Sweet Love and Ginger

Dinner for One

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I have a lot of friends who are either on their own or work opposite schedules than their significant others, and I often hear that they don’t feel like they can make a real meal for themselves at dinnertime because it’s just them. I say HOGWASH!
Chuck ends up traveling a lot for work so a couple times a month I am on my own for dinner, and I feel no need to skimp on my meals then. In fact I use it as an excuse to whip up my favorite things that he may not like so much; it’s totally my guilty pleasure nights. Here is what I made last night:
What I love about this recipe is that its comprised of things that I typically just have around the house all the time anyway, so its super easy to through together. By swapping ingredients it’s super easy to make more or less healthy. I admit sometimes I use cream, butter and lots of cheese. Other times I use skim milk, and whole wheat pasta. I have also made it with spaghetti, ravioli, chicken, fish or no meat at all. Also if you don’t want to dirty another pan you can simply cook the shrimp in the oil before adding the garlic, the only thing you will be missing is the extra spices.
I took the pic before i added the tomatoes, whoops!
This particular recipe is my favorite combination. I love the warm creamy sauce, in contrast to the underlying spiciness of the shrimp, and the cool crispness of the cherry tomatoes.
Now for DESERT!
I’m not typically a huge desert person, HOWEVER I think every girl has a little something she craves. For me it’s usually cheese or chocolate. Last nightt I was definitely craving the chocolate, the kind of craving that requires a little more than a Cup of cocoa.
Hot Cocoa Mug Cake:
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 egg white
1 packet hot cocoa mix (roughly 2 tablespoons)
1.5 Table spoons Milk
splash of vanilla extract
1.5 tablespoons oil
Start with the dry ingrediants and mix everything well with a fork in the mug, while slowly adding the wet ingrediants. Once mixed well pop it in the microwave for about 60 seconds.

 

Stolen from somekitchenstories.com because dark blue mugs dont work for good pictures.

 

If you want to go the healthier route you can use chocolate protein powder instead. Also be sure not to skip on the milk or oil. You will end up with a texture like an overcooked egg, and it is so unappealing. I believe the picture also has a few peanut butter chips mixed in as well, which is not a bad idea if you ask me!
More single night recipes to come!

Candy Skull Bleached Tank

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Well I’m currently experimenting with bleaching and dying jeans, and during my experiment I happened to get bleach on one of my tanks, it’s just a simple grey boyfriend tank, so it was no big deal , but I figured this would be a good time to experiment with some of the other bleach projects that I have been thinking about trying.
My Supplies:
Bleach pen
Tank
Cardboard
I used and old mac n cheese box on the inside of the shirt so that it wouldn’t bleed through to the back. After printing out a model candy skull i then cut it out to use it as an outline, the rest I did free hand. Using the pen I was able to draw simple flowers, hearts and dots. The best advice I can give to those trying this is to beware the bubbles! They make the line you are making wider, and make it hard to control the flow of bleach from the pen. Once I had my design finished I let it sit for roughly 20 minutes before washing off the bleach gel in the sink, then putting it in the washing machine. Following a bout in the dryer it was finished. Pretty much the cheapest afternoon project around! Below is how it looked completely finished. I am pleased with how it came out, and already got several compliments on it.

Filed Under: Crafts

Single Brunch

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Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul.  ~Dorothy Day
This morning I was feeling like I needed a boost. I didn’t sleep a wink and my morning run went horribly. Not to mention Ii had a very stressful week. I didn’t want to weigh myself down with heavy pancakes or sausages so I thought I’d go a little French; velvety scrambled eggs, and a fresh salad with maple vinaigrette. I don’t think I have made a wiser decision.
This breakfast was perfect! It as light and healthy and really helped to rejuvenate my mood. The leafy greens were bright and fresh, and when the vinaigrette ventured over to my eggs it added a little burst of flavor. The eggs alone were fabulous. They were light and fluffy, thanks to the cream cheese, but also full of flavor. Now  I’m going to sit back and enjoy my English Breakfast tea.
Have a wonderful day!
Velvety Scrambled Eggs:
3 eggs
Nonstick spray
Table spoon of Skim Milk
.5 teaspoon Marjoram
.5 teaspoon Thyme
Salt & Pepper to taste
.5 Tablespoon Non Fat Cream Cheese
In a bowl whisk together eggs, milk, marjoram, thyme, and cream cheese. The cheese may not mix well here so be sure to break it up during the next step. Pour mixture into a warm  pan coated in spray.  Use a spatula to gently stir the eggs continuously on low heat. Once they begin to firm, and look opaque remove from heat and add Salt and pepper.
Maple Vinaigrette
1 teaspoon Apple cider Vinegar
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/5 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt
whisk together all ingredients until well blended.

Goals

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I am now officially signed up for the Warrior Dash on August 12th. I’m up for the task, though I am nowhere near in shape for it. I have always been one to work out, especially with lifting weights, I just love feeling strong, however my cardio has always been somewhat lacking, for the last few years I have mostly only done HIIT (BB.com Link), which is not necessarily good for distance training, as when doing this kind of cardio you only do it for about 15-20 minutes. I ran the Corporate Challenge last year, and it kicked my butt. I know that Warrior Dash is not your typical 5k, but I’m going  train like it is, I mean besides where am I going to find a pit of fire, and mud up to my chest to practice in? I actually signed up for it because for the past year I have been having a really hard time getting the motivation to keep my workout routine steady. I blame graduating college, having a real job is hard to adjust to! My roommate from college Carrie signed up to do it with me, it really helps to have someone who is holding you accountable, she’s in a lot better running shape than I so in order to keep up I am going to have to work hard.  To add to all of this 6 weeks later on October 6th there is a 10k trail run in Danby, where she lives that we may sign up for. I don’t think I have ever run a 10k, and I know I haven’t done it in a race, so this will be an even bigger challenge for me, but again one that I am willing to take on. My goal is to be able to run 10 miles by the end of summer, preferably under 1hr 45 mins. I know it’s a lofty goal but I think it’s possible, and maybe next year I will run a half marathon! I always thought there’s no point in having goals unless they are there to better your life or challenge you so I might as well reach high.
Another goal of mine is to hike Saddle Back and Basin. I tried these mountains last October, however post Irene there was a huge washout, and a lot of steep rocks. Being so out of shape didn’t help, and then it started to snow at the top. I didn’t make it all the way up, which has never happened to me before, I was hugely disappointed in myself, but the fact that my toe nails are still black and blue shows that I probably made the right decision at the time. This season however I plan to make it to the top of both, if it kills me.
To help me reach this goal I have set a goal to hike at least 50 miles total before attempting it. I think having a little more experience, and being in better shape will help. I have been told that my running goals alone will help but I personally feel that’s a pile of poo. Hiking is a totally different animal, my quads can attest to that. Eventually I would like to complete all the 46 high peaks, as well as the true top 50. For those of you unfamiliar with the Adirondack High Peaks, the original high peaks were thought to be the only peaks above 4000 feet however later surveying revealed that 4 were actually below this level and 1 was left out. Also there are a lot of close by mountains that have really wonderful views, and hikes that get missed simply because they aren’t one of the high peaks. Someday I would like to do them all; I really feel like experiencing these mountains is truly part of being an upstater. In my plan of attack however I have included mountains outside of the Adirondacks, such as Greylock Mountain in Massachusetts. It’s surprisingly close, and the highest peak in the state, so good practice ground, plus it’s got some really pretty views. I did a day trip there last weekend with Alicia and we did a 7 mile round trip to a waterfall, and Stony Ledge . It was a nice way to start the weekend. The sky cleared up just as we made it to the point, and it started to warm up just as we were coming off the mountain. Unfortunately the boots I have been wearing since high school completely fell apart. Thank goodness Alicia decided to carry electrical tape for who knows what reason.
That hike included with a trip up to Big Slide Mountain a few weeks ago puts my total for the year already to 16.5 miles. Also I am now running roughly 3 miles 3 days a week.  Considering that its only May I think I really have a good chance at completing all of these goals, if of course I get some new shoes (I realize that I’ve been wearing the same running shoes since high school as well uh oh!), and stick with it. Wish me luck!

Yogurt Marinated Chicken with Polenta & Asparagus

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I was truly afraid of several things in this meal, but we are constantly taught not be afraid of something just because it’s different so I figured I would be adventurous, and I’m glad I was. As it turns out this is one of the easiest meals I have ever made, and I think it will become one of those weeknight staples, I pull out pretty often.
I started with the yogurt marinated chicken that I saw on chopped it seemed pretty simple, and it was very weird to me so I thought it would be a good experiment. Since I was experimenting I thought I would try some polenta. I had been toying with the idea for a while, and had even bought a package of Bob’s Red Mill a few months ago, but never opened it. This was probably one of the easiest things I ever cooked. Simply add 2.5 cups of water to 1 cup of polenta, and let it simmer, stirring constantly, until softened. Then add some parmesan cheese and garlic powder to taste then set aside off heat, until the mixture begins to pull away from its container. There is so much more you can do with it as well, such as add sundried tomatoes or asparagus, which I almost did since I was already planning on making it, but for my first time I wanted to experience the plain and simple thing as it was. It wasn’t bad, the consistency was different than I’m used to but other than that it was pretty good. I will definitely add some other vegetables to it on the next attempt, simply because the only thing it was really lacking was seasoning, which can’t be blamed on it anyway. On to the chicken!
As always I did a little research on my ideas and came up with this recipe from Alex Guarnachelli.When I saw this recipe I got super excited because of its use of Harissa. I was newly introduced to this condiment 2 weeks ago during a tasting at JK Adams in Dorset Vermont, by Teeny Tiny Spice Co. of Vermont. I purchased both the Harissa as well as Tandoori masala spice mixes. For all of my love of cooking I am pretty bad at North African, Middle East and Indian flavors. The depth of the way they blend such strong spices escapes me for the time being, however it’s one of those things that I am striving to attain. I digress, since I had already tried the Harissa on plain ol’ baked chicken, I decided to alter the recipe and use my Tandoori Masala Spice mix, the fact that the website even states that its used in yogurt marinades helped me with that decision as well. I made a few glaring changes to the original recipe I found, mostly because I wanted to really get a feel for the Tandoori Spice mix.
Tandoori Yogurt Marinated Chicken
1 container plain Greek yogurt
1.5 Teaspoons Tandoori Masala Spice Mix
2 Chicken thighs & Legs (Bone in, with skin)
Non Stick Spray
Blend yogurt with spice evenly in a baking dish. Coat chicken evenly in yogurt mixture and place skin side down, covered with plastic wrap to marinate overnight (WARNING: this is gross, something about the raw chicken and gloppy yogurt is just not appealing). Remove chicken from marinade, leaving excess and place skin down on a hot grill pan with non-stick spray. Allow to cook until the skin is browned and crispy, then flip and allow to cook through. In the interest of time I put a cover over the chicken to make sure it was cooked through a little faster; however this meant at the end I had to turn up the heat and flip it back to the skin side for a few minutes to get it crispy again. Remove from heat and sprinkle lightly with a little more Tandoori Masala.
The chicken was delicious. It was rich and juicy, and full of flavor, though I have to say there was easily room to add more of the spice mix to the marinade or at the end. I didn’t get a lot of the heat that I think it has to offer, but I was being cautious in my use of it as I am just starting to become accustomed to spice. That’s something that I think can be suited to the chef. Lastly I whipped up a simple asparagus dish which was to toss the whole vegetable in oil and roast them on a cookie sheet at 425 until tender, then toss with a little lemon juice. Adding a little acid to this meal I think is a must to help balance it all out.
All in all this meal was exceptional for the ease and simplicity, plus it’s really very cheap. The total came to $2.37 a serving, so a total of $5 bucks for both me and chuck. It was delicious, gourmet style, and rather healthy. Who knew?

Filed Under: Recipe