These days, we mostly eat at home or at sit-down restaurants. But every once in a while, we go out for fast food like an In-N-Out burger or KFC. Out in Texas, they don’t have In-N-Out but they do have Chick-fil-A. Our friend said they have the best chicken sandwiches. Never having had their sandwiches, we decided to drive thru and grab a quick snack.
Continue reading Chick-fil-A (Austin)
Beef has gone up in price so much these days that sometimes you can find lamb being sold cheaper per pound than beef. That’s good because if you get the craving for red meat but aren’t willing to pay so much for a beef roast, there’s always lamb.
We had this roasted boneless leg of lamb at a potluck dinner one night and asked the cook where she got the recipe. Surprisingly, it came from the “Cooking in Style the Costco Way” recipe book. Annie liked it so much, she decided to make it herself.
Made a rub from orange zest, ground toasted fennel seed, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, minced fresh rosemary, minced garlic, and olive oil. Rubbed it inside and outside the boneless leg of lamb and let it marinate in the fridge overnight.
Roasted the lamb for 15 mins at 450*F, then turn temp down to 325*F and cooked until it hit 135*F internal. Rested for 15 mins and cut against grain in thin slices .
Here it is plated up with some garlic mashed potatoes and swiss chard gratin.
Paired with an excellent, well balanced 2001 Spanish Rioja, this was a dinner to remember.
Aloha, Nate
A long time ago, I used to think that salads were just about leaf lettuce plus toppings. (Okay, macaroni salad and fruit salad also count). Then one night my uncle made this Waldorf salad using apples, celery, raisins, sunflower seeds, and (of all things unholy) mayonnaise. What kind of a wierd combo was this?
But I tasted it, and liked it. I don’t normally see Waldorf salads served very often but when I do, I make sure to take a helping.
Here, Annie made this version using Granny Smith and Fuji apples, celery, grapes, craisins, black and golden raisins, and chopped toasted pecans. The dressing was made from mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, and sugar. Inspired by another recipe off of Epicurious.
Aloha, Nate
Craisins – cranberry raisins – are my new favorite snack food. I love their sweet-tart balance and the fact that it is healthy food. When I’ve got the munchies late at night I often will just reach into the bag (we buy the 48 oz bag from Costco) and take a handful or two.
Annie likes to use them in her scones but here is a quick salad that we tossed together using spinach, grape tomatoes, some feta cheese, the craisins, and some candied walnuts that Annie made using a recipe off of Epicurious.
Drizzle with a little EVOO-balsamic vinaigrette, and you’re good to go!
Aloha, Nate