Food

On Saturday, I was invited to attend the inaugural dinner of the Old City Supper Club - a new venture founded by my favorite chef in Philadelphia (who also happens to be my cousin), Matt.

In love with this magnetic knife rack on Amazon for $16.99!

Matt hosted a group of what I consider the best taste-testers this city has to offer - myself included - while showcasing his skills in culinary art. We had so much fun learning about what inspired him to create each dish, from reflections on his Pennsylvania roots to echoes of French cuisine. I felt like I was living the movie Ratatouille. More specifically, I felt like I was in the scene where the food critic has one bite of the "chef's" meal and is immediately transported back to his favorite childhood memories.

Of course, we did not have just one bite. It was a six-course meal after all...

I never knew there were so many different types of radishes, including my new favorite - the watermelon radish!

A delicious combination of creamy goat's milk cheese complemented the earthy flavors of golden beets. Third course: Beef marrow bone, scallop, parsley salad, baguette

Anyone who knows me knows how much I admire the potato. Its versatility makes it the ideal vegetable and it did not disappoint here.

Only Chef Matt could make this an excellent pearing (pun intended).

It was so much fun to gather around the table and break bread with people who have as much love for food as I do.

On a side note - I am so proud of you cuz!!! Cannot wait for more "home-cooked" meals :)


If you're interested in learning more about the Old City Supper Club be sure to follow them on Instagram @oldcitysupperclub.

And if you're not in Philly, maybe this will inspire you to start your own supper club!

*This post contains affiliate links

Happy first weekend of the new year! Everyone is trying new things thanks to 2019, whether it's hitting up the gym, changing your eating habits, or saving for that next vacation. For me, it's been transitioning from eating out to cooking my own meals. Being home with family for the holidays reminded me of how much I love home-cooked meals, including homemade pasta.

Inspired by Chef Thomas McNaughton, the owner of Flour + Water restaurant in San Francisco and author of Flour + Water: Pasta recipe book, my family and I decided to host our own Italian cooking class. We made beautiful trofie pasta using our hands, some patience, and a little extra love.


Despite the extra time spent, we enjoyed each other's company, critiquing each other's technique, and discussing what sauce and wine would go best. I loved that we knew exactly what was going into our dish, everything was hand-rolled, and we didn't need a pasta maker!

Hand-rolled Trofie Pasta

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups 0/0 Flour (we ended up using All Purpose and it came out just as well)
• 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
• 3/4 to 1 Cup Water

     Optional:

• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Pesto sauce

Directions:

1. Place flour and salt in a bowl and add 3/4 cup water. Use a fork to mix together. Pour in the remaining water as needed to create the dough.
2. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands, adding additional flour as needed until it becomes smooth with minimal stickiness.
3. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to help it relax and make it more malleable to work with for creating the trofie.
4. Once 30 minutes is up, break off about 1/4 of the dough keeping the rest still in plastic. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough with your hands into a cylinder about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch in diameter.
5. Cut the cylinder into 1/4 of an inch to form small "pillows." Sprinkle the pillows with flour.
6. To create the spiral shape of trofie, take a lightly floured pillow, rub it briskly between the palms of your hands to form another, smaller cylinder with tapered ends. Place this on a lightly floured board and twist around a skewer (see pictures above). Once finished, carefully remove, ensuring it retains its shape and place on wax paper. Make sure none of the trofie are touching.
7. Use the trofie within a two-hour window or refrigerate until ready for cooking.
8. To cook, boil a large pot of salted water and drop in the trofie. Let them boil for a few minutes until "al dente." Set aside a small cup of the boiled water and drain the trofie. Add your preferred sauce and toppings then dilute with the pasta water as needed. Serve warm and feel free to add some grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

We opted for a pesto sauce and it came out delizioso! For the full recipe, see below and for more, check out the cookbook Flour + Water: Pasta on Amazon.



Have you ever made homemade pasta? How did it go? What are your favorite recipe books?

Here are some of my favorites:

My favorite part about the beginning of a new month is setting new goals and intentions. Inspired by my favorite fitness instructor, Cassey Ho of Blogilates, I have decided to commit to Move this (as we in the health and wellness community like to call it) Movember.

After participating in a 5K with my residency program (and becoming #instafamous on the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation/AAPMR's Instagram story!), I realized how much I missed exercising on a regular basis. These past few months, I have been attending classes with no set schedule or consistency. I wanted to gain that confidence back in my body, confidence so many of us forget to acknowledge (especially in the winter).


Between studying for our anatomy didactics block, working at the hospital, and taking on new commitments, I had placed my fitness on the back burner. As we tell our patients, Movement is Medicine, and it is so important to take care of your body. This month I aim to get back on track, committing to the lifelong journey of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and fitness routine. Who says you need to wait until New Year's for a resolution anyways?

As the weather gets colder and many of us want to stay inside, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to remind the #vitastics community that winter is not the time to hibernate your body but rather to cultivate it. Join me as I take on Cassey Ho's PIIT28 routine once again! Even if this is not the right fit for you, I encourage you to find your own fitness routine. Whether it's going to the gym, going for a walk, checking out ClassPass, or doing at home workouts like me, movement is medicine!

PIIT28 is a 28-day program I successfully completed during my intern year of residency that transformed my life both physically and mentally. It's essentially 28 minutes of high-intensity interval training with a Pilates foundation. To learn more about my first experience, check out my previous post (click HERE). You do a 6-minute warmup, complete four rounds of the 7-minute workouts, followed by a 9-minute cool-down/stretch session. I love that you can do it anywhere and you don't need anything but yourself, a mat, and the knowledge that you can do this! That's right: no weights, no equipment.

In addition to exercising every day, I am also going to do my best to adhere to the nutrition plan outlined in the PIIT28 Day Reset. This means no dairy, no added sugars, no gluten, no processed grains, and no alcohol.



The first time I followed the meal plan to a T. While it was hard work and isolating at times, I felt great by the end, building more confidence in my endurance and ability to say no to cravings. I love checking out Farmers Markets like Society Hill's to see what fresh organic fruits and veggies they have available.

That being said, this time, I am going to allow some leniency in certain restrictions because I don't want to deprive my body completely of my favorite things. I want to be able to enjoy my time out at events with friends and family. Plus, according to the Mediterranean diet, a glass of red wine once or twice a week can be beneficial!

There are plenty of healthy and delicious meals that can be made within the nutrition program including this delicious shrimp curry made with mushrooms, whole grain rice, peas, garbanzo beans, and squash.

If you'd like to check out the PIIT 28 routine I'm doing, click HERE.

If you'd like to check out the 28 Day Reset I'm also participating in, click HERE.

Don't forget to follow me on IG @doctor.cole for some inspiration :)

This Movember, let me know your favorite way to get moving! Leave a comment below.

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of attending another phenomenal dinner event hosted by Seated. If you don't know about Seated already, check them out here and download the app today to get rewards for dining out in your favorite places! Plus you get to discover new restaurants. Use my promo code DOCTORCOLE to get even more rewards. All you have to do is make a reservation through the app and upload a photo of your receipt. Within 24 to 48 hours, you'll receive a code for credit ($10 to $50) to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Lyft, and more. I've made almost $200 eating out this past summer!


The event took place at a beautiful venue nestled at the corner of 11th and Pine St called Ristorante Aroma. The intimate setting provided a chance for us to get to know not only the other guests but also the owner, Susan, and the chef (originally from just outside of Naples), Tony, as well as the rest of the staff.

Each meal transported me back to my study abroad days of fresh cheese and homemade pasta (plus great wine!). The whole experience lived up to the restaurant's promise of offering a culinary tour of Italy.

The Arancini (rice balls filled with bolognese sauce and mozzarella cheese) was served first. It reminded me of my favorite delicacy from my time in Ascoli Piceno: Olive All'ascalona (fried olives stuffed with meat and cheese). I mentioned this to Susan thinking I'd never have the opportunity to eat them again. I was not only surprised Susan knew the antipasti and had previously served it at the restaurant but more than touched when she offered to make it again for me despite the specialty no longer being on the menu.


After what felt like a ten-course meal and thinking we had no room for more, the desserts came out. Of course, everyone has a separate stomach for dessert. It's difficult to choose a favorite because my taste buds were overwhelmed with how delicious everything was but for anyone visiting, I highly recommend the Strawberry Pocket.

Thank you again to Seated and Ristorante Aroma for hosting us all. I loved every second and am still full, a week later.

Still recovering from one of the most amazing events I have ever been invited to attend: Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia. To say the night was magical is an understatement. It was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. From the people to the food, wine, and decorations...a passersby put it best when he came up to me and said: "You all look like you just took stepped off the subway from Heaven."


If you have never heard of Dîner en Blanc, it's probably because it is one of the world's best kept secrets. An exclusive international pop-up dinner where the guests dress in all white, pulling out all the stops with their centerpieces and gourmet meals. No one knows where the location will be until right before it's supposed to take place. Prior Philadelphia events were held on Broad Street and the Art Museum. This year was no disappointment: City Hall and Dilworth Park *heart eyes*


I have never seen the park light up as bright as it did that night and from every corner.


I was lucky to be part of the media group thanks to my friend Mimi (@whatsonmimismind // Mimi's blog). We got first notice of the secret location plus access to the behind the scenes of the entire event.


We were treated to tons of live music, delicious hors d'oeuvres and a fantastic dinner sponsored by one of Center City's best pizza restaurants, Porta.


Just look at Porta's drool-worthy Margherita Pizza!


And their garden-fresh cucumber salad kept us energized throughout the evening.

Food (especially pizza) really does bring people together. I got to share all of Porta's wonderful entrees with tons of other Dîner en Blanc attendees including my new friend Kristin (@blondeonearth // Kristin's blog).




We checked out all the beautiful tables including tiered-tray displays and lots of twinkling lights. I even ran into friends from Barra Rossa, another fabulous Center City restaurant.


We turned City Hall into our very own catwalk, creating an accidental Sex and The City cover for the next movie installment (starring yours truly, Mimi, Kristin, and Cate from @catecolechic // Cate's blog).


The night ended with the stars falling from the sky and onto the city as we lit up the sparklers for a beautiful summer celebration.


Cannot wait to do it again next year!