Cooking Challenge: Week 4 Review & Week 5 Recipes

I try not to keep all of the recipes I've tried- there are so many recipes to try that I figure it's really only worth keeping very good recipes. When I'm determining if a recipe is worth keeping, I look at a couple of factors:
* is it really good? (ok doesn't make the cut)
* was it worth the time and effort of cooking it?
* is it healthy enough that I can serve it without feeling like I need to warn people about an imminent heart attack?
* were any of the ingredients cost prohibitive?

Recipe 1: Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup, from FiveHeartHome
This was both delicious and easy. Other than chopping and setting the crockpot there wasn't any work to do. I've never had potatoes in my split pea soup before, and they were very tasty. I will definitely make this again, but may add some onions and celery because I love those in soup. I'd highly recommend this for an easy, healthy dinner.

Recipe 2: Asian Style Veggie Rolls, from Cooking Light August 2010
If  you've never made spring rolls before, this recipe gives a good outline of the process. That said, I found the rolls themselves not very filling, and the dipping sauce too acidic. The rolls were better with some peanuts thrown in (shrimp would have been good too), and that improved the sauce as well, but I'd try a different recipe over this one unless you're really into lime juice.

Recipe 3: Roasted Cauliflower Soup, from Cooking Light January 2013
This was an ok soup- it wasn't bad, but it wasn't worth the work of preparing it. Between roasting the cauliflower, then simmering it with other ingredients, and blending it all, it was just too much effort for a middle of the road cream soup. The flavors were not outstanding enough to justify the effort.

Week 4 Recipes:

Recipe 1: Beef & Guiness Stew, from Cooking Light March 2010
Recipe 2: Polenta Bown with Garlicky Spinach, Chicken Sausage & Poached Egg, from The Kitchn
Recipe 3: Chicken Thighs with Olives and Tomato Sauce, from Cooking Light March 2009 

Wednesday Favorites: Cold Weather and House

Between the cold weather, and finally having some luck with decorating, I've got a bit of a split focus this week.

A fantastic pair of gloves. I bought a pair of Lands' End cashmere lined leather gloves on sale last spring, and they are fantastic. Warm, comfortable, and professional looking. If you have to bundle up this early in the year, you might as well have warm clothing options that you like.

Sherwin Williams paint. We've been searching for the perfect gray-ish purple for our bedroom wall for what feels like forever. We stopped into a Sherwin Williams store on a whim on Saturday and not only found our color, but could choose our finish, get it right away, and they keep our color information in their system in case we ever need to come back. Fantastic service, and a (soon to be) beautiful room!

Creative furniture shopping. We've been using an Ikea JokkMokk kitchen table for the last 6 years- has been a great surface for us, and we're the third household to use this particular table, so if you're looking for a sturdy Ikea bet, this is a good one. That said, we've finally started to outgrow it- it's just a little too small for more than 4 adults to eat at. We've been planning on replacing it with a variation of this DIY table, but came across the table legs above this weekend while out at an architectural salvage shop. If you haven't browsed one of these before, you should just for fun- it's amazing what you can get at these places. We bought two of these table bases to make a larger rectangular table- now we just need to decide what to use as a top...

Spinning: A Newbie's Perspective

I mentioned in this post that I was thinking about taking spinning classes to stay in shape this winter. I just started last week, and I have a few general thoughts:

This is a fantastic high-intensity workout BUT it's adjustable. I hadn't been to a spin class since college, and you really do work! A towel and water bottle are absolutely necessary, and I've left each class feeling the awesome fully exhausted tired you can get after a good run. The best part about this is that no one knows what resistance you've set, so if you're exhausted you can dial it back for a little while and give your body time to adjust.

Music really helps. This was my big memory from college, and it's totally true today. The instructors set the whole workout to music and it can really help you find a little extra energy when you're getting tired. It's worth finding an instructor who selects music you like too!

Spin shoes would be useful. I didn't want to invest until I'd tried a few classes, but it'd be really nice to clip into the pedals and have a little more support than my sneakers provide. Anyone have a recommendation for a solid but not too expensive brand?

This is a really satisfying morning workout. Something about the music and the energy from the other riders really helped wake me up and set me off for a good day.

It's worth it to sign up and pay for classes in the winter. I don't like to feel like I've wasted money, and paying for a class that I don't attend definitely feels like wasted money. So, the gym fee gets me to keep going, and the classes change enough from session to session that I don't get bored. And if I do, the gym I'm attending also has barre, pilates, yoga, TRX and Crossfit classes.

What is your plan for winter fitness? Have you tried a spin class before?

Cooking Challenge: Week 3 Review & Week 4 Recipes

Going out of town caused me to fall a bit behind of my recipe testing. Better late than never, right?

I try not to keep all of the recipes I've tried- there are so many recipes to try that I figure it's really only worth keeping very good recipes. When I'm determining if a recipe is worth keeping, I look at a couple of factors:
* is it really good? (ok doesn't make the cut)
* was it worth the time and effort of cooking it?
* is it healthy enough that I can serve it without feeling like I need to warn people about an imminent heart attack?
* were any of the ingredients cost prohibitive?

Recipe 1: Simple Clam Chowder, from Cooking Light January 2008
This recipe was simple, but called for some ingredients I've never bought before (clams and clam juice). It resulted in a creamy, tasty soup that I would absolutely make again. It really helped to have some bread to dip, and I'd recommend halving the recipe- it makes a lot.

Recipe 2: Chicken Cacciatore, from Cooking Light October 2009
This recipe came together quickly, and was very filling with pasta and cheese. All the reviews at the table were good, but I honestly felt like it wasn't an especially notable meal. It might be worth repeating if you tweaked the herbs, but without doing that it felt a little flat.

Recipe 3: Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallot Soup, from Cooking Light November 2008
This was an easy recipe that I was able to pull together out of odds and ends in the fridge and freezer. For that alone, it might be worth keeping around. It was better topped with parmesan cheese, and would be good for dipping a nice crusty bread. But this is still my favorite butternut squash option.

Week 4 Recipes:

Recipe 1: Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup, from FiveHeartHome
Recipe 2: Asian Style Veggie Rolls, from Cooking Light August 2010
Recipe 3: Roasted Cauliflower Soup, from Cooking Light January 2013

Las Vegas Highlights

Image from LasVegas.com

Like I mentioned in this post, we just got back from a weekend in Las Vegas for the Rock N' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon. It was a really fun weekend, and I thought I'd share some highlights from the trip:

MAJOR TIP: It is super dry in the desert (duh). Drink tons of water. I don't know how people manage to drink a ton of alcohol there- I was borderline hungover just from the lack of humidity.

Grand Canyon Tour: We took a South Rim tour with the Grand Canyon Tour Company. Both the company and the experience were fantastic. The view from the South Rim is unreal- it felt like we were looking into a painting it was so big. The bus was comfortable, our tour guide was knowledgeable and interesting, and the bus stopped often enough that we were never too hungry or in need of a restroom. This was a FULL day- we left our hotel at 6:15 am, and weren't back until 10 pm-ish. I would really highly recommend a trip to the Grand Canyon if you get a chance.

Bouchon Bakery: This was a really fun stop for us- we love to find little French bakeries when we travel, and this was a very good one. The highlights were definitely the croissants and the chocolate bouchon. This bakery is located behind some stairs in the Venetian- it was nice to take our goodies up to the shops and watch the gondolas.

 

Bellagio Fountain and Conservatory: Most people have heard of or seen video of the Bellagio fountain- it's gorgeous and jusitifiably well known. I was impressed with how long the show was, how well it fit the music, and how easy it was to get a good view. I had not heard of the Conservatory before I started my research but it was a really fun, free diversion: it's not large, but it's very lush, and I loved seeing an Ent in the middle of Las Vegas!

Race Review: Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon

 Image from www.blondeponytail.com

I ran my first half marathon back in July, and it was hard but fun. I signed up for the Rock N' Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon after a friend mentioned it. I thought it'd be good motivation to stay in shape through the fall, and I'd never been to Las Vegas. I just ran the race this past Sunday, and here's what I thought:

Price: They are offering discounted entry for the 2015 race right now, but when I paid it was $125, which seems a little steep for a half marathon.

Location: You can't beat running up and down the Las Vegas strip at night. The lights were gorgeous, and a great distraction. It was easy to get to all the events from our hotel (the Monte Carlo), and the expo was right on a public transportation line.

 

Expo: This was my first expo and I was impressed- people moved through the checkin process quickly, and there were a ton of vendors to see after. Moving Comfort and Brooks were offering deals on sports bras and running shoes, and we were able to get our gait analyzed at the Brooks booth. I was also able to pick up a Trigger Point Factor Massage Ball, which really helped to get out the soreness from walking around and the race.

Organization: The race was very well organized, corrals were clearly marked, water and Gatorade were available about every two miles, and announcements and signage were generally good. The mile markers were a little hard to see, but that isn't the biggest deal when almost everyone is carrying GPS. This race was FANTASTIC in terms of actually having anough Porta Potties for the crowd- I was really impressed with how many were available at the start, and along the course.

Image credit

Entertainment: When I first signed up, Snoop Dogg was the headliner for the before-race concert. I probably would have gone, but it wasn't a draw for me. However, the headliner changed, and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis performed before the race, and it was such a good show! They got everyone's energy up, played some fantastic music and helped set the tone for a fun night.

The race is billed as having live music on the course, and there was more live music that the other half I did (the bands were really good too- great tempos to help keep your pace up). However, they were placed fairly unevenly- much more likely to be around the neon on the strip, and less in the in more residential neighborhoods toward the middle of the course. It would have been nice to have more music there, when things got darker and less distracting.

Weather: The entire US is dealing with a cold snap, and Las Vegas was no exception. The highs the whole time we were there hovered around 70, EXCEPT on race day. I'd bet it never got over 55, and it was chilly. We definitely didn't pack warm enough running gear, and were really glad we bought gloves at the expo (and the ones we bought were great on the run). If you're considering this race, don't assume it'll be warm like I did.

Image credit

Size: Someone told me that the half marathon brought in 20,000 runners, and the full marathon added another 5,000. I don't know if that's accurate, but we were in corral 36 of 42, and didn't get started until almost an hour after the offical start. Things were very well timed, so it wasn't too crowded, but the racers never spread out to the point where you had a ton of space.

End Zone: The end zone was long and everything was nicely spaced out so that runners didn't bunch up. There wasn't quite the variety of snacks that I've seen at other races, but everything they did give out was a nice size (e.g., full sized Gatorade, multiple Powerbars, etc.). Bag check was easy to access, and there were lots of medical tents for anyone who needed them. Plus it let off right outside the Bellagio and Paris hotels, both of which had public transit to help get you away from the crowds.

Overall: I am really happy with my choice to run this race- I feel like it was a good value, fun event, and I was well supported during the race itself. It is definitely a full weekend event- the expo took up a lot of time, and the race/pre-race concert took up basically the whole afternoon and evening on Sunday. If you're looking to explore Las Vegas, I'd recommend giving yourself a day or two on one end.

WSJ Wine Club Review

Earlier this year I bought a present from Barnes & Nobles online, and had it shipped to my house. When it arrived, it came with coupons, including one for the WSJ Wine Club. The intro offer available online is $69.99 + $19.99 shipping for the intro 12 bottle case, plus a bottle opening kit. The intro offer I got through B&N was $69.99 + $19.99 shipping for the intro 12 bottle case, plus 3 bottles of Chianti.

I figured that even if I didn't love the wine, that averaged out to less than $6/bottle, so why not try? We're not wine snobs, although we do have opinions, and our normal wine is somewhere in the $6-10 range. By joining the club you're signed up for future cases at about 40% more cost than the intro ($149.99, plus shipping), but we figure that we can always cancel. Plus, our wine rack was running low, and it meant we wouldn't have to go to the liquor store.

What did we think?

Packaging & Shipping: The wine came earlier than the quoted time frame, and was very well packed. No bottles broke, and there was plenty of information about the program and each of the wines in the box.

Variety: We opted for the mixed starter case, which had a nice split of red & white, and a decent spread of locations around the world.

2 bottles Collexione di Paolo Chianti 2013, 1 bottle Stonewall Sauvignon Blanc 2013, 2 bottles J Opi Malbec 2013, 1 bottle J-P Moueix Bordeaux 2010, 2 bottles Sonoma Vineyards Chardonnay 2012, 1 bottle the Inaugural R Collection by Raymond Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, 2 bottles Las Barracas Gran Riserva Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, 1 bottle Principe Strozzi Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2012, 2 bottles Ca Vescovo Pinto Grigio 2013, 1 bottle Morin Pere et Fils Chardonnay 2012

I was a little disappointed to get 3 bottles of Chardonnay, as it's not generally my thing, but that's not a dealbreaker for me.

Quality: So far we've tried 4 bottles, and had somewhat split opinions.

Sonoma Vineyards Chardonnay 2012: I did not expect to like this wine. I generally don't like Chardonnays (too oaky) or Californian wines (too minerally). I thought that this one was surprisingly mild and unobjectionable. It did not seem to be oaked, and did not have a strong mineral flavor. In terms of a basic white wine to eat with fish, I'd drink it without objection. My husband, on the other hand, called it "repulsive" but finished his glass. Not quite sure how to interpret that.

Stonewall Sauvignon Blanc 2013: I usually like sauvignon blanc- it's light, refreshing, and citrusy. This bottle was no exception. It was easy to drink and got good reviews from everyone who tried it.

Las Barracas Gran Riserva Tempranillo Cabernet Sauvignon 2006: I usually love Tempranillo- they're spicy, dry, and have a fair bit of depth for a (generally) cheaper red option. This one fell flat. It was spicy and dry, but lacked character. I wouldn't turn down a glass, but I don't think I'd buy it again. Everyone who tried it agreed- not bad, but not repeatable.

Collexione di Paolo Chianti 2013: I generally like Chianti- it's usually a safe bet when looking for something spicy, bold, and somewhat dry. Again, this one fell flat. It was actually less notable than the Tempranillo. It wasn't actually bad, but I wouldn't buy it again.

Verdict: We will be cancelling our order. It might be worth doing if you stick to the whites- of what we've tried so far, those are the better ones. But for less than the discounted $6 price, I could get a bottle of LaGranja tempranilo/garnacha blend from Trader Joes, and know that I'm getting a tasty red.