Big Hit

Guys, the chili was a huge hit. I doubled the recipe (Bobby Flay’s Red Beef Chili) and made a few additions/subtractions of my own. I didn’t have Thai bird peppers or pasilla chile powder so I added more of the other chile flavors in their place. I omitted the habanero and tripled up on the jalapenos. I feared the habanero would light our guests mouths on fire. I now know that the habanero would have been just fine. I added additional poblano peppers which I roasted and peeled as well as Worcestershire sauce, Chipotle peppers in adobo, extra tomatoes and tomato paste. I set out Frito’s, cilantro, diced onion, sour cream, extra sharp cheddar cheese and diced tomatoes for garnish.

In addition to the chili we had  grilled Hebrew National all beef dogs, a lovely green salad with corkscrew pasta, corn on the cob, Rotel dip (of course!), peanut butter cookies and assorted flavors of Braum’s ice cream. I made a last minute punch for those that wanted an alternative to beer and what not.

Fuzzy Navel Punch

1 bottle Ginger Ale

1 sm. can crushed pineapple in juice

1 can Bacardi Fuzzy Navel

2/3 cup lg. can of pineapple juice

Combine and serve over ice.

As for the key lime pie? I ran out of time. Dang it. I knew I should have made that one the night before.

Chili

Fall is in the air and college football is in full swing. Do you know what that means? It’s chili time! I found a recipe on Food Network’s website by Bobby Flay and it looks fabulous; Red Beef Chili. The reviews alone made me want to give this one a run for my money. So, other than cooking all day, I will also be baking. The hubs has requested peanut butter cookies with Hershey Kisses. Easy enough. I’m going to whip up a simple potato salad, throw some hot dogs on the grill, fill the fridge with beer and attempt a twisted version of key lime pie. Let the guests fill the house. We’re going to be cheering on our Red Raiders in full force tonight!!

Rain out

What a weekend. I thought the rain would stop long enough for me to get in a quick walk yesterday, but no. With the way I eat, I need my exercise and I need it daily. I don’t have indoor exercise equipment nor do I belong to a gym so I rely heavily on sidewalks. I’m going to brave the outdoors today rain or shine. What’s a little rain? My waistline will thank me for it.

Did I mention that I’ve been nibbling on palmiers for a day and a half? I have always wanted to recreate La Madeleine’s version and I did so yesterday morning at 5:00AM!! I found an all butter puff pastry at Central Market and did my due diligence to replicate one of my favorite breakfast pastries. Voila! All you need is a good quality puff pastry (all butter), granulated sugar, salt and parchment paper. In addition to the sweet style I also made a savory version with Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. I couldn’t believe how easy this was to make. All this time I thought I was at the mercy of a French bakery.

My sweet tooth is in full effect this weekend. I’m hankering for rich dark chocolate cupcakes smothered in chocolate ganache. Off to the grocery.

Labor Day Weekend

So far, this three day weekend has been all about food. Friday started with a trip to Jake’s on Skillman. Have you tried their bacon cheeseburger with jalapenos? It’s pretty damn good. To me, that location has the best quality of food out of all of the Jake’s restaurants. Try it. You’ll see if you don’t already know. And, don’t even bring Keller’s into the mix. I know they are the same, but not quite. I love me some Keller’s, but that is for a different discussion.

Friday night was take-out from Tukta Thai. I love their Spicy Yam Yam with shrimp. I like to add an order of Shrimp Spring Rolls, a side a steamed rice and a side of cucumber sauce. I pour the sauce and rice rice right over my salad. It’s the perfect blend plus a little bit of low sodium soy sauce. The best part about adding the rice is that is stretches the salad/dish for one into that for two or more. You can’t beat that. Especially when that order alone is close to $20. It makes the price tag easier to stomach.

Saturday included a trip to PetSmart for dog food and a toy. Lucky for me, I didn’t have to search long. Duff found a soft stuffed chicken immediately. He liked it so much that he ripped it right off of the rack. Afterwards, I stopped off at Great Outdoors for lunch. Ham and Cheddar for me and an Invention for the hubby. Boy do I love me some hot sandwiches. Dinner was Pizza Hut’s new deep dish stuffed crust. Um, yum! We watched more of The Wire and then it was off to bed.

It’s now Sunday morning. Duff has me on schedule for a 5AM wake-up call. Lucky for Duff I’m a morning person. I started off the day making banana bread. I get so excited when I have a basket full of over ripe bananas. Ripe bananas have endless possibilities. All of the bread making got me hungry. As if I giant piece of bread wasn’t enough for breakfast. I added a few scrambled eggs to the mix. I’m officially stuffed.

It’s time for Duffy’s morning walk. We’re going to see Inglorious Bastards this afternoon and I can’t wait. I’ve only got one more thing on my agenda for the weekend; Tex Mex!

Our Newest Addition – Duffy

Weekend

TGIF, everyone! We kicked the weekend off early at Offshore’s. My husband loves the shrimp po’ boy and I the fried catfish. More spicy dipping sauce, please! They had to roll us out of there. Why do we always eat so much when we dine there? Feeling better this morning, so no complaints.

Tonight we are heading to PetSmart to get all of the essentials for our new addition tomorrow. We pick up our 1 yr old Golden Retriever at 10:30AM. I am so excited. M, not so much. He’s more nervous than anything. All he can see are dollar signs at this point. No worries, he’s a big softie. You just can’t see it buried under all of that anticipation. That will all be over and done with come tomorrow afternoon.

I’m thinking of a little Tony’s take out for dinner tonight. We’ll be running around and nothing hit’s the spot like a pie from Tony’s.  As for the rest of the weekend, Saturday is up in the air. It’s all about the new dog. Sunday is when the party begins…on the grill that is. We’re grilling a pork tenderloin. Sides and marinade have yet to be determined. More on that next time.

Pork

Do you ever get in a cooking rut? Sometimes I feel like I cook the same things over and over again. I’m aching to fire up the grill this weekend. I’m thinking pork…as in pork tenderloin. I have a Chipotle orange marmalade recipe that I really like, but I’d like to venture out and do something really creative and bursting with flavor. Got any suggestions?

Rescue

We are so excited. Today we are another step closer to adopting a Golden Retriever. There are some really great rescue groups out there and we are thrilled to be taking on a new family member. The process can be lengthy. They don’t give you any dog they have available at that time. They take into consideration your lifestyle as well as past and present pet experience. We’ll find out on Wednesday if our dog will be available for adoption this Saturday. We are thrilled to say the least.

Old Stomping Ground

We moved recently and there are a few things that I miss about our old neighborhood. For one, we could walk out of our front door and pick from numerous shops, restaurants and bars. There were so many Saturday afternoons spent sipping wine on the patio and window shopping. Now, we have to drive everywhere. Secondly, I miss my happy hours at Corner Bar. Now when we think about going to Corner Bar, we have to take into consideration parking and cab fare. The thought of nursing our drinks doesn’t sit well with either one of us. Lastly, I miss the delivery pizza options. My husband and I both LOVE our pizza and we love it even more when it’s delivered hot and fresh to our doorstep. I miss Campania, Sal’s, Brother’s and even Domino’s. I never thought that I would miss Domino’s, but I do. If only Tony’s deliverd. Then, I might be content with our delivery options.

Stuffed

Let me tell  you something. I am having a blast! The hubby and I decided to take a few days off. Maybe a trip to Austin, but the more appealing staycation took us over. So far, we’ve been eating like mad men (not like the TV show which I love by the way). We started off with Tutka Thai on Wednesday, then Bonnie Ruth’s and Mexicali on Thursday. Today, it’s been a blur…first Barbec’s and then Highland’s Cafe. We’re still tinkering with dinner plans. Broken Social Scene is playing at Palladium tonight and that just might be a factor in our meal plans.

We bought a Weber Charcoal Grill so we’ll be putting the coals on for the remainder of the weekend. I grew up with a charcoal grill. The gas grills don’t really do it for me. You know what that means? Oh yeah, baby! Sausage on the grill along with asparagus, a medley of peppers and onions. Mmm…mmm…good!