Ryan wants the Green Jacket

Well, it's Ryan's favorite weekend of the year: Master's week. Four days of golf, 24 hours of television coverage, betting pools, twitter being refreshed constantly, and the golf channel logo causing burn-in on our television. I, on the other hand, am bored out of my mind, and will probably go see Jurassic Park 3D by myself tonight.  Watching golf is one of the most boring things for me, and I always fall asleep when it's on.

Last week dinner started with chicken and gravy, a recipe from the Wegman's Menu magazine. I thought it was delicious. I made it with roasted red potatoes and put some of the gravy over them. It was a wonderful start to the week.


Tuesday I made Thai shrimp cakes. The recipe called for unsweetened flaked coconut, but it was impossible to find in the stores, so I just omitted it. It was still really good, but I don't really like coconut anyway.

Wednesday we made chicken and artichoke pizza, and I remembered to take a picture of it. We had a can of sundried tomato spread in our pantry that moved from South Carolina with us, and we decided to use it on the pizza. This makes a great leftover lunch too, which was perfect for me. 

 Thursday we had another recipe from Wegmans, citrus soy salmon. Ryan loves salmon and said it was very good and the salmon was cooked perfectly. I just really liked the sauce. It was a pre-made sauce, and I normally don't like buying them, but it was cheap and I realized that by the time I bought all the ingredients it needed, it would have been way more expensive. Thanks again, Wegmans.

Friday we essentially did the same recipe as last night but with cod. And roasted red pepper sauce, again a Wegmans recipe. I made mashed potatoes and used the rest of the gravy from Monday with it. 

Saturday and Sunday we had dinner with my parents and Ryan's parents, respectively. Then on Monday we had leftovers my mom gave us from Saturday. That thing that looks like a smiling rock on my plate is actually a sweet potato roll, and it was very tasty. 

 Tuesday we had orecchitte with turkey sausage and broccoli. It was very easy to make, and it was good, but I personally think it had a little too much white wine vinegar in it, and needed more garlic. Of course I thought I took a picture but I either deleted it or my memory is terrible. On to Wednesday! I made Latin baked chicken. This did not sound spicy at all. The marinade was lime juice, soy sauce, honey, and adobo chiles in sauce. Bake for 20 minutes, and enjoy. I thought I was going to breathe fire after eating just one piece of it. I seriously only could eat 4 bites before I was crying uncontrollably from the heat. Ryan managed a couple more bites than I did but it still was a major failure. We both ate a bunch of couscous and peas. By 9pm I was hungry (obviously) so I went to bed instead of eating. Scratch this one from future menus!

 Thursday night I was hesitant to cook the planned menu because it was "Ceasar Salad with Spicy Shrimp," and after the previous night's fiasco, I was pretty hungry. But as it turned out, it was not that spicy. I was kind of light handed with the chili powder though. Those are homemade "croutons" too, tortillas with chili powder, salt, and pepper, and baked for about 10 minutes. I had to buy about 50 tortillas though so I'm going to sprinkle some with cinnamon and sugar and make chips out of them later this weekend. The salad recipe also called for homemade ceasar dressing, but since we already had a bottle of low fat stuff in our refrigerator and I did not feel like buying all the stuff to make the dressing (ex: anchovy filets), I used what I had. This picture is the salad pre-dressing.

Friday I had a "bald beaver" party (you try to figure out what that is) so I had dinner there and Ryan was on his own. I still don't know what he had. Tonight I am making flank steak with Sriracha (we must be on a spicy kick). We had some free time this afternoon so we went to a local restaurant wholesaler where Ryan picked out this gem: 

Guess what we're having for dinner for the next 2 weeks?

We also went to see Jurassic Park 3D. ***Happy Dance**** I had just turned 6 when Jurassic Park came out the first time twenty years ago, so I never saw it in a movie theater. At the time, my brother, who was only 4, loved Dinosaurs. And since his name was Timmy as well, this movie was totally up his alley. My Grandmother bought the movie on VHS for him the day it came out, and that night, my mother sat Tim down on the couch and explained it might be scary. So that scene when the t-rex eats the car, and the lawyer, comes, and my brother is cheering. I, on the other hand, am hiding behind the couch, literally peeing my pants. Literally. 

Well, JP has become one of my favorite movies now. Ask any of my friends. I love it. In Clemson, we played the Jurassic Park drinking game. I even had the JP theme played at my wedding ceremony. Definitely not a "traditional bride" move. So when I heard it was being re-released, I knew I had to see it. It was my first 3D movie, and it was pretty cool, aside from having to wear those glasses the entire movie. I didn't pee my pants when the t-rex jumped off the screen and roared this time. And I must say, the sound in the theater made the movie so much better. The best 3D part was when the raptor jumped up to try to bite Lex's leg when she fell through the ceiling. I mean, I really though that thing was a-comin' through the screen. Some day, if I ever have a kid, I'm totally showing them JP. For a movie that came out in 1993, the visual effects and anamatronics were quite astounding. But I'll probably wait until they're a little older than 4, or even 6, to show it to them. But hey mom, don't worry, I still turned out OK. You may want to check on Tim, though. 

 My movie ticket and cool specs. Totally going in the scrapbook. 

Despite what it seems...I have cooked in March!

So I realize that my last couple posts have not been focused on food that much. This is mainly due to the fact that I haven't used any new recipes and have had to use the rest of the food in the freezer/pantry before I can buy new stuff. So some of these recipes I have used before, and therefore have not included pictures, but this week we got a new Cooking Light and used all new recipes. So if you really detest reading this, skip to the end for the new recipes. If you're sticking with it though, read on!

This post picks up March 3, when I made herbed chicken for Parissa while she was here. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture, but I have made it before. Monday I made tortellini with homemade sauce. It was the first time I have ever made homemade sauce, because I am zero percent Italian. It was not bad, kind of spicy and very garlic-y, but still edible. 

Tuesday I made glazed ham. The glaze was just apple juice, brown sugar, and dijon mustard. And mashed potatoes, which were clearly too dry. Just look at the picture. 

Wednesday I made buttermilk chicken. Oh man this stuff is so good, the breading tastes like chick fil a, but it's actually healthy! We tried some curry couscous with the chicken, and all we can say is that we don't recommend it. Blech. 

Thursday we used up the rest of the buttermilk and made brined pork chops. They sat in the brine overnight and were pretty tasty. We also used the rest of the french fries in our fridge. 

Friday I didn't eat dinner because I went to my first Bikram yoga class with my friend. She told us not to eat 2 hours before the class, and I didn't want to puke in the middle of it. I sweated like a pig, but it was a lot of fun, although I discovered I am not very flexible, and I should probably stick to yoga in a room where it isn't 105 degrees. Saturday I had my parents over for dinner since my Dad was leaving for Hong Kong the next day. I made "fried" chicken (again, covered in a previous post, so no pictures). That night we finally watched Argo. Can you say "pity Oscar?" And on Sunday I had a fundraising event for the West Side Pussy Project, so we both are barbeque at Fat Bobs. 

Monday started by gym membership! I've been going spinning 2 days a week, a total body pump class on Friday, and doing free weights and treadmill another day. It's been going well so far, which is surprising since I have to get up at 5:30 to get to spinning. So to kick off my first gym day, we had hamburgers. Ryan has about 40 in the fridge, and in our desperate attempt to clean house, we ate some nasty frozen patties. Tuesday Ryan made chicken and artichoke pizza. We forgot to take a picture, but I am making it again this week so I promise to get a picture up here soon. Wednesday my photography skills once again crapped the bed, but we had smothered pork chops. I will make a mental note to repeat this recipe so I can get a picture. Thursday we met with a relator because we're looking to buy a house soon, so I had a leftover half sandwich from lunch. On Friday we had another fish dinner at my family's house. And on Saturday we had dinner with Ryan's parents. So basically, I have one picture this entire week. Oops. 

Sunday I made braised beef, a sure-fire tasty recipe. We are still looking for the right cut of beef that falls apart perfectly and that isn't too expensive, but we're close. 

Monday I made pea, leek, and bacon risotto. Ryan decided to add some shrimp into his. 

Tuesday we used the rest of the ham and made reubens. 

Wednesday I made chicken parmesan and pasta with a salad. The chicken was pretty plain, but I guess that's the only way to make chicken parm the healthy way. Check out Ryan's awesome dressing pour. 

Thursday we had pulled pork sandwiches with a pork tenderlion. The sauce is really jut tomatoes but it was decent tasting. Friday we had another family fish fry. I promise, lent is over now, so we will start cooking dinner ourselves on Friday!

Saturday we had more lobster ravioli. The healthy white sauce we made with it got a little too thick, but it still tasted ok. Sunday my mom invited us over, so we had dinner there. 

 And this Monday began our week of new recipes! Our fridge is cleaned out, freezer empty, pantry-well we're working on that, but there was a little space we could fill. Monday we had BBQ turkey meatballs with mashed potatoes. Ryan loved them. 

 Tuesday I made soy marinated pork sandwiches. Ryan did some research, and it seems this is Cooking Light's healthy take on the traditional Vietnemese sandwich Banh Mi. I'd put the link in here but y'all can just open another tab and google it. It was not bad, not as spicy as I expected, which is good for me since spicy foods and my stomach don't like each other. 

 Wednesday we had pepper caramel shrimp, which was quite tasty, but contained a little too much pepper for my liking. 

Thursday we make teriyaki chicken with some leftover noodles that kept falling behind the lazy susan and causing me to bend in all sorts of ways to reach back to grab it. The noodles got a little sticky when I stir fried them, but we both ate it. 

 Saturday we made Buffalo chicken salad. I did not put the sauce on my chicken (again, too spicy), but I took a picture of Ryan's plate. He loved it, and mine was good as well, even without the hot sauce. 

Well there you have it. A month of meals in one post. I'm trying more new recipes this week so I will make sure to post at the end of this week. 

And one final note, my dog turned 9 today, and I celebrate 4 years of having him with me. He's such a sweet heart, and I hope to have at least 4 more years with my little guy. I'll also have to post the story of how I got him one day, but that's for a different time. 

The Heneseys do Buffalo

Ryan and I both grew up in Buffalo. We know it's in's and out's. We know to avoid the 90 near the big blue water tower at rush hour (and yes, it's "the" 90). We know Buffalo police will never stop you for speeding on the East side. We know every kind of doughnut Tim Hortons has on the menu. We know Duffs, not Anchor Bar, has the best wings in Buffalo. And for some reason, everyone here loves the Goo Goo dolls. But even though we've lived here the majority of our lives, there are some parts of Buffalo we haven't experienced. Enter Parissa.

Parissa is our very dear friend from grad school in Clemson. She is easily one of the smartest people we know. She came to visit us a couple weekends ago, and we decided to show her some of Buffalo's finest gems. Friday night we had some of the best sushi in Buffalo, Fuji Grill. Saturday began our tour de Buffalo. We started out at the Frank Lloyd Wright Darwin Martin House. This is a massive estate smack in the middle of the Parkside neighborhood. Neither of us have ever been there before, which is surprising because his architecture is so famous in Buffalo, as it is in Chicago, which is where Parissa is originally from.
Anyway, the Martin family was very wealthy, which is why they were able to hire Wright as an architect. But when the stock market crashed in 1939 the family lost all their money, and the house was vacant for many years. Part was actually demolished, and the main house was divided into apartments. The foundation has slowly been building up their funds to fully restore the house, so it isn't fully completed, but there have been extensive renovations done so far. I can't remember the exact figure, but it is somewhere around 20 million, and they still have a few more million to go.

Our tour guides were an old lady and her husband, and they were super cute. It was very informative (i.e. there is 8 miles of oak in the house). I'm not a big fan of the straight line, symmetrical architecture, but the house was very cool. We weren't allowed to take photos inside, but here are a few from the outside.

We then headed over to a brewery tour at the only brewery in Buffalo, Flying Bison. It was a huge warehouse in Black Rock, and there were very few indications that it was a brewery. But the tour was free, and they gave out free samples. It was very informative; brewing beer is way more complicated than I thought, and it's lots of chemistry. Here we have Parissa and Ryan enjoying some rusty chain. 

Then we headed to Pano's for dinner. It's a Greek restaurant that serves all kinds of food. Since my undergraduate institution was so close, Ryan and I went to Pano's a great deal. They have good breakfast and dinner, and very good service. We also got baclava for dessert, which I had never had. This is mostly due to the fact that when I asked my mother what it was (the Geenie mentions baclava in Aladdin) she told me it had spinach and broccoli in it. Boy was she wrong. That, or she was trying to prevent me from developing a sweet tooth for Mediterranean desserts. It was very light and sweet and nutty. It looks very difficult to make as well. 

Sunday we started off going to the Botanical gardens. The building it absolutely beautiful, and at the time it was the largest indoor conservatory in America. We were about a week early for the Spring flower show, but we still saw some interesting plants, particularly cacti. 

 Ryan with a Panda Plant

 This lemon was the size of a grapefruit. Unreal!

 An orchid I haven't killed yet

 Selfie!

We then went to the history museum. I've never been there before, which is shocking not only because I'm from Buffalo, but also because I have not one but TWO degrees in history. I thought the museum had a couple cool exhibits, especially the made in Buffalo one, but there were a couple that needed some work. It seemed like some stuff wasn't displayed well, and too accessible for museum guests. Overall though I'm glad I went.

For dinner that night I made herbed chicken, but failed to photograph it. We watched Django Unchained that night as well, and it was slightly disturbing mainly due to all the blood and torture. Quinten's movies still don't appeal to me.

It was a wonderful weekend all around, not only because of the great things we did, but because we got to enjoy some quality time with our lovely friend. Next post, I promise I'll cover food!

Oscar's Recap

OAhh, the Oscars. The awards season came to a close with the culmination all things Hollywood. More on that in a second, let's first get to food.

As far as dinners go, this past week we had to use up a fair amount of leftovers to make space in our freezer. So let me start with last Thursday. We had something called "sesame chicken'less." Sesame chicken without the chicken. It was from Wegmans again, and made with soy nuggets. Super easy to make, and although this sounds chiche, it tasted like chicken! Ryan was hesitant to eat it because of an article he read. Good news: he didn't grow boobs.

Friday we had a fish fry at my parents house. I stuffed myself as always. Saturday I had to work and then clean the house for the big day, so I did not feel like cooking. We went to Panera and their service was terrible. One person ahead of me found an entire clump of hair in her soup. Needless to say I was skeptical about my soup and inspected in thoroughly. Ryan had a crappy sandwich too-it was supposed to come with avocado on it. When he went up to ask for some the person came back with an entire avocado in the shell still! Oh well, my fault for not feeling like cooking. We then went to a Birthday party for our friend's baby, but she is getting so big! Sunday since I was going to spend all day cooking, we got a rotisserie chicken from Wegmans and just ate that. 

Monday I made the lobster ravioli I got the week before from Gondolas. It was very good. Ryan made a cream sauce to go with it and it was very tasty. For some reason I do not have a picture of it, but we are repeating it again this week so I promise this time I will take a picture. 

Tuesday we repeated the sesame chicken'less-this time Ryan had real chicken and I finished the soy nuggets. 

Wednesday I made shrimp orichiette, which I planned to make that Saturday but decided to go to Panera again. This is a go to meal for us as it is pretty easy to make and since it's a casserole, makes for easy lunches in the days following. 

 Thursday I made the pork and potato skillet I made a few weeks before. Friday and Saturday we went out because our friend was in town (I'll cover this visit in another post-it's too good to miss!) So that's it for meals last week. No on to the Oscars!

First off, I won our awards season competition! Yay for dinner courtesy of my husband! As expected, Anne Hathaway ran away with best supporting actress, and Jennifer Lawrence won her first Oscar for her role in Silver Linings Playbook. That's a big step up from her eating a squirrel just a couple of years ago! Much to my surprise, Christoph Waltz won best supporting actor for Django Unchained. I must admit, after watching this movie, he was very good. In fact, I think the movie fell apart after he SPOILER ALERT was killed. And then Daniel Day Lewis won best actor, which was also expected, but I was not impressed with his role. And then the academy must have felt bad for snubbing Ben Affleck for best director, because Argo won best picture. I'll leave it at that.

Oscar highs: Seth McFarlane singing "we saw your boobs," playing the Jaws theme to make people stop talking, the Jurassic Park and Gone With the Wind themes being played, the "Flight" sock puppets re-inactment, the Les Miserables performance where my girl crush on Samantha Barks grew to new heights-she looked fabulous in all her dresses, and of course, Suri's Burn Book tweeting gems like this throughout:

Suri's Burn Book ‏@surisburnbook

Zero Dark Thirty was not very realistic. Real torture involves kid birthday parties at Tori Spelling’s house. Trust me.

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Oscar lows: Megan McCarthy and Paul Rudd not knowing wtf was going on as they presented, William Shatner, Seth McFarlane hitting below the belt with a domestic violence remark aimed at Chris Brown and Rhianna, it ending at midnight, the tribute to Bond (sorry, I hated it), and everything Kristen Stewart. Seriously, girl, it's called a hairbrush. Cavemen knew how to make and use one. Get it together. And maybe have your makeup artist cover up some of those bruises all over your body.

What did us foodies eat during the Oscars? Everything. I made tons of food- artichoke dip, chick-fil-a bites with real chick-fil-a sauce, pretzel rolls, fancy hot dogs (pictured below), fruit tacos, s'mores bars, and strawberry lemon bars. And I drank almost 2 bottles of wine. Boy did I feel like garbage in the morning. But it was a wonderful night filled with good friends, and me stuffing my face binge eating because I know I will never look like these women, yet also reveling in the fact that they probably haven't eaten since the golden globes, and I was on my third pretzel roll and double fisting wine.

A fancy weiner!

Next time I'll talk more about food, Buffalo, and a visit from our special friend!

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How we do Buffalo

Today I was going through our old wedding website. There is a page for out of town guests that included places eat and things to do. I read some of me descriptions and think they are pretty spot on. I'm copying the page over here. 

Does everyone agree with my opinions of these places? I only included on of our "things to do" since it's the only one that has to do with food.  

I want to know what you think too, so please comment! It will make me feel like someone actually reads this! If you have a special place to eat or drink too, please leave it in the comments. We are always looking for new places to go!

Things to do:

Wegmans: yes, we put a grocery store on our list of things to do in Buffalo. But seriously, folks, this is a grocery store on steriods. They have everything you need and tons of things you don't. You can enjoy dinner here- anything from sushi and chinese to pizzas, subs, salad bar, soup, burritos, and $6 meals. Trust us, your visit to Buffalo is not complete until you have gone to Wegmans. They're open 24 hours, so there is sure to be time to fit a visit into your stay. Visit www.wegmans.com for locations throughout Buffalo and the suburbs. 

Places to Eat:

Duff's: you can go to Anchor Bar, but we promise, Duff's has the best wings in Buffalo. With three locations around Buffalo, you can experience the food that made Buffalo famous. Tastebuds beware- prepare yourself if you order hot wings, as "hot" is a loose term. Visit www.duffswings.com/ for more info. 

Frank's Sunny Italy: Anna and Ryan's favorite Italian place in Buffalo, they are famous for their sweet marinara sauce. Portions are huge- the spaghetti plate can feed about three people easily. They also have a take out service. Address: 2491 Delaware Ave. 

Pano's: a personal favorite of Anna and Ryan's. They are a Greek restaurant, but all the food on the menu is great-you really can't go wrong here. Recently remodeled, Pano's is a Canisius staple and a local favorite. Visit panosonelmwood.com for more info. 

Pearl Street Grill and Brewery: a favorite hangout for before and after Buffalo sporting events, Pearl Street has four floors, with a bar on every floor, tons of beers on tap, and good food. They have a lovely balcony with a great view of the city. Visit www.pearlstreetgrill.com/home for more info. 

Anderson's: Ever heard of beef on weck? Here is your chance to give it a try. Trust us, it's delicious. And after, wash down that sandwich with some Perry's ice cream. Ryan loves the Pistachio ice cream, while Anna like the cajun fries with her roast beef, and cotton candy ice cream. Visit www.andersonscustard.com/ for locations and more info. 

Brodo: A tiny restaurant with a boatload of style and awesome food. Their salads are out of this world, and everything on their menu sounds so good, Anna and Ryan can't pick a favorite. From appetizers to soups and sandwiches, to entrees, the food here is reasonably priced for how good it tastes. Visit www.brodo.net/index.php for more info. 

Betty's: This gem is in a unique location in a quirky old building. They are famous for their brunch, but its also a good place for dinner. It's also a popular hangout for the multitudes of hipsters that call Buffalo home. Check out the location-behind the restaurant is a tiny neighborhood full of tiny little cottages that are so unique. Visit www.bettysbuffalo.com/ for more info. 

Brennan's: A suburbs hangout that has a huge bar but also has great food. We love their fries, but our friends like the potato skins and also think they have pretty good wings. Sandwiches are always a safe choice here and they all are great. Visit www.brennansbowerybar.com/ for more info. 

Chef's: Probably the most famous Italian restaurant in Buffalo, Chef's is located in the middle of nowhere in a crappy area of Buffalo, but it's worth it for the food. Sports stars  can frequently be spotted having a meal here. So, if sweet sauce isn't your thing, head over to Chef's. Visit www.ilovechefs.com/ for more info. 

The Frog Hair: If you enjoy golf and hanging out with the cougars of Williamsville, then this is your place. There are multiple simulators where you can swing a golf club and have 40-somethings check you out- every guy's dream. They have amazing warm pretzel rolls and a wide selection of food. Visit www.thefroghair.com/ for more info. 

Grovers: As seen on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Grovers has the best burgers in Buffalo. Although it's a fair drive (about 30 minutes) outside downtown Buffalo, if you like Burgers, you absolutely have to make the trip. Ask to try the cheeseburger soup if you're feeling adventurous. Address: 9160 Transit Rd, East Amherst. 

Olivers: This is a pricey, high class restaurant in Buffalo. So, if you're looking for a good, classy meal, this is your place. Plus, it's right across the street from the vet's office Anna used to work at. Visit oliverscuisine.com/08/index.html for more info. 

Fast Food: This is a loose term for the next few places that aren't sit down, but are still Buffalo traditions. 

Mississippi Mudds and Old Man River: Located on the banks of the Niagara River, enjoy a hot dog, chicago dog, or other variation of a wiener. Old Man River has food and milkshakes, and Mississippi Mudd has ice cream. Once you get your food, you can enjoy the river walk and see Grand Island and watch the boats go by. Visit www.mississippimuddswny.com/ and www.oldmanriverwny.com/ for more info. 

Mighty Taco: Like Taco Bell, only better. Be sure to order a loganberry to drink. Visit www.mightytaco.com/main.php for locations are more information. 

Jim's Steak Out: Are you really drunk and are just looking for some good drunk food, even if it is after our wedding? That's ok. Jim's Steak Out is your place to go. Subs of all kinds are sure to please, but if you don't see anything that catches your eye, try the chicken finer sub. Their motto is "if you're up, we're probably open," so they definitely cater to the intoxicated crowd. Visit jimssteakout.com/ for locations. 

ETS: Short for Elmwood Taco and Subs, this place is just across the street from Heenans, and a favorite place for Anna to get drunk food on her walk home from the bar. They have great waffle fries here. Located in a newly remodeled building, ETS is a place to go for a quick, cheap bite. Visit www.etsbuffalo.com/ for more info. 

Breakfast Food:

Spot Coffee: A small local coffee shop that specializes in unique coffee and breakfast drinks. They have pastries for breakfast, and is a popular place to study and hang out with friends. Visit www.spotcoffee.com/ for locations and more info. 

Tim Hortons: Seriously the best coffee you'll drink in Buffalo. They have great doughnuts and bagels too, and also serve iced coffee, called an icecap. Pick up a party pack of timbits (similar to munchinks) to bring on the plane home with you. Don't let the long drive-thru line fool you, the staff there moves so fast that you won't wait long at all. Visit www.timhortons.com/ for locations and more info. 

The Pancake House: The mother of all breakfasts. This place is famous for fresh squeezed orange juice (for some $$$) and some specialty dishes, including an apple pancake, and a dutch baby, which is a large German pancake with butter, powdered sugar, strawberries, lemon juice, and strawberry jelly. It is to die for- a must try dish before you leave. If you can't make it early, don't worry, they serve breakfast all day long. Visit www.originalpancakehouse.com/ for more info. 

Places to Drink: 

Loughrans: An Amherst bar with a great atmosphere and good food to boot. We recommend the fish fry if you plan to eat here. The front of the bar has huge windows that open out to the street and the entire bar has that lived in feel. It's been around forever and is pretty low key (except for St. Patricks Day). Tell the bartenders you went to Clemson and you'll probably get a discount- the owner's son went to Clemson as well. Address: 4543 Main St. 

Snyder Bar and Grill: a favorite suburban bar of Ryan's and a popular hangout for all our friends. Don't be intimidated by the front door that is essentially a large piece of plywood. SBG has a great atmosphere, a dart board, and shuffleboard. The service is excellent and bartenders are very friendly. Address: 2067 Kensington Ave

Heenans: A Canisius tradition like no other. Anna spent many a Saturday night here. Your shoes will stick to the floors, but drinks are cheap (cash only) and you can get the full experience of being a Canisius student if you head over on a Saturday night. Address: 946 Elmwood Ave. 

The Thirsty Buffalo: lots of selection including many local beers from Buffalo and Canada, with plenty of TV's. Try some Labatt Blue or Molson Canadian-both favorite Buffalo beers. Happy hour here is from noon to 7pm (really!) so stop in for $2 pints and well drinks. Address: 555 Elmwood Ave

Geckos: Located in the Hertel Ave area, Geckos is a sports dive bar. There are tons of other bars within walking distance from here, as well as the Italian neighborhood of Buffalo with tons of small restaurants (may we recommend Kostas for breakfast or a late night bite). Address: 1464 Hertel Ave. 

Frizzys: It's awesomeness stems from the fact that this bar has a photobooth. That's right folks, leave your mark in Buffalo by forever posting your drunk pictures on their wall, and take some home with you for photo documented evidence of things you may not remember doing. The back area of the bar has pool tables as well. Address: 140 Allen St. 

Cecelia's: The best martinis in Buffalo. Order the appletini. Trust us. Go on a Monday during happy hour for half priced Martinis. Address: 716 Elmwood Ave. 

Colter Bay: Ryan describes this place as hipster with a Western park theme. They have lots of ale on tap, and be sure to try a Southern tier beer to get a taste of Buffalo beer. Address: 561 Delaware Ave. 

Brick Bar: Located in the popular Allentown district, and similar to Backstreets for all you Clemson folk. Address: 229 Allen St. 

Founding Fathers: Tucked away from the main streets, Fathers is a nifty, old fashioned bar full of presidential decor and free snacks. They have a trivia night on the first Tuesday of the month as well if you plan on staying longer. Address: 75 Edward St. 

So what do you think! Leave your comments. PLEASE!!!!

The Oscars Are Coming!

And so begins one of my favorite times of the year. Movie stars (and not movie stars) come out dressed in their finest attire (or not) to celebrate the best movies of the year. Seriously, people, this is like my own superbowl. And I've been trolling pinterest for some great appetizer recipes. I don't want to give away all my secrets but here and here are a couple of my ideas. It should be a lovely night filled with Jennifer Lawrence, Hugh Jackman, and those quick camera shots of George Clooney with some woman 20 years younger than him hanging on his arm.

Anyway, on to this past week of dinners. Monday we had mini turkey meat loaves. It's kind of a novel idea, where you make the meat loaf in muffin pans. This is especially appealing to me since the concept of a "meat loaf" absolutely disgusts me. Seriously, its a loaf of meat. The only thing that should come in a loaf is bread. Not meat. Ever. It's gross. Anyway, I like my ground meat in muffin form better. I tried this recipe first last year and it didn't get rave reviews, but I liked it. A little spicy, but otherwise it was good.

Tuesday we used leftover ham from my mom's on Friday and made pseudo-reubens. Essentially a ham and cheese sandwich dipped in egg and grilled. We also had leftover mashed potatoes. 

 Wednesday was the first day of Lent, so we had cornflake crusted halibut. We've also tried this recipe before and liked it, so if it ain't broke, dont fix it.

Thursday we had personal chicken pot pies. It was pretty easy but I wasn't a fan for two reasons. 1-I like my pot pie nice and soupy, and this one didn't have very much broth. 2- The crust was just pie crust that you cut in a circle and baked. I usually like my crust slightly more bread like and less crusty. Despite this, I ate the leftovers for lunch twice this week. 

 Here it is with the crust broken up.

 Friday we were meatless again. Ryan made shrimp scampi with some leftover pasta and some special seasoning. I call it special because I honestly have no idea what it is. But it was good.

Saturday we went out with Ryan's parents, and Sunday we went skiing and packed our own lunch since food there is expensive. We just had sandwiches. On to Monday. We are trying some recipes from the Wegmans Menu magazine. Here is teriyaki chicken with udon noodles. I HATE green beans but ate them for this recipe. And I took it for lunch too. Suck it, beans. 

Tuesday we really wanted to try this tortellini recipe from a magazine, but you had to make your own pasta and filling. We opted for the easy way out, especially since we don't have a pasta attachment for the stand mixer. We did make the sauce. It was our first time making homemade sauce and it was a big success. We have a ton left over so we need to make something italian next week. I just heard about an Italian pasta place near where I work called Gondola's and they have Ryan's favorite, lobster ravioli, so that might be in the cards for next week. 

 Wednesday we tried a new pork chop recipe. It looked good, but it wasn't excellent and there were a ton of dishes. We didn't like it because the pork did not cook all the way through and we had to put it in the oven to cook completely, and the sauce got really caramelized and hard, almost crunchy. it is were more liquid like it maybe would have been better.

That's all for this time. I can't wait to announce the winner of our Awards Season competition. SPOILER ALERT: Ryan is currently down by 18 points. 

And here's the crazy Southern transplant oxymoron of the week: We listened to country music while driving to go skiing. Crazy. 

Events

It's been a while since I posted, and nothing big has happened in our cooking lives. We did, however, celebrate the super bowl last Sunday, and my birthday, which was also this week. Without further adieu, I give you, our week in cooking.

Last Friday, I went for my first appointment for contacts. I never wore them before, mainly because my mother insisted that I would be careless with them and would somehow lose my vision. Now that I pay for my own insurance, I decided to try them out since my vision is getting really bad, and I hate glasses, mainly because they actually hurt my face. As it turns out, I may have to get used to it because I was a miserable failure with putting contacts in. It took me about 20 minutes to get just one in, and then I couldn't get it out. I get another try, but the place won't let me go home with them until I can take them in and out three times. My hopes are not high. That night,  I made a chicken enchilada casserole. It was good, but our friend Parissa's (featured in 'The Reel Belles') is much better.

The entire casserole-we cut it by 1/3, making 5 instead of 8 enchiladas. 

Saturday, we went out to dinner at a local sushi restaurant that everyone raves about. We went skating at a free rink downtown, then went for sushi. It was cool because we got our own private room (mainly because they forgot our reservation) and watched Finding Nemo during dinner. The sushi was good, but expensive. I've had better sushi for cheaper, but I can say our service was amazing.
Sunday was the super bowl, the cornucopia of a football fan's year. The Ravens won, as I expected. So far, Ray Lewis has not gone out and killed anyone. Yet. For the game, we went to a friend's house and snacked on sandwiches, pizza, pigs in a blanket, and some assorted dips.

Monday we went back to the grind. I made a corn and potato chowder. This has been the first time since I decided on wedding registry gifts that I regretted not putting an immersion blender on it. I had to transfer the soup to a blender slowly to finish it, which was what the recipe called for, but I think the immersion blender would have made the job much easier, and made for less clean up.


Tuesday, which is my late day at work, I made something simple, chicken and bacon roll ups. Sounds bigger than what it really is. Essentially, it's a sandwich. The "mayo" was miracle whip, tarragon, and lemon juice, and it was really good. Deli chicken, bacon, tomatoes and lettuce all wrapped up was all this recipe needed. I took a picture of it before because when it's all rolled up, it totally looks like we ate a tree branch for dinner.





Wednesday I made a pork and potato skillet. I liked that I had to cut up a ton of vegetables and used the skills I learned in my knife class. I also liked that you essentially made everything in one pan, making cleanup nice and easy. The potatoes were frozen hash browns, and there were tons of vegetables in the dish-peppers, onions, peas, and carrots. It was fairly bland, but with a little salt it really picked the dish up.



Thursday I made braised beef short ribs. I used to love making this in South Carolina mainly because I could find short ribs at the grocery store for $2 a pound. Back in Buffalo, I can't find a good cut of beef for making this for under $5. Actual short ribs are almost $8! So we bought a fatty cut of beef and prayed for the best. Again, I cut the original recipe, this time in a quarter. This is helpful when we are working on portion control, and also helpful when your husband does not like "the taste" of leftovers. Whatever that means. 45 minutes in the oven and this is what came out.




It was pretty good, but it was very clear that the beef we bought was not short ribs. In Carolina when we made it there was no need for a knife, the beef fell apart with a fork. We had to use a knife with dinner tonight, and it was still tasty, but the beef wasn't melt in your mouth good. I personally like the juice it's cooked in best. It consists of blasamic vinegar, beef broth, red wine, onions and tomatoes. I usually end up eating extra onions and tomatoes before I do the dishes.



Friday was my Birthday, so we went to my parents house for dinner. My mom made me ham and potatoes, and then carrot cake for dessert. My dad attempted to help on this cake matter, because if you know my father, you know he loves dessert almost as much as his firstborn. Last week was their dog's birthday and my father not only baked and frosted the entire cake, but also wrote out "Happy Birthday Bismarck" in red and blue sprinkle colors and placed them on the cake carefully with tweezers. He tried to do the same thing for me- not baking and frosting, but just the lettering. Apparently he got tired of it because mine was in all sorts of colors and it read "Happy Birthdy Annn." Not joking. In case you didn't know, my name is Anna. Le sigh.

Saturday Ryan took me out to what is arguably one of my favorite restaurants in Buffalo: Frank's Sunny Italy. They have the best sweet sauce ever! I had ravioli, which is odd because I have only ever gotten spaghetti at Franks. Normally I ask for my sauce on the side because it gives me such bad heartburn (any tomato based sauce does this to me, not just Franks.). I went for gusto, and the ravioli was good, but I should have stuck to old faithful.
Afterwards, we went to a housewarming party for our friends who recently bought a house. Our friend Morgan was there and she was drinking something called skinny wine. So of course, we both tried some, and loved it. We were at Premier when they opened today, along with some other alcoholics who must have ran out last night, and bought a bottle 3 bottles. Each serving has 89 calories. I picked up about a dozen other bottles to see if they had the calories listed, but the did not. Anyone know how many calories are in a normal glass of wine? Or does it really not matter if you single-handedly drink the entire bottle in one night?

Tonight we're having the leftovers my mom gave us from Friday. Simple, and it saves us money. Next week begins Lent, which is Catholic for "no meat on Friday." The next 40 days should promise some interesting twists on fish as well as some soups. Until next time!