Chef Fabio has some tips for grilling ribs with a perfect marinade. (My parents’ recipe also calls for partial oven cooking and grilling also.) As a bonus, we have an additional drink pairing. Now that we have a brief respite from the heat in the Midwest- get out and grill! Make sure to have balsamic vinegar on hand. I love the complexity of it on grilled asparagus, one of our frequently-made recipes.
My wife and I went to the Fireside to see Legally Blonde The Musical partly because we had heard it was an excellent show and partly because my wife loves the movie, but it was completely as enjoyable as we were expecting. The casting was very well done. It’s always intriguing to compare movies to other iterations of a similar story, like musicals. This one held true to the original source, as well as adding to it. If you are thinking of seeing the show- hurry! The show’s run is almost over. And, as before, the show was not the only star. Part of the difficulty in choosing a show time is choosing which tasty meal you will get to enjoy. This time we chose Sunday Brunch (all you can eat!).
Sunday Matinee Brunch
Chef-Carved Jones Cherry Wood Smoked Premium Ham and Roast Breast of Turkey,
(Both were delicious- and juicy. Nothing’s worse that having dry turkey or ham, which was most certainly NOT the case here.)
Chicken Breast Tempura with Brandied Apricot Sauce,
(I’ve had this before, and I think it is one of my favorites- like a more flavorful and grown-up version of chicken nuggets- with a sophisticated sauce to boot!)
Eggs Benedict on Jones Hickory Smoked Canadian Bacon,
(I’m not a fan of over-easy – runny eggs, but this is definitely a personal preference rather than any comment on the dish.)
Scrambled Eggs,
(Both plain and with vegetables and cheese- a breakfast classic.)
Jones Cherry Wood Smoked Bacon and All Natural Sausage Patties,
(Another set of delicious breakfast staples. The bacon is the kind I prefer- not too soft.)
Fresh Norwegian Salmon,
(I love salmon in general, and The Fireside makes theirs well. It’s a pleasant addition to the buffet- and again, it was not dry- a major plus!)
Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Tomato Butter Sauce,
(This is an example of a dish I would present to someone who says a vegetarian dish can’t be tasty. I could have just kept eating these, if it wasn’t for all the other food I had to have.)
Bouquetierre of Garden Vegetables,
(A good mix of veggies.)
Beef Tenderloin and Broccoli,
(A nice flavor contrast to the other items on the buffet, paired with rice.)
Buttermilk Pancakes with Maple Syrup,
(I wasn’t in a pancake mood, but my wife enjoyed one of them made with M&Ms.)
and Home Fried Potatoes.
(These were quite excellent- I’ve had a LOT of this type of potato, and often they are heavy and one-note. These seemed lighter and had plenty of flavor.)
Your Brunch Buffet is accompanied by Chilled Strawberry Soup,
(Scrumptious and refreshing- a great idea for the start of the meal. Not too sweet and with real strawberry flavor.)
Pastries from The Fireside Ovens,
(This was the opening item- a perfect appetizer. A lot of variety and complexity in flavors.)
Banana Crème Brulee,
(A dessert well-done. I’ve had other brulees of theirs, and they will all have you scraping the dish for the last bit.)
Coffee, Tea and Milk served at your table.
(I always have the coffee- a flavorful blend.)
Thanks again, Fireside, for a wonderful show and tasty meal!!
Chef Fabio shows us how to make Naked Ravioli– no pasta required! I can’t wait to try this with some CSA spinach!
Maybe it’s odd that I’m not bothered by a few dandelions in my lawn. Given the alternative of spraying my lawn with anti-organic compounds, a few flowers are a welcome alternative. But gourmands as well as gardeners can take pride in this hardy, resilient plant that many call a weed. Real Epicurean (where the photo’s from) has noted several culinary options. Or make coffee. If you’re still in doubt of what dandelion can do- check out a dandelion cooking contest!
Imagine your garden gone- flowers destroyed; vegetables eliminated and herbs obliterated. This is a sad story; this was not the tale of an overgrown yard.
http://www.newson6.com/story/18802728/woman-sues-city-of-tulsa-for-cutting-down-her-edible-garden
Chef Fabio has a quick and tasty way to enjoy green tomatoes. This may be the only way I’ll get to enjoy tomatoes from our garden, as just about the time they are ripe, they are gone! (e.g. my wife has eaten them right off the vine, or the vexing planting zone 5 phenomenon also known as the “tomato monster”) We always plant quite a few plants in our limited space to maximize tomato production.
These stuffed green tomatoes were making me hungry!
I just had to share this one, as I love kale and my wife does not. We needed to find a way to use our CSA box add-in, and I’m also fond of kale chips, which are strangely addictive: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Kale-Chips/Detail.aspx
I’ve also tried it chopped in a beef, tomato, and bean soup; I like that it can hold its texture upon cooking.
Welcome to my new food obsession: Kale smoothies
Until recently, I knew of only one way to prepare kale. That was to braise it with some pork fat until it became soft. It’s actually one of my favorite braised greens.
But then I heard people talking about kale smoothies twice in three days, so I tried it and fell in love with it. Now I’m totally obsessed with kale smoothies.
Kale is one of the superfoods. It’s a cruciferous vegetable from the Brassica food family that also includes cabbage, collard greens, Brussels sprouts and broccoli. Kale, which is also known as borecole, is so chocked full of vitamins and minerals that it is considered to be one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet.
It has significant health benefits, including cancer protection and lowered cholesterol. Plus, everytime I have one of these kale smoothies, I swear I feel a burst of energy.
Oh, did I…
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“Muffin- it’s like a chef cupcake.” Fabio and Niecy mix up a batch of chocolate bacon muffins. While the Wisconsin State Fair and its chocolate covered bacon is a ways away, make some chocolate bacon muffins! Everything’s better with bacon – and not just Jim Gaffigan thinks so!
These pickles sound excellent- can’t wait to try them!
When I got my first job after college as a reporter for a small daily downstate newspaper, my mother took me out grocery shopping to stock the kitchen of my first apartment.
Like any recent college grad who didn’t know anything about cooking, I grabbed for the boxes of macaroni and cheese, canned tuna, and canned peas. Then I reached for a jar of dill pickles.
“No,” my mother said, returning the jar to the shelf. “Pickles are a luxury.”
Today, whenever I go shopping for my family, I always hesitate before reaching for dill pickles because at upwards of $3.50 per jar, they really are a luxury to people like me who are on a budget.
So when my mother-in-law recenty dropped off some fresh homegrown dill weed someone had given her, that got me thinking about making my own homemade dill pickles.
With Farmer’s Markets reopening for the season, the…
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Chef Fabio highlights a tasty pasta carbonara for Chow Ciao! Try out his recipe for a quick spaghetti meal. I love cooking pasta for all the versatility it offers- pair it with a main dish, serve it as the main dish, create one of a cavalcade of possible sauces. There are so many options. You can’t go wrong with pasta.
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