Soup's On

The goal is to start eating a bit lighter. One of my favorite dishes is a lentil soup -- I have combined a bunch of different recipes to come up with my own:

Julie's Sausage & Lentil Soup

1 tbs. olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried herbs -- mixed italian, or thyme, basil, oregano (your choice)
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup lentils
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
3 chicken sausages
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
a bunch of dark, leafy greens like kale, collards, spinach
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee the veg in the olive oil. Add the rest of the ingredients (except greens). bring to a boil and simmer for 25 min. Last 5 min, add greens. Cook to wilt.

Serve with some crusty bread. Enjoy!

I'm Bored

With the lack of new television, I feel deprived on my weekly fixes for my shows. The one bright spot is Carpoolers. For some reason, there are new episodes since the new year. I don't know how long it will last, but once it's over, I will be crushed. This show is brilliant. And now every episode is like a little pot of gold. Marmaduke (below) is the funniest character on television. Truly an eccentric. Lately, I'm loving Dougie. It must have been the episode where he belts out "Come on Eileen" at the top of his lungs. He's the quintessential clueless, lovable nerd.

Vegas in 3

I'm going to be going to Vegas in a few weeks for a trade show. I'm planning on making this all about some good eating. I think I'm going to be exhausted as the show runs from 8am to 6pm daily so I my goal is to get some good eats and catch one show. I think that is about all my pocketbook can afford anyway.

Since I'm going it alone and it is my birthday month -- week even -- I'm going to splurge a little. I've been wanting to try one of Mario Batali's restaurants. He has a casual dining place in the Venetian, San Marco, that I'm definitely going to check out. Do I want a pasta or the crispy duck? Check out the menu! I'm pretty sure I need to try the duck.

Then there is Thomas Keller's Bouchon, also in the Venetian. To me, the prices seem really reasonable for "fine dining". I definitely want some mussels. The salads sound so yummy. No one makes a salad like the French. And at $35, the steak frites seems like a bargain! Check out the menu -- I think I'm going to have to have dessert too! Um... profiteroles, yes!

New Tuesday Fun

Traditionally, Tuesday has been my dad to hang out with the peeps. With the apparent death of the Redhook Trivia (due to the fact that they are now requiring payment) I have not been since the new year. So instead, I have instituted "pool tuesdays". It's actually "pool every-other-Tuesday" and today was the first one. Where? you ask? The Brickhouse Pub -- which has been my neighborhood joint of choice ever since I worked at BDXP back in the day. This place never disappoints -- if you are looking for some kind of sight. The clientele is a variety of characters -- that's the only way i can really explain in. A real cast of characters. Go there and you will see what I mean. These are not the beautiful people. And they are all odd in one way or another. It's fun to make up stories for each. Can you believe it? All this -- ON THE EASTSIDE!

The pool tables are only 75 cents per game -- free until 7pm every evening, except Sunday when they are free all day!

The food is not horrible -- and it's super cheap. I recommend the veggie grinder. If you get a 1/2 sandwhich (which is plenty, believe me) it's only $3.50 and that's WITH fries!

I know I will be going back -- and it doesn't hurt that it's a mere mile from the old homestead. Plus, I have to work on my pool game somewhere.

The End of An Era

Well, it sounds like it is official. Our beloved Sea Garden restaurant (and bar) in Bellevue is closed. This is where we would go after work for a cheap, but strong cocktail and the usual menu items such as chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, chicken chow mein with chinese greens and veggie fried rice. So sad. This is where we would go to see the 65 and older set party it up. This is where we would see the unique stylings of one Biff Moss -- lounge singer extrodinaire. And this is where we would visit Pam, our favorite barmaid of all time.

This pic is from my 2006 birthday celebration.

Light and Zesty

Here is the Light recipe that I am planning to make. I think it looks pretty tasty. I'm already planning on making a substitution -- roasted red peppers for the sun-dried tomatoes. For some reason, I am not a big fan. I'll let you know how it turns out:

Pork Chops Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Show:
Everyday Italian
Episode:
Giada's Spa Weekend Brought Home


1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon

2 cloves garlic, minced 6 sun-dried tomatoes, diced

1 (10-ounce) bag of frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 cup (2 ounces) goat cheese

1/3 cup reduced-fat cream cheese 4 (4-ounce) center-cut pork chops

1 1/2 cups chicken broth 1/2 lemon, zested

2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Warm the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until combined, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the goat cheese and the cream cheese. Stir to combine and set aside.

Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the thickest portion of the pork chop. Stuff each pocket with 1/4 of the spinach and sun-dried tomato mixture and close the pork around the stuffing. Season the outside of the pork with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl combine the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, and mustard.
Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add the pork. Cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.

Transfer the pork to a side dish and tent with foil to keep warm. Add the chicken broth mixture to the skillet over medium-high heat. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as the chicken broth simmers. Reduce the broth by half to make a light sauce, about 8 minutes. Spoon some sauce over the pork before serving.

Betty Crocker Wins

I found this interesting. For some reason I am unable to make a home made cake that turns out so I took notice of this tasting lab test that America's Test Kitchen did on cake mixes. Betty Crocker came out the winner with the tasters over Duncan Hines (Pillsbury came in 3rd). Remember that the next time you are in the supermarket baking aisle. Funny thing is that my nieces and nephew prefer the box mix over any of my attempts at home made and "yellow" cake is their favorite. What is "yellow" cake anyway? Butter?

Way to go Betty.

3 Stomachaches

This weekend inadvertantly turned out to be all about food.

stomachache #1: It started on Friday at work for January birthday lunch. We ended up at Red Robin. This is not at all exciting to me, but I was hungry and stressed so I ended up gorging. I had the usual -- the Banzai burger. And if it wasn't actually done well for once. The few times it's ended up being overdone and dry, but this one was juicy and good. And because I've been stressed at work, I decided to get a Mai Tai to start. I ended up having part of Melody's chocolate shake and birthday Sunday. By the time I got home, my stomach was hurting bad and I was not hungry for the rest of the night.

stomachache #2: I had a haircut appointment on Saturday. I figure that I have to take advantage of my trips across the bridge so we planned a lunch after at Smarty Pants in Georgetown. I may have found my new fun hangout joint that just happens to have fantastic food. We planned on having sandwiches (I heard they were good) but since I never did have time for breakfast yet, I was drawn toward the Troublemaker Pileup. On name alone, how can you pass that up? OMG -- it was incredible. Up there in the top 5 of best brunch dishes ever. Grilled chicken and onions (and cheese) piled on a bed of scrambled eggs and hash browns. Topped with a slice of bacon. Served with a side of trouble. Trouble turned out to be some sort of creamy sauce with a bit of a kick. I was so impressed that I have to go back for a sandwich now! Ok, and if that wasn't enough, the bloody marys were also kick ass. The joint has a motocycle theme and seems to attact that crowd as well, but there was a good mix of people. I had to buy a hoodie sweatshirt before I left because it has a motorcyle on it and says Smarty Pants. How cool is that?

stomachache #3: There are 3 January birthdays in my family -- so we tried the breakfast buffet at Palisades to celebrate. I've done dinner there and have been very impressed, but breakfast was also very good! The cool thing is that you get to order an entree and then along with that you get unlimited trips to the breakfast buffet which had a nice selection of fruit, salads (I did not have room to try any), banana pancake bar, and a bunch of desserts (including eclairs that were pretty yummy). Talk about another gut buster. I had the salmon benedict, with a bunch of fuit -- and because it's my favorite -- banana pancakes!

So after all of that -- home for a run and then (gasp!) I actually got hungry. I put together a nice salad with some pasta, greens, a bit of beef from breakfast and some roasted vegetables and tomatoes. All dressed with a lemon juice vinaigrette. It was actually very good! And for once I don't feel sick. I've got some yummy-looking (light) recipes lined up for later in the week.

Jamie's New Show

Jamie has a new show (and companion cookbook) that I've been tuning into as of late. Jamie at Home is all about taking the ingredients from his garden and preparing healthy, fabulous dishes in his signature high-energy, high-enthusiasm way. So, he's grabbing chiles from his plants outside and baking up dishes in this outdoor oven which gets its heat from some burning embers inside. Talk about homestyle! In the latest episode, he made a warm salad with 2 of my favorite things: squash and roasted duck. Yum! Unfortunately, Food Network does not believe in including ALL of the recipes demonstrated on the show. Perhaps it is in my book.

On another note, Jamie's sommelier that we met when I was in London at his restaurant, 15, has moved back to Australia. I'm glad I got to meet Matt Skinner while he was around!

I was going to include a recipe, but they are all really copious. You can just check out the show on your own and enjoy.

Oh, Striking Writers

Since I have a Tivo now, I actually picked a bunch of new series to watch this season. Now because of the writer's strike, I am unable to continue with the new addictions. I guess that is what I get for getting sucked in. Plus, my favorite night time shows, while back, suck. As does my one daytime choice. Ok, suck is a little strong, but the Daily Show, Colbert Report and Ellen Degeneres Show are all not quite as good -- and I'm thinking not worth my limited time.

On the other hand, I'm sucked into the season of Project Runway. Good stuff!

Oh, well. Maybe this is a sign that I should find other past times. And by past time I mean something other than work -- I feel like that is all I've been doing lately :(

A Scottish Fairy Tale

I wish I could remember that other movie that I really liked that read like an Irish fairy tale for adults and kids. That was my impression of The Water Horse. It was sweet, endearing and made me cry on more than one occassion. There were a couple of corny Free Willy moments, but I forgive. It was still well done and totally lacked the commercial tackiness of a Hollywood movie. Go see it!

A couple of dvd choices for the weekend were The Brothers Solomon. This looked like it might be funny -- it has Will Forte, Will Arnett and a whole gaggle of SNL staffers. Unfortunately, it was often painfully bad. Beware.

Then there is The Kingdom. This looked like it had the potential to be an average action flick set in current event news reels -- with the possibility of being a little trite. It has some big Hollywood names including Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner. It turned out to be more poignant and genuine than I would have imagined. The last 1/2 hour is pretty intense. Go see it if you want.

My New Fave Movie

So, these come up from time to time. The new fave movie of the week. But I think this one has to go in the the Top 5 of all time. Juno is brilliant and funny, with cutting wit and a heart of gold. I gurantee that you will love it -- unless you are dead inside, of course. It's one of those movies that I knew I was going to love from the moment the reel started, with the soundtrack going and the opening credits moving across the screen. Can I just say that I LOVE this movie! Even with all the good buzz, it didn't kill it at all. It's still good from start to finish.

In contrast, I also went to see Charlie Wilson's War, which has also been getting alot of buzz. (And the theater was packed, annoying me to no end!) But in contrast, this movie was a mere empty shell. Dialogue for dead characters whom you cared not a bit for. I won't say that it was bad or that I did not like it -- it just didn't resonnate or satisfy. It just was. And didn't they say that this movie was funny? If you can stay awake for the first 1/2 hour, it does pick up and some funny lines do come up. But in the end, did anyone really care?

Happy New Year!

The usual traditions transpired this year with the new year's brunch -- complete with all traditional fare. Then it was making sushi for the big dinner. Yes, I meant big. The good news is that this is the end of the big eating for a little while...at least until we have the big Jan. birthday dinners. Anyway, I am looking forward to 2008 and what it may bring. It started off great with a sake
toast!

New Year's Eve Dinner

For the holidays, the only meat product we had not yet had was beef, so my sister made a prime rib for new year's eve dinner. Talk about hitting this one on the mark. It was perfectly done -- medium rare and as tasty as can be. And talk about a huge slab of meat. Delicious. And, she made this salad with roasted pecans, roasted pears, cranberries and gorgonzola. I was in heaven -- until I ate too much. Beautiful.

Mochitsuki

Making mochi. I usually miss out on this annual family tradition because it's usually done while I am at work. This year, we took a Saturday and I got to join in on the fun. I ate a couple while we were making it and was stuffed by the time it was all over. But if it

ain't especially good when it is totally fresh. This is step one in getting ready for the new year.