Lots to update

We have so much we want to write about/review, but December got the better of us. In the not too distant future, look for reviews of:

Giordano's Chicago Style Pizza
Acropolis Greek Taverna (OMG yummy!)
some wines
some other food related stuff

In the mean time, since I had a nice few days off from work, I decided to make a nice from scratch meal for Christmas Dinner. The menu had:

Roasted Garlic Crusted Roast Beef with Cabernet Gravy
Crabcakes with remoulade
Home Fries
Candied Sweet Potatoes

I never did get to the veggies or biscuits, oh well. Everything else was so yummy that it would have been superfluous. The cabernet gravy was the pan drippings with about 2 oz of Ausbruch Cabernet Sauvignon used to deglaze the pan and a little bit of salt and pepper. I could eat it with a spoon.

The crabcakes were my usual maryland/n'awlins hybrid recipe. However, there were no breadcrumbs in the pantry so I used the trick I've heard for years and pulverized some Ritz crackers. Nope, not nearly as good as italian bread crumbs. Live and learn. Ed and Chef Jr really loved them, I was meh.

I was all set to do mashed potatoes, but Ed asked for home fries. About the same amount of work and three of us really love them. I made a baked potato for the one who doesn't appreciate good diner style potatoes.

Except for Gameboy, none of us really had room for the candied sweets. Just as well, as they're one of the few dishes that get better the more you reheat it.

Chef Jr asked for ham for New Year's eve...another nice and easy meal. Perhaps we'll try the Alton Brown crusting technique with ginger snaps and southern comfort for the glaze.


My resolution for the new year is to get at least one post a week on Wine and Foodies. If you've got ideas or recipes you'd like me to share, feel free to let me know.