Graffiato

Do you love Top Chef as much as I do?!?  Well, you should!  I have a lot about cooking from watching each season, and it also helped me to expand my palette and try new things.

Problem now is that I don't have cable, so no shows, and especially Bravo shows come into my home in the evening :( My friend Sadie of Frosting & Filagree generously lets me into her house for Top Chef each week!

As I travel around the country for work, one of my new goals is to visit the restaurants of the Top Chef contestants....first one- Graffiato by Mike Isabella.

This was the last stop in DC before taking the train home a few weeks ago, and it was perfect last thing to do in our nation's capitol.

Check out all the AMAZING food we ate:

We were there at 2 pm- still the brunch menu, so still lots of options.

Tortellini with peas, scrumptious :)

Salmon

Meatballs, eggs, and polenta- my favorite!

Crispy Gnocchi- melts in your mouth!

Hanger steak- the potato cubes were the best!

Berry pizza- this was my least favorite, but I think it was because the rest of the meal was so amazing!!

Jersey pizza- I brought this back with me to eat on the train!  Fried calamari with
cherry pepper aioli sauce on top.  This was the best train meal I have ever had :)

You should definitely visit when you're in town!

Italian Veggies

Austin and I came home from the gym last night (Yes- we are going to the gym- hurray!), and we had no idea what we were going to make for dinner.  I don't do well without plans, and all Austin wanted was pasta.  As you know, there is nothing I LOVE more than a carb-filled plate of pasta, but wouldn't that negate my workout at the gym??

I thought so, hence a compromise.  We would make pasta but it would only be half a meal.  I rummaged around my fridge full of veggies and found a great way to add to the pasta :)

The pasta was whole-grain penne with Trader Joe's vodka sauce- so yummy!

Italian Veggies

Ingredients
2-3 summer squash, sliced
3-4 red potatoes, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs Balsamic vinegar
basil, oregano, Italian seasoning

Directions
Coast pan with olive oil.  Cook onions, potatoes, squash, and spices until onions are translucent and potatoes can be pierced with a fork.  Drizzle with balsamic.

Serves 4, 4 points a serving.

And here's the amazing thing-- while my dinner was still Points Plus friendly, I was too full to finish my plate.  AND, I stopped eating instead of stuffing myself- that's progress :)

Spoiled Bride, Part 3

Spoiled Bride, Parts 1-3 all came from the same weekend.  We had the bachelorette party Friday, Shower #2 Saturday, and Shower #3 Sunday.  The aunt's on my mom's side threw me this shower.

My mom is one of ten children, so I have lots and lots of cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.  I was so touched to see how many of my family came from out of town for the wedding celebrations.  One aunt came with her two daughters from Philadelphia and another aunt with her two daughters from Virginia.  It was wonderful to have us all come together for the weekend!!  

Each of my aunts contributed something really special to the shower, and they got me my favorite gift:  a Kitchen Aid mixer...yay!!

Beautiful cookies that were the favors!

The centerpieces were inspired by an arrangement I pinned
on pinterest :)  One of my aunts went there for inspiration!

Most of my female cousins on my mom's side!!

My amazing aunts :)  Thanks for a wonderful shower!

Cajun Stuffed Peppers

I heart looking through food magazines!  I still have my binder of recipes I have been saving for years and I promise I will make all those recipes....eventually :)

For now, I was excited about a recipe I saw in Food Network Magazine from January/February.  I tweaked it a bit with the ingredients I had at home (ex- ground beef instead of ground sausage), and the results were great.

Cajun Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients
1 cup brown rice
1/3 cup quinoa
3 large green peppers, halfed and seeds removed
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbs olive oil
1/4 lb ground beef
1 Tbs Cajun Seasoning
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1 14 oz canm diced tomatoes
1 summer squash, diced
1 small bunch argula, chopped

Directions
Cook rice according to instructions but adding more water to the pot to accommodate for the quinoa. Set aside.

Meanwhile, drizzle peppers with 1 Tbs water in microwave safe bowl.  Cover and microwave for 8 minutes.  Try and make sure the pepper doesn't become shriveled (my mistake, and I originally microwaved for too long).

Heat olive oil in saucepan.  Add onion and cook until translucent.  Add beef, garlic, coriander, Cajun seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, and cook until ground beef is browned.  Add tomatoes and 1 cup water.  Pile argula on top and cook until wilted.  Combine rice and quinoa with beef mixture.  

Scoop mixture into pepper halves.  Serve and enjoy!

Serves 6, 5 points a serving.

Kucoots

Kucoots is one of my favorite summer meals.  Growing up, my mom always had a vegetable garden full of zucchinis and tomatoes, making kucoots a staple.  I actually have no idea where the name came from, and google-ing this recipe name yielded no results on the recipe's origins :(

The meal is light and fresh and could be served over any grain.  We normally use pasta, but I think it would be great over couscous next time I make it.

If you make a big pot of kucoots, eat what you want for one meal and save the rest of a winter night when you need a taste of summer :)

Kucoots

Ingredients
1 28 oz can, diced tomatoes with basil and oregano
1 large zucchini (or 3 small), peeled and quartered
1 summer squash, quartered
3-4 small red potatoes, cleaned and quartered
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp basil
1 Tbs olive oil to coat pan

Directions
Coat saucepan with olive oil.  Add garlic and cook until browned.  Add rest of ingredients, bring to boil and then simmer.  Cook until potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork.

Serve over pasta.  I normally make angel hair, but rotini works too (it's all I had in the cupboard!).

Serves 6, 8 points a serving.

Happy 4th of July- Stars and Stripes Cake

Happy 4th of July!

From the fireworks in Lewisburg, PA on Friday, June 29
(yes, they celebrate the 4th a week early!)

Every year growing up, we would go to my Aunt and Uncle's for a pool party, 4th of July celebration, and my grandfather's birthday.  My grandpa turned 87 yesterday, so today will be quite the party!

While my family gets together every year, I have missed this party for at least the past 5 :(  I'm not there with my family, but my favorite parts of the party are always with me!

One of those is the stars and stripes cake!!!  It's a simple and healthy cake that's still pretty festive.

Stars and Stripes Cake

Ingredients
1 cake mix, chocolate/Devil's food
1 can, Diet Pepsi
2 egg whites

1 container, Lite Cool Whip
Strawberries (sliced)
Blueberries

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix cake mix, Diet Pepsi, and egg whites. Spread cake mix evenly in a greased cake pan.  Mine was 13 x 9.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a knife comes out of the cake clean.

Let cool (overnight is fine).  Spread cool-whip topping as frosting.

After washing and slicing strawberries and washing blueberries, pat dry with paper towels to prevent color bleeding.

Arrange the strawberries as the stripes and the blueberries as the stars.

Enjoy!

4 points a serving for a good-sized piece of cake.

What are your 4th of July traditions?

Spoiled Bride, Part 2

Welcome to another edition of spoiled bride :)  Today we'll talk about my second bridal shower (I will have 4 total when all is said and done.  Spoiled; I know).  This shower was thrown by my mom and sisters for my dad's side of the family and friends.

Here are the highlights:

The most amazing cake from Dessert Deli.
And it was carrot cake- totally worth the 18 points a slice :)

My mom, sisters, and me.

Eggplant Parm-- wasn't my dish but I needed a picture and a taste :)

The shower was held at Orazio's.  It's where Austin and I got
engaged, so it will always have an extra special place in my heart.
They are famous for their Pasta con Vodka.  Delicious!

My bridal bingo card...full of love!

My best friend, Kristie, and her mom gave me a vase with our wedding
date written on it.  If you can't tell, there were oooo's all around!

The bouquet that I will hold at the rehearsal and my sisters sporting awesome bows!

Look how pretty the cake the gave me was!!!  Orazio's did a great job with the shower :)

My sisters love me...I was feeling a bit smothered, lol!

Almost all my bridesmaids and me :)  Again, how lucky am I?