Creamy Cheddar Grits

Posted By under Recipes, Side Dishes

How about some grits to go with our shrimp?  Putting shrimp and grits together was the genius idea of fishermen in South Carolina’s Low Country who ate this combination as a breakfast dish.  (Anybody else channel Paula Deen’s southern accent when reading/writing the word “grits” and turn it into a 3-syllable word?  No?  Just me then.)   In case you’re not familiar with them, grits are finely ground hominy (which is basically processed corn) that have a mild flavor and creamy texture when cooked.  We’ve only made grits a couple of times, so we decided to consult the Barefoot Contessa for a tried and true recipe in her cookbook “Back to Basics.”  (We always have good luck with Ina Garten’s recipes, and figured that using a Paula Deen grits recipe would have been too obvious and likely more unhealthy, involving a lot more butter.  And syllables.)  Ina’s addition of sharp cheddar cheese and green onions takes simple savory grits to a whole new level.  We’ll definitely make these again, y’all.

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Shrimp and Peppers

Posted By under Main Courses, Main Ingredient, Recipes, Seafood

Shrimp can be a very healthy protein easily prepared on a weeknight.  We cook shrimp at least a couple times per month and almost always keep a bag of raw frozen shrimp in our freezer.  We have lots of favorite ways to prepare shrimp — from pasta dishes, to salads, to simple grilled shrimp — but also appreciate finding new recipes incorporating this versatile protein.  We found a shrimp recipe on Epicurious.com and adapted it according to some of the reviewers’ suggestions.  (One of the many things we like about the Epicurious site is being able to consult the reviews of people who have cooked each recipe and take the time to share their experience — good or bad.)  Reviewers can also rate recipes on Epicurious, and we agree with the ones who gave this dish high marks.  The plump roasted shrimp pairs nicely with the spicy sauteed peppers and the whole thing takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.

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Sunday Bolognese

Posted By under Main Courses, Main Ingredient, Pasta, Recipes

This is one of those posts where I should have made sure I had some leftovers to eat, because by the time I finish editing the photos and writing the post and recipe, I know I will be craving this dish in a major way.  It’s seriously that good.  By far the best bolognese we’ve ever had — in a restaurant or otherwise — if we do say so ourselves (and we do.)  There isn’t enough hyperbole in our collective vocabulary to adequately describe how much we love this dish.  Although this is not a quick recipe (which is why we call it “Sunday” bolognese), the extra time and multiple steps are well worth the resulting complex layers of flavor.  Make some this weekend — you won’t be disappointed!

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Grilled Chicken Bulgogi-Style with Scallion Salad

Posted By under Main Courses, Recipes

We found this recipe in a magazine we picked up a few years ago called “Sizzle with America’s Top Chefs,” which features recipes from chefs including Mario Batali, Emeril Lagasse, Paula Deen and Wolfgang Puck, among others.  The magazine also has a section with recipes from The Culinary Institute of America.  This chicken dish is one of The CIA’s creations.  We enjoyed it, although it tasted very similar to our Korean Chicken, which involves less ingredients and steps.  So we prefer our recipe during a busy week, but The CIA’s version is a good alternative when we want the extra layer of grill flavor.  We’ll make the scallion salad recipe again for sure — the spicy, sesame flavors combined with the onion-y scallions to provide a nice kick to the chicken that would also work well in other Asian dishes. Continue reading “Grilled Chicken Bulgogi-Style with Scallion Salad”

Potato Skins

Posted By under Main Ingredient, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetable

As you may be aware, one of us here at Foodie Lawyer is a big fan of football generally and the Pittsburgh Steelers in particular.  We even got to see the Steelers play in the Super Bowl last year (note that I said “play,” and not “win.”)  For this football season, we thought it would be fun to try out various “football foods” — dishes that are typically served at sports bars — but cook them ourselves at home, hopefully making them slightly more healthy yet just as tasty.  Our first endeavor turned out really good, so we decided to tackle (get it?) potato skins next — typically one of the more unhealthy fried favorite sports bar foods.  (Fun Fact:  according to Wikipedia, the potato skins appetizer was created by T.G.I. Friday’s in 1963.)  We baked ours instead of frying them and they turned out great.  Not quite as crispy as the restaurant version, but crispy enough with a thin layer of creamy potato.  These would be fun to serve at a football-watching party, with various toppings and dipping sauces to create your very own Potato Skins Bar.

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Steamed Crab Legs

Posted By under Main Courses, Main Ingredient, Recipes, Seafood

We’ve been to seafood-boil types of events before — my brother has an awesome crawfish boil almost every spring — but had never previously attempted this cooking technique at home.  When we discovered king crab legs on super sale at our local grocery store, we decided to give it a shot.  The resulting steamed crab meat was perfectly cooked with a hint of spice and unmistakable Old Bay seasoning, evocative of a day at the beach and seafood fresh from the ocean.

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Black Beans Surprise

Posted By under Main Ingredient, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetable

The surprising part of this side dish is how amazing it tastes, especially considering how simple it is to make.  Whenever we cook Tex-Mex at home, we struggle a bit with what kind of side dish to serve.  This rice is a good one, but it’s a bit complicated and takes a little longer to cook.  Same with this salad.  Sliced avocado with chips and salsa is an easy favorite, but it gets a little old if we serve it every time.  (Although, I love avocado so much that I could eat it every day.)  Beans are a staple at most Tex-Mex restaurants, where they are served in a variety of ways:  regular beans refried, black beans refried and borracho beans — just to name a few.  We like black beans, but had never previously served them solo as a side dish at home.  So we researched some recipes online and decided to experiment with our own version, incorporating Tex-Mex ingredients we know and like from other dishes (onion, garlic, cayenne pepper, Cotija cheese and cilantro.)  We figured the result would be a pretty basic black bean side dish, but were pleasantly surprised by the rich and complex layers of flavor in the finished product.  Move over avocado, there’s a new favorite Tex-Mex sidekick in town. . .

Update:  We made these the other night and just happened to have a jalapeno and a couple slices of leftover (cooked) bacon.  We sauteed the jalapeno with the onion and crumbled the bacon and added it when we put in the beans.  The spice from the jalapeno and the bacon flavor made these beans taste even better!

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