ANIMALS!!!
So, Denver peeps (or anyone, I guess), listen up and do something good today!!
Animal lover website zootoo.com is having a national contest to give a pet shelter a $1,000,000 makeover! (As featured on Ellen!) Denver's very own Maxfund shelter is ranked #3, but it has to become #1 in the next 34 days to win the big prize. A shelter's rating in the contest is based on how many people sign up for membership to the site, which is dedicated exclusively to animal & pet lovers. When you start your membership (link), the site will ask you for a shelter name and ZIP code. Under tab #3: Zootoo House, if you select ZIP code "80204" and then "Maxfund No-Kill Animal Adoption Center" as the shelter, then 100 points will go towards Maxfund's contest standing. You can raise more points for Maxfund by posting pictures of your pets, participating in discussions, etc. I know there are a few animal freaks reading this that would love to do that.
p.s. When you invite your friends through the zootoo.com website, every friend who signs up puts 100 pts. towards the shelter's standing, and you get a bonus 100 pts. for referring them.
This is an easy way to give Maxfund a much-needed makeover- it's free and doesn't take much time. We can do it if we can get everybody involved!
Denver Restaurant Week is a seven-day celebration of the culinary scene in Denver. For the week of Feb. 23-29, 2008, participating restaurants will offer a multi-course dinner for the fixed price of $52.80 for two, or $26.40 for one (not including tax or gratuity).
Denver Restaurant Week starts this Saturday!! I got a late start and only was able to get ONE reservation I wanted, but hey, it'll still be great.
Denver Restaurant Week is a seven-day celebration of the culinary scene in Denver. For the week of Feb. 23-29, 2008, participating restaurants will offer a multi-course dinner for the fixed price of $52.80 for two, or $26.40 for one (not including tax or gratuity).
Today has been really mellow and stay inside and cuddle the dogs day.
What do you do when the weather is inclement, not sunny (which is rare) and you don't want to deal with the outside world? Or is there a favorite coffee shop or bookstore you like to go hang in that makes you feel all warm inside?
If this looks familiar, you probably just read it on my blog. Yes, I'm that lazy.
I've had this tab open in my browser for three days. Sorry, I've been in a food coma. But I've read the Sunday paper and had my coffee and there is no foreseeable food orgy in my future, so I feel it safe to post now.
It all started when we were on our way home from work Wednesday night and I decided I wanted to eat out (it's been a couple weeks). We sort of aimlessly drove around the one-way streets of downtown will we saw a place that appealed. That place was The Oceanaire Seafood Room. This won't be a full fledged review, but I can say that once I found out from my foodie boss that it is part of a chain, it explained alot. The smoked trout for appetizer was really good (and they put pickled herring on your table with the bread), but the main entrees of grilled monkfish and seared sesame black-eye tuna were just eh. They were good (mind you, we say good when it is really adaquate), but not outstanding. Joel was going to order the Cioppino, but wanted to see what the chef did with his own recipes. Turns out it was nothing outstanding. Of course, as with all places that serve creme brulee, he had to try it to compare to his. We were both excited to see actual vanilla bean seeds in the custard, but the first bite from the edge proved disappointing with a curdled texture. Turns out, the closer we got to the center of the dish, however, it go more perfect until the last bite was just like his. I think the dish was too large and to get the center to set perfectly, the outside got overcooked. They were using a clever, shell-shaped shallow dish rather than a true custard cup.
Rereading the above paragraph, we sound incredibly pretentious. Um, sorry? We just know what we like and eating out is probably the one place neither one of us is willing to cut any slack.
Now, we move on to Valentine's day. Yes, I got chocolates (Bailey's truffles, even!), but that's not really the good part. While walking around Writer's Square at lunch, I found this awesome little cheese shop/gourmet shop and thought a "picnic" in the dining room would be a really cool VDay dinner since we weren't going out.
I came away with this triple cream brie, a two-year old Gouda, some really creamy Stilton which is the best Joel says he's ever had (I'll take his word since bleu cheese makes me ill), and a very very creamy goat cheese that I THINK was Blue Moon. I suck because I forgot to save the labels so I could point you guys in the right direction, but I have a feeling I'll be going back there soon and I'll be sure to get the names.
So, those, a couple of boxes of wheat ground crackers and some olive tapanade and we were set. Oh, and on the way out, I had to grab some 75% chocolate!! We opened a bottle of Martin Codax Albarino ($13) that stood up just fine to all the various tastes.
Friday, which is Joel's birthday, we stayed in and had whatever was in the refrigerator. Last night was his birthday dinner at The Brown Palace. I was a bit leery and thought about canceling our reservation when a review came out in Wednesday's food section that was less than complimentary of the service and some of the dishes at The Palace Arms. We'd gone there last year for his birthday and were awed and I really didn't want them to disappoint me this year. Joel, however, logically said that they probably got their collective asses chewed and the service/food should be impeccable, at least for a few weeks. So, we kept our res and showed up a bit early, and were taken straight to our table.
I'll hit the highlights, but the gist of it was, the servers made several mistakes during the course of the evening (including bringing us a half bottle of wine rather than the whole one we'd ordered, and they would have prepared tableside Casear Salads if we hadn't stopped them, since we hadn't ordered any). The appetizer of veal short ribs was the best part of the dinner. I asked if they had the same chef they'd had last year and was told that yes, he's been there a couple of years. I mentioned that I asked because the food seemed quite different and was proudly told that yes, he is very progressive and likes to change things up. Okay, fine. *shrug*
There's way too many restaurants in Denver to try to keep going back for second-rate service (please note that the service, by MOST standards was still excellent, but for a $300 dinner, we expect better than normal with friendly staff, ya know?) and unimaginative food.
Frankly, I can't wait till some friends come to visit in March and we go to Potager again, where I went for my birthday last year. I'm excited to see what the late winter menu looks like.
And yes, it's back to Jenny Craig for me this week. *le sigh*
You ask them how they make Jambalaya and you'll get ten recipes. This is just one, i.e., mine. Warning, I make mine a bit spicier than normal, with lots of garlic. It's adapted from a recipe by Brooke Dojny.
Andouille, Shrimp and Duck Jambalaya
Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet set over medium heat.
Title: Andouille, Crawfish, and Duck Jambalaya
12-15 servings (yeah, we cook large at my house.)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Vegetable oil
1 1/2 lb Andouille or other spicy smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
3 Boned and skinned duck breasts, (about 10 ounce each),
or 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3 tsp Blackening Spice (I used our custom blended spice mix)**
3 lrg Celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 lrg Onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 lrg Green peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch dice
1 lrg Red or orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch dice 10 x Cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 x Fresh thyme branches
3 cup Long-grain rice
1/2 cup Wild rice 3 cup Chicken broth
1 cup Bottled clam juice
1 lb Shelled medium shrimp
3 cup Seeded, drained, and chopped canned plum tomatoes (from 2 28-ounce cans)
1 bn Scallions, including green tops, thinly sliced
2 tsp Filet Gumbo (optional)
Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce to taste
Add sausage and saute' until nicely browned, about 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer meat to a bowl, leaving drippings in the pan.
Sprinkle duck and/or chicken with seasoning mix (or straight cayenne). Saute' in sausage drippings over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl with the sausage. Add remaining 2 tablespoon oil to drippings in the skillet and saute' the celery, onion, and peppers over medium heat until vegetables are somewhat softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add rice and stir until coated with oil.
Pour rice mixture in a large roasting pan or baking dish. I use one like this. Nonstick is a wonderful thing at cleanup. It doesn't hurt to spray with Pam first if not using nonstick. Cover with foil. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate rice and meats separately. Remove from refrigerator about 1 hour before continuing.) Preheat oven to 350degrees. In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth, clam juice, and 2 cups of water to a simmer.
Pour liquid in with rice, stirring gently. Cover with foil. Bake 35 minutes. Remove from oven and stir rice. If you are going to use filet, add it in now and stir in. The trick is, you don't want it to boil (and all the boiling is over by this point) or will turn bitter.
Add shrimp, pushing it into the rice slightly. Arrange sausage, duck, and chicken over rice and scatter chopped tomatoes over top. (If rice has absorbed most of liquid, add up to 1/2 cup broth or water.) Cover and continue to bake until rice is tender and meats and fish are cooked, about 15 minutes. Stir to distribute ingredients.
Serve jambalaya directly from baking dish or transfer to a deep platter. Sprinkle with scallions before serving. Season with Tabasco.
Notes: If you can't find boned duck breasts, ask your butcher to bone out a breast from a whole duck. The price will be about the same.
** If you don't use a good pre-mixed creole seasoning, you'll need to season with salt, black and white pepper, cayenne, dried thyme, paprika and oregano.
A cool event hosted by Mele Cotte.
As February quickly draws near, so does Valentine’s Day. While commercialism causes the adverse effect for many, Valentine’s Day remains a day for love, etching a small moment for adornment and thoughtfulness into our busy lives. And so, I have decided to host an event that celebrates Valentine’s Day and the many food aphrodisiacs that offer endless possibilities to this affectionate day.
How to participate:
Make an appetizer, dinner dish, or side item that includes at least
one food considered an aphrodisiac. An abbreviated list can be found on
this post. You can also fine tons of links by completing a Google
search.
(No desserts please. If you have a dessert, consider making into a
heart and participate in Zorra’s wonderful event, A Heart for your
Valentine.)
Post about your creation between now and Sunday, February 10, 2008. If
possible, include pictures with your post. The round up will be
completed by February 12, 2008.
No blog? No prob! Just email me your name, recipe name (with the
recipe, if you want), hometown/region and country, along with any other
info you want to tell me.
Add the event logo and link back to this announcement in your post.
- an email to KitchenOfLove2008(at)gmail.com including
- your name
- your blog’s name and your blog’s URL
- the recipe name and the post’s URL
- your hometown/region and country
If you have one, attach a picture that is 200 x 200 pixels
Last day of submission is Sunday, February 10, 2008 at Midnight, Atlanta time
Yeah, I'm on a diet. Who isn't? But sometimes you need a night off and tonight was that time for me. We had steaks. But, that's not the treat portion of the evening. Prepare them using whatever method is your favorite. Unless we're doing au Poivre or something, we usually just season with salt and oregano, sear on both sides and finish in the oven till medium rare (or rare if a tenderloin). Now, here's the good part.
Tonight we made a mushroom cream sauce to go over them. OMGYUM!!!!
Use whatever! I'm serious. Fresh, dried, wild, common. About a half a pound for two steaks. All we had were a couple of packets of mixed dried wild mushrooms, so that's what we used. If dried, rehydrate in hot water for 30 minutes. Next time I want to use fresh morels!
chop up a shallot as fine as you can, saute it in some butter for a minute, then add chopped mushrooms (not too small...they shrink like whoa!) and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Yes, I cook with precise measurements and times, can't you tell?
Once the mushrooms are tender, pour in a generous slosh of brandy and flambe. Since we don't have a gas stove right now *woe*, I used a propane torch to light the alcohol. I then added a medallion of our Cafe Paris butter, which you probably don't have unless I like you a whole whole lot and sent it to you or you bought it. *g* It's not necessary for a good sauce, though. Just add some heavy cream or creme fraiche (you do this whether you're using additional butter or not), and let simmer and bubble until thickened and at a consistency you want.
Oh yeah, salt and pepper to taste. I did not do either as I love the flavor of the shallots, mushrooms and cream unadulterated. :) Enjoy!
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