Kegger at my house!

'Cause my parents are going on vacation!

Har har, I'm so kidding. I mean, La and Buddy really are going to Myrtle Beach, but I'm not having a kegger. Nor really doing much of anything, actually. Except cooking, of course!

So it should come as no surprise that I buy cooking magazines with frequency; I recently bought Paula Deen's magazine. La was looking through it and found this AMAZING sounding recipe that's actually super simple. SO. Here's what we had for dinner tonight (as a special dinner since the parents are leaving in the morning. Er. In about four hours.

Anyway, baked potatoes. Broccoli. Caramelized onions (FOUR sweet onions, sliced thin and cooked in only 2 tablespoons of butter). Steaks, with Gorgonzola butter. Sweet Hilton Head wine. Juicy pluots (plum + apricot).

Oh, man.

Buddy, picky as he is, was actually a huge fan of the Gorgonzola butter. And the pluots, even though he allegedly hates apricots. He really liked the butter, though; even though it sounds like a bad idea - I mean, ruin a steak by putting butter on it? But no.

The sweetness of the onions combines with the creamy, saltiness of the cheese; they both offset the simply seasoned steak (just a little Montreal Steak Seasoning) and pull out all this great, simple, smoky flavor from it. So good. And? The Jordan helped a lot. Again! He is just a wonderful boy, you know?

Anyway, I'll be making some pretty cool stuff this week, and I'll post the recipes if ya'll want them. I'm going to a picnic tomorrow and making Curried Nuts and Chicken Spread. And, because I'll be wanting lots of leftovers this week, Knocks'n'Brats Stoup, a RR concoction that is good, hearty, and cheap.

Peace, love, and Vidalia onions,
Kim

PS: The Gorgonzola butter? Take half a cup of softened butter (one stick) and stir in three (3) tablespoons of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. Once it's all mixed in, stick it in the fridge. Take a dollop and put it on something - a steak, a potato, some bread, your finger. WHATEVER, it'll taste good!

I learned something tonight...

And I thought I should share it with you. I went to The Jordan's house after class, and, after eating, was asked, "Kim, is this wine any good?"

"Oh. Does wine go bad, really?"

The Jordan informs me, "It sure smells ripe..."

I purse my lips at him and take a sip from the bottle (hush, no one else was going to drink it and I didn't feel like dirtying another glass). I then purse my lips at the horrible, sour, gritty taste in my mouth.

"Wow. I thought you were kidding that there was gunk at the bottom of the bottle. "

As I walk over to the sink to dump the putrid grape juice, I realize, "Huh. Wine really can go bad." Just thought I'd share that little tidbit with you all. Lesson learned? Seal your opened bottles properly. Or just drink it all before it has a chance to go bad. Either way.

Also? Jordan texted me while I was in class tonight, starving to death, and tells me that I can either have ravioli or chicken ad rice for dinner when I get to the house. Actually smiling with glee, I text him back, "DO YOU MEAN CHICKEN AND RICE AS IN MY FAVORITE THING THAT YOUR MOM MAKES???!!?!?!?!"

Jordan: "What?"

Me: "The stewed chicken. Is it the stewed chicken with the rice, like I loooooove?"

*long pause while Jordan apparently has to find out what stewed chicken is*

Jordan: "Well, it's grilled chicken with kind of a Mexican rice."

*long pause while I inwardly weep until I realize...*

Me: "Ooh! It's like a summer version of my favorite!"


And Mrs. M did not disappoint. While the summer version is not as good as the hearty original one, it was still delicious. And please understand, Mrs. M is a wonderful cook and makes all sorts of crazy, cool, exciting things. She rolls her eyes every time my love of stewed chicken with rice is mentioned, in fact. Much like my mother, when I gush about how much I like chicken with cream sauce over toast. I guess I'm simple like that.

Anyway, lots to do!

Peace, love, and simple deliciousness,
Kim

And one more thing...

I am going away to Hilton Head Island after the wedding this week, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of yumminess to blog about. Especially as I'm hoping The Jordan takes mercy on my poor, sun-sensitive skin and takes us to some wineries instead of the beach for a day. Hm.

And also, we'll probably be making some kind of dinner for the family while we're there. Wheeeeee!

Peace, love, and v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n,
Kim