Simply Sublime

If and I do say IF I was a student at Georgia Tech, I would have gotten even fatter than I did when I was at Georgia because I would be at Sublime Doughnuts hungover every Sunday... okay, okay...every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And maybe Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday...

I guess I was either hungry or I didn't feel like choosing just one doughnut out of all the different flavors, but I definitely got a dozen. You would have gotten a dozen too if you were looking at their menu. It's so hard to pick just one or two but I got the following:

A-Town Cream

Dulce de Leche with Caramel Icing

Strawberry N Cream

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

Raspberry Filled Heart

Chocolate Banana Fritter

Cheese Danish

Smores

Nutella

Oreo

A-Town Mocha

Black and Tan

Each doughnut (yes I've already tried all of them in the same day!) was so light and fluffy that I didn't feel too bad going back for more! I think my favorite (and it's hard to pick a favorite out of this group) is the Strawberry and Cream. I just love the fresh strawberries!

So, what are you giving/taking up for Lent?

Pancakes for a rainy day

Waking up to a rainy day on the weekend is no bueno. As I laid in bed Saturday morning and my stomach growling, I thought that this would be a great morning to make chocolate chip pancakes with bacon and maple syrup on top! Well...maybe just the syrup since my bacon was no bueno as well. :(

I love making pancakes because they're so easy and you usually have all the ingredients in the pantry!

Click on the image to get a larger view of the recipe! The recipe doesn't include chocolate chips, but I usually put in at least a cup.

Shoya Izakaya

I'm always in the know about new restaurants popping up in the ATL, but when it comes to Asian restaurants I stick with the uge (short for usual. Just watch I Love You, Man and you will know what I mean).

Friday night, my friend Maggie took me to Shoya. She had gotten a gift certificate for her birthday from her Asian boss :) He described the restaurant as Japanese street food and said to order the ramen noodle soup. I'm not an expert in Japanese food, but ramen...I mean I love me some ramen.

As we were making our way to the restaurant, I realized that it was in the same shopping center as Super H! So I told Maggie that her and her dad were going to be the only white people in the restaurant and that I wanted to stop by Super H after dinner to buy some tofu. So Asian.

After we sat and looked over the menu, we realized that it was a "tapas" style restaurant. She of course asked me what I wanted (I'm thinking she had no idea what to order, but she did point out one or two items that she wanted). I'm glad she trusted my judgement on what to order because everything was delicious. The menu for the night:

Edamame

Koebi Karaage (Crunchy fried baby shrimp with sea salt and lemon)

Seaweed Salad

Georgian Roll

Pork Belly Kushiyaki (skewers)

Japanese Conch Kushiyaki

Saba Shioyaki (Grilled marinated mackeral with dashi soy sauce)

Asari Butter Yaki (Manila clams with soy butter sauce)

Unagi Kabayaki (Grilled eel with BBQ Sauce)

Tan Tan Ramen

It was a lot of food, but it didn't surprise me that it was just enough food for 3 people. Well, I guess 2 because Maggie and I ate most of it...

Who wants to join me and Maggie next time?

Eat Your Heart Out, The Shed at Glenwood

I'm so grateful to have friends who are just as adventurous as I am with food. This past Saturday night we drove to Glenwood Park (which PS is such a cute area with condos, restaurants and bars) and sat ourselves down at The Shed at Glenwood. We ordered everything and anything on the menu that sounded even remotely like it just came straight from the farm to the table.

The appetizers we wanted to try were the innards of the chicken...the liver and the heart.

Chicken Liver-Bacon Bruschetta
Sad that I never got a picture. It was practically all gone by the time I remembered to take a picture. I was hungry! Tasted like a glorious chicken salad sandwich...delicious!


Pan Fried Chicken Hearts, Egg in a Basket
I know it sounds like I'm a maneater and I'm just out there to eat any kind of heart (chicken or man). This is a dish I definitely would recommend if you ever eat at The Shed.


Butternut Squash Soup!

For my main entree, I had the pork belly of course!


Crispy Pork Belly, Polenta, Organic Baby Turnips
The meat was so tender ! (TWSS)

And obviously we had to end the meal with dessert. The dessert menu was practically staring at me the whole time we were there.


Sheep's Milk Yogurt, Medjool Dates, Orange Blossom Honey
It was good, but I think it would be more of a breakfast item than a dessert.

Oh! and I almost forgot the wine! It probably helped out with the innard eating.


Navarro Correas Malbec 2007, Argentina

Weight Watchers Three Bean and Pork Slow Cooker Chili

I feel like I'm a chili whore right now because I think this is the third chili recipe I have made this year and maybe even in the past six months. What can I say? Throwing a bunch of ingredients in a slow cooker and creating awesome-ness makes me feel like I could maybe try out for Top Chef: Slow Cooker Style. Anyways, so, I've used three different types of meat: White Chicken Chili, Turkey and Sausage Chili, and now the Three Bean and Pork Chili, which by the way is a Weight Watchers recipe and it's only 5 points/cup...if you're counting. 

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano, crushed

1 medium jalapeno, seeded and chopped

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

2 pound lean pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch chunks

15 oz canned black beans, drained and rinsed

15 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed

15 oz canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup tomato puree

29 oz canned diced tomatoes with green pepper, celery and onion, undrained

6 oz can tomato paste

Instructions

1. Combine onion, garlic, carrots, chili powder, oregano, jalapeno, salt and pepper in a 5-quart (or larger) slow cooker.  Stir.  Add remaining ingredients.  Stir again.
2. Cover and cook at HIGH setting for 6 – 8 hours.  (Note:  start the chili at a HIGH setting so the ingredients quickly reach a safe temperature. You can reduce the heat to LOW after 3 – 4 hours, if you prefer.) 

Crepe Crepe Revolution

I'm not sure I can abbreviate the place CCR, but I can definitely say that Crepe Revolution is a pioneer by bringing a whole new dining experience with crepes galore. I was so overwhelmed with their wide variety of selections that I'm just going to have to come back to try all the other crepes I didn't get to taste. Last night was so cold outside I needed something to warm me up, so I chose the Chicken Thai Peanut...



And of course I had to try a sweet crepe...Bananas Foster. The waiter asked me if I wanted ice cream to go on top...Did I want ice cream on top? He obviously didn't get that I finished my plate of Chicken Thai Peanut and downed a bottle of Callia Alta Malbec (with Jessica). (Sidenote: half priced bottles of wine Wednesday nights). Anyways, did the waiter not know I'm so over-indulgent when it comes to dining.

Yes, I got vanilla ice cream on top.



Photos were taken from www.creperevolution.com

Merry Christmas to all!

It's been a hectic holiday for me, so sorry if I have been MIA with the posts. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope everyone's Christmas was fabulous and everyone got what they wanted. And even better, I hope everyone's start of 2010 is off to a great start. I know we all need a little hope and optimism in 2010.

What did everyone get for Christmas? Here are a couple of awesome gifts I got this year.

The Flip Mino HD so that I can record many great moments in 2010!



A new pet that lives in a lavarium. I still haven't named him yet. What should I call him?




A new addition to my owl fetish from Night Owl Paper Goods. This is Sylvia!



A Spanish cookbook with Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow. The book takes them on their journey across the country tasting many of Spain's delicious foods. Look out for some of the recipes this year!



A Marc Tetro dog print of a "Beagle at the Beach" aka Murphy at the Beach. I love it!

Gobble, Gobble, y'all!

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm in Vegas this year, so hopefully I won't lose too much money!

There are so many things I'm thankful for this year:

1. Getting back to my artistic roots by taking up figure drawing classes and creating several paintings for friends and family: Sea Shells

2. Spending time with friends and family in Destin, Kansas City, DC, Athens, and Minneapolis

3. Working hard for the money and the awards! A website for the GPS, RoadNut, won a SEED Award and is featured on Cool Homepages

4. Listening to the music. I got to see BB King, Stevie Wonder, Journey, The Whigs, Ben Harper, Paolo Nutini and Amos Lee.

5. Experiencing new restaurants in Atlanta for Girl's Supper Club. My favorite: Watershed

I can't wait for the 2009 holidays. This year has gone by way too fast! Hopefully I can catch up!

Am's Red Wine Beef Stew

My BFF for life, Anne Marie, made this dish last year while J. Wo and I visited and I couldn't help but get the receipe from her for another comfort dinner this week.

2lbs Stew Beef

1 1/2 cups Red Wine

1 1/2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup

1 pkg. dry Lipton's Onion Soup Mix

1 pkg fresh mushrooms

Splash of Worcestershire

Pinch of Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours.

I ate mine over rice but mashed potatoes are good too!

Hey, Ma! Can we get some meatloaf?!

Such the ultimate comfort food for me on these cold rainy days: meatloaf with mashed potatoes. You can never go wrong no matter what recipe you use. I was gonna go with a Paula Deen recipe that probably called for 14 ingredients, but found this recipe on the back of a Lipton Onion Soup Mix box. Super Easy!


1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Onion Soup Mix
2 lbs. ground beef
3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs*
2 eggs
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup ketchup

1.	Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in large bowl.
2.	Shape into loaf in 13 x 9-inch baking or roasting pan.
3.	Bake uncovered 1 hour or until done. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Calories 320, Calories From Fat 70, Total Fat 8g, Saturated Fat 3g, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 125mg, Sodium 590mg, Total Carbohydrate 12g, Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 3g, Protein 28g, Vitamin A 4%, Vitamin C 4%, Calcium 4%, Iron 20%

For my mashed potatoes, I always just make it up as I go and just keep tasting until it's just right! But here is a mashed potato recipe from gourmet.com that I want to try some day because it looks so delish!

A BBQ Rendezvous in Memphis

While Kriston, Julie and I were at the AIGA Conference in Memphis, we had to eat some BBQ! The first night we visited Neelys (From "At Home with the Neelys" on the Food Network) and let's just say we thought it would be a little bit more inviting. The food was good, but the atmosphere was just scary.

The second night we ate at the famous Rendezvous.



Kriston and I split the full rack of ribs!




All gone!!

White Chicken Chili

Just had this for dinner Sunday night and it was delish! The perfect weather for some chili!

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 pounds white chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 can chicken broth
2 medium onions, finely chopped
14 oz. green salsa (tomatillo salsa) or your favorite red salsa
48 oz. Great Northern Beans
8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack Cheese or Pepper Jack Cheese

Directions
1. Saute onion in a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet.
2. Transfer to crock pot.
3. In the same skillet, cook chicken in a small amount of chicken broth. Transfer to crock pot.
4. Add remaining broth, salsa, beans with liquid to crock pot.
5. Cook on high 2-3 hours or low 4-6 hours.
6. Add shredded cheese in the last half hour.

Bananas for Frozen Banana Bites!!

I used pretzels, Butterfinger candy bars, chocolate graham crackers, m&m's and reese's pieces!



Jessica enjoying her bites!

Frozen Chocolate Dipped Banana Bites
From Bon Appétit

Ingredients

2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons canola oil
Assorted toppings (such as crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, toffee bits, Butterfinger candy bars, chopped salted peanuts toasted shredded coconut, crushed chocolate dipped pretzels, crushed pretzels, chopped hazelnuts)
3 ripe bananas, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

Directions

1. Stir chocolate and oil in heavy small saucepan over low heat just until smooth. Let stand 15 minutes to cool.

2. Place each topping in separate shallow dish. Line baking sheet with foil. Arrange banana slices on foil. Using fingers or utensil, dip 1 banana slice in chocolate, coating completely. Shake off excess chocolate.

3. Drop dipped banana in 1 topping. Using clean hand or utensil, sprinkle more topping over banana to coat; transfer to foil-lined sheet.

4. Repeat with remaining bananas, chocolate, and toppings. Freeze until firm, about 3 hours, then serve.

Makes 36 banana bites.

Girls Supper Club: Opa!

This month's supper club was at Taverna Plaka off Cheshire Bridge. The food was delicious and how can you pass up The Chef's Special!! It was $25 and included three appetizers, a salad, three entrées and two desserts. Definitely a Greek Special! We even got to mash up our own hummus...I've got the hummus!

Real Simple's Guide to a Month of Easy Dinners

I'm gonna try and take this on...we'll see how long it lasts. Get your appetite ready!

Week one:


Tilapia with Peppers and Olives

Serves 4 Hands-On Time: 20m Total Time: 20m

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 6-ounce tilapia fillets
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pitted green olives
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the fish with 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook until opaque throughout, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a second large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the peppers and onion, stirring often, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the olives, parsley, lime juice, and 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the fish.

Spicy Orange-Glazed Drumsticks with Green Beans

Serves 4 Hands-On Time: 15m Total Time: 45m

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1/2 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce (found in the Asian section of the supermarket)
• 8 chicken drumsticks (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound green beans
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 corn bread muffins, warmed

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400º F. In a small bowl, mix the marmalade and chili-garlic sauce.
2. Season the chicken with 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper. Roast on a foil-lined baking sheet until cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes, brushing with the marmalade mixture during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the green beans until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain and toss with the butter and 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the chicken and muffins.

Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry

Serves 4 Hands-On Time: 20m Total Time: 20m

Ingredients

• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 heads baby bok choy, quartered
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions

1. Cook the rice according to the package directions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the steak with 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, turning often, until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the steak to a plate.
2. Wipe out the skillet. Add the bok choy and 1⁄4 cup water and simmer, covered, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and sugar. Add to the bok choy in the skillet and bring to a boil. Add the steak and any accumulated juices and cook, tossing, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve over the rice.

Turkey and Hot Sausage Chili

Courtesy of Mr. Emeril Lagasse



Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 pound ground turkey
* 12 ounces hot Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled
* 2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
* 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
* 1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
* 1/2 cup chopped, roasted and peeled green poblano or Anaheim chiles
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 2 tablespoons chili powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 (12-ounce) lager beer
* 1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes with their juice
* 2 cups cooked pinto beans, or canned beans, rinsed and drained
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
* 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese, garnish
* Tortilla chips, accompaniment

Directions

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, sausage and Essence, and cook, stirring, until the meat is no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the onions, bell peppers, and chilies, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt, and cook for 1 minute. Add the beer and tomatoes, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Remove from the heat and add the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, to taste, and cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

To serve, ladle into large bowls and sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup of cheese. Serve tortilla chips on the side.

*NOTE: When working with chile peppers, always wear rubber gloves and be careful not to touch your eyes or skin. Wash all utensils and cutting surfaces well with hot, soapy water before proceeding.
Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

* 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
* 2 tablespoons salt
* 2 tablespoons garlic powder
* 1 tablespoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
* 1 tablespoon dried oregano
* 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch

Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Supper Club: Repast

This month's supper club was at Repast. The food was okay..the gin and tonics were amazing and the company was (as usual) so much fun! I ordered the green plate special, which on Thursdays, was a burger with fries and it included a salad and a dessert. All for $15! I need to make it there on Wednesday nights when they have shrimp and grits. The burger was okay, but I should have ordered the scallops...so delish!



As always, it's so much fun seeing new faces at Supper Club and the smiling faces I love to see every day!

Couscous

Picture from foodnetwork

I didn't follow the recipe from food network, but it's pretty easy to put together. All I did was saute whatever I wanted or better yet whatever was in the fridge: zucchini, cherry tomatoes, parsley, onions, and red bell peppers. I topped the cooked couscous with this mixture and then added garbanzo beans and crumbled feta.

It was pretty delicious, especially the pieces of feta! Nice surprise in my mouth....TWSS

Supper Club: ATL Restaurant Week: Thrive

This month's Supper Club was at Thrive and it just so happens it was Restaurant Week in Atlanta, which means certain restaurants have a prix fixe three-course meal for $25. You got to pick an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert.

Thinking about my bootcamp, I chose the baby arugula salad with carmelized pecans and goat cheese, Cold Water Salmon over risotto, and for dessert, bread pudding. If I wasn't on my diet I would have totally gotten the calamari or pot stickers for appetizers and the crab cakes for an entree...I'm just sayin!

Can't wait until next Supper Club, which will during another Restaurant Week.

Fish Tacos

Fish:
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* lime juice
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 (1-pound) tilapia
* Cooking spray

Salsa:
* 1 cup diced peeled avocado
* 3/4 cup finely chopped tomato
* 1/3 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* half a jalapeno finely chopped

Remaining ingredients:
* 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1. To prepare fish, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub chili powder mixture evenly over fish. Cover and chill 1 hour.

2. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

3. Place fish on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Use a fork to flake the fish.

4. To prepare salsa, combine avocado and next 7 ingredients in a medium bowl.

5. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon fish mixture evenly over each of 8 tortillas. Top each taco with salsa.

Calories: 353
Fat: 16g (sat 4.3g,mono 7.6g,poly 1.7g)
Protein: 27.9g
Carbohydrate: 27.7g
Fiber: 6.8g
Cholesterol: 40mg
Iron: 2.5mg
Sodium: 593mg
Calcium: 78mg