Not forgotten...

Hi everyone,
Sorry for the lack of updates.  This is a crazy week.  I promise to have new stuff for you soon!
Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

HELP!

So...the Atlanta paper is looking for a food blogger to contribute to their food and more column once or twice a week.  I am totally gonna enter.  But here's the thing: you have to submit 3 writing samples.  I am going to use a blog post for at least one of them.  What should I use?  Which post has been your favorite? Which one is the best?  And do you like it because of the intro or because of the recipe?  I think I need one example with a good/witty/intruiging intro and one with a really good recipe!  I feel like I am applying to college I am so nervous, and I would really appreciate your help!

For 2: Salisbury Steaks

When I was a kid I LOVED to go to Piccadilly. Yes, the cafeteria style, meat and three, get your own drink restaurant. Specifically the Salisbury steak did it for me; brown gravy on top of the cubed steak with mashed potatoes and green beans was one of my favorite meals. Fast forward 20 some odd years later and here we are. Last night I made Salisbury steak a little more grown up with cremini mushrooms in the gravy, but still served with the classics: mashed potatoes and green beans! The cooking time is a bit lengthy, an hour and thirty minutes in the oven, but it is hands off cooking time so you can “make this” while you are catching up on your DVR or cleaning your bathroom, and then when the timer goes off you have a hot, delicious, comforting meal all ready for you!

Sincerely Loving Food,

Lainey

For a Crowd: Potato and Sausage Breakfast Casserole

In the famous words of Ina Garten, this weekend I “turned up the volume” on my hashbrown casserole. Don’t get me wrong, I love the original, but this weekend I was looking for something a little more filling. So, I did what any southern cook would do; added sausage! This is a great option when you are feeding a crowd because it is basically a one dish breakfast. I’m not gonna lie, I did fry an egg and put it on top of mine and the yolk running down over the hashbrowns and sausage put it over the top. But, the people who ate it eggless gave rave review as well; I mean really potatoes and sausage…nothing wrong with that!
Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

Potato and Sausage Breakfast Casserole
1 lb Hashbrowns
1 lb Sage Sausage (or breakfast sausage)
2 Cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
1½ C Onion, diced (usually 2 small onions)
1½ C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 C Sour Cream
1 stick of Butter, thinly Sliced
1 tbl each salt and pepper

Brown the sausage over medium-high heat until cooked through and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour into a 13x9 baking dish, and sprinkle with a little more cheese if desired. Bake for an hour and a half.

For a Crowd: Asian dip

This dip is a friend favorite and super EASY!!!  I know the picture looks a little wierd, but believe me it is delicious.  My old roomate is moving to Philadelphia and her going away party was this weekend.  I asked her what she wanted to make and she said, "Asian crack," haha!  It is just so addictive! 
Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

Asian Dip
1 block Cream Cheese
Wasabi Sauce
1 tbl Sesame Seeds
1 tbl Soy Sauce
Rice Crackers

Place the cream cheese block on a small plate or platter.  Cover with wasabi sauce, then sprinkle sesame seeds and soy sauce on the top.  Service with rice crackers.  Delicious!

*You can find wasabi sauce in the condiment aisle at the grocery.

Slide show!

Sorry no new recipe today, but I added that little slide show you are seeing to the right.  I think it's pretty cool!  Hope you do too!
Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

For 2: Rosemary Parmesan Potato Chips

I have mentioned using my new mandolin (that I LOVE) in a couple of posts: lasagna and grouper in parchment, and I used it again the other night for Potato Chips!  I made these to go with our chicken and green beans and using the mandolin was so fun and efficient! (I know I am kindof a nerd for getting excited about efficiency)  If you don’t have a mandolin I totally encourage you to get one.  I understand they can be expensive, but if you check out the home/kitchen sections in Marshalls and TJ Maxx you can usually find one that is really affordable!  The benefit of quickly slicing things, thinly and consistently is totally worth the cost.  If you don’t have a mandolin you can still make these chips, the slicing with a knife will just take you a little longer.

Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

For 2: Braised Chicken and Fully Flavored Green Beans

You know those chicken breasts that are huge?  I had one of those in my freezer and I was sure it was big enough to feed the bf and me.  So, last night that was on the menu along with green beans, because I had a craving for them.  Last time we had green beans I steamed them and the bf told me they didn’t have a lot of flavor, well boys just don’t get steamed veggies, but this time I was determined to make green beans with a ton of flavor.  After searing the chicken breast I braised it with chicken broth, onions and rosemary; then I removed the chicken breast to rest discarded the rosemary stems, reduced the broth with a little white wine and then cooked the green beans in that liquid.  It was awesome!  Added bonus: Chicken and green beans – only one dirty pot.  I rounded out this meal with homemade parmesan potato chips and you can get that recipe tomorrow, but for now here are the details on the braised chicken and fully flavored green beans!

Sincerely Loving Food,
Lainey

I LOVE FOOD!

So this weekend the bf and I went to a wedding. The ceremony was beautiful, the bride was gorgeous, the band was tons of fun and the food was ah-maaazzz-ing! During cocktail hour hot appetizers were passed: mini twice baked potatoes and BBQ pulled pork sandwiches! Talk about a great start. Then for dinner you could choose from 3 stations, or let’s be honest you could choose to visit all 3 stations. Crab cakes with mustard aioli and coleslaw, filet of beef with truffled mashed potatoes and green beans, and chicken Florentine with grilled zucchini, onions, asparagus and squash and a delicious pasta! Then there was dessert, obviously wedding cake was present but also these mini crème brueles. TO DIE FOR! I think I ate 3 of them…sorry if you were there and didn’t get one, it was my fault…Basically as far as weddings go this was one of the best menus ever.


Oh and the best part, on top of the menu was this quote:
“There is no love more sincere than the love of food”
-George Bernard Shaw
This really sums up how I feel, hence the name of this blog. I love food in a crazy sincere way. I love to make food. I love to learn about food. I love to watch food shows. Most important: I love to eat good food. And now I love this quote!

If you are married, what was on the menu at your wedding? Or what do you dream of being on the menu at your wedding if you haven’t crossed that bridge yet? Have you ever been to a wedding with awesome food? What was it? How would you describe your love for food?

For a Crowd: Hashbrown Casserole

Breakfast club is one of the many reasons I love my job. A group of nine people in my office take turns brining in breakfast on Fridays; it ranges from bagels to McDonald’s sausage biscuits to home made French toast. It is such a great way to kick off the weekend! Except for the fact we have to work 8 more hours, but I digress…This morning it was my turn to bring breakfast. I did two simple things: scrambled eggs and microwave bacon and then made a hashbrown casserole to jazz it up. The casserole is super easy, and I know if my friends at Big Girls Small Kitchen are reading this they are gasping at the can of condensed soup in the recipe, but what can I say this is the south and that’s just the way we do it down here! The best part about this and any casserole is you can mix it up and refrigerate it over night so the next morning all you have to do is pull it out and bake it for an easy breakfast! Try it out this weekend, easy and tasty: it doesn’t get any better than that!
Happy Weekend,
Lainey

For 2: His Favorite - Lasagna

My boyfriend loves lasagna, like it is on his list of top 3 favorite foods.  The idea of noodles, meat and cheese constituting a meal never really struck me as awesome, but he really, really loves the stuff.  I have developed our compromise lasagna; there is a layer of meat in red sauce, but also a layer of zucchini and mushrooms for some redeeming quality.  I use marinara sauce from a jar (gasp, I know) but let’s be honest I have a job and a life and not 4 hours to spend making this meal, and honestly when combined with everything else I don’t think homemade sauce would really make a big difference.  It does take 2 sauté pans, 1 big pot for boiling noodles and the baking dish but all in all the clean up isn’t too bad (thanks to the bf!).  I make the lasagna in an 8x8 baking dish so it is enough for the 2 of us for dinner plus leftovers for lunch, or we sometimes freeze half and then eat it for dinner again in a couple of weeks.

What are your the "compromise meals" at your house?  Do you ever use sauce from a jar?  If one cooks at your house does the other clean?  I love that deal!
Happy Hump Day,
Lainey

Flip Burger - Awesome!

On Saturday I had a FABULOUS hamburger at Flip Burger Boutique. Richard Blais (from Top Chef) has opened this trendy location on Atlanta’s up and coming West Side and I LOVE it!  And apparently there is also a new location in Birgmingham, AL and others in the works.  All of their beef burgers are made with 100% grass-fed beef, and considering how well known Richard is all the prices are totally affordable.  I love that they feature beef burgers along with “alternative” ones i.e. crab, shrimp, chorizo, etc.  On Saturday I had the butcher’s cut which is a beef burger topped with caramelized onion, blue cheese, red wine jam, and frisee pickled shallots.  It was perfect; the wine jam was to die for and there was just the perfect amount of blue cheese to add flavor, but not overpower everything else.  My sister had the po boyger which was made with pan fried shrimp and it was surprisingly good.  She shares my love for a good burger, and although she was excited about her adventurous choice she was a little scared she might miss the beef.  Luckily, she was pleasantly surprised at how much she loved it.  The bf had the Southern burger which is basically a country fried steak topped with pimento cheese - to die for!  Along with the burgers Flip has great appetizers and milk shakes.  I highly recommend starting with the fried pickles and parmesan zucchini fries and finishing with a rice krispy milkshake!  If you haven’t tried this place I really encourage you to do so.  For dinner try going really early or really late to avoid the crowd, or on the weekend go for a late, like 2:30pm, lunch and you will really minimize your time spent in the lobby!

Flip has become my new favorite trendy burger place, but when I want a traditional hamburger with greasy fries and a fried apple pie I go to The Varsity!  These two burger joints are on totally different ends of the burger spectrum, but I love them both.  What are your favorite burger spots?  I am a French fry girl 100%! Do you choose fries or rings as your burger compliment?  What is your favorite dessert to cap off your meal?  I would love to hear about your burger passions!

My New Love: Zucchini Fritters!

The healthy side of me loves zucchini, and I think I have mentioned my obsession with fried stuff before…a joining of the two, equals my new obsession: Zucchini Fritters! These little guys are easy to make, using only a few ingredients, and taste…um…how do I saw…amazing, especially with a little spicy ranch for dipping. They are a great side dish or appetizer, and really it doesn’t have to be zucchini, you can do this with any type of squash or corn kernels or anything really. Have a great weekend and give these a try!

Thanks for reading!
Lainey

Give it a try: Tomato Pie!

I know this sounds a little weird, but please stick with me on this one! I was introduced to tomato pie a couple of years ago and I thought then (and still do) that it maybe should be called something else, since it is savory not sweet, but that is neither here nor there. The pie is a mix of juicy tomatoes, onions and herbs with a cheesey topping, baked until it is bubbly and awesome!  The herbs in the recipe are pretty interchangeable, if you only have one or two but not the others that is fine just use the ones you have.  For the topping, I have tried multiple cheeses: Swiss, parmesan, Mexican Blend, cheddar…they are all great, so really just use whatever you like or have around, but I will tell you my favorite is swiss. The main focus is the tomatoes and the “topping.”  Tomato pie is a great side dish for basically anything and is even a good breakfast. Please don’t be scared and give it a try!

Happy Hump Day,
Lainey

For a Crowd: Twice Baked Potatoes

I love potatoes, especially when they are twice baked and stuffed with sour cream, cheese and butter! I made my favorite little side dish to share at a cook out this weekend. The process was a little time consuming, but in the end it was well worth it. They came out with a crispy skin on the bottom and gooey cheesy goodness on the inside and were the perfect “finger food” for the buffet line.
Happy Monday!
Lainey