Morning, all! Sadly, it’s back to reality today. The work week has begun!
It was sad to say goodbye to my whole family and to the holiday weekend which I love and look forward to all year. BUT, I am seeing everyone very soon (in 3 weeks) for an amazing trip that my parents are taking us on over Christmas break. I am so excited! (More details to come…)
We ended our weekend yesterday in family style- with food, of course! We all ordered breakfast and ate together in my parents’ hotel. I went to the gym before breakfast, knowing we were eating a big meal. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and 20 minutes of weights and abs. It was tough!
It was really nice to be together around a big table one last time. 🙂 I ordered Eggs Benedict, without the Hollandaise sauce, without the ham. So really, it was poached eggs on an English Muffin. And I stole two pieces of bacon to go with!
The hotel poached the eggs perfectly: nice and runny on the inside, well-cooked on the outside. Love that gooey yoke on toast!
We all took one final walk around Central Park and then it was time to say our goodbyes. My little sister, Margaret, actually came back to Brooklyn with us for the afternoon to see our apartment and our neighborhood for the first time. We dropped off our bags at the apartment and strolled around for a while, trying to take in all the daylight we could before about 4:30 when it gets dark! We stopped for a snack/ small lunch at one of my favorite cafes, Ted & Honey.
I split a vegetable and goat cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread with Loren. It was filled with portabellos and roasted red peppers.
Hot and toasty. Yum!
After our snack, Marg and I headed to Trader Joe’s. I bought a ton of groceries- we were out of everything! Its been weeks since we have shopped. And she picked up some goodies to take back to school- very important since she can’t get organic, good food close by. Since she was heading back to college last night, I wanted to make her a nice homemade dinner… OK, I also really wanted a homemade, veggie-filled meal! No more dining out for a while, please!
Dinner was centered around the Garlic Naan we bought at TJ’s. Margaret loves it and was raving about it in the store, so I wanted to give it a try. In keeping with the Indian theme, I wanted to make a kind of curry- bean dish, similar to the flavors in dahl.
I first cooked a chopped half onion and 3 chopped tomatoes in a pan, until the tomatoes were pretty mushy. Then I added about 1/2 cup (I don’t measure) of almond milk to give it a creamy texture. (After learning from many of you that Almond Milk Curdles because it can’t hit very hot liquid when it is cold, I heated it up in the microwave for 30 seconds before adding it to the mix. It did the trick! Thanks!) Then, I added a large can of drained kidney beans to the pan. I put a lot of curry powder, some dark chili powder, red chili flakes, salt, pepper, 3 bay leaves, and some nutmeg in the mix. I leg the whole mix cook together on medium-low for about 15 minutes to get nice and thick. The almond milk bubbled up nicely.
I also roasted some brussel sprouts to go along with the beans. I flavored them with 2 cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, and EVOO. I sautéed the mix in a pan until the brussel sprouts were golden brown, then put them in the over for about 20 minutes at 350.
I have to say, the whole meal turned out pretty well- considering I was just playing with flavors! My eaters were happy…
We had some really good $10 Spanish wine with the meal that Loren picked up a few days ago. It was perfect!
(Yes, Buzz likes to sit in my seat and show me who’s boss.) The beans turned out so well. I will definitely be making this again very soon!
And the naan was amazing- not too garlicy, but flavorful. I just heated it in the oven for about 5 minutes and it was perfect- chewy and doughy. I split a piece with Marg.
Dessert was two lovely clementines.
And after another short walk (I love walks, what can I say?), a hot bubble bath, and starting a new book (The Hours– can’t believe I haven’t read it yet) I felt a bit better about the holiday weekend coming to an end. I had trouble getting to sleep, but that always happens when I’m a bit sad. Today is a new day and I am feeling much better, thanks to a great morning swim!
Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!
i love walks AND bubble baths!!
those eggs benedict look AWESOME! ive never tried that before.
sounds like an awesome monday mornin, especially with a great swim!
Love poached eggs! Favorite way to eat them I think! Awesome curry/dahl dish, it sounds delish!
I had SO much fun visiting you and Loren and getting a taste (literally) of your life in Brooklyn. Thank you for making me such a fantastic home-cooked meal- now back to take out for me! (actually, I had a delicious snack of a clementine and dried mango today, thanks to our TJs trip.) LOVE YOU!
Aw Marg, we miss you! I loved having you here, even for the day. So glad I was able to fill your tummy with one home-cooked meal. And happy you are eating lots of good snacks. I have had waaay tooo many clementines in the last 3 days!
Your bean dish that you just created sounds so yummy and exactly what I am craving right now after a weekend of heavy dishes! Is that you in the picture with Loren or your sister? I am thinking it’s your sister but you guys look so much alike it’s hard to tell, either way it’s a cute pic! I always feel a bit sad after a family weekend has come and gone but it’s nice to think that the next one is right around the corner. Enjoy your night!
Ha. Yes, that’s my sister! 🙂 I guess we do look alike…
Those eggs look perfectly cooked – just how I like ’em!
The picture of those eggs made my mouth water!
Poached eggs are so good, especially when the yoke is all runny :). Your dinner looks fantastic! I used to shy away from being experimental in the kitchen but the it’s so much more fun to try new stuff and just go with the flow.
Oh that veggie sandwich looks incredible!
I always just steam my Brussels sprouts which is ok.. I eat them because they are healthy, but I am thinking maybe if I add some garlic and spices and sauté it the taste would be bearable.. yours looks really good.