Monday, December 30, 2013

It's Monday

Today is the final Monday of 2013 and rather than living it up "I am going to gorge myself like a heathen until 11:59 p.m. tomorrow" style, I actually prepared a healthy meal. 

On second thought, if we're going to form a creepy online but never really meeting in-person relationship, I need to be upfront with you.  I don't eat vegetables. Lettuce makes me dry heave and I have vomitted upon puting a mere spoonful of peas into my mouth (this was in the 3rd grade, but some things just aren't easily forgotten). So when I say that I made a healthy, vegetable-filled meal, I mean that I made it for Boyfriend while I had brown rice and chicken. 


This evening, Boyfriend feasted upon brown sugar salmon fillet, mushroom rice and snow peas- carrot juillienne. 



I started by cooking brown rice in chicken broth, rather than water. While the rice cooked, I mixed one tablespoon of melted butter with brown sugar and a few globs of honey (I use only scientific measurements, obviously). When this melted together, I whisked in a few splashes of soy sauce (low sodium), salt and pepper, then poured it over the salmon fillet waiting nicely in a foil-lined baking dish. Baked at 350 degrees for 25 minutes and bam...one happy Boyfriend. (I don't eat fish either... I know, I know. Why do I even write about food?).



While the salmon baked, I heated a skillet, added butter and stir- fried the snow peas for about five minutes before adding the carrots and two cloves of minced garlic. The stir-frying continued until everything was crispy, then I added a few globs of honey, salt and pepper, and voila! Happy Boyfriend is happier. Toward the end, I threw the mushrooms in a smaller skillet in chicken broth and cooked them until tender. When the rice was finished, I tossed in the mushrooms with a handful of Parmesan, completing a Monday night healthy feast for a happy Boyfriend.




Unfortunately, I neglected to take a photo of the finished plate before it was devoured, but you get the idea.  We can be healthy leading up to New Years Eve; however, there will be no holding back tomorrow. Until next time... 

Friday, December 27, 2013

We May Never Know...

Both Boyfriend and I are off of work until Monday and decided to begin our Louis and Clark exploration of Pittsburgh's eateries early.  Boyfriend requested a "good burger" for our dinner, so naturally, I executed a "best burger in Pittsburgh" search on Google. 

Luckily, WPXI had already thought of this for us and conducted a contest in February 2013.  Fox Chapel's Burgatory was crowned the victor in this particular contest. As we are already avid fans of the Create Your Own Burger joint with a plentiful draft list, we opted for the third place winner, Bubba's Gourmet Burghers and Beer. 

Bubba's is located in Bridgeville, Pa and is owned by its namesake, the Star 100.7 radio personality.  Going into this, I should have known better, considering the minute the music stops on 100.7 and the DJ speaks, I switch stations. But, we wanted a new place to visit for delicious burgers and decided to give it a try.

While approaching the restaurant, we noticed that, aside from a mob of children and parents preparing to leave, the place was not too crowded.  We opened the door and immediately looked at one another with concern. 

Running the length of the bar were several televisions showing some sporting event that I didn't care about. Considering Bubba's is a sports bar, I was neither surprised nor bothered by this; however, the volume was absurdly loud. I mean ABSURDLY loud. 

We were informed by the bartender that we would have about a 10 to 15 minute wait for a table, so we happily took seats at the bar to enjoy  a beer.... Until we noticed that only two beers were featured on draft and both were Sam Adams. Perhaps Bubba's should strip the "beer" part of their title. There was no bottle list either, so we assumed that the bartender could help. 

After about ten minutes of being ignored by said bartender, we were finally asked if we wanted a drink. Having never tried Sam Adams Old Fezziwig, I asked her to describe it for me. She stared at me, said she never had it, and said "I don't know... It's a holiday beer," before waltzing off to help her regulars. At least I think that's what she said, but I can't be sure since my hearing will forever be impaired from the loudest football game ever. She finally came back and provided a sample of Old Fezziwig. We ordered two and watched the bartender juggle several customers, while another employee stood at the end of the bar laughing. 

Although I was annoyed at her lack of positive customer service, I did feel sorry for the bartender, as it seems that Bubba's is severely understaffed, despite the fact that it wasn't that busy. We toyed with the idea of ordering an appetizer while I searched for another place to eat online. After the 50th time of Boyfriend saying something and my answering him with "huh?! I can't hear you," we paid for our beers and hightailed it out of there toward Burgatory. 

Does Bubba's have beer? Yes, but the selection was sparse. Does Bubba's have good burgers? Unfortunately, we'll never know, but I will attest that Burgatory has both, which is why it was voted supreme. Lesson learned. Third place is still a loser.

Bubba's Gourmet Burghers and Beer on Urbanspoon 

This Is The Beginning

It is almost 2014 and you know what that means. In five short days, all of America will vow to begin the new year with a healthy outlook and lifestyle changes. My gym is inundated with new members who hog machines, forget to wipe their sweat from the stationary bikes and try to strike up friendly conversation (note: the scowling girl wearing ear buds and avoiding eye contact on the machine next door DOES NOT want to talk to you). This usually lasts until mid-February until everyone gets lazy again, but I digress.

In typical and stereotypical fashion, I will also be promising myself a healthier and happier 2014... And I'm taking Boyfriend with me.

There is, however, a loophole.  Boyfriend and I are terrible at getting off our butts and doing things. Sure, we work, go to the gym, grocery shop and see the occasional movie; however, we fail at venturing into the social sphere and engaging in our city's vast culture.

The city of Pittsburgh offers a lot in terms of arts, entertainment and cuisine. We've decided to explore the cuisine side of things in 2014 by choosing a new restaurant every other Saturday, feasting to our hearts' contents and sharing our experience with you fine people. We are allowing a bi-weekly pig-out session in the name of culture and Pittsburgh appreciation. You're welcome.

I will, of course, update you during the week on homemade dinners, life happenings and the general shenanigans that come when you live with two massive beast dogs, two cats and one other person who does not share your affinity for cleaning.

So, before the show can formally begin, I'd like to wish you a fabulous almost 2014; I look forward to fully experiencing my city and bringing you along for the ride. Let's go!