Souper Suppers

The new king of grillin?

2009-06-03T15:09:00.002-04:00

Well just look what I found on the Facebook page of my good friend Aaron. Has the student surpassed the master? Evidently Yes! Grilled Pork tenderloins in balsamic and rosemary glaze. Oh, and by the way it doesn't get any better than this! AWESOME JOB perfectly cooked. I can almost taste the moistness.

IT is about time

2009-06-03T14:49:00.004-04:00

While it is definitely about time I got around to posting it is also about time why I have not gotten around to posting. We have had visitors and that was wonderful but who wants to post when you are busy eating great meals and enjoying the company of those you love. Yesterday we headed out to Sam's to pick up some MEAT and they had a good sale on T-bones so how could a brother resist. Here are some pictures of last nights dinner T-bones , grilled rosemary and olive oil potato wedges and saute' baby bella's.

The first pic is my hottie wife, doing what she loves to do. I LOVE that woman.

Beef tips over noodles

2009-04-02T18:17:00.009-04:00

A few nights ago I (Susan here) made beef tips from a small piece of Fillet Mignon that we had in the freezer (we like to buy whole fillets when they are on sale and freeze them). Easy and quick to do. I also had some baby bellas (portabella mushrooms) in the fridge, so I added them. We had left over spaghetti noodles to serve the tips over.

First I cubed up the beef, we like it quite rare, so I left the cubes large.

To a very hot pan, I added olive oil, a few cloves of garlic and then the mushrooms, seasoned w/ Adobo. Sautee mushrooms to a golden brown.
Once the mushrooms are browned to your liking, de-glaze the pan w/ some type of liquid. I used red wine for the bold flavor (and I enjoyed a glass while cooking). Anybody else love 2 buck chuck?Remove the mushrooms to a seperate bowl , add a little more olive oil to the pan and add the beef cubes, seasoned w/ garlic salt, black pepper and adobo. Make sure the pan is good and hot before you add the meat. Brown the meat on all sides and de-glaze the pan w/ beef base. Return the mushrooms to the pan.
We had some garlic butter left in the freezer from the last batch that our good friend Scott made for us, so I added a touch of that as well. Make sure you add enough of the beef broth to have a good bit of sauce for the noodles.

I fried up the left over spaghetti (I like crispy noodles), spiced up w/ a little cayenne, of course.Serve up the noodles in a bowl and top w/ the tips/mushrooms/sauce - top w/ a little parmesan if desired and enjoy... The whole thing took less than 15 minutes from start to finish.

Sunday

2009-03-16T14:19:00.004-04:00

Susan has been asking me for plain old Pork chops for some time now, so here we are. Natural charcoal grilled pork loin chops. Oh by the way we bought a whole pork loin for $1.58 a pound at Sam's It is very easy to cut, really just slice at the thickness desired. We typically get 2-3 small roasts and 6-10 chops out of a single package. While Zach is here we will be having Roast pork and mashed potatoes so I will be posting pictures of the roasts in the next few days.

leftovers for chicken night

2009-03-10T20:03:00.004-04:00

Hi - it's Susan again. Tonight I fixed leftovers. Last Saturday we picked up a roasted chicken from Sam's Club ($4.99 - gotta love it). We have had 3 meals already from said chicken. I had some leftover egg noodles in the fridge and the end of the chicken so I threw it all together and had the tastiest dinner!

First I pulled the remainder of the chicken off the bone. I threw the noodles in a hot pan w/ some olive oil, seasoned them w/ Adobo and a little cayenne. Once the noodles were hot, I tossed in the chicken, being sure to include all the jelly stuff from the bottom of the plastic container the chicken came in. Heat all the way through, put into bowls, top w/ Parmesan and enjoy!!!

Easy, cheap and tasty.

Friday

2009-03-10T12:45:00.003-04:00

Well, I guess I am a little behind. Last Friday we had a NY strip and grilled potatoes. See attached pictures. Sorry the steak might be a little rare for most of you but Hey I like it raw. Susan likes it a little more cooked than this also. The potatoes are sliced about a quarter inch thick and brushed with olive oil and coarse ground salt delicious and low call( kinda in that I want them to be way) I will show you how to cut the steaks from a whole piece next time I cut one . till later LOVE YA'LL

Tea

2009-03-05T13:03:00.002-05:00

Those of you that know me know how I am a shade kind of guy (no not shady). There are no black or White for me just different shades of gray. That said, some of you may remember that I sometimes have a diet Pepsi. Well I would like you all to know that I have taken to drinking 1 to 2 pitchers of sun brewed green/ black tea a day. I still have a Dp in the morning or when we go out to dinner but the rest of the day its Sun tea. In a clear half gallon pitcher I combine 2 Black tea bags with 2 green tea bags and place in the sun for a half hour to an hour ( in NY this will probably take 2 to 3 weeks) and its done. no mint or lemon I have not had that kind of GROWTH Enjoy

Wednesday

2009-03-04T17:21:00.005-05:00

When I am hitting on both cylinders nothing can stop me. It is 5:22 PM and we have finished dinner. Susan is in the kitchen cleaning up and I am posting tomorrows blog post. I may have had my butt handed to me by my rowing machine today but I owned dinner. Dinner tonight was Greek stuffed chicken breast. Susan's' garden yielded some Swiss Chard, so I sauteed it up with some onion, garlic, lemon and feta cheese stuffed it into a chicken breast added soe more seasoning and broiled. complete in less than a half hour. Special thanks to Steph for the new banner you the greatest

Tuesday

2009-03-04T08:35:00.002-05:00

Sorry, we went out to dinner again last night with some new friends. Dinner was nice. I think I can do better at home (humble, not so much) But the company was really good and we had a wonderful time. We still missed you.

Monday

2009-03-03T10:25:00.003-05:00

Soup or Salad Monday was a no brainer, it was really cold yesterday so soup was the easy winner. I decided on French Onion( although I am not a big fan of French things). It always amazes me that more people don't make Fr Onion soup, its really cheap, quite delicious and super easy to make. As a response to my oldest daughters request next time I make it I will make a video and upload it here for everyone to see. The only trick to good Fr Onion soup is to really carmelize the onions and use good stock.( see attached photos) If you are wanting to give it a go, before I head back that way gimme a holla and I will guide you through. Have a great and delicious day.

Sunday

2009-03-02T11:04:00.002-05:00

Ham and scalloped potatoes. Yummy and left over ham is sooo much better than any lunch meat. The purpose of this blog is not to discuss lunch but we do eat at home every day. We try not to eat cold cuts they are expensive , processed to unbelievable degrees and just don't taste good. Left over is a typical lunch for us or a salad and the $5.00 roast chicken from Sams Club is a multi meal feast.

Saturday

2009-03-02T11:02:00.000-05:00

We ate out. Wish you were here we missed you!

Friday

2009-03-02T10:42:00.004-05:00

So, I am a little behind. On Friday night we had NY Strips with grilled/baked potatoes. It was so good and I was so bad that no pictures were taken. Hey it's a strip steak on the grill. Anyway, if there is an interesting thing about the dinner, it is that we buy whole strip loins and clean them and slice them ourselves. For me this is a very simple procedure 1) I know how to do it and 2) I have the correct knife. Next time I do it I'll film it and post it here. The nice thing about buying the whole loin is the price of course, but also the control you have of the steak size (thickness). Susan and I like a fairly thick steak approx 1.5 inches - since that would be too much to eat we simply cut it in half after cooking. Did you know I LOVE RED MEAT? I thought maybe you had heard that. Anyway for today here is a picture of the frozen steak and my knife.

Thursday

2009-02-27T16:53:00.010-05:00

Hi there - Susan here. Last night we had chicken since we had seafood on Tuesday, which is normally chicken night. We decided on Grilled Chicken Caesars. David grilled the SBBs (skinless, boneless breasts) with just a little seasoning (Adobo, garlic salt, white pepper & cayenne) while I made some croutons. They are so easy to make and much cheaper and better for you than the store-bought type. You control what is in them, not relying on what some manufacturer thinks you might want or need...

First, start with a hot pan and some olive oil. If you like garlic, press a few cloves into the oil. Add cubed up bread. (I usually cube up the end of a loaf as it's getting near the end.) This time I actually had some in the freezer from the last time I had a nice loaf of whole grain french that was starting to get stale. I cut it up, but didn't feel like making the croutons at the time, so I just froze them.

Anyway, add the cubed bread to the pan and season well (I used Adobo, garlic salt and cayenne for a little kick). You will need to add more oil because the bread absorbs like crazy. Cook on medium heat and stir almost constantly until cubes are nicely browned on all sides.

Note - David prefers butter, but I think olive oil is better for you.

When the cubes were browned, I stirred in a good portion of grated parmesan cheese and took them off the heat. Place several layers of papertowels on a plate or shallow bowl and pour the croutons on to help soak up some of the excess oil. PS - I hope you are using papertowels made from recycled paper :)

Now is the time when you will have to fight off everyone in the house from stopping by to "sample" them. It is good practice to make more than you need because you will see they disappear quickly.

Stephanie used to make these often as a teenager and she did an awesome job! She will attest to how easy and delicious they are.

You will probably want to use them right away, but they will keep for about a week. Hint - smaller cubes make crunchier croutons. Nice size cubes make crunchy outside, chewy middle croutons (our favorite).

Enjoy - and let me know if you have any questions...

Togetherness

2009-02-26T14:06:00.003-05:00

The Single nicest thing about dinner at our house is ..... WE DO IT TOGETHER.... I don't do the shopping , I don't do laundry, I don't mow the lawn(resort living) I don't do dishes (very often) but we do prepare dinner together almost every day. Some days its only chopping an onion, some days its preparing the entire dinner on the grill and some days its preparing a salad, but we almost always do it together. Susan is an excellent cook. We prepare the meal together because we love spending the time together, we love food, and it is a phenomenal bonding experience. This time provides opportunity to share and grow and provide pleasure to each other like almost no other activity. I highly recommend increasing your joint meal preparation time. You will not regret it. I certainly don't

Wednesday

2009-02-25T21:52:00.005-05:00

A not so short, 7 minute film on how to make White clam sauce. Sorry it is so long. Enjoy!
The film making will get better in the future.

I live to Serve you...

2009-02-25T08:24:00.004-05:00

Good Morning Blogosphere,
I just wanted to take a moment to be sure "all" of you understand my underlying reason for this blog. I wish to be of assistance in any way I can, sooooo if you need an idea for a special dinner, a recipe for something you have seen here or help with or a "which product should I buy" question, please feel free to get in touch with me. Susan has a challenge for me - let me know what's in your fridge and I will help you plan the meal. This is kind of difficult without seeing your stuff (and by stuff, I mean in your fridge), but I would give it a try if you are game. I DO NOT have all the answers or maybe even the correct answer, but it would be fun to work through it with you.

Tuesday

2009-02-24T19:00:00.009-05:00

Dinner was delish tonight - simple, local and reasonably slow. When we got home from Bluffton, I put the clams and oysters in the refrigerator and poured a generous amount of balsamic vinegar over the tuna steaks. Around 5;15 I went out and started the charcoal and then came in and shucked the oysters ( the job really shucks but someone has gotta do it). It takes me a couple of minutes per oyster as I don't do them every day, but it all worked out timing wise as the coals were perfect when I was done. I threw the tuna on the grill, directly over the hot spot to start (careful here, the balsamic vinegar will burn, due to the sugar) and then off to the side to finish them up. We eat our tuna about medium. The only way to ruin tuna is to over cook it, you might as well buy the can...yuck. Susie whipped up a quick salad and pan fried some left over pasta. It was dinner. Susan ate hers on a bun, she has been craving a tuna samich for some time so it hit the spot.

A good get

2009-02-24T14:12:00.003-05:00

So we had to go to Bluffton (off island) to get our SC drivers license's. Since we were off island we decided to stop at the Bluffton Oyster Company and pick up some fresh local seafood. A dozen oysters, a dozen steam clams and a couple of pieces of fresh yellow fin tuna. So no chicken tonight. Remember fresh and local is always better than some silly list!

Monday

2009-02-24T07:36:00.005-05:00

Last night being Monday we had soup, no we had chili. I told you its a guideline. And besides chili is kind of like soup only meatier. I am all about that. This is a Susan dish, all I did was chop the onion and enjoy the bounty. It was really good and quite comforting. In future posts we will talk about home made chili sauce, shredded cheese and some other stuff. For right now remember it does not have to be soup on Mondays.

Today is Tuesday, on Tuesdays we eat chicken. Here are some ideas off the top of my head.

Cutlet w/ lemon or Parmesan
Kiev or Cordon Blue (I would love a guest blog here on how to make kiev butter, Scott)
Roasted or Fried
B-B-Q or Grilled
Mexican ( tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas ect.)
Buffalo Strips, Piccata, Greek ( sauteed with garlic, oregano feta and lemon)

That is a few Ideas we will see what we come up with this afternoon.

The first step

2009-02-23T19:14:00.004-05:00

The hardest part of planing the evening meal is "planning " the meal, what to cook is often harder than how to cook it. So here is our simple tool to help with the choices.
On,
Monday - we eat Soup or Salad
Tuesday - we eat Chicken
Wed- we eat Pasta
Thursday -we eat Seafood
Friday- we eat RED MEAT(my personal favorite)
Saturday - we eat Ground beef
Sunday - we eat Pork

Here is the key to this whole thing. These are guidelines, if ya feel like Mac and cheese on Thursday gopher it. We have found this little list makes the decision easier on those "what should I make for dinner days"

Why we are here

2009-02-23T15:01:00.005-05:00

As you may or may not know, Susan and I both have extensive experience in the restaurant business. Two years ago with the kids all in college, we decided to leave our ancestral home in upstate New York and move to warmer pastures. Charlotte, North Carolina was the first stop. It was warm and a really nice place to live, but after about 18 months we decided to head to the beach and decided on Hilton Head Island, SC.
We both work in the Property Management business and are fortunate enough to work from home. We are loving this stage of our lives and are, for the first time, finding joy in the preparation, planning and consumption of our meals. Surprisingly, in just a few short weeks we have begun to find systems and meals that are simple, slow and scrumptious; thus the purpose for this blog (and the name).
We will use this forum to share our findings and simple systems with you, in hopes that you too find the joy and community that sharing a meal was meant to be.