Won Ton Soup

It's finally chilly in Northern VA! We had our first dusting of snow last week. We were all crossing our fingers for more, but it was just enough to make getting to car precarious. The fact it took until January to get here makes me a little wary of the planet's health. Bundle up!

To help us cuddle in the sweatah weathah, we decided to make a feel good soup many people overlook: won ton. It's a Chinese-American takeout classic. It's essentially dumplings floating in delicious broth. My favorite part is knowing what goes into the pot! You can add more veggies if you want, but we stuck with bok choy, green onions, and peas. 

The Chinese-American traditional version consists of ground pork with shrimp. We went to two grocery stores and neither carried ground pork! I didn't realize this was a hard product to find or maybe it's just the season. I substituted with a healthier alternative of ground turkey cooked in bacon grease  mixed with the crumbled bacon. Don't go crazy on the bacon- a strip or two will do! Just enough to add some flavor. And don't forget the crispy won ton wrappers on top! You can buy these in the international section or make them yourself. 

Now I must warn you... the recipe and ingredients are simple and easy to work with. Actually forming the won tons is time consuming. It's a bite sized portion of meat in each dumpling. This yields an army of delicious tasty dumplings that will be gobbled up in a pinch. Make sure you have back up or else you're going to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Make it a date night! Invite a friend over for dinner and movie! Tag team!

For the delectable recipe, check out Starry Night's post on allrecipes!

Power Up: Chocolate Peanut-Butter Energy Bars

It's hard for me write about being healthy and staying active after attending a wedding cupcake tasting. We wanted to try everything at Confections in Manassas, VA! The spirit was willing, but the flesh is weak. My tummy can only handle so many cupcakes in a single sitting. On top of that, I'm addicted to the theme music from "Downton Abbey" and all it motivates me to do is nap. 

The moral of the story: don't watch hours of British drama and stuff your face with sugar like some people. How's that horrible saying go... do as I say, not as I do?

I've always hated that saying. We all need our moments of  cake and stories as a reprieve. Be kind to yourself. That doesn't mean bombard yourself with bon bons; you don't want to have a one-night stand with ice cream that you'll regret the next day! We live in a society where sweets have been conditioned to equate to reward. That may have been true back in the day when a slice of cake was considered a delicacy. Nowadays you can simply go to a gas station and grab a candy bar. Reward yourself with nutrients. Tasty nutrients.

The (soon to be) hubby and I love going to the gym and being active. It's one of the characteristics that attracted us to one another. We met break dancing. We were always digging for spots to practice and staying till they kicked us out! The fun and frustration is in overcoming the challenge. I hate to admit it, but I am competitive which is why I don't like to compete with others. Who better than to have it out with than your greatest opponent: the self. It's never been about impressing others.

One problem we run into on a regular basis is the dinner-gym balance. After work, we like to go to the gym but that leaves the question of dinner in the air. Unless it was prepped the night before, we tend to feel rushed and a bit stressed. Well... at least I do! Nobody wants to eat dinner at 9pm! Plus, we're freaking starving and Mike's ready to eat the floor boards.

To help ease the pressure of dins, I am trying to bring better snacks to work. Breakfast is usually a hearty bowl of oatmeal with fruit, then lunch, and finally a little sweet in the afternoon. That's honestly not much fuel. When I stumbled upon these bars in Health magazine, I knew we had to give it a shot before hitting the gym!

Packed with peanuts and rolled oats, these are bars a 100% win. They taste delicious and they provide just the right amount of fuel. Mike was all about eating a bar on the drive over. Why are these so lovely? As Health magazine says, "these treats not only taste better than most energy bars, but the peanuts may help prevent a blood-sugar spike, and both dark chocolate and cranberries are great choices for heart health."

The recipe calls for barley flakes or rolled oats. Watch what kind of oats you select if you decide to go this route. The generic oatmeal type tend to be a bit thinner. Rolled oats are thicker and hearty! Don't worry about left over oats- they're perfect for oatmeal. If you can, try finding unsweetened dried cranberries to cut back on the sugar. 

As perfect as these bars were, I am curious to see how dark chocolate would taste instead of semi-sweet. I'm a big dark chocolate lover but  he tends to go for the sweeter varieties. Plus, I may substitute the peanuts for almonds as they are a nutritious nut too and there's already peanut butter in the mix; it's a thought. 

For the full recipe, check out  the article in  Health's Magazine's! They even provide a breakdown of the nutritional information.

Everything Healthy Soup

When the hubby-to-be catches a cold, it's time to bust out the big guns. It pains me to watch him shuffle about the house and have no energy. Where did this nasty cold come from? I blame the disease incubator that is our office building. It's unsettling how colds roll through a department like a passing wave. You can slowly watch an entire team get taken down, one by one, in the winter. 

My mother's response to any cold was soup and lots of rest. I'm usually a stickler for Canja because that's what I was raised on and it's comforting. This soup started off as Canja... and then transformed into something else entirely.

We lovingly call this, "Everything Healthy Soup." If it's good for you, it was thrown into the pot! Nothing in the kitchen was safe. There are carrots, celery, garlic cloves, grated ginger, onion, spicy pepper flakes, and zucchini. It was a rampage of yummy vegetables. This past year, I discovered avocado in soup and fell in love with the smooth texture. Is there NOTHING it can't be served with?

You determine what goes in the pot. Just make sure it's healthy! Stay well and cold free!

Everything Healthy Soup

1 small whole chicken, rinsed in cold water and cleaned
olive oil
15 whole garlic cloves
large zucchini, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
1/2 onion, sliced
1 avocado, chopped into bite size pieces
2 cups spinach
1 celery, chopped
1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated
dried red pepper flakes
black pepper
sea salt

Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil. Set to medium heat. Add at least a teaspoon of crushed red pepper and the garlic cloves. Let it cook until slightly fragrant, about a minute or two. Add 4 cups of water and bring to boil. Season with salt but go easy- you don't want to oversalt. 

Clean the bird. Rinse in cold water and drain. Add to pot; there should be enough water so that the bird is just barely submerged so add all the water you need. Let cook at a boil for about 5 minutes. Lower heat to low-medium and put the lid on. Leave there for at least one hour- until the meat easily pulls off. 

Carefully remove the bird. DO NOT DRAIN THE POT. You are looking at home made chicken stock. Leave it be! Let the bird cool until it's easy to handle and go to town. I usually don't include the skin because i'm not a fan of its texture.

While the bird is cooling, add the carrots and celery to the pot and keep at low heat. They take the longest to soften but you don't want mush!

Once the bird is easy to handle, shred the chicken to pieces and throw back in the big pot of chicken stock. Set the heat to medium and add the rest of the vegetables. Season to taste with crushed red pepper, pepper, and salt. Add healthy splash of olive oil when done.

Tiramisu for Two! Happy New Year!

A few days late but what the heck: Happy New Year! I hope you had a fun, safe NYE no matter how you celebrated. I'm all about staying in with a few friends but this year we went for the gusto! We saw The Legendary Roots at the Filmore in Silverspring, MD and rented a hotel room within walking distance. Drive, on New Year morning with all the crazies out? No thanks! Besides, it gave us the opportunity to explore the area!

A friend was spot on with his recommendation of  Abyssinia, an Ethiopian restaurant. The last time I had Ethiopian was during college and it was a forgettable experience. Dinner, however, was a very pleasant surprise. Mike ordered spiced chicken and I ordered a mix of vegetable curries. The brought our meal all together on one big round of flat bread (injera), his chicken in the middle surrounded by spots of different curries. Absolutely delicious and great variety in a single meal! Highly recommend! 

The hotel was easy to find and one block away from the Fillmore. The receptionist explained politely that the room I had ordered online was sold out, so we were going to get a suite. I was confused for a moment- you don't have my room?? She smiled and explained we were getting a free upgrade at no additional cost. Then she gave me a cookie that was in their front desk warmer. Score. 

At last, showtime at the Fillmore! This was my first time there and it was impressive. It's like the clean version of the 9:30 club in DC. There's a small ground floor rimmed with the bars; the view is decent from any angle. The upstairs has a few rows of bench seating along the side and then restaurant seating at the center. Not too shabby! It was a mature crowd so no bumping, pushing, spilled beer, or sweat.

As for The Roots... no wonder they're self-titled "Legendary." The live show kicks the crap out of their recorded stuff!! They are the true definition of performers. It was unlike any show that I have ever been to and trust, I went to a lot during highschool. They never played through an entire song, things were constantly transitioning and kept fresh. The beats were funky and fun. I mean come on... they have a tuba in their band. A tuba! They did an hour long encore in which we were ready to tear the roof off.  The Roots did short mash up covers of old rock and hip hop songs, included Guns-and-Roses and Led Zepplin. If you get a chance, go see them live. You enjoy their versatility and energy on stage. 

The next day we knew there was something special waiting for us at home: tiramisu! I have made variations of tiramisu in the past, like my mother's day cake, the 8 texture monster, and lite berry version. This go around, there was an ingredient  that always catches my eye.... Kahlua! This delicious coffee liqueur deepens the flavor of chocolate and adds dimension to iced drinks. The best part, you can buy those tiny bottles at the ABC store. No need to buy an entire bottle of masala wine that you're only going to use once in awhile! Thank you Call Me Cupcake for this recipe!

The ingredients are simple and super. Seriously, it's one of the shortest grocery lists you will ever write and the taste is spot on! There's something to be said for keeping it basic. If you don't have a coffee maker at home, use the instant espresso! I've made this twice- once with fresh coffee from Caribou and the second time with instant espresso- there was no radical flavor difference.

Enjoy a cupful of tiramisu for two... or solo : ) There's no shame in eating the whole thing! Mike loved it so much, I made it again this week to finish up the marscapone cheese. Don't forget the Asti on the side! Salud!

Tiramisu in a Cup

recipy by Call Me Cupcake, portions slightly adjusted

Makes 2 generous servings

Coffee syrup
1/2 cup strong coffee or espresso
1/4 cup kahlua
1/3 cup sugar

Mascarpone cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tub mascarpone cheese (125g)
1 tbsp sugar

About 7-9 savoiardi biscuits/ladyfingers or stella d'oro cookies

Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
Saigon cinnamon, for dusting
Dark chocolate, grated (optional)

Make strong coffee or espresso. Mix with kahlua and sugar in a saucepan. Let simmer about 8-10 minutes. Let cool.

Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Add mascarpone and sugar and whip until smooth. Put a heaping spoon, of the mascarpone cream into glass. Powder some cocoa powder over mascarpone.

Break each cookie into multiple pieces and layer them over the mascarpone cream. Use two-three cookie for each serving. Spoon some coffee syrup over the cookies and then keep on layering with mascarpone cream, cocoa powder, ladyfingers and coffee syrup ending with a layer of mascarpone cream. I got in 2 layers of cookie. 

Powder some cocoa and cinnamon on top and grate a generous amount of chocolate over each serving. Store in fridge for a couple hours before serving to make sure the cookies soak up the syrup.

Magic in a Bottle

It's a bit late in the game for holiday gifts, but this idea can be applied to any occasion! For a handful of lovely ladies in the office, I handed out an assortment of dry hot cocoa mix, eggnog, and spiced chai concentrate. All were easy to make recipes and looked darling dolled up in these air-tight bottles from Crate and Barrel.

The labels were purchased at Paper Source. I wrote the names in a fun font, punched a hole, and threaded with baker's twine, which can also be found at Paper Source. Honestly, you can easily make these labels at home. Simply print a stencil, cut it out, and trace on some sturdy paper. Use any string/ribbon you so desire! You could even do peel-on labels and slap 'em on the bottle like I did for our anniversary.

Tied around the top of each bottle are chocolate-almond biscottis in sandwich bags. Don't get the ziplock kind with the seal at the top- they're can be annoying to twist; I picked the generic kind at CVS. These biscottis were homemade, courtesy of David Lebovitz. These biscottis were delicious, rich in both chocolate and almond. If you're not an almond lover, you probably won't care for this recipe. Rolling out the dough was one heck of a work out. 

As for the contents of the bottle, I played it safe with some good old fashioned hot cocoa mix. It contains powered milk already so simply add water for an easy cup of happiness. 

The spiced chai is a recipe I've wanted to make for a minute. It's not difficult however I strongly encourage going to a spice shop to get the ingredients. A regular store will make you buy more than you need; I hate to let anything go to waste. Personally, I would halve the amount of star anise in the recipe. It's a powerful flavor and really came through.

The eggnog was a solo addition. In a meeting before I made the mixes, I overheard my coworker raving how much she loves eggnog. This was a personal touch because she's one of my favorite people to work with- why the heck not! Plus, I wanted to take a crack at it for Mike's dad anyways- it made a solid test run. Season to your liking, we added lots of extra cinnamon. I did the "cooked" eggnog version. 

This formula is great for any occasion. You could do lemonade with shortbread cookies, mixers with a side of lime slices, or cider with mini pumpkin muffins. Have fun with it!

Recipes:

Dry Hot Cocoa 

Spiced Chai Concentrate

Eggnog 

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Note: When you do make anything for a bottle, make sure that you have a cooking funnel. It will make the process a million times easier and cleaner. We had a really hard time finding one at generic grocery stores. 

2012: A Little Christmas Recap

Every year, I struggle to find the perfect schedule for my every day routine. Once it's found, it's a really good rhythm. This means going to bed at a decent hour, getting into work all spry, hitting the gym hard, and a relaxing evening of home-cooked food. Then... the holiday's show up.

Oh holidays, how you wreck blissful havoc to the natural order of life. I'm slowllly waning off the buzz of bountiful food and the joy of loved one's visiting. Very slowly. The snooze button must feel like it owes me money because it is getting all sorts of beat. Our tummies were in shock for almost an entire week from rich foods and hearty portions. No light veggies and tofu here! Seriously... look at the feast my 2nd mom put out. She's a culinary monster.

That, my friends, is a traditional Portuguese Christmas. And don't you dare say "holiday" because the Catholic mother back-hand will come into full effect. Octopus, paella, codfish, boiled potatoes with eggs, rebanadas, filojes, and rissois to name a few! Heavenly awesomeness.

The real joy of the season, at least for me, is being in the same room as loved ones. It was a full house! Ricky flew in from California, Susana's family drove from West Virginia, and their parents hosted. My side of the family and friends basked in festivities. That's the kind of gathering that gives me warm fuzzies of nostalgia! It's just not the same unless we're all together.

The star to my tree this year was Landon being a part of the tradition. It was magical to watch him open presents, refuse to eat food, play with toys, cuddle grandpa, say our names, and fall asleep to Susana singing. I can't even begin to explain the awe of watching her as a mother. This baby is incredibly loved- grandma even knitted him 3 baby blankets! It's enough to make you move to West Virginia.

This was also my first Christmas as a fiancee. Holy smokes. It's crazy to say that, I'm still floating on Cloud 9. Mike's family went out of their way to make me feel welcome. I deeply appreciate the kindness and warmth they exude. Dinner was delicious as usual with homemade mac and cheese, stuffing, ham, sweet potato's topped with pecans and toasted coconut. I made some dinner rolls which produced way more rolls than necessary.  It's really neat to see another family's version of tradition and become a part of it.

We wrapped the holiday up with a trip to my mother's house. There was the gift exchange and even with our full tummies, we managed to sneak in a few bites of stuffing and pie. Check out the childhood ornaments! Wild, no?

I hope you all had a very happy holiday. Abraços!