Orlando!

I was in Orlando a few weeks back for the ASSA National - a great opportunity to spend time with friends I rarely see, see lovely dogs...and eat! I chose to hang out with some awesome people that know great food, and one particularly awesome friend found a fantastic restaurant called The Ravenous Pig.

They've got "truffle fries" on their menu, and honestly, they were the tastiest fries I've ever had. I can't really think about them, because then I might do something stupid like buy a plane ticket to Orlando...

Also on their menu is a wonderful salad made of greens, avocado, radish, pickled beets, goat cheese, pistachios, and an herb vinaigrette. My rendition was pretty yummy, though it wasn't quite the same!

I brought home some oranges (duh!) and today, made fresh squeezed orange juice. Mike enjoyed the process, too. :)

what we've been eating...

Eeep, it's been a long time since I posted anything. I've admittedly been in a bit of a funk and just haven't felt like writing :/

Okay, so here's a question. This past week, I switched up my grocery shopping a bit. Normally, Mike and I go shopping and we get what's on our list (the staples) and then kind of wander around and buy what sounds good to us. This time, I picked out recipes first - and then went shopping according to what ingredients I needed for the recipes. I spent $185. For two of us. I almost fell over at the check-out.

Do you find that it's cheaper to plan out recipes and then buy? Or the other way around?

A few things we've been eating:

Grilled Tuna, Ginger-lime Carrots, & Green Beans

Tuna steaks with a tasty marinade (see it below), simple green beans with olive oil, salt and pepper, and this awesome recipe for ginger-lime carrots. You know those glazed, really buttery carrots that are not exactly good for you? This is a lighter version, with a kick from some sriracha. A keeper for sure!

Grilled tuna marinade (from about.com)

2 tablespoons dijon honey mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or white vinegar (I used my peach balsamic, actually!)

Pounded Walnut Strozzapreti & Veggies

Last night we had pounded walnut strozzapreti (recipe here) with some sauteed zucchini and grape tomatoes. The pasta was really good, despite the fact that Mike hated on me a bit for how fattening it was ;) My point of view? It's full of good-for-you fats like walnuts and olive oil. Not the type of recipe I'd make every day, but every once in a while it can't hurt!

Tomato, Mozzarella & Basil Salad

My lunch a few days ago :) Fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, lots of pepper, and some olive oil with my peach balsamic vinegar. Soooo yummy.

summer is here :)

A few yummy things I've been eating lately...

Tomato & mozzarella sandwiches

...with lots of freshly ground black pepper :)

Strawberry Spritzer

5-6 ripe strawberries

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 lemon, juiced

splash of white grape juice

sparkling water

Muddle the strawberries and add the rest of the ingredients...mmmm!

I found this link today: 101 Simple Salads for the Season - there are so many great ideas here. I want to try tons of them!

what we've been eating...

So far, we've grilled out both nights this week. By that, I mean Mike has grilled both nights this week, and I've watched. :)

No picture from yesterday (I know you guys love my crappy pictures!), but we had chicken with an awesome marinade. I'm all about making my own marinades and try to stay away from pre-made junk, but I am obsessed with McCormick's Grill Mates Tomato Garlic & Basil marinade. It's soooo good. I also had Mike grill some asparagus that I had seasoned with some salt & pepper - then I drizzled some lemon juice on it. So simple, but so good. I love the flavor that grilling adds to vegetables.

Tonight we just had beef tenderloin on the grill and then some oven roasted potatoes with red peppers. I drizzled the veggies with some canola oil, herbes de provence, salt and pepper and roasted them for about 45 minutes at 425 degrees. It was a yummy dinner.

our weekend

...with no pictures, because apparently we ate everything so fast there was no time for photos!

What we've been eating this weekend:

• pizza with pesto, tomatoes, ricotta and feta
• actually not terrible for you lemon bars (66 calories a square!)
• pasta with fresh veggies & grilled chicken, tossed with pesto

Lemon Bars (from here)

1/4 cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3 eggs

scant 3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

additional confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray the bottom of an 8 inch square baking pan with nonstick spray.

2. Beat the 1/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar and butter on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the 1/2 cup of pastry flour and mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake until just golden brown (about 10 to 12 minutes). Cool on a wire rack and lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

3. While the oven temperature reduces, whisk the eggs on medium speed until foamy. Add the granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until combined. Pour the mixture over the baked crust and return to the oven until “set” (about 20 to 25 minutes – do not touch the filling with your fingers or it will stick to them and you will have a big dent in your bars!) Cool completely on a wire rack, then cut into 12 squares and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Anyway, we had a good weekend, and it went way too fast. Friends visited yesterday/overnight and we went to First Watch for brunch (pretty much the best place ever). Today we looked at a house for sale - though we decided it was just too far from our offices & our hometown/family. It was on four acres, though, which would be great! It was just exciting to officially start our search for a home. We're both so anxious...and so are our puppies :)

xo, Lindsay

why do wine glasses make everything taste better?

It's Friday! I headed into work for a bit this morning, which wasn't all bad because it at least got me up and moving early. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home to get some fresh veggies and spent the afternoon in the kitchen.

Kitchen accomplishments:

• homemade tomato vinaigrette
• dinner was chicken I marinated in some Garlic Expressions, served with some sauteed yellow squash and zucchini, and some spinach with my tomato vinaigrette!

• some fresh cut up veggies and a quick light dip
• perhaps the tastiest! - San Pellegrino and Simply Grapefruit juice, which I'm now definitely addicted to. Served in a wine glass, of course, because everything tastes better out of a wine glass. :)

xo, Lindsay