Has anyone else out there used cold metal to reduce puffy eyes? A girlfriend of mine did it in college and I have done it occasionally since then. But apparently, that “occasional” had always been prior to knowing Beau. I walked out to the car yesterday morning to go to church and proceeded to put these two knives on my puffy eyes. Beau stared at me… (crickets)
He was speechless and could only muster a picture.
I found a Living Social deal a few months back for a mixology class. Since Beau and I enjoy making new cocktails, I thought this would be a fun and interesting date for the two of us. And I was right! Saturday afternoon we headed over to West Ashley for our four hour class. We were two of five students. Some of it was rudimentary (e.g. rum and coke, martini, etc.), but “whys” and “how-tos” were interesting. We basically had a professional bartender at our whim to ask as many questions as we wanted and that was really beneficial. Point is, we learned some good skills and had a great time doing it.
Beau and I went fishing early Saturday morning with our friend Michael. We provided the boat and he provided, well, everything else. J He’s the fisherman, we’re merely learning. But we had a great time! It was my first time fishing. And I must say, it’s quite relaxing to be out there in the early morning casting a line. It’s quiet and nice. I enjoyed the whole activity. Especially when I caught a fish!!!! Oh my gosh, I was overjoyed. Couldn’t believe it. I caught three that day, but they were all too small to keep. Beau caught two fish. (I beat him in count.) But he won for the day as he caught the one we had for dinner that night. We believe it was a Spotted Trout. We took the little guy home and baked him in the oven that night with lemon pepper seasoning and stuffed him with some fresh lemon. Yum.
Great day!
I went up to North Carolina this past weekend to celebrate my beautiful sister’s birthday. I wasn’t able to go in June, so here we are…in July.
We had a great weekend! We went out to dinner and went shopping and got our nails done. We made dinner and had dad over. I had a great time with the kiddos and Alex was awesome and watched those kiddos for us while we went out. Super great weekend…as you can tell. J
Yes, Beau and I have joined the trend I hate to admit. Usually, on principle, I would never do it. But hey, why not? Beau and I started last Monday, after 4th of July.
No dairy.
No sugar.
No starchy carbs.
No beans.
No grains.
So what are we eating? A lot of meat, vegetables, fruit and nuts.
I think we’re doing pretty good actually. The hardest part for both of us is that we’re tired of drinking water. We want something else to drink. Something with flavor. I don’t bother drinking coffee anymore because it’s not enjoyable (to me) without half and half and some sugar in it. So why drink it if I’m not going to like it?
We feel really good. We struggle with energy at this moment as our body learns to burn the stored fat/energy since we aren’t really giving it any through the food we’re eating. And because of the lack of caffeine missing at this moment, we get a little sleepy. But! We are sleeping much better and both of our skin is radiant.
Some of the delicious things Beau and I have eaten lately are….
Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops (thanks to my seesta):
Ingredients:
· 2 pork chops, about 1.5 cm thick
· ground coriander
· salt and pepper
·
Ingredients for the glaze:
· 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
· 1/3 cup chicken stock
· 1 tablespoon maple syrup
· 1 teaspoon mustard
· 1 clove garlic, crushed
· few strings of fresh thyme
· strig of fresh rosemary
· a pinch of cornstarch
· teaspoon butter
1.
2. Bring all the glaze ingredients (except butter) together to gentle simmer.Let the glaze thicken. Throw in a teaspoon of butter and whisk. Set aside.
3. Season pork with salt, pepper and ground coriander.
4. Heat the grill pan and grill chops for 5 minutes per side.
5. Once almost done with cooking, blush each side with the sauce and briefly let it touch the grill.
6. Let them rest for 5-10 minutes and serve.
Enjoy!
Grilled Avocado and Corn Salad:
2 avocados, halved and removed from their skin (I find a spoon works best for this)
1 Tablespoon buter
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
2 scallions, chopped
1 Tablespoon diced jalapeno (more or less)
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup crumbled feta (optional)
Add the butter to a hot skillet. To that add the corn, cumin and a pinch of salt. Saute until corn is just cooked, 2-3 minutes then turn off heat. Toss in the scallions, jalapeno and cilantro. Taste and add more salt if needed.
On a very hot grill or grill pan place the avocados on the grill. Let sit undisturbed for a couple of minutes. Flip the avocados over and grill the other side. Salt the avocados and place on a platter with the corn salad.
Grill some thinly sliced bread that has been drizzled with oil. Brush the grilled bread with a garlic clove. Served alongside the salad.
Arugula, Blue Cheese Egg Sandwich with Bacon:
Olive oil
1 sourdough roll
1 jumbo egg
Handful of arugula
1 Tbsp. mild blue cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper, to taste
Bacon
Split sourdough roll in half and toast. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, heat small skillet over medium-high and lightly coat bottom with olive oil. Once oil is hot, crack egg into pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Once bottom looks white, use a spatula and spoon to gently flip (so that yolk doesn’t crack).
Top one side of sourdough with handful of arugula and crumbled blue cheese. Place egg on top, and serve.
Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings:
1 tsp chopped oregano
1 tsp chopped, dried rosemary
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 lbs chicken wings
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped basil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 425F.
In large bowl, whisk together chopped oregano, dried rosemary, ground cumin and salt. Add chicken wings and toss to coat, making sure that all wings get some of the herb mixture.
Lay wings in single layer on broiling pan or baking sheet and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.
In another large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, chopped basil, chopped garlic and parmesan cheese. Add cooked wings and toss well to coat.
Serve hot.
This month’s bake-off? Oatmeal Cookies!
There were six kinds brought in for the contest: Blueberry Caramel White Chocolate, Bacon with Maple Glaze, No Bake, Mango Pecan White Chocolate, Brown Butter Chocolate Chip and Cranberry White Chocolate.
And the winner is?
Me! I can’t believe it. I’m very excited!
Mine were the Blueberry Caramel White Chocolate
