Creations in Kell's Kitchen

"No I don't want salad, because I'm not a rabbit!"

2012-02-22T16:03:00.003-05:00

This line is from my favorite character of my favorite show, can you name it? Ok, well if you can't, I'll tell, just cause I love ya......Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation, boy oh boy do I love that show! He is a meat n' potatoes kind of guy and his favorite meal is breakfast - eggs and bacon, specifically. If you haven't seen it, go watch it please, now, please!!!

So, back to the food....my food. Unlike Mr. Swanson, I do eat salads, alot, and I love them, alot. When I don't know what I want for dinner, or I'm running late and there is no time to cook, or if I'm simply in the mood for a salad, I make salad! Last night's dinner was a perfect example of this.....in between doing laundry, we ran (walked not ran) over to the grocery store to pick up something to eat for dinner. We could've easily went into the frozen food section to pick-up a microwave/oven meal, but I honestly cannot stand eating like that. I'd almost rather just eat bread and olive oil than something from a bag or a box, and yes this has caused pain in my brain when I really don't have to cook and could easily just heat something in the microwave, but alas I cannot, I just cannot. So, in the time it would've taken me to heat something (whatever it would've been) up, I threw together a salad. It had all the usual suspects I prefer in my rabbit food - lettuce, olives, cheese, cucumber and grilled chicken. Ain't it just purrrty!

Lobster Tortellini with Vegetables in an Asian Sauce

2012-02-21T10:11:00.003-05:00

If you follow my blog (you do check back here all the time, riiight??) you'll know I made Lobster Ravioli's for Valentine's Day last week. And if you follow my blog, I think you probably know a little about me at this point. And if you know me at this point, you'll know I always have and use the left-overs in my fridge, I really don't like throwing food away. So, since you are such a smarty pants, you have figured out how I came up with this dinner last night! I had the lobster/cheese mixture and some pasta sheets leftover, so of course I knew exactly what to do with that! A tortellini is really a ravioli in disguise, basically you fold in the corners of a triangle-shaped ravioli to meet in the center and voila, you have a tortellini now! That was such a scientific description, I can't take it! To compliment my little tortellini's, I went alllllll the way to my freezer and pulled out one of those veggies-in-sauce packets to use. All it needed was 5 minutes in the microwave, which happened to be the exact cooking time of the tortellini, so really, this was a fast dinner to put together. Of course, you need to counter in the time it took for me to make these little suckers before they went in for their bubble bath, which was 20 minutes tops, and that's including the time it took for me to open a bottle of red wine, pour a glass, take a sip, think "wow this is good", than take 1 more sip....

*By the way, there are 2 ways to make tortellini's....the way I have prepared it and the other version is when it looks like a belly button......google it, you'll see.

Braciole!

2012-02-20T11:03:00.008-05:00

I always say Braciole like I'm an Italian from the Bronx, think, A Bronx Tale. "Whadda want for dinna? Braciole? Faw-getta-bow-dit." Ok, so I don't really say it that bad, but there is a slight twang in the accent, I mean can you blame me, it's Braciole!! (saying it that accent again)

Well, this version of Braciole isn't the best in my opinion. It was good, but not great. Next time I make it, I might follow a recipe as well as increasing the cooking time, by 1-2 hours. Again, it was good, but not "holy-sweet-mother-of-Italy-I-could-kiss-you-right-now-I'm-not-kidding-you're-a-genius" type of good!

Ingredients:
8oz Steak, pounded thin
1 cup Spinach, raw (I will cook it next time)
4oz Goat Cheese
Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper
2 cups Roasted Tomato Sauce (previously made on Valentine's Day)
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 pkg Small Potatoes

2 tbsp Rosemary, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice the potatoes in half and arrange on a baking sheet. Coat with olive oil, salt and pepper, toss to combine. Bake for 35 minutes, turning once. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the potatoes with rosemary.
3. Now to assemble the Braciole - lay the thin steak flat, spread the goat cheese from end to end, and top with the spinach, season with salt/pepper. Start at one end and tightly roll up the steak to the other end. Secure with toothpicks. Season the outside with salt/pepper.
4. In a saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the braciole on all sides until browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
5. In a baking dish, spoon a layer of the tomato sauce over the bottom. Place the braciole over the sauce and cover with the rest of the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 25 minutes. (should've been 1 hour at least)
6. Serve and Enjoy!!

Mmmmmm, perfectly roasted tater!

A Dinner fit for a Queen (& King)

2012-02-15T16:10:00.010-05:00

Well, let me just start of by saying Wow! This was a very special evening indeed......music, wine, champagne and fabulous food. Instead of going out to dinner for this "holiday", we always stay in and cook ourselves a glorious meal - like we should be talking in English accents the whole night, that's how fancy we feel when we're done! This is a much more romantic way to spend the night with the one you love. And I mean the one you reaaaaally love, not a first date type of thing, cause you don't want to scare them off when you start blabbering in your english accent, holding your pinky out when you eat, and walking everywhere on your tippy toes! Actually, I lie.....cooking someone a fabulous meal will always be better than going out to eat in a restaurant - but that's just my opinion and I'm already taken, so.....where was I going with this again? Oh yeh, the wonderful dinner we had, ok, so here goes my sweet little honey bees.......

To start, we poured ourselves a glass of the most exclusive Champagne around (ok so it's maybe a shelf above the Korbel, but it don't break the bank, it's called sex, and it works for me!)

For our first course - Creamy Goat Cheese baked in a heavenly Roasted Tomato Sauce, our only utensil was a piece of warm crusty bread

Next was our pasta course - Homemade Lobster Ravioli in a White Truffle Oil and Shitake Mushroom Sauce (and a pic of the lobster tail before it was introduced into the ravioli's)

The drink switch - because it is a sin to eat a Filet with anything but red wine.......

And last but not least - Black Peppercorn-crusted Filet Mignon's served over Wilted Spinach.

Now, that I have you all hot and bothered over this orgasmic meal, I'm going to let you in a little secret.......there is no way in heck I finished any of this. I have lots of leftovers from each of these meals in my fridge, and they will not go to waste at all, but just because I want to have a night such as this, doesn't mean I need to feel like crap when I go to bed, because I'm so full I can't move. And you might be wondering, where is the dessert? I'll tell you where----in the freezer because it's ice cream, and going to be in my tummy tonight, because it's ice cream!

Ok, back to the hot and bothered feeling, that was much better dontcha think!

**So, I wanted to add in a little Editor's note here......While in the shower this morning, I just realized I might have offended English (like from England) people....did I? I certainly did not mean too, I have alot of family throughout England & Ireland, and I secretly wish I had been born over there instead of over here....ok so did I just offend Americans now too? Anywho, I'm not and I didn't mean too......and yes, I think alot in the shower and while I am blow drying my hair. I do alot of thinking during these 2 activities, therefore I do no thinking for the rest of the day (ha! if that were only true!)

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2012-02-14T16:20:00.003-05:00

This is such a super cheezy "holiday" and while I do not fully embrace it (I don't need flowers, or chocolates or cheap cards), I do enjoy any chance for a romantic dinner, complete with something really, really special for dinner, lights dimmed, candles burning all around and music playing away in the background, preferably Etta James or Frank Sinatra. And, tonight will be just like that...so, yeh I guess I can be kinda cheezy, but don't you love it? And I have eaten very healthy the past 2 days (and will do so for the rest of the week) so I can fully enjoy this meal, you gotta give some to take some!

Here is a sneak peak into my menu for this fabulous evening:

Baked Goat Cheese in a Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce

Homemade Lobster Ravioli's in a Basil Butter Sauce

Black Pepper Filet Mignon's with a Spinach Salad

Berries and Champagne (most likely red wine and ice cream though)

Asian Noodle Bowl

2012-02-14T15:46:00.006-05:00

I was looking for something yummy, yet light, yet not a salad again for dinner last night, and this was the perfect solution! It was very light, healthy and yet totally filling and satisfying. This was the first time I tried Soba Noodles and boy am I hooked! They are delicious, quick cooking (4 minutes is all they take, 4 minutes!!) and the package I picked up had the noodles separated into 3 little convenient cooking sets, perfect for 2 people. I will most certainly be making these noodle bowls again in the future, any vegetable and/or protein can be added and......it can be as spicy as you want! Which is the exact reason I love Asian foods, it can be crazy crazy spicy like Hunan Spicy Beef or really really simple like Miso Soup (ok whatever that's a Japanese Dish, I know this, sheesh!) And yes, I am fully aware this method of cooking is probably not the exact same method of cooking required for "noodle bowls", but hey, this is my method, my blog and my tastebuds....oh and my culinary level!!

Ingredients:

1 pkg Soba Noodles

8 oz Shitake Mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 head Savoy Cabbage, thinly sliced

12 oz Sirloin Beef, pounded thin and sliced

3 Scallions, thinly sliced

1 Jalapeno, thinly sliced

1 nub of Ginger, peeled, whole

2 cups Chicken Stock

1 cup Water

1 tbsp Fish Sauce

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

2 tbsp Siracha

Pepper

Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, over medium-high heat. Add the steak and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Once the beef is brown, move it to the side of the pan, and add in the ginger, scallions, mushrooms and cabbage.

2. When the cabbage and mushrooms have wilted down, about 5 minutes, add in the siracha, soy sauce, fish sauce and pepper and cook together for 3 more minutes.

3. Add in the stock and water, and bring to a boil, about 15 minutes. Once the soup is boiling, add in the soba noodles and cook for 4 minutes, or until the noodles are done.

4. Garnish with fresh scallions and enjoy!!!

Buffalo Chicken Salad with Naan Bread

2012-02-13T10:35:00.005-05:00

This is one of those dishes that I will never get sick of eating, I am always in the mood for Buffalo Chicken Salad, always! This version was a bit healthier than most you will find in a restaurant, as I used boneless, skinless chicken breast that was baked, than coated in a buffalo sauce. Instead of croutons, I toasted some delicious Naan bread, and covered it with a pesto sauce. I also added cucumbers and avocado to the salad for some extra veggies. Just looking at this picture makes me want a Buffalo Chicken Salad right now!!!

And there is no recipe......because it's salad and anything goes with salad!

Ground Beef & Cheese with Shells

2012-02-09T11:42:00.004-05:00

Well isn't that the fanciest name you've ever heard for a dish! So creative and eloquently detailed, it could be on the menu's of the fanciest restaurants in NYC...."Good evening madam, welcome to the Ritz, what would you like for dinner tonight?" "Hmmm, I think I'll have the Ground Beef & Cheese with Shells sir, and bring a bottle of your finest champagne for the table, we know no limit here!". You can just imagine in, can't ya! Well, this meal is actually very similar to the one my darling used to make in college for me, though this is a more grown-up take on that dish. His version in college went a little something like this - velveeta mac & cheese, ground beef and ketchup....all cooked and mixed together.....gross when I think of it now, but pretty good when I was a broke college girl living off ramen noodles and spoon fulls of peanut butter! In my version, I home-made my cheese sauce and added fresh basil for a wonderful burst of flavor, also there was no ketchup or that velveeta crap anywhere near this dish.

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Beef

2 1/2 cups shredded Cheese, I used Mexican Blend

1 cup Half & Half

1/2 Onion, thinly sliced

1/2 pkg Pasta Shells

1/2 cup Fresh Basil, torn

1 cup reserved pasta cooking Water

Salt/Pepper

Olive Oil

Directions:

1. In a large pan, bring water to a boil, salt, then add in the pasta. Cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.

2. While waiting for the water to boil, heat the oil in a separate pan. Add in the ground beef and cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain the fat, set the meat aside.

3. In the same pan the meat cooked in, add in the onions and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef back into the pan, salt/pepper the mix and cook together for 5-10 minutes.

4. Add the half & half to the meat, than add in the cheese, stir to combine. This mixture will become thick and cheesy. Turn the heat to low and let rest.

5. Once the pasta is cooked, strain and reserve 1 cup of water. Add the pasta and the water to the cheesy meat mixture. Add in the basil just before serving.

Goat Cheese Omelets

2012-02-08T10:00:00.005-05:00

This is an oldie but a goodie. Since I did not cook dinner last night, I do not have a picture to post, so I remembered a dish I had in Miami that I did take pictures of, but forgot to post. We stayed at my parents apartment in Miami a few weeks ago, and one morning my brother decided to make us breakfast. I thought we were getting a plate of, maybe scrambled eggs some toast, heck maybe even some fruit if he was feeling fancy? But no, what I received in front of me was a simple, and delicious omelet filled with goat cheese and seasoned perfectly with salt and pepper. You know, for as adventurous with food as I am, I have never had goat cheese in an omelet before. I have had it smeared on a baguette with a poached egg on top (and I know, it's almost the same, it's eggs and goat cheese still!), but the way the cheese melted while nestled in the omelet was divine! I am not exactly sure how he made it, so there is no recipe, just an awesome picture for your viewing!

Oops, how'd that get in there?

SuperBowl Food!

2012-02-06T10:01:00.008-05:00

I absolutely love the Superbowl! I mean really really love the Superbowl. I get up early and start the cooking process that will end with a table full of yummy little appetizers, this is my idea of a perfect day, if you didn't know. My kitchen goes through this messy/clean/messy/clean/messy/clean phase. I only have limited space and some pots and pans need to be used twice or even three times, so lots of dish washing and lots of counter top cleaning happens on this sacred day. Unfortunately, the game didn't fare well for my pats fan, but the food rocked, the drinks were plentiful and the company was great - can't get a day better than that! At least 1 good thing comes when football season is over, and that is spring and of course, the other sacred day, St. Patty's Day!!!!
And forgive me for only taking pictures of the final products, there was no way in heck I could've added picture taking to the cooking process that day. My camera would've ended up in the slow-cooker for sure! Oh, and don't you notice how fawn-cy all the pictures look? Well it's this amazing little app called Instrag.m, I am obsessed. It is the only way I take pictures now.

Beef & Cheese Empanadas

Slow-Cooker Chicken Meatballs in a Whiskey Peach BBQ Sauce

Buffalo Chicken Dip with Blue Cheese Crumbles, doesn't look appetizing in the picture, but boy oh boy was this heavenly! Actually this picture looks like shit, oh well!

Store-bought BBQ Wings (I slow roasted them for 2 hours at 250 degrees)

Glass of White Wine, cause it's so purty!

Shrimp & Chorizo Jambalaya

2012-02-03T12:37:00.004-05:00

Ok, I'm going to use the term "Jambalaya" loosely here, because I'm pretty sure this dish can be called Jambalaya but I'm not 100% sure, ya see? When I think of Jambalaya, I think of a mixture of rice, tomato sauce, meat or fish and some type veggies too, but again I am only thinking this, I'm no expert on the dish (oh you thought I was the expert of everything? You're so sweet, but no, no I'm not). So, if that's the case, I made a yummy Jambalaya last night. And I'll stop saying Jambalaya now.......Jambalaya!

Ingredients:

2 Chorizo links, cooked, cubed

8-10 medium Shrimp, cut in half

2 cups Rice, cooked (I used 1 90-sec pkg)

1 cup Peas, frozen

1 can Diced Tomatoes

1/2 Onion, thinly sliced

1 Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced

1 cup Cremini Mushrooms, quartered

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

Directions:

1. In a large pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onions and pepper, saute until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and cook for another 5-7 minutes. There should be those gorgeous brown bits stuck to the pan, now salt/pepper the veggies.

2. Add in the can of tomatoes, juice and all. Stir to combine. Next add in the shrimp, chorizo, peas and rice. Simmer everything together for 15 minutes.

3. Serve in bowls and enjoy, yum yum...and perfect for lunch the next day too!

Cheesesteak Shepard's Pie

2012-02-01T11:16:00.011-05:00

As you can probably tell from the title, guess what else I had leftover in my fridge......the meat/onion mixture & the cheese sauce used for the cheesesteaks. While at work, I got this crazy idea to make a Cheesesteak Shepards Pie for dinner, and all I would need to buy was corn and potatoes. I was so excited after coming up with this little idea in my head, it was all I could think about for the rest of the day. On my way home, I was starting to get really excited, I mean you just know something like this will be good. So I stopped off at the grocery and picked up some frozen corn (as well as 5+ bags of frozen veggies, on sale for $0.97 each, whaaaat!) and 3 russet potatoes, than proceeded home and into my kitchen to make one of the best shepards pie's I have ever tasted. Yes I'm tooting my own horn, and that's because my horn is now made of gold! A leprechaun appeared to me in the kitchen last night and knighted me, in the leprechaun way of course, which is he gave me a high five and a shot of whiskey.....hey I don't ask questions, I just do what the leprechaun tells me to do. Anywhoo, now I'm all leprechaun-knighted and stuff because of the awesome shepards pie. Please try it and tell me if Ricky the Leprechaun visits you too!

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Beef

1 small Onion, thinly sliced

2 cups of Shredded Beef, cooked with onions

1 cup pre-cooked Cheese Sauce

3 Russet Potatoes, diced

2 tbsp Butter

1/2 cup Cream

2 cups frozen Corn

1 packet of dry Gravy Mix

1 cup Water

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add in ground beef and cook until no longer pink, about 8-10 mins. Drain the fat from the meat, set meat aside.

2. In the same pan, heat the oil and add in the onions, salt/pepper and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef back into the pan with the onions.

3. Add in the cheesesteak meat mixture to the pan. Looks the same, huh. I only had 2 cups of the cheesesteak meat, so I stretched it a bit with the ground beef. I'm so smaaart.

4. Add in the gravy mix and 1 cup of water, stir to combine. Add in the corn and cook all together for 15-20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

5. While the meat is cooking together, fill a pot with cold water and add in the diced potatoes. Bring the water to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and add back into the same pot. Add in butter, cream, salt and pepper. Whip until smooth.
6. Now it's time to assemble the shepards pie. First layer is the beef/corn mixture. Next top with the cheese sauce, heated in them microwave for 2 minutes. Lastly is the mashed potatoes mixture.

7. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Eat and Enjoy. You will most likely have a huge smile on your face and keep saying Mmmmmm the whole night. It's ok, I did it too!

8. And if you're like me, you absolutely love your veggies, so you make a bowl of brussels sprouts to eat on the side.

Linguini in Pesto Sauce with Broccoliflower & Chicken Meatballs

2012-01-31T10:30:00.003-05:00

Last night we had another one of those "use-whats-in-the-fridge" type dinners, which I always pat myself on the back for. Finding a way to make a good (tasting) dinner by only using what you have on hand is kinda A+, given that your fridge is always stocked with at least something that can be used as a main ingredient, whether it be a pesto, tomato or bolognese sauce...all you need is pasta! Or if you have chicken, anything can coat chicken, or use nothing and simply roast it with olive oil, salt/pepper and serve with a side of whatever you got on hand...potatoes, broccoli, salad, heck even chips would do. I do normally go to the grocery store to pick up some things I need make dinner a few times a week, so on some days, I really do have alot of things on hand to use, and I truly hate wasting food, so I tend to use everything I have, one way or another. Here's how I came up with this creation last night......We had chicken burgers on Sunday, and after making 4 burgers, I realized I had more ground chicken than I needed, so I packed it up and put it in the fridge for a future use (aka..chicken meatballs), I also had a small container of heavy cream and 1/2 a container of pesto left from this weekend as well (aka..pesto sauce) and lastly I was walking through the produce aisle last week and noticed these gorgeous green tipped cauliflower, which turns out to be broccoliflower, but I needed to have it, it looked amazing and of course, I love cauliflower so......there you have it, a little view into my mind when I was standing in front of the fridge last night trying to figure out what I was going to make!

Ingredients:

Linguini (for 2 ppl, I used a small handful)

6 oz Heavy Cream

1 cup Pesto

1 head of Broccoliflower

1lb Ground Chicken, formed into meatballs

Salt/Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet coated with olive oil and cook for 20 minutes, turning once.

2. In a bowl, mix together the pesto and heavy cream, set aside.

3. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add in the broccoliflower and cook until tender about 10 minutes. Strain from the water and add it to the pesto sauce. Bring the water back to a boil, and cook the linguini.

4. While the pasta is cooking, I heated the pesto sauce with the broccoliflower in the microwave for 2 minutes. I could've done this on the stove, but that means I need to clean another pot, so...microwave it is.

5. Toss the linguini with the sauce and top with the meatballs.

Looking at this picture, I realize just how awful it looks. I mean the chicken meatballs look like flippin boobs, and I'm not going to explain why they look like boobs to me, but they do. Ya know, it's just one of those meals that doesn't photograph as well as other dishes, but it was really really good, and at the end of a long day, do I really care if the picture I took looks perfect? No, I care about eating something really yummy. So, chicken meatballs, you are warm and perfect and delicious on the inside, but dang, you photograph horribly!

The Best Cheesesteak - My Way

2012-01-30T16:54:00.008-05:00

Remember way back a few months, when I posted a little contest we did while visiting Philadelphia......what's that you say, you don't remember? Ok, here's the link, check it, than get back up to date, sheeesh (http://creationsinkellskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/judging-of-best-philly-cheesesteak.html) . We decided to find 2 "of the best places in philly to get a cheesesteak" - that's in quotes, because they were not at all - and we were going to see who had the best. Obviously, I didn't like either, as you can tell from my ramblings and I swore I would make my own, and show the fine people of philly how a real cheesesteak should taste. And I don't really care what anyone might say about how the cheesesteak came to be in philly, and how it's supposed to be made and blah blah blah, don't really care, it's my blog and I do what I want. And I promise my version kicks the other 2 versions to the curb!

Ingredients:
2 pkg Shaved Steak (fresh from butcher, not Steak-Um's crap!)
1 large Onion, thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups Cheddar Cheese, freshly grated
10 oz. Heavy Cream
Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper
Rolls, your choice (or just shovel into your mouth with your hands, I won't judge)

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, gently bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Once simmering for 2 minutes, add in the cheese, salt, pepper. This is now your ooey-gooey cheese sauce...you're welcome!

2. In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onions and saute until just caramelized, 15-20 minutes. Once at this stage, add in the shaved steak. The steak will release some water, so use that to scrape any bits stuck to the pan. Sorry this shot is only of the onions....I forgot to take a pic of the steak......no excuse, just plain 'ol forgot. Cook until steak is cooked, about 10 minutes.

3. Toast your buns in the oven until crispy, and begin to assemble the best cheesesteak you'll ever have. Bun, steak/onion mixture, cheesesauce, and more cheesesauce, and more cheesesauce.

Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

2012-01-30T11:07:00.005-05:00

I suppose one could call this a super-healthy dinner, which it was, but it was so flippin good that I easily eat this healthy every night! If you want to eat healthier meals by cutting out the butter, fat, carbs or whatever else makes the bum bigger, add lots of big flavors with spices and hot sauces. The flavors were incredible, yet it was so spicy I could only eat 2 of these wraps! That's another way to stay trim......make your food really spicy, you'll probably eat about half of what you might normally consume, or at least that's the way I am. But, maybe you're a spice freak and can eat whole habenero's without shedding a tear, and in that case this little technique does not apply to you. You are in a league of your own!

Ingredients:

1 lb Flank Steak, cut into thin strips

1 head of Boston Lettuce, leaves

1 medium Onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves Garlic, chopped

1 inch of Ginger, chopped

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

1/4 Hoisin Sauce

1 tsp Red Wine Vinegar

3 tbsp Siracha Sauce (asian chili pepper sauce)

1 can Water Chestnuts, finely chopped

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

Scallions, chopped

Peanuts for garnish

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, siracha and salt/pepper. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add in the onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add in the garlic, scallions and ginger and saute for 3-5 minutes. At this point, your kitchen will smell of absolutely asian-gloriousness. Can't you just see how good this smells? You can't? Well go make it and find out!

3. Add in the steak strips and cook until the meat is about 60% done, basically all sides are brown, but the middle is still pink, about 5 minutes.

4. Add in the sauce mixture and cook until all ingredients are well combined, about 5 minutes. Than add in the water chestnuts, stir to combine. Serve in lettuce leaves and enjoy!

I did a side of Sweet Potato Fries, baked in the oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. They were simply coated in olive oil, salt, pepper and chili powder. Believe it or not, the below picture was of only 1 sweet potato....1 potato fed 2 ppl for dinner, well the potato and beef wraps that is, well the potato, beef wraps and wine that is!

Whiskey Peach Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Spinach

2012-01-25T09:47:00.013-05:00

The Whiskey Peach Chicken recipe came from one of my favorite blogs The Pioneer Woman. If you want the better instructional version, check out her blog to the right, but if you want the quicker, lazier version stay right here. Ok so mine's not lazier, but she's got waaaaay better pics and makes it all look so darn easy (which it is, seriously easy). And it is soooo good, I also imagine this sauce being good on slow-cooker chicken wings too, hmmmm I'll have to remember that for Superbowl time, which is my favorite cooking holiday of the year. My second favorite is Thanksgiving, but I like Superbowl Sunday more because I get to make tons and tons of appetizers, which are just about the most fun thing to make! And I know I sound a little strange calling the Superbowl a cooking holiday, but to me that's exactly what it is! It's like I can't sleep the night before, I get up super early to start cooking, and of course I get the excuse to start sipping a little drinky poo earlier too, I mean when you're up at 7am cooking, by 10am it's time right? Of course it is Kells, of course it is!
I changed her recipe (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/08/peach-whiskey-barbecue-chicken ) a bit, but it's nearly the exact same. I also roasted whole baby potatoes in the oven with rosemary and olive oil and sauteed spinach with red chili flakes.

Ingredients:

1 pkg Chicken Thighs (I used boneless, skinless)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp Butter

1 Onion, chopped

2 gloves Garlic, chopped

1 cup Whiskey (choose a brand that starts with a man's name, your choice)

12 oz BBQ Sauce (by the way, every bottle of bbq in the store was 18oz, is this some sort of conspiracy? no not really, move on, ok fine!)

1 jar Peach Preserves

1/2 cup Water

2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Salt/Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Place the chicken thighs in the pot add salt/pepper. Do not over-crowd the pan, brown the chicken in small batches if you need to, 3-4 at a time. Brown both sides, then remove to a plate.

3. Pour off the grease from the pan, then return to the stove (I keep an empty tomato sauce jar under my sink for the "pour-of-the-grease recipes"). Add in the onions and stir, cooking for 2 minutes. Add in the garlic and stir, cooking for another 2 minutes. Add in salt/pepper. At this point there will be those heavenly brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.

4. Pour in the whiskey and stir to remove those bits. Let the whiskey reduce for a minute or two. Pour in the bbq sauce, peach preserves, water and worcestershire sauce. Stir until combined.

Oh hey there, it's just me Holmes, hanging in the kitchen, waiting for mom to drop some food on the floor - I am very good at cleaning the floor ya know!

5. Return the chicken back into the pot, cover and put the pot into the oven. Bake for 45 minutes (because I used boneless, if you used bone-in chicken, cook for 1 1/2 hours).

*When I put the chicken into the oven, I put the potatoes in as well on a sheet pan - simply coated in olive oil, salt/pepper. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, I coated the potatoes with fresh rosemary.

*I saved the sauce the chicken cooked in, because to me, this is some type of liquid gold that should be cherished. I can easily add this to pork, shrimp, fish or chicken for a quick dinner!

Pork Quesadilla's

2012-01-24T11:29:00.004-05:00

I actually made this last week, but for some reason I am only posting it now. Oh I know the reason, I was in Miami :) Sorry don't mean to rub it in, it was just such a fabulous weekend, I can't stop thinking about it. Oh and my tan keeps reminding me too, ok ok I'll stop now, I promise!

This was the last of the pork I made in the slow-cooker, it was actually the same pork mix I used for the tacos. I had made more than I needed for that dish, so I had left-over taco pork mix, cheese and tortillas in my fridge, hmmmmm what could I possibly make with that? I know quesadillas, or as the grandma in Napoleon Dynamite would say...."dang quesa-dill-a's". I also added some sliced pepperoni in as well, just cause I had it and what the heck right? As you can see I also had left-over rice too, same side dish I had with the tacos - corn & black bean brown rice. Top the quesadilla's with sour cream and devour!

Me at Monty's in Miami

2012-01-23T15:21:00.004-05:00

Ok, so it's not the best pictures, I get it, but they were taken the next day at Monty's where we proceeded to drink and eat and enjoy life the way it was meant to be enjoyed! Drinking, eating and having fun by the water!

Monty's in Miami

2012-01-23T15:09:00.002-05:00

This past weekend was spent in South Beach, Miami and it was divine! I promise myself I am going to move there every time I am in town. For this trip we celebrated my mom's birthday, which included lots of delicious food consuming at some fabulous restaurants, lots of champagne drinking and a private boat trip, where we drank champagne while laying out on the front of the ship....yes it was a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!!! I took lots of pics of dinner, but they were taken on my brothers awesome camera, so I will post those when I receive them. For now, I want to show you what I ate for dinner 1 night.....Fish Tacos! We found this awesome little place on the water called Monty's. It's a place that requires you to wear nothing fancy, flip flops, a tank top and jeans will do, and it couldn't have been more perfect! We loved it so much we went back the next day for some football watching and a lunch of beers and oysters. Can I puh puh puh please go back right now???

And forgive my photo taking skills.....I was in the middle of eating when I realized I really wanted to take a pic of my tacos. It was an iphone pic and I was drinking......and I was lucky I got this one!

http://www.montyssobe.com/

Coconut Soup with Spinach and Mushrooms

2012-01-18T09:55:00.005-05:00

I am in loooove with Coconut Milk. The flavor is so creamy and wonderful, I will eat anything coated in this goodness. There are so many dishes I want to make based around 1 can of this stuff....chicken in a creamy coconut sauce, shrimp in a chili coconut sauce, curry coconut potatoes gratin, oh the list goes on and on....and yes I seriously think about food all day. I think about what I have in my fridge that needs to be used, I think about what ingredient I need to get at the store that will really "make" my dish (usually an herb or a spice), I think about my cookbooks above my fridge and how I need to make something from them asap, and lastly I think about "what am I in the mood for today?". This is why Saturday and Sunday are my 2 favorites days, besides the fact that I am not working, I am free to make any dish I want, heck it can take me all day to make, but that's just fine with me!
Yesterday was rainy and cold and miserable and it screamed soup for dinner. Ok, well I heard the scream at least! I had made chicken sausage and peppers earlier in the week and that was intended for dinner, but I wanted soup and so soup I made (the sausage & peppers were taken for lunch). Any protein can easily be added to this soup, chicken, soup, pork, tofu....or whatever your heart desires my loves.

Ingredients:

1 can Coconut Milk

1 1/2 cup Water

1 cup Cremini Mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/4 Onion, thinly sliced

1/2 Red Pepper, diced

2 cloves Garlic, chopped

1 bundle fresh Spinach, roughly chopped

2 tsp Red Chili Flakes

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a sauce pan over high heat. Add in the mushrooms, onions and red pepper and saute for about 2-3 minutes. Add in the garlic, salt/pepper and red chili flakes, saute for 3 more minutes.

2. Add the coconut milk and the water (I just filled the same can with water, about 1 1/2 cups), bring to a boil.

3. Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat to medium. Add in the spinach. Cook the soup for at least 15 minutes, so all the flavors become one.

4. Enjoy with some crusty bread. I did not, but I kept wishing I had some with every spoonful of this wonderful creamy soup.

Ok, so I am not loving this picture, but after I snapped a few, I was ready to eat so this was the best I got! Make it and you'll see how beautiful it is!!

Pasta with Tomato Pork Ragu

2012-01-17T09:43:00.004-05:00

Here is another recipe that was created as a result of my slow-cooker pork. I shredded the pork and added it to a very simple jarred tomato sauce, added a touch of cream and some fresh parmesan cheese. It's nothing really fancy or super special but it was good classic flavors that are guaranteed to warm up your soul on a cold Monday night. On a side note, I really really wish I had some fresh basil, that would've made this pasta dish that much more amazing! In addition, I saved about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and added it to the ragu as I tossed everything together......this method is a must. Whenever cooking pasta, save some of the water, it thickens your sauce and makes the sauce and the pasta become one.

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

2012-01-15T11:23:00.004-05:00

Just by the name you are already drooling, it's one of those recipe titles that screams "I am yummy, please come eat me!" I love my slow cooker so much, with capital LOVE, I might marry it if it weren't frowned upon in certain places. This was the easiest recipe, seriously seriously easy and the slow cooker did all the work, but I take all the credit, because I can type and the slow cooker can't.

Here is what I added - 4 lbs Pork Shoulder, 2 cups Water, 1 Onion (chopped), 4 cloves Garlic (chopped), 4 Bay leaves, Salt/Pepper, Paprika, Ground Mustard and 1 cup or so of Brisket Sauce (had it in my fridge, it was kinda BBQ sauce tasting, but not thick, it was kinda the consistency of water) - Cooked on Low for 9 hours.

For the Tacos - I mixed coleslaw mix with sour cream, cumin and chili powder (layer 1). I mixed some of the pork with enchilada sauce (layer 2). And I topped it all with shredded mozzarella. Served with a side of brown rice mixed with black beans & corn. Yummy!

Carbonara Sauce

2012-01-12T16:53:00.003-05:00

By the way, I did make a Spaghetti Carbonara last night, but I ruined the flippin sauce! Overcook the sauce by just a little and bam you now have scrambled egg spaghetti, yuck! Just make sure to bring whoever you are serving this to more drinks....when your guests are drunk, everything tastes great!!

And no there is no pic, I pretended the whole thing never happened, and no pics is no proof!

My Favorite Things......

2012-01-12T16:30:00.003-05:00

Wow, when was the last time I did one of these! It has been too long and for that I am sorry, I'm sure you've been thinking "what happened to those awesome Favorite Things posts? They were the bees knees!" Ok, I know silly you wouldn't say something like bees knees, nope you would not! Well, here is another one of those awesome posts! And I am surprised i have not mentioned this yet.....but one of My Favorite Things is a Slow-Cooker! 1 simple kitchen device can take a simple 3lb pork shoulder and make it into something pit masters win awards for. I will have a recipe to follow soon, but the other night I cooked a pork shoulder in the slow-cooker on low for 9 hours....9 hours!, how can anything not be amazing that is cooked in a slow cooker for 9 hours!!!!! Sweet angel on earth, it came out divine! And all because of the magic of the slow-cooker. It just sits there pretending to be modest, because it knows it is the secret weapon in any cooks kitchen, well besides her ninja-like hands of course! The 1 thing a slow-cooker needs is timmmmmme, because its a slooooooow-cooker. I wanted to make sure you understood that, just in caaaaaase........

No matter the price, color, size, shape or religious-views of the slow-cooker, get one into your kitchen, that is unless, you don't like saving money and eating delicious foods, and in that case, just leave......and go far far away!

Tortilla Chicken Burgers

2012-01-11T15:16:00.004-05:00

These are oh so yummy! This is exactly how I love burgers-to-bun ratio which is about 80% burger to 20% bun, I didn't order the burger for the bun now did I? This is the perfect solution....the tortilla wraps around the burger and becomes crunchy and crispy all the while keeping the cheese and burger nicely protected inside. I added caramelized onions and creamy goat cheese as my toppings (but they were still inside the tortilla, so is that a topping? probably doesn't really matter huh, ok moving on). Yummmmmm, any variation of any burger can be used here....buffalo chicken burgers are going to be my next for sure!

Form 1 lb of ground chicken into 4 patties, sprinkle with salt & pepper. Heat a pan over high heat, add in olive oil. Cook the burgers for 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from pan, set aside. Now it's time to assemble - start with 1 tortilla. Spread some caramelized onion in the center, next add the goat cheese on top of the onions and then the burger on top of the cheese. Wrap all sides of the tortilla around the burger and secure with 2 toothpicks (if you can do it with 1 you win the game). In the same pan the burgers cooked in, now cook the tortilla burgers in. Add in some olive oil and cook about 4-5 minutes per side, or until the tortilla is crispy.

I know, I just rocked your taste buds, who loves ya baby! Me that's who!

My Weekly Menu, Dinner & Lunch

2012-01-10T10:45:00.002-05:00

Here is my plan for the week, hopefully all goes as planned and I get to make each of these dishes, because I am craving them right now! I want to go to the store and begin cooking this very instant. It's not right to eat them all in 1 night, right? Did I just hear someone say yes?? No? Ok, I'll stick to the plan. I decided upon these dishes solely based on what is in my fridge right now. I have lots of eggs, lots of cheese, bacon, onions, peppers, 2 pieces of sausage, milk and a few other stragglers that will find their place somewhere in these dishes

Dinner:
Tortilla Chicken Burgers with Side Salad
Zucchini-Spaghetti Carbonara
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork (lettuce wraps or tacos?)
Whiskey and Peach Braised Chicken

Lunch:
Caramelized Onion, Spinach & Bacon Frittata
Sausage and Pepper Stir-fry

A Summer Salad in the Winter

2012-01-10T09:43:00.003-05:00

I love Salads very much, just thought you should know. I like them in all shapes and sizes, and flavors and ingredients. The salad we had last night had all the makings of a salad you might only find in the summer.....Avocado, Corn, Cherry Tomatoes and Steak. The only thing that I regret about making this salad in the winter is that I cannot get fresh farmers-market corn or cherry tomatoes, but there are alternatives and there are ways to get ingredients you want! Ok, so the corn was frozen and the tomatoes were from Florida, or at least I think that's what the pkg said? Anywho, it was a yummy salad and it was tossed in a homemade Mustard Vinaigrette. Sweet Pete, I just realized I should've added a cheese to the salad, maybe Feta or Goat Cheese?

Bacon wrapped Goat Cheese stuffed Chicken with Roasted Tomato Sauce

2012-01-05T11:14:00.004-05:00

Yes that is a mouthful (no pun intended ha!). Let me start off by saying I cannot stand non-crispy bacon, like really cannot stand it, if the bacon on my burger isn't crispy enough, I will take it off (and probably ask the waiter why he/she would bother bringing this crap to me). So whenever I see "bacon-wrapped" type of recipes, I'm always kinda wary and usually choose something else to eat/make because soggy bacon would ruin a dish for me. So, it seems strange I would dare try to make bacon wrapped chicken, but let me explain. My intention for this recipe was to wrap the chicken in prosciutto, but my grocery store didn't have a great selection and I know I did have bacon in my fridge already, so I took a chance......and the bacon wasn't crispy (feel like that should be on my tombstone or something?). I took all the precautionary routes, by searing it on a very hot pan, than into a hot oven on a hot baking sheet, but it just wasn't enough for me. If you ask Jeff, he'll probably say it was fine, I mean it was crispy on the outside, but the part that touched the chicken wasn't that crispy, and me no like that! So, all in all, if I make this meal again, which I will (goat cheese stuffed chicken, come on!) I'll either wait till I find good prosciutto, or I won't wrap the chicken at all!

Here's what I did:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coarsely chop tomatoes, onions and garlic. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and puree. Now you have liquid gold, i.e Roasted Tomato Sauce.

2. While the tomatoes are cooking, prep the chicken. Starting with the thick part of the chicken breast, and use a knife to create a pocket. The more cheese you want, the bigger the pocket. Stuff the goat cheese in the chicken and than wrap the entire breast in bacon. I used 2 pieces per breast. Hold together with toothpicks. Salt and pepper the chicken.

3. In a hot skillet, heat some olive oil and cook the chicken. I cooked them for about 5-7 minutes per side, than into the same 400 degree oven the tomatoes were in. Bake for 10 minutes.

4. For a side, I boiled broccoli and tossed them in some butter and chili flakes (I could eat this allll day long, I could live off broccoli without a problem).

5. And if you're like me, do what I did and remove the bacon before eating. Oh well, it was worth a shot. And the half crispy bacon went to the dog. And I know, there are ways I could've made it crispy, cause it has been done before, but if I knew that, I wouldn't have done it this way, duh!

Bolognese with 2 types of Pasta

2012-01-04T10:52:00.003-05:00

So, since I'm feeling like a hippo after all the holiday eating I did, I am on a mission to lose the pounds I gained. First order of control was to clean out the kitchen at work - there was popcorn, chocolates, candy - all gifts from vendors, which we get every year. I don't even really like chocolate that much, I mean I would never just pick up a bar of chocolate in the grocery store, nor do i ever order dessert when I go out to eat, but have bars of chocolate here at my office and I'm going for them around the 10:00 mark (which is my I'm starving yet it's too early for lunch mark). Ok, so now work kitchen is back to normal (i.e. nothing in it), second order of control was to get my diet to become much more healthy. If I need a snack, I bring in yogurt or a string cheese stick and lunch and dinner are of the very good, pat-me-on-the-back kind. Yesterday I had baked fish for lunch, and today I have sushi with brown rice (yes you can high five me when you see me). Well last night was a very healthy dinner indeed. Jeff's mom sent us home with a few containers of her yummy meat sauce, so all we needed to do was boil up some pasta, and dinner was served! But wait, I stayed on the healthy track and instead of pasta I made zucchini pasta! No carbs at dinner and it was oh so yummy. Jeff did have regular pasta, though it was whole wheat spaghetti, so still not too shabby! P.S. did anyone else read flabby when seeing the word shabby? No, just me? Hmm, guess I got flabby on the mind...ok, onto the recipe.

The meat sauce was made with love by Julie Dionne (jeff's mom) and consisted of olives, chunky tomatoes and pepperoni just to name a few. Yay, yay pepperoni might not be the healthiest, but one step at a time here folks, I don't need to relapse and show up a few days later with rib sauce and ice cream all over my face, and a bib around my neck, because apparently I was in a buffalo chicken wing eating contest and won!
The whole wheat pasta was just as you know it.....

The zucchini pasta was made by a little gadget I have in my kitchen. It kinda looks like a peeler, but instead of peeling, it creates long thin spaghetti like strips. That description might not be the best, but you get the idea. After I strained the whole wheat spaghetti, I added in my zucchini to the cooking water for about 2-3 minutes, drain and pat dry.

I also added goat cheese on top, because I adore the way hot tomato sauce ever so quickly begins to melt the fresh goat cheese, yummmmyummmm

Curry Chicken & Shrimp over Basmati Rice

2012-01-03T12:01:00.009-05:00

On the car ride back from NH yesterday, I decided I wanted to eat something along the lines of Thai food for dinner and I had 2 options; go out to eat at Kwan Thai, or make my own version at home. I went with option 2 because I was exhausted and wanted to be eating my dinner in pj's, it's also cheaper for me to make dinner at home, so off to the grocery store it was! I knew I this dish would have coconut milk and curry in it, but I wasn't 100% sure on what I wanted the main ingredient to be...chicken or shrimp? Because I am head chef in my kitchen, I went with both, and it was great! Kind of surf-and-turf gone thai type of thing? This yummy, creamy, golden concoction was served over basmati rice. And as usual with all my recipes, the ingredients used are what I have in my fridge, if you don't have 1 or 2 things, don't worry about it, use what ya got!

Ingredients:

1 lb Chicken Breasts, boneless/skinless

1/2 lb Shrimp, cleaned/shelled

1 can Coconut Milk

1 small Onion, thinly sliced

1/2 pkg Mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 slices Bacon, sliced

2 Tomatoes, chopped

1 lime, juiced

1/2 cup sliced Almonds (peanuts would work too)

1/2 pkg Goat Cheese

1 stalk Lemongrass (my store sells them for $0.99 pkgs)

1 tbsp Paprika

2 tsp Curry Powder

2 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Ground Mustard

1 Scallion, chopped

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

Directions:

1. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the sliced bacon and begin to brown. Once the bacon is cooked, remove with a slotted spoon, saving 1 tbsp of the fat. Into the pan with bacon fat, add the onions and mushrooms. Add pepper (no salt just yet). Saute until brown.

2. Once the onions/mushrooms are brown, move them to the side of pan and add in the chicken. Salt/pepper the chicken separately.

3. When the chicken is about 1/2 cooked, add in the spices, tomatoes and lime juice. At this time, there will be browned bits stuck to the pan, use the juice from the tomatoes and lime to get these up! Next add in the goat cheese, and stir to combine (the goat cheese will begin to melt instantly).

4. Next up is the coconut milk! Add to the pan along with the almonds, scallions and lemongrass. Bring this mixture to a boil, than reduce to a simmer. Once at a simmer, add in the shrimp.

5. During this cooking process, cook the basmati rice, or whatever else you'd like to serve this mixture with. Hint, Hint, it goes quite well with the basmati rice!

6. Serve with lime wedges. I also added the bacon bits and extra scallions and almonds for a fresh bite at the end.

Morning Awesomeness

2011-12-30T14:45:00.003-05:00

I woke up to this view the other morning and just had to take a few pictures, it was absolutely breathtaking. Sometimes, it nice to stop and just look and appreciate the beauty of our earth. Sometimes, life doesn't need to be crazy and overwhelming, sometimes it can just be :)

I call dibs on that as a "it's going to be ok" card....Hallmark come find me, I got lots more!

6:30am

6:40 am

Fish Tacos

2011-12-30T14:30:00.004-05:00

I had a bunch to do last night, so this meal was just perfect. I had fish leftover in my fridge, so all I needed to do was coat it in marinade (chipolte marinade) and pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes to heat up. Next I added a cheese sauce I had leftover too (from when I made my buffalo chicken mac and cheese video the other night - milk reduced by half, than add cheese), so that was next into the microwave for a minute or 2. I had Jeff pick up plain coleslaw mix from the store, and all I added to that sour cream and spices....I always love something crunchy and cool on fish tacos, the combo works so well! Even though I would prefer not to use the microwave for dinner, this dish is pretty healthy and the ingredients are all homemade. I like soft tacos, Jeff likes crunchy, but I only got a pic of mine, so ha to you crunchy taco peeps, no pic for you!

Now just fold up and eat, and enjoy, and enjoy and wipe your mouth, you'll be messy, and eat and enjoy :)

Le Chicken & Le Rice

2011-12-28T13:22:00.003-05:00

Ok, so it's just Chicken and Rice, but I tried to make it sound fancy for ya! Chicken & Rice as I knew it as a child was one of my favorite things to eat, both my mom and grandmother always made this for me and it was pure heaven. I once tried to recreate the way they cooked it exactly (entire cooking process was done in the oven in 1 pan) and it just didn't come out right. But because I was craving this, I found a way to make it work, though it still doesn't taste nearly as good as theirs did. Here is my version.....

Ingredients:

1 lb Chicken Breast, boneless/skinless

1 pkg Frozen Vegetable mix (peas, corn, carrots, green beans)

1 cup Brown Rice (+ 2 cups water & 1 tbsp butter)

1 can Cream of Celery (yup you read that, I felt weird in the canned food aisle, I think people were staring at me too, maybe even whispering....what is she doing here?)

Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat the chicken in olive oil, salt & pepper. Cook for 20 minutes.

2. While the chicken is in the oven, cook the rice. Bring the rice, water and butter to a boil, than reduce to medium-low heat for 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add in the frozen veggies and the can of soup. *I left the frozen veggies on the counter while I was cooking everything else, so they weren't totally frozen when I added them to the rice.

3. Serve and enjoy, seriously it was that simple!

Mushroooooms

2011-12-22T11:33:00.001-05:00

"What the hey is today mushroom day?"

This is what I think you are thinking....just realized the 2 past posts are chock full of mushrooms! I had alot in my fridge, now I have none, done and done!

Ravioli's in a Mushroom Goat Cheese Sauce

2011-12-22T10:21:00.006-05:00

Just reading this recipe title makes my mouth water. This is one of the recipes I will win an award for one day...sooooo easy and soooooo delicious. Seriously, this entire meal came together in 15 minutes and it was devine. Serve this to someone and they will think you are an angel from heaven who cooked this up with her angel utensils and with doves and stuff flying all around. Ok, so that's what I envision I guess. Anywho, make this, it's that good and that simple. I had a package of ravioli's in my freezer, they go on sale every so often for about $0.99/bag, so I always grab one, makes for a really cheap dinner, I mean you could just make a butter or olive oil sauce and there ya go! Din Din for Cheap Cheap :)

Ingredients:

1 pkg, 10 oz Mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 cloves Garlic, chopped

*if I had a shallot, it would've gone here*

1 pkg, 5 oz Goat Cheese

1 tbsp Herbs du Provence (I know what you're thinking)

1 tsp Black Truffle Salt (again, I hear ya, let me explain)

2 tbsp Butter

1 pkg Ravioli's, your flavor/size preference

Drizzle of Truffle Oil

1 cup water, reserved from pasta cooking water

Pepper

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt and the ravioli's. Once the ravioli's begin float, cook for 10-12 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.

2. While the ravioli's are cooking, you can make the sauce. In pan, saute the mushrooms and garlic in butter (and, if I had a shallot, it would've gone here). Add the herbs du provence and trufle salt and cook through for about 5-7 minutes.

3. Add in the goat cheese, a drizzle of truffle oil and the pepper. Cook until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. On a side note, you could easily stop here, and just go at this sauce with a piece of crusty bread, just sayin!

4. At this time, the ravioli's will be done, drain and add to the sauce with the 1 cup of water. Toss together and serve.

Ok, about the above mentioned ingredients...please don't think I am one of those people who says they have an easy recipe, than tell you the main ingredient is a spice that is only found on a tiny island off the coast of Africa, because of course you have this on hand right, everyone does no? Well listen here, I only have these 2 fabulous ingredients because Jeff brought them for me as a gift and because I have it, I use it. Though if you didn't have these, no biggie, just add in a fresh herb, or even a dried one, whatever you have on hand. The dinner is great because it's easy, so just use what you have and it will be great I promise...it's melted goat cheese for pete's sake! Though I did mention a drizzle of truffle oil and that I'm gonna stick by. It's not that expensive, but it's a really good investment to make for your pantry. All you need is a tiny drizzle, and it's adds such flavor to the simplest things. Go on get yourself a bottle, treat yourself good hunny bunny :)

Mushroom Crusted Ham and Cheese Quiche

2011-12-22T09:34:00.006-05:00

I came across this recipe online when searching for things to do with left-over ham (and that is literally what I typed in). Let me give you the background on this here ham situation....during the holiday seasons when you spend a certain amount at my grocery store, they will give you a free item; ham around Easter, turkey/lasagna around Christmas, ect... so, I got myself a ham during in Easter and it went directly into my freezer for future use. One Sunday, I decided to cook it, all the while thinking I was so good as I would have all this ham and I can make so many different meals with it, oh lala, but the reality was I had all this flippin ham now. I had already used it in a soup (black beans and ham), salad and sandwiches and still had tons of leftovers. So my journey to the internet began, and voila, I found this gem of a recipe. The thing I take most from this recipe is the mushroom crust, I would've never thought to do that, but now that I see how easy and versatile it was, I can use it for some many other things....onion crust, zucchini crust, tomato crust.....ahhhh the possibilities I tell ya!
Oh and yes, I forgot to take a picture of the final product. We have been taking this for lunch, and a picture inside my tupperware just doesn't do it justice, so please forgive me blog world, you know how much I want you to like my pictures :) Most of the pictures are of the mushroom crust, I was fascinated by this new thing I learned!!

Ingredients:
1 pkg, 10 oz Mushrooms, chopped (I thought it could've used more, much more)
1/2 Onion, chopped
3 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1-2 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese (cheese measurements are your own thing!)
1, 8 oz container Herb & Garlic cheese spread
6 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp Hot Sauce
2 cups cooked Ham, diced
1 tbsp Oregano, chopped
Salt/Pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven the 375 degrees.
2. In a pan, saute the onions and mushrooms in the butter until tender, about 5-7 minutes, remove from heat.
3. Stir in the breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt/pepper, set aside.
4. Butter or spray the bottom and sides of a casserole dish, or whatever your going to cook this in. Press the mushroom mixture into the pan evenly on the bottom. Sprinkle the cheese over the mushroom crust. 5. In a bowl, mix the eggs, cheese spread and hot sauce until combined. Stir in the diced ham and oregano. Pour over the cheese and mushroom crust.

6. Bake for 30 minutes or until the center is set.

This recipe came from allrecipes.com - though I did make some variations, cause that's I how cook, use what you got!

Indian Dinner Party

2011-12-20T16:12:00.002-05:00

We were invited over to our friends' Blythe and Andrew's house for dinner last week and was treated to a wonderful and delicious slow cooker Indian chicken meal. Turmeric, Curry, Cashews, Leeks, Chicken, Carrots and Potatoes, it was so yummy! My addition was a simple salad of cucumber, olives and cranberries all tossed in a simple vinaigrette. We were also joined by 2 doggies named Holmes and Dixie Mae - both of whom took post under the table and would take turns nudging us just to make sure we knew they were still there :)

Cooking Channel, Here I Come!!

2011-12-19T17:15:00.003-05:00

I submitted my Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese recipe into Cooking Channel's Perfect 3 Recipe Contest and I just received an email today stating I have been selected as a semi-finalist. Now I need to make a video of me cooking this meal and send it in. Winners will be notified on January 16th and if I will I will tape a show in Febuary at the NYC headquaters. Holy Gaucamole, I am freaking out!! This was the best news I could've received :) I will definetly keep you posted and will of course upload the video I make.

Don't know if you can tell but I'm happy happy happy happy

Yummmnomnomnomnom

2011-12-19T12:17:00.005-05:00

In this picture you will find something so heavenly, so gorgeous, so enticing, so......good!

Onions sauteing in Bacon fat.

I made a caramelized onion, bacon and goat cheese tart for my neighbors holiday party yesterday. This is the only pic I got, but the best one in my opinion. The smell that will come from your kitchen is magical, it makes grown men weep, naughty kids behave, turns sinners into saints, and makes me smile. It did also make me cry when cutting 3 large onions!

Chili Chili Chili Chili Chili

2011-12-19T11:25:00.003-05:00

So it's that time of year again, where the holiday spirit is all around, the year end is quickly approaching, the flip flops are officially in the bottom of the shoe closet (don't think I'm super rich and have a closet solely for shoes....I'm lazy and just throw all my shoes into the bottom of Jeff's closet, which is now my shoe closet, crap I'm getting off track here, ok back to chili), and it's bitter cold outside! This weekend was a cold one for sure, though perfect for getting things done around the house. I got to stay in my comfies all morning and do my arts and crafts (which are my Christmas gifts this year, all homemade), than make a big pot of chili to enjoy with a big glass of wine...couldn't.get.any.better! This chili recipe came from a food network show I really like, Pioneer Woman, and yes her blog is off to the right as well. It's a really really easy one to make, the only thing it requires is time, as most chilies do! And of course, I changed the recipe a little because I do what I want :)

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Beef

1 lb Ground Pork

1 can (12 oz) Tomato Sauce

1 can (10 oz)n Ro-Tel (diced tomatoes and chilies)

1 tbsp Ground Oregano

1 tbsp Ground Cumin

1 tbsp Chili Powder

2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Salt/Pepper

1 can (16 oz) Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained

1 medium Onion, chopped

3 cloves Garlic, chopped

1-2 cups Water (you may or may not need this)

Olive Oil

Cheddar Cheese & Frito's - topping, not optional, a must!

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, or until tender. Add the ground meat and begin to brown. Make sure its gets really brown, with little bits stuck to the pan, this means flavor!

2. Add the tomato sauce, rotel, and spices. Cover and reduce heat to medium, simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Add the drained beans, cover and simmer for another 30 minutes. I suggest tasting as you go, just to make sure all the flavors are right! At this point, I thought the chili was a bit thick, so I added water, but you're the chili master of your chili, so do what makes you happy!

4. To serve, top with shredded cheese and crushed frito chips. Let this be a warning, once you eat chili this way there is no going back! If you are going to eat in a restaurant and think you're gonna want a bowl of chili, bring some frito's just in case, you dont want to look like a crazy person by yelling at the waitstaff because they have no fritos on hand :)

Chipolte Chicken over Simple Salad

2011-12-15T11:15:00.005-05:00

This chipolte marinade recipe came from a food blog I really like called So Delushious, which is owned by a supermodel named Chrissy Teigen. In her blog, she always rants and raves about this Chipotle marinade her trainer (I think) came up with. Anyways, I love spicy food and it looked simple enough to make, so I gave it a try! It is hands down one of my new favorite marinades/sauces...it is soooo easy and soooo yummy! It can be used on anything from chicken to shrimp to pork to steak to....whatever!
Her recipe can be found on her website, which is on my blog list over on the right side of the page ------------------->

Go ahead, check it out, but you better come right back here!

Here is my version, very similar, but not exact - Chipoltes in Adobo sauce (smoked jalapenos), Lime Juice (from 2 limes), Brown Sugar, a squeeze of Honey, Salt/Pepper & Olive Oil. Puree in a food processor until smooth.

For dinner, we marinated the chicken in the chipotle sauce and cooked it on a cast iron skillet. The chicken was placed over a gorgeous salad of lettuce, shaved carrots, almonds, cranberries & croutons.

Pesto Shrimp Pappardelle

2011-12-13T16:51:00.004-05:00

For some reason, the basil in my grocery store was crazy big, like a huge bundle for super cheap, and since I always like to buy fresh I was now stuck with loads of extra basil. So........Pesto it is! I simply needed to get shrimp for dinner last night, not bad I say, not bad at all! I added a tomato and 1 slice of bacon just cause I had it :)
Here's what I did:

To make the pesto - mix together 2 cups basil, 1/2 cup Nuts (I used almonds), 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, 2 cloves Garlic, Salt/Pepper, Olive Oil in a food processor.

In a large pan, I brought water to a boil and cooked the Pappardelle. When the pasta is finished, drain and save 1 cup of the cooking water. In a separate pan, while the pasta was cooking, I began to brown the Bacon. Once the Bacon is crispy, remove and set aside. In the same hot pan, toss in the Shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes (to leave or not to leave the bacon fat is your call). Next add the diced Tomato and the Pesto, cook through for 3 more minutes or until your pasta is done. Combine the pasta, pesto shrimp mix, bacon and cooking water, then add some Parmesan over top. Enjoy and enjoy and enjoy! Simple and Delicious :)

A Ballet and Dinner

2011-12-08T16:00:00.009-05:00

A date night with my mother :) A lovely evening to say the least! The night started with us getting a quick drinky poo at the Empire Hotel (my client, ahem ahem) than running through the rain to get over to Lincoln Center to see The Nutcracker performed by the New York City Ballet Company, it was so magical, I want to be a ballerina, seriously! Because we saw the 6pm show, we were able to get dinner at a reasonable time afterwards. We headed over to Lincoln Restaurant, an absolutely stunning all-glass restaurant where the food and service are 5-star! I would highly recommend giving this place a try, it was incredible. Though the prices are expensive, so maybe sell that first born of yours before you go! Luckily for me, it was date night with my mom, so she did all the paying :)

Right before the show started, the room was filled with anticipation, and I snapped this pic even though camera's aren't allowed, ooooooo, I'm so bad!

Here is was my fabulous dinner, called Spaghetti Con Granchio E Ricci Di Mare - Peekytoe Crab, Sea Urchin, Peperoncino & Scallions. Oh.My.Word.

We split a side of Brussels Sprouts, that had little glorious salty bites of pancetta scattered throughout.

We were so full, we decided to only get coffee/tea, but of course, like any fabulous restaurant, they bring out sweet little bites for your to enjoy while you nearly spit out your coffee reading the bill. Bon Appetite!! On a tiny side note, this meal/service/ambiance was well worth every penny, it was flippin divine!

Sunday Funday BBQ Ribs

2011-12-06T11:44:00.005-05:00

Seems to be my typical Sunday menu, comfort food at it's best! This past Sunday I made BBQ Ribs with Braised Cabbage and Jalapeno Parmesan Polenta. The 2 sides were added because I had them on had and they are super duper easy to make.

For the Braised Cabbage - look in the post below, go on, scroll down till you find it, I'll wait...

For the Polenta - the measurements are always 3 to 1, so I used 3 cups Chicken Stock (though water or milk can be used) to 1 cup Corn Meal. While the stock was heating to a boil, I diced 1 Jalapeno and shredded about 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Once the stock is boiling, remove from heat and slowly whisk in the cornmeal and continue whisking to avoid lumps. Add the Jalapeno, Parmesan and 2 tbsp Butter. Season with Salt/Pepper. Easiest. Side. Ever.

Now for the star....The Ribs - I marinated the ribs in a spice rub (salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper & garlic powder) for 1 hr. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and cook, covered for 2 hours. Remove the cover and cook for 1 more hour. I than coated the ribs in a home-made BBQ sauce and cooked uncovered for 30 more minutes. Remove from oven and let rest. While the ribs are resting, cook the sides.

Shepards Pie in a Biscuit with Braised Cabbage

2011-12-02T11:41:00.007-05:00

From all of the leftovers of Thanksgiving, I have been trying to come up with fun new dishes so it wont seem like we are eating turkey, potatoes and cranberry sauce all week. All of the meals I have made this week, this is the only one I got a picture of, sorry about that, this is a food blog of course and whats the fun of just reading descriptions of food, you want to see the pictures dammit! Ok, maybe you're not that adamant about it, maybe you are, who knows!

Hope these recipe ideas inspire some great meals for you too, check out what I have made with my leftovers so far:

Chipotle Pork Tacos with Cranberry Corn Salsa (pork, cranberry sauce, corn leftovers used)

Turkey Soup, with Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Celery and Chicken Stock (all leftovers used)

Shepard's Pie in a Biscuit (mashed potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower leftovers used)

Since I do not have photos of the tacos or soup and the recipes are pretty straight forward, the above description is all you're gonna get. But no worries, here is the recipe and directions for the oh-so awesome Shepard's Pie in a Biscuit with Braised Cabbage, so yummy. The only thing I would suggest is to have some gravy near by to spoon over the finished biscuits, as I really felt this would've made the dish that much more amazing!

Shepard's Pie Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Beef

1 medium Onion, chopped

1 can Biscuits (or pie dough would work too)

1 cup each cooked Cauliflower & Broccoli, chopped

2 cups cooked Mashed Potatoes

1 small pkg Brown Gravy Mix

Salt/Pepper

Olive Oil

Cabbage Ingredients:

1/2 head of Cabbage, thinly sliced

2 slices of Bacon, chopped

1 tbsp Butter

Salt/Pepper

Red Chili Flakes

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water, than add the cabbage. Cook for 15 minutes, drain, and set the cabbage aside. Set pan back on stove for use again.

3. While the cabbage is cooking, heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions, and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef, salt and pepper, cook until no longer pink. Once the beef is cooked and begins sticking to the bottom of the pan (this is good, brown food is good!), add the gravy mix and 1 cup of water. Let this mixture cook over low heat until ready to use.

4. Take the biscuits from the pan and begin to flatten them out, see picture below (I cooked these in a muffin tin to make the cup shape). Shape the flatten biscuit into a muffin tin, and put back into the fridge. The butter(cold) in the biscuits is what makes them so flaky and delicious, but when you handle them, it makes them warm, so cool them back again. Poke the biscuits with a fork before baking so they don't rise as much. I pre-cooked them for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, set aside.

5. For the braised cabbage - heat the pan you cooked the cabbage in initially over medium heat, add the bacon and cook until crisp. Next add the chili flakes, butter, salt, pepper and cabbage. Cook the mixture for 15 minutes, voila, that's it!

6. Now it's time to bring everything together. Begin by layering meat, veggies and mashed potatoes into the cooked biscuits. Continue until all your biscuits are used. Bake them for 5-7 minutes, so all the flavors come together.

My Thanksgiving Menu

2011-12-01T10:39:00.010-05:00

Probably my most favorite time of year.....cool fall weather, football, sweaters, big comfy socks, warm comfort food and the annual eat till you can't move day! Actually my most favorite part of this whole event is Wednesday night, where I get to prep all the food for the big day, sounds weird, I know, everyone my age is out drinking the night away, and I'm at home cooking, and well drinking the night away too :) During this night, there must be a flow.....a nice big glass of red wine for me (always close by), great music playing in the background (a must) and if anyone is available to help, they must be good people, like no complaining or asking me why I am adding this or that, just cook with me and lets have fun! This year my mom and Jeff helped and we had a great time, perfect example of the perfect night for me! My brother Nick has helped me on a few occasions as well, and we always have a great time. I know this post is after the holiday, but here goes......

My Thanksgiving Dinner Menu:

Herb Butter Roasted Turkey (get the freshest turkey you can find, no Butterball type shit)
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Sausage, Apple & Cornbread Stuffing
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Home-made Cranberry Sauce (don't walk into my house with that canned crap, I will take away your dinner plate)
Carrot & Turnip Gratin
Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

Black Truffle Sea Salt

2011-11-28T14:14:00.003-05:00

Reason #157846251547523264547 why I love Jeff. He came home from Michigan a few weeks ago and brought me some goodies, among those being some fabulous spices and salts. Only he would know to stop at a spice shop to pick up "gifts" for me, which is exactly the type of gifts I love!

Guest Entry - Valcourt Edition

2011-11-28T13:55:00.003-05:00

Nick & Erin tried out my Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese recipe and from what I heard it was a success! How can you go wrong, it's probably the best thing to eat :) As you can see from their picture, they added some Broccoli to the dinner plate, I assume to be somewhat healthier! This dish is so good, I would've drove to Massachusets to eat the leftovers. Ok, Ok, I can make my own, duh I know this!

Guest Entry - Dionne Edition

2011-11-28T13:39:00.004-05:00

This recipe and photo came from the Dionne's in Nashua, NH. Looks so good I am going to try it this week! And looks like it won't break the bank either, nice job Paul!

Stuffed Butternut Squash
1. Cut squash in half and place in a baking dish with an inch or two of water face down and bake at 350 for 30 -45 minutes or until squash is soft.
2. Meanwhile cook 4 slices of bacon until crisp...set aside
3. Brown some hamburger in same pan used for bacon along with 2 onions, chopped, 1stalk of celery, diced and 2 tbsp of cinnamon & s&p
4. When squash is done scrape out insides* leaving 1/4 inch of squash in shell
mix the squash and meat along with the crumbled bacon and stuff the squash with the mix place back in oven at 350 for 20 minutes
*We melted cheese on top when we had the leftovers....good .Our squash made 4 servings

the other pic speakes for itself....

BBQ Ribs, Parsnip Mash & Mustard Greens

2011-11-22T10:30:00.004-05:00

These ribs were cooked in the BBQ Sauce I made, in the slow-cooker on low for 8 hours. During the last hour of cooking, I started to make my 2 sides to accompany the ribs. I roasted Parsnips and Turnips (coated in olive oil, honey, salt & pepper) in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, than mashed them with some butter. For the Mustard Greens, I simply sauteed them in a pan over medium heat with olive oil, red chili flakes, salt & pepper. I think the Greens could've used another spice, but I'm not sure what that is, I'll experiment next time!

Rack of Pork

2011-11-20T15:47:00.004-05:00

I got this rack in the grocery store for about $9.00 and I broke it down to give myself Ribs and the Loin. The ribs went into the slow-cooker on low for 8 hours. The loin was encrusted in fresh & dried herbs, garlic, spices and olive oil and roasted in the oven for about 1 hour. Yummmmmm

BBQ Sauce

2011-11-20T14:50:00.006-05:00

I am about to show you the best BBQ Sauce recipe ever. I came up with the recipe this morning and when I first tasted the sauce to make sure all the flavors were right, I nearly saw stars. It was so good, I quickly grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down the ingredients. I am not a measuring type of cook, so these measurements are close, but not exact. I just add dashes of things and taste as I go, no science, just make it to your liking. This sauce was prepared in the slow cooker, because I am making BBQ Ribs for dinner. Once the ribs are cooked, I will strain in the sauce and save any leftovers in the fridge.....mmmm hope there are leftovers!!

Ingredients:
2 cups Ketchup
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Chicken Stock, homemade preferably (when I make it, I use it in everything)
3 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Worchester Sauce
1/2 Lemon, squeezed for juice
2 cloves Garlic, smashed
1/2 Onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp Chili Powder
1 tbsp Garlic Salt
1/2 tbsp Cayenne
1/2 tbsp Red Chili Flakes
Salt/Pepper

Mix all ingredients and cook on medium-low heat for about an hour. If you are using this in a slow-cooker recipe like I did, just add it to the pot, no need to pre-cook it.

Pasta Bolognese

2011-11-20T14:37:00.003-05:00

Using my classic recipe for Bolognese (posted before, go check it), I made a super comforting Pasta Bolognese for dinner. I used a fresh linguine, though a parpardelle was my first choice. I topped the pasta with fresh basil, parmesan cheese and a drizzle of fabulous olive oil. I have included a picture of my new favorite oil used for finishing dishes.....

I see you.....

2011-11-10T11:28:00.002-05:00

Fall asleep on couch alone, wake up with alien dog under the blankets....

My Favorite Things....

2011-11-10T10:26:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't done one of these in a while. I have been so busy and I am very sorry for the neglect :( Since the holiday season is slowly creeping upon us, I think this is the perfect opportunity to share one of my favorite things, though I do not know if this is actually a thing? Anyways, here goes.....I have never been one of these people that enjoys malls or even large departments stores for that matter. I like shopping and buying new things, but it has to be something I really want to buy, I don't just go to the mall, walk around and look for new things. I would only go to the mall because one particular store has something I want (and cannot live without apparently). And during the holiday season, I dread having to be anywhere near the mall (ugh I cringe at the thought), which is why I make alot of my gifts and/or buy them online. The worst is the Black Friday phenomenon that happens the day after Thanksgiving, you know that one, where psychos get up at 3am, drive to an already crowded store and wait until the doors open so they can rush around grabbing anything on sale. I just imagine men & women running around with their heads cut off, still tired and in their pjs with a look of pure madness in their eyes. Yeh, that sounds like a freakin nightmare to me! So, one of my favorite things is knowing that I am not a part of that madness. Instead, I am home sleeping comfortably with a full tummy and the only thing I have to do is wake up to a day off on Friday, no madness, no nothing, just relaxing, which is what you're supposed to be doing!!! And don't be offended if you are one of these people and I called you a psycho, cause.......you are!

Chili Rellenos

2011-11-10T10:08:00.003-05:00

Looking at this picture, I guess I should've used a white plate instead. There are sure alot of colors going on in here, lol. The usual cooking method for Chili Rellenos is to fry them, but I do not fry things for the simple fact that I do not want to deal with the oil when I'm done. Instead I baked them and I think they came out great. No batter, no frying, no oil clean up, just bake in the oven, simple simple. And yes, I guess this method is way healthier too, but seriously is frying wasn't such a pain in the ass, I would've done it. And no, I'm not getting a fryolater, I know this was solve the clean up aspect, but come on, this house smells like sh*t when you use one of those!

Here is what I used for the Chili Rellenos:

Poblano Peppers (insides removed), Yellow Rice, Shredded Beef, Corn, Mozzarella Cheese, Tomatoes, Avocados, Onions, Garlic, Salt/Pepper

I also roasted Tomatoes, than mashed them and used that as a base for plating. In addition, I made a Basil Cheese Sauce to cover the rellenos (heat 2 tbsp butter in a pan, add 2 tbsp flour - cook until it forms a paste, whisk in 1/2 cup chicken stock until combined. Add the cheese -mozzarella & parm - and add the basil, cook for 5-10 mins until the cheese is melted).

Calzones

2011-11-10T09:43:00.004-05:00

So Friday night tends to be Pizza night, but instead of pizza we made calzones! Same thing really and absolutely delicious!!! We used store-bought pizza dough and filled the calzone with Chicken, Pepperoni, Cheese, Onions, Garlic & Rosemary. I only added a small amount of tomato sauce with the filling, as I prefer to dip my calzone into the sauce more. Drizzle the top with olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Yes it was amazing!

On a side note, I am sorry blog-world that I have not been posting as much. I joined that dang thing called Facebook and it has taken up some of my time that was usually spent here. I promise I will post more, I won't forget you were my first love

Braised Roast with Butternut Squash Risotto

2011-11-01T20:46:00.002-04:00

Oooooo, this was a good one folks! I slow-cooked a Pot Roast for 8 hours on low with onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns & beef stock. For this recipe, I simply simmered the shredded beef with onions, tomatoes, chicken stock (used with the risotto) & salt/pepper. For the butternut squash, I steamed than pureed them and added it to the risotto at the end of cooking. For the risotto...wait, you know how to make dang risotto, I just showed you a few posts ago. Go check it if you don't remember.

Mexican Turkey Tostados with Roasted Asparagus

2011-11-01T20:37:00.002-04:00

Yummy, I used some leftover turkey to make this yummy in my tummy meal.

Turkey mixed with peppers & onions. Added a Mexican spice blend (cumin, chili powder, coriander, salt/pepper & a pinch of cinnamon). I melted mozzarella cheese on tostadas, topped with the turkey mix and baked for 10 mins at 350 degrees.

For the asparagus, I simply roasted for 15 minutes a 350, and topped with parmesan cheese.

Roast Chicken

2011-11-01T20:35:00.001-04:00

Yes, most of this is for my dog. But we do keep some for lunch/dinner

Perfect Breakfast Sandwich

2011-10-25T15:46:00.003-04:00

Compliments of Jeff....Eggs, Bacon & Pepper Jack Cheese all tucked neatly into warm Biscuits. Um yeah, amazing! Oh and Mimosa's on the side. Hey I can eat this, I ran a 5k that day :)

Slow Cooker Ribs with Jalapeno Cheddar Polenta

2011-10-25T15:35:00.003-04:00

I was really in the mood to make slow-cooker ribs this weekend, so I did it. It really is so easy to make absolutely delicious food in the slow-cooker, all you need is time!
Since there is no real recipe for the polenta (simmer milk, than slowly whisk in corn meal), add whatever you want!

Here is the sauce I made for the ribs to cook in: steak seasoning, garlic salt, chili powder, bbq sauce, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, hot sauce, salt & pepper

Cooked on high for 4 hours, and on low for 2 hours

Restaurant X

2011-10-24T11:47:00.008-04:00

Restaurant X is in Congers, NY, owned by Peter Kelly. He owns 4 restaurants in total, but I have only been to this one and it's really really good. Here's what was delivered to our table....

Pacific Ahi Tuna with Spicy Seaweed Salad (I wish I had ordered this, it was devine!)

Swordfish with a creamy Rock Shrimp Sauce

Phyllo wrapped Snapper with a Leek Fondue

I ordered the Potato Leek Soup for an appetizer and it totally filled me up (duh, I should've known, but I was so hungry I couldn't resist). Next time, I'll order a salad first and maybe have the soup as my entree. Or should I order the tuna? Oh what a predicament I have gotten myself into!

Oh and I cannot figure out the issue with the upside down picture, so don't ask.

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

2011-10-24T11:20:00.003-04:00

Yes you read that correctly, Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese. Wowzers, this was good, there are no words! (besides the ones I just used)

Ingredients:

1 lb Pasta (I used shells)

3 Chicken Breasts, cooked & diced

1-2 cups Buffalo Sauce

2 cups Milk

1 cup each of Cheddar & Gouda cheese, shredded

Salt & Pepper

1 tsp Ground Mustard

2 tsp Paprika

1 cup Breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente (it will finish cooking in the oven).

3. In a sauce pan, cook the milk over medium-high heat. Add salt, pepper, mustard & paprika. Once the milk is at a low-boil, reduce the heat and add in the cheeses. This is a super simple cheese sauce.

4. In the baking dish, mix the chicken & buffalo sauce. Add the cooked pasta and the cheese sauce. Combine all ingredients and top with the breadcrumbs. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

5. Enjoy and enjoy and enjoy again!

Best.Burger.Ever

2011-10-24T10:45:00.008-04:00

Oh these burgers were so so good, I wish I had one right now. We decided to stay in Friday night, and though it might be called a low-key night, it was amazing and I have no problem with these type of weekend nights! After filling our tummies with this awesome meal, we sat by the fire outside and listened to great music. Can a Friday night be any better than this? I think not.

Cheddar & Jalapeno stuffed Bacon Burgers

Red Leaf Lettuce with Apples, Goat Cheese & Pecans tossed in a homemade vinaigrette

(did I just hear you lick your lips?)

Holmes - The Healthy Carnivore

2011-10-20T12:28:00.003-04:00

So with Holmes now being diagnosed with bone cancer, our vet told us we should change his diet. For all of his 7 years, he has been on a dry dog food diet (Pedigree mostly) and 0f course he would get the occasional (ha!) human scrap food. But doc wants him off processed food completely, meaning no more store-bought dog food, meaning I am now my dog's personal chef. Dang Holmes, you got it made now my love! So, here is what our spoiled little (no not little at all) munchkin eats: Roast Chicken with Rice and Steamed Veggies. I also add flax seed powder to his meals to inhibit tumor growth. I roast a chicken, seasoned with olive oil, salt & pepper. Boil Rice for 5 minutes. And for the Steamed Veggies, I used Kale, Broccoli, Sweet Potato & Carrots (lots of green & orange foods). I pureed the veggies, so it's easier for him to eat.

Cold Springs NY

2011-10-19T11:44:00.005-04:00

On Sunday, we took a drive to a small town about 1 hr away from us called Cold Springs. Super cute little town filled with lots of Antique shops (I mean lots and lots of antique shops, the show Hoarders should visit for a town intervention), quaint Restaurants and Art Galleries. In one of the many Antique shops, I found this really old cookbook from the 1930's, so I cannot wait to try some of the recipes. The book is so old, the only pictures are hand drawn, ha I love it! After walking around for a bit, we decided it was time to eat & drink (of course it was time, it's always time). We found this cute little French restaurant called Le Bouchon and plopped our behinds down at 1 of the outdoor tables to ensure some good people watching. The only pic I got was of our appetizer, a thin crust pizza topped with bacon, caramelized onions, thyme & cheese - it was great. But the rest of the meal + the service sucked so, "If you don't have anything nice to say...." ah screw that, the service and my good-for-nothing salad sucked!!! But the location and the pizza were great, so I'll leave it at that. See, I'm a positive polly :)

(view of the Hudson River)

(flippin awesome building)

(the oh-so good pizza)

It's Friday Night and I feel All Right......

2011-10-18T12:13:00.006-04:00

So, what do ya know, I didn't order in on Friday night, instead I made a nice home-made dinner. this was such a nice weekend, perfect from start to finish. It all started Friday night with Roast Pork (store-bought marinated, way too salty, bleh) and Parmesan Risotto (homemade, yummy) paired with good music, good conversation and a nice fire crackling away in the background - sounds like a nice movie huh! Ahh yes, my life is like a movie! A great movie, where the main character is broke, her dog is sick, she has a broken wrist, and......she has a great boyfriend that helps her deal. Ok, not such a bad movie :)

Since the Pork was store-bought, there is no ingredient list. Note to self - never buy this crap again, it would've taken me 5 mins to throw a marinade together!
Parmesan Risotto Ingredients:
1 cup Arborio Rice
4 cups Chicken stock
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 tbsp fresh Thyme, chopped
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
2 tbsp Butter
1/4 cup Light Cream
Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. I cooked the pork for about 40 minutes or until the internal temperature was about 160. During this time, I made the risotto.
2. In a large pan, saute the shallots and garlic in olive oil and 1 tbsp butter until just tender. Season with salt/pepper. Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a separate pot.
3. Add the rice to the pan, and saute for about 5 minutes or until the rice starts to become lightly golden.
4. And this is how risotto is made... begin ladling about 1/2 cup of the stock to the rice mixture, and cook until the stock is absorbed, stirring frequently. Once the stock is fully absorbed, add another ladle of stock. Continue this method until the stock is all used or the rice is cooked through.
5. To finish - Stir in the parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp butter, thyme and cream. I know it sounds a little heavy, and it is, but it's risotto and you're not going to eat this everyday. Or are you? if so, you are a lucky some-um-a-biotch.

(risotto before stock is added)

(risotto after stock is added)

One-Hand Creation

2011-10-18T11:20:00.003-04:00

While I was at home during the week in between my accident and the surgery, I made this fun little dish. I was on pain killers, only able to use 1 hand, and had to use whatever ingredients I had in the fridge to make myself lunch. So, here what I made: Rigatoni tossed with Feta, Parmesan, Black Pepper & Truffle Oil, served with a Egg on top (this is the recipe, literally). This actually came out quite tasty, and you know this was easy peasy to make - if the girl with 1 hand can make it, so can you!

Thursday Dinner

2011-10-14T14:53:00.004-04:00

Another mix-and-match night, sheesh doesn't this girl cook anymore? Well tonight, I'm going to make something special and oh so good, just you wait! No, actually on second thought, don't wait, cause then you're putting all this pressure on me to cook tonight and what if I get home and just want to order something? Oh no, this isn't good, I'm gonna start hyperventilating!

End scene.....

Simple Dinner

2011-10-13T11:17:00.003-04:00

Last night's dinner was a do-it-yourself type of dinner. No real plan, but there were a few random items in the fridge to eat, so...here's what I came up with - Grilled Cheese (Gouda) with a side of Broccoli sauteed with butter & red chili flakes. Yummy, Simple and Perfect. I can easily just eat broccoli for dinner, no problem, but adding this ooey-gooey grilled cheese made it complete..and yummy and simple and perfect and yummy and simple and perfect and....ok i'll stop now :)

Chinese Takeout Fakeout

2011-10-10T12:58:00.004-04:00

Here is my interpretation of Chinese takeout - Beef n' Broccoli, Crab Rangoon's & Sweet n' Sour Chicken. I had a whole plan of eating the Chicken & Crab Rangoon's as appetizers, than cooking the beef & broccoli for dinner, but next thing you know its 8:30pm and no cooking has been done. So the chicken was eaten in the kitchen, while we made the Crab Rangoon's & the Beef n' Broccoli. Long story short, there in no picture of the chicken :)

Sunday Brunch

2011-10-09T19:41:00.005-04:00

The main meal planned for this relaxing Sunday was a Chinese Takeout fakeout. Basically, duplicate the dishes I usually order from my favorite chinese food spot, by making them at home. Way healthier and cheaper actually. But that's for a later post. Until then, here is our fabulous Brunch that was devoured upon arrival. I paired mine with a sparkling glorious ice gold glass of champagne...oooo I'm bad, especially since I'm still on painkillers. Ok, I know, but whatever, I've been living on the couch this weekend, not by choice, but because if anything such as a napkin so much as touch my arm, I'm in pain :( Though I did get my butt in the kitchen and cook, because that makes me happy in my heart & tummy. And thank you Jeff for helping, I probably would've given up at the onion, if not for you!

Sorry for the vague description, I'm typing with 1 hand and my hand is tired.

Mini Frittatas - 6 eggs, 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, 1/4 cup Milk, 2 tbsp Butter, Chives, 1 cup each, cooked in truffle oil: Asparagus, Mushrooms, Onions. Baked in a buttered muffin tin at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Last 5 mins of cooking, top each with shredded Gouda.

Parmesan Roasted Tomatoes - Cut the top off, leaving about 3/4 of the tomato left. Scoop some seeds & filling out. Fill each with Parmesan Cheese & Oregano. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Basically, however long it takes for your frittata to cook.

Taco Night

2011-10-09T19:25:00.003-04:00

Yeah, I love taco night so much! I couldn't decide which route I wanted to go with more - fish tacos or a beef fajita type thing - so I did both! To make the prep easier, I used the same spice rub for he fish & the steak. Ahhhh oh so yummy tacos, why do I love you so much? Is it because you come from my favorite type of food (Spanish) or is it because taco night is kinda like a taco buffet?

Spice Rub - cumin, chili powder, adobo, cayenne, garlic, oregano, salt & pepper

Fish Tacos - marinated in spice rub, lime juice & olive oil. Baked at 375 degrees for 15 minutes

Beef Fajitas - marinated in spice rub & olive oil. Sauteed with thinly sliced onions & red peppers

Chicken Satay with Cuke Salad & Naan

2011-10-09T19:17:00.003-04:00

I call this Chicken Satay because it's chicken tenders on a skewer coated in a thai peanut sauce. So, chicken satay, right? We paired this with my 2 favorite sides - toasted Naan bread & a super simple salad of cucumbers, olives & a homemade dressing of red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper. Told ya, simple!

I cannot figure out how to get this picture right side up. I tried saving it the right way, but nada. I'm too tired to keep trying, you get the picture....(haha pun intended)

My Bud

2011-10-05T12:08:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to show you who keeps me company all day (while im home this week) until Jeff gets home......Hi Holmesy

Jeff's Sizzlin Stirfry

2011-10-05T12:01:00.004-04:00

This was yummy yummy yummy, best part was dinner was served and all I had to do was move my lazy bum off the couch and get to the dining room table. Yeh, I could get used to this......

Brown Rice, Corn, Chicken, Mushrooms, Red Peppers, Onions & store-bought General Tso's Sauce

So...about that

2011-10-05T11:51:00.002-04:00

I broke my wrist in 3 places this past weekend - no bueno. The worst part of this whole ordeal is that I can no longer work at my restaurant. A broken arm = useless during dinner rush as well as any prep whatsoever. But once surgery is over on Friday, I will be in a hard cast and will hopefully be able to use my hand a little more, I do still have my right hand to use. So, for the meantime, my dinners will most likely be made by my better half......

My Favorite Things.....

2011-09-29T12:41:00.002-04:00

I know, you're probably thinking, "what's with all the posts without food? Isn't this a food blog?" Or maybe your not thinking that at all, in any case, this is another post without any food involved. Though I did make a bunch of food last night for Mike's return home, so I'll have quite a few coming your way! And no, I didn't get any pictures from last night's cooking adventure silly, I was in my cooking mode - Red Wine (check), Music-Amy Winehouse type (check), a Love to Cook (always check).

Ok, now on to My Favorite Things, what the post was originally supposed to be about. So for anyone that knows me, knows that I get along great with kids. They tend to love me right from the start - I think it's because I have long hair (kids love that, babies love to pull that) and I'm not afraid to get silly at any given moment. Also, I have a big background in arts & crafts (I was am still am a doodler), so I can entertain for hours!! Anyways, after spending time with a any given child, I tend to get asked this question, kinda alot...."Are you a kid or an adult". HAHA I swear as silly as that sounds, this is one of my most favorite things. And I always answer back the same..."Well, what do you think I am?" I usually get...."I think your a kid, but you look like an adult" then they're confused, then I bring up a new game for us to play - problem solved, she's a kid folks!

Great News!

2011-09-28T11:04:00.003-04:00

Guess what.....Mike comes home tomorrow, Yayyyyyy!!! He will be home on a short break, and I can't wait to see him! We have a banner made and ready for when we meet him at the airport, hope he doesn't get embarrassed :) Now I just have to think of what comfort food meal to make him, any suggestions? I was thinking lasagna, or chicken pot pie? Or spaghetti and meatballs?

Our soldier is coming home!

My Favorite Things.....

2011-09-23T12:30:00.003-04:00

In my opinion, the News has become something I watch while getting ready for work in the morning, not something I really watch to get my world news from. I can't tell you how many times I see celebrities and reality TV show stars being apart of the news headlines. Somewhere along the line, we forgot that celebrities are only really important in Hollywood, and that actual news worthy events are happening around the world. Frankly, I am really only interested in getting the weather update while watching in the morning and anything else I happen to catch (real news events) is an added bonus. Once, I get what I need from the news channel, I switch over to Cooking channel and watch my favorite chef, Mario Batali, who for some reason, only gets the Monday-Friday 7:30am time slot, whhhyyyyyyy!

Anywhoooo, back to my favorite things, which is the (holy crap-extreme!) 30-second News Headline Update (is that what these are called?) that will be aired during prime time TV shows, they are basically advertising what they will be talking about on the 10:00 or 11:00 news, you know what I'm talking about, right? Example, we are watching The Office on NBC last night, and one of these quick little headlines show during a commercial break......(cue news reporter at desk in suit) "Can you cure wrinkles with your own blood? Stay tuned for the 11:00 news to find out"

I mean come on, these are the most ridiculous headlines ever, and they crack me up every time...."How brushing your teeth might actually be harmful? Stay Tuned to find out" or "Can sleeping on the right side of the bed kill you? Stay Tuned". Because I find these absolutely silliness, I have taken note, whereas someone else might not even pay attention. I can guarantee these stupid headlines will always be there to interrupt my TV show, and for that I am thankful, I am always down for a laugh! Thanks Ridiculous News Headlines, because so far, I haven't died from sleeping on the right side of bed

Guest Entry - Dionne Edition

2011-09-23T11:50:00.003-04:00

I always ask people to send me photos from meals they have made and no one has ever done so, until now, yes, finally! This dish/photos were made by Paul & Julie Dionne. They live in Nashua, NH, which happens to be the exact place of our second home (yeh, we're rich and have a second home, believe me, it ain't easy with all this money!). Thanks Paul for the pics, I can't wait to try this out, I love meals like this!!! Simple and Spectacular!

Grilled Chicken with Baked Pesto Tomegg's & a side Salad

Got extra tomatoes? Cut the tops off and scoop out half the center. Add a large spoonful of pesto into the tomato, than top with 1 egg. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Turkey Chili - Hot and Healthy

2011-09-23T11:09:00.003-04:00

A little known fact about me - I love cold, dark days, the kind that most people might hate, yeh those are the kind I absolutely love! Add a scary thunderstorm in the mix, and I am secretly happy inside. While others might complain of such a day, I am happy knowing I get to go home and cuddle on the couch in my cozies with a warm cup of tea (ok, ok, its a glass of red wine). So you can imagine why Fall is my favorite time of year, when the weather starts to become slightly cooler and the days become slightly shorter. Now, I can't say I like the bitter ice cold, dark days of winter, but I'll take it knowing i have Fall to get through first. So in the spirit of the fall days upon us, I made a big batch of Turkey Chili in the slow-cooker. Warms you up and fills your tummy, but doesn't fatten your ass!

Ingredients:

2 lbs Ground Turkey

3 tbsp Chili Powder

1 can Kidney Beans, rinsed

1 can Cannelloni Beans, rinsed

2 cans diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes

8 oz Chicken stock

2 tbsp Chipolte Sauce

6 red Chilies (I used the small dried kind, whole)

1 medium Onion, thinly sliced

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Salt

1 tbsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Cayenne

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1 bottle of dark Beer (I used a Sam Adams seasonal)

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients (except the beer) in the slow-cooker. Stir everything together and cook on Low for 6-8 hours.

2. During the last hour of cooking, add in the beer.

3. To serve, add some sour cream, cheese and/or scallions. The scallions added a fresh burst of flavor when added to the hot chili, just sayin!

1 Blue Ball Please!

2011-09-22T12:57:00.004-04:00

I know hardly anyone actually reads this blog and that's ok, because this blog is really only for me and the few that are close to me in my life. I take this as an opportunity to rant about various things and to show the blog world what KellBell eats on a regular basis. With that said, here is a little secret I am going to let you in on.....

After Bailey passed, it seemed that Holmes was going to be ok, he was a little sad (didn't eat much, sat on couch more than usual, tail didn't wag as much, ect...) but overall, he really seemed ok. We are able to now go on long walks everyday and he gets 100% of our attention, which I have an endless supply of for him. However, recently it seems he is not the same dog as he once was. We go for 2 long walks everyday, and besides that he just wants to sit on his couch and sleep. He hardly even eats anymore. The only time he would show any enthusiasm is if I have a treat for him (duh!) or when he sees another dog. And not a bunch of dogs, as in a dog park, but just 1 other dog we may pass on our walk. That's when I see that excitement back in him and it's great. We have discussed the option of getting another dog so that Holmes wouldn't be alone, but it has always just been a thought, and we have not even considered that it could actually be a possibility. What I did know for sure was that my next dog was going to be a rescue dog. So, I did a little research today, just innocently looking, and I think I found our new baby/Holmes new best friend. Her name is Tink and she is a 2 year old Cane Corso. I do like her name, though if she becomes our dog, I foresee the name slightly changing to Tinky? or Tiny? Something with a y at the end, cause that's just what happens with me (to me Holmes is Holmesy) LOL, ok, ok, I am getting ahead of myself, I know. But in all seriousness, we are going to fill out the adoption papers tonight, and hopefully they deem us as suitable parents for Tink.....Here she is!

Tom Ka Gai (Coconut Chicken Soup)

2011-09-22T10:55:00.004-04:00

This is my favorite soup to order when we go out for Thai food - so simple and oh so good! Seriously, it is the easiest soup to make and you can bump up the spicy volume as much as you want. I added corn to this soup, only because I wanted some type of vegetable in there and corn was the only thing I had at the time. If I had more of a selection, I might have added peas or even zucchini. Though, the classic soup recipe does not have vegetables, but you know me in the kitchen......

Ingredients:

1 lb Chicken breast, boneless/skinless

2 cans Coconut Milk

2 cups Water

1 tbsp Ginger, minced

1 tbsp Garlic, minced

3 tbsp Fish Sauce

1/2 cup Frozen Corn (optional)

Juice of 1-2 Lime

1/2 tsp Cayenne

1/2 tsp Turmeric

1 tbsp Chili Paste

Vegetable Oil, Salt/Pepper

Scallions & Parsley for garnish (it adds flavor when it hits the hot soup)

Directions:

1. Cut the chicken into thing strips or small chunks, season with salt/pepper. In a large pot, saute the chicken in the oil for 2-3 minutes, or until you no longer see any pink.

2. Add the coconut milk, water, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, corn & spices. Bring to a boil, and than reduce to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

3. Garnish the soup (in your bowl) with the scallions and parsley while it's still hot!

A Badass Army Ranger Update

2011-09-21T14:46:00.006-04:00

US Army Rangers = Tough MotherF*ckers

Mike (still in Afghanistan) was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Medal. He is such a great soldier and absolutely deserves this. He is the Sergeant (leader) to a group of Army Rangers (think equivalent of a Navy Seal) stationed in Afghanistan. He was recently shot in battle, but has made a full recovery. I just hope he can get home as quickly as possible, we miss him alot!!

I'll show you how it's done

2011-09-20T09:32:00.001-04:00

You know what, I am going to make my own cheesesteak, the way I believe it should be properly made......coming soon, coming soon. It will be the NY Cheesesteak and it will be fantastic!

Judging of the Best Philly Cheesesteak

2011-09-19T11:46:00.007-04:00

We tried the 2 most famous places I found to get a cheesesteak from in Philly, and I am sure there is a place, not known to many that is probably fantastic, but I don't know Philly well, so we judged the cheesesteaks from the following 2 places:

1st location: Pat's King of Steaks, corner of 9th at Wharton & Passyunk Avenue

2nd location: Geno's Steaks, directly across the street from Pat's

If I had to choose 1 winner, it would have to be Geno's, though that is not saying much. And props to Geno's for all their support to the men in blue, I did like that added effect to the decor. But honestly, I am a bit confused, is it known to everyone that these 2 famous places use SteakUm's as their meat of choice? I mean, they were both kinda crappy, and didn't taste very good. Seriously, are you guys using SteakUm's or what? I ordered both the cheesesteaks exactly the same, with cheese whiz & caramelized onions ("one-whiz-with"). Frankly, I hate cheese wiz, but every site I saw said this was the most traditional way to order a cheesesteak, when in rome I guess. For 2 places that are supposed to be the most famous in all of Philly, I am deeply disappointed. I would've rather not eaten and just gone home on an empty stomach than eat at either place again. Oh wait, I get it! The people who said these were the best in town were probably drunkly drunk and just returning home from an Eagle's game, stumbled upon this block and was in heaven. I would imagine any food item would've been good at that point. Yes, that's got to be it!

Sorry Philly, these sucked. And like I said before, I am sure they are better places in town, claiming to be the best, but this is what we found and this is my opinion on it!

Dim Sum Brunch at SamPan

2011-09-19T11:37:00.008-04:00

Lunch at SamPan

124 South 13th Street, http://www.sampanphilly.com/

Tuna Rice Cracker - chili, avocado, cilantro

Lobster Gazpacho - tomato, cucumer, mint oil

Kobe Beef Satay - teriyaki, apricot, mustard

A Weekend in Philly

2011-09-19T11:06:00.007-04:00

We got back last night from a fun weekend in Philly, where we celebrated my birthday and watched my mom run the Philly half-marathon on Sunday. The weekend was filled with great weather, great food and good times. Did I mention great food, of course I did silly. Saturday we ate lunch at an awesome Mexican restaurant called El Vez, 121 South 13th Street, www.elvezrestaurant.com (didn't get any pics though, was too busy eating and drinking margaritas, duh!). Saturday night we ate at Jose Garces Trading Company, 1111 Locust Street, http://www.garcestradingcompany.com/, and it was fab-u-lous. Every single item of food we ordered was fantastic, I could've stayed all night and ate and ate and ate.....

Sunday morning we found a small place downtown called SamPam and grabbed some lunch, actually we ate off the Dim Sum Brunch menu. The food was pretty good, but the plates were tiny and they came out at very random times, there was no real flow to the service, but still it was really good overall (next post).

And finally, we finished with our quest for the best Philly Cheesesteak, but more about that in a bit.

Dinner at Jose Garces Trading Company
Tuscan Fusilli Alla Carbonara - guanciale, eggs, black pepper, pecorino
Goat Bolognese - gramigna, horseradish fonduta, shaved pantaleo
Made-to-order Mozzarella - it was served warm, made within 5 minutes of us eating it - yummmm

Pain-In-The-Ass Salads

2011-09-16T15:38:00.004-04:00

There is nothing more that I dislike (food-wise) than a salad or sandwich that is a pain to consume. Case in point, see this salad below......it's like it was made just to look pretty, but you know how much of a pain something like this is to eat. I can't stand it when a chef or who ever the hell is making my meal, plates it in a way so that it looks nice as it passes all the other customers on it's way to me, but they don't take the second to think about the person actually eating it. From my stand-point, I don't give a crap that you know how to make straight lines with food, can't you just serve it to me already mixed? So, now I have all the ingredients perfectly lined up, right up to the tippy top of the bowl, yeh, this will be easy to mix up, thanks for making sure I have 10 more minutes until I can eat. Half this salad is going to end up on the table now. If and when I open my own restaurant, I promise I will never serve something like this, ever. Damn salad maker, with your oh-so-perfect salads, what a pain in the ass.

Oh and don't even start with the "well, there are alot of hungry people in the world who would love to eat this no matter what". Well, those people ain't me and this is my blog and I can say what I want.

Pesto Chicken, Spicy Cream Corn & Cucumber Salad

2011-09-16T11:22:00.003-04:00

Can you tell I needed to get rid of things in my fridge? What a random collection we've got here. The only item I bought yesterday was the fresh corn, other than that, I went shopping in my kitchen (which I always give myself a high-five for). Believe it or not, my favorite thing on the plate was the cucumber salad, so much so, I made some more and brought it for lunch today! Yeh, creamed corn and pesto chicken, you were good too, but stop trying to steal cukies spotlight, jees!

Pesto Chicken - boneless, skinless chicken breast, baked at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Homemade pesto slathered on top during the last 10 minutes of baking.

Spicy Cream Corn - fresh corn cut off the cob, sauteed with shallots, garlic and red chilies from our plant. Add a touch of light cream in the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Cucumber Salad - 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced, olives, blue cheese crumbles, and red wine vinaigrette.

My Favorite Things.....

2011-09-15T17:00:00.005-04:00

I know I haven't done one of these in a while, so here we go. I know, I know you look forward to these every week, how dare I forget! ahhh kells!

This is for sure one of my most favorite things to do when I get the chance......Sit down with friends (who find humor in the same things as I), put on a once-awesome-to-some-movie and just make fun of relentlessly. Seriously, I looooove doing this.

Perfect example: Roadhouse - Awesome movie indeed, even better when you get to laugh at all the silliness it offers!! I mean Swayze plays a tough bouncer who is known all over (first silliness) and comes to tame a well-known rowdy bar (haha). When he walks in the bar, people whisper in the back ("look that's Deuce!" haha again, it's too much). Every scene in this movie is better than the last. If your down for a good laugh, go rent it, I bet it's still available in VHS!

Tilapia over Spinach

2011-09-15T10:24:00.003-04:00

Yup another great meal! Damn, it ain't easy being this good! Haha, no I'm not that vain. Actually many of my dishes didn't always turn out so good. And I do sometimes add too much salt or too much lemon juice, but hey, it's a learning process, and you learn from your mistakes, right? Boy, do I love learning though! This meal was actually quite simple, the whole dish took about 15 minutes, start to finish. The key is to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go.

I have also included a picture of the Naan bread we ate last night in it's full form. This is actually my bread of choice, as you can see from alot of my previous posts. It's super flat and gets nice and crispy when toasted. Simply drizzle olive oil when done, add salt & pepper, that's it!

Ingredients:

1 lb (?) Tilapia (I used 2 fillets)

1 Shallot, thinly sliced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Tomato, diced

2 tbsp Capers

2 tbsp Clam Juice (don't have it? don't use it)

1 tbsp fresh Rosemary, chopped

1 lb fresh Spinach

1/4 cup Light Cream

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

*Cook the ingredients in the order above*

1. Saute the Tilapia, about 3 minutes on each side, remove from pan, set aside.

2. Same pan, saute the shallots, garlic and tomato for about 5 minutes. Add the capers, rosemary and clam juice. Than add the spinach, cook until wilted, about 5 more minutes. Add the cream to bring everything together.

The Dog Days of Summer

2011-09-14T12:13:00.007-04:00

Since summer is coming to an end, I wanted to share some pics of 2 doggies in my life and the fun I captured. Here we have Holmes (my love bug) and one of my parents chihuahua's Nugget (or Martini as I call her). I watched the 2 chihuahua's not too long ago and got these great pics. Yes, all three 3 doggies lived in harmony, kinda for 2 weeks. Keep in mind, Holmes is about 170 lbs and Nugget is barely 5lbs, and yes Holmes has is own couch in my house, you try and tell him no!

Mwwuaaaah.

Summer-time BBQ

2011-09-14T12:00:00.005-04:00

Another casual BBQ with great food. The only picture I didn't get was of the Grilled Chicken (marinated in lemon juice & fresh rosemary). In addition to the chicken, we had Bread and good Olive Oil (I could live off this), a Salad (with corn, goat cheese, and hearts of palm) & Grilled Tomato and Mozzarella Salad (I know it looks messy in the pic, but only because I grilled the tomatoes, and they kinda fell apart, it was yum yum yum though!).

Notice how the pictures look much more professional than my usual ones? Well, it's all thanks to my bro Nick, and his awesome camera :)

Tapas Night

2011-09-12T13:14:00.007-04:00

Friday night was Tapas night and I looooved it! All of these little dishes went really well with the red wine I was drinking, funny how that always seems to work out for me!

Marinated Olive & Cucumber Skewers

Caprese Cups topped with Pesto (tomato, mozz, pancetta, mini phyllo cups)

Buffalo Chicken Tostadas (avocado, buffalo chix, crumbled blue cheese, corn tortillas)

Never Forget

2011-09-12T12:52:00.003-04:00

I wanted to post about 9/11 to pay my respects. I know we all have our "where were you when you heard about the planes crashing into the world trade center" stories, so I don't need to give mine, but what I will remember most is the smell in the air that lingered that day.... that I will never forget.
Thank You to all men & women that serve and protect our nation. And Thank You to our veterans.

God Bless America

And a message to those (and all) terrorists - go f*ck yourself

Summer Broccoli Soup

2011-09-09T17:18:00.005-04:00

I call this Summer Broccoli Soup because you can eat it and still fit into your tini bikini or whatever else you might wear. There is no cream in this recipe, just fresh vegetables and water! It's the way I cooked these ingredients that makes the difference. So go ahead, eat this soup, than strut your sexy ass up and down the block.

1. Cook 2 heads of broccoli in boiling, salted water for about 5-7 minutes. Strain the broccoli and reserve the cooking liquid (which is now broccoli stock). Set aside.

2. Saute garlic, onions & celery in a large pan until tender, season with salt & pepper. Add the cooked broccoli to the pan, cook for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli stock.

3. Once the soup comes to a boil, begin to puree the soup in batches, until completely smooth.

*The only cream I added was a touch of sour cream at the end to bring the flavors all together. I served this soup with toasted naan bread, red chili flakes and a drizzle of olive oil.

Grilled Pork Chops with Tomatoes & Honey Roasted Apples

2011-09-09T17:12:00.003-04:00

I picked up some pork chops at my local farmers market, and marinated them in a dry rub for 48 hours. I grilled them on high heat for 5 minutes on each side to sear in the flavor, than into the oven to finish cooking. I had the oven at 400 degrees to cook my tomatoes & apples. The tomatoes were simple dressed with olive oil, salt & pepper. The apples were dressed with the same, but with the addition of honey. Yummy and Simple

I know, the picture is not the best, but I ain't no photographer.......