Turkey Diane... NOT worth your time!

A few weeks back, I tried a new recipe using turkey breast cutlets. I have been on such a chicken kick for quite some time, so I wanted to switch things up. I found the recipe Turkey Diane on some website I have never been to before, so I was already hesitant about it. But decided to try it anyways because I always tend to make the same meals over and over again!

Here is the actual recipe....

Turkey Diane (from CDKitchen)

**Yields 4 Servings**

1 pound turkey breast cutlets
2 teaspoons lemon pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon parsley
lemon for garnish
nonstick cooking spray

1. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; heat for 30 seconds. Add turkey; sprinkle with lemon pepper and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side until browned and no longer pink in the center.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl, mixing well. Add to pan and cook until heated through. Garnish with lemon and parsley.

Now granted, I had to make my usual tweaks to the recipe based on my own personal preference and convenience of items. I did not have lemon pepper but used regular pepper instead. I don't think that would make much of a difference considering it is only 2 teaspoons worth, plus I have the flavor from the lemon juice. I used regular mustard instead of Dijon mustard because that is what I had on hand. I did not have any parsley or lemons for garnish, but again these are more optional in my opinion. I am sure they may have enhanced the flavor somewhat, but those missing ingredients COULD NOT have been the reason why this dish tasted so... blah. There was barely any liquid mixture, and it didn't add much flavor. On parts of my turkey cutlet, I tasted mustard, but mainly not much flavor at all. My fiancee thought it had even less flavor than I did, so he had to get some bbq sauce (or maybe it was horseradish sauce?) to dip it in.

Needless to say, I won't be making this again. There was not much to it. Yes, it was an easy fix but I guess I would rather have to spend more time and effort on a delicious dish than spend no time or effort on a "blah" dish.

Don't make it, people! It will be a waste of your time! If you can prove me wrong, or know where I might have went wrong, please let me know! I would be willing to make it again if someone could work miracles on this recipe :)

Restaurant Review : Eddie Merlot's Keeps Callin Me Back

We have been here about three times total since my first adventure in March for my 25th birthday. The very first time we went, AMAZING! The service was amazing; a kind pregnant woman was our waitress (I believe her name was Crys), and she was very informative seeing as it was our first time dining here. She showed us the meat selection, which was very fancy in my opinion because I have never had a waitress do this before! I ordered the bourbon-marinated ribeye, which was good, but not as good as I was expecting considering I had heard amazing reviews about it. I think I am just more of a filet kind of girl. It was good though, don't get me wrong. My boyfriend had the 3-course meal for $30, which I thought was a great deal. The crab cake sliders were pretty good, probably better without the bun (for me), the braised short ribs were amazingly tender and flavorful, though the veggies served with it were not great and kind of hard, and the banana cream pie was also delicious.

We loved it so much that we went back literally 2 days later, to try the all you can eat crab legs. Our server (Troy) was not as informative as our previous server. I ordered a key lime martini, and he spilled most of it on the floor and it got shaken up and was very foamy, and he commented on how foamy it was but still proceeded to give it to me. I mean, if I am going to spend a pretty good amount on a martini, I would expect to get what I pay for. He did not keep up with refills. He brought my boyfriend butter for the crab legs like 30 minutes before the food arrived, so it was cold by the time the crab even got there. We had to witness a table nearby getting excellent service from a different waiter who never left them for too long without anything, and who supplied ramekins of butter for the crab that were constantly being heated by a fire sterno. It seems crazy to me that we had an amazing experience, then 2 days later a horrible one. I figured it was just because of the all you can eat special, and gave them the benefit of doubt and went back again.

Our last experience was a very special occasion, for our 10 year anniversary, and the night my boyfriend proposed to me! So my new fiancee and I, after some dancing lessons at Arthur Murray Dance Studios (which were quite strange!), headed over to Eddie Merlot's. We received a complimentary jumbo chilled shrimp cocktail and it was delicious and looked very cool. 

Our server was better than the last time, thank God, but still no Crys. My fiancee ordered the beef and lobster wellington; this was our first time trying a beef wellington, and we were excited to try it as we have heard all about the recipe on cooking shows and wondered what it tasted like. I am not big on bread but it was pretty amazing. I had the trio of medallions, which featured three 4 oz. medallions... one with a bacon-blue cheese crust, one 'Oscar style,' and one with peppercorns. I enjoyed all of them, however my fiance didn't like any of those too much. We also tried Eddie's potatoes which were also delicious and big enough for 2 people. It was a great place to celebrate our 10 year anniversary and engagement! Eddie's has become one of our regular fine dining spots, and I can't wait for the next big occasion so I can go back!

Restaurant Review : Stone Creek Dining Company in Montgomery

I had never heard of this restaurant before but came across it on opentable.com. The menu looked like just my kind of place so I thought I would try it.

We dined here for this past mother's day. I wanted to take my mama to an elegant restaurant, because Mama deserves the best! It was not busy at all when we got there, which was a pleasant surprise. The restaurant is located in the cute neighborhood of Montgomery. Now granted, it doesn't look like your typical restaurant on the outside. The inside is much nicer and has beautiful decor. They have parking underneath the restaurant which is convenient.

Let me start out by saying that this was possibly the best bread I have ever had! Actually, it wasn't the bread so much as the red dipping sauce which seemed to be like an olive oil-red pepper-sun dried tomato kind of sauce. It was better than any bread and butter combo I have ever had! The only other bread which may compare is good ole Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits. I feel like I want to go back just to have some more delicious bread, and I am not even a bread person! Oh how I wish I had taken a picture!

We ordered 3 different meals - the filet for my mama, the ribeye for my brother, and demi-glazed short ribs for me - and all were fantastic in my opinion! My mom likes her steak more well done so it was a little too pink for her. My short ribs were very tender with a nice flavor, and were served with a parmesan risotta cake which I wasn't too fond of. Forgot to take the pic until I had already dug in.

This place is kind of pricey, but I think worth it for the food. The only real downside was that our waiter hardly ever came to our table. I do not drink very fast at all, so if I run out of my drink and still haven't been offered any refills, that is pretty bad. We were sitting around without drinks for quite some time and it wasn't even that busy. We found out that it was because he took awhile to enter our order into the system, so that is why we were waiting so long for our food. Oh well, that just left more time for laughter and pictures! 

Happy Mother's Day, Mama!  
 

While I was out and about at Ikea yesterday, I saw the West Chester Stone Creek location (from I-75 off the Union Center exit on Mulhauser Road), and next I will make it a point to try that location instead of the Montgomery one.

Cheddar-Mashed Potato Casserole [and seafood]

So... I tried a new recipe called Cheddar-Mashed Potato Casserole from Kraft Foods website, of which I am a member. I think my recipe turned out delicious, even though I had to improvise with what I had. 

...and here is the original recipe:

Cheddar-Mashed Potato Casserole (from Kraft Foods website)

2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes (about 6), peeled, quartered

2 Tbsp.  Butter

1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

1 cup  KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

6 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, crumbled 

1. Cook potatoes in boiling water in large saucepan 20 min. or until tender; drain. Return to pan.  

2. Heat oven to 350ºF. Add butter and sour cream to potatoes; mash until smooth. Spoon half into 1-1/2-qt. casserole; cover with layers of cheese, remaining potato mixture and bacon.   

3. Bake 30 to 35 min. or until heated through.

Like I said before, I did not use exactly what the recipe called for. I used 6 small red potatoes rather than Yukon gold potatoes, and I left the peel on and boiled them. Next time, I think I will peel them like the recipe says. I did not beat the potatoes in the pan as to not cause damage to it, so I just beat them in a large mixing bowl. Then drain. 

I also did not use that exact brand of sour cream, just a basic Kroger brand. The main difference was that I used 1 cup shredded hot pepper cheese instead of cheddar cheese. While the flavor is great, it did not look like the picture because I didn't have the contrasting orange color of the cheddar. I also did not have a real mashed potato whipper, so I just smashed them. Therefore, they weren't nearly as 'mashed' as they should have been, but still tasty. 

  

I did use Oscar Mayer center cut thick-sliced bacon, which is the best bacon I have encountered, and I am the bacon queen! I probably didn't have as much bacon topping as I should have, since I couldn't resist and kept sneaking little nibbles of the bacon. Sorry, I just can't resist!

But be sure to pat down the bacon with a paper towel, to get some of that grease off.

I love bacon so I gotta take some of the grease off at least :)


Before......

and after...

Still some grease but not nearly as much. I'm sure I saved some calories :)


Finally, I layered it all together in a casserole dish and baked as directed. And don't forget to add salt and pepper for flavor!


Here is the finished result.... (not exactly like the original recipe!)

 

And for all of you health fanatics who watch your calorie intake, 
here is the nutritional information for this delish side dish!


***per serving (1/2 cup)***

170 Calories, 30 mg Cholesterol, 1 g Dietary fiber,
6%DV Vitamin A, 0%DV Iron, 10 g Total fat,
190 mg Sodium, 2 g Sugars, 4%DV Vitamin C,
6 g Saturated fat, 16 g Carbohydrate, 5 g Protein, 10%DV Calcium



Well obviously this isn't the most healthy side dish, but hey, I never claimed to be a health freak! See my name?! LOL! Anything with bacon, cheese, and sour cream in it can't be TOO healthy, but it is pretty much guaranteed to be delish!



My main dish was pan-seared scallops with butter poured on top...

(Pictured Raw)



And some mini shrimp cocktail along with homemade cocktail sauce
served as an app...

 

Overall, this was a great meal... seafood and potatoes = yummy!

WWDB? Oscar Mayer Center Cut Thick-Sliced Bacon!

 WWDB? = What Would Desi Buy?

 

It's the best kind of bacon there is! That I've encountered anyways. Don't get the regular naturally smoked, it can be too thin and flimsy. Yes, it does come with less slices because they are thick. But it is well worth it. And don't even think about microwaving it!

Restaurant Review : Penn Station in Newport

Penn Station - thank you for bringing the heart of Philly to my Cincinnati neighborhood! Though I used to be a major fan of the Philly Cheesesteak, I have ventured out to try other subs. My new fave is the chicken teriyaki sub with mushrooms, onions, and cheese. As long as you don't get a soggy bun, or cold soggy fries, it's a delish meal!

I must say that the Penn Station in Newport, KY is the best one I have encountered (considering I have only been to about 3 here in the Cincinnati area). With a pleasant staff of young guys who always greet me as I enter, the service has always been up to par. I have been sorely disappointed in the Western Hills Penn Station as I have found a piece of hair in my food (I used to work in a restaurant so I do understand that this can happen), soggy fries, and horrible service from employees who act like I have asked for the world on a bun. And let me tell you, I can't STAND bad customer service, especially since I have worked in the field for the majority of my working life. So when I first went to the Newport one, I wasn't expecting anything great. However, the fries were nice and crispy and my sandwich was delicious with a nice amount of teriyaki... not drenched to the point of sogginess but not so dry that I'm missing the flavor. Not to mention that the crew are a friendly bunch. :)

Not to say that there has never been a satisfied customer at the Western Hills Penn Station, or a disappointed one at the Newport one, but I am happy to have found a reasonable location. For awhile there, I had thought that one of my childhood faves had gone downhill, or that I had just possibly glorified it too much in my younger days. Maybe I did. That does tend to happen in life... when we go back to explore what amazed us in our childhood... we see that things are not as amazing as they once seemed. So maybe Penn Station isn't as fantastic as I had imagined, but it does hit the spot for a reasonably-priced lunch when you need to get away from the office, or especially as a hangover cure after a night of drunken debauchery!

And we're off!

Hello there cooking buddies!

So I decided to start this blog since I LOVE to cook, take pictures of my prized concoctions, critique restaurant food, and modify recipes that I find in cookbooks, on the web, and from other aspiring newbie chefs as well as the masters. Basically I am what some may call a "foodie." But I consider myself a newbie foodie. I have no formal training, have not entered any contests, haven't appeared on any shows or in local newspapers... I am basically just a regular gurl trying to learn, on my own, how to become as good as a chef. I love to eat food, cook food, discuss food, photograph food, and anything else you can do with food! [simmer those vulgar minds!] So I thought, why not bring it to a blog near you?! Stay tuned for what all I am eating and cooking, and embark upon this culinary journey with me!