Meat, Meet Cheese

Meat and cheese plate: the carb-counter's dream meal.



We tend to throw together meat and cheese plates on lazy Sunday nights when we would rather picnic on our coffee table than spend an hour or two cooking in the kitchen. These "lazy Sunday dinners" tend to turn into a feast for a king by the time I get finished plating everything I thought we would need for a successful nosh.



Our honeymoon was to Iceland, and I am going to be honest here: I had not heard good things about the food. With a national dish such as putrefied shark and things like puffin, raw whale meat and horse on the menus, I was kind of looking forward to the possibility of actually losing weight while traveling.



I decided I would be adventurous and try some things I might be uncomfortable with. The very first restaurant we went to was a recommendation from someone I stopped in the street. "Do you know of any great little restaurants or cafes to eat lunch around here?", I asked in English without hesitation to a young-ish pair of stylish-looking women (EVERYONE spoke English there). They directed us to a little place that was tucked slightly off the main drag.

We did not know what to make of the menu. First of all, diet coke was "pepsi max"; a quick trial and error session was all it took to figure out that one. We did not really understand what a lot of the things on the menu were, and the servers were not interested in walking us through it. Also, everything was insanely expensive! This was just a regular restaurant, cute but nothing special. The entrees could cost between $35-$50. We settled on splitting what we determined to be a "sampler-style appetizer plate" that was $35.



It turned out to be the most delicious version of a meat and cheese plate I had ever set tongue on. From then on, I knew my waistline and wallet were in trouble on this trip. At least when we asked the random woman in the street what is customary for tipping, she said in a heavy accent, "oh, we are Icelanders...we. don't. tip." I don't know if she was trying to say that we should tip since we were not Icelanders or if she was just so proud of the fact that they do not subject themselves to the custom of tipping, but who could even afford to tip on top of such pricey restaurant bills?

We went on to indulge in other great adventures while in Iceland some of which included other foods like whale sashimi (no wonder we did not see any whales when we went whale watching) and that putrefied shark I was telling you about.

Other adventures were of the outdoor variety like visiting Iceland's many scenic wonders:

Waterfalls:


Glaciers:


Geysers:


Icelandic Horses:


Countryside:


And then there was the city-life. The biggest city was Reykjavik, where more than half of the 300,000 people in the country live. While Reykjavik was by far the biggest city we visited, it was still smaller than 200,000. I believe that is about the amount of people that fit into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium AKA "The Swamp" two times.

Reykjavik:


Sushi on a conveyor belt:


Church:


Some of you may see a meat and cheese plate as a cop out for a recipe, but I really wanted to share the idea since it is just the idea if you want to have dinner at home, but you are in no mood to cook. It has a "home-cooked" vibe without any mess or effort. There is something about plating up everything to create a nice spread that is relaxing and fun. Here are some tips to create a great spread based on my past trial and errors:



*choose 3 meats - one hearty style (i.e. something you might eat on a sandwich like a great roast beef or sliced ham), one sausage type (like a thick summer sausage or salami or chorizo - you could opt for two sausages if the first type of meat sounds boring to you), and one artisan style (like prosciutto or something you might just like to taste).

*Try to get your meats and cheeses from a grocery store with a great deli counter. That way, you can just buy what you need and still have plenty of variety. Or you could just spring for whole packages of everything so you will just have to make the spread again a couple of days later.

*choose three cheeses - one hearty (maybe a tasty cheddar or muenster. In honor of Iceland, we bought havarti cheese which was a staple at any breakfast meal we enjoyed while we were there), one special cheese that has been soaked or smoked or aged, read: hard (like a smoked gouda, manchego cheese is my favorite or one of those delicious cheeses that has been soaked in merlot) and something soft and strong like a goat cheese or blue cheese.

*Throw a baguette or whatever bread you like in the oven on a low setting until the crust is toasted and the inside is warm. Don't slice it. Just let people pull pieces off of it as they go; this way it will stay warm on the inside throughout the meal.

*Nuts are a great addition to the spread. I recommend cashews, spiced almonds, candied walnuts...

*Dried fruit or jam adds a great slightly slightly sweet touch and can be rolled up on a piece of bread with one of the soft cheeses

*some veggies with a dip - something light in case the meal gets to feeling too heavy

*I love grapes with cheese.

*Red wine is a must.

*Lastly, set up somewhere picnic-style, even if you are inside. Light some candles and enjoy!

No Groceries? No Problem.

I love grocery shopping.

When I was in middle school and high school, I used to go grocery shopping with my dad. We would normally go on weeknights. Some things I remember always being on our family’s grocery list included:

shredded cheddar cheese (for melting over broccoli)
sliced provolone cheese and deli meats (for sandwiches)
lettuce, tomatoes, feta cheese, lemon juice (for my dad’s salads with homemade dressing)
apples
grapes
nuts
potatoes
ice cream
shredded wheat cereal (for my dad)
apple jacks / cookie crisp / frosted cheerios / rice crispy treat cereal (for my brother and me)
skim milk
bisquick pancake mix
rice crispy treats from the Publix bakery (we would usually eat these before we got home so that my mom would not find out)

When I went to college, grocery shopping by myself was very exciting to me as well. It made me feel like a real adult, even though I was not really paying for my own groceries or anything. I never made lists. I would just wander through the isles picking up things that caught my eye after hitting up the basics. I did not cook much in college so there was a lot of sandwich/salad supplies purchasing going on.

As what some might call a “real adult”, I still find trips to the grocery store fun. I thought the feeling would go away and be replaced by annoyance or dread, but it is still something I look forward to each week. Maybe it just reminds me of the good times scanning the isles at Publix with my dad when I was younger. I shop a little differently now. I usually plan what meals I will make for the week in advance. Now that I cook, my grocery list is usually just made up of the ingredients I will need to make the meals for the week. I rarely buy snack foods anymore. My list is made up of things like 1 large white onion, ground cumin, mango nectar or baking powder.

Like all things I actually enjoy doing, it is sometimes hard to find the time to go grocery shopping. Since I tend to buy what would be considered more ingredient-type foods rather than general foods or snack foods, if I skip a trip to the grocery store, I am pretty much left with a bunch of random things that do not go together in the refrigerator. This was the case yesterday for lunch at work. I had not done any grocery shopping in a while. I had plenty of leftovers thanks to Zach’s family that was recently in town visiting, but of course I left them all at home yesterday. As lunchtime rolled around, I scrounged the following things from the refrigerator that belonged to me: double fiber english muffins, little bitty cherry tomatoes from the farmers’ market trip on Sunday, some random pepperonis and a half-block of monterey-jack cheese. Sounds like pizza to me!



No Groceries No Cry Pizza

1 english muffin
4 quarter inch slices of cheese (right off the block)
about 8 cherry tomatoes
4 slices of pepperoni (or whatever deli meat is in your refrigerator)
salt and pepper to taste

Toast the English muffin in a toaster oven until it has started to turn brown.
In a small bowl chop up the cherry tomatoes into tiny pieces (or you can just squeeze them all together), and add salt and pepper
Spread tomato mixture over each English muffin half.
Place the cheese slices on top of the tomato and then the pepperoni on top of the cheese.
Microwave your little pizzas for about 30 second to melt the cheese.
Put them back in the toaster oven until crisp to your likeness.



This will cost you only about 250 calories for both pizzas.

Co-worker Appreciation Day

I work with some really great people. Those of you who work in the entertainment industry know that times can get seriously tough in the office. Having supportive co-workers to lean on is key to survival when stressful situations arise. These relationships can be unique because the people you work with are really the only people who can understand what you go through on the job. Whether you send an actor to the wrong casting office for a big audition or you copied the wrong "Michael" on an email to a client, supportive co-workers can make all the difference in a work environment. They are there ... there to pull together and finish off the 6 lb bag of pretzels that mysteriously appears in the kitchen (we did it, guys!), to quickly instant message you the answer to a question your boss is asking, to help you track down scripts that can be hard to find, to send you entertaining links to look at when you need a pick-me-up, to help you find humor in what can seem like disastrous situations and possibly most importantly, to help you come up with hair-brained ideas to cover up your mistakes.

I like my job, and I like coming to work in the morning because I like these people. These people like food. As a result, I decided to make something delicious for them, something I know they are ALL fans of:

Everybody Likes Garlic Cheddar Biscuits:

Makes about 9 biscuits

2 1/4 C bisquick baking mix
3/4 C milk
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 C sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder



Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Mix bisquick and milk (as directed on the box)
add minced garlic and cheddar cheese, mixing thoroughly into dough
drop dough onto a greased baking sheet (should make about 9 biscuits depending on the size of each)
Bake biscuits for 8-10 minutes (more for larger biscuits)until they begin to toast slightly on the top.

While biscuits are baking, melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave.
Mix salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic salt into melted butter.

Right after removing biscuits from the oven, use a pastry brush to lightly coat the tops of each biscuit with the butter mixture.



Remove biscuits from baking sheet, and serve while still warm.

No Words

There are some moments in life when words escape you. Better, no words exist as a suitable reaction or response to certain experiences. If you would like to experience something like this, I suggest you try the following recipe:

No Words Blue Cheese Crusted Filet Mignon (with port wine sauce)

4 servings (a recipes from allrecipes.com)

1 tbsp butter
½ C minced white onion
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
¾ C low-sodium beef broth
½ C port wine
1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 filet mignon steaks (1 ½ inch thick)
¾ C blue cheese
¼ C panko bread crumbs

Port Wine Sauce:
Melt butter in skillet over medium heat.
Add the onion, garlic and thyme.
Stir constantly, until onion is tender.
Stir in beef broth and then the port wine.
Bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture has reduced to about ½ cup.



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat. Sear steaks quickly on both sides until brown, then place the whole pan in the oven.

Roast steaks in the oven for about 15 minutes (for med-rare).
Remove from the oven and place on a baking sheet.
Stir together the panko bread crumbs and the blue cheese.
Top each steak with a layer of this mixture.
Turn the oven up to the broil setting.
Place steaks under the broiler until the cheese topping is browned and bubbly (3-4 minutes). Remove from the oven, and let stand for about 5 minutes.
Pour the port wine sauce over the steaks and serve.



I like the taste of grilled steak better than baked. The next time I make this I am considering grilling the steak instead of searing it quickly and then baking for the 15 minutes in the oven. I would follow the grilling by topping them with he blue cheese and then broiling them for about 3 minutes in the oven to get the cheese to bubble.