Amazing!

Written by on in Dinner, Giveaways, Lunch, Tidbits and Treats

I am overwhelmed – in a good way – by the response I’ve received so far about the Vita-Mix Super 5200 Giveaway! Look at all of you lovely people popping out of the woodwork to comment on my blog :mrgreen: Please stop by more often – I love the company! Remember, you have until Monday, December 15 at 11:59 p.m. to enter! I’ve been keeping track of everyone who has linked to me on their own blog or referred the post to their friends – you’ve got extra chances to win!

When I last left you, I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of my mom. I am happy to say that she has made it safe and sound, and we’ve been having an amazing time together. Perhaps the funniest moment came tonight on our way home from dinner. It is a BLIZZARD out there right now, and as we were walking, a huge gust of wind literally blew us backward! We both had umbrellas and they basically took on a mind of their own and ran away from us. I haven’t laughed that hard in a very long time.

I have several foodie highlights over the past two days that I want to share. When my mom first arrived, we headed to Big Bowl for lunch, a fantastic restaurant that I reviewed in this post.

I started out with a glass of Pomegranate Ginger Ale. It was so delicious – they actually use fresh ginger when they are making it! Combined with the sweetness and tart of the pomegranate juice, it was a very refreshing drink.

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My mom and I each started out with a bowl of the Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho).

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This soup is made with rice noodles, herbs, lemon and chili pepper, along with huge chunks of chicken. It’s hard to eat with a spoon because the noodles are long, but it’s worth a little slop all over the face because the taste is hearty and perfect for a wintry day.

For our main course, my mom and I ended up splitting two appetizers: chicken potstickers and shrimp spring rolls.

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Both were delicious. The sauce you see on the right hand side of the white plate is actually peanut sauce – WOW. I had never tried peanut sauce before, but I always knew I would love it – and I was right! I need to make it for myself sometime this winter. Anybody have a favorite recipe?!

It was another successful trip to Big Bowl. If you have one of these restaurants in your area, I highly recommend it – you really can’t go wrong with anything on their menu!

Another exciting new find was discovered at another old favorite – Cosi!

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Yes, there is a bite taken out of the sandwich – but only so I could show you what’s inside 😉 This is called the T.B.M. Light – It’s made with tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella and fat-free Cosi vinaigrette. Make sure to ask for it heated up – it makes a huge difference!

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The vinaigrette is so flavorful and tangy! It really compliments the tomato and mozzarella well, and when you heat it up on Cosi’s Etruscan Whole Grain Bread, you have a fantastically filling meal.

And that brings us to tonight’s blizzard-filled meal. Bobby and I had a $20 gift certificate to Koi, the restaurant we went to on our anniversary, so that’s where we headed with my mom tonight.

Bobby and my mom shared an appetizer sampler to start.

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It included potstickers, crab wontons, egg rolls, spare ribs and beef satays. I tried a bite of each one and they were all very tasty. But not as tasty as this…

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Mmmm – a freshly made California roll! It featured real crab, avocado and cucumber – and went very well with peanut sauce 😉 Told you I liked it!

For the main course, we decided to split two dishes because the portion sizes are quite large – you really get your money’s worth! We chose the Mongolian and Kung Pao flavors with all three “meats” – beef, chicken and shrimp. It came with brown rice – my favorite!

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Both dishes are incredibly flavorful. I served up a plate of rice with about 1/4 of each main dish. Turns out we needed the fuel, since we’d be walking against the wind all the way home! The extra weight helped keep us from flying away 😉 Haha, bad joke I know.

Between studying for finals and having fun with my mom, it’s been a busy start to the week, indeed! I am looking forward to the end of the week, when I will be going home for winter break. I leave you with a fun picture – look what finally arrived on my doorstep!

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Thank you, Foodbuzz!! Love the apron and spatula!

And don’t forget to stop by and check out this week’s Grounded Fitness Giveaway. Cindy Whitmarsh is awesome – she always kicks my butt on Exercise TV!

Have a happy hump day, everyone!

42 Comments

  2. Yay for Mommy Lovin! I LOVE MY MOMMY! SHE’S MY BESTEST GIRLFRIEND AND PIC 🙂

    And everything looks to die for! (Especially, the TBM! I’ve never had one… I rarely order sandwiches out! I rarely eat out! I should totes do more of both! haha)

    And the picture of you in YO A-PRON is so cute! Little hottie you are! 🙂 lover you, Jenn!

  5. I loooove Big Bowl. I’ve never tried the menu items (besides the ginger ale); I usually do the build-your-own-stirfry thing. And I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Koi. YUM!

  6. ahhh…what great meals!!! all that yumminess w/ the boy and mom!!!

    and love the pic of you w/ the apron…wonder when mine is coming? hehehe…i bet i’ll be in FL by then!

  13. I’m not entering the contest as I live abroad but I wanted to say hi and comment on all the great eats! Isn’t Koi a famous, fancy restaurant that all the stars visit?! Cool!
    Cute apron. Glad you are having a fun time with your mamma!

  20. Glad your mom made it safe and sound, and it looks like y’all enjoyed some great food! Yum sushi! Good luck with finals!

  21. Yay for your madre coming to visit- I hope you you all have a fab time together. Too funny about the umbrella experience 🙂

    I like cosi – main because they have smores, but I have never been to Big Bowl or Koi – both look very delish. If I’m ever in the area I will have to try those!

  22. a great and easy recipe that includes peanut sauce….

    cook a bunch of whole wheat spaghetti noodles until al dente. while it’s cooking, cut up carrots, red peppers, and sugar snap peas (the size is up to you). once the pasta is done, add your veggies and some cashews (or peanuts, but i prefer cashews) and then mix with peanut sauce. the sauce has quite a kick so i often add lime juice to sweeten it a bit. so easy to make and delicious!!

  23. Wooo for mom being in town! I miss my mom so much 🙁 I always do!

    I am so excited about the blender give-away…. I have a post coming up soon on it on my blog, and I think you’ll like it!

    Glad you got your foodbuzz gear – finally! I wonder what took so long?

  29. Oh m’goodness! I absolutely LOVE the pomegranate ginger ale! Well, I’m sure I’d love it if I could get my hands on it! I will have to replicate that one (at least an adequate replication, I don’t think I could make one as perfect as the one you had!)

    Glad to hear you had fun with your mom! Be careful while out battling the elements!

  30. Oh man, I LOVE pho! And yea for lunches with mom 🙂

    I have a good peanut sauce recipe somewhere- I’ll try to find it and pass it along to you. Have a great day!

  31. i love peanut sauce! You know the funny thing about it? IT’S SO EASY TO MAKE! The portions vary from how pea-nutty or watery or potent you want it. it’s basically hoisin (there’s two versions of them the squeeze bottle kind that is typically used in Pho and then there’s the glass bottle type, which is typically used in cooking. Either one is good except that the latter has very little sugar), chili sauce (if you want it spicy), creamy/chunky peanut butter, and water/broth.

    You put everything in a small saucepan on medium-low heat. stirring and adjusting the consistency and taste to what you like. Then when it’s all melted, you’re ready to dip into it!

  33. All your eats look amazing!! I’ve never tried Pho before and now I’m totally intrigued. There are tons of Thai places near my apt so I may just have to stop in for a taste soon! Why’d you get the foodbuzz apron – is that from getting a certain amount of hits on your site?

  37. Awww, you look so cute in your foodbuzz apron! And your eats look amazing, especially the cosi sandwich!

    You asked about the snow, go to apperance, then extras. The snow option is there!

  38. dang. all of those meals look like choices I’d pick. california rolls. pho. cosi sandwich. asian food. potstickers. spring rolls. dang. dang. I SAID DANG YO!

    wahoo, i got my foodbuzz gear too!

    HAPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPY HAPPY THURSDAY/WEDNESDAY JENN! which ever one you prefer. or happy Friday. or happy weekend. or HAPPY LIFE. yes, happy life!!!!!!

  40. My favorite peanut sauce recipe, but it’s actually made with almond butter 🙂
    Blend the following ingredients:
    1 cup almond butter
    2 Tbsp fresh ginger
    1/2 cup water, more or less (depends how thick you want sauce)
    4 Tbsp lemon or lime juice (fresh)
    1/4 cup maple syrup
    3 Tbsp Tamari
    4 tsp sesame oil
    2 to 3 cloves garlic
    pinch red pepper flakes

    So easy and so good!

  41. Thank you to everyone who gave me great ideas for peanut sauce! I am so excited to try it myself once I get home and have some time on my hands 🙂 I think my family is going to love it, too!

  42. it’s so cool that you live in chicago and i know all the places you’re writing about. gotta love big bowl’s ginger ale…

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