Lee Cooks, Margy Eats

Spicy California Roll Sushi Nachos

2014-06-22T15:42:00.001-05:00

I got an email from Lee this week saying, "This is happening this weekend." I took one look at I Wash, You Dry's blog about these, and my answer was, "YES!"

I bounded into my office to tell everyone the genius of sushi nachos and reaction was split 50/50 between yum and gross.

Lee whipped these up on Saturday night, and my verdict is that they're definitely awesome.
You've got the delicious consistency of nachos, the flavors of a California Roll. East meets Southwest. Talk about fusion.

The ONLY downside to this dish is how many dishes it requires. And that eventually, you run out of the sushi nachos, making you sad.

Here's the ingredients:

For the Sushi Rice:
1 cup sushi rice (uncooked)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt

For the Spicy Sauce:
1/4 cup mayo
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp sriracha
dash of sesame oil

For the Nachos:
1 package of won-ton wrappers
canola oil for frying
1 package imitation crab meat
1 can crab meat
1/4 cup carrot matchsticks
1/3 cup cucumber, cut into thin slices
4 tbsp chopped roasted seaweed wrappers/ Nori

For the Soy Sauce Drizzle
2 tbsp mayo
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce

1. Rinse the sushi rice really well. Then put it in a pot with 1 1/2 cups of water. THEN bring it to a boil with the rice in the pot. Stir it every now and then so it doesn't stick all over your pot. When it starts boiling, cover it and let it sit for 15 minutes.

2. In another pot, combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir on medium high until the salt and sugar is combined. (Your pot won't have brown stuff at the bottom of it, Margy perma-burnt ours trying to make oatmeal.)

3. Combine the spicy sauce ingredients. Adjust the amount of sriracha to how spicy you want your nachos.

4. Cut the wontons in half and fry them a few at a time. Dry them on a bed of paper towels. Salt to taste.

5. Stir the rice and the rice vinegar mixture together.

6. Take the crab meat and mix it with the spicy sauce.

7. Mix the soy sauce and mayo. (Weird, I know, but it's awesome.) If you like breathing fire, here's a good place to add wasabi... we did not.

8. Slice the carrots up, or buy them already in matchsticks (looks like cheese!) We got really tiny cucumbers so they pose as jalapenos... but they're not....

9. Put the wontons down as a base, then the rice, then the rice, then your carrots and cucumbers.

10. Finish it off with the crab mixture, the seaweed and then the soy sauce drizzle.

11. Eat... with a fork.

No Fear Beer Cheese Soup

2014-01-27T16:00:00.000-06:00

Lee's a Ram's fan, and I'm a Packers fan. So obviously, we're cheering for the commercials during this year's Super Bowl. Still, this time of year, I think it's ok to pull out our favorite football soup of all time, especially when we're going to stay below freezing the entire week! Beer Cheese Soup, or what I like to call, Wisconsin in a Bowl is just the ticket. Our original one is delicious, and you can find the recipe here.

But as our regular readers know, we're trying to clean up Lee's cooking and Margy's eating. That brought us to our next step in slimming up our Super Bowl!

Lee whipped up No Fear Beer Cheese Soup. Now, I'm a sucker for a good beer cheese soup and this one was no joke! It's a little thinner than your traditional beer cheese soup, and I thought that was actually a good thing. In the original soup, the carrots got lost, you kind of wondered if they were there or if Lee used them just to make the ingredient picture look better. In this soup, they're front and center, giving a delightful burst of flavor.

If you're ready to make it, here's what you need:

3 Carrots (peeled and diced)

1 White Onion (diced)

3 Cloves of Garlic (minced)

1 Shallot (diced)

2 Jalapenos (deseeded, diced)

2 bunches of Green Onions (sliced)

1 Stick of Butter

1 can of Beer (we live in St. Louis, so a Bud product was a must... sorry Milwaukee!)

1 Tablespoon Dry Mustard

2 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

4 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock (We made our own and used no salt)

4 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese (shredded)

2 Cups Gruyere Cheese (shredded)

3 Cups Half and Half

2 Cups Flour

Resolution Jalapeno Poppers

2014-01-25T17:50:00.000-06:00

So Jalapeno Poppers have become Lee's signature party take along. Our favorite recipe is probably not the healthiest thing around with all the cheesy bacony goodness. If you're throwing caution to the wind this year, you can check out the original recipe here.

We've been doing pretty good the last few weeks, moderating our calories and logging on My Fitness Pal (feel free to friend us over there!) However, something was hovering in the distance that was sure to derail our resolve if we didn't plan ahead. We knew we had to do something to slim up the Super Bowl!

Lee took a stab at the jalapeno poppers. This might bring a tear to your eye... no bacon. But they're still really delicious!!

He beefed up the filling with mushrooms and onions and covered them in panko bread crumbs to bring in just a little crunch. If you're looking for something to slim up your Super Bowl, these are it!!

First, you'll need:

1 Package Mushrooms (Chopped)

1 Bunch Green Onions (Chopped)

1 Package Light Cream Cheese (Softened)

½ Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

½ Cup Shredded Italian Cheese

6 Large Jalapenos (Cored, Deseeded and Cut in Half)

2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs

1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

Seasoning Salt to taste (I used a Salt Free Variety)

1 egg white/water mixture

Lighter Jambalaya

2014-01-12T16:51:00.000-06:00

It's the new year and time to get back on track. Lee whipped up a little comfort food to warm our bones as the Polar Vortex was on it's way out.

Part of this year’s blog is going to be focused on healthier foods and our spin on making dishes healthier.

We're cutting back on our sodium, so premade jambalaya seasoning was out for sure. Lee used a variety of the seasonings we had on hand to make it delicious! It still has quite a bit of sodium, mostly because of the Old Bay Seasoning.

To lighten it up a little further, Lee used brown rice for a healthier option along with the use of fresh vegetables and quality meats with no filler. It's a meaty dish for sure, but if you stick to the serving size of 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of Jambalaya it’s still really filling.

Ingredients:

Instant Brown Rice

1 can Tomato Sauce

3 cups Chicken Stock

3 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning

5 tablespoons Paprika

1 tablespoon Thyme

a pinch of Salt (I used Spanish Infused Sea Salt)

1 Red Onion (Chopped)

1 bunch of Scallions (Chopped)

2 Jalapenos (Chopped)

3 cloves of Garlic (Chopped)

2 Tomatoes (Diced)

1 bag Jumbo Raw Peeled and Deveined Shrimp

1 pack Chorizo Sausage (Diced)

1 pack Andouille Sausage (Diced)

1 pack Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (Cut into small pieces)

1 small Lean Pork Roast (Cut into small pieces)

3 tablespoon Olive Oil

Labor Day BBQ

2012-09-05T21:04:00.000-05:00

We know it's been awhile since our last post but it's been a busy summer. Now that the summer is winding down we figured a Labor Day BBQ post would be fitting, Another plus.... all three dishes use 4 items or less.......We have all three recipes in one post so Enjoy!!!

First up: Slow Smoked BBQ Ribs

I smoke my ribs for 1.5 - 2 hours on the grill then wrap in foil and finish in the oven for another 1 - 1.5 hours on 225 degrees.

All my ribs I prep a day in advance by covering the ribs in yellow mustard and then rubbing with your favorite BBQ rub. Wrap the ribs in foil or plastic wrap and place in the fridge till the next day.

Here's what you need:
The spray bottle just has a mixture of lime soda and apple cider vinegar.

Slow Cooked BBQ Pork

2012-06-20T18:47:00.002-05:00

Just in time for summer, we have a great slow smoked BBQ Pork recipe. This does have a bunch of steps and does take 18 hours but the actual time you have to work on it is about 45 minutes . Just make sure to leave some time for this.

It is worth it.

We sliced it for dinner the night I fixed it and chopped up the leftovers for sandwiches later in the week.

There's many steps and smaller recipes to this so I will be listing them all in the order you need to use them.

Shrimp Scampi and Grits

2012-06-04T17:16:00.000-05:00

So a couple of months ago, you tried polenta with us, right? And it was good, right? So you trust us now. Ok. Grits. I know that if you live north of the Mason Dixon line, you're scared of this weird Southern food. I was too. The first time I actually saw someone eat grits we were in West Virginia meeting some of Lee's family. Until then I thought it was the type of food that people made up to make their kids feel better about what they had on their own plates.
Since then, grits have been making a culinary resurgence. Maybe it's just starting to migrate north, I don't know, but what I do know is that pretty frequently, I'll find them on a restaurant menu, paired with something tasty like shrimp or scallops. I've found versions I love and versions I hate.

This is a version I love. It might have something to do with the cheese involved. But this is Southern cooking, right? Either way, when you take a bite of the grits they literally melt in your mouth. It's like spoonfuls of heaven. So yummy. But warning: Grits will fill you up!!
And then those shrimp! Wow! Buttery, lemony and so fresh! I couldn't get enough!

Oh and in case you're wondering, you find grits by the oatmeal in the grocery store.

Asparagus Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette

2012-06-02T11:54:00.000-05:00

This dish just screams summer to me. There's something about asparagus and lemons that make me want to go digging in my garden.
I saw this recipe on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website and I knew I had to get Lee to make it! The tangy sweetness of the dressing and the earthiness of the asparagus and the salty, meaty goodness of the carpicola all complement each other so well!
The original recipe called for coppa for the meat, we couldn't find it, but just about any kind of smoked meat will work here and we found capicola at an excursion to Kendrick's Meat Market in South St. Louis. If you have not been there... man, you need to go.
We had a lot of dressing left over so we put it in a Leifheit Decorative Canning Jar and have been using it on salads ever since! It's so good!

Braised Short Ribs Stout Pie

2012-05-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday was our sixth anniversary and Lee told me he had a special dinner planned. I was supposed to fly in from a conference I was at over the weekend at 5:30, but had the worst delay in Houston and didn't get home until 10:30. I totally missed dinner.

Luckily this tasty pile of meat and potatoes is even better after its had time to meld together even more. The meat just dripped off of the fork and into my mouth and the potatoes melted. It was absolutely amazing. I really love short ribs. I'm crushed that I didn't discover how much I love them until I was 30. Look at what I missed over the years!

I'll admit, I don't know why this is called pie. It's not pie. I couldn't find any bread or crust, but it is nonetheless delicious. Probably more delicious since I'm not a fan of savory pie crust anyway.

So overall, this is an awesome dish and the best part is that since I missed our original dinner, I'm pretty sure that Lee owes me another anniversary dinner! Look for that soon!

Sausage and Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

2012-05-24T17:00:00.000-05:00

My Uncle Bill would hate this recipe. Uncle Bill hates mushrooms... the texture, the taste, all of it. My Uncle Bill is about the last person you would expect to have a nemesis, but mushrooms are truly his. When we were kids and we would get pizza with him, he always got sausage and onion instead of our family's usual sausage and mushroom. I thought he and my aunt were exotic.

I figured out later that they were not exotic, they were crazy. Mushrooms are the best.

One of Lee's first dinners for me included stuffed mushrooms and that pretty much sealed the deal for me. This recipe is a little different from the original, but no less delicious. It's a little lighter than the traditional all sausage or my favorite cream cheese and crab.

When mixed together, the crab and sausage are a powerhouse of tastiness.

This is a great make ahead dish, Lee was making sausage for breakfast and saved a portion of that cooked sausage for this recipe. He also mixed everything and stuffed my mushrooms early in the afternoon and refrigerated them until I was ready for dinner.

Mini Deep Dish Pizzas

2012-05-22T17:00:00.000-05:00

Growing up, my family would get pizza most Friday nights. None of us could resist just one more slice until the box was empty. Twenty years later, I'm still the same way. I just can't say no to just one more slice of ooey gooey pizza pie.

That's why these little guys are perfect, they're built in portion control!

Unlike frozen mini pizzas, these are just as satisfying as the same thing... and ALMOST as easy as microwaving a frozen one.

What I really love about these is that you can personalize each one. You can put just about anything in each one in any combination. The options are endless! We put turkey pepperoni, onion and olives in ours, I'm angling for my favorite- sausage, mushroom, green pepper, and onion next time.

Veggie Sandwich with Dill Mayo

2012-04-28T11:56:00.001-05:00

So if you're still on a sugar high from the Butterfinger cake, here's a cure!

Okay so I know this is just a sandwich and everyone can make one, but seeing as it's garden season and ours will be ready soon, we wanted to share this deliciousness with you.

We did a trial run today to see what we can make with all our delicious veggies. Sure unless you live in California, you will still have to buy Avocados and cheese but believe me it's worth it.

This is so tasty that you won't even miss the meat and we are a meat eating couple. If we didn't miss it, you won't either.

Butterfinger Cake

2012-04-27T15:48:00.000-05:00

Lee likes to make a crazy dessert every week or so. More and more often, it's been a pintrest find. This one was too, kind of. Most of the Butterfinger cakes online call for devil's food cake, but he opted for a yellow cake. It was delicious.

This is definitely one of those things you should make for more than 2 people. It's rich and gooey and delicious and almost a week since he made it, the two of us are still working on eating through that pan.

I'm usually like my cake, brownies and pizza cut from the middle of the pan. I don't know why, I guess I just like the soft middle of the cake better than the chewier outside crusts. This cake is a huge exception. Don't get me wrong, the middle's awesome too, but the caramel makes a delicious crust. Don't tell the family, my baking friends, the corners are the best part of this cake!

Aside from having delicious butterfingers on top (and seriously, if you don't like butterfingers, throw some snickers or M&M's on top, the candy doesn't really matter,) the caramel oozes through this cake without making it messy sticky, just tasty sticky. It reminds me of those pieces of pancake that get totally drenched with syrup, the cake holds up, but the caramel stands out.

You're going to love this cake. Make it this weekend!

Crab Rangoon Pop Tarts with Sweet and Sour Sriracha Frosting

2012-04-22T08:33:00.000-05:00

This recipe was inspired by a friend of mine's daughter Audri Schramm. A couple days ago she told her mom that they should make crab rangoon pop tarts. Her mom posted this on Facebook, and I immediately starting thinking about how I could make this happen. I told her mom that I would create this and blog about it because that's what I do. This weekend I decided to get some things to test out on making these and nailed it on the first test batch.

I call these pop tarts because they look and taste like pop tarts, but I fixed them in the oven. I suppose you could half bake them and then finish in the toaster. I might try this for testing purposes but not sure if it would work so if you do try it that way be careful.

These would be perfect for parties because they taste a lot like crab dip on crackers, but way better and portable...like a poptart! The frosting is a perfect blend of sweet and spicy. Don't let the sriracha scare you, it just adds a little heat, no burning.

DIY Standing Herb Garden

2012-04-04T17:00:00.000-05:00

Taco Pizza

2012-04-03T17:00:00.000-05:00

The more we make our own pizzas, the more I wonder why frozen pizzas exist. I mean, these things are so easy to make and SOOOOO much better than just about anything you can pull out of the freezer.
This weekend, Lee threw together this tasty taco pizza. Refridgerated can dough, refried beans, all the taco toppings and Doritos! Ok, it's not terribly healthy, but it's super good.

Strawberry Cake

2012-04-02T17:15:00.000-05:00

Another tasty, tasty Pintrest find! Lee found this Farm Flavor recipe on his page and put it in the running for this week's desert.
We made a few improvements, the big one was using the bundt pan instead of a sheet pan. We're kind of obsessed with the bundt pan. I really love how the outside becomes chewier and encapsulates an ever moist cake inside of it.
Since its almost prime strawberry season, this is definately one you want to keep in the mix to use all of those tasty berries popping up all over! And ooohh!! Won't this be great with raspberries, blackberries or ANY berries? We'll have to experiment!
The frosting makes quite a bit. Probably right way you need if you make a sheet cake, but too much if you use the bundt pan. I ended up dipping strawberries in the leftovers... yummy!

Super Easy Mozzarella Sticks

2012-04-01T16:40:00.000-05:00

I spent a good part of my early 20's looking for the best boxed or fast food mozzarella sticks. I never found one that gave me the best crunch plus a stretchy, gooey cheese without a lot of work. I wish I knew Lee back then!
If you have the deep love for cheese sticks like I do, you're going to really really love these. If you're lazy, you're going to love these. They make up in minute and the cheesy burst with crunchy shell make them 100% awesome!

Kelly English Steakhouse (Harrah's St. Louis)

2012-03-29T23:14:00.002-05:00

Our first of many restaurant reviews

One thing Margy and I love to do is eat out at new restaurants around town, lately we haven't done that because it hasn't been in the budget. But when my mom said she had a comp for the new steakhouse in Harrah's in St. Louis, I jumped at the chance to try out this new trendy steakhouse from a renowned southern chef. Margy lucked out on this trip as she was out of town on her own little vacation, so for this review it was myself, my mom, sister, and her 6 year old son. Reservations are encouraged, we had some, so we were seated right away. The decor is modern and open and the menu fits the atmosphere.

Yes this is a steakhouse, but you're not forced to eat steak, the seafood menu items showcase the southern cooking style that would rival any New Orleans restaurant. Prices are reasonable for the quality and portion sizes, we had a comp of $180, and we had 2 appetizers, 3 entrees, 2 sides (for my nephew) and 2 desserts and drinks (which I think we were not charged for our soda and teas.) Our total came to $150 without tip. All entrees come with a salad and 1 side. Other sides are available for about $5 a piece. One downside was they don't offer a kids menu option, but this is at a casino, so I don't think they expect many kids to come through the door. We got a couple sides for my nephew, and he filled up on sides and bread along with some bites from our plates. Now to the food: (sorry for the poor quality pictures, my phone takes mediocre pics.)

St. Patrick's Day Cake Mix Cookies

2012-03-18T15:00:00.000-05:00

Did you know that you could make cookies out of cake mix? I had no idea! I was super excited when I came home to find a pile of tasty cookies, just in time for St. Patrick's Day. Honestly, this was the only thing that we did to mark the occasion!

These cookies turned out just soft enough and just a bit chewy. They ate like a cookie and tasted like cake... so tasty!

I'm really excited to get to do these for the other upcoming holidays... pastels for Easter, red, white and blue for July 4th, the possibilities are endless!

The Garden- Part 1

2012-03-17T16:05:00.000-05:00

We've got a pretty decent size yard for living in the city, so this year, we've decided to plant a garden. We've had them in previous years, but in the past few years, we've just grown a few herbs and tomatoes in planters ~~because we are lazy~~ to avoid digging up the yard.

Just some of the tasty goodness we'll be growing this year!

So we sat down and decided what we wanted in the garden back in January and started pricing out seeds online and at different stores around town and started researching what we have to do to go from seeds to actual plants with edible produce. Lee laid everything out in Auto CAD. That, my friends, is one of the many reasons I love this guy, I would have just tossed some seeds in the ground and prayed. He reads the directions and lays things out so all the plants have enough room to grow and look pretty.

Three weeks after planting the seeds.

At the end of February, we started our peppers, some of the herbs and the brussel sprouts. We had some shelving in the basement and poached a florescent light fixture from another basement room and bought a grow light to fit. Then we got the seed starters from Home Depot. Easy as pie!

The brussel sprouts got confused, thought it was the middle of summer, and took off in a week, so we had to pull those back to give everything else a chance!

This summer, we'll be growing lots of vegetables (hopefully) including the habaneros for the Flaming Fido Hot Sauce. I'm itching to get out there and get started!

Jalapeno Poppers

2012-03-13T16:00:00.000-05:00

I took these tasty appetizers to a party this weekend. It was the second time I'd brought them to share with my kickball team, the Recess Renegades... this time by special request. More than one of my teammates weren't able to get these off their minds since our last get together!

As far as party food goes, these are pretty cheap and easy to put together. Plus, they make you look really tough when you bite into a great big jalapeno pepper. On the spicy level, you can make them as hot, or not hot as you want, it just all depends on how much of the spicy seeds and membranes you leave in the pepper. I like mine not so hot, so Lee dug it all out. Truth be told, this batch could have even been a little spicier and still have been delicious!

Overall, the taste is more sweet than spicy, which is surprising when you're looking at this giant pepper.

WARNING! When you're cutting and handling your peppers, don't be a hero, wear gloves. We get the nitrile gloves that you can find at the pharmacy. They will save you a lot of pain later.

Gnocchi Nicoise

2012-03-05T20:18:00.000-06:00

We’ve been subscribers to the Food Network Magazine since they started publishing. One of the very first recipes we tried was their Gnocchi Nicoise. You can go there for the original recipe, what we have below is the version that it's melded into for us over the years.

It is probably the most memorable recipe we’ve gotten from the magazine, and one that I beg for at least once a month.

In the tradition of goulash and chili, you’ll feel the love in the first bite. The potato gnocchi get great big hugs from the ground beef and tomatoes and the carrots, shallots and bacon dance around them. You add just a little bit of red wine to give them a slow cooked taste without the slow cooking and when you take your first bite you'll feel like you're wrapped in a warm blanket in front of a roaring fire on a cold winter day.

Even better...this is a filling meal that will leave you with plenty of left overs that make great lunches throughout the week.

By the way... for those of you who, like me, have no idea what Nicoise means, it means “as prepared in Nice.”

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Ginger Ribs

2012-02-29T17:00:00.000-06:00

This early spring weather had me wanting ribs and when I threw that out as a possible meal for this week, Lee was totally on board. He got to work looking for tasty recipes to make and quickly found the MMM...is for Mommy blog and her delicious ribs.
He was looking for spare or St. Louis style ribs, but instead found some delicious and meaty rib tips on sale at Shop N Save this week so he went for them. Being frugal paid off big time!
I knew we were having ribs, but let me tell you, my already good day was made a thousand times better when I stepped out of my car and could smell these puppies while I was still in the drive way. Neighbors eat your hearts out (cause you're not getting my ribs!)
Upon eating them, I declared them best ribs ever. I love honey bbq sauce- we're from St. Louis, we like our sweet stuff here. The way the sauce caramelized the honey sauce in the broiler was a thing of pure beauty.
I'm hoping these awesome ribs are in heavy rotation this summer... they're awesome!

Here's what he did to make this pile of deliciousness....

Read more »

Homemade Cheese-Its Crackers

2012-02-28T16:30:00.000-06:00

I came home from work today to find a snack waiting on the counter. I popped them in my mouth without asking what they were- which sometimes can be a household hazard here. Immediately I recognized the taste- cheese-its!