Favs in a Flash: Game Day Quickies

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOOTBALLL??? It is that time, for men and women alike to get crazy.  Super Bowl Sunday is a day of sheer gluttony!  Eating too much, drinking too much, yelling too much, and for some crying too much.  Emotions and tensions will be high as a group of very large sweaty men take the field and engage in some seriously close contact.  As America watches with bated breath to find out who will be the reigning Super Bowl Champion, they will also be consuming so delicious snacks!

I love Super Bowl Sunday, obviously, I'm a foodie.  Its a great day to throw caution to the wind and dig in.  Unfortunately this year, we are traveling and will be back just in time to catch some of the game.  This means I cant spend my whole day cooking. WAAAHHH! But thanks to a little planning, I have come up with some quick and delicious snacks you can make when in a pinch.  These are great for any game day, and since hockey season is finally underway we still have lots of game days to cook for.

The first thing is a healthier choice, but also super delish, simple, and quick.  A basic fruit dip.  Lets face it, everyone loves fruit dip.  If you know there is a game day coming up and you also know that you will be busy and not have time to cook, then make sure you hit the grocery store in advance.  That's the easiest way to be prepared is to think ahead.  This dip goes great with apples, grapes, and strawberries.

The Recipe: Be prepared to have your mind blown!

2   8 oz blocks of cream cheese (softened)

1 jar of marshmallow cream

Blend and BAM! You have dip!

Your Fruit will be as excited as these fruits are to take a dip :)

I was reading today how there will be a shortage of chicken wings this year, and if your team was not one who made it into the Super Bowl this could be the last straw.  As if it isn't bad enough watching a team you dont care about the idea of not being able to have buffalo wings is almost unbearable, but do not fear, I am here to save the day!

Buffalo Chicken Dip is not only delicious, but will help you cry a little less over the wing shortage, plus its way faster, which is my goal with this post, fast, simple, game day foods! This is a great "man" food, easy for them make and they will love it!

The Recipe: Its no use crying over chicken wings!

1 bag of shredded cheddar cheese

1  8oz pkg cream cheese

Buffalo Sauce (you pick your fav, I like Texas Pete's bc im a Texan)

2 cans of chicken (its by the tuna, on the canned meat isle)

1/2 stick of butter (my fav food)

1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan then add the shredded cheese.  As the cheese melts you will need to make sure you stir it so it doesn't burn, also dont get crazy, cook it on med-low.

2.  Once the cheese is melted add the cream cheese, best to pre-soften so its easier. 

3. Add the buffalo sauce, use the whole bottle, go ahead, get crazy! 

4. Last, add the chicken, after you have drained it of course.

Stir it all up, put it in a bowl and get ready to have your face melted off with the goodness!

Last, but absolutely not least, is the quintessential game day food, QUESO! Everyone brings queso, but everyone loves queso.  You can never have to much cheese in my opinion, I have considered taking a bath in queso just because its so awesome! Here is a place I'm tryna go to for sure!

Anyways, queso can be great and pretty swift if you know what you are doing! Take your block of Velveeta and cut into small 1/2 inch to 1 inch cubes.  It will melt fast the smaller they are.  Since Velveeta is not really food, I'm fairly certain its plastic, tasty plastic, but plastic nonetheless, it is pretty resilient.  If you cube it in advance and put it in a ziploc in the fridge it will cut down significantly on the time spent on game day.  Also, if you pulled an Abby and used half spicy, half regular sausage then you still have a pound of sausage just waiting to be ingested.  So take that and cook it up like you would ground beef, let it cool (this tip is for the men), then put it in a ziploc and throw it in the fridge by your cheese chunks.  

The recipe: melt that plastic like its a Barbie!

1 block of Velveeta (previously cubed)

1 lb sausage (previously cooked)

1 can of Rotel tomatoes

Throw this all in a crock pot.  If you are in a hurry turn in on high for like 30 min, stirring occasionally, then as it melts turn it down on low.  

NOTE: if you don't have a crock pot, stop being an idiot and buy one.  JK you can melt this all in a glass bowl.  Put it in the microwave for like 3 min at a time stirring in between as it melts.  Once it starts to get melty put it in for 1 min increments.  

BAM! Queso in my belly!

While I know none of these recipes were life changing and for some they are probably old news, but sometimes you have to plan ahead and get stuff done! It is not uncommon for the hubs to say, he we need food for this game party or for that, and I have to think on my feet. If you know in advance that's better and easier so you can have it almost all done before game day even hits.  If you are a man reading this blog, then I know you probably did not think ahead and are scrambling at the last minute to have food for your epic Super Bowl party.  Chips and bean dip are not epic, so man up, get in the kitchen, and make some real food.  You might even be able to impress the ladies with your excellent cooking skills!

Crying like a Kardashian!

I'm a serial cheater, there I have admitted it, but so is my husband.  We just cant seem to turn down good fattening fried food.  I think we go on dates not so much for each other's company, but more for the food.  We are both having intense love affairs with food.  So last weekend we had a date night, meaning a lets see how much unhealthy food we can eat in one sitting.

My amazing hubs (pictured above) is the best foodie I know.  He studies food and restaurants, so we were lucky to find this Guy Fieri certified dive called Tune Inn in DC.  It definitely lived up to the reputation of dive, with a dim lighting, small staff, and decor as eclectic as the patrons.  We were blessed to be seated near two tables of middle aged men in super legit sweaters and loafers who were SCHWASTED!  We were then even luckier to hear them sing along to this little gem....

Oh yes it was a lovely experience! :) I actually loved it as it reminded me of being back in Texas.  It was a great dive atmosphere and was not dirty feeling like some dives, so that was a plus.

On to the food now, the menu was AWESOME!  All foods that I love, very !Merican!

There were fried pickles (my favvvvv), wings, onion rings, nachos, cheese fries, etc. And that's just the appetizer section. Check out the menu here.

After a discussion of the pros and cons of several appetizers and a very in depth discussion of the sauces offered and how they will go with each appetizer we decided on corn meal battered onion rings with a side of salsa ranch (the Texan in me jumped for joy about this sauce) and the house sauce.  I'm pretty certain they took an onion, cut it in half, and battered and fried the rings.  These onion rings were GINORMOUS and flipping DELISH!

As you can see in the picture Grant was impatiently waiting for me to take a pic so he could dig in!

We were then forced to narrow it down to one entree, that's the worst part about good restaurants is it is damn near impossible to decide on just ONE thing. Just one. It makes me feel sad actually. Kinda like this....

After more heated discussions, with mouths watering and eyes tearing at the difficulty of this decision, we chose. I chose one of the Tune Inn signature dishes, classy and elegant, a sloppy joe! Now I know some of you are thinking, for real, a freaking sloppy joe. Yes, a freaking sloppy joe.  They are delicious, they remind me of home, and they remind me of Billy Madison, one of the greatest films ever!

This sloppy joe was awesome! It can on a toasted hamburger bun, helps some with the sogginess. It was overflowing with meat as any good sloppy joe should be, but wasn't too saucy.  It was served up with a big plate of  good crunchy french fries and that special sawwwce!

Grant had a hard time choosing as well, but since he is on a fat trimmer diet he chose the fattiest thing on the menu. He chose a deep fried burger, which he has been craving ever since we watched some food show about burgers.  You see watching things like Epic Mealtime and other shows about food is not a wise idea while on a diet. Not if you are us, we then want to try everything.  Its a problem.  Anyways  Grant cant just eat things as they come, ohhh no, he is the sauce guy and must have extra sides of all sauces.  In addition to a deep fried burger he had to sub the fries for fried okra.  Fried Okra is Grant's favorite food, its one of the things that brought him to Texas for college and ultimately it led him to me! So I always know if any restaurant has fried okra it will be on his plate.  The burger came out and it was actually kind of beautiful, at least to a Texas girl who thinks fried food can be beautiful.  It was perfectly battered and was a gorgeous golden brown, crispy, and topped with lettuce and tomatoes and pickles.  The fried okra was honestly some of the best fried okra I have ever had.  It was perfectly seasoned, crispy, and delicious!  I would recommend looking away now if you are hungry or on a diet.

We both gorged ourselves on this delicious food, there was even discussion of a milkshake or some type of dessert, but at the end of the meal I had unbuttoned my pants, and was having trouble breathing, so we decided to call it a night.  If you are ever in DC and want some excellent, well priced food and a laid back atmosphere I recommend the Tune Inn.  If you are on a diet and are actually trying to stick to it, I do NOT recommend the Tune Inn, you wont be able to choose a salad guaranteed.

Is it really cheating if its with food?

Sometimes I wonder if my relationship with food is getting too serious, I mean I am a married woman after all.  Food is just always there for me, when im sad, mad, happy, any time.  When me and Grant are having moments of intense fellowship (meaning someone's about to get cut) food is there to comfort me through our troubled times.

When Grant and I are hanging out spending some quality time together, food is there, helping us enjoy our time together.  Its just such a constant in my life, I often feel im having a love affair with food! So despite being on this super fantastic mission of "lifestyle change" and getting healthy, I couldnt help but have a few cheat moments, even if im not really cheating on my husband with food, im definitely cheating on my diet with food!

One night Grant was out watching the hockey game (we are HUGE Washington Capitals fans, Lets Go Caps) and I decided to stay home and catch up on some Grey's Anatomy, quality tv.  Well I got a hankering for a snack, and lets be real sometimes you just dont want to eat another piece of freaking fruit.  I wanted to go all fruit ninja on my fruit bowl.

So I started to plan my snack, at first I thought mmmm white chocolate popcorn.  Then I remembered seeing someone post about marshmallow popcorn on facebook, so I thought what about WHITE CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOW POPCORN! GENIUS!!!!

I ran up stairs (ok i didnt run because i dont run, but i did move quickly) and started melting the chocolate and the marshmallows, as I was waiting for it to melt I look over and see a jar of peanut butter, and it hit me like Voldemort's curse hit Harry straight in the head, ADD PEANUT BUTTER!

So I did, and the result was a beautiful and deliciously fattening bowl of white chocolate marshmallow peanut butter popcorn!

The recipe:

1/2 Cup White Chocolate Chips

1/2 Cup Marshmallows

2T Peanut Butter

Bag of Popcorn

I melted the marshmallows and the white chocolate at the same time, it would probably be smarter to start melting the white chocolate, then add the marshmallows.  You heat the white chocolate for about 20 seconds and it will start melting, take it out, stir it, add the marshmallows, then pop it back in for another 20, stir it, and check the consistency.  If it needs longer put it back for 5-10 second intervals until its done.  Then add the peanut butter.  Pop your popcorn then throw it in the mix and stir it up good.  Then sit on your couch, forget your diet, and enjoy this delicious treat!

Get in my belly.....and make me skinny!

Its like day 5 of the diet, wooo I'm not dead yet! :)  Luckily thanks to planning and pinterest we have eaten some pretty delicious food this week that was low carb and low fat! I wanted to share a couple of the things I have been making and some tips for those days where things didn't exactly go to plan! :)

One of my favorite lunches we had this week was a pinterest idea, Salad in a Jar.  Apparently the salad will stay fresh for a week if you put it in a jar, ours only sat overnight, but its good to know that I can make salads for a week and save myself the prep time every night.  Its a great idea because its all in the jar.  On the bottom you put the dressing, then the hearty veggies like carrots and cucumbers, then the other stuff like avocado and tomatoes, then the lettuce, and close 'er up!  I prepped it all the night before when I had time threw some carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and spinach in and come lunch time the next day I gave it a shake, put it on a plate, and was ready! Spinach is so good for you with tons of vitamins and nutrients, try to avoid lettuces like iceberg or even romaine as there is very little if any nutritional value in these lettuces.  Plus they're harder to digest and no one wants a tummy ache!  

Not only was it really delicious, but it was also really pretty! :)

Next dish was something I whipped up quickly for dinner one night.  This was one of those nights where things didn't exactly go to plan and I didn't have the time to cook what I was originally planning on.  For most people when you hit this snag you say oh well lets just eat out and we will get back on the diet tomorrow.  That means you had a lack of planning, luckily I planned and had some quick things on hand! I made a delicious turkey burger (note pay attention to the cook time, I didn't realize it said 9 mins on each side so i bit into a nice raw turkey burger, eww)  I put the patty on some butter lettuce and topped it with cheese, avocado, tomatoes and a little ketchup.  I also have the veggie steamers on hand and popped some broccoli and cheese into the microwave and was ready to go.  It was a delicious, low carb, and relatively quick meal. Be prepared for crazy days, they will happen and they are the biggest detriment to dieters everywhere!

It was still raw in this pic, I was still blissfully unaware of the rawness I would soon bite into! FAIL

I saved the best for last of course! Now we obviously ate more than three meals this week, however, I forgot to take pictures.  The fact that I forgot to take pictures has given me a feeling only other food bloggers can feel, feelings of sadness and despair at your beautiful creation going to straight into your starving mouth instead of being photoed for your blog.  So there was more food, but I was starving and have little self control when food is involved.  Having said all of that this was Grant's favorite lunch this week and he complimented me several times on how good it was! *pats self on back* It was super simple and not fancy at all but we aim to please.  I made tuna lettuce wraps! Whoaaa earth shattering! The main change was that I added about 2/3 of an avocado to the tuna.  This was nice because I didn't have to use so much mayo, which I still used because I love Miracle Whip. :)  I did use light Miracle Whip and only about 2 T in 3 cans of tuna.  I added a splash of mustard, some chopped onion, diced boiled egg, sweet relish (sweetened with splenda), stir it up and put it in some Boston or Butter lettuce and we are good to go!  They were nice because the tuna had a great flavor and a creaminess that only avocado can bring.  Using butter or Boston lettuce (they're the same thing ppl just call it by different names) is great because its strong enough to not tear, it has a great flavor, it has a little bit of crunch, but it also soft.  Its perfect and by far my favorite lettuce!  This was great because Grant was able to eat it while he was driving and I ate while working, mess free is the way to be!

In case you hadn't figured this out yet, I am a terrible photographer and I have the world's worst phone too so it doesn't help me there!  

So that's the highlights of food thus far!  We have a snow storm coming in and I cannot wait to get in my kitchen and work on some low carb desserts I have been looking into!  I also cant wait to start getting more and more creative and out of my comfort zone, week two should be fun! :)

Dont trust the devil!

Alrighty folks we are well into the first week of operation "Send that scale to hell!" and it is going pretty well thus far! Got on my scale at home this morning, pretty sure it lied because it told me I lost 9 lbs, not true. Why must you toy with my emotions you devilish inanimate objects! Sighhhh!

The scale really is a liar, which is why its important to not trust it! The scale is just a number and it is important to remember as you diet and exercise, especially if you are exercising, to not worry about the scale.  You will be gaining muscle which burns fat, but will make those numbers go up.  So dont worry about that little devil.  One thing I intend to do is take measurements of my body, some before and after pics, and keep track of my progress that way!

I love the beginning of a diet because it gives you a chance to learn about different foods, your body, your mind, and more.  Take the opportunity to enjoy learning these things and not worrying so much about what the scale says, worry about how you feel!

Losing Weight: Do the research!

As you all know I am on a quest to send that snarky scale at my Dr's office straight to hell.  I know she is still sitting there laughing at the girl who cant control herself.  Just kidding I have some self control, sort of, sometimes, not really with food so much. Ok, so basically I have no self control with food.  I love it so much.  I have been known, on several occasions, to eat an entire back of snack size snickers, thus defeating the purpose of getting the snack size ones. Anyways part of my diet mission is to be sure that I am educated, so I can hopefully this time create a plan I can stick with and change my lifestyle.

Do your research! Research when you are starting anything new whether its a diet, a workout regimen, religion, clubs, etc, is crucial.  You need to know what your options are.  In the diet world the options are countless as every "guru" knows what is best.  Thats why people get on diets, lose weight, then gain it all back.  They didnt do their research and were looking for a quick fix.  You cant expect a quick fix to equate to a long term weight loss plan.  As I mentioned in the last blog, I am at an advantage as far as research goes.  Grant and I both took a genetic test so we know that he is a fat reducer and I am a carb reducer.  Basically we can eat nothing. Awesome! :) Just kidding, thats where the research comes in.

Pinterest, how you save my life daily! Im not sure how I survived without pinterest, or how I thought of any of my own ideas.  Ironically, I have yet to successfully complete any pinterest crafts I have started.  I have used a few of the recipes but usually just look at the picture and wing it. Another diet downfall, winging it leads to more calories or yucky food. Feel free to look at my pinterest or do your own pinterest research for what you want in a diet.

I also use Google, my favorite thing ever!  Now dont get your mind blown by this amazing research im about to share, but simple articles like this can help you to better understand the diet you are about to begin.  Here is an article on starting a low carb diet and what to learn and expect.

STOP LYING TO YOURSELF! Ok sorry for the shouty capitals! But for real just because you are not downing a loaf of bread followed by a bag of cookies doesnt mean you are low carb.  Carbs are little devils that get into everything, jerks.  As I was enjoying a nice helping of my applesauce yesterday thinking how healthy I am being and patting myself on the back I look down to realize there are like 8 million carbs in this, really?  So look at food labels, you dont have to get all crazy and like keep count of everything, unless you want to, I dont. Aint nobody got time for that.

Also dont lie to yourself and think that you are magically going to be a diet guru.  You're not. Im not a diet guru. I generally have no idea what Im talking about, thus the research and my innate ability to make crap up. :)

So anyways the point of this blog post is to do research.  Figure out exactly what kind of diet you want to do, what foods you are willing to give up, what changes you are ACTUALLY going to make.  Then spend some time looking at your different options, different diet plans, meal plans, etc.  I always make a meal plan because then I might actually stick to it, plus it saves me from going to the store everyday when I get a new idea from pinterest. The other great thing about pinterest and Google is that you dont have to do much work, if you want a full diet plan with menu and grocery lists those exist, I just dont like being confined to that. So go forth into the world and conquer your diet plan!

Be a Conqueror!

Dear Fat, Please leave!

This will be a gripping tale of my tragic encounter with the scale at the Dr's office today, and my plan for sending that scale straight to hell!
Well, I am on day 3 of a super case of laryngitis, meaning I have absolutely no voice.  For me this is quite a situation as I love to talk, and laugh, and sing, and just be loud in general.  So im basically dying here, which is why I have been a blogging machine.  Due to the laryngitis situation I went to the Dr today in hopes of getting a nice shot that will quickly cure this and bring my voice back, no dice.  Apparently there is no way to fix laryngitis, just time. Major bummer.  Another major bummer encountered at the Dr's office today was the much hated scale, and today I hated it the most ever!




Something about getting married and getting an office job signals to your body that its time to get fat, so most people about my age start packing on the pounds.  Its easy to explain them away, or take less notice because really who am I trying to impress.  Well that stupid number on that stupid scale today was the straw that breaks the camels back, poor camel, his back really broke because my big butt was sitting on him. Bless it.  Anywho, its time for the fat to take leave and go find someone else to torment.  So now comes the part where I make a diet plan.  I cant really do strenuous cardio at the moment due to some back issues, so Pilates and Yoga is all I have as far as working out, and while theyre great they are not exactly the fat busters that I need, so once again I must rely on food to help me out!

The PLAN! I make diet plans all the time, its sticking with them that I am terrible at, luckily that scale was some serious motivation.  So what is the first thing I did, refer to pinterest of course!  My board, "One Day When I'm Healthy" typically provides me with some great ideas on where to start. I took a genetic test about a year ago that told me I am a carb reducer, no big deal I said im not a huge carb eater anyways. LIES LIES LIES, although I didnt realize I was lying, I also didnt realize that carbs are in EVERYTHING, like for real. So I tried to create a plan that is low carb but not icky. The one thing I have read is that for anyone on a low carb diet its good to eat protein, be creative about it though, dont just eat beef jerky and cheese all day.

Step One: Breakfast

I luckily already had it in my mind that I needed to get it together so while at the store buying Mucinex I also picked up a big batch of fresh fruit to make smoothie packs.  Smoothie packs are a pinterest idea where you put all your ingredients in a bag and freeze it, when ready just throw it in the blender.  UH YES PLEASE! I love easy, we are busy people and I am becoming less of a morning person the older I get.  (it probably also has to do with the fact I dont go to bed until after midnight thanks to Grant the night owl). Anywho these packs were super simple, just diced up the fruit, added a half cup or so of yogurt (I use vanilla Greek yogurt because I am a yogurt snob and dont want your watered down mess) and threw them in the freezer! In my meal plan I also included days where I would have boiled eggs and fruit or oatmeal.

Step Two: Lunch

UGH Lunch.  I hate thinking about this because it always takes planning.  Grant and I's typical morning involves some sort of rushing, throwing random leftovers or whatever might be in the fridge in a bag and calling that lunch.  If there is nothing in the fridge then we eat out.  And I wonder how I got fat. Anyways back to lunch.  Here are a few of the things I put down, spinach salad, tuna stuffed tomatoes, zucchini pizza bites (pinterest), and tilapia over spinach.  Its important to me for lunch to be filling, but not heavy because then its nap time.  In fact one day after a particularly heavy lunch I decided to rest my eyes for a few minutes, 20 min later I woke up to someone knocking on my office door and the pattern of my sweater imprinted on my forhead. Classy and very boss like of me. UGH.  Sooo a filling but light lunch is important, regardless of what diet you are on.

Snack Time

What, you're on a diet, you cant snack. WRONG! I am a snacker, that is by far my biggest down fall.  It is about learning how to snack and when to snack.  I typically go about 5-6 hours between lunch and dinner, and that is usually when I want a snack.  A snickers, a cookie, a cupcake, a bag of chips, anything delicious and fattening is my typical go to.  Well fat no more I say, time to change those snacking habits.  I planned a snack for each day and tried to coordinate fruit on the days that I didnt get fruit in my breakfast (oatmeal days).  Apple's are great for you, they give you energy, are full of anti-oxidants, and can be very filling, so those are a great snack option.  We also have access to a brand called Nutrilite, an organic vitamin and supplement company.  Nutrilite makes delicious, I mean seriously delicious, 100 calorie snack bars, so those are also on my list.  These are  actually really great because they come in several flavors like caramel cream, chocolate caramel, cranberry crunch, and fudgy brownie.  They satisfy my sweet tooth, really I have a mouthful of sweet teeth, its pretty ridiculous how much I love sugar. I also added trail mix to the snack list, nuts provide protein and energy, a winning combination!

Step Three: Supper Time

Thats right, I said supper, its a Texas thing, yall wouldnt understand! So dinner, dinner is a toughy for me.  You dont want to eat a super heavy dinner as typically you sit and so does your meal.  I run into the problem of being hungry again before bed.  As you remember from above my husband the night owl and I, the one who has no choice in being a night owl, stay up super late.  If we eat at 6 then by midnight im about to gnaw his arm off.  WHAT TO DO??  Well there are a couple of options.  I tried to plan dinners that will keep me full, but also its always good to have some healthy snack options around at night as well.  I wont lie, the dinners I have planned for this particular diet week are not very exciting.  Basically a meat and two veggies.  Pretty basic.  I always try to rotate chicken, beef, and fish so we dont get burnt out on anything.  I will say there is a quiche I am making that Grant and I discovered when doing a ten day cleanse before a cruise last year.  It has no crust (yay low carb) its just eggs, diced chicken, onions, shallots, asparagus, and dill.  Its legit, I actually make that rather frequently.

So, hopefully since I blogged this for the world to see I can actually stick to the diet plan and report back in a week on the progress.  Who knows I may invent some delicious new healthy recipe this week! Or I may eat my weight in cupcakes, its too soon to tell. :)

Cake, Cake, Cake, and more Cake!

Cake! I love cake. I know very few people who do not like cake, and I personally find those people weird. In my post collegiate boredom I began to experiment with hobbies. Having spent atleast 30 hours a week for the past five years studying, reading, writing, etc I had quite a bit of time to fill. I was working from home at the time and had to find something to do. I took up sewing, an art that my mom Jackie is amazing at. She made my wedding dress, shes that good. Unfortunately that gene was not passed on, I can handle the basics, but lack the patience and general know how to really make it a worthwhile hobby. I took up crocheting, something I picked up in junior high, something i still love to do. Unfortunately I dont have the attention span to do it for long. Then came cakes, and the story begins.

For my 12th birthday my step mom, Teresa, made me an awesome Winnie the Pooh cake. (dont judge Winnie the Pooh is legit)She used one of the character cake pans and star tipped individually stars in icing on the whole cake, which for those of you who dont know, that takes a while to do. It was then that I had my first experience with caking, so when one of my best friends was planning her son, Elijah's, first birthday I volunteered to make the cake. A bigger undertaking than I ever realized. This birthday party was set to have 70 people in attendance, a rather large group for a 1 year old's birthday. So the planning began, it was to be a sports themed party so we chose to make a large football cake. Afraid that the cake wouldnt be enough I put the football on a large sheet cake making a field and then made 2 dozen sports themed cupcakes.

It took me nearly 14 hours to make the cake, baking, cooling, and decorating. For a first try I would say it turned out pretty successful. Successful enough that when I brought it into the party my friend Nana started to cry at how happy she was for this cake for her son's birthday. So it began, my obsession with caking.
Along the way I have done dozens of cakes, all different shapes and sizes. The best part is that with each cake I learn a new technique, which I will blog on individually. I have learned to cut down the time it takes to make the cakes, how to make them taste better, and how to make them look beautiful.
Here are pics of some of the cakes I have done along the way!

Here is a Jungle Cake I made for Elijah's 2nd birthday!

Here is a super hero cake I made for my baby love's 5th birthday!
















Here is a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Cake I made for a friends kids birthday!

And here is my favorite, my first ever wedding cake! It turned out more beautiful than I could have imagined. I was so blessed to be able to contribute to Ryan and Donnell's big day!

Jaipur: the search for the best Indian food is over!

One of the things I love about living in a place as culturally diverse as Northern Virginia is the plethora of ethnic food. If you would have told me five years ago that I would frequently crave Indian food I would have laughed, having never tried it I had no idea what I was missing. I remember the first experience I had with Indian food, I was nervous that I wouldn't like it, curry didn't sound all that appealing. Looking though the menu of a restaurant in Shirlington I came across a dish called Buttered Chicken. If you know me the you know my deep obsessive love of butter, so I was quickly sold. Buttered chicken is a fantastic beginner dish for those weary of Indian cuisine. From the moment it touched my lips I knew that this would become an addiction, and it has.
As Grant and I were deciding what to eat for dinner to tonight the craving for this dish took hold of me and wouldn't let go. My husband is a researcher of food and his ability to find amazing food is uncanny. That is how we ended up at a place called Jaipur. The moment we walked in there was no doubt this was an authentic Indian restaurant. With their beautiful decor and pink theme symbolizing Jaipur, the pink city, it was elegant and classy. The bar was beautiful with a wide collection of wines displayed along the walls. A beautiful restaurant to enjoy a meal with family and friends or with a significant other.

Once the food was brought out our inner foodies kicked in and it was on. As I have mentioned Grant and I love to eat, eating great food makes it that much better. The second the buttered chicken touched my lips it was like a drug addict finally getting their fix. The complex rich flavors awakened my senses. The smell was phenomenal, not to strong as some would say of Indian food. The flavor was rich and creamy, but not overwhelming. The chicken was perfectly tender and fell apart as soon as the fork touched it. Couple that with the Naan and Roti and it was a meal that wont soon be forgotten.

Grant ordered the Lamb Rogan Josh. A different flavor from the buttered chicken, but equally delicious. It, too, has a richness to it. The lamb was tender and succulent, combined with the many spices used in the sauce, the basmati rice, and this was a dish to love.

We topped the amazing meal off with 3 scoops of ice cream, mango, rose, and pistachio. We were both somewhat weary of the rose flavor, but it turned out to be amazing. With the flavors of the aroma of a rose petal and the sweetness of an ice cream it was smooth and delicious. The pistachio was my favorite, as I have a love for pistachio flavored things. It too was smooth and creamy and you could tell it was made with real pistachios.
The entire meal was a beautiful experience that made us very happy we went there. It is definitely a place I would recommend and that we will now frequent. The leftovers was just as delicious as the first round. If you have not tried Indian food I definitely recommend it, dont be afraid of try something new and different, you may be surprised at what you find!

The real life adventures of a real life foodie!

Hi! Im Abby, welcome to my blog about my favorite thing, food. :) I have tried to write several blogs throughout the years, a dream blog, a life blog, none of them really stuck, which is why I have decided to write about what I love and what I know, food. From cooking it to eating it I love all things food, spoken like a true fat kid. I was raised in the south where food solves all problems. If you suffer a break up you eat a pan of moms homemade potato dough cinnamon rolls. You get in a fight with your sisters and you sit down over a bowl of homemade butterfinger ice cream to settle it. Times of sorrow and pain or times of happiness and ecstasy food is always the constant, the great uniter. Atleast in my world it is.

I was blessed to be raised by two amazing moms, my real mom Jackie and my step-mom Teresa. Both are amazing women who taught me everything I know, and both are luckily AMAZING cooks. To this day I cook left handed thanks to Jackie, even though im actually right handed. She taught me the basics. Teresa taught me the art of cake decorating, along with much more, a skill I have honed and been able to create some beautiful cakes.

Another major food influence in my life has been my amazingly wonderful husband. I have been absolutely blessed to be married to Grant for over 3 years now. One thing about Grant is he is CRAZY! I mean that in the best way possible, he will eat almost anything as long as it doesnt have olives or yellow mustard. He is the epitome of a foodie, and through him I have been introduced to some very interesting cuisine. From my first experience with Pho, a delicious Vietnamese noodle soup, to a terrible experience with fried pigs ears, Grant has been my guide.

This blog will chronicle my life as I experience it through food, from things I cook to things I eat. The most memorable moments I have involve family and friends gathered for a meal, and I seek to live my life through these moments of peace and happiness with my loved ones as we enjoy a communal mean together. So enjoy and dont read this blog while hungry! :)

Abby SmithFoodie