Catch up Sunday

The weather on Sunday was beautiful - sunny and probably in the upper 60's. To start the day, I ran to the gym (its only a mile away) and did a TurboKick class. I haven't done this class in soooo long but it was fun. Fast paced and quite the workout. I walked home after that class. haha.

Erik hit the beach while I was at the gym and when he came home, we headed over to the Farmer's Market. When we got home, he made brunch for us which was awesome.

We recently purchased a juicer from Crate & Barrel and Erik has been making fresh orange juice. It is so delicious! Yesterday, I had the task of making the juice.

We also tried to recreate some deliciousness from past brunches including the egg sandwich on bread from Outerlands. We also made an arugula & strawberry salad on the side. Everything was SO good.

 The bread was homemade, by Erik. It was crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. So good!

 We definitely spent some time relaxing on the couch yesterday after working out and eating. We got more cleaning done - the type of cleaning where you get the bleach spray out and scrub, reorganize drawers, make bags for Goodwill. Definitely a good Spring Cleaning.

For dinner, I made another yummy dinner and dessert. For dinner, I made Rosemary Chicken with Arugula and white beans. Another Real Simple dinner that turned out delicious!

 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
• 4 cups baby arugula (about 3 ounces)
• 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, whisk together the vinegar, rosemary, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add the beans, arugula, and onion and toss to combine.
3. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the marinade) and cook until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Serve the chicken with the arugula and beans.

For dessert, we used our new KitchenAid mixer for the first time. We received this as a Shower Gift and I am sooooo excited that we have one now. It is going to make baking so much easier!

I made another Barefoot Contessa Recipe of Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (mins the Rhubarb). I made the crisp topping in the mixer and man, it was SO easy. It took seconds to whip that topping up. 

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh rhubarb, 1-inch diced (4 to 5 stalks)
• 4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved, if large
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup quick-cooking (not instant) oatmeal, such as McCann's
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the fruit, toss the rhubarb, strawberries, 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar and the orange zest together in a large bowl. In a measuring cup, dissolve the cornstarch in the orange juice and then mix it into the fruit. Pour the mixture into an 8-by-11-inch baking dish and place it on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

For the topping, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, salt and oatmeal. With the mixer on low speed, add the butter and mix until the dry ingredients are moist and the mixture is in crumbles. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit, covering it completely, and bake for 1 hour, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream.
  

Dinner and dessert were so good. We ended the day with trying to watch Mad Men & of course, falling asleep. That show is no Dexter, that's for sure! Really great weekend relaxing & catching up at home.