iron stef

• Frankenstef's monster... Tackling Turducken!

  I'm not sure exactly when I had this great idea, but at some point in the last month my brother, his wife and I decided we wanted to have a Turducken party. They had bought a partial turducken last year and loved it. I have never had a turducken, but' [...]
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  Posted: November 21, 2009, 9:57am EST
  

• Squeee! Meeting the Forking Fantastic Gals

  Remember how I was contacted by the authors of the new cookbook Forking Fantastic? Well a couple weeks ago Zora and Tamara came to the Lou to do a little reading and discussion of the book and sign some books. I skipped my bowling league night (and it's 8 for [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 6:50pm EST
  

• taste & create: rassa sabzi

  It's been awhile since I participated in Taste & Create, a monthly blogging "event" where food bloggers are paired up and have to cook something from one another's blog. It's a fun way to find new blogs and new food adventures. Of course I'm a few days late posting mine' [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2009, 5:11pm EDT
  

• of logs, fun guys and fate

  This past weekend, my aunt and uncle, who live on lots of pretty acres near Fulton, MO had their annual Harvestfest. This is one of the much-anticipated family parties of the whole year... who am I kidding? Most of our parties are much-anticipated. Like Jesus in a tuxedo t-shirt, we [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 8:34pm EDT
  

• Squeee! Meeting Rick Bayless!

  As soon as I found out that Rick Bayless was coming to Schnucks Cooks Cooking School, I sprung into action getting tickets for me and Kelly (just in time for her birthday!). I've always admired Chef Bayless for his knowledge and passion for cooking and teaching about Mexican food. I' [...]
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  Posted: October 12, 2009, 9:47pm EDT
  

• Forking Fantastic

  The authors of the new book (out today!) Forking Fantastic!, Zora O'Neill and Tamara Reynolds, contacted me a little while back and asked if they could send me a copy for my review. I know bloggers get books from publishers all the time, but this was a first for me.' [...]
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  Posted: October 06, 2009, 11:11am EDT
  

• coconut curry peanut butter cookies

  Twitter is full to the brim with fun tidbits, lame tidbits, useful information, stupid information, and as is happening more and more with me, food inspiration. Last week, Mathew Rice, the pastry chef at one of St. Louis' best retaurants, Niche, posted a simple simple peanut butter cookie recipe. You' [...]
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  Posted: September 23, 2009, 4:25pm EDT
  

• skank ham pie

  After a hectic day at work, I wanted to come home and make something easy yet comforting... and yes, a little bit trashy. I wanted to make a casserole. In my collection of Better Homes & Gardens cookbooks from the 60's and 70's I had my answer. Behold the Casserole [...]
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  Posted: September 15, 2009, 9:23pm EDT
  

• more fun with colors....violet verde salsa

  In my last post I confessed my weakness for color when shopping at the farmers' market. I am also a fan of anything salsa-related... especially tomatillos. So when I saw PURPLE tomatillos... well my insides got a bit tingly. Purple and green has long been one of my favorite color' [...]
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  Posted: September 02, 2009, 10:58pm EDT
  

• orange curry

  I am mad at myself. I live within walking distance to a perfectly good farmer's market, the Ferguson farmers market to be specific, yet I have only made it over there twice this summer. This last time, I seemed to shop according to colors. I was particularly attracted to orange [...]
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  Posted: August 26, 2009, 10:32pm EDT
  

• Epic Roadtrip... touring the Mid-South

  Meet my good friend Eric. He is a musician, poet, bowler, social media guru, mexican food lover and all around cool dude. That's why when he asked me to go to Nashville with him to see one of his favorite bands, The Damnwells (and you should really click this link [...]
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  Posted: August 17, 2009, 10:22pm EDT
  

• St. Louis Bloggers are Taking Over!

  I just have to make a quick post to give the St. Louis Food Blog community a big pat on the back. In particular, us ladies! We are taking over the WORLD!! Okay, that may be a little much, but some of my fellow bloggers (and friends!) have been featured [...]
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  Posted: August 11, 2009, 6:32pm EDT
  

• Hot Doug's, Chicago

  I am a tease. Mentioning Hot Doug's in my Chicago post, but making you wait until now to read all about it. I'm sorry, but as you will see, The Encased Meats Emporium and Sausage Superstore really needs it's very own post. And this is it. Hold on to your' [...]
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  Posted: August 09, 2009, 1:55pm EDT
  

• Chicago... Blogher...but not really

  Blogs everywhere have been all abuzz this past week with recaps from the big BlogHer conference in Chicago( July 23,24,25 2009). Well, I was there, too! Although, I wasn't actually a conference attendee... just hitched a ride and roomed with 3 fabulous lady bloggers who were attending, Kelly, Kelli, and' [...]
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  Posted: August 02, 2009, 5:42pm EDT
  

• Chanterelle Stuffed Gnocchi (ravignocchi, perhaps?)

  My ever generous shroom supplier gave me a baggie of Chanterelles last week. These foraged golden treasures always inspire me to make something special. Previously, I have made risotto, tarts, and pasta. This time I decided I wanted to spend the whole evening in the kitchen, since I rarely get [...]
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  Posted: July 26, 2009, 10:18pm EDT
  

• taco dip for dinner

  Taco dip... a staple at parties. You know it. You love it... admit it! Usually a layer of beans, some sour cream, some veggies and olives, and shredded cheese. There are many variations, but that's the gist. The other night I thought why not make myself some taco dip for [...]
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  Posted: July 19, 2009, 10:19pm EDT
  

• gastronomical galesburg

  My late father was born and raised in Galesburg, Illinois, a historical smallish railroad town. Most of his family still lives there, and I have wonderful memories of visiting there on various Christmases, Thanksgivings, and summer vacations. I've been to Galesburg alot, at least once a year since I was' [...]
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  Posted: July 13, 2009, 8:14pm EDT
  

• beet it

  No this is not a Michael Jackson tribute done entirely with beets. Although....that would be spectacular. Hmmmmm... This is me trying to salvage a crap day. A day that began with me being plowed from behind into another car on my way to work. Iron Stef sandwich. Not any of [...]
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  Posted: July 01, 2009, 8:11pm EDT
  

• less and more

  With summer there seems to be less and less cooking, therefore less and less blogging and less and less blog readers. But I really want to try and update this at least once a week with something... so as it gets more and more hot and humid, I will be [...]
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  Posted: June 23, 2009, 7:35pm EDT
  

• blogging ladies of the lou

  So, you know how I don't update this blog quite like I used to? Well, if I leave you unstatisfied (never!), I met a whole bunch of other awesome lady bloggers from St. Louis I would like you to check out. because they are awesome.So Kelli, who's blog is called' [...]
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  Posted: June 15, 2009, 10:30pm EDT
  

• potato pizza

  Apparently I was in a carbolicious mood last night, because when I saw pizza dough at the store, I thought, "I wanna put some potatoes on that mofo!" So I grabbed a few more cheap, simple ingredients and headed home to experiment. Success! Potato Pizza with caramelized onionsIngredients-Store-bought or homemade [...]
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  Posted: June 02, 2009, 8:03am EDT
  

• Inarizushi

  Leave it to twitter to inspire yet another dinner for me. This time a friend made a comment about "tofu-pockets" thinking she was making a joke, and not knowing that there really are such a thing. Tofu pockets, or "inarizushi no moto", are basically tofu that has been deep fried [...]
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  Posted: May 27, 2009, 8:45am EDT
  

• wet dog cupcakes with pineapple sherbet

  Having failed to enter it last year, I was determined to make ice cream cupcakes for this year's Ice cream cupcake round up hosted by Cupcake Project and Scoopalicious. A friend had me over for Mexican food night, so I thought I'd make Mexican themed ice cream cupcakes. I went' [...]
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  Posted: May 23, 2009, 6:32pm EDT
  

• bowling ball truffles

  I joined a bowling league!! It started last night. Considering I hadn't bowled in a few weeks, I knew I should bring something to stay in my teams good graces when I failed at getting the pins to fall (and boy howdy did I fail the first 2 games! blech!).' [...]
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  Posted: May 15, 2009, 9:46am EDT
  

• tamales, a dinner, a project

  I am still lacking kitchen time in my life. Don't get me wrong, I am loving life...enjoying old friends and family, making new friends, lots of laughter, conversation, and fun. But when I don't get to cook, I feel a certain emptiness. So when I had a mostly-free Sunday, I [...]
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  Posted: May 04, 2009, 12:32pm EDT
  

• homemade pasta with morel mushroom sauce

  yay! it's morel season! I friend of mine is an avid shroomer, and he gave me a couple handfuls of his find. I haven't been able too cook much lately (hence the tumbleweeds blowing across ironstef...), so I wanted to go all out. well, not ALL out, as it was' [...]
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  Posted: April 24, 2009, 12:18pm EDT
  

• Leftover Ham Recipes

  I hope everyone who celebrates Easter had a nice one! Do you have leftover ham? Sick of sandwiches? I was in that predicament a few months ago. Here are 3 recipes that helped me use it up:Chicken & Ham EnchiladasSweet Potato Gnocchi with Ham & WalnutsHam Stirfry [...]
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  Posted: April 13, 2009, 2:27pm EDT
  

• garlic lemongrass shrimp with coconut rice

  I had some lemongrass. I had shrimp. I googled. Not surprisingly, a Simply Recipes recipe came up. Never fails! Elise's recipes are always a sure thing, so I went with it. I used a bit more lemongrass in mine...I grated some into the marinade. I used more coconut milk, too, [...]
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  Posted: April 09, 2009, 12:57pm EDT
  

• still here, don't worry!

  I am sorry for the lack of posting this week. I have been doing a bit of cooking, but everything had the added ingredient of FAIL it seems. Even this seemingly simple Bittman recipe didn't work out for me. I tried it a couple times, and both times they were' [...]
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  Posted: April 03, 2009, 1:11pm EDT
  

• Cashew Curry

  Last night I was in the mood for curry. I had del.icio.us'ed 101 Cookbook's Cashew Curry a while back, so I decided now was the time to try it out. After a couple weeks of going out and eating all manner of not-so-healthy foods, it felt good to get all' [...]
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  Posted: March 19, 2009, 8:56am EDT
  

• out with a bang....the last sandwich of my 20's

  So...today is my 30th birthday. I'm not gonna lie, I am LOVING it so far. I like birthdays. And "milestone" birthdays? Yay! I am going to eat the attention with a spoon and milk it ALL month long :)Last night was my only night of this week to just chill' [...]
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  Posted: March 10, 2009, 8:19am EDT
  

• ginger chicken, a twitter-inspired dinner

  You're familiar with the Twitter phenomenon, no? Everybody's doing it! Congress, even! I, of course am HOOKED. Small tidbits of usually mundane thoughts from people all over the globe, at my fingertips. Did I say mundane? Oh, but Twitter can be very helpful as well! For instance, yesterday, Mark Bittman' [...]
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  Posted: March 06, 2009, 8:23am EST
  

• savory bread pudding with raisins and bacon

  Last week, I took a free class offered through my place of employment. It was an artisan bread class taught by Josh Allen, founder of Companion Bread in St. Louis. It wasn't a class about MAKING artisan bread, though he does those at Kitchen Conservatory, and I may have to' [...]
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  Posted: February 23, 2009, 8:27am EST
  

• 25 random things about me and food

  Are you all sick of these "25 things about me" lists that are all over your facebooks? TOO BAD! I've had a full social calendar, and therefore have not cooked much. I did cook a yummy veggie lasagna this week, but one of the main ingredients was jarred Alfredo sauce,' [...]
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  Posted: February 13, 2009, 9:15am EST
  

• Lemon Rosemary Crock-Pot Chicken

  I love my crock-pot, I really do, bit I have been neglecting him lately. Why? There is no good reason, no excuses. The crock-pot makes it so easy for anybody to have a yummy dinner on the table at a reasonable hour on a weeknight with minimal work. Which is [...]
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  Posted: February 06, 2009, 8:07am EST
  

• chicken enchiladas

  The other night I had a hankering for a casserole-like dish, but also for something resembling a burrito (I always want a burrito, you see). Voila! Enchiladas. I remember wanting to try this recipe in Everyday Food. Of course, I had to add beans, because beans=love. I also added some [...]
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  Posted: January 28, 2009, 6:45am EST
  

• Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Ham & Walnuts in Sage Butter

  Still using up that ham! Also, I had some sweet potatoes that were begging me on their little yammy knees to be made into gnocchi. I could I say no? People, you need to pay attention to this recipe. I don't put up anything on this blog that tastes bad' [...]
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  Posted: January 23, 2009, 8:26am EST
  

• Ham Stir-Fry

  I'd like to say that I was inspired to make this ham and pineapple stir-fry by the fact that our new president (Yaaaaaay!! Woooooo!!! *happy dance happy dance* ahem...) was born in Hawaii. But the truth is, I just have an excess of ham I need to use. I was' [...]
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  Posted: January 21, 2009, 8:39am EST
  

• Duck Stew with Turnips & Apples

  A friend of mine gave me a wild duck he had killed. I was excited to cook it, though nervous due to my very first wild duck cooking disaster. After taking a week or so to decide how best to use this duckie, I decided to make him into a [...]
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  Posted: January 09, 2009, 8:47am EST
  

• Bavarian-Style Stew-Vintage Cookin'!

  So you may know I have this thing for vintage cookbooks. Specifically Better Homes & Gardens cookbooks from the 60's and 70's. I have highlighted portions of my collection here, here, here and here. I also love browsing vintage cookbook flickr groups, mainly Vintage Cookbooks and Mid-Century Supper Club. I [...]
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  Posted: January 05, 2009, 8:28am EST
  

• nutty cookies

  I tried out a couple of cookie recipes over the holidays. The first were butter pecan cookies, which I found on Simply Recipes. These bad boys were a HIT! I gave out some as gifts and left the rest for my mom. My mom would not stop talking about them. [...]
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  Posted: January 02, 2009, 8:39am EST
  

• Taste & Create: Wonton Soup

  Wow this month has been busy. I hope everyone had a great Holiday!! I sure did, and lookie here, I managed to just barely get in my submission for this month's Taste & Create event. This time I was paired up with Happy Cook of My Kitchen Treasures. I had' [...]
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  Posted: December 30, 2008, 8:43am EST
  

• blue cheese pecan bread and a salad with beets!

  Last night was one of those perfect winter weeknights. It was freezing rain outside, and I was INSIDE baking, watching 30 Rock, sitting by the fire and sipping wine. What was I baking? Blue Cheese Pecan Bread! I saw this recipe on Leite's Culinaria (an exerpt from ">this book), and'" [...]
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  Posted: December 19, 2008, 9:47am EST
  

• Cauliflower soup with bacon and blue cheese

  For some reason I've had a hankering to make cauliflower soup lately. So the other night I did just that! It was easy, and very nice for a cold night. The soup itself is pretty simple flavor wise, but I pumped it up by topping it with some of cauliflowers' [...]
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  Posted: December 11, 2008, 8:11am EST
  

• what I made for thanksgiving

  I spent this thanksgiving with a dozen or so family members at my grandma's house this year. I was to bring a side dish and a dessert. For a side dish, I decided to spring something new on the fam...Parsnips. I know parsnips are not new, but I never had' [...]
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  Posted: December 03, 2008, 8:28am EST
  

• raisinets that look like old people

  as discovered on a road trip over thanksgiving weekend... [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2008, 8:36am EST
  

• fig crumble bars

  I got a bit of a nesting bug this weekend, and felt I just HAD to bake something. So I flipped to the back page of all my Everyday Food magazines until I found something from their "Cookie Jar" that sounded just right. I landed on Fig Crumble Bars. They [...]
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  Posted: November 24, 2008, 8:59am EST
  

• She's Back!

  Yay! I finally got a chance to cook! Did you miss me? I've had the Cooking Light Recipe Annual 2005 from the Library for more than a month (Don't worry, I renew). There are all sorts of little paper scraps sticking out of it marking recipes I want to try. [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2008, 8:29am EST
  

• bill cosby as a jello pudding pop

  still not able to do much cooking. so i present my hero of the day, found via the food tattoos flickr group. whoever would get this tattoo has got to be awesome.bill cosby as a jello pudding popOriginally uploaded by annie_mess [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2008, 1:10pm EST
  

• funny filler

  Life is kind of inside out and upside down right now, so there is not much cooking going on. Enjoy some Mitch Hedberg food comedy for the time being, and I will get back on track soon.... [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2008, 8:37am EST
  

• taste & create; crockpot apple butter

  For this month's taste & create event, I was paired up with HoneyB, keeper of the blog "The lives and loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch." Looking through her blog, I was pretty sure I would be making muffins, as that seems to be HoneyB's "thing." But then I saw it. Apple' [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2008, 12:59pm EDT
  

• on top of spaghetti

  The other night I came home from work. A work day that involved actual physical labor *gasp*. Normally I am parked at a desk, so days like that exhaust me. Yeah, I'm a baby. When I got home all I wanted was spaghetti and meatballs. I don't know why that [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2008, 8:48am EDT
  

• egg "noodles"

  I saw this fabulous idea in a book I have from the library called The Ultimate Healthy Eating Cookbook by Anne Sheasby. Get this. Eggs as noodles! Not egg noodles, but actual eggs pretending to be noodles. Fun! I tried it out the other night. It's pretty simple to do.' [...]
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  Posted: October 15, 2008, 8:51am EDT
  

• bruschetta x 3

  Still on our bruschetta kick over here in Iron Stef kitchen stadium, we went a little crazy and made 3!! count 'em 3 different bruschettas for our dinner. I made a normal 'ol tomato-based bruschetta.For this I chopped up a carton of grape tomatoes and added 3 fresh garlic cloves, [...]
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  Posted: October 12, 2008, 8:17pm EDT
  

• roasted veggie bruschetta

  Around here, we've been attempting to eat more vegetables. One of our favorite things to do for dinner is bruschetta. Because there is crusty bread involved. And it goes well with wine ;)Tonight I made some bruschetta using roasted veggies. I love roasting vegetables. It's one of my favorite things [...]
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  Posted: October 05, 2008, 9:20pm EDT
  

• potato chips in the microwave?!?!

  A couple of my favorite blogs posted last week about making your own potato chips...in the microwave? Wha? Redonkulous! I had to see for myself. I've never seen anything crisp come out of a microwave. So I got some taters and broke out my thumb-eater mandoline and got to experimenting.I' [...]
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  Posted: October 01, 2008, 9:34am EDT
  

• fettuccine with preserved tuna, capers and olives

  Another day, another library book to try out. This time a recipe from Simple Pleasures by Alfred Portale. It's a nice cookbook, to be sure...good photos, simple recipes using good but easy-to-find ingredients. The recipe I chose was fettuccine with preserved tuna, capers and olives. Preserved tuna? as in canned' [...]
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  Posted: September 22, 2008, 8:45pm EDT
  

• Italian-German Hybrid cupcakes

  My friend at work, an awesome chick of Italian lineage, is marrying a fine fella of German descent. We held a surprise wedding shower for them last week, and I volunteered to make cupcakes. It's kind of become my "thing" at work...cupcakes for showers...though I can in no way compare' [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2008, 10:06pm EDT
  

• Grilled Fennel & Grilled Salmon...BFFs

  Jack: “I feel like grilling…what would you like for dinner?”Iron Stef: “Can you grill fennel?”Jack: “We can try…”So began a tale of two dinners. I wanted grilled fennel. Jack’s challenge was to a) figure out how to grill fennel and b) figure out what else to have with it. He [...]
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  Posted: September 11, 2008, 7:23am EDT
  

• Zucchini Bread and Beer-An eventful trip to the grocery store

  The other evening at the grocery store they were sampling this Zucchini Spice bread from a Schnucks Cooks recipe. I loved the spiciness of it, and since I had all the ingredients for it at home except for zucchini, I decided to make it that very night. It made for [...]
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  Posted: September 08, 2008, 9:23am EDT
  

• pineapple curry rice with grilled curry chicken

  This is all Jack's doing. Inspired by the pineapple fried rice I ordered from Thai Kitchen last week, he put together this pineapple curry rice to go with some grilled chicken thighs. I don't know if this qualifies as "fried rice" anymore, but I know it qualifies as "nummy in [...]
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  Posted: September 02, 2008, 10:12pm EDT
  

• Taste & Create: Siopao (Steamed Buns)

  For this month's Taste & Create I was paired up with Jescel and Joseph's blog Spice Of Life. Whew! A lot of yummy looking things to try on that blog. I settled on one of my favorite foods that I rarely have: Steamed Buns! I love steamed buns, but have [...]
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  Posted: August 24, 2008, 11:02am EDT
  

• Petite Pork Pies!

  A friend from work e-mailed me this recipe for cupcake tin pork pies, thinking it would be right up my ally. Boy oh boy was she correct in that assumption! I do have a love for meat products baked in muffin tins. They are cute, they are fun and they [...]
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  Posted: August 21, 2008, 8:54am EDT
  

• Hot Magenta! Bless my Soul!

  I get cookbooks from the library all the time. If I didn't, that would mean I would have to buy them, and then I'd be homeless, rendering the cookbooks useless. So library it is! One I have checked out right now is called Just One Pot, by Lindsey Bareham. Looking [...]
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  Posted: August 19, 2008, 9:23am EDT
  

• mustard and pretzel crusted chicken

  Serious Eats! You never fail me! They posted this recipe for Mustard and Pretzel crusted chicken, and I had to try it right away. Whenever i get a soft pretzel somewhere, I dip it in mustard, so I was all over that flavor combo. Also, it seemed like an easy [...]
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  Posted: August 15, 2008, 8:02pm EDT
  

• bacon wrapped shrimp

  Well, this is a dish that I still need to tweak, but I will be making it again. You see, it is simple, has few ingredients, and those ingredients go really well together. So what went wrong? Well first off, I had in my head "bacon wrapped shrimp," even though [...]
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  Posted: August 14, 2008, 11:14pm EDT
  

• Bake & Shark - hold the shark

  In honor of Shark Week...well actually it just sort of happened that way...Jack made Bake & Shark sandwiches. You may recognize the Bake & Shark from the Trinidad and Tobago episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern: Here's how our Bake & Shark adventure started...Jack decided a couple weekends ago to [...]
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  Posted: August 07, 2008, 9:14pm EDT
  

• chanterelle princess!

  My shroom supplier made another drop last week! Chanterelles again? We're so spoiled! Not only that, but some home grown tomatoes, too! Woo! This time Jack took over dinner. Always fine by me. I like being a princess...getting gifts and having someone cook them up for me? All on the same [...]
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  Posted: August 04, 2008, 7:04pm EDT
  

• Eggs Janette

  I just started reading Jacques Pepin's autobiography Apprentice; My Life in the Kitchen, and so far I'm loving it. Between that and reading Julia Child's My Life in France last winter (I don't know if I mentioned that I read it here....I didn't do a proper book report on it, [...]
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  Posted: July 31, 2008, 9:01am EDT
  

• Taste & Create: Masala Egg Curry

  I decided to participate in Taste & Create this month. Taste & Create is a blogging event/exchange/sharing/roundup thingy run by Nicole from For the Love of Food. Basically, she pairs food bloggers up, and we have to make a dish from each others' blogs. For July, I was paired up [...]
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  Posted: July 29, 2008, 9:12am EDT
  

• Barley Risotto with Chanterelles

  Thanks to butterscott's shrooming skillz and generosity, Chanterelles made it into kitchen stadium for the second time ever! Last time I made this yummy and simple tart. This time I went with barley risotto. I've been wanting to make barley risotto for some time, and thought that these gorgeous, orange, [...]
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  Posted: July 24, 2008, 9:36pm EDT
  

• 3 easy peasy schmeasy spreads

  Egged on by the success of my Pistachio Fig spread, I started thinking of other flavor combos I could add to spreadable cheese to make fun dips. For all of these, the base is simply cream cheese....1/3 less fat cream cheese, actually. Why not? Just stay away from the fat [...]
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  Posted: July 21, 2008, 9:15am EDT
  

• the best part of wakin' up...is breakfast burritos in your fridge!

  Lately I've had a hankering for terrible breakfast foods such as breakfast burritos...bacon, egg, cheese, salsa. Yum! However, this is a very unhealthy way to start the day. I decided to try and make a more nutritious, less fat-laden version. And it turned out to be quite easy to do. [...]
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  Posted: July 17, 2008, 7:47pm EDT
  

• not so awful for my first falafel

  UPDATE! My Knight in Shining Oil was able to rescue my falafel! See below.... I love falafel. I usually get it from my favorite gyro place, Pita+ in Creve Couer, MO. This weekend, however, I decided to make it myself. Along with the pita bread! Yikes. I found a recipe online [...]
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  Posted: July 14, 2008, 3:36pm EDT
  

• grilled shrimp & asparagus on polenta

  Always trying to come up with simple summer dinners, Jack and I combined two of our favorite things to grill, shrimp and asparagus, and put them atop some creamy polenta. That's about all there is to it, actually, but I'll give you a few more details. The shrimp and asparagus were [...]
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  Posted: July 09, 2008, 7:39am EDT
  

• soy sauce wings

  On kind of a wing kick this weekend, Jack concocted these little guys. They were quite simple to make, and super-tasty! First, he marinated the wings in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sake (a 2-1-1 ratio on the liquid ingredients) grated fresh ginger and garlic. Oh hey! Jack has just informed [...]
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  Posted: July 02, 2008, 7:48am EDT
  

• Tuna Burgers and Wasabi deviled eggs

  I'm sorry, but my Martha Stewart Living subscription is one of the best parts about getting mail! Jack rolls his eyes at me when I repeat things from it. "Well Martha says..." Of course, the food sections are my favorite. The latest issue has a section on Hamburgers with fantastic [...]
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  Posted: June 24, 2008, 9:00am EDT
  

• cookies for your underwear drawer

  White chocolate chip cookies with lavender and candied ginger recipe adapted from here 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 Tbsp. dried Lavender 1 large egg 2 Tbsp. milk 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cup oat bran 1 1/2 cups white flour 3/4 tsp. baking powder 1 generous cup white chocolate chips 3 Tbsp. chopped candied ginger In a large bowl, [...]
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  Posted: June 19, 2008, 7:22pm EDT
  

• fiddle me this...

  Everybody's doin' it! So I had to try it, too. Fiddlehead Ferns! A springtime delicacy. Little baby ferns, all curled up in their fern fetal position. I've seen them all over the blogs, including local friends, but never at the store. But I finally got my hands on some this [...]
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  Posted: June 13, 2008, 11:02am EDT
  

• WTF?!?! Nooooo!!

  I went to check out one of my favorite sites, TastsSpotting, this morning, only to find a note that said "Thanks for great 18 months! In light of recent legal complications, NOTCOT will no longer be operating tastespotting.com. -Jean, NOTCOT, 6-13-08." I am so bummed right now. TasteSpotting was such a [...]
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  Posted: June 13, 2008, 7:36am EDT
  

• Nigella Express-Beef Skewers and Mushed up beans

  A while back I won Nigella Express from Serious Eats. Exciting, I know! It's the second book I've won from them. Maybe I should start playing the lottery? Nah. I don't do well with gambling. I'll stick to food blog giveaways. Anyway, I really like the book. I was worried [...]
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  Posted: June 11, 2008, 3:29pm EDT
  

• fig pistachio goat cheese spread

  On most Wednesday evenings during the summer, you can find me at the Missouri Botanical Gardens enjoying the scenery and the music at their Whitaker Music Festival. I've been going to these free weekly concerts for a few years. It's such a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the beautiful botanical gardens, [...]
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  Posted: June 08, 2008, 12:20pm EDT
  

• turkey kefta & carrot sallad...mo rockin' summer

  Holy crud it's June! And I am SOOO not in swimsuit shape. Time to start panicking and start some crazy celery and beef jerky diet? Nah...but some lighter fare won't hurt. Last night I tried out Cooking Light's Turkey Kefta with sweet onion and raisin sauce. I veered a little [...]
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  Posted: June 05, 2008, 11:16pm EDT
  

• Apple Drink! It's GREEN.

  We were out of town all weekend, and I have no mouth-watering food photos/recipes/adventures to share. However, during the long car rides, we listened to some Dave Chapelle stand-up, and I just have to share this bit from his special "For What It's Worth." Please realize this contains language that [...]
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  Posted: June 02, 2008, 9:37am EDT
  

• deep fried pickles? YES!

  Dearest Internets, Want to take a darn tasty BBQ pork sandwich and elevate it to a crazy level? Add DEEP FRIED PICKLES. Really! Do it! drain some hamburger dill slices, dry 'em off with paper towels, dredge them in flour, then dip them in a batter made from 1 cup flour, [...]
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  Posted: May 28, 2008, 7:34am EDT
  

• ducked up

  I was excited. I was finally gonna get back in the kitchen and make something spectacular and fancy AND delicious. The ducks had been in the freezer longer than I care to admit. I wanted to do right by them. I'd never cooked wild duck. Jack was familiar, as he'd [...]
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  Posted: May 22, 2008, 7:39am EDT
  

• charleville winery

  This weekend we visited Charleville Winery in Ste. Genevieve, MO. St. Genevieve has quite a few wineries, but this is our favorite. It is a bit more out of the way than any of the others, but worth it. Besides yummy wines, they also brew their own beer and a [...]
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  Posted: May 19, 2008, 9:12am EDT
  

• reason # 397 to make teeny burgers

  Teeny burgers, which made an appearance on Iron Stef here, have become a regular dinner option at the Iron Stef homestead. They are easy and casual and fun. Also? Since you can eat more than one, you can play with toppings way more than you would with a big 'ol [...]
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  Posted: May 13, 2008, 8:47am EDT
  

• totally terrific tofu tushies

  Last week, Lisa of Show Me Vegan, made these a-dang-doreable tofu-tini's. Basically, pressed tofu, cut into martini shapes with a martini cookie cutter (anyone who has an martini cookie cutter is aces in my book, BTW), brushed with olive oil, coated with panko bread crumbs (seasoned w/ salt & peppa) [...]
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  Posted: May 06, 2008, 12:41am EDT
  

• From the Archives: Iron Stef does Mexican!

  It's Cinco De Mayo! Grab a Margarita and check out my past Mexican-related food ventures.... Corizo, egg & Raisin tacos Pork & Hominy Chili Fish Tacos! Tamales from scratch. yup yup. BBQ Beef pot-pie with Chipotle-Masa crust. Zucchini, Mushroom & Hominy Tacos Tequila Lime grilled chicken Dulce de Leche Duo cookies And of course, a nice cold Chelada to [...]
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  Posted: May 05, 2008, 9:08am EDT
  

• morels? no problem!

  A friend of mine, an avid mushroom hunter, gave me some of his most recent morel haul. So generous! It was my first time having morels to cook with, so he also gave me preparation and cooking instructions. Soak them for about an hour in salted water? No problem! Drain them, dust [...]
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  Posted: May 01, 2008, 11:40pm EDT
  

• grilled salmon with white bean salsa and grits

  This was our Saturday night dinner. I had my eye on this white bean avocado salsa from a Schnucks Cooks recipe card, and asked Jack to figure out what to grill to go with it. He had been wanting to grill fish, so he chose salmon. We put everything on [...]
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  Posted: April 28, 2008, 6:40am EDT
  

• you smell delicious!

  So I have this addiction. Tiny bottles of perfume! The ones pictured above are from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL) and Possets. I've been hooked on BPAL for a while now. Possets is a new discovery for me, and I love their stuff so far. Basically, these two companies sell [...]
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  Posted: April 25, 2008, 6:34pm EDT
  

• bratcho battle

  You guys. We totally made bratchos. HA! Not only did we make bratchos, we made 2 different versions of bratchos! Heck yes we did! See, when I saw bratchos on the Grizzlies menu, I thought it was pretty brilliant. 2 glorious stadium foods together at last! Visions of sauerkraut and melted [...]
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  Posted: April 21, 2008, 8:50am EDT
  

• can the krispy kreme burger be topped?

  One of our hometown Minor League ball teams, the Gateway Grizzlies, made headlines a couple of years ago by introducing the Krispy Kreme hamburger as part of thier concession selection. That would be a hamburger with cheese and bacon with a split krispy kreme glazed donut as the bun. Day-yum! [...]
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  Posted: April 18, 2008, 9:22am EDT
  

• sausage & fennel bread pudding

  It's Spring, yes. However, this weekend decided to be cold and rainy. It sleeted, even! Luckily, Jack had found a recipe that was perfect for such dreariness. So yes, this is yet another entry about something Jack, not Iron Stef, made. And this time, it's not a sandwich...although it does [...]
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  Posted: April 14, 2008, 9:41pm EDT
  

• Mmmmmmuffaletta

  The other night we made a muffaletta....okay, Jack made it while I watched. He's the sandwich master of the house, afterall. Our muffaletta didn't stray too far from the traditional. Basically, a round Italian loaf of bread layered with, in order from bottom to top, olive salad, Mozzerella cheese, Capicola [...]
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  Posted: April 11, 2008, 10:27am EDT
  

• grilled pizza and tequila lime cheesecake!

  This past weekend was el-perfecto weather-wise. Sunny, breezy, high 60's. Fantastic! Great for grilling stuff and eating refreshing desserts and drinking beer. We decided to attempt grilled pizzas. For the crust, we simply used some of those frozen dinner roll dough balls. Coat them in olive oil, and put them in [...]
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  Posted: April 09, 2008, 7:31am EDT
  

• shrimp & grits casserole

  The March 08 issue of Cooking Light had this recipe for shrimp & grits casserole. How fun is that? I thought it was a fun idea. So I made it. It was good! The grits were really creamy. I think I'll make this again, except I may cook the grits [...]
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  Posted: April 07, 2008, 8:35am EDT
  

• STL food bloggers potluck!

  This pretty pretty picture of my mini meatloaf cupcakes was taken by Jonathan Pollack at a potluck he and his wife, Stef from Cupcake Project, generously hosted at their home on Sunday. Jonathan is a wonderful photographer with a camera set-up that gives me major lens-envy. Check out his site! [...]
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  Posted: April 02, 2008, 6:53pm EDT