as I stuffed my face

Around the plate (clockwise) – sweet potatoes, the best stuffing in the world (recipe to come – it features CORNBREAD!), cranberry relish (from of Williams Sonoma and worth EVERY PENNY), turkey and corn.

Also consumed: lots of bread and butter. and more butter

And I obviously had more than one serving of sweet potatoes and stuffing — I mean, I am eating for two and what the Little asks for, the Little gets (lest I want to be ferociously kicked all day)

The most delicious thing I ate this Thanksgiving was….

my Mama’s sweet bread, mashed sweet potatoes, cornbread/apple/sausage stuffing and of course, Maple Walnut Cake

What was the most delicious thing you ate this Thanksgiving?

OK, that’s an understatement. I ADORE cheese. I CRAVE cheese. I DREAM in cheese. You get the point. Me and cheese are pretty tight.

For all you other cheese lovers out there, what if I told you I had a brilliant idea? A restaurant where the focus was: cheese. Gouda, cheddar, provolone, blue, you name it, it’s on the menu! Then what if I told you that the featured dish would be a GRILLED CHEESE sandwich — 20 different ways. Grilled cheese and veggies? DONE! Grilled cheese, onions and pierogies? DUH! Grilled cheese with bacon and fried egg? PLEASE! The list goes on…

You’d probably be pretty stoked, huh?

Too bad someone else already thought of it.

MELT.

Lucky for me a NEW location just opened up in my neighborhood (the original is on the West Side).

Melt in numbers:

5: people in our party (me, the Mister, mom, dad, bro)

90: minutes we were told the wait was

3: times we fed the parking meeter

6: times I nagged my mom to ask how much time was left before we got to sit down

1: times she actually asked

115: minutes we actually waited

3: times the Christmas Story played (the run it on a loop in the TVs)

20: plastic lawn ornaments I counted (before I lost track)

24: Grilled cheese sandwiches to choose from

12:  times my stomach growled

3: Sandwiches really I wanted

60: minutes we waited for our sandwiches

3: times I tried to convince my family it’d be worth it

8: iced tea refills

5: happy tummies

Was it worth it? For me, yes. While the wait was really annoying, it gave me time to catch up with my family and spend quality time together with minimal distractions (other than my growling stomach). The food was, as expected, delicious.

I ordered the Grilled Peanut Butter, Banana and Cream Cheese Sandwich.

Dear Melt, next time, don’t skimp on the peanut butter, OK? After waiting for a few hours, I think I deserve more than a tablespoon. Otherwise, delish.

The Mister ordered the West Side Monte Cristo, which included honey ham, smoked turkey, swiss, american, beer battered and mixed berry preserves

He compared it to an orgasm. I had a bite and tend to agree. TMI? It’s OK we’re all friends.

My brother ordered The Big Popper, which had fresh jalapeno peppers, cheddar & herbed cream cheese, beer battered and mixed berry preserves.

I can’t remember what my dad ordered. And I didn’t dare get within his personal space to investigate — I know better than to mess with a hungry man

My mom was a whimp and ordered a salad. Don’t bother, I already made fun of her. 

Which sandwich would you have chosen or what would make up your perfect grilled cheese sandwich?

Certified as the first Green restaurant in Ohio, the Greenhouse Tavern uses environmentally friendly ingredients and utilizes recycled materials, highly developed models of composting and alternate sources of energy. In addition, the restaurant promotes the farm to plate movement by working with local farms and farmers to provide the freshest, local produce.

Check out those lights and how they’ve utilized bicycle tires!

Everyone at the table decided to take advantage of the tasting menu. The tasting menu allows you to pick a 1st course, a second course, a main course and either a side or dessert. You get all of this for only $39! Yes, it can seem a bit pricey for one person, but look at just how many different dishes you get to try! And when you go with a big group it’s even more fun- as long as your crowd is OK with sharing

For my first course, I chose the breakfast radishes, which were served cold with butter, lemon zest & sea salt. These were so refreshing! Incredibly crispy. The heat of the radish was balanced out nicely by the smooth, creamy butter and salt.

My next dish was grilled artichokes and sauteed mushrooms. I’m not sure what sauce or seasonings were used, but they were incredible! I had a hard time sharing this dish with outhers.

My main dish was… interesting. I had absolutely no idea what to expect. The dish was called Puttanesca. Puttanesca is a type of sauce made with tomatoes, capers and OLIVES. Call me insane, but I HATE olives. Of course that would have been nice to know before I ordered the dish. To be fair, I did not ask if the dish had olives in it. And at this point I should probably mention the amazingness that is The Greenhouse Tavern staff. They were all so incredibly helpful and also brought over a few complimentary dishes to make sure our table got the full tasting experience. Anyway, back to my Puttanesca. Aside from the fact that olives make me want to heave, I enjoyed this dish as much as I could. The roasted tomatoes were cooked perfectly and created sweet explosions with every bite. Those few bites alone made the dish worth it. Best dish I tried (and sadly don’t have a photo of): Half Roasted Chicken in Brioche Bread.

Oh dear. There are no words. I will be going back to order this dish for myself. And there will be no sharing, I assure you.

Instead of ordering dessert (the horror!) I ordered beluga lentils. Best decision I made. Why? Because these were addictingly succulent. Well, and everyone else was pretty much full by this point, so I had most of their dessert. They don’t call me a genius for nothing. Oh wait, they just don’t call me a genius at all.

Unfortunately I don’t have photos of the incredible desserts — which is probably a good thing, since you all think I’m a pig already – why add fuel to the fire?

One of the things I loved so much about this meal was the fact that I WAS NOT uncomfortably full afterwards! How nice to enjoy so many different dishes and not feel sick! I chalk this up to The Greenhouse’s perfect portions – just right for tasting and enjoying, without over doing it.

This was an incredible meal, enjoyed with my beautiful family set to a soundtrack of laughter and great conversation. I really can’t think of a better way to spend an evening. Too bad my Mister had to miss out. Oh well, now we get to go again

Have you taken advantage of a tasting menu before? What was your experience like?

Just like last time, the soup selection spoke (er, bubbled?) to me! But this time around I tried something new — red lentil soup.

This was phenomenal! So flavorful and chock-full of fresh ingredients! I spotted: potato, a leafy green (kale, maybe?), carrots and of course red lentils. This was one of the best soups I’ve ever had — it rivals my own recipe!

To round out my meal, I ordered the fattoush salad, which included radish, tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, black pepper and feta – it was incredibly crisp and refreshing! Perfect way for my mouth to cool down after the spicy soup

Just as I said before, I want to go back to NAYA ASAP! There are so many wonderful looking things on the menu — how boring am I for getting soup and salad?

I’ve been eating out a lot lately! I’m lucky to have such generous parents who treat me to yummy meals The Mister and I are trying to cut back on our spending by eating in more often, though – so my fancy eats may die down a bit. However, we have three dinner dates lined up, so that plan hasn’t worked out too well

How often do you eat out? Special occasions? Multiple times a week? Lots of takeout? Share!

Scallops with Chipotle-Orange Sauce

You’ll need:

• 2 tablespooons butter, divided
• Cooking spray
• 12 Large sea scallops (about 1 1/2 lbs)
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt divided
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions

1. Melt 1 T butter in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over a medium-high heat. Sprinkle scallops with paprika and 1/8 t salt. Add scallops to pan, and cook 3 minutes on each side or until brown. Remove from pan, set aside, and keep warm.

2. Add orange juice and chiles to pan, scraping to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil, cook until reduced to 1/4 cup. Add remaining 1 T butter and remaining 1/8 t salt, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Serve with scallops, sprinkle with onions.

Yield : 4 servings, each 218 calories.

Spicy scallops

Close up

This was so delish! I loved he kick of the chipotle peppers! For a little wimp like me it was a bit intense, but for those of you who like to spice things up, you’ll LOVE this!

This dish seems super fancy and elaborate, but it is not the case! Look for frozen scallops on sale to save some money — they are just as tasty, but often times half the price!

What types of meat/fish do you normally buy frozen? Do you find it saves you money?

For those of you who are super perceptive, you’ll notice that I FINALLY added a link to my RSS feed. You can find it under my search bar. Also, I’ll be updating the ‘Featured Recipes’ section of the blog, so be on the lookout for that!

OK, now onto the fun stuff! Since I’m leaving for a week (San Francisco readers — let me know if you’d be interested in a meet-up!), my parents had the Mister and I over for dinner last night. My mom, knowing me oh so well, put together a delightful treat (she must want a shiny souvenir!) that made me want to tap dance.

…or ride a giant strawberry.

Yep, she made… strawberry shortcake! And since this is MAMA Daily Balance after all, you KNOW that is was healthified! (and now you get the pink floppy hat reference )

Strawberry shortcake parfait

Goblet contains: Angel Food cake, strawberries, low-fat strawberry cheesecake frozen yogurt and all-natural whipped cream. In the words of my dear friend, VeggieGirl — HOLY YUM!

I’m off to get this crazy day started! See you all later for ‘Work It’ Wednesday!

This week, my mom was on spring break. Now, while many teachers take this opportunity to relax, unwind and spend the day in their PJ’s, my mom is a tazmanian devil. Scratch that, shes a tazmanian devil on speed.

This week she has:

• Rearranged the furniture in their entertainment room
• Recovered 4 kitchen chairs
• Created a new cushion for a bench
• Redecorated the kitchen
• Cleaned out the garage (TRUST ME, it’s a task)

And that was just Mon-Wed. I’m sure she’ll remind me of a few things I’m forgetting. Anyway, since she has the week off, and more time to cook a nice meal, she offered to have the Mister and I over for dinner last night. I know, she’s awesome.

The spread:

• Parmesan salmon
• Pesto Basil cream sauce (fat free — I’ll feature the recipe soon ) on top of whole wheat pasta
• Fruit cup
• Salad
• Whole Foods SEEDuction bread – BEST. Grocery Store. BREAD. EVA. (must purchase if you have a Whole Foods near you!) — I enjoy dipping it in Annie’s Naturals olive oil

Parmesan Salmon

Parmesan Salmon - close up

Fresh salad - those croutons were AMAZING!

Adorable fruit goblet

My plate - with pasta

Warmed Whole Foods Seeduction Bread -- doughy goodness

Dipping Oil

This was the perfect way to cap off a busy day. Relaxing with the fam, enjoying an amazing meal cooked by my Mom! Thanks, mom – you rock!

Do you still go over your parents for dinner? How often?

Don’t forget about our Fashion Friday Contest! Remember, there are prizes at stake! Email me (info@thedailybalance.com) your photos by midnight tonight! Also get your questions ready for ‘Solve it’ Saturday (click the link for details)