Fish Pie

I made this dish along with everything else I made yesterday. I knew I was going to work late tonight so I wanted to have something prepared for Dave. I know, I'm such a great wife. This recipe was also modified from the Newlywed Cookbook.

Traditional Fish Pie

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs of white fish (I used 1/2 pound tilipia, 1/2 pound haddock)
1.5 cups of skim milk
.5 cup of cream
1 stick of butter
1 tablespoon of dry mustard powder
1/4 cup of flour
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 lb of small yellow potatoes
salt and pepper

Instructions:
Put milk/cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then add fish and turn off heat and poach until opaque. Then in another pan, melt 1/2 stick of butter and stir in flour and mustard powder. Strain the poaching liquid into this mixture and whisk. Arrange the fish and eggs in a casserole dish. Then bring the pan to a boil and beat until smooth and bring mixture to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over fish and eggs and mix. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, then drain. Melt the remaining butter in a sauce pan. Mix a tiny bit more butter and cream wsith pototoes and mash and season with salt and pepper. Then spoon the potatoes over the fish and brush the top of the casserole mixture with the melted butter. Transfer dish to a 400 degree oven and bake for 30-40 minutes.


And my dinner:

I had a piece of the casserole with the gnochi and ezekial bread with laughing cow cheese. Kinda random but when you get home late and your starving you eat what you see! Night!

Anniversary Weekend...

This weekend Dave and I celebrated our Anniversary Weekend in Newport, RI. We toured the mansions, went to the beach, ate tons of delicious food and had a nice relaxing weekend. Then Sunday we enjoyed a home-made candle-lite dinner at home made by yours truly. Here's the recap.

Friday night we went to Mooring Restuarant that overlooked the water. We ordered calamari, salad and I got this Seared Tuna with Mango Strips.

For dessert, we shared this chocolate truffle with berries and bananas.

Saturday, we went to a restaurant called Asterisk. It was pretty good and they served A LOT of food, but the food was pretty bold flavors and didn't always mix well. I got the Red Curry Shrimp and Scallops over cabbage with okra and lemon risotto with scallions and shaved parm cheese. Seems like a lot right? I thought so and I don't think it exactly went together. We skipped dessert this night.

Sunday morning was cloudy and foggy so we skipped the beach and walked the cliff walk before heading home.
When we got home, I immediately took our wedding cake out of the fridge! Looks scary right!?

Then I got to work on dinner. I wanted to make something special, so I pulled out our Newleywed cookbook and did some research. I decided to make Beef Tenderloin en Croute with Bruschetta, Spinach Salad and Gnocchi with Spring Vegetables.

Bruschetta

Ingredients:
Ciabatta Roll
Goat Cheese
3 Plum Tomatoes, Sliced in Circles
1 Small Red Onion
3 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
Couple chuncks of parm Cheese

Instructions:
Slice the Ciabatta Roll in half. Add the tomatoes and red onion to a bowl with S& P and Balsamic Vinegar. Let soak for ten minutes. Then spread the goat cheese on the roll, then add the onions and tomatoes and parmesian cheese and toast under the broiler until melted and crisp.

Next on to my main dish- check it out in the Newleywed book...

And my version! (I'll get the recipe posted tonight- but it was adapted from the Newleywed Cookbook)
Here is the recipe:

Beef en Croute

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons of EVOO
2 Shallots, finely minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 package portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 pound of beef tenderloin
1 puff pastry sheet
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon of butter

Sauce:
2 tablespoons of dijon
2 tablespoons of grainy mustard
1/2 cup of white wine (I used Reisling- hey it was all I had!)
1 cup of cream
3/4 cup of skim milk
juices from roasting pan

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet and add shallots, garlic and mushrooms. Cook for 15 minutes stirring a lot until soft then season with salt and pepper and transfer to bowl to cool in the fridge. The put 1 tablespoon of oil in a rosting pan and put in oven for 5 minutes. Rub the tenderloin (I had two pieces- 1 that was a little less than a half pound and another that was a little over a half pouund) with salt and pepper and oil. Then transfer to preheated roasting pan and cook for 15 minutes. Transfer beef to plate and let cool completely. Meanwhile, make the mustard sauce by combining the ingredients in the roasting pan with the meat juices and whisk together for 5 minutes until thickened and combined. Then roll out the puff pastry so its big enough to fit each piece of meat. Spoon the mushroom mixture evenly over the dough and then put the beef in the middle of the dough on top of the mushrooms and roll the dough around the meat as if covering a package. Brush the dough with the beaten eggs and chill for 15 minutes. Then cook the beef package in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes. After that, reduce temperture to 350 and cook for 15 minutes longer to medium rare. Which is what we like! Then spoon the mustard sauce in the middle of the plate and add the meat package on top. YUM!


I also served this with a Gnocchi Salad made with onions, tomatoes, zucchini and kale that was sauted with a little EVOO and S & P. Then the whole thing was mixed with a dressing of EVOO, Balsamic Vinegar, Thyme and more S & P.

Our dinner table...


Lizzy and David!
Enjoying a Champagne Toast!

The delicious Beef Tenderloin and Mushroom filling...

...Dave enjoying the meal...

And then it was cake time... Dave inspected the year old cake...

My slice...
Here I go... overall it was pretty good!

HAPPY 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY DAVE! xoxo

Weekly Runs 7/19-7/26

Planned Runs for Week of 7/27:
Sunday: off
Monday: 6 Miles, Done
Tuesday: 8-10 miles
Wednesday: off or 5
Thursday: 5-6 miles, strength training
Friday: off
Saturday: 10-14

Total Miles: 36-41

Week of 7/19-7/26
Time Spent Running: 4 hours 40 minutes 9 seconds

Total Mileage: 31.5 miles

Monday, on treadmill, ran at lunch

Date	7 /20/2009
Route	Treadmill
Distance	3.5 mi
Time	33
Pace	0:09:25/mile

Tuesday = Ran long on treadmill during lunch

Date	7 /21/2009
Route	Treadmill
Distance	10 mi
Time	1:26:19
Pace	8:37/mile

Wednesday=OFF


Thursday= ran at lunch, 6, slow

Date	7 /23/2009
Route	Treadmill
Distance	6 mi
Time	53
Pace	8:50/mile

Friday =ran on treadmill at Metrowest gym at 11AM

Date	7 /24/2009
Route	Treadmill
Distance	12 mi
Time	1:47:50
Pace	08:59/mile

Saturday - OFF

Sunday- OFF

1 YEAR of MARRAIGE!!!

Celebrating July 26th!!

This post has nothing to do with food or running, but I feel compelled to let you all know that as of this weekend (July 26th- Sunday), Dave and I will have been married 1 YEAR!!! It seems like its gone by so fast so I thought I'd share our wedding highlights video and some pictures from one of the best days of our lives!

There is the worlds most awkard kiss in this video, but other than that, its pretty cute.... being an editor, I know I could edit it out... which I will at some point...
Also, here are a bunch of pics from an album I made...

And a couple of my favorite pictures...




Okay, that's enough.... I could look at these photos over and over and post a million of them, but I'll stop there! Have a great weekend!!

*oh and I did get my 6 miles in today, just not very fast.

Farmers Market Summer Squash & Zucchini = Veggie Delight!

Last night, I made two more fantastic vegetarian meals using fresh veggies from the City Hall Farmers Market. Both recipes, I read off Debs Smitten Kitchen Blog. I adapted both but she has some amazing ideas and I was really excited to make both of these recipes. The first was a Pizza using the fresh ingredients below- squash and zucchini.


Summer Squash & Zucchini Goat Cheese Pizza (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients:
-1/2 of store bought pizza dough for the thin pizza
-1 lemon
-4 ounces of herbed goat cheese, at room temperture
-1 medium zucchini, VERY thinly sliced
-1.5 summer squashes, thinly sliced (see pic above- I don't have a Mandoline, but if you did, you could go for 1/8 thick)
-Couple Drizzles of Olive Oil
-Lots of S &P
-Feta Cheese to crumble on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out dough into a thin 12-inch circle and dust it with flour. In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese with 1/2 the lemon juice and season it with lots of S & P. Then use a spatula to spread it over your pizza. Next arrange zucchini coins over the goat cheese in circle, overlapping each internal circle, alternating colors so it looks prrrreeetty. Then season with salt and pepper and a couple drizzles of olive oil. I also added some sprinkled feta cheese and baked in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

This is what it looked like pre-baking....

And this is what it looked like after...

Along with the pizza, I made Kale Chips (also fresh from the Farmer's Market) by roasting them in the oven (it was screeching hot so I didn't put it in there very long) with EVOO, Salt and Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes. AND... I also decided to make Zucchini and Summer Squash Soup. We are going away this weekend, so I wanted to use up the veggies I had and I saw a similar soup on Debs website so I wanted to try it. Her recipe called for buttermilk, and I had buttermilk, but when I got home I noticed it was past its prime, so instead I used cream. So good, you guys gotta try this!

Creamy Summer Squash and Zucchini Soup with Kale

Ingredients:

-1 tablespoon of EVOO with 1 tablespoon of butter
-1/2 a red onion, diced (use shallots if you have it, but I didn't have one)
-couple pinches of salt
-pinch of red pepper flakes
-1.5 summer squash diced
-1.5 green zucchini, diced
-2 rustic potatoes (also from the Farmers Market) diced
-3 garlic coves, minced
-3 cups of veggie stock or enough to cover the vegetables
-2/3 cup of cream
-some crumbled feta to garnish
-a couple handfulls of kale

Heat olive oil/butter in large thick-bottomed pan over medium heat. Stir in the onions, salt, red pepper flakes. Saute until onions are tender - a couple minutes. Stir in the squash and potatoes, and cook until the squash starts a little tender - a few minutes. Stir in the garlic, and then add the stock to the pot to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.


Puree with a hand blender. (THIS IS MY FAVORITE KITCHEN GADGET!!!) I didn't puree completely- I liked it a bit chunkier. At this point, I also added in the kale. Slowly whisk in the cream, taste, and adjust the seasoning - adding more salt if needed. Then serve and add some feta cheese and more kale.

Our serving plate:

Pizza, Kale and Soup.

And my plate:
I'm gearing up run at the gym soon. I wanted to go early this morning but couldn't get up. On tap is 6 miles as fast as I can. Then I get to eat these leftovers for lunch!

10 Miler during Lunch and Sweet 'n Sour Chicken

So last night, I made Sweet n Sour Chicken, adapted from Rachael Ray.

Sweet 'n Sour Chicken

Ingredients

- 1 cup white or brown rice (I used the microwaveable Uncle Ben's Rice)
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons of Tamari (dark soy sauce)
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 can tomato sauce (8 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 package chicken, cubed
-3 stalks of celery, diced
- 1 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
-1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
-1 can of Pineapple, sliced into pieces
-15 grape tomatoes
-Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place a large skillet over high heat with two turns of the pan of oil, about 2 tablespoons. While the pan is heating up, grab a small bowl and combine the hot sauce, lime juice, honey, Tamari, vinegar, tomato sauce and cornstarch, stirring to dissolve the cornstarch. Set the sauce aside.

When the skillet is searing hot, add in the pork and cook the meat until caramelized, 3-4 minutes. Add in the garlic, ginger, peppers and onions, and stir fry the meat and veggies for 2 minutes more. Add in the pineapple and reserved sauce and stir everything together. Bring the sauce to a boil and allow it to cook for 1 minute to thicken up.

Season everything with some ground black pepper and serve the sweet 'n sour pork over the rice and scallions.


So thats what we ate for dinner. I set my alarm to wake up early today but to no avail. So I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to get my ten miles in. But I was able to go during lunch and I figured what's another couple miles... so I did TEN, in a lunch break on the treadmill. WAHOO! I felt pretty strong even though ESPN had no audio and I had to watch stupid stuff on MTV and E! but it got me through. I ran my final mile all the way from 7.2MPH to 9.0MPH.

Date	7 /21/2009
Route	Treadmill
Distance	10.00 mi
Time	1:26:19
Pace	0:08:37/mile

I showered quickly after and got back to the office. Now I'm waiting until the end of the day because I am getting sushi with Remi and Gretchen and I can't wait!

Weekly Runs 7/12-7/18

This was not the greatest week for me, but I still managed to run 29 miles in only three days. Hopefully this week will be better, but if today is any indication, I'm not too thrilled. Goal is to hit over 30 for the week 7/19-7/26.

Planned Runs for Week of 7/19:
Sunday: off
Monday: 3.5 Miles, Done
Tuesday: 10-12 miles
Wednesday: cross training off or lifting
Thursday: 6 miles, strength training
Friday: 12-14 miles
Saturday: off


Total Miles: 33.5

Week of 7/12-7/18
Time Spent Running: 4 hours 17 minutes
Total Mileage: 29 miles



Monday, on treadmill, ran solid 9 at 7:15 AM

Date	7 /13/2009
Route	Treadmill
Distance	9.00 mi
Time	1:19:30
Pace	0:08:50/mile

Tuesday = OFF Day

Wednesday=ran around Charlestown with Laryssa and Nancy at 6:30 PM

Date	7 /15/2009
Route	Charlestown-Memorial-Bridge-Storrow-Harvard Bridge-Memorial-Bridge-Storrow
Distance	9.75 mi
Time	1:32:30
Pace	9:26/mile

Thursday= off day

Friday = off day

Saturday - ran on treadmill at North Shore gym at 12 PM

Date	7 /18/2009
Route	North Shore Treadmill
Distance	10.00 mi
Time	1:24:54
Pace	08:29/mile

Total Mileage for 7/12-7/18= 29 miles (IN THREE DAYS!)

Veggie Slices (vegetarian dinner #3)

I decided to make quite a meal for dinner on Sunday. I decided to make a Zucchini Cheesecake recipe that Gretchen and I saw last week on 101 Cookbooks. Gretchen made it last week and I couldn't wait to try it out. I also read tons of cookbooks that my co-worker Jenn brought in last week and found a Super Salad Pizza from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I first started on the Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake (adapted from 101 cookbooks)

First, I shredded the zucchini using a box grater and then squeezed out any extra liquid in a strainer. I also used a springform cake pan to make it easier to get out when its done!

Ingredients:
-3 medium to large zucchinis, unpeeled & grated
-1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
-1/2 cup freshly shredded Mozzerela
-2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
- zest of one lemon
-2 large eggs, well beaten
-1/4 cup Boursin cheese, mixed in

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F degrees, racks the middle. Butter/oil a 7-inch springform pan.

In a strainer, toss the shredded zucchini with the salt and let sit for ten minutes. Now aggressively squeeze and press out as much moisture as you can. Set aside.

In the meantime, combine the ricotta cheese, Mozzerela cheese, garlic, chives and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs and continue mixing until well combined. Now stir in the shredded zucchini. Fill the springform pan with the ricotta mixture. Place in the oven and bake for sixty minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes, then release the cake from its pan. Then if you have the time, you can let it cool, otherwise, dig in like we did!

I think this was very good, but I think it needed something else, maybe something spicy or sun-dried tomatoes or more salt? hmmm, but I still liked it.

At the same time I made a Super Salad Pizza.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package (1 sheet) frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 3 cups torn mixed greens
- 1/2 Red Pepper, sliced
- 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 4-ounce container (1/2 cup) semisoft cheese with garlic and herbs
- 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
- 1 to 2 teaspoons milk (I used skim)
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I probably used half this amount)
- 1/2 of a medium medium avocado, peeled and sliced

Directions

1. On a lightly floured surface roll pastry into a 12-inch square; cut into a 12-inch circle. Place pastry on a 12-inch pizza pan or large baking sheet. Use a fork to generously prick pastry. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden (pastry will shrink). My oven was at 325 so I had to cook this a little longer.

2. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl combine the greens, red pepper and tomatoes.

3. For dressing, in a small bowl stir together the semisoft or cream cheese, mustard, and enough milk to make of drizzling consistency. Drizzle half of the dressing over the greens mixture, tossing to coat.

4. Sprinkle 1-1/2 cups of the mozzarella cheese evenly over the crust. Bake until the cheese melts. Spoon greens mixture evenly over melted cheese. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for a few minutes more or until cheese melts. Arrange avocado slices on top. Cut into wedges. Serve at once with remaining dressing.

And here is my lovely dinner plate! Delicious!

In addition (because I couldn't stop with just two dishes), I also made Healthy Cookies adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

-2 large bananas, ripe, and well mashed
-1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
-1/2 cup of olive oil
-2 cups of oats
-1/2 cup of flax seed
-1/3 cup of coconut
-1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
-1 teaspoon of baking powder
-1/2 bag of chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, flax seed, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips. The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it. (This was a great tip, because I was getting worried!)Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes.

I REALLY liked these and will definitely make these again. I do think they needed something else to make it more sticky- maybe egg, maybe also some sugar to make them a bit sweeter. Dave thought they tasted 'healthy' and they would taste better for breakfast, which was a good idea. I ate one for breakfast and I ate the a slice of the Zucchini Cake and a slice of the Pizza Salad for lunch!

Kerry & Jonathan's Wedding!

Thursday evening, I made tacos for Dave and I. I grilled chicken thighs and then sliced the chicken off the bone and diced up the meet. For the filling I combined, 3 diced Roma tomatoes, green onions, red onion, corn, jalepenos, avocado and diced red pepper, chopped parsley with lime juice and salt and pepper. I filled the store bought taco shells with mexican blend cheese, the meat, then the filling. Tasted great! On the side, I ate a spinach salad with the filling and Annie's Goddess Dressing.



Friday was a busy day and I didn't get to run my scheduled 6-8 miles. We had a rehearsal dinner at night and the food was delicious, but I didn't take any photos! Saturday, Dave and I were going to wake up early to run, but after a few too many drinks the night before, we didn't get up. We stayed at Dave's parents house and his mom made us a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast.

After I digested, I decided to head off to the gym to get my 10 miles in on a treadmill since by that time it was WAY too hot to run outside. Stats:

Date	7 /18/2009
Route	Treadmill
Distance	10.00 mi
Time	1:24:54
Pace	0:08:29/mile

Then we got to the hotel and got ready for the wedding. The wedding was at a state park and it was so gorgeous. It was definitely beautiful weather.

The groom and the groomsmen including the hubby.

Mr. & Mrs. !!!!

The beautiful bride and her bridesmaids. Love the dress!

Yummy cake!

My hubs and me! This is my BCBG dress that I got for 75% off at Lord and Taylor. Score!

Melis, the maid of honor any myself! Melis and I have been friends for a long long time. Kerry, the bride, is Melissa's best friend and we all grew up in the same town. Jonathan, the groom, grew up with my husband and they met at the same bar Dave and I met at when we were first dating. This random night in August, Dave, Jonathan, myself and a bunch of others went out and Kerry and Melissa were at the bar as well. They saw me from across the bar and came over to say hi and then Kerry and Jonathan met! See, you can meet people at bars. We are both examples of this!

My delicious beef tenderloin meal with mashed potatoes and green beans and asparagus.

And the end of the night cookie jar table. This was so cute and delicious. They kept bringing out fresh out of the oven home-made cookies.

I'm home now from a great weekend and I'm ready to do something with my day finally. Gotta set up this weeks dinner menus and go grocery shopping.