Walnut Crusted Salmon

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Colleen @ Miss Petite Sweets

As the days are growing longer and the sunlight has started hanging around for a few more hours each evening, I’ve found myself craving lighter meals. No more heavy pasta dinners or hearty stews for this gal. Because even though we still haven’t experienced steady spring weather here in Michigan, I’m done with the standby wintery meals. Lately I’m more apt to make a big salad for dinner or a simple piece of fish with fresh, simple flavors. And this recipe, for Walnut Crusted Salmon is just that. Dried oregano and a light and tangy honey mustard dressing complements the crunchy walnut crust wonderfully. And the recipe, like most of the recipes on this site, is incredibly easy to throw together on a weeknight. All you need is a food processor and about 15 minutes of prep time before you are able to put this dish in the oven. Add a serving of perfectly roasted broccoli and you have yourself the a perfectly light and healthy spring meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients: Makes 3 servings

3/4 cup walnut pieces
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
3 salmon filets
1/4 cup honey mustard dressing (I used Green Goddess, found at Trader Joe’s)

Preparation:

Place first 4 ingredients in a food processor (walnuts through salt) and grind until mixture turns to crumbs
Using a pastry brush, coat salmon with honey mustard dressing on both sides
Dredge each salmon filet in walnut mixture until both sides of filets are evenly coated
Place salmon in a 13×9 inch baking dish and bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes

Martian Meteor 10K Race Recap

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Colleen @ Miss Petite Sweets

Although we haven’t quite had consistent spring weather here in Michigan, race season has officially begun. Yesterday I ran in the Martian Meteor 10K marking my first race of the year and my personal record for a 10K. I ran this race in Dearborn, Michigan last year and I’ll be honest…it was terrible. I woke up feeling great, but only 2 miles into last year’s race I felt exhausted, achey, and I could not wait for the 6 miles to be over with. It was this race last year that made me chicken out from training for my first half marathon. So this year I wanted to come back with vengeance and kick this race’s butt. So I was beyond excited that not only did I enjoy this year’s race a million times more…but I actually set a PR by running my fastest 10K to date!

Friday night, Eric and I went to the Race Expo to pick up my race bib and Martian T-shirt. (I gotta say, one of the best parts of running races is the fantastic under armor t-shirts you get with registration) The expo was filled with fun running related vendors and sign ups for some other races being held in the area this year. And it was also filled with inflatable aliens. Who were almost taller than me. Whatever, we’re buds.

The next morning I woke up bright and early at 6:00am with a splitting headache and a weather forecast of 30 degree temperatures and snow. Not an ideal start to race day, but I was still determined to make this a great 10k. Luckily the snow and rain held up and my headache went away by the time we reached the starting line at 8:00. I had my Iphone set with the Nike Running app and a perfectly crafted running playlist. And in my opinion, the perfect running list absolutely has to include one song in particular: Bruce Springstein’s “Born to Run.” It was playing at the start of my first Turkey Trot in Downtown Detroit, and has made it onto every race playlist since. And I knew I was going to need a little help from Bruce, because this race is tough and consists of mostly hills and steep inclines.

The start of this race is definitely no picnic, as you run the first quarter mile completely uphill. But I just kept telling myself to run fast up the hills and I could slow down a bit once I got over the hump. This method seemed to help a lot and it made me realize how much of running is mental. Last year, every time I saw one of the monster hills I got scared and ended up walking because I thought it would help my legs in the long run. But this year I had it in my head that walking breaks weren’t an option, and it turned out that those hills weren’t quite as bad as they looked. I was feeling really energized throughout the race, and as the miles went on I realized I was getting faster with every mile. By mile four I had a feeling that this was a race I could PR. And then I reached the toughest part of the course. The part of the race last year that completely pooped me out. Around mile 5 you run over a draw bridge that bounces up and down a bit as all the runners cross it. This part was killer on my knees and after I crossed it I was greeted by yet another steep incline. But I just turned up my tunes and ran up the hill. Before I knew it the finish line was in sight and I was within 2 minutes of my fastest time. So I just starting sprinting. I saw Eric and his dad, my trusty race buddies, on the sidelines right before I crossed, and seeing their faces definitely helped me push through the finish. As soon as I crossed the finish line with another fellow racer, we exchanged high fives and went straight for the water. And cookies.

Before the race, I told Eric that even though I wasn’t feeling my best, I knew I would run fast because this race has free cookies at the finish line. How’s that for motivation? This race was such a fun experience and it felt so good to get back into racing season. I’ve got a few fun races in my sights this year including the Turkey Trot with my cousins, and possibly a Zombie themed race with my brother. But my biggest race will be my very first half marathon in October. And this fantastic 10K has me pretty darn excited for training…13.1 here I come!

Doubletree Cookies

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Colleen @ Miss Petite Sweets

In my job as a Hotel Sales & Catering Manager, I’ve developed quite the love hate relationship with a very famous hotel cookie. Although I love the delicious chocolate chip cookies that have become Doubletree Hotels’ signature, I hate the fact that some of the groups that are deciding between my hotel and the Doubletree will make their hotel choice purely based on that warm chocolate chip cookie presented at check in. And after tasting one of their signature cookies, I can definitely see why they are such a draw. The perfect sprinkling of chocolate chips and a warm carmel like flavor from the toasted oats, make these cookies a step above your typical chocolate chip cookie. So, like most other recipes I love, I decided to try and recreate the cookie at home. But I needed a little help, so I went searching on the blogosphere and stumbled upon FoodGeeks.com, a website devoted to copycat recipes. And although I don’t think this recipe is exactly the same as the famous Doubletree cookies, they are pretty darn close. So give this recipe a try… just don’t tell my boss who gave it to you.

Ingredients: Makes 18 cookies, Recipe from FoodGeeks.com

1/4 cup rolled oats
1-1/8 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
1 eggs
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet, chocolate chips

Preparation:

Place rolled oats in a food processor or blender and grind until oats are finely ground, like the consistency of flour
In a medium bowl, combine ground oats, flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set Aside
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy
Beat in vanilla and lemon juice
Beat in egg
Slowly add dry ingredients into butter mixture until just combined
Stir in chocolate chips
Scoop batter by the tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet
Bake at 350 for 16 minutes

Bruschetta Chicken

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Colleen @ Miss Petite Sweets

If you are looking for an easy recipe that looks impressive, you’ve come to the right place. This Bruschetta Chicken is another recipe I found on Pinterest, and I am so glad I gave it a try. It is full of flavor and is a great recipe for anyone who loves bruschetta, because there is a hefty serving of balsamic glazed tomatoes on top of each serving. I’ve always loved bruschetta, but lately anytime Eric and I see the garlicky tomato appetizer on a menu we have to laugh. Because we experienced a pretty funny bruschetta related incident the night we got engaged. As I mentioned before, Eric’s big proposal plan was to pop the question in front of the big Christmas Tree outside of Campus Martius in downtown Detroit. Seeing as we both work a few blocks from this area in Downtown Detroit, getting me in front of the tree wouldn’t have been too difficult on a normal night. However, December 21st was my last day of work before the holidays, and my boss took us out for lunch and let us leave early for the day. So Eric had to hatch a plan to get me back Downtown. So naturally, he asked me to meet him Downtown for dinner. Because food is obviously a huge motivator for me. He told me to meet him at the Hard Rock Cafe, because, as he told me later, it is the closest restaurant to the Campus Martius Christmas Tree. When I arrived at the restaurant Eric had ordered a big plate of bruschetta for us. I remember thinking this was slightly weird because he is not a huge fan of the appetizer, but I went with it. (He told me later that he felt an appetizer was necessary because it was going to be a special night. What a funny guy!) Seeing as I’m the only bruschetta lover of the two of us, we had a good amount left over so our waiter wrapped it up for us. As we walked out of the restaurant, doggie bag in tow, we found ourselves in front of the Christmas Tree and well…you know the rest of that story. But there is one funny little moment I left out in my previous recap. When I saw Eric down on one knee, I dropped the doggie bag, and since it was a pretty windy night, the bag blew away. A few minutes later, after yesses had been said, and rings had been distributed we looked behind us to find a homeless man chowing down on our bruschetta. God bless him.

Ingredients: Makes 3 servings, From ICanCookThat.com

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced

Bruschetta

4 firm Roma tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, finely sliced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, sliced into thin strips

Preparation:

Place chicken, balsamic vinegar, olive oil & minced garlic in a large plastic bag
Place bag in the fridge and let marinade for 2-3 hours
For the bruschetta, combine diced tomatoes, onions and minced garlic in a medium bowl
Add balsamic vinegar, olive oil & salt and pepper to bruschetta, set aside
Remove chicken from bag and place on a cookie sheet, lined with tin foil
Place chicken in oven and bake for 25 minutes at 350, or until chicken is cooked through
Meanwhile, saute bruschetta mixture in a large saucepan over medium heat until tomatoes are soft and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes
Remove chicken from oven and preheat broiler on high
Place 2-3 tablespoons of bruschetta mixture on each chicken breast and top with 4-5 slices of fresh mozzarella on each chicken breast
Place chicken back in the oven and broil for 3-4 minutes
Sprinkle fresh basil on top of chicken and serve

Recent Eats: 4-7-13

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Colleen @ Miss Petite Sweets

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! Mine was full of lots of relaxing, baseball, and a long run by the lake. Can’t get much better than that. But before we start another work week, I thought I would share some more “recent eats”

1. Last Monday night, Eric and I decided to combat the Monday blues with a quick dinner date. One of the perks of working a few blocks from each other is that it gives us the chance to meet up right after work and try out some of the new spots Downtown. This week we tried Mercury Bar in Midtown. They are known for their burgers and milkshakes, and since I’m not a huge burger gal, I was happy to see a black bean burger on their menu. It’s served topped with sliced avocado, chipotle mayo and fresh made pickles. My burger was slightly spicy and full of flavor. And Eric? He of course got his classic choice of a cheeseburger. Typical boy.

2. This has become my favorite weekday meal. A baked sweet potato with a touch of coconut oil, roasted brussels sprouts and chicken sausage. All of these come together in a flash, perfect for a quick meal after a long day.

3. Chicken Noodle Soup at Mati’s Deli. Eric recently took me to this old school deli in his hometown, and I could not stop raving about their soup. You could tell it was homemade from the extra flavorful stock and the soft and chewy homemade noodles. So, so good. I have a feeling we will definitely be returning here soon.

4. Friday was Opening Day for the Detroit Tigers, and seeing as I work at the closest hotel to the ballpark, it was a really fun day at work. Baseball season is a crazy busy time for the hotel, so they had ballpark hot dogs brought in for the entire staff to kick off our busiest time of year. It was like having a taste of summer for lunch. Hopefully the weather will follow suit!

5. This isn’t really an “eat” but it was definitely worth sharing. Eric and I recently set a fun challenge for ourselves-we are going to try to visit every brewery in Michigan. And seeing as Michigan has seen a huge growth in breweries the past couple years, I have a feeling this challenge may take us a while. But since we were near Ferndale running some wedding related errands, we decided to visit Woodward Avenue Brewers t0 knock one more spot off of our list. I tried their Custom Blonde, which was a light summery beer, and Eric tried the Czech Red. We were both fans of our brews.

So there you have it. A few “Recent Eats” from Miss Petite Sweets. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Healthy Eating at the Office

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Colleen @ Miss Petite Sweets

I recently read that although most young people are really concerned with “The Freshman 15″, what we really need to worry about is what they’re calling “The Cubicle 30.” In college we are constantly walking to and from classes, meetings, jobs, and parties and it’s easier to fit in exercise without even realizing it. Whereas once we enter the working world, long hours sitting at a desk often cause the pounds to creep up. And since not everyone is crazy like me and thinks running at 5:30 in the morning is fun, I thought I would share a few tips on how to maintain a healthy diet while working 9 to 5.

1. Eat a good breakfast: I always have a hearty breakfast before I head out to work. This way I won’t be be tempted by the pastries and donuts present at our 10am meeting. I try to eat something with protein and fiber like oatmeal with peanut butter or Kashi Go Lean cereal and a banana. Plus, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day so skipping it would truly be a travesty.

2. Pack your own lunch. As tempting as it would be to take advantage of the hundreds of restaurants within walking distance of my office, I bring my own lunch pretty much every day. This way I can pack my own healthy salads and sandwiches rather than hopping over to Jimmy John’s at lunchtime. My coworkers and I usually go out to lunch together every other Friday and it is always a special treat. We take turns picking new restaurants to try each “Friday Fun Day” and it is always a fun little escape from the office. If we did this every day, it wouldn’t be as special and I know healthy eating would kind of go out the window.

3. Stash Some Snacks: I always have a few healthy snacks stored in one of my desk drawers just in case hunger strikes late in the day. This way I have some healthy snacks on hand so I’m not tempted to visit the vending machine for a pop tart or a bag of m&ms. I always have a few granola bars, trail mix or Greek yogurt at the office just in case. Believe me, snack drawers are the way to go!

4. Indulge in moderation: I’m a Sales & Catering Manager, so every now and then our chef will bring us some samples from the catering menu. I know, it’s a tough job But if I indulged in the cookies, pizzas and hefty gourmet sandwiches that he brings by a few times a week, I would most definitely be a “little cook” no more. So I sample the new items so I can better sell them to our clients, but I don’t indulge every single day.

5. Listen to your body. At my office, we have a ton of unhealthy food laying around everywhere. There’s coffee cake in the break room, boxes of cookies given to us from clients, and monthly birthday parties with huge cakes and tubs of ice cream. And though it would be easy to just to just dive into these sugar bombs just like everybody else, I try to listen to my body, and only indulge when I really want to. More often than not, I don’t really find myself craving a big piece of cake at 2pm because I know it will most likely leave me feeling a little sick and sleepy afterwards. So I politely decline. That doesn’t mean I never partake in the office birthdays, I just make sure I’m not grabbing a piece of cake just because everyone around me is.

So there you have it. And though I am by no means a nutrition expert (um..have you seen how many desserts I bake?) these are some tips that help me stay on track at work. Tomorrow we’ll go back to some baked goods. I promise.

Dinner at Red Crown

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Colleen @ Miss Petite Sweets

I live in a relatively small town, so when a new restaurant opens up, pretty much the whole town is abuzz. And that was definitely the case with the newly opened Red Crown. The building started as a Standard Oil gas station but was recently transformed into this trendy new restaurant. Ever since it opened earlier this month, the parking lot has been absolutely packed with new patrons, so my family and I decided to give it a try as well.

I had heard that the drink menu was going to be quite impressive, and it definitely did not disappoint. They have an extensive wine list and a number of Michigan beers on tap, but it’s their cocktail menu that really jumped out at us. Each cocktail listed a number of different liquors, liqueurs and juices, many of which I had never even heard of. Since my mom and I are not too adventurous when it comes to drinks, we both played it safe with the only vodka cocktail on the menu- The Moscow Mule. This cocktail featured vodka, ginger beer & fresh lime juice and was served in a copper mug. It was so unique and the ginger flavor really shined through. My dad chose a rum based drink that he wasn’t too crazy about, but Sean and Eric both chose the Paper Plane. A drink featuring Maker’s Mark bourbon, aperol, amaro montenegro and lemon juice.

Next up was dinner. The menu had a mix of barbeque and classic comfort foods like meatloaf and shrimp & grits. We all decided to sample the barbeque and we all ended up very happy with our picks. I chose the Brisket Sandwich which featured spice rubbed brisket and cole slaw served on an onion roll. The brisket was tender and juicy and full of flavor. It was served with delicious fresh cut fries which were right up my alley. In my book, the crunchier the fries, the better, and these were perfect.

Eric went with the ribs with a a side of mac and cheese. I’ve heard that you can always tell if it’s good barbeque if you don’t need to put extra barbeque sauce on them. Well, Red Crown’s ribs definitely delivered on flavor sans the extra sauce.

Eric’s meal also came with some delicious cornbread and honey butter, which he let me take a bite of. (what a guy)

All in all it was a great meal with my favorite people.

Easter Weekend

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Colleen @ Miss Petite Sweets

Happy Easter everyone! I always get really excited about holidays because it means my whole family gets together. Back when we were little, it seemed like we saw my cousins, aunt & uncle and grandparents every weekend. Whether it was a birthday party, weekly golf lessons, or just dinner at Grandma’s, we were together all the time. Now with my cousins all living in different cities, we usually only get everyone together on holiday weekends, so the holidays are now extra special.

We kicked the weekend off by celebrating Meghan’s Birthday. We went out to dinner and then headed back to my aunt and uncle’s for cake and a little March Madness viewing party. And even though half of the family are Michigan Fans and the other half are Michigan State Fans (GO GREEN!), we cheered on each other’s teams and remained civil.

When it came time to give Meg her birthday presents, Eric was exposed to yet another one of my family’s weird traditions. For some reason, if you give someone a gift but forget to give them a card, you are forced to sing your birthday greeting. I may have forgotten to tell Eric this ~~on purpose~~, so as tradition goes, Eric had to sing. And I must say, he crooned a fantastic version of Happy Birthday. Unfortunately, Sean and I forgot cards as well, so we too had to sing/rap/do something stupid in the name of birthdays.

On Saturday we were greeted with a beautiful, sunny day, perfect for the 5 mile run I had planned. My cousin Kristen and I are both training for races right now, and both had to run 5 miles on Saturday. Seeing as we live exactly 5 miles from each other, we joked that we would run into each other at our halfway point, high five, and then turn back home, but unfortunately that didn’t happen.

But we did see each other later that afternoon when we planned the music for our wedding ceremony. Kristen is a fantastic singer, and has sung at a number of friends’ weddings so Eric and I were excited when she said she would sing (and help us pick the music) for ours. I absolutely love all the music we picked for the ceremony, and having Kristen sing it will be so special.

For Easter Sunday, we went out to my Aunt Norma’s house for Easter lunch. There was tons of food and time for cousin pictures.

I hope you all are having a wonderful Easter Sunday!

Peanut Butter Oats in a Jar

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Colleen @ Miss Petite Sweets

I’m a firm believer that peanut butter makes everything taste better. Back in high school my friend Hollis tried to convince me that spreading peanut butter on pancakes and drizzling them with maple syrup was delicious. And I just told her she was weird and gross. (I swear we’re close friends)Well, I tried it recently and alas, Hollis was right. It was delicious. I still think she’s weird though…just for a variety of other reasons. Just kidding, I love her. ANYWAY. Lately I’ve been seeing a pretty genius idea pop up on a few blogs I read. It is a delicious way to use an almost empty peanut butter jar. Because letting peanut butter go to waste is a travesty. All you have to do is make oatmeal, and pour it in said jar. All of the leftover peanut butter melts into the oatmeal resulting in an incredibly filling and tasty breakfast. And even though this is not much of a recipe I thought I would share it all with you. Just keep in mind that you may get a few weird looks when eating “oats in a jar” but no worries…it is totally worth it.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup water
a splash or two of almond milk
2-3 tablespoons of Kashi or granola

Preparation:

Place the oats & brown sugar in a bowl and mix in water
Microwave oats for 1 and a half minutes
Stir in almond milk until oatmeal reaches desired consistency (I like it a little loose)
Pour oatmeal in empty peanut butter jar
Sprinkle Kashi or granola on top

Mushroom & Sweet Pea Risotto

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Colleen @ Miss Petite Sweets

I may have mentioned this before, but I am a total Food Network junkie. I can spend hours watching cooking show after cooking show and never get bored. But my favorite Food Network chef by far is Giada DiLaurentiis. I love her. And whenever someone tells me they don’t like her, I get personally offended. How can you not love Giada? She’s so perky and fun and makes the most delicious food. And I think she loves chocolate as much as I do. I may or may not be her biggest fan. Well this recipe is one of Giada’s. And I think it would be a perfect side dish for your Easter dinner. The recipe does take a lot of time and attention but the result is an incredibly creamy and cheesy risotto that pairs with a number of different main courses. I recently made it for a family dinner and served it with Pinterest Greek Yogurt Chicken. My brother asked for the leftovers. And that, my friends, is always the indication of a great recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients: Makes 8-10 servings, Adapted slightly from Food Network

8 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions
10 ounces white mushrooms, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
2/3 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan and set aside
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat
Add olive oil to melted butter
Add onions and saute until tender, about 8 minutes
Add the white mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes
Stir in the rice and let it toast for a few minutes
Add wine and stir occasionally until the liquid is completely absorbed, about 2 minutes
Reduce heat to medium low and add chicken broth one cup at a time, stirring often
Repeat until all broth has been added into the pot and rice has absorbed all the liquid, about 30 minutes
Stir in the thawed peas and freshly grated parmesan
Season with salt & pepper to taste
Serve immediately

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