Dish Gourmet Eatery

Steve's mom treated us to birthday lunch. They're only two days apart. I would've never noticed the eatery tucked in the back had she not pointed it out. It was a little place with only five tables. They had several more chairs at the open counter. The menu was quite surprising. The chef, supposedly a female graduate of a culinary school, created the menu. I'm usually not keen on tons of strange ingredients making up a meal; I'm more of a down home girl. Anyway, her creations, combinations, sounded very interesting. There's was one ingredient in particular that appealed to me. Clementine oil. I've never heard of it, nor have I had it. The closest thing I can think of is orange flower water. *shrug*

Here's what I ordered. To start, I had a spinach-asparagus-lemon soup. It was bright green. Like an algae green. It was pureed smooth like a split pea but it had little bits of what I concluded were the shreds that came off of a stalk of asparagus. The bottom part. The woodsy part you are supposed to discard. Later it occurred to me that it may have been lemon grass. I will never know. Steve's mom had them strain the soup at my suggestion. The woman has no qualms about using the staff fully. I sorta with I could be more like that. I suppose, at times, I am. Regarding the soup. Needless to say that it wasn't the best soup I've had. It would've been okay had the asparagus shreds thing not happened. Still though, I must admit. I didn't love the flavor of the lemon in it. I think they used some sort of lemon oil which sat atop the soup. I expected a little hint of sour from the lemon but didn't get any of that at all. What I got was a very fresh, lemon zest ee kinda taste. Yeah, I was neither expecting it nor did I love the combo. Also, it needed quite a bit of salt. The soup sorta tasted 'green' like its color.

For the main entree, I had the hanger steak. I was a little surprised and disappointed by the cut of meat. They look like sirloin steak tips to me. It was one fat, 4-5" piece served with oven-fried potato wedges with the skin on. They used little potatoes. And a pretty good salad of mixed baby greens, a vinaigrette, half grape tomatoes and capers. It may have just been a lemon and oil dressing without vinegar.

The hanger steak. I did a little research on the hanger steak and they looked like steak tips to me although I couldn't find anything that said for certain that they are one and the same. So what seemed like steak tips, well, I eat them. I like them. But I don't love them. And it occurred to me that what I was expecting was a beautiful and flavorful flat-iron steak. I wish they offered that instead. The potatoes were beautiful. I didn't even use ketchup. (By the way, this place is sorta retarded in that they don't just bring out a bottle of ketchup. They give you a small, measured amount in a ramekin. That's how they served it to Steve for his cheeseburger.) The salad was light in flavor but a little heavy on the oil. It wasn't a "heavy" oil like extra virgin olive oil tho.

So, I didn't love this experience but I'm glad that I had it. I'm still up for going back and trying some more items on the menu. Oh for dessert, Steve and I both had a chocolate dream cup cake. The frosting was piled high. Steve's mom suggested that it may be chocolate mousse, but when I asked the waitress, she said she thought it was butter cream. Either way, it was delicious next to the dark chocolate cake part. My conclusion. I must learn to try new and very different things because it ups my chances to Eat Something Good!

Dish Gourmet Eatery
947 S Lake Blvd
Mahopac, NY 10541

Read more...

Zuppa Restaurant & Lounge

Last night, Steve and I went to a family gathering. It wine mine and my brother's wife's family. We all had a great time. I was so happy to be there. It's one of the best family gatherings I've ever been to. Anyway, Zuppa is the restaurant we met at last year. It's located in Yonkers, NY. Not too far from where my parents live along the Hudson River. I reviewed this place once before and I commented that the food was good but they gave you mouse portions. All that still applies.

I started out with a beet salad. It was delicious. And very pretty to look at. I took a pic of it with my new digital camera that my brother and sister-in-law generously got for me for my birthday. It was specifically intended to enhance my blogs with pics. To continue with the food. The bottom layer consisted of thinly sliced, beautifully colored beets. They were perfectly cooked and a little sweet but not too much. On top of that, there were a small ball of mixed greens with a few crumbles of goat cheese. It was dressed in a light vinaigrette. I think I tasted a hint, just a hint of sesame oil. Leaning up on one side, there were thinly slice apples that'd been slightly grilled. The combination of all these flavors were tremendous. I thoroughly enjoyed my little salad.

For the main course, I had Costola. Beef short ribs, Kobe beef short ribs, that'd been braised. It was boneless. It was served on a thin layer of of a delicious creamy polenta. It didn't have a strong taste. They called it polenta bianca. I suppose that means they used white coarse corn meal. Anyway, I'd wished that they'd spoon on a few more tablespoons cause I was really enjoying it. It complemented the amazingly tender and flavorful short ribs. The top of the short ribs were slightly dry as if it'd been browned. It was delicious. The menu also stated that there was eggplant 'argo dolce' in it. I suppose dolce meaning sweet (which I missed on the menu) were pleasant. I actually thought they were vidalia onions. I found that they were a little too sweet and would have actually preferred a little caramelized onion instead.

For dessert I wanted to get the the chocolate "fuso" molten chocolate cake with vanilla gelato. I've only had it at chain restaurants like Chili's and believe you me, I have no complaints whatsoever about that. Anyway, Oh wait. I had a glass of red wine that I allowed the waiter to pick out for me. It was very nice. It had a nice clean taste. No tannins and had just the slightest touch of sweetness. I shouldn't really say that because it wasn't sweet like a German Riesling is. It just didn't have that earthy taste that I don't enjoy in wines.

All in all, I hope all of you had a wonderful christmas and got a chance to Eat Something Good!

Zuppa Restaurant & Lounge
59 Main St
Yonkers, NY 10701

Read more...

Basic Mac n' Cheese

Every Thanksgiving I make some form of macaroni & cheese. I'm never satisfied with how it turns out so I'm on the eternal search for a good recipe that doesn't necessarily use tons of different cheeses. That'll rack up the cost for sure. So I felt inspired. I felt inspired by asiago cheese. I like it lots but it's a little strong. I only used like 1/2 cup. The other two cheeses: extra sharp cheddar and monterey jack. I used regular elbow macaroni for this one trying to keep with the basic theme. I made a roux (butter & flour mixture) and added a quart of whole milk. Once it thickened a bit, I added the three cheeses that I had Steve grate. Yey! Then I poured the cheese sauce over the macaroni already in the baking dish. On top, I sprinkled more of the cheese mixture. Oh, I forgot. I grated some nutmeg into the cheese sauce and I did season, however, I should've gone stronger.

The verdict. Mmmm. Last night I thought to myself. Wow, I found a basic mac. And I was all happy. Steve loved it. I wanted to give a piece to his mom but he frowned and I quickly figured out why. He loved it so much that he wanted to save it all for himself. *giggle* The macaroni was cooked very well. Perhaps a tad overdone, I don't know. The top was nicely browned in places. And it needed a little salt. Once you hit it with salt, the dish opened up quite a bit and it was nice. Yey! Macaroni & cheese!

Read more...

Polenta Casserole w/Fontina & Tomato Sauce

I've been interested in polenta lately. I found out that grits were basically the same thing. Coarse corn meal. I love corn but I always associate it with central american food. So the first time I had it, I didn't love it. I don't remember exactly how it was served, but it was a nice piece that set up well. Some polentas can be mushy. Or maybe they don't cook it right. I'm not sure. I know that sometimes they are grilled once they've set up. And the grocery stores sell like a tube of it pre-made. I had to go to our rival grocery store (that has more variety but is also more expensive) to buy it. It carried the same brand that health food stores carry. Red Mills. So I came across this recipe and I decided to give it a shot.

For the tomato sauce, I sauteed carrots, celery, onions (all small diced) and minced garlic (I used frozen garlic cubes) in olive oil. Then you add a can of whole tomatoes and break it up as much as you can. Add chopped parsley (I used curly instead of italian (flat-leaf)) and dried oregano. Bring to simmer and reduce a good amount. At the end, add basil (I used a chiffonade(long, thin strips)) and season.

For the polenta, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta and let it cook until it thickens. Stir a lot especially towards the end when it gets thicker.

In a greased (I used generic olive oil spray) baking dish, layer the sauce, polenta and fontina cheese cheese. Make three layers. I goofed on this step and made two layers instead of three. Oh well. Then ya let it sit at room temperature for about two hours. Finally, you throw it in the oven and let it sit afterwards before serving.

The verdict. As soon as I unpeeled the fontina cheese wrapper, I was upset with myself. I knew I disliked one italian cheese a great deal, but I forgot which one. I absolutely hate the smell of fontina cheese. It disgusts me a great deal. The taste, however, wasn't so bad. It had a little gooey'ness to it. That was the nice part. And so, once you get passed the smell, it's okay. Steve loved it. He loves grits so he was happy with this meal. I was wary of the tomato sauce. It contained that dried oregano & basil combo that I don't love. But I proceeded to prep. I thought maybe because I was using fresh basil that it'd be different or at least not as bad. And even though I could taste the herb combination in the dish, I wasn't displeased by it. With the other ingredients, it was acceptable.

Oh, the casserole didn't set up properly most likely because I goofed on the layering part. It actually called for a different sized baking dish that we didn't have. Anyway, the top part set up nicely, but the bottom was wet. Still, it tasted pretty good. I only had one piece; Steve had two. I was prepared to throw the leftovers out because I couldn't handle the smell. But Steve protested and wants to take some for lunch today. I feel bad for his office mates that have to smell the fontina cheese. All in all, this dish was good. Even though I didn't have a second piece, I really enjoyed the piece I had. I don't think I want to make this dish again. I may, however, make a similar casserole with ingredients I like. I just haven't figured out what those are. By the way, does the word 'casserole' imply that it's baked. In other words, would it be incorrect to say baked casserole?

Read more...

Manwich Sloppy Joes

We had a total trash night. I was so looking forward to it. All day even. Sloppy, sloppy joes. All you do is brown some ground beef and then add the Manwich sauce from the can and heat through. It's sooo easy. I added a little salt & pepper to it as well. You know what it was? Those darned commercials. And we hadn't had sloppy joes in several years. The last few times we did, we used hamburger buns. The soft, squishy ones. When I was growing up, this place sold sloppy joes on hard rolls or kaiser rolls. I really liked them and so whenever I thought of sloppy joes, I thought of them on hard rolls. Steve resisted the idea a great deal. But in the end, he gave in and I made him a nice sandwich with wavy lay's potato chips.

The easy to determine verdict. Yum! It tasted as I remembered it to be. I love sloppy joes and Manwich's original sauce is the best. Actually, I haven't tried the other varieties like barbecue. That one sounds sorta interesting to me. Hmmm...I don't even know if they have competitors in this field. Steve liked it on the hard roll, but he still prefers hamburger buns. I don't mind them on hamburger buns but you can't get as much meat on a sandwich and I think it's messier. The hard roll tends to soak up a little of the sauce making the sandwich more manageable. And pile the meat in the center'ish and don't go to the edges completely. Then you'll be happy and Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Pork Chops with Dijon Sauce

Yes, pork made an appearance at the dinner table last night. I haven't even gone near pork since the last incident. But Steve actually wanted them and they were on sale so I said, 'what the heck'. And I remembered the first time I cooked the pork chops. Steve made me paranoid about not cooking it enough and therefore, I overcooked the hell out of it. They weren't too good but the sauce, I remembered that the sauce was very nice. I added dried tarragon to it then and I should've done the same this time but I forgot. Oh well. There's always next time and there will be a next time.

Last time I made this dish, I used thick pork chops as the recipe calls for. 1 1/4" thick chips. This time I used thinner chops. Less than 1/2" thick. First I seasoned the chops with sugar, salt & pepper. Then I sauteed them to almost doneness in butter and olive oil. Set aside. Then for the sauce, you add onions (they called for green onions or shallots - I had neither so I used yellow onions.) Sautee. Then the liquids. White wine, chicken stock - reduce - then add heavy cream and season. At this point, the sauce should taste pretty decent. I put the pork chops back into the pan and let it simmer lightly in the sauce. Towards the end of cooking and right before serving, you swirl in fresh chopped parsley and dijon mustard. I served it with Uncle Bens rice that I'd made by sauteeing onions and celery. Added the rice and used 1/2 water and 1/2 chicken stock. I didn't serve any veggies. I was hoping that the onions and celery in the rice would suffice but I knew all too well that it would not.

The verdict. I have to pat myself on the back for not overcooking the pork chops. I mean, they were well done but not dry or hard. Well, they were a little hard. I would've liked a more tender chop, but Steve actually ate it so I know it wasn't that bad. Usually, he sets aside the severely overdone chops and I feel defeated. Pork has kicked my ass. But, but, but...I will have my day. (Oh, by the way, I'm fine with pork loins. They're easy.) The sauce didn't turn out as nicely as I wanted it. It was a little thin and I really missed the dried tarragon. But it was good. Don't get me wrong. Steve loved it so much that he had a second helping of yummy rice with more sauce on top. He also crumbled some feta cheese (the good kind made from sheep's milk) on top. There was hardly any sauce left in the pan afterwards. When I went back into the kitchen later, Steve said 'Look at the pan'. And I was all, but...and I thought it must've been Sid being naughty. Not so. It was Steve and he almost let Sid take the fall for it. He liked that sauce so much that he took a piece of bread and swirled it around the pan, soaking up the remaining sauce. Yes, I will do this dish again. Hey you. Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Salinger's Farm Market & Bakery

We went to Salinger's Orchards in Brewster, NY yesterday. That's where we got our Thanksgiving pies from. We got a sweets craving and we happen to be in the area. To get there, you have to go through this quiet little neighborhood that presents on a small, windy road. You follow that little road for a few minutes til you see the farm market building. It really feels like you're in the country. The store features mostly baked goods, confections, fresh cider, jams, jellies etc...It's not a big store but not too small either. I think it's a mom & pop operation and that makes Steve happy. (Me, too.)

We each had a cider doughnut. They're on the small side. A good size and well-browned on the outside. His was sugared; mine plain. Next we split this apple-filled stick. It's like a puff pastry with just a little bit of apple filling - like a sauce with a bit of apple pieces - and well cooked. They're about six inches long and over an inch wide. It had little slits spanning its whole length. Next. We split an apple turnover that was more of the same but in that familiar puffy triangular shape and this oatmeal bar with coconut frosting. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, we grabbed a brownie on the way out cause it was near the cash register. We're so bad.

The donuts were okay. Steve really loves them. He says they're best when they're fresh & hot. The apple stick. Oh my god. They were very light but not too airy. It gave you something to bite into and chew a little. They were soooo good. So much so that later in the day, Steve mentioned that I'd eaten more than my half of it. *giggle* Ooopsie. I seldom do that. I usually give him just a bit more than me because as he says, he's bigger. *giggle* For the apple turnover, I ate more than my share on that one too :) Later we split an oatmeal bar with coconut frosting. It was cakey with a slight crunch, very slight and light, to the frosting part. It was pretty good. The brownie was a pretty color and had a nice texture to look at. It was cake-like and not very chewy. I like my brownies a little denser, well cooked, and with a rich, decadent dark chocolate flavor. Hmmm...Am I forgetting something? Oh yeah, Eat Something Good!

Salingers Orchard Inc
230 Guinea Road
Brewster, NY 10509

Read more...

Wendy's Double Stack

I kept seeing those commercials for Wendy's double stack. I wanted to try one right away but for some reason I never got around to it. Well, as we were running errands the other day, we happen to pass one by. Neither of us had had breakfast so we were starving. I suggested we try the double stacks and went through the drive-thru. We each had one double stack, large fries and diet coke to share. The double stack was two square beef patties with american cheese, raw onion, ketchup and pickle chips. It was nice and hot and juicy. I liked the topping combination. Usually when I have burgers at home I just use a little sliced onion with ketchup. I never put pickles on it. I don't know why. It's most likely because I don't want to deal with pickles and having the smell of it on your fingers. Anyhow, if you're starved and eating on a budget and are not vegetarian or at all health conscious, then I recommend the double stack. Yeah, Eat Something Good!

Wendy's
1894 Route 6
Carmel, NY

Read more...

Thanksgiving Menu

I feel for those who are still full from yesterday. I overdid it a little bit last night. It was necessary. I had to sample a little of everything. And I reached my objective. Everything was had. Here's the menu: For snacks and things, I put out tortilla chips with salsa and southwestern dip. (All were Tostitos brand.) Then there was a plate of brie, sharp cheddar, stoned wheat thin crackers and Carr's tablewater crackers. Two types of olives. Sicilain - big green ones. And kalamata. Later we had some deviled eggs that Steve's mom makes every holiday.

The dinner: Turkey (duh), stuffing, mashed potatoes, potatoes au gratin, smoked ham & cheese bake, peas, corn, gravy, canned (Ocean Spray) cranberry jelly. The dessert: Apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, vanilla ice cream (Breyer's), cool whip and reddi whip. Oh, we also had Pfeffernuss (Bahlsen) and maple sugar candies.

I must've made food for like a dozen people but there was only the was only five of us and Sid & Grey cat. I don't want to make this blog super long but the only way I can report my foodings is to tell you everything. So here goes...

The Turkey: Butterball. I made a compound (herbed) butter for it. I took fresh sage, fresh thyme & fresh rosemary and chopped them finely. Then I took the softened butter and added the herbs. I squish it around til it got all incorporated. Then I put Steve to work and had him slide his hand under the skin and form like a giant pocket extending all over the body of the bird. Then I had him rub the herbed butter all over the breast of the bird by going under the skin. You use a good amount of butter. I used two sticks. The remaining butter was spread all over the outside of the bird. We spread whole carrots, celery stalks and halved onions to the bottom of the roasting pan before we placed the bird in. It acts as a little roasting rack, and when you make gravy from the juices and dripping you get all the flavor of the vegetables and herbs. Oh, we shoved some herbs and two lemons into the cavity of the bird.

Turkey Outcome: Steve worried that we overcooked the bird and that it would be dry. That wasn't the case. The pieces were moist and tender. It didn't have a strong herb ee flavor though one of out guests commented that she tasted them.

Stuffing: Nobody wanted 'fancy' stuffing. No sausage, no cranberries or currants. No chestnuts. None of the above. So we embellished Stove Top (yes, stove top) stuffing with carrots, celery & onions (aka mirepoix.) I wanted to use chicken stock instead of water but Steve worried so we didn't.

Stuffing Outcome: The texture was pretty good. There were softer parts (but not mushy) and a little bit of crunch to other bites. It was light. I'm not sure what role carrots, celery & onions played in this but I couldn't taste it too much. I gotta tell ya. I don't love stuffing. Oh, I added some fresh sage to it. Finely chopped. And until last night, I liked Stove Top. I've only had it like twice in my life. But last night - I was in critique mode - and I decided that I didn't like that fake chicken/turkey flavor. It was too reminiscent of a bad chicken bouillon cube. I use Knorr's occasionally when I'm out of chicken stock. Lately I've been using Progress stock in the blue box. I love it. No can to open. Easy storage. Yey!

Mashed Potatoes: I used russet potatoes. I had Steve peel and rough chop a 5 lb bag. I cooked it up with sour cream and plenty of butter, s & p. I used my Xyliss masher and mashed the hell out of it. Then Steve mashed the hell out of it.

Mashed Potatoes Outcome: Originally, I was going to pass on the mashed potatoes because we had potatoes au gratin. However, one of my guests requested it so we made it. Unfortunately, it sat in the hot water too long before we drained them and they became slightly waterlogged. I placed it over the heat to dry to remove as much liquid as possible, but it didn't do that trick. That sucked because I'm usually a very good mashed potato maker. I used to make it all the time when we went through our phase of eating meat loaf a lot. So, if I get around to it, I'm going to find a good recipe for Shepherd's Pie using the leftover mashed potatoes.

Potatoes Au Gratin: It was a very highly rated Emeril Lagasse recipe. I took 1/2" red new potato rounds and boiled them up. While that was going on, I prepared the sauce. You cook up flour and butter (roux) and then add milk. Heat til desired thickness. I went on the just sightly thick side because I made it the night before and I didn't want it to dry out. On the day of, I hit the top with a little salt, cheddar cheese then monterey jack cheese on top.
Potatoes Au Gratin Commentary: This was my favorite dish of the night. It was very, very good. Yummy. I can't wait to heat up the leftovers. It was easy, very easy to make. Wow. The little edges of the dish browned up here and there and those bits were Delicious. I'm definitely making this dish again.

Smoked Ham & Cheese Bake: That's the name I gave it. It's actually Emeril's kicked up mac and cheese. I altered the recipe slightly by omitting the 'essence'...the bam! I was unfamiliar with its flavor and wanted to try it out on baked chicken breasts first. This dish's cream sauce was made basically the same way as for the potatoes au gratin mentioned above. To it, you add shredded sharp cheddar cheese, smoked ham, peas and I added a hint of freshly grated nutmeg. We used cavatappi (long corkscrew) instead of elbows. I changed the name because I didn't want people to think they were about to eat a real traditional mac and cheese. Then here's the weird part. He had you mix your breadcrumbs and shredder sharp cheddar before sprinkling it on top.
Smoked Ham & Cheese Bake Commentary: Sigh. As much as I loved Emeri'l potatoes au gratin, I didn't love his mac n cheese. It wasn't bad. Steve actually loved the taste and another guest commented that it was better than last year's. Here's the part I didn't like. Remember the cheese-bread crumb mix on top? Well instead of the cheese melting nicely, it crisped up like the breadcrumbs, with the breadcrumbs. I thought I ruined it. But as I see it, perhaps it was meant to be that way. The recipe made plenty of sauce that thickly covered the pasta. It was good that there was a lot so it didn't dry out, but I didn't love the texture. I guess you can call it texture. I wanted a smoother, creamier, & cheesier sauce. This recipe resulted in a light'ish, somewhat pasty'sih sauce that didn't taste stongly of cheese. It almost tasted like fake cheese. So, I won't be making this one again. I am still on the hunt for a good recipe.

Peas & Corn: Bird's Eye. Nuked separately with butter, s & p.
Peas & Corn Outcome: I thought I overnuked the peas and got worried because Steve loves peas and I didn't wanna ruin his eating experience. But he said I didn't. That they were good. And there were no complaints about the corn. Good.
Cranberry Jelly & Outcome: More recently, I've started to enjoy cranberry jelly with my turkey. Previously, I didn't touch the stuff. I used to have an aversion to savory-sweet foods. Like I hated sweet & sour chicken. Anyway, speaking of sour. Next year I want to try and find a fancier cranberry jelly. One with a little more tartness. Not too tart though and definitely sweet. Unfortunately, the guests who like cranberry jelly like their canned version.

The Pies: We bought them from Salinger's Orchards. It's also a farm market and bakery. Every holiday season they get the crunch. People have to call in orders ahead of time for Thanksgiving. This year we shelled out for three pies. And at $15 a piece, they weren't cheap. Not for us anyway.
The Pies Outcome: The apple pie was like a mile high and they most-likely used fresh apples from the orchard. I didn't love it and I'll tell you why. I like 'fake' apples. The canned kind or one's that have been well softened with that jelled, thick sauce. Salinger's pies lack the sauce part and their perfectly cut apples weren't 'cooked' enough for my licking. Steve really loved it though. He'd raved about their pies for years.

The pumpkin pie was the one I was really looking forward to. And boo-hoo, I didn't like it. Not at all. Not even with reddi whip on top. That made me upset and I decided not to try any of the other pies. I had the apple and pecan around midnight last night. *giggle*

The pecan pie was really, really good. I'd never had one quite like it. The pecans were light and crispy. The dark brown filling was really rich, sticky and gooey. The perfect consistency. Steve & I loved it. There was a downfall. The crust. They went a little too over on that one and it resulted in a drier crust. The edges were especially dry. If the crust had been similar to the ones that the apple pies were baked in - then it would've been perfect. The apple pie crust was really good. Nice flavor and mouth feel.

Little bits: The cookie I can't pronounce, they're called Pfeffernusee. They are iced gingerbread cookies with a strong ginger taste. They weren't too bad. I mean, I had two. Couldn't stop at one. But I found the flavor to be a little too much.

Oh, also, to drink with dinner in addition to the sodas that we set up in a cooler with plenty of ice - we had Martinelli's apple-grape sparkling juice. It was a very pretty color and we had them in fluted champagne glasses and made a toast before dinner. It was fun and I think the guests had a good time. Sid got some turkey with peas and corn. Grey cat got some turkey that I didn't cut up into little pieces. She was making happy noises while woofing down those big pieces. I was surprised.

And that, my friends, was Thanksgiving dinner this year! Sorry this was like a mile long. I lost feeling in my left fingertips a while ago. *giggle*

There's this cartoon that comes to mind often when I think of something. This big bulldog uses a smaller dog to help him earn $ by dressing him up like a little baby. I forget. But the bulldog amasses all this $ and buys a meat market. The final scene of the cartoon. The bulldog is lying on his back, ill, overwhelmed by the massive portions of meat he ingested. Anyway, the bulldog was always getting mad at the little dog for forgetting the gravy and would say: "you fuhgot da gravy". And as the bulldog lay on the table helpless, unable to move, the little dog comes to find him with revenge on his mind. He takes a funnel, sticks it into the bulldog's mouth and says: I didn't forget the gravy and proceeds to pour a giant keg of gravy into his mouth. Well, this all comes to mind because I forgot to mention the gravy. Steve made it. He boiled up giblets and herbs and later added the turkey fat and stock and thickened with flour. It was a dark brown color. It was okay, but not as good as last years where we omitted giblets (cause they gross me out) and I thickened with just flour. Ok. for real now. I'm done!

Read more...

Everyday Pan

Calphalon's Commercial Hard-Anodized "Everday Pan" is awesome. It's an all-purpose pan. "The aluminum construction provides superior cooking performance by distributing the heat evenly so there are no hot spots as you cook." That's what the description says. Steve also adds that because it's made of hard-anodized aluminum, it is non-reactive and can handle acidic foods such as tomatoes. Also, because there's no teflon coating (non-stick) you can scrape the crap out of it and it'll be fine. (No scratch lines actually appear.)

I use mine all the time. Steve found it online from Amazon (I think) years ago. Actually, I used it just last night to make meat sauce. It's also great cause you can throw it in the oven up to 450 F or under a broiler. It also comes with a nice, weighted lid. Not too heavy though. It's a 12" pan so you can fit a decent amount of food in it. Most of the time if I say I sauteed or seared something, it happened in the Everyday pan. And though slightly crowded, I can fit like four boneless chicken breasts in it and then some. It's got sturdy steel handles that stay cool'ish. But if you threw it in the oven, I recommend that you use gloves or a towel. I can't say enough about this pan. I love Steve for getting it. It's one of the most useful purchases he's ever made.

Unfortunately, they discontinued this line but it's still available at Amazon.com. It's like $29.99. I forgot to mention. It's a handsome looking pan. I wouldn't be embarrassed to serve the food right in it. I picture a nice paella in it. Mmmm...Do something good & Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Chicken Stir-Fry

I seldom do stir-fry dishes mostly because I don't have a wok and I feel like you need one to make a good stir-fry. I might add that I don't know exactly how to cook in one nor do I have recipes for sauces and such. Last night, I cut up chicken tenderloins into bite-size pieces. (Actually I put Steve to work.) I sauteed that up in olive oil and set them aside. Oh, I threw in two garlic cubes half way through cooking it. Then I threw in the bag of vegetables. I let them cook a little before I added the sauce which was composed of soy sauce, sugar, ground ginger, paprika, cayenne pepper (a hint) and freshly ground black pepper. I let the vegetables (Frozen bag of Bird's Eye broccoli stir-fry - broccoli, carrots, onions, red peppers, water chestnuts, mushroom & celery) - Let them cook through a little bit more and add the flour to the center of the pan, pushing the vegetables along the outer edge. Stir. When it bubbles and cooks through, throw the chicken back in. Oh, I didn't add the flour directly to the pan. I shook it up with chicken stock in a little jar and then poured it into the center of the pan. I served it over plain ole Uncle Benz rice though I think an asian rice would've been better or oh, wait..brown rice would've been really nice. .

The verdict. We liked it a whole lot. The chicken was tender (as Steve commented) and the sauce came out so nicely. I was worried that it was too salty, but then I found that you needed that to flavor the chicken & vegetables. I used to order beef with broccoli all the time in college. That and chicken lo mein were the few dishes I had. Anyway, the sauce tasted very similar to very good beef & broccoli sauce. I put so much food on Steve's plate that he actually couldn't finish it. I gave the rest to Sid and he thought it was Mmm, mmm good. I want you guys to have a nice Mmm, mmm experience while you Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Classico Traditional Basil Pesto

I once made quarts and quarts of fresh pesto from basil, pine nuts, olive oil, s&p. Everything gets thrown into a cuisinart and pureed. Then you can freeze it. I think it lasts a while. I forget how long. I think months. Anyway, I've seen variations of pestos combined with other ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes. I don't know. I kinda like my pesto straight up. But I like it with either pine nuts or walnuts. Pre-roasted. So, last night, I made a light pasta dish using Classico's traditional basil pesto.

I boiled up some Ronzoni Healthy Harvest whole wheat blend egg noodles. (Cholesterol-free; Yolk Free.) After I poured the cooked egg noodles into the colander, I put the same big pot back on the stove at high heat. To it, I added a little Progresso chicken stock and threw in a bag of frozen Bird's Eye Peas. Then the Classico Pesto gets thrown in and I let it come to a simmer and heat the peas through. When the peas were warmed and the liquid had reduced a bit, I threw in the drained egg noodles. I added some salt & pepper. Then I used a huge, metal spoon to toss around all that goodness. And voila! A light dinner was served. Freshly grated romano cheese accented this dish. And I have to add, it was a pretty dish. The two different greens (darker pesto & lighter peas) looked pretty together clinging to the wavy egg noodles.

The verdict. It was not bad, not bad at all. I've had Classico pesto many times and I like it. No complaints from me. So yeah, it was pretty good and it was a one-pot meal. Easy to make & easy to clean. (Though I haven't quite gotten around to cleaning it. My bad?) I worried about adding the chicken stock. Worried that the pesto sauce would get too thin. But I needed something to heat the peas in and I wanted to keep this a one-pot meal. Thankfully, there's enough olive oil in Classico's pesto to coat the pasta nicely. It was just the right amount of oil. Could've gone heavier but it was fine just the way it was. The peas played a beautiful role in this dish. Steve absolutely loves peas. The Ronzoni healthy harvest pasta was not bad at all. We've had this brand before - but we had it as a thin spaghetti. Steve & I were pleasantly surprised by it. So I took a chance and got a different shape and it worked out. So we were sorta healthy last night. Sorta. I had a normal sized portion too. For me anyway, it would still be at least two servings according to the RDA or whatever. Whether you're trying to eat right or eat light. This one keeps it easy. And you can Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Stouffer's Veal Parmigiana

Last week I bought a couple of frozen dinners. I normally try to eat only Lean Cuisine or Weight Watchers. (I'm biased against Healthy Choice because when they first came out and I tried it - it had no flavor. I was not pleased.) Being off my healthy'ish kick, I decided to buy Stouffer's (the red box.) And with all the calories it has to offer. I was surprised. It wasn't too bad. 430 kcals. I can live with that as being my total caloric intake for lunch.

The veal parm was actually a breaded patty. Yes, a patty. Less than an inch thick. I thought it was pretty good sized. Steve loves veal patties. And one day we decided to try a super cheap brand that happened to be on sale. They were made by On-cor or En-core. I don't recall. I still see it in the supermarkets. Anyway, as you may have already guessed, it was pretty gross. Stouffer's veal patty is thicker and it's topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. (I don't remember seeing any cheese on the other brand's.) On the side, they gave you spaghetti with marina sauce.
.
Stouffer's veal parmigiana. The idea of a veal patty is unappealing to me. Nonetheless, I got a craving. Once I came to terms with its texture, I was alright with it. I actually enjoyed the flavor of it. It tasted like it was breaded with one of those italian herb-cheese flavored breadings. I didn't love the spaghetti. I expect frozen (or canned) spaghetti to be overdone. I knew it going in. And though I didn't love the flavor of the sauce (which tasted like Prego with that dried basil & oregano combination that I don't love.) Don't get me wrong, I love oregano but I prefer it in Greek dishes like chicken oreganata over italian dishes though it definitely does have a place there. So the sauce, didn't love it but that's just me. But for some reason, when I was eating it - I would twirl a little pasta onto my fork and then stab the veal patty and tear off a piece - when I was doing that, I didn't mind the sauce at all. It worked for me. So once in a while, I'll be buying Stouffer's veal parmigiana if it's on sale. I usually only buy frozen foods when they're on sale. This was a nice change from sandwiches for lunch. Ok guys, you don't have to cook to Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Broiled Swiss Cheeseburgers

Here's a cute little story. One day, Steve was sick. He had a bad cold. I called him up and he apologized for not being able to come down to see me. So, I went up there. We liked that idea. I asked him if he needed anything like cough syrup. He was so moved when I offered that to him. He said no one's ever done something like that for him. By the time I'd arrived there his spirits were lifted. I remember it was late fall on a day very soon after the rains. So the sun was shining but the ground was wet. Anyway, his mood lifted so much that he wanted to make us some cheeseburgers. Neither of us had too much money so I thought that it was an excellent idea. Little things made us very happy. And they still do. The barbecue. Sigh. Wasn't working. We had to run to our local hardware store. Then we had to get the propane tank filled. Oh, I think we had to go to the hardware store twice because we got the wrong size the first time. It was fun doing all that running around. All that to buy these 'flavor savor' bars. They're like these metal bars you put on the bottom to equally distribute the heat. Once we got that all set up, we were in business!

Steve made me one of the best burgers I'd ever eaten. I don't recall what kind of cheese he used, but I'm quite certain it was Land O' Lakes yellow american. I was so pleased that I decided to give them a name. Then, *ding*, the word 'Pucks' comes to mind. Yes, it has an association to hockey pucks and when referred to a burger - it's way, way too dry, inedible. Anyway, I thought it'd be funny and ironic to name his delicious cheeseburgers that. He was hip to the idea and it stuck around for a while. (Note: He does, on occasion, severely overcook the burgers. I do, too.)

Last night I made broiled swiss cheeseburgers. I used the same kind of meat we almost always get - ground chuck from our local little market. I made them into thin'ish, wide'ish patties. I salt & peppered both sides. Then Steve reminded me that I should probably elevate them somehow so they were closer to the broiler. I flipped over a half-sheet pan. About an inch thick. And threw the burgers on a wire rack over a broiling pan. It fits in perfectly. (And it's great for baking whole chickens.) I didn't wait for the top of the burgers to get charred because, with our oven, bad things happen. (Ie: Things gets overcooked.) So I flipped them when only a touch of browing occurred. I waited for the other side to become similar in color before I put the swiss cheese on top and back it went to the broiler. I only had it on for like a minute more before the cheese melted. On the side, we had salad. Greens mixed with the usual grape tomatoes (these were very small and I liked that) & red onions. We had it with Ken's lite bleu cheese dressing.

The swiss cheeseburgers. They were damn good as per Steve. I was pretty pleased with them myself. I actually didn't cook the heck out of them. Let me tell you about the first bite. I took a big one and as I was doing it a whole bunch of oh-so-good brown liquid fell onto my cheap paper plate. (The white, uncoated kind.) It bursted with juices. Oh my goodness was my first thought. The juice leakage continued to happen until I was half-way through eating it. When Steve took his first bite, the same exact thing happened and he made happy noises after a slightly startled one. Oh, Steve had his burger with lettuce, red onion, mayo, ketchup, s&p. I had mine with red onion and get this, A-1 steak sauce. I crave the stuff every now and then though I only use it for steak. And I only have steak, real steak, once in a while. And I only use sauce occasionally for part of the steak - the rest I eat with just salt & pepper. The A-1 steak sauce and red onion combo was good. I was so used to having the thickness of ketchup that I wasn't prepared for all the sauce to get absorbed back into the bun. I had to add a little more. It was a nice departure from ketchup. I enjoyed it. Didn't love it though and I won't be craving one for a long while. The salad was just a salad last night. I couldn't care less about it after eating the delicious burger. I suppose I should've let the burgers sit for a few minutes so the juices would redistribute. I was too hungry to wait. And if you're hungry now, Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Chicken Cesar Salad

Ok, technically it wasn't a straight cesar salad. I added a few extra ingredients. To me, straight cesar is good. Usually, it's just romaine lettuce, croutons, grated or shaved parmesan cheese & sometimes anchovy fillets. I usually see anchovy fillets at better restaurants. Sometimes they're courteous enough to ask because I don't think anchovies go over well with most people. I had an Italian teacher once. Yes, she was Italian (like from Italy) and with her great accent she said: I would never think of eating a pizza without anchovies. I thought that was interesting.

So, to this cesar salad kit (included dressing, grated parmesan & croutons), we added little grape tomatoes, red onion (sliced thin) and I threw in some crumbled gorgonzola cheese we had in the 'fridge leftover from steak salad. Anyway, because I added extra ingredients, the dressing that came it with fell short. I needed to supplement. So I dug around the refrigerator and found a bottle of Silver Palate cesar dressing. I was so psyched. Then I went to pour some out and there was barely a tablespoon there. So I sighed. Then *lightbulb* I remembered we had some Ken's creamy cesar lite dressing. And there was plenty of that. So in that went to the salad bowl. For the chicken, I used tenderloins and broiled them on a rack over a sheet pan. They'd been seasoned in a bag with olive oil, oregano, s&p. They broiled up in minutes. Dinner took less than 15 minutes to prepare. Isn't that the bestest? I cut the chicken into medium-sized pieces and tossed the whole thing in a giant wooden salad bowl.

Steve and I really enjoyed the salad. We aren't experts on cesar salad so we didn't mind the mixture of the three dressings. Also, the chicken was very tender. I've been doing pretty good with baking chicken lately. And as for the additional ingredients added to it, the gorgonzola was especially nice. It added more richness to the already rich dressing. Darnit, I should've grated some romano cheese over it. I know I've had it before with parmesan but never romano. I have ambivalence towards shaved hard cheese versus grating. Steve likes his cesar with shaved cheese. He even ran out and bought the slicing gadget after he'd had it that way for the first time. It makes me so happy when things turn out good cause then you get to Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Soy-Marinated Steak Tips

Steve used to work up at Stewart airport. It was like construction management or something. They were building the new control tower there. It was sorta neat. I got to drive one of those bobcat things or bulldozer...I don't really know what it was. Steve tells me all the time but my memory always fails me. Anyway, his boss that we affectionately refer to as "uncle *insert name*" introduced Steve to steak tips. At least he introduced him to the idea of it. Neither of us had ever had them. Supposedly it's very popular in Boston. Anyone?

I used Sirloin streak tips. ( Remember they are big, long, fat strips of meat.) For the marinade, I threw together some olive oil, soy sauce (not the super dark kind but the lighter japanese kind), sugar in the raw, ground ginger, garlic powder, dried thyme, dried rosemary and freshly ground black pepper. I didn't want to add extra salt because, as you know, soy sauce is already salty. I put the marinade into a zip top plastic bag and shook it up so the contents mixed well and so the sugar would dissolve. (Sugar in the raw tend to be large granules.) I threw in the Sirloin steak tips whole and let it sit out for about an hour to marinade. (For those not in the know, red meat (like steaks) can sit out for about an hour before cooking - that's what I was taught.) To cook it, I used the broiler. I put the steaks on one of those wire rack things to keep the meat elevated so it wouldn't sit in its own juices and therefore not brown well. I served this with plain basmati rice and corn (frozen Bird's Eye.) Oh, and I served the sirloin steak tips whole. One strip is about six inches long and an inch thick. I know I'm repeating myself here.

The verdict. It was pretty good. I would've liked it to have been a little sweeter. I must go a little heavier on the sugar. Ok. But otherwise, Steve enjoyed it. He wasn't raving about it but he said it was good. The meat came out nicely. Steak Tips tend to be a little chewier if you don't cook it to well done so that's what I do. And nice little brown and burnt spots appeared. And the rice was nice and fluffy and the corn was sweet. All in all, it was a good meal.

Sidebar: I made an error in the first paragraph of my last blog 'Melts'. The correct version was that the tuna went with american cheese; Chicken went with provolone cheese. I apologize for the confusion it may have caused.

Other than that kiddies, Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Tuna Melt Bagels

I asked Steve to take a picture of both the tuna melts & chicken salad melts. I was going to post it but he made a comment about them being on paper plates and I sorta agreed with him. Anyway, yes, I made two types of melts last night. Tuna (albacore, red onion (finely chopped), celery seed, worchestshire sauce and s&p.) American cheese on top. For the chicken salad (Pulled cooked chicken, parsley, mayo, s&p) with provolone cheese. These were both served atop onion bagels. Some pieces had tomato on top of them. They looked pretty.

I baked up the bagels. Then I did a not so good of a job splitting them in half. At this point, I should've thrown on the broiler and toasted both sides. I had fears of over cooking them and drying them out too much. Anyway, I placed about 3/4" worth tuna & chicken salad on one bagel at a time. Yes, they were piled pretty high. The tuna salad was them covered with american cheese and the chicken salad was covered in the provolone cheese. I threw them under the broiler. Afterwards, again concerned about the texture of the bagel and the temperature of the salad, I set the oven to bake.

So, the melts. They were pretty good, not great. Usually, they hit the spot but we made the error of using Ray's frozen bagels. Can you believe they're not pre-sliced? Who wants the extra labor of cutting it in half? Anyway, the first one I had was the chicken salad melt. The cheese looked like it'd been bubbling and there were little burnt spots on it. It was pretty good. Then the tuna, that too, was pretty good. The yellow american cheese was burnt (dark, dark brown and very, very edible) on one little side. The edge. The problem with this dish is that these bagels weren't as light as say Lender's frozen bagels. Or I didn't toast them up enough which could've really been the problem. That's what sorta undid the greatness of the melts. The bagels.

Sidebar: I forgot something critical in yesterday's blog about Dottie's Zucchini, Chicken & Rice Casserole. I goofed. I forgot to mention one of the main ingredients: the cubed, cooked chicken. I'd made the chicken the previous night for our salad greens with baked chicken. When I looked in the 'fridge for the salad bag, I discovered that there wasn't one. Darnit! Now what?

So I made it into chicken salad and once again, pulled the meat apart with two forks. Steve said it was light. And it was very juicy. He said it tasted like it was from a fine, hotel restaurant. I was flattered. So that's the chicken I used for Dottie's casserole. I'm sure it imparted its own flavors into the dish. I used olive oil, salt-free McCormicks seasoning mix, dried tarragon, s&p.

I nuked some leftover casserole for Steve the day after and he loved it. It'd thickened up quite a bit. Makes one think twice about this dish. Oh, I almost forgot and this is important. The chicken in the casserole became a little too well done (slightly overcooked). Probably because it was already cooked and then got baked again for an hour. Thank goodness Steve made them into small pieces. Okay, here are some stupid words. I forgot. Oh well, Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Dottie's Casserole

The full name of this dish is called Dottie's Zucchini, Chicken, and Rice Casserole. I have no idea who Dottie is. I found it online from About.com. There was no user rating so I had nothing to fall back on. It was a complete shot in the dark. Also, this is the first casserole I've ever made unless you count arroz con pollo as a cassole. I cooked it like one. I must find that recipe. I used to make it in college for all my girlfriends and they loved it.

This is how I made it. First you take half of you diced onions and some garlic and heat that up in a pan (large'ish). Saute. Then add the zucchini and mushrooms. Saute. Next is to add the raw rice, all the veggies (except for the tomato and remaining onions), chicken stock, parmesan cheese (we used romano), rosemary, thyme and s&p. Mix it up and transfer to a greased baking dish. I used a disposable lasagne pan. Yes, this dish was a bit of a pain the ass to make but I put Steve to work and he did all the slicing and dicing. *snicker* To continue. Saute the remaing onions, tomatoes and a little chili powder before pouring the mixture atop the other ingredients in the baking dish. Sigh. Okay, I went through all that. Waited a whole hour for it to bake at 350F. And?

Overall, it was pretty good but there are 'buts'. I had thought that the casserole would set up. It didn't at all. There was plenty of liquid still left which I didn't understand because the rice did absorb some water but not all of it. I was a little upset upon this discovery. Nevertheless, I served it up. Surprise, surprise. It wasn't that bad. It was actually kinda good and made me feel healthy to eat. Aside from the oil used to sautee, there was no fat in this dish. Unfortunately, they didn't give the nutritional breakdown. Ok. So on its own, it was okay except that it was liquidy. Then we hit it with some freshly grated romano cheese and I, for a second, thought I was eating a risotto. Yum. Steve mentioned that this dish was more reminicent of a gumbo. I thought that was interesting. With the grated cheese, the thing took on new life. It was so much better. We enjoyed it alot. Steve thought it was delicious. So there a pluses and minuses to this dish. I still wonder if the recipe was off and called for far more liquid than necessary or if that was how it was supposed to be. Though it was good, I will not be throwing this one in the rotation. Too much work and not good enough of a result. It was all about the sauce - it needed to be thickened badly. Okay guys. Cook (or not) and Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Belly Rumbles

For some reason, Steve & I were wiped out last night. We were not just in bed, but sleeping by 9p. Sad, I know. We're neither seniors nor farmers. So we went to bed hungry. Too tired to deal. I actually wasn't feeling that hungry anyway. A giant meatball parm wedge at lunch killed me. (It was from a local deli that I usually have bad luck with. I always have hopes but I don't know - I keep going back. Once I ordered a chicken parm wedge there and the chicken was like raw in the center. It was so nasty. I was so upset. I was already on the parkway and I didn't feel like turning around.) It was so big that I gave 1/3 of it to Sid. I'm so bad. So just as we were early to bed, we were early to rise. I woke up around 3:30a and Steve found me downstairs a half hour later.

For breakfast, eaten before 5a, I had cereal. Honeycombs! Little sidebar: I take surveys and they recently sent me a free, big box of honeycombs. It was so freaky because when we went shopping, they were out of them and we were bumbed. Steve decided not to have cereal and had the leftover ziti instead. I nuked up a fairly decent sized portion for him and he loved it.

Steve ran out to get cigarettes this morning and came back with a plain sugared donut for me. It was good the last time I had it, but this time it had too much sugar on it. I usually, as you may know, get jelly donuts. It's been a thing of mine for a little while now. And I think I like strawberry jelly just a little better than grape. Alright, I'm probably going to have a turkey sandwich for lunch. If your belly rumbles, it's time for you to Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Baked Ziti

I haven't made baked ziti in ages. Here's how I do it. I boil up some ziti (duh) and then toss it in sauce. We used our homemade sauce. Then for the cheese part. You take ricotta (whole milk), mozzarella (whole milk), chopped fresh parsley, one egg, s&p. I dislike part-skim cheeses. But for some reason, I like Cracker Barrel's 2% cheddar. Go figure. Ok, so ya throw down a layer of ziti mixed with sauce in a disposable lasagne pan, hit it with gobs of the cheese mixture, put another layer of ziti with sauce on top. Cover that all in some fresh mozzarella and bake for like 45 minutes. I rambled with that explanation. Ooopsies.

The ziti turned out alright. I was worried that the ziti would be too soft. And unfortunately, I think they may have been. No, they were. Steve really liked it though. He had two servings and freaked out when I said I'll just throw the rest out. I guess that's convincing enough but I'd still feel embarrassed to serve something as overcooked. It wasn't complete mush. Those frozen zitis are far mushier and I've had some seriously mushy ziti from the grocery store buffet. All in all, it fed us, made Steve happy and oh, it made Sid happy. I was trying to get rid of some and gave Sid a little more than just a taste. My bad. A toast to y'all (or ya'll) and Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Annie's Homegrown

Homegrown. Not kidding. That's what the box of macaroni & cheese says. Actually, it's shells & cheese. They say it's made with organic pasta and has "no artificial anything." Well, we certainly put enough butter in it last night to undo all the goodness the package had to offer. We were so beat last night for some reason. I couldn't bring myself to cook. So Steve started it and I helped. It was just as easy to make as Kraft mac n' cheese.

The verdict. I liked it. At first, I thought it was seasoned just right. But then, as I ate on, I realized it needed a pinch of salt. But the salt thing happens with me often. It's good then it's not as good then *pinch* and it's even better. Steve loved it. He's a long time eater of box mac n cheese. He suggested that we put the stuff on top of Tostitos tortilla chips. The big restaurant sized ones. It's the only kind we get. I scooped some up and it wasn't bad. The first few chips were good. Then it got...well, it stumbled into 'whatever' land. Not only did Steve suggest chips, but he decided (because we weren't up to it) - that we should just eat it straight out of the pot with one fork in the living/computer room. I was totally okay with that idea. Yeah, we slobbed out. Okay, kiddies...Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Steak Salad

We use sirloin steak tips when making our salad. They're these six inch or so long pieces about 1" thick and wide. This is a salad that I've made many times before. It's an adaptation of a diner meal we used to get at the El dorado diner in Tarrytown, NY. It's grilled steak with salad greens including raddichio, grape tomatoes, red onions and crumbled gorgonzola cheese. I'm just realizing now that I forgot a critical ingredient: cannellini beans. I guess we missed it last night. I make a basic vinaigrette for it. My usual balsamic vinaigrette.

The steak was slightly overcooked but definitely edible. I cut the steak into managable pieces - actually did them the way Steve likes. I usually make em bigger. So the steak. I actually sorta liked the small charred pieces. They had a nice flavor. The red onions were mild, the tomatoes bursted and gorgonzola cheese just goes really well with the steak. We will be having this meal again and again and again. Okay, folks. Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Marie Callender's

Remember TV Dinners? I used to love the chocolate brownie dessert they used to have in some of them. Anyway. I was wondering. What do they call them today? Steve suggested frozen entrees whereas I just call it frozen stuff. Well, whatever they're called, I think Marie Callender's makes some very good ones.

We each had two dinners. I had the Meat Lasagne (with ricotta & mozzarella in a hearty marina sauce) and the Meat Loaf and gravy (with creamy mashed potatoes and vegetables (green beans, carrots & corn.)) Steve had two of the Fettuccini with Chicken & Broccoli ( which is chicken breast in creamy alfredo sauce.) They were both of decent size and portions. Oh, and they were on sale. 2 for $4. That's a great value especially for Marie Callender's.

I enjoyed the meat loaf though it could've used more brown gravy (with mushrooms & onions supposedly - I didn't see any.) The meat had a good texture and thickness. They gave you two nice pieces. The mashed potatoes were creamy in texture, but not flavor. It, like the meat, needed salt. The vegetables were good. I liked them. They looked and tasted fresh. The lasagna, on the other hand, was not good. I was disappointed. It had a good amount of beef and pork. Ya know, sausage ee, fennel ee flavor. The sauce. I didn't like. It was a deep red with both dried basil & oregano. I generally don't like that herb combination. They were sparing with the ricotta & mozzarella cheeses. All in all, I will not buy this again even if it's on sale. (It tasted a little like Stouffer's (orange ee/ red box) lasagna which used to be pretty good but is now not so good. Ick.

When Steve and I were at the checkout. The cashier commented on how good the ones Steve got were. And I tasted it. With a little salt, it was pretty darn good. Nice pieces of tender, white meat chicken with not overcooked broccoli and a not too rich alfredo sauce. I liked it. Next time, I might want to buy one for myself. Steve, of course, loved it. He really enjoyed it and got quite full eating two servings.

Alrighty guys, you don't necessarily have to cook to Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Gino's Trattoria

We had a great dinner last night. It was almost perfect except the waitress could've been a little more attentive. Usually, service at Gino's (not Gigi's Pizza we always go to) is very good. Adults, not teenagers. Anyway, I wrote a review about Gino's a while back. A couple of years ago. Definitely over one. (I think.) Anyway, in the review I described my favorite dish there: Veal Francais. Most chicken francais are in a light chicken stock/lemon sauce. I assumed the veal would be the same. Nope. The sauce is an orange ee/brown with bits of cooked herbs in it. Perhaps parsley. They give three (somewhat small) thin pieces of veal (lighyly battered, perhaps just in egg). And a side of pasta. I got linguine with tomato sauce. Oh, and to start we had salads (mine with italian; his with bleu cheese) and bread that included a good crusty, hearty italian bread and long sticks of focaccia flavored with rosemary. We also had an appetizer. Fried calamari that came with a thick, chunky, deep red, herbed tomato sauce for dipping. The calamari were all just small rings, about the size of a quarter. No tentacles, my fave. Oh well. Steve had one of his standbys. Chicken Gorgonzola with peas. He had a side of linguini as well but he got his on his plate with the cream sauce. I had mine on the side. They give you the option.

I loved my veal dish. I've had it many times before. We used to go to Gino's quite regularly. They've recently started delivering and I think they'll make a killing. Their pizza is quite good as well. The pasta, salad, and bread were all good. Nothing special. The fried calamari. I thought it could've been fried a little longer. They were a very light color and I would've preferred a golden color with a little crisp or crunch to it. Steve thought they were delicious. He loved them just the way they were. I tried some of Steve's chicken dish and it was rich and delicious. Very smooth and creamy. It wasn't a strong gorgonzola flavor. I didn't see any blue veins in it. But it definitely did something nice to the sauce. We didn't have dessert cause we were too full. Steve even had to take his belt off when we got home. Hehehe. Okay, well. You guys are the best! I love the comments - I read them all. Eat Something Good!

Gino's Pizzeria (Trattoria)
597 Route 6
Mahopac, NY 10541

Read more...

Indian-Style Rice

Last night we had nothing to eat in the house and we didn't feel like going out. It was past 10p anyway. So Steve made something. A rice dish. Vegetarian even. We cooked up some uncle bens rice, added some peas and then he seasoned it with curry powder (just a bit), tumeric, black pepper, red pepper (cayenne) and salt. He said he used to make this as a teenager when he was vegetarian. I was hesitant to try it. I mean I like curry'ish things every now and then but I must say, I don't love the smell. It's way strong and lingers in the house afterwards. Anyway, I had a small serving and I have to say that I liked it. I was quite surprised. Steve was proud. He wouldn't let me give any to Sid so I just gave him some peas. He lapped them up as though he were eating good quality steak. Do like we do and Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Candy Bars

I have been eating so much junk food lately. Like crazy amounts. Okay, maybe not that crazy but definitely more than usual. I've been dying to try two things. Oreo cakesters and Nilla wafer cakesters. I've read mixed reviews about them. For the oreo ones, they said don't expect it to taste like the cookie. Even still, I'm intrigued by the concept. I've only seen them in one place. At this convenience mart attached to a Dunkin' Donuts. Needless to say, I always go for the donut but I was tempted. Strongly tempted. Next time I go there, I'm going to get them.

I tried a new candy bar. The Nestle's crunch crisp. It's crispy wafers with layers of chocolate creme and covered in chocolate. It was pretty good. I like the flavor of Nestle's crunch bars. That's the kind of chocolate it was dipped in. I'd buy them again. I like light candy bars. One of my faves is the Whatchamacallit bar. Peanut butter rice crisp with a thin layer of caramel on top, covered in chocolate. It's got a light, satisfying crunch to it and then a chew from the caramel. It's very good. I almost bought one the other day.

Croissants. I love croissants. Plain. With butter. With butter & jam. And I love chocolate croissants. Regular croissants filled with dark chocolate. Good chocolate. I got Steve a different kind the other day. They were out of chocolate. Blueberry cream cheese was my choice. It sounded so good; it looked so good. I might have to get one next time.

Finally, I recently tried a few bites of a Payday bar. I really like them but I never buy them. It's nougat (I think) or chewy (not too soft) caramel rolled in sweetened peanuts. With a little salt. It was so good that I didn't even miss chocolate. Actually, I thought there was chocolate in it. That's how good it was. You don't even miss it. Okay guys, Mmmm...candy. Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Pecorino Romano

We didn't have a bite for dinner until after 11:00pm. We'd both had a late lunch and we weren't feeling particularly hungry. (Sid is eating a napkin.) Anyway, we had nothing in the house so I just cooked up some Ronzoni thin spaghetti and we had it with tomato sauce from Batch #2. I tell ya. Freshly grated pecorino romano makes a huge difference in the enjoyment of pasta. I've always liked romano cheese but I didn't have it too often. I remember once, in college, there was a chain restaurant in town called 'Houlihan's I may have botched the spelling on that. Anyway, they had a delicious chicken & pasta dish. The chicken was breaded and it had plenty of romano cheese in it. I never forgot it how the cheese tasted.

To the eating of the pasta. The sauce, our sauce, nice as per usual. The cheeses. At first, we were using store brand grated cheese. (I keep some in the house for trash meals. You know what I mean? Maybe not.) Anyway, you could hardly taste it. When we made the switch to the freshly grated pecorino romano, *bam*. An amazing thing happened. It transformed the flavor of the sauce and the dish developed depth. And though I've always favored parmesan cheese, Steve prefers romano. Perhaps because it's tangier. I like romano very much as well. It's a good cheese. Okay guys, time to Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Nathan's

The other day, we went to Nathan's to play video games. The one in Yonkers has an arcade. It's great. It's so loud in there. Anyway, we didn't eat there but it planted the seed. So yesterday, we had an early dinner at a different Nathan's but still a Nathan's. I had two hot dogs. One with mustard and sauerkraut. The other with just mustard. Steve had one with mustard & sauerkraut and one chili cheese dog. We both had fries and sodas to drink. Diet for me. *laugh* Anyway, it was a nice treat. Oh, I almost forgot. The one we go to is also has an Arthur Treacher's (sp?) there. We split a fish sandwich. I forgot what was on it. Like lettuce and tartar sauce, I think. It was good. The fish had a crunch to it unlike McDonald's filet-o-fish. Later on, I got the donut urge again and we stopped by Dunkin Donuts for a powdered jelly donut. Mmmm. I just wish they weren't like a cagillion calories. Ah well. Can't win em all. Eat Something Good!

Nathan's Famous
Cortlandt Town Center
3139 E. Main Street,
Mohegan Lake,NY

Read more...

Beef Patty Melt

We went to one of our regular'ish diners, Central Plaza Diner in Yonkers, NY. Anyway, we thought we'd have a nice repeat of the other day's meal - beef patty melts. (We had a surprisingly yummy one at IHOP.) Burger, swiss, fried onions on grilled rye. We had them with a side of fries, cole slaw, and a pickle. The patty melt at this diner was...a disappointment. I wanted to punch the chef a little. The onions. They were these big, diced chunks. Too big and they ruined the sandwich. Also they weren't cooked enough. I like to see a nice brown color on some pieces. Thin slices. With good carmelization going on. That's how I'd make it. Oh, we started off with a side of okay mozzarella sticks with a thin tomato sauce for dipping. Alrighty folks, Eat Something Good!

Central Plaza Diner
1686 Central Park Ave
Yonkers, NY 10710

Read more...

Cracker Barrel

As a pre-dinner snack, we stopped off at Dunkin' donuts. I was so psyched because I was completely in the mood for a jelly donut. Powdered. It was great. Only thing is, half of it landed on my fleece and on my jeans. Yes, the danger with eating jelly donuts is the possible gob factor messing you up. And it did me. I still have a very visible stain on my jeans. I think it was strawberry jelly. Anyway, I saw Hunt's ketchup packages for the first time there. I thought it was cool. I hope Hunt's makes a bigger name for itself in ketchup. I want to see Heinz' sweat a little. And, for no reason.

Cracker Barrel. We were starving. It was past 9p. I flipped through the menu and nothing was popping out at me. So when it came time to order, I just asked Steve to order me what he was having. He had one of their combination meals. Breakfast meal. Chicken fried steak with white gravy, biscuits, hash browns (shredded), over easy eggs, and grits. Steve also had a side of mac n cheese, I passed.

The meal was sufficient. Didn't win any culinary awards, but it was good. I decided that I don't love chicken fried steak. Steve does. That's why I started ordering them. But maybe it's just Cracker Barrel's that I don't love. It's very crunchy on the outside with tender'ish meat on the inside. It's like a cube steak texture. And the gravy. Too much but too little. Meaning. They give you a lot of it but it's like missing necessary flavor. There's a little smokiness to it from I suppose bacon but it's not a well, developed flavor. It's a little pasty. The hash brown potatoes weren't too bad. They were eh. I gave one of my eggs to Steve. And the rest of my hash browns. I was eating my grits plain whereas Steve makes his like his dad used to - butter, salt & pepper. It's good. He's made it for me at home that way before. But last night, I was needing at least one thing on my plate not to be heavily seasoned. The iced tea, unsweetened, was refreshing but could've been colder and with more ice.

We were too full for dessert. We usually split a short stack. And they give you warmed syrup and stuff. Yum. I like their pancakes cause they're literally fried. You can see and taste the diffference. When I first started out making pancakes, I used a little butter in the pan and produced a similar product. I started doing it dry after my grandmother gave me a mini lesson on how to flip pancakes. I love watching the bubbles forming along the edges and that immediate rise that hits when it's flipped over with some gusto. I think most diners prep it dry so when I get Cracker Barrel pancakes, they're extra yummy and good.

We hit the candy store afterwards. They have a great little shop. We went to the one in Fishkill, NY. In the spirit of halloween, we got tons of candy. We split this thing called a Pecan roll. Nougat rolled in pecans. It's light and sweet and pretty darn good. Steve was psyched cause we found him baked beans. Boston baked beans. I've had them before but I didn't think it was anything special. I found BB Bats. They updated the packaging but I always have trouble believing that they still exist whenever I stumble across some. I remember pulling my teeth out with these things. They are so sticky and so chewy. I split one with Sid last night. I know I shouldn't be giving him this junk. But as I say to Steve when he complains. I tell him, just as I expand his culinary horizons, I want to do the same for Sid. So he gets a taste of what I'm having. A little taste. Even if it's bad. Except for obvious things like chocolate and onions. Alrighty. I'm rambling! Oh we also had those orange jelly candies rolled in granulated sugar. (The ones that look like an orange segment.) And jelly belly jelly beans. I didn't love those. Too many different flavors combining weirdly in my mouth. Treat yourself right, Happy Halloween and Eat Something Good!

Cracker Barrel
4 Merritt Blvd
Fishkill, NY 12524

Read more...

Rotisserie Chicken

I don't know if I've told you this recently, but I attacked a bird savagely last week with my bare hands. A large, rotisserie chicken chicken flavored with honey. It was a pretty good sized bird. They charged $7.50 for it but I was under the impression that it was $8.99. I would've bought it at that price. I made an excuse to myself that maybe chickens were getting expensive too to rationalize this totally unnecessary purchase. Nothing was going to stop me from getting my little bird to the table.

This eating of food with the bear hands. I'm totally cool with for things such as pizza, french fries (though sometimes I fork those), burgers, sandwiches, hand held appetizers...and such. But for a whole rotisserie chicken? When I do this it's because I'm repeating what my mother has done all her life. She used tear those things up like crazy. And what used to make me upset is that she'd only eat the dark meat. And then for some unknown reason, she'd shred (pull into long strands) the breast meat and not eat it. I couldn't eat it after she'd done that. So I'm somewhat disgusted with myself for having this attack.

I open the box. I have to sigh. It's not always a site of beauty - all these dead things. I look at its breasts. They look succulent. I tear a piece off. It's eh. And I really wanted a good wing on a bird. I got severely overcooked ones. They were inedible. The leg & thigh were alright. Moist. Tender. A little sticky. The skin, though no longer crispy, still had a tremendous amount of flavor to it. Yes, I ate me some skin last night. Post savage attack - half a bird left. (Ok, maybe a little less than a half of a bird left.) Still, a large portion (perhaps even 2) for the Widney. He enjoys his chicken as much as the next animal will. Ok. Now. Using your bare hands (and you have my blessings), Be barbaric and Eat Something Good!

Read more...

China Garden

We ordered chinese food last night. And we got it delivered. Totally easy night. I got something I haven't had in a couple of years. General Tsao's Chicken with brown rice and an egg roll. Steve had the shrimp chow mein with white rice and fried noodles. And a shrimp roll. Oh, we both got soups as well. He got wonton; I got hot and sour.

Whenever we went out for chinese, my father would start by pointing to each of us and asking if we wanted soup. There was no question as to what kind of soup it was because he always ordered the same thing. Hot & sour. Anyway, mine wasn't great last night. The best parts were the pieces of pork. I actually ate the soup after I'd eaten everything else.

The General's chicken. Eh. I should've ordered something else. The pieces of chicken were like overfried and dried out. Some pieces were okay but a lot wasn't. The itty bitty pieces were alright because they were crispy. The sauce was a little spicier than I remember it being. I always picture a sweet kinda sauce. The egg roll was good. I only wished it were a little bigger and had more filling. I'm pretty sure Steve enjoyed his meal. He's ordered it twice before and didn't complain about it. I reminded him of that last night while he was having trouble figuring out what to get. My fortune was retarded. The cookie was good. I washed all this muck down with diet coke. Ah...Eat Something Good!

China Garden
980 S Lake Blvd
Mahopac, NY 10541

Read more...

Boca Chik'n

We haven't had boca burgers in a couple of months. During the summer and while we were trying to be healthy, we ate a whole bunch of them. Then the last time around, Steve decided that he didn't really like them anymore. (We were off of our diet at that point.) He said they have an aftertaste. True, they are a little weird in flavor but I didn't mind their texture. It was almost meat-like. And I like meat. So we have a few boxes in the 'fridge that'll probably go untouched for a long while.

But last night I had the Boca chik'n patties as a sandwich on whole wheat pita with lettuce and mayo. They weren't bad. The texture isn't exactly reminiscent of chicken. It's more like a fake crab - not the imitation crab stick kind. But as a sandwich, I think it gets away with it. I got the plain kind not the spicy. Though I like the spicy ones. They have a little kick to them. Steve had a toasted multigrain bagel with butter and reduced fat cream cheese. Then I remembered that we had leftover beef bourginon. Yes, we hit that hard! It was still sooo delicious. (I didn't even give Sid any.) *oink* Steve said that if there were a little more herb flavor in it, he'd say it's restaurant quality. I did add thyme as the recipe called for - but next time I'll need to add a little more. We only had a little left. I wonder if potency decreases with time. It probably does but how much time? Need a food scientist. And I bet the scientist would tell you to Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Beef Bourginon

I tried a new recipe last night. Steve stumbled across it. We were lured by the red wine in it. I used to make beef stew with plenty of veggies using wine. So, this recipe. First, I had to cut up the sirloin steak into 2" pieces. Then I had to slice up some bacon. To cook. I threw in onions and mushrooms (sliced) into butter and fried them a little and set them aside. Then I added the bacon to the same pot. Once you pull the crispy pieces out, you brown the meat. The recipe didn't specify whether to set the meat aside while adding flour to thicken the sauce. I did that cause I wanted it to be nicely browned all over. Then I added the meat back in and hit it with red wine, water, tomato paste, thyme and a little s&p. After an hour or so, you add the mushroom & onion mixture back into the stew. I forgot to re-add the crisped bacon bits so it wasn't exactly as the recipe called for. Really, the recipe wasn't very good. I was skeptical of the dish because of it. And it made one critical error. Tomato paste was listed among the ingredients, yet when you read the directions - there was no mention of it. Fortuately, it wasn't too hard to figure out what to do. The recipe suggested serving the dish with rice or noodles. I decided to make mashed potatoes. I used butter, half & half and cream cheese.

The verdict. We both loved it. Things always have a bit of a sophisticated flavor when using wine or other alcohol. Even beer, I think. The mashed potatoes were a little on the dry side but because the gravy was so plentiful and delicious, it wasn't a big deal. I also used white potatoes to make them cause they were around. I don't think it makes the best mashing potato. Next time I'm gonna use the usual russet potato and regular stew meat instead of sirloin. I use stew meat to make goulash and it tastes even better in my opinion. It also cuts costs. We have some leftover and we're going to have it as an appetizer before dinner tonight. Alrighty, I hope you guys have a good day and Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Junk Food Spree

I ate nothing nutritious last night. We didn't exactly have a real dinner. On our way to visit someone in the hospital, we stopped off at a gas station. She wanted a magazine. They didn't have much of a selection in the way of literature, however, this little place has a large selection of goodies. First, I had Nemo's chocolate pudding cake. Every time we go to that gas station, I get one. Then I spotted the Twinkies. I haven't had one in years. Many years. Many, many years. It was...not as good as I remember. And I don't recall a lemon ee taste to it. It's light. Maybe I imagined it. Next course. Toffifay. I used to eat them when I was a kid. They're not easy to find around here. I so enjoy those things. I also had one of Steve's peanut chews and Lay's potato chips. We did manage to grab a slice while we were out. No frills. Very little sauce. I put garlic powder and too much hot red pepper flakes on them. The slice was in need of flavor. The red pepper flakes were in giant containers with big holes and that's why too much came out. I wondered to myself how many times a day this happened and if the pizza guy cared. From the look of the place, he probably didn't. Anyway, it's Saturday! Eat Something Good!

Read more...

McDonald's Hashbrowns

I have a friend. He eats more McDonald's than anyone I know. Most days he goes there for breakfast and then may have lunch or dinner there later in the day. He goes there so much that he gets special orders from there. Like if he's having a sausage mcmuffin with egg, he'll ask for the folded omlette instead of the regular eggs it normally comes with. Lately he's been eating big mac's like crazy trying to collect monopoly game pieces. He's too funny.

Anyway, about Mcdonald's hashbrowns. Steve encouraged me to put my hash brown directly on my egg mcmuffin or sausage mcmuffin with egg. Those are my two favorites. It changes the sandwich experience and adds something to it. So now in delis, we order bacon, egg & cheese sandwiches (on rolls) with a hashbrown on it. We had one yesterday from the Corner Store Deli. (It's not actually on a corner but a side street.) It was pretty darn good. I actually like the hashbrowns form McDonald's better. Steve and I had the exact same sandwich! Sometimes Steve gets good ideas. The only thing that never won me over was tuna noodle casserole. I've acquired a taste for most other things. Okay folks, it's time for me to go and Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Greek Salad with Chicken

Last night I made Greek Salad with Chicken. Okay, so it wasn't exactly a greek salad. It was more of a mish mosh. The only things that made it greek were the feta cheese and stuffed vine leaves. We bought it at a Indian grocery. Usually I buy stuffed grape leaves. More like the greek kind. These tasted similar and perhaps they were grape leaves though they didn't specify which is weird. So the salad. It consisted of a european salad bag thing, thinly sliced red onion, grated carrots, crumbled feta cheese, stuffed vine leaves, spanish manzanilla olives (would have preferred kalamata), and I think that's it for the veggies. Oh, I also grated some lemon zest over the whole thing. Notice how I completely forgot two main ingredients: cucumber and tomato. When have you ever seen a greek salad without them? I never have. Oh well.

For the dressing, I took Maille dijon mustard and mixed it with red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, sugar in the raw, oregano and s&p. The sugar cut the tartness which is exactly what I need when I'm working with red vine vinegar. It's super acidic tasting to me. Major pucker factor.

The chicken part. Olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, s&p. White wine during cooking. I baked it for 25 minutes at a 350F. It turned out perfect. I'm getting much better at cooking chicken. Well, using the oven I am. I still tend to kill it stovetop or grilling outdoors. I cut the chicken into good size but bite sized (for a fairly big mouth...hehehe) pieces and put it on top of the greens and vegetables. Then I tossed the whole thing in the red wine vinegar dressing.

The verdict. We both enjoyed the salad. The carrots and the sugar in the dressing leant a slightly sweet taste to the overall salad. And the olives added a nice salty, juicy burst. We felt healthy last night. Steve got stuffed. I ate one big plateful and that was enough. (It was a pretty big plateful.) Sid got some chicken too and he scarfed it up. Ok, do like we do and Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Chan's Garden

Last night we had to go to the laundromat to dry our clothes. Yes, the dryer is still broken. Anyway, we decided to grab some cheap chinese food while we waited. This take out place opened up several years ago. I remember they were renovating for quite some time. When they finally opened, cars were swarmed in the parking lot. It seems as though we weren't the only ones curious about it. So we got food. We didn't love it so we never ordered from there again. We get delivery from the one across town that we have better luck with.

So last night we had a fried food feast. I had an eggroll and four chicken wings with pork fried rice. Steve had a shrimp roll, fried shrimp and french fries. I thought it was pretty good. The wings were very plain which I liked. And the egg roll was really good. It was what a cheap eggroll should be. Crispy, super hot and the last few bites should be a little greasy. That's how me and Steve like them. I didn't try one of his shrimps though I should have. It looked like they used medium-sized ones. The breading was dark brown. The fries were crinkle cut and good. My fried rice wasn't at all greasy. Not even at the bottom. It surprised me. All in all, the dinner was okay. It fed our starving bellies. Later guys. Eat Something Good!

Chan's Garden
54 Secor Rd
Mahopac, NY 10541

Read more...

Pulled Chicken Salad

It was soup & sandwiches last night. We didn't have any cooked chicken lying around so I had to cook some up. I decided to bake it cause I think it cooks more evenly then. I seasoned the boneless breasts with olive oil (and I almost always mean extra virgin), garlic powder, tarragon and s&p. As it was cooking, I hit it generously with white wine. White wine goes so nicely with tarragon in my opinion. Ok, I baked the chicken for like 20-25 minutes on 350F. Once cooked, I used two forks to pull the meat apart. It was nice and tender. Some juices formed in the sheet pan I was preparing the chicken on. I smothered the pulled chicken in it before I transfered it to a bowl. Then I added mayo (almost always Hellmann's), Maille dijon mustard, a hint more tarragon (would've loved fresh for this but dried sufficed) and a bit more salt. I served it on sesame seed rolls that I'd heated in the oven. It gave the crust a very slight crisp and the inside was nice and warm. It would've been nice to have some celery and carrot, finely diced for this salad but I didn't have any on hand.

On the side, I heated up a can of Progresso Italian-style wedding soup. They're the ones with the little meatballs with pasta in chicken broth. I'm not sure if it's the same thing, but we used to like Progresso Chickarina soup. The ingredients were similar. I'm still shopping for soup ideas and I'm spacing. Oh well, it'll come when it's ready.

The dinner was a success. We both really, really enjoyed the sandwich. Again, the finely diced veggies would've been nice but I didn't feel like I was missing anything. And believe me, it was a fat, satisfying sandwich. Steve actually put a slice of american cheese on his sandwich. I'm sure it was good. I just didn't go for it because I was overwhelmed by the very same cheese the night before. For dessert, I had a few pieces of no sugar added canned pears (store brand). I guess that was sorta healthy'ish. Alright guys, don't forget to take a break and Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Steak burgers

When we go to our little local market (about a mile away), we usually get their ground chuck. I love it when Steve orders, he calls it chopped meat. I'm not sure why I get such a kick out of it. I always ask for the ground chuck. Anyway, off to the side they have prepackaged burgers. Steak burgers as it's written on the package. We were psyched all day long thinking about dinner. We had them very simply. Pan fried with american cheese and ketchup (also mayo for him.) Both on fresh kaiser rolls. The burgers were pretty big as were the rolls. They were poofier than usual. Still good.

On the side, we had Kay and Ray potato chips. Sometimes our little market carries strange, unusual products. We never see these anywhere else and they only get them once in a while there. The special thing about these chips are that they're fried in lard. Yes, you heard correctly. Lard. They are dark brown, thin and lightly salted. We were addicted to them when they first came out. They're even darker than Cape Cod Russet Brown (?) potato chips. I love those as well too. Maybe even more.

The verdict on the burger. Well, Steve couldn't stop apologizing for overcooking the burgers. He commented that not one drop of juice came out of it. That was true but I didn't think it was as bad as he made it out to be. He's done far more damage as I have in the past. And for some reason, I wasn't liking that he put so much cheese on it. On three bites, the center ones, I was overwhelmed with the flavor of Land O' Lakes yellow american cheese. I kept telling myself that that's about how much cheese I'd be eating if it were a grilled cheese sandwich and that made it a little better. It didn't occur to me to just take some of it off and feed it to Sid. About the chips, I mentioned that the Kay & Ray potato chips were thin. I didn't mention that they are possibly the thinnest potato chip I've ever had. Unfortunately you pay a small price for that. It settles during shipping and breaks up into smaller pieces more than regular chips. Nonetheless, they were a nice side to the burgers. See you guys later and Eat Something Good!

Read more...

Moroccan Chicken with Lemon & Olives

Steve and I gave this dish two very high thumbs up. As per Steve "it was delicious, absaf*ckalutely delicious". I made a few modifications to the recipe as I didn't have the right ingredients on hand. They called for one ingredient that I didnt' have. Actually I've never even heard of it before. Preserved lemon. From what I can gather, it's supposedly salty. And this recipe also called for using a cut up whole chicken not boneless breasts as I'd prepared. All other ingredients were on board. And there were certainly a lot of ingredients.

Here goes. Combine all spices (paprika, ground cumin, ground ginger, tumeric (first time working with it), cinnamon and black pepper.) Roll chicken in spice mixture and let sit for one hour. To make long steps shorter, I cooked the first side of the chicken on medium heat with diced onions and minced garlic. Lid closed. Fifteen minutes later I flipped the breasts and added green olives (spanish manzanilla - with pimiento), raisins and lemon zest instead of preserved lemon. Then I added a little water and let it simmer for a 1/2 hour. Right before serving, I tossed the dish in fresh cilantro and curly parsley. I wanted the milder parsley to really show off the cilantro. I served this over basmati rice made from water only. No salt. No stock.

There's proof that this dish is as good as we're making it to be. I actually overcooked the chicken and it was still that delicious. The spices give the chicken a beautiful golden brown color. Steve was visually pleased with this dish as was I. Steve had a second piece. What initially drew me to this dish was the cinnamon. I love the flavor of cinnamon used in savory ways. I used to make a dish called porcupines years ago. I think it was from the Joy of Cooking. Anyway, they're these mini meat patties rolled in raw rice then cooked in a tomato based sauce. I used ground turkey though beef would be just as delicious. Not sure when I started adding cinnamon to the sauce but it made the dish ten times better. It made it interesting and the taste was pleasing. So for years now I've been searching for a nice cinnamon using dish. And this one caught my eye. I also thought the raisins (which become soft and less sweet when cooked in the broth) would go nicely with it. And of course you can't ignore how delicious green olives are. In your mouth, a sea of flavors some sweet and then Bam! Salty, briny green olives. Mmmm...makes you want to Eat Something Good!

Read more...