The Friday Five 1.4.13

1. What I’m Reading: I haven’t read a novel in a while. Book club girls: what are we doing?! For a refresher, I picked up The Elements of Style, an American English style guide on grammar and writing. Classic.

2. What I’m Eating: Roti Rolls came to Daniel Island on Thursday. Cory let me know ahead of time, so I was able to whip up a batch of cookies for them the night before. I love those guys and they deserve some homemade treats from one of their biggest fans.

In return, I got a Funky Farmer: a roti roll filled with curried local sweet potato, parsnip, carrot, rutabaga and ginger with braised greens and pickled beets. On the side I had a beet and arugula salad.

So worth standing in the rain!

Later that night, my friend Eric was at The Green Door, their sister restaurant, where he received some of the chocolately goodness. They knew we were friends and handed him a cookie. Charleston is so small and this made me smile.

3. Recipes I’m Bookmarking: Best Ever Beet and Bean Burgers. Say that 5 times fast. Then make them. 

4. What I’m Watching: Even if just one of you readers is a Parks & Recreation fan, then I will make someone laugh with this video. I cry laughing every.single.time.

5. GIFs I’m Loving:

PRETENDING TO LIKE A PRESENT

DRUNK FLIRTING

EXPECTATION

REALITY

WHEN I REALIZE IT’S FRIDAY!!!

Happy Friday! Have a wonderful weekend!

NYC Day 3

On Sunday, Lucy and I went to brunch with Courtney, my friend from Charleston who moved up to the city a couple years ago. As of couple months ago, Courtney and her husband are Vegan, as is Lucy. Courtney found us a cute little Vegan brunch spot called Blossom. For being strictly Vegan, they had a menu full of delicious sounding meals. I opted for the French Toast with fresh fruit and tempeh bacon.

The French toast was crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. I was nervous to try the tempeh bacon, but I ended up liking it.

Both Lucy and Courtney had the Tofu Scramble  with sautéed onion, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, and soy sausage.

I wish we had more Vegan restaurants in Charleston. There were a lot of menu items I’d like to try and ultimately experiment with in my kitchen. Maybe I’ll use the menu as inspiration. Thanks, Courtney, for picking out a great spot and meeting us! :)

We also took Courtney’s recommendation to walk through Chelsea Market and pick up a cherry cream scone at Amy’s Bread.

I had just eaten breakfast, but couldn’t resist digging into this soft, buttery scone. It was incredible. Scones aren’t my typical go-to baked good, but I’m so glad I listened to Courtney. The girl is smart. I want to make these at home, too!

Sunday evening, Ben and I had a really fun dinner at Mario Batali’s restaurant, Casa Mono. First, while waiting for a table, we had a glass of wine at Bar Jamon, which is adjacent to Casa Mono. We both had the Nita, a blend of Cariñena, Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. I liked it a lot.

Dinner was so exciting. We sat at the bar that overlooked the kitchen. Watching the chefs prepare everyone’s food was quite a show. They were quick, yet so particular about plating, and it showed in each dish.

Casa Mono is a Spanish tapas restaurant so we ordered several different plates.

Round 1:

Bacalao Croquetas with Orange Alioli

Razor Clams a la Plancha

Sepia with Salsa Verde

Of these three, I liked the croquetas best. They were glorified fish sticks – so light and the orange zest really added to it. The razor clams were garlicky and in a delicious olive oil. The sepia, a cuttlefish, had a chewy texture but were great.

Round 2:

Mussels with Cava and Chorizo - $15

Lobster with Spicy Sweet Potato and Agua de Coco

Seared scallops with a cherry parsnip puree

Each of these plates were amazing. I avoided the chorizo in the mussels and, even without it, the broth had so much flavor. The cherry parsnip puree with the scallops was one of the best flavors I’ve had in a while. I really enjoyed the fruit + seafood pairing. This was definitely a memorable dinner, both for the incredible food and the entertainment. I so badly wanted to jump over the counter into the kitchen with the chefs. Casa Mono is a must for your (and my!) next visit to NYC.

Dinner would not be complete without dessert. Both of us were in the mood for cookies, so we headed over to Momofuku Milk Bar. They have some crazy desserts, including cookies, pies, ice cream, truffles, milkshakes and more. We stuck with cookies and brought home 3 types:

• the famous Compost Cookie (pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, butterscotch, chocolate chips)
• Peanut Butter
• Blueberry & Cream (dried blueberries, milk crumbs, white chocolate)

The PB cookie was pretty standard, and while the Compost Cookie was good, it wasn’t as earth-shaking as the reviews I’d previously read. There weren’t any pretzels in it and it mostly tasted like coffee! I really liked, no loved, the Blueberry & Cream cookie.

What’s your favorite type of baked good?

Do you like tapas style restaurants?

Weekend Highlights

Aziz!!! Oh  my gosh, he was funny. My face still hurts from smiling so much.

Sunday’s weather was glorious. There was absolutely no reason to stay indoors. Well, except for brunch. Rewind to Saturday night. After the Aziz show, Boding and I went to The Macintosh  for drinks. I go in there pretty regularly and last night got to hang out with Jacob, one of the chefs. It was really cool to talk to someone who is so passionate about food, being a chef, and the Indigo Road restaurant group. We were quickly convinced to come back the next day for brunch, but I told him I would be ordering “the healthiest thing he could come up with.”

The bartender was a little puzzled by me requesting “the healthiest thing he can come up with” but Jacob did an excellent job of coming up with just that. I had an incredibly delicious plate of  butternut squash, brussels sprouts, onions, mushrooms, micro greens, and quinoa with a parsnip puree. Ahhhhh, everything needs to be dipped in this puree. Everything.

Guess who ate the mushrooms! This girl. Unbelievable.

My beverage of choice at The Macintosh is something one of the bartenders came up with for me a while back. He named it The Xtina: Corazon tequila, ghost pepper-infused St. Germain, lime juice, and agave. It’s like a spicy margarita.

Boding had the Chicken and Waffles. At first I was skeptical of waffles that aren’t served with maple syrup but then I tried a bite. They do not need a single drop of anything. They are perfect, as was the chicken.

Jacob later sent out a gift to be funny. Fried dough. Quite comical after my healthy veggie plate. He’s got jokes.

I almost forgot! I had a side of their homemade pickles again. Mmmm!

After brunch settled, we poked around random stores downtown and played tourists. I met the dog of my dreams at Seeking Indigo. Meet Stella, the labradoodle.

Broad Street.

Later on, we went to Mt. Pleasant Waterfront Memorial Park.

For a little bit, I reverted from 27 years old to 7 years old. Swings! (I think that kid next to me might have been dying.)

Monkey bars!

And then I went from 7 all the way to 77. Reading a book with a giant blanket in a rocking chair is fiiiiiiiine.

Happy Monday! Have a great week!

Thrive Foods: Book Review and Giveaway

A couple weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to receive and review a copy of Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Health. The book was written by Brendan Brazier, the author of Thrive Fitness and creator of Vega, a line of whole food nutritional products. He is a former Ironman triathlete and has run the Canadian Ultra marathon twice! Pretty impressive to say the least. For more information, see Brendan’s facebook page.

Thrive Foods is broken down into 5 chapters and ends with a boat load of recipes. In the first two chapters, Brazier discusses the body’s nutritional requirements and the environment’s affect on the quality of our food. In chapter 3 he addresses the different governments and companies who have helped consumers make healthier choices. He also discusses the “Healthy” American diet, key nutritional components, and how to make good food choices.

Some of my favorite lines in the book were:

“Being fed is not the same as being nourished.”

“Pay now for healthier food, or pay later to treat the symptoms of disease as a result of poor nutrition.”

More than half of the recipes in his book were created with Julie Morris, a natural food chef based in Los Angeles. All the recipes use nutrient-dense, health-boosting ingredients, and are simple to make. It doesn’t get much easier than…

Parsnip Oven Fries

• 2 pounds parsnips (I used 1 lb. parsnips, 1 lb. sweet potatoes)
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450*F.
2. Peel the parsnips and trim the ends. Cut in half lengthwise, then slice into 1/2 in sticks (or slices). Spread out onto a large baking pan and toss with oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown, tossing parsnips once or twice during baking to ensure even cooking.

Hello, fall! This recipe was perfect for the beginning of September.

I enjoyed reading this book and were intrigued by many of the recipes. Many of them use a lot of ingredients that I don’t typically have at home, so I’d like to pass this along to a friend! Want this book?

Mandatory: Leave me a comment telling me why you’re excited about fall!

Optional:

• Follow me on twitter: @christinaorso
• Tweet about this giveaway: “Enter to win the book Thrive Foods from @christinaorso here! http://tinyurl.com/3hmb5ts”
• Become a fan of the HMH facebook page

Good luck! Giveaway ends Monday night at 6 p.m.

The Most Inapprop Post Ever...NSFW!!

Friday's 5:30 therapy session: Whole Foods. Mission: Cheese. I frolicked over to my 2nd favorite section to buy a cheese that Jenna and I tried last week. We literally had a cheese party with two of the workers who let us try 9 different kinds. My intention was to go back for the Cave Aged Gruyere. It is a hard cow cheese from Switzerland that has been aged for a year in underground caves. It has an intense, smooth flavor with little salt crystals throughout. I picked up a slab and then asked the cheeseman about another one we tried: Robiola. Unfortunately they were out of Robiola. Cheeseman came around the corner saying, "We might have some next week, but for now, see what you think of this. It's another soft Italian cheese." He whipped out his permanent marker, scribbled on the wheel of cheese and said, "Here ya go, enjoy!" 

In case you didn't know, "N/C" means no charge. No charge for a 1/2 pound of cheese? HAPPY FRIDAY TO ME! I didn't even have to flirt. Now, here's the stuff I paid for:

• Bananas
• Pear, for an upcoming amazing sandwich
• Apples
• Honey Wheat bread...bc I could smell it through the bag and just had to have it
• Sweet potato
• Parsnip, gosh those things are freaky looking
• Luna Bars

I sliced the sweet potato and parsnip, tossed with olive oil and cinnamon and baked it for...a long time.

I panicked when I realized I didn't have any ketchup and nervously grabbed my favorite Classico four cheese pasta sauce. I ended up grating Pecorino Romano cheese on it...It became 5 cheese!

A hot mess that tasted delish.

Saturday's breakfast was simple but oh so tasty: Sweet & Salty oat bran:

• 1/3 cup oat bran
• 1/3 cup original almond milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 sliced banana
• spoonful of cinnamon raisin swirl peanut butter
• spoonful of fluff

I mustered up the energy to go to the gym 2 hours later. I was deeply concerned about the state of my abs and/or I wanted to work up an appetite for lunch...which was out of this world. I headed over to Village Bakery for a daily special. Village Bakery is a cute little breakfast/lunch place on Pitt St. in Mt. Pleasant. It's in the same restaurant family as Mustard Seed, Sette, Boulevard Diner, Longpoint Grill, and Uno Mas. They've got great fresh sandwiches, delicious sides, and a pretty decent breakfast menu, too! They also have a selection of teas and desserts! All of their sandwiches are served on freshly baked bread that you can buy by the loaf. One of my favorite sandwiches from Village Bakery is their Turkey and Provolone sandwich: smoked turkey, provolone, and a cranberry relish. And what they mean by cranberry relish is fresh cranberries that have been simmered in orange juice and sugar. Yum. 

Saturday's special was "Balsamic roasted chicken, baby spinach, mozzarella, with a sun-dried tomato basil aioli served hot on a ciabatta roll."

Look at that ooey gooey cheese madness.

As my side I chose the Irish salad: wheat berries with bits of cabbage, potatoes, and corned beef. This was interesting and great!

I washed it all down with a Zevia Black Cherry. This flavor has some kick! Great stuff. 

And now it's time for the Not Safe For Work part of this post. Drum roll, please...

Yes, people, this is real life in the Ethnic section of Publix. I shamelessly snapped a picture of this with my Blackbaby and immediately proceeded to message this to as many BBM contacts as possible.

Reactions:
Aaron: Oh my..
Ally: LOL!!!!! Buy me some while you're at it.

Alyssa: Lol - always the most random stuff with you.

Anna: Wtf!? Bahaha. Isn't it like some sort of english pudding crap?

Brandon: What the f is that? It sounds like a disease.

Callie: hahahahah wtf!

David: Hahaha! Wtf is that sgit! Yeah, he spelled it like that.

Erin: Aaron said its an english dessert?

Frankie: That's English bread pudding and I like the name. I'm telling his wife!

Gerry: Get me 2
Heather: No way!!! Lol lol lol. (Me: Should I buy it?) Eww no thanks spotted dicks can't be a good thing.
Nancy: What the f is that!? Better be good!

Heather 2: What the hell is that??

Heera: Wtf!

Laura: Wtf bahahhahaah

Megan: Bahahaah you crack me up!

Nick: I'll take my dick withoout spots, please.

Nikki: wahaahah gross u ate it? 

Santo: That shit looks disgusting! What is that? Are you eating dick tonight? Promise me you'll blog about it. 

Sean: Stay away from that. You could end up with a spotted baby. 

Scott: They make medications for that.

Anonymous: Just call me.

Conclusions:

• Everybody says wtf. 
• A lot of people toss in a "b" when laughing
• I shouldn't buy it.

Whose reaction was your fave? Mine was Santo's.