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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Breakfast of Champions

Breakfast isn't usually a "thing" in our house. Weekday mornings are spent scrambling for shoes, wallet, keys, etc and dashing out the door in hopes of making it to the office on time. On weekends we are faaar too lazy to think about cooking something first thing in the morning (and doing the dishes?!). 



However, when we do decide breakfast is necessary we make a mean breakfast burrito. After a particularly fun and "spirited" Saturday night, our angry stomachs were telling us that we needed to put something in them, fast, before they started to rebel. Sooooo, breakfast burritos it was!


Breakfast
·                     Breakfast Burrito
·                     Coffee
·                     Loads of Self Pity


Depending on the mood in the house, we have been known to couple these with a Bloody Mary for me (nutrients!) and a Mimosa for Max.
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Breakfast Burritos

2 Potatoes
2 Tbs Oil
1/2 Small Onion
2 Eggs
2-4 Flour Tortilla Shells
Shredded Cheese
Salsa
Tin Foil
Anything Else Burrito Worthy in the Fridge

1.                  Start by cutting up the potato into 1 inch chunks. Cut up the onion into bits also (I like them bigger so Max can pick them out).

2.                  Add oil to a fry pan over medium heat, add potatoes and onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until the onions are just about soft, turn down the heat and cover the pan until the potatoes are cooked through and soft.

3.                  Turn the heat in the pan back up to medium. Crack the eggs into a bowl and mix them up (like you would scrambled eggs), pour into the pan, quickly mixing them with the potatoes and onions.

4.                  When the eggs are cooked through, pour in your salsa, mix it over medium heat until heated through and the salsa doesn't appear watery.

5.                  Heat up your tortillas and pour the mixture evenly between the tortillas, sprinkle with cheese, then wrap them up like burritos. 

6.                  Take a small piece of tinfoil and wrap the burrito in it, let it stand for about 3 minutes before eating (this will soften up the shell more, melt the cheese, and let all the ingredients "meet").
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Saturday, August 28, 2010

Strawberries and Walnuts and Salads, Oh My!

How? How do strawberries and walnuts and salads go together? Well, wonderfully. 

Fruits, nuts, and lettuce always seems to go great together. I know, I know, you ask: "but what about salad dressing? Do you just call that dressed enough? Or do you bury the fresh flavors with a commercially bought dressing? Just oil and vinegar? What?!".

Our dinner last night was the perfect example of how to compliment a "fresh" salad without making the dressing the center of attention. 

Since we are going to a big 'ol Birthday party for yours truly tonight, there is no wine review for last night. Just saving up the little friend of mine I call "Liverace" (first name Wladziu Valentino? Produces bile? Anyone?).

Dinner

  • Spinach and Greens Salad with Strawberries, Walnuts, and Feta
  • Special Dressing
  • Sun Tea
  • And yes, Max made himself another BBQed Pizza

Our garden strawberries are not ready yet, but I suppose if they were this would be FAR more delicious (if thats even possible).
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Strawberry Salad

Greens (Spinach and Spring Mixes are my fave)

1/4 Cup Olive Oil
5-6 Strawberries
3-4 Tbl Balsamic Vinegar
Feta
Crushed Walnuts (not too fine)

Bowl of Happiness
Assemble your salad; all the greens, the feta, walnuts, and three or so strawberries (sliced).

In a blender combine the olive oil, remaining strawberries, and vinegar (I use A LOT of balsamic, adjust this part to taste) then puree it. When you get a good consistency out of it, give it a taste. Too vinegary? Add more oil. Too oily? Add more vinegar. You get the point. 

I like to dress my salads before I plate them. I toss them with a little of the dressing and viola, summer salad!






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Friday, August 27, 2010

Birthday Dinner

Yesterday was my birthday and my wonderful husband got the car all cleaned out, showered himself up all pretty, and took me out to a delicious sushi dinner.


I was so consumed with trying to stuff as many pieces of fish in my mouth as I could that I never got a chance to take a picture, sorry. But man, it was to die for. We try a new roll every time, last nights was called "Firewire". It was simple: spicy tempura asparagus with cucumber and avocado. The entire roll lasted about 1 minute on our table, thats how good it was.


Recommendation? Anyone in the Hood River area, be sure to make a stop at Sushi Okalani, we are sushi snobs and have found no better place than this.


Also, follow your trip to sushi up with an ice cream stop at Dairy Queen, trust me.


Sushi Okalani on Urbanspoon

Thursday, August 26, 2010

A BBQed Pizza? Crazy talk.

Earlier this week I was reading and came across something interesting, a pizza cooked in the BBQ. Now, I love BBQ's, I love pizza topping, but I don't love pizza. Max loves pizza. 

Since we were both craving something different last night it seemed like the perfect time to try it out. We made two pizza doughs, a wheat free (which we have constantly had problems cooking) and a regular crust. The garden has also produced us some FANTASTIC yellow tomatoes so we used those, goat cheese, mozzarella, feta, basil, and my homemade pizza sauce as toppings. OHMYDROOLONMYSHIRT, delicious toppings!

The benefit to BBQing your pizza is that it gets a perfect crust on the outside and gets to a high enough temperature (that your everyday oven can't get to) that you get the "pizza oven" effect where your middle is light yet dense. It also infuses your pizza with a rustic smokey taste like you would find in a traditional Pizzeria 

Dinner

What success, we cooked both pizzas perfectly in the dark on our BBQ and will never go back. I love this pizza.
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BBQed Pizza

Prepared Uncooked Crust (make your own or store bought)
Oil for the Grill
Pizza Toppings


First, before you start cooking away, HEAT UP YOUR BBQ, the hotter the better. We turned ours on "max heat". --side note, pull BBQ away from vinyl siding when you have it up this high, it does melt, will post pictures later. 


Spread your pizza dough into the desired thickness and shape (I like round, Max like oval) The thinner you make this this more crispy it will be. 


Your grill should be upwards of 500 degrees at this point. Take your oil and pizza dough out to the grill. Gently (and carefully) oil the grill with a rag/brush and oil then lay the pizza dough on the grill. If there is a wayward flame turn the grill down so its not  hitting the crust directly. Close the lid and let it cook for a minute or two, until the side looks done. Remove and take back to your kitchen.

Top you pizza on the cooked side with sauce, toppings, and the kitchen sink.

On the grill.
Return the pizza to the BBQ and place (raw side down) back on an oiled grill. Let it sit at a high temperature for about 30 seconds with a closed lid then turn down the heat so as not to burn the pizza. Let it sit under the closed lid for as long as it takes to melt your toppings and cook your crust (just check it to see it doesn't burn), about 4 minutes.

If your crust is done but the toppings aren't melted, just stick it under the broiler in your oven for a couple minutes.
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Wine Verdict? 

Blech. We both found it very heartburn inducing and it had a super vinegar tinge to it with little flavor. Cute bottle though?

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Tacos, Tacos, Tacos.... and wine.


We recently went to a huge BBQ at Robanies place in Keizer. We were loured in with the promise of authentic Mexican cooking. We were not disappointed! After stuffing ourselves silly we mentally took notes (and quizzed the cook) so we could re-create later. Last night we tried...


Dinner


The most exciting thing I learned from Missy (the magical cooker of all things Mexican) was how to make Mexican style rice. I attempted this poorly but have since learned the error of my ways and put my own styles in there.
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Mexican Style Rice

1 Cup Rice

2 Tbs Vegetable Oil

1/2 Cup Onion

1-2 Tomatoes or 1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce 

Chicken Stock (follow measurement guide on rice package, use in place of water)

Salt to taste

1tsp Cumin



Puree onions in a food processor, set aside. Puree Tomatoes (if using fresh) and chicken stock in food processor, set aside.



Heat oil over medium in the bottom of a pan, not too hot or the rice will burn, but warm enough it will "fry" (this is where I went wrong). Add the rice, salt, and cumin, stir constantly and let this fry up until the rice is puffed looking. If you burn it throw it away and start over.



Stir in the tomato and chicken stock mixture and bring it to a boil, cover then turn down the heat and simmer on low until it is done (20-25 minutes-ish?). Remove from heat, let sit a minute or two, then fluff with a fork and serve.

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Wine Verdict? 

Doesn't taste half bad with Mexican food and gave us the giggles while we tried to make salsa. Worth the calories.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

What this place is...

I like wine. A lot. So does my husband. Yet wine snobs we are not. Our version of wine typically comes in a bottle (box? pshaw, only when camping), has a cork or screw top, and a smell faintly like vinegar with sour grape juice. We like it that way.

While we can sniff, swirl, and swish with the best of them, there is something comfortable and unpretentious about our "puking bear wine" (which costs us a whopping $2.99 a bottle). You might cringe but keep in mind we are newlyweds on a budget with incredibly low standards. Don't judge. 

So what goes better with wine than food? Not a whole heck of a lot.

Senior Maximus and I both love food more than wine. Sometimes we even love food more than other people. We try new recipes weekly and make old favorites whenever we can. Cooking is a form of stress relief and a way for us to connect after a long day in the outside world. Our kitchen is our haven.

So what the heckaroo does this have to do with you and why would you want to read it? We have realized what a connection wine and food has brought us as a couple and even between us and our frequent dinner guests. The world would be a better place if everyone sat down with a full glass, ate some good foods, and left their crap at the door. So be inspired, eat, drink, and enjoy!