Dinner tonight -- 10 minutes!
I love bold flavors -- mustard, pickles, vinegar, artichokes, olives, sausage... so tonight was my bold flavors night.
1 package natural casing jalapeno chicken sausage
3-4 ounces pickled giardiniera (pickled cauliflower, carrots, celery, olives)
Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper
Spicy brown mustard
Heat a skillet with vegetable oil until "spitting" hot. Place chicken sausages in for 7-9 minutes. Place giardiniera in a food processor or just finely chop and add a tablespoon of the liquid in the jar. Pulse until relish consistency, add salt and pepper to taste. Split sausage down the middle, add mustard and relish. Enjoy!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Nick's Fish House -- Baltimore, MD
On tuesday, I had the privilege to visit Nick's Fish House in Baltimore, MD. My roommate's dad, and part owner, Nick Chagouris, invited some of her friend's down for a night of crab picking and socializing on the water. For my first crabs of the season, these were in-cred-ible. So fresh, and sweet, and very moist and meaty. For a lot of our friends, it was thier first crab 
picking experience, so watching them try to tackle and master the craft made for quite the scene. Although usually a backseat to the crabs, the sides accompanying our crabs were equally as delicious. We were given cole slaw, which was light, crunchy and sweet, with a slight tang -- steak fries, which were piping hot with a slight crunch and seasoned to perfection -- and the best corn on the cob I've had in a while. The local silver queen corn was juicy and sweet, probably the reason for me devouring at least 5 pieces.
The atmosphere was also incredible. Located on the Baltimore waterfront, Nick's has a huge patio dining area with a calm and casual setting. There is an outdoor bar, and a buffett area for special events. Nick's can accommodate a group of any size, comfortably seating our group of 40. The service was great and very friendly, quickly refilling our buckets of beers and bushels of crabs.
Although hidden away, this spot is a gem! Be sure to visit this summer when the best seafood in Maryland is fresh and in season :)
Remember:
"You cannot teach a crab to walk straight :)"
*foodie love
picking experience, so watching them try to tackle and master the craft made for quite the scene. Although usually a backseat to the crabs, the sides accompanying our crabs were equally as delicious. We were given cole slaw, which was light, crunchy and sweet, with a slight tang -- steak fries, which were piping hot with a slight crunch and seasoned to perfection -- and the best corn on the cob I've had in a while. The local silver queen corn was juicy and sweet, probably the reason for me devouring at least 5 pieces.The atmosphere was also incredible. Located on the Baltimore waterfront, Nick's has a huge patio dining area with a calm and casual setting. There is an outdoor bar, and a buffett area for special events. Nick's can accommodate a group of any size, comfortably seating our group of 40. The service was great and very friendly, quickly refilling our buckets of beers and bushels of crabs.
Although hidden away, this spot is a gem! Be sure to visit this summer when the best seafood in Maryland is fresh and in season :)
Remember:
"You cannot teach a crab to walk straight :)"
*foodie love
Monday, May 4, 2009
VOLT Restaurant -- Frederick, MD
Foodie Lovers!
If you have not heard/been to/ read about VOLT restaurant in Frederick, Md yet, visit it/the website ASAP! My new favorite chef, Bryan Voltaggio, creates the most delicious meals I have ever eaten. Among an a la carte menu and 5-8 course tastings, Chef Voltaggio offers a 21 course tasting menu at the chef's table that I was recently able to take part in with my twin brother for our birthday. Let me say this, if I had three wishes, I would wish for true love, health and VOLT's 21 course menu for the rest of my life. Chef Voltaggio uses local, sustainable ingredients within the MD region. Some farms he frequents are Summercreek Farm, Cotoctin Mountain orchard, Glade Link, Scienic View Orchard and the Chef's Garden.
Although I won't spoil all of the surprises within the 21 course dinner, I will describe some of my favorite dishes. Ironically, the chef shared his birthday with my twin and I so our meal started off with Chef Voltaggio sharing one of his favorite bottles of champage with us, so we could all enjoy the day.
Then we were served a margarita spiked with CO2 and lined with vanilla and salt on the rim...delicious, gone in 3o seconds or less haha. Some of my favorites were the sweetbreads, served with kalamata olive puree, golden raisins and pepper; pork belly...enough said; caramel apple dessert; morel stuffed with lamb; etc, etc. I really recommend going in to try either one of their "snacks" from the bar menu (tuna tar tar is a favorite of mine!), or one of their a la carte menus.
Chef Voltaggio really stresses the need for using local, sustainable menu items, including his filtered water system, and I couldn't be happier that this trend has caught on in my hometown of Frederick. He can be found cooking at VOLT at the bar TV that shows the inner workings of the kitchen during service, or on Bravo's hit television show, Top Chef! He and his brother compete in Las Vegas for the 10,000 prize. You can find me at the VOLT bar every wednesday cheering on my favorite chef to victory:)
Remember:
Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.
*foodie love
If you have not heard/been to/ read about VOLT restaurant in Frederick, Md yet, visit it/the website ASAP! My new favorite chef, Bryan Voltaggio, creates the most delicious meals I have ever eaten. Among an a la carte menu and 5-8 course tastings, Chef Voltaggio offers a 21 course tasting menu at the chef's table that I was recently able to take part in with my twin brother for our birthday. Let me say this, if I had three wishes, I would wish for true love, health and VOLT's 21 course menu for the rest of my life. Chef Voltaggio uses local, sustainable ingredients within the MD region. Some farms he frequents are Summercreek Farm, Cotoctin Mountain orchard, Glade Link, Scienic View Orchard and the Chef's Garden.
Although I won't spoil all of the surprises within the 21 course dinner, I will describe some of my favorite dishes. Ironically, the chef shared his birthday with my twin and I so our meal started off with Chef Voltaggio sharing one of his favorite bottles of champage with us, so we could all enjoy the day.
Then we were served a margarita spiked with CO2 and lined with vanilla and salt on the rim...delicious, gone in 3o seconds or less haha. Some of my favorites were the sweetbreads, served with kalamata olive puree, golden raisins and pepper; pork belly...enough said; caramel apple dessert; morel stuffed with lamb; etc, etc. I really recommend going in to try either one of their "snacks" from the bar menu (tuna tar tar is a favorite of mine!), or one of their a la carte menus.
Chef Voltaggio really stresses the need for using local, sustainable menu items, including his filtered water system, and I couldn't be happier that this trend has caught on in my hometown of Frederick. He can be found cooking at VOLT at the bar TV that shows the inner workings of the kitchen during service, or on Bravo's hit television show, Top Chef! He and his brother compete in Las Vegas for the 10,000 prize. You can find me at the VOLT bar every wednesday cheering on my favorite chef to victory:)
Remember:
Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.
*foodie love
Cilantro-Lime Shrimp and Pasta
Foodie Lovers--
Finally able to pay for groceries after rationing the last of my farm fresh eggs and ramen...(I know, I know, the dreaded RAMEN....i AM a college student) I was able to re-up on fresh produce, dairy and bread from the Riverdale, Md farmers market. While in class I was contemplating what to make for my twin brother and I for dinner tonight. He shares my love for food, but cooks like a....you guessed it, college student. I remembered I had some cilantro left from some bruschetta I made and I had fresh shrimp and limes from our favorite house brew...Corona. So, I decided to make a marinade of cilantro, lime, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper and hot sauce. The whole process took me about 20 minutes...easy, delicious and LOCAL!
Cilantro-Lime Marinade
Handful of cilantro (about 3 teaspoons)
2 Garlic Cloves
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 1/2 oz of Olive Oil
10 Thawed cooked shrimp
Few dashes of your favorite hot sauce, or red pepper flakes
Combine first four ingredients into small chopper or food processor (I have a tiny one I got for about $5 at good will!) until smooth. Cover the shrimp with the marinade (to enhance the flavor leave marinated for at least 30 minutes). Saute the marinated shrimp until shrimp curl slightly and turn light pink. Add hot sauce to taste and spoon over pasta, rice, or lettuce for a crisp summer salad. I added some fresh tomatoes and onions for a little color. Enjoy!
I try to make meals out of what I have that day, I literally looked in my fridge, saw the cilantro and limes and said, "Hey, I love those flavors I'll make a sauce out of it." Just experiment with what you have and I'm sure it will turn out deliciously :)
That's all for now,
Remember:
the secret ingredient to the best tasting food is *love*
*foodie love
Finally able to pay for groceries after rationing the last of my farm fresh eggs and ramen...(I know, I know, the dreaded RAMEN....i AM a college student) I was able to re-up on fresh produce, dairy and bread from the Riverdale, Md farmers market. While in class I was contemplating what to make for my twin brother and I for dinner tonight. He shares my love for food, but cooks like a....you guessed it, college student. I remembered I had some cilantro left from some bruschetta I made and I had fresh shrimp and limes from our favorite house brew...Corona. So, I decided to make a marinade of cilantro, lime, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper and hot sauce. The whole process took me about 20 minutes...easy, delicious and LOCAL!
Cilantro-Lime Marinade
Handful of cilantro (about 3 teaspoons)
2 Garlic Cloves
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 1/2 oz of Olive Oil
10 Thawed cooked shrimp
Few dashes of your favorite hot sauce, or red pepper flakes
Combine first four ingredients into small chopper or food processor (I have a tiny one I got for about $5 at good will!) until smooth. Cover the shrimp with the marinade (to enhance the flavor leave marinated for at least 30 minutes). Saute the marinated shrimp until shrimp curl slightly and turn light pink. Add hot sauce to taste and spoon over pasta, rice, or lettuce for a crisp summer salad. I added some fresh tomatoes and onions for a little color. Enjoy!
I try to make meals out of what I have that day, I literally looked in my fridge, saw the cilantro and limes and said, "Hey, I love those flavors I'll make a sauce out of it." Just experiment with what you have and I'm sure it will turn out deliciously :)
That's all for now,
Remember:
the secret ingredient to the best tasting food is *love*
*foodie love
Welcome Foodies!!
Hey fellow foodies...
As a college student, foodie love can be tough on a budget. Most of my friends, and students in general, eat a majority of their meals out. For example, while observing my roommates today, I have seen meals from starbucks, chipotle, noodles & co., mama lucia's, etc....I on the other hand LOVE to cook and try to make fresh, local meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So among my daily recipes, you will find reviews of local restaurants, farmers markets, and anything dealing with local food. I hope you find some creative, "college student" meals, among helpful information about local food around the MD/DC/VA area.
Remember:
Buy Fresh, Buy Local
*foodie love
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