The First Triathlon

Registered! D-day is May 19th at Lake Welch - Harriman State Park, NY in Stony Point, NY. What distance is an Olympic (or "international distance" or "standard course") triathlon? It is a 1.5 km/0.93 mile swim, 40km/24.8 mile bike ride, and a 10km/6.2 mile run.

Honey-Lime Grilled Skirt Steak With Avocado-Tomato Relish

This recipe is probably the most gourmet I've tried since making my cooking resolution in 2012. It is fantastic, but there are several drawbacks. First of all, skirt steak is expensive. I think I paid north of $10/pound at my neighborhood Citarella. I couldn't find it at Trader Joe's and didn't feel like rolling the dice at Food Emporium. The second challenge is cooking the skirt steak if you don't have a grill. I opted to broil it in my oven, which probably would have been fine if I didn't run out of aluminum foil. As a result of the foil shortage, I severely burned the honey-lime marinade onto my cooking pan, which led to an intense amount of smoke (and a very smokey apartment). However, if you're looking to impress your friends with a fancy pants cook at home meal, this is it. Recipe can be found here: http://www.food.com/recipe/honey-lime-grilled-skirt-steak-with-avocado-tomato-relish-468506

Turkey-Lentil Chili

In a previous post, I blogged about Boilermaker Tailgate Chili, which is fantastic for game day and extra meaty. For those looking for a healthier option that is still hearty, I recommend Turkey-Lentil Chili. The recipe can be found here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/turkey-lentil-chili/ I opted for a slightly spicier version and used some extra Cholula hot sauce, as well as some jalapenos. The recipe makes a TON of chili - I froze some and have been eating it for a week. I also recommend replacing the low-fat yogurt on top with low-fat sour cream. Happy chili-ing!

Brussels Sprouts with...Bacon?

I would typically think the title of this recipe - Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Garlic, and Shallots - would be a paradox. If you are eating brussels sprouts you're probably trying to be healthy. Then you add bacon, which is not necessarily a health food. However, I found the recipe in Cooking Light and it calls for two strips of bacon, which really make the recipe quite tasty. The recipe can be found here: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/brussels-sprouts-bacon-50400000116749

I enjoyed it, but warn fellow chefs to be careful not to burn the garlic when you're cooking it over medium high heat. I think I got distracted and it took me longer than expected to cut up the bacon strips.

Game Day Recipes

It's that time of year - the weather has gotten too cold to spend much time outside and we're relegated to the couch, watching sports on the weekend. Not bad if you don't go stir crazy. Two days ago was a full - but disappointing - sports day for me. I watched the mighty Tar Heel basketball team fall to the FSU Seminoles, Drew Brees and the Saints lose to the 49ers, and the Pats topple the Broncos (I was rooting for that one).

Even though two of the three games didn't go my way, I was able to whip up some tasty food to comfort my friends and I during the Tar Heels loss. One recipe is quite simple; the other takes more time (and ingredients). Here they are:

Guacamole (from allrecipes.com). The recipe is: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/guacamole/detail.aspx Fresh and tasty (if you can find good avocados in winter) and to add a little extra spice, put in more than a dash of cayenne and maybe some jalapenos. I did both and it was still manageable.

The second recipe I think should be renamed "Extra Meaty Chili" because it calls for three pounds of meat and bacon bits. I didn't have bacon bits, so I cut up little pieces of bacon and added them after frying on the range. I also ran out of room in my slow cooker (which is meant to serve 4-6 people and this recipe feeds 12). As a result, I had to cut back on the 4 cans of beans it calls for, so my chili's meat to bean ratio was skewed toward the meat. The chili calls for two pounds of ground beef and a pound of sausage. The recipe is called Boilermaker Tailgate Chili and is found here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/boilermaker-tailgate-chili/detail.aspx

Happy cooking!

How to Save Money on NYE in NYC

Last night despite all odds, I found a way to have an awesome NYE in NYC without spending a ton of money. Impossible, you say. No, it's not. I went out to Brooklyn with some of my best college buddies to hang out and play poker. Despite getting all my money taken at poker on Thanksgiving, last night I was victorious. Further, I managed to pay for my cab home with some money left over. Much more economical than a typical NYE in NYC (and probably more fun, too). Suck it, Ryan Seacrest.

Making Broccoli Exciting

For those of you who don't love broccoli, I've discovered two recipes that make broccoli pretty tasty. The first is from Cooking Light. To make it, I recommend using Trader Joe's freshly shaved Parmesan, Romano & Asiago cheese. It's called Lemon-Parmesan Broccoli. The recipe can be found here: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/lemon-parmesan-broccoli-50400000115791/

The second recipe is Broccoli with Garlic Butter and Cashews. It's also a tasty recipe but requires cashews, as the name implies, which are expensive. It also calls for the cashews to be chopped. Since it is a pain in the butt to chop nuts, I recommend putting them into a plastic bag and beating them up with a meat tenderizer. Worked for me. Also, when making this recipe, I put the cashews in the pan with the butter/garlic mix, which you are not supposed to do. My nuts got burned. I might have to re-make without burning the nuts to see if that makes a difference. However, even with burnt nuts, the broccoli is still pretty tasty. The recipe can be found here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/broccoli-with-garlic-butter-and-cashews/detail.aspx

Corn Spoon Bread

As a relatively easy and delicious side dish for the winter months, try some corn spoon bread. It's kind of a mix between corn bread and corn pudding, if such a thing exists. If you've made Paula Deen recipes before, you know that everything is better with eight ounces of cream cheese.

The recipe is here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/corn-spoon-bread/detail.aspx