October!
I have two things on my mind this morning. One, I can’t believe it’s October already, and two, holy cow I start my new job tomorrow. I absolutely love the month of October not only because it’s my birthday month, but also because it’s just plain awesome. Halloween, pumpkins, apple cider, and candy are just a few reasons why I love it so much. We have yet to make our Halloween plans or come up with any costume ideas. We’re really bad at thinking of good couple costumes so we always end up being something unexciting. Do you guys have any good suggestions? No cave men please…. 
Here’s some snaps of our costumes from years past…
Left: Halloween 2010. We were a business man and his secretary.
Right: Halloween 2011. We were a bunny and a cowboy, super lame!
Tomorrow is the first day of my new job in the city and I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited to go to work. Doing something that sounds like fun will be a nice change of pace for me when it comes to my career. Michael and I had an amazing celebratory dinner last night at Marlowe, I mean seriously fantastic.
Michael and I on the Caltrain heading to Marlowe.
Left: Toasted Pistachios with bourbon, maple, and smoked salt. These were good but really rich.
Right: Crispy Brussels Sprout Chips with lemon and sea salt. These were delicious! I’m totally going to try and re-create these at home, just awesome!
Anson Mills Polenta with wild mushrooms, parmesan and poached farm egg.
A while ago I wrote about my Paleo Kryptonite, aka marshmallow fluff mixed with cream cheese. Well… I’m changing my mind, and am now sure that polenta has a stronger kryptonic effect (food w/no brakes!). Anytime I see polenta on a menu, I have to order it. Love that stuff!
Left: Smokey Baked Cauliflower with aged provolone & smoked cheddar. Yum!
Right: Certified Angus New York Steak Frites with red wine – porcini jus. The steak was a little over done, but still good.
As you can see, we really enjoyed our night out. If you live in the Bay area I highly recommend checking out Marlowe. Moving onto our food for the week ahead, not as fancy as above, but still delicious…
Sunday
B: Pancakes and Bacon
L: Leftovers / Wing it
D: Sauteed White Fish with Roasted Broccoli and Butternut Squash Latkes
Monday
L: Out
D: Kalua Pig with Side Salads and Pureed Cauliflower
Tuesday
L: Leftover Kalua Pig
D: BLATT Salads (A = Avocado)
Wednesday
L: Leftover BLATT Salad
D: Beef w/Broccoli and Cauliflower Fried Rice
Thursday
L: Leftover Beef w/Broccoli
D: Fried Pork Chops with Roasted Green Beans and Side Salads
Friday
L: Leftovers / Wing it
D: Coconut Lime Shrimp with Sautéed Broccoli Slaw
Saturday
B: Pumpkin Pancakes with Sausage
L: Leftovers / Wing it
D: Out – Date Night!
I’m Awake
It’s amazing how much more awake I feel in the morning when Michael and I exercise. The ride to work is where I really notice the difference. Chatting with Michael, planning my day, thinking about what I’ll do when I get to work are all things I don’t do when I’m running on coffee alone. I don’t think I’ve ever made it to the stage where I actually WANT to work out, but I might be getting close. I’ll be able to do real push-ups (no knees required) in no time!
On a food note, we made a white fish recipe for dinner the other night that turned out pretty well. Here’s the recipe:
Haddock in a White Wine Sauce
1 lb. Haddock filets (or fish of your choice)
3 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup white wine
1 tbsp. crushed garlic
1 tsp. dried tarragon
1 tbsp. dried parsley
1/4 cup diced onion
Juice from half a lemon
Salt & Pepper to taste
Salt and pepper the fish filets and sit aside. In a medium sized skillet, heat the butter until bubbling. Add the fish and sear on both sides. Remove the fish from the pan and add the garlic, onion, and spices. Cook for a few minutes and then add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and add the fish back to the pan. Cook for a few minutes more, just until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve and enjoy!
I’d order this at a restaurant…
Tonight we had a cooking breakthrough, I made fish and it didn’t taste horrible! In fact, we both agreed, we’d order our dinner in a restaurant and be quite content with what the waiter brought to the table. I always have high hopes when I plan on making fish but then it always turns out….not yummy. This recipe is the exception, it just proves that butter makes everything better!
Dinner tonight was Sautéed flounder served on a bed of asparagus and mushrooms, topped off with a Dijon mayo drizzle…. (Sounds kind of menu like, right?)
Sautéed White Fish
White fish of your choice (We did flounder)
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp. grass fed salted butter
Sprinkle of Garlic Powder
Sprinkle Old Bay Seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste
In a skillet heat up the butter until it starts to bubble. Add the onion and cook until soft. While the butter and onion are cooking, pat the fish dry and sprinkle with seasoning. Add the fish to the hot butter and cook for 2 minutes on each side.
Asparagus & Mushrooms
1 bundle of asparagus
1 small package of mushrooms
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp. grass fed butter
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Salt & Pepper to taste
In a skillet heat up the butter until it starts to bubble. Add the garlic and let simmer for a minute. Add the rest of the ingredients and sauté until the desired tenderness is reached with the asparagus.
The Dijon mayo drizzle is a recipe by the Food Lover’s and can be found here. We added a bit more lemon juice for a thinner sauce. Serve the fish on a serving of asparagus, drizzled with the dijon sauce. Enjoy!
