Quinoa Quest: Backyard Quinoa Bowl

Warm Quinoa, Almond Milk, Fresh berries, walnuts... Great way to start your day, pre-Pilates or post-Pilates treat!  See the facts.


Check out my other Quinoa Quest Treats and my pilates studio, Fit Buddha!

Breakfast Time for Dinner

Who doesn’t like breakfast for dinner? I mean breakfast is full of sweet and savory treats, BACON, casseroles, and just delicious comfort food.  And the only thing better than breakfast for dinner is someone else cooking you breakfast for dinner!   

Recently Scott and Jessica had us and a few friends over to their house for a delicious brunch buffet at dinner time.  I don’t care what time it is, I would be more than happy to have that meal again and again!  Sorry guys, you are signed up for the next brunch event!  

 

We all made sure to show up dressed to impress in our fanciest PJs!  It totally made the night, and PJs were definitely the right idea for multiple reasons.  1. The elastic waist band. 2. No need to unzip after I ate too much. 3. We were ready to roll right into bed after being put into a food coma from all the amazing food.   

So Scott is Mr. Homemaker, he is the cook under that roof and makes sure everything is just right.  I mean, look at the flowers; they match the biscuit napkin, now that is some planning!  Oh and yes, the watermelon fruit bowl, he carved it himself. 

So here is what we had: 

Fruit Salad

Biscuits and Gravy

 

 

 

 Hashbrown Casserole

 Sausage and Egg Casserole

 Someday when Scott releases the recipes from his family vault I will share them with all of you. 

Quinoa Quest: Fried 'Quinoa' Rice

Ok, I have not been a huge fan of Quinoa, but the nutritional facts have me on a quest to make this not so favorite complex carbohydrate a regular in my meals.

First try, Fried 'Quinoa' Rice!

Fried 'Quinoa' Rice
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 tablespoon olive oil
Soy sauce
2 eggs
Garlic Salt
Pepper

Optional:
Cooked Protein (chicken, steak, shrimp)
Cooked Veggies (zucchini, peppers, onions, peas, carrots, corn)
Nuts (Cashews, peanuts)

1. Heat olive oil in a pan.

2. Add the 2 cups cook quinoa to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes moving the quinoa around.

3. Create a crater in the pan with the quinoa.

4. Crack the 2 eggs in the middle, scramble and cook.

5. Once the egg is fully cooked, top with soy sauce, garlic salt, and pepper to taste.

6. Stir in any of the optional ingredients. 

My favorite combination is chicken, zucchini, and peanut fried 'quinoa' rice. 

What is your favorite combination?

The Marquee...Drinks, Apps, and Friends!

The Marquee has become our new favorite place to get drinks and appetizers before a night out or going to dinner! I guess we are growing up... Hanging out by the theater! They have great drinks, simple and delicious appetizers, and the perfect atmosphere!

Drinks:

42nd Street: The boys' favorite, which they quickly pour into a cup on ice to have a more "manly" feel!

Makers Mark Bourbon Manhattan, garnished w/ brandied cherry

The Antagonist & Marquita

Chili-infused Absolut Vodka, white peach puree, mixed berry puree & pineapple juice

Sauza Hornitos Tequila, Licor 43, pineapple juice & fresh lime juice

Eats:

Artisan Cheese Plate

Ham & Cheese Panini

Charcuterie Board

Kyndal & I

Andrew & Jack

Sarah's Southwest Stuffed Chicken

A few weeks ago while wondering the isles at Trader Joe's I stumbled upon Trader Joe's Southwest Stuffed Chicken.  It looked amazing and I knew this was going to be a winner on a busy night.  And it was...after devouring the Chicken Breast stuffed with a pepper and cheese and topped with enchilada sauce, chips, olives, and more cheese, I thought to myself, I want to try to make this on my own.  Yes, I took something that was quick and easy and made it hard, but I love to cook, so I would say I made it fun!

This was going to be our next dish for our weekly dinners.  I hate being stressed out with company over, so I did all the prep the night before.  The chicken was almost ready to be put in the oven, I just had to add the final toppings.


Sarah's Southwest Stuffed Chicken 
Inspired by Trader Joe's Southwest Stuffed Chicken
Servings - 9 Stuffed Chicken Breast

Ingredients:
9 chicken breast
9 whole green chiles (canned)
8 oz. Pepper Jack cheese
4 oz. cheddar cheese
tortilla chips
sliced olives
enchilada sauce (large container, you may not use all)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

1. Mix shredded pepper jack cheese, Greek yogurt, cream cheese, garlic, cumin in a bowl.
 

2. Slice the chicken breast in half.

3. Drain, dry, open and lay the chile peppers flat.  Too much liquid will make it hard to work with.

4. Stuff the chicken.  Open the breast, place a flat pepper inside, add a spoonful of the cheese mixture, and then secure the breast closed with tooth picks.

5. Top with enchilada sauce and shredded cheddar cheese.  Refrigerate.

6. An hour before dinner: Set the oven to 350 degrees and remove the chicken from the refrigerator.

7. Crush the chips into small pieces, drain the olives and top the chicken.  Spoon some additional enchilada sauce on top.  Place into the oven.

8. Place into the oven and cook for about 45-55 minutes.

9. Remove from the oven and serve.

 We served our chicken with some Spanish rice and jalapeno cornbread. Delicious!!!  I have to say, I think my version is a bit healthier, but takes much more planning. So the choice is yours, make it or buy it. Enjoy!

Sarah

Paso Robles Wine Time!

A few weekends ago my girlfriends and I traveled up to Paso Robles for some great wine tasting and fun!   Here is our adventure...

Started the day off right with some delicious mimosas at the Koke Lake House! 

Next stop: Summerwood Winery, with some great reds and photo ops!
 

Next stop: Castoro Cellers, known for DAM FINE WINE had cheap tastings and a great store filled with oils, vinegars, pasta, and gourmet treats!

Lunch: Farmstand 46 & Cypher Winery for some delicious eats and a bottle of wine! 

I highly recommend their pasta salad with sun dried tomatoes and turkey sandwich and while you wait for your food check out their olive oil and vinegar tastings.  

 

Next stop: Aronhill Vineyards Tasting Room, spectacular views to enjoy wine by the glass.   

 

Next Stop: Grassy Null, who wouldn't want to stomp on yo hay and take a few pictures.  I must say we were probably really feeling the wine, but I couldn't be happier that we made this stop!  

  

Next Stop: Turley Wine Cellers.  Great wine, but we were too much fun for them and moved the party to the parking lot! 

PICTURE COMING SOON

Next Stop: Rotta Winery This is what we thought of the wine and the cheese!

Next Stop: Downtown Brewing Co, for some beer and kamikazes... umm not the best decision... 

Finally Dinner: Sushi! Yanagi Sushi & Grill, was the perfect place to end our day.  Saki bombs and sushi were just what we needed... NOT, but we had a blast!

Yes, that is Deb and Ed, our chaperones.  BEST CHAPERONES EVER!!!!

Top Secret: Apple Pie at ArchRockFish

A group of 8 of us recently went to ArchRockFish to redeem our TravelZoo 4 course meal for 2 coupons. ArchRockFish is a popular happy hour spot in Santa Barbara. They have delicious appetizers, but I never actually ate dinner here, this was our chance to try out the rest of the menu. Included in our meal was a dessert. The regular menu has options like chocolate cake, cheesecake, and sundaes, but the waitress offered us Mom's Apple Pie. The owner's mom bakes apple pies for the restaurant. And that is what we ordered! 3 of the 4 of the couples ordered it, but they only had 2 slices left, fortunately one of the other couples volunteered to change their selection. Thank god it wasn't me!

The pie came out topped with vanilla bean ice cream. The crust was buttery and soft, but crispy filled with an chunky apple cinnamon and topped with a crumbly streusel. Seems pretty much standard apple pie, but it was special and was made with love, a mother's love. Make sure if you try out their desserts, secretly ask the waiter if Mom's Apple Pie is available, it will be worth it!