The life of a food writer may seem very glamorous from the outside, and in some ways it should. You get to see glimpses of what I ate during the week, presented in the best lighting (hopefully) and the very best presentation. There are often times while at home that I sneak in a bowl of cereal for dinner, because I don’t cook that often and its sometimes the easiest choice.
I wanted to give you a real life glimpse of my whole week with this new feature, showing the real truth about what I ate. Some things are truly delightful and Instagram worthy, and others are just, well, real.
So here goes! I had some pretty stellar plans in the works for the week, however I had a sick little person in my house and he takes priority over any RSVP, no matter how fancy.
First up is my go to lunch. It’s not pretty, but it is really filling, surprisingly delicious and easy to whip up. Its a combination of cottage cheese, one half of an avocado, some fancy lemon zest salt and a sprinkling of fresh cracked pepper.
After tending to my tiny sick friend, I found myself starving and craving some carbs. A quick look in the freezer and I found a seafood medley from Trader Joe’s; a combination of shrimp, bay scallops and calamari rings. I busted out the wok and heated up some ghee, pan fried some garlic cloves with some Thai seasonings and then added the seafood into the mix. Then I tossed that with some pasta and dinner was served. I even had another serving for lunch the next day – which if you know me is a big deal. I typically don’t do leftovers.
I recently received a delightful care package (that was sent to me at no charge, but my opinions are completely mine) from Man Cave Craft Meats so that I could try them out and report to you all my thoughts. We have tried a few of the items and our favorite so far has been their buffalo style bratwurst that comes with blue cheese right inside the sausages. You can taste the buffalo flavor clearly without being too overpowering or too subtle. We steamed and then lightly grilled ours and then topped them with some more blue cheese, some hot sauce and onions for the mister.
The last week of school calls for lunch out for me and the Mister and since it was also our anniversary it was pretty much required. We snuck away to SanTan Brewing Company for a quick bite. I was torn between ordering what I always get (the Blue Bayou burger) and getting crazy and trying something new. I opted to order the Shrimp and Grits, and was not disappointed. The slow building heat was enough to warm me from the inside but not so crazy that I needed to hunt down our server for another pint of Mr. Pineapple.
The Mister and I celebrated 9 years of wedded bliss on Wednesday and that called for one of our favorite dishes; ribeye steak. With both of us being from the Midwest, steak and potatoes are a welcome staple in our house. The Mister was pooped from his day, so I offered to make them. I have an OptiGrill which makes grilling a no-brainer for me. I seasoned them with a generous amount of salt, pepper and a fancy steak rub that I can’t remember where I got it from. While the steaks were sizzling away I sauteed some mushrooms in a little teriyaki sauce, red wine along with some garlic and seasonings. No other vegetables were harmed that day, we just stuck to the steak and called it a day.
One night I met up with a friend at Cuisine and Wine Bistro to meet with the owners and do a quick interview (stay tuned for that; such lovely people and their story is just one reason to absolutely love them and then menu is inspiring). While we were there we had a bounty of dishes, all of which were the kind that you just don’t want to talk through. You just want to savor and soak in each delectable bite. My favorite of the evening would have to be the Magret de Canard, a perfectly prepared duck breast in the sweetest sauce you’ve ever had. I never knew I loved duck until that night and that dish.
Since my meeting at Cuisine and Wine Bistro had been such a success, I talked the Mister into heading back there for our official anniversary dinner. The weather was gorgeous so we claimed a comfortable spot on the patio, enjoyed some adult beverages and settled into a magical dinner. While I was so enamored with the duck and struggled with my order, I decided to try something different from their menu and went with their filet de boeuf. The 8 ounce filet came with a green peppercorn sauce that had the perfect amount of kick to it. It was the perfect way to celebrate with my sweetheart.
Each week will probably not be quite this pretty, but I promise you it will always be real!
So, what’s the best thing that you ate this week?