Indian Night

 We decided to make Mark Bittman's chicken curry tonight.  We were pleasantly surprised.

Here are some spices being measured out...

And some basmati rice being toasted with almonds and raisins.

A whole serano went into our coriander chutney...

The blender making short work of the chutney.

Chicken marinating in yogurt and spices...

...And sizzling away in the skillet.

Finally, the curry is served, with, of course, sauteed kale.

Fun new kitchen tools!

This week, we got a fun box with some much-needed new kitchen tools, including...

Great new wooden tools...

and...wait for it...

A really nice mortar and pestle!  Thank you, Betty!

Ham loaf: The gift that keeps on giving

We know we have been keeping you in suspense as to what the meat grinder was for last week, but we are happy to report that our attempt at ham loaf was a huge success!

Ham loaf is like Presbyterian turkey, for the uninitiated.

 Here is the glaze, getting nice and glaze-y.

 We took a few action shots of the glazing process...it was a little touch-and-go there for a minute...

What goes with hamloaf?  Mashed potatoes, that's what!

45 minutes later...

Mmmm...Not too shabby!

Arguably, the best part of ham loaf are the leftovers.

We call these "jambon gratiné avec pommes de terre," which loosely translates into "delicious."

Meat grinder? Heck yeah we have a meat grinder!

Today, we decided to be proactive and do a little "cooking ahead" for the week.

So, we broke out the meat grinder...

Stay tuned to find out what we're making!

Sunday Funday

We got up early today, and went to the store.  The plan: cook up a storm.

The dish we attempted was a Cooks Illustrated Chicken Pot Pie...

Here's Amy, chopping onions and celery...

 ...and here she is, up close.

Browning some chicken thighs 

 Putting together the vegetable and cream.

 At this point, we got thirsty...

 ...so it was Negroni time.

 After a break, we broke out the Staub...

 ...and loaded them up.

 Ready for the oven!

 Piping hot, and ready to eat!

 Top view.  Please excuse the Pillsbury biscuits - we won't tell if you don't...

They were delicious!  Super easy and super tasty.  The best part?  Leftovers!

Food Truck Invasion - Extreme Food Truck Fridays

On Friday, Amy and I went to "Food Truck Invasion - Extreme Food Truck Fridays" at Tamiami park. It was quite fun, and right next the FIU!

Needless to say, we had multiple courses...

 First off, we stopped at "Ms. Cheezious" - a grilled cheese truck...

And we got a Bacon and Blue grilled cheese sandwich.  Delicious.

 Next up was "The Frita Man"

 We got a "Frita Cubana," which according to Funk & Wagnalls Wikipedia is a "Cuban dish with a seasoned ground beef patty(sometimes mixed with chorizo) on Cuban bread topped with shoestring potatoes, lettuce, onions, and a spiced ketchup sauce."  Well, needless to say, it was amazing...

Next up was "The Flying Saucer" (Puns are big with food trucks)...

 ...Where we had Thai Peanut Wings.  Best dish of the night, hands down.

 Finally, we stopped by "Sugar Rush" for mini-cupcakes.

Redvelvet, Pineapple, and Oreo.  Pretty tasty!

We've been cookin' up a storm!

Thank you, Mark Bittman!

 Bittman's Basil Peanut Porkchops - Marinating

 Sesame Swiss Chard

 Bittman's Basil Peanut Porkchops - Finished Product

 Bittman's Spice Rubbed Chicken

 Served with Mango Salsa and Yellow Rice

 Up-close and personal with Spice-Rubbed Chicken...

 Rigatone Bolognese 

Salad anyone?

 More of Bittman's Spice Rubbed Chicken - This time with Yellow Rice & Beans.  It was so good, we made it again.

 Skirt Steaks

 Cilanto

  Skirt Steaks up close

Taco-Wednesdays AKA Taco's Dinner Party