Seriously Funny Sounding Dishes: Toad In The Hole

Today I've decided to introduce a new a category of posts to this site I call a food blog. "Seriously Funny Sounding Dishes" it will be called. That's because if you're like me, you may have always wondered what dishes like, "Toad In The Hole" in the were.

Now, you're in luck because occasionally we might post a "Spotted Dick" or a variation of. Not today though because up to bat right now is one I know I've always wondered about. It's the one and only Toad In The Hole hailing all the way from our friends across the sea, none other than the English. It is very English indeed, from Yorkshire to be exact. There's apparently some history to this dish as it goes all the way back to 1861 and no there are no toad parts in this dish so you can all breathe a sigh of relief. Although, truth be toad.. (forgive my crazy sense of humor) those sausages in the batter could almost be mistaken for a toad. Without further ado I present to you the recipe for Toad In The Hole.

Chicken Juliette

Recently, I went to a Italian restaurant, and got this amazing dish consisting of a delicious ragout on top of grilled chicken and goat cheese mashed potatoes.  I loved this dish so much, that I did something that I normally am not able to do, I completely cleaned my plate.   In the following weeks, I literally was dreaming about having this meal again.  That was not a very realistic dream seeing as this dish was 1) on the pricier side, 2) only available for a limited time.  So, I headed on over to my local Whole Foods and got everything that needed.  I made this yumminess on a plate for Chef Matt's Birthday, and at the end of the day, he told me that my dinner was the highlight of his day; that's quite a compliment!

Greek Pizza: An Explosion of Tastes

 This rich and decadent pizza is a beautiful symphony of delicious flavors.  This extra crispy pizza crust is topped with feta cheese, spinach, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, red onions, and marinated chicken. Your taste-buds are in for a wonderful surprise!

The pizza crust in this recipe is different from the crust included in my Pizza Night recipe.  My previous dough recipe is a great quick dough recipe that can be ready to bake in as little as 40 minutes.  The recipe below is thinner and crispier.  It does require that the dough be left in the refrigerator over night. 

Healthy But Satisfying: Turkey Tacos

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Turkey tacos are a favorite go to meal in this house, and they always satisfy, no matter how many times we have it.  Seriously, I make these every week, and they are always so yummy!  These tacos are delicious, and as an added bonus, they are healthier for you too. My secret is that I use ground turkey in place of ground beef.  I have been making slight adjustments to my seasoning technique since my college days, and I have finally reached perfection.

Also to make it healthier, (and better for the pocketbook) I have kicked the canned re-fried beans to the curb.  My signature beans are not fried, and they are packed with flavor!

You Can Never Go Wrong With Cabbage Burgers

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Cabbage burgers bring me back to my childhood.  My mother used to make them all of the time.  Well, she'd make them every once in a while, but when she did make them, she'd make a ton of them, then she would put lots in the freezer.  We'd just pop them in the oven whenever we wanted to have cabbage burgers for dinner.  These delicious packets are quite time consuming, so that it why my mother would make a lot of them at one time.

Project Food Challenge: Shrimp Pad Thai

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I made this meal at the request of Chef Matt, he simply loves pad thai, and he wanted to see if I was able to replicate one of his favorites at home.  To my surprise, I got two thumbs up!  I was shocked that I was able to do as well as I did on my very first attempt at this noodly dish.  Previous to making this dish, I had never been crazy about pad thai; I just wasn't giving it enough of a chance.  I loved every single bite!     The wonderful pallet of flavors in the sauce, the crisp carrots, the delicious shrimp... it all made my taste buds so happy.  This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Project Food Challenge: Egg Rolls

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Egg rolls that aren't made from fresh ingredients (e.g. frozen egg rolls) taste that way: not fresh and manufactured.  I've never been a huge fan of egg rolls , and the reason is that I never really had one that was that fresh or made correctly.  This past weekend I tried my hand at making these fried rolls of goodness, and I must say, they were delicious.  They have been something that has always been on my culinary 'to-do' list for quite some time now.  I've always been somewhat intimidated by the huge list of ingredients and all the steps involved.  But as I completed this task, I learned that I don't really have any reason to fear this crispy side dish.  I will explain every step so that you too can make egg rolls that are savory and packed with so much flavor that you'll never settle for frozen again.