EpicuriKris

Monday Monday. The day may suck, but your dinner dosen’t have to!

We went out for Sushi last night so I didn’t cook. If you are on Long Island, and looking for great sushi, delicious drinks, and a great atmosphere you MUST try Aji53 in Bay Shore. I have no idea how I only came across this place a year ago. We started with a Tuna/Avocado salad and Kani Salad. We shared an order of Shumai. (I don’t know who these people think they are kidding though, this was the same crap I buy at Trader Joes). For the main course we had two rolls. The Hawaii roll which was Lobster Tempura, avocado, pineapple, and cucumber topped with lobster salad. And I forgot the name of the other roll because we enjoyed a bottle of Yuzu Sake and I had two Plum Martinis before that. =X

Anyway, tonight I make grilled chicken. I started marinating this yesterday morning after breakfast because I thought I was going to cook last night. So, these chicken breasts have been marinating for over 24 hours and my mouth has been watering all day just thinking about how good they are going to be. I made a very simple marinade of:

½ cup of Splenda brown sugar blend

1 cup of grapeseed oil

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

A sprinkle or two of Cumin and Cayenne Pepper

½ cup of apple juice

I never marinate using ZipLoc bags. I always put the meat into a casserole dish and pour the marinade over. Then cover with Press and Seal so it’s air tight. Zip Locs really don’t let the meat “sit” in the marinade.

I had a fresh mango in the house that I need to use for something so I made a quick salsa.

1 Mango, diced

½ red onion, diced

1 small jalapeno pepper

1 cup of diced cucumber

3 tablespoons of lime juice

3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

Salt and Pepper

Mix in a bowl and throw it in the fridge =D

So, your chicken is ready for the grill and the salsa is ready. What to make on the side?

It’s really hot and humid tonight, and I have zero desire to cook anything on the stovetop or turn on the oven. But, I am not in the mood for a salad. I have fresh romaine hearts and I have seen a few places with grilled romaine on their menu, so, I tried it. This was my first time doing so, and I am still not sure how I feel about it.

I am daring so I am not going to look up a recipe, I am just going to wing it. Here’s what I did.

Cut two romaine hearts down the middle and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and rub with freshly shaved parmesan and pureed garlic. Really get it in there!

I threw it on the grill at low heat and watched it wilt, so sad. But, surprisingly it kept it consistency and didn’t burn.

Once the chicken is done, top with the mango salsa.

This was a pretty simple meal yet very satisfying. I am going low to no carb for the next couple of weeks so no starch tonight, sorry. Here are some pictures that I took, as well as a picture of the frog that scared the bejesus out of me while I was grilling. Have a good night everyone. :)

Saturday Night Dinner

Rib Eye=in my opinion, best cut of meat there is. Paired with cheese Gorgonzola sauce it’s safe to say it’s one of my favorite meals. I love, LOVE potato salad and tried making my own a few years ago and it just sucked. Too much mayo, not enough salt, potatoes were undercooked, it was just a nightmare. I think I finally perfected it.

15 baby red potatoes, sliced in quarters
15 baby Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced in quarters
3 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard
2 cups of Mayonnaise. (I use Mayo made with olive oil)
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 teaspoon of chopped Dill
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 small shallot, diced
1/2 cup of craisins (optional)

Boil the potatoes until fork tender. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Let cool. Add all of the ingredients and mix together. Yes, it’s that easy. Garnish with fresh parsley and refrigerate.

Asparagus is in season right now and REALLY expensive. A batch cost me 6 bucks yesterday. :\
But it’s perfect on the grill with olive oil, Parmesan, garlic, and salt and pepper. That’s it. No recipe to follow, no exact measurements, just eyeball it and let it cook on the grill.

Rib Eyes!

Make a marinade with the following:

1 small jar of Cherry preserves
1/2 cup of red wine vinegar
1 cup of Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Marinate the steaks for about 6-7 hours in the fridge. Make sure the cherry preserve has what appears to be whole cherries.

Throw them on the grill for about 5 minutes each side, medium heat. You are only supposed to flip a steak ONCE. So just let it cook, and close the lid of the bbq. Make sure you rotate the steaks to get your grill marks. If you have no idea how to get grill marks, go here and learn:

Here are some pics of the steaks on zee grill:

You can make a sauce out of any cheese you want, but Gorgonzola goes perfect. Or Blue Cheese.

See a few blogs back for the recipe.

If you’re entertaining today for Father’s Day, this would be a pretty awesome dinner for Dad.

Thanks for reading. I will be blogging again tonight. Have a nice menu planned for dinner. :)

Carmelized Onion, Spinach and Gorgonzola Pizza

This is a simple, fool proof recipe that is good for those nights when you get home and don’t feel like putting much effort into making an entire meal. I’m not going to go all Sara Lee on you, but you can make this meal for less than 10 bucks.

Put it this way, making your own pizza dough is completely useless. There are only 4 ingredients and for the time it takes to you make dough, you can buy pre packaged dough and there wont be any difference in taste. I am not an advocate for buying pre-package ingredients but in this case, it works.

Ingredients:

2 large red onions, sliced. Not diced. You want strips, not diced pieces.

Container of Gorgonzola cheese. About 1/2 lb.

Pizza sauce: If you have sauce at home to use, use it. If not, follow this simple recipe.

I can of tomato sauce
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons of parsley
1/2 tablespoon of oregano
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of sugar
1 bag of baby spinach
3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese

You only have to doctor the sauce up. The taste of the gorgonzola is going to overpower the sauce anyway.

Cook for about 15 minutes on low heat.

Take the dough and roll it out. Use flour and a rolling pin. Mold the dough into a ball and knead into a 12 inch circle.

Drizzle the dough with oilve oil, spread the cooled sauce.

Now for the onions:

Add the oil to a hot pan. Add the onions and sugar. Let them cook stirring frequently. The onions should become a golden brown.

Add the onions to the pizza. Add your spinach , then add the Gorgonzola.

Cook on a pizza stone for the best results. 400 degrees for 15 minutres.

Remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle the fresh parmesan on top.

Serve and enjoy!

The famous Gorgonzola Sauce!!

So many people have asked me for this recipe. I generally use this for steaks, especially Rib Eyes. But another way to serve this is with warm Ciabatta bread.

* 4 cups heavy cream
* 4 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
* 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
* 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Bring heavy cream to a boil in a heavy sauce pan over medium-high heat, reduce heat and simmer for 45 to 50 minutes or until liquid has reduced by half, stirring occasionally.

Remove the pan from the heat; add the Gorgonzola, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Whisk until cheese melts to a smooth consistency. Serve warm.

And, I’m back.

But here I am. I haven’t been cooking that many elaborate meals lately because a) Let’s face it, most of what I cook is not really bikini friendly, and b) I haven’t made the time. A wise friend told me that I must not care enough about this right now to be really into it. He was right. So I thought about it, and realized that my love for food and cooking is something that makes me extremely happy, and the more I cook the happier I am. So why wouldn’t I do something that makes me happy?

This is why I am back and am holding myself to getting this blog off the ground, getting more followers, and not slacking off on the things that make me happy. With that, I introduce you to Veal Osso Bucco.

Let’s start by saying that if you are going to try to make this, please make sure your local butcher has lamb shanks. I had to go to 4 different places until I found them. 3 butchers told me they were “special order”.Just make sure you don’t buy everything else, then find yourself shankless.

I am not a big fan of veal at all. No, not because it’s a baby cow but more because I hate the color of it cooked. It’s literally GRAY. Unappetizing to me. But I gave this recipe a whirl and good lord, it’s so friggin good.

These are lamb shanks. I had mine cut about an inch thick, but you can also leave them 2-3 inches thick.

Now that you have the shanks, go shopping for the rest:

* 1 sprig fresh rosemary
* 1 sprig fresh thyme
* 1 dry bay leaf
* 3 whole veal shanks (about 1 pound per shank), trimmed

Remove them and set them aside, then add your carrot, celery, and onion mixture.

Cook these until fork tender.

Now it’s time for the chicken stock and tomato paste. Slowly add the paste mixing it with the vegetables and throw in your bay leaf, Rosemary, and Thyme. Cook for about 8 minutes.

Then add back the veal. Add 3 cups of red wine and let it reduce at medium heat. I used Amarone and never again. It’s too expensive and a good Barolo or red table wine works just as well. The second time I made this recipe I used Opici Barberone, and it tasted the same.

Note: this pic was taken before I added the tomato paste but already added the chicken stock. This is probably when I was drinking the rest of the wine.

Here is everything together.

This has to cook for about 2- 2.5 hours. The meat should be falling off the bone. Check it every 20 minutes or so and add some chicken stock if it reduces too much.

I served this with a raw artichoke salad that was very simple. I took the hearts of 8 large artichokes and sliced them with a mandoline slicer. Put the slices into ice cold water with lemon juice and let it sit. I made a vinaigrette of truffle oil, a little olive oil, lemon juice and fresh parsley. Tossed it all together with freshly shaved parmesan and that was it.

So here is the finished Osso Bucco and artichoke salad. Garnish the top of the veal with some fresh lemon zest.

Ahh, that was fun. I don’t know why I stopped doing this. More to follow, and thanks for reading :)

Doggie Treats!

I cook for them too. Amazing right? Not so much. One of my passions is cooking, the other is animals. If you know me, you know this.If you don’t really know me, you should. My dogs have never tasted food from a can, or from a bag bought in the supermarket. My belief is that what my dog eat, has to be something I would eat. No, I don’t eat kibble out of the bag, but I do make sure that what I put in their bodies, is something I would put in mine. Anyway, here is a recipe for “Doggie ice cream” that is a staple for baby boy birthdays in our house.

Easy, and if your dog isn’t your best friend now, they will be after you give them a taste of this. :)

1-32oz. container of vanilla yogurt (Use FAT FREE)
1 cup of natural peanut butter or almond butter

1. Put the peanut butter in a microwave safe dish and microwave until melted.
2. Mix the yogurt and the melted peanut butter in a bowl.
3. Pour mixture into cupcake papers and freeze.

I gave them my own little gay name….Peanut Butter “PUP” cakes. FML.

Signed,

Crazy Dog Lady

Dinner tonight!

Is it possible that we are only in April and I am completely OVER grilling? I mean, really….

London broil, Filet Mignon, grilled chicken, keilbasa, skirt steak, hangar steak, and the list goes on and on of things I have already thrown on the Viking Grill. When I feel the warmth in the air I almost feel guilty for NOT having something on the grill.

Tonight was different. I felt like I needed something to comfort the soul, something cheesy, something I have not made in a long time. While wandering Stop and Shop it came to me, I need pasta. Not spaghetti, not penne, but the one pasta that brings cheese and carbs together…Tortellini. I remembered I had an amazing Tortellini Alfredo recipe that I had saved and immediately ditch Stop and Shop to head to Fratelli’s Italian Market. I can’t bring myself to make a meal without actually picking out my block of Pecorino Romano and having it grated in my presence. I also picked up some fresh spinach tortellini while I was there.

What good can a dinner of pasta and red wine be without a loaf of semolina bread? Again, CARBS. Make a salad instead? Don’t mind if I do! But damn, I am going to miss the bread.

Here is the very simple recipe I follow for a good “Alfredo” sauce.

* 1/4 cup butter ( I use Smart Balance sticks)
* 1 cup heavy cream (light cream)
* 1 clove garlic, crushed
* 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through

I add peas to my sauce. I know frozen peas are the way to go, but I can’t pull myself away from using a can of Lesueur peas. They are sweet and amazing. And quite honestly, anything covered in cheese is delicious.

I also use some red pepper. I love spice and it gives the sauce a kick.

Boil the tortellini. Tortellini is done when it surfaces to the top of the boiling water. If you don’t know, now you know.

Transfer the pasta to the sauce and simmer on low. Garnish with FRESH parsley and a smile. :)

Oh right, the salad!!!

1 bag of baby spinach
3 strawberries
1 english cucumber (I hate seeds and having to peel)
1 hot house tomato

Vinaigrette:

1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil ( I will never say EVOO, FU Rachael Ray)
1/2 teaspoon of cranberry juice
1 tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar

I think you know what needs to be done from here.