Weekend Round-Up!

So, this weekend was a whole lot of fun.  I was a little worried after a Thursday night awkward discussion with someone new in my life.   Sometimes I forget that even if someone asks your opinion, they may not be ready for it.  But, despite that, I had a wonderful time and started to make advancements on my 30 under 30 list!

First, I had two friends over for dinner on Friday.  It went swimmingly.  This wasn't my fancy dinner party with the pretty invitations and the gourmet food, it was more like decent food, decent drinks, and great company.  

We had frogmore stew, which is a low country boil from North Carolina.  

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning per gallon water (or more to taste)
• several lemons, halved (optional)
• redskin potatoes (depending on size, 3 or more per person)
• turkey sausage, cut into 1-inch slices (¼ pound per person)
• fresh corn, broken into halves or thirds (1 ½ ears per person)
• shrimp (½ pound per person)
• butter, melted

PREPARATION:

Fill a large steamer pot halfway with water. Add crab-boil seasoning (or more to taste). Several halved lemons may be added as well.

When the seasoned water comes to a boil, add redskin potatoes and boil for 20 minutes; then add one-inch slices of spicy smoked sausage and boil for 5-10 minutes. Add the corn) and boil another 5 minutes. (Begin timing immediately. Do not wait for it to boil again). Then add the shrimp. Cook for 3 minutes, drain, and pile on a table.

Serve with lots of paper towels

I also served cucumber salad, which is sliced cucumbers, onions, salt, sugar, vinegar, water, and dill.  There aren't any exact measurements, other than just a splash of vinegar, I just generally throw all the ingredients in a bowl, put it in the fridge for an hour and then taste.  Adjust as needed.

We had bread and oil dipping sauces, as well.  So good!! We ate 1 baguette and 1/2 a loaf that night.  Yummy!!  

For dessert, I had a basic apple crumble.  

INGREDIENTS:

Crumble Topping:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter

Apple Mixture (serves 3):

3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup Equal Spoonful
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups peeled, cored, sliced Granny Smith or other baking apples (about 3 medium) 

PREPARATION:

Combine cornstarch, Equal, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Sprinkle over apples in large bowl and toss to coat. Arrange apples in baking dish.  Combine topping ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over top of pie. Bake at 400° for 45 to 50 minutes, until apples are tender and topping is browned.

Saturday was a great night for food, as well!  It started with Salade de Chèvre Chaud avec sa Vinaigrette, which is basically a salad with a homemade vinaigrette, crouton, and melted goat cheese.  It's as good as it sounds.  Better even. 

For the main course, we had ratatouille, Ritz style, and filet mignon with a drizzle sauce.  I can't describe to you in words how wonderful this dish was.  Here's a pic:

It's 10 times better than my iPhone picture.  I'll get to posting the recipe, and maybe even a little video of how-to at some point.  It isn't my recipe, but it will be.  :-)

Sunday, my friends and I went to Allgood Cafe for brunch.  I can wholeheartedly recommend their breakfast tacos and chicken-fried steak.  I try chicken-fried steak a lot, and this, so far, is the best in Dallas.  I'll admit, I haven't tried it on every menu, but I've had it enough times to know when I taste good chicken-fried steak.  And this, my friends, is good chicken-fried steak.  So, if you are ever in the mood for brunch, check it out.  Oh, and they have interesting waitstaff and great decor.  See photo below:

After eating a robust meal, we walked to the local farmers market to explore what the farmers had to offer.  I purchased a yellow bell pepper plant and a cilantro plant for my little indoor garden.  Now I only need to find a lemon tree, and, well...attempt them alive.  It will be the first thing I can officially cross off of my list.  I'm excited!!