Cuchi Guidos and Fake-Detox Diet Week!

Well, my roommate Corey and I finally went to Cuchi Guidos for dinner tonight. First of all, I was kinda grossed out that I had to say both the words "cuchi" (and yes, in case you were wondering, there is in fact a poster which says "Everyone needs a little cuchi" in the actual restaurant) and "guidos" in the same sentence (or, really, having to say them at all).

In honor of Sunday (AKA- my break from Lent, AKA- I get to eat meat day!), I ordered a philly cheesesteak (and also because they claim to have authentic philly cheesesteaks). Not gonna lie...I was kinda disappointed. The meat was not great, the bread was OK, and the sauteed onions and peppers were not all that sauteed, and not all that peppery (couldn't find one?). The potato chips it came with were like the ones you get at Top Dog on campus....which I'm not a fan of. Sooo, overall, D+ on the food.

Corey said that he liked his pizza, though, so maybe I'll get that when I go back (if I go back).

ALSO! I'm doing a somewhat detox this week (clearly, starting tomorrow. I don't think that Philly Cheesesteaks are on ANYONE'S detox list!). It's a "healthy" detox I saw in my Glamour magazine. It looks like LESS of a detox (AKA scary Master Cleanse Lemonade Death Diet), and MORE like just eating healthy. SO, I went to Martin's (which, by the way, I found out is buying out Ukrops...sad day. Must stock up on White House Rolls while I can!), and did my shopping for the week! Greek yogurt, frozen fruit, milk, eggs, hummus, avocado, black beans, sweet potatoes, low carb/high fiber tortillas, sprouts, spinach, and apples. Basically, this is what I'm thinking:

Breakfast Options:

-Greek yogurt, frozen fruit, and a little bit of honey

-Oatmeal, fruit, cinnamon, and a little bit of honey (maaaaaaybe peanut butter?)

Lunch:

-Hummus and veggie wrap

Dinner:

-Southwest black bean sweet potato

Welcome to my menu for the week! I'm actually pretty excited...it doesn't seem painful at all! (And PS, totally tried the Master Cleanse this summer...lasted for abouuuuuut 23 hours. Also tried the cabbage soup diet. I just don't think I like starving myself? I mean....I have a food blog).

The Tobacco Company and Legend Brewing Company

I fully plan on blogging like a maniac ASAP...things have just been crazy lately! Lots of applications, shows, rehearsals, spring break, boyfriends (OK...just one boyfriend!), families, etc.

BUT...in the meantime, I thought I'd blog about our trip to The Tobacco Company. Mom, Dad, John, and I went here for dinner before seeing Wicked this past Thursday. Don't let their Cheers-esque website fool you...The Tobacco Company is class all the way. John and I, after doing the Canal Walk, got there around 5:00 for drinks (for John: Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, for me: Legend Brown Ale...more on that later). Then mom and dad got there, and we all sat down to eat. 1 delicious basket of bread later, we had our wine (me: Canyon Ridge Chardonnay, John: another Dogfish Head...Mom and Dad ??), and our food. I got the Linguini Cioppino (scallops, mussels, clams, and shrimp in a spicy red sauce), John got the crabcakes and...wait for it...GRITS! Mom got the wedge salad and bbq shrimp and crawfish (I think?), and dad got the shrimp bisque and a spinach salad. Everything was FABULOUS! My only complaint? They didn't have Parm for the pasta! Seriously, though, it was awesome, and no wonder why it's such a Richmond staple.

YESTERDAY, after a failed attempt to get to Mass at the Cathedral on time (VCU...your parking sucks), John and I headed to Legend Brewing Company in what I can only imagine is the industrial section of Richmond? I'd never been there...it was across the water in the OPPOSITE direction from Chesterfield, soooo, never been there. We found it, however, and started off with the beer sampler, substituting the Lager and Pilsner (yuck-o) with their seasonals, a tripel and their "hopfest". Also in there was the brown ale I'd had at TTC, a golden ale, and a pale ale. The conclusion? Brown ale was kinda weak/malty (which I don't like), pale ale was also somewhat weak/too malty (the waitress said it was balanced, buuuut I think pale ale should be a bit more hoppy), and the golden ale was juuust right. Tripel was...well...a belgian, so I couldn stand it, but wouldn't order it again (I just don't really like that clovey after-taste), and the hopfest was pretty darn hoppy. I ordered another pint of the Golden, and John ordered another Hopfest. That, plus two pretzels, hummus plate, and spinach artichoke dip = a pretty darn good lunch! Food was OK...hummus was weak. Would go back...but only after Lent so I could get a burger with my beer!

Coming Soon: Actual recipes/cooking adventures...no more apologies!

I'm Back!

These past couple of weeks have been INSANE! BUT, one show, two auditions, one grad school application, and a fight with bronchitis later, I AM BACK! I've done SOME cooking over the past couple of weeks! Vegetarian chili, brownies....I'm sure there's been some more, but I'm sooo blanking right now! I have up meat for Lent...not sure if I'd mentioned that yet. So, today I made a vegetarian lasagna...and NO! It's not that gross kind of veggie lasagna that has a white sauce and veggies...can't stand that stuff. This is plain old lasagna, just no meat (and a little tofu that I needed to use up!)

This is somewhat from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, but as always, I altered it to what I had available!

Ingredients:

1 package oven ready lasagna noodles
1 jar plain pasta sauce
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. tofu, diced
1 jar ricotta (15 oz.)
1 package shredded mozzarella
1 egg
1/4 c. Parmesan (plus more for on top)
Salt
Pepper
Italian seasonings (I used basil, oregano, garlic powder, thyme, parsley)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 F

2) Saute onion and tofu in olive oil and butter. Add pasta sauce, salt, pepper, and italian seasonings. Set aside.

3) Combine ricotta, egg, and 1/4 c. Parmesan. Set aside.

4) In a 13x9 pan, spoon a thin layer of pasta sauce. Layer lasagna noodles, 1/2 of the cheese mixure, 1/2 of the sauce, 1/2 c. mozzarella. Repeat. Top with more Parmesan.

5) Bake on top rack for 30 minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving!

ENJOY!

Herb Bread

This is ACTUALLY the first time I have ever made bread...and I don't mean to brag...but DAMN! It was so good! I made the Herb Bread from The Joy of Cooking...which is actually their Milk Bread + herbs. Here's the recipe with my changes:



















Ingredients:

3 tbsp. warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 c. warm milk (microwave for 1 1/2 minutes)
5 tbsp. butter, melted
3 tbsp. sugar
1 lg. egg
1 tsp. salt
2 c. flour (+ about 3 more cups)
Melted butter
1 tsp. dill
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 tbsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. oregano

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Meanwhile, mix warm milk, melter butter, sugar, egg, and salt. Add yeast and 2 cups flour.Gradually add rest of flour until not sticky, but still moist. Add herbs. Knead for about 10 minutes. Cover and let rise in an oiled bowl for an hour. Place into bread pan, let rise for another hour. Preheat oven to 375 F. Brush melted butter on top of bread. Let bake until just golden. Brush on more butter, bake for about 5 minutes, and then remove from oven.

Here is a picture of the sandwich I made for lunch today with the bread. SOOO yummy!

Super Bowl Queso Dip

Who would have ever thought that Christie, Corey, and I would be sitting in the living room, WATCHING the Super Bowl?! Ok, sooo Corey and Christie are studying, and I'm blogging, but still! It's on! So, I decided to take advantage of this festive opportunity and make some dip for the game!















Ingredients:

3/4 block extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 bottle beer (I used one called Old Peculiar...it's a dark, English-pub style beer)
3 chipotles, chopped, + their sauce
5 tsp. salsa
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:

Saute garlic in olive oil. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, and continually mix until homogeneous. Enjoy with tortilla chips and the rest of that beer!

GO SAINTS! (I guess...I'm not really too worried about it!)

Snow-garitas!

Ummm...in case you haven't heard, it snowed about a mile this weekend in Harrisonburg! So, we've been stuck inside, watching Harry Potter and Sex in the City all weekend long! Corey, Christie, and I decided to prepare before the storm and stock up on ingredients to make snow-garitas (that's right...margaritas made from snow). Here you go!

Ingredients:

3 oz. tequila (2 shots)
3 oz. margarita mix (2 shots)
Salt
Enough snow to fill your margarita glass 3x

Directions:

Dip rim of glass in water and then in salt to rim. Fill margarita glass will snow. Pour in tequila, and stir. Add more snow. Pour in margarita mix. Add more snow. Stir and add snow until it is the consistency you want! You MAY need to add more mix or tequila...but this worked for us!

Bobby Flay's Chili and Caldo Verde Report #2

John is here! So, we made this chili recipe that we say Bobby Flay making on the Food Network yesterday! It was originally a lamb chili, but we made it with beef. Here is the original recipe:

Lamb Chili:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 1/2 pounds lamb from the leg, boned and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 large red onion, finely diced
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup dark beer
• 1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and pureed
• 1 tablespoon chipotle puree
• 3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon pasilla chile powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups cooked or canned black bean
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Here is our revised recipe:

Lamb Chili:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1.25 pounds shoulder steak, diced into 1/4 inch cubes
  
• 1/2 large red onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup Guiness, Extra Stout
  
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato puree
  
• 1/2 tablespoon chipotle puree
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
  
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 can black bean
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Brown the seasoned meat in olive oil. Using a slotted spoon, remove meat. Saute onions and garlic. Return the lamb, add the beer and reduce. Add tomato puree, chipotle puree, chili powder, cumin, and chicken stock. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Add black beans and let simmer for 15 minutes. Enjoy with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips on top!


**ALSO...I made Caldo Verde again, this time shredding the potatoes, using 1/2 chicken stock and 1/2 water, and chopped up the kale more.

IT WAS AWFUL! Do NOT do this.