The Weekend Update

Hi friends! Here are some highlights from the past few days.

We celebrated my cousin Gabrielle’s twelfth birthday. This sweet girl is 12 going on 22; she’s almost as tall as me and probably smarter and more mature. And quite the beauty!

She’s into the mustache trend, so one of my presents to her was this pair of gloves.

Thursday night, Amanda and I went to the early showing of Breaking Dawn Part 2. I mentioned this on Friday, but let me say it again: the movie is so good! It is definitely my favorite of the saga. I want to know what you all think!

This past weekend I went to my grandparents’ house in North Carolina. It’s always so nice to visit them. Our weekend was full of shopping, wine and eats. Their house is in a really pretty neighborhood on a mountain and driving up always freaks me out. The curves and bends, yikes!

When I got there, I found some presents on my bed: a chocolate advent calendar, a Chick-fil-A cow from a race my grandfather had run, socks my grandma made, and a recipe they thought I’d like. Bonus: a crossword puzzle book, not shown.

Onto the eats! On Saturday, we went to 131 Main while we were out shopping at Biltmore Park Town Square. Sarah insisted I go there for the beet burger that she always gets. Right up my alley!

Look at how red it is. You’d almost think it was meat, right? Ha. It was really, really good and I’ve got to remake this at home. Sarah, let’s do this!

Saturday night, we made Ina Garten’s recipe for Roasted Shrimp with Feta. Changes we made: we nixed the Pernod and used artichokes instead of fennel.

We wanted to make spanakopita (inspired by you, Sierra!) but the phyllo dough we bought had dried out. We improvised by placing the spinach mixture in a baking dish and making a crustless pie. This was originally another Ina Garten recipe too.

On Sunday morning, we made a frittata with red pepper, spinach, onion, and basil. This would be great to make for a week long of breakfasts. Just grab a slice, reheat, and go! I don’t have the recipe right now, but if you’re interested, shoot me an email and I’ll find it.

My 4-hour drive back was a bit slower than my ride up. On the way there, as soon as I hit North Carolina, I got pulled for speeding. Boo!! The way back I watched my heavy foot, listened to the Breaking Dawn 2 soundtrack, and fueled with coffee and candy.

What was the best thing you ate all weekend?

What are your road trip essentials?

What I’m Loving Wednesday: In Grandma’s Kitchen

One of my favorite things about other people’s houses is peering into their pantry or refrigerator and seeing what their food staples are. No, of course I don’t just barge in someone’s pantry without asking. Grandma didn’t mind me poking about –- she had even picked up a few items she knew I’d like.

1. Front Porch Carolina Churned Ice Cream. Grandma bought two flavors: Lemony Sunshine and Blackberry Crumble. We had high hopes for the Blackberry Crumble but it didn’t have much flavor. The Lemon Sunshine was perfect – sweet, creamy, and not too tart.

Some of the flavors have the cutest names: Sweetie Tea, Sassy Strawberry, and Peachy keen. Charleston friends – You can buy this ice cream at Harris Teeter, Bi-Lo, or Food Lion. (Side note: does anyone go to Food Lion?)

2.  Crunchmaster Multi-Seed Crackers.

These super crunchy crackers are baked and gluten free. The have a great texture and a slight hint of tamari soy sauce.

3. Bay’s English Muffins. 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve overlooked these in my grocery store’s dairy case. Grandma said her mother always bought them and she loves them because they’re much lighter than a standard English muffin. A couple mornings I topped them with peanut butter and drizzle of honey and one morning I made a sandwich with a poached egg and bacon. They’re available in Original, Sourdough, Honey Wheat, and Multi-Grain.

4. Ybarra Pimento-Stuffed Olives. These manzanilla olives are different than regular jarred olives; they don’t have a vinegary flavor at all.

5. Manu 2010 Sauvignon Blanc.

We had a bottle of this with our salmon the other night and it was great.  Tasting notes: “Fruit forward, bright, and lively. This is a classic Marlborough style Sauvignon Blanc with aromas of citrus, herbs, and tropical fruits. The sweet herbs follow through to the palate supported by gooseberry and passion fruit flavors. A beautifully balanced and refreshing finish.

6. Great Value kosher dill spears.

I know what you’re thinking: Wal-Mart brand? Yes. After reading in the August 2012 issue of Cooking Light that these pickles were a winner, Grandma picked some up. We tried them, and you know what? They’re not half bad. Priced at only $1.98 for a 24 oz. jar, these are budget-friendly pickles.

7. Trader Joe’s Raisin Rosemary Crisps.

When I first saw these on the shelf, I thought the flavor combo sounded strange. Strange is the last word I’d use to describe these. They’re sweet, savory, crunchy, and chewy. I think they’d be amazing to dip in goat cheese. I posted a picture of them on instagram (@christinaorso) and someone mentioned they were good with Trader Joe’s blue cheese spread. Adding that to the list for my next TJ’s haul…

Balsamic Fig Salad with Goat Cheese, Pecans, and Prosciutto

Before I left for North Carolina, my grandfather asked if I’d bring some fresh figs. There was a recipe he wanted us to make but he couldn’t find fresh figs in his area. Whole Foods to the rescue! I picked up a pint and hopped onto I-26.

Saturday evening, we decided to make salmon and vegetables to have with the salad. Although the salad was just an accompaniment to the main entrée, it ended up being my favorite part of the meal.

Balsamic Grilled Fig Salad with Goat Cheese, Pecans, and Prosciutto

(adapted from The Fresh Market)

Ingredients:

• 12 large fresh figs, halved
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing, divided
• 6 oz. baby spinach leaves
• 2 oz. crumbled goat cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
• 2 oz. torn prosciutto

Preparation:

Toss figs with 1/4 cup vinaigrette in medium bowl; set aside. Broil figs on rack, turning once, until figs are caramelized, about 4 minutes; keep warm. Arrange spinach on serving platter. Top with figs, goat cheese, pecans, and prosciutto. Just before serving, drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup dressing.

Not just pretty. Delicious and pretty.

For the salmon we had also picked up at The Fresh Market, we used Ina Garten recipe for  Asian Grilled Salmon.
I love Ina because her recipes aren’t difficult. A simple marinade of Dijon mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and garlic was all the salmon needed.

All weekend, we introduced my teenage brother to new vegetables. He claimed he only likes raw spinach. Weird, I know. For this dinner, we sautéed zucchini and cherry tomatoes in olive oil and oregano.

And what would dinner be without a bottle of wine? A dry dinner. Of course the teenager wasn’t allowed any.

All together, it was a great Summer meal. Though the heat tells me otherwise, Summer is winding down and the opportunities to enjoy grilled food are coming to a halt. Sad!

 What are your favorite salad toppings?

What’s your favorite grilled fish? Vegetable?

Cúrate in Asheville, NC

Friday afternoon, in need of  a getaway, my littlest brother and I traveled to North Carolina to visit my grandparents. On Saturday, the four of us drove up to Asheville to walk around the city and have lunch.

Cúrate is a Spanish tapas bar in downtown Asheville. As my degree from College of Charleston is in Hispanic Studies, I was excited to experience some traditional Spanish cuisine. Cúrate, meaning “cure yourself” had just what we needed: delicious food and wine.

To drink, my grandmother and I both had a glass of the 2010 Peitán, Albariño, which is similar to a Pinot Grigio. Grandpa had a Highland Gaelic Ale and Jake had not one, but three Coca Colas. Oh, teenagers.

I was so sad when I realized I forgot the battery for my DSLR at home, so I apologize that these pictures are from my cell phone. :( Here we go!

Out of all the tapas, I was most impressed by the garlic shrimp. The sauce was so good, I kept dipping extra bread in it. I also really loved the Summer salad and would like to recreate that at home while watermelon is still in season. The Spanish tortilla tasted just like ones I’d had with friends from Spain. The eggplant was the most unusual dish, and I mean that in a positive way. I’ve never thought to drizzle eggplant with honey or rosemary.

Before our meal, my grandfather was sweet enough to mention that I had a Charleston-based food blog. Thanks to that, two of the dishes (the Summer salad and eggplant) were sent out on the house. The head chef, Katie Button, came out to introduce herself as well. She was sweet and seemed very glad we were there. I was impressed by her generosity and taking the time to come say hello. It’s the little things that make a restaurant special. We’ll definitely be back!

Do you like tapas-style restaurants?

Which of the above dishes would you enjoy most?

NYC Recap Days 1 & 2

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about my 3 NYC vacations in the past year, it’s not to plan anything. Why? Because every time I specifically plan something, it doesn’t happen. Ice skating? Didn’t happen. That museum? Nope. Pickles? Whoops forgot those too. My friends and I are too free-spirited for itineraries.

With that said, I sure had a lot of fun.

I arrived early afternoon and went straight to Kaye’s house before meeting Lucy at her new apartment. Reunion with my soul mate/old roommate/best friend? Check!! After catching up over some wine, we got ready for dinner at Sushi Samba. Enjoy the one and only group photo from the weekend. We seriously had too much fun to bother with snapping photos. Sad, but not really.

Kaye and I split two rolls: Green Envy - wasabi pea crust, tuna, salmon, asparagus, aji amarillo-key limo mayo and the Pacific king crab, avocado, asian pear, soy paper, wasabi-avocado crema.

Lucy and Ann shared a couple different rolls too.

The sushi was fine, but it didn’t wow me. I’ve had better here in Charleston. After dinner we walked over to Wilfie & Nell in the West Village for drinks. While there, I noticed some dude pouring green juice and squealed, “Is that pickle juice?!” A few minutes later, some random man and I were drinking picklebacks: shots of whiskey chased with pickle juice. WHISKEY. My body hated me in the morning.

The hangover cure, NYC style, was picking up precious little macarons from Maison Ladurée.

I got two flavors: pistachio and caramel with salted butter . They were very flavorful for being such delicate treats. I also had a bite of Kaye’s vanilla and it was by far the best. So darn delicious. Thank you, Anabel, for the recommendation!

After our “breakfast” of macarons, we had lunch at Le Pain Quotidien. Still maintaining my vegetarian status, I dined on an Organic Black Bean Hummus tartine with avocado and spicy tahini. It was very light and fresh.

Lucy’s lunch was my second choice: Rustic Tuna, Hummus & White Bean
tartine with diced tomatoes and basil pesto. I want to make this at home!

Saturday’s form of cardio was shopping. We ventured into H&M, Zara, Dylan’s Candy Bar, and Benefit Cosmetics. Out of all that, my only purchases were at Benefit. BADgal plum mascara and  It’s Potent! eye cream.

 

I went to dinner with my friend Ben who is a fitness blogger/marathon runner. (See what he’s up to on his blog, Motivate Your Ass.) For future references, he will be known as B Dawg. Apparently he thinks it is weird that I call myself Xtina, stating “That would be like if I called myself B Dawg.” So B Dawg it is.

We ate at Euzkadi, a Spanish tapas style restaurant in the East Village.

We tried a bunch of different plates:

• Goat cheese and honey croquettes
• White Beans & Chick Peas w/Mushrooms, tomato comfit & vegetables) (my favorite dish)
• Tortilla Vasca - Potato and egg omelet, w/chorizo, peppers and onions
• Seared Steak w/ Russian salad & scallion Chimichurre
• Roasted lamb in a mushroom raisin demi-glace

At first, I shied away from anything that wasn’t vegetarian but as I was noshing away on the Spanish tortilla, I realized there was ham in it. And that’s when it was decided that I would take a vacation from being a vegetarian and enjoy myself in NYC. I still didn’t want chicken, but the ham and lamb? Yeah, that happened. And then we talked about Shari Lewis & Lamchop’s Playalong while feeling (kind of) guilty.

To be continued…

PS: If you read all that, you’re ridiculous. And I love you.