Chilly Willy Funk

Wednesday was just one of those days. It was chilly out (though, technically perfect running weather) and all I wanted to do was go home and cocoon in my blanket. I don't know what it is, but lately I've just been a bit down and tired. I wouldn't be surprised if it's due to living in one room with just a bed. There's just something so 'sick-day' about it. You know...that sick day mentality where all you want to do is sleep and veg? So bad.

Lucky for me the dry cleaner I planned on scoping out closed at 7 and I got home at 6:30 and desperately needed to drop clothes off. I mapped out an ambitious 5 miler from the dry cleaner but knew I'd probably cut it to 4. By the time I was a mile in, I had negotiated with myself to cut it to 3 with a walk home. At the 2 mile point I gave into the gentle tug tug at the Achilles and the general lack of energy and decided it would be a 30 min run with a bus ride home. Eh, at least I got something in.

Once I got home, I wanted nothing to do with cooking. In fact, I probably would have been content with the carrots I was snacking on. Maybe. After a lot of cabinet/fridge opening and closing and a whole lot of sighing, I decided to be adventurous with my microwave and made some Pizza Oats. Say whaat?

Inspired by the strange, but o so delicious and addictive spicy breakfast oats I've been into lately (thanks to Green Dog Wine), my dinner used oats as a base and my favorite pizza flavors were sprinkled on top. Not exactly the most attractive dinner, but whatevs. Sometimes you just need a quickie dinner!

I nuked some oats then sprinkled some shredded cheese (it may have been gruyere or manchego?) and layered some arugula on top. In a separate bowl, I threw in some finely diced eggplant (so it would cook faster), some marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, chili flakes and....KETCHUP. Just a squirt. Shh. Microwaved it for awhile until the eggplant started to get mooshy then I poured it on top of the arugula bed. Sprinkled some cheese on, then back in the microwave for another 1.5 minutes.

Don't believe there's oats under there?

Told ya it wasn't pretty. I snacked on this surprisingly decent dinner while watching a repeat of America's Next Top Model. Just a couple of observations:

1. When Tyra stands next to Cycle 13 contestants (that are all under 5'6") she looks like a giant.
2. I can't believe anyone would live with ants in their home and not try to get rid of them.
3. Malagasy = people from Madagascar.

Who knew I'd learn something from reality TV? HA.

Toodles, DC.

Greetings from San Francisco! My last couple of days in DC were pretty frantic so I wasn't able to post as planned. Yes, I did leave some things for the absolute last minute and when V came to pick me up at 4, I was still trying to cram stuff into my luggage. Yeeh! Since the whole weekend went by so quickly, here's a brief recap:

Thursday

The very last piece of mail I received at my DC address (sad!) was a package from my sister that included these goodies:

A 2010 Zagat for San Francisco, a street map, and a fun Frommer's book of 24 walks in San Francisco. These will definitely come in handy!

Friday

Storage unit trips, g'bye lunch at the office, more storage unit trips, work at the store. Busy, busy bees! My dad and I were able to crank out a lot more than originally planned so there were only a few more items that V and old roomie had to help out with the next day. YAY! For dinner, I introduced my parents to Fresh Med in Cleveland Park.

Since I was working until 8, we rocked the delivery and did some classy dining on the floor, on couch cushions, with plastic utensils. AWESOME.

My parents split the Lamb Shish Kabab Platter (Grilled tender cubes of marinated lamb, served with hommos, house salad and rice. Served with pita.) and I went with the Chicken Platter (Grilled tender cubes of marinated boneless chicken, served with hommos, house salad and rice. Served with pita.). The hummus was a little thicker than usual, but still tasty.

A couple notes...

1) They take a really REALLY long time to deliver and the food usually ends up being room temperature to cold by the time you get it. I recommend eating there or picking it up.

2) Coworkers swear by the Steak and Cheese Sandwich (Fresh sliced philly steak served with cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion and mayo.). I've never had it, purely out of principle. It's a Mediterranean restaurant...STEAK & CHEESE? Mreh?! Someone else check it out and report back. I insist.

Saturday

No rest! We started early and had some help from V and old roomie to knock out the second to last storage unit trip. We filled that puppy to the brim! Yup, apparently Jamie and I have enough stuff to fill a 5'x10' unit. WTF?!

Afterward, my parents and I took an adventure to the Comcast drop off spot in Northeast DC. That place is not easy to find. Not at all. Once we got there, we had at least an hour of waiting in line. Apparently Saturday around 1pm is when everyone in the District takes a trip to Comcast to pay their bills and ask random questions. OMG. I wanted to scream "YOU CAN ASK THESE QUESTIONS ON THE PHONE OR ONLINE!" Yes, I have a hard time being patient.

Clearly it was a late lunch sort of day and I decided to take my parents to Eastern Market. We did a quick walk through of the South Hall Market and sat down for a bite at Market Lunch. My parents each got the Fresh Cod Platter (two battered and fried pieces of cod, cole slaw and a side of fried green tomatoes) and I sampled the North Carolina Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich

and an order of Fried Green Tomatoes.

The sandwich was massive, but delightfully tangy and spicy. I love a good vinegary BBQ! This was my first fried green tomato experience and I kinda liked them. They were a little thicker than I expected (about 1/2" thick?)...I was thinking they would be thin tomato slices a la the kind you'd find on a burger. Anyone a fried green tomato guru??

Overall, it was a fun lunch experiment. I was bummed that most of the menu items were deep fried (did I mention I needed a food detox after all this on the go eating?) and pretty expensive in my opinion (I think it came out to $40 for the 3 of us?). I also thought there was too much BBQ in relation to my bread. I'm just saying...

After a quick jaunt through the outdoor market and a trip to Jamie's mom's house, we came back for more packing and some resting. I needed a time out so I sat on a pillow and made this fun setup:

Not really sure why I thought we could watch TV on a 13" monitor. HA. I eventually started packing again with a couple breaks to watch episodes of Glee. Yes, I know I'm way late to the party, but I kept hearing about this Madonna episode from friends so I figured I'd check it out. I love the snark and subtlety!

Sunday

While my parents were at church, I rushed to pull a last minute storage unit batch together. How do we have so much stuff?? We stopped at Cosi in Friendship Heights for breakfast on our way back from the storage unit. I haven't had Cosi breakfast in a long time and it turns out my mom has a thing for Cosi since she went to one with my sister (I guess there aren't any near my parents' house).

I tried one of their new Breakfast Wraps

The Spinach Florentine (eggs, spinach, Swiss & artichoke spread wrapped inside a warm wheat tortilla) was screaming my name and I'm pretty sure it's because it had spinach in its name.

It was ok...kinda lacking in the flavor. I poured almost half of the pepper shaker on my wrap because it needed something. I'm not even sure where that artichoke spread went. Eh. Probably won't get that again.

When my parents left, my apartment looked like this:

And the bedroom still had my bed AND clothes in it. Bad news. It was not easy to find motivation to sort and pack my clothes. Instead, I procrastinated (because I'm so good at it) and watched some Glee, listened to my Adios DC Playlist and did some random packing.

Too bad my playlist included songs like these that just oozed memories:

Concrete Schoolyard - Jurassic 5

Born Slippy - Underworld

Sandstorm - Darude

Scarlet Begonias - Sublime

Out There and Back - Paul van Dyk

The District Sleeps Alone Tonight - The Postal Service

Talk Shows on Mute - Incubus

You Were Mine - Dixie Chicks

Crush on You - Lil' Kim

Cafe Del Mar - Paul Oakenfold

Each of these songs, and the rest on my 2 CD set, remind me of people, places and events. Do any songs trigger vivid memories for you?

Low productivity. Shame on me.

I did dinner at Great Wall Szechuan House with friends and old roomie. Perfect end to the weekend and my time in DC. We ate family style, as usual, and split some Baby Bok Choy (for my green veg requirement), Ma La Double Cooked Pork, Ma La Mapo Tofu and Chicken with Black Bean Sauce. Since we tend to be repeat offenders, you can see pics here. Just know the baby bok choy isn't on the menu, but worth getting. The chicken was tasty, but the texture was a little too slimy.

Stay tuned for my first day in SF!

FINALLY

Work week is OVER!! I'm so excited to finally have a Sunday off :)

I took the rest of the week easy and tried my best to eat leftovers...nothing too exciting on the food front. I did get a call the other day from my front desk saying I had a FedEx waiting for me. I had no idea what it could possibly be. Definitely didn't order anything. I didn't think...

Ta da! I completely forgot I opted in to Foodbuzz's Tastemaker item this month - Bertolli Sauces! Inside this nifty little box:

I'm psyched to try the Arrabbiata Sauce...maybe I'll use it tomorrow when I have friends over for dinner. I'm thinking something with eggplant? Stay tuned to find out what I do :)

Other than that, my week was pretty laid back. Didn't get any run/walks in after Monday since I still haven't been feeling 100%. Instead I caught up on this:

Oh, Lost, how I've missed you so much! I skipped the last two episodes because I had work to get done so I sat down last night to play catch up. LOVE!

I've also gotten into this:

And wish I had known how awesome Arrested Development was while it was on the air! I seriously cackled repeatedly. Alone. In my apartment. Loudly. You bet I will be Netflixing the other seasons soon.

I'm also counting the days till my next vacation...a much needed break!! Where am I off to?

*me on the trip of many firsts - first trip to SF and first marathon :)

That's right, back to one of my favorite cities at the end of the month! WOOO! I'm definitely up for food suggestions and blogger meet ups!

That's all for now. I've got a day of cooking planned for tomorrow so I'll have plenty to post :) Hope everyone is enjoying their weekends!

WOOOOHOOOOO!!!

Overall, today kinda blew. I'm already burnt out and not thinking properly and I'm only starting week two of this crazy 60+ hours of jury duty/store/office nonsense. GAH! I neeeeeded to get an experimental run in today so I left the office around 7 in hopes that I'd avoid the gym crowds.

I started out with my Mizuno Riders (soft, neutral, ran MCM fine heel striking in them) at a walk and a 3 minute forefoot striking run - exactly what I did last Wednesday in the Inspires. Result - Tightness and a slight pulling feeling in my achilles. Not good. Swapped the Inspires in and proceeded to run/walk for another 25 minutes...WITH NO PAIN! Well, I had a little tightness at the end, but that was probably because I shouldn't have pushed it past 20 minutes. Good news, right?!

Lesson learned. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'll never stray from the trusty Inspires again. EVER. :)

To celebrate (and decompress from earlier in the day), I poured myself a glass of wine:

I grabbed this bottle on Friday per the Cleveland Park Wines dude's recommendation. I initially asked if they carried Ridge (specifically the Geyserville - LOVE!) and mentioned a few other reds I enjoyed. I then picked up a bottle of white (random, yes) and asked if he had any Malbec suggestions...a good meal bottle that was reasonably priced. So he handed me a bottle of this Cedre Heritage Cahors Malbec. He said this region in France was where Malbecs originated, so figured I'd give it a shot.

It's not too bold of a wine, but it's enough to suit my tastes. I also opened the bottle and let it sit for a little while before pouring a glass. At about $13 a bottle, I think it's a great red to bring to a dinner party. Kudos to Cleveland Park Wines! I never would have thought about trying a French Malbec!

For dinner, I went with a spicy oat bowl (Allison - genius creation!) made with some chicken broth instead of water and some leftover camembert from Friday's wine and cheese-ness. Also threw in some salsa, sriracha and Morningstar Farms Maple Sausage. I thought a happy face was fitting after today:

Every oat bowl needs sausage hair ;p

Ok, I'm off to do some stretches/Stick-ing and watch some LOST!!!! More tomorrow :)

Breakfast Success and Memory Food!

So that breakfast experiment...
Went oh so well! Not exactly the healthiest breakfast, but it sure tasted good ;)

When I realized it was my turn for breakfast, I scoured FoodGawker for some ideas. Since I'm terrible at being creative with breakfast items, I decided to actually follow a recipe. It definitely paid off. I was getting tons of compliments on the dish!

Thanks to Elizabeth's Edible Experience, I was introduced to this tasty treat - Southern Sausage Cake.
Jamie picked up all the ingredients and after dinner last night, I started working on the 'cake'. There was a ton of chopping to do and Jamie helped make the biscuit batter while I got to work on browning these babies:
Please note how huge those sausage rolls are! He picked up a pound each of mild and hot pork sausage. This much bulk sausage will never be seen in my kitchen again. Not going to lie, the smell of all that pork browning at once was not pleasant...at least not until I added the other ingredients
Popped it in the oven for 45 minutes and it was ready to hang out for the evening! Warmed it for another 15 when I woke up this morning, popped it in our trusty carrying case
Such a smart invention...I think we picked this up when Jamie had to make breakfast for his office and I'll admit that I thought it was a little cheesy at first. Now I think it's the best thing ever.

Check out the tasty goodness!
We originally had a pasta dish planned for tonight, but I wasn't feeling it and Jamie forgot to defrost bacon. Instead we opted for some Roasted Buttercup Squash with Kale and Ham and a side of Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend with Mixed Veggies.
Roasted Buttercup Squash with Kale and Ham
1 buttercup squash, cubed
1 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper
1/2 to 2/3 c ham, cubed
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 c kale, chopped
3 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp soba tsuyu
1 tsp chili oil
1/4 c water or broth

Preheat oven to 475 and line a baking sheet with foil. Toss buttercup squash with salt, pepper and olive oil and spread out evenly on baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes.
Add ham to a large, heated skillet and cook for 3 minutes. Add onions and garlic, saute for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in kale, liquids and oil, cover and cook for 5 minutes (or until kale begins to wilt) over low heat. Add squash, stir to combine.
Ccook covered for another 5 minutes before serving.
There's something about this dish (maybe it's the fish sauce?) that reminds me of a Filipino dish that was always present at family gatherings. It's not something my mom or family members would make, so I have no idea what the proper ingredients would be. However, I do know that while I was cooking this, my kitchen smelled - just for a minute - like something familiar. Have you ever accidentally made a familiar dish from your past?

Harvest Grains with Mixed Veggies
1 tbsp butter
1/3 c red pepper, diced
2-3 handfuls baby spinach
1/4 c corn (frozen, fresh or can)
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1 c Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend

Heat butter in a pot over medium high heat. Saute pepper and spinach until spinach is wilted. Add corn and chicken broth, stir and bring to a boil. Stir in grains, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 10-12 minutes.
If some liquid remains, cook for another 2-3 minutes uncovered on medium heat.
I forgot that these grains need some seasoning, otherwise they are just plain grains. It was actually a pretty good combination with the salty, briny kale...the two definitely balanced each other out. The corn was a good addition - little nuggets of sweetness in each bite!

Off to join Jamie for some Lost Season 1! Nitey :)

No title = no link!

Hey all - it's going to be another quickie post :\ Gotta finish cleaning and prepping for a big weekend! On the agenda: Selin's in town tomorrow and we're starting the food adventures early at A&J in Rockville for some much needed dim sum! For dinner we're headed to Proof and then off to Policy for drinks. Don't worry...we'll be responsible adults since these two will be over at 10am ready to hit the streets of DC!
Anyone have suggestions for good kid-friendly activities in DC? I think Jamie's planning on making some ice cream with them at some point - a request was made for Cookies n Cream :)

Chef Jamie was out in full force tonight. I got home and he was almost done with dinner...a very impressive one at that!
Asparagus Spinach Pesto with Blackened Shrimp courtesy of Gimme Some Oven

Earlier this week I was doing my usual FoodGawker browsing and making the menu for the week and I couldn't help but DROOL over this dish (um, please head over to see the mouthwatering photo because this doesn't do it justice)! Jamie took charge of the kitchen and I came home to this
That I promptly sampled and we have a bunch leftover that will NOT go to waste ;)

He had just finished cooking up the shrimpies
While we waited for the pasta to cook, I insisted on a salad (even though Jamie argued 'but there's asparagus and spinach in the pesto!') so I made small ones with mixed greens, avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper
Once the pasta was ready, I scooped a few heaping spoonfuls of the pesto on top and stirred (good thing I didn't just dump!)
Jamie added pine nuts and then the shrimp
And then dinner was served!
YUUUUUMMMY! This is one dish I can't wait to eat as a leftover :)

Okeey...early morning bootcamp and then the big test - a long-ish run with the strap. Not setting a distance or time. I think I'm just going to see how far I can go and if I happen to run home, cool. If not, eh, whatever...I just hope my appointment with the doctor on Tuesday goes fine. Trust me, you guys will be the first to know if I get bad news. AGH.

And a few things before I forget (or in case I don't have time to post before Sunday ;p)

• New blog on the block - The Passion Fruits. I've seen and eaten Luke's amazing spreads. Trust me, you should check it out...they will not steer you wrong!
• Jamie's moving date has changed and he WILL be here for the marathon! Wooo!!
• Hop on over to Chicago Marathon Val and CAUTION: Redhead Running and wish Val and Morgan good luck as they run the Chicago Marathon on Sunday!! It's Val's third and Morgan's first and my favorite course :) Hooraaayyy! Good luck to non-bloggers (and any bloggers I missed!) running as well :)
• I don't usually get all misty, but I totally did while watching The Office tonight. Anyone else? Please tell me I'm not the token sap. hahaa.
  

Ahhh Friday

I was pretty productive this morning...until about an hour ago when I turned The Hills on and sat here with my jaw dropped at the absolute ridiculousness that unfolded before my eyes. Holy crap. I stop watching for like 3 seasons and it's like the show grew beyond train wreck status. WHAT IS HEIDI's DRESS? SERIOUSLY?
Correction, my issue is not with the dress...it's with the freaking accessories. Do you want more jewelry, lady? Because I don't think you have enough on. No. Definitely not.

Yeah, I know I'm way late on the celebrity scoop, but I'm ok with that. Aaaanyway...my morning started bright and early with a super sweaty (we're talking two-towel sweaty) bootcamp class. We did a bunch of stairs, lunges and a few fun things with stability balls - including hamstring curls.

I then set off to do my 8 mile run - which felt surprisingly good on the legs after all those leg workouts! Totally got into zone out mode AND I even had headphones in (gasp!) - yes, sometimes I need music to get me moving in the mornings! It was one of those electronic-y, flashback sort of days that made me happy:

• Broken Glass - The Crystal Method
• Begin to Spin Me Round - Dannii Minogue vs Dead or Alive
• Miss Murder - AFI
  
• Lapdance - N.E.R.D
• Plug it In - Basement Jaxx
• Jungle Brothers: Because I Got it Like That - Fatboy Slim
  

I wound my way downtown to the Lincoln and the Reflecting Pool before hitting the Mall. I was feeling good, but once I got around the Capitol Reflecting Pool, I started feeling this weird bruise-y pain in my left achilles and in my book, that means STOP. You don't f around with stuff like that.
I figured I had gotten a good sweat in so I wasn't about to push it through the pain, especially since I've got a 12-miler tomorrow morning. I think I'm set.

I was starving once I got home, so I made myself a bowl of Fage 0% Total, honey, Craisins, and Kashi GOLEAN Crunch.
Not going to lie - I wish we had some eggs in the fridge. I totally could have used something salty for breakfast. Thankfully, I had this waiting in the wings for lunch!
I made a wrap with a slice of gouda, some turkey, Sabra Jalapeno Hummus and romaine...all tucked into a flour tortilla. On the side - sweet potato fries with a sprinkle of salt. I could eat sweet potato fries all day long. No. I take that back. I could eat sweet potato anything all day long. To me, sweet potatoes scream fall. What food item screams fall to you?

I'm off to get some social interaction at work now...and hopefully I'll gain back some of those brain cells I lost to The Hills earlier ;p Happy almost weekend!!

Nothing says gourmet

like a peanut butter and jelly sammich.
The sickness has settled in despite my Nyquil attempt last night...I'm just hoping it stays a sore throat and doesn't turn into anything more...at least not until Sunday! I decided to not go into work and popped another Nyquil instead - at 7:30am. hehe.

What did I crave when I finally woke up? PB&J and a giant mug of tea. Just what the doctor ordered :)

What are your thoughts on toasted PB&J? I was always a little weirded out when I saw it on the Potbelly menu, but I mean, I've smeared pb&j on an english muffin or toast before. Why wouldn't it be good with another slice of bread on top?? Man, I've been missing out.

I like that extra crunch! Woo! What I don't like?
The Goya Guava Jelly I used. I saw it at the Giant and got really excited since we just ran out of my favorite Guava Jam from Grenada. Unfortunately, the guava jelly tasted just like sweet jelly - no real guava flavor. Sad.

Off to rest/veg in front of the tv with more big tea and some 90210. Exciting.

Keeping it random...

Long time no post about food! Sorry, it's been tough dealing with a cranky computer and closing stuff out before vacation.

Last night we dropped my sick computer off at Jamie's mom's house before heading out to grab some dinner. Jamie's monthly Mexican craving kicked in and we found ourselves checking out Los Tios Grill in Alexandria. From the website:

Los Tios Grill describes their dishes as ‘’Fine Tex-Mex & Salvadorean Food.” Los Tios could also be described as the newest smash hit restaurant in the trendy Del Ray shopping and dining area of Alexandria.

Los Tios Grill was FANTASTIC. I might say it's the best Tex-Mex food I've had in a long time! It looks pretty small from the outside but when you walk in it's massive. One downside is that it is really loud and echoey - we could barely hear each other talk.

I forgot my camera, but while I was Googling for images, I found a post Olga from Mango & Tomato wrote back in May! You should check it out :) She's got pictures of the two desserts we got - the Ice Cream Sopapillas (well, imagine there being a scoop of vanilla ice cream) and Tres Leches Cake. I do have a soft spot for Sopapillas (fried dough drizzled with honey), but combine it with vanilla ice cream? Amazing. I love how the honey gets a little thicker with the cold ice cream and the texture and flavor of the sopapillas changes when you mix it in your mouth with the cold vanilla...MMMM. Love it! Don't worry, we didn't just eat dessert ;p

For dinner, I decided on Mexican Combination #2 - Tamal and Beef Soft Taco served with rice, refried beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole. Best. Tamale. Ever. I've had my fair share of really dry and dense tamales so imagine my surprise when I dove into a super moist and flavorful tamale! The rice and beans were equally delicious. Great flavor, not too salty. Not going to lie - it was a pretty large plate and I DEVOURED it all (I'm convinced I hadn't consumed enough calories from the day before or yesterday morning) and didn't feel uncomfortably full. I also started thinking 'hm, this would be perfect post marathon' haha.

Both Jamie and his mom went with Salvadorian platters -Carne Asada Salvadorena (grilled beef steak with mexican rice, refried beans, salad and 2 tortillas) and Pollo Guisado (stewed chicken served with mexican rice, salad and 2 tortillas). Jamie's steak was quite flavorful, but a little too chewy for me. It came with this spicy sauce on the side that tasted like the green sauce they serve at El Pollo Rico (translation: deliciously spicy).

I'd definitely recommend a trip to Los Tios Grill if you're in the DC area. The service was really fast and the food was excellent. The drinks looked pretty good too...everyone had a massive margarita on their table. MMM Margaritaaaa. It's probably a 30 minute drive or so from DC into Alexandria...unfortunately, I can't think of any public transport :\

We're having 'clean out the fridge' dinners this week which really means large salads with whatever veggies and toppings are in the fridge. I figure we'll be eating tons of heavy Hungarian cuisine, so salad seemed like an appropriate last meal ;p

While we ate tonight's bowl of veggies, we decided to check out What Would Brian Boitano Make? on the Food Network. I had heard about this show from a few friends and mentioned how every time I hear Brian Boitano's name, the song from the South Park movie always pops into my head. Um, hello. Didn't realize that it was the theme song! Genius.
Of course the episode we DVR'd (wow, no more Tivo) was the one where he makes a ton of bacon dishes for the roller derby girls! I must admit - dude is not bad in the kitchen. I mean, some of the dishes were a little too bacon-y (even for me!), but overall pretty delicious looking! Have you checked this show out?

I'm off. Time to begin the packing process! Hooray!!! If anyone out there has any fun Hungarian food recommendations or must sees/eats in Budapest, let me know!