Birthday Sushi, Birthday Cake

Yesterday was Brian's birthday. I won't tell you how old he turned....cause that's just not nice. :) When I asked him what he wanted for his birthday dinner, he said sushi. So I picked up a Party Boat and an order of Philly rolls (very good-smoked salmon and cream cheese rolled with rice and cucumber) at our favorite sushi place for a quiet dinner at home. We had more than our fair share of spicy tuna, sashimi and california rolls, the aforementioned philly rolls and there were even a couple of weird ones for Brian to sample. Ahhh.......love that stuff! We used to eat it a lot more but surprise--another change to chalk up to having kids.

I also was going to bring home cake from Wholly Cannoli, a local bakery who's famous for obviously, their cannolis. Now, a cannoli is something that I can't turn down! If someone offers me one, I am genetically wired not to refuse, even if I'm stuffed! Wholly Cannoli has the best ones, mini and full size, in flavors like Apple Pie, Cappuccino, Pistachio and Caramel, as well as the traditional ricotta ones. But Brian had other plans---he wanted to make his own creation.

I felt kind of guilty, like I had been working so much lately that my husband had the sad task of making his own birthday cake! But he reminded me that he had a free afternoon and that he really loves to bake, so I relented. When I came home, he'd make a "Fiddler on the Roof" cake from the Cake Doctor Book. I've mentioned this book before....each recipe features a box cake mix that's been "doctored" to make it richer and super-tasty. We swear by it, I don't think there's a bad cake in the bunch! This one was no exception. As you can see from the picture, it looks like a big chocolate glazed donut. It was a yellow cake mix, with cocoa powder swirled to make it marble. It also had almond extract and marshmallows in the glaze. SO GOOD!! Though I am still doing Sparkpeople, it's hubby's birthday anad hey, that cake was calling! I am currently trying to avoid having it for breakfast!! :)

Happy Birthday to my sweet!

Quick Dinners??

The dynamic of our household is changing again. Because of my new job responsibilities, I am back to work full-time. Despite my best efforts and writing a menu every week, I am in a bit of a rut for quick family dinners that make some leftovers for lunches. So I would like to put it out there to anyone that reads this blog: What are your go-to recipes when like is crazy?

Just leave me a comment and tell me what your family eats in a pinch when everyone's busy and there's not a lot of time to experiment in the kitchen! Thanks for your help. :)

A Little Bit of Magic...

I am going to an event tomorrow night that I needed to bring a treat to share. I didn't even hesitate when deciding what to make--Magic Cookie Bars!

These are a family favorite and very easy to make. I've heard them called other names, like Layer Bars or Angel Bars. But in our house, they magically disappear!

Magic Cookie Bars

1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 pkg (16 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
3 1/2 oz flaked coconut
1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Melt butter in 13x9 pan. (Put butter in the pan, put pan in oven!)
Sprinkle crumbs evenly over melted butter.
Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumbs.
Rop evenly with remaining ingredients, press down firmly.
Bake 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool before cutting.

For the little effort that goes into these....it's a big, chocolatey reward!

I scream for ice cream!

For me, ice cream is the ultimate in treats. It has everything I want...sweet, smooth, creamy and full of fat. 'Cause as we all know, fat and sugar tastes good. mmmm....

Want something to make you feel instantly like a kid again? A total ice cream dinner. My friend Lexi, whom I visited in Maine this weekend, and I had ice cream for dinner, but in an unconventional way. Instead of stepping up to the freezer and scooping a couple of bowls, we went out. Her parents retired from their jobs several years ago and bought an ice cream shop called "Here's the Scoop." Today was their last day of the season, and they only had soft serve left for customers today and tomorrow. Lexi and I had plenty of ice cream! Now, I haven't made a cone since I worked at McDonald's in high school, but I seem to still have the touch for the perfect swirl. Now, for an oddly delicious flavor, swirl coffee and black raspberry together and serve with chocolate jimmies. Lexi's mom said that it was a pretty popular flavor this season, and I can see why!

So, after a couple of cones and a dish of vanilla with hot fudge, I'm a happy girl. Not something I'd do all the time....but once in a while to bring back the days of going to the beach and stopping at Friendly's on the way home! Everyone should have ice cream for dinner at least ONCE in their lives. If you have a friend with an ice cream shop in the family, then it's that much sweeter. :)

Dinner Club and Crisp Cookies

Last night, I joined a bunch of Moms for a Dinner Club. The object is for a bunch of moms to get together to try a restaurant that they've never tried before. This was the first time, and we went out for Thai food. At the end of the meal, we draw names and that person gets to choose the next culinary adventure! It was with four moms that I don't know very well, and it was a lot of fun. The Thai place was small, and for a little while we were the only ones there. We were instructed to remove our shoes because we were going to sit on the floor. That was a little strange, but not uncomfortable because there was a big pit under the table so you could dangle your feet instead of sitting Indian-style. (which I probably haven't done since grade school!) The food was delicious, chicken curry and pineapple rice. My name was drawn at the end, and I chose a Tapas place in the city. I have never had tapas, and I'm really excited to finally get to try them! Tapas are a Spanish-style of cooking, from Spain. Basically Tapas translates to "Little Dishes." All in all, it was a nice night out.

When I got home, I found my husband scented with butter and sugar. He was baking cookies. (What a guy!) Brian's a great baker, he really loves to do it. Last night's cookies were these small walnut and butter cookies, sprinkled with sugar. They came out of a cookbook that our friends Chris and Jenny gave us a long time ago, they gave us the cookbook marked with mini-post-its with comments on their favorite recipes. The recipes in the book are delicious, and the comments are hilarious. These cookies are very small, so you don't have to feel guilty about having one. Especially with your morning coffee. :)

On the Bandwagon!

Ha! My husband loves burgers, but he is a turkey-burger hater. Why? Well, he believes that ground turkey is dry and doesn't have much flavor. Well, that's true, if you overcook it or don't give it any flavor. We had apple cheddar turkey burgers for dinner tonight....and he liked them! Enough for us to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Here's the link, they were delish! (We omitted the cranberry sauce, by the way. If you're a fan---go for it!)

Back...and Full!

We came home today from a great vacation on the Outer Banks in North Carolina! We also spent a couple of days visiting family in Pennsylvania. So for the last week.....there has been a lot of food!!!

I didn't log onto Sparkpeople once for the entire trip. On vacation=no dieting. But I did get plenty of exercise! That tends to happen on the beach, and walking, and chasing after an almost two-year old!

The Outer Banks is a resort area, with a lot of great restaurants. Seafood is really, really big there. We had dinner at a place across from our resort called the Sunset Grill and Raw Bar. The food was great! The atmosphere....very loud and a bit messy. Their big claim to fame is the fabulous view of the sunsets from their outdoor patio facing the Currituck Sound. Unfortunately, it was very windy and we thought it would be tough to eat with Will in the sun and wind. We also got to have a dinner alone (Sheer Heaven!) at The Grill Room in Corolla. Ohhhh......a filet mignon of my dreams! Know what goes really well with steak? Blue Cheese Butter. Brian had Chilean Sea Bass, which he said was fantastic. And of course, no dinner is complete without dessert....creme brulee!

As with any vacation......we had ice cream at all the great spots. To show we were REALLY on vacation, we once had two ice creams in a day! (I know...living on the edge!) We did buy some groceries and eat in a couple of dinners to save some money, and I have to say, the best corn on the cob in the world is in Currituck County, North Carolina. Especially when it's in a salsa on top of a fresh crabcake!

I did see something that I don't think I'd like to try.....a soft shell crab sandwich. Now, I adore crab, especially california sushi rolls, or king crab legs. But a whole crab, still with legs attached, breaded and fried, tossed onto a soft roll? Not for me. Brian liked it though.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. We're home, and have no groceries. So tomorrow I restock, and start cooking again. And login to start tracking food and exercise (grumble grumble)

In case you were wondering, Will ate like a CHAMP on this vacation! The only thing he turned down all week was a scrambled egg. He tried a quesadilla over the weekend and loved it. We had tacos at one of our favorite Mexican places, Moe's. Moe's is a chain that I thought was only around here, but there was one in Pennsylvania waiting for us on Saturday night! So, for my friend in the Lowell area (and you know who you are!!) If they can build a Moe's in Warrington, PA, there's hope for you yet! :)