No Love More Sincere » summer

@ Sunshine’s: Crawfish + Summer Corn Chowder

Erin L. — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:54:52 +0000

While my friends + fam were anticipating Hurricane Irene’s wrath in the Northeast, I was in sunny, hurricane-free Florida… oh, the beautiful irony! Sunshine, my dear friend and the amazing creative behind Blog Full of Jelly, moved to Sarasota this past spring and I was stoked to finally make a visit down to see her new home. Kelly, a baker at Whole Foods + Philly friend of Sunshine’s, was visiting at the same time so we had a killer trifecta of creative food lovers. We did our share of eating out, but Sunshine upped her wonderful hostess status by making her version of Martha Stewart’s Summer Corn Chowder. I’m glad I had my camera and the beautiful Florida sunlight to shoot our way to a delicious bowl.

And what could make a delicious corn chowder even better… crawfish!
Cornfed agreed.

I did a bit of corn kernel removal, but mostly harassed Sunshine w. my camera.

Some of the tiniest, cutest potatoes I ever did see!

Kelly (wo)manned the grill like a champ.
I can handle a gas grill, but she was definitely a pro when it came to charcoal.

BBQ Chicken + Kielbasa right off the grill – a perfect accompaniment to the chowder.

Crawfish + Summer Corn Chowder topped w. bacon + a whole lotta love!

Filed under: @ Your Table Tagged: bacon, BBQ, chicken, chowder, corn, crawfish, Florida, potatoes, summer

Family-Style: Build Your Own Pizza

Erin L. — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:46:45 +0000

Last season of Top Chef, we started a tradition of “Family Dinners” at my house to watch each week’s episode along with a home-cooked meal! Tom, Dre, & Lex were the regulars at last season’s dinners, but couldn’t be happier to add Sarah to this year’s season. She brought along her homemade pizza dough for the return of Top Chef AND the return of “Build Your Own Pizza Night,” my favorite dinner theme!

The original plan was to do grilled pizzas, but after a summer of cooking and roasting Grape Tomatoes (via The Bitten Word’s amazing recipe) & Yellow Bell Peppers for pizza toppings, my grill ran out of gas. At least we always have the oven for back-up. I also prepared sauteed Zucchini, Chicken Andouille Sausage, Crab Meat, & Creole Shrimp, along with shredded Mozzarella, Smoked Gouda, Asiago, & Ricotta Cheeses, as topping options. Can’t forget some tomato sauce, as well! We all got to loading our shells with Dre opting for a Crab White Pizza & Tom piling on just about everying!

We were 3 episodes behind with all of our busy schedules, so we got together on a Thursday night to cook & recap via the DVR while the pizzas baked to perfection…

Dre's Crab White Pizza - Pre-Baked

My Pizza w/ the works

Build Your Own Pizza Night

Homemade Pizza Dough a la Sarah

Roasted Tomatoes, Yellow Bell Peppers, & Zucchini

Chicken Andoille Sausage

Crab Meat

Creole Shrimp

Mozzarella, Smoked Gouda, Asiago, & Ricotta

Fresh Basil & Lemon-Thyme

Posted in Family-Style, To Taste ~ Recipe Tagged: asiago, basil, bell peppers, chicken andoille sausage, cooking, crab, dinner, garlic, herbs, lemon-thyme, mozzarella, olive oil, pizza, recipe, ricotta, shallots, smoked gouda, summer, to taste, tomato, tomatoes, Top Chef, zucchini

To Taste: Chicken under a Bri… Something Heavy

Erin L. — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:33:56 +0000

My boyfriend has come to love food porn as much as I do, so when he sent me Pinch My Salt‘s step by step photo blog of Grilled Chicken Under a Brick, I couldn’t wait to get my spatchcock & grill on! Dre & I were both working late on a Friday night, and seeing that I already learned my lesson in grilling in the dark, I decided to at least get my meal prepped that night for a yummy pre-work lunch the next day.

When there’s chicken of any kind on sale, I impulsively pack my already stuffed freezer with as much as I can. I thawed one of the roasting chickens to make some space for my next grocery trip, watched this very helpful video on butterflying a whole chicken, & got to butchering! Call me sadistic (I’ll spare my veggie friends/readers from seeing the pics), but I really enjoyed the whole hands-on process of removing the spine & breast bone of my chicken so it could lay flat for its visit to the grill.

I picked some Fresh Herbs from my garden, chopped, & combined with Olive Oil & Minced Garlic for a simple chicken rub. I coated both sides of the chicken & marinated in the fridge overnight. I also peeled & cubed a butternut squash; to me, its serves as a starch & veggie side to any meal.

Spatchcocked Chicken w/ a Basil, Lemon-Thyme, Parsley, Rosemary, Garlic, & EVOO Marinade

Grilled Butternut Squash w/ Fresh Herbs, Spices, & Garlic

Saturday morning, we got the grilled warmed to about 350 degrees per the Whole Foods recipe that Pinch My Salt referenced. I seasoned the Butternut Squash with Fresh & Dried Herbs, Paprika, Red Pepper Flakes, S&P, Garlic, & Olive Oil and divided them among 4 foil pouches while the chilled chicken came up to temperature. When it came to grill time, I realized that, uh… umm… I didn’t have any bricks! So the only troubleshoot I could come up with was a heavy, foil-covered cast iron pan, which proved to be a perfect substitution. The original recipe called for a 3-4lb chicken, but I was working with a 7lb bird, so it took about 20-25 minutes per side. I tossed the squash pouches onto the grill, too, as they were tender after flipping a few times in about 40 minutes. Towards the end of grilling, the drums of the chicken fell off, but it fortunately gave them some extra time to cook when the breast & wings were perfect.

All future birds cooked in my household will surely be spatchcocked & grilled, as this was the juiciest & tastiest one I’ve ever made. Looking forward to a Turkey Under ALOT of Bricks this Thanksgiving!

Grilled Chicken Under a Cast Iron Pan

Grilled: Chicken Under a “Brick” & Herb Butternut Squash

Butterflied Whole 7lb Chicken – Rubbed & marinated w/ Basil, Lemon-Thyme, Parsley, Rosemary, Minced Garlic, & EVOO, grilled under a Cast Iron Pan

Grilled Butternut Squash – Cubed & tossed w/ Fresh & Dried Herbs, Paprika, Red Pepper Flakes, S&P, Garlic, & Olive Oil, grilled in foil packets

Posted in To Taste ~ Recipe Tagged: basil, butterflied chicken, butternut squash, chicken, cooking, dinner, entree, garlic, grill, grilled, herbs, lemon-thyme, olive oil, parsley, rosemary, side dish, spatchcock, squash, summer, to taste, vegetable

To Taste: Spicy Fish Tacos & Mexi-Risotto

Erin L. — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:54:14 +0000

One of my favorite quick & economical meals is Spicy Fish Tacos. Acme offers frozen Tilapia fillets in single portions at $1.00 apiece, so my freezer is always stocked with the easy to defrost packets. Summer hosts the best vegetables so fresh avocado, grape tomatoes, romaine, & green onion were mandatory additions! I had a bit more time on my hands on this quiet Sunday evening, so I had no qualms spending a bit more time in the kitchen pairing it with a Sweet Pepper & Cheddar Risotto. Thank goodness for Dre, my handsome kitchen assistant, as he took on the tiring task of continually stirring the rice.

Spicy Fish Tacos w/ Mexi-Risotto

Spicy Tilapia, Grape Tomatoes, Romaine, Green Onion, & Flour Tortillas

Spicy Fish Tacos & Mex-Risotto:

Spicy Tilapia Fillets – Marinated in Sazon, Sriracha, Garlic, Shallots, & Lime Juice, Pan-Fried

Flour Tortillas

Mexi-Risotto – Red, Orange & Yellow Sweet Peppers, Cheddar, Garlic, Shallots, Chicken Stock, & Arborio

Posted in To Taste ~ Recipe Tagged: avocado, cheddar, chicken stock, cooking, dinner, fish, garlic, green onion, lime, recipe, risotto, romaine, sazon, shallots, sriracha, summer, sweet peppers, tacos, tilapia, to taste, tortillas

Quickie: Snacktime w/ Chef Derek II

Erin L. — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:47:43 +0000

Chef Derek to the rescue, again! Woke up at 4am to get to work at 6am, so needed a midday pick-me-up to regain any chance of productivity. Today, he delivered this delicious Nectarine & Granola Galette to my desk with a bowl of fresh whipped cream. Wish we had snacktime like this every day!

Netarine & Granola Gallete

P.S. I have 4 meals in the queue waiting to be blogged about so you can continue to drool over their deliciousness! Between lots of wedding planning @ work and a visit from Mama, running low on blog time. Promise updates SOON!!

Posted in Quickie, via Blackberry Tagged: dessert, galette, nectarine, Quickie, snack time, summer, whipped cream

Quickie: Snacktime w/ Chef Derek I

Erin L. — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:20:38 +0000

As many of you know, I not only love cooking, eating, & sharing meals with friends & fam – I work in the food biz, too! This November I’ll celebrate 6 years with Max & Me Catering. I moved up the ranks from the greenest of banquet servers to my current title of Senior Sales Manager. I have the not always glamorous, but very rewarding, job of planning weddings, fundraisers, convention events, & corporate galas from the the menu & timeline to the look & “feel” of the events. But enough of all that… it’s really the food I care about!

Today, Sous Chef Derek made us an awesome summer afternoon snack! Possibly the best “shortcake” I’ve ever had & damn sure the best biscuits! Apparently some sort of process involving freezing & grating butter & sour cream is what makes them so scrumptious! Can’t wait until the next Max & Me snacktime…

Homemade Biscuits a la Derek w/ Strawberries, Peaches, & Fresh Whipped Cream - via Blackberry

Posted in Quickie, via Blackberry Tagged: biscuit, dessert, peach, peaches, snack, strawberries, strawberry, summer, whipped cream

Restaurant Rewind: P.Y.T.

Erin L. — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:30:09 +0000

Friday night, I scooped the man from work & we headed to PYT, TommyUp’s newly-launched burger & shake bar at the Piazza at Schmidt’s. My patronage is the least I can offer to someone who has provided me with some epic party memories over the last 5 years! A storm was astir, so we sat ourselves at the strategically-placed yellow tables protected by the tunnel entrance-ways. We placed our order with the anticipated hipster waitress, adorable in her leopard dress, platinum bangs, & bright smile. 20 minutes later, magic arrived… complete with a stunning boom of thunder!

PYT Cheeseburger - med-well w/ lettuce, tomato, onion, fried egg, bacon, & mayo on a potato roll

An unnamed dinner date didn’t believe in magic until he tried the $10 Chocolate, Vanilla, & Strawberry Shake (custom request) spiked with Maker’s Mark! I kept it simple with a $5 Chocolate Shake, classic from the rich taste to the cherry on top. The burgers arrived smaller than expected, but paired with kettle chips & a pickle spear ,the $6 price tag met the portion & quality. The flavorful patties were hugged by Martin’s Potato Rolls & topped with the standard melted cheddar, shredded romaine, tomato, & white onion. I upgraded my medium-rare with avocado & some amazing bacon while Dre opted for a med-well with fried egg & the same amazing bacon (worthy of the dbl mention) at $2 per topping. We finished each with a slather of mayo & dug in for enough delicious bites to leave you satisfied, but contemplating #2.

‘You want fries & onion rings with that shake?’ Well indeed, we do! Hand-cut fries & homemade onion rings to be exact, served in wax paper bags with a stainless steel ramekin of ketchup. The onion rings were perfect in taste & texture with a crisp, well-seasoned batter & a soft sweet onion finish. Not complaining, but rather extending my inner food snob, I’d love to see these paired with a spicy remoulade. Might as well request homemade pickles while I’m at it. Just sayin’…

Flavorwise, the hand-cut fries seasoned with cracked salt & fresh herbs were on point. I’d buy a jar of that season mix to shake on every future potato I encounter if I could. However, the texture & size (of the fries, not the portion) were a bit disappointing. I thought I may have gotten the bottom of the batch with the many mini fry-bits tucked in my wax paper bag, but I heard a comment from our neighboring diner with the same complaint. The smallest fries were to0 crisp & the few thick ones I would have preferred were too raw. I’m a condiment junkie, so I was a bit disappointed I couldn’t dip them in my ketchup. I do at least promise to give them another chance!

PYT, I shall return with enthusiasm – may it be a random night or a perfect Sundae afternoon!

His: Neopolitan spiked w/ Maker's Mark ~ Hers: Classic Chocolate

PYT Battered Onion Rings w/ ketchup

PYT Hand Cut Fries w/ ketchup

PYT Cheeseburger - med-rare w/ cheddar, lettuce, tomato, avocado, bacon, & mayo on a potato roll

P.S. @tommyup – The SquareBurger I had today was pretty much an uber-salty, glorified MickeyD’s burger! Though, can’t hate on that Cake Shake, oh man….

Posted in Restaurant Rewind Tagged: avocado, bacon, burger, cheeseburger, chips, dinner, french fries, fries, ketchup, kettle chips, milk shake, onion rings, Philadelphia, potato roll, pyt, restaurant, summer

Quickie: Grilled Stuffed Peppers

Erin L. — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:07:41 +0000

Grilled Stuffed Peppers

red bell peppers, ground turkey, turkey bacon, brown rice

tomatoes, garlic, red onion

soy sauce, Worcestershire, Sriracha, olive oil, Italian spices, & Parmesan

Grilled Stuffed Peppers via Blackerry

Check out my Flickr for some better, non-BBerry shots of my Grilled Stuffed Peppers!

“Recipe” after the jump…

Grilled Stuffed Peppers

Red or Yellow Bell Peppers (preferably over green ones IMO), cut in half, cored, & greased w/ olive oil

Saute chopped turkey bacon, minced garlic, chopped red onion, & Italian spices

Remove from pan & brown turkey meat w/ soy sauce, Worcestershire, & S&P

Add in the cooked turkey bacon, garlic, & shallots mixture, a can of diced tomatoes, and some semi-cooked brown rice. Stir & heat for a few minutes.

Fill pepper halves with mixture, top with drops of Sriracha & shaved Parm, & grill until charred!

Feel free to use ground beef, beans, or any other veggies like zucchini or mushrooms!

Posted in Quickie, To Taste ~ Recipe, via Blackberry Tagged: brown rice, dinner, garlic, grill, grilled, ground turkey, Italian spices, olive oil, parmesan, recipe, red bell peppers, red onion, soy sauce, sriracha, stuffed peppers, summer, to taste, tomatoes, turkey bacon, Worcestershire

Restaurant Rewind: Bistrot la Minette

Erin L. — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 20:28:13 +0000

Rewind to May 16th, the proud day I got to see my big sis, Kerry, graduate with her Masters in Education from St. Joe’s University….

Mealtime in my family is a priority. We plan our days, vacations, celebrations, weekends, & social activities around what & where we’ll be eating. So when the conversation started on a lunch spot for after Ker’s graduation, it was time to try something new in the the gastro-city of Philadelphia. I accepted that challenge and went on a quest to find the right spot. Of course, with the onset of Spring weather, outdoor seating was definitely a must. Long story short, my process of elimination led me to what is now my new favorite restaurant in Philly!

BISTROT LA MINETTE

Happy Graduation, Kerry!

Some of my Philly folk may remember the Dalmatian building at 6th & Bainbridge across from Beau Monde. I so loved the giant dog painting that adorned that abandoned row home from top to bottom & was sad when I learned it would be no more. Until my recent visit, I regretfully ignored all existence of the new restaurant at that location.

According to their website & true to the experience, Bistrot la Minette is a classic French bistro. Granted I’ve never been to France (though it’s a life long dream & up to the challenge to see if 6 years of French meant anything), it felt nothing but authentic from appetizer to dessert. Bistrot offers inside seating as well as a front deck with a few tables & a back courtyard area. We chose the back courtyard & were instantly transported to France. The only other guests for our early lunch seating were two French families chatting away which took the ambiance to a whole new level! Our server was cute, knowledgeable, & relaxed enough to engage my dad in his typical waitstaff banter. So, overall the atmosphere was on point…. now on to the food!!

I’m not going to give much written fanfare in regards to the food as its simple elegance shown in the photos below reflect how delicious everything was!

Escargots Bourguignons

Boules Marinières

Terrine de Campagne

Confit de Canard

Steak au Poivre

Quiche aux Poireaux et Chevre

Cassis, Strawberry, & Lemon-Fromage Sorbets

You also can’t beat their lunch prix fixe options! The Dinner Menu is lengthier & a bit pricier, but worth every cent. Our next visit we’ll be trying their French Family Dinner Menu offered for 4-20 guest in their private salon!

Déjeuner du Bistrot la Minette

Disclaimer

My hope isn’t to focus on restaurant critiques, but to share my food experiences with others & to celebrate others culinary ventures. Granted I do have strong opinions about the restaurants I frequent & those I will never return to, so if you want suggestions on where to eat (or not eat), feel free to ask me directly. I love sharing my opinion!

Posted in Family-Style, Restaurant Rewind Tagged: bistro, bistrot, bistrot la minette, celebration, chocolate, confit, duck, duck confit, escargots, French, menu, mussels, Philadelphia, quiche, restaurant, sorbet, steak au poivre, summer, terrine

Family-Style: Summer Feast

Erin L. — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:19:16 +0000

Here in Philly, it’s been raining almost daily for I dunno, 5+ weeks now!! So it was a nice treat to grill a summer dinner on a clear night with my girls. The real anecdote of the evening is strictly girl talk, but we had nothing to hide when it came to our appetites.

Herbed Zucchini Ribbons & Red Curry Chicken Skewers

Our feast included:

Curried Chicken Kebobs ~ marinated overnight in red curry paste & Greek yogurt, skewered, & grilled

Herbed Zucchini Ribbons ~ sliced lengthwise with a mandolin, S&P, fresh herbs (basil, mint, & thyme from my garden), olive oil, & grilled in a pan

Sunshine’s Tangerine Cabbage & Bleu Salad

Sunshine’s Wheat Pellet Puffy Wheels ~ deep-fried in olive oil

Cucumber Mint Yogurt Sauce ~ Greek yogurt mixed with cubed cukes, fresh mint, minced garlic, & salt

Fresh Chopped Tomatoes

Pocketless Pita

Ariel’s Oatmeal Cookies ~ soft & delicious

Sunshine’s Sangria ~ lemon, orange, lime, peach, & plum

The Mighty Cuke & The Mighty Grill

Grillin' Kebobs & Zukes!

Summer Feast

Summer Plate

Sunshine's Puffy Wheelies

Sunshine prepping her Sangria

Posted in Family-Style Tagged: basil, bleu cheese, cabbage, chicken, cucumber, dinner, flatbread, garlic, grill, herbs, kebobs, mint, oatmeal cookies, olive oil, red curry, salad, sangria, summer, thyme, wheat pellets, yogurt, zucchini