Saturday, July 31, 2010

Summer Vegetable Pasta (a.k.a. what the heck do I do with all this squash??)

SQUASH
The thought of it used to strike fear in my heart. 

Fear and disgust. 
I hated squash. 
Me. 
Strange, I know. That the eater of all things vegetable refused to even try this stuff until I was in high school. 

The Hungry Hubby still turns his nose up at it. (Unless my Mom makes it for him, then he'll gobble it up. Whatever.)
Well, this time of year anyone with a garden can tell you they end up with more d*mn squash than you can shake a stick at.

That's how we ended up with all this squash. 
It was a gift. 

Sortof.
At Church on Sunday someone had left a large pile of vegetables on a table with a sign that said "Homegrown veggies, please help yourself." The sign might have well have said "We're over run with this yellow squash. It's like Kudzu. We don't even know what happened to the swingset. It's everywhere."
If you had SEEN the pile of squash on that table, you would totally understand the desperation behind that neat handwriting.

It was like this. {via}


I should have taken a picture.
Instead, I took 3 GIANT yellow squash home, knowing I would be the only eating them.

So then I had this squash. 
I just stared at it for a week. 

This morning I took the Hungry Baby to the Pepper Place Farmer's Market and got some MORE veggies. 

right. 

So I made Summer Vegetable Pasta. 

pretty sexy for a camera phone!


It's awesome! (AND because odds are The Hungry Hubby won't try it, due to the squash and it being remotely healthy for you I get it all to myself!) 

For Summer Vegetable Pasta, you will need: 

  • 1 lb. Penne (I used gluten free brown rice pasta)
  • Olive oil
  • Sea Salt
  • 3-4 Yellow Summer Squashes, mercilessly cut up into little bits
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes, cut into halves
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil (you could use about 1 1/2 cups fresh leaves, cut up, but I didn't have any on hand)
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1. Put the little squash bits in a colander, toss them with about a bit of sea salt and put the colander over a big bowl to drain for about 30 minutes or so. (This will allow some of the water to leech out of the squash, so it won't be so...well...squashy.)

2. Put a big pot of well-salted water on a boil.

3. After some water has drained out of the squash, pat it with a paper towel, just to get it a bit drier. 

4. Put the squash in a large pan with a few tablespoons of Olive Oil, over medium-high heat. Toss the squash around. 

5. While the squash is a-squashin', put the pasta in. (Don't let it cook past "al dente", or it will be gross.)

6. Once the squash has been cooked up a bit (it will appear slightly softer), put in the basil, pepper flakes, garlic and balsamic. Coat evenly.

7. Once pasta is ready, drain it (don't rinse it) and return to the big pot.

8. Add the tomatoes to the squash and heat through. 

9. Mix the vegetables into the pasta, making sure the olive oil coats the pasta well. 

10. Serve warm (with some grated parm and white wine if you're trying to look fancy!) 

Feel better about yourself for figuring out what to use the squash for without coating it completely with Velveeta.


Thursday, July 29, 2010

R.T.'s Italian Chicken (a.k.a. one of the easiest things you will ever make)

My cousin, Rebecca Tabb, is an amazing human being who has mastered the art of thinking of her CrockPot as useful for making more than just roast. 

(Gee, I haven't made roast in a while ... [insert Homer Simpson saying "mmmmm...roast"] but I digress)

She came up with this great idea for Italian Chicken and it is Hungry Hubby approved! 

I even made it yesterday.
That's right people. I USED MY CROCKPOT FOR MORE THAN JUST ROAST. 

This is all the cooking skill you need.


For Italian Chicken you will need: 

  • 6-8 Frozen, boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (or if you're like me, those bone-in, skin-on, chicken leg quarters you got in a bag for $2.50 at Aldi. Because you're cheap and couldn't find it in your cold, dead heart to spring for breast meat.)
  • 1 bottle of cheap Italian dressing
That's it. 

Seriously, that's all you need. 

1. Throw the frozen chicken into the CrockPot

2. Squirt the ENTIRE bottle of dressing on top of the chicken. 

3. Set the CrockPot for 8-10 hours on low.

4. WALK AWAY. 

(If you're really ambitious, throw some skinned baking potatoes in the CrockPot too. I did. They were GOOD. But, you don't have to...)

(While it was cooking, we went to Publix, and took the Hungry Baby to see "Inception"! It was like a date!)

Even with the cheapo chicken, it turned out SOOOOOOOO GOOD! 

Thanks to Rebecca we have a new favorite in our house and I have new confidence in my CrockPot skills!

Chocolate Cobbler (a.k.a. OMG LookAtThisGoopButItIsNOMS! Pie)

This is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. 

It's like a chocolate lava thing, but when I first read about how you make it, I didn't think it would work. 

I showed it to The Hungry Hubby and blurted "I am going to make this RIGHT NOW and it will never come out looking this yummy but I need chocolate NOW!" 

It was almost 10 pm when I said this.  
The Hungry Hubby, of course, was on board. 
(as you are aware, if it involves sweets and is junky for you, he'll eat it) 






This is GOOD. 

Next time I will be baking a double or TRIPLE batch of this stuff. AND I will be downing it with LOTS of vanilla bean ice cream.

(The Hungry Hubby didn't want to go to the store in the middle of the night just for ice cream. After all, I'm not pregnant anymore. He's not as compelled to cater to my every caloric whim.)
So here goes: 

For Chocolate Cobbler you will need: 

  • 1 cup All-purpose Flour (I used Pamela's Gluten-Free, as always)
  • 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
  • ¼ teaspoons Salt (Morton's regular salt, for once.)
  • 7 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder, Divided
  • 1-¼ cup Sugar, Divided
  • ½ cups Milk
  • ⅓ cups Melted Butter
  • 1-½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract (I used Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla_
  • ½ cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed
  • 1-½ cup Hot Tap Water (and I mean HOOOOT, but not boiling) 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shoo cat away from oven.

2. First stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, 3 tablespoons of the cocoa, and 3/4 cup of the white sugar. Reserve the remaining cocoa and sugar. Shoo cat off counter.

3. Stir in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Mix until smooth. Shoo cat away from fridge.

4. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8-inch baking dish. I used a square casserole dish I had around and was disappointed that it was too big.

5. In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining white sugar (it should be 1/2 cup), the brown sugar, and remaining 4 tablespoons of cocoa. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter. make sure none of the batter is showing. Put cat out on porch.

6. Pour the hot tap water over all. DO NOT STIR! Yes, I know it sounds NUTS, and this was the step I said "THIS WILL NOT WORK!" but, it did.

5. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is nice and crusty.

6. Let stand for a few minutes with your husband excitedly hovering over it with a spoon. Eat, then go to bed with happy tummys. 

7. Wake up later and realize cat is still on porch. Let cat in. Go back to bed.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Cube Steak with Gravy

I have an amazing Mom.
She has really gone above and beyond the call of "Gramy" duty when it has come to helping the Hungry Hubby and I out with our new Hungry Baby.



She cooked; she cleaned (REALLY cleaned); she made sure I showered; and she forced my weepy, exhausted (after 48 hours of natural labor and a we-have-to-get-the-baby-out-NOW emergency situation with forceps) self to take several long naps.

She even made sure that we had food in our fridge. 

Not just "food" but high-quality basic ingredients (and you, dear reader, know how I am about quality). 

Namely, she stocked our freezer with beef.

and not just any beef.

My parents get this AMAZING beef from The Irvington Cattle Company, which is where my parents routinely invest in a side of beef. These guys really know how to raise a yummy cow. Their motto is even "You are what you eat eats."

Among the various cuts of meat we were so generously given, I found a couple packages marked "cube steak" - something I was aware of, but unfamiliar with. 
Growing up in the deep south, we never had "cube steak" like my Mom did in Massachusetts, we had "country fried steak" (or "chicken fried steak" as my school cafeteria served, where the beef was battered in corn flakes. The memory of those CFS days still sends shivers down my spine!) 

Needless to say, I was intimidated by the thought of cube steak in my fridge. 
However, not being one to back away from a culinary challenge, I did my research and steeled myself for possible disaster. 

When I announced to The Hungry Hubby my intention to make him cube steak with a white gravy he was so excited he couldn't contain himself. (I should have known. Although he is a bit of a picky eater, my dear husband is a sucker for good 'ole southern cooking.)

and even I liked it! 

For Cube Steak with Gravy, you will need: 
1 package of cube steak (roughly 1-1 1/2 pounds cube steak, or 4 pieces)
1 cup flour (I used Pamela's Gluten Free Baking Mix) plus 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour, separated
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Morton's salt
1 cup milk
vegetable oil

1. Pat steak dry with a paper towel (don't "wring it out", just get the extra meat juice off it)

2. Mix 1 cup flour with 1/2 of salt and pepper together in a bowl

3. Coat the bottom of a cast iron skillet with a layer of vegetable oil (not too deep, you want the meat to be able to fry, but you don't want it to submerge in the oil.) Heat the oil to medium high.

3. Coat the cube steak in the flour mixture, making sure both sides are evenly coated. 

4. Once the oil is hot, gently lay the steaks in the oil, allowing the bottom of each steak to brown before you flip it. 

5. Once both sides are equally browned, remove the steaks and let them rest in a heatproof dish; take the oil off the heat. 

6. Add the remaining flour, pepper, and salt to the oil and all those brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Whisk together, then SLOWLY whisk in the milk. 

as the gravy cools, it will thicken. 

7. Return the steaks to the gravy, coating both sides with gravy. 
Serve with extra gravy poured over. 

The Hungry Hubby has requested this become a regular meal :-)

 

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Easy GF Peanut Butter Cookies

These are the easiest "not cut-n-bake" cookies that I know how to make. The Hungry Hubby LOVES to eat these (if I don't eat them all first!)


For one batch of Easy GF Peanut Butter Cookies, you will need:
1 cup creamy Peanut Butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon quality vanilla
1 egg
1. Pre-heat the oven to 315F.

2. Mix all ingredients together.
3. Place 1 inch balls of dough 1-2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet; make cross-hatches on the cookies with tines of a fork. 

4. Bake cookies in preheated oven for 15 minutes; allow to cool before serving.

Red Potato Fries with Herbs de Provence

The Hungry Hubby and I had a few people over for dinner earlier in the week (we should have taken a picture!), which made me more than happy because it meant I had an excuse to make LOTS of different dishes and get honest opinions about them. 
(How do you get honest opinions at a party? If you are unsure if your guests are sincere, ignore their "this is good" comments, take note of how much or how little is left of your dish!)
These fries were GONE and I made a boatload of them! 


What was the secret? I just bought a new jar of Penzeys' Herbs de Provence mix and coated the hot fries with it. 
See those purple flecks? Those are dried Lavender buds! Yum! The lavender really adds a subtle calm flavor to the herbs that is hard to describe.

For Red Potato Fries, you will need: 
Several pounds of small red potatoes (feel free to adjust the amount, depending on how many people you are serving), cut into wedges
 Sea Salt
Penzeys Herbs de Provence
Vegetable Oil

1. Fill a deep, cast iron skillet with vegetable oil, leaving about an inch of space between the oil and the rim; heat to medium high.

2. When the oil is hot, gently add the potato wedges to the hot oil. (The oil should bubble like crazy when the potatoes are added- that's how you know it's hot enough.) Cook the potatoes until they are golden brown on all sides and you are able to stick a fork through them. 
3. Using tongs, transfer cooked wedges to a heatproof dish (you can add more wedges to the hot oil at this point, or turn the heat off the oil.) 

4. Sprinkle the hot wedges with sea salt; toss the salted wedges in Herbs de Provence. 

Serve hot with organic ketchup. 
(Trust me, organic ketchup is different than you're used to!)
 

Rainbow Chard with Goat Cheese

"Pepper Place" is our local Saturday Farmer's Market (which is The Hungry Baby's favorite place to go - she's gone every Saturday since she was born!) 

While there with my Mom and the Hungry Baby (less than a week after she was born!) I discovered my new favorite go-to veggie: 
RAINBOW CHARD

isn't that just the yummiest thing you've ever seen? It is so easy to forget how beautiful food can be, right out of the ground! 

I bought a large bunch of these greens with the neon stems for $2 and rushed to cook them up the minute we got back home. 
Considering I had never even EATEN chard, much less cooked it, I just winged it and cooked these up like spinach. (FYI: cooked Rainbow Chard tends to have a spinach-y taste)


For Sauteed Rainbow Chard with Goat Cheese you will need: 

1 large bunch fresh rainbow chard, washed
1 "glug" Extra Virgin Olive Oil (about 3 turns around the pan)
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
3 or 4 tablespoons Chevre (fresh goat cheese)
Pinch Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper

1. Heat a skillet (cast iron works well) with olive oil to medium high

2. Peel and chop your garlic and saute it in the EVOO. 

3. Roughly chop the leaves of the chard (I also tend to chop a few inches of stems and toss those the mix too - rainbow chard is really good for you) and add them to the hot skillet, stirring frequently. (I use tongs to "toss" the leaves a bit)

4. When the chard barely begins to wilt, add about half of the Chevre to the pan. The cheese will melt to a heavy cream - make sure the Chard is evenly coated with this melted cheese. 

5. When the cheese is melted, IMMEDIATELY remove the pan from heat. (Don't just turn the burner off - TAKE THE PAN OFF THE HEAT BECAUSE THE HOT PAN WILL MAKE THE CHARD KEEP COOKING!)

6. After removing the pan from heat, break up the rest of the Chevre and add it to the chard. When the Chard is "just done", serve.

we'd love to introduce....THE HUNGRY BABY!

Emily-Marie Persons Butler (a.k.a. "The Hungry Baby")  
born May 20, 2010 at 9:26pm

I admit I haven't updated in a while, and I apologize! 
The Hungry Baby decided to show up a few days after my law school finals! 
But The Hungry Hubby is now the Hungry Daddy (and a happy one at that!)


and although she is only eating "boobie milk" she does tend to make her opinions known about various cooking smells...
Don't you just love the raised eyebrow?

Monday, March 8, 2010

Mexican Coca-Cola: muy refresco

The first time I went to Mexico was a "girls trip" to Puerto Vallarta with my Mother and her mother - it was so much fun! 

Although I didn't buy any traditional touristy items, I did bring back with me a great love of Mexican soft drinks - the perfect accessory to my already well known, debilitating, addiction to Mexican food! 
("Addiction" is the best word to describe it - this baby is going to come out of the womb with the ability to order dinner in Spanish!) 

So, imagine my overwhelming joy when I discovered that my local Sam's Club now carries the elusive, glass-bottled version of Coca-Cola that bears the all important "Hecho En Mexico" mark!

If you have never tried Mexican-made Coke, I urge you to run, not walk, to your local mercado to grab a bottle of this stuff. 

What makes Mexican Coke different from regular American Coke? 
Two words: CANE SUGAR 

You see, (as anyone who has read The Omnivore's Dilemma can tell you) American companies use high fructose corn syrup instead of a "real" sugar, because it's cheaper to produce; because cheaper ingredients = cheaper production cost, there is more profit to be had! 

"But Coca-Cola is an American company! Why is the same product different when it is made south-of-the-border?" Want to know why? 
Coca-Cola has many bottling plants around the world. Each bottling plant gets the "secret formula" from Coca-Cola, but is responsible for putting in their own sugar and water in the mix. 

And in Mexican bottling plants, that sugar (thankfully) comes from actual sugar cane. A small change which creates a HUGE difference in the taste of the product. 
(And, if you ask me, the GLASS bottle makes a huge difference in the taste of the soda because it is a non-reactive container) 

 

Aren't they beautiful? (Check out the stickers with the nutritional content on them- those little babies make them legal for sale in the USA)

So, give yourself a treat and have one of these little beauties over ice today! 

(Soon, you will be like The Hungry Hubby and I, buying them by the case, and filling your laundry-room shelves with these tall, black bottles!) 

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Single-Girl Sweet Potatoes

When I think back to when The Hungry Hubby and I were dating and the time that we were engaged (before having a man in the house meant a GINORMOUS increase in the amount of groceries I would buy) I ate A TON of what I called "Single Girl Sweet Potatoes". 
 
They are yummy, good-for-you, and they are one of the cheapest things you can make!
 
 
 
I have been known to eat S.G.S.Ps for any meal - they make a shockingly good breakfast too! 
 
 You will need: 

1 average-sized Sweet Potato per person
1-2 tablespoons of good butter
2-3 tablespoons Brown Sugar
Ground Cinnamon, for dusting

1. Take a fork and poke LOTS of holes in the sweet potatoes. MAKE SURE you poke holes ALL AROUND THE POTATO unless you enjoy "Exploding Single Girl Sweet Potatoes". Trust me on this. 

2. Put the Sweet Potato in the Microwave and press the "potato" button. (Seriously, when I was in college this little microwave function probably saved me from total starvation on more than one occasion.) 

3. When the Sweet Potato is done cooking, cut open, mash the insides with a fork, and add the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. 

EAT. 

The best thing about a S.G.S.P. is that you can eat them as an entire meal, or make them as a side dish. (They go well with Indoor BBQ Chicken Tenders!) 
And believe me, once The Hungry Baby is born I will be eating a lot more of these sweet potatoes to help me get back to my wedding weight! (I feel like a beached whale! 80 days to go!)

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Nuoc Chanh - aka Vietnamese Limeade

This is The Hungry Hubby's absolute FAVORITE thing to drink in the whole world! 
The Hubby actually used to pick this up from our favorite Vietnamese place so often that I just HAD find out how to make it or go broke!
Joyfully, it's easy to make! 
(I'm sure once The Hungry Baby arrives it will be good mixed with some vodka or tequila too!)



you will need: 

6 Good-sized limes (yes, I said SIX)
2/3 cup Golden Caster Sugar 
3 Cups Boiling Water
Pinch of Salt
Ice Cubes
Fresh Mint (1 or 2 sprigs, plus more for serving)
Sugar Cane Swizzle sticks (for garnish when you feel Martha Stewart-ish)

1. Halve the limes, squeezing the juice into a glass jug;

2. Put the squeezed halves into a large, heatproof jug with the sugar, cover with boiling water; allow this mixture to infuse for 15 minutes (If you can not find Caster Sugar,  use regular sugar mixed up in the blender to make it even finer - but Golden Caster sugar makes a difference in getting the taste "just right"!)
3. Stir in the salt into the lime-sugar infusion

4. remove the lime halves and pour into the glass jug once mixture has cooled enough. Add ice cubes to the jug.
(side note - the lime halves taste good frozen with sugar, and they also make your kitchen smell good if you run them in the disposal!)

5. Serve over ice with fresh mint leaves and sugar cane stick. You can leave your limeade, covered, in the fridge for a few days - but it has never lasted that long here!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Easy Pasta Primavera

Ok. I'm sure you and The Hungry Hubby are getting a bit tired of pasta, but I'm pregnant and baby wants PASTA!
This is my "cheater" version. I'll put my "real" version up eventually, as I'm still perfecting it!


3 cups GF pasta
16 oz bag of mixed frozen veggies (or leftover steamed broccoli, or whatever) 
Velvetta 2% (It's what we had on hand, and it melts well) 
1. Boil the pasta
 2. Add frozen veggies for the last 7 minutes
3. Drain pasta and veggie mix, return to pot over "LOW"
4. Add cut-up Velveeta and mix it till it melts (just eyeball the cheese, I've been wanting a TON)

EAT. 

It's good. And it's FAST. 


Saturday, February 20, 2010

Butter makes the world go 'round

Look in your fridge. 
Even if you don't consider yourself to be a cook, chances are you have butter in your fridge on a regular basis. 
(and NOT margarine!! If I ever willingly buy margarine I give you permission to commit me to a nervous hospital. That stuff is gross.)

But what kind of butter?
Most people believe that there is no difference between type of butter and another - and no difference between butter and (gasp!) margarine.
But there is. 
THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE

The Hungry Hubby could open an otherwise barren icebox and think he was in Heaven as long as there is "good butter" waiting there for him. 
At the moment, we have THREE different types of butter on hand.

1. We have your basic Land-O-Lakes Unsalted butter that is reserved only for baking and greasing baking pans. 

 
This is the easiest to find, I can easily run into any grocery and grab this. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

2. Pulgra European Style Salted Butter. 
This is what I consider REAL Butter. It comes in blocks, not sticks. AND IT'S SALTED. If you've never tried REAL salted butter, you don't know what butter is. You are missing out. 
 

Trust me on this. 

3. The newest addition to our little dairy family has been Kerrygold Irish Butter. Kerrygold is sweeter than normal butter, mainly because of the extra sweet cream they add to the mix. 

 

This is different than any other butter we've tried (and we try them all- which probably doesn't help The Hungry Hubby's attempts to keep his "sympathy belly" under control, but you have to have SOME luxuries!)and it's wonderful on breakfast goodies. (I just finished gobbling up some Gluten-Free frozen waffles DOWSED in Kerrygold. Oh. My. Goodness.)

Quality ingredients make quality dishes. Even if you are just making some plain pasta, the addition of "fancy" butter makes it a gourmet meal. 

I also want to add an important "honorable mention" to the mix. 
AMISH ROLL BUTTER

 

This is BY FAR The Hungry Hubby's ABSOLUTE FAVORITE butter in the whole-wide world. 

The only reason we do not have Amish Roll Butter in our pantry right now is that WE CAN'T FIND IT! 
Over the summer The Hungry Hubby and I moved to a new city and have been unable to find this delicious goody. (In our old city we could only find it in ONE TINY STORE.)

The First time I brought this butter home (which was the first time I made a foray into the realms of "fancy butter", I found the The Hungry Hubby happily eating a huge round of "that really good cheese you bought". 
Confused, I checked the fridge. 
The Hungry Hubby had sliced a huge round off the log of butter in the fridge! HE WAS JUST EATING A HUNK OF BUTTER! 

Even now, if we had some in the house I wouldn't be surprised if I found little bits chipped off the log. He loves this stuff that much! And did I mention it's AMAZING in scrambled eggs? because it is. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
So, expand your horizons. Go get yourself some REAL butter!!!

 
 

 

Sunday, February 14, 2010

GF Chocolate Crinkle Cookies for Valentine's Day!

Ok, so I have not been cooking much this week- alot of repeat meals, leftovers, etc. The Hungry Hubby and I have been passing a FANTASTIC cold to each other! 

My amazing Hungry Hubby made sniffly, pajama-clad, coughing me a very romantic dinner last night (Filets! WOW!)
So, to return the cooking favor I made him some Chocolate Crinkle Cookies! Yummy!



(Adapted from CuisineNie)
2 cups sugar (I used half white and have brown sugar, but only because we didn't have enough plain sugar)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup hershey's cocoa powder
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups Pamela's Gluten-free, all-purpose baking mix
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
powdered sugar

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar & oil. add cocoa; blend well. beat in eggs and vanilla. 

2. Combine baking mix, baking powder & salt; add to cocoa mixture blending well. 

3. Cover; chill at least 6 hours. 

4. After dough has chilled, heat oven to 350. 

5. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in powdered sugar. 

6. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. 

7. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched. remove from cookie sheet; cool on wire rack. 

makes 4 dozen.


Monday, February 8, 2010

GF Grilled Colby Jack Cheese Sandwiches

This is one of my favorite comfort foods for when I am having a "gluten" craving. You know, those foods that make you warm, cared for, and human again when you feel sick. (Or when it is gross outside.)

Another bonus of this meal is that, although it is homemade, it is easy-peasy enough to whip up in between your exhausting law school classes or as late-night snack. (It also goes perfectly with some of that leftover Toss-in-the-pot Clam Chowder we made earlier in the week!) 

And remember, high-quality ingredients make even the simplest foods a special treat!
 

You will need: 

Approx. 2-3 Tablespoons of high-quality, salted, European-style butter (per sandwich)
Block-style Colby Jack Cheese
2 Tablespoons Mayo (per sandwich)
GF White sandwich bread, sliced thin (if you are using an off-the-shelf GF loaf, make sure you get a brand that holds up well. I used Ener-G foods Tapicoa Sandwich loaf today.)

1. Brown a pat of butter in a skillet on medium-high heat (not too hot, or you risk burning the butter) and add your bread. 

2. Brown each slice of bread ON BOTH SIDES (this is the trick!), you may need to add more butter to the pan for when you flip your slices.

3. Once BOTH SIDES of each slice of bread are lightly browned, spread mayo on one side of each slice. Add slices of Colby Jack, covering with the other slice. 

4. Brown both sides of the sandwich (you may need to add more butter to the pan - don't be stingy! Butter makes it better!), cooking until the Colby Jack is nice and melted. 

Serve HOT. 

Sunday, February 7, 2010

We went out for lunch...

If you're ever out in the Homewood area of Birmingham, The Hungry Hubby and I highly recommend that you go to one of our favorite eateries/take out spot: Pho Que Huong Vietnamese 

 

As usual, I had #23, "Hu Tieu My Tho"

 

Hu Tieu My Tho is a delicious bowl of soup with rice noodles, shrimp, thin-sliced pork, squid and quail egg.  Sounds strange, but is sooooo good! 

(Spend the extra 75 cents on the "large" bowl, it's GIANT and I always end up making 2 or 3 meals out of the leftovers.) 

The Hungry Hubby had HIS favorite: #32 "Com Chein Bo Luc Lac"

  

The Hungry Hubby loves beef!
(The Hungry Hubby also LOVES his Vietnamese limeade - which I make CONSTANTLY b/c he gets it from Pho Que Huong so often...I'll show you how to make it soon!)  

Pho Que Huong Vietnamese 
430 Green Springs Hwy
Birmingham, AL
35209
(205) 942-5400