Chicken Cordon Bleu ala Brights

I'm a big fan of well used recipes. Recipes that you learned years and years ago that you know so well you can throw them together without even thinking about it. Meals that over time have become a staple of your household. 

This is one of those recipes for me. Chicken Cordon Bleu is a classic french dish and it is easy to see why. Chicken, ham, melted cheese? Sold. Plus it is way easier than is seems so it is a great dish to pull out when you want to impress but don't want all of the stress.  We update the classic a bit by doing away with the old swiss and kicking up the ham. 

Cajun Mac and Cheese

We're big Mac and Cheese fans in this house. Soft pasta, ooey gooey cheese, what's not to love? We are always on the lookout for new ways to spice up a favorite recipe. We came across this recipe by Rachel Ray and decided it was worth a try.

Adam's Bright Ideas Entry 1: Shrinking my mass & Mass Effect

A few weeks ago I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and realized I was no longer the fantastic man mountain of my youth. Sure I had seen hints of it here and there over the last several months, but this was the first time I looked at my body and thought to myself “Wow Adam you’ve really let yourself go.”   

Quick and Easy Spicy Sausage Alfredo

Whew! This has been one hectic week and I have been horrible about keeping this updated! Adam and I have been busy running around from one thing to the next so we haven't had a ton of time to ourselves or to try out anything too terribly new or exciting. 

One of the biggest draw backs of being as busy as we have been is that it doesn't allow for a lot of home cooking time. I don't know about you guys but when I am tired and stressed out the last thing I want to do after work is spend a lot of time in the kitchen (or on the dishes after.) So a lot of times we find ourselves eating out or grabbing something on the go.  Neither is what I would call... healthy or doing any favors for our waist lines. We've been trying to get better about making more time for ourselves and taking better care. We've started a new (butt kicking) workout plan and eating approach. I don't want to call it a diet because that's not really what it is but we certainly are making some changes. Absolutely no fast food and we will cook from home whenever possible.

We started by sitting down together and making a menu for the week. We fit in some new things we were looking forward to trying but haven't made the effort (mole anyone?) and a few favorites (Shoyu Chicken!). We planned around our schedules and even plotted for the  inevitable days that we won't feel up to making a big dinner or a big mess to clean up. Which is how we came up with last nights super tasty super easy pasta:

Review: Johnny's Bistro

Last night we had the privilege of introducing some friends of ours to one of our favorites: Johnny's Bistro on Main Street.

We stumbled onto Johnny's on one of our many lazy Sunday antiquing trips in Historic Old Ellicott City. Adam is somewhat of a pizza connoisseur so we have spent a lot of time here after discovering their handmade pies. After talking it up to some of our friends we took them with us to see if it lived up to all of our bragging. On a chilly Friday night we were greeted at the door and shown to a cozy back nook where our party was able to spread out and enjoy some good food and some privacy.

Bee's Blog: Breakfast in Bed

Yesterday Adam and I celebrated our two year wedding anniversary. We had reservations at one of our favorite local spots for drinks and small plates. We ordered a ton of food and Adam actually stepped out of his food comfort zone (i.e. pizza) to try some new things. He ate and loved some arugula though caramelized onions were not quite as much of a hit. All in all dinner was delicious and the night couldn't have been a more perfect way to celebrate two years of wedded bliss (cheesy I know but not any less true).

The real highlight of our anniversary was much earlier in the day, though. Adam woke me up to an absolutely delicious surprise breakfast!

Smoky Bacon Wraps

It's no secret that we will use any opportunity we can to whip up something. We love to cook and we love to share our creations with those around us. Friday nights board game night with friends was the perfect opportunity to try out some new creations.

Adam, like most men, has a love for all things bacon. Who can blame him? Bacon is one of those perfect foods that fits with pretty much any combination of flavors. Sweet and salty and the perfect accompaniment for a game night snack.

Chili Infused Vodka

When I first moved back to the Baltimore area I was introduced to The Rumor Mill in Historic Old Ellicott City, MD. After trying out a few of the small plates and more than a few drinks, I went home raving about how amazing it was to Adam. A few weeks ago he finally had a chance to try them out for himself. Much like my trip, he raved about the food but was most of all blown away by a drink we tried out from the gigantic blackboard of housemade fusion vodkas.

If you ever get a chance to go (and I cannot recommend it highly enough) you really need to try their Thai Chili infused vodka. It is spicy and crisp and packs the perfect punch. Ever since we had it we have been tossing around the idea of making our own but hadn't been able to work up the nerve... until now.