Joe's Special with Cheese

Mmmm, Eskimo Joes....Home of OSU Lovin and T-Shirt wearin' good times.

Actually, when I was in school I rarely ate at Joes ( nor did I buy my clothes there)...too popular and busy for my taste. Game days were always a certain brand of special if you could squeeze your way in. So, for the most part, I just avoided it and stuck with places where they accepted Bursar....

NOW is a different story entirely. Somehow, the place has come to represent all that is good and pure of my days in Stillwater and what better way to express goodness and purity than with beef and melted cheese? I craved this baby for two whole weeks when I found out we were going to a game. I even managed my caloric intake accordingly. Sadly, none of this planning helped me beat Tasha in % of weight lost this month ( oh, that's another story entirely) but at least I got to eat THIS:

With Ranch.

I'm Back

Hi! I finally got my new camera! Yes, it is fabulous and yes, it is the Nikon D80 I was dreaming about. This isn't exactly food but I suppose it is edible...I just wanted to show how cool my stuff is. Yeah, now I need to get some skills because this was a total fluke.

Greek Night- Baklava and Traditional Greek Salad

Opa!!! We had yet another themed dinner party and this time it was Greek night at our friend April's house. Everything was delicious from the ouzo meatballs to the Greek stuffed peppers. I was in charge of dessert since we couldn't find anything remotely Greek... I went with baklava- esteemed sweet of the land of the gyros. It originated in Turkey but now people think it's Greek so it is a total qualifier. I followed this recipe for baklava at Allrecipes.com and I pretty much followed it exactly for once with a couple of exceptions. Dang, I guess I didn't follow it exactly at all. Some of the reader comments suggested to either cool the baklava or the sauce before combining ( so they aren't hot together which would make for super sogginess.) I cooled the sauce. Also, for the sauce, instead of 1 cup of water to 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of honey...I used 1 1/2 cups of water to the 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of honey. It was good...went farther and a little less sweet. So, how was it? I dunno, I forgot to eat some but everyone said it was awesome and I'll trust them on it. I just don't have a sweet tooth...what can I say?

I also don't have a traditional greek salad tooth...

It was gross...here's the stupid recipe.

Here's me exercising my Ouzo Meatball tooth:

Smothered Salmon

I'm not afraid to say it... I'm not a huge fan of fish. Salmon is tolerable I suppose, but usually when I make fish for my husband I end up with a bowl of cereal. Now, this little dish might make my Kix feel like nothing more than cheeseless cheetos. This, dear friends, is Smothered Salmon courtesy of Rachel Ray Everyday. I will write the recipe as she presents it but, as usual, I didn't follow it very closely. So, sue me.

Serves 4 ( I made it for 2)
1 pound plum tomatoes, quartered. ( I used 1/2 a container of grape tomatoes, halved)
1 onion, quarted lenthwise and sliced crosswise ( wtf? I used half and just took a knife to it)
1 jalepeno chile, seeded and sliced lengthwise ( yes, maam)
2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced ( or, a spoon of that minced stuff in the jar, eh?)
2 1/2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil ( EVOO)
Salt and Pepper
8 Green Olives, chopped ( I did this but then I forgot about them so I think my cat ate some)
4 8 oz Salmon fillets ( I used 2)
1 10 oz box of plain couscous, cooked ( I only made two servings)

OKAY!
1. Preheat oven to 450. I lined a baking sheet with parchment paper because I got a load of it at amazon for like 20 bucks. Score! Then, toss together the tomatoes, onion, jalepeno, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes or until lightly charred. I went for 20 minutes. Then toss with the olives if you remember them.
2. This is the step I skipped. Boiled salmon didn't sound like it would flip my wig so I went with grilling it with salt/pepper and a little olive oil ( yum.) BUT, if I were inclined to follow the rules, I would have done this: Fill a large skillet halfway with water and bring to boil. Add a tsp of salt and place the salmon skin side down in the pan. Place a lid on top and lower the heat to simmer until opaque. Transfer to plate and discard the skin. Blah.
3. Fluff couscous ( what is this stuff? It's great!) and serve with the salmon and throw the veggies on top!

That's it. It was easy and I will definitely make it again.

Go Green Chicken Sammies

Okay, so I made this amazing sandwich and it must be repeated!! It was the definition of freshness and zest. Aubrey and I ate the whole meal in silence just marveling at this delicious creation. It's from Rachel Ray Everyday Magazine May 2008. I have a pic but it was too much green to handle. * (UPDATE: This pic represents how I felt eating this... slightly exhausted and a little out of it. It's powerful.)Seriously, make this.

Recipe (with notes)

Serves 4 ( I cut it in half)
2 tbsp. evoo
1/3/ cup chopped cilantro ( I probably still used this much just for 2)
2 scallions, finely chopped (yeah, I used white onion...it was still yum)
2 tbsp. fresh chopped thyme ( I used the dry stuff)
Grated peel of one lime plus juice of 2 limes ( worth it...for sure)
2 tsp. hot pepper sauce ( I didn't have any so I mixed some cayenne pepper with malt vinegar until it looked a little bit like tabasco)
S &P
4 Skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 deli slices of pepper jack cheese
2 avocados
1 small red onion ( yeah, I used white again... still good)
1 small plum tomato, chopped
2 jalepeno chiles, seeded and chopped ( Okay, this is essentially pico de gallo... Aubrey made a huge batch with even more cilantro)
1 clove of garlic, grated ( I used the minced stuff)
Juice of 1 lemon ( what? I think I forgot this...)
4 buns or crusty rolls, toasted
1 head green leaf lettuce
Tortilla chips ( we used baked tostitos!)

Okay...
1. Combine evoo, cilantro, scallions ( or whatever), thyme, lime peel, half of the lime juice, and hot sauce in a bowl. Season with S&P and throw chicken in there to get marinated for like 30 minutes.
2. Preheat grill to medium high. Then, do like I did and combine the pico stuff with the garlic, avocados, and the rest of the lime juice ( this is where the recipe says to mash the avocado with the garlic, red onion, tomato, lime juice, and lemon juice with some salt.)
3. Grill chicken until cooked through and melt a slice of cheese over the top.
4. Serve on the toasted rolls with lettuce and guacomole. Serve with chips.

SO GOOD. That's all I can say.

I Broke My Camera!

I have a history of ruining and destroying gadgetry. The latest to meet it's demise at my hand is my semi-new camera. It wasn't amazing but it was the best I've ever had. I only wish we could have known each other better before things fell apart between us. So, until I get an awesome Nikon D80 replacement ( Kodak, who?), this raw hamburger I ordered in Paris on my honeymoon with have to tide you over.

Tropical Themed Party-Pineapple Shrimp Skewers

Yes, mon! We had our tropical themed party dinner night thing on Saturday and it was off the hook! Okay, probably a mild exaggeration there but I associate the tropics with really cool people who can say crap like that without sounding like dweebs.

Anyway, we all had a really great time again and had some great food. We’re getting better and better! Featured dishes include, tropical chicken, fresh fruit salad, a special salad with a fruity vinaigrette, Caribbean black beans and rice with a mango salsa, and more. I made coconut jasmine rice (see the recipe on this site) and another P-Dub recipe…that’s Pioneer Woman for those of you who have yet to be initiated in the “I Stalk P-Dub” fan club. I made her “Yummy, Easy, Pineapple Skewered Shrimp.” I really liked them and got asked for the recipe so I guess that means they weren’t poisonous at the very least. You can view the complete assembly instructions here http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/page/9/ but here is what I did since I was cooking for a crowd:

60ish jumbo shrimp (headless, peeled, de-veined…yeah, buy them like this. Trust me, it is worth the extra $100 dollars unless you have no use for an hour and a half of your time.)
1 cupish of teriyaki sauce
3 finely chopped green onions
Roughly a ¼ cup of sugar
A heaping tablespoon of minced garlic (about three cloves)
2 cans pineapple chunks
Wooden skewers

Prepare shrimp; set aside.

Mix teriyaki, sugar, green onions, garlic, and pineapple JUICE (just one cans worth) into a shallow baking dish big enough to house all your shrimp; add shrimp.

Marinate for roughly 2 hours ( I bet less or more would be fine, though.)

Assemble on skewers in this order so the shrimp is hugging a pineapple chunk with a chunk between each shrimp embrace (look at the pic, it will make more sense.)

Grill until beautifully blackened. Serve hot ( I got one cold and one hot…the hot kicked the cold one’s butt.)

I was afraid the skewers might catch on fire but they didn’t. I wish one did though so I could run around screaming “ Fire! Fire ON THE GRILL!” Then, people would think I was crazy and pierce me with a skewer or 9 toothpicks just to see if I could feel pain. I can.

Pizza Margherita AGAIN!

Okay, here is the finished product...yeah, you can totally see the sogginess. I love it though. This was actually the only time I used the mozzerella balls. Typically, I like to use the hunk of cheese and slice it wider and thinner to cover more surface area with cheesy goodness.

Pizza Margherita

Aubrey and I first discovered this fab combo of tomato and basil when we were in Rome (it was the cheapest meal on the menu and we were living on bread and water by the time we hit Italy in our month long trip.)

Basically, this is store bought pizza crust, spaghetti sauce, roma tomato, torn basil ( I really only make this so I can feel all gourmet picking this out of my own garden), and fresh mozzarella cheese. I toss the toppings together in olive oil with minced garlic and slap 'em down and spread 'em around. 10 minutes at 350 and PRESTO! It kinda comes out soggy sometimes though...any suggestions? Maybe I need to break down and make my own crust. I need a good crust recipe.

Blogspot doesn't want to load anymore pictures right now so I'll post the "after" shot later...

German Night!- Sour Cream Apple Crumb Kutchen

Every month or so, we've been getting together with some friends to bring a wee bit of culture to our little town. Thus far, we have had an Exotic food night, an Irish food night, and the latest was.............

I know you're asking your computer screen, "WHAT WAS IT???" Well, I WILL ASK THE QUESTIONS because it was German night! Have you ever tried canned halibut in tomato sauce? Well, as we discovered, there's a good reason for this. Who knew that Germans enjoyed specialties other than the typical Bratwurst and Saurkraut? As it turns out, Deutsche cuisine offers a well-rounded smattering of delights ranging from fried, dark and heavy to...heavy, dark, and fried. From Wienersnitzel (fried pork) to fried potato pancakes, we had it all. We're getting pretty good at being authentic, too!

I made a particularly tasty dish called Sour Cream Apple Crumb Kutchen. Yeah, it sounds pretty nasty but it was really good ( much to my relief). The recipe is here: http://www.recipeatlas.com/germanrecipes/scapplecakerecipe.html

I have no clue what it's original source might be but it came up in "german cake recipes" and it looked like I could make it without becoming a pastry chef.

Let me just say, this was the most intensive cake I have ever made (also, like the third of which didn't originate in a box). I dirtied every dish in the house! Also, I thought all cake batter was poured into a pan. NO! This batter was spread with some difficulty and the end product weighed about 10 pounds. I think it would make a good breakfast cake. Very pure, dense, moist, apple-y, and not at all artificially sweet tasting. Sorry, no pictures of it because I was too busy engaging in other german customs... ( i.e. a shot of jagermeister with a lemon slice half covered in coffee and half covered in sugar). Has anyone ever heard of this? Crazy.