Client Nosh…

Posted by Catherine

One of the most fun parts of my day job is the work lunch! It’s an opportunity to show appreciation for your clients, vendors and co-workers and not necessarily have to talk business. There are so many places to go all over Charleston, in particular on the peninsula. St. Alban on upper King Street is my latest find.

Such a cool interior…very French Bistro. Cool fixtures, great use of space for storage. I felt transformed to a different place immediately upon entry.

The handwritten menu is so charming! Hard boiled egg sammy, please!

This is the best(and most creative) sandwich I have had in forever…hard boiled egg with arugula with pickled fennel. No words!

Fun merchandise from St. Alban and other local artisans! Counter order, self-serve drinks, totally hip barista on hand if you want a café au lait post nosh. Most definitely worth a try-and is on my list going forward. Happy Tuesday friends!

St Alban All Day Cafe
710 King Street
Charleston, SC 29403
http://www.stalbanallday.com

XO, Catherine

New Year, New Eats…

Posted by Catherine

Let’s be honest…we can all cut corners after the holiday buffet that took place from Halloween through New Years. I eat so poorly during this time-each year telling myself I’m going to do better…and never do!

With that said, in lieu of cleansing, juicing, or eating like the cavemen I have vowed to cut out the obvious and deadly culprits that plague most 40-year-old women(within reason of course).

I had a serious craving yesterday for a HUGE bowl of pasta marinara. Woke up thinking about…not exactly a craving that a salad with protein would satisfy. So I went with…

Spaghetti Squash with marinara! It is so simple, and (almost) as delish as the real thing!

1 spaghetti squash
1 jar marinara of choice (I picked RAO’s Basil Pepper)Salt, Pepper to taste
Olive Oil

~Preheat Oven to 450, foil baking sheet(for easy clean-up!!).

~Cut squash length wise and seed, throwing the seeds and middle away.

~Cover the two halves with olive oil (sparingly), salt and pepper.

~Bake flesh side down (the reverse of the above) and cook for 35 to 40 minutes.

~Once the squash is cool enough to be handled, use a fork to scrape out the “spaghetti”. Meanwhile, heat your desired marinara, plate and serve. **One half is enough to serve 2 medium sized portions! Yum! No carbs, little sodium and literally three main ingredients! Good stuff. Love the Irony Pinot Noir! The name sort of sums it all up at this point!

Happy Tuesday Friends! XO, Catherine

Just in Time…

Posted by Catherine

Nothing goes better with an Arctic blast than a big pot of Chicken Tortilla Soup!! I tried this recipe from allrecipes.com to serve Halloween night and it seemed to go over extremely well!

1tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped *don’t get too close!
1 32oz carton of chicken broth
1 tsp each chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper
11/4 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast **If you are a Harris Teeter VIC card customer, utilize the chicken in the butcher shop-it is $1.99 per lb!!!
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
11/3 cup if milk
1/3 cup Maseca masa harina **corn flower
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans drained and rinsed
1 cup of corn
2/3 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of sour cream

~Cook onion, jalapeño and garlic in canola oil over medium to high heat.
~Add chicken broth and spices to the pot.
~Add chicken breasts bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and boil for 15 minutes until chicken breasts are cooked.
~Remove chicken and put aside for 5 minutes
~Add tomatoes to the pot.
~Mix milk and mesa harina (corn flower, yum!!) well and pour mixture into the pot stirring frequently until the mixture comes to a boil.
~Dice chicken and add to the pot, with beans and corn.
~Stir in sour cream…let simmer and voila~!

**Serve with green onion, grated cheese, sour cream, Frito’s, or corn bread. I actually overcooked the cornbread slightly, so served it under the soup…it was delish! Like most soup, it tasted so much better the second day (and the third day)-if there are leftovers they will freeze beautifully. Brace for the cold folks…it gets here Friday! XXOO, Catherine