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Fish and Grits

At least one night while we’re home in Savannah, Bo and his mom spend the day together grocery shopping and then designing and cooking a delicious and often very complicated meal.  Each trip is more fun than the next as we all sit around their kitchen cooking, laughing, and enjoying wine together.

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This visit, the dish was their take on the famous Southern dish, shrimp and grits. Their Fish and Grits recipe combines multiple recipes from some of Mimi’s favorite cookbooks.

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Below the photos I’ll provide you with the recipe, as given to me by them, with links to the other recipes or cookbooks where the recipes can be found. Due to copyright laws, I can’t cut and paste these recipes or type them out so hopefully you can put them together and create your own delicious fish and grits meal. 123

Also a little word to the wise that I learned last night, don’t add too much liquid to your grits or you’ll be stuck stirring for 30 minutes over a hot stove!

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082 083086089093105 106108112119Bo & Mimi’s Red Snapper Fish and Grits

Make grits according to Susan Mason cookbook. Notes: When making grits only use real yellow grits and often it is recommended to use a mix of fish stock and water to increase flavor.

Use the Bouchon Cookbook’s recipe for the red snapper and fish stock.

Use the Sauce American recipe from Balthazar cookbook. 

Serve with greens on the side. If you are truly interested in making this recipe and want a clearer recipe, email me and I’ll have them translate it!

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Fall Breakfast Ideas: Office Edition

Each day, I’m bound to read about a delicious and beautiful breakfast creation that another blogger enjoyed. Cooked carefully over the stove top with care or warmed in the oven, many of these are not feasible on a daily basis if you eat breakfast at the office.

Some people think I’m crazy to eat both breakfast and lunch at work each day but for me it, it is really the only option. If I want to have time to enjoy a solid hour workout, shower, get dressed, and make the commute to work than I can’t spend even fifteen minutes enjoying breakfast at my kitchen table. Waking up at 5:15 is plenty early for me, thank you very much.

Instead, I’ve challenged myself to give my regular breakfasts a Fall face lift since I’ve grown tired of my normal breakfasts. The past few months have been one long repeated track of banana oats or Greek yogurt “messes.”

IMG_4195Last week’s refreshing Fall weather left me craving warm and flavorful goodness. So far I’ve only come up with two twists on the classic but would love to hear your suggestions for office breakfast upgrades as well! IMG_4641 (640x478)

Crunchy Cinnamon Oats

1/2 cup Quaker or Irish Oats

1/8 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 sliced banana

1/2 cup to 1 cup water or milk to reach desired thickness

1 Tsp cinnamon

1 Tsp nutmeg

1 drizzle agave or sugar free syrup

Combine first six ingredients and mix thoroughly, ensuring that all oats are moist. Drizzle agave or syrup over the oat mixture. Heat in microwave for 2 minutes, keeping a close eye to ensure the oats don’t bubble over.  Enjoy!

IMG_4500 Cinnamon Pumpkin Oats

1/2 cup Quaker or Irish Oats

1/8 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/4 to 1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 to 1/2 cup water or milk to reach desired thickness

1 Tsp cinnamon

1 Tsp nutmeg

1 drizzle agave or sugar free syrup

Combine first six ingredients and mix thoroughly, ensuring that all oats are moist. Drizzle agave or syrup over the oat mixture. Heat in microwave for 2 minutes, keeping a close eye to ensure the oats don’t bubble over.  While these aren’t very photogenic they are very tasty!

Question: Do your breakfast choices change with the season? If so, what is your favorite Fall breakfast creation that can be prepared at the office?

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Pancake Fail and Yoga Win

Happy Sunday! I hope you’ve enjoyed the weekend thus far! Yesterday, after a personal training session and afternoon movie date, Bo and I headed over to the UGA bar, The Village PourHouse, for an evening of football watching, beer, bar food, and catching up with college friends!

We arrived early enough to score an amazing window side table which meant we were able to greet everyone as they walked through the door and enjoy some epic people watching!

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Bo, a Georgia Tech alum, even got into the spirit of things with a new NYC Dawgs t-shirt!

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None of my teams (Notre Dame and UGA) won yesterday but we still had a blast with everyone! Talking with friends and game watching took the place of picture taking but I promise I enjoyed more than one cold, delicious beer and a grilled chicken sandwich along with a few pita triangles, hummus, and wings!

This morning, I woke up after eight lovely hours of sleep craving one thing: pancakes!

I don’t know where this craving came from but I was immediately referenced my favorite blogs, cookbooks, and the internet for a whole wheat banana pancake recipe for which I had all the ingredients.

    Within minutes, I gathered all the products and Bo’s iPad so I could quickly reference the recipe.
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I read the recipe three times through in order to ensure I didn’t miss a step.

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These were a flip, flop, fail!

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I couldn’t figure out what I did wrong or whether my products were out dated. As Bo heard me groan and whine, he offered to make me his “no fail” pancake recipe.

“Only if you can make it banana and whole wheat.”

Really, I didn’t want him to make the Joy of Cooking recipe because I wanted my recipe to work. But, when you’re craving pancakes and someone offers to make them for you, saying no is just dumb. IMG_4272 (478x640)

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The only real difference between this recipe and mine was the addition of butter, a little extra sifting of the flour, and more baking soda. I also threw in a few dashes of cinnamon and nutmeg for extra flavor.

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Flip, Flop, Win!

These were everything whole wheat pancakes should be! Light, fluffy, and bursting with a healthy flavor! The bananas didn’t make it into the actual mix as Bo was fearful it’d affect their height but having them on top was just as delicious.

After my tummy was filled with whole wheat goodness, I headed out for one of my favorite activities, 60 minute Vinyasa. I really, really do not like 90 minute yoga classes. I’ve forced myself to take them time after time but I end up spending the final 20 minutes staring at the clock or wall in boredom.

I enjoyed the 60 minute Vinyasa at the 17th street Equinox which was a welcome treat in itself. I forgot how beautiful this location is! The gym is adjacent to The High Line which means you can watch people walk by during your workout and enjoy amazing sun filled views!

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The above is the view from the yoga studio!

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The yoga studio was spacious with floor to ceiling windows and soft bamboo floors. In addition, the temperature was warmer than most Equinox studios which meant we actually enjoyed “warm” yoga by the end of class!

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The instructor, Narween Otto, just returned to NYC after a stint in Miami. Her voice was a peaceful Australian accent which immediately calmed my mind. She started class off by describing her style which is fluid and fun.

From her website,

Her clear, detailed style and playful perspective are unique. Narween believes in cross-training for the body and mind to avoid injury and boredom and has zero interest in show-off-pretzel shapes in yoga-asana and believes Pilates should be fun, fluid and not too serious. Narween wants to help people stretch and strengthen their bodies and minds as they make their way on their own unique journey towards the sublime.

The class was very leg and hip focused, perfect for my runner legs and tight hips! I really can’t say enough wonderful things about this class. Everything was perfect including the location, the number of attendees, her attention to adjustments, the length, music, and her calming guidance.

If you’re in NYC, I highly recommend you check out her schedule! My goal is practice yoga every Sunday that I’m in town so I hope her new schedule will be posted soon!

Question: What is your favorite yoga or Pilates pose? If you’ve never practiced, what is your favorite stretch?

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