MY KITCHEN GUARDIAN

I found a 40-ish year old picture of my Grandma cooking that has been framed and is hanging on the wall overlooking my kitchen - she's my kitchen guardian!

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FAVORITE PRO-CARNIVORE QUOTES

I was watching The Cleveland Show tonight and in one scene, Cleveland's step-daughter, who was incensed at the treatment of a reindeer, offered this gem:

"Cruelty to animals is wrong - except when it results in a bacon double cheeseburger."

So I started thinking of all the great pro-meat quotes I'd heard and I decided to post a few of them ... enjoy!

"Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans, are a persistant irritant to any chef worth a damn. To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living. Vegeterians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food." — Anthony Bourdain

"There's room for all of God's creatures - right next to the mashed potatoes." - Unknown

"Vegetarian: old Indian word for 'Lousy Hunter'." - Bumper Sticker

"Behold the Venus flytrap, the complete answer to the philosophy of vegetarianism" - Tom Edwards

"Vegetarianism is harmless enough, though it is apt to fill a man with wind and self righteousness." - Robert Hutchinson

"If God did not intend for us to eat animals, then why did he make them out of meat?" - John Cleese

"Red meat is not bad for you. Now, blue-green meat--that's bad for you!" - Tom Smothers

"Vegetarian = more meat for me!" - Bumper Sticker

"Eating a plate of food that contains no animal product of any kind marks you down as a squirrel." - Jeremy Clarkson

COLD AND RAINY MORNING? MAKE BACON!

I used to rail against the "bake vs. fry" bacon debate. I was a vicious advocate for frying - would argue anyone to my point.

Then I got older and my keep-a-clean-kitchen neurosis got worse and I learned, much to my surprise, that even though SOME of the crispy-ness is lost, baking bacon provides all of the taste, with virtually NO cleanup except throwing out greasy aluminum foil!

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FANCIE WAS THEIR NAME

Another great Trader Joe's find ... was shopping with a friend the other night and in the "NEW ITEMS" section I ran up on this box. Naturally, anything with chocolate is going to catch my eye but when I noticed these were called "fancies" I did a double take.

Basically, it's a Whitman's Sampler for the jet set. A selection of "fancies", all chocolate cups with a ganache and fruit filling ... raspberry, orange, pomegranate, cherry and cranberry.

I couldn't have been more delighted when I opened the package to find, well, you see it don't you? It's just pretty! Lots of little baubles of tasty confection.

And at only $4.99 a box, they're an affordable treat for yourself OR these would make a perfect gift for that person that (barring diabetes or a criminal distaste for chocolate) you just can't ever buy for!

When you're sick ...

... you want comfort food. And, on tonight's trip to Trader Joe's comfort food = parmagianno reggiano cheese, crusty bread and a red wine with a pig on the label!

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Thanksgiving at Hartley Manor

Or as I like to call it, My Sister's House. The family gathers for Thanksgiving supper and, even with only 9 or 10 people, it's always a feast.

And then there's the fresh-from-the-garden-that-day turnips that my Mom and I picked and cleaned and then my Grandma cooked ... TASTY!

Soup's On!

Take one big old hambone - add darn near every leftover vegetable you can find in the fridge and simmer for a few hours ...

My Mama's soup is never the same and always TASTY!

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Mama in the Mustard Patch

Man it's good to get back to your roots once in a while!!

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Now that's a fried porkchop!

@ my Mama's house, she cooks pork chops for my first night here!!

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"TURKEY" CUPCAKES

Yeah, I know ... your first impression was "eeeewww" and I'd have to agree IF these cupcakes were made from turkey (although I wouldn't put it past someone like Richard Blais to give it a shot). However, they're just cupcakes in the shape of turkeys. :)

My Mom and sister put these together for the children in their church to celebrate Thanksgiving. If I'm not mistaken, they're chocolate cupcakes with a Nutter Butter for the turkey's neck and head, M&Ms for the eyes and snout, and pretzel sticks for the tail feathers.

Surprisingly, they really remind you of a turkey!

This is a case of something being cute AND tasty.

BISTRO NIKO

Had lunch today at Bistro Niko, freshly opened in the Sovereign building next to my office in Buckhead. 

It's French ... or, French-ish really.  Lots of french-sounding dishes anyway ... raclettes, terrines, tartes, etc.  Wait-staff in vests and jauntily rolled up shirt sleeves (some of them, anyway).  A huge bar with any number of I've-never-heard-of-that bottles in it. It feels like a place that could really be a welcome addition to my lunchtime dining choices ... were it not for the service. 

I came in alone and took a seat at the bar.  I was immediately noticed by the bartender/server (you know they wear a few hats nowadays) but not really "addressed" initially.  He was talking to a couple at the other end of the bar, who based on my observations were knocking back quite a bit of liquor for a noon-day meal and ordering rather willy-nilly from the menu. 

I brushed it off and asked (yes, I had to ask - at lunch - alone - at a bar - in the business district) for a menu. The menu is intriguing ... as I mentioned before, it's very French-ish so don't expect a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup for lunch.  Expect rabbit and duck and cheese and grilled chickens and ... well, bistro food.  Of which, I'm a HUGE fan. 

I ordered a mesclun salad and the "Tarte Flambee".  The salad was a mixture of bitter and sweet greens with RADISHES (love radishes).  The "tarte" was a grilled flatbread with onion, cheese and "bacon lardons" which is basically just a fancy way of saying "bacon chunks". They were tasty - I enjoyed the salad more than the tarte.  It seemed like it needed something kinda green on it.  The flavor was OK, it just seemed ... naked.  But it was tasty.  

So after I finished and asked for the check (keep in mind, it's still lunchtime and folks need to get back to work!), the bartender/server brought it, I threw down my trusty debit card ... and waited.  And waited.  And watched him converse with said couple from earlier.  And waited more.  And watched him leave the bar area and go to the kitchen to get something for said couple.  And waited.  And waited until I started to really get irritated and I think I was able to project some of that irritation his way because he came down, apologized and rang me out. 

Hey - I get that you're working for a good tip from the big spender 'round the corner there but don't count me out just because I came in, ordered a Diet Coke instead of a cocktail and had a nice quiet lunch by myself!  

And if he reads this, still, I tipped you well.  Your dismissal of me does not deserve my stiffing you on a tip.  Karma, my man. 

(Photos Below - the salad, the "tarte' and then the "tarte" as I could only eat half of it!)   

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Guess what came in my office mail today?

And I couldn't be happier! I'm ordering a few items for some other folks, but I may have to get myself a little I-work-hard-so-I-deserve-a-treat prezzie!

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The Holidays are coming! The Holidays are coming!

And a great way to celebrate is with a sugar cookie. Festive and easy (not to mention, TASTY), sugar cookies are a staple of Holiday baking and one of the very few baked goods that I am proficient at making. (I've always claimed to be a cook, not a baker)

With very little up-front cost (cookie cutters and proper bake ware are a must) you can make these holiday cookies with items you already have in your kitchen and pantry.

And for the first time ever, SmileyEats is presenting a video recipe, courtesy of Hulu.com.

Enjoy!

THRIFTY, THRIFTY, TASTY

Take three slices of leftover pork roast (diced) from two nights ago.

Add leftover stir-fry rice and vegetables from last night.

Heat through in a non-stick skillet with a bit of soy sauce, olive oil and a couple tablespoons of butter.

Cheap-ey cheap-ey ... AND tasty. :)

My Mama and Grandma probably just got chills and don't know why ... (They're both REALLY thrifty!)

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PIGEON PEAS & CHITLINS - OH MY GOODNESS!

So ... when perusing the ethnic foods aisles, I ran across two items that, well, one that made me giggle and one that just amazed me.

Take a gander at (drumroll please) Pigeon Peas! LOL - never heard of 'em but I'm going to try them soon. Also, the big old bag of chitlins (not "chitterlings", thank you very much).

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Gotta love the farmer's market

All this (apples, bananas, radishes, tangerine, lemons AND a Japanese pound cake) for less than 9 dollars!

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Simple dinner table

Had a great supper with friends last night - I thought the table (both before and after food) was simple enough to be elegant - does that make any kind of sense??

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Bad Fruit is the Devil's Joy

There's no reason an apple should have this much bruising just a day after I bought it!

Blasted big box grocery stores!

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Mac-n-Cheese but more importantly, a new casserole dish

It seemed rather urgent last weekend when I found a fantastic vintage Anchor Hocking casserole dish at a yard sale that I go home quickly and bake something in it. It was all I could do to figure out what I wanted to make and then I remembered about a month ago, while visiting my family, my sister and I baked a macaroni and cheese casserole from a recipe out of the church cookbook (thanks, Joyce! It was your recipe).

So - with a few tweaks, I re-vamped the recipe and wound up with a wonderfully cheesy dish - IN my new dish.

The recipe is simple enough -

2 cups macaroni, cooked and drained (I used large macaroni)

3 cups cheese - the original recipe wasn't specific on what kind, so I used two cups of sharp cheddar and one cup of mozzarella

1/4 cup of butter

1/4 cup of flour

2 cups of milk

1/2 onion (another tweak of mine - the original didn't call for onion)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Saute the onion in butter until translucent and cooked through - I like mine chopped fine - it melts right into the dish.

Add 1/4 cup of butter to the pan with the onions and when melted, add the flour and mix well. Once incorporated you should have a thick paste - at this point, add the milk and bring to a simmer until it thickens enough to coat a spoon.

Add the cheese to the sauce and melt, leaving a handful to sprinkle over the casserole later.

Pour the macaroni into a 2 quart casserole (If you have a fantastic one like mine, use it!) and pour the sauce evenly over the macaroni. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top - I also grated some asiago cheese over it before I put it in the oven for a little nutty flavor.

Bake at 400 degrees until bubbly and the top begins to brown - remove from the oven and rest for a good 30 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken up and become a TASTY, cheesy dish - perfect by itself OR as a side.

Hey Frenchie! I got your croissant right here!

I've made it clear that I'm a fan of Trader Joe's. From the fresh products to the wine selection to even the frozen meals. And I'm no fan of frozen meals - but Trader Joe's knows how to do it right.

In that same vein, I recently became a BIG fan of TJ's frozen croissants. A little box of goodness. You'll have to invest a number of hours for the "rise" (the directions on the box suggest between 7 and 9 hours - and boy, do they rise!) but once risen and baked, these croissant rolls are flaky and TASTY! (click a picture for larger view)

The box

About 1 hour of rise

After 8 hours of rise

Freshly baked

For breakfast, with my Mother's fig preserves

Pork-3

The title may be a bit misleading ... I was going for "Pork Cubed", as in 3 kinds of pork or pork to the third power. Sausage, bacon and roast. :) You know, the good stuff that makes life worth living.

I made sausage links this morning (bought them at The Fresh Market yesterday in anticipation of a pork craving!) and it reminded me of how many times I've taken pictures of pork! Obsession, much? Or gluttony. Either way - TASTY!

It may be "the other white meat" but to me, it's nearly the perfect meat.

Below: sausage (patties and links), bacon, and pork roast.

Put 'em together and what do ya got?

Is there such a thing as a stir-saute? Like a stir-fry, but with mostly rice and some leftover vegetables and sausage and really nothing asian at all about it?

Well if not, I've invented it. I'm calling it. It's mine - and it was tasty!

Brown rice, leftover asparagus, carrots and sausage, a little butter (cause you just gotta) and a non-stick pan. DINNER!