03/08 in my humble opinion. the avocado is one of the most amazing foods to be found in nature. an amazing texture. a gorgeous color. and actually very healthy! never mind all the gripes that they are high in fat, it's the GOOD fat. the necessary fat the body needs. and potassium.....that mineral that i always seem to be so low on. also a handful of vitamins like C, E and B6. these relatively unattractive, but so amazing fruits are always welcome on my plate!
one of my "go-to" quick meals is to make stuffed avocados. cut them in half, remove the pit, and fill with.....whatever you want. shrimp salad for lunch, eggs for breakfast, pulled pork for dinner. they really do compliment an endless variety of food combinations. and much like my obsession with muffin shaped food stuffs? everyone gets and individual portion! tonight i had a little leftover roast chicken breast and a few pieces of turkey bacon in the fridge. so i tossed them with greek yogurt and sriracha sauce, diced up a few tomatoes, cut up some scallion, and mixed it all together with a beaten egg. this became the filling for my little avocado cups. popped in the oven for about 20 minutes until the egg set, and then topped with some fresh cilantro. and.....wow. something about the heat from the sriracha and the flavor of the cilantro really took this meal to another level. this is one of those moment where i regret my choice to not have the same dinner twice this year. because this one? i could eat once a week and be happy with! i'm sure there will be many variations on this theme to come.....
03/10 tonight was an absolutely amazing date night with my boo. there is a steak house in arlington that tony and i make a point of going to once a year. it's not super fancy, and for a steak house, isn't really super expensive. but the quality of the beef has always been top notch. it's a simple menu. nothing fussy. they are a steak house, and they stick to what they do best! tony got their hanger steak, and i had a petite filet "blue devil style". which means it has a spicy sauce with bleu cheese crumbles. the steaks were cooked PERFECTLY. and the cuts were flawless. every bite tender. we both had wedge salads, because......more bleu cheese. does there need to be another reason? ray's always brings sides of mashed potatoes and creamed spinach with every meal. i guess the potatoes are more "whipped" than "mashed". they are so light! and the spinach is downright addictive. that's actually a big part of why we keep coming back.... http://www.raysthesteaks.com
03/11 the craziness of this week continues, so tonight had to be a simple meal. no shame in buying a pre-made soup from the store! tonight i got a southwest chicken and corn chowder. which was ok, but with a few extra spices and some hot sauce added? quite delicious! i also made a salad to accompany. topped with bbq and ranch and a few crispy onions. nothing fancy, but it hit the spot!
03/12 tonight was one of those magical meals that makes you tear up a little, and give thanks for tastebuds. and it was an easy meal to make! it really was just a matter of having some incredible ingredients to work with.... there's a farmer's market in our town that sets up on thursday mornings. recently a butcher has shown up there with his house made sausages. everything i've purchased from him has been fantastic. spicy italian sausage, cheddar brats, kielbasa, etc... so whenever i'm able to go? i make sure to pick up a pack or two from this vendor. one that has become a favorite of ours is his chorizo. amazingly tender pork with a beautiful combination of spices. hot enough to feel it, but not so hot as to be overwhelming. tony saw that i had a package of this brilliant creation in the freezer, so put in a request that we use it for dinner tonight. a wise man, tony is.
since the weather is still pleasant, it was another good night to fire up the grill. i found a perfectly ripe pineapple at the store and got the idea to make kabobs. one set using the chorizo and pineapple (i cooked the chorizo first by boiling it, then put it on the grill just long enough to get a good crisp to it). and another set of kabobs with veggies (tomatoes, onions and bell pepper). grilled tomatoes are a thing of beauty! tony had also put in a request for cole slaw. which is always a great side to a grilled meal. on a whim i decided to throw in a little leftover bleu cheese (maytag bleu....my favorite). and holy cow. why don't people put bleu cheese into coleslaw more often???? it was freaking amazing. all the components of this meal were amazing on their own. but together? damn.
oh.....and that little glass on the side? yet another tony request! with the weather being so nice. he asked me to make a batch of sangria. i have two recipes, one for red and one for white. this is the white (ok, it's really pink). 1 bottle of dry sparkling white wine (i use an italian asti), 3/4 cup of peach vodka, 1/3 cup lemonade concentrate and a handful of peaches and raspberries. let it sit for at least 6 hours and you have a perfect drink for sitting outside and enjoying the warm weather!
03/13 about a year ago, tony and i were in chicago for a few days. we had an outstanding dinner at a small restaurant-"perennial vibrant" just off the end of lincoln park. one of the things that i've been dreaming about since that night was their gnocchi. instead of the usual potato variety, they made theirs with goat cheese, which added the most delightful tanginess to the dish.
i finally found a recipe that matched what i remember from that night! these little oddly shaped bits of pasta are light, almost pillowy. and are served with a sauce made of white wine, vegetable broth and dates. to top everything off? the dish is covered with a sprinkling of extra crisp bacon. and what isn't better with bacon?? it was a decadent dish. and gnocchi take a little extra love and care to make... but it was worth it! next time? i think i'll add some caramelized onions and a pinch of thyme to this dish.... to offset the rich pasta dish, i made a side of a simple spinach and kale salad. i used the leftover dates and bacon from the sauce to garnish the salad. and threw in some almonds for a little crunch. an excellent way to end the week!
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