Have I been blind?

I've passed Godiva hundreds of times. (I LOVE their biscuits, so I always walk a bit faster past the shop so I don't get tempted.) However, I don't ever recall seeing frozen drinks! I was walking in the Prudential the other day, and I was waiting in a very LONG lunch line at Qdobo. Godiva happens to be right next door. (You can see where this is going....)

Since the line didn't seem to be moving, and Godiva had no line, I figured I'd forego my burrito and instead indulge in one of their heavenly looking chocolate drinks for lunch. Why waste time waiting in line? Plus, that way I'd be able to continue walking--a burrito is hardly portable mall food. (Everyone knows it's all about portability!)

So, I slid out of line and walked into Godiva, ordered the "Dark Chocolate Decadence," and waited. (In the meantime, I also signed up for their free rewards card. A free piece of chocolate every month without a necessary purchase? Score--where do I sign?) When I got it, it looked eerily similar to a Starbucks frap, just more chocolate-y. Oh boy, was I wrong--this drink is in its own league.

It is a bit less icy than the Starbucks consistency, but there are actually ground up pieces of chocolate in the drink itself, so it's like you're drinking and eating chocolate at the same time. (I can already see a bunch of you squirm...I'll never understand those who don't like bits in their drinks. No bubble tea? Really??) In my case, I LOVED it. I almost did a little dance after my first sip. Then, I realized I was in a mall, and took out my phone to call Ash. Halfway through dialing I realized he was probably busy saving lives, and didn't need to be interrupted because I had found a cool new drink, and hung up. Then, I thought, well, who would want to be interrupted because I found a cool new chocolate drink? And I immediately called Priya.

She, however, was busy with all her smart kids, so I left a message. When she returned my call, I remembered that she was one of those crazy ones who doesn't like bits in her drinks. (::shaking my head::) But, she was happy for me! Finally, when Ash got home and asked me what I had for lunch, I told him, and braced myself for a that's-great-but-it's-not-a-healthy-lunch comment. His reaction? He smiled and shook his head. (Not even one word of disapproval. Is there anything not to love about this man?)

At around $5 for a grande size cup, it ain't cheap, but it's worth it. This might be enough to pull me into every Godiva I walk by. Somebody send me some will power. Actually, forget it. I'm probably a lost cause anyway.

Chocolate Cake Balls!

It's raining. It's dreary. I'm tired. It's that kind of day.

What makes it better? When a friend brings over a ball of cake. Wrapped. In. Chocolate.

Make these immediately: Click here

Thanks Shana!

Twenty Questions about Food!

I was sent this questionnaire, and found it very fitting. :-)

20 Questions for Food Lovers

1. How often do you eat out? About two times/week--usually a dinner, and maybe brunch on the weekends. I bring my lunch to work everyday, because Ash and I both start to feel sluggish if we eat out any more than that. Plus, I love to cook. (Especially b/c Ash does the dishes!)

2. Favorite restaurant? Currently, Sinigual. It changes every few months. I could live off of their fried ice cream. I'd be fat and die in 3 years, but I'd be happy. (Hence the above answer of not eating out more than two times/ week...) :-)

3. Favorite food? Nachos. Hands down.

4. What do you ALWAYS have in your fridge? Cilantro.

5. What do you ALWAYS have in your freezer? You mean other than ice cream? More ice cream.

6. Favorite spice? Cardamom.

7. Favorite herb? Cilantro.

8. What do you eat every day? At least 20 grams of fiber. At a minimum. (And not in supplements--in real, unprocessed food. In a pinch, I'll eat these bars. The chocolate brownie one is my favorite!)

9. Favorite fruit? The reddish ones. (Cherries, Watermelon, Raspberries, etc.)

10. Favorite vegetable? Potatoes. (Unless you get into the whole root veggies aren't vegetables debate, and in that case, broccoli.)

11. Favorite drink? Earl grey tea with milk and sugar.

12. Favorite comfort food? Creamy tomato soup (with lots of cream, butter and parmesan) in a bread bowl.

13. Favorite grocery store? Regularly? Whole Foods. But I LOVE visiting grocery stores when we travel. (Ash found this out the hard way--luckily I am married to a very patient man.)

14. Favorite dessert? Chocolate mousse. NOT chocolate mousse cake. Chocolate mousse.

15. Favorite appliance? I love all my appliances--maybe my coffee maker?

16. You can't cook without...? A really good knife.

17. You never...? Fry anything. I sprinkle on some olive oil and stick it in the oven instead.

18. Where do you get restaurant reviews? Menupages. But I give restaurants two chances.

19. Most disappointing meal? For the money? Tabla Bread Bar. For the name? Cilantro.

20. Best meal? Ferraro's in Maui. Everything about it was perfect.

Easiest. Cheesecake. Ever.

I'm on a nutella kick. I'll eat it with everything--graham crackers, on toast, or best yet, out of the jar with a spoon. (I tried making nutella and banana paninis for dessert one day--that didn't go so well.)

In any case, I searched for recipes that used the goodness-in-a-jar, and found a few different cheesecake recipes. Most of them were no-bake, which I'm not such a fan of, so I changed it a bit to make it the easiest cheesecake ever. Seriously.

Easy Nutella Cheesecake

Note: Since I chose to make a brownie crust instead of a traditional graham cracker crust, I prepared boxed brownie batter for a 13x9 pan. Then, I used some of it to make this crust, and used the remainder to bake brownies in an 8x8 pan.

Springform Pan (I used a 10 inch, because that's all I had)
Prepared brownie batter (I used Duncan Hines, I think)
1 egg
1 tbsp. vanilla
16 oz. cream cheese (I used 8 oz. low fat and 8 oz. regular Philadelphia)
1 13 oz. jar nutella

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of the springform pan (I used about 1 tsp. of vegetable oil, and wiped off the excess with a paper towel.) Pour a small amount of brownie batter on the bottom of the pan, and use a spoon or spatula to just cover the bottom. (I used about 3/4 cup for a 10 inch pan.) The more batter, the thicker your crust. Bake for about 7-10 minutes, or until it starts to look done.

In a bowl, beat the cream cheese. When almost smooth, add the egg and vanilla. When well combined, mix in the nutella, and spread over the brownie crust.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool, then place in refrigerator for at least 6 hours. (The longer you leave it, the stiffer it will be.)

Done!

Now, this cheesecake is really rich. I love rich cakes, and even I can only eat a sliver of it at a time. So, when I make it again, I'll probably purchase a smaller springform pan (maybe a 6 inch) so I don't eat it for weeks. Because really, I've been eating it for over a month now. It's also not too sweet, as the only sugar is from the nutella and in the brownie crust. I like it that way, but if you only like super sweet desserts, you might want to add some sugar into the cream cheese mixture.

Enjoy!

Wendy: "The Pit" in Raleigh, NC

My friend Wendy recently went down to Raleigh, and came back singing the praises of a restaurant called The Pit. In case anyone happens to be in the Raleigh, NC area, I'm posting her review below:

"If you are in Raleigh and want a great place to eat, The Pit is the place to go. I was in Raleigh last week and my high school sweetheart, Tim, took me there for dinner. The restaurant is homey and smells wonderful. We were told the wait would be about 30 minutes since we did not have a reservation, but before we got to the bar to wait we were greeted by an older gentleman who came over to welcome us. Apparently it was Ed Mitchell, the owner.

Talk about a southern gentleman! We sat at the bar, chatted with the staff, and before we knew it our table was ready!

We were seated in a booth and began to look at menu. So many choices! I had the meatloaf– who would have thought to put blue cheese on it? Actually, I love blue cheese, so perhaps I would have eventually gotten around to it, but it was so good! Tim got the triple combo– brisket, bbq and meatloaf. Each meal comes with two sides, and everything was delicious!

During the meal there was a man walking around playing the harmonica- peaceful and serene. It felt like I was on a porch in the south somewhere. Pure heaven!!

So if you get a chance to visit Raleigh– The Pit is the place to be!"

Thanks Wendy!

Oops.

From the article located here.

THE SALTIEST FOOD IN AMERICA
P.F. Chang’s Hot and Sour Soup Bowl
6,878 mg sodium
336 calories
12 g fat (2 g saturated)

Sodium Equivalent: 208 saltine crackers

P.F. Chang's has published their nutrition facts for years without providing sodium counts for basic menu items, which was cause for concern and—as it turns out—justified suspicion. Chinese food tends to run high on the sodium spectrum because of its reliance on viscous stir-fry sauces and salt-laden condiments like soy sauce. But this an unfathomable amount of salt to pack into one 336-calorie bowl of soup. The sad truth is that unless you stick to vegetable sides and small servings of a select few entrees (Crispy Honey Chicken, Orange Peel Beef, Lemon Scallops), you’re all but guaranteed to absorb one or more day’s worth of sodium in a single sitting at P.F. Chang’s.

Oops. Well, okay. But it's darn good soup.

On a side note, if you haven't seen Eat This, Not That
it's quite good! I own a copy, and find myself constantly staggered by the statistics.

Quote of the Day

We went to Maya last night for a family dinner to celebrate Priya & Vinny's Anniversary. (Which means that it was me, Ash, Priya, Vinny and Prammy--it's so cool when your sister's marriage now means your family dinners involve some of your greatest friends.) :-)

In any case, we found ourselves talking briefly about the suspect in the "Craigslist Killer" case, as he is a BU medical student. There were a lot of great comments, but one made all of us burst out laughing, so I thought I'd share it.

Prammy: "Well, it's obvious that guy isn't going to get a residency."

For anyone who knows (either first-hand or through a loved one) the stress involved with getting a medical residency or fellowship, it's funny just to think about what his application would look like. I'm still laughing just thinking about it...

As for Maya--fantastic entrees, thumbs down on the desserts. (We ordered four different ones, and none was above average. Instead, walk to Payard.)