Competition Dining

The Hub and I had the opportunity to attend a really cool event last night ... semifinals of Fire in the Triad, a cooking competition with two chefs competing, a secret ingredient, smart phone voting, and 6 courses!

I love to eat and really enjoy the chance to try out new foods, restaurants, etc. Plus, it happened to be between two of our favorite restaurants, Southern Lights and 1618 Seafood Grill. When we arrived, we found out the secret ingredient .... BACON! They have been using all local NC products as the secret ingredient, so it has ranged from seasonal blueberries, goat cheese, watermelon, chicken from local farms, etc. Needless to say, thank goodness we aren't vegetarians!

I am not a food photographer so some photos are from the Competition Dining Facebook page.

Here are our six courses:

Pork belly with a turnip puree and cheese crisp (Southern Lights)

 Braised pork shoulder with a jalepeno popper (1618)

Pork tenderloin with bacon and brie puff pastry. The sauce is a mangalista remoulade 

(Southern Lights - please put this on your menu.)

 Filet with collard green "sushi" that included tasso. (1618)

 Bacon bread pudding with blueberry ice cream and basil sauce. (Southern Lights) 

Again, please add this to your menu, or just something with that amazing sauce.

Cheesecake with mangalista bacon covered in chocolate. Ice cream was pecan and bacon. (1618)

My favorites of the night were the braised pork shoulder, pork tenderloin, and the bacon bread pudding. That basil sauce was AMAZING. If I could have licked the plate, I would have. I wasn't familiar with mangalista bacon, but it is wonderful. Apparently, they are fattier than other pigs since so much of pork has been leaned down. Delicious!

The collard green sushi was creative, but overall, I wasn't impressed with that dish. The steak just wasn't that good. I felt the same way about the cheesecake - while I love sweet and salty combinations, biting into the cheesecake or ice cream with a large piece of bacon was strange to me.

It is all blind voting by the audience and guest chef judges and 1618 was declared the winner, but the bacon bread pudding had the highest overall scores of the evening.

A fun night and a great way to celebrate NC's great foods and wonderful local restaurants. We heard that there will be a state-wide competition between the four regional winners. That should be amazing!

All for now ... going to keep drinking more water since I probably consumed my weekly allotment of sodium yesterday!

Moving to the country, I'm gonna eat a lot of peaches

Peaches have been so good this season ... it really doesn't seem to matter where you buy them. Farm stand on the road, farmers market, Harris Teeter, or even (gasp) Wal*Mart.

I really love to eat them with my cereal, and my cousin gave me a handy-dandy peach pitter and slicer from Williams-Sonoma. This thing works like a charm unless you have an overly ripe peach, and then you get a big, squishy mess.

I think I may tend to like a little cereal with my peach as witnessed this morning.

15 miles and Feeney's

Well, I did it. My half marathon plan called for 13 miles on Saturday, but there were several people who were going up to 15 and I wanted to see if I could do it and I did it. 15 miles ... whoo-hoo!

It was actually a very good run, with the exception of the last mile or so. Someone told me that your body wouldn't know how to react once you went past 13 (or whatever mileage is your highest) and that was true. I could feel myself slowing down and really had to think about what I was doing so I wouldn't get sloppy. But, I did it and felt pretty good.

I was surprised at how quickly the miles went by. We got to mile 7, then to 10, and it hit me that I was really going to do 15.

My Garmin froze at 11.66 miles, so that stunk, because I'm a little OCD about using the Garmin for miles/pace, etc. My time kept going, but no pace and no distance. The guy who I ran with had the same problem, but he was able to restart his so that made me happy.

Now, it's taper time and in 2 weeks, race day. Wow.

I also discovered another new love ... Feeney's frozen yogurt. A self serve froyo bar with lots of yummy fresh fruit, chocolate candies, gummy worms, sprinkles, sauces, etc,etc. So, so good. Great flavors and let's just say that I was worried my cup was going to cost $18 (you pay by the ounce), but luckily it didn't. Here's to hoping that $3.50 isn't bad. I am glad that it's not too close to my house, but I can definitely tell that this may be my new addiction. Yum.

ending with cake

Yesterday, I worked, came home and did Mom duties until 6:30, then went to a meeting at 7pm that lasted until after 11. So, I got home around 11:30, read for a few minutes and tried to go to sleep as quickly as possible.


I woke up about 5:15 to walk 5 miles with some teammates at 5:45, came home at 7am, showered and got ready for work. I worked, came home and did Mom duties, and did enjoy 30 minutes of light dozing while Hubby read books and played with Maddy and Libby.


I am exhausted and ready for bed. It's only 8:34 PM. Plus, I have to get up a little before 5 to meet my running girls for 6 miles at 5:30. This is the point in the training that I am over it ... especially these early morning runs 3 days a week.


But do you know one good thing? Both days ended with cake. Yummy cream cheese frosting, strawberry filled cake. Carb loading, right!?
More days should include cake.

I had no idea

Did you know that SPANX made t-shirts for men? I guess they need to feel sucked in and smooth, just like we do.

I think I need a full body SPANX suit today. I don't think I'm helping matters that during the week I've eaten fried dill pickles and tater tots. Two different meals, but still.

I will have to say that the dill pickles were so worth it, and I'm glad that I'm running 11 miles tomorrow. I can't believe that my 3rd half marathon of the year will be here in just a few weeks. These hot temperatures haven't made training any fun at all and who knows how hot it will be at Virginia Beach for the actual event.

I have been using the Frogg Togg chilly pad and they are pretty amazing. They come in a big square and I've cut them in smaller pieces to carry with me. I've also been filling my water bottle about halfway, then freezing it overnight. Then, I fill it the rest of the way in the morning. Too bad that it didn't last as long as I had imagined, but at least the water stayed cold and not lukewarm like it typically does.

Happy Friday, everyone.

A few more questions

I have a few more questions to answer, but I wanted to take a break to ask if anyone else has seen the amazing looking strawberry layer cake in the current issue of Martha Stewart Living? I can't find the recipe online, but I may have to post this deliciousness.

If I can really get serious and make this sucker, that would be even better. Too bad Martha didn't include it in last month's magazine when our fresh strawberries were really at their best.

They also have a frozen peanut butter/banana/graham cracker recipe that looks wonderful, too.

Can you tell I'm entering higher mileage in my training and all I want to do is eat? I really can't believe that it's almost time for my 3rd half marathon of the year in about 7 weeks. How did that happen?

Date night

Hubby and I haven't seen too many date nights in the past two years. Yep, I could probably count them on two hands I'm sure. We've actually had two dates in the last three weeks, so maybe things are looking up ... or maybe we're just shelling out money for a sitter + dinner that we really shouldn't spend, but we know that it may equal sanity.

We have a local restaurant that has a great patio/deck area and on certain Friday nights during the summer, they play movies on a large screen out on their patio. The dinners are themed around the movie and we've always talked about checking it out and we finally went last night.

First, the weather was gorgeous and actually cool by the time we finished dinner. Amazing for the beginning of July.

We watched Bottle Shock, which is a great movie about how Napa Valley wines came to be known back in the 70's. Lots of good actors and we really enjoyed it. Better yet, the dinner included five courses and four wine pairings. Each pairing included one California wine and one French so everyone there had to guess which was which. Lots of wine and great food. Lucky for me, I had already done my long training run on Friday morning so I didn't have to worry about getting up for a 6:30 AM run. Lucky for me I had a little extra sleep to ward off any after-effects of four wine pairings.

So, here's to date nights, fun wine dinners, cool weather in July, and good memories.

That's my girl ...

It was "strawberry day" at our local Farmer's Market on Saturday, so we came home with over a gallon of fresh berries. As much as we love to eat them, I knew I had a few too many so I decided to make some strawberry bread instead of freezing them.


The recipe made two loaves so I took one to Maddy and Libby's school for the teachers and other students to enjoy at snack time. Well, I ended up with half the loaf leftover at the end of the day, so I put it on the counter with the other loaf.


When I came home from work, the girls had just woken up from their nap. Maddy was still a little sleepy and grumpy, so I was giving her a little snuggle time and Libby was standing in the kitchen.


I looked over and saw a sight that I never expected to see.


Libby had pulled the loaf of bread off the counter, unwrapped it, and proceeded to chow down. I promise that we do feed her!


I had to laugh and I also had to take a photo. I'm used to our dog's doing this, but I wasn't quite ready for my children. Oh, and no idea why her shirt was off. Lately, they have been in a routine of removing clothing whenever possible. It makes for fun mornings!

Cheese

It has been a cheese Sunday at the D. household.

We were at the "Tahjma" Teeter on Friday night, or maybe it's now called "Teeterdome" to pick up a few ingredients for a yummy black bean dip that I was going to make for Saturday. This still isn't the exact recipe that I had tried years ago, but I deleted and edited enough to make it taste like the one I remember.

Anyway.

We had Maddy and Libby who were enjoying their 5th bread sample of the evening and we were barely even past the deli area when I saw my beloved Augusta's Creations pimento cheese. Harris Teeter started carrying it some time ago and it is so good. It doesn't say it on the packaging, but it's made with Cabot cheddar, another one of my favorites. So, I had to pick up a tub of their jalapeno. Oh, it's so good. Different than the one my Mom makes, but equally yummy.

On Saturday morning, I decided to go check out our local Farmer's market. I didn't get there super early so I thought I'd be OK with the stroller. I was wrong. I went to our smaller, curb market that is indoors and let's just say that the aisles were a bit tight. Maddy and Libby had a blast, waving hi to folks, and checking out all of the goods. There I picked up another favorite, Goat Lady Dairy goat cheese. I tried the basil and garlic spreadable cheese and let's just say that Hubby and I don't have to worry about any vampires visiting us today.

Sadly, I don't think GLD cheese is available much outside of our area, but I know that Augusta's is available online, and Cabot is easy to find. Thank goodness for an 8.5 mile run today after my weekend of cheese!

Sweeties

Maddy and Libby's new obsession ... Sweetie Clementines.

Libby ate 1 1/2 of these at dinner last night and again at lunch today. They are super easy to peel, have no seeds, and are a great fruit to try. They had eaten regular tangerines before, but they always seemed to be a pain (for me) to make sure I had all the seeds out. With these, I can just peel them and put the segments on their plate.

They are an awesome snack - only 50 calories and so yummy.

I got duped

When I bought my trusted box of Quaker Oatmeal Squares over the weekend, I thought the box looked pretty small.

When I got it home and compared it to the box I had at home, I realized just how small it was.


A whole 8 ounces smaller for the same price.

I definitely need to find something else for my breakfast menu.

Home

I really feel like the grocery store is my home away from home, and that Maddy and Libby are going to eat us out of house & home.

I am so thankful that they are good eaters, but I feel like trips to Harris Teeter are becoming daily, or twice a day. I had to go there again today to exchange a box of Cheerios. Yes, I was that woman walking in with my big ol' box of Honey Nut Cheerios. Hubby picked them up accidentally when he was there yesterday, but we just eat the plain ones. I don't think the girls are allergic to nuts, but I'm not willing to test it out just yet.

So, I just finished baking three chicken breasts and a batch of turkey meatballs. It's so much easier to bake in larger amounts, then freeze the majority of it. I can then get out what we need for the day and not have to worry about making something right then.

Growing up, we typically had standard meals on certain days and I can now understand why. As much as I hated "Hot Dog Monday", I know that it was probably much easier for Mom to plan ahead and not have to stress about what she was making for dinner.

Any tricks that you do to help mealtime and meal planning run more smoothly?

One tip that a friend of mine does (that I've never been this organized to do) is she plans her family's weekly meals and they are posted on the fridge so the entire family can see them. On the back of each color-coded, laminated card, she has the recipe printed so she immediately know what she needs to buy, how long it takes to bake, that she needs to defrost chicken that day, etc. I think her daughters (5th and 7th grade) also help out more and they also get excited when they see the "Dad's Choice" card which ultimately means dinner at Chick Fil A.

Who knew?

If you want your entire family (yourself included) to take a nice afternoon nap ... have them all go work at your church nursery for a 3-hour shift. Well, I guess Hubby and I worked while Maddy and Libby checked out all the other kiddos, ate their weight in cheerios, and enjoyed new toys, puzzles, and books.

Once we got home, Maddy and Libby slept for over 3 hours and Hubby and I both napped for well over 1.5 hours.

Pure lazy Sunday bliss.

Hubby and I also had a nice, real live date yesterday afternoon. First movie we have seen in well over a year. His parents came to visit, kicked us out of the house, so we went to see Julie / Julia and it was wonderful. The theater was packed with young and old alike and there were a ton of laugh out loud moments. We topped that off with yummy burgers and beers at a downtown Brew Pub. The weather was nice enough to sit outside, which is always a plus in my book. It felt wrong to go out to eat after watching that movie, but there was no way I was going home to fix up a little french cuisine! I do have a bit of a craving for Beef Bourguignon. Maybe I'll get brave and try it.

What's going on

Around these parts, it's been a lot of ...

• skinny dipping and al fresco bathing (for Maddy and Libby). So much easier when you can bathe two babies outside in their pool and there's minimal clean up.
• running (for me) I ran in a 10K race today, hill repeat workout on Wednesday, and two other early morning runs this week.
• yard sale (my parents) They hosted one today at our house while I was out running the 10K. We did get rid of a lot of shiot. Thank goodness and I may be able to walk in my basement once again.
• birthdays. Maddy and Libby's was last week and my MIL's was earlier this week with her party tomorrow.
• eatin'. (Maddy and Libby). They have been loving fresh fruits and veggies. They seriously shovel it in with two hands. I can barely put it on their high-chair tray before they are gone. Tomatoes, strawberries, peaches, apricots, plums, avocado ... you name it. Is it bad that I mentioned to my neighbor turned gardener how much they love tomatoes? Now to hit up my other neighbor who's chickens finally laid eggs. Now if I can just find a cow to milk in our neighborhood and I'll be all set!

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Dinner

My dinner tonight was four sugar cookies that my Mom made.

I must get my eating habits or lack thereof back on track.

By the way, it was one of the new Martha recipes and they were really good. She didn't do the spoon shape, but still really yummy.

Like so good I really want to go back and get another. Damn.

Good stuff

If you are from the South, then you have probably eaten and enjoyed a pimento cheese sandwich from time to time. If you haven't, don't turn up your nose and just give it a try. On bread, crackers, or just a spoonful out of the container ... anyway is acceptable.

While looking up something for work today, I actually ran across a link to this vendor whose pimento cheese I tasted a couple of years ago.

All I can say is YUM and now it has me craving one.

If you find it, give it a try ... especially the jalapeno pimento cheese. Now, I don't know what my Meme would have said about adding jalapeno to pimento cheese, but oh my, it's good. I also love her website with the napkin, silverware, plate, and drink that are all set in front of you.

Enjoy!

Is it love?

When you get home from Chick-Fil-A with your much anticipated Ice Dream to find out it's not in the bottom of the bag, and Hubby asks if you want him to go back and pick it up?

I do think it's love ... now I'm not sure if it's more for Hubby or the Ice Dream, but that may be another post and my lifelong love of frozen dairy products.

Crack

lemon bars

Martha must have some sort of tracker on my craving for the day. I was thinking about lemon bars and (poof) an email appears with her best lemon recipes, including one for lemon squares. It's magic ... just like those ads on google!

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/lemon-squares?xsc=eml_edf_2009_03_24

Don't they look good? I think I may need to pick up lemons and the rest of the ingredients on my grocery store trip tonight so I can try to make them tomorrow.

Other staples in our house that we are either out of or as we say, "on alert" that we are almost out of ... coffee creamer, peanut butter, oatmeal squares cereal, whole wheat bread, bananas. I'm sure there's a dozen other things too. Hmmm, maybe it's selfish that the things always replenished are items that I always need for my own breakfast and lunch. Well, Hubby eats the peanut butter too, so I guess that counts for something.

I also want to pick up some blueberries for Maddy and Libby. They are into feeding themselves, so I'm going to try to "smoosh" the blueberries and cut into pieces to see what they think. So far, cheerios are the favorite, but they'll also eat bananas, sweet potato, and baked apples cut into tiny bits. The dogs think it's great too, because there is usually about a 70/30 ratio on what actually makes it into their mouths.

Just wondering

For you tea drinkers out there, will teas that contain Matcha make you feel like you are craaaazee?