I Scream 4 Ice Cream

Okay, all you have to do is take one scoop of French vanilla ice cream, some sliced fresh strawberries and sandwich it between two fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies. The result is exquisite. Enjoy!

A Catalina Kind of Valentine

This past weekend Joe and I made the great escape to Catalina Island, about 20 miles off the coast of Southern California. We camped on a bluff, overlooking the Pacific Ocean – breathtaking.

We stayed in a little area called Two Harbor, it’s fairly primitive with only one restaurant and a general store. Knowing this, we decided to pack pb&j lunches and a bunch of snacks. Our first morning, as we were getting ready to explore the lush island on our bicycles, I realized I was pretty hungry. So, rather than being less than satisfied with a granola bar and banana we decided to try the one and only restaurant.

Let me tell you, it’s a good thing we did! We discovered a hidden treasure that day. What appeared to be nothing but a little breakfast café on the beach, turned out to serve the best breakfast bagel sandwiches we had ever tasted. And keep in mind, Joe and I are both quite the breakfast sandwich connoisseurs.

The Two Harbors eatery toasted the everything bagel to perfection. Then, the bacon was crispy (as ordered) but certainly not burnt. The egg was cooked over-medium – a near impossibility at most breakfast joints. Then, the cheddar cheese was melted over the egg and bacon, making a gooey masterpiece. As if that wasn’t amazing enough, these fresh sandwiches were delivered to our table within 5 minutes of ordering…pure genius.

Rav, Rav, Rav-i-oli!

This post is more of a recommendation than anything else. I was really hungry when I got home from work last night and I wanted something quick and satisfying. Costco sells these fresh, organic spinach, ricotta and asiago cheese raviolis that are really tasty. These little pillows of heaven take only 5 minutes to cook in boiling, well-salted water.

I ate mine with nothing more than a little pesto drizzled over the top. Joe had his with some tomato basil sauce. Along with a salad and some wheat bread, this made for a healthy meal that was ready in about 15 minutes.

Tri-Tip With Me

Though we tend to go out to dinner a lot on the weekends, it can also be the best time to have friends over and cook. It’s fun, you can take your time and you don’t have to worry about getting up for work in the morning.

On Saturday we cooked a large tri-tip roast slowly on the grill. Thinly sliced tri-tip steak makes a fabulous sandwich. The meat is so flavorful and goes great with lots of fresh veggies (tomato, avocado, lettuce) on a crusty roll. The meat was marinated in a little bit of barbeque sauce and lots of herbs and spices.

To get it crispy on the outside, Joe seared the roast for a few minutes first on a very high heat. Then once the outside was browned, he lowered the flame to medium-low and cooked the tri-tip for about 20 more minutes – until the internal temp. reached 145 for medium doneness. It was perfectly pink in the middle.

I made some great cocktails in the meantime; it was Saturday night after all. Pomegranate green tea mixed with Smirnoff vodka and a splash of lemon juice. Tasty.

We also cooked some asparagus spears in the oven on a cookie sheet, sprinkled with extra virgin olive oil, fresh ground black pepper, coarse salt and a little bit of lemon juice. I’ve found this is the best way to bring out the natural flavors of the asparagus. I also shaved the bottom portion of each spear with a vegetable peeler, the ends tend to get a little chewy – this really countered that.

Dessert you ask? Warm brownies with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge. Yea, that’s how we roll.