Copy-Cat Foodage *Shhhh*

Oy veyyy am I tired today!

I feel like lounging in my comfies allll day long...

But of course.. we can't have that now can we? There's too many things that need to get done.. per usual. At least it's HUMPDAY!! The week's halfway over and the weekend is just around the corner :) I'm actually forward to tomorrow more than the weekend because we're having our Making Strides benefit at work. I'm really excited to see how much money we raise for breast cancer research & we even made T-Shirts with the names of friends, family members, loved ones who have been diagnosed and battle with breast cancer. I included one of my best friend's mother's because she has been like a second Mom to me ever since I was young... her daughter and I have been friends & neighbors for years until she moved to San Francisco to pursue her modeling career... (she's making AMAZING progress!)

We're also participating in the Walk for Breast Cancer next weekend which I'm really excited for too... it's such a good cause and any little thing we can do to help is an awesome opportunity.

Ok so... onto the copy-cat foodage...

I've seen SO many good eats on all of your bloggies lately that I've been dying to try for myself. So basically.. the past two days have been a taste test of what you have been enjoying yourselves! :) I saw this Banana-Coconut oatmeal deliciousness yesterday on Tyler's blog and instantly decided this HAS to be breakfast today.

Absolutely delectable... I never thought to use coconut in my oats before *slaps herself* WHY oh Why didn't I think of it!? I love coconut flavored anything... added to my favorite breakfast food and OoOo-la-la!! Tyler.. you're genious!
1 cup water
1/2 cup Quaker oats
1 naner sliced (1/2 cooked in the oats, the other 1/2 on top)
Cinnamon
Coconut
Dollop of MaraNatha smoooooth PB!


A must try if I do say so myself!!!


Then it was time to pack snicky-snacks for work time....
All of the above was devoured over the couple hours I spent at work selling Flatbread like it was goin outta style... I sold an order of our "Special Salad" featuring local Goat cheese, Asian pear slices, dried cranberry mix, & a homemade cranberry-raspberry balsamic vinegarette to EVERY table. ;) Your girl has persuasion skills.... aka I start drooling when I talk about this salad to my tables, they see the drooling action, & want to feel that same reaction haha... at least that's what I assume.


It wasn't that busy though... especially not busy enough for FOUR people on staff.. I ended up making a mere $30 in tips, but I got cut early and for once was pretty happy about it. That meant an earlier trip to the gym! :)


Changed into my awesome workout gear... and proceeded to run 2.8 miles (not my best but still something!) I think I may have tired myself out earlier than expected though because I decided last minute to do some interval speeds... I'm not usually one of these people but I figured hey, I've got some energy built up today... let's give it a go! So I did:


~15 minute power walk at an incline to warm up my stems ;)
~10 minute run at 6.0
~5 minute run at 7.0
~4 minute run (more of a jog) at 5.8
~1 minute of full on sprinting
~35 minutes of tirednessss


I felt pretty good afterwards and got a lot of leg work in... me and the Leg Press are BFF these days.. & I've been able to up my weight on the machines gradually every week or so without overdoing it which feels great.


Copy-Cat dinner time... I saw Naomi's tuna quesadilla & fell in love... After making it myself I realized it was even more heavenly when you get to taste test it :)

1 Cedar's whole wheat wrap
3/4 can of white albacore tuna
Chopped celery & red onion
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Sliced tomatoes
1 Slice reduced-fat American cheese


Cooked with just a light coating of non-stick cooking spray and this was warm, deliciousness... I would definitely make this again in a second! Naomi, thank you for this little bit of heaven in a recipe !


Then I went out for a drink (more like 1/2 a drink...) with three girlfriends.. got to our destination with girlfriend #1 to find girlfriends #2 & #3 WASTED already... Come to find out the biotches were having a fun-filled day that started at 3pm!!!!! Bravo drunkies.


Now... I would be a total hypocrite if I said I hadn't done the day-drinking event once or twice in college, but I couldn't handle more than 1 or 2 drinks these days (or on a rare occasion, maybe 3 or 4!) sooo needless to say it was an entertaining night that ended about half an hour after it started when it was time to bring the drunkie girlfriends home.. I guess no drinks tonight!


I woke up thankful for that though this morning...
Nothing is worse than waking up with a headache..ugh!


So I did a 20 minute Detox Yoga session using my new Yogamat (thanks again Jilly!) which I actually had to struggle with just a bit. My muscles felt very tight which was definitely not making life easier... but by the end I felt better for doing it. Not to mention it will make me feel more prepared physically for the gym later!


Then had the regular.... Hazelnut coffee with a splash of Silk creamer


Alongside what was going to be a repeat breakfast from yesterday until I discovered ZERO bananas in my household!!!! Noooo!


So I settled for strawberries...
I added some slivered almonds this time but prepared the oats the same way as yesterday...


Oatmeal always seems to be the best breakfast when you have tons of things ahead and zero motivation to do the majority of them... it's also the best breakfast when there are hurricane winds outside!!!! It looks like the trees are going to fall over right now!

Miss Gliding Calm's post made me think about comfy clothes (maybe thats why I don't want to get out of them today!) and I'm thinking of heading to the mall for a long overdue trip to get some cute new Fall things... I'm thinking scarves, oversized sweaters & cardigans, and a cute new pair of Fall boots!

What are some of your essential Fall pieces of clothing/accessories?? I need some ideas! :)

and...

Where are the best stores to shop at for your favorite Fall attire?


And I'll leave you with one more picture of my amazing breakfast....

Mmmmmmmm..... :)

Happy Humpday Darlings!

Pumpkins Galore!

I am IN LOVE with the weather today... I woke up to a somewhat chilly room, a light breeze outside my window, and a yard full of beautiful fallen leaves. The trees here are already dropping their leaves like it's October and it puts me in the best possible mood I could be in. On my morning run I was almost cold I could say and the smell of the air out here in the country is absolutely to die for. It makes me think of school supplies, spiced lattes, putting on my Uggs (which I already busted out again about 2 weeks ago), warm scarves and cable-knit sweaters, and two of my favorite holidays, Halloween and Thanksgiving. Ugh-I could go on and on and on about Fall... if it were a person, I'd marry it happily.

And the most fitting breakfast on mornings like these? Usually I would say some home-cooked oatmeal in a second.. but this morning I remembered we had fresh raspberries from our lot (the few still left over) and I had the most perfect breakfast you could imagine...

Kashi Cinnamon Harvest cereal... with a splash of skim milk... and perfectly plump and sweet raspberries? I could eat it for every meal for the rest of my life and be completely satisfied.

Fall also, as I've said before, encourages me to bake like a fiend. Anything with pumpkin, cinnamon, apples, more cinnamon, nutmeg, oatmeal, and of course more pumpkin. Yum yum YUM. I am a huge fan of anything pumpkin inspired and/or flavored.

This recipe for Lowfat Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies came from Megan at Megan's Munchies and if you are a chewy, oatmeal cookie lover these are phenom! I actually tweaked the recipe a tad and used a combo of both white & wheat flours, substituted pumpkin pie spice for the nutmeg and cloves as Megan did, and sprinkled raw sugar over the tops of the cookies before baking because they came out less sweet than I would prefer. Definitely a good snack choice to go with your tea or coffee.


I'll admit I'm usually a die hard banana bread fan... I have to physically remove myself from the house if there's some of my Mom's banana bread present, especially when it's right out of the oven and still warm. I don't think any smell compares to the smell of banana bread baking in the kitchen either. Today, banana bread, you've met your match.

Pumpkin Bread. Delicious, moist, heavenly pumpkin bread has taken it's rightful place in my heart. With a cup of walnuts added, it's instantly gratifying and I know for sure, this will be the ultimate test of will power having this dessert/breakfast bread in my house! It was easy to make and bakes for at least 60 mins which gave me time to go for a run and do my regular morning routine all while it puffed up in the oven!! It's a winner for sure, and should be baked with caution because once it's done, you won't be able to keep your hands off it. DELICIOUS times ten.

Perfect Pumpkin Bread:
-15 oz. pumpkin (I had a 29 oz. jar already on hand and used 2 cups from it for the bread)
-1/2 c. vegetable oil
-2 eggs
-1-1/3 c. white sugar
-1-1/2 c. flour
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 tsp. baking powder
-1 tsp. cinnamon
-1/2 tsp. nutmeg
-1/2 tsp. ground cloves
-1/4 tsp. ground ginger
-1 c. walnuts (can be ommited if you're not a fan of nuts but it's amazing with them!)

Directions:
Turn oven on to 350 degrees - Grease and flour a 9 x 5 loaf pan.
In a large bowl, mix pumpkin, oil, eggs, & sugar.
Combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, & spices in a seperate bowl.
Stir into the pumpkin mixture gradually, then add walnuts.
Bake 55-65 mins or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (mine took approx. 70 mins. mostly because I added a little extra pumpkin)

Iced Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - Sausage & Shrimp Jambalaya - Strawberry Not-So-Short-Cake

I've been cooking and baking alot lately... so much in fact that I haven't even had time to take pictures and blog on all the recipes! Not to mention working nonstop, getting my alcohol certification so I can bartend AT work, celebrating birthdays and holidays aka making sure I still have a social life in between everything else... etc. But I had a little extra time today in between planning appetizers, side dishes, and my dessert to make for tonight's special dinner. It's my stepdad's birthday and he loves just about all food. He's not picky which I found makes it more difficult than easy to pick things out for this dinner....

I settled on simple Cucumber Sandwiches for my appetizer because I have been slaving over the oven all day making the birthday cake and wanted to take the easy way out.. I won't lie. My side dish is Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary which will go along side the Cajun BBQ Shrimp that my brother's agreed to make along with Crab Rangoon and a giant salad... which will, of course, be up to me the Salad Queen.

But I did make a favorite recipe of mine for the second time in about 2 weeks the other day. This actually came from over at Two Peas and Their Pod which Maria made. The second I saw them I was determined to have them and they were an A+ cookie let me tell ya. If you love Oatmeal Raisin cookies and you especially love chewy cookies with a little icing drizzle over the top, this is the best one you can choose.

So delicious and only uses 4 tbsp. of butter! Can't beat that! Plus a REAL maple syrup glaze to drizzle over the top... it's the perfect Fall treat. I brought these to my boyfriend's house for his Dad's birthday and the whole family was obsessed with them.... they even had some for breakfast with coffee! Smart idea. :)


Last night's dinner choice was spur of the moment while at the grocery store... I wanted something filling, warm, and was craving rice rather than pasta for a nice carb-y meal. Jambalaya is a great combination of all different textures and tastes.. We added chicken sausage and shrimp to give it some protein (which were amazing choices) substituted brown rice for the regular white long-grain rice, and ended up using canned & peeled whole tomatoes just to make life a little easier. I'm not a big fan of peeling fresh tomatoes.

The end result was just what we were looking for. I can't do spicey things and this recipe calls for 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper... that's it! But you could still feel the heat when you took your first bite. The recipe can be found here... I followed it to a "T" minus the chicken; instead I boiled 1 lb. of chicken sausage for about 10 minutes and then sliced the links into 1/2" rounds and threw them in when I added the shrimp. Mmmmm-mmmmm!


Moving onto today, my stepdad's birthday... Dessert was finally decided a few hours ago and I began getting right down to it... The recipe is from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Show and it's original name "Country Strawberry Cake" didn't seem as fitting as Not-so-short Strawberry Shortcake.... Rather than using one 8"x 8" pan and slicing the cake in half, I used both pans and kept them whole forming a much higher and beautiful looking cake. It has all the tastes you crave from a good homemade shortcake. The cake has a hint of citrus flavor from the lemon & orange zest and you still get a tiny hit of the sour cream when you take a bite. The whipped topping is simple minus ONE little problem.

I don't do gelatin. Never have before today... and I may try again because I don't give up but when I thought the gelatin had dissolved, I was sorely mistaken and ended up with little, almost pale yellow chunks of solidified gelatin in my whipped topping! Not too pretty on a perfectly white cake... It makes alot of topping and even after loading on about 1" to each layer, I had half a mixing bowl leftover so I kept it refridgerated (always good to put on top of a cookie last minute) but the end result was gorgeous... Now to wait and hear the results of the taste test!

UPDATE: Absolutely delicious!! Tasted just like the freshest strawberry shortcake... definitely a keeper in my book.

The middle layer is filled with strawberries side to side but who doesn't like a few extra on top?

In order to stack the cake evenly and make it look more even, I shaved the top of both cake layers with a serated knife... takes 2 seconds and the best part is you can sample the scraps to see how well you did P.S. I did this and could barely stop picking.... forcing me to throw out the rest of the scraps before it got ugly.

A very fluffy layer of whipped topping on the first layer....

Cover the first layer with as many strawberries as you like... I was running low on them so I decided to do one thin layer with just enough that you'd get strawberry in every bite.

And ready for tasting!!


Strawberry Not-So-Short Cake:

-1-1/2 sticks butter at room temp.

-2 c. sugar

-4 large eggs at room temp.

-3/4 c. sour cream at room temp.

-1/2 tsp. lemon zest

-1/2 tsp. orange zest

-1/2 tsp. vanilla

-2 c. flour

-1/4 c. cornstarch

-1/2 tsp. salt

-1 tsp. baking soda

Whipped Cream Frosting:

-2 tsp. gelatin

-4 c. heavy cream

-1 c. confectioners sugar

- 4 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

• Turn oven on to 350 degrees and butter bottom of two 8" x 8" pans; line with parchment paper, butter again, and flour the pans.
• Cream butter & sugar on high speed.
• Add eggs, 1 at a time, then sour cream, zests, & vanilla.
• Sift together flour, cornstarch, salt & baking soda.
• Slowly add flour to the butter mixture.
• Pour evenly into 2 pans, smooth the tops & bake 40-45 mins (this is according to Ina's recipe - I cooked them for exactly 30 minutes and they came out just right - may want to check after 30 to prevent overbaking)
• Let cook in pans 30 mins then remove to wire rack and let cool to room temp.

Make the Whipped Topping:

• In a medium bowl, mix gelatin and 1/4 c. of the heavy cream
• Let rest for 5 mins. to soften; then place the bowl over barely simmering water until gelatin has dissolved (takes longer than you think!)
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• In a mixing bowl, whip the cream until slightly thickened.
• Add confectioners sugar and vanilla and whip to consistency of shaving cream.
• Fold 1/2 c. of the whipped cream into the gelatin mixture, then fold in the rest.
• Assemble the cake by leveling one cake layer, frosting generously, topping with sliced strawberries, then top with the 2nd cake layer (leveled) and frost the top and sides of the cake.
• Decorate with additional strawberries on top.

Calamari Stew & Banana-Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies

Today was a "comforting food" day beginning with breakfast all the way through to my dessert after dinner... First of all, I wish I had captured a picture of my oatmeal this morning.. just a hint of sweetness from the real VT maple syrup, a sprinkle of cinnamon & nutmeg, a few slivers of almonds and it just melts in your mouth and sticks with you longer than anything else, which is why I became such a fan of it on days when I'm racing back and forth all through the afternoon and won't have time to eat or even remember lunch... like today.

An interview after breakfast (which I aced, by the way) led me to Panera Bread which was in the same plaza as the company so I of course needed coffee by this point and sprinkled a little cinnamon in that too with just a splah of skim milk. I'm not sure what it was about that batch of coffee but it tasted perfect... just made, not too strong, and gave me a nice little pick me up.

And the Bridgewater Fair was in town so I of course needed to go to that with my mom, stepdad, and my Grandma. It was actually too hot out today to be TOO happy to be there unfortunately. I was getting dizzy spells every so often and it was not pretty... I did see the largest albino pumpkin I've ever seen before...

The other downside of the extreme humidity is the affect it has on my hunger. I was cranky and couldn't even think about eating any of the steaming roast beef sandwiches piled with horseradish sauce, giant 1/2 BBQ chickens, burgers, pizza, etc. But I happily settled for a delicious and refreshing snack of pineapple on a stick, a few pretzels with some homemade dips (like Chardonnay yum yum), and a piece of real Vermont cheddar cheese.

Now dinner was another story... I took Giada's recipe for Calamari Stew and tweaked it just a bit to add even more comfort elements. For me that includes onions, garlic, and a perfect sauce for dipping bread in. I also threw in a littel parsley for color. The sauce ended up a little spicey for my liking but a glass of good wine was all I needed to fix that ;) It was filling, with intense flavors, and satisfied my need for something almost home-y tasting.

Giada's Calamari Stew: (usually serves 6 - this is the recipe halved)
-1 tbsp. olive oil
-2 cloves garlic, cut in half
-1/2 one small onion
-1 c. good marinara/tomato sauce
-1/2 c. dry white wine
-1/2 tsp. fresh chopped thyme leaves
-1 pinch red pepper flakes (I substituted a dash of cayenne pepper)
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. black pepper
-1 cup thinly sliced rounds of drained and cleaned calamari

Directions:

• Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat & add onions and garlic until onions become slightly translucent
• Remove the garlic & onions from the pan
• Add the tomato sauce, wine, thyme, a couple chopped parsley leaves, red pepper, salt & pepper
• Bring the mixture to a simmer
• Add the calamari and onions/garlic back into the saucepan and cook another 5 mins or so.
• Serve with toasted garlic bread

Next came dessert... I've made these moist and chewy cookies before with the original recipe but because our house is overrun with fresh blueberries, I decide to sub out the chocolate chips and throw in the blueberries instead. This recipe comes from a book I consider my Bible... Naturally Thin by Bethenny Frankel. Its full of healthy, easy recipes (some vegan options and organic substitutions included) that just about anyone can handle... I've already cooked my way through the majority of the book and I've gone back to this recipe today to retry it with fruit rather than chocolate.



Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip (or Blueberry) Cookies:
-1-1/2 c. oat flour
-3/4 c. rolled oats
-1/2 tsp. baking powder
-1/2 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/2 c. raw sugar
-1/3 c. chocolate chips (I used a little more than 1/3 c. of blueberries... give or take an extra small handful)
-1 tsp. canola oil
-1/3 c. soymilk or 1%, 2%, etc.
-1/2 c. banana puree (about 1 medium banana)
-1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl & combine all wet ingredients in a seperate bowl
• Mix the dry and wet ingredients together until well combined
• Fold in the chocolate chips (or blueberries) to the batter
• Using a medium-sized ice cream scoop, scoop batter onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper
• Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking, or bake until the edges of the cookies are light brown.