A Little Bit Texas

I have a good friend who is a Texan in every way: big hair, southern twang, loves country music. There is a Texas BBQ restaurant that recently opened in DC that she has been trying to get me to go to. Last night, we finally went.

It's funny because the restaurant is actually one of my clients. I couldn't help but ask the management how their phones were working while I was at the bar. They thought I was really drunk, little do they know, now I can make sure the phone at the bar downstairs gets fixed on Monday.

Anyway, Hill Country BBQ in DC is the 2nd of it's kind. The owner has one in New York City as well. I had never been to a Texas BBQ place before. I had expected waiters in cowboy hats to greet us and for everything to be bigger than it should be. I was disappointed that when the waiters were just all wearing matching t- shirts that said "Hill Country" on them.

The place looked rustic, but in a very fake kind of way. I have never been to a BBQ in Texas, so I am not sure how the place should have looked, but I think they did a great job. I felt like I had gone from the busy DC streets straight into the heart of Texas. There were wooden tables lines up cafeteria style, and you ordered your food cafeteria style too.

Oh the food! I had the Moist Brisket on the recommendation of my Texan friend and I am SO glad I did. The meat was so tender it melted in my mouth. It didn't even need condiments, which is a lot coming from me. I put condiments on everything. The Campfire Baked Beans were also noteworthy.

The restaurant also has free live music every Saturday night. Last night, lucky for me, there was a band playing that was more rock than country. And they knew Tom Petty songs, which we requested when we made friends with them between sets.

So I learned that I love Texas food, I need to acquire more country-worthy clothing, and that country boys can sometimes be sexy.

Let's Try New Things!

I was reading another awesome blog, Yes and Yes, and saw that Sarah Von wants to do 32 new things before her 32nd birthday. We wish her the very best of luck and thank her for the idea! I've been cooking new things, but there are so many areas of life that I need to explore other than just the kitchen.

As I've mentioned previously, today is the one year anniversary of my college graduation. There are several things I want to do before the 2 year anniversary. My list is below:

1. Go to a water park. Not that I haven't been before, but I was much younger and it wasn't a park dedicated to water fun.
2. Get a matching tattoo with my sisters in our Dad's honor.
3. Take some kind of writing class/workshop.
4. Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity
5. Read Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
6. Go bungee jumping or sky diving
7. Write at least 2 full chapters of a book
8. Learn to make a tart
9. Make my own piece of art, whether it be an amateur painting or a piece of pottery.
10. Be able to do 200 sit ups. That's right people, this is a historic day. I have created a goal related to physical activity.
11. Eat heart. doesn't matter from what kind of animal. Andrew Zimmern is my inspiration on this one.
12. Own a plant. And not kill it.

That is all on my list for the next year. I will keep you all updated on when any of the above is completed.

Bastilla - the Moroccan Way

My latest culinary endeavor was dreamed alive after a friend and I went to a Moroccan restaurant for dinner. While the entire meal was fantastic, I was blown away by a dish called Bastilla. Friend even asked the waiter how to pronounce it correctly. Apparently the double L does not make a Y sound like in Spanish.

Anyway, we embarked on our Bastilla mission as soon as we arrived back at Friend's apartment. We googled recipe after recipe. None that we found seemed like it could really be for the amazingness we just ate. But alas, you should never judge a dish by its recipe.

Ingredients:

- Phyllo Dough

- 1 bag Sliced Almonds

- Chicken Breasts (5 or 6 maybe?)

- 8 eggs

- 1 Onion

- 1/2 cup sugar

- cinnamon

- ginger

- pepper

- salt

- some melted butter

You will also need:

- Large oven-safe frying pan (you can put tin foil over a plastic handle and it still works fine)

- Food processor or blender

- Large Bowl

1. Boil chicken and onion in a pot of water that just covers the chicken for 45 mins to 1 hour. Also make sure your cinnamon, ginger, salt and pepper are added before boiling. Spices are to taste, but don't worry if you use too little, there's a chance later to add more.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Cut up the chicken into small-ish pieces when tender. Put in a bowl. Set aside.
4. Scramble all 8 eggs with 1/3 cup of the water from the chicken. Cook them but make sure you don't over cook them. They will be baked later.
5. While cooking eggs, use a blender or food processor to grind up the almonds, sugar, and some cinnamon.
6. When eggs are done, add to the chicken mixture. I recommend putting the mixture into the food processor but it is not necessary.
7. Start to layer Phyllo dough in the pan. The dough should cover the bottom and start to go up the sides to fold over later.
8. Layer in the chicken mixture, then almond mixture, then more phyllo dough until you run out of mixtures. The faster you do this the better so the dough doesn't dry out.
9. Fold the dough over the top and "seal" it all together with melted butter.
10. Bake for 30 minutes
11. Sprinkle top with powdered sugar and cinnamon

I know it all sounds unconventional, but it tastes superb! It is the perfect mix of sweet and savory!

Break Time

Walking is my absolute favorite lunch break activity. It gives me the chance to get away from my desk and out into the sunshine. Any of the stress from that morning goes right out the window during that half hour of freedom. Sometimes I just walk around the city blocks here, but more often than not I head to my favorite destination: High Falls.

High Falls is a small historic area of Rochester that happens to be located a few blocks from my office. The waterfall looks like it's exploding from the cityscape, and the streets surrounding the falls are cobblestone with quaint buildings. Today I remembered my camera and snapped some shots during my break, enjoy! By the time I walked back to my office it was too warm for my winter coat. Maybe spring has finally decided to come pay us a visit?

The Kodak building is on the way to High Falls from my office. Definitely a Rochester landmark.

Apple Bacon Pizza

A friend and I had an experimental cooking session yesterday that I need to share with you all because the results were the most heavenly thing I've ever eaten. The ingredients are not traditional however the flavors together work perfectly. First pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees.

Ingredients:

• Pre made pizza crust like Boboli (we aren't cool enough to make our own dough)
• Apple Butter (used instead of sauce)
• 6 slices of bacon, crumbled
• 8-10 slices of granny smith apple
• apple smoked guyere cheese, shredded (regular guyere works too)
• chopped red onion

I told you the ingredients weren't traditional. They are so much better.

Spread the apple butter over the crust like sauce. shred the cheese on top of that. Place apple slices, bacon, and onion on top. Let cook for 10 minutes. Voila! The best non-traditional pizza you will have in your life.

Pumpkin Pie Milk Shakes

Have any leftover pumpkin pie? Tired of eating it? Make it into a milkshake. It's a very simple recipe. All you need is a blender, vanilla ice cream, leftover pumpkin pie, and some milk.

Add all ingredients to the blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into cup. Add straw and whipped cream. Enjoy!

If you don't have a blender you can also add the ingredients into a large bowl and blend with a handheld mixer. Yes this is how I had to make my own shake because I couldn't find the blender. Just be careful not to whip it all over yourself. It will make a mess.

Gobble Gobble

The holidays have begun! And so has the excuse to cook to your little heart's desire. I am making my very first Thanksgiving dinner this year and am very excited. My sister is the only one (that I currently know of) who will be subjected to it, but I still find it exciting to be doing it myself this year.

I've come up with a delectible menu which includes:

- Green Bean Casserole

- Fresh Mashed Potatoes

- Turkey with a garlic basil butter sauce

- Pumpkin Pie

- Biscuits

- Apple Pie

- Sam Adams Cherry Wheat

Now I know you're thinking "What about stuffing?!" And I have a answer for you. My sister is in charge of the suffing. She has been for the last 8 years or so. I will give up that part of my first Thanksgiving dinner to carry on the tradition.

The one part of all my previous Thanksgivings I will not be carrying on is forced immediate cleanup of dinner. This ruins it! I cannot wait to just sit on my couch and relax after the feast. The dishes can wait.

Quick Tip Of The Day: Save Big With Coupon Codes

If I had known about this before I'd be saving a ton of money!

Quick Tip Of The Day: Save Big With Coupon Codes.

The End

By Shikole Struber

It is the last day of the challenge to not eat out or order in for 1 whole week. I think I have saved about $45 by doing this. It made me feel less guilty about spending money on other things, like a cab to the bar last night. It's amazing how much eating out adds up. It is more convenient and less messy, but you have to weigh the worth of your money and that of loading a dishwasher.

The challenge also helped me venture out and find new things to cook, and also helped me discover what some things are actually used for. I had never used tomato paste before this challenge. I didn't really understand why it existed. But it did make a great addition to soup.

Challenge number 1 successfully complete!

The Food Challenge Rages On!

By Allison Sass

The post grad food challenge has actually been a lot easier than I thought.. especially cutting out caffeine. While I generally don't need caffeine daily, I do sometimes crave it, especially on a crazy workday. Well, today was one of the most hectic I've had since starting at my new job and I didn't even consider caffeine an option. (I also didn't have any.. but maybe that's the key for me, out of sight, out of mind.)

I'm sticking to my excercise routine and headed to my spinning class in a bit. Who knows, maybe I'll keep this vegetable heavy diet going past this week? It's all about finding a healthy balance.

While many post grads wouldn't think to subject themselves to a caffeine free diet, I highly recommend you try, even if it's only cutting back from two to one cup of coffee a day.

 A healthier you = more productive employee = more energy after work = a fufilling post grad life. I know, I know.. I often trick people into thinking I was a math major in college.

Thirsty Thursday?

By Shikole Struber

The hump day of my challenge was successful. I didn't buy any food yet! Not even coffee! Which has inadvertently caused me to cut down on caffeine as well. My body doesn't agree with it much though, I was in bed by 10:30pm  on Tuesday. I'm craving more coffee!

I have discovered during this challenge that meals that are all-inclusive are the best ideas ever. By that I mean meals that have a grain, meat/protein, a vegetable, and dairy. All inclusive. You need one dish and are full and satisfied after. My soup (yes I'm mentioning it again) was perfect for that. Pasta with chicken, spinach and some parmesan cheese would also work well. Rice with Chili and cheese is another great plan for such meals.

Two more days of eating in to go!

Trois

Shikole - I made my soup last night. It was a huge success and made an insane amount of it. Not only was it my lunch today but will likely be my lunch for the rest of the week. Unless I get bored with it. In which case it will be dinner.

I realized that this challenge isn't all that difficult when you don't have time for a social life. The weekends are/will be hard, but during the week I don't have time to go out for food anyway. I would sometimes buy lunch, but my amazing soup has solved that problem for now.

I wonder, though, if buying more coffee during the day will count against me. I make a cup in the morning but need more by 1pm. Am I allowed to go buy a cup while on the challenge or suffer through caffeine withdrawal?

Allison- Day three is treating me well so far. This type of lifestyle really is such an adjustment, as I found again last night when it took me nearly a half hour to prepare my lunch for today. It's worth it though, and I know my body will eventually be thanking me. I'm trying hard to break the "convenient is best" idea that seems to plague so many stressed post grads.

I had green beans, broccoli, and brussel sprouts with a little bit of chicken for lunch today. Grapes and a banana for a snack this morning along with my daily brown rice breakfast.  Tonight, I'll have the other half of my chicken breast and lots more vegetables. Spinning class is tonight too- I wonder if my new diet will amp me up or drag me down as I complete that insane workout.. thankfully I have a great instructor.

Dos

By Shikole Struber

I'm not going to lie to you all, I had Pizza last night. However, I consulted with the judges and it was determined that because I did not pay for the pizza that I am still within my guidelines of the challenge. The point is to save money, if I did not pay for the food, it doesn't count.

On another note, I made my coffee at home (I do that anyway but it still counts) and grabbed a cereal bar. I brought leftover pasta stuff for lunch and so far am just bummed it's Monday. I sadly did not have a chance to make the soup last night because of the beer brewing. But tonight I will succeed!

Stay tuned.

Food Challenge Day 2

By Allison Sass

Today is my second day of my healthy/non processed food challenge and I've been good about sticking to the plan. I've cut off caffeine completely and replaced it by upping my daily exercise routine (who knew that exercising more could give you energy?). We will see how I'm feeling in the next few workdays as I'm sitting at my desk...  

I've also been eating loads of green vegetables and eating fresh fruit when I crave something sweet - the diet only calls for one piece of fresh fruit a day but hey, baby steps people. Did I mention that I had brown rice for breakfast this morning? yum...

As a post grad with a busy schedule, I'm always looking for grab and go lunch options. I have to say that preparing my food challenge lunches has taken me a much longer time than usual. To try and combat this, I prepared my lunches for the next three days on Sunday, when I wasn't exhausted after a long day in the office.

To sum it all up, I am surviving the food challenge so far. Stay tuned!

Our First Challenge: Food

We have decided to embark on food related challenges beginning next Sunday, October 17th. Why, you ask? We love a good challenge, and food is a major part of everyone's life- especially of those in their young 20's. It is at this age that we often disregard what's healthy for what's convenient, and think nothing of dropping ten dollars on a sandwich and drink multiple times a week when we are too tired to make food for lunch or after work. 

Eating the right way makes you feel better about yourself, gives you energy (that can always be helpful in the workplace!), and promotes an all around healthy lifestyle.  

Avoiding take-out and restaurants can help you to save money and also promotes a healthier diet and an awareness of food. Let's face it post grads, between rent, gas money, and student loans...we need to save up every penny we can.

Here are our week-long challenges:

Allison- I will be spending one week following this strict fruit/ vegetable detox diet in the hopes to jump-start better eating habits. The diet involves absolutely no sweets, no processed foods, and (gasp) no caffeine. I'm not too interested in losing weight (though that would be a perk), I am more looking for a way to eat healthier in my everyday hectic life.  I will update you daily on my progress and let you know how my extreme healthy eating jump has improved my post grad work life and energy levels.

Shikole- I will be spending the week avoiding eating out and ordering in. For every meal. I will be going grocery shopping on Sunday when the challenge starts and hopefully finding some great low-cost/high flavor recipes to keep me going all week. My goal is to save money on food and drinks. I will keep you updated every day about my progress with turning down dinner invites in favor of making food as well as any recipes I find in the process. Everything I eat must come from home, nothing pre-made.

Remember: our challenges will start Sunday, October 17th! Check back daily for our progress!

Coffee Add Ins

Coffee is essential to many college students and post grads alike. And it is much cheaper to make it at home than go to Starbucks every day. There are tons of things you add at home, though to make it just as flavorful as a Starbuck's coffee.

• Cinnamon. You can either add it to the grounds before brewing or straight to the cup of coffee.


• Ginger. The ground kind in the spices section


• Vanilla. You can add extract right to the cup or ground up vanilla bean in the grounds before brewing


• Cocoa powder. Make a mocha at home! At some cocoa, or Hershey's syrup or even Ovaltine for a chocolate twist to your coffee


• Mint. You can get peppermint extract just like you can with vanilla.

What other flavors can you add to coffee at home?

Eggs-cellent!

By Shikole Struber

Eggs are a great source of protein and can be used with a plethora of other foods to keep you happy and full. We all know about scrambled and sunny-side up, and the special omelette,but many overlook that you can hard boil eggs too! This is ideal for a breakfast on the run. Peel, add salt, go! Or, you can make egg salad from hard-boiled eggs. Instead of the basic lunchmeat sandwich you can add this concoction to your bread. Eggs are also great added to potato salad and are a vital part of fried rice (recipe to follow soon).

What else do you use eggs with?

Make the Most of Your Lunch Break

By Allison Sass

Your lunchtime is the recharge portion of the day that keeps you flying through the afternoon until 5pm. Why not make the most of it?

Here are a few unique ways to spend your lunch break- that won't break the bank!

-Go for a walk. Bring a pair of sneakers to work and take a leisurely stroll during your lunch break.

-Eat outside! This only works if it's nice out, but if it is nice outside, try to find out if there is a park or even a bench near your job where you can sit, relax, and enjoy a sandwich.

-Go for a drive. Driving helps me to ease stress, and sometimes on my breaks I will cruise around the neighborhood where I work.

-Meet a friend! If you and a friend work near each other, coordinate your lunch breaks and meet up to discuss your day.

What are your favorite ways to spend your lunch break?

Emergen-C

By Allison Sass

As a post grad starting a new career, the last thing you want is to come down with a horrible cold during the first few months you are working, especially if you don't have paid sick days! Emergen-C packets are vitamin supplements that work wonders for me. They are so easy to use:

1. pour glass of water

2. empty packet into water

3. stir and drink!

Easy enough? The trick with Emergen-C is to use the packets before a full-fledged cold actually hits. If I'm feeling a little under the weather or start to experience signs of a common cold, I take one of these packets right away. They provide you with 1,000 mg of Vitamin C per serving along with tons of antioxidants and electrolytes.

Check for Emergen-C in the vitamin aisle of your local grocery store and be sure to stay healthy!

Not Just Any Old Mac and Cheese

Mac and Cheese is a staple for both college students and post grads. But it doesn't have to be the same thing every time. Spice it up!

Amazing Additions:

• Salsa. Make it Mexican mac and cheese
• Hot dogs. Cut them up first. Brings you back to childhood.
• Peas. Heat up some frozen peas to add to your bowl. Veggies are important! (any other frozen veggies also acceptable)
• Melt in some more cheese. Add some mozzarella or cheddar to whatever came in the box.
• Croutons. Adds some texture and flavor if you use the flavored ones.

Any other ideas?