Friday List Post II

I hope you’re ready for a pretty sporadic post, because that’s all I got!!

Other than my cookie-ventures earlier this week, I haven’t done much blog-worthy cooking/baking this week.   So when I sat down not too long ago to write a post, not much came to mind…sad, I know.

However, luckily I have some photos in the bank that haven’t made it to the blog yet for one reason or another…so here is some randomness for you on a Friday night!

Then I just decided on a list-style post.  I did this a long time ago…similar random Friday post, and you know what?  I like it!

Here goes…

1.  Speaking of those chocolate chip cookies…unfortunately I didn’t win anything, but Brian said he won because I made them :)  Good enough for me!  Not to mention the leftover cookie dough I now have in the freezer!

2.  On Cinco De Mayo I did, in fact, make myself a margarita…while home, alone, on a Thursday afternoon.

I remember it was really nice out and I just wanted a good margarita!  In the end it was just OK…needed a tad more sweetness, but it included:
   - Patron – 1 shot
   - Muddled strawberries
   - fresh lime juice – 1 lime
   - grand Marnier – tiny splash
   - agave nectar – 1 tsp
   - lime club soda – to fill the cup

Refreshing!  But could of used more agave next time.

3. Got a cute new lunch bag from Whole Foods!

4. Took Bromley to a new Day Care!  We use doggie day care once a week, so Brom can get a good day in playing and socializing.  Plus the whole next day he’s wiped out :) 

5.  Got my hair did…the usual, about every 12 weeks I get it colored and trimmed :)

This is pre-colored, after I brush out my dry hair….POOF!!!

 

Color In!

…and leave it to me to not take an “after” photo. 

Don’t fret though, because we are going to a wedding tomorrow and I’ll be sure to get a good picture :)

6. Had a DELICIOUS tuna melt today for lunch, with green juice!

The Key:
BROWN RICE WRAPS FROM TRADER JOES!!!  They are so good!!  However, just be sure to leave them at room temp OR heat in microwave for about 8-10 seconds to make them more bendable.  If they are cold they break easy, but the flavor and texture are awesome!!  

The tuna consisted of:

1 can TJ’s solid white tuna in water
light mayo to taste: 1-2T
1/2 tsp – 1 tsp Dijon mustard
chopped onion
chopped celery
celery salt
cracked black pepper

Melted with American cheese and baby spinach!
 
Green Juice

• romaine
• celery
• cucumber
• few sprigs of parsley
• green apple
• lemon

SO refreshing!!

7.  RUNNING

Half marathon training is still underway, and tomorrow we have our longest run of the training until actual race day.

Tomorrow is 12 miles!!  So crazy to think just a few months ago the most I had ever run was 6.2 miles and that seemed like a lot to me.  It still does, but now I just know I can go farther :)

Still have to admit, I’ve been majorly slacking on my mid-week runs.  I’m mainly just scared of making my foot worse and then not being able to get my long run in.  But my foot IS doing much better!

One thing I’ve been trying is KT tape!

 
(source)

Obviously I got the pink.  I’ve been taping my foot for help with plantar fasciitis, and while the tape does NOT last as long as it says it does, I think it’s helping. 

There are instructional videos on their website, and instructions in the box of how to apply it for a particular area/injury. 

Another big help for me through all this is switching up my running spots!

Last weekend for my 11-miler, I went into Boston…it was great to have the change of scenery, plus just a lot to look at.

I even ran over to Charlestown and back!

Tomorrow we are running our 12 miles in Portsmouth, NH!  The wedding we are going to is in York, ME so we are taking advantage of being up there :)

Happy Weekend Everyone!!  So what are some of your favorite running routes?? 

Cookie Perfection

“Oh wow”…”mmmmm”…”soooo good”

That was my husband and I a little while ago, savoring each and every bite of the chocolate chip cookies I just made.

I’m really trying to think back on all the chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had in my life, and I’m having a hard time coming up with one that I’ve liked more than these…

and I have America’s Test Kitchen to Thank!!  I honestly don’t think I would have ever made these cookies if I weren’t put up to the challenge.

They are bigger than I usually like, and are packed full of butter and sugar.  Knowing me, I would of made them smaller and “healthier”…and then I would have never had this perfect cookie experience :)

Luckily for me (and my husband), Boston bloggers were challenged to make their Perfect Chocolate Chip cookie recipe and blog about it.  The winner gets to visit the set of America’s Test Kitchen for a live taping!!

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Cooks Illustrated

Makes 16 cookies

My Notes:

I used salted butter.  Yes, I know.  One of the cardinal rules of baking is to use unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt.  However, I grew up in a house where we only ever had salted butter, so my mom only ever baked with salted butter…and you know what, everything my mom bakes is delicious.  Therefore I almost always use salted butter…and my baked goods are pretty damn tasty too! 

(see original recipe link for other notes)

Ingredients

• 1 3/4cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces)
• 1/2teaspoon baking soda
• 14tablespoons unsalted (or salted) butter (1 3/4 sticks)
• 1/2cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
• 3/4cups packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces) (see note)
• 1teaspoon table salt
• 2teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/4cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (see note)
• 3/4cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)
  I didn’t use nuts

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
   

2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
    

3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)
    

5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.
   

My Thoughts on this cookie process:

• First of all, I decided to break out the scale!  For some reason I never think to use it and that is about to change.
  I LOVED measuring my ingredients on the scale…so much simpler than lightly filling your measuring cup, leveling, and repeating.  Just fill the bowl until you reach your desired amount. 
  
• The process of whisking and waiting definitely tested my patience, and I even used my phone as a stop watch.  However, after the first 3-minute wait I started using my waiting times to clean up a little :)
  
• Also my butter+sugar+vanilla+egg mixture, using the salted butter, tasted like awesome salted caramel…I knew the cookies we’re destined to be delicious at that point.
   
• Since my aunt sent me home with a bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies on Sunday, I only baked up 1 tray of these bad boys.  However, I portioned and froze the rest for future cookie cravings.  Personally I think that was a brilliant idea on my part ;)
  

My cookies baked for 10 min, and I always air on the side of underdone.  I let them cool for about 2 minutes before breaking off a warm gooey piece.  Of course a piece of WARM chocolate chip cookie was going to be good. 

It wasn’t until after dinner, when the cookies had cooled to room temp, did we experience the cookie bliss.

Crisp around the edges, soft and gooey on the inside.  These were unlike any cookies I’ve ever made or had.  The whisking and waiting was most definitely worth it to get that deep dark caramel-like texture and color. 

I have been maintaining a LOT of self restraint with these…and it’s NOT easy, but I’m learning to savor each bite.

If your even thinking about making chocolate chip cookies…throw your “go-to” recipe aside just this once and try these…with salted butter of course ;)

Tea at L’Espalier

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you may remember that I have made a little tradition out of taking my mom for high tea to celebrate Mothers Day!

There is always a family brunch at one of my aunt’s houses on Mother’s Day itself, so the Saturday before I always make plans for mom and I.

I think this is the 5th or 6th year of our tea tradition, and while we may run out of new places to go, I don’t think we’ll mind repeating a few ;)

2008 – Holiday Tea at the Park Plaza (we had our Mother’s day tea here that same year)

2009 – Tea at The Taj

2010 – Tea at the Boston Harbor Hotel (at the Sea Grille)

For instance, today we had a relaxing and delicious tea at L’Espalier.  I have been to Afternoon Tea at L’Espalier twice in the past, but both times were at their old location which was a beautiful brownstone off Newbury Street.  They are now located in the new Mandarin Orient Hotel.

Definitely a different atmosphere.  New and modern.  The old place was elegant and classic, which I prefer, but that’s not to say the new location is still beautiful and of course the food and service are still top notch.

We even added a little something special to this years tea…CHEESE!  But I’ll get to that in a moment.

Once you pick your tea, and order, the first thing that comes out is your tea sandwiches.

By the way… mom went with English Breakfast (no surprise there :)  and I had the Earl Grey.

Clockwise from the top-left:

• Smoked Salmon
• Egg salad on a brioche bun
• Lobster salad on a house made pretzle roll
• grilled ham and cheese
• cucumber and cream cheese

I’m not an egg salad fan, and mom doesn’t really like smoked salmon so we always switch those :)

My favorite, hands down, was the ham and cheese…and if you know me, you’re shocked I didn’t say the lobster.

The ham and cheese was just so incredibly flavorful!  Rich buttery toasted bread, grainy mustard, melty cheese, and salty ham.  It was awesome.

The lobster was #2.  Of course I LOVE lobster, and the pretzel roll had a great shiny crust and super soft on the inside, with delicious big salt crystals.

  

Once finished with our sandwiches, the wonderful wonderful cheese tray came our way.

Did you know you can pop up to L’Espalier and just have a glass of wine and some cheese in their Salon anytime??  I am SO doing this. 

Luckily I have descriptions (all descriptions taken from the L’Espalier Cheese Selection pamphlet)

From Right to Left (which was mildest to strongest)

• Lakes Edge – Blue Ledge Farm – Salisbury, VT
• Greg and Hannah keep 60 goats on their Lake Champlain farm.  Lakes Edge is ash rubbed, soft/dense in texture, with a satisfying earthy and tangy flavor.  The pure white interior paste is bisected with a thin line of ash.
• Caccio Di Bosco – Tuscany, Italy
• This is a dense, aged sheep’s milk cheese studded with white truffle.  The buttery, sharpness of the cheese forms a perfect marriage with the woodsy opulence of the truffle.  A bit of honey will consummate the deal. 
• Tarentaise – Spring Brook Farm – Reading, VT
• Firm, nutty, and wonderfully herbaceous artisan mountain cheese made by Jeremy Robinson from the milk of Jersey cows.  It was chosen Third Best in Show at this years American Cheese Society judging (um how does one get on that panel??) 
• Taleggio Reserve, Lombardia, Italy
• Meaty and supple, with a nutty and slightly tart flavor, Elegant and irresistible.
  
  The server said this is the “new” version of Taleggio which is made from raw milk and is not quite as strong
• Gouda – Aged Five Years – Holland
• Crunchy, with a sweet caramel flavor.  Eat it like candy.
• Caveman Blue – Rogue Creamery – Central Point, Oregon
• Another winner from Cary Bryant and David Gremmel.  The cheese is creamy and muscular, with a sweet start and pungent earthy finish. 

They were all amazing…aside from the blue cheese, but that’s more of me (and mom) just not being big fans of blue cheese to begin with.

The mild goat cheese (far right) was sooo creamy, mild…not too tangy, the ash didn’t take away from the cheese.  We both loved it.

The 2nd from the right, was basically Truffle Cheese and obviously we both loved it!

I’m serious when I say we loved them all.  I haven’t had too much tallegio before, but I do remember it being strong and I remember liking it…well this new version is even better.

Of course there were cheese accompaniments…

Breads, honey with toasted pine nuts, candied walnuts, and cranberries.

We ended up packing a lot of cheese to go (we still had dessert on the way), but I can’t wait to dig into the leftovers!

Now the sweet stuff.

Their signature swan pastry.  Basically a cream puff, filled with a espresso filling.

To the right is a Greek yogurt panna cotta…tangy and refreshing.

Chocolate decadence in the front… no need for explanation…but it was RICH.

In back there is a little financier cookie.

Red Velvet parfait.  Basically red velvet cake crumbs, layered with cream cheese frosting. 

and my favorite…

Scones!

Cherry and Pistachio scones and Lemon scones.  Served with strawberry jam, honey, and crème fraiche.       

I always say this but if you’ve never done high tea/afternoon tea…DO IT!  It just makes for such a relaxing elegant activity.  Plus it’s a perfect opportunity to get the girls (or boys) together, dress up, and snack on tasty tea sandwiches, delicious pastries, and sip your favorite tea.

Have you been to afternoon tea?  Any favorite spots??  and what are you doing for your mom this Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day Mom!!!!  Love you!!

Fresh Berry Lemon Muffins

This past weekend when I was shopping for food to make lunch for Brian’s mom and sister, I also went a little crazy with the fruit.

I don’t know what it was, but there were such great sales!

I bought 4lbs of strawberries and 4 containers of blueberries! 

I’ve been eating them with breakfast…on toast and in yogurt, and on their own, but I wanted to make a baked good.

Clearly muffins are my baked good of choice ;)

And nothing goes better with berries than fresh lemon!

I love lemon and berries combined…so many possibilities.

These muffins are light and dense at the same time.  Hard to explain, but I used milk, yogurt, AND some ricotta I had in the fridge.  That combined with fresh berries, keeps the muffins very moist.  They have a light, subtle lemon, subtle sweetness to them.

(I always make such a mess when I bake!)

Fresh Berry Lemon Muffins 

• 1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup organic granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• zest from 1 lemon
• 2 T canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 2 T part skim ricotta (or just use more Greek yogurt)
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 5-6 large strawberries, chopped

pre-heat oven to 375

Combine dry ingredients into a mixing bowl (flour through to salt).  **feel free to increase the sugar slightly if you prefer a sweeter muffin.

In a separate bowl combine lemon juice, zest, oil, egg, milk, yogurt, and ricotta.  Mix to combine.

Add wet ingredients to dry, and stir gently just to combine.  Fold in berries.

Spray a muffin tin with canola oil spray

  I used all the batter for the 12 cups, and filled them pretty much to the top.

Bake for 17-18 min, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cool for a couple minutes in the pan before removing. 

Then cool on baking rack.

They feel heavy from all the fresh fruit inside, but taste light and delicious.  Not too sweet, which makes for a great breakfast muffin!

These muffins have approx. 150 calories a piece :)

Greek Chicken Wraps

Another weekend, come and gone!  It was a gorgeous weekend in New England…sunny and in the 60’s, and Friday it was even warmer.

Saturday, Brian’s mom and sister came to visit.  We didn’t really have a “plan”, but decided to cook lunch at our house.

Unfortunately Friday night we were out to dinner, and then had to clean, clean, clean the house.  The cleaning continued Saturday morning, which left me very little time to go grocery shopping, figure out what I can make that will be delicious, yet fast, and try to get home before they arrived.

Well I almost made it…they beat me, but I as able to prepare a home-cooked lunch while we all just chatted in the kitchen.

Here’s what you need:

• lettuce
• tomatoes**
• cucumbers
• red onion
• (any other veggies you’d want on your wrap)
• fresh oregano
• chicken breasts
• 1 packages of Pitas
• non-fat Greek Yogurt
• sour cream **
• garlic**
• lemon**
• red wine vinegar**

First, prepare marinade.

For 1 package (approx 1.5 lb chicken)

• 3T olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• fresh chopped oregano (approx 2 –3T)
• salt & pepper

Cut chicken, into smaller 2” pieces and add to marinade.  Let chicken marinate for 30min (if you’re in a rush, but the longer the better)

While the chicken marinated, I made some Tzatziki!

• 1/2 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 clove garlic finely minced (1 large clove or 2 small)
• 1/2 of a large English cucumber, seeds removed, and diced
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• salt + pepper

Prepare veggies for the wraps.

• romaine or baby spinach
• sliced tomatoes
• sliced red onion
• sliced green bell pepper

Brian went out to grill the chicken, and I had also bought some steak and marinated it in a teriyaki-style marinade I bought at Trader Joes…also really good!!

I even whipped up some fast sweet potato fries!

• Wash 3 sweet potatoes
• poke with a fork
• and cook in microwave for 6 min (3 min on each side)
• Now that they are par-cooked, slice into “fries”
• place on baking sheet and coat with olive oil spray, with salt and pepper
• bake at 450 for 10-15 min, and then finish with broiler for a few minutes

yeah they went fast

Once it was all ready, we assembled our wraps and dug in!

Took about 1 hour for everything…not too shabby for ZERO preparation :)

Today was long run day!!

We had a brunch to go to at my aunts later, so we got up earlier to run first thing.

Pre-run fuel…

Whole wheat toast, half with Almond butter + strawberries, and half with PB and banana

Iced latte on the side (mostly espresso on ice with a splash of milk…don’t want too much milk before a run)

Today was another 10 miles and I was able to run with Brian this weekend.

Stopped a couple times…

• quick stop around 3 miles to take off my long sleeve shirt
• stop at 6.2 miles for Gu Chomps and water
• stop at 8ish miles so Brian could run to the bathroom

Aside from those, this was a MUCH better run than last weekend!  Unfortunately my right foot was bothering me through most of the run…plantar fasciitis pain, but I really just wanted to finish since I was NOT tired and my legs felt great!! 

This weekend’s 10 miles took 1:48 min…almost 5 min faster than last weekend!

At this point the half marathon definitely seems doable ;)

Looking forward to a leftover Greek wrap for lunch tomorrow!!