Bye Bye Lulu's

Hub and I eagerly anticipated a rare, quiet date night out together to celebrate his birthday, only to find that our destination restaurant was CLOSED.  I mean, after lining up a baby sitter, getting ourselves dressed, downtown and parked only to be greeted by a little sign sending us the other direction for all hours other than brunch was a big, fat whomp whomp whomp. 

I'll clarify that we'd never let this - or anything for that matter - spoil a jewel of a night together, so we zipped to Zeus Gallery, another cozy food establishment on our go-to list, without skipping a beat.

Retrospectively, the thought of no more Lulu's dinners has been depressing me.  We've had some tasty dinners there, which I (of course, nerdily) had pictures of, so I'm sharing them in a goodbye tribute.




This is a grilled Caesar salad that didn't photograph well (slimy anchovies, anyone?) but tasted afreakinmazing.  The charred lettuce was the perfect backdrop to the rich egg, briny anchovies, nutty Parmesan, and crunchy house made croutons, all blanketed in Caesar dressing screaming of garlic and lemon.  (I just reread that.  If you're a Caesar person, you might be salivating.  If you're not, this may actually sound heinous and for that, I apologize.)  This was the dish I actually hoped to order the fateful night we found it closed!  RIP grilled Caesar salad.




Grilled mahi mahi over pancetta and sweet potato garnished kale resting in a blanket of celery root and apple puree.  Every bite was heaven, but I think my favorite part was the kale.  Have I mentioned my kale obsession?  I've got about a dozen recipes featuring on top of my pile, and I can't WAIT to try one or five.



Ahhh, classic shrimp and grits.  (I'm not sure who I think I am attempting to identify a classic southern anything with my Pennsyltucky roots.  I'd like to think I have a teeny bit of street cred after experiencing a few divine versions in Charleston, being a Richmonder for a whopping 3 years now, and my general inclination to stuff my face.  But I'd clearly be an impostor if I claimed to be an aficionado of southern cuisine.)  I'll just tell you the facts; this grits were buttery and rich, the shrimp were cooked to tender perfection, and the spicy, chorizo-speckled sauce was to die for.  Big fan.

With dinner out of the equation, I'd love to try the brunch here (who wouldn't find herself beckoned by a red velvet waffle with pecan cream cheese?!).  The typical weekend chaos doesn't often afford the luxury of brunch, but I'll put it on the Some Day list.


Photo courtesy of lulusrichmond.com

Slow Cooker Resolution # 37

Why hello there, neglected blog friends!  Thanks for checking back despite the infrequency of my entries as of late.  Speaking of neglected, I pulled this guy out of the cabinet after way too long, and I just loooved the result tonight.



It's ridiculous to turn down help when I could seriously use an extra hand or four to get things done. It seems that I'm making repeated resolutions to employ the slow cooker more, since it could free up precious moments to accomplish the almost stupid volume of tasks requiring attention each evening.  But the truth is, I'm not super jazzed by a lot of slow cooker recipes I see.  They can often seem, well, boring...and I also know that I miss the scrumptious flavor imparted by the searing/grilling/browning process left out of this cooking technique.  What I DO love about using the slow cooker is being welcomed by savory aromas when I open my door, as well as the brilliant fact that dinner is ready to go!

When I recently happened upon a slow cooker version of beef stroganoff by my girl Marth, it sparked a desire to give this contraption another whirl.  I get a hankering for beef stroganoff about once a year, and the thought has been nestled in the back of my brain since the onset of the fall.  If you're, too, a fan of this dish, this slow cooker version does not disappoint!  The beef is tender, the onions are scrumptiously caramelized, and the mushrooms add earthy flavor and textural interest.  The  combination of these ingredients unified with this rich and creamy sauce over a bed of toothy egg noodles is satisfying and warms your belly the whole way through. 

I probably should have taken more care to photograph the final product. But the messy rustic approach is kind of part of this food experience.  Oh, and I was also dying to dig in!  

Beef Stroganoff (click here for recipe)



One note on the recipe: it instructs to thicken the cooking liquid at the end. I was left with very little cooking liquid to speak of, so I just used a cup of chicken stock instead.  It worked like a charm!

My faith in this kitchen gadget just might be restored.  I hereby pronounce (yet another) resolution to be more intentional about incorporating it into my weekly menu planning.  If anyone has any great recipes to share, please do!

The Tomato Dilemma

Okay, so receiving a bag of home-grown tomatoes -- on top of an existing inappropriately large retail supply born of my inability to resist them -- is not really a dilemma.  But the desire to not waste, and more importantly, to enjoy every summery, juicy morsel, provides an opportunity to be creative.  Here are our tomato endeavors from the past week. 

Tandoori Spiced Chicken with Grilled Tomato Jam and Herbed Yogurt Sauce (click here for recipe)



This recipe is outstanding, giving you spice, savory, tangy and fresh all at once. The jam is divine and could be employed in countless other ways. So if you have any leftovers, keep them! I love the flavor complexity added by grilling the tomatoes. 



My only variation is related to the chicken... I applaud anyone who can handle the quantity of cayenne pepper called for in this spice rub. I am NOT one of those people, so I significantly reduce the measurement of that ingredient.

Classic California BLT

Simple. Fast. Close-your-eyes-delicious.

• Toasted Bread, spread with a layer of mayo - just keepin it real, friends.
• Thick-cut black forest bacon
• Sliced tomato sprinkled with salt and pepper (important!)
• Iceburg lettuce
• Sliced avocado

Not to be neglected, the corn was done on the grill and rubbed with chili lime butter - which was just softened butter stirred together with lime zest, lime juice, a couple dashes of sriracha and salt.

Asparagus with Grilled Tomato Tarragon Vinaigrette (courtesy of Bobby Flay)



I'm providing recipes below for everything on this scrumptious plate, but to point of this post: this vinaigrette is to die for and uses the same grilling strategy for the tomatoes described above.  I could (do) eat it with a spoon.  Grilled tomatoes plus tarragon equals amazing. 

Grilled Tomato Tarragon Vinaigrette
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 ripe plum tomatoes
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
Grilled asparagus
Hard boiled eggs (my new obsession, I've found)

1.  Heat grill to high.
2.  Whisk together the vinegar, garlic, tarragon, salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl.  Slowly whisk in the 1/4 cup olive oil until emulsified.   Let the vinaigrette sit at room temperature while you grill the tomatoes.
3.  Brush the tomatoes with the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill the tomatoes until blackened on all side, 2-3 minutes per side.
4.  Remove the tomatoes from the grill and let cool slightly.  When cool enough to handle, cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and remove the seeds.  Cut the tomato halves into small dice and add to vinaigrette.  Add the onion and season with salt and pepper.  Allow the vinaigrette to sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving. 
5.  Place the grilled asparagus on a large platter and spoon the vinaigrette over the top.  Top with sliced eggs.

This incredible side supported a ridiculous entree of Tea Rubbed Filet Mignon Steaks with Buttery Mushrooms (click here for recipe).  I don't think praise is warranted after you've read that title.  Our portion sizes were admittedly not reasonable, and I don't regret it.  There, I said it.

I don't have a spice grinder, so I used a mortar and pestle to make the rub.





 

Provencal Tomatoes (click here for recipe)

These little jewels are somehow sweet, light, satisfying and savory all at the same time.  They're stuffed with a mixture of herbs, bread crumbs and Gruyere cheese that plays perfectly off the sweet tomatoes.  To impersonate my girl Ina who authored this go-to recipe, how bad can that be??



End tomato rant.  Thanks for your patience... there were a lot of tomatoes.

Summer Suppers 2

Holy deliciousness.  I can always count on Bobby Flay for sensational recipes, but this one is To. Die. For.   And I just love how it's so perfectly summery too.   If you've never had grilled peaches before, they are afreakinmazing, especially glazed with this luxurious, syrupy reduction of red wine vinegar and honey that comes together in just a few minutes.

Grilled Pork with Agrodolce Grilled Peaches (Click here for recipe)



We not only had rain in the forecast when we prepared this; it was pouring.  But hub wouldn't permit two consecutive non-grilled dinners, so he resorted to this arrangement.



He stood in the garage doorway, and the grill hid safely under the awning. The garage fire alarm only went off three times. A grill is NOT required for this feast though, so please let that not make you miss out on this seriously awesome dish. The pork can be roasted in the oven (look for a 135-140 internal temp), and the peaches would be fab broiled.

Our modification to the recipe was pretty much born of laziness. We used a pork tenderloin instead of a roast and didn't bother with the brine. We simply rubbed it with olive oil and generously sprinkled it with kosher salt, black pepper and chopped fresh rosemary. 



This immediately became a top 5 summer dish.   I'm in love, and I feel pretty darn confident that you will be too if you try this!

Summer Suppers

After a nutty few weeks with traveling and dinners of whatever-works, I was giddy to anticipate a relatively uneventful week at home.  This meant a Sunday afternoon sit down sesh to organize some meals for the upcoming week.  I'm the first to admit that I can deem that process a total pain and wish it - and the subsequent shopping/chopping/prep - over before it starts in favor of, oh, I don't know, a Starbucks date with Molly, a family baseball game in the front yard with pizza box cutout bases, a nap (wait, what is that again?).  But in this, the heart of summer, the vast a supply of fresh goodness had me jazzed to figure out what to cook.

This meal was actually tonight's dinner, and it was yummy enough to prompt a visit to my ever so slightly neglected blog!  This dish is tasty, satisfying, and super easy to prepare.  Try to find fresh sausage for this if you can...it's sooo good.

Sausage and Summer Squash  (Click here for recipe)



Just cook the sausage and veggies in your fave store bought Italian dressing amplified with chopped fresh garlic.  Brush the same dressing onto a sliced baguette and throw into a 400 degree oven until golden and crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside.




That's it!  What a fun surprise that simple Italian dressing can make this dish so surprisingly tasty.  And whoever says the bread isn't the best part is totally lying.

The only downside of this feast was the mess factor. Do you see the splatterville around the pan?  Argh.



We've actually made this dish on the grill before, which both adds great flavor and spares the kitchen clean-up.  No doubt we would have gone that route tonight had rain not been in the forecast.  The good news is that it's awesome prepared either way!

This easy dinner is a winner. I hope to have more successful summer suppers to report soon!

BSE

I must beg your forgiveness for such an uncreative title. It stands, simply, for Best Sauce Ever.  I'm irrationally jazzed up by dishes served with dipping sauces, because they lend another chance to pile on unique layers of deliciousness.  This dipping sauce was born after I had some leftover long peppers from a tangy, incredible steak sauce recipe and just had to dream them into a thicker sauce (reminiscent of my beloved Peruvian chicken).  What is a long pepper, you ask?



These are just a zippier version of roasted red peppers, which are a totally great substitute in this recipe, by the way. In all honesty, "recipe" is an indulgent term though, since this is really just a few ingredients quickly zapped together in a food processor that elevate a simple protein like rotisserie chicken into something seriously memorable. (I identify rotisserie chicken in the category of simple since it is most typical to pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store.   It may be no surprise that my hub resides in a different category: one that prepares said rotisserie bird himself, undeterred by 103 degree temperatures, with a result that could be the juiciest and most flavorful chicken ever. But as I had zero involvement in that project, I'll just say that this sauce is darn awesome on anything from store bought rotisserie chicken to wings to frozen chicken nuggets!)

Anyway, the scoop is below...  I so wish I measured this stuff precisely.  Even after a handful of preparations, I've never taken the time to figure out whether a "glug" really equals a tablespoon.  The good news is that it can be easily adjusted to taste.  If it needs a wake up, add a wee bit more vinegar.  If it feels overly acidic, add another squeeze of honey.  Remember to always season generously with salt and pepper too!



BSE

3-4 red long peppers
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayo
1 Tbsp (glug-ish) red wine vinegar
1-2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor, mini chop or blender and enjoy along with chicken, shrimp, or pork.   Don't forget the fries.

Bueller?

I am giddy to be back in the blogosphere today after one of the craziest work months ever, which seemed to allow time for little else in the way of responsibilities/chores/life, much less the fun escape of blogging.  I'm even more giddy to share this crazy fab recipe.  Can I tell you why? 

1.  It was amazingly savory...like restaurant-quality yumness that necessitated carrying on about it for nearly 30 minutes post-meal.
2.  Said yumness was achieved with very few ingredients.
3.  The whole thing was prepped and on the table in 30 minutes.

Seared Scallops with Fennel and Cherry Tomatoes (click here for recipe)

 

I've mentioned before that I love fennel...like, love it. Spotting it pictured in last month's Real Simple mag nestled in a rich broth with seared scallops and, even better, accented by two garlic toasts on deck for dunking, sealed the deal. This was on the list to prepare, um, immediately. We made a few modifications:  First, in lieu of searing, Ryan took the scallops to a super, super hot grill (for just a sec, so as to not overcook them, particularly since they would have a minute or two in the simmering broth to cook even further...scallops can turn from scrumptiously tender to heinously rubbery in a millisecond).  As no surprise, he grilled the bread as well.  It is kind of ridiculous how a brush of olive oil, sprinkling of salt and pepper, rub of a fresh garlic glove, and quick visit to hot grates elevates a simple baguette into an almost stupid level of deliciousness. 

I had an unexpected dose of happy from those little cherry tomatoes.  They simmered in the sauce just long enough to release their sweetness, which had a lovely mellowing effect on the slight brininess of the clam juice and white wine mixture.  The finished plate was to die for, which makes me again in awe of how little time and effort it required.  Even if Ryan wasn't outside knocking out the scallops and bread while I threw the sauce together at the stove inside, it still would have been ready in the prescribed 30 minutes.

If you're looking for an awesome date night or company-worthy meal, try this!