Fahrenheit

For our anniversary this week we went to Fahrenheit, a new restaurant in Charlotte that is perched a top a hotel downtown. We had heard good things about the place so we thought we would try it out on a special occasion

Sadly, we were a little disappointed. We started with cocktails, I got the special which was a red apple martini with a salted caramel rim - it was terrible. Dave ordered the Spicy Charlotte and it was also terrible.... 

We decided not to go the appetizer route and order salads for our starter. Little did we know that the salads would be ABSOLUTELY ENORMOUS. My salad above was the kale salad. It was really good however was a bit overdressed.

Poor Dave ordered the calamari salad which was GIANT. It was basically calamari sitting on a bag of mixed greens you would buy at the store. It was ridiculous.

LUCKILY, the star of this show was my meal.... the salmon a top wasabi mashed potatoes. Could have done without the bag of mixed greens though. Dave got the Kobe beef short ribs which were served with lo mein noodles.... it was fantastic but a huge portion so he took almost all of it home.

If we were to go back, we would definitely order an appetizer with two salads or just appetizers or split a salad and do our own entrees.... annnnd stick to cocktails we are familiar with.

The fun part of the restaurant is it has a great view of the city and a nice balcony that you can hang out on. 

And of course, being called Fahrenheit, there are two big fire pits outside.

Farmhouse Rules

Have yall seen the new Paula Deen of the Food Network? Her name is Nancy Fuller. I caught her show this past weekend and although she was a tad bit annoying, her food was not! She made Gopher Bars which are brownies topped with mint buttercream frosting - yum. She also made Prime Rib Sandwiches with Horseradish Sauce.... YUM.

Freezer Meals

With the new gig I have less time to cook so I made some freezer meals on a Sunday afternoon. It took about 3-4 hours including shopping time so it is a bit of a commitment. The only thing I wish I had done differently was use smaller tins because there are only two of us and I can only bare leftovers for 2 nights in a row.  Also, I doubled each recipe. I would have to say that the chicken and wild rice is the fastest to make out of them all. And I have a lot of frozen veggies in the freezer so I will pair those up with these meals.

Here are the recipes I made -

Baked Ziti (I used gluten free penne)

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole ( I haven't tried this yet but I botched up both recipes because I forgot to buy cream of chicken soup - so for one I added another cup or water and the other I added a combo of sour cream/mayo - who knows what will happen.)

Layered Enchilada Casserole (I used corn tortillas)

Enjoy!

White Chicken Enchiladas

So I altered this recipe to have corn tortillas and made it more of a "bake". This recipe is so easy to make! Here is the link. We topped  it with Chipotle Tobasco and that gave it the kick it needed!

Giada's Meatloaf

A friend told me about Giada's meatloaf and it is really good! Dave and I had it last week - it was a lot for two people so next time I think I will cut the recipe in half.

Quick Marinara Sauce ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 celery stalk, finely chopped (about ⅓ cup) 1 large shallot, finely chopped or ⅓ cup finely chopped onion 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (in puree) 2 dried Turkish bay leaves, broken in half ¼ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper ¼ cup chopped fresh basil ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Meatloaf 2 large eggs 3 large garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2/3 cup chopped fresh basil plus sprigs for garnish (optional) 2/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (preferably Parmesan Reggiano) 1 small onion or ½ large onion, finely chopped (about 2/3 cup) ⅓ cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) 2 pounds ground beef (80% lean) ½ cup coarsely grated whole milk mozzarella cheese

instructions

Quick Marinara Sauce In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, celery, and shallot. Sauté until the celery softens, about 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, and dried crushed pepper. Bring to simmer, stirring occasionally. Adjust heat to medium-low or low and continue to simmer gently until the sauce thickens slightly and is reduced to about 3 cups, 20 to 25 minutes. Mix in basil, salt, and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. Remove bay leaves before using.)

Meatloaf Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, stir eggs, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to blend. Mix in 2/3 cup marinara sauce, chopped basil, Parmesan cheese, onion, and panko. Add beef and blend well. Mound meatloaf mixture on a large rimmed baking sheet; press out to 12x8-inch rectangle (about 1 inch thick). Spread ½ cup sauce thinly over the top. Bake the meatloaf until cooked through and instant read thermometer registers 160°F, 25 to 30 minutes (there will be lots of juices and drippings on sheet around meatloaf). Cut the meatloaf into eight 4-inch squares and separate the squares slightly. On each, square spread 2 generous tablespoons sauce, leaving a border of meat visible. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of mozzarella cheese in center of the sauce. Return meatloaf to oven. Bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Transfer meatloaf squares to plates. Spoon additional sauce alongside; garnish with basil sprig.

Chili Lime Shrimp Kabobs

Dave and I made this on Sunday night at it was DELISH! I grabbed the recipe from Pinterest! It makes about 8-10 kabobs. It definitely makes enough for 2 meals and we had it over rice.

I'm Here!

Well I had my 3rd IUI on Friday. Everything went okay but it was more painful than I was used to. My acupuncturist suggested I relax and work from home the rest of the day - so I thought, why not? Might as well! I had major cramping all weekend and just tried to relax and now.... it's Monday again! It's a good thing though - I think I was falling into a lazy rut! LOL. I did watch some terrible TV over the weekend - the movie Gone - was, awful and so was the movie, Dream House. Also terrible was the show Real Housewives of Melbourne - I'm not sure where they got these women from but the 90's wants them back. I watched Baby Boom, one of my all time favorite movies so that was a guaranteed crowd pleaser! And I started the 3rd book from the Divergent series, Allegiant, which is set up differently from the other two books but still just as good.  Also, Charlotte just got a Smash Burger which Dave and I tried out on Sunday. I had the avocado burger and it was DELISH. Dave wasn't fond of their fries, they are rosemary and sea salt fries. I liked them though!

Shakeology

Today is my 3rd day on Shakeology and I LOVE IT. I have already lost 1.5 lbs! Hey, small milestones people! On Mon and Tues I mixed the Shakeology chocolate powder with almond milk, ice and a banana - it was delicious! It kind of tasted like a SlimFast.... but better! And then today I made a mix my friend suggested that tastes like a Butterfinger! I mixed ice, almond milk, butterscotch pudding mix, natural peanut butter together with the Shakeology chocolate powder. IT.IS.DELICIOUS.

Here's some info on Shakeology!

Why Drink Shakeology Every Day? It can help you:*

• Lose weight – especially if you replace a meal with Shakeology every day.
• Reduce junk food cravings – drink it in the morning to enjoy this benefit throughout the day
• Increase your energy and feel healthier.
• Improve your digestion and regularity.

More than 70 super-nutritious ingredients.

• Proteins, Vitamins, and Minerals – to help reduce hunger andfood cravings.
• Antioxidants and Phytonutrients – to help detoxify and protect the body against free radical damage.
• Adaptogen Herbs – to help increase energy and combat stress.
• Prebiotics, Probiotics, Fiber, and Digestive Enzymes – to aid digestion and promote regularity.

Pisces Sushi

My "book club" (but not really) went to eat at Pisces sushi the other night and everyone enjoyed their meals!

I ordered a sushi roll recommended on Yelp called the "Screaming O Roll"... Haha. It was spicy but really good!

Ashley ordered the Spicy Garlic Edamame and it was soooo good!

Merris and Ash ordered the tuna entree that was topped with a seaweed salad.

Christy and Jen both ordered hibachi with their famed garlic noodles.

Then for dessert they shared tempura fried Oreos and green tea icecream! 

It's a fun place to go with your girlfriends!

Here's their website-

Www.piscessushi.com

Microchip cookies!

Dave's friend came to town this past weekend and brought these cookies to us. His mother in law and her friend started to company them and the cookies are SO good!!! The salted peanut butter is my personal favorite!!! 

The cookies are just tiny drops but each one is packed with flavor! I recommend then for gifts as they come as a pack of two in a nice box!

Here's their website- 

www. jkchocolate.com

Mojitos

Since my mint is growing like crazy out back, I figured I'd make some mint mojitos this weekend. I got the recipe from CookingLight and it's pretty simple to make. It did say that it made 4, but as you can see from this picture, it only made two with a little left over to top us off.

Here's what you need to do:

Combine 1 cup fresh mint leaves into bottom of a pitcher

Add 3/4 cup white rum

Add 1/3 cup agave nectar

Mash these up, I used a whisk 

Add 1 cup ice

Add 1 cup of fresh lime juice (I used bottled as this would mean squeezing 10 limes for juice)

1 cup sparkling water

Stir and enjoy!

Flay Salmon

This Bobby Flay mustard and brown sugar glazed salmon is delish! I also tried mashed parsnips as a side. They're actually really good! All you need to do is peel about 2 lbs. them, cut them up and boil until tender. Then add a tablespoon of butter with salt and pepper and mash, mash, mash!

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

I made these Baked Cheater Churros for my friends and they really liked them! They are perfect for Cinco De Mayo! I would recommend pairing them with a chocolate dipping sauce.

So behind!

Hello! Oh my goodness! Things have been SO busy!

We had a fun weekend last weekend! We tried out a new place in our good called pizza peel...it was DELICIOUS... Dave got the chicken sandwich with homemade chips and a yummy dip!

I got their gluten free pizza. It's the best I've had! I got the red and white pizza which had sundried tomatoes and ricotta cheese.

We also split the peel salad that was AMAZING.

Earlier that day my friend Ashley and I went to the Farmer's Market. They always have beautiful bouquets of flowers that are hard to resist.

This is a sign that summer is around the corner!

I got a TON of veggies for just $10! The prices are ridiculous.

Dave and I have been looking at plant options for the front of the house. While at the nursery I saw these cute fairy gardens! A girl and her mom were putting theirs together while we were there. It was sweet.

And on Sunday Funday I got up watch this lil lady! We had a good time!

Confessional

I ate a pint of Talenti ice cream (gelato - same thing) last night.

It was the butter pecan ...... YUM. Although the Salted Caramel is my absolute favorite. I do want to try the Simply Strawberry next!

My "book club" came over last night. I hosted this month and did a Mardi Gras theme. There are 10 of us in the group but only 6 could make it. And boy did we make it a party! I think I counted 5 bottles of wine in my recycle bin! WHOA. Needless to say, today is gonna be a long one for this girl! haha. Is it 5 o'clock yet?

Cooking light - Chicken cutlets with mushrooms and pearl onions

Chicken cutlets with mushrooms and pearl onions - 

I tried this recipe from cooking light out last weekend and we both loved it. Instead of regular flour I used gluten free flour. It was a bit of a pain to make so I wouldn't recommend it for an every day meal.

Thursday Afternoon

My afternoon started out with a creme brulee latte from Starbucks. Lucky me, they still have them in supply!

After that I ran home to make cheese bread for my Books n Cooks group. I think it turned out okay, everyone seemed to like it however I know the cheese was a bit rubbery because it took forever to bubble up! I took a big loaf of french bread and sliced it in half. Then I topped both sides with Classico pesto sauce, sliced roma tomatoes, julianned basil leaved, and sliced mozerella. I put it in the oven on 325 for 25 minutes. The cheese melted but I wanted it bubbly so I put it under the broiler for another 5 minutes. I also brought my tomato basil soup!

3 month old Savannah joined the group :) She is super sweet.

And we just chatted it up as girls do :)

Quick and Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

I made this last night after a long day and it was quite easy to make! Plus it's healthy and tasty! Here is the recipe.

Cooking Light's Fast Chicken Chili

I made this the other night and it was quite delicious and of course very easy! I'm trying my best to make healthier meals this year and got myself a subscription to Cooking Light magazine.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil 
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces  (I used already made rotisserie from HT)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 cup vertically sliced onion 
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic 
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 3 cups no-salt-added canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (did not find no-salt beans, used regular)
• 1 cup water
• 2 (4-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, undrained and divided
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves 
• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

Preparation

1. 1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add chicken; sauté 4 minutes. Add onion and next 5 ingredients; sauté 3 minutes. Add 2 cups beans, water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 can chiles, and broth; bring to a boil.
2. 2. Mash 1 cup beans and 1 can chiles in a bowl. Add to soup; simmer 5 minutes. Serve with cilantro and lime.

Ohhhh Random Mondayyyy

Photographic images of what 200 calories of food looks like.....

Annnnd, Gisele and Tom Brady's home....