recipe: haddock with dijon blood orange sauce & mango salsa

din din tonight... i made this avacado, tomato, and mango salsa from allrecipes.com once before and loved it, and the haddock filets in the fridge seemed like a good excuse to make it again. i made the blood orange sauce as a throw-together whim, and it was actually a surprising delight to the dish. slightest hint of zing/spice and sweet and yummy.

ingredients list:
salsa (makes about 6 servings):
- 1 mango, peeled, seeded & diced
- 1 avacado, peeled, pitted & diced
- 3 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded & minced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup red onion, chopped,
- 2 tbsp olive oil

fish & dijon blood orange sauce (for 2):

- 3 tbsp seasoned butter, divided
- 3 haddock filets
- 1/2 cup blood orange juice (or plain if that's what's on hand)

- 1 tbsp honey

- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

- 2 tbsp dijon mustard

to make:

salsa: in a medium bowl, combine the mango, avocado, tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, and garlic. add the salt, lime juice, red onion, & olive oil. refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors blend.

fish & dijon blood orange sauce: preheat oven to 350 degrees. heat 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. after it gets hot, add haddock & sautee 3 minutes per side until the fish has a nice sear to it. remove haddock to a baking dish & bake for about 7-10 minutes until fully cooked through & fish is nice & flakey.

while the haddock is baking, add remaining 1 tbsp butter to skillet. mix blood orange juice, honey, cayenne pepper & mustard in a small bowl. add OJ mixture to skillet, and simmer for 7-10 minutes until thick.

after fish is done baking, return to skillet and simmer for a few minutes in the sauce. serve with mango salsa nom nom.

recipe: chicken tikka masala pizza

i love love the chicken tikka masala recipe from allrecipes.com - it is AMAZING (esp with homemade garlic grilled naan... aaah). i'm surprised i haven't posted it on here yet, but better late than never. the recipe is great as-is without tweaks (aside from cutting back on the salt), so it's posted just about verbatim.

since i'm still waning off of my DIY pizza kick, i was inspired to make a tikka masala pizza. the chicken recipe is HOT, so having the dough/cheese to mellow it out seems like a match that was just made in heaven.

ingredients list: (note: i halved the amount of chicken / chicken marinade, but kept the amount of sauce the same as the original recipe. if you were making this as a dish and NOT a pizza, more chicken & marinade would be needed)

- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/3 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream

- 1 recipe for pizza dough or fresh store-bought
- 1/2 a red onion, diced
- 1-1.5 cups sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups mozz cheese
- pinch salt
- olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

to make:
marinade: in a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 1 tsp cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black papper, ginger, and 1 tsp salt. stir in chicken, and marinate for a least one hour (i let it sit overnight).

sauce/chicken: preheat grill for high heat. thread chicken onto skewers, then lighly oil the grill grate. grill chicken about 5 minutes per side, until fully cooked through.

melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. saute garlic & jalapeno for 1 minute. season with 2 tsp cumin, paprika, and 1 tsp salt. stir in tomato sauce and cream. simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. add chicken, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

pizza: while sauce is simmering, mix 1 tbsp olive oil, pinch salt, and garlic powder in a small bowl and set aside. heat grill to medium heat. preheat oven (with pizza stone in oven also) to 450 degrees.

roll out pizza dough on lightly floured surface. lightly flour the hot pizza stone, then carefully transfer the dough to the stone. spread the finished tikka masala sauce, chicken, mozz cheese, onion & mushroom over the dough. bake in preheated oven for about 12-13 minutes.

you can fully cook the pizza in the oven for a total of 14-16 minutes, or if you want to grill it, carefully transfer it to the preheated grill and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, until the bottom of the crust starts to get a nice char to it. brush the crust with the garlic olive oil mixture within the last few minutes of cooking, then garnish with the fresh cilantro. allow to cool at least 5 minutes before eating. YUM!

Jack's Drive Inn

i've always seen Jack's recommended as a must-try burger joint around the Albany area, but had no idea where it was and had never gone so far as to try and venture. we were in the Wynantskill area where it's located a few days ago, so it turned into a magical night of burger fate.

i had no expectation going in since i had no pre-burger research done, but at first glance the place was adorable. tiny, roadside old-school place with a simple menu - burgers, dogs, fries & shakes. boom! and the prices were shocking... burger was $1.99... whaaat! (also good b/c it was cash-only and we only had $13 on hand... once again, work of the burger fate)

they served up fast-food style burgers - thin lil patties, standard freihofer buns, and no gourmet cheese or topping selections (it's "you want grilled onions and ketchup" or "no grilled onions and ketchup?" only. hell yes i want grilled onions and ketchup*!)

these were messy little things... the burger tasted almost like it was steamed ala the white castle burgers... i didn't see how they were cooking them but i feel like it was griddle cooked with the griddle just not -quite- hot enough to char the outside of the patty. it's not a gourmet fancy pants burger which is my usual epic burger style, but if you're going to for a fast food style nosh this little bugger is a delight. i had a blast getting that onion ketchup mess all over. and fries were frozen but they were fried JUST right so they were nice and crisp... hell yes.

*ketchup: i'm a ketchup hater (snob?). there are so many other fun things to put on a burger, i usually put whatever random sauce is around on it, or nothing at all if it's a very fine burger patty. it's like putting ketchup on a steak... just sacrelig! if it were up to me, i wouldn't even keep it in the house. the exception i make is for fast food burgers (keep it classic) or backyard bbq burgers (again... classic old school). when it works, it works.

Blu Stone Bistro

blu stone has been on my wanna-try restaurant list for a while now - all the reviews are great, and the menu is very fun (along w/ the cocktail menu...mmm). i wanted to try so many things off the menu, but was put in quite a conundrum once i saw a burger on the menu. not just 'a burger', but a house-blend prime rib patty. aaah stress. i had to order it.

the presentation was good - plump little bun, standard lettuce/tomato, and a gigantic patty. i ordered it medium rare, BUT... i got medium... maybe even medium well. no pink in sight. that kinda killed me. the burger still had an overall great flavor, but the overcooked meat definitely took away from what could have been a super-flavor party. no where near the patty perfection of the prime rib burger at the point. it reminded me of the chop house burger at standard - i actually love the chop house burger - it's straight up simple meat/lettuce/tomato party. but with that, i'm expecting regular simple ground beef - having the prime rib sets for a higher expectation with flavor/juiciness.

with all that said, i would give it another go. if the cook time was right, this burger definitely has potential. the app we had prior - the 'sticy rib' (boneless beef rib on a crispy crostini with house-made bbq sauce, topped with crispy onions) was absolutely delish, as was my martini. on to the next burger adventure...

tilapia with champagne mushroom sauce

i had leftover (flat) champagne in the fridge that i needed to put to use. i decided to take my go-to chicken marsala recipe and substitute the marsala for the bubbles, and the chicken for tilapia. it had a ton of flavor and turned out to be one of the better throw-together meals i've made in a while. i used homemade seasoned butter which i think bumped up the flavors as ton.*

ingredients list: 
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 1 egg
***
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp seasoned butter
- 2 tilapia filets
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 cup champagne

to make:
mix flour, salt, black & white pepper, onion powder & garlic powder in shallow bowl. beat egg in a separate shallow bowl. dip each piece of tilapia in the egg, then dip in the flour mixture to coat. reserve flour. heat olive oil & butter in skillet over medium high heat. after it gets hot, add tilapia & sautee 5-6 minutes per side until the fish is fully cooked through and is a nice golden brown. remove tilapia to a warm plate. lower heat to med-low, and add mushrooms and onion to skillet, sauteeing until onions are soft and golden (add more olive oil if needed). add minced garlic for the last minute of cooking. mix 1-2 tsp of the leftover flour into the champagne and pour mixture into skillet. return tilapia to skillet, & simmer for 10 minutes until sauce is nice & thick.

serve over pasta or with rice.

* to make seasoned butter: take 1 stick of salted butter, some fresh parsley, fresh basil, 1-2 cloves garlic, and a dash of paprika (and any other herbs you want), and blend until combined. done! this DIY butter was inspired by the yum Kerrygold Garlic & Herb butter.

hattie's restaurant

a few weeks ago me & my sister did a ladies day in Saratoga NY. my sister is a southern food fiend, so it only seemed appropriate that we hit up Hattie's Restaurant for brunch, a place known for it's renowned fried chicken. it's been featured on Throwdown w/ Bobby Flay and has a good all-around rep. we both ordered the chicken & waffles and i had a orange martini on the side. 

the chicken was baaangin and the waffles were SO good. i expected the waffles to be a background item to the chicken (usually waffles are yummy but never memorable), but they held their own and had this delish sweetness to them - almost tasted like a malt in the batter? (i would love to know). the serving was big enough for 2, and i housed it.

the martini was made with fresh-squeezed orange juice which was a pleasant reminder of how much more amazing pure OJ is (i have been since on the lookout for an antique glass orange juicer). pure OJ + vodka... aaah lovely. entire meal was a perfect start to the day (and the restaurant itself is down-home charming... very cozy & adorable).  

recipe: prime rib, horseradish & cheddar panini

my picture doesn't do me justice,
 i'm amazing  -_-

this has to be the best panini we've ever made. prime rib is pretty much delicious whatever you do (or even don't do with it), but this sandy was so well balance w/ ooey gooey cheese, veggies & creamy horseradish... omfg.

exact ingredients: mild cheddar cheese, horseradish cheddar cheese, carmelized red onion, sauteed mushrooms, thin sliced prime rib... aaaaah heaven. i forced myself to go for a run after this (after an hour of food coma on the couch) i felt so guilty, but it was worth every painful step.

recipe: scalloped potatoes

yesterday we cooked prime rib for din dins. i wanted to make au gratin potatoes to go with it but didn't have much cheese, so i tried out the home-style scalloped potato recipe from allrecipes.com. looking at the ingredients it seemed like it would be hum-drum, but the reviews were pretty amazing and they were actually right. i followed the recipe almost to a tee, adding in some extra garlic and toppings.

ingredients list:
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 3/4 tsp season salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 & 1/4 cups milk
- 3 potatoes, thinly sliced
- french fried onions
- shredded colby jack cheese
- parsley

to make: preheat oven to 350 degrees. in a small bowl, stir together flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. in a large sauce pan, saute onion in butter until tender. stir in flour until completely absorbed. gradually add milk, then bring to a boil. stir and cook for 2-3 minutes until sauce has thickened. 

place half of the potatoes in a greased baking dish. pour half of the sauce over the potatoes. repeat layers. baked uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour. add a sprinkling of french fried onions, colby jack, and parsley over the potatoes during last 10 minutes. the top should be lightly browned.

frontera salsa...

...is the first salsa that i have ever liked out of a jar. it actually tastes like fresh made salsa. usually if there isn't homemade salsa, i just eat my chips plain. this lil product is a game changer. all the ingredients are actually legit natural (tomato, jalepeno, cilantro, lime juice, etc)... pretty much only the items you would add into a batch of homemade. thumbs up.

it's grillin season...

... so it means i haven't been cooking at all. simple meat on the grill... mmm. beauty of it is that most of it doesn't require much prep, or clean up, and it's always delish. 

pork chops marinated in homemade bbq sauce, garlic & butter rice & corn

grapefruit grilled with butter & brown sugar

mini burgers with cheddar on pretzel bagels mmmmm