Miss Shirley’s Cafe

Posted in Food, Restaurants, WIAW by chicken nugget girl

When I made plans to go to brunch on Sunday with my dear old friend Nancy and some buddies in Baltimore, I secretly hoped we would go to my FAVORITE place in the entire city.

I knew I could count on Nancy to feel the exact same way that I do about Miss Shirley’s Cafe.

Sometimes there can be a long wait, but on Sunday we were in luck and snagged a table right away.

Please observe the best bread in the world:

Yes, that is bread. A.k.a. the most delicious giant cinnamon bun around.

Nancy kept warning me, “This is not clean eating…this is not clean eating!”

Sometimes you just gotta eat dirty.

Nancy went big and got the house special recognized by Food Network: Shirley’s Affair with Oscar.

The menu lists it as: 5 oz. Beef Tenderloin filet, topped with Asparagus, Jumbo Crab Meat & Hollandaise Sauce, on Fried Green Tomatoes & Savory Grits with Diced Bacon, dusted with Old Bay.

shirley'saffairwithoscar

Nance liked it, but kind of wished she had ordered her usual, chicken and waffles.

Thanks for letting me annoyingly take pictures of your food, guys. 🙂

I couldn’t decide what to get! There were so many dishes I wanted to order (and that’s sayin’ something, coming from me.)

I finally settled on the Chesapeake Club.

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Shrimp Salad, Bibb Lettuce, Applewood-Smoked Bacon, Red & Yellow Tomatoes, Avocado, Old Bay Remuloude on Sourdough Toast, dusted with Old Bay.

grits

Oh yeah, and grits with bacon on the side.

I am still dreaming about this sandwich. It was love at first sight.

2012-12-16 16.01.45

Thanks as always to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

P.S. Help! I need healthy holiday party recipes. Do you have any favorites?

5Dec2012

Yes, I Ate That

Posted in Adventure, Food, Travel, WIAW by chicken nugget girl

We woke up Saturday with a cloud of doom over our heads because it was our last day in Brazil!

Our flight left Saturday night, so we had to cram in lots of fun stuff for the day.

Tuna’s parents took us to a local favorite for lunch called Academia de Cachaça. Let’s back up a hot sec and explain the importance of cachaça.

Cachaça (basically Brazilian rum) is the type of liquor in a caipirinha, the national cocktail of Brazil. As someone who only likes alcoholic drinks that you can’t taste the alcohol in, I wholeheartedly endorse caipirinhas.

Just add ice, sugar, and limes to cachaça and you’ll be good to go. Meaning – one caipirinha will have you tripping down the curb back from Plataforma.

Now you understand that the Academia de Cachaça would naturally have the best caipirinhas in Rio. Which was good because I needed a slight buzz in order to muster enough courage to try, “the one dish you have to try while you’re Brazil.”

When Tuna found out we were having feijoada, the national meal, he immediately turned to me in terror.

Feijoada is a stew of beans made of pork and beef.

His parents asked me, “do you like soup (stew)?” No.

Ok….“do you like beans?”

No.

Hmm…well…“do you like pork?”

Noo.

I do like bacon though. I prayed pork translated to a few bacon bits sprinkled on top of the feijoada.

Alas, that was not the case.

Yes, I ate that.

Luckily, you get to mix feijoada with cooked greens, orange slices, and farofa. I knew I liked farofa from the night before at the churrascaria. Farofa is manioc (yucca) flour cooked in butter and olive oil. It kind of tastes like nothing. Perfect.

Oh, and white rice. The item that my Chinese order for ten years of my life solely consisted of.

Tuna’s dad took pity on me and scooped me out a conservative portion of feijoada with just the beef tenderloin.

Guess what?

I ate it all.

I cleaned my plate. And it was even pretty good! It wasn’t my favorite meal I’ve ever eaten, but I did like it and I’d eat it again.

Even I was impressed with me.

After we rolled ourselves home from lunch, it was time to pack up and ~~cry~~ head out to our last vacation activity.

We had the national cocktail, the national dish, and now it was time for “the national passion,” according to our driver, Tomás.

A football game!

Er… as we Americans call it – soccer.

The game was the best rivalry in Rio: Flamengo vs. Vasco.

Flamengo has the largest fan base in Rio and their club is in Tuna’s parents’ neighborhood, so they had our allegiance!

The only time I was scared during our stay in Brazil was on our way into the stadium. The fans get really crazy and police with giant shotguns were running towards crowds of people. There was a lot of shouting and shoving going on.

But as soon as we got to our seats, the friendly rivalry resumed with the sound of Brazilian drumming in the Flamengo section.

Though we had to leave after the first half to catch our plane, it was a pretty great way to end our amazing Brazilian adventure.

Ciao, Rio!

Thanks as always to Jenn for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

28Nov2012

[Real] Coconut

Posted in Adventure, Clean Eating, Food, Travel, WIAW by chicken nugget girl

Now that I’m back in the U.S. of A. with my laptop, I finally feel that I can give my Brazil posts the credit they deserve! (It was getting tricky trying to blog from my iPhone.)

So travel back a week in time with me to last Monday night when Tuna and I boarded our plane to Rio.

I knew international flights were meant for me when I sat down in my seat and immediately saw this gem:

I shall take several glasses, por favor.

Tuna was jealous of my mad skills to sleep anytime, anywhere, so the plane ride wasn’t too bad (for me).

Once we got to Rio, Tuna’s parents immediately took us to their sweet beach three blocks away from their apartment in Leblon.

Please observe the below picture of Leblon Beach. This is where we got to spend the week. I seriously almost cried when I got home. How amazing is the landscape?

(source)

The two mountains right in the middle are called the “Two Brothers” and a favela (slum) is scattered along the rocks. The sociological side of me would love to study the social issues of Rio. Seeing everything the entire trip really made me realize how lucky I am and how lucky we are to have the opportunities we do here.

We walked down about half a mile to Tuna’s parents’ usual coconut stand to buy some coconuts to drink for 3 real each (pronounced reais) which is about $1.50. I was a little skeptical because I didn’t think I liked coconut. But after drinking these, I realized I love coconut!

What I don’t like is processed coconut – the shredded white stuff doused in sugar. Real, natural coconut is where it’s at.

I’m definitely ready to be on Survivor now.

After you drink your coconut water, they cut it open for you with a machete and you can peel off the white stuff to eat.

When I got home from Brazil, I immediately went to Whole Foods and bought ~~a shit ton of~~ coconut water.

More pictures and new foods I tried to come! We’ve got a whole week to cover with this view from our window.

Thanks as always to Jenn for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

21Nov2012

Mojitos and Museums

Posted in Clean Eating, Food, Travel, WIAW by chicken nugget girl

How cute is Tuna’s sis’ dog? By the end of our stay in Miami, Tom Selleck was snuggling with us and he finally let me do a photo shoot with him.

Our last day in Miami was a busy one! Tuna’s sis did a great job playing tour guide and taking us to the cool local spots.

Typ, another day of perfect weather in Miami.

We started out the day by tickling our toes in the ocean on Miami Beach.

Then it was time for lunch. We grabbed a bite to eat at a trendy Cuban place called Yucca on Lincoln Road.

Tuna and I got mojitos – they were actually pretty cheap: only 5 bucks each! In DC, a mojito would probably be the ridiculous price of approximately $12.50. Another reason I am now a fan of Miami.

We ordered the croquetas and the chicken empanadas for our appetizers. I loved the empanadas (especially the spicy guacamole sauce) but didn’t like the goat cheese filling inside the croquetas.

Luckily Tuna finished my croquetas for me.

Tuna’s sis and I both ordered the Mango Avocado Salad with Chicken. It had a sweet chili dressing that was really good.

Please observe one of the best side dishes in the world: fried Yucca.

After lunch we ventured over to Vizcaya.

Vizcaya is a famous old mansion in the Grove in downtown Miami Beach that they turned into a museum. The inside is amazing – it’s filled with ritzy antiques from the turn of the century. It felt like we were in The Great Gatsby or something!

A super rich dude built/owned it during the Titanic era and basically lived there by himself.

Um, I would like concrete ship for sunbathing in my backyard please.

The gardens were also extremely elaborate.

We had a great time walking around the grounds all afternoon.

Next up: our first day in Brazil!

Thanks as always to Jenn at Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

Have you ever tried Cuban food?

What’s your favorite happy hour drink?

14Nov2012

Cheat Day Chili

Posted in Food, Recipes, WIAW by chicken nugget girl

I was worried about what recipe I would have to share with you guys this week since I am currently on the pre-payday cleanse of scrambled eggs, bananas, and peanut butter sandwiches. Bring on the vacation food, please.

Luckily, Tuna saved the day by creating his own delicious masterpiece and artfully photographing it for me. I better watch out – I think I may have some food blogging competition on my hands.

I would have called it Tuna’s Cheat Day Chili, but I didn’t want you to get confused and think there was tuna in it.

This chili is full of protein and is amateur chef friendly. Perfect for snugglin’ up on the couch and watching Monday Night Football. It may not be the lowest calorie option out there, but hell, we all need a cheat day, right? Right.

Thanks as always to Jenn at Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

Cheat Day Chili

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 70 minutes

Original recipe found here.

Ingredients (4-6)

1 lb extra lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon tex mex chili seasoning
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
salt to taste
pepper to taste
dash of oregano
dash of hot red pepper flakes
1 (15 -16 ounce) can pinto beans

Instructions

Cook beef, garlic, and onion in a 3 quart saucepan until beef is brown.

Add remaining ingredients (except beans).

Heat until boiling, then reduce heat to low.

Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Stir in beans.

Heat once more to a boil, then reduce heat to low again.

Simmer uncovered about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally until desired thickness.

Garnish with sour cream and shredded cheese. Serve with toasted tortilla chips or cornbread.

7Nov2012

Cinnamon Baked Apples

Posted in Clean Eating, Food, Recipes, WIAW by chicken nugget girl

So I really wanted to make these on Saturday night after recipe stalking on Pinterest – but I needed to be searching for recipes for dinner, not dessert!

But suddenly, I stumbled upon the same baked apples as a side dish in a dinner recipe. One that didn’t involve pork.

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I had a potato I could use for the starch and frozen green beans in the freezer to have for a side. I glanced at the ingredients.

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Oooo, herbes de Provence, fancy. Wait…that was the name of the fru fru salad dressing I bought at Whole Foods last week! I could pour it all over the chicken and then grill it. That would go well with my cinnamon baked apples!

It was a damn good dinner.

Cinnamon Baked Apples

Original recipe from Fresh Tastes.

Makes 4 small servings

Ingredients:

2 large apples
2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Chop up the apples and mix with cinnamon, brown sugar, and water in a casserole dish or baking pan.

Bake apples for 30 minutes while stirring occasionally.

Serve with meat for dinner or for dessert with vanilla ice cream.

Thanks as always to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

31Oct2012

Chocolate Covered Apple Wedges

Posted in Food, Recipes, WIAW by chicken nugget girl

You had me at chocolate covered ________.

Yes, I’m the one with the salty tooth, but sometimes a gal just needs her chocolate ~~and red wine.~~ I’ve never made a pie before, so I needed something to do with apples this fall that didn’t involve some complicated baking recipe.

Did you know that dark chocolate is actually good for you? That means I must have a lot of dark chocolate to lower my blood pressure. (Pretend I actually know what my blood pressure reading is.)

These chocolate covered apple wedges are just what the doctor ordered!

This recipe was adapted from Cooking Light.

Serving size: 2 wedges. Recipe makes 16 servings.

Ingredients:

1 cup dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup plain granola
2 large apples

Directions:

Slice each apple into 16 wedges.

Microwave chocolate in a bowl for 1 to 2 minutes until the chocolate melts. Make sure to stir every 15 seconds.

Dip apple wedges into melted chocolate, skin side up. Allow any excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl.

Pour granola on a plate or in a shallow bowl. Dip the chocolate covered wedges into the granola.

Refrigerate finished wedges for at least five minutes before serving. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to serve them.

Thanks as always to Jenn for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

24Oct2012

Quinoa Pizza Bites

Posted in Clean Eating, Food, Recipes, WIAW by chicken nugget girl

What’s one of your favorite foods that you feel like you need to give up when you’re trying to be healthy?

My mind immediately goes to pizza. Whether I’m hungover, having a movie marathon, or just finished a hard workout, I want pizza. Sometimes ordering a pizza is just an automatic response when you don’t have anything in the pantry for dinner.

Once in awhile, it won’t kill to you indulge and eat an entire pizza by yourself. But wouldn’t it be nice if you could have your pizza and eat it too?

Enter: Quinoa Pizza Bites. These bites are great on their own as an appetizer or atop a spinach salad garnished with tomato and mozzarella.

This recipe was adapted from Fit Sugar.

Makes 30 bites

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
2 eggs
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup diced cherry tomatoes
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
pizza sauce for dipping

Directions:

Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a covered pot. Turn town the burner to low and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Mix all of the ingredients together (excluding the pizza sauce) in a mixing bowl.

Spoon the mixture into a greased muffin tin. Fill each cup to the top and press down gently to compact.

Bake for 20 minutes. Make sure to cool for at least ten 10 minutes before removing from the pan. I used one muffin tin and made several batches.

Thanks as always to Jenn for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

10Oct2012

Old Bay Zucchini Chips

Posted in Clean Eating, Food, Recipes, WIAW by chicken nugget girl

Whenever people ask me whether I have a sweet tooth or a salty tooth, I look at them in disgust.

Who would choose cake over potato chips? When I was little (OK…maybe I did this last week) I would snack on dill pickle after dill pickle. The thing I probably crave most when I’m eating clean is potato chips. BBQ Utz Ruffles are my kryptonite.

I’m not a huge fan of kale, so I haven’t caught on to the kale chip craze. But I do like the idea of a healthy snack that is crunchy – and most importantly, salty .

These Old Bay Zucchini Chips will do the trick! My version of the chips were inspired by Mary at 17 Apart.

Makes 2 small servings

Ingredients:

1 fresh zucchini
Old Bay seasoning
Salt
Cooking Spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225°F.

Line the baking sheet with foil.

Slice the zucchini and place evenly on the baking sheet.

Lightly spray tops of zucchini slices with cooking spray.

Sprinkle Old Bay seasoning and salt.

Cook for 50 minutes.

Take out the pan and flip over each slice. Then spray with cooking spray and salt/season this side.

Cook for 45 more minutes.

Let the chips cool for awhile – this will dry them out and make them crunchier!

Thanks as always to Jenn for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!

Do you have a sweet tooth or a salty tooth?

3Oct2012

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bites

Posted in Clean Eating, Recipes, WIAW by chicken nugget girl

So, I have a problem.

I am addicted to these tasty little treats. I eat them all day long – at my desk, on the metro, during movies. Ob. Sessed. Last week I tried out this recipe for Book Club and promptly made two more batches the next night. They are seriously little energy balls that are good for a melty dessert or when you want to grab a sweet and crunchy snack out of the fridge or freezer.

You can find the original recipe (along with other healthy recipes) at How Sweet It Is.

Makes 12-15 bites

Ingredients:

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/8 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp chocolate chips
1/4 cup ground almonds

Directions:

Mix oats, chopped almond slivers, salt, cinnamon, flaxseed, and chia seeds in a large bowl.

In a smaller separate bowl, melt peanut butter in the microwave for about 40 seconds. Allow it to cool slightly for a few minutes, then stir in the honey and vanilla extract.

Pour over the oat mixture and mix well. Once everything is mixed together, fold in the chocolate chips.

Roll dough into balls, then roll the balls in ground almonds.

Tuna says, “it tastes like a Reeses Cup!”

Thanks as always to Jenn for hosting What I Ate Wednesday!