What Was New Last Week?

The goal each week is to try some new recipes and create some more of my own. This past week, I was all about trying new ones, making some favorites and getting comfortable with them, so we don't have to wait until the rare visit to a restaurant.

To that end, I'm going to try a bunch of Greek recipes in the coming months.

What was new?

Cincinnati Chili. This turned out the way I remember Skyline's being, the same texture and consistency. Ed's opinion is that it was probably too cinnamon-y for most people. He also offered that it was more like what you find in the pastitsio than what I used in that recipe. Lesson learned, make a batch of this, then make the rest of the stuff for Pastitsio according to the recipe I found.

Cheesy Rice Pilaf. I know something is a huge hit when Chef asks for seconds and thirds and then says that the leftovers will be his lunch the next day. Too bad he ate so much that there wasn't enough for anyone to have leftovers.

I took an Emeril recipe, subbed Beef broth and doubled the onions and removed the peppers. It was very savory and used a total of four cups of water when the recipe said it'd use one.

Gnocci I love getting this when I dine out because it's something I didn't make at home. Well, now I do. Even though I love the ones I get out (and probably will still do it), the ones at home were melt in your mouth. This is not a quick meal to whip up after work though. It'll be a day off meal when I do return to work. I need to make sure I have basil next time, so I can make some pesto to go with them.

I Know, I Know

This blog fell by the wayside in 2008. There were a couple of reasons-
1. I was busy making sure I fulfilled my Blog365 duties.
2. Life threw us a few crappy curveballs.
3. There hasn't been much wine to talk about in 2008.
4. There haven't been too many new restaurants enjoyed in 2008, either.

Well, on the first front, I've completed Blog365. (Really 366 days, but we won't mention the fact that I refused to take the designated day of rest.) I'm not bound to the same requirements, but I probably still will blog every day. It's so ingrained that I can't see skipping it.

We lost a house, moved, lost a job, and dealt with various financial and health issues. To say that there were other things on my (our) mind this year would be an understatement.

As a result of the things in the previous paragraph, well, the cash flow has prevented wining and dining in the manner we once did. The original intent of the blog was to talk about restaurants and lovely beverages. As you can tell by the crickets chirping at Wine and Foodies, there's been a dearth of either.

However, the lack of dining out means we ate most of our meals at home. I enjoy cooking and had started the year with the goal of entering the Next Food Network Star Competition. Yes, I did. No, they didn't call me. It still feels pretty good to know that I made the tape AND spent most of the year creating new recipes and refining my core meals.

So, I decided that I'll begin anew here on Wine and Foodies. Once I am among the employed again, there certainly will be food and wine reviews and tasting notes. In the meantime, this space will recap what we're eating, the new meals we're trying and tips on making things simpler in the kitchen.

I'm not sure how it's going to play out, but I may start a master post for a week if there isn't a lot to say about each new recipe, and break out to individual entries for those that warrant the extra attention. There will probably be duplicate posts here and at my main blog on Wednesdays, when I focus on What's for Dinner.

So, come along and bring your appetite-there's food to eat!