Young Turks

I had a huge appetite after class yesterday and was really craving something healthy, salty, and delicious so I put together a salad with pre-packaged salad mix, added in some sliced avocado, and black olives. Yum!

Hit.the.spot.

I also ate this on top of my salad :-). I prepped the salmon with evoo, sea salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and a generous pour of maple syrup. It came out perfect!

I loved the sweetness the maple syrup imparted with the spiciness of the cayenne pepper. Mmm! Some asparagus and brown rice on the side.

After reading for about 2 hours and napping for 3, I headed out to meet T and some friends at a pop up dinner at Ten Bells pub.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/oct/28/young-turks-10-bells-review

A bit of scary history on the pub:
http://wiki.casebook.org/index.php/Ten_Bells

stairs leading to the bathrooms

After climbing a few flights of stairs, we were led into our own private dining area.

We were the first ones to arrive so I got to enjoy the view from the windows in a little peace and quiet.

We were a group of 11 and had our own servers for the night. I was very impressed with the service and the attention we got which wasn't too stuffy, and did things like fill our water glasses very 10 minutes which is a rarity in London!

Our menu

mackerel

The fish was excellently cooked and paired wonderfully with the tart radishes.

stinking bishop with potatoes and onions

I had no idea what stinking bishop cheese what and I know those sitting next to me didn't either. It was pungent and strong in taste as you would assume by the name, but it was smooth in texture and tasty, especially with the potatoes, onions, and a crunchy topping that reminded me of eating cornflakes.

fallow deer

This was my favorite dish since my piece of deer was super flavorful. I don't remember ever eating deer this good. T on the other hand felt his piece wasn't as flavorful so I wonder if my taste buds were playing tricks on me (doubtful!). The accompaniment of barley and short rib like pieces of deer meat underneath were a hit as well.

yogurt and beetroot with meringue

I felt bad leaving most of the dish even after managing a few tasty bites. The consensus at the table was that this unusual pairing was a hit. It definitely reminded me of the dessert I had at Viajante (shhh the one at Vijante was slightly better). I really love the use of beetroot in dessert dishes these days; it's such a wacky but amazing tasting combo.

I didn’t take a picture of the last dish, which was a chocolate malted ice cream with coffee crumbles. I swear the ice cream tasted like coffee as well but it could have just been from the surrounding cookie like crumbles. It was good but must not have been too memorable if I forgot to take a picture of it! After dinner, we promptly rushed home (at almost midnight) and I curled in bed for the night. Even going out to dinner takes a lot out of me these days. :(

My head seemed so much clearer this morning as I woke up to a delicious breakfast of eggs topped with cinnamon and all spice with a side of avocado.

Ever tried this combo? Eggs-avocado-whole wheat toast. It's a healthy one too!

Someone got a little bit dirty on her walk this morning...

Time for a bath!

her reward for getting clean :)

 

her new trick is to be able to stand while taking a treat from this can. T swears he doesn't squeeze that much into her mouth!

What a waste!

hummus and eggs are back!

one of the greatest combos I've discovered for a filling breakfast.

Lunch after school- Pret A Manger tuna salad. I only have 2 more weeks left of school before Christmas break. Hallejuler!!

 

Yum- this definitely satisfies my craving for tuna!

I also got a spicy bean chili soup but was surprised when there weren't any beans; it's actually soup made with ground up beans- DUH!!

It was still pretty satisfying on a cold day.

soup and salad- another favorite combo!

more salad for dinner- T made us his first ever cobb salad since I had mentioned in my previous blog that this was what I was craving. Yum! It was delicious.

He substituted blue cheese for haloumi and bacon for panchetta.

This was a great way to finish off our chicken/turkey leftovers. I can't believe we're finally done with all our leftovers! Makes me kinda sad but also glad that our fridge isn't stuffed to the brim.

leftover turkey gratin for lunch and a simple ranch salad with beets

veggie platter with edamame

I ordered a crap load of food last night from an online delivery system called HungryHouse. The restaurant was http://www.yuzu-restaurants.com/. My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach when ordering my food.

miso soup and seaweed salad

soba noodle soup w. veggie tempura on the side

The food was good, but for some reason didn't sit well in my stomach AT ALL. Sadly to say I might have had to make a trip to the toilet to throw up. TMI!! All I could think was damn; what a waste of food! :-)

Breakfast this morning: eggs, hummus, and sauteed mushrooms.

Book I'm currently reading: Catching Fire- the second of the Hunger Games series. I finished the first book in 1 and 1/2 days. They are SO good!! I can't wait for the movie coming out next year!!

Post Thanksgiving eating

Since I was craving Portillo's, T did the second best thing he could find; he made us burgers, and brats.

I don't know how he assumed I could finish this meat fest because I only had room for one hot dog and burger and that was even a stretch!

Nerds.

no tree yet but Sonoma and I are ready for Christmas! Bring on the lights, tree, and most of all Christmas music!!

We're making some headway into our turkey leftovers. We sure had a TON left!

on to my next craving: Tacos.. doesn't quite beat that artificial meat Taco Bell taste but it was a good substitute :)

with all the fixin's

my taco turned into a taco salad.. guess that's what happens when you overstuff your tacos!

more Thanksgiving leftovers.. T made his version of a Shepherd's pie with leftover ground meat, turkey, and mash potatoes.

 

he added some spinach because I was dying for some greens!

leftover taco/shepherd's pie turned salad for lunch

Papa Sultani's turkey gratin- cheesy, gooey, decadent, and delicious!

I think I may have to lay down after this meal!

blueberry/banana/peanut butter smoothie with some fun chocolate/sprinkle toppings.

Now this is a yummy way to get my daily dose of fruit.

pancakes and eggs this morning for breakfast

 

I heated up this roast chicken for lunch along with some cooked veggies, brown rice, and beets.

sliced mushrooms sauteed in EVOO, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.

yum! It felt so good to be eating healthy again after so many heavy meals!

my vice on a somewhat healthy roast chicken is the skin. Can't. get. enough. 

Book  recommendations: The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks (just finished it and thought it was such a classic Nicholas Sparks love story). I'm now starting the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and I'm hooked so far!