Today’s 50 degree weather put me in such a great mood! I’ve felt motivated, enthusiastic, and jovial all day long. In fact, Mal and I agreed that today felt more like a Friday than a Sunday. We decided to open a bottle of wine to further enjoy the day!

I sipped on a small glass of Gnarly Head Chardonnay while cooking dinner. 

Tonight’s dinner was inspired by a pasta recipe from Real Simple. One of the key ingredients for the meal was chicken broth, which was used instead of water to cook the pasta. The chicken broth added a TON of flavor to the linguine. 

Instead of chick peas, like the recipe called for, I added broccoli florets that I steamed in chicken broth mixed with minced garlic. The broccoli also had tons of flavor! 

Finally, I stirred in sliced almonds and topped the pasta with a little olive oil and fresh Parmesan from Whole Foods. Using fresh Parmesan made all the difference! 

With vino… 

Have a nice evening, bloggies! Back to the grind tomorrow!

Today’s the first day that my time at my job feels and looks like it is truly winding down. I’ve been wrapping-up my responsibilities for the past 2 weeks, but today, I finally cleaned out my desk and organized my space for the next person, so now it looks like I am really leaving. It’s strange to think on Tuesday morning (we have MLK day off) that I will take the T to a different office, sit at a different desk, talk to different people, and have different responsibilities… I’m ready for it though!

Okay, onto to lunch!

Lunch was leftovers from last night: mac & cheese + ground turkey + crushed tomatoes.

Lunch was equally as tasty as it was last night!

(P.S. These photos were taken with my new and improved camera! I’m so happy to have it back! The Geeks replaced the entire lens on it, and now it works great!)

Lunch concluded with a couple of sweet treats: a chocolate truffle and a “no fun” mocha. I felt no fun ordering my mocha with non-fat milk, no caffeine, and no whipped cream. But even without those extra goodies, it was still decadent, and I was totally craving chocolate so it hit the spot!

My afternoon snack is SO Delicious soy yogurt, which is my newest obsession (review coming soon!) with Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal. I haven’t tried the Cinnamon Roll flavor yet, but I loved both the Vanilla and Blueberry flavors!

Blog Appetite

Starting a Food Blog? Find a Niche

Food blogs are evolving, and writers such as Kalyn Denny have found their niches. Low-glycemic recipes helped to earn kalynskitchen.blogspot.com the Well Fed Network’s best-themed food blog in 2007, and it looks like the site is up for similar accolades this year.

Lunch Break Becomes a Quick Nibble at the Desk

Hour-Long Lunch Break a Thing of History, Claims New Research

The hour-long lunch break is history, according to new research from contract foodservice provider Compass Group.

Do you eat your lunch at your desk?

At my current job, I almost always eat lunch at my desk, which I think is a horrible habit for me. I’d prefer to eat lunch away from my desk while taking a break from my work, but none of my coworkers take “lunch breaks,” so I always felt weird doing so. My resolution for my new job is to get away from my desk for lunch– preferably most days of the week.

Don’t Forget to Vote!

I’m still trailing in the voting, but I think we can still win! http://boboli.gwbakeries.com/football/enter.cfm

P.S. I love reading about all of the risks you guys have taken in your lives! You’re so gusty!

Whew, I am stuffed! We had friends over for dinner tonight, and there was just so much yummy food! Everything tasted so good, and I basically over-did-it. Ugh. Oh well. A sweaty workout is on the agenda for tomorrow!

Mal and I started the evening with an episode of Weeds and a glass of red wine before our friends arrived for dinner. 

As an appetizer, I prepared a hummus plate with raw carrots and broccoli. 

Once our friends Dave and Marie arrived, Mal and I got cookin’ in the kitchen! We decided to make an easy chicken piccata with linguine recipe for dinner tonight. Mal took charge of the chicken and pasta. 

Keeping with the lemon theme from this afternoon, I was in charge of the lemon, which was obviously a big responsibility!

Zesting the lemon… 

Ove-Gloves!!!

Chicken Piccata With Linguine

From Shape magazine, December 2006 

Use a regular skillet, not nonstick, for this recipe; it helps develop browned bits that give the sauce great flavor.

5 KEY INGREDIENTS

8 oz. linguine
1 large lemon
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch-thick
bite-size slices
1/3 cup white wine
2 cups small broccoli florets (about 4 oz.)

SERVES 4

PREP TIME 14 minutes

COOK TIME 14 minutes

FROM THE PANTRY

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Zest lemon, then juice it. Set aside.

On a large plate, season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Lightly coat both sides with flour.

In a 12-inch heavy skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Spread chicken slices in skillet and allow to sear 1 to 2 minutes, or until light golden. Turn chicken and continue to sear 1 to 2 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through. Remove chicken to plate.

Add wine, lemon juice, and 1/3 cup water to skillet and bring to a boil, stirring to deglaze pan. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes. Add broccoli, increase heat to high, and cook, covered, 1 minute or until broccoli is bright green and tender. Remove from heat.

Return chicken to skillet along with any juices on plate. Stir in remaining oil, salt, and pepper. Divide linguine among four plates and top with chicken and broccoli mixture. Garnish with lemon zest.

Nutrition score per serving: 429 calories, 20% fat (9 g; 1 g saturated), 45% carbs (47 g), 33% protein (34 g), 1 g fiber, 29 mg calcium, 3 mg iron, 359 mg sodium

Mal was critical of his chicken piccata with linguine dish tonight, but I thought the meal came out very delicious! The lemon flavor was a tad on the strong side, but that was my fault. I guess I got a little carried away with it!

Dessert

Our dinner guests brought brownies and vanilla ice cream to make brownie sundaes for dessert… and then they made them for Mal and me! Dave and Marie are so nice!!

Our guests warmed the brownies in the microwave and then topped them with ice cream. I let my ice cream melt a little before eating it, so it was a mushy mess of gooey brownie and creamy vanilla ice cream. Simply divine! 

Time for bed! Good night!