The Recipe Redux: Summer Currant salad with Honey Balsamic Vinagrette

This month's Recipe Redux theme was "Beat the Summer Heat with No Cook Meals."  This is right up my alley because lately I just haven't wanted to use my oven.  In fact, I re-named our toaster oven the "roaster oven" because I've been using it to roast vegetables instead of using the big oven.
Using the big oven turns our apartment into more of a furnace than it already it. It's a pretty good compromise because it uses less energy to heat it up, and it doesn't affect the temperature in the kitchen as much as the oven does.

This recipe challenge takes it one step further, and doesn't require any cooking at all!  Just a few chops here, a few grates there, and a whisking at the end to make the dressing.  Simple as that!


Salad Ingredients:
Baby Spinach
Walnut nuggets
Red Currants
Cucumber
Carrots
Purple Bell Pepper

Dressing:
Olive Oil
Honey Dijon Mustard
Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:

Wash all veggies and spinach

Chop up the veggies into desired sizes
(I use a cheese grater for the carrot slices)
Remove red currants from stems and sprinkle over the salad

To make the dressing:
Combine 2 tbsp Honey Dijon with 2 tbsp Olive oil, and 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Whisk together

Pour dressing over salad and enjoy!

This was a fun salad to make (and eat) because it's so colorful.  I love the purple bell peppers I got from my CSA, and the red currants are a flavorful addition to the salad.

Red Sox Game & Exciting News!

Yesterday I was having a little bit of a rough morning.  You know...just one of those days, and just when I thought things couldn't get worse, everything got better!  I had two awesome things happen to me in a span of 5 minutes.

1.  My friend Katie texted me that she had Red Sox tickets for the game that night and invited me to go!

--------and then---------

2.  I checked my email and found out I was a finalist in the Wild Harvest Breakfast recipe contest! My recipe was selected to be a top 5 finalist.

I was so happy!  It just reminded me that good things do happen, and to never let anything get you down too much, because you never know what awesome opportunity is waiting just around the corner!  :)  Your luck can turn around in an instant!  (p.s.  positive thoughts rock, and I know that was corny)

I quickly showered and went back into the city to meet my friend.  For me, Red Sox games mean Fenway franks and soft serve in a mini helmet.  No trip to Fenway is complete without them!  Although this is my favorite food option at the game, they recently added some healthier choices, which I think is awesome!  You can read about them here: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/blog/dailydose/2011/04/healthier_eats.html

Since I'm just not a sports person, I rarely watch what's going on in the game and just go for the atmosphere and the food.  I still love going to games, and always have a good time, especially with friends!

Katie, Me, Melissa

This game happened to be really boring, and I'm not just saying that because I don't like watching sports! Only one run was scored.  I think we lost, but I can't be sure because I left halfway through the 9th inning to try and beat the rush to the t.

Such a fun night!  I love doing things on week nights just to make the week go by faster


Now on to the #2 exciting thing.  I can't believe my messy falling-apart omelette was selected!
Ahhhh!  I'm actually kinda embarrased that this picture is up on the website for everyone to see:

Can you even call that an omlette??  Oh well, I guess it's the taste that counts!
I've never come this close to winning a contest in my life, so this is a really big deal to me, especially since the prize is so sweet:

"The winning breakfast will be announced on August 18th, and served at HLS. The recipe creator will receive a $500 gift card to use at any SUPERVALU store, including Albertsons, JEWEL-OSCO, Shaw’s, ACME, Farm Fresh, Cub Foods, SHOPPERS, Shop ‘n Save and Hornbacher’s."

The other finalists are:

Black Bean Quiche with Mango Peach Salsa by Kristin of FoodFash

Cherry Vanilla Granola Muffins by Alicia of The Wannabe Foodie

Greek inspired Egg Scramble by Kelly of Cupcake Kelly

Trail Mix Pancakes with Peanut Butter Maple Sauce by Heather of Then Heather Said

I wanna say "Good Luck" to all the finalists!!!  I can't wait to see who wins!



P.S.  Don't forgot to enter my giveaway for the Maggiano's Gift Certificate, I'll pick a winner on Monday. :)

Maggiano's Little Italy- Boston Food Bloggers Dinner & A Giveaway!!!

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to dine with the Boston Food Bloggers at Maggiano's Little Italy located in the heart of Boston's Theater district.  I had never been, nor had I ever met any of the Boston Food Bloggers so I jumped at the chance to be a part of the event.  Tracy and I rsvp'd and got super excited to meet some like-minded bloggers and nosh on some delicious Italian food.

On the day of the dinner, the weather was horrible! It was pouring, and thundering, and lightnining.  Ekk!  Neither one of us had an umbrella, so we stopped in the barber shop below of office to ask if they had any umbrellas that customers had left behind, and to our luck, they did!  We hopped on the t, and got off at park st, and walked over from there.  I only got splashed by a car once, so I guess it wasn't too bad.

drown rat look = not cute

Once we arrived, we were seated in one of Maggiano's function rooms and we met the general manager Jeffrey Tryzbiak, and the PR lady Julie Dennehey,  also a blogger! :)

They started us off with Sangria!  Yum!  You all know how much I love Sangria.  Shortly after the drinks arrived, they brought out a bunch of flatbreads. 

After the flat bread came out, they continued to bring out large portions of different dishes for us all to share.  This was a platter of sausage, roasted potatoes (roasted to perfection I might add!) and a few veggies.

The salmon was awesome.  It was served over orzo that had ham in it!  Interesting, but tasty combo.

The pasta was fun, I love bow ties, but I think they are called "farfalle" in grown-up land, but I wouldn't know because I don't really live there.

The desserts were unreal. They brought out two kinds, a cheesecake and a strawberry pie.

I really liked the cheesecake, it was so rich.  All of their desserts are made in the restaurant, which is pretty cool.  Since they are a chain restaurant, you might expect they have their desserts shipped to them, but not Maggiano's.

Tracy and met a bunch of the other bloggers, and was lucky enough to be seated next to David the Tornado. As you can seen, we became fast friends, haha.

He was an awesome guy.  I loved talking to him about running, photography, and graphic design.  He has one of the coolest jobs I've ever heard of.  He is a package designer for Trader Joe's.  How awesome is that?? Here's an example of his work.

What would I do without my BBB (best blogging buddy)?? I would be too shy to go to things like this alone! 
Dinner was so fun, and I'd like to thank Maggiano's for having us, and treating us so well!  I really felt important. :)

now....Giveaway Time!!!!

Maggiano's was generous enough to offer some $20 gift cards for us to give out to readers. To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment below (comments are open to everyone now, so you don't have to have a blogger account to leave one)  I'll pick one winner on Monday!  Good Luck!!!

What I Ate Wednesday: Beat the Heat

Hey Guys!
It's time for WIAW(What I ate Wednesday) again!  Thanks Jenn, over at Peas and Crayons for hosting!




I love the theme for this months WIAW because July really is all about fun, fitness, and food.  I even made a summer bucket list to make sure I can squeeze in as much fun fitness and food as possible!

I named this WIAW "Beat the Heat" because it's been so hot, and it really changes how I cook and eat.  I know some people say they have no appetite in the hot weather, but I definitely do not feel that way.  I have an appetite year round!  All food here was consumed on Tuesday, July 17th.

7:30 am Oatmeal with Peanut Butter (forgot to snap a pic so here's a nice picture of clouds!)

9 am 1 medium iced coffee from Dunkin'.
Today I finally caved and got an iced coffee.  I've been getting a hot coffee everyday! What is wrong with me?  Since today was 95 degrees, I decided that an iced coffee would be more enjoyable.  And it was definitly the right choice.
Side note:  Does anyone else say "Ice" coffee or "Ice" tea instead of Iced?  I usually say "Ice," but some people have corrected me. 

10:30 Morning Snack: Banana

12:00 Lunch- I usually like to pack my lunch, but I've been super lazy due to the heat.
I got a Southwest Tuna Wrap at Au Bon Pain, and it was delicious!  Only $6.  Tracy and I ate outside in the sweltering heat by the food court. 

2:15pm Chobani Yogurt with Cinnamon and Blueberries (not pictured)  This might be my favorite afternoon snack of all time.

Work Out:
I've been following a half marathon training plan, and today's scheduled run was 3 miles.  I braved the heat and got out there.  I was going to go to the gym to do my run, but lately I just don't like the treadmill.  I ran at about 5pm, when it was 94 degrees.  I was a sweaty mess by the time I got back, but it was so worth it.  I felt pretty proud of myself for not wimping out.

This week I have a 4 mile run on Thursday, a 2 mile run on Friday and an 8 mile run on Sunday.

6pm Dinner:  Pulled BBQ Chicken with summer squash. CJ had the day off so he set up the crockpot and made some BBQ pulled chicken.  It was so yummy, and pretty easy to make.  Just set it and forget it! 
We also sauteed some summer squash for our veggie on the side. :)  It was a nice easy meal that didn't require too much time in the kitchen.

8pm Dessert:
We made smoothies  Nothing like a nice, refreshing smoothie to end the day! 

Hope you all have a great Wednesday!


P.S. Tonight I'm going to a Boston Food Blogger's Dinner at Maggiano's in the North End.  I'm really excited because this will be my first time meeting the members of Boston Food Bloggers.  If you are a food blogger in the area, there are still some tickets available!  I can't wait to tell you guys all about it.

The Pea's Knees: Summer Bucket List

Hey Everyone!

I always thought Fall was my favorite season, but I'm really loving all things summer right now.  I created this bucket list to make the most of the warm weather before summer gets washed away!

 
1.  I made a pact with myself that from now til the end of summer I will stop at every Lemonade stand that I see and buy a glass of lemonade.  I've seen so many so far this summer, and it really surprised me that kid's still do that!  It's so adorable, and I love seeing little entrepreneurs in the making...  Except when they get fined... 

source

2. Run (or leap) down the beach.  I really want to combine my love of running with my love of beach before the summer is over.  I'd love to take a dip in the sea after a hot and sweaty run.

3.  Go Deep Sea fishing.  I used to go every year with my family, but we haven't been in a very long time.  This summer I really want to go and catch some dinner!

source

 4.  Try to get CJ to take me out for ice cream as many times as possible. He's always trying to limit my ice cream intake.  I think he's jealous of my one true love.

5.  Go Horseback Riding.  I haven't been in forever! I used to go a lot more often with my Dad when I was younger, and now I like to go once a year or so, but I can't even remember the last time I went.  Time to get back in the saddle.

6.  Get to the beach AMAP (as much as possible).  I think AMAP should be a word, like ASAP.  I'm gonna start that...

What's on your summer bucket list? Do tell!

Ocean Kayaking, Sushi, & Oysters

Hello!
Today I went ocean kayaking at Lynch Park with my good friend Meaghan.  I haven't been ocean kayaking in a very long time, so I was really excited to go.  Even though it was overcast, it was still really hot out, and the breeze from the ocean plus the water splashing on us from the paddles kept us nice and cool.

I planned to take my camera, but the rental guy strongly recommended leaving it behind since it isn't waterproof.  He asked "do you really need to take it?"  And I was like ""YES! I need it!"  I'm a blogger! Why don't people understand?  You can't take a camera away from a blogger.

I realized he was right, and I probably would ruin it, so I left it with him.  I did manage to get a picture of the paddles before our excursion.

We got a double kayak for an hour and a half.  When we asked how we were supposed to know when our time was up (we had no phones or watches) the rental guy told us to ask someone on the beach. We didn't end up doing that, and just went back in when we thought we had been out long enough, and we ended up coming in a half hour early! Oh well! 

Kayaking is really good exercise.  It was a great arm workout for me.  I decided to look up how many calories are burned in one hour of kayaking.

"According to the American Council on Exercise, a 125-lb. person burns 283 calories per hour of kayaking while a 150-lb. person burns 340, a 175-lb. person burns 397 calories and a 200-lb. person burns 454 calories. Higher body weight requires increased energy expenditure for activity." Source

I also learned that kayaking burns less calories than running at 5.5 mph for one hour (obvious), burns more calories than cycling at 5.5 mph for 1 hour, and burns the same amount of calories as playing softball for 1 hour.  Interesting...

When we came back ashore, we walked around Lynch park. I had never been there before, so I had no idea how pretty it is.   Meaghan showed me the Rose Garden, where she said lots of people take pictures for proms and weddings there.  It was stunning! My pictures don't do it justice at all.

After burning all those calories kayaking, we decided to replace them with a nice lunch.  We went to Hale St Tavern, Oyster, and Sushi Bar. I was intrigued by this strange combination.  Do Oysters go with Sushi?

 Meg is brave and ordered 5 oysters.  I'm too much of a chicken to try them. I can barely eat mussels without getting freaked out, so I'm definitely not ready for oysters.  They do look really fun to eat though!  Maybe I'll add trying an oyster to my summer bucket list (that doesn't exist yet...).

 We shared an order of edamame.  Yum!  You can never go wrong with edamame  It's so tasty.

I also ordered the Hawaii Sushi roll.  It was unreal.  I'm a weirdo and only like cooked sushi, so this one was right up my alley.  It had coconut shrimp, avocado, cucumber, and topped with pineapple salsa.  It was really good.  It was one of those dishes that you don't want to end.  

A lovely day with a lovely friend.  :)

Have a wonderful night everyone!