bacon, leek, and thyme mac & cheese

Oh, so yummy! Recipe from Pinch My Salt.

thai coconut soup

Click here for the recipe.

This soup is well worth the effort to go out and get the ingredients. 
I was able to quickly find everything in my local Asian market. 
(p.s. "glangal" = ginger)

The only ingredient that eluded me was the kaffir lime leaves. When I asked a store clerk if they had them, I got a puzzling answer: They don't sell them because they're illegal. I thought there must have been a misunderstanding, so I looked it up when I got home. Seems it is illegal to import kaffir lime leaves to the U.S. (because of some sort of pest that they can harbor, that we don't want to introduce here). However, they're ok when grown domestically. So they're possible to get, it just may not be easy. I just omitted them, and the soup was delicious anyway :-)

dijon pork tenderloin

Recipe from Simply Recipes. I used pork tenderloin, cut into medallions. On the side is brussels sprouts that have been roasted with olive oil, salt & pepper. Then finished with lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice, and topped with toasted almond slivers.

hash browns

happy valentine's day

Mini mint chocolate pudding cake (recipe from Simply Recipes), topped with a scoop of dark chocolate-mint Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

appetizers

Crunchy spicy chick peas: Drain a can of chick peas, and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet (just plain, with nothing added). Bake at 450 for 30 minutes, tossing once. After they're done, toss with 2 TBSP olive oil, 1/2 tsp cayenne + 1 tsp cumin, and a dash of coarse salt.

Phyllo cups: Take pre-baked phyllo shells (found in the freezer section) and fill with goat cheese crumbles, a dollop of fig jam, and fresh thyme leaves. Bake at 375 for 5 minutes, just to heat everything.

s'more bread pudding

from Giorgio's

sunday feast

This afternoon, I went over to my friend Julia's for a movie day. 

For such an occasion, most people would make popcorn. 

Julia cooked a duck.

It was stuffed with an obscene amount of garlic and sage, and coated in mustard (and more sage). And it was utterly amazing.

My contribution was rosemary cornbread. I used this recipe, but as one of the commenters suggested, used a combination of 1/3 c. white sugar + 1/3 c. brown sugar for the sugar, and used melted butter instead of vegetable oil. Also, I added 1 TBSP chopped fresh rosemary.

For dessert, Julia made cranberry pie. Yummm!

dear food porn...

I received the following e-mail yesterday:


Dear Food Porn,

I miss you. You make my lunch time even better. I wish you would come back soon.

Sincerely,
Bored at Lunch


Thank you, concerned food porn viewer!
It's true. I've been slacking on the new posts lately. But never fear! I have plans for some delicious food this weekend. Stay tuned...

shrimp & andouille sausage with cheesy grits

Thanks to Kristen Jones for this fantastic recipe!

1.5 lbs shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails off

Cajun seasoning

1 link andouille sausage, diced

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3-4 green onions, chopped (reserve green parts for garnish)

1/2 jar roasted red peppers, chopped

2 TBSP tomato paste

1 TBSP flour

1 cup chicken broth

Juice of half a lemon

1/2 cup heavy cream

4 cups milk

2 cups water

1.5 cups quick grits

1 TBSP butter

1 1/2 cups (or more) grated white cheddar

Sprinkle shrimp with Cajun seasoning & set aside while you chop other ingredients.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a little olive oil & saute shrimp briefly. Remove shrimp to a plate.

Cook sausage in same skillet until brown. Add onion, garlic & white parts of green onion; saute until tender. Add roasted red peppers, a little more Cajun seasoning, and tomato paste.

Add about a tablespoon of flour (may need to add some additional butter/oil if sausage doesn't render much fat) and cook 1 minute. Add chicken broth & lemon juice; bring to a boil & simmer over medium heat til thickened.

Meanwhile, bring milk & water to a slow boil, add some salt. Slowly whisk in grits & cook 5-7 mins until thickened.

Add cream to vegetable mixture, then put shrimp back in pan.

Add butter & cheese to grits, taste for salt & add some black pepper. Serve shrimp over grits; garnish with green onions & hot sauce if you like.

homemade ricotta gnocchi

This was my first time making gnocchi from scratch. It's something I've been meaning to try for a while, and I was inspired to finally do it today after I watched Michael Symon's cooking show ("How to cook like an Iron Chef") on the Cooking Channel.

Turns out making gnocchi is incredibly easy. And if you've ever thought that gnocchi is dense, then you haven't had homemade.
Light, fluffy deliciousness.

Click here for the recipe.

I'm not a big eggplant fan, so I skipped that part of the recipe. Instead, I sautéed some sliced shallots and diced red bell pepper, and added that to the gnocchi in butter & lemon sauce. Then wilted in some spinach during the last couple minutes.

homemade cinnamon swirl bread

You're getting verrrry sleeeeepy...

Cinnamon bread French toast... yum!

brussels sprout gratin

I happen to think that the brussels sprout is delightful on its own, just simply roasted with a little olive oil, salt & pepper. Or sautéed with a little garlic and served with a squeeze of lemon juice. 

But sometimes even the best of intentions get smothered in creamy sauce and oozing cheese. Don't fight it.

I started out with this recipe (halved), and made these adjustments:

-for the milk, I used 2 parts skim, 1 part heavy cream

-added a pinch of nutmeg to the sauce

-used a mixture of swiss & fontina cheeses

-switched to the broiler for the last few minutes, to brown the cheese

sesame beef

buttermilk waffle

with homemade cranberry sauce and bits of candied ginger.