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24 October 2013

Adult Gastro Pub Birthday Party with Craft beer + Buffalo Chicken Meatball recipe

recipes

Adult birthday party, gastro pub, sliders, crab cakes, soft pretzels, candied bacon — For her Hubby’s 50th birthday, Elle wanted to showcase the handcrafted beer he makes. We decided on a gastro pub theme party with 3 types of sliders, homemade soft pretzels and candied bacon. She created a personalized newspaper, featuring pictures and articles about her husband, as a table runner.

I love birthday parties, even if they aren’t my own. When my dear friend and interior designer extraordinaire Elle (check out her blog here) asked me to work with her on her husband’s birthday celebration, I was happy to be the chef and a guest. Elle styled the party in black and white using chalkboard paper as a table cover. If you use contact chalkboard paper don’t remove the paper on the back if you don’t want the contact paper to stick to your table.

chalkboard contact paper, chalk board paper — Repositionable chalkboard contact paper makes a great table cover or a menu board on a wall

beer, craft beer — The birthday boy’s handcrafted beer was the centerpiece of the party

For the menu we decided that sliders would be the main event. What goes better with beer than a hearty burger. In addition to traditional beef sliders I made crab cake sliders and little roasted veggie hoagies as well, something for all tastes. We did delicious snacks as well like sinful candied bacon and homemade soft pretzels with sea salt. The candied bacon was a big hit, and of course I used some of my own homemade house cured bacon coated with brown sugar, cayenne pepper and rosemary.

Salt pretzels, soft pretzels — Homemade sea salt soft pretzels, the perfect partner with craft beer

candied bacon, bacon, sweet — Sweet, smoky, spicy, salty candied BACON! So delicious

Buffalo chicken meatballs with hotwing sauce and bleu cheese was also on the menu. This is a tasty dish for a party, especially during football season. The birthday boy’s hand crafted beer was the perfect foil for the spicy sauce. The recipe is below

buffalo chicken meatballs, meatballs, chicken — Buffalo chicken meatballs with crumbled bleu/blue cheese. Bake the sauce onto the meatballs for 5 minutes and the sauce wont be drippy

party forks, bamboo — I used bamboo party forks like these for the buffalo chicken meatballs. They are sturdier than toothpicks and look good too

Buffalo chicken meatballs for a party

Makes about 32- 1.5 ounce meatballs

1 small onion cut into fine dice (about ½ cup)1 garlic clove cut into fine dice2 tablespoons canola oil

3 pounds ground chicken (dark meat if possible)

3 egg whites

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon paprika

1 ½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup hot sauce

¼ cup butter

4 ounces of blue/bleu cheese

Heat oven to 400°Coat 2 rimmed sheet pans with canola oil. Saute onions and garlic in canola oil until translucent. Cool to room temperature.Mix ground chicken, egg whites, bread crumbs, salt, paprika, sautéed onion and garlic. Form into meatballs about 1 ½ inches in diameter

Place on an oiled sheet pan and roast for about 20 minutes or until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 165 °

In a separate saucepan mix hot sauce and butter heat to boiling then remove from heat.

Pour sauce over meatballs and bake 5 minutes. Place on a serving tray with bamboo party forks and top with crumbled blue cheese

28 Comments

17 October 2013

Low Carbohydrate Pasta Substitute, Shirataki noodle recipe and review: Pasta Carbonara Recipe

gluten free, recipes

Low carbohydrate, bacon, spinach, shirataki noodles — Low carb shirataki noodle carbonara with spinach.

I’ve been wanting to try these shirataki noodles for a while as a pasta substitute. The noodles have only 3 grams of carbohydrate and 20 calories in each 4 ounce serving. The brand I used is made from tofu and yam flour. I’ve been eating low carb for about two months now and I was having a bit of a pasta craving. I purchased the package a couple of weeks ago but I was a bit nervous because of something written on the label in the directions that frightened me “Drain and rinse thoroughly. Parboil for 2-3 minutes to reduce the authentic aroma”. REDUCE THE AUTHENTIC AROMA? ummm, that made me nervous. I finally got up the nerve to try it and, yes there is a bit of a faint fishy smell to the noodles, but it’s not bad. After rinsing, parboiling, draining and drying I didn’t smell anything. I tasted one plain and it had no taste at all, which is a good thing I think.

shirataki noodles, low carb, — These are the spaghetti shaped shirataki noodles after rinsing, parboiling and draining

A carbonara style dish is what I had been craving so I crisped up some bacon, sauteed spinach in the rendered bacon fat, tossed in the noodles, stirred in an egg and mixed in some Parmesan cheese. With a little black pepper it was pretty tasty. The noodles have a slightly different texture from wheat pasta but it was not unpleasant. I’d make it again. I found the brand pictured above at my local grocery store but you can also order it and other brands of shirataki noodles from Amazon.com. Next time I make this I’m going to try the Miracle Noodle brand, with less than 1 gram of carbs per 3 ounce serving. ~~I’ll let you know how they are.~~ Here’s a great recipe for Miracle Noodle Shirataki Noodles with sauteed Greens

miracle noodle, shirataki noodles, low carb, weight loss — Miracle noodle, shirataki low carb noodles have less than 1 gram of carbohydrate per 3 ounce serving

Here’s the recipe for Shirataki noodle carbonara, makes 2 servings

7-8 ounces of Shirataki noodles

4 ounces bacon

3 ounces of spinach

1 egg

2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

fresh cracked black pepper

Rinse the shirataki noodles and par-boil them for 2-3 minutes (or follow the preparation directions on the package) Drain the noodles well.

Cut the bacon into 1/2 inch slices and cook over medium heat to render the far out, remove the bacon from the pan and reserve. Saute the spinach in the bacon fat, add the noodles and stir. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the beaten egg and Parmesan cheese. Season with fresh cracked black pepper and top with reserved cooked bacon.

11 Comments

7 October 2013

6 Delicious Thanksgiving Food Gifts-Holiday gift guide

Gift Guide

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to gather with the ones you love, but there are always cherished friends and family that we won’t have the chance to visit. What better way to let them know that you’re thinking of them at holiday time than with a delicious gift of food. While it’s always nice to send a homemade gift, sometimes it’s just not convenient. So here’s my Thanksgiving gift guide for some great treats to send.

salami, cheese, appetizers, — Need a nibble for your guests while the turkey is in the oven? Serve a little salami and cheese and your loved ones will be happy…and quiet

fruit, nuts, cheese, gift basket, Thanksgiving, holiday gift — For a healthy treat before dinner send a basket of fresh fruit, nuts and cheese. Save some fruit for dessert, too.

Thanksgiving, turkey, dinner, holiday — Last Thanksgiving we sent half a smoked turkey to my in laws. They enjoy spending the holiday together and half a small turkey is the perfect size for the two of them, with a bit left over.

smoked turkey, Thanksgiving, Delicious — Smoked turkey tenderloin makes a great addition to the Thanksgiving dinner table.

pumpkin, pumpkin cake, dessert, Thanksgiving, holiday — For a sweet ending to a great Thanksgiving meal what would be better than a pumpkin cake?

apple pie, dessert, Thanksgiving, holiday, dinner — So you say you don’t like pumpkin? Send an apple pie for Thanksgiving dessert.

11 Comments

3 October 2013

18 pound weight loss and shrimp salad with creamy fish sauce recipe

recipes

shrimp, fish sauce, weight loss, low carb, recipe — Shrimp salad with creamy fish sauce

Congratulations to me! So far I’ve lost 18 pounds on my low carb weight loss journey. Here’s a recipe for a typical lunch that I’ve been eating these days. This recipe for shrimp salad with creamy fish sauce is delicious and quick to put together. There are a few carbs in shrimp so keep that in mind when your cooking with them.

shrimp, salad,diet, weight loss, low carbohydrate diet, recipe — Shrimp sauteed in garlic and ginger

recipe, cooking, shrimp salad — Remove the seeds of the cucumber with a spoon

Shrimp, salad, weight loss, low carb, recipe, — Mix chilled shrimp, cucumber, mayo and fish sauce

Here’s the recipe. When you try it let me know how you like it

Shrimp salad with creamy fish sauce

Ingredients carbs calories

12 ounces shrimp

1/3 clove of garlic, sliced

¼ teaspoon fresh ginger grated

8 oz (about one 8 inch) cucumber, peeled and seeded

1 Tablespoon mayonnaise

1 ½ Tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon Sriracha or hot sauce

TOTAL CARBS and CALORIES FOR RECIPE

CARBS AND CALORIES PER 12 OZ SERVING

3

0

4

0

1

0

8

4

150

0

34

100

9

5

298

149

6 Comments

26 September 2013

Espresso Rubbed Lamb Ribs

recipes

Okay COFFEE LOVERS! This recipe for Espresso Rubbed Lamb Ribs is for YOU! Using coffee as a spice adds a delicious depth of flavor to meats and even vegetables. I love using instant espresso along with other warm spices like smoked paprika and cinnamon. Crush the espresso between your fingers or in a mortar and pestle to release the flavor.

I cooked these lamb ribs in an oven bag so the ribs cook in it’s own juices. The directions for the oven bags require you toss some flour in the bag before cooking. Another way to cook this is to wrap the ribs tightly in aluminum foil instead of using the oven bag. If you do this then you don’t have to add the flour making this a gluten free recipe.

The Espresso Rubbed Lamb Ribs become a beautiful deep brown after roasting in the oven bag. The ribs, bathed in it’s own rendered fats and juices, come out of the bag unbelievably moist and tender. The finished dish, lamb ribs with a glaze of barbecue sauce for the family (no sauce for me, thanks) and a crisp salad with fresh and pickled vegetables on the side

Coffee Rubbed Lamb Ribs

Demetra Overton

I baked these ribs in an oven bag so they would be moist and juice. If you don't use oven bags you can wrap the ribs tightly in aluminum foil before cooking

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 5

Servings 8 -10 servings

Ingredients

4 racks of lamb ribs
1 Tablespoon flour if you're using an oven bag
SPICE MIXTURE
2 tablespoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed allspice
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon espresso powder crush between your fingers to make a fine powder
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
½ teaspoon dried garlic or garlic powder

Instructions

Heat your oven to 300°
Rub lamb ribs with the spice mixture. Put flour in oven roasting bag and shake around.
Place ribs in an oven cooking bag on top of a pan with 2 inch high sides (follow the directions on the oven cooking bag package)
Close the bag with the tie that comes in the package and place in the oven
Bake the ribs in the bag for 2 hours or until tender. Slice and serve the ribs as is or add BBQ sauce if you like

8 Comments

22 September 2013

Crustless Quiche recipe makes brunch easy

recipes

crustless quiche, quiche, brunch, delicious, vegetarian, cheese, vegetables, delicious — Crustless quiche, filled with veggies and cheese, is a delicious low carb dish that the entire family loves.

crustless quiche, quiche, brunch, eggs, cheese, vegetarian, food, delicious — Basic custard mixture for deep dish quiche, 2 1/2 cups half and half, 6 eggs

veggies, broccoli, spinach, quiche, crustless quiche, delicious, brunch — 1 1/2 cups of cooked veggies. Squeeze out excess water from vegetables or your filling will be soggy. I used chopped broccoli, spinach and scallions

crustless quiche, quiche, brunch, veggies, vegetables, eggs, delicious, food — Custard filling, cheese and vegetables. I used 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup shredded aged asiago cheese. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of grated hard cheese like Parmesan, Romano or aged asiago over the top to promote browning. This quiche is ready to bake.

quiche, crustless quiche, brunch, food, delicious, veggies, vegetables, eggs — Finished crustless quiche. Serve with bacon and fresh fruit and brunch is done,

Quiche Recipe

pre heat oven to 325 degreesBasic Custard:

2 1/2 cups of half and half

6 eggs

3/4 teaspoon salt

Finely chopped fillings, 2 1/2 cups total:

Cooked; spinach, broccoli, leeks, peppers, caramelized onion, bacon, chicken, ham, crab. Shredded cheeses like cheddar, mozzarella. Soft cheeses like goat cheese

Raw; scallions, soft herbs like chives, thyme or basil

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Butter a pie dish, the one I used is for “deep dish” pie.

Cook vegetables (should be cool before you pour custard in) or use leftover cooked vegetables. Chop them to very small size and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Evenly distribute vegetables, meat and shredded cheese in pie dish.

Beat half and half, salt and eggs until combined. Pour over vegetables. Top with grated hard cheese like Parmesan, Romano or aged asiago.

Place on a sheet pan in case it bubbles over. Place in center of the oven and bake for 50 minutes. Should be a bit wobbly in the center, kind of like a Jello mold.

Let quiche rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

16 Comments

6 September 2013

My Grocery shopping addiction, Kroger and inadequate couponing

recipes

produce, salad, Kroger, grocery store, grocery shopping — The produce isle at Kroger puts me in a salad mood.

Hi, my name is Demetra and I’m a grocery shop-a-holic. My Last visit to a grocery store was yesterday and I must admit that I’m going back today. I go to the grocery store at least 3-4 times per week, I go whenever I get the urge to experiment with a new recipe…which is often. Maybe I shouldn’t count yesterday because I was at Kroger grocery store for a bloggers event, but I did some shopping as well. I couldn’t resist. Kroger reps gave our group of bloggers a tour of the store, lots of info on their programs (like their Simple Truth line of products and the beloved fuel points) and a nice bag o swag. While I do try to patronize local farmers markets, sometimes you need a quick, convenient grocery store to run to so you can get dinner on the table.

Kroger, Boars Head, deli, grocery, grocery shopping, Grocery store — Kroger’s Deli section knows my love of Boar’s Head products well. The Sopressata, GENIUS

The folks at Kroger wanted to get out the word about the new lower prices on over 3,000 items, which I appreciate because I don’t use coupons often and lower prices would help my budget out a lot. Kroger will also do away with doubling coupons (as of September 22) which doesn’t really affect me because any coupons I clip generally end up in the bottom of my purse, not to be found until the day after it expires.

Kroger, grocery shopping, gas, discount, fuel — Kroger fuel points are the business. I’m going to shop anyway, might as well get a discount on gas while I’m at it.

soft drinks, beverage center, Kroger, grocery store — The Kroger I visited yesterday was not the one at which I normally shop. The one I frequent does not have this mega drink dispenser. My kids would lose their minds if they saw this beverage center when we went shopping, it’s BANANAS

Gotta go, we’re out of milk…and I need gas

17 Comments

2 September 2013

Chicken and the Egg-restaurant review

Restaurant Recap

Recently my family and I visited Chicken and the Egg. Tucked back into a nondescript strip mall in Marietta GA, Chicken and the Egg is a large but cozy space that’s designed with soft colors and rich wood tones. Once you enter the restaurant, you walk past the well stocked bar (which, on that day, held large punch dispensers of sangria; a wine room is located behind the bar) and step down to enter the main dining room.

We were there during brunch hours and Chicken and the Egg has an extensive brunch menu. From the “before brunch” portion of the menu we ordered fried okra. The tasty okra had a fairly thick but still crunchy cornmeal coating and was served with a grainy Creole mustard sauce.

The okra got us off to a good start, but we were all looking forward to our main dishes. My son ordered the FGT (fried green tomato) BLT with a side of fries. The sandwich was served on buttery, toasted challa with thick sliced bacon, shredded lettuce and zesty pimento cheese. This huge sandwich with it’s tangy, crisp fried tomatoes was the best dish of the bunch. The fries were great, too. My son said they were some of the best he’s had and who is a better judge of French fries than a 12 year old boy?

My daughter ordered the veggie omelette with two sausage links and a biscuit. The open faced omelette was beautiful with fresh, bright tomatoes, sauteed spinach and mushrooms. I’m not sure, but I believe the sausages were made in house. I’ll have to check on that and let you know. What I do know is that sausages were plump and delicious. The biscuits at Chicken and the Egg are fluffy tasty goodness.

Hubby ordered the Southern cast iron scramble with eggs, rustic, skin on roasted potatoes a biscuit on the bottom, gravy coating the top and bacon…well it was supposed to have bacon. Unfortunately the bacon was M.I.A. and we had to ask the server to bring some. It was quite a manly dish and he enjoyed it. The eggs were cooked well, nice and fluffy, the chunky potatoes were seasoned nicely and the bacon was delicious.

Now to my meal. First let me preface this portion of the review by saying that when I see corned beef hash on a menu I’m going to order it, guaranteed. I get excited about corned beef hash, maybe more excited than I should be. Unfortunately every time I order it I’m disappointed and this was no exception. ( BTW I apologize for picture quality. My phone and I just could not get this right)
The potatoes were slightly underdone giving them an unpleasant texture. There was little corned beef and it was was ground so very fine that there was nothing bite into. I couldn’t taste much corned beef at all. The menu specified onions, peppers and garlic in the dish, but none were visible. It could have used a spin in a skillet as well.

We finished with an order if donuts which were on the “before brunch” menu but the kids just couldn’t get behind the idea of having donuts before the meal. I was shocked by this development, so much so that I find it hard to put into words. The order contained three donuts ( one chocolate one vanilla and one strawberry) and each was large enough to cut into four pieces to share. Sorry I don’t have a picture of the donuts but they were so good I couldn’t get a pic before they were gone. It was a fun and tasty way to end the meal.

Our server was pleasant but a bit clumsy and forgetful (no sorghum butter for the fluffy biscuits, long wait for him to return to the table) which doesn’t bother me much but annoys my husband. He was friendly and knowledgeable, with time he’ll probably get better.

Over all the food was good but the restaurant has the potential to be great. They use fresh, local ingredients and their passion for quality is apparent. I hope to get back to Chicken and the Egg soon for the fried chicken at their family style Sunday supper.

14 Comments

31 August 2013

Mae’s Bakery, a great reason to go off my low carb diet

Uncategorized

Mae's Bakery Birthday cake. Happy first birthday — Mae’s Bakery Birthday cake. Happy first birthday

Dieting sucks lets face it, but if it must be done then it must be done. I’m on a low carb diet now but diets be damned because it’s the 1st anniversary celebration for Mae’s Bakery (2772 Lenox Road, Suite B4, Atlanta, GA).

Beth Castro owner of Mae's Bakery — Beth Castro fulfilled her lifelong dream of owning her own bakery with the opening of Mae’s Bakery last year. Self taught, Beth’s passion for delicious treats shows in the high quality of her work. The bakery is named after Beth’s daughter.

Mae's sugar cookies — Yes sugar cookie, I will do as you say

One of my favorite desserts, creampuffs have a light, crispy shell and a rich creamy vanilla filling

Eclairs, perfectly shiny with chocolate glaze

Cupcakes and Layer cake and cake pops. Macarons by Xanna Kidd of XK Macarons. Xanna is also a barista at Mae's — Cupcakes and Layer cake and cake pops. Macarons by Xanna Kidd of **XK Macarons**. Xanna is also a barista at Mae’s. The beautifully colored French Macarons are a meringue cookie make with almond flour. They are so deliciously delicate; the outer shell cracks between your teeth and the lightly chewy inside melts in your mouth.

Counter Culture Coffee was in the house for a very informative discussion of all things coffee.

Counter Culture Chemex Coffee. The by-the-cup, certified organic, Counter Culture coffees at Mae’s Bakery change seasonally

We had a wonderful tasting of Counter Culture Coffees. The folks at Counter Culture have an encyclopedic knowledge of everything coffee that they pass on the the shop owners that carry their brand.

Most items on Mae’s menu (except croissants) can be made gluten free, just ask. I hear their whoopie pies are to DIE for. I’ll return to Mae’s soon to give a report on that.

5 Comments

10 August 2013

WINNER WINNER Chicken schnitzel dinner

recipes

When I’m making a meat dish that’s breaded I skip the flour, beaten egg and bread crumb process. I streamline it by making a slurry of cornstarch and egg white to hold the bread crumbs. This creates a well coated piece of meat and the coating won’t separate from the meat while cooking.

Chicken Schnitzel with melted mozzarella and salad — Chicken Schnitzel with seared tomato, melted mozzarella and salad

4 boneless chicken breasts pounded to about a 1/4 inch thick

salt, pepper, garlic powder

2 egg whites

1/4 cup of corn starch

2 tablespoons of cold water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 cups bread crumbs

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

Part skim mozzarella cheese ( not the fresh kind, it’s too watery for this purpose)

1 tomato, sliced

chopped parsley

lemon wedges

Heat the oven to 250 degrees.

Use a skillet large enough to hold 2 pounded chicken breasts. You will need a cookie sheet to put the chicken in the oven

Season the pounded chicken with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Beat egg whites, water and corn starch together. Dip the chicken breasts in the corn starch mixture then dredge in bread crumbs. Saute in oil for about 4 minutes each side on medium high heat until the chicken is cooked through.

Drain the chicken on a paper towel then put cooked chicken on a cookie sheet and top with sliced cheese (please don’t put the paper towel in the oven) . Place in warm oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Sear the tomatoes and place on top of the chicken breast, sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges and a salad.

2 Comments

Coffee Rubbed Lamb Ribs

Ingredients

Instructions

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