Three-Day Weekend Foodie Adventures

This 3-day weekend was much needed after a busy week last week! Even though I took last Monday off and had a 4 day week, I was drained at the end. However, this weekend wasn’t all about fun and resting– I had to work on Sunday! Before you start feeling bad for me, let me mention that it was only for 4 hours, and instead of heading into the office, it involved a fun cooking event. With those conditions, I was totally down to work on a Sunday.

I woke around 8:45 to get a run in before I had to be at the event around 11am, but my legs were still extremely sore after Thursday’s workout, despite running an easy 6 (in shorts!) Friday morning and a relaxing 9 on Saturday on the newly snow-free Bridle Path. Hello delayed onset muscle soreness!

I am trying to be less of a stickler for my schedule and listen to my body, so instead of pushing through my planned 7-8 miles, I hopped on the elliptical to ease the soreness in my lower calves, and did some core work/lifting afterwards. I was amazed how less lethargic I felt after 55 minutes on the elliptical compared to 55 minutes of running. Know the efforts aren’t quite equivalent, but running has been a bit draining as of late. It felt nice to start the day with some cardio that didn’t totally wipe my energy for the rest of the day.

Now, onto the good stuff.

One of our food clients hosted a video recipe contest a few months ago and flew all the grand prize winners and their guests to NYC for the weekend. Along with their cash prize and the trip, we invited them to participate in an interactive cooking demonstration at the Institute for Culinary Education. (Sweet deal, if you ask me). My colleague and I got to staff the event from the agency side, which also meant we got to participate in the cooking demo!

We arrived and mingled over appetizers and drinks, before turning it over to the chefs to lead us through the day’s activities.

The kitchen was huge and had every tool imaginable; I’d love to be able to cook like that at home. A NYC girl can dream 🙂

We donned our cooking aprons and chefs hats…very classy.

We split into groups and each of the participants helped prepare different items for our feast. Roasting peppers and toasting breadcrumbs for the salad, peeling potatoes and seasoning the steaks, melting chocolate and butter for the dessert…it was all so much fun and I actually learned a few new techniques!

And then we enjoyed a sit-down meal as we were served all the food we just prepared! Easily the best part. I may not be a star-chef, but I can definitely eat 🙂

Appetizer: Warm Salad of Roasted Fennel and Cauliflower w/toasted Herb Breadcrumbs on a bed of Wilted Spinach garnished with Shaved Parmesan

Entree: Filet Mignon with Bordelaise Sauce; Crispy Potato Cake and Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

Dessert: Chocolate Brownie Sundae with Coffee Ice Cream and Bourbon Chocolate Sauce

Needless to say, I was absolutely stuffed and satisfied after this tasty lunch. I certainly did not mind working on my weekend since it involved two of my favorite activities– cooking and eating!

I would also highly recommend the Institute for Culinary Education if you’re looking to have any private parties/events, or just take a cooking class! They have a ton of different recreational courses you can register for: everything from vegetarian cooking, to sushi, to local wines and cheeses.

Last night, I went to Restaurant Week (aka Restaurant Month) at Japonais. The food was excellent but I admit the menu was a bit confusing. Typically each person selects an appetizer, entree, and dessert for $35. This menu was a bit different in that it said each course was shared and to select one. We were able to agree on which item to get for each course, and figured the portions would be adjusted for two people.

They were not. They came portioned for one (or, two not-so-hungry people. That wasn’t us). Luckily, we also ordered small miso soups and a drink each which helped. The food was all really well-prepared, rich and delicious, I just wish there was more! I really felt our waiter should have told us to supplement with more food. Still, the food was $35 between the two of us (+soups, drinks, tax, tip…) so it wasn’t a big deal in the end, I just wish I knew and we would have ordered another entree before we got served our dessert. I probably could have been full if I was a normal person with a normal appetite, but I had just done a long run of 16 miles that afternoon and needed a bit more nourishment.

My silly/hungry/feed-me face

Since I was still hungry, and we were in the area, I figured it would be a sin not to walk over to 16 Handles for some Fro-Yo.

And with gummy bears, fruity pebbles, cheesecake bites, mochi, raspberry syrup, strawberries and mango over pineapple tart, eurotart, banana, and cheesecake froyo, my 3-day weekend was complete.Yes, I love weird flavor combos and that is the beauty of a self-serve fro yo joint.

Have you ever been to any cooking classes? What was the best part of your weekend?