Homemade Spicy Giardiniera

I don't know about you, but my summertime recipes are all about keeping it simple and light.  This usually involves grilling in one way or the other - and trust me, I take full advantage of the 5 months of the year that it's actually enjoyable to grill outside in Cleveland.  The only problem with grilling a few nights of the week is that your burgers, chicken and brats can be a little on the mundane side if you're preparing them the same way every time.  BUT, I can save you with a little topping called Giardiniera, a bold, spicy, olive-oil-and-vinegar based mixture of bell peppers, hot peppers, onions, cauliflower, carrots, garlic and herbs.  It will knock any hot dog, brat or burger that you make out of the park!

Jack Flaps Downtown Cleveland

I don't think there is anything better on a Saturday morning than a nice, leisurely brunch with good company.  And I don't think there is anything better on a Friday afernoon than learning that a popular Ohio City brunch spot has opened a new downtown location.  You guessed it, Jack Flaps recently opened a second restaurant in the 5th Street Arcades in between Prospect and Euclid.  And it's sooooo good.  While I was delighted by the taste and presentation of my meal, I might be even happier that visitors and locals alike aren't forced to flee to Ohio City and Tremont to eat the most important meal of the day - but let me tell you, I will be fleeing from Lakewood to eat at Flap Jacks many times in the near future!

Steph's Pick: Brown Butter

So if you've read my blog in the past, you might remember that I have an avid dislike of butter.  Yep, I'm one strange creature.  I promise it's not because it's unhealthy - I totally work out enough to compensate for a least a few tablespoons a week.  It's the taste!  So the even weirder part in this twisted story is that I'm going to introduce a new type of blog post about cooking tips that you can apply to any recipe involving the featured method or ingredient...and my first one is about BUTTER.

What?!

I'm Back!

It's June 15th.  Yes, I've officially slacked off hardcore and gone 1 month and 6 days without a single post.  In short, my creative outlet that I started based on my passion for cooking and love of Cleveland was beginning to feel like a chore...so I decided to take a break until I missed it.  And I do.  A lot.  It was actually really nice to take time away from the blog to go out and experience the start of summer through my own eyes rather than my camera lens.  I think Howie especially liked that he didn't have to endure 10-15 minutes of me photographing all of our meals at slightly different angles too (P.S. Sorry Howie I'm back to my old habits as of yesterday!).  I could probably write paragraphs and paragraphs about everything that's happened in the last 5 or 6 weeks, but I thought pictures might do it more justice.

A few key points...
1. Howie and I finally moved in together after 4-1/2 years and it's awesome!
2. I've been watching the Cavs playoff games religiously and even got to go to one woo
3. I live really close to the lake and the beautiful morning sunrises are almost enough motivation to get me out of bed for 6am runs (except this plan is failing because of point #2...why do these games start at 9pm on work nights when they're playing in Cleveland?!)
4. My best friend, Rachael, and I got a surprise invite to hang out and have a bonfire with Third Eye Blind, which is only my favorite band ever.  I just about died but then realized that would be wasting valuable one-on-one time with Stephen Jenkins.

 I have a feeling that Summer 2015 is going to be the best one yet!

Panko-Crusted Mac and Cheese

With Mother's Day only a day away, I'm sure all sorts of people are going out today to buy a bouquet of flowers and ingredients for a cute little breakfast in bed.  Props for the effort, but the holiday routine is getting a little tired, don't you think?  I mean...why have eggs and toast in bed when you can have homemade Panko-Crusted Mac and Cheese for dinner??  Filled with garlic, bacon, green onions and a gooey, amazingly delicious cheese sauce, the flavor profile of this dish cannot be beat!  Oh, well, except when you go ahead and top it with a crispy panko breadcrumb topping for a little crunch!  Treat your mom right this Mother's Day and give her what she really wants, (hint, hint) Mac and Cheese!

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  I know you all are probably out celebrating with some margaritas and a little Taco Tuesday action at your favorite Mexican restaurant, but I thought I would share this AWESOME Slow-Cooker Pork Carnitas recipe that my mom made over the weekend!  I saw the recipe in Taste of Home magazine, and she decided to make it for our Sunday dinner.  It totally hit the spot, especially topped with with homemade Guacamole and Southwestern Bean Salsa!  Of course I added a little extra green onion on top of my tacos because I'm loveeee with their flavor!  Even though it's too late to start this slow cooker recipe for Cinco de Mayo dinner tonight, it's still a perfect set-it-and-forget-it recipe for busy weeknights or a nice Sunday supper!

Chocolate Chip Macaroon Cookies

So I haven't really posted in like 10 days.  Oops.  It's so hard to sit at your computer when it's finally 70 degrees, you're sort of in the peak of your house hunting season, oh and you've been to Cincinnati, Iowa and Pittsburgh in the last 6 days while working your 40 hour work week on top of it.  True story, I'm practically superwoman, right?!  So obviously I took this day of rest to come up with the most amazingly delicious cookies I think I've ever made.  The recipe sort of happened on accident.  I whipped up some chocolate chip cookie dough for a little weekend treat and had already put a batch in the oven when I realized that I was craving coconut!  Instead of just stirring coconut and pecans into the dough like normally do, I made a creamy "macaroon" filling that I sandwiched between 2 pieces of cooking dough before baking!  How did I not think of these before?!