corn and I love it.
The pork chop was nicely seasoned and the really beet red tomatoes (we thought they could be cherries because of the color, but they definitely tasted like tomatoes) were great with the pork. Even better with the pork - that red onion relish thing that came with the sliders!

Jamie and Susan (total sweet tooths) thought deciding on dessert would be easy, but no no...not when you can't double up on dishes! muahahahaaa! We decided on a Homemade White Chocolate Ice Cream, Carrot Cake and Coconut Creme Brulee.
The white chocolate was pretty good with the mini snickerdoodle that came on the side. Definitely home made too - it has this texture that I've started to notice when Jamie makes ice cream...something you don't get from store bought ice cream.
Don't even have words for the cream cheese frosting and candied pecans. Had me at first bite.
The creme brulee had great flavor - very rich and coconut-y, but I definitely didn't expect the grated coconut. I thought it would have the standard creme brulee texture with coconut flavor. Nope.

Overall, I thought it was a pretty good deal considering the standard entree prices were about $23 each. I don't think I'd order a la carte. The flavors were ok and portions were reasonable...not bad for upscale bar food.

I was eyeing the sweet potato fries. Guess I'll have to check those out during a happy hour!