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!