The Goat's Beard (Manayunk, Philadelphia, PA)

As you know, we spent last weekend in Philadelphia. Although we were there for sad reasons, we managed to squeeze in some fun at the same time.

On Friday, after looking through some of my grandmother's furniture and decorations, we decided to go for a late lunch in Manayunk.

Manayunk is a historic district, located in Philadelphia. There are lots of unique shops and restaurants located there. With the help of Yelp, we decided to grab a late lunch at The Goat's Beard. The Goat's Beard is located on Main Street in Manayunk, and they use fresh, local, organic ingredients. Check out their website here.

There are a few tables located outside, and then the inside has a few more tables. There is space upstairs for private parties as well.

We were lucky that we arrived just before they closed for the break before dinner.

A little day drinking...

It was really hard to make a decision, but I decided to go with the fish tacos.

On the tacos: fresh fish, fresh salsa, cilantro, pickled cabbage, and creme fraiche. Can you really go wrong with anything that has creme fraiche? No, you can't.

Everyone tried something different. My sister had the mussels, which it had considered ordering as well. I did steal one and they were delicious also. There is something really beautiful about mussels. I love the black, shiny shells.

If you are in the area, I would definitely think about checking out The Goat's Beard for brunch, lunch, or dinner!

 

 

 

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Remembering in Philadelphia

So what did I do? I promised to blog more often. Yeah, guess what I didn't do? Blog more often. I bet you won't believe any of my promises anymore, but I hope we can still be friends.

Everyone has been asking me lately, "I miss your blog. When are you going to update it again?" It's so flattering to know anyone out there DOES actually read this! Know what else? It makes you feel guilty for not keeping up with it.

Since I have been bad about cooking lately, I thought I might just write a quick post about a trip to Philadelphia this past weekend.

Last week, I was in Philadelphia for my Grandmother's memorial service. She passed away in February, but the brothers and sisters decided to arrange a memorial service later in the spring when more grandchildren and friends could attend.

Oddly enough, this was the first time I have ever slept at this grandmother's house. I always loved her home. It's an old (built circa 1900!) row house located in Roxborough, an area in Philadelphia. One of the coolest parts of her house was the third floor. I always thought it was neat that you could see the skyscrapers of Center City from her third floor window.

My grandmother, Betty (otherwise known to most of us as Mom Mom) had the most infectious giggle. Even though she faced some very hard times throughout her life, she was always able to leave the past in the past and focus on the present.

 

When we saw her this past fall for her 90th birthday, she was smiling and laughing. I will always be glad I was able to be there to celebrate with her.

On the day of the memorial service, the weather was predicted to be rainy, but it was such a beautiful day. It was just warm enough to make you want to sit on the porch all day. Look at how blue the sky was that day! Amazing. Even though it was a sad day, we enjoyed the time with all of our family who came from all over the country to be together.

The church where we held the service was absolutely beautiful, inside and out. Although I love my home state of South Carolina, there is something special about these old stone buildings.

 

Saying goodbye on Sunday was especially sad. Have you ever left a parent or grandparent's home, knowing that you will probably never cross that threshold again? It's a strange and sad feeling, like you want to remember every little nook and cranny and the memories you made there.

 

I know I will never forget sitting on those steps in the living room, waiting for my turn to open presents on Christmas morning.

Or the back (secret) stairwell and racing my sisters to see who could get to the bathroom first.

Or looking out the top story window to see the Philadelphia skyline.

Or eating Cheesesteaks from Dalesandro's at the dining room table.

Or the radiators. Or the stone wall out front.

Goodbye, house. We'll miss you.

 

 

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Currywurst: Easy, Tasty, and Cheap German-ish Dinner

Welcome to a new week! Isn't Currywurst a crazy word? It doesn't sound like food, does it? But it is. It's weird, but delicious!

So, what's been happening lately?

We now have a six-year-old. Yep, crazy, but true.

We got buried in the snow. Then added some ice. Then more snow. It took several days to get out of our driveway.

We found a rug and some pillows for the living room! I am terrible at picking out pillows, but this was my first attempt. Here's a little before, before, and after.

Gotta figure out what to put on this giant wall. (The one over the loveseat. It's about 20 feet tall!) Suggestions??

And as you know, we made Currywurst. I never heard of this dish before, but back in December, my friend Kevin made it at a Holiday party and everyone loved it! It was so simple, but delicious. Ryan was home with a sick Sadie that night, so he never got to try it. I knew he would like it, so I finally got around to making it this weekend.

There are many different versions of Currywurst- and none is really the "right" one. The version I made is the super quick one because I used tomato ketchup instead of stewing a sauce. But according to sources I checked, it came about as a quick easy meal that is also easy on the budget. It Germany today, it's considered to be a type of fast food, often sold in street carts or food trucks. Here is a link to an article about Currywurst in the Wall Street Journal, in case you are interested in learning more.

Quick Currywurst

I feel weird even calling this a recipe because it's so simple.

Ingredients:

• Package of 4-5 brats (I used the Harris Teeter brand)
• Ketchup
• Curry Powder

Preparation:

Preheat the grill to medium-low. When grill is hot, add the brats. Be sure to turn them often. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove the brats and let rest a couple of minutes on a cutting board. Next, slice into bite-sized pieces, but leave them on huge cutting board. Drizzle with ketchup. Then finish it off with a dusting of curry powder. You can use more if you like the flavor of curry- which I definitely DO! Enjoy!

We enjoyed ours with roasted Brussels sprouts. Yum! Love them crispy like this!

I think this is a great dish to serve at a cookout or casual get together. I think it would also be a great spring/summer patio dinner for just two people. Light some candles. Grab some beers, add some other pick-ups, and just chat, drink, and eat! I think my husband and I will make this sometime for a stay-home date night when it gets warmer.

If you try Currywurst, let me know how you like it! Thanks to my friend Kevin for the idea!

In other news, this weather has been amazing! We have had some 60-70 degree temps and it has been so nice for walks to the park, walks to the yogurt store, and just sitting outside! I know the cold isn't finished with us yet, but this does make me excited for spring!

 

 

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Paleo Buffalo Chicken Bites

Note: this was supposed to be published on Friday! So, can we all please mentally rewind and pretend it is Friday as you read this?

Happy Friday! TGIF! It actually doesn't feel like a Friday at all. We have been off of work since 1:00 on Tuesday due to snow and ice! I won't lie, a 2 1/2 day work week was pretty nice! We had some time to sled, cook, watch movies, clean the house, and relax!

It doesn't look like much, but our street was a big sheet of ice and beieve it or not, Ryan, Sadie, and I did a lot of sledding on that hill!

I think the thing that is greatest about a snow day is the fact that you don't know it is coming. So when you get it, it is like being given a gift of extra time. Since I expected to be various places (work, teaching Zumba, church) and they were all suddenly canceled, I found myself with 48 hours of free time with my family.

We also got to do some cooking.

We made snow cream! I got the idea to put out a big bowl BEFORE it started snowing so that we could collect snow for snow cream. This way, we would not have to scrape the snow off of the ground or other dirty things.

Recipe:

• 2 cups of snow
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix well and enjoy! Makes 2-3 small servings.

 

I also had time to create these Paleo Buffalo Chicken Bites. I know with the Super Bowl coming up, lots of people are looking for snack ideas. I think these would be a hit, especially if you like spicy chicken wings!

Paleo Buffalo Chicken Bites

Ingredients:

• 3-4 raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup of coconut flour
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 stick butter or ghee
• 1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce

 

Preparation:

• You will need two shallow bowls. Place the beaten egg in one bowl. In the other, mix the coconut flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
• Using tongs, dip each chicken "bite" in the beaten egg, and then dredge in the flour mixture. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Repeat until all the bites are coated and ready to bake.
• Bake the bites at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes. While the bites are baking, mix the 1/2 stick of melted butter with the Frank's.
• Remove the bites and brush one side with the Frank's mixture. Bake 5-6 more minutes. Then turn each bite over and brush the other side with the Frank's mixture. Bake 5 more minutes, or until cooked through.
• Add a cup of homemade ranch dressing and start dipping! Add some celery sticks if you like!

Now, settle in and watch some football. Or a new episode of Downton Abbey. ;)

 

Note: the fancy camera was charging, so the iPhone had to step in for photos.

 

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LizzieBars: the Homemade Alternative to LaraBars :)

Happy Tuesday! Today is totally confusing me. We had yesterday off of work, so all day long I kept thinking it was Monday. Short weeks always feel weird. Our weekend was busy! We celebrated my dad's retirement this weekend in Greenville, SC. It was lots of fun to be with family. We even did a little bowling on Saturday!

 

On Sunday, we headed home to do some painting at the house!

(Family shot on the front porch)

 

We were very lucky that our house was move-in-ready. There wasn't anything we HAD to do before living there. However, there were a few projects we needed to do ASAP. One of the bedrooms was decorated for a little boy- or a paleontologist. :)

As attractive as these dinosaurs are...they are kind of scary for a guest room, right?

If you are wondering how many coats of paint it takes to cover dinosaurs... The answer would be 5: 3 coats of primer and 2 coats of paint. Here's a (sort-of) after shot. We still need to apply a second coat- hence the taped outlets.

 

We were also painting this bedroom over the weekend:

This bedroom has an interesting wall-decor-technique. Those are wooden slats nailed to the wall. That made this paint job pretty tedious. We had to paint the wall color first and then go back and paint all the slats. The husband was ready to call a professional within the first hour, but we finally finished it last night!

After:

I still want to add a little color to this room. But I like the way the blue and white is kind of calm and peaceful.

 

So... on to the food. (I know that's why you stopped by!) Do you have a favorite energy or snack bar? I feel like I have tried them all. I've become really picky about energy/protein/health/snack bars. I've started looking at ingredients and most of them are full of...well...crap. Lots of sugar, lots of preservatives, lots of not-so-good-for-you ingredients. But then I came across LaraBars. Larabars are great.

Their ingredient list is short, they are made from real food, and most of them don't even have added sugar. My favorite flavors are Banana Bread, Cherry Pie, and Apple Pie.

My only complaint about Larabars is the fact that they tend to be a little on the expensive side. I decided to try making my own, just to see if I could.

Introducing... LizzieBars!

I decided to try a different flavor so that I wouldn't be comparing it directly to Larabars: Honey Cranberry Almond. I started by throwing some dried cranberries, dates, and into the food processor. I pulsed the mixture until the items were slightly chopped. Then I added about 1/2 teaspoon of honey and a few drops of vanilla, just to boost the flavor. (I know adding honey means adding sweetener, but if think the health benefits of honey outweigh this tiny bit I used.) I continued to blend the items until they were more finely chopped and the mixture started to stick together.

Next, I pressed the mixture into a glass baking dish lined with waxed paper. I put the dish into the fridge for a while to help the bars to "set" and then cut them into bar shapes and bagged them into snack-sized baggies.

I really liked the Honey Cranberry Almond Mixture. I do want to try and attempt a banana bread flavor and maybe a cinnamon apple flavor.

Larabars OR LizzieBars are great for a pre-workout snack or a post-workout snack. They also are great for afternoons when you eat lunch really early and work late and need something to get you through the day. Because these are made with dried ingredients, I would think they would keep at least a week or two in the fridge- but I can't say for sure.

Let me know if you try making your own!

 

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