A Philly cheesesteak isn’t something to mess with, so we didn’t. Instead, we created our own variety of steak sandwich, topped off with a mound of fresh grilled vegetables and a simple chipotle mayo for a bit of kick. It is the combination we keep coming back to. The vegetables balance the steak and cheese and serve to lighten things up a bit. I even topped mine with some iceberg we had sitting around taking up space to give a little crunch. For these we’re using leftover bacon-wrapped... more

It’s Wednesday, and I’m having a hard time grasping the concept that I have two full days of work ahead of me before the weekend. Two. Full. Days. Granted, I work from this very seat I’m sitting in now and much of it is done before I shower or change out of my pajamas. With Kola Nut having his last day of preschool Tuesday, the list of possible reasons for showering before 2:00 pm was just slashed in half. Still, I work. What do you do when Hump Day’s “hump”... more

I’ve been wanting to buy fingerling potatoes for a while, and they have finally appeared on my local supermarket’s shelves. I am a big fan of the thin-skinned new potatoes, and fingerlings have a similar skin. However, these potatoes are fully mature when harvested and have a different flavor than new potatoes. These made their appearance served alongside the bacon-wrapped tenderloin and grilled asparagus. It was an easy meal to put together, and I spent the downtime in the grass... more

Seeing as how my prior post about bacon wrapped tenderloin medallions glazed over a few steps, I will attempt to fill in these gaps for you.    Tenderloin went on sale again and this time for $4.99/lb – what a steal!  So, even though I had some of these goodies already prepared and waiting in the freezer, I decided to make some more.  The deal was just too good to pass up.  So this time around I was able to take more pictures to better illustrate the process of preparing these carnivorous... more

I’m not Japanese, I don’t claim to know anything about Japan.  I do watch Iron Chef, but the only things I learn from that are how to make fish ice cream and brain pudding.  You will not find these things in my posts.  I do, however, dabble in very Americanized Asian cuisine. A few years ago I found an easy recipe for teriyaki sauce, and since then, I have modified it, made it a dozen times and experimented with it on various meats.  Some have been successful, others have not, and... more

So, I realize that some of the things we do for meals may seem more involved than you want to get on your average weekday evening. Have you seen the Make-Ahead Meals section? Trust me. We have those nights too. In fact, we have those nights an average of 5 out of the 7 days in any given week…so we plan for them by alternating the involved with the less involved. However, some things that seem difficult are not. For instance, if you think guacamole takes a long time to make, you are mistaken.... more

There is a place in my heart that is occupied by a Chipotle burrito (or a bol). It’s a large place on account of the size factor, so it’s hard to miss. In fact, I don’t know that there are many days I would turn down a Chipotle burrito if it were offered to me. The appeal of Chipotle to me is the stretchy tortilla, the fragrant lime and cilantro rice, the guacamole mounded right near the end just before wrapping…the fact that I don’t need to get chili-corn salsa.... more