A Couple of Cooks

Frozen Favorites

2009-05-06T12:38:00.002-04:00

I generally enjoy a hot lunch over a sandwich any day which is usually why I bring dinner leftovers to the office everyday. Of course, sometimes there are no leftovers or I am not prepared and that is when having a supply of Lean Cuisine's, or other frozen meals, in the freezer is essential. I admit that I am a little cheap and only buy the meals that cost less than three dollars. Lucky for me, this usually includes the Asian varieties such as the vegetable eggrolls, potstickers (shown above) and the chicken chow mein.

Brown Bag

2009-05-01T16:04:00.002-04:00

I am trying to upgrade my work lunch time accessories. I recently obtained a reusable lunch bag to bring my food in everyday instead of the un-eco plastic bags I have been using every day. I saw these bamboo eating utensils on the Earth Day episode of Oprah and I am intriqued.http://www.to-goware.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=63 Has anyone tried them?

Favorite Foods

2009-03-31T16:43:00.003-04:00

I've been keeping a running list of my absolute favorite foods lately. Here are a few:
- chicken salad
- bbq ribs
- german potato salad
- coleslaw
- orzo pasta salad (giada de laurentis)
- deviled eggs

After reading this list, I have decided I am a diehard "picnic"er and fan of the cookout.

Eastern Inclinations

2008-09-03T21:08:00.004-04:00

Johnnycakes is on quite a roll lately concocting various spice blends. Spice collection seems to be his new hobby. He lent his new talent for blending delicious flavors to our dinner this evening.
We had a few eggplants left over from a recent trip to the Baltimore City Farmers Market. We are sort of tired of eggplant Parmesan, despite having a good recipe for making the classic Italian fare, and decided to think of other recipes we could try.
We decided on Baba Ghanoush and an eastern rub on the chicken and began to compile the necessary ingredients. Johnnycakes grilled the eggplants (another new hobby) until they browned and softened. We then baked the eggplants until completely cooked and skinned the blackened vegetables. We mixed the eggplant with tahini paste, lemon, garlic and cumin until we liked the taste. A garnish of chopped flat leaf parsley and a sprinkle of olive oil completed the mixture.
We served the Baba Ghanoush with chicken, flavored with garlic, cardamom, ground coriander, cinnamon and cumin, and grilled onions and pepper, pita bread and basmati rice.
We generally have not been going to these great lengths on weeknights in the past several months but we seemed to have the motivation tonight. We didn't end up eating until after 8 p.m.! Well, at least we ate a great meal and have our lunches packed for tomorrow.

So Long Summer

2008-09-01T20:15:00.013-04:00

I know that we haven't posted at all this summer, or this year for that matter, but I figured I'd post some photos of the cooking and feasting extravaganzas we've had this summer. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed eating all this great stuff!

I only wish I would have taken more photos this summer. Johnnycakes has become a barbecue master while I continue to eat and experiment with whatever comes to mind.

At First Sight

2008-06-22T22:06:00.005-04:00

As promised, a Couple of Cooks blog has returned. We finally got our new camera after several long and undocumented months. I have to say that it feels a little strange to be posting and writing so I figured I'd just post some photos and let them speak for themselves until I get my bloglegs back:)

A Hiatus

2008-01-19T14:46:00.000-05:00

A hiatus from the food blog has been forced upon us. Our camera is broken! We cannot photograph any of our culinary creations at the current time because our Nikon Cool Pix has gone black on us and a new camera just isn't in the budget this month.
Please know that we have gotten off our holiday induced bender of takeout and cookies and have returned to our semi-healthy home cooked meals. I'll try to post when I see something interesting or have a photo available to use but it's just not the same when you describe something without supplying a photo.
Hopefully we'll return re-energized and with a better camera for photographing food. Good eats!

Cookie Monster

2007-12-18T20:59:00.000-05:00

That's what I am. A cookie monster. In fact, I'm more like a non-cooking, submarine eating, chocolate consuming monster. Help! Derailment isn't the word. I haven't even been working out this week! Tis the season...

Holiday Parties

2007-12-05T12:22:00.000-05:00

There won't be any cooking in our household the next several days. First off, Johnnycakes is out of town for a few days for work. Secondly, tonight starts off the holiday season for me. I'm going to my first of four holiday parties this week which promise to be full of tasty holiday treats and beverages. I've been really good about diet and exercise the past month so I'm hoping to not get totally derailed this week. Wish me luck!

Monochromatic Meal

2007-12-02T20:31:00.000-05:00

They say the more colors in the meal, the healthier. If that's true, then this meal is not very healthy. It's pretty much a monochromatic scale of yellow. Grilled chicken thigh, fried plantains, baked french fried potatoes and half an ear of yellow corn. Despite the shades of yellow, this meal was delicious.

Super Simple Egg Salad

2007-11-29T21:24:00.000-05:00

You know how you get a craving for a certain food and it just won't go away? Well I've been craving egg salad for about a week and a half. I finally got around to making it tonight. I don't have a recipe for some sophisticated egg salad. Just the basics in this case!

Super Simple Egg Salad

4 eggs, hard boiled, chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

3 Tbsp. light mayo

salt and pepper to taste

Mix! Chill for 30 minutes and serve on lettuce or toast.

Like I said, nothing fancy but it'll do just fine. I usually eat a fried egg over easy with toast which is pretty plain. I occasionally like scrambled eggs or vegetable omelets but I tend to lean towards simplicity when it comes to eggs. Sometimes I like hot sauce. Maybe some cayenne pepper would add a little punch to the egg salad. Does anybody have any ideas to make egg salad a little more distinct?

Man Food

2007-11-28T20:33:00.000-05:00

I have somehow caught a killer cold and Johnnycakes has been waiting on me hand and foot, well almost. This cold has rendered me useless in many respects and cooking is one of them (Tho I did muster the strength to make the lasagna the other night). While I was napping, Johnnycakes made me a real man's dinner: Meat and Potatoes.

I can't complain! The New York Strip was grilled to a medium well perfection in the back yard and the french fried potatoes had just the right crisp. We had a starchy succotash for our veggie. Delicious!

Thanks Johnnycakes for this sustaining meal. I need to rebuild my strength to beat this cold for good!

Lake Lasagne

2007-11-26T19:42:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the best recipes are the ones you find on the back of the manufacturer's packaging or on their websites. For instance, the chocolate brownies I made on Thanksgiving were excellent and straight from the Hershey's website.

Tonight's lasagna came right from the back of the San Georgio "no boil" lasagna package. You can find the recipe here:

http://www.sangiorgio.com/recipe/Recipe.asp?R=1600

It's hard to mess up lasagna with all it's cheesy yumminess especially when you are following a recipe. I did tinker with the recipe a bit. Since I'm a veggie lover, I added a can of tomatoes, mushrooms and onions to the mix. I also needed more like two jars of spaghetti sauce to make make the dish the way it is described on the box. Unfortunately, I think it made it a little too watery because the dish fell apart when I cut into it. It was more like a pasta cheese soup than lasagna. Maybe I should have followed the directions...

Well, it still tasted good and will yield plenty of leftovers! That's what's important to us!

A Game Day Decision

2007-11-25T13:11:00.000-05:00

Now that word has traveled far and wide about Johnnycakes legendary Sunday backyard barbecuing, his services have created quite a demand. Somewhat comically, our neighbor showed up with a pound of scallops and a family pack of chicken wings for John to prepare without prior knowledge.

Johnnycakes was all prepared to make the honey mustard wings he prepared last week when I made a last minute request for good old fashioned hot wings! Johnnycakes claimed I was making an abrupt game day decision but I stood my ground.

To make chicken wings, you actually have to cut off the tips of the wings, and then cut the wing into the traditional top and bottom pieces you get in the restaurant.

With my assistance, Johnnycakes placed the wings into a freezer bag and topped the wings with the "Johnny Rub" as he likes to call it.

The "Johnny Rub" goes something like this:

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. garlic powder

1/4 cup of paprika

1 Tbsp. cumin

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 Tbsp. Salt

dust with pepper

Then you seal the freezer bag and "massage" all the ingredients together until well blended. We let the flavors marinate for a couple of hours in the fridge placing them on the grill to "smoke".

Johnnycakes has taken a liking to the smoking technique. He soaks wood chips in water for about an hour before placing them in a aluminum tray in the back of the grill. This slow cooking technique obviously lends a smoky flavor to the meat and makes the meat almost fall off the bone. The grill was definitely kicking out some smoke! The whole neighborhood could probably smell it:)

The final step is to toss the wings in hot pepper sauce and melted butter before serving with bleu cheese dressing and celery.

I'm sure you can tell how this story will end. We enjoyed some delicious hot wings while watching, in Johnnycakes case, hours of endless football. I'm glad I was able to make a play for the traditional hot wings opposed to the honey mustard wings. Sometimes you can't mess with tradition.

Thanksgiving Trimmings

2007-11-21T23:44:00.000-05:00

Well, after a frenzied trip to the grocery store and a three hour cooking marathon, I am finally ready for Thanksgiving. This is the first year I can remember in a while where I was actually finished all my cooking the night before the big holiday. Here's what I whipped up!

Mashed Potatoes! The King of all Thanksgiving side dishes! At least in my mind. I've been making this staple the past three years ever since my mother and grandmother said they didn't want to take on the task anymore. I whipped them up by adding 2% milk, a whole stick of butter, 8 0z. sour cream and some chicken broth. The key is using a hand mixer to make sure all the lumps are out.

I also make a corn bread every year. I usually make corn muffins but I need new muffin tins so I went the old fashioned loaf pan route. My family is always indifferent when I bring this to Thanksgiving dinner but, I love it so much, I make it for myself.

Nothing says Thanksgiving like chocolate. Well maybe not, but I was craving some brownies. Check out this saucepan brownie recipe from the Hershey website. They were super easy to bake and Johnnycakes loved licking the bowl! I substituted walnuts for the macadamia nuts.

Finally, one of the best things about Thanksgiving is the leftovers! It seems like there are never enough which is why I prepared this squash casserole to serve with leftovers over the weekend. I petitioned to have this casserole, which is my sister's recipe, served at Thanksgiving dinner but I was overruled. It's so good that I made a mini one for Johnnycakes and I's personal consumption. It's already to pull out of the fridge and bake on Friday.

I know these items are sort of an eclectic mix of Thanksgiving side items but I love everyone of them dearly.

Happy Turkey Day everyone! I hope you enjoy your feasts as much as I know we will. Thanks for reading!

Waiting Till the Last Minute

2007-11-21T09:30:00.000-05:00

I still haven't gone to the grocery store for Thanksgiving items! Am I alone? Are there others that have waited till the last minute? I probably won' t get to the store before 7 p.m. tonight. I'm only preparing a few sides for our family feast but there is still a lot of prep to do. Here are a few items I need off the top of my head:
5lbs potatoes
butter
milk
sour cream
chix broth
flour
squash, yellow and green
cheddar cheese
stove top stuffing
walnuts
creamed corn
canned corn

That's enough for now but I'm sure I'm forgetting a few items. I hope I'm not in over my head. Is anyone else out there in the same boat?

Lemon Chicken and Other Non-Holiday Related Foods

2007-11-19T21:12:00.001-05:00

It's always tough to prepare dinner the final days leading up to Thanksgiving. You're craving all those traditional Thanksgiving items but you don't want to spoil the big day by eating something too similar. Come to think of it, that's probably why I've been craving lasagna but I digress. We also need to go to the grocery store for our big Thanksgiving shopping trip so our food selection is pretty sparse. Since Johnnycakes has been preparing so many magnificent feasts lately, I really wanted to pull my own weight and let him relax.

I scoured the fridge for ideas on flavoring the chicken. I thought there wasn't too much about Lemon Chicken that reminded me of Thanksgiving.

I marinated the chicken breasts for 30 minutes with the following items:

1/2 lemon, squeezed
1 TBSP. Lemon Pepper Seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt

I tried to keep Johnnycakes involvement to a minimum but, being the barbecue king that he is, he grilled the chicken out back while I tended to the side dishes.

I picked up some Rice-A-Roni Savory Whole Grain Rice packs a few weeks ago when they were on sale . I thought the Chicken and Herbs Classico flavor would complement the chicken. I rounded out the meal with brussell sprouts and acorn squash. I know the acorn squash was kind of pushing the non-Thanksgiving theme but we've had it in the house for a while and I don't want to waste it. I contemplated cooking the acorn squash on the grill but I went the easy route and microwaved the quartered squash topped with butter, pumpkin pie spice and honey.

We both enjoyed this pre-Thanksgiving meal without spoiling our appetite for the big day!

Sunday Dinner

2007-11-18T21:07:00.001-05:00

I am one lucky lady. My dear husband has gotten into the habit of preparing a marvelous feast for my consumption every Sunday. While I run around town tending to errands and visiting friends and family, he is in his glory watching football and grilling in the backyard. When I arrive home, a home cooked meal awaits.

He even takes orders! I've been in the mood for honey mustard chicken wings for months. I think I was reliving my old college days. My craving was finally satisfied today. Johnnycakes looked up a honey mustard chicken wing recipe on the Internet and made the best honey mustard wings I've ever eaten. They were sweet, sticky and smokey thanks to a smoking technique he applied using the backyard grill.

For a more traditional Sunday meal, he also prepared a delicious pork tenderloin on the grill which we topped with the sticky honey mustard glaze. Broccoli and a baked potato rounded out the delicious Sunday meal.

I know that I am completely spoiled by my grill master husband. In fact, I told him his meals have been so impressive that I feel like I'm being robbed of my womanhood. He shows me up with some regularity. I do try to pull my own weight a bit. I did make him a simple fried egg for breakfast with toast. I also had dish duty. It's all about teamwork!

Chicken Crack

2007-11-15T18:22:00.000-05:00

I admit it. I'm a crack addict. A chicken crack addict! I love this buffalo chicken dip recipe so much that I affectionately call it "chicken crack". This recipe is courtesy of a dear friend who knows I can't get enough of this stuff, especially at a party.

Buffalo Chicken Dip (aka "Chicken Crack")

Boil and shred 2-4 boneless chicken breasts (depending on their size)
Place shredded chicken in a 13x9 baking dish
Pour a bottle of Frank's hot sauce over chicken and completely cover

Combine (2) 8 ounce packages of cream cheese and a 16 ounce bottle of ranch dressing or blue cheese or a mixture of both in a sauce pan. Stir constantly over medium heat. After heated pour mixture over chicken.Bake uncovered @ 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle 8 ounces of cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese over chicken and bake another 10 minutes until cheese is melted.Serve with scoop tortilla chips.

Tell me what you think! Tell me I'm not alone in my addiction.

Nice and Easy: Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Cranberry Sauce

2007-11-14T20:25:00.000-05:00

Nothing too fancy to report from our kitchen today. We opted for an easy slow cooker meal which guaranteed minimal effort and plenty of leftovers. Fortunately, this is just the right time of year for a hearty and warm meal.

Crock pot cooking is so easy!

We tossed the following into the crock pot and cooked on low for about 10 hours:

- medium sized pork shoulder roast,

- 4 chopped carrots

- 2 chopped yellow onions

- 2 stalks celery, chopped

- 5 new potatoes, halved

- 1 cup of homemade beef broth

- 2 cloves garlic

- salt and pepper

The meat and vegetables were super tender and flavorful straight out of the slow cooker but I had to have some cranberry sauce on the side since Thanksgiving is fast approaching. What I love about cranberry sauce is that it is both sweet and tart at the same time. The canned sauce was the perfect accompaniment to this hearty and savory meal!

All Gravy

2007-11-13T20:30:00.000-05:00

Despite our lack of new materials on the blog and our "house guest hiatus", Johnnycakes and I have returned to our little kitchen with a quite a vengeance. We hope to make it up to any readers we may still have left!

One of our favorite dishes is roast chicken thanks to Nigella Lawson on the Food Network. We prepared a large bird over the weekend on the backyard grill. One of the highlights of this meal was the gravy we made to accompany the chicken, veggies and homemade mashed potatoes. As they say, the rest was definitely gravy!

Chicken Gravy

2 cups water
Giblets from chest cavity bird (typically heart, gizzard and liver)
2 Tbsp. herb butter
2 Tbsp. flour
salt and pepper

Add chicken giblets to the water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes. After water takes on a brown color, add flour and butter one tablespoon at a time, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This gravy was excellent. It seemed to thicken a bit more after cooling down a bit. It was excellent on top of the mashed potatoes and chicken breast. This gravy was the perfect teaser right before Thanksgiving.

Houseguest Hiatus

2007-11-11T10:15:00.000-05:00

Johnnycakes and I have had a houseguest for the past 7 days or so which has not been conducive to blogging. I have been lamenting about the sad state of our blog:( I had been looking forward to November and putting the blog back into full gear after a crazy September and first part of October. Here it is the 11th of November and not a single post! We'll start again once we are back to our old routine. In the meantime, I'm watching the Food Network for inspiration and I'm taking notes!

What's In Your Cauldren?

2007-10-31T18:18:00.000-04:00

What are you handing out to the Trick-or-Treaters this Halloween? Johnnycakes and I must get a million trick-or-treaters since we live in the city, so we have to be conscious of what kind of candy we buy. Otherwise, we would end up spending a small fortune and we would run out of candy early, leaving many little witches, fairy princesses and warrior ninjas without candy.

I bought the candy last minute this year so I was subject to highway robbery-type prices downtown. I set my budget at $20 since all I had in my wallet was a $20 bill. I basically bought whatever I thought gave me the biggest bang for my buck. This meant that all the goodies, such as Kit Kat, Snickers, Twix and Baby Ruths ,were out of the equation.

We did, however, end up with Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids, giant Tootsie Rolls, Dum Dum lollipops, Whoppers, fun size Hershey bars and Almond Joys and Starburst. I felt that these selections were the most economical compared to the other candy available at the store.

I think it's a pretty well-rounded offering. Johnnycakes said I should be embarrassed of the cheap candy I am giving away. What do you think? Are we the boring or cheap house on the block?

Plenty of Pumpkin, Part 1...

2007-10-30T20:43:00.000-04:00

I think I have carved a jack-o-lantern just about every year of my life. Somewhere in my teenage years, I started to save the pumpkin seeds and flesh for cooking. After all, it's a lot of work so you might as well reap some benefits.

Most people will agree that roasting the pumpkin seeds is one of the best parts and best rewards about carving a pumpkin. After rinsing some of the stringy pumpkin that invariably comes out with the seeds, I toss the seeds in a bit of olive oil before spreading them out evenly on a baking sheet. We coated the seeds in salt and pepper and Old Bay, this being Baltimore and all. We baked the seeds for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees but we made sure to check them frequently and toss them so they wouldn't burn.

After all the seeds were out of the pumpkin, the scraping commenced. It's a lot of work to scrape the inside of a pumpkin. We had a rather large pumpkin and it only yielded about 2 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree when it was all said and done. I use a handy dandy pumpkin scraper that I got in a carving kit a few years back but I've also used a regular old tablespoon a few times. Both will work. I think I could have scraped a little longer and gotten some more meat from the giant gourd but Johnnycakes was rushing me.

After scraping the meat from inside the pumpkin, I boiled the meat for about 15 minutes and then strained it in a colander. Believe it or not, but in the old days I don't think I knew you were supposed to boil the pumpkin and I would prepare pies and other goodies with raw pumpkin! It must not have been too bad because I always ate it.

Once the pumpkin cooled a bit, I pureed it in a food processor to create a smooth texture for the final product. As I stated above, after all that work, I only got about 2 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree.

Now for the fun part. After all that work, it was finally time to start making the pumpkin pie and anything else I could make with what ever pumpkin puree I had left...

Bleu Cheese Mushroom Flank Steak

2007-10-29T20:38:00.000-04:00

Johnnycakes has gone "all Raichlen", as in grill master Steve Raichlen, on me. He received the book "How to Grill" by Steve Raichlen for his birthday and has been his own grill master ever since. He's always been a fan of Steve's public television show Barbecue University, but the cookbook has really ignited his passion for grilling. While I don't think the steak came right out of the cookbook, it was certainly the inspiration. On a side note, I think Steve Raichlen is from Baltimore. Can anyone confirm this factoid?

The preparation for the Bleu Cheese Mushroom Flank Steak really began last night when he decided to show me up, as usual, in the kitchen. I was busy carving a pumpkin for homemade pumpkin pie filling, which is no small feat (a future post), while he decided to begin preparing tonight's dinner.

He began by slicing the flank steak in half so the meat was very thin and flat and placed the beef on top of a sheet of aluminum foil. He then seasoned the beef with salt and pepper and crumbled blue cheese. As you can see in the photo, he smeared the bleu cheese into the meat for an even flavor. He followed that by thinly slicing white mushrooms using an egg slicer and spreading them on top of the meat. He then rolled the meat together in the foil, sort of like a jelly roll.

The meat sat in the refrigerator soaking in all the flavors all day before we put it on the grill after work. He grilled the meat in the foil for twenty minutes on each side until cooked.

In an attempt to be helpful, I steamed some frozen broccoli spears and sliced sweet potato fries using a crinkle cutter. After slicing the sweet potatoes, I tossed them in extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and baked them for 40 minutes at 350 degrees and 5 minutes at 500 degrees. Unfortunately, they got a little toasty since we were preoccupied with slicing the steak. I've been burning stuff lately!

I made a tasty dipping sauce for the sweet potatoes. I prefer to dip sweet potato fries in a mayonnaise based condiment as opposed to ketchup.

Garlic Lemon Mayo

1/4 cup of Kraft Light Mayonnaise

1/4 fresh lemon, squeezed

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the above ingredients. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

As you might suspect, the dinner was delicious. You could smell the blee cheese as soon as we brought the meat inside from the grill. Unfortunately, the roll fell apart a bit when we sliced it but it was tasty, all the same.

I know Johnnycake's is always outdoing me when it comes to kitchen creativity, but can I really complain? He can be my grill master any day!

Oktoberfest At Last!

2007-10-28T12:32:00.000-04:00

Oktoberfest at last! Brews and brats! Freundes, as the Germans would say, and fun! With all the zeal that Johnnycakes and I pursued Oktoberfest festivities this year, one would think that we were of German ancestry. It all started in August really when we started talking about schnitzel, beer and the like with some friends. In the midst of the summer heat, we longed for cooler days filled with beer, friends and funny sounding food. As October approached, we resumed our talks and took some efforts to find or plan the appropriate activities. Several Internet searches, a drunken phone call to a friend, and the scanning of tons of neighborhood flyers and newsletters later, we had all but given up. As Halloween approached and threatened to overshadow any Oktoberfest events, we resigned ourselves to celebrate another year.

And then, out of the blue, we received an invitation to a cookout in endearing Ridgely's Delight. We weren't sure at first if it would be one last homage to summer cookouts, like we've been thinking about having, or something more seasonal. This party had all the makings of an Oktoberfest celebration.

What was on the menu? Brats, a curious veggie topping, grilled chicken, saurerkraut, potato salad and grilled corn on the cob. There was even a mixed cheese, cured meat and cracker platter that was all class, along with a crudite plate. As for beverages, there was plenty of "bier" to go around, as well as Dark and Stormy's, a rum and ginger beer cocktail worthy of a future post unto itself (perhaps the photos are a bit blurred because of the effects of all the alcoholic brews or maybe it was just the camera phone). I have to say that the feast lended itself a certain level of authenticity. I'm not sure to what extent our host intended it that way or not, but it certainly satisfied any demands I might have for an Oktoberfest party.

As for the preparation, I observed the brats, the exact kind I'm not sure but I will tell you that they were not the Johnsonville garden variety, being preboiled in an aromatic beer and onion mixture before being placed on the charcoal grill along side some chicken drumsticks. There was also a veggie topping, I would call it a relish, for the brats. It was a brew of beer, canned tomatoes, chopped green pepper and onions and a few seasonings. I don't think the sauerkraut was run-of the-mill either, as I observed some onions sauteing in butter for the additon to the kraut. Unfortunately, we had to leave as that fun was getting started. We would like to have stayed longer to enjoy all the offerings but, as I said before, Halloween loomed and threatened to overshadow our Oktoberfest efforts this year...

From a grilling standpoint, I even learned what a chimney starter was. I've never seen one of these devices before but apparently you stack the coals in the column to start the fire without the use of lighter fluid. A more natural approach, I am told:)

So after all that, I'm happy to report that we can put Oktoberfest to rest this year, and set our sights on Halloween related culinary pursuits. A round of thanks to our host for extending the invitation. Great party! Danke!

Can't Take the Heat?

2007-10-26T20:27:00.000-04:00

Poor curry dish. This poor dish has been neglected all week! I prepared it on Tuesday, ate it several times and this is the first time I've gotten around to mentioning it. This is the beef version of the chicken curry dish we made over the Summer using the Saras flavoring pack from my friend's mom. It really came in handy for me tonight when I got home from work and wanted something quick to eat. There was just enough for one portion and Johnnycakes was eating last night's leftovers.

This dish was ultra spicy. Fortunately, that's how I like it. I served some to my neighbor and she couldn't eat it because it was so hot. Johnnycakes even commented on the heat. Maybe I'm weird but I like it that way. I did mix in some sour cream to cool things down a bit. I also originally served it with brown rice but that ran out a couple of days ago. Johnnycakes seemed to favor flour tortillas over rice. He made a sort of Indian burrito, if there's such thing. To mix things up a bit, I added peanuts. I think it was pretty healthy too because I added tons of veggies; potatoes, onions, celery, carrots and yellow peppers.

Not too shabby for a Friday night meal! Quick, convenient and tasty!

Insane Chix Parm

2007-10-25T22:39:00.000-04:00

Johnnycakes and I are still blown away by the insane chicken parm I made for dinner on the fly tonight! It was damn good! I call this meal Insane Chicken Parm, because it was insane I even had the energy and stamina to whip this meal up solo on a weeknight and it was insanely delicious! I think I was possessed because I can't take much credit for it.

I had set out some chicken thighs to defrost while we were at work but I hadn't really thought much about what to make with them before 4:30 p.m. It's been cold and rainy here in Baltimore and I was struck with a desire for something warm and filling (i.e. comfort food). That's when chicken Parmesan popped into my head. The funny thing is, I would never order this meal at a restaurant because I find the dish to generally lack flavor.

I whipped this meal up like a mad woman in the kitchen in about 45 minutes after a trip to the gym. Johnnycakes had been to a work happy hour and wasn't hungry and was entertaining our neighbor while I cooked.

Insane Chicken Parm

4 medium chicken thighs

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup of oil ( I mixed olive oil and canola oil to conserve)

3/4 cup bread crumbs

2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning

Flour for dusting

1 16 oz. box of whole wheat penne pasta

Not So Insane Pasta Sauce

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

6 medium white mushrooms, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jar commercial pasta sauce

1/4 cup of water

1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated

Heat oil in a large, deep frying pan. Heat water until boiling for pasta. Prepare pasta as directed on the box.

Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Coat the chicken thighs in egg and then dust the wet chicken thighs with flour. After coated with flour, dredge the chicken thighs in the bread crumb mixture until thoroughly covered. Lay the chicken thighs flat in the hot oil. Fry for about 15 minutes on each side until browned and crispy and thoroughly cooked. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Saute onion, red pepper and mushrooms until soft. Add garlic and stir. Add pasta sauce plus 1/4 cup of water (preferably starchy water from cooked pasta water) and mix all the ingredients together until fully incorporated. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add shredded mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese and mix until melted.

Plate and serve!

I could hardly wait to eat since it was 8 p.m. by this time and I'd already walked home from work and worked out. All that activity and cooking can build up an appetite. Johnnycakes, who was mysteriously absent and not hungry during the cooking phase, popped up just in time to eat! Our neighbor even gave us some props on the feast.

Johnnycakes and I parted ways when it came to our plating techniques. I chose to separate the items and garnish the plate as shown above. Johnnycakes went for a more combined approach.

All this cooking definitely trashed the kitchen, especially because of my super quick whirlwind technique. That's okay. It was well worth it for this tasty dinner. Plus, I have lunch for tomorrow, which promises to be another rainy day. The clean up wasn't so bad thanks to some good conversation...

Flour vs. Corn Tortillas?

2007-10-22T20:49:00.000-04:00

I was halfway finished inhaling a homemade cheese and bean burrito with Johnnycakes when I realized I forgot to take a photo for the blog. I was starving after a trip to the gym and grocery store and I couldn't eat soon enough.
I did get to thinking about how I was loving the soft chewy flour tortilla and how I only recently began eating the flour variety after years of buying corn tortillas. I think I first got started on the corn kind when I heard they were a little healthier since they contained more fiber and less calories. I also liked their versatility for making taco shells and tortilla chips. They are also dirt cheap and last forever! The downside to corn tortillas is that they are usually small because they are not as pliable as a flour tortilla and tend to tear easily.
For a little while, I started buying some of the whole wheat tortillas because they were larger than the corn ones and some brands have very few calories. Despite those positives, the taste was usually lacking in the whole wheat varieties and that is strange coming from me because I usually love anything whole wheat.
Then one day recently, Johnnycakes bought good old fashioned flour tortillas. At first, I was resistant but once I tried one I was hooked! I realized that you just can't substitute that flavor, texture and taste. I was also happy to see that the rather large tortilla, probably around 8 inches in diameter, was only around 150 calories and contained a few grams of fiber. I was sold instantly. I even purchased some myself after we finished the first pack.
So which do you like? Flour or Corn? Or something else? I'm curious!

Cougar Pride! Fallston Meatloaf and Sides

2007-10-19T21:11:00.000-04:00

Johhnycakes and I are both graduates of Fallston High School in Fallston, MD. In their infinite wisdom, the first group of students to attend the school in the late '70's chose the school colors orange, brown and gold (a cheer song just popped in my head) because it related to the "Fall" component of Fallston. Fortunately, this meal was definitely better than what the lunch ladies used to serve in the cafeteria lines.

As we served tonight's dinner, we were both struck by autumnal look to the meal. Since we are both boasting with pride for FHS, we both instantly thought of our old school colors. As you can see, this meal has a real Fall-like look to it. We both decided that Fall had officially arrived in our home. Until now the feeling had really been lacking. Perhaps the school colors are on our minds because my 10 year reunion is in a few weeks.

The cupboards are getting bare again but we were determined to eat at home tonight so we got a little imaginative.

Fallston Meatloaf

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 egg

1/2 cup apple butter

1/2 cup of bread crumbs

1/2 cup golden raisins

1 cup finely chopped white mushrooms

1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix ingredients together until well blended. Fill a standard loaf pan with the mixture and bake for 45 minutes or until the meat reaches 180 degrees.

To round out the meal we baked a halved butternut squash for 45 minutes until soft and warmed some canned creamed corn.

I have to admit, Johnnycakes and I both went back for seconds which I usually try to avoid especially with a 10-year high school reunion fast approaching. Thanks to the seasonal and nostalgic feel to tonight's meal, I am now ready to start baking some pumpkin pies or something!

Chix Teriyaki

2007-10-18T20:55:00.000-04:00

This picture makes our dinner look rather spartan but tonight's meal was full of flavor! The menu consisted of chicken teriyaki, steamed cauliflower, brown rice with mushrooms and boiled edamame.

I marinated the chicken all day in a teriyaki and soy sauce concoction. When I got home, I chopped it into small pieces and pan fried it in sesame oil and lots of garlic until cooked. I cooked the rice in the rice cooker with chopped mushrooms. It turned out perfect. I steamed the fresh cauliflower in the microwave until soft. Unfortunately, I would call the texture closer to semi-soft. The veggies probably could have cooked for a few minutes longer. Finally, I boiled edamame in the shell according to the directions on the bag. I especially happy about the edamame since it's been tough to find on our local grocery store. I topped everything with a little soy sauce.

Johnnycakes was extra pleased with the meal, probably because he didn't have to lift a finger. He's been pitching in a lot in the kitchen lately so it was nice to serve him a meal he didn't have to prepare.

As I said in my last post, we're trying to get back on track with home cooking and being healthy. I'd say this meal fits those perimeters.

Starting Over

2007-10-15T20:48:00.000-04:00

Truth be told, Johnnycakes and I haven't been cooking that much. Our schedules have been sort of nuts and I've been stressed out. We've been trying to eat remotely healthy but nothing worth writing about. I feel like I need to start over, so to speak.

Tonight we made some turkey Italian sausage on the grill while enjoying the beautiful Autumnal evening. We also chopped some red onion and green pepper, wrapped it in foil and tossed it on the grill along side the turkey sausage. In an attempt to embrace the "Oktoberfest" spirit occurring right now, I warmed some canned sauerkraut to top the sausage with. I love the stuff! I don't want the season to pass us by without showing a little spirit! To round out the meal, I burned some fordhook lima beans. I didn't mean to but I guess I had the heat to high when I threw the frozen legumes into the hot pan. I coated them with melted Smart Balance but they still burned.

I know it doesn't look too pretty but it least it was healthy, cheap and tasty!

Oops... I Forgot to Blog

2007-10-08T20:29:00.000-04:00

Johnnycakes and I had to fend for ourselves tonight since our schedules were kind of nuts. We each had a turkey sandwich on rye. I tried to recreate my favorite sandwich "The Rachel" from Beach Bums. The only problem is that I forgot to take a picture. I was pretty hungry so I scarfed it down.

The Rachel consists of:

2 slices of rye bread

1/4 cup of cole slaw

2 tbsp. 1000 island dressing

3 slices of turkey breast deli meat

The sandwich was pretty good but it definitely did not compare with the excellence of Beach Bums.

I did whip up my own 1,000 Island dressing in a flash without prior consultation of a recipe.

1,000 Island Dressing

1/4 cup of mayonnaise

2 tbsp. ketchup

1/4 finely cup diced onions

2 tbsp. finely diced dill pickles

I later found out that traditional 1,000 island has chopped hard boiled egg in it. I guess that makes my version more like a "special sauce" a la McDonald's. It also reminded me of tartar sauce, minus the lemon. I still liked it and I'll probably use it to top several sandwiches over the next few days.

Backyard BBQ - B-MORE Style

2007-10-07T20:10:00.000-04:00

I have a secret desire to be a true Southern cook but I don't know how likely that is. First of all, I am from Baltimore. True, I do reside south of the Mason-Dixon but I don't think Baltimore conjures up that Southern imagery of Live Oak trees, southern style mansions, and fried chicken and biscuits. Secondly, a lot of southern fare takes a lot of time to make and I am short on time lately.

That being said, I still enjoy eating southern style cuisine and cooking it with Johnnycakes when we can. Tonight, we made delicious ribs! We are sort of on a kick now that football season has started of making something yummy to enjoy at game time. Last week, we made these insanely good hot wings thanks to an episode of BBQ University with Steve Raichlen.

Thanks to Nick's Backfire brand of Baltimore barbecue seasonings, sauces and side items, we whipped up some tasty spare ribs.

I bought a big slab (may 4 lbs.?) of pork spare ribs and brought them home for Johnnycakes to manhandle. The prep was pretty simple, really. We patted them down w/ Nick's "Da Rub" which is a blend of southwest bbq seasonings and olive oil. We let the ribs soak up the flavors for about an hour before putting them on the grill.

Johnnycakes used an "indirect" cooking method to use a Raichlen bbq term. This means that he didn't sit the ribs right on the flame. Instead he placed them in the back of the grill away from the flame. We let them cook for about three hours. We basted them with good old fashioned Kraft barbecue sauce the last half hour of cooking.

We served these juicy, extra fatty ribs up with some extra bbq sauce, homemade mashed potatoes and cabbage. This southern style meal was super fattening and super good!

Next week I want to make fried chicken! Let's see if that actually happens.

Simple Slaw

2007-10-02T21:07:00.000-04:00

I love cole slaw. It's strange because I only discovered my love for cole slaw in the past year. I used to shy away from the stuff but now it seems like I can't get enough of the stuff. I especially love to pair it with potatoe chips. I had some leftover cabbage from another dinner and decided to whip up some cole slaw.

Here's what I put together:

Simple Slaw

1/2 head of green cabbage, chopped

2 carrots, julienned

1/4 cup of mayonaise

1 tbsp. vinegar

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. yellow mustard

1 tsp. salt

Mix together all the ingredients in a medium bowl and chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Autumnal Grilling

2007-10-01T21:13:00.000-04:00

What's the worst thing about grilling this time of year? It get's dark too early! I had to grill Johnnycakes and I's ribeye steaks in the dark. I know this picture looks kind of spooky. Now that it's October, my mind automatically goes to ghouls and goblins. Of course, it's kind of our own fault that I couldn't see what I was doing because we have not gotten around to replacing the faulty light that used to hang outside the back door to the kitchen.

I didn't get outside to start grilling until around 7:30 p.m. because I had errands to run and Johnnycakes was in school. I think it's getting dark around 7:20 p.m. right now. I did my best to turn on the grill in the dark and watch the steaks.

The hardest part was determining if they were fully cooked or not. I tried to cut into one of the steaks to see if it was cooked in the center. The beef still looked kind of pink but I thought it was done.

When I got inside into the light, it was obvious the steak was rare or medium rare at best. I was comfortable eating it but Johnnycakes was not and put his back on the grill for a few more minutes.

Despite all these efforts, we had a tasty steak dinner which was actually inspired by one of favorite cheeseburgers at Chili's. I'm not sure if they still have it, but Chili's used to feature a burger topped with black pepper, blue cheese and fried onions. Yum...

A 2007 Orioles Highlight: Attman's at the Ball Park

2007-09-25T19:34:00.000-04:00

Baseball season is winding to a close here in Baltimore and, sadly, the most notable thing about the Orioles 2007 season is the addition of Atman's Deli to Camden Yards. Johnnycakes and I have decided that their deli sandwiches are the best thing to the eat at the ballpark.

Attmans Delicatessen, located at 1019 E. Lombard Street along Corn Beef Row, is a Baltimore landmark. First opened in 1915, a loyal legion of fans flock to the deli for authentic New York style deli items such as corn beef and pastrami.

We were pleasantly surprised to find an Attman's stand at Camden Yards this summer. Ballpark food can be so generic for the outlandish prices, and Boogs and Bambinos have just not been cutting it the last few times I ate along Eutaw Street.

Anyone familiar with Attmans knows that ordering at the deli can be at a frenzy pace so you should know what you want when you get in line. Luckily, things are a little more relaxed at the Oriole Park location.

The prices appeared quite steep at first. $10 for a beef brisket, turkey, corn beef or pastrami sandwich on rye. You will soon discover that the purchase is well worth the price once you receive your generously stacked sandwich (we got the brisket) served with a standout coleslaw and pickle. Johnnycakes and I split our sandwich both times we ordered Attmans at the ballpark and went away satisfied.

The last time we visited, Johnnycakes also ordered a meat knish which the Attman's staff referred to as a "Jewish Egg Roll". I had never tried one but Johnnycakes assured me they were delicious. He was right! I enjoyed the dough stuffed with meat.

Hopefully, Attman's will back next year at Oriole Park. Let's just pray they are not the best thing about the going to see the O's in 2008!

Tried and True: A Pasta Dinner

2007-09-24T19:39:00.000-04:00

There is just something about a spaghetti dinner that helps you ease back into cooking after a vacation or time off in the kitchen. At least that's how it is in our kitchen. It seems like we always make a spaghetti dinner after a hiatus in the kitchen. Perhaps it's the simplicity of the preparation or readily available ingredients.

There isn't anything that sets this round of pasta preparation apart besides, maybe, some healthy veggies. We diced some onions, peeled some carrots and steamed some spinach and added it to some lean ground beef and canned pasta sauce. The sauce itself featured some mushrooms, which are one of our favorites.

As you can see, the sauce featured lots of colors. I have read that a variety of colors is a good indicator of plenty of nutrients.

To add to the health factor, we prepared Barilla Plus Whole Wheat Rotini for some extra whole grains. We've been making whole wheat pasta for several years so we're happy to see new brands and extra varieties to try.

You can't always be healthy, so we were sure to top the pasta with lots of freshly grated Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses.

You just can't go wrong with a simple ragu pasta chock full of veggies, at least not in our household.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2007-09-23T19:26:00.000-04:00

Today is Johnnycakes and I's 1-year wedding anniversary! It's hard to believe it's been an entire year. As many of you may know, it has become tradition to freeze the top layer of the wedding cake to be eaten on your first wedding anniversary, which is exactly what we just did!

We were both skeptical as to how fresh and/or palatable the cake would be, especially since neither of us could recall any other couples having a positive experience. Most people we asked said the cake was freezer-burned or had some sort of freezer malfunction during the year or had simply forgotten about the cake. These accounts did not make us overly anxious to try the cake.

We ourselves had struggled a bit with storage of the cake over the past year. On our wedding night, we were both so hungry after the reception that we ate a portion of the cake with our bare hands! The box that the reception hall put the cake in had gotten sort of crushed and covered in icing so we ditched it as soon as we got home. Since we had devoured a portion of it, the cake was sort of a funny shape. We didn't know how to store it, so we wrapped it in several layers of plastic wrap and aluminum foil and stored it in a large round bowl. Unfortunately, the funny shape wouldn't let us seal the lid all the way, which led to our belief that the cake would not fair well over the course of a year.

Luckily for us, we were completely wrong! Our cake, lemon with butter cream frosting, was just as good as on our wedding day. The frosting was super sweet, creamy and buttery. The cake was still moist and had a distinct lemon flavor. You would never know it sat in the freezer for a year. Our neighbor enjoyed a piece with us and concurred that it was both fresh and delicious.

The cake was prepared by Sugarbakers, a well known local bakery that was featured on The Today Show. As you can see, the cake was beautiful. It consisted of alternately layers of lemon cake with butter cream frosting and amaretto cake with raspberry filling. Unfortunately, neither of us ever got to try the amaretto layer besides at the original tasting. We never found anyone that tried it either.

We enjoyed our trip down memory lane while we enjoyed our cake. It brought back lots of memories of our wedding day and all the preparation and excitement that led up to the Big Day. Now that we have reached this important milestone, we are just happy to have the extra freezer space back!

Sensational Asian Inspired Chicken

2007-09-20T20:40:00.001-04:00

Johnnycakes and I can't stop commenting on how much we enjoyed tonight's dinner. It all just came together without much forethought and it was one of the tastiest dinners we've prepared in a long time.

I should probably mention that we are in another one of those critical times when we desperately need to go to the grocery store. We are really getting to the bottom of what we can eat but it's an interesting exercise to say the least.

I set out some boneless chicken thighs to thaw while we were at work. We decided to go with an an Asian theme since we haven't went in that direction lately. I was sort of in the mood for rice so I prepared about two cups in the rice cooker while we started to prepare dinner.

I coated the chicken in World Harbor Hawaiian Style Teriyaki Sauce. I am a big fan of all the World Harbor sauces. It's basically all corn syrup but I've used the brand in many dishes, especially when I go to a party.

Johnnycakes heated a large deep frying pan coated in sesame oil. He chopped 2 cloves of garlic and a large chunk of fresh ginger. Once that started to cook, Johnnycakes added the chicken thighs to the heat and covered the pan. The meat, combined with some of the teriyaki sauce, gave off a lot of moisture so the meat almost boiled in the juices.

I chopped a whole red onion, julienned 2 carrots, sliced some canned pineapple rings and steamed some frozen broccoli while the meat cooked.

We slowly added the onions and carrots to cook until soft. Once the veggies were soft and the meat was cooked thoroughly, we combined the rice, pineapple, meat and vegetables and tossed. The combo was a little dry so we added some pineapple juice and some extra teriyaki sauce.

Yum! The end result was great. We both went back for seconds which I usually try to refrain from. I think it was the sweetness that made the dish so good. I am a new convert to chicken thighs since I think they have a lot more flavor than chicken breast. We thought some salty peanuts in the mix may have been good but, in retrospect, I think it was the sweetness we savoured and enjoyed.

An Interesting Trio

2007-09-18T20:58:00.000-04:00

I know this photo is probably puzzling. I think this beef brisket is technically being served with two fruits since I think plantains are related to bananas. Without much available to us, we improvised on what to make for dinner. Since we've been really pressed for time lately, we tossed the brisket in the slow cooker while we tended to other duties. Of course, we rubbed the meat with "Nicks" Barbecue Rub courtesy of the Baltimore City Farmers Market first.

When we got home, the meat had only cooked for about 2 1/2 hours and was still a little tough but we were so hungry and it was getting late so we ate anyway. Goya Platano Maduras (fried sweet plantains) are among my favorite foods and since we had three packs in the freezer, we decided to 'nuke them in the microwave. To round out this unorthodox meal, I sliced some cantaloupe I picked up at the Cross Street Market.

I know the meal isn't too visually pleasing but, believe it or not, dinner tasted good. It was an interesting combination of sweet and salty.

At the rate we're going, who knows what we'll have for dinner tomorrow night.

Cheese, Please

2007-09-17T21:29:00.000-04:00

Johnnycakes and I have taken a little hiatus from the kitchen due to more pressing matters that demand our time and attention. We have made a few snacks here and there but we haven't had time to make anything elaborate or blog about it. Hopefully the next couple of weeks will be a bit more forgiving but I doubt it. We are going out of town this weekend for our 1 year wedding anniversary!

We made a fattening chicken dinner cooked in olive oil again. I don't know what that says about us. I don't know what was the best part, the cheesy potatoes or the sauteed mushrooms? We tried to be remotely healthy by serving some steamed broccoli on the side. Come to think of it, I think tonight's meal was all about comfort food. We have been sort of stressed out lately and I think it shows through the quick and fattening meal we prepared.

It was still economical and tasty but it could have been healthier. That's two out of three and it's better than nothing!

Grilled Chicken Salad in a Flash

2007-09-10T21:23:00.000-04:00

Johnnycakes and I totally spaced on dinner tonight. I honestly forgot and didn't even think about preparing dinner until around 5 p.m. today. We've been really busy to say the least. Luckily, Johnnycakes took some initiative and defrosted some chicken breast in the microwave which is one of my pet peeves. I know that's kind of a weird pet peeve but it's true.

We also had a perfectly good head of romaine lettuce that had been in the fridge untouched for over a week. I chopped the lettuce and gave it a "spin" in the salad spinner. We had plenty of fresh veggies for making a grilled chicken salad.

Johnnycakes also took the rather unorthodox method, by a Couple of Cooks standards, and fried the chicken in a frying pan with an inch of extra virgin olive oil. The chicken wasn't breaded but I'm sure the olive oil added a lot of fat. Oh well, it tasted good! We fried it on each side for about 10 minutes on med-high heat and then cooked it on low for another few minutes.

I topped the salad with fried red onions, delicious Maryland tomatoes, shredded carrots, chopped celery, croutons and Parmesan cheese. We also used a Greek salad dressing which was basically oil and vinegar with seasonings.

The chicken had lots of flavor and was still warm when we ate it. Not too shabby for dinner on the fly. Not to mention I saved a little bit and made some chicken salad for lunch tomorrow. Yum!

The Apple of Our Eye

2007-09-06T21:22:00.000-04:00

I had forgotten how much inspiration the Food Network provides Johnnycakes and I with our meal ideas. We haven't been watching as much Food Network over the summer months because of a new exercise class on Saturday mornings and the Sunday Farmer's Market. We recently rediscovered the channel over the long weekend and our heads are already brimming with ideas.

On Saturday, we watched Tyler Florence prepare a delicious sandwich featuring cheddar cheese, Granny Smith apple and bacon during a "soup and sandwich" episode. It looked so appealing that we kept talking about it for the rest of the day. I occasionally enjoy a bagel with tart apple slices and cheddar cheese (thanks to a childhood friend's children's cookbook) so I thought that adding bacon to that combination sounded even better.

Johnnycakes bought the necessary ingredients on Sunday and we finally got around to preparing the sandwich tonight. Preparation was super quick which is just what we needed after a unusually crazy week.

In Couple of Cooks fashion, we also prepared a healthier version that the one featured on the Food Network. We topped rye bread with Cracker Barrel 2% cheddar cheese, thin Granny Smith apple slices and turkey bacon and grilled then in a frying pan. I admit I did cook them in the same pan I fried the turkey bacon so that added some extra fat and calories.

The apple, cheese and bacon is a great combination! I suggest you try it. Thanks Food Network! I can't wait to see what our next inspiration will be.

Colombia, Maryland

2007-09-04T21:00:00.000-04:00

No, that's not a typo. I am not referring to Columbia, MD, the "new town" brought to reality by visionary James Rouse. Instead, I am referring to the Colombian and Maryland influences that combined to make tonight's dinner.
This plate features Maryland grown corn, Maryland grown tomato and chicken breast in the Maryland favorite Old Bay "spicy chicken marinade". The Colombian influence came into play with the "Platano Maduros", or fried plantains which were prepared by my sister-in-law and mother-in-law. They were seasoned in vegetable oil, brown sugar and cilantro but I'm not sure about the rest. The platanos were full of fresh flavors.
Just in case you don't know, the McCormick Spice Company's Old Bay Seasoning is a Baltimore favorite. The side of the can contains several recipes depending on which size you buy. To date, Johnnycakes and I have tried the Fried Chicken (delicious!) and now the Spicy Chicken Marinade. Both have been full of flavor and definitely worth a second try.
While I can't take any credit for tonight's tasty dinner, I must say I enjoyed it and we both hope you give the Old Bay recipes and Platanos Maduros a try.

Checking In

2007-09-03T10:47:00.000-04:00

Just checking in! Haven't even boiled water since Wednesday. I have pressed the "start" button on microwave a few times. This holiday weekend has been characterized by a lot of takeout. Just to summarize, Chinese food, deli food, McDonalds, doughnuts, crabs, breakfast bagels... All kinds of junk, really. I'm not feeling my best, like usual, when I don't cook. We're eating lots of leftovers and going to a cookout today. We're going to have to stop at the grocery store tonight. The kitchen is in critical condition right now.

Mystery "Meat"

2007-08-29T20:10:00.000-04:00

As I may have expressed last night, Johnnycakes are reaching the bottom of the barrel as far as groceries and dinner items are concerned. Johnnycakes is at school tonight so I thought I would run to the grocery store and pick up something remotely healthy to eat as well as a few other edible items. Then I remembered that Johnnycakes had my car while his is in the shop. There went that idea.

Left to my own devices, I scoured the fridge for something to eat. I was super excited when I discovered Morningstar Black Bean burgers in the freezer. As many of us know, beans provide a lot of protein in the absence of meat and pack a lot of other healthy attributes. Combined with corn tortillas, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese and salsa, I had all the fixins' for a tasty meal. Not to mention the cheap eats!

I didn't really put too much foresight into planning the photo because I was hungry at that point and the whole concept was a bit cumbersome. Basically, I just piled everything on top of the corn tortilla and ate it! You can't really see the black bean burger or melted cheese in the photo (hence the "mystery") but let me assure you they tasted good.

Tonight's dinner hit the spot, especially after I realized that for probably the first time in my life I skipped breakfast. I actually forgot to eat breakfast today. That is an absolute first! I never miss a meal:)

The best part is that there were two black bean burgers in the freezer, so I can make Johnnycakes a quick and healthy meal if he is hungry when he gets home.

Have it Your Way: Buttered Sea Scallops with Spinach and Rice

2007-08-28T20:29:00.000-04:00

Tonight's dinner was another last minute creation that turned out to be a success. In fact, Johnnycakes was trying to tempt me to go out to eat for cheeseburgers but I resisted! A lack of pre-planning or selection in the freezer necessitated a trip to the Cross Street Market. Johnnycakes and I were also very indecisive but I eventually decided on some large sea scallops which are one of his favorites.

I knew that I was in the mood for brown rice and we always have plenty of that on hand. I used the rice cooker to prepare a couple of cooks. While the the rice cooked, I marinated the scallops in a sweet white wine and salt. Johnnycakes sauteed some mushrooms and onions in Smart Balance in one pan and the scallops and butter in another one. It was also his idea to add spinach to the mix.

Once everything was prepared, we both went separate ways when it came to plating and presentation. I mixed everything together in a bowl and topped it with the scallops and Parmesan cheese. Johnnycakes chose to eat each item separately. To each their own! We both enjoyed this impromptu dinner which was both nutritious and tasty. Much better than cheeseburgers. At least for tonight, anyway.

Dinner and a Draft

2007-08-27T22:02:00.000-04:00

Normally, Fantasy Football is a point of contention between Johnnycakes and I because of all the time Johnnycakes spends watching football, researching players and stats and just generally talking football with his friends. Tonight, I actually found a reason to like Fantasy Football! Since tonight was "draft" night for Johnnycake's Fantasy League, he was anxious to eat before the fun began. I was running a little late from work, and when I got home Johnnycakes had dinner all prepared. All I did was fix a plate!

Dinner was a classic "meat and potatoes" dish which always aims to please. He seasoned the sirloin steaks in "Rudy's Rub", a Texas blend of barbecue spices, garlic pepper and salt before grilling them out back. An overly generous portion of sour cream topped the mini baked potato. All that topping was probably overkill but it tasted good! A healthy dose of steamed broccoli helped to round out the meal.

I'll tell you, I hope the rest of football season goes this well. I'll have to repay the favor by fixing him some "tailgate" treats once Ravens football and the season gets underway.

Stress Eating!!

2007-08-23T20:30:00.000-04:00

I am trying to control myself and not stress eat! Johnnycakes and I are having a string of bad luck. His car was stolen two weeks ago and we finally got it back two days ago (minus a car stereo but with minimal damage). Then, today we were getting ready to leave for three days at the beach and swing into a service station for a quick oil change and the mechanic breaks my car! It's not that simple but let's just say we're not going to the beach tonight and maybe not at all this weekend. I'm feeling like we've stepped into some bad cosmic energy.
I quit smoking a while back but I used to turn to cigarettes in stressful situations. Since that's not an option anymore I am thinking about junk food to comfort myself. Luckily, I haven't actually shoved anything in my face yet but it's tempting. I'm kind of thinking about McDonald's french fries and ice cream. I am going to try to control myself and not stuff food in my mouth. Do others stress eat? What do you eat? What do you do to quell cravings?
Sorry about no photos!

Leftover and Loving It!

2007-08-21T20:48:00.000-04:00

Tonight is a repeat of last night. I could almost paste the part about eating my delicious spaghetti dinner curled up on the couch with Moo Shu Gato. Even the weather is similar; chilly and rainy. Since Johnnycakes is out of town for a few days, I am enjoying a no hassle lifestyle. I ate leftovers for lunch and dinner and plan to do the same for the next couple of days. I guess it's a good thing that I love spaghetti. Plus, I always enjoy leftovers because the flavors have time to sink in and take hold of the dish.

The only difference between tonight and last night was the super simple garden salad I ate first. The assembly took all of one minute and included chopping a few florets of cauliflower, red onion and heirloom tomato. I added a few croutons and topped the healthy mix with some lite raspberry vinaigrette dressing. I enjoyed it immensely.

I have no complaints. Dinner was delicious, cheap and there was no clean-up. Sorry this post isn't very exotic but sometimes it's great to be boring.

The Comforts of Home

2007-08-20T21:46:00.000-04:00

A chilly rainy night home alone pretty much signals comfort food for many of us. That's exactly what I was thinking tonght when I made a big pot of spaghetti and meat sauce.

I didn't want to go to too much trouble with cooking or cleaning so I just doctored up some jarred spaghetti sauce. I complemented the sauce with plenty of vegetables including eggplant, carrots, onions, mushrooms and red peppers. I also added some extra lean ground beef seasoned with plenty of red pepper flakes, garlic, salt, italian seasoning and a little red wine vinegar.

It sounds simple but I actually ended up dirtying four pots because I was trying to cook in a hurry. I used one pot to boil the eggplant, one to cook the meat, two for the spaghetti sauce because the first one wouldn't fit the sauce, meat and all the veggies at the same time and a large stockpot to boil the whole wheat pasta. Once everything was cooked and relatively cleaned up, I filled a big bowl with pasta and sauce and topped it with lots of freshly shredded Parmesan cheese.

The rain was coming down pretty good at this point and it was starting to get dark outside so I curled up on the couch and polished off the whole bowl. It was completely delicious and satisfying. In fact, the sauce's flavor was almost addictive. The large variety of vegetables, including the eggplant and mushrooms, combined with the savory beef made this dish irresistible. Moo Shu, our cat, loves spaghetti sauce. I know it's bizarre but it's the one human food we feed her. I always let her lick the bowl once I'm finished. She loves it and tonight was no exception. Despite missing Johnnycakes, Moo Shu and I shared quite an evening on the couch enjoying one of our favorite comfort foods.

Like Grandma Used to Grow

2007-08-19T17:41:00.000-04:00

Johnnycakes and I picked up this "superfruit" from the Reid's Orchard Stand at the Farmers Market this morning. I read that grapes, while uncommonly common, are actually considered a "superfruit" because of all the antioxidants and nutrients they contain.

I was actually intrigued by these local garden variety grapes because they reminded me of my grandmother. My "Nonna", who passed away some years ago, used to grow grapes at her suburban Baltimore home. My Italian grandparents recreated their homeland by growing grapes on overhead vines and on various racks and trellises throughout their property all inside the Baltimore beltway. In addition to grapes, they also had a plum tree, peach tree, a rather large vegetable garden and they raised chickens for eating.

We used to visit my grandparents and many cousins every Sunday night. In the summertime, my sisters I would always ask if the grapes were ready. "Are the grapes ready, yet" would be our mantra as Summer progressed. It seemed we could never eat enough of the grapes once they arrived.

I don't know what kind or variety they were. All I know is that they were "slipskin" grapes like these which meant you couldn't eat the skin. You had to spit the skin out and swallow the "meat" whole. Nonna's grapes were sweeter and had a more blue appearance than the ones I picked up today. I wouldn't be surprised if my grandparents somehow brought the variety from Italy since there is an old "fig tree" story in my family that goes something like that.

I'm not sure what you would call them. I don't recall seeing a sign at the stand, which usually labels all of the fruit varieties. I would call them Concord grapes but I'm probably wrong. Are there any Viticulture experts out there that could help with this?

Regardless, I plan to enjoy these "superfruits" and reminisce about my childhood summers running through the grapevines and playing with my cousins and, of course, gorging on grapes!

A Sweet Treat!

2007-08-16T11:59:00.000-04:00

As summertime winds to an end, Johnnycakes and I are trying to have as much fun as possible. Yesterday we took a fabulous trip to Hershey Park, a chocolate lover’s fantasy! Johnnycakes and I got to share this great day trip with my sister and my little 6-year old nephew. 2007 is an extra special year for Hershey because it marks the 100 year anniversary of the Hershey Kiss.
I never realized how many varieties of Kisses there were until I went into the legendary Chocolate World. Being from Baltimore, I’ve been to the park many times since it is only about an hour and a half away from Baltimore. Somehow, I never made it to Chocolate World which includes a tour ride of how Hershey Chocolate is produced, a 3-D movie, small food vendors and huge gift shops. I was super excited to experience this illusive (at least for me!) portion of park and enjoyed the free sample of Kissables as the end of the tour. The gift shops had just about every type of Hershey kiss imaginable including dark chocolate, cherry cordial, chocolate truffle, caramel, swirl, nut lovers and the list goes on….
It’s amazing how many sweet products the company makes in addition to the Hershey Bar including Icebreakers, Bubble Yum, Reeses, York Peppermint Patties, Twizzlers and Jolly Ranchers.
On a side note, we didn’t eat too shabbily at the park either. We were very impressed by a stand out barbecue stand by the Trail Blazer roller coaster which sold delicious pit beef sandwiches. I topped mine with plenty of barbecue sauce and fried onions. I even sampled a bit of horseradish. Johnnycakes had a barbecue chicken leg quarter which was fabulous and flavorful. The coleslaw was some of the best I’ve had all summer! It’s hard to believe we found this delicious food at an amusement park. You just have to search it out and bypass all the typical hot dog and chicken finger stands.
I would highly recommend a trip to this super sweet destination if you can steal away for a day. In fact, the park has expanded so much since I was a kid, I would recommend two days instead. If you are a chocolate lover, this is the place for you!

Something Simple

2007-08-14T21:39:00.000-04:00

A busy schedule necessitated something simple for dinner. I have found that just because it's simple doesn't mean dinner has to lack in flavor.

I am a new convert to boneless chicken thighs! They pack twice as much flavor as a boring old chicken breast. Plus, they tend to be smaller which makes portion control much easier. I "rubbed" the chicken in Rudy's Rub. Has anyone ever heard of this? It was given to us by a friend who got it in San Antonio. The branding says it's the "worst" barbecue in Texas or something to that effect. We thought it was pretty damn good because of the natural blend of traditional barbecue seasonings. We also mixed in some honey to add some sweetness.

Tonight also marked a milestone for Butters! I "manned" the grilled solo. I have never actually used our grill alone before. In fact, I have had trouble even turning it on in the past. Johnnycakes had to run an errand so I was left to my own devices. I think I may have cooked the meat too quickly on too high of heat but overall everything turned out. The meat really held on to a lot of it's own juices and was very tender.

We rounded out the dinner w/ traditional southern mixed greens in butter and a mini baked potato topped with sour cream.

Despite it's simplicity, tonight's dinner was relatively healthy and had a lot of flavor. Johnnycakes raved about it when he got home and I enjoyed it myself. Sometimes it's best to keep things uncomplicated.

Summertime Rolls

2007-08-13T19:52:00.000-04:00

One of the best things about summertime is undoubtedly the cookouts and barbecues. We certainly enjoyed ourselves yesterday at our neighbors house where the hospitality was unmatched. I wish I had taken more photos to demonstrate the spoils of our labor in the form of glorious food plates and leftovers but I didn't.

Here is a sampling of the many palate pleasers offered to us:

Margaritas (blended to perfection by Johnnycakes!)

Pork tenderloin - seasoned in honey, soy sauce and garlic chili paste.

Italian sausage

Chicken kebabs

Cheesy potatoes

Corn bread

Corn on the Cob - grilled with the husk on

Guacamole (a la butters)

Fresh salsa

Fruit salad ( a beautiful one, I might add, with a ton of variety)

French apple pie

Homemade Black and White cookies

Peanut Butter brownies

A local restaurant even donated delicious watermelon salsa, broccoli , bacon and cheese salad, pasta salad and potato salad. Our neighbors really have the connections!

I hope we can squeeze a few more of these events in before summertime rolls to an end. What about you? Has anyone been to some great barbecues and cookouts this summer?

Holy Guacamole!

2007-08-12T18:19:00.000-04:00

Guac, as my neighbors call it, has got to be one our favorites. It's hard to beat a really good guac dip, especially when you've got tortilla chips and a salsa on the side.

This simple recipe packs a lot of buttery goodness and is tough to beat.

Guacamole

3 Hass avocados, ripe

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1/2 lime, squeezed

1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

I like to cut the avocado in half and strike the round seed hard with the knife so it pops right out. Mash the avocados into slightly chunky in a medium bowl. Add the chopped red onion and tomato. Using a garlic press, press the garlic cloves into the mixture followed by the lime juice and cilantro. Mix all the ingredients together and add salt and pepper to taste.

This dip was a big success at our neighbors cookout today. We always get rave reviews whenever we serve it.

Taco Night ! Enough Said.

2007-08-09T19:19:00.000-04:00

A lack of imagination and desire to cook ironically resulted in one of our favorite dinners: TACOS! Sometimes you just can't beat taco night. I didn't really have much to do with it. Johnnycakes whipped up these up in a flash.

He cooked lean ground beef with red peppers and onions until well done. The rest of the preparation was a simple as chopping some tomato and gathering the other toppings out of the fridge and assembling them on the counter. We topped corn tortillas with sour cream, tomatoes, shredded cheese and lettuce. That was it. Nothing fancy. No sides.

I enjoyed two tacos while Johnnycakes devoured five! Since I didn't have anything to do with the preparation, I ended up on dish duty. I didn't mind though.

Sometimes a quick, no frills dinner is best. It leaves more time for other pursuits, like blogging, visiting friends, etc! Enough said.

Restaurant Review: Ann's Dari-Creme

2007-08-08T21:52:00.000-04:00

Johnnycakes and I have been anticipating a trip to Ann's Dari-Creme on Ritchie Highway for some weeks and finally ventured there tonight. We stumbled across this nostalgic joint a few weeks back after a rare trip to Marley Station Mall and stopped in for ice cream. We were surprised when we got inside and saw a concise menu of burgers, hot dogs and fries. We were completely intrigued by the cramped and diner-style decor and the feeling that we were stepping back in time. The restaurant opened in 1951 and was probably akin to many other roadside stops at the time but we were especially interested when we read the newspaper clippings inside about how the small family owned business fought the developers of Marley Station Mall and won! The place really does sort of stick out like a sore thumb amongst the mall's imposing presence. After all this, we vowed to come back for dinner one day soon.

We declared tonight "date night" and planned our dinner and a movie accordingly. We drove out to Ann in anticipation of a good old fashioned greasy American dinner of burgers and fries. We actually accidentally ordered rather large subs because we didn't realize that you could order either a sandwich, half or whole sub. That somehow escaped me and I ordered myself a whole cheeseburger sub with fried onions, lettuce, tomato, mayo and mustard on a huge sub roll. Johnnycakes ordered a whole hot dog sub with chili and cheese. We split an order of fries. I think they are most known for the hot dog sub but I preferred the cheeseburger sub. I noticed on the menu that you can order a a "double dog" which I can understand because the hot dogs are rather skinny and get lost in the large sub rolls. Next time I will order just the cheeseburger "sandwich" because the sub rolls are enormous and the meat sort of gets lost inside. Overall, we enjoyed our traditional grub and of course managed to polish off the large portions.

The inside only seats about 10 people at the stainless steel counter and the volume of folks coming in and out to order dinner is pretty heavy so we decided to eat in our air-conditioned car. God Bless America! Normally, you would be able to eat outside at the various benches scattered throughout the large parking lot but we were dissuaded by the sweltering August heat.

I was ready for some ice cream or a milkshake afterwards but Johnnycakes talked some sense in to me. Next time, he said....

The Double Bird

2007-08-07T19:12:00.000-04:00

Sometimes there's nothing like a good old grilled chicken sandwich, especially when it's topped with fresh local tomatoes. At least that's what I was in the mood for tonight. Johnnycake's softball game necessitated a quick dinner so sandwiches seemed like a logical choice.

I bought some boneless chicken thighs at the grocery store last night. I wanted to buy chicken breast but the grocery store was ransacked and they didn't have the "family packs" that we prefer. The thighs worked well because their small size pre-portioned them for sandwiches. and the dark meat had extra flavor the chicken breast often lacks. I marinated the meat quickly in Ken's Steakhouse Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing for lack of other ideas or preparation.

After we grilled the chicken outside, we topped the chicken with melted Alpine Lace reduced fat provolone cheese and turkey bacon.(hence the "double bird" name) I chose to put the sandwich on a hot dog potato roll while Johnnycakes opted for wheat bread. Both were delicious, especially with a little LTM. Unfortunately, as you can see by the photo, mine was so "overstuffed" that I had to serve it open-faced!

BTW, I recently read or heard (I can't remember which) that sandwiches are the most popular dinner in the United States. Do you think that's true?

Groceries at Last!

2007-08-06T21:38:00.000-04:00

I think Johnnycakes and I have set a new personal record for the longest we have ever gone without grocery shopping. It's been three whole weeks since the last time we have gone to the grocery store. Let me tell you, I would not recommend it. We spent twice as much money on food eating outside the house and our diet has been pretty unhealthily. This is not a good example to set as a food blogger who tries to promote the benefits of home cooking!

I would blame our hectic work schedules but I would also blame our full social schedule for our inability to get to the grocery store. We have been very busy with work but we've also been having a lot of fun hanging out with friends and family. The other truth is that I just plain dislike going to the grocery store. In fact, I don't like to shop much, period. I tend to prefer visiting local markets and shopping on a daily basis but you can't really buy soda or bulky items that way.

I have been contemplating starting to use a grocery delivery service more regularly, such as Safeway or Giant's Peapod. The Food Maven blog addressed this topic http://foodmaven.blogspot.com/ today. Maybe I should take that as a sign that I am just not cut out for these arduous grocery excursions. My problem in the past has been the scheduling but I'm sure I can manage if I really want to.

For now, Johnnycakes and I are excited that we can enjoy our favorites, such as Silk Chocolate Soy Milk, Kashi Go Lean Blueberry Waffles, yogurt, seltzer water... The list goes on. How much did we spend? I spent around $157 and some change and that included plenty of meats to prepare healthy dinners, fruits, veggies and some frozen meals for when we are in a pinch!

Now we just have to get back on our weekly Sunday evening visits to the grocery store or committ to online shopping so we don't end up in this situation again.

A Bridal Luncheon

2007-08-05T20:07:00.000-04:00

Today was a great day! Not only did I attend my best friend's bridal shower, but it was held at great friend's excellent restaurant, the Laurrapin Grille (http://www.stjohngourmet.com/) in Havre de Grace, MD. I highly recommend trying this restaurant if you are in the Havre de Grace area and want to try some unique and tasty cuisine in a cool setting.

The food is always top notch at the restaurant. In fact, our friends have held several occasions there recently because of the overwhelming demand for the food! Today was no different. The appetizers were highlighted by a delicious artichoke,eggplant spinach dip served with crostini and crackers. A fruit platter with a raspberry cream sauce was also a hit!

My girlfriend is a real "meat and potatoes" kinda gal, to use her own words, so the lunch was just that! The meal consisted of a fresh mixed green salad, chicken breast topped with a corn chowder type sauce, roasted potatoes, roast beef and creamy veggie bow tie pasta dish. As you can see, I really loaded up my plate. I hope that doesn't look to gross!!!

For dessert, our friend made these delicious light and fluffy strawberry cupcakes. Also, the bride's sister brought a delicious cake from the famous NYC Magnolia bakery. She has brought a cake down from the City for two occasions now. The cakes are so beautiful and I wasn't able to get a photo:(

As I said before, today was an exceptional day. It was a significant and memorable day for my best friend as she approaches her wedding day and more selfishly because of all the good grub!

The Simple Things

2007-08-04T15:47:00.000-04:00

Sometimes it's the simplest of ingredients that have the most impressive results. Johnnycakes and I certainly felt that way recently when we made a beautiful mozzarella caprese dish using the simple ingredients of fresh local Maryland tomatoes, olive oil, fresh basil and mozzarella cheese.

Mozzarella Caprese

Ingredients

1 large tomato

1/2 cup of fresh basil

1/2 cup of slice fresh mozzarella

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Preparation

Drizzle the bottom of a dish with olive oil. Delicately space the salted, sliced tomatoes along the bottom of the dish. Gently place on basil leaf on top of each tomato and then stack a piece of mozzarella (about a 1/2 piece) on top. Drizzle the plate again with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.

I like to each these little towers on top of freshly baked crostini, which is only sliced french bread topped with a bit of olive oil and baked until crunchy.

With the remaining fresh tomato, basil, bread and cheese. We even found time to make little pizzas. We topped the bread halves with tomato, mozzarella, basil, red onion, sausage and Parmesan cheese and baked for about 12 minutes.

As you can see, our efforts yielded spectacular results!

Fish in a Fix

2007-08-02T19:48:00.000-04:00

Tonight we had our "go-to dinner" when we don't have anything planned: fish from the Cross Street Market. I always walk past the market on my way home from work and the local fish monger always has a fresh selection. I also was in need of some extra veggies for side dishes. After an extra pleasant visit to the market, I decided on tilapia, cabbage and tomatoes for dinner. We already had potatoes at home to round out the plate.

We seasoned the fish in paprika, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, salt and pepper and let it chill for about 30 minutes before grilling it in the backyard. We also sliced the potatoes, tossed them in olive oil and salt and grilled them in foil next to the fish.

Johnnycakes and I both love cabbage and we haven't prepared it much lately. I bought a rather cute baby cabbage at the market and prepared it simply. I chopped it and pan-fried it in olive oil in a covered pan.

For a little color, we simply sliced the tomatoes and tossed them in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They added some extra flavor to the dish which was otherwise plain.

I would say that tonight's dinner was a success considering we were in quite a fix with an empty fridge and pantry. I can't say how lucky we are to have the local market within walking distance because quite frankly, I often don't have the time or energy to run to the supermarket after work.

Not so "Drunken Noodles"

2007-08-01T20:35:00.000-04:00

I had the brainstorm idea of making "drunken noodles", the well-known Thai restaurant staple, since we he have a rather successful Thai basil plant growing in our kitchen. Unfortunately, I must have been "drunk" when I decided to make it because it didn't turn out too well. I did a brief Internet search and decided that I probably had enough of the traditional ingredients to wing it.

Johnnycakes, who is still out of town on business, was not supportive of the idea during our phone conversation. He is a huge drunken noodles fan and it's hard to dissuade him from ordering anything else when we visit a Thai restaurant. Looking back, I think he was probably right.

First off, I did not have the distinct "glass noodles" that give the dish it's slippery texture. I decided to use Barilla Plus whole wheat penne pasta in an effort to be healthy. What I did have was the Thai basil, which I think has an almost fennel taste to it. I also had fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar, which I used to make a sort of sauce to coat the noodles and lean ground beef. I used red pepper flakes and chili garlic pasted to give the dish it's familiar heat.

One good thing about the dish is that it had plenty of vegetables. I used a can of tomatoes (a shame during tomato season, but I digress), a large peeled carrot, three chopped celery stalks, and chopped scallions to boost the veggie factor.

I mixed all these ingredients together and achieved a rather colorful bowl of pasta. Unfortunately, the flavor just wasn't there. It was rather bland despite the peppers and tasted salty (fish and soy sauces) more than anything else. Even the Thai basil failed to shine through. I am hoping that the flavors have a chance to mingle and gain potency overnight and the real flavor might be more discernible in my lunchtime leftovers.

Oh well! I tried! I have made a rather successful Pad Thai in this sort of rigged manner before but I guess drunken noodles is best saved for restaurants.

Dinner for One

2007-07-31T20:51:00.000-04:00

I am almost embarrassed to post this picture. The food doesn't, well, look very appetizing. Does it? The truth of the matter is that Johnnycakes is away on business and I was left to my own devices. Quite honestly, I was looking forward to a meal with no prep or clean up since it was just going to be me eating.

I ate some leftover pork tenderloin and the last piece of corn. I did bake a mini baked potato and topped it with real (we usually eat reduced fat cheese) cheese and chopped tomatoes. It was actually quite a tasty treat.

Dinner was quick but delicious and I enjoyed the almost non-existent clean-up. I even treated myself to a Weight Watcher's Smart One's Mint Chocolate Chip Sundae.

Johnnycakes will be home tomorrow so I will try and pull together a dinner for us to enjoy! I'm thinking Asian but we'll see...

A Dinner of Redemption

2007-07-30T20:01:00.000-04:00

Tonight's dinner was all about redeeming ourselves for our week of eating junk and not cooking. We decided to not go too bold and start off easy. I was able to "redeem" myself by preparing the corn on the cob and purple "green" beans from last week's Farmer's Market. I was afraid that the corn would be rotten from remaining inside the husks all week but they were fine. The beans were still nice and crisp and not slimy or anything. We marinated and prepared our honey blackened pork (http://coupleofcooks.blogspot.com/2007/06/blackened-honey-pork.html and buttered veggies. Oh, and the purple green beans didn't stay purple just as others said. They were quite ordinary looking by the time they were done.

Okay. So we're back in business as far as dinner is concerned. Let's hope we can keep this up throughout the week!

A Food Funk

2007-07-29T18:44:00.000-04:00

I hate to admit it but Johnnycakes and I have been in a total food funk for the past seven days. You might even call it a takeout bender. We haven't been cooking at all! Does this happen to anyone else?

It all started last week when I wasn't feeling well. Plus, we had plans outside the house every evening last week which meant we were eating out. I have to say that, while it's a bit of a break to not cook or clean, I am feeling pretty fat and lazy after a week away from the kitchen. I must have gained 5 lbs.

Plus, we wasted a ton of fresh fruits and vegetables including our Farmers Market goodies from last weekend (corn, cantaloupe, string beans, etc). I hate to be so wasteful.

So what have we eaten this week? Chik-fil-a, tons of pizza, Salsarita, nachos at a local joint, Beach Bum sandwiches, pad thai from the farmers market, cheeseburgers, fries, stuffed shells.... The list goes on! We pretty much wasted a ton of money, tons of fresh groceries and tons of hard work on futile workouts.

I am just hoping we can get our butts back in gear and back in the kitchen. After all, the Couple of Cooks fundamentals revolve around health, convenience and economics. But not tonight, we're going to kill the leftover pizza in the fridge.

A Steak Dinner

2007-07-23T21:36:00.000-04:00

Johnnycakes and I were in the mood for a good ol' fashion steak dinner on the grill. The weather was so beautiful here in Baltimore this evening that we decided to dine al fresco our new picnic table. It's been a little too warm these past several weeks.

We kept things pretty simple by just using up whatever flavors and veggies we had easily accessible in the fridge. I marinated the sirloin steaks in lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper for a couple of hours in the fridge.

We rounded out the dinner with steamed cauliflower, grilled mushrooms and red onions marinated in white cooking wine and olive oil, delicious fresh corn on the cob and a mayonaise pesto sauce to top the beef.

All the veggies were winners tonight and were the true stars in tonight's dinner. I decided that I like steamed cauliflower with salt, plenty of pepper and butter better than steamed broccoli. The jury is still out for Johnnycakes. He seems to prefer the green stuff. The wine flavoring really enhanced the mushrooms and onions which I seem to love anyway I can get them. The corn, from the local farmers market, was super fresh and sweet. The pesto mayo sauce was a last minute concoction. We've had homemade pesto in the freezer for a while and wanted to finish it off while trying something new. I don't think the mayo really added that much to it but it was worth a shot.

The weather was lovely and the food was tasty. What more can you ask for?

Summer's Bounty

2007-07-22T11:41:00.000-04:00

You know Summertime is in full swing when the local farmers market is overflowing with fresh abundance. The peaches, nectarines, corn, melons and tomatoes are in season and every market stand features plenty of variety.

We picked up a few unique fruits and vegetable to enjoy this week, including a "great white" heirloom tomato, white nectarines, a cantaloupe, sweet corn and purple string beans. We were intrigued by the crazy colors and names of your typical everyday fruits and veggies. I don't know about you but I've certainly never seen purple string beans.

The corn is so delicious. The vendor was handing out raw pieces of corn to sample. It was irresistable and it wasn't even cooked! We had to pick up a half a dozen ears for the week.

We also love heirloom tomatoes and have been waiting for them to make their annual appearance at the market. It seems like the selection of their colors, shapes and names are endless. Last year, we made a delicious pasta sauce from a variety of heirlooms. We haven' quite decided what to do with our first heirloom of the year.

Another Johnnycakes and Butters favorite is white nectarines. Like white peaches, their flesh is white instead of the standard yellow tinge. They are also a lot sweeter than the regular yellow fruit. I'll be sure to go to the market the next several weekends to make sure I stock up. We wait all year for the white peaches and nectarines!

As you can see, we'll be eating plenty of fresh and healthy foods this week thanks to our local farmers market. Keep an eye out for this week's meals featuring the purple string beans and corn.

Eggplant Parm and Other Stuff

2007-07-19T20:44:00.000-04:00

I love Eggplant Parmesan. So does Johnnycakes. It can be a little time consuming to make so we really don't prepare it that often. I think that makes it extra special.

Because we go such a long time between making it, we never really prepare it the same way twice. We definitely do a little head scratching and troubleshooting to remember why it was so good the time before. Somehow, the eggplant parm always turns out delicious!

First things First. I sliced the eggplant in thin round slices and sprinkled the disks with salt in order to "sweat" the eggplant. Apparently, this takes some of the bitter flavor out of the eggplant. The eggplant does truly "sweat" or at least it releases some sort of liquid through this process.

Then we blanched the notoriously tough eggplant in order to soften it before baking.

In the meantime, I chopped some vegetables that we had in the fridge, including onion and mushrooms. I wish I would have added carrots to sweeten the dish but I didn't think of it until afterwards.

Next, I tossed the blanched eggplant in seasoned breadcrumbs. Since the slices were already wet, I didn't need to use any egg, etc. for the bread crumbs to adhere to the egg plant.

At this point, I already started layering the ingredients into a large casserole dish. First, I coated the pan in extra virgin olive oil. Next, I added a thin layer of canned spaghetti sauce, followed by the onions and mushrooms. I began layering the breaded eggplant so that it covered the whole pan. We also decided to slice up some Aldi's sun-dried tomato chicken sausages for a little extra flavor and protein and add it to the dish.

Here's the best part; Johnnycakes started hand grating Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese on top of the layers. We finished up the layering by adding the remaining veggies and spaghetti sauce followed by MORE CHEESE!

We baked the eggplant parm for 40 minutes on 375 degrees. We knew to take the dish out because you could see the dish boiling from outside and the cheese was beginning to brown.

This was well worth the wait. I almost can't stop myself when I start to eat eggplant parm. Oddly enough, I usually don't like ordering eggplant parm in a restaurant because the eggplant is too fried. I think is why I enjoy baking the dish at home.

We topped the dish off with a side salad and a makeshift piece of garlic bread made from a leftover hamburger roll.

Now I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch and dinner tomorrow!

The Johnnycakes Special

2007-07-18T20:03:00.000-04:00

Johnnycakes made me dinner tonight. I didn't even lift a finger. In fact, I don't really know that much about the preparation. All I know is that it was tasty! Johnnycake's dishes are always full of flavor because he is more creative in the kitchen than I am.

Johnnycakes took a much needed vacation day today so he had time to prepare dinner. In fact, he was almost ready to eat by the time I got home. I always exercise when I get home from work before I start dinner, so I'm usually feeling rushed. Not tonight! All I did was show up at the dinner table.

The menu? Grilled lemon (yes, we still have lemons) chicken with a hint of barbecue seasoning, green beans prepared with black pepper and rice vinegar, and delicious roasted olive oil potato wedges. Tonight's dinner was a grand slam! It wasn't fancy but it was full of taste and flavor. I don't know how he does it. I dipped the potatoes in ketchup and the chicken in some honey mustard dressing for a little extra punch.

We have plenty of leftovers too. I am looking forward to having those flavors again for lunch!

On a side note, I did help with the dishes since Johnnycakes worked so hard to fix dinner!

A Couple of Cooks Creation: Johnny's Wontons

2007-07-16T20:48:00.000-04:00

Tonight we made one of our classic dishes. Johnny's Wontons! I promised a while back that I would describe how we make them in an earlier post http://coupleofcooks.blogspot.com/2007/05/clean-house.html.

These are the best because, though they take a while to assemble, we always have leftovers in the freezer and get to enjoy them at a later date. Of course, we each had our share of the little treats tonight.

Usually Johnnycakes takes the lead on assembling the wontons but we were pressed for time tonight, so I helped.

Johnny's Pork Wontons

Pork Filling:

1 lb. ground pork

2 tsp. ground ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. Soy Sauce

2 scallions, chopped

1 carrot, shredded julienne style

Mix all together and stuff each wonton wrapper with about 1 tbsp. of meat mixture.

The assembly line involved several steps:

1. First, you take a wonton wrapper and wet the edges on just two adjacent sides of the wrapper.

2. Then you stuff each wrapper with about 1 tbsp. of meat
3. Then you fold the wrapper diagonally, making sure that no meat pops out the sides.
4. Seal the wrapper by crimping it with a fork.

5. Fold the two sides inward so that they touch each other at the center of the wonton. (No Photo!)

You can either pan-fry the wontons in sesame oil or steam them. I prefer them steamed because they end up with a softer texture. They steam for about 15 minutes covered but you probably want to test them for doneness with a meat thermometer. I'm kind of crazy about that "doneness" kind of stuff.

We serve the wontons with a dumpling sauce. We usually use a store-bought variety but we decided to try and make our own. It turned out quite well.

Homemade Dumpling Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup of Soy Sauce (reduced sodium)

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. garlic juice (from jar of minced garlic)

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tsp. sesame oil

I know it seems like a lot but you always end up with extras in the freezer. Johnnycakes are always so glad that we took the extra time to make them. The tasty reward is always worth the effort!

A New Twist: Lemon Mojitio

2007-07-14T14:39:00.000-04:00

I read recently that the Mojito, which is always paired with lime, was originally made in Cuba with lemons. I think I read this in the June issue of Self Magazine but I will have to go back and double check. I'm not sure when the lime became more popular but I was curious to try the drink with lemon instead. Plus, if you have been reading this blog lately, you know that I have a lifetime supply of lemons I am trying to use.

Lemon Mojito

3 sprigs fresh mint
1/2 lemon, squeezed
1.5 oz. light rum
1 TBSP. sugar
club soda

Crush mint sprigs in the bottom of the glass using a spoon and sort of smear the mint around the sides of the glass to release the flavors. Squeeze half a lemon in the glass. Add jigger of rum and sugar. Fill glass with ice and then top of the remaining portion with the club soda. Mix and enjoy!

This was quite yummy! I originally only added two teaspoons of sugar but I thought it needed a little more. The drink was very refreshing and I didn't even think about the lime. It's enjoyable in it's own way.

This beverage was about the height of my culinary adventures this weekend. Very little time at home translates to very little cooking.

Steamed Crabs - A Baltimore Tradition

2007-07-12T23:08:00.000-04:00

Like most good Baltimore folk, Johnnycakes and I love us some steamed crabs. We got to show that love tonight when we went out for some of the delicious crustaceans for dinner with our neighbors.

We had been planned to go to Mr. Bill's Terrace in on Eastern Avenue in the Essex area because we had so many great experiences in the past. Many Baltimoreans know about this little spot but it seems like more and more people are becoming familiar with the spot because there was an hour plus (to quote the host) wait for a table. I think the long waits, crowded bar and parking lot are an indicator of how good the crabs are there but we decided to not wait.

Like a good City resident, we decided to support a City business and visit Jimmy's Seafood on Holabird Avenue in Southeast Baltimore. I had heard positive things about the crabs from my boss and we decided to check it out.

The establishment is rather large. There is a carryout, bar with a dining area and a large formal dining area. The lighting was a little low but overall the atmosphere was nice.

Our friendly server let us know that crabs were available for $39, $49, $69, $89 and $99 (!) a dozen. The 89's were called jumbos and the 99's were called monsters! We did get a peek at both the 89's and 99's. I would have to say that the 99's were easily the largest blue crabs I have ever seen in my life. The claws were enormous. In fact, they had a threatening appearance which must be why they are called "monsters".The four of us decided to split a mix of three dozen $39's and $49's.

In addition, I ordered a "personal" size Greek salad, while Johnnycakes ordered a bowl of Maryland crab soup and our neighbors ordered cream of crab soup..

The salad was huge. In fact, I originally ordered a small salad but the server recommended that I downgrade to a personal size because the salads run so large. I ended up splitting the Greek Salad with Johnnycakes anyway in exchange for a few bites of his crab soup. The soup was very good. It had a rather thick consistency for soup but it was full of great taste.

We were a little overwhelmed when the crabs came out because there were so many of them! The seasoning, a mix of Old Bay and rock salt, was very good and it had a somewhat unique consistency compared to the standard seasoning on most crabs. Overall, the crabs were very heavy and packed with meat. Sometimes it can be very disappointing when you order a decent size crab but it is light as a feather and has no meat in it. These were packed with meat. We were not disappointed despite having to return one or two crabs because they were bad. The server eagerly replaced the bad crabs with fresh ones.

One unique characteristic of this crab house is that the restaurant serves an ear of corn still in the husk with each dozen of crabs. The corn wasn't the best I've had this season but I thought it was a nice touch.

I am almost ashamed to say that I ate 10 crabs! Yes. 10 crabs! That is a lot even by Baltimore standards. I can't help it. I can pick some crabs. Luckily, our neighbor's wife is also a crab picker extraordinaire and she must have eaten as many as I did.

Our bill was nearly $200.00, so tonight's meal was definitely not cheap! Crabs seldom are. It's the price you pay to feed your love for crabs! It's almost ingrained in you when you are from this town. Overall, I would highly recommend Jimmy's Seafood. In addition to the crabs, they have a rather large menu that looks like it has a Greek influence. According to the history in the menu, "Jimmy" is of Greek descent.

How many people like to eat ice cream after eating crabs? Johnnycakes and I's families always accompanied crabs with ice cream afterwards but our neighbors had never heard of it. We decided to introduce them to this somewhat popular tradition and went to Coldstone Creamery on Boston Street. Judging from the lines, we were not the only ones that like ice cream but I'm just not sure about the crab part!

Lemon Week Continues.... Lemon Pepper Dijon Lamb Chops

2007-07-11T20:39:00.000-04:00

Lemon week continues! We still have 4 or 5 whole lemons in the fridge even after tonight's dinner and a second batch of fresh lemonade. We are really doing our best to not waste any of these little tartlets.

We also continued our other weekly theme of emptying out the freezer to avoid the grocery store as long as possible. I defrosted some lamb loin chops but I wasn't entirely sure how to prepare them with lemon. After a brief web search for ideas, I figured out which direction to go in that would incorporate lemon and other ingredients we had in the house. I needed a little extra input on this meal since I don't prepare lamb that often.

I marinated 4 four lamb chops (about 5 oz. each) in the juice from 1/2 a lemon, 2 cloves of pressed garlic, salt and pepper and chilled for about a half hour.

While the meat was marinating, I mixed 1 TBSP. of dijon mayonaise, 2 TBSP. freshly chopped parsley, and 5 crushed Pepper and Olive Oil Triscuits to create a bread-like mush. I covered each loin chop in the mix before baking.

I actually broiled the chops for about 5 minutes before lowering the heat to 375 degrees and baking for 20 minutes. Johnnycakes had an afterthought that we should have pan-seared the chops on each side before baking to "seal in the flavor" as he says. We'll have to remember that next time because I think he's right.

Despite that oversight, the lamb chops were packed with flavor! We both enjoy the unique flavor of lamb but we seldom prepare it or even order it at a restaurant. The last two meals we have prepared with lamb have turned out really well and have been full of taste so I think we might try to incorporate the meat into more meals.

How do you feel about lamb? Do you like to eat it, cook it, both or neither? Just curious to see how others feel about lamb.

Lemon Dill Salmon

2007-07-10T20:52:00.000-04:00

Tonight's dinner barely got on the table and it was nearly 8:15 by the time we sat down to eat. I picked up about a pound of salmon at the Cross Street Market on my way home since, as I explained yesterday, our freezer is pretty sparse. I figured it would go well with lemon and, like I also explained yesterday, we have plenty of those in the fridge as well!

We marinated the salmon in lemon juice, dill weed, olive oil, salt and pepper and chilled for a half hour before grilling.

We also prepared a lemon dill dipping sauce to serve on the side.

Lemon Dill Sauce

1/4 cup Miracle Whip

1/2 lemon, squeezed

1 TBSP. dill weed

1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp salt

Mix ingredients and chill for at least a half hour before serving.

Sadly, we were in a rush to eat and pulled the fish of the grill too early. When we went to serve the fish, it was definitely not fully cooked on the inside. We immediately brought the fish back outside to finish cooking on the grill. We were extremely dismayed when we discovered that the propane tank was empty. We've had the tank for less than two months but we've been cooking so much outside that we used the whole 16 lb. tank already. We had to finish cooking the fish inside in the toaster oven!

"Toasted" Summertime Chicken Roaster

2007-07-09T21:20:00.000-04:00

An overabundance of lemons got Johnnycakes and I to thinking about what we could make for dinner that would incorporate the sour fruit and whatever meat we had in our near empty freezer. As you can probably tell, we have been grilling almost every night so the chicken roaster in the freezer was feeling quite neglected. Luckily, roasted lemon chicken is one of our favorites!

I defrosted the 3 1/4 lb. bird overnight. Before work this morning, I rinsed and pat dried the bird and proceeded to marinate. I rubbed the chicken in salt, olive oil, lemon juice and fresh rosemary. I made sure to stuff the chest cavity with the lemon rinds for extra flavoring.

We had planned to roast the bird in the oven but around 4 p.m. I got to thinking about putting a Summertime slant on the meal and grilling the chicken instead. Luckily, Johnnycakes is an expert deboner thanks to his Colombian heritage and a family Thanksgiving tradition that involves taking all the bones out of the turkey before stuffing it with various meats and spices. Johnnycakes was up for the deboning since it meant he got to use the grill. He removed the spine of the bird using kitchen shears and flattened the bird so it would fit on the grill.

Unfortunately, we didn't pay close enough attention to the meat while it was cooking and it got a little "toasty". We also decided to grill some tomatoes since, like the lemons, we had lots leftover from our July 4th bash. We sliced the tomatoes and let it marinate in lemon juice (of course!), olive oil, fresh basil, salt and pepper. We then grilled them for a few minutes on each side and topped them w/ about a tablespoon of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. To round out this colorful meal with some leftover corn on the cob with cilantro lime butter.

The best thing about preparing the whole chicken is that you can sample both light and dark meat and really enjoy both flavors. I ate a wing with a bit of the blackened skin and part of a chicken breast while Johnnycakes enjoyed a drumstick and thigh and some breast. The lemon flavor and aroma was prevalent throughout this summertime meal.

Another great thing about whole chicken is the leftovers! We are both going to have chicken sandwiches for lunch tomorrow with more fresh tomato and mayonnaise. Mmm...

Sensational Summer Spring Roll

2007-07-08T14:38:00.000-04:00

Johnnycakes and I sampled the most delicious fresh spring rolls today from the Baltimore City Farmers Market. One our favorite stands recently started selling fresh spring rolls. They have been selling delicious coconut sticky rice with mango and fried variety of spring roll for some time but last weekend we noticed a man at the stand hand rolling fresh spring rolls.

They looked so fresh that we couldn't pass them up. The stand sells both tofu and shrimp fresh spring rolls with an Asian dipping sauce. I believe we paid $3.00 for two shrimp rolls. I'm not sure if the tofu was the same price.

It was tough to wait until we got home to eat the rolls but we wanted to truly enjoy them since we had eaten a couple of other goodies already.

The shrimp looked like they were going to explode out the top of the transparent rice wrappers. We topped the beautiful creations with the Asian influenced dipping sauce and dug in. The rolls were busting with fresh rice vermicelli, lettuce, cilantro and shrimp. The flavor was very fresh. I ended up just using my hands to dip the roll into the sauce instead of a fork.

This little snack is perfect because it's healthy and tasty so you don't feel guilty after eating it unlike so many other items at at the Farmers Market. The worst thing about the roll is that I ate it too quickly and only had one. Maybe next time we'll buy the shrimp and the tofu kind so that it lasts longer:)

Super Spicy Indian Dish

2007-07-07T21:00:00.000-04:00

I love Indian food and we just don't prepare it enough at home or go out to Indian restaurants all that often.

Wow! Johnnycakes and I ate a super spicy chicken Indian dish for dinner tonight. I'm not even sure what you would call it but it's sort of like a curry dish. It was delicious but it really packed a punch! At least we were warned beforehand!

My best friend's fiance's family is Indian and his parents are constantly sending him snacks and spices from India. They loaded us up with some goodies while we were at their apartment last night, which included banana chips, rice sticks and most importantly, these intriguing Indian flavoring packets.

The brand name is SARAS and the varieties included a chicken, beef or lamb and fish packet. Johnnycakes and I were skeptical at first because we usually shy away from sodium and MSG packed prepared flavoring and try to "do it ourselves" when it comes to spices. We were wrong though because the package said "No Preservatives" and the ingredients were all natural items such as "onion, coconut, ginger, garlic, coridander, curry leaves" etc. After brief cooking instructions from our host and a warning about the intense heat factor the dish packs, we went along our merry way with the intention of making the chicken packet tonight for dinner.

We discovered the reason for the cooking lesson the night before was because the package only includes very vague instructions for preparing the dish in a pressure cooker, which we don't own. We figured the dinner also enabled us to clean out the fridge of a lot of vegetables we had leftover from July 4th, including potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, yellow peppers and onions.

Johnnycakes filled a stockpot about halfway with water and let it come to a boil before adding the SARAS chcken flavoring pack, three chicken breasts and three chicken drumsticks. We thought that the mix of light and dark meat would really enhance the dish's flavoring. We also added the potatoes at that time so they would cook with the chicken. After about 15 minutes,we added the rest of the veggies and let the pot simmer for a while. We also had rice cooking in our rice cooker.

Once the rice was finished, we added some flour to the aromatic Indian stew so that it would thicken to our liking. The stew thicken pretty quickly and it was ready to be served.

I picked the dark meat off the bone and mixed it with a little chicken breast before adding it to the rice and stew mixture in my bowl.

Whoah! Boy was it hot! Luckily, some like it hot and I am one of them. So is Johnnycakes. We had to eat the dish a little cautiously because of all the heat but we both loved it. Johnnycakes was in a full sweat by the time he finished his bowl. We both felt that peanuts would have complemented the dish well but unfortunately we are all out. Maybe we can pick some up before we eat any of the leftovers.

We can't wait to try the SARAS fish and beef packets. I wonder what flavors they contain and if they are as spicy? We'll keep you posted on our adventures with these powerful little flavor packets of Indian yumminess...

4th of July Bash

2007-07-05T21:26:00.001-04:00

I know I have been woefully neglectful of my blog this past week but the mid-week holiday has sort of thrown us for a loop. Johhnycakes and I hosted a small 4th of July bash at our house for about 10-12 people. We did plenty of cooking but I'm sad to say that I didn't take to many pictures or make too many original recipes. I was so busy getting the house ready and cooking that I didn't take any blog-related photos. The party goers were mostly neighbors so everyone sort of pitched in and brought a dish. I have to say it was quite a spread.

Here is a list of dishes served at our party:

- honey mustard pork tenderloin

- burgers

- hot dogs

- Italian sausage

- peppers and onions

- orzo pasta salad (yum!)

- corn on the cob with cilantro lime butter

- cheesy potatoes

- corn casserole

- mixed greens with apples, walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese

- jalapenos stuffed with sun dried tomatoes and cream cheese wrapped in bacon

- brownies

- strawberry pretzel pie

- plenty of margaritas and pina coladas

I know that it is a shame that I don't have many photos or recipes to share after I just listed all those delicious dishes. I would say the most popular dish was definitely the cheesy potatoes, followed by the brownies. Sad to say, I didn't make any of those items.

It's definitely part of the holiday fun to cook and feast with all your friends and family.

Too bad all the rain drove the party inside. As you can see from the photo, we had to scramble and bring all the food inside. Things got a little chaotic and everything ended up smashed together on the table.

Good times were had by all! Our house is small and parking is atrocious in our neighborhood so it's pretty rare for us to entertain. I would say our little party was a success.

Lemon Dijon Orange Roughy

2007-07-02T21:31:00.000-04:00

Johnnycakes and I ate the most delicious dinner tonight. Like most of our dinners lately, we did very little planning ahead because of our hectic schedules. We both spaced out this morning and forgot to pull meat out of the freezer. We decided to get fresh fish from the Cross Street Market, which is what we always do when we forget to defrost or buy meat.

I picked up a little over a half pound of Orange Roughy from the fishmonger at the Cross Street Market. We grilled it up using our handy fish basket. See below for the fish marinade.

Lemon Dijon Marinade

1/2 lemon freshly squeezed

1 TBSP. lemon pepper seasoning

1 TBP. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

Whisk together ingredients. Top fish with marinade and chill for 30 minutes before cooking.

This recipe was extremely easy but it really packed a lot of flavor. We were both pleasantly surprised how flavorful the tender fish tasted. I love lemon! It really adds a freshness to every dish.

We rounded out tonight's dinner with frozen spinach seasoned with lemon juice, butter, salt and pepper and mini baked potatoes loaded with butter and reduced fat sour cream.

Tonight is a true example of a Couple of Cooks success since the meal proves that you don't have to be super prepared to put a healthy and quick dinner on the table.

Spaghetti Dinner

2007-07-01T19:46:00.000-04:00

I have been craving a good ole plate of spaghetti for at least a month but Johnnycakes hasn't been on the same page because of the new grill. I finally won out tonight and we made a delicious red sauce with lots of veggies and meat over Barilla whole wheat angel hair.

I used a store bought bottle of Prego as the base for the sauce and loaded it with lots of extras from the fridge. I chopped up yellow squash, yellow onion, a carrot and half of a red pepper and sauteed the vegetables in extra virgin olive oil and garlic until soft. Meanwhile, I browned 94% lean ground beef seasoned with crushed red pepper, garlic powder, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in another sauce pan. I also chopped a leftover pork chop and added it to the cooked meat. We combined the meats and veggies and simmered them together while the whole wheat spaghetti cooked in the boiling salt water.

We topped our heaping bowls of spaghetti and sauce with loads of freshly shredded Parmesan cheese.

The food was comforting and not fancy at all but it really hit the spot! The best part about pasta is that there are always plenty of leftovers for lunches during the week.

"Easy Blac" Instead of Easy Mac

2007-06-29T21:04:00.000-04:00

The cooking funk sort of continues but we managed to pull something off. Tonight's dinner was thrown together rather quickly but it turned out to be really delicious and tasty. We had very little groceries in the house which necessitated a trip to the grocery store if we were going to have dinner in tonight.

Johnnycakes wanted a garden burger and I suggested black bean burgers instead. I picked up the frozen Morningstar spicy black bean burgers and some Portugese Onion rolls at Shoppers Food Wharehouse and some other fixins and we were on our way.

I microwaved a huge sweetpotato for us to split while Johnnycakes grilled the black bean burgers, red onion and red pepper. We each had our own style when it came to assembling the burgers. In addition to cheddar cheese and the grilled veggies, I topped mine with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa and a bit of lime juice. Johnnycakes went more traditional with an LTM.

We each enjoyed our burgers and sweet potatoes tremendously despite differing styles. That's how Friday night dinners should be: healthy, cheap and convenient!

G and M's Classic Crab Cake

2007-06-28T21:48:00.000-04:00

I just got back from dinner where I ate the best crab cake in town and in Baltimore, that's saying a lot! Any locals may have already guessed that I ate dinner at G and M Restaurant and Lounge. Nothing beats their golden lumpy crab cakes w/ a little tarter sauce. Mmmmm....

I didn't take any photos because I was lost in conversation with a former coworker but I think the website is self explanatory. Check it out! http://www.gandmcrabcakes.com/ Ialso borrowed the above photo from their helpful website.

I ordered the single crab cake platter for $16.95 which included a small garden salad w/ blue cheese dressing, a baked potato, cole slaw and a delicious lump crab cake. The giant dinner rolls were a little lackluster so I only ate a small portion of the fluffy bread. I managed to take a little home for Johnnycakes to enjoy as well.

I promise to start posting a little more about my cooking and less about our dining out soon! We are in a bit of a funk in the kitchen but I an starting to devise an Independence Day Cookout menu so there should be plenty to share next week.

Sweet and Sour Surprise

2007-06-26T20:58:00.001-04:00

I don't know how we pulled it off but Johnnycakes and I came up with a creative dinner tonight despite zero forethought or planning.

I usually plan the meals but completely spaced out thanks to my foggy post vacation brain. I forgot to pull meat out of the freezer and didn 't even think about it until lunch time. Luckily Johnnycakes thought ahead and pulled out some drumsticks to defrost.

When I got home, Johnnycakes was in the mood for "hot wings" style chicken but I was able to deter him from the idea since we didn't have any blue cheese dressing or really any clue how to make the sauce. Instead, we opted for Sweet and Sour Drumsticks. Here is a recipe for the sauce.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 TBSP. Sesame Oil

2 TBSP. Apple Cider Vinegar

2 TBSP. Brown Sugar

1TBSP. Ketchup

1 TBSP. Soy Sauce

1/2 TBSP. Minced Ginger

1 Carrot shredded

1/4 cup Red Pepper, chopped

2 TBSP. scallions, chopped

Heat all ingredients over low heat for 10 minutes until thickened and vegetables are soft.

We basted the grilled chicken with this delightful and easy sweet and sour sauce. We rounded out the meal with some broccoli spears and Chinese cellophane noodles that have been in our pantry for an eternity.

Oddly and surprisingly enough, this was a tasty dinner! I couldn't have predicted this thrown -together sweet and sour Asian-influenced dinner, hence the surprise. The sauce might go well with pork as well...

A Home-Cooked Meal

2007-06-25T21:47:00.000-04:00

Johnnycakes and I are home from the beach. I really don't have much to say about the food we ate at the beach this time accept that we were pretty much gluttons. We are feeling pretty relaxed after 4 long days at the beach.

In an effort to not feel totally disorganized when we go back to work tomorrow, we stopped at the Whole Foods grocery store in Annapolis on our way home from the beach. We needed the essentials; bread, milk, eggs, etc. Plus since Shoppers Food Warehouse is really our only convenient grocery store option during the week, we were excited to try a different and fancy store.

We didn't go too crazy but we did pick up some fancy Ravens Brew Coffee in the Resurrection blend which reminded us of our honeymoon (http://www.ravensbrew.com/res.html) and some Silk Light Chocolate Soy Milk which our grocery store has stopped carrying.

I wanted to eat light for dinner since we have been eating like pigs for the past four days and was leaning towards sushi. Johnnycakes wasn't on the same wavelength and wanted steak.

Whole Foods has an excellent prepared foods selection and we decided on Cajun Ribeye steaks that only required us to throw them on the grill and cook to our liking. Johnnycakes also had way more energy than I did because when we got home he carved a whole in a Vidalia onion and filled the center with vegetable broth, cooking wine and parmesan cheese. He wrapped it in foil and roasted it whole. I mustered the energy to chop a yellow squash into "coins" and shred some carrots for grilling. I tossed the veggies in fresh thyme from our "herb garden" and olive oil.

Before we knew it, we had a very delicious and semi-healthy dinner on our first evening home from the beach. It was a little late by the time we ate. The clock read nearly 9 p.m. but it was nice to inject some normalcy back into our lives after four relaxing days at the beach.

Now I have to put some of those tips in SELF Dishes to the test and try and shed some lbs and redeem myself after all the vacation indulgence!

Summer Reading

2007-06-21T19:01:00.000-04:00

We are headed to the beach this weekend and we all know that you need something interesting to read while lazing around on the beach. Self Magazine is one of my favorite publications and I've been a subscriber for some time now. Last year, the publisher produced it's first "SELF Dishes" issue which features a variety of healthy recipes and tips. I was super excited to grab the second issue when it came out earlier this month since it only comes once out annually.

I've been so busy lately that I've had the magazine for over a week and have barely opened the cover. I'm very excited to read about all the healthy alternatives to standard recipes, diet tips and interviews.

I'll definitely be reading this one cover to cover during our long beach weekend. I'm sure I'll need some healthy diet tips and recipes after splurging all weekend at the beach ( see http://coupleofcooks.blogspot.com/2007/05/oc-eats.html). I'll be sure to fill you in:)

La Bandeja

2007-06-20T21:21:00.000-04:00

Tonight's dinner evolved into a mini feast without too much prior planning or thinking. When I was photographing the delicious spread, a phrase came to mind that Johnncake's Mom uses. Johnnycakes family is Colombian and they call a large platter a "bandeja". I hope the Spanish is correct.

We are heading to the beach again tomorrow for four days (just in case you are wondering why the blog is silent) and are trying to get eat things that might spoil before we go. Tonight's dinner was comprised of many things we had in the fridge.

The platter, or bandeja, contained sirloin steak marinated in a cumin, garlic, paprika rub topped with sauteed mushrooms and onions, tejadas (fresh sliced plantains), garlic and onion black beans and fresh garden salad topped with a raspberry vinaigrette.

We made this dinner very quickly after a grueling 45 minute jog to Fort McHenry. Johnnycakes took control of the pre-rubbed steak, and mushrooms and onions while I prepared the black beans and onions, garden salad and the tejadas were a team effort.

The result? A "muy delicioso" variety platter, or bandeja, that featured a lot of Latin influenced flavors. What a feast!

Asian Chicken Delight

2007-06-19T21:31:00.000-04:00

Tonight's dinner was a Johnnycakes creation so I can't go into too much detail. He made this healthy and delicious dinner while I was at the gym. All I did was defrost the chicken and put the brown rice in the rice cooker and press the ON button.

Johnnycakes pounded three chicken breast until slightly flattened and softened. He then marinated the chicken breast in 1/4 cup soy , 1 TBSP. minced fresh ginger, 1 TBSP. garlic, 1 TBSP. peanut butter. 1 TBSP. sesame oil, and 2 TBSP. chopped scallions. 20 minutes on the grill and we had a delicious and moist chicken dinner. We grabbed the broccoli spears straight out of the freezer microwaved them for a few minutes and had perfectly tender yet crisp broccoli on the side.

Tonight's dinner was nothing fancy but it was tasty and full of Asian flavors thanks to a little extra soy sauce on the broccoli and brown rice.

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

2007-06-18T22:02:00.000-04:00

I was looking for something quick to make for a last-minute cookout with neighbors and I didn't want to stop at the grocery store. Instead, I stopped into the Cross Street Market on my way home and the selection there can be a bit limited. I decided on the scallops from the local fish monger and cut bacon from the butcher. I'd never gotten bacon that way before and it was kind of neat to get it wrapped in the butcher paper.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

1 lb. Jumbo Scallops (about 8)

1/2 lb. cut bacon

1/2 cup of white wine

1/4 cup melted butter

2 TBSP. chopped scallions

salt and pepper

Rinse the scallops in cold water. Marinate the scallops in the wine, melted butter, chopped scallions and salt and pepper for 30 minutes. Microwave 4 strips of bacon at a time for about a minute each until partially cooked. When the bacon cools slightly, wrap a strip of bacon around each scallop and fasten with a wet toothpick to hold in place. Pour the marinade back on the bacon wrapped scallops and soak until ready to cook. Grill or bake at a medium heat for 10 minutes on each side to make bacon crispy.

Here's a look at some of the other goodies we had on the grill tonight. The cookout included italian sausage, italian seasoned chicken breast, asparagus, yellow squash and baked beans. Dessert was strawberry shortcake. Johnnycakes are hoping to have more summer cookouts with friends and neighbors throughout the summer.

South Baltimore Restaurant Review: Beach Bums Cafe and Deli

2007-06-16T14:02:00.000-04:00

Johnnycakes and I got to try a "not so new"and "not even so new to us" but "new" restaurant in Federal Hill today. We had a delicious lunch at Beach Bums Cafe and Deli at 1038 Light Street.

We had been to Beach Bums many times over the past few years for their yummy ice cream and shakes after dinner or just for a treat. They usually have some interesting ice cream flavors such as fried ice cream and chocolate gold. More recently, we had noticed a sandwich board on the sidewalk or signs in the window advertising various sandwich varieties but we had never had much inclination to try the food. The concept of food at the ice cream shop just didn't "click" with us.

We started to hear some positive feedback about the food at Beach Bums and their extensive menu and large portions. Today seemed like the perfect day to try a new lunch spot after a morning spent at the gym and laying poolside.

The little storefront is small and awkward inside, particularly because of the ice cream display case but the decor is cute and definitely has the beach feel to it. Additional seating in the back takes care of any overflow issues in the small dining area in the front.

We were surprised at the extent of the menu. They have a huge variety of sandwiches that range from turkey clubs, shrimp salad submarines, veggie sandwiches, lunch meat combos, chicken sandwiches, Reuben's and Rachel's. To make things a little more interesting, most of the sandwiches have a cute little name attached which may or may not provide a description of the actual food, such as the veggie "Bahama Cooler", ham and cheese "Swisster Twisster" or BBQ chicken "Texas Twister".

I ordered the "Pigs on the Wing" which I was a huge serving of chicken salad made with almonds and bacon topped with tomato on wheat toast. The portions were daunting but it was so tasty I had to restrain myself to only eat the half. Johnnycakes didn't go for one with a cute name but ordered a delicious tuna salad submarine with a huge serving of bacon on top. His election to have hots on the sub made it extra spicy and gave it a very unique flavor. I liked it so much that I'm going to have to try it with hots next time. Each sandwich was served in a basket with potato chips. A drink cooler has a nice variety of not so common drinks. A diet soda drinker, I was delighted to find a Dr. Browns diet cream soda.

The service was very quick and friendly despite a steady influx of customers. To put it simply and in the words of a young guy who walked in with his friend "Damn, I guess we're not the only ones on to this place anymore".

Prices ranged from around $5.00 to $9.00 depending on the item but I think the huge portions make up for any extra cost. Our bill, with drinks and tax, came to $15.96

I think Beach Bums popularity will only continue to grow, especially since the good food and large menu selection makes you want to come back for more. I want to try the Turkey Breast Rachel next time with coleslaw and 1000 island dressing.

We'll definitely be back to Beach Bums Cafe and Deli to try other dishes and for some creamy ice cream. Lucky for us, the photo above shows the leftovers we have waiting for us in the fridge!

Blackened Honey Pork

2007-06-14T22:50:00.000-04:00

Despite a time crunch and some pressing domestic duties, we managed to crank out a nutritious and delicious dinner in Couple of Cooks style.

We enjoyed a crispy and sweet pork tenderloin, grilled yellow squash and zucchini and baked potatoes topped with a store bought guacamole sauce. Oh, and don't let me forget a garden salad as an appetizer with carrots, cucumbers, beets, croutons and Kraft Asian Sesame dressing (It's really good!).

Pork Tenderloin Marinade

2 TBSP. honey

2 TBSP. Dijon Mustard

1 tsp. thyme

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

salt and pepper

1/2 TBSP. Olive Oil

Coat the tenderloin with the marinade and refrigerate for at least a half hour before grilling.

Johnnycakes deserves all the credit for tonight's feast. All I did was cook two mini Russet potatoes in the microwave until soft. He accidentally let the pork get a little crispy because he was talking to some neighbors while the meat and squash were on the grill. Before he knew it, the tenderloin was charred and blackened on one side. It didn't matter thought because we both thought the smoky, crispy, charred flavor enhanced the sweetness from the honey marinade. We seasoned the cooked meat with some salt and it was extra tasty.

The veggies were pretty straightforward. I had extra guacamole sauce from the taco dip I made on Sunday and thought it might be fun to try on the the potato. It was a good idea because it gave it a little extra zip and it's always fun to try something new!

Happy Birthday to Butters!

2007-06-13T18:11:00.001-04:00

Today is my 28th Birthday! My thoughtful friends helped me celebrate on Sunday with this delicious chocolate peanut butter ice cream (!) cake from Coldstone Creamery. The cake was pure decadence! The cake was a total surprise to me because we were all gathered to celebrate another birthday.

Our friend was celebrating her 3oth birthday. In style, I might add. This beautiful delight from Coldstone Creamery was a red velvet cake with a graham cracker crust topped with strawberry and vanilla ice cream.

These cakes were fabulous and very pretty to look at! I highly recommend the cakes from Coldstone Creamery. As many of us know, their ice cream ain't bad either! Yum....

Stuffed Cheeseburger Pitas

2007-06-12T23:27:00.000-04:00

Tonight's dinner was a variation on a classic. We grilled cheeseburgers and stuffed them in pita bread.

I had set out the ground beef (Laura's Lean ground beef, 96% fat free) to defrost this morning with the intention of making spaghetti with Bolognese sauce. When I got home from work, Johnnycakes had a different idea.

Still excited about the new grill, Johnnycakes wanted to make cheeseburgers. We didn't have any hamburger buns but we did, however, have frozen pitas in the freezer. We were both open to the idea of cheeseburgers and so we set out to make a tasty dinner minus traditional hamburger buns.

The mushrooms I had planned to use in the spaghetti sauce were soon combined with chopped onions and wrapped in foil and grilled along side the formed cheeseburger patties. We had some leftover sliced black olives and decided to finely chop them and combine them in the hamburger patty with some ketchup and spices. The olives helped to keep the burgers moist and add a special flavor after cooking.

In true Couple of Cooks fashion, Johnnycakes really took the lead on tonight's dinner by grilling the burgers and topping them with reduced fat cheddar cheese. He also chopped the "fixins" to stuff in the pitas such as lettuce, tomato and the grilled mushroom and onions. He was both the brains and brawn behind tonight's dinner.

The final step was only to top the tasty burgers with mayo, ketchup and mustard which are the standard toppings for cheeseburgers. Pickles completed this classic all-American summertime dish.

Lemon Chicken with Lots of Veggie Sides

2007-06-11T21:17:00.000-04:00

Tonight's dinner was definitely a nutritionist dream. Our plates were loaded with veggies thanks to the preparation I did on Saturday and some fresh items we had in the fridge.

We had a small garden salad with romaine lettuce, carrots, tomato slices, cucumber slices and topped with beets and a store bought low fat raspberry vinaigrette dressing. In addition, we ate beet greens soaked in lemon juice and olive oil, which I topped the chicken with. On top of all these vegetables, we also served mashed turnips. I added some low fat Swiss cheese to the mashed turnips to make them a bit more appealing. This was the first time either Johnnycakes or myself ever had turnips so butter, milk, salt and a little cheese was a welcome addition.

We also prepared a delicious lemon chicken breast. I pounded the chicken with a meat tenderizer to flatten the meat and poke holes in it for the lemon flavor to seep in. I marinated three chicken breast for an hour in the juice of one fresh lemon, some lemon pepper seasoning, two sprigs of fresh rosemary and salt and pepper. Johnnycakes grilled them in the backyard on our new grill until fully cooked.

The meat was soft and flavorful thanks to the little extra time we took pounding and flattening the meat. The veggies were a welcome treat and very filling. We both couldn't finish our entire meals and we felt great and healthy after all the vegetables. I also loved the way all the colors looked together on the plate.

A Pretty Picture

2007-06-10T22:17:00.000-04:00

I thought this made a pretty picture because of all the colors. This taco dip was definitely not a culinary masterpiece or even much to write home about but I liked the way the red, yellow and black looked together.

Taco Dip

15 oz. can of refried beans

12 oz. guacamole sauce (real guac would be much better)

12 oz. sour cream mixed with 2 TBSP. of taco seasoning

8 0z. salsa

16 oz. shredded 4 cheese shredded Mexican cheese

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

4 oz. can of black olives

Layer in order listed above. Serve with tortilla or corn chips.

This was a variation of a couple of different taco dips I make. I sort of improvised based on what I had available. I made this for a birthday party and it's always popular.

A Veggie Explosion

2007-06-09T17:53:00.000-04:00

I had a little extra time on my hands today and I had a ton of fresh veggies in the fridge from my trip to the Farmers Market last weekend. I hadn't had much time to do much with them yet so I decided to cook them up this afternoon while I had a few minutes to kill.

What did I prepare? Beets, beet greens and turnips.

I recently discovered beets. Johnnycakes always liked them and would load up on them at the salad bar but I always shyed away from them. My friend told me how she liked to boil them at home and that they were healthy so I decided to give them a try last summer. I am a new fan! They are so tasty, especially with salt and vinegar. I like to boil them and then peel the skin off while Johnnycakes prefers to roast them in the oven. Since I was in charge today, I boiled them. It really is a messy job to boil beets because everything, including the water, your hands, knife, cutting board and stove top get red juice on them one way or another. That sort of inspired my "Veggie Explosion" title because everything had a pink tint to it after I was done.

I had never prepared beet greens before but I had heard of them. All I did was throw them in a big pot with salt water and boiled them until soft. I then covered them in lemon juice and olive oil and have them chilling in the fridge.

I have also never prepared turnips. In fact, I don't know if I've even eaten them before but they look so pretty with that hint of purple to them. I figured I'd mash them with lots of salt, milk and butter in case I don't like them. It's sort of hard to not like something with that combination. I chopped them into fours and then microwaved them in salt water until they were soft (about 18 minutes). They gave off a pungent smell while they were cooking. When they soft, I mashed them up. I gave them a taste test and they weren't bad! They definitely have a distinct taste and are a little bitter.

I haven't really eaten any of my dishes yet and plan to incorporate them into meals in the next few days. My taste test of each dish leads me to believe that my veggie explosion was sucessful but I'll let you know for sure. In other words, you haven't seen the last of these side dishes!

Carne Asada Ensalada

2007-06-08T21:13:00.000-04:00

Tonight's dinner was fabulous. We had plenty of the homemade cilantro-lime dressing left over from our Wednesday night mid-week party and wanted to incorporate it into another meal since it was so delicious. A quick look in our well-stocked freezer and the choice was obvious: Carne Asada! We had some frozen sirloin steaks that we had picked up at the grocery store last Sunday for @$9.00 for four steaks. Neither of us had ever tried to make Carne Asada before but we know that we sure love to eat it!

Cilantro-Lime Dressing

Yields about 3/4 cup

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, stemmed

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup of olive oil

1/2 tsp. of cumin

1 tsp. sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Blend in a blender or food processer and chill for at least an hour.

We marinated the steaks in about a 1/4 cup of the dressing overnight. Dinner was easy! We grilled the steaks directly on the grill along with sliced red onion and green pepper for about 15 minutes. We also toasted corn tortillas on the grill for a few minutes.

We served the dish with the corn tortilla as a base with delicious fresh mixed salad topped with sliced carne asada, grilled peppers and onions and some the remaining Cilantro-Lime dressing. We also split an ear of corn for an extra treat!

Wow! Tonight's dinner was delicious and healthy!

On a side note, I read that in San Diego they serve this dish over french fries and topped with cheese and sour cream. Now that sounds good! Maybe next time....

Party Time!

2007-06-07T20:54:00.000-04:00

Last night, Johnnycakes and I hosted a mini neighborhood pot luck party at our house. Everyone pitched in a bit and we had an amazing dinner with food, drinks and fun! We threw this party together very quickly when a bunch of us neighbors decided on Tuesday night it would be a good idea to cook out with our new grill. With some haphazard planning, everyone volunteered to perform a task to round out the meal.

Last night, everyone brought something to eat or drink and it was party time! There were even a few surprises since everyone was worried there wouldn't be enough food.

The Menu:

Homemade guacamole
Chips and salsa
Garden salad with homemade lime-cilantro dressing
Beef Shish Kabobs w/ pineapple, peppers and onions
Brats
Corn on the cob
Spanish rice w/ peppers, tomatos and onions
Homemade garlic mashed potatoes
Fruit salad
A storebought apple crumb pie
Homemade Margaritas

As you can see, there was plenty of food! Now that we know we can pull one of these off without a hitch, we plan to throw more parties.