Super Cool Charity Event

Come out and bid on a Bachelor! All proceeds go to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!
I won Mr. Gay Orlando last year!

White Bean and Chicken Salad by Kate

The Plan
Whisk a bit.

Stir.

The Ingredients

6 cans white Cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1 Red Onion, minced
4 Chicken Breasts, cooked and chopped
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup White Balsamic Vinegar
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh Rosemary, minced

The Method

Combine Beans, Onion and Chicken in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together Olive Oil, Vinegar, Garlic and Rosemary. Pour into Bean mixture.

Stir to combine.

*The is an awesome salad. But it is even more awesome when it sits over night in the fridge.

Yield: 12 Servings
Points: 6 per Serving

Makers on a Monday

I got a last minute invite yesterday to head over to the premier party of the new Maker's Mark product called 46. I'm usually not a big bourbon drinker (and when I say "not a a big drinker" that's pretty much code for "Uck. Not a fan".) but yikes did I have two delicious cocktails last night.

The big hooey about this product is the newly complex aging process. The 46 is aged as usual in barrel, but after full maturity it is removed, whereas the distillers then place ten oak "staves" into the original barrel. The bourbon is placed back in and aged for a few more months. What does this give us? A higher proof of 94. (47% abv) And if you ask me, a much smoother product with less of the alcohol flavor and aroma.

Here's what I drank:
Bourbon Crusta
2 pts Maker's 46 Bourbon
1/2 pt Cointreau
1/2 pt Maraschino
1/2 pt fresh Lemon Juice
dash Angostura Bitters

Citrus Breeze*
Maker's 46 Bourbon
Cointreau
Ginger Ale
Lemon slice

*I have no idea about the ratio for this drink. They lady in line in front of me ordered it. So I asked for the same. It was super refreshing!

**Also, don't judge. I walked into this event having 10 WW points left for the day. Plus 3 activity points.

Veggie Soup by Kathleen

The Plan

Prep veggies.

Make soup.

The Ingredients

64 oz Fat Free Chicken Broth

3 oz Celery, rough chopped

5 oz Carrot, rough chopped

5 oz Green Beans

3 oz Red Onion, diced

4 oz Edamame, shelled

10 oz frozen Corn kernels, defrosted

10 oz Green Cabbage, shredded

1 1/2 cups Joan of Arc Spicy Chili Beans

43 oz Tomatoes, Diced, canned

The Method

Combine all ingredients in a (very) large sauce pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Stirring occasionally, simmer for one hour, or until vegetables are tender.

Yield: 4 quarts

Points: 6 per quart. Yep, I said per Quart!

Skinny Meatballs by Michelle

These Meatballs are sooo good that I don't even have a picture. Because I didn't have the patience to get the camera. I just wanted to eat them. And at ONE point per ball, who the hell cares what they look like?

The Plan
Make Meatballs.
Cook Meatballs.
Mix Sauce.

The Ingredients
For the Meatballs
3 3/4# Ground Turkey, Lean
8 oz Spinach, cooked, dried and chopped
3 oz Carrot, minced
2 oz Onion, minced
1 oz Celery, minced
2 oz zucchini, minced
1 handful fresh Basil and Oregano, minced
1 Egg, beaten
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
1 oz Parmesan Cheese
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
For the Sauce
4 cups Marinara sauce
4 cups diced Tomatoes
1 handful fresh Basil and Oregano, minced

The Method
Combine all ingredients for the Meatballs. Mix well and form into balls. This should yield approximately 55 Meatballs. I know this is a huge portion...so cut it down if you would like!

Cook Meatballs however you want. Michelle boiled them in Chicken Stock. Or you can bake them. At 350F until they are done.

Mix ingredients for the sauce. YES you can use jarred Marinara and canned Tomatoes. Don't fret. You're still making homemade Meatballs so there is no reason to feel guilty.

The Facts
Yield: 55 Meatballs
Points: One per Ball and Zero on the Sauce.

And so it begins.

Results are now posted for week one with Michelle taking the lead.
I'm already losing....so I guess LumaFest last weekend wasn't such a good idea.
Here's to a new week!

Here's...The Skinny on Us.

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Luma, revisted (again).

Hi. My name is Kate and I ate at Luma twice last weekend. Yep. Saturday night and Sunday night. I think I may have a problem.

To keep it short and to the point, Luma rocks. I've officially claimed it to be my favorite restaurant in Orlando, and this third blog entry makes it the most reviewed restaurant on this site. Yes, the atmosphere is hip in a non-pretentious South Beach kinda way. Yes, the service is always outstanding. Yes, the menu is creative and innovative. And yes, they have what I consider to be the most fun wine list in Orlando.

Here's what I had:
Saturday night:

• Short Ribs with a Pickled Rhubarb Barbeque Sauce. This was an appetizer special not listed on the menu. The sauce was a perfect balance of tangy sweetness and the meat literally fell off the bone.
• 1 glass Pieropan Soave. Light and crisp, a perfect glass of white wine to start the meal. Soave hails from the Veneto region in Italy and is a nice alternative for those of us tired of Pinot Grigio. Confused on the pronunciation? Think Rico....Suave.
  
  
• Ashley Farms Chicken Breast with Sweet Corn Risotto, Onion Confit and a Sherry Jus. I'll be honest and admit I primarily ordered this to try their Corn Risotto and see if it compared to mine that I've listed on this site. Both are fantastic, but theirs is quite sweeter than mine. The entree was superb; the chicken was cooked perfectly and well seasoned.
• 1 glass Paso a Paso Verdejo. One of my favorite Verdejos, this wine is perfect for summer. From the Spanish region of Rueda, the wine is a great example of the sweet and acidic balance in a white wine.
  
  
  
• Chocolate Cremosa with housemade Peanut Butter and a Crostini. Also a drizzle of Olive Oil and topped with Sea Salt. Holy crap this is a good dessert. "Cremosa" being a custard like dessert, I loved the flavor combinations, especially the touch of salt.
• 1 glass Rare Wine Co. Bual Madeira. I read an article a few months ago proclaiming that 2010 is supposedly the "Year of Madeira". I don't think we've gotten to that point yet, but I almost cannot put into words how much I enjoy this fortified wine. This particular product was great with dessert: rich, nutty, and smokey. I enjoyed this wine so much with the Cremosa that I actually proclaimed it to be my BEST BITE EVER. Check out this awesome review of the Madiera for more info.

Sunday night:

• Rabbit Run Farms Beet Salad. Picture this (because I forgot my camera and hell if I've bought an iphone yet): Butter Lettuce, Goat Feta, Pistachios, Cucumber and a Creamy Avocado dressing. Oh, and Beets. Seriously the most flavorful salad I've ever had. Between the slight tang of the dressing, sweetness of the Beets and saltiness of the Pistachios, this wins my award for Top Salad.
• Filet with Buttermilk Grits, Roasted Rapini and Mustard Jus. Perfectly cooked steak and a-mazing Grits. I'm sure they were low fat. I did leave the Rapini (aka Broccoli Rabe) on the plate-they were a bit too bitter for me.
• Dessert? You guessed it. The Cremosa from the night before (I know, I have issues) and the Hazelnut Panna Cotta. With Nutella and Salty roasted Hazelnuts. Both desserts similar with chocolate and saltiness, I reckon the Panna Cotta even surpassed the Cremosa.
• 2 bottles Marcassin Pinot Noir. Fanastic wine from Sonoma. Hints of fruits with a bit of peppery spiciness.

So, there you go. My version of eating in the same place two nights in a row. The only other time I've done this was in Belfast....mostly because we were too nervous to stray away from our B&B at night. Next time I go to Luma....I'm having dessert first!

PS Head over to the Luma website and join their mailing list. They'll email you a $25 coupon that you can use in July AND August!

Rhubarb Torte

The Plan
Make the crust. Bake.
Make the filling. Bake.
Make the meringue. Bake.

The Ingredients
The Crust
2 cups AP Flour
1/2 cup Shortening
1/2 cup Butter
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 pinch Salt
The Filling
5 cups Rhubarb, chopped
2 cups Sugar
1 cup Cream
6 Egg yolks, beaten
4 Tbsp Flour
The Meringue
6 Egg Whites
1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
3/4 cup Sugar

The Method
Preheat over to 350F.
Mix together Crust ingredients and press into a 9x13 pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

Combine Filling ingredients. Pour into baked crust and bake until tender, about 40 minutes.

Using an electric mixer (or, if you're unlucky, do it by hand with a whisk), beat the Meringue until stiff. Top the baked Torte with the Meringue. Place back in the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes.


Beautiful, right? My favorite part of this picture is that you can see the reflection of my sister and Grandma taking the picture. The reflection in the Brisker! (Seriously! I have to get myself a Brisker!)

"The" Ham Loaf

Disclaimer: If you're not a fan of pork in any of it's forms, don't bother to continue reading this recipe. And definitely do not check out the picture below. Because it involves pork, and not in it's most beautiful light.

This is another one of the favorite summer Ohio recipes. It involves a mixture of ground pork and ground ham. There's actually a grocery store in Ohio where you can buy this mixture-literally a container of these products ground together. It's also totally illegal to sell this in the state of Florida. But that's how my Grandma rolls.

If you're interested, buy yourself some pork tenderloin and ham and grind them in your food processor.

The Plan
Make the loaf.
Bake the loaf.

The Ingredients
For the Loaf
1 1/2 # Ground Beef
3/4# Ground Ham
1 cup Breadcrubs
1 cup Milk
2 Eggs
For the Topping
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Dry Mustard
Vinegar

The Method
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix all ingredients for the Loaf. Place mixture on a baking sheet, in whatever shape you prefer. I'm going with Loaf.
Mix all Topping ingredients.
Slightly moisten Loaf with Vinegar. My grandma didn't tell me what type she used, but I'm guessing Apple Cider. Make some grooves on top of the loaf to make it look pretty. Spread Topping on loaf.
Cover with foil and bake for one hour. Remove foil and bake for another half hour. Enjoy.





I'm hesitant to post a picture, because, well, the Ham Loaf isn't exactly attractive. But dang if it isn't good with a bit of ketchup.