Waiting to Exhale

I'm just writing to apologize to my loyal readers. I know it's been a while since I've posted some Bobby Flay fun, but let me explain.

Matt and I are poor.


Okay, we're not poor. But, we've got a lot of awesome vacations coming up and we've got to save a bit of money. I've cooked through a lot of the "cheaper" dishes and I'm just not prepared for lobster and squab just yet. We are eating, I am cooking Bobby Flay, just not new stuff.
I promise to return soon and to dominate my timeline!! I've got until Jan 2011! I'm golden.

I've added a picture of our cat, Punkin, after his bath...to make you smile and forgive me.

Blood Diamond

Tonight, I just made an appetizer. I made a Black Bean and Goat Cheese Torta. I also made a Black Bean and Monterey Jack Cheese Torta for my husband. He still hates the goat cheese. To be honest, I didn't love the goat cheese this time either. Goat cheese has such a strong taste... I don't know. I liked it last time. It was still tasty, but had a very strong goat taste.

Also, I cut myself on the black bean can top. Ouch. I'm going to pull through... don't worry about me.

Groundhog Day

Tonight's recipe was supposed to be simple, and it would have been if I'd only made it once. Ha!! I made a Red Chile and Garlic Oil to go with some grilled shrimp fajitas. The oil had a whole bunch of ingredients that were to be added to the blender until liquified. The first time I made it, it just wasn't liquifying AT ALL!! Then, I realized that I was supposed to saute the garlic "until softened." Yeah, it made a big difference. So, I had to dump that batch out, re-mince the garlic, re-cut the thyme and rosemary, re-add in the chipotle, chili powder, and lime juice, and saute up the garlic and add it in. I mean, it was good, but was it worth it?? Yeah, I suppose it was. It really was quite tasty. I also made some FANTASTIC black beans and rice to go with them!! Not Bobby Flay's recipe, so no pic... but it was awesome!! Plus, I managed to get it all finished before 7pm, which keeps the husband happy!!

On a separate note, LOVING THE SPRING WEATHER!!

Invisible Woman

My friend, Dawn, came over tonight, but refused to be in a photo... despite her loveliness. So, you can see her thumbs up of tonight's appetizer. I made a Shrimp and Cilantro Pesto Quesadilla to go with our Mexican Enchilladas. It was delicious!! Bobby wanted the shrimp to be a garnish on top of the quesadilla, but I went ahead and put them inside. I think he could learn from me. Ha ha!

About Matt's cooking, he's decided that he's not going to cook all the way through the Giada book. He's just going to cook some new recipes that seem tasty... you know, to break up all the Bobby Flay, Southwestern, spiciness. Last night, he made Beef and Cheese Manicotti. It was REALLY awesome!!

Oh, and for those who voted on the poll... I'll try to get Matt to do the dishes VERY soon! But, no one's doing 'em tonight! :)

Rocky IV

After a fairly slow Bobby Flay cooking week for me, I ended with a knock out! Tonight, I punched out four recipes in one meal. I made Red Pepper Crusted Tuna Steak with a Spicy Mango Salsa and Cilantro Pesto Red Potatoes. It was all quite tasty, and surprisingly not too spicy! I had to search for something called a New Mexican Chile Pepper, which is large and dry, and grind it up in a coffee grinder with some peppercorns. Then, I dredged the tuna steaks in the spices on one side and seared that side for one minute. This turned out to be a mistake as the fish was WAY more rare than I (or even Matt) like it, though Bobby says to eat it rare. No thanks. I left them on a bit longer, and it worked out just fine.

On another note, Matt got his cookbook in the mail the other day. He begins to cook his way through Giada de Laurentii's Everyday Italian tomorrow! I'm very excited for many reasons. First, it gives me a break every now and again. Second, it breaks up the constant, spicy, salsa-covered Flay food, which is quite delicious, don't get me wrong. Anyhow, Matt's not going to blog his cooking because he types about one word a minute, but I'll keep you posted on this site and let you know how he's doing.

Do the Right Thing!

Sunday night I made Grilled Salmon with a Tomatillo-Chipotle Sauce and Black Rice. Let me tell ya how you make black rice. First, you make you're going to eat black beans. You cook 'em up, then take the black broth that remains, and that will now be your "water" for your rice. Then, you saute some onions and garlic, add the rice, add the bean "juice" and cook up the rice. WOW! That's a lot of work!! I mean, seriously.... tasty, but hard work.

On a separate note, Matt has decided he would like to cook his way through a cookbook when I'm finished. I figured, why wait? We can have a variety now and I can get a break cooking every now and again. So, he ordered an Italian cookbook online and he's gonna start that up when it comes in. I'll keep track of his progress with this blog... he's not one for writing (or reading for that matter as he isn't even one of my followers)!! More to come when the book arrives!!

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Dinner with friends! Saturday night, we dressed Matt up, and had some dinner! I made Chipotle Pork Loin with Green Apple Sauce and Apple Chutney and Sweet Potato Gratin. It was delicious. A successful dinner party. My friend Laura doesn't like spicy food; rather, she can't handle it very well. I tried to make hers less spicy, but she was sweatin' pretty badly. It was pretty funny! Hey, cleared out her sinuses.

Thanks to everyone who came and to my many blog fans for reading!! Enjoy Matt in a tie, you asked for it!