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I had no idea that they paint those huge movie billboards. I have to say, this might be the coolest thing I've ever seen. It was like an oversized massive paint-by-numbers. This might have been the coolest thing I saw today and if Jen hadn't moved I would have never learned this little secret!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The Real Housewives of NJ

This might sound weird, but there is nothing like watching the drama
of the NJ Housewives Reunion Show at the end of a long, hot, tiring
day. Maybe seeing how crazy Danielle is makes my day seem more
normal!

--
Sent from my mobile device

Beth

Facing the Truth

I guess it is time for me to face the truth...the school year is once again starting.  When I was younger this would always be the worst and best time of year for me.  On one hand I was always sad that I had to start school again and that I needed to do homework again.  On the other hand, I was excited because the start of the school year meant seeing my friends again and getting to buy new clothes.  Now in my adult life I am met with a little bit of the same feelings. 

Of course I like my job, I wouldn't do it if I didn't, but no one WANTS to go back to work after having almost three months off.  It also means that the summer season is coming to a close and the tank tops and shorts need to be put away.  I think probably the worst thing about going back to work is the notion of having to get dressed up again every day.  The teaching part, I am okay with that, seeing the kids, I am actually almost excited about, but waking up and getting dressed....uh...I'm not ready yet!

I love fall and everything that comes with it, Halloween, Thanksgiving, the ability to wear fall jackets and my new cute Calvin Klein pumps, I just could really wish that I didn't have to go back to the daily grind.  Anyhow, today I went back to school shopping, and although this time it was for classroom supplies and not new clothes it was still fun and I am excited to have new things and excited to use them.  I have so many ideas for this next year, although I am sure I will forget half of them on the second day of school when the madness sets in.  Fall really is a new, fresh, crisp beginning...now I just have to convince myself that I am excited!

WOW!

I almost saw the demise of my iPod today...it was terrifying!  A Nice Truck Driver let me cross the street today while out on a run, so I lifted my hand to thank him and yanked the headphones out of my iPod.  The next thing I knew I turned around, for what reason I am not sure, and there was my iPod in the middle of the street about 2 inches away from the double tires of Nice Truck Driver's truck.  Thankfully, Nice Truck Driver stopped and let me run out into the road to retrieve my iPod!  I am not sure what was scarier to me, knowing I would have to buy a new iPod or knowing that I would have to continue my run with no iPod.

Side of the Day: Cheesy Grits!

Cheesy Grits

They say that French people, although they love food, are skinnier than Americans.  If I had to base that fact on what Paula Deen cooked today on her "French Special", I would think that someone needs to look into what the French are doing.  I mean, if I lived off of crepes, French onion soup, and mayonnaise I would surely have a heart attack by my 29th birthday!  Now I know that Paula Deen is not the chef to watch if you want your waste line to get lean, but sometimes I wonder if she realizes that she might be adding to the country's obesity problem.  Almost every recipe she makes uses at least one stick of butter, but she makes it look so good how can one resist but to try her food?  The Queen of Southern Cuisine did tempt my into cooking cheesy grits once though.  It was my first experience with grits and I hope that it isn't my last.  I did some modifications to make them "less fattening", but it's cheesy grits and sometimes you need to just to dig in and not Google the nutritional value!

Cheesy Grits:
1/3 Cup of grits
1 1/3 Cup of water
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. of pepper
2 1/2 Ounces of Low Fat Shredded Cheese

Bring the water and salt to a boil in a small sauce pan.  Once the water is boiling use a whisk to stir in the grits.  (Using a whisk helps to make sure that the grits don't get lumpy).  Once whisked, cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.  (You will know when they are done because the water will be mostly evaporated at this point).  When the grits are cooked, simply add the cheese and stir until completely blended. 

I might use this as a alternative side dish to my Salmon Cakes next time! 
 

Meal of the Summer!

Honey Key Lime Grilled Chicken

As I said the other day, this chicken recipe is fantastic.  And this is coming from someone who hates chicken.  Every time I go home my mom says, "Maybe I should cook tonight, let's grill."  Every time she says that I groan.  It is really easy to get sick of chicken.  First of all it is the easiest thing to store and freeze so most people keep chicken on hand as opposed to fish or meat.  Second of all it's pretty easy to make, even in an apartment where you have no grill.  You can either baked it, fry it, or broil it, whereas meat doesn't always offer so many cooking options.  Basically what that boils down to is that I eat chicken like 4-3 times a week.  (Oh yeah, you can boil chicken to, but the look of that finished product freaks me out!)  So it is safe to say when I go home I don't want to eat chicken...and I definitely don't want my mom's chicken.  No disrespect to my mother, she is a wonderful cook, but when it comes to grilled chicken it is always the same...teriyaki chicken!  But now I have a solution, Honey Key Lime Grilled Chicken!  It is so tasty, tangy and sweet all at the same time and super easy with very little clean up!  Without further ado here he is recipe!

The Recipe: (Makes 4 Servings)

5 Tablespoons of Key Lime juice

2 Tablespoons of Honey

1 Clove of Garlic minced

1/2 teaspoon of Lemon Pepper

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a plastic Ziploc bag mix all of the marinade ingredients together.  Mush the honey in and shake the entire mixture up until it is all mixed well.  Place the chicken breasts in the bag and place in refrigerator for about an hour, occasionally flipping.  You can lave the chicken in longer, but leave it in for at least an hour so that you can marinate each side for a half hour. 

When marinating is completed to your liking either grill or broil chicken flipping halfway through.  Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside.  

**If you want to add a sauce to this chicken to give it a little extra taste oomph, repeat the marinade recipe cut in half in a small sauce pan.  Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and bring to a boil. 

***You can also serve this as a appetizer by cutting the chicken into small cubes when cooked, place tooth picks into each piece and pass around with dipping sauce.  

Enjoy...I know I did!

Honey Lime Garlic Chicken

Oh my god! That's about all I can say about my new found favorite
recipe! So sweet and tart at the same time and a perfect different
spin on a summer bbq ready chicken...which I broiled due to my lack of
outdoor space and bbq!

Recipe to follow!

--
Sent from my mobile device

Beth

Breakfast of the Day: Banana Smoothies!

Two Banana Smoothies!

I don't have a picture of my peanut butter and banana smoothie...because I drank it!  I thought to myself, "Well you hated that smoothie you made yesterday so before you take a picture of this one maybe you should taste it.  Yum.  How about just one more sip.  Mmmmmm...just one more and I will take a picture of it. Sluuuuurp.  Oops it's gone!"  So that's the story of my peanut butter and banana smoothie!  

I wanted to get metabolism jump started in the morning from a  high protein breakfast, but I didn't really want to eat sausage or eggs so I needed to come up with something else.  So while flipping through my Self and Bon Appetite magazines I decided to try some smoothies this summer.  The first one I didn't like, but to be fair, I bet other people would so I will still post that recipe.  The second one I tried...yummmmmmmy!  I started out with banana smoothies since they are high in potassium and healthy for you.  First up:

Banana and Almond Smoothie

The Recipe: (Makes one smoothie)

1/2 large ripe Banana

1/2 Cup of Almond Milk (you can use whole milk, but almond milk is better for you)

1/2 Cup of Ice Cubes (Make them from coconut water and it won't water down the smoothie)

1/2 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar

1/4 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Easy right?  The next one is even easier and it is FULL of protein thanks to the peanut butter in it!

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

The Recipe: (Makes one smoothie)

5 Ounces of Skim Milk or Soy Milk (I used fat free Lactaid milk)

1/2 large ripe Banana

1 Tablespoon of Fat Free Peanut Butter

3 Coconut Water Ice Cubes (optional, this makes the smoothie thicker, blend it without the cubes first and see if it is to your liking, if you want it thicker use the CW Ice Cubes)

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Enjoy the energy, the taste and the healthy way and fast way to get your morning protein!

It's Peanut Butter Yogurt Time!

As promised, where to find the yummy creamy peanut buttery frozen yogurt.  Now I am a chocolate yogurt with rainbow sprinkles kind of girl so when Rachel told me that I just had to try peanut butter yogurt I was a bit skeptical.  I love peanut butter, but I couldn't imagine it being a light snack, peanut butter is pretty heavy.  I resisted the entire time that we were at the beach and stuck to my chocolate yogurt with an M&M twist on it, but when I got back things changed.  I had a hankering for chocolate yogurt with COCONUT M&Ms!  So I walked to the local fro yo shop and was ready to order.  To my surprise they didn't have chocolate.  Wait, what?!  No chocolate?! Isn't that standard, you always know that at least you are going to have vanilla or chocolate to choose from.  I was not happy, especially considering the fact that I wanted a lemon tart first and had to change my craving due to the fact that Le Pain Quotidien was closed and now here I was striking out again!  So I looked at the "Flavors of the Day" and noticed that the closest thing to chocolate yogurt was "peanut butter cup".  Well, at least it was chocolate...and I guess it killed two birds with one stone, I was now going to be forced to try peanut butter yogurt.  That first bite...was...heaven!  So the next time I went in I mixed chocolate and peanut butter, that tasted about the same but I noticed that the peanut butter yogurt was amazing!  The next time I went a little further and bought peanut butter cup yogurt mixed with peanut butter, again, amazing.  Finally last night I went for the full monty, pure peanut butter yogurt and let me tell you.  It...was...BEYOND...heaven! 

Still skeptical?  Well, I would be too probably I am a pretty picky eater, but let me tell you it is worth trying!  Here is where you can sample the divine flavor:

40 Carrots
(59th and Lexington in Bloomingdales) (212) 705-3085

TCBY
(1640 York Ave.  between 86th and 87th)  (212) 327-3869
 (901 Avenue of the Americas.  @ 34th Street)  (212) 760-1952

Heavenly Delights
(847 2nd Ave.  Between 45th and 46th) (767 Lexington Avenue.  @ 60th)


16 Handles 
(153 2nd Avenue.  Between 9th and 10th) (212) 260-4414 


That's all the places that I know about first hand.  If you know any other places, please feel free to leave the places name in the comments section.  Make sure that you call first because these places do not carry the peanut butter flavor everyday, but I am sure they will always have something else yummy to quell your craving!

Shark Week is Back

I just watched a shark consume over 470 pounds of tuna...according to the host of the show that like a human eating 40 pounds of sushi!  Who wants to go out for sushi tonight? Not me.  You know what else I don't want to do?  Watch Shark Week.  No, no, have no fear I haven't lost my love of shark's I am just really angry with Discovery Channel this year.  (Oh, I am going to watch it regardless, more on that later).  I love Shark Week, and all of the promos for it this year really had me excited, but discovery channel is a bit like a One Day Sale, they promised a lot, but when you get there nothing is in your size and nothing is new! 

I mean, Discovery Channel does Shark Week EVERY YEAR and every year it comes in August...so what exactly is their excuse for not having any new programs for this years line up?!  Is it really possible that there was nothing new in the shark world this year?  Could it be that there weren't any crazy people willing to get into the water and be filmed while being hunted by a Great White, a Tiger, or a Bull Shark?  Let's get real here Discovery Channel, there will always be people who are willing to do these things.  Not to mention the fact that there is a MAJOR long line fishing problem right now that is claiming hundreds of shark lives per day!  Don't tell me that Animal Planet has a monopoly on Sea Shepard, you couldn't get Paul Watson to have a special on sharks this year?  Or what about this little oil spill we have going on here?  Not enough time to record some current events on the fact that this spill is creating sharks to migrate out of their normal waters?  WHALE SHARKS PEOPLE....THEY ARE CLOSE TO SHORE AND DISCOVERY CHANNEL IS NOT ON THAT?!  White Sharks in Massachusetts ...we might hear about that in three years on a Shark Week Special.  Get the rights to Sharkwater, it's fascinating...do something instead of just showing us the same stuff from last year. 

People are going to start rebelling.  You might start getting sharks sent to your offices "Save Friday Night Lights" style! I mean, what's up Discovery Channel?  Oh....I hope the sharks didn't get you all and that's why we have no programing this year.  Well if that is true...Discovery Channel:  Call me, I got some ideas for you and would LOVE to work for you!

The Bachelorette Finale

I want to be the first person to put this out there:  Chris Lambton, You are awesome and if you are ever in NYC visiting friends I want to meet you!

For those of you reading who think I am nuts lets just review the facts:

1.  I am a teacher:  although I could never teach math because I have a hard time adding without counting on my fingers and my middle school students think it is hilarious...Your could totally figure out the tip for me!  (Plus since I got a new phone without a tip calculator on it Jen wants to quit that job!)
2.  I had a lab:  And I want another one like NOW!
3.  I love the beach!
4. My family is the most important thing in my life.
5.  I used to run track in High School, but please don't make me run long distances!  I was a sprinter!
6.  My friend Jaime...from Massachusetts says so!

(wow...Google can sure make you sound like a stalker?!)

I need to be upfront and honest though:

1.  I am from NY and although I don't really like baseball I am not sure I can route for the Red Sox without my father disowning me.
2.  I know I can't route for the Celtics without myself disowning me!
3.  I am allergic to shellfish, so we can't eat any  crab or lobster. 

So....that's what I think!  Call me!

What Does Your Fridge Say About You?

What My Fridge Says About Me!

The Front:  Like I said, the outside of your fridge can tell just as much about you as the inside can.  If I had my choice, I would have a spotless stainless steel fridge with very little on it.  Unfortunately...I don't have a choice...so instead I have a cream colored fridge (which very well might have been white at one point in time) from the 1990's with an extremely loud motor which doesn't do much to cool my fridge as well as it should be.  It also has what looks to be residue from a sticker that was put on it circa 1991, so I had to come up with a way to cover up the bland grossness that is the exterior of my fridge. 

So what does the exterior of my fridge say about me?  It says that I clearly a person who has too much time on their hands considering that each picture is placed in a perfect order.  To be honest, I don't even like the idea of having all of those magnets on it, there is a bit too much chaos on there for me.  It also says that my family and friends are important to me.  

And now onto the more important part of the psychoanalysis, the INSIDE! Let's take a look at the door first.  The one thing that this screams out is this girls has A LOT of salad dressing!  Funny thing is, I don't even eat that much salad!  Then you see my old lady vitamin of the day box.  Wow this girl must be healthy...I haven't taken my vitamins in  three months!  My refrigerator door is a liar!   I mean really, what a mockery it is making of me...or am I making a mockery of it?

The Rest of the Fridge Reveals the Truth:  It looks stocked right?  I already told you though, my fridge is a dirty dirty liar!  It is had pants, they would be on fire!  The freezer says:  "You just cleaned me out!  Thanks now no one will know that 90 percent of the things you put in here you forget about and then can't even find later!"  The fridge part screams, "YOU CLEANED OUT THE FREEZER?!  WHAT THE FRIDGE?!  WHEN IS IT MY TURN?!"  In reality, my fridge just really isn't that big.  In a little smaller reality, but still truthful...I lose things in here too and then I wonder to myself why I have no room left.  For instance, what you can't see is that I have a bowl of aioli on the bottom shelf that I have forgotten about and it might very likely have gone bad by now.  You can't see that I have Blue Moon Beers that if I were a boy, or had a male figure in my apartment for more than 5 hours they would be gone.  How long have they been in there?  Um...a month?  I have WAY so much hummus, I should be able to speak Arabic by now.  There is a yogurt I forgot about behind the milk and the water...that was open...ew!  So what does my fridge say about me?  I forget about a lot of things, I might be a pack rat, and yet even though my fridge is full...I still can never find anything to eat.

Psychoanalysis:  Maybe I can't let go of things...Or MAYBE I NEED A NEW FRIDGE!!!!!  

Remember:  I want to see what your fridge says about you, email them over:  tresfetch@gmail.com

What Does Your Fridge Say About You?

Your fridge can say a lot about you. Not only what you have chosen to
put on the front of it, but more importantly what is on the inside of
it! Later today I'm going to post pictures of the inside of my fridge
and do a little psychoanalysis on myself.

If there is anyone out there who wants to know what their fridge says
about them (or what their unsuspecting boyfriend's fridge says) feel
free to send a picture on over to: tresfetch@gmail.com

--
Sent from my mobile device

Beth

Side of the Day: Coconut Rice

Coconut Rice

So Jaime came over the other day and wanted to have a "cooking lesson".  It's not that she can't cook, in fact I bet if she put her mind to it she would be a great cook, she is Greek and they do know how to cook so it might be in her blood.  It's just that she doesn't want to cook.  Why? You ask.  Does she have a teeny-tiny NYC kitchen?  Does she not like to wash dishes? Are there no supermarkets near her?  The answer to all of these questions...NOPE!  Her kitchen is a beautiful stainless steel kitchen with granite counter tops.  She has a brand new dishwasher and the supermarket?  Across the street!  Of course she claims that it is a "Grade F Supermarket".  She claims that supermarkets have different grades of qualities (as usual with Jaime's claims I am not sure if this is true) and that the one across the street from her is rated at a the grade of F.  Ever wonder what happens to food that expires on the shelves before someone can buy it up?  Apparently it goes across the street to Jaime's supermarket!  I wonder if she knows this bit of information:

If you buy something from Food Emporium (and maybe some other supermarkets too) and it was expired already, you can bring it back and they will give you a refund for the product.  

This is why I find her story hard to believe.  Regardless, Jaime doesn't like to cook and wants to learn some easy recipes.  However, Jaime had a bad sushi dinner recently so our menu needed to be bland and limited.  Jaime needed to follow the BRAT (Bananas, Rice, Apples, Toast) diet, but loosely since she had been better for a while now so luckily, I had a twist on broiled chicken in my back pocket (The Lemon Broiled Chicken from earlier on the site) and a twist on rice, Coconut Rice.  

The Recipe:

2 Cups of Jasmine Rice

1 Tablespoon of Butter

1 Can of Coconut Milk

1 Cup of Water

1 Cinnamon Stick

Rinse the rice in a strainer until the water runs clear.  You will notice that at first the water will come out a milky white color, after about 5 minutes the rice water will most likely run clear.  

Melt the butter into a 2-3 quart sauce pan over moderately high heat.  Make sure that you swirl the pan as the butter melts because you do not want the butter to brown and burn.  Once the butter is melted add the rice, stirring constantly until the rice becomes an opaque color.  (This should take about 3 to 4 minutes.)

Next add the Coconut Milk, Water and the Cinnamon Stick to the rice and bring mixture to a boil.  (stir at least 3 times so that the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.  No one (except Scott) likes burnt rice.)

Once at a boil reduce the heat to a simmer and cover for about 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand COVERED for 5 Minutes.  Take out the cinnamon stick, fluff the rice and ENJOY!  

TIP:  If you are cooking for just yourself, or just one other person, don't bother cutting the recipe down, in fact you might even want to double it. Why?  No one likes making, or thinking about, sides.  So take the leftovers and split them into individual (or double) sized portions and freeze in sandwich size freezer bags. 

For dessert I would have LOVED to try out my new recipe for Coconut Creme Brulee but due to Jaime's restrictions we just went with a light mini-yellow cake cupcake with Key Lime Frosting.  I'll try the Creme Brulee soon and share! So will Jaime cook this on her own now that she has been "schooled"?  Hmmm...I'm not too sure about that, but if she wants to...the recipe is here for her!

Note:  No picture today....I figured...Coconut Rice, looks like...rice!

Dessert of the Day: Key Lime Cupcakes!

Key Lime Cupcakes!

It's summer, which means that I have a stronger than usual hankering for the taste of lime. Usually I like to have lime in a tall glass of coke, but due to the fact that I have waged war on empty calories I have decided to cut out soda and juice almost completely. Don't get me wrong, I still drink more than a person's fair share of seltzer water which I make sure is either Lemon, Lime or Orange flavored, but sometimes that is just not enough.

When Ilana decided to have a BBQ at her new hoboken apartment I decided that I would be a good guest and bring something. This was the perfect opportunity to try out some of the cupcakes that I wanted to make. I have a list of "summer" cupcakes that I wanted to try and make. Pina Colada was out of the question thanks to Ilana's allergy to pineapple (although please don't think that this allergy stopped her from drinking some of my pina colada in Puerto Rico. Just recently she admitted that this was NOT a good idea!) The Margarita cupcakes seemed way too involved for the amount of time that I had, and the Pink Champagne Cupcakes required me to not only buy a bottle of champagne at 8am but also to consume the rest of it in that one day...since Ilana also has an aversion to champagne and I wasn't so excited to drink it all on my own before 12:30 I decided that I should skip these cupcakes until we had some sort of night time party where I could convince everyone to drink the remainder of the bottle! So Key Lime Cupcakes won the battle of the desserts!

NOTE: When you cook when you are hungry it is hard not to eat what you are cooking during the cooking! Luckily for me I experienced salmonella first hand and I can assure you...as good as that batter looks...DO NOT lick the bowl!!

The Recipe:
1 Box of Lemon Cake Mix (I used Dunkin Hines simply because I am a big fan of them...and, luckily for me, it was the only lemon cake box on the shelf)
1 Box of lime-flavored jello
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 drops of food coloring

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Place paper baking cups into muffin tins (this recipe made about 24 cupcakes depending on how much batter you placed in each cup).

In a large bowl, beat cake mix and Jello together on low speed for about 30 seconds. (I know that this sounds weird considering that I am telling you to use an electric mixer to mix two dry things together, but you really need to in order to make sure that the lemon and lime fully mix together and each cupcake tastes like lemon-lime instead of a lemon one here and a lime on there.) Add remaining cupcake ingredients. Beat with mixer on low speed for about 30 seconds, then on medium speed for about 2 minutes, making sure to scape the bowl as necessary. Do not over-beat, but make sure that everything is completely mixed in and the batter is smooth.

Pour the batter evenly into each cupcake cup. I like to pour some of my batter into a liquid measuring cup first because the lip makes it easier to pour the batter into the cups. If you have a bowl with a pouring spout you're already all set up for an easy pour.

Bake cupcakes for 17-22 minutes. When you check on the cupcakes stick a toothpick in the center of a cupcake, if it comes out clean the cupcakes are ready! Cool the pan for about 10 minutes before taking the cupcakes out and placing them on a cooling rack.

Time to Make the Frosting!!
1 Container of Betty Crocker or Dunkin Hines whipped fluffy white frosting
1 Tablespoon of fresh Key Lime or regular Lime juice. (make sure to taste your frosting, you might want to add more lime juice. I think I ended up adding at least 2 Tablespoons but I really like my lime flavor!)
1 Full Key Lime or regular Lime sliced into wedges

Open the frosting container and stir the frosting at least 20 times to fluff it up. Gently stir in 1 Tablespoon of lime juice. Taste...if you want more lime keep adding, but at it slowly. NOTE: Adding the lime juice will thin the frosting out. If you are going for a texture rather than intense flavor be very careful about adding the lime juice. Now you can frost your cupcakes one of two ways: You can spoon the frosting into a plastic bag and cut a 1/2 inch angular slit in the corner of the bag. Then you can pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes in a circular motion. I found that since my frosting thinned out so much this was a bit difficult because the frosting would run over the sides so if you are going to pipe it on, make sure to start in the middle and not go all the way to the edges, the frosting will fill in on its own. Make sure to use a minimal amount of frosting. You can also put the frosting on the traditional way with a knife...this worked better for me!! (If you look closely at my picture you can see where the icing started melting off onto my dining room table...how nice!)

When you are all done frosting stick the lime slices on top of the cupcakes and enjoy!!

I was a little worried about sharing these with Jen, Ilana and Erika because I went for the intense lime taste. I guess I forgot that other people had to enjoy them other than myself. However, everyone liked them and everyone had seconds! This recipe is a MUST TRY for the summer. They were refreshing after our huge Trader Joe's supplied meal! Even though we were all stuffed after eating, we were all able to put down at least two of these little gems!

Meal of the Day: Lemon Grilled or Broiled Chicken

True Lemon Grilled or Broiled Chicken and Rice

After a weekend with my friends at the beach (wow I look dark next to Rachel!) I decided that I will need to learn how to make two things: 1. Risotto Cakes and 2. Salmon stuffed with Goat Cheese and Asparagus.





That's not what I made tonight though. In fact what I really wanted to make tonight was mac and cheese. I needed some comfort food and I wanted something fast and easy. Unfortunately, I have no milk and no interest in walking the two blocks that it would take to get myself to the supermarket. Oh, the life of a teacher on summer vacation. So in order to make sure that I am able to be eating by Big Brother tonight I decided to try something simple and different. It is so freaking hot out and nothing is better than a tangy lemony taste to cool you off, even if the food is going to be hot.

My recipe comes from my new favorite product "True Lemon". They also make "True Lime" and "True Orange" and some other lemonade products. I am a fan of this product because it is freeze dried lemon, orange, or lime and it tastes super fresh without the worry of contracting e coli from a lemon or lime slice at a bar.
So on the back of the box they have recipes for things like lime coolers, white lemon bbq sauce and True Lemon Grilled Chicken which is what I decided on. So here is the recipe:

(Makes Two Servings)
4 Packets True Lemon (or the juice of 4 lemon wedges if you can't find this awesome product)
1 Tablespoon of water
1/8 cup of olive oil
1/2 Tablespoon of Dijon Mustard
1 Large Garlic Clove, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1. Mix the True Lemon, Olive Oil, Dijon Mustard, Garlic, Salt and Pepper in a bowl. (Time saving tip: Just mix this all up in the liquid measuring cup).

2. Place chicken in a bowl and pour all of the marinade over the chicken EXCEPT for 1/8 of a cup of marinade. Make sure that the chicken is fully covered in the marinade and place it in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 20 minutes. Place the remaining marinade in the refrigerator as well, you will be using this to baste the chicken later.

3. Grill or broil (Since I live in NYC with no balcony I will be broiling my chicken) on high heat for 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until the juices run clear. Make sure to baste occasionally throughout with the remaining marinade.

4. Serve with something like brown rice and salsa and...ENJOY!

I enjoyed! On to dessert! I had chocolate peanut butter yogurt last night and I plan to leave my apartment and get it again tonight. Yogurt I will leave for, milk...you know, an essential, I won't. We all have priorities!

Meal of The Day: Salmon Cakes

Salmon Cakes Served With Aioli, Mac and Cheese and a Blue Moon Beer

One of my passions, other than writing ridiculous stories about over sized NYC rodents, is cooking. There is nothing I like to do more than try out a new recipe and then subject friends and family to the "taste test". When in college the "taste test" job was not a preferred one until at least the second or third time I tried a dish. Evan can attest to many cooking classes when I was scared for our instructor to come near our station, let alone taste what we had concocted.

However, growing older has afforded me two things: 1. A kitchen that makes sense and doesn't require a bookshelf to store all of the pots and pans that Lauryn and I shared and always conned someone ELSE into washing, and 2. The ability to get a dish not only right the first time, but down right good! I am not one to toot my own horn, but when you have people fighting over being the "taste tester" it says something.

Last nights dish sounded a little scary. I have been reading a book that my grandmother gave me called What We Eat When We Eat Alone. (The fact that the title talks about me being "alone" is not lost on me, but regardless it is an interesting book.) One recipe caught my attention, "Marsha's Salmon Cakes". I love fish and I am always up for a new fish dish, but I will admit that the thought of Salmon Cakes alone were a bit scary. Crab cakes, fine...that we all know. Salmon burgers...okay I have had that before and they were good, but will salmon cakes be as good? That was scary enough but what scared me more was the fact that the recipe called for CANNED salmon. Even scarier was when I googled "What to serve with salmon cakes" and the answer was repeatedly mac and cheese. Salmon and Mac and Cheese?? Gross!! I was now even more scared, but I decided it was worth a try.

So I set off to the supermarket and even though I could have traveled to Wild Edibles to get some ground salmon I though that I would try this recipe the way it was stated in the book first. The result was MORE than a pleasant surprise. The salmon cakes were amazing. With a few tweaks of the recipe I made it my own and I think it will become a recipe that makes it way into the normal rotation. Next time I am going to try it with ground salmon, but as for now this dish is a must try! It's easy, fast and so tasty!

Here's the run down:

The original ingredients and recipe:

1 (7.5 ounce) can salmon, about 1 cup
1.5 Tablespoons minced scallions or onion
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 Tablespoon of mayo
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, small if you have one
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs (fresh or dried)
Olive Oil for frying

1. Open the can of salmon, pour off its liquid then turn it into a bowl. Break up with a fork and remove any small bones and skin. Add the scallions, parsley, lemon zest, mayo, and mustard, and mix everything together lightly with a fork. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir the egg into the fish with a fork, followed by the breadcrumbs.

2. Heat a cast iron or nonstick skillet and coat it with a film of oil. Shape the salmon mixture into patties. Slide them into the hot pan and cook about 5 minutes on each side. They should be brown and crisp on the outside, soft and moist within. Serve on a bed of arugula with lemon wedges, horseradish, mayonnaise, or sour cream.

How I modified the recipe:

I don't like parsley so I cut that out completely.

I'm also not a huge fan of mustard so I opted to go for 1/2 a teaspoon instead of increasing the amount to 1 full teaspoon.

When it came to the breadcrumbs I decided (mostly out of necessity because I had run out of plain bread crumbs) to make a mixture of Italian breadcrumbs, corn flake breadcrumbs, and some panko breadcrumbs. This mixture turned out to be a big plus in this recipe. The Italian breadcrumbs added a bit of taste, while the mixture of panko and corn flake crumbs gave the cakes the perfect crisp and crunch.

Also, mostly out of necessity, I changed the cook time. (I think the flame on my stove is super hot!) I cooked each side of the cake for about 3.5 minutes in order to keep them from getting to dark. The end result was a golden brown crust which left the cakes perfectly moist and yet still crunchy.

I also added decided to serve the cakes with a side of Aioli, Velveeta Mac and Cheese, a lemon wedge for seasoning, and a Blue Moon beer (the citrus in the beer really brought out the citrus in the cakes.)

The result: Delish! Try it out for yourself and tell me what kind of adjustments you made!

Aioli Recipe:
1 cup of Mayonnaise
6 cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon of FRESH lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
a dash of garlic powder (optional)

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover and chill well. **Make sure to chill your Aioli for at least 30 minutes before serving, however, the longer the better...the flavors will start to meld and mellow after several hours and will make an even better side sauce!

NOTE: This makes a lot...if you are only serving 2-4 people halve the recipe.