Hump Day Life Makeover

Today's Hump Day Home Makeover is going to be different than the usual (hence the title). I am in a particularly great mood today. CT and I are going to a foodie event tonight that I am so excited about. It's a food panel with some of Atlanta's top chefs like Ford Fry from St. Cecilia, The Optimist, King + Duke, and Kevin Gillespie from Top Chef and Woodfire Grill. Follow me on Twitter for live tweeting! And this morning somehow I managed to pull myself out of bed earlier than my usual 3 snooze routine and ran my fastest mile yet -7:49! Peachtree Road Race here I come. Hump Day - 0, Corbin - 1. 

In other news, I have been in full speed the past few weeks. If you noticed, last week on vacation I blogged my butt off. I just couldn't shut it off. That trend has continued this week, and I have started painting again. Growing up, I was really into painting and did a lot of it during high school. My latest is a colorful abstract I'm thinking about putting over the sofa. 

My new dresser finally came from One Kings Lane. I absolutely LOVE it! It is much taller than I expected, but lovely. Compared to the MALM IKEA dresser I had in New York whose drawers would sag with my winter sweaters, this one is made from white oak (real wood! woohoo) so it's nice and sturdy.

Last week, CT and I started wedding planning! We went to the venue for a jazz night, which happened to be in the same spot we will be doing our wedding ceremony. Isn't it beautiful? 

The other week I also went shopping at World Cost Market. I thought this sushi set was awesome - how cute are the fortune cookie soy sauce dishes?

I ordered 3 new pairs of shoes from Sole Society and literally love every single one, and they came last week. I'm trying not to be mad about the fact that they are all on sale now! Good news for you all, because these shoes are awesome. The one on the right I'm trying not to order this week (it's on sale) but love them for summer.

Hope you're all having great Wednesdays!

Easy Snow Crab Recipe // Faking Fancy

A lot of times for Father's Day, I like to treat my dad to something different from the usual tie, new music album or clothes he is used to getting - like cooking a nice meal. The hunt for the perfect recipe is always difficult. My mom is an amazing cook and they enjoy eating at restaurants, so finding a recipe that feels special, grand or is a meal they don't usually eat can be really hard to do. In the past I have gone for intricate and labor intensive meals like a seafood risotto with lobster and crab, but this year I found the perfect meal to 'fake fancy' - snow crab legs in just 6 minutes.

CT had made snow crab legs for me the week before Father's Day, and when we were sitting at the tab shamelessly dipping crab into obscene amounts of butter, I couldn't help but think 'What did I do to deserve this." We started talking about the meal and I couldn't believe how easy it was to cook such a delicious dish that can be pretty pricey at restaurants. 

So I'm sharing the secret with you today, and you really only need 4 ingredients - one of which being water!

Ingredients

2 clusters per person - (a cluster is a group of legs attached to the main body)

1 lemon

1 stick of butter for dipping sauce

1/2 inch of water to cover the bottom of the pan

Cookware

Stock Pot - or a pot large enough to hold the crab your cooking with a lid on

Nice-to-Have: Crab Crackers 

Instructions

In a pot large enough to fit all crab with the top on, heat 1/2 inch of water with lemon wedges over medium-high heat until it boils. Once it boils, add crab and cover. You want as little crab as possible to be in the water. It's helpful to position the crab legs on the lemons so they aren't in the water. If some of your crab is in the water, it will just overcook what's in the boiling water. Cook for around 6-8 minutes. Snow crab is caught and cooked on the spot. It is then frozen and shipped to groceries all over, so you are trying to heat the crab up thoroughly without overcooking. 

Once crab is cooked to your liking, I like to serve each pair of clusters with a small bowl of melted butter for dipping. We served our meal with corn and an arugula, parmesan salad.

Enjoy!

Paleo Challenge Update

This week has been crazy per the usual, but I've now completed my 4th day of the Paleo Challenge. And so far, so good. This week, I've loved how paleo has made me go outside of my usual cooking routine to try new and somewhat unusual recipes. With Paleo's focus on protein and natural ingredients, I have been cooking a lot of fish and meat. My favorite new discoveries have been cooking with coconut oil, a cinnamon and walnut salmon recipe, spaghetti squash, and a great way to cook chicken on the stove top. 

Until this week, I didn't really know coconut oil existed. Turns out coconut oil is pretty much a super oil with a lot of healthy benefits. Coconut oil can help our bodies resist viruses and bacteria, improve insulin levels in the body and boost metabolism, endurance and energy. I love the coconutty aroma and very subtle taste, and am definitely going to start experimenting with it in future recipes. 

source

This salmon, cinnamon and walnut recipe is another thing I loved this week, and also something I had never thought of before. Shockingly enough, cinnamon and salmon are quite the killer pair. Here's the recipe I followed.

Next on my never having tried list, is spaghetti squash. This one I have definitely heard of, but since I'm allergic to yellow squash I had always thought it was off the table for me. When it showed up on my menu for dinner, I looked into it and found it's more similar to winter squash like butternut and gave it a try. This stuff is amazing! And now I totally get why people have been freaking out about it. All you have to do is - cut the squash in half long ways, scoop out the seeds, rub with salt, pepper and olive oil and cook in the oven for about 45 minutes. When you take it out, you use a fork to scrap the squash, and volia - spaghetti squash.

I served the spaghetti squash with chicken that I cooked on the stove top using coconut oil. Something you might not know about me is I absolutely hate to cook chicken. I never buy it. In fact it's quite possible it had been a year since I bought chicken to cook at home until this week. This was really because I couldn't quite nail an easy recipe that didn't taste bland or too much like well, chicken. I tried out this new recipe tonight and it was super easy and really tasty. I took about a tbsp of coconut oil and heated over medium heat. I took about a 5 oz piece of chicken and rub it with a mix of spices like garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, oregano, etc. and cook it on each side for a minute each. Then I covered the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook for 10 minutes. Then without removing the lid, I turned the heat off and let it sit for another 10 minutes. I ended up with perfectly cooked chicken with just the right amount of juice.

Enjoy your weekend! 

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes (with Blueberries)

I have been on a huge pancake kick recently. These pancakes are so freaking good. They're like pancakes meet french toast. 

For those of you who like me, didn't know who Edna Mae was until finding this pancake recipe, she is the mother-in-law of foodie blogger, The Pioneer Women. And she is getting a lot of rave reviews for her recipe across the blogosphere. 

Ingredients

7 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt 

1 cup sour cream

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup blueberries

butter

syrup

Directions

Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. On my stove-top, this was about a 4-6 depending on the burner (don't you just love NY kitchens). Make sure to move the butter around so it coats the whole pan.

In a medium sized bowl, stir flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together.

Add in sour cream and mix together gently. I like to stir the mixture a few times, then tilt the bowl and press the sour cream into the flour with the back of a fork against the side of the bowl. It is okay to have lumps in the mixture, but you want to make sure that all the dry ingredients are combined with the sour cream.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and vanilla extract together. Then add to the mixture and stir.

Use about 1/4 cup of the batter per pancake. Add blueberries.

Flip the pancake after 2 minutes or once you see bubble starting to appear on the surface. Then cook the other side for the same amount of time. Repeat.

Stack them and serve with syrup and enjoy!

Napkins courtesy of Dot & Army.

Inspiration Junky

CT and his sister came into town this weekend, and with the weather "feeling like 5 degrees," we went to a lot of delicious restaurants, and watched pretty much a full season of Breaking Bad. We went to The Smile in NoHo that I recently discovered and became obsessed with the quinoa banana muffin. Even though it's not in the cookbook, the chef's recipes made it into this week's 'What's What,' since the food at the restaurant is so good. We also spent a day walking around The Brooklyn Flea (see vintage boho rugs above) and Smorgasborg. As you might have guessed I love the Brooklyn Flea and will be sharing the vendors you shouldn't miss this week, but in the meantime, you should read about this probiotic hot sauce we found at Smorgasborg. How was your weekend?

1. Boho Rug - Brooklyn Flea / 2. Succlents - Adore Floral / 3. Chesterfield Sofa - Macy's / 4. Suzani Lamp - Furbish Studio / 5. Driftwood Candle Holder - Pure Home / 6. Hoop Shelf - Dot & Bo / 7. Handpainted Coffee Mugs / 8. Melia Marden's Cookbook / 9. Overnight Oats Recipe / 10. Sunny Bang Hot Sauce 

Farm-To-Table Frenzy

I spent the past weekend in San Francisco visiting my best friend from college and celebrating her engagement. On Saturday, we walked a short few blocks from her Financial District Apartment to The Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market. I live close to Farmer's Market in Union Square in New York, so I was expecting this market to be much like the one at home. Let me just say, California doesn't get its reputation for being healthy and green for nothing. I was totally blown away by the amount of fresh producel, fruit, seafood, and earth-friendly eat ware. Everything seemed to be compostable and plastic bags were not an option, which I loved. We had the most amazing lox on sourdough with fennel, capers and pickled onions, and I came back convinced I must have a rosemary plant much like the one of my friends balcony.

Today, Mashable posted a video about a fast-food chain called Sweet Green that I wanted to share. The company was started by a few entrepreneurs who saw a need for fresh and healthy food during their time at Georgetown in DC and started up the company. The built the company on lifestyle offering good music, healthy food and a fresh outlook. I really respect the type of food these three friends turned business partners are offering. They are now up to 21 locations offering farm-to-table food from local farms and change up their menu based upon seasons like fancier restaurants. From a Marketing standpoint, they are doing a killer job. It’s hard not to like or identify with a brand that’s culturally relevant and funny.

source: Mashable

Whole Wheat Raspberry Cinnamon Muffins

Cinnamon swirl muffins have been my long-time favorite. This weekend, I had every intention of seeing what all the fuss is about rhubarb, but couldn't find rhubarb anywhere. Guess it's that popular. My backup? Raspberries.

 I'll tell you what. These muffins are the bomb. 

The best way I can describe them is that they are like a semi-sweet swirl of really good raspberry jam on some homemade toast (and they don't make you feel guilty for eating them). 

I think they are the perfect sub for the greek yogurt breakfast eater who crave some carbs every once in a while. They are so incredibly easy to make I couldn't help but think these would also be the perfect muffin recipes for moms who want to cook something healthier than pre-packaged cupcakes. 

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking power

.5 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs

3/4 cup nonfat milk

1 cup (8 oz) frozen raspberries, thawed

Servings: 12

NUTRITIONAL INFO

Calories: 206.6

Fat: 8.8 g.

Carbs: 29.7 g.

Fiber: 3.2 g.

Protein: 4.5 g.

Old Points: 4

Points Plus: 6

wine & pizza tasting / nyc vintners

Wine is my drink of choice and something I really enjoy learning about. In college, I took a Viticulture and Enology class that ended with a few tastings of the wines varietals we had learned about that night. My best friend and I showed up every Tuesday night for our 6-9 class with a block of brie. We were in heaven.

Since I’ve been in New York City, I've been dying to take an actual wine course, but working in Advertising can make leaving the office for a 6PM class impossible. This weekend my friend treated me to a wine and pizza tasting class for my birthday at a boutique wine shop in the Financial District, NYC Vintners. I don't usually think of pizza and wine going together, and was definitely pleasantly surprised. Wine and food pairing is a talent envy and the teachers did a great job selecting the right wines to bring out the flavors of the pizza.

Ever thought about putting Boursin cheese on your pizza? Do it. Tonight. Now. This pizza was my favorite with hen of the woods and oyster mushrooms, truffle oil, mozzarella and Boursin cheese. Out of the two whites we drank, I was surprised my favorite with the pizza was the Tire Bouchon Bourgogne with a buttery nose, since I usually prefer stainless steel aged whites like the other white, Gorleri Vermentino we tasted.

The two reds we tasted were what the teacher referred to as "big ass reds" with a lot of tannin, fruit and jam. This is my favorite kind of red that feels like a bit of a kick to your taste buds. Ever wonder why reds are usually paired with meats? The tannin in them does a great job cutting through the fat in foods.

My favorites were the Tire Bouchon Bourgogne (white) and the Abanico Toro Eternium Viti (red).

If you're interested in taking a class at NYC Vintners, you should check out Groupon. They often have great deals on the class. You just have to make sure you plan in advance.

Turkey Chili Recipe

Many of you might know that this is my first winter in NYC. After growing up spending a majority of winters in Atlanta with a few in Ohio during college, I am NOT prepared for this. My weather app this morning told me it is a daunting 19 degrees outside. Nineteen . . . and I was complaining about 30 degrees just the other day. So in light of this bone chilling weather, I thought it was the perfect time to share this easy and quick turkey chili recipe I discovered the other week.

I have been continuing my New Years Resolution of cooking *more* (keyword) at home, and discovered this recipe when I was trying to use all of the turkey and kidney beans I had bought for burgers and salads. Ground turkey and kidney beans automatically made me think chili, so I picked up a few more ingredients and came up with this. It is surprising delicious and easy, so I had to share.

Servings: 2

Ingredients

.8 lbs ground turkey (half of a 1.3 lb pack)

1 can tomato soup with tomato chunks

1 cup kidney beans

1 cup black beans

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Pour a teaspoon of olive oil in a medium sized skillet and place over medium-high heat. Use a spatula to chop up the turkey. Add cumin and chili powder to the turkey. Continue to mix and chop turkey for about 5-7 minutes or until pink is no longer showing.

Heat tomato soup, kidney beans and black beans over medium heat in a sauce pan. Stir in tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper and heat for 10 mins (do not boil yet). Add cooked ground turkey to mixture and allow to boil. Once boiling, cover the saucepan and turn off the heat. Let stand.

Have any go-to recipes for cold weather?? Please share!

Pesto Turkey Burgers With Feta Cheese Recipe

Next up in the Fuel Your New Years Resolution series is one of my go-to recipes - Pesto Turkey Burgers with Feta Cheese. 

I normally make this recipe with panko bread crumbs, but since the theme of this recipe series is to help inspire healthy eating I left them out and really didn't miss them. The trick to eating healthy is really to watch your serving size. Serve with a kale salad and some sauteed mushrooms for vitamin A, fiber and antioxidants. 

Ingredients

.8 lbs ground turkey (round to 1 lb for 4 burgers)

1 tbsp pesto

1/4 cup feta cheese

salt & pepper

olive oil

Mix turkey, pesto and feta cheese together. Shape mixture into 3-4, 1/2 inch thick patties. Make sure to mix well before creating the patties so the pesto and feta cheese is mixed throughout.

Coat skillet with olive oil or cooking spray, and make sure the entire bottom of the skillet is coated so the patties do not burn or stick to the pan. Cook over medium-high for about 5 minutes a side or until they are no longer pink in the center. I usually cut mine in half to make sure it's not pink in the middle. If they are taking longer than you expected to cook cover the pan with a lid and check back every minute or so.

Mandarin Orange Salad with Citrus Basil Vinaigrette

recipe / Mandarin Orange Salad With Citrus-Basil Vinaigrette

By Corbin Page

Published: June 11, 2012

This Mandarin Orange Salad is one of my favorite salad recipes for spring and summer time. The mandarin oranges are a nice add to your traditional salad to make it feel fresh and fun.

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 5 min max

Total time: 10 min

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

Mixed Baby Lettuces: 1 bag 

Mandarin Orange: 1 can

Slivered Almonds: 1/2 cup

Crumbled Feta Cheese: 3/4 cup

Olive Oil: 2 tbsp

Red Wine Vinegar: 1 tbsp

Dijon Mustard : 1/2 tbsp

Reserved Mandarin Orange Juice: 3 tbsp

Salt & Pepper: ½ tsp of each

Basil: 3 leaves 

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix lettuce, almonds and mandarin oranges in a large bowl, reserving the mandarin orange juice in a separate bowl for the dressing.

2. To make the dressing, mix Dijon Mustard and oil in a small bowl with a fork or whisk until mustard and oil have combined.

3. Add vinegar and mandarin orange juice to oil and mustard mixture and whisk.

4. Rinse basil and roll from stem to the tip.

5. Slice basil horizontally into small sections and add to dressing with salt and pepper.

6. Add to lettuce and toss.

7. Once tossed, add cheese to the top.

Spicy Tomato Basil Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients - Recipe serves 4 

Utensils: 

wooden skewers

measuring cups and spoons

garlic mincer

basting brush

glass casserole dish

bowls

platter

Shrimp: 

2 pounds

Sauce: 

1/3 cup tomato sauce

1/3 cup olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, minced

3 tbs. chopped fresh basil

2 tbs. red wine vinegar

½ teas. ground cayenne pepper

Steps: 

1. Soak 6 10-inch bamboo skewers in water (spoon is just to hold the skewers under water)

2. Peel (and devein, if desired) 2 lbs fresh shrimp

3. Thread shrimp onto skewers, passing the skewer through each shrimp twice ( 5-6 shrimp per skewer)

4. Arrange skewers in a casserole dish, cover and place in refrigerator while sauce is made

5. Combine tomato sauce, olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, ground cayenne pepper and chopped fresh basil in a bowl and stir

6. Reserve 1/3 sauce, place in a separate dish and cover 

7. Remove shrimp from the refrigerator and brush both sides of skewers with remaining sauce

8. Grill shrimp with lid covered over medium-high heat until pink - should be about 3-4 minutes per side.

9. With a fresh brush, brush cooked skewers with remaining sauce 

Atlanta Seafood Spots

From left to right...

Atlanta Fish Market - 265 Pharr Road NE 

The Fish Market is a landmark in Buckhead (much like the Big Chicken in Alpharetta). You can't miss the big fish jutting out of the woodwork on Pharr Road. The restaurant is a part of the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group (including restaurants like Chops, Pricci, the late Blue Pointe :(, etc). This is one of my favorite restaurants during months with "r" i.e. Oyster season. I highly recommend a glass of the Albarino or Muscadet and some oysters on the half shell. They also have great sushi (the chef was trained by the sushi chef at Bluepointe). I'd recommend the Lobster Maki Roll, the Volcano Roll or the Tiger Roll, and a glass of the Peter Friemuth Riesling.

Starfish Sushi - 2255 Peachtree Rd NE # E 

This is my go to sushi restaurant in Atlanta. The staff is super friendly, and the food is great. My order recommendation? Food: Edamame, golden pompano, spicy tuna sashimi, Sin City Roll, Kung Fu Panda Roll and the Iron Man Roll (pictured below). Wine: Hook and Ladder Chardonnay, Bear Boat Pinot Noir, or the Dr. Pauly Riesling.

JCT Kitchen - 1198 Howell Mill Road #18 

Whether you sit in the more formal dining room downstairs or at the casual bar upstairs, you have the option to get my favorite thing on the menu - the Angry Mussels. They are by far the best mussels in Atlanta, and come with toasted bread for dipping. Make sure you call before going though because the downstairs and upstairs restaurants are frequently rented out for private events.