Garden Preview

Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Italian Frying Peppers, Zucchini & Cucumbers


More tomatoes, jalapenos, habenaros, watermelon & cantaloupe

Already harvesting strawberries


Hopefully blueberries soon too!

Terra, West Columbia

100 State Street
West Columbia, SC

The night before Craig left for his business trip to Atlanta, we decided to try a new-ish restaurant downtown - Terra. It probably sounds sad, but in an effort to get home in time to watch the Phillies, we made a reservation for as soon as they opened at 5pm.

We ordered a bottle of Le Volte and were pleasantly surprised to have our waiter Robert decant it table side. A note on the wine ... a nice/affordable super tuscan - we both thought it benefited from decanting.

While waited for our appetizers we were served some hot-crusty bread and butter - yum.

On to what we ordered...

Appetizers

Jamison Farms BBQ Lamb Stuffed Mac & Cheese Gratin with Poblano Peppers, Fontina, Goat Cheese. This was FANTASTIC! I'm already debating what I will order the next time we are there and I think this may have to be on the list.


Braised Rabbit Leg Risotto with Marsala Braised Rabbit Leg, Artichoke, Asparagus
Another winner. Rebecca & Ed ... we thought of you while savoring this dish!


Entrees
Braised Beef Short Ribs with Mascarpone Polenta & Haricots Vert


Steak Frites with House Made French Fries, Simple Salad, Blue Cheese Butter
(Sorry no photo ... too busy eating!)

At this point, we had been at the restaurant for over 2 hours. We finished up with a beautiful fruit/cheese plate (which I will probably detail in other entry). Tasty. Some restaurants make you feel like you wouldn't want to see them in bright daylight, but the decor here is beautiful... I especially loved the large skylight near the bar that let in wonderful natural light. Overall, a fantastic meal - pleasant service, a beautiful space & food, and a decent winelist. We will definitely be back.

Grilled Butterflied Chicken

I'm proud to say that I make a mean roasted chicken, but tonight I decided to try my hand at GRILLING a whole chicken. Cleaver (and camera) in hand I decided to give it a try. I'm happy to say it was a great success... so successful that we were too busy EATING the chicken to take some pretty after photos. The chicken was extremely juicy and Craig praised the super crispy skin.

Click Here for Printable Instructions
(Not much of a recipe here, more of just a grilling technique.)

Prepare Chicken (3-4lb bird)
Place the chicken breast side down on a cutting board. Using a knife or poultry shears, cut along one side of the backbone and then down the other. Discard the backbone – remove ribs if desired.



Turn the chicken breast side up. Cut a small hole through the skin between the bottom point of the breast and the thigh. Push the tip of the leg through the hole. Repeat with the other leg.



Rub skin with olive oil and seasoning of your choice(here I used minced garlic, fresh thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, and cayenne)



Grill Chicken
- Place the chicken, breast-side-up, on the grill. If you have more than one burner, turn off the burner directly below the chicken. Grill the chicken with the grill covered for 45 minutes.
- Check the grill temperature frequently to ensure that its temperature is staying around 350-400°
- Using tongs, carefully turn the chicken breast-side-down. Re-ignite the burner directly below the chicken (if turned off) and set it at its lowest level. Grill for another 15 minutes, until the breast skin is deeply browned and the internal temperature of the chicken is about 170°.

Weekend Food Pics

As I was browsing some of the food photos from over the weekend I realized that I didn't once use a recipe. Move over Iron Chef... hehehe. A few pics to share.

Ricotta Quiche

This experiment was a mix between a quiche and easter meat pie... ingredients similar to a quiche, but the texture of the meat pie. If anyone is interested I can try and put a recipe together, but it used a little of everything I had in the fridge - ricotta, eggs, spinach, baby bella mushrooms, garlic, provolone, grated romano cheese, sliced salami & pepperoni.

Mango & Cantaloupe Fruit Salad
Craig and I are both a fan of fruit with breakfast. Originally wanted honeydew and cantaloupe, but when the store wanted $5 for a honeydew we grabbed a few mangos instead. Nice combination of flavors.


Baby Back Ribs
We slow cooked the ribs in the oven for a few hours the night before the bbq, then threw them on the grill to finish them off.


Something wrong with the picture?

Yep, there's wine left in there. We had heard all good things about Napanook and looked forward to opening this bottle, but unfortunately it didn't live up to the hype. A beautiful deep red color and a pleasant nose, but that's where the beauty ended. There was just not much to it. Lacked structure. Overall, it just isn't an impressive California meritage given the price.

frozen dinner

I had forgotten about the extra lasagna rolls I made about two months ago and put in the freezer. I feared they may have been freezer burned, but I popped them in the oven last night and they were still great! Wish I always had homemade frozen dinners on hand!

Better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?

Makin meatballs...

Almost Famous?

I was surprised last night to find a message that one of my photos was selected to be included on Wikipedia. Since it's a free online encyclopedia I don't get anything except glory out of the deal, but I think its pretty neat.
Eating-In has the official photo of French Toast!

I can't take credit for MAKING the french toast - that was Craig, the breakfast master. I was just the photographer.

Here is the link to the Wikipedia page...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_toast

This is the one they chose:

cake & coffee

Angel Food Cake + Buttercream Icing = Sugary Goodness



Cake:
1 Box Duncan Hines Angel Food Cake Mix

Buttercream Icing:
Mix 4 Tablespoons very very soft or melted butter with 2 Cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and enough milk to make smooth.

Italian Soda Bread

For St Patty's day I planned on making and blogging about Irish Soda Bread, but then I remembered... I don't really like Irish Soda Bread! Sooo, I decided to switch gears and make ITALIAN SODA BREAD! As I'm blogging this, I'm sitting here eating a piece of still warm bread - not bad if I do say so myself!



Click Here for Printable Version

Onion & Fontina Italian Soda Bread

Ingredients:
1½ Cups all-purpose flour
1 Cup whole wheat flour
5oz fontina cheese, grated
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons dehydrated onion pieces
3 Tablespoons cold butter, diced
1 Cup Sour Cream
¼ Cup milk

Topping:
1 egg white, slightly beaten
Coarse sea salt

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, cheese, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper, and onion in large bowl. Cut in 3 tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in sour cream and milk just until moistened.

Turn dough onto lightly floured bowl; knead until smooth (1 minute?). Divide dough in half; shape each half into 5-inch round loaf. Place onto greased baking sheet. Brush tops of loaves with egg white; sprinkle with sea salt. Cut an X about 1/2-inch through top of each loaf. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown.

Beer Update

We bottled the latest brew last weekend - with Mom & Dads help. Nothing like having company for the weekend and then putting them to work!

Lenten Friday

Today is the second Friday of Lent, which means for Catholics, you are not allowed to eat meat. Lent is a time of sacrifice and I would agree that abstaining from something helps us to refocus on what is important and what may have just seemed important.

Now while I did notice that McDonalds is now offering a DOUBLE Filet-O-Fish sandwich, I decided to just stick with a safe vegetarian route and make Quiche - two to be exact.



I didn't write up a recipe card since to me quiche is one of those things that just gets thrown together with what you have on hand, but if anyone really wants me to try and put it on paper, just leave a comment or send me an email and I will give it a go.

Quiche # 1 ~ Broccoli, Garlic & Feta with tomato slices on top


Quiche # 2 ~ Mushroom, Leek & Fontina

Fusion

Sometimes the strangest combinations turn out to be great meals. Last nights dinner ~ korean short ribs with mac and cheese!

Movie Time

I found yet another fantastic use for the giant Le Creuset dutch oven I got for Christmas - Popcorn!

Glazed-Crumb Topped-Banana Bread

Yes, more banana bread. I just can't seem to eat all the bananas before they get over ripe! This time I made a crumble and then for kicks a vanilla-sugar glaze (spiked with butterscotch schnapps).



Click Here for Printable Version

Bread Batter.
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
dash of ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

Crumble Topping.
2 Tablespoons slivered almonds
2 Tablespoons macadamia nuts, chopped
2 Tablespoons oatmeal
1 graham cracker, crushed
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon butter

Glaze.
Powdered Sugar
Cinnamon
Milk or Half & Half
butterscotch schapps (options)



Prepare Bread Batter
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Stir in vanilla and banana.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Blend the banana mixture into the flour mixture; stir just to combine. Fold in walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan and evenly sprinkle crumble over the top.
- Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.

Crumble Topping
- In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, oats, and nuts. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

Glaze
- Combine sugar with a few drops vanilla and enough of the liquid of your choice for a drizzling consistency.

Hop Monster ~ our latest brew

We've started our next batch of beer... which I've dubbed Hop Monster. This is the most complicated recipe we've tried so far ~ a super hoppy ale using four types of hops and liquid yeast. A few photos of the brew in the works...

Measuring the Ingredients




Craig stirs the wort sitting in an ice bath (with Filly's help of course)


This is the first time we are using a "parka" for the glass carboy. It's supposed to help regulate the temperature/light as well as provide handles for moving. On the right you can see yeast bubbling away (it's alive!)

NY Strip

Sometimes the simplest meals are the best.

Franciscan Sauvignon Blanc

2005 Franciscan Sauvignon Blanc
Oakville Estate ~ Napa Valley
Limited Release

We picked up this bottle at a recent restaurant wine sale. They were clearing their cellar and selling most bottle for retail price or below. As you can imagine, the place was a madhouse... everyone trying to grab bottles first. Craig happened to pick this one up. We had tasted other Franciscan wines, but this wasn't one we had seen before. The label said that this particular release was only available direct from the winery and had only 416 cases produced, so we decided to pick one up. We were not disappointed!

What delicacies did we pair it with you ask? Well to be perfectly honest, some wonton soup and general tso chicken from The Panda. It was a perfect match. This wine is crisp and full of fruit (pineapple/apricot) on the nose and had enough minerals and acidity at the finish to stand up to the meals spice and salt levels.

If you happen upon a bottle like we did (and like sauvignon blancs), definitely give it a try!

Valentines Day ~ Chocolate Cream Caramels

I had originally planned on making a chocolate cake for Valentines Day, but Craig and I decided that having a whole cake just for the two of us wasn't the best idea. I decided to stick with something chocolate and make a recipe for Chocolate Cream Caramels that I had saved from my Joy-Of-Cooking-Calendar (thanks Mom&Dad Sipala).

Click Here for Printable Version

INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Sugar
¾ Cup light corn syrup
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ Cups cream

DIRECTIONS
- Bring sugar, corn syrup, chocolate, salt, and ½ cup cream to a boil over high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Bring the ingredients to the soft-ball stage, 234˚F, over moderate heat.
- Stir constantly. Add ½ Cup cream.
- Cook candy until it again reaches the soft-ball stage, 234˚F. Add the last ½ Cup cream.
- Cook to the firm-ball stage, 244˚F. Remove candy from heat and pour into an 8 x 8-inch buttered pan. Do not scrape pan. When candy is firm, about 3 hours later, invert onto a board and cut into squares.

Jenn's Notes:
- I used half & half instead of cream since thats what I had on hand.
- I wasn’t able to invert the block of caramel onto a board, so I just cut it in the pan.

Banana Crumb Muffins

I made a similar recipe to this one a few weeks ago. With three bananas on the verge of going bad, I decided to make them again with a few changes. The muffin itself is basically the same (I just added a bit of vanilla), but this time I made a better crumble to put on the top.

Muffins:
1½ Cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
¾ Cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 Cup butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla

Topping:
½ Cup packed dark brown sugar
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1½ tablespoon butter
1/3 Cup oatmeal
1/3 Cup finely chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, mix together 1½ cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, vanilla & melted butter.
- Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
- In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, oats, and nuts. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Sweet Corn Bread

If cornbread is on the dinner menu, I usually just grab a box of Jiffy Mix (I love that stuff), but tonight I decided to give it a try from scratch. I found a recipe on www.recipezaar.com that looked simple and had a good reviews. The result was a very cake-like sweet cornbread.

Click Here for Printable Version

½ cup cornmeal
1½ cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
3 Tablespoons melted butter
1 Tablespoon honey
2 eggs, beaten
1¼ cups milk

- Preheat oven to 350º.
- In a bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the oil, melted butter, honey, eggs, and milk.
- Pour into a greased 8-inch square pan.
- Bake for 35 minutes.

Superbowl

superbowl cupcakes with buttercream icing

I laughed to myself yesterday thinking that before long folks will be sending each other Merry Superbowl cards. There was such a holiday feeling at the market ~ everyone loading their carts with snacks, drinks, and talking about the parties they were going to. The best part, unlike in December, nobody was panicing and for the most part everyone was in a festive mood.

Since there were just a few guys coming over we didn't get too fancy - we went for all the cliche superbowl snacks... buffalowings/rigatoni&sausage/mozzsticks/fruitsalad/bruschetta/cheese/crackers/chips/salsa/queso/guacamole/veggies/onion dip/hummus/cupcakes/beer/beer/beer/beer



I only really have one recipe to share with you today - the experimental hummus I made. Instead of chickpeas, I used cannellini beans and roasted garlic. I'm not sure the guys liked it, but I thought it was pretty tasty.

Click Here for Printable Version

INGREDIENTS
2 Cans Cannellini Beans
2 heads roasted garlic
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 Cup olive oil
2 teaspoons dried parsley
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

- Place all ingredients in food processor. Puree until smooth – adding more olive oil if necessary.

Fresh Corn Tortilla Tacos

Last summer I bought a mexican cookbook at a garage sale for 50 cents. I was sold when I saw it could teach you how to make a griddle out of a 15-gallon oil drum... hahaha, not kidding!



Anyway, I pulled it out last night when we decided to have tacos for dinner. What resulted were fresh corn tortillas - really tasty - and with the help of the tortilla press Scott got me for Christmas, it didn't take long at all.



Click Here for Printable Version

MAKE TORTILLAS
2 Cups Corn Masa
½ teaspoon Salt
1 1/8 Cup Water

- Mix masa, salt, and water to create a smooth dough.
- Separate into 16 pieces and roll into balls.
- One at a time, place dough balls between two pieces of wax paper and flatten into a disk using a rolling pin or tortilla press.







COOK TORTILLAS

- Heat ungreased griddle or fry pan over medium-high heat.
- Bake tortillas, turning frequently, until they look dry and lightly flecked with brown speck. 1½-2 minutes.
- Serve tortillas immediately while still warm.

Note: If not using immediately … cool, wrap, and store in the fridge/freezer. To serve, reheat on griddle or pan fry lightly.