Seared to Perfection

Sunday night Grill Guy made delicious steaks sans grill! He was inspired by Alton Brown from the Food Network so thanks for the recipe Alton!

For this, you will need a 1 1/2-inch thick cut steak (room temperature), canola or olive oil to coat the steak, and sea salt and ground black pepper for flavoring. (Kosher salt and regular black pepper would work as well)

Heat oven to 500 degrees with a cast iron pan inside. Just so you know we used a high quality non stick Calphalon pan and it worked just fine) While it is heating up, coat and season the steak. Once the oven has heated up to 500 take the pan out of the oven (please use a quality mitt), leave the oven on, and put the pan on a stove top burner on high.

Immediately place steak in the middle of the hot, dry pan. Cook for 30 seconds without moving then turn them over with tongs and cook another 30 seconds. Then put the pan straight into the oven for 2 minutes. Flip the steak and cook for another 2 minutes. (This time is for medium rare steaks. If you prefer medium, add a minute to both of the oven turns.) Remove the steak from pan, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 2 minutes. Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto plate. (Alton's original recipe available here)

Voila. Delicious steaks without the grill. Thanks Grill Guy!

Fried Pickles

Not sure if I can call this one a total success, but I tried something new and Grill Guy (my live in food tester) seems to have loved the fried pickles so that's a good start at least!

This recipe idea came from a Food Network show I recently saw about fried pickles but they didn't tell you much about how to make them. Using my knowledge of how to make fried chicken though, I applied the same basic principles.  What you'll need:

1. A large fresh deli pickle
2. Seasoned bread crumbs
3. 1-2 eggs 
4. Vegetable oil
5. Blue cheese or ranch for dipping sauce (I think it adds) 

Once you have all your ingredients out, cover the bottom of a large non stick pan (high sides are preferable) with vegetable oil. You don't need too much though so don't be heavy handed. Turn on medium heat to warm the oil. Cut the pickle into 1/4" slices, but not too thin. Stir 1-2 eggs into a low sided bowl (depending on how many pickle slices you get) and pour out breadcrumbs into a separate low sided bowl to place next to the bowl of eggs.

Making sure you have clean hands, dredge the pickle slices in the eggs first then place in the bread crumbs to make sure you coats both sides. Try not to touch the pickle too much in this second step or else the breadcrumbs will stick to your fingers instead of the pickle. Once the breading is evenly applied, place gently into the pan of hot oil. DO NOT DROP IT IN. This will only result in hot oil splattering in your direction or onto your counter. Adjust heat until the oil starts to bubble around the pickles the same way it would with bacon.

Fry for about 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from oil onto a plate with a couple of paper towels to soak up the excess oil and voila! You have yourself some fried pickles.

Next time I would use a sweet pickle instead of a dill pickle to get more of a sweet and tangy flavor, but other than that this recipe seemed to work out pretty well. I paired this "appetizer food" with a garden salad to make it into a dinner. Enjoy!

New this week

While I did dine out last night I have quite the experimental menu planned for this week:

1. Hand-dipped and fried deli pickles (thank you Food Network "Best Things I Ever Ate")
2. Roasted tomatoes and asparagus over Tilapia
3. Balsamic steak cutlets (veggie side TBD), and
4. Gnocchi with my grandma's bolognese sauce

We'll see how this goes! Pics and reviews to come. 

Fourth of July = Food, Fun and Sun

There is something to be said for grilling on the Fourth of July, but my favorite meal of the weekend was actually a baked ziti courtesy of my friend Dave Rich. Sure we had hamburgers and hot dogs and chili dogs and pasta salad and potato salad and regular salad (and on and on and on), but this dish really stood out and none of it went to waste.

This dish seemed relatively easy to make with two regular boxes of ziti, two large family size jars of Ragu, a bag of grated mozzarella and parsley flakes. Cook the pasta as you would if you were serving it from the pot and drain. Pour half of the pasta into a disposable aluminum pan with high sides (the kind you would put a Thanksgiving turkey in) and cover with one jar of pasta sauce,  grated cheese and parsley flakes. Then, pour in the rest of the pasta on top and repeat sauce, cheese and parsley mixture. Place in the oven for 30-45 minutes (cheese will be lightly browned) at 350. Do not skimp on the parsley as I feel it really helped make this dish.

This served 12 people, was very easy on the clean up crew and was a hit with everyone. Something to consider for your next group event this summer. 

Oatcakes

Have you ever seen the show "Best Thing I Ever Ate" on Food Network? Well, were I to be featured, the Oatcakes at Long Boarder Cafe in Oceanside, California would definitely make my list.

While I was in California this past (long) weekend visiting my Dad's side of the family, we took an early morning stroll on the beach and went to this old family favorite. I haven't been there since I was a kid and would only eat what was familiar to me. This time, however, was a completely different experience. I went for the most unique sounding thing on the menu which, I was informed, was also a meal they were "famous" for: the oatcakes.

These are basically oat pancakes with a dense texture that isn't too heavy once you eat it, but very delicious and less doughy than pancakes. I asked for the recipe or at least some insight into how to make them but I guess I will just have to search the internet for some clues or experiment in my test kitchen. If you ever find yourself here though, definitely try them.

The Curbside Cafe (my grandfather's favorite restaurant) came in a close second for their cappuccino and fresh biscuits with herb gravy. 

Father's Day/Entertaining Visitor's

Been eating out a lot again. I know, this is Foodie Dines In but I have had a number of visitors recently that have been wanting to dine out in the great city of Boston.

Most notably this Sunday I took my Dad and Stepmom out for dinner at Kingfish Hall to celebrate Father's Day as well as my Stepmom's birthday. The family favorites were the Ahi Tuna and the Swordfish but no one had a bad meal. The service was great and I love the quirky fish decor. Faneuil Hall can be a danger zone this time of year with tourists, but luckily the restaurant wasn't packed and we had reservations just to be sure.

I can't help but take visitor's out for seafood while in Boston, it just seems wrong not to and this is one of my favorite places to go for a good, mid priced meal.

New Kitchen

The move is complete!  I am finally settled into the new kitchen and can actually begin cooking again. While this kitchen is a little bit smaller than the last one it is very open and still has enough space to whip up a good meal.

I am going to start things off with an oldie but a goodie: breakfast burritos (for dinner).

Wash two large potatoes and one small one and poke holes throughout with a fork. Place on a plate and microwave for 12-15 minutes depending on how good your microwave is. While those are in the microwave chop up a medium to large white onion and put it in a large high sided non stick pan with half a stick of butter. begin to brown the onions and add salt and pepper to taste.

Once the potatoes are done, cut them into 1-2 inch pieces and add to the onions, butter, salt and pepper. This way they are already pretty well cooked and all you need to do is further soften and brown them in the pan. Keep cooking the potatoes in the pan until they are crispy adding salt, pepper (and possibly more butter) along the way. To do it right you will need at least 30 minutes.

Once the potatoes are done put them in a large flour tortilla and dress with your favorite burrito toppings. I personally like the sour cream, salsa, diced tomatoes and grated cheese combo. I would also highly recommend making extra potatoes if you have a big enough pan since these are great the second night too.

Enjoy!

MIX at Mandalay Bay

For our last night in Las Vegas Christine and I went to MIX at Mandalay Bay.

While it was a little tricky to find since it's in THEHotel at Mandalay Bay, it was worth the walk. The view was exquisite and the decor was very sleek and modern with a futuristic feel given the clear orbs hanging from the ceiling.

To start, we shared the shrimp cocktail which was very unique given that it was served mixed with a horseradish sauce, a spicy tomato sauce, and creme fraiche. It was a delicious mix of flavors but almost overwhelming after a couple of bites. Even split between two people we couldn't finish it.

For our main course we both had the cod as we were told it was the house favorite. I can see/taste why. The cod was prepared perfectly with a crispy, buttery skin on top and flaky white meat underneath. Combine that with lemon, capers, brown butter, croutons and (my favorite) fried parsley and you have yourself a whole lot of delicious. The fried parsley and croutons gave the fish a really great texture combination and both of us cleaned our plates.

Then, even though neither of us ordered dessert, our waiter came over with complimentary madeleines, still warm from the oven, and nutella dipping sauce. They were perfect. Just the right amount of sweetness to cap off the meal.

A great last meal to cap off the vacation.

SW Steakhouse

WOW. SW Steakhouse for the wynn.

Sorry, I know that was corny but SW Steakhouse at the Wynn hotel really was a winner. The food was amazing, the staff were incredibly nice and attentive and the decor was elegant without feeling stuffy.

Christine and I had the jumbo shrimp cocktail to start and we both had the 9 oz filet mignon for dinner. We barely spoke because it was all about enjoying the food. EVERY bite was delicious and the whole meal was well timed between appetizer and main course. I would definitely eat here again.

Japonais

While last night's dinner wasn't had until 2 a.m. due to flying in from the East Coast, tonight we had an 8 o'clock reservation at Japonais in The Mirage.

I had the bib lettuce to start which was plated beautifully and had a nice light dressing. It looked like a giant leafy flower and tasted so crisp and refreshing unlike some starter salads that can actually weigh you down and fill you up before the main course.

Then for my main course I had the sweet shrimp and diver scallops. Warning: the shrimp come whole, as in still looking at you, but grilled to perfection.

If you are in Las Vegas I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you are a sushi/seafood lover. While I did not partake in the sushi, Christine had it and loved it.