Category Food & Drink

24-Hour “Omelet”

Otherwise known as a strata. This recipe only slightly modified to one found in Cook’s Illustrated.
serves 6 to 8, heartily

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
10 slices white sandwich bread
12 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
8 large eggs
3 cups whole milk
1 small onion, grated
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon hot sauce
1. Grease the bottom [...]

Saffron Shrimp Crab Cakes

For sauce

1 cup crème fraîche
1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For shrimp crab cakes

1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil plus additional for brushing
1/2 cup diced (1/8-inch) onion
1/4 cup diced (1/8-inch) carrot
1/4 cup diced (1/8-inch) celery
2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black [...]

Classic Margarita

Ingredients

2 oz tequila (reposado)
1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 oz Cointreau
2 tbls sugar
Ice
Sea salt (light & fluffy) (optional)

Directions

Measure out tequila, lime juice, and Cointreau. Add to shaker. Mix in sugar and stir to dissolve. Add ice and shake well. Strain over salt-rimmed glass filled with fresh ice. Discard the bruised, distressed ice from the shaker.
Enjoy!

Notes

I [...]

Recipe: Brandied Orange and Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

2/3 cup orange zest
2 cups water
2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cups cranberries
2 tablespoons brandy

Directions:

In a small pan over medium heat, combine the orange zest and water. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving zest and 1/3 cup liquid.

To the reserved [...]

Recipe: Pumpkin Crème brûlée

I absolutely love this time of year when everything comes out with a pumpkin-flavored variation. Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin gellato, pumkin pie blizzards from Dairy Queen, even pumpkin-stuffed tortellini.
Obviously, I love pumpkin. However, it’s not actually the pumpkin flavor that most of us enjoy, but the delicate blend of spices that come together to bring that [...]

Recipe: Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

After raving about my fish tacos for months, I finally had a chance to share them to much acclaim with a few of my coworkers this Saturday at a movie day. This is such an easy dish that people absolutely love. I have to share it…
Ingredients

Salsa
2 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced
1 ripe avocado, peeled and [...]

Recipe: Japanese soba noodles with ginger chicken, green beans, and jalapenos

Sometimes you want a quick meal that doesn’t come out of the freezer or isn’t placed between two slices of bread. Such was the case last night when I wanted to cook myself something to eat, but was already very hungry and didn’t want it to take a half-hour. Rummaging through my cupboard, I came [...]

‘Just Shuck It’ Party

I LOVE oysters, as does Jade.
Luckily a number of our friends do as well because Jade and I bought over 100 of them on Saturday. I know, I know… you’re probably thinking, “Jesus, that’s a lot of oysters!” Well, they were on sale! What was an oyster lover supposed to do?
Throw a party, that’s what!
Mostly [...]

Recipe: Four Mushroom Banh Xeo with Red Wine Reduction

It’d been a long while since I cooked something entirely new that I’d never before attempted, so last night as I left the office and the first pangs of hunger begun to be felt I got that familiar hankering to venture out and do something new. Walking toward the bus stop I pulled up CHOW.com, [...]

Bar hopping – Review of 3 Austin Bars

Not having anything better to occupy our time last night, Jade, Bryan, and I turned to our favorite pastime — DRINKING! But where? Two shots of whiskey later, we were ready embark on our journey. We didn’t so much plan on visiting any of these places as much as they became apparent through the novelty [...]