Category: Food

“Up in Memphis the music’s like a heatwave. White lightning, bound to drive you wild.” — Alannah Myles

On By HanneIn Food, TravelLeave a comment

After what seemed like a whirlwind of adventure to get to New Orleans it was time to head north. Nashville is about 530 miles north and a little east of New Orleans, which translates to about 8 hours. I wanted an early start to the day as I had plans to stop in Birmingham, AL to stop at the Civil Rights Institute which was open from 1-5pm. By the time I was on the road (after a detour to drive through the Garden District, and to swing by Starbucks) it was close to 9am.

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I got to within 23 miles of the Institute when I hit some stormy weather. No tornado warnings, just a total downpour. I ended up exiting the freeway to wait it out in a CVS parking lot because I couldn’t see and the amount of water on the roadway was incredible. Very thankful for those new tires because I was certain I was going to skid off the road at one point. I didn’t arrive at the Institute until nearly 3pm, but it was absolutely worth finding my way downtown for. Because it’s free on Sundays the place was packed and we had to go inside in groups so that they could space everyone a little bit. Also because the A/C was having a hard time keeping up with all the people in there and it was a little too hot in some areas. It was very eye opening disappointing in a way. To see how far we HAVEN’T come in the past 60 or so years is, well, sad. AMERICA, PULL YOUR SHIT TOGETHER.

I wanted to grab a late lunch in Birmingham, but my radar showed a massive front headed toward Nashville (3hrs north) that had already caused problems in Memphis and had flood watches popping up all over central Tennessee.

I skipped lunch and headed North, watching as the storm clouds rolled in… and then nothing. I had about ten minutes of a sprinkle of rain and that was it. Nothing every materialized and I watched the dark clouds just roll on by. Damnit. My dinner (some diner near my hotel) was mediocre in comparison to the few places I had sought out in Birmingham. Oh well, I was able to get a pretty long, decent nights sleep.

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Rockin’ on the front porch.

The following morning I started off with a visit to the Belle Meade Plantation. What caught my attention about this place is it’s influence on the American Thoroughbred. I had *THE* best guide who led the tour of the house (no pics allowed inside, boo). He wove together the family history of FIVE generations who all seemed to be named the same, state history of Tennessee, slavery and the civil war as well as all this equestrian history. And it all comes down to this one horse I’d never heard of: Bonnie Scotland. I don’t remember the exact number, but something like 120 of the 143 Kentucky Derby winners can be traced back to this horse. Man O’War, War Admiral, Seattle Slew, California Chrome, Secretariat, etc.

So I spent a little longer touring the house, the carriage barns, the stable, etc, because it IMG_9742was 11am before I even hit the gift shop (and I’m not leaving without touring the gift shop). From there I headed to Downtown Nashville and circled FOREVER before spending a small fortune on parking. My plan was to tour the Ryman auditorium and then hit the Johnny Cash museum. Unfortunately, the Ryman was packed, so I just hit the Johnny Cash museum before my three hour drive West to Memphis.

Aside from the ridiculous amount of road work, it was a pretty easy drive. I detoured

slightly to drive through Loretta Lynn’s Ranch which is everything and nothing. When you first turn in there is an office for the campground/RV park, signs to a pool and arcade. You then drive past concert grounds, a motorcross… place (who knew she was into that?) before arriving at a gift shop and museum and place for horse rides, plus what looks like a private residence. In any case, the museum was closed (A/C broke). I let my GPS guide me back toward the highway and it took me on a long, narrow gravel road in the middle of nowhere for miles. At one point I almost turned around, but when I zoomed out on the GPS I saw it did know what it was doing.

And now, I’m in Memphis.

IMG_9780Because I’ve just got one day here, I stuck to Beale St., the Peabody ducks and a few of my favorite places to eat. But I feel like the next time I’m here, it’s time to discover a new part of town. I was a little let down by the hotel this year (the room is fine, the bed comfy) but the staff has been cold and unwelcoming which is a complete turn around from the last several times I’ve stayed here. For the past several years this has been hands down, one of my most favorite places to visit. And this time, just a standard hotel within walking distance of one of my fav. places to booze it up.

Speaking of, one of my absolute favorite places in Memphis is the Kooky Canuck. A

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Flying Moose: Melon, citrus vodka, raspberry rum, sour and mist. 

Canadian restaurant. But the drinks here are amazing. As are their fried green tomatoes and fried pickles – both of which are pretty much life. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Thick cut, juicy with just enough breading to keep things interesting, but not get gross.

Tomorrow I head further west to Oklahoma City. It’s about 7 hours (direct on I-40). It’ll be interesting to approach from the other direction, but I doubt I’ll need my GPS. I have a full day scheduled for the following day visiting my favorite shops, driving through a specific neighborhood in Moore that I’ve toured every year since the tornado. It’s been interesting to see how everything just slowly comes back together. And of course a martini at my favorite bar, Flint.

Ciao!

brb, Memphis kitchen calling!

On By HanneIn Food, Travel1 Comment

Before this latest trip to Memphis, I had never tried friend green tomatoes.  Funny enough, the first place I tried them was a Canadian bar/restaurant called The Kooky Canuckphoto 3. Not exactly your soul food restaurant. Unless you’re Canadian and poutine is your comfort food. 😉

I was at the Redmond market yesterday and surprise one of the stalls had green tomatoes – not some heirloom variety (you can find those at whole foods) but legit GREEN tomatoes. I picked up a couple and tonight decided to fry them up. I’ve never made them before, never even fried anything before, so it was a but of an unknown going into it.

I found a basic recipe here and picked up the rest of the supplies at Whole Foods. Frying things at 9pm probably isn’t the greatest idea I’ve had, but the results were worth it.

Step 1: Make sure you’ve got an assistant. Mine had four legs, quite a bit of fluff and eagerly accepted the bits of red tomato I offered. But soon gave up to watch me from her bed.

Step 2: Measure everything out, mix the milk and eggs, the breadcrumbs and cornmeal, salt and pepper.

photo 1

 

 

 

Step 3: Dip sliced ‘maters in flour, milk mixture, and then into the breadcrumb/cornmeal mix

Step 4: Fry that shit up! I used canola oil. Medium’ish heat – don’t want it too hot because the outside burns before the inside becomes tender (but no mush).

Step 5: Drain, dip in sauce (ranch in this case) & enjoy!

photo 4

I think the cornmeal was a little too course. I fried a few firm red tomato slices as well and left out the cornmeal – those turned out great too. But I think it’s a fine line of being firm’ish and turning into mush. I also threw in a few walla walla sweet onion rings as well. Again, for never having fried anything they turned out pretty tasty.

 

Thank You Ina!

On By HanneIn Food, Sunday FeastLeave a comment

In exploring many of the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks, it’s rare to find a recipe that I’m disappointed in. Tonights try was no exception.

The mustard-marinated flank steak was off the chain… Seriously. Make this.

bfcThe marinade was simple and took two minutes to throw together:

* 1/3 cup of dry white wine
* 1/3 cup of good olive oil (she always says good olive oil… like, nah… think I’ll use the shitty stuff for this one?)
* 1/3 cup of dijon mustard
* Salt/pepper
* Minced garlic
* Chopped shallots
* Tarrigon

Score it with a sharp knife, work the marinade in, let it sit overnight and bam. Throw that puppy on the grill, five minutes on each side and then cover and let sit for ten minutes while you wipe the drool from your chin and serve!

Disclaimer, this pic is borrowed from the book. But it’s exactly how it looked.

Sunday Feast

On By HanneIn Food, Health, Sunday Feast2 Comments

This isn’t the first time I’ve posted about this recipe, but since it’s the first time I’ve cooked in weeks, I thought I’d share it again.

With having been sick for so long, making anything with more work than poppingbread in the toaster or heating up kelp noodles with pesto in the microwave, the effort just wasn’t worth it. I’ve finally finished my prednisone (can my voice come back now? thx), I’ve been starting to feel better. Still tired, slow and my back/ribs are on fire, but it’s been forever since I’ve created anything in the kitchenand I was feeling inspired.

Roast chicken with lemon, onions and croutons is my go-to recipe for an easy, filling and relatively healthy photo 11meal. The ingredients are simple: a whole chicken, 2 lemons, 2 onions (sweet in this case, though I’ve used yellow and red), 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, salt/pepper, a nice loaf of bread (I used a rosemary sourdough) and plenty of olive oil.

I washed the chicken first and empty the guts (ew, who uses the neck and whatever other goodies they stuff inside?) and then pat the chicken dry. Sprinkle the inside with a bit of salt and pepper and then stuff it with lemon wedges. Brush the butter over the dry chicken and then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. I don’t eat more than a bite of the skin (*trying* to be healthy), but the salt and pepper creates a nice crust that I then brush off onto the meat and onions – gives it a nice bit of spice. Then spread the onions all around the chicken and put in the oven at 425F for 1hr 15 min.

photo 3Then, just before the chicken is done, I start with the bread. Chop it into large chunks and put in a frying pan with plenty of olive oil. Cook on med-high to toast the bread, adding more oil as needed. This recipe is absolutely, without a doubt, one of my favorites. It smells great long before it’s done, and it doesn’t disappoint. Squeezing the lemon juice from the cooked wedges over the croutons adds a nice little zing.

Does anyone have any chicken recipes to share? I don’t do a lot of red meat (pork, beef), and it seems like there are a billion different ways to cook chicken. What’s your favorite?

Tuesday Turmoil

On By HanneIn Food, Tuesday TurmoilLeave a comment

I’ve been trying to think of a few themes to cover in my blog. Not necessarily one major theme – this isn’t an NCIS-only blog (though I’d never be short of topics), but smaller themes to keep me posting on the regular. In scrolling through the interwebs  for ideas, I stumbled upon something that is utterly disgusting.

9The apples on the shelves of your local grocery store are likely between 9-14 months old.

Now I know the local apple harvest is in the fall, sometimes starting in late Aug and going through October, so I know we’re not harvesting apples in Feb. But I always assumed (in my own naivety) that the apples we had during the off season were just grown elsewhere. Somewhere warmer. I don’t know, can you grow an apple tree in a greenhouse somewhere?

Most apples that aren’t meant for the fresh market (i.e. a fruit stand or local market for sale that day, week, maybe month) aren’t really apples anymore. “They pick the apples when they’re slightly unripe, treat them with a chemical called 1-methylcyclopropene, wax them, box them, stack them on pallets, and keep them in cold storage warehouses for an average of 9-12 months.”  I am absolutely grossed out right now. At least most other fruit, while not local in the off-season, doesn’t sit on a shelf for over a year (unless it’s frozen, and I feel better about frozen than sprayed/waxed/kept cold).

That said, it’s hard to only enjoy apples during apple season. I found this link that suggests a few ways to freeze apples for various uses (except eating raw – though I can find something else to dip in almond butter). I plan to give this a try this upcoming fall so that I can enjoy apples year round without wondering if the apples have sat for a year. Anyone have ideas for what to use frozen apples for (other than apple pie)?

Seriously though, am I the only one that didn’t know how long apples sit around before being put for sale?

*Note to self, an apple a day only keeps the doctor away during apple season when purchased from local, organic orchards.

I do my best proofreading after I hit send.

On By HanneIn Food, Health3 Comments

I follow (sometimes, more of binge-read 20 posts and forget about it for two months) a great blog about living frugally – mostly done by growing your own food. It’s a fun blog, the writer is semi-local (Gig Harbor area) and has chickens in her backyard. So while most of the recipes and ideas are healthy/organic, she’s not super strict about it – she’s more focused on getting a good deal. Which is fine, whatever. But I was going over the comment section (omg, ‘internet don’t 101)and someone commented on some nonorganic/health food stuff. Basically, she said she disagreed with something, gave her reasons and went on her way. The comment/reasoning were fineand she wasn’t rude. But all the replies to her comment were horrible! I don’t claim to eat perfect (because I don’t), but these people attacking her for eating as cleanly as possible were almost comical. Except they weren’t because they were adamant that GMO’s are fineand if we weren’t meant to eat chemicals sometimes, it wouldn’t taste good and blah blah blah…

So I wrote up a great response, limited the snark and went with a couple facts and clicked submit and…. Oh. My. God. Is that ‘there’ instead of ‘their’? Luckily I caught it quickly and clicked edit before my comment could be posted (all comments are moderated anyway), but there is no sure-fire way to make less of a point or appear uneducated than to use the wrong form of there/their or two/too/to or anything similar.

Whew.

Anyway, I’ve been awful at this blogging crap, despite my 30 before 30 goals to blog regularly. I’ve been sick for forever, but finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel (hopefully not a train). I have a doctors appointment Wednesday, so I’m looking forward to that. Unless needles are involved. Then I might be looking forward to it a little less.

 Being sicks means I’ve not cooked much lately. But my latest adventure in the    kitchen came in the form photoof scallops. The first time I tried a scallop (that I  remember) was last falland it was delicious. It was part of an appetizer and much better than I expected. I didn’t give it much thought until I was wandering Whole  Foods looking for something different protein-wise compared to my standard chicken. Not that there is anything wrong with one of the eleventy-billion ways I cook chicken, but I can’t have chicken 365, can I? And I’ve never been great at cooking Salmon (another fav) – either over or under cooking it. So I decided to give scallops a try. The guy behind the counter was great and gave me several tips – both for the scallops and for a ‘sauce’. Let me start by saying that I royally fucked up the sauce. Like, blackened/burned garlic mush. But the scallops ended up seared to perfection. I added them to some arugula and goat cheese and then tossed with a dressing of lemon juice, honey, olive oil and garlic.qq

For the scallops I used a cast iron pan. I heated it to med-highand once the pan was hot I added a bit of olive oil and butter and after a quick pat withpaper towel, I added the scallops. I cooked them for a short 90 seconds per side (and by short, I mean that I counted to 90 quicker than one one-thousand, two…). They were tender enough for my fork to slice through, but just seared enough to have a bit of a crusted edge. While they certainly aren’t cheap – Whole Foods sells them for $23.99 a pound and Fred Meyer’s sells them for $18.99 a pound,  four run me about $8 – they are a great alternative for something healthy, low calorie and fairly good for you. Except the butter that I cooked them in, but it wasn’t much. So if  you’re looking for something different and delicious give them a try! But be careful, 10-15 seconds can make a difference between seared to perfection and over-cooked.

** Edited because I didn’t proof-read until I posted. Ugh. Lesson not learned.

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book. ~Irish Proverb

On By HanneIn Food, Health4 Comments

when_b5bf5b_2684102Ever since that round of pneumonia back in July, I’ve been teetering on the edge of being sick again. I get a few good nights sleep and feel better for a bit. Then I fall behind again and start to cough more and blah blah blah.

I’ve come down with a cold again, and while a good, long night’s sleep has done wonders for how I feel, I’m still congested. So rather than do any cooking this week, I made myself a large pot of chicken stock. With the amount of delicious, healthy things I added, I should be feeling tops again in no time.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
2 large onionssoup1 bunch of celery
3 large carrots
1 bunch of Italian Kale
1 2″ section of ginger
1 whole head of garlic, cut in half
A bundle of fresh Rosemary, Thyme, Sage and a bay leaf.
2 TBS of apple cider vinegar.
Fill to cover with water.

Salt & pepper to taste as well as some parsley toward the end.

I let it simmer for about 2.5 hours. And Yum.

Now I have more chicken stock than I know what to do with.

When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste. – Laiko Bahrs

On By HanneIn Food, HolidayLeave a comment

I spent the past week debating over what to make for our annual Christmas party as well as what to bring for Christmas. My biggest success (yet I’m not making it for either) were these Bacon Wrapped Scallions (click for the recipe). While absolutely delicious, they need to be made right before servingpicstitchand you need a knife/fork to eat them – not exactly ideal party/finger food.

They were super easy to make. Wrap a couple scallions with a slice of bacon. Fry. Eat. Despite the fact that it’s bacon I’d consider them pretty healthy. One slice of bacon isn’t that bad, and each wrap is kind of a lot of food. You have a lot to chew, yet only one slice of bacon. Win/win, right?
In the end I decided on three different recipes for the party (aside from the regular stuff my dad makes, basic cheeses, crackers, dips, etc). First I made these Soppressata Bundles with Radicchio and Goat Cheese. I made them for Thanksgiving and the family seemed to really enjoy them, so I thought I’d do them for the Christmas party. Then I made Prosciutto Crostini With Lemony Fennel Slaw. This are absolutely delicious. As I’ve discovered more and more uses for fennel – seriously, look it up, so many health benefits) we’ve been having it fairly regularly. The lemon adds a nice tartness to the sweet licorice taste. Another win.
Then, for dessert, I made Chocolate-Peppermint Striped Delight. I was worried that it might be *too* sweet, but I think it turned out pretty good.
The holiday party was a success (albeit a stressful one in the hours leading up to it), and now all that’s left is deciding what to make for Christmas day with the extended family and wrapping a few gifts.
On a completely unrelated note, my birthday is coming up (I’m turning 29) and I’m compiling a list of 30 things I want to do before turning 30. I have a good idea of a few things I’d like on the list for sure (some are totally possible, and others… less likely). But is there anything that you wish you had done earlier in life? I’m looking for any/all suggestions and in a few weeks will post my final list. I’m hoping that by posting, it’ll help create a bit of accountability so that I don’t brush it aside until a few weeks before my birthday and try to squeeze in as much as possible without actually enjoying whatever the experience might be.
If I don’t post before, I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Sunday Feast

On By HanneIn Food4 Comments

Tonight was probably one of my most favorite recipes from The Barefoot Contessa.

Lemon Chicken with Croutons.

Oh my Lord.

CameraAwesomePhoto2Like the rest of her recipes, this is super easy and oh-so-delicious. I’ve made it twice by the book, so this time I added a few variations – one, I quartered some red onions, and two, I added some lemon zest to the red onions. I love lemon on just about anything, so I shove as many slices in the chicken that I can. I think the best part is squeezing the cooked lemon over the croutons.

The skin on the chicken becomes super crispy and almost spicy with the amount of salt and pepper that I cake on with the melted butter. You shouldn’t eat the skin (but let’s be honest, a little nibble won’t hurt), so I peel it off and sprinkle the baked salt/pepper over the meat for a little added taste.

A feast isn’t complete without roasted vegetables. Todays mixture included: carrots, yellow beets and CameraAwesomePhoto3celery root. I’ve been trying to check out different veggies beside the standard carrots. I did a little research and found that celery root has some wonderful health benefits, so decided to give that a try. It’s pretty starchy (and a little sweet), so it’s a good alternative to potatoes.

I love the purple carrots – not only do they add color to an otherwise boring bunch of veggies, they contain the same antioxidant that gives blueberries their colors and are good anti-inflamitories. The golden beets were also a new one for me. Much nicer to work with as they don’t stain your fingers the way the reddish/purple ones do.

The chicken takes an hour and 15 minutesand the veggies got an hour. I would’ve given them a few more minutes. The beets weren’t hard, but they weren’t as soft as they could have been. I just tossed them with a bit of olive oil and then squeezed some lemon on once they were on my place. Yum!

The croutons – the best part – are the easiest. Some cubed bread (I prefer a good sourdough) and some olive oil in a pan on med/med-high heat. Takes about 10 minutes and I toss frequently.

Does anyone else have a favorite recipe they continue to revisit?

Sunday Feast

On By HanneIn Food5 Comments

I actually did the cooking on Saturday and now the post on Tuesday, but…

I thought I would try a weekly post on a recipe that I’ve tried recently. First, just to get me back in the habit of blogging, and second… it’s been an interesting venture into cooking over the past few weeks.

I absolutely adore Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa). I would love to spend a day in her kitchen (or with her soothing voice she could just read me a story), but I think overall her recipes are very easy, great tasting and don’t take a whole lot of time. Cooking in general takes time compared to a microwave reheat, but it really isn’t that bad (and most the time is in the oven anyway).

So this weekend I decided to make Amelia’s Jambalaya. Partly because it looked absolutely delicious, but also because I miss New Orleans (and Memphis) something fierce. Not that I think whatever I cook can compare to some of my favorite places to grab a bite, but I could at least get a similar… flavor.

CameraAwesomePhotoLuckily enough this recipe calls for wine. And it only needs a cup, so since I’m not a fan of waste… first things first, pour myself a glass.

I tend to drink white most regularlyand I’m a big fan of something sweetsy – like riesling or a moscato. And because I’m cheap, I go with something like Barefoot (because really, who turns down a $5 bottle of wine that tastes like juice?). Other than a couple names/brands, I really don’t know much about wine. So when it called for a dry white like a pinot grigio, I went for a brand I knowand that didn’t cost much. I was pleasantly surprised – tasted pretty good. I’ve gone for unfamiliar, cheap wine in Denmark when my money went for trips to Prague or Paris instead of boring every day things like gas. And health insurance. I digress. Anyway, nothing worse than a cheap wine that tastes like vinegar.

The most time consuming part of this recipe was prepping everything. I feel like I was chopping, slicing, mincing, trying not to cry over the onions for what felt like photohours! Of course it was nice to just drop everything in when it was time without pausing to chop or slice something in between cooking, but…

I think that if I were to make it again (and I will), I would leave out a bit of the rice. The recipe says it makes 8 servingsand I think you’d need to be feeding 8 hungry lumberjacks if you were going to serve it all at once. I only did 6 chicken thighs (any moreand the pot would’ve over-flowed). Even with less chicken, we will have had three dinners out of the pot and likely one or two servings left over – so 11/12 servings? It’s a hearty dish.

I don’t actually have a photo of the finished product. Needless to say – it didn’t look like the photo in the book, but that’s okay, it’s rare that anything that I cook would even have a remote chance of looking like something prepped by a food stylist.

I would give this recipe stars – though I’m not too fond of that sort of rating. There  are a few things I’d change (less rice, maybe more red pepper) and things that were delicious (just enough spice for me and I made it with only one instead of two jalapenos). The sausage I used (Open Nature Smoked Andouille – chicken sausage)
added a bit of spice, but was pretty good. If my dad can eat it, than it’s not too spicy for just about anyone. Only downside of the sausage is that they add evaporated cane syrup (WHYYY)and they are a bit high in sodium.

Overall a good choice for a cold winter weekend. //BON APPETIT