Food stuff

I meant to do a "life lately" post and then kind of stopped after one night. But, here are four pictures I decided to share despite my inability to finish the original post. Coincidently, each of these pictures depict a food/drink - pot roast, Guinness, Wilhelmina peppermints (literally the best mints ever) and Shatto milk, our most recent splurge/indulgence.

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A sammich I don't joke about

Yes, I said 'sammich'. Like when E kids, saying, "Make me a sammich, woman."

If there is one thing you should know about me, it's that I have a serious, SERIOUS taste for BLTs. One of those tastes where I could eat them every day (for real).

If there is a second thing you should know about me, it's that a BLT is thee only sandwich that I will put mayo on. Excluding chipotle mayo on salmon BLTs.

I wish I was kidding. A few people in this world know that I have a crazy relationship with sandwiches. As in, I won't eat them if a) I don't see them being made and know exactly how they're made/what's on them, b) they are something super delicious from a super delicious restaurant, and c) they are stocked full of anything relatively close to deli meat. I can't even blame my parents for my behavior.

And I've always had a hatred for mayo. In complex terms, my hatred was pretty much sealed when, in highschool, I watched a classmate eat a sandwich bag full of mayo for an eating contest. In simple terms, grrrroooossss.

But BLTs. They change ev-er-y-thing. I can confidently order a BLT from Jimmy John's and know it will be delicious. And I would gladly let any one of you make me one, as long as it has all of the ingredients in its iconic acronym of a name. Plus a little mayo.

In my & E's world, BLTs are no joke. So, while eating them one night, I decided I would dedicate a blog post WITH pictures to show you how much we love them.



This is what real bacon looks like. As in, your dad trades beef for some pork at the butcher shop.



Life lesson: the best tomatoes always come from farmer's stands/markets.



The same goes for lettuce.



And that's the moneymaker. In all of her perfect combination glory, sandwiched between two lightly-toasted pieces of bread.

If you don't understand my love for BLTs, consider this an open invitation to my apartment. I will show you the error of your ways, and even serve you a Boulevard with your soon-to-be-favorite meal.

...I don't joke about BLTs.

Loadin' up

When I was an actual athlete, coaches always preached the age-old rule to load up on carbs the night before big games or track meets. Translation:  I ate a lot of spaghetti in high school.

That said, I don't accept just any pasta. If I ever deny your spaghetti, it's not your fault. I'm extremely picky. I'm usually starving with absolutely no cravings if I order pasta in restaurants.

So as fate would have it, I'm married to a pasta lover. Chicken fettuccine is my hubby's favorite foods. I've refused to make it yet; my mom's recipe that E loves has two sticks of butter in it. I tell him the delicious smell of noodles, chicken, and creamy sauce is just his brain denying that he's eating a plate full of heart attack.

All that said, some things have changed. I still haven't caved and made chicken fettuccine, but I did discover this recipe a few weeks into our marriage, and since first taste, it's become a favorite of E and I. It's opened my eyes to the pasta world, end it really could not get easier.

Here's what you need:
- 10 oz. penne pasta
- 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes
- fresh basil
- 3 oz. feta cheese
- water (for boiling)
- medium sauce pan
- medium skillet

First, bring your pasta to a boil. While doing that, start heating your tomatoes on low-medium heat. You want them to be bubbling, but not splattering juice all over.

Add as much basil as you like. Instead of shredding, I just tear the leaves up into fourths. 

Drain your pasta and add the tomato-basil mixture, and top it all off with the feta cheese. (Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the cheese. I was too distracted by my appetite.)

And there you have it. We usually eat this pasta as a side dish, but most recently made it a main by adding some chicken to it. It's one of the most delicious meals I've made in 20 minutes.

You should also eat it with fresh bread, because bread is good.

"I've never had broccoli that I want to keep eating."

Is exactly what my husband said when I whipped out this delicious way to prepare one of my favorite vegetables. E only likes broccoli, so I needed to amp up his appreciation.

Here's what you do:

1) Buy fresh broccoli, and bring it home.

2) Take the heads off the stalk, wash them, and throw them in a bowl. Actually, change 'throw' to 'lightly toss.'

3) Drizzle roughly 3 tablespoons of EVOO (or, extra virgin olive oil if your mom was never addicted to Rachael Ray) over the broccoli.

4) Add salt and pepper to your own preference. S&P from grinders give it a fresher taste.

5) Chop up 3-4 cloves of garlic into eighths, and throw (again, toss) 'em in.

While you were doing all that, I should have told you to preheat your oven to 400 degrees. My bad.

Once the oven is hot, stick your broccoli in a tin foil-covered pan (makes clean up a lot easier) and let the mini trees roast for a solid 15-20 minutes, depending on how soft or crunchy you like them. The key secret to knowing you're doing this right is if the broccoli start to brown on top. And then, you enjoy.

...After you've taken the broccoli out of the oven, in course. I don't endorse eating in ovens. Too cramped.

*I forgot to take a picture. Don't sue me - I'll post one later. 

Throw it on the barbee.

I love living in Kansas City for multiple reasons, but what may top my list is that it's known for it's barbecue. Yum-oh.

After spending way too much time watching Downton Abbey, E suggested we go to a local barbecue hot spot for dinner. Friends, meet Oklahoma Joe's.

This place is pretty popular; we stood in line for 20 minutes, which was better than the last time we were there. I assure you, the wait is worth it. So.delicious.

BBQ beef brisket, in my belly. Please take note of my ketchup smiley
face; I made it for you.

Excuse my husband - he was in a food coma.

Come visit, and maybe we can arrange a trip to Joe's. You'll have to twist my arm, though.

So easy it shouldn't taste this good.

E loves pizza. We're convinced he could eat it every day. Statistics show that if I ask my husband what he wants for dinner, 90% of the time he'll say pizza. Do you see my problem?

I came across an awesome recipe (check out this book) for barbecue chicken pizza. I knew this would be risky; E's last experience with barbecue chicken pizza did not meet his taste requirements. It was do or die, folks.

Victory is sweet, in this case, in the form of delicious pizza. Here's the recipe:

1 pizza crust (You can make your own, if you like. For the first attempt, I used a pre-made Pillsbury crust.)
1+ cup of cubed chicken, cooked
1/2 cup of chosen barbecue sauce (or more, if you'd like)
Mozzarella cheese

1. Follow the instructions for your pizza crust. With the Pillsbury crust, I always bake it for 5-7 minutes before adding the toppings.
2. Add barbecue sauce, chicken, and cheese, in whichever order you want. :)
3. Resume instructions for baking your pizza.
4. Enjoy with drink of choice.

Ye-ah, buddy.

I wish I could e-relay how easy this recipe is in relation to how awesome it tastes.