Smoked Salt & Pepper

I spent my Sunday volunteering at the Austin Food & Wine Festival.  Since it was a weekend-long event, and I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the entire span of it if I'd bought tickets due to work, I decided to volunteer on my day off.  It was a really enjoyable experience.  I got to watch a few cooking demos and eat great food/sample yummy wines.  Here are a few pics I took while there. Roasting Pigs   Cooking demo by Marcus Samuelsson  Marcus Samuelsson Up Close I don't know why this photo keeps uploading sideways ;P Tidbits I learned: The reason unsalted butter>salted butter is because salt acts as a preservative so usually unsalted butter is fresher than salted.  (I had always used unsalted because it was easier to control salt levels myself, plus, I like having one butter in the fridge for both cooking and baking)  Save shrimp shells for making a really flavorful, layered ramen broth Gewurztraminer wines pair...

Sunday mornings deserve a great brunch.  I'd done some damage at Central Market last week.  Who can resist fresh baked rosemary bread or maple smoked bacon?  I can't.  Decided to whip this together in order to salvage the last of the rosemary bread. Baked Egg in Bread Ingredients Rosemary bread, cut in 1" thick slices 4 eggs 2 tsp butter, melted 1 tbs grated hard cheese (IE parmasan, fontina, etc) 1 tbs chopped italian parsley Salt & Pepper 1/4 lb. maple smoked bacon (optional) Directions Using a spoon or your fingers, create a crater in the center of each slice of bread to fit an egg.  Try to leave a thin layer of bread at the bottom. Note: this would've worked better with individual small rolls, but I had a delish loaf of bread on hand Brush with melted butter Crack one egg into the crater.  Top with cheese Bake at 350* 15-20 minutes or until eggs are set.  Fry up the bacon during this time Sprinkle each egg wit...

I found this recipe through Pinterest and found Sally's Baking Addiction website.  Sally's Baking Addiction   It looked so mouth-wateringly delicious I had to try it.  Plus, I'm a sucker for salted caramel.  That combo between sweet and savory is so amazing, my mouth is actually watering as I'm typing this!  I have made 2 batches now, and although they were a little work the first time around, the second time went much smoother/easier and they're so worth it.  Brought them to work to keep myself and Reid from eating alllll of them and my boss asked what the special occasion was.  They were gone in a hot minute. Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Cookies Ingredients 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup dark brown sugar  1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder  1 teaspoon baking soda 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 Tablespo...

We had a crawfish boil the other weekend. It was my first time doing one solo (no family help), and it was a success. Good times with good friends, good food and beer, and good weather. We had corn, potatoes, and crawfish/crayfish boiled in some lemony, Louisiana seasoned water. I topped a few off with my butter-garlic dipping sauce.  Next time I'll have to do some sausage, too.  I tried to keep it simple since this was our first one, but we were definately hurting for some sausage.  I think our German friend would've enjoyed some sausage, too, since he didn't really care for the prehistoric looking creepy crawlies. Beautiful pics taken by our friend, Marcus. Thank goodness we were able to keep them alive through all the purges. MMMMMM Laissez-les bons temps roulez Reid hard at work The most handsome dog

Every time we go to any Vietnamese restaurant, I already know what Reid will order; Bun Cha Gio and a Cafe Sau Da.  I don't think he'd even look at a menu if it wasn't to look for what order number it is.  Yea, he orders by number at any Asian restaurant even when I try to encourage him to practice his Vietnamese.  So since bun cha gio thit nuong, or Vietnamese BBQ Pork with Eggrolls, is his fav, I decided to give it a try.  Usually, if my mom is making this dish at home, to save some time she will purchase ready-made thit nuong and cha gio from the countless of delicious shops in Houston's chinatown. Since I don't really have that luxury in Austin, I decided to try and make the thit nuong myself.  Traditionally, the pork is charbroiled over a grill, and sometimes has lemongrass in it.  Traditionally northerner's thit nuong has to have lots of lemongrass.  Since I don't think my backyard grill even works, I decided to try this recipe I adapte...

This is one of Reid's new favorites, which is awesome because it is quick, easy, and I usually have most the ingredients on hand. Plus, it's protein packed and makes yummy left over lunches. Last time I brought it for lunch one of the other vets asked for the recipe, and I knew I had to stop procrastinating about posting it. I call it "chili" because Reid argues real chili doesn't have anything but meat (more on that later...if I can ever convince him to publish his family's competition winning chili recipe). Anyway, because of that, we call it turkey and quinoa stew or turkey and quinoa fiesta at home. It takes about 25 minutes to make, so it's a great weeknight meal. Ingredients: 1 lb lean ground turkey 1 small green bell pepper, chopped 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed 15 oz can diced tomatoes 14 oz can chicken broth 1 cup quinoa, rinsed 2 tsp each: chili powder, ground cumin, oregano (or you could use one of those taco seasoning packe...

Reid and I have not eaten at chick-fil-a in over a year and I was really starting to miss it. Reid suggested we stop supporting their business once they officially came out as anti-gay. He is much stronger than me, and I found myself craving that delicious chicken and those crispy waffle fries I decided to try this recipe I found on Pinterest and man, oh, man! It delivered! Tastes so good and so much like the real thing! Now I just need the time to make home made waffle fries (I used frozen). Chick-fil-A Bites with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce Serves 2 Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats Directions: 2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces and seasoned with salt & pepper 3/4 cup milk 1/4 cup pickle juice 1 egg 1-1/4 cups flour 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1/2 cup peanut oil, divided (or canola or vegetable oil) Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce: 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt 1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard 1 Tablespoon Dijon mus...