In an attempt to get out of my typical cocktail rut, I’ve been buying all sorts of new liquors experimenting with what we have.  It is so. much. fun. It’s a whole new world to me!

We got this stellar basket of goodies from some friends over Christmas… all sorts of yummy teas, hot chocolates, crackers, candies, and cookies. My favorite, hands down, were the white chocolate oatmeal cookies. Somehow crispy and chewy at the same time, these things were way addictive. And since they were like.. the size of a quarter, they were super guilt-free. They couldn’t have been that bad, I mean… how much fat can you really get into something that tiny?

Don’t answer that.

So the other day I went to polish off the rest of these little cookie gems and had an idea. A really good idea. One of those.. I-know-this-is-going-to-be-epic-before-I-even-make-it ideas that come around every once in a while. A white chocolate cookie cocktail.

Many years ago, on an old episode of Cookworks (which I think only airs on Food Network Canada now), I witnessed an Oatmeal Cookie cocktail be created. It had me at hello… or whatever the food tv equivalent would be. I ran out, bought all the ingredients, and fell in love. I proceeded to profess my love for the drink to anyone who would listen, “you don’t understand… it’s a cocktail.. that tastes like a cookie!….. a cookie in cocktail form!!” What can I say? It doesn’t take much to impress me. Whatevs… one sip and anyone else is convinced, too!

So this recipe is a twist on that recipe and in my humble opinion, even better (but of course). It goes down a little smoother and you can have a few more than a couple sips before nearly being down for the count. Just a few.

White Chocolate Cookie Cocktails
{inspired by The Oatmeal Cookie Drink on Cookworks}

makes 2 cocktails or 4 generous shooters

1 shot of Irish Cream Liquer (I used Bailey’s)
1 shot of Butterscotch Schnapps (I used Hiram Walker)
1 shot of Jagermeister
1 shot of White Chocolate Liquer (I used Godiva)
1/2 shot of Cinnamon Schnapps  (I used Hiram Walker)
1 shot of half and half
a few oatmeal, oatmeal raisin, or some sort of spice cookie
milk or vanilla icing, for rimming your glasses

In a small food processor, pulse your cookies until you have fine crumbs

Rim your glasses in a little bit of milk or icing and then dip in the cookie crumbs.

Add all of the liquids to a cocktail shaker with a few ice cubs, shake vigorously to combine.

Pour over ice if making cocktails or shotglasses for shooters.

Oh, and try not to make this kind of massive mess while making/photographing them, it’s not fun to clean up after you’ve “taste-tested” a few.. you know, to make sure they work as cocktails AND shooters…

I’m not one of those people that likes my food separate, never allowing it to mingle and get to know each other. No, I like to throw my food all together. Get a little bit of everybody in each bite.

Parfaits? Trifles? Rice bowls? Taco salads? Yeah, those are totally my thing. So pretty much… container + a bunch of different food stuffs = I’m golden. Or bowl + buffet, that works too.

and breakfast is like… my most favorite meal of all time. ANYthing goes at breakfast!

Liquor? Pour it in your coffee!
Cake? Coffee cake! Donuts!
Champagne? Mimosas!
Steak? Steak and eggs!
Beer? Sure, why not?

and from what I hear, Merkle’s in Chicago has $4 Jameson brunch shots. My kind of place.

Except that I live in South Carolina.

Do you see what I’m getting at here? That you can drink eat anything you want, as long as you slap a breakfast label on it.

This meal allows for total customization. This is more an inspiration/method post than a recipe post, because you can take this parfait recipe any direction you want. Shrimp, grits, tofu scramble, potatoes, black beans, chorizo, eggs, sweet potato hash, bacon, veggie sausage.. the possibilities are endless. Get creative! Or layer it ALL together and bring it to my house!

So, after you finish off your breakfast martini(s), quickly fill the glass with a yummy, decadent, savory breakfast parfait. And to get you started, here’s the recipe I used:

Savory Breakfast Parfaits

serves 2

4 eggs, scrambled
1/2 c. grits
2  c. veggie or chicken stock
1/2 c. half and half
2 shallots, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 veggie sausage patties (Trader Joe’s are a house favorite, even carnivorous Mr. Birdy loves them)
1/2 cup diced bell peppers (we used a combo of red, yellow, and green)
grated cheddar cheese or a pre-grated cheese blend
2 green onion stalks, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Begin with the grits:
In a sauce pan, saute shallots and garlic in a drizzle of olive oil for roughly 5 minutes. Add the grits and stock to the pan, stirring constantly. Add some salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn down to a simmer, continuing to stir. Once the mixture has thickened and all the grits are incorporated into the liquid, about 10 minutes, you can ease up off the stirring a bit.

Then start the sausage and eggs:
Warm two pans over medium heat.

Beat the eggs with just a splash of water, salt, and pepper. Spray one of the preheated pans with non-stick spray, add the eggs, and scramble.

While the eggs are scrambling and you’re checking in on the grits, spray the other pan with non-stick spray and add 4 veggie sausage patties. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, until each side is browned.

Check on the grits, add 1/2 cup half and half. Continue to stir intermittently. The total cooking time for the grits is 30-40 minutes. You can add more half and half, milk, cream, or cheese to them if you like. Salt and pepper to taste.

Then the veggies:
After you flip the sausage to the second side, clean and dice your peppers.  When the sausage is done, remove from the pan and add the peppers. Saute the peppers in the olive oil/drippings from the sausage for a few minute; just enough so they aren’t raw, but still have a bite. You don’t want them to get mushy.

While the peppers are cooking, chop your green onions and get your cheese ready.

Cut the sausage into small, bite-sized pieces. I like to cut mine in thirds horizontally and vertically, getting 9 crumbles per patty.

To assemble:
Spoon the grits into the bottom of a glass, add a layer of cheese, then a layer of sausage (I used half  of the crumbles for each parfait), then the eggs, and another layer of cheese. Top with sauteed peppers and fresh green onion

Note: To keep things warm while you are preparing other parts of the dish, put your oven on low, around 200°. Place finished items in the oven until ready to use. Make sure you are using oven-safe dishes!

Where there’s cheese y’all, there’s inspiration. Creamy, sweet, decadent cheese. And because I didn’t think anyone besides me would appreciate a “bowl of marscapone with honey and lemon” recipe, I threw some fruit in, too.

Don’t worry though, I stripped it of most any health benefits and slathered it in sugar, spices, and my favorite… whiskey!

This particular reader is an old college friend, and if there’s one thing that will bring back some fun memories for us, it’s this bold, dark-hued liquor. Any other girl that can handle her manly man drinks is a-ok in my book.

Smooth, toffee-like whiskey pairs beautifully with spicy cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom in a syrup that’s easily drinkable by itself. The syrup gets gooey and caramel-y as it’s cooked on the fruit, see for yourself!

I started off delicately brushing the syrup on…

…but quickly abandoned that for straight up pouring it everywhere.

Oooh, me likey.

I need a minute to compose myself.

..ok, back to the recipe.

The dish is brightened up with the lemon and honey marscapone cheese. Perfect balance of flavors, perfect way to eat your fruit.. it’s still in there.. under all that liquor, sugar, and cheese. It still counts?!

So here you are Ms. D, a lovely recipe with marscapone from me to you. With some nostalgic Fun Robyn thrown in, just in a more sophisticated way.

Tipsy Grilled Fruit with Marscapone
{Inspired by Tipsy Spiced Fruit Tart}

serves 2 large portions, 4 smaller portions

4 pieces of fruit, I used 2 pears and 2 apples. Would surely be good with other fruit, too.
1/2 c. whiskey or bourbon
1/2 c. organic sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. cardamom
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
4 oz. marscapone cheese
1 tbsp. honey
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
butter for greasing grill pan

Combine the whiskey, sugar, and spices in a small pot. Stir until everything is incorporated. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

While the syrup is coming together, heat a grill pan over medium heat. Core and slice your fruit. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the grill pan and spread your fruit out evenly. Brush one side with the syrup. Let cook for 3-4 minutes. Flip the fruit over and brush (or pour!) the rest of the mixture over the other side of the fruit. Let cook for 3-4 more minutes.

Mix the marscapone cheese with the honey, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

To serve top the fruit with some of the cheese mixture and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Maybe it would inspire me to do a giveaway? Because nobody wants to do a giveaway and then wind up “winning it” themselves…

…or maybe so? I am into all things kitchen gadget-y, cook book-y, and ingredients-y.

So yeah, meatball pizza. If you think the idea of a meatball pizza is similar to a “sausage pizza from papa john’s”, like Mr. Birdy, you are wrong. Dead wrong, son.  This shiz is off the chain and I will prove it to you. But probably the only person who needed proving was Mr. Birdy and judging by the mini-tussle we got into this morning about who got 2 pieces and who got 3 out of the 5 that were left over, I’d say the message was received loud and clear.

You can have this pizza, homemade meatballs and all, on the table in less than hour. That, little birdies, is reason-enough to give me a shot. You get multiple reasons in this one, though – crispy pizza dough smothered in tangy marinara sauce, moist and super flavorful meatballs,  sweet onions and yellow bell peppers, lightly sauteed, all topped with fresh basil, parsley, and mozzarella cheese. Yes, please.

Really though, homemade meatballs slathered in sauce and baked up on a pizza? Really. I mean reeeallllyyyy?! Like Seth and Amy reaaallllyyyy?!

Eeetsa gooda pizza pie!

Meatball Pizza

makes one pizza

Meatballs:
1/2 lb. ground meat, I used turkey
1 egg
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
1.5 tablespoons bread crumbs
1.5 tablespoons grated cheese (parmesan, pecorino, romano, etc.)
1.5 tablespoons ketchup
1.5 tablespoons grated onion
3 garlic cloves, grated
4 basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350°

Generously grease a baking sheet with olive oil or olive oil spray. Mix all ingredients together and form into mini-meatballs.  You should have roughly 15 meatballs. Bake for 20-25 minutes, I pulled mine at the 22/23 minute mark. If working with poultry, you want to make sure they’re cooked through.

Pizza:
1/2 a sweet onion, sliced
1/2 a yellow bell pepper, sliced (any bell pepper would work well)
1-2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1-2 tablespoons basil, chopped
your favorite jarred or homemade marinara sauce
1 pizza dough, homemade or pre-made.. I used a whole wheat dough from Trader Joe’s

While the meatballs are cooking, heat some olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook for 8-10 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, sprinkle some cornmeal on a pizza stone and rub a rolling pin with some olive oil. Roll the pizza dough into a circle.. a “rustic” circle like mine will do just fine!

Once the onions have cooked for 8-10 minutes, add the bell pepper and cook for 3-5 more minutes. Remove from heat.

Grate your cheese, chop your herbs, etc. until the meatballs are finished.

To assemble: Ladle and spread marinara sauce on the pizza dough, add the meatballs and brush each one with a bit of sauce. Fill in the rest of the dough with the onions and peppers and top it all with the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle half of the parsley and basil over the dough and bake at 375° for 12-18 minutes. Top finished pizza with the remaining chopped parsley and basil.

The special was focused on bringing attention to how much food goes to waste in this country. Meat, seafood, flour, dairy, produce.. you name it. It was astonishing. Perfectly delicious cuts of snapper thrown out because customers want it to be the perfect thickness. Beautiful, juicy tomatoes thrown out because the skin has a blemish on one side. A whole field of u-pick corn taken to the compost because the winds knocked it over, and nobody wants corn that fell over. One organic farm reported that their waste is probably 40-50% of what they produce. Commence jaw dropping.

We’ve been conditioned in this country to accept nothing less than perfect. I’m guilty of this, too. When I go to the grocery store, I want the most delicious-looking apples and beautiful, thick, evenly-cut halibut fillets.  I don’t know that I would not get apples if the only ones there had a scuff mark, but I know that I would always go for the better-looking one if available. Especially now that I’m photographing the food. But… what happens to those less-than-perfect items? They go here. Or here.

…those aren’t produce bins for consuming, those are compost piles. For disposing. Trash. All those items are being thrown. away.

I consider myself an eco-friendly person. We reduce, reuse, recycle. Support local. Try to have a green household, as much as possible anyway. We aren’t totally living off the grid by any means, but we’re aware.  If there’s one thing I struggle with, it’s waste. I’m as guilty of the next person of  A. wanting perfect food and B. not using everything I buy.

I’m like a kid in a candy store at the grocery store. Food shopping is not a chore, it’s exciting. I don’t have to figure out what to buy, I have to restrain myself from buying everything I see. Bright green asparagus? In the cart. Salmon’s on sale? In the cart. Vine-ripened, bright red tomatoes? Many are in the cart. And if it’s on sale? Well, I’m definitely the one grocery stores were thinking of when they came up with the “buy more, save more” slogan. I can justify any sale… as long as it’s food-related.

There’s just two of us, though.  In a little house, with a cramped fridge, and an even smaller freezer. Often we just don’t get through all the milk before it goes bad, all the berries before they turn fuzzy, herbs before they’re slimy, or any other item before it turns, well, unrecognizable.

I can’t change the way the world, restaurants, or anyone else behaves towards their food, but I can try to be a better consumer.  Try to diligently plan for the week, not buy in excess, and not turn my nose up at slightly blemished squash.

What’s that? You came here for a recipe? Ok, I’ll step down from my soap box. This food network special also consisted of a challenge (of course) between four super chefs. The challenge? To create a fancy schmancy meal out of only food ‘waste.’ One of the items Bobby Flay prepared were squash blossoms stuffed with a corn and ricotta mixture. They looked pretty dayum tasty and the crowd seemed to be enamored with them. Soo… that reminded me that I had ricotta in the fridge! That was about to expire! Look at me, I’m already reducing my waste! Hah. I don’t typically have squash blossoms lying around, though… does anyone? I did have zucchini spears, another forgotten about item rescued from the back of the veggie drawer. Thus, ricotta and corn-stuffed zucchini spears were born. They’re quite a tasty treat.

Enjoy!

Ricotta and Corn Zucchini Spears
{inspired by Bobby Flay’s Squash Blossoms with Ricotta and Roasted Corn}

makes 4 spears, serves 2 as a side item or could be cut into pieces for an appetizer

2 zucchini, halved and middles scooped out
1/2 c. ricotta
2-3 tbsp chopped basil, plus extra reserved for garnish
2-3 tbsp grated asiago cheese, plus more for topping.
1 egg
1/4 c. frozen corn kernels, defrosted
3-4 cloves of garlic, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°

Halve the zucchinis and scoop out the middle to create 4 “boats.” Season with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, mix the ricotta, basil, asiago cheese, corn, and garlic. Season to taste. Once salt and pepper is where you want it, mix in the egg.

Fill the zucchini boats with the mixture and top with extra asiago cheese.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, then turn to broil for 5 minutes to brown the tops.

Garnish with extra basil and maybe, probably, definitely more cheese. Mr. Birdy also reports these are tasty with sriracha. I, however, cannot handle such heat.

My favorite discovery since we started our CSA  are collard greens. and dandelion greens.. and kale, mustard greens, and swiss chard. So basically, all the greens. These aren’t new to most, but I’m a Southern California girl, born and raised. Cooked, dark, leafy greens just aren’t a west coast staple. I remember the first basket of greens coming in and diligently sitting at the computer, google imaging all the names of greens I could think of so I could figure out what I had in my basket. That’s how out-of-the-know I was with these leafy gems.

While creaming these babies up, cooking them down with smoked turkey legs or ham hocks, baking them with oodles of cheese, or any other indulgent, rich preparation is no doubt delicious, there’s a reason I started this CSA. To get healthy. To know my food. To taste my food. To enjoy that fresh-from-the-soil, picked-a-few-hours-ago flavor that only super farm-fresh produce can give you. I want to get to know these ingredients so I can play off of them and enhance their flavors, not give into the temptation of masking them with calorie-laden accompaniments.. that kind of definitely defeats the point, no?

So, I set out to learn what alternatives there were to most southern greens staples… soups, chips, smoothies!, STUFFED collard greens! So many options. But this, this my friends, is definitely the winner for a quick, healthy, soul-satisfying meal. Prepped in about 10 minutes, ready in 45-ish, this easy, week-night friendly meal is made up of most things you probably already have on hand. Greens bought with good intentions, but dying a slow death in the fridge? Check. Leftover tomato paste that you never seem to find a second use for? Check. Red wine vinegar? Check. Veggie (or chicken) stock? Check. Cannelini beans? hopefully check, I just got into these last year. I’m sure you could sub another bean and it would still be tasty, but white beans are so creamy and buttery, they’re worth a trip to the store. Lots and lots of fresh garlic? Check. Definitely check. If you don’t keep a nice amount of fresh garlic in the house, you need to remedy that, stat!

*truth - I opened my prep books last night, flipped to the quantitative section, and got a headache. Turned on the golden globes… but left the books open. Is that studying? I don’t remember.

Garlicky Collard Greens and White Bean Soup

makes4 lunch-sized portions

1 bunch/pound of collard greens – washed, trimmed, and chopped
6-8 cloves of garlic, chopped
2-3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 box of vegetable stock
1 can canellini beans, drained
olive oil
nutmeg, just a pinch
salt and pepper to taste
grated parmesan, romano, pecorino, or any blend for topping

Heat a dutch oven or large pot over medium-low heat. Add some olive oil to the pan and chop your garlic while it heats up. Add your garlic to the pan and saute lightly until aromatic, about 3-4 minutes, careful not to burn. Add the chopped greens and a pinch of nutmeg. Stir well and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the drained beans, red wine vinegar, and tomato paste and stir until combined. Pour the veggie stock over all ingredients and stir again, until combined. Allow to simmer, covered with a vent*, for 30 minutes to an hour, the longer the better.  *to vent mine I either use a dutch oven and place the lid to the side just a bit, keep a wooden spoon in the pot and cover to create a small vent, or use a pot with a lid that already has a vent built in.

Before serving, salt and pepper to taste.  Top with grated cheese if desired. Makes excellent leftovers.

Mr. Birdy has a large, wonderful, loving family. His father’s side of the family hails from a small town on the coast of Georgia.

The stories of two sets of our grandparents are eerily similar. A teenage girl from a well-to-do family falling in love with a charming, young, working-class man. Both Grandfathers worked in the armed forces before their careers while the Grandmothers stayed at home, tending to the children. A long life of love and family spent in the sweet South, spent together. With each passing within months of the other. Love, man.  Sweet tea on the porch on a warm summer evening,  made from scratch dinners eaten away from the TV, early morning boat rides with the birds singing good morning love. Like, straight out of The Notebook love. Ridiculous, consuming love… you know, the kind Carrie was always looking for.

All four of these Grandparents passed away when Mr. Birdy and I were in the young stages of our relationship.  Living on opposite sides of the country allowed for little time together, let alone time for travelling to meet extended family. All four gone, within months of each other. It was a trying time.

It’s not easy knowing I missed out on meeting two amazing people in Mr. Birdy’s life, nor is it easy knowing he’ll never hear the generations-old stories told by my Grandmother or feel the giant bear hugs of my Grandfather.

What I can do, though, is try to know them as best I can now. Through his memories, photos, and my favorite, food.  One way I get to know Mr. Birdy’s grandmother is through her tried-and-true southern recipes. Oh. my. her. recipes. Few people can say the Atlantic ocean is their backyard, but Mr. Birdy’s family could. Like, catching trout off the dock for dinner, crabs in the crab traps, waking up to the dolphins whistling back. yard.

Like the best Southern recipes, Mom Pat’s are made with simple ingredients, an assumption that you know how much of what to use, and love. If you’re not making that recipe with love in your heart, it just won’t taste the same.

Cornmeal-Crusted Tilapia with Mom Pat’s Tartar Sauce

serves 2

for the fish:
2 tilapia fillets, cut into pieces (cod or sole would work well here, too)
1 c. flour (I used all purpose)
1 c. cornmeal
2 eggs, beaten or 1 c. egg beaters
2 tbsp old bay seasoning, divided, plus more for sprinkling
1 tsp garlic powder with dried parsley (from world market, we use it in almost everything)
salt and pepper

preheat oven to 350 degrees

Set up an assembly line with 3 bowls for breading the fish. In the first bowl, combine the flour, 1 tbsp old bay seasoning, salt, and pepper, in the second, the eggs or egg beaters, and in the third, the cornmeal with 1 tbsp old bay and the garlic powder.

Cut the tilapia into pieces and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Dredge the tilapia pieces in the flour first, the egg second, and the cornmeal third. Use one hand to coat the fish in the flour and cornmeal and the other hand to coat the fish in the egg. Ensure all sides of the fish are coated in each mixture before moving on to the next. Sprinkle with more old bay.

Place the breaded fish on the greased cookie sheet (or, you could place the fish on a wire rack on a cookie sheet and not have to flip it during cooking). Mist the fish with more spray if you like, this will create more browning during the baking. Cook the fish for approx 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. I cooked mine for 12 minutes on one side and 4 minutes on the second side in a counter-top convection oven.

Serve with lemon wedges.

Mom Pat’s Tartar Sauce

1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 tsp minced onion
1 tsp pickle or lemon juice (I like to use half of each)
1 tsp pickle relish (we use dill pickle relish)
1 tsp. olives (optional)
Cayenne pepper or paprika to taste and add color

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or, if using sliced pickles, a food processor.

I like to top mine with a sprinkle of paprika and fresh dill.

best served with sweet tea in a mason jar.

and don’t forget to add this guy to your sweet tea party. He’s hillaaaaarrrriiioooouuusssss!

*deep breath*

Balsamic Steak, Roasted Red Pepper, and Provolone sandwiches on Multigrain Ciabatta Buns with Balsamic Basil Mayo.

*exhale*

These weren’t the easiest sandwich to name. Actually, wait.. yes, yes they were the easiest to name. It didn’t exactly take a lot of thought to name an item by every ingredient that’s in it. When you have a sandwich made up of balsamic-marinated steak, fire-roasted red peppers, provolone cheese, balsamic basil mayo and you layer it all up on a chewy multigrain ciabatta bun, however, you kind of have to. It wouldn’t be fair to leave any one of them out, they all play equally important roles in the awesome that is this sandwich.

On Monday I decided to do a steak sandwich recipe. I originally was going to make a steak, red pepper, and provolone sandwich. Yum! But… those pictures would be phenomenal in natural light, not on a Monday evening at 9:45 when I shouldn’t be eating second dinner. The cooked steak and roasted red peppers would probably blend together under the dining room light. It wouldn’t look as good.. as tasty, wouldn’t do the sandwich justice. I’ll cook them on Saturday instead. That’s a perfect weekend lunch, anyway. Go to bed, stop thinking about steak.

On Tuesday I bought some delicious, fresh multigrain ciabatta buns. “Mmm.. these will be great with roasted garlic butter and smothered in cheese with some seafood chowdah!” I thought to myself (my internal voice drops an accent every now and then). “… and sandwiches, ooooh these would make good sandwiches! Like those steak sandwiches! Regular sandwich bread?! pffffttttt… what was I thinking?!”

Wednesday morning: I should spice that steak sandwich up a bit. Steak + peppers + provolone is good, but where’s the wow factor? It needs something… something.. a sauce.. a mayo! It needs a good mayo. Ciabatta.. that’s Italian, right? and Roasted red peppers? Those seem Italian-ish..  BASIL! I’ll make a basil mayo!

*note, Wikipedia just confirmed Ciabatta’s Italian roots.

Wednesday afternoon: BALSAMIC BASIL MAYO!

Wednesday evening: I’ll marinate the steak in balsamic, too!!

commence stomach growling.. commence sudden ravenous hunger..

…I *need* to eat, I’m so hungry! Listen to my stomach!..

I should make those steak sandwiches tonight! No, the lighting will be bad! but by Saturday the bread won’t be as fresh… and I don’t want to go buy a whole new bag of fancy ciabatta buns just to test out a recipe..

steak common sense wins.

A few hours later, after emerging from epic steak sandwich coma..

must share this recipe tonight! cannot keep these ingredients in stock for fear of perpetual steak sandwich breakfast, lunch, and dinners.

I’ll just do it tonight and take REALLY good pictures!

heh.

So, sorry for the less-than-stellar photos.  I got two pictures in, one blurry before photo, and one slightly-less-blurry after photo, before the sandwich was gone. At least that’s a testimonial to how good the recipe is.

It’s only my second post, go easy on me.

Balsamic Steak, Roasted Red Pepper, and Provolone Sandwiches with Balsamic Basil Mayo

serves 2

- 2 pieces of steak (I used sirloins)
- 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, smashed
- lots of fresh cracked black pepper
- salt
- 1/2 jar of fire-roasted red peppers
- 2 slices of provolone cheese
- 2 ciabatta buns

balsamic basil mayo:
- 8 tablespoons olive oil mayo
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- juice of half a lemon
- 10 basil leaves
- salt and pepper to taste

Place the steak in a large plastic bag or resealable container. Smash 4 garlic cloves and add to the steak. In a bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, and a very generous helping of cracked black pepper (I probably used a 1.5-2 teaspoons, but we like a lot of pepper here). Pour the marinade over the steaks and add a pinch of salt. Marinate for an hour or two.

Heat your grill pan (or grill!) over medium heat until it’s nice and hot. Pull the steaks out of the fridge and let sit for a few minutes while you gather the rest of your ingredients/dishes.

Place the steaks on the hot grill pan for 5 minutes on the first side, 3 minutes on the second.

While the steaks are cooking, add all of the balsamic basil mayo ingredients to a mini food processor and puree until smooth.

Remove half a jar of roasted red peppers and pat dry with paper towels.

When the steaks are done, remove from grill and allow to sit for a few minutes before slicing.

Turn on the broiler and allow to heat up while you’re assembling the sandwiches.

Cut the ciabatta buns in half and slather each side with the balsamic basil mayo. Place sliced steak on the bottom half, top with roasted red peppers, a slice of provolone cheese, and the other half of the bun. Place sandwiches on cookie sheet and under the broiler for just a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Keep your eye on them!

Serve immediately... and most definitely (not) with extra mayo… that’s not what I did.. and it wasn’t delicious..

You can learn a little bit about me by clicking the About link up there, but for now let’s just dig right in to these mimosas.

What better way to kick off this party than with a cocktail? Inviting you into this blog is akin to inviting you into my home, and anything at our house always starts off with a good drink.

We got a huge basket of clementines for Christmas. Last week, I saw clementines on sale at the gro’ sto’. I squealed with excitement.. a crate of clementines for less than $6?! STEAL! Clementines go fast in our little house, so surely we’d be able to get through all of them… surely…

Naturally, I really overestimated our love for clementines. With two overflowing bowls, I’m trying to come up with all sorts of fun new ways to use them. Clementine marmalade, clementine in a seafood dish, clementine chicken (a spin off of orange chicken perhaps?)… clementine + alcohol..

DING, DING, DING!

Once I come up with an idea to use something in a drink, all other ideas seem to fall by the wayside.

I also had this pomegranate I needed to use. It’s not that I don’t like pomegranates, nay, I L-O-V-E them! but I tend to want to save my favorite, $3 a piece fruits for something really, really special… and then they start to go bad… and then I just have to hurry and throw them in something and I kick myself for not using them earlier with a more thought-out plan. Then I buy another favorite ingredient for “something special”… and the cycle repeats.

These mimosas though, they really are something special.  Not just because you can drink them all day in the morning and it’s perfectly ok.  Eventhough though they were created when I realized zOMG it’s Sunday morning and that means I can start shoving drinkies down my throat! They add the perfect touch to a crisp bottle of champagne. Juicy, tart clementines blend beautifuly with bright and sweet pomegrantes and create a silky smooth simple syrup that adds just the right pop of flavor to champagne. Just enough to make you go.. mmm what is that bright, sweet flavor dancing on my tongue?! It’s clementines and pomegranates, yo!

Pomegranate Clementine Mimosas

2-3 tablespoons pomegranate clementine simple syrup (recipe below)
1 bottle of champagne

Pour 2-3 tablespoons of the simple syrup in the bottom of a champagne flute. Pour champagne over the syrup. Top with a few pomegranate arils, if desired.

Pomegranate Clementine Simple Syrup
1 pomegranate, seeded, use the arils
2 clementines, juiced, save the flesh/peel
1/2 c. organic sugar
1/2 c. water

Place the arils of the pomegranate, juice of the clementines, and clementine flesh/peels in a small pot with 1/2 c. water and 1/2 c. sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to make sure the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Smash the seeds up a little bit if you like, to extract more juice.

Remove from heat and strain the syrup into a jar. Allow the syrup to cool before using.

I made a small amount since it was just the two of us and we did have some things to do that day that required driving and reasonable thought, so only a few mimosas for us. You could easily double, triple, quadruple, etc. the recipe.

Bon appedrink!