Happy 30th Birthday PB! A Dinner at XIX

July 9, 2009 · 18 Comments

PB turns 30 today! Happy Birthday Old Man!!!

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Remember last year’s surprise fiasco? Well, this year I wasn’t going to let anything stop me! I booked my flight to Philly MONTHS ago to surprise PB for dinner on his 30th, but on Monday I found out he would be leaving for a work trip on his birthday, so I changed my flight to come yesterday and it was PERFECT! PB had no idea, and my flight was even on time this year!

When I landed I headed straight to the condo to clean up the guest room as part of my present to PB, and then I surprised him for lunch, but those details will come to you later this week. For now, I tell you about my first AMAZING Philly dinner!

I asked my friend Gina for suggestions on where to take PB for his 30th and also searched the internet. I couldn’t decide between Vetri or XIX but with Gina’s suggestion of XIX I knew that was where we would go! I reserved a balcony table and our dinner timing was perfect. The sun was hot for the first 20 minutes, and then we watched it set until we felt a perfect breeze hit our bodies. The restaurant has the type of decor I like, formal but not stuffy, classic but funky.

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Lovebirds:

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And dinner! Let me tell you about dinner, at least as much as I can remember!

First we checked out the menu…

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…and then we decided to do the chef’s tasting, which was delicious and expiremental too. A meal is not something I would normally feel good about letting someone else decide for me, but I thought it would be a fun experience. We ordered a bottle of a great Sauvignon Blanc called Cloudy Bay, some fresh sparkling water, and waited to see what the chef had to offer.

Cin Cin! To the love of my life, who I get to marry in a little over two weeks!

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I caught him checking his iPhone… the only problem with them is that they are addicting!

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Now to the tasting…
Course 1: Sashimi Tasting.

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I tried the tuna and it was great, then passed on the other two to PB!

Course 2: A seared scallop served with baby spinach and a mousu foam

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Isn’t the presentation gorgeous? I would like to mention at this point that WE HAVE THESE PLATES!!!!! They are the corporate version of the ones we registered for and received over the last year! I can’t wait to have dinner parties and use them. Anyway, this scallop was delicious and perfectly cooked. It was definitely the best scallop I have ever had.

Course 3: Alaskan Halibut with fava beans, quail egg, baby peppers, and a fish sauce

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This was definitely the most interesting thing I have eaten lately, but it was also good! I didn’t think the flavors would work well together but they did. And again, love the presentation.

Course 4: Lamb with garlic grits, shaved parmigiano, and a mushroom sauce

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This was a more classic dish, but still, really good.

As many of you know and can see, this is not the typical meal I would eat. I don’t eat much red meat, would NEVER have tried a quail egg, and hate sashimi. It’s amazing what love can do! I feel like I am so much more adventurous in so many ways with PhillyBoy around. We are learning so much together and experiencing such interesting things.

After the 4th course PB and I relaxed for a bit enjoying our wine and the view.

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Like the silly 25 year old girl I am, I kept asking him if he was tipsy, because I sure was! Why is it that wine hits me faster when it is summer? So bizarre. I swear I had less than a glass and was giggly. Hm. Maybe it was the talk about our future and not the wine that did that :) :) :)

After a nice pause we ordered his and hers drinks… I had hot english breakfast tea and he had a hot American coffee. This is the life!

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And then came the birthday fun!

Course 5: Dessert (they weren’t on the menu so I don’t have the beautiful description for you…)
Him: A Happy Birthday chocolate concoction. It tasted like a combo of chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache, and heaven. Oh, all topped off with their homemade mint ice cream.
Her: Two pieces of a dry spongy cake filled and topped with juicy, syrupy strawberries and creme fraiche. Served along with a creme fraiche filled strawberry that PB ate in one bite!

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And presents!!!!!

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I bought PB a JVC videocamera so he could take fun videos since our Sony digital cameras don’t work well with Macs. He was super excited because it is just “so cool” ;) I hope he brings it on the honeymoon so we can take fun videos of the gorgeous scene and water fun!

After a fabulous dinner, the bill came. In a black ominous envelope that yelled at me to photograph it!

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PB and I had a great experience at XIX. I am so happy we went there to celebrate his 30th, and I am even more happy that I found him. I am so lucky!

16 days until our wedding!

I am off to clean a little, then lunch with PB, and then back to Rhode Island! Let’s hope my flight is on time!!!!!

Playlist of the day: Juanes’ album Mi Sangre

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHILLYBOY!

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A Simple Tuna Salad

July 8, 2009 · 4 Comments

Don’t you love it when you find a new mix of ingredients from your pantry/fridge that just work so well together AND is easy to put together in a meal? Oh, and is healthy? I know I do!

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A couple of weeks ago, trying to replicate the delicious looking tuna salad that my sister in law made for lunch one day, I decided to take some ingredients leftover from a family brunch and make my own!

Here is what I came up with:

A Simple Tuna Salad

Ingredients:
1 small can of albacore tuna in water
3 sliced of red pepper (about 1/4 of a whole one)
3 sliced of orange pepper (about 1/4 of a whole one)
1/6 of a medium sized cucumber
6 kalamata olives, pitted
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt to taste

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Directions:
1. Chop the red pepper, cucumber, and olives into teeny pieces and toss in a bowl.
2. Drain and rinse the tuna and separate a bit with your fork before adding to the bowl
3. Add the balsamic vinegar, salt to taste, and mix well.
4. Enjoy!

Did I say simple or what? I enjoyed this on a piece of dry whole wheat toast the first time, and over a mixed greens salad the second time. I promise it is really good and doesn’t leave you feeling weighed down either!!!!

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A post in Words

July 6, 2009 · 6 Comments

So as you can imagine, life got a little craaaaazzyyyyy!

Getting married 19 days from today (18 1/2 by the time this posts) means that life is like a happy, swirly tornado! I am obviously counting down the days and practically even the minutes because I am so excited! The weekend traveling and packing a week’s worth of smiles and memories into a weekend will no longer exist! Woohoo!

A little glimpse into the last two weeks….
1. Vickey & Lynne won the bachelorette luncheon cookoff!
2. My auntie took all the cousins/aunties out for a spa day followed by a fabulous dinner!
3. A bunch of us saw Allegria (A Cirque du Soleil show). I have seen about 10 shows and LOVE them!
4. I have cried about 12,000 times out of happiness and more
5. I haven’t seen PB ONCE! I miss him. He is turning 30 on Thursday!

How have I managed to eat well and exercise enough for sanity during this time?

1. I make sure to continue to pack my lunch so I know I will have one solid, super well balanced meal a day.
2. Making good choices. When out to eat I have continuously picked grilled fish and double veggies. I feel great and my skin and body are thankful
3. I make every minute of a workout count! I am lifting 2 days a week but before I start my circuits I pump out a couple of super fast miles. Also, I am keeping up with my morning exercises I love to do.

When life gets in the way (in a super super fun way), how do you continue your healthy habits? For me, it is really just like the Nike slogan. I Just Do it.

You?

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Bachelorette Weekend: Part 2 The Cookoff

July 2, 2009 · 7 Comments

Where did  I leave off? Oh yeah, the cookoff!

What is the best way to get a group of lazy sun-craving girls to cook a fabulous lunch?

Make it a competition!

D split us up into teams, and here were the things we had to cook:

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Everything was set out for each team:

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And then Day passed out the chef’s hats (old school BK crown with paper taped around it- genius!). Then everyone got serious!

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Julie & I were in charge of grilled eggplant. How fun!! My chef’s hat kept falling over my eyes but since I had the biggest one (doesn’t the bachelorette deserve that????) I kept it on!

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When we were done cooking and before eating we had a nice refreshing beverage thanks to Day’s mom and Beth’s great bartending skills. I believe it was homemade lemonade + Crystal Light iced tea + vodka. Whatever it was, it was fabulous.

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And now… it’s time to eat! On the menu, cooked by all the lovely teams:

Grilled chicken sandwiches (1/2 with pesto, 1/2 with balsamic vinegar)
Chickpea and feta salad
Regular salad
Grilled eggplant
Prosciutto & Melone
Caprese Salad
…and an AMAZING cake made my Day’s mom! It was a CASTLE!

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The Whole Spread:

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And the CAKE! It was one of Giada’s ricotta cake recipes… Isn’t it so pretty?

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One of the food items won by a landslide, and it wasn’t the cake since that wasn’t allowed to be part of the contest… can you guess what won?

Sadly, you will have to wait until the next post to find out the winner!!!!!!

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