07/05 it is stupid hot outside. way too hot to have the oven on in the house. so tonight was a meal done entirely on the grill. grilled salmon with a ginger-soy glaze. grilled cauliflower. and grilled asparagus. and a little sliced avocado for good measure! mostly because i had an avocado that needed to be used up.....and it always pairs so nicely with salmon!
07/06 there used to be a restaurant in silver spring, md called "the piratz tavern". it is exactly what you are picturing. a dimly lit hole in the wall covered with jolly roger flags, treasure maps for placemats, waiters with bad accents, and a lot of rum based drinks on the menu. it was kind of a disaster of a place, it actually wound up on the show "bar rescue" at one point. but....it had such a high kitsch factor, that my friends and i actually loved it. in fact, one of my friends previously worked there as a "serving wench".....so was able to give us the inside scoop on what to order.
the universal favorite was their appetizer of piri piri chicken. the piri piri pepper (or bird pepper) is commonly found in a lot of west african and portugese dishes. it makes for a wonderful spicy sauce almost similar to a buffalo sauce, and is most wonderful when served over chicken. since the dear old piratz tavern has closed it's doors, i have yet to find any place to meet the flavors i have been craving in this dish! so after many searches on the internet, i combined some recipes at an attempt to recreate. one of my friends who was a frequent visitor to the tavern was kind enough to join us for dinner and give her assessment. she and i felt the same way....similar to what we remember, but not as spicy, and with a more varied layer of flavors. i highly recommend serving this over rice with a side of sour cream and pineapple, as the chicken does have a lot of heat!!!!
Piri Piri Chicken
(for the marinade-combine ingredients together in gallon sized ziplock bag)
1/4 c vegetable oil
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tblsp lemon juice
2 Tblsp brandy
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, minced
5 piri piri peppers (leave in whole, be sure to remove after baking)
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cayene pepper
1 tsp salt
-add 2 lbs of chicken to the marinade and let sit overnight. baked at 350F for 40 minutes.
07/07 tonight i met a friend of mine for dinner at a pizza place in leesburg. i have been by this place a few times, and always wanted to check it out! i heard the reviews were great, and i was not disappointed! thin crust brick oven pizza always makes me happy!! and they allow you to do "halfsies". a personal sized pizza with two different toppings on each half. so i didn't even have to decide between their margherita and smokey bleu, i could have both!! i have to say i was very please with both, and look forward to returning again!
http://www.fireworkspizza.com
07/08 tonight was a special meal.....over the past years this has consistently ranked as one of tony's favorites. an asian twist on spaghetti and meatballs! i know that sounds weird, but trust me, this meal is phenomenal! it started when i came across this recipe on skinnytaste (the only change i made was adding thai chili paste to the sauce):
http://www.skinnytaste.com/asian-turkey-meatballs-with-lime-sesame/
i was intrigued by the flavors, and figured since they were meatballs, what else would go better than noodles?? so i decided to make a batch of soba noodles tossed with a sesame/garlic/ginger dressing tossed with edamame, scallion and cilantro. the combination was PERFECT. those wonderful flavors of ginger, garlic and soy all blending together. i threw in some broccoli just for an extra kick of color and vegetable, and it completed the meal!
07/09 ok.....so i know that tonight's meal is almost identical to one we had a month ago. cheddar brats with cole slaw. which ALMOST violates the terms of my goal. but.....i did add a new side? that i haven't made yet this year? so....i'm hoping that's enough to make this count as a new meal. it is the season for good sweet corn, and i so very rarely make corn on the cob. and i thought, what would go better with corn on the cob than those delicious cheddar brats from the butcher i visit at the farmer's market? we grilled these gorgeous ears of corn in the husk, and they came out beautifully. tender sweet kernels that didn't even need butter or salt!
07/10 we had an absolutely gorgeous day today. the weather cooled off a little, so tony and i joined a friend to bike part of the C&O tow path. a lovely day of cool shaded trail following along the potomac on the maryland side. i didn't realize how far we had ridden until i got home and realized i was STARVING. so tonight's dinner was simple, but hearty! i made bunless "french onion burgers" with a side of green beans and mexican street corn salad. the burgers were topped with swiss cheese that i browned with a creme brûlée torch, and then topped with caramelized onions to mimic the tastes and textures of french onion soup. the mexican street corn salad was a cob-less take on the classic street food that combines corn on the cob, mayonnaise and queso fresco. i used the corn leftover from last night and tossed it with some mayo, queso, red pepper, cilantro, lime juice and hot sauce. i will have to make that as a side again soon!!!!
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