Forgive Me Coach, For I have Sinned...

I feel compelled to warn y'all about a sinful product that just landed on my G'wich Whole Food shelf...

This Saratoga Peanut Butter Company is a temptation to every stinkin' calorie burned during my pre-dawn 4000 meter swims...

Sure, I'd have more of a fighting chance if I only tangled with their Plain Jane Creamy...

Chunky...

Organic Creamy...

Or plain ole Almighty Almond Butter for my Green Monster breakfast smoothie...

But, how can that angel on my shoulder do battle against a post Masters/Crossfit ravenous devil whose Achilles has always been the peanut butter and banana combo? 

And, this Maple number just screams Pandora's Box...

Now, the White...

And Dark Chocolate need to kept behind the register alongside other sinful items such as cigarettes, condoms and booze and require proof of a completed morning workout for purchase...

While thee (insert sign of the cross) peanut butter, dark chocolate and dried cherry Trifecta should come with a mandatory penance of 10 Hail Mary's and 1000 squats...

I mean, look...I thought I was taking the safe, heart healthy route with Adirondack's cranberries, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, honey an juuust a hint of cinnamon til the big spoon came out...  

I'd be on my knees praying for forgiveness right this very moment if I didn't think my AG jeans would split...

Kindness of my sister Genny for sending me a video of goblet squats over the weekend as I'm currently starring down the barrel of about an entire episode of Alaska: The Last Frontier worth after this morning's Saratoga Peanut Butter Company indiscretion...XXOO

Green Monster Smoothie

I recently repinned Iowa Girl Eats' recipe for Green Monster Smoothie from QBS's li'l sis, Molly Holzem and, it has turned out to be a healthy, low-cal, deeelish winner even earning a thumbs up from the très picky Babe...

1 sliced, frozen banana

1 T peanut or almond butter

1/2 c non-fat Chobani Vanilla Greek Yogurt

1 c Unsweetened (couldn't find) Vanilla Almond Breeze

4 c baby spinach leaves

Toss all the ingredients into a blender and mix. Easy peasy...

340 calories, 10g of fiber, 21g of protein (per Iowa Girl's calculations)

It's especially a snap when you prep ahead including, washing and spinning the spinach leaves...

Once I've spun all the water out of the leaves, I lay a couple paper towels in the bottom of the spinner to absorb any remaining moisture and just pop the spinner in the fridge for easy storing...

I also pre-cut the bananas, lay them on a baking rack (fyi, they're an absolute PILL to get off a flat surface like a plate or cookie sheet once frozen) and stick them in the freezer til mostly frozen...

*my mother just advised me that laying wax paper between the sliced bananas and a flat surface may help eliminate the sticking...

Then, individually bag each banana and toss back into the freezer for convenient grabbing in the morn...

Once your prep work's done, all that's left are a few simple measurements once smoothie making time rolls around...

Perf post Insanity workout fuel...

Green smoothie, green tea, pink straw. It's the new yummy breakfast of champions around here...

Kindness of Iowa Girl Eats for sharing the original recipe, Molly for pinning so I could poach it, and MPM of The Pink Clutch for my swanky bday cup and straw. Spinach never looked so preppy...XXOO

Annual Oyster Dressing Roll Out

My parents are just now making their way home from Mexico so yet again it became my job to track down the holiday supply of Chincoteague oysters. Handicap being, I ain't near Chincateague no more. Fortunately, the nice man at Bon Ton Fish Market here in Greenwich had some shipped in just pour moi...

Like I said last year, and the year before that, if I were on death row, and requesting my last meal, at theee very top on the menu would be my family's oyster dressing. And, since we're mere days away from Thanksgiving, I thought I'd reshare the recipe in hopes of giving ya'll enough time to develop a game plan for acquiring your own top notch oysters...

*1 pint Chincoteague oysters, drained and chopped

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 1/2 cup chopped celery with leaves

1 cup butter

8-9 cups hand cubed soft bread crumbs (cheap loaves white bread works best)

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage leaves (I am very generous with the sage)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (and, equally as generous with the thyme)

In a large stock pot, cook and stir onion and celery in butter until onion is translucent and tender.

Turn off heat and stir in about half the amount of hand cubed bread crumbs. Turn into a deep bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss.

 Amount of bread cubes used will depend on how moist the oysters are so, add in stages.

Cook in a covered dish At 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

*Be sure to use quality, salty oysters (preferably Chincoteague) otherwise it's just not as delish.

Kindness of Lolly, my forever helper, for never thinking any job, including stray celery catcher, too lowly for her...XXOO

House Guacamole

Guacamole is a house specialty that's a hybrid of the Barefoot Contessa and Rosa Mexicano recipes with a bit o' Gwynnie P technique thrown in for good measure...

House Guacamole

4 - 6 avocados, depending on size

juice of one lemon

8 or so generous dashes Tabasco sauce

1 small red onion, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped

4 Roma tomatoes, seeded, and diced (may also use cherry tomatoes, quartered)

1 teaspoon good sea salt

*I use organic ingredients whenever possible

My secret; the authentic el molcajete pronounced mohl-kah-HEH-teh (the mortar) ee tejolote, teh-hoh-LOH-teh (the pestle) my parents Sherpa'd home for me from Ixtapa. I find the grinding key to really releasing flavor...

Once I chop the onion and garlic and, depending on how much Veuve time I have, hand pluck the best Cilantro leaves being careful not to get any stem. Just like Gwynnie...

I put all the garlic and about a third each of the onion and Cilantro into the molcajete (or bowl) followed by the salt which acts as a grinder...

Thoroughly mash into a juicy paste using the tejolote (or back of a wooden spoon)...

Another GP trick I picked up is scoring the halved avocados into cross sections and gently squeezing the sides for easy release of the chunks...

Add the avocado chunks and lemon juice to paste...

Follow with the Tabasco and remaining onion and cilantro. Gently mix being careful not to break down the chunk of the avocado too much...

Fold in the diced tomato...

Adding more salt if needed. Usually is...

Pop in two avocado seeds to keep the browning at bay, per Gwynnie...

Then stand back and watch the lime chips fly...

*Please allow a li'l latitude with exact measurements as I have made this often enough I know just by looking what I need to add of each ingredient based on how many avocados I end up using. I did my best at approximating. And, yes, you may substitute fresh, chopped jalapeño chilies for the Tabasco as my mom does...

Kindness of my parents for lugging the 11 lb. el molcajete ee tejolote through two countries, three airports, numerous security lines and customs for me. But, considering the regularity with which my parents expertly travel with a suitcases stuffed with 49.9999 pounds of cheeses and the likes of a full size vacuum, Simon Pearce handblown beer tankards, 4 months worth of Triscuits, a Bose sound dock, cases of wine annnd pretty much every appliance in their Ixtapa kitchen, that ole volcanic rock mortar and pestle was nuthin'...XXOO

Herbed Peasant Bread

I received a couple requests for my Herbed Peasant Bread recipe after it made an appearance on last weeks Insalada Capresese post. And, by my I mean, I've laid claim to and switched it up a smidge but, it's real genesis was a late 90's issue of House Beautiful. I think...

Herbed Peasant Bread

3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (chives, parsley, basil,marjoram and/or sage)

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 large slices dense crusty bread (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick)

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Now, here's where I change it up depending on what herbs I have on hand and how many peeps I'm feeding. I used;

2 tablespoons fresh chives, rinsed and dried

2 tablespoons fresh, dried thyme leaves

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, rinsed and dried

6 tablespoons olive oil

Combine herbs and oil in a small bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes...

Place bread (I used a whole loaf of crusty French bread cuz we're piggy) on a baking sheet. Brush bread lightly with half of the herb (just) oil...

Broil until bread is just beginning to color, watching closely so that bread doesn't burn (a frequent issue 'round here), about 3 minutes. Turn bread over and brush with remaining herb oil, now distributing herbs equally. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Broil until cheese topping is golden brown, about 3 minutes, watching closely, again, so that you don't burn bread like moi...

Serve bread warm. Annnd, preferably unburned...

Kindness of the Duke and Duchess Chung for bringing me a boatload of fresh herbs from their garden as a hostess gift. And, that was on top of...a Lafco candle, a bottle of wine, Cohibas from Havana annnd a bag full of goodies from Trader Joe's. Ummm, when y'all coming back? It was like hosting Santa and Mrs. Claus for the weekend! XXOO