Christine Lukasik

Dessert

Marathon training workout of the day today? hill repeats!

What to eat after running up and down the same hill 5x? Behold the wonder of cottage cheese pudding!
1 cupish of low fat cottage cheese
1 packet sugar free, fat free Jello chocolate pudding
1 cup soy or low fat milk (or whatever amount the packet instructs)

Place all in blender and whiz until white cottage cheese bits disappear into chocolate-y goodness. Enjoy immediately with a straw, chill to set and enjoy with strawberries as shown, partially freeze for so close you can't tell the difference Jello pudding pops or layer with sugar free Cool Whip for additional deliciousness.

Oh, and why? Well...because somehow the addition of cottage cheese makes this seem less like dessert and more like muscle building protein that fell into a dessert and couldn't escape. This works especially well for me mid-afternoons when what I really want is to wander down the hallways of my building searching for yummy dishes of candy. Subbing a pre-measured serving of low fat cottage cheese and fruit (and ignoring the artifical color, flavor and sweetener) keeps me happy AND away from the candy dishes.

Word stumblery - a glorious digestive fog.

Ooof. Boy I really hate it when I've having a completely inarticulate day and I have to go to a 1 on 1 meeting with one of those gruff, "what do you want tell me - quick fast tell me because I really don't have time to listen to you prattle on" people. I get increasingly stumbly as I try to condense my questions down to the most concentrated valuable nugget and try so hard not to take up too much of their valuable time. Mostly I just get worse and worse and ramble more and more until finally I crack and announce "Well, that's about it, I've got all I need you've been so helpful" and slink off slumping from the humiliation.

The good thing is that the reason I'm so incredibly inarticulate is that my poor digestive system is still trying to churn its way through the 9 course Japanese/fusion dinner (!!!) we had last night. Seared scallops in Uni butter, monkfish liver with mini squid, squash & crab soup, poached pears and traditional fall Japanese pikefish mackarel - which if the Japanese don't eat, they face an "unsettled" fall & winter. Where did we experience this culinary joy? Well, it's called Gypsy but I can't tell you precisely where it is, nor can I tell you who the chef(s) were, who else was there, or how I found out about it. It's been called a "food rave", has been favorably compared to some of the NWs most celebrated restaurants, and this explains it better than I can. At least for today.

Posted By: Chris Lukasik

More ketchupy

The latest in my spotting Say Something Ketchupy bottle series. These spotted in the local Cash N Carry (which is an awesome wholesale foodservice supply warehouse) near campus.

...and tonight....the Race at Case. I can't wait. The candidates get to respond directly to each other. Joy!

Oh, and the best election commercial of the season - Straight Talk from White House West in Crawford, Tx., featuring Will Ferrell!

Posted By: Chris Lukasik

Atlanta Favorite Eats

Much like my New York City Favorite restaurants post, I was just crafting an email detailing our fav Atlanta food spots, and thought I'd share.

There's a ton of great restaurants in Atlanta, for sure....but here are a few of our very favorites.

Mexican: Nueveo Laredo Cantina. Tucked away in an odd spot and mobbed during regular lunch hours, happy hour and weekends, this place is SUPER FAB. Their table salsa is the tastiest I've ever had at a restaurant, and they make this delish chorizo appetizer that's just a pile of chorizo, cheese, cilantro, onions and tortillas! Brilliant! Well worth the trip, but mind the crowd.

New American/Yummy/Sustainably harvested: Canoe. Set in a lovely location on the Chatahoochie, Canoe has the best informed wait staff - they always know how or from where the fish or whatever they are serving has come from and ensure that whatever you're eating, it has been harvested using sustainable means. The atmosphere is casual but elegant in a rustic kind of way and the food really is spectacular. Often they offer a market menu with several courses and wine pairings which are always suberb.

Bangladeshi: Panahar. The first time we ate at this place, Mirza, the owner/server/host gave us the take out menu with his cell phone number on it should we need to speak with him about anything. Aside from the incredibly tasty food, the service at this place has no match in any city. Trust us, and Mirza - go and let him guide you through the menu and make suggestions - his help, and the food are flawless.

New American/Fresh & Local/Hip & Yummy: Float Away Caf. Float away is a great little place - and it's the one with the pictures of clouds! We went here last to celebrate our ALTA City Tennis Championship just before leaving Atlanta, and as always, it was super yummy. They always seem to have something neat, local, fresh and yummy on the menu like pink-eyed peas!

Brazilian/Tapas: Eclipse de Luna. Little plates of yumminess. Enough said.

Appetizers & Art: Caf Tu Tu Tango. Ahhh, the place we first discovered the amazing John Tindel. The food is really nice, the atmosphere totally fun, arty and odd (like the fortune tellers and dancers who trot through the diners on busy nights) and the art - oh the art! Gallery hung and ready for you to buy!

Oh, right, knew I would forget one....
Taqueria Del Sol - A MOST delish lunch spot with a super nice, bright & sunny interior- close to Coca-Cola HQ and not far from downtown - perfect for that dash out from days of meetings lunches. The food? Oh, my. Great chips & salsa trios, smooth and spicy queso, zippy pork carnita tacos, fried chicken tacos with lime-chipotle mayo= SUPER GREAT. Don't miss this one.

Taqueria del Sol is also conveniently located in a funky renovated urban area surrounded by really fun shops including the "it feels almost like being in Zabars in NYC only on a smaller scale" Star Provisions. Fab spot for all things fancy...cheese, meats, kitchen and dining ware, baked goods and wine.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but I'll add more as I'm reminded of them.