Chicken philly

I don't eat any red meat and my parents were not experimental cooks so until last year I had never had a philly of any type. There's a place called CJ's grill in Rogers Park and they have the BEST chicken phillys.They are insanely greasy!! I could wring out the fries with paper towel,and they would still taste greasy. This a a little grill I stumbled upon coming back from the movies with my them boyfriend.It was late and we wanted to try something new,ohhh it is so goood.

Oh and when I bought the hoagie rolls they came in a pack of 6,and I know your on the edge of your seat wondering what I did with all that leftover bread....I made enough garlic bread to last for at least 4 months.Melted down a few tble sp's of butter and a little more than enough olive oil to coat the pan.Seasoned with minced garlic,Parmesan and herbs de provence.I brushed it on the bread and froze it.But I've digressed..

I decided to make my own rendition of the sandwich. I like to cook it on my griddle because it makes me feel like I'm a chef in a food truck!!Crazy I know LOL.

Ingriedients:
*White Cheddar 3 slices
*Bell peppers & onion a few slices of each
*2 mushrooms
*3 chicken breast cutlets
(I had enough chicken and mushroom mixture leftover for another sandwich)

1)Slice up peppers, onions and season with salt, pepper and olive oil.Put them in the oven on 375 for 15-20 mins.

2)Clean mushrooms and be sure to pat them dry.If you have freakishly large shrooms like I did,cut them in half.
3)Cut the chicken on a bias,then wash your hands(its very important).
4) Turn the griddle onto 400 and slather olive oil evenly upon griddle.
5)Put shrooms on griddle,after they've been on for about 5 mins add the meat.Season it with salt,pepper and chili powder.

Before After about 12 mins(cooked for 15 in total)

After this the only thing left to do is make and chow! I cut the ends off my bun because the bun is really bready and ya'll know I have a thing about carbs...
Anyhoo I toasted the bread on the griddle, I probably should've toasted it in the oven because the cheese was melty enough for me. Here's the final product,it was good but not greasy.

Eat this not that(worst sandwiches)

I loooove eating this and not that! I really love this articles because author David Zinczenko is able to really break this meals/sandwich's down for the reader and explain to us what were really doing to our body.

Here is the article that I stumbled upon :http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/worst-sandwiches-america
I've always walked away from his articles feeling enlightened,but this one imparticular struck a chord with me,let me tell you why my friends.
I grew up eating....food that was less than desirable. It wasn't that that my parents were bad cooks,cause they weren't,but my dad was a health food freak.So for lunch I would have sprouts & mayo sandwich(that's the health food brand mayo),peanut butter& sprouts,peanut butter & honey...I really could go on and on but for fear that your already vomiting I'll stop. By the time I was 13 I had begun buying my own lunches when I wanted to,and disposing of the..well you know.. Henceforth began my quest of finding a healthy sandwich that was not completely gross. One of my fav home made sandwich's is 2 pc's of rye bread hummus on 1 slice toasted with melted mozzarella.3 slices of grilled eggplant,some grilled bell peppers and onions,not too much and 3 slices of turkey!! It's loaded right? I know and that's the way I like it,uh huh uh huh.

When you read this article I want you to keep in mind that the average adult should have no more than 2,300 Mg's of sodium per day.Something else that interesting about these articles...why is The Cheesecake Factory always on the list and usually always #1? I almost hate to scroll down to the bottom whenever I read one of these articles because I know whats coming.I like that restaurant but I don't go very often,so that's ok right?Tell me what are some of your fav home made sandwiches? be sure and check back this weekend for the making of one of my new found fav's.

Symphony's in Evanston

Symphony's is an upscale but relaxed break from the craziness that is downtown Evanston. The prices are good and the ambiance is laid back. Its nice for brunch after church,or a date on friday. I discovered this charm shortly after I moved here and applied for a job as a waitress,a job I did not get. Ugh that was my 2nd job stop of that day and it was at least 80 degrees that day. Anyway God always has a better plan!

Fast forward to present day...I've been to Symphonys a few times but I'll just talk about this sunday. The service is always good here,and so is the food. I chose the Hobo skillet which consists of 3 cheeses(heaven!!!!!), potatoes and 2 eggs. I swapped out one of the cheeses for turkey sausage,which costs an extra $2.50,not bad. A skillet is not a skillet if theirs no meat.End of story.Here is what it looked like,oh and it also came with 2 pieces of rye toast,as if Idont already have a carb addiction!

Now, I know these does not look appetizing but it was good. I do have a few faults with it though...

Firstly the potatoes were hash browns,I want cubed potatoes in my skillet not hash browns. Thats just how I feel though. Secondly the egg to potato ratio was off.In my opinion my skillet should have more egg than potato,but not too much egg(I sound like Adrian Monk from the USA show Monk right??) I didn't have enough egg,but those really are my only issues. If you live in the Chicago area add this to your list of things to do.

A Lazy Girls Po'boy

As much as I love food I do not feel like cooking everyday,nor do I feel like cooking for hours whenever I do cook.Nor do I like to empty the dishwasher. Its so weird because I have no problem putting the dishes in thier..but I ever want to take them out.This is a tasty po'boy and it takes all of 25 mins.

The very first time I had a po'boy was on the way to my sisters graduation from Cornell Univ.Its a looong drive from Detroit,MI to Ithaca, NY we were traveling in our RV and we got a tire blow out.Yep.Somewhere in Ohio.Me and my 2 brothers (while waiting for the tire to be fixed)went into the travelers station diner and my younger brother ordered a shrimp po'boy. It was a po'boy to remember.It was delicious but *Bar Louie currently has the best.(*this fact subject to change whenever I change it).

For A Lazy girls Po'boy you will need:

1. Something like a hoagie bun,french bread is perfect.
2. 2 slices of white cheddar.
3. 2 slabs of chicken tenders
4. 1/2 bottle of Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce,this is just what I used,but feel free to experiment.
5. Few slices of bell pepper & onion.
6. 2 pc's of turkey bacon.

Here are the super simple steps:
1.Cook peppers,bacon & onion on low heat w/olive oil for 5 mins

2.Put chicken in on medium heat and let it simmer in BBQ sauce,with lid on for about 15mins.Watch them because they are slabs and are smaller they cook fast.

3.Take meat our after about 15mins and shred with 2 forks.NO KNIVES ALLOWED.After the meat has been shredded put it back in the sauce and let it cook for another 10mins on low.At this point you should cut your bread in half,but not all the way.Season the bun with butter and garlic salt then put it in the oven on 400.

After the bun is good and crusty take it out the oven,it only takes about 10 mins. Put the 2 slices of white cheddar on the bun(next time I will put the cheese in the oven w/the bun to melt it more)then pile on the good stuff,really pile it;I still have some meat left over.Then toss on some lettuce and its feeding time!It really was easy and sooo good,so much flavor,you know I like flavor!

Morse Fresh Market

I want to start this post off by letting you bloggers know,its ok to comment.I've checked my stats and they're are definitley people reading the blog,but no one says anything, :). Am I that boring and hodrum??Nahh I'm not! Anyhoo feel free to drop me a line.

Today I will share with you my favorite grocery store in Rogers Park,which is the neighborhood I live in. Its the Morse Fresh Market on More and Glenwood, it is located conviently blocks away from my home. I would suggest not going to late though. Some horrible things happen on Morse between the hours of 10pm-6am,but the market closes at 8pm. This is going to sound crazy(get used to me prefacing sentences with that alot) but this market is one if the main reasons I don't want to leave Rogers Pk. They dont sell wine which is ok because 2 doors down form the market are 2 different liquor stores. They also dont really have a very big frozen selection,which is ok with me because I dont actually eat very much frozen food. It's called the fresh market for a reason. The service is always very friendly and the manager is really good at remembering the different faces that come in and out of the store.

There is only one bad thing I must warn you about...There is a horrendous stinch as you walk towards the back of the store where the deli and butcher is. It resembles the smell of dog food and dead birds. I think the reason for this is because they have alot of fresh meat and the store is really tiny and small and they only have a little space to store it.

Lastly and probably most important the price is right,its better than right.Here is a list of what i bought this sunday:
a bunch Cilantro,a bunch of grapes,4 pears,turkey breast slabs,tortillas,5 yogurts,1liter of juice,1 block of colby cheese,garlic bread,a clove of garlic,white onion,dozen eggs,and a bag of spinach.
I spent $32 and some change,and that bloggers & bloggettes is the reason I come back for more.

Turkey meatballs

I have only made meatballs maybe..2wice in my life and Thursday I was just in a meatball mood.The last time I made meatballs I baked them and I wasn't exactly pleased with the outcome.They were really tiny and lacked in flava.Yes they had flavor just not enough flava! After looking online at a few recipes I came up with my own:
*2 sm. pieces of asiago cheese bread (Panera has the best)
*Pinch of cayenne and black pepper & salt
*1.26 lb of turkey
*1 TBS of finely grated parmesan.
* 1 egg
* Generous pinches of basil,oregano,herbs de provence (1/2 TBS)
Because of the asiago cheese bread and the parmesan you hardly need salt.Mix it altogether,be sure all the seasonings are well incorporated.You can roll them into any size you like,I got about 15 nicely sized meatballs.

*On medium heat pour enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the saute pan.
*Put the balls in and turn them as they begin to cook,so that each side cooks evenly.

*When they're halfway done cooking start to drain some of the excess oil out with a spoon.
*Then turn the heat down to low-medium and pour in the sauce,if you don't turn the heat down first the sauce will SPLATTER!
*Let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for 20 mins and devour!

My Favorite things

Today I chosen to share with you some of my favorite foods from some folks who were very instrumental in my life.

I'll start with my mom who went on to glory when I was just 5wks.I dont have very many of her things to hang on to.One of my favorite things is a cute little pink & flowered small notebook that she wrote recipes in.This notebook has been monumental as far as helping me get to know my mother on my own terms.Out of that book the thing I love the most is the cheesecake recipe.Actually its a combination of 2 of her cheesecake recipes.Though my father always raved about allll of her food the cheesecake was clearly his favorite.It has become my go to cheesecake recipe,I may not always put kahlua in it like she did but its my homebase for any cheesecake.

The second thing would be my grandmothers spaghetti and lemon icing.No we didnt typically eat them together,LOL.My grandparents house was the only place I was encouraged to be in the kitchen and I loved it!My grandma used to make her own spaghetti sauce,the recipe of which I still dont have.I remember after I'd been in college for about 2months,I called my grandma and told her how much I missed her spaghetti.Sure enough the next wknd I came home she had a big pot of it waiting,I ate some there and then took like a pound back with me. I just loved that her spaghetti always tasted like it was....un-manufactored and just for us.It was full of love and trust me,you can taste that.Now the lemon icing.All of 4 ingriedients.My grandmother lived thru the great depression and she knows how to stretch a dollar.This icing was sooo good,I couldn't wait for my grandfather to bake the cake,let it cool, and ask her to make the icing.Whatever leftover icing there was I got the biggest soup spoon I could find and went to town!

My grandfathers catfish,nuff said,but I'll give you more.My grandfather has not eaten fish since hmmm the 1940's?he ate too much during the war and never ate it again.But he can fry the hell outta some catfish.It was not un-common for us to have catfish and grits on July 4th.My grandad a true southern from Eastman Georgia(never heard of it have you?),still believes in breading the catfish in a paper bag then frying.It is sooo good.What are some of your favorite hand me down recipes?

BBQ Pizza

Guess what guys??I'm blogging from home for the first time!!!I had to go to Best Buy and rough them up.Read the story in my Mazel of the wk.

I made pizza completely for scratch yesterday,it was fun! I was nervous because I have a baaad track record with yeast but it turned out really well.I used a Kansas City BBQ sauce recipe and I have no idea where I found it at.Here is a Kansas city recipe I found that similar to what I did use: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/kansas_city_barbecue_sauce/
My recipe is a little more simple:

• Sift together 1/4 TSP of all spice,cinnamon,mace,pepper and 1/2 TSP of curry powder,chili powder & paprika into a bowl

• Stir in 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1/2 TSP of hot sauce 1 cup of ketchup and 1/3 cup of molasses.(which I did not use after realizing I had none.I did however add 1 TSP of sugar to counteract the spice.)

• Mix until well blended,its delish!

Click here here is the recipe for my crust http://www.food.com/recipe/quick-and-easy-pizza-dough-117532
A few things about the crust:
*On the outer edge of the crust I brushed on some olive oil and garlic pepper.
*I would suggest a blind bake of about 10mins on the crust,just because smoked gouda burns easily and my crust (under the sauce) wasnt as done as the outer crust.
*The recipe will tell you to use 2/3 of a cup of water+2tbspn,you will need more.I used about half of a cup. Heres what I got:

Ok onto the not so nerve-wracking stuff!!The pizza toppings:I used a little less than a 4th of a white onion sliced it,seasoned it with olive oil,salt and pepper,uber easy!Put them in the oven on 370 for about 15mins until they loose their crunch.This is gonna sound crazy but I had a hard time not eating them right out the oven!
I then shredded a cup of smoked gouda ( my absolute favorite!!!!)and 1/2 cup of extra sharp cheddar cheese.Then everything goes on the pie.
Before: After:

Ok does this pizza look good or does it look gooood.I'm not bragging but I enjoyed it.
I know the pics aren't the best quality but blogging is new to me so hang in here with me!!

Fish's Eddy

I dont go to New York very often but when I do their is absolutely positively one thing I must do.I must visit Fishs Eddy. ( http://www.fishseddy.com/ ) This is my favorite store in New York.It really is.To say that its reasonable priced would be understatent,its cheap!I like nothing more than to get good quality stuff for cheap prices,and at Fishs Eddy I.Clean.Up.It's a very small shop s0 its kinda cramped but its sooo worth squeezing in my hips for 15mins to get all that amazing kitchen stuff.Now here are all of my wonderfully cheap finds:

2 slotted spoons, a gravy ladle and 2 large spoons.

(below) I bought 2 of these 3 yrs ago last time I was at Fishs Eddy.Unfortunately I broke one in April after a lovely night filled with,long islands,shots of kamikaze and....a friend vomiting in my car.

There you have it bloggers & bloggettes I got 4 shot glasses,2 drinking jars,a silicone pastry brush(not pictured)2 daiquiri glasses,1 tumbler and 5 spoons for(I want you to guess how much you think I paid) Did you guess? Well it was a whopping $35.00.That included shipping and handling because the only thing I carried on the plane with me was the spoons and brush.I'm really happy with everything I bought.I really need to find good recipe for a daiquiri though,because I hardly ever make them.

Easy Peach Cobbler

Hubba,hubba I still don't have my AC cord,but much like the beat the blog must go on.Hello all and happy new year!Does anybody do new yr's resolutions anymore?I dont but I am making a conscience effort to stop eating as many carbs....right after I finish the peach cobbler I made,which I gave half of away.I usually make myself and end of the yr peach cobbler.Its easy and its become of one of my turn to recipes.This was interesting for me because I dont really measure anything,I'm very visual.I broke out the measuring cups just for you guys.Here it goes:





You will need:

• 2cans of 13oz Del monte peaches


• dash of maple syrup
  


• 1/2 TSP of nutmeg


• 1/2 TSP of cinnamon
  
  


• 1/8th TSP of pumpkin spic
  
  


• 2 healthy TBS of sugar

Dump the peaches in to a pot (dutch oven if you have one,feel free to send me one cause I don't have one).Stir in the spices it does not matter what order.When the peaches began to bubble turn the heat off,remove it from the eye and let simmer.You can then began to work on the crust

For the crust I use the Betty Crocker crust that comes in a box and you can just add 1/3 cup of cold water to it.Recently I was watching Jamie Oliver make pot pie and he said that your not supposed to move the cutting board as you roll the dough just keep moving the dough and it really works.

Once you've gotten the crust rolled as you desire,and you have but your bottom layer of crust down; use a slotted spoon to put the peaches in the pan.Then put the top layer of crust on.I also sprinkle a sugar on top and a few dollops of butter,to really make sure its that perfect brown!

After it has baked at 400 degrees for about 40mins it should look like this:I'm still working on the lattice,but I'm almost there