A Night Out On The Town

Tonight, Steve took me out to one of my favorite restaurants. Ember Woodfire Grill in Livonia, NY. 

This place is wonderful. Seasonal menus, fresh, clean ingredients. It's a foodie's dream come true. It's housed in the old train depot that was a flower shop when I was in high school. A little nostalgia there. 

Tonight I had a new dish and an 'old' favorite. Nothing is really old on the menu, but when I order the same thing four times in a row, you know it's amazing.

This was the new dish. Crab cakes with Chili Lime Aioli and Remoulade. 

Isn't it beautiful? It was so good. It's topped with finely diced bell peppers, that were also throughout the crab cakes. Wonderful.

And this is my old favorite. Sweet Potato Egg Rolls.

Topped with a sweet ginger glaze and chopped fresh apple. 

I love these things. LOVE them.

I'm talking, if I was offered a final meal, this would be what I asked for.

They are on the Tapas menu, but I order them for dessert. 

SO good.

So if you are ever in Livonia, make a reservation for dinner at this place. It's worth it. Terrific atmosphere, nice music and an incredible variety of food. I don't know who the current chef is, but he or she is on my list of favorites!

MasterChef Night

"The only thing worse than a cook that can't boil is a narcissist in full denial." ~Joe Bastianich

I love MasterChef. lol. It's the first cooking competition I ever watched, and I was hooked.

Cooking competitions are my version of sports. I cheer for the underdog, I yell at the judges, I have a big chart to mark off the losers as they are eliminated. How geeky is that?

I have to admit, it kind of cracks me up to watch the judges get so worked up their heads are about to explode. However, it also makes me realize I would never make it in a big kitchen like that. I'd smack someone the first time they screamed at me. And then I'd leave. Cooking is a tonic to me. It relaxes me, challenges my creativity and I love watching people chow down and enjoy a good meal. I'll stick to home cooking, thankyouverymuch!

OK, off to watch the end of the show and see who is going home tonight. I promise not to give anything away...spoilers! (Said in my best River Song voice.)

Hoping you have grand kitchen adventures, with no one yelling at you...

Leni

Cayenne Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Running late, but here I am! I was inspired and cooking today after a week out of the kitchen. I have a bunch of new recipes to share, but I guess I'd better follow through on my promise of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que's Cayenne Buttermilk Ranch Dressing.

This is the dressing they use on the Fried Green Tomatoes, and the House Greens. Turns out they also use it on a couple of sandwiches that I desperately need to go back and try. For research, of course. I'm doing it all for you! (I thought my husband supported my culinary efforts, but he just shook his head 'no' when I mentioned that the Dinosaur would still be open if we left right now...)

So I headed off to the public market last week, got a bunch of spices and came home to create this treat. I started off by making the basic Creole Seasoning, which has since been used on a bunch of different items!

Leni's Notes:
~ Excellent for dipping. I used it in many places that I might have used bleu cheese dressing in the past.
~ If you have a lot of 'dippers' in your family, double up the recipe.
~ If you want it to have a little more zest, you can add in more creole seasoning til it suits your taste.

Recipe, straight out of the Dinosaur Bar-BQue Cookbook:

1 1/4 C mayonnaise
1 C buttermilk
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 C finely chopped chives
1 Tbsp. lemon pepper
1/4 C freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
1 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. Creole Seasoning

Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl.
Pour into a container with a tight lid, and store in fridge til needed.

(Makes 2 1/2 Cups)

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Creole Seasoning

This weekend, I spent time with some of my favorite people having a meal at one of my favorite places. If you are not so blessed as to live in Western New York, I have possible good news for you. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is expanding in leaps and bounds, and now has locations all over NY, as well as in NJ and CT. 

For the rest of you, there's always the cookbook, which is what I'm going to be sharing a little bit of. After having some Fried Green Tomatoes and Ribs, I had to come home and make some of the house dressing they use for a bunch of their items. It's a Cayenne Buttermilk Ranch, and it's simply wonderful. But more on that later, because before you can make the ranch, you're going to need some Creole Seasoning, so that's our focus today. 

I highly recommend that you buy the cookbook, and to convince you, I'll share a couple of recipes.

Leni's Notes:
~This seasoning is great for a meat rub also.
~Make a big batch and store it in a sealed container.
~Nice for adding a little kick to any recipe that you just want to liven up a bit!
~I am fairly certain this is the secret ingredient to the broccoli casserole we had at the restaurant a couple of times lately. ;o)

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Creole Seasoning

1/2 C paprika
1/2 C granulated garlic
1/4 C granulated onion

1/4 C dried oregano
1/4 C dried thyme
3 Tbsp black pepper
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp white pepper
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground cumin


Mix it all up, store in sealed container. Makes 2 1/2 Cups.

Father's Day Ribs

I hope you all had a wonderful time yesterday, celebrating the fathers in your life. My own dad passed away seven years ago, and while still miss him like crazy, we had some great moments recounting happy memories of him.

Yesterday was all about my wonderful husband, and so we made a favorite meal for Steve. Orange Chipotle Ribs with corn on the cob and baked potatoes, ice cream for dessert. Really, it's the ideal dinner for Father's Day as I'm fairly certain that my hubby's blood is made of equal parts bbq sauce and ice cream. Technically, I can't call these chipotle ribs, because I don't use chipotle chili powder. I can't find the stuff!

Due to circumstances beyond my control, pie week had to be postponed for a bit. Scandalous, really. We first made the decision to put it off due to some medical restrictions on my part. But then I looked at the upcoming weather for the week and reflected on God's goodness in leading us to that choice. Who wants to bake pies when it's in the 90's? I don't want to do anything when it's that hot, much less cook. (Which reminds me that they are going to want to eat tonight...ugh.)

This is a great recipe that also happens to be gluten free. If you're looking for more great gluten free crock pot meals, check out A Year of Slow Cooking, where this recipe is adapted from.

Leni's Notes:

 ~I used my 18 qt Nesco roaster for this dish--2 full slabs of ribs fit perfectly on the bottom, although I have cooked more and let them overlap.
~I put a rack on top of the ribs, to hold the foil-wrapped baked potatoes.
~Great side dishes include baked potatoes or salt potatoes, corn on the cob, macaroni salad...let your imagination run wild!

The original Orange Chipotle Rib recipe can be found here. Here's the Leni-ized version of this recipe:

Ingredients:

6 pounds ribs (we like pork)
1 cup tomato puree
1/2 cup orange marmalade (preferably without corn syrup)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/4 cup raw sugar
1 tsp Indian hot chili powder (if you use regular chili powder, you'll want 4 tsp.)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
4 tsp crushed garlic in olive oil or water

Directions:

Place thawed meat in greased cooker. (Frozen can be used, but you will need to adjust cook time.)

Combine all sauce ingredients, and pour evenly over the ribs. I like to flip the ribs around in there a bit to make sure they are covered well.

Cover and cook 250 for 7-8 hours, to have them falling-off-the-bone done. Sometimes we cook them for 5-6 hours, and then throw them on the grill to caramelize the sugar a bit.

Pioneer Woman's Iced Coffee

Ahhh, it's that time of year again. That's what I keep telling myself. Despite the high of 65 degrees today, and the black storm clouds that look suspiciously like snow clouds. But the calendar says it's June 4th, and so I am moving forward with my favorite summer treat. Pioneer Woman's Iced Coffee concentrate. 

This stuff is soooo good. Moriah and I are big fans of coffee in general, but especially iced coffee in the summer. With this recipe, all of the guess work is taken out of the coffee/ice ratio, and finally, I can have what I can't seem to get in any restaurant. Decaf iced coffee! Is that too much to ask? I love the coffee, but my heart does not love the caffeine. So I can have my decaf, Mo can have her flavored coffee, our wallets can keep their cash, everyone is happy.

You'll notice over there on the right that I have Pioneer Woman's site linked. I first came across Ree when someone told me about her blogging her story of meeting her husband and making the transition from city girl to ranch girl. I'm a sucker for a good love story, so I checked back every week to get the next installment, and while I was waiting, started exploring other parts of her blog. 

I have to say, as much as I love food and cooking, what really draws me is the personality of the writer. I can get a recipe anywhere, but I love to come across a writer that is just real, you know? I try to be myself in my writing, and hope that it's enough for whoever is reading. I've had my fill of trying to be all things to all people. It doesn't work and stresses you out. When I read Ree's writing, she just seemed genuine. All that to say, I came to her food as a secondary thing. 

Boy, am I glad I found her food! I have been incredibly pleased with all of her recipes that I've tried. One of them even made the cut for my daughter's wedding. ;o)  

Also, for someone who is trying to learn how to cook, Ree's format of photography is terrific! I love that after each step, she shows what it should look like at that point. Great idea for Kids in the Kitchen.

You'll be seeing more here from her in the future, but I'm trying to pace myself, lest I look like a stalker. 

I'm going to link Ree's recipe for Iced Coffee, because it's perfect. The only thing I changed a bit was the gear I used, which is pictured below.

Leni's Notes:
~ I went and bought a brand new dish pan that we only use for coffee.
~ When I first made this, there wasn't a single piece of cheesecloth to be found in four counties. So I bought some new kitchen wash cloths, and we use those for straining the grounds. They get packed up with the dish pan, so they are never used on anything else.
~ We found a nice container that fits in our fridge, Walmart had a ton to choose from.
~ Something you don't hear me say often...don't change anything! Follow her directions exactly!

Click here for Pioneer Woman's Perfect Iced Coffee ingredients and instructions. I'm listing the ingredients here just in case disaster strikes and the recipe disappears!  But if you don't go to her site, you'll miss out on her beautiful presentation.

Ingredients
1 pound Ground Coffee (good, Rich Roast)
8 quarts Cold Water

For Serving:
Half-and-half (healthy Splash Per Serving)
Sweetened Condensed Milk (2-3 Tablespoons Per Serving)
Note: Can Use Skim Milk, 2% Milk, Whole Milk, Sugar, Artificial Sweeteners, Syrups...adapt To Your Liking!

(Adapted from Imbibe Magazine)

In a large container, mix ground coffee with water. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature eight hours or overnight.

Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set over a pitcher or other container. Pour coffee/water mixture through the strainer, allowing all liquid to run through. Discard grounds.

Place coffee liquid in the fridge and allow to cool. Use as needed.

To make iced coffee, pack a glass full of ice cubes. Fill glass 2/3 full with coffee liquid. Add healthy splash of half-and-half. Add 2-3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (can use plain sugar instead) and stir to combine. Taste and adjust half-and-half and/or sweetened condensed milk as needed.