Author Archives: Erin L.

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About Erin L.

I wear my heart on my apron and my dinner down the front of my shirt. My love manifests thru food | cooking | dining | photography | marketing | writing | cookbook collecting | event planning | social media | traveling.

Family-Style: Labor Day BBQin’

Posted by Erin L. in Family-Style, To Taste ~ Recipe and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I couldn’t make it thru Labor Day weekend without some BBQ action, so I dug deep into the freezer for some ground beef & turkey to make burgers. The budget was tight, so I did my best to work with what I already had, including fresh Plum Tomatoes, a variety of Bell Peppers, & Sweet Corn on the Cob from my Zern’s stop on Saturday night. I seasoned the burgers, tossed them and the corn onto a hot grill, & chopped veggies for a light, simple Pasta Salad. Friends arrived, beers were cracked, & BBQ action we had!

Labor Day BBQ

Labor Day BBQ

Labor Day BBQ:

Grilled Beef & Turkey Burgers – Topped w/ American, Triple Smoked Bacon, Ripe Plum Tomatoes, Romaine, Ketchup, Gulden’s, & Mayo

Balsamic Pasta Salad – 1lb of Mini Shells, Farm Fresh (non-waxed) Cucumbers, Yellow Peppers, Violet Hybrid Peppers, Ripe Plum Tomatoes, & Shredded Asiago – Dressing: 3T Balsamic (or any vinegar), 1T Olive Oil, S&P, Fresh & Dried Herbs, 1 tsp Hot Chili Garlic Sauce, 1 tsp Dijon Mustard

Grilled Sweet Corn on the Cob – Finished with Butter & Salt

Labor Day BBQ Feast

Labor Day BBQ Feast

Tip Time! Freezing Bacon

Posted by Erin L. in Tip Time! and tagged with , , , ,

Every time I visit my hometown, Pottstown, I’m sure to make a stop at Zern’s Farmers Market. They have the cheapest produce, amazing butchers, & everything (literally everything!) you could imagine. I had Lindsay, my best friend from home, and her beautiful daughter, Franchesca, in tow so it was a quick trip. I look forward to next time so I can shoot more photos to share the wonders of a Zern’s experience with you all!

One item I’m sure to pick up on every visit is Triple Smoked Bacon. There’s really nothing that compares to the taste & freshness. I could smell the smokey essence the whole car ride back to Philly! Seeing that I stock up between visits, I usually cook a pound to eat fresh and freeze the rest. I wish I could find where I learned this trick, but when I search “bacon” in my history, far too many websites come up!

Triple Smoked Bacon

Triple Smoked Bacon - photo via Dre

To freeze bacon for easy access, I roll up each slice & place into an airtight storage container.  I prefer this approach as it’s more green versus separating slices with wax paper & using storage baggies. With this “roll & freeze”  method, you can easily pull out as many pieces as you’d like & they’re not stuck together.

Enjoy bacon & enjoy it often! It’s good for your soul.

Triple Smoked Bacon - Rolled for Freezing & Easy Access

Triple Smoked Bacon - Rolled for Freezing & Easy Access

Leftover Lightning! Hot Pockets!

Posted by Erin L. in Leftover Lightning!, To Taste ~ Recipe and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sarah was kind enough to leave behind some Pizza Dough for us to experiment with after our “Build Your Own Pizza Night”, describing it as the “weird batch”. Dre & I decided to give its “weirdness” a whirl with some Sunday night stromboli & calzone.

Sarahs Weird Delicious Dough!

Sarah's "Weird" Delicious Dough!

I fulfilled my new addiction to the sweetness of Roasted Tomatoes by popping a batch in the oven while I began filling the dough. I opted for leftover Roasted Yellow Peppers & Zucchini from our “Build Your Own Pizza Night” with Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage, Mozzarella, Asiago, Tomato Sauce, & Fresh Basil. Per my lactose intolerant boyfriend’s nonsensical request, I filled his with “just cheese” including Mozzarella, Asiago, & Ricotta with a swipe of Tomato Sauce, a layer of Roasted Tomatoes, chopped Fresh Basil, & extra Minced Garlic. They weren’t too pretty going into oven once folded and likewise once they were baked, but they were delicious! The “weird” dough created a flaky crust a la a homemade Hot Pocket, versus a traditional stromboli/calzone crust. Yum!

My Veggie Hot Pocket

My Roasted Veggie "Hot Pocket"

Dres Cheesey Tomato Hot Pocket

Dre's Cheesy Tomato "Hot Pocket"

Family-Style: Build Your Own Pizza

Posted by Erin L. in Family-Style, To Taste ~ Recipe and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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…

Dres Crab White Pizza - Pre-Baked

Dre's Crab White Pizza - Pre-Baked

My Pizza w/ the works

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

To Taste: Chicken under a Bri… Something Heavy

Posted by Erin L. in To Taste ~ Recipe and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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

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

Grilled Butternut Squash with Fresh Herbs, Spices, & Garlic

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 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

Quickie: Reading Terminal Market

Posted by Erin L. in Quickie and tagged with , , , , , , ,

While my mom was in town, we made a trip to Reading Terminal Market to have lunch & cruise the amazing food & such you can find there! Iovine Brothers Produce had some amazing & fresh product to admire, which made me question why I’m not splitting my produce shopping between them & the cheap finds at the Italian Market.

Romaine from Iovine Brother Produce @ Reading Terminal Market

Iovine Brother Produce @ Reading Terminal Market

And no Reading Terminal Market visit is complete for me without a Turkey Sandwich on Homemade Sourdough w/ Mayo from Bassett’s Original Turkey!

Turkey Sammie w/ Mayo on Homemade Sourdough - Bassetts Original Turkey in Reading Terminal Market

Turkey Sammie w/ Mayo on Homemade Sourdough - Bassett's Original Turkey in Reading Terminal Market

Just sayin… chefs never cease to amaze me!

Posted by Erin L. in Just sayin...

Today, I had one of my best culinary experiences ever! At work, we hosted a tasting for the upcoming Liberty Medal at the National Constitution Center, with Steven Spielberg as this year’s recipient. My parent company, Libre Management, enlists some amazing chefs to work on their many culinary adventures. I had the honor of photographing the execution & culinary delights behind the scenes of the tasting… and, of course, got to sample the chefs’ amazing creations!

I can truly say today was an honor. I not only had the opportunity to practice my photography skills, but got to do so alongside such reknowned chefs who didn’t skip a beat to answer my curiousities or offer a taste.

Thank you Chef Louis Chabot, Chef Luke Palladino, Chef Guillermo Pernot, & Chef Jean-Marie Lacroix, for an experience I’ll never forget!