Monte Cristo Waffles

We broke down and got a great stereo system a couple weeks ago to help bring a little life to our home office. We situated it in the center of the apartment so that no matter where you are, you can hear the music. Since its arrival, we've easily slid right into a routine; soft Indie Rock in the mornings and some blend of R & B or Classic Rock in the afternoons that carries us into the evenings. The only apparent break in this routine has been on the weekends. That's when the jazz on comes on and breakfast changes from quick bites of yogurt into something a little more exciting.

Last weekend, while we were enjoying our relaxing morning of jazz, I got to work on breakfast while Richard brewed some coffee. With the help of my waffle iron, I gave a classic, favorite brunch sandwich of mine a fun new twist. A Monte Cristo, under normal circumstances, is a relative of the grilled cheese sandwich, only with a French Toast exterior and usually the addition of ham and Maple Syrup or jam and it's that sweet-savory combo that keeps me going back for more. Here, a cornmeal and mustard batter became a great bed to lay some good quality Black Forrest Ham and shreds of Gouda before a quick stamp from the waffle iron left fun tracks for maple syrup to slip right into. Just before serving, powdered sugar was finely dusted on top to give the waffle a sweet finish to contrast the savory fillings.

It didn't take long for us to eat these up and inspired by them, I foresee a lot more waffley fun ahead of us. There's just something about those little bits of cheese seeping out of the waffles and the slices of ham poking out of the batter, gaining a nice crispness to them. The cornmeal compliments the tangy mustard and gives the whole thing such an enjoyable little crunch while the powdered sugar and maple syrup duo give it all a nice, sweet finish. For best results, I recommend serving with homemade Bloody Mary's and a healthy dose of jazz music on a lazy Sunday morning.

Monte Cristo Waffles

- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- A generous pinch of salt
- 2 TBS Dijon Mustard
- 2 eggs
- Enough buttermilk to form a thick batter (about 2 cups)
- 1/4 lb. Thinly sliced ham (I used a good quality Black Forrest Ham)
- 1 cup Shredded Gouda (or other cheese of your preference)
- Powdered Sugar (optional)
- Maple Syrup

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cornmeal and pinch of salt. Whisk ingredients together until combined. In a separate small bowl, combine Dijon mustard and whisk until well combined. Add the egg-mustard mixture to the dry mixture and stir in just enough buttermilk to make a thick batter (about 2 cups).

Heat waffle iron and add a half a ladle of waffle batter. Working quickly, lay ham and sprinkle cheese on top before adding another 1/2 ladle on top and closing the waffle iron. (Be careful not to add too much batter or it will run down the sides!) Cook until desired doneness and serve warm with powder sugar and maple syrup, if desired.

Day After: Mushroom and Leek Turkey Meatloaf Panini

I'll make anything you want for dinner, I told Burger Boy. We were standing in our kitchen, feeling particularly haggard from a crazed week as we did our usual scurry around for dinner routine of grabbing random bits of whatever is in our fridge and piecing them together to make something resembling a meal. He took a thoughtful pause and I sat back, waiting for his response, half expecting him to request something complicated and half expecting him to be craving the obvious burger. When he broke the silence, he prefaced his response with a "don't judge me" but then continued on to request that I make him meatloaf.

Meatloaf?!

I can't remember the last time I had meatloaf and never in a million years would have pegged him to pick meatloaf but the more I thought about it, it just seemed to make sense. It's simply comforting in every which way and was exactly what we needed. I have fond memories of my Mom making us meatloaf as kids. The way the meat is spiked with herbs and held together with eggs and breadcrumbs and topped with that classic tangy ketchup concoction that crusted up so perfectly when baked. One bite, and you just know that you're loved. There's a reason why they call it comfort food, I suppose.

So last night, I gathered up some traditional meatloaf making supplies - ground turkey (we're eating a little leaner these days), eggs, assorted herbs and panko. Then, to boost up the flavor a bit, I added thinly sliced mushrooms and leeks to give my 'loaf some personality. Gracing the top, a mixture of tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Miso and black pepper, which gave the whole thing a nice, tangy finish. We enjoyed our meatloaf with a heaping serving of rosemary-buttermilk mashed potatoes, just to drive home the classic spirit of this dish all the way home.

Today, we were left with the remnants from last night's feast: a tupperware container of meatloaf and the craving for more. A quick purchase of some crusty sourdough bread and a couple of slices off of a brick of Cabot cheese and we were in business - meatloaf paninis for all!

Mushroom and Leek Turkey Meatloaf

- Drizzle of olive oil
- 1 package of crimini mushrooms, scrubbed clean and sliced thin
- The white part of one leek, root and green part removed and discarded

- 1/2 lb. ground dark turkey meat
- 1/2 lb. ground light turkey meat

- 1 tbs. finely chopped fresh sage, rosemary and thyme
- 1 TBS Dijon mustard
- 1 egg
- Panko, as needed
- A splash of Worcestershire Sauce
- Meatloaf Glaze (recipe below)
- Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400. In a large skillet, heat the mushrooms and leeks in a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt until the leeks are translucent and the mushrooms have browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.
Once the mixture has cooled slightly, add both 1/2 lbs. of ground turkey, the herbs and mustard. Add the egg and splash of Worcestershire and mix (I find with your hands is easiest!) until it comes together. Add just enough Panko to help keep it's shape. Shape the meatloaf into a pan and spread the meatloaf glaze on top evenly. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. Remove from oven and let the meat cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Meatloaf Glaze

- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp Miso
- Black Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients until well incorporated.

The Original Kelly's Roast Beef

The other day, I sat on a bench at Revere Beach with a Kelly's Roast Beef Sandwich in my lap. The sky was painted a happy shade of blue and the briny smell of the ocean hung thickly in the air. The wind played with my hair and the sea gulls that had gathered on the concrete wall, were staring and looked like they wanted to pick a fight with me. In between bites of sandwich, I was watching the waves crash in and rush back out. My skin was being tickled by the sun. I was happy.

While enjoying my lunch, I got to thinking about food and what makes something "good" versus "average" versus "not good".The above paragraph is how I remember that moment. I was relaxed and aside from the potential threat of a seagull fight, all worry and cares seemed miles away. I was at the beach, albeit not the prettiest beach in the world, but still a beach. People were laughing around me, playing and having fun. The sandwich only plays a small role in my memory of that day, but it's still there and I remember it favorably. Not because it was particularly good (it wasn't) but because I was happily sitting on a bench at the beach at the start of the summer, eating something that is a local food icon. But again, I want to say that the sandwich itself wasn't that great. The roast beef was over cooked with not so much as a blushy trace of pink that makes a good roast beef sandwich, well, good. A lackluster and watery barbecue sauce was lightly drizzled over the meat, which was resting on top of a bed of nothing-special, straight from the jar pickles. The bun was the best part, hearty and dark and studded with lots of bright sesame seeds.

I can't help but question that if I hadn't been enjoying that moment as much as I was, would I have liked the sandwich as much? Would I think back on it so fondly? Or is my experience a product of marketing? Everyone who grew up here as well as most who are transplants to the area know about Kelly's. Heck, it even earns a shout out in my favorite movie, Good Will Hunting. But is it really that good or do people think it's better because they have good memories of eating a Kelly's Roast Beef sandwich when they went to Revere Beach as a kid? Either way, it brings up a good question: how much factors into what you think of a dining experience? If the ambiance is great, does that make the food taste better? If you're on an awful date with someone who's a jerk, tells the worst jokes on the planet and won't shut up, do you think the same way about a meal than if you had gone with a group of your best friends? Additionally, if you hear a lot of buzz about a place and everyone raves about it non-stop (ehem, 5 Napkin) does that sway your opinion of the food? Just some food for thought, I suppose.

Good Morning, Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich

When thinking of how I wanted to start this post, I found myself completely torn. Do I talk about the homemade jalapeño biscuit first or the poached egg? Or dare I start with the duo of smoked and sharp melted cheddar cheeses? Then I got to thinking, shouldn't that be the dilemma when talking about the perfect breakfast sandwich? All components are so equally important, one should find themselves having a hard time deciding where to start. When making a really good breakfast sandwich, the type that you keep thinking about all day long, all flavors and textures need to come together perfectly, working together in sync. The biscuit should be flaky and moist and touched just slightly with toasty heat to give it a subtle crunch. The egg should be poached just slightly so that the yolk tries to escape when the first bite it taken.When making the perfect breakfast sandwich, I think one component can't be more important than the other.

For the base of this sandwich, I had brought home some deliciously spicy cheddar jalapeño biscuits that I made in school this week. Personally speaking, I think anytime eggs are involved, an element of heat is pure heaven. Moving on to the egg, I decided poached would be best, especially once bitten into and the yolk starts to run, creating a nice saucy mess. Lastly but certainly not least, it's almost impossible for me to even think about a breakfast sandwich without picturing melted cheese being involved in some capacity. Here, I enlisted two cheeses to bring layers of flavor. The first being an extra sharp cheddar cheese and the second being a deep, smoky cheddar. When all of these elements are in place and stacked up on the plate, I'm a happy girl. What better way to start the day?

In terms of the recipe, there's not much to share. The biscuit is a straightforward cheddar jalepeno (the recipe was made for commercial baking so it's tough for me to break it down specifically for a home kitchen), but any sort of bread would be perfect. The egg is poached but any sort of egg style would work and while cheddar is an easy go-to, feel free to get a little creative or just use whatever you have on hand to give yourself a delicious start to the day.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Bacon Apple Jam

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Bacon Apple Jam

As fun as it is to try new things and get a little adventurous in the kitchen, there's nothing quite so comforting like coming back to a classic, even if you end up dressing it up a bit. I'm certainly no stranger to the grilled cheese sandwich. As a kid, I can remember sitting at the kitchen table, wearing my She-Ra t-shirt as my Mom stood over the stove and made me a grilled cheese sandwich. It was pure perfection: two pieces of American cheese on Wonderbread, the outsides of the bread slathered with a smears of butter and fried up in a hot pan until crispy on the outside and melty on the inside. Since then I've graduated to more "grown-up" versions consisting of varying imported cheeses and fancy condiments, but it's still a classic. Similar to pizzas, burgers, paninis and tacos, the grilled cheese is a blank canvas that's just waiting to be painted with flavor and variety. To celebrate the humble, versatile and oh so delicious grilled cheese sandwich, there is now a whole month dedicated to it - National Grilled Cheese Month, which just so happens to be April. (If that isn't justification enough to create a new grilled cheese recipe, I just don't know what is.)

At its core, a grilled cheese is cheese sandwiched between two pieces of buttered bread and toasted until crispy on the outside and smooth and melty on the inside. As mentioned, the options are endless but in my opinion, one shouldn't stray too far from that basic bread and cheese combo. That being said, it's a hard balance; if you throw too much into it, it becomes a panini and you lose sight of the main ingredients that make it what it is. When I took to my kitchen, I kept this in mind and wanted to only select ingredients that would elevate the cheese, without downplaying it or worse, masking it.

Bacon Apple Jam

To start, I spiked the classic combination of apples and onions with bacon and hard apple cider and let it all caramelize way down until it was thick and jammy. To make the sandwich, I spread a thin layer of the sweet and salty jam on both sides and then layered slices Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese. For a little change of pace, instead of using butter I used Dijon mustard to coat the outsides of the bread, which not only provided a welcome tangyness but also gave the sandwich a bright golden hue when fried up so crispy that it almost crackles when you bite into it. The rich sweetness of the jam compliments the sharp flavor of the cheddar without overpowering it, resulting in a rich and hearty tasting sandwich.

Special thanks to Cabot Cheese for sponsoring this post and inspiring me to create a sandwich to celebrate this exciting month! PS, did you know that next month is National Burger Month?...watch out kids, it's going to be big!

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Bacon Apple Jam


- 2 pieces bread (I prefer Sourdough or pumpernickel but any rustic bread will do)
- Dijon mustard - enough to thinly coat one side of each piece of bread
- Lots and lots of Cabot Extra Sharp cheese (do I really have to provide a measurement here? I trust you'll do the right thing..)
- 1 strip of crispy bacon, crumbled and reserved from Bacon Apple Jam recipe
- 2 TBS Bacon Apple Jam (recipe follows)

Coat the outside of each piece of bread with Dijon mustard. On the inside, spoon the Bacon Apple jam on the inside sides of the bread. Add cheese and bits of bacon. Fry up sandwich on a hot, cast iron skillet (a hot frying pan also works) until the bread is crisp and the cheese is melted through. Serve immediately.

Bacon Apple Jam:
- 3 pieces of bacon, fat reserved
- 2 medium sized onions, peeled and sliced thinly
- 1 TBS Dijon mustard
- 2 TBS balsamic vinegar
- 1 bottle hard apple cider, divided
- 1/4 cup dried apple slices, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste

Fry bacon in a skillet until crispy, remove pieces from the bacon fat (be sure to reserve this) and set aside on paper towels to drain. Once cool, crumble bacon. Using the reserved bacon fat, slowly caramelize the onions until reduced in size and golden brown. While the onions are caramelizing, soak the dried and chopped apple slices in half the bottle of hard cider until they plump up. Combine the apple slices and cider mixture along with the remaining bottle of cider with the caramelized onions. Add the mustard, vinegar and brown sugar to the pot. Turn the heat up to medium high and stirring every so often to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom, reduce the mixture until very thick and jammy. 

Quinoa Veggie "Meatballs"

I'd like to ask you to consider the meatball for a moment.  Humble in stature, it doesn't receive nearly as much attention as it deserves.  Instead, it's usually an afterthought.  Sometimes a poorly flavored concoction, sadly bubbling away in a crock pot at a buffet or just a meaty decoration to adorn a pile of pasta, the meatball suffers from some poor PR.  What is failed to be recognized is how convenient and versatile meatballs are.  Cute little round vessels of flavor, the meatball can be oh so much more than the traditionally Italian flavored meat rolled into a ball.  In fact, dare I say, it can even be delicious as a vegetarian dish.

A couple months back, I made my first version of a vegetarian (eggplant) meatballs and I fell in love.  In addition to my affection towards this recipe, I think it opened my eyes to a wide world of possibilities and flavor combinations.  The eggplant meatballs that I made are a lighter cousin to a traditional meatball but doesn't sacrifice flavor (usually the flaw in a well-meaning lighter version of a recipe).  However, being the self-competitive person that I am, I wanted to see if I could one up myself and create a completely different vegetarian meatball.

Mission accomplished, I must say.  I was thrilled with the way they came out and found myself liking them even more than my eggplant meatballs.  What really made these so good was the texture.  "Poppy" and slightly crunchy quinoa was very welcoming and a nice change of pace as well as was a great compliment to the tender mushrooms and sweet roasted red pepper bits.  I also added a couple pinches of crushed red pepper flakes just to keep things interesting and heat things up a bit (of course you can just leave those out if you're not into heat).

For serving, I thought these worked quite nicely in traditionally meatball parm. sub form, with lots of mozzarella melting down the sides and good quality crusty sub rolls.  These would also be a popular guest a party.  Served in a more miniature form, they could be accompanied by a simple marinara sauce and I guarantee they'd be a favorite as well as a conversation starter as I find there's still a good population that hasn't had the pleasure of being introduced to quinoa yet.

I loved this recipe so much that I've decided that it is worthy of being categorized in as a Recipe I Love.

Recipe is featured after the jump!

Dinner Tonight: Peach Sandwich

Oh the humble sandwich.  So underrated and unappreciated for all of it's brilliance.  Usually thought of a vessel for some plain jane Peanut Butter and Jelly or a lackluster ham and swiss, the sandwich never gets enough respect.  When it comes to dinnertime, the sandwich is often thought of a cop-out, a fall back and an excuse for not caring.  I say that's all blasphemy.  I say the sandwich belongs on the dinner table as a meal.

The inspiration for my dinner this evening came from me wandering around the grocery store, craving something light and fresh, but something a touch heartier than a salad.  So into my cart went a mix of spinach and arugula lettuce and some freshly baked rolls.  Then came the tricky part.  What next?  After some pacing down the aisles, I contemplated a roasted veggie sandwich but my stomach was already rumbling and I knew it wouldn't wait for everything to roast.  That put that idea to the side (to be made at a later date, of course) and then I spied some fresh peaches.  They were perfectly soft and just ripe, pretty much begging to be eaten.  I scooped up my finds, grabbed some goat cheese and was off.

Back in my Small Boston Kitchen, I sliced the peaches up real fine while the bread and goat cheese was melting.  Once the bread was crisply toasted and the goat cheese softened, I laid some fresh spinach and arugula on top of one piece and drizzled a little high quality balsamic (best investment ever) on top.  Next came the slices of peaches, a little more balsamic (I really love that stuff) and then the other piece of bread topped it off.  I stood back for a moment to admire my dinner and then excitedly, dug in.  The crispy bread crunched its way to the soft and sweet core of soft and warm goat cheese followed by juicy peaches and a slight sweet tang of balsamic.  This is the type of sandwich you eat for dinner.

What Would Happen if an Eggplant and a Meatball Had a Baby?

Eggplant Meatball Sub

Sweet deliciousness, that's what would happen!  I came across this little creation from fellow food blogger friend, Kerry, from Kerry's Cooking Chronicles, a while back and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.  It's genius really.  Eggplants dressed up as meatballs?! Can you say yum?  I've been on a big eggplant kick lately and the idea of transforming those giant pear shaped vegetables into a familiar and comforting Italian staple was just too hard to pass up.  While these had been on "my list" of things to try, I decided to give them a go on a whim.  I was wandering around the grocery store aimlessly and growing increasingly hungry when I spotted some shiny eggplants, just laying there next to the bin of green beans and I just knew, today would be the day.

Simmering down the eggplants

With this being unprocessed month and all, I wanted to do everything as natural as possible.  It took me a while, but I was able to track down a freshly made and preservative free baguette to make breadcrumbs.  Halfway through the dancing around through the store, (yes dancing.  What can I say? Meatballs make me happy?) I stopped short and realized that once created, I had no game plan for these little guys.  Immediately I thought about spaghetti.  I pictured these little guys rolling around in a mountain of noodles and a river of marinara sauce.  Then I scratched that.  It sounded good, but I wanted something different. Craving something sandwichy and realizing I already had a nice little all natural baguette in my cart, I thought that a great way use up my "meatballs" was via sandwich.  I envisioned the end result to be sort of like what would happen if an eggplant parm and a meatball sub had a baby.  Ohhhh yeahhh...

Fast forward through making breadcrumbs, simmering down chunks of eggplants, mixing it all and shaping it into balls, baking and placing on a sub roll with soft mozzarella cheese just oozing out the sides and I was left with pure eggplant magic.  It was messy magic (keep lots of napkins with you!) but straight up deliciousness and a great way to look at something completely differently.  Give 'em a shot.  You'll like 'em.

Eggplant Meatballs before the oven

Eggplant Meatballs after the oven: golden brown and ready to be sauced

Mmmm...

Eggplant "Meatballs"
- Makes about 10 medium-sized meatballs

- 1 eggplant, peeled and chopped into cubes
- 1 baguette, cut in half
- 5-6 button mushrooms, finely chopped
- A small pat of butter for frying the mushrooms
- A couple handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- A handful of fresh basil, shredded
- Salt and pepper
- Fennel seeds (optional)
- Flax seeds (optional)
- 1 egg
- Salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 400.  Start by turning the bread into fine breadcrumbs by using a food processor or a blender.  Make sure that the breadcrumbs are as fine as they can be.  Place them in a pan and lightly toast them, just until they have a little crunch to them.  Set them aside.

Meanwhile, brown the mushrooms in a little butter and set aside,  Next, place the eggplant cubes into a pot and add some salt.  Cover and simmer the eggplant until it become very tender and mushy.  Run the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or use paper towels to remove any excess water.  Add the eggplant mixture to a bowl and toss in breadcrumbs, mushrooms, basil, fennel and flax seeds.  Mix thoroughly.  Add some salt and pepper to taste, then add the egg and combine.  Shape the eggplant mixture into little balls with your hands.  Place on a greased pan and bake until they start to brown.  Serve immediately or keep in the fridge in an air-tight container for a few days or freeze.

Toasted Apple, Prosciutto and Smoked Goat Cheese Sandwich

One sandwich with all of the flavors of fall

In my opinion, the humble sandwich doesn't get enough appreciation.  When you really think about it, sandwiches are awesome and absolutely brilliant.  In its simplest form, it's really just a bunch of "stuff" fixed in between two pieces of bread.  And that "stuff" can be anything your little heart desires.  From vegetables, meats and cheeses to condiments, sky's the limit.  Then of course, there's bread choice and don't even get me started on that, we could be here all night listing those off.  Sandwiches can be served hot or cold, fancied up with special sauces and rare ingredients or dressed down, plain and simple.  When it comes to the sandwich, the possibilities truly are endless.

Granny Smith Apple, Prosciutto, Smoked Goat Cheese and Fig Jam

Like most, I love a good sandwich.  Heck, I crave sandwiches.  No matter how fancy they get, there's something still so familiar and comforting about them.  This recipe for a sandwich is the perfect example of a unique combination that really works and it's so perfect for this season.  Fresh fall flavors pressed and toasted in between two pieces of whole wheat bread, this is light years beyond the average PB & J or ham and cheese sandwich and one that keeps you guessing as well as offers up that element of surprise and makes your taste buds really pay attention.

With this sandwich, there's a lot going on and the various textures and flavors keep it interesting.  The real star here is the homemade fig jam that my fellow blogger and friend Lara, from Good Cook Doris, gave me.  This stuff is amazing and I know for a fact that I will be whipping up my own batch of this shortly.  The fresh fig jam just provided such a fantastically sweet contrast to the salty prosciutto and the little seeds make such a satisfying little "pop" sound with each bite.  If you don't have the time to make this, a nice substitution could be Dalmatia Fig Spread, which can be found at most grocery stores, usually in the specialty cheese section.

Mmmm....Homemade Fig Jam

In addition to the fig jam, I also used a smoked goat cheese that I picked up at the Coolidge Corner Farmer's Market.  Goat cheese itself when melted is simply divine.  Taking a on a whipped and creamy texture, it becomes light when warmed, making for a nice tangy spread.  The smoked cheese used here provides such depth to the flavors and adds an entire new dimension.  No smoked goat cheese?  No worries, a smoked Gouda or cheddar would be excellent as well.

Toasted Apple, Prosciutto and Smoked Goat Cheese Sandwich

Toasted Apple Prosciutto and Smoked Goat Cheese Sandwich
- 2 pieces of bread (I used a good hearty wheat bread)
- About 1 tbs of fig jam (or Dalamatia Spread)
- Enough Dijon mustard to cover 1 piece of bread
- 3-4 thinly sliced pieces of prosciutto
- 1/2 granny smith apple, sliced extra thin
- About 1 tbs smoked goat cheese

Spread fig spread on one piece of the bread and Dijon mustard on the other.  Layer in the apples, prosciutto, and goat cheese.  Heat sandwich in a frying pan or panini maker until brown on both sides and the cheese is melted through.  Serve immediately.

Spontenaity Rules! (And So Do Cheesesteaks!)

I tend to be a little spontaneous in nature and think that a healthy dose of the "don't even think about it, just do it" mindset keeps life interesting.  Feeling particularly spontaneous this morning (and remembering it was tax free weekend) I went all the way to Cambridge to purchase a fancy new camera and it was love at first click.  Many of you may not know this, but all of my photos up until this point have been with a Kodak point-and-shoot camera.  Absolutely no bells and whistles whatsoever.  It was time for an upgrade.  After some quick research, I was on my way with a new Canon PowerShot G11.  I'm so excited I can't even stand it!  I've been snapping pictures all over the place today just playing around with it and can't wait to use it for my blog.

Alright, enough camera talk, let's get to the real meat of the post (worst pun ever) and talk about last night's delicious dinner: Cheesesteaks with caramelized onions and fried mushrooms with homemade rosemary, olive oil and sea salt potato chips.  It totally hit the spot and was the perfect meal for a beautiful late summer evening.  

To start, I got all of my ingredients for this meal from The Meat House, Coolidge Corner's latest and oh so greatest additions.  I'm obsessed.  For real.  One of the managers actually told me the other day that he thinks I've clocked more hours there then some of his employees, and they are a hard-working bunch!  This place deserves a blog post of it's own (and it will get it) but the long and short of it, it's where local food comes to play.  A good portion of the store (about 30-40%) is local and the meat cases are are lined up, proudly displaying some of the freshest meats of varying cuts.  The atmosphere is fun (some of the employees were literally dancing around the store to some C+C Music Factory the other day) and the food is spectacular.

I had made the potato chips earlier in the day to make for less time spent in the kitchen and more time with my friends.  Homemade potato chips are amazing.  With such a rich potato flavor, and a hearty crunch, they are so much better than anything you can get in a bag.  The secret is to cut the potato slices real thin and soak them in water to remove some of the starch, which means a crispier chip.  

That being said, it is VERY important to dry the potato slices as thoroughly as possible be submerging them in the oil and never walk away from the pan once you've put the chips in.  Oil fires are nobody's friend.

For the Cheesesteaks, which were my take on the Philly Cheesesteak, (however, I kept calling them Boston Cheesesteaks.  Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?) I used a shaved steak which was cut just so delicately thin it was almost poetic.  Not to mention, it cooked up in less than 10 minutes time.  I topped it off with thin slices of American cheese, (chosen for it's incredible melting properties and subtle taste) which created sort of a cheese sauce that coated the thin shreds of steak.  Along with the fried mushrooms and caramelized onions, the steak was packed into fresh, soft sub rolls.   

It was an absolutely delicious night with great company, many, many laughs and so much fun.  Now, I'm off to take more pictures and play around a little more with my new camera.  Enjoy what's left of the weekend!

What My Readers Want, My Readers Get!

Let me just say that it has been crazy fun reading all of the responses from my survey!  Thanks to all of those that have answered and for those of you that haven’t, um, what are you waiting for?  I eventually want to do a post where I share some of the feedback that I received.  In the meantime, I received a couple of comments requesting more of the quick and easy hodgepodge stuff and there was also a strong like for using local ingredients in healthy ways.  I think tonight’s little dish accomplishes all of that.  It’s been another busy week here at the Small Boston Kitchen and sadly, there hasn’t been all that much time to do one of my favorite things; grocery shop!  So tonight, I’m using up some items that I had in my fridge (plus a quick little stop off at the Copley Farmer’s Market) to create a super easy and yet still healthy little dinner.  Tonight’s feature is the quesadilla.  In my opinion, this humble little dish is so underrated it’s not funny.  I actually eat a lot of quesadillas because they are an easy way to use up leftovers.  Similar to the omelet, pizza or even sandwich, quesadillas are a great vehicle for just using things up.  And you can make them as healthy (or as dangerously) as you like them to be. Remember, you’re the chef, you’re in control (which is one of the beauties of eating at home).

Based on what I had in my fridge, my quesadilla had a Mexican flair to it.  It consisted of fresh tomatoes (I’ve got nothing but pure love for the tomato right now), roasted red peppers (which I’m crushing on big time), fiery jalepeno pepper slices (I'm a heat freak), fresh cilantro (to cool things down a bit) and of course, cheese.  (Sweet, sweet cheese...)  I actually used a 2% Mexican blend variety from Sargento that was pretty good.  The best part of all of this?  How freaking easy this is!  Just pile up the toppings on one side of a tortilla, fold the other half over and heat it on both sides in a frying pan.    You can even get a little fancy if you want to throw a couple squeezes of fresh lime juice into some sour cream.  Or serve with a side of salsa (like my chipotle salsa!) But the best part is from start to finish, this takes about 10 minutes until it's fiesta time.  So again, nothing  super wild here, just easy and satisfying and of course, delicious.  Anyway, who said good food had to take a while or be super complicated to be yummy?