Well Dined – Page 5

14
Apr
2016

Miami Pt 1 – Fontainebleau Resort

categories: Reviews

The husband and I just spent a week in Miami Beach!!! He went for work training and I tagged along. The training didn’t get approved until 1 week before, so we booked everything in a rush and, I have to say, I kind of loved it. I didn’t have time to over-analyze everything, over-plan, or over-book. I just did a quick check on what seemed like the best restaurants, booked those, and that was it! No time to stress about anything. It also worked out that it was just after all the Spring Break madness, so it wasn’t too crowded and reservations were easy to get.

Well Dined | Fontainebleau Miami — image courtesy of Fontainebleau

We stayed at the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach (which is also where Jasper’s training was). It is huge, and gorgeous, and reminded us of Las Vegas (which is apparently what they are going for, so good job). On one side of the hotel is the pool complex and the beach.

The other side of the hotel is the, also beautiful, marina. There are four towers of rooms, and we stayed in the tallest one – the Tresor. This was actually a complementary upgrade given to us at check-in, because it was our first time in Miami. Check-in was super fast and easy and the employee who we dealt with was incredibly friendly and helpful. Major points to service, there. (more…)

06
Apr
2016

Spam Mac and Cheese

categories: Recipes

I have talked about my growing obsession with spam in recent months. I was looking for recipes to use it in, and found suggestions for Spam Mac and Cheese – of course! That sounded awesome! But the first recipe I tried didn’t turn out great. It was probably due to the fact that I used shredded Mexican cheese blend (because that’s what I had on hand) to make the cheese sauce, and not the idea of a mornay type sauce itself, that caused it to fail. But I was turned off to that method.

Then I made that really delicious Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Macaroni and Cheese with Velveeta and realized this was the way to go. Of course weird processed cheese product would go well with weird processed meat product (don’t judge me)!

I was right! It came out creamy and salty and just awesome in general. Again – I wouldn’t recommend making this a weekly thing, but as an occasional treat, it’s delicious. (more…)

04
Apr
2016

SRC – Seared Salmon with Lemon Herb Butter and Pasta from Morsels of Life

categories: Recipes

It’s time for April’s Secret Recipe Club reveal! I was assigned Morsels of Life. The author is an engineer, and brings her desire for efficiency to her blog. She doesn’t like to use any crazy complex methods, and is loose with measurements. She writes, “Generally, if you like something, use more; if you dislike something, use less, substitute something else, or just eliminate it altogether. You’ll probably be fine.” I love that. Often when I’m writing recipes, and have to try and figure out how much of something I used, I just want to write – use your best judgement. She also has pretty extensive privacy and disclosure information on her blog, which I think is admirable.

CJ’s blog has a lot of Asian influence, and I really like the look of this Pork Meatball Ramen, as well as this Cha Shao Chinese BBQ Pork. For sweets, I was drawn to Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes, and Spiced Date Ice Cream (made with cashew milk!). But I ended up running out of time before leaving on a last-minute trip; so when I saw this Seared Salmon with Lemon Herb Butter and Pasta, and realized that I already had all the ingredients for it – I knew that’s what I needed to make!

This was incredibly easy to make – just toss hot pasta with lemon herb compound butter, spinach, and Parmesan, then top with seared salmon and more compound butter. I used frozen Alaskan salmon, frozen spinach, and store-bought garlic butter spread (I added lemon juice and zest to it) – so this was really quick and easy. Plus (with the salmon, spinach, and protein-plus pasta), it was really healthy! (more…)

31
Mar
2016

Try The World – Japan; Okonomiyaki

categories: Recipes, Reviews

It’s time for another Try The World Post! Finishing up my Japan box, I used the okonomiyaki mix to make… okonomiyaki, of course! It’s a savory pancake made with flour, yam, eggs, scallions, and cabbage; and topped with all kinds of things, but most commonly pork belly, bonito flakes, seaweed, okonomi sauce, and mayonnaise.

The kit came with batter mix, powdered yam, shrimp tempura crisps, and dried seaweed. Plus instructions in Japanese and English (thank goodness).

First step, chop cabbage. It really should have been finer than this, like shredded, but I was lazy. Add scallions. In a separate bowl, make the batter according to package directions. Then combine it with the veggies, tempura, and eggs. (more…)

26
Mar
2016

Easter Recipe Round-up

categories: Recipes

Happy Easter, my lovelies, and enjoy these Spring recipes!

Egg Dishes

Caprese Baked Egg Cups
Bacon, Egg, and Toast Cups
Baked Eggs in Avocado

Egg/Chicken Salads

Avocado Egg Salad (plus how to “boil” eggs in the oven)
Green Goddess Egg Salad
Creamy Lemon Basil Chicken Salad (more…)

21
Mar
2016

Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Mac and Cheese

categories: Recipes

Some girlfriends and I have been taking turns making macaroni and cheese (after we got tired of soup). I had been wanting to do something chicken, bacon, and ranch flavored for a while, and found a one-pot stovetop recipe that looked easy. It used velveeta and powdered ranch mix, which I wouldn’t normally use, but I knew it would be easy to make early in the morning when I was tired.

It turned out so good! It was creamy and salty, with bacon and ground chicken in every bite. This is really good as a once-in-awhile indulgence. (But now I have 3/4 of a log of velveeta to deal with, hmm… More on that later.) Next time, I would definitely try making my own ranch mix instead of using the packet; but I would keep the velveeta – it provides a totally different texture from a bechamel/mornay sauce. Enjoy!

Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Mac and Cheese
adapted from What’s Cooking Love
serves 4

1 lb ground chicken
3 cups water
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
2/3 cup bacon, cooked and diced
2 cups of elbow macaroni (or other short pasta), uncooked
1 packet ranch dressing mix (dry)
1/2 lb (8 oz) of Velveeta Cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4-1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Brown the ground chicken in a large skillet or wide pot on medium heat, adding 1/2 tsp of garlic powder to season the meat. Once the meat is browned, drain the fat.

Then add the water, bacon, ranch dressing seasoning, and remaining garlic powder to the chicken, mixing well.

Bring to a boil, then stir in the macaroni and cover. Simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.

Stir in the Velveeta and cook until melted, stirring occasionally. If the sauce is too thin, add shredded cheddar cheese until it is thick enough to your liking.

One Year Ago – Lentil Salad with Walnuts and Herbs
Two Years Ago – Classic Pot Roast
Three Years Ago – St Patrick’s Day
Four Years Ago – Japanese Braised Salmon
Five Years Ago – Couscous Dinners

16
Mar
2016

St Patrick’s Day Recipes

categories: Recipes

Tomorrow is St Patrick’s Day, hooray! This is not just an excuse to drink green beer, in fact – don’t do that, it’s gross. It’s actually a religious holiday that celebrates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, so show some respect! And definitely don’t call it “St Patty’s Day”: Patty is short for Patricia. If you want to abbreviate, use “Paddy”, which is actually short for Patrick (Pádraig).

Moving on! St Paddy’s is a great day to celebrate Irish culture and food, so let’s take a look at some Irish recipes!

First up – Corned Beef with Potatoes and Cabbage, which can be made in either a slow cooker or a Dutch oven.

In the same post, there is a recipe for Colcannon made from the potatoes and cabbage. (more…)

14
Mar
2016

SRC – Bulgogi from Searching for Spice

categories: Recipes

Today is Secret Recipe Club reveal day! I was assigned Searching for Spice, written by Corina – a mother of two (I love the nicknames she gives her kids: Little Miss Spice and Master Spice). She loves international cuisine, making food from India, Mexico, North Africa, Thailand, and China. She prefers to stick to recipes that aren’t terribly time consuming – like this Italian Chicken and Lemon dish, this Lamb Meatball dish, and this Chicken Pie. But sometimes, she will go for a more complicated recipe, too – like this Chicken Biryani and this Cassoulet with Confit Duck.

I ended up choosing this Korean Bulgogi recipe, because I just recently discovered Korean BBQ, and it is awesome! Bulgogi is definitely my favorite thing to order, so I loved that Corina had a recipe I could try. She served it with rice and lettuce to make wraps, I decided (inspired by my Spam dish) to make it a rice bowl, topped with a fried egg. It turned out great! (more…)

07
Mar
2016

Spam and Rice Bowl

categories: Recipes

I had always thought that spam was super gross and never had any interest. But as I became more aware of the different cuisines of the world, I noticed that there were a few that really (REALLY) love spam. So when I saw spam musubi on the menu at my favorite local cafe, Megabytes, I decided to try it. You guys – spam is delicious! It’s like ham plus bacon plus sausage all in one. I’m kind of obsessed now, like bought-a-case-at-Costco obsessed. No, processed meat is not good for you; but as a special treat in the place of bacon or sausage, it’s not going to kill you (probably). Especially if you buy the low sodium kind, which I prefer.

Anyway, pressing musubi seems like a lot of work, and I am more of a freeform girl; so I decided to make a rice bowl for my first spam experiment. I cooked short grain rice and topped it with furikake seasoning, then seared spam, fried eggs, seaweed, scallions, and toasted sesame seeds. It. Was. Awesome. I wasn’t sure that Jasper would be into it, but he loved it, too, and wants me to make it all the time!

Spam and Rice Bowl
serves 2-4

1 1/2 cups dry short grain rice (I use Botan)
2 cups water
1/4 cup furikake seasoning (check your labels, not all furikake is gluten free)
1 can low sodium spam, sliced into 8 slices
4 eggs
salt and pepper
toasted nori
scallion greens, sliced
toasted sesame seeds

Combine the rice and water and cook according to directions, usually simmer covered for 20 minutes, then let stand for 10 (I use a rice cooker). Fluff with a fork and add the furikake seasoning, you can start with less and more to taste, if you wish. Set aside.

Meanwhile, sear the sliced spam on each side in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. You won’t need any extra fat, and you may have to work in batches. Set aside.

Pour out most of the fat from the pan, then return to medium heat and fry the eggs you your liking. I prefer sunny side up. Season the eggs with salt and pepper.

To assemble divide the rice among the desired number of bowls, top with the spam, then the eggs. Sprinkle nori, scallions, and sesame over the top. Enjoy!

One Year Ago – Lentil Salad with Walnuts and Herbs
Two Years Ago – S’mores Treats
Three Years Ago – Turkey and Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
Four Years Ago – Beef, Sweet Potato, Spinach, and Cheddar Turnovers
Five Years Ago – Couscous Dinners

29
Feb
2016

SRC – Peeps Marshmallow Cookies from Burnt Apple

categories: Recipes

There is an extra Monday in February this year, so you get and extra Secret Recipe Club Post! Extra posts are themed and the theme for this one was Easter or St Patrick’s Day. I went for Easter with these Peeps Marshmallow Stuffed Cookies from Burnt Apple.

The author has 3 picky children and a husband with Type 1 diabetes, so she has a lot to deal with, plus she focuses on healthy cooking on top of that – wow! She has shared her recipes with Whole Foods and on TV, which is a huge deal. Of course, I picked one of the very few not healthy recipes on her blog, but I just couldn’t help myself.

First off, you will need Peeps bunnies. The recipe stated not to use chicks and, while I’m not sure why, I didn’t want to risk it. So bunnies it was! Of course, they aren’t in stores yet, but I was able to order them on Amazon. (more…)