Roasted Butternut Squash Black Bean and Goat Cheese Dip

Who doesn't love dip?  A good dip is just the best!  I made this one for my book club girlfriends and they found it to be delicious.  I think it has a surprising taste, but it really good and you just can't stop eating it.  In fact, I'm thinking about making this dip for a girl's night I have coming up!

My girlfriends organized a secret santa exchange.  I like to call it a secret snowman exchange, but whatever.  How cute are we? My friend Caryn organized it and I am super pumped.  I can't wait to see what I get and I'm pretty excited about the gift I got for my secret person!  Hanukkah is happening right now and I am excited to do some gift giving :)

This week is also actually flying by!  Today all the students are taking a practice ACT exam.  I am excited to see how my students do.  The school was able to get graphing calculators for every student that did not have one (of the 200ish 11th graders, 110 did not have one).  It was really nice and I am excited to see if they perform better today with the extra help and confidence from the graphing calculator!  We spent the last week integrating calculator skill education into our class so they should be totally ready to use them today!

Cheer is also going great! We had a clinic on Saturday and we had a college cheerleader come in to help support our team and teach them some new cheers and jumps.  The team worked so hard and they learned so much.  I was super proud of all of them!  Plus, our uniforms are finally here! So, on Thursday when we perform at the basketball game, we will be in our uniforms and we will have a bunch of new cheers to debut! I can't wait.

Now, back to that dip!

Roasted Butternut Squash Black Bean and Goat Cheese Dip

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and chopped into 1 inch cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garlic powder
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
10 oz goat cheese
3 tbsp chopped herbs (thyme, parsley, cilantro)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Toss the cubed squash in a bowl with the olive oil, cinnamon, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, and nutmeg.  Spread out in one layer on your lined baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Once done, remove from oven and lowder the temp to 350 degrees.
2. Place the cooked squash in a food processor and pulse until you have a smooth puree.  Add in the goat cheese and herbs and process until smooth.  Add in the black beans and pulse a few times to combine and smash.
3. Place mixture in a oven-safe dish (I used my adorable mini skillet) and place in oven for 15-20 minutes.  Serve with tortilla chips, veggies, or whatever else you feel like!

Enjoy :)

Crock Pot Honey Chipotle Chicken Wings

It was my school mentor's birthday last weekend and therefore chicken wings are on my mind.  I know that sounds a little crazy, but both of us love chicken wings so there you go!  I got to see her on her birthday weekend since we both live in the city and she had a really nice dinner!  

We went to Piccolo Sogno, which is this amazing Italian place that I have heard all about, but I had never been.  I was pretty pumped about going and it did not let me down.  This place is in the heart of the West Loop in Chicago and has unbelievable food.  We tried things such as seafood pasta, kale salad, spaghetti bolognese, and of course, molten lava cake for dessert.  It is a great place to have a special event at and it was awesome for a birthday dinner.  

This Friday, in honor of the birthday festivities,  I wanted to share this recipe for real chicken wings.  I had never cooked with chicken wings before and they were really yummy.  After a dip in the crock pot, these wings were incredibly tasty and the chicken fell right off the bone.  This is a great recipe for an easy dinner option.  Just make sure you leave yourself enough time to let the chicken cook!  I was inspired by Creme de la Crumb who used homemade chicken bites instead of wings.  If that interest you head on over! 

Crock Pot Honey Chipotle Chicken Wings

Ingredients:2 lbs Chicken Wings (or really any chicken part!)

2/3 cup honey

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 heaping tsp of adobo sauce (Just the sauce that Chipotle peppers are in)

1 tbsp hot sauce (I used Frank's)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tbsp white vinegar

2/3 cup water with 4 tbsp of cornstarch 

Directions:

1. Wash and pat dry your chicken.

2. Whisk all the ingredients from honey to white vinegar in your crock pot.  

3. Place chicken in the sauce and cook on low for 6 hours.  Start checking the chicken around 5 hours to see if it is done.  

4. Once cooked, mix the water and cornstarch together and mix into your crock pot so that the sauce thickens.  

5. Serve with any dipping sauce that you want!

Enjoy :)

Whole Wheat Pretzel Bites

I'm gonna get a little math teacher-y today.  I decided to do a project with my students in my Geometry classes.  So far, it has been going pretty well and I am excited to see what the students do with their groups today!  Here is the project: Students are working on their own or in groups to design a container for a product.  They have picked a product and picked out a container design.  Now, they have to make sure the volume of the container is between 100 and 150 cubic inches and they have to calculate the surface area to figure out how much it will cost to put their container together.  Students also have to write a short paragraph explaining their product and they will physically build the container out of card-stock by Friday.  It is really neat to see them problem solving using the concepts of surface area and volume.  With the new Common Core standards, I wanted to include something in this curriculum at the end of the year to really get students using their math skills to problem solve.  I want them to feel like they have become mathematicians.  I can't wait to see what they come up with! 

I also have a delicious snack/appetizer recipe for today.  I am a little obsessed with pretzels.  I am also obsessed with brussel sprouts and anything buffalo, but that is another story.  Today is about pretzels.  I love snacking on pretzel thins, eating a sandwich on a pretzel roll, and at UW-Madison football games the soft pretzels are crazy good.  I believe that sometimes there is nothing better than a good soft pretzel.  So, I made some.  

Pretzel Bites

(adapted from Epicurious)

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water

1 envelope active dry yeast

3 cups flour (I used 2 cups of all-purpose and 1 cup of whole wheat)

1 tbsp kosher salt

2 tbsp light brown sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

8 cups water

1/2 cup baking soda

kosher salt

Directions:

1. Measure out 1 cup of water and microwave until it is warm, but not hot.  Add in the yeast and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and brown sugar.  Add in the butter and the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together.  

3. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes or until you dough is elastic and bounces back when you poke it.  Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let sit for 2-3 hours.  I turn my oven on to 100 and place the dough inside with the door open.  The heat helps it rise.  Once it is doubled in size you are ready for the next step.

4.  Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each one out so that you have a long, thin rope.  Cut the rope into 1 inch pieces.  

5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and grease 2 baking sheets.  

6. Pour the 8 cups of water into a pot with the baking soda and heat on high on the stove until it boils.  Drop your pretzel bites in the baking soda mixture (about 8 at a time) for 30 seconds - 1 minute and then place on the well greased baking sheets.  Sprinkle with kosher salt.

7. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the pretzels have started to brown.  Let cool and serve with whatever toppings you like! 

Enjoy :)

Homemade Baked Onion Rings with Spicy Siracha Mayo

It's Saturday night in Chicago!  I love the weekends because Bri and I get to spend time together and try new restaurants/events around this awesome city.  This weekend we went to a new place near us called Gideon Welles.  It was pretty awesome!  They have a HUGE drink selection and their menu has a ton of diverse and yummy options.  We went with our friend Max and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal.  Bri said that he had the "best" mac and cheese of his life! (That is really saying something since he is a vegetarian and typically ends up with mac and cheese or something similar for his dinner option).  I loved my mediterranean wrap and Max had a great brisket sandwich.  We will definitely be heading back soon!

Today, I had to go to Springfield for a class that I am taking and present on a lesson that I will teach.  Springfield is about 3.5 hours away and this class lasted 3 hours.  So, this means I traveled for 7 hours just for a 3 hour class...This is not exactly how I would plan spending my Saturday.  However, Bri was a total trooper.  He decided to go with me because there is a sandwich shop in Springfield that he likes.  Yep, he drove 7 hours for a sandwich!  I had never been to this place, but I figured it must be excellent if he is willing to this out of his way for it.  The place is called Head West Sub Stop and instead of normal bread, they make all their subs on sweet bread.  If you're ever traveling through the great capitol of Illinois, you should def make this a stop! 

Along with all of our fun restaurant traveling, we have been cooking a lot as well.  Between Wisconsin going to the NCAA championship, baseball coming back, and the Blackhawks in the playoffs, we have been watching a lot of sports.  This means, that I have been craving a lot of sport related foods.  And, that is how these Baked Onion Rings with Spicy Siracha Mayo came about.  

Baked Onion Rings with Spicy Siracha Mayo

Ingredients:

1 onion, cut in half to pull the rings apart

2 cups low fat buttermilk

2 egg whites

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or regular)

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

Siracha Mayo (stir siracha into mayo)

Directions:

1. Place onion rings into a dish with edges.  Pour buttermilk over the rings and sprinkle the cayenne over the top.  Cover with saran wrap and let rest.  I was advised to let this sit for a long time, but I didn't have the time and they came out pretty good.  The longer you let the onions sit the better.  

2. Beat egg whites in a medium bowl.  

3. Mix the flour, cornmeal, and breadcrumbs in a separate bowl with the salt, pepper, and paprika.

4. Heat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  

5. Take the buttermilk soaked onion rings and dip them into the egg whites and then the breadcrumb mixture.  Place on baking sheet.

6. Bake for about 15 minutes before flipping the rings and baking for another 15 minutes.  

7.  Stir siracha into mayo for your dip.  Add more siracha for a spicier dip.

Enjoy :)

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

I have been crazy into Buffalo flavor lately.  By lately, I mean pretty much for over a year.  This obsession has lead to some pretty fantastic food adventures.   For example, O'Shaughnessy's, a local Irish Pub, has a Buffalo Chicken sandwich that is amazing.  Also recently, I fell in love with the Buffalo Chicken Taco (yes, you read that right) at the Velvet Taco.  However, poor Bri is a vegetarian and so I usually try to cook mostly vegetarian at home.  I was intrigued by all those Buffalo "chicken" recipes out there and I was mostly skeptical that they would be any good.  But then, I decided to go for it.  I'll be honest, I like the chicken versions better, but this recipe was pretty good and it made Cauliflower taste phenomenal.  If you are a vegetarian, or if you are looking for a great side dish, or if you are like me and just wanna eat buffalo stuff all the time, you should probably make this immediately.

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
(adapted from Sprinkled Side Up)

Ingredients:
1 whole head cauliflower
6 eggs
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
pinch cayenne powder
3/4 cup of your favorite hot sauce (I love Frank's traditional and Bri loves Frank's Siracha)
canola oil

Directions:
1. Cut off the cauliflower florets.  To do this, turn the whole thing upside down and trim off the leaves.  Then cut away florets (about 1 inch in size) and place into a bowl.
2. Heat a large pot of water until it boils.  Cook the cauliflower for about 10 minutes and then turn the heat off and cover for another 10 minutes.  Drain and set aside to cool for a bit.
3. Pour canola oil into a pan until it reaches about 1/4 inch up the side.  Heat over medium.
4. To make the egg wash, beat eggs in a large bowl and mix in the garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne.
5. Dip the cauliflower florets into the egg wash and then place in the oil.  Let fry for a few minutes and then flip for another few minutes.  Place finished florets on a plate with a paper towel to soak up the oil.  Continue with the rest of the cauliflower.
6. In a large bowl, pour the frank's hot sauce and mix in the florets so that they are coated. Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing if you want!

Enjoy :)

Sweet Potato Encrusted Chicken Fingers

I just had the most overwhelming weekend of my life.  I graduated from the best school ever and on Sunday when I realized I was an official college graduate, I freaked out a little.  I felt very overwhelmed by how many goodbyes I had to say and very nervous by how little I know about my future.  I know that these are perfectly normal emotions, but it doesn't make it any easier to process all this.  I am glad that Bri is hanging with me now that he is all done and graduated too.

When I woke up Sunday and I couldn't decide if I was happy or if I was about to burst into tears, I went for a run.  I love running and it always helps me to think and clear my head.  On my run, my very smart and impressive friend, Katie, called and we talked a little about this whole graduation thing.  She made me feel much better.  I am always so impressed by her grace and ability to say the perfect thing.  She told me that while she was studying abroad in Spain she had a postcard with this quote: "Adventure may hurt, but Monotony will kill you."  This is so true.  While I may be terrified about the future, I am also excited about what it will bring.  As a math teacher, I want so badly to "change the world" and enable all students to succeed.  I want to contribute to my school and community, I want to inspire students to become passionate learners, I want to do everything I can to embody everything I love about education and teaching.  

I know that by focusing on my passions and ensuring that I am happy and calm, I can focus my time and energy into these goals.  Therefore, I run and I cook.  Right now, while watching Indiana Jones, I am also planning some meals for Bri and I to cook together and considering my lessons for this week.  I ran 9 miles this morning because it made me feel amazing and helped me refocus.  I lost sight of my passions and purpose for a bit because of my fear, but by realizing this, I know that I can be successful with whatever the future throws my way. 

Oh, and by the way, my Half Marathon is NEXT WEEKEND! It's on this coming Sunday! Woah! How did that happen?  I feel pretty darn ready and excited about it.  My family is coming back up for another fun filled weekend and my runner besties will be back in town to run with me.  So, I guess a bunch of those sad goodbyes were really "see you soons."  I can handle that for now.  Today I have a fun and cute party recipe because now that I've graduated, I gotta party a little! Enjoy these homemade chicken fingers! 

Sweet Potato Encrusted Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:

14 oz chicken strip pieces

2 cups crushed sweet potato chips

2 eggs

2 tbsp mustard

2 tbsp honey or agave nectar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

2. In a small bowl, beat eggs with the mustard and honey.  Place crushed chips in a wide bowl.

3.  Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and then roll in the sweet potato chips.  Place on pan.  Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on how thick your chicken strips are.  Serve with BBQ Sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.

Enjoy :)

Foodie Friends Friday: Cindo de Mayo Theme!

This week, Foodie Friends Friday is back!  This week is all about Cindo de Mayo! Just follow the rules and link up your festive recipes! Also, host favorites will be featured on Daily Dish!  This week I'm linking up Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls, Taco Cupcakes, and Fish Tacos with Mango-Slaw.

Top 3:

1. Crock Pot Italian Pulled Beef Sandwich

2. Easy Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

3. Slow Cooker Strawberry Applesauce

Most Clicks:

1. Churro Cupcakes

2. Slow Cooker Pudding Cake

3. Mexican Pasole

And Host Favorites! 

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Please remember to do this. It benefits you! To thank you, we will continue to feature those with links throughout the year on various outlets.

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The American Club, Kohler, WI

My mom and I had an amazing time over spring break.  We went to the American Club in Kohler Wisconsin and had our very first massages!  We spent two days and two nights at the hotel and had great food and a really nice and relaxing time.  On the way there, we did some shopping at the outlet malls in Pleasant Prairie (teacher clothes!).  We also checked out the Shops at Woodlake for lunch at the Woodlake Market while we were there and I even found a great UW-Madison sweatshirt!

afternoon tea

welcome mimosas!

tea treats! 

appetizers and wine

The food was great! Our first night, after a lovely afternoon tea and some great appetizers with wine, we had Italian at Cucina.  My mom and I split a salmon dish and chicken dish and everything was delicious.  Then, we came back and hat a slice of Chocolate Cake at the Winery for dessert.  We obviously overdid it a little since we both had trouble sleeping that night!

dinner was so good...I forgot to take a picture!

THE chocolate cake

That was alright, since the next day, we had our massages.  It was fabulous.  I felt relaxed and amazing.  We went early, read books, and stayed after to chill and just relax.  I haven't spent that much time relaxing in ages and it was must needed.  Afterwards, we had our tea, appetizers, and then it was off to dinner at the Wisconsin Room.  My mom got the Pork and I had the Steak on special.  Both our meals were, again, fantastic, and we decided to skip dessert in hopes of sleeping better and being healthier.

However, the next morning, we made a stop at the Greenhouse for ice cream and lattes before it was time to head back home.

The entire trip was amazing and I would gladly head back in a heartbeat.  This was a great way to spend a few days over break and we did not have to travel far at all for a very fun time!

Baked Crispy Chicken Fingers

Another Snow Day!

This is getting ridiculous.  And today was especially strange.

I woke up at 5:30 since I had to be at school early for a department meeting.  Following breakfast, I got a text from my cooperating teacher.  The text was about how there was going to be a late start to school because of the icy road conditions and that we should get there around 9.  Since it was not yet 6:30, I decided to get in my 3 mile run for the day.  I slipped and slid my way to the work out center and, after successfully not falling, I got in a nice run.  I returned home, showered, and then got dressed in an adorable dress with tights.  Then, I saw my phone.  I proceeded to freak out because my phone had a text about the department meeting being at 8:15...it was 8:20!!! I grabbed my coat and called my cooperating teacher. I apologized and told her I was on my way. She then said: Wait, don't leave, they just cancelled school.

I was out of my tights and dress within seconds and into my leggings and oversized sweater.  Then, I got my baking supplies and headed to the kitchen to make some cookies! I was so excited!

Now, it is finally the afternoon and I have already baked not one, but TWO treats, gone over lesson plans for tomorrow and next week, cleaned my room, worked out, and finished laundry! I love that I have had so much time to get everything done and now I get to tell you about a yummy meal I made for the superbowl this past weekend!

For the superbowl, I watched with the only two people who get me remotely excited about sports: Tamara and Courtney.  We all got together and had my Light Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Veggies, other snacks, Cookie Dough Dip, and for our main course, Baked Crispy Chicken Fingers.  We wanted to have "sporty food" but also "healthy food."  Baked Chicken Fingers were a great idea and super yummy.  And, those dips use non-fat greek yogurt in place of sour cream or butter!  It only took a few ingredients and very little time.  This was a really yummy dinner that I will definitely be making again.

Skillet Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Strawberry Dipped in Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Baked Crispy Chicken Fingers (adapted from Fitness Magazine)

Ingredients:
24 oz chicken strips
4 cups corn flakes, crushed
2 eggs
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp mustard

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In small bowl, mix the eggs, honey and mustard.
3. Place corn flakes in a separate bowl.
4. Dip chicken strips in the egg mixture and then roll in teh corn flakes until coated.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12-18 minutes depending on how thick your chicken strips are.
5. Serve with various dipping sauces! We had BBQ sauce...mmm!

Enjoy :)

Restaurant Week: Fresco

Another snow day?!?!

Seriously, one might start to wonder if I am actually in Wisconsin.  When I was a kid we never had this many snow days.  But, here I am for the third time, enjoying a lovely snow day.  I woke up and had breakfast before I found out about the day off so instead of sleeping in, I ran 5 miles, showered, and now I'm making cupcakes!

I also wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about another fantastic restaurant I tried for the first time.  This was my second Restaurant Week dinner and it was amazing! Max and I went to Fresco and for $30 dollars, we both had an amazing meal complete with appetizers, entrees, and desserts.  Plus, we got to sit above the Overture Center and look out on snowy, State Street.  It was pretty amazing.

We both had the same appetizers and entrees: the Wisconsin Apple Salad and the Seared Mahi Mahi with Cauliflower Risotto in an Almond Raspberry Vinaigrette.  It was all delicious.  For dessert, we ended up splitting the Homemade Kit Kat with Peanut Butter Mousse and the Carrot Cake Cupcake with Maple Buttercream Frosting.

It was an awesome meal followed by Modern Family and skyping my bestie Caryn who is all grown up and working a real job in DC! It was so nice to turn a boring weeknight into an amazing one.

Now, it's time for me to take my cupcakes out of the oven! They smell amazing and I can't wait to share the recipe with you later! Have a nice day!

Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn

I had one of the craziest days ever and so I figured I had to document it here.  This way, next time I am stressed or think I am super busy, I can read this and say, "oh yeah, I'm not THAT busy..."

I had my last day of middle school.  It was a half day so each class period was 28 minutes long.  I brought in cookies for my kids and they were super cute and sad to see me go.  Everything flew by at an overwhelmingly fast pace and I basically ran around like a chicken with its head cut off from 7 to 11:40.  Then from 11:40 to 11:50 I was able to relax.  However, at 11:51 we had a PTO lunch for the teachers and I got to eat some super yummy food with my fellow teachers for the last time.  It was a nice way to celebrate a last day.  I am going to have to visit because I am going to miss everyone there so much!

Right after the lunch, I drove straight to high school to plan for next week.  I am going to start teaching on Tuesday and immediately take over the geometry class.  Then, after a week or so, I am going to take on the two honors algebra 2 classes and maybe even pre-calc!  Planning was super overwhelming because I just have no idea about anything right now.  I don't know the school, kids, what they have learned already, how 95 minute blocks work, or the curriculum.  Yeah, I feel like I'm a little in over my head.  However, I really want the students to see me as their teacher and so I want to start off right away lead teaching.  I think I might make a bit of a fool of myself for the first few lessons, but I am going to try my best and keep my confidence up. I can't wait to feel more prepared and settled in this new school.  I am also crazy grateful to have a day off Monday. This means, one extra day to prepare!

After planning for 3 hours and still feeling unprepared, I drove home, changed, went to the gym and ran 5.5 miles.  I needed to do something to relax my fried nerves and this sort of helped.  After my run, I returned home, took a quick shower, and got dressed just in time to meet Bri! He was visiting for the weekend and couldn't have come at a better time.  I really was needing some fun and it was great to see him.

We went out to my third restaurant week restaurant!  The place was called, Veranda Restaurant and Wine Bar.  We had an amazing meal and, don't worry, I will be sharing more on that experience later.  Basically, it was great to go on a date.  We hadn't done that in a while and it was nice to enjoy some good food and catch up in person.

The next part of my jam-packed day was in a word, amazing.  I met up with friends and we went out to a place in Madison known as "The Piano Bar."  This may be one ofmy new favorite places...ever.  You get in, grab a seat/drink, and settle down for an evening full of dueling pianos and tons of fun.  Three guys rotated on the pianos.  They took turns playing requests from the audience.  They were so talented and could play basically any song you can imagine.  We requested "Thrift Shop" and we got a cool mash-up of Thrift Shop and Gold-digger   Crazy right? It was so cool.  Then, they called up Kaitlin to sing to her for her birthday.  Of course, my friend Courtney started pointing to my other friend, Tamara, and calling her Kaitlin.  Tamara and Kaitlin ended up sitting on the piano getting sung to for their "birthdays."  It was pretty hilarious   I was so glad to end my night with an amazing dinner and then a lot of fun with friends.  It helped distract me and calm me down.  I am a bundle of nerves right now with school about to start and I know that I need to focus on getting prepared and being around people I love and who support me.  That is exactly what this night was about.

Oh, and I thought it would be fitting to share another way that I de-stress with you all: movies and popcorn.  That's all I've been doing lately in my free time and I even have a yummy recipe for homemade cinnamon sugar popcorn for you today.  This is a great snack for a lazy afternoon and I hope that you enjoy it!

Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn

Ingredients:
1/3 cup kernels
3 tbsp light butter (I used Brummel and Brown)
2 tbsp sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon (I used more because I am a cinnamon fanatic!)
pinch of sea salt

Directions:
1.  Make popcorn.  I did this is my brand new hot air popcorn maker!
2.  Melt butter.  Stir in the sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Pour the mixture over the popped popcorn and stir until coated.

Enjoy :)

Restaurant Week: Sardine

My first restaurant of restaurant week was Sardine. I went with my bestie, Tamara and we had an amazing time!  So, this is how it works: each person pays $25.  This gets you an appetizer, entree, and dessert.  This is how Tamara and I worked it: we each got something different, and tried it all! We make a pretty fantastic team! I am excited to share our dining experience with you!  This last semester of college is going to be a lot of exploring Madison and since I LOVE food, I'm going to share some great restaurant experiences.

We started off with the fabulous house wine for our drink and then shared two different salads as our appetizers.  Both were light, fresh, and delicious.  I ordered the Mixed Green and Bibb Lettuce Salad which came with shaved shallots, crispy chickpeas, beets and a sieved egg in a champagne tarragon vinaigrette.  Tamara got the Apple Endive Salad which had toasted walnuts, blue cheese, crispy squash and a black current vinaigrette.  

Following our starters, we enjoyed the salmon and chicken as our main dish.  The salmon came with french lentils, sautéed spinach, and portobello mushrooms in a tomato and beurre blanc...can we just look at that sentence in awe...The chicken was stuffed with gruyere and leeks and serviced with bacon, lardons, roasted carrots, turnips, new potatoes, and brussel sprouts in a riesling sauce.     My goodness everything was amazing.

As if dinner and appetizers weren't enough, we then got our desserts! Gianduja Crunch Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache and Vanilla Creme Brûlée!  We left totally stuffed and crazy happy. We sang at the top of our lungs in the car in the way home and then went out on a Sunday since it was a long weekend!

It was such a fun night!

Light Cheesy Baked Crab Dip

Today was pretty darn exciting!  Middle school was great.  We "discovered the Pythagorean theorem" and we used netbooks! That's right, I conquered technology and brought it into the classroom! It was great.  The students used the netbooks to go online to a Geogebra activity where they formed right triangles and found the areas of the squares that were formed off of the sides of the triangle.  This lead to the students forming a conjecture about the areas of the squares and discovering that the area of the squares on the legs added up to the area of the square on the hypotenuse.  They were engaged for the entire class period and everyone was able to complete the worksheet.  We also extended the lesson to relate back to finding the side length of a square if you know the area.  This way they also found the length of the hypotenuse for each triangle!

I thought it was great to do this activity on the netbook.  The other option was to draw the triangles and squares by hand.  While this would have been just as effective, it would have been time consuming.  Also, it could have been frustrating for students who are not proficient artists.  Plus, we had spent a lot of time in a previous section drawing squares and I thought this would be a refreshing change.  It seemed to work and it was fun to see how all the students were working well and engaged. The netbooks were also a great choice because all they have is the internet and after the students were on the right website, they were all able to work at their own pace on their own computer. I felt good about the days activity.

After school, it was off to work for another 5 hour shift and then a quick trip to the workout center to run for 30 minutes.

Today has been exhausting, but rewarding.  I think I am going to go for some froyo tonight to celebrate my work with a light treat.

What? Did someone say light treat? Well that reminds me, I just made some great light options for the new year.  Everyone is looking for "skinny" recipes nowadays and I have a great one!  I made this Baked Cheesy Crab Dip as a lovely football appetizer and it was a huge hit.  The dip is light, the bread bowls are adorable, and it's cheesy so it's great for Wisconsin!

Cheesy Baked Crab Dip (adapted from Taste of Home)

Ingredients:
1 8 oz package light cream cheese
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
2 cups flaked imitation crab meat
5 green onions, thinly chopped
2 cups light cheddar cheese
2 round loaves of rye bread

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.  Cut circles in the tops of the bread loaves and scoop out the insides.  You can use these pieces to dip later!
2.  In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, and yogurt.  Mix in the crab meat, green onions, and cheese.  Divide the dip among both bread bowls.  If you have extra dip, you can simply place this in an oven safe dish.
3.  Place the loaves in the oven for 45-50 minutes.  Cheesy will be melted and the dip will be hot.  Enjoy with the bread, other crackers, and veggies!

Enjoy :)

Lightened-Up Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Today is a big cooking day for me.  I am going back to school where I typically get lunch and dinner at my house.  However, since school is not in session for the University for another two weeks.  I have two weeks without lunch or dinner.  So, I am cooking up a storm so that I can take back some delicious items to eat!  I'm working on some of my Mommy's favorite recipes: Maple Glazed Salmon and Cranberry Chicken.  This way, I will have two lovely entrees that I can eat on their own, or in a sandwich or salad!  These dishes are versatile and delicious.  Next, I am making a no-mayo chicken salad so that I have a nice protein-rich snack or sandwich item.  Then, I am making a brown butter balsamic and sage sauce to use as something to top off pastas.  This way, I will have a ton of options for the next few weeks.  Between these things and eating out with friends, I am sure I will survive.

But first, I want to share a recipe with you that I made over winter break in Charleston.  We had a lovely little football party for the Rosebowl and I made a ton of snack-foods for it.  This was my personal favorite.  Bri was also a huge fan as it was one of the vegetarian options.  This is a Lightened-Up Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip.  I was inspired by the Alton Brown recipe on the Food Network.  I hope you like it! It was so good!  Also, spinach is a crazy good-for-you super food! Well-Being Secrets even posted an article with a million reasons why you should eat all the spinach you can get! Check it out: 34 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Spinach.

Lightened-Up Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:
1 cup thawed frozen spinach
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
6 oz low-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup non-fat plain Greek Yogurt (I used Chobani)
1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
1/2-3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Optional: Round Rye Loaf

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.  If you are using the bread, cut a circle in the top and scoop out the insides so that you have a bread bowl.  If you are not using the bread, take out an oven-proof dish.
2. Sautee the spinach in a small pan over medium heat until cooked.  Drain and set aside.
3.  In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, and yogurt.  Stir in the spinach, chopped artichokes, parmesan, red pepper, salt, and garlic powder.  Place the mixture in the bread bowl or other dish, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and bake for 30-45 minutes or until the cheese has lightly browned on top.
4. Serve with crackers, bread, veggies, or other dipping items!

Enjoy :)

Charleston, SC Day 5: All About Football

January 1st means one thing around here: Football.  After a walk in the morning on the beach, my mom, Bri and I headed back to the condo to get ready for the day's festivities.

There was the Northwestern game, then Nebraska, and then, finally, the Rosebowl.  I cared about this guy because my Badgers were playing in it for the third year in a row!  We were all very excited to see how they would fare against the much favored Stanford team.  And, although they lost, it was a good game.  Plus, we had great snacks and a yummy dessert to cheer us up. Oh, and more football after...

We didn't do much today, but I do have some great recipes to share with you after this trip is over. For game day, I made a Lightened Up Cheesy Crab Dip, Lightened Up Spinach Artichoke Dip, Grilled Cheese and Tomato Sliders, and Poached Salmon.  For dessert, my dad and I made a No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie.  It was a great way to kick off 2013.  Check out the spread!