Here’s to a new year and new beginnings!

In my last post I couldn’t help but mourn the loss of my long standing good friend the point and shoot camera that I had used it to create many a good memories. So I feel is only fitting to write it’s obituary here.

This Point and shoot camera having passed on Christmas Day 2009 was well into its fifth year of service and had become obsolete by today’s camera standards. In a world full of DLSR’s and high resolution photos this point and shoot camera struggled to make an honest living shooting food porn. Despite its short comings in megapixels, ISO and Aperture ratings, it had been known to be able to hold its own on a good day against many DSLR’s when it came to photographing its favorite subject of all; Food Porn. While many other cameras would shutter upon gaining such information as to its profession; this point and shoot was proud of its work and didn’t mind long hours of monotonously shooting food in the nude. This well known camera had been known to say many a nights “it’s a dirty job but somebody has to do and it might as well be me”. Survived by none, missed by many a food porn subjects past, the world will forever be a little less nude.

Well now that that is out of the way… Say hello to the new hotness!

This is my new baby! I finally decided that it was time to cough up the dough and get myself a camera that is truly worthy of continuing my food porn legacy. While I know my shots of the bistro salad are not 100 percent up to par with what one would expect from a DSLR. I must say I can already see a noticeable difference and cannot wait to learn all the fine tuning options that are now available at my fingertips.

I wanted to share one of my favorite salads with you because it is a time for new beginnings and I’m pretty sure many of you made a New Year’s resolution to eat a little healthier and possibly lose some weight over the next year. At least I know that was part of my New Year’s resolution and the bistro salad will probably be a big player in that effort. While I know this salad is not the healthiest of salad options out there (probably because we use the bacon fat in the dressing) it is a lot better for you then say a croquet monsieur (which is sounding pretty tasty right now).

The Bistro salad is quick and easy to make and comes directly from one of my all time favorite cook books, The Joy of Cooking. The Joy of Cooking Cook Book is full wisdom and recipes and should be an essential part of every cooks cook book arsenal. It is fresh and delicious and tastes like my favorite of all time foods…. bacon! …. Mmmm…. Bacon…..

Bistro Salad
From The Joy of Cooking

Ingredients:

8oz thick cut bacon, cut crosswise into ½ inch strips
Enough extra virgin olive oil to make ½ cup total
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tblespoon minced parsley
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 heads large frisee, torn into bite-sized pieces
Courtons
6 poached eggs well drained and trimmed

Directions:

Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Pour the fat into a glass measuring cup and add olive oil until ½ cup reached. Set aside.
Cook shallots until softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until softened and fragrant.
Add red wine vinegar scraping up the browned bits in the pan for 30 seconds.
Whisk in the reserved bacon fat mixture and stir in parsley, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, place in a salad bowl frisee.
Toss with bacon and croutons. Top with poached eggs.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner I wanted to post a little bit about the Thanksgiving holiday at The Gourmet Foodie Blog household. I love Thanksgiving! What food blogger in their right mind wouldn’t? I mean, who could wish for a holiday more focused on food then Thanksgiving itself?!?

I personally feel blessed as my family has a long standing tradition of getting the largest group of family and friends (all are welcome at our celebration) possible together for the holiday! An average Thanksgiving holiday will have 12 – 15 people minimum! With this many people in attendance leaving the cooking to one individual or couple would be utter insanity. So The Gourmet Foodie Blog family; (like many other large families I assume) have each couple (or individual) responsible for a dish. The dishes range from gourmet desserts, to secret family recipes that have been passed from one generation to the next.

For Jess and I we use this holiday as an opportunity to expose our family to some of our favorite recipes we have created over the course of the year. As I posted earlier this year one of my favorite recipes of all time was (*wait what*…Was?) lobster macaroni and cheese. Lobster macaroni and cheese is a great way to gourmet up a classic favorite. While many would feel that lobster macaroni and cheese couldn’t be improved upon…. I beg to differ…..

About two months ago Jess and I were enjoying this delectable dish when Jess had an epiphany. How much better would this be with pancetta?!?

“Pancetta?!?” I thought. You’re right! Who doesn’t love Pancetta?!? … Well the only people I can think of are those who don’t already love the flavor of bacon; but that is a sad bunch to begin with.

The idea had been thought of but the opportunity to try this recipe out had been lacking, until this weekend that was. My parents had been working their tails off out at the farm and have had little time to get out so Jess and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give this recipe a try! Well needless to say pancetta macaroni and cheese is a new favorite! So much so that we plan on bringing this gourmet macaroni and cheese to our Thanksgiving celebration so the whole family can get a taste! The Pancetta gives this dish just the right amount of saltiness to create an even more gourmet version of an already gourmet dish. While I’m somewhat disappointed that our gourmet pancetta lobster macaroni and cheese won’t be on the main stage of our event I am excited about the opportunity to share something I love with friends and family!

I hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving from our table to yours!

Pancetta & Lobster Macaroni & Cheese Recipe

Ingredients:

2 seven ounce lobster tails or 1 lobster – room temperature, cut into small cunks
12 ounces pancetta diced
5 ounces unsalted butter
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cup whole milk
3 ounces Cheddar, shredded
3 ounces Fontina, shredded
3 ounces Gruyere, shredded
12 ounces macaroni pasta

Directions:

1. Cut the butter in to once ounce cubes. Place 4 ounces of butter in a small pot and melt slowly over low heat.
2. Add the lobster meat and cook for 5 -7 minutes or opaque in color. Claw meat will cook faster so make sure to check this after 3 – 4 minutes of cooking.
3. When cooked remove from heat and remove lobster meat. Set aside.
4. In a small pan cook the pancetta until slightly crispy.
5. Place a pot on high heat with heavily salted water for boiling the macaroni.
6. Melt 1 ounce butter in medium sized pot over medium/high heat. Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes stirring constantly until the mixture browns and develops a nutty smell.
7. Stir in the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Add the milk and, again, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes.
8. While this is simmering your water should have reached a roaring boil. Add macaroni to your pot of boiling salted water.
9. When your cream sauce has simmered for 3 minutes slowly add the three cheeses, a handful at a time, and stir until fully incorporated.
10. When the pasta is fully cooked pour the pasta into a colander to drain off water. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the cheese sauce. Mix well. Fold in the cooked lobster meat and pancetta; serve immediately.

I love bacon.

There I said it.

And because I love bacon I love to try an incorporate it into many of the dishes that I make (it’s a sickness I know). While I may not like it enough to dip it in chocolate or mix it into my cupcake mix (that takes it a little too far if you ask me those people need even more help then I do) I do like to add it when a dish is missing a little something.

A while back I had picked up some fresh scallops that had arrived at the local grocery store and made myself some seafood primavera. While the dish turned out pretty good I felt as though it was missing something. Which is probably why it didn’t turn out to be a post on my blog despite the fact that I took the time to photograph the dish in the first place.

Well this weekend I was looking back though some of my “close but not good enough” meals that I had made in the past and came across my seafood primavera recipe and remembered that there was just something about it that didn’t make me go “YUM!” And for some reason (maybe it was because I had just eaten a bacon filled breakfast) it hit me why not use bacon wrapped scallops?!?

So I ran to the grocery store and got everything that I needed for dinner that night. Then instead of just pan searing the scallops for the pasta primavera I wrapped them in bacon and that definitely did the trick!

Bacon wrapped pasta primavera is now one of my favorite dishes. I think it’s funny how sometimes you can change a dish from okay to fantastic with the addition of one or two ingredients. Maybe this is why I love cooking so much. I love to take recipes and try them out and then think about what I could add or take away to make the dish just a little bit better. While many dishes I make seem to be perfect in nature there are just as many that I feel could use a little tweaking.

This dish is best served with a little white wine on a beautiful fall afternoon. It is light in flavor and hearty enough to fill you up. Jess and I filled ourselves silly with this dish and still had some leftovers!

Bacon Wrapped Scallops Primavera

Ingredients:

• 10 Fresh Scallops
• 10 Slices Hickory Smoked Bacon
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Green Bell Pepper
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
• ½ Pound Spaghetti Pasta
• ½ cup white wine

Directions:

1. Wrap each scallop with 1 slice of bacon securing with a tooth pick.
2. In a separate pan begin to boil water for pasta.
3. Add Pasta to boiling water cook according to directions.
4. Pan-sear the bacon wrapped scallops until bacon has fully cooked.
5. Slice Peppers and place in pan on medium heat. Add wine and simmer until soft. Approximately 7 minutes.
6. Dain cooked pasta and combine with peppers and wine in a separate bowl. Plate spaghetti and top with bacon wrapped scallops.

As the rain starts to fall here in Texas the grills slowly turn off as the winter months slowly come into view and while this may bring tears to many a grill masters it also presents opportunities for those same chefs to expand their horizons and explore what they can accomplish outside of the grill.

While most feel that cooking a steak on the stove is an unobtainable goal (which it isn’t) I like to look at the changing weather as a chance to expand past steak and visit other meats that get the shelf during the warm summer months.

I personally feel that Tuna steaks get a bad rap. I think that most people feel that they are like most fish and have that “fishy” taste to them and refuse to try them because of this. I unfortunately was like most people in the beginning and thought that surely the “fishy” taste would overwhelm any sense of satisfaction. This was until I tried sushi for the first time and realized that not all fish taste like…. Well… fish.

Tuna Steak recipes vary greatly, this is probably due to the fact that some feel as though the fish should be left “naked” to display the complexity of its flavor similar to that of a well aged steak, while others feel as though the flavor is not all that interesting and really aim to flair it up with intricate sauces and marinades. I am on the fence on this debate. While I have enjoyed a pan seared tuna steak with little more than salt and pepper I have also fallen in love with recipes where the real star is in the marinade.

This is one of those recipes. While I can appreciate the complex and delicate flavors of a freshly seared tuna steak I really love what Tyler Florence did with this recipe. The balance of the sweet and the savory really come together to create a marinade that makes this steak delectable. It has a fresh zesty taste that also carries a little kick (which is completely adjustable by the amount of jalapeno added)!

I personally only used 1 ½ jalapenos when I made this as I like a little heat but I don’t like to tear up when eating well maybe I do… but not because the meal is overwhelmingly hot….

Pan-Seared Tuna with Avocado, Soy, Ginger, and Lime
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Ingredients

• 2 big handfuls fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno, sliced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• Pinch sugar
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (6-ounce) block sushi-quality tuna
• 1 ripe avocado, halved, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the cilantro, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir the ingredients together until well incorporated.

Place a skillet over medium-high heat and coat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the tuna generously with salt and pepper. Lay the tuna in the hot oil and sear for 1 minute on each side to form a slight crust. Pour 1/2 of the cilantro mixture into the pan to coat the fish. Serve the seared tuna with the sliced avocado and the remaining cilantro sauce drizzled over the whole plate.

I am on a mission…..

And when I’m on a mission nothing can stand in my way. Not even the sacred traditions of what time certain meals are to be enjoyed.

Heck who am I kidding? I love to do breakfast for dinner all the time! Maybe it’s the kid in me but there is something about it that is comforting to me when you take a traditional breakfast meal and make it for dinner (like French toast).

But this week was a little different not only was this inspiration part kid it was also part MacGyver of me as I try to clean out my fridge (the very important mission).

Why is this such an important mission? Well in two weeks I will be taking a 1 week long vacation! I’m going to be heading north to Minnesota to stay at my family’s cabin in an effort to escape the heat of Texas.

Well I’m actually going because…well….I need a vacation…. Don’t we all?

As I was on this mission I noticed that a had an unusually large amount of Gruyere cheese left that desperately needed consuming (at least that’s what I told myself) as well as a couple dozen farm fresh eggs. Now when I say farm fresh eggs were talking strait from my parents neighbors farm where the chickens run free and peck at your feet as you collect your eggs fresh. I can’t even begin to tell you the difference these eggs make when you are baking (or in my case making Croque-Madames).

What I love about the Croque-Madame is the fact that it takes the already super delicious Croque-Monsieur and slams a fried egg on top to improve the already super nutritional meal. I can’t help but feel when the Croque-Madame was invented the very talented chef was on a mission to clean out his/her fridge as they were on their way to vacation.

I can even hear them in the kitchen going…. Gruyere…. Ham….Bread… well I could definitely do a Croque-Monsieur ….but what the heck am I going to do with all those eggs? I’m leaving for vacation in a week…. Hum… this gives me an idea!

To being our Croque-Madame we in fact start by creating a Croque-Monsieur. In a small saucepan melt some butter over low heat. Then add 2 tablespoons of flour and cook stirring for two minutes to create your (yup you guessed it) roux. What I love about a Roux is that all great sauces tend to begin with one!

Next we whisk in our milk and bring to a boil. The sauce will begin to thicken as we reduce the heat and allow to simmer for five minutes.

While the sauce is simmering shred a ½ cup Gruyere cheese. Add this and the mustard into the sauce and whisk until the cheese is melted.

Remove this form the heat and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. You now have a classic Mornay sauce (Which is one of the best parts of the Croque-Monsieur/Madame).

Now it’s time to build your sandwich. I know the recipe says to place the sauce on first but I find this difficult and confusing. Begin by buttering one side of our bread and placing it butter side down on a pan. Next spread 1 tablespoon Mornay sauce over your slices.

Stack your sandwich high with ham and some moderately thick slices of Gruyere. Don’t go skimping on the Gruyere here (you’ll thank me later).

Butter the remaining slices of bread and place them butter side up on top of the Gruyere. Allow these to cook on your skillet for a few minutes on each side until each side is a golden brown.

Spread the remaining Mornay sauce and place these in a broiling pan. If you don’t have a broiling pan don’t panic as it’s not really necessary here as this will not need to drain anything. Broil your sandwiches until the Mornay sauce begins to brown (about 2 minutes). While these are browning quickly fry up some eggs to place on top. When the Croque-Monsieurs come out of the oven allow to cool for 10 seconds and then make them Croque-Madames by placing the fried eggs on top. Bon Appetite!

Croque-Madame
A slightly altered recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
6 ounces thinly sliced Gruyere
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
8 slices firm white sandwich bread, crusts discarded
¼ pound thinly sliced ham

Directions:

Make the Sauce:

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small heavy sauce pan over moderately low heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to make a roux. Whisk in milk and bringto a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop enough cheese to measure ½ cup. Whisk chopped cheese and mustard into sauce, then whisk until cheese is melted. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with nutmeg. Cover with wax paper placed directly on surface to keep warm.

Make The Sandwich:

Lay 4 slices bread on work surface. Divide ham and remaining cheese slices among them. Spread 1 tablespoon Mornay sauce evenly on each of remaining bread slices and invert over ham and cheese. Spread half of remaining butter evenly on top of sandwiches and transfer, buttered sides down, to an oven proof 12 inch skillet. Spread remaining butter on top of sandwiches. Cook over low heat, turning ounces, until both sides are golden, 6 to 8 minutes total.

Preheat broiler. Leaving sandwiches in skillet, spread tops of sandwiches evenly with remaining Mornay sauce. Broil 5 to 6 inches from heat until sauce is bubbling and golden in patches, about 2 minutes. Transfer sandwiches to plates.

I wasn’t planning on posting this today.

In fact, I wasn’t planning on posting this at all….

But this dish was so delicious I just couldn’t think of anything that I could have posted in its place. Lucky for you and (more importantly) me that I like to photograph almost all of the meals I make just in case something like this comes up.

The funny thing is Steak au Poivre or “pepper steak”, is traditionally cooked with a filet mignon. Steak au Poivre is coated with loosely cracked peppercorns and seared to create a peppercorn crust to provide a pungent but complementary counter point to the high-quality beef. Steak au Poivre is usually seared at high temperature to cook the outside crust quickly while leaving the interior rare to medium rare and is traditionally served with a cognac pan sauce. What’s funny about this you ask?

Well the other day I was cruising through my gourmet cookbook looking for a little different way to dress up a steak. I came across this recipe and almost dismissed it because it called for New York Strips rather then the traditional filet mignon. That would have been a terrible tragedy.

What I love about this recipe is the very sophisticated flavors that have been balanced almost perfectly. The shallot and cognac pan sauce work wonderfully to balance the sharp contrast of the crushed peppercorns to create harmony in a dish that not only tastes great but really brings out the full flavor of a good steak. The fact that this recipe broke down my barriers with regards to the meat selection which means I now have a go to recipe for just about anytime I cook a steak. I have yet to try this however; I suspect that other cuts of meats may be just as delicious in the end….

To being Steak au Poivre, coarsely crush peppercorns in a sealed plastic bag and beat with the bottom of a heavy skillet. Crushing rather then grinding fresh peppercorns is key to the success of this dish as the intense bursts of flavor caused by biting into the little chunks of pepper are hallmarks of the dish. Pat your steaks dry and press the crushed peppercorns onto both sides of the steak at room temperature and let sit for a few minutes. While the recipe calls for the meat to sit at room temperature for 1 hour I really don’t recommend this as this places your steak in the temperature danger zone for too long a period for me to recommend it, especially for a steak that is traditionally cooked rare which can be risky in and of itself.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and season your steaks with a coarse salt. Heat some oil and butter in a 10 inch skillet over moderately high heat. Once the foam subsides add steaks and cook for 4 to 5 minutes for medium rare flipping once halfway through cooking.

Transfer the steaks to a baking sheet and place them in the oven. To keep warm and cook a little more while you prepare your pan sauce. Make sure you create your pan sauce quickly as your steaks will cook at this temperature. Take to long and your steak will go from rare to well done if you dilly dally (did I just use that phrase?).

Sweat some shallots and remaining butter until the shallots have softened which should take about a minute. Add your cognac (oh how I love the smell of cognac on the stove something about it is just so aromatic!) and bring this to a boil. Boil the cognac until it has been reduced to a glaze, which should take about 2 minutes.

Add your heavy cream and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to about ¾ cup. This should take about 3 minutes. That’s it! I know this is traditionally served with various forms of mashed potatoes however, I love to substitute some extremely aldente cooked noodles to add a little more crunch to my dish. I highly recommend you make this for dinner tonight!

Steak au Poivre
From The Gourmet Cook Book

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons black peppercorns
4 (¾ inch thick) boneless top loin steaks aka New York or Kansas City etc.(about 8 oz each)
Coarse Salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablesppons unsalted butter
¼ cup minced shallots
½ cup Cognac
2/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Coarsely crush peppercorns in a sealed plastic bag, or between two sheets of wax paper, with the bottom of a heavy skillet
Pat steaks dry. Press pepper onto both sides of steaks and let stand at room temperature, loosely covered with wax paper for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Season steaks with salt. Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a 10 to 11 inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides. Add steaks in 2 batches and cook, turning once, until meat is just springy to the touch, 4 to 5 minutes per batch for medium-rare. With a slotted spatula, transfer steaks to a baking sheet with sides and keep warm in oven.
Pour off fat in skillet, then add shallots and remaining 2 tablespoons butter and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until shallots are softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cognac, bring to a boil, and boil until reduced to a glaze, about 2 minutes. Add cream and any meat juices accumulated on baking sheet, bring to a boil and boil stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to about ¾ cup about 3 minutes. Season with salt.

*Post Update* I have recently added another version of this gourmet macaroni and cheese recipe Gourmet Pancetta Lobster Macaroni & Cheese

I think it’s about time for me to give you one of my favorite recipes. It’s one that combines the two worlds in which I live; in a Martha Stewart meets everyone else sort of way. I think that there is this stigma about the world of gourmet cooking and the difficulty involved in its creation.

To me really “gourmet” cooking has more to do with the ingredients then the way in which the plate is decorated. While something can look elegant via photos it can also be something completely different when tasted. The Fancy Fast Food blog is a perfect example of this.

Fancy Fast Food blog takes every day fast food items and makes them look gourmet by changing the way in which they are presented. While the meal looks gourmet it really doesn’t taste that way! This is why I believe that ingredients play more of a crucial role in creating a gourmet meal then presentation. Now don’t get me wrong presentation does play an integral part in creating a meal it may not be the end all be all to the definition of gourmet cooking!

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese brings the best of both worlds together. While the presentation is seemingly that of an everyday meal the flavor and complexity is definitely gourmet!

This Lobster Macaroni and Cheese is my go to recipe when I feel like making a down home meal that still has the flavors and complexities of a truly gourmet creation. Not only is this meal delicious, Lobster Macaroni and Cheese is kid friendly too! To begin your lobster macaroni and cheese melt 4 oz of butter in a small pan over low heat.

When the butter has melted add your lobster and let cook for 5 – 7 minutes or until the lobster becomes opaque in color. I usually opt to go with two 7 oz lobster tails rather than use a whole lobster to avoid additional steps in preparation. You can use a full size lobster just make sure to extract the meat properly. * Remember claw meat will cook faster and will probably need to be extracted around the 3 – 4 minute mark. Remove the lobster from the butter when cooked and set aside. While this is cooking put a pot of heavily salted water on the stove to boil.

Now it’s time to create your sauce. Start by making a simple roux which is done by melting 1 oz of butter slowly on a medium/high heat. Once the butter has melted add a tablespoon of flower and stir constantly for about 2 minutes or until it begins to brown and give off a nutty smell. This is where you pour in your heavy cream.

Bring your cream to a boil and then add your milk. Bring this to a boil then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 3 minutes.

Your water should be boiling by now so it’s time to add your macaroni noodles. I choose to go with larger macaroni noodles as the larger openings in the pasta allow for larger amounts of cheesy sauce to be contained within each bite.

When your cream sauce has cooked for 3 minutes slowly add your cheese 1 handful at a time. Be sure to allow each handful to fully melt before adding the next handful to ensure that your sauce doesn’t become clumpy in the end.

Once your noodles have finished cooking and you have strained them combine your cheese sauce and noodles in a bowl. When they have been fully combined carefully fold in your lobster that was set aside earlier. You can serve it from this bowl or place each individuals serving in a ramekin with a small piece of lobster meat on top. Bon Appetit!

Lobster Macaroni & Cheese Recipe!

Ingredients:

2 seven ounce lobster tails or 1 lobster – room temperature, cut into small cunks
5 ounces unsalted butter
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 cup whole milk
3 ounces Cheddar, shredded
3 ounces Fontina, shredded
3 ounces Gruyere, shredded
12 ounces macaroni pasta

Directions:

1. Cut the butter in to once ounce cubes. Place 4 ounces of butter in a small pot and melt slowly over low heat.
2. Add the lobster meat and cook for 5 -7 minutes or opaque in color. Claw meat will cook faster so make sure to check this after 3 – 4 minutes of cooking.
3. When cooked remove from heat and remove lobster meat. Set aside.
4. Place a pot on high heat with heavily salted water for boiling the macaroni.
5. Melt 1 ounce butter in medium sized pot over medium/high heat. Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes stirring constantly until the mixture browns and develops a nutty smell.
6. Stir in the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Add the milk and, again, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes.
7. While this is simmering your water should have reached a roaring boil. Add macaroni to your pot of boiling salted water.
8. When your cream sauce has simmered for 3 minutes slowly add the three cheeses, a handful at a time, and stir until fully incorporated.
9. When the pasta is fully cooked pour the pasta into a colander to drain off water. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the cheese sauce. Mix well. Fold in the cooked lobster meat and serve immediately.

Do you still call a big pizza chain to get your pizza?

Can I ask you why?

In this post I wanted to make a case as to why you should never; I mean NEVER, order pizza again:

1. Unless you live under a rock you have probably seen via YouTube what happens to food in these places. Not exactly appetizing….
2. You can make a pizza for about half of the cost.
3. Homemade pizza can be made in less time than it would take for them to deliver it to you! Especially on the weekend!

Still don’t believe me huh? Okay well I guess I will take a moment to show you how quick, easy, delicious, and fun this really can be!

First you need to roll out your pizza dough. Now you can make this from scratch if you would like and nothing truly compares to homemade pizza dough. However, seeing as how we are trying to save time, store bought dough will do just fine.

Next, add your pizza sauce. I personally make my pizza sauce by using some sicilian seasoning. It is quick and easy as well. Again, if you are trying to save some time and money you can find this at the local grocery store too.

This is where pizza making gets fun. Add whatever toppings you want. Be creative! Think of all the ingredients you wanted to have on your pizza but were told that they couldn’t do it! Keep this sane though; think of what each ingredient will bring to the table. Combining anchovies and pineapple might seem like a good idea at first but may be regretted later.
Seeing as how I am a long time fan of delicious meats I created a pizza that is literally mounded with meat. If you however, are more vegetable minded and don’t want to see the heaping pile of meat monstrosity I created, then click here.

For me my `meat lovers’ pizza starts out with some freshly grated mozzarella, provolone, romano, asiago, and parmesan cheeses! Then I top this will pepperoni, mushrooms, pancetta (try getting that added to your next chain ordered pizza), Italian sausage, oregano, parsley and finally some more asiago and mozzarella cheese! Now that is a hearty pizza. Just look how high that is stacked up!

Put your pizza in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes depending on how crispy you want your crust and you are done! Once your pizza comes out give it a few moments to cool and dig in.

Now if you are meat adverse there is always the vegetarian option. My wife went this route as she was not feeling the meaty heart attack I was soon to be facing. For her margarita style pizza she used some fresh sliced mozzarella, tomato, and basil. Put your pizza in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes depending on how crispy you want your crust and you are done! Once your pizza comes out give it a few moments to cool and dig in.

What’s that you ask? Where’s the photo of the finished margarita pizza you ask? Well let’s just say that someone (who will remain nameless) was so excited by their creation they didn’t wait for photos to be taken. I guess I could have taken a picture of the empty plate but unfortunately that would have been a little dull as the plate was licked clean.

I think that the best part of homemade pizzas come from the creativity that you can use when creating your own personal masterpiece. A while back we used this as a party concept where we had all of our guests create their own pizza. It was tons of fun and super easy to do! Simply put out all of the ingredients you think your guests might like to cover their pizza with and let them go at it. Since the pizzas only take a few minutes to cook everyone will have a completed personalized pizza to dine on all at the same time!

Ryan’s Meat Loving Homemade Pizza

Ingredients:
• ½ pizza dough (8 inch thin crust)
• 3oz pizza sauce
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup shredded provolone cheese
• ¼ cup shredded romano cheese
• ½ cup shredded asiago cheese
• ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 Italian sausage
• 25 pepperoni slices
• ¼ cup sliced mushrooms
• ½ cup diced pancetta

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Roll pizza dough into a thin circle.
3. Spread pizza sauce evenly over the surface of the dough leaving approximately ¼ inch outer ring.
4. Add remaining ingredients.
5. Cook approximately 10 -15 minutes.

Jessica’s Homemade Margarita Style Pizza

Ingredients:
• ½ pizza dough (8 inch thin crust)
• 3oz pizza sauce
• 4oz sliced mozzarella cheese
• ½ tomato sliced
• 2oz basil chopped

Directions:
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
7. Roll pizza dough into a thin circle.
8. Spread pizza sauce evenly over the surface of the dough leaving approximately ¼ inch outer ring.
9. Add remaining ingredients.
10. Cook approximately 10 -15 minutes.

What’s special about this burger you ask?

You’ll just have to read more to find out.

I was so impressed with the buffalo burger I tried at Twisted Root the other week that when opportunity knocked I had to answer. The opportunity this week happened to be me finding some buffalo meat at Market Street yesterday as I was picking up some last minute groceries.

One of my favorite things about buffalo meat is that it is an extremely lean meat. This means you can add all kinds of not so healthy stuff to it to make it even more delicious and you won’t feel as guilty as you would had if you had done this to a regular burger patty.

So what makes this buffalo burger special besides the buffalo…

It has been stuffed with mozzarella and slathered with pesto! This combination is a one- two punch that will knock your taste buds right out of your mouth! I loved this burger. The melt in your mouth cheese makes this burger unexpectedly savory. Another great point (especially for those who love a little heat down here in the south) is the fact that you could put a couple of sliced jalapenos inside as well to give that unexpected punch a kick to go with it!

Mozzarella & Pesto Stuffed Buffalo Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean buffalo meat
• 4 oz of mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon McCormicks hamburger seasoning (I know it’s a cheat but it’s so darn good)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tablespoon olive oil
• 4 tablespoons of pesto (store bought is okay)
• Desired burger veggie toppings

Directions:

1. Combine the meat, seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and olive oil in a bowl. Using your hands combine the ingredients thoroughly.
2. Separate the meat into four flat patties. Roll the mozzarella cheese into small balls and place in the center of the patty.
3. Use a cupping motion to fully incase the mozzarella in the patty. Round and flatten into a normal looking patty. Make sure no mozzarella cheese is exposed.
4. Cook on the grill until desired doneness is achieved. Place 1 tablespoon of pesto sauce on top of your burger; then top with desired veggies.

I love California sushi rolls! The only problem is making a bunch of small sushi rolls is a pain! Especially when it comes to getting the sticky rice just right! Mine never seems to have the right amount of “sticky” quality. So I wanted to make a salad recipe (because those are a lot easier to not f* up and are a heck of a lot faster to make) that tastes just like one of my favorite sushi rolls.

I must admit that I was really surprised, and pleased, with my creation as it definitely contains all of the great qualities of a California sushi roll. The creaminess of the avocado meshes perfectly with the sweet tang of the tequila lime crab meat. If you top it off with a sesame ginger dressing you won’t be able to tell the difference between the California rolls and the salad (with the exception of the neat little bite sized rolls and rice factor). So pour a shot of sake, put on your favorite sushi shop music and slip into your Zen meditation as you enjoy this great salad!

Tequila Lime Crab Salad

Ingredients:

• 16 oz fresh crab meat
• 1/2 cup tequila lime marinade
• 1 bag fresh spinach salad
• 1 avocado pitted peeled and sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup scallions minced
• 1 cup sliced pitted Greek olives
• 1/2 cucumber sliced
• 1/4 cup shredded Colby jack cheese

Directions:

In a medium sized Pyrex dish combine tequila lime marinade and crab meat. Let marinate for 1 hour in fridge.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Bake crab meat in marinade for 12 minutes.
While crab meat is baking, fill plate with remaining ingredients. Top with cooked crab meat and cheese.