Chicken and Tomato Skewers

The prepared skewers ready for the grill

On Friday evening, we made Chicken and Tomato Skewers.  This is a recipe Mark's mom made often when he was growing up.  The recipe is in some old Chicken recipe book that Mark's mom has long since thrown out.  The recipe calls for chicken and tomatoes only.  However, we "dress" them up with both bell peppers and onions (Vidalia onions on this night!).  The dish is extremely easy.  The chicken marinade sauce is only 3 ingredients:  tomato sauce, honey, and Worcestershire sauce .  You mix the three ingredients and throw the chicken in (after cutting it into squares).  Then, thread skewers with chicken and veggies.  The recipe suggests cooking the skewers under the broiler, but we feel that they are tastier on the grill.  Friday was less humid here in NC, so we fired up the charcoal and threw them on the grill.  They are a great summer dish.


Perfectly grilled and ready to eat!

Savannah-Day 2

Middle Eastern Pressed Sandwich

@VisitSavannah @Leopolds_IC @SavannahBeeCo  It's Mark's big day and day 2 in Savannah!  While the weather was a little less than cooperative, we weren't going to let a little rain (OK, quite a bit of rain, actually) stop us from some great eats and visiting the sights of Savannah!  After a brief trolley tour to orient ourselves to the city, we decided to take refuge from the rain at Soho Southern Cafe.  What an incredibly unique spot!  It's art gallery meets restaurant and the food is every bit as delightful and unique as the spot itself.  Mark's Modern Grilled Cheese and Bill's Middle Eastern Pressed Sandwich, both paired with tomato basil bisque were the perfect way to escape the elements and recharge.  This place was truly a unique dining spot -- from the mismatched chairs and tables to the art lining the walls.  We will certainly be back!

As the weather cleared, we headed back out to explore the city.  Some shopping along River Street led us to the Savannah Bee Company.  While we have shared more than our fair share of wine tastings, a honey tasting was a new experience.  From tupelo honey to orange blossom honey, who knew there was so much diversity in honey!  A sampler of a few of our favorites is following us home.

Modern Grilled Cheese 

As the rain decided to return (and happy hour approached) , we sought refuge at Jen's and Friends.  Who could resist a spot that boasts 300 martinis and 200 beers, along with happy hour specials.  Pictured below is one of Mark's adventurous and unique martinis -- a Rice Krispie martini that tasted just how it sounded.  With a few drinks in hand to go, which by the way is one of the coolest things about Savannah, we headed to Broughton Street for a bit of shopping.

Before heading back to our B&B, we made a quick detour to Leopold's Ice Cream, a Savannah institution for a couple of late afternoon treats.  All made on site ice cream in small batches, this was the perfect way to round out the afternoon.

Honey tasting at Savannah Bee Co

While, we didn't capture any photos of dinner at The Olde Pink House, we had an absolutely exquisite dinner there to celebrate Mark's 30th birthday.  A true fine dining experience with outstanding service, great wine, and a perfectly prepared multi-course meal, we could not have picked a better place to celebrate.  Dining by candlelight in this 18th century mansion was a surreal experience for two history nerds!  From Bill's filet mignon and Mark's vidalia onion and sweet potato ravioli, to our desert drink course, everything was perfect! 

That's right - a Rice Krispie martini!!

Dressed Up Salad

So the reality is that when we go awhile without posting, it usually means a period of slightly healthier (and less exciting) meals, such as salad, soup and salad (well you get the idea).  Much to Mark's discontent, might we add.  A few nights ago we decided to 'kick up' our salads a little bit with two special accompaniments - overnight tomatoes and parmesan bacon crisps. 

Starting with the overnight tomatoes, which we have to credit to Chef Starr at one of our favorite wineries in the Yadkin Valley, Sanders Ridge.  During this time of year when tomatoes don't have very much flavor, we were turned on to this great and simple way to concentrate the flavors.  Simply split some roma tomatoes lengthwise and sprinkle with a bit of EVOO, salt, and pepper.  Then, you guessed it, you roast them overnight -- literally.  As low as your oven will go (150/175 degrees) for about 8 hours.  Let them cool and they are good for about a week.  All the flavors of the less than exciting romas concentrate and make a great addition to any dish. 

Preparing the tomatoes before their overnight trip to the oven

The parmesan bacon crisps are a quick mix of some parm (about 1 1/2 cups), a bit of flour (1 tbsp) and some chopped cooked bacon.  Line a baking sheet with some parchment and place about 8-10 mounds.  Flatten them a bit and cook for approximately 8 mins in a 375 degree oven.  A yummy, cheesy, crunchy addition to a salad.

Skillet Chicken Parm

@FoodNetwork #FNMag 

It's been a little while since we had a chance to write this blog entry, but we didn't want to miss out on sharing this light alternative to Chicken Parm.  Instead of the traditional pan fried favorite that is covered in mozzarella (which, we love by the way!), this alternative has all the flavor without all the calories  From the March issue of Food Network Magazine (the Cheese issue!), Skillet Chicken Parmesan, is relatively quick and easy to make.  Instead of breading the chicken and pan frying it, we toasted fresh bread crumbs and then lightly fried boneless chicken breasts in olive oil.  Instead of preparing the tomato sauce suggested by the recipe, we used a prepared sauce.  The chicken is nestled in tomato sauce, topped with the bread crumbs, and then some light cheeses before a quick broil. 

At  329 calories a serving, this recipe misses none of the flavor of the traditional favorite.  We bet you that it will fool you or your guests.

 

Lasagna and Breadsticks

@BarillaUS @FoodNetwork #FNMag  You may have noticed a slight decline in the frequency of posts as of late -- this is not due to us falling out of the "blog-sphere," but rather a week of less than "bloggable" meals!  Last Sunday, though, we prepared one of our favorites -- Lasagna.  To go with the Lasagna, we also prepared a "Copy That!" featured in this month's Food Network Magazine - Almost Famous Stuffed Cheesy Bread (copied from Domino's).  


We love this recipe because not only does it make a tasty version of  the classic, but it is also made using Barilla's Oven Ready Lasagne Noodles, which means no boiling.  Now prepare yourself...wait for it...this 'fancy' recipe comes from the back of the box.  So if you want the recipe, just flip the box over (we also provided the link above).  But, trust us, we have made this countless times (all the way back to college years for Bill) and it does not disappoint.  It is also extraordinarily simple and you can prep it in less than 15 minutes with virtually no mess at all.  A couple variations that we have learned/used as we have made it: 

Try sub-ing cottage cheese for the ricotta if you want a slightly creamier cheesy consistency between layers.

You will almost always need more sauce than it calls for (2 jars) even if you follow the recipe measurements.  So, have an extra jar just in case you get to that all important top layer and find yourself with only a splash of sauce (not good eats!) 

If you are making this for two and don't want to eat leftovers for the next week, try halving the recipe and use a 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish.  It works just as well and will still leave you with some leftovers. 

A quick note on the breadsticks that we made to go with Lasagna.  They are great but they are quite involved (as is any dough based recipe).  But, damn, they are good!  If you make them, we might suggest doubling the mozzarella in the middle of the dough.  The recipe looks far more intimidating that it actually is to make.  Are they as good as the Domino's original?  Hmmm....not exactly....but they are a close second if you want to be a bit adventurous at home, and they certainly beat any of those frozen breadsticks or garlic breads (by a mile!). 

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Polenta

Beautiful Savoy cabbage freshly blanched

@FoodNetwork #FNMag  As was mentioned in a previous post, this past Saturday we passed the day with three bottles of wine and quality time together.  We did neglect to mention the adventurous meal we made.  We started prepping somewhere between our second and third bottle of wine, but we were committed to preparing this intriguing recipe from the November issue of Food Network Magazine, Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Tomato Sauce.  This is certainly not a weeknight 'go to meal' but if you want to explore something less than traditional and have the time to commit, we would certainly recommend it.

Very simply, these are nothing more than a very flavorful (and homemade) sausage wrapped in Savoy cabbage and steamed to perfection.  They are topped with a simple semi-homemade tomato sauce.  Made with a blend of fresh herbs, Cognac, meats, and cheese, this sausage is not be understated. 

Rolling the sausage

We were, admittedly, a bit apprehensive with the next step -- wrapping these little gems of meat into blanched Savoy cabbage and rolling them tightly like you would a burrito.  Surprisingly, though, it was quite simple and all rolled without incident.  TIP: Buy fairly large heads of Savoy cabbage -- smaller leaves just do not work as well.  We actually bought three heads of Savoy so that we could experiment.  To finish off the cabbage rolls, they are steamed for 45 minutes in a steamer insert.  This not only softens the Savoy, but also keeps the sausage incredibly moist and melds all the flavors. 

As mentioned earlier, the accompanying tomato sauce is pretty simple and is 'kicked up' with 3 tablespoons of Cognac (though we can't say we could really taste it when all was said and done, but perhaps our palate was not perfectly attuned at that point in the day either).

They are all ready to be wrapped in Savoy!

We also prepared the Two Cheese Polenta that you can see in the final product photo below.  This dish is a perfect accompaniment to this recipe and made completely from scratch -- a first for us.  We did miss one ingredient at the store which is called for in the recipe -- fontina.  We used some smoked Gruyere we had left over from another meal. What a great substitute!  The smokey rich flavor of the Gruyere really brought this whole dish together. 

The recipe indicates 2+ hours of total time, but we might suggest setting aside at least 3 hours. Preparing this fun, new dinner on a cold winter night was a great ending to a great day "in."


Beautifully wrapped cabbage rolls -- not bad, huh?!

And...at long last...the finished product served on homemade Polenta.  Lots of pretty colors!!

Turkey With Warm Barley Salad

@foodnetwork #FNMag  A quick and easy recipe from Food Network Magazine (Jan/Feb 2013 issue), we decided to give this unique recipe for Turkey with Warm Barley Salad a try.  Admittedly, turkey cutlets are not one of our 'go-to' ingredients, but this recipe helped to transform a rather flavorless cut into a great dish.  The simple combination of tomatoes, lemon juice, and butter added a fresh flavor to the turkey.  (Note that we did leave the almonds out of the dish as we are not huge fans.)  We also chopped the cutlets after they finished cooking. 

We would certainly recommend the turkey, however, we strongly suggest the warm barley salad with brussel sprouts.  A quick and easy side with a hint of lemon, this would compliment any meat dish.  It was also Bill's first time having barley (yes!) and he loved it! 

Chicken with Quinoa and Veggies

@allrecipes On Thursday night, Mark made one of our favorite recipes, Chicken with Quinoa and Veggies.  This is a special recipe because this was the very first meal Mark prepared for Bill early in our relationship (Bill is the chef in the relationship).  Mark found this recipe two years ago when searching for a dinner to make that involved quinoa because neither of us had tried it.  It is fun to see the evolution of Mark's cooking skills, though.  In the previous attempt, it ended up involving Bill quite a bit.  However, Thursday night, Mark had the dish ready when Bill finished work. The dish is quite tasty and relatively simple.  Quinoa is as easy as rice to prepare and has a very distinct, earthy flavor that we love.  The recipe calls for chicken broth, which does enhance the flavor.  However, we were saving the chicken broth that was in the cabinet for another dish, so we just used water.  It is still scrumptious.  The remainder of the dish involves just a few steps of time management and adding the zucchini, chicken, tomatoes and feta.  The feta and veggies really compliment the earthiness of the quinoa.  This is definitely a fun recipe to prepare if you have a box of quinoa at home.

 

Super Bowl Snacks

BBQ Turkey Sliders

@FoodNetwork @clairerobinson5 @inagarten In celebration of the Super Bowl, we decided to make several appetizers for dinner.  We made Claire's BBQ Turkey Sliders.  These are a tasty twist on the typical bbq slider.  We halved the recipe and ended up with like 9 small turkey burgers.  The bbq sauce and onions caramelized and provide the turkey burger with a tangy kick.  The sliders were the "healthy highlight" of our meal, but it can't be the Super Bowl without a bit of indulgence...

We made Ina's Pan-Fried Onion Dip.  This is one of our favorite appetizers, much better than any store bought onion dip.  It is a creamy onion concoction that is a perfect dip.  We paired it with plain pita chips, but any chips would work with this fun recipe.  We followed the recipe's method of slicing the onions, but the onions seemed long and stringy for a dip.  We'd recommend dicing the onions or chopping then in half before cooking.  Lastly, we made Six Layers and a Chip Dip.  This is a healthy take on the typical Six Layer Dip.  It substitutes Greek yogurt for sour cream.  1/2 of our duo (Mark) is not a fan of avocados and thus guacamole, so we did not include this in our version.  It is yummy with tortilla chips.




Layered Dip

Pan Fried Onion Dip and Pita Chips

Homemade Tomato Soup

@inagarten @foodnetwork  From the #FNMag (Oct 2012), this is our second time making this delicious homemade soup.  Both the orzo (in the soup) and the addition of the grilled cheese croutons provide a great deviation from the traditional tomato soup.  This soup certainly helped to make a very cold February night a bit cozier. 

 

The thought of a homemade soup, especially something as simple as tomato soup, may seem arduous, but this dish certainly does not disappoint and is ready in less than 45 minutes.  Our only deviation from Ina's recipe is the elimination of the saffron.  It is too darn expensive to include in a simple soup.  (Are we missing out!?) 

 

The blend of the Gruyere in the grilled cheese croutons along with the orzo in the soup make this dish a full meal.  We would recommend it if you are looking for a hearty dish on a cold winter night!  Thank you Ina and FNM for another great dish.  Here is a link to the recipe if you want to give it a try.

Cuban Picadillo

@simplyingrid @foodnetwork  To know us is to know that one of our favorite cuisines is Cuban.   Having met in Fort Lauderdale and with Mark having spent more than 8 years in South Florida, we certainly enjoyed having some of the best Cuban food in our backyard.  Now, more than 500 miles from South Florida, we are forced to recreate some of our favorites at home.  One such is Picadillo.  A delightful mix of olives, raisins, tomatoes, and ground beef (along with some Cuban spices), brings us back to the place we met over 2 years ago.

We have made this recipe countless times.  If you are looking for a quick, simple adventure to somewhere tropical, we would definitely recommend.  This recipe is very simple and always turns out great.  Pair it with some Moros y Cristianos (black beans and rice) and you will have a great meal.  Click here for a copy of this recipe compliments of Ingrid Hoffmann.

Meatloaf

@Paula_Deen @FoodNetwork  Another icy night calls for another one of our go-to comfort foods -- home style meatloaf.  This past Friday was a true comfort food night.  The sleet started about noon and at 6 PM we realized we would not be headed anywhere until morning.  We have made Paula Deen's Old-Fashioned Meatloaf countless times and is one of our standbys.  A simple mix of ground beef, onions, peppers, oats, and tomatoes makes for a moist, delicious loaf each time.  

A quick side salad, veggie, and a glass of wine (or two) made for a great way to start our night in.  (For the two of us, there are always plenty of leftovers for, say, meatloaf sandwiches the next day.)

You can find the recipe here -- our only suggestion would be to consider doubling the ketchup-based topping.  Ketchup as an accompaniment works fine, too.

 

Chicken Taco Soup

@allrecipes  Another cold night in North Carolina calls for a hearty soup and the ease of the slow cooker.  Tonight we made slow cooker Chicken Taco Soup.  One of our go-to meals on a cold night, this meal combines many veggies and tender chicken breasts.  Another 'set it and forget it' recipe that will greet you smelling of simmering cumin (that familiar Mexican spice) when you get home from a long day.  Did we mention this dish also includes a can of beer?! 

This dish really does taste of tacos.  Be sure to add some sour cream, scallions, and crushed tortilla chips if you want the real effect.  Pair it with a quick salad and you will find a quick and easy meal to warm you up this winter. 

This recipe is compliments of allrecipes.com -- you can find it here.

Prepping the soup-- make some room in the recycle bin for some cans!



Finished product - doesn't that look yummy??!!!



Greek Dinner

Tonight we tried a new recipe from @FoodNetwork #FNMag -- Turkey and Rice Stuffed Peppers and Big Greek Salad.  Featured in the Jan/Feb 2013 edition in the Weekend Cooking section, this is certainly a meal that requires some time, but is well worth the effort.  A twist on the traditional stuffed peppers, this recipe combines a lean, heart healthy meal that combines the traditional flavors with a Greek twist.  We are huge fans of feta, which plays a critical and tasteful role in the recipe.  Complimented by some fresh dill and parsley, the otherwise bland turkey takes on an amazing flavor.  The peppers absorb the tomato based sauce - a simple mix of tomato puree, water, and brown sugar - both during cooking and in the pool that the finished peppers rest in.

The Big Greek Salad is a take on the traditional with a nice homemade dressing that combines red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, and EVOO.  We chose to add some feta and beets to add to the traditional Greek classic. 

Get ready for a continuous cycle of dishes during the 2+ hour cooking period.  Also, we might suggest a bottle of wine to make this time fly (for us a bottle of Childress Barrel Select 2008 Merlot).  We certainly recommend giving these dishes a try if you are looking for a colorful twist on the traditional salad and stuffed peppers.  


Pepping the peppers - pretty colors!!

The peppers simmering in their tomato-based sauce (about 50 minutes) 

Our Greek dinner - stuffed peppers, Greek salad, and a nice glass of wine!