Good morning, readers! It's only Tuesday and I've already had a hell of a week. For some odd reason, this seems to be a week filled with physical ailments determined to cause me pain and annoyance. Yesterday I managed to:
1) get the deepest paper cut I've ever had in my entire life,
2) have soreness in my left hip flexor, right bicep and lat muscles and right hamstring due to missing a myriad of golf balls at the driving range (had a really good time doing it though),
3) and stub my right pinky toe so hard that I'm pretty sure it's now broken
So yeah, to say I'm in pain today is a massive understatement. No matter, I will persevere! Mainly because I have no other choice -- I can't afford to go to a doctor and I can't afford to miss work so it's quite the catch 22 here.
Anyway, enough of my complaining, on to the recipe!
Last night for dinner I made maple glazed salmon, roasted cauliflower steaks and an arugula salad! Everything tasted divine and was a cinch to make! Quite the perfect "case-of-the-Mondays" meal. First up the main attraction: THE SALMON. I went to Food Network's app, (if you don't already have it downloaded, I highly suggest doing so. It's a great resource!) and I found this recipe from Trisha Yearwood. I cut the recipe in half since there's only two of us.
Maple Glazed Salmon
2 4 oz salmon fillets (I used individually wrapped and frozen fillets from Aldi)
1/4 C brown sugar
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil (I unfortunately ran out of olive oil and had to substitute the vegetable oil)
1 Tbsp Teriyaki sauce
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400.
In a bowl, combine sugar, syrup, oils, Teriyaki sauce, salt and pepper. Whisk until it looks like a glaze.
Spray a metal baking dish with non-stick spray and season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper.
Using a brush, lightly coat the salmon with the glaze and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.
Roasted Cauliflower Steaks
1 cauliflower, cleaned and cut into 1/2 inch thick steaks
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 C raisins
1/4 C sliced almonds
1 Tbsp butter
Preheat oven to 450.
Arrange cauliflower steaks on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, flipping the steaks over after 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a dry pan over medium heat until they begin to turn golden. It took about 5 minutes for me.
Add in the raisins and the butter and stir. Allow the raisins to cook until they begin to plump up and soak up all the delicious butter.
Spoon over the cauliflower steaks.
I wish I would've taken a picture of the salmon so you could see how beautiful it was! However, I was greedily shoveling it into my face-hole before this thought even occurred to me. Just know it was exquisite to look at and tasted like a million angels singing on my taste buds. The cauliflower was tender and the crunchy topping was delicious. All-in-all this was a fabulous meal and left me sated and sleepy. I encourage you to make this decadent weeknight meal for yourselves!
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Spanakopita
One of my absolute favorite Greek dishes has always been spanakopita. It's flaky, buttery layers and flavorful spinach and feta cheese filling make my mouth water! I've eaten spanakopita at pretty much every Greek restaurant I've ever been to (that and saganaki, incredible flaming cheese), so after considering myself somewhat of a connoisseur, I decided to bite the bullet and try to make it myself. It can't be that hard, can it?
The answer to that question is absolutely not! This was probably one of the easiest meals I've made in a long time and it was delectable! All of the best parts of spanakopita made with my own two hands! To say I was proud of myself is an understatement. I adapted this recipe from Iron Chef Cat Cora's recipe (find it here).
Spanakopita
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 C cooked rice (I used leftover rice from Zoe's Kitchen)
10 oz fresh spinach
1 scallion, diced (green and white parts)
1 Tsp dill
1 Tsp parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 C crumbled feta cheese
1/2 C parmesan cheese, grated
1 package frozen Philo dough
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350.
In a deep skillet, sauté onion in olive oil over medium heat until translucent. This took roughly 5 minutes. Add the cooked rice to the skillet to reheat.
Slowly add bunches of spinach to wilt. It should take about 3 minutes per bunch to wilt, since you have 10 oz of spinach in need of wilting, it'll take a little bit of time but be patient! You will be rewarded for your patience!
After all the spinach is wilted and mixed with the rice and onion, add in the scallion and seasonings. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the feta and parmesan cheeses.
Now, I easily could've eaten the filling as is because it was honestly that delicious but why would I want to deny myself the flaky goodness of a crust?
Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (or delicious melted butter), and begin to layer your Philo dough. My bottom layer was about 5-6 sheets thick. Be careful to not break the dough as it is extremely fragile. Once you have a more-or-less solid bottom layer, spoon about half of the filling onto it and smooth. Top the filling with another 5 or so sheets of Philo dough and brush with the melted butter. Repeat the steps with the remainder of the filling and Philo sheets, topping the sheets with more melted butter.
Bake the spanakopita for 30 minutes or until browned and crispy.
One thing I may change the next time I make this recipe is to add 5 oz more spinach because I just really love spinach and maybe adding a little bit more feta cheese as well. The feta in the filling adds a beautiful tangy flavor that really brightens up the dish.
This spanakopita was so delicious! I couldn't believe I made it myself! I also couldn't believe how extremely simple it was to make. The whole process only took about 45 minutes. I served this delicious meal with a Greek salad (also from Zoe's Kitchen) and a nice buttery Chardonnay. I highly recommend giving it a try, readers!
The answer to that question is absolutely not! This was probably one of the easiest meals I've made in a long time and it was delectable! All of the best parts of spanakopita made with my own two hands! To say I was proud of myself is an understatement. I adapted this recipe from Iron Chef Cat Cora's recipe (find it here).
Spanakopita
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 C cooked rice (I used leftover rice from Zoe's Kitchen)
10 oz fresh spinach
1 scallion, diced (green and white parts)
1 Tsp dill
1 Tsp parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 C crumbled feta cheese
1/2 C parmesan cheese, grated
1 package frozen Philo dough
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350.
In a deep skillet, sauté onion in olive oil over medium heat until translucent. This took roughly 5 minutes. Add the cooked rice to the skillet to reheat.
Slowly add bunches of spinach to wilt. It should take about 3 minutes per bunch to wilt, since you have 10 oz of spinach in need of wilting, it'll take a little bit of time but be patient! You will be rewarded for your patience!
After all the spinach is wilted and mixed with the rice and onion, add in the scallion and seasonings. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the feta and parmesan cheeses.
Now, I easily could've eaten the filling as is because it was honestly that delicious but why would I want to deny myself the flaky goodness of a crust?
Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (or delicious melted butter), and begin to layer your Philo dough. My bottom layer was about 5-6 sheets thick. Be careful to not break the dough as it is extremely fragile. Once you have a more-or-less solid bottom layer, spoon about half of the filling onto it and smooth. Top the filling with another 5 or so sheets of Philo dough and brush with the melted butter. Repeat the steps with the remainder of the filling and Philo sheets, topping the sheets with more melted butter.
Bake the spanakopita for 30 minutes or until browned and crispy.
One thing I may change the next time I make this recipe is to add 5 oz more spinach because I just really love spinach and maybe adding a little bit more feta cheese as well. The feta in the filling adds a beautiful tangy flavor that really brightens up the dish.
This spanakopita was so delicious! I couldn't believe I made it myself! I also couldn't believe how extremely simple it was to make. The whole process only took about 45 minutes. I served this delicious meal with a Greek salad (also from Zoe's Kitchen) and a nice buttery Chardonnay. I highly recommend giving it a try, readers!
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Nathan's Birthday
Good morning, readers! I'm sorry I've been so terrible at posting lately, I've really been slacking so prepare yourself for two posts right now!
This post is about Nate's birthday celebration on Tuesday, January 10. This year my dear husband is 23 and we will be the same age for the next 12 days.
This year he requested macaroni and cheese, you may be thinking to yourself, "macaroni and cheese? Really? Is he turning 12? Out of all the food he could possibly want to eat on his birthday he wants that?" Don't fool yourself, dear readers, this is no ordinary macaroni and cheese -- this is Martha Stewart's macaroni and cheese and is extremely decadent and luxurious.
Perfect Macaroni and Cheese Recipe, courtesy of Martha Stewart
6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces (I used hamburger buns because I had them on hand and I didn't bother removing the crusts)
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for greasing casserole dish
5 1/2 C milk, heated
1/2 C all purpose flour (or Masa Harina if, like me, you ran out of flour and forgot to buy more)
2 Tsp kosher salt
1/4 Tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 Tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper
4 1/2 C grated sharp white cheddar cheese
2 C grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 C grated pecorino Romano (I used Gruyere)
1 lb elbow macaroni
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Butter a 3-quart casserole dish (or your trusty 6-quart Dutch oven) and set aside.
Place bread pieces in a medium bowl and toss with 2 Tbsp melted butter and set aside.
Heat milk (I cheated and used a microwave because I didn't want to dirty every pot and pan in my kitchen).
Melt remaining 6 Tbsp of butter in the bottom of your casserole dish (or yet another saucepan to only use for a single ingredient), when the butter bubbles, add flour (or Masa Harina) and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Slowly add the hot milk to the butter-flour mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
Remove the pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups of cheddar, 1 cup of Gruyere or pecarino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.
Boil macaroni and cook 2 to 3 minutes less than the box's directions.
Add cooked macaroni to cheese sauce and top with remaining cheeses and prepared breadcrumbs.
Bake for 30 minutes until browned on top. Allow the macaroni and cheese to cool for 5 minutes before digging in.
This macaroni and cheese is phenomenal but definitely rich and a little pricey to prepare but is worth the money and the extra effort to prepare. Thank you, Martha!
I also made Nate a cake (as he requested). His maternal grandmother made him fantastic birthday cakes when he was a child and these still hold a special place in his heart so I attempted to re-create the taste (because there's no way, by any stretch of the imagination, I was going to re-create her decorating prowess).
I used the Duncan Hines yellow box cake he said was his favorite and prepared it according to box directions, and unfortunately I over-filled the pan so it was oozing onto the bottom of my oven but other than that it turned out alright.
I topped this cake with my signature white buttercream frosting, find the recipe here. If, like me, you are not much of a decorator, I have a protip for you! Using cookie cutters, create a stencil in your frosting and outline with a gel frosting pen.
This post is about Nate's birthday celebration on Tuesday, January 10. This year my dear husband is 23 and we will be the same age for the next 12 days.
This year he requested macaroni and cheese, you may be thinking to yourself, "macaroni and cheese? Really? Is he turning 12? Out of all the food he could possibly want to eat on his birthday he wants that?" Don't fool yourself, dear readers, this is no ordinary macaroni and cheese -- this is Martha Stewart's macaroni and cheese and is extremely decadent and luxurious.
Perfect Macaroni and Cheese Recipe, courtesy of Martha Stewart
6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces (I used hamburger buns because I had them on hand and I didn't bother removing the crusts)
8 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for greasing casserole dish
5 1/2 C milk, heated
1/2 C all purpose flour (or Masa Harina if, like me, you ran out of flour and forgot to buy more)
2 Tsp kosher salt
1/4 Tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 Tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper
4 1/2 C grated sharp white cheddar cheese
2 C grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 C grated pecorino Romano (I used Gruyere)
1 lb elbow macaroni
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Butter a 3-quart casserole dish (or your trusty 6-quart Dutch oven) and set aside.
Place bread pieces in a medium bowl and toss with 2 Tbsp melted butter and set aside.
Heat milk (I cheated and used a microwave because I didn't want to dirty every pot and pan in my kitchen).
Melt remaining 6 Tbsp of butter in the bottom of your casserole dish (or yet another saucepan to only use for a single ingredient), when the butter bubbles, add flour (or Masa Harina) and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Slowly add the hot milk to the butter-flour mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
Remove the pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups of cheddar, 1 cup of Gruyere or pecarino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.
Boil macaroni and cook 2 to 3 minutes less than the box's directions.
Add cooked macaroni to cheese sauce and top with remaining cheeses and prepared breadcrumbs.
Bake for 30 minutes until browned on top. Allow the macaroni and cheese to cool for 5 minutes before digging in.
This macaroni and cheese is phenomenal but definitely rich and a little pricey to prepare but is worth the money and the extra effort to prepare. Thank you, Martha!
I also made Nate a cake (as he requested). His maternal grandmother made him fantastic birthday cakes when he was a child and these still hold a special place in his heart so I attempted to re-create the taste (because there's no way, by any stretch of the imagination, I was going to re-create her decorating prowess).
I used the Duncan Hines yellow box cake he said was his favorite and prepared it according to box directions, and unfortunately I over-filled the pan so it was oozing onto the bottom of my oven but other than that it turned out alright.
I topped this cake with my signature white buttercream frosting, find the recipe here. If, like me, you are not much of a decorator, I have a protip for you! Using cookie cutters, create a stencil in your frosting and outline with a gel frosting pen.
The Pit
This weekend my Aunt is visiting me from Western North Carolina and I couldn't be more pleased to show her around Raleigh. She requested to eat dinner at The Pit. If you look on any list of Research Triangle restaurants, inevitably this restaurant will appear. Every time I've attempted to go to The Pit in the past, the wait has been upwards of 2 hours (thankfully I realized that you can make reservations on Open Table) so last night I finally got to see what all the buzz was about.
The Pit is located at 328 W Davie St, Raleigh, NC 27601 and is in a very busy shopping area so parking can be a little tricky, but luckily they provide complimentary valet.
The Pit
Decor: good. The restaurant itself is a celebration of North Carolina and BBQ. Pictures on the walls are of various local farms and produce and diagrams of different popular cuts of meat.
Service: good. Our server, despite the restaurant being packed with a line out the door, and Lord knows how many tables he was handling at the time, was attentive and took care of us well. Our water glasses were never empty, he quickly brought us bread and hush puppies to snack on before our appetizer arrived and removed used plates with so much efficiency you hardly noticed he was there.
Food appearance: good. It is no secret that BBQ is no fuss or frills because it itself is no fuss or frills. Biscuits and hush puppies arrive in a black, wax paper lined basket with a cup of honey butter and entrees arrived on cream-colored plates.
Food taste: excellent. I'm just going to say there's definitely a reason why this restaurant is named in literally every travel guide for the Research Triangle. We shared the Pimento Cheese Balls appetizer with a side of pepper jelly. The pimento cheese was tangy and delicious and the pepper jelly was slightly sweet and hot. I ordered their Chopped BBQ entree with the Daily Vegetable (creamed corn) and Fried Okra. The Chopped BBQ was succulent and their house-made Eastern Carolina BBQ sauce was the perfect acidic complement to the pork. Nate ordered the Brisket. The brisket had a spicy and smoky crust and was so tender it practically melted in your mouth. We ended the meal with a bowl of bourbon ice cream. It tasted like bourbon in all the best ways, the smokiness, the slight sweetness and was accompanied by a spiced ginger cookie. Everything we ate was absolutely fantastic
Cleanliness: good. As to be expected with a restaurant that busy, everything was a well-oiled machine. Tables were pre-bussed by servers and bussed quickly by other staff to create a quicker turnover.
Total: 11/15
Well, I would definitely recommend checking out The Pit if you're ever in the Research Triangle because it truly is fantastic but I would highly suggest making a reservation a few days beforehand via Open Table.
The Pit is located at 328 W Davie St, Raleigh, NC 27601 and is in a very busy shopping area so parking can be a little tricky, but luckily they provide complimentary valet.
The Pit
Decor: good. The restaurant itself is a celebration of North Carolina and BBQ. Pictures on the walls are of various local farms and produce and diagrams of different popular cuts of meat.
Service: good. Our server, despite the restaurant being packed with a line out the door, and Lord knows how many tables he was handling at the time, was attentive and took care of us well. Our water glasses were never empty, he quickly brought us bread and hush puppies to snack on before our appetizer arrived and removed used plates with so much efficiency you hardly noticed he was there.
Food appearance: good. It is no secret that BBQ is no fuss or frills because it itself is no fuss or frills. Biscuits and hush puppies arrive in a black, wax paper lined basket with a cup of honey butter and entrees arrived on cream-colored plates.
Food taste: excellent. I'm just going to say there's definitely a reason why this restaurant is named in literally every travel guide for the Research Triangle. We shared the Pimento Cheese Balls appetizer with a side of pepper jelly. The pimento cheese was tangy and delicious and the pepper jelly was slightly sweet and hot. I ordered their Chopped BBQ entree with the Daily Vegetable (creamed corn) and Fried Okra. The Chopped BBQ was succulent and their house-made Eastern Carolina BBQ sauce was the perfect acidic complement to the pork. Nate ordered the Brisket. The brisket had a spicy and smoky crust and was so tender it practically melted in your mouth. We ended the meal with a bowl of bourbon ice cream. It tasted like bourbon in all the best ways, the smokiness, the slight sweetness and was accompanied by a spiced ginger cookie. Everything we ate was absolutely fantastic
Cleanliness: good. As to be expected with a restaurant that busy, everything was a well-oiled machine. Tables were pre-bussed by servers and bussed quickly by other staff to create a quicker turnover.
Total: 11/15
Well, I would definitely recommend checking out The Pit if you're ever in the Research Triangle because it truly is fantastic but I would highly suggest making a reservation a few days beforehand via Open Table.
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