Fajitas are usually something I order at restaurants. I love to get a sizzling skillet full of peppers, onions, seasoned beef and a stack of warm tortillas. The dish is always a feast for all the senses. When it comes to Mexican food at our house, we usually stick to tacos, nachos or burritos. Recently though, I felt the need to leave leave the usual and venture into the chicken and beef fajita territory. Why should the restaurants have all the fun (and my extra dollars)? These particular fajitas... more

Frequent readers of this blog should be well aware that during certain times of the year our local grocer marks down the beef tenderloin to a price more representative of sirloin. When this happens, we stock up. We have shared a few ways we prepare this: on the grill as bacon-wrapped fillets or in a pan with a rich cognac cream sauce and plenty of pepper – au poivre – or herb-crusted and grilled. Occasionally however, I don’t feel like doing either one so a few weeks ago when I found myself... more

We invited our neighbors over for a “how to smoke barbecue ribs” session a while back. There’s nothing like a lazy afternoon with your neighbors, sitting in the backyard as the baby back ribs smoke in the background. One of our favorite things about our neighborhood is the neighbors we share it with. We couldn’t have asked for more when we bought our house three and a half years ago. Whether it’s backyard barbecues or taking turns feeding everyone’s pets... more

Spring marks the presence of fresh vegetables. You know, the kind that didn’t grow in the ground. Artichokes, asparagus, spinach and ramps all start to make their appearance. And while Ole thinks it’s cool to grill in the middle of winter, outside with several feet of snow and a temp well below zero, I’m guessing that this is one of those things that make him stand out from the crowd. So, spring also marks the beginning of the grilling season (for the rest of the world, at... more

Disclaimer by Shaina: Yep, I saw them over here on PW, and I even told Ole that she blogged his recipe that he was working on. However, you’re still getting them, and heck, maybe it’ll help you with some of the measurement amounts. The following is a post by Ole, who made baked beans last week! I’ve always taken beans for granted.  Ten minutes before the grilling is done, you open a can of beans, pour it into a bowl, stick it in the microwave for three or four minutes, then slide... more

Sometimes you need a showstopper.  Maybe you are trying to impress a date with your cooking skills, maybe you need to show up some food snobs at your next dinner party, or maybe you’re just having an old friend over.  Recently for us, it was the latter.  Our good friend Joel hadn’t been over in a while so we thought we’d wow him with my new favorite way to have a steak (that doesn’t require a grill).  The only condition for him was that to earn his meal, he needed to be... more

We try to maintain active social lives, and even though the O6 are a busy family, we usually are able to cram all of our family commitments in and still have time for the occasional show at First Ave. , movie with the gang, or random gathering at a local dining establishment.  This was not the case last week.  We were invited to a happy hour at The Lyndale Tap House, a bar in Uptown Minneapolis which specializes in a classic Baltimore cuisine (yeah, I know, that sounds like an oxymoron) – pit... more