Recipe of the day

Today's recipe is all about the flavors of Greek cuisine. Spanakopizza is a healthy twist on the traditional GreekSpanokopita. Spanakopita is a delicious pie that is made with phyllo dough, spinach, and a lot of feta cheese, but it tends to be very heavy. This meal is a healthier version of the traditional spinach pie. This "Greek Pizza" is topped with grilled chicken breast, garlic, onions, feta and mozzarella cheese. The entire pizza is topped with a traditional Greek salad. Romaine hearts, spicy arugula, kalamata olives, hot pepper rings, cucumbers, and more feta cheese are combined to top of this deliciously healthy pizza. It is a meal that can be eaten for lunch, dinner, or a later night snack. It is not too heavy and will have you energized and satisfied for the rest of the day. Take a taste of Greece and all of delicious and fresh ingredients it has to offer. Enjoy!!!

Medieval times

Medieval Times! For those of you who have not you been, u definitely need to go. Today was my first experience and I have to say it was very fascinating. I knew that it was all about knights jousting, but it is so much more than that, all of the ceremonies and random events that occur will have you screaming in your seats, literally. First off you walk into a room where they tell you what knight you will be rooting for. Options are black, white, red, green, and yellow and red, ( I was on the red side) you get your crown according to what color Knight you will be rooting for, then you go into the actual theater, once you step in you forget that you are living in 2007. There is a ceremonial greeting for the king and the princess for which the knights are fighting for. The King announces the feast, and as you turn around wenches put a plate of food in front of you, If you were not concentrating on the king you would realize all of the stomping occurring behind you, but you are so involved in what is going on that you begin to lose yourself in the surroundings. Wenches come around to serve you a full out medieval dinner which consists of roasted chicken, roasted potatoes, vegetable soup, and garlic bread which is all eaten by hand, there are absolutely no utensil the only thing you get is a napkin. After the feast you get to watch your Knight fight for the princess's affection. There is a jousting battle which I have to say is the funnest to watch, and a sword fight. It truly is one of the funnest experiences to have. It is a magical two hours to pretend you are living in "Medieval Times"

Recipe of the day

Today's episode of 30 Minute Meals is all about breakfast. When the kids or adults are hungry this meal is the perfect quick fix. Apple-maple-chicken sausage sandwiches and Crunchy monkey peanut butter banana sticks are the perfect way to start any morning. This is a classic breakfast sandwich with a healthy and flavorful twist. The sausage sounds complicated to make but is actually very easy. It is a combination of ground chicken, diced fresh apples, onions, garlic and a drizzle of maple syrup. Mix it all together and you have created your own home made sausage. Top these sausage patties with scrambled eggs mixed with a little cheese and put it all in between an english muffin or a nice flaky buttery biscuit.

Dessert for breakfast? These peanut butter bananas are so healthy and easy to make. As a kid at some point everyone has had a peanut butter and banana sandwich. This is the same concept but without the bread. Put a banana on a wooden skewer. Slather with honey and peanut butter, roll it around in some chopped nuts and you are done. It is truly delicious!

Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals is one of my favorite shows on television. I try to watch it everyday at 2:30. For me cooking is fun it is a valid reason to play with your food. It gives you a chance to explore and learn new things by using all five of your senses. Rachel Ray makes cooking fun and easy. I will admit she seems like she is a little crazy, I mean come on no one can be that happy and goofy all the time, but her technique and shortcuts make it easy to create a meal in under 30 minutes. She can make something as ordinary as pasta and turn it into a fancy and tasty meal in no time. Her shortcuts would never let anyone know you made a dish in half an hour that should have taken 3 hours to prepare. Some of my favorite recipes include Spaghetti all' Elsa, Mushroom Lovers French Bread pizza, and Grilled honey lime chicken sandwiches. These dishes are simple and delicious to make. Her shortcuts such as keeping a garbage bowl next to where you are cooking sounds ridiculous but it truly saves a lot of time. It is a great show to watch and replicate to have a great meal every night.

I eat out often, it is one of my favorite things to do. Kick back with a few friends and enjoy a good meal. Whether it is a craving for a great cheeseburger or sitting down to a gourmet meal, here are a few of my favorite dining destinations:

For pizza you can't beat this quaint little restaurant called the Reservoir Tavern. The tavern has the best brick oven pizza I have ever tasted. Their menu boasts comforting Italian food. A few of the most popular dishes include the stuffed eggplant which is stuffed with zucchini, mushrooms, and roasted red peppers. It is lightly fried then covered in a homemade marinara sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese. Their sausage and peppers are also a true favorite, their sausages are made fresh everyday and come in either a sweet or spicy variety. Reservoir Tavern is known for their pizza. Whether you want thin crust or hand tossed it is guaranteed to be one of the best slices you have ever eaten. They have a numerous variety of toppings and will create whatever you desire. One of the favorites is broccoli raab with roasted red peppers. It is truly delicious.

If it is a cheeseburger you are craving Cleveland's Tap room is the best place in town. They serve simple standard bar food, but their cheeseburgers are so thick and juicy you would think you were in heaven.

For finer dining there are two options. Eccola Italian Restaurant is a quaint restaurant with gourmet dishes. They have a wide variety of fresh fish dishes as well as standard homemade italian dishes. Their mussels appetizer is a house specialty as well as their chicken picatta. All the pasta is made fresh and is so light and tender it melts in your mouth. If it is steak you are craving nothing can beat Don Pepe Steak House. It will satisfy any meat lover. The filet mignon is so tender you don't even need a knife. The home made mushroom and burgundy sauce is an amazing accompaniment to any piece of meat you choose. Their specialty side dish is fresh cut potato wafers, they are so light and crispy you won't feel guilty for eating plates and plates of them. Save room for dessert though. This steak house has a caramel apple creme brulee that is so silky and smooth you may just want to start licking the bowl when its done.

These are a few of my favorite dining destinations. When a craving hits I know exactly where to go. Try these places out and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.