Ta-Ta-Ta-Tagine

 This dish is a delicious mixture of flavors and
will be sure to be a favorite of squash lovers.

 This tagine goes great with a side of couscous with green onion.

The butternut squash is best when it is cooked to a softer consistency. 

Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash from Cooking Light

Notes:
Be careful with the Cinnamon, a little goes a really long way.
Skirt and flank steak work really well in this dish.
The most difficult component to cook in this meal
is the butternut squash;
which depending on cook time, can either end up hard or overcooked.
Timing is essential!

O My, Sui Mei!

Make sure to wrap the sui mei extra tightly.

Try not to over stuff the sui mei,
so that they will not fall apart while steaming.

 We learned that it is important to place each sui mei an inch apart
or else they will stick together.

Although the recipe says to add an inch of water when steaming,

we found that if you add more than a 1/4 inch of water that
the bottom level sui mei will become soggy while being steamed.

Make sure to wear protective gear when removing the lid!

These  tasty dumplings go great with soy sauce
and Sambal Oelek, Ground Fresh Chili Paste.

Shrimp and Mushroom Sui Mei from Cooking Light

Notes:

If you are having a hard time finding Gyoza skins,
pot sticker wrappers can be used instead.
Baby Bella mushrooms can also replace the Crimini mushrooms.
Also, make sure to line the steamers with enough
Napa (Chinese Cabbage) or else the sui mei will stick to the wood.
Overall, if you are craving some quick dim sum
this is definitely the way to go!

Mumbo a Gumbo!

Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo Recipe from Coastal Living

Notes:
Steeping the shrimp shells in the chicken broth infuses
wonderful flavors in the overall stew.
This dish seemed to be less spicy and more flavorful the second day.
Depending on the sausage and hot sauce used
this dish can be very spicy;
Sriracha Hot Sauce gave this dish a great flavor twist and spiciness.

Thanks for the Evite to your Blog!

Love the Blog.

I'll start posting as I try new recipes and make old favorites. It's a great way to archive recipes.

Here's a few of my go-to recipe sites:

SimplyRecipes for general recipes

BreadTopia for baking videos

JeffVersano because I'm really working on NY Style Pizza

Love and Bacon*

Bryan

*because everything's better with bacon

I got a pickle, I got a pickle...

Decided to try making my own pickled cukes, onions, and garlic.



Pickling sauce

Everything was placed in an airtight jar.

Ready to be placed in the fridge!

Alton Brown's Kinda Sorta Sours Recipe (Food Network)

Notes:
If you like a more bitter, "sour" pickle
than this may not be the pickling recipe for you.
Pickling sauce has more of a sweet but sour flavor.