On certain holidays where many people like to go out to restaurants, we prefer to stay in and cook something a little out of the ordinary. For example, on New Year’s Eve, we had mussels. For Valentine’s Day this year, Dan grilled lobster tails, and we served them with pasta in a very nice setting at our dining room table (where we eat 2.5 meals per year, on average.) Grilled lobster is absolutely delicious and so easy to prepare — we should probably make it more often than we do. But we appreciate having a few special recipes that we save to celebrate important occasions, which is what we think Valentine’s Day is all about: a day to recognize and do a little something extra or different for the ones you love. Continue reading “Grilled Lobster Tails”
Homemade Bacon
We made homemade bacon! Seriously — homemade bacon. As we noted in last month’s duck prosciutto post, we are participating in Charcutepalooza, which is a year-long effort by a collection of approximately 200 food bloggers to attempt and document a monthly charcuterie challenge. This month’s endeavor was salt cure — bacon for the “Apprentice Challenge” and pancetta or quanciale for the (more advanced) “Charcutiere Challenge.” The greatest part of this whole experiment? It was foolishly simple, and the end result is so delicious that we are wondering why we have never done this before. We may never buy the plastic wrapped stuff at the grocery store again. Many thanks to the folks who put together Charcutepalooza — such a great way to inspire us and others to step out of our cooking comfort zones. And now, on with the bacon! Continue reading “Homemade Bacon”
Bijoux Restaurant
Being foodies, we love finding great restaurants. And Dan being born 4 days before Valentine’s Day means that we get a chance to try fancy/romantic/new restaurants on his birthday without any hassle about getting a reservation or fighting the Valentine’s crowds. This year, we decided to try Bijoux, “a contemporary French” restaurant. Bijoux offers a five course prix fixe menu, or you can just order however many courses you’d like – a la carte style. They also have a chef’s tasting menu, but we passed on it this time, since we just had the tasting experience last month at Fuego. Bijoux is a wonderful restaurant — perfect for celebrating a birthday, Valentine’s Day or any other special occasion. The ambiance was romantic and luxurious, the service was excellent, and the food was outstanding. Continue reading “Bijoux Restaurant”
Weekly Menu (Feb. 12)
Saturday
Sunday
- Sous Vide London Broil, Garlic Roasted Potatoes, Broccolini
Monday
- Grilled Lobster Tails, Pasta Fresca
Tuesday
- Take-Out
Wednesday
- Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup, Sourdough Bread
Thursday
- Gorgonzola-Stuffed Pork Chops, Salad
Friday
- Dinner Out
Potato Leek Soup
We have sung the praises of Cook’s Illustrated and their cookbooks before, and we consult them for recipes all the time. Since this winter in Dallas has been much, much colder than usual, we were in the mood for a hearty soup for dinner. We found the perfect recipe in Cook’s Illustrated’s “Soups & Stews.” I actually cooked this one on my own, and it was really easy. Really. I don’t like to cook by myself and am easily intimidated by complex (to me) recipes. But this one had relatively few ingredients and steps, so I decided to give it a shot. Continue reading “Potato Leek Soup”
Super Bowl XLV
Dan and I were so lucky to be able to attend the Super Bowl this year, to watch his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Green Bay Packers. The outcome wasn’t quite what we hoped for, but it was a good game and we had a great time! Warning to our readers who are looking for food-related content: not much in this post. We just wanted to document this historic (to us) event, so if you don’t prefer lots of random, mediocre-quality sporting event photos — check back in a day or so and we’ll be back to the recipes and food photos. But if you’re curious for a peek into the Super Bowl Sunday of a couple of Steeler fans, read on. Continue reading “Super Bowl XLV”
Weekly Menu (Feb. 5)
Saturday
- Take-out
Sunday
- Hot Dogs and Nachos at the Super Bowl – GO STEELERS!
Monday
- Tilapia Veracruz, Rice Side
Tuesday
- Game Hen with Peri Sauce, Grilled Veggie, Smashed Potatoes
Wednesday
- Veggie Pizza
Thursday
- Dinner Out (Happy Birthday Dan!)
Friday
- Shrimp Fra Diavlo
Fish Tacos
Dan is crazy for fish tacos. He has tried them at pretty much every restaurant that serves them, and it has been his ongoing quest to find the very best fish tacos in Dallas. We had never made them at home, but after seeing a show with “Sam the Cooking Guy” preparing this recipe, we were inspired to try making our own. While I’ve never been a huge fan of fish in any form, I love these fish tacos, and they are now one of my favorite ways to eat fish. They don’t have any “fishy” taste at all — just very fresh, spicy, tangy and delicious. Continue reading “Fish Tacos”
Chicken Paillard with Spinach
We created this recipe based on a dish I had years ago at a local restaurant. “Paillard” refers to the technique of pounding the chicken flat before cooking it so that it cooks faster and more evenly. One of the reasons we love this recipe is that it incorporates the main course and side into a single dish, making it easy to prepare during a busy week. The recipe is also a good one because it uses fresh spinach, which is a “superfood.” And we balance out the healthy with a little bit of bacon, which of course makes everything better. Continue reading “Chicken Paillard with Spinach”
Fuego at Stephan Pyles
Dan’s brother Sean and his lovely wife bought us the most wonderful and creative gift for Christmas this year — an exclusive tasting menu at a very upscale local restaurant. At his namesake eatery, Chef Stephan Pyles has a small area (only 4 seats) where he hosts and cooks his “Fuego” tasting menu. The menu features seasonal ingredients and showcases an array of molecular gastronomy techniques, from airs to reverse spherification to virtual smoking. We were presented four courses with seventeen separate dishes, each beautifully presented and demonstrating true genius. It was easily one of our finest dining experiences. (The photos do not even come close to doing this meal justice – we didn’t bring our good camera and the lighting was low. But hopefully you get the idea of what an amazing time we had.) Continue reading “Fuego at Stephan Pyles”