Pub-Grub: American Style

 

There is something to be said about great bar-food. And, different countries have different ideas as to what constitutes bar-food. I remember traveling to Ireland and before leaving the United States hearing many of my friends and family tell me that I couldn’t miss the “pub-grub.” Now, pub-grub is completely different that the bar-food we have in the states. In Ireland, Shepard’s Pie, Fish and Chips, and Corned Beef Sandwiches fall into the pub-grub category. Tell me where in the States you can go and get Shepard’s Pie in a bar at 2am? I mean really, where? The bars there have so much more character and life to them. I loved stopping in  random, hole-in-the-wall type bars and enjoying the music, camaraderie, and FOOD!

 

In the States, every greasy concoction and fried nugget of golden greatness is considered bar-food. Think about it: wings, cheese sticks, onion rings, cheesy dips … fat, fat, fat, grease, grease, grease! Not that pub-grub in Ireland is any healthier … but you feel like your eating a yummy meal. {and you know it all goes great with Guinness!}

 

I have to admit, the reason I’m even ON this topic is because that is exactly what I made for dinner tonight. American bar-food. {gasp} We had some really great wings {the frozen kind because I’m really lazy} and some ah’mazing homemade Yukon Gold french fries. This domestic goddess even remembered she had celery left in the fridge from the stew I made a week ago, and cut it up into slivers to serve with the wings! {what a great domestic feat, not} All in all though, it was a pretty darn good meal. Quick, cheap, filling, and now I won’t have to go out to a bar for at least another six months… {ha ha}

 

 

Hope you all are looking forward to Friday as much as I am. And, I hope you’re all warming up … it’s been too cold for too long & I’m ready for the Spring/Summer! I’m sure you all can agree! … Until next time, Night Ya’ll

How Do You Slice Your Bananas?

 

You can really tell that my domestic side is in full force {or not at all} when we have peanut butter and banana sandwiches for dinner.

 

My question to you: How do you slice your bananas? Length-wise, making long slivers of banana in the sandwich? Or width-wise, making little coins of banana throughout the sandwich?

 

Personally, I know it no other way than little coins of bananas scattered throughout my sandwich … {oh, and when we were little and mom wasn’t looking, we added sugar – and lots of it!}

 

Let me know… Night Ya’ll

Bring Me the Buns!

 

I’m told that if I ask politely, the grocery store will order special things for me. If this is the truth, I’m so excited. You see, I have this problem … a few weeks ago, I told you about the most amazing hot dog buns ever invented {Snuggles} and today I was told the grocery store near my house was no longer carrying them. So, I headed 25 minutes to Publix {they always have them} where the lady in the bakery told me they are discontinued {there is no way this is possible} … Ugh. I know you are thinking, I’m out of my mind and that “it’s just a hot dog bun” but I’m telling you: they are amazing! I was so disappointed – tonight I was going to make chili cheese dogs with the leftover chili from last night {I know, I know. How domestic of me.} In the end, I settled for the regular hot dog buns, but  just don’t think they hold in the chili as well as the U-shaped Snuggles. And, since they are made with more of a pita texture they don’t burn when you try to toast them in the oven. The regular ones did ok though and I felt proud to actually use my leftovers for another purpose! {go me}

 

On a completely different note: I’m a cheese lover. While at Publix, I was able to snag some of my favorite cheese; Port Salut. I adore this as a snack on some warmed up French bread with some salami. Yum. If you haven’t tried it, I really suggest you do. It’s ah’mazing! {and will be in my belly for lunch tomorrow, if I can wait that long} … Night ya’ll!

 

Perfect Pound Cake w/ Blueberry Syrup {Picture Tutorial}

 

I was so full and happy from my dinner last night, that I left out a few details that you might find amusing:

• I burnt my thumb by grabbing the lid of the dutch oven out of pure excitement to see what my efforts {and dutch oven} had created. It’s fine now – but still a little tender. Thanks for asking.
• I made garlic whipped potatoes in my new mixer. I love boiling them {Yukon gold} until almost all the water is out of the pot, and they fall to mush as soon as they land in the strainer. The mixer gives them such a good consistency, and the foodie bf was very excited about them.
• I should have taken a picture of our plates after dinner. If I wouldn’t be so completely mortified, I’d tell you we licked them clean … {did I just say that out loud?}
• I’m craving some leftovers and will probably want to cook this once a week for at least the next three months! Anyone wanna come over for dinner?!

 

Now, moving on to a more serious topic: Dessert. You probably know from my blogroll, that I follow the Pioneer Woman. {and want to get her cookbook} She posted yesterday about “The Perfect Pound Cake,” and let me tell you it is perfect! You can count this as my second “from scratch” cake … made with my new mixer of course. And, me being the domestic goddess in training that I am, I decided that the recipe needed a little addition: fresh blueberry syrup. Little did I know that pound cake and blueberry syrup is an “Alaskan thing” according to the Alaskan Foodie BF. So, not only was it utterly delicious, but brought the bf a bit of ‘home’…. go me! Success.

 

You need, need, need to make this cake! Trust me. And, since I know you are going to listen to me, here’s what you’ll do:

 

You will need:

3 Sticks of Butter {Room temperature/Softened} Hello Hips!

3 Cups of Sugar

5 Whole Eggs

1 TSP Butter Flavoring

2 TSP Lemon Flavoring

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 Cup of Sprite or 7-up {I used Sprite}

 

And, here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream the butter in your mixer until fluffy. Add sugar {one cup at a time} mixing after each addition. Add eggs {one at a time} mixing after each addition. Add butter and lemon extracts, and mix well. Add flour {one cup at a time} mixing well after each addition. Add Sprite, then mix together until combined. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again. Pour into well greased Bundt pan {this is the only one I had} and bake for 1 hour – 1 hour and 10 minutes. Until the cake is no longer “jiggly.”

 

To make Blueberry Syrup

{Emeril recipe found online}

I combined 1 cup of fresh berries with 3/4 cup of sugar, 3/4 cup water, and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. I brought the mixture to a boil and then simmered until it was the consistency I wanted. Probably about 15 minutes.

 

Prepare yourself now … this is going to make you hungry! … If you dont’ have the ingredients to make this cake right away, you may want to stop reading RIGHT NOW! … Be warned!

 

Ah’mazing. De’lish. I give you the Perfect Piece of Pound Cake …

 

Its ok, you can exhale now. And, on that note… I think I’m going to go get a piece of cake! Hope you all run out and make this little baby. And, if you do – I’d love to hear how it goes! Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball {Picture Tutorial}

 

Sweet. Chocolate. Cheesy. Goodness.

 

I had been waiting for an opportunity to make a Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball, and visiting my family and cooking them a ‘Second Christmas Dinner’ was just the opportunity! I made it early in the afternoon, chilled it, and served it while everyone was chatting and waiting around for me to emerge from the kitchen. And, it was perfect for me to make with my new mixer! Of course, I brought my camera with me … and had it in hand for a picture tutorial. So, here we go:

 

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

{Help yourself appetizer type dish. Serves plenty}

 

You will need:

One 8 oz package of cream cheese

1/2 cup butter softened

1/4 tsp vanilla

2 TBSP brown sugar

3/4 cup confectioners sugar

3/4 cup {or a bit more} mini chocolate chips

Graham Cracker sticks or pieces

 

And, here’s what you do:

1. With your wonderful mixer that Santa just brought you for Christmas, mix the softened {room temperature} cream cheese with the butter and vanilla.

2. Slowly add in the brown sugar and confectioners sugar.

3. Fold in the chocolate chips.

4. Mold into a ball by rolling mixture in saran wrap … or line a bowl with saran and smush the mixture in to take form of the bowl.

5. Chill for at least an hour before serving with Graham Cracker sticks or pieces.

 

Simple. Easy. Delicious. I could easily sit down and eat this whole thing by myself. You know the food is good when you serve something to a ‘chatty’ room and you hear the hush come across the house. The sound of satisfied, full mouths! As always, I’d love to hear all about it if you make it! Enjoy!

Tzatziki, Hummus & Flat Bread = Heaven

 

Everyone has the one joke that ‘haunts’ them at family get-togethers. Mine… well… mine is about food. {shocker} I lived with two brothers and my sister, and according to my mother I could eat all three of them under the table … combined! My mother loves to remind me that the grocery bill once I moved on to college dropped nearly in half. Still to this day, I can sit down and eat an entire tray {Costco sized tray, mind you} of Bagel Bites in one sitting! Perhaps my metabolism will catch up with me one of these days… I am approaching thirty {I can’t bare to utter that word} … but until then, I vow to continue snacking until my heart is content. And today, I had a GREAT idea for a snack. Now, I did not cook a single thing. I opened containers and used the oven for approximately three minutes. Domestic? Hardly. But, I literally moaned when I put this snack in my mouth. If you have even the smallest hunger, head out {run} to the grocery store and pick up the following:

 

1. Tandoori Naan {Indian Flat Bread}

{Package looks like}

2. Tzatziki Sauce/Dip

3. Garlic Roasted Hummus

4. Carlo Rossi: Pisano {BIG bottle} wink wink

 

I’m telling you … I was moaning. Clearly, I have a food problem. I brushed the flat bread with some olive oil and then heated it in the oven for about 3-4 minutes… ripped it into pieces and served with the hummus and tzatziki sauce and a good ole’ glass o’wine. Deliciousness. I ran out of the flat bread, or I’d be eating this as we speak .. crumbs on the keyboard and all. Please check for these items {or similar} at your grocery store. Ah’mazing!

Midnight Snack: Bacon, Egg & Toast Pods {amazing}

 

I’m not too sure what has gotten into me today. I feel like some kind of domestic goddess has jumped inside me and is rattling ideas around in my brain. While reading another blog {Annie’s Eats}, I came across this super cute idea for bacon, eggs, and toast. Mind you, it’s nearly midnight… but I literally jumped up to see if we had some bacon! Much to my dismay, the only bacon we had was frozen. Nothing a little water bath in the sink can’t thaw out {hooray!} So, off to the kitchen {armed with my camera} for a midnight snack!

 

Bacon, Egg, and Toast Pods {so cute, and really easy}

{Source: Annie’s Eats}

{Yields: Four Servings}

 

You will need:
4 pieces of bread

4 eggs

4 slices of bacon

Shredded Cheese

Butter

Salt and Pepper

Large Muffin Pan

 

Here’s what you do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin pan with butter. Cut out 4 slices of bread into circles {I used a drinking glass and it was perfect}

 

2. In a fry pan, cook the bacon slices until they are almost cooked fully. You don’t want them to crisp too much in the oven.

 

3. Remove bacon from fry pan to a plate with paper towels to soak up the grease. Next, take the bacon and lay it around the perimeter of the muffin well. Put the bread in at the same time… so the bread is helping hold the bacon in place.

 

4. Add a small bit of shredded cheese to the center of each piece of bread. Then, crack an egg, removing a little bit of the white, dropping the remaining white and yolk onto the bread. Repeat for all cups.

 

5. Bake in the oven for approximately 6-10 minutes, depending on how runny you like your egg. I found the best way to remove these from the pan is to take a knife around the edge and then lift them out with a serving spoon. Salt and Pepper to taste.

 

These really turned out amazing and were amazingly simple to make. Perfect for my midnight snack .. or for when you are serving several people at once. You don’t have to slave over the stove making sunny-side-up eggs for everyone individually. Throw these babies in the oven .. and you’re set! I hope that you all try these! And, of course, if you do – I’d love to hear how it goes! Night Ya’ll!

Christmas, can you wait a week?!

 

Don’t get me wrong, I am really looking forward Christmas. I’ve said it a hundred times, I can’t wait to get home to see my family… but I have so much to do between now and then. I’m starting to feel like that lady at the circus who balances plates on her head. I’ve always said that when I get stressed out like this, I can’t seem to pick one plate to take down and tackle for fear that the whole lot of them will come crashing down on my head. Thats how I feel right now. Too much to do, and not enough time to do it. Unfortunately, this may mean Christmas will come a week late for me. But … if I remind myself, Christmas isn’t about the actual DAY (religiously, yes – but in terms of celebration with family, no) it’s about celebrating the holiday with loved ones. So, if mine is a week late – it’s a week late.

 

On a brighter note, it’s amazing how much I enjoyed a simple sandwich today. You know, like a brown-bag sandwich. White sandwich bread, mayo, turkey, cheese and lettuce. So simple, yet so good when you haven’t had one in a long time. Paired with the Oatmeal Raisin cookies I baked the other day… and I was a happy camper.

And, no … I did not eat ALL these cookies {tempting though}

 

Well, nothing else highly entertaining to talk about. While all of you are out picking up last-minute presents, wrapping, baking, and singing Christmas songs by the fire … I’ll be sitting here, staring at the computer, expanding my brain and hoping it all comes to an end in time to spend some quality time with my family.

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Just a quick recipe for one of my favorite salads. With shrimp, it can be used as a whole meal if you aren’t in the mood for a heavy, meat and potatoes dinner. Without the shrimp, it is great as a side salad! {I usually pair i with a Mexican dish, but it would probably ‘go’ with a lot of things} And, like most of the things I cook – it’s easy!

Shrimp & Avocado Salad

[approx 2 servings]

You will need:

• 2 avocados
• 1/4 a small Onion
• 1 Tomato (eww, I hate them – but you might love them)
• Fresh Lemon Juice
• Fresh Parsley
• 2-3 Cloves of Garlic
• Shrimp (I use 4-5 per serving)
• Olive Oil

To make:

To get the shrimp ready, I peel them and saute them in some butter and garlic until pink. Set them to the side and let them cool.

Peel the avocados and dice into small chunks. Put into mixing bowl. Mince the garlic and add to bowl. Finely chop the onion and add a bit to the bowl (I don’t use the whole 1/4 of the onion, I add to taste). If you are adding tomatoes, dice them and add them to the bowl. For the “dressing” you will add 1 TBSP of Olive Oil for every 2 TBSP’s of Lemon Juice (I usually do this twice). Chop up the parsley and add to bowl (This is also to taste, I usually use between 1-2 TBSP’s if I had to guess).  Add the shrimp and mix everything together gently. It’s now ready to serve.

That pretty much sums it up. I don’t have a picture of this one yet… I will have to remember to take one and post it the next time I make this salad. Everything about this salad can be done without measuring. Once you get comfortable with the ingredients and how you want the texture to be, you can wing it! I hope you love it & as always, if you make it – let me hear how it goes!