A Weekend of Bliss

Dave is flying out Thursday to see his parents in NorCal (northern Cali). They plan on having a close friends and family get together on Saturday and to be honest I could not justify in my heart and head the need for 2 roundtrip airplane tickets as well as missed days from work just for a random get together. Birthday, yes. Anniversary, yes. Holiday, yes. Backyard bbq and get together, no. Dave isn't quite pleased with my decision but oh well. It is what it is. It's not like he can exactly argue with my rationale nor am I stopping him from seeing his family.

To celebrate my 4 day mini vacation of doing whatever the want, when I want. I will be spending the upcoming few days doing the following:
* Eating sushi until I can no longer look at another Philadelphia roll. Dave doesn't like sushi but he'll often come with me to eat a bento box or teriyaki. While I do appreciate his effort, I'd rather eat sushi by myself in front of the tv with a glass of red wine by my side.
* Read the rest of the Wideacre trilogy. I must admit that Wideacre deeply disturbed me. To be honest I felt rather filthy after reading it but nonetheless it was a page turner. Now that I know what to expect I am looking forward to spending the weekend in bed and alternately swooning and then going ewww.
* Watching all 4 discs of The Last Emperor on DVD. Dave has no interests in movies (especially lengthy historical epics). After watching the Olympics on tv, I am looking forward to immersing myself in Chinese history. I may not agree with it's politics but I can't help but respect a Country with true history.
* Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning! I love to get in some raggy clothes, turn the rhapsody or sirius up loud and clean until everything is spick and span.
* Option: Working out at the gym and then ruining it all by going to Sunday brunch immediately after.

Not Related: James McAvoy is HOT

In-laws were in town this weekend. Dave and I survived with our marriage and sanity intact. No really it wasn't that bad. MIL was decently pleasant and non-demanding during the visit. While I went to work on Friday they helped Dave around the house with a few home improvement projects (we have drapes now!) and then that night I made them an awesome dinner. Saturday we woke up late, were lazy for part of the morning, and then headed out to the coast to brave the horse racing crowds and eat at my favorite café on the beach. After strolling around and watching a few Hawaiian dancers as well as the surfers we came home and then later that night dropped them off at the airport.

Relatively painless. My only problem is that I know my in laws (and hubby too) tend to be rather passive aggressive which I HATE. When we are all together everyone is pleasant and pretends to be happy. Then the minute doors (or eyes) are closed the true feelings come out. I'm a really straight forward and simple person and the whole acting one way but feeling another way charade just really gets to me. If you have a problem then say what bothers you, fix it, and/or get over it. The whole weekend MIL was nice to me but after the whole wedding debacle I know that’s not how she really feels. I'd honestly rather never see her again until she apologizes to me but I know from talking to hubby that will never happen. Oh well. Half the time I'm grateful that she at least acts nice to me. And the other half of the time I wish she would just tell me what she really thinks (no matter how unpleasant) so that I know where I stand. I'm a trusting person and I would just rather be able to be nice to someone and trust them rather then be nice to them but hold them at arms length. Hubby is big on the concept of family but I don't really see the point of being nice to people just because you share the same blood as them. I'd rather be nice and loving to someone because I like them and respect them as a friend.

In more pleasant news, I've been in a pie making mood lately so I used the in-laws visit as an excuse to bake the worlds best peach-a-berry pie this weekend. The recipe below can be switched up to whatever fruits you have on hand: peaches/raspberries, peaches/blueberries (this is what I put in my pie), nectarines/cherries (the next pie I make), etc.

INGREDIENTS
4 cups fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced
2 cups fresh raspberries
3/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 (9 inch) pie crusts
2 tablespoons butter, softened and cut into pieces
1 tablespoon coarse granulated sugar
1 egg (for washing the top of the pie)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place peaches and berries in a colander for about 15 minutes to drain any excess fluid , then transfer to a large bowl. Gently toss with sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Transfer to a pie crust. Dot with butter, and top with remaining crust. Brush with egg. Cut vents in top crust, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
3. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until crust is golden brown. (Don't forget to place a pan under the pie to catch all the pie oozy stuff!!!)

Peanut Butter Surprises

Him: How long until the cookies are ready?
Me: Well I have to let the dough set for 2 hours before I can begin balling the cookies and candy.
Him: 2 hours! What type of cookies are these? That is riduculous. I've never had to let dough set for 2 hours before making the cookies.
Me: And exactly how many times have you made cookies before?
Him: Ummmm ... None. But I did take home ec in high school.

Here is a recipe for some awesome cookies that I made for my staff meeting on Tuesday and then since Dave liked them so much he had me make them again for his staff meeting that was today. You can use snickers, reese's pb cups, almond joys, or butterfingers for the center of the cookies. I call the cookies Peanut Butter Surprises but during the holiday's you can call them Santa's Surprises.



Ingredients
2 sticks butter
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. light brown sugar
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pkg. Snickers Minis (or candy bar of liking)

Directions
1. Combine butter, peanut butter and sugars using a mixer on med. to
low until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs and vanilla slowly until combined. Mix in flour, salt and
baking soda.
3. Cover and chill for 2-3 hours.
4. Unwrap Snickers.
5. Remove dough from fridge. Divide into 1 tbsp. pieces and flatten.
6. Place a Snickers in the center of each dough.
7. Form dough into a ball around each Snickers.
8. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes.
9. Let cool on a baking rack or wax paper.

Yield: 2 dozen-ish

Chicken Cordon Bleu

I'm a big fan of Cooking Light magazine and often use it for inspiration. This is one of the few recipes that I make exactly as it is printed. The chicken comes out very flavorful and moist. This is a great recipe when dining alone (the chicken tastes wonderful when re-heated as leftovers) but also works great for a dinner party (easy dish to bake and comes out looking quite nice). I usually serve this dish with a nice ceasar salad or grilled asparagus. Works well with a nice slighty sweet wine such as a gewertzaminer.



Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
5 teaspoons butter, melted
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 thin slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Cooking spray


Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place broth in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave at high 15 seconds or until warm. Stir in butter and garlic. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and paprika in a medium shallow bowl; set aside.

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt, oregano, and pepper. Top each breast half with 1 slice of prosciutto and 1 tablespoon mozzarella. Roll up each breast half jelly-roll fashion. Dip each roll in chicken broth mixture; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place rolls, seam side down, in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour remaining broth mixture over chicken. Bake at 350° for 28 minutes or until juices run clear and tops are golden.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 rolled chicken breast half)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 297(30% from fat); FAT 9.9g (sat 4.4g,mono 3.6g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 45.5g; CHOLESTEROL 125mg; CALCIUM 94mg; SODIUM 619mg; FIBER 0.5g; IRON 1.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 3.8g

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1134074

PS - In the future I'll post my more "original" recipes and include my own pics.

Healthy We

I've written a lot on this blog about my attempts to lose weight through exercising and a few times I've mentioned various diets that I've been on. What I've neglected to emphasize is just how important healthy eating is to me in my daily life. In the past I've led a healthy lifestyle to lose weight but now as I've gotten older I've changed my focus to being heart healthy. In the past this was very difficult since David has always been naturally trim and fit but lately (especially after he quit smoking) Dave has begun to develop a tiny baby gut. Even though he is having a very hard time dealing with his new metabolism, this has actually been a blessing in disguise since I finally feel like I have 100% of Dave's participation in healthy eating and exercising.

In general my diet consists of 1200 calories per day divided between 6 meals. For the most part I try to eat non-processed foods with an emphasis on fruits, veggies, and lean meats. I usually cook dinner each night and when I do so I choose recipes that are easy, cheap, quick, healthy, low calorie, and tasty. What is that I hear? Snickering. Oh yes. Getting all those qualities in one meal is not always easy but definitely do-able. In the next few weeks, I'll be sharing some of my favorite recipes that are regulars in our diet.

Now you may also be asking how in the hell I only consume 1200 calories per day, yet still eat 6 meals. Introducing my daily diet:

5:30am Meal #1 - Pre-Workout Snack (100 calories)
I usually eat something slightly sugary and carby to give me that extra energy boost needed for my morning workout. Sometimes if I'm in a hurry I'll grab a Luna Bar or Kashi bar but usually I eat a half slice of fiber rich whole grain wheat bread, with a thin layer of peanut butter, and a drizzle of honey.

9:00am Meal #2 - Breakfast (200 calories)
Yoplait yogurt plus banana (or some other type of fruit)

Noon Meal #3 - Lunch (300 - 350 calories)
Usually my lunch breaks consist of me sitting in front of a computer, rapidly typing out emails, while trying to consume a meal. Due to these reasons, lunch is the only meal in which I consume processed foods. My typical lunch is a lean pocket, healthy choice meal, or lean cuisine with a fruit (typically grapes) and diet cherry coke.

3:00pm Meal #4 - Snack (100 calories)
An apple with sugar free caramel dipping sauce is my perfect mid-afternoon snack. The apple has enough sugar to give me energy but also fiber to keep me full until dinner. And to be honest I hate apples (don't know why but I do) so the sugar free caramel dipping sauce helps me like to eat the apple. Sometimes if I'm busy I'll grab a Luna Bar or Kashi Go Lean Bar.

6:00pm Meal #5 - Dinner (400 calories)
This is where things get complicated. My goal each week when cooking dinner is to have one vegetarian dinner, one fish dinner, and only one red meat dinner each week. The other nights are usually chicken, turkey, pork, or leftovers. As I said before all recipes must be quick, cheap, easy, healthy, and tasty. I usually don't include a carb (even as a side dish) unless the recipe requires it such as veggie pizza (must have the crust) or fish tacos (need the corn tortilla). Most importantly, I try to make my dinner portion size the same as what I would eat for lunch. In the past I would over eat at dinner which is a shame since my body didn't get much of a chance to metabolize my meal.

9:00pm Meal #6 - Dessert! (100 calories)
My favorite meal of the day! I love sweets so my dessert is usually a sugar free skinny cow or sugar free banana pudding with chunks of banana. Mmmmm!!!!

Hawaiian Cake Recipe

I baked this cake for a small office party that we had this afternoon. Everyone loved this cake (and so do I). So simple and easy to make. The perfect cake for a summer party.



Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
2 small cans of mandarin oranges (drained)
1 regular size tub of cool whip
1 small package of vanilla pudding mix
1 small can of crushed pineapple (drained)

Directions:
1. Prepare yellow cake mix as directed by box. Add chopped and drained mandarin oranges to the cake mix. (I chop the mandarin oranges in the can by sticking the knife in the can and just wiggling it around. Try it, it works)
2. Bake cake
3. Prepare "frosting" by mixing cool whip, vanilla pudding mix, and crushed pineapple. After cake has cooled frost the cake. I also used the frosting as filling between the cake layers.
4. Lick frosting bowl.
5. Garnish with pineapple slices, maraschino cherries (and coconut if you're crazy like that).