EAT WITH ME

February Dinner Party

2012-01-24T09:54:00.002-05:00

February's dinner party theme has been selected!

I'm already hungry for what I'm going to make!!!

January Dinner Party!

2012-01-22T18:19:00.007-05:00

Good Day everyone! The first month of 2012 is trucking towards an end...already! I mentioned just over a week ago, my goal for 2012. A dinner party each month...and a blog post about it. So here goes.

The January Dinner Party.

Planning: Planning started before Thanksgiving on this one. A friend of ours wanted to introduce us to two friends of hers. They happened to have just moved to our town and were getting settled in and our friend thought it would be nice to introduce us. I jumped, at the time, at the opportunity to host, something I do love to do. But, the problem was, Thanksgiving was in the middle, plus a trip to Italy for the spouse and I!!!! (AH-MAZE-ING!) So the soonest we'd be able to host was January. That gave me plenty of time to think about what to make, even though I didn't get myself all the time.

I like my guests to feel comfortable with the food, so I always ask if there are any major dietary restrictions. If I have vegetarians coming for dinner, I'm not going to make a huge beef roast. No major restrictions this time around, but there was a preference for chicken, which I'm supper cool with.

Menu: Having just come back from 10 days in Italy, I knew I wanted to make something with an Italian spin to it. After flipping through several of my cookbooks, I settled on a chicken saltimbocca. Traditional saltimbocca is veal. I'm not fond of veal, so this chicken variation was perfectly awesome. For side options, I went with basil risotto and roasted green beans. Dessert would be something we had in Italy and it was incredible; Crema di Mascarpone.

I would also put out a few small nibbles to get us started and I made a great focaccia. Plus plenty of wine!

The focaccia was a standard recipe I've made before, but topped with caramelized onions and rosemary. It's awesome. The dough is pretty simple to pull together and it doesn't take a full day to make.

The table set for our guests. Not much will change over the coarse of the year. This is what we have. If we have more than four people, the table needs to be opened up and the tablecloth doesn't really fit. And with one main set of plates, this is it. That being said, I like to have the table ready to go before people arrive. Have as much stuff as you can ready. When your guests arrive, you want to talk with them, not say hello and have to run away.

I mentioned small nibbles. Any small nibble for me will include some cheese, nuts and cracker. These little crackers were awesome. They had black pepper in them, but they were wafers, not crackers. Fun. Also, I love marcona almonds. Also included, but not seen, I sliced a pear to go with it all. The guests brought more cheese! One thing I've learned over the years, don't over do the nibbles. I have been known to make so many nibbles, we don't really need to eat dinner! So, only a little bit of nibble per person, just hold off the stomach rumbling while we wait for dinner.

The main plate. It was pretty darn delicious! Risotto can be found here. Don't miss read the recipe and make twice as much as you intend! SO MUCH RISOTTO. The green beans were washed and dried. Tossed with olive oil and put on a rimmed baking sheet and into a hot oven, I think 400-425. Roast until they are al dente, about 15-20 minutes. Toss them half way through. When they are done, toss with caramelized shallots for more goodness.

The chicken. Super simple. Take a boneless/skinless chicken breast. Make sure it's cleaned up of any excess fat and then kind of manipulate it into a uniform shape, with the other pieces. Season with salt & pepper. Lay 1-2 leaves of fresh sage on the chicken, then wrap with 1-2 slices of prosciutto, tucking the ends under the cutlet. I then put the cutlets back in the fridge, until I was ready to cook. The extra cool allowed them to firm up a bit.

When you are ready to cook, in a large skillet, over medium-high heat, get 2 TB of olive oil nice and hot. Quickly and lightly dust the wrapped cutlets with flour and place in the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes per side, or until cooked thru. This will depend on the thickness of the cutlets. If things start to burn, lower the heat.

When the chicken is done, remove to a clean plate and deglaze the pan with 3/4 cup of dry white wine and 1/4 cup of chicken broth, reduce by half. Season with salt, pepper and a few chopped sage leaves. Swirl in one to two TB of butter. Add any accumulated juice from the cooked chicken, back into the pan. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, when you serve it.

A note on dinner. I prepped everything in advance. 30 minutes before we were ready to eat, I started cooking the risotto, beans and chicken. Everything, miraculously, was done at the same time +/- a minute of two! It was awesome.

Enjoy dinner and your company!

Dessert! Dessert was something special! Here, you're getting the actual recipe:

Creme di Mascarpone
Serves 6
3 eggs, separated
3 TB fine white sugar* (fine texture, not classy ohh la la)
1 1/3 cups mascarpone cheese
1 tsp orange zest
2-3 TB rum
Garnishes

Beat egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy. Fold the mascarpone into the yolks, a little at a time, until fully combined. Stir in the orange zest and rum.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into the yolk mixture. Fold whites into the yolk/cheese mixture. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Garnish with shaved dark chocolate, fresh berries and light, crisp cookies!

*The sugar...my sugar does have a vanilla bean split and stored in it...so the sugar does have some vanilla essence. If you want, feel free to add a drop or two of vanilla extra for further awesome flavor.

There we go folks. My first proper blog posts in 10+ months. My first proper dinner party of 2012! Cin cin!

Returning in 2012?

2012-01-12T10:27:00.002-05:00

Having been on sabbatical for the past several months...nearly a year...I've waffled back and forth about the future of Eat With Me. I love this blog. I've put a lot of work into it and use it as a resource on a regular basis. I didn't want to shut it down, but I just wasn't inspired to do postings anymore.

With the new year, I was thinking about resolutions. What would I want to change for 2012? What goals would I have for the new year? I'm not fond of resolutions that have measurable goals, because we either set them too high and fail, or set them too low and "achieve" the results in short period (not that that is a bad thing if its legitimate.) So my goals for the new year were more fluid. #1, spend more time with the people I love and care about. #2, enjoy life more, worry less.

OK, those are great. Important! But what will I do that achieve them?

I've decided to alter them slightly and make a new resolution. #1.5, Dinner parties! At least once a month, I will have my favorite people over for dinner and fine conversation. Woo hoo! A side resolution...I will blog about the dinner parties; some photos, recipes, menu, planning, etc.

So, dear readers, in 2012, you will see the return of Eat With Me. (cue thunderous applause and cheering, camera zooms in on random person wiping a tear from their eye)

First dinner party...1/14/12. Stay tuned.

Do You Have Some Feedback?

2011-06-23T08:48:00.003-04:00

Dearest readers! It has been 105 days since I formally started the Eat With Me sabbatical and it's been great. To not have to worry about blogging and taking pictures and trying to be creative. Thank you for allowing me the time.

That being said, I'm starting to get itchy. Ideas are starting to ruminate and simmer. But before I return fully, I want to explore the option of re-imagining Eat With Me. If you can take a few minutes and provide some feedback, that will help me decide the direction to move in.

In particular, I'm interested in your thoughts on:

Layout & design of the site
Content-more or less of something specific
Other feedback-open ended, is there something you would love to see?

I'll continue mapping things in my head, to try to identify what I want to do. I look forward to your feedback in assisting with the direction I take Eat With Me. Thanks!

MISSING!

2011-03-09T07:07:00.001-05:00

(Photo Source)

MISSING!
Vesta, aka Hestia
Goddess of Hearth, Home & Cooking

Last seen skipping town with nine muses. If found or seen in public, please alert the authorities! Hestia is not considered dangerous, but her long absence is having a negative impact on my culinary verve.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After much hemming and hawing on my part, I’ve come to the conclusion that EAT WITH ME will go on pre-meditated sabbatical, hiatus, vacation, etc. I keep fooling myself that I’ll get to that next blog post “tomorrow.” Folks, it just isn’t happening. In reality, over the past year and a half-give or take-blogging just hasn’t been a priority. My creativity and inspiration seem to have vanished. Perhaps they are off partying with Dionysus. Or maybe Demeter has developed a gluten allergy and has given up wheat. Who knows!

I’m not committing bloggercide! There is too much time, energy and love poured into EAT WITH ME to just let it go. I need some guilt-free time away to reinvest myself, reimagine the blog and light a spark.

Over the next few months I will…

Look into some creativity based classes. Painting or ceramics. Maybe food classes. Something that will get the synapses firing across hemispheres again.
I will continue to reduce the amount of television consumed in my life. This has been happening over the past few months anyway. I’ll keep a few favorites! Programs really are all about shouting and screaming lately and I can’t deal with it anymore. I’ll use this new found time for more reading and learning.
Try to get out of town a bit more. I need to spend some extended time outside of the gravitational pull of the Capital Beltway. I’m starting this one in just 12 days with a solo trip to New York City. Perhaps a few more day trips or extended weekends here and there. I’ll also be planning a major international trip for the end of the year!!!
Continue cooking! I gotta eat. I still like cooking; I’m just bored with it. There are 100’s of recipes on EAT WITH ME, but with few exceptions, they are boring me.

Keep EAT WITH ME in your blog readers, RSS feeds and whatnots. I promise to return. I can’t tell you if it will be two months or six months, I don’t know. I’ll know when I know.

Take Care!

Oh! If you feel like you’ll miss me, you can still follow me on Twitter at @eatwithme75. And perhaps I’ll post an update on my sabbatical adventures and my persistent search Hestia.

“Find something you're passionate about
& keep tremendously interested in it.”
Julia Child

Bourbon!

2011-03-02T07:27:00.000-05:00

(not my picture, taken by a co-worker)

This weekend a few of my co-workers and I hosted a BYOB/potluck party, prior to the Oscars. It was a great time. We had all sorts of amazing food. I made cassoulet and French bread. Both were scrumptious. One co-worker brought a pre-mixed cocktail. It was DEVILISH! You gotta try it. Be careful, it will knock your socks off! The "shake with cracked ice" is a vital part of the recipe, without it, you will be drinking nearly straight up booze!

Frisco Sour
1.5 oz bourbon
.25 oz benedictine
.75 oz lemon juice
.5 oz simple syrup
1 dash orange juice (.125 oz)

Shake with cracked ice, garnish with a cherry.

Braised pork with tomato gravy and pasta

2011-02-10T07:19:00.000-05:00

Last night I threw together an amazing meal! I didn't have a recipe to go by, didn't even know what route I was going to go. But it was good!

Start with 1 large-ish pork loin (2-3 pounds). Slice into 1 inch slices. Season with salt, pepper and Pizza seasoning, from Penzeys. I wasn't sure if it would work, but the spices in the seasoning blend worked great. In a large, deep pan, over medium high heat, with olive oil, sear the pork slices on both sides. Remove to a plate and work in batches; don't overcrowd the pan.

When the pork is seared, toss in 1 medium onion, diced. Toss around until the onions start to soften and pick up some color from the pan. Add about 1 TB each of dried basil and oregano. A large-ish pinch of red pepper flake. Stir to cook for a short 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan with 3/4 cup of red wine. A dry red is preferred. Scrape up all the bits from the bottom of the pan.

When the wine has reduced down by at least half, add 1 cup of chicken broth, 1 14 oz can of diced tomato and 1 8oz can of tomato sauce. Stir and bring to a simmer. I didn't have any fresh garlic, so at this point, I did a liberal sprinkle of garlic powder.

Return the pork slices to the pan and submerge in the sauce. Cover and place in a 300 degree oven for an hour. After an hour, remove the cover. Start a pot of water boiling for pasta. Once the pasta is added to the pot of water, remove the pork/sauce pot from the oven. Take the slices of pork out of the sauce and roughly chop the tender meat into bite size pieces. Return to the sauce. Optional, add a splash of cream to smooth out the sauce, mellow the flavors (I used a lot of black pepper) and add a richness.

When the pasta is done, drain and toss with the sauce. Reserve some cooking water, in case your sauce has reduced too much to dress the pasta. Serve hot and delicious!

For reasonable servings, you'd get at least 6 servings. I think we got five. I had enough sauce and meat to serve with 3/4 of a box of spiral pasta. 3 hefty servings for three hungry peeps, plus 2 good sized lunch portions. Not bad for a mostly pantry meal. I had the pork loin from the weekend shopping trip and everything else was in the cupboard or fridge!

Super Bowl Sunday

2011-02-06T10:20:00.003-05:00

In case you're wondering who to cheer for.

It's Super Bowl Sunday! Sure, it's pretty much the only time I watch football. But it's also a time for eating. I have chicken wings marinating in the fridge, along with a pork roast for Asian Pork Sliders. Later I'll be making a carrot salad to serve along with it. And there are tons of other snacks. Chips. Chocolate. Nuts. Soda. Beer will be arriving later.

Have a great day. Celebrate. Be safe.

Creme Brulee!

2011-01-31T19:15:00.000-05:00

Hey guess what? My tiny little blog that I have been operating since 2005. My tiny little blog that over the past year and a half to two years has averaged only 60-75 visitors a day. Well, my tiny little blog has surpassed 100,000 visitors, since I started tracking in 2006! Woo hoo!!! Thanks readers. A special thanks to DCBlogs for featuring my post, which in turn pushed me over 100,000!

So a few weekends ago, I had this awesome dinner party. I don't pull out all the stops that often, but this time I did. After treating people to fun nibbles to start, we sat down for a great dinner (that post is coming down the line!) Of course at this point, we were stuffed to the gills. No reason to eat anything else. But that would be foolish. So dessert is a MUST! And what a perfect dessert it was!!!

Le Cirque's Creme Brulee

Creme Brulee starts with the best eggs you can get. Farm fresh is best! Organic and/or free range is the next best. But whatever, make sure they are fresh and the best you can get. The egg whites can be frozen and saved for a later use, perhaps a pavlova.

Mix the egg yolks with sugar. That amazing orange yolk will turn to a beautiful pale yellow.

Of course, like the eggs, get the best heavy cream you can. I wish I had easy access to a dairy. Alas, I went with an organic heavy cream from my local market. Heat the cream with vanilla bean/seeds. And if your naughty and have a good quality vanilla extract, a little extra shot will shoot your creme brulee to the moon! But don't tell anyone, that's our little secret.

Once the cream and vanilla have steeped for awhile, slow pour the cream into the eggs, stirring as you go. But do go slow. If your cream is too warm/hot and you go to quick, your yolks will scramble. If it helps you, add a few spoonfuls of the cream to the egg yolks, stir, add a little more, stir and eventually you can start pouring the cream. Once all the cream is in the eggs, make sure to scrap the pan. You want all those vanilla seeds from the pot into the mixture. Strain the final mixture through a fine mess strainer to remove any bits and bobs. That could be part of the vanilla pod. Or perhaps a stringy bit of egg.

**At this point, the custard can be sealed up and let in the fridge, which I did, for two days.

When you're ready to cook, pour the custard into the ramekins. The ramekins will need to be placed in a larger baking dish, which I have lined with a clean towel. Once the custard is in the ramekins and the pan in the oven, carefully pour warm water into the pan, at least halfway up the ramekins. This will facilitate a slow, steady, gently heating and cooking of the custard--guaranteeing a super smooth custard!

Bake! Once cooked, remove the ramekins to a tray and place in the refrigerator for several hours to become fully chilled. You don't want to serve warm or room temperature creme brulee. I think chilled is best!

To get the infamous crackle, bruleed topping, you need to sprinkle with sugar. I used three types of sugar. No reason, but something I did the first time I made creme brulee...still do it now. Make sure the topping is a 'lite' topping. Too much will make it very hard to have a thin, crisp crackled top...to as I say, not as I do!

I had too much sugar on my cremes. I couldn't get it all melted without truly burning the sugar, which you don't really want to do to much of. Any more than this in color, which start to get bitter. Dark brown, not black! So give the sugar a gentle hand. If you can, garnish the creme brulee with some fresh berries. Raspberries and blueberries are my favorite. They go great with the rich creme.

Despite the heavy hand with the sugar, my topping was light shattering glass! The custard was amazingly rich, soft, smooth, full of vanilla and just the right amount of sweet.

Of the six of us at dinner, only two of us finished our creme brulee. These bowls were a little too big. Each was 3/4 of a cup of custard. If we hadn't gorged ourselves on all the amazing vittles before hand, I'm sure all would have finished our dessert. That being said, one of the ramekins was licked clean at the end of dinner!!!

Le Cirque's Creme Brulee
from The Essential New York Times Cook Book by Amanda Hesser

Serves 6-8

4 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split, sees scraped out and reserved
Pinch of salt
8 large egg yolks
3/4 cup plus 2 TB granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1. Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Place eight 6-ounce ramekins in a roasting pan. Combine the cream, vanilla bean and seeds and salt in a saucepan set over low heat and warm for 5 minutes.

2. Gently whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar in a large bowl. Gradually pour in the hot cream and stir gently to combine. Strain the custard into a pitcher; discard the vanilla bean and use a spoon to skim off any bubbles on the surface of the custard.

3. Pour the custard into the ramekins, filling them almost to the rim. Place the roasting pan in the oven and carefully pour warm water into the pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake until set, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and allow to cool.

4. Cover the ramekins individually and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or for up to 2 days.

5. When ready to serve, heat the broiler. Uncover the ramekins and place them on a baking sheet. Top each with 1 TB of brown sugar, and using a metal spatula or your gingers, spread the sugar evenly over the custards. Broil the custards about 4 inches from the heating element until the sugar browns and caramelizes, 30 seconds to 1 minute. *Use a blowtorch, if you have one, to caramelize the sugar on top.

NOTES: I had 6 matching ramekins. I tested how much custard they could hold, by filling them with water, then measuring that amount. Each of my ramekins held 3/4 of a cup of the custard. That was exactly how much this recipe made. Six ramekins of 3/4 cup of custard.

As noted above, I used a blend of three sugars, granulated white sugar, brown sugar and turbinado sugar. Not necessary, but interesting.

French Onion Tartlets

2011-01-26T18:12:00.005-05:00

At our recent dinner party, I wanted to greet the guests with a bubbly drink and a little nosh. One of the nosh items was something I came up, sort of on the fly. I played around with making an onion & sage tart, but I just wasn't feeling it. Being a French themed dinner, I also really wanted onion soup, but didn't want to go over board on the. What if...I could make incorporate the two?

French Onion Tartlets!!!

I started with two large sweet onions. They were diced and tossed in a non-stick skillet with butter, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Cook slow and low for about 45 minutes. The onions will caramelize and reduce down.

After the onions cooked down, I added a quarter cup of a dry white wine. I allowed that to mix in and simmer do to nothing. Next was some apple juice--I'd have preferred cider, but I didn't have it. Simmer that down to nothing. Finally I added some beef stock and simmered that down, about 1/2 cup. You don't want this to actually be soup. A nice thick consistency will be best. Once I had the consistency I wanted, I stirred in a tablespoon of cider vinegar. At the moment, that seemed like a mistake, but the vinegar made the flavors pop later on! I placed the mixture into a bowl and kept it in the fridge for about 3 days before I continued the tartlets the day of the dinner party.

Now...how to make the tarts? Use the recipe here, roll out and cut into small circles with a biscuit cutter, about 2-2 1/2 inch diameter...it might have been 3 inches??? Carefully place the circles into a mini-muffin tins. I forgot, but you should prick the pastry with a fork. You'll need to bake these in the oven for about 15 minutes...350 degrees. They will be puffy and golden brown. Allow to cool.

Each tart shell took about 1 full teaspoon of the onion mixture. I topped each tartlet with a small bit of shredded mozzarella. I would have preferred Gruyere, but I forgot to get some at the store. Put them back in the oven, 350 again, for about 10-15 minutes. This allowed the onion mixture to heat back up and the cheese to melt.

These were tasty little devils. I made enough for at least 12 people, but the 6 of us finished almost all of them off!!! Serve them hot and with a glass of wine. Enjoy.

Dinner Party

2011-01-24T21:02:00.002-05:00

As much as I enjoy cooking and entertaining, I don't entertain, truly entertain, all that often. But when I do...I pull out the stops. Two weekends ago, we had a nice little gathering, 6 of us total. If you want to get into the business of entertaining, I think there are two things to plan on. 1) Plan a menu that can mostly be prepared in advance so you don't have to spend all your time in the kitchen otherwise spending time away from you guests. 2) Prep and organize in advance so you don't forget something. Figure out what you are serving and what dishes you'll need. What serving utensils will you need? Do you have the glasses you need?

For four people, I had the entree plates, salad plates, forks, knives and spoons. Coffee cups and ramekins. There were antique crystal champagne goblets for when our guests arrived. Wine glasses for dinner and wine glasses for an after dessert tasting. Don't forget water glasses. I also had some of the serving platters.

For Christmas, I got this book for table settings. I had to try out a special fold! This was the "shield."

I preset the table a few hours before the guests were scheduled to arrive. The wine was put out a few minutes before they arrived. Pitcher of water. Bread basket. BTW, the table line, is the inspiration for the paint we'll be working into our dining room in the near future. Yellow. With blue accents and a few pops of red. Very Provencal.

During dessert. All that was left was wine, coffee and creme brulee! That's only about seven actual bottles of wine. One unique way to have water on your table...recycle wine bottles. Wash them out, remove the labels and voila! Pre-fill them and keep them in the fridge before the party.

Stay tuned over this week for the menu & more photos. It was a great dinner and I look forward to the next one. This was a French theme...I'm curious what the next theme will be?!?!

Curried Turkey

2011-01-09T16:43:00.004-05:00

This was a pretty fast, super easy recipe for a filling, flavorful dinner. There is a lot of flexibility to this dish as well, you can change up the ingredients based on what you have in the house! Give it a shot. Oh, and it's a one-pot meal too, so clean up is easy peasy.

Curried Ground Turkey with Potatoes

Start with ground turkey (or chicken, or pork...), brown in a skillet with a small amount of oil. My turkey seemed to release a lot of liquid. Give this a chance to cook off, then add chopped onion, chile, garlic and ginger. Saute for a minute or two to soften the onions. Then add the spices. Curry powder or Garam Masala, coriander, cumin and a small pinch of tumeric. Allow spices to toast, then add broth or water, stir to combine.

Add diced potatoes to the mixture. Add a little extra water if you need, to make sure the potatoes are covered. Cover the skillet and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the potato. Stir once or twice during that time.

Add some green beans or peas...or other veg would work. Also add diced tomato, canned or fresh. Simmer for 3-5 minutes until the veg are cooked through. These were frozen green beans, so they only needed to heat up. Top with chopped cilantro.

This is a pretty complete meal as is, or you can serve with rice or flat bread. The choice is yours. I loved how easy the meal was. Plenty of good flavor, hearty and filling, and pretty healthy. I only used about 2 teaspoons of olive oil in the whole dish. The turkey was very lean as well.

Curried Ground Turkey with Potatoes
From Simply Recipes

3-4 TB vegetable oil
1 pound ground turkey (thigh meat if you can get it)
1 chopped onion
2 chopped garlic cloves
1-2 chopped fresh red chiles (optional)
A 1-inch piece of peeled ginger, grated fine
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste
1 TB garam masala (or curry powder)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2-4 Roma or other plum tomatoes, diced
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/2 cup (loosely packed) chopped cilantro or parsley

1. Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large pot with a lid. When the oil is hot, add the ground meat, spreading it out over the pan. Try not to crowd the meat (you may need to cook in batches). Cook the meat without stirring, until it begins to brown.

2. Add the chopped onion and chiles. Stir and sauté for 4-5 minutes, or until the onion begins to color a bit. Sprinkle salt over everything.

3. Add the grated ginger and garlic, mix well and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.

4. Mix in the spices, water, and the potatoes. Stir to combine and cover. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

5. When the potatoes are tender, add the diced tomatoes and peas. Mix well and cover the pot. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add salt, if needed, to taste.

6. Right before you serve, mix in the chopped cilantro. Serve alone or with flatbread or white rice.

Serves 4.

Scott's Notes:
*I used only 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil
*There were no red chiles, so I used one jalapeno
*I needed about 1 full cup of water to help the potatoes cook, most of this water evaporates, but you are left with a little "sauce" in the pan
*I used a little extra garam masala and probably 1/8 of a tsp of tumeric
*I used canned diced tomatoes, which I drained, probabaly 1/2 a can. Also used frozen green beans.

So much goodness

2011-01-05T06:50:00.001-05:00

Give yourself some time and make a giant pot of delicious Ragu alla Bolognese!

We start by making a Pestata. A finely minced blend of pancetta and garlic.

After cooking the pestata, add some minced carrot, celery and onions. Add wine, beef, pork and tomatoes.

Simmer for over three hours, adding broth as the sauce reduces.

And serve with pasta!

The recipe is huge! You need a large pot. I pulled out the largest I have. A 12 quart stock pot. You don't want to start and then have to shift to multiple pots. With the full batch, I made one 8x8 pan of baked ziti, 3 bowls like the one above. I have one container for a weeknight, quick meal in the freezer, and another large batch frozen for some lasagna later on.

Ragu alla Bolognese, Ricetta Tradizionale
From Lidia Bastianich

2lb ground beef
2lb ground pork
2 cups dry white wine
6 oz bacon or pancetta
5 fat garlic cloves
2 TB extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, minced in a food processor or finely chopped
2 large stalks celery, minced in a food processor or finely chopped
1 carrot, shredded (or minced in a food processor or finely chopped)
Salt/Pepper

2 cups dry red wine
2 TB tomato paste
2 cups plum tomatoes passed through a food mill
8-12 oz broth (Lidia calls for turkey or vegetable, I did 3/4 chicken, 1/4 beef)
Salt/Pepper

* Put all four pounds of meat in a large mixing bowl. Crumble and mix together. Pour in the white wine and stir to incorporate, with the meat evenly moistened.

* Cut the pancetta in to chunks and put in a food processor with the garlic. Process until finely minced.

* Pour the olive oil into the heavy saucepan and scrape in all of the pancetta/garlic mixture (aka Pestata). Stir and cook for 3 minutes or more, rendering the fat, over medium-high heat.

* Stir in the minced onion and cook for a few minutes until the onions are sizzling and starting to sweat.

* Stir in the celery and carrot and cook until wilted and golden. About five minute or more. Stir frequently.

* Turn heat up, closer to high. Push the vegetables to the side and add the meat mixture. Sprinkle with salt. Allow the meat on the bottom to brown, stir with the vegetables and mix together. All all the meat to brown. The liquid from the meat and vegetables will probably cover the meat. Cook over high heat until the liquid is gone. This can take 30-40 minutes depending on the pan. Stir occasionally and as the liquid level drops, lower the heat so the meat doesn't burn.

* Begin heating up the broth.

* When the meat liquid had cooked off, add the red wine. Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Cookuntil the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes.

* Clear a space in the bottom of the pan and add the tomato paste. Toast a minute in the hot spot, then stir with the meat and let caramelize for 2 to 3 minutes.

* Stir in the crushed tomatoes, rinse the can with some extra broth. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.

* Pour in 2 cups of hot broth, stir will and add more if need to cover the meat. Bring to an active simmer, cover the pan and adjust the heat to maintain a slow, steady cooking, with small bubbles breaking the surface.

* From this point, the sauce should cook for 3 hours. Check the pot every 20 minutes and add hot broth as needed to cover the meat. The liquid level should be reducing by 1 1/2 to 2 cups between additions; if it's fall much faster, and it takes more than 2 cups to cover the meat, lower the heat to slow evaporation.

Pissaladière

2011-01-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

Here's a yummy little snack I pulled together using leftover pizza dough. I'll certainly be making this again!

Pissaladière is a French-style, tart-like form of pizza. This is almost a pissaladière. Hailing from the southern part of France, traditional pissaladière is a flaky style crust with onions, olives and anchovies.

That was my inspiration.

I had a leftover portion of pizza dough (from here.) I stretched it out into a rectangle and brushed with melted butter. I added about 1 TB dried Italian herbs to the butter. Perhaps some French herbs next time. Thyme, Tarragon, Parlsey...Herbs de'Provence.

I caramelized one medium onion, which I spread out over the top of the buttered dough. I would add a second onion next time.

On top of that, I added freshly grated Parmigiana. Being anti-olive and anti-anchovy, those won't be making an appearance.

I baked for about 17 minutes at 450, on a baking sheet. The last few minutes, I removed the pissaladière to the baking stone in the oven to get the crust more crispy.

Slice and serve. I'd show you a picture, but I was too excited to serve this to my guest that evening, that I forgot. This was tasty and I will certainly make this again.

Thank you Nigella

2011-01-03T05:00:00.000-05:00

I think this came across my Twitter feed, or maybe a blog RSS, regardless, it was fast, filling and tasty. Oh and there is bacon!

Chicken Schnitzel with Bacon and White Wine

Cook up some bacon, in strips or diced. I find it easier to evenly cook bacon when diced. When cooked, remove to a paper towel lined plate.

Season the chicken cutlets with salt & pepper. Cook in the bacon fat until golden brown, a few minutes per side. Remove the chicken to a plate.

In the pan, add 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, saute for only a few seconds. Quickly add 3/4 cup of dry white wine. Stir and scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Allow to reduce by 1/2. Add one TB of chopped parsley. Stir and add the bacon back into the pan.

Serve chicken with egg noodles and spoon the bacon wine sauce over. A squeeze of lemon is nice to cut the fat.

Chicken Schnitzel with Bacon and White Wine
Adapted from Nigella Lawson

8 slices of bacon, diced
4 chicken cutlets, thinly sliced, seasoned w/salt & pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup of white wine
1 TB chopped parsley

Cook diced bacon in a fry pan over medium-high heat. When done, remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

In the bacon fat, cook the chicken, 2-4 minutes per side, until cooked through and golden brown. When done, remove to a plate.

In the remaining fat, add the garlic and cook for just a few seconds. If you cook too long the garlic will burn and get all sorts of nasty. Add the wine, stirring up any bits on the pan. Reduce by half. Add the bacon and parsley to the pan, stir.

Serve chicken with egg noodles or spaetzle, with bacon wine sauce served over the top.

Enjoy.

Old School, Gourmet Substitute Teacher

2011-01-02T10:14:00.000-05:00

I'm a Midwestern boy. Born & raised. A standard supper was Tater Tot Casserole. The only variations I knew of were whether there was corn or beans and whether cheese was on top of the tots or under. But I had a moment of Awesomevation (awesome innovation! thanks How I Met Your Mother & Barney Stinson!). What if I changed several variations. We take the old school and give it a little home-spun gourmet twist.

Southwestern Style Tater Tot Casserole

I started with minced chicken. You can use ground chicken or mince it with the food processor like we did with the Thai Basil Chicken. I went with the minced chicken. Saute for a few minutes until the pink is gone. Remove to a bowl.

In the pan, add 2 TB of butter, saute 1 diced onion. When soft, add some spices. Use a Tex-Mex blend if you have it, or mix cumin, coriander, ground chiles, garlic powder, paprika. All the spices to bloom in the hot, melted butter for a minute. Add 2 diced bell peppers, red & green are good. Plus 1 cup of corn kernels.

Saute the vegetables for 3-5 minutes, until soft. Sprinkle with 2 TB of flour, stir for 2 minutes.

Pour in two cups of chicken broth. Simmer until the broth thickens. Stir the chicken back into the mix. Pour into an 8x8 baking pan.

Top with tater tots and bake for 15-18 minutes. This cooks the tots and allows them to crisp up. Top with shredded cheese and bake for another 3-5 minutes until melted.

Serve hot.

I loved this variation! Can't wait to try it again.

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hello all! One of my non-resolution resolutions is to do a better job blogging. 2010 was sad, in terms of blogging. I did plenty of cooking, ate at some great restaurants...but in the end, I just didn't have the blog bug. To start us out, I have simple, awesome, fast snack for you to try.

At a holiday gathering in December, our host put this together for us. It was awesome. I don't know what it is called. I'm calling it...tasty yum yums in tube dough. Really, I don't have a name for them. Ricotta Crescent Roll Ups, how's that? Oh, these things are versatile, can't wait to try other fillings.

Start a tube of refrigerator crescent roll dough. Unroll and do one of two things. Lay the triangles out in a circular shape like this, or just lay them out (photo later). Allow the corners to overlap a little. Place a few leaves of basil or baby spinach on the wide end.

On top of the basil/spinach option, place a tablespoon of seasoned ricotta cheese. I had 8 TB of ricotta, seasoned with salt, pepper and 1 TB of Italian Seasoning. Stir to combine. On a later batch, I seasoned with fresh, chopped basil, salt, pepper and fresh parmigiana. What might you want to try?

On top of the ricotta, add a teaspoon of diced tomato. Use fresh, ripe & fresh tomato, if you have it. Use canned tomato, but drain it first. After the tomato, take the skinny tip of the dough and roll over and tuck under the wide end. You'll have a wreath shape. Bake in a 375 oven for 12-14 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot.

Here's a simple way to prepare the roll ups if you like.

Stuffed, rolled and ready for the oven.

Baked and ready for serving. Very tasty.

I was thinking of some other options:
Cream cheese & shredded cheddar, broccoli
Queso Fresco, Tex-Mex spices, beans or chicken, roasted peppers or corn
Crumbled feta, oregano, olives
Cream cheese & peanut butter, diced apples and chopped nuts

What do you think?

Thai Basil Chicken

2010-12-23T10:23:00.003-05:00

This recipe came across the rss feed the other day. From Serious Eats. Thai-Style minced chicken with basil and chiles. Let's get started shall we.

If you have access to ground chicken, you can use that. Or, if you have a food processor, you can mince your own. Cube the boneless, skinless chicken breast into 1 inch pieces. Drop them in the bowl of your food processor and pulse the blade 10 times. You have a fairly uniform mince. If you have a large bit or two, just chop them up.

Saute some onions, bell pepper and garlic. Due to an upset tummy in the house, I skipped the chile and added a small pinch of red pepper flake for a little heat. Remove to a bowl and move on to the next step.

In the pan, saute the minced chicken until cooked through, no pink. Stir the veggies back into the chicken.

Add some soy sauce and simmer for a minute. Then add fish sauce and fresh basil. Stir and serve over rice.

Very tasty! Filling, light and easy peasy.

Enjoy.

Thai-style Minced Chicken w/Basil and Chiles
1 pound ground chicken, or boneless, skinless meat chopped in a food processor
2 TB peanut oil, divided
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced into crescents
1 red or orange bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch strips and then into diamonds
1 TB minced garlic
1-2 jalapeno or serrano chiles, cut crosswise into rings
1 TB Thai black soy sauce
1 TB Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce
1 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Ground pepper to taste
2 cups cooked white rice, for serving

In wok or other stir-fry pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat until just smoking, then add the onion. Stir-fry for 1 minute, then add bell pepper and stir-fry for an additional minute. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat and scrape contents into bowl.

Heat remaining two tablespoons oil over high heat until just smoking, then add chicken all at once. Spread evenly in skillet and cook, without stirring until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir-fry until pink is completely gone and chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes longer.

Return cooked vegetables to pan and add chiles. Stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the soy sauce and cook for 15 seconds. Follow with fish sauce and basil leaves and cook until just wilted, then season with pepper. Taste for balance, adding soy sauce, fish sauce, or more pepper as needed. Serve immediately with rice.

Updates-fun with camera phone.

2010-12-21T18:37:00.004-05:00

Made a quiche the other day. Came together fairly easy. Cooked easy. But had a bit of a spill over. Looks like a lava flow.

This photo looks great on my phone, but here it looks very washed out. A great batch of chili, served with cornbread. All tasty.

I have off this week, so I took in one of the many food trucks invading the city...Red Hook Lobster truck. Delicious lobster rolls! Try the Connecticut for the butter soaked angel food!

Making pizza dough tonight. Loved the look of the rising dough in the plastic wrapped bowl. Lots of awesome flavors going on there.

***You remember that awesome amazing night we had at Bond 45 a few weeks ago. Well, they've made some changes to their menu. Take a look and check them out if you get the opportunity.

Playing Catch Up

2010-12-08T16:34:00.008-05:00

Yesterday I finally shared an update about our Thanksgiving and how tasty it was. Today is the rest of the highlights from the past month....

I made a yummy meatloaf. Except I think I over cooked it. I was trying to get the bacon crispy, but in the process, the actual meatloaf dried out! Bummer. I used a ground beef/ground pork blend. I also added some yummy to it. I sauted some onions and chopped bacon the meatloaf mixture, along with herbs and spices. Mmmm, not only did I drape the meatloaf in bacon, it was inside too!

Here's the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and corn. Lots of gravy help with the dryness!

This was a delicious quiche. Sauted potatoes, a French herb pork sausage and Havarti and dill. So tasty and satisfying.

Here's the quiche just as it was about to come out of the oven. Yes, I used a pre-fabbed crust. It was a quick to do. All good.

Here was a thrown together Asian style stir fry with green beans and pork tenderloin medallions. I coated the pork with cornstarch and Asian 5-spice. The sauce was soy, ginger, garlic and oyster sauce.

I found hangar steak for cheap! It had been in the freezer for awhile and one night when I had no idea what was for dinner, I pulled it out, thawed and rubbed it down with a spicy blend of herbs and spices. Paprika, a few types of chiles, garlic, cumin...salt and pepper. Cooked until medium raw, sliced and tossed with sauted peppers and onions. A fast delicious dinner!

Post-Thanksgiving

2010-12-07T07:30:00.000-05:00

Hi There! No excuses anymore. I'm a horrible blogger. Believe me...my bad blogging is the top cause of any and all guilt I have.

So, with a full on guilt trip...here is the better late than never recap of Thanksgiving 2010!

I made a batch of roasted butternut squash and turnips. I peeled and tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary. I was excited, but in the end...it didn't work for me. The turnips were bitter and the squash had no flavor. Just blah.

I made a bunch of compound butter for the turkey. Rosemary, thyme, sage and parsley with salt and pepper. I put this under the skin of the turkey, then used it to baste! Mmm.

For the first time, I wanted to try making a green bean casserole. It seems to be a full on traditional Thanksgiving dish, but I've never made it, nor have I had it. But...I couldn't do things easily. I made a roux based cream sauce with sauted shallots. The beans were blanched and I topped the who thing with crispy Swedish onions. Looked great. Smelled great. I didn't like it. Still not for me.

Here's my turkey. Because it was just four of us this year, I bought a turkey breast, which was brined in my awesome solution of salt, water, apple cider, smashed apples, lemon slices, smashed carrots, onions, fresh herbs and a touch of brown sugar. It was awesome!

Although not a great photo, I love the color of my drunken cranberries. Always tasty, especially with the addition of a little ginger this year!

Here are the finished green beans. Like I said, looked and smelled great, but I still don't like them.

Sliced turkey breast. Super juicy, not overly salty with a crisp skin!

My dressing this year. I do a traditional bread/sage/onion dressing. Since I only had the breast, I couldn't do a stuffing in the bird. I scooped the stuffing into muffin tins that were smeared with butter...drizzled a little extra broth on top, then another dollop of butter. They were crispy on the outside and soft and tasty on the inside! The dressing was the winner at this year's meal!

Sweet potatoes...orange and white varieties. After the spiced brown sugar and butter are put on top, I cover with marshmallows. Bake until golden brown and the marshmallows are starting to get crispy. It's like a pre-dessert!

My plate. But something is missing?

Ahhhh, gravy. Awesome delicious gravy!

Hope everyone had a great holiday...and Christmas is right around the corner...silly season.

In progress

2010-11-24T07:20:00.000-05:00

Last night I got the cranberries under control. Sure, they spilled over and made a big ass mess, but they are going to rock. I took my original Drunken Cranberry recipe and jazzed it up a bit...I've been tinkering over the years. It's now time for...

Drunken Cranberries 2.0

Yield: Approximately 1 Quart (8 to 12 servings)
Cooking Time: Approximately 20 minutes

1lb Fresh Cranberries
¼ cup of bourbon
¼ cup of triple sec
1 orange, juiced—it’s ok if pieces and chunks are included, but no seeds.
1 lemon juiced—ditto
1 cup sugar
1-2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 large pear, peeled and finely diced
large (14-16oz) can of crushed pineapple
1/3 cup of the pineapple juice from the can

Combine bourbon, triple sec, sugar, orange & lime juice and ginger root. Simmer until sugar is dissolved.

Add rinsed and cleaned cranberries. I remove any cranberries that are soft or damaged.

Stir into the sugar, coat all the cranberries. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until cranberries POP! (about 10 minutes). Half way through, add the diced pear.

Remove from heat and add crushed pineapple and it’s juice.

Stir until completely mixed.

REFRIGERATE, served COLD.

For the cranberries, I buy them, a few bags prior to Thankgiving and I throw them in the freezer, where they freeze perfectly and last the full year. I’ve also popped out a few to use as garnish in Cosmopolitans!

Grrr....

2010-11-23T07:30:00.000-05:00

When you have a newer phone and send photos you take to your email, so you can post them later...make sure the emails arrive and actually have photos attached. As I sent images, I deleted them off the camera. Save space right? Well, the emails arrived, via my phone, to my computer. Attachments and all. Except somewhere along the way, the attachments were stripped off the email. It said there were attachments, but there were no attachments. So many of the images I planned to share were gone! This is the only one that made it. Sadface.

Sweet & Sour Chicken, a light version from Everyday Food. It's pretty easy, straightforward and mighty tasty. Sweet. Sour. Filling. And in generally, not nasty for you. I used less than 2 tsps of oil to cook the chicken and veggies. The place it will get you is the sugar. Ketchup, Brown Sugar and Pineapple Juice. Still good!

Thanksgiving Market

2010-11-19T18:41:00.003-05:00

A little late...but if you're available, you should come to our Community Market tomorrow. Lots of great stuff...!

A Night at National Harbor and Bond 45

2010-11-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

Disclosure: I receive press releases and have contacts from all sorts of restaurants on a regular basis. Most of the time they are from restaurants I have no experience with, or no interest in. Sometimes they come from restaurants I’ve visited and will read through the release to see what’s going on. The one thing in common, is that they all ask me to share this information with my readers. I’ve made it a point to not write about or endorse something I don’t have firsthand knowledge of. If I can’t tell you what my experience is, I’m not going to blindly talk about an organization. I’m not a journalist or a professional reviewer, but I do want you to know that my opinion is my own. That being said, a few weeks ago I was contacted by a publicist for Bond 45 at National Harbor. My interest was piqued as I have been to their Manhattan location on two separate visits and both visits were wonderful. I’ve shared that information here and here.

This contact was to share information about the steak house’s upcoming pre fixe Thanksgiving dinner. Curious. An Italian restaurant taking on a Thanksgiving. I read through the message on my email two times before I saw that I was actually being invited to their new location to sample one of their signature dishes. Well then! Little ol’ me has been invited to try something at a restaurant I like! This presented a quandary. Could I go, have a free taste of something, which will probably be their best…and then share the experience objectively? Because I had a basis for comparison with my previous visits, I felt I could say yes. So, last night, @DancerinDC and I went to Bond 45 for dinner.

Bond 45
Italian Steak & Seafood
149 Waterfront Street
National Harbor, MD 20745
301.839.1445

The first thing I was a bit excited about was that this was our first visit to National Harbor; a massive effort by Prince George’s County and the State of Maryland to bring much needed tourist dollars to the county—to compete with neighboring Old Town Alexandria, Virginia across the river and of course the capital of the United States, Washington, DC. Easily accessible off of the Beltway (495/95) and DC 295, the location is a bit of a challenge for the motor-less citizens and visitors of the region. Buses do visit, but not without a major effort. Metro is nowhere nearby. For now, it’s cars or nothing. And maybe a water-cab? Parking appears to be plentiful with several garages, and at reasonable prices—we paid $5 for 3 hours. This is no downtown DC $20 parking!

We arrived early because I wasn’t sure what to expect for traffic. In the end it took about 20-30 minutes to drive from home, a reasonable drive considering the moderate traffic during the tail-end of evening rush hour. On this particular Monday night at 7pm, National Harbor was almost a ghost town. A few people walking around, dipping in and out of stores on their way to dinner destinations. With time to spare before our 8pm reservation, we popped into a few shops, checked out some of the other restaurants and even walked into the Gaylord National—a massive 2,000 room resort and conference center. MASSIVE! We also took a few minutes to visit The Awakening sculpture that was rudely removed from Washington, DC’s Hains Point. Yes, I’m a little bitter!

I need to give a little shout out to Capital Teas. Our first stop on our pre-dinner adventure was this lovely tea shop that caught our eye with a full wall of glass jars full of teas for sniffing and testing. We walked out with a tin of Earl Grey and a Rooibos Red Chai. I’m drinking the Red Chai now and it’s delish!

All in all, I think National Harbor is certainly in its advanced infancy stage. I hope our local residents find it and visit for shopping and dining. They do need something for entertainment though, to make it a full destination stop. But maybe there is and I don’t know about it.

Well, now it’s time for dinner!

As I mentioned earlier, it appeared to be a slower night in National Harbor. There was no wait to get in the door and we were immediately greeted by Elle. On our way to a table in the main dining room, we stopped in the galley for Elle to point out a few items. The antipasta selection at this location is smaller than in Manhattan. The focus here is more on beef, which they dry age on site. We were seated on a long banquette in the main dining area. The high ceilings and dark walls were covered with a variety of non-descript artwork.

Within a minute of sitting down and cracking open the menu, a flurry of people started coming by! There was Sean-Michael, a manager and Dave, another manager. Our waiter was Riadh (sounds like Riyad). Throughout the evening this team, including Elle, would stop by frequently to ask how we were, ask what they could get for us, or to just bring the food to our table.

The first thing we received were flutes of Villa Jolanda Prosecco from Veneto, Italy. This sparkling wine is my new favorite. Villa Jolanda is my best girl. We’re going to be going steady! Light, crisp, effervescent with soft hints of apples. Yum. At this point, we had barely had time to crack open our menus, but we were completely engrossed in the bubbly and hadn’t noticed the large popovers that arrived at the table.

After regaining our composure from the flirtatious Jolanda, we started looking through the menu when the kitchen sent out a large tray of three of the restaurants signature appetizers. Wow!

First was the bowl of meatballs, a blend of beef, pork and veal, served in a rich, chunky tomato sauce and a few points of toast. These were ridiculously tender and rich in flavor. The meatballs were about the size of Roma tomatoes and there were three of them. Along with the popovers, this alone would make a nice meal for one person. (about $10)

The second treat were two very large Fravioli Grandi, large, house-made ravioli filled with a mozzarella and stracchino cheese blend, fried and served with salumi and prosciutto. Hot & cheesey gooey, these were delightful. I loved the crispy texture against the soft cheese. The one downside, and I’ve seen this elsewhere with larger raviolis, too much outer rim of dough/pasta—keeping the delicious filling more centrally located. I didn’t notice as much when I spooned some of the extra meatball tomato sauce on them. (about $15, I think)

The final appetizer was stupid good! It was ridiculous. It was…I could barely talk or do anything else while it was on the plate. House-made Burrata with beefsteak tomatoes and more prosciutto. Burrata is a ricotta filled ball of mozzarella! Ricotta Filled! Ball of Mozzarella! Did you get that? Ricotta filled ball of mozzarella. STFU! Soft, buttery, creamy, fresh…. And when paired with the tomato and prosciutto. It was over. Done. Call the police, Bond 45 is going to kill me. (about $20)

Are you stuffed? I was! And apparently, we were only getting started. Oh, and at this point the only things we actually ordered were glasses of wine. I had a very nice Chianti Classico Riserva, 2005 Tomaiolo from Tuscany. @DancerinDC had glass of Primitivo, which he enjoyed; 2009 Matane from Puglia.

So at this point we’re loaded full of food and are looking at which entrees to order. I’m still a little surprised, but for an Italian restaurant the menu leans heavily on meat and seafood. But hey, if you’re going to do something, do it right and don’t water it down with something else. After some conversation, I decided to order the 8oz Filet Mignon (about $35) and @DancerinDC waffled back and forth on a few items. I finally said, it’s very unlikely I’ll make that so order it. He ordered the Slow Braised Lamb Shank Ossobuco (about $40).

We’ve enjoyed some awesome appetizers and are enjoying our wine while we relax before our entrees come. WRONG! Here comes the Lobster Risotto with shrimp, clams and mussels (about $25). More food!!! You’re kidding me. The look of disbelief on my face was partly—I can’t possibly eat more food and partly I’m not a fan of seafood! I like shrimp most of the time. I rarely have lobster, but I prefer is smothered in butter. Clams and mussels are out of the question for me. But I’m willing to try what’s prepared for me. I wouldn’t order something like this on my own, but if the restaurant is sharing, I’ll try. It was pretty good. The flavors of seafood and tomato were strong. There was some basil in the risotto, but you couldn’t really taste it. The shrimp were great. Lobster a wee touch over cooked. @DancerinDC tried the clams, which he said dissolved into a salt flavor and for him, as well as me, the mussels just weren’t going to happen. Overall, very enjoyable. The risotto is partially cooked in advance of the diner ordering it. Personally knowing the time and attention it takes to prepare risotto, I would never fault the kitchen for whatever shortcuts they take, but there were some lumps of rice stuck together and not stirred in with the rich tomato/seafood flavors. Perhaps a little more time preparing the dish before sending it out to the table. Where the waiter then serves from the sauce pan. This dish is intended for two people.

We were still hoping for a rest before our entrees came along, but that wasn’t too be. After the risotto was cleared—our entrees were delivered, with two huge sides! My steak was presented on a nice clean plate with some greenery on the side. Simple. @DancerinDC received a massive platter with his Ossobuco and a small side of Sardinian couscous with roasted peppers and capers. The sides were Roasted Parmesan Potatoes (about $10) and Grilled Asparagus Parmigiana (about $10). For some reason, I thought the potatoes were Rosemary Parmesan Potatoes. Nope, no rosemary…but it would be nice with some! The potatoes were either boiled or baked, jackets removed, then tossed with some oil or butter, grated parm and roasted until crispy. Initially I thought they were dropped in a fryer as they had more of a texture of a French Fry. They were tender, with a great flavor. Just a few was enough to satisfy the potato part of “Steak and Potato!” The Asparagus had great flavor and the Parmigiana was a Parm-based béchamel that was tossed under the broiler for a minute to brown. The only downside with the asparagus was that it is not in season and the thicker ends were a bit fibrous.

And our entrees? I don’t order steak out very often. Mostly because I don’t trust a lot of restaurants to make a good steak. Unless I am at a restaurant that makes it their business to make a good steak. This filet was wonderful. I asked for medium-rare and I got medium rare. It was seasoned perfectly with just the right pinch of salt. Juicy, tender and melt in my mouth perfect. I had no right to finish that morsel of beef, but I did and it was worth every ounce! @DancerinDC’s ossobuco was huge! He loved it, but couldn’t hardly make a dent in the braised delight. I’m not a fan of lamb. In fact, I just don’t eat lamb if I can help it. There has only been one time before when I liked lamb, in Ireland! I had a bit of this. It didn’t taste like lamb. It tasted of wine, tomatoes, vegetables, herbs, warmth, comfort and home. Very well done.

And Done! We pushed back and caught our breath.

Oh no. Elle brought us shots of Limoncello and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. We noticed throughout the night that all tables received the shot and cookies. The cookie was soft and chewy and just the right size for a sweet taste. The limoncello was pretty good. I’ve never had it before, so I have no idea what to compare it too. Mostly, I thought of drinking a Lemonhead!

But what would dinner be without two giant desserts? Tiramisu and Tortoni. The Tiramisu was classic. Light as air and a huge slice. The only downside I’d say…and this is just me…but tiramisu on its own can be transcendent. It needs nothing more than some luscious cream, coffee and booze soaked lady fingers and a heavy dusting of cocoa powder. Here, they gilded the lily as it were and went a step too far. Look at your creation, take a step back and ask what accessory you can take off. Fudge sauce! Great tasting fudge sauce, but a step too far. It wasn’t needed.

The Tortoni was described as an amaretto and orange ice cream with caramel sauce and toasted almonds. It was awesome. A great dessert for someone looking for an alternative to chocolate. The ice cream was frozen a little too much. The creaminess you expect from ice cream wasn’t there. In fact, I think it might have been more of an ice milk instead. Regardless of whether it was ice cream or ice milk, the flavors were a great combo.

We were completed defeated. The food won!

There was no room for coffee or a post-dinner cocktail. Sad-face!

Bond 45 delivered an amazing evening. The food was top-notch and the service was incredible. I have found it to be a rare occasion in the DC Metro region when restaurant staff actually wants to treat you right. Chef Stephanie, Elle, Dave, Sean-Michael and Riadh were all so generous with their time and talents, I can’t say thank you enough. Yes, our meal was comped, but the attentive service we witnessed at other tables didn’t appear to be anything less than what we were experiencing.

At the end of the day, I would go back to Bond 45. You can make it a special occasion dinner and spend a pretty penny (Seafood, steak, sides and wine). But I think you could also make a reasonable meal for much less (a large appetizer and a drink). Or just drinks and dessert for the final touch on a date night!

They also have a great looking menu for Thanksgiving Dinner if you are looking for a place to go. Six pre-fixe courses for $65 for adults and $35 for children. You get prosecco, choice or soup or salad; Lobster risotto; an entrée of your choice: Turkey with fixins, Roast Baby Pig, Red Snapper, Filet Mignon, Veal Chop Parmigiana or the Lamb Ossobucco. You end the meal with a choice of pie or mouse and fresh pineapple and strawberries. Sounds like a good deal to me.

Check them out, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Having been to the Manhattan location twice and now to National Harbor, I think the new location will live up to the high standards set in New York City. Thanks Bond 45 for coming to Maryland and Prince George’s County. We’re thrilled to have you!

Mmm, steak

2010-11-05T07:43:00.000-04:00

Mmm, steak! Steak with a red wine & shallot pan sauce.

When we explored the new Wegman's this past Sunday, I got very excited by all the nice cuts of meat they had. Our regular run of the mill markets around our neighborhood all had crap. If you wanted something nice you had to go to Eastern Market--which I love, but don't always have the time to go to. Or head to Whole Foods, which I also love, but can't afford on a regular basis. Wegman's had nice beef and it was the right price. We bought two vaccum sealed steaks (can't remember the cut). They looked like, and I thought they were filets, but they weren't. Regardless, they were tasty!

An hour before cooking, I prepped all my ingredients and let the steaks come to room temperature after I rinsed them and patted them dry. Prior to cooking, I seasoned them liberally with salt & pepper and an additional spice blend for super yummy flavor! I poured a small bit of olive oil the pan, to just coat the bottom, no pools of oil. Medium high heat. Drop the steaks down. These were some thick steaks, so I cooked them a total 8 minutes per side, for medium doneness. I flipped them at the 5 minute mark per side, then turned the heat to medium. This gave the steaks a great sear and didn't over cook them.

When I was done, I removed the steaks to a plate and covered with foil while I moved on to the sauce. Since I used very little oil, the pan was dry. Drop in a TB of butter, 3 diced shallots and a pinch of chopped rosemary. Saute until soft and starting to brown. Pour in dry red wine, a scant cup. Deglaze the pan and reduce to a thick syrup. Add 1/2 cup of broth and simmer until reduced by half. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Turn off the heat and add another TB of butter, swirl and stir until incorporated. Serve immediately over the steaks. Careful, you'll be tempted to finish the sauce with a spoon!

Enjoy.

Jambolicious!

2010-11-04T07:26:00.000-04:00

At our farmer's market over the weekend we picked up a pack of chorizo sausages from our local vendor. So far all of their products have been really good, but I hadn't had the chorizo yet. I wasn't sure what I would make and just tossed them in the freezer for the time being. As I planned out what to make for the next few days I had two things in mind. Use the chorizo and make something I could have leftovers for lunch. As the weather continued to cool down, I was craving something spicy, warm and filling. Jambalaya! Now, traditionally, jambalaya used Andouille sausage, not chorizo. There are also a million ways to direct your jambalaya from there. I wasn't concerned. Chorizo was gonna work for me! Oh, and forgive me Cajun spirits. My trinity didn't include celery--I forgot to get some! I subbed in some ground celery seed, crossed myself and said a prayer instead.

Jambalaya

I sort of made my jambalaya up as I went along. I started by cooking the sausages. I choose to keep them in their casing and cook them whole. I thought about removing the casing and crumbling the meat up, but I wanted bigger chunks of meat. I'm pleased with the direction I went. Cooking the sausages first renders out some of their fat, which I then used to cook the rest of the ingredients.

After remove the sausages from the pot, I sauted chunks of diced chicken. When that was cooked through, I removed it and moved on to the onions and garlic. I had to cross myself again here, as I didn't follow the true trinity! The peppers. I'll tell you more in a minute. While the onions were cooking, I moved on to spices. I used about a TB of cajun seasoning and 1 tsp of ground celery seed, 1/4 tsp of chipotle chile and chimayo chile for some heat. I also added a TB of Beau Monde seasoning. I dropped in a full bay leaf as well. I returned the chicken and sausages to the pot and poured in a 14 oz can of petite diced tomatoes and 4 cups of chicken stock. Carefully stir in 1 cup of uncooked rice. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to barely a bubble. At this point I added the peppers-diced green and red. I do this so the peppers don't cook too far and become mushy. I like them to still have some texture and be "just soft." In the past, if I saute them with the onions and celery (when I have it), they almost become too mushy for me.

Cook slowly until the rice is just cooked through. If you want to use shrimp or other seafood in your jambalaya, now is the time to add it. The residual heat will cook the tender morsels, without over cooking them.

Turn the heat off. I let my jambalaya sit for a few minutes before serving. The rice continues to absorb liquid and flavor.

Serve hot, in large bowls with large spoons! Enjoy.

Cocktail Time in Albany, NY!

2010-11-03T14:23:00.000-04:00

OMG!

Pumpkin Couscous

2010-11-03T06:18:00.009-04:00

I mentioned yesterday the purchase of a pumpkin at our farmer's market this weekend. Well, here's why. I was craving my Roasted Pumpkin Couscous. You need to take a little time to clean the sucker up.

The first thing I did was cut a slice off the bottom of the pumpkin, so I had a flat surface to work with. Then sliced in half, then quarters. From there I scooped the goop, and continued to cut the pumpkin into slices. I was able to easily remove the outer shell at this point and scrap out all the stringy bits from inside.

Dice the pumpkin. About 1/4 inch pieces.

Toss with dried oregano, ground cumin, salt, pepper and olive oil.

Roast in the oven on a parchment lined sheet.

Meanwhile...make some chicken! I seasoned some chicken thighs with salt, pepper and a mish mash of other herbs and spices. Then dipped the chicken in some flour and into a hot pan with olive oil. Get a good solid sear on the skin, get it nice and crispy. Flip the chicken over and add some onion, dry white wine and some chicken broth. Cover and put in the oven for about 15 minutes.

When the pumpkin is done from the oven, toss with some couscous and serve with the chicken, with the reduced sauce on top! Enjoy.

Pumpkin Curry Soup

2010-11-02T05:47:00.002-04:00

I bought a small pumpkin for cooking this weekend. Even the smallest pumpkin available at our market was still bigger than I needed. So after I got what I needed (another post coming soon!), I had just over 4 cups of cleaned, diced pumpkin waiting for something delicious to happen to it. I could do pie, but I'm probably considered a foodie heathen, but I prefer Libby's canned pumpkin for pies! So that generally means something savory. So soup it was gonna be. But I didn't want straight up pumpkin soup, I wanted something more. Pumpkin Curry Soup! With only a quick search of my books, I didn't find anything adequate, so I just started with my own recipe. Shall we?

Pumpkin Curry Soup

I started with 2 TB of butter, 4 chopped shallots and 2 carrots, peeled and chopped. Saute until the shallots start to turn golden.

Add 1 1/2 TB of mild curry powder, 1 TB garam masala, 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp tumeric, salt & pepper. Add 1 TB grated ginger. Stir and let the spices bloom in the butter! Mmm, blooming in butter!

Add about 4 cups of diced pumpkin, 1/2 can of diced tomatoes and about 3 cups of broth. Chicken or veggie. Stir to incorporate. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until pumpkin is tender. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return to the pot, taste and adjust spices. Optional, but OMG so good, add about 1 cup of coconut milk. Stir to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasoning again. Serve hot!

I had some left over toasted pumpkin seeds. I garnished with those. The texture was nice, but these were spiced and the flavors conflicted. If you have some plain roasted seeds, they might be nice. Or some fresh herbs. Enjoy!

Whole Lotta Fun Going On!

2010-10-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Don't forget that you can follow me on Twitter!

Hey you. Yeah, you. Nice Tweets!

When things slow down here,
they are usually moving along on Twitter.
Follow me.
Tweet Me!

@EatWithMe75

Cheezy

2010-10-22T07:05:00.000-04:00

Darn it! Another night home when I could have made something, but got caught up in the day to day grind and didn't get home until later than normal. With nothing planned for dinner and not much in the fridge, I had to go to a pantry stand-by. Got out a box of Mac & Cheez. You know the one, blue box, powdered 'cheese.' It's great as a kid, but as an adult...not so much.

But...I did dress it up a little. I used heavy cream instead of milk...Mmmm, fat! I had a small bit of left over shredded chicken that I warmed up and stirred in. A little extra spice with some cayenne and Italian seasoning. And with a final flourish, I added some Swedish 'fried onions' on top. Yes, it was absolutely a boxed meal, but a little better! Little bit.

Wurstplatte!

2010-10-20T07:01:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite restaurants is Cafe Berlin on Capital Hill in Washington, DC. They have great German food, some of the best I've had. The first time I went there, I felt as though I was walking into my Grandmother's house during the Christmas holidays. They were decorated for the season, the place was warm and the food was amazing. That was over ten years ago. I've been going regularly since then. 90% of the time I order the Deutsche Wurstplatte. A big plate with a bratwurst, a weisswurst, fried potatoes, sauerkraut and a pan sauce. I want to lick my plate its so good.

The other night I made my version of the Deutsche Wurstplatte. I had bratwurst only, but they were pan fried until browned and cooked thru. I started my pan sauce with some chopped shallots, a little flour to make a light roux and deglazed with some broth (a mix of chicken & beef). The sauce simmered and thickened. Prior & meanwhile, I made a batch of pan fried potatoes that were cooked in a little olive oil, salt & pepper and some seasonings. The sauerkraut was a tasty dish. I rinse and drain my store bought kraut. I add a little chicken broth, some caraway seeds, salt & pepper and one grated apple. Cover and simmer until cooked and delicious. The apple helps take out some, but not all, of the tart, tangy, bitter flavors. When the wurst were browned, I put them the in the pot of kraut to finish cooking while I made the sauce and finished the potatoes.

For the most fun, serve all on a giant platter, family style. Drink beer.

Prost!

Slowly but surely...

2010-10-18T08:58:00.003-04:00

...Slowly but surely...I expect that life shall resume to something of an equalized state. I'm not promising a post a day, but I'll try more than once per month! It's embarrassing actually.

Yesterday was the first time in a long time when I actually "made" something for dinner. Not just something frozen. Granted, it was a Crock-pot meal, but it was something. I love a good pot roast/beef stew combo. I dropped the beef roast into the pot, dumped some red wine, beef stock and frozen pearl onion on top. Seasoned with various herbs & spices, covered and returned a few hours later to dump in some carrots and potatoes. Cover and return a few hours later. I scooped out all the goodies, strained the cooking liquid and made a quick gravy with it. Pulled the beef apart, dumped it in a bowl and poured on the gravy. Tasty!

Tonight...Bratwurst, sauerkraut and potatoes. I hope to be back tomorrow with another post!

20 day break? Sorry!

2010-09-20T08:40:00.005-04:00

There comes a point in your blogging career when blogging becomes work. Not work as in this is is so painful and I don't want to do it. But work as in I'm exhausted from a long day and all I want to do is take a nap. I've been pooped out! My only really hobby right now is going home and vegging. So I have been. I'll continue to blog when I can and hopefully the time will come when I'm not so tired and get back into blogging on a regular basis.

In the meantime, I have a few things to share...

Channa Masala! This is an incredible budget meal. Chickpeas simmered in a spicy (you decide how spicy), curry sauce and then served over rice. Very tasty. I made a big batch so we'd have some food for lunches.

Penne with tomato vodka cream sauce. How do I love you, let me count the ways: 1) Penne. 2) Vodka!! 3) Cream! 4)Tomato. And 5) Sauce! Love. Simple, rich. Super rich. Very tasty!

Chicken quesadilla with corn, shallots, jalapeno and lime. Season a chicken breast with salt & pepper. Saute until cooked through. Dice. Saute some shallots and jalapeno in the same pan. Add the corn and diced chicken. Squeeze some lime. Stir. Good. Good as is. Better when smushed with cheese between a large tortilla!

Pides! A Turkish style pizza with chicken, cheese, tomatoes in a delicious crust. Filling! At the Mediterranean restaurant, Cafe 8 on 8th Street SE, Washington, DC. It's the only thing I've had there, in the 4-5 times I've been. Check them out.

Filling, Satisfying and Versatile

2010-09-01T07:10:00.001-04:00

Last night I made a super-sized batch of my Bazaar Couscous! A fragrant and delicious melange of awesome. I make this with chicken, but it can very easily be made without, to accommodate vegetarians. There is chicken, which has been seasoned with my house blended Baharat Seasoning. Then we have red onions, red & green bell peppers, carrots, golden raisins, dried cherries, tomatoes, pistachios, pine nuts, parsley and Charnushka seeds. A final stir with some Zatar seasoning and you're good to go! Delicious! Fragrant. Savory with sweet. Filling.

Woo hoo, leftovers!

Bits & Bobs

2010-08-31T17:00:00.000-04:00

Some tasty bits from a gathering this weekend...

Potatoes that I boiled until almost cooked through, then smashed. Put on an oiled baking sheet, topped with crumbled bacon and caramelized onions. When cooked until tender, cover with cheese sauce. Garnish with parsley if you like. Devil!!!

Mini pigs-in-a-blanket. Weenies wrapped with puff pastry! Mmmmm, weenies.

Cinnamon Bread

2010-08-30T09:18:00.000-04:00

I'm not even going to tease you with exposition...

Cinnamon Bread!

To start you need to warm up some milk and butter. Use only the best stuff you can get. The butter of course was Kerrygold...my all time favorite! Let this cool down, you want it to be warm, but not hot and not cold.

I was tired when I made this, but there are the little yeasts dying a horrible miserable death. Instead of taking a warm bath in butter and milk, activating their delicious gas...I scalded and murdered each and everyone of them. "Too hot" they were screaming.

This recipe is a sweet bread, so you need some sugar. And why the heck not, use some vanilla sugar if you have it lying around.

Butter, milk, sugar, eggs, flour and dead yeast. That's my dough there. A little sticky, waiting to rise. 90 minutes later, it's still sitting there, just a little flatter and more sad looking. I really did kill the yeast. Yeast needs a moist, warm environment to start the rising process. You kill the process with extreme heat and slow the process with cold. So what to do? After that 90 minute rest I proofed new yeast in warm milk, with a pinch of sugar. I waited a few minutes for the mixture to get foamy and start to smell super--the smell of fermentation! With that, I poured the happily proofed yeast into the boring dough and started kneading in the mixer again. And I started adding new flour. I total, I probably had to add an additional cup of flour, give or take. the dough now felt like proper dough and within a few minutes of resting, was rising! Woo hoo...I fixed it!!!!

90 minutes later, the blob was about to pour over the giant bowl I had it in.

I just tapped the top of the dough and it started to deflat, belching all the day down the bowl.

I nudged the dough out of the bowl, onto a floured surface and started to press it out into a large rectangle. Hold up your bread pans to make sure the size it going to fit. This was for two loafs.

Dump a bunch of cinnamon sugar on the dough, going all the way to the edge.

Roll the dough up and drop it into the pans, seam side down. Allow to rest for another 90 minutes to two hours.

Brush the loafs with an egg wash...liberally!

Bake for 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. My loafs overflowed and started kissing each other. Make sure to invite guests over to your house at this time. The cinnamon aromas wafting about will drive people nuts!

Let the loafs rest for a few minutes to cool, then slice with a large bread knife. If you can, toast it. Or, just eat it warm, with more Kerrygold butter!

Mmmm, butter! Seriously...I started giggling and had tears in my eyes when I had my first bite. So good.

Cinnamon Bread
From The Pioneer Woman Cooks
For 1 loaf

1 cup Milk
6 TB Butter
2½ tsp Active Dry Yeast
2 whole Eggs
1/3 cups Sugar
3½ cups All-purpose Flour
1 tsp Salt
1/3 cups Sugar
2 TB Cinnamon
Egg and Milk, Mixed Together, For Brushing
Softened Butter, For Smearing And Greasing

Melt butter with milk. Heat until very warm, but don’t boil. Allow to cool until still warm to the touch, but not hot. Sprinkle yeast over the top, stir gently, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Combine flour and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix sugar and eggs with the paddle attachment until combined. Pour in milk/butter/yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add half the flour and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the other half and beat until combined.

Switch to the dough hook attachment and beat/knead dough on medium speed for ten minutes. If dough is overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and beat again for 5 minutes.

Heat a metal or glass mixing bowl so it’s warm. Drizzle in a little canola oil, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and set it in a warm, hospitable place for at least 2 hours.

Turn dough out onto the work surface. Roll into a neat rectangle no wider than the loaf pan you’re going to use, and about 18 to 24 inches long. Smear with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter-smeared dough. Starting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal.

Smear loaf pan with softened butter. Place dough, seam down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix a little egg with milk, and smear over the top. Bake for 40 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.

Remove from the pan and allow bread to cool.

OMG So Happy!

2010-08-30T09:08:00.003-04:00

Fresh cinnamon bread! Stay tuned for more fun!!!!

Pepper Steak

2010-08-27T08:58:00.003-04:00

Each time I make Pepper Steak, I'm reminded how it was the first "Chinese" food I had. It was made a home and I'm sure it was more bland than what I'm making now, but I believe it was introduction to soy sauce. I like this dish for it's simplicity in preparation and for the complexity of flavor notes you get with Asian cuisine. Ginger, garlic, salty soy sauce, sweet hoisin, tangy-smelly fish sauce. Heat from jalapeno and hot sauce. More sweet from the peppers and onions. All very good. For some reason, this was far better than in the past when I've made it. Don't know why, but it's a keeper.

Hi is this blog still operating? Sounds like fun

2010-08-26T09:01:00.001-04:00

Yep, I'm still here. I just haven't been posting as often as I used to. Enjoy.

Ask me anything

Chicken & Leeks

2010-08-26T07:13:00.001-04:00

We had leeks the other night. They were good. We had this recipe the first time many years ago. It is one of the simplest recipes out there. Cook chicken. Cook leeks. Dump wine. Simmer. Done.

Chicken & Leeks

Start with some leeks. I like to cut them into 1/2 moon shapes. Give them a super wash in a bowl of water, then lift them out to drain them. After washing all the sand out of and off of them, you don't want to dump the dirty, sandy water back on them.

Cook your chicken. Usually you can use whatever chicken bits you have. Last night I had chicken tenderloins. Chicken breast are fine. I'm going to say chicken thighs are even better. Give whatever a quick saute to brown and start the cooking. When browned on both sides remove to a plate, don't worry about being cooked through it will finish cooking later.

A pause. What to serve this with? I think rice is the best option. You want something starchy/grainy to give the final sauce a place to go. You could use a pasta. Couscous. A steamed green veggie would be fine too. This time I used a hearty whole grain style rice that had all sorts of crunchy bits in it. It was good. Nutty.

Here we go. After the chicken was browned, I tossed the leeks into the pan and stirred them around for a minute or two. You want them to just start to sweat. Then, dump in a dry white wine. Add the chicken back in. Add wine to just cover the chicken. Bring to a low simmer, cover and walk about for 10-20 minutes. Do something else! But don't forget about it though.

Spoon the chicken and leeks, with sauce over your rice. Garnish with some chopped parsley if you like. Enjoy!

Random

2010-08-25T06:59:00.000-04:00

Cleaning out some of my digital photo albums and found some things I'm not sure I've shared...

My favorite snack! Toasted English Muffin with extra crunch peanut butter, sliced banana and a drizzle of Tupelo honey. Bliss. Let it warm up for a minute so the honey and peanut butter get all sorts of gooey.

A week or two ago my book club met to discuss To Kill A Mockingbird. We went to a newer restaurant in DC's Eastern Market neighborhood, that totally jived with the time period of the book! The food was good, the atmosphere great and the discussion enlightening. While I was deciding what to order, someone in the restaurant ordered something with bacon. That was it. I had to have bacon. My order was a tasty sloppy joe and I asked them to top it with bacon. And they did! Naughty. Good!

Ted's Bulletin
505 8th Street SE
Washington, DC 20003
202.544.8337

This was an almost tasty meal. Chicken braised in white wine. The braising liquid was cooked down into a nice sauce. I served the chicken with regular old frozen corn (hadn't been to the market that week!) And Tater Tot Hashbrowns. I cooked frozen tater tots in the skillet, with onions, until they fell apart and browned nicely. I always forget how much oil those frozen nuggets have in them---without the extra added when I was cooking them. They were greasy and gave me a belly ache. But I liked the idea of using them as a quick substitute for a potato, of which I had none.

Mmmm, breakfast! I can't remember the name of this place, but it's next to the Uptown movie theatre in DC. Breakfast cereals! This mix was Cheerios (regular and honey nut), Grape Nuts, sliced almonds and pecans, plus a dash of cinnamon. I love cereal, but I don't eat it very often. This was very satisfying and filling!

Jam Bistro by Eden

2010-08-24T07:44:00.000-04:00

I'm a little bummed. Last week was Restaurant Week in DC and we didn't take advantage of any of the participating restaurants. We were just too busy and had no time to commit to going out during the week. Partly because we were taking a final jaunt to the beach before summer is over and the fall kicks into high gear. So, on Friday afternoon, we packed up and headed to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Friday night, we found ourselves looking for a place to eat. We weren't looking for anything in particular, we were just looking for something we'd like. We found it!

Jam Bistro by Eden. My understanding is that Eden is one of the restaurants in Rehoboth. They opened Jam as a little more casual, affordable option. First...I love the logo/artwork. Simple. But who judges a restaurant by their logo? How about the food?

After we ordered, we were given a basket of house made tortilla chips with a tomato jam. The chips were fine, but the tomato jam was great. A nice alternative to the traditional chips and salsa. A great, condensed tomato flavor.

We ordered a few different things, staying in the appetizer/salad categories. We had a late lunch, so we didn't expect to want to eat too much. Well, we ordered way more than we should have. But it was worth it. Our starting course was Roasted Garlic and Pulled Pork Risotto with a broth--I think it was caramelized onion and bacon broth. This was good! GOOD. Intensely flavored with a wonderful texture. There were whole roasted garlic cloves stirred into the risotto with tender pieces of pulled pork. The broth was light and highly fragrant. Together, it was sublime. I'm guessing the broth is a restaurant trick to help pre-made risotto stay creamy and moist through the dinner service hours. I didn't mind. Seriously good flavor. I expect to make something like this in the future.

I had a salad that made me want to lick my plate. Simple, but good. Bibb lettuce with candied pecans, pears and pretzel croutons--made from cubed soft pretzels! The dressing was a dijon-maple dressing that played very well with all the ingredients. Neither the mustard, nor the maple dominated the dish.

THE DEVIL! One thing on the menu that look particularly interesting to me was a section on different ways to have fries. Of course the first was where my eye kept going. Smashed Crispy FIngerling Potatoes with Bacon and a Vermont Cheddar sauce. So good. But too much. This came at the end of our meal and we couldn't finish it. The plate was large and could have given a table of 4-6 a nice snack/taste. For two people it was just too much. Other options included fries with Parmesan, Truffle Oil, Sea Salt, etc.

And the final dish we wanted to try was the Creamed Corn and Bacon Dressing. First, I would classify this more as a custard or even a short souffle before I would classify it as a dressing. But that's just words. The fresh sweet corn was very sweet. Sweet. Which was great with the bacon serving as a foil. But overall, creamy, airy, light, soft with a nice snap from the fresh corn. Nice. This might be something fun to play around with. Eggs, cream, corn--additional flavor enhancers--bacon, onions, leeks, etc...

There you have it! Jam! I would go back again. For the amount of food we had, plus drinks, we left spending far less than expected. Service was very attentive without being overbearing. Atmosphere was nice. A few color choices I may not make, but overall we were very comfortable. It was a later dinner, so the dining room wasn't packed, so I can't comment on the volumne during diner rush.

Check it out!

Jam Bistro by Eden
290 Baltimore Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE
302.226.JAMM
www.jambistro.com

Soda/Pop

2010-08-23T11:32:00.002-04:00

This is a fascinating and illuminating look at the Soft Drink industry of 2008. Click image to ZOOOOOOM way in. I'm not going to go into any details on what the graph says...click over to Accidental Hedonist for a great commentary.

Weekend Decadence

2010-08-23T08:49:00.003-04:00

We went away this weekend for a final hurrah before the silly season starts...September to May! Anyway, had this at a restaurant one night...smashed fingerling potatoes, fried until crispy, topped with bacon and a Vermont cheddar cheese sauce. We couldn't finish...it was so rich and good!

When I catch my breath, I'll share more about out awesome dinner out...

Floating

2010-08-17T09:06:00.002-04:00

I didn't intend to do naughty things when I went to the store the last time...but I did anyway!!!

The devilish ingredients!

Icy, creamy, decadent.

Sparkling & fizzy refreshment.

Caramel Ice Cream Float with Jones' Cream Soda.

Forgive me for I have sinned!

Buttermilk Biscuits

2010-08-16T06:16:00.000-04:00

Time to make biscuits! The other night, for whatever reason, I decided to make Buttermilk Biscuits for dinner. Actually, I had decided to make Biscuits and Gravy for dinner, but didn't have my fall back--biscuits in a tube! Guilty pleasure, I love them. So buttery and processed! So, biscuits and gravy, and no biscuits. So, let's start making the biscuits!

The recipe I used called for 2 types of flour, regular all-purpose and extra soft cake flour. I didn't have cake flour, so I used a super fine Italian style pasta flour. The results seemed ok!

What's a good biscuit without plenty of butter!

Whiz the flour, butter, salt, baking soda and baking powder until it resembles course meal and can be squeezed into a shape when pinched together.

Pour in the buttermilk and process until it just comes together. It will be super soft and sticky.

Start to carefully knead the dough together with additional cake flour. Be gentle. If you knead too much, the biscuits will be tough hockey pucks.

I don't have a proper biscuit butter, so I just formed my dough into a rectangle and cut out 8 triangles--similar to scones.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden and tempting!

The biscuits will be smiling at you when they are done!

Here's a biscuit with some sausage gravy on it. Tasty. I like to serve my biscuits and gravy sloppy, so extra gravy!

And here's a biscuit being a little naughty for dessert. Homemade mixed berry jam we got at the farmer's market. Drool!

Buttermilk Biscuits
from Williams-Sonoma Bread

1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) cake flour, or white pastry flour
1 TB sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup, plus 2 TB cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup cold buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, combine the flours, salt, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Process briefly to mix. Add butter and, using pulse, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Add the buttermilk all at once, and pulse just to moisten all ingredients. The dough will stiffen during mixing. It should be slightly shaggy, but not overly sticky or wet. Do not overmix.

Sprinkle a board with cake flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of the work bowl and turn out the dough; it will be very soft. Sprinkle the top with cake flour. With floured hands, gently knead the dough just a few times. Press and pat the dough into a loose rectangle about 1 1/2 inches thick. With a plastic dough scraper or large rubber spatula, fold the rectangle like a letter, overlapping the short sides in the middle to make 3 layers. Roll or pat out the dough into a rectangle 1 inch thick, sprinkling a little flour beneath the dough as needed to prevent sticking. Using a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out the biscuits by pushing the cutter straight down and lifting up without twisting. Cut as close together as possible for a minimum of scraps. Pack together and reroll the scraps to cut out additional biscuits.

Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart. Bake until the biscuits are firm to the touch and the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 15-18 minutes. Let rest for a few minutes, then serve hot.

Eat Me!

2010-08-13T08:13:00.003-04:00

Homemade buttermilk biscuits with freakin' ridiculously good mixed berry jam from the Cheverly Community Market. Stupid Good! More on the biscuits soon...stay tuned.

Chicken & Wine

2010-08-12T12:08:00.003-04:00

You really can't go wrong here. Chicken thighs, seasoned and seared, then braised in white wine. Add some aromatics if you have them--herbs, carrots, onions, etc. You can skim off some of the fat at the end and make a quick sauce for more succulent deliciousness!

Tweet!

2010-08-09T13:50:00.003-04:00

Don't forget that you can follow me on Twitter!

@EatWithMe75

Dietary Recommendations

2010-08-09T05:40:00.004-04:00

As I continue to not cook, I thought I would share this fun chart I found online. See!!!! I've always said that potatoes are a vegetable!!!! And butter, fat, sugar, "sirups" and preserves are a part of a good diet!

We've come a long way.

Meme

2010-08-08T12:17:00.004-04:00

I will continue to admit to being a bad blogger. I'm just not cooking a ton of things lately. Taking a class that meets twice a week, in the evenings. It leaves me exhausted. So I'm not cooking as much. Or cooking very quick things. The last has one more week. Then my regular schedule "should" resume. We'll see.

A killer burger from Dogfish Head Brewery in Rehoboth Delaware. Big fat juicy burger topped with a jumbo onion ring, then cheddar cheese, then crumbled bacon...g'ahhhhhhhhhh!

In the meantime...

Via the Brace Astronaut:

From Shine on Yahoo:

"When it came time to compile our culinary bucket list, anything was game, from street meat on the corner to the finest offerings at a four-star restaurant. Our list includes the usual suspects - caviar, decadent desserts, in-season produce at the peak of freshness - and some surprises, too.

If today were your last on this earth, would your tummy be satisfied? Or do you have some eating to do? Without further ado, our list of 50 Things to Eat Before You Die . . ."

">1. Chicago-style deep dish stuffed pizza with every topping imaginable – love deep dish, but my preference would be for a deep dish stuffed with cheese and sausage. My favorite!

2. Caviar (local and sustainable, of course!) – Could care less

3. Fried chicken and waffles – Nice, but not great

4. Just-picked, vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes with fresh basil and mozzarella di bufala on crusty bread – Certainly. But to me, it's all in the bread!

5. Perfect scrambled eggs with crème fraiche and chives – Very nice

6. French press coffee with real cream – Yum, but the coffee would make my belly sad. I miss guzzling coffee

7. Champagne and strawberries – As a snack, sure.

8. Steak tartare and fresh arugula with a drizzle of oil – No thanks.

9. Hot dog from a street cart with all the fixings – I’m weird, I barely like catsup on my hotdog. Maybe a chili-cheese dog, but no pickles, no relish, generally no mustard. Actually I’d prefer a good old fashioned brat with sauerkraut!

10. Authentic Vietnamese pho soup with beef, rice noodles, sprouts, fresh herbs, and sriracha (perfect for when you're feeling under the weather!) – Good pho is transcendent. And it will clear out your sinuses like no other!

11. Spicy tuna sushi roll topped with avocado – I’ll pass.

12. Fried soft shell crab – I prefer crab in “cake” form. Thanks.

13. Mayo-rich lobster roll – Don’t like mayo. Prefer my lobster coming out of shell and diving in a bowl of melted butter.

14. Baklava (Middle Eastern filo pastry filled with walnuts and honey) – I make the best Baklava, and I use pistachios instead of walnuts. Adding a little orange essence to the honey.

15. S'mores by the campfire – I enjoy them, but never fully appreciated the appeal.

16. Churros dipped in melted chocolate – I’ll enjoy them.

17. Bagel with cream cheese and lox – Salt bagel, toasted with cream cheese and no lox.

18. Ice-cold sake – The nearest thing I’ve had is a sake-mosa. Danger!

19. Sweet potato fries fried in truffle oil – There is a place near work where I can get sweet potato fries, dusted with cinnamon and a side of warm marshmallow fluff for dipping. Much better.

20. Anything with truffle salt – Sure, if someone wants to buy it for me.

21. Escargot drenched in garlic butter – Not a fan.

22. Beignets right out of the fryer, dusted with powdered sugar – As dessert for the last meal. I’ve had them before, not from NOLA, where you get three bowls of dipping sauce…that was a treat. And light on the powdered sugar please.

23. Real strawberry ice cream – Depends on how its made. I don’t like the real strawberries in the real strawberry ice cream to be frozen. Textural thing. Sorry.

24. Fresh-caught, head-on prawns over homemade pasta (preferably eaten in Italy) – Eh.

25. Chocolate-filled croissants with cappuccino on a Sunday morning – OK. Now, let’s make it a chocolate-almond croissant and were talking.

26. Pork belly – Yes please.

27. Tandoori lobster with garlic-butter naan – Maybe. See #13.

28. Tiramisu – Only homemade, not from a restaurant.

29. Honeycomb – Honey yes, honeycomb, no thanks. One of my all time favorite snacks…toasted English muffin, chunky peanut butter, sliced banana and drizzled in Tupelo honey.

30. Kansas City-style BBQ ribs dripping with sauce – Yes please.

31. Salted caramels – Had a salted caramel cupcake just last night. Heavenly. Salted caramels are very nice.

32. Fried Twinkie – No thanks. Didn’t like it when I tried it.

33. Homemade cannoli filled with ricotta – If you get in the way, I might punch you in the throat. Mine.

34. Nutella-filled crepe with fresh strawberries – I’ve never had a delicious crepe. I know they are out there, but the places I’ve had them, they were craptastic.

35. Full-fat eggnog dusted with freshly ground nutmeg – Yum, but…this is the worst thing for me to have…considering the lactose intolerance. No really…when ranking all dairy…this is the absolute worst thing for me. Yet I do it. Once glass a year. Only when I’m at home. Only on the weekend.

36. Greek yogurt with honey and fresh raspberries – I like Greek yogurt, but I usually have to had some things to it to make it to my liking. Vanilla seed. Honey is ok, but usually it’s a spoonful of sugar…and strawberries are preferred.

37. Southern-style shrimp and creamy grits – I just don’t get grits.

38. Mexican grilled corn with lime, crema, and chili powder – I’ve done it, but not with crema…butter, lime and cayenne pepper. Heavenly. Oh and make sure to have some fluer de sel.

39. Fresh-made guacamole with blue corn tortilla chips – Only homemade please.

40. Grilled summer peaches with brown sugar – Fine.

41. Fried green tomatoes – Not for me.

42. Big Mac – Not my favorite McD’s menu item.

43. Baked Camembert – Baked Brie maybe.

44. Homemade gnocchi in tomato cream sauce – Don’t twist my arm!

45. Butter lettuce from the farmers' market drizzled with balsamic vinegar and a few drops of really good olive oil – To simple for me. Lets dress it up with some toasted almonds, strawberries and a nice tangy vinaigrette.

46. Just-made glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut – I’ll eat a box in one sitting.

47. Mussels steamed in ale – No thank you.

48. 8-hour (or longer!) braised osso bucco – Actually have never had it.

49. Duck fat French fries – Have had it, loved the first two bites, then didn’t. So I’ll pass.

50. Bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with Gorgonzola – OK, I hate bleu cheese. BUT…BUT…I recently was given exactly this as an amuse buche at a fairly nice restaurant. I didn’t want it, but I did it. One bite. The flavors actually worked really well together. Sweet & jammy dates. Salty, crispy bacon. Tangy, creamy cheese. Together it works.

More Green!

2010-07-30T12:41:00.002-04:00

I've recently made potato salad with salsa verde. Then there is my pollo verde. And now more verde. Chili Verde! I love this dish. A unique, for me, approach to chili! This is no tomato/beef based chili that I grew up with. And it all starts with a tomatillo base!

Get a few pounds of tomatillos from your market. You want a firm fruit with limited blemishes on the papery skin. I give mine a good rinse in the sink, which in turn helps the papers peel off.

Here's a close up of the green tomatillo. When wet, the skin peels right off.

Cut the tomatillos into quarters, roughly, then put under the broiler until they begin to blister and burn.

The main flavor component and heat for the chili. A variety of peppers. There's ancho (dark green). Jalapeno (small and dark green). And the two pale green & yellow peppers...no idea what they are! Rinse and put under the broiler until well charred. Also include some garlic with the peppers. The garlic will sweeten when roasted.

Peel off the charred parts and remove most of the seeds.

Now the peppers and the tomatillos go into the food processor or blender for quick whiz to break everything up. You don't have to whiz the tomatillos, but I like the texture better. I don't go too smooth, but mostly.

Simmer for while with some broth and add some diced pork (I use porkchops I dice up.)

Yum! Serve with rice. But something's missing...

That's better looking. You might want a dab of sour cream to help tame the heat, depending on how hot the chiles are. And some diced tomato for a cool color burst. Finish with a little salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Fried Chicken and Potato Salad

2010-07-30T07:54:00.001-04:00

Buttermilk Fried Chicken &
Potato Salad with
Green Beans and Salsa Verde

Dinner the other night. So Good! There were a few changes I didn't anticipate making, but over all, all was good. Good!

The chicken marinates overnight in spiced buttermilk. Dredged in flour. I had very little AP flour, so I used a mix of whole wheat flour, corn meal and AP flour. The WW flour and cornmeal brought a nuttiness and textural change to the traditional party. The flavor very good though.

The Potato Salad was good. I had the wrong type of potatoes for this salad and I didn't have the lemon needed for the dressing. I subbed in some vinegar. Still really good!

Potato Salad with Green Beans & Salsa Verde
Adapted from Food & Wine

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup minced chives
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 TB fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, minced
Salt & Pepper
1 1/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 TB unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed

In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil with the chives, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Let the salsa verde stand at room temperature while the potatoes and green beans cook.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cover the potatoes with cold water, add a large pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes over moderately high heat until just tender, about 8 minutes; drain and return them to the saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and toss to coat. Season with salt.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and cook until crisp-tender, 4 minutes; drain. Return the beans to the pot and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Season with salt.

Add half of the salsa verde to the potatoes and half to the beans, stirring to coat. Transfer the beans to a serving bowl. Top with the potatoes, and serve right away.

My Chicken Delicious

2010-07-27T06:26:00.004-04:00

If I'm craving chicken and don't want to make something, I go to Chicken Delicious.

But I've I'm craving good chicken at home, have some time to think about it and a little time to go it...I make this, my infamous Pollo Verde. I don't follow a recipe. I've made it enough times, I just know when things are going to be all right. Here is a previous version.

Pollo Verde

To start with my green chicken, we start with what will become the marinade. 1 bunch of cilantro, leaves and most of the stems. Well washed. Several times. You don't want any sand in the leaves. Discard any brown or black leaves, those are nasty! Then you need some peppers. Please, no bell peppers. And you want mostly green peppers. I used Ancho, Sweet Banana and Jalapeno. Usually I only use one jalapeno, but I taste it to see how the spice level is. If it's mild, I'll go with two. With the other peppers, I usually try to have 3-4 each. Roughly chopped, with the seeds removed. Plenty of salt and ground black pepper. The rest of the green comes from lime juice. Usually I go with two limes. And for something fun, add about 1/2 a teaspoon of whole coriander seeds. **Note, I added whole, I should have smashed them a little. Crunching of those seeds--little brown seeds towards the top of the picture--is an experience; I'm talking flavor. Anyway. Drop in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil as well. Whiz it all together in the food processor or blender until smooth and sauce-like. Oh, if you like, you can add some garlic. I prefer to skip the garlic.

Reserve about 1/3 of the sauce for serving later with your chicken and for brushing on while the chicken grills. **See, there are more coriander seeds that didn't chop up in the processor. When you bite into them, they have a highly floral flavor. Very interesting. Not awful. But very interesting. Pour the rest of the green sauce over chicken thighs. I only use chicken thighs with this recipe. It's just that good. Boneless/Skinless is good, but you want the dark meat. If you're going to make this, use chicken thighs, you'll thank yourself later! Make sure the chicken is fully coated, seal in a bowl or zip bag and set in the ice box over night.

To accompany the chicken, we have some tasty morsels. Heirloom tomato, diced, salted and peppered.

Avocado, diced, salted, peppered, lime juice.

Grilled corn, little olive oil, salt and pepper, cut off the cob after cooking.

Pollo Verde can work on a grill pan or in the broiler, but the best--flavor and technique is on the grill. I like to have a pile of hot coals to one side of the grill. Get the chicken nice and seared and starting to char, then I'll move it to a cooler side of the grill and let it finish cooking with the cover on the grill. The corn, I just move it around a few times until charred. When the chicken is almost done, I spoon some of the extra verde sauce on and allow that to get one final sear over the hot coals.

I like to serve Pollo Verde with a tortilla of some sort. I happened to have these sun-dried tomato wraps. They worked well. I tossed them on the grill for a few seconds on each side when the chicken was done.

I pile all the ingredients on my plate and make little 'tacos' with all the goodies. Corn, tomato, avocado, chicken and some sauce. Wrap it up and chow down.

And towards the end, I get bored with the tortilla and just start mashing everything together. Amazing! This particular time, the tomato and corn were fresh from the farms. Both were supremely sweet and the tomato was particularly juicy. The only thing missing from this amazing line-up was some diced jicama that I wanted to add for crunch. I grabbed one from the grocery store, but I realized when I was in the check out, that half of it was rotten. If I get jicama, I make a quick orange/cumin vinaigrette that I dress the jicama with. Add that to the pile and you're in heaven!

This is one of my signature dishes. It's amazing. Great flavors, great spice levels, fresh, satisfying. All just right.

Next time though, I'm going to try gilding the lily...and adding a splash or two of a dry, crisp white wine to the verde sauce and see how that goes. Something tells me I'll slip into a food coma if it works out, never to be heard of again. Beautiful flavors.

Sunny Saturday @ Eastern Market

2010-07-21T07:00:00.001-04:00

You've already read about our great lunch this past Saturday. But the rest of the market was beautiful too...

Sunflowers

Plums

Piles of peaches

Heirloom tomatoes

Fresh herbs

Seventh Hill Pizza

2010-07-20T07:00:00.003-04:00

As a former resident of Washington, DC's Capitol Hill/Eastern Market neighborhood, it thrills me to no end to see the amazing progress the neighborhood has made in the past ten years. Sure, that same progress is what ultimately made me move--things got to expensive for us to live off of, but all the same, I'm very proud of what's become of the community.

This weekend I had to run an errand down to Eastern Market (two of my doctors are still there), so we decided to visit the Eastern Market for some fresh produce and to walk around the flea market. Of course, lunch had to be had.

A new pizzeria has opened in a former Ben & Jerry's location, and it's worth visiting!

Seventh Hill Pizza
327 7th Street SE
Washington, DC 20003
202.544.1911

7th Hill (from the creators of the French bistro next door, Montmartre) has a limited menu of 11-12 pizzas, named after SE/SW DC locations and neighborhoods, from the Capitol Hill (classic margherita) to the Navy Yard (tomato, sausage, oregano and pecorino-next photo). The toppings will be more familiar to those visiting an authentic Italian restaurant than those visiting the local college town pizzeria. Which leads me to think most of their ingredients come from nearby Eastern Market vendors. There's no Meatlovers or Hawaiian pizzas here. And oddly enough, there's no pepperoni either.

With limited seating, we pulled ourselves up to the counter to enjoy our brick oven fired pies. The toppings were fresh and wonderfully balanced with the bright red tomato sauce and creamy cheese. But I think the star here is the crust. Crisp and chewy, with the right thickness, we both chowed down on every last piece of crust. And it was a treat to sit at the counter, to talk with the chef when he wasn't throwing the dough in the air to stretch out the perfect eight or twelve inch diameter pies.

Outside of the small pizza menu (I think that's a good thing BTW), they also serve a soup d'jour (Chilled Corn & Leek the day we were there) and a selection of 5 sandwiches. There's the kicker...the sandwiches are priced at $7.50 and when you order...they bake the bread right then and there. Did you hear that...fresh baked bread, hot out of the oven, piled high with ingredients like roasted red peppers, prosciutto, provolone, pesto, tomato...I'm dying here! I love pizza. No really, I LOVE PIZZA...but at the end of the day, a sandwich on hot bread from the oven with the highest quality fresh ingredients for only $7.50...heaven. We watched the chef make the sandwiches in between throwing pizza dough, it was lots of fun. I caught his name, but can't remember...he said to us at one point when we realized he was making the fresh bread, "if you're gonna so something, you want to do it the best you can." I have to agree--those sandwiches looked scrumptious. They looked to have a little topping sprinkled ontop before hitting the ovens, possibly a cheese/herb topping?

Oh, and the soups also come with loaf of this fresh bread too! I think the soup was $6-7. Pizzas are $10-$17, depending on size and toppings. Beer is served.

A reminder, space is at a premium here, maybe four 4-top tables outside on the patio, up to 12 chairs/tables inside and maybe 8 chairs at the counter. The pizzas are fast--we had ours in under 10 minutes, sandwiches looked to have the same wait.

And one final point--this is a pay at the register and sit kind of place--no waiters or hosts/hostesses. Order, pay, sit and someone from behind the counter will bring the food and they might come back to clear around you, but if you want something more, go back and order. Also, something I don't have a problem with...let them focus on the food and getting people in and out in a timely manner. I could have sat for another 30 minutes, but the place was starting to get busy so we cleared out when we were done. Hopefully other customers do the same thing here.

Good luck to Seventh Hill Pizza. I hope you stick around for a while, become one of many great neighborhood places on the Hill.

Wrap for Dinner

2010-07-19T06:31:00.000-04:00

We were craving a quick, light dinner the other evening, but also something with a high, zesty flavor profile. Oh, and totally satisfying. I think we did pretty good by going back to a previous recipe.

Greek Chicken Wraps

Start with a quality wrap or tortilla that you like. These were sun-dried tomato and basil. Good flavor components with what we were looking to accomplish. Add some mixed greens of your choice.

Here's the one area I really wanted to play around. I used some shredded mozzarella. I did the same the last time I made these. I really want to try some feta, but I'm a little gun-shy with feta. For me, there is a fine line between enough to taste and too much that I can't eat it. Oh, and I don't really want to buy feta from my cheap-0 grocery store. I just don't trust it. Well, one of these days I'll get up the nerve and try..

Previously & Meanwhile, marinate some chicken with olive oil, lemon, oregano, garlic, salt & pepper. Saute or grill until cooked through. Dice. You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for ease. I used some chicken thighs for flavor. Very tasty. Saute or grill some peppers, shallots and tomatoes as well. Toss with chicken and some reserved marinade. If you have some toasted pine nuts, add those. Pile on the mixed greens and wrap up.

Enjoy!

Cobbling It Together

2010-07-17T22:02:00.004-04:00

It happens every year. Usually it starts mid to late May and goes in fits and starts through July & August. It's my ongoing love affair with Summer. Warm weather, flowers; all good. Hot weather, humidity; all bad. But them something that speaks only in the language of summer comes along and woos me, and as soon as it seduces me it runs off and leaves me for another year. Leaving me sitting and soaking in the oppressive humidity.

Well, here we go. Peaches. Blueberries. Together in perfect harmony and lightly spiced.

Peach & Blueberry Cobbler
by way of Smitten Kitchen

Fresh peaches and blueberries from some of our local farmers. The peaches were stupidly juicy and just the right amount of tart. The blueberries were bursting with sweetness. Add a little flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg and a pinch of salt.

The ingredients for the buttermilk cornmeal topping. Mix until resembling lumpy sand. Add buttermilk. Spoon on top of the peach/berry mixture.

I gilded the lily...sprinkled a pinch of coarse demura sugar. Bake at 425 for about 20-25 minutes.

When your kitchen is full of the heady, fruity aroma, you know things are gonna be good. Allow to cool for a bit.

Dig in. Serve with some whipping cream, ice cream or even some yogurt if you like. We skipped all and just enjoyed the delirious fruit flavors and tender biscuit topping.

Ooops, all gone. Good thing I made four individual cobblers...I'll have one for breakfast, with the yogurt.

This recipe will make a 9x13 baking dish full of goodness. I halved the recipe and made four small ramekins...portion control!

Peach Blueberry Cornmeal Cobbler
Via Smitten Kitchen
Adapted from The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern

For the fruit
1 1/2 (about 4 cups) pounds peaches, pitted and cut into slices*
1 pint (about 2 cups) blueberries, rinsed and dried
2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the biscuit topping
3/4 cup (3 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup fine stone-ground cornmeal (yellow or white)
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).Toss peaches with blueberries, sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in the bottom of a 2-quart ovenproof dish.

Make the biscuit dough: Stir together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into the dry mixture with your fingertips, a fork or a pastry blender. Stir in buttermilk with a rubber spatula until a wet, tacky dough comes together.

Plop spoonfuls of the biscuit dough over the filling; don’t worry about covering entire surface. Bake until the cobbler’s syrup is bubbly and the biscuit tops are browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool slightly and scoop it into bowls. Top with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, of if you’re having an accidental run-in with this cobbler before noon, plain yogurt.

*Want to peel your peaches? Here’s how: Cut a small “x” in the bottom of each peach. Dip them in boiling water for 30 seconds, and the skins will slide right off.

Doing it the Old Fashioned way

2010-07-16T14:40:00.005-04:00

After watching a video on Facebook posted by Maker's Mark on how to make an Old Fashioned, I had to have one...but I had to wait until after work.

Bourbon Old Fashioned

Ingredients:
1 orange slice
2 Maraschino cherries
1 sugar cube
3 dashes of bitters
1 1/2 oz of high quality bourbon (Maker's Mark!)
Sour mix (soda water or Sprite/7-11 can work too)
Plenty of ice

Start by muddling the orange, cherries, sugar cube and bitters in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and add the bourbon. Shake until well blended. You want to make sure the sugar is dissolved. I don't have a formal muddler, so I use a wide handled bamboo utensil for a wok.

Pour into an Old Fashioned glass, fill with additional ice if necessary. Top off with your favorite sweet & sour mix.

Garnish with an additional orange segment and cherry. Enjoy!

Su-weet

2010-07-14T06:56:00.004-04:00

The past 13 days have been a whirlwind of fun, relaxing, enjoyable vacation. This past weekend in particular was an extremely action packed visit to New Jersey and Manhattan. As with all trips to Manhattan there is good food. But not just in Manhattan. Let me draw your attention to a strip mall in Edgewater, New Jersey, along the Hudson River....

Su
Healthy Cuisine

A mostly vegetarian/vegan restuarant--they serve some fish--with a mostly Asian fusion spin.

We were famished after running all over Manhattan that day, so we jumped right in with some appetizers.

These were the spring roll special. There is soy protein in there, some veg, some jicama and a nice tangy, slightly spicy dipping sauce. A bit or two was good enough for me, the texture of the rice paper wrapping was a little funky. And overall it tasted very grassy. How Green is Your Grass grassy. (inside joke, sorry, you don't get it! Jodie Foster does!)

Our other appetizer was Roti Bread with a Malaysian dipping sauce. The bread was intensely buttery...without butter. The sauce was amazing, was sipping it with my spoon after the bread was gone! Curry coconutty, warm, spicy, beautiful.

This was entree. A major first for me...!!! Orange zest infused crispy wheat seitan in a sweek smoky sauce accented by dried chili and prickly ash (?). Served with a cold sauted spinach (ick) and brown rice. If you've had Orange Chicken at any Chinese restaurant, that's what this is...but so much better. Amazing texture, great flavor and after eating the whole plate, was full, but didn't get that sick gross nasty bloated full feeling you get after a box of take-out. I would order this again!

Similiar to my entree, this is a sesame sauce version with crispy beet garnish. This was a milder version of my dish. I will say about both. Delish...but only when hot and crispy, the minute the crispy goes soggy, I don't want it!

Our friend Kara had this Roasted seitan on Chinese broccoli, pumpkin and roasted almonds. She loved it. I tried the pumpkin, but stayed away from the rest of it. It looked to squigy for me. And I don't like any broccolis.

Our friend Terri had this "small plate" of Malaysian pan fried rice noodles. Also very good. Wonderful balance of flavors here.

The two crispy seitan dishes came with brown rice served in a banana leaf. Cute.

And desserts. This is a coconut custard with a lemon reduction sauce. Coconut flan, just a little to 'set' for me, more Jello-y, then custardy.

And the big bad ass dessert. Chocolate hazelnut ganache filled profiteroles with ice cream and a berry sauce. OMG!

Ganache Filled! That is all you need to know.

I would go back. I would order the same things...I took a chance trying something new and really enjoyed it, but there are still things I'm not sure about there. The only bummer part of the place...it's BYOB only. So no drinks unless you plan in advance. Soda, tea and water.

Su Healthy Cuisine
725 River Road
Unit 21
Edgewater, NY 07020
Phone: 201.840.7988
Open for lunch and dinner
12pm-3pm
5pm-930pm
Take out & delivery available

quick note

2010-07-13T08:40:00.000-04:00

Back from vacation. Will have a post or two up in the next day or so. A great restaurant in NY and NJ. Mmmm! Can't wait to share.

Blue Moon

2010-07-08T12:56:00.002-04:00

Summer Vacation! For part one of our vacation, we headed to Rehoboth Beach, DE. We usually keep things low key, but this time we decided on a major splurge. For our final dinner we headed to Blue Moon. What a treat.

After placed our order a hot waiter brought us a treat from the kitchen. I do love restaurants that give you a little amuse bouche. This time I wasn't sure I was willing to play the game. We were given a date, stuffed with Gorganzola cheese, wrapped in bacon and drizzled with balsamic. I really don't like Gorganzola cheese. I've tried it several times and just haven't liked it. Well...this time...this time was different. The sweetness of the date and balsamic, paired with the salty bacon brought a lovely balance to the tangy cheese. Very delightful.

We were told right up front the kitchen was busy, so we might want to consider a starter so we weren't waiting too long. I appreciate the honesty. So, we ordered a salad to share; bibb lettuce, poached egg, pickled onions, bacon and a herby buttermilk dressing. YUM!

A warm roll with soft butter. Not cold butter, but soft butter. THANKS!

My entree. I got the New York Strip with herb butter and herb roasted fingerling potatoes. Here's my feeling on herb butter. Keep the raw garlic out of it. The raw garlic is just too overpowering and for me, TMI, it makes me a little burpy and keeps making a reappearance all night long. That being the said, the steak was super tender and otherwise had great flavor. I was a touch surprised by the doneness. I ordered medium-rare. I expected a lovely pink steak. It wasn't. The pink was mostly gone. Which would tell me it was overcooked, but it wasn't. Still tender, juicy and great flavor, but the color wasn't there. I think the steak may have been cooked at a lower temperature after receiving a quick sear. Mmmm, I do love some steak!

I skipped dessert in lieu of a tasty cocktail. Coconutty goodness. I don't remember what was in it beyond coconut rum and Irish cream. The table next to me saw what I got and they order a few as well...they also loved it.

Blue Moon
35 Baltimore Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
302.227.6515

Returning from vacation

2010-07-07T13:46:00.003-04:00

We returned from part one of our vacation yesterday. After an extended weekend of restaurant good and take-out, I had to make dinner. I got a pot of water boiling for some pasta and made a quick sauce with 1/2 pound of Italian sausage, 1/2 small onion, diced finely, 1 clove of garlic, minced and a teaspoon of Italian season. Add 1/4 cup of dry white wine and one can of petite diced tomatoes and at the last minute 1/2 cup of chiffonade of basil. Toss with the al dente pasta, serve hot. Mmmmm!

Part two of vacation begins tomorrow. YEAH!

First Batch of Pesto

2010-06-30T10:45:00.003-04:00

It's been a few weeks since I've done much in the kitchen. A combination of heat, exhaustion and lack of inspiration have left me bored. That said, I did get to make my first batch of pesto for the season. My basil has been loving the heat!

Freshly picked basil, rinsed and patted dry.

For some reason, I haven't done any research, but pine nuts have been stupidly expensively lately. So, I'm using slivered almonds. They work very well. There is a small bit of the 'piney' essence of the pine nut missing, but still very nice.

Basil, nuts and cheese all blended together. Turn on the machine and start drizzling in some olive oil until you have the consistency you want.

I tossed some store bought tortellini with the best, adding in some sauted onions, diced tomato and a few extra toasted almond slivers. Very nice.

please post more often--I love your blog and keep seeing the veggie thing

2010-06-30T10:43:00.001-04:00

Sorry! I'm a horrible blogger!!!! I haven't been doing much cooking or eating out lately. And with a vacation coming up, postings will continue to be light. I'll try to get something up to replace the veggie listing ASAP. Thanks for reading.

Ask me anything

Veggie Friendly

2010-06-22T12:52:00.002-04:00

(image from Everyday Food)

Thought our veggie friends might want to see some of these recipes from Everyday Food:

Wonderful

2010-06-22T07:51:00.001-04:00

Last night's dinner was a surprise. Not in the "I'm making it for the first time and it's good" surprise-y kind of way. But in the "I forgot how satisfying this is" way. The past few meals I've made, I've always felt a little unsatisfied by it. Not last night. A complete & tasty meal.

Bazaar Couscous! I started making this a few years ago. It's slightly different each time I make it. This was just awesome and to me the best I've had! In a nutshell. You have Israeli Couscous--larger grains than traditional couscous, a variety of nuts, dried fruit, vegetables and spices. All tossed together. I gave it the name because it felt like something I'd come up with if I were exploring a Persian marketplace.

What made last night so good? Usually the couscous is a side to a piece of chicken. Well, why not make it a one pot, one bowl meal? So I cut the chicken up, spiced it up with my own blend of spices--Baharat spice blend. Once nearly cooked through, I added diced red onion and diced carrot. Let that start to soften. Add diced red & green bell peppers. Season with Zatar spice blend and Charnushka seeds. Stir in the cooked couscous with dried cherries and golden raisins. Finish with diced tomatoes and toasted almonds and pistachios. Finish with a light sprinkle of extra Baharat. Serve hot. The only thing missing was some awesome flatbread and a bit of chopped parsley, maybe.

And with only a single tablespoon of oil--avocado oil--it's pretty good for you. A fair amount of starch from the couscous, plenty of veggies and fruit, lean protein from the chicken and nuts. I only had a small bit of seconds!!!! Seriously good! And BTW, if you want to make this vegetarian--just skip the chicken. I'm sure you could add some tofu if you wanted...or add extra veggies...whatever you like!

A final note...if you cook with nuts, know that you can enhance the flavor and 'freshen' them up if they've gone stale by giving them a quick toasting either in a dry pan on the stove top or in the oven. I prefer the stove top, as I feel I have more control. I did this with both the almonds and pistachios. But only one at a time, they may toast at different times and you don't want to burn them. Just keep tossing them and moving them about so they don't scorch and get nasty.

Great Brunch

2010-06-16T09:33:00.003-04:00

On Sunday we headed into DC's Logan Circle neighborhood for a lovely visit with The Sommeliatrix and a great brunch. We were greeted with cheers and amazing food.

Awesome Bacon. Seriously Awesome Bacon. Thick cut, rich, chewy, meaty. Awesome Bacon.

We were instructed, no ORDERED not to bring anything. Well, I can't do that. So, I brought a jar of mango-ginger jam, with the intent that it could be used later, for say, grilling chicken. The plan was accepted and then altered to enjoy with some fresh bread and butter as well.

But the main course. An amazing frittata. I wish I could make a frittata as amazing as this. Eggs with tomatoes, corn, basil and leeks. Topped with parmesan cheese, I believe. Oh so good. Great brunch, but would be totally awesome for lunch with a salad and chilled glass of wine. Perfect.

THANKS for an amazing brunch. Awesome food. Awesome conversation. Awesome views of the local soccer field that was getting some World Cup inspired use. And of course, Awesome friends. Plans are coming together for the next adventure...stick around.

Woo Hoo Good Free Stuff

2010-06-14T17:01:00.005-04:00

It's not often that Eat With Me Headquarters is the recipient of free goodies. It's been years since the last batch of stuff arrived. Mmm, Nutella!

But recently I was offered some free samples via the mail for a new Gatorade product. Sure, why not. I'll give it a shot, I like Gatorade products.

A few days later a package arrived at our door with two bottles of Gatorade's new product, some information and some coupons!

I've been drinking the traditional Gatorade products for years--not having a history with excercise, I usually turned to it when I'm sick or just feeling tired. After 5 years of inviting you all to "Eat With Me," I've found a need to return to the gym and now find myself looking for a little extra boost these types of drinks can offer.

This new brand from Gatorade is made with natural flavors, colors and ingredients. Sounds good to me. But how do they taste?

The G Natural (Orange Citrus flavor) reminded me of straight up Gatorade. I couldn't notice a difference. Good orangey flavor. The G2 Natural (Berry, low-calorie) reminded me a lot of the Vitamin Waters on the market. Both were sweet, with the G2 being of a lighter sweet flavor. The berry flavor was also a touch 'lighter.' I preferred the G2 Natural over the G Natural.

The G2 has 40 calories per bottle (20 per serving) and 5 grams of carbohydrates. The G has 100 calories (50 per serving) and 14 grams of carbs. Considering the obscene amounts of sugar and additives so called "energy drinks" have, this is pretty good.

These beverages were designed as part of Gatorade's G Series line of products for athletes. There is Gatorade Prime 01 designed as a pre-fuel refreshment to consume BEFORE exercise (it looks like a gel). The G Natural and G2 Natural are part of the Gatorade Perform 02 series for consumption DURING physical activity to replace fluids and replenish electrolytes. Gatorade Recover 03 is a post-activity protein & carb beverage to rehydrate and help muscles recovery. Great idea for those seriously into their workouts.

This new beverage is available in five markets, exclusively at Whole Foods stores. The Mid-Atlantic region (KY, MD, NJ, OH, PA, VA, DC), South (AL, GA, NC, SC, TN), Southwest (AK, LA, TX), Florida (It's own region) and Rocky Mountains, starting this month (CO, KS, MS, NM, UT).

At the end of the day, it tastes good. And if it were on the shelf next to a traditional bottle of Gatorade, being a natural product, I would probably reach for it first. Especially the G2 Natural--I like the lighter taste.

Gatorade

http://twitter.com/gatorade

http://www.facebook.com/Gatorade

Saturday's Local Dinner

2010-06-14T12:50:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning we got up and headed up to the Avenue for a special farmer's market. On normal Saturday's our local community market is head at our community center. But this past Saturday, the community market turns into a street fair on our humble town's main drag. We left with a typical bounty of goods. I was hoping to get enough goods to make a full dinner at home and boy oh boy were we lucky!

We started with some freshly picked beets. Peeled and quartered, I roasted them at 400 with a pinch of salt and a dab of butter for an hour. They were tender and good. But I didn't plan things right, so the rest of dinner wasn't ready. I left the beets in the oven, with the heat turned off, for about another 20 minutes. That was just enough time for the beets to develop a beautiful caramelized crust on the bottom beets. Chewy candy!

We grabbed a nice bag of mixed greens for a salad. I washed them three times and let them sit in a towel lined bowl until dinner time. Then I pulled them out and started to tear the leaves into pieces for serving. Oops, found a big nasty eating one of the leaves. NO PESTICIDES my friends. At least it wasn't half a nasty attached to the leaf. I made a dressing out of fresh herbs from the garden--thyme, basil, oregano and rosemary. Chopped with shallot, a squeeze of lemon, salt & pepper. I finished the dressing off with a splash of chardonnay vinegar and avocado oil. Adjust for taste--little more salt and pepper--good to go. Tart and herby!

This season our market is super duper lucky. We have a local sausage maker now coming and selling their goods--Simply Sausage. We had a sample and bought two packs. A "Christmas Breakfast" sausage with some warm spices added in. And these little heaven snausages! Pork with tarragon, shallot and thyme. So delightful. Especially with the salad dressing I made. Perfect match to the salad. I put the sausages in a pan with about 1/2 cup of water, brought to a heavy simmer and covered for about 5-10 minutes. This cooks the sausages most of the way through. I removed the cover and drizzled a little olive oil on. Now let them sear for a few minutes per side, shaking the pan as you go. Golden brown and awesome all around. Oops, correction...tarragon, shallots and parsley...doesn't matter...so good!

The remants of the salad bowl. The greens didn't need anything else to make the salad. Well, that's a lie, we had a French baguette, the beets and the sausages. Perfect dinner. Only thing missing was the forthought to put of bottle of vino blanco into the chill box. Oops.

Grrr

2010-06-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Grrrr! My camera is dying. Well, as far as I'm concerned it's dead! Out of 90 photos I took on two recipes and one restaurant trip, I could use no more than 4 of them. Good thing the new camera is on its way. I should have it by Wednesday!!!! This new camera will be my 3rd since Eat With Me went into business. Oh the things I do for my art! ;o)

In terms of what went down this weekend. I went to one of my favorite joints for lunch on Saturday--Punk's Grill in Annapolis, MD. I wish it was closer, but I had nothing else going on, on Saturday afternoon, so the drive was nice. If you head to Annapolis, give it a shot. Don't judge it because it's at the mall. It's really good! When I have a working camera and head back there, I'll work on a post with more details about the place. In the meantime, if you go, try the Flat Iron Beef skewer! Mmmmm.

In other fun stuff news. A week or two ago a friend shared with me a recipe for Fluffernutter Cookies. All you need is three ingredients. 1 cup of Peanut butter, 1 cup of Marshmallow Fluff and 1 egg. Beat the PB and egg together, then fold in the fluff. Spoon onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Enjoy. They are good and stupid simple to make. A lighter textured peanut butter cookie. I can't taste the Fluff, but you can see it in some of the cookies. I got one dozen cookies from the batter, a nice amount for a snack, but not so many you'll feel like you're gaining 10 pounds by having them in the house.

On Sunday, I did chores around the house and read. When it came time for dinner was enjoying a major Buffy marathon, trying to finish season 3! So Good! I had planned to leave the house and go for dinner, but I just couldn't leave Buffy alone with the Mayor and Faith. She needed me! So, I decided to make a pizza. But what to do with it? I barely have anything in the house at this point. So...I made the dough, let it rise and it rose good! Must have been the right temp and the right humidity in the house for a good rise. I decided to try a white pizza--sort of. I mixed some softened butter with grated Parm, dried Italian herbs, garlic and fresh cracked pepper. I spread that on the dough, then sprinkled some shredded cheese on top (Montery Jack is what I had). Baked until golden brown. Slice and serve. It was good, but a wee bit dry and the garlic kept coming back to haunt me throughout the night. Easy to just keep eating though!

Don't Forget

2010-06-04T09:55:00.001-04:00

You can ask me questions via Formspring. There is a box on the sidebar where you can enter your questions or you can go directly to my profile page and ask there. Let's hear it!

Delicious and stinky

2010-06-04T07:21:00.000-04:00

Oh you beautiful, stinky fish sauce. Everything was coming along wonderfully and the aroma from the onions, garlic, peppers and basil was intoxicating. Then I poured in my sauce...BAM! Stank Face! I curse you, yet you bring something to the party few friends can provide. You devil!

Stir-fried Chicken & Basil

The main ingredients. Onions, peppers, basil, garlic.

Saute until tender. I might have used a touch too much oil. Regardless it was a delicious blend of olive and avocado oils.

At this point, you could bottle the perfume coming out of the pan. In just a moment you're going add a blend of broth, fish sauce, sugar and a splash of soy sauce. The pungency will knock you out when you do. Step away from the steam. Serve hot over a rice of your choice. Enjoy.

Oh, and if you think of it, add a squeeze of fresh lime juice. I didn't, but I'm pretty sure the flavor would have gone through the roof if I had. Also, this was supposed to be "Spicy." Even with a whole jalapeno, it wasn't quite. Next time I'll add a splash or two of hot sauce if the chile doesn't do enough.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

2010-06-03T05:01:00.001-04:00

For dinner the other night, I revisited a recipe I tried a few months ago and loved. Rich, decadent, highly seasoned, filling and totally satisfying. Cajun Chicken Pasta. Still meets all of those criteria. But I noticed one thing different this time. My "Cajun" seasoning was different and it gave a completely different taste. Previously, I used Penzey's Cajun Seasoning and this time I used a McCormick's Gourmet Collection Cajun blend. Both were fine, but now that I can compare, I'm certainly going with Penzey's. I'm not really surprised, I've had an ongoing love affair with Penzey's for many years. Afterall, I work not to support myself, but to support my spice habit. But in a pinch, I figured one can't be all that different from another. I felt there was a big different. This is based soley on my impression and not studying or research, etc, but I felt the McCormick's blend was very heavy on black pepper. All good! Love black pepper, but there wasn't a balance of other flavors in the blend. The black pepper stepped into the party and said "Hey, I'm black pepper, I'm dominant and I'm going to force you beneath me." Whereas the Penzey's blend just had the feeling of a bunch of friends hanging at a party, having a good time, everyone's working the room and no one is playing alpha dog. Again, I don't have a thing against black pepper, I love it and use lots of it, but with McCormicks, I think it was a touch heavy handed.

Anyway. Long story short. This is a fun, fast meal that I would recommend to anyone who wants a little zippy dinner. Now, if you're on a diet bandwagon, I wouldn't have any problems removing the butter from the recipe, or the cream. If I took the cream out, I might add in a tablespoon of tomato paste to add a little something more to the brothy sauce.

Blueberry Yogurt Cake

2010-06-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

This was a super simple, delicious summery cake. Give it a shot. All you do is dump, mix, bake! This reminded me of a decadent blueberry muffin.

Blueberry Yogurt Cake
From Mom's Best Recipes

Batter:
1 box Duncan Hines white cake mix (do NOT mix according to box directions)
3 egg whites
1 cup milk
1 - 6oz. container fat free blueberry yogurt
2 cups blueberries; fresh or frozen*
small bowl of flour

Topping:
1 - 8oz. container fat free Cool Whip (thawed)
1 - 6oz. container fat free blueberry yogurt
1 cup fresh blueberries (optional)
1/4 cup blueberry syrup (optional)

In a small bowl add some flour--place the blueberries in the bowl of flour--toss to coat and set aside.

In a mixer add egg whites, milk and one container of yogurt--beat. Add cake mix--beat until smooth. Remove bowl from mixer--add flour coated blueberries--stir just until mixed using a wooden spoon. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes--test with a toothpick for doneness. Cool completely.

Topping: in a bowl add Cool Whip and one container of yogurt--stir. Add 1 cup fresh blueberries--stir OR add the blueberry syrup**. Spread the topping evenly over the cooled cake. Refrigerate until cold.

NOTES:
*I used frozen--which is acceptable when blueberries are not in season. If you use fresh, make sure to rinse and pick thru the berries for stems or other bits and pieces. Funny, I read the recipe a few times, then went to the store without writing anything down, I remembered everything, except fresh blueberries and...
**I didn't get extra blueberries for the topping, but we did have blueberry syrup. It added a little more sweetness, light color and additional blueberry flavor. It was nice.

Summer Dinner

2010-06-01T07:47:00.000-04:00

Such a pretty dinner. Chicken Provencale. I've been making this for years and for some reason, Friday night's dinner just hit the spot! Saute the chicken breast until golden brown and delicious. Saute some onions, peppers, garlic, tomatoes. Simmer in some wine. Toss in some basil. Serve with skinny spaghetti.

An Asian Inspired Pork Roast

2010-05-26T06:49:00.000-04:00

Last night was another dinner based on what was in the freezer. This time it was a pork loin roast. I great hunk of lean pork waiting to be roasted up. I started with one idea in my head, but by the time I actually was ready to begin, I went another direction.

I seasoned the pork with a dry rub of Asian 5 Spice, Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Paprika, Salt & Pepper. I seared the pork loin in a pan with olive oil, about 5 minutes each on the top and bottom and another minute or two on the sides. I placed the pork in a small roasting pan. I tossed 1 small, diced onion in the same pan I seared the meat in. Saute until translucent. Add 2 chopped garlic cloves. I deglazed the pan with 1/4 cup of dry sherry. To that I stirred in 3 hefty tablespoons of Hoisin Sauce and 1 tablespoon of Srirachi hot sauce. Pour in about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of chicken broth. Stir and pour over the pork loin. Roast in a 325 degree oven for about an hour, until the meat has an internal temperature of 140 degrees. If you think about, every 15 minutes or so, you can baste the meat with the sauce in the pan. Remove from the oven and cover with foil for at least 10 minutes to let the meat rest and the juices redistribute. Slice and serve hot with the sauce from the pan.

Fresh from the oven. Great color!

This pork loin was incredibly lean and super tasty. I'm not sure I had the balance of flavors exactly right. The hot spice and redolent spices of the Asian 5 Spice were most prominent, not allowing for any of the subtler flavors to shine through. That's ok. It was still very good.

Stuffing

2010-05-25T06:06:00.000-04:00

Last night was a night of "use up what's in the freezer/fridge." I had some chicken in the freezer. Stale bread in the cupboard. Carrots in the fridge and a bag of potatoes that were starting to sprout. I decided to make a quick stuffing of the bread-cut in the cubes and tossed in the oven to crisp up. Once crunchy, I mixed with some broth, sauted shallots, butter and herbs. This was stuffed into a split open chicken breast which I then seared in a little butter until browned, then into a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. I basted with a little bit of white wine I was drinking. I tossed some carrots in a little butter and roasted for about 20 minutes as well. And mashed potatoes! Right at the end, I used tossed some shallots in the pan the chicken was seared in and made a quick pan sauce with some more wine and broth. Spoon over the chicken and potatoes. Yum. I felt like I was going to die I was so stuffed!

Snack Break

2010-05-24T16:31:00.003-04:00

Pretty much my favorite breakfast/snack, period.

English muffin--extra toasty, Super crunchy Skippy peanut butter, sliced banana and either Tupelo Honey or Orange Blossom Honey.

A Healthier Chicken Parm

2010-05-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

I really liked this. I first experimented with this a few weeks ago. Instead of frying breaded chicken cutlets in oil, I put them on the grill pan. It worked! The flavor is good. The texture is crispy, but light. And most of all, the chicken doesn't feel heavy, oily or otherwise weighed down my oil. Don't get me wrong, I love some fried goodness, but I wanted to try a healthier alternative. Let's get started.

A Lighter Chicken Parmesan

To get started, you need to prep your coating for the chicken. Use large plates or pans to help with preventing too much mess. You need three plates. Plate 1: seasoned flour. I use regular white flour, plus salt, pepper, ground oregano, garlic powder and some cayenne pepper. This will dry the chicken and give the coating something to stick to! Plate 2: eggs, whisked with a wee touch of water. The egg needs to stick to the flour. In turn, the eggs helps the outer coating to stick. Plate 3: the breading. For this application, I used two types of bread crumbs. Traditional plain breadcrumbs and Japanese-style Panko breadcrumbs. I did this for one reason; since I'm not frying these in oil, I want to make the coating as crunchy as possible. The panko help with that. Since panko are more expensive than regular, I used a mix to help spread the wealth as it were. Season the breadcrumbs with a variety of herbs; an Italian blend or use basil, parsley, thyme, savory, oregano. Or use something completely different, whatever you like.

To coat the chicken, pat them dry with a paper towel, dip in the flour and coat all sides, dip in the egg and coat all sides then dip into the breadcrumbs and press down on all sides to get a nice hearty coating on the chicken.

Now to cooking. I used a grill pan. No oil, just get the grill pan nice and hot over a medium-high flame. Gently lay the coated chicken cutlets on the pan and cook for a few minutes per side. Lift gently to take a peak on the underside. You're going to start to see grill marks and a nice golden color.

The first side is done. Finish the next side. In this particular instance, I wasn't concerned about the chicken being cooked through as it was going to go in the oven for up to 10 minutes, and will finish cooking there. If you are not using the oven, lower the heat and let the chicken cook an extra few minutes per side to cook all the way through. You need to lower the heat or you will end up with scorched coating and a raw interior.

When the chicken was browned, I placed on a baking sheet and spooned on some leftover red sauce from the other night, and sprinkled on the parm.

Place some mozzarella cheese on top and place in the oven. I did about 5-7 minutes in a 350 degree oven to finish cooking the chicken and melt the cheese. For the last 2-3 minutes I put the chicken under the broiler to make the cheese bubbly and golden brown. If you really want to make this a lighter, healthier chicken parm, use less cheese, use a fat free cheese, whatever you like. I happened to have the grocery store, part skim mozz. It was good. If I was being decadent, I would have gotten some fresh mozz and used that. All good. Use what you like.

Wonderful! Flavor and texture are wonderful. You still get the cheese goodness, but with a lighter tasting, extra-crunchy chicken. Yeah!

Chocolate Stout

2010-05-20T05:41:00.000-04:00

I had no idea what I wanted to make for dinner. Well, I did, but I just wasn't feeling it. I knew I was having a pork tenderloin. It was sitting in front of me, waiting for something to happen. I was staring into my spice cabinet waiting for my muse to speak to me. I started grabbing things. Paprika, Chimayo Chile powder, Cayenne Chile powder, Oregano, Salt, Pepper. Some Adobo seasoning. I dumped quantities of each into a bowl, mixed and dumped it on the pork tenderloin. Well, I guess that's that. Into a hot pan, with olive oil it went. Sear sear sear. Into a roasting pan. Well, for giggles, lets toss some shallots into the frying pan and to deglaze...what to deglaze with. Hey! Why not some of the Rogue Chocolate Stout that I'm drinking. Whooosh! Scrap up the bits, stir in some tomato paste. Pour over the tenderloin and dump into an oven. 325 minutes for 30 minutes, basting once or twice. Remove from the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes, slice and serve with the rest of the basting liquid.

Rogue Chocolate Stout Pork Tenderloin

It was delicious. Spicy with a hint of cocoa.

The flavor reminded me of a lighter version, a brothier version of a mole sauce. Dark, cocoa, coffee, chiles. Very nice. I served with sauted peppers, onions, jalapenos and some grilled corn tortillas and a glass of Rogue Chocolate Stout. A very nice meal.

Re-visiting CPK's BBQ Chicken Pizza

2010-05-19T06:59:00.001-04:00

Pizza night last night. We don't have a regular pizza night, but we should! It was delicious and the dough is darn easy. Speaking of dough, I use a recipe for this pizza that calls for only a 30 minute rise period and it's good. Certainly not the best, but good. I did do one thing differently last night. I wanted to try to make the dough a honey-wheat version, instead of all white flour. It worked really well, I think I got a good combo of ingredients down. Let continue...

Here's the starter for the dough. Yeast, warm water, and something sweet. The recipe calls for sugar, I used 2 teaspoons of honey. Let that sit for a minute or two, then you can start to add the other ingredients, including 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then add your flour and salt. I substituted in a half of a cup of whole wheat flour, with the white flour. I found this combination just right, for me, of whole wheat nutty flavor and still a good texture for kneading. The recipe is in this post for Deep Dish Pizza.

Once the dough pulls together, I give it a little coating of olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough in half and start to roll out. I can't twirl my dough, so I actually roll it out with a pin. I was able to get this dough down nice and thin. I folded it up and transferred it to a sheet of parchment paper. Thought that would be a good idea, but not! To bake the pizza properly, you'll want to put it on a pizza stone in a 500 degree oven. Parchment paper isn't designed to be used a temperatures that high. Although it didn't bust into flames, I certainly charred up and got very crispy! So, lesson learned, roll out the dough, then transfer to a cornmeal lined baking sheet for easy transfer to the oven and baking stone. Note to self: I need to clean my baking stone, there is some dough that is completely baked on.

Start topping your pizza. In this instance, we did the BBQ Chicken Pizza we did a few weeks ago that was a huge hit. The sauce is BBQ sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese, then pieces of cooked, bbq'ed chicken. Tomatoes and red onions. Give a sprinkle of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Bake in a 500 degree oven for 12-17 minutes--depending on how thin your crust is. The last time, the dough wasn't as thing and it took longer. Last night, the crust was thinner and only took about 12-15 minutes.

Let the pizza rest for a minute on your cutting board, slice it and sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro. Very tasty!

Meatballs and Ziti

2010-05-18T20:19:00.004-04:00

Last night's dinner was meatballs and spaghetti...except I didn't have enough spaghetti...so it was meatballs and ziti. The meatballs were great. The sauce was alright. Combined, all good. Let's get started. I roughly followed this recipe.

Ew, gross. Raw meat. Sorry veggie friends. But to make meatballs, you need some meat. I used a pound of "meatloaf" mix from the store...ground beef, veal and pork. This provides the best flavor, over straight beef or pork. I'm not fond of veal, so let's pretend it's not there. To the ground meat, I added one egg, a small handful of chopped parsley, a piece of sandwich bread that had been soaked in milk and one small/medium onion, finely diced and sauted in olive oil until caramelized, with basil and oregano (dried). Not pictured, is 1/4-1/2 cup of grated parm. Squige this all together until very well combined. Scoop the mixture out and shape into hearty ping pong sized balls. One thing I tried last night and may not be necessary...I then dredged the uncooked meatballs in seasoned flour, I was hoping for an extra crusty meatball. I don't think it made a difference, except in the mess that had to be cleaned up afterwards.

Saute the meatballs in olive oil until dark and crispy on the outside. Don't worry if the don't cook through. They will simmer in sauce later. So, pull the meatballs to a pull and start a sauce. You can make any red sauce you like. For this meal, I did one 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, one 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, and some more dried herbs. Oh, and a few smashed cloves of garlic. Add the meatballs back to the pan and simmer over low heat for an hour or so.

Toss cooked pasta with the sauce and plate up with a few meatballs per person. This batch made 22-24 meatballs. If you want, you can freeze the leftover meatballs and sauce for a later meal. We just packaged the leftovers up for lunch.

With dinner last night, we had a glass of the Biltmore Estate's Pinot Noir. Very tasty! We must have liked it at the tasting we attended in Asheville, NC in December, since we bought two bottles. We forgot how much we enjoyed it. A great spicy, jammy flavor with a light body. It paired nicely with meatballs and sauce.

Delicious

2010-05-17T08:35:00.003-04:00

This is chicken( & fried yuca). It is delicious!

New to our neck of the woods is a blink and you'll miss it restaurant. Chicken Delicious in Bladensburg, MD (on Hwy 450/Annapolis Road & Edmonston Road) in a strip mall with a Blockbuster and several small, independently owned shops. After multiple failed attempts to get the goods (either they were closed or SOLD OUT of chicken), we finally got some. A whole Peruvian-style (I think?) rotisserie chicken and two sides. Something like $14 bucks. Enough to feed two very hungry boys, leaving a little extra. Wonderful! We have since been back several times and are putting this to the top of our favorites, espcially for a quick local meal. The chicken is perfectly cooked. Delightfully seasoned and juicy. The sides can be hit or miss, but don't skip the fried yuca, ask to have it cooked extra crispy! The fries are fine, beans ok, plaintains weren't that good. We have also had the carne asada and that was pretty tasty too. There are only a few other items on the menu, including one or two sandwich options I think. But really, go for the chicken.

But my favorite...it's the tiny little cups of sauce you get for the chicken. One is a garlic aioli. I'm not very fond of that. But the little green cup of zippy sauce is wonderful. Refreshing, spicy, bright, tangy, all the good stuff...oh and a touch spicy! Dunk it or pour it on your chicken. I like to dip the yuca in as well.

This is some great take-out. We haven't eaten in, but there are tables and TVs to occupy your time.

The only thing they could do to improve their service...offer delivery and beer!

Chicken Delicious
Bladensburg, MD
301.277.2222

Cocktails and Dinner

2010-05-15T09:44:00.004-04:00

Last night's dinner started with a Manhattan. Delicious. I think I've found the right blend for me.

Maker's Mark Manhattan
3 parts Maker's Mark
1/2 part sweet vermouth
1-2 shakes of bitters

Add all the ingredients, over ice, in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for a count of 5. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a cherry.

You'll notice there is no cherry in my cocktail. I had to throw the ones out I had...they were bad.

Now dinner. This was Pork Medallions with an orange sauce, served over orzo. Simple, fast and pretty tasty. I wish I'd had a vegetable to go with it, but alas, I forgot to get something. The pork tenderloin is cut into round medallions, dusted with seasoned flour and placed into a hot pan to sear on both sides and cooked through; 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the pork to a plate. Add a TB of olive oil, if your pan is dry. Add 1 diced shallot and saute until soft. Pour in about 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed OJ. Simmer until reduced and slightly thickened. Add some lemon juice if you have and few capers. Chopped parsley for garnish. Stir, spoon over the pork and serve hot.

Stiry Fry

2010-05-14T09:03:00.003-04:00

A nice spicy stir fry for dinner last night.

First, I cooked the beef and moved that to a plate while I worked on the veg. Onions, peppers and carrots in a wee touch of oil. Highest heat my stove can handle. Move fast. Have all your ingredients ready! When they are soft, add the garlic, ginger and hot pepper flakes. Almost immediately--to prevent scorching--add the liquid; soy sauce and water.

Add some brown sugar to sweeten the sauce and simmer for a minute.

Return the cooked strips of beef to the sauce and simmer for another minute or so. There is a light corn starch coating on the beef, which in turn helps to thicken the sauce. Serve hot, over rice.

Recipe here:
Mongolian Beef Stir Fry

Cheers

2010-05-13T06:51:00.000-04:00

CHEERS! A tiny bit of a delayed celebration. Over the weekend, May 9, Eat With Me turned 5 years old. Yippee.

Sadly the past 6-9 months have really been slow for me. I still enjoy working on the blog, finding new recipes and certainly still love cooking. But I've been soooo tired. I'm going to keep going and see what I can do to improve my production schedule! I need to find my muse; I think she went on vacation and got lost on her way home. If you see her, tell her to get her butt back here!

"Kira? KIRA!!!??? Come Back! Zeus didn't mean to be a jerk."

In other news, last night we kicked it old school with Tater Tot Casserole.

The big difference though??? Instead of using the traditional can of "Cream of ____" soup, I made a my own roux based sauce and it was delicious!

1. Brown ground beef and 1 medium, diced, onion.
2. When cooked, drain off excess fat.
3. Season with salt, pepper and other spices you like. Add 3 TB of butter.
4. Add 3 TB of flour. Stir and cook for one minute.
5. Add one cup of broth (beef, chicken or combo of both). Stir and simmer.
6. Add 1-2 cups of frozen green beans or other veg (carrots, corn, etc.)
7. Dump into a baking dish, top with frozen potato tots.
8. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Dump on some shredded cheese, if you like. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.
9. Serve piping hot.

Enjoy!

I have a menu planned for the next 7 out of 8 days. Hopefully that means a good solid weeks worth of blog posts! Thanks for sticking with me for the past five years. It's been a lot of fun and I'm really proud of how far I've come with my cooking skills! And frankly, if I wasn't willing to learn to cook, I'd probably be eating the same five, boring things, instead of branching out and trying new recipes, new ingredients and new processes!

Pesto!

2010-05-06T06:10:00.000-04:00

A yummy, quick dinner! Fresh pesto. Store bough tortellini, sauted peppers and some chicken. Toss to coat and enjoy. The interesting thing. I totally forgot about pine nuts for the pesto. So I used slivered almonds. Worked great! And cheaper!!!

A new twist on "Fried" chicken cutlets

2010-04-29T17:00:00.001-04:00

Last night's dinner was on the fly. I was running home after working a little late, picking some things up quickly at the grocery, picking up DancerinDC at the metro, the swinging by the community center to pick up fresh eggs, first strawberries of the season and probably the last of this season's asparagus. What was I to do???

I got chicken in my mind and thought about doing a fried cutlet kind of them. But I wasn't totally in the mood. Well, I went that route and thought it through on the way home. Instead of frying the cutlets, I'll bread them and then grill them! It worked!

Chicken cutlets coated with flour, dipped in egg, then coated in seasoned bread crumbs. Great texture and good flavor.

Since the grill pan was out, I decided to grill the asparagus we just picked up. Tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and dropped on the pan. Leave them on one side until you can start to smell them cooking, then flip them over and give them another few quick minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, I wanted to revisit the Hollandaise Sauce fail from a few weeks ago. I learned from my mistakes and got it right this time. But I also went a step further and turned my Hollandaise into a Bearnaise Sauce. This may not be completely authentic, since I didn't have tarragon, but it was good. Prior to mixing the eggs and butter, I sauted some finely diced shallots in a little butter until they were almost tender, I turned the heat up and added some white wine, salt, pepper and a pinch of dried oregano to replace the tarragon. Simmer until the wine is reduced to about 2 TB and thickened. Halfway through whisking the melted butter into the Hollandaise, I stirred in the shallots and wine. I continued with the rest of the butter. So good!

The cutlets and asparagus would have been nice like this. Perhaps a wedge of lemon to brighten things up. But really...

...why not gild the lily and spoon over plenty of Bearnaise Sauce for the ultimate indulgence. The three items perfectly complemented each other. The sauce held and did what it was supposed to. The asparagus was perfectly cook, just a smidge before being tender and the chicken was crispy, crunchy and not fried or oily. All in all a good dinner. Also complemented with a bottle of white bordeaux.

Trial and Error...

2010-04-29T05:46:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago we went to a taco hut down the road affectionately called Obama Taco--due to the large mural of President Obama outside. The food was amazing. Soft, pliable corn tortillas. Amazing carnitas. Avocado sauce. Spicy pico. Just amazing. Well, amazing always leads to cravings on my part. So, I had to try my hand at making corn tortillas. First batch, m'eh. Second batch, much better. The difference...FAT!

Before we begin:

Tacos 5 De Mayo
7201 Annapolis Rd
Landover, MD
(301) 306-2074

GO. Try! Enjoy...

Ok, back to tortillas.

The basic recipe is corn meal/masa flour, water and salt. That was ok. Needed something extra though. So I spiced it up with some chipotle chile powder, a little extra salt and some pepper. Better. But the tortillas were dry and nearly crumbled. For a standard size batch (16 tortillas), I added 1 tablespoon of vegetable shortening. I also substituted in 1/2 a cup of regular white flour, to replace a 1/2 cup of corn meal. Next time, I might add a squige more shortening, regardless but the changes made a huge difference. The tortillas were pliable, had a little nice chew and weren't completely dry. To make them, mix everything together until combined and slightly tacky. Divide the dough into equal sized balls and press flat. I did buy a tortilla press, so that makes nice super easy. Toss in a dry pan or griddle on medium/medium-high for one minute per side. Keep warm and covered with a barely damp towel until ready to serve.

This is the first batch. Not too bad. The one on the bottom left...I was trying to make a pupusa with chicken and cheese...very messy.

I served my tortillas with grilled chicken thighs I marinated in orange juice, lime juice, salt, pepper, Ancho chili powder and cilantro for about an hour. A longer marinade time for next time, but still tasty.

The Chipotle chile powder adds a hint of redness to the tortillas. Two very hungry boys ate 8 tortillas before being stuffed to the gills.

And my favorite part of the night. Putting it together. On the tortilla, I spread on some mashed avocado and lime juice. Then some diced tomato, chunks of the grilled chicken, cilantro and the fun part...totally unexpected, but it worked...was diced green apple! I wanted some jicama for crunch, but my store hasn't been selling any, so I thought I would sub in a tart, crisp apple. The sweetness of the apple was awesome against the smoky chicken and Chipotle chile in the tortilla and the texture was a nice treat with the creamy avocado and chewy tortilla.

Very Happy!

I will do this again, many times over the coming summer I know...but I'm still going back to Obama Taco!

Dear Scot, It's Betty, again! Another recipe missing from ATK 2001-2010 cookbook is for theTriple Chocolate Cookie, from their "Cookie Jar Favorites" episode. Can you help? Betty C. - jeffcerro@cox.net

2010-04-26T09:07:00.003-04:00

Betty--I haven't been able to find it in the books I have. Sorry for the delay in response. Good luck with your search.

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