This is just the begining!
I am glad you came by to check out my blog. Please be patient however, as I'm just getting started. Please check back soon and often as the content will change frequently.
Thanks for popping in!
Amber
Everyone loves food, and I want to share my love of food with you. I try to cook with fresh local ingredients whenever possible and always keep an eye to heart-healthy whole grains, low fat ingredients that still provide full flavor, and fun combinations of spices to make the tastebuds pop!
Favorite Bottles
- WHITES:
- Maculan Pino & Toi 2006
- Estancia Pinot Grigio 2006
- REDS:
- Concha Y Toro "Castillero del Diablo" Carmenere 2006
- Heinrich Zweigelt 2004
- Seghesio Zinfandel 2006
- Marziano Abbona "Rinaldi" 2004
- Luzon Jumilla 2006
- La Creme Pinot Noir
- La Posta Bonarda 2005, 2006
- Alamos Malbec 2006
- Alamos Bonarda 2006
- BUBBLES:
- Bonarda "Cremant de Loire" Turquoise NV
- Charles de Fere "Jean-Loius" Blanc de Blancs NV
Dining out
- 112 Eatery
- -Best Butterscotch dessert EVER!!
- 128 Cafe
- Al and Alma's Supper Club
- -Talk about good lake food, try the Pulled pork sammie!
- Vincent, A Restaurant
- Cafe Ina
- Cafe Maude
- Cosmos @ Graves 601
- Eli's
- -My favorite spot for wings and a great weekly special board.
- Heidi's
- Lucia's
- Restaurant Alma
- Ristorante Luci
- Spoonriver
- The Monte Carlo
About Me
- Amber
- Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Breakfast (or Brunch?)
All the makings of a great day!
Tater Tot Egg Bake (photo above)
I looked in the fridge and found 1/2 a bag of Oreida tater tots, 1/2 an onion, a little shredded cheese an almost-out-of-date jar of salsa and 5 eggs.
What's a girl to do but make an egg bake!!
Start with an oven proof baking dish, I chose my Le Creuset stoneware 9x9 dish.
Layer on the tots, thinly sliced onions and a few dollops of salsa. Scramble the eggs, add a touch of S & P for flavor and pour over the tots. Bake at 350(F) for 35-40 minutes or until the eggs start to pull away from the edge of the dish.
This should be more potato than egg- reminescent of a Spanish Omlete and, depending on the salsa you use it will have a bit of a kick!
What's a girl to do but make an egg bake!!
Start with an oven proof baking dish, I chose my Le Creuset stoneware 9x9 dish.
Layer on the tots, thinly sliced onions and a few dollops of salsa. Scramble the eggs, add a touch of S & P for flavor and pour over the tots. Bake at 350(F) for 35-40 minutes or until the eggs start to pull away from the edge of the dish.
This should be more potato than egg- reminescent of a Spanish Omlete and, depending on the salsa you use it will have a bit of a kick!
Dinner
A typical dinner at the Temple
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Start with a nice Pork butt or shoulder. Rub sparingly with olive oil and then rub generously with the rub (my recipe follows but any pork rub will do). In a large dutch oven sear over high heat, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove from pot and set aside while you saute celery, carrots, and onion with a few cloves of garlic. This will keep the meat from sticking to the bottom of the pan and it will add flavor. Return the pork to the pot on top of the Mirepoix and add 2 bottles of full flavored/dark beer. Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees (F) and place the covered pot in the oven. Cook at 250 for 2 hours then reduce the heat to 200 degrees and remove about 1/2 of the liquid in the pot. Cook for an additional 1 and a half hours. Remove from the pot and let cool to room temperature before pulling apart to make the sandwiches.
Place cooled, pulled meat into pot with 1/4 c. water and 1/4 c BBQ sauce of your choice and re-warm stiring to incorporate sauce into the meat. Toast buns and serve with crispy fried onion strings and cole slaw.
The Recipes
Rub:
2T Oregano
2T Garlic powder
1 1/2 T Onion powder
2t. Cumin seeds
1/2 t. Smokey Paprika
2T Chili powder
2t Sea Salt
Combine all ingredients, mix well. Rub into meat.
Crispy Fried Onions:
In seperate bowls-
1 egg salt and pepper to taste. Scramble egg to mix with S & P.
1c all purpose flour
Toss onions in egg mixture then dredge in flour.
Over high heat in a deeep pan heat vegetable oil for frying. Fry dredged onions until golden brown.
2T Oregano
2T Garlic powder
1 1/2 T Onion powder
2t. Cumin seeds
1/2 t. Smokey Paprika
2T Chili powder
2t Sea Salt
Combine all ingredients, mix well. Rub into meat.
Crispy Fried Onions:
In seperate bowls-
1 egg salt and pepper to taste. Scramble egg to mix with S & P.
1c all purpose flour
Toss onions in egg mixture then dredge in flour.
Over high heat in a deeep pan heat vegetable oil for frying. Fry dredged onions until golden brown.
Dessert
Poached Pears or Apples: (Title photo)
one pear or apple per person
2C green tea
1 C fruit juice of your choice
1/4 C dark rum
Caramel sauce, Chocolate Sauce, other perferred toppings
Bring to a simmer and place fruit into pot. Cover, let simmer over medium to low heat for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender depending on ripeness of fruit.
Quarter and pit, arrange in a bowl with desired toppings
Optional topping- Champaigne Sabayon:
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup sparkling wine
Fill a 1-quart saucepan half-full with water over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Place all ingredients in a medium stainless steel bowl and whisk until well combined. Place the bowl over the saucepan and continue to whisk until the sauce is thick and doubled in volume, 3 to 5 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough so that it will support a ribbon of sauce trailing off the end of the spoon when lifted.
one pear or apple per person
2C green tea
1 C fruit juice of your choice
1/4 C dark rum
Caramel sauce, Chocolate Sauce, other perferred toppings
Bring to a simmer and place fruit into pot. Cover, let simmer over medium to low heat for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender depending on ripeness of fruit.
Quarter and pit, arrange in a bowl with desired toppings
Optional topping- Champaigne Sabayon:
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup sparkling wine
Fill a 1-quart saucepan half-full with water over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Place all ingredients in a medium stainless steel bowl and whisk until well combined. Place the bowl over the saucepan and continue to whisk until the sauce is thick and doubled in volume, 3 to 5 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough so that it will support a ribbon of sauce trailing off the end of the spoon when lifted.
-Emeril Lagasse 2003