13 Jan 2012
by Emilyin Menu Plan
So we are almost through with Bon Appetit’s Food Lover’s Cleanse and let me tell you, we love it. We had to buy more produce this weekend and when we looked at the mound of fruits and vegetables piled in a bowl on the counter and the second mound sitting in the fridge, we both said “no way we are going to eat through all that.” Well, we did and I can tell you, eating that much greens makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something. Odd to say, but we liked the feeling that we were fueling our system with such goodness and the best part, the recipes were delicious. Not once did I feel like I was over or under eating and, I didn’t follow the plan to an exact “T” since well, life happens. For example, I have a standing date each week with my friend Kari that I wouldn’t miss for the world. We don’t exactly go to places that offer up quinoa and kale, but I try to make the best of it with a sensible eating all day and a healthy-ish salad for dinner and well, frozen margaritas. I’ve always liked a good balance in my diet, by mainly staying on the healthy track with lean meats, lots of fruits and vegetables, but with some breads and cheese in there because I’m not going to deprive myself of those little beauties while I’m still kicking.
Some highlights from the cleanse included the amazing miso dressing that was excellent on every salad I made; the good pot of lentils; Moroccan-Style Lentil and Chickpea Soup with Lamb and Roasted Tomatoes; Carrot and Brown Rice Pilaf with Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Mizuna with Tofu (pictured below from Bon Appetit). We loved this tofu dish so much I think it will continue to be on rotation in this house for the year. Yep, I said it, we love TOFU. While I was menu planning for the coming week, I found myself searching for recipes that had the same lean-protein/greens and/or fruit structure as these recipes did, and that my friends, is what this cleanse is about…continuing to find a happy balance in your diet. But heck, I really do want a juicy cheeseburger somewhere in the near future. 
02 Jan 2012
by Emilyin Dose of Veggies, Menu Plan, Uber Healthy, Vegetarian
The holidays are by far one of my favorite times of year, but let me tell you, I might as well start stapling cheese plates and desserts directly to my thighs and get it over with! That’s why I’m glad Bon Appétit has created their Food Lover’s Cleanse complete with recipes, menu plan and a shopping list. We did our shopping yesterday and yes, you will be SHOPPING until you drop, but, keep in mind, this is for two week’s worth of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks and desserts. Also, after reading a few reviews from readers who tried last year’s cleanse, you shouldn’t feel compelled to do the entire plan or worry if you don’t want to spend mucho deniro on all the vinegars, crackers, produce, dairy blah, blah, blah. We were pretty committed to doing the entire thing but I still wanted to keep costs down regardless if it was two weeks worth of food, and the bulk bins at Whole Foods Market have become my super besties; trust me, they will save you money and time. Although, after having our first two meals on the cleanse, maybe I should have gotten boxes and boxes of quinoa, lentils and the like!
I’m sitting here typing the post and David just looked up at me and goes “I really liked that salad. I’m stilling thinking about it, that dressing was amazing! That was a labor-intensive though right?” Not in a million years actually. I think I’ve found a new crush and it’s white miso. Nom, nom, nom. Salty and savory and makes a saucesome salad dressing. We loved it on today’s butter lettuce, avocado, and orange salad, plus the lentils were a perfect and tasty addition to round out the plate. Having just had our lunch, and thinking about our 10-grain hot cereal breakfast, I can tell this is going to be very filling meal plan without making you feel like a million pounds. We still have a pumpkin smoothie to make and tonight’s dinner of Black Cod and Caramelized Onions and Apples looks amazing! I’ll keep you posted on our progress but so far, we are loving these recipes…let the cleansing begin!
13 Nov 2011
by Emilyin Menu Plan
…for these recipes that I think would make a delicious addition to your Thanksgiving spread. I’ve chosen some of my favorites from year’s past, most are a little non-traditional but I figured you would have your basics down (turkey, gravy, stuffing) so I included ones that I thought might bring a little more oomph to the table. We alway have turkey at our family’s meal in East Texas but heck, I would love to have that Pork Tenderloin Agrodolce at the table too!
Mix and match to your liking, but most importantly, have a wonderful Thanksgiving with you and yours. So excited to celebrate our first Thanksgiving as husband and wife, ahhhh, such a lucky gal. 
Appetizers/Drinks:
Protein:
Sides:
Dessert:
Leftovers:
The Pie Society's Leftover Quiches (sweet potato and whipped cream; vegetarian shepard's pie; Thanksgiving leftover pie)
11 Jun 2011
by Emilyin Menu Plan Tags: Edible Austin
I decided to attack my stash of cookbooks for recipes this week and boy, did I chose an eclectic group! I’ve had the Momofuku cookbook for a while but have been too scared to try anything from it. This fear is for good reason trust me, one of the recipes call for “half a pig’s head (8 to 10 pounds)” – I think David might have a heart attack if I pursued that one. Below is the list, there are no links, but should something turn up that’s just grand I’ll be sure to post here.
- Jamaican Jerk Marinated Salad from the Neiman Marcus Cookbook (2003) – still one of my favorite cookbooks of all time
- Fried Chicken with Ginger Scallion Noodles from the Momofuku cookbook (2009) – I’m still nervous and this one looks some what easy…?
- Breakfast Burger and Fruit Fries from the Burger Bar cookbook (2009) – these burgers are the best in Vegas, let’s see if I can recreate that magic here in Austin
- Honey Glazed Grilled Pork Chops and Braised Carrots with Tarragon and Lime – Pork Chops from the latest Edible Austin and the carrots are from The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern cookbook (2009)
Wish me luck!
14 May 2011
by Emilyin Beefy McBeefy, Cheesy Cheese, Menu Plan
Poodles, you probably saw this coming, so it should be no surprise that I am going to have to put Cooking Inside the Lines on a brief hiatus. With a home remodel, starting a new business and that little thing called life going on, I’m afraid CITL has moved to the back burner (pun intended). Although I hate to leave the blog I’ve loved updating for the past two years, it’s actually a positive sign since our little pie company that could is doing quite well! Yay The Pie Society!
I hope to be back by the start of June when I’m a little bit more in the swing of things and heck yes, when summer fruits and veggies are flourishing. I hope you have enough content here to inspire you to try some recipes and keep cooking up magic in the kitchen. With that, I leave you with one amazing burger recommendation from Cooking Light and my menu plan from the magazine’s new issue. Can’t wait to make these!
Take care lambs,
Emily
Sunday: Grill-Braised Clams and Chorizo in Tomato-Saffron Broth
Monday: Grilled Farmer’s Market Sandwich and garlic and thyme fries
Tuesday: Curried Coconut Mussels
Wednesday: Curry Chicken Wraps with Nectarine Chutney, Curried Potato Salad
Thursday: Pork Tenderloin with Apricot-Fig Chutney, Couscous
Burgers with Blue Cheese Mayo and Sherry Vidalia Onions (Photo by Anna Williams)
07 May 2011
by Emilyin Menu Plan
Ooooh poodles, we are having a “get ready for summer” inspired menu this week. Fresh corn, tomatoes, peaches and more! Besides fall, this is my favorite time of year to cook – produce is at its peak, the grill is always aflame and everything is fresh, fresh, fresh. Love!
Here is what’s on our radar for this week. I think David is going to be happy with all the grilling; someone cue the “Home Improvement” man call.
Sunday: Fiery Flank Steak with Tomato Jam
Monday: Corn Bread Shortcake with Ham and Fresh Peach Salsa
Tuesday: Crab, Corn and Tomato Salad
Wednesday: Tomato-and-Cilantro Marinated Chicken Shashlik with Indian-Spiced Okra
Tomato-and-Cilantro Marinated Chicken Shashlik (Photo by Martin Morrell)
03 Apr 2011
by Emilyin Menu Plan
It’s going to be busy, busy lambs so I’m hoping I can get to everything on my delicious sounding menu plan. I’ll let you know how it goes. How insane does that burrata and strawberry salad look eh?
Monday: Everyday Food’s Chicken with Cornmeal Dumplings
Tuesday: Chilled Leek Soup with Lemon-Dill Yogurt, Burrata, Strawberry and Basil Salad
Wednesday: Bacon and Leek Risotto with Poached Egg
Thursday: Everyday Food’s Spring Vegetable Pizza
Chilled Leek Soup with Lemon-Dill Yogurt (Photo by Nigel Cox)
11 Mar 2011
by Emilyin Menu Plan
So gang, here’s what we’re munching on this week. I’ll try to keep you posted on any beauties that come our way as much as I can, but next week is the launch of something really exciting that I’ve been working on with a fellow food lamb here in Austin. More details to come, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a little nuts around here. I’ll still be here updating as much as I can so bear with me if you can. Thanks!
Saturday: We’re having friends over for an early St. Patty’s Day dinner with this Baked Lamb Chops, Onions and Beer
Sunday: Hot Nicoise Salad (created by Gwyneth Paltrow? Goop me)
Monday: Spiced-Braised Chicken Legs with Red Wine and Tomato
Tuesday: Striped Bass with Lemon, Shiitake, and Baby Bok Choy (In Everyday Food magazine, no link yet)
Wednesday: Jerk Pineapple Pork Chops with Basmati Rice (In Everyday Food magazine, no link yet)
Thursday: Happy St. Patty’s Day everyone! I have no idea what our plans are yet but if it’s anything like last year, oh dear.
04 Mar 2011
by Emilyin Beefy McBeefy, Lengthy recipe but worth all the whisking, sweat and tears, Menu Plan Tags: Bon Appetit, Cooking Light
Easy Braised Brisket (Photo by John Autry)
Poodles, first and foremost, please make this Easy Braised Brisket from Cooking Light as soon as you can. For something that was made out of five ingredients this was insanely good. I was little thrown off by the olives at first but combined with the tomatoes and oregano they helped round out the sauce beautifully. Mmmm and the brisket was perfectly moist and fork tender. One recommendation, I kept adding more water as I went or I would have burned the heck out the brisket. Just keep an eye on it because a 1/2 cup of water on my stove was just not going to cut it. Besides that small issue, this was amazing and even better the next day for lunch!
Moving on to our menu plan this week, I’m revisiting some recipes to give David a chance to try them too – I think he’s going to love that cheeseburger:
Sunday: Coffee-Rubbed Cheeseburgers with Texas BBQ Sauce and Garlic Fries
Monday: Crab Cakes with Roasted Vegetables and Tangy Butter Sauce
Tuesday: Malaysian Beef Curry
Wednesday: White Pizza with Tomato and Basil
Fingers crossed we’ve got some good dishes coming up! Also, if you are a social media poodle, follow me on Twitter @EAIFood and on the Cooking Inside the Lines Facebook page. I tend to posts quick recipe reviews and food news there as well!
28 Feb 2011
by Emilyin Beefy McBeefy, Bread, Cheesy Cheese, Dessert, French, Menu Plan, Sandwich, Side Dish, Soup Tags: Cooking Light, Epicurious.com, Everyday with Rachael Ray, Food Network
Last night we had a BIG Oscar party in our house and I was a little nervous since it was the first big shindig in our casa, well that and I chose to make a flotilla of food. I simply adore our gentle friends and one thing I know about our group is we love to eat. With that in mind I was going to make darn sure everyone had enough to nibble on during the three hour show.
The Obligatory Picture of Colin Firth
Epicurious assembled menu plans based on the Best Picture nominees and the one that stood out to us was the Inception option. It’s very French inspired since part of the movie takes place in Paris – the scene with the city folding on top of itself is still incredible every time I see it. Although I liked the recipes they suggested, I decided to stick wtih French fare but do it my way. And the award goes to….
To get real nerdy about it I made an “Execution Plan” to ensure everything was done by 6:00 p.m. so we could watch arrivals and snarkily judge away.
- 2:00 p.m. Prep and mis en place
- 3:00 p.m. Make compote for Brie, while compote cooks, make pots de creme, refrigerate
- 3:30 p.m. Make soup
- 4:00 p.m. Make green beans, assemble and bake Brie rounds
- 5:00 p.m. Make sandwiches
- 5:40 p.m. Fire steaks, let rest and slice, make fries
- 6:00 p.m. Guests arrive
Everything pretty much went according to plan and let me tell you, the soup, green beans, sandwiches and brie rounds with that stellar compote were delicious. For the steak frites I kept it very simple. David (the super poodle) ran to the store and bought a Weber charcoal grill so he could grill them properly. Little salt and pepper on the steaks, grill and you are done. I took frozen fries and mixed with salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme leaves and baked until crispy. Thanks to my lovely and talented niece Alex who is a bomb chef for coming up with that tasty concoction.
I’m giggling at the thought of the Pots de Creme because the flavor was amazing but I didn’t have enough glasses to properly make individual servings, so I decided to place the whole shebang in a large ramekin. Yeah, don’t do that. We had to put it in the freezer so it would set up, but a few minutes on the table and it was like ice cream. Of course, no one cared and it was gone by the end of the night but I highly suggest not being an idiot like moi and scratch the idea if you can’t do it individually.
The Oscars were OK this year, a little zzzzzzzzzz at times and it wasn’t as exciting as in years past but I am so happy for The King’s Speech! It’s an excellent, heart warming story and if you haven’t seen it yet, GO.
Here’s our spread and more posts to come this week…I hope.
