Ari, Author at Ari's Menu

Steak, Potatoes and Beer, Oh My

December 26, 2011 · by Ari ·

I am a person who loves to be busy. Some may say I’m a workaholic, but I am MORE than happy to keep busy by celebrating and spending time with family and friends. Is there a job where they pay you to do that? I think what I do is actually probably as close as you get. Lucky me 🙂

Let’s catch up, shall we? 2 days before Christmas started out with the 2nd to last long run Kara and I will do before PF Chang’s. We planned for 10, but Kara has been sick for like 2 months straight and after 8 she just wasn’t feeling it, so we ended up walking the last 2 miles home. At this point, we’re ready and the ending walk where we were just able to chat felt really nice actually. We ended up covering just under 10 miles total in about 2 hours. Still not too shabby.

The past few weeks after my long run, I’ve had the craziest cravings for steak. I don’t really eat red meat, but the evening after a run, all I want to eat is a big, juicy fillet! Well, Friday night I finally got what I had been craving! Kara, Charlie and Hermano met us at our house before heading out to Whole Foods to pick out our meat and our drinks. I love the type of dinner party where everyone picks their own meat, Steve grills it all up and I make the side dish. So simple, and much cheaper than trying to buy steak for everyone (ummm Steve’s steak was $30).

Hermano and I each picked out a fillet, although his was 13 oz and mine was 6 haha. Steve and Kara both picked out massive rib eyes. Charlie picked out some chicken, and Hermano also picked up a pound of macaroni and cheese because he was skeptical about the side dish I had planned.

Kara and I also picked out some cherry stout and cappuccino stout. Delicious.

As soon as we were home and we had popped open our beers, Steve fired up the grill and I got to work on the taters.

Hard at work. Obviously. I actually think I was trying to put my hair up, maybe?

Soon enough, dinner was served!

That, my friends, is what a 1.3lb piece of meat looks like.

Hermano's pound of steak and pound of macaroni.

After trying my Maple Bacon Sweet Potatoes (don’t you worry, recipe is coming soon), Hermano regretted his decision not to get some himself, so 2 lbs of food later, he went back to get some.

Yes, that is the pan I cooked them in. Apparently I need to hit my growth spurt so I can polish off pounds of food at a time and still be thin.

Then, 2 beers later (apparently I’m a light weight because that was seriously all I could handle), we were watching The Muppets Christmas Carol and I decided to make dessert. Very tipsy, recipe-less dessert. I didn’t measure a single thing and I thought it was going to be a disaster, but the entire 8×8 pan was gone in about 10 minutes flat. No pictures. No recipe. Sad day. I do remember it included mashed banana, caramel and white chocolate chips. Maybe one day I’ll try to recreate it 🙂

Apple, Goat Cheese and Fig Stuffed Chicken

December 23, 2011 · by Ari ·

I did it! I made up a dish. I didn’t look at anyone else’s recipe for inspiration (although I’m sure there are a million recipes out there like this one). I just thought about things I liked and put it together and it was so delicious! This dish is perfect for when you’re busy around the holidays and have been living entirely off cookies because there’s not a ton of prep time, it’s healthy and it looks much fancier than it actually is!

Apple, Goat Cheese and Fig Stuffed Chicken

yield 4 servings

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts approx 6oz each
2 oz goat cheese
1/2 apple, thinly sliced (I used the amazingly delicious honey crisp, but any apple will be good!)
4 tbs fig butter
olive oil
freshly ground sea salt
freshly ground garlic pepper (I bought it at Whole Foods and it is so amazing!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
Season chicken with salt and garlic pepper on both sides.
Butterfly the chicken, and stuff with 1/2 oz goat cheese, 2 apple slices and 1 tbs fig butter. Fold chicken back over.
Heat a pan on medium high and drizzle with a little olive oil (just enough to avoid sticking).
Sear chicken about 2-3 minutes on each side, then transfer to baking dish.
Baker for 40-50 minutes until cooked throughout and juices run clear. Let chicken rest out of oven about 2-3 minutes.

Sugar Cookies

December 22, 2011 · by Ari ·

There is something about the simplicity of the sugar cookie. People love it. It’s my brother’s very favorite. I wasn’t going to make any this year, but I could see the disappointment in Hermano’s face when I told him, so I made a batch up special just for him. Clearly, I am an awesome sister. I was so happy with how these sugar cookies turned out! Sometimes I’m nervous to modify more simple things because I’m worried that you’ll be able to taste the difference more, but these were fantastic and I definitely ate 2 before forcing myself to package them up for Hermano. Sorry Hermano, I couldn’t help it 😉

Sugar Cookies

yield approx 2 dozen

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup light whipped butter, softened
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
3/4 cup raw cane sugar
1/2 cup Splenda
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, Splenda and Greek yogurt together until combined. Beat in egg substitute and vanilla.
Slowly add in dry ingredients until combined, scraping sides of bowl when necessary.
Cover and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Spray hands with nonstick spray, and roll dough into 1-1 1/2″ balls. Drop onto lined baking sheet.
Spray a piece of wax or parchment paper and use it to flatten cookies slightly.
Bake for 10-14 minutes until golden and set, but be careful not to over bake.
Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Top with Royal Icing and sprinkles (you can totally halve the icing recipe)!

We still have so many candy canes from all the peppermint baking so Steve got all artsy and made a heart. He's cute. I like him 😉

We tried for red icing. It came out pink. I like pink, so it's all good. Hermano, I hope you like pink!

Busy Bee

December 22, 2011 · by Ari ·

You know, for mostly being off this week, I cannot believe how busy I’ve been. My reader has almost 100 blogs lined up waiting for me to read them. I just haven’t really been home, or if I have, people have been there and I’ve been really enjoying the time to do fun things. I’m not much of a sit at home type of person. But there are lots of work things I’ve been neglecting, so today I brought my lap top and to do list over to The Bux in order to get some things done.

This week has been pretty good about feeling like I’m back on track. I haven’t really talked about it, but most of this month I just haven’t been feeling like I’ve been making the best choices for my body. Too many extra cookies and treats, too many skipped runs, and just a general lack of motivation. I know it’s normal, and especially now that I believe I am fully capable of completing this half marathon, and it’s now dark and cold at the time I used to run, it’s easy to justify hitting the snooze button. But this week has been better. There’s been some spinning.

Some running (well one day of running, but I also plan on running Friday and Sunday!)

And just in general more mindful eating. Don’t get me wrong, I still plan on enjoying the holiday treats, but I had been ignoring my tummy telling me when I was full and not stopping to think and decide if I actually really wanted something before eating it. If I really listen to my body and take my time to make decisions, I am 100x more likely to not feel guilty about what I eat because, honestly, sometimes I really do want to eat a cookie, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Yesterday was so exciting for me. You’re going to think I’m ridiculous, but whatev. I haven’t had a chance to really cook in what feels like forever. I’d been eating fast and easy and lots of TJ’s frozen enchiladas and Progresso light soups. Don’t judge me. But last night I invited my friend Ashley over for dinner which meant I had to actually cook. I had no idea what to make and no recipe, and I decided to throw something together and hope it turned out awesome. I’m really trying to get away from relying on recipes and take chances and try things that sound good to me. It’s okay if it doesn’t work every time, but last night was a huge success!

"Hey cute husband, make me look cute while I cook, ok?" Is that a slight double chin I see? Apparently Steve has forgotten the rules.

After dinner, Ashley and I baked some cookies. Yes, I’m crazy and actually have not quite hit my baking limit yet. I usually don’t like to bake with others because I’m ~~a control freak~~ a little particular, but Ashley was a great baking buddy and didn’t seem too put off by my bossiness. Sorry about that, Ashley. I hope you still want to be my friend after I spent the evening bossing you around like you were one of my students 😉

Look at us, baking together. It's as if I actually work well with others!

The dough was really yummy. I generally don't like the dough to healthier cookies (they always just taste so much better baked), but this dough was really good!

While we waited on the cookies to bake, Winston was working on his cuteness. He has to keep up with his sister 🙂

I've never met a dog that likes to be held as much as Winnie. Look at that face!

Finally our cookies were done and we got to decorate them!

Apparently when you buy your red food coloring at Walmart, what you actually get is pink frosting.

I can’t even tell you how nice it was to be able to spend the evening cooking and baking absolutely stress free. Happy holiday time to MEEEEE!!!!

Hanukkah with the Governor

December 22, 2011 · by Ari ·

In case you don’t have lots of Jewish friends that keep you in the know, Tuesday evening was the first night of Hanukkah. I was thrilled a couple weeks before when I was informed that my cast of Fiddler on the Roof Jr has been invited by Governor Jan Brewer to perform at the lighting ceremony taking place at the state capitol! It was a little intense because there was all of this security for her and we had to go through metal detectors and everything. I felt very official 😉

As the governor entered, the kiddos sang Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah. She then gave a speech about Hanukkah and even mentioned how the theatre is going through some hard financial times and anything anyone could to to help would be appreciated. Good work, Jan.

We were lucky to have the father of one of the kiddos who is a Rabbi lead the prayer and light the candles.

The kids ended by singing the opening number to Fiddler: Tradition. I was really excited for the kids to get to be a part of something big for the holiday and have a chance to celebrate their hard work a second time! The governor also took some time afterwards to snap some photos with the kiddos which I thought was really nice, and probably made them feel super special!

Happy Hannukah!!

Christmas Lights

December 20, 2011 · by Ari ·

I’m sure I’ve mentioned about a zillion times that I have a thing for lights. Christmas lights are something I’ve looked forward to every year for as long as I can remember. Even my super Jewish dad used to drive me around to see all the lights because I went nuts for it! This year we’ve gone to a few locations, most notably this super awesome house on 44th St and Camelback, and this whole amazing street off just north-east of Country Club and Guadalupe. AZ folks, check it out. So for your entertainment this evening, I provide you

1) Hermano playing the Coldplay song Christmas Lights on the piano.

And

2) Super awesome Christmas light pictures.

Double Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pies

December 20, 2011 · by Ari ·

These whoopie pies are intense. Believe it or not, I am not a super chocolatey dessert person. I like chocolate, but I don’t prefer it to be the base flavor. Unless it’s white chocolate. Maybe next time I will experiment with white chocolate and peanut butter. That sounds amazing. Anyway, these are rich, chocolatey and especially delicious if you are a chocolate lover. Don’t get me wrong, I would still happily eat the entire batch ~~in one sitting~~ 😉

Double Chocolate Peppermint Whoopie Pies

yield approx 3 dozen

For the cakes:

1/2 cup light whipped butter
1/2 cup fat free or reduced fat cream cheese
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup Splenda
1 packet Starbucks via
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 cup dutch process cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups reduced fat buttermilk
2 candy canes, crushed

For the filling:

1 10 oz bag Sunspire white chocolate chips
1 tbs light whipped butter
1/4-1/3 cup 2 % milk
1 tsp peppermint extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Beat together butter, sugar, Splenda, via, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla until smooth Beat in egg substitute. Stir in cocoa.
Alternately add in flour and buttermilk, starting and ending with flour, scraping down sides of bowl when necessary. Mix until no lumps remain.
Drop rounded tablespoon sized balls onto prepared cookie sheet and flatten slightly (I used a sprayed piece of parchment paper to flatten to avoid sticking).
Sprinkle crushed candy canes on top.
Bake for 7-10 minutes, until cakes spring back when you press lightly with your fingers.
Let stand for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, melt white chocolate and butter in microwave safe bowl stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
Stir in peppermint. Slowly, add 1/4-1/3 cup milk. Cool completely in refrigerator.
Spread a little white chocolate on the flat side of one cookie, top with the flat side of a second and press together. Repeat with all cookies.

Puppy Chow

December 20, 2011 · by Ari ·

Puppy Chow

only slightly adapted from the back of the Chex box

yield 15-20 servings

9 cups Corn Chex (I label checked and the whole wheat ones were way more calorie dense)
1 cup grain sweetened chocolate chips
1/4 cup light whipped butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
dash vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

Measure 9 cups of cereal into the biggest bowl you have, set aside.
Melt butter, pb, and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, stirring every 30 seconds until melted. Stir in dash vanilla.
Pour melted chocolate mixture over Chex, stirring constantly until evenly coated.
Pour into huge bag (I use a clean trash bag. Please, don’t use a dirty trash bag. Or at least, if you do, don’t offer me any) and pour powdered sugar on top. Shake it like a polaroid picture. Or like a salt shaker.
Spread onto wax paper to cool.

Salted Caramel Brownie Truffles

December 20, 2011 · by Ari ·

I had big plans for these. I heard that Starbucks had peppermint brownie cake pops and I was so ready to show them up with salted caramel brownie cake pops! I under cooked my brownies just slightly because cake pops are supposed to be soft and fluffy. Well, apparently they were a little too soft.

Fail. But some accidents can be happy accidents and I knew the brownies with the frosting I had created was too delicious to go to waste, so instead I give you truffles. They are so soft and gooey and fudgey and rich that you’d think they had a million calories, but in reality, you could probably have 2-3 and call it dessert 🙂

Salted Caramel Brownie Truffles

yield 18-24 truffles

1 box either No Pudge brownie mix or TJ’s Reduced Guilt Brownie Mix (I’ve used both and they taste equally delicious)
6 oz non fat vanilla yogurt
4 oz fat free or reduced fat cream cheese
1 tbs light whipped butter
2 tbs caramel
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Fleur de Sel for sprinkling (Yes, I spent $10 on salt and it was worth it.)

Directions:

Make brownies per package instructions baking until just slightly undercooked. You want the toothpick to come out mostly clean and make sure the brownies are set and don’t dent down when you press lightly on the top.
Cool completely. Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, butter, caramel and vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar.
The fun part! Spray your hands with cooking spray. Using your hands, literally dig into the brownies removing enough to make small 1″ balls.
Dip rolled 1″ truffles into frosting coating the top (I learned this the hard way. Most of them I just rolled around in the frosting and they came out way less pretty than the one we dipped).
Place unfrosted side down into mini muffin liners.
Sprinkle tops with Fleur de Sel.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin S’mores Cups

December 20, 2011 · by Ari ·

A few days ago, Kathleen posted a link to this recipe, and I just stared at it in awe. Ummm, yum. Yes please. I immediately mentally added it to my holiday baking list. I followed the concept with plans to only slightly modify, but ended up adding peanut butter at the very end, because what isn’t better with peanut butter? I was so excited when I tasted it that not only was the pumpkin butter a healthier replacement for actual butter, but the pb/chocolaye/pumpkin combo was so delicious!

Peanut Butter Pumpkin S’mores Cups

yield 24

7 whole wheat graham crackers, finely crushed
3 1/2 tbs pumpkin butter
1/4 cup grain sweetened chocolate chips
1 tbs peanut butter
dash vanilla
12 large marshmallows, halved

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Combine crushed graham crackers and pumpkin butter. I just used my hands. Messy is fun 😉
Line 24 mini muffin cups and spray liners.
Drop 1 tsp of graham cracker mixture into each liner and press in with fingers to form cup base.
Bake crust for 4-5 minutes until set. Place a marshmallow half in each cup, cut side down.
Place back in oven for 2-3 minutes.
Let stand for 5 minutes, then remove liners and transfer to cooling rack.
Meanwhile, place chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in spurts of 30 seconds, stirring after each until melted. Add dash of vanilla.
Drop approx 1-2 tsp chocolate/peanut butter mixture on each marshmallow, and cool completely.