Spice Mix -- Herbs de Provence

 I made a breakfast casserole for company last weekend that was awesome.  It was gone in the first setting.  No leftovers there.  In the recipe it called for a spice mix: Herbs de Provence.  Apparently, its all french herbs.  I got it from the homecooking about.com website:

3 Tablespoons dried marjoram
3 Tablespoons dried thyme
3 Tablespoons dried savory
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

I doubled the whole thing and it fits nice in a used spice bottle.  Very savory, and the smell is out of this world.

Chicken Quesadilla Nachos -- a.k.a. Leftovers

I really don't know what to call this, but it was so delicious, I will serve it when it's not on the left over list.

We grilled out chicken this past weekend, so we had some chicken breasts left over that didn't get eaten.  What to do, what to do?

I took out some Tortilla Strips, shredded Mexican cheeses, the last of a brick of jalapeno jack cheese, coarsely chopped up the chicken into bite size pieces and got out my favorite Frontera Chipotle Salsa.

Threw the tortilla strips on the plate in a shallow layer, layered the chicken on top of the tortilla strips, then layered the cheeses.  Popped the whole thing in the microwave for about 30 seconds tops.  Then poured the Chipotle on top.  I at it like nachos and with a fork depending on how messy the pieces were.  This really was a super good leftover!  Enjoy.

By the Way, there is a rare salsa, I just have to give a shout out to:  Frontera Chipotle Salsa.   I absolutely am addicted to this salsa.  I started eating it to help with a sinus headache because it was "hot" and I needed to kick the pain.  I now buy out our local store every time they get a shipment.  I eat it on eggs, hot dogs, steak, sandwiches.  Pretty much everything.

It's great for aches and pains, too!

The Field -- Hollywood, Florida

I had the pleasure of eating at The Field Irish Pub & Eatery in Hollywood, Florida last week.  Highly recommend going to the pub side of the restaurant.  You can order food from there and enjoy whatever entertainment they have going.  I was there on a Wednesday.  Granted, South Florida is always packed, any day of the week, but The Field handled the crowd and didn't feel like everyone was packed in.  We were seated right away with no reservations.

There was a Rod Stewart (George Orr) impersonator there, he was pretty good.  Sang some of the newer "old" songs that Stewart has been doing lately as well as some of the old ones.  He was funny, and shared some great Rod Stewart trivia.  I kind of wish I was there closer to the weekend for the other group that is there Thursday through the weekend--Celtic Bridge.  I like that kind of music for the eating part of our eating, George Orr seemed to enjoy entertaining.

I had the Wild Oak Smoked Salmon as an entree.  It was tasty.  At what I think was $12.50, a little high for an appetizer, but it was definitely enough for me as a meal.  I sampled the chicken pot pie which was fabulous, but more calories than I wanted to eat that night.  I also sampled the apple crumb tart with the optional ice cream on the side.  It was very delicious.

I've made plans to return there the next time I am in South Florida.

Pickled Eggs . . . and Beets

After years of eating my mother's pickled eggs and beets--asking for a recipe--leaving empty handed, a recipe arrived in the most interesting package.  I received a complimentary issue of a new magazine from allrecipes.  Inside was this awesome recipe submitted by "Cindy."  I made a few changes, so we'll see how it goes--and tastes.

8 hardcooked eggs/peeled
2 15 ounce jars picked beets
1 onion/chopped
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper
3 bay leaves
16 cloves

The eggs were hot when I peeled them, added them to everything else all at once and left them the whole thing out on the counter until the eggs cooled inside the rest of the ingredients.  This is a little easier than the recipe, so we'll see how it turns out in the days to follow.  I am excited to see how my hand at simplifying an already much too simple recipe.  "Cindy" called this a "Pennsylvania Dutch" recipe.  Now it's a much easier than easy version.

borrowed photo

borrowed photo

Manny's Chophouse

Manny's Chophouse is delicious.  I returned to the Lake Wales, Florida location for a second visit over the weekend and ordered what I think was the Southwest Chicken.  I'm not so sure there was much "Southwest" about it with all the bacon and cheese on it.  Perhaps the diced onions and tomatoes?  However, it was delicious.  As a person that almost always orders chicken, I will order this entree again.  I also ordered the black beans and rice.  A staple for me.  I was not disappointed with this choice.  It had a great flavor and if it came from a can, I couldn't tell.

Surprising for me, was the spread served with the complementary rolls.  It had a real cinnamon sugar taste, and was soft enough to dip the bread in.  I didn't eat the rolls or the spread last time, so glad I tried it this time.  If you find yourself in the real Central Florida, Manny's is just a few minutes off US27 in Lake Wales.  They don't open until 4:00--gotta love a place that stays open 30 minutes later on Fridays and Saturdays.  *wink*  Sunday is NOON - 9:30. 

Awesome Spice mix

So I watched Rachel Ray the other day and she made an awesome spice blend of some spices I just so happened to have all of but the sumac.  However, I had Paprika, so I give Rachel the credit here and add my hint to it.  This is from a show that aired March 5, 2013.  It highlighted Chicken Caesar Salad with this spice blend on the chicken.  I put it on a ribeye steak about 30 minutes before I threw it on the ol' George Foreman Grill.  It was delightfully understated.  Can't wait to try it on chicken.

I mixed up about 1:1 tbsp (except the thyme and parsley 2:1) of this blend and put it in an empty spice jar.

• 1 tablespoon ground sumac or paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/3 palmful
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or ground red pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 

 I'm thinking this might be a kind of cool gift for a friend I know would love to add this to her chicken or whatever meat she's grilling.  I'm going out tomorrow, so maybe I will find a little jar to put it in and share the mix with her.

Kicking It Up

It's been a year since I posted in my blogs.  I am taking a week to get myself together and start posting again.  I will be doing some follow up reviews on products I have bought like the Cuisinart Mandolin Slicer, my bamboo cutting board that is now a year old, and other odds and end products I've bought along the way, so stay tuned.

I've also done some research on "best" cooking procedures and even some great food straight from the shelf.  Wednesday, March 6, is the big day.  Don't miss it!