Shrimp Sushi Bowl

Sorry for getting a little ranty/ravey on Monday.  I don't know what got into me.  Of course, after I complained about running, I went for a 3 mile run and it totally made me feel better.  I actually did the same thing this morning because I went to see the Revenant last night.  

That movie is insane.  First of all, it's super intense.  Like I was clenching my arms for pretty much the entire movie.  Second, it was gross.  I had to close my eyes pretty frequently so, actually, I don't think I saw most of the movie.  And third, it was long.  I felt like I just ran a marathon or something (well maybe not that long), but I felt drained after.  So, I woke up this morning and I went for a run to make myself feel better and more upbeat. 

It totally worked, I got to school today ready to take on the world! Then, one of my students gave me a super sweet valentine's day mug with some chocolate in it.  Woo!  This is good since I have to fly to Baltimore today for a teaching conference this weekend.  I'm feeling much better and I'm super pumped.

I am also super pumped because we agreed on an offer with the seller of the condo we love! I'll keep you posted, but it looks like we will be able to close on April 1st and then move!! I can't wait!

And, to celebrate, here is a crazy delicious dinner idea.  I saw one of those Tasty videos that circulate on facebook and it was for this cute little sushi thing.  So, of course, I started to crave sushi, but sushi is not easy to make on your own.  I decided to make a sort of "deconstructed" sushi.  And, here it is!  This is a perfect, easy dinner.  Plus if you use gluten free soy sauce, it is totally gluten free!  

Shrimp Sushi Bowl

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cooked brown rice

4-5 cooked, cold shrimp

2 tbsp greek yogurt

1-2 tsp siracha

2 tbsp avocado, mashed up

1-2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

Directions:

1. Cook brown rice according to directions, scoop 1/4 cup of the brown rice into a bowl.

2.  Place the shrimp and avocado on top of the rice. 

3. In a small bowl, mix the greek yogurt with the siracha and then place on top of the rice. 

4. Drizzle soy sauce over everything.

Enjoy :)

Bellini Italian Restaurant

Today is the first day back at school for the university.  That means that campus finally looks like it is back to normal.  Everyone has returned from winter break and the house is back to its usual bustle.  While it is nice that everything is back to normal and this huge house that I live in doesn't feel so empty anymore, it was really nice to spend the last few weeks exploring Madison when it was quieter.  One of my favorite parts was exploring some of the restaurants!

I am in my last semester here in Madison and that means I want to make sure I "do it all" before it's time to graduate.  One of my missions is to explore as many restaurants as I can.  Madison has a ton of to offer when it comes to food and, while it is a daunting task, I do want to get to as many new restaurants and then be able to tell you about them!

My best friend and I went out for an amazing dinner last week at a restaurant called Bellini.  We had one of those Living Social coupons to use there and it was great.  We went on a Wednesday and that was fun since they do "wine Wednesdays" and you get a free glass of their house wine with your meal.  It was also nice because we are both such foodies and were able to narrow down our entree choices to our two favorites and then we split.  On top of all this, we just HAD to get dessert because we needed to spend enough to use the coupon.  It was a perfect meal!

We ordered the Tortellini alla Maria and the Gamberi al Forno to split. And, for dessert, the cheesecake.  The tri-colored tortellini was delicious and came tossed in a light lemon cream sauce with veggies.  The shrimp was a great dish that I usually don't eat on my typical college diet and it came sautéed in a garlic, lemon and white wine sauce with spinach and mashed potatoes.  Splitting a pasta dish with a shrimp dish was a great way to get the best of two worlds.  Then, the cheesecake topped with fresh whipped cream and berries was truly the cherry on top of an amazing meal!  I would definitely go back.  Aside from these amazing dishes, they have pizzas, salads, tons of pastas, and a salmon dish that has my name written all over it.  If you are ever in the area, this is a great choice for dinner!

Charleston, SC Day 3

After my run in the morning, we lounged around before heading into Charleston for our cooking class at Charleston Cooks!  This place is a fantastic cooking store that also hosts demonstation and participation cooking classes.  The participation classes were totally booked, but we were able to get a spot in one of the demonstration classes.  It was a fabulous time!  We watched Chef Marcus cook up some Shrimp and Grits and Upside Down Apple Cupcakes.  Everything was fabulous and we even got a glass of wine with our food!  It was so much fun.  Also, I learned some fun times on how to hold a knife, how to cut an onion, and tons of fun facts about eggs and baking!  It was really cool!

After our class, we walked around the Market for a bit before dinner at Slightly North of Broad.  This place books up fast and if you don't have a reservation you can just forget it...however, we were able to walk in right at 5 when their bar opened and put our name in for one of the few tables they keep open for walk ins.  The table we ended up at was actually the "chefs table" where you eat your dinner while watching all the action go down in the kitchen.  It was pretty cool.  Also, the food was fabulous! Oh my was it delicious!  My dad got the tilefish (the special), my mom and I split a pear salad and flounder dish, and Zack and Bri got the gnocchi.

The Grits on the Side 

Butternut Squash Custard on the Side

Following dinner, we were too full for dessert (which was hard to walk away from...) and we went to a fun bar down the street to watch the end of the Packers game.  We are pretty avid Bears fans, being from Chicago, but we needed the Packers to win in order for the Bears to go to the playoffs.  The bar we found was called Mac's and was a great find since it was a "midwest bar" that specialized in hosting midwest and big 10 games.  It was really cool to see so many Wisconsin-ites and Chicago-ans in Charleston!  Unfortunately for the Bears, the Packers lost.  So, we decided to comfort ourselves with some ice cream (we were feeling less full at this point).

We drove to the Marble Slab Creamery (I even found a groupon!), which was known for some of the best ice cream in Mt. Pleasant.  We had amazing creations and proceeded to feel crazy full once again.  It was awesome.  My dad also got ice cream, but ate it before I got a picture...Here are some of the treats we indulged in:

Birthday Cake Ice Cream with Twix, Cookie Dough,
and Fudge (Zack's)

Red Velvet Ice Cream with Brownies and Fudge (mine)

Coffee Ice Cream with Health and Snickers (mom's)

Now it's time to digest and play Hoopla!  Good night!

Daring Cooks' Challenge September 2012: Paella

Inma from laGalletika challenged us with making Paella for this month's Daring Cooks' Challenge!  It was so fun to experiment with this little taste from Spain and put our own twists on the flavorful dish!

I had a blast whipping up this delightful dinner with a few of my girlfriends from the school of ed.  We got together, made some Paella, enjoyed some wine, and watched tv.  It was a really lovely evening and it made me so grateful for my fellow teacher friends.

Student teaching has been so much fun and so much work! I officially started lead teaching my class this past week and it is exhausting! I am always amazed by how how tired I feel when the adrenaline rush starts to wear off when the lesson is over.  I am slowly becoming more and more comfortable in my new teaching shoes and I have learned so much already.  My class is a tough one.  There are quite a few tough cookies in that room that make life interesting.  I am trying to incorporate all of my training and readings into my practice and so far it seems to be going well.  I knew that classroom management was going to be a struggle because you really can't learn how to do it from any class.  You just gotta give it a try.  I am working on focusing on my language as I speak to the students.  I try to be consistent and persistent with my expectations and disposition.  I want to show them that I respect them, but that in return, they must respect me.  I want to develop positive relationships with all my students and I want to empower them by having high expectations of everyone.

This all sounds lovely in writing, but in life it gets tricky.  Not only do I have to focus on ALL of this, but I have to teach math too! The only tricky thing about this is that I am following the CMP curriculum, which I did not have when I was in school.  It is a very different method of learning than what I was used to and so it is new for me as well as the students! I just have to stay on my toes and learn everything a little big faster than the kids.  I am actually starting to do their homework as well so that I am on the same page as they are and have an even better understanding of the curriculum and the material.

After all this teaching and learning, one would think that one would be too exhausted to have any fun.  However, that is simply not true! Last night I have a great night with my friends watching the Bears v. Packers Game and this weekend is a Badger home game and I have a ticket! I can't wait to relax and have some fun with my friends.  It is my senior year after all!

Healthy Paella (adapted from Fervent Foodie)

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)
1 box mini turkey sausage links, cooked according to directions
1/2 large white onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz can whole tomatoes, drained
2 cups arborio rice
2.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 oz cooked shrimp
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
salt and pepper to taste
Chicken Rub:
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:
1. Mix the chicken rub spices together and coat both sides of the chicken breasts.
2. Heat a large skillet with cooking spray or olive oil and cook the chicken until just seared on all sides.  Place on a plate off to the side.
3. Add onions, garlic, and red pepper to the skillet and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the tomatoes and crush with your spatula.  Add the rice, stir to combine, and cook until all the liquid is absorbed.  Add the chicken broth and wine, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes.  Add the chicken, stir to combine, and continue to cook, covered for 5 minutes.  Add the cooked sausage and continue to cook for 3 minutes before adding the cooked shrimp.  Let simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes, stir in the peas, season with salt and pepper, and enjoy!

Enjoy :)

Broiled Pesto Stuffed Tomatoes and Sautéed Shrimp

It's another Half-Marathon Monday and today I am also sharing two of my appetizers from The Dinner Party.

First off, this past week was by far the toughest yet.  There were two 4 mile runs, a 10K, and then a 12 mile run.  Plus, there was Pilates as well as off-day work outs where I focused more on upper body strength and lower impact cardio.  I am super proud of myself and I ran 26 miles total this week! The next few weeks are about tapering off a bit before the big race.  This week there are two 4 mile runs, a 5 mile run and finally, a 9 mile run.  I can't believe there are only 3 weeks until race day, but I'm really excited! That 12 mile run made me believe that I can totally do 13.1 and I can't wait!

The appetizers that I am sharing today are a Broiled Pesto Stuffed Tomato and Sautéed Large Shrimp.  I saw some ideas for stuffed tomatoes online and Chris had homemade Spinach Pesto with Pine Nuts that she had canned earlier in the year.  Plus, we wanted to make a yummy vegetarian option and Bri love tomatoes!  The shrimp we chose because they are tasty and super simple.  Plus, both of these appetizers take no time at all! So, throw them together 5 minutes before you are ready to serve them and you will have some fantastic appetizers!

Broiled Pesto Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients:
6 medium tomatoes, cut in half and gutted
2 cups Spinach Pesto (use your favorite or I have a recipe here)
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Place the tomato halves on a cookie sheet that is covered with foil.
2. Fill each tomato about halfway with pesto.  Sprinkle breadcrumbs over each tomato to coat them and then sprinkle parmesan over each tomato as well.
3. Broil on High for about 2-5 minutes, tomatoes will begin to soften and brown slightly.
Enjoy :)

Sauteed Large Shrimp

The tomato, shrimp, and eggplant rollitini

Ingredients:
olive oil
12 large shrimp
4 tbsp spinach pesto

Directions:
1. Saute the shrimp for a few minutes, until they turn pink, in a saucepan with enough olive oil to coat the bottom.  Throw in the pesto and coat the shrimp.
Enjoy :)