Look Ma, I'm Famous!!

 
We interrupt your regularly scheduled "Eating Thru the Alphabet" post to bring you the following important announcement. I've been published!!!

Now that I have your attention, I am going let you in on a great little secret. Some of you may be awesome enough to already know, but here it is, Nadia G. She just got a New Now Next Award for Most Addictive Reality Star. Don't think reality star as in Jersey Shore, think reality star as in this chick is gonna rock your face off. If you haven't seen Bitchin' Kitchen yet, scour your cable provider until you find the Cooking Channel and then find Bitchin' Kitchen. Below you will see her latest cookbook Cookin' for Trouble. I am going to recommend you either click and buy or run to your local bookstore (if you can still find one) and get this book and then find her first one Bitchin' Kitchen Cookbook: Rock Your Kitchen...And Let the Boys Clean Up the Mess. If you love great food and crazy fun women, oh and super hot, don't forget super hot, you will love the show and the books as much as I do. Check Bitchinlifestyle.tv for all things Bitchin'!!

 I had to make sure not to spoil the best part before you got to get exposed to this Bitchin' story, so click the "READ MORE" button for the "meat and potatoes".

It Begins With... A

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first installment of "Eating Thru the Alphabet." Let's get started on this adventure with the letter A. We chose artichoke as our ingredient since we could not recall anything specific we had eaten with artichoke in it. The recipes for these dishes can be found at the end of this post.

The side dish we made was an asparagus, artichoke and mushroom saute with a tarragon vinaigrette. It started off with sauteing shallot, garlic, mushrooms, asparagus and artichoke hearts. After everything was nice and tender it was removed from the heat and the tomatoes were added to just let them warm through. We made the vinaigrette with olive oil, white wine vinegar, fresh tarragon and salt and pepper.

Shallot, garlic and sliced mushrooms.

 

All heated through, just waiting for vinaigrette.

 

The vinaigrette was amazingly fragrant. The fresh tarragon added so much flavor to the vinaigrette. I highly recommend using fresh herbs any chance you get. Until you cook with fresh, you will never know what you are missing. 

Click the "Read More" link for the remainder of the post.

Eating thru the alphabet!!

Hey everyone, so it has been fun posting and discussing the foods we are trying and making, but we thought we should take it to a new level and go interactive for a bit. So without further ado, I give you...Eating thru the Alphabet!

We are going to blaze our own little culinary trail from A to Z but with a little finesse. We are going to use ingredients that aren't staples, so no chicken for C. We also aren't going to take avocado and turn it into guacamole, we will be trying for something a little more creative. There will be at least two dishes created from the current letter, maybe more if we feel frisky.


A good place to start off this quest seemed to be the letter "A" so we opted for using artichoke as the first ingredient. This is the part where you get to help guide this project. In the comments section we want you to pick a letter and an ingredient. Keep in mind it should be something that isn't impossible to find. I am all about doing a little searching, but can't really hop a plane to buy something. We will fill in any gaps in letters as we reach them but feel free to keep suggesting ingredients in all the posts that follow. Start thinking extra had on those pesky letters like Q, X and Z. I know someone out there will come up with some great options. Plus we will give you credit for your ingredient if we choose it. (Who wouldn't love to see their name plastered all over the internet?) Don't be afraid to pick something unusual, we are always up for trying something totally new.

Now we reach the part where I'm going to ask for your help in promoting this for us as well as participating in the project. Please give us "likes" and "shares" on Facebook and some good old fashioned retweets on Twitter. It is greatly appreciated. We look forward to hearing your suggestions and comments as this project begins next week!

Latest Dishes!

Hey everyone, I figured it was time again to show off some of our latest creations and hopefully inspire you to try something new. If you want recipes for anything you see here leave a message in the comments and I will give you the info as best I can. Most of our creations now are things we don't use an actual recipe for which is exciting. There is something rewarding about creating a meal from you imagination. Now obviously they are all grounded in some sort of reality but it is all the little additions and things you like in your food that make the dish your own. So let's get started.

First off is an asparagus and bell pepper stir fry. This was super simple, just asparagus with garlic, red and yellow bell peppers and seasonings. Cooked in a little bit of mirin and sesame oil. Finished off with some grated Parmesan cheese.

Cutting Board 101

Hey everyone, I decided after purchasing a new wooden cutting board that a great topic would be a beginners guide to cutting boards. The most common materials being plastic, rubber or wood. They also make glass and steel. Things to consider when choosing a cutting board include, the types of foods you will be cutting, the cleanup and maintenance of the board and the damage they can do to your knives. As you use your cutting boards, the knives will over time create cuts and grooves in your board which are a haven for bacteria. We don't want bacteria growing on surfaces we use for food preparation. I will discuss my opinions on the main types of boards, upkeep and the pros and cons of each.

Glass and Steel: These materials are very durable and can handle more caustic cleaners than the other materials, however they are also the most damaging to your knives. They can cause rolls, dents and even chips in your knives. Plus when chopping on glass you could break it and contaminate your food.