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Spice is Nice January 31, 2012

Posted by cirellih in Craving, Dinner, Food.
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For our latest installment of Tuesday Wing Night, I give you:

Nice Spice Wings:

A delicious wing if there ever was one. The spice rub got nice and crunchy, while the chicken itself stayed incredibly juicy. I had three “C”s as my sides… a carrot, some celery, and couscous. Not particularly traditional, but oh to tasty.

Chris and I have been getting out recipes out of this book:

I probably shouldn’t be publishing her whole book, as Chris and I plan to work our way through the recipes. I will say that tonight’s wing had spices that included:

  • cinnamon
  • turmeric
  • light brown sugar
  • salt
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • cayenne pepper
  • and black pepper

I will also tell you that these wings would have been even better if Chris and I had not forgotten to add in the brown sugar. The rub would have been a little more moist, and the sweetness that we could taste (from using cinnamon sugar) would have been a lot more pronounced. Definitely a wing that we would like to try again… actually following the recipe the next time!

Scotland in my Soul January 28, 2012

Posted by cirellih in Craving, Dessert, Family, Food, Friends, Lunch.
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Today was a delightfully quiet, cozy kind of a day. The sky was grey, and for those of you not living in Colorado, please understand this is a rarity. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the sun, it makes playing outside easy when you know you can count on the weather. Sometimes, my soul craves grey days. It must be the east-coaster in me.

So today was one of those days that revives me. A little overcast. A little grey. Mostly perfect. On these kind of days all I want to do is read, sip some tea, and dream of Scotland.

For those of you who don’t know, I spent my junior year in college in Edinburgh, Scotland. Certainly some of my favorite memories took place there. Chris proposed while I lived there, my family visited for Christmas which involved fire-light parades, I made some wonderful friends who enjoyed a good frolic through moors, on top of hills, in glens and in the sea. I have come to the realization that I left a little bit of my soul there. On grey days, I close my eyes, imagine the salty sea air brushing against my face, hair whipping in the wind and Scotland running through my veins.

As a poor substitute for being in my dream-land, I made one of my favorite meals: Tuna fish on a baked potato.

In Edinburgh, there were lots of bake potato shops, where you could get a myriad of toppings on a steaming hot baked potato. I loved being able to get an extremely filling meal, that wasn’t deep fried, for relatively little money. The tuna salad topping was my favorite. Absolutely delish.

To complement my meal, I simply had to add a side of black tea with a splash of milk. And of course, a Tunnock’s Tea Cake for desert.

If you have never had a tea cake, I would advise you to go and find one now. It’s a bit like a s’more. Marshmallow filling on a biscuit covered in chocolate. Besides, it’s like unwrapping a present every time you eat one… and who doesn’t like getting presents??

For now, tuna baked potato with tea and cakes will have to do to satisfy my urge to go to Scotland. Just for now.

Dinner in a Flash January 27, 2012

Posted by cirellih in Dinner, Food, Planning.
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Sometimes dinner needs to be ready quickly. So for all those people who claim that they just don’t have time to make anything, pfft is all I have to say to them.

I give you the wonder food: pasta. Really. Dinner in 8 minutes. What other food can boast that?

Pasta goes with everything! It can hold most anything that you put on it. Goes next to most meals. Can be a filling meal on its own. It really is a wonder food! One of the things I like to keep in my freezer is meatballs. This is apparently not as easy in Colorado as it is in Upstate New York where everything is Italian, but I’ve managed to find them if I look hard enough.

So tonight, I made my own tomato sauce, cooked pasta, heated meatballs, steamed zucchini and baked garlic bread… all in under 10 minutes. Impressed? I was!

Badda bing, baddah boom, yous got a delicious home-cooked meal in minutes. It hit the spot and was crammed with veggies. You can’t get much better than that after a long week!

Pedometer Power January 26, 2012

Posted by cirellih in Exercise, Food, Goals, Health, Lunch, Motivation, Moving.
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I have recently acquired a pedometer. This may seem like a mundane piece of information, but it is shaping up to be a pretty exciting purchase.

The goal: 10,000 steps per day.

The reality: Trying to beat my record of 15,573 steps from the weekend.

Who would have thought a pedometer could be so addicting? It’s a great way to get motivated!

Apparently, I have not changed much since grade school. I was the type of student who lived for stickers. Tell me that I need to get a certain number of stickers on my homework to get a prize… I would do extra credit out the wazoo. A great student pencil for doing well on a test, I was so there.

Now on my pedometer, I have a little animated person who lifts their digital arms in the international symbol of victory:

This, my friends, is all I need to make me want to reach the 10,000 step goal each day. I only have 8,254 steps? Let’s go for a walk Oliver! It might seem silly, but it works.

For lunch today, I needed some power foods to get me through the afternoon. Lentil soup from my co-worker definitely fit the bill for a hearty, stick to you ribs kind of meal.

Curry Lentil Soup:

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 tbsp non-hydrogenated margarine
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp cumin powder or seed
  • 1/2 tsp curry powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 cube vegetable bouillon
  • 1 lb lentils

Directions:

  1. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil and margarine in a saucepan until tender.
  2. Add the spices and saute for one minute.
  3. Add the water, bouillon, and lentils.
  4. Cook until the lentils are tender. About one hour.

A side of garlic bread, and I definitely was ready to go on that extra-long walk in the afternoon. The soup was perfect. Nice and thick with lots of spices and onions. Great for a cold winter day!

Zesty is the New Wing January 24, 2012

Posted by cirellih in Craving, Dinner, Food.
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It’s Tuesday!!! That means wing night!

Tonight’s flavor of choice was Zesty Ranch Wings. Definitely a fantastic choice, if you ask me.

The Recipe:

  • 12 chicken wings
  • 6 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp ranch dip mix
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp chili powder

The Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400*.
  2. Mix olive oil, ranch mix, paprika, and chili powder together in a medium sized bowl.
  3. Coat the wings in the spice mixture. Let sit for 20 minutes.
  4. Bake the wings for 30 minutes, until they are crispy.

 

These turned out so well! I don’t usually love baked wings, but this recipe made them nice and crispy. I probably could have used a little more of the dip mix, and a bit more chili powder. It could have used a bit more of a kick. All in all, these wings are on the “to make again” list!