Second Week of Run, Swim, Bike and Cook

Happy to report that we are still doing the challenge with Chou over at Balance. We did much better this week and are beating down the cold, that we both seem to have now! I got in three power walks as well as a run - felt great! L. got in a spin class and some bouldering. Next week should be a better week!

As for the cooking portion of the RSBC challenge, the food was Quinoa or Beets and it had to be a dessert. Well, since I could not figure out a way to add a beet to dessert and for that matter, L. does not really like beets, I went with Quinoa. We love Quinoa - we actually eat it a lot; but, mostly as a side with dinner, not a dessert. This was a challenge. I found one recipe on the Food Network for a pudding . Figured it would be somewhat like rice pudding so I went with it. It came together easy enough, smelled good, looked good and tasted okay. I put it into some cute little bowls, put it in the fridge to chill while we had dinner with some friends and half way through dinner I just had second thoughts - thank god I did not serve it, it was terrible!!! Oh well, guess we will stick with Quinoa as a side with dinner. Great challenge, though, Chou!

Valentine's Day

L. and I really do not "celebrate" V~day. We both are strong believers that all these special "things", should be things that are done throughout the year, not saved up for one "big" day. And, since we eat pretty well on a nightly bases, why should this night be any different or for that matter stuck out at a restaurant, paying over priced prices for food that is not that good because it is so busy - save it for a rainy day! In the same breath, it is kind of hard not to get a little sucked into all the pink & red fluff everywhere, so I do always pick up a little token of my love, a bottle of pink bubbly and a card.

Now, since I LOVE to cook as well, I know L. was expecting the big fancy french meal; but, I surprised him with a Jamie Oliver pizza of Pancetta, artichoke hearts and an egg! He was quite surprised!

For dessert I made L.'s favorite dessert, Iles Flottantes - a big Thank You to Tartelette for a wonderful recipe! Not only was it delicious but very easy.

Pre Valentine's Dinner

We had our friends M. and C. over for a little pre-Valentines Day dinner. We popped open a bottle of bubbly and L and and I made this Jamie Oliver quiche - Tiger's Quiche. The photos (and you can not see them because BLOGGER is blogging) do not do it justice - it was fantastic!! Served a light green salad and some warm crusty French bread with it. Fun evening of bubbly, food and friends!

Flat Leaf Parsley and Pasta

Cookthink is hosting a monthly challenge and this month it just happened to be Flat Leaf Parsley. I was not even planning on entering this challenge because this is basically just a staple dish in our house and then I realized after finishing the meal, that it may be perfect!

We keep three fresh herbs in the kitchen, in a vase on the counter at all times - Basil, Cilantro and Flat Leaf Parsley. Whenever you are in a pinch for some extra added flavor or maybe a little bit of garnish to your dish. A favorite standby in our house when we are either tired or pinched for time is a simple dish of sauted garlic and olive oil with the added bonus of Flat Leaf Parsley - to give that nice clean and fresh taste, kind of like early spring, as well as a dash of color!

Thai Chicken Coconut Soup

We are trying to be somewhat healthy this month and are trying to stay motivated with the Ironman meets Ironchef challenge over at Balance. I found this Thai Chicken Coconut Soup and we decided to give it a try. While it was good, it was just okay. We will probably not make this particular recipe again as it was rather brothy (is that a word), not enough substance, even for a soup. It was just lacking something .....at least it was healthy!

Fried Dough ...

Also, known as Malassadas or Filhoses.

When I saw that Helen of Tartelette and Peabody of Culinary Concoctions were hosting the first ever Fried Dough Fest, I knew I had the perfect recipe! L.s' mothers Malasada. The first time I ever had one was not with L. but instead over in Honolulu at Leonards. I fell in love ... who could resist fried dough, stuffed with coconut cream! I love them so much that I eat them twice if not three times a day when I am over there; nothing like stuffing oneself before stuffing yourself into a swimsuit! Then I met L. and found out he was Portuguese and from San Miguel Island, where these morsels orginated - what a lucky girl was I, a hunky guy who's mother could make these for me or better yet teach me how to make them, then I could stuff myself silly full of fried dough!

They are really pretty simple to make. A easy yeast dough that you let rise for a couple hours, heat up some FAT and fry baby, fry, then dust them with a little sugar! Remember, not to think about your diet as you are inhaling them, because one is never enough!