Celebrating 3 Years!

Small milestones.

It's important to remember these things in life so as not to take everyday things for granted.  My husband and I are thankful that we were able to celebrate one of those small milestones in our relationship.  We started dating officially on March 6, 2008 and celebrated each month ever since, not missing a single month! 

A card from Kee from our 2nd month that was brought out before heading to dinner.  

The card was fitting for one of our conversations on old age at the time. 

"you've still got it."

Personal memo. Secret. :)

Fast forward to March 6, 2011 we are married and making a home together. The number 3 is relatively a small number, but nonetheless, special to us. I can't imagine how special each year is to those who have been married many years! Those people are truly blessed. 

Some aspects of being with a significant other can be very challenging at times, but through those times, we remember advice that someone gave us; God has hand picked us to be together and are encouraged to press on. At a friend's wedding, we also heard a fine pearl of advice said to bless the bride and groom that blessed us when we heard it; we were made for more than the challenge we are facing at the moment.  We were made for more than this. And of highest importance, we thank our parents for guiding us in how we should live as a couple and for their words of wisdom along the way. Time gives wings to things that begin small and we trust that as we live each day, what he has given us will grow and appreciate into a fine pearl. :)

So four our 36th month, our 3rd year dating anniversary, my husband got us a reservation to Babbo, a Mario Batali Restaurant in NYC. Previously, he tried to get reservations for Valentine's day, calling a month ahead of time, but it was not our time. All booked! Our turn came around this time though.

Our reservations were at 10pm, but nevertheless, it was our time! =D

The food was great. Service was amazing. We heard the pastas were great so we tried a few of them.

Amuse Bouche

marinated chickpeas and crostini

ANTIPASTI

Warm Lamb’s Tongue Vinaigrette with Brown Beech

Mushrooms and a 3-Minute Egg

PASTAS

Black Spaghetti with Rock Shrimp, Spicy Salami Calabrese and Green Chiles

Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage

Beef Cheek Ravioli with Crushed Squab Liver and Black Truffles

Pappardelle Bolognese 

Goose Liver Ravioli with Balsamic Vinegar and Brown Butter

(Our favorite)

Duck with Braised Puntarelle, Babbo Pancetta and Cherry Vinaigrette 

with a side of Brussel Sprouts and pancetta

Coffee Service

DESSERT

Maple and Mascarpone Cheesecake with Creme Fraiche and Saba

 with celebratory writing! They probably thought it was our 3 year wedding anniversary :)

and a last dessert from the restaurant. Little cookies.

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Well, regretfully, Foodie Yoodie will be bidding you adieu for a time.
Hubs and I are giving up dinners to focus on God's word during the time of Lent so it'll be back sometime in April with some good eats.

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For a closing thought, I share a glimpse of my Texas home where my parents live.

My mom is an amazing cook where my palate was developed. She put her mind to using the freshest ingredients for the family. This is a recent batch of ggakdduki that she made. :)

My dad, on the other hand, has quite a green thumb. Since it's warm in Texas, he's already able to get spinach out of the garden! My dad plants and waters it and my mom cooks it up. :)

My parents will have been married 33 years in a few months.
Today, they have been together for 391 months!

Buon Appetito to good food and enduring love!

FY

PORK AND SHRIMP STUF'T SAVOY LEAVES IN HOMEMADE BROTH

Introducing the Savoy Cabbage to the repertoire!

Crinkly, wrinkly and round.

It reminds me of the headpiece on Natalie Portman in the Black Swan. 

 Best Actress of the year! You go girl.

and Julius Caesar!

Ah! He's not happy that he's being compared to a cabbage...

So without further ado....

Pork and Shrimp Stuffed Savoy Leaves in Homemade Broth

and for dessert, Chocolate Chip Cookies.. with the cracks on top. :)

 

BUON APPETITO~

FY

SWISS CHARD, KALE and THOUSAND LAYER APPLE CAKE

SWISS CHARD 

Swiss chard has a color so intense that.... you could flip the stalk upside down and use it as lipstick. :) 

Look at those vibrant colors!

The more color, the more nutrients.

If you're curious as to what all this red color means, read here:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16

KALE

Another great vegetable to try is Kale. Dark dark green. Also high in benefits for your health.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38

The fun thing about these is that Kale made into chips! Kale bakes nicely and has a nice bite due to the curly blooms and has great volume. Coat with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake in the oven at 375 for about 10-15 minutes and you've got a delicious and healthy snack. Give it a try. It's simple and suprisingly good. Now you can be dinos eating tree tops at the table with kale. Kale is the new broccoli.  :)

Like the Italians, they can be cooked with minimal additions to allow the flavor of the vegetable shine. These don't need much garnishing either because they stand alone pretty well. The onions turned red from the juices of the chard. I dropped a piece on the floor during cooking without knowing and my husband came through and said, "Hey, what's the tomato doing on the floor?"

And a thousand layered apple cake for dessert! It's an apple cake without cake. It's just layers and layers of thinly sliced apples, cinnamon and sugar in alternating layers and wallah. This is actually a smaller version of the thousand layer cake since we only have two people in our house. Small ramekins worked fine, but they turned out more like 500 layer cakes. Carb free with all the natural apple goodness.

Serve it warm with a side of ice cream and it's a party!

Buon Appetito!

FY

INCIDENTAL LENTIL

A nice random day off since we're changing desks at the office and the movers are moving our equipment. It was sunny outside and the sun was streaming through the kitchen window, so it called for one of those TLC dishes infused with time. Last night, my husband and I caught a quick dinner in order to catch a presentation. We went to a local cafe that sells gyros and they had a soup and gyro special. The soup was red lentil. I got a new soup book at the Borders closing sale and Red Lentil Soup was marked off to make so it was a go. Post dinner, I was inspired.

A side note.. It's a rarity of a title for this post where the title fits to the post like a custom made shoe as this post. Why? :)  Incidental- happening or likely to happen in an unplanned or subordinate conjunction with something else.  Today's day-off wasn't a day off till my director's text this morning said "Hey Yuri! You can take the day off. The office will be slow with the move."  It was a little miracle to have the day off  today because my husband is starting a new position as well.  What a privilege see him off to where God will use him in the workplace in days to come. God is good...we thank him for all the small miracles.

So, the day off was incidental,  I decided to make the lentil soup and well....for those of you that know my husband, he looks at kiddos teeth all day. Therefore *drumroll*  Incidental Lentil. It works so beautifully! :)

So the recipe for the Red Lentil Soup calls for vegetable stock. It was a pass at the vegetable stock in the store isles and took a first shot at making it. It called for the mirepoix base of carrots, celery and onions along with some herbs to be brought to a boil and then left to simmer for some time on low. The recipe said to simmer with the lid off. Those are magical words to this stock.... The aroma that filled the house was so lovely. If that can't make a house feel homey...it's time to move! :)

So here is my first vegetable stock for my red lentil soup.

and the vibrant red lentils. If you asked me about that color, they look like a burnt orange.

Hook Em' Horns!

and while the stock was simmering, I made some quick hazelnut cookies. Some were baked, but most were rolled up as dough and put in the freezer for quick treats to bake in the days to come.

Tollhouse and Pilsbury, your secret is out.  :)

With the vegetable stock made, it was time for part 2 of the Red Lentil Soup. Would you know that this takes a little bacon? My husband must have been happy when we split up in the grocery store and his task was to find bacon amongst other things. haha. I noticed he got the low sodium kind while I was cooking which made me happy. Win win. :)

I'm not quite sure about my piggy though. I turned around to chop up some stuff and when I turned back around, there he was giving me the sad eyes...  

It reminded me of the movie, The Social Network. One guy was being questioned for feeding a live chicken some chicken meat as an initiation.  I told piggy he didn't have to eat it and that he needs to lose weight anyways. His waistline is always at 60 and he's wearing the measure around his waist. Piggy, time to get on the tread. :)

And finally passed all the fun....

Red Lentil Soup topped with a Parsley Cream and Crisp Shallots.

The stock makes a world of a difference in taste.

Buon Appetito!

FY