Pot & Cover

I never really truely loved a hamburger until Scott started making these...ground chuck, 1/3 lb, seasoned with garlic powder, s&p.  Seared in a flamin' hot cast iron skillet till med rare.  A toasted bun with mayo/mustard & ketchup, usually American cheese (boars head) or cheddar...even a few sprinkles of blue cheese, a few basil leaves, sometimes some sauteed onions (not tonight)...and his home fries...he added tomatos, but they are too slippery!  Russets peeled, diced, soaked/rinsed/dried/fried & salted.  Perfection.  We change up the toppings or the shape of the fries...sometimes chips instead...but always juicy and good.  My mouth is watering as I type.  I never (that I recall) ate an entire burger until I ate this burger...My favorite (sorry In-n-Out/C.B/Whataburger..you're all good...but this one I eat hot off the grill and in my jammies!:)

This was all Scott...we had 1/2 lb of Cavatappi from making the mac...so he made our usual meat sauce to go with it....I know he loves the Capellini...but the Cavatappi was my favorite...had it for lunch today too...he ate it for breakfast...who needs Wheaties?  Frozen bread was used for simple garlic toast (defrost, split, butter, toast in oven and rub with garlic clove)  all topped with fresh basil, fresh parmesean and a bit of fresh cheddar :)

A Wedgie salad...more chopped up than a wedge salad, but same ingredients...iceberg lettuce, roma tomato, blue cheese crumbles & dressing, freshly ground black pepper...topped with shaved Irish Cheddar cheese left over from making the mac Scott needs his protein...so some little pieces of steak, seared and seasoned with Essence...beautifully pink..I know these made fabulous left overs the next day...probably his breakfast leftover CraZ MAC n CHEESE...I had it for lunch the next day too...oh my :)

Porktastic Enchiladas (Scott's creation 5/24/11, Dad's bday) White corn tortillas (about 8) dipped in warm sauce center cut porkchops marinated for 1-2 hr in: grapefruit juice, slug of apple cider vinegar and juice of lemon, s & p, garlic powder, dash cayenne, 2 TBS yoshidas,  fresh rosemary, olive oil and red pepper flakes. cast iron skillet, meat drained and browned on 60% heat. Sauteed onions/shrooms with red wine, oil, s/p. 1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce cheddar cheese 350 for 30 min To die for Chile Verde Nachos and fried Mushrooms We used left over verde: scoops chips, layered on a tray with cream cheese first, verde next (drained off), chopped fresh tomato, salsa, cheese.  Bake 400 for 8 min, top with sour cream and homemade ranch dip (we made for fried mushrooms) Ranch:  mayo & sour cream (equal amounts), garlic powder, onion powder, parsley flakes, lemon juice and 2 TBS ( or more) of blue cheese dressing. Fried 'shrooms Baby Bellas, take ...

Scott wanted the ribeye...I wanted the Mac n cheese...and they are a marriage made in heaven. The recipe for the mac n cheese is on here already...we didn't add chicken this time because of the steak...but thin pancetta, asparagus and baby bella mushrooms were in order...you could easily eliminate them all and just do the mac n cheeses...but oh how I love the bacon and 'shrooms...and something green makes me feel so healthy!  (and it's yummy too) Scott's Cowboy Ribeye (Bone-in) 1 Bone in Ribeye...at least 1 lb (his was about 20-22 oz) brought to room temp smothered in Emeril's Essence (see the Marriage Chili recipe for the essence recipe)...heat a cast iron skillet (please ventilate the house with open doors/windows or do outside) over medium heat and sear steak 12-15 min per side (it will smoke and look black...do not panic) let rest with a pat of butter (and blue cheese crumbles) for at least 10-15 min EAT! This steak is enough for two people to share.......

Scott made "Marriage chili" for dinner last nite...tonite is leftovers & u know it's better the nxt day...um um good..."holy Moses in the mornin'" is the consensus on how good it is. He made Paula Deen's Corny Cornbread with it...OH MY! recipe below 1/2 cup vegi oil, plus 1/4 for oiling pan (a little much...I'd use less to oil pan) 1 cup self rising flour (we made it with regular (AP) the first time and it was just fine) 3/4 cup self rising cornmeal 1 cup cream-style corn ( get it in the freezer section...looks like a roll of sausage...better than canned) 2 eggs 1 cup sour cream 1 cup grated sharp cheddar (optional, but not in my opinion) 1/2 tsp cayenne...optional...but not really We also think adding some roasted chilis would be delicious..hatch, poblano Oven 375...preheat skillet in oven..Mix all ing together till combined, pour in pan and back about 30 min. DEVINE

The idea was lobster roll...but shrimp is cheaper. Scott boiled about a pound of peeled deveined in some seasoned water (crab boil).  They were tender, pink and succulent....sauce was about 1/2 C mayo, TBS of capers, 1 & 1/2 pieces fine diced celery, a good handful of chopped basil (recipe calls for some fresh dill, so I put in a pinch of dried) salt, pepper, ...maybe something else..it's in one of her books.  I'm not going to get up from the couch to double check because we won't make it again...it was yummy, but other things are better...needed some acid for sure... Make sure you put in on a buttered toasted roll...but I'd rather have a pastrami on rye next time

We've been so disappointed in the breakfast we've eaten out lately (we'd open a restaurant if we had the time)  So I pulled out Barefoot Contessa for some guidance...this is loosely based on hers in "Family Style"pg 182 1/2 stick butter (or less, because you'll have bacon fat :) 1 peeled tater, diced 3-4 eggs American cheese...that's what we had in the fridge...but use any yummy cheese at least 1 lb if possible (less is fine) 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, big handful of fresh chopped/torn basil (yay summer basil) 1/8 c (or so) of flour 1/2 (a hair less) of baking power oven 350 fry bacon, set aside...fry taters (add fat if needed), whisk eggs, stir in spices, flour, baking powder, herbs and cheese....whisk in melted 2 or so tbs butter. Add to potato/bacon mixture in pan (oven safe) and put in oven for about 10 min...then check..may take longer..but don't over cook. We did this again soon after...no taters, but added about a cup of creamed...

It was time for Scott's burgers.  Ground chuck...sauteed onions...and home fries...make sure you soak em and dry em well

We had most/all of the ingredients and it was time for a classic revisited....oh my this is so decadent.  One of Scott's favorites. my butter sauce was PERFECT for the first time...just gorgeous! Recipe posted on another post...

It's Hatch chile season so after a pancake breakfast Scott & I headed to Central Market.  The aroma of roasting chiles is one of my favorite.  We never buy much at CM cause it seems that prices are lower at Market Street or Kroger...but not today.  The hatch prices at CM are better...so note to self for next year.  It was about 29$ for a case (25lbs) of roasted chilies...not much more than if you buy them raw. It was time for a batch of slow cooked chile verde...so we got a combo of hatch and poblano's.  We roasted our own today, but will go back and get a case tomorrow!  They freeze great and are so wonderful to add to stuff all year.  Last time we got 10 lbs of hot and about choked to death peeling them...we'll get mild this time! See the chile verde recipe on other posts..but we (Scott did 99% of the work while I did book work in the office...a fair trade) did it with pancetta and in the slow cooker today.  It smells like chile heaven.....

Scott wanted to break in the new slow cooker with a pot roast...so I got to come home to this delicious meal.

some day's you just need take out...we had a free (almost) pizza coming...even better!

tender ground beef Simmer your ground beef (we like chuck) after briefly browning it...add just enough water to cover, add lots of great spices, add bouillon or broth for extra flavor too...over season, because the water is diluting the flavor (taco style..italian, whatever)...simmer for 10 min or so...you can turn the heat off and leave it in the water to stay warm until your ready to eat...drain and make your tacos, enchiladas...whatever suits your fancy.  This meat is so flavorful and tender that I can eat it straight from the pan with a spoon...great on chips as a dip or for nachos.

a whole bag of onions...maybe 6 or more..yellow spanish are some of our favorites, unless you can get Vidalia chopped onions 1 or more med heat with enough oil to cover bottom season with salt and fresh black pepper saute over med or low med heat and stir often till caramelized to your liking.  Some folks add sugar or sugary soda to move it along...which I feel is unnecessary, just be patient.  A few garlic cloves or red pepper flakes won't hurt anyone's feelings though. I freeze these and then we always have sauteed onion to add to the nights meal...great for slow cooker meals too.

poured in our honeymoon glasses...they've lasted 19 years! Isn't it beautiful Watermelon Margarita 1/3 portion triple sec 1/3 portion tequila 1 pkt artificial sweetner 1/3 portion frozen watermelon pieces squeeze of lime or lemon if it needs a little acid Blend it till smooth...like a grown up slurpee Happy Slurpee Day...my favorite drink of Summer 2011