Baxter Bark Twice

Do as I say, never as I do

Morzo, please

Posted by AllieB on July 27, 2010

When it’s time for Supper Club, chances are I’m in charge of the wine.

While I have very little experience in the kitchen,  now that I am something an adult I believe it’s important to have an arsenal of “go-to dishes” that one feels confident will turn out well and can be proudly served to others.

I’m still working on the appetizer, main course and dessert part of said arsenal, but this recipe, in all of its simplicity, is completely delicious. It’s super light and is a great complement to red meat – kabobs in particular…or, add in more veggies and some sliced chicken and it could be a nice main course for lunch…I’m guessing – I’ve certainly never tried.

Pine Nut and Lemon Orzo

Serve this dish at room temperature or chilled.** If you make the orzo ahead, keep it refrigerated, and toss with the dressing mixture, parsley, and pine nuts just before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

Ingredients

  • 4  cups  uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta; about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 3/4  cup  fresh lemon juice (about 4 medium lemons)
  • 1  teaspoon  salt
  • 3/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
  • 3  tablespoons  extravirgin olive oil
  • 3/4  cup  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/2  cup  pine nuts, toasted

Preparation

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain into collander.

In the same saucepan used to cook orzo, heat olive oil and add pine nuts. Cook until golden; about five minutes. Add parsley. Then add orzo back into pan, tossing with lemon juice and salt and pepper.

**Notes from Allibert: I find this dish is best served slightly warm or at room temperature. Also, either parsley or basil can be used – whichever you have on hand.

Source: from the kitchen of Allibert’s mom – she combined various recipes and came up with this combo; I goog’ed the crap out of it and came up with nothing…

Morzo, please…GET IT?!

From: The Food Network

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Best in Show: Grits

Posted by AllieB on July 23, 2010

I love grits – I guess you could say I’m a bona fide GRIT (nerd chills)……anyway, I find them to be an excellent side dish morning, noon, or night, so I always order them when dining out.

I would like to first acknowledge the clear winner of this category – The Last Resort Grille in Athens, GA, aka Mecca. Their Salmon and Grits entree will forever hold a firm place in my Top 5 Favorite Meals, and Resort itself places similarly in my Top 5 Favorite Restaurants.

However, if you’re ITP,  Basil’s Restaurant and Bar is by far your best bet. Their jalapeño cheese grits are incredible. Like, they’re amazing. You have to go, and you must get them. I was there recently for dinner, and I almost passed out when our waiter announced the nightly special:  Bacon-Wrapped Scallops  served with a side of the grits. I love bacon-wrapped anything, first of all, so I was totally sold. The dish was amazing and I think/talk about it often.

I’ve also heard great things about their brunch, and their patio is one of the best in B-head. Oh, and they have a delicious Vinho Verde that is light and delicious and sells for $26/bottle.

On left: exterior of Last Resort in Athens and a snapshot of their culinary masterpiece. On right: Basil's on Grandview Ave in Buckhead

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Meet & Greet: Missy Baxter

Posted by AllieB on July 23, 2010

This is Missy. She is a feisty ten year old black lab who loves to play ball, swim, and eat blocks of gourmet cheese in one swallow. Missy does not like bugs, airports, or being rinsed off with a hose. She once sprained her tail because she wagged it so much/too aggressively.

Hi, Missy!

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Use Your Words, Vol I

Posted by AllieB on July 23, 2010

I used to hate phrases abbreviated into acronyms. I think the root of this hatred was HAGS from my junior high school yearbooks. Why can’t you just write, “Have a good summer!” It’s 15 letters. It’s not hard. HAGS really annoyed me – it just sounds so lame.

Now, however, I love them. BTW, FYI, WTF, IMO, IDK, IDC…I don’t remember the last time I wrote out “in my opinion” – or even said the whole phrase out loud.

My personal favorite is AWD’s – after work drinks.

“Anyone up for an AWD?”

“It’s such a nice day – doesn’t an outside AWD sound good?”

“Today sucks, I am definitely going to need an AWD.”

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One Stop Shop

Posted by AllieB on July 21, 2010

This Groupon et al craze is like the greatest thing ever, and with new sites popping up daily, it seems,  it’s  hard to keep track of what all is out there.

Enter The Deal Map.

This nifty site lists all of the daily deals from all of the various websites – Groupon, DailyThread, several I’ve never even heard of…anyway, it sends you a single email about what’s going on, and you can specify as to what sort of deals you’re interested in: restaurants, health and beauty, automotive…etc.

It’s always good to streamline, IMO.

http://www.thedealmap.com/

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