Goat cheese cracker spread

Last night we had some people over for a beer tasting bonanza.  It was more beer tasting and less bonanza, but a good time none the less.

I put out 3 kinds of cheese to have with the beer: chevre (goat cheese), taleggio (love love love), and smoked gouda.

I left the taleggio and smoked gouda alone, but I made the chevre into a dip.  It was a hit!
Here are the ingredients:
Chevre
A little milk to make it creamier
Chopped dates
Chopped pecans
Chopped Basil

That's it!  I just mixed it all together and we ate it on crackers.  It was easy and a great combo of sweet&savory. mmm!

fritattas

Pretty much any left overs can be made into a frittata. Thank goodness I caught Giada making a frittata once and was inspired to make one on my own.  Now, we use leftovers and doggy bags to make awesome frittata breakfasts. Mmmmm!

It's a quiche with no crust!

Fancy Pants!

Katie visited for a week, and one night Chris brought home some bubbly to celebrate... well, nothing!  We're big believers in celebrating everyday life. =]

We decided to go fancy and use the Waterford crystal flutes we received as a very generous wedding present:

Fancy pants!

Hello, Summer. I love you.

tomatoes are getting better and better!

lettuce and basil from the mini garden =]

lovely sunsets

I cannot make steak!

I have a track record of cooking steak terribly.  What is my problem!?  I like to think that if we had a grill I could do it, but for now, pan or griddle, it's not good.  =[

GHETTO
Last night I tried to make flat iron steak... let's just say that when you had originally planned to use the left-overs in steak-and-eggs the next morning, but after looking at the end product you both decide you don't want to look at it again for several days, there's a problem.

GOURMET
Luckily, to balance out last night's steak debacle, we had side dishes of very yummy chipotle sweet potato fries and a lovely tomato salad.  And, of course, some of the pieces of steak were edible.

Is anything better than a spread?

One of my favorite meals is what we like to call a spread.

Today's spread:
Roasted beets in spinach salad with red peppers, sweet onion, and balsamic vinaigrette
Goat cheese
2 types of salami-like deli meats
Taleggio (so good I bought it again!)
Rustic wheat bread
Cantaloupe

Yummm!  I felt like I could've grazed for hours!

Food Glorious Food!

Yesterday and today Chris and I ate deeeeeeeeeelicious lunches (same lunch both days. Too good not to have again).  On the skillet we grilled sandwiches that could be called crunchy-gooey-savory-comfort-food-that-makes-you-feel-better-about-your day-of-torturing-testing-students-and-busing-and-walking-commuting-through-the chilly-rain-sandwiches.
Ingredients:
Modesto sesame wheat bread
mayo
Lusty Monk honey mustard (love it!)
sliced cheddar
sweet onion (sauteed briefly in butter)
ham
egg, over-medium

Boy oh boy those are some tasty sandwiches!

found this on Etsy by BettyTurbo

And now I'm making these cinnamon cookies, and I've added some chopped toasted pecans. Yummm!

Tomato Pie

 I looooooooove tomato pie.  I learned the recipe listening to All Things Considered on NPR a couple of years ago. Story. Recipe.  Oh man it is sooo good.  I made one yesterday (I know, I know, tomatoes stink right now, but I couldn't wait!  Once I have tomato pie on the brain, I gotta have it!).

When Katie was here, we made a mushroom tomato pie.  It was to. die. for.  It was basically the same recipe, but I made the pie 2 layers: A layer of sauteed mushrooms and onions (with white wine, garlic, and some other ingredients to jazz it up), and the original tomato layer (tomatoes, basil, sweet onion, s&p).  Yummmm.

The question is:  Is tomato pie better than pizza?  Gasp!

Tis the season.

Mmmmm!

Busy busy weekend!

This weekend we did a lot!

On Saturday we went to the farmers market, and among other things got some tomato and herb plants. Yesssss! Then we rode our bikes to West Asheville for Go West, a small street festival.  It was sunny and hot, so we didn't last long.  The music was good, the food was good, and the ice cream cone was good. =]  That night, Chris had to work but I had some friends over for easter egg coloring! Sweet!!  We had a good time and made some fabulous eggs.  None of these friends had ever been over before, and everyone was especially delighted to meet Rocky.

The Easter Egg miracle!  See the bunny?  It sort of looks like a bunny face or a bunny head + ears.

On Sunday, we slept in, had a lovely breakfast of toast with butter and jam, hard boiled easter eggs with s&p, and lattes. Mmmm! Then we went to St. Mathias to watch Brass Knuckles, a bass trumpet jazz band.  Bass trumpet? Who knew?!  After that, we came home and had an awesome dinner of steak, salad, and bread + butter. Yum!  Then, we went to Forsythia Hall to see the Watson Twins.

What a great weekend!

Oil...

In an attempt to broaden my natural eating habits, I decided to look into a better oil for making granola than the canola oil I had been using. Ugh.  It's not easy figuring this stuff out!  Luckily, I have Josh to help.  He has a website called Tip The Pyramid and he's good at answering all kinds of food questions.  I didn't want to use olive oil in my granola, because even though I know it's healthy, it's still oil made from olives... I mean, come on. So, he suggested coconut oil.

So, I got coconut oil.  Weird!  It's solid, but it melts into a clear liquid that smells like coconuts. Mmmm/Weird! I chose unrefined for optimal health benefits.  Apparently unrefined oils are more nutrient rich than refined.  And I looked for expeller pressed oil, which means chemicals weren't added (I think/hope).  I got some good info about the process of making different oils by reading all the links on the Spectrum website.

I know, it's hard to believe a girl as refined as me could go for an oil as unrefined as this. 

Then, Chris brought home some grape seed oil. Whoa! Way to throw me a curve ball!  I'm having a very hard time finding information about the whole process for making grape seed oil.  Although this is concerning, after reading about grape seed oil on this website, I started to think I should begin drinking the stuff by the gallon.  Apparently it slows the aging of your skin, helps your eye sight, reduces the risk of heart disease, fights free radicals like a mofo, and makes you look great in a cape.  OK, I made that last part up, but the rest is true, according to someone named Joseph. 

It says expeller pressed and pure and all natural. But the question is... is it refined??!

Road Grub

We had a long drive to Miami on Sunday - about 13 hours.  With all that driving ahead of us, we decided we should pack a cooler full of great food to
a) save time by not stopping to eat, and
b) have healthy snacks that would keep up our energy for the drive and taste delicious.

We decided that we would chop up fresh fruits and veggies to munch on, pack the makings for turkey sandwiches, and most fun (for me) make ice coffees and granola bars for breakfast. We were getting up early to get on the road, so I wanted everything to be ready to go the night before.

On Friday I made the granola bars. I loosely followed this recipe from Ina Garten on Food Network.  I made a lot changes, like using more oats, less shredded coconut (I just didn't have more than about a quarter cup), butter and coconut oil, flax seeds instead of wheat germ, a little maple syrup, and didn't really follow the measurements or toasting/baking times.  Hey, they turned out great!

Did I mention I added chocolate chips?  =D

On Saturday, I went grocery shopping for the rest of the cooler food.  The best thing I got?  Lusty Monk Altar Boy Honey Mustard.  This stuff is deeeelicious!  It's dang good, and it's made right here in Asheville! We put it on our turkey sandwiches (Can you see it? Chris driving and me making turkey sandwiches on a paper towel on the center console complete with tomato slices, mayo, and Lusty Monk. So worth the extra effort.), we dipped our cucumber slices in it, we put it on our ham sandwiches for lunch in Miami, and now that I'm back I've just made amazing egg salad with it (and with some relish, s&p, mayo, and chopped up cuke, red pepper, and onion. OMmmmmG.) 

Anyhoo...later that day, I made some really strong coffee in the French press (aka press pot or plunger pot), and poured it into 2 jars.  I also made lots of espresso (3 double shots - which in our machine are almost like triple or quadruple shots) in another jar. I added sugar to all 3 jars while they were hot, then let them cool.  I realized that it was going to be hard to tell them apart, so for fun I made tags for each jar:

Incidentally, the evening I made these drinks was just beautiful.  Here are some pictures from out the apartment windows:

In the morning, just before we left, I took the coffees out of the fridge and added milk.  Mmmmm!

Then I packed the rest of the cooler:

Yummmm!  We had the best car snacks ever!  And boyyyyy were we caffeinated!

Taleggio and Garrotxa

After reading and writing about cheese, I was on a mission to get some.  At the nearest Whole Foods (aka the best cheese selection I've found so far in Asheville. I wish there was a cheese shop!), I got some help picking out two cheeses.  First, I wanted to try a washed rind, and ended up getting a taleggio. The friendly employee who helped me said it was a good washed rind for a beginner because it's stinky smelling, but not too strong tasting.

Taleggio

I was so excited when it was time to eat it!  I took it out of the fridge an hour early (as directed!) to bring it to room temperature. I made hummus. I cut some fresh bread and toasted it lightly.  I sliced up a pear. I poured myself a glass of wine. I cut into the soft, smooth, delicious stinkiness of the taleggio!  Yummmmm!  I really liked it.  I sat and munched for a long while. Delightful. 

On Sunday, I got a garrotxa, a firm, aged, goat cheese.  

Garrotxa

Chris and I really set up a spread with mango, olives, hummus, toast, salami, wine, and the two cheeses.  Heaven!!  We love a spread. =]

The garrotxa, I felt, I could take or leave.  I think it is probably the perfect match to something out there, but with this spread, it wasn't as tasty as the taleggio.  

Here's a little something funny Murray's has to say about taleggio:

Pungent, fruity and meaty - ripe wheels should eat like pudding… delicious, stinky pudding that goes with wine.

Weird, but I like it!

Lovely Latte

Earlier this week I ran out of coffee beans.  I know, but don't cry!  This only meant that I couldn't grind beans and have a cup of coffee.  You didn't think we didn't have other means of coffee-caffeination in the house, did you?!  Chris had plenty of finely ground coffee for his espresso machine.

So, this week, I made lattes in the mornings.  And for fun, I made them in jars:

OK, I have to admit that this is more like an au lait than a latte because I used a huge shot of weak espresso and lots of milk.  Whatever it is, it's delicious!

Best Brownies Ever!!

I have come up with a recipe/brownie mix that makes the most delicious brownies. Yummm.

I think there are two things that make these so dang good:
1) All natural, simple ingredients (the mix has like 4 ingredients and they are all natural and organic)
2) Extra chocolateyness with the chocolate chips, which become gooey, the coffee, which makes the whole thing darker and richer, and the already chocolatey brownie mix.


You start with this brownie mix:

Use the ingredients it requires (eggs and melted butter) and add pecans, chocolate chips, and a little finely ground coffee (I use about a tablespoon of Chris's coffee ground for the espresso machine).  OMmmmmmmG.      So. Good.

♪ ♫ Heaven.... must be missin' some brownies.... ♪ ♫

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork. Yum!

Yesterday Chris made pulled pork in the Crock Pot.  It is so good.


Here's what he says he put in:
pork butt
sliced apple
onion
lots of ginger
lots of garlic
salt and pepper
apple cider vinegar
chicken stock

After it cooked for 8 or so hours, he took out the pork, cut off any excess fat, used the immersion blender (thanks Mom!) to blend what was left behind in the pot, then put the pork back in and pulled it apart with forks.  He let it cook for another hour, then drained the whole thing a bit.
Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Tomatoes!

I LOVE tomatoes.  I'm hoping to grow some out on the balcony this summer.  I really haven't eaten any lately because they haven't been in season, but this morning at the produce market I decided to get a few romas, even if they weren't all that fabulous.

When I got home, I sliced some pieces of fresh bread I had just gotten at the bakery, spread some mayo on, pilled on sliced tomatoes sprinkled with salt and pepper, and topped it all off with a fried egg. OMG.  Delish.

So Simple. So wonderful.


PS: Chris added hummus to his, which was also awfully tasty.

The Ghetto Gourmet

When Chris and I moved to Asheville, we were both under-employed.  I only worked half days at the school, and he was working 3-4 nights a week at the wine bar.  It was tough on the wallet, but easy on the tummy. We saved money by eating at home, and made it easier to avoid the temptation to go out to eat by putting extra effort into our cooking. Almost everyday, I'd come home around noon or one, and we'd whip up a brunch feast.  We'd use the skillet to make pumpkin pancakes, or eggs with beans and toast, or hot melty turkey reubens. It was the life.

When Katie came to visit us for a week in January, we really went to town cooking up delicious meals everyday.  She told us we should start a blog called The Ghetto Gourmet, putting up recipes from our throw-together-what's-in-the-fridge-and-make-something-fabulous meals.

Nowadays, Chris and I both work more, which is great, but we don't have as much time to make these wonderful hot meals.  Yesterday, a rainy and cold Sunday, we got back to our old habit and made what may be the best breakfast I've ever eaten. And I've eaten a lot of delicious breakfasts.

Here's what it was, layer by layer, starting at the bottom:
Toasted fresh bread from the bakery, sliced at 1/2"
Thin layer of homemade chipotle hummus
Caramelized onions
Sauteed fine-chopped garlic and fresh spinach, with a few grinds of S&P and a squeeze of lemon stirred in at the end
Eggs fried over medium

It was sort of an eggs benedict type meal.  No wonder I loved it. Mmmmmm!!

Chipotle Hummus

We eat a lot of hummus.  So, we make a lot of hummus!  It's way cheaper than buying it at the store.  Did you know a can of chick peas is only about a buck?

Here's a simple recipe (these are all guestimates - I rarely measure) for tasty homemade hummus:

1 can of chick peas
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp olive oil
1 chipotle pepper in adobo*
a clove or 2 of garlic
juice of 1/2 a lemon
S&P to taste
1 chipotle pepper in adobo*
some tomato or red pepper paste to taste

Dump it all in a food processor and blend blend blend till it's the consistency you like!  (I like it smooth)


*I keep a can of chipotle peppers (smoked jalapeño chilies) in adobo sauce in the fridge so that whenever I need to spice up a recipe, I have one of these super spicy, smoky, and flavorful peppers on hand.

Spaghetti Sauce

I have been feeling guilty about always buying pre-made, jarred spaghetti sauce.  Chris and I make almost everything from scratch, but this is the one thing we've always been lazy about.  Well, those days are over - sort of!

I've found a great in-between:


We buy this stuff, which is almost nothing but tomato (it has a bit of onion and garlic powder). Then, we saute some onions and garlic, brown some meat, add the sauce, stir in some tomato paste (or red pepper paste, which we got from Turkey!) and fresh basil, salt, and pepper.  Voila!  Delicious spaghetti sauce that doesn't need to sit around simmering for hours.  It is delicious right away.  Yummmmm!

PS: Last time, Chris added mushrooms, which made it even better!