Accidents happen

When God gives you a disastrous Alton Brown recipe for pumpkin bread that does not cook in the middle, you make bread pudding with the remains the next day.

What it should look like...

What happens after I let it cool and transfer to a wire rack...


The middle. Pumpkin pudding, maybe?

Wok-Seared Lamb Rib Chops

Another restaurant in Las Vegas with a great surprise included Noodle Asia. The menu seemed to cater to the Asian tourist population with authentic goodies and satisfyingly-slurpy noodles. I was very excited about the Kim Chi, and, honestly - very, very excited about the spicy beef tripe. The plan was to feast on some appetizers before our Cirque show, but a *cough* self-induced pistachio gelato feast only an hour earlier left little room in the tummy. The restaurant did have a special, though: Wok-Seared Lamb Rib Chops.

The waitress was very kind, but could not speak English well, so I could only have her release little information about the preparation of the lamb. All I heard was, "Chinese five spice and cook it three times."

Once she delivered the food, I went into full Fred Flintstone, brontosaurus bone, growling-mode. I admit, I'm not a pretty eater. The crispy outside and fatty, spicy meat made me melt. I forced myself from ordering another two rounds, since it was an appetizer and only served with three of the meaty lollipops. Instead, I took notes. The spices are almost perfect, but the intense crispyness can only be found with a wok. For a Wednesday night supper, it wasn't half-bad.


Wok-Seared Lamb Rib Chops

- Frenched lamb rib chop (around 8 lollipops)
Marinade
- 1 tbs ginger
- 1 tbs sesame oil
- 1 tbs vegetable oil
- 3 cloves of garlic (crushed & finely chopped)
- 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice
- 1/2 tsp Sriracha
- s & p

Mix the marinade ingredients. Apply to lamb and marinate for a few hours in the fridge. Before cooking, take the lamb out of the fridge and allow to rest for an hour. This prevents the lamb from being too cold and only cooking on the outside. Heat the oven to 325.

Add to a pan on medium-high heat with oil. Sear on both sides until browned. Place lamb in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

After resting the lamb on the counter for 15 minutes, cut eat individual chop off the rib. Heat a pan with oil in high heat. Carefully sear the lamb on each side until crispy, 2-3 minutes on each side.

Enjoy!

I'm gonna miss you, puppy.

Our lovely puppy of twelve years passed yesterday. Heather left us yesterday on her birthday, but we were fortunate to spend a relaxing day with her celebrating with her favorite foods; cheese and cupcakes.

I'll miss her cold wet nose laying next to me on the couch.

I'll miss her stealth-mode when she tries to sneak a taste of our food.

I'll miss her love of food. Remember how excited she was about my birthday cake?

There are lots of memories, but most of all, I'll miss a great friend.

Love ya, pup.

Pumpkin ravioli with fried sage

Our new favorite!



- 1/4 can of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 20 wonton wrappers
- 12 fresh sage leaves (6 whole, 6 chopped)
- 2 tbs. butter
- 1 small clove of garlic (minced)
- 2 amaretti cookies (crushed)
- 1 tbs. of parmesan cheese
- orange zest (1/4 of a large orange)
- pepper
- glass of water

Place a skillet on low heat and add butter. Allow to cook and slightly brown.

While cooking butter, mix pumpkin, garlic, cookies, parmesan cheese, chopped sage, orange zest and pepper to taste. Mix and set aside.

Place wonton wrappers on a board with the glass of water close to the working station. Add a teaspoon of pumpkin filling to one corner of the wonton. Leave enough room to seal the ravioli. Place you finger in the water and moisten the edges of the wonton. Fold so it is shaped like a triangle and make sure to seal the edges.

Add to salted water. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add remaining fresh whole sage leaves to butter to fry.

Place ravioli in a bowl and pour browned butter with sage on top.

Hip to be square

I don't need another reason to eat cupcakes -- but a square cupcake? Genius! And they're pretty tasty to boot!

Fresh Bakery cupcakes can be purchased in malls in the Baltimore area. We found stations in White Marsh mall and Towson Town center so far. The cupcakes are great - moist, and not too sweet.

The poor girl at the station ran out of red velvet, which are rumored to be fantastic. Pick some up if you are lucky to find them in stock.

Bye-Bye Summer

We've entered Fall and I have been told that my lack of Summer entries is beyond disappointing. I agree. Honestly, nothing too new in the cooking front during these past few warm months. Much of the time was spent attempting to understand the quirks of the stove and oven in our new place.

We always have a crab feast during the month of July, and apparently, my family shows great architecture promise for crustacean shells.

We also drive to Kilby Cream in Rising Sun, MD to end great dinners with fresh milk ice cream creations. Check it out in the Fall for a corn maze along with seasonal ice cream flavors.


You can also get close and personal to these wonderful farmyard animals.


Including this one...

These are a few of my favorite things.

I'm not picky when it comes to food items, but my limited selection on the "do not consume" list always perks the interest of family and friends. Maybe finally admitting my culinary dislikes will help me, and others, to understand my...silly ways.

You will never find these in my kitchen.

- parsley

- cilantro

- ranch sauce

- alfredo sauce

- arugula

- celery

Let's also consider my "hate-to-love" food list. The guilty (and embarrassing) pleasures. The over-processed abundance of our grocery shelves and fast food drive-thru.

- KFC mac and cheese (neon cheesy goodness)

- microwaved Peeps

- KFC coleslaw

- Burger King's "onion" rings

- birthday cake icing (fabulous food coloring and lard)

And I'm back!

A recent move left us for three weeks without out beloved internet and television. Now that most of the boxes are gone, we can finally organize and get back to reality. We were also fortunate enough to take a quick trip to Las Vegas; a first for the two of us. The monstrous size of the resorts and maze design of the casinos burned significant calories, but we also made sure to hit the gym a few times.

Here is why we decided to burn all those additional calories....

Andy's sage fried chicken w/ fresh spinach, hardwood smoked bacon, market tomato, griddled mozzarella, chipotle cream and scrambled eggs from Hash House a go-go. We first spotted this mammoth on an episode of Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel. The restaurant has two locations in Vegas and one was only two resorts down the strip from us. We stayed at the Venetian and were told to simply, "Walk past Harrah's and walk through Imperial Palace's casino. Go to the second floor and you'll find the restaurant." Perfect! Just a quick walk, right? Wrong.

It was our first full day in Vegas heat and a simple walk from the Venetian to Harrah's felt like a tour of Cairo. Tour buses filled with blue-haired ladies moving as slowly as possible constantly blocked our "detour" on the street. We decided to walk through the casino to miss the crowds. It was a good idea, since the breakfast crowd on the casino floor consisted of two 90-something women wearing t-shirts with pictures of their cats. Between the noise of the penny slot machines and announcements for the last buffet seating, we found ourselves lost.

The Harrah's casino lacked the appeal of the Venetian's. The floor smelled like cigarette smoke that had accumulated since 1970. The carpets, I swear, were designed by the Miami Vice cast. The Venetian had cigarette smoking, but the constant pumping of oxygen and aroma of fresh flowers distracted me from the nasty smells. After what seemed like 10 minutes of misery, we finally found outside light. Imperial Palace was in sight!

Their casino was very similar to Harrah's. The cocktail waitresses were winners, too. One had the hem of her Spanx full bodysuit slipping past the revealing skirt of her uniform. And the fishnets no longer looked like fishnets on her thighs, the bulge made the loops hang on for dear life. To be fair, I don't think many can get away with neon orange fishnets.

We finally found Hash House a Go-Go and were very surprised at the design. We took an elevator up to Indiana farm restaurant that truly looked the part. The staff was great and very helpful navigating us through the menu. Although they served large portions, the food's quality was superb. We didn't finish the mammoth breakfast, but I was very pleased to find this country oasis after the introduction to Vegas resort wear.

Cherry cobbler and fresh mint ice cream

I understand that it is much easier to buy a few handfuls of cherries from the grocery store or farmer's market, but who doesn't enjoy pick-your-own stands that open during the summer months? And who cares if pitting the cherries by hand ruins your manicure? The end result is just...awesome.

Unfortunately, the now defunct Gourmet magazine makes it difficult to find most of their amazing recipes, but we are still on a search to find an online version of our favorite cobbler recipe. My mom and I believe that it was called, "Easy Peach Cobbler." If you find it, print it out and keep it in your favorite recipe book.


Honestly, how could you go wrong with a recipe that begins with a stick of butter, flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and other wonderful spices? Any variation of the mentioned ingredients should yield something delicious.

And it did! Try not to eat all the crispy, buttery sides before the cobbler cools down. (You can also burn your tongue -- I'm speaking in theory, of course, not from experience.)

For the leftovers, make some Fresh mint ice cream and add little chocolate chips to the recipe.

Mexican pork tenderloin

I've been crazy lately with finishing up grading for a class, a move, a vacation (one week to go!) and other work related fun items. So while cooking has been slow this month, I have been trying some new recipes. Honestly, the move seems to have taken some of the joy out of cooking. It is not the same experience when I have to dig through a box of packed items to find the cinnamon. I knew I hit my low the other day when a 5 day old, half-eaten, quart of KFC coleslaw seemed a decent lunch. I had to make something...anything! Any more of those experiences and I'll be designated in the same category as a cat lady. *shudder*

Here is a yummy addition to my recipe collection: Mexican pork tenderloin.



- pork tenderloin
- cinnamon
- cumin
- honey
- s & p
- oregano
- ancho chile powder
- chile infused olive oil

Mix the spice mixture together with the oil and honey. Rub on pork tenderloin and allow to marinade in the fridge for an hour.

Sear all sides of the tenderloin on a cast iron grill pan. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake in the over for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until done.

Let rest on cutting board for at least 10 minutes.

Lemon aioli and asparagus

Happy summer!

After a wonderful dinner at Petit Louis in Roland Park this week, I've been craving an appetizer from their asparagus menu: Chilled asparagus with lemon aioli and serrano ham. My mom's local grocery store probably looked at her like she had lobsters growing out of her ears when she asked if they had any of this ham in stock, but we made out well with the basic recipe.

- asparagus, cooked and chilled

-lemon aioli (add an extra squirt of lemon to your liking)

Add to lovely asparagus for a lovely summer meal.

The kitchen is also decorated for the upcoming summer months.

If only my apartment was not the Bermuda Triangle of herbs so I could grow these as well.

Welcome back, summer.

I can't think of a better way to end a day - Pimm's cup with Gosling's Ginger Beer. Ahh...sweet, sweet summer (summer-like weather, at least).

Butterscotch update

I think I now know why my grandmother never told us her recipe -- the weather will either make or break any butterscotch from setting. The texture also varies. Fortunately, I have a few days off for Easter, so I will work with my mom to finally crack the code. Cross your fingers and wish us luck!

lovely curry

Don't have $15 to spend at your local Indian restaurant? Don't have the willpower to stop yourself from purchasing a heap of naan and rice pudding? Research and commit to creating a (cheaper and healthier) version at home!


Sweet potato and chick pea curry

- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium sweet potato, chopped (partially cooked - microwave works well)
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 1 can of chick peas, drained
- green chilies (to taste)
- ginger paste
- handful of frozen spinach (or peas)
- garam masala (or a sweet, spicy spice blend)
- thai, chicken stock or water
- 1/8 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
- s&p to taste
- vegetable oil (canola)

Heat about a tablespoon of canola oil in pan. Add onion and cook until slightly caramelized. Add garam masala or spice mix and s&p. Add sweet potatoes and chick peas. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Add green chilies, if you wish. Add a nice dollop, less than a tablespoon, of ginger paste. Add stock or water - enough to create a slight steam, then add spinach and tomato. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add coconut milk and greek yogurt. Stir and let simmer on low for about 15-25 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender.

cupcake craze

Interesting article about the cupcake craze.

Click here.

"Lasses, Butter, 'n' It Mashed Up"

Translation: Mix an equal mixture of molasses and butter.

My Southern may be slightly off, but you get the idea.

Here it is...
A family recipe book that was *cough* published back in '93. We've got some winners in here, folks.

- *Hilda's Big Buns - the name has been changed to protect the innocent.
- Impossible Pie (no crust) - Abra cadabra!
- Another Chocolate Pie- "Aww man! Not another one!"
- *Friendship cake - note: this cake takes 3 months...as in MONTHS to prepare. I may feel like adding the details someday, but this is not one of those days.
- The Magic Pickle
- Watermelon Pickles
- Goop
- 1-2-3-4 Cake

And here are some suggestions from the back of the book.

- "Pour Dr. Pepper in a cup; drop in a slice or wedge of lemon. Microwave till hot. Tastes great!"
- "Wrap 1/2 slice of bacon around a watermelon pickle. Bake or broil till done."


Sounds tempting, but I decided on another favorite - butterscotch pie. This pie, this magnificent creation was surely created by the gods for our enjoyment. I'm trying to recreate my grandmother's recipe, which unfortunately, was never written down.

It looks, smells and tastes just like her pie filling. I think I did it. I'll just need to wait and see how it sets in the fridge and adjust the recipe as needed.

Full report tomorrow.

Sláinte

I hope everyone enjoyed their St. Patty's Day. It was a quiet day this year, so I decided to celebrate with family and enjoy some delicious beer bread.

A grand total of 45 minutes from start to finish. And you can really, REALLY taste the beer after it bakes, so make sure you add a quality lager. No Budweiser here, folks.


Shock and dismay! Why did I not use Guinness, Harp or another fine Irish beverage in the making of this bread?

Because the cook always deserves a pint while baking, especially of the black stuff.

Pazo cupcakes

Last week, we decided to try the cupcake and cocktail pairings at Pazo. We were lucky enough to sit at the bar, right before the lounge started filling up with the happy hour crowd. I only wish that I would have known about the $5 drink and tapas special instead of deciding to stuff ourselves with chick-fil-a sandwiches to not feel so guilty about eating dessert for dinner. The bartender was great and recommended drinks that fit our liking - not necessarily what paired well with the cupcakes. For the bf, a wonderful white Belgian-style Ale brewed in...Japan.


We were so excited about this beer that we even decided to go on a search for the brew after leaving the restaurant. We didn't find it that evening, but Well's Liquors on York Road not only had the white ale, but a red rice and ginger version. The ginger is a little heavier and the store is *fingers crossed* ordering more versions of these ales.


The cupcakes? Sigh. I was really hoping for something a little more complex. We ordered the sweet corn cupcake, bacon and Pazo (chocolate & salted caramel) cupcake. The sweet corn cupcake tasted suspiciously like Trader Joe's cornbread mix. Still, I enjoyed the caramel corn and butter pecan ice cream on top. I was a little disappointed in the bacon cupcake. It was savory, which was delicious, but I was hoping for a sweet-salty experience. Remember the peanut butter pie with candied bacon a few posts back? Not that exactly, but the tastes were straight-forward and not surprising. In fact, it tasted like a chive muffin with sour cream and bacon on top.

The cocktails they pair with the cupcakes are a little rich, according to the bartender, so I had a green tea martini. Good thing he mentioned the ridiculous amount of calories in one of their Godiva drink pairings. I completely agree with him - why waste precious calories on liquid when there are cupcakes to devour?

Check out B More Sweet's Pazo cupcake experience as well. (Link for the blog on the right)

Some lovely recipes.

Naan and Chicken Tikka Masala. One of my favorite combinations. Take the time to make fresh naan - it is completely worth the effort. Go ahead and try a piece or two while waiting for the others to grill. I'm just sayin'. Reward yourself for the effort.


I had a few substitutions from the Pioneer Woman's recipe. I subsituted:

- boneless chicken thighs for the chicken breasts
- san marzano tomatoes for the sauce
- fat free half and half for the heavy whipping cream
- a little bit of butter to taste
- NO CILANTRO (yuck, just yuck)


Also, some bolognese. Start with the usual marinara sauce starter of onions, garlic and carrots sweating with olive oil. Remove from pan; set aside. Add beef, pork and veal (about 1 pound total) to pan until cooked through. Add the onions, garlic and carrots back to the pan. Add a can of san marzano tomatoes, spice to your liking and add the secret ingredient - 1 inch parmesan rind. Boil for 45 minutes and add a cinnamon stick. Lower the temp and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the rind and cinnamon stick. Add a touch of heavy cream and serve!

James Joyce

After the first visit of snow-zilla last month, we could hardly wait to get out and check the condition of the roads and sidewalks. Both were horrible, but the lovely folks at Harbor East managed to clear the walkways enough for the Sunday brunch crowd.

Here was our first sight walking out of the Legg Mason garage...

We went to one of our favorite bars, James Joyce Irish Pub, for some grub. Problem is, we rarely went there for anything but a libation and small munchies.

The black and tan was awesome, as usual.

And so was the Irish coffee!
But the traditional Irish breakfast? Hmm...lacking.


Eggs? Check. Beans? Check. Roasted tomato? Check. Black and white pudding? Check.

But look at the bottom of the plate. Do you see it? A McDonald's looking hash brown. What?!?! An Irish pub serving an over-fried, tasteless hash brown patty? For shame.

Good thing you keep me coming back with your pints, Mr. Joyce. Good thing.

challah! (like, holla) get it?

I'm bread obsessed - in a carb-overload sort of way. I use the awful excuse, "I made it so, the bread doesn't have any preservatives, which means that I must consume the entire loaf in 48 hours." The habit was kicked for about a week -- until...

Challah.

This is the most FABULOUS bread recipe that I have found. And it is a Cooking Light recipe, too! Who woulda thunk?

The recipe calls for threads of saffron, which I'm sure would have been fantastic, but after finding the spice EXPIRED on the grocery store shelf, and trying to explain to the 16 year old when the heck this stuff was...I decided to try something new. Orange zest. See the little flecks?

I think the recipe was darn good with the orange zest. My mom made some pretty mean french toast with the leftovers the next day. Add a little splash of Grand Marnier to the egg mix for that extra pop. Nice job, mom!

OMG

Pazo...

cupcakes...

cocktails...

pair them together for a happy hour.

I must go.

salt

The recent snowfall has left many locals longing for summer - including this bacon lover. I love restaurant hopping in the summer, when you actually don't mind parking your car three blocks away just to get in a walk after dining. One of those great places that we found one warm summer evening last year was Salt Tavern. This is a great, tiny place located inside a converted home. Two things grabbed my attention that night - duck fat french fries and goat cheese mini donuts with lavender salt.

The french fries?

Duh.

No explanation necessary.

The donuts? Wow. Such an interesting play on sweet and salty. It was a refined version of pretzels and ice cream, chocolate-covered potato chips...and the like. I can't wait until the piles of snow are gone, so I can actually dream of parking around some of these side-street restaurants such as Salt.

Until then, allow me to reminisce...

bread 2

Add to the original recipe:

- cinnamon

- chocolate chips

- dried cherries

- chopped walnuts

- dash of ground pepper

And you have the best breakfast bread in the world.

cabin fever

Three to four feet of snow in a week? That's enough to drive this girl crazy. Thank goodness I was able to get to the grocery store before the masses ran over me in the hopes of buying 100-packs of toilet paper. We cook A LOT while snowed in and the gym will certainly be seeing me after I can finally dig myself out of this mess.

The good news? Work is closed due to this non-stop blizzard! Let's make a toast to snow days! How about a mimosa with fresh-squeezed blood orange juice?

We also attempted to create some bread from Jim Lahey's book, "My Bread". This book was a present to my mom from some wonderful friends and foodies in New Jersey. Many thanks for a great snowed-in recipe! You can find a version of the recipe on the Sullivan Street Bakery's site, Lahey's shop in NYC.

Lahey's technique involves no kneading, but an incredible amount of time. You will also need a Le Crueset or Lodge Pot. I would recommend the Lodge pot, since you do not need to remove any hardware before placing it in the oven. Le Crueset's black handle is known to melt past 350 degrees or so, but just use a knife to remove the screw and replace with aluminum foil.

I did miss the kneading process, but this technique is a little less messy and uses less space - which is perfect for the small counter space in my apartment.

After almost 20 hours of proofing...

and 30 minutes of baking...

we were rewarded with chewy, crunchy, beautiful bread. It has an amazing texture and was actually "singing" when we took it out of the oven. The Lord blessed this bread and we celebrated with a stick of butter.

"Hallelujah!"