Back in Black

Wow! It has been a long time since my last post. Time really gets away from me sometimes. In my defense we went on a vacation, school started, soccer practice started and life in general has been happening. I will try to do better from here on out. One of the great things about being out of town is the opportunity to eat in a different restaurant and try new foods. We ate at McGuire's Irish Pub and it was so tasty! I liked it so much I bought the cookbook and that's where this little dish was from. It's called Black Beer Chili and it's quiet a bit different from the chili I'm familiar with but a nice change.

I typically use dark beer when I make chili because I feel it gives a richer taste but I don't normally use 4 1/2cups of the stuff. Another distinct difference is the type of meat, I use ground beef (grass fed of course) but this called for sirloin. I was afraid the meat was going to be tough but I guess all the beer and a dash of balsamic vinegar really aids in tenderizing. It was a big hit with Lance and Dennis! I think the best part is the corn and black beans are fresh from our garden. It's always nice when you can enjoy the fruits of your (in this case Lance's) labors. Happy cooking!!

Pleasantly Poached

Breakfast is a meal I rarely have time for but really enjoy making. So, whenever the opportunity presents itself I try to make (no pun intended) the most of it. This was a morning of opportunity!! I purchased a Bon Appetit cookbook at the book fair I attended a month ago and found a simple recipe for skillet poached eggs. The original recipe suggested combining green onions, kosher salt and parsley to olive oil and brushing the mixture on the inside of the ramekins. I omitted the parsley.

The eggs were covered and simmered 6 minutes. While the eggs were turning into magical goodness I brushed some of the olive oil and green onion mixture onto challah and toasted a few slices. The original recipe suggested using prosciutto but we used bacon as a substitute. Once the eggs were cooked and the bread was toasted I assembled our breakfast treats.

I made a few modifications to this dish with the addition of greens and mediterranean goat cheese to provide a savory contrast to the slight sweetness of the challah. Happy cooking!!!

Blueberry Bliss

 I love baking and making sweet treats. This homemade cheesecake with fresh blueberry topping and homemade graham cracker crust is beyond wonderful! Cheesecake has never been one of my preferred choices for an after dinner treat, but once I tried Tyler Florence's Ultimate Cheesecake recipe I had a whole new outlook on cheesecakes. This is a simple recipe with great results. The perfect ending to a hot summer day.

Harvest Time is Coming

A few tomatoes are starting to ripen!

Corn is continuing to grow!!

Up, up and away beans!!

A pepper peeks out!

Cantaloupe courage!

What a graceful pose.

A few beauties grow amongst the veggies.

 Some things are flowers and veggies, who knew an onion could be so pretty?

Without this we couldn't have all that...

A Caribbean Dish for Caribbean Temps

The heat has been so oppressive here, (100 degrees) I find it hard to think of meals I want to eat. One of my favorites is fish tacos. It's easy, fairly quick and relatively healthy. It's filling without leaving you feeling disgusting when you are finished. The fresh jalapenos combined with cilantro, red onion and tomatoes provides a refreshingly zingy taste to the tacos.

I like to make a tasty sauce from Greek yoghurt, fresh lime juice, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and a dab of mayo. YUM! YUM! YUM!!

A Tasty Treat

I am a fan of bread and I certainly don't think I'm very different from most on this matter. One of my favorite breads however is challah. I love the sweetness it brings to the meal as an accompaniment or as the main ingredient. Because of the sweetness and its rather fluffy nature it makes a great choice for baked french toast. I used a rather basic recipe for this dish and since I only added a few specific ingredients I'm not going to include the recipe. Let's face it, those are easily accessible. However, I will give you my additions. I added vanilla extract to the egg mixture along with some cinnamon and nutmeg. Once the bread was soaked in the egg mixture I placed it in the oven where it began creating its goodness. 10 minutes before it was done I sprinkled some pecans on the top. 

Voila!

Memorial Day breakfast..........almost

I decided to make blueberry muffins for breakfast this morning. I've attempted a few muffin recipes in the past and they were rather yucky. I'm sure it was something I did, or didn't do, or maybe there was a misalignment in the cosmos. Whatever the reasons were.....today was a day of redemption!! These muffins rocked the house....and eventually the neighbors house. I decided I should share or Lance and I were going to have consumed 52 grams of fat and 1100 calories before 11 a.m. The only thing I added to the To Die For Blueberry muffins (allrecipes.com) was a splash of vanilla and instead of 1/2 cup of white sugar to the crumb topping I decided to add 1/4 white sugar and 1/4 brown sugar. Added a little fruit with some honey drizzled over everything and ate until I regained my sensibilities, at which point the neighbors were plagued with their goodness. It was almost a patriotic breakfast, if only I had some strawberries. There's always July 4th.