Peanuts and Cookies

If I'm not trying new recipes, I am finding new restaurants. The best way to find hidden treasures in a big city like Atlanta? Ask fellow foodies. I recently heard of Abattoir while I was in Birmingham. I investigated the menu, made a reservation on Opentable and then counted down the seconds to my first bite.

We arrived 30 minutes early to get a drink at the bar. The bartender enchanted me with refreshing grapefruit caipirinha. Dinner followed cocktails, and we began with complementary boiled peanuts. Served in a brown paper bag, these tasted better than the kind you find on the side of old country roads. They had a spice, a saltiness that was out of this world. I loved having the juice drip down my face and my fingers while in the sophisticated atmosphere.

We ordered sweetbreads that came with pickled cabbage and marinated pear for a starter. Followed by crusty bread and creamy butter, I was already in heaven. For my main course, I ordered the Chicken Schnitzel with Bacon Jam and Collard Greens. I have not stopped thinking about the bacon jam. Salty and sweet it complemented the chicken perfectly.

I think my favorite part of the evening was when we got our check, it came with two perfect little cookies. The miniature cookies were the sweetest ending to an already excellent meal.

*Just got the iPhone this week. Still trying to master Instagram.

Slow Cookin'

It's been quite some time since I have posted to this site. With graduation only a few months away, I have been staying busy with school, the job search and of course cooking. But, now that I have settled into my spring semester routine, there are no more excuses. It's time to start posting yummy recipes once again.

For Valentine's Day, my sweet boyfriend gave me the ultimate gift: The All-Clad Slow Cooker. This counter-appliance means business. It can cook up to 20 hours, knows when to switch to warm mode and conveniently displays the remaining time on a sleek digital clock. Plus, it makes the most delicious meals as long as you plan ahead.

This week tested my slow cooker with Real Simple's Spaghetti Bolognese. It only took 12 minutes to throw together, and 8 hours later I was enjoying a delicious meat sauce infused with dynamic flavors, like thyme and oregano.

I have to say minimum effort contributed to the delight of the overall meal. It's unbelievably simple:

Step #1: Gather ingredients
Step #2: Combine in slow cooker
Step #3: Select time, press start
Step #4: Enjoy your day
Step #5: Sit down for a nice dinner

As I approach the working world, I know I will remember to take full advantage of my slow cooker because there's nothing like coming home to a warm homecooked meal.

Gameday Chicken

Georgia played Tennessee this week in Knoxville, giving me the perfect excuse to make an awesome dinner and watch the game on the couch. I spent the weekend in Winston-Salem with my sister and my boyfriend. We decided to make a beer can chicken. I have never tasted anything so delicious. It's an ingenious recipe combining a beer and chicken into one dish. The meat was moist and flavorful. For sides we made baked beans with bacon on top, caesar salad and grilled corn. The corn was my responsibility, so to give it more personality I added a chili lime butter. Here's the recipe:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tsp. hot chili powder
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
Melt the butter.

Combine the chili powder and lime. As corn cooks on the grill, baste with the butter. Rotate the corn and coat each side of the corn.

Take Out-but in!

After a hectic football weekend, I was ready for a simple dinner. I wanted something delicious and fulfilling but had no desire to leave the house or pay expensive delivery fees. Luckily I had planned ahead Friday and bought Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken. I made Spicy Snap Peas and Uncle Ben's 90 second Basmati Rice to go alongside the dish. Done in 15 minutes, I was left very satisfied with the no fuss dinner!

Spicy Snap Peas

2 cups snap peas
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Clean snap peas by removing the stem string. Heat oil in a saucepan, toss in snap peas and season with red chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Combine until season has coated snap peas evenly. Saute for 8 minutes. Serve!

E.V.O.O.

Since I've been back from Italy, I just can't get enough olive oil. It's got to be extra virgin, peppery, smooth, light and luxurious. I want to taste that olivey flavor and see the glossy texture as I coat arugula and tomatoes. I love it plain but wanted to try a little experiment and see what else we could do with this fantastic condiment. I decided to enhance the flavor of the oil by submerging different ingredients. The results fantastic, here are my recipes:

Herb Oil

3 springs dried rosemary
3 sprigs dried thyme
Extra virgin olive oil

Place the dried herbs in the container, pour in olive oil until well covered. Store in dark cool place.

*If you don't have dried herbs on hand, microwave fresh herbs for 2 minutes on medium high heat.
*Great to coat fish or chicken and then grill or saute.

Garlic Oil

2 heads garlic
Extra virgin olive oil

Peel garlic cloves whole. Place in container, pour olive oil until well covered. Refrigerate.

*Perfect to saute veggies in, especially spinach!

Hot Chili Oil

8-10 dried hot chili peppers
Extra virgin olive oil

Add peppers to container, pour olive oil until well covered and container is full. Store in dark cool place.

*An excellent flavor addition to fish or veggies when you want an extra flavor kick!

I.F.C.

I guess it is starting to become very obvious that I am missing home. Last night I made the personnel fried chicken for dinner. Of course I tried adding an Italian spin by frying it in extra virgin olive oil and adding dried oregano to the flour mixture. The result was tasty and they certainly couldn't get enough!

Italian Fried Chicken

4 Chicken Breasts
2 egg whites
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
4 tblsp extra virgin olive oil

Slice the chicken breasts into strips. With a fork scramble egg whites until well beaten. In a different bowl combine flour, salt, pepper, and oregano. Dip the chicken strips one by one into the egg whites and then flour mixture. Once well coated, heat the oil in a non stick skillet. When oil is sizzling place chicken strips in oil. Let cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on paper towel before serving.

FIRENZE

I board the train to Florence tomorrow morning to meet Mom and Dad! I can't wait, they are getting ready to board the plane in Atlanta right now. We will be in Florence for 4 days and then they will stay in Lucca, explore all of Tuscany and come visit me when I have afternoons off! We are going to see The David, visit the Uffizi, and shop at the Ponte Vecchio among many other things. We'll drink Chianti while sharing risottos. I can't wait to return to this magnificent city AND finally see my parents again! I'll be making another visit to Acque al 2 to enjoy another taste of that unbelievable balsamic steak! And then come back to blog about all my yummy adventures!