my hands can do so many many things

yep, even make a pizza pie! :-)

so nick and i were lucky enough to stop in and stock up at trader joe's in richmond a little while back and one of our coveted items was fresh pizza dough. when we went shopping, they only had whole wheat dough, so that's what we came home with.

unfortunately, this is much tougher to roll out and we really needed a class 1 pizza tosser, like our friend jeff, to get the dough right. nick worked as hard a he could, though, will full encouragement from our dog, hercules.

for this pizza, we decided on the following toppings: pepperoni, roasted red peppers, black olives (on half) and the standard mozzerella/pizza mix cheese and red sauce

after working the dough for what felt like a freakin' hour, we finally got the pizza assembled and in the oven she went. it was supposed to take 10-12 minutes, but took longer, probably because we used a stone. here's the before and afters

verdict: we will not be making any more pizza until we can perfect the dough. whole wheat pizza is normally great, but this particular dough was not good at all. boo. back to frozen pizza for now!

long time no eat

sorry for the absence, life has been hectic. nick and i have both been working 4 ten hour days (M-Th) in order to enjoy fridays off. as such, we have booked our weekends solid and be losing sleep. to make up for bad behavior, i am posting several dinners in one day (hopefully the more the merrier)!

last minute taco salads
so, with the left over turkey from the stuff poblanos and some purchased bake yourself taco shells, nick and i enjoyed an impromptu taco salad.

mine was lovely, topped with salsa, only missing sour cream, which i don't keep in the house b/c of nick's complete distaste for it.

nick's salad was topped with cheddar and ranch dressing, ick. to each their own...at least he had food to eat, right? :-)

verdict: great last minute idea for leftover taco beef. will make again but with the sour cream and sans ranch!

kabobs

here's a quick post, which should have been done on friday (sorry!).

moby dick is not a name generally associated with food for most people. for me though, if i hear those words, i do not think of mandatory high-school reading. i think of persian kabobs.

if you are in the d.c. area, you have no excuse not to stop by one of moby dick's 16 locations to sample some of the best bread, rice and kabobs around. find the location closest to you here: Moby's Online

my favorite dish is the joojeh (chicken kabob) dinner with rice, with extra tomatoes. make sure you taste the warm bread and try dipping it in the yogurt dip (mast-o-khiar) they give you after you order. delicious!

kabob joojeh dinner w/rice

ice cream worth a 2 hour drive

so...yesterday nick and i went to richmond, virginia to ride super fast go karts with the bmw car club. since i was traveling this week and then again yesterday, i didn't really do a lot of cooking, hence no posts. when i'm on the road or not cooking at home, i will be sure to be posting about my favorite dishes and treats either here in the 'burg or out and about.

yesterday, my friends cindy and holcombe told nick and i about this fabulous ice cream joint on midlothian turnpike. i highly recommend a stop if you're ever in the area. be sure to come with an empty stomach, adventurous palate and cash.

link to the yelp page: la michoacana ice cream richmond

according to various reviews and postings i've seen on this place, the name is derived from michoacan, the state synonomus with ice cream in mexico.  apparently in certain areas of the country, all ice cream shops are named la michoacana. 

the owners here are extremely talented and creative in combining flavors.  some favorites on the board were pineapple and coconut, strawberries in butter, and blueberries in cheese. they also have a wide variety of flavors not generally seen such as melon, cantaloupe, tamarind, and tequila. all the flavors enjoyed at our table were a huge success. in fact, the group that stopped in all wished we could have ordered containers to go that would make the 2 hour ride home!

in addition to the actual ice cream (cup or cone), there were cold drinks, popsicles, and hot food also available. next time i am headed this way, i will certainly stop in for some more delicious treats.

best crab cakes...ever.

visiting Baltimore soon? you must visit g & m seafood and sample what will certainly go sown in history as the best crab cakes ever!

http://gandmrestaurant.com/

stuffed pablanos and other things

nick tends to think that i have this habit of asking his opinion when i've already made up my mind. i don't see this really being the case, but sometimes he highlights behaviors which could draw one to that conclusion.  here's an example:

yesterday, i asked nick what's for dinner and gave him two options, he settled on one, but then i convinced him that we should have an impromptu dinner party the night before i have to leave on travel, simply because i really wanted stuffed poblanos. bless him for putting up with my madness, though.

so the ramsey's came over for dinner to enjoy what i sometimes call chili rellanos. although in reality, they are not your traditional rellanos. i make a quick, pantry collage of a mexican dinner as follows:

spanish rice
boxed rice, 1-2 packages, prepared as directed
(you can mix & match, i.e. bag of spanish rice with a box of Uncle Ben's whole grain taco rice)
good melting shredded cheeses (mexican blend; quesadilla; queso fresco; habenaro)

top rice with cheese and bake at 350 for 20 minutes

stuffed poblanos
2 cans refried beans
4-8 poblanos - roasted over an open fire or broiled until the skin loosens
1/2 lb of cooked ground beef, turkey or loose chorizo (see below for beef/turkey seasoning)
1/4-1/2 c queso fresco
good melting shredded cheeses (mexican blend; quesadilla; queso fresco; habenaro)

preheat oven to 350
spread beans over bottom of large casserole dish
peel skin off of roasted peppers
slice off tops and open peppers to remove seeds and split in 1/2
stuff peppers with seasoned meat and/or cheese and place over beans
top with shredded cheeses and back for 20 minutes, with the rice

mexican seasoning
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic salt/powder
1/2 tsp onion salt/powder
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper

i severed this dinner last night with a packaged southwest salad and then we had a fresh berry compote and fresh whipped cream over store bought shortcakes for dessert. i love enjoying a good meal with friends!

tenderloin, fried green tomatoes and spicy snaps

so, first post, here goes!

last night's dinner:  summer spicy bourbon marinated beef tenderloin (smoked on the weber, courtesy of husband); italian fried green tomatoes, and spicy snaps (green beans)

verdict: will make again

while making the fried green tomatoes, i learn that you can make your own buttermilk if you're like me and forgetful! :-) simply put 1 tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring device, then fill up to the 1 cup line with regular milk and let it sit for 5 minutes before using in your recipe. you can also make buttermilk with heavy cream (if it is NOT ultra-pasteurized) by placing it in a jar and shaking.  shake until it looks like whipped cream, then keep shaking until it looks separated (butter; buttermilk).

after smoking out the kitchen with my deep frying skills, nick decided to put the beef back on the grill. pork is his forte, so needless to say, the beef was about med-well rather than med-rare. we'll get there.

highlight: nick's 2 minute coughing spree after eating a "spicy" snap


spicy snaps - realsimple
1 lb green beans
salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
1 tsp olive oil

boil beans in salty water 3-4 minutes until color comes out; drain; saute garlic in olive oil 1-2 minutes until fragrant; add beans, salt and pepper to taste; add to serving dish and top with crushed red pepper.

italian fried green tomatoes
3 green tomatoes (sliced thick)
1/2 c flour, divided
1/2 c italian bread crumbs
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 c buttermilk
1 cup (ish) vegetable oil
1 egg

create three coating stations: 1) 1/4 c flour; 2) buttermilk w/ beaten egg; 3) bread crumbs and 1/4 c flour mixed, add salt and pepper if desired


heat 1/4 inch vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet to 375; dip tomatoes in the order noted above and drop in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes per side; drain on plate w/ paper towels or baking rack; salt while hot