Wordless Wednesday- Butter Parsley Roasted Chicken with Duchess Potato Tartlets

Vacation Finds and The Unexpected Dentist Visit

Hey there foodie friends! It feels like I have not blogged in forever! It's great to be back, but the vacation was desperately needed!
First of all, I wanted to share with you all an incredible store that I found over the last week. I was up in Long Grove, IL in the little historical town they have there, and noticed a new shop there called the Olive Tap. As it obviously a foodie shop, I decided to take a look. I will tell you this now people...this is my new favorite store!
They have every kind of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegars you could imagine. The entire store is filled with gorgeous silver tap kegs each filled with a new and intoxicating oil or vinegar. And everything is available to taste testing...yes, really!
I ended up choosing to fill a bottle 275ml bottle with 18 year old traditional from Modena, Italy and another bottle of Cinnamon Pear Balsamic from Modena.
I have two words for you guys...
Balsamic Bacon.
Yes, balsamic bacon.
I made some thick sliced bacon, and just tossed some of the super sweet Cinnamon Pear in and let it caramelize in the bacon fat with some fresh green grapes. It was beyond fantastic.
So yes...if you get a chance, visit the Olive Tap. It's a dream come true if you love to cook and/or eat!
It was fantastic to just relax on this vacation. Not to worry about work, or house chores or anything else...until I chipped a tooth over the weekend, on an unassuming Cheese Nip.
Thanks Murphy...that was super cool of you!
The high point, I got to extend my vacation for another day.
The low point, I spent the beginning of that day in the Dentist's office. Just for clarification's sake..I'll let you guys in on a little secret.

I. HATE. THE. DENTIST.

I don't know if I can stress this point enough. We are talking cold sweats, heart palpitations and dizzy spells at the mere mention of shots of Novocaine and a drill.
But then I grew a proverbial pair and decided, hey since I'm going to face this assured hell, I may as well knock out all of those other little cavities that were brought to light when I had my wisdom teeth extracted.
Great idea Nikki! Instead of having just one tooth drilled, filled and billed...let's do five!
Friggen Sweet!
I see now I can't always trust my own judgment...silly girl.
They say the things you fear the most are the things that have already happened to you.
I guess that only applies to sane people, cause that totally was not the case with me.
I told the dentist I was pretty terrified, and would probably need to be sedated. Gassed, smacked upside the head with a frying pan...I was willing to negotiate.
I then had to explain that this was all theoretical terror as I had never experienced this before and had no concrete reason to be afraid.
My dentist laughed at me for a good five minutes after the phrase "theoretical terror".
I should have bitten him for that.
But I hear dentist tastes bad...
and I didn't want to go to jail and have to explain why I wasn't in the office again.
But I'm back now, and shortly I will be posting some fantastic images from before vacation!
Happy eating foodies :)

Surf & Turf Sundays- Butterflying & Broiling a Lobster Tail

Another weekend passed, another great food frenzy in my kitchen.
I thought about making Lobster Hash this weekend. I had a really interesting recipe for it and I was excited about making something with that could possibly be good for St. Patrick's day celebrations.
Then I thought about it for a while longer.
How many of you out there dear readers, would ever do something like create hash with gorgeous lobster tails?
Few, if any I should think; unless you live near the Atlantic Ocean where lobsters are abundant and you can lay your own traps. Other than that...it's probably just not worth it. This started to look like a recipe for wasted time and lobster meat, and that foodie friends an egregious Lobster sin.
So I needed a new plan and I needed one fast.
The answer was so simple.
Surf & Turf Sunday.
How perfectly simple.
Nothing pairs better with a lobster tail like a great steak. So I did just that.
I butterflied and broiled the North Australian Lobster Tails, and grilled a fantastic New York Strip Steak. Dinner was perfect. A meal I have had a thousand times, yet never seem to grow weary of.
So here are the pictures I took of this fantastic Sunday lunch along with the directions on how to prepare and serve Lobster tails like the ones seen here.
Happy eating foodies!

How to butterfly and broil a Lobster Tail

Step 1
Start with a completely thawed Lobster Tail.



Step 2
Using a pair of kitchen shears, make an incision in the top of the shell starting at the front of the lobster tail where the meat is exposed, and cut back to the base of the tail where the fin begins. Do not go through the bottom of the tail.

Step 3
After the lobster has been cut to the back of the tail, insert your index finger into the shell at the back of the lobster tail. Remove the lobster meat from the side of the shell, and work your way to the front of the lobster tail, releasing the meat from the shell as you go.
Do this to both sides of the lobster tail and ensure that the meat is properly detached.

Step 4
After the meat has been detached from the interior of the tail, simply grab the front portion of lobster meat, and gently pull the meat up and back towards the fin, but do not completely remove the meat. Pull back until you have reached the end of your incision, close the lobster tail shell sides, and nicely lay the lobster meat on top of the closed shell.

Now all you have to do is brush the exposed lobster meat with butter and some spices and broil for 1 minute per ounce. These North Australian Lobster Tails are 8-10 oz tails, so I broiled them for 8 minutes and then checked to be sure they were cooked.

Fresh Catch Scallops with Simple Balsamic Reduction Dipping Sauce

Good morning foodies. I hope everyone had a nice restful and fun weekend. I know I enjoyed my weekend. Sunday, I was out on a poker-bus run with the Motorcycle Club my Pappa belongs to.

City Heat Chicago
Nothing more fun than starting the party off at 10:30 in the morning, and ending it around 6:30. 5 Stops, four bars, two school buses full of bikers partying it up.
I'm sure we were at least an amusing site.
And it was an absolute blast from start to finish. I can't wait for the next poker run.
Because I had this insanity going on this weekend, I decided to throw down my recipe for last week in the Lobster Gram test kitchen on Friday.
I have no problem walking away from my hectic stressful days to go downstairs and cook some food. It's relaxing, it's enjoyable, it's a mini vacation at work that I don't have to clock out for, and there are no happier people than Lobster Gram employees enjoying our products for lunch. We spent years carefully choosing products and vendors, so we are all big fans of the food we carry.
People love it when we cook. Free gourmet lunch in the office. Who does not love that perk?
...People who complain when you start reducing Balsamic Vinegar on the stove. That's who.
People start to get cranky when there are strong smells about.
My bad people...I would have made something that didn't require fumigating the office, but my options were slim.
It was like an episode of Chopped down there.
"ok, you have 1 bottle of balsamic vinegar, 2 lbs of sea scallops, 1 container of clarified butter, 2 bananas and a pot of fresh strong coffee".
Um....maybe I'll just hide the coffee and bananas so I can act like we didn't have them.
Yeah, that sums up my test kitchen Friday. Bananas.
So Scallops with a balsamic reduction it was, and I tried to tune out the noise.
So here are the pictures from that adventure, and this weekend I think I will just cook at home.
That's right office folks...no strong smells this week!
...but you won't be fed either. Fair trade?

Sea Scallops with Balsamic Reduction Dipping Sauce

Ingredients
2 lbs fresh sea scallops
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbs clarified butter
Salt, Pepper & Garlic Powder to taste

Directions
Pat dry sea scallops and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Put vinegar in a small sauce pan and heat on medium for 15-20 minutes or until reduced by half.
When it is reduced, add in 2 tbs of butter and blend well. Set aside until scallops are cooked.
While vinegar is reducing, put a few tablespoons of butter in a large pan and heat until melted.
Add scallops and heat 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through and no longer translucent.
Remove scallops from pan and serve immediately with ramekin of dipping sauce.

Hand Made Ravioli & Diamond Dessert Pictures

Colossal Shrimp From Lobster Gram

Sheets of Hand Made Pasta ready for filling

Ingredients for Ravioli Filling

Ravioli Filling

Ravioli with Filling Ready for Second Sheet

Ravioli Ready for the Boiling Pot

White Lemon Cream Sauce

White Sauce Ravioli Ready for the Oven

Red Ravioli Out of the Oven

Red Ravioli Out of the Oven

Both Ravioli Pans are Done

Close Up on White Ravioli

Strawberry Diamond from our dessert vendor.
I'm so glad they are local!
Top: White Chocolate Flake
Vanilla Cream Puff
Strawberry Puree
Strawberry Mousse
Plain NY Cheesecake
Shortbread Crumb Crust

Black Diamond Dessert
Top: White Chocolate
Chocolate Frosting puff
Chocolate Chips
Chocolate Ganche
Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate Cheesecake
Oreo Crumble Crust

Three Aewsome Recipes, One Fantastic Day of Food

It's Monday.
Usually I don't look forward to Mondays, but it's easier to make it through when you have AWESOME left overs for lunch.
Yesterday I tried my hand at Home Made Shrimp Ravioli with Lemon Cream Sauce.
Omg...
I knew it was going to be a process, and it was. However...so worth it.
Worth every moment I spent in Trader Joe's looking for the best shaved Parmesano reggiano, the perfectly ripened lemons and the freshest mozzarella I could find.
It was worth every moment to make hand made pasta (which is actually a great way to relieve stress) and measure out all the various ingredients for the stuffing and sauces.
It was worth it because the outcome (both of them actually) was incredible.
One type of fantastic hand made ravioli, two types of incredible sauce and *PLENTY* of leftovers.
Good thing too, I was so stoked about this recipe last week that if I didn't bring leftovers, some of my coworkers would have revolted.
So here are the recipes that were used yesterday. If you ever give this a shot yourself, make sure to invite lots of hungry people.




Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
3 cups flour
3 eggs
Lemon Pepper

Directions
Combine 1 cup of flour to 1 egg until all three are combined, throw in 2 tbs lemon pepper and combine until you have a huge ball of dough.
Cut dough into smaller pieces and roll out into sheets until it has reached the thickness you prefer.
Leave sheets on table, and prepare shrimp stuffing.

Ravioli Stuffing
1 lb Colossal Shrimp, minced
15 oz Ricotta Cheese
16 oz Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 Cup Parmesano Reggiano
1 minced shallot
2 large eggs beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 cup Italian herb bread crumbs

Directions
In a large bowl, combine shrimp, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesano, shallot and egg mixture.
Combine with hands until mixed well.

Assembling Ravioli
Lay out a sheet of dough on the table. Using a cookie scoop, place balls of shrimp/cheese mixture on the dough about 1 inch apart. When the layer has all the stuffing it can hold, lay another sheet of dough over the stuffing, and cut the ravioli out using a butter knife.
Use a small amount of water on your fingers to press the ravioli closed at the seams.
Be sure that you have sealed all the ravioli as well as you can. If they go into boiling water and are not sealed, you will have a mess on your hands.
Once all ravioli are assembled, you can throw them in a pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes.
Once pasta is cooked, remove it from the water and set aside.

White Sauce Ingredients
1/3 cup butter
2 tbs flour
1/3 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs white wine
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 large egg yolk
1 minced shallot
1/3 cup shaved parmesano reggiano

Directions
Melt butter and add flour. Stirring constantly, add all ingredients and heat on medium for about 5 minutes. Add the cheese last and this will thicken the sauce.

Red Sauce Ingredients
28 oz. can diced tomatoes w/juice
28 oz. can tomato puree
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

In a large bowl, mix the diced tomatoes with juice and tomato puree . Stir until blended.

For either White or Red Sauce- Baking the Ravioli
In a 13” x 9” pan, coat the bottom with a thin layer of sauce.
Add ravioli to pan arrange in a single layer. Pour sauce over the ravioli and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesano cheese over the sauce.
Cover with foil, tenting the foil so as not to stick to cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 20-25 minutes longer or until cheese is golden brown. Garnish with parsley and serve.

I'll be back a little later with some fantastic pictures of this adventure.
Until then, I'll be enjoying my lunch :)
Happy eating foodies!

Sickness, Bad Movies and Big Dinner Dreams

It's Thursday.
Normally I would be all ecstatic, but this week I was feeling under the weather.
Went home a bit early Monday, couldn't get out of bed at all yesterday...Tuesday was a blur of just trying to make it.
While I was down for the count, I rented Julie and Julia because I decided that despite my raging dislike of Amy Adams, I love Julia Child (and that other thing...oh yeah, FOOD)
and that might make this movie worth it.
Long story short...not enough Julia, WAY TOO MUCH JULIE.

Julia= large, entertaining, loud, hungry for life.
Julie= small, whiny, annoying, hungry for attention.

The best part of that movie for me, was the part where Julie finds out that Julia hates her.
That moment alone salvaged the movie for me.
Ahh...the things you can waste time with when you are sick in bed.
But crappy movies aside, I'm back up and running. And as always, making grandiose cooking plans for this weekend. Home Made Lemon Pepper Shrimp Ravioli.
Just typing that gives me goose bumps.
Say it with me now folks... "Home made Lemon Pepper Shrimp Ravioli". See...now you are all goosebumpy too :)
So, the plan is to use the Lemon Pepper Fettuccine recipe that was in this month's issue of Food Network Magazine for the sauce base, make some home made noodles with lemon juice and herbs in the dough, and then use the Lobster Gram tried and tested Stuffed Shells Recipe for the stuffing mixture.
Hopefully, the outcome will be delicious lemon herb kissed pasta with a decadent creamy shrimp stuffing and a light creamy cheese sauce. Absolutely heavenly.
My toes are curling up with every mental image. It makes me want to go straight home tonight and make this recipe. If only there were more hours in the day.
So, no more lamenting over wasted sick time or bad rental movies, from here on out, the goal is to move towards Friday with single minded determination...

HOME MADE LEMON PEPPER SHRIMP RAVIOLI