So, I wound up on a three month work assignment in Huntsville, Alabama. When I first found out, I was about as excited as I was when I went to Oklahoma.
Because Matt is always up for an adventure (and he’s done with school for awhile), he came along with me this week.
Huntsville is home to a large US Army base and a NASA research center, so it’s actually not the sleepy southern town I first assumed it was. It’s got its fair share of chain restaurants, but there are some gems as well.
I posted to a Serious Eats message board to see if I could get any restaurant recommendations for Matt’s week here. Someone responded and recommended 1892 East, noting that they have a great vegetarian menu. I thought this would be a good break from all the barbeque I’ve been eating!
Read more…
Not unlike most weekends these days, Matt and I had recently had weekend plans to cook some ramps. Last Spring I decided my favorite use of ramps was in this ramp and mushroom hash – or creamed ramps, as I like to call it – from the New York Times. Matt and I both agreed this dish would be a wonderful accompaniment to creamy grits. And we just happened to have Trader Joe’s new stone-ground grits in the pantry.
We ended up inviting my mom over for dinner, so I bought some beautiful local hake to go with the ramps, mushrooms, and grits. Matt topped his meal with a fried egg, which also looked pretty incredible! I think you know how I feel about runny eggs.
Even though a delicate fish like hake usually calls for a wine on the lighter side, we decided that Matt being done with his post-bacc classes was a perfect reason to pop open the bottle of R. Lopez de Heredia Reserva we brought back from Haro.
Read more…
I have always loved a good panzanella salad, but it was one I had at Marlow & Sons in Brooklyn last summer that really blew me away. The crunchy bread and juicy tomatoes were topped with a perfectly runny poached egg.
I know tomatoes aren’t quite in season yet, but I am getting impatient. I decided to make a variation on this salad for Mother’s Day with some decent tomatoes I found at Formaggio’s and beautiful pea greens. I dressed the salad in a very simple sherry vinaigrette as to not overpower the vegetables. A poached egg on top upped the elegance factor, making it a more than worthy starter to the steak I made for the next course.
I look forward to making many more salads like this as more spring and summer vegetables come available!
Read more…
My mom and I look notoriously awkward in pictures. I swear though, we always have a lot of fun together.
Mother’s day had to come a little early for my mom this year because I had to catch a flight for work this afternoon. I cooked dinner for her last night (which I will hopefully get to blogging about soon) and we had a truly great night. I don’t think there’s anything we like more than cooking and drinking wine together.
Before we started cooking, we wandered over to my mom’s neighbor’s daughter’s birthday party and got to talking to her friend Jane who has two young daughters. She mentioned something about how lucky we are to have such a good relationship, which I think is something we take for granted sometimes. We really are lucky to be so close and actually hang out as friends. Ever since my dad passed away almost two years ago, we’ve only gotten closer.
Anyways, let’s move on to what this blog is really about. Food!
Read more…
I first tried Green Street Grill probably 3-4 years ago, and the only thing I remember was that my food was way too salty (and I never complain of that). Luckily it seems as if things have changed. I’ve been hearing great things about both their food and their drinks, so I headed there on a recent Tuesday night with my friends Katie and Laura.
The first thing I noticed about their extensive cocktail menu is that most were in the $7.50-8 range. As someone used to the drink prices at Drink and Saloon, these seemed like a steal.
I had a difficult time ordering because I don’t like very sweet drinks, and the rest of the drinks all seemed to include some form of whiskey. Whiskey and I have never gotten along well.
Read more…
I know what you’re thinking. Savory oatmeal? Let me explain.
I’m really not a sweet breakfast person. I usually have an egg sandwich, or a regular sandwich even. Sometimes I’ll just eat leftovers from the night before. Oatmeal? Not so much.
I go through phases where I try to get myself to like it. It’s cheap, easy to make, and healthy, after all. I always figure I should have it on hand in case I want to have it some morning. (That almost never happens.)
But then I read a quote from Mark Bittman’s tips for eating more whole grains in last month’s Cooking Light.
“One way to guarantee eating one whole grain every day is to have oatmeal. I’ve always been fascinated by Asian food, and Asian breakfasts in particular, so when I have oatmeal, I mix it with dried mushrooms, chopped celery, scallions, and soy sauce. I really like a savory breakfast. When people are repelled by that, I remind them that bacon and eggs are savory also. They just don’t think of it that way.”
Read more…
I’ve been wanting to make peanut noodles for awhile now, but Matt always eats all the peanut butter I can’t seem to keep peanut butter in the house. It was my lucky day yesterday when I noticed that there was actually some left in the bottom of the jar.
I started with a recipe from Smitten Kitchen for the peanut sauce. I was feeling lazy though, so I omitted the ginger and garlic. I also used some sambal oleek for heat.
Almost any type of noodle would work in this recipe, but I went with brown rice noodles. I absolutely love the texture of rice noodles, so I was excited when I found you can buy brown rice noodles that are healthier and taste just about the same.
I blanched some asparagus to amp up the health factor and provide a crisp texture. Cilantro and scallions also freshened up the creamy peanut sauce.
And to top it off? An egg, of course. I went with a soft-boiled egg this time. You can probably tell it was my first time ever making soft-boiled eggs because I totally butchered them when trying to peel. It might not look beautiful, but it was delicious.
Read more…
One good thing about traveling as much as I do is that I get to Santarpio’s Pizza often. Santarpio’s is in East Boston, literally next to the airport. When I fly out for work on Sunday nights, it’s almost too easy to stop in for some pizza before my flight.
Santarpio’s is one of those places that looks like it hasn’t changed in a hundred years. The no-frills menu includes basic pizza combinations and barbequed meats. I usually go for the pizza and almost always end up with a side of steak tips or sausage. The smell of the grill lures me in!
As for the pizza itself, it’s almost hard to explain why it’s so good. They strike the perfect balance of crisp crust, sweet tomatoes, and melty cheese. They always go heavy on the tomato sauce (which I love), and add just enough cheese to provide a melty layer but not completely overwhelm the sauce. While the crisp thin crust isn’t usually my style, it really works in this case as a sturdy base for the toppings.
Read more…
