The Gorsuch Gang

Desperately Seeking Skillet

// March 7th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Grub

This fall, I will have had my wonderful set of Calphalon non-stick cookware for five years.  (I originally got it as a wedding present.)   It has seen me through a lot of good meals and stuck with me through the bad ones, but two of my skillets have recently bit the dust.

I’ve decided for Mother’s Day that I want a new set of cookware and I want to go with this stainless steel set from Calphalon.  Non-stick is great, but you really have to baby it so I’d like something that I could throw in the dishwasher if I’m feeling lazy.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Sage Butter Sauce and Roasted Carrots

// January 18th, 2010 // No Comments » // Grub

I really wish I could take full credit for the dinner we had last night, but I can’t.  The incredibly easy and delicious roasted carrots were thanks to Jamie Oliver’s recipe, The Best Whole-Baked Carrots .   Which by the way, if anyone is in the market for a new cookbook, I highly recommend his Cook With Jamie cookbook, page after page of really great food that is super easy to make.  As for the pasta dish, my online grocery store suggested a sage butter sauce to accompany their fresh whole wheat pasta and that is where I came into play by making my own sauce.

Below is what I came up with.  The sauce turned out well, but I added garlic thinking it would compliment the sage, but instead it overpowered it.  Next time I will leave the garlic out and add more sage.  The fresh pasta really made a difference too.  I know it is healthier to eat whole wheat pasta and I faithfully buy it, but I’m not a huge fan.  Some brands can taste like cardboard, but this fresh version was heavenly.  Of course I completely knock out any health benefits because of the butter sauce.  Just make this once in a blue moon and you’ll be fine.  (I also recommend sprinkling grated Pecorino Romano cheese on at the end.)

Sage Butter Sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 good sized springs of sage (keep the sprigs intact)

1 tsp olive oil

1 stick unsalted butter

Saute the garlic in the olive oil until slightly browned.  Reduce the heat to low and add the butter.  Once the butter has melted, add in the sage and simmer on very low heat for about 10 minutes.  The sage will wilt and should be removed before using the sauce.

Maternity Leave

// September 21st, 2009 // No Comments » // Grub

It should come as no surprise that I’d be posting a Maternity Leave notice.  We are expecting twins in the very, very, very near future and with that said, my cooking intentions and inventions have dwindled.  I thought it best to go ahead and put up the notice now since I’d be kidding myself if I actually thought I’d be posting in the coming days or weeks.

Hopefully once things settle down around here and I’ve gotten into my new mom routine, I can get back to the food I love.

Spicy Brussels Sprouts Take Two

// August 2nd, 2009 // No Comments » // Grub

Last year I came up with an easy recipe to liven up frozen brussels sprouts and we’ve eaten them this way since.  After all the jalapenos we gathered a couple of weeks ago, I thought it would be a good idea to try them in a new version of spicy brussels sprouts.  Below is the recipe I came up with.  Like the original, it is easy and definitely gives the plain, sometimes bitter brussels sprouts a new flavor that might suit a picky eater in your home.  Part of the inspiration behind this new version came from the fact that I had some bacon that I did not want to ruin, so this is why there is so much in the recipe.  I will admit that next time I will use more jalapenos and less bacon, the latter really took over the flavor of the dish.  However, if you are crazy about bacon then this recipe is perfect for you.  Again, it is something you can play with to meet your own needs.

1 pkg frozen brussel sprouts, partially thawed
8 slices of bacon
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 jalapenos, seeded and sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Begin by frying the bacon in a large skillet, cooking in batches if necessary, until done but not crisp.  Reserve and chop up four slices of the bacon for the dish.  Meanwhile, slice the brussels sprouts in the food processor (or slice in half with a knife). Once the bacon is done cooking, add the sliced brussels sprouts, garlic, and jalapenos to the bacon grease.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Saute the enitre mixture until the brussels sprouts are brown and slightly crisp.  Before serving, add the chopped bacon to the dish.

Jalapenos!

// July 25th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Grub

We picked a bunch of jalapenos from our garden this morning.  Unfortunately, our garden isn’t doing so well this year thanks to the wacky summer we’ve had so far in New York.  With 20 plus days of rain in June and now a July that is almost over without a single day reaching 90 degrees, we don’t have a lot of harvest to show.  However, with all these jalapenos I’m thinking a batch of G-Man’s Salsa is in order.

NYC Restaurant Week – Maybe Next Year

// July 17th, 2009 // No Comments » // Grub

The summer edition of NYC Restaurant Week’s runs from July 12 – 30 this year.  I was so excited that I booked a dinner date at Butter with Michael as soon as the reservations opened.  I’ve been wanting to check out this place ever since I first saw head chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli on Chopped.  Sadly though, I’ve had to cancel our reservation.  I recently was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and I just don’t think I should splurge on a delicious meal when I should be carefully watching my diet for my twins’ sake.

Maybe next summer we can find a suitable location with great food and a family environment. 

Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes

// July 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Grub

Sometimes you just have to be bad, and when I want to be really bad, I break out the big skillet and the oil to make Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes.  I don’t do this often, but when I do, I certainly enjoy it.

I’m sure everyone knows how to make chicken fried steak or any other fried meat concoction for that matter, but since this is a cooking blog, I’ll go through the steps I used.  Usually I’ll use a three-step process for the breading where either bread crumbs or panko breading will be used as the final coat.  However, this time I decided to try a double coat of whole wheat flour.  I know, it’s a silly way to try and make this healthier but I had it on hand and thought that it might add something to the flavor.  Wheat flour is generally heavier tasting than regular flour, but I thought it would add something to the flavor and hold up well to the grease.

I started by assembling my breading station with the first container filled only with whole wheat flour.  The second container consisted of two eggs beaten with a splash or two of Worcestershire sauce.  The final container included more whole wheat flour, and a teaspoon each of garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, plus a good dose of salt and pepper.  Before I started dipping the incredibly massive steaks, I also sprinkled salt and pepper on each.  Then off to the frying pan!

I have to say that the whole wheat flour held up really well and I ended up with a nice, thorough coating on each steak.  However, I underestimated the heaviness of the flour and decided in the end that I really needed to have used more salt in the final breading container.  It still came out good, but more salt would have helped.

Finally for the gravy I used the remainder of the spiced flour, adding a little extra paprika and salt and pepper. I won’t begin to explain how to make gravy, because it is such an instictive thing.  You really have to use your gut feeling to get the proper amounts of flour and milk to make the grave the consistency you want.  Besides, I’m fairly new to actually accomplishing gravy.  Mashed potatoes are mashed potatoes, so again, make them how you wish.

Michael and I were only able to finish half of our plates.  It’s a heavy meal that is for sure!

Southern Pennsylvania Tour

// July 5th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Grub

Michael and I decided to drive into southern Pennsylvania for our last trip as a childless couple.  We explored Lancaster, Hanover and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania sampling some of the local fare as well as enjoying the historical sites.

One of our first stops was to an Amish visitor center where there was a fresh food store next door.  We indulged in buying some raisin bread, peach butter, fresh blueberries and local apple cherry cider for a filling afternoon snack.

While researching the area for our trip, I found two microbreweries for us to try out.  I really thought Michael would enjoy these as he loves to try local brews.  We had lunch one day at the Lancaster Brewing Company and dinner one night at the Appalachian Brewing Company.  Both meals turned out to be nothing more than standard pub fare which, I expected.  I will say at the LBC though, I had an interesting Caesar salad that was composed of half a romaine heart that had been briefly charred on the grill.  At first I wasn’t sure about the crispy texture of the lettuce, but it grew on me.  Michael enjoyed the bratwurst sandwich and thought the beer was worthy of a second take so he purchased some to take home with us.

I have to admit that the rest of our trip consisted of mostly pub type food.  Not that we intended on this being the case, but it seemed like every restaurant we tried, we got the same result.  Besides the plentiful and gourmet breakfasts we enjoyed at the bed and breakfast we stayed at, nothing else was outstanding.  This was a bummer as I had hoped to have at least one good meal.  I had banked on the recommended Dobbin House Tavern for a special meal on the last night of our trip, but sadly that didn’t turn out to be much either.

The one interesting appetizer on the Dobbin menu, the Crab Avocado Louis, turned out to be a hard avocado half topped with a sauce that I can only describe as tasting like deviled egg filling with a side of lump crab meat.  Two steaks and potatoes later, we decided we’d struck out on our food adventure.  Another inn serving semi-colonial fare turned out the same way with the only saving grace being a side dish of sweet breads, or fruit bread, served with fresh apple butter.

With our food adventure at an end, I did manage to see something that turned my frown upside down.  While traveling back to our B&B on that final night, I noticed a local meat market/butcher shop with an unusual logo.  Now I’m not an advertising expert, but I’d think that a picture of a cow with this look would deter some from shopping in my store.  I’m sure it’s a lovely shop, but seriously, this cow needs to go.

Happy Birthday Michael!

// June 28th, 2009 // No Comments » // Grub

Tabla's Main Dining Room - Photo Courtesy of New York Magazine

We celebrated Michael’s birthday this weekend by going to dinner at Tabla in Manhattan.  I had previously had the pleasure of dining at this eclectic Indian restaurant before and I had a feeling Michael would enjoy it too.

We started our meal with a complimentary shot of cold cucumber soup with cumin and basil.  A fresh and very different take on cucumber that we both enjoyed.  Next up were our appetizers with a watermelon, arugula, and peanut salad for me and a spice rubbed roasted quail with an avocado filled with pickled ramps and caramelized shallots for Michael.  Then we were treated again with a complimentary appetizer, this time a fried squash blossom stuffed with chipotle ketchup.  By this point, we were already full but we soldiered on.

For our entrees, I enjoyed the braised short ribs and spiced hanger steak with braised romaine and fingerling potatoes while Michael had the poulet rouge chicken with baby cauliflower, cashews, and pickle jus. I believe Michael’s entree was declared the winner in this round.

Finally for dessert, I chose the pineapple croquettes with a mild pink peppercorn ice cream, almond butter and ginger lemongrass sauce.  Michael sampled the dark chocolate ganache with peanut streusal, dulce de leche ice cream and thai chili gelée.

After this amazing meal, we had to revise our final plans for the evening.  As a tradition, we buy each other birthday cakes and this year I purchased a Cookie Dough Delirium cake from Cold Stone Creamery.  It was Michael’s choice of course.  However, after our incredibly filling and satisfying meal from Tabla, we had to postpone the cake until today.  It worked out though as Michael seemed pleased!

Vacation Food

// June 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Gab, Grub

I’ve been busy lately and have neglected the ole site here.  In my defense though, I did go on vacation last week and I made sure to capture some food pictures from my travels.  I visited my home state which meant I ate a lot of fast food, but tasty fast food.  I know I’ve complained about chain restaurants before, but if there is a Sonic, a Braum’s and a Pizza Hut within my distance – I will go there.  I can’t help it.

I might also mention that the night I arrived in my hometown, they were having their annual Sandbass Festival.  This is a local festival that brings out the people in droves to hear live music, ride scary carnival rides, and eat all the unbelievably unhealthy foods available from various vendors.  (Picture a state fair, but on a much smaller scale.)  I made my way straight to the Strawberry New Orleans trailer.  Formerly known as a Strawberry Newburger, this dessert is a puff pastry filled with vanilla pudding and topped with strawberries and whipped cream.  It’s massive, it’s a pure sugar rush, and it was the best dessert I’d had in awhile.  I opted to take it home with me so as not to embarrass myself in public when I woofed it down.

As I mentioned above, I enjoyed my fair share of savory items too including fried striper and fried catfish.  I had never had striper before, but thanks to my Dad and his girlfriend, I am hooked.  In fact, I found it better than fried catfish which, had previously been the only freshwater fish I’ve eaten.  Let’s not forget that there were some french fries dipped in the same cornmeal batter and fried as well.  Oh yes, it was all very tasty.

While my arteries recover, I’m hoping inspiration will hit me this week and I’ll actually create something.