As you may or may not know, depending on how long you've been reading my meager blog posts, the Hart's take an annual trip to Chicago's Chinatown. Typically we go to the Triple Crown restaurant for dim sum, which is incredible! Unfortunately, this year we were tight on time and the wait for a table was too long, but there are plenty of options in Chinatown so all we had to do was pick one. Mama Hart choose Little Lamb Hot Pot located at 2201 S. Wentworth Ave, Chicago, IL 60616 and boy was it an experience!
Little Lamb Hot Pot
Décor: good. The restaurant is sort of generic for the area. The booths are red, the walls are maroon and bamboo paneled. There's one Asian-themed wall decoration. All together it just looks like any other restaurant in Chinatown.
Food appearance: good. Being the hot pot novices we are/were, we weren't sure what to make of this restaurant at all. We are seated at a small round table with an electric heating element in the middle and weren't really sure what to make of it. Do we share? Do they have anything that isn't soup? HOW DOES THIS WORK? Well, as it turns out, you cook your own food at your heating element -- think of a popular chain fondue restaurant. The seafood, meat and vegetables are brought out to you raw and void of seasonings and you cook them yourself in your broth-filled hot pot. The meat and seafood looked fresh, everything was still red/pink. That means fresh, right? The vegetables were cleaned and the broth(s) we chose were flavorful.
Food taste: good. The interesting thing about this hot pot concept is all the flavor is really up to you. The menu allows you to choose up to two broths per hot pot, you select your own varieties of meat, seafoods and vegetables and you create your own sauce at their sauce bar. We chose two broths (one spicy one mild), angus beef, rib tips, whole shrimp, a variety of vegetables and a few dumplings to create our hot pot. My sauces were chile oil and peanuts and Sriracha and cilantro (this sauce was pretty awesome, I ate it as a salad).
Service: poor. I feel sort of guilty to rate the service as poor but the server showed up at the beginning to take our drink order, gave us very minimal instruction as to how to order said hot pot, and then never returned until it came time to pay. I'm not sure if this is a cultural phenomenon, language barrier, or I just have a different idea as to what good service should look like but I wasn't very impressed.
Cleanliness: poor. The sneeze guard for the sauce station desperately needed to be cleaned, although the sauces and spices contained in it appeared to be fresh and the floor was screaming that it needed to be cleaned. All together it just didn't look very sanitary. However, the tables were clean, the serve ware was clean and the meats were fresh and vegetables cleaned.
Total: 8/15
If you ignore the service and the possible sanitation issues, the hot pot was actually very tasty and I would probably go again but I do have a few pointers so you look less ridiculous and make a smaller mess of the table than we did:
1) know that this is all family style so you should all agree on what you'd like to eat;
2) DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES LEAVE THE UTENSILS IN THE HOT POT BROTH, we made this mistake (several times) and ended up having to fish the utensils out of the bottom of the broth;
3) take turns dipping things into the broth, on more than one occasion, I was splashed with boiling hot broth because someone or another was fighting over the utensils or what was on them;
4) if you order a vegetable with a tougher stalk (bok choy, Chinese broccoli, etc.) put it in your broth first because it takes longer to cook than the meats;
5) if you order noodles put them in your individual bowl and then pour broth over it, it's much easier than fishing for noodles in a pot of boiling broth with tongs;
6) if you order dumplings, they will float to the top when they're ready, don't fish for them, refer to "3" for clarification;
7) unless you REALLY like the taste of liquid smoke, do not order the plum juice.
If I return to Little Lamb Hot Pot, I will follow my own advice and hopefully have a more pleasurable experience.
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse
On December 23, 2016 the Hart family set out to downtown Chicago for a nice meal together. Nate, myself, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend attended the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Christmas program (which was excellent by the way) on the same day.
After an afternoon of music listening, walking around and being full of the Christmas spirit, we were more than excited to rest our weary (and for some of us, wet) feet at a nice restaurant for dinner. This year's selection was Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse.
For those of you not in the know (myself included), Harry Caray was a baseball sportscaster and is well known for his work for the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox. He also lent his namesake to the Harry Caray Restaurant Group, which contains seven restaurants in the Chicago area and a catering company. I, however, had only ever seen the location at the Midway airport so I was a tad skeptical at first but the Italian Steakhouse River North location at 33 W. Kinzie St, Chicago, IL definitely replaced all my doubts about the location's luxury, plus with a Michelin recommendation how can you go wrong?
Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse River North
Décor: excellent. Everything about the décor is a nod to the steakhouses of old. The lighting is dark and intimate, the walls are paneled dark woods and the decorations hint at Harry Caray's sports' legacy without feeling like you're in a sports bar.
Food appearance: excellent. I apologize for not taking pictures of the exquisite food but we tucked into everything so quickly we barely had time to look at it before it was all devoured. Food was presented with definite attention to plating. Everything looked absolutely delectable.
Food taste: excellent. Nate and I grabbed a drink at the bar while we waited for Mama and Dad Hart to arrive and while we were there we munched on some house-made bar chips. The chips were kettle cooked, fresh and seasoned simply with salt and pepper. They were the perfect snack to have with our beer and sparkling wine.
When the in-laws arrived, we sat down and ordered a trio of appetizers: toasted ravioli, grilled octopus and bruschetta. The toasted ravioli was almost nostalgic in a way, at least to me. I can recall going to a not-to-be-named Italian-inspired chain restaurant and ordering these crisp, fried and cheese-filled babies and enjoying every last morsel! These ravioli, however, were much better and topped with a slightly chunky marinara which really cut through the richness of the fried flavor. The grilled octopus was absolutely divine! The tentacles had a delightful flame-grilled smokiness and the texture was chewy without feeling like rubber bands. The octopus was accompanied by pan fried potatoes, and a lemon wedge. The potatoes had that great crispy exterior and soft interior that everyone who's ever cooked potatoes hopes for and the lemon was the perfect dressing for all of it. The bruschetta was bright and fresh and topped with lightly dressed arugula and shaved parmesan cheese. I will confess I didn't get the bruschetta whole (I'm trying to avoid the Holiday Bloat), so I ate a de-constructed version and I will say the arugula salad was my favorite part.
Now on to the main dishes: in addition to the main dinner menu, the restaurant offers specials and a pre fixe menu. I ordered the Scallops special. The scallops were quickly seared on the outside and the inside was so tender they almost melted in your mouth! My goodness I'm drooling just thinking about them! They were served with cheese tortellini, roasted corn kernels, cheese and a sauce so luscious I would've bathed in it! I could've done without the tortellini though, I didn't think they added much to the dish other than a filler. I would've been perfectly content with my scallops, corn and sauce.
Dad Hart ordered lobster tail which was so tender and sweet the only condiment it needed was a squeeze of lemon juice. He also ordered a side of asparagus and hollandaise sauce for the table, which how can you possibly go wrong with butter, lemon and egg yolks? You can't.
Nate ordered the Chicken Vesuvio, which is the "Best Chicken Vesuvio in the City" according to Chicago Tribune food critic, Phil Vettel; after tasting it I must say I agree with Phil. The chicken was tender, the skin was crunchy and the potatoes that it came with were fantastic and I would've drank the sauce like a wine. It was almost indescribable. Just know if you go there, order it.
Mama Hart ordered the Pan Roasted Whitefish Oreganato, which I, regrettably, did not sample. However, it looked scrumptious. She also ordered creamed spinach for the table, which I also, regrettably, did not sample.
My brother-in-law, Sam, ordered surf and turf, I can't remember the cut of beef but I remember he ordered crab legs for the "surf" and he seemed to enjoy everything.
His girlfriend ordered the Seafood Fettuccini with shrimp, scallops and a sundried tomato cream, now just tell me that doesn't sound like you've died and gone to Heaven?
Dessert was key lime pie to share. The crust was the perfect crunchy-yet-soft texture and the filling was refreshingly tart after all the richness of the meal.
Service: excellent. From the moment we walked into the restaurant we felt like royalty. The hostesses were friendly and immediately took our coats for the coat check. When Nate and I sat down at the bar the bartender, even though she was busy, stopped to drop off a menu and waited patiently while I selected my wine. When I went to the restroom there was an attendant outside who gave me candy and instructed me to send in my fella to be sprayed with fine cologne.
Our server, Waverly, was absolutely excellent! She was patient, she explained the difference between the wet and dry aging process and brought out a large tray of raw steaks and chops to describe the different cuts. Our water and wine glasses were never empty, there were never empty plates on the table for very long and she was just friendly. Never did she seem overwhelmed or like we were an inconvenience. Waverly, if you're reading this, your service was excellent.
Cleanliness: excellent. Everything in Harry Caray's is a well oiled machine, and therefore there are pieces in place to keep everything looking in tip-top shape.
Total: 15/15
I would return to Harry Caray's in a heart beat and order all the scallops, lobster, Chicken Vesuvio, potato chips, sparkling wine and Manhattan's to my heart's content! And you, my dear readers, should do the same.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Festivus, Happy Kwanza, Winter Solstice or whatever you celebrate with your families and friends!
After an afternoon of music listening, walking around and being full of the Christmas spirit, we were more than excited to rest our weary (and for some of us, wet) feet at a nice restaurant for dinner. This year's selection was Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse.
For those of you not in the know (myself included), Harry Caray was a baseball sportscaster and is well known for his work for the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox. He also lent his namesake to the Harry Caray Restaurant Group, which contains seven restaurants in the Chicago area and a catering company. I, however, had only ever seen the location at the Midway airport so I was a tad skeptical at first but the Italian Steakhouse River North location at 33 W. Kinzie St, Chicago, IL definitely replaced all my doubts about the location's luxury, plus with a Michelin recommendation how can you go wrong?
Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse River North
Décor: excellent. Everything about the décor is a nod to the steakhouses of old. The lighting is dark and intimate, the walls are paneled dark woods and the decorations hint at Harry Caray's sports' legacy without feeling like you're in a sports bar.
Food appearance: excellent. I apologize for not taking pictures of the exquisite food but we tucked into everything so quickly we barely had time to look at it before it was all devoured. Food was presented with definite attention to plating. Everything looked absolutely delectable.
Food taste: excellent. Nate and I grabbed a drink at the bar while we waited for Mama and Dad Hart to arrive and while we were there we munched on some house-made bar chips. The chips were kettle cooked, fresh and seasoned simply with salt and pepper. They were the perfect snack to have with our beer and sparkling wine.
When the in-laws arrived, we sat down and ordered a trio of appetizers: toasted ravioli, grilled octopus and bruschetta. The toasted ravioli was almost nostalgic in a way, at least to me. I can recall going to a not-to-be-named Italian-inspired chain restaurant and ordering these crisp, fried and cheese-filled babies and enjoying every last morsel! These ravioli, however, were much better and topped with a slightly chunky marinara which really cut through the richness of the fried flavor. The grilled octopus was absolutely divine! The tentacles had a delightful flame-grilled smokiness and the texture was chewy without feeling like rubber bands. The octopus was accompanied by pan fried potatoes, and a lemon wedge. The potatoes had that great crispy exterior and soft interior that everyone who's ever cooked potatoes hopes for and the lemon was the perfect dressing for all of it. The bruschetta was bright and fresh and topped with lightly dressed arugula and shaved parmesan cheese. I will confess I didn't get the bruschetta whole (I'm trying to avoid the Holiday Bloat), so I ate a de-constructed version and I will say the arugula salad was my favorite part.
Now on to the main dishes: in addition to the main dinner menu, the restaurant offers specials and a pre fixe menu. I ordered the Scallops special. The scallops were quickly seared on the outside and the inside was so tender they almost melted in your mouth! My goodness I'm drooling just thinking about them! They were served with cheese tortellini, roasted corn kernels, cheese and a sauce so luscious I would've bathed in it! I could've done without the tortellini though, I didn't think they added much to the dish other than a filler. I would've been perfectly content with my scallops, corn and sauce.
Dad Hart ordered lobster tail which was so tender and sweet the only condiment it needed was a squeeze of lemon juice. He also ordered a side of asparagus and hollandaise sauce for the table, which how can you possibly go wrong with butter, lemon and egg yolks? You can't.
Nate ordered the Chicken Vesuvio, which is the "Best Chicken Vesuvio in the City" according to Chicago Tribune food critic, Phil Vettel; after tasting it I must say I agree with Phil. The chicken was tender, the skin was crunchy and the potatoes that it came with were fantastic and I would've drank the sauce like a wine. It was almost indescribable. Just know if you go there, order it.
Mama Hart ordered the Pan Roasted Whitefish Oreganato, which I, regrettably, did not sample. However, it looked scrumptious. She also ordered creamed spinach for the table, which I also, regrettably, did not sample.
My brother-in-law, Sam, ordered surf and turf, I can't remember the cut of beef but I remember he ordered crab legs for the "surf" and he seemed to enjoy everything.
His girlfriend ordered the Seafood Fettuccini with shrimp, scallops and a sundried tomato cream, now just tell me that doesn't sound like you've died and gone to Heaven?
Dessert was key lime pie to share. The crust was the perfect crunchy-yet-soft texture and the filling was refreshingly tart after all the richness of the meal.
Service: excellent. From the moment we walked into the restaurant we felt like royalty. The hostesses were friendly and immediately took our coats for the coat check. When Nate and I sat down at the bar the bartender, even though she was busy, stopped to drop off a menu and waited patiently while I selected my wine. When I went to the restroom there was an attendant outside who gave me candy and instructed me to send in my fella to be sprayed with fine cologne.
Our server, Waverly, was absolutely excellent! She was patient, she explained the difference between the wet and dry aging process and brought out a large tray of raw steaks and chops to describe the different cuts. Our water and wine glasses were never empty, there were never empty plates on the table for very long and she was just friendly. Never did she seem overwhelmed or like we were an inconvenience. Waverly, if you're reading this, your service was excellent.
Cleanliness: excellent. Everything in Harry Caray's is a well oiled machine, and therefore there are pieces in place to keep everything looking in tip-top shape.
Total: 15/15
I would return to Harry Caray's in a heart beat and order all the scallops, lobster, Chicken Vesuvio, potato chips, sparkling wine and Manhattan's to my heart's content! And you, my dear readers, should do the same.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Festivus, Happy Kwanza, Winter Solstice or whatever you celebrate with your families and friends!
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Dion's Pizza
Good morning, readers! I trust that your week before Christmas has treated you well whether you're working or have been able to spend time with your families early.
I mentioned last week that I would be traveling to Lubbock, Texas to watch my dear friend Casey Witherspoon graduate from Texas Tech University. Casey and I have been best friends since my Sophomore year of high school when we met though the DECA business and marketing program. I definitely had a "proud mom" moment watching her walk across the stage to be recognized. I know how hard she's worked to achieve her degree and I wish her all the luck in her new career and life in Houston, Texas.
While I was in Lubbock I definitely took advantage of the foods I cannot get in Raleigh, North Carolina. One of which was Dion's Pizza.
Dion's is nostalgic for any kid who grew up in Albuquerque: not only did your kindergarten class take a field trip there to learn to make pizza, but it was a popular destination for school project meetings, informal family gatherings and their pizza was often sold during high school lunches and their ranch dressing is LEGENDARY.
Thankfully for me Dion's has recently expanded to Colorado and Texas, and even more luckily, Lubbock just opened a new location just a few minutes from Casey's apartment at 6410 82nd St, Lubbock, TX 79424.
Decor: good. This location has updated Dion's classic look. Other Dion's-of-old have wooden booths and a green and red color motif. However, this particular location had a lot of chrome and modern-looking fixtures. It kinda made me miss the classic Dion's style but I must admit that it did look nice.
Food appearance: poor. I was relieved to learn that they still serve their pizzas on paper trays, salads in plastic bowls and subs in wooden baskets. Their pizzas look absolutely scrumptious and you can watch them make them if you want (a nice activity to keep young children at bay while they wait for food). While there is little attention to serving methods here, everything is drenched in nostalgia. I half expected the new location to serve your food to you as opposed to calling orders by name for pickup.
Food taste: Excellent! Casey and I split a small cheese toast - a sliced baguette buttered and topped with melted provolone cheese with ranch; I ordered a small tossed salad - lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion with croutons and ranch; and we split the newly named 505 pizza. I'm not sure who created the green chile and pepperoni combination but it is available all around Albuquerque, from Papa Murphy's take-and-bake pizza to the local places like Dion's. I remember ordering slices of Pepperoni with Green Chile slices as a kid so kudos to Dion's for finally making it into a "specialty" pizza option. Oh and of course with ranch. I don't know how Dion's makes their ranch but it's addicting. Ask anyone who's ever tried it. It is creamy, tangy and definitely delicious.
Service: good. Dion's is a popular first job for high school kids due to it's proximity to high schools so as such, the service is just ok. The kids aren't super friendly but they're not rude either. They're...apathetic? But as I've said before, it's kinda part of the whole experience.
Cleanliness: good. Every five minutes or so an employee will walk around the living room picking up empty trays, baskets, etc. and sweep the floors so the dining room stays pretty clean and tidy. The bathrooms are usually clean as well.
Total: 10/15
While it was difficult to not let my ache for anything Albuquerquean cloud my judgment, I believe this to be the most accurate ranking for Dion's Pizza.
Everything there is fantastic and in the 15+ years I've eaten there I've yet to have anything I didn't absolutely love so if you're in New Mexico, Texas or Colorado check to see if there's a Dion's anywhere near you.
In addition to Dion's, I bought a pound of frozen Bueno green chile, which I used to make breakfast burritos. Nothing compares to tasting real New Mexican green chile. It makes me miss Albuquerque dearly.
I mentioned last week that I would be traveling to Lubbock, Texas to watch my dear friend Casey Witherspoon graduate from Texas Tech University. Casey and I have been best friends since my Sophomore year of high school when we met though the DECA business and marketing program. I definitely had a "proud mom" moment watching her walk across the stage to be recognized. I know how hard she's worked to achieve her degree and I wish her all the luck in her new career and life in Houston, Texas.
While I was in Lubbock I definitely took advantage of the foods I cannot get in Raleigh, North Carolina. One of which was Dion's Pizza.
Dion's is nostalgic for any kid who grew up in Albuquerque: not only did your kindergarten class take a field trip there to learn to make pizza, but it was a popular destination for school project meetings, informal family gatherings and their pizza was often sold during high school lunches and their ranch dressing is LEGENDARY.
Thankfully for me Dion's has recently expanded to Colorado and Texas, and even more luckily, Lubbock just opened a new location just a few minutes from Casey's apartment at 6410 82nd St, Lubbock, TX 79424.
Decor: good. This location has updated Dion's classic look. Other Dion's-of-old have wooden booths and a green and red color motif. However, this particular location had a lot of chrome and modern-looking fixtures. It kinda made me miss the classic Dion's style but I must admit that it did look nice.
Food appearance: poor. I was relieved to learn that they still serve their pizzas on paper trays, salads in plastic bowls and subs in wooden baskets. Their pizzas look absolutely scrumptious and you can watch them make them if you want (a nice activity to keep young children at bay while they wait for food). While there is little attention to serving methods here, everything is drenched in nostalgia. I half expected the new location to serve your food to you as opposed to calling orders by name for pickup.
Food taste: Excellent! Casey and I split a small cheese toast - a sliced baguette buttered and topped with melted provolone cheese with ranch; I ordered a small tossed salad - lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion with croutons and ranch; and we split the newly named 505 pizza. I'm not sure who created the green chile and pepperoni combination but it is available all around Albuquerque, from Papa Murphy's take-and-bake pizza to the local places like Dion's. I remember ordering slices of Pepperoni with Green Chile slices as a kid so kudos to Dion's for finally making it into a "specialty" pizza option. Oh and of course with ranch. I don't know how Dion's makes their ranch but it's addicting. Ask anyone who's ever tried it. It is creamy, tangy and definitely delicious.
Service: good. Dion's is a popular first job for high school kids due to it's proximity to high schools so as such, the service is just ok. The kids aren't super friendly but they're not rude either. They're...apathetic? But as I've said before, it's kinda part of the whole experience.
Cleanliness: good. Every five minutes or so an employee will walk around the living room picking up empty trays, baskets, etc. and sweep the floors so the dining room stays pretty clean and tidy. The bathrooms are usually clean as well.
Total: 10/15
While it was difficult to not let my ache for anything Albuquerquean cloud my judgment, I believe this to be the most accurate ranking for Dion's Pizza.
Everything there is fantastic and in the 15+ years I've eaten there I've yet to have anything I didn't absolutely love so if you're in New Mexico, Texas or Colorado check to see if there's a Dion's anywhere near you.
In addition to Dion's, I bought a pound of frozen Bueno green chile, which I used to make breakfast burritos. Nothing compares to tasting real New Mexican green chile. It makes me miss Albuquerque dearly.
Dimitri Best Food
Good morning (again) readers! I'm sorry I've been slacking lately. I've been enjoying time with my in-laws and husband in Chicago-land and haven't been cooking or eating out much but that'll quickly change. Tomorrow we're off to Harry Caray's for our annual downtown Chicago family dinner so be on the watch for that!
In the meantime, Nate took me to one of his childhood haunts: Dimitri Best Food.
Dimitri Best Food is located at 207 W Joe Orr Rd, Chicago Heights, IL 60411; almost directly across from his old high school so he spent many a dollar eating there in his youth as a vegetarian. Now that he is most certainly NOT a vegetarian, he's able to enjoy more of their full menu which hosts gyros, rib tips, wings, pizza puffs and sandwiches.
During my very first visit to Chicago four years ago, Nate brought me here to eat gyros. Honestly, these things were the size of your head and stuffed full of meat, I'm not entirely sure how they get away with only charging $10 for what is surely 2 pounds of meat.
Anyway, here is my formal evaluation of Dimitri Best Foods.
Decor: poor. There is literally no decor at all. Upon entering the tiny eatery (really, there's only about 6 tables or so), your eyes are immediately drawn to the chalkboard menu on the wall with some menu items being written in short-hand and a tad illegible. However, when walking up to the counter/kitchen you can watch hypnotizing cones of gyro meat circle and cook, so that kinda counts as decor, right?
Food appearance: poor. Food is served to you in a paper bag regardless if you get the order for dine in or carry out. There is really no attention to detail as far as plating or in this case bagging is concerned.
Food taste: good. The food at Dimitri Best Food is obviously where they shine (how else would they be in business?). The gyros are delicious, Nate braved the Zeus sandwich which is a fried chicken breast topped with gyro meat and tzatziki sauce. I will say despite the massive amount of ingredients everything was cooked to perfection and never did it seem like the ingredients were competing with each other. I ordered the Italian Beef sandwich, my first ever! The beef was tender and succulent and the giardiniera was spicy and vinegary and a perfect compliment to the beef. We both ordered fries with their house-made hot and mild sauces. They were perfectly spicy without being too overwhelming.
Service: good. The counter attendant (is this "Dimitri"?) speaks a broken, heavily accented English but he's friendly and treats every guest like a friend, cracking unintelligible jokes and asking about family members. That's as far as service goes though, you walk up to make your order and he calls it out when the food is ready.
Cleanliness: good. The restaurant itself is clean and tidy. I didn't venture into the bathroom but I'm sure it was probably satisfactory. Not surprisingly for the style of restaurant, customers buss their own spaces.
Total: 8/15
Well, this place isn't a "must go" when visiting Chicago but if you're craving some reasonably priced (and massive) food and happen to be in the area try to stop by and check out Dimitri Best Food.
In the meantime, Nate took me to one of his childhood haunts: Dimitri Best Food.
Dimitri Best Food is located at 207 W Joe Orr Rd, Chicago Heights, IL 60411; almost directly across from his old high school so he spent many a dollar eating there in his youth as a vegetarian. Now that he is most certainly NOT a vegetarian, he's able to enjoy more of their full menu which hosts gyros, rib tips, wings, pizza puffs and sandwiches.
During my very first visit to Chicago four years ago, Nate brought me here to eat gyros. Honestly, these things were the size of your head and stuffed full of meat, I'm not entirely sure how they get away with only charging $10 for what is surely 2 pounds of meat.
Anyway, here is my formal evaluation of Dimitri Best Foods.
Decor: poor. There is literally no decor at all. Upon entering the tiny eatery (really, there's only about 6 tables or so), your eyes are immediately drawn to the chalkboard menu on the wall with some menu items being written in short-hand and a tad illegible. However, when walking up to the counter/kitchen you can watch hypnotizing cones of gyro meat circle and cook, so that kinda counts as decor, right?
Food appearance: poor. Food is served to you in a paper bag regardless if you get the order for dine in or carry out. There is really no attention to detail as far as plating or in this case bagging is concerned.
Food taste: good. The food at Dimitri Best Food is obviously where they shine (how else would they be in business?). The gyros are delicious, Nate braved the Zeus sandwich which is a fried chicken breast topped with gyro meat and tzatziki sauce. I will say despite the massive amount of ingredients everything was cooked to perfection and never did it seem like the ingredients were competing with each other. I ordered the Italian Beef sandwich, my first ever! The beef was tender and succulent and the giardiniera was spicy and vinegary and a perfect compliment to the beef. We both ordered fries with their house-made hot and mild sauces. They were perfectly spicy without being too overwhelming.
Service: good. The counter attendant (is this "Dimitri"?) speaks a broken, heavily accented English but he's friendly and treats every guest like a friend, cracking unintelligible jokes and asking about family members. That's as far as service goes though, you walk up to make your order and he calls it out when the food is ready.
Cleanliness: good. The restaurant itself is clean and tidy. I didn't venture into the bathroom but I'm sure it was probably satisfactory. Not surprisingly for the style of restaurant, customers buss their own spaces.
Total: 8/15
Well, this place isn't a "must go" when visiting Chicago but if you're craving some reasonably priced (and massive) food and happen to be in the area try to stop by and check out Dimitri Best Food.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
The "Everything That May Spoil Soon" Pizza
Happy Tuesday, readers! The sun is shining, birds are singing, the Polar Vortex is wreaking havoc on basically the entirety of the United States and I'm trying to use up all my perishables. You know how it is, you buy food, life gets in the way and then suddenly you have several weeks' worth of food you need to eat before it gets rotten and stinks up your fridge.
Last night I had the perfect idea! What food can you put literally anything into and it (almost) always ends up incredible? You guessed it! Pizza! There are so many weird combos that people still eat! BLT pizzas, Chicken Bacon Ranch pizzas, Green Chile Cheeseburger pizzas, dessert pizzas! You get the idea. Anyway, upon close inspection of my refrigerator, I had 1 fresh tomato, 1 green bell pepper, 1 shallot, and a pack of bacon so I threw them on top of a pizza and viola! An excellent dinner option.
The "Everything That May Spoil Soon" Pizza
For the crust:
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 C warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 Tsp sugar
1 Tsp salt
2 C flour (plus more for sprinkling)
1/2 C corn meal (optional)
Dissolve yeast in water.
Using your handy stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine all ingredients until mixture resembles pizza dough.
Roll dough out on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick.
Now this is where the cornmeal comes in handy: sprinkle corn meal onto your pizza stone or pan and it'll keep your dough from sticking to the pan (in theory, unfortunately I haven't mastered how to prevent sections of my pizza dough from completely adhering to my pizza stone. Anyone have any suggestions?)
For the pizza:
1 pizza crust
2 C pizza sauce (I was lazy and bought some from Aldi, but homemade is much better)
1 bell pepper, diced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 tomato, thinly sliced
6 slices of bacon, diced and cooked
1/2 C parmesan cheese
3 C mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 450.
Cook your bacon in a skillet to just under desired done-ness (remember, it'll continue cooking in the oven), and drain on a paper towel.
Top your crust with sauce, bell peppers, shallot, tomato, cooked bacon and mountains of cheese.
Bake on the bottom rack of your oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
This pizza hit the spot, and had the added bonus of using up the items I spent my hard earned money on and don't want to simply throw in the trash. SCORE!
Enjoy your Tuesday, folks!
Last night I had the perfect idea! What food can you put literally anything into and it (almost) always ends up incredible? You guessed it! Pizza! There are so many weird combos that people still eat! BLT pizzas, Chicken Bacon Ranch pizzas, Green Chile Cheeseburger pizzas, dessert pizzas! You get the idea. Anyway, upon close inspection of my refrigerator, I had 1 fresh tomato, 1 green bell pepper, 1 shallot, and a pack of bacon so I threw them on top of a pizza and viola! An excellent dinner option.
The "Everything That May Spoil Soon" Pizza
For the crust:
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 C warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 Tsp sugar
1 Tsp salt
2 C flour (plus more for sprinkling)
1/2 C corn meal (optional)
Dissolve yeast in water.
Using your handy stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine all ingredients until mixture resembles pizza dough.
Roll dough out on a floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick.
Now this is where the cornmeal comes in handy: sprinkle corn meal onto your pizza stone or pan and it'll keep your dough from sticking to the pan (in theory, unfortunately I haven't mastered how to prevent sections of my pizza dough from completely adhering to my pizza stone. Anyone have any suggestions?)
For the pizza:
1 pizza crust
2 C pizza sauce (I was lazy and bought some from Aldi, but homemade is much better)
1 bell pepper, diced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 tomato, thinly sliced
6 slices of bacon, diced and cooked
1/2 C parmesan cheese
3 C mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 450.
Cook your bacon in a skillet to just under desired done-ness (remember, it'll continue cooking in the oven), and drain on a paper towel.
Top your crust with sauce, bell peppers, shallot, tomato, cooked bacon and mountains of cheese.
Bake on the bottom rack of your oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
This pizza hit the spot, and had the added bonus of using up the items I spent my hard earned money on and don't want to simply throw in the trash. SCORE!
Enjoy your Tuesday, folks!
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Mexican Tortilla Casserole
Today I have accomplished pretty much nothing. I lounged around on the couch for a few hours, I folded and put away laundry, I packed for my upcoming trips (stay tuned for posts about Lubbock, Texas and Chicago, Illinois). I gotta tell you, it's been amazing to be so lazy the past few days. There's something strangely comforting in having no obligations, plus the colder temperatures promote staying in. When the weather outside is frightful, I like to stuff my face-hole with soup and casseroles. Tonight's face-stuffing was Mexican Tortilla Casserole inspired by Ree Drummond's The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime. I've already explained that Ree Drummond is one of my culinary idols and this cookbook is shear genius!
I say "inspired" because while I believe that this recipe would be fantastic as is, I did a few improvisations with ingredients that I happened to have on hand. Look at me! I'm like a real cook using my instincts and stuff. The original undoctored recipe is here
Mexican Tortilla Casserole
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 whole tomatoes, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
4 Tsp chili powder
2 Tsp paprika
2 Tsp cumin
1/2 Tsp salt
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
28 oz pinto beans, drained
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
1 C diced green chile
2 C hot salsa
12 corn tortillas
3 C diced and roasted potatoes
1 11 oz can corn, drained
1 1/2 lb grated cheddar cheese
2 C red chile sauce
Sour cream, for serving
So the above recipe is with my adjustments and substitutions.
Preheat oven to 375.
In a very large skillet (or in my case a small-ish stock pot) saute onions, garlic, tomatoes and bell pepper for 2 minutes in 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
Season with 2 Tsp of chili powder, 1 Tsp paprika and 1 Tsp cumin. Cook for another minute.
Remove the mixture to a separate bowl.
Using the same skillet (or small-ish stock pot), heat remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil and add in the chicken. Season with 2 Tsp chili powder, 1 Tsp paprika, 1 Tsp cumin and salt.
Saute the chicken until golden brown and cooked though. Should be around 5 minutes.
Add in 1 C water and stir to make a sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in the beans and green chile.
To assemble the casserole, pour 1 C of the hot salsa in the bottom of a 9X13 casserole dish. Spread the salsa to coat the bottom evenly.
Cover the bottom of the casserole dish with the corn tortillas.
Spread the potatoes (recipe here) in an even layer over the corn tortillas.
Spread the tomato mixture over the potatoes and top with the drained corn. Now add the chicken mixture. Now add half the cheese.
Pour on 1 C red chile sauce (recipe here).
Top with another layer of corn tortillas.
Add the remainder of the salsa, red chile sauce and cheese. Bake covered with foil for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.
This casserole is absolutely fantastic and filling. I ate a small square and was utterly stuffed and luckily for us (well, Nate really since I will be going on vacation beginning Thursday) there are plenty of leftovers. Well, enjoy your last full week before Christmas, readers!
I say "inspired" because while I believe that this recipe would be fantastic as is, I did a few improvisations with ingredients that I happened to have on hand. Look at me! I'm like a real cook using my instincts and stuff. The original undoctored recipe is here
Mexican Tortilla Casserole
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 whole tomatoes, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
4 Tsp chili powder
2 Tsp paprika
2 Tsp cumin
1/2 Tsp salt
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
28 oz pinto beans, drained
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
1 C diced green chile
2 C hot salsa
12 corn tortillas
3 C diced and roasted potatoes
1 11 oz can corn, drained
1 1/2 lb grated cheddar cheese
2 C red chile sauce
Sour cream, for serving
So the above recipe is with my adjustments and substitutions.
Preheat oven to 375.
In a very large skillet (or in my case a small-ish stock pot) saute onions, garlic, tomatoes and bell pepper for 2 minutes in 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
Season with 2 Tsp of chili powder, 1 Tsp paprika and 1 Tsp cumin. Cook for another minute.
Remove the mixture to a separate bowl.
Using the same skillet (or small-ish stock pot), heat remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil and add in the chicken. Season with 2 Tsp chili powder, 1 Tsp paprika, 1 Tsp cumin and salt.
Saute the chicken until golden brown and cooked though. Should be around 5 minutes.
Add in 1 C water and stir to make a sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in the beans and green chile.
To assemble the casserole, pour 1 C of the hot salsa in the bottom of a 9X13 casserole dish. Spread the salsa to coat the bottom evenly.
Cover the bottom of the casserole dish with the corn tortillas.
Spread the potatoes (recipe here) in an even layer over the corn tortillas.
Spread the tomato mixture over the potatoes and top with the drained corn. Now add the chicken mixture. Now add half the cheese.
Pour on 1 C red chile sauce (recipe here).
Top with another layer of corn tortillas.
Add the remainder of the salsa, red chile sauce and cheese. Bake covered with foil for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes.
This casserole is absolutely fantastic and filling. I ate a small square and was utterly stuffed and luckily for us (well, Nate really since I will be going on vacation beginning Thursday) there are plenty of leftovers. Well, enjoy your last full week before Christmas, readers!
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Creamy Spicy Chicken Soup
I don't know about you but I'm adoring these cold temperatures! Not really surprising but people in the South do not know how to prepare for cold weather. The high today in Raleigh was 43. I dressed in dress pants, a sweater, scarf, thick socks, boots, a peacoat and gloves to go on my daily walk around the State Capital and honestly I got a little warm. On my walk I encountered women wearing tank tops and flip flops and complaining to their walking companions about how they were cold. DUH! You're practically naked in 40 degree weather, no wonder you're cold!
To ring in this magnificent temperature change, I knew I wanted to make soup and what better way to warm yourself up than with a big bowl of hot soup? My Pinterest board is stuffed with delicious-sounding soup recipes, but since it is Pinterest, I'm sure there are a lot of recipe duds so obviously I was skeptical with this recipe but it turned out wonderfully! As with most other Pinterest recipes I use, I didn't follow the recipe to-the-letter but I'm sure the original interpretation would have been just as good. Here's the link to the original recipe Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Creamy Spicy Chicken Soup
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 32 oz carton chicken broth
2 Tsp chili powder
2 Tsp cumin
2 Tsp paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes with green chile
1 1/3 C milk
1/3 C Masa Harina (you can find this in the International Section of your grocery store)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can yellow corn kernels, drained
2/3 C heavy cream
1/2 C sour cream
Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
Tortilla chips, for serving
In a large, heavy stock pot saute the onion and jalapeno until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic cloves and saute for 30 seconds.
Pour in the the chicken broth and seasonings. Add in the chicken breasts (keep them whole) and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cover. Boil the chicken until cooked through, this should take about 15 minutes.
Remove the breasts from the pot and allow them to rest for 5 minutes. After they've rested shred the chicken using 2 forks.
Add in the diced tomatoes and chile, juice and all. I happened to have a almost-too-ripe tomato on hand so I diced it up and added it to the pot as well.
Using a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together milk and Masa Harina and pour into the pot. Boil until the soup thickens, it won't thicken significantly but you'll notice a subtle change in consistency.
Add the shredded chicken, black beans and corn to the pot. Stir in heavy cream and sour cream and simmer for 5 minutes.
I topped our soup with a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese and a few tortilla chips.
The soup was creamy and definitely filling! I had worked out prior to cooking and was ravenous and was only able to fit one bowl in my stomach before feeling like I was about to explode. I hope you're enjoying your frosty temperatures this weekend and if you're not one for cold temperatures this soup will warm you right up.
To ring in this magnificent temperature change, I knew I wanted to make soup and what better way to warm yourself up than with a big bowl of hot soup? My Pinterest board is stuffed with delicious-sounding soup recipes, but since it is Pinterest, I'm sure there are a lot of recipe duds so obviously I was skeptical with this recipe but it turned out wonderfully! As with most other Pinterest recipes I use, I didn't follow the recipe to-the-letter but I'm sure the original interpretation would have been just as good. Here's the link to the original recipe Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Creamy Spicy Chicken Soup
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 32 oz carton chicken broth
2 Tsp chili powder
2 Tsp cumin
2 Tsp paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes with green chile
1 1/3 C milk
1/3 C Masa Harina (you can find this in the International Section of your grocery store)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can yellow corn kernels, drained
2/3 C heavy cream
1/2 C sour cream
Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
Tortilla chips, for serving
In a large, heavy stock pot saute the onion and jalapeno until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add in the garlic cloves and saute for 30 seconds.
Pour in the the chicken broth and seasonings. Add in the chicken breasts (keep them whole) and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cover. Boil the chicken until cooked through, this should take about 15 minutes.
Remove the breasts from the pot and allow them to rest for 5 minutes. After they've rested shred the chicken using 2 forks.
Add in the diced tomatoes and chile, juice and all. I happened to have a almost-too-ripe tomato on hand so I diced it up and added it to the pot as well.
Using a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, whisk together milk and Masa Harina and pour into the pot. Boil until the soup thickens, it won't thicken significantly but you'll notice a subtle change in consistency.
Add the shredded chicken, black beans and corn to the pot. Stir in heavy cream and sour cream and simmer for 5 minutes.
I topped our soup with a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese and a few tortilla chips.
The soup was creamy and definitely filling! I had worked out prior to cooking and was ravenous and was only able to fit one bowl in my stomach before feeling like I was about to explode. I hope you're enjoying your frosty temperatures this weekend and if you're not one for cold temperatures this soup will warm you right up.
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Macaroni and Cheese
As promised, here's the second post of the day! On Monday, (God why does that seem like it was a year ago?) I invited over my friend Randi Alexander (whom I haven't seen in about 2 months) for dinner. She recently accepted a new big-girl-type job and I began working for my wonderful company so we haven't had a whole lot of opportunity to catch up.
I made a crowd favorite: Macaroni and Cheese.
Who doesn't love cheese? IT HEALS ALL AILMENTS! This recipe was given to me by my dear friend, Casey Witherspoon before I got married and it is probably one of my favorites because it's so simple.
Macaroni and Cheese
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 C flour
2 C milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 Tbsp cream cheese (optional)
2 Tbsp heavy cream (optional)
1 lb pasta
2 C shredded cheese (plus more for topping)
1 C Italian breadcrumbs
Boil pasta according to package instructions.
Preheat oven to 375.
In a heavy oven-safe pot (I love to use my trusty Martha Stewart Dutch oven), melt butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted add in the flour. Stir the mixture using a wooden spoon and cook until mixture's color begins to change from pale white to a caramel golden.
Pour in the milk and stir. Let the mixture bubble until it thickens. For me, this took about 5 minutes. Once you achieve optimal thickness, season with salt and pepper. If you're like me and have just random ingredients in your fridge that you bought but now have nothing to do with the small amount that's left, throw them in the sauce. I had about 3 Tbsp of cream cheese I wouldn't use for anything and some heavy cream that was a few days' shy of expiring so I threw them in there too, but the recipe is just as good without these additions. Remove the sauce from the heat.
Now for the fun part: CHEESE! I used a hoop cheddar (a rich and velvety sharp cheddar) and a jalapeno jack (both I picked up at the State Farmer's Market here in Raleigh) but as with any amazing cheese-y dish, get creative. Use whatever cheese makes you happiest. Stir the 2 C shredded cheese into the sauce until it's pretty much combined and melty.
Add in the pasta. Coat the pasta with the cheese sauce and smooth out the top. Top with about 1 C of cheese (because who doesn't want extra cheese?) and top with the breadcrumbs. Bake the macaroni and cheese uncovered for 20 minutes or until melty and bubbly.
This dish is sure to please and is pretty quick to make. From start to finish it's maybe 40 minutes and will have everyone clamoring for seconds. Enjoy, readers! Stay tuned for tonight's dinner of Turkey burgers.
I made a crowd favorite: Macaroni and Cheese.
Who doesn't love cheese? IT HEALS ALL AILMENTS! This recipe was given to me by my dear friend, Casey Witherspoon before I got married and it is probably one of my favorites because it's so simple.
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 C flour
2 C milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 Tbsp cream cheese (optional)
2 Tbsp heavy cream (optional)
1 lb pasta
2 C shredded cheese (plus more for topping)
1 C Italian breadcrumbs
Boil pasta according to package instructions.
Preheat oven to 375.
In a heavy oven-safe pot (I love to use my trusty Martha Stewart Dutch oven), melt butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted add in the flour. Stir the mixture using a wooden spoon and cook until mixture's color begins to change from pale white to a caramel golden.
Pour in the milk and stir. Let the mixture bubble until it thickens. For me, this took about 5 minutes. Once you achieve optimal thickness, season with salt and pepper. If you're like me and have just random ingredients in your fridge that you bought but now have nothing to do with the small amount that's left, throw them in the sauce. I had about 3 Tbsp of cream cheese I wouldn't use for anything and some heavy cream that was a few days' shy of expiring so I threw them in there too, but the recipe is just as good without these additions. Remove the sauce from the heat.
Now for the fun part: CHEESE! I used a hoop cheddar (a rich and velvety sharp cheddar) and a jalapeno jack (both I picked up at the State Farmer's Market here in Raleigh) but as with any amazing cheese-y dish, get creative. Use whatever cheese makes you happiest. Stir the 2 C shredded cheese into the sauce until it's pretty much combined and melty.
Add in the pasta. Coat the pasta with the cheese sauce and smooth out the top. Top with about 1 C of cheese (because who doesn't want extra cheese?) and top with the breadcrumbs. Bake the macaroni and cheese uncovered for 20 minutes or until melty and bubbly.
This dish is sure to please and is pretty quick to make. From start to finish it's maybe 40 minutes and will have everyone clamoring for seconds. Enjoy, readers! Stay tuned for tonight's dinner of Turkey burgers.
Gingerbread People
Good morning, loyal readers! I apologize for the clear lack of blogging lately. I've been doing plenty of cooking and eating, but not a whole lot of writing about it...so prepare yourselves for like 3 blogs to be posted today :)
I love Christmas, well, all holidays really but Christmas is probably my favorite. Why? Well, your heart just feels bigger. You want to show everyone you know that you're thinking about them and care about them. The weather promotes fuzzy socks, big blankets and plenty of cuddling. OH! And there's the total acceptance that you will gain like 20 pounds but no one really seems to notice. That's what New Years Resolutions are for, right?
This past weekend Nate and I participated in a plethora of Christmas-time activities. Friday night I invited over a friend of mine (shout out to Jenny Bingham for bringing over wine!), I made chili and cornbread and we all sat down to watch Christmas movies. First up was Love Actually. Now, if you haven't seen it, it's on Netflix so get to it! The movie boasts an all-star cast and their various relationships and in true Hollywood fashion, SPOILER ALERT everything works out almost perfectly on Christmas Eve. Everyone professes their love for one another and lives happily ever after. It's a good movie to watch if you're bored and don't want to pay for a movie.
Next up was my personal favorite Christmas movie (Nate recently stated to me that the Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas cartoon was a Christmas special, not a Christmas movie): The Muppets Christmas Carol. I love the Muppets, they're nostalgic, funny and the movie itself is as enjoyable as an adult as it was when I was a child. In fact, here: The Muppets Christmas Carol Educate yourselves.
Saturday was my company Christmas party at the Angus Barn, which was just as fantastic the second time as it was the first. The pavilion was beautifully decorated, we ate way too much, the wine was excellent and when it was over Nate and I migrated to the Meat Locker in the main restaurant. The Meat Locker, as you may or may not recall, is the outdoor patio for smoking and enjoying the beauty of a crisp winter evening. Nate bought himself a cigar and I drank a Manhattan, it was a damn good one too.
Sunday we had tickets to see the (very far off) Broadway performance of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas at the Duke Performing Arts Center in Durham, North Carolina. Unfortunately for us, we didn't realize the 5:00 performance was in Durham until 4:30. Driving on I-40 to Durham is notorious for accidents, back-ups and just being slow. Somehow we managed to get there without incident and we even found free parking across from the theater! It was a Christmas miracle! The performance was spectacular, interactive, funny, and memorable. If it happens to stop anywhere near you, GO SEE IT! Trust me, you will not be disappointed in the least.
When we returned from the performance we made Gingerbread People. I have never made them before but I was shocked at how simple it was and they turned out perfectly! The only hitch is they are a little time-consuming. I got this recipe from Food Network and it was very easy to follow.
Gingerbread People
3 C flour
1 Tsp baking soda
3/4 Tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 Tsp ground ginger
1/2 Tsp ground allspice
1/2 Tsp ground cloves
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp fresh cracked black pepper
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 C vegetable shortening, at room temperature
1/2 C packed light brown sugar
2/3 C unsulfured molasses
1 large egg
Position your oven racks in the top third and bottom third of your oven.
Sift the flour, baking soda, and spices through a metal sieve into a medium bowl, set aside.
In a separate large bowl (like the bowl of your stand mixer) beat the butter and shortening until well-combined. Add the brown sugar and beat until the mixture is light in color and fluffy in texture. Beat in the molasses and egg.
Using a wooden spoon, slowly combine the dry ingredients with the wet to make a stiff dough.
Portion the dough into plastic wrap and form 2 disks. Put these in the fridge for about 3 hours. See, told you it was time-consuming.
Now you're ready to pre-heat your oven to 350.
Roll out the cookie dough to 1/8 inch thick or slightly thicker if you want the cookies a little chewy (which I always do).
Due to my lack of cookie cutters (hint, hint, if any loyal readers like me enough to gift me something) I only had gingerbread men and snowmen (hence the "gingerbread people" title, don't wanna leave anyone out of the group).
Arrange your cookie dough onto a lightly-greased cookie sheet topped with a silicone mat or wax paper about 1 inch apart. The cookies don't spread out much but just to be safe.
Place the cookies in the top third of your oven for 7 minutes. Once the 7 minutes are up, flip the trays so what was facing the oven door is now facing the back of the oven and move the cookies to the bottom third of your oven for the remaining 7 minutes.
Complicated, huh?
Let the cookies cool on the trays for 2 minutes before removing them to a wire rack.
Our cookies came out the perfect chewy texture and the flavor was phenomenal; spicy and delicious! Enjoy the recipe readers!
I love Christmas, well, all holidays really but Christmas is probably my favorite. Why? Well, your heart just feels bigger. You want to show everyone you know that you're thinking about them and care about them. The weather promotes fuzzy socks, big blankets and plenty of cuddling. OH! And there's the total acceptance that you will gain like 20 pounds but no one really seems to notice. That's what New Years Resolutions are for, right?
This past weekend Nate and I participated in a plethora of Christmas-time activities. Friday night I invited over a friend of mine (shout out to Jenny Bingham for bringing over wine!), I made chili and cornbread and we all sat down to watch Christmas movies. First up was Love Actually. Now, if you haven't seen it, it's on Netflix so get to it! The movie boasts an all-star cast and their various relationships and in true Hollywood fashion, SPOILER ALERT everything works out almost perfectly on Christmas Eve. Everyone professes their love for one another and lives happily ever after. It's a good movie to watch if you're bored and don't want to pay for a movie.
Next up was my personal favorite Christmas movie (Nate recently stated to me that the Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas cartoon was a Christmas special, not a Christmas movie): The Muppets Christmas Carol. I love the Muppets, they're nostalgic, funny and the movie itself is as enjoyable as an adult as it was when I was a child. In fact, here: The Muppets Christmas Carol Educate yourselves.
Saturday was my company Christmas party at the Angus Barn, which was just as fantastic the second time as it was the first. The pavilion was beautifully decorated, we ate way too much, the wine was excellent and when it was over Nate and I migrated to the Meat Locker in the main restaurant. The Meat Locker, as you may or may not recall, is the outdoor patio for smoking and enjoying the beauty of a crisp winter evening. Nate bought himself a cigar and I drank a Manhattan, it was a damn good one too.
Sunday we had tickets to see the (very far off) Broadway performance of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas at the Duke Performing Arts Center in Durham, North Carolina. Unfortunately for us, we didn't realize the 5:00 performance was in Durham until 4:30. Driving on I-40 to Durham is notorious for accidents, back-ups and just being slow. Somehow we managed to get there without incident and we even found free parking across from the theater! It was a Christmas miracle! The performance was spectacular, interactive, funny, and memorable. If it happens to stop anywhere near you, GO SEE IT! Trust me, you will not be disappointed in the least.
When we returned from the performance we made Gingerbread People. I have never made them before but I was shocked at how simple it was and they turned out perfectly! The only hitch is they are a little time-consuming. I got this recipe from Food Network and it was very easy to follow.
Gingerbread People
3 C flour
1 Tsp baking soda
3/4 Tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 Tsp ground ginger
1/2 Tsp ground allspice
1/2 Tsp ground cloves
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp fresh cracked black pepper
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 C vegetable shortening, at room temperature
1/2 C packed light brown sugar
2/3 C unsulfured molasses
1 large egg
Position your oven racks in the top third and bottom third of your oven.
Sift the flour, baking soda, and spices through a metal sieve into a medium bowl, set aside.
In a separate large bowl (like the bowl of your stand mixer) beat the butter and shortening until well-combined. Add the brown sugar and beat until the mixture is light in color and fluffy in texture. Beat in the molasses and egg.
Using a wooden spoon, slowly combine the dry ingredients with the wet to make a stiff dough.
Portion the dough into plastic wrap and form 2 disks. Put these in the fridge for about 3 hours. See, told you it was time-consuming.
Now you're ready to pre-heat your oven to 350.
Roll out the cookie dough to 1/8 inch thick or slightly thicker if you want the cookies a little chewy (which I always do).
Due to my lack of cookie cutters (hint, hint, if any loyal readers like me enough to gift me something) I only had gingerbread men and snowmen (hence the "gingerbread people" title, don't wanna leave anyone out of the group).
Arrange your cookie dough onto a lightly-greased cookie sheet topped with a silicone mat or wax paper about 1 inch apart. The cookies don't spread out much but just to be safe.
Place the cookies in the top third of your oven for 7 minutes. Once the 7 minutes are up, flip the trays so what was facing the oven door is now facing the back of the oven and move the cookies to the bottom third of your oven for the remaining 7 minutes.
Complicated, huh?
Let the cookies cool on the trays for 2 minutes before removing them to a wire rack.
Our cookies came out the perfect chewy texture and the flavor was phenomenal; spicy and delicious! Enjoy the recipe readers!
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Red Chile Sauce
Happy Thanksgiving, all! I think the best part of Thanksgiving, well besides eating your weight in turkey, sides and pie, is that it's so different depending on where you celebrate.
While we all eat "the usual", "the usual" changes vastly region-to-region. Think about it for a second, dressing versus stuffing, giblet gravy versus packaged, lumpy potatoes versus smooth and with peas and onions? The Thanksgiving traditions in Pittsburg are going to be different from Thanksgiving in San Diego, is going to be different from Thanksgiving in New York City, and so on and so on. Yeah, I agree there's probably a turkey on most if not all tables and mashed potatoes in some form but the preparations and fixings all vary.
Well, a staple on every New Mexican's Thanksgiving table, and most definitely nowhere else in the country, is red chile sauce. If you are not a native New Mexican, you may be thinking to yourself, "red chile? What? Do they eat anything that isn't smothered in chile?" To answer your question, no, chile really does cover everything that enters our stomachs in some form or another. The sauce also serves a dual purpose: to replace gravy. I have never liked gravy. Call me Un-American or a traitor or whatever, I don't care. I don't like gravy and I am not ashamed to admit it. It grosses me out. Always have. Always will. Period. End-of-story.
Since Nate and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year, I get to subject people to my bizarre New Mexican traditions. This red chile sauce will cover my mashed potatoes, my turkey and who knows what else! So if you want to try something different on your Thanksgiving table this year, I urge you to give this red chile sauce a try!
New Mexican Red Chile Sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 C red chile powder
1 C water
Salt to taste
In a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat, saute garlic until it begins to release the wonderful cooking-garlic aroma. Blend in the flour using a wooden spoon and allow to cook for a minute until it becomes a light golden color.
Turn the heat down to medium-low and blend in the chile powder. I know what you're thinking: "Lindsey, I live in (insert town name here) and they don't just sell red chile powder here! Why are you trying to get me to make this stuff anyway?!" To which I answer you, ok, calm down first of all. Chile powder is actually easier to find than you would think! I was able to buy a huge bag of it at Aldi in Cary, North Carolina. If you don't have an Aldi near you, you could also order it online from my favorite chile purveyor: Chile Monster.
Now, red chile burns easily so you really have to be careful and blend it in and toast it for only about a minute before adding in the water and salt. I prefer my chile sauce to be a little thicker in consistency so I only added about 3/4 C of my water but if you want yours to be a little thinner than feel free to add in the whole cup, or even less.
Happy Thanksgiving, readers from my family to yours!
While we all eat "the usual", "the usual" changes vastly region-to-region. Think about it for a second, dressing versus stuffing, giblet gravy versus packaged, lumpy potatoes versus smooth and with peas and onions? The Thanksgiving traditions in Pittsburg are going to be different from Thanksgiving in San Diego, is going to be different from Thanksgiving in New York City, and so on and so on. Yeah, I agree there's probably a turkey on most if not all tables and mashed potatoes in some form but the preparations and fixings all vary.
Well, a staple on every New Mexican's Thanksgiving table, and most definitely nowhere else in the country, is red chile sauce. If you are not a native New Mexican, you may be thinking to yourself, "red chile? What? Do they eat anything that isn't smothered in chile?" To answer your question, no, chile really does cover everything that enters our stomachs in some form or another. The sauce also serves a dual purpose: to replace gravy. I have never liked gravy. Call me Un-American or a traitor or whatever, I don't care. I don't like gravy and I am not ashamed to admit it. It grosses me out. Always have. Always will. Period. End-of-story.
Since Nate and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year, I get to subject people to my bizarre New Mexican traditions. This red chile sauce will cover my mashed potatoes, my turkey and who knows what else! So if you want to try something different on your Thanksgiving table this year, I urge you to give this red chile sauce a try!
New Mexican Red Chile Sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 C red chile powder
1 C water
Salt to taste
In a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat, saute garlic until it begins to release the wonderful cooking-garlic aroma. Blend in the flour using a wooden spoon and allow to cook for a minute until it becomes a light golden color.
Turn the heat down to medium-low and blend in the chile powder. I know what you're thinking: "Lindsey, I live in (insert town name here) and they don't just sell red chile powder here! Why are you trying to get me to make this stuff anyway?!" To which I answer you, ok, calm down first of all. Chile powder is actually easier to find than you would think! I was able to buy a huge bag of it at Aldi in Cary, North Carolina. If you don't have an Aldi near you, you could also order it online from my favorite chile purveyor: Chile Monster.
Now, red chile burns easily so you really have to be careful and blend it in and toast it for only about a minute before adding in the water and salt. I prefer my chile sauce to be a little thicker in consistency so I only added about 3/4 C of my water but if you want yours to be a little thinner than feel free to add in the whole cup, or even less.
Happy Thanksgiving, readers from my family to yours!
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Happy Thanksgiving Eve, readers! I wish you and your family a very happy calorie-filled, no-carb-left-behind Thanksgiving! This evening was very busy for Nate and I. He made roasted sweet potatoes and decorated the house while I prepared Green Bean Casserole (following the tried-and-true recipe on the back of the French Fried Onions can, subbing fresh green beans for canned) and pumpkin cheesecake!
This cheesecake honestly couldn't be easier to make! You mix everything up with a blender and bake it for an hour. That's it. Awesome right? Who wants to worry about complicated recipes when they have a billion other things to worry about? Not me, that's for damn sure.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
3 8oz packages of softened cream cheese
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
In a large mixing bowl or your handy stand mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Unfortunately for me, I did not allow my cream cheese to soften enough and completely blew the motor on my hand mixer. It was a devastating experience, mainly because I was in the middle of whipping my cream cheese and now had to transfer all my cream cheese into the stand mixer.
Once cream cheese is light and fluffy, mix in pumpkin puree, eggs, and spices until combined. This took about 10 minutes to incorporate everything completely.
Mix in flour and vanilla until combined.
Pour the filling into a prepared crust. The great thing about this filling is it will fill up two 9 inch pie crusts! Who doesn't love two cheesecakes?
I stupidly only bought one graham cracker crust but I thankfully have a pantry-full of graham crackers just aging.
Pie Crust
8 graham crackers
4 Tbsp butter, melted
3 Tbsp sugar
Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium bowl, break up graham crackers. I used a potato masher. It worked well to mash into semi-uniform yet solid-ish pieces. They weren't teeny-tiny like they would be had I used a food processor but it should taste ok.
Mix in melted butter and sugar until the graham crackers start to come together.
Press into a pie pan.
Bake for 5 minutes.
Now for baking the now-crusted cheesecakes:
Bake the cheesecakes at 350 for 1 hour. After an hour, turn the oven off but keep the cheesecakes in the oven.
Allow cheesecakes to come to room temperature before placing in the fridge for 6-8 hours or overnight.
These cheesecakes are heavenly and a nice nod to the traditional pumpkin pie without being drab and boring.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's recipe for red chile sauce!
This cheesecake honestly couldn't be easier to make! You mix everything up with a blender and bake it for an hour. That's it. Awesome right? Who wants to worry about complicated recipes when they have a billion other things to worry about? Not me, that's for damn sure.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
3 8oz packages of softened cream cheese
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
In a large mixing bowl or your handy stand mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Unfortunately for me, I did not allow my cream cheese to soften enough and completely blew the motor on my hand mixer. It was a devastating experience, mainly because I was in the middle of whipping my cream cheese and now had to transfer all my cream cheese into the stand mixer.
Once cream cheese is light and fluffy, mix in pumpkin puree, eggs, and spices until combined. This took about 10 minutes to incorporate everything completely.
Mix in flour and vanilla until combined.
Pour the filling into a prepared crust. The great thing about this filling is it will fill up two 9 inch pie crusts! Who doesn't love two cheesecakes?
I stupidly only bought one graham cracker crust but I thankfully have a pantry-full of graham crackers just aging.
Pie Crust
8 graham crackers
4 Tbsp butter, melted
3 Tbsp sugar
Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium bowl, break up graham crackers. I used a potato masher. It worked well to mash into semi-uniform yet solid-ish pieces. They weren't teeny-tiny like they would be had I used a food processor but it should taste ok.
Mix in melted butter and sugar until the graham crackers start to come together.
Press into a pie pan.
Bake for 5 minutes.
Now for baking the now-crusted cheesecakes:
Bake the cheesecakes at 350 for 1 hour. After an hour, turn the oven off but keep the cheesecakes in the oven.
Allow cheesecakes to come to room temperature before placing in the fridge for 6-8 hours or overnight.
These cheesecakes are heavenly and a nice nod to the traditional pumpkin pie without being drab and boring.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's recipe for red chile sauce!
Monday, November 21, 2016
Angus Barn
Oh my goodness, readers! Last night I had what may very well be the best meal of my life! To celebrate my in-laws' anniversary, we took a trip to the Angus Barn. I had always heard the food there was delicious and the service was legendary (the servers go through a month-long training and are required to commit to a two-year contract and in some dining rooms are also required to be a Level One sommelier) but absolutely nothing prepared me for what I experienced at the Angus Barn.
There are only two ways I can think of to describe this restaurant (if you can even call it that, it's more like a complex. Or Heaven.) the first is "no matter who you walk in as, you walk out a Republican," as described by my friend Justin Cody or in more precise terms: Parks and Recreation's character Ron Swanson personified.
Eating here is not only eating dinner, it's an experience to not be forgotten. The experience begins the moment you turn into the parking lot and immediately your eyes sparkle with what appears to be thousands of Christmas lights. There are large balls of light hanging from trees and bulbs strung up on the main barn, their water tower and their open-air pavilions. It immediately transports you to your childhood when you would drive around looking at Christmas lights with eyes full of wonder and excitement.
Angus Barn is located at 9401 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27617. It is only open during dinner hours and I highly recommend a reservation.
Décor: excellent. Your experience continues when you walk into their beautiful main barn. The décor is western-themed (which makes sense because it's a barn) but in the most upscale way possible. What could easily turn into a chuck-wagon type kitschy restaurant is instead classy and chic. They were decorated for Christmas and walking through each of their several dining rooms almost felt like walking through your grandmother's house at Christmas (well, if your grandmother lived in a fancy barn.) There are subtle nods to western-motifs around the building but nothing feels like you're in a remake of Gone With The Wind. The bathrooms are located in old stables and there is an indoor outhouse located near the Meat Locker dining room.
Service: excellent. The attention to the service is impeccable. Depending on which dining room you are dining in, you are directed from one Hostess stand to the next and you are addressed by name (Mr. and Mrs. Hart for example). After arriving to your table you are greeted by your server who thoroughly explains the evening's specials with wine and beer pairings and treats you as if you were royalty. Our server was excellent. I wish I could remember her name to thank her properly but she was fantastic! Water glasses were always filled, table was always cleared of plates immediately, she was friendly and personable and when a problem arose she remedied it immediately. I can honestly say that Angus Barn definitely has some of the best servers in Raleigh, NC.
Food appearance: excellent. The best part about Angus Barn is it's no fuss or frills. Food is presented to you in the most simplistic but scrumptious way possible. Despite the fact they have an Iron Chef in the kitchen (Walter Royal) the star is the way the food tastes in it's almost purest form: grilled with seasonings.
Food taste: excellent. There was not one thing I ate last night that I didn't fall in love with at first bite. The tables are set with crackers and a pairing of cheese spreads: sharp cheddar and Roquefort-blue cheese. Both are sublime and a perfect beginning to your meal. Next were oysters both on the half-shell and Rockefeller. I must admit that I do not like oysters on the half-shell but Nate and Mama Hart devoured all six while my father-in-law and I shared the Rockefellers. Everything tasted fresh and succulent. Next we ordered our entrees. Nate and his dad shared the 42 oz tomahawk steak. Yeah, you read that right, two men shared a 42 oz steak, each got a soup or salad and each got a side. To say this was a lot of food was an understatement. The steak itself looked like a damn dinosaur leg! We elicited a lot of stares around the dining room when it was delivered to our table but I will say despite the enormous portion the steak didn't lose any of it's flavor or tenderness. It was a beautiful medium-rare and had the most fantastic pure beef-iness you can imagine! I ordered their 7 oz fillet mignon and 9 oz lobster tail combo. The fillet was juicy, tender and perfect. The lobster on the other hand needed some work.
Allow me to digress for just a moment here, I have not eaten a lobster since I was 5 years old. I am now 23. When I was young I traveled the country with my Great Aunt and late Uncle in their motor home. During one of these excursions, I was taken to a fresh-fish market and told to pick a lobster. As a young 5-year-old child I was under the impression that this lobster was going to be my pet. However, as a young 5-year-old child my attention span wasn't very long and I quickly forgot all about my pet lobster. Later that evening while I was munching away at my dinner, my Aunt Bev asked me "how do you like your dinner?" I answered. She then elaborated, "that's the lobster you picked out! Isn't that neat?" I was mortified. I was currently crunching down on what I thought would be my best friend. I had not eaten lobster until last night.
Unfortunately, my lobster at Angus Barn was tough and leather-y. It was cooked far too long. But my skilled server immediately remedied the situation and I was brought a fresh lobster before I could even blink. The fresh lobster was sweet and tender and succulent. I now see what I have been missing for the last 18 years of my life! The clarified butter and the acidic lemon. Gosh I'm salivating just thinking about it.
Each entrée includes soup or salad and a side. I chose the side wedge salad which was everything a wedge salad should be. Crisp iceberg, juicy tomatoes, sharp blue cheese, crunchy bacon and creamy blue cheese. Theirs also included the addition of crunchy pecans. To try to pretend that I was not over-indulging myself, I chose steamed broccoli as my side.
Nate chose French Onion Soup and garlic mashed potatoes for his soup and side. The soup came in a huge bowl and was the cheesiest thing I've ever seen in my life! Literally, it was gobs of gooey cheese and there's nothing wrong with that. His mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy with a great punch of garlic.
Nate's dad chose the soup-of-the-day, which happened to be a seafood chowder. The chowder was tomato-based and contained giant chunks of fresh seafood. It was utterly delicious. He chose sautéed mushrooms as his side and I must admit I didn't try them.
Mama Hart got the 10 oz prime rib cooked rare with creamed spinach and sautéed asparagus. The prime rib was a beautiful pink and juicy served with the traditional fixings. I wish I would've grabbed a bite of it before devouring my steak and lobster. I didn't try her sides either! I'm kicking myself!
Dessert was brought to you on a tray and each dish was described in length. Everything even their 4 flavors of ice cream are made in house. Who can resist fresh made food?! We ordered the Caramel-Bourbon hot fudge sundae. It was a goblet of caramel-bourbon ice cream topped with fresh whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry and engulfed in melt-y hot fudge. Dear God it was sublime! I would return for this alone!
Cleanliness: excellent. Everything was absolutely spotless! Even the bathrooms were beautiful! I actually considered eating in there because it was so beautiful and clean.
Total: 15/15
Everything about the Angus Barn screams decadence. There are several dining rooms, a wine cellar stocked with 27,000 wines. No, that's not a typo. There are 27,000 wines stored in their cellar the most expensive being a $15,000 vintage. The wine list is expansive and contains wines from all around the world in prices ranging from $38-$15,000 with tastes for just about everyone. The restaurant hosts two chef's tables -- one in the main kitchen and one in the kitchen serving the two private dining rooms downstairs. Each private room downstairs has it's own full bar and servers who are "white glove and silent" and are also minimum Level One sommeliers.
The restaurant has a wall of Level One and Level Two sommeliers on staff as well as a slew of fantastic chefs.
Annually there is a Titanic dinner during which guests are served the meal that White Star served on the night the ship sank as well as hosting weddings and other events.
I am extremely thrilled that my new employer is hosting their annual Christmas party there and I will get to enjoy their phenomenal food in just a few short weeks!
There are only two ways I can think of to describe this restaurant (if you can even call it that, it's more like a complex. Or Heaven.) the first is "no matter who you walk in as, you walk out a Republican," as described by my friend Justin Cody or in more precise terms: Parks and Recreation's character Ron Swanson personified.
Eating here is not only eating dinner, it's an experience to not be forgotten. The experience begins the moment you turn into the parking lot and immediately your eyes sparkle with what appears to be thousands of Christmas lights. There are large balls of light hanging from trees and bulbs strung up on the main barn, their water tower and their open-air pavilions. It immediately transports you to your childhood when you would drive around looking at Christmas lights with eyes full of wonder and excitement.
Angus Barn is located at 9401 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27617. It is only open during dinner hours and I highly recommend a reservation.
Décor: excellent. Your experience continues when you walk into their beautiful main barn. The décor is western-themed (which makes sense because it's a barn) but in the most upscale way possible. What could easily turn into a chuck-wagon type kitschy restaurant is instead classy and chic. They were decorated for Christmas and walking through each of their several dining rooms almost felt like walking through your grandmother's house at Christmas (well, if your grandmother lived in a fancy barn.) There are subtle nods to western-motifs around the building but nothing feels like you're in a remake of Gone With The Wind. The bathrooms are located in old stables and there is an indoor outhouse located near the Meat Locker dining room.
Service: excellent. The attention to the service is impeccable. Depending on which dining room you are dining in, you are directed from one Hostess stand to the next and you are addressed by name (Mr. and Mrs. Hart for example). After arriving to your table you are greeted by your server who thoroughly explains the evening's specials with wine and beer pairings and treats you as if you were royalty. Our server was excellent. I wish I could remember her name to thank her properly but she was fantastic! Water glasses were always filled, table was always cleared of plates immediately, she was friendly and personable and when a problem arose she remedied it immediately. I can honestly say that Angus Barn definitely has some of the best servers in Raleigh, NC.
Food appearance: excellent. The best part about Angus Barn is it's no fuss or frills. Food is presented to you in the most simplistic but scrumptious way possible. Despite the fact they have an Iron Chef in the kitchen (Walter Royal) the star is the way the food tastes in it's almost purest form: grilled with seasonings.
Food taste: excellent. There was not one thing I ate last night that I didn't fall in love with at first bite. The tables are set with crackers and a pairing of cheese spreads: sharp cheddar and Roquefort-blue cheese. Both are sublime and a perfect beginning to your meal. Next were oysters both on the half-shell and Rockefeller. I must admit that I do not like oysters on the half-shell but Nate and Mama Hart devoured all six while my father-in-law and I shared the Rockefellers. Everything tasted fresh and succulent. Next we ordered our entrees. Nate and his dad shared the 42 oz tomahawk steak. Yeah, you read that right, two men shared a 42 oz steak, each got a soup or salad and each got a side. To say this was a lot of food was an understatement. The steak itself looked like a damn dinosaur leg! We elicited a lot of stares around the dining room when it was delivered to our table but I will say despite the enormous portion the steak didn't lose any of it's flavor or tenderness. It was a beautiful medium-rare and had the most fantastic pure beef-iness you can imagine! I ordered their 7 oz fillet mignon and 9 oz lobster tail combo. The fillet was juicy, tender and perfect. The lobster on the other hand needed some work.
Allow me to digress for just a moment here, I have not eaten a lobster since I was 5 years old. I am now 23. When I was young I traveled the country with my Great Aunt and late Uncle in their motor home. During one of these excursions, I was taken to a fresh-fish market and told to pick a lobster. As a young 5-year-old child I was under the impression that this lobster was going to be my pet. However, as a young 5-year-old child my attention span wasn't very long and I quickly forgot all about my pet lobster. Later that evening while I was munching away at my dinner, my Aunt Bev asked me "how do you like your dinner?" I answered. She then elaborated, "that's the lobster you picked out! Isn't that neat?" I was mortified. I was currently crunching down on what I thought would be my best friend. I had not eaten lobster until last night.
Unfortunately, my lobster at Angus Barn was tough and leather-y. It was cooked far too long. But my skilled server immediately remedied the situation and I was brought a fresh lobster before I could even blink. The fresh lobster was sweet and tender and succulent. I now see what I have been missing for the last 18 years of my life! The clarified butter and the acidic lemon. Gosh I'm salivating just thinking about it.
Each entrée includes soup or salad and a side. I chose the side wedge salad which was everything a wedge salad should be. Crisp iceberg, juicy tomatoes, sharp blue cheese, crunchy bacon and creamy blue cheese. Theirs also included the addition of crunchy pecans. To try to pretend that I was not over-indulging myself, I chose steamed broccoli as my side.
Nate chose French Onion Soup and garlic mashed potatoes for his soup and side. The soup came in a huge bowl and was the cheesiest thing I've ever seen in my life! Literally, it was gobs of gooey cheese and there's nothing wrong with that. His mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy with a great punch of garlic.
Nate's dad chose the soup-of-the-day, which happened to be a seafood chowder. The chowder was tomato-based and contained giant chunks of fresh seafood. It was utterly delicious. He chose sautéed mushrooms as his side and I must admit I didn't try them.
Mama Hart got the 10 oz prime rib cooked rare with creamed spinach and sautéed asparagus. The prime rib was a beautiful pink and juicy served with the traditional fixings. I wish I would've grabbed a bite of it before devouring my steak and lobster. I didn't try her sides either! I'm kicking myself!
Dessert was brought to you on a tray and each dish was described in length. Everything even their 4 flavors of ice cream are made in house. Who can resist fresh made food?! We ordered the Caramel-Bourbon hot fudge sundae. It was a goblet of caramel-bourbon ice cream topped with fresh whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry and engulfed in melt-y hot fudge. Dear God it was sublime! I would return for this alone!
Cleanliness: excellent. Everything was absolutely spotless! Even the bathrooms were beautiful! I actually considered eating in there because it was so beautiful and clean.
Total: 15/15
Everything about the Angus Barn screams decadence. There are several dining rooms, a wine cellar stocked with 27,000 wines. No, that's not a typo. There are 27,000 wines stored in their cellar the most expensive being a $15,000 vintage. The wine list is expansive and contains wines from all around the world in prices ranging from $38-$15,000 with tastes for just about everyone. The restaurant hosts two chef's tables -- one in the main kitchen and one in the kitchen serving the two private dining rooms downstairs. Each private room downstairs has it's own full bar and servers who are "white glove and silent" and are also minimum Level One sommeliers.
The restaurant has a wall of Level One and Level Two sommeliers on staff as well as a slew of fantastic chefs.
Annually there is a Titanic dinner during which guests are served the meal that White Star served on the night the ship sank as well as hosting weddings and other events.
I am extremely thrilled that my new employer is hosting their annual Christmas party there and I will get to enjoy their phenomenal food in just a few short weeks!
Friday, November 18, 2016
Pizza Couscous
Happy Friday, readers! We have made it through another week, congratulations! I hope you're all making your Thanksgiving preparations and starting your Holiday plans (I, for one, cannot wait for Christmas season!)
As you know, this weekend my fantastic in-laws are visiting so there will definitely be some eating-out going on (yay!). However, to prepare our stomachs (and wallets) for the influx of down-home and gourmet eateries, Nate and I have been eating in every night.
Every Thursday Nate, myself and a group of our friends play Team Trivia at a local dive bar. To keep with the theme of saving money, I quickly whipped up dinner for us before we went out and the best part was it took under 5 minutes.
Do you love quick-cooking meals? Do you hate the flavorless mush that is frozen entrees? Do you wish there was a better option than sodium-loaded Ramen noodles? Well there is! BEHOLD: Pizza Couscous (or quinoa).
Pizza Couscous (or Quinoa)
1 box original couscous (or quinoa)
2 C water
1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 C marinara sauce
28 pepperoni slices, cut into quarters
1/2 C mozzarella cheese
Prepare couscous (or quinoa) according to box instructions. Mine was boil 2 C water over medium heat, add in olive oil, stir in couscous, remove from heat and cover, let sit for 5 minutes.
Once your couscous (or quinoa) is prepared, return to medium heat and stir in marinara sauce and cheese and voila! You have a delicious and filling meal in under 5 minutes.
The best part about this recipe is that you can FINALLY use all those random things in your fridge. That leftover sauce that you don't want to throw out but don't have enough to make a full spaghetti dinner, that small about of cheese you can't use for anything, that pepperoni you bought awhile ago and keep snacking on. Heck, you could even add in some chopped veggies and spices if you wanted to. Or, if you're the traditionalist like me, good ole' pepperoni and mozzarella.
Check back for the restaurant reviews and tasty treats I'll be posting in the next week!
As you know, this weekend my fantastic in-laws are visiting so there will definitely be some eating-out going on (yay!). However, to prepare our stomachs (and wallets) for the influx of down-home and gourmet eateries, Nate and I have been eating in every night.
Every Thursday Nate, myself and a group of our friends play Team Trivia at a local dive bar. To keep with the theme of saving money, I quickly whipped up dinner for us before we went out and the best part was it took under 5 minutes.
Do you love quick-cooking meals? Do you hate the flavorless mush that is frozen entrees? Do you wish there was a better option than sodium-loaded Ramen noodles? Well there is! BEHOLD: Pizza Couscous (or quinoa).
Pizza Couscous (or Quinoa)
1 box original couscous (or quinoa)
2 C water
1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 C marinara sauce
28 pepperoni slices, cut into quarters
1/2 C mozzarella cheese
Prepare couscous (or quinoa) according to box instructions. Mine was boil 2 C water over medium heat, add in olive oil, stir in couscous, remove from heat and cover, let sit for 5 minutes.
Once your couscous (or quinoa) is prepared, return to medium heat and stir in marinara sauce and cheese and voila! You have a delicious and filling meal in under 5 minutes.
The best part about this recipe is that you can FINALLY use all those random things in your fridge. That leftover sauce that you don't want to throw out but don't have enough to make a full spaghetti dinner, that small about of cheese you can't use for anything, that pepperoni you bought awhile ago and keep snacking on. Heck, you could even add in some chopped veggies and spices if you wanted to. Or, if you're the traditionalist like me, good ole' pepperoni and mozzarella.
Check back for the restaurant reviews and tasty treats I'll be posting in the next week!
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Good morning, loyal readers! I hope that your week-before-Thanksgiving is treating you well. My week is full of meetings, preparing for my wonderful in-laws to visit us (which means deep cleaning the apartment to trick them into thinking we clean regularly) and trying to recuperate from a cold that's been plaguing me for a week.
Yesterday in Raleigh was cloudy, cold and quintessentially fall. I absolutely adored it! It was the perfect day for snuggling in a warm sweater, watching some movies and eating my favorite cold weather food -- soup!
To commemorate this fantastic weather, I made Broccoli Cheese Soup. This very well may be my favorite soup of all time. It's cheesy, it's delicious, it's healthy-ish and if you're at one of my favorite fast food establishments that shall remain nameless but rhymes with "Pantera Fred", can be eaten in a sourdough bread bowl and who doesn't love that?!
This recipe came from a variety of sources. Partly, it was adapted from the Fix-It and Forget-It Vegetarian cookbook. However, the last time I made it in my Crock Pot the cheese was stringy, gooey and lumpy. Frankly it was an ugly and unappetizing soup and I'm not afraid to admit that I threw it out because it was so unappealing. It was also partially adapted from a recipe by Food Network Kitchens and the rest was pure innovation.
Perfect Broccoli Cheese Soup
1 stick unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, diced
1/3 C flour
2 bags frozen broccoli florets
1 C 2% milk
3 C 1% milk
A LOT OF SALT AND PEPPER
Pinch of nutmeg
3-4 C shredded cheese (I used cheddar, swiss and Queso Quesadilla cheeses)
In a large stockpot or your trusty aqua-blue Martha Stewart dutch oven, melt the entire stick of butter over medium heat. I know this sounds like an exorbitant amount of butter and I'm inclined to agree with you but take solace in the fact that at least it's unsalted and let's face it: you're eating soup comprised primarily of cheese. Are calories really a factor here?
Throw in your diced onion once butter is melted and cook for 3-4 minutes or until translucent.
Add in your flour and cook until slightly golden. This shouldn't take longer than a minute.
Pour in your milk. Now, of course you can use 4 C of 2% milk, 2 C 2% milk and 2 C half-and-half, 4 C half-and-half or any mixture of milk you like, really. It's your soup. The mixture I came up with just happened to be what I had in my fridge. Like I said, pure innovation. Stir to combine.
Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. I probably used at least 1 Tbsp salt and probably double the pepper. It's always difficult to season soups in the early stages so just start out small and remember you can always add more at the end. Nothing ruins a soup like over-salting it.
Add in your broccoli florets, cover and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes. This is where it pays to use frozen broccoli. Now, of course you could use fresh but it will take longer and when it's 7:00 at night, you're cold because you just went running and you're ravenous again, because you just went running the LAST thing you want is your food to take even longer than a measly 20 minutes.
Now to add in the glorious cheese. You can really get creative here and make different flavor profiles. A good rich Jarlsburg, a smoky gouda, a hearty Havarti or the classic: extra sharp cheddar. All would taste fantastic because cheese is the universe's gift to mankind. Add the cheese in batches to melt and mix in.
After the cheese is melted check for seasoning and enjoy! I prefer to have a little bit of texture in my soup so I served as-is but I'm sure it would be just as good slightly blended and broken down.
This soup was filling and frankly phenomenal. The flavor was on point, the consistency was the oh-so-excellent thick enough to coat your spoon but not so thick you couldn't slurp it.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe and check back for more to come! I have some exciting things on my menu for the next few weeks like roasted red pepper pasta, chicken tortilla soup and even a few fun restaurant reviews queued up!
Yesterday in Raleigh was cloudy, cold and quintessentially fall. I absolutely adored it! It was the perfect day for snuggling in a warm sweater, watching some movies and eating my favorite cold weather food -- soup!
To commemorate this fantastic weather, I made Broccoli Cheese Soup. This very well may be my favorite soup of all time. It's cheesy, it's delicious, it's healthy-ish and if you're at one of my favorite fast food establishments that shall remain nameless but rhymes with "Pantera Fred", can be eaten in a sourdough bread bowl and who doesn't love that?!
This recipe came from a variety of sources. Partly, it was adapted from the Fix-It and Forget-It Vegetarian cookbook. However, the last time I made it in my Crock Pot the cheese was stringy, gooey and lumpy. Frankly it was an ugly and unappetizing soup and I'm not afraid to admit that I threw it out because it was so unappealing. It was also partially adapted from a recipe by Food Network Kitchens and the rest was pure innovation.
Perfect Broccoli Cheese Soup
1 stick unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, diced
1/3 C flour
2 bags frozen broccoli florets
1 C 2% milk
3 C 1% milk
A LOT OF SALT AND PEPPER
Pinch of nutmeg
3-4 C shredded cheese (I used cheddar, swiss and Queso Quesadilla cheeses)
In a large stockpot or your trusty aqua-blue Martha Stewart dutch oven, melt the entire stick of butter over medium heat. I know this sounds like an exorbitant amount of butter and I'm inclined to agree with you but take solace in the fact that at least it's unsalted and let's face it: you're eating soup comprised primarily of cheese. Are calories really a factor here?
Throw in your diced onion once butter is melted and cook for 3-4 minutes or until translucent.
Add in your flour and cook until slightly golden. This shouldn't take longer than a minute.
Pour in your milk. Now, of course you can use 4 C of 2% milk, 2 C 2% milk and 2 C half-and-half, 4 C half-and-half or any mixture of milk you like, really. It's your soup. The mixture I came up with just happened to be what I had in my fridge. Like I said, pure innovation. Stir to combine.
Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. I probably used at least 1 Tbsp salt and probably double the pepper. It's always difficult to season soups in the early stages so just start out small and remember you can always add more at the end. Nothing ruins a soup like over-salting it.
Add in your broccoli florets, cover and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes. This is where it pays to use frozen broccoli. Now, of course you could use fresh but it will take longer and when it's 7:00 at night, you're cold because you just went running and you're ravenous again, because you just went running the LAST thing you want is your food to take even longer than a measly 20 minutes.
Now to add in the glorious cheese. You can really get creative here and make different flavor profiles. A good rich Jarlsburg, a smoky gouda, a hearty Havarti or the classic: extra sharp cheddar. All would taste fantastic because cheese is the universe's gift to mankind. Add the cheese in batches to melt and mix in.
After the cheese is melted check for seasoning and enjoy! I prefer to have a little bit of texture in my soup so I served as-is but I'm sure it would be just as good slightly blended and broken down.
This soup was filling and frankly phenomenal. The flavor was on point, the consistency was the oh-so-excellent thick enough to coat your spoon but not so thick you couldn't slurp it.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe and check back for more to come! I have some exciting things on my menu for the next few weeks like roasted red pepper pasta, chicken tortilla soup and even a few fun restaurant reviews queued up!
Monday, October 31, 2016
Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Happy Halloween, gouls and ghosts! I hope you spend your evening trick-or-treating, eating obscene amounts of candy, watching scary movies and maybe even watching The Great Pumpkin (like Nate and I will soon be doing).
I have a confession to make: I'm obsessed with buffalo wing sauce. As the Frank's bottle says "I put that S#*% on everything!" Crackers? Yep. Tortillas? Mmhm. Eggs and grilled cheese? Uh huh. Potatoes of every shape and kind? Most definitely! It is this obsession that inspired me to make buffalo chicken casserole this All Hallows Eve.
Buffalo Chicken Casserole
1 head cauliflower
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Rotisserie chicken, shredded
12 oz softened cream cheese
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 C shredded Gouda cheese
1/2 C buffalo sauce (such as Frank's)
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp ranch dressing mix
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Cut cauliflower into florets and toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the cauliflower in a baking dish for 20 minutes.
Combine cheeses, buffalo sauce and seasonings in a small bowl. I used a hand mixer for this job. Everything looked like a red and gooey mess but it'll be fantastic!
After removing the now-roasted cauliflower from the oven, drop the oven down to 375.
Toss shredded chicken with the cauliflower. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the chicken and cauliflower in a single layer and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
This casserole was hearty and flavorful! I would definitely make it again no questions asked.
If you're curious as to why there is no picture, Nate and I were too hungry to wait for dinner. We both had busy days and gymmed afterwards. To say we were ravenous is an understatement.
Enjoy your Halloween, readers! Stay safe tonight, guys.
I have a confession to make: I'm obsessed with buffalo wing sauce. As the Frank's bottle says "I put that S#*% on everything!" Crackers? Yep. Tortillas? Mmhm. Eggs and grilled cheese? Uh huh. Potatoes of every shape and kind? Most definitely! It is this obsession that inspired me to make buffalo chicken casserole this All Hallows Eve.
Buffalo Chicken Casserole
1 head cauliflower
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Rotisserie chicken, shredded
12 oz softened cream cheese
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 C shredded Gouda cheese
1/2 C buffalo sauce (such as Frank's)
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp ranch dressing mix
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Cut cauliflower into florets and toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the cauliflower in a baking dish for 20 minutes.
Combine cheeses, buffalo sauce and seasonings in a small bowl. I used a hand mixer for this job. Everything looked like a red and gooey mess but it'll be fantastic!
After removing the now-roasted cauliflower from the oven, drop the oven down to 375.
Toss shredded chicken with the cauliflower. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the chicken and cauliflower in a single layer and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
This casserole was hearty and flavorful! I would definitely make it again no questions asked.
If you're curious as to why there is no picture, Nate and I were too hungry to wait for dinner. We both had busy days and gymmed afterwards. To say we were ravenous is an understatement.
Enjoy your Halloween, readers! Stay safe tonight, guys.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Chuck's
There is one name that comes to mind when speaking about dining in downtown Raleigh: Ashley Christensen. She is a decorated chef with a slew of restaurants under her belt, a James Beard award and an Iron Chef America appearance.
Today Nate and I checked out Chuck's. Chucks is, as her website describes, "burgers and frites with signature updates".
Chuck's is located at 237 S. Wilmington St, Raleigh, North Carolina 27601; a convenient walk from my new office!
Decor: good. Chuck's is located in a sub-divided building that was formerly a Piggly Wiggly (the kitchen is shared with Beasley's Chicken + Honey and Fox Liquor Bar as well). As such, the small space is condensed in the most cozy way; you are within touching distance of your neighboring tables but it almost makes the dining experience communal. Here you're not strangers, you're cohorts enjoying delicious food together. The tables have bright red metal chairs, funky art pieces adorn the walls and a large chalkboard menu is painted above the entrance to the semi-open kitchen.
Service: excellent! We were immediately greeted by the hostess and taken to our table; upon which time we were brought waters from our server who also keyed us into the daily specials. Our water glasses were never empty, our dirty plates were never in front of us for longer than a minute at most and even thought it was the middle of the lunch rush we always felt well tended to.
Food appearance: good. These burgers may be updated but there is no fuss or frills when it comes to plating. Burgers arrive on a metal tray covered with wax paper and sauces are served in small metal cups.
Food taste: excellent! We decided to split a shake before our meal (we're adults, we can have dessert first if we want). We ordered the cold-brewed coffee milkshake was definitely one I'd order again. For our meals, I ordered the Spirit Animal burger; a burger with cream cheese, roasted poblano peppers, grilled tomatoes and tortilla dust. This burger was sublime! The bun was soft but held up to the juicy patty (cooked-to-order, of course), the peppers added a slight smoky flavor and the tortilla dust gave the perfect crunchy finish. Nate ordered The Dirty South burger -- smoked pork shoulder, chili, crispy onion strings, roasted tomato slaw, cheddar cheese and yellow mustard. This burger had a lot going on but in the absolute best sense; the flavors played with your pallet and no bite was the same as the one prior. These burgers came with house cut fries and two dipping sauces each. Now I highly recommend conversing with your table-mates to maximize sauce options. Nate got the buttermilk herb dressing and espelette aioli and I got the malt vinegar aioli and their signature "Comeback Sauce". The buttermilk herb is the creamiest ranch-like dressing you've ever had, the espelette aioli was smoky and flavorful, the malt vinegar aioli combined the best parts of salt and vinegar with the consistency of mayo but their "Comback Sauce" was the true winner! This sauce was crafted by the gods and I have no clue what's in it other than maybe some sriracha and wizardry.
Cleanliness: good. Everything looked clean and well attended to.
Total: 12/15
Obviously anything that Ashley Christensen puts her name on is going to be fantastic and Chuck's is no exception. If you're ever in downtown Raleigh and craving a darn good burger head straight to Chuck's and thank me later.
Also, fun fact, I've never heard of an espelette prior to trying this aioli. After doing some Google research I found that the espelette is a pepper cultivated in the French commune of Espelette and is a mild pepper. Learn something new every day.
Today Nate and I checked out Chuck's. Chucks is, as her website describes, "burgers and frites with signature updates".
Chuck's is located at 237 S. Wilmington St, Raleigh, North Carolina 27601; a convenient walk from my new office!
Decor: good. Chuck's is located in a sub-divided building that was formerly a Piggly Wiggly (the kitchen is shared with Beasley's Chicken + Honey and Fox Liquor Bar as well). As such, the small space is condensed in the most cozy way; you are within touching distance of your neighboring tables but it almost makes the dining experience communal. Here you're not strangers, you're cohorts enjoying delicious food together. The tables have bright red metal chairs, funky art pieces adorn the walls and a large chalkboard menu is painted above the entrance to the semi-open kitchen.
Service: excellent! We were immediately greeted by the hostess and taken to our table; upon which time we were brought waters from our server who also keyed us into the daily specials. Our water glasses were never empty, our dirty plates were never in front of us for longer than a minute at most and even thought it was the middle of the lunch rush we always felt well tended to.
Food appearance: good. These burgers may be updated but there is no fuss or frills when it comes to plating. Burgers arrive on a metal tray covered with wax paper and sauces are served in small metal cups.
Food taste: excellent! We decided to split a shake before our meal (we're adults, we can have dessert first if we want). We ordered the cold-brewed coffee milkshake was definitely one I'd order again. For our meals, I ordered the Spirit Animal burger; a burger with cream cheese, roasted poblano peppers, grilled tomatoes and tortilla dust. This burger was sublime! The bun was soft but held up to the juicy patty (cooked-to-order, of course), the peppers added a slight smoky flavor and the tortilla dust gave the perfect crunchy finish. Nate ordered The Dirty South burger -- smoked pork shoulder, chili, crispy onion strings, roasted tomato slaw, cheddar cheese and yellow mustard. This burger had a lot going on but in the absolute best sense; the flavors played with your pallet and no bite was the same as the one prior. These burgers came with house cut fries and two dipping sauces each. Now I highly recommend conversing with your table-mates to maximize sauce options. Nate got the buttermilk herb dressing and espelette aioli and I got the malt vinegar aioli and their signature "Comeback Sauce". The buttermilk herb is the creamiest ranch-like dressing you've ever had, the espelette aioli was smoky and flavorful, the malt vinegar aioli combined the best parts of salt and vinegar with the consistency of mayo but their "Comback Sauce" was the true winner! This sauce was crafted by the gods and I have no clue what's in it other than maybe some sriracha and wizardry.
Cleanliness: good. Everything looked clean and well attended to.
Total: 12/15
Obviously anything that Ashley Christensen puts her name on is going to be fantastic and Chuck's is no exception. If you're ever in downtown Raleigh and craving a darn good burger head straight to Chuck's and thank me later.
Also, fun fact, I've never heard of an espelette prior to trying this aioli. After doing some Google research I found that the espelette is a pepper cultivated in the French commune of Espelette and is a mild pepper. Learn something new every day.
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Roasted Chickpea Gyros
Happy Hump Day, readers! I hope your week is treating you well.
We are going to start off this post with a phonetics lesson: Gy-ro (pronouned "yee-row") is a "sandwich especially of lamb and beef, tomato, onion and yogurt sauce on pita bread," thanks, Mariam-Webster. One of my biggest pet peeves is people mispronouncing this word; it is not "guy-row" or "gui-row". Period. End of story. If you're one of these annoying people just know you are the worst and you have now been taught how to correctly pronounce this word. Stop mispronouncing it. Like now.
Anyway, Greek food, specifically gyros are my absolute favorite! Actually, funny story, I was a vegetarian for 4 years and it was a gyro that broke my resolve...I can't help it! The amazing combo of beef and lamb with those incredible Greek spices, married with the cool and creamy tzatziki sauce, fresh vegetables, and fluffy pita were enough to make me forget that I hadn't eaten any meat in 1460 days. And can we just talk about how awesome it is that the meat is cooked on a vertical spit? I mean is there anything better than a cone of meat?
The correct answer to that question is "no".
Well, considering I (regrettably) do not own a vertical spit (it's already on my Christmas list) nor do I know how to obtain a cone of meat (again, Christmas is only a few months away); but I did have a can of chickpeas. So, I went with a vegetarian alternative that tasted pretty damn good.
Roasted Chickpea Gyros
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp salt
1 1/2 Tsp pepper
1 Tsp paprika
1/2 Tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 Tsp oregano
1 Tsp lemon juice
4 fresh pita
Tzatziki sauce
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1/2 tomato, sliced thin
2 lettuce leaves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
After you drain your chickpeas, rinse them with water, pat dry, and gently peel the skins off. This part is a pain, believe me. It took me a good 10 minutes to get the stupid skins off but the end result will be worth your hard labor. Work for your food, people!
In a bowl, combine the chickpeas with olive oil, seasonings and lemon juice. Toss together and spread out in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake the chickpeas for 20 minutes (they will smell heavenly!)
Meanwhile, slice your tomato, and onion and prepare your pita with a healthy layer of tzatziki sauce. My recommendation to you is GO TO A MIDDLE EASTERN MARKET. You want the ingredients that Greeks actually use? Buy them from the source. I got made in-house pita and freshly made tzatziki sauce and it will make all the difference in this dish.
I paired these gyros with a fresh Greek salad (with freshly made salad dressing), Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), and tabouli (a salad with parsley, tomatoes, bulgur, mint, and onion seasoned with olive oil and lemon juice). Nate and I both thought these gyros had a very similar flavor to their meatier cousins and should be put into regular meal rotation.
TRY THEM! Believe me you won't be disappointed at all!
We are going to start off this post with a phonetics lesson: Gy-ro (pronouned "yee-row") is a "sandwich especially of lamb and beef, tomato, onion and yogurt sauce on pita bread," thanks, Mariam-Webster. One of my biggest pet peeves is people mispronouncing this word; it is not "guy-row" or "gui-row". Period. End of story. If you're one of these annoying people just know you are the worst and you have now been taught how to correctly pronounce this word. Stop mispronouncing it. Like now.
Anyway, Greek food, specifically gyros are my absolute favorite! Actually, funny story, I was a vegetarian for 4 years and it was a gyro that broke my resolve...I can't help it! The amazing combo of beef and lamb with those incredible Greek spices, married with the cool and creamy tzatziki sauce, fresh vegetables, and fluffy pita were enough to make me forget that I hadn't eaten any meat in 1460 days. And can we just talk about how awesome it is that the meat is cooked on a vertical spit? I mean is there anything better than a cone of meat?
The correct answer to that question is "no".
Well, considering I (regrettably) do not own a vertical spit (it's already on my Christmas list) nor do I know how to obtain a cone of meat (again, Christmas is only a few months away); but I did have a can of chickpeas. So, I went with a vegetarian alternative that tasted pretty damn good.
Roasted Chickpea Gyros
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp salt
1 1/2 Tsp pepper
1 Tsp paprika
1/2 Tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 Tsp oregano
1 Tsp lemon juice
4 fresh pita
Tzatziki sauce
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1/2 tomato, sliced thin
2 lettuce leaves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
After you drain your chickpeas, rinse them with water, pat dry, and gently peel the skins off. This part is a pain, believe me. It took me a good 10 minutes to get the stupid skins off but the end result will be worth your hard labor. Work for your food, people!
In a bowl, combine the chickpeas with olive oil, seasonings and lemon juice. Toss together and spread out in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake the chickpeas for 20 minutes (they will smell heavenly!)
Meanwhile, slice your tomato, and onion and prepare your pita with a healthy layer of tzatziki sauce. My recommendation to you is GO TO A MIDDLE EASTERN MARKET. You want the ingredients that Greeks actually use? Buy them from the source. I got made in-house pita and freshly made tzatziki sauce and it will make all the difference in this dish.
I paired these gyros with a fresh Greek salad (with freshly made salad dressing), Dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), and tabouli (a salad with parsley, tomatoes, bulgur, mint, and onion seasoned with olive oil and lemon juice). Nate and I both thought these gyros had a very similar flavor to their meatier cousins and should be put into regular meal rotation.
TRY THEM! Believe me you won't be disappointed at all!
Monday, October 24, 2016
Garlic Pain Perdu
Have you ever had pain perdu? No? Have you ever heard of pain perdu? No? Yeah, actually prior to reading my April 2015 issue of Food & Wine Magazine neither had I. Turns out that "pain perdu" is French for "French Toast" or, according to Food & Wine, "Lost Bread". This pain perdu can be made sweet or, as in this recipe, delightfully savory.
Garlic Pain Perdu
4 large eggs
2 C milk
3 large garlic cloves, pressed
1 1/2 Tsp salt
1 Tsp thyme
1/2 Tsp fresh cracked pepper
6 1-inch thick slices of Italian bread (I used Rosemary Olive Oil Italian bread, believe me it was absolutely fantastic)
3 Tbsp salted butter
In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, milk, garlic and seasonings.
Dip bread in the egg mixture and allow to soak for a few minutes.
Melt 1 Tbsp of butter at a time in a skillet over medium-high heat, and remove the bread from the egg mixture and allow the excess to drip off. I cooked the bread in batches of two slices at a time.
Fry the bread in the skillet. Allow each side to brown about 5 minutes and flip ONLY ONCE. The bread will come out golden brown, fluffy and delicious.
Nate and I discussed how awesome this bread would taste with a slice of melty, bubbly and slightly burnt Jarlsburg cheese on top. Just picture that for a minute...are you drooling yet? Try it out and let me know how it goes, will ya'?
I served this surprisingly filling bread with a salad (you know to feel like I ate more than just buttery, egg-y bread) and paired it with a Pino Grigio. It was an absolutely incredible meal to curb my new-job-inducing-working-out-daily hunger.
I hope Monday treated you well, readers and have a fantastic rest of your week!
Garlic Pain Perdu
4 large eggs
2 C milk
3 large garlic cloves, pressed
1 1/2 Tsp salt
1 Tsp thyme
1/2 Tsp fresh cracked pepper
6 1-inch thick slices of Italian bread (I used Rosemary Olive Oil Italian bread, believe me it was absolutely fantastic)
3 Tbsp salted butter
In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, milk, garlic and seasonings.
Dip bread in the egg mixture and allow to soak for a few minutes.
Melt 1 Tbsp of butter at a time in a skillet over medium-high heat, and remove the bread from the egg mixture and allow the excess to drip off. I cooked the bread in batches of two slices at a time.
Fry the bread in the skillet. Allow each side to brown about 5 minutes and flip ONLY ONCE. The bread will come out golden brown, fluffy and delicious.
Nate and I discussed how awesome this bread would taste with a slice of melty, bubbly and slightly burnt Jarlsburg cheese on top. Just picture that for a minute...are you drooling yet? Try it out and let me know how it goes, will ya'?
I served this surprisingly filling bread with a salad (you know to feel like I ate more than just buttery, egg-y bread) and paired it with a Pino Grigio. It was an absolutely incredible meal to curb my new-job-inducing-working-out-daily hunger.
I hope Monday treated you well, readers and have a fantastic rest of your week!
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Spook-ghetti and Meatballs
I may have a few new readers in my audience so allow me to welcome you! Thank you all for taking the time out of your day to read my blog! I hope you all enjoy it (that goes same for my loyal fans too)!
Well, yesterday I began my new job and man am I loving it! I have beautiful views of downtown Raleigh and everyone in my office is extremely friendly and welcoming!
As aforementioned, I am trying to make Halloween-themed meals during the month of October, however I must admit I'm not doing a very successful job of it so far...I've accomplished exactly two meals: second of which was tonight's Spook-ghetti and Meatballs.
This meal was a cinch to make and honestly a lot of fun! There's something so nostalgic in getting your hands dirty and playing with your food. Sometime's it's fun to be a kid-dult.
Spook-ghetti and Meatballs
1 lb ground turkey (or ground beef, but I don't eat beef)
1 slice multi-grain bread
3 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp (plus a reserved 3/4 C) Italian breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
5 Tbsp olive oil
In a small bowl, combine bread and milk. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Put turkey in a larger bowl. Add in ketchup, 2 Tbsp Italian breadcrumbs, garlic powder, parsley and salt and pepper.
After 10 minutes have passed, tear apart bread (which has now fully soaked up the milk) and add into the turkey bowl.
Now comes the fun part! Using your clean hands (you're adults, I shouldn't have to tell you to wash your hands) mix all the ingredients in the turkey bowl until it is combined. It is very important to not over-mix the turkey though, it should still retain some of the ground meat look. Once meat mixture is combined, form into 1 inch balls, this recipe should yield about 20 meatballs.
Pour olive oil in a heavy skillet, try to use one that has high walls to avoid splashing. Heat oil to medium. Fry balls for about 5 minutes per side. They should be browned on all sides and cooked through after about 20 minutes.
The recipe for the meatballs came from Grandpa's Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Cookbook written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. As I've mentioned to you guys before, this cookbook is filled with recipes that are awesome for children or for large adult-sized children. That being said, if you have children, enlist them into meatball making service; they'll have fun and you'll have fewer meatballs to make yourself.
I paired these meatballs with linguini and roasted red pepper pesto (both store bought) and I added a little red pepper flake on top for some added spice.
The meatballs were absolutely delicious! Perfectly seasoned, browned and looked nice and spooky. I even watched the 2013 remake of the Evil Dead while eating it to add in the spooky-ness.
Enjoy the spook-ghetti and meatballs and your Tuesday evening!
Well, yesterday I began my new job and man am I loving it! I have beautiful views of downtown Raleigh and everyone in my office is extremely friendly and welcoming!
As aforementioned, I am trying to make Halloween-themed meals during the month of October, however I must admit I'm not doing a very successful job of it so far...I've accomplished exactly two meals: second of which was tonight's Spook-ghetti and Meatballs.
This meal was a cinch to make and honestly a lot of fun! There's something so nostalgic in getting your hands dirty and playing with your food. Sometime's it's fun to be a kid-dult.
Spook-ghetti and Meatballs
1 lb ground turkey (or ground beef, but I don't eat beef)
1 slice multi-grain bread
3 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp (plus a reserved 3/4 C) Italian breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
5 Tbsp olive oil
In a small bowl, combine bread and milk. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Put turkey in a larger bowl. Add in ketchup, 2 Tbsp Italian breadcrumbs, garlic powder, parsley and salt and pepper.
After 10 minutes have passed, tear apart bread (which has now fully soaked up the milk) and add into the turkey bowl.
Now comes the fun part! Using your clean hands (you're adults, I shouldn't have to tell you to wash your hands) mix all the ingredients in the turkey bowl until it is combined. It is very important to not over-mix the turkey though, it should still retain some of the ground meat look. Once meat mixture is combined, form into 1 inch balls, this recipe should yield about 20 meatballs.
Pour olive oil in a heavy skillet, try to use one that has high walls to avoid splashing. Heat oil to medium. Fry balls for about 5 minutes per side. They should be browned on all sides and cooked through after about 20 minutes.
The recipe for the meatballs came from Grandpa's Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Cookbook written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. As I've mentioned to you guys before, this cookbook is filled with recipes that are awesome for children or for large adult-sized children. That being said, if you have children, enlist them into meatball making service; they'll have fun and you'll have fewer meatballs to make yourself.
I paired these meatballs with linguini and roasted red pepper pesto (both store bought) and I added a little red pepper flake on top for some added spice.
The meatballs were absolutely delicious! Perfectly seasoned, browned and looked nice and spooky. I even watched the 2013 remake of the Evil Dead while eating it to add in the spooky-ness.
Enjoy the spook-ghetti and meatballs and your Tuesday evening!
Tortilla Chips
Do you know what I hate? Leftover corn tortillas. Bear with me a second: so you have a recipe that calls for 6 tortillas, but the smallest amount you can buy is 35; what do you do with the rest? Make tacos? Sure, that takes care of another 6. Make chiliquiles? Why not, that's another 6. So we have 20 tortillas used and 15 to go. MY GOD WHAT DO WE USE THESE CORN TORTILLAS FOR?!
How about homemade tortilla chips? They're easy to make and taste delicious! I came up with this idea this evening when I realized I have 35 tortillas and absolutely nothing to do with them so hopefully if you ever find yourself in this situation you'll remember this post and be inspired to make some tortilla chips.
Baked Tortilla Chips
6 corn tortillas
3 Tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Heat oven to 350.
Stack tortillas and cut into quarters.
Brush cut pieces with olive oil and season with salt.
Bake chips for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy.
These chips will pair perfectly with my recipe for green chile stew, my recipe for guacamole, cheesy queso dip, spinach and artichoke dip or your favorite salsa!
I hope you enjoyed my rant about my absolute hatred for leftover corn tortillas and will never again be plagued with the question of "WHY ARE THERE SO MANY AND WHAT ON EARTH WILL I USE THEM FOR?!"
How about homemade tortilla chips? They're easy to make and taste delicious! I came up with this idea this evening when I realized I have 35 tortillas and absolutely nothing to do with them so hopefully if you ever find yourself in this situation you'll remember this post and be inspired to make some tortilla chips.
Baked Tortilla Chips
6 corn tortillas
3 Tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Heat oven to 350.
Stack tortillas and cut into quarters.
Brush cut pieces with olive oil and season with salt.
Bake chips for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy.
These chips will pair perfectly with my recipe for green chile stew, my recipe for guacamole, cheesy queso dip, spinach and artichoke dip or your favorite salsa!
I hope you enjoyed my rant about my absolute hatred for leftover corn tortillas and will never again be plagued with the question of "WHY ARE THERE SO MANY AND WHAT ON EARTH WILL I USE THEM FOR?!"
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Green Chile Stew
Well readers, yesterday was very bittersweet: it was my last day working at the restaurant. I start my new career at a law firm downtown on Monday. I am excited to be moving forward but will definitely miss all the friends I've made working at Spring Rolls dearly. I came to work yesterday to a bouquet of roses, balloons and a bottle of wine all wishing me well; do I have some great friends, or what? A large portion of my regular customers came in to see me off and I left feeling lucky to have had such a great opportunity to work with such amazing people.
Last night I made my favorite fall comfort food: Green Chile Stew. However, this time I even made my own green chile sauce, which I've never done before. This recipe for green chile sauce I got from The Best From New Mexico Kitchens cookbook published by New Mexico Magazine.
Green Chile Sauce
1/4 C olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 C onion, minced
1 Tbsp flour
1 C water
1 C diced green chile
Salt to taste
In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes. Blend in flour with a wooden spoon. Add water and chile and bring to a boil, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
Now that you have your sauce, you're ready to make stew! Green Chile Stew has many variations and is a fall staple in my Home State, this is the version I've been eating since I was a kid. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I do.
Green Chile Stew
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 onion, diced
5 Russet potatoes, diced
4 C green chile sauce (homemade is better, but Cervantes or Sadie's green chile sauce is good too)
4 C water
Flour tortillas or tortilla chips, for serving
In a large stockpot over medium heat, brown turkey in olive oil with onion and garlic. Season the meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder. The good thing about using ground turkey as opposed to beef is that you don't need to dump off the fat, however ground beef could certainly be used as well or even ground pork. Just omit the olive oil and pour off the excess fat.
Once the meat is browned, add in the diced potatoes, sauce and water. Stir to combine.
Drop the heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer the delicious stew for 20 minutes. Check the seasonings and serve with flour tortillas or tortilla chips.
This stew always reminds me of New Mexican falls: the International Balloon Fiesta, the New Mexico State Fair, cooler weather, and watching Halloween movies and making pumpkin treats with Nate. I hope you guys enjoy this stew just as much as Nate and I do!
Last night I made my favorite fall comfort food: Green Chile Stew. However, this time I even made my own green chile sauce, which I've never done before. This recipe for green chile sauce I got from The Best From New Mexico Kitchens cookbook published by New Mexico Magazine.
Green Chile Sauce
1/4 C olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 C onion, minced
1 Tbsp flour
1 C water
1 C diced green chile
Salt to taste
In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes. Blend in flour with a wooden spoon. Add water and chile and bring to a boil, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
Now that you have your sauce, you're ready to make stew! Green Chile Stew has many variations and is a fall staple in my Home State, this is the version I've been eating since I was a kid. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I do.
Green Chile Stew
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 onion, diced
5 Russet potatoes, diced
4 C green chile sauce (homemade is better, but Cervantes or Sadie's green chile sauce is good too)
4 C water
Flour tortillas or tortilla chips, for serving
In a large stockpot over medium heat, brown turkey in olive oil with onion and garlic. Season the meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder. The good thing about using ground turkey as opposed to beef is that you don't need to dump off the fat, however ground beef could certainly be used as well or even ground pork. Just omit the olive oil and pour off the excess fat.
Once the meat is browned, add in the diced potatoes, sauce and water. Stir to combine.
Drop the heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer the delicious stew for 20 minutes. Check the seasonings and serve with flour tortillas or tortilla chips.
This stew always reminds me of New Mexican falls: the International Balloon Fiesta, the New Mexico State Fair, cooler weather, and watching Halloween movies and making pumpkin treats with Nate. I hope you guys enjoy this stew just as much as Nate and I do!
Monday, September 26, 2016
Taco Soup
Ah October; it's a month filled with cuddles, pumpkins, spooky stuff and hot chocolate! Oh and soup, which makes my tummy feel cuddly.
Tonight for dinner I decided to make a recipe that mixes two of my most well-liked things: tacos and soup. The best part about this recipe? You just throw everything into a large stock pot and call it a day.
Taco Soup
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground turkey
2 cans black beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can yellow corn kernels, drained
1 can diced tomatoes and chiles
1 20 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tomatoes, diced
1 package taco seasoning
1 package ranch dressing seasoning
16 oz chicken broth
Salt and pepper, to taste
Tortilla chips, for serving
Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
In a large stock pot over medium heat, saute onions in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook until you can smell it.
Add in turkey and cook until no longer pink.
Pour in all the cans, tomatoes, seasoning and broth and stir. Bring to a boil.
Drop the heat down to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve with tortilla chips and cheese.
I ate one bowl of this soup (granted it was a big bowl) and I'm absolutely stuffed! This soup has all the great flavors of tacos combined with the warming inside-tummy comfort of soup! This soup paired perfectly with my Sierra Nevada Vienna and some Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Not a bad way to start off a week, huh readers? Enjoy and I hope this, the last week of September 2016 treats you well.
Tonight for dinner I decided to make a recipe that mixes two of my most well-liked things: tacos and soup. The best part about this recipe? You just throw everything into a large stock pot and call it a day.
Taco Soup
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground turkey
2 cans black beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can yellow corn kernels, drained
1 can diced tomatoes and chiles
1 20 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tomatoes, diced
1 package taco seasoning
1 package ranch dressing seasoning
16 oz chicken broth
Salt and pepper, to taste
Tortilla chips, for serving
Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
In a large stock pot over medium heat, saute onions in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook until you can smell it.
Add in turkey and cook until no longer pink.
Pour in all the cans, tomatoes, seasoning and broth and stir. Bring to a boil.
Drop the heat down to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve with tortilla chips and cheese.
I ate one bowl of this soup (granted it was a big bowl) and I'm absolutely stuffed! This soup has all the great flavors of tacos combined with the warming inside-tummy comfort of soup! This soup paired perfectly with my Sierra Nevada Vienna and some Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Not a bad way to start off a week, huh readers? Enjoy and I hope this, the last week of September 2016 treats you well.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Chile Relleno Casserole
Do you know what I love? Convenience and comfort. This weekend Nate and I went camping so that means today I'm sleepy and not wanting to go too far from the couch so I'm not very interested in cooking this evening. This is where my Crock-Pot comes in! It's convenient and therefore I can remain comfortable.
Last Thanksgiving I bought myself a cookbook that is filled with recipes for just this occasion! Fix-It And Forget-It Vegetarian Cookbook "565 Delicious Slow-Cooker, Stove-Top, Oven and Salad Recipes, plus 50 Suggested Menus" by Phyllis Pellman Good. This book is filled with recipes that were submitted from people from all around, some seem better than others but thankfully there are several different variations on each recipe.
I used this recipe as a guide but I think it would be good if it were followed to the letter as well.
Have you readers ever eaten chile relleno? In New Mexican cuisine (which, of course you all know is my favorite comfort food), a chile relleno is a Hatch green chile pepper stuffed with cheese, battered and then deep fried. It is rich, comforting, slightly spicy and oh-so cheesy! This casserole has all those qualities as well!
Chile Relleno Casserole
Cooking spray
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 C Monterey Jack cheese
1 block plain cream cheese, cut into cubes
20 buttery crackers, crushed
1/2 C chopped and roasted green chile
1 Tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp butter
In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 the cheese, eggs, 1/2 the crackers, chile and spices.
Pour into a greased 3 Quart Crock-Pot set to high.
Cook on high for an hour and 15 minutes. If not completely set, cook for another 15 minutes.
In a separate bowl, melt butter and combine with remaining cracker crumbs.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese and cracker crumb topping. Cook for another 5 minutes.
Now, this recipe originally called for cottage cheese, but I personally think that cottage cheese is disgusting and much prefer cream cheese but it's all personal preference. It also calls for 4 oz canned green chile, but fresh roasted is definitely superior. However, if you cannot obtain fresh roasted, use canned. Wow, I feel like I sound like Ina Garten, "if you don't have Madagascar vanilla beans hand picked by the Lemurs from the hit family film, Madagascar, store-bought's fine".
I also added the crunchy cracker topping. The recipe calls for all the crackers to be baked into the casserole but who doesn't love a great crunchy cracker topping?
One of the variations says you can also bake the casserole in the oven if you don't have a Crock Pot. Pour contents into a 9X13 baking dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until set.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
I get my recipes from a variety of sources: cookbooks, family recipes, friends, magazines and the occasional Pinterest. I am critical of all of them but none more so than Pinterest. Have you heard of "Pinterest fails"? Pinterest can be a great inspirational resource, but due to the fact it's a free and open forum, people post things without testing and verifying them.
Thankfully, this recipe wasn't one of those, although I used it more as inspiration than as a rule.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
8 strips bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, cooked and drained
1/2 C butter
1/2 C flour
6 C milk
6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 C chopped green onion
1 C shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for serving
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp garlic powder
1 vegetable bouillon cube
Freshly ground black pepper
1 C sour cream
Fry bacon, drain off fat and set aside.
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter. Add in flour once butter is completely melted and whisk until foaming subsides.
Add in milk and green onions. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Drop heat down to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add in cheese and seasonings, stir, re-cover and simmer another 20 minutes.
Add in sour cream and bacon, stir and simmer 5 more minutes.
I'm happy to say this soup was a success! Tasted exactly like a loaded baked potato, there were no mishaps (well aside from my soup boiling over once) and it was warm and cozy just as any good soup ought to be.
Enjoy readers! I'm quite pleased to say this was not a "Pinterest fail"!
Monday, September 19, 2016
Sherried Tomato Soup
Well, it's an interesting Monday so far:
1) Tropical Storm Julia is creating a deluge of rain and colder temperatures, which are graciously welcomed;
2) I am fighting off a sinus infection/cold that are leaving me feeling like I have been punched in the nose; and,
3) There is a gasoline shortage affecting North Carolina.
Yeah, I definitely have "a case of the Mondays".
After getting off work I went searching for gasoline and, thankfully, found some at the gas station nearest our apartment (yay!), went on a run and then came home to make Sherried Tomato Soup.
Thank you, Ree Drummond for concocting what is probably the best (and most simple to make) tomato soup I've ever eaten in my life and thank you Mama Hart for buying me The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From An Accidental Country Girl so I knew this recipe existed.
Sherried Tomato Soup
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 Tbsp butter
2 14.5 oz cans tomatoes
1 46 oz can or bottle of tomato juice
3-6 Tbsp sugar
1-2 Tbsp chicken base, or 3 chicken bouillon cubes
Freshly ground black pepper
1 C sherry (optional)
1 1/2 C heavy cream
1/4 C chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 C chopped basil
In a large stock pot over medium heat, melt butter and cook onion until translucent.
Dump in the diced tomatoes, or in my case, crushed tomatoes (they were cheaper and in a bigger can). Since I realized the diced tomatoes were supposed to be a textual component, I took two fresh tomatoes from the fridge and diced them.
Add the tomato juice.
The sugar is added to balance out the acidity. I only used 3 Tbsp of sugar because I'm not a huge fan of sweet tomato soup; but the amount is definitely up to personal preference.
Add the chicken base or bouillon cubes. I used 3 vegetable bouillon cubes because that's what I had in my pantry.
Now add lots of freshly ground black pepper, stir and then heat until almost boiling. Then kill the heat.
Add in the sherry, stir to combine and return the heat to medium.
Now add in the heavy cream and watch the soup turn a luscious and velvety red.
Chop the fresh herbs and stir. At this point, stand over the pot and inhale deeply: this soup smells like an absolute delight! Tomato-y, rich, the slight and delightful sherry scent and fresh!
The second best part about this soup, the first being the flavor, is that it took about 30 minutes from start to finish to make!
I paired this magnificent soup with grilled cheese with green chile (told you I'm trying to eat away my homesickness).
Please try this soup! It's fantastic!
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