We are now in the throws of my favorite time of the year! The weather is so nice, it's not hot, it's not humid and sometimes it gets a little cool. At the start of this month I had no idea I would be so busy or have so much to share. I battled insomnia all month long and thankfully once Thanksgiving was coming and I had to stay up for several days cooking and cleaning everything just went back to normal.
Ok, so I have a few things I wanted to discuss this month that I mentioned last month. You guys peep the new cookware? I love cooking so much and I get excited over things like this. For the last 5 years I have been cooking on restored cast iron cookware that was coated with enamel. Totally not the same as using straight cast iron because the enamel keeps out some of the iron and it also can't be heated to the same temperatures. I had picked out some cast iron months ago and it turns out it was exactly what my husband wanted (he is a huge cast iron fan- and he is the one who restored our old cast iron that was about 20 years old).
So I spent most of October playing around with it and experimenting and I have got to say its amazing. To me, cooking is like art and you can use any medium. Before I had porcelain (Rachel Ray- its great, but it can't get too hot), I had restored enamel cast iron, and stainless steel (also great, but the oil sludge is annoying). Having finally just straight cast iron it's like a whole new world to me. You guys are going to see a lot of my old recipes, but cooked with my Lodge cookware because I am so curious how everything can be so much better.
I rarely show pictures of my little baby Yue, but here she is in her holiday collar that she got for Christmas from my mom.
NIMA TESTS
 |
| Chilli seasoning also sometimes has wheat added... this is my favorite brand of seasoning but first x trying the chilli. |
IN THE CITY: This month we had a fun time trying some new (rooftop) restaurants and going to the Christmas tree lightings in Tampa & St. Pete.
 |
| Armani's Tampa |
 |
| Seasons 52 Tampa |
 |
| Hyde Park Village Annaul Tree Lighting |
 |
| On Swann |
 |
| Green Lemon |
 |
| Harbour Island |
FITNESS: So, the holidays are finally here and we all know we like to "indulge" during the holiday season. For me, I like to indulge on my mac and cheese because I only make it twice a year. I tried to get ahead of the holiday 15 by doing yoga and pilates more this month. I have been working on poses from a book all month long so these were a lot harder and awkward than usual. I also have been working on my arms again since I have neglected them as well as my back.
I haven't had many joint flare ups lately so I was shocked that my hands started swelling up and hurting right after I was done cooking/serving Thanksgiving dinner. It's easy to forget the stress of it all that is taken on your mind and body when planning a big event. I spent weeks planning a menu, went to 3 or 4 grocery stores, cooked all this food, and as soon as I sat down and thought "Ok, I did it, it's over" here goes my hands flaring up. Then later I felt it all over (hands, feet, knees etc). Yoga, if you have Rheumatoid Arthritis is a great way to reduce flare ups. I had a chance to do yoga while on vacation and it felt amazing!!!
HAULS: I have been slowly finishing up my Kendra Scott corner. Earlier this year for my 11th anniversary my hubby bought me a bunch of KS Home items and I was waiting for a sale to get this earring rack. I have a large jewelry box, but I find the aesthetic of this one to be more pleasing to the eye. It's also quicker for me to choose an earring and go when I am heading out. I only wish that it had more earring holes. The KS gel nail polish is 16$ each so I just bought the set (pink druzy) since some of the money went to Breast Cancer Awareness research. Overall, it's really nice nail polish and very pretty, but it chipped pretty quickly.
 |
| New earring stand from Kendra Scott |
 |
| This month's Rocksbox items plus Kendra Scott gel nail polish |
 |
| Adore Me |
 |
| All makeup c/o Avon |
CANDLE REVIEWS:
Sweater weather: Made with Fresh Sage, Juniper Berry, Aromatic Eucalyptus, Fresh Woods. Every candle I chose this month smelled absolutely amazing. I was waiting to get sweater weather since September because it had been sold out online.
Hello Fall: Hello Fall had a pleasant smell that was warm and inviting. It was not too strong and not too light and it left our condo smelling great even when it wasn't lit.
Harvest Pear: Out of all four candles I purchased this one smelled great, but it was underwhelming by comparison. I would buy it again just because there are so many other options.
Fresh Balsam: Made with pine, cedarwood, and eucalyptus oils. This candle was a surprise because I did not expect it to smell like a Christmas tree. If you are like me and usually puts up a fake tree so you don't have to deal with the needles this candle will give your home that missing fresh sap and pine smell.
ALL GLUTEN FREE FOODS COOKED BY MYSELF, RECIPES ARE AVAILABLE APON REQUEST
This month you will start to see a lot of posts with the new cast iron. This was the first thing I made in the cast iron- shrimp scampi. I have made shrimp scampi numerous times and it was never this good. The way the flavors blended and how tender the shrimp turned out was beyond words. I was completely sold, this cast iron is amazing.
 |
| Shrimp scampi with elbow pasta |
A sous vide dinner: We got our Sous Vide in October and I basically spent most of November trying out a lot of new recipes involving the Sous Vide. Please see this City Life post for the full explanation on the Sous Vide.
If you have ever made corn on a cobb you know the butter never really seeps in, but more or less stays on the surface of the kernels. With the Sous Vide the butter is slow cooked in for an amazing flavor. I made these spicy which is why there is red powder on them. You can pretty much Sous Vide your corn any way you want, sweet, spicy, you can do it any way you like and the results will always be the same. It's cooked at a controlled temperature for an hour in water.
 |
| Spicey sous vide corn on the cobb |
 |
| Rainbow smashed fingerling potatoes |
 |
| mushroom caps |
 |
| Prime steak filets |
MEAL PREP:SOUS VIDE HALIBUT
 |
| Sous Vide Halibut with sous vide corn from earlier in the week |
MEAL PREP: ROASTED OYSTERS
 |
| Roasted blue point oysters with havarti block cheese, serrano peppers, and turkey bacon |
MEAL PREP: LUNCH- NOODLE SOUP
 |
| Spicy Green chilli and onion soup |
MEAL PREP: CAST IRON ROAST CHICKEN
 |
| Roast chicken with potatoes and rainbow carrots |
So, I specifically got this cast iron muffin pan to make corn bread for Thanksgiving, but I thought it would be fun to make egg cups for my husband. He usually skips breakfast and I always get on him because breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I did not know that this muffin pan was so small so it too me 2 hours to make 18! I ordered a second one right after that so I can be prepared for Thanksgiving. The egg cups are very similar to a frittata, but since they are smaller they retain moisture differently and so they have a different texture. I have never made any breakfast items with baked salmon (I usually use ham or turkey bacon/sausage so I decided to use salmon this time. They turned out perfectly, but the pan is so small I have been struggling to get it clean. I should have cleaned it while it was still hot, but I suspect it would not have mattered.
 |
| Salmon Spinach cheesey egg cups with herbs |
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment