Dayton, OH: Day 1

Lars is moving to Dayton, OH. This weekend we’re looking for an apartment for him. I’m not having fun, because I want him to stay in Indiana with me. Woe is me and such.

We headed to Dayton on Friday and stopped in Indianapolis for a quick lunch: Patachou. Patachou is a chain in the Indianapolis area that suggests its a “student union for adults.” I don’t know what that entirely means. My college union has people passed out on couches and a copy center, but whatever Patachou…I like your food. You may be familiar with their main restaurant: Petit Chou. I usually get the croissant French Toast, which is awesome. I mean, come on: it’s buttery, flaky, and comes with candied pecans. Hol to the ler. I decided to be one of those ladies and get a salad. You see this “effort” to eat healthier? Well, it is there. I ordered the Chinese Chicken Salad. I ordered it because it has cabbage. I love some cabbage–not steamed–but cut up in salads or shredded on my carne asada tacos. Anyway, the salad had romaine lettuce, salad, steamed chicken, fried won tons (not so healthy, but work with me here), carrots, green onions, and ginger vinaigrette. This salad was awesome, because the chicken was shredded and worked through the entire salad and not just two stupid grilled slices sitting on top. I thought that was the ballerest salad move in the nation. Go, Patachou. I’ll visit your student union again, because I always do. (I only ate half the salad, because I was overwhelmed, but all the wontons of course).

Lars was paying and said I could get a cookie. So, I got a cookie. I ordered their spiced pecan shortbread and ate it during the car ride. It was buttery, flaky, and pecany. A delicious substitute to my favorite French Toast.

Lars and I reached Dayton and spent the evening apartment hunting, which went so-so. For dinner, we stopped at Figlio Wood Fired Pizza. I made my own pizza, because I’m picky. I asked for tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, roasted garlic, sun-dried  tomatoes, and prosciutto. It was okay and this is why. The sauce was good and sun-dried tomatoes had a nice sweetness. The crust was okay, but not that “fired.” The proscuitto was cut up too small. When I order meat, I order meat, lady. And, lastly… do not put spoonfuls of roasted garlic on the pizza. I got an unwelcome surprises in my mouth.  I ate most of it because I was famished, but I rather get take out next time. Sorry, Figlio.

Well, I’m off to start Day 2 of Dayton! Hope your weekends are going well.

Potpie and Regrets

Hey all! Good News: Today I made a potpie.

I found the recipe on Cooking Light’s website (yes, where I find all my recipes). This Old-Fashioned Chicken Potpie was a little extravagant and time-consuming for lunch, but it was my day off. This recipe was easy considering the crust is homemade. I loved it. Lars was so excited about it, he devoted a Facebook status to it.

Recipe Notes: I used store-bought rotisserie chicken from Target and it worked out great. I took out the potpie 10 minutes before the minimal time suggested on the recipe. It was golden and still cooked throughly. So maybe keep your eye on the oven. 

Making the inside in a skillet.

Before diving in.

Plated and Good!

I was proud of myself.

Bad News: ugh, weight.

I have weight issues. More specifically: binge eating issues. I’ve gained maybe 15 pounds over the past year, which is not surprising…I’ve been stressed. This could be the major (embarrassing) reason why I haven’t been blogging. When I’m in a phase of binge eating, I am so aware of the extra weight. It is so difficult talking about this to other women, because I am skinny. But, over the next month I am going to be on a “diet.” I use the term loosely, because I just write down what I eat. I don’t crunch numbers. I don’t weigh myself. I don’t have a goal weight. I just want to have more control over the situation. I am telling you all this, because I want to be a honest food blogger. So, over the next month, I’m going to be struggling. But, I think this community will be helpful.

Backstreet’s Back, Alright

Everybody, I am back. I know. You haven’t been this excited since Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” Which rocks, by the way. Right? Totally.

Anyway, I guess I should explain myself. I have mentioned several times I have been in a funk. I blame it on the longest winter ever; it was like 30 Days of Night. I blame it on my heavy wine and Law and Order: SVU consumption (but I don’t apologize for that). I blame it on the first year of my PhD. You are never good enough and you feel like a freshman all over again. I feel like I have been stuffed in a locker by the school bully for an entire semester. But, I’m better now. The sun is shining. I turn in my last paper tomorrow. I don’t have to teach freshman English next year (I get to teach Business Writing and work in the Writing Lab). I go to Scotland in a month. I found out my best friend will be in Scotland while I am there. Life was bad, now it is good.

I think I just needed to adjust. I think I just needed to be humbled.

Sorry, the post is late. I’ve been at the coffee shop most of the day, writing a paper. I look confused, because I was confused. It was an interesting day at the coffee house, because a Michael Lohan look-alike sat across from me. I was kind of rude to him, but he is a horrible father. Yes, I know. It is not the real Michael Lohan, but he kept staring. I’m not Kate Major, jerk. I’m busting out the pop culture references tonight, people.

Lars and I made dinner! Oh, by the way: I haven’t been posting (als0), because I never had time to cook. Double Oh: Lars is good. He got a professorship. He will only live 3 hours away. He is as cute as always. Blah, blah. Let’s not get mushy.

Lars and I teamed up and made a delicious Italian dinner. Lars made Herbed Chicken Piccata (Cooking Light). I love lemon and chicken. I love meals that don’t involve the oven. This was made in one skillet and it was fantastic. It was breaded. It was lemony. I made the very easy Tortellini with Olive Oil, Parmesan, Garlic, and Red Pepper from Cooking Light. It is simple and delicious, but I recommend adding the cheese after all the shit has gone down. If not, the cheese makes a big goopy ball that looks like an antagonist from a Goosebumps book. Yeah, dinner was awesome.

For dessert I had boxed wine and Starbuck’s Chocolate Java Chip ice cream. I didn’t eat the whole pint, which is a small victory.

Well, I’ll be spending the rest of the night commenting on y’all’s blogs and writing a paper. I’m glad to be back.

Sorry for spelling errors, I may be buzzed.

SNOW DAY!!!

So, I was told the Midwest is supposed to have the snow storm of the century. Last night (Monday) I was flipping out. Lars is stuck in Ohio. My mom called frantically asking if I had flashlights, because the power may go out. People were going crazy on Facebook. I thought: What should I have for my last meal?

When I was getting my Master’s at Miami University (of Ohio, not Florida…boo), I had few options for restaurants. I would say three places. During our last semester, my friend and I would enjoy some Wild Bistro after our evening seminar. Lately, I have been missing Wild Bistro’s Steamed Broccoli and Chicken. I thought I would recreate it for my last meal.

I used my wok to steam chicken and broccoli, but at the last minute I decided to throw in 3 mini vegetable potstickers.

For a dipping sauce, I mixed Hoisin and Low-Sodium Soy Sauce.

It was a filling, yet light, meal. The picture is not the most appetizing, but I am making this again tonight. The chicken was so juicy and the sauce was baller (Lars’s recipe).

I did not sleep well last night. I woke up at 2:23, 5:33, and finally at 6:30. I could hear the ice rain hitting my window all night. I thought, “OMG, I’m going to be blown away. I’m too cute for this shit.” At 6:30 I was awaken by a text message saying school was postponed…at Miami. Crap, I forget to stop my emergency text messages from my Master’s institution. But then…Hooray! I got a text message from my school saying all classes were cancelled. I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I decided to make the breakfast of snow day champions: pancakes! I’m not a Bisquick fan, but we had it and I wanted to save my flour for the scones I am making later. It was nothing dark chocolate chips cannot fix! I also poured a glass of V8 Fusion Light’s Pomegranate Blueberry juice. It was a quick breakfast for a day of relaxation. And by relaxation I mean reading school crap all day, but at my speed.

Stay safe!

When Life Gives You Lemons

I have been missing from the blog world lately, but I’ve been missing from the real world too. Life has been rough, boring, and stressful. So, I’ve been keeping to myself. To make matters worse, Lars is on the job market. He and I will be living states apart for four years. Then when I finish my PhD, we have to figure out how we can work at the same university. Or one of us has to drop everything and follow the other. It is complicated and annoying. He has been traveling a lot for campus visits, so I have gotten the taste of being alone and I hate it.

Complicated.

Lemons are not complicated, though. That is why I like them. I love how many things you can make with one lemon. For example, I made two Cooking Light dishes recently. They both rocked.

First, I made Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca. It is more beautiful on the Cooking Light site, but only because I couldn’t find fresh whole sage leaves. I had to use the dry sage stuff, but found it was still delicious. The chicken was wrapped in prosciutto, which Lars is a fan of. I was a big fan of the lemony sauce. I recommend serving it with a whole wheat long pasta; it soaks up the juices.

The same lemon I used for dinner made some delicious Lemon-Cornmeal Cookies. I loved these cookies. LOVED.

What is your favorite thing to do with a lemon?

Well, I have to read more articles. Have a great Monday!

Frozen India

Today has been more productive than the last few days of bumming. I woke up and did my Personal Training with Jackie DVD (from Bravo, of course). I also went grocery shopping. All this activity made me forget about lunch. It also made me too lazy to actually make lunch. That means: frozen food. Frozen food is good for lazy people. I’ve been craving Indian food lately, but I’m trying to save money. This wasn’t as good as the real thing, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

The picture above is an intense action shot: I am grabbing the food out of the freezer. Anyway, I have had this bag of Trader Joe’s Garlic Naan for awhile. It is super quick to make. I thought it would go perfect with my Ethnic Gourmet: Chicken Tikka Masala. Ethnic Gourmet is one my favorite frozen brands. Once plated, this meal looks like the real deal.

This meal was pretty damn good for being frozen. This isn’t going to be like a trip to the local Indian restaurant, but it is better than eating cereal (again).

After all that work in the kitchen, I’m going to take the rest of the day easy. Whew. I’ll be painting my nails with one of my new polishes, and then settling down with Coat Throat tea and Ernest Hemingway’s The Garden of Eden.

What book are you reading now? Do you recommend it?

I finally cooked: Spaghetti and Meatballs

I have finally cooked a meal from scratch, folks. It took five hours and a burnt finger, but it was brilliant. Honestly, it was the best meal I have ever cooked.

It all began at 3 PM. I prepared Marinara Magnifica from Cooking Light. This took a good 3 hours to simmer. Let me tell you: this sauce is fantastic. It was chunky. It had wine in it. Need I say more? It had a fabulous smoky taste to it, which I attribute to the cast iron dutch oven. You know what goes well with freaking spaghetti? Meatballs, holler yo.

So, I have never liked meatballs. I grew up calling them “meatloaf balls.” I just never, ever liked them. When browsing Smitten Kitchen, I came across a recipe for Baked Chicken Meatballs. These meatballs have so much going on: parsley, Canadian bacon, milk-soaked bread (we used the Virgina Savory bread from Great Harvest), onion, and tomato paste (in them and brushed on top of them). These meatballs have turned over a new leaf for me. Meatballs are delicious.  Lars almost lost his shit for these meatballs.

 

The meal was even more awesome, because I got to drink the leftover wine in my mini wine glass.

Lunch tomorrow is going to be leftover paradise. Shit, that is a great cooking show title.

I miss you, all.

Cooking for the Busy Scholar

Hey everyone!

The computer is still acting up, but things have slowed down. I have never had so much difficulty settling down somewhere in my life. It has been extremely busy, but fun. I am so excited to just do homework and clean my house, which is odd. I’ll be posting everyday again, because things have slowed down enough for me to manage my own time.

Lars and I have had time to break in the kitchen even more. I don’t know when we made dishes, but they were eaten.

Dish # 1: Orange Chicken

Guess where this recipe is from? Cooking Light? Where else? That website is like crack. Anyway, Lars and I loved the Orange Chicken. It had breading, which isa  health foodie’s guilty pleasure. But it is from Cooking Light. Holler, bitches! Also, this dish called for white wine. This means you have to drink the rest of it, because you don’t want to waste. Lars and I paired this orange chicken with Near East rice pilaf.

Dish #2: Pan-Seared Chicken with Artichokes and Pasta

To use more of the white wine, I searched Cooking Light again for a recipe. Luckily, I found this pasta dish and it was so simple to make. I left out the olives and used whole grain penne pasta instead. Also, I cut the chicken up so it would cook faster, and because I prefer it that way. I’m on this artichoke kick lately, so it hit the spot. This is such a great dish to have on a weeknight because it is easy, but very weekend-quality. Does that make sense? No? Well, it is good.

Dish #3: Italian Sausage and Feta Pizza

Lars and I bought a Boboli whole wheat crust and piled on the homemade tomato sauce, whole wheat sausage, the hot italian turkey sausage, fat-free feta cheese, and basil. Yum and easy. Have you had ww Boboli crust? Did you like it?

I’m going to go start this 3-day weekend? What are you all up to this weekend?

Back to School Food

Hey, hey, hey.

Today has been busy. I want it to be Thursday, like now. I woke up early and taught my first class. My class is mostly male, but they were talkative and awake. I also had two graduate seminars. Holy crap, a lot of reading in my future. After teaching, I took my reading to the local coffee shop, Greyhouse. I helped myself to one of their new savory crepes: the broccoli, chicken, and swiss (with some green onions thrown in). It was pretty awesome, but my one complaint is that the broccoli was too cold. I would order it again, though.

After all the teaching and learning, I headed to Zumba class with some fellow female graduate students. Okay, Zumba is awesome. You don’t stand still, once. I can feel it in my butt. I’m totally going again, but I was exhausted after this first class. Since Lars was my ride, I had to read outside while he was in class. That workout drained me, so I needed some post-workout nourishment: a mango smoothie. It made reading bearable.

Lars had sent a text earlier today saying he’d make dinner, because I had been working so hard. He made a delicious pepperoni pizza with some fresh mozzarella and basil. He even made the sauce.  I’ll keep him.

So, today rocked as much as a school day can rock. But ugh, back to reading.

What is your favorite type of smoothie?

Woman v. BBQ

I have internet, finally. I never realized how addicted I was to wifi. I was going stir crazy. Since I’m not rolling in the benjamins or worse–the washingtons–I don’t have the money to leave the house. My only escape now is wifi, but it used to be Man v. Food. Lars and I have been watching hours and hours of that show. Some may be turned off by the food, but it just makes me hungry for bar food. Specifically, Adam Richman has re-sparked my love for BBQ. Well, thanks to Cooking Light this hunger has been satisfied. I found a fantastic recipe for Pulled Chicken Sandwiches, a FANTASTIC recipe.

Lars shreds.

This recipe requires a rub and a sauce, so there is a ton of flavor. It was made even better when between a Great Harvest hamburger bun. Lars and I moaned numerous times while eating this, which may have given the downstairs neighbor the wrong idea. I also whipped up some 2-serving sweet potato fries. This was a prefect dinner to accompany my much need beer. Not only was this my dinner last night, but it will most likely be my lunch and dinner today.

Back to watching The Bachelor Pad.