Virtual Cookie Swap

When Rachel mentioned a Virtual Cookie Swap, I volunteered immediately. Then I started getting a little nervous. I mean, I love eating. Obviously. But I’m still living with my parents…hence, I don’t cook. Ever! It’s not that I’m one of those people who can’t boil water without messing it up. It’s just that I don’t ever have a need to cook, so I don’t. And there are plenty of amazing, ridiculously talented cooks, bakers, etc in the blog world that I am certain could out-bake me any day.

But then I decided to end my pity party and turn to one of those fabulous baking bloggers to help me decide what to bake! I knew I wanted to use two items I had acquired in the past couple of months, but hadn’t gotten a chance to use yet.

I got the above dark chocolate squares from my local Whole Foods – for FREE! They posted on their Facebook page that the first “X” number of people to like the status could come in that weekend and pick up a free bag of candy that didn’t get sold for Halloween. Waste not! I was all over that.

I also wanted to utilize the buckwheat groats that Tara got me for November’s foodie pen pal exchange. So, I turned to my old friend Google, and that’s how I found Luisa of The Wednesday Chef and her chocolate chip cookies with buckwheat groats. Please visit her website for this recipe – it is her property! The only change I made was using dark chocolate instead of semisweet, and I did not use almond extract (because I couldn’t find it at the store).

First, I mixed my brown sugar, butter (the real stuff!), eggs, and vanilla extract in a big bowl.

Secondly, I mixed my salt, baking soda, buckwheat groats, and whole wheat flour into the wet ingredients.

This took a bit of arm strength – and with a rubbery bendy spoon too! Oops.

Third, I broke a bunch of the dark chocolate squares into chunks by hand. Is it weird that it was a bit fun? Kinda therapeutic!

Fourth, I lined the cookies up on some special silver cookie baking trays we have. They honestly make a big difference whenever my mom makes cookies on those pans instead of regular ones!

Here’s where another recipe difference comes in – instead of baking the cookies for 6 minutes, flipping the pan, and then cooking for another 6 minutes, I did 5 minutes. Every oven is different!

And voila! I removed them from the trays fairly soon after taking them out of the oven – otherwise the trays continue to cook the cookies, and they get too hard.

My family and I did some taste testing of course. Our household approves – these taste indulgent, despite the healthy whole wheat flour and buckwheat used in the recipe. Maybe it was that real butter and Splenda-less brown sugar? 😉

Thanks to Rachel for putting on such a fun virtual blogger event, and to Luisa for an inspired recipe!

What’s your favorite “healthified” cookie type?

Rooftop 120

Hey guys! Hope your day is going well so far. I have to say that I’ve been MIA (or less active than usual) in commenting and tweeting, which bums me out. However I am in the home stretch of my first semester as a part-time MBA student, which means a huge group project with a presentation, a ten-page paper, and a final! I’m just thankful that one of my professors cancelled our final, so I only have one, for my other class. But I really can’t wait for a few weeks off between this semester and the next so that I can spend more free time blogging and less on homework! At least I can’t complain about spending time doing things with family and friends – I always make time for that 🙂 keeps me sane!

Or not sane…?

In fact, I had a pretty wonderful weekend. I started and ended Friday in a funk, so I didn’t have the highest hopes for the last couple of days. But Saturday I got a ton of homework and Christmas shopping done and had a delicious meal at Chili’s for dinner. Yesterday I PR’ed in a road race. I also explored a part of my town I’ve never seen before, which involved an art show with wine, crackers, and cheese, giving another local cafe a chance to inspire my homework/blogging-sessions, and a hike where I discovered a hidden treasure.

You’ll have to wait a bit longer to hear more about each of those things!

I also wanted to direct you guys to Sarah’s blog Sarah Snacks to check out the loot she received from her November Foodie Pen Pal – aka ME! I sent her the ingredients for a chocolate coma, plus a little mint thrown in. I’m bummed that I’m not doing Foodie Pen Pals this month (too many blogger cookie things going on instead!) but will be back for more in January.

The main purpose of today’s post is to share a fun Tuesday night outing I had last week with a fellow foodie and the namer of this blog, Rachel, at Glastonbury’s newest bar Rooftop 120. It’s the largest four-season rooftop in all of New England and is absolutely gorgeous. I’ve been several times before and their drinks are fabulous and unique. I’m usually a wine girl, but at Rooftop I’ve gotta go with hard liquor-based beverages. In the summer, when glass doors are not enclosing the bar area, it feels like Vegas, my favorite place in the world.

Image courtesy of rooftop120.com

How cool is that wall? At night all those bottles are illuminated! Courtesty of rooftop120.com

My favorite area to sit when it's warm. Image courtesy of rooftop120.com

I arrived in the mood for red wine, and Rachel planned to order the Cucumber Martini that I had during my first Rooftop 120 visit over the summer. We were informed by our server, however, that the cucumber-infused tequila the martini was made with was a seasonal item, so the drink was off the menu. Rachel was bummed and I was about to order my wine when the bartender came over and started mixing us up his own cucumber martini creation!

He used organic Pearl cucumber vodka and a little Prosecco!

I took one sip of this drink and my desire for a glass of red went out the window. So much for Wine Tuesday – how about Martini Tuesday?

That cucumber at the very end was like a cherry on top of a sundae!

So then I started telling Rachel about the apple, peach, and cinnamon-infused whiskey I tried during my last visit to Rooftop…

…and the bartender must have overheard us again, because he brought over complimentary shots! Bottoms up!

I ended up with a headache the next morning thanks to my martini and shot, but the deliciousness wasn’t stopping there. Rachel got the Provence Flatbread: Spiced Belltown orchards apples, caramelized onions, truffle honey, pancetta, and brie. I forgot to take a picture of before she started enjoying it, but I did remember to finish off the last slice. We both agreed it was a little too sweet, but still pretty good. The winner was my flatbread selection, the Tombstone Flatbread: grilled chicken, pepperjack, roasted red peppers, and chipotle onion. The server had it made for us less spicy than usual, which was a good thing because Rachel thought it was spicy as is, but it was perfect for me!

At first I had no appetite after  my drinks, but by the time this flatbread came I was ready to chow down.

Rachel and I had a great night at Rooftop 120 – it was her first visit, and she was back two days later to pre-celebrate her birthday! And in case you’re wondering why she’s MIA in the photos, that was her doing, not mine. And in case you’re wondering why these are iPhone photos and not taken with my new cam – well, the cam was MIA, and that WAS my doing.

About to finish off my vodka-infused cucumber slice!

Thanks to Rooftop 120 for fabulous drinks, crispy and flavorful flatbread, and great deals in the form of free shots and free app coupons for our flatbreads!

What’s the coolest bar you’ve ever been to? Are there any “stylish” places in your area?

New Camera’s Premier!

On Black Friday (a week ago today – oh yeah, it’s Friday, hell yeah!) I got a new camera at Best Buy!

Thanks to Amazon.com for the image.

I haven’t had a chance to share any photos that I’ve taken on it – until today! This post will be a combination of show and tell for both the new camera, and food I’ve eaten in the past week.

Black Friday dinner

Turkey burger and fries with spicy yellow mustard, leftover green beans and zesty horseradish carrots. Usually my favorite part of this meal would be the fries, but the carrots left over from Thanksgiving were a  real treat. Horseradish + breadcrumbs + carrots = <3

Typical Daybreak cafe au lait

I don’t remember what flavor this particular nonfat cafe au lait was, but it doesn’t really matter because Daybreak coffee is amazing no matter what the flavor.

Saturday's dinner

I had a whole wheat spaghetti bowl for dinner that night with marinara, ground turkey and broccoli. I had seconds of all but the pasta – pasta is kinda a take it or leave it thing for me.

A second picture, you know, because I had seconds?

 

I present to you: the best Thanksgiving leftovers creation of all time.

The above caption may be a bold statement, but I’m sticking to it. My mom made a leftover turkey casserole, which I had on top of a bed of leftover broccoli. And then I had seconds. And maybe thirds were involved…

Wednesday's dinner: leftovers are still king.

I got a nice healthy dose of carcinogens in the above meal. On Tuesday my mom cooked, but I was out (more on that later), so these leftovers were new to me. Crispy, Southern-style cornbread heated under the broiler for maximum crusty-ness, and chicken chickpea chili and pico de gallo served over the last of the leftover broccoli.

Man, I sure have gotten my broc on plenty in the last week, huh?

I got more and more excited about the new camera as I inserted these photos into this post – I hope you guys have enjoyed too!

What kind of cam do you use, whether for blogging or just for life?

Sonoma: Free Wine Tastings!

I’ve mentioned before that my favorite liquor store is located in my hometown, Sonoma Wines & Spirits. They often offer free wine tastings (I’ve attended a couple on Saturday afternoons), which always impress me; I usually end up taking home a bottle! The owner and employees are friendly and personable, and the store is even pet-friendly! Sonoma has quite a Facebook presence and use their page to let fans know about both free tastings and affordable wine and food events. That’s how I found out that this past Monday through Wednesday, they were holding free in-store wine tastings from 2-5 and 5-8pm!

The offerings for each tasting.

So I made plans to do what any blogger would do: work out, and immediately follow up the gym with a wine tasting. Maybe it’s the opposite of hydration/recovery, but it sure was fun!

Monday night’s tasting was hosted by 2fly Wines, a company that holds a special place with my family since the owner, Chris Didden, is also the president of the pool club we belong to. He was inspired to join the wine industry after a trip to Australia. Now he sells quality, delicious wines from there!

I met my mom at Sonoma since she is a big 2fly fan as well. The wines being poured that night were a bit out of our price range, so we didn’t buy any of those, but the mom did pick up a bottle of one of her favorite reds.

Mom venturing outside of her comfort zone and trying a white.

The 2fly wines being poured were: K1 by Geoff Hardy Gold Label Arneis 2009 (white), Brookman Wines Chenin Blanc 2008 (white), Conte Estate Middle Tatta Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (red), and Diamond Collection Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (red).

I rarely meet a red I don’t like, so when wine tasting, I actually find it more intriguing to try different varieties of whites since there is more “suspense” over whether or not I will enjoy!

Verdict: I really enjoyed both whites! They weren’t overly sweet, which is what often turns me off to having a glass of white wine.

The real star of the show, though, was the Siraz Cabernet blend (above left). I love the idea of blending two different types of reds since I like most types. It’s like creating new flavors! I would have loved to bring a bottle home, but it was just too expensive. My mom called it “something special”.

Post-workout wine? Why not!

On Wednesday night, I made my way back to try some wines poured by Scott of Franklin Fine Wines. I really enjoyed talking with Scott and one other fellow taster about the wines we were trying, as well as Franklin and its recent merger with Hartford Distributors. Also, these wines were much more affordable, so I ended up taking home a bottle.

Wednesday’s lineup.

I sampled Dr. Peter Poontinger’s German Riesling, Rocland Estate‘s Duck Duck Goose Chardonnay, Rocland Chocolate Box Dark Shiraz, and Three Crowns’s 1830 Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon.

German Riesling

Rieslings are tricky business for me. Too sweet, and I can’t stand them. I don’t think I could ever even drink a whole glass. However, for sipping or tasting, a riesling that isn’t overly sweet is something that I can enjoy. The Dr. Peter Poontinger brand was very enjoyable! And at only $10 a bottle, it was a wine I could see my mom and dad enjoying in the summer months. My co-taster actually ended up taking a bottle of this home with him.

The Duck Duck Goose Chardonnay, named for the Rocland Estates owner’s daughter’s favorite game (and my favorite as a child too!), was the best white I’ve tried in awhile! It was well-balanced and again, not too sweet. My co-taster (wish I’d caught his name!) said that he could see it pairing well with Thai food. Duly noted! I bought a bottle of this to bring home for my dad. He is quite the chard lover.

Bring on the red!

Unfortunately, I didn’t really enjoy the Malbec Cab at all. I just took a sip and said – meh. However, I LOVED the Dark Chocolate Shiraz! Make no mistake, this wine doesn’t actually contain any chocolate, but I love the name as well as the bottle’s design. It tasted delicious – too bad it was the most expensive bottle of the bunch! Still not bad though, $17, but there were other cheaper options, and I’m a bit cheap.

My two favorites of Wednesday evening.

And what’s wine without food? I came home after both tastings and dove into delicious dinners.

Monday night: Giovanni’s take-out.

Giovanni’s Brick Oven Pizza, where my sister is a waitress on her school breaks, makes the best salad with grilled chicken that I can find at any restaurant. The key is they shred and marinate the chicken. I love how they offer baby spinach, and plentiful veggies! I also had an un-pictured slice of their wonderful Veggie Special pizza.

Wednesday night’s feast!

In honor of Hannah being home from school, my dad grilled filet and my mom made baked potatoes. Leftover green beans and corn bread joined my plate. And you know I put Mariah’s Chow Chow Relish on my potato skin!

After dinner snack of Yoplait Greek and Uncle Sam Strawberry cereal…

Thanks to Sonoma for hosting so many free and fabulous wine events!

Red or white wine? What do you think? Or are you a wine hater?

Meet Caitlin

I’m a 28 year old full-time working girl living in Boston (previously lived in Connecticut). I’m passionate about food/drink, restaurants, self-love, fitness, and the ever-present search for balance. I write about that journey on this blog – I hope you enjoy!

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Design Credit

My header was originally designed by Mai Le and later tweaked by Chris Roggi to match this theme, which he helped me customize. He also moved me over to self-hosting! Both can be contacted through their sites for design & development work!

Disclaimer

I am not an RD and do not have any official training, certifications, or degrees in nutrition or fitness. This blog is a way to write about my life. Any views I express are mine alone, based on what works for me, and should never be taken as medical advice. Always talk to your doctor or a trained professional before starting a new diet or fitness plan. In addition, this blog and its content are in no way affiliated with Kate Gosselin, “Kate Plus 8”, TLC, or any related affiliates.

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