Best BBQ Eva!

What's a Memorial Day without a BBQ? Sure, I wasnt invited to any parties and I didnt throw a bash but it is NO excuse to miss out on the kick off to the smokey and smooth summer meat season. Not eating BBQ on Memorial Day weekend is like being celebate at an orgy or sober on your 21st birthday.I mean people do it, just not people I know. Or like. Except Vegans, I guess. You get a free pass from my judgement.

It was a really great weekend! Not working 1 extra day was as freeing as you would think. My"Crafter-In-Crime" Jenny came up from Los Angeles to help me create the centerpieces and watch me waffle back and forth in Michaels/Daiso/Beverlys....we also played a ton of games, went to the German Tourist Club and cheated on our diets........alot. Oh well! Its Tuesday and I need to motivate back to OPERATION SKINNY BRIDE and workout 6 days a week. Wa. 3 months away now and I cant wait to get married folks.

Hella Easy Oven Roasted BBQ Brisket w/ Basil Buttered Corn

Ingredients
Beef Brisket. 2 pounds was okay for 2 people but there were no leftovers! Go for 4 next time.

1 onion chopped, diced.
1 jalapeno, sliced
5 cloves crushed garlic.
2 cup veggie stock (you can use beef, I just bought the wrong stuff).
2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup worchestire sauce
Lots of BBQ rub ( I used "BBQ 3000")
Garlic Salt

1/4 cup generic BBQ sauce (I couldnt find liquid smoke so I went with that).
Corn
Butter
Chopped Basil

Step One: Preheat oven to 250. Combine all wet ingredients in a roasting pan + jalapenos and onions. Rub the roast generously with the rub, garlic salt and crushed garlic.

Step Two: Place the roast in the pan, fat side up and make sure the water is at least half way up the side. Roast for 4 hours, more if the roast is bigger.

Step Three: Boil the corn, melt the butter and stir in the basil then toss the cooked corn and serve!

Eat Up Son!

Things:

1. I read Bossypants by Tina Fey. It was pretty sweet. I wouldnt say it was epic or life changing or even memorable, but it was sweet. There were no surprises, only funny witty one liners that made you smile to yourself. I would still recommend it as a good read, though. Light and fun. I like reading about women being in charge, even though I just wanted more.

2. I would rather watch Game Of Thrones than do anything else (except eat an entire red velvet cake all by myself. I'd choose that every day if it was responsible or it would save the world). We held off on this show while it was airing because it was just too much TV to be taking in at once and last Sunday we were ready to consume new television now that the finales of all our regulars have been aired...........and we're hooked! Without spoiling anything this is the general formula: 1/2 of all the sexy parts of True Blood + first season mysticism of LOST (before we cared) + fantasy and whimsy of LORT and then throw in a dash of political drams of West Wing (which I didnt wach but what the heck else would I reference?).

3. I cant wait a single minute more to go to my bachelorette party in Palm Springs in 2 weeks! At first I questioned everything about the "getting married" traditions and why a bachelor or bachelorette party is even still relevant. After some soul searching I came to the conclusion that in all seriousness: its not! And that's fine. The reality is - why wouldnt I want all my closest girlfriends (+Brett) to come together for one weekend to hang out and talk about all the times I cried that I got dumped? Or remind me that I once had a crush on a guy who had leg braces? And maybe that time I showed Orlando Bloom my undies. Its important to take some time and reflect on the journey that got you there and the people who have been there for it all..........just not with Shawn. :)

4. East Coast Itch. I have it! Can I haz? I think its probably because summer should be approaching San Fran and its decidedly not....Memorial Day weekend I always go to NY and this is the 2nd year not doing that.....you can take the girl out of Schodack NY but you cant take the Schodack out of the girl.

5...............and can I get a what! what! for..............

Lime Paneer, Chickpea & Chicken Tikka Salad!

This dish could be entered in a winner winner chicken dinner category if you ask me. It was super simple and right up Shawn's alley. I used almonds in the salad but Shawn pointed out after (in a true Micholic Maximizer way) that cashews or peanuts would have been better. Its really up to you though.

Ingredients
2 Chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 block of paneer, cubed
1 cup chickpeas
1/4 cup almonds
1 avocado, sliced
3 limes
2/3 cup raw red onion
1 tablespoon mashed garlic
1 tablespoon shredded ginger
1 cup tikka masala canned sauce
Tablespoon of Olive Oil
Dash of coriander
Dash of curry powder

Step One: Marinate the chicken in the tikka masala sauce and over medium heat cook and simmer 10-12 minutes. Salt & Pepper to taste. Once cooked through, remove from heat and let cool completely.

Step Two: Squeeze 1 lime=over cubed paneer and toss. Over high heat cook the paneer til browned and crispy. You can turn down to medium heat to finish but turn frequently. I squeezed a second lime over the paneer while it was in the pan, too! This should only take 10m tops. Set aside and let cool.

Step Three: In a salad bowl combine the raw onions, garlic, chickpeas, ginger, avocado and almonds. Once cool add in the paneer and the chicken, coriander and curry powder and squeeze the last lime over the salad. Toss and serve!

Protein Cake

Among the foods that you grow up thinking you hate Meatloaf seems to rise to the top. Brussel Sprouts are delish and liver aint so bad either. Cartoons give it all a bad wrap! The name also is a disgustingly literal, I feel we need to rename it to "Protein Cake". Meh, that's no better. How about "Burger Bread"? Its not really bread though....Burger Slices! That's it! Anyway, I made a nice batch of Greek Turkey Slices for dinner the other night and it was pretty amazing. The only thing I would add next time is sun dried tomatoes...

Greek Bulgar Turkey Burger Slices (Okay, its Meatloaf).
1 Pound Turkey meat
3 tablespoons chopped dill
1/2 cup reduced fat feta
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup bulgar
1 cup chopped red onion
1 egg
1 small can Spicy V8
Olive Oil
Dash of sugar
Salt Pepper

Step One: Preheat Oven to 350. Over medium heat saute chopped red onions and garlic until soft. Salt, Pepper and add sugar. Then add in bulger and toss over medium heat for an additional 5 minutes. Stir.

Step Two: Add mixture to ground turkey, then add in feta, V8, Dill and egg. Salt & Pepper.

Step Three: Bake covered for 45 minutes, then remove foil for the remaining 15 minutes. If its super watery and oily drain it a little but then after an hour let the loaf sit for 10m before eating so it soaks up the juices and doesn't dry out. I waited until the top was browned to eat.

Yum!

The Weekend of Wiig

I have never had so much Wiig in my life. It was a Kristen Wiigity wiigity wiigity wack weekend and not even on purpose. We started out on Friday going to see Bridesmaids with a ton of friends and it turned out to be just what the movie doctor ordered. I highly recommend the movie and give it an A+ in the categories of: women being funny without being annoying, gross out humor and genuine sentimental romantic comedy that men can actually stomach.

Then we saw Paul. Skip it.



Then we watched Justin Timberlake host SNL with featured player Kristen Wiig! I certainly think this is her day in the sun and she should choose not to return to SNL and really focus on becoming a huge player in the female comedy revolution.

Anyway! now for the cooking..........

When we were in Mexico over a year ago one of the best meals we had was this amazing creation called Tamarind Meatballs. I have been craving them ever since! The only downside was I couldnt ask for a recipe (rude + language barrier) and when I troll the Internet I find almost nothing with those words combined. I also am not positive if Tamarind is actually a mexican flavor but they make candies? It seems more like an Indian flavor. Oh well. It sure was tasty in my recreation. I would even push it further and go all in and not dilute the tamarind paste when I mixed the meatballs or make a sauce to cover the meatballs made of tamarind.

Garlic & Tamarind Meatballs over Corn & Red Onion Succotash
Ingredients
1 pound of lean ground beef
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tablespoons tamarind paste mixed with olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese
1 dash of chipotle powder
Chicken Broth
1 red onion, sliced
2 ears of corn

1 small can of diced tomato

Olive Oil
Dash of Sugar

Step One: Mix the beef, garlic, tamarind paste, cheese and powder together. Salt and pepper to taste! Form into small balls.

Step Two: You can use canned corn but I just bought corn on the cobb and sliced it off the cobb after roasting is - but cook this sucker while the meatballs are getting ready to cook.

Step Three: Sear the meatballs over high heat, browning the outside of all of them
4 minutes on each side. Then add chicken broth until half covered. Simmer til cooked through.

Step Four: In a separate pan, saute the red onions with olive oil, sprinkling JUST a bit of sugar over them. Once soft add in the diced tomato (I drain them and rinse them since I dont like the glop they sit in) --- then add the corn and salt a little then simmer until warm. 6 minutes.

Step Five: Serve meatballs over succotash.

TOTALLY TOPICAL TV TIME

Tis the end of the season. No, not the HOLIDAY season, but the TV season! You're just wrapping up and I am gearing up for a summer full of wedding planning, hikes and books. I'm already 2 chapters into Bossypants. We'll also take some time this summer to watch the ever popular Dexter and Friday Night Lights.....if we ever return our Netflix discs from 6 months ago. I'm also excited for the return of Breaking Bad and True Blood, although saddened that Mad Men will not be the show we'll be looking forward to every Sunday. Alas, here's a wrap up of this 2011 season highs & lows:

Workaholics: If you took the camaraderie of Lonely Island and let them smoke weed, then took the obscure immaturity of Derrick Comedy and gave them an amazing dash of douchebaggery you'd have Workaholics. This gem airs on Wednesday nights on Comedy Central and will quickly become a staple in your DVRs diet. Unbelievably relatable, shockingly smart and yet at the same time dumb as shit. Adam Devine is the true star of this trio as the BRO you just love to bits and dont want him to ever change his petulant, overconfident, 13 year old self. Even to get laid. I give this an A+.


Happy Endings. Its a shame that you can have some of the best (new) talent on television and then have the worst (old) talent thus creating a plateau where everyone mashes together into lukewarm predictable comedy. I guess its better than Perfect Couples! I am going to stick with this only slightly above average comedy for the brief moments of brilliance: the Nazi subplot and the true to life Gay plotlines. Hopefully, it will pull a Cougartown and have a sophomore season that shoots for the stars. If you wanted to ask me how to make this comedy better: kill off dead weight Elisha Cuthbert - COMEDY IS NOT YOUR FORTE, showcase Adam Pally's brohemian gay that makes me want to go back to dating gays and give Casey Wilson the Emmy award for awkward smiles.


Pregnant In Heels. You have to first commit to 2 truthes if you want to watch this show: people are fucking crazy and also RICH people are fucking crazier. Once you get past this, I find the show to be pretty entertaining. I myself know I want a family someday but I also am pretty scared at how it will change my life. Now 2 shows on television give me the lovely warm feeling of - if they can do it! I can do it: Teen Mom 2 and Pregnant In Heels! Both completely far ends of the spectrum of wealth, yet somehow have the same competency level. Maybe this is an exploitation of riches, but I dont care - I want to form committees on names and have a fashion show of maternity clothing.

The Killing on AMC. You started out SO strong! You had everything I ever wanted in a show: mystery, dark secrets, drab scenery.....but I guess that only lasts in 2 hour movies. 8 hour miniseries get a little monotonous. I will say however the main actress Mireille Enos (also of Big Love fame) has the uncanny acting chops of the former big hitter Gillian Anderson. The stalwart stares, the ungendered sexuality is really reminiscent of Dana Scully. It's rare women get such good roles that really let them shine.

Some oldies but deserve a mention:

How I Met Your Mother: Not my favorite this year, honestly. Too serious! I totally forgot, as the name of the show implies, we're waiting to meet the mother. I feel they should have dropped this gimmick years ago in favor of a Ted we'll like. Somehow with all of his futzing and fussing I am beginning to think of him as a douche bag. TV shows are full of flawed heroes and heroins (Felicity, Sex & the City) --- but this light comedy doesnt need a flaw, its needs a romance we can get behind.

Parks & Recreation: Hell yea! I havent seen such amazing sexual tension since........well Adam Scott and Casey on Party Down. Now we have Adam Scott and Amy Poehler to set our hearts back on track and get our private parts all emotional and yearning for true love. The sad part is: I bet it cant last forever. TV show romance never does. I hope P&R lets us enjoy them for at least the next season.

Fringe: I know you thought you were getting cancelled but if Joshua Jackson doesnt come back, I cant say I will. Except, I really will cause thats how I roll.

COD, are you there? Its me Margaret....

Hello Darling Skittle Kitties -

Its been quite a long fort night since I blogged. Okay like twelve fortnights! Why did we stop using that term? Its essentially a fourteen day span so it would be much more exciting and colorful to use than "two weeks" or "biweekly" - let's bring this back into the vernacular if not just in the name of accuracy.

Anyway to answer your question: why did I stop?

1. Blog Inferiority Complex Type 1.
Its like Herpes Simplex Type 2 only worse. Let's face it! There are a LOT of blogs out there that are better, ones I read everyday, ones that win prizes and make money and I am just not that interesting. Competing was futile. However the writing itch is back! I'm no more interesting than the other blogbums but the creepy crawly writing bug is in my veins and it must get out! Out damn spot! So here I am, hunched over my laptop that wont even get wireless these days - writing.

2. The Oh-So Cliche But Necessary Wedding Diet.
...............and therefore my cooking has been hella boring and there's nothing fatass about my lifestyle right now. I'm talking NO booze, NO snacking, NO fun! Working out everyday and drooling at the thought of a boozy sultry glass of Malbec is the status quo. People kept saying "Just blog about healthy food!" but I am not a nutritional expert and don't feel comfortable putting out "healthy" food where I cant vouch for the nutritional value. Until I reach my goal of losing 30 pounds (1o down suckas!) -I'll be hating all my skinny friends to their faces instead of behind their backs and forcing Shawn to eat sugar free egg whites with lean fish oil cold cut shots.

So I took advantage of a solo night at home while Shawn was at the baseball game and cooked something I've been formulating in ma brain for a while! This recipe is for one so double it to make for you and your friend/hubby/enemy you decided to re-friend/shut in recluse neighbor/has been celeb you know through a friend of a friend.

Are you one of those people who hates seafood? Get over yourself. Or leave more for me, I guess.

Gingered Cod over Garlicky Edamame & Sauteed Chard
1 Cod Fillet
2 tablespoons pureed ginger
Salt & Pepper
Tiny dash of Olive Oil.
Half a lemon, juiced.

3 Mushrooms
1/2 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 head of chard
2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of soy sauce (Gluten Free for you Meag!)
1/2 cup edamame

Green Onions to garnish.

Step One: Chop your shrooms, onion and garlic and then over medium heat with a little olive oil sautee until soft/browned. Once cooked add your soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Add in the edamame. Then when youre around 5 minutes away from eating toss in the chard and cover to cook for 3-5 minutes. It should get wilted then you're ready to nosh.

Step Two: Salt the cod (sexy), then spread the ginger all over! salt it and then sear over medium heat so 1 side gets browned, then flip and squeeze the lemon over it once turned. Cook for less than 10 minutes. Cod is a flake FLIRT! If its starting to flake its done.

And thats that.