We’re eating corned beef and sharp cheddar sandwiches on freshly-baked flaky croissants dressed with whole grain mustard, watercress and caramelized onions deglazed with balsamic and cider vinegar.

Sandwiches can be the most simple thing to cook and often times one of the most satisfying things to eat. At least that’s the p.o.v. in our house. That’s definitely the case with this sandwich! It was a breeze to make yet soul satisfying to devour. Tyler said it was ranked right up next to the Father’s Office burger – his favorite burger of all time. Damn high praise indeed! Caramelizing onions takes quite a long time but you can make the onions several days in advance and store in a sealed in the fridge until ready for use. We hope you guys make this sandwich and enjoy it as much as we did!

Recipes in this post:

• Ultimate Corned Beef Sandwiches
• Caramelized Onions with Balsamic & Cider Vinegar

Related posts:

1. National Meatloaf Day: Better Than Presidents Day.
2. Bacon Wrapped Fig & Blue Cheese Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
3. Hearty Red Wine Braised Short-Rib Beef Stew

We’re eating flaky cream cheese pastry turnovers filled with cinnomany mission fig jam and sweetened whipped chevre and cream cheese.

It appears I have come down with a mild seasonal ailment: fig obsession! Pair that obsession with a huge block of chevre I got from Costco a couple of weeks ago along with the dreamy memory of Nicole’s blueberry-rubarb turnovers I ate back in June and you’ve got the equation for some reeeeaaally freaking tasty pastries! I can’t think of a thing that I would change about this recipe. The sweet, cinnamony fig jam worked perfectly with the sweetened chevre and the no-fail cream cheese pastry crust from The Art and Soul of Baking. If you live in an area that grows figs, I suggest snatching some up and making these turnovers immediately! And if you live in the San Diego area and make them I would love for some to be delivered to my apartment… just sayin’!

Side Note: Nicole’s post I mentioned above offers a detailed photo tutorial of how to shape, cut and seal turnovers if you need some visuals to go along with a recipes!

Recipes in this post:

• Fig Jam & Sweetened Chevre Turnovers

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1. Spicy Chipotle Chocolate Cake
2. Killer Peanut Butter Mousse Brownie Pie
3. Cinnamon Apple Pecan Crumb Bars

We’re eating succulent grilled bacon wrapped pork tenderloin stuffed with fresh mission figs and crumbled blue cheese. The pork was served on a bed of spicy micro mustard greens and slices of mission figs with a drizzle of pomegranate vinaigrette.

Sure, bacon has blown up into yet another annoying and absurd internet fad, but that’s just because bacon has and always will be one of the tastiest foods known to humankind. If you don’t like bacon I really don’t understand how your deranged brain works. I would take a a slice of bacon over a chocolate truffle any day of the week. I would take this bacon wrapped blue cheese & fig stuffed pork tenderloin over pretty much any sweet item at any point in time. Disclaimer: I’m a savory kind of girl which makes me kind of biased.

This meal was the perfect balance of sweet, savory, smokey and salty…by god I wish I had a serving of it in front of me at this second. Just writing this post is making me salivate. It’s well known that figs, blue cheese and bacon are a great combo and apparently they are even better when grilled with a juicy pork tenderloin and drizzled with tangy pomegranate vinaigrette! I hope you guys enjoy this as much as we did!

Recipes in this post:

• Bacon Wrapped Fig & Blue Cheese Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
• Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Related posts:

1. National Meatloaf Day: Better Than Presidents Day.
2. Bacon + Brie + Blue Cheese = A Good Time
3. Wooo Wooooo, Deez Some Good Pork Ribs

Quiches are an oldy but a goody and we’re taking advantage of that oldy tonight. Dinner consisted of mini-quiches in puff pastry shells with crumbled feta, pepperoni, sauteed crimini mushrooms and leeks, and a sprinkling of italian blend cheese. To lighten the meal up a bit we served a basic romaine salad along side.

T: Ooowee these things were rockin’! It’s been forever since you made any tasty little quiche things, and I’m glad to see them back again. Yeah!
A: no joke! when we lived in baton rouge i was on a quiche kick. there was a period where i was making at least one quiche a week! that’s a bit out of control but they’re just so damn tasty.
T: They really are very very tasty. Are they tricky to make?
A: not at all. for these i even used egg substitute so it was even less work -
T: woah woah… wait a sec. Egg substitute? I’m afraid. Those things tasted good, but I’m still a little afraid of what an egg substitute might consist of.

Millions of quiches… quiches for me

A: actually it’s 100% egg, but not eggs in the shell, you know? i didn’t want to brand drop but i used egg beaters. it’s mainly egg white with a touch of yolk i think.
T: ok, so it would have been the same to just take out the yolk of real eggs?
A: yup. you could do that, but this is way easier. all i had to do was shake and pour.
T: You shook and poured well I must say. I give these a 4.7/5. I could eat these every day… for at least a couple of months. They were so flavorful, and had a great texture too. I like the flaky outsides. The pepperoni really set them off though. What’s your rating?
A: i agree with you, i loved the crap out of these things. just simple quiches in puff pastry shells but still taaaastyyyy. I give ‘em a 4.6/5. the pepperoni and feta went great with the sauteed mushrooms and leeks. i was a little apprehensive about using egg beaters initially but it worked out great. i don’t remember why i got off the quiche kick but it looks like i might be back on.
T: hell. yes. Bring it. Hey, just a thought- these might be good for your brownbag lunches, huh?
A: actually, while you were typing earlier i was thinking exactly that! or for both of our breakfasts. they would be great for a grab and go any time! dude. i can’t tell you how utterly sick of ham on wheat sandwiches i am. like take vomitously sick and multiply it by a billion and that’s how sick of them i am.
T: Been there done that. I’ve reached that point with ham, turkey, and pb&j in the past. Move on, Amanda, and don’t look back. You’ve made your last crappy ham sandwich. Rejoice.
A: i’m starting the “freedom through mini-quiches” movement! are you on board?
T: uhh… actually I’ve got a lot going on.. you’ll have to handle up on that one yourself.

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For an easy meal on a chilly winter night we decided a casserole was the way to go. Our casserole consisted of roasted brussels sprouts and broccoli, topped with creamy grits flavored with applewood smoked bacon, then layered with sauteed onions and mushrooms deglazed with sherry vinegar. Finally the dish was topped with shredded sun dried tomato & herb double gloucester cheese and baked until bubbly and melty.

T: I gotta say there is nothing wrong with grits, cheese, bacon, and roasted veggies melting together and piled up on a plate. Such a warming and delightful dish! Mmmm…
A: mmm hmm! i know some people aren’t the biggest casserole fans but what’s not to love… generally.
T: I don’t see how someone can be against casseroles. It’s too general a thing to be against… surely they just haven’t had the right casserole.
A: maybe all they’ve had is tuna casserole, which frankly scares me. brian… if you’re reading this, leave a comment and tell us why you are against casseroles! curious minds are dying to know.
T: I suspect some people have trouble with texture inconsistencies too.
A: that is such a weird thing to me! the thought of only eating food that is mono-textured is just… weird! i can’t think of another word for it.
T: I think it’s weird too, but I used to be that way! Up until I was a teenager I didn’t like to get a random crunchy thing in a meal that was otherwise soft. I guess I knew I didn’t like crunchies because I knew I didn’t like veggies.

Carrots & cheese. Lots of cheese.

A: for real!?! you didn’t like veggies until you were a teenager?!? that’s crazy! i loved most veggies growing up.
T: lots of people acquire that taste AFTER childhood. I always liked some veggies, just not most of them until I was a little older. Now I’ll eat pretty much anything.
A: thank god! so, this really was an extremely easy and tasty meal. tons of veggies and grits… .mmmmm and cheese…. mmmmmmmmm and bacon. you could always leave out the bacon if you’re a vegetarian or just don’t like it, but in our household there’s a bacon-fest club. and i’m the president!
T: And I’m the starving population. Alright, so I rate this meal a 4.49/5. Loved it. I really love that cheese that you used, and the onions and roasted veggies. It was… awesome. It would make a great meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Especially on a cold rainy day. You?
A: i gotta say you summed it up well. i give it a 4.44/5. it was t-riffic. the sun dried tomato & herb double gloucester is at the top of my cheese list right now. sooooo good. you could make a big thing of this for dinner and just have to heat it up for lunch or breakfast the next day. casseroles always seem to scream “comfort food” to me and this one was no different.
T: yeah, definitely comfort food. Perfect for the holidays or… whatever, whenever. This stuff is just plain good.
A: it’s a shame we didn’t make a big thing of it last night! we could be munching on some right now if we’d had the forethought.
T: yeah, forethought… we need to teach past Tyler and Amanda to hook up future Tyler and Amanda. If we plan it out right we can eat 24/7/365.
A: uh… yeah.. about that… don’t really want to eat 24/7/365… i think i would be sick of food!
T: yeah it’s a ridiculous idea… I’m just hungry.

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In honor of National Meatloaf Appreciation Day, October 18th, Serious Eats is holding a meatloaf event that we couldn’t resist being a part of. We’ve concocted a meatloaf made with a mix of ground beef and hot italian sausage and stuffed with a ricotta, goat cheese, and fresh herb filling. The meatloaf was served with roasted brussels sprouts and whipped goat cheese and herb potatoes. Rock on meatloaf… we appreciate you!

The whole mealA: what is more american and needing of an appreciation day than meatloaf i ask you! what?!?
T: mmm… i don’t know. I’m really trying to think of something clever here, but everything I think of was invented in germany.
A: germany?
T: hot dogs were the first thing that came to mind. then hamburgers. Pretty sure there from germany, although i’m not sure, and apparently am too lazy to put together the 10-second google search it would take to find the answer. (looked it up. I was so right.) Let’s just say that meatloaf is about as american as it gets.
A: and it for sure is deserving of appreciation. i love meatloaf. i’ve never made a stuffed meatloaf before… or one that used italian sausage in the meaty mix. i really dug this version, but it was a far cry from the meatloaf my mom made growing up.
T: yeah, it was a far cry from my grandmother Ghee’s version too, which was pretty classic- ketchup on the top, etc. But, I gotta tell ya, that meatloaf has been done a zillion times. I was excited to try something a little different, and this delivered, sister, it delivered. Mmmm mmm that ricotta in the middle was goood. And I loved the flavor of the italian sausage in there. I’d say this could be good enough to eat over and over. It rocked.
A: why thank ya T! like i said, i totally dug it too. i normally pay tribute to the classic style of meatloafing and do a tomato topping and everything…. but for appreciation days you’s gotsta think outside the box. the goat cheese and fresh herbs were really able to shine with the ricotta and bring out the flavors of the beef and sausage. while eating this meal i was really into getting a bite that consisted of a little bit of meat, filling, potatoes, and a brussels sprout. while that sounds like a big bite (it was!) the flavors just worked soooooo well together.
T: I was not so ambitious with my forking maneuvers. I did enjoy mixing the potatoes with the brussels sprouts, but I was happy to eat the meatloaf by itself. It was gOOd.
A: so, now that we’ve paid tribute to the mighty meatloaf, you got a rating for this bisnatch?
T: I give it a 4.76/5. Pretty damn good stuff, woman. You done good. What do you think?
A: i think i’m going to give it a 4.58/5. it was great. i’ve been on a really rich kick as far as cooking goes… maybe we’ll see a salad or something in the future, but for tonight i’m happy that there is leftover meatloaf for us to munch on!
T: hell yeah, me too. Although I’ve eaten so much rich food lately that a salad is starting to sound pretty damn good. I guess i’m hungry now too, so that could have something to do with it.
A: how about a meatloaf salad?
T: I don’t think I’d want to adulterate the meatloaf by mixing it with salad. A salad with the meatloaf would be good though.
A: alright! enough of this! a little less talk and a lot more action. let’s heat up some leftovers.
T: that sounds fantastic. it’s tough blogging on an empty stomach. Hasta luego!

Recipes in this post:

• Roasted Garlic and Ricotta Stuffed Meatloaf

Related posts:

1. Bacon Wrapped Fig & Blue Cheese Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
2. The Ultimate Corned Beef Sandwich
3. Wooo Wooooo, Deez Some Good Pork Ribs

For the LSU game we went wild and made some homemade flatbread-like pizza that was to die for. The pizza-flatbread creation was made with homemade dough and topped with sage-garlic butter, caramelized maui onions, fresh slices of jalapenos, creamy brie, danish blue cheese, and crispy thick sliced bacon. It really doesn’t get much better than this.

You can’t resist meA: man, if people think that we eat only the stuff we post they must surely be worried about our health! this was one rich bitch.
T: I don’t care. I will gladly take a decade off my life expectancy if it means eating this on a regular basis. This cheesy bread/pizza thing was unreal. I would give up entire food ethnicities before I gave this up. It was really really tasty. Seriously.
A: agreed. i would totally give up eskimoan food for this…. at least with my lack of knowledge of eskimoan food. this was some seriously outrageously good game day food.
T: yeah. for real. If we still had some I would bury my face in it right now.
Brie….
A: heheh just for the essence. you wouldn’t eat it though, right? just bury.
T: oh hell no, I’d be eating it. Yes sir. Mmmm. Cheeeesy bacony oniony goodness.
A: you forgot jalapeno-y and garlic buttery.
T: you interrupted me. I was still going over this loaf of delight in my mind. Ok, so, now that we’ve gushed for a few minutes, do you have a rating for it?
A: man, i really want to go crazy high with my rating but… i dunno. I need to stay sane. I’ll give it a 4.85/5. It was really effing good. seriously. it put together some of my all time favorites all in one home made bready dish. if it had had lamb lolly pops and crab cakes it could have gotten a 5.
T: yeah, this thing deserves an incredible score. I give it a 4.96/5. It was tops. There’s not much else to say about it. I recommend that anyone out there in internet-land who can follow a recipe, make this. now.

food pornA: cheezus! that is one mega high score!
T: did you just say cheezus? … [nod] ….
A: uh, yeah. what else would i have said! holy god of all things cheesey.
T: you could have said, I don’t know, “wowsers” or, say, “JEEZ”
A: but i didn’t. gotta problem with my cheezus?
T: not if you make some more cheesy bread

Recipes in this post:

• Pizza-like Bread w/ Brie, Bacon, & Blue Cheese

Related posts:

1. Bacon Wrapped Fig & Blue Cheese Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
2. Pesto & Homemade Sausage & Buffalo Mozzarella, Oh My
3. Fig Jam & Sweetened Chevre Turnovers

Even though it’s mid-summer, sometimes you just feel like a hearty meal. That was our case for this particular dinner. We’re eating a crunchy quinoa dish packed full of goodies such as fresh hot italian sausage, crumbled feta, sauteed local young green beans, yellow grape tomatoes, and diced maui onions that were deglazed with balsamic and sherry vinegars creating the “pan sauce” for the dish.

A: man, i have to say, i loved this take on quinoa. it was some how more… i dunno, hearty. it seems like every quinoa salad i make tastes pretty similar. don’t get me wrong, i totally love my normal quinoa salads, but still… it’s easy to get bored, ya know?
T: yeah, I agree… not that I was bored with your other quinoa dishes, but that this one was different- in a good way. It tasted less like something that you would find cold in a cafe counter and more like something that you would be served… I don’t know, somewhere other than a cafe… a real restaurant.
A: hehehe you are so eloquent with your descriptions. ;-P and articulate! but i know what you mean… i too seem to be unable to find the right way to really get at what made this dish different. i guess for one, it wasn’t a “salad” at all…
T: yeah, it was a hot meal, and it wasn’t as citrusy as a lot of your grain salads have been. It had a more robust flavor… it would have gone well with an amber beer rather than a light beer.
A: uh, t? i think most people are looking for wine pairings to go with these meals… not so much beer pairings! we need to think outside of what we drink.
T: I can only offer what I know, and that’s beer. Mainly Natty Light at that.
A: woah now! we keep it real by buying tasty dark and potent beers on a regular basis…. mmmm, like arrogant bastard for instance, my current fave.
T: True. One Arrogant Bastard for every 12 Natty’s.
A: i think arrogant bastard would have gone lovely with this meal.
T: oooh you’re right that would have been good. Mmmm… So, do you have a rating for this one?
A: the arrogant bastard or the meal?!? i’m gonna have to give this meal a 4.3/5. It was totally tasty. The hot italian sausage was particularly good and went really well with the feta, quinoa, and veggies. I also thought that the sherry and balsamic vinegars took the dish to a great place. there was no citrus in this quinoa dish and i’ll be the first to admit i have a problem there: until now, virtually every grain salad..er, dish… i’ve made has had a citrus vinaigrette base, but i think i’ve seen the light.
T: I was seeing the light while I was eating this. I give it a 4.73/5. It was absurdly tasty… the sausage was great (it’s awesome that we can buy it half a block away), the yellow tomatoes were excellent, and to top it off the entire dish was based around the super grain, quinoa. Oooooh wee. Plus, it was a significant deviation from your previous quinoas, so I give you props for finding some fresh inspiration.
A: well said pepita brittle, well said.
T: I thought I had escaped that name. I thought we had laid it to rest. Damn you Mandy.
A: muhahahahhahah! you’ll neeeeever escape the name pepita brittle… never… never…Never!!!! (and, btw, i’m just going to ignore that mandy jab)
T: This blog session is over.

Recipes in this post:

• Quinoa with Hot Italian Sausage & Feta

Related posts:

1. National Meatloaf Day: Better Than Presidents Day.
2. Jambalaya with… Summer Sausage?
3. Pesto & Homemade Sausage & Buffalo Mozzarella, Oh My