Grill Master

Any time we can get our hands on a grill we take full advantage. One of our favorite things to make is kabobs because they're super easy and flavorful and you can add whatever meat and veggies sound appealing. For this time around we picked beef, shrimp, onions, mushrooms, and green peppers.

To really get the best flavor you want to marinate your beef for as long as possible. This goes for chicken as well, seafood doesn't need to marinate quite as long. We opted to make our marinade the night before we wanted them for dinner.

We chose a teriayki marinade, something that pairs well with both beef and shrimp. Unfortunately I don't have the exact marinade to post here, it was scratched on a piece of paper and I have been unable to locate it. Once I do I'll be sure to post it. For a teriayki marinade think soy sauce, garlic, things of that nature.

Before you do anything get that grill going! You want it nice and hot so your kabobs sizzle when you put them on.

To start, chop your green pepper and onion into slices and cut your mushrooms in half. Love the colors!

Then take your marinated beef cubes (you can buy prepackaged kabob meat at the grocery store) and defrosted and peeled shrimp and start placing them on the skewers. You can use metal or wood, but be sure to soak the wood ones for at least 10 minutes before use so they don't catch on fire.

There's no rhyme or reason to placement of things on the skewer. Do whatever arrangement you like!

Once your grill is ready, pile on the skewers and baste with the excess marinade (there's a piece where you put the excess on the stove and add in some cornstarch to make it thick but that's also in the missing recipe!). Turn at least once and be sure to baste the skewer again. You can cook them however long you desire, but definitely until at least the shrimp are pink.

These turned out so well! We made a ton of skewers thinking that we would have plenty extra to take home but in the end there were only 3 left! I like a decent amount of marinade on mine and fortunately there was plenty on these so you really got all of the flavor. The meat was a nice medium to medium rare and the vegetables added a good crunch.

Here's our little dinner setup:

And the grill master himself hard at work!

Superb Sandwiches on Luray, VA's Main Street

This past Monday through Wednesday my guy and I got to take a nice little mini-vacation to one of our favorite places, Luray, VA, in the Shenandoah Valley. It's not too far of a drive, has incredible hiking and gorgeous views, and an abundance of really good food.

Tonight's focus is on some of the places to get an awesome sandwich while in town, perfect for taking on hikes or hanging by the lake or just enjoying at the eatery.

West Main Market had been on our list the last time we visited, but since it was in October their seasonal hours had changed and we were unable to go. We were very happy to find that their summer hours were right in tune with our schedule, so it was our first stop when we got into town.

The market is set up with a few small round tables for dining in, with a case of chilled local wines to your right and another display case full of cold salads directly in front of you. The menu is on chalkboard on the wall in the front and there is no shortage of sandwiches to choose from.

I went with the Fresh Mozzarella panini, grilled on herbed focaccia, with basil, roasted red peppers and olive oil.

I was so happy they didn't skimp on the cheese, and I really liked that they chose roasted red peppers instead of traditional tomatoes. The basil was also nice and fresh and I love the grill marks on the bread, giving it a nice crunch.

Justin chose the Smoked Turkey and Avocado with fontina cheese and peach and cilantro salsa on whole grain bread. Of course I stole a bite and the peach and cilantro salsa was different and worked well with the turkey.

There was no resisting any of the sides at this place either. I picked Yukon Gold potato salad and Justin had Cream of Broccoli soup. Both were fantastic and homemade, no prepackaged goods here.

This place is so good that we rewarded ourselves with more after our 4mi hike to a mountain peak on Wednesday. This time I went with a traditional Cuban Pork with sliced ham, havarti cheese, pickles, and whole grain mustard on a toasted roll. My favorite part of a Cuban is the crunch of the Dill pickles and the sweetness they give to the sandwich with the mustard. The ham and pork were also not too salty and paired well with the havarti.

Justin chose the Roast Beef and Bleu Cheese with red onions and horseradish sauce on a toasted sub roll. Dare I say it, I was a little bit envious of his sandwich and wished I had ordered it! Fortunately he let me have a bite and between the tender meat, bite of the bleu cheese, creaminess of the sauce, and sweetness of the onion it was to die for.

For our side this go around we both chose the Corn and Crab Chowder, which was nice and chunky with potatoes and a generous amount of crab. It was also very creamy.

On Tuesday we wanted to go to a local lake for the afternoon and sandwiches of course are very easy to travel with and keep in a cooler until you're ready to eat. Our other favorite lunch place in Luray is called Gathering Grounds, both a patisserie and cafe. The staff is very friendly and were able to point us in the direction of sandwiches that would travel well. You can choose to dine in and be waited on or order food to go. It's set up in an old opera house and decorated with all kinds of unique things.

My sandwich was a version of the Italian Cold Cut with banana peppers, red onions, and a black pepper mayo. Again I love the crunch and sweetness from the onions and the peppers and you really just can't go wrong with this traditional sub. This place also lets you choose between 3 sides, so we both had the corn and black bean salad, cool and refreshing on such a hot day. I sadly did not get a picture of Justin's sandwich and therefore can't for the life of me remember what it was, but he said it was good! This is mine:

I have sooooo many blog posts to catch up on from the last week it's crazy, and I'll be adding more stuff as the week goes on so be sure to check back often! Some things to come are our homemade grilled kabobs, several cupcake bakery reviews, and a dinner restaurant from Luray. Stay tuned!

Sweet Saturday with some Rebuilders

If you'll think back to April 2014, remember that crazy rainstorm that lasted for several days and caused extreme flooding and a massive sinkhole? Unfortunately mangled cars were not the only victims that day. Several truly awesome dessert businesses in Mt. Washington, just off the Jones Falls Expressway, lost their entire shops.

Never fear, these shops are coming back better than ever and in today's post I'd like to showcase them. First up, Mouth Party Caramel.

I first discovered these guys by way of a Facebook post by someone else. Their unique logo and fun name immediately caught my attention, and I vowed to stop on my way home from work one day. Once I did, I haven't been able to stop going back.

Mouth Party lost their entire kitchen in the flooding but have slowly been rebuilding. At first they began shipping to local stores that carry their products (check their Facebook page for locations) and now they have opened up their website again for online orders. A few weeks ago before work I made it a point to visit The Fresh Market in Towson, MD to try to find their seasonal Old Bay caramels. They didn't have them but I did purchase a bag of their Sea Salt caramels, by far my favorite. How cute is the packaging??

Not too much salt but just enough, melt in your mouth buttery, these are the BEST caramels I have ever had. Once they opened up their website I purchased a bag of the Old Bay and a jar of their Original Caramel Sauce, which I have plans to drizzle over an apple tart sometime soon. I also loved the Old Bay, the taste isn't overpowering but it definitely makes me think of a Maryland summer of crabs and the beach!

The second place currently rebuilding is Charm City Cupcakes, located in the same shopping center as the Whole Foods in Mt. Washington. It's a very tiny stand alone shop that is easy to miss at first but don't be fooled by its size, these cupcakes are some of the best I've ever had. The bakery itself is not located in the store, they have a separate location elsewhere.

I stopped by on my way home from work on Thursday and as I approached the store both doors were flung open with a fan blowing to circulate the air. The inside consisted of a display table and a counter along the back wall and that was it. I was greeted by an extremely kind lady who explained about the flood damage and was very willing to tell me about each and every cupcake she had available while apologizing for some of them melting in the humidity. I give this lady a lot of credit because it was HUMID. Her apologizes were not needed though because the cupcakes were great!

I chose four, an apple cinnamon, a Black-Eyed Susan, peanut butter and vanilla, and a banana cream. These cupcakes were a great size with just enough frosting. Sometimes while the frosting is good the cupcake is still drowning in it but these were perfect. My favorite was probably the peanut butter and vanilla. The vanilla cake has that nice buttery taste with the vanilla that I love, and the peanut butter frosting was on point. All the others were good as well and did not last long in my house. I was a little skeptical about visiting this place because a lot of the online reviews had not been favorable, mostly about the customer service, but I have to say that I was served promptly despite the yucky weather and with lots of kindness. I will definitely be going back.

Apple cinnamon and Black-Eyed Susan. Love the decorations!

Peanut butter and banana cream

I encourage you to visit these businesses and support them in the rebuilding process!

Tilapia with Purple Potato Crust and Chive Rosemary Oil

Tonight I was looking for something healthy and relatively easy to make (gotta balance out all those cupcakes). Case in point, the Icedgems truck outside of Hopkins today. Icedgems is a cupcake bakery that had been on my list to try and their truck tends to be on campus on Fridays. Oddly enough, I had never tried them before. I anxiously watched the clock, hoping we'd break for lunch before they left at 1130. We got out at 1127 and I sprinted to the truck since it was not far from the classroom. No shame. I walked away with a fantastic vanilla salted caramel cupcake and a chocolate chip sundae cupcake.

How awesome do these look??

After this non-diet friendly sojourn, I made a plan to hit up Trader Joe's and the gym after work, then do some healthy cooking and clean up my bomb of a house. No seriously, it was bad. I'm now coming to you from a (relatively) clean house drinking a glass of wine and relaxing.

One night shift while unoccupied, I browsed the Giada de Laurentiis website for recipes and printed out whatever looked interesting. This is the same site where I found the oh so glorious short rib lasagna roll-ups.

Fish is a great source of protein after a workout and I paired it with some edamame (aka soybeans). The following is my less pretty but still yummy version of Giada's Tilapia with Purple Potato Crust and Chive Rosemary Oil.

First, preheat your oven to 375F, then in an oven safe skillet (I used my cast iron), heat 2 tablespoons of both butter and olive oil until the butter is melted and the oil is hot. Then peel 8-12oz of purple potatoes and slice them very thin. I tried to make them as thin as possible but if you want the thinness pictured in the recipe you may need something like a mandoline slicer, which I sadly do not own but would love to have one day.

Next, take 4 tilapia filets and season them with salt and pepper. Then layer the purple potatoes like shingles along each piece of fish, sprinkle with more salt and pepper, and top with a tablespoon of finely chopped rosemary.

At this point your skillet should be nice and hot, maybe even scarily so (i.e. like mine. Still not used to how hot my stove gets). Gingerly, while cringing every time the oil hits your hands, place the fish potato side down and then pop the skillet in the oven for 15-17 minutes.

Flipping the fish onto the skillet without all the potatoes falling off was quite the challenge. I did the best I could but had to stuff some of them back under with the spatula.

While the fish is cooking, make your oil. Chop up another tablespoon of rosemary and a 1/3 cup of chives, and mix with 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and a 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a small mixing bowel. Once the fish is done, plate and drizzle the sauce over the top. Beware, olive oil pours fast and it's easy to go overboard, which you can see in my picture. Fortunately it did not affect the taste.

As a side dish I made edamame with shallots and garlic. To start, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan over medium high eat. While it's heating chop up 3 shallots and mince 3 cloves of garlic.

Once the oil is hot, add the shallots to the pan and saute for about 2 minutes. Then add in the garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes. Toss in a 1/2 pound of frozen, shelled edamame with 2 sprigs of thyme, 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce and some salt and pepper. Simply stir until the edamame is heated through and serve.

Here are the finished products:

This was pretty good after today's workout. I think the next time I make it I would like to have something to slice the potatoes thinner so they stick better to the fish and become a little more translucent. However, the taste was there and I will be happy to eat it as leftovers after tomorrow's workout.

For full recipes click here:

Tilapia: http://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/recipes/820/tilapia-with-purple-potato-crust-and-chive-rosemary-oil
Edamame: http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/soybean-edamame-recipe-spring-equinox/

Short Rib Lasagna Roll-ups aka A Tale of Adversity

Last night I decided I wanted to get fancy. I had a whole day off with absolutely no plans, so what better day to do a little in depth cooking and really get my hands dirty in the kitchen.

Whenever I want to get "fancy" I look to either a Giada de Laurentiis or Ina Garten recipe. Usually they're just complicated enough that you feel you challenged yourself, but not so over the top that you need a dictionary to decipher the recipe. And they're not drowning in butter like Paula Deen.

Recently, I had come across a Giada recipe for Short Rib Lasagna Roll-ups. I already make a Chicken Rollatini (recipe here: http://itsdinnertime2.blogspot.com/2011/10/chicken-rollatini-with-spinach-alla.html?m=1) but have never made short ribs. Plus, Giada's recipe was about 3 paragraphs longer than my chicken one. Challenge accepted.

First, it took me 3 different grocery stores to find enough short ribs for the recipe (2 pounds). I know I probably could've asked the meat counter for assistance but it seemed like there was no one to be found. At this point I wanted to get my ingredients, get in a gym visit, do some online work training, and then get to cooking so patience? I had none. I know I said I had absolutely nothing to do but for one of my days off that is nothing.

Second, I wanted to make a fancy drink to go with the fancy dinner. I hit up the liquor store and bought everything I needed there for the drink, but forgot the fresh limes and lemons at the grocery store AND forgot the Pinot Noir needed for the short ribs. Oy.

After squeezing in my workout and knocking out the work training in 15 minutes, it was finally time to get cooking. It started out innocent enough.

Do a little prep work first. Rough chop a white or yellow onion and smash 4 cloves of garlic. How do you smash garlic you ask? Place your unpeeled garlic clove on your cutting board, lay your knife flat across the top and smash down with your first. Voila, smashed garlic. Just make sure you peel off your skin. Smashing garlic makes garlic more sweet and less overpowering.

The next step is to open up your short ribs, place them in a large bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium high heat.

Once your olive oil is nice and hot, add in the short ribs and sear for about 4 minutes per side until browned.

Now remove the ribs from the pot and set aside. Add your chopped onion, smashed garlic, and 2 sprigs of rosemary to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes, until your onions are translucent.

At this point, turn your heat up to high and pour in 2 cups of red wine (I used cheap Barefoot Pinot Noir, you don't need anything expensive). Make sure you scrape up all the extra brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Then add in 2 cups of beef broth and add the ribs back in. Bring the whole mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

It was at the 2 and a half hour mark that things went south again. I had checked on the pot several times while it was cooking but while in the kitchen prepping the rest of the ingredients noticed a burning smell. Uh oh. I immediately removed the lid and realized the liquid on the bottom of the pan had completely reduced and everything was now burning. I quickly took it off the stove and pulled the ribs out. Fortunately only the bones and the very edges of the meat were burned so I was able to salvage most of it. But talk about a heart attack.

The next part of the process, while the ribs are cooling, is to thaw 10oz of frozen spinach and drain out all of the liquid (easily done by pressing on it with a paper towel). Set that aside and prepare your sauce. On the stovetop in a medium saucepan bring 3/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of heavy cream to a simmer. Then add in 1 1/2 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and add in the spinach, 2 minced cloves of garlic, and 1/4 cup of chopped basil.

Now that your ribs have cooled you'll want to pull them off the bone and shred them with your fingers. Then add them into the spinach and cheese mixture and add in additional salt and pepper. Set aside.

The recipe calls for 12 lasagna noodles but I only boiled 6 and it turned out to be plenty. My issue was since I burned the bottom of my large pot, I was really searching for something to cook the noodles in. And was coming up with just about nothing. I had to cram them into a deep saucepan and hope for the best. At this point I was praying for no more mishaps!

While your noodles are cooking preheat your oven to 400F. Grease a large baking dish with cooking spray and spread 1 cup of marinara sauce over the bottom. Then lay your lasagna noodles on a clean surface, spread the meat and spinach mixture along their length evenly, and roll. While rolling be sure to do it as tight as possible and press the meat into the sides if it starts to fall out.

I don't know how Giada managed to make 12 rolls unless she was skimping on the meat. Once rolled place seam side down into your baking dish, top with more marinara and grated Parmesan cheese. Then bake for 25 minutes.

Don't they look yummy? As a side dish I baked some asparagus that good friends of ours grow in their garden (thanks Pat and Steph!). Just top with salt and pepper, a little olive oil, and some grated Parmesan and bake for 15 minutes at 400. This was perfect because it was the same temperature as the roll ups so I put them in at the same time and pulled the asparagus out early.

Here's the finished roll ups:

I'm happy to say that the meat and taste did not suffer at all with the accidental burning. My guy really really liked this dish, so much so that he ate 3 rollups in one sitting. The meat was very tender and seasoned well and there isn't so much cheese that it overpowers the meat. You can definitely taste the freshness of the basil and garlic and there's a little bit of sweetness with the marinara. I'll definitely be making this again!

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the cocktail. I chose to make an Irish Redhead using Jameson whiskey. First, muddle 4 blackberries in the bottom of a tumbler (just use the end of a wooden spoon to smush them enough to get the juice out). Then add in 3oz of Jameson, 1oz of grenadine, 5-6oz of ginger ale, a squeeze of lime and a squeeze of lemon, and garnish with a lime wedge. Delicious!

Here's the muddling:

And the finished product!

For the full recipe, click here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/short-rib-lasagna-rolls-recipe.html

Mangia! (Well, at least for 2 of us)

Last night my guy and I and my parents met up for a casual dinner at a local restaurant in Eldersburg, MD called Liberatore's. This location is just one of 6 in the Baltimore area, so chances are you're probably pretty close to one if you live around here.

Liberatore's is largely an Italian restaurant, but there are plenty of other offerings if that's not what you're interested in. In fact, my mom and I both chose something that wasn't remotely Italian.

When ordering drinks for the dinner all the waitress had to say was sangria and my mom and I knew what we were having (sadly I forgot to take a picture). The boys both went for a Blue Moon. White sangria has to be one of my favorite drinks and this one didn't disappoint; it was both cool and refreshing.

The waitress barely talked us into an appetizer of shrimp and crab cocktail with HUGE chunks of jumbo lump crabmeat and mammoth shrimp, which were seasoned very well.

Hi Dad!

At this Liberatore's location on Tuesday nights they offer a lobster special. You get a 7oz lobster tail topped with crab imperial, greenbeans and carrots, a house salad, and dessert for only $23. This is what my mom and I both chose (see, not Italian. My mom and I both can't resist our seafood). The crab imperial on top of the lobster wasn't too rich and there was plenty of it. The lobster tail was juicy and nothing tastes better than dipping lobster into melted butter. The greenbeans and carrots were seasoned with garlic and butter and were delicious. There wasn't anything on my plate I didn't like.

The boy initially wanted the cheese ravioli but the waitress talked him into the crab. I stole a bite off of his and talk about yummy. They serve theirs with a cream based tomato sauce, which you never have to pull my leg to eat. His plate was cleaned in I swear 5 minutes. My dad chose spaghetti with meat sauce (I told you he really likes his spaghetti).

Here is the boy's crab ravioli:

Usually we don't order dessert but since it came with my mom and I's entrees we did have it. Neither of the boys wanted any but my mom and I got a choice of cannoli or Oreo cake and we both chose the cannoli. Sure the boys said they didn't want any but guess who ate at least a third of my cannoli...

You can't go wrong with cannoli at an Italian restaurant. It's creamy and rich with a nice crunch.

I highly recommend checking out a Liberatore's if you haven't already been to one. As I write this post I have big plans for a homemade dinner tonight and I'm cooking something I've never made before. Stay tuned! 

I'll Take a Shot of Cupcake

Kupcakes and Co. in Elkridge, MD is quickly becoming one of my cupcake hotspots. What's most intriguing is their creative, seasonal flavors that correspond to the holiday of the moment. I first tried an Old Bay cupcake over Memorial Day weekend (mentioned in a previous post) and was pleasantly surprised at how good it turned out to be. So when I saw they were featuring Jack and Coke and Sam Adams cupcakes for Father's Day I knew I had to get my hands on some.

I have now become a person that preorders cupcakes. It was bound to happen at some point (no shame). I highly recommend it though because Kupcakes and Co. sells out quickly and for good reason.

Pictured here is the Jack and Coke:

How awesome are those candy "ice cubes" on top? I pulled off some of the vanilla cake first to get a whiff of the Jack Daniels that the cake was soaked in. You can definitely tell it's there but it's not too overpowering. The frosting is a Coca Cola buttercream, delicious! Their cupcakes are always consistently very moist and the frosting creamy and fresh. Even if you don't really care for whiskey the taste is so mild I think you would enjoy it.

Here is the Sam Adams:

Again with the great garnishes, this time with a pretzel. This cupcake is not for you if you don't like beer. After ripping off a piece of the cake you can smell the beer pretty strongly, more so than the Jack and Coke. It's topped with a white chocolate buttercream with a few drizzles of honey. I know the concept of beer in a cupcake seems a little foreign but it's actually quite good!

While I was there I also wanted to sample some flavors off their new summer menu, so I chose Strawberry Lime-a-rita and S'mores (there was a little bit of a booze theme this time). Both were equally as good as the others, with chunks of real strawberries in the cake of the former and a graham cracker crust and marshmallow frosting on the latter. Loved the toasted look on the s'mores, just like campfire marshmallows!

If you haven't yet been to Kupcakes and Co. I highly urge you to. You won't be able to get the Jack and Coke and Sam Adams cupcakes because they were only available Father's Day weekend, but they offer 12 signature, four specialty, and two boutique flavors every day so there's lots to choose from! I look forward to their next holiday offerings :)