May 29 2009

Lamb Stew

Went with a recipe out of the Spanish Cookbook again tonight. I made lamb with lemon and garlic (with a homemade stock as well). For a side, I had asparagus with lemon mayonnaise. The asparagus and sauce were outstanding; the lamb was good but not life changing.

lambstew


May 26 2009

Savoury Meatballs

Savoury Meatballs from an old Spanish recipe. They turned out great.

The meatballs: minced pork, garlic, breadcrumbs, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

The sauce: olive oil, red onion, garlic, chopped tomatoes, sugar, paprika, and peas.

meatballs


Mar 21 2009

Grilled Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad

This is the most involved meal I’ve prepared; it took several hours, but ended up being one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. It has an incredible range of flavors and textures.

Here is the rundown of what went into the salad: haricots verts, fresh thyme, onion, roasted red and yellow peppers, fingerling potatoes, red and yellow pear and sweet 100 cherry tomatoes, Ahi tuna filets, mixed greens, Nicoise olives, quail eggs, and anchovy filets.

The dressing for the salad: lemon juice, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, minced garlic, minced shallots, olive oil, salt, pepper, and sugar.

The bread: I used sourdough bread and the toppings were homemade herbed goat cheese and homemade black and green olive tapanade (I used Kalamata olives instead of black olives).

img_3079


Feb 20 2009

Spicy Shrimp, Scallop, & Artichoke Heart Pizza

Tried out a new pizza tonight. Marinated fresh shrimp and scallops in the following: chopped garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh thyme, and minced jalapeno peppers. Crust from scratch with the usual ingredients. Brushed garlic-chili oil on the crust prior to the bake. Additional toppings included: artichoke hearts, cilantro, fresh cheese (mozzarella, havarti, parmesan), roma tomatoes, and red onion. The taste was great. I messed up the structure a bit because I accidentally made the pizza on the kitchen counter instead on the stone - so the transfer was not clean and I lost my good circle. Here it is…

pizza_feb20


Feb 15 2009

Valentine’s Day Pizza

Homemade crust using the typical ingredients. Homemade garlic/chili oil brushed on the crust pre-bake. Homemade pesto to act as the “sauce” for this pizza. Fresh cheeses: mozzarella, fontina, and parmesan. Spinach, Roma tomatoes, portabello mushrooms, fresh basil, fresh thyme, fresh oregano, and blue cheese were the toppings. All parties agreed that this pizza was awesome.


Jan 25 2009

Garmin 405

This is my new running toy: a watch with GPS technology that actually looks like a watch. I’ve only just begun to explore the features of this toy, but a full review will be posted in the coming weeks.

garmin_405


Jan 13 2009

Beer Stein

My brother Brian lives in Germany. He sent me this sweet King-Werk beer stein. Check it out:

stein1


Jan 12 2009

Hava Nagila


Jan 10 2009

100 Push-Ups Challenge - Initial Test

I am taking part in the 100 Push-Ups Challenge. This program builds up your strength until you are able to complete 100 ‘good form’ push-ups in one set. The first step of the program is to take their initial test. The test simply measures how many ‘good form’ push-ups you can do in one set. I took this test today (having not done a single push-up since 2002). I completed 15 ‘good form’ push-ups, which places me in rank 3 position out of 7. The results of this initial test dictate which plan I follow for the first two weeks of my program.

I am supposed to rest tomorrow and then Monday I’ll begin my push-up regimen.


Dec 31 2008

2009 New Year’s Resolutions

Here are my resolutions for the year of 2009.

Resolution 1: Barred foods list: soda, ice cream, fast food, delivered pizza.
Comments: Not much to explain here. In recent years, I’ve had success eliminating one or more of these from my diet. Now, I’m going for all four at once.

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