I had some London broil left over from the Mediterranean salad I made the other day, and decided tacos would be a great way to use it on a warm spring day here in Oregon (a pretty rare occurrence). I found this recipe in my email from PureWow, and decided that with some simple modifications it would work well. The only change I made was due to my meat already being cooked medium rare last night when I started. I sliced it up, tossed it in the rub seasoning from the recipe, and heated it through in the cast iron skillet, making prep time much shorter.
Read moreDinner Tonight: Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with Steak
Some family friends made this a couple of years ago for a gathering, and it has become a spring/summer go to for our family every since. A nice salad of chickpeas, thinly sliced red onions, and feta cheese is dressed with a spicy vinaigrette and topped with thinly sliced medium-rare steak. This can also be made with lamb instead of beef if you prefer, which I sometimes do. Even the kids love this one, and how can a fatboy go wrong with steak on a salad?
Read moreDinner Tonight: One-pot Sausage and Peppers
Sausage, Peppers, Onions, and rich tomato sauce combine for a simple comfort. Served here on a toasted ciabatta roll.
I love good, old fashioned comfort food, as anyone who has read this blog should realize. One of my favorite foods is a nice Italian specialty that my Dad used to make once in a while (but never as often as I asked for it), sausage and peppers. He would do it on a flat top griddle, with homemade marinara cooked in a separate pot and served over the sausage and peppers on a hoagie roll.
Read moreDinner Tonight: Slow Cooker Chinese 5-Spice Spare Ribs
I love my crock pot. Like a slow oven, it can make any cut of meat a tender and delicious masterpiece with little effort. I have used this basic recipe for pork ribs in the slow cooker before, but decided to see how it would do with beef spare ribs, as i love how meaty and flavorful they can be.
Read moreReview: Woodford Reserve Mint Julep Bourbon Balls
Bourbon Balls are a uniquely Kentucky confection
On our recent trip to Kentucky I discovered the perfect candy - Bourbon Balls. A uniquely Kentucky confection, bourbon balls are an amazing mix of a velvety smooth confection and bourbon, always (at least commercially) coated in chocolate, and often served with a pecan half on top.
Read moreDinner Tonight: Chinese Bourbon Chicken
Bourbon Chicken and Rice was a simple and delicious dinner. Prepare this the night before to let the flavors soak into the chicken, and then put in the oven when you get home from work.
Read moreDinner Tonight: Shrimp and Grits
Carrie took a trip to South Carolina a few months ago, and brought me back a large bag of stone ground grits, a food I love but is impossible to find in Oregon where we live. When we were looking for something to make for dinner the other night she found this recipe. Most traditional shrimp and grits recipes include a spicy andouille sausage, so this was a surprisingly lighter alternative with bacon instead.
Read moreOn the Road: Distillery Tours Day Four
On our fourth and final day touring distilleries in Kentucky we visited two extremes as far as age. We started at one of the newest and high-tech distilleries in the state, Town Branch, and ended at the oldest continuously operating distillery in the state, Buffalo Trace. The contrast in methods is striking, but the process is the same.
Read moreOn the Road Review: Wallace Station Deli, Versailles Kentucky
Wallace Station was featured on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" and was one of the places I most wanted to visit while we were in eastern Kentucky
On Old Frankfurt Pike outside of Versailles, KY is a small deli next door to a historic Bed and Breakfast. Smack dab in the middle of horse country, this little deli is serving up some great food to great acclaim.
Read moreOn the Road Review: Ramsey's Diner, Lexington Kentucky
It frankly surprised us how hard it was to find a place open for dinner on a Sunday night in Lexington. Kentucky still has quite a few blue-laws on the books, and many places don't seem to think it is worth it to only be open for a half day on Sunday.
Read moreOn the Road: Distillery Tours Day Three
Our third day meant three more distilleries, although we didn't have time for guided tours of any of them. We left Bardstown headed for Lexington and some time at the races at Keenland race track. We watched a couple of races and took in the raceday excitement before heading out for our first stop, Wild Turkey.
Read moreOn the Road: Distillery Tours Day Two
Day Two started out at Ambassadors Day at Makers Mark. More than 5000 brand ambassadors showed up for a special day of self guided touring and the first annual Handcraft Festival showcasing local artisans from Louisville to Lexington and all points south and between.
Read moreOn the Road Review: Mammy's Kitchen, Bardstown Kentucky
Mammy's Kitchen is a great small town restaurant with awesome food
We were driving through downtown Bardstown tonight looking for someplace to eat and stumbled on Mammy's Kitchen. I have never had a happier accident. Our server greeted us with a smile, and was quick with our drinks while waiting for us to decide on our order.
Read moreOn the Road: Distillery Tours Day One!
We started out the day at the Jim Beam American Stillhouse in Clermont, KY. It was a great experience, and a great chance to try some Bourbons that are not generally available in Oregon.
Read moreOn the Road Review: The Brown Hotel
When you look up places to eat in Louisville, KY the Brown Hotel is always at the top of the list. The hotel originated a sandwich that has become the official dish of Louisville, the "Hot Brown".
Read moreReview: Mountain Dew is back to basics!
was at Safeway today and found a welcome site. According to the distributor that was sticking the cooler, the return of 12oz bottles is the beginning of the return of the original Mountain Dew recipe, once again made with sugar instead of HFCS. Evidently, the success of the "Throwback" labels have convinced PepsiCo that getting rid of HFCS makes sense, probably a welcome word to the shareholders with the current price of corn.
Read moreReview: "Gun Power Screwdriver"
This arrived today, and I had to smile. A 3.5v power screwdriver in the shape of a handgun. It works fairly well, but doesn't have much power. It will be fine fora home screws, but won't have enough power to drive into hard woods.
Dinner Tonight: Stifatho (Traditional Greek Stew)
I found a great Paleo friendly recipe for a classic Greek stew called Stifatho, and decided it would be great to try for dinner tonight. The great flavor of beef combines so well with the traditional Greek spice combination of cinnamon and cloves that I am amazed they are not used more in savory American cooking. The sweetness of the spices is cut by the slight acidity of the tomato sauce, and complimented by the currants and feta. Give this a try folks. Healthy and amazing flavor combined to create Fat Boy Heaven.
Read morePhoto Review: BJ's Brewhouse
We went out for my birthday tonight with the family and decided to try BJ's Brewhouse in Hillsboro.
Read morePhoto Review: Wong's Chinese Restaurant in Hillsboro
We were looking for somewhere new to eat, and decided to try the food at Wong's Chinese in Hillsboro.
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