Happy Holiday Weekend everyone!
Lets celebrate this Memorial Day weekend by grilling out in our backyards with our friends and Family. And instead of making an All-American apple pie for dessert, why not try your hand at building a tiered patriotic candy cake instead. Here is a little inspiration for you courtesy of Pamcakes.
Only 6 weeks ago I planted 3 lovely Heirloom tomato plants in my garden and yesterday I was able to pick my very first one! This gardening project has taken on a whole life of it’s own. I never would have thought of myself as having a green thumb- red nails maybe, but no green thumbs. I had killed just about every houseplant I have ever owned. After living in the new neighborhood for just over a year now, and spending way too much money at the Whole Foods around the corner I thought- why not invest in a little edible organic garden of my own. Now fast forward 3 months- with a little internet research, and some advice from the local gardening stores my vegetable garden has been flourishing!
I bought my three heirloom tomato plants in early April from North Haven Gardens. They had just about every variety you could dream of! (If you want to plant tomatoes to harvest by the fall, you’ll want to get them in the ground in July. Keep up with their facebook page to get updates on when they will arrive and what varieties they will be carrying- they sell out quickly!) I can’t believe how quickly my plants skyrocketed to envelop the cages around them. All three plants are nearly as tall as me now! My Green Zebra tomato plant has 11 little tomatoes growing on it right now! The Black Krim doesn’t have any tomatoes yet, but lots of promising yellow flowers.
The Cherokee Purple plant developed a big juicy tomato for me first. As soon as I saw that deep red beauty turning color, my mouth began to water. I’ve heard rumors about the cherokee purple’s sweet smokey flesh, and my first picked fruit did not disappoint. I immediately cut myself a slice of my prize and took one big bite. The tomato was still warm from the sun, and the juicy subtly sweet flavor filled my mouth.
This tastes like summer.
There is truly nothing better than enjoying the fruits of your labor- Literally! Once picked, I could think of nothing better to do than to make a simple Caprese Salad. That way I could enjoy the full ripe, unadulterated flavor of all my hard work. Sometimes I like to enjoy summer tomatoes with just a sprinkle of salt and eat them like an apple, but no salt was needed here for this heirloom. In fact, even a pinch might overpower the sweet tender flavor. Just one sliced tomato, some fresh mozzarella, a few leaves of basil (also from the garden of course), and a drizzle of olive oil is all you need.
Caprese Salad
1 Heirloom Tomato
Fresh Mozzarella (no exceptions here, must be fresh!)
Handful of basil leaves
1-2 tbs Olive oil
Slice your tomato and mozzarella in equal size slices. Layer them in a ring on your plate with basil leaves tucked in between each layer. Then drizzle with olive oil and enjoy.
Has anyone ever had good food on an airplane? Ugh. It pains me to think about the rubbery chicken breasts and soggy vegetables. blah.
Anyway, this hot potato is heading out of town for work & vacation over the next week. While I’m out, Angela will be posting away with her pretty pictures & delicious recipes.
Over the next 9 days I’ll be in Charlotte, Phoenix, Sedona and Las Vegas. This is what my eating agenda looks like thus far:
Phoenix – Noca
Sedona – L’Auberge Restaurant on Oak Creek & Yavapai Restaurant at Enchantment Resort
Las Vegas – RM Seafood Upstairs (I heart Rick Moonen from Top Chef Masters)
I’ll be sure to take some pictures of my eating adventures & write a detailed vacation recap when I return, but try not to miss me too much in the mean time.
And please let me know about any can’t miss restaurants or foodie stops I should add to my agenda. I’m open to any suggestions outside of airline food.
Last weekend I hosted a backyard barbecue party to kick off the summer with a few of my friends. The weather has been so beautiful in Dallas lately I just felt the need to celebrate. So we fired up the grill and put plenty of beer on ice to entertain our friends. Luckily we had a certified grill master on hand to man the grill (thanks Chris), and we set up a Mix Your Own Cocktail station to keep our friends busy mixing up their own creative summer cocktails.
I made a few pitchers of my infamous habanero margaritas, as well as some pineapple infused rum. Both are very easy to make – you just take the alcohol of your choice, then your fruit (or in my case, hot peppers) of choice and cut it up to fit in the container, and let it sit for at least one week. We juiced one watermelon and a few cucumbers to make juice for people to create their own watermelon and cucumber mint coolers. The fresh summer fruits made for the most refreshing cocktails I’ve enjoyed in quite some time.
Vodka Watermelon Chiller
1 part Watermelon Juice
1 part Vodka
1 part Club Soda
Handful of mint leaves
Salt, Pepper, Sugar (mixed to rim the glass)
First step is to wet the rim of your glass with a lime wedge and roll it in the salt, pepper, sugar mix to rim the glass. (I almost always forget to rim my glass and then I have to pour my drink in another cup and start all over- very annoying). Pour the drink ingredients into a mixer, shake well and pour into your rimed glass, garnish with fresh mint and lime wedge if you wish.
Cucumber Mint Cooler
1 part Cucumber juice
1 part Vodka
1 part Sprite
1 Lime wedge
Dash of Simple Syrup
Handful of Mint Leaves
Put mint, simple syrup and ice into a glass, muddle a bit to crush the mint and release the oils. Then pour on the juice, vodka, and sprite in to your glass and stir well to mix. Garnish with a lime wedge squeezed on top.
This recipe is my favorite go-to pasta sauce. It’s so breathtakingly simple I bet it becomes a new staple in your home as well. These three ingredients merry together to make such a sweet hearty sumptuous pasta you’ll want to get down on your plate like a dog and lick it clean.
I read about this recipe on Smitten Kitchen earlier this year. After reading the rave reviews from Deb, and so many other food bloggers out there I had to see what the fuss was all about. I’ve made this sauce about twice a month every month since then!
Since this sauce is so simple to make, let me take a moment to to introduce you to my new favorite pasta brand as well- Maestri Pastai. I’ve stumbled upon these beautifully wrapped packages at Central market and Whole Foods a few times (usually found in the cheese sections displayed by the parmesean) I’ve tried a few of their different pasta shapes by now, and I don’t think I can ever go back to any other brand of dried pasta. Maestri Pastai uses the best quality durum wheat and exclusively uses bronze draw plates in order to ensure that the pasta will have its famous rough and porous surface which is perfect for grabbing on to sauces and locking in flavor. I’m hooked!
Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
1 28 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes (San Marzano, if you can find them)*
5 tbs butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste
Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste. I usually use salted butter so I end up not needing to add any more salt to finnish.
Keep the sauce warm while you prepare your pasta. Once pasta is cooked al dente, drain it and add it to your sauce pot to finish cooking. The Maestri Pastai will absorb all of that luscious tomato onion butter flavor and you’ll be ready to serve in about 5 minutes. For dinner last night I left in a few of the smaller onion pieces to eat with the pasta. Serve with Parmesan or not- but I’m telling you to get a bib, you’ll be face down licking it off your plate in to time. 
Angela’s super fun backyard barbecue inspired me to start grilling more. So yesterday after work I picked up my groceries and all the accouterments at Central Market, excited about the evening of grilling ahead of me.
And then the sky turned black.
And then it started pouring.
So my evening of grilling turned into an evening of pan-searing and roasting. Not quite the same experience, but the food was still delectable, and I didn’t have to wear bug spray or cut my pork chop with a plastic fork.
I’m obviously a huge fan of all things pig (bacon, pork belly, pork tenderloin, you get the point), but the pork chop isn’t something I cook as often. I find they can too easily be overcooked, and eating around the bone is kind of a pain. I’m not embarrassed to say that I usually just pick it up and eat it with my hands when it gets too difficult to cut around the bone. Only in five star restaurants, of course.
This recipe is solid for a weeknight meal. The pork chop was good, but the peach salsa was great, and I’m sure it will be even better when the peach season is in full force. I could have easily just paired the salsa with guacamole and eaten that with chips for my dinner.
Peach & Hatch Chile Salsa
3 ripe but firm peaches, unpeeled, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced (about 1/2 small onion)
2 tablespoons canned Hatch Chiles (from Central Market, although I’m sure they can be found elsewhere)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cumin Rubbed Pork Chops
2 TBS of ground cumin
1 tsp of ground coriander
4 porterhouse pork chops
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly coarse-ground black pepper
Make salsa
In medium bowl, toss together all ingredients. Transfer to serving dish and refrigerate.
Prepare chops
Rub chops with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and coat with cumin & coriander, pressing firmly to adhere.
If it rains, and you’re stuck inside:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Sear pork chops on high heat (about 2-3 minutes per side), and then roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Center of chop should be around 145 degrees. Serve with peach salsa.
If it doesn’t rain, and you can actually grill:
If using gas grill, open hood, light all burners, and set on high. Close hood and preheat 10 minutes.
When grill is preheated, sear chops on lightly oiled grill rack, turning over once, until well browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Turn off 1 burner (middle burner if there are 3) and put chops above shut-off burner. Reduce heat on remaining burner(s) to moderate and grill pork, covered with lid, until thermometer inserted diagonally into center of each chop (avoid bone) registers 145°F, about 12 minutes total. Transfer chops to platter and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 5 minutes (temperature will rise to 150°F). Serve with salsa.
Last night I devoured a Texas sized burger. I was at Fred’s Texas Cafe in Fort Worth. This cowboy dive bar is what I think most people associate with Texas- Big food, bigger flavor, and the hospitality is as generous as the portions.
My friends at the table who had been there before were quick to tell me I HAD to try the steak with the signature chipotle brown butter. Well, I didn’t have the appetite to down a huge rib-eye last night but I wasn’t going to be left out of the spicy buttery goodness- so I requested that they slather a heaping portion on top of my burger. (which also came highly recommended from the regulars). This Chipotle brown Butter was a thing of beauty! Fire, salty, smokey heat from the chipotles, all brought together by de-glazing in beer to create this hot buttery goodness.
It took me- 20 minutes, two hands, one Shiner, and about 15 napkins to tackle this Texas burger! I’m actually still kind of full this afternoon.
Below is a recipe for the famous steak and spicy butter courtesy of Food network. You can also catch a video of the cowboy chef preparing this dish on Fred’s website
Fred's Famous Rib-eye with Chipotle Brown Butter
Rib-eye Steak with Chipotle Brown Butter
Ingredients
Directions
Season both sides of the well trimmed rib-eye, as well as the edges with the pepper, salt and granulated garlic. If you have a good thick steak, it can handle a lot of seasoning. If you are using a thin steak, be easy on the salt. Put half of the butter in a very hot skillet, gently so you don’t splatter hot butter all over the place. Add the onions first. The more rare the steak you desire, the longer you should saute the onions before starting the meat itself, (3 to 4 minutes for rare, etc). Now, gently add the steak to the skillet and sear thoroughly on each side to your desired doneness. If you can’t tell how done the steak is by feel, use an instant-read thermometer:
Extra Rare-below: 125 degrees F
When the steak achieves the desired temperature, remove to a plate, leaving the onions in the pan. After you remove the steak from the heat source, it continues to cook, so I take my steaks off a little ahead of time. Add the rest of the butter after you have let the skillet come back up to temperature. Stir in the chipotles and deglaze the pan with the beer. Pour over the steak once the beer has reduced by half and serve.
A few weeks ago I strayed from my usual order of chicken tikka tandoori at Roti Grill, and I’m so glad I decided to mix things up. Sometimes I get nervous ordering something new when I already know that I love a particular dish. I find it often results in disappointment, followed by tears or tantrums.
Anyway, this is how I discovered chicken biryani, which is apparently the most popular Indian rice dish around the globe. I can’t believe it’s taken me almost 30 years to discover this dish.
Biryani is made from par boiled basmati rice, which is then assembled with the other spices & ingredients, sealed and put on a very low heat, so that all the flavors amalgamate well for at least 45 minutes.
So last night I decided to bravely conquer the at-home version of chicken biryani. I scoured the internet for a long time before stumbling upon a recipe that didn’t look too overwhelming and looked similar to the Roti Grill version. Let me warn you, this is not a simple weeknight dinner. It didn’t take me all night, but it took over an hour, and it was definitely active cooking outside of the last 20-30 minutes.
And the ingredient list may seem overwhelming, but I bought all the spices in the Central Market bulk spice section so they cost me less than $5.
Lastly, it’s worth the effort. It was even better than I expected, and definitely better than the Roti Grill version. I’ll be making this recipe for many years to come.
If you’re interested in making chicken biryani, definitely check out this recipe from norecipes.com. It’s the exact recipe I used, except I added chicken broth at the the end to keep the rice moist. Also, I only used one serrano chile, and I think the saffron is mandatory vs. optional.
And I purchased my raita at Central Market because I thought making biryani and raita on a Monday night was too ambitious in my tired state.
I’m not sure why I made back to back shrimp dinners last week, but when I got my hands on some marinated feta from Brazos Valley Cheese I knew I wanted to make this exact dish. The feta is marinated with organic, extra-virgin Spanish olive oil, homegrown fresh basil, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic cloves. I honestly could have just eaten it with a spoon. And I might have accidentally done that before I got a chance to take a picture of the jar. Oops.
It’s softer than your typical grocery store feta, but still has slightly salty, sharp flavor. It was a perfect accompaniment to this easy, weeknight pasta.
I love this dish. I wouldn’t normally think of pairing pasta and feta together, but it’s really a great match. It also makes for fabulous leftovers with some extra feta piled on top.
Orzo with Shrimp, Feta Cheese, and White Wine (Bon Apetit, April 2003)
8 ounces orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 garlic cloves, chopped
28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (I used Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes – AWESOME)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush 11×7-inch glass baking dish with oil. Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain well and return orzo to same pot. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 cup feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and 2 tablespoons basil; stir to blend. Arrange orzo mixture in prepared dish.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and sauté until slightly pink, about 2 minutes (shrimp will not be cooked through). Arrange shrimp atop orzo. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to same skillet. Add garlic and sauté over medium-high heat 30 seconds. Add tomatoes with juice; cook 1 minute. Stir in wine, oregano, crushed red pepper, and remaining 1/4 cup basil. Simmer uncovered until reduced to thick sauce consistency, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper; spoon over shrimp. Bake orzo until heated through, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup feta cheese and serve.
A few months ago my mom & sister took a trip to Charleston, and all they bought me was a bag of grits. Technically, a bag of cornmeal.
But I wasn’t too utterly disappointed as I believe grits are one of the most underrated foods out there. Especially when they’re served with shrimp. I’ve made shrimp & grits a couple of times, and this is by far the best recipe. My favorite food tester even had three helpings.
I found the recipe on Tiny Test Kitchen, but I definitely made some adaptations. It was one of the better base recipes I found, so I decided to start with it and make adjustments as I went along. Below is the final recipe, and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
“The Best” Shrimp and Grits (adapted from TinyTestKitchen.com)
2 cups whole milk
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to season
1/2 cup white stone ground cornmeal
1 1/2 cups aged cheddar, coarsely grated
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 strips of Applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 tbsp + 2tsp unsalted butter (1 tbsp = 3 tsp, you can divide butter into 1 tsp and 2 tsp and 2 tsp)
1/3 large red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, finely chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 lb large shrimp, shelled, deveined, tails on
1/3 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 glugs hot sauce
1 TBS of tomato paste
1 TBS creole seasoning
1/2 cup heavy cream
Add milk, chicken broth and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Sprinkle cornmeal over the boiling liquid, constantly whisking to prevent lumps. Continue to whisk for 4 minutes, until mixture thickens. Reduce heat to medium and continue to simmer for 20 minutes.
Set a 12″ saute pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tsp of the butter once the pan is hot. Add bacon and cook until browned and crispy but not burnt. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain.
You can either hand chop the peppers & onions or finely dice them in the food processor. I chose the latter as I don’t like my shrimp sauce to be chunky.
Add 2 tsp butter to the bacon fat and add onion and peppers. Saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Season shrimp with salt and pepper and add to the saute pan, trying to place them in between the vegetables. Cook for 2 minutes on each side, until pink and just cooked through.
Remove shrimp and set aside on a plate, cover with tin foil to keep warm. Add white wine to deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape all the caramelized bits from the bottom. Reduce wine. Add chicken stock, tomato paste, creole seasoning and hot sauce and reduce until sauce coats the back of the spoon. Whisk 2 tsp of butter and heavy cream in to sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Reduce grits to low heat and whisk in cheese and 2 tsp butter. Season with salt to taste.
Serve the shrimp on a bed of grits, cover with sauce. Garnish with bacon bits.
