Ramblings – Page 20 – Fervent Foodie

Outrageous

October 14, 2010 1 Comment

What could possibly be better than having an outrageously good looking boyfriend? Having an outrageously good lookin boyfriend who likes to cook, of course 😉 I don’t call him Man Candy for nothin’ (scroll to the bottom of this page for the story behind the nickname).

Anytime the BF offers to cook, I’m MORE than happy to oblige. Lucky for me, he offered to cook us dinner Tuesday night 😀

On the menu for the evening was some Italian crusted chicken over penne with a spicy red sauce. First up, the chicken breasts were covered with the contents of an Italian dressing packet along with some garlic powder and onion powder:

Making sure every inch of the chicken was covered with Italian goodness:

Then he popped the chickies into a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes–until the chicken was cooked through and was nice and golden brown:

Slicin’ up the goods:

Jarrod is the most precise chopper I’ve ever known.

Chicken + spicy red sauce (with onions of course) + whole wheat penne + parmesan = HEAVEN. Oh and don’t forget the garlic breadstick!

We also cooked up some Jalapeno Popper spread for movie snackin’

We L-O-V-E dips. LOVE them I say. (We used fat free sour cream in place of the mayo on the original recipe)

As I’m typing this post, I am actually on the airplane to New Orleans (my bday present from the MC). Expect LOTS of delicious food pictures, and more than our fair share of Italian feasts over the next few days 🙂 🙂 🙂

Ramblings, Recipes

Mock mac and cheese

October 5, 2010 4 Comments

One of life’s true pleasures is a big ole plate of macaroni and cheese. I’m talking homemade oven-baked cheesy glory. Once fall rolls around, I start to get some serious cravings for comfort food. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. Comfort foods. The foods that make you feel warm and cuddly from the inside out. The foods that make you want to hug your belly and sway side to side just because they taste so dang good. The foods that you’d like to pour into a giant tub so you could jump in and swaddle yourself in their heavenly gooey warmth…. What.. that’s just me?!

Anyway, tonight I decided to give healthified mac and cheese a go in an attempt to satisfy my comfort food craving. I remember seeing a recipe a while back on the Hungry Girl email blast, and that was the basis for my dinner (though I couldn’t find the email).

The main components of my mac and cheese were Carba Nada pasta and lightly sauced broccoli:

And 1 light French Onion laughing cow wedge:

Carba nada only takes 5 minutes to cook, so this meal was ready for chowing in no time! While the pasta cooked I also threw together a small salad with romaine lettuce, tomato, onion, and some Ken’s Lite Caesar dressing (LOVE that stuff).

All together:

The flavors were a little mild, so I added some red pepper flakes and black pepper on top:

Cheesy goodness:

Not too shabby! If you could get laughing cow in light cheddar that would take this dinner to a whole new level!

Stats on 1 serving mock mac and cheese: 235 calories, 32g carbs, 5g fat, 16g protein, 8g fiber

On a separate note, I’m debating on whether or not to join a gym for the winter. Twice in my life I had succumbed to signing up for a year-long gym membership, and BOTH times I stopped going after only a couple months… yet still had to pay for the entire year. I’m really not big on gyms… but without a gym, I see myself simply not exercising this winter. Any tips for making the gym FUN?

Ramblings

Something to brighten my day

August 31, 2010 7 Comments

Look what I just got from Dorry!

I am beyond excited to try out these new flavors of Larabars and also the 8Rabbits bar! Dorry you are such a sweetheart! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!

I love getting pacakages in the mail, especially from a new friend! It’s like having a pen pal in a foreign land 😀

Ramblings, What I ate

Bruegger’s Giveaway!

August 31, 2010 29 Comments

After posting about my awesome lunch at Bruegger’s, I was contacted about getting some Bruegger’s coupons to give away on the blog! Yahoo! Each coupon is the equivalent of a $5 gift card—helloooo free lunch!

To enter the giveaway for a $5 Bruegger’s coupon, do one (or more) of the following (make sure to leave a separate comment for each one):

Post a comment on this post letting me know your favorite bagel concoction
“Like” the Fervent Foodie page on Facebook and leave a comment on this post letting me know you did so.
Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment on this post letting me know
Tweet about this giveaway, and leave a comment here letting me know
Post a link to this giveaway on your blog or your facebook profile, and leave a comment here letting me know ya did

I’ve got five $5 coupons to give away, and I’ll use a random number generator to select the winners (pssst.. you can win more than one!) 😀

BTW – Have you guys tried the new Sun-Drenched Tomato and Bagel Salad at Bruegger’s? I haven’t got to try it out yet, but they did send me the recipe! Sounds delicious!

SUN DRENCHED TOMATO AND BAGEL SALAD 4-6 people

This is a nice twist on the Tomato-Mozzarella and Basil Salad, but has its roots in the panzanella traditions of Italy, combining the best of summer’s abundance with the frugal utility of leftover bread or, in this case, bagels.

This salad is best when tossed 10 minutes before serving, to allow the dressing to soak into the bagel croutons. The vinaigrette can be made in advance and the tomatoes must be very ripe and at room temperature.

2 large ( 1 lb.) vine ripened/ heirloom tomatoes
8-10 yellow pear tomatoes
3 rosemary olive oil bagels
3 tsp sun dried tomato paste
4 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup olive oil
A generous pinch sea salt
A generous pinch cracked black pepper
1 cup grated Asiago cheese
2 romaine lettuces

1. Slice the bagels into chunky croutons and dry out overnight on a cookie sheet in a warm oven.

2. Blend the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sun dried tomatoes to a smooth consistency. Keep a light hand on the vinegar as the tomatoes provide some acidity.

3. Core and slice the large tomatoes into large, coarse pieces. Cut the yellow pear tomatoes into halves.

4. Place the tomatoes and the croutons into a large stainless bowl with room to toss them.

5. Line a large platter with the romaine salad leaves, white stem at the center

6. Add the dressing, salt and pepper and almost all the Asiago cheese to the bowl and toss, until the entire mix is coated with the dressing.

7. Transfer this to the platter, piling it loosely over the romaine stems and top with the remaining Asiago on top.

Adding diced, grilled chicken or drained anchovy filets makes this a meal for a hot summer’s day. Red onions, capers or red pepper are also great additions.

Good luck! Contest ends Friday September 3rd at 11:59pm Eastern time and I’ll post the winner over the loooooongggg holiday weekend!

Giveaway, Ramblings, What I ate