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www.eatdrinkandbemarried.co

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Thanks for your support!

Dexter says, "Thank you!"

What's for Dinner?

Oink, Oink!
Yes, I made pork for dinner last night and it was deliciousness on a bun.  Pork Shoulder, a.k.a. Pork Butt, a.k.a. Boston Pork.  Whatever you call this cut of meat, this is what you get:







and it is divine when cooked for 2.5 hours on low in the oven.
If you are so inclined, this is an awesome weekend meal.
Here are some highlights from the cooking process --

Pork shoulder marinated for 24 hours in paprika and cayenne papper.  Cook with a bit of water and near the end of the cooking process add some white wine vinegar.  It literally just shreds apart.

Fennel and Arugula dressed in olive oil, lemon, and salt/pepper.

Toast that bun up.  I added mozzarella that was near its expiration date.  Not needed, but I hate wasting food.

The money shot.

A Cook's Best Trick

SUBSTITUTIONS!
Some people are purists, those that follow recipes to a 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper.  I applaud those cooks as I perceive them to have unlimited patience.  I also find that way of cooking to be 100% unbearable for me.  Part of what I enjoy about food is the creativity it involves, even when working off of a recipe.  I often add a little lemon juice, throw in a few more cloves of garlic, or use the recipe for inspiration and change it entirely.
One particular tool I have found to be endlessly helpful with my style of cooking and my sometimes challenging access to ingredients is this website: http://www.foodsubs.com/
The Cook's Thesaurus -- I use it in the grocery store when I can't find what I need and at home when I've started cooking and realize I don't have what I want/need.  Today is one of those days.  Anyone know what Aleppo pepper is?  No?  Me either.  But I know I didn't want to take the time to find it around town when I could simply substitute the flavor profile with four parts paprika and one part cayenne pepper.  Thank you, Cook's Thesaurus.  Dinner saved.
I'm trying my first attempt at pork sandwiches tonight.

(I can guarantee mine won't look like this, but it I know it's going to be tasty!)

Arts and Lettuce

Where design meets food? Most, definitely.
First of all, if you don't know about Arts and Lettuce, Please to eat you, or the Brush Factory -- check them out.  Arts and Lettuce is the collaboration effort between the unique catering company, Please to Eat you, and the fashion forward manufacturing store (and a great store in Oakley), the Brush Factory.  Read about them here.
I post this with some hesitation.  Arts and Lettuce only seats 12 people twice a month for their multi-course dinner experience and I want to go again.  However, since I don't think too many people read this blog, I'm not too worried about never getting a seat again :-)
Before I get started on the review, I need to thank the beautiful, awesome Laura for asking me to be her guest.  There isn't a culinary partner like Laura and I never fail to have many good laughs and adventures.  Thanks, Laura!
After signing up for their August dinner, we were e-mailed the secret location of dinner -- an old bank at the intersection of Harrison Avenue and Colerain Avenue near Central Parkway.  Walking up 3 flights of steep stairs in heels was frightening, until we reached the top.  What seemed like a mostly abandoned building and office spaces opened up to an airy dining room.  Open windows, wooden farm table, and mason jars for drinking water.  This was heaven.  With the gorgeous, fall-like weather in Cincinnati this week, I can't imagine a more seasonal, worn-down, well-utilized space.  Perfect venue for an imaginative dinner.
Here's a peak at the table.  I intend to model my Thanksgiving table after this:

Dinner involved eight courses of delicious plates of food.  The concept here is to make veggies the main course and highlight with meat and fish.  You won't find a NY strip here.  It's more like veggies sitting in broth infused with bone marrow or veggies with a dollop of fish.  Main point -- highlight veggies.
Here's the round-up:

Oyster, bacon, lettuce, peanut sauce.  The only discernable part here is the oyster in the middle.  Oysters are always a great way to start a meal!

Sunchoke Gazpacho with peanuts in their most raw form, grapes, crushed almonds, olives, and a few pearls of salmon caviar.  Wow -- this was in the top 2 of the night. I'd love to make something like this -- I'm now on a mission for salmon caviar.

Carrots - candied carrots, roots, and grapefruit juice.  This was a really wonderful way to highlight carrots and got me thinking about how to incorporate sunflower oil and juices into my own cooking. I'm not a huge carrot fan (unless we are talking carrot cake, and then all bets are off), but this what yummy deliciousness.  Nothing like a dish that manages to highlight the sweetness of carrots and add some complexity and acidity with grapefruit.

This was my least favorite dish.  Zucchini with salted cod a la baby food from a jar.  The chef mentioned wanting to highlight zucchini in a way that he would eat it since he doesn't like the vegetable.  I guess I just couldn't get on board with the texture of this one.  I prefer my zucchini grilled.

Peas and Pistachios.  Yes. A hundred times yes.  This little dish was sweet, crunchy, and pleasant.  I loved that the peas were cooked perfectly -- tender with a little bite.

Best dish of the night.  Onions.  Onions in all their glory.  With bacon, pork fat, and cracklings.  How can this be bad?  Well, I wanted seconds, but otherwise there isn't anything bad about this dish.  The pickled onion in lavender was divine.  The pork fat sauce tasted like my family's sausage gravy poured over biscuits.  I can't say enough about this dish.  So, so, so, so good.

Vanilla milkshake with dehydrated olives.  A little bit of licorice, a little bit of vanilla, a little be of salty.  I slurped.

Final dish - tomato and watermelon dessert with lavender.  Such a simple, light way to end the evening.

Duck fat and bourbon treat to go.  This tasted like duck marinated in maker's mark, just like the name.  The first bite wasn't my favorite, but this little candy grows on you.
Also worth noting -- byob or byow.  We enjoyed a Malbec from California for dinner.  What a way to split a bottle of wine.
Community style eating isn't for everyone, but if you are interested in meeting new people and having a dining experience, Arts and Lettuce is bringing concept dining from the major cities right to our own backyard.  Try it -- you won't be disappointed!

Local Cincy Review: Via Vite

In support of Downtown Cincinnati Restaurant Week, Steve and I visited Fountain Square on a Thursday evening.  To my surprise, there were many people downtown on a week night -- on a night without a Reds game!  3CDC has been so committed to pumping life back into the Queen City and last night was no exception.  Hundreds of people crowded fountain square to eat Skyline and Graeter's and go SALSA DANCING!  How fun!
While I enjoyed seeing such a unique crowd downtown, I was there for the restaurant on fountain square. Via Vite, the same owners of Nicola's, offers a modern space to serve their contemporary take on traditional Italian cuisine.  For $35 we both ate a 3-course meal featuring some of the restaurant's most popular dishes.  Overall, the food was great and the service a tad disjointed.  The server we had was definitely knowledgeable about the food, but our courses were not well spaced.  This isn't a deal breaker and my guess is the restaurant was busier than normal for a Thursday night, but it was definitely noticeable.
We wanted to try EVERYTHING on the menu -- each of the three courses offered a decision between two courses.  Fortunately, I have a partner in crime for my culinary escapades, so Steve happily obliged to order opposites.
Sadly, I only have pictures of my dishes, but let me assure you, if you ever go to Via Vite, order the warm goat cheese salad with the raspberry truffle vinaigrette.  To. Die. For.  This was Steve's first dish, and likely the best dish of the night.
My First Course:

Gazpacho with Jonah Crab -- wow o wow.  How is it possible for a gazpacho to be creamy and light without any cream?  High quality olive oil streamed into the blender, that's how.  This dish was a high quality, light start to the meal.  I pretty much licked the bowl clean.
My Second Course:

Penne with bolognese sauce -- This dish was definitely good, but not spectacular.  The penne had a little bite like pasta should, but the bolognese was just different.  It wasn't bad, it justmade me feel like the secret ingredient mixed into the finely ground meat was Velveeta.  Yes, the non-descript, orangey-yellow brick of cheese.

That might sound harsh, but the Reynolds family grew up on melty velveeta.  Mmm. Mmm. Good.
Steve's 2nd course was the gnocchi with vodka sauce.  The gnocchi were light and tender, but the vodka sauce had little taste.
My Third Course:

Bacon wrapped pork tenderloin with caponata - I don't usually order pork.  Maybe it's the Jewish thing or my protest of eating pork for 8 years, but something about it doesn't usually resonate with me.  This was no different.  The pork was nice and crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, but it just wasn't my favorite.  It was salty, which should have been a nice balance to the sweet caponata, but it just wasn't the complete dish I was hoping to eat. The caponata, the mixture of sweet peppers and tomatoes, was the real star of the dish.
Overall, I'd try Via Vite again, if for no other reason than the gazpacho and warm goat cheese salad.

Salad, Schmalad!

Who says salad has to be leafy greens?

Thinly sliced red onion
Halved grape tomatoes
Orange Slices
A bit of cilantro
Lime juice
A little bit of olive oil
Sliced Avocado

and...
GRILLED SHRIMP!

Marinate the shrimp in hot sauce and lemon juice and grill for 5 to 7 minutes.  Serve the warm shrimp on top of the salad and you have yourself a quick, healthy, delicious meal.


I'm off to take advantage of Downtown Cincinnati Restaurant Week. Happy Cooking!

In the cupboard

Sometimes I don't get everything I need from the grocery store, run out of a key ingredient, or just don't have time to plan a meal before I get home from work.  On these nights I try to rely on my staples and throw together a yummy meal in little time. This is usually a better alternative than ordering take out.
Last night it was pasta.  And let me tell you, this is a rare occasion in our home.  Steve isn't a huge pasta fan, but he walked away with seconds, so I think this throw-together recipe is a keeper.
Here are some of the ingredients (don't let the picture fool you, I decided to save the grape tomatoes for later in the week).

First, start with grilled chicken.  I used leftovers from the blue cheese, chicken quesadillas I made earlier in the week.

Next, boil salted water and add some Orchiette pasta.  Really, any pasta will do, but I happened to have this in stock.
While the water is boiling and pasta cooking (no more than 9 minutes -- I like mine with a little bite), I added a jar of artichokes and the grilled chicken to an un-grased pan over medium heat.  No need for any oil as the artichokes are packed in a bit of oil and water.

Chop up a few cloves of garlic and basil.  I used to buy basil every week from the grocery store and found that it went bad before I could use it all and let's not even talk about the price of basil.  I started growing my own basil in June and I've had an endless supply of yummy, sweet basil.  If you only plant one thing this year or next, make it basil.

After I added the basil and garlic to the chicken and artichokes, I added a few swirls of heavy cream.  I don't always have heavy cream and have found the half and half that I add to my coffee in the morning to be equally satisfying.

Squeeze a lemon over this and add plenty of freshly ground pepper.
Note:  Don't add the basil too soon like I did.  I usually add basil near the end of cooking to keep it's crispness and green color.  Sadly, I threw it in with the basil early on in the cooking process and I cooked most of the flavor right out of it.  Not to mention the basil mostly turned a brownish-green color.

At the very end I added a few olives that I had leftover from dinner the previous week.  I love cooking with olives, although I know it's not a taste for everyone.  If you like olives, they eliminate the need for using salt in your dish.  I love them!
Also, when cooking pasta and sauce, always add the pasta to the sauce prior to serving.  Allowing the pasta and other flavors to mesh for a few minutes really makes a difference.
Finally, since I had cooked the flavor out of the basil, I chopped up a bit of chives to sprinkle on top.


This was a keeper and straight out of the cupboard/fridge.

Toy Box

You are what you shoot

Well, ladies and gentleman, I'm officially old.  Gone are the days of barbies  (spice girl dolls if you are my sister), coloring books, and play kitchen food for gifts.  Yesterday I took a deep step forward into adulthood by way of a grown up camera! In hopes of taking more pictures of our lives and random happenings around Cincinnati, we caved and for our 2 year anniversary I now have a high-tech, I have no idea how to use it, camera.  Here are some goodies from my first evening with the camera:

Pop Art Filter (I will write about this little meal later)

Dexter about to pounce on the couch (Steve's feet on the table -- really unfortunate)

Calli on Steve's lap with Scarlett looking around her.  Such photogenic kitties!

Look at those pretty green eyes!

The fish eye lens takes 10 lbs off Calli -- I need to remember that!

Steve in various art filters -- such an awesome feature on this camera!

Dramatic Art Filter -- note the awesome solar-powered lights in our floor.  Love it!

Finally, this is the damage from a leak in our roof.  This is sadly only part of it, but if you notice me being cranky or overly dramatic this week, it's likely the hole in my roof has something to do with it.
Ok, so what did you learn from this little art project?:
1.  I sat on the end of the couch to take most of these
2. I'm obsessed with my kitties.  Yes, I know.
3. I really need to learn how to use my camera :-)

Making weeknight meals special

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/08/08/55-five-ways-to-make-a-weeknight-meal-feel-extraordinary/
I enjoyed this article today on CNN -- mostly because I had to look up what Madeira is (other than the city that I live in!) and it turns out to be a very specific, fortified wine from Portugal.  Yes, please.


My take on how to make meals during the week feel special:
1.  Cook while enjoying a glass of red wine.  Always.
2.  Get your spouse involved in some aspect of the meal.  Whether it's the grilling or plating, it helps to have company and to feel included.
3.  Fresh herbs.  Basil, Thyme, Rosemary, Cilantro.  Keep these around for a bit of freshness.  I also love to keep ginger around to grate on some dishes.  Have I shared my garden?  It's growing!

4. Set the table with a table cloth.  We don't do this often, but on occasion when we actually get the teal table cloth and pretty cloth napkins out of their dusty hiding space, it feels fancy.
5. Truffle Oil.  It's sinful.  A dash on pizza, pasta, or protein and your dish is a bizillion times more delicious.  I can't explain it, but trust me.  Buy it. 

What's for Dinner?

Every Sunday morning I wake up, make a pot of coffee and sit on the couch with my grocery list and computer.  I love searching for new recipes and usually check out food and wine or any one of a million food blogs to find out what others are cooking and what inspires them.  This week I found a few new ones to try, including tonight's meal -- Caramelized Onion, Blue Cheese, and Chicken Quesadillas.
Just an FYI, I don't usually follow any recipe exactly which is exactly why I can't bake:

Exhibit A (my one and only attempt at baking, AKA, the time I made carrot cake for Steve's birthday and it caught on fire in the oven)

Back to my point, if you are looking for exacts -- follow the recipe above.
Step One:  Slice half a red onion VERY thinly.  As paper thin as possible.  You will need a very sharp knife for this.

Here's a little tip -- if you have a gas stove, turn on the burner closest to you while slicing the onion and you will never tear up and cry from cooking onions. It's a beautiful thing and probably has something to do with chemistry.
Next, heat up a pan with a combo of olive oil and a small pad of butter.  Add the onions with a sprinkle of sugar and vinegar to speed up the caramelization process:

(Note the kitty ladle)

Step 3: chop up a couple of cloves of garlic and some rosemary (it smells divine)

Since I don't usually have time to marinate meat after work, I like to make fresh herb rubs for meat -- a lot of the flavor and intensity without using much time.  I mixed together the garlic, rosemary, and generous sprinkle of salt and mash them together with the back of a knife on my cutting board.

Next, rub the mixture onto chicken breast and place in grill pan (no need to grease the grill pan) over medium-high heat:

After the chicken is cooked, slice into thin pieces:

1. 

I found a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, which I like to keep around.  This isn't in the recipe, but spread a bit of that on the tortillas and it really amps up the taste by adding some smokiness and heat.  Top with the caramelized onion, sliced chicken and bit of blue cheese:

Pop that in the oven at 400 degrees for 7 minutes and you will have melty, gooey deliciousness. I also made some refried beans for Steve (don't judge) and topped the quesadillas with mexican crema. Sour cream works great too.



I forgot to take the obligatory, melty shot.  Oh well.
In other news, my new camera isn't coming until tomorrow!  Sadness, but until then, feel free to compare my photos with the food and wine shot: