New year, a little late

I am very behind in my new year's resolution to update my blog on a regular basis!

Since my last post, this runner has taken up yoga (namaste) and cooking. Life is good. I have stuck to my goal of cooking more in the new year, which has been fun - and relaxing.

I have been using the Smitten Kitchen cookbook and enjoying the tasteful creations inside. Yum.

One of the first things that I made from the cookbook was the broccoli slaw (pg. 72), which I paired with pork tenderloin. I have made it nearly a half dozen times since. The dish is well received and I expect it to be even more delicious (if that's possible) come summer.

Next, I made maya's sweet and sour holiday brisket and roasted fingerling and carrot coins (pg. 183 - see below), which was out of this world. It's pretty easy, just requires a few hours to cook (unless you use the crock-pot).

And the final result!

James and I had friends over for dinner one cold, January night and I made gnocchi in tomato broth (pg.177). I didn't realize how time intensive making her gnocchi recipe was (albeit delicious) until I had already started. The gnocchi did not turn out as beautiful as hers did in the photo, but it was still delicious. Next time, I will either find a less complicated gnocchi recipe or simply buy already made gnocchi and just make the awesome broth to go with it.

More to come!

No time like the present

It has been a while since my last post. Whoops!

Since my last post (in October, yikes), my husband and I have enjoyed some delicious meals (including Salt in Butchers Hill and Petit Louis in Roland Park). Last weekend we went with friends to Birroteca (off Falls Road near Hampden) - what a hot spot. James and I enjoyed the duck duck goose pizza - yum! Although, I must admit, I prefer Iggies duck pizza. It's unlike any other pizza.

For my birthday, I was given a wonderful gift of the Smitten Kitchen cookbook. James and I are earmarking pages and salivating as we select recipes! It looks like we'll be using the crockpot for the first recipe! (I've been dying to use the crockpot for a while now).

Last Saturday we ran the Celtic Solstice 5-miler through Druid Hill on a chilly December morning, which was fitting six days before the first official day of winter (yesterday). This is the second time we did this race and we had a blast.

I am not one to make new year's resolutions, but I do hope to update my blog more often in 2013. I'm looking forward to wonderful meals and spending time with my family and friends in the new year. What are you looking forward to?

Pumpkin, chorizo and goat cheese pizza

'Tis the season for pumpkin. Yesterday I decided to try making pizza with pumpkin, chorizo and goat cheese for us for dinner.

I had pumpkin pizza at Iggies a couple of years ago and I remember that it was awesome.
I used Trader Joe's whole wheat dough (next time I think I'll attempt to make my own as the wheat flavor was bit too strong), a can of organic pumpkin, one link of smoked chorizo (from Wegmans) and goat cheese.

In the November issue of Real Simple that came in the mail yesterday, there was an awesome recipe for roasted Brussels sprouts with lemon (I didn't add garlic or butter as the recipe called for, but did add the lemon juice, bread crumbs, olive oil, salt and pepper). The Brussels sprouts were a nice side dish with the pizza. Having had Brussels sprouts prepared this way before, this is my favorite way to eat them!

I thought the pizza was awesome, but James and I agreed that it could use a little something extra - something with more of a kick, perhaps, or omit the goat cheese to make the dish a bit less creamy. I'm looking forward to tweaking this recipe and making it again - soon.

Since it's the season for pumpkin this and pumpkin that, I've been perusing recipes with pumpkin. I just found a recipe for Smitten Kitchen pumpkin cinnamon rolls - I will have to try making these soon!

Safety first

More than five years ago I decided to start running and I have known about Road ID for at least three years. It has taken me years, but I just purchased one for my own safety.

Now that I've made the leap, I can't believe that I did not make this purchase years ago. It seems silly.

I'm looking forward to receiving the package in the mail, strapping my runner ID onto my wrist and hitting the road for my next run with peace of mind.

Race For Our Kids

Today was the annual Race For Our Kids, which is my favorite race. This was the fifth year I have signed up to run this race - time flies, literally!

This is the third year my husband and I have both signed up for the race, which is special. We ran the entire 6.2 miles together and had a blast. The course is mostly flat, except for the last .6 mile or so, which is entirely uphill!

What a great way to spend an early morning on the first full day of fall! There was a chill in the air which made for perfect running conditions - so long to the heat and humidity from summer and hello fall.

Only 364 days until the next race! Let the countdown begin.

Leek, kale and corn flatbread

Saturday night I made the Leek, chard and corn flatbread from Smitten Kitchen, my favorite foodie website! Super easy and delicious.

I substituted kale for the chard, which was delicious. This was my second time eating kale and I loved it. A lot like spinach, but perhaps even better.
I used dough from Trader Joe's (next time I'll give making my own another go) for this recipe, which turned out great! I used 2 pounds of frozen leeks, which turned out to be a bit much. I had a bunch leftover and consequently don't want to look at another leek for a while!

The flatbreads were awesome - a nice early fall dish, heavy on the veggies. But, not to forget the goat cheese, one of my favorite things in the world. It goes with everything!

I forgot to take a picture, but both flatbreads look exactly as they do on Smitten Kitchen, which means I must have been successful!

The flatbreads were perfect for dinner last night because my husband and I ran the Race For Our Kids 10K (6.2 miles) Sunday morning, so we wanted to enjoy some carbs in preparation for the race. We did fairly well, so this must have been the right recipe!

Next time I want to make a flatbread I'm planning to make one with pumpkin and gorgonzola! Two of my favorite flavors - together. Can't go wrong (hopefully)!

Lobster, lobster, lobster

At Rehoboth Beach last weekend, James and I stumbled upon a lobster dinner special at Claws Seafood Restaurant on "the main drag"(Rehoboth Avenue) and couldn't resist. Our quest for finding a restaurant ended then and there. For a ridiculously good price, we each enjoyed 1 1/4 pound lobsters and two sides (I enjoyed hush puppies and the fresh vegetable of the day).

Experienced at eating crabs, neither of us had eaten a whole lobster before. We weren't entirely sure how to tackle it. Our waitress was gracious enough to give us a quick tutorial. As it turns out, eating lobster is much like eating crabs, just not nearly as messy, but equally as delicious.

I should have taken a picture of the beautiful, red lobster, but alas I forgot. This is a restaurant I look forward to visiting again next summer!

So long, summer

James and I spent one day of the long Labor Day weekend - the "unofficial" end to summer - at the beach.

Last summer I introduced him to the Royal Treat in Rehoboth Beach, Del., an ice cream parlor my parents first took me to in 1988. Other than getting new tables a few years ago, nothing has changed there. Nothing. Which is one of the reasons I love it so, so much - besides the amazing milkshakes they make with good ol' Hershey's ice cream.

Before leaving the beach last weekend, we enjoyed milkshakes (James had vanilla, I had chocolate), a tradition I have been enjoying for more than 20 years.

Hershey's ice cream and a trip to the first beach I ever went to was the perfect way to end summer 2012.

Cast iron skillet

James and I purchased a cast iron skillet from the new Sur La Table in Towson (an awesome kitchen gadget store) a mere 24 hours ago and have already used it three times!

We have used it to made dinner (Chinese food from Trader Joe's), blueberry cobbler (top photo) and a potato hash for breakfast (bottom photo).

The blueberry cobbler recipe is from Cooking for Seven (a cooking blog site James found which I'm looking forward to exploring) and the potato hash is from Smitten Kitchen (a favorite foodie site). Both are scrumptious dishes and I think turned out particularly awesome because of the skillet.

The cobbler reminded me of a peach dessert we had at Woodberry Kitchen earlier this summer (see my Aug. 26 post), also cooked in a skillet. We made the dessert on a whim, so we only had about half of the blueberries that the recipe called for, but it still turned out well. The crumble on top was made with ground cinnamon, which added that little something extra to the dessert.

The potato hash - bacon, potatoes, corn and an egg - was hearty but not too over-the-top heavy. The bacon was flavorful and infused the entire dish. The potatoes were crispy, thanks to the skillet.



We're planning to make pancakes in the skillet next weekend - looking forward to that treat!

Bouchon Bakery cookbook - coming soon!

One of the stops on our honeymoon in April/May was to Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, Ca. (in Napa Valley. There happens to a Bouchon Bakery in Rockefeller Plaza (NY) that I stumbled upon this summer. Lucky me!). The pastries were/area incredible. I forget exactly what we had, but I know we enjoyed a couple macarons that were out of this world.

Yesterday, my husband informed me that the bakery is releasing the Bouchon Bakery cookbook this fall. As the saying goes, never judge a book by it's cover. In this case, I am judging the book by its cover and it looks delicious!