Chicken and Waffles and Black Pepper Syrup OH MY!

I don't know that I have ever mentioned this, but my hubby is from the south. Not just the south, but the deep south. We are talking Alabama south. Where the accents are thick and the iced tea is sweet. Now being a girl from big city Baltimore this was a whole new world to me. I thought us moving to North Carolina was pretty southern but boy was I in for a surprise. Everything is different there but most of all the food.

I have spent a lot of time in our relationship expanding my palette to include more foods of the fried variety and he has spent more time trying to understand why we put Old Bay on everything up here. Some of these have been hits: BBQ pulled pork is freakin' amazing!  And I am in love with Dairy Queen (thought my thighs would beg to differ). Plus Adam really does love Maryland Crabs and Old Bay on popcorn has been pretty popular in our house. Some of them have been misses: I learned pretty quickly that I can't stand the taste of Okra and I do not for the life of me understand the South's love for Mayonnaise (White Sauce Alabama, really?). But either way we have been pretty open to trying each others regional faves. Except I dragged my feet on one: Chicken and Waffles.... boy was I missing out. 

BBQ Pulled Pork Mac N' Cheese

If that title does not have you drooling you may want to check your pulse because you might be dead. Seriously, I am drooling just thinking about it. Cheesy delicious baked mac 'n cheese is a thing of beauty all on its own. So is smoky tangy bbq pulled pork. Put the two together? Well that's just magic. This recipe takes a little while (we usually start the pork Saturday night and make the rest for Sunday dinner) but it is well worth the effort. Marinate the pork overnight then slap it in the crockpot in the morning. By dinner time you will have comfort food to die for.

 

 

Cracked Pepper Cheddar Bacon Biscuits

Yesterday Hubby and I spent the day shopping in Annapolis. We went to the Amish market and perused all of their Easter chocolates and candies. Then we headed to a nearby shopping center and picked up a few books for myself and some video games for Hubs. Finally we ended up at our favorite organic grocery store for some goodies. While we were picking out what to make for the week we ran across these frozen biscuits that sounded amazing. They were peppered bacon biscuits with cheddar and they looked to die for. But at $30 for a box of eight there was no way I was going to get them. A simple peek at the ingredients though, and I was pretty sure I could make them at home. Hence, these babies came about:

Perfect Basic Egg Pasta

I have been crazy about homemade pasta ever since I learned how to make it. A lot of times I feel like you can substitute store bought, but pasta is not one of those things. If you have the time and if you have a pasta maker (which I do....if only I could remember where the heck I put it on one of our many moves) it is seriously worth the effort. Even if you don't have a pasta maker (or you are absentminded like myself) it is still super easy to make your own egg pasta as I will show you. 

This recipe explains how to make basic egg pasta noodles say for spaghetti or fettucini. It can be adapted for any pasta shape you prefer and can easily be doubled or even tripled if you have the time though this does make a pretty large batch.

Recipe: Soy Sauce Eggs

 Today I am bringing you a quick little side recipe for my take on Soy Sauce Eggs (or shoyu tamago if you are feeling authentic). Soy Sauce Eggs are delicious briny boiled eggs that you can add to you ramen (which is my favorite) or snack on all by themselves (which is more hubby's cup of tea). Usually all you would need is soy sauce and some hardboiled eggs but I like to step mine up a notch with salty bacon and fresh onions and chives.

Replica Recipe: Coco Ichibanya Chicken Curry

When Adam was in the military he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan for a year. He talks about it constantly. How amazing the people are, how beautiful the beaches look, how fun the nightlife is, but mainly how delicious all of the food is. I have never been, but it is definitely on our bucket list of places to visit together. 

Now you have to remember that while hubby was stationed in Oki he was a mere 19 year old Marine. He was in a foreign country, working ridiculous hours, and was a teenaged male so he wasn't exactly eating at Michelin star quality joints if you get my drift. So when I say he talks about how delicious the food is I mainly mean he babbles on about how great their curry houses were. One in particular comes up a lot in conversation and that is Coco Iichibanya (heads up that link is in Japanese). 

From what I can gather from him and a few of his Marine Corps buddies many late nights after work or after a few rounds they would head over to the curry house and order up huge plates of cheesy chicken cutlet curry. We are talking plates covered in sauce and ooey gooey melted cheese over crispy fried chicken. What's not to love? Anyway, I have been hearing about this place for the past eight years and have been trying to replicate it to his memory ever since.

We found a few recipes in our searches and (according to hubby since I have never been) this is the closest replica we can find. The sauce doubles or even triples really well you just need to adjust your times for sweating the veggies accordingly.

Chicken Cordon Bleu ala Brights

I'm a big fan of well used recipes. Recipes that you learned years and years ago that you know so well you can throw them together without even thinking about it. Meals that over time have become a staple of your household. 

This is one of those recipes for me. Chicken Cordon Bleu is a classic french dish and it is easy to see why. Chicken, ham, melted cheese? Sold. Plus it is way easier than is seems so it is a great dish to pull out when you want to impress but don't want all of the stress.  We update the classic a bit by doing away with the old swiss and kicking up the ham. 

Cajun Mac and Cheese

We're big Mac and Cheese fans in this house. Soft pasta, ooey gooey cheese, what's not to love? We are always on the lookout for new ways to spice up a favorite recipe. We came across this recipe by Rachel Ray and decided it was worth a try.

Quick and Easy Spicy Sausage Alfredo

Whew! This has been one hectic week and I have been horrible about keeping this updated! Adam and I have been busy running around from one thing to the next so we haven't had a ton of time to ourselves or to try out anything too terribly new or exciting. 

One of the biggest draw backs of being as busy as we have been is that it doesn't allow for a lot of home cooking time. I don't know about you guys but when I am tired and stressed out the last thing I want to do after work is spend a lot of time in the kitchen (or on the dishes after.) So a lot of times we find ourselves eating out or grabbing something on the go.  Neither is what I would call... healthy or doing any favors for our waist lines. We've been trying to get better about making more time for ourselves and taking better care. We've started a new (butt kicking) workout plan and eating approach. I don't want to call it a diet because that's not really what it is but we certainly are making some changes. Absolutely no fast food and we will cook from home whenever possible.

We started by sitting down together and making a menu for the week. We fit in some new things we were looking forward to trying but haven't made the effort (mole anyone?) and a few favorites (Shoyu Chicken!). We planned around our schedules and even plotted for the  inevitable days that we won't feel up to making a big dinner or a big mess to clean up. Which is how we came up with last nights super tasty super easy pasta:

Bee's Blog: Breakfast in Bed

Yesterday Adam and I celebrated our two year wedding anniversary. We had reservations at one of our favorite local spots for drinks and small plates. We ordered a ton of food and Adam actually stepped out of his food comfort zone (i.e. pizza) to try some new things. He ate and loved some arugula though caramelized onions were not quite as much of a hit. All in all dinner was delicious and the night couldn't have been a more perfect way to celebrate two years of wedded bliss (cheesy I know but not any less true).

The real highlight of our anniversary was much earlier in the day, though. Adam woke me up to an absolutely delicious surprise breakfast!

Smoky Bacon Wraps

It's no secret that we will use any opportunity we can to whip up something. We love to cook and we love to share our creations with those around us. Friday nights board game night with friends was the perfect opportunity to try out some new creations.

Adam, like most men, has a love for all things bacon. Who can blame him? Bacon is one of those perfect foods that fits with pretty much any combination of flavors. Sweet and salty and the perfect accompaniment for a game night snack.

Chili Infused Vodka

When I first moved back to the Baltimore area I was introduced to The Rumor Mill in Historic Old Ellicott City, MD. After trying out a few of the small plates and more than a few drinks, I went home raving about how amazing it was to Adam. A few weeks ago he finally had a chance to try them out for himself. Much like my trip, he raved about the food but was most of all blown away by a drink we tried out from the gigantic blackboard of housemade fusion vodkas.

If you ever get a chance to go (and I cannot recommend it highly enough) you really need to try their Thai Chili infused vodka. It is spicy and crisp and packs the perfect punch. Ever since we had it we have been tossing around the idea of making our own but hadn't been able to work up the nerve... until now.