Posted in February 2011 …

Feb 14 2011
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We Eat Well

Valentine’s Day Breakfast

I will admit it. I am a sucker for Valentine’s Day. I love any excuse to be all ooey gooey. I understand that some people think it’s a made-up holiday created by the greeting card companies… another day where we are expected to spend money on our loved ones. I don’t care about any of that. I love Valentine’s Day.

Historically, my husband has planned some outstanding Valentine’s Day surprises for me. Today was no exception. When I came downstairs this morning, he had prepared a special breakfast for me- toads in the hole is what I used to call it when I was little. Of course, he made it extra special by making heart-shaped toast… and bacon. We love bacon in this house. Though, who doesn’t? Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Feb 12 2011
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We Eat Well

Oh, Acme… We Really Want to Love You

One of the best things about living in town is our close proximity to neighborhood bars. While Henry’s is our official home-away-from-home and has been for 11 years, with it’s recent menu hike ($10 for a burger, really?), we’ve decided to scope out some new digs. JK’s ranks up there for food and ambiance, though it can be pricey too, and sometimes the noise level in the place is a bit much to tolerate, especially on a Friday evening when the place is jam packed. So, we still haven’t found that new home-away-from-home. Henry’s is a tough act to follow.

But we keep trying, so today, Jon and I ventured out for lunch at the Acme, a bar that truly resides in our neighborhood. We tried it a few months ago after it reopened and were terribly disappointed. Despite its spiffied up decor, the menu was weak and the service was terrible… I mean terrible. We waited close to an hour for our food, the waitress was unapologetic, the food was sub-par at best, and we waited an excruciatingly long time for our check when we were ready to go. It’s like they didn’t even want our money. For the first time in our lives, we contemplated dining and dashing. The entire experience was a disaster, and it wasn’t even busy. We tried to chalk it up to new management bugs, but we haven’t been back since… until today.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a new menu that extended beyond the typical bar fare, and the items seemed fairly priced. Unfortunately, as slow as they were, it took several minutes before anyone acknowledged our existence… and it was all down hill from there. The service was anything but prompt, and we never did get refills on our drinks. I ordered the barbecue beef brisket and Jon ordered the chicken nachos, which were on special. The brisket was pretty good, especially the barbecue sauce, which was spiced up with Louisiana hot sauce, though the menu said it would be served with a toasted kaiser roll. It wasn’t. Instead it came with two pieces of dry toast. Jon’s nachos were anything but impressive. Stale brown chips, covered with chicken, cheese, shredded lettuce and tomatoes. To top it off, they brought him the wrong nachos and they had to be returned.

It didn’t take us long to realize that the Acme would not be our new home-away-from home. While affordable, the saying is true: you get what you pay for. I am not saying we won’t go back. Jon wants to try German Night. I hope it’s good. I am not crossing my fingers.

Sorry, Acme. We want to love you, but you have some work to do.

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Feb 12 2011
4 Comments
We Eat Well

Lemon Pepper Pork with Lemon-Glazed Brussels Sprouts

I had no idea that I liked Brussels Sprouts. In all fairness, I had never tried them, but their reputation precedes them. We aren’t supposed to like Brussels Sprouts. That notion has been ingrained in me since I was a little kid. But Jon, on his never-ending quest to get me to like veggies, added them to the menu and I was pleasantly surprised. These are the Brussels Sprouts for those who think they don’t like Brussels  Sprouts. He paired them perfectly with the Lemon Pepper Pork, resulting in a simply taste tantalizing, citrusy dish.  Definitely an “ah mazing” on the Recker rating scale.

Lemon Pepper Pork

This is one of those “wing it” dishes. Mix up some of your favorites spices- here we used lemon pepper, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Coat the pork chops with the mixture and grill to your liking.

Lemon-Glazed Brussels Sprouts

  • 2 pounds medium brussels sprouts, trimmed
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

    • Combine first 4 ingredients in large pot; cover and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Cook until brussels sprouts are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice; cook uncovered until glaze coats brussels sprouts, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer brussels sprouts to bowl. Sprinkle with lemon peel and serve.

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    Feb 10 2011
    2 Comments
    We Eat Well

    Crap Food…Our Guilty Pleasure

    My husband and I are self-proclaimed food snobs. Jon loves to cook and we both love to eat, but even we need a break from the snobbishness every once in awhile. And there are a few food items that we simply love that many would categorize as “crap.” Pizza Puffs from King Gyro, Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell (once a year max), Fried Pickles from Hooters, and MSG laden Chinese food from China House (3119 East State) top our list of “crap” foods. Tonight was a Chinese Take-out kind of night.

    I usually stick with Chicken Lo Mein, but I was feeling spunky and tried the House Lo Mein, which is bascially Chicken Lo Mein with Beef added. Yeah, I know. I went crazy. Jon always tries something different. He’s more adventurous than me. Tonight he chose the Hawaiian Five Oh made with scallops, roast pork, chicken and jumbo shrimp, pan fried and sauteed with Chinese vegetables and mushrooms in brown sauce. The dinner would not be complete without Steamed Dumplings. The perfect ending to a pretty stressful day for both of us.

    The Menu

    House Lo Mein

    Hawaiian Five Oh

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    Feb 10 2011
    2 Comments
    We Play Well

    A Typical Day at Our House

    Our dogs are big… and hilarious. Enjoy!

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    Feb 10 2011
    3 Comments
    We Play Well

    Harry Baals Receiving National Attention

    Jimmy Kimmel is just one of many to pick up this story and run with it. I especially love the article from MSNBC – “Scratch Harry Baals Off List of Names for Government Center.”

    And the Twittersphere is all frenzied on the subject too… someone even made up some t-shirts (https://shirtyshirtshirt.com/Wear/Harry-Baals). Wow.

    I suppose, as with anything, all of the hub bub surrounding this issue will die quickly.

    My personal opinion is, that while Mayor Baals may deserve the honor, we shouldn’t name our Government Center after him. I am sorry, maybe that means that I have the mentality of a 12 year old, as this site suggests.

    What do you think?

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    Feb 08 2011
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    We Eat Well

    Eggprovisation, or Something

    Oh yeah, I can cook eggs too. Usually scrambled, but I’ve been known to make ‘em runny occasionally… like this morning. Out of oatmeal, shoot. No English Muffins, dang. No bananas on hand, bummer. The only cereal in the cupboard is Frosted Flakes and it’s way too early for a sugar rush. Plus, we don’t have skim milk. Okay, eggs it is.

    I call this eggprovistation.

    • 1 egg
    • Olive oil or sesame oil
    • Feta Cheese crumbles
    • Onion powder
    • Thyme
    • Oregano
    • Salt
    • Pepper
    • 2 pieces of sourdough bread
    • Butter
    • Mayo

    Heat the oil over medium heat. Throw in the egg. Cook until whites are white. Sprinkle with feta, onion powder, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Toast the bread and butter generously on one side. I use Mayo as well. Assemble sandwich, butter side in. If you are lucky, the yolk will still be a bit gooey. That makes for some tasty plate cleaning.

    Yummy! A delicious breakfast in under 5 minutes.

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    Feb 08 2011
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    We Eat Well

    Chicken with Quinoa Salad

    In November, I stumbled upon Chicago Now’s blog Clean Convenient Cuisine and was immediately drawn to something it dubbed a “pre-marathon meal.” Make no mistake, I had no intention at the time to run a marathon, but the flavor combination of this dish drew me in. As is my habit, I emailed it to Jon and he made it for me that evening. In fact, he made enough to last me the entire weekend while I was out of town with friends. I’d never had Quinoa before, but I will certainly have it again, as often as I can. Apparently it is considered a “healthy carb.” And though difficult to find in our city, left to Jon, he can find anything, even if it takes him 7 stores to do so like the pomegranate molasses he needed for the Eggplant recipe I posted a few months ago.

    I absolutely love the citrus/mint combination in this dish.

    Chicken with Quinoa Salad

    • 3 cups cooked quinoa
    • 1/2 cup cucumber, diced with skin on
    • 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
    • 2 tbs. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
    • 2 tsp. fresh mint, chopped
    • 2 tbs. olive oil
    • 1 tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • 2 tbs. red onion, minced
    • 1 1/2 tbs. red wine vinegar
    • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, grilled and thinly sliced

    Parsley Vinaigrette

    • 2 tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • 1 1/2 tbs. water
    • 1 tbs. olive oil
    • 2 1/2 tbs. fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

    Combine quinoa, cucumber, bell pepper, parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, red onion, and vinegar in a large bowl and toss to mix. For the vinaigrette, whisk together lemon juice and water in a small bowl. Add olive oil and fold in parsley. Divide the quinoa onto plates (and store the rest) and arrange chicken on top. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

    **Jon coated the chicken with tempura and spices, baked it and then sliced it up. He also added cilantro, because we love it so much.

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    Feb 07 2011
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    We Eat Well

    Vietnamese Noodle Bowl

    On a rare ocassion, I set up camp in the kitchen and give Jon a break. I can cook only a few things really well, most of which are Asian dishes: Noodle Bowl and Spring Rolls top the list. Recently, because I had a hankering for Saigon and didn’t want to leave the house, I whipped up my own version of Noodle Bowl Number 2. Though not exactly the same as Saigon’s (our favorite restaurant in town), it was pretty tasty and has become a requested dish around our house.

    The ingredients aren’t very precise. I usually just wing it. So, you will need:

    • Vermicelli Rice Noodles
    • Bean sprouts
    • Chicken or pork, pounded thin and cooked in a skillet
    • Onions
    • Carrots, shaved
    • Broccoli, steamed
    • Cilantro
    • Lettuce
    • Fish Sauce
    • Oyster Sauce
    • Sesame oil
    • Siracha

    I do the meat ahead of time in the skillet with  the sesame oil, Fish Sauce and Oyster Sauce, set aside. Steam the broccoli, sautee the onions and cook the pasta. In the meantime, chop the veggies. When the noodles are done, rinse them under cold water. Place lettuce, pasta, chicken and veggies in a bowl in that order. Fish Sauce and Oyster Sauce to taste. Finish off with some Siracha. Voila.

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    Feb 07 2011
    2 Comments
    We Play Well

    Perhaps a Boycott is in Order

    To say that I am appalled by the Timothy Hutton Groupon commercial that trivializes the oppression of people in Tibet is an understatement. And then to discover they are running a whole series of similar commercials poking fun at “Save the Whales” and “Save the Rainforest”   just makes my stomach turn. Based on the flurry of tweets about the commercials during the Superbowl last night, I am not alone in my outrage. I cannot even visualize the series of meetings in which the creatives working on this campaign came up with this concept. Did they think it would be funny. I bet. Real funny. The “donate” buttons featured below each ad on their website do little to offset the damage. In essence, Groupon just spent $3 million to run off customers. If you have unused Groupon’s, I’d suggest using them. This may be the downfall of the company.

    View the rest of the distasteful ads here.

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