Oh grill, how we miss you.

I know I haven’t posted much but I will try to update a lot more often. This is what we did the last time we grilled. It was an easy delicious meal. I didn’t get to take a picture of the steak because we ate it too fast.

Easy Grilled Zucchini and Red Onion

Mashed Grilled Fingerling Potatoes

copycat

Three weeks ago we went with Chris and Amy to Toast a coffeehouse located in downtown Port Jefferson Village serves breakfast and lunch and opens up for dessert, tapas, cheese plates and wine. I had just made blueberry bars so we decided to get a cheese plate. It had sopresata, smoke mozarella, and champagne grapes. It was surprisiley good. Last Saturday we were buying cheese at the grocery store and we found champagne grapes and sopresata. I decided to make my own little plate. It was good and did not cost me an arm and a leg. I couln’d find smoked mozarella and I had been wanting hummus.

Bread is life??

One of the things I like to do is scouting garage sales. I buy cheap toys and we occasionally find a good deal. Three weeks ago we found a bread maker. I had just told Joseph that I wanted to buy one and I was surprised to find one so cheap. Yes it does work. It works so well that we don’t buy bread anymore. It is so great. The best part is that it was five dollars. We also found vintage board games and other things here and there. So I decided to make a loaf of white bread at 10pm and waited for delicious bread till 12. One of the drawbacks is that it takes so long. Of course, I am willing to wait because it is so yummy. The best thing about it, is that I get to choose the size of loaf 1lb 1 1/2 lb or 2lb. I was making the 1lb but that was over my Wed. So I have opted for the 1 1/2lb.

Another advantage is that Joseph actually eats breakfast. Ok, so it is just a light breakfast. He cuts up the toast (Texas style) and adds Citron honey from Trader Joe’s. The other day he grilled toast. I am telling you Bobby Flay convinced us that we can grill anything. (I will post all of the things he has grilled later) The toast was so yum and crispy. So I called my mom the next day  and asked her how to make French toast. Of course she never made it for me. I actually never had French toast before. I never cared for it. I guess it was because it was something that she made for these two boys she would take care of. Their mom taught my mom how to make French toast and she loved to make it. However, it was only for them. She never offered to make it for me and I didn’t care. I never even saw her eat it. I wasn’t jealous or anhything it was just somehting that she made for someone else. So I called her up and I asked her to make French toast. There was a pause… She was quiet. I think she missed those two boys (she watched them for four years). So she was like you just whisk the eggs and dip the bread in it. That was it, that is all there is to this silly breakfast. I thought there was more to it. Of course some people do go all out. I decided to add some cinammom as per Joseph’s recommendation. Then I added the syrup. That was it, so simple. Later when I called my mom she asked me how the French toast came out. I was like oh, it was good, so casual.

basking in the weather

Yea, Yea I know it has been a really long time since I sat my but down and wrote a blog. I have been trying to soak up every least bit of summer left. We haven’t gone anywhere but we have been playing tennis, volleyball, going to the beach and having bbqs. One of the things I love about bbqs is that we get to eat outside. I get to justify to Joseph that we have to eat outside. It brings me back so many memories. When I was little my dad made a table and placed it right outside the kitchen. It was perfect for our elaborate meals. My mom always made two to three sides. It is a smart way to make the main dish go a long way. Of course, when my dad passed we stopped eating outside, bbqing at home and the sides minimized to one. Why my mom was even on a tortilla strike. For whatever reason she stopped making homemade tortillas. She would  make stacks and stacks of them and give them away. This sucked but she was so busy all the time. I graduated high school and started college so it wasn’t like I had much time to enjoy a meal. My mom wasn’t cooking a lot. We weren’t eating out or anything but the meals were just different. The weekly pot of caldo wasn’t made, the chiles rellenos were made only upon request, and we didn’t bbq. This made me miss my dad a lot. I was too busy to notice so nothing was said. I noticed a lot of things when I got married an moved a million miles away. I noticed I missed all the yummy food and of course my mom made sure I learned how to make it myself (Joseph still thinks I need work on the rice). I also noticed that loved to eat outside but it was hard to justify to Joseph why we were eating outside. My only good excuse so far is that the kitchen is too hot and I rarely agree to eat in the living room ( I grew up not eating in front of the t.v.). So it works, but if it is raining we are forced to eat inside. So now that Summer is over or approaching the end I will soak up what is left and enjoy it. Of course all of this rain makes it a little hard.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Bobby Flay has convinced us that we can grill anything but the kitchen sink. We have recently grilled aspargus soaking it in shallots and olive oil and garlic powder, that day we also grilled carrots.

london broil, grilled asparagus and carrots

The other day Joseph and Chris were at BJ’s ,a wholesale store while Joseph spotted fingerling potatoes. I have been looking for fingerling potatoes since I saw this episode of Bobby Flay’s  Boy Meets Grill. I was so excited and immediately decided to have Joseph grill them that night.

As adapted from Bobby Flay’s  Grilled Fingerling Potatoes

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until a paring knife inserted comes out with some resistance. Do not cook the potatoes all the way through because they will continue cooking on the grill. Drain well and when cool enough to handle, slice in half lengthwise.

Heat the grill to medium.

Brush the  potatoes with oil and season with salt, fresh cracked pepper, garlic salt, and McCormick’s roasted garlic and red pepper seasoning.

Place the potatoes on the grill, cut-side down and cook until lightly golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn over and continue grilling about a minute longer.  Put the potatoes in a medium bowl with oil,

roasted fingerling potatoes

rosemary, lavender and seasoning. Shake until all potatoes are coated. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Of guilty pleasures and good eating

yummy fruit salad

Joseph recently swore off candy. He could eat a whole bag of Haribo gummi colas in one sitting. For about a month we have been going to a local fruit/vegetable market. They have local corn, peaches, strawberries and other delicious goodies. We love to go there because the ladies let us try the stuff like today they let us try sour cherries (imagine warheads in fruit form). Last week we tried pluots. They are a mix between a plum and an apricot. They are so good and we are hooked. They have delicious anjou pears that taste like vodka. The corn is so sweet and yummy.

delicious roasted corn

Today we went there and to a local grocery store. We also got a cantelope, watermelon, grapes, and strawberries. I got home and decided to make a beautiful fruit salad.

Watermelonade

We had good friends come over and visit us last week. They called while we were at a local fruit/vegetable market. I had 1/4 of a watermelon and Joseph immediately grabbed a delicious black cherry pie. We had been wanting to buy watermelon but we are just not used to paying more than 6 bucks for a watermelon. I remember last summer we bought one for $15, that was all we ate for two days. I wasn’t sure whether to make watermelon sorbet or my usual watermelonade. Joseph convinced me to make the watermelonade because it would be an excuse to try out my new vintage looking ceramic jug. I totally agreed and started to make the delcious drink.

ingredients:

1/4 of a watermelon

5 limes

1/2 a pint of strawberries

1/2 cup of cane sugar

2 cups of water

3 leaves of lemon balm

3 leaves of mint

Directions

cut up 1/2 of the watermelon and blend until it is in liquid form (add a little bit of water)

pour 1/2 of liquid in pitcher

cut up strawberries and add to blender

squeeze limes in blender

add sugar

blend all of them and add to pitcher

mix them well in pitcher

with a melon baller scoop some watermelon and place in bag once you have done the rest of the watermelon place the watermelon balls in freezer for 30 minutes

chop up mint and lemon balm and place in glasses before serving add watermelon balls as well

serve drink and enjoy

Kitchen Sink Pizza

I adapted this recipe from Rachel Ray. Before I started working I had a lot of time to watch t.v. I never had cable in my life so I was quite content with watching food network all day. This lasted for about two weeks. This recipe is so easy and can be changed according to what toppings you like on your pizza.

1 (2 foot long) loaf Italian bread

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 ball of mozzarella cheese

1/2 package of pepperoni

1 can of mushrooms (drained)

1 can of sliced black olives(drained)

1 red or green pepper cut in long slices

chopped up ham

jalapenos

pizza sauce

1 tspn of garlic powder, Italian seasoning, onion powder, oregano,

3 leaves of fresh basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a small bowl mix olive oil, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, onion powder, and oregano (oil mix)

Split bread lengthwise and hollow it out. Cut in half across, making 4 shells for pizzas

Brush bread with oil mix ,place in hot oven on cookie sheet and bake until bread is starting to brown(5-10 minutes)

Take out bread from oven and fill bread shells with basil, sauce and sliced mozzarella, add all ingredients remaining

Place in hot oven on cookie sheet and bake until cheese melts and bubbles and bread is super crisp, about 15-20 minutes

Fun With Herbs

LorY started an herb garden not long ago. Unfortunately, since we live in a second-story apartment, garden space is hard to come by. Also, it’s not just an herb garden. It is also home to Easter lillies, a rubber plant, and a few other plants that she’s picked up over the last two years.

When we were putting everything into their proper pots, she asked me if it would be worth labelling them. I told her that since most herbs are distinct, we should be able to tell them apart once they had grown.

Sometimes I wish she wouldn’t listen.

The other day she told me that there was an herb growing that she couldn’t identify but was probably sage. I told her I would look into it.

Today, as I stepped onto the balcony, as I am prone to do in the mornings, I looked down to see a plant that looked rather like sage. I rubbed the leaf between my fingers and got no hint of odor. Finding this odd, I licked my fingers and got no flavor. Finally, I plucked a leaf and began to chew on it. Still nothing.

When we arrived back from work, we stepped onto the balcony and I told her how I had sniffed the plant and gotten nothing and how it really didn’t give off any flavor to judge.

Stifling a laugh, she turned to me and said, “Babe, that’s a petunia.”

Sometimes, I’m not all that bright.

Gourmet Burger Bistro, Port Jefferson, NY

We’ve come to the decision that we will also use this space to give props to new restaurants or old favorites. If you have recommendations, send us an email or leave a comment. You won’t get a full review here — that’s not what we’re here for — but if there’s something we like, you’re gonna know about it.

We don’t normally go to Port Jeff Village anymore. It’s usually crowded and during non-summer seasons, things close far too early and open far too late. Also, restaurants in the area can be pretty hit or miss, especially on the wallet.

We had intended to go to Kimi, a sushi bar that Chris had visited recently and recommended. However, as we were walking, we saw a sign that indicated that Gourmet Burger Bistro (be sure to look at the menu if you live in the area), a restaurant that had been labeled as ‘coming soon’ for months now, was finally open. Not being people who can normally pass up a good burger, we went to check out the menu. The prices, while a bit steep for a hamburger, were nothing that was out of our normal price range and so we stepped inside.

The space is a bit small so take-out orders are encouraged. With a menu like that, it took us about fifteen minutes to finally come to a decision. LorY ordered the Pizza Margarita Burger and I ordered the Cuban Burger. We also split a side of garlic fries that were so killer. The meat was juicy, the buns weren’t overly dry or soggy, the vegetables were fresh, and even the fried onions (which in most restaurants are reduced to nothing) still had traces of onion left in them. The ham in my burger was crispy around the edges and warm in the center — in a word, perfect.

It’s definitely a place we would venture into again. Now if only we could do something about the seating arrangements.