After I went out to exercise, which consisted of some jogging and walking, I got home and tried to figure out this week’s food consumption for the week. Planning ahead always helps, and saves money too. We’ve been pretty lazy lately and went out to eat a lot last week, so I wanted to cook more this week. For some reason, I stumbled upon sushi recipes online and was intrigued enough to try doing it myself. Sushi isn’t cheap and after my stint of DIY sushi, I totally understand why.

Sushi requires a special rice, which is stickier than regular white rice. I also learned that you have to add flavor to the rice using a sugar/rice vinegar combination, and that I need more practice rolling sushi, but for a beginner, the end result wasn’t too shabby.

Ingredients I Used:
Sushi Rice
Rice Vinegar
Sugar
Sushi seaweed
1/2 a cucumber
1 small avocado
2-3 pieces of imitation crab

How I Made It:
Depending on the type of sushi rice you get, you probably should follow their instructions. I used 2 cups of sushi rice, washed it and added 2 1/4 cups of water and mixed it on high heat until it boiled. Then I covered the pot with the lid and reduced the heat to low and let it cook for about 25 minutes. After that, I took it off the heat and let the rice cool still with the lid on.

To make the sushi rice seasoning, I used 6 tablespoons of rice vinegar and 5 tablespoons of sugar in a small pan and let the sugar dissolve in the vinegar. Once dissolved I then put the seasoning into a small boil to cool off. Once cooled off, I put mixed the seasoning into the rice. I set the rice aside and began to cut the veggies.

I cut the cucumber into skinny strips, as well as the avocado. The imitation crab is already in strips but I cut them in half, lengthwise. That’s all I cut as far as the sushi ‘filling.’

Then, using my bamboo placemat, which emulates those sushi rollers that sushi chefs used, wrapped in plastic wrap, I placed the seaweed on top and put the rice on top of it, covering all the seaweed. Then, I added the filling at the end (the end right in front of me) and began rolling. I realized that I really should have rolled as tight as possible, otherwise, it results in falling apart rice and sushi filling. I learned this in the first round. The second round of trying to make a roll was better, but the third was probably the best, I guess because I learned from my mistakes!

Once the roll was made, I cut through it, making little sushi pieces.  I also decided to add some sesame seeds on top just because I love them.

End Result:

Yay!  By the way, this is the best wasabi in a tube I’ve ever had with Soy Sauce!

And here is me, proud of my attempt of sushi and being silly.  It was a pigtail type of day.

I think with more practice I can make my own sushi, and try making other sushi favorites of mine such as salmon skin rolls and dragon rolls!  Ever try to DIY sushi?

If you’re a fan of pumpkin spiced anything, like me, then you’ll probably love Jamba Juice’s Pumpkin Smash.  I absolutely love fall because pumpkin is all in season and even though I live in South Florida, where it doesn’t feel like fall at all, pumpkin makes it for me!  The Pumpkin Smash smoothie is made up of a combination of pumpkin puree, vanilla frozen yogurt, soy milk, ice, and maybe nutmeg. It’s definitely like slurping a pumpkin pie, without the crust. It’s one of those limited time flavors, so I’d try it before it goes away!

Look how yummy that looks!

And if you’re feeling DIY, then try out this recipe from Serious Eats.

Tomorrow’s Glen’s birthday, but since his birthday is on a work day, we thought it would be nice to celebrate today.  Sundays are usually when football is on, and sometimes I watch, but mostly I think about what I should cook, or bake.  I had planned to make a cake for him, and I even asked him what kind of cake he wanted, and he wanted a chocolate cake with strawberries.  So I went and looked for a chocolate cake recipe with chocolate frosting.  I found a recipe I figured I couldn’t go wrong with, since Hershey’s is pretty much the ultimate when it comes to chocolate, right??  And following it to the tee, I now understand why this cake is called “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate cake!

I also got to use my Kitchenaid stand mixer that I got for my birthday for the first time, and I was pretty excited about it.  I was so mesmerized that I didn’t have to hand stir I made a short video on my iPhone.

Here was the end result:

For someone who’s never made cake from scratch (and mostly using those ready made boxes by Pillsbury) it was pretty easy.  I realized I need more cake tools such as a cake cutter and one of those cake stands with the cover.  And I’m sure you’re probably wondering what the gibberish on the cake is, well, all couples have their inside jokes, right?  Even made up words only they can understand.  Hahaha.

And here’s Glen blowing out the candles!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! <3

Glen’s parents and brother came by and brought dinner from Smokey Bones BBQ, a barbecue place nearby.  I swear, this weekend was really all about FOOD.  Just how I like it. 

Yesterday was a day filled with good food and inspiration!  All week I was looking forward to checking out the WPB Greenmarket, which showcases local food, locally grown produce and even other local businesses every Saturday from 8am-1pm.  Thankfully, we were able to go around the entire greenmarket before it started raining. With only $40 in cash, I decided to see what I could get.

Glen and I checked out the cider donuts stand, which had a pretty good crowd.  We ended up getting the ‘Walk Around Cone’ for $5.

I also found a stand with Fresh Sugar Cane juice.  I absolutely LOVE this stuff, and think its so cool how they just put the sugar cane through the machine. I got the drink for $3.  Awesome!

And honestly, that was all I got.  I wasn’t sure what else to get, and now that I know what they have there, I know what to expect.

For dinner, I took Glen to this place called Rustic Inn (for his early birthday dinner), which is known for their Garlic Flavored Blue Crabs.  This place isn’t fancy or anything, and you really need to be prepared to get messy if you order crabs.  Seriously.  You may think the bib they put around your neck is silly, but it’s definitely needed.  Glen and I both got the Garlic Crabs and you are literally eating with your hands, with garlic butter dripping down your arms. The crabs were so good though, and definitely worth the messiness.

We also got Conch Fritters, which was absolutely delish!  I definitely felt extremely full after about an hour of crab eating.  I couldn’t even finish my bowl and ended up taking the leftovers home.

Such a good day of food!  I love the weekend!

So I bought candy corn last night at Target, while shopping for other things, and I think I just made the mistake of bringing the bag with me to work!

Which one doesn’t belong? (please excuse the quality of the pictures lately, I am STILL waiting for my memory card reader!)

What’s your favorite Halloween candy?

Did you know that it is environmentally friendly to buy produce that is locally grown?  Why?  In-season fruits and veggies are more environmentally friendly because they aren’t normally transported thousands of miles.  Being transported thousands of miles result in air pollution, causing people to get sick from it.  I honestly didn’t know that until I read it in an email newsletter I subscribe to.  Anyway, I think it makes a lot of sense to buy locally.  It benefits the environment and since everyone is on a budget lately, why not enjoy fresh in season produce?  I figure you can create meals around them and it works out.  For me, anyway, I think it’s a great opportunity to try different kinds of fruits and veggies I wouldn’t normally try. 

There is a great website that lets you see what produce is in season in your area, at a certain time of the year.  In Florida (where I reside), the following is freshest and in season:

• Asian Pears
• Atemoya
• Avocado
• Bananas
• Carambola
• Eggplant
• Endive
• Escarole
• Grapefruit
• Guava
• Limes
• Mushrooms
• Okra
• Onions
• Oranges
• Papaya
• Passion Fruit
• Peppers
• Radishes
• Squash
• Sweet Corn
• Tangelos
• Tangerines
• Tomatoes

LocalHarvest.org is also a great website that lets you find local markets in your area.  I think I’ve become a fan of farmers markets, and plan to check out one this weekend!

I love blue tortilla chips, and I found out they’re actually healthier than the normal tortilla chips.  Blue corn is about 30 percent higher than regular corn in lysine, an essential amino acid that helps our bodies build protein.  The tortilla chips I bought are made of organic blue corn, no preservatives and artificial flavor.  It’s great with either guacamole or salsa.  It’s a great snack to eat while watching the many football games going on during Sunday football day. 

You can find Blue Tortilla chips pretty much at any grocery store.  Brands include Garden of Eatin’, Tostitos and even store brands like Publix Greenwise.

I love fall, and today was just a beautiful, cool, fall day.  Actually, today is probably the only day that the weather will hold up this way, as a cold front has hit the east coast, but something is definitely better than nothing!  I had to take advantage of the day and go for a run at the nearby park.  I discovered a fit trail which is pretty cool.  A fit trail is pretty much a trail where you can walk or run and along the trail there are exercise stations.

Afterwards, I went to get groceries for the week and I had been craving pumpkin pie.  I found this recipe online from VeryBestBaking.com and found that the only can of pumpkin they sell is Libby’s which was convenient, since the recipe is straight from there!  This is probably the easiest pumpkin pie to put together, not to mention really good.  This is going to be the only pumpkin pie recipe I’ll probably ever make!

Ingredients I Used:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
• Whipped cream (optional)

How I Made It:
I put together the sugar, ground cinnamon, salt, ground ginger and ground cloves together in a small bowl – the “dry ingredients.”  Let me just say that ground ginger is really potent!  Wow.  Then I beat 2 eggs in a large bowl and added the “dry ingredients.”  I then added the can of pumpkin and mixed all of that together.  Gradually, I added the evaporated milk.  Mix that well, and pour the mix into a deep dish pie shell.  I actually had a lot of mix extra that I ended up saving, and put that in a container in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and when ready, place the pie in the oven for 15 minutes.  Then, lower the oven to 350 degrees and bake for about 40-45 minutes.  You’ll know when the pie is “done” when you can place a knife into the pie and none of the pumpkin mix sticks to the knife.  Once done, place it on a cooling rack for about 2 hours.  That, is really it!  Super easy.

End Result:

Unfortunately, my digital camera card reader is busted so I had to use my iPhone to take the picture.  Better than nothing, I guess!  Add a dollop of whipped cream for even more yumminess! 

It’s been a while since my last post, but I had to take a little break to enjoy my birthday, which was last Friday.  Getting older is not the funnest thing, but I’ll take it.  There is definitely a lot to look forward to in the days ahead and I’m thankful to have been able to spend my birthday with my loved ones.

Yesterday, I decided to drink a cup of coffee, and this is kind of rare since I kind of quit, and switched to tea, but I needed the caffeine to spend the day working on wedding invitations.  So to add a little kick to our normal blend, I added some cinnamon powder and it definitely made the coffee taste lovely and a bit sophisticated!  All I really did was add some cinnamon powder to the coffee in the filter and pressed ‘brew.’  This is definitely a different spin on coffee for me and I’ll probably do this when I feel like I need coffee, like on this Monday morning.

Have a good day everyone!

For some odd reason, I was craving hot dogs today.  I used to live in NYC and you really couldn’t go wrong with a $2 hot dog, which you could pretty much find on any NYC street corner, and they were quite tasty!  Since NYC is now far far away, I had to settle with just buying some hot dogs at the grocery store with buns, but then my fiance, Glen suggested we make chili cheese hot dogs with chopped onion.  Definitely made the hot dog a bit more, sophisticated than your plain dog.

Ingredients I Used:

• 4 Beef Jumbo Hot Dogs
• 1 Can of Hormel Chili with Beans
• Chopped Onion
• Shredded Cheese
• Hot Dog Buns

This is considered a pretty budget friendly meal, since everything above cost under $10 altogether!

How I Made It:
First, I boiled the 4 beef hot dogs in water for about 10-15 minutes. Then, in another small pot, I heat up the chili, and while that was heating up, I chopped half of an onion, toasted hot dog buns and that was it. Brought the hot dogs, chili, chopped onions altogether, with cheese on top and done!

End Result:

This is a totally simple recipe which just consists of boiling, cutting and putting ingredients together… so it really didn’t take a long time, and all that food definitely gets you full fast! We both had 2 hot dogs each and I got only 1 and 1/2 eaten. LOL.

I also made some oven fries as a side, but by the time they were done, I was too full to eat them… I guess I can save them for lunch tomorrow!