Feast, Family, Friskee

I probably would be putting this together later tonight, but the storms have rolled in and it is pitch black outside (not a good sign). So, let the blogging commence. Earlier today it was super hot and muggy and I took my dog, Lacey, on a walk to my favorite place. She loves it, I love it. Win. Win. See how happy she is!?

So tonight was the family barbeque. All three of my brothers and I were at my parent's house plus one of my brother's girlfriend. My sister had to work! Boo!
So, while my parent's started getting dinner together and firing up the grill, the "kids" played a game of Friskee. What is Friskee you ask? Allow me to explain.
Friskee is usually a sport played with a frisbee, two gates and two teams. However, the version we played was invented by college students and is pretty fun.

Here's how to play:
Friskee
Equipment:
You need two ski poles, two empty beer/root beer bottles and a frisbee.
How to Play:
1. You will need to stick two ski poles straight into the grass. Distance them about 30 feet.
2. Then, balance the empty beer bottle on top of each ski pole. You will need to make sure the ski pole has a pretty nice size handle to balance the bottles.
3. Each team of two will stand at opposite ends of the ski poles.
4. Each team member must hold a beverage of any kind in their non-throwing hand during the entire game. Trust me, it makes the game so much more fun!
Object of the Game:
Each team member takes a turn to try and knock the empty bottle off of the ski pole with the frisbee. For example, team one, one member would go. Then, team two, one of their members would go and then back to team one. Every time a team member knocks down the beer bottle they earn 1 point. However, if the empty bottle is knocked down by the opposing team and the defending team catches the falling bottle with their one open hand, they earn 2 points. First team to 20 points wins!

This game is so much fun! It gets tricky too, because you only have one free hand to throw the frisbee and try and catch the falling bottle if it is hit. Give it a try!
Okay, so back to what we had for dinner. While the fabulous game of friskee was going on in the backyard, dinner was coming together. Dinner consisted of homemade fries, fresh fruit salad, jalapeno cheddar bbq bacon burgers and Wickles!

The fries were Idaho potatoes cut into about 1/4 inch length. They were then marinated in a water/vinegar bath in a big bowl. This makes the fries extra crispy. After they marinated for about 10 minutes, they were dried completely. They were then submerged into a cast iron skillet filled with vegetable oil on high heat. Fry them about for about 10 minutes and delicious! Super crispy. The jalapeno cheddar burgers were from Whole Foods, already pre-made and packaged. They were incredible! Not spicy at all, just a little hint of the jalapeno. Served on top of the burger was a slice of cheddar cheese, fresh bacon and a drizzle of bbq sauce. We also had a side of fruit salad with pineapple, blueberries and strawberries, along with a side of incredible sweet and tangy Wickles!

My eyes were bigger than my stomach, I could barely finish any of this! But what a great way to end Memorial Day Weekend with an incredible feast, family and game of friskee!

Let the Weekend Continue!

Another beautiful day this Memorial Day Weekend! I know I had mentioned that everything is in full bloom, I mean look at this basil. It is gorgeous. The basil leaves are thriving in this weather.

I took notice to how beautiful the basil was while I was mowing the lawn. Call me crazy, but I LOVE mowing the lawn. Put on your Ipod, get some sun, sweat and exercise!
Tonight for dinner we had Fish Tacos. I absolutely love Fish Tacos. I believe they taste the best with Fresh Halibut right off the grill. I love halibut because it is such a tender fish that has almost no fish scent to it. If someone didn't know it, they would think they were eating chicken! Fresh fish from Whole Foods is awesome, because it is actually fresh fish.

My halibut fish taco was layered with watercress, cilantro, fresh tomato salsa, guacamole, chipolte sauce, lime creme fraiche and a sprinkle of cheese. Look at how tasty it is! And oh, was it tasty. I love the bitter taste of watercress and the fresh taste of cilantro together. Who needs lettuce when you have watercress and cilantro!


Served with a fresh lime margarita! Perfect.

My uncle told me this great quote today and he said, "Surround yourself with people who believe in you". I love it, and of course believe in it :)

Bring Out Those Grills!

I love Memorial Weekend. Even though I am sure plenty of people have already used their grills, Memorial Day Weekend is the official "bring out the grill and slap some meat on it" weekend.

This is also the time of the year when everything is starting to come into full bloom, which I absolutely love. Look at these roses! Literally, last week they were just budding and now they are just breathtaking. Did you see that full moon last night?! So eerie, yet so incredible.

So as I was saying, grilling has officially started. So to follow suit, tonight we had a wonderful grilled flank steak. The best meat comes from Whole Foods. This is the honest truth. We also popped some corn on the grill too. Shuck the corn so you leave just a few pieces of the outer layer and it really grills it perfect.

Accompanied with some fresh fruit salad that included pineapple, grapes, strawberries and blueberries. It is so close to the perfect time of the year for fresh fruit and I can totally tell because NONE of the fruit had a bitter taste at all. Just a fresh, clean and sweet flavor.


And finally, something I am so excited to share...Wickles. Oh yes, wickles. I am one that does not usually crave a pickle or really get into pickles, but these are amazing. I actually hate sweet pickles but these are semi-sweet. I really loved the flavor. Wickles are flavored with dill, garlic, and a little bit of sweetness. Check out their website, www.wickles.com, they also have wickles okra, wickles relish and quite a few other products that I am sure are just as awesome.

Go to Snack After Workout

After an afternoon run I love to drink one of these Vitamin Water Zero. My personal choice today was the Rise. Great orange flavor packed with plenty of Vitamin C.

As you can see, I already drank half, I just could not wait to gulp the sucker down. The drink also has Vitamin B3, B5, B6 and B12. It's got some Vitamin E & A and your ever so important electrolytes.

I also love to snack on a Clif Bar. My personal new favorite is the Chocolate Brownie Clif Bar. The chocolate flavor is incredible and I feel so satisfied after I eat one of these.

Yard Work Deserves a Margarita Reward

I had the best Sunday. I took my dog, Lacey on a great walk to this place near my house, that is a beautiful lake surrounded by a pretty cool path.

I took her this morning for about an hour and then upon my return home, began mulching and weeding. I had so much fun mulching and weeding. Seriously, I am not kidding. Just sitting in the sun in the great weather, it was a blast. Getting my hands all dirty in the organic compost was liberating. I loved it.
Lacey loved it too, she got to be outside all day!

So mulching and weeding took all day, and I have the sunburn to prove it. For dinner I had a great Greek Salad that had lettuce, feta cheese, onion, tomato and a nice light Greek dressing. Dinner was accompanied by a fabulous Prickly Pear Margarita. You must reward yourself after a hard day doing yard work, right?

The Prickly Pear Margarita is so simple to make because my mom found this fabulous mix from Sur La Table, called Prickly Pear & Raspberry Margarita Mix. It is all natural and no preservatives. I usually do not like pre-mixed juices, but it was really good.

All you needed was some Silver Patron Tequila...

Mix it up, serve it over ice, garnish with a lime and PICTURE PERFECT (and taste perfection)

Night on the Town

So tonight, I went out to dinner with my fab parents to Molinari's Restaurant in Mentor, Ohio (www.molinaris.com).

First up, I needed a drink. You know, long week, something that just really works. I ordered the Cleveland Cosmopolitan.





The Cleveland Cosmopolitan included Belvedere Cytrus, Grand Marnier, cranberry & lime juices served with an orange slice.

The cocktail was pretty tasty, I must say. As you can see, no orange slice, but a cherry resting at the bottom of my glass. The appetizer they served us, MultiGrain Crackers with White Bean Dip, was quite tasty. The texture of the bean dip was smooth and creamy but still had the crunch of the white beans. Very tasty.



So a few great appetizers and salads later, we decided to get an after dinner drink. We decided to stop at Cheesecake Factory for an after dinner cocktail. Okay, I know you are thinking, Cheesecake Factory just for a cocktail!? I may be called crazy, but one of my all time favorite drinks is at the Cheesecake Factory...the Strawberry Martini.



Divine. The drink is made with Fresh Strawberries, Pearl Vodka and they are Handcrafted Per Order. It is served with a strawberry, which I cut up into four pieces, drop it my drink, and let the cocktail marinate into the fruit. Serves as the perfect finish to the perfect cocktail!

My Guilty Obsession

Chocolate. I love it...I yearn for it...apparently I think I need it. No, I know I need it (hehe). I came across these great raw natural food bars, LARABAR. I love this product because each and every product has only 2 to 8 ingredients. LARABAR has a flavored bar, Cocoa Mole, that is amazing. The ingredients include dates, almonds, walnuts, unsweetened cocoa powder, cinammon and chili. The flavor combination and my desire for chocolate, make this one satisfying bar. The plus side...it is good for me! You seriously CAN'T beat that!

How do you Start your Day?

Breakfast!! That is my answer. I have been on an oatmeal kick for awhile now, but was craving a change of pace, so I had one of Amy's Organic Apple Tarts.
Amazing I tell you! And the best part....it kept me very satisfied,that I even ate lunch later than usual. It was a great breakfast that gave me energy and left me satisfied. This option sure beats a Pop Tart!

Cascadian Farm Giveaway!

Great news...I came across a great giveaway from the blogger, Iowa Girl Eats.

You have 3 chances to win a package from Cascadian Farm, by Monday, 5/17 @ 5pm central (contest open to US residents only).

Hurry up and check out her great giveaway at iowagirleats.com!

Broccoli with a Little Kick

I really do love broccoli, but it is always nice to kick up the veggie a little bit, isn't it?!

So tonight for dinner, I added a little something extra to make the broccoli really taste great.

I steam my broccoli because I love the texture it turns the vegetable into.

Broccoli with Balsamic Vinagrette and Parmesan

Serves 2

Ingredients:

3 tbs. of olive oil
1 tbs. of balsamic vinagrette
1 tbs. of parmesan cheese grated
salt
pepper

Directions:

Steam broccoli for about 10 minutes. Once ready, mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinagrette, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk together until a consistent form. Drizzle over the top of the broccoli. Then, sprinkle the broccoli with the parmesan cheese and a final dash of pepper.

Food Should Taste Good..right?!

I had the best Saturday! My boyfriend and I have decided that learning golf is something we really want to do. So, we scheduled a golf lesson today that was only supposed to be one hour and turned into 2 1/2 hours!! After that, we played 9 holes.
Let me tell you, after one golf lesson, I already feel like a pro! (hehe)

Obviously golfing can leave you hungry so I brought some snacks for us to munch on during our long day of golf. One of our snacks included, Food Should Taste Good, Sweet Potato Chips. Omg, they are so tasty! The man piece loved them too. They are actually tortilla chips made with sweet potato. They were super crispy and satisfying. I highly recommend!