August, 2007 -

by Liza

Healthy Hearty Barley!

After overdosing on WAWA’s pasta salad (served in a convenient plastic to-go container of course) I decided I might need an alternative. And not just any alternative, because I’m very VERY picky about the contents in my pasta salad (I DO NOT eat that milky macaroni crap salad – barf) So I found this wonderful, De-lish, Liza approved, healthy hearty barley “pasta” salad.

Liza QuikTip: Buy Quick Cook barley so it doesn’t take an hour to cook

Click after the Jump for the recipe!

Empty Nest

My parents have lived in the very same house all my life. I love it. It’s really the definition of home.

I now live in D.C., my brother just moved back home post-college but is planning on moving out in the fall, and my sister is currently home for the summer until she goes back to school. So it’s really just Mom, Dad and Slugger, our lhasa apso.

Well, that clearly leads to needing a brand new, gourmet kitchen and a game room filled with a bar, poker table, pool table that turns into a ping pong table, shuffle board table and a flat screen HDTV, right? I told my parents, if they spring for the Kegerater, I’m moving home.

Regardless, after months of deciding on granite counter tops and back splashes and light fixtures and bar stools, we were finally able to use the kitchen and make a big family dinner in time for my dad’s birthday. With a new Wegmans up the street, my brother and I browsed the enormous super market and decided on mahi mahi (steak for my fish hating mom,) mashed potatoes and an assortment of veggies. I credit the whole fam for making this meal such a success.

Recipes and Game Room pics post-jump

Top Chef Recap: Episode 6 – Fusilli Boy

This was the episode in any reality show when the producers wake up and say, wait a minute, we’re halfway through the season and for some reason we still have the most annoying and least talented person on the air. I wonder if our viewers resent that at all. Oh, poor Joey from Long Island.

Joey started the episode by declaring that things were really heating up and he was definitely going to throw someone “over the bus” or perhaps even “over the balcony.” Okaaaay.

For the quickfire, TC decided to forget about cooking altogether and just hold a food bee where the cheftestants had to identify crazy foods like Yucca and Chayote. The chefs didn’t do so well; I guess they have never been to Mt. Pleasant. The fix is clearly in for Casey, who not only gets hotter every episode, but also stumbles upon victories less convincingly. Her mystery food item to identify: bowtie pasta.

The elimination challenge was a theme only Liza could love: create a frozen pasta dinner. Cheating alert! Hilariously, both Joey and Sara M. got bitched out by their partners for choosing to use tri-color fusilli, the staple of such elegant settings as the Sbarro buffet line.

Long story short: Nothing too amazing is cooked, and they finally get rid of Joey for making another inedible concoction. Only one obnoxious fat guy left. The obligatory video of Joey bawling like a baby (and calling Rocco Dispirito a douchebag!) is actually pretty great.

Photo: flickr user richcianci

in TV 5 comments

by BS

Welcome to the Millionaires Club

Pop quiz, hotshot. What do the following six blogs have in common: Gawker, Perez Hilton, Huffington Post, Daily Kos, TMZ and endless simmer?

As of today, they are all among the 1,000,000 most popular blogs on the Internet, according to Technorati, which tracks this sort of thing.

When we started five weeks ago we were something like the 8 millionth most popular blog, then we rose to the top 3 million in a few weeks, and now we have broken into the six figures at number 996,318. Any logical analysis indicates endless simmer should be number one by Labor Day.

How can you help? Make us one of your favorites at Technorati, and of course, if you have a blog or website, hook ES up with a link.

UPDATE: !!!!!!!!! We made it to number one! Thanks everyone! We’re the biggest blog on the Internet!

* There is a slight chance this is some sort of glitch. But I’m going with it – we’re ranked number 1.

Photo: Flickr user Witness 1.

in Personal 6 comments

by Edouble

Chimi what?

Chimichurri! This is an Argentine sauce that you eat with steak, mmmmmm…it’s f’in fabulous!

Here’s what’s in it:

Olive oil (about a cup)
Red wine vinegar (about a cup)
Chopped, fresh parsley (lots)
Garlic (lots)
Crushed red pepper flakes (a tablespoon)
Oregano
Salt (optional)

These are rough measurements since I never measure, but you can figure out the mix you like best. Point being that you stir all of this up in a bowl and then when you’ve got your nice grilled steak all sliced up, you drizzle this (or spoon it) onto every bite and good gravy it’s good.

Photo: Tenurecollegerfc

in Red Meat 3 comments

by gansie

NewsFlash: Gansie Finds 515th Way to Use an Avocado

Because of 80 Proof’s unfortunate bout with appendicitis, I have been working from home this past week. And working from home means lunch not out of the freezer.

After I whipped up a turkey, bacon and cheese sandwich (tip – lay shredded cheese on both sides of the bread and stick under the broiler for just a couple minutes, then assemble) for an immobile 80, I started working on my salad.

On my trip to the Mt. Pleasant Farmer’s Market this past weekend, I picked up my first heirloom tomato. Thinking of this Bon Appetit recipe, I created my own take on a caprese salad.

Avocado, Tomato and Mozzarella Mesclun Salad

Arrange mesclun greens on plate. Scatter slices of tomato (preferbly heirloom, or one from my dad’s garden – nothing beats a Jersey tomato) around the plate. Thinly slice mozzarella and overlap onto the tomato. Dice a half of an avocado and drop it all around the plate. Finish by drizzling extra virgin olive oil (I used my rosemary infused oil,) balsamic vinegar, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper over the salad.

in Cheese / Recipe / Veggie 12 comments

by BS

Stuff It Like It’s Hot

Inspired by my fav local Mexican place, I decided to try my hand at Chiles Rellenos, a brilliant invention that combines four of my top culinary delights: Mexican food, cheese, stuffing veggies and frying in oil. Genius.

Full disclosure: This was a joint venture with Chef Mom. Our cooking styles fit together well, although she did wash the floor after me about seven times during the process. I used this killer recipe, which I’ve written up after the jump, along with my modifications.

August 2007