Jalapeno Poppers

Just like the beef roll, this was another idea I got from Diners Drive Ins and Dives. Tuesday night, I made Jalapeno Poppers wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cream cheese, as well as some pan fried chicken. I didn't cook these in a smoker like I saw on the show, but I baked them first, then threw them in the frying pan for a bit. Unfortunately, I didn't take and good pictures of the peppers, just one crappy picture with my phone. I thought they were really great, had good heat, and tasted pretty damn amazing. Paul, on the other hand, couldn't take the heat and whined like a little girl for about 20 minutes. Later in the week I also made a German Black Forest cake for Paul's mom :)

Foodtography: Some Pics I've Taken

Beef Roll

Tonight for dinner I made Paul and I a beef roll. I took a flank steak, pounded it out really thin, and seasoned it with salt, pepper, and basil. Then I started to layer it. First was thin slices of garlic. After that, a layer of spinach followed by roasted red peppers. Finally, a layer of fresh mozzarella. Then it was time to roll it up, which was not as big of a pain in the ass as I thought it would be. Instead of using string to tie this thing up, I used silicone ties and they worked very well and held better than I initially thought they would. After it was all tied up and ready to go, i threw it in the pan for a little bit, just to crust up the outside of it, then put it in the oven on 375 for about 40 minutes. It came out a little higher than rare, about 180 degrees. So then we cut it up and it was, surprisingly, really good! The meat was nice and tender and the filling was really tasty. We also had creamed corn, biscuits with gravy, and mac and cheese to go with it. In all, it was a pretty good night with great food and even greater company <3

Dinner At Dads

Yesterday was a really beautiful day and Paul and I took a trip to upstate NY to visit my dad. We got there in great time and hit zero traffic. My dad was happy to see us and had a great meal planned. When we first arrived, he had some sausage, cheese, crackers, gherkins, and homemade bread and butter pickles out on the table. Dinner was great. He made a roast beef, seasoned with just salt, pepper, and garlic powder which made a nice crust on the outside. There was also peas, mushrooms sauteed in butter, biscuits, and mashed potato with peppercorn. Everything was delicious. For dessert we had my blueberry pie with some whipped cream my dad made. The pie turned out to be really good, and Paul actually had a second piece (seeing him have another piece made all the hard work seem worthwhile). When Paul and I got back to Jersey, we collapsed onto the bed watched the Oscars together. In all, it was a fantastic day :)

Grease Trucks Video Highlights

The Grease Trucks Challenge!

So today was it. Alex took the Grease Trucks challenge. We were a decent size group: Kim, Jenny, Jen, Ryan, Paul, Vick, Peter, Alex, and myself. We all had a blast. For his challenge, Alex decided to go with the Fat Darrel, the sandwich that started it all. The Darrel consists of fries, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, and marinara sauce. Not a bad combo. I had a Fat Elvis: gyro meat, white sauce, lettuce, fries, and something else that I can't remember. Alex did pretty good! He got through four sandwiches before putting up the white flag. A respectable, if not gross, job. He didn't throw up, which shocked the hell out of me. I definitely have more respect for him after watching him go through this :)

Blueberry Pie

On Sunday, Paul and I are taking a trip to upstate New York to visit my dad. I decided to make a blueberry pie to bring with us. Then I had the brilliant idea to make it a lattice top pie. NEVER AGAIN. I hated it. I hate making pie crust to begin with, and the lattice top just made it worse. So I made the crust, cursed up a storm, put it in a 9" pie plate, then filled it. Then it was time to make the lattice top. I cursed up an even larger storm this time and was very tempted to bludgeon my dog with the rolling pin, because I was 100% certain she was laughing at me. Sensing impending doom, she wisely left the room. The top got put on and into the oven it went. It baked, made the house smell good, then was finished. I'm not too pleased with the end product. It looks sloppy and messy. Paul, in his best fake-excitement voice, said it looked great. I'm not please with it, but whatever. It'll do.

Frog Legs For Dinner!!

My friend Alex wanted to get dinner tonight, and wanted something....meaty. I suggested this Chinese buffet that also has the meat carving station, he said yes, and off we went. What did they have when we got there? Frog legs, one of my favourite. I'm sure at a real restaurant, the quality and preparation would be much better, but these weren't too bad. They were lightly breaded and fried, and seasoned with salt and pepper. There was even a decent amount of meat on the bone. I know frog legs aren't for everyone, but honestly they taste and have a texture very close to chicken wings, but slightly firmer. Alex refused to try them, because he is a wimp. Okay, so MAYBE I shouldn't say he's a wimp since Saturday he will be taking the previously mentioned Grease Trucks Challenge, but still. Have some sense of culinary adventure.

Seafood Paella, Part 1

I've decided to make Paul a nice dinner and I'm gonna be making Seafood Paella. Regionally the ingredients in paella vary, but consists of a base of rice. For mine, I've decided to go with lobster tail, shrimp, mussels, squid, bacon, scallops, and little neck clams. The last time I made this was a few years ago, and I want to make something different for Paul, so I figure this is the way to go. I've never added bacon in the past, but I'm on a bacon kick so why the hell not? I'll probably do this next week at some point, and when I do pictures will be posted of the prep and cooking process, as well as pictures of the completed dish.

A Top 10 In No Particular Order

I feel the need to write in this blog as often as possible, but sometimes I just don't know what to write about. The product of those times are my shorter filler posts, like the bacon and dunkin posts. My good friend Mike said to make a Top 10 list. So this time, I'm going to list my top ten favourite local places to eat. Even though it's a Top 10, this won't be in any order because sometimes it's hard to choose one or the other. I'll also link to each place (if available) and note whether or not Paul and I had a date there. So here goes.

1. Arthurs Tavern - 644 Georges Rd. North Brunswick, NJ
2. Old Bridge Diner - 1146 Englishtown Rd. Old Bridge, NJ (date)
3. Harolds NY Deli - 3050 Woodbridge Ave. Edison, NJ (date)
4. The Grease Trucks - College Ave & Hamilton Ave, Lot 8 New Brunswick, NJ (date)
5. Big Ed's BBQ - 305 Route 34 Old Bridge, NJ
6. U-Yee Sushi - 675 Route 1 South Woodbridge, NJ (date)
7. White House Subs - 2301 Arctic Ave. Atlantic City, NJ
8. Sunny Palace - 1069 Route 18 South East Brunswick, NJ (date)
9. Tumultys Pub - 361 George St. New Brunswick, NJ
10. Triumph Brewing Company - 138 Nassau St. Princeton, NJ (date)

Treasure Garden And The Perfect Night

Yesterday was a great day. Paul dyed his hair black for me because he knows I love it. He was also very cute and sweet with my all day, and I loved every second of it. He accused me of being in love with him again. I'm not. I love him, very much, but I'm not "in love" with him. Part of me wants to think he wants me to be, the other part thinks he's just entertained by the thought. Anyway, for dinner we went to Treasure Garden in Colonia, located at 616 Inman Avenue. It's a cute little Chinese restaurant and bar with a very intimate setting. Paul had the beef and broccoli with white sauce. I didn't get to try his, so I'm not completely sure what the white sauce was. It looked good thought. I had the sesame chicken with broccoli and pineapple. Very good. I also had a glass of plum wine, which smelled like cough syrup but tasted fantastic.


After dinner it was off to another movie, The Crazies (yet another remake). We met up with Paul's friend Peter (insert Peter, Paul, and Mary joke here), which is always a treat. Peter is a very sweet and fun guy and I enjoy when I get to see him. The Crazies was alright. Standard horror film predictability but with decent acting. I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. Alice In Wonderland comes out Friday, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing that. Until next time....