tofu parmigiana

I've really only been consistently cooking for about a year and a half.  At first, I was terrified of anything that required more than a microwave and especially hated anyone watching me cook as I was certain I would just make a fool of myself.  Recently, I've been enjoying experimenting in the kitchen which can lead to some wins and some fails.  This dish had the potential to be a big win, but just didn't really hit the spot for us.  For you tofu experts out there, perhaps you can tell me where I went wrong?

Also, you should make sure to include the basil.  I, sadly, did not because my basil plant looked a little like this:


I'm so sorry, Mr. Basil.



Tofu Parmigiana

adapted from EatingWell

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 14 oz package of firm water-packed tofu, rinsed

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 T olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

8 oz white mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

3/4 cup marinara sauce

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 T chopped fresh basil

Combine breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, parmesan cheese, and salt in a shallow dish.  Cut tofu lengthwise into 4 steaks and pat dry (should I have pressed it here?!).  Dredge in the breadcrumb mixture.  Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until beginning to brown, stirring often.  Add mushrooms and cook an additional 4 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl.  Add remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan.  Add the tofu steaks and cook until browned on one side, about 4 minutes.  Turn over and cook until browned on the other side.  Spoon mushroom mixture over the tofu, pour marinara sauce over the mushrooms and scatter mozzarella on top.  Cover and cook until the sauce is hot, about 4 minutes.  Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Sydney, Australia

Our time in Sydney was shortened to just under 2 days because of the ash cloud, but we still had a fabulous time wandering around and doing touristy things (like taking 200 pics of the opera house).  I've been to Sydney before, and I was reminded again what a beautiful and fun city it is!  Australian winters are SO nice.


Just outside our hotel in Hyde Park and a view from a cute restaurant.



Beautiful cathedral by the park.

 

Lunch at the top of some government building with stunning views of the city and harbor.

 

Tons of beautiful plants in the botanical gardens.

 

More pics in the botanical gardens.

 

Harbor bridge and opera house from the botanical gardens.

 

Bennett on the steps by the opera house and a windy ferry ride.



Oh yes, we took pictures from all sides :)

 

Flying foxes in the trees and weekend market in the Rocks.

 

Amazing Turkish sandwich and dumplings from the Rocks market.

 

Bennett's favorite way to pose :)

 

Bored of it yet?!

 

Thank you, Mum and Dad, for the cool camera tripod to allow way too many pics of the two of us!

 

Pictures from the bridge.

 

Traveling with a buddy is fun...

 

Replacement icecream after we were fooled into buying a "milkshake." Apparently in Oz that means milk + syrup, no icecream involved! Yuck.

 

Lovely walk around the water.

 

Dinner at a fun Japanese restaurant with sushi on a rotating belt!

 

Night time pics in Darling Harbor.

 

Such a beautiful evening to explore Sydney!



Chocolate lava cake from the Lindt shop. DIVINE!

 I hope you enjoyed seeing a few shots of our trip.  We seriously had such a good time.  I now have 1.5 vacation days remaining for the rest of the year, so we should be sticking around town for a while!

Perth, Australia

After missing our first flight from Sydney to Perth and then the airline canceling the next day of flights due to the volcanic ash cloud, we finally made it to my parents 2 days behind schedule.

Here are a few photos to give you a quick look at how we spent our time with the 'rents!

Subiaco outdoor market and my Mum's impressive lemon tree!



The new tandem bike!!  Bennett totally mastered it - me, not so much.



Riding from Perth to Fremantle for fish and chips.

 

Great views of the Swan River.

 

We got to watch my Dad run a marathon on Father's Day!  As usual, he was super fast.

 

Beautiful black swans on the Swan River.

 

A fun day at the wildlife park feeding kangas!

 

I wasn't as big a fan of the grubby paws being all over me as Bennett :)

 

Amazing birds that were all over Perth.

 

More kanga time!

 

Posing with a wombat. 

 

Pretty pink, dancing bird.

 

Koalas sleep 20 hours a day and eat for 4.  I could totally get used to that...

 

An awake koala and a lovely white peacock!

 

Bennett on the golf course.

 

A wine cruise down the Swan River.

 

The Tim Tam slam!!  Bite off both ends of the cookie, drink coffee/hot choc through the cookie, slam cookie in the mouth. YUM.



A delicious dinner out at the end of our trip. 

 It was wonderful for me to see my parents and Bennett interact.  Since they've been living in Australia for the last few years, they have had very limited amounts of time with him.  Australia is ridiculously far away...from everything...but it was totally worth the journey!  Sydney update tomorrow :)

Hello!!

Oh hi there!!  Yes, I'm still alive :)

We just got home from 3 days in Jackson, Mississippi for a beautiful wedding, 2 days stuck in Wollongong, Australia (silly ash cloud canceling flights!), 7 days in Perth, Australia with my parents, and 2 days in Sydney sightseeing. We had a blast and really enjoyed the break.  Bennett starts residency today, and I'm back at work after 2 weeks away. 

I'll give some proper updates with an overload of pictures this week, but I just wanted to check in and say I missed you guys, and I'm super pumped to get caught up on your blogs.

thankful week 23

Good morning, friends! It's a beautiful and hot day in Houston with so many things that make my heart grateful!

I am particularly thankful for...

...a gorgeous wedding weekend in New Jersey celebrating Ben and Jess.  Bennett and I ate enough steak over the three days we were up there for the rest of the year.  Super yum!!  The weather was lovely and the company perfect.  Happy marriage, love birds!

...Laine and Houston who were so kind to put us up for the weekend.  They came to visit us in March and it was really fun to see their cute place in New Jersey and have more time with them.

...my husband.  He is more than I ever hoped for.  Airports and travel stress are so much more manageable with him.  Oh, and he shot his best golf game ever this week - go, babe, go!

...group exercise.  Seriously, if you claim to not like working out, just pop in to a class with an energetic instructor and great music.  Sweating has never been so fun!  I've been all about Body Pump the last few weeks.  I never knew I liked lifting weights so much!

...a delicious dinner with Bennett's great uncle who lives in Galveston.  We both enjoyed his stories and loved the way he spoke so fondly of his wife.

...summer heat.  I just love it!  By August I may be telling you otherwise, but right now it brings back a rush of wonderful summery memories. 


 The next couple of weeks will be a little bit crazy for us.  We have another wedding this weekend and then a couple weeks of time with friends and family before Bennett starts his residency.  I'll be back on the blog at the end of June with all kinds of stories and pictures for you!  Miss you guys already :)

tomato stuffed chicken with almonds

This recipe uses similar ingredients to this one.  So naturally I'm in love!  Cherry tomatoes and basil seem to be the theme of this summer for me.  I really need to learn to grow my own...

Tomato Stuffed Chicken with Almonds

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2" thickness

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 handful fresh basil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 T olive oil

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350.  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and add oil, tomatoes and garlic, cook for about 5 minutes.  Add basil and remove from heat.  Put filling in the chicken and roll or fold the chicken over.  Use toothpicks to hold in place if desired.  Roll the chicken in almonds and return to the pan.  Sear on all sides until brown and then put the entire pan in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes.  If you don't have a cast iron skillet, transfer chicken to an oven safe pan.

thoughts on health

A few health tips, just for fun:

• Bring pre-served plates to the table instead of empty plates with serving dishes.  You'll eat up to 35% less!
• Try to have a little protein with each meal or snack - I love hard boiled eggs, a handful of nuts, canned tuna, and low fat string cheese for easy at work options.
• A Saint Louis University study showed that people who ate eggs for breakfast instead of a bagel consumed 264 fewer calories the rest of the day.
• On average, you'll eat 288 more calories in front of the TV.  Turn it off (unless it's a Braves' game, right babe?!).
• This was an interesting one I hadn't heard before: try having rye bread for breakfast instead of wheat as it is higher in fiber.  You'll snack less throughout the day!
• Choose foods with the fewest ingredients.
• Eat foods you love, just not too much!

What do you guys think of the new food plate replacing the pyramid?

source for some of the facts