Do you see those tiny little crunchy bits of heaven on top of the cream? That's toffee...that's toffee.... Not since the dulce de leche latte of a couple years ago have I felt so warm and tingly towards a coffee beverage. Yum. Get one.
So what's been goin' on? I haven't posted in awhile. I'm a little short on time today and am headed home for Thanksgiving tonight so I'll give you a quickie top five for November...
1. The Great Nacho Cheese Battle of 2010 - After an epic tailgate party at the Kansas State vs. Texas football game (GO CATS!), my husband, Matt and I inherited a massive bucket of nacho cheese. "Sweet!", we thought, "We will put cheese on everything!" So we dug in, covering everything with gooey, fluorescent orange goodness.
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| Nacho Cheeseburger with Grilled Cheese Buns and a Fried Egg (you heard it!) |
Day 2: Cheese Fries
Day 3: Enchiladas
Day 4: Nacho Cheeseburgers
Day 5: Tortilla Pizzas with Nacho Cheese Sauce
Day 6: Why isn't it going away?
Day 7: Please no...
Day 8: Make it stop!
Long story short, we still have an unnatural amount of day-glo cheese goop in a pan in our refrigerator that will not die. I hate to admit defeat but I'm quite certain concession stand-style nacho cheese would survive the apocalypse....you win, cheese....well played.
2. Smoked Wings Send Taste Buds Packing - For the aforementioned tailgate party, Matt and I lit our trusty smoker much to the delight of our friends and family. We threw in the old standbys, baby back ribs and pork loins, but decided to expand our culinary arsenal and try smoking chicken wings. I may or may not have been a teensy bit heavyhanded with the black pepper. All in all, they were a great first attempt, and with some adjustment of the seasoning, should be a new favorite. In fact, they were gone before Matt even got a chance to try them! We sauced half the batch, rolling them in Sriracha, butter, and honey, before returning them to the smoker. The sauced wings were my favorite. I once heard sweet and hot wings on Triple D called "meat candy" and snickered smugly. I now understand what you mean, lady in the diner, you're totally right!
3. A Veritable Pantheon of Culinary Giants - Food Network junkies! Lend me your spoonulas! In case you missed it, the newest addition to the Chairman's weekly circus of succulence, also known as Iron Chef America, is Iron Chef Marc Forgione. Unfortunately, my girl Chef Celina Tio, of Kansas City's JULIAN, didn't make it into the finals but I hope the national publicity brought her a winfall nonetheless! Iron Chef Forgione's first battle will be shown this Sunday in all of it's sparky, mohawked glory. My wine and I will be watching!
4. Back to Basics - Matt has challenged me/us to really learn to perfect the classics in preparation for our potential future food service business. What if someone asks for meatloaf? Just a meatloaf -- and we can't whip up the most delicious meatloaf they've ever eaten? What kind of restauranteurs does that make us? So last night, I pounded out a homecooked, fairly well-rounded meal of what I called Meatloaf Rollatini, Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, and Green Beans. The meatloaf was mixed with spices, caramelized onions, and garlic, along with all the normal meatloaf fixin's, then filled with fresh spinach and parmesan cheese, rolled up and baked with the traditional zigzag of ketchup along the crest. The potatoes were sliced and layered in a pan with a quick cheese sauce made with cheddar and Italian cheeses, then topped with french fried onions and baked. The green beans were blanched and combined with crispy ham and sauteed mushrooms in a smoky liquid so simple yet tasty that I'm not sure I want to share it quite yet. It took Matt at least five minutes to make a comment because his mouth was full so it must've been good! Next I'm going to attempt a chicken fried steak and some Mom-style icicle-melting potato soup. Stay tuned!
5. Gravy Day! - Let's face it -- the turkey isn't the real MVP of Thanksgiving. Gravy is! Gravy gets the most playing time and packs the most punch. If I had a giant foam finger that said "Go Gravy!" I would wave it at every meal. Foodies, carnivores, and traditionalists unite! This week we celebrate one of the most exciting and anticipated food holidays of the year! Thanksgiving is the only federal holiday that isn't predominantly commercial and truly focuses on the family and, of course, the food. My tip for this year's dinner: Keep it simple. I have been assigned Spinach and Artichoke Dip and Homemade Mac and Cheese, dishes I've made several times. My solemn vow is to keep it simple, do it quick, and try my best to enjoy the day. I hope you all do the same! Oh right, I almost forgot, Tip #2: Buy plenty of wine. But of course you already knew that.
