King Crab Ravioli

Sometimes you just feel like something that is easy and delicious! I do quite a bit of shopping at Sam's Club and every once in awhile find a treasure.

I came across King Crab Ravioli the other day and just couldn't pass it up.

I wanted to make a simple sauce that would enhance the flavor of the ravioli's and not overpower the flavor of the crab. I made a simple garlic butter chardonnay sauce to coat the finished ravioli. (Recipe follows.)

Mike and I were lucky enough to have his mom join us for dinner the night we made these.  All three of us agreed the ravioli were delectable!

Garlic Butter Chardonnay Sauce;

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tbsp salted butter

3 cloves garlic minced

1/2 cup good chardonnay

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil and butter in medium high skillet.

Add garlic and saute until lightly golden.

Add chardonnay and reduce until sauce coats the back of a spoon.

Cook ravioli to package directions, drain and add to saute pan.

Lightly toss and serve immediately.

Gelato!

We have discovered an amazing indulgence! Talenti Gelato!  

We first discovered this at Whole Foods but have since found it at Safeway and King Soopers for about $1 less per container.  These gelato's are so rich and creamy and packed full of intense flavor!

We've had the Caramel Cookie Crunch, the Tahitain Vanilla Bean, Banana Chocolate Swirl, Carribean Coconut, Sea Salt Caramel, Toasted Almond, Sicilian Pistachio, Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip, and can't wait to try all the others.

The ingredients are simple, pure, and delicious. Chock full of whatever is listed on the label.  The Carribean Coconut actually reminds me of my grandmother's coconut cream pie!

The next time you need a sweet treat, pick up a container of this and just try to not finish the entire jar!  I hope you love it as much as we do!

Blue-rugula Burgers

This is a recipe Mike found from Rachael Ray.  Honestly one of the best hamburgers, or should I say steakburgers I have ever had.

I don't think I've ever had a 100% ground sirloin burger before, and now I'm not sure I want regular hamburger again! Such a unique and wonderful flavor!

We also found bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers at the store.  Delicious and so much easier than making from scratch! 

Quick tip; stick the blue in the freezer for a couple minutes before slicing. 

I've never had Cambazola blue cheese before. I would say it is like a blue brie, very soft and very blue. We were a little worried the blue might be to strong, but the flavor paired wonderfully with the sirloin burger. Don't be afraid to heap the cheese on top of the burger!

This burger was absolutely amazing!  The burger itself has garlic and Worcestershire in it and because it was ground sirloin and not ground chuck (ground steak vs. ground hamburger) it was so meaty and very high quality.  We found wonderful fresh-baked buns at the bakery in King Soopers and once they were toasted they were perfect to hold up this flavorful burger.  The onions on top were so much more than just onions.  Caramelized for 20 minutes,  a dash of brown sugar and then spicy mustard... I felt like they could have been a meal in themselves!  Top that with the spicy Arugula and the melted Cambazola and you have a flavor explosion in your mouth!  We were a little worried about too much of any one thing (Cambazola, Arugula, or Onions) but words can't describe how much flavor this burger has so don't worry - it would be almost impossible to overdue any one ingredient. 

Seriously - make this burger, whether it's date night, family dinner, anything, you could do all the prep work before and it really wasn't hard to make - at all!  I found it on an episode of Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals and it didn't take us longer either.  Super easy, and we both agreed, one of, if not THE best burger we've ever had!  Enjoy!

Suite 1901

Suite 1901 is under new management. Music to the ears of many living in Cheyenne! Mike and I decided to have dinner there last weekend and want to share our experience with you.

We started off with the baked brie appetizer. A wedge of brie wrapped in puff pastry, topped with a grape balsamic reduction and sugared walnuts.  Absolutely delicious!! We both loved this and it was probably the best thing we had!

I (Mike) had the 24-Hour Chicken which was very good!  Brined for 24 hours in a 5-tea spice mix, this half chicken had been completely de-boned and was extremely moist, tender, and really rich flavors!  I loved their Yukon Gold mashers - who can go wrong with the buttery, fluffy mashed potatoes! 

I (Jeran) had the chicken Florentine crepe which consisted of a savory crepe filled with big chunks of chicken, gooey white cheese, and spinach; served with a side of roast vegetables. I thought it was tasty but had a couple of "gristly" pieces of chicken and wish the kitchen had been a bit more meticulous about the chicken meat that went into the crepe.

sorry about the pic. way to close

Dessert was probably the biggest disappointment. We ordered the pineapple upside down creme brulee cake.  The cake was dry and crumbly. The creme brulee layer was virtually non existent. You certainly couldn't detect any creme brulee flavors and the pineapple was dry and chewy.

Just a note on Suite 1901 and our experience there.  We are really excited about the new management and the place has the same great ambiance it's always had.  We both decided to step outside our 'norm' with our ordering.  We both have our favorites and rather than always having a steak or a burger, we wanted to make sure we were experiencing the whole menu and trying new things.  That being said, next time I think we'll go back to the sure thing and have what we both know we love!

Lunch at the Capitol Grille

We decided to pop into The Plains Hotel and have lunch at The Capitol Grille in Cheyenne.  I have to admit I have not been a big fan of The Grille in the past, but I heard they had a new chef and things were looking up.

We had a Shrimp and Chorizo Stuffed Quesadilla. Mike and I both really liked this! The quesadilla was over loaded with big chucks of shrimp and chorizo and had plenty of green chili's, corn, onion and tomato's for a rich and hearty southwest taste.  

We also ordered the Sweet and Tangy BBQ Chicken Flat bread Pizza.  Simple and delicious. Tangy BBQ sauce, chunks of crispy chicken, red onion strips, corn kernels, and a light and airy flat bread crust.

I was very impressed with both of these dishes and I'm anxious to go back and try other entree's. James, our server, took great care of us and I'm thrilled that Cheyenne has this type of offering that is not affiliated with a major chain restaurant.

Joes Enchiladas with Adobo Sour Cream

Went to a VP Debate watch party last night and here's what I made, Joe's Enchilada's.  If you're a Republican you can call them Paul's Enchilada's but they won't be as good ;)

Ingredients;

4.75 #'s of hamburger

2 #'s of Mexican style shredded cheese, divided

1 large white onion

3 jalapenos

5 cloves of garlic

4 cans of your favorite red enchilada sauce (28 oz)

1 can of chipotles in adobo sauce (7 oz)

flour tortillas

1 tub of sour cream

chili oil for sauteing

Yields 28 enchilada's

(this is a huge recipe designed for a large gathering. I would cut it in half if making for a family)

Filling;

Chop onion, jalapenos, and garlic into small pieces.

Saute in chili oil until soft. (about 5 minutes)

stir in ground beef and 4 chipotle peppers. (minced)

cook mixture until burger is cooked throughout.

dump mixture into large mixing bowl and let cool.

stir in 1# of the mexican style cheese and 1 can of the enchilada sauce

stir until well combined.

Start filling your tortillas with the mixture. I filled two very large casserole dishes with the enchiladas.

Pour remaining 3 can's of enchilada sauce evenly over enchilada's (I used a pastry brush to ensure even coating)

Sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over entire casserole.

Cover with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 35 mins.

Remove foil and cook an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is golden and gooey.

Chipotle sour cream is very simple,

Mix tub of sour cream with the adobo sauce found in the can of chipotle peppers.

Mix as little or as much as you'd like depending on your heat tolerance.

*for a milder enchilada remove seeds and ribs from jalapenos. 

Pesce Fresco Bistro

We had dinner Saturday at Pesce Fresco Bistro.  I love Bistro's and Pesce Fresco certainly did not disappoint!  This is a small, quaint and well appointed bistro. 

We started off with gorgonzola cheesecake. What a unique idea for a savory appetizer!  The "cheesecake" was baked in a ramekin and reminded me of a souffle. Light and fluffy with a rich flavor of gorgonzola and Italian herbs.  The cheesecake was topped with onions that tasted like they had been caramelized in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The dish was served with apple slices, crostini, and crispy mushrooms.  These weren't the standard button mushrooms, I would guess they were porcini mushrooms, which added a wonderfully unique twist to the dish.

The dish was a huge hit with our group!

Mike and I split a cup of ricotta tomato bisque. Rich, hearty and delicious! 

Mike's mom ordered a Caesar Salad and it was good. Classic Caesar dressing served with an anchovy fillet, focaccia croutons, and a "24 hour tomato."  We asked about the 24 hour tomato and our waiter told us they were a preserved tomato, somewhere in between a fresh tomato and a sun dried tomato.. interesting.

Our friend Jan ordered the South West Shrimp Pasta. It was delicious!! Mike and I thought it was the best entree at our table.  Giant prawns in a rich mix of southwest flavors and chipotle cream tossed together with farfalle pasta.  Delicious!

Mike had the Iron Seared Scallops. The scallops were seared to perfection and the lobster corn risotto was divine! We didn't know what saffron lobster brodo was, but upon a little investigation, we found it was a broth, albeit a very fancy broth.  Mike wasn't crazy about the garlic seared spinach and I would agree that it was just a touch on the bitter side, but overall the dish was tremendous!

Mike's mom and I had the special that night. A walleye fillet served on a bed of whipped parsnips, topped with an arugula salad, and garnished with beet and spinach puree's that really made the dish pop. Beautiful to look and beautiful on the palate!

Pesce Fresco Bistro is worth seeking out!

Canadian Thanksgiving

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, which means yesterday was a day filled with family, food, and great times.  The holidays can be a tough time to make the stars align with everyone's schedule, so what better way to get the clan together than with half the family's Canadian heritage.  It was a wonderful and super delicious day!

Many of the things we have are the same as what everyone's enjoys: turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, and stuffing.  One note I want to say about stuffing that seems to be coming up more often: in the bird or not?  Shouldn't even be a question in my book - IN THE BIRD!  These days everyone is worried about samonilla, raw cookie dough, and stuffing in the bird.  I have to say I grew up eating stuffing in the bird (and the occasional raw cookie dough!) and I'm still here!  Just tastes so much better with all that extra flavor the turkey brings.

Our ham was a Sam's Club special and absolutely delicious. Christina made her secret recipe, Corn Cornbread Casserole (pictured on right).  Corn, cornbread and creamed corn combined together ... How could that be a bad thing?

The Assembly Line:



Last, but definitely not least, Jeran and I had to put our mark on the dinner with our signature dishes: Aunt Mary's Green Bean Casserole (GBC, on left) and Grandmomma's Sweet Potato Casserole (SPC, on right).  This much goodness should be illegal!  Recipe's to follow, but a couple secrets right away!  For GBC you should never use milk!  Don't follow the recipe on the can (even though you should use Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup) and jazz it up to make it your own.  Water chesnuts are a secret of mine to give it a little extra crunch and french style green beans are required.  Don't forget to add the Worchester into the mix as well as crumbled bacon and parmesean cheese on top - WOW!  When it comes to Jeran's SPC, it almost felt like it should have been part of the dessert round!  We used white sweet potatoes which were a unique touch and the blend of white sugar (in the body) and brown sugar in the topping was out of this world.  The pecans, blended with butter, brown sugar and vanilla made the crust topping the perfect top to a wonderful casserole!

Here are our recipes;  from Mikes family collection,

Green Bean Casserole Aunt Mary

1 package French style frozen green beans (cook 5 mins. only)

1 tin water chestnuts – cut them up a bit and don’t use all the tin)

1 tin Campbell’s Cream of mushroom soup

1 tin French Fried onion rings (Durkee brand)

Grease casserole dish; mix all above in casserole dish. Bake at 300 degrees for ½ hour. Optional Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Also put 3 slices of crisp bacon that you crumble on top.

Optional: Worchester sauce or soy sauce.

I want to thank my friend Josh for the sweet potato casserole recipe. I was at a Halloween party at their home a couple years back and when I tasted this I knew it would become a holiday staple in my kitchen.

This is what Josh emailed me when I asked for the recipe;

I wanted to pass along my Grandmomma's Sweet Potato Casserole.

4 Cups of Mashed Sweet Potatoes (gotta' cook the fresh ones - please don't used canned - Grandmomma wouldn't have it).

1 Cup of Sugar

2 Teaspoons of Vanilla

2 Eggs

1/2 cup Melted Butter

- Mix until smooth and put in the bottom of your casserole dish

Topping -

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1/3 Cup Flour

1/3 Cup Melted Butter

1 Cup of Chopped Pecans

(I also mixed a few shakes of cinnamon and nutmeg into the crumble topping)

Mix the topping ingredients and 'crumble' over your potatoes.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees (or until the topping is browned).

Whole Foods Dinner

One of our favorite traditions is to spend the afternoon shopping together for an amazing dinner.  We love to go to the Whole Foods right around the corner and do a lap around the store looking for what surprises they have in store for us that day.  Their staff is always so friendly and regularily gives us free samples of new items to try.  They put out a beautiful spread and we love the time spent together looking at all the goodness we will enjoy together later that day! 

What a beautiful display to welcome you to the store!  Definitely feels like October after our first snow and the beautiful display of gords, seasonal mumms and pumpkins!

Decisions, Decisions.....hard to choose when everything looks so good!  And this was only one section of about four at the seafood counter, never mind the butcher's section!

Dinner was incredible! Dover Sole stuffed with Blue Dungeness Crab, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Oven-Roasted Brussel Sprouts, and beautiful Harvest Medley Potatoes. Jeran and I love to cook (and eat!) together, and whether that means everything from scratch, going semi-homemade, taking it easy and buying premade, or going out - dinner to us is about spending time together and enjoying each other's company. This dinner presented some unique challenges as everything was prepared in the Oven, yet required different temperatures and cooking times. But that made it fun more than dinner, it was an adventure!

Bagel Deli and Restaurant Denver

Yesterday we had lunch at The Bagel Deli and Restaurant in Denver.  I guess I was thinking this was going to be something like the national chain of Bagelmakers.. wrong!  This is a locally owned diner that has been featured on Guy Fieri's, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Jeran's Lunch; I love love love reuben sandwiches! So ordering the "classic reuben" was a no-brainer for me. Layers and layers of super thinly sliced corned beef, homemade sauerkraut, homemade thousand island dressing, all served on a super soft onion roll.  Yummers!!!

I also had a potato latke as a side. I've never had one but it was delicious.  Kind of like a potato cake held together with egg, thinly sliced onion, and a little olive oil.  Served with a side of sour cream. Simple but delicious.

Mike's Lunch:  Who doesn't love cheeseburgers!  One of my all time favorites, I had to try all the homemade goodness the Bagel Deli had to offer.  This juicy, 1\2 pound burger with grilled onions and muenster cheese on a fresh-baked onion roll was delicious!  I had to steal some of Jeran's thousand island dressing as it was just a perfect companion to my burger!

After lunch we walked around the bakery-side of the deli.  Along with a Meat Knish we have yet to try, we found a wonderful little treasure, their "Rhally Bar".....a homemade cheesecake on a chocolate chip cookie crust.  What a treat after an amazing meal!

I will not hesitate to go back to the Bagel Deli!