The Dining Diva

Review: Duncan Hines Simple Mornings Blueberry Muffins

2013-07-18T16:12:00.002-04:00

So I was wandering around Kroger, trying to find snack foods for DivaMom and I. I've been trying to pick "clean" foods (i.e. no/low preservatives, no HFCS, etc.) and I saw this box for Duncan Hines Simple Mornings Blueberry Muffins :

DivaMom likes blueberry muffins, and I like streusel topping, so I thought I'd give it a try.

The instructions were pretty simple. Strain and rinse blueberries. Combine 1/3 cup of veg oil, 2 eggs, 2/3 cup of water and the muffin mix until blended. Fold in blueberries. Spoon into muffin tin, put streusel on top and bake at 400 degrees for 16 mins.

This mix made 16 medium sized muffins total. I did leave the streusel topping off 7 of them since DivaMom doesn't like it (yeah, she's a little batty), but there was plenty of topping to put on all of the muffins.

They taste great! They are moist, not grainy like most whole grain stuff is, the topping isn't overly sugary or sweet, but I am disappointed in the quantity of blueberries. They really need more! That's saying something because I'm not much of a blueberry fan. (when I was a kid I had an uncle that had a blueberry farm. We were innundated with blueberries! It took MONTHS of blueberry everything to get rid of the the blueberries he would give us!)

Would I buy this again....I don't know. Maybe if they come out with an "improved" version with more blueberries, or they are on DEEP discount ($1 a box). Otherwise they aren't worth it.

These get a "MEH".

Recipe Review: Sambal Chicken Skewers

2013-07-16T17:06:00.000-04:00

So I bought a grill recently. It's a tiny propane camping grill, but it is perfect considering the last two large grills we had died due to the massive wind storms we get here. This one is portable, so I can bring it inside during bad weather.

DivaMom subscribed to Bon Appetit Magazine. I really don't know why since neither of us have much time to cook (hence the lack of posts). I'm not working much this summer so I have a bit of free time, and decided to try the Sambal Chicken Skewers recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

1/3 cup hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)

2 teaspoon finely grated peeled ginger

1/4 cup fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)

1/4 cup Sriracha

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch–2-inch pieces

Special equipment

8 bamboo skewers soaked in water at least 1 hour

Ingredient info

Hot chili paste is available at Asian markets and many supermarkets.

Preparation

Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Whisk brown sugar, vinegar, chili paste, fish sauce, Sriracha, and ginger in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Thread 4 or 5 chicken pieces onto each skewer.

Transfer marinade to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until reduced by half (about 1 cup), 7–10 minutes.

Grill chicken, turning and basting often with reduced marinade, until cooked through, 8–10 minutes.

I made a few changes:

I used bonless skinless chicken breast.
The recipe says to use the marinade to create the baste(I know WAY too much about food borne illness to attempt this). I created a seperate batch of marinade to reduce to make the basting sauce .
I used metal skewers instead of bamboo.

Result

Verdict:

YUM!!!! This is slightly sweet, slightly spicy, and completely wonderful! It was pretty easy and quick to make. The most difficult part of this recipe was finding the Chili Paste. I ended up driving all over town looking for it, but couldn't find it near home so I drove about 30 miles to a store that I knew carried it.

I have no idea what sides I'm going to make with this, but this is so yummy it can stand alone!

(link to the recipe : http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2013/07/sambal-chicken-skewers)

Boeuf Bourguignon a La Julia Child (Happy 2012!!!!)

2012-01-03T15:39:00.004-05:00

Hi! Sorry It's been a while! 2011 was crazy, but hopefully 2012 will be more manageable.

For New Year's Day dinner, DivaMom and I decided to make Boeuf Bourguignon a La Julia Child (click the link for the recipe).

This is a 2 person job! We had to make a few adjustments. I couldn't find solid chunk bacon, so we used regular bacon. We used 2 types of wine, both burgundy wines but one had 12% and the other had 14% alcohol. We used low sodium beef broth. We also doubled the recipe so we could take it to my grandparent's house to have dinner with them.

First we boiled the bacon. I'm not sure why this was necessary. I'm guessing it's to remove the nitrates.

Then we took out our Dutch Ovens (we have 2 matching DOs) and put olive oil in them

We dried the bacon.

Then we sauteed the bacon in the olive oil.

We removed the bacon from the DO and put in the stew meat (which had to be dried by hand so it got seared. I would have taken a pic of me drying the meat, but my hands were gross and I didn't want to contaminate the camera).

We removed the meat

and sauteed the carrots and chopped yellow onions. DivaMom likes carrots so we had lots of them.

Once they were soft, we added the bacon and the beef back into the DO.

We added salt, pepper and flour then popped it in the oven (450 degrees) for 4 minutes, stirred, then back in the oven for another 4 minutes.

Time to add the wine!

and garlic, tomato paste, stock and herbs.

It simmered on top of the stove, then it went back in the oven (325 degrees) for 5 hours (the meat was tough).

I peeled an entire bag of potatoes to go with the stew.

After a few hours we started the braised onions (we don't do mushrooms).I pealed the pearl onions (what a pain in the butt!)

Melted unsalted butter in the skillet.

Added onions

Cooked them gently until they browned, and picked out the ones that separated because they got tough. Then added beef stock and herbs, and cooked them for about 50 minutes.

We then boiled the potatoes...well, over boiled is more accurate...

They were the consistency of baby food. There were a few chunks that were salvageable so when the stew came out of the oven we added the few chunks of potato to it. We also added the braised onions to it too.

after 6 hours....this is what we had:

Since the potatoes didn't really work out. I made a package of frozen rice to go with it (after 6 hours, I didn't feel like making real rice).

poured the rice into a microwave safe dish, covered, and cooked it for 3 minutes and stirred. cooked it for another 3 minutes and it was ready!

The finished product!

(I have no idea why this pic is sideways, but you get the idea)

We've made this a few times before. This recipe is labor intensive, and takes a looooooooong time to cook. We've learned that the type of wine makes a huge difference. You MUST use a burgundy with a high alcohol percentage, otherwise you don't get the wine flavor to come through. You also have to use regular beef broth, not low sodium. This is not a diet friendly recipe, but for a special occasion, it is a tasty treat.

Review - Burgrz - Rochester Hills, MI

2011-02-09T20:55:00.001-05:00

Recently I went to a yoga class in Rochester Hills, and as always I was starving after. I spotted Burgrz as I drove down Walton, and decided I wanted to try it.

It's another casual dining burger place, that's become all the rage lately. These little burger joints are popping up everywhere, and at first glance this one is no different from the rest. They have a decent menu selection with everything from onion rings to salads to chicken fingers. The thing that stands at Burgrz are the fries. They have waffle fries, which are pretty rare around here.

I ordered a burger with blue cheese, bacon, onion straws, lettuce, and yellow mustard, and a side of waffle fries.The burgers are made to order, so they take a few minutes to prepare. Once I had my food I picked up the burger and the first thing I noticed was how greasy the bun was, and not from the burger. I'm not sure but I think they buttered the bun and toasted it, and gave my hands a nice greasy sheen. The first bite would have been perfect, but the lettuce was iceberg and tasted like a mouthful of pool water. YUCK! I threw that out immediately. The next bite was great! the onion straws were crunchy, the burger was fresh, the bacon was salty and perfectly complemented the sharpness of the blue cheese. The burger was perfect. The waffle fries tasted ok, no salt on them though, and they were kind of tough. I hope this was just an oddity.

Overall it was good. I'd eat there again, and probably will next time I'm down that way.

Spike Your Juice? My adventure in home wine making...

2011-01-28T20:21:00.001-05:00

So I was reading twitter, as I often do in my free time, and I came across an interesting product. I enjoy a spikey drink once in a while, so I purchased it! "Spike Your Juice" is a kit to make your own homemade campaign-like drink using bottled juice.

I hate most bottled juices, at least the ones I can get at the normal grocery (Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are about 40 mins away) so I made lemonade, breaking one of the rules of the product. The rules for juice selection are as follows:

minimum sugar content of 20g/serving
no refrigerated juices
no artificially sweetened juices
no unfiltered juices

I juiced about 10 lemons, poured the juice into a 1 gallon container (hence breaking the no unfiltered juices rule), then filled with water and lots of raw sugar. Then I took one of the yeast packs out of the kit and poured it into the gallon of lemonade, put the airlock stopper in, and sat it on the counter for 2 days as directed.

Today I opened the bottle, and I could see the yeast had created this foamy substance on top of the lemonade, so I poured it through a fine strainer and gave it a taste...It was good, but not very alcoholly tasting. In the product's defense, I could let it ferment for a couple more days and it would get stronger, but I don't want to alter the flavor any further. If I had to guess it might have 4 percent alcohol in it, so less than a beer.

Since that turned out ok, I'm trying again on a bottle of Cran-pom juice my mother bought, and has since decided she doesn't want to drink (she switched from the full sugar version to the "diet" type). I'll let you know how it turns out!

I Cooked! - Parmesan Chicken & Salad Greens with Lemon Vinaigrette

2011-01-28T20:00:00.000-05:00

This is an amazing recipe, and pretty easy to make!

Preheat Oven: 200 F

4-6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 C. Flour
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
½ tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp. Water
1 ¼ C. Seasoned Bread Crumbs
½ C. Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese, plus extra for serving
Butter
Olive Oil

Directions:
1. “Butterfly” the chicken breasts then cover with waxed paper on a flat surface.

2. Flatten with a rolling pin or meat mallet until ¼” thick

3. Combine flour, salt, pepper & Parmesan cheese on a dinner plate

4. In a shallow dish beat eggs and water

5. Put bread crumbs on a dinner plate

6. Coat each chicken breast on both sides first with flour, then eggs, then breadcrumbs

7. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet, then cook 1-2 chicken breasts on medium heat 2-3 minutes each side until cooked through

8. Add more olive oil and butter to do the next set of chicken breasts

9. Put finished chicken breasts on a baking sheet in oven (200 F) to keep warm until ready to eat

_____________________________________________________________________

Lemon Vinaigrette

¼ C. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (2 Lemons)
½ C. Olive Oil
½ tsp. Kosher salt
¼ tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Salad Greens to serve with same number of Chicken Breasts made

Directions:
1. Mix dressing, then toss with salad greens

2. To serve: place a mound of salad on top of each chicken breast, then grate a little more Parmesan cheese on top

I've made this twice. The first time I made it frying the chicken in the olive oil/butter combo suggested, and the second time using Grapeseed (aka rapeseed) oil. The grapeseed was so much better! The chicken came out crunchier and far less greasy! Honestly though, my favorite part of this recipe is the vinaigrette! It's divine, especially if you prefer vinaigrette over nasty ol' sugary or creamy dressing!

(sorry no pics, my hands were covered in egg and breadcrumbs while cooking. Just use your imagination.)

Restaurant Review - Oak City Grille (Royal Oak, MI)

2011-01-10T16:24:00.000-05:00

Your Diva is on the mend, finally. It was a tough battle, but I think I'm over the worst of the cold. So, here we go...

Oak City Grille is a restaurant tucked away in the middle of a block. Other than the sign outside, there's nothing really special about it from the outside. At first glance, from the outside it looks like it might be a dive. Imagine my surprise when I walked in and found dark wood everywhere, nice brass light fixtures, a very nice wine list, and a menu with more than buffalo wings! Looks can be deceiving! I've been to Oak City Grill a couple of times prior to this visit, and I'm always given the same treatment. I ask for a table for one, and the greeter insists that I sit at the bar despite the fact there are several empty 2-top tables. I'm short. Sitting at the bar is very uncomfortable since my legs dangle. They don't care. Since I'm alone, I have to sit at the bar.

Once you are seated, you know this will be expensive, and they don't disappoint there. Since I'd resigned myself to paying more than usual, I went for gold! I ordered the Peppercorn Sirloin, and a glass of Pinot Grigio. While I waited for my meal I was given a basket of bread with cold butter that was subsequently hard as a rock, and never was I offered a glass of water. If I needed anything I needed to send up a flare to get the bartender's attention. As my wine glass emptied, never was I offered another glass of wine, and I'm at the freaking bar!

Despite the service, the food was fantastic! The steak was cooked to order (well done, without being dry), and topped with a spicy peppercorn glace. Some might call it gravy, but it's not, it's glace! Gravy is thick, flavorless and forms a skin as it cools. Glace does not! The steak came with a side of broccoli, a vibrant green and also cooked to perfection, and smooth, creamy mashed potatoes. For the meal and 1 glass of wine, I paid $26 (before tip).

The service leaves something to be desired, so don't go expecting first class treatment, but the food is amazing. However, I'm not sure the amazing food makes up for the substandard service and high prices.

Review - Sanders Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels

2011-01-05T19:41:00.000-05:00

I love dark chocolate, I like caramels, and I like sea salt, but when I saw the three of them together in this Sanders Candy, I couldn't imagine it! Sanders is a Michigan candy company, they have been around over 100 years when there were Sanders lunch counters. The lunch counters are gone, but the candy and various confections remain.

I'm not a big candy eater. I'd rather eat cake than eat a piece of candy, but DivaMom received a box of the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels in a gift basket, and I was intrigued. DivaMom doesn't like dark chocolate, so I claimed them right away. I was a bit leery, I mean, I like eating savory and sweet things in rapid succession, but salt on candy? Seemed weird. I opened the box and it smelled like normal chocolate. I picked up the first piece and bit into it. I could taste the salt, the chocolate and the caramel, but my mouth was having a hard time distinguishing the flavors. They were just kind of a jumble. One moment the bitter chocolate was the strongest flavor, the next the sweet caramel, and then the next the salt. Major mouth confusion. I didn't know if I liked it or not. I had to try another...same result. Mouth confusion. I decided to give them a try again the next day.

The next day I knocked off some of the salt granules and tried again. Much better. The saltiness was still there, but the chocolate and caramel were able to shine through. This time the salt brought out the amazing sweet creaminess of the candy, rather than the three flavors duking it out for dominance.

I still don't know if I like the candy. I think I do, but only if I remove some of the salt first. At least I have the rest of the box to experiment with :)

Just another quick update...

2011-01-03T15:13:00.002-05:00

Your Diva has a bit of a cold or sinus infection or something, but I've got lots to write up that I'll get to in the next few days. Stay tuned...

Review - Young's Chinese Food (Royal Oak, MI)

2010-12-28T15:31:00.000-05:00

I love Chinese food. Well, I love GOOD Chinese food. I have yet to find any near where I live so I drive 45 minutes (one way) just to go to Young's (they don't have their own website from what I can find).

Young's is a little carry-out place on 11 Mile Rd. It doesn't stand out, in fact it looks like a dive, but it has rightfully won several awards for Best Chinese Food. There are no tables, no tea, no red carpeting or gaudy decorations. It's a counter, a cash register, a fuzzy TV (and if you go at 1pm you can usually catch either All My Children or Days of Our Lives), and a soda refrigerator. No frills. Every time I have gone there I have been greeted by one of the same two older Chinese people. Both have very thick accents, so I recommend going in to place your order rather than calling since it can be hard for you to understand them and for them to understand you.

I am a creature of habit so I always order the same things: Sweet and Sour Chicken (sauce on the side), Chicken Fried Rice, white rice, Chicken Egg Foo Young (for DivaMom), and 2 Eggrolls. I love their Chicken Fried Rice mainly because there's no egg in it! It's mainly rice, sprouts, a few green onions, and chicken. The Sweet and Sour Chicken is fresh and crispy and the sauce lives up to it's name. I always get the sauce on the side because it's easier to warm up the leftovers (I put the chicken in the toaster oven to revive the crispy outer crust) and because DivaMom and I like to use the sauce for the Chicken Fried Rice. My only complaint is that the sauce becomes completely gelatinous the next day and doesn't pour. I haven't figured out what to use to thin it out without greatly altering the flavor. The eggrolls are amazing too. They are crispy, albeit a bit greasy, and filled with sprouts and veinless shrimp (you'd be horrified at how many places serve eggrolls with veiny shrimp, gross!). DivaMom loves the Chicken Egg Foo Young, but I don't do Egg Foo Young so I can't give you any descriptions on that except they look like giant gravy covered patties with egg and meat.

The food is so good that I'm often sent of food runs for my southern-born grandparents. DivaGrandma loves the Shrimp Egg Foo Young and Shrimp Fried Rice, and DivaGrandpa likes the Pepper Steak, however he'd prefer if they made it with tomatoes.

I never would have given Young's a chance. Like I said, it looks like a dive, but when I read about the numerous awards they won I had to try it. I have yet to regret that decision! If you like good, quick, tasty (but not necessarily healthy) Chinese food, Young's is the place to go!

Christmas 2010 - Bah Humbug

2010-12-27T14:03:00.000-05:00

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas Holiday. Mine was the usual SNAFU.

DivaMom and I live about 1 hour drive from the rest of the family, so we make the drive down to my aunt's house for the major holidays (Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). I told you all about Thanksgiving (waiving to my cousin that reads my blog), and Christmas wasn't much different. Same menu, for the most part. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

DivaMom and I drive down to my grandparent's house and arrive about 6:00pm to pick them up to take them to my Aunt's house. When we arrived, Grandma tells us that my Aunt called her to find out when we were coming. Ok...so my Aunt knows that DivaMom is driving all of us...why didn't she call either DivaMom, or I? DivaMom and I had no idea what time we were suppose to come to dinner, we just decided to leave home around 5 because we got tired of sitting around waiting. We gather my grandparents, get them in the car, get to my Aunt's house and my Aunt says "Everything is ready, you could have come whenever you wanted" (remember the "Everything is ready" part). We do the required sitting around starring at each other in the living room, then my Uncle says the blessing so we can start eating whenever we want.

DivaMom is the first to head into the kitchen, making a brief detour into the dining room to grab a plate (shockingly the table was set this time, sort of...the silverware was still jumbled in a Ziploc bag) with my Aunt hot on her tail. DivaMom makes her plate and the food is cold. Not room temperature cold, REFRIGERATOR cold! How are you going to tell people to help themselves to food that is ready when the food is ice cold? That isn't ready food! A normal person would warm the food up then tell us when it's really ready to eat, not my Aunt. She has us microwave our food, one plate at a time, in the world's oldest microwave. I'm sure I will end up with brain cancer from standing in front of it waiting for my food to warm up. 20 minutes later, my mother sits down at the dining room table (My cousin's boyfriend (aka CBF), my cousin and I gave up standing in the doorway of the kitchen to make our plates and sat down at the table to wait) and eats. Then cousin, CBF and I went and made our plates. The food was good, just cold.

After what seemed like a couple hours, we all ate (except Grandma, but that's another story), we opened presents, and then it was time for dessert. As usual DivaMom and I picked up cakes from OliverT's (a pumpkin roll and strawberry shortcake cake) and my aunt made a cream cheese pound cake, and a German chocolate cake. My aunt asked my cousin to set out the desserts, and cousin was doing a perfect job of it, despite having to clear the dining room table as her mother sat on the couch barking at her to hurry up. In between barks, my aunt was also telling my mother (and me since I was standing right there) about how she *thinks* she perfected the pound cake. First of all...pound cake sucks. Sorry. Second...cream cheese pound cake sucks more than butter pound cake. Third...pound cake with nothing to top it sucks the most. Forth...when feeding guests, even if they are family, feed them items you know are good, don't treat them like Guinea pigs! My aunt had a plain cream cheese pound cake. No toppings, just plain. My mother is a good sport though, once cousin finished setting up the cakes DivaMom cut a slice of the pound cake, OK, it wasn't really a cut. It was more like sawing. This cake was DRY, but DivaMom made the best of it and cut a piece of Strawberry Shortcake cake and used the topping from that to give the pound cake some moisture. I had a slice of pumpkin roll that was fantastic, and a slice of the homemade German chocolate cake. I have to give my Aunt credit...the German chocolate cake was great! It was moist, flavorful, fresh, just perfection! I would have been happy if she had only made the German chocolate cake (but CBF has a nut allergy so she had to make something he could eat, but CBF knows I always have his back in the dessert department).

Holidays with family are always interesting (I didn't even tell you about the non-food related stuff that happened!), but there are always lessons to be learned:
1.Let your guests know what time they should arrive.
2. If you cook food the day before, make sure you warm it up before declaring it's ready for everyone to eat.
3. Set the table (learned at thanksgiving). At least take everything out of the storage containers (aka Ziploc bags) so it's easy for your guests to serve themselves.
4. Don't serve pound cake with nothing to top it (or just don't serve pound cake).
5. Don't use your guests as Guinea pigs.
6. Have lots of booze on hand. Everyone will be thankful especially when dealing with family.

These simple things can make any get together much more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Wine Jelly?

2010-12-22T19:58:00.000-05:00

This summer DivaMom and I bought Wine Jelly from Pentamere Winery while we were at the Renaissance Festival. We LOVE this stuff! Pentamere is in Tecumseh, way too far to drive, and the jelly isn't available to purchase online, which has led DivaMom to want me to make some.

I've never done any jelly making in my life! I've never done any canning either!

I've found quite a few recipes online, but all of the require boiling the wine which I think would change the flavor. You could taste the alcohol in jelly we bought, so we don't really want to boil it out.

Do you have any recipes, suggestions or recommendations? Let me know in the comments section or via Twitter @adiningdiva.

I cooked! - Baked Potato Soup

2010-12-22T19:24:00.000-05:00

I tried to make potato soup before, and it was disaster! So when my friend Paula recommended this recipe I was leery.

I have a confession...I didn't bake the potatoes, I microwaved them for about 20 mins.

The skins just fell off of them. I mushed them up in a bowl and started the soup. I put the flour in the dutch oven:

added the milk and whisked it all together:

when that started to thicken (it took about 15 mins) I added the potatoes, salt, pepper, and low fat sharp cheddar cheese:

once that boiled, I took the pot off the stove and added sour cream and chopped green onions:

stirred that up, put it back on the burner (not sure why the instructions had me remove it in the first place) on low heat, and cooked until it almost simmered:

I ladled it into a bowl, topped with more cracked pepper, cheese, and bacon bits (Oscar Meyer from a bag).

I'm shocked! It's really good! A little thicker than I'd like, but that can be fixed with a little more milk. It was relatively easy to make (took me little over an hour total). This recipe is a keeper! Good Recommendation Paula!

Product Reviews - Presorvac Marinator, Maverick Voice Alert Anticipation Digital Thermometer, and Mediterranean Chicken Recipe

2010-12-21T18:41:00.002-05:00

First, The Recipe:

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken

(serves 6)

2 lbs of boneless chicken breast (either whole or cubed)

4-6 cloves of garlic

½ cup of lemon juice

2 teaspoons of thyme

1 teaspoon of paprika

¼ - ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)

1 teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of black pepper

½ cup of olive oil

Combine ingredients in a bowl (plastic with a cover), pour over chicken, and refrigerate 6 hours or over night.

Bring the meat to room temperature.

Prepare the grill or preheat the broiler.

Remove meat from the marinade, reserving the marinade. If using chicken cubes, thread on to skewers. Place the chicken on the grill rack or broiler pan and grill or broil until cooked through, basting with reserved marinade while cooking. Cooking time will depend upon the size of poultry pieces. Do not let the meat become dry.

I love this recipe. It's tasty, easy to whip up, and I usually have all of the ingredients on hand, but I hate the marination time, so when I saw the Presorvac Marinator on Woot.com I had to try it (especially since it was only $29.99 with shipping)!

I cleaned the chicken and put it in the marinator's dish:

added the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and other assorted seasonings:

Popped the top on and started it up:

This thing is VERY loud. Don't use this if you have a sleeping baby! The marination cycles (there are 5) lasts about 10-15 mins. After it ran once I flipped the chicken over and ran it again. This is what it looked like after 2 cycles:

Normally I would grill the chicken outside, but since this is December in Michigan, I decided to bake it instead. I preheated the oven to 400 sprayed a baking dish with olive oil cooking spray then placed the chicken in the dish:

Clean up is pretty easy, both the lid and marinator dish are top rack dishwasher safe. the motor part isn't so I just wipe that down with a wet cloth (not that it really gets dirty). I baked the chicken until the internal temp reached 180.

I also have a new cooking thermometer, also bought via Woot.com:

I put the probe into the chicken and it will let me know when it is ready.

It's a little weird having the cord in the oven plugged into the "brain" on top of the stove, but the probe/cord are oven safe up to 450, and I have another for the grill that is safe up to 600. The thermometer is pretty easy to use and it came with batteries so that's always a plus. When the food is done the thermometer actually says "your meal is done" however it doesn't remind you the probe and the cord are hot. I burned first the back of my hand on the cord, and then the pads of my right thumb, forefinger and middle finger on the probe (yes, I'm that much of a dumbass that I didn't learn my lesson after burning myself the first time).

The end result:

I completed the meal with Garlic Mashed Potatoes (from a box) and some steamed broccoli.

So you must be wondering...what is the verdict on the marinater? Thumbs Up! It's a winner! The meat was juicy, tender, and well marinated! If you like marinaded meat, this is a must have!

Review - Little Joe's (Grand Blanc, MI)

2010-12-21T14:04:00.000-05:00

Part of moving to a new town is discovering places that the locals know about, but take for granted. Little Joe's is one of those places. It's a bar and grill hiding in the facade of an old hardware store, in fact there is still the sign out front that says "Grand Blanc Hardware."When you walk in through the back door, you really don't know what to expect. You are greeted with a short hallway that opens up into a very small lobby, but then you see the dining room. This place is MUCH bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside.

I've been to Little Joe's several times, and it's always the same friendly staff. For a bar and grill, there's almost a homeyness, kind of like Cheers. This is the place that you come to meet up with friends. I sat at the bar, and the Bartender remembered me from my last visit months ago, but I threw her a curve ball and ordered a different drink than my usual Vodka and Tonic. This was more of a 7&7 day. It had been years since the last time I had a 7&7, so the first sip hit me hard. She made it perfectly! While I perused the menu, she offered me some fresh popped popcorn.

Joe's has a new sandwich right now. It's an open faced steak melt. New York Strip (well done for me), topped with melted cheese (provolone I think) open faced with fries and garlic toast. You can add onions and mushrooms for a little extra, I just added onions. Before long I had my meal. The cheese is perfectly melted over the onions and steak, the garlic toast has the perfect ratio of buttery crunch and garlicky softness, and the fries are hot and fresh. Everything really just melts in your mouth. This is probably one of the best meals I've had in a while. The best part was the price. with my meal and drink, the tab came to about $15. Alcohol and steak for less than $20 is hard to come by, so this was a value!

If you are in Grand Blanc (and let's be real, why would you come here? It's practically the middle of nowhere) and you want good food, great service, at a good price, you need to go to Little Joe's...if you can find it.

Review - Bar Louie (Several States)

2010-12-21T13:43:00.001-05:00

I had some shopping to do so I went to the Bar Louie in the parking lot of Genesee Valley Mall in Flint, MI. Bar Louie is an interesting place. Part martini lounge, part sports bar, part restaurant with an unique menu. This place has an identity crisis. I use to love Bar Louie when it was trying to be a little more like an upscale bar and grill with an extensive martini menu. Over the years it has watered down it's menu, becoming a lot more like a Champs or an Applebees.

They have a new drink this month called the Hot Chocoholic. It's Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, Bailey's Irish Cream, hot chocolate, and topped with whipped cream. This sounded too good to be real, so of course I had to have one! I ordered my drink and watched. It took quite a while for the drink to be made, and once it was maid it sat on the bar for a couple of minutes. Once I received it, the "hot" chocolate was barely room temperature. I'm guessing the alcohol is chilled, then the sitting on the bar didn't help matters. It was NOT worth almost $10!

One of my pet peeves when I go out for food and drinks is when my drink is empty the server doesn't ask if I want another. I really hate that! If I want another, and the server doesn't ask, I won't order one, and that's affects his/her tip! If you are a server, take note! Always ask if the patron wants another drink!

For lunch I chose the Aged Wisconsin Grilled Cheese with fries. It's Cheddar Cheese, Tomato, and Bacon on multi-grain bread. I was not impressed. It wasn't what most people think of with grilled cheese, meaning that the bread wasn't buttered, and then placed in the pan with the cheese, et cetera, inside. This was merely a sandwich on toast, but the cheese was melted, for whatever that's worth. Very disappointing.

Bar Louie has had fabulous desserts in the past ranging from an amazing chocolate cake to fresh made donuts. They have gotten rid of all of those, and now have nasty, dry, store bought desserts. Don't waste your money.

Bar Louie use to be a good, if not great, restaurant, but they have made changes that are to their detriment. I hope that the management team will grow a brain and return the quality to the food and the selection that Bar Louie should be known for.

Just a quick update..

2010-12-20T17:20:00.000-05:00

Things have been so busy with the holidays, but I hope to post 2 restaurant reviews tomorrow!

Until then...bon appétit!

I Baked - Cup o' Joe Cookies

2010-12-14T17:36:00.000-05:00

'tis the season for baking cookies. I love chocolate and coffee, so when I ran across this recipe making it was a no brainer!

So this recipe calls for blending cocoa powder, instant espresso granules and whipping cream together, then "crumble" the sugar cookie log into the mixture...I just decided to throw the whole log in there!

And mixed (hey, it's hard to stir!):

and mixed (Pretty gross, huh?):

until it was well blended. Then I formed it into little balls (yeah they looks like little brown turds) :

And then I took a drinking glass and smushed the balls flat. (my friends always called me a "ball buster"):

And then I topped each one with chocolate chips or chunks. You can use whatever kind of chocolate you like. This time I used Semi-Sweet, but next time I might go with dark chocolate.

If the chocolate has a while film on it, it is perfectly fine to use. The chocolate hasn't gone "bad", but the cocoa butter in the chocolate has separated from the other solids and rested on surface.

Here's the finished product (notice the white on the chocolate chunks has disappeared):

These were pretty easy, didn't make a mess, and were quick to bake. If you have little kids you can make this with them as a treat...if you don't have issues with the little bit of espresso powder.

Snowed In! - Pan Fried Hamburgers

2010-12-14T17:13:00.000-05:00

I live in Michigan and we got hit with a winter storm over the weekend. I was stuck inside and had to feed myself. Luckily I had a few provisions on hand.

Ground Beef:

To which I added Worcester Sauce, seasoned bread crumbs, and minced onions. Then I formed patties:

And covered the patties in sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Placed it in the pan with some sliced onions:

while that cooked I toasted a bun in the toaster oven. Once the meat was finished I placed a piece of Swiss cheese on top and everything on the bun:

Surprisingly this turned out much better than I anticipated (ok, so I burned the first pan, but the burger was tasty).

I rarely make burgers at home, mainly because they never taste as good as a restaurant burger, but I have to admit, this one came pretty darned close!

I Baked! - Lemon Ricotta Cookies (Giada De Laurentiis)

2010-12-11T19:36:00.000-05:00

I love lemon cookies. They are probably my favorite, so when I found this recipe I was very excited!

I followed instructions exactly to bake the cookies, and used fresh lemons and zested them myself.

I mixed the flour, baking powder, and salt together and set them aside. Then I creamed the butter and sugar together:

added the eggs one at a time:

added lemon juice, zest, and ricotta cheese and blended:

added the dry ingredients slowly:

Dropped the dough onto parchment paper covered cookie sheets and baked:

While the cookies were baking I made the glaze. I put an extra 1/2 lemon worth of juice.

The recipe calls for 15 minutes, since I used one of those insulated or double layer pans it took more like 25 for them to cook completely. I let them cool for about 10 minutes then I put the glaze on:

I should have waited a little longer. The glaze kinda melted off and pooled around the cookies.

These cookies are very cake like, almost like eating the top of a muffin.

The cookie didn't have much of a lemon taste, but the glaze with the extra lemon juice was awesome. This recipe is a little complicated, so it's not a recipe to make every day, but for special occasions it is a perfect sweet treat!

Grilled Chicken Parmigiano Sammich - A Dining Diva Production

2010-12-11T12:33:00.000-05:00

I had lots of leftovers from this cooking feat, but I didn't want to eat the same exact thing, so I got a little creative and made a sandwich (sammich)!

I baked some bread:

Then I sliced it in half-ish and then slit it down the middle:

I used some garlic spread on the bread and toasted it. Then I diced the chicken and reheated it in the toaster oven:

Once the bread was toasted and the chicken warm I assembled the sammich. A couple slices of Swiss cheese, then the chicken, then a couple slices of provalone on top.

I forgot to grab fresh lettuce, green pepper, onions and banana peppers at the store. Next time I'll have to grab those to make this sammich complete, but as it was it was pretty darn good!

I Cooked - Grilled Chicken Parmigiano (Rocco DiSpirito)

2010-12-10T14:48:00.001-05:00

I found this recipe for Grilled Chicken Parmigiano. I've always been a fan of Rocco DiSpirito's, I even have his books, but I've never made any of the recipes. I always feel overwhelmed when I open the cookbooks.

The recipe calls for making marinara. Well, that wasn't going to happen. I bought store bought generic organic marinara. And what's the point of buying canned Roma tomatoes then dicing them yourself? I just bought a can of diced tomatoes with Italian herbs. I couldn't find low fat cheese so I used regular cheese, and I wasn't buying new panko crumbs so I just used what I had at home. Yeah, I know I defeated the purpose of this being low-cal, but I'm about convenience.

I pounded out the chicken the best I could, and seasoned it with salt and pepper:

I grilled it on my stove top grill:

According to the recipe the grilling should have taken 1.5 minutes per side. I found it took much much much longer.

I then placed the chicken in a dish with marinara, diced tomatoes and basil:

Then topped with cheese and baked:

These are the products I used:

When it was done I sprinkled the panko crumbs on top:

I have no idea what purpose the panko crumbs serve, but since the recipe called for them, I put them on. I made a pot of rigatoni since I can't just eat chicken and cheese.

This turned out surprisingly good! You can't go wrong with fresh basil though. Overall this recipe was pretty easy, quick, and tasty. If you have kids you might be able to get them to eat this one.

The Dining Diva - Update1

2010-12-09T15:27:00.000-05:00

So I've been at it a month, and I'm not sure how things are going. Do you like what I'm doing? Are there things you'd like to see done differently? Do you have questions?

I live in the Flint, MI area, and I'm open to suggestions of restaurants you'd like me to review. I often travel to the Detroit area (that's where my friends and family are) so feel free to suggest places there too. I'm open to recipe experiments, as long as they aren't too complicated or involve fish or tofu :)

If you like what you see here, please click on an ad or two. I don't get paid for this so the ad clicks would help fund this labour of love. And that's how I view this experiment...A labour of love.

So tell me what you think. I welcome your comments! Feel free to follow me on Twitter @adiningdiva and tell your friends to check out The Dining Diva Blog!

Review - Famous Dave's (Locations in 37 States)

2010-12-09T14:27:00.000-05:00

I'm spoiled. My Godfather owns a BBQ joint in Detroit, and my father worked there when I was a child and learned all the secrets to great BBQ. I grew up eating the best BBQ ever, so I'm very critical of BBQ Ribs. Most places boil the meat before grilling it, making the meat "tender" or in my opinion SOGGY! Yuck! Famous Dave's is different.

Famous Dave's is your typical BBQ place. Lots of meat, lots of "southern" sides, and of course cornbread muffins. I decided I wanted ribs and didn't want to drive all the way to Detroit from Flint, so I stopped into Famous Dave's and ordered a slab of their Kansas City Ribs, Mac 'n' cheese, and 6 cornmeal muffins (DivaMom liked their cornmeal muffins).

I was leery at first of the ribs. Like I said, most places boil their ribs before grilling, but Famous Dave's didn't! these were tender without the soggy nature of boiled ribs (wet meat! if you've read previous entries of mine you'll know how I feel about wet meat). I've never been in their kitchen but I'm willing to bet they slow roasted/smoked these ribs over low heat for hours, giving the meat a tender texture. Then they finish the meat on the grill to give the outside an almost crispy texture, and to apply the sauce allowing it to cook on the ribs to an almost glaze. This method makes the ribs amazingly good, and well worth the trip and the price.

The Mac 'n' Cheese is special! It's your typical creamy style mac 'n' cheese, but Dave's kicks it up a notch! They add bits of jalapeno, and corn niblets! Two things I never would have added to mac 'n' cheese! The jalapeno gives it a little spice, accentuating the cheese, and the corn gives it a little sweetness so you can taste the flavor of the jalapeno. This isn't an overly spicy dish, but it very flavorful.

The meal also came with a corn muffin (in addition to the 6 I ordered) and corn on the cob. The corn muffins are sweet, almost like a cupcake, and the corn on the cob is just corn on the cob. Nothing special about that.

If you want ribs, Famous Dave's has the best restaurant ribs I've had (other than my Godfather's place), and the mac 'n' cheese is amazing too. Well worth the price for everything! You should definitely pay them a visit!

The Butter Incident

2010-12-08T16:59:00.000-05:00

I learned a valuable lesson yesterday...never turn your back on melting butter in the microwave.

As usual I was multitasking...cooking, typing, and watching TV. I needed melted butter so I cut 3 tablespoons from a stick of butter, put it in a small plastic cup and nuked it. I set the microwave for 1 minute, turned my back to rinse my hands off and all I heard was "BOOM!" I turned around and looked at the microwave...the plastic cup was upside down in the front right corner of the microwave and there was butter EVERYWHERE. Me, being the brainiac I am, opened the door and butter came flooding out. You would have thought it was a tidal wave. It seemed like far more than 3 tablespoons!

With butter dripping from the microwave on to everything on the counter and splattered all over the microwave I set to cleaning it up. I now know what the coast guard was dealing with in the Gulf of Mexico! No matter what I did, what I used, the butter just moved around. I couldn't get it to clean up! I broke out the Fantastic cleaning stuff, and started spraying. Butter puddles be damned! Everything was soaked in layers of butter and Fantastic.

After about half a roll of paper towel I managed to get the majority of the mess cleaned up (I tried to use a dishrag, but that just made matters worse). I don't remember what I did with the plastic cup. In all the chaos I may have just thrown it in the trash, or it's somewhere tucked away for a nice surprise mess to be discovered in a month or two.

I'm dangerous in the kitchen...now you know why I eat out so much!