Vermont City Marathon

Each Memorial Day Weekend thousands of runners gather in btown to run the Vermont City Marathon.

I was told there were some crazy 8,000 folks participating in the event!
 

Nope I was not even close to being one of the runners...

but we were asked to help out at the Mile 20 Water Station!

Did you know there is a special table for 'Elite Runners'?!?

It was a fantastic experience and hope to do it again!  I was able to catch family, hockey players, and SoVT Gals running their hearts out...some for causes and others simply for their own personal achievement.

While I am sure most of the runners carbo-loaded, hydrated and got a good night's rest...here is what we did the evening before to gear up for the big race:

Oh yes, homemade Fish and Chips!

A sort of last minute decision, this dinner turned into a quite enjoyable date night with Hubs. 

We'd never made beer batter before...but holy heck was it easy and DELICIOUS!!!

We used Cod (it was on sale), a couple of Sweet Potatoes we had lying around the kitchen and a lone IPA from the fridge.

Everything was fried...yup, deep fried in 100% oil :)

The beer batter was super simple...

1 bottle of Microbrew

2 cups Flour

Garlic Powder

Cayenne

Salt/Pepper

Mix it all together and you have a thick and fantastic beer batter to dip in.

Simply dip the fish pieces into the batter, then into some dry flour and plop right into the hot oil.

  

The beer does make the difference, we could really taste the hops of the IPA.  I think that is something we'll play with again and test out some new brews to see what they offer :)

Flounder Taco Cups

Two nights ago I hit major blog shame with Beer @ Softball + Smartfood After = Monday Dinner
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I know, I know...
HORRIBLE!!
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Last night I felt the need to redeem myself and redeem myself I did :)

*The small row of arugula I planted in the garden has been growing like crazy! Each day during my lunch hour, I drive home to make myself a delicious 'fresh from the garden' salad...can't beat that!

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Trying to cook with the season's offerings, a good bunch of arugula was harvested for this evening's very important therapy session.

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Now for the fun part...the Taco Cups!
*The recipe I based this dinner creation on called for the small wontons and a regular 12-cup pan. As you've seen in my monster muffins and cupcake, I like to go BIG!
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I used egg roll wrappers and my super nice giant 6-cup tin :)

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The wrappers were brushed with canola oil, carefully fitted to each cup and baked for 6 minutes at 375 degrees. Pretty neat huh?!?!
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What seemed an unlikely combination was the taco filling...

* Chopped arugula, mango, avocado and scallions dressed with an olive oil/lime juice dressing.
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Peppery + Sweet + Buttery + Mild Onion + Citrus/Fruitiness = One Crazy Fusion of Flavors!!!

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The recipe I was working from called for Tilapia, but I substituted with flounder. To accompany this flavor packed filling the fish was seasoned with salt/pepper and pan fried.
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Finally for the topping - Crème Fraiche + Wasabi Powder!

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The finished dish!
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It looked so great from all sides...

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I couldn't resist and ate two haha!

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For me this meal was WOW!

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I really enjoyed the unlikely flavor combinations, which made it an exciting dish to eat...next time I would prefer to grill the fish rather than pan fry (I think that grill flavor would happily accompany this outrageous flavor combo!), not to mention creating the taco cups was so simple, I'm already being to think of other things to fill them with!!

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This was a redeemer meal for sure (recipe posted)!

Recipe for Flounder Taco Cups

(A FoodThearpy revision of Giada De Laurentiis' Tilapia Fish Tacos with Arugula)
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What you'll need:
6 eggroll wrappers
Canola oil
Olive oil
3 cups coarsely chopped baby arugula

1 avocado, halved, pitted and flesh cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 mango, peeled and flesh cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 green onions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)

3 flounder fillets (about 8 ounces total)
Crème fraiche

Wasabi powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Taco Cups: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush each side of the wonton wrappers with canola oil and press into muffin pan. Bake for 6 minutes and let cool.

The Fish: Drizzle the flounder fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pan fry or grill (I say grill!).

The Unlikely Filling: Whisk together 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the lime juice. Add the avocado, mango, green onions, and arugula. Toss until all the ingredients are coated. Season with salt, to taste.

Crème Fraiche w/a Kick: Mix together the crème fraiche, wasabi powder and salt to taste.

To assemble: Fill each cup with filling, lay fish along the top and dollop on some wasabi goodness!

My OOB Inspired Dinner

The week following the crazy Bachelorette Weekend, I had a craving for some more tuna.

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Inspired by my meal at Yellowfin's in Old Orchard Beach, I decided to try creating my own at home version of the sesame encrusted tuna.

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The tuna in the grocery store looked and smelled alright...

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so I went for it and picked up this tuna steak.

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I sliced the steak into three strips...
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...and coated them with sesame seeds. Now I am not sure of the actual process, anyone else know if the sesame seeds are supposed to go on before you cook or after?!?! I figured since I was using un-toasted seeds, it couldn't hurt to do it first and then they could pick up the nutty toasted flavor while cooking.
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My parents had picked up this can of wasabi powder for me a while back. I decided for an accompanying sauce to mix some up in soy sauce.

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I cooked the tuna in a nonstick pan and ended up varying degrees of doneness. Oops! I think this was mostly the pan's hot spots, since the fish was cut into pretty even chunks. A plus to having such a variety of donenesses is that it allowed me to determine just how well I like my tuna cooked at home ;)

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For some reason snow peas seemed like the perfect side for this dinner, so I cooked some up in garlic, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce and pepper.

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I was actually very impressed by this creation. It not only tasted great, it left me feeling satisfied and not overly stuffed!

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The single tuna steak proved to be too much for one person, so I saved the rarest pieces to eat the next day for lunch. I simply microwaved for 30 seconds to remove the chill and enjoyed for the second time!

Looks like I've got another successful fish dish to add to the 'can do' list haha!!

Happy Friday Mini Sox!

Fridays are like holidays and they are definitely worth celebrating!

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The conclusion of Mama Sox's semester has come and my pre-arranged duties of caring for Mini Sox expired. Last Friday was our final hoorah...well at least for now :o)

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With it being Friday, Mini Sox's schedule is a bit more flexible and he was able to come over to my house for dinner and hanging out. We began our evening with a trip to the grocery store, where Mini Sox pushed around a pint-sized shopping cart assisting Auntie Gullible with picking up ingredients for a special feast.

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Once home, Mini Sox was allowed 30 minutes of tv...yup, that's right! I finally know the truth about how much tv he is allowed to watch. His pick and recent obsession...Scooby Doo!!!

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As he watched tv, I got to work in the kitchen with first cleaning the mussels and cutting broccoli. Following a Giada recipe, this is super simple -

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Add 1 pound of pasta to boiling water and cook for 6 minutes. Add broccoli florets and cook until pasta is al dente. Meanwhile in a large pan heat some olive oil and add garlic. Then to the pan add wine, salt, pepper, red pepper flake and finally the mussels. Cook until all of the mussels have opened, discarding those remaining closed. Combine drained pasta/broccoli and mussel mix in a large bowl and you're done!

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Mini Sox LOVES mussels, so it was a hit!

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At the start of dinner, with his sparking grape drink (which yes, he picked out for himself) and my glass of wine, we toasted to 'Happy Friday!'
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We also enjoyed a scrumptious seeded baguette...with butter!! Like any good food lover, Mini Sox was super excited about the butter haha!
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Auntie Gullible wanted to make sure this meal was all it could be for Mini Sox, so we each picked out a delicious dessert from the pastry cooler. His choice was this super dense flourless chocolate cake...
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The worrisome part was he took a couple bites, looked at me and said: yum, coffee! Uh-oh!!! I tried a bite, but couldn't tell if it was just a dark chocolate bitterness or if there was coffee...who knows maybe it was both haha!
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He did admit to me that he has tried Papa Sox's coffee before and I know he has eaten the Hubs-fav Coffee Banana Cream Pie on occasion...I just hope Mama Sox did not have a restless boy later that night...and if she did, I will take all the blame!! Sorry and yes, I've learned that I need to ask the nice grocery store folks first what it is I am buying (or rather what is in it) for such a wee little one.
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I chose this coconut pastry...it was awesome and I know something Hubs would just have LOVED!
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Mama Sox came over after her final class and we visited for a bit. It was a Happy Friday!!
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All in all it was a successful semester and the perfect taste of what everyday could be like when Hubs and I have one (or two) little ones of our own :oD

Earthy Dinner Inspirations

No game plan, no problem!

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Next to Top Chef one of my most favorite shows to watch is the Next Food Network Star. While I know I have a long way to go before I could be on such a show, I can't help but day dream. In the first episode of this season the contestants are beginning to find their identity and work on their tv personalities. It's kind of a mixed bag at this point and too early to tell who will come out on top.

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When watching the show, I try to imagine what I would do in their situation. For the 15 second promo they were tasked, I think I would have embraced the last minute challenge with my last minute approach to planning meals...so I present Ms. Homemaker's experimental tag line - No game plan, no problem! Haha!

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In my hypothetical show I would teach folks how to stock a kitchen with what I consider basics/must haves, rely just on a few fresh ingredients purchased at the store and use personal experiences and preferences to whip up delicious meals.

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I thought about this further, 15 seconds is not a lot of time to sell yourself. However, key to any sale (in my opinion) is making your audience identify with you. We are all busy people and for some it's a mix of work, extracurriculars, etc and for those fortunate others there is the responsibility of a family with kiddos to feed (I hope to be there one day). For me weeknight meals can be a challenge and I know many other's feel the same exact way. It's easy to try and cop out with pizza or other takeout. If you're anything like me, unless it's a planned treat, I feel very guilty by relying on these options. Nope, I want home cooked meals in this household...and you know what?!? It's easy! Just stay cool, calm, use your financial savviness and go with your cravings :o)

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I've mentioned in older posts how I LOVE to hit up the grocery store after work. At this point in our lives, it makes more sense for quick trips after work, rather than one large all-consuming weekend visit. Marking the beginning of my evening food therapy, in less than 15 minutes I can be in and out with the ingredients for a delicious meal.

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Here is a recent example of one such evening...

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Mushrooms. I love mushrooms. I selected these white button mushrooms over the other varieties simply because...they were on sale.
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Raw, sauteed in butter, cooked up in a mix of things, or just simply grilled I crave and enjoy their texture and flavor. Tonight I skewered, brushed with canola oil, seasoned with salt/pepper and grilled...oh yeah!
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Steelhead Trout. I've never had this before. I noticed it in the seafood display mostly because it was on sale. I asked the fishmonger whether this fish tasted more like trout or salmon and was told that while most assume it will taste like salmon...it really tastes more like trout. Perfect! I'd choose trout over salmon any day!!

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Fiddleheads. I just couldn't let the season's unique offering pass me by this year!

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Recalling Earth Day circa ~1997 - Being in rural VT we had our high school's earth day in the woods on a mountain. With stations positioned all along the hike up, we learned of conservation, recycling and much more pertaining to our environment. The one station that has stuck with me from that day was the one that cooked up fiddleheads in butter and garlic...so good!!

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Grilled mushrooms, garlic marinaded grilled steelhead trout and garlic butter fiddleheads!

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Please take note...I grilled this beautiful piece of fish!! Yup, it didn't fall a part, cook unevenly or anything...it was perfect :O)

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By the way, not to call the fishmonger a lier, but this tasted much more like salmon than it did trout.

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There you have it, nothing fancy, but pretty tasty! I only purchased mushrooms, fiddleheads and fish at the store and relied on the kitchen cupboards to finish the meal off. The inspirations being 1) mushrooms & fish were on sale and 2) the season's fiddlehead offerings.

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My earth meets sea weeknight dinner!

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No game plan, no problemo haha!

Can I play COD?

A March Madness side effect of not cooking, has been eating poorly.
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[DISCLAIMER: I do think there is no harm in eating junk, so long as it is in moderation.]
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I noticed yesterday my pants were a bit snugger. In all likelihood this has been caused by my increased intake of sports bar accompaniments for frosty tall ones (a byproduct of sooo much hockey going on), gas station burgers (yes, I know...but my station makes great ones!), snacking in place of meals, late night dinners, so on and so forth.
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Often it only takes one meal to make me feel better about these unwise (but necessary?) choices. Here is my attempt to make things right again.
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As you know, fish is still something I would never dare say I am great at. After the success of the low-fat chowder, I've got Cod on the brain.
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In that chowder, the Cod was simmered in broth until cooked through. I really did love the texture, flavor and appearance of the fish. I self-proclaimed it the best fish attempt I've had yet!
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With Cod on sale this week and waistbands taut, I figured we'd try for a non-fried fish dish.
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Basic go-to ingredients and seasonings were used to start things off:

Garlic, Salt, Pepper, Parsley Flake, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder and Cayenne

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A drizzle of Olive Oil, 1 can of Diced Tomatoes, and the juice of 1 Lemon.

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My goal was to recreate the simmering effect for this cod.

I covered the baking dish with foil and placed in a 450 degree oven.

Toward the end of cooking I uncovered, sprinkled on just a touch of grated Parmesan and switched the oven to broil.

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Since I was focusing on the fish, my sides where simple:

Fresh Spinach cooked up in Olive Oil, Garlic, Red Pepper Flake, Salt and Pepper.

Brown Rice (cooked in chicken stock) seasoned with Garlic Powder, Parsley Flakes, Salt and Pepper.

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The final plates.

I do think Cod is a great and especially perfect for fish cooking amateurs such as myself. It has a very mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh.

The dinner was good and lite enough for us to enjoy before hockey later in the night.

One thing I did notice was there was not enough salt on the fish, which is very unlike me since I am often guilty of over salting. I guess I was either not paying close enough attention, or Cod just requires a bit more than usual??

Hubs seemed to enjoy it and cleaned his plate, so that's a good thing.

However when asked about the fish, he said his favorite was still the flounder (Flounder-ing Fish Fry), which I think is really due to the fact it was breaded/fried...that magic Hubs combo for blissful food!

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When I checked out COD online some unexpected results came up. Did you know that there is another meaning for COD out there?

Yup, even before the reliable Wikipedia site was a more common COD search result...Call of Duty. In case you are unaware, this is a video game! I had to scroll through sites for COD a video game before I even got to COD the fish?? Weird!

Don't get me wrong I enjoy an occasional go at Rock Band, Wii sports, loved my original nintendo, and even enjoy from time to time watching Hubs play his xbox...but it does seem strange to me that COD the video game is more popularly searched for than COD the fish.