New Year's Eve Surf'n'Turf

New Year's Eve is always a great excuse for an indulgent dinner, and tonight was no exception. A dry-aged tomahawk ribeye steak, lobster tails, roasted Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and couscous with a loaf of bread machine bread! 

The steak was almost perfect, roasted in the oven at 200F until internal temp was 125F, then pan-seared. Just a little beyond medium-rare, but still delicious! 

Then, followed up with last season's finale of Homeland, and the 1930 movie The Blue Angel... An appropriate way to ring in 2020!

A happy and healthy new year to all! 

When Thanksgiving gives you leftovers... Make enchiladas!

A wonderful holiday supper is what we strive for... But the day after, do we really need to rinse, repeat? 

One great thing about turkey is that it is relatively neutral, so it can be easily reworked into something else. Even better is using other elements of the original meal to fill out future meals... Like using both the turkey meat and stuffing as the enchilada filling...

Worked out well with Dona Maria mole sauce, and leftover potatoes, and steaming another head of broccoli for veg. 

Spice up the meat so you don't realize that it is reworked... And you won't be thinking "roast turkey supper"! 

Thanksgiving Roast Duck

Thanksgiving with my mom offered a great opportunity to revisit a family fave holiday meal - roast duck with orange sauce. Turkey or ham were more common choices, but every once in a while we would have duck, and I would be pressed into service making the orange sauce - since I was the only one who had the patience to grate the orange zest, juice the oranges, and prepare the sauce without any lumps. 

Last Christmas I had a similar opportunity, and it worked really well. So... Thanksgiving day supper was duck with orange sauce, wild rice, roasted root veggies, candied sweet potatoes, and steamed broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

The sweet potatoes and roasted veg were prepared in the morning and brought ready-to-reheat. I prepped the wild rice and steamed veg as the duck roasted. I cheated this year and only had time to prep the package of orange sauce that was provided in the bird's cavity - it was acceptable, not too sweet...

I stuffed the cavity of the duck with a couple orange wedges and thyme and rosemary from the garden. It was a really small cavity, despite the bird being almost 6 lbs. I pricked the skin to help drain the subcutaneous fat, a sprinkle of salt, and into a 375F oven for about 2 hours.

The wild rice was flavoured with sauteed garlics, shallots, and thyme, and took a good hour to simmer on the stovetop. The steamed veg only took a few minutes to prep, and started cooking just before the bird was removed from the oven to rest before carving. The sweet potatoes and roasted veg took a spin in the oven to reheat. 

All came out really well, the duck was moist and tender, even if the skin wasn't quite as crispy as I usually like. My mom really enjoyed the holiday meal, and provided a bottle of wine to share over dinner too! 

Quesadilla Lunch from La Chapparita Food Truck

A new food truck can really brighten a gloomy day - today was no exception. My first time for trying La Chapparita, it was the only truck around today!

I chose an asada quesadilla, and it was served with two salsas - a medium-heat green one, and a spicy red one. Both were very tasty, but the red is quite a bit hotter than I expected. 

The quesadilla was generously stuffed with steak and cheese, freshly griddled, very hot and tasty! And only $8 - a bargain in the food truck world. 

Look for them, try a quesadilla, taco, or torta! 

Saturday Turkish Tepsi Kebab

It had been a while since I had made tepsi kebab, and a free Saturday was a good opportunity to cook a family favourite! I substitute ground turkey for the traditional beef, and restrain myself on the spice level (to keep it a familiar favourite)...

I finely mince red and orange bell peppers, red onion, garlics, and parsley (I cheat, using a mini food processor), then let it drain in a paper towel-lined colander to get rid of excess moisture. I mix in the meat, salt, black pepper, Penzey's Turkish spice, and a shake of cinnamon, then mix by hand.

I oil a deep-dish pizza pan, then dump in half the meat mixture, and pat it out to cover the bottom. 

Cover the meat with slices of cheese (I used mozzarella). 

Then cover the cheese with the remaining meat and pat it out to cover evenly. Cover with leftover peppers and onions, and I added mushrooms sauteed with garden-fresh thyme:

Slap it in a hot (375F) oven until it is hotter than 180F, about an hour:

Yum! Veg and meat cooked together, you really don't need another vegetable unless you want one. Tasty, easy (if you use a food chopper or processor) and reasonably healthy too! 

Autumn Saturday Chicken Tagine

A cold autumn day is great for hearty foods that may cook for a while, perfuming the house with herbs and spices. I thought this weekend was an opportunity to break out the tagine and stew something within. 

Chicken legs were on-sale, and I had some veg on hand, so we didn't need too much at the market to complete the meal - onion, couscous, and a delicata squash. Also, we found a great Wild Garden Persian Sumac marinade and decided that would be the predominant seasoning. I marinated the chicken legs in the marinade overnight. 

This afternoon, I prepped garlic, thyme, rosemary, and green onions for the couscous, prepped the veg for roasting - Brussels sprouts, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and the delicata squash, tossing in a little olive oil before spreading on two foil-covered baking sheets. 

Once they were safely in the oven, I turned my attention to the large-pearl Israeli couscous, cooking with olive oil, rosemary, and garlic. 

I grated a red onion into the cast iron base of the tagine, then arranged the chicken legs on top, and poured over the remaining marinade. I put the lid on, and placed the tagine on a low burner... 

A few minutes later, the aroma of herbs and spices started to permeate the house, enhancing the cozy atmosphere. I opened a bottle of chardonnay to enjoy with supper, and had a glass (unbreakable Coleman insulated mug) to help bring the supper together. 

I kept checking the chicken for doneness, and when done I left the lid off the tagine for fifteen minutes so the liquid could cook down into a luscious gravy. 

Wow - absolutely delicious! Warms your tummy and your heart without hot chile peppers! 

Tagines can be found at Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table, and Amazon, but you can use a regular pot on your stove too. Wild Garden marinades can be found at Marianos and Butera grocery stores. 

Try it - you might really enjoy! 

Rainy Saturday Chicken Dinner

Chicken thigh quarters were on sale, so we grabbed a package, and my mom gave me some Brussels sprouts and asparagus, and I grabbed a small package of mushrooms to roast along with the Brussels sprouts. The chicken was rubbed with baking powder, and spiced with Szged Chicken Rub. Asparagus was steamed and flavoured with garlic butter.

Tasty supper, that's for sure! 

Saturday Steak Supper

A cooler Saturday provided an opportunity to cook in, so a couple Allen Brothers New York Strip Steaks fit the bill. Along with, we made a loaf of bread in the bread machine, steamed broccoli, roasted mushrooms and Brussels Sprouts, and mac-n-cheese from a reciped received from KitchenAid. 

The steaks were cooked in the oven to 120F then pan-seared for a nice crust. Only kosher salt was used, and it was an incredible crust! 

The mac-m-cheese included both Fontina and Parmigian cheeses, and called for smoked ham. Unable to find smoked ham at the local grocer, we substituted prosciutto and it was absolutely delicious. 

It took a little coordination, but the results were well worth it! Searing the steaks last allowed proper coordination of the sides, and a proper rest before cutting into them! 

Steak Dinner with Grilled Pears

I enjoy a juicy steak every so often, and had a taste for one earlier this week. I pulled it out of the freezer Wednesday morning to defrost in the fridge, then when I checked on it last night it was defrosted and ready to go. 

I rubbed it with Pride of Szeged Rib Rub (which I have been grooving on for a few weeks now) rather than their steak rub. The Rib Rub is somehow familiar, not like my go-to steak rub Hot Rocks from Pelican Bay, but more BBQ-y like something from the Stubbs catalogue of spice rubs.

I had a couple pears begging for attention, so I grilled them too, and flavoured them with Pico Fruta spice blend from Penzey's. I figured pears would be like having vegetable plus dessert at the same time!

Steak was deliciously juicy, after a moderate rest after coming off the grill. I mopped-up every drop of juice with the cut slices of meat so that nothing was wasted beyond the excess fat. 

I have always loved grilling fruits, it helps lend a very different intensity to the flavour - and the char/caramelization really adds to the taste too! 

You can find Pride of Szeged spices in many groceries; if your market doesn't carry it look at ethnic markets with an Eastern European clientele. Amazon also carries their spices too.

Pico Fruta can be obtained from Penzey's spice stores or online at https://penzeys.com/.

Jerk Chicken Salad from Phlavz Jerk Off Good Truck

Yummy jerk chicken salad for lunch today, from a new food truck! Phlavz Jerk Off features tacos, nachos, salad, bowls, chicken "tips", and more, featuring their chicken and spicy Jerk Off Sauce.

The salad had a generous portion of greens, grape tomatoes, a big scoop of what seemed to be ground jerk chicken, your choice of dressing, and Jerk Off Sauce. 

Very tasty and surprisingly spicy, but in a really good way - not infernally hot! Next time I might try their Jerk Chicken "Tips" or Pineapple Bowlz!

Fig, Pear, and Gorgonzola Pizza

I loves me some figs! My love of figs goes way back to childhood, when our next-door neighbors had a fig tree, and they generously shared the plump juicy fruits. I love eating them fresh, but also look for additional ways to use them. 

I have tried pizza made with fig jam before (a sticky mess) but after finding $0.50 figs at the grocery, I thought to try with fresh produce.

I sliced the figs, and a pear. The base of the pizza, crust + sliced mozzarella cheese, remained. I added fresh rosemary and oregano from the garden, gorgonzola cheese, and arranged the fig and pear slices. A quick grind of black pepper and onto the grill!

Wow - very tasty but not an in-your-face sort of thing, but something to slowly savor with a glass of wine, or dry gin martini! 

Next time, maybe a few crumbles of bacon will amplify the flavour profile! 

Turkey Köfte Kebap and Veggies

I loves me some kebap. Meat or veggie, it's all good! I thought a vacation day would be a good opportunity to try (again) ground meat kebap (köfte in Turkish). I have never really gotten the knack of loading the skewer with ground meat properly, it always fell off on the way to the grill or on the grill, leading to A Mess.

This time I had my new 1" wide skewers, made for ground meat. I spiced up the ground turkey, minced the onion, garlics, and green pepper in the food chopper, squeezed out the excess water, and combined it all, even adding a bit more cinnamon to the Turkish spice blend. 

I go to load up the skewers and it all just falls right off. Something wasn't right with the texture or technique. By this time, the veg (red onion, sweet little peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini) were nearing doneness on the grill, so I just made köfte patties and grilled them like burgers.

I grilled those köfte until they were 165F+ but still nice and juicy. They were very tasty, and I have plenty of leftovers in the freezer too for a quick after-work supper! 

Chicken Burrito from Bella's Tacos Food Truck

A tasty burrito lunch from Bella's Tacos - I have seen the truck about but this is the first time I've tried their food. Am I happy that I did! 

The burrito was loaded with chicken and supplied with hot or mild sauce (I chose hot!). Very good, really hits the spot! 

Key Lime Chicken Kebap

I had a taste for chicken so I took a large breast out of the freezer before leaving for work today. I briefly considered splitting and grilling, but on the train home I thought "Hmmm... Kebap!"

Once home, I dug out the skewers, cut up the chicken, and started looking for spice rubs.

Lemon Pepper, no... Mesquite Lime, closer but still no... Then I came across my Key West Key Lime Seasoning - mmmm yesss! 

I tossed the chicken liberally with the seasoning, lit the grill and got it prepped. Came back in and skewered a couple sweet peppers from the garden and a lime cut in half...

The steel skewers help the food cook from the inside, so kebap are good for a quick meal... A few turns using my OveGlove and it was dinnertime! 

I have always been partial to lime, so I prepped a "Sophisticated Adult Beverage" containing the juice of a whole lime to accompany dinner. 

Very tasty, and reasonably healthy too! The chicken was tender and juicy and had this luscious lime-and-spice flavour. I squeezed the skewered limes over the chicken for even more of a citrus lime kick! 

Here is the spice - I think I picked it up at one of those tourist trap stores in Pigeon Forge, TN... Hit me up if you're interested, I can send the name of the producer... 

Chicago Combo Pizza from Da Pizza Dude Food Truck

I have been hoping Da Pizza Dude would be nearby soon after seeing them on the Chicago's Best TV show, and it was worth the wait! 

I enjoyed the Chicago Combo for lunch, with sausage, Italian beef, and mild giardinera. Oh boy, what a treat! Delicious and filling, and oh that crust... Light and airy but still crispy! 

Highly recommended! 

Chicken Doner Wrap Lunch frim DonerMen Food Truck

It has been quite a while since I last saw DonerMen, they must be very busy with their brick-and-mortar tap in Avondale. I have had their DonerBox several times (doner meat and toppings over either salad or fries), but tried a wrap today. Jam-packed with chicken, lettuce, pickles, and harissa sauce, it really hits the spot!

Torta Lunch from El Jefe Food Truck

Tasty chicken torta from El Jefe Food Truck, very generous on the chicken, and the included salsa was very hot! Highly recommended! 

Mid-Week Pork Chops

I had two pork chops left in the freezer, and needed something tasty for dinner. I also had a Brussels sprouts and cucumber and herbs from the garden, so I went...

Rubbed the chops with Szeged Rib Seasoning (they are famous for their hot and sweet paprikas), left them aside to tend to the veg. 

Diced up the cucumber, tossed with fresh chopped cilantro, mint, and Thai basil from the garden, and squeezed several key limes onto them... Sprinkled on some spice that contained habanero, chipotle, and orange flavour (thank you, Michelle Talbot!) and tossed to combine. 

The Brussels sprouts I did quick-and-easy, trimmed and washed them, then inserted my narrow paring knife thru the stem end to the crown. Then I threaded them onto kebab skewers, and put them on the kebab racks to start cooking before the chops. 

Chops went on, flipped, the sprout kebabs flipped a few times, and it was dinner time!

Tender juicy chops cut like butter, and with the rib seasoning was very tasty! The Brussels sprouts - this may well be the best way to cook them without heating up your oven. With the steel skewer impaling them, they cook from the inside as well as from the outside, and a little char really sweetens them up! The cucumber salad was cool and refreshing, at least until the habanero kicked in! 

Fourth of July Burgers

To celebrate Independence Day, we fried up burgers and served with mac and cheese and broccoli. The burgers were half-pounders before cooking, three parts ground chuck to one part ground turkey, with grated garlic, grated ginger, chopped parsley and chopped green onion. I added Korean bulgogi marinade to the mixture  too, and the burgers were pan-fried and served on pretzel buns with vidalia onion and ripe juicy tomato slices. 

Boxed mac and cheese doctored with chopped bacon and garden fresh thyme and steamed broccoli were the sides. Yum! Loved that pan-fried crust on the burgers! 

Lunch from Pierogi Squad Food Truck

A new food truck that vends pierogi was nearby today, so I ventured out to try them. Pierogi Squad had a good variety, but no assortments from what I saw. I got the 8-for-$10 mushroom and sauerkraut, they were very tasty and not too doughy... But I only got seven pierogi in the container...

Maybe next time I will try one of the fruit varieties, but keep an eye peeled for their truck - very good food to be had! 

Roast Chicken with Sumac and Red Onion

Found 

this recipe 

on the web an it sounded so tasty. Chicken thighs and red onions are marinated in olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and spices, then roasted and served over flatbread with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and more sumac powder. 

Very tasty! I tried toasting the flatbread over the gas burner, but we also tried it untoasted, and I think we preferred it untoasted as it seemed to soak up the juices better. 

Definitely an addition to the recipe box! 

Fat Shallot Food Truck for Lunch! BLT!

That's a LOT of bacon on their BLT! So tasty! It has been a very long time since Fat Shallot has brought the truck to Aon, and City of Chicago had their inspectors out in force...