Happy Friday to you, Bloggies!!
It is the advent of Food Friday! I can't wait to talk food with you all. I have some really good stuff (I hope) this week, and so let's just jump right into it, shall we?
Restaurant:
Blue Fish Oyster Bar
Jacksonville, Fl (Avondale)
What to get: Happy Hour
O.M.G Bloggies. This is a game changer. Though Blue Fish has been on the food scene in Jax for over a year, I think locals are just now starting to realize the potential in this hotspot, and in turn the owners are responding. The Happy Hour is THE BEST in town. Their drinks specials are awesome, don't get me wrong ($4 champagne? Yes, please!), but it is the FOOD that makes it stand out. From 3pm - 7pm every day, Blue Fish offers a drink and food menu at the bar that includes baked brie with truffle oil and herbs for $10, truffle fries with Parmesan for $3, ahi tuna/kimchi/spicy pork tacos for $3, mini filet served over homemade mash $4, oysters on the halfshell for $6/dozen, and on and on and on. Oh, did I mention mini pizzas?? PIZZA! For under $5!! And the kicker? The food is amazing! It is local, it is fresh, it is delish. And the place itself is beautiful. It is like stepping into an artfully designed under-sea dream. Blue jewel tones and aqua touches are the theme, with local art, blue glass installations, and crystal chandeliers round it out. I went there with the BFF for ladies' night out last week, and had two (ok, four) glasses of champagne, a tuna taco, and one (ok, two) orders of truffle fries, and my bill was under $29. CAN'T. BEAT. IT. So, go. Go now. Oh, and did I mention the complimentary valet parking?? In Avondale, no less.
You are welcome.
Recipe:
Sweet & Spicy Chili
This is no ordinary chili, though it eats like any man-pleasing bowl of meaty yummyness. The allspice and white pepper are the secret to this comfort food.
You will need:
1.5 lbs ground beef (I like sirloin, but then I'm fancy like that)
2 cans red kidney beans
1 15ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 large Spanish or sweet onion, diced
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp white pepper
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp allspice
1 tbsp garlic powder
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch cinnamon
s&p to taste
In a large, high-sided skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add beef and onions and all spices, and cook until browned and tender. Add beans and tomatoes, and turn heat to medium low. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for one hour. Enjoy!
Isn't that the easiest recipe EVER? And it is soooooooooooo good. I like to serve mine with tortilla chips, diced red onion, diced jalapenos, chopped cilantro, and sour cream. And by serve, I mean make myself a huge bowl of it, and then go to town like no one is watching. Which I pray to God they are not because no one should have to see that display.
Also, this is a great recipe to make (probably a double batch) for a party, and set up a chili bar. Guests can help themselves, and I think it lends a fun and casual tone to any gathering. Just be sure to provide lots of napkins.
Now, since I happen to have some made, I am going to excuse myself so I can enjoy the fruits of my labor.
Have a great weekend!
Love,
Shana
Showing posts with label champagne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label champagne. Show all posts
Friday, April 26, 2013
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
And Then They Got Married
Good Morning Bloggies!!
I know I have been lame the past two weeks with the posts. I got married, and then I got a cold, and so I was just too tired/cranky/busy drowning in my own germs to post anything remotely interesting or funny. I actually did draft a post yesterday to put up, but it was somewhat political, and mostly a rant, and so I am still debating on whether or not to put it up. Because honestly, it feels like a cheap shot. And I don't ever want to be cheap with you. Unless it's cheap champagne, because we all know how I feel about THAT. Sometimes you gotta go what you gotta do. Am I right??
But I digress...
I got married! On November 11, 2012, I married the love of my life, Brian. And it was magical, and beautiful, and everything we hoped it would be. Our family and friends travelled from near and far to join us and celebrate and drink their weight in cocktails. Well, the goyim did. The Jews stuffed themselves with tea sandwiches and salmon. A fun time was had by all.
Seriously, people told us it was one of the best weddings they had ever been to. For various reasons, I'm sure.
For instance, I'm pretty sure the reason my bridesmaids thought it was the best wedding ever is because they spent their spare time dancing in cages with the groomsmen at a dance club, and then sipping cocktails at a speak easy where they had to have a secret password to get in, and then taking pictures of our vet lying shirtless on a table at a near-by bar. True stories.
But probably not the same as my Grandparents who loved it because it reminded them of when they got married, or the food was really good, or the endless dancing by a certain gentleman who shall remain nameless...HANK.
So yeah. It was a mixed bag. I will do a post with a blow-by-blow of what happened when, and who said what, but I am waiting on my wedding pics to come in so I can show you evidence of the craziness. And I need visual reminders so I don't mess up the timeline of events.
But in the meantime, let me share with you one of our unintentional family traditions for Thanksgiving. It cracks me up every year, and more so now that I have hosted the holiday myself and so can appreciate the insanity of it all:
Every year, without fail, something happens to the women in this family where the memory function of our brains shuts off when we step in the grocery store. I swear, no matter how many list we make, no matter how many phone calls we get(oh, the phone calls), we are going to forget something at the store EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. right up until the very last hour Publix is open on Wednesday night.
And let me just say, we are a very organized group. We usually never forget. But this time of year, here is a sampling of some of texts and calls we all share due to this problem:
Monday
Me to Mom(call): I forgot cranberry sauce. Whole or jellied?
Mom: Oh, no biggie. Just get both.
____
Nan to me(call): Are you getting the pies? I forgot the ice cream at the store today. Just get some while you are at Sam's. Also, do you have sugar?
Me: Yep, got it. I'll get two pies, and the ice cream.
____
Tuesday
Mom to me(call): Did you get cranberry sauce?
Me: DAMN! No. Going now. Anything else?
Mom: Pie?
Me: Shit! Did you get nutmeg?
Mom: I have nutmeg.
Me: go check.
Mom: I'm putting it on my list.
____
Me to Nan(call): I have the ice cream. What pies did you get?
Nan: You're getting the pies!
Me: What are you bringing?
Nan: Appetizers, and stuffing.
Me: Then why did I buy 10 lbs of cheese??
____
Mom to me(text): I got the ginger. Did you get cranberry sauce.
Me: Ginger? I thought it was nutmeg. They are out of cranberry sauce, going to a different store.
Mom: Got cinnamon.
Me: Ginger???
Mom: I now have every spice they sell.
Me: Awesome. Did you know Nan was bringing apps? I have extra cheese.
Mom: What about the pies?
Me: 10-4. Do you have the carrots?
Mom: Parsnips??
Me: Carrots?
Mom: Parsnips. And potatoes.
Me: Is this code for you're not making carrots?
Mom: I have iced tea.
Me: Carrots????? I'm telling Nan on you.
____
Wednesday
Mom to me(text): Did you get pie and cranberry sauce?
Me: Did you get carrots?
Mom: Get the damn sauce and pie.
Me: Some body's in trouble.
Mom: PIE????
Me: Yes ma'am.
____
Nan to Mom(call): I have cheese, stuffing, and rolls.
Mom: I got the parsnips, mac and cheese, and broccoli casserole.
Nan: Parsnips? What about carrots?
Mom: Shana forgot the pie and cranberry sauce. I think you should call her.
Nan: There had better be carrots.
So yeah, it goes round and round. And every year, at about 6am, the phone calls start the day of the big event. Because there is only one grocery chain that stays open on the holiday, and none of us live close to one, but you better believe that the husbands are getting in the car that day for anything that was left off the list. But the thing is, we always end up having everything, and way too much of it. Like, an obnoxious amount of food for the number of people being fed. But hey, it's how we roll. Get it? Roll? Like, rolls for dinner? Ahhhhhh, moving on...
Brian has been a part of this for the past few years, but now that he's legally bound to my charming(cough cough) family, the fun really begins. :) JK. My family is awesome, we're just a little nuts around the holidays. It's a very stressful time, ya know.
What about you bloggies? Do you have any non-traditional traditions that you want to share? I want to hear them!
Very forgetfully yours,
Shana
I know I have been lame the past two weeks with the posts. I got married, and then I got a cold, and so I was just too tired/cranky/busy drowning in my own germs to post anything remotely interesting or funny. I actually did draft a post yesterday to put up, but it was somewhat political, and mostly a rant, and so I am still debating on whether or not to put it up. Because honestly, it feels like a cheap shot. And I don't ever want to be cheap with you. Unless it's cheap champagne, because we all know how I feel about THAT. Sometimes you gotta go what you gotta do. Am I right??
But I digress...
I got married! On November 11, 2012, I married the love of my life, Brian. And it was magical, and beautiful, and everything we hoped it would be. Our family and friends travelled from near and far to join us and celebrate and drink their weight in cocktails. Well, the goyim did. The Jews stuffed themselves with tea sandwiches and salmon. A fun time was had by all.
Seriously, people told us it was one of the best weddings they had ever been to. For various reasons, I'm sure.
For instance, I'm pretty sure the reason my bridesmaids thought it was the best wedding ever is because they spent their spare time dancing in cages with the groomsmen at a dance club, and then sipping cocktails at a speak easy where they had to have a secret password to get in, and then taking pictures of our vet lying shirtless on a table at a near-by bar. True stories.
But probably not the same as my Grandparents who loved it because it reminded them of when they got married, or the food was really good, or the endless dancing by a certain gentleman who shall remain nameless...HANK.
So yeah. It was a mixed bag. I will do a post with a blow-by-blow of what happened when, and who said what, but I am waiting on my wedding pics to come in so I can show you evidence of the craziness. And I need visual reminders so I don't mess up the timeline of events.
But in the meantime, let me share with you one of our unintentional family traditions for Thanksgiving. It cracks me up every year, and more so now that I have hosted the holiday myself and so can appreciate the insanity of it all:
Every year, without fail, something happens to the women in this family where the memory function of our brains shuts off when we step in the grocery store. I swear, no matter how many list we make, no matter how many phone calls we get(oh, the phone calls), we are going to forget something at the store EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. right up until the very last hour Publix is open on Wednesday night.
And let me just say, we are a very organized group. We usually never forget. But this time of year, here is a sampling of some of texts and calls we all share due to this problem:
Monday
Me to Mom(call): I forgot cranberry sauce. Whole or jellied?
Mom: Oh, no biggie. Just get both.
____
Nan to me(call): Are you getting the pies? I forgot the ice cream at the store today. Just get some while you are at Sam's. Also, do you have sugar?
Me: Yep, got it. I'll get two pies, and the ice cream.
____
Tuesday
Mom to me(call): Did you get cranberry sauce?
Me: DAMN! No. Going now. Anything else?
Mom: Pie?
Me: Shit! Did you get nutmeg?
Mom: I have nutmeg.
Me: go check.
Mom: I'm putting it on my list.
____
Me to Nan(call): I have the ice cream. What pies did you get?
Nan: You're getting the pies!
Me: What are you bringing?
Nan: Appetizers, and stuffing.
Me: Then why did I buy 10 lbs of cheese??
____
Mom to me(text): I got the ginger. Did you get cranberry sauce.
Me: Ginger? I thought it was nutmeg. They are out of cranberry sauce, going to a different store.
Mom: Got cinnamon.
Me: Ginger???
Mom: I now have every spice they sell.
Me: Awesome. Did you know Nan was bringing apps? I have extra cheese.
Mom: What about the pies?
Me: 10-4. Do you have the carrots?
Mom: Parsnips??
Me: Carrots?
Mom: Parsnips. And potatoes.
Me: Is this code for you're not making carrots?
Mom: I have iced tea.
Me: Carrots????? I'm telling Nan on you.
____
Wednesday
Mom to me(text): Did you get pie and cranberry sauce?
Me: Did you get carrots?
Mom: Get the damn sauce and pie.
Me: Some body's in trouble.
Mom: PIE????
Me: Yes ma'am.
____
Nan to Mom(call): I have cheese, stuffing, and rolls.
Mom: I got the parsnips, mac and cheese, and broccoli casserole.
Nan: Parsnips? What about carrots?
Mom: Shana forgot the pie and cranberry sauce. I think you should call her.
Nan: There had better be carrots.
So yeah, it goes round and round. And every year, at about 6am, the phone calls start the day of the big event. Because there is only one grocery chain that stays open on the holiday, and none of us live close to one, but you better believe that the husbands are getting in the car that day for anything that was left off the list. But the thing is, we always end up having everything, and way too much of it. Like, an obnoxious amount of food for the number of people being fed. But hey, it's how we roll. Get it? Roll? Like, rolls for dinner? Ahhhhhh, moving on...
Brian has been a part of this for the past few years, but now that he's legally bound to my charming(cough cough) family, the fun really begins. :) JK. My family is awesome, we're just a little nuts around the holidays. It's a very stressful time, ya know.
What about you bloggies? Do you have any non-traditional traditions that you want to share? I want to hear them!
Very forgetfully yours,
Shana
Friday, November 2, 2012
Foodie Fridays are here again!
Happy Friday Bloggies!
Once again, in order to celebrate the happiness of Friday, we will not concern ourselves with the foolishness of others, but instead focus on delicious food. You will get one restaurant review and one recipe from my in-progress cookbook. Sounds like the best post EVER, right? Right.
Restaurant:
Metro Diner ( at Jacksonville Beach)
* On a weekend you are going to want to get there by 9am if you want a quick seat, otherwise the wait could be 30min- 1hr. But believe me, it is so worth it. Plus they give you free coffee in the meantime!
What to get: Anything. The food is SO GOOD! But some favorites are Eggs Benedict(they have five varieties) or the Yohala French Toast made with Challa bread, stuffed with fruit and cream cheese and topped with blueberry compote. YUM!!
This restaurant is truly one of the rare places where incredible food meets friendly, quick service and the atmosphere is awesome. You can even bring in your own booze. I will capitalize that for the people just scanning this post. YOU CAN BRING IN YOUR OWN BOOZE. They charge a $5 corking fee, and they will bring you wine glasses, beer mugs, champagne flutes, whatever you want. Kristin and I had champagne with our breakfast and made mimosas!
2 tbsp cinnamon
1pinch salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper(optional)
2 tbsp egg whites
Preheat the oven to 300. In a mixing bowl, lightly beat 3 egg whites until slightly frothy on top. Set aside. In another small bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a very large mixing bowl, put 2 tbsp egg whites in the bottom of the bowl. Pour pecans over them, and mix completely by hand until all pecans are wet and sticky. Pour sugar mix over them, and then continue to mix by hand until all pecans are covered in the mixture.
Pour onto a non-greased, non-stick baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Take pecans out, and using a silicon or non-stick spatula, lightly mix pecans around to get them off the sheet and kind of turned over. Put back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Take out and let cool before you serve. Let them cool completely, like an hour or so, before storing them in an air-tight container.
Merry Weekends,
Shana
Once again, in order to celebrate the happiness of Friday, we will not concern ourselves with the foolishness of others, but instead focus on delicious food. You will get one restaurant review and one recipe from my in-progress cookbook. Sounds like the best post EVER, right? Right.
Restaurant:
Metro Diner ( at Jacksonville Beach)
* On a weekend you are going to want to get there by 9am if you want a quick seat, otherwise the wait could be 30min- 1hr. But believe me, it is so worth it. Plus they give you free coffee in the meantime!
What to get: Anything. The food is SO GOOD! But some favorites are Eggs Benedict(they have five varieties) or the Yohala French Toast made with Challa bread, stuffed with fruit and cream cheese and topped with blueberry compote. YUM!!
This restaurant is truly one of the rare places where incredible food meets friendly, quick service and the atmosphere is awesome. You can even bring in your own booze. I will capitalize that for the people just scanning this post. YOU CAN BRING IN YOUR OWN BOOZE. They charge a $5 corking fee, and they will bring you wine glasses, beer mugs, champagne flutes, whatever you want. Kristin and I had champagne with our breakfast and made mimosas!
Yes, we had cheap champagne. It was what was available at the time of our brilliant idea, and I am not afraid to admit that I occasionally drink what is on sale. I love me a bargain! The only place I do not compromise is my vodka. That is just insulting.
It was a morning to remember. Kristin and I only felt slightly bad that we were getting drunk at 8:30am next to children ( at an adjacent table...we do not have our own crumb-snatchers yet.) But we felt completely indulgent in having a 3 hour breakfast. Seriously, we both left a HUGE tip for the waitress because I could see the panic in her eyes that we kept sitting and sitting and the line was piling up outside with hungry diners.
We had this conversation:
Kristin: I think those people are looking in the window at us because we have been sitting here for so long.
Me: Wave!!
Kristin: I think they're pissed that we won't give up the table. **shouting to people outside** "I have champagne!!" **points to her glass**
Me: I don't think that made it better.
Kristin: Oh, like waving and smiling did? Why don't you go ask if they want your autograph?
Me: We have half a bottle left, I am not going to be an irresponsible citizen and drive with that, and we are sure as shit not leaving it here.
Kristin: Honestly, we're doing them a favor by not contributing to the drunk driving problem. Or driving with an open container. Whatever.
Me: Exactly. ** shouting at people** "Model citizens at this table!" *pointing to both of us*
Kristin: I think that lady just gave you the finger.
So, go to Metro Diner!! Go and eat lots of yummy food and then come back and share your pics!!
Recipe:
Candied Pecans
What you need for each batch:
4 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup sugar2 tbsp cinnamon
1pinch salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper(optional)
2 tbsp egg whites
Preheat the oven to 300. In a mixing bowl, lightly beat 3 egg whites until slightly frothy on top. Set aside. In another small bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a very large mixing bowl, put 2 tbsp egg whites in the bottom of the bowl. Pour pecans over them, and mix completely by hand until all pecans are wet and sticky. Pour sugar mix over them, and then continue to mix by hand until all pecans are covered in the mixture.
Pour onto a non-greased, non-stick baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Take pecans out, and using a silicon or non-stick spatula, lightly mix pecans around to get them off the sheet and kind of turned over. Put back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Take out and let cool before you serve. Let them cool completely, like an hour or so, before storing them in an air-tight container.
Merry Weekends,
Shana
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