My Chef's Hat - Grilled Shrimp with Roasted Garlic-Cilantro Sauce

I had taken out shrimp to make for lunch today. Originally I was planning to make one my standby recipes I've made dozens of times. But once again, just like the other day with salmon, when I opened up Pinterest for the recipe I came across a new dish that looked awesome. Grilled shrimp with roasted garlic-cilantro sauce.

Have to be honest, its the picture that drew me in. The one shrimp, dripping with the sauce. Heavenly.

I mean seriously... how good does that look?  I've never made roasted garlic before, because for some reason I thought it took a lot of work. I don't know why, because I was completely wrong. Super simple. The hardest part is knowing how long to roast it. The recipe says 10 minutes at 400 degrees, and didn't say anything about wrapping it in foil.  10 minutes wasn't even close to long enough. And I've seen chefs on the Food Network wrap it in foil, so I did that... and kept it in the oven for 30 minutes.  One thing I will say, listen to the recipe when it says to let the garlic cool a little before using. I was super hungry and didn't wait, and almost burned myself.  I ended up using a spoon to get the garlic out of the paper.

Wow, roasted garlic is awesome. None of that bitter, sharp harsh taste. Its creamy, soft, and has a great flavor. You could really eat it on its own. But that would be kind of weird.

I have this bad habit of always using way too much fresh herbs, especially cilantro and basil. So consequently, I used too much olive oil this time to compensate. The recipe calls for chili sauce. I have both sweet chili sauce and hot chili garlic sauce. I used mostly sweet, with just a tiny bit of hot for a kick.  

To make it a complete meal, I did a veggie stir-fry of carrots, celery, asparagus, beans and zucchini. And some rice.  The recipe calls for the shrimp to be grilled. But since I did the veggies, it makes more sense to do the shrimp in the same pan, for one less pan to clean.

The sauce was absolutely amazing. I tried a little of it on its own before mixing with everything else and was blown away.  The garlic, even though I used almost half the head, wasn't overpowering at all. The sweet chili sauce complemented the sauce really well. I didn't taste heat at all. Next time I may use a little more. I'll definitely cut back on both the cilantro and the oil.

As I was eating, I thought this sauce would be wonderful as a dip for crusty bread. Or to marinate tomatoes and mozzarella. I'm sure it would work well with other things too.  It just has so much flavor.  

You don't even have to ask if I'm making this again.  You can count on it.

Recipe found on The Mediterranean Dish

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Inspire & Be Inspired

My Chef's Hat - Asian Salmon in Foil

My plan for dinner tonight was salmon. I've been eating more red meat than normal this week, and need to start getting back on track, and salmon is the perfect way to do that. I was just going to season with nothing more than McCormick steak seasoning. I make it like that a lot, because its less than simple but still packs a flavor punch. I got onto Pinterest to find a side dish to go with it, and one of the first things on the main feed was Asian salmon in foil. Consequently, my plans quickly changed on the salmon preparation. This recipe combined flavors I enjoy and it looked delicious. I was sold.

Here is the recipe version

And here is my version

This was delicious! The salmon was so tender.  I don't think I've ever made anything in foil before, and I really don't know why. I could be wrong, but I really feel like the foil helps to intensify the flavor because it can't evaporate in the oven. It also keeps it much more moist than regular baking.  I do wish the color was a little deeper, more like the recipe picture. But whenever I bake salmon it always looks like this. And I'm wondering if they used wild salmon, which natural has a much deeper color. Regardless, the flavor was fantastic. As always, I used about 1/3 of the sesame oil the recipe called for. I could still smell and taste it, but instead of being super overpowering it just added a nice background flavor.

Will I make this again? No question.

Recipe found on Damn Delicious

#120 - Inaka Sushi & Bar, Oklahoma City, OK

A few weeks ago I was on Groupon, looking to see if there was anything I couldn't live without. Both Groupon and Living Social can be very addicting, so I try not to go on either one very often. But they were having a sale that day and I couldn't resist buying a couple of restaurant vouchers... which was of course before I realized that I had a bunch of credit on restaurant.com. 

I don't wake up till my eyes open on Christmas morning. But come Boxing Day (Dec. 26), I'm up and at it ridiculously early to hit the stores for all the sales. And since all the good stores are in OKC, yesterday I was awake at 4am. When it came time for lunch, I decided to use the Groupon for Inaka Sushi & Bar.

Its located in OKC, just a few miles from Memorial Road, where I end up almost every time I go shopping in the city. Its in a very non-descript strip mall, and unless you know where to turn you'll probably miss it. Its not a very big place, only about 20 total tables. Almost the entire left wall is a full bar; a good-sized sushi bar is along the back wall. The center has 10 booths, and the right wall has 10 tables. There were only 2 other couples when I arrived. Normally that's not a good sign, but the day after Christmas you can't really judge.

There was only one server, which was fine. She was efficient, but not very friendly; but as the meal progressed she got a little nicer.  I had the same issue at the sushi place in College Park. Maybe in Japan that's absolutely normal.  Who knows.

I couldn't decide between the salad and edamame to start. The picture of the salad in the menu looked good, so I went with the salad. Bad choice... what I got was iceberg lettuce, carrots, and cucumber.  I'm pretty sure the pic in the menu is the seaweed salad. I thought about sending it back, but decided to just eat it. The salad was nice and cold, and the ginger dressing was very flavorful.

As usual I had a really hard time deciding what to get, and the really big menu didn't help. I thought about just going with hibachi, but I really wanted sushi. And besides, I had to spend $20 for the Groupon. So even if I had done hibachi I would have had to get other stuff too. So sushi it was. They have a ton of different rolls, so I asked the server for help. 

I finally decided to be adventurous and try the Euphoria roll (server's suggestion) and Boston roll

Euphoria Roll (Inside - eel, shrimp tempura; Outside - eel, avocado, mango, eel sauce & Masago)

Boston Roll (Shrimp,avocado, cucumber, lettuce, Japanese mayo)

When she set down the plate I almost sent it back. I had specifically said I didn't want raw, and that eel did not look cooked.  I was instantly transported back to my first sushi experience, in Maui, when Brandon and Shane convinced me to try raw eel. NOT A FAN. So much so that I refused to eat sushi again for almost a year. But, I decided to at least try one piece first. I had already gone super adventurous to order it, so why not. 

The Euphoria roll was outstanding! The eel was lightly seared, the mango gave it a hint of sweetness, and the avocado added a creamy texture. I was a little worried that the eel would be overpowering since it was inside and out, But it wasn't at all. With every bite I repeated to myself how good it was.  A piece of the eel fell off one piece of the roll and I ate it by itself, of course dipped in soy sauce. Not a big fan...it needs other stuff to be good.  The Boston roll was okay, but didn't have a whole lot of flavor. I think if the mayo had been spicy it would have helped. I alternated pieces as I ate, and I will say the Boston provided a nice contrast of texture with the lettuce.

Will I go back? No question. There's a lot of things that look really good that I'm excited to try. 

#119 - Cafe 33, Perkins OK

About 2 years ago my mom found a Groupon for $400 of restaurant.com gift certificates for just $40.  She sent it to me, since I go out to eat more than she and my dad do, and for my food blog.  I went to a couple of places, but then honestly completely forgot about it.  So about a week ago I told her if she found another similar deal to let me know.  Lo and behold, she found $200 of certificates for $20.  I got the "gift" email and went online to redeem it. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I still have $355 from the original deal. Plus 2 certificates totaling $15 that I had bought but never used. Great thing about it, you can exchange unused certificates, so now I have $570 in restaurant certificates to use.  Thank goodness they never expire.  But now, I really need to pay more attention to the deals, and make a concerted effort to use these whenever I travel.  

I know it's shocking, but there's not many places in Stillwater that are part of the program. Actually there's only 2. There's a couple more options in Perkins, which honestly did surprise me since it's smaller than Stillwater.  I came across Cafe 33 in Perkins.  I had never heard of it, but the food sounded good.  So Mary and I decided to check it out. Perkins is about a 15 minute drive from campus.  Downtown Perkins is a left turn off of Perkins Road, so we were surprised to turn right.  And neither of us had ever seen any restaurants in that direction, at least not before you hit Guthrie.  

Cafe 33 is in the same building as Perkins' Livestock.  The livestock barn is to the right, and the restaurant is to the left.  You can't hide from the barn smells in the hallway, but the food smells take over as soon as you walk through the door to the restaurant.  The inside reminds me of a combination school cafeteria/diner/western restaurant.  We knew we looked out of place when we drove up, but it was fully confirmed when we opened the door to the restaurant and everyone stopped and looked at us.  It was full of construction guys and ranchers.  You seat yourself, and we took a table along one wall. There's about 25 tables, including one family sided table with a Lazy Susan.  They've got a small station on the other wall for their daily lunch buffet.  There's also a small bar area where you can sit up there and eat.  The decor is very western.

Both of the waitresses were very friendly, and ours was quite excited when we told her this was our first trip, and we came because we found out about it on restaurant.com. Mary asked me if they would even accept the coupon.  They chose to be a part of the program, so I really don't think they have a choice, as long as you abide by the policies stated on the certificate.  Mary and I had both looked at the menu before we left the office.  It's a large menu, with lots of options and very good prices.  They are only open for breakfast and lunch, and you can get breakfast all day.  But I still hadn't fully decided on a meal, so we started with the fritters.

These were really good!  I have to admit, not quite as good as the ones Andy's mom makes, but still delicious.  I really like that they were made with cornmeal.  Lots of flavor.

For lunch, I had the blue cheese & bacon burger, and Mary had the grilled chicken wrap. We also got Texas toothpicks and okra.  Before you think we're nuts for ordering so much food, we didn't have a choice.  The certificate required us to spend $20 to get half off.

My burger was awesome.  The beef was so fresh and had tons of flavor.  The blue cheese was just okay.  My favorite is when it's mostly chunks, and this one was runny.   But I love blue cheese so I still ate it.  I was very surprised because the burger wasn't that big, but with all the food we had that's a good thing.  Mary and I joked that they had probably killed the cow when I ordered it.  

With Parmesan cheese, Caesar dressing and lettuce

I tasted Mary's wrap.  It was good, but the chicken was shredded, so all the textures in the wrap were almost the same.  As Mary said, "it only had one note".  I agreed.  Diced chicken would have been better.  But the flavor was very good, and tasted like they had smoked it. 

I have to admit I was a little disappointed because the fries and Texas toothpicks (fried strips of jalapeno and onion) were just warm, not scalding hot like I like them.  But they were still good.  

I'm usually not a fan of fried okra, but I really liked these.  I think I liked them better because they were thick cut, so still had some bite to them.  And the coating was really good.

As we walked up to the counter to pay, we noticed the gargantuan homemade cinnamon rolls. 

The waitresses talked about how good they were, but we were so full at that point it was all we could do to waddle out to the car.  We smartly decided against it, but figured we could come back for breakfast at some point.

Will I go back?  No question.  The food was delicious, and the service was prompt.  She did forget our drinks, but once we reminded her they came out fast.  It was also great people watching when a real legit cowboy came in, with chaps, a scarf, cowboy hat, and a mustache. And as we were leaving, they were having a cow auction.  I was tempted to go back there and look, but it was cold and rainy.  Next time.

#118 - Smoke on Cherry Street, Tulsa, OK

The last 2 weeks have been tough.  My "OSU husband" Bob, his niece was tragically killed right before Thanksgiving.  The funeral was Wednesday, so even though I had just gotten back from Maryland on Tuesday, there was no way I was missing it.  Bob and his parents have become my second family here in Oklahoma.  Joni and Tony drove up Wednesday morning as well, and we decided to meet for lunch before the service.  I honestly didn't even think about it, but when we got to the church they had food there for guests.  I guess that made sense though, since the service was near lunchtime.  

I'm really not familiar with Tulsa, and even less familiar with the area near the church. So I had to go online and look.  And since I had no idea where we were going I couldn't really search by district.  So I just put in "restaurants near" and the address.  There's almost nothing near the church, but just a few miles away I found a few places that looked good on Cherry Street.  It's an historic district filled with restaurants, shops and a big farmer's market.  The market is the oldest and largest in Tulsa, so you can bet I'll be going there soon, and will definitely do a blog post about it.

I found a couple of restaurant options that looked good, and sent them to Joni for them to help decide.  Tony picked Smoke on Cherry Street.  Done.  I definitely like that all the parking around there is free, which doesn't happen much anymore, especially in a popular area.  And I found a space right in front of the door.  The restaurant isn't very big at all, with maybe 25 tables & booths.  I really like the interior. All the walls are brick, except for the back wall of the bar.  It's a small bar space, but probably lots of fun for happy hour.  In the restaurant the tables are in the center, with the booths along the walls. There's also a cigar room in the back.  They had great blues/Jazz music playing in the background.  

I arrived about 15 minutes before the others, and sat down to make sure we would get a booth.  There weren't many people there when I arrived, but everyone who did walk in seemed to want a booth.  Ours was in the back, and was one of the semi-circle ones. They're nice, but not when you're sitting in the middle and have to go to the bathroom. And not when you have to maneuver and contort yourself to get in or out.  

Our waitress brought out homemade chips with ranch.  Very dangerous for me, since I knew I still had 10 minutes by myself.  I forced myself to nibble slowly

These chips were so good!  They were freshly made and warm and crispy.  And the ranch had a little kick.  I was going to ask what else was in it, but then Joni and Tony showed up, and we started chatting, and I completely forgot.  

I saw the menu described on an online review as "upscale American".  They've got lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, chef's tasting, and even daily $9 lunch specials.  So unless you're absolutely the pickiest eater on the planet, you're likely going to find something you want. 

Pulled smoked pork, corn tortillas, onion, cilantro, queso fresco, avocado salad, chipotle salsa

I don't do well with big menus. Which should have been a good thing here, because the lunch menu really isn't very big.  None of the menus are.  But instead of looking at the menu while I waited, I took notes for this blog post.  And then we were talking.  And then we realized we were on a time crunch to make sure we made it to the church on time. Shawn met us as well, and he was running a little late, so waiting for him to pick his dish gave me about 30 extra seconds. When I asked the waitress her opinion of the fish & chips, Tony basically scolded me for considering fish in a smokehouse.  So I left that alone.  Then I was back and forth between the burger and the pork tacos.  But when she said the burger was at least 10 ounces, I passed.  Smoked pork tacos it was.

The tacos were really good.  When I first saw them I was disappointed there were only 2, and thought it wouldn't be enough.  But they were packed with pork, and I had to force myself to finish both of them.  I usually prefer flour tortillas over corn, but these worked really well with the pork.  The salsa was just okay.  I wish it was chunkier, like salsa at a Mexican restaurant.  The avocado salad was delicious.  I love that they grilled the onions instead of raw.  So much sweeter, and lent a great flavor to the salad.  

I had asked for fries on the side, but she said it would be an extra charge.  And Joni had fries with her pulled pork sandwich. So I just ate some of hers.  The fries were good, but thankfully I didn't eat a bunch of them or I never would have been able to finish my food.

Will I go back?  No question.  I've heard the brunch is outstanding.  And whatever the meal, I want to be able to go when we're not in a rush.  

My Chef's Hat - BLT Chopped Salad with Corn, Feta & Avocado

One day a few months ago I had some stuff in the fridge I needed to use up...avocado, corn, tomatoes. And I had recently bought some lettuce. I usually don't make salads, but I was looking for something on the light side.  Pinterest came to the rescue with BLT chopped salad with corn, feta & avocado.  I really like BLT sandwiches, but don't think I've ever made one.  Usually when I make anything with bacon I keep it to 2 pieces, to be kinda sorta healthier.  Any good BLT is going to require at least 6 pieces.  But with this recipe, bacon is just a highlight, while other ingredients play a much larger role.

This is one of those recipes I've made a few times already, but am just finally getting around to posting about it...because when I made it last night I realized I hadn't done that yet. First I made it exactly as written.  Then I added black beans for some bulk. Then I took out the black beans because it was a little too much bulk.  Once I used iceberg lettuce because that was all I had.  And last night I had already taken out salmon to thaw, so I grilled it and threw it on there.  

Here is the official picture

And here is my version

I'm actually very surprised there's no onion in the recipe.  So I added some chopped red onion from almost the beginning.  The recipe calls for butter lettuce, but that's too expensive, so I just use romaine.  For the salmon I just season it with McCormick steak seasoning and grill.  So simple and so delicious.  

The recipe calls for plain corn.  But that's boring.  So after I cook the bacon, I pour out all the excess oil and then sautee the corn in the pan until it soaks up the flavor.  I might add the onion in there next time, just to add a little depth of flavor to that as well. 

The dressing is very light, just olive oil, salt & pepper, and lime juice.  I added a little honey this time, and as soon as I did I realized this recipe doesn't call for it.  But you know, it added a wonderful flavor.  It just enhanced everything else in the dish.  I really liked it.

Of course I'm going to make this again.  

Recipe found on How Sweet It Is

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Motivation Mondays

My Chef's Hat - Roasted Sweet Potato Risotto

I'm giving platelets tomorrow, so I've been on a red meat binge for the past 10 days. My iron is really low because I have the sickle cell trait. Thankfully I'll never have the disease because only my dad is the carrier. Apparently it runs pretty strong on his side of the family. My parents knew from the time I was a baby, but since I've always been a big chicken when it comes to needles, I never voluntarily gave blood until about 6 months ago...and that's when I found out. They can't separate the bad cells from the good when you give whole blood, so I have to sit through the much longer process of giving platelets. But its the right thing to do. I could do it weekly, and they call me all the time asking, but I still hate needles and I don't want to live on supplements so I go every 3 months.  Iron pills, red meat and leafy green veggies are my daily diet starting 2 weeks out. And since I had spaghetti & meatballs at lunch, seafood it was for dinner.  I still wanted something comforting because it has been gloomy and icky weather the past 2 days. So I decided on roasted sweet pepper risotto for the side dish.  I haven't made risotto in ages, and I really don't know why. Its really not that bad for you, especially because I don't use butter.

After I started roasting the potatoes, I realized I had no white wine. I have 18 bottles of red... but no white. I had already changed into comfy clothes so thought about making it without the wine, but that would be sacrilegious.  I mean seriously... you can't make risotto without wine. So I ran to the liquor store and got this great bottle of inexpensive, light white.

Here is the recipe photo

And here is my version

Wow, this is amazing.  The spices in the roasted sweet potato add such a wonderful earthy flavor. It just kind of tastes like winter. I smashed the potatoes instead of a purée, but I kind of liked having pieces of sweet potato throughout. And besides, I don't have a potato masher. After my last roasted potato disaster I cut the pieces bigger, cut the time back by 10 minutes, and then turned off the oven and left them in there for another 10 minutes. They came out perfect. I did add a little more parmesan than I normally would, but I  needed to with the potatoes. The recipe calls for brown butter but I was too lazy to make it, and honestly it didn't need it at all. I tasted it both before and after adding rosemary. I should have stuck with before. Maybe I put too much rosemary, but it was too strong. but believe me, I ate it anyways. I didn't have any parsley or sage. I very rarely use sage so I never buy it, But I do use parsley a lot.  Next time I'm gonna add just a little on the top and see what happens.

I'm already looking forward to making this again soon.

Recipe found on How Sweet It Is

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Foodie Friends Friday

#117 - Hanami Japanese Restaurant, College Park, MD

I was in College Park, running some errands and catching up with former colleagues.  I had some time to myself in between all this, so I wanted to grab some lunch.  And I wanted something new and different.  There really are a lot of restaurants in the CP area that I've never even heard of or been to.  And surprisingly lots of ethnic restaurants.  Very different than when I was in school and worked there.  I hadn't had sushi in a while, and so I was on a mission.  Hanami Japanese Restaurant is rated as one of the top restaurants in CP.  It's in one of the many strip malls in the area.  I had a little trouble finding it, because honestly I'm not used to looking for addresses when I'm there.  I just know where things are, or what they're near to.  And when I figured out where I thought it was, there was a car on my butt so I had to drive around in a couple of circles.  It's a very small place, with 15 tables and a few seats around the sushi bar.

I have to say, I was very disappointed when I first got there.  The server wasn't very nice at all when she seated me.  Not rude, but very disinterested.  And after a couple of minutes she came up and said "ready"?  I was taken aback, because I had never experienced that before.  For a second I thought about leaving, but decided to wait it out and see.  It has to be the #2 place for a reason, so I was determined to see it through.  She did get better as the meal went on, and by the end was nice, and even helped me make decisions on what to get.  Who knows what happened.

There were only a few other people in the restaurant the whole time I was there.  Usually that's not a good sign.  But I didn't get there until almost 2PM, and it was 2 days before Thanksgiving... in a college town.  Most of the students had long bolted for home.

I started with the Haru Maki, the fried Japanese spring roll.

Man, this was really good!  Not sure what kind of meat it was, and still wasn't sold on the server at that point so I didn't ask.  But it had a lot of flavor.  The duck sauce on the side was also delicious, and had a definite kick.  Lots of red pepper flakes in there.  I could have gotten another serving of the rolls and devoured them just as fast.  But instead I ate the carrots and dipped those in the duck sauce too.  The meat toned down the sauce because when I ate the carrots I could taste the heat a lot more.

After lots of contemplation, I went with the Sunny roll.  It was one of 3 that the server recommended

Shrimp tempura, cucumber inside, with spicy crab, caviar and crunch on top

I was pleasantly surprised by how big this roll was.  And the individual pieces were huge.  Both of the sauces were so good, and I made sure to get every bit of it as I ate.  I was a little disappointed that it was fake crab rather than real, but the roll was still really delicious.  Real crab would make it outstanding.  The down side is that they only give you chopsticks.  Sure you could request a fork/knife.  But by the time I needed them, I was almost done.  So at that point I was determined to finish it all with the chopsticks. 

A few weeks ago I was having lunch with my friend Shawn, and he put the sliced ginger into the soy sauce and let it marinate, and then ate it.  I usually never eat the ginger because it's so strong, even though it is good for you.  But the soy sauce is a fantastic idea.  Tones the bite way down.

A few minutes after I first arrived a Japanese couple showed up, and they were seated next to me.  But after about 5 minutes they moved a little closer to the sushi bar, but still at a table.  They ordered the Hanami boat, and when it came out I think I understand why they moved closer to the bar. 

This isn't their actual boat, but it gives you an idea.  I wanted a picture, but I felt kind of weird going up to their table.  Had they been next to me I would have definitely done it.  Holy crap that's a lot of sushi!!  15 pieces of sushi, 36  pieces of sashimi, and 2 chef's rolls.  And it's super expensive...$78.  And what is even crazier, is that it was just 2 of them... and they tore through the boat like their lives depended on it.  They got the boat as I was finishing my rolls, and they were almost finished with it all before I was even done with my one roll.  And they talked the entire time. 

They have a "Fall Harvest" menu, and the desserts on it looked good.  And so since I hadn't gone overboard on the appetizer or roll, I decided to try one.  Again, the server helped me make my decision of the green tea cheesecake.

O...M...G...this was outstanding. Even though it was deep fried, there wasn't much of a crust, and what crust there was, was very light.  The cheesecake itself was so creamy and delicious.  You could definitely taste the green tea, but it wasn't overpowering at all.  Just a very good flavor.  The first bite was very warm, but it got colder as I got towards the larger end.  I thought the whipped cream was a very odd accompaniment, but it was light and airy and really worked pretty well.  The whole thing reminded me of the fried stuff at the state fair.

Will I go back?  Definitely.  The server aside, the experience was really good.  And the food was excellent. 

#116 - Seasons 52 - Columbia, MD

This is the first year since moving to Oklahoma that I've been able to come back to Maryland for Thanksgiving. The first couple years we played Thanksgiving weekend. And even after Bedlam got moved to the following week, I was still really busy. And since my parents really don't do much for Thanksgiving, and normally I would see them a month later for the bowl game.  Unfortunately we've struggled this season, so our bowl chances are extremely slim. And our last home game was Nov 15. And Maryland played Rutgers at home this weekend. So it all kind of worked out.

My flight landed at almost 8 Monday night, so my original plan was to find something near the airport. But really, the options are very limited. I had found a place, but as we were driving away from the airport I changed my mind. And decided we would go somewhere in Columbia, which is a little more along the way home.

Columbia Mall is about a mile from my old house. It's one of my favorite malls in all of Maryland.  They've got all the stores you want & need and it's not usually super crowded. Most of the mall is enclosed, with the movie theater and a few restaurants outside.  In the past few months, a new part of the mall opened up outside, kind of adding a new walkway, almost like a courtyard.  They added about 15 new stores and a couple of restaurants.  Originally we were going to eat at Maggiano's.  But then I saw Season's 52.  I had seen the same restaurant in Houston and suggested to my parents that we try it, but they weren't too fired up about the menu.  But we looked again that night, and they decided to give it a try. 

Seasons 52 is a seasonally inspired restaurant, and we found out that they had just begun to feature their winter menu last week.  I was really surprised to see how many locations there are.  None in Oklahoma; go figure.  But I swear almost everywhere else in the country.  One of the first things you notice is that everything on the menu is 475 calories or less.  I really like that.  I wish more restaurants would go that direction.  It's very warm and inviting inside; dark woods, dark walls, light music, fireplace in the waiting area and a wine room with huge windows.  I think the room is more for storage, but it looks like you can go in there and taste as well.  We were seated in the bar area.  The bar itself is in the middle of the space, and there are booths all the way around.  There's a large open kitchen in the main dining area, and another seating area on the other side of the bar.  

After we had been there about 10 minutes the music all of a sudden changed and got quite a bit louder.  I was really surprised, then realized that there was a guy sitting literally in the bar with the bartenders, playing the piano and singing.  He was really good.  Never seen anything like it, especially on a random Monday night. 

We started with edamame.

I really like that the salt comes on the side.  Most places put way too much salt on it, and it is complete overkill.  Also, this was Japanese tea leaf salt.  So yummy.  By the end I was just eating the salt straight.  Probably not the best idea, but I couldn't stop eating it.

I went with the caramelized sea scallops

butternut squash and leek risotto, broccolini, lemon butter 

This was absolutely delicious.  The scallops were perfectly cooked, and the caramelization added great flavor.  I'm not usually a fan of butternut squash, but it really worked in the risotto.  The squash was firm but cooked through, a good contrast to the creaminess.  The leek wasn't prominent, but you could kind of taste the flavor in the background.  The broccolini was just okay.  I wanted to substitute the caramelized brussel sprouts but it comes with bacon so I knew my parents wouldn't eat it if I didn't like it.  And I didn't want to waste it.  My mom had the trout.  I was really surprised at how big of a piece it was.  I tried a bite, and was sold.  And then ate a couple more bites when she was done eating.  My dad had the sesame grilled salmon salad.  The presentation was very unique, with the salad coming in this large glass jar to keep it separate from the salmon until served.  Both the top and bottom are open, so the server lifts the jar off the plate, and the salad kind of falls onto the rest of the plate.  It's really kind of cool and I was caught off guard by it, so didn't get to take a picture.  The glaze on the salmon was really delicious.

I wasn't even thinking dessert, and we had actually already gotten the check.  And then the waiter walked by us with the tray towards another table.  He saw me looking, and asked if I wanted one.  I hesitated, but then decided to at least listen to what they were.  I couldn't even begin to tell you what they all were because he rattled them off so fast.  But I also couldn't resist.

No, of course I didn't get the entire tray.  The server explains all the desserts, and you can choose one... or two... or 3 if you must.  I took the one on the left, which was called Mocha Macchiato.  Chocolate mousse, vanilla mousse, chocolate cake, whipped cream, sprinkles.  So delicious.  Dad had the one on the far right, which was something with pumpkin.  So everything on the menu is 475 calories or less.  But the server made sure to point out that the desserts "may" be more.  But they are all little, with only a few bites in each one.  So as long as you are good and just get one, you should be okay.

Will I go back?  No question.  My parents both raved about their meals, and I'm very interested in seeing what they offer during the other seasons.

My Chef's Hat - Farro Salad with Asparagus & Feta

I've been trying to eat more grains and beans lately. Not all the time, but a couple times a week. You can never really have too much fiber. Well, I guess you could, but it would take a whole lot... lots more than I would ever eat in a day. But even though the grains and beans are good for you, by themselves there's not a whole lot of flavor. They need help to taste good. Chick peas are one of my favorite beans, and I probably eat those more than any other. Grains are another story. Most of them are so mealy and chewy, and I'm just not a big fan of that. I'm trying hard to get past it though. I've done it with quinoa, and am working on it with farro.  Until about 9 months ago I didn't even know what farro was. But then one day we were having lunch at Karsten Creek golf course, and their lunch special was a dish made with it. I had them bring me a small taste... and to my surprise, I really liked it. It was still chewy, but the dish had really good flavor.  So I bought some and looked for recipes on Pinterest.

A recipe that I've made a couple of times but am just now getting around to posting is Farro Salad with Asparagus and Feta.  

Here is the official picture

And here is my version

I really enjoy this dish. Even though there's tons of fiber from the farro, asparagus and chick peas, its still a very light dish. I cook the farro in veggie broth, same as quinoa, to infuse it with more flavor. I also toast it first to bring out the nuttiness. I've toasted it both with and without the butter, and I use Smart Balance spread to keep it lighter.  I've always kept it vegetarian, but I think grilled chicken would be a nice addition.

The recipe calls for the farro to be cooled after cooking. But since I make this for lunch, I don't have time to wait for that. It also says to steam the asparagus. But instead I sauté it in a small pan. Adds more flavor and color.

The only drawback to this dish is its very savory and earthy, so about 15 minutes later I'm ready for something sweet.


Recipe found on Burp!

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#115 - Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar, Oklahoma City, OK

A couple weeks ago I had taken the day off work. Its very rare that I get to do that during football season, but the way the schedule worked, we had a few weeks between home games in October & November. Originally my plan had been to just run some errands in Stillwater, but once I realized Mistletoe Market was that same weekend, I decided instead to go to OKC.  I did some shopping at Penn Square Mall, and then wanted to eat before heading down to Bricktown. As usual I couldn't decide where to eat. I thought about going to Midtown, but looked and couldn't find anything I was really craving. I had seen Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar numerous times, and had also seen that friends had eaten there in the past and really liked it. So since its right outside the mall, and I was super hungry, that was enough to sell me.

I liked this place from the very beginning.  They grow a lot of their own herbs and vegetables, right out in the front of the restaurant

Inside are more herbs, grown by the staff themselves. They also give away free basil, as well as recipes for pesto.  They also sell spreads, candles, and oils. 

The restaurant itself is pretty big, with lots of different types of seating: tables, booths, outdoor patio, and in the bar area its long high-top tables. I temporarily thought about sitting on the patio, because it was a great fall day, but way too windy. So I sat in the bar area, at a regular table. There's a large, open kitchen, a couple of TV's in the bar, and good music playing.  There's not really a waiting area in the front, but towards the restrooms there are a couple of couches and a big TV. So while you wait, its like you're just hanging out in your living room. The whole place is a combination of farmhouse and restaurant.

Whiskey Cake is a farm to table restaurant, which means they either grow their own items or get everything locally. They also make most of their bread. The bar doesn't just serve cocktails; they also create their own juice drinks. I didn't get one, but the couple at the table next to me did. She really liked her Beetle Juice; he didn't like the Popeye at all. He said t had way too much cilantro. Cilantro is pretty strong, so I can see it being overpowering, especially in a drink.

I usually don't get an appetizer, but I was starving and was having lots of trouble deciding on an entrée. So I started with the deviled eggs. The server told me they change all the time, and today was bacon jam. He sold me on bacon

These were really good. I was kind of surprised at the size of the serving for just $5. And they definitely did not disappoint. The bacon jam was delicious, and added just a little bite to the creamy eggs.

After lots of indecision and some help from my server I settled on the chicken & cheese melt. He raved about it, and it had everything I love in it. I was bummed that I couldn't substitute parmesan fries for the chips. The sides are sold as separates, not substitutes. He also told me the fries were a lot and I probably wouldn't be able to finish them. I appreciated the thought, but clearly he's never seen me eat fries.

Rotisserie chicken, pesto mayo, avocado, BLT, dill Havarti, toasted sourdough

The sandwich was fantastic. And big! The chicken was hot, the cheese was melted and gooeyy, and you could tell the bread is homemade. The only improvement would be to add red onion and toast the bread  I bet you could request that. Have to admit, he was right about the fries. No chance I could have finished a big serving. The chips are definitely freshly fried and very good, but I wish they were warmer. Mine were probably the end of a batch.

Apparently the real star of the show is their whiskey cake dessert. But I knew I couldn't do it because I was already full. And I wasn't going home any time soon, so I didn't want to order one to go. And after I saw how big it was, I knew I made the right decision.

I will absolutely be going back...soon.

#114 - Irma's Burger Shack, Oklahoma City, OK

My mom and our family friend Hazel came to town for my birthday last month.  Well, they were really in Dallas to visit Hazel's family, but since they were that close, they drove up to Stillwater for a couple of days.  Hazel hadn't been to Oklahoma in probably 20 years, so we drove down to OKC to show her around.  Of course our first stop was the OKC National Memorial.  It's such a beautiful spot, but I hate that it's really there because of such a horrible tragedy.  

I'm embarrassed to say that I am so unfamiliar with downtown.  I've lived here for almost 8 years and there's still so much I haven't seen or done.  Normally when I go downtown I go to the Bricktown area and that's it.  And when I go for the OKC half marathon I drive down that morning; after the run it's all I can do to crawl back to my car, drive home, and lay on the couch the rest of the day.  Now that the home football games are done, it's my mission to get down to OKC more often, and do more stuff.  There's museums, restaurants, shopping, and lots of other touristy things to do.

One thing I have learned about downtown is that it's broken up into "character districts", and it's a lot more than just Bricktown.   There's the Arts District, Automobile Alley, Deep Deuce, and Midtown, just to name a few.  And what I like is that nothing is super far from each other.  You can walk from Bricktown to Midtown.  I did it once.  I wouldn't recommend it on anything other than a beautiful day, and probably wouldn't do it at night, but it's only about 20 minutes at a brisk pace.  

After we left the memorial, we drove around Bricktown, I showed them a few sights, and then we were hungry.  I got on TripAdvisor, and one of the first places that popped up was Irma's Burger Shack, which is in Midtown.  I had heard good things about it, and saw they had a veggie burger for my mom, so we were set.  Midtown is very compact, and they sure pack a lot of restaurants, businesses and shops into a small area.

Irma's is in a strip mall in a very cool building.  They're on the corner, but they take up 3 sides of the corner so it's a good-sized place.  Here's a picture I found online

The inside has lots of cool memorabilia, and reminds me of a 50's style diner.  The desserts are right there by the cashier, probably to make you feel guilty for not ordering one when you go to pay. There's also a small counter at the bar where you can eat as well, and there were a few guys sitting there.  But we opted for a regular table.  We arrived right during the heart of lunchtime, and the place was packed.  But thankfully we were seated immediately.  

I like that the beer menu is printed on the napkin holder.  And that it includes everything you need to know to make your beer choice.  That way it's always right in front of you, but it's not in your way.  it's not a huge selection, but really it covers all the main types of beer.  I was in charge and I was the driver, so I decided to skip the beer this time.

Hazel had never tried fried pickles before, so of course we had to get an order

They were very good.  A little saltier than I would have liked, but the ranch helped tone that down.  My mom isn't a fan of fried pickles, and Hazel thought they were too salty.  So that left me to eat most of them.  But I was good, and didn't go overboard.

My friend Dianne had recommended that I get the No-Name Ranch burger.  I thought that was a really weird name, but it turns out that's actually the name of the ranch where they get their beef.  Good enough for me!

The burger was delicious.  I like that it's only a 6-ounce burger, so it's not massive.  My burger came with lettuce, tomato and onions.  I added blue cheese and avocado, and a side of the chipotle ranch.  The ranch had a kick, but wasn't overpowering.  It worked really well with my burger, because the blue cheese toned it down a little.  The fries were fresh and hot. Hazel had ordered onion rings with her burger.  I forgot to take a picture, but they were breaded, just like I like them.  So of course I had to try one.  They were really good too.

Will I go back? No question. They have homemade milkshakes that looked really good, but I was full from the meal. And next time I also want to get the onion rings, and try another one of their burgers. 

My Chef's Hat - Honey Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I've always been extremely picky when it comes to veggies. As a kid I would only eat the broccoli stalks--my parents went with it because at least I was eating something. My dad tried to make me eat a piece of okra once (they steamed them so they were gross and slimy)and for some reason I thought the seeds made it taste bad, so I picked out every single seed. I never liked brussel sprouts, and was hot and cold with peas. But I would eat green beans all day long.

I also wouldn't eat sweet potatoes for a really long time. At Thanksgiving my mom would eat the potatoes and I would eat her marshmallow topping. I know they're really good for you, but I always had a hard time with the texture.  I've gotten better, and make them occasionally. But I'm really making an effort to eat them at least every other week.

I was having salmon for dinner tonight, and wanted a different side than my normal standby recipes. And since its ridiculously cold outside, I wanted something comforting. As usual, Pinterest came to the rescue with Honey Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potatoes. 

Here is the recipe version

I gotta be honest...I can't even post the picture of my first attempt, because I broke the most important rule of the recipe:  don't burn the potatoes.  And I did it exactly the way they said I would: dumping the marinade onto the baking sheet.  I only burned one side though.

The other day I made these again, and even though a couple still got burnt, overall it was much better

Problems aside, this dish was awesome. The smell permeating through my house, a combination of cinnamon, honey and nutmeg, was absolutely amazing. I didn't have pumpkin spice but I would guess that would be really good too.  The potatoes were perfectly cooked. Soft but not mushy. And honestly, even though they were burnt they still tasted good, because the burn was from the honey. 

There's also a recipe for creamy honey cinnamon dip. It sounds fantastic, but I decided to pass on it this time.

Will I make these again? No question.  I just have to work on getting them golden brown next time.  And make the dip.

Recipe found on Averie Cooks

My Chef's Hat - Cilantro Thai Chicken and Thai Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce

As I was browsing back through this blog I realized I've got a few "new" dishes that I've made numerous times but have yet to write about. So its time to fix that, and there's no better time than tonight. Enter Cilantro Thai Grilled Chicken and  Thai Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce. 

I'm a huge fan of Thai food, well really Asian food in general. It is so flavorful, but usually at restaurants the portions are huge and who knows how much oil and/or sodium they cook with. So I love finding recipes I can make at home and control what goes in it.  I had found the chicken recipe first about a year ago on Pinterest, and then found the noodle dish while looking for a complementary side dish.

I think people either love cilantro, or they hate it.  I'm definitely on the love side.  Its a strong herb, but it adds so much flavor to recipes.  I've tried to grow it a few times, but have had no luck. I tried it from seed, waited 6 weeks, and never got anything more than about an inch long.  I bought small plants and it grew for a couple weeks, then died.  And it doesn't like a lot of heat.  And my backyard is a magnet for the sun and blinding heat.  So its not the best combination.

I don't make this dish that often, because the peanut sauce is a little heavier than I normally cook. But I ate a very light lunch, so I was good to go. 

Here are the recipe versions

And here is my version

So much flavor! There's a lot of strong ingredients in the marinade, but they work well together and grilling the chicken just enhances the depth. I've used a variety of veggies in the noodle dish, just depending on what I have in the fridge. Tonight it was broccoli, red peppers, and mushrooms. The recipe calls for frozen veggies, but I've never tried it with them.  This time the peanut sauce really wasn't spicy, but probably because I didn't put enough chili garlic sauce. The sauce is simple and yet really delicious. 

Both recipes call for sesame oil. But I learned a long time ago that less is definitely more with that oil, and use as little as possible. With the marinade I do half sesame oil and half olive oil; I don't coat the pasta in any oil at all, and I use olive oil for the veggies. 

I really like this dish, and every time I make it I say I'm going to figure out how to reduce the calories. Maybe a little less oil, less peanut butter or maybe even the fake peanut butter powder. I've tasted it before and its not bad. And since I add peanuts anyway, it will still have the flavor.


CLICK BELOW FOR RECIPES
Cilantro Thai Grilled Chicken (Found on Artsy-Foodie)

Thai Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce (Found on Food.com)

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