Avocado Pie FOR THE WIN!!

So after a long break, Jessika, Elizabeth, and I gathered for a long overdue TND last week. As a thank you for Elizabeth cat-sitting services, I let her choose the menu and she selected jerk turkey burgers, mango slaw, and AVOCADO PIE!!! Okay, so I kind of forced the pie in, but Miss Williams is an adventurous eater, yah?
I liked the burgers all right, but I guess I'm not the biggest jerk seasoning fan because I wasn't dazzled by them. However, Elizabeth, Jessika, and I all LOVED the pie (my camera failed to show its beautiful antique green hue in all its glorious splendor). Though it only took a few minutes to make (pit avocados, blend with cream cheese, add sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and lime juice, blend, and pour into a graham cracker shell and chill....I added an extra half avocado and less citrus juice), it came out marvelously. It tasted kind of like a lighter lemon/lime cheesecake with a lovely avocado finish. Mmmmmm.
Thanks to Elizabeth and Jessika for a great TND!! Let's do it again soon!!

Bonus: Here are some pics from Michelle and my long-awaited trip to Granville Moore's. Delicious Moroccan and Blue cheese mussels with Belgian fries. Oh la la.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

All right, after another long delay in posting, the Rhino is back with another post. So, the other week, I baked up some oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for the fabulous Cate's birthday. You better believe from their description that those puppies were rich. In fact, I thought they came out a little too sweet between the peanut butter (I used Peanut Butter and Co.'s Cinnamon Raisin Swirl for some extra panache). I also think that next time I will not pulse 2/3 of the oatmeal as the recipe recommended. Luckily, my co-workers appreciate food and did not critique my creation. In fact, between students and permanent staff, there wasn't a single cookie left at day's end. SUCCESS.

Bonus pics: On Mother's Day, Mama Rhino and I enjoyed a lovely crepe lunch (my veggie included avocado, mushrooms, and mozzarella) at Sweet Berry in Fairfax and I snagged a twirl of honeydew/plain tart frozen yogurt with mochi, mango, and granola as a sweet treat (Mama Rhino enjoyed mango and hazelnut gelato too). Lovely lunch and Mother's Day with my favorite Mama ( :

No Oven Lovin for Little Rhino

Apologies again for my lack of posting of late. To update, my foot still sucks (MRI scheduled for Friday), TND seems to be history, and I tried to use the self-cleaning function on my oven last week. Though that last item sounds routine, activating the self-cleaner (to stop the oven from setting off my smoke alarm) made the oven smoke SOOOOO much that my smoke detector squealed even after opening my balcony and all of my windows AND turning on the AC. My faithful sidekick Celeste and I nearly died from smoke inhalation. No exaggeration and damn scary.

Needless to say, after that brush with death, Miss Rhino has been hesitant to get involved with the oven again. Plus, given her current activity restraints, perhaps salads are a healthier meal choice anyway (maybe). Last week, as a treat to myself and my salad, I bought a nice piece of wild caught salmon to put on top of my salad. I seasoned it simply with salt, pepper, olive oil, and lots of lemon. Post-pic, I slathered tzatziki sauce over the top as a dressing. I figure it would probably be a healthier salad sans dressing, but tzatziki's got to be healthier than some of the heavy-hitters in the g-store. Regardless of its health score, the salmon came out perfectly and so did the rest of the salad. I love ad hoc salad creations.

Added bonus pics- A week or so ago, I met up with friends for brunch at Northside Social Coffeehouse in Clarendon. It's supposed to be the new Central Perkish place for young, hip suburbanites. I got the chicken salad and a fruit salad. They were both okay, but not earth-shattering and the chicken salad cried for more salt and seasoning. However, I was glad to try the "happening" new coffee place and really glad to get together with my friends...Coffee or not.

My Favorite Seester's Bridal Shower: Food Edition

In May, sister Rhino will marry a wonderful guy in California. I'm her maid of honor. I'm not sure what all of the usual maid duties entail, but mine seem to focus almost solely on my kitchentry skills. Not to say that I mind that at all...

Anyway, this weekend I catered a large portion of said sister's bridal shower. I made my famous deviled eggs to start (no recipe needed), perfect brunch pie, overnight French toast casserole,
lemon squares (my first foray in this arena), and an adhoc fruit salad. Judging from compliments and and the few flecks of phyllo left on the brunch pie pan, I'd say I succeeded in my maidly. Now, it's back to the books for some post-wedding brunch recipes and back to healthier eating for Little Rhino (french toast and buttered phyllo ain't calorically cheap!!).

St. Patrick's Day Linguini

The other week, I invited my favorite Asian friend Jessika over for what else but some Irish pasta. In honor of St. Patrick's Day I made this Guy Fieri corned beef and cabbage pasta hybrid. I made one of Fieri's recipes in the past and didn't find it terribly remarkable. However, this rich and decadent redeemed Mr. Big Bite. Maybe he's good for more than Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

Hyde Park in Pictures

So for my birthday last week, I went up to Poughkeepsie, NY to see my wonderful best friend, Yvette. Obviously, I enjoyed seeing and spending time with my best friend the most since we do not get to see each other that often. However, along the way, we also enjoyed the some tasty food. Highlights included dinner at Crave (literally next door to Yvette's) and breakfast at the Palace Diner before returning to DC. Man, I miss New York diners!

Spinach Itch TND

Sorry for the delay in posting, I have no excuse for it...just laziness. I did make both the crustless quiche and slimmed down spinach-artichoke dip a few weeks ago as reported earlier. I was as keen on the quiche...it just lacked a certain je ne sais pas. The dip came out quite well though. I detected the white beans the recipe uses to decrease the fat and calories, but they melded nicely with all the other components. I will have to keep that recipe around perhaps while I let the quiche go out to pasture.