October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween! We didn’t do much this weekend since there was a freak October snow storm on Saturday and the roads were pretty icy, but we did decide to make use of our time indoors (and our ice cream maker) to make some pumpkin frozen yogurt. I had pinned this recipe recently and since it sounded so simple, I wanted to give it a whirl.
I have to admit that we were a bit disappointed with the outcome. It wasn’t nearly sweet enough and it was much darker in color than the image above — Nick suggested that pumpkin pie filling might have worked better than pumpkin purée. Regardless, though, I’m glad we finally broke in our ice cream maker, and I’d like to test it out again sometime soon!
Tonight we’ll be handing out candy at my mom’s house since we don’t get trick-or-treaters, but we’ll be sans costume. What about you? Will you be dressing up?
July 8, 2011
You know all about my affinity for lemony desserts, don’t you? Well I’m pretty sure the lemon meringue pie flavor of Jell-O Temptations was created especially for me. I just discovered them, and I’m hooked. Fortunately, they’re only 100 calories each, so indulging is totally allowed.
I swear I don’t work for Jell-O, and they didn’t make me write this. I just want to share my lemony happiness with the world.
I’m thinking strawberry cheesecake and double chocolate pie are next up to taste test. Have you tried any of these yet?
June 21, 2011
I’m a carnivore. I can’t help it — I love meat. But yesterday, while recovering from over-indulging at the many delectable food stations at a friend’s beautiful wedding, and after reading another friend’s blog post about her journey to a healthier diet, I decided I could benefit from some more meat-free dishes in my repertoire. So I found a yummy vegetarian recipe online, sent Nick to the grocery store, and told him to make it for me.
Well, that’s not entirely true; Nick did go to the grocery store and then made dinner, but I didn’t make him! He’s just that nice and enjoys being in the kitchen that much more than me. How did I get so lucky??
Anyway, the final result was delicious, and the four servings were very generous portions — neither of us felt deprived and there was plenty left over for dinner tonight. We will definitely be making this dish again. And by “we,” I of course mean Nick.
image via allrecipes.com
Suki’s Spinach and Feta Pasta Recipe
via allrecipes.com
1 (8 ounce) package penne pasta (we used whole grain penne)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups spinach leaves, packed
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch red pepper flakes
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (we used a 6 ounce package of fat free feta)
Check out the instructions on allrecipes.com to make this dish!
February 23, 2011
When it comes to Girl Scout cookies, I’ve always been a Tagalong fan, myself (also known as Peanut Butter Patties, depending on where you live). Until, that is, I recently laid eyes on these beauties.
That there is a Lemonade cookie. It looks simple enough, right? Oh, but it’s so much more than just a lemon sugar cookie. The bottom is iced with a sweet and tangy lemon icing, and it is delightful. I am in love.
It’s funny — I’ve never been a huge fan of actual lemonade drinks, but when it comes to dessert, lemon-flavored sweets are the only ones that may have a chance of beating out those of the chocolate variety. Our wedding cake is a prime example of my love for all lemony desserts.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find a Girl Scout who can sell me enough cookies to get me through the year until next cookie season. Tell me again why they don’t sell these things year-round?
November 30, 2010
It is difficult to believe that tomorrow is December 1 already…where did November go?
We had a great long holiday weekend with Nick’s family in central PA and I think I have just about recovered from the over-indulging. There were 25 of us at Thanksgiving dinner (and that’s not even everyone that’s usually at family gatherings!) and my job was to make place cards for everyone. Clearly, I love paper and papery things, but if there’s one thing better than paper, it’s cookies. So that means the only thing better than paper place cards are edible place cards.
I already had some 4.25″ x 2″ labels and cellophane baggies, so I decided to make my favorite ultimate chocolate chip cookies and package two in a bag for each person. I threw together a little design and made a label with each person’s name on it, which also doubled as a seal for the bag when folded over to secure things. The final result looked really cute on everyone’s plate (and served as a little dessert-before-dinner for those with a super sweet tooth!).
The labels looked like this when I printed out a full sheet — you can see that once they were printed, they were folded over between the two “give thanks” banners and over the folded bag to close it. (Names have all been replaced with my name and Nick’s name so you can’t stalk our family members :)
Needless to say, they were a hit. But really, what crazy person wouldn’t love cookies?
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving as well!
October 23, 2010
Last week, my dad celebrated a milestone birthday. While he’s a pretty simple guy who is always happy with any gift for the gesture alone, I really didn’t want to get him just another round of golf; my brother and I wanted to do something a little different this year.
If there’s one thing our dad loves more than golf, it’s pizza. My brother and sister-in-law came up with the great idea of taking our dad on his own New York pizza crawl, and of course Nick and I were on board from the moment they uttered the word “pizza.”
My brother, John, did his research and mapped out a whopping six pizza shops throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn that we were going to hit up (perhaps a little ambitious!). I put together some score cards, Nick, my dad and I headed to John & Kim’s place in Brooklyn, and we were all off on our mission to eat some amazing NY pizza.
Our first stop was Totonno’s in Coney Island… aaaaaaand it wasn’t open yet when we arrived at 11:30. Oops. We made a game-time decision to add DiFara’s to the list (knowing that we could get there before their noon opening and be one of the first groups in line, as it gets crowded FAST) and headed there.
October 22, 2010
I love soups that have a sweet kick to them, and the autumn air inspired me to take a stab at making butternut squash soup for the first time last night. I did some Googling and found this recipe that had lots of positive feedback; after reading the reviews, I decided to modify things a bit, and Nick and I tackled the cooking together (and without killing each other in our small kitchen!). I’m really excited that it came out not only edible, but totally delicious.
image source because I suck at taking pretty pictures of food
Butternut Squash Soup
found via Food Network, modified by me
1 butternut squash (3-4 lbs), peeled and seeded
1 granny smith apple, peeled and seeded
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste
Cut squash and apple into 1-inch chunks. Spread on greased baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil and roast for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
In large pot melt butter. Add onion and celery and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Add roasted squash and apples and purée entire mixture with an immersion blender. Stir in half-and-half and season with nutmeg, syrup, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
Optional: Garnish with a dollop of sour cream. Serve with toasted French bread topped with melted grated Parmesan cheese.
August 30, 2010
I had the pleasure of meeting up with some fellow Weddingbee bloggers and readers recently at Max Brenner in Philadelphia. Why I have never been here before is a mystery to me, as it is a haven of chocolate goodness and awesome branding, to boot.
As much as I wanted lots and lots (and lots) of chocolate, I chose the max’ican omelette from the menu, and it was delish. I passed on a yummy beverage because chocolate and omelettes just don’t mix for me (even though I wanted one for the taste as much as the presentation — how amazing are those mugs?!), but I have a feeling I’ll be back soon to sample some chocolate treats.
Max Brenner
1500 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102-3523
(215) 344-8150
August 22, 2010
Nick and I are not “snack” people. Wait, let me rephrase that: Nick and I both love snacks, and as such, don’t keep many in our kitchen for fear that we will eat them all. Because we absolutely will.
There are a few snacks that we often have on-hand, including microwaveable popcorn (we like the individual 100 calorie bags), Fudgsicles (40 calories, no sugar added), reduced fat Triscuits (which I fatten up with whipped cream cheese, YUM), and cereal. The problem with all of these snacks is that they just feel like empty calories to me lately, even if they’re “low fat” or “low calorie.” And, most importantly, I rarely feel satisfied after eating them. As I’ve been saying basically forever, I need to get some healthy foods into my day-to-day diet, and I just never try hard enough to make the change… but after lots of over-indulging this summer (hello, Phillies games, beach house, and birthdays!), it’s time to get serious.
I don’t love lots of vegetables, but I have to start eating some snacks that are guilt-free and more satisfying. I have overdone it with baby carrots in the past and sometimes now I feel sick just looking at them, but perhaps in moderation I could get back into them. I like most kinds of fruit, but don’t want to overdo it with sugar, either, even if they are “natural” sugars. (Then again, I guess a piece of fruit is still better for me than a plate full of Triscuits and whipped cream cheese. Yummmm.)
Readers, help me out of my snack rut. What is your favorite somewhat healthy snack, and why do you love it?
August 18, 2010
Last week, Nick took me to dinner at Osteria for my birthday. It was a little splurge-y for us considering that we don’t eat out too much these days and when we do, we never get appetizers, dessert, or more than a drink each… so it was a treat to try someplace new (to us) and indulge a bit.
I requested Osteria because I have heard amazing things about their pizza, including Marc Summers (yes, that Marc Summers) naming Osteria’s Margherita the best pizza he’s ever eaten. That’s what I ordered, and it did not disappoint (although I still can’t claim it’s the very best I’ve ever had… I’ve had some good pizza in my day, folks).
Osteria did surprise me with the best dessert I’ve ever had, though. I ordered the sweet ricotta frittelle with raspberry curd, and I’m still a little bitter that I let Nick have any. I have never met a dessert I didn’t like, but this was eye-closing, yummy-noise-making good. Frittelle are basically little deep-fried fritters that look like donut holes, but they are supremely more awesome than any Munchkin I’ve ever had. The raspberry curd was the perfect accent to the sweet ricotta, and I’m pretty sure I was scraping it up off the plate so I didn’t miss any.
not Osteria’s frittelle; image source
They sound simple, but believe me, they were pure heaven. If you’re ever in the area of Osteria, try this dessert and tell me if you like it!
What’s the best dessert you’ve ever had?
