Cari Goes to Camp (and a spicy pesto pasta, if the camping thing didn’t get your attention…)

I had the best weekend of my life over Memorial Day – a client of mine sent me to Camp Blogaway, the premiere conference for FOOD and RECIPE BLOGGERS. Um, hello. I'm totally there, clients. Maybe they were concerned I'd be working all weekend? Me? I was concerned that Camp Blogaway would end too soon. Or that my plane crew would disappear right before I board (this happens too much, no?) and I wouldn't make it to Angelus Oaks, California (elevation: 7,000 ft.), and would miss Camp Blogaway and never, ever, ever recover mentally. 

(This is where Camp Blogaway is)… No biggie.

After three days of bonding with my roomie Dee, sleeping on the top bunk (yes, this happened) in a sleeping bag (yes, this happened), hearing from some of the BEST food and recipe bloggers with tips and advice, learning from cooking celebrities, food stylists, and of course making new besties for life over bottles of wine (Camp was sponsored by a vineyard…), I couldn't believe it was time to come home.

I told Mr. Grumpy I missed him as much as I could. But listen. It was a little hard to not be selfish when I was doing Zumba at 6:30 a.m. on the mountaintop with my new fave Zumba instructor, Alyson (from Mojitos and Florentine), and then spending the rest of my day with people just like me (maybe a little less loud than me, but still). Wait – what… you don't believe me that I was up at 6:30 a.m. to do Zumba? You better believe it people. BETTER BELIEVE IT. 

(Three faves: Alyson on the left, Amy from Vine Sleuth in the middle, and the ever awesome Chung-Ah from Damn Delicious on the right). Amy knew a lot about wine. I felt like when I left Camp B that I also knew a lot about wine since I had tasted so much. 

We chased our wine down with Bloody Marys, which were… interesting. Mine was not so bad – it actually won a contest (no big deal). 

(The judges didn't actually TASTE my Bloody Mary… so, just know it was really a group effort on the looks – aka, Bloody Mary decor – with my tablemates)… 

I had a bit of a conniption when I finally met Jessica Fisher (Good Cheap Eats blogger) and her cohort Stephanie O'Dea (A Year of Slow Cooking) within the first hour I arrived at camp. You would have thought I was meeting the president. I'd been a big fan of both of their blogs for… well.. like ever. And acted like a crazed teenage fan – out of breath, unable to express my gratitude for their amazing recipes and ability to stay organized and calm throughout their daily lives despite a glam life full of blogging and family-ing. It was rather embarrassing, and I promised myself to NEVER reveal the inner geek within me like that ever again. (Shameful). (Not as shameful as this picture of me…)

Anyway, now that you're completely jealous… I got the chance to talk with one of the bloggers – Christina of Christina's Cucina (an amazing Italian-food inspired blog) and learned all about this new brand of pasta that she swears by. I did receive a free box of it at Camp, but I also wanted to try a recipe using orrechiette pasta, so ended up hiking to the supermarket when I returned to the CLE (a new woman) to test it for real. The brand is called De Cecco, and seriously. This pasta is good. It's like Mr. Grumpy's mom made it from scratch and then fed it to you good. Get it. Try it. You won't regret it. Listen people. I'm having a foodie moment, so bare with me. Thanks…

So, I embarked on making pesto for the first time ever. I wanted to impress Mr. Grumpy with all my amazing new skillz (with a z) that I learned at Camp Blogaway, but realized I had ZERO idea how to make pesto. So in true Cari Jeanne form, I called Suzie Q for a recipe and her advice was just to throw in everything until it tasted good (no measurements, Mom? What. A. Shocker.). So… (say it with me)… I IMPROVISED and came up with my own recipe. And this is what was created:

Cari's Spicy Pesto Summertime Pasta

(Mr Grumpy to Cari: "Wow, look at that amazing food styling!" Cari to Mr. Grumpy: "I know, amazing right? Camp Blogaway really changed my life.") This conversation never happened. I believe his exact words were… "When is dinner going to be ready? And why the hell are you putting our tomatoes around that jar?" The pesto recipe makes two of these jars. Freeze one of them if you want… 

Laaaa…. tadaahhhhhh! 

Ok, here's what you'll need…

For Cari's Spicy Pesto:

• 1 cup of fresh basil, super packed in the cup (or 1 1/3 cups if you don't smoosh it in there a lot)
• 1 tbsp fresh mint (Suzie Q told me to throw in all my herbs… so there)
• 1/4 jalapeno
• 3 medium cloves of garlic
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp lemon and pepper seasoning (McCormick's)
• 3/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/3 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 3/4 cup of olive oil

Mix all together in a food processor or blender until it's smooth. If it's a little chunky, add a bit more olive oil. I started by putting in 1/4 cup of olive oil, and then added more whilst blending. It was all very fancy and scientific (…not really). 

For the Pasta:

• 1 jar (about 1/3 cup) of Cari's awesome pesto
• 1/2 box of De Cecco orrechiette pasta
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, freshly grated (or be like everyone else in America and buy it already shredded. You're welcome)
• 1/2 lb three cheese italian sausage (uncooked)

First, get your water boiling. Next, in a small pan add 1 tbsp olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook fully. Remove it from the pan, but don't drain your pan. Have Mr. Grumpy cut your sausage into slices because it's super messy AND he wasn't really doing anything but watching that ridiculous show about monsters in rivers… Thanks for THAT one Discovery Channel. 

While he's doing that, add your pasta in the boiling water, and cook as the package directs. Then, add your onions and garlic in the pan you cooked your sausage in. Let those cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent and you can smell the garlic. It will take about 3 minutes. Add in the tomatoes, and turn your heat down to medium-low heat. Cook for an additional minute. Add in the sausage and let that cook in the pan for one more minute.

Drain your pasta and add it to the hot pan with the sausage mixture. Add in the pesto and mozzarella, and stir until it's all mixed. The mozzarella will melt and it will be nice and creamy when it mixes with the pesto. Seriously. Delicious.

I really liked the pasta too – it had such a nice flavor (like Mr. Grumpy's mom's homemade pasta). I would definitely recommend it. Wayyyyyyy better than that brown stuff (whole grain pasta) – WHOA, I just turned into Mr. Grumpy for a minute. Actually, the pasta is really not that bad for you. And don't you deserve some real good Italian cooking every once in a while? UM> Hell yeah you do. 

Weeknight Dinner: Honey Sriracha Grilled Chicken with Lime-Scallion Rice

Because I was so traumatized the last time we made chicken with bones, and have overall negative feelings toward food with bones in it, we have not had bone-in chicken in quite a while. So long, in fact that Mr. Grumpy got desperate and begged that we go to Kentucky Fried Chicken. That did not happen. Obviously. I just didn't think I could get past the KFC guilt that always comes after you eat that entire bucket, and sides of mac n cheese and mashed potatoes and gravy. I also had just stepped off the scale at the Findlay doctor's office (long story short – while visiting in Findlay for Mother's Day, I was diagnosed with Strep Throat. Awesome.), which was SUPER frightening (they really needed to recalibrate that thing, because there was NO way that was right. I'm sure you feel the same when you get weighed at the doctor's office).

So, when I was home in Findlay nursing my Strep Throat (Yes, this happened.), my mom let me in on a little secret. You can buy chicken with bones that you don't have to do all the cracking and removing, etc. So, that's what I did. And boy was this delicious! We enjoyed it so much that we didn't speak the entire time we ate, and then I immediately fell asleep and napped for an hour. Food coma, anyone? 

Mr. Grumpy didn't really express as loudly as I would have liked him to just how much he liked this dish, but I took his silence as approval. And I will definitely be making this again. 

*I adapted this recipe from Simply Reem, a blog that I found on Pinterest! (http://simplyreem.com/honey-sriracha-chicken/)

What You'll Need:

• 1 half of a chicken – two thighs, two drumsticks and two breasts 
• 3 tbsp Sriracha sauce
• 3 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 2 tsp ginger paste (or you can use fresh ginger. Meijer in Findlay was out, so I bought this paste, and even though it looked weird, it was great). 
• 2 tsp sesame oik
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped chives 
• 1 cup rice, uncooked
• 4 scallions, cut into pieces 
• Lime wedges
• Juice from 1/2 lime 

First, prepare your chicken in advance. I prepared mine around lunchtime, but you can do it the night before. You'll want to take the chicken and wash it off, and then pat it dry. Remove any fatty pieces or excess skin. You do want to keep the skin on because it crisps up really nicely. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the sriracha, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger paste, sesame oil, canola oil, garlic salt, pepper and chives. Poke holes in your chicken with a fork, and place the chicken in a 9X12 baking dish. Pour the entire marinade over the chicken in the pan. Marinate in the fridge – and make sure you check it halfway and flip your chickens over. If you're in a crunch, you can marinate it for 45 minutes on the counter, room temp. Sometimes I forget to marinate stuff the night before, so this is another good option.

Once you're ready to eat it, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cook the chicken for 20 minutes, and flip it over and place back in the oven for another 20 minutes. Start your rice, as it will cook for the next 20 minutes (cook as directed on the box). Heat up your grill. Remove the chicken from the oven and immediately place on your grill. Grill on each side an additional 5 minutes (per side). You want your grill really hot – we had ours at 400 degrees. That's so it can get a nice grilly mark on it. 

Once your rice is all cooked, add in the juice of 1/2 lime and the chopped up scallions. We also added another tablespoon of chives to the rice for added flavor.

Serve with black beans and lime wedges and ENJOY! 🙂

Weekend Lunch: Ravioli Pasta Salad and BBQ Pulled Pork, Dr Pepper Style (and the day that Backstreet came back…again)

Now, first things first. If you know anything about me, you likely know my deep, near-crazy love for the Backstreet Boys. This began at an early age, and affected nearly everyone in my family. DS and Suzie Q used to be forced out of bed at 4 a.m. to go stand in line at the Ticketmaster (those were the days when you had to actually go out of the house to buy tickets) to try and get front-row seats. The closest we got was row 13, which was just close enough to try to jump on the stage. They have some seriously good bouncers. This was also the only time in my father's life that he wished he owned a pair of parachute pants just LIKE the BSB… they were very stylish in 1996. 

This obsession also drove me to demand my dad follow their tour bus, as we pulled out of the concert and noticed their tour bus was doing the same. We may or MAY NOT have followed said bus all the way to a gas station in Michigan, in which I may or MAY NOT have gotten out of the car, approached the bus and proceeded to tell the BSB's manager that I was their biggest (and cutest fan). That little stint landed me a meet & greet with some of the Boy's (ok, they waved at me, and autographed a picture for me). I also was a dues-paying member of their fan club ($50 fee split between my friend Elizabeth and I got us secret passwords to unlock tickets way before you ever could. Worth it.) We also cried as if someone had died when AJ went to rehab and the Black & Blue tour, which we had 8th-row tickets for… was canceled. (That was a very difficult year for BSB fans). And, yes, every time I went to a N*Sync concert, or listened to 98 Degrees, it just felt wrong.  

Whilst catching up on my tweets Thursday morning, I found one from Good Morning America stating that Backstreet Boys were .. BACK. AND on tour. AND stopping in the CLE – literally in my backyard at the Pavillion. I shared this excellent news with Mr. Grumpy, to which he reminded me of our planned trip to Athens the weekend they'll be here. Obviously BSB trumps Athens (sorry) – especially because now instead of having to follow their tour bus to a gas station like a crazy person, I can just hope that they visit a bar after the concert and I run into them very calmly and hope they never remember me, the crazy fan who stalked them for most of the 90s. 

I shared this excellent news with Ashley, who of course already knew all about it, plus knew that Pauly D was ALSO on tour with them, and was not surprised when this made Mr. Grumpy even MORE grumpy about the whole situation. I also shared the news with my grandlittle Cami, who responded with the following conversation (shield your eyes if you're a child… Also, if you're a child I'm confused as to why you find my blog interesting. Unless you are one my nephews or my awesome cousins Lily or Rosy. In which case, you are awesome, but you probably shouldn't read the following excerpt.) 

Cami	May 16 (3 days ago)
to me

If I weren't going to Michigan when they're coming to Cleveland, I'd buy a ticket to their concert and throw my panties at Nick.  I might even throw more than one pair.  I know the question is rhetorical, but when Nick asked if he's sexual in "Backstreet's Back" on GMA, I answered.  Sitting in my apartment with my cats, in my PJs, I screamed "YES" at the TV.

I know he's a Carter, which is a name synonymous with "hot mess" (http://www.eonline.com/news/222117/dwts-aaron-carter-enters-rehab; http://www.eonline.com/news/291204/leslie-carter-cause-of-death-drug-overdose-says-police-report), but for him, I'd still be The One.  I hope he's Larger than Life.  I could go on, but I know you're already saying, "Gross!" and shaking your head.  We need to keep each other informed of BSB's movements, because I'm finally legal and Jon would probably understand if I hooked up with Nick Carter, the love of my 10-year-old life.

xoxo

glil

Cari Steiner	May 16 (3 days ago)
to Cami

Glil, you underestimate my fandom if you think I was shaking my head and saying gross at your amazing references to one of my FAVORITE BSB albums. However, if you were that cheesy with any other topic, I would shake my head in disgust. 

Now, let's remember that I am the one who chased DOWN the BSB tour bus, demanded that I receive an autograph, and cried when I met Nick Carter…. (why didn't they arrest me??) Although, I will always be AJ's number one fan and soon-to-be-wife (is he slightly sober or all the way there?). 

We need to talk about how I can get tickets to this Cleveland concert. I'm not ashamed and WILL go by myself. I hope they sing, "Don't Want You Back," as I might just throw my bra onstage for that one.

Sigh Sigh Sigh Sigh Sigh. 

Also, please know that this email conversation will likely end up on my blog.

XOXO
Gbig 

Cami	May 16 (3 days ago)
to me

I've checked into your intended's sobriety status via Wikipedia, and A.J. McLean went on his third rehab vacation early in January 2011 for "personal reasons."  I wish I knew why celebrities use that excuse when they go into rehab – why doesn't he just acknowledge that he was putting his money up his nose?  The same money, I might add, willingly given by prepubescent girls from hard-earned babysitting and taking out the trash.  A kid I babysat for locked me in the closet, but it was worth it for "Black & Blue." I'd like to take this moment to pause and apologize to any nuns who might read your blog.

If you received a hug from any of the boys, we have to snuggle.  Not that either of us appreciates being touched for an extended period of time, but you've touched them.  I don't care which one.

Honestly, what do you think will be the dude-to-lady ratio at that concert?  I think I saw all of three guys (not including the five glorious man hunks on stage) when I saw them in 2006.  It must have been what it felt like filming "Magic Mike."

Also, AJ is married, so you might want to look into those polygamy homes that they have on Sister Wives.  Your babies would come out wearing little knitted hats.

Cari Steiner	May 16 (3 days ago)
to Cami

You are hands down my favorite person on the planet. 

__________________________________________________________

ANYWAY. So, I looked up ticket prices, and whoever responds to my blog post first with a RSVP YES gets to come with me to the VIP Meet & Greet. No, this is not a giveaway. No, I will not pay for your $599 ticket. But, if you'd like to come. The invitation is out there. I really can't have an entourage though, as I really want the Boys to focus on me. I just can't afford any distractions that evening. August 10. Be there. Mr Grumpy has informed me he will not be there. Which is disappointing because I already bought him a ticket… He also was in a bit of trouble as he knew the BSB was back several hours prior to me finding out, and didn't alert me immediately. 

Now, all this excitement really worked up my appetite, even though I will officially be dieting so I can look better than all the 19 year olds who will go to the concert but really not be able to fully grasp the talent of the Boys, as 19 year olds were not even BORN when their first album came out. Loser 90s babies. 

Since the weather is completely beautiful outside, I obviously craved one of my favorite summertime foods – BBQ and pasta salad. These are two super-easy recipes that also make some great leftovers. A perfect weekend lunch, with leftovers to take for lunch on Monday! 

Dr Pepper Pulled Pork Sammies

I actually got this recipe from my friend, Robin, except that she uses Root Beer, and I used Diet Dr Pepper. She made this for a football party she had at her and Mr. Salty's apartment, and it was a huge hit.

What you'll need:

• 4 lb pork-loin roast
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup cajun seasoning
• 1 can of Diet Dr Pepper
• 1 jar of your favorite BBQ sauce

First, trim some of the fat off your pork loin. You don't want to fully remove the fat, but you don't want it all on there. If you remove the fat all the way, it will be a bit dry. Next, sprinkle the cajun seasoning (I make mine from scratch) over both sides of the meat. Cut the pork loin into 4 pieces. Next, in a pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the pork slightly, cooking about 3-4 minutes on each side. Place the meat into your crock pot. Cover with Dr. Pepper, and cook on low for 8 hours. Once you're ready to eat it, drain the juice from the crock pot. Shred your pork (fun trick: you can use a potato masher and it is SUPER easy!). Add the BBQ sauce, and let it heat all the way through (about 30 more minutes on high in your crock pot). We topped ours with coleslaw from the West Side Market, and ate on Challuh rolls. YUM!! 

Ravioli Goat Cheese Pasta Salad

For the side dish, I made this delicious pasta salad. Mr G was a little disappointed because when I said I was making pasta salad, he didn't think it would have lettuce in it. But, alas. Sometimes life just doesn't work out the way you planned. I adapted the recipe from TheKitchn blog: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-pasta-lite-salad-84429. 

What You'll Need:

• 1 package of frozen ravioli (or tortellini is cool too). I used sun-dried tomato and goat cheese ravioli. But, you can use any flavor. Just be careful because some of the meaty flavors may taste kind of weird. Pesto tortellini would be good. Or something with chicken.
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1/3 cup of pine nuts
• 1 5 oz. package of herb and garlic goat cheese
• 1 cup of peas 
• 1 bundle of asparagus, cut into small pieces
• 2 tbsp chopped chives

The dressing (my aunt Mary's special dressing!!)

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• The juice and zest of 1 lemon 
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Dash of pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt 

First, put your pot of water on to boil. While you're waiting for it to boil, cut up all your veggies and make your dressing. Also, make a bowl with ice water in it, and set it aside. 

Once your water is boiling, place your pasta in it, and let it cook for 3 minutes. When you've hit the 3-minute mark, add you asparagus to the boiling water. Once you've got 1 minute left to boil, add your peas. This should all be a total of 5 minutes. Awesome math skills, I know. 

Now, immediately drain the water and get the pasta in the ice water. Let it cool, and drain it again. Mix together the pasta, asparagus, peas, spinach, cheese and pine nuts. Voila! You've got yourself a super yummy salad. I add the dressing as I eat it so the spinach doesn't wilt and so you can keep it for a few days. 

Weeknight Dinner: Tomato Basil Lasagna Rolls

My dear friend Ashley returned home from her cruise to Key West and Cozumel with quite the tan… aka, a serious burn on her shoulder… and hungry for some home cookin'. So, naturally, she headed over here to see our new apartment and torture Mr Grumpy for a little while, which is probably my favorite thing on the planet.

If there is anything Ashley and I love, it's pasta. Any and all kinds. And cheese. These little babies taste devilshly good, but only have 250 calories per roll. And you really can't eat more than two, so I'd say this was quite the meal for little calories (except because we completely covered these in cheese, it was probably more like 500 calories per roll, but I don't think anyone's judging us. ARE THEY?). I found the idea for this on Skinny Taste's Pinterest, but then just improvised on the recipe. You could really put any type of filling you wanted in these – Ashley asked if there was a meat option, and yes! You could add any type of meat to them if you wanted to – iltalian chicken sausage, ground beef, grilled chicken pieces. The options are really endless.   

Here's what you'll need:

• 8 lasagna noodles
• 1 15 oz container of low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup of basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup of fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup of chopped cherry tomatoes
• 2 cups of your favorite tomato sauce
• 1 cup of low-fat, part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed and then chopped into small pieces (you can smash it really hard with your knife like they do on the Food Network. For added drama, you can yell like Emeril, if you want. It makes the garlic taste better.)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt

First, preheat your oven to 350. Next, boil your water for your pasta and add in 1 tsp of salt.  Boil your pasta about 1-2 minutes short of what the directions on the box say to. This is because the pasta keeps cooking once you put it in the oven. In a small pan, drizzle a bit of olive oil and let it heat to medium-low. Add in your spinach and let it wilt slightly. Remove it from the heat once it's wilty. 

While your pasta is cooking, combine the ricotta cheese, cherry tomatoes, spinach, egg, basil and garlic in a small bowl. Take a 9X12 baking dish, and put 1 cup of your tomato sauce in it. Set it to the side. Once your noodles are cooked, drain them from the hot water and put them into a cool water bath. Let them get cool so you don't burn your fingers when you put together your rolls. Pat each one dry so they are no longer slippery.

Now, take one noodle and lay it flat on your counter on top of some parchment paper. Or, if you're being messy you can just do it right on the counter. I may actually judge you on that one… Spread about 1/4 cup of your ricotta mixture onto the noodle, evenly so it covers it completely. Take one end and roll it up tightly. Place the noodle roll into the dish, with the end of the roll facing down. Do this for all eight noodles.

Cover your noodles with the remaining 1 cup of sauce, and cover with mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake in the oven for 40 minutes, until your sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted. 

Now, because our rolls only had 250 calories in them, Ashley and I decided that we DEFINITELY deserved dessert while we watched Grey's Anatomy's season finale. So, we went downstairs to the market to pick up one pint of ice cream and came back with this… 

In case you are wondering, yes that is five pints of ice cream. And a giant slice of Oreo Chocolate Cake. We had some issues at the market, including spending six minutes standing in front of the cake case, drooling over that cake. We walked away from it, but inevitably ended up with a slice. Also, the person who rang us up promised us he was not judging us, even though I felt as if he were… He also promised not to tell anyone about our large purchase of dessert items. I would like to say that we didn't eat all of it. BUT… we did. And I was not ashamed. Again, we DESERVED this. You do too, if you ask me. 

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Typepad is currently updating their spam filter. Thus the 4,000+ (no, I'm not joking) spam comments on blog posts, mostly just on the meatloaf one. I THINK it's because the spammers find my chubby kid picture ESPECIALLY appealing, and therefore feel the need to publish weird things that need not be mentioned (such as where I can get electronic cigs, or play chat roulette or buy african mangos. I wish I were joking).

I've filtered most out, but PLEASE don't judge me if something awkward pops up and I'm not quick enough to delete it. Typepad ENSURES me it'll be fixed soon. I'm six days in and feeling skeptical…

Weeknight Dinner: Seared Tuna Avocado Salsa Salad

Mr. Grumpy was lucky enough to go to the Indians game Monday night, and watch from his company's super swanky suite which comes with free food… while I sat at home nursing my sore throat and trying to eat the first solid food of the day. But, I couldn't help but take advantage of the fact that he was gone, so I got to eat seafood. I checked in on the one seafood I knew of that would slide easily down my sore throat – seared tuna. YUM. 

I adapted this recipe again…from Cooking Light's May issue. Lord. I know. I am literally making every recipe in this issue. They probably don't like me sharing all these recipes, but alas – I just can't not share them. They're so good.

What You'll Need:

• 1/2 cup of grape tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 1/2 cup of red onions, sliced not chopped (I cut it into quarters, and cut really thin slices)
• 1 1/2 tbsp cilantro
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, take out all the seeds, and cut into small pieces 
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tuna steaks (I bought mine frozen from the seafood counter –  they were Yellowfish Tuna steaks … I think, and just soaked them in plastic in a pot full of hot water until they were thawed. This keeps them super fresh until you're ready to eat)

First, combine all the ingredients together in a small bowl, except for the soy sauce, brown sugar and the tuna steaks. Next, in a small mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce and the brown sugar. Stir that until the sugar is dissolved.

Next, take a grill pan (I finally figured out what that was called!!) and heat it over the stove on high heat. Spray it with cooking spray while it's heating. Next, drizzle half of the soy sauce mixture on your tuna steaks, on both sides. Reserve the rest of the soy sauce for when everything is done. 

Now, place your tuna steaks on your grill pan and cook on each side about 1 minute and 45 seconds. Be careful because you really don't want to overcook the tuna – it will get hard and gross, and the Chopped judges will get mad at you and make you feel like a super idiot. I had never made seared tuna before, so I erred on the side of caution and did 1 minute and 30 seconds on each side, checked the tuna, and then cooked and additional 15 seconds more on each side. You definitely don't want to turn down your pan because you really want the edge of your tuna to be crusty and yummy. 

Cut up the tuna, with the grain. Place about 1/2 of the salad you made on your plate, and put the tuna slices on top of it. Drizzle the remaining soy sauce evenly over both steaks on each plate (I made one plate and saved one in a tupperware for lunch later this week), and toss so everything is coated. And enjoy!! 

Sunday Dinner: Slow Cooker Crock Pot Spicy Jalapeno Mac N Cheese

When Mr Grumpy and I first started dating, we had a pre-date "lets hang out together with a larger group of people because I like you but haven't asked you on an official date" to celebrate St. Patty's Day OU-style at their annual Ohio University-sponsored St. Pat's in the Flats party. A few days prior to the date, I came down with a terrible virus – a sore throat, a fever, all that good stuff. Basically, I was really disappointed. So, when my Strep Test came back clear, I decided I would just pop a few Motrin, and stick it out, and attend the pre-date with Mr. G. Plus, I couldn't cancel on him now. He was LITERALLY never going to ask me out, so I just could not cancel.

So, I picked him up (I know, very bold) and was so nervous/delirious that I ended up driving the wrong way down a one-way street. But, at the end of the long day of enjoying some OU-themed drinks at the bar, we smooched a bit (classy, right?) and I gave him my virus (I know, this is probably TMI for you all) (this is likely where Mr. G realized he just COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT ME. You're welcome, Mr. G.) Needless to say, Mr. G missed an entire week of work (and has not missed work since – and that was more than two years ago).

Well, this weekend, he finally got his revenge. He got a cold – which NEVER happens because he literally never gets sick (he claims this is because "he eats dirt"). I catch everything. So naturally, Friday night, I started feeling that weird feeling in my throat. After asking Mr. G three million times, "Are you SURE you don't have a cold?" because he kept claiming he just had to change his contacts…? I discovered I had indeed caught his cold. And boy did I catch it bad. So, after having to cancel my special dinner with my big Shannon, I attempted to make dinner in my crock pot. And I thought, if I make this super spicy, then maybe it will clear out my head and burn off all the germs inside of me (it didn't but it was still super tasty).

I adapted this recipe from Trisha Yearwood's recipe from the Food Network which was just for slow-cooker mac n cheese. Now, it is important to note I cooked this completely while sitting down. I don't know why that's important to note, but I felt you'd be more impressed with me if I told you that.

What You'll Need:

• Cooking spray
• 8 ounces cooked pasta (we did the rest of our campanelle pasta and a bit of farfalle, because that's what we had)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1 can of evaporated milk (12 oz.)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 10-oz brick of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, part-skim, shredded
• 1 10-oz brick of Monterey Jack Cheese with Jalapeno (Helluva Good brand)
• 1/2 jalapeno, chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• Some shredded cheese to sprinkle at the end (about 1/4 cup)

Spray your large crock pot with cooking spray, getting all the sides. Put the macaroni, jalapeno, evaporated milk, milk, butter, salt, pepper, eggs, all the cheese and paprika into the crock pot (basically everything). Stir. Cover, and cook on low heat for 3 hours. Remove the lid, and sprinkle a bit of cheddar cheese on top (we used some Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese that I had in the fridge). Let that cook uncovered for an addition 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melty. 

And voila! Super easy mac n cheese with a kick. It did not get rid of my cold, but it was interesting learning to cook sitting down. Mr. G had to drain the pasta, since that was very dangerous for me to do sitting down… He's such a good sous chef. 

Weekend Dinner: Cobb Salad Chicken Tacos… and that time I tried (twice) to cut a mango

Ok, can we first start by talking about mangos. I mean.. how the HELL are you supposed to cut those things? Does anyone else have these struggles or is it just me?? I bought two mangos at the supermarket, and both ended in a mish mash of mango goo, about three slices of mango that could ACTUALLY be used, mango juice everywhere and three cuts on my skin. Needless to say, my mango addiction is really selfish. Because I now know I will never be able to do this on my own. And I refuse to Google "How do I cut a mango" because I'm POSITIVE some super simple trick exists, and I've now wasted too much time trying to figure it out. So, if you'd like to be hired as my lifetime mango cutter, please inquire via comment below. I can't really pay you, but I have a sweet second bedroom you could live in, and I promise to throw away all the boxes so you can get to your bed. You can't have a closet, though. I'm currently using all of them.

So, I needed a major ego boost after trying to cut these mangos. And let me tell you – Cooking Light's May issue? Um, the best issue they've ever created. It's basically dedicated to all the foods I love – ahi tuna? CHECK! TACOS? CHECK! Deep Fried Chick Peas? HOW DID YOU KNOW COOKING LIGHT? How did you know… 

We started on Saturday with one of their taco recipes, which I adapted slightly to be more realistic for those who spent a very quick morning helping Mr. Salty and Robin move into their new apartment. We have learned that no move-in is perfect, but it goes NEAR perfect when you have the organizational skills of Mr. Salty. Near perfect means that there is still a chance to accidentally drill through a waterpipe… :( 

Then, Mr. Grumpy and I went for a hike at one of the Cleveland Metroparks, which is the home to Squire's Castle. Basically this super rich oil dude bought this castle in the middle of Mentor-ish that he used as a weekend getaway. It was pretty amazing.

And then Mr. Grumpy took me to the mall so I could buy a new purse since I'm officially a walking commuter and needed (YES I SAID NEEDED) a commuter bag. Now, I'm going to go on a slight tangent here, but look at how amazingly adorable my bag is:

I got it on SALE at Dillard's for just $33 (originally $69). It was Ah-mah-zing. Especially because my other option was a $200 Michael Kors bag… Now, I was really confused because I found this bag at the very end when I happened to walk around the corner to BFE purseland in Dillards – way around the corner, where I'm sure very few people get to. And we found the entire line of Kate Landry bags, which were probably the cutest, most reasonable bags in the store. Those babies need to be upfront and center. Dillard's, take note. I would have bought two if Mr. G hadn't been with me.

So, needless to say, by 5 p.m., Mr. G and I were super famished (especially because we did ALL of this with a terrible cold that just kept getting worse by the minute), so I got to cooking. These tacos are the perfect mix between a summer salad and a taco. It's all the things you love put into one. I'm officially a huge fan.

Cobb Salad Chicken Tacos

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 rotisserie chicken with the skin on it (Mr. G was SUPER mortified when I brought home an entire rotisserie chicken, but when he found out that it meant he could take chicken legs for lunch, he was at ease again)
• 2 large eggs
• 4 slices of bacon 
• 1 shallot onion, cut into small pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard (I did a heaping one)
• Ranch dressing for drizzling (about 2 tbsps)
• 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles 
• 6 flour tortillas
• Thinly sliced Boston lettuce
• 1/2 cup diced tomato (we cut up Roma tomatoes)
• 1/2 avocado, diced and peeled

First, you want to hard boil your eggs. If you've never done this before, it's really simple. Put your eggs in a pot, and fill it with water so that it covers the eggs about an inch above them. Then, put the pot on the stove and bring it just to a boil. Cover immediately, and turn off your stove. Let that sit for 13 minutes. Then, drain the water, and cool the eggs by placing them in ice water. They should be really easy to peel, but if they aren't – well, that's just life. That just means the eggs were super fresh when you boiled them. I crack the shell and then roll it gently to crack it all around. But everyone does this differently. You really can't mess it up. I mean, I've known people who have, but I'm sure they'd rather I not mention them by name here since it really is THAT easy (not like cutting a mango at all). 

While your eggs are cookin', you can shread up your chicken. You're going to pull the white meat from the center (i.e., the breast) and just shread it with your fingers. You want about two cups of shredded chicken when you're done. If you're like my sister Erin and hate touching meat, you can just use two cans of shredded white meat chicken, but it won't be as tasty.

Then, go ahead and cut up all the rest of the ingredients that need to be cut up. Then, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar and the Dijon mustard. 

Next, heat a pan over medium heat. Add the four slices of bacon, and cook until they are crisp. Remove the bacon, and DO NOT DRAIN YOUR PAN. Put the bacon on a plate covered with paper napkins. Let those sit so they can cool because you're going to want to crumble those up. Again, if you're a vegetarian or just don't like touching bacon you can get the veggie version of bacon bits in the freezer section – or the real bacon bits that you can find in the salad condiment aisle. Next, in the same pan using the drippings from the bacon, add the shallots and the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then turn off your stove, and add in the red wine vinegar/mustard/olive oil mixture. Toss in your chicken to coat, and let that sit. Peel and cut up your hard boiled eggs, and crumble up your bacon.

Now comes the fun part. You're going to think I'm crazy, and I promise you this time I'm not joking. You're going to heat a small burner on your stove to medium. Place one tortilla DIRECTLY on the stove top, and count to 10 (a quick 10). Flip it over and count to 10 again. Do this for all your tortillas. 

Next, you're ready to compile your tacos. Take your charred tortilla, add chicken, lettuce, tomato, crumbled-up bacon, blue cheese, ranch, avocado and your eggs. Drizzle some Ranch dressing over the top, and voila! Enjoy! These are so tasty, you won't even believe it. As Suzie Q says, they're so good your tongue will slap your brains out… or at least I think that's what she says… 

Mr. G and I moved… and didn’t kill each other (yet)

Well… that was fun. The rumors flying around the CLE are true – Mr. G and I relocated from quiet little Lakewood to the bustle of the city – DOWNTOWN. And let's just say it took us three days, two sets of parents, a surprisingly cheery Mr. Salty, a Robin, four cars (two trucks, my SUV and a moving van), and a LOT of beer. And what did I learn from our big move? A very valuable lesson – hire movers. Do it. Don't follow in my footsteps – movers are the way to go (no offense, Moving Squad. You guys were awesome. My nerves are still shot though…). 

But let's start earlier in the week – on Wednesday, when I went to make a crock pot dinner for Mr. G  to find that my crock pot was missing. And where was it? Well, Mr. G had PACKED it at the BOTTOM of our kitchen box. So, we ate pizza all week and stayed up until 1 a.m. on Friday packing the rest of Mr. G's junk treasures. Now, I am required by Mr. Grumpy Law to disclose that I had four tupperwares full of my shoes. Mr. G suggested I bring only one, and get rid of the rest. I reminded him that I could still claim his closet in our new apartment as my shoe closet, and that he was LUCKY that I was letting him have a closet to his self… but he was still pretty grumpy about the amount of shoes that had to make the GIANT 4-mile move downtown. I also discovered that Mr. G has not only a Playstation, but also has an Xbox AND a Super Nintendo… so I think we're pretty even on things we don't need… 

Despite the fact that it took us 4.5 hours to load our moving truck (plus two more days of moving sh*t over to our new apartment), we survived. And we already love it here. Suzie Q and DS helped us with some home decor renovations – including painting our old kitchen table, and refinishing the top to look brand-spanking new (isn't it beautiful???).

We also power decorated (I was being slightly spazzy about getting everything put together. Basically after making Mr. G hang artwork for three hours after work on Tuesday, we got in a slight grumptastic argument about how I didn't need to make everyone suffer when I was having a … moment… I may have also thrown a fit about the location of a piece of tupperware… This is life, people.). 

These are pictures hanging from antique door knobs! 

This is where the magic happens (note all the beer we had to drink to stay sane while moving). And yes, those are chalkboard jars! I'm obsessed – we got 4 from Target, and one cookie chalkboard jar from Anthropologie to finish the set.

I got my cake stand from TJ Maxx, and made the picture using an old birthday card Ashley got me a few years ago. 

Mr. G would argue that THIS is actually where the magic happens… disgusting.

This is where the snuggling happens.

Welcome home, Mr. G! (That's the Bike Art I made – plus we reno'd the dresser by buying new knobs from Anthropologie, and we dusted it for the first time in like… 12 months). 

One of the reasons we had to get everything decorated so fast was because we were having an unofficial Welcome to Downtown get together with our friends – Kels, B-Rad, Samantha and D-Train (he's really proud of his nickname). We were so pleased that we could literally WALK to Bar Louie, drink $1 beers all night, and then stumble walk home. It was a pretty amazing time – had by all attendees (despite the fact that we were supposed to go to the Indians' game, but never moved from Bar L). 

So, since it only took me a few days to completely unpack everything, I went ahead and stocked up on food – and got to cooking right away. I couldn't wait to use my new kitchen that had more than 2 feet of counterspace. Plus, I got to talk THE ENTIRE TIME I WAS COOKING because our kitchen opens up to the living room. Mr. G was really pleased. 

So, for the first time in our lovely, swanky downtown apartment – let's get cooking, people!

It's Springtime, Baby Pasta!

I made my grocery list today whilst sitting in the parking lot of my eye doctor, and managed to only forget one item ($325 later…). Don't worry – Mr. G got an entire bushel of bananas (bushel? bunch? What is a group of bananas called???). 

(I had a moment at Anthropologie, obviously. I got new bowls – this is one of them. I love this. I'd love it even more if it were full of ice cream – the one thing I forgot at the grocery store). 

I adapted this recipe from the lastest issue of Cooking Light – mostly because it said to use fava beans, and I have NO idea what those are. They sounded really involved – and needed to be deshelled… And I wasn't really feeling that. So I used lima beans. YES. LIMA BEANS. And they were delicious, so bear with me here, people. 

What You'll Need: 

• 1 8.5 oz. can lima beans
• 1 1/4 cup uncooked campanelle pasta (that's the kind that is squirly-queued on the edges). 
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 6 center-cut bacon slices, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 6 cloves of garlic, chopped roughly
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup white mushrooms (broken into chunky pieces)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp grated parmesean cheese 
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, torn into pieces 

First, boil your water for the pasta. Boil your pasta for about 11 minutes, depending on how you like your pasta. Basically, it needs to be cooked. While you're waiting for the water to boil, you can cut up all the ingredients. And if you have a mile of counterspace like I do now, you can take up the entire kitchen and use 3 plates, 2 cutting boards and 3 knives. Just because you can, goshdarnit. 

Anyway, while your pasta is cookin', heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once that's hot, cook your bacon in it until it starts to crisp up slightly and get brownish. This will take about 3 minutes. Then, turn your heat down to medium. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until the onions are transluscent. This will take about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the lima beans (DRAIN THEM BEFORE YOU ADD THEM. Sorry, I don't know why I started screaming at you. You didn't know…). And add the peas. Cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil, lemon juice and zest, salt and cooked pasta, and stir and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, and add 3 tbsp of cheese. Stir. Put it into a bowl, and garnish with 1 tbsp per bowl of cheese and 2 tbsp basil per bowl. 

I was surprised at how much flavor this dish had. I knew of a similar recipe that a roommate from college used to make, and it didn't have this much flavor. This is really great. And took about 20 minutes total to make. Ah-mah-zing. Thank you, Cooking Light. (And did I mention that each bowl only packs 371 calories? YEAHHHHH!).