Doing Grown Up Things...

This past week was a wonderful week and I got to work from home and plan out the remainder of my year (including when to take the remaining vacation days I have!)!  I also had some time to finally take Roxie to the dog park which she loves to go too! It was great being home because Joe and I are quickly realizing we still have a lot to do for the wedding and we are just over 5 months away!  We hadn't done anything for it in quite some time, so we decided our next big task was going to be the honeymoon.  We had talked about it a lot, and I had requested a long time ago to go to Bora Bora, but we hadn't looked at how much it would cost, how traveling there worked, etc.  So, with that, we decided we might need some help planning!

Piedmont Park taking Rox to the Dog Park!

We contacted a travel agent in Buckhead that plans a lot of luxury vacations, so we thought that would be the best way to start the planning!  We had decided that if we took a trip halfway across the world then we might as well spend some time there, so we decided on extending the honeymoon beyond 1 week.  That enabled us to do a combination of my dream of staying in an over water bungalow as well as explore the islands.  So, with that, Joe and I decided that the best way to see that area was to do a cruise.  Paul Gauguin is a luxury cruise line that offers an all inclusive cruise that leaves from Tahiti and travels to Bora Bora and Moorea for seven nights.  That seemed perfect for us since we wanted to explore the neighboring islands! I mean who wouldn't, just look at the picture below!  Although we have not picked what excursions we want to do, we have decided that we will do everything in our power to get SCUBA certified before the trip so that we can enjoy the beauty that the ocean has to offer (we heard it is some of the best diving in the world!).  Our travel agent is amazing and her boss has actually been on the cruise so we are looking forward to hammering out the details on the excursions as the trip gets closer.  For now, the major things are booked and we are incredibly excited to spend some time in an over water bungalow as well as 7 nights exploring the islands and having some fun in the sun and the water!  Can it please get here now :)

Our Over Water Hut! 

So, with the main things booked for the honeymoon, we took a break from wedding planning (for a week or so)!  The weekend was here before we knew it and we were excited to celebrate one of Joe's best friend's birthdays! Reza and Kellie Ann came over Friday evening for dinner so that we could celebrate his birthday.  We grilled steaks and made mashed potatoes and mac and cheese which all turned out great!  Then it was time for some of Joe's coworkers and Reza's friends to come over for an evening of fun.  After entertaining at our house, and enjoying Reza's birthday cake, it was time to go to Ivy to dance the night away.  After Ivy we headed to 5 Paces to visit Jessie so that we could support her first real night of bartending!  She did an amazing job and made me super amazing drinks!  She will be a pro in no time :)

After an evening of fun, it was bed time and Saturday morning arrived way to quick.  It was parent's weekend at GT for the swim team so I headed to the pool to watch the meet and catch up with the alumni that came to watch.  After the meet I headed home to help Joe with setting up for our first house party (we are so grown up!), but ended up taking a two hour nap and was no help :)  Before we knew it, it was time for the party to begin.  This was an end of year party being held for Joe's tennis team.  We were grilling out on the roof top and everyone brought drinks and appetizers so there was plenty of food!  We all ate WAY too much, watched some football, and enjoyed some great company.  People headed out slowly, and after a day of entertaining, Joe and I decided we were heading to sleep early!

So much food!

Sunday was such a fun relaxing day and we laid around in bed for a couple hours before even getting up!  It had been quite some time since we had done that, and we enjoyed every minute of it.  After watching the beginning of the falcons game, we decided it was a safe bet to take a beautiful walk and enjoy the wonderful fall weather that Atlanta has been having.  After a good workout, we headed to the outlets to do some shopping since we had not gone in quite some time, and wanted to hit the stores before they got picked through during the holidays!  I would say we were quite successful and came back with quite a few bags and some great deals!  Before we knew it, the weekend was over and we were ready for another week!  This week I hit the road again and headed to Mobile, AL for some fun!  Let's hope for some good meetings!!!

Can you believe this is right in Buckhead!

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

This week was Reza's birthday, one of Joe's best friends, so we wanted to make sure to celebrate!  Kellie Ann and Reza came over for a birthday dinner on Friday night so that we could celebrate before going out for a night on the town.  Reza's instructions for the cake were as follows, "chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate..."  With those instructions, I looked through some recipes that I had already made in the past and remembered that this cake was amazing!  Although it is made with a lot of chocolate, it is still light, and absolutely amazing!  So, here we go :)

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

Ingredients

For the bottom layer:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into six pieces

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

¾ teaspoon instant espresso powder

4 large eggs, separated

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Pinch cream of tartar

Pinch salt

⅓ cup packed light brown sugar

For the middle layer:

5 tablespoons hot water

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

1½ cups heavy cream, chilled

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

⅛ teaspoon salt

For the top layer:

¾ teaspoon powdered gelatin

1 tablespoon water

6 ounces white chocolate chips

1½ cups heavy cream, chilled

Shaved chocolate or cocoa powder for decorating, optional

Directions

To prepare the bottom layer, heat oven to 325º. Grease a 9- or 9 1/2-inch springform pan. Combine butter, chocolate and espresso in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in egg yolks and vanilla and set aside. 

Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites, cream of tartar and salt on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Add half of sugar and continue whipping until combined, about 15 seconds. Add remaining sugar, increase speed to high, and whip until soft peaks form, 1 additional minute, scraping down bowl halfway through. Using a whisk, fold one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in remaining egg whites using a rubber spatula. When no white streaks remain, carefully transfer batter to prepared pan. Smooth top with spatula. Bake cake until it has risen, is firm around the edges and just set in the center (cake center should spring back when gently pressed with finger), 13 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. Do not remove cake from pan. 

While cake is cooling, prepare middle layer. Combine the hot water and cocoa in a small bowl and set aside. Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, 2 to 5 minutes.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip cream, sugar and salt on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 1-3 minutes. (It helps to chill the mixing bowl before whipping the cream.) Whisk cocoa mixture into chocolate. Using a whisk, fold one-third of the cream into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in remaining cream using a rubber spatula. When no white streaks remain, spoon mousse onto cooled cake. Smooth top with spatula and gently tap on counter to release any air bubbles. Wipe inside edge of pan with a damp cloth or paper towel to remove any drips. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes while preparing top layer. 

To prepare the top layer, sprinkle gelatin over water and let sit for at least 5 minutes. Place white chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring ½ cup of cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin mixture until completely dissolved. Pour cream mixture over white chocolate, cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Whisk gently until smooth. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally (mixture will thicken slightly during this time).

Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip remaining cup of cream on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. Using a whisk, fold one-third of cream into white chocolate to lighten it. Fold in remaining cream using a rubber spatula. When no white streaks remain, spoon white chocolate mousse into the pan over the middle layer. Smooth top with a rubber spatula. Return to refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2½ hours. Cake can be refrigerated up to 1 day. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes before slicing. 

To serve, garnish cake with chocolate curls or dust with cocoa if desired. Run a thin knife between the cake and sides of pan. Remove sides and run the cleaned knife along the outside to smooth. Cut using cheese wire or a hot knife, cleaning and drying between each cut. (This is Important!)

Photo Taken From original Recipe off Cook Like a Champion because I forgot to take a picture of mine cut open!

Feta Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Mac and Cheese Quinoa

Anything with Buffalo Chicken automatically becomes Joe's favorite food, no joke.  He loves actual buffalo chicken, buffalo chicken dip, buffalo chicken sandwiches, etc.  I am quite indifferent to it because of two reasons.  I don't like spicy foods, and normally buffalo chicken is made with blue cheese, which I also don't particularly enjoy.  So, a lot of times recipes are modified, so that Joe can enjoy his buffalo chicken, and I can eat dinner.  This is one where it was easy to modify.  These meatballs can be stuffed with just about anything so if you like blue cheese, go for it!  The dressing is also put on after the meatballs are baked, so I left some meatballs out of the sauce when I was tossing them in a bowl.  That way both of us were happy, and quite frankly, both of us thought it was an amazing recipe!

We had this with Mac and Cheese baked quinoa which was absolutely amazing.  The quinoa can be made any way you would like flavor wise.  I added spinach because that is one of the only cooked veggies I eat, but I am sure that adding broccoli or another vegetable would be just as amazing!  So, with that, below are two recipes that I absolutely love and they will definitely be repeated at our house!

Feta-Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:
1lb ground chicken breast
1/4 small red onion, grated or minced
2 gloves garlic, microplaned or minced
1 egg white
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoon powdered Ranch Dip mix
4oz block feta cheese, cut into 1/2” cubes
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup buffalo wing sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together red onion, garlic, egg white, bread crumbs, and ranch dip mix in a large bowl. Add ground chicken then mix until just combined. Divide mixture into quarters, then each quarter into 4 balls. Press a cube of feta into the center of each ball then close mixture around cheese to seal. Place meatballs onto a non-stick sprayed cooling rack set on top of a baking sheet, then bake for 16-18 minutes, or until cooked through.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat then add buffalo wing sauce and stir to combine. Add cooked meatballs to skillet then use a spoon to coat in sauce. Place a lid on top and turn heat to low to keep warm. Note that these are amazing without the sauce if you are not a buffalo sauce fan!

Spinach Mac and Cheese Quinoa

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• Veggies of your choice (optional)
• good pinch of salt
• a few grinds of seasoning salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheese, I used a mixture of cheddar, Italian, Swiss, and Mozarella
• 1/4 cup panko
• 8 oz. spinach (or any other veggie)

• Directions

  Lightly saute any veggies you would like in this dish.  Cook quinoa to packaged instructions until fully cooked. (About 15 minutes) Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish( or 8 individual ramekins) with cooking spray. Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt.  Add veggies if you would like.  Transfer to prepared baking dish and if using Panko Crumbs or Bread crumbs add now and bake 30-35 mins, until bread crumbs are browned. 
  
  
  
  
•  

Greek Lemon and Orzo Soup

It's finally getting cold out in Atlanta, and soup is one of my favorite things to make.  I love making soup because it is a lighter meal but always so soothing.  The recipe below is a Rachael Ray recipe that I modified to be a bit more filling.  I tend to make soup as a main dish so I always want some sort of protein to be involved.  Below is an absolutely amazing soup recipe that is light, healthy, and very easy to make! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!


 Greek Lemon and Orzo Soup

Ingredients

• 8 cups chicken broth (64 ounces)
• One 2-inch strip lemon peel and juice of 1 large lemon
• 1 bay leaf
• A pinch of mustard powder
• 1/2 lbs chicken, diced
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 2 large eggs plus 3 large yolks
• 2 drops hot sauce
• A couple generous handfuls of flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Pita chips (any flavor), for serving,  I use Stacy Simply Naked chips because the soup already has so much flavor

Preparation

In a soup pot, bring the broth, lemon peel, bay leaf, diced chicken, and saffron to a boil. Stir in the orzo and boil for 5 minutes. Cover, remove the pan from the heat and let the orzo steep for 5 minutes. Discard the lemon peel and bay leaf.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolks, lemon juice and hot sauce. Whisk in 1/2 cup soup to temper the eggs, then whisk the egg mixture into the soup. Cook on low heat, whisking, for 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley; season with salt and pepper. Serve with pita chips.

Everyone is in the ATL!!!!

This past week was a week working from home, catching up on emails and planning the remainder of the year.  It is crazy that it is already November!  Pretty soon it will be the holidays :)  This weeks weather was very much fall weather and it made for perfect pumpkin carving, tailgating, and outdoor activities!

The excitement of the week was Wednesday, when Kellie Ann and Reza came over for dinner and then pumpkin carving.  We had bought the pumpkins while up at Helen so we were finally getting around to carving them, just in time for Halloween!  Dinner was homemade baked sweet and sour chicken with rice and Kellie Ann brought over Joe's favorite buffalo chicken dip that he had been craving all week!  After dinner was done we grabbed some wine and headed to the rooftop to carve our pumpkins!  Kellie Ann and Reza decided to do a ghost while Joe and I decided to do Buzz and a GT in honor of homecoming weekend!  We figured that way we had an excuse to light it after Halloween had passed and we could show off our Tech spirit!  We had such a good time carving pumpkins and roasting pumpkin seeds!

Final Product of our Pumpkin!!!

Before we knew it, it was the weekend again and the festivities began.  This was homecoming weekend for Georgia Tech which always means that everyone comes back into town!  On top of that, it was Alumni weekend for the swim team so I knew we had an exciting weekend in store.  Friday, the house was all decorated for fall and ready for all of our visitors!   Courtney was the first to arrive so it was great getting some time with her to catch up and take Rox on a walk since we wouldn't have too much time for her this weekend.  After our walk we got dinner in the oven and cupcakes made so that we were ready for everyone else to arrive.  Joe and I had dinner before getting ready for the evening full of fun.  A couple swimmers were staying at our place for the weekend so we opened some bottles of wine and enjoyed the rooftop on a brisk evening.  Some of Joe's friends came over as well, and Dillon, one of Joe's best friends was in town so he had a great time catching up with him. We then headed out to Ivy for a night of dancing and fun!  We had a lovely NYU BFF reunion at Ivy and it was so good FINALLY getting to see Sarah Anderson even if it was only for a little bit!

NYU BFFs!!!

LOVE these girls :)

Saturday morning came way to quick and we got up  bright and early to head to the pool for the Alumni Meet.  The swim team always has a meet where the Alumni swim the current team and I must say I am quite impressed with the Alumni and their swimming abilities post college!  I sat out this year so that I didn't injure my already hurt ankle any further but it was so good catching up with old friends and being by the pool again.  After the meet we headed to West Egg right by campus where we waited quite some time to seat 16 people, but since the weather was beautiful outside, it wasn't all that bad!  After a long wait we finally sat down and enjoyed an amazing brunch!  Then Courtney and I headed home and took Rox on a walk, took a quick 20 minute nap, and then got ready to head to GT's campus to tailgate!

GT Alumni Meet!

Part of the Table at West Egg

We got to campus and headed to the bridge to see some of the track alumni and then headed to the Swim Team Alumni tailgate.  There we enjoyed catching up with everyone that we hadn't seen in a while and then met up with Joe's parents for a bit.  After eating and catching up with Joe's parents I got to see Sarah Anderson for about 2 minutes before going back to the Alumni Tailgate for a bit.  We then decided to skip the actual game because it was getting to be very cold.  We headed to Big Kahuna where Dillon was was holding a Miami Donor watch party to watch that game and track the GT game as well in a warmer environment!  At halftime we headed home to finish watching the game and get ready to go out for the evening.

Love :)

Best Friend I ever Had :)

Some of my favorite Alum :)

Sun Setting At Tech!

We headed to 5 Paces this time around and met up with a lot of the younger alumni and older current swimmers.  It was so much fun dancing the night away and bar hopping in that area.  Although we got an extra hour at the bars, we were exhausted fairly early into the evening and headed home to enjoy an extra hour of sleep!

Sunday morning we got up and said our goodbyes to everyone that had stayed at our place this weekend and after breakfast went back to bed.  We must have been exhausted because we woke up and it was lunch time.  After relaxing for a bit, Andy and Meredith stopped by so we caught up with them.  We then planned meals for the week and headed to Kroger before eating dinner.  After a long and exciting weekend, it was nice to have a low key Sunday so that we are ready for another week! It was so fun getting to see everyone in town this weekend and I was so sad to see everyone go.  Why can't everyone just live in Atlanta?  Now, an early bed time is much needed to get ready for another week of work!

Healthy Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

This week we also had Kellie and Reza over for Dinner on Wednesday so that we could carve our pumpkins.  We didn't plan to wait until the last day before Halloween to carve them but we were both so busy it ended up getting pushed back quite a lot!  This is an amazingly good recipe that is very easy but takes a long time to bake.  Although it isn't the healthiest recipe ever, it is about the healthiest sweet and sour chicken you can get! The sauce is very watery initially but as it bakes it will thicken up.  This is definitely one of our favorite recipes to make with fried rice, or just regular rice!

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp. ketchup

1/2 cup vinegar

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. garlic salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs. Heat the 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. In a small bowl using a whisk mix together, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce and garlic salt and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake the chicken in the sauce for one hour turning the chicken every 15 minutes or so. 

Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

This week I was at home again all week so we had some amazing home cooked meals.  We didn't try anything new since I kept the menu up to Joe to make.  I wanted him to pick some of his favorites that he doesn't have when I am traveling since they may take longer to bake.  One of both of our favorite meals is stuffed pork.  There are so many ways to make stuffed pork and they all seem to turn out amazing since the pork soaks up some of the flavor.  This one is a healthier version and keeps the cream cheese to a minimum to make sure that we keep the meal fairly healthy.  It is still amazingly creamy and one of our favorite meals! So...here we go...

Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic
10 oz. spinach
4. oz sun-dried tomatoes
4 oz. feta cheese
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. Greek yogurt

Pork tenderloin (2-3 lbs)

Directions:

For the stuffing, with a little olive oil, saute garlic and chopped spinach until nearly cooked through. add sun-dried tomatoes. remove from stove when the spinach is cooked to your liking. in a separate bowl, mix goat cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream together until smooth. add the spinach + sun-dried tomatoes to your creamy mixture.

Cut your tenderloin open so it lies flat, rather than as a roll.  Pat the pork dry with a paper towel, then place on a baking sheet. Spread the filling across the pork, then roll the tenderloin up like a jelly roll, keeping the mixture enclosed. Secure the pork with toothpicks or cotton strings.  Brush the top of the pork with olive oil, and lightly sprinkle salt and pepper atop.  Bake at 400 degrees, until the internal heat of the pork is 155 degree.