Greek Dip Platter

First of all, can you believe that it’s almost November?  I can’t.

This past weekend we attended our last wedding before our wedding.  Eeeeek.

 

It was a gorgeous wedding and we had an absolute blast!

Yesterday we stayed in Raleigh for lunch and tried out Tribeca Tavern.  I found this restaurant in a magazine that said they had the “best burger” in Raleigh.  Not only do they have an amazing menu but it’s all locally sourced.  And they grind the meat in house.  The staff was unbelievable nice and made dining here a real treat.  We splurged on lunch starting with the housemade chips that came with a gorgonzola fondue (ahhh-mazing, and not too blue!).  I had to go with a burger (they even had gluten-free buns!)…The Tar Heel Burger.  Ground beef, red wine glazed onions, Carolina Moon brie, LTO.  Big Guy went with The Pirate (imagine that).  Ground beef with “Hoop” cheddar, chili, bacon, BBQ sauce and slaw.  Both were SOOOOOOOO good.  Big Guy’s was quite messy but so worth the extra napkins.  You could really tell that they used quality ingredients and the hamburgers were cooked perfectly.

Following such an indulgent lunch, I knew dinner had to be light.  After carving pumpkins, I put together a no-cook Greek Dip Platter.

It’s so simple:  a layer of non-fat Greek yogurt, a layer of hummus (I used one of my favorites from TJs – a triple hummus with garlic, roasted red pepper and parsley), feta, minced red onion, tomato and cucumber.

 

Served with all sorts of dippers.  Including a honeycrisp apple that was fantastic.

 

I needed those veggies!

 

Happy Monday!  I hope you all stay safe and drive during this crazy weather (Hurricane Sandy…you can go away now).

Bison for the win.

I had my heart set on Crisp Lamb Lettuce Wraps.  I had seen lamb in Harris Teeter a few weeks ago and jumped for joy at something so “fancy” in our town.  And then there was a lamb fail.  Harris Teeter was out of lamb.  Some might say, go to a different store.  That different store that might have lamb is at least an hour away.  So I went back and forth beef or pork, beef or pork.  And then my eyes landed on bison.  Bison for the win!

Basically I made the wraps just as the recipe stated but used ground bison instead of lamb.  The lamb would have been delicious but the bison was absolutely incredible.  The addition of cinnamon was a brilliant idea.  So many flavors!!!  Bright cucumber, fresh parsley, creamy hummus dressing.  This meal was out of control!

And I can’t lie – I had an additional wrap once these two were demolished.  Things got a little messy but I cannot describe how full of flavor these were.  I think that’s all Big Guy and I talked about while eating – what we were eating.

Bison for the win.

Gooder ‘n Grits

1.  Life is good.  It’s Friday.  It’s going to be sunny this weekend and I can’t wait to spend a much-needed evening with my main squeeze followed by a fun-filled Saturday evening with friends.

2.  The only thing that I’m bummed about is not being able to see my Momma or any Momma, for that matter.

3.  Yesterday I promised I’d show you around the garden.  Let’s take a tour!

This is the view from the back deck.

Corn!  Big Guy’s babies.

My babies.  Cilantro, Basil, Orange Mint, Dill, Rosemary and Mint.
They grow up so fast!

 Mators.

Red, green and yellow peppers, jalapenos, zucchini, squash.  

4. After posting yesterday that I’d put up pics of the garden, I received an email:  Please pull any weeds before you take garden pictures!!!!

5.  My response to Big Guy: well can’t promise i’m going to pull weeds – can’t mess up my mani this evening.

6.  Big Girl didn’t pull any weeds last night.  Manicure intact.

 7.  This hammered gold tote is amazing.  It would hold everything from my camera case to my bottle water and all my snacks.  Yes, snacks.

 

8.  Big Guy informed me that he had a very realistic dream about our wedding.  Big Guy, you’re officially crazier than me.  Apparently in his dream, no guests showed up.  If that’s going to be the case, tell me now – I’d love to just take the money and run.  Kidding, kidding.

9.  Sweet.potato.hummus.   That sounds gooder ‘n grits!

10.  I’d take one of these come 6pm tonight.  (I’m bummed it can’t be 5pm.)

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy plus some Lemon-y Stuff

1.  Happppppppppppppppppppy 22nd Birthday, Baby Boy.  I pray to God you haven’t started on the Jager yet.

2.  Baby Boy is usually referred to as “Meat Stick” here on the blog.  But he’s also known as “baby boy” or “rose bud.”

3.  To celebrate Rose Bud’s birthday, I had waffles.  Without him.

4.  I need to stock up on more waffles and more almond butter.  Stat.

5.  Yesterday was rather lemon-y.  I tried a new-to-me hummus flavor:  LEMON!  I was kind of shocked at how “luscious” it was.  It will be a part of my lunch again…today.

6.  Another luscious lemon product that was part of my food intake yesterday is Lemon Chobani.  Let’s refer to it as Lemon Chobs.  The lemon kind of took away from the tanginess of the yogurt – but in a pleasant way.

7.  I liked the lemon hummus better than the lemon Chobs.  But I’d buy both again.  As in, the next time I’m at the store.

8.  It better not rain this Saturday.

9.  Skinny Piña Colada:  2 ounces coconut rum, 2 ounces pineapple juice, 5 ounces coconut water.  Mix.  Drink.  Be taken away to the tropics.

10.  And Big Guy, when I ask for coconut water, do not bring home 2 coconuts.

11.  I can’t make this stuff up.

Cheese and Crackers

I need more nights like last night in my life.  Laughter, a glass of wine, a few of my favorite girls, cheese and crackers.  Perfect little evening.

Last night I hosted a Stella and Dot party for one of my closest college friends.  I’m not one to usually like to host these kind of things because I absolutely hate feeling like I’m pressuring folks into buying something they don’t like.  Therefore, I tried to keep it low-key and I think the girls ended up with some really cute stuff that they’ll actually wear.

Here’s a few of my favorite pieces:

Obsessed.

Yep, those are going to be mine, too.

So me.

Now to the cheese and cracker part.

I kept it simple last night.  I stress over the weirdest things so I decided to avoid that and let Trader Joe’s do most of my work.

Marinated mozzarella balls.  Make it fancy by mixing with grape tomatoes.  Simple.  These were a hit.

Blueberry Goat Cheese.  I.n.c.r.e.d.i.b.l.e.  I’m going to go ahead and say that this is my favorite goat cheese of ALL time.

Stilton with Apricots.  I bought this because I had tried a white cheese with apricots before and loved it.  I’m not sure about the whole “stilton” thing.  It’s good but still a little “weird” to me.  Maybe it’ll grow on me.

Served with Ritz Pretzel Crackers and Blue Diamond Almond Nut Thins.  The nut thins are fabulous.  I finally saw them last week and grabbed a box of those and the pecan flavor.  I neeeed to get my hands on the other flavors.

I also put out hummus and carrots for some snackage.  And I made a sweet treat, obviously.  Meemaw’s Texas Tumbleweed.  Of course Paula would put potato sticks in a dessert.  By the way, those potato sticks aren’t easy to find.

Only four ingredients.

Next time, I’d add some raisins or craisins into the mix.  Love sweet and salty treats.

Thanks Ladies for such a wonderful middle-of-the-week-much-needed break!

What’s your favorite “easy” appetizer?

And are you obsessed with cute earrings like me?

A dippin’ good challenge, round five.

I have to admit, I was a little scared of the olive chips.  But I knew I had to give them a chance.  Big Guy and I aren’t big olive fans.  I think you either love ‘em or you hate ‘em.

A combination of real black, kalamata and green olives offers a genuine flavor which punches up a quick snack and creates the perfect base for dips like hummus.  Or in our case, Spinach-Parmesan Dip.

 

Spinach is the base, obviously.  It is then mixed with fresh basil, garlic, cream cheese (I used the whipped cream cheese), yogurt (I used plain Greek yogurt), and Parmesan cheese.  Next time, I’ll use a little more garlic.

Upon first tasting a “bare” chip, I didn’t detect any olive.  Big Guy said he got a taste of olive every once and a while but it wasn’t overbearing.  These chips are awesome!  And I agree, they’d be great with hummus.  But what wouldn’t be good with hummus?

And this dip.  Oh my my my.  Cooking Light, this recipe is a keeper!!!  It hails from 2004 but I’m telling you what, I’m making this again.  It’s absolutely delicious.  In fact, I had more on Saturday (and Sunday) paired with veggies.

Honestly, I’d buy these chips again.  I never thought I’d say that about the olive flavor.  But before I buy those, I’m going to have to get my hands on some of the other flavors…

p.s. I have one bag left from the challenge:  CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!

The “Other” Nashville, part 3.

If you can’t tell, Nashville has been the best weekend of 2011. 

While exploring on Saturday morning, we stumbled across Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant.  We had talked about eating at the Farmers Market but decided against it in favor of sitting inside a restaurant.  Puckett’s was adorable inside.  It started as a grocery store in the 50s so the inside is still reminiscent of a grocery store.  They have quite a selection on the menu and breakfast is pretty much served all day on Saturdays.  Knowing we were going to be having brunch on Sunday, I opted out of the breakfast fare.  (So did Big Guy – but that’s typical – he’s not a “breakfast” kind of guy.)  To start, we got the sausage and cheese platter.  Holy huge.  I stuck with the smoked sausage and it was awesome – especially with their BBQ sauce.

sausage and sunlight

We were tempted by the green bean fries but decided we had plenty of fried goodness (hellllllo, sweet potato fries and truffle chips). 

And for lunch, I kept it simple with a salad. 

strawbs, feta and walnuts

Isn’t it gorg?  I thought so.  And it was even more delicious.  A little heavy on the feta, but feta makes it betta, right?

Big Guy opted for some BBQ…Puckett’s BBQ Platter.

BBQ platter

The best part of this platter (because we all know I tried everything Big Guy ordered over the weekend) was the sweet tator fries (totally made up for Friday’s cold fries) and the according to Big Guy – the Cajun Corn Cakes.  They were like little cornbread pancakes.  Puckett’s was a perfect Saturday lunch.

After a little more exploring, it was time to get ready for our “big night out.” 

Our night started at 5pm with a drink at The Patterson House.  I had heard this was a bar we had to visit.  And once Big Guy heard they had a Bacon Old Fashioned on the menu, he couldn’t wait to visit either.  I took a few pics (or tried) of our drinks but honestly, you must visit this bar if you’re in the Midtown area of Nashville.  And when you walk into the bar, you feel like you’re entering into a secret society club meeting.  Awesome atmosphere.  Like nothing I’ve ever experienced.  Bookshelves lined the walls and velvet curtains.  Booths were available but we sat at the bar.  With our drinks, we enjoyed some black-eyed pea hummus.  The bartenders are more like artists of drinks.  I mean, I could have watched them mix drinks for hours.  A pour here, a drop there, shake this one, stir that one.  I was blown away.  And let me just say, the Bacon Old Fashioned smelled just like smoked bacon.  (The taste, well…I wasn’t a fan – but Big Guy is still talking about it.)

bacon...in a drink?!?!

Once we settled up there, it was off to the Grand Ole Opry!!!!!!!  I’m going to be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect when we bit the bullet and bought tickets last week but I’m so glad we did.  I guess it’s something you just must do if you’re in Nashville.  It’s kind of like going to the Statue of Liberty if you’re in NYC. 

the opry!!!!!!

I laughed every time they ended a set and had a commercial.  It was like a real commercial.

loved it!

There was everything from throw-back country (stuff I didn’t recognize but my Grandparents – or Big Guy – would love) to music you currently hear on mainstream radio.  Such a mix of music and talent.

the one and only - Charlie Daniels

Of course he played “Devil went down to Georgia…” and of course I sang along.  I couldn’t stop smiling during the entire 2 hour show. 

Other performers we saw:  Craig Morgan, Steve Wariner, and James Wesley.  Other than Mr. Daniels, I thought Craig Morgan’s songs were the best (probably because they’re the most popular).

Promptly following the show, we were off to dinner.

to be continued…

‘Ritas and ‘Ronas

'rita and 'rona

A perfect pair, if I do say so myself (kind of like me and Big Guy).    Saturday was all about the Mexican theme.  Kat and her boyfriend, Josh(ie), came into town and what better way to welcome them than with a fiesta.

On Friday night I prepped my “OMG – that’s so adorable” sweet treat.  When I saw these Strawberry Margarita Jell-O Shooters I about died.  Okay, that’s a lie.  I just thought they were adorable and I had to make them. 

the berries

First, you’ll cut off the bottom so that it can stand up.  Don’t get to knife-happy though.  Then you’ll hull out of the insides.  In other words, find the biggest strawberries ever made.  I used an apple corer to gently remove the innards of the strawberry.  Easier said than done.  A few strawberries were deemed “unable to save.”

Then you’ll mix up the margarita mix – 1 cup water, package of strawberry “J-E-L-L-O” (spelled out, of course), 4 ounces white tequila and 2 ounces Grand Marnier.  Refer back to the website where I got the idea for more explicit instructions.

margarita shooters!

In order to transfer the liquid into the strawberry I used a baster.  An eye dropper would work wonders, though.  These don’t hold much – they’re more for visual excitement. 

cheers!

And the rest of the spread:

ariiiiiibaaaaaaa

For dinner: 

smokin' hot

The pork wasn’t the only thing smokin’…I think Big Guy’s smokin’, too. 

Unfortunately, I have no photos of the pulled pork tacos with my amazing pineapple slaw.  Lo siento.  In the pineapple slaw:  cabbage (obviously), pineapple chunks (duh), green onion, red onion, cilantro, S&P, white vinegar, and lime juice. 

Other details:

guac hummus a la TJs

My thoughts on the guac:  loved it.  It wasn’t too overpowering.  Even the anti-guac Big Guy liked it.  5 out of 5 stars.  I was impressed, what can I say. 

taco dip

This is a life-changing, 2 ingredient dip.  Honestly, I made it last weekend for Superbowl when I needed something super fast.  AKA – no time to go to the store.  Simple mix green yogurt (or sour cream) and taco seasoning (the pre-mixed packet).  That’s it, folks.  Go make it and impress someone.  (Thanks Momma Bell - I stole that from you.)

Ole!

“In Crust We Trust”

Amen, Paul Newman, amen.

Some nights, frozen pizza is perfectly okay by me.  Last night was one of those nights.  I didn’t want a bunch of leftovers because we have big kitchen plans this weekend and I also needed to clean the house (something I do once a week – it’s therapeutic in a way).  Frozen pizza isn’t necessarily “evil.”  Add additional toppings.  Pick a pizza without meat.  Serve the pizza with a vegetable.  I know, I know – I make fabulous pizzas from scratch…but some nights, I just want to throw something in the oven and let it work for me.

pre-baking

oh my.  I just found where you can print coups.  Click here and print the coupon so you can try out Paul’s pizza. 

11 minutes later

If you don’t like thin crust, this might not be the pizza for you.  Me, on the other hand, I love thin crust.  It’s my favorite.

with some veg

I also grabbed 1/2 of another piece.  I loved this white pizza.  Lots of flavor.  Lots of garlic flavor.  Garlic makes me happy.  For a frozen pizza, I give this 5 out of 5 stars.  Plus you can eat 1/3 of this pizza for about 260 calories.  Ummmm, I like that.

Also – Newman’s Own Lightened Up Balsamic Vinaigrette is one of my favorite dressings.  Just throwing that out there.

Oh and another product I tried earlier in the week was a Trader Joe find (I’m going to TJs tomorrow and I already have my list of things to buy and try!).

the #1 product last year

I mentioned a while back, TJs has a list of their Top 50 products…this was number one, so of course I just HAD to try it. 

Simply spread out the chicken onto a baking sheet and bake according to the directions.  While the chicken is baking, empty the sauce into a saucepan and heat over low. 

crispy

I know this isn’t the healthiest of meals but trust me, it’s better tasting (and better for you) than most take out. 

Once it’s out of the oven, toss with the sauce. (hah – that rhymed)

oh yea.

I absolutely loved this chicken.  I can see working mother’s around America kissing the feet of Joe (Trader JOE, that is).  This dish is a winner.  I served ours with brown rice with green onions and snap peas.  And this is so much cheaper than take-out.  I now know why this is number one.  Well, not really – their hummus stole my heart a long time ago.  Along with their cheap (yet fabulous) wine.

I’m going to go day-dream about my trip tomorrow to Trader Joes….

 oh…and if you haven’t already gotten dress for the day, throw on some red for National Wear Red Day.

Lunchbox Diaries

It’s rare that I talk about my lunches on the blog.  It might be because my lunches are normally rather boring and something that’s simply quick and easy to assemble.  Some days I go home for lunch (love living 2 minutes from work) and some days (like today) I bring my lunch due to work commitments. 

my handy dandy lunchbox

What are some of my usual suspects:  soup and a flat-out wrap quesadilla, big salad using up anything and everything in the fridge (Big Guy thinks my salad creations are amusing – salad does not = lettuce and tomatoes in my world), frozen veggies, tuna and greek yogurt, veggie burger, cheese and fruit, and the most popular combo:  veggies and hummus. 

That’s why I’m sharing today’s lunch.  Usually I just buy pre-made hummus.  My favorites are garlic, spinach and artichoke and anything baring the Trader Joe’s trademark.  But today’s selection is different.

I have some random herbs in the fridge and I hate to let them go to waste (hence why dried really are economically the best for my kitchen) like leftover herbs tend to do.  When I ran across this recipe earlier in the week I knew it was meant to be.  I had white beans I needed to use (I opened a can over the weekend as a salad topper) and I had rosemary (from the best chicken I’ve ever tasted).  Instead of letting either go to waste, I made this dip!  (And yes, I realize it’s technically not hummus because it’s not chickpeas but this is my blog and I’ll call it hummus if I want. – rant over) 

white beans and rosemary

I absolutely love white beans.  Just thought I’d throw that out there.

the MINI processor

I probably should have pulled out the big guns (the big food processor) but I’m just obsessed with all things “mini.”  This little gadget just makes me smile.  And I also should have chopped up the rosemary but I was in a hurry.  Minor details.  Also in the mix, tahini, lemon juice (which had expired so I threw out – but only after using 2 tablespoons), and garlic.   Lots of garlic.

the lunchbox spread

Don’t you like the rosemary sprig I added?    Carrots and celery to go with the hummmmmus, 2 tiny apples, sunflower butttttah, and almonds.  As you can see, I don’t understand the “2 tablespoon serving size” for hummus.  I’m more of a 1/2 cup kind of girl.  I can’t wait to dig in come lunch time.

the innards of the lunchbox

Do you pack your lunch?