Breakfast rotation weekdays

I literally do not understand skipping breakfast.  I shut down mentally and the day is off to a hangry (hunger mixed with anger - anyone?) start.  Some mornings I sit down in my kitchen, but most days I am eating in the car on the way to work or once I sit down at work to do my morning email scroll.

My weekday breakfast rotation is greatly helped by a Sunday afternoon meal prep which normally includes hard boiling 4-6 eggs to keep in the fridge for the week.  I stock up on yogurts, put breakfast cereal in snack sized ziplocks in the fridge next to yogurt, and slice up fruit and keep in the fridge.  I keep a jar of peanut butter at work so I can get protein with a piece of fruit or toast if I just grab an apple or banana with a slice of bread.  Overnight oatmeal is a fun breakfast if I it prepare the night before.  I will post on my overnight oats the next time I make it.  Smoothies also make themselves into the mix, but I need to have enough time to prepare and clean up, so they are sprinkled a bit more rarely into my rotation.

I try to make my next day lunch when I'm cleaning up the kitchen from dinner and packing it all up so it is taken care of in that moment.  Preparation my friends.

The hard boiled egg piece has gotten much better with time.  My personal method is as follows -

• Use older eggs (not straight from the market), they peel easier.
• Put eggs in pot covered with room temp water and bring pot to a boil.
• Remove pot from heat, cover with lid, and set aside for 15 minutes.
• Have colander ready with some ice and with slotted spoon.  Remove eggs and put in colander with ice water running over eggs sitting atop the ice.
• Clean up kitchen and then place eggs in bowl in fridge, peeling before eating.

Start your day off right dear readers!

Images via My Pinterest. 

Recipe recap - Miami Winter meal

Last night I got to the gym, opened my trunk and no gym bag to be found.  On the kitchen counter...I took the hint, got home and decided to take my extra time and make a "special" weeknight meal which in my book equates spending more than an hour and making more than two parts (last night - mushroom gravy, pork tenderloin, mashed potatos, and peas).

This is something I would normally reserve for a Sunday supper, but I had the gift of time and I took it. When we sat down to dinner I commented, "Isn't this a nice Winter meal?" Response: "The front door is open, this is a nice 'Winter' meal." Regardless, I am wearing a big scarf and booties today and not sweating. It is Winter in Miami!

Here is a recap of how dinner went down:

Pork tenderloin:

I made a quick marinade of  2 T dijon mustard, 1 T fish sauce, 2 T maple syrup, 2 T Worcestershire, 2 T olive oil and 1 T chopped rosemary. Threw it in a ziplock with the pork (poking holes in the pork with a fork to help absorb the marinade), and kept it on the counter for 20 minutes while I walked the pooch.

I preheated the oven to 400 and got a skillet up to a high set on the stove.  I seared the pork on all sides, discarding the marinade, searing about a minute a side.  I then put the skillet in the oven and set the time for 10 minutes.

Once the pork was cooked, I took it out of the oven, put on a cutting board and covered the pork to let it rest.

Potatos:

Meanwhile I got a pot of salted water to boil with 2 lbs (cleaned) red skin potatos.  After cooked, I drained the water, returning the potatos to the pot (less to clean), and added 1/2 cup chicken stock, 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan, 1/2 t ground pepper, and 1 T butter. Mash and keep in pot. Add more stock if it looks dry.

A little tip - if you put a skillet with warm water underneath the pot of mashed potatoes, it will stay warm on the stove.

Mushroom gravy:

I took the pan I made the pork in and added 1 cup chopped mushrooms (any will do) to the pan with a dash of olive oil and 1 t of salt on medium heat.  Cooking off the liquid of the mushrooms takes about 6-8 minutes.  I then added a packet of dried mushrooms I rehydrated in 1 cup hot water and chopped up. Saute another 2 minutes and add 2 T of flour, until the mushrooms cover the flour and it becomes a paste, but not burned!  Then add 1 cup chicken stock, 1 cup mushroom liquid, 1 cup dry red wine. Added 1/2 t pepper, bring to simmer and let reduce to half of liquid.  At the very end add 1 T of butter and swirllll around to make it silky smooth.

Peas:

Remove from freezer, add 1.5 cups to bowl of water, heat up in microwave and drain.  Mmhmm.

Dinner is served!  All images via my shoddy iPhone.

Recipe recap - Almost Vegan Soup

Last night I tried a new recipe I snagged from my friend Read's blog.  It was delicious and had few ingredients which is great for weeknights.  The cauliflower made it seem creamy and hearty. Perfect for a Miami "winter" night.  It was 55 and we were cold, oh how the mighty have fallen.   

I used chicken broth, but if you used vegetable broth it would be a vegan recipe.  It was a complete success and I will be making this again.  

• Roasted Cauliflower and Kale Soup (adapted from William and Sonoma)
• 1 large head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
• 5 T olive oil
• 1 large bunch curly kale, stems removed and torn into small pieces
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 7 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Toss the cauliflower with 2 T olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender and the edges are browned and crisp, about 22 minutes. Take out of oven. Reduce oven temp to 300 degrees.

Toss half of the kale with 1 T of olive oil and season with a little salt. Roast, stirring once halfway through, until the kale is crispy, about 25 minutes

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven over medium heat, warm the remaining 2 T olive oil. Add onion and celery , cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and stirring constantly for 1 minute. Until you smell the garlic, make sure not to burn it.  Season with s & p. Add cauliflower and broth, increase heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining kale, increase heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 10- 15 minutes.  You want some of the broth to evaporate.

Using regular or immersion blender (if you don't have one, buy one this second, number one kitchen gadget I use).  Serve with toasted pine nuts and crispy kale immediately. 

Here is a picture of the magic happening.  I enjoyed the soup with some crackers and cheese and had a nice weeknight meal.  

Simple Supper and a Surprise

Considering we live in Florida, we do not eat nearly enough seafood.  I might buy something at the market and cook it that night or the next day, but I want to get in the habit of incorporating seafood into dinner at least twice a week.

On Sunday night I made sauteed Florida shrimp with mushrooms, green onions, ginger, and a jalapeno.  I served it with spiced roasted eggplant and a little quinoa.  It was spicy, but pretty good. I then took all the shrimp shells and made a nice broth - something I wouldn't recommend doing in an open air apartment as I had to light candles for the remainder of the evening as dinner was lingering.   But, the broth was delicious.

Last night I made a one pot dish that was a play off of this Cooking Light recipe but I had no fennel.  It was delish, took thirty minutes, and was a nice light weeknight dinner.  I roasted brussel sprouts with balsamic to serve along side.

Here's the recipe for the simple fish stew -

1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 pint cherry tomatos, halved
3 garlic cloves, diced
2.5 cups seafood stock
2 cups marianna sauce
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/4 t paprika
1 lb white fish, cut into 1" pieces; I used tilapia
salt and pepper to taste

Add oil to pot and heat up (on medium), 2 minutes, add onion and saute for 3-4 minutes.  Add carrot and celery, saute 8-10 minutes, add garlic, tomatos, red pepper flakes and paprika.  Stir for 3 minutes actively, until tomatos burst.  Add seafood stock and tomato sauce, stir and bring up to a simmer, simmer for 5 minutes uncovered.  Add fish and bring heat down, cook uncovered for ten minutes. Serve hot with Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

Also some of my lady friends did a Secret Santa this year.  It was a treat to come home on Monday and find a package waiting with a gift from an old friend.  She is the cutest and the note said, "Because I love your blog."  I love it some much and it brings a smile whenever I walk by the guest bedside table.

Summer risotto in winter

My cooking clock is all messed up.  About this time I should be making many a chili, stews and other hearty dishes to warm you up on a winter's night.  Now I live in a warm weather locale and not only is it the temperature outside affecting what I eat, but what I buy.  Who thought January to May would be the local growing season?  Strawberries were $5 for 10 lbs at the store yesterday.  It is February 1 people.

A couple nights ago I made a recipe my boyfriend's mom made for the 4th of July dinner which everyone loved.  It is truly vegetarian and one of the lighter risottos I have cooked.  It was delicious and although I probably should have halved the recipe for two people, it has been a lunch staple for the remainder of the week.  (Please excuse the budget picture of the leftovers.)

Tomato Risotto (courtesy Mrs. M.)

1 bunch of fresh asparagus, cut into small diagonal pieces

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup of chopped yellow onion

1 pound ripe tomatoes

2 cups of arborio rice

1 small bunch of fresh basil (cut into strips)

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

1 cup of cherry tomatoes halved

container of fresh grated Parmesan 

4-6 cups of water

Blanche the asparagus and cut into one inch pieces (make sure it is cool) and put into a bowl with the basil, and cherry tomatoes, lemon juice and cheese, mixed up with 1/2 cup olive oil.

Cut up the tomatoes and puree in a blender.

Over medium low heat, saute onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.   Add the rice to the onions and turn up the heat to medium high.  Stir and toast for about 2 minutes until the grains are hot.  Pour 2 cups of water into pot and stir constantly.  Turn down the heat to a simmer and once the liquid is absorbed, add another 2 cups of water and continue to stir constantly.  After about 15 minutes of cooking and stirring, or about 5 minutes shy of being al dente stir in the tomato puree.  Stir for another 4 minutes or until liquid is almost totally reduced.   Then stir in the bowl with the basil, cherry tomatoes, asparagus and cheese and olive oil.  Salt and pepper to your liking.

Serves 6-8.

Enjoy!

Weekend recap

This past weekend flew by - my dad and step mom were in town visiting for the first time in Miami.  I ran the ING Miami Half Marathon on Sunday for Team Fox.  It was the third half I have done, and was a new personal record.  We had a blast, packed a lot in but also had some good down time in between meals and activities - an overall success.  We also tryed all new places to eat and go, a bit risky but it proved to be successful, so now I have a couple great new go-tos, success #2 of the weekend.

Their flight was delayed (too much fuel in the plane, seriously) so they came in and we walked to a great place in our neighborhood, Jaguar. A Peruvian spot with delicious ceviche, tasty drinks, and a great vibe.  My dad and I had pisco sours ( I don't think I've ever had one) which will be a repeat order, I had a great shrimp dish, and my step mom and dad each ordered mahi mahi, prepared different ways.

Saturday morning we went to the Coral Gables Farmer's Market; Farmer's Markets literally give me endorphins, I am not sure why but I LOVE them.  They picked up some stone crabs to bring back to DC for a dinner on Monday, we got freshhhh squeezed grapefruit juice glasses, my dad treated himself to some 10 am pork tacos, and then they got this adorable key lime tree for our backyard.  I can't wait to harvest (aggressive) the little guys!

Then we went to Garcia's upon a a recommendation from a friend and it was a rinse-repeat for sure.  We had beers and fish sandwiches watching yachts, tug boats, and our fellow diners the entire meal (good people watching in this town).  We sat outside on the second floor deck and ate up the January Miami Saturday afternoon.  This is a great spot.

We went back and there was an every man for themselves exercise/read/have a beer period.  We then went to Cibo's Wine Bar in the Gables for some carbo-loading for me and wine drinking for others (at least this is what resulted).  I searched for an Italian restaurant near to us for dinner before the race, and I got one with the added bonus of a "wine angel." I'm being serious here.  We sit down and realize that the floor-to-ceiling glassed wine case has a svelte young lady strapped in like a rock climber (...) who could hoist herself up to get your bottle of cab. 

Sunday morning I got up at 4:30 for the 6:15 race start because it was the first time I had used public transit to get downtown and I was a little nervous about making sure I got there in time.  I enjoyed a peanut butter and banana sandwich on a whole wheat hamburger bun (probably should have shopped for breakfast) and made my way downtown.  With more than 25,000 runners from every country in Latin America, and across the world it was pretty awesome.  You run over two bridges linking Miami to Miami Beach, the course hits so many great spots and I was just enjoying myself (except mile 8 wasn't the best) and the runners.  I met my three fans at the bag collect, a go-to meeting spot, and we headed back to the Grove.

We then headed to our favorite brunch spot so far in the Gables, Chocolate Fashion.  I had to get over the name at first, but it is a tasty place.  French owned and operated, they have wonderful coffee drinks, breakfast foods and a good lunch offering.  I enjoyed the bagel-lox platter with a side of potatos lyonnaise and a latte.  I needed a little downtime so people read the Sunday Times, watched TV, and snoozed.  We then walked around the Grove and did a little shopping before we got ready for dinner and drinks on South Beach.

We started at The Tides which we just happened upon and it was a great Art Deco hotel, recently redone on Ocean Drive.  Enjoying $6 mojitos (a SoBe steal), we wandered around the lobby loving the decor and feel.  We then headed up to the Eden Roc a famous old Miami Beach hotel for dinner.  We ate at 1500 which is fabulous, we had a charming server, delicious food and wine, and the chef even came out to say hi - a great way to end a treat of a weekend!

With Tuesday upon us, reality has officially set back in.  I am excited to revisit some of these new finds and it has reinvigorated me to continue to explore this town.

Images Jaguar, Garcia's, Gear Culture, Yelp, Beacon South Beach, Gables Home Page, The Tides, Eden Roc.

Asian vegetarian meal

Last night I made this delicious soup from smitten kitchen and some brussel sprouts to go along with it.  Although we sat down at 10 p.m. which is just too late for a Wednesday night dinner, schedules have been packed and sitting down to a meal is important even if you're then so hungry you don't speak.  At least you're sitting together.

The carrot soup with miso was great, nods to that tasty dressing you get when at a sushi place.  The brussel sprouts were a good side dish and in the crisper so I put them to use.  I just roasted the brussels in the oven and made a quick 1/2 soy sauce 1/2 balsamic vinegar glaze (it was intense).  Finding the miso paste was a little more of a challenge than I would have liked. Whole Foods prevailed on trip #3.

Carrot soup with miso and sesame (via smitten kitchen)
2 T olive oil
2 pounds carrots, peeled & chopped into thin pieces
1 large onion, chopped fine
6 garlic cloves, peeled & smashed
2 T grated fresh ginger
4 cups vegetable broth (I used chicken as it was on hand)
1/4 cup miso paste (add more to taste)
toasted sesame oil and thinly chopped green onions as garnish (**include these, makes the soup divine)

Heat olive oil in pot and add carrots, onion and garlic.  Stir and cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes.  Add broth and ginger to pot, put lid on and bring down to a simmer for 30 minutes.  Make sure teh carrtos are tender, remove pot from heat and I used my immersion blender to puree the soup.  Then add in miso psate to hot bottom stirring carefully to make sure it is completely dissolved.  Serve with scallions and tosted sesame oil.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts
1 pound brussel sprouts, rinsed and sliced in half.
1-2 T olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 Meyer lemon (optional, I had one on hand)

Preheat oven to 400, place brussels on baking sheet after being tossed in olive oil.  Cook for 25 minutes.  In small sauce pan heat soy sauce and balsamic, reducing liquid to almost half. Remove from heat and toss with brussels in a large bowl.  Add in increments as this is extremely pungent and different people will like different amounts.  Juice 1/2 of lemon over brussels and serve.

Hope you enjoy!

Seeking juicer guidance

One of the major perks of South Florida living is the citrus.  It really is amazing.  I just got back from the first Coral Gables Farmers market of the season (in January, so crazy to me still!) where I bought a 1/4 bushel of grapefruit, some guacamole that would make you cry in delight, and a mystery fruit that we think is a very large guava.  (I am trying to force myself to speak more Spanish and the conversation I had with the woman at the stand in Spanish I think left us both more confused than anything, but it was $3 and "like a papaya" so I went for it.)  The grapefruit is honestly divine.  I cut it up in quarters to eat with a banana, but we also juiced one for a little glass.  It. was. out. of. sight.  The thought of juicing a couple grapefruit every morning for your weekday breakfast along with a hard boiled egg or some toast with apple butter (two of my morning staples) seems so luxurious I can barely stand it.  So we have decided to invest a simple but nice juicer.  I have begun my online search.  I would love one day to have one of those ultimate ones where you can throw in carrots, celery, anything, and the juice magically appears in a cup below.  But for now for the sake of cost and counter space, we'll get something more basic.  

Does anyone have any thoughts on this matter?  Any juicers that are great and/or we should avoid? 

Image via My Pinterst

All-star avocado

I am not ready to commit to my other four, but within this elite ranking is the illustrious avocado.  This list doesn't include dishes, but simple ingredients that I love in almost any form.  If anyone asked asked if I should add avocado to a dish,  I would most likely say sure.  The creamy fresh flavor, eating them at the perfect consistency, and the great nutritional value are just some of their all-star qualities.  So tasty on their own with just a little salt on toast is amazing.  And, when I really want a tasty no fuss snack, I will halve one and pour a little soy sauce in the cavity, eating it with a spoon to scoop directly from the skin.


Recently I saw a recipe by Giada for Linguine with Avocado and Arugula Pesto.  YUM.  I have yet to make it, but I thought I would share it and see if anyone had any thoughts or maybe had even made it before.  A great vegetarian dish, or if you served this with grilled chicken breasts you would have a complete tasty and healthy meal. 

1 pound linguine pasta

2 medium avocados 

3 cups baby arugula leaves 

1 packed cup fresh basil leaves

3 T fresh lime juice (2 large limes)

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1 t kosher salt

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

1 cup grated Parmasan

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (see Cook's Note)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Place in a serving bowl.

Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from the avocados and place in a food processor. Add the arugula, basil, lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper - blend until smooth

Pour the pesto over the pasta and toss together. Add the cheese and almonds and toss together until coated, adding the pasta water, as needed, to loosen the sauce.

My note:  I will probably add 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes to give it a little heat.  

Now to end with some food porn.  Not a great activity to look up when craving your mid-afternoon snack.  I torture myself sometimes when looking up recipes on Pinterest.  

 Images via Food Network and My Pinterest. 

Asian chicken noodle soup

All this New Years cleanse nonsense is kind of driving me crazy honestly.  Every HuffPost email flying into my inbox or turning on the news is telling me about ways to cleanse and detox.  Maybe this year I didn't party enough over the holidays, but I feel like drinking liquids exclusively isn't going to change my life at this point.  Do I need to throw away those lonely holiday cookies and chocolates lying around the house?  Yes.  Check.  (Except for these dark chocolate peppermint crispy wafer candies which would be sinful to pitch.)

I think sticking to real ingredients, lessening the butter/cream content, maybe cutting out booze during weeknights for a couple weeks, and really exercising more are the keys to getting back on track. You have to be honest with yourself.  For example, I found that I cannot totally restrict much of anything from my diet (oh well).  I need to be conscientious and honest with myself about what I eat and in what amounts, then stop worrying and get on with it.

This week I made this great Asian Chicken Soup from Food Everyday, Fresh Food Fast.   This is a greattt cookbook.  I highly recommend it - tasty recipes, lots of healthy options, and many doable weeknight meals.  I adapted it somewhat based on what was available at my grocery and pantry.  We slurped our bowls a little at the end honestly, so you know it's good.

Asian Chicken Soup

5 cups chicken broth
2 T grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, cut into slivers
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups water
4 oz. udon noodles
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6-8 oz each), thinly sliced into pieces
1 ball pepper, cut into thin 1 inch strips
6 oz. snow peas, steams and ends removed, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1-2 T fresh lime juice (I forgot this ingredient and used a lemon, but lime would be better.)
3 scallions trimmed and thinly diced
2 T fresh mint leaves minced for garnish
Soy sauce as accompaniment

In large pot, bring chicken broth, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and water to boil over high heat.  Add noodles, reduce heat to simmer and cook until noodles are tender, about 6-8 minutes.

While broth is heating up, cut chicken, red pepper and snow peas - add these ingredients once noodles have become tender, cooking 1-2 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.  Add lime juice and scallions.  To serve, use tongs to divide noodles and ladle soup mixture over each.  Serve with mint, soy sauce and even a little Sriracha if you crave more heat.

(Serves 4 as a main course.)

Image via 

In a pinch

I just came across this ingredient substitution table from allrecipes.com.  I needed to know what to substitute for shortening for the ginger cookies.  I have been to two grocery stores today, forgot to get this ingredient and I am not making a third trip.  You can copy-paste this into a Word table and it would be a great quick reference put up in your cabinet or pantry.  Happy cooking!

Image via

Ginger alert

No I am not referring to a missing person.  (P.S. Is everyone aware of what a silver alert is?  I was not.  Until I moved to Florida.)

In any event, I am obsessed with ginger.  Sweet, savory, cut up pieces in hot water for a simple tea  - you name it.  So when Bon Appetit's Holiday cookie a day recipe appeared today, I may have squealed a wee bit.  The recipe is a triple threat - raw, powered, and crystallized ginger are required for these tasty delights.  (Note: you can find good, inexpensive crystallized ginger at World Market.)  We're having people over this weekend for a small party and I will be making these Chewy Ginger Cookies for the spread.  But not until Friday, otherwise I may consume all 48 prior to the party.

Image via bon appetit

Dressing for success

The guilt of not blogging for a week has set in and I am tripling down today.  This product has been on mind to share with my dear readers because it is so amazingly delicious.  Makoto's Ginger Dressing is on my top ten, maybe even five, condiment list.  Which is big, you should see my refrigerator door. 

You will not find it in the salad dressing isle, but in produce area of your local market's refrigerated section.  So if you're buying 2-3 bottles at a time you can't keep it in the pantry which is kind of a bummer.  I use it on salads, to dip steamed veggies in, add it to marinades, and cannot say enough about how tasty I think it is.  The calorie content is also pretty low (80 per serving), and while the fat is higher than a low-fat dressing (7 grams), is is far less than deadly Caesar or ranch.  

Buy a bottle and let me know what you think!

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Black bean and pumpkin soup

I love soup.  It is (can be) healthy.  It gets better with time.  You can pretty much throw anything in the pot you like.  The ingredients can be very cheap.  My kind of cooking.

But I have a block with dried beans.  Heidi and Molly (and others) say they're so much better.  But the soaking and the draining seemed so tedious.  I know I'm being high maintenance here.  Well not only are they cheaper, have less sodium, but these beans DO taste better when dried and coming from a bag.  Last night I made a black bean and pumpkin soup.  I even soaked the beans overnight on Saturday, drained them and didn't use them until Monday night.  I'm not sure how advised that is.  But I did it and it was fine/tasted delish.

 
Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

1 medium white onion, chopped
2 oz olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 can (12 oz) Corona
1 16 oz dried black beans (soaked overnight) OR canned equivalent (drained and rinsed)
6 cups chicken stock
1 16 oz. pureed pumpkin
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
1 cinnamon stick
S&P

Heat olive oil in dutch oven/large pot, add onion and saute 10 minutes until soft and slightly browned.  Add the jalapeno and carrots to pot and mix for additional 5 minutes.  Add salt to taste.  Add beer to deglaze pan with spices called for and garlic.  Mix and wait 1-2 minutes.  Add pumpkin and incorporate, then adding 4 cups of chicken stock.  Bring to a simmer and add black beans.  Bring pot to low simmer, uncovered for 1 hour, tasting and adding S&P as necessary.  Add remaining chicken stock as needed because beans will absorb plenty of liquid.  If the beans are still not completely cooked, that's fine, but keep on stove simmering for another 30 minutes until tender.  Use immersion blender to puree half of soup, I eyed it.  You can also take half and put in a regular blender and puree.  Make sure it is cool enough so it does not splatter.

I then let it cool and put in the fridge.  It was dinner last night with some Texas Pete, crumbled tortilla chips, and a lil sour cream.

Finding my spots

Wherever one lives they need to have "their spots."  The perfect place to get a cup of coffee, sit, and people watch.  A good dry cleaners.  A go-to weeknight dinner place.  A weekend brunch locale to take out-of-towners.  The problem is I still sometimes feel like an out-of-towner in Miami.  I know there are gems and I love to find them, but unlike New York where you can amble around, Miami is more spread out and you go many places by car.  Thus I think it is sometimes more difficult to happen upon these places.  In my neighborhood I have found a so-so nail place, a cute Friday night date place, an adorable home goods boutique, and a good high-end second hand store.  But I have other categories yet to be filled.  The search continues.  

On Sunday I met a friend's out of town visitors while sitting out by the pool.  Still in town yesterday, I took them to run an errand in South Beach.  While one ran her errand, we sat at the place she always had breakfast with her family when in town on vacation growing up.  This was their breakfast spot.  I have such great memories growing up going to get ice cream after dinner in the summer at "our spots."  We sat and chatted, so nice to make new friends.  I was also happy I had found a breakfast/lunch spot in the beach.  News Cafe, an institution of South Beach I was not yet aware of, we sat in the shade, drinking iced cappuccinos enjoying the morning.  A spot is born. 

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Chicken wine

I am always on the lookout for a good, solid bottle of wine under $12.  Honestly I do not know enough (at this point) about wine to truly appreciate really fine wine.  I know what I think tastes good and I pretty much go from there.

I was introduced to this wine by a friend who went to a dinner party and the couple hosting raved about this "fine French wine."  He enjoyed it at the party, remembered the name, and looked it up online when he got home to see where he could buy it.  It is 8 dollars a bottle.  So much for fine wine, but it sure is tasty.  I enjoy both the red and white.  (I haven't tried the rose.)  We had a party last year and bucked up buying a case of each and it pretty much took us through the year.  When watching a movie on a weeknight, sipping a glass that is under $2 and still quite good is fine by me.

Wedding week soup (not mine).

This weekend we are headed to Charleston!  Not to mention it being one of my favorite cities, we will be there celebrating a dear friend from college's wedding.  I have not been as vigilant about my workouts (no good excuse to insert) last week, so I'm on a four day extra-healthy kick between now and the upcoming weekend.

I made a "healthy/clean out your fridge before you go out of town" soup.  I know, it sounds delish.  But it was good!  I love veggie soups, and they get you through the week with a little more room in your pantalones by the end of it all.

Wedding week soup
2 small yellow onions (diced)
2 carrots (diced small)
2 stalks celery (diced small)
1 can cannelloni beans (drained and rinsed)
1 zucchini
1 pint button mushrooms (cleaned, stems removed, quartered)
1 28 oz can diced tomato (drain and reserve juice)
1 large Idaho potato (diced small)
3 cups chicken low-sodium stock
2 cloves garlic
spices on hand at will

I cut up the onions and added them to the dutch oven on medium heat with a little olive oil, cooked 5 minutes, until soft, then added the carrots and celery.  Cooked that another 5 minutes and then add spices.  I think adding them here gives more depth to the flavor.  I added 1/4 tsp each of thyme, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper and some salt and pepper.  I quickly tossed them around and added the drained beans.  Then I added the chicken stock and let the pot come to a light boil.  I then added the tomatos, zucchini, mushrooms, and garlic, I let it simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.  I then added some of the reserved tomato juice (about 1 cup), added the potato, put the lid on half way covering the pot, and let it simmer for another 15-20 minutes (make sure the potatos are cooked through).

I removed it from the heat, added a little more salt and pepper and let it cool slightly.  I spooned some for myself, toasted a piece of dark rye bread and dug in to a healthy and light lunch.  After the soup cooled I put it in a large container in the fridge.  I will be enjoying it for lunch or dinner until I leave!