Happy Halloween Haiku!

Snack size candy bar
Don't kid yourself, just take four
Either way, ENJOY!

Last Friday of the Month, Recipe Friday!

Chicken Cacciatore!

1 lb boneless chicken strips
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBSP olive oil
1 can (28oz) "kitchen ready" tomatoes
1 TSP salt
1 TSP oregano
1 TSP basil
1/2 TSP ground red pepper
1 medium sized green pepper, cut in strips

Brown chicken, onion, and garlic in oil.  Add tomatoes, seasonings, and green pepper.  Bring to a full boil.  Then lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Stir before serving over pasta of your choice.  Get some fresh crusty bread for dipping, too.  Delish!

This fancy sounding Italian specialty came from my hand written recipe book that mi madre gave me.   Pretty sure this one was borrowed from my aunt.  Either way it is super easy to prep and cook and tastes fantastic.  As always, I mixed up the ingredients a bit.  Try fresh herbs and spices, adding various peppers and onions and maybe a little sugar to the sauce.  I know I have mentioned this dish in one or two of my previous entries and/or on my Rozziefoodie facebook page---(www.facebook.com/pages/Rozziefoodie/) .  Too lazy to read back to see if I already posted this one.  HA!  You won't believe how delicious this little ditty turns out.  Enjoy!

Half Moons, 02081

As promised the update on my steak tip, baked potato, and grilled onion dinner the other night.  It was fabulous even without the unidentified other form of veggie.  The meat was perfectly marinated and grilled to awesomeness by yours truly.  Even having to work in darkness on a makeshift table made of plywood set on top of garbage barrels, by the dim light of a motion sensor light, my grilling skills shined right on through.  My strips were cooked medium well and the hubs' were medium rare.  Delish!  And to top it off, we had tons left over for the hubs to whip up homemade steak, onion, and cheese quesadillas served with salsa and sour cream for last night's dinner.  Yup!  They were beyond tasty.  I enjoyed them a wee bit too much. 

So the hubs and my dad-in-law have been busy laboring for weeks on various projects on our home. They are trying to get the jobs done before the colder weather hits.  And my trabajo is to make sure these handy dandy, hard working men take water breaks and have something filling to eat when lunch time rolls around.  Occasionally, I call a deli order into Todesca's which is located on Washington Street in Roslindale.  My most recent  assortment consisted of LOL cheese, domestic ham, salami, and roast beef for us to make sangies.  The small convenient store is very close to my home, reasonably priced, and the staff are friendly and down to earth.  The cold cuts and other meats in their deli case are fresh, delicious, and do not cost an arm and a leg, like in the supermarkets. 

Every time I shop at Todesca's, one of the first items I look for are the bombastic half moons for me and the whoopie pies, (which I have mentioned before), for my man.  Both are made by Butter Cafe & Bakery in Walpole.  Delectable!  The half moons are definitely the best I have ever tasted and I LOVE me some half moons and have sampled many.  Roche's has pretty good ones, as well.  But not half as creamy, fluffy, and heavenly as Butter's.  Whoopie pies are not one of my fave choices but I would never kick one out of bed.  HA!  The hubs absolutely devours the huge, chocolate cake like, Oreo looking treats.  After viewing Butter's website, I will for sure be taking a short road trip to the intersection of Rt 1A and Rt 27, in the very near future.  I am bit envious of my peeps who live in and around the Norwood/Walpole area right about now.  I heart bakeries and trying new places!

Steak Tips! It's what's for dinner!

At this moment to say I am tired is an understatement.  I am freaking exhausted.  Like the tired you feel when you get  home from Ireland after traveling for over 24 hours.  For some reason my evening snooze was less than adequate last night and I was awoken very early this morning by the sound of two men positioning their ladders on the side of my house.  Right outside my bedroom window.  WTF! 

After convincing myself that a burglar/murderer probably would not try to abduct me or kill me the first thing on a bright and sunny morning, I came to my groggy senses.  Since we have been planning on getting some painting done, I figured the hubs failed to mention that two gentlemen would be scraping and loudly sanding the trim of our windows straight away on Monday am.  Lovely!

Dozing back off was definitely not an option.  Up and out to Roche's I went.  The grocery list was short and consisted mostly of sale items.  On the way home, we hit Dunkie's and even my daily dose of caffeine did not awake my weary soul. 

So to the point of my entry and, at this point, the highlight of my day.  Supper!  Currently, a healthy amount of steak tips is marinating in awesomeness.  I combined soy sauce, Cholula hot sauce, teryaki sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to pour over the meat.  The aroma of my concoction was mouth watering.  The tips will be accompanied by huge baked potatoes with butter and sour cream, a roasted onion, and some other veggie which I can not identify at this very moment.  No preocupadas!  I will surely let ya know the outcome of my scrumptious grilled dinner which is in the making. 

Bamboo, 02026

The hubs and I love trying new places and he also loves him some Chinese food.  He chose the cuisine and I suggested Bamboo in Dedham (they have three other locations as well), next to the Holiday Inn.  Their menu features Japanese and Chinese dishes and Sushi options.  I have eaten there once before with some girlfriends and really enjoyed it so I figured I would share the food love with my man.  Chinese is SO not one of my favorites but I am willing to compromise on occasion.  And it is usually an eat in kind of dinner for us.  But we decided to get a little crazy and venture out on a rainy Wednesday evening for a long overdue date.  Might I add?  I was looking pretty snazzy.  Sporting my new to me with the tags still on it since April, leopard print rain jacket.  Stylish and practical.  Word. 

There were hardly any other patrons in the joint when we arrived.  The friendly host seated us immediately in a roomy booth located in a quiet corner.  The restaurant is divided into a small bar area, a Sushi bar, and two medium sized dining rooms with a buffet set up in the rear.  Our waiter was diligent and attentive at first.  But by the end of our meal, not so much.  That's when I/we decided to jet and enjoy some delectable desserts elsewhere.  But that's a whole other blog. 

We ordered our cocktails right away.  The white sangria with tiny pieces of apple and other fruit, which was fab, for me.  And something called a Gingy Sling (if I remember correctly) is what I decided on as a girly drink for the hubs.  BOO!  We both hated it and it sounded so delish on paper.  Uck.  Way too strong but the pumpkin liquor in the concoction was delightful.  I was disappointed because the last time with my chicas, the drinks were spectacular. 

After viewing the menu filled with a million options, we placed our sizeable order.  First we enjoyed fresh and crisp house salads with a tasty ginger dressing.  Yum.  After that our Bo Bo for two and vegetable tempura was delivered.  The Bo Bo included shrimp tempura, crab rangoons, boneless spareribs, chicken wings and fingers, beef skewers, and two egg rolls.  It was served with sweet and sour sauce and hot mustard.  And the lightly fried vegetables included two types of peppers, eggplant, squash, carrots, and broccoli served with tempura dipping sauce.  The appetizers were good but definitely not anything to write home about.  Don't get me wrong we got our fill and agreed that we've had better.  But I have to say the chicken wings were crispy and delicious and the boneless spareribs were addicting. 

The main entree arrived a while later.  It was a sizzling beef, scallop, and veggie dish in a sweet sauce and a side of chicken fried rice full of sprouts and peas which I despise.  Both dishes were mediocre.  I did enjoy the crunchy veggies from the surf and turf plate but the scallops and meat were chewy.  And by that time, I was pretty full from our first two courses.  The portions were not huge.  Although there was an ample amount for us to enjoy.  We did have some food left over to take with us, too. 

The food may have been just average but our date was a huge success.  We chatted, laughed, mocked, and appreciated each others company.  And we ended our fantastic evening at the bar at Isabella's in Dedham enjoying some scrumptious desserts, wine, and coffee drinks.  What a wonderful night. 

So Good I Had to Share!

For the Pats game today, I made my delicious wings, fried turkey kielbasa with onions, and the addictive awesomeness that is salsa con queso.  During the first quarter, the hubs and I gorged ourselves with the tasty appetizers while watching some football (if you want to call it that).  Thankfully, the Pats were left with some dignity, as they saved their own butts at the very end of the fourth quarter.  Phew!

After the game, I developed a hankering for a hunk of cheese.  Ha ha.  No sah.  My craving was for biscuits.  For the past week I have been dying for some Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits.  And today my void was filled.  The best is getting  the warm scrumptiousness right out of the oven.  The first one I sliced and topped with a slab of butter and a thin layer of raspberry jam.  I could barely get the mini delight assembled before shoving it into my mouth.  YUMMY!  One of the best combos in the world.  Melted butter, jelly or jam and your choice of a warm carb.  Trust me.  You will likey.  The second biscuit, I topped with a small sausage patty and a couple of slices of cheddar cheese.  Mmm good.  But not as delightful as the first flaky concoction.  No complaints though.  My dinner was just perfect.  And super easy.  :)

Thursday's Lunch

Thanks to a great friend of ours, my fridge has been brought back to life.  Of course the piece needed for the fix was the size of a printer's ink cartridge and only cost $6.  Imagine!  They just don't manufacture appliances the way they used to.  Our 86 year old fridge we have in the cellar is still running strong and will probably outlive our now 3 year old one in the kitchen.  So annoying. 

Because of the fridge issues, we hardly had any food.  Off to BJ's and Roche's to stock up.  Is it just me or does everyone get super excited to stock up on paper supplies and bulk food?  It makes me so happy to know a have a more than ample supply of paper towels.  For real.  It's an addiction.  No worries though, to make up for my heavy use of PT, I totally recycle other items that should be and I reuse soap bottles and things like that.  Greenwise all is good. 

After overflowing our cart at BJ's, we popped into Roche's for some sale items, deli meats, and bread, which brings me to the point of this entry.  Many people are not fond of pumpernickel bread but it is absolutely one of my fave carb choices.  And combined with fresh domestic deli ham and some yellow mustard.  YUMMO!  No need for cheese on this sangie.  Those three ingredients together create pure awesomeness.  Nice and simple and oh so satisfying. 

More than a Chef

What's that old saying?  If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.  Well my momma didn't raise no quitter.  Yeah the banana bread was a minor catastrophe but I surely did not give up on my baking quests. 

Thanks to my man picking me up a can of sliced peaches at 10pm the other evening, my virgin version of peach cobbler could seriously be packaged and sold.  It was that delicious.  Why wouldn't it be?  It's full of sugar and spice and everything nice.  Pure decadence.  The recipe I concocted from viewing many versions on the interweb, consisted of sliced peaches, loads of sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, lots of cinnamon, milk, and a whole stick of butter.  And I think I added some nutmeg because that's how I roll.  I can't stick to one recipe.  It's just not me. 

The best part was getting a healthy portion right out of the oven, topped with whipped cream.  Nice and warm and ooey gooey.  OMG!  I was honestly stunned by how scrumptious my first batch of homemade cobbler turned out.  Even the hubs who does not care for peaches agreed it was fantastic.  So there ya go.  I am a baker now.  HA!

Dinner Failure

Hey!  It happens to the the best of us.  Right?  Right! 

I am about to make peach cobbler for the first time.  Gotta do something to make up for the disaster of a dinner I made on this beautiful Indian Summer evening.  Plus I heart peach cobbler and have been dying for some.  Psyched that it's nice enough to grill out and that I got some great color yesterday but I more than ready for Autumn.  Love the fall and the cool crisp air.  Ahhhh. 

We had been looking forward to some grilled ribs since last week and I promised my dad-in-law some well deserved left overs.  To accompany them I sliced and diced a fresh garden salad with loads of feta because everything is betta with feta.  And I threw a couple of potatoes on the grill which were baked to perfection.  The main entree was looking really awesome.  Even the wee pieces I ripped off for the hubs and I to sample were scrumptious.  I was super excited.  All I knew was that two racks of ribs were about to be destroyed. 

After slobbering on some Sticky Fingers BBQ sauce and heating the ribs a bit longer, I was so hungry my mouth was watering.  The hubs chopped them up and we dug in.  DRY is an understatement.  The rub and sauce were delish but the meat tasted like cardboard.  FAIL.  After some discussion and choking down two more ribs, I deducted the problema.  The grill temperature was was too high and/or I cooked them about 1/2 hour too long.  So if you have been paying attention and read my dry rib rub recipe, decrease the cook time to an hour and fifteen minutes/half hour at 300 degrees.  MY B!

We were disappointed but at least the ribs were edible.  Combined with the sides, we both ate our fill.  I will stick to concocting the rubs and sauces and leave the rib grilling to the hubs.  Obv, it's not my thing.  We can't be fabulous all day, every day.  At least I have peach cobbler to look forward.  That is if the hubs ever brings home the sliced peaches.  Will let ya know! 

One of America's Fave Sangies!

In the midst of baking my first batch of banana bread from scratch, I was blessed with an unexpected guest.  After realizing that all purpose flour is definitely not the same as self rising flour via the interweb, I attempted to fix the mess I created and bake on.  Mi amiga arrived shortly after the second round of baking started. 

She commented on how awesome the sweet breads smelled baking in the oven and I explained my shortfalls with the whole baking thing.  We chatted for a while and caught up for a bit.  After some time the banana bread appeared to be ready.  My friend took off after our pleasant visit and I allowed the loaves to cool. 

The hubs was at work and I found myself starving all of a sudden.  I snacked on some left over meatballs that my mother had sent over which did not fill the void.  After a toasted Thomas' with peanut butter, I was still hungry.  Light bulb!

Wheat bread, LOL American cheese, butter, and thinly sliced tomato = the bomb diggity, aka grilled cheese with tomato.  Can you say freaking delish?  I can!!!  YUM!  So good and such a forgotten sandwich.  It is so tasty, ooey, gooey and delicious.  Yes.  It killed me to buy a tomato after all the beauties we grew this year in our garden but for the love of one of America's favorites, I did falter.  The only thing that was missing besides the chips which I had, was some piping hot tomato soup.  There is always a next time. 

Oh!  And if you missed my comment earlier on my Rozziefoodie Facebook page.  The banana bread turned out edible.  Way too much banana was added.  Nuff said. 

Food Highlights of the Weekend

So much food to blog about and so little time.  I have enjoyed various tasty treats over the past couple of weeks.  Here are some of my most recent.  Love food. 

Friday I made a delish beef stew in the crock and some yummy kielbasa (recipe previously posted) to snack on for an appetizer.  As a nice surprise one of my fabulous guests brought homemade guacamole and salsa, using lots of vegetables from her garden.  Both dishes were fresh and tasty and we got to keep the leftovers.  Word.  We also learned from the chef that if you leave one of the pits of the avocado in the dip, it will decrease the chances of the concoction turning brown.  And guess what?   It worked.  Useful!

The stew slow cooked for 8 hours making the meat literally melt in your mouth.  It was fantastic.  My recipe calls for potatoes, carrots, onions, fresh mushrooms, flour, salsa, stew beef, beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, Bisto, onion soup mix, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, hot sauce, some basil, and water.  Slice, dice, and cut the veggies into good sized pieces and mix everything except the meat in the crock.  Place the stew beef on top, cover, and cook on low for eight hours.  Stir often.  As you know I tend not to measure ingredients.  So just use your judgement and add and subtract depending on the number of people you are cooking for.  Keep in mind one pound of stew beef mixed with the veggies is about 4 servings. 

The next day we ordered a late lunch to be delivered by Checkmate.  I wrote my review of this joint some weeks ago and as you know I likey.  The fried pastrami with American cheese and extra mushrooms  that I ordered and devoured was the bomb.  I would not feel right not mentioning how perfectly cooked and toasted my sub was.  Credit is due.  It was salty, crunch, cheesy.  Awesome!!  The rest of order was also very good. 

On Sunday, we ventured out to for some pizza, fries, salad, soup and beers at The Pleasant Cafe which I have mentioned in a previous blog.  We enjoyed our dinner at the bar. The service was a bit iffy, as the bartenders don't take food orders.  Bugs me every time.  Bizarre but whatevs.  After a bit of a wait we placed our orders and eagerly waited for our supper.  Per usual, the pizza and fries were soooo good.  The salads were fresh and the chicken and rice soup was super.  The place does creep me out at times but their food is always good and mostly reliable.  If you grew up in or around Roslindale, you KNOW The Pleasant and you either love it or hate it.  We love it. 

We ended our extended weekend with a late breakfast on Monday at the Spring Street Cafe.  As always, everything we ordered was fantaBulous!  From the coffee to the crispy bacon to my fluffy pancakes, I was more than satisfied.  The only negative of our visit was that they had just run out of the blood sausage that is included in the hubs' Irish Breakfast.  They made up for it with extra bangers.  We will forgive them this time.  Ha!