Savannah-Day 1

@VisitSavannah @PapilloteSAV @Lady_and_Sons  It's Day 1 of our mini-vacation and Mark's 30th birthday celebration in Savannah, GA!   We left Winston early this morning and arrived in time for a late afternoon lunch. 

We researched and found this highly recommended French 'take out' spot in the historic district - Papillote.  The restaurant lived up to the hype!  Our lunch started with 3 amazing macarons!  Perfectly prepared and airy, we had a hard time not going back for a second round!  For lunch, Bill had the Catalan Pizzette and Mark selected The Happy Pig (both pictured below).  The dishes were prepared perfectly and simply yummy!  The staff was also incredibly friendly -- a great find and a great start to our trip.

After checking into our B&B, we headed out to Tybee Island to try and soak up some sun.  Unfortunately, the temps dropped and the winds picked up, but we still relished in a quick return to the ocean and beach.  What trip to Tybee would be complete without a quick stop at well-known Crab Shack.  While we passed on food and decided only to take in the sights and a quick drink, it was a first for Mark and a 'must do' experience. 

For Mark's pre-birthday meal, we couldn't pass up one of our favorite cook's spot -- yes, Paula Deen's The Lady and Sons.  While we know this is the must-go -to touristy place in Savannah, neither of us had been in the past.  We both elected for the buffet of southern favorites.  Mark, a GA native, commented that they were every bit as good as his Nannie's.  (That is high praise by the way!) While we both ate far more than we needed to and I am sure both ingested at least a stick of butter each, we truly enjoyed our meal.  The service was also very attentive.

A great start to our trip -- tomorrow is Mark's birthday so sure to be many more adventures in store!

Our perfectly prepared dishes from Papillote

Mark at the entrance to The Crab Shack "Where the elite eat in their bare feet"

A mix of the quintessential Southern tastes from The Lady and Sons

St Patty's Dinner

@FoodNetwork #FNMag #StPatricksDay  We almost forgot to add our St Patty's Day dinner to our blog!  After a week long trip to Georgia for Mark, Bill decided to prepare to this as a surprise for him after his long drive back home.  The menu comes from a feature menu in the March 2013 issue of Food Network Magazine.

To start (and to add that green spirit) there was Watercress Soup with Whiskey Cream.  While this was a great, light, and flavorful soup, the watercress was not easy to come by in Winston.  Lowes - no; HT - no; Whole Foods - no; Trader Joe's - no; Fresh Market - yes, at long last!  (And, yes, I did go to all of those stores in that order before almost giving up.)  Watercress was a new ingredient for us -- a very peppery green that actually cooks nicely into this soup.  The topping, however, was the real treat.  Basically Jameson Irish whiskey and heavy whipping cream.  And, yes, you can taste the booze.

For the main course, it was Beef Potpies with Cheddar-Stout Crust.  While we have never heard of this as an Irish staple, it was a nice departure from the traditional Irish pub favs.  The filling is basically a braised beef stew.  The homemade crust makes the dish -- a combination of Irish cheddar (which was far easier to find than watercress, might I add) and stout beer.  The flavor of the cheddar really comes through nicely.

And, what Irish meal would be complete without a nice tall frosted glass of Guinness Stout.

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.

 

Yadkin Valley Wine Trip

Divine Llama Vineyards

Flint Hill Vineyards

This past Sunday, we took a couple of our friends to a few of our favorite local Yadkin Valley wineries.  We have been to Divine Llama and Flint Hill more times than we can count, and, admittedly, are quite well known at both.  Both of these wineries offer some of the very best wine of the Yadkin Valley and are certainly two of the most welcoming.  While our friends took part in a full tasting at each, we had a glass of our favorites at both: Chambourcin and In a Heartbeat (a 50/50 blend of Merlot and Chambourcin) at Divine Llama, and Cabernet Sauvignon at Flint Hill.  And, of course, what trip to Divine Llama is complete without a visit to its namesake -- the llamas and alpacas.   Two of the llamas put on a show for the camera with a slight tussle.

Our small adventure concluded with a final stop at Westbend Vineyards and Brewhouse.  Westbend is the oldest winery in the Yadkin Valley.  While we had been there once before (at the end of a long wine adventure), we wanted to go back for a second tasting.  The age of the vines and the experience certainly shows at Westbend and several of their wines are simply outstanding.  While service and charm is not what it is at some of our favorites, this is still a 'not to be missed' Yadkin winery (and the only one in Forsyth County, at least until a new winery opens in April).

Westbend Vineyards and Brewhouse

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!). 

Enchiladas

It's Mexican Dinner Night!  Another cold wintry day in NC calls for a nice meal at the house.  Tonight, we turned to a dish that Bill learned to make several years ago (OK, more than 10 years ago) while in college before he headed off to Oaxaca, Mexico for a month -- Enchiladas!  This is a simple and original recipe passed down to Bill from his professor that accompanied him to Mexico for the trip. 

The recipe gets a bit messy with frying the tortilla shells and rolling them in tomato sauce, but the mess is part of the fun (so long as you have a helping hand in the kitchen).  As is Mexican tradition, these are simple and not overly complex like Americanized Mexican dishes.   We also have made these with chicken, and you can't go wrong with beef or chicken. 

With fried tortillas lots of mexi-cheese, how can you go wrong?  We absolutely love this dish served up with some rice and beans.

Here's a quick summary of how to make them (OK, be prepared we are not recipe chefs):

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 small onion
• 1 small green pepper
• Mexi-cheese (2-3 cups)
• Large can (28oz) of tomato sauce
• 1 package of corn tortillas (fresh, not already fried)
• Canola (or veg) oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Chop the green pepper and onion.
3. With approx a tbsp of oil in a large frying pan, saute the green pepper and onion until slightly softened (approx 5-7 mins) over medium heat.
4. Add the ground beef to the frying pan and cook until browned.  Remove from heat.
5. Setup an assembly line with two plates, the beef, and a bowl of mexi-cheese.  Also, prepare another plate with about 20 pieces of paper towel, 3-4 lining the bottom of the plate and the rest just to the side.
6. Pour a few ounces of tomato sauce in the first plate (reserve remainder to refill the plate as you go).
7. In a small frying pan, heat about a cup of oil (enough to fry the shells in) and bring up to frying temperature on medium heat.  We prefer to splash a bit of water (very small amount) in the oil when you think it is getting hot -- it will 'pop' back at you when it is ready so be careful!
8. Use tongs to quickly fry a tortilla, flipping it once, just long enough to soften the tortilla (no more than 15-20 secs).
9. Transfer the tortilla to the plate lined with paper towels and use the remaining towels to pat the tortilla dry.  Then, transfer the tortilla to the plate with the tomato sauce. 
10. Dip each side of the tortilla in tomato sauce to coat it, then transfer it to the final plate.  Fill the center with beef and a bit of cheese.  Roll the tortilla and transfer it to a baking sheet coated with non stick cooking spray.
11. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
12. When you have all your tortillas prepared and lined up on the baking sheet, cover the tortillas with the remaining tomato sauce and then cover with a layer of mexi-cheese. 
13. Bake for approximately 12 minutes at 375 degrees (long enough to warm the enchiladas and melt the cheese).

Prepare the assembly line

Frying the tortilla (no more than 15-20 secs)

Coat each side of the tortilla in tomato sauce

Fill with beef and cheese and roll the enchilada