First week of Run, Swim, Bike & Cook

We have joined Chou over at Balance for Food for the annual RSBC. I hate to inform Chou and everyone else that we/I did not do as well as we/I would have liked! See my sorry excuses that I sent Chou!

We are participating; but, not too well this week. L. had to travel for business, I came down with a crappy cold which is lingering this weekend and I did not get a chance to make the Kale Hash I wanted to make for breakfast today. But, on the upside, we did well with the working out part, or at least I did. I walked Monday - Wednesday, anywhere from 2 - 3 miles, on the hills of San Francisco & mind you not a leisurely stroll but a hustle of a walk and I ran a mile two days, as well - I think the run triggered the cold to settle in my chest. So, we did part of this great challenge; but, not enough in my opinion. Next week for sure!!!

Soba Noodle Salad

Our friend B. introduced us to this creation of his - we love it! Quick and easy and full of flavor.

Dark Chocolate Madelines

with essence of fresh Seville Oranges. I love Seville Oranges and I always buy them when we are in Europe. Unfortunately, I have never seen them in the Bay Area; which, has bummed me out as I have wanted to try making David Lebovitz's Orange Marmalade.

Today was my lucky day. I stumbled upon Seville Oranges at one of our favorite little neighborhood markets, Bi-Rite. I had to buy them! All the way home I thought about what I would do first besides the obvious .... devour them! Then it hit me, I had to come up with something sweet and chocolately - Death by Chocolate like - as well, I wanted something for L. to take back to Boston for his family.

These little cakes are perfect for someone you love or for a sweet sinful little snack - as well they are simple to make!

Not Superfood

but Superbowl highlights!

We went to our friends D. & JT's house for the superbowl - a low key Sunday afternoon with good friends and lots of beer and great food - warmed olives flavored with oranges, garlic, & rosemary, lots of veggies with spinach dip, homemade guacamole, lots of chips and salsas and then grilled sausage with a warm red & yellow pepper slaw on toasted bread - YUMMY!!!

Thanks, D & JT!

Jellie Bellies Unite!

Dust off your bikes, unpack that swimsuit at the bottom of your dresser, pull out your running shoes from the way back part of your closet, it is time for you to join us while we jump start our year! You may even enjoy it as well!

January was incredibly busy for us - lots of extra hours of work, trying to catch up with friends that we had neglected during the previous year and just attempting to regroup for the new year. All this "busy" time left us no gym time or for that matter very little exercise time - the crappy weather we have been having has not made it easy either!

I stumbled upon Balance, when I was looking at Lemon Meringue Pies and saw that Chou was hosting the Ironman meets Iron Chef event - I knew that this was the perfect thing to get our Jelly Bellies off of the couch and back into the swing of things! As well, we had been cleaning out the fridge and pantry for the past couple of weeks, so we would definitely have some room for some great Superfood.

Check back weekly for an update as to how we are doing!

Sushi Saturday

Sushi Party Photos

Almost a year ago, I took a culinary course on making sushi - great gift from L. We were making sushi every Saturday for a couple months; but, then we got busy with life and have not made it in awhile. So, we invited our friend, R. over for dinner and we rolled!

Making sushi is not as hard as one thinks. The hardest part is getting your rice cooked and seasoned just right. I am not there yet, definitely need to practice more. The next part that is the most time consuming is all the prep work. Lots of washing, dicing and slicing. I always figure the above will take about 3 hours to complete. I usually wait to roll when our guests arrive, as well, it is fun to be the "sushi" chef ... rolling, laughing, drinking sake; a very social evening.

We picked up lots of sake, Japanese beer, Salmon, Maguro, Dungeness Crab and Tuna - you MUST use sushi grade! I get most of the fish at a Japanese market as well Whole Foods does have sushi grade fish, once in awhile, you have to ask for it. We also used ginger, spicy little Portuguese peppers, cilantro, avocado, green onions, mango and sesame seeds and sesame oil for filling and for seasoning.

The end result - a great evening of homemade sushi and sashimi!