Hello and welcome back to the Newport staycation report. When we left off, we had retired for the evening after a fantastic experience at Perro Salado. When we got up Sunday, we headed to the Hungry Monkey. I mean honestly, there is no way I could not go eat at a restaurant with that name – you know it will be fun!

My husband ordered ‘the spider monkey’ and I ordered the fruit cup on the side of my filling grits (yes, I put a pat of butter on it).  After devouring our food, we took our full bellies and smiling faces for another drive along Ocean Drive and then headed to the only mansion we have never toured, ‘The Elms’.

I am always astonished at the opulence and grandeur of these homes: Seeing is believing! After enjoying the mansion tour, we were ready to eat a little something so we headed to the ‘White Horse Tavern’. The White Horse Tavern is the oldest tavern in the U.S. and as we experienced, serves the best New England clam chowder!

We adored the soup so much, I posted the photo above on my Facebook wall and wrote “Add this to your bucket list: clam chowder at the White Horse Tavern in Newport. Yes, it was that good.”

Next up was a tour of the Coastal Extreme Brewing Company, makers of Newport Storm. The tour itself was not so much of a walking around type of tour but more of a look and listen while viewing the facility from above tour.

After that excitement, we decided to go back and relax at The Mill Street Inn for a bit before heading out for a meal at another funky restaurant called Salvation Cafe. When I say funky, I mean it – check out the photos! I ordered the Pad Thai and my husband had the steak special. The low lite dining area made it tough for me to get a good photo on my phone so I am sharing this photo from their website. I highly recommend this place for anyone who wants to great meal in an eclectic atmosphere.

Monday morning quickly arrived and it would soon be time to head home soon so we filled up on a delicious complimentary continental breakfast at the Inn (I’m talking crazy good yogurt, granola, oatmeal, breads, fruit, coffee and more), and then stopped by Purgatory Chasm in Middletown for a romantic ocean viewing.

The best part of a staycation is being able to get to your destination in a short period of time, get to know your state and its’ history still be close to home and our young children. Consider Newport for a fun, small town, yet rich in activity history filled vacation, no matter how short the stay may be. Trust me, you will want to come back!

Disclosure: The Newport and Bristol County Convention & Visitors Bureau supplied me with a VIP card to experience some of the tours for free.

Have you rented the extra large screen TV or recliners? Oh, maybe you have your jelly bracelets and 80′s garb ready for the Madonna half-time show. Working on your menu and need something besides chips? You know what I am talking about – Superbowl Sunday!

No matter your plans, you need some more food ideas and one I have to share with you today is for chicken legs/drumsticks. Yes, we all love wings but if you want some chicken with enough meat to satisfy, this is the recipe for you!

To create this recipe, I used the leftover sauce from the Slow Cooker Balsamic Honey Coffee BBQ Pulled Pork. It is so dang simple to do so plan these two recipes into your weekly meal plan.

p.s. I meant to remove the skin but forget. Heck, I know you want it any way.

Needs some more ideas or just a great Pinterset board to drool over? Take a peek at the ‘Superbowl Food Ideas‘ board

Lookie here, I know to most peeps the following equation holds true: Superbowl + Finger Food = seriously unhealthy Party Food. Well, I am here to tell you that most of us still need some stick to yo’ bones food and there is no way that I would believe that anyone would say no to chili.

If they don’t send them my way and I will help set them straight.

I can not take any credit for this recipe except for the fact that I had a super pretty large bowl of Bison Bolognese sitting in the fridge. My husband came down to the kitchen at lunchtime and after a few minutes of rummaging around in the fridge declared “I am making something for dinner with this Bison”. My response was ‘Go for it!”

Slow Cooker Bison Bolognese Chili
Ingredients:
4-6 cups of Bison Bolognese
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
2 15 oz. cans canellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn
Handful chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons wet crushed red pepper, optional
Season to taste with salt and pepper, optional

Directions:
1. Place the Bison Bolognese or your favorite meat sauce into the slow cooker.

2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and briefly saute the peppers and onions until softened.

3. Add the peppers, onions, and remaining ingredients through red pepper and set the slow cooker to 4 hours on low.

4. Taste and season if necessary.

Do you prefer your chili with meat or vegetarian?

Men are practical creatures when it comes to material objects. They do not need to buy the latest trends or replace things just because they are getting old and worn.

This is true about my husbands bathrobe that he has owned since 1997. I suppose it functions well in the sense that it covers him up however, it is no longer absorbent OR soft OR fluffy OR attractive.

I decided that for this Valentine’s Day, I would turn to one of my tried and true online gift retailers: Red Envelope. I ordered him a brand spanking new super soft, fluffy, thick, high-quality robe….Shhhh, don’t tell.

The first time I received a gift from Red Envelope was when my friend sent me a spa basket for my birthday ten years ago. Since then we have recieved the family necklace, photos albums, the baby keepsake kit and more gift baskets. We have also done our fair share of purchasing gifts for others as well.

I adore that I could include a gift message to my husband for free and even though I did not choose the gorgeous red gift packaging, the robe came beautifully packaged as has every gift I have ordered or recieved.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Disclosure: I was given a $75 gift code from Red Envelope to purchase this gift.

Do you recall the 2-ingredient mini cakes that I made for the AFC NFC playoff? I bet you do you sly blog readers. Well, what I did not tell you is that I was inspired to start working on some other Superbowl game-day recipes.

While at my once a month jaunt to Whole Foods, I saw they were featuring pork shoulder on sale and a little filly was out in front, passing out samples (dang those smart marketing/sales peeps) and as soon as I saw the sign for pulled pork, I knew my hubby would jump up and down if I made him some.

I asked the woman what she used in her sauce and she said ‘this bottle of BBQ sauce, some apple cider vinegar and agave nectar’. I thought, I am going to concoct my own sauce using vinegar and as soon as I got home I set to work.

By the way, don’t be all intimidated by the fancy presentation – I grabbed some too-cute-to-resist microgreens and thought they would add a lovely touch. You go right ahead and toss this pulled pork on a fresh roll.

Slow Cooker Balsamic Honey Coffee BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe
Ingredients:
2 ¼ to 2 ½ pound boneless pork shoulder roast
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup honey
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoon soy sauce
½ cup coffee

Directions:
1. Place the onion and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker. trim excess fat off the pork, season it with salt and pepper and place on top of the onion and garlic.

2. Add the remaining ingredients into the slow cooker and set it at 8 hours on low.

3. If you can baste the pork once or twice during cooking. After the 8 hours, Shred the pork, add it back to the slow cooker so marinade in the sauce for a few minutes while you prepare to serve it.

4. Serve it on a roll or sliced bread topped with greens and herbs as I did. Serve with extra napkins.

p.s. I assigned Backside Challenge #3!!

Alrighty ladies & gentlemen, it is time to work the butt and legs by performing the Bent Leg Donkey Kick Exercise.

Are you thinking ‘What in the world is a Donkey Kick?’ Can I do it to my spouse? You silly people, it is the next exercise we will be doing daily for the next two week.

Let’s perform 20 per leg minimally and yes, I expect you to try build up to 30 or more by the end of the 2-week period.

WAIT! You haven’t committed yet? Well, sign up straight away!

For guidance on how to perform the exercise, refer to this site or search for others online.

Are you on Pinterest? Follow my boards and be inspired.

*I am not a doctor, trainer or miss know-it-all so consult someone who is.

Image courtesy of Discovery Health

I first met Katherine at a Frigidaire Save the Children event in October 2010. As soon as I saw her, I knew I would have to get to know her better for two reasons: She is as cute as a button and I adore the name of her blog. Considering she lives in Connecticut, I need to plan a meet-up with her soon.

Without further ado, 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Me with Katherine Vitucci of The Parsley Thief….

1.  Cooking is something I developed a love for later in life.  In fact, I didn’t really become a ‘foodie’ until I started having kids and was thrown head first into a world where I was suddenly responsible for feeding other people.

2.  I have a very bad habit of biting off more than I can chew.  A chronic over-achiever who thinks things will take much less time than they actually end up taking.  This is something that’s getting worse – not better – with age!

3.  My first love was and is – Design.  I love anything having to do with Design, whether it be Interior, Graphic, Product or Fashion.

4.  I love reality TV.  Unfortunately, I don’t have as much time to watch it as I would like!  Thankfully, the DVR was invented, because now I can feed my need whenever I can find some spare time.  In general, the trashier the better – my favorites are Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and The Bachelor/Bachelorette series.  Does anyone remember Temptation Island?  Best. show. ever. [LOL]

5.  I come from a family with 4 sisters/1 brother and always saw myself with daughters.  I love braiding hair, coloring, making arts & crafts, playing dress up…all things I envisioned someday enjoying with a daughter[s].  However, I ended up with two rambunctious boys…and got exactly what I needed. 

6.  As a kid my least favorite food was meatloaf.  When I say least favorite, I mean that I seriously gagged at the smell of it.  My mother used to make me eat it even though I would’ve rather eaten dirt.  I used to hide the bites I took in a napkin under the table, or feed them to the dog.  Now?  I love meatloaf!

7.  I have a BFA in Design, but many people do not know that my concentration in college was actually glassblowing!  Like real, working molten glass in front of a 2000 degree gloryhole, glassblowing.  It was fun and exciting to learn, but not exactly a realistic career choice.  One of my pieces is featured in a glass art coffee table book, titled Glass Art from UrbanGlass.

8.  I’ve only traveled outside the U.S. twice in my life…in my teens, to Aruba and in my twenties, to Costa Rica.  I always thought that by now I would have traveled many more places.  But I’m not giving up hope that someday I will!  First up – I would love to go to Europe.

9.  When I was young I always wished I could get braces, but never needed them.  I also always wanted to have glasses, or break a bone, so I’d get to come to school with a cast on.  The third one came true – twice.

10.  I met my husband when I was 16 years old and we started dating about a year later.  We dated for 10 yrs before we got married.  In 2011 we celebrated our 10th year of marriage and our 20th ‘first date’ anniversary.  We have two young boys and live by the water in Connecticut.

Chicken, Bean & Rice Bowl (Adapted from Bon Appétit, January 2012)
Serves 4
The real stars in this dish are the black beans and apple salsa.  The beans are perfectly seasoned and just get better as they sit – making them a perfect make ahead option.  The apple salsa goes so brilliantly well with the spiciness of the beans and really should not be omitted.  This recipe can easily be adapted for a vegetarian by substituting another protein, such as tofu or tempeh, or simply serving the beans, rice and salsa as is – just substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.  For the rice, any leftover cooked rice will do – you can substitute white rice if that’s what you have available, but personally, I love the brown rice here.  I used the breast meat from a rotisserie chicken but you can also poach or grill some chicken breast, if desired.

2 granny smith apples {peeled & diced}
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion {divided}
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded & minced {for more heat leave the ribs & seeds in}
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon cumin seed
3 cups chicken broth
2 {15 ounce} cans black beans, rinsed & drained
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

1.  Apple Salsa – add the apples, cilantro, 2 tablespoons of the red onion, lime juice and a pinch of kosher salt to a small mixing bowl.  Toss to combine and set aside until ready to serve.  Note: the addition of lime juice will prevent the apples from discoloring – therefore, the salsa can be made many hours ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use. 

2.  Black Beans – add the vegetable oil, bell pepper, jalapeno and the remaining 2 tablespoons of red onion to a skillet, or saucepan.  Saute over medium-high heat, stirring regularly, until softened – about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, chili powder, coriander and cumin seeds – continue to cook for an additional few minutes, stirring constantly, so the spices don’t burn.  Add the chicken broth and beans, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened.  While the mixture is simmering mash some of the beans with the back of a wooden spoon – this helps thicken the mixture.  Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

3.  Assemble – Arrange the brown rice, shredded chicken and black beans in a bowl.  Garnish the top with some of the apple salsa and serve.
Make Ahead: All of the elements of this dish can be made well ahead of time and even last for days as leftovers in the fridge.  Chill, in individual airtight containers, and assemble just before serving.  This makes a great to-go lunch too!

It happened this past Sunday about an hour before the AFC and NFC championship games were to begin: my husband stated, “Maybe I will call up some guys and see if they want to come over. What do we have for snacks?”

I put on my last-minute entertainer cape and jumped into action! For savory finger foods, I went with ‘the best dip ever’, and wings that I have yet to share the recipe (and you just may feint when you see it).

But then, what about something sweet? I do not want a revolt here or to make the cool dudes think that we are no fun, so I decided to make this 2 ingredient dessert that will make your head explode. No really! Because when a friend told me about this recipe at a soup swap last week, I did not believe her – at all but heck, I had nothing to lose and no time to think of anything else.

Superbowl Party Food Recipe: 2-Ingredient Chocolate Pumpkin Mini Cakes
Ingredients (yield 30 mini-cakes or muffins)
1 box of chocolate cake mix (I used Naturally Nora)
1 15 oz. can of organic pumpkin puree

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven per box instructions. Spray the mini-muffin pan/s with a baker’s spray (baker’s secret or Pam)

2. Combine the cake mix and the pumpkin and beat on medium for 2-3 minutes until well blended and fluffy.

3. Spoon a heaping tablespoon into each well in the mini-muffin pan and bake for about 18-20 minutes.

4. Allow to cool.

What are some of your favorite Superbowl snacks?

Hello everyone! I have some exciting news from the Udi’s community: For the month of January we will be running a video contest on YouTube and giving away some great prizes. Check out the video below to learn how you can participate.

1. Best Overall Video: Winner’s video will be featured on the Udi’s Gluten Free website, Facebook page, and February eNewsletter, (1) Sony HD Bloggie Video Camera and $50 worth of Udi’s Gluten Free product coupons.
    
2. Most Viewed Video: Kindle Touch and $40 worth of Udi’s Gluten Free product coupons
    
3. Funniest Video: $25 worth of Udi’s Gluten Free product coupons
    
4. Best Music Video: $25 worth of Udi’s Gluten Free product coupons
    
5. Most Creative Product Feature: $25 worth of Udi’s Gluten Free product coupons

Get to work on your video soon as the contest runs until January 31st.

Disclosure: As an Udi’s Gluten Free Living Community Leader I am compensated for my time and efforts on their behalf.