10 posts tagged “food”

This morning I woke early as I went to bed at 9:30 last night. Up at 4 AM and having coffee, reading my facebook posts from friends and the news. I need to get back to writing more as it's been a long while since I've felt like writing, much less, having something I enjoy writing about. Well, this morning, I'm filled with joy and peace and extremely happy to have my life back to some sense of normalcy. I've got Penny on my side under the comforter, Keith on the other end of the sofa under his blanket with Dixie, his parent's dachshund at his side, and both of us on the computer. (I say this as he picks up the remote to change the channel from my morning music on the Soundscape Music Choice channel. And speaking of Music Choice, they've changed their lineup and have condenced Singers and Standards with Big Band and Swing which I'm not very happy with. I love standards, but not a huge fan of swing. More than one song and I'm wanting to change the channel back to either light classical, soundscapes or easy listening.

I decided just a moment ago, while getting my second cup of coffee what we would be having for dinner this evening. When I leave work, I'm going to run by the store to pick up some charcoal, some sourkraut, potatoe buns, and BRATS! I've not had a grilled brat since last summer and I'm dying for, lets say, five or six of them! This is my favorite summer time food. And I can eat them if all the store has are pre-coooked brats, but nothing compares to a brat, slightly boiled in beer, and then transfered to a hot grill and charred just slightly, placed on a potato bun, two thin strips of spicy mustard on each side of the sausage, and then covered with kraut. I'm going to be in heaven this evening for certain.

Bratwurst , a movie, dogs and the windows open--Oh, what a lovely saturday evening! My life is good right now.

Peace and bratwurst grease, y'all!

Last night, our friend Terry came to visit from Atlanta. And he is such the joy in our lives and of all those he knows. Always upbeat, comfortable, casual and warm. And I so love to hear him laugh! He makes me smile. Last night I made fresh salsa and cooked up some soft tacos for dinner. Then I made my wings for a snack while we watched Slumdog Millionaire, which I highly recommend. It's a bit slow getting into it, but once you settle into the style of movie, you begin to enjoy the story. We all went to bed early.

This morning, I woke at 4:30 and started my day by quietly putting away dishes so as not to wake our guest and Keith. Yeah, I know. Nice, huh? Then I hopped on the computer to do my morning reading and found quite a few great stories! I'll share them with you now. In case you wanted to know what they were...and if not, well, don't click. Yeah, I'm in a great mood today!

Pride and Prejudice Zombie Addition
Brain Wave Powered Game - I so want one!
God to Man: Get Over Yourself - A must read (short)
Ohio School System Sued Over Bullying - Now, I understand where this is coming from, but I have to say that as parents we must teach our children how to act. My mother worked in the school system and many a time the schools were asked to correct their children's behaviors. But this is a job that should fall MAINLY on the parents. I'd sue the parent's of the bully for not teaching their child how to treat other people. (Yeah, I know there are shades of gray here, but damn...come on.)

And now I'm back to breakfast....which at the moment, I'm frying up some bacon, taking my time, and after removing the first batch from the frying pan and placing the second batch in, I go to salt and pepper the bacon, and BAM!, all the salt dumps to the floor because the stopper on the bottom of the salt shaker decides fall out. I think it's the ghost lady that lives here. She's playing jokes. But I'm sure she'll just love the breakfast I'm cooking up for buscuits, gravy, bacon and eggs and toast.

You have a great Sunday and enjoy your week with much food and love to go round! :) Smile and wink at strangers!

You have to check this out!!!!!!!

It's pig, pig and more pig, with pig on it, in it, around it and - Oh. The things I'm thinking of for this one for a surprising meal for family and friends. (cranberries and apples with fresh sage inside?) Hmmm....

Last night, Keith and I went to Joe's on Juniper for happy hour as we got our shopping done for the Wii, early, then we hit Woofs for a few cocktails (I had beer and bombs) and food. We got to run into our friends Tim and Jon (Yay!) and Jon's friend Mark, who's a love! Great to meet you, Mark!

We picked up our Wii about 9:30 as Kevin had a late night at work, but alas, we are home, in bed by 11:30 and up this AM by 7. However, my Tylenol PM is still kicking and I'm yawning so I'm going to make me a healthy breakfast (if I can rustle something up - Oooh, do I have eggs? Eggs and roasted potatoes and onion! YUM! Okay...let me go check.

Who's your Momma?

Ciao! Kiddies!

JD

Keith and I eat out quite a bit, and mostly at Buffalo's when we're in the mood for a local bar with a great staff and the best wings in town. However, we do love to dine out at nicer restaurants and though we've not been pleased with many of the places we've been as I have somewhat of a taste for Atlanta restaurants and the quality of the like here in Gainesville is hard to find, However, we have found two new restaurants that I highly suggest on your visit to the area.

First and foremost is Seabones located on the square on Washington Street. The atmosphere is upscale, yet casual. There's a large television in the back of the dining room near the bar for sports fans as they do a happy hour here with a bar menu to accomodate that crowd, The tables are far enough apart that it's comfortable, the service was great and then there's the food. Aparently they have a new chef so any questions as to the quality of this place prior to April of this year, I recommend a revisit.

The portions are perfect, the quality is excellent for the price point and the owners are fantastic. It's a family owned restaurant so you are likely to see any of their three children around the place at any time and they are all lovely. They have life music from time to time on weekends too.

Give Seabones a try if you're in Gainesivlle, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Next there there is the new Sweetfire Lodge. The chef hails from the Ritz in Atlanta. The atmosphere is fine dining, but casual (as we arrived in jeans and sweatshirts and thought we were a bit under dressed, which we were, but they welcomed us in anyway. The food was great, the service, high end and a bit too many folks around our table constantly for my taste, but then, our server was excellent, attentive, and not to conversational. I only had a salmon salad, but the vidalia onion, poppy seed dressing was divine. The presentation is excellent and the price points are in the high teens to low twenties for most dishes. I am excited to go back and try the duck and the chops.

So I borrowed this recipe from the Food Network's George Druan as I was thinking it would make great cookies per Method's vegan muffins. (Thanks method for the idea!). And I wanted to take something to our Thanksgiving dinner at our friends' Alex and Tony's house this year. I made some modifications and they are still a bit cakey so I have to make some adjustments again.

• 2 sticks unsalted softened butter
• 1 cup white sugar 
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 12 oz. can pumpkin puree (He called for 1 cup, but that didn't seem like enough pumpkin for my taste.)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda (Keith mentioned taking some baking soda out for one cup flower so I'm going to reduce this to 1 teaspoon and see what I get next batch.)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cups (12-ounce bag) dark chocolate chips
• Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Preheat to 350 degrees. Beat butter till smooth, slowly add in sugars and vanilla and puree. Then slowly add in eggs one at a time. (maybe less egg will make it less fluffy? I don't know any ideas, Method?) Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to blend. Add in thirds to batter till blended.

Spoon tablespoon sized portions on to baking sheet with spray or parchment, bake for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool on cooling racks.

Okay, so I'm not a chef, but these taste devine!!! Without the icing. The cookie dough is the bomb too! I just wish there a tad be less cakey. Almost, but not quite there yet.

Icing:

• 2 packs cream cheese
• 1 Orange, grate zest off entire orange
• 2 Cups powdered sugar
• Blend all together until smooth

Put in ziplock bag, cut off corner and use as to pipe just enough to cover one cookie bottom. Place one cookie on bottom.

Enjoy! OMG they are good!!!!!! I just had one and I think I saw the rapture! And then Keith just got home and tried them and his eyes rolled back and his jaw jutted out so I know they're great! HEHEHE! I'm happy. Now on to the roasted butternut squash tossed in cardamom, cinamon and butter. (I got that one down, but I'll put the recipe for it up later.) Now I just need my camera to take photos of these darned cookie sammiches!

Yesterday, I shared this with an acquaintance of mine from high school as he has an ulcer and I thought, what better food than my mother's potato soup? And you know, I've not made this in years, both Mom used to make this for me when I was sick or as comfort food when it was simply just too cold out.

I don't know the amounts other than to make it in a pot and go from levels in the container. Here we go!

• Peel and cube russet potatoes and boil in water with salt to taste.
• Drain 3/4 of the water and add milk until the potatoes are just covered.
• Simmer for a few more minutes.
• Add butter or margerine I like a little more than a pat.
• Add finely ground black pepper to taste.
• Enjoy.

This is the simplest of recipes but it still packs some kind of magic that only Mom could create.

Keith just arrived home and we have things to do this evening for tomorrow's yard sale at our friend Michelle's, but I was thinking, what about a nice juicy rare beef roast with a pepper/garlic rub with roasted tomatoes, celery, onion and potatoes for dinner? I'm craving some medium rare red meet! I'll let you know how it turns out in a while!

But alas, it's not for dinner tonight, It's for lunch tomorrow, as we were leaving the grocery store, there's this mexican joint right there and they have pretty goof doo and all of a sudden like, I was visually conived into wanting Mexican for dinner! bwahahah! So, I'm cooking it in the morning for lunch tomorrow. We've decided to cancel one of our plans for the weekend as it entailed us putting some things together for the yard sale and quite honestly, we don't have enough to warrant going, so we're not. AND that means not having to get up at 6AM on a Saturday.

The roast, however, will be cooked as follows, but without potatoes. I forgot them when at the store. Yeah, I don't use lists most of the time. I'm pretty good without them too, but this time, I just missed 'em! Oh well. No harm.

Ingredients:

2 lb Beef Roast - Mine is Rump as I simply ike a rump roast.
1 Med. Yellow Onion - Quartered and separated
2 Stalks Celery - Chopped
3 Beefsteak Tomoatoes, halfed, and herbed on cut side (I use herbs de prevence)
4 Cloves Garlic - finely chopped
1 Tbsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Fresh Group Black Pepper
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Paprika
Dash Crushed Red Pepper

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In pan on stovetop, sweat onionions and celery slightly on medium high heat. Remove from heat.
• Brownroast on all sides, Set aside to cool for a moment and mix dry ingretients, with oil and garlic.
• Place onions and celery in bottom of medium roasting pan. When roast cools enough, rub roast with oil and dry mixture and place atop onions and celery and sprinkle with crushed red pepper.
• Place tomatoes, cut side down around roast, (Move other veggies out of way so cut side is flat on pan).
• Roast for 40-60 mins until internal temp reaches, 130 F for medium rare or 135 F for medium. (I think that's right...).
• Remove and let stand for 10-15 mins covered losely with aluminum foil.
• Eat the heck out of it and enjoy. 
  

Mine's in the oven now! I'll post a photo later. I actually stuffed my roast with garlic cloves this time instead of cutting and placing on outside, too.

Okay, so I found THIS POST by way of Karen, a newly added neighbor here on Vox, by way of Saabnet--so two degrees of separation.

There is a restaurant in San Francisco, Opaque. "What a weird name for a restaurant!", you might say, right? Well it's really right on for the restaurant. And it's sexy! I can tell from the website! Okay, honestly? I want to go right now. Who's got a jet that that I can finagle into taking me and Keith to San Fran for an evening of dark dining!? I know, his boss! But that would only happen in my dreams. I should ask though! You don't get of you don't ask.
 
Well I think Opaque has it's ideas of taking folks who live in the sighted world to total darkness. Disorienting, but you get to live in a world that folks live in every day, we just can't relate. But now we can, with this non-vision dining experience that is OPAQUE.

Okay, so I found THIS POST by way of Karen, a newly added neighbor here on Vox, by way of Saabnet--so two degrees of separation.

There is a restaurant in San Francisco, Opaque. What a weird name for a restaurant you might say, right? Well it's really right on for the restaurant. And it's sexy! I can tell from the website! Okay, honestly? I want to go right now. Who's got a jet that that I can finagle into taking me and Keith to San Fran for an evening of dark dining!? I know, his boss! (yes, but that would only happen in my dreams, but it's okay to dream right?

Well I think Opaque has it's ideas of taking folks who live in the sighted world to total darkness. Disorienting, but you get to live in a world that folks live in every day, we just can't relate. But now we can, with this dining vision that is OPAQUE.