El Cerro Reyes in Mooresville, NC

October 3, 2011December 20, 2011 Suzanne StrengthLeave a comment

Who Recommended: Urban Spoon

For What: #6 Best Restaurant in Mooresville (as of today)

El Cerro Reyes has been on my “to try” list for a while. My hubs and I visited the other day after another assignment I was on (Small Fry Diner) was discovered to be closed. I was so pleasantly surprised! Like many delicious Mexican restaurants , this one is tucked in a strip mall, but don’t discount it because of that. The inside is pleasant, roomy and the wait staff is right on the money.

The menu is pretty standard Mexican fare, but everything was seasoned perfectly! After being seated, we were brought complimentary chips and salsa. The chips were crispy and warm and the salsa was just spicy enough. We ordered a cheese dip and it was creamy, thick and deliciously smooth. It is white, which is my favorite, not the processed yellow.

I ordered the lunch Chicken Chimichanga which came topped with cheese dip, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole and sour cream. It is served with a side of rice. The tortilla was nicely crispy and the chicken inside was pulled white meat chicken, juicy from being boiled in a spicy tomato sauce. The rice has a little cheese dip drizzled on it from the chimi, and that is fantastic!

My husband got a combo which came with a taco, chile relleno and beans. He was not as impressed with his haul as I was, but I’m writing that off on him being grumpy. He said the beans were kind of pasty, and there was no pepper in his chile relleno. He deemed the taco just “alright.” Whatever.

It isn’t ranked #6 in all of Mooresville for nothing. Get yourself over there.

The Great Sandwich Bite: Zada Jane’s “Druther’s Clucker”

September 26, 2011December 20, 2011 Suzanne StrengthLeave a comment

Who recommended?: Charlotte Magazine

For What?: One of Charlotte’s best sandwiches

Where?: Zada Jane’s

This article focused on finding sandwiches in the city that broke out of the traditional mold. And you know girls, we love a frou-frou sandwich. Zada Jane’s is near my sister’s house, and after getting my new cast the other day we picked her up for a lunch at this hipster hangout. I quickly realized that 1. Charlotte magazine isn’t always right and 2. I am way too uncool for this place.

I’m told that Zada Jane’s is a popular brunch and breakfast spot, and on the weekends the outside eating area fills up in nice weather. The inside is funky and everyone who works here is, too. As we sat down in our casual clothing, I began to look around and realized that while I wasn’t cool, neither was everyone else in there. We sat amongst hipsters, artists (I assume) and even a few suits. It was cozy!

The waitress we had was a little on the surly side, but I noticed she was a bit friendlier to the artsy types in there. Were we too vanilla or am I overly sensitive? No matter, she was very efficient and met all of our needs. I opted for the Druther’s Clucker as recommended by Charlotte Magazine.

The Druther’s Clucker is a grilled chicken sandwich deluxe. It comes with grilled chicken, fresh basil, caramelized onions, mozzarella, and sun-dried tomato mayonnaise on rosemary foccacia. It is also served with a side of your choice: chips, black eyed pea salad or a green salad (for $2 more). I opted for the green salad, hubby opted for the black eyed pea salad.

The sandwich, much heralded by Charlotte Mag, was just ok. I mean, I ate all of it, but it was really no better than any grilled chicken sandwich I’d had anywhere else. It wasn’t packed with flavor like all of those bold ingredients would lead you to believe. I think if they would take better care in seasoning the chicken breast itself, and not just piling on ingredients to the sandwich, the outcome would have been better. Both my husband and I agreed we’d get something different next time.

The green salad was delicious. It was full of delicious fresh veggies like peeled cucumbers, tiny diced tomatoes, sprouts and sweet shredded carrots. The greens were a mesclun mix and it was topped by homemade croutons. Served with a homemade dressing of your choice: I chose Ranch. I tasted my hub’s black eyed pea salad, and found the black eyed peas to be a little underdone for my taste. Also, it was in a sweetish vinegar dressing that desperately needed some acid. I smirked because mine was clearly better.

Now, the “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner” was my sister’s order. She got the grilled chicken nachos and if she weren’t carrying my niece, I might have smacked her and stolen in, like in our childhood days. These nachos were served in a bowl, so you could have eaten it like a salad, but the crispy chips lined the bottom of the bowl instead of lettuce. The chicken had a yummy chargrilled taste and it was loaded with cooked veggies. Homemade salsa, guacamole and sour cream topped all. Perfection.

If I’m perfectly honest, I was a tad disappointed by Zada Jane’s. Maybe I had too high hopes for a humble chicken sandwich? Next time, if there is one, I’ll get the nachos.

Charlotte · Restaurants

Original Pancake House

September 17, 2011December 20, 2011 Suzanne StrengthLeave a comment

Recommended to me by: Charlotte Magazine, Voters Choice

Original Pancake House: Best Breakfast (Voters Choice)

I have been meaning to go to the OPH for YEARS, but good lord, who gets up early enough to drive an hour to go have breakfast in Charlotte? It just so happened that I had an early appointment with my surgeon, and my mom and I decided we needed breakfast after that painful experience. OrthoCarolina Foot and Ankle Institute happens to be right around the corner from this joint, so it was a no brainer.

When we walked in, I noticed immediately the high ceilings. It makes me feel like I have plenty of space around me, even in a crowded restaurant. We were seated immediately at a booth and a waitress came by quickly to take our drink order and drop off the menus. They also sat down crayons for my little one, for which I was grateful.

The menu had so many things I wanted to try, namely that Dutch Baby everyone talks about, but I just broke right down and got the mushroom omelet with a side of pancakes. I must tell you that they were both just pretty average. Breakfast is not that big of a deal to fix, but the sherry/mushroom sauce that accompanied my omelet was just wrong on top of that omelet. The omelet itself was enormous and very fluffy and actually cooked well. So there’s that.

The pancakes were just alright. Nothing special, and I had the buttermilk pancakes with the plain old maple syrup, nothing fancy. Sometimes going with the basic dish is a beautiful thing, an unspoiled classic; this was not so with my pancakes. They lacked flavor and the syrup was just..there. I would go for that Dutch baby next time, or maybe even a blintz if I was feeling really crazy.

OK, so I’m being a little snobby. The fact is my mother and little girl loved their food. Mom got a sausage omelet with the pancakes and loved them. My little one got a grilled chicken sandwich and hashbrowns, and gobbled it all up! I stabbed one of the potatoes, which turned out to be more like homefries than the shredded hashbrowns she is used to, and sprinkled with Cajun seasoning. They were tender and delicious!

I will return. We had fantastic service and weirdly enough, the Coke was fab..really strong. Burn your nose kind of strong. I adored it. Next time, however, you know..the Dutch Baby. I’m beating a Dutch Horse, aren’t I?

Recipe

Sous Chef Spooky

March 27, 2011November 4, 2014 Suzanne Strength2 Comments

: Spooks!

Behind every good chef is a great sous chef, right? I always have company beside my “prep bar”. She sits patiently on my stool that I use when my feet begin to hurt. My only problem is finding the gumption to kick her off 😦

In honor of my feline sous chef, I offer you a recipe shared with me (and the rest of the world) by another cat loving chef named KITTENCAL. We love this homey chicken casserole!

Kittencal’s Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

2 (8 ounce) cans Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese (or any cheese of choice) or 3/4 cup swiss cheese (or any cheese of choice)
1/2 cup whipping cream

FILLING

4 ounces cream cheese (very soft)
4 tablespoons butter (very soft but not melted)
1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped (can use green onions)
2 large cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped (or use about 2 cups, can use cooked turkey)
1/2-3/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (or use 1/2 teaspoon white salt or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
2 -4 tablespoons mayonnaise or 2 -4 tablespoons whipping cream
1 -2 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)
Set oven to 350°F.
2 Butter a casserole dish (any size to hold crescent rolls).
3 In a saucepan, mix half and half cream, 3/4 cup grated cheese (can use more cheese if desired) and undiluted chicken soup (can season with black pepper if desired).
4 Heat just until the cheese melts (do not boil).
5 For the filling — (make certain that the cream cheese and butter are very soft) in a bowl, mix the soft cream cheese with butter until very smooth, then add in garlic powder (if using).
6 Add in the chopped chicken, onion and cheddar cheese; mix well until combined.
7 Add in 2 tablespoons whipping cream or mayonnaise; mix to combine (add in a little more if the mixture seems too dry).
8 Season with seasoned salt or white and black pepper to taste.
9 Unroll the crescent rolls.
10 Place 1 heaping tablespoon chicken mixture (or a little more) on top of each crescent triangle, then roll up starting at the thicker end.
11 Drizzle a small amount of soup mixture on the bottom of the dish.
12 Then place the crescent rolls seam-side down on top of the creamed mixture in the casserole.
13 Drizzle the remaining sauce on top (you don’t have to use the full amount of cream sauce, just use as much as desired) and sprinkle with 1 cup (or more) grated cheese, or amount desired.
14 Bake for about 30 minutes.

RECOMMENDED TO ME BY KITTENCAL

Recipe

One more hearty recipe before lovely Spring…

March 20, 2011November 21, 2011 Suzanne Strength1 Comment

I am so ready for this deck to be bathed in sunshine instead of snow! Time for cookouts, ice cream and fruit kabobs and maybe a little suntanning, too.

Before we go all crazy with the hopes and dreams, I have a feeling we are going to need one more pot of hearty soup to get us to the Ides of March. Or to Peter Cottontail. This yummy potato soup is perfect for that order.

Baked Potato Soup

8-10 servings

4 large baking potatoes (about 2 3/4 lb.)
2/3 cup butter or 2/3 cup margarine
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4-2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1/2-1 teaspoon pepper (to taste)
6 cups milk
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 Bake potatoes at 350 degrees for 65-75 minutes or until tender; cool completely.

2 Peel and cube potatoes.

3 In a large saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth.

4 Gradually add milk.

5 Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

6 Remove from the heat; whisk in sour cream.

7 Add potatoes and green onions; mix well.

8 Ladle into serving bowls; top with bacon and cheddar cheese.

Recipe

The Beatles Gnosh

March 6, 2011November 21, 2011 Suzanne StrengthLeave a comment

My mom introduced my little girl, Mary Ashley to the Beatles. It’s not like I didn’t know them, but you know…they aren’t on the radio right now, so I just never thought about it. She ADORES them. She is a huge fan! Her school had a Fifties program to put on, so we donned her fav Beatles shirt, some capris and a ponytail and off we went.

When Mary Ash has an interest, she dives into the subject head first, learning all she can. That sounds like I’m making her out to be some genius, but come on, it’s the Beatles, not nuclear fission. Anyway, I’ve never…never…stumped her with a trivia question about them. So, I started looking up obscure facts tonight with which to torture her and found out that the Beatles were quite funny. I know, I was surprised, too.

They especially liked to mess with the press, according to the folks at Kulichki.com. Here are a few anecdotes I found there.

Press: Does it bother you that you can’t hear what you sing during concerts?
John: No, we don’t mind. We’ve got the records at home.

Press: Can we look forward to any more Beatle movies?
John: Well, there’ll be many more but I don’t know whether you can look forward to them or not.

Press: Do you speak french?
Paul: Non.

Press: What is your favorite food?
Ringo: I’m hung up on hamburgers.
George: All four of us are mad about hero sandwiches.
Paul: I have a yen for grilled cheese sandwiches.
John: George and I usually wait until someone else orders, then say “I’ll have that, too”.

I think I have a sandwich that every single one of those boys would like. It’s simple, but brilliant in its simplicity. And delicious. I imagine them eating it on their tour bus.

Gerber Sandwich

1 loaf French bread
1/4 cup garlic butter, spread (or butter with garlic powder to taste)
3/4 lb deli ham
1/2 lb provolone cheese, sliced thin
paprika

Slice the loaf of bread lengthwise.
Place on a cookie sheet.
Spread butter on both pieces of bread.
Put a layer of ham on both pieces of bread.
Top it with a layer of cheese.
Sprinkle with paprika if desired.
Note: This is an open-face sandwich.
Put in 350°F oven for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
You may need to adjust the quantities of ingredients depending on your taste.

Places · Recipe · Vale

Christmas Tree Shopping with a Hot Chocolate Break

March 3, 2011November 21, 2011 Suzanne Strength7 Comments

RECOMMENDED TO ME BY: CHARLOTTE OBSERVER

HELMS CHRISTMAS TREE FARM

OK, so I’m late. I’ve been busy.

This year we decided to go to one of our local farms and cut our own tree. As we walked up and down the rows each tree seemed to be calling out to us “Pick Me!” We told those trees to shut up and went to the prepackaged Frasier Firs that came down from the mountains. I feel like a shmuck, not buying one grown right in my own back yard, but those were just…ugly. Next year, we will just drive up to those mountains to get one of the Frasiers ourselves.

Anyway, we decided to make a day of it, and we had fun. The little farm had ornaments and other treasures for the kids to find nestled in the tree branches, a zipline (no.way.) and a carriage ride around to see the farm and its animals. We brought along our famous hot chocolate mix and a thermos of hot water and had a grand time!

Daddy’s Hot Chocolate Mix

30 ounces Nestles Quik
11 ounces coffee creamer
16 ounces powdered sugar
25 ounces powdered milk

1 Mix all this together.

2 Store in container.

3 When ready to use fill mug or cup with half mix and then fill with hot water.

Too late to help you this year, but this makes a fantastic gift when packed in a clear mason jar. Attach some peppermint sticks, mmmm!

Recipe

CopyCat Recipe: Olive Garden Dressing

February 20, 2011June 4, 2012 Suzanne Strength180 Comments

I’ve made quite a few “copycat” recipes, most of those not quite up to snuff. The same went for a recent Olive Garden Dressing I made. I should have known when it began with a bottled dressing, but I gave it a try. Finally, I combined a recipe I found with a cruet of Italian Dressing that I prepared from 2 envelopes of Good Seasonings, and I had my dressing!

FOR YOU EXPERIENCED COOKS, HERE’S THE QUICK VERSION:

MAKE 2 ENVELOPES OF GOOD SEASONS ITALIAN DRESSING. MAKE THIS RECIPE AND MIX THE GOOD SEASONS ITALIAN DRESSING YOU HAVE PREPARED WITH IT.

Still don’t get it? Just go below, I’ve combine all the ingredients you will need in one place:

Italian Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried Italian spices
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
9 tablespoons water (that’s 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon)
2 envelopes Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix (each envelope is .7 oz)

Combine all ingredients in a blender on high until combined, about 30 seconds.
Pour into small bowl and cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Stir before serving.
Yes,yes, it makes a ton of dressing. Put it in the fridge, you’ll drink it later.

Recipe

Chinese Done Easy

January 20, 2011November 6, 2014 Suzanne Strength1 Comment

OK, so it’s been awhile. I *have* been cooking though, I swear it.

My most recent attempts were very successful (eggrolls!) and moderately successful (Wonton Soup).

I’m giving you both recipes, because the eggrolls were so delicious, but the soup might be up your alley? I was in the minority in not liking it, so there you go. You’ve been warned.

2 green onions
1/4 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 dash pepper
12 -18 wonton skins
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup spinach or 1/2 cup bok choy, leaves halved lengthwise,shredded
1/4 cup shredded carrot

Reserve one green onion top for garnish; chop remaining green onions. Combine chopped onion, ground beef, celery, parsley, salt and pepper in a small bowl; mix lightly. Place approximately 1 1/2 tablespoonsful of ground beef mixture in center of each wonton square. Lightly dampen edges of square with water. Bring together corners; pinch to seal. Set aside.

Bring broth to boil in large saucepan; reduce heat to medium. Add 1/2 of wontons; simmer 4 minutes. Remove cooked wontons with slotted spoon; keep warm. Repeat with remaining wontons. Cut reserved green onion top into thin diagonal slices. Add to hot broth with spinach and carrot. Place wonton in soup bowls. Top with broth mixture.

Beef Spring Rolls

These. are. fantastic.

1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. dried onion
1 tsp. dried garlic
Seasoned Salt to taste
2 Tbsp. water
1 bag ready-to-make cole slaw
1 pkg. spring roll wraps
1 beaten egg
Brown beef with Onion, Garlic nd Seasoned Salt in large skillet; drain. Add water and cole slaw mix. Cover; cook over medium low heat just until vegetables have softened. Place 2 tablespoons filling in corner of each wrap; roll up, folding in corners as you roll. Brush edges of wrap with egg to seal. Fry in 350° oil for approximately 4 minutes; turn at least once to evenly brown. Drain on paper towel. Serve with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Recipe

Spaghetti and Meatballs

November 7, 2010November 21, 2011 Suzanne Strength1 Comment

Whenever we go to an Italian restaurant, no matter how fancy, my husband orders this. He looks at me almost apologetically when he makes his decision, passing up dishes with names we can’t pronounce that sound heavenly. So, when his birthday rolled around, my decision was easy: Spaghetti and Meatballs! This recipe was produced by combining two tried and true favorites. I hope you enjoy it!

Meatballs

1 cup breadcrumbs
4 -5 eggs
1 tablespoon parsley
2 lbs ground chuck
1 lb lean ground pork
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped very fine
2 teaspoons parmesan cheese or 2 teaspoons romano cheese
salt and pepper
oil (for frying)

Mix bread crumbs, eggs and parley together; add remaining ingredients except oil. Mix thoroughly; if mixture is dry, you maay add a little milk. Mixture should be workable. Roll into balls; fry in oil about 10 minutes. Put the meatballs in the marinara sauce of your choice and simmer for at least one hour.

Marinara Sauce

1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 -2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pinch sugar
salt and pepper 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
parmesan cheese, grated

Crush tomatoes with a potato masher. Film bottom of large wide pot with olive oil over medium heat. (I use a skillet). Add onions, saute until soft. Add garlic, cook 2 minutes. Add oregano, red pepper, sugar, salt and pepper and stir. Add tomatoes and paste, rinsing both cans with water and adding this to pan. Add parsley and lower heat to simmer 30-45 minutes. Add basil, cook a few minutes longer and serve.