Anniversary

We celebrated our first wedding anniversary yesterday!  Blake made me breakfast in bed yesterday and we spent the day hanging out and watching the women's world cup game- talk about an amazing ending!  If you haven't heard, the United States came back to tie up the game during extra time and then won in a penalty kick shootout.  It was very exciting!  Blake and I both played soccer throughout our lives so we always watch US soccer- both men and women.  Then, we went out to dinner in DC. 

We went to a restaurant called Zaytinya.  It's a Greek/Lebanese/Turkish tapas place, VERY good!  Blake went there a couple of months ago with his boss and has been wanting to take me there since.  We don't go into DC very often even though we are only about 20 minutes away.  It was a little out of my comfort zone since I'm a rather picky eater but it was wonderful! 

We started off with an order of hummus to go with the warm pita bread they serve.  If I went again, I think I would try a different spread.  Their hummus was really good but I might try their tzatziki spread next time!

Pita!

We ordered 4 plates-Keftedes Kapama, Arayes, Adana Kebab, sea scallops.  Don't worry, we had to point to the items on the menu when we were ordering!

 Adana Kebab is skewered ground lamb (had to get a picture from google images for this one!)

   Arayes is grilled ground lamb and tahini stuffed pita with garlic yogurt

  Keftedes Kapama are beef and lamb meatballs with feta cheese and rustic tomato sauce

 Sea scallops served with a yogurt dill sauce. 

Everything was delicious!  If you're looking for a nice restaurant in DC, I definitely recommend this one!

All You Need is Love- Catch Up

I had been doing so well with this blog challenge until this weekend.  This weekend was INSANE for us (more on that in the next few weeks). 

Day 5: What I {LOVE} about my friends...

• They are so much fun
• They are always there for me
• They are caring
• They can always make me laugh

Day 6: What I {LOVE} about blogging

• I have the worst memory ever so I love that we have a scrapbook of memories and thoughts from this point in our lives. 
• I love "meeting" people from all over the country

Day 7: I {LOVE} when I feel beautiful/sexy/pretty! This happens when I...

• Eat healthy and exercise!
• When I dress up!
• After I get my hair cut and/or highlighted! (how come I can never get it to look the same?!)

All You Need is Love- Day 4

 For Valentine's Day I {LOVE} to bake/cook...

Typically, Blake and I don't go out on Valentine's Day itself.  Generally, we do go out to eat to celebrate later that week or the following weekend.  We do have a nice dinner though, we don't have a traditional dinner for Valentine's Day. 

But one of our special occasion dinners is Parmesan Crusted Scallops- delicious!

Ingredients

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds sea scallops
1 tablespoon margarine, melted
Cooking spray
Lemon wedges


Directions
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; set aside. Brush scallops with margarine. Add scallops to bag, and seal; shake to coat.  Place scallops on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 10 minutes or until done. Serve with lemon wedges.

We usually have it with a nice caesar salad and twice-baked potatoes.  Yum!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm linking up with Jamie for What I'm Loving Wednesday...

I'm loving... that today is SNOW DAY!  Wohoo!  We woke up today with about a inch or inch and a half on the ground this morning and they were calling for a mix today and heavy snow to start mid-way through this afternoon. They are calling for 6-10 inches of snow.  YAY!!!  I'm hoping Blake and I get snowed in together tomorrow! 

I'm loving... that I made this sandwich last night from Pioneer Woman and it was delicious (minus the mushrooms, of course)!  I have enough for leftover for lunch and I'm going to try it with Swiss Cheese today.  Yumm!

I'm loving... that we got to go see our baby cousin, Addison, baptized on Saturday, pictures will be coming soon!

I'm loving... that I'm getting over this cold!  Wohoo!

I'm loving... that the electrician is tentatively coming on Saturday to get started on the wiring and lighting for our basement!  Wohoo!  (Our previous goal of the Superbowl isn't going to happen, boo!  At least, we're still moving on!)

What are you loving today?

Day 10: Favorite Girls Night Out Activities

I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of the 11 in 2011 blog challenge! 

Day 10 is favorite girls night out activities.  I have to say my favorite girls night out activity is going out for a glass of wine or two!  There are a couple of a small wine shops that serve wine and food and I love going.  It's especially fun when it's warm outside and you can eat outside!

The food is generally pretty light and not enough for Blake to call dinner but enough for me! 

Days 8 & 9

Man, I was on a roll blogging every day but I missed yesterday.  So, I have to double up and do Days 8 and of Kit and MJ's blog challenge, 11 in 2011.

Day 8: Healthy Snack

My favorite snack is hummus with vegetables, particularly red pepper strips.  I love Sabra hummus and I recently found them in individual packages, perfection!  They are great for me to take to work for lunch or for a snack after school!

Day 9: Favorite activity to do on a cold day

Today is a perfect example of a cold, winter day! It's about 32 degrees but feels like 19 degrees with the wind chill.  I'm loving relaxing on our couch, enjoying a fire in the fireplace, and catching up on the DVR.  Well, honestly, right now, I'm enjoying watching playoff football.  Generally speaking, I love catching up on all of my shows!

(Old picture, we got a new fireplace screen last month, thank goodness!)

Best Leftover Recipe

Today's topic in 11 in 2011 is best leftover recipe .  I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of leftovers. Usually, I take leftovers to work the next day and eat them for lunch.  I don't generally re-make things with them.  The one exception I have is when I make grilled chicken or buy a rotisserie chicken.  And, then I make chicken quesadillas.  They are quick to make and very yummy!  We even bought a quesadilla maker on sale for $10 which makes it great but certainly not necessary. 

I don't really follow a recipe but put shredded chicken, cheese and a variety of vegetables in a tortilla and then cover with another tortilla and cook for a few minutes. 

And then, viola! A warm, chicken quesadilla.  We have them with sour cream, salsa, lettuce and sometimes black beans. 

And, the great thing about quesadillas is you can put almost anything in them... steak, pork, spinach, mushrooms, bbq sauce, mango, apple, etc...  The possibilities are endless!

Day 13: Favorite Cookie Recipe

I had to skip yesterday in the challenge because we're not quite decorated for Christmas yet.  But, we're almost there!

 


One of Blake's favorite cookies is White Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies; a family friend, Mary Lou introduced us to them a few years ago during our annual Christmas Cookie Baking day.

Here is what you need to make White Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies:-

Here's what you need:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup white chocolate chip cookies

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.

3. Sift together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter and egg mixture. Mix just until incorporated. Fold in the the white chocolate chips to the cookie mixture.

4. Place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cookie mix recipe onto the baking sheet, placing them about 2 inches apart.

5. Bake the white chocolate cookies for approximately 8 minutes or until the cookies are still soft in the center but are firm around the edges. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.


Makes about 24 3 inch cookies.

Best Invention Ever

For one of my bridal showers, one of my aunts made me a basket filled with baking items- cupcake liners, spatulas, cinnamon, and "food dishers."  Food dishers are the best.  Ever.  She bought me four and I used my first one last night.  I made delicious chocolate chip pumpkin muffins from a recipe from my Kate.  Sidenote: I bought four jumbo muffins at the grocery store Sunday.  I'm ashamed to say that they were gone by 7:00 Monday morning.  Blake and I both love pumpkin anything.   

But back to the food dishers.  My aunt was kind enough to label each disher for the various things I would need them for- jumbo cookies, muffins, etc.  And, using food disher made it SO much easier.  It portioned out what you need for a muffin perfectly.  It's the worst when you are trying to use a regular spoon or spatula to neatly put dough on a cookie sheet or in a muffin pan.  I've had cheap cookie ones but they've never lasted or were more trouble than they were worth.  Maybe I've never had the right kind or brand.  I realize these aren't new but I am a huge fan.  According to the website, the Zeroll EZ Disher is a hand-operated food portioner.  That's the proper terminology.  I just like them because they made the process of batter bowl to pan much easier. 

If you like to bake, I highly recommend them!

Great feeling

I absolutely, positively love coming home and having dinner ready!  I do enjoy cooking but one of my favorite thing is coming home from work and not having to worry about what to make.  Actually, I enjoy cooking but I want someone else to make all the decisions about what I should make each night!  Blake is really low-key and only has a request once in awhile.  So, it's up to me about what to make.  And, I'm horrible at making decisions. 

Anyways, I made chicken enchiladas last night so I could come home, put them in the oven and not have to make anything!  So far this afternoon, after I left work, I've gone to the gym, walked Sophie, put dinner in the oven and now I'm writing this post. 

Wohoo!  Yay for my productivity yesterday so I can relax now!  I'm excited to start using the crock-pot again so I can continue having dinner ready when I get home.  For some reason, I only think about the crock-pot during fall and winter. 

Dinner will be ready in about 15 minutes.  Yum!

Meal Plan Mondays

We were pretty good about our meals last week except we did go out for wing night on Tuesday, 40 cent wings! 

I'm planning 4 meals this week, we're going to go out to dinner Wednesday or Thursday because we have a coupon from restaurant.com which is going to expire soon!  Monday is going to be another crock-pot meal because I love coming home on Mondays with dinner made.  I have a staff meeting Monday so I'll be late home anyway.

Sunday- Spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread

Monday- Beef Stroganoff in the crock-pot (I'm combining a couple of recipes and I don't like mushrooms so I'm not using those and I'm using cream of celrey instead of cream of mushroom soup, so it could be an utter disaster, who knows!)

Tuesday- Taco Bowls with ground turkey and black beans (This is a Rachel Ray recipe.  It is a mini-taco salad except the bottom is tortilla chips, then you put a layer of shredded cheddar cheese, the taco meat, black beans and then top it off with whatever taco toppings you like.  We do sour cream, lettuce, tomotoes, taco sauce and salsa.  We also use spicy blue tortilla chips)

Wednesday- Sausage and Peppers

Thursday- Out to dinner



Find more meal ideas at orgjunkie.com

Meal Plan Mondays

Since meal planning is one of my resolutions, I decided I would post about our menu this week.  Generally, I plan for meals Sunday-Thursday.  We usually have a low-key dinner one night (cereal, spaghetti, waffles, etc.) and go out to dinner or to a friends on the weekends; however, I'm planning on making dinner Sunday-Thursday this week.  We'll see though; I have a feeling it's going to be a long week back at school!

Without further ado...

Sunday- Ranch Crispy Chicken with twice baked potatoes and corn (Instead of butter, I'm using egg whites to dip the boneless chicken breasts into before the ranch/corn flake mixture)

Monday- Pasta Meatball Soup (Trying a new recipe and changing it to make in the crock-pot.  I will make it on Sunday so it will be ready when I get home from work, I love coming home from work with dinner ready!)

Tuesday- Pistachio Crusted Cod with green beans and rice

Wednesday- Pulled Chicken BBQ sandwiches in the crock-pot (I need to get this recipe from a co-worker)

Thursday- Layered Enchilada Bake (I'm making this with ground turkey instead of ground beef)


Find more meal ideas at orgjunkie.com

Fruit Salad!

One of my favorite things about late Spring and summer is all of the fresh fruit available.  However, my body has been craving fruit and vegetables since I have not been eating well over the last two weeks.  SO, while grocery shopping today I bought a fresh pineapple, cantelope, strawberries and blueberries.  I cut them all up as soon as I got home and made myself a nice, big fruit salad.  I've found that if I don't cut up my fruit as soon as I get home from the store, I rarely cut it up and then I end up wasting it. 

I'm so excited to eat it and take it as part of my lunch this week, yay for eating healthy!