It's been too long.

Has it already been nearly a year?

Well, I have to admit I have had a lot on my plate in these past 9 months or so. Lost my job, fell back in love, gained a job, almost lost that love, lost anouther job, gained some friends, needless to say, its been a minute.

The economy is one mean old little lady. I've been officially job hunting since October of '09 and its only now starting to look a little bit brighter. More interviews, but no call backs, yet. Aside from my financial drama and a current housing dilemma, things are getting better.

And the food, OH how I miss the food. On an unemployed girls budget, cheap meals have been my best friend, and my worst enemy. I fully admit that places like Wendy's and Taco Bell have gotten a good chunk of my funds, and that has got to end. Oh sure, Its easy to say "But Angela, you can afford to make yourself dinner every night with the money you spend on fast food!" and honestly, that's true. But who wants to cook for one when you can't even enjoy what your eating, due to the bills sitting underneath your plate?

Now things are getting brighter. Its a new season, everything and one is waking up, Jobs opportunities are becoming more frequent, Money is becoming less of a burden, and everyday things just feel better in life.

My next plan for this blog will hopefully involve the best snacky food known to man, Sushi. My mother has discovered a place called Soya Sushi about 10 minutes down the road, and they create Oh.My.God good sushi. Interestingly enough, my significant other has recently shown an interest in sushi and I plan on showing him what he has been missing.

Here's to a new season, a new year, and a new life. (Well, except for Hazel, shes coming along too of course...)

Angela & Hazelnut

Just have to post this because its funny...

Seriously???

I thought this was funny because I've actually had a couple people tell me i resemble Christina Ricci. I don't see it at all though. What do you think??





Yeah right!!!


Angie & Hazelnut

Quick, Simple, and Homemade Beef Stroganoff

Lets take a quick detour...

Anyone ever had real beef stroganoff?? No I'm not talking about the hamburger helper your mother used to make. I'm talking about the delicious tomato and cream based hearty goodness your Grandmother used to make. If you don't know what I'm talking about then sir/madam, you have been missing out on a wonderful thing.



I love cooking. There has always been a little flame inside of me waiting to realize that this is what i want to do for the rest of my life, serve great food and make people feel happy. So when i would come home from work, one of the highlights of my day would be deciding what i would make for everyone that night. Maybe a homemade pizza? A traditional Coq a Vin? What about a hearty Beef Stroganoff. Who wouldn't want to come home to that for dinner??

So Ive decided to share with you my take of stroganoff. No i don't have a recipe book with my grandmothers old recipes, but i do have my basic knowledge for what works and what doesn't.
I'm not going to baby you with my recipes. If you are reading this and know anything about cooking you know that you cook to taste. If you follow a set recipe and you are not baking then I'm afraid this blog is not for you my friend. Now onward to the Stroganoff!

First off, get one thing out of the way.

Boil off your egg noodles. Yes egg noodles. Easy to find (at my grocery store they are on the bottom row with the dried pasta). I believe mine took 8-10 minutes or al dente to your standards. Everyone knows how to cook pasta so don't be silly. Just make sure when you strain the noodles to mix in some olive oil to make sure the noodles do not stick together and form a massive noodle glob. Yuck.

Now to the meat.

Start off with any meat you feel comfortable slicing in small strips. For this time i used some leftover cuts off a beef tenderloin. (God i loved working in a kitchen, hows that for scraps??)
Slice the meat into small, somewhat thin strips.
While your doing this make sure you have a pan ready (oiled or buttered) for searing said meat.

Coat your strips in some flour and drop them in the pan. Simple no?
When they start to bleed a little its time to flip them over. Don't over cook them though. No one likes rubbery meat!

Now once this process is finished set the meat somewhere to sit for moment. Just keep it warm.

To the sauce!

So, this is my method of beef stroganoff. If you have a different method than great. Everyone cooks in different ways.

Take that pan you had used before and oil or butter it up again for a nice portion of sliced button mushrooms and chopped garlic. Saute said shrooms down until somewhat soft. Now the fun! Add some Burgundy to the mix and listen! Did it hiss when it hit the pan? Good, your doing it right :).

After you have deglazed the pan with your Burgundy add about a cup of water and a beef bullion cube. Your mushrooms should still be floating around in your beefy alcoholic mixture.

Now is when you can add your spices. For mine, i stayed simple. Salt and pepper (White pepper), a little cayenne, some oregano and a bay leaf for fun.


After your spices are in, start to add your tomato paste. Start off in small amounts so you can monitor the taste. You don't want it too tomatoey. At this point your expected to season to taste as well. Finish off the sauce with some sour cream. As much as suits you, i use a lot but it will help finish off your sauce.

Last but not least, the beef! Add the beef back to your wonderful sauce and toss to coat.

Now if you prefer your sauce thicker might a recommend a slurry. What is a slurry?? Simply put, flour and water together used as a thickener in soups and sauces. Just whisk it right in and let it simmer a little and you will be fine.

Plate your food however you like, I'm not your mommy. Maybe even make some garlic toast like me? Mmm ukrops white house rolls are the best for a simple garlic toast.

End Result??
Hopefully something like this.





















Enjoy :)


Angela & Hazelnut

Weezie's Kitchen

Finally!

So I've finally made it to Weezies Kitchen!

Once again with my partner in crime, Ursula! I've heard so many good things about this restaurant, so i was definitely excited about getting to eat here. Reading the newspapers food section, once i read they were actually doing fried alligator and fried conch.

Unfortunately, that wasn't available when i went but hopefully it will be in the future. So to begin the meal, Ursula and i got an appetizer of new york strip with a blue cheese butter and slices of toast. The strip was cooked exactly the way it should have been, with just enough pink in the middle. The blue cheese butter was a great idea! I felt like the toast wasn't really necessary though. It seemed like it just took up space and wasn't really all that special.




Onto lunch!

I was really up in the air when it came to my entree. It was between the crab cake sandwich and the "Weezie" sub. I decided to go for the Weezie sub due to its name. As the menu describes it "Rare roasted beef, served on a soft hoagie with Swiss cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, oil, & vinegar." It was a good sub, but a sub none the less. If your just in the mood for a classic sub then its just up your alley! Now the mac and cheese i got for the side is a little bit of a different story. It was made with large shells and tons of gooey cheese and was absolutely delicious! The side dishes tasted very homemade and was even better the next day as leftovers.


As for Ursula she was a little undecided at first as well. It seems we both pondered the idea of the crab cake sandwich but she ending up with the BBQ sandwich with the homemade mac and cheese. I don't believe it was anything special because she didn't seem to rave about it that much, just a basic BBQ sandwich. She did agree that the mac and cheese was some of the best though!




Service was good. They weren't very crowded at all so we got all the attention we needed. A nice little cozy dining spot if your looking for something non corporate and fairly casual. As for going back? I do see another trip to Weezies in my future! Next time I'm hoping to go for the dinner menu which looks a lot broader and a little more my style. Hopefully ill be able to try some fried alligator next time ;).









Angela & Hazelnut

Dots Back Inn

Woohoo!

So i made it to Dots Back Inn finally! I went with my friend Ursula whom i had been nagging all day to go.


I'm not a fancy critic or anything so I'm just going to let you know what i thought and no fancy freakin words.

Food was yummy! I had the Chicken MacArthur Pasta which had white wine, artichokes, feta, tomatoes, garlic, etc. It was strange i could taste the wine in the pasta! Was very tasty though. I also had the Spicy Potato Salad, which in no way was spicy, but just a very classic potato salad so no complaints!

Ursula had the Sailor Sandwich and the potato salad as well. She really liked it and i will definitely try that next time i go back! Sailor Sandwich for anyone who doesn't know is Knockwurst, pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss and spicy mustard on bread.



Service was sweet, didn't feel rushed or anything, the lady was very nice and everyone there seemed relaxed. Almost every customer in there other than Ursula and i must have been regulars because everyone was going by first names!

Cute little place! Would have never known about it if i hadn't seen it on diners drive ins and dives though.

I think I'm going to go to Weezies Kitchen next. Everyone talks about the place but Ive never had a chance to go.







Angie & Hazelnut

First things first!

Okay!

So I've decided to do a cooking blog because i seem to forget my recipes after Ive cooked them! Also i want to have a place to document my hits and misses at local restaurants and to post other peoples recipes that i think others would enjoy.

So my name is Angela and I'm from Richmond, VA. I Hate long walks on the beach just to get that out of the way. I love to cook and bake. Ive been cooking since i was old enough to figure out a toaster oven (which was about 5 or 6). Oddly enough i also have a passion for photography so i love to take pictures of my food. I'm planning on starting my own catering business and hopefully one day I'd love to own a local bakery.

Oh and i have to mention...
I have an adorable puppy named hazelnut. Shes a little crazy but that's okay because so am i!

I hope you enjoyed my hopes and dreams. :) Now since i don't have anything compiled to put on here yet i will get to work! I should be going to Dots Back Inn soon so keep an eye out!

<3 Angie & hazelnut