The way onion rings were meant to be...

Now that I'm done with school and about to graduate on Friday, it can be said I have a bit of time on my hands.  And with all this free time I was at a loss as to how to motivate myself to be productive.  And then it came to me-- my only goal for today, Monday, April 30th, is to update my blog.  Where that might sound like an easy task, it is not.  I have fallen so far behind in keeping up with my blog in fact, that I don't even remember how I made some of these delicious things in these pictures I have.  So let's get to updating!

There is a restaurant in Boston with two locations-- one by the common, and one in the South End.  This restaurant is a place I call heaven.  A restaurant entirely devoted to delicious, outrageous, and over the top sandwiches.  The portions are huge, it's affordable, and the onion rings... my god the onion rings are the best I've had.  So naturally, I decided I needed to try to make them.  Well, I was a little off, as nothing could ever be as delicious as their onion rings, but they satisfied my craving and gave me hope for a bright, onion ring filled future.

                               My onion rings                                   Their onion rings

Now let's try to put aside the face that I had to take this picture with a not-so-awesome phone camera, and remember that they looked way better in person.  Much more golden brown, crispy, and not dull and boring.

The things about these onion rings that really set them apart:
1) The size--they are thick slices of onion with a delicious thick breading
2) The seasoning-- the batter is not just plain onion ring batter.  Instead it's flavored to perfection
3) The sauce-- these bad boys come with a sauce that rivals all others.  It's a little bit sweet, a greater bit spicy, and really really delicious.
Okay so now that we have that out of the way, let's make them...


what you need...
Onions (the amount will depend on how many you want to make.  These should be yellow onions and can be large or small)
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup ice cold water
Vegetable oil (for frying)
Sea Salt
Rosemary
Pepper

what you need to do...
1. In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup flour, 1 egg, and 1 cup ice cold water.  Stir with fork until smooth.  Season batter with at 1 tbs rosemary, and a dash of sea salt and pepper.  Set aside in fridge until you are ready to use.
2. Cut the onion into rounds at least 1/4 inch thick.  Separate the rounds and set aside.

3. In pot or pan with deep sides, and over medium high heat, heat enough oil so that the thickest onion round won't touch the bottom of the pan when frying (this will likely mean you will need about an inch deep of oil).  Wait veryyyyyyy patiently until the oil is hot.  You will know it is hot because it will look hot and it will crackle very loudly if you flick the tiniest bit of water into it.  Reduce heat to medium to ensure that the oil doesn't burn.
4. When the oil is hot, dip the onion rounds into the batter, being sure to coat on all sides.  Carefully place the rounds in the oil and allow to fry, turning at least once, until golden brown.  Remove from oil with tongs when done, and strain on paper towel. Repeat until all of the onion rings have been fried.  And then enjoy but be forewarned that you're never going back to those skinny, lame, "beer battered" onion strings again!

Summer Drink Series: White Sangria!

So what could be more refreshing than a nice, cold glass of Sangria on a hot day? Okay perhaps there are many more things but, Sangria is pretty good too.  After recently having a glass of white sangria at the Parish Cafe (only the best place on earth), I decided it was time to tackle white sangria.  And I'm not just talking the "throw some fruit in wine and let it sit in the fridge" sangria.  I'm talking real live sangria.

So here's to part one of my summer drink series!

what you need...
1 bottle of crisp white whine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc)
1/2 cup white rum
1/4 cup simple syrup
1 cup club soda
Fresh mint
1 plum (or peach) cubed
1 lemon, cut into rounds or half rounds
Raspberries


what you need to do...
1. Combine wine, rum, syrup and fresh mint in a large pitcher.  Using the back of a wooden spoon, muddle the mint in with the liquid until mine leaves appear bruised.
2. Add the club soda, plum or peach cubes, lemon slices and raspberries and stir gently (so as to not allow too much of the carbonation to escape.
3. Chill and allow the flavors to combine for at least 2 hours.   Serve very cold on a warm sunny day at a nice BBQ!

The Greenest Pasta You've Ever Seen

Okay, bear with me now, because this is CRAY.  MY sister called me a few weeks back raving about some ridiculous soup she made and how I HAD to get it up on my blog.  Well I simply wasn't having it--not only do I NOT like soup, but I was not about to take cooking advice from my sister.  But something she said really struck me and, I decided that I would give her a chance.  And I have to hand it to her--not only was it kind of delicious, but it also cost us close to 8 dollars total to make.  You can't beat yummy value.  So alas, in light of sibling appreciation day (or every day), I will credit this to my wonderful sister Kristie LaSalle.  Without her I would have never though to toss broccoli in the blender and for that... we thank you!

Also, let me formally apologize for the photo-- I went through a period of forgetting my camera and taking shitty pictures of my food with a terrible phone camera. 

what you need...
1 head of broccoli
2 - 6 oz goat cheese
1 lb pasta
2 - 3 cloves garlic
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

what you need to do...
1. In a large pot, boil lightly salted water.  When water is boiling add broccoli so that the entire head is covered.  While broccoli is cooking, in a medium pot, boil lightly salted water for the pasta, and cook as directed on the box.
2.  When broccoli is tender, remove from water (keeping the water--do not dump out the water!), chop in to smaller chunks, and add to blender/ food processor.  Add between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of the left over water from boiling the broccoli, 2 - 3 cloves garlic (depending on the size), 2 oz goat cheese, salt, pepper, and a dash of olive oil and blend until a smooth sauce forms.
3.  Transfer sauce to a small sauce pan and over very low heat, stir in UP to 4 more oz of goat cheese, depending on how much you like goat cheese.  When sauce is smooth, remove from heat immediately.
4.  When pasta is finished cooking, strain, return to pot, and add broccoli sauce.  Enjoy!

Ooey-Gooey Guinessey Brownies!

So I absolutely do not bake.  I won't go on about why I am not a baker, just know that I am not.  But for Valentines Day, I decided to try to tackle a recipe I found in Bon Appetite (the magazine that my wonderful boyfriend bought me a years' subscription to for Christmas) for chocolate-stout brownies.  I've decided to post them now, however, because it's kind of close to St. Patrick's Day.  Right.


Now, to say the very least, I messed them up pretty bad.  But I'm going to give you the recipe anyways along with a word of advice to the wise--don't mess them up.  If I were you, I would completely omit the "Guinness Glaze" that seeps into the brownies and makes them super gooey.  But that's perhaps because I mess that up... pretty bad.

Please let me reiterate-- I did not create this recipe, it does not belong to me but I bet, if you don't mess it up real bad, it would be real good! Recipe is courtesy of Bon Appetite and can be found online: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/02/chocolate-stout-brownies

what you need...

1 cup stout (such as Guinness)

16 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped, divided

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

what you need to do...

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9x9x2" metal baking pan with foil, leaving a 2" overhang. Bring stout to a boil in a medium sauce- pan; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 12 minutes. Let cool. Reserve 1/4 cup stout.

2. Stir 12 oz. chocolate and 1 cup butter in a medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth.

3. Whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in chocolate mixture, then 1/4 cup stout from pan. Fold in flour and 1 1/4 tsp. salt. Pour batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake brownies until surface begins to crack and a tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35–40 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes. Stir remaining 4 oz. chocolate in a medium metal bowl set over a sauce-pan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Add reserved 1/4 cup reduced stout, remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, and 1/4 tsp. salt; whisk until well blended.

5. Pour warm glaze over brownies. Let stand at room temperature until glaze is set, about 40 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature. Using foil overhang, lift brownie from pan; cut into squares.

Massive Mushrooms on Jewish Bread

Okay FINALLY!  I know you have all been holding your breaths in absolutely suspense for my next blog post... AND HERE IT IS! I've finally prevailed through hell week--no more tech week rehearsals, no more 50 page papers, no more multiple tests and papers due all at exactly the same time.  In the clear senior year right now.  So I'm back to posting!  Sorry for the delay BUT... I was busy.  Hopefully you haven't forgotten who I am in the mean time and are still following this blog.  I don't blame you if you aren't though.

So naturally, although I've been busy, I have obviously still been cooking.  C'mon, a girl's gotta eat.  But what I cooked last night was SO delicious that I absolutely could not justify putting this post off until I caught up with my other posts.  So here you are: Grilled Portobello Sandwich on Challah Bread with Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach, Pesto and Provolone.  Now see... that was a mouthful.  I'm sticking to Big Mushrooms on Jew Bread.

This is delicious.  Absolutely delicious.  I'm not sure really what made me choose Challah Bread, but after learning that it was similar to Brioche, I couldn't pass on it.  Turned out to be a solid choice!

what you need...
1 large portobello mushroom cap
2 tbs pesto
1/2 red pepper (roasted)
1 slice provolone
1 Challah Roll
1 clove garlic (diced)
Oil

what you need to do...
1. Roast red pepper with oil in oven under high broiler, monitoring carefully to char but not burn.  In a large pan, combine oil, garlic, spinach and portobello mushroom cap and cook over medium heat.
2. Toast Challah rolls under the broiler until lightly toasted.  Remove from oven.  Spread 2 tbs pesto on top and bottom of roll.  When spinach is cooked (it will cook quicker than the mushrooms), remove from pan, strain, and add to the bottom of roll.
3. Turn heat of pan to medium high, and cook portobello mushrooms until the seem soft through and have a bit of a sear on them.  Remove from heat, strain, and place on top of spinach.  Add provolone, and place under broiler for about 35 seconds, or until the cheese melts entirely.  Add slice of roasted red pepper, slice, and enjoy! :)

Ewwww, Who Likes Brussel Sprouts?

Me. I do.  I have a very new found love for the nasty looking green balls of nutrition.  I realized my love for brussel sprouts when I randomly made them over Christmas break.  Although I had to, at the time, use frozen brussel sprouts, they still came out delicious and I've been craving them ever since.  So a few nights ago when we were at the grocery store, I saw a big, fresh basket of these balls of fun, and I knew immediately they were ending up on the schedule.

I've made them twice since then, once with bacon (Dan's idea) and once without (my idea).  Naturally, Dan liked them better with bacon, and I did not (mainly because bacon, in my mind, seems to deplete any sense of nutrition these started out with.  Either way, they were delicious.  We first paired them with simple grilled BBQ chicken, and then even made a raging plethora of them and ate them as a main course.  (Yes, we were still hungry after, so I'm not sure if I recommend this).

But--if you're looking for a nutritious and delicious (yes this is possible) side dish, this is how to make brussel sprouts.

what you need...
A large portion of brussel sprouts (maybe 1/2 lb for 2 people)
3 - 5 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
1 small yellow onion, diced
Salt and Pepper
2 tbs Olive Oil

what you need to do...
...and yes it's this easy
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Rinse the brussel sprouts and pat dry thoroughly.  Clean them by chopping off any excessive stems or peeling away any wilting leaves.  In an 8 x 8 glass baking pan (regular baking pans will work also), combine brussel sprouts, diced onion, cooked and crumbled bacon, and olive oil and toss so that brussel sprouts are coated evenly with oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes, or until brussel sprouts appear to be browning slightly on most sides and have soften.  Be sure to stir the sprouts a few times during cooking to distribute charring from pan evenly. Once finished serve and enjoy with your favorite meal (or as your new favorite meal that leaves you still fairly hungry)!

Red Pepper Pesto Pasta

I'm laying in my bed on this rainy, cold miserable winter day, thinking about my poor puppy Kadie who passed away late Tuesday night due to a sudden heart condition. She was truly the happiest, liveliest, smartest and sweetest dog there ever was, and I will never forget the best friend I've lost.  It's been a very hard past couple of days, and with my planless spring break now upon me, it seems things are only going to get harder.  I have no idea what to do with myself right now so-- I'll post.

I love you so much kadie and miss you already :( you were truly the best friend anyone could ask for and it's not fair that your happy life was cut short. have fun up there kiddo-- I know there's a huge basket full of toys, a big yard, and so much dunkin donuts waiting for you. ♥

I'm still trying to figure out where this outrageous idea came from, but I do know that one day I woke up and said, I can make pesto with whatever I want, as long as I have a blender.  I had a blender so roasted red peppers it would be.  I wish I had more to say but I can't find a way to be clever or funny right now so instead, I'll just let you know how to make this delicious meal appear on your dinner table.



what you need...
1 1/2 red peppers
3 - 4 cloves garlic (to taste)
4 - 6 oz goat cheese
3 link spicy Italian sausage
1 lb penne rigati
Pepper
Salt
Crushed Red Pepper
Oregano
Olive Oil

what you need to do...
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Halve the peppers, place on baking sheet, and season with a drizzle of oil, and a dash of salt and pepper.  Place in oven and allow to roast, checking and turning often, until both sides have a nice char.  (To get the char and speed up the process a bit, I roasted the peppers for about 10 - 15 minutes, turning often.  At the end, I turned the broiler to high and, keeping a close watch, allowed the peppers to char, turning once).  Remove from oven and set to cool.
2. Meanwhile, cut sausage into small rounds and cook in medium pan over medium heat until almost fully cooked.  Boil salted water on separate burner.
3. While the sausage is cooking, the peppers should have cooled enough to blend.  Ina blender, combine peppers, 1 - 2 tbs oil, 3 - 4 whole cloves (depending on size and taste) of garlic, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper to taste and oregano.  Replace cover and blend (being sure to hold cover on tightly) until the mixture is smooth.  Taste and adjust accordingly with more garlic, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and oregano.  If the mixture is too garlicy after your first blend, you can add a handful of walnuts (as you would with pesto) to cut the flavor.  But starting out with 3 cloves should be sufficient without being overwhelming.
4. When pesto is ready, and sausage is almost finished, boil pasta as directed on box and strain.  Return to pan on warm burner and mix in red pepper pesto, sausage and 3 oz of the goat cheese.  Stir constantly until the goat cheese is starting to melt and blend with the pesto (you may need to turn the burner back on low).
5 (optional). Place all ingredients in a baking pan, top with goat cheese and place under broiler for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese starts to char ever so slightly.
6. If you choose not to bake the pasta, top with sprinkles of fresh goat cheese and a dash of crushed red pepper and serve while hot!

Enjoy!

Happy Necco Wafer Day!

As I'm sure we all know, we recently celebrated a non-national holiday filled with hearts, love, and flower deliveries.  For some of us, we were showered with presents, fluffy teddy bears, overly indulgent bouquets, and of course, candy.  For others of us, we were reminded of our loneliness, decided we thought roses were stupid anyways, and had a new found underlying desire to burn every fluffy, scented, pink teddy bear we could find. As you've figured out by now, of course I'm talking about Necco Wafer Day-- the holiday of true commercialism, designated to boost Necco's dying revenue.  Let's face it, until Valentine's day, Necco was struggling.  They had created a more than terrible business plan in which they decided to create the worlds most sub par, undesirable candy, the Necco Wafer which is so bad, in fact, that small children will always choose apples instead.  But suddenly, along came the "holiday of love" when Necco produced the sub-par but immediate smash hit, the conversation heart.  TXT ME, HUG ME, and KISS ME were printed on tiny, nearly flavorless hearts and suddenly, we had a holiday. Necco had found some annual financial stability.

Here's my beef with Valentine's Day-- shouldn't you appreciate the people you love every day rather than needing an excuse to.  An doesn't it mean more when you get random flowers on Thursday, May 17, than when you and every wifey-d, in-the-process-of being-courted, and "I-wish-you-hadn't-left-me" girl does too?  Just a thought.

But Valentine's Day is, above all, an excuse for us to spend a little more money and cook cray meals.  This year I decided on Risotto and Mussels.  I don't eat Mussels.  Never have, never will, no desire to try mussels.  But Dan loves them.  So I surprised him, brought home 1/2 a pound of the slimy, nasty, brainless creatures, and made him a "delicious" appetizer.  So happy Necco Wafer's Day, if you like mussels, I hope you like these!  Oh and wait until you see what I messed up be tried to prepare for dessert (cut me a break, I'm not a baker).


what you need...
makes enough for one person as an appetizer
1/2 lb mussels
1 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic (diced)
1/2 small yellow onion (or shallots, diced)
1 tsp tarragon
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

what you need to do...
1. In a medium pot, heat oil with garlic and onion and cook until onion and garlic is soft and fragrant.  Add wine and bring to a boil.  When wine is boiling, add mussels, cover, and cook until mussels have opened (about 6 - 8 minutes).  Discard any that don't open.
2. Remove mussels with a slotted spoon and transfer into a bowl.  Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer (over low heat) and whisk in butter.  Season with salt, pepper and tarragon.  When blended thoroughly, pour over mussels and serve immediately.

I served these up with some Ciabatta bread, brushed with seasoned oil and toasted under the broiler.  I even tried the cooking liquid with the bread and it was FANTASTIC!

PHO GAHHHHHHH!

At the beginning of each week, Dan and I sit down and plan out what we are going to eat each night.  This not only helps reduce the cost of our grocery shopping and the need for running out last minute, but also helps alleviate some of the indecisiveness we (particularly I) are known for.  We usually cycle through the typicals-- Kielbasa, Tortellini, and Pesto; Paninis; Pasta with Red Sauce-- but this week, I blurted something out before even realizing what I was saying.  Pho Ga.  Please don't ask me where on earth the idea or desire came from, but once it had bee introduced, there was no backing out.  We were making Pho Ga.

Pho Ga is a traditional Vietnamese soup that bears similarities to chicken noodle soup, but then takes crack and goes nuts.  It's essentially chicken noodle soup plus raw strange vegetables with Siracha Sauce (now is it becoming clear why I like this?).  

Dan and I are both under the impression that, try as it may, soup is rarely a real meal.  So naturally we searched for side dishes and settled on tempura sweet potatoes and broccoli.

what you need for pho ga...
(Serves 2-4)
1 yellow onion, halved
2 pieces of thin sliced chicken (halved)
8 cups of water
8 bullion cubes (ya I cheated what up)
1 package rice noodles
Toppings (optional and of your choice):
Fresh Basil leafs (torn)
Bean sprouts
Red onion (sliced)
Lime wedges/ lime juice
Cilantro (we couldn't find any because of the shortage)
Siracha Sauce

what you need to do...
1. Make broth by heating 8 cups of water with 8 bullion cubes over high heat until boiling.  Reduce heat to medium low once boiling and cover.
2.  Meanwhile, in a medium pot, boil 4 cups of water with yellow onion halves.  Once boiling, add chicken and boil until cooked through.  Once done, remove chicken from water and discard water and onions.  When chicken is cool enough to handle, tear apart so the result is similar to shredded chicken.  Add chicken to broth and turn heat to low.
3. When ready to serve--cook rice noodles as directed, strain and add some of them to large bowl (which we obviously didn't have).  Ladle some of the broth into the bowl, top with desired toppings, and stir in Siracha sauce for added flavor.

what you need for tempura...
1 head of broccoli
1 sweet potato, sliced lengthwise into "chips"
1 egg
1 cup of ice cold water
1 cup of flour
Oil for frying
Salt
Soy Sauce or Tempura Dipping sauce
                      - Soy Sauce
                      - Brown Sugar
                      - Ginger
                      - Scallions

what you need to do...
1. Heat oil (about 1 inch deep) in a pan with deep sides over medium high. Combine egg, water and flour in a large mixing bowl and blend thoroughly.  When oil is hot, dip vegetables in mixture until thoroughly coated and transfer into oil, cooking in hot oil until golden brown.  Be sure to turn constantly (especially the broccoli to keep from burning).  Strain on paper towel and season with a dash of salt.  Serve hot!

STFU Stomach, I'm Trying To Study

It's quite rare that I'm ever eating breakfast or lunch.  I'm generally super busy, always on the go, have class straight through lunch time, and then we're bordering on dinnertime and it's just not quite worth it.  But today, I made quite the impromptu decision and decided to eat lunch.  Typically I'm cramming up my extra time on Wednesdays with yoga or what not, but today, I have a monster load of studying to do.  Of course I have a test tomorrow morning in cognition, haven't quite started studying, and have two and a half hours of rehearsal tonight.  As I sat down to embark on my 5 hour studying marathon I realized-- oh wow, I'm starving.  My window is open because it's a beautiful day, and the smell of breakfast sandwiches seemed to be wafting into my room from the cafe downstairs.   You see, by now you've gathered that i LOVE sandwiches and believe that they are by far, the greatest invention on earth.  Yes, I feel the same way about breakfast sandwiches.  I tried to ignore it and go on wit my studying but it was simply a futile effort.  I ran to the store to pick up some bagels thinking, well, maybe a bagel with some jam and butter will do it.  But when I returned home, I noticed my carton of egg whites, positioned carefully on the shelf next to some left over spinach, some onion, and mozzarella cheese.  And that is where today's impromptu breakfast/ lunch/ "stfu stomach I'm trying to study" idea came from.  

 And of course, once I made it, decided to take a picture of it, and loaded the picture onto my computer, I realized just how far behind I was on this blogging business.  So... here we are.  Procrastination central.

what you need...

1 whole wheat bagel (toasted)

1/3 cup egg whites

1/3 small onion, diced (more if you want)

1/3 cup fresh leaf spinach, washed and patted dry

Grated mozzarella (as much as desired for topping)

Dash of vegetable oil to prevent sticking (as little as possible)

Siracha Sauce (optional--because I put Siracha Sauce on everything)

Salt and Pepper to taste

what you need to do...

1.  In a small pan, heat vegetable oil over medium with onions.  When onions become fragrant (starting to brown a tiny bit), add spinach and cook down for about one minute.  Pour in egg whites, season with a dash of salt and pepper, and cook as you would an omelet.  When ready, flip egg whites once add cheese to top side, cover and remove from heat.  Leave in pan until cheese has melted.  Top toasted whole wheat bagel with egg whites and add a dash of Siracha sauce if desired.  

And there you are! 

Okay... now seriously... back to studying! 

Gouda Gouda Gouda Gouda rocking everywhere

If you haven't gathered this by now-- I make a lot of paninis.  Mainly because, as previously mentioned, paninis were an amazing idea.  Putting an entire meal in delicious bread and then pressing it-- that's brilliant.  Paninis, as previously discussed, are one of my most favorite foods.  I've made some real delicious paninis along the way but this one takes the cake.  This is literally the most delicious panini in the entire universe.  I tend to exaggerate, but this is NOT an exaggeration!  This is a serious situation--a panini emergency.  The flavors are absolutely fantastic, and it's an absolutely phenomenal comfort food.  This is basically the a BBQ bacon burger, minus the bacon and burger, and PLUS grilled chicken.  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so all you have to exemplify this ridiculously amazing sandwich, is a ridiculously awful picture taken by my old camera.

what you need...
1 piece of thin cut chicken
2 slices rosemary olive oil bread
2 - 3 fresh slices smoked Gouda
2 - 3 large portobella mushroom slices
Red onion (amount by our preference)
BBQ Sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is where it's at...)
A dash of olive oil
Butter (for pressing)



what you need to do...
1. In a pan, heat a dash of oil over medium high.  When hot, add chicken breast and BBQ sauce (can be pre-seasoned or you can poke your chicken with a fork a bunch of times to cheat-season).  Cook chicken through and remove from pan onto a slice of bread.  Top with two or three slices of Gouda cheese.
2. Add mushroom slices to pan you were cooking the chicken in, and cook quickly for about a minute.  Strain and add to sandwich.  Top with additional BBQ sauce (to your liking) and some raw red onion.
3. When your sandwich is built, heat butter in medium pan over medium high.  When butter is hot, add sandwich, press firmly and cover pan.  Flip at least once and cook until both sides are golden brown the the cheese is melted.

We had this with sweet potato fries and it was AMAZING!

[Jose] Cosmo-ritas!

We totally ripped this off of the Friday's menu.  See, my roommate worked there last summer and this was one of her favorite beverages.  It also happened to be the first drink I ordered when I turned 21 (yes we went to Friday's at midnight?).  Now we had to make some serious changes here--for one we're college students and naturally didn't have any Patron just laying around the apartment.  Secondly, this would have been a lot easier if we had a shaker-- less innovative, but much easier (and less messy)

My roommate was the one who actually made these so props to Brittany for putting together such an amazing beverage.  I'm going to try to remember how she did it and, if I mess up, see comments for Britt's amendments.  Two of these are going to get you feeling real happy... if Britt makes them... so just be prepared for that...

what you need...
3 parts cranberry juice
3 parts lime juice
3 parts silver tequila
1 part triple sec
margarita salt for salting the rim
lime wedge

what you need to do...
1. Salt the rims of the glasses.  To do this, wet just the rim and then dip it in margarita salt.  Look at that eh?
2. Combine cranberry juice, lime juice, tequila and triple sec in a shaker with ice and shake well.  Pour into glasses and serve with ice.  Finish with a fresh lime wedge. YUM!

Fish Tacos! (I literally had nothing clever for this)

I've been wanting to make fish tacos for some time now.  Let's face it, if you mess these bad boys up, it's going to be a disaster.  You'll either end up with soggy, bland tasting fish or super-fishy-my-taco-tastes-like-the-ocean fish.  But when these are done perfectly... I can't find words to describe it.  So I'll let this picture do the talking.

I've made these twice now and used tilapia both times just because it was affordable and I felt more confident about cooking it.  Obvious substitutes could be Mahi Mahi, shrimp, or catfish. And if you reaaaaaaly don't like fish, feel free to sub in chicken.  And if you're a vegetarian, fajita veggies work quite nicely as well (trust me, I tried).

It's all about seasoning here.  Get that cajun seasoning... you won't regret it.  But perhaps most importantly, MANGO SALSA!  This is what we put the mango salsa on and the mango salsa is a MAJOR ingredient.  With the fish tacos, this will make or break your taco eating experience.  So once again... mango salsa!

what you need (serves two)...
mango salsa
1 ripe avocado, cubed
2 cups very thinly sliced lettuce
1/2 lb tilapia
4 small flour tortillas
1/2 lime, cut into wedges
cajun seasoning
oil

what you need to do...
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Wrap flour tortillas in aluminum foil and place on center rack.
2. In medium cast iron skillet (or pan that gets very hot), heat 1 tbs oil over high heat.  Meanwhile, season the fish generously with cajun seasoning, making sure to rub in.
3. When oil is hot, add fish to the pan and reduce heat to around setting 8.  Cook fish, turning at least once until done.Be sure to cook the fish at very high heat so that it doesn't become over saturated with the oil.  When fish is done, it will become flaky and fall apart when you stick a fork in it.  Because the fish will become flaky, remove from pan using a spatula and strain on paper towel, being sure to remove all excess oil.  Cut into strips.  Remove flour tortillas from the oven.
4. Serve tacos hot on small flour tortilla and top with avocado, lettuce and mango salsa!  Top with lime juice if desired.

Teach Me How To... Salsa?

I love homemade salsa!  Nothing beats the fresh, yummy taste of a hand made, not-from-the-jar salsa.  Newman's Own peach salsa comes pretty damn close.  Close, but no cigar.  I've made your regular tomato salsas, and even a pineapple salsa before.  But this week, we're making MANGO SALSA!  And wait till you see what we're going to put this bad boy on!

what you need...
One mango, diced/ chopped into small cubes
1/2 red bell pepper, diced/ chopped into small cubes
1/2 red onion, diced/ chopped into small cubes
Juice from 1/2 a lime
Salt

what you need to do...
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix so that everything is coated by the lime juice. Enjoy with chips or the very delicious meal soon to be posted up here...

Offspring Cheeses, Hybrid Condiments, and Avocado Enhancements

Whomever invented the sandwich is a genius and must be very rich.  The sandwich is the answer to the age old issue of, "how do I pull this all today".  Oh well, it's easy, just pop it all in bread and slap it in the panini press (or in our case, the oven).  This is an absolutely delicious meal-- in fact, it's so good, it's been on the weekly menu two weeks in a row.  And I'm not ruling it out for next week.  It's quick, cheap and super, super yummy. You will absolutely never go to a sub shop for a chicken sub after this one, at least I hope not.

Why so yummy, you ask?

1) Pepper-American Cheese-- yes you heard me right.  My roommate first mentioned this hybrid breed to me last week and I figured, sure, let's give it a try.  It is what happens when pepper-jack and american cheese sit next to each other in the deli counter for too long, and decide to get weird.  It is the creamy offspring of a creamy, flavorless cheese and a sharp, spicy mate.  I can't imagine that you aren't already on your way out to get some by now...
2) Siracha Mayo-- the delicious fusion of a boring, eggy condiment and it's way better, sassy cousin.
3) Avocado-- yes, avocado.  This is the most important part.  There is avocado, and things only get better when you add avocado.  Don't pretend that's not the absolute truth.

So let's mate some cheeses, whip up our own condiment, and enhance by avocado.

what you need...
1 piece thin cut chicken
1/2 avocado, sliced
1/2 tbs mayonnaise
1/2 - 1 tbs Siracha sauce (depending on desired spice)
2 slices pepper-american cheese
1 sub roll
1 egg
Italian breadcrumbs
Olive oil
Lettuce (optional topping)
Tomato (optional topping)

what you need to do...
1. Turn broiler to high, cut open sub roll, and being sure to not rip all the way through, spread the sub roll open on a baking sheet and place in oven for 1 minute to toast the inside of the roll.  Remove from oven, set aside, and leave broiler on.
2. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tbs olive oil over medium high heat.  Crack and egg into a bowl and beat until yolk and white is completely combined.  Dump some bread crumbs onto a small plate.  When oil is hot, dip chicken in egg, being sure to coat both sides, and then into the bread crumb mixture, being sure to coat both sides thoroughly.  We're breading the chicken here, if you haven't gathered that by now.  Transfer chicken on the the pan and cover.  Cook until the chicken is cooked through, being sure to turn often to prevent burning.  Reduce heat to medium if needed)
3. Once chicken is cooked through, strain on a paper towel, and cut into strips.  In a small bowl mix mayo and Siracha sauce, adding more of less Siracha to attain desired spice.  Spread onto sides of the roll.  Add avocado slices and chicken to sub roll, and top with cheese.  Place sub back under the broiler for 1 minute to melt cheese.  Top with optional toppings of lettuce, tomato, red onion, or anything else you like putting on your subs.  As you can see, I didn't do this mainly because I had none of these things.

I APOLOGIZE FOR THE TERRIBLE QUALITY OF THESE PHOTOGRAPHS--I FORGOT MY CAMERA WHEN I WAS MAKING THESE AND BORROWED A FRIEND'S IPHONE TO TAKE THESE PICTURES.