MILWAUKEE IN A FLASH

This weekend we flew back to Milwaukee for another round of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's lovely annual Christmas show. I know it was a whole weekend, but honestly, the whole time really revolves around this show. And for good reason. It's a ton of fun and Mr. Roell has always made sure we have great food to go along with the amazing entertainment.

Let me back up just a sec. Friday we flew out of perpetually late LGA to the Milwaukee International Airport. We didn't eat much, just our standard cheap airport Chinese. But we had to wolf it down because the whole transit thing was really a mess and we just barely made the flight.

Once we got to Milwaukee, we picked up a burger at Culver's. Home of the famous butter burger. It was nice. Reminded me of Steak & Shake a little. Anyway, that was Friday's eatin'.

Then of course, Saturday was the show. We started out the evening at the Wisconsin Club where they truly rolled out the red carpet for the Christmas season. Beautiful decorations and roaring fireplaces were around every corner. It really made us all feel like the season was upon us. Well, that and the multiple inches of snow everywhere outside.

Anyway, we had our own room in the club (and they even indicated that fact up there on the board!) and after some wine, salads and delightful little cheese puffs, we got into our main courses. Meena had:
- autumn trio (beef tenderloin with scallops and foie gras served on gratin potatoes)

Alec went with:
- duck breast with cherry sauce and brussels sprouts

The food was wonderful. And there was more! Another birthday cake!

The waiter brought out a little cake for my birthday and they hacked that baby up for the whole table. Delicious end to the lovely meal.

And of course, the show was great. In my humble opinion, the best one to date.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MII

Last night was awesome. Because we'll be in Milwaukee for my birthday, Dan and Steve stopped by last night for a little mini celebration with Zaytoons, cupcakes and and stimulating conversation.

As always, the delivery was awesome. Meena had:
- chicken shawarma platter

Alec had:
- shish kebab platter

Dan and Steve both had:
- falafel platter

Being carnivores of the highest order, we'd never had the falafel before. Dan and Steve both cosigned for it, though, so maybe I'll do it. I do like falafel.

We also had a little starter I whipped up. The only problem was that the delivery came first and it actually became an ... after:
- salmon
- cherry preserves
- soy sauce
- black sesame seeds
- mustard
- green onion
- wasabi powder
- ajvar

The salmon was a bit sweet ... but I enjoyed it.

And then, with cupcakes and Cava, Meena gave me my birthday present ... a Wii!!!

Dan and Steve stayed for a couple rounds of home run derby and a few rounds of bowling before calling it a night. I on the other hand, stayed up a little too late playing a little boxing and Madden '08.

Honestly ... it's the coolest gift ever. I'm going to be obsessed. Just to warn you.

AFTER APPETIZERS

Last night we went downtown for a little birthday party immediately following work. Meena's boss was hitting a milestone so her husband threw a nice little affair at a wine store near their apartment. Great wine, great food, wonderful people. It was a lot of fun.

After, we got back to Brooklyn, we decided those heavy appetizers weren't quite a meal and elected to enlist the help of Joya and their delivery man.

Meena had:
- chicken spring rolls
- chicken pad thai (half order)

Alec had:
- tom yum koong
- chicken pad thai (half order)

Very niiiiice. I love tom yum koong. It's probably the best soup in the world. I don't know. Hot and sour is pretty amazing. I'll call it a tie.

Anyway, very nice evening filled with lots of great food and wonderful wine.

A LITTLE CRISPY

Salmon two days in a row? I know. I know. Pretty excessive but sometimes when we're working late, it's hard to pick up anything but fish from Fish Tales. They're open later.

Anyway, I won't dwell on the logistics of dinner and I'll cut to the chase. We'd done a crispy panko salmon back in September and I'd claimed then we'd make this again very soon. What a liar I am! It's December and I'm just now getting to it. And it's not even the same recipe!

But it was a good one. And it's a variation on that dinner we had back in September.

We started with miso soup. This was my virgin experience with miso but after mixing up a batch, I realize I had no reason to be concerned. It's the easiest soup in the world to make:
- water
- miso
- swiss chard
- green onion

I forgot two key ingredients when I was at the store - seaweed and tofu. In the end, the swiss chard was an OK replacement for the seaweed. I missed the tofu. But oh well. And I need the lighter miso. We have the dark kind. Not as good for soup. But still ... not bad. I'll refine this one.

Our main course was the previously mentioned salmon:
- salmon (baked with panko, honey, mustard, soy sauce and red pepper flakes)
- swiss chard
- garlic
- olive oil
- oyster sauce
- hoisin sauce
- red onion

The salmon was crispy and cooked just right in the center. The coating with the mustard and honey gave it a sweet flavor with a subtle bite from pepper flakes. It's just one of those perfect flavor combos. The hoisin was mostly a garnish, but it was a nice addition. The raw red onion had mostly the same mission. But it too ended up packing a big flavor punch that made the dish a better one.

The swiss chard was packed with garlic and the oyster sauce gave it a nice finish.

Meena and I agreed. We WILL make this one again soon. We promise this time.

BIG FLAVOR MONDAY

I didn't have a ton of time last night, but I wanted to cook Meena something. She had a busy day and I just knew she needed some home cooked goodness to get her on track.

In my experience, baking fish in little packets in the oven is a really fast, super easy way to make dinner. Throw some stuff in a packet of foil or parchment and boom - you're done.

For my fish, I threw together:
- wild coho fillets
- tandori spice mix
- olive oil
- garlic
- black sesame seeds
- lime
- spinach

While those were baking I mixed up a little chutney:
- red onion
- brown sugar
- rice wine vinegar
- mustard
- garlic
- red pepper flakes

And then we served the whole concoction with some doctored up pitas:
- olive oil
- basil
- garlic

Meena really enjoyed this one. I thought I actually kept the salmon in a bit too long. They weren't those giant Atlantic fillets ... they were wild coho. Thus, they cooked a little faster. But boy, they were good. The tandori spice and the spicy chutney went perfect together.

So lots of big flavor and tons of spice for this cold, gross Monday night. Just what the doctor ordered.

TRIMMING TREES AND SOBA DELIVERY

After the Colts hung in there and kicked Jack Del Rio out of our house, we zipped over to Dan and Steve's for a little tree trimming party! It was rad. Steve's parents were in town, Dan made a bunch of snacks, they gave me a Colts ornament and they had a fridge full of beer. All the elements for an excellent trimming event.

Oh, and they had a tree! Look at that sucker ... perfect, right?

I had some work to do last night, so unfortunately, we had to split before they got going on pasta and the other courses. I'm sure it was lovely and totally delicious.

We did need nourishment, though, so we called in Cube 63 while I worked.

Meena did it a little different with:
- tempura soba

I wasn't all that hungry so I did:
- miso soup
- salmon avocado roll

It's still pretty cold in here so the warm soups really helped warm us from the inside out. When your nose is cold and the air is frigid while you're sitting on your own couch, piping hot miso might be the only way to fight back. It worked for us.

And now you know. And knowing is half the battle.

BILLYSBURG BIRTHDAY SURPRISE

We went to James and D's for a little dinner and inspired conversation last night and to my surprise, they made me a birthday cake! My birthday isn't for another week, but we'll be out of town and well ... they're just really nice people. It was awesome.

After spending the whole day studying, D still found a way to make us an amazing dinner. We had mac & cheese (with black beans), string beans and chicken burgers on kaiser rolls.

D didn't think some of it was good but I couldn't disagree more. Everything was perfect. And the cake ... I can safely say it's just as good the second day (I just polished off the piece they sent home with us).

Awesome night.

A CLASSIC

It's cold and gross in NYC so we decided we needed something that was classic, warm and completely comfortable ... thus, Tartine.

When we lived in the West Village, we hit this place about once a week. At least. Sometimes more. But we find that there's nothing more comfortable than heading back for some BYOB fun once in a while.

After a cold wait outside, we finally squeezed into our spot and got down to business. We got that wonderful bottle of zin going and called in this week's variation on our favorite appetizer:
- scallops and mushrooms in spicy tobiko sauce

Awesome.

Then we did the norm. Meena had:
- sauteed chicken with fries

Alec had his usual:
- pissaladierre

Oh so lovely. So cozy.

The perfect Friday night.

THAT'S A SPICY PIZZA!

Dan and Steve had been in LA for the holiday (and of course we'd been in Indy) so it had been a minute since we'd had a chance to hang out and catch up. And because they have a busy weekend coming up, we thought it best to have them over for dinner last night.

Snoop Dogg was in the office last night so I stayed a longer to get some things done - thus, I was way behind when I finally got to Brooklyn and Pacific Green.

But I decided to keep last night simple and after snapping up a couple quick ingredients, I was on my way home and behind the burners before I knew it.

Our first option was a super spicy (sorry everyone!) cajun joint:
- spicy remoulade (low-fat sour cream, hot sauce and ajvar)
- cajun chicken sausage
- poblano pepper
- red bell pepper
- smoked mozzarella
- green onion
- mixed greens
- cajun spice
- flour tortilla

And our other vegetarian option went like this:
- tomato sauce
- crimini mushrooms
- mixed greens
- basil
- black pepper
- cheddar

I thought everything was awesome. I know that the cajun one was a little too spicy, but I'm sorry friends! That's what I do! I think everyone enjoyed it anyway. They said they did anyway.

The second option was OK. It was lacking something. I would have liked some anchovy but I wasn't sure it would go well with the crowd.

I think I'd like to try doing these in the oven and finishing them under the broiler. Just when we have crowds. We'll see. I don't know if the quality level will be the same. It would just be nice to prep them and throw them in the oven.

Anyway, this batch was nice. And it was great to catch up with the dudes.

MUNDANE

It's cold. Our heat isn't working. The week has been really busy. I had to fight through a wall of Christmas tree revelers just to get to the subway last night. When I got home, I wasn't in a mood to cook.

So oddly, we went for Chinese delivery last night. That's right. You heard me. No Joya. No Zaytoons. No Cube 63. We went with a curve ball and called in China Hong.

Meena went for:
- shrimp lo mien

Alec got serious with:
- hot and sour soup
- broccoli with garlic sauce

I mean, it's comfort food. Warm and filling. With Top Model and Project Runway episodes jam packed into the evening's viewing schedule, we just needed to kick back. And China Hong hooked us up with some typical Chinese delivery to help us get through it all.

ONE WHOLE YEAR!

Guess what? We've been doing this silly thing an entire year! Whoo hoo!

When we started, we had no idea anyone besides the two of us would actually read this thing. And although it's not much more than the two of us, we do have some loyal readers. And that's fun as hell.

But we've evolved a little. We've made some good stuff. We've made some bad stuff. We've traveled. Others have cooked for us. We've had LOTS of delivery. It's been a fun year.

Hey, we even got engaged. And food has been a huge part of it all.

So for our one year, we didn't do anything too special. I was working late and we've just been generally so busy that there wasn't time to really plan. But I guess that's pretty fitting. That's how we do most dinners, so why not the one year dinner?

Meena got us off to a great start with a couple appetizers from Fish Tales. We had some nice crabcake stuffed mushrooms and a few perfect shrimp with cocktail sauce. Small bites, but you know ... how can you hate a stuffed mushroom or shrimp cocktail? Go ahead foodies ... scoff. I love it.

Next we did these odd faux sushi things that I think I picked up in Bon Appetit:
- prosciutto
- green onion
- shiitake mushrooms
- balsamic vinegar
- smoked mozzarella
- basil pesto

Finally we grilled up a nice bit of salmon:
- salmon
- cherry preserves
- miso
- rice wine vinegar
- shiitake mushrooms
- green onion

We served the whole thing with some boxed Thai rice. We've done the cherry sauce before. And the miso glaze thing. I figured I'd just merge the two. Turns out, it's not such a bad combo. It probably would have been better in the oven than on a skillet. But you know, whatever. It was a nice meal and the flavor was great. It's a subtle variation on one dish we've made a million times. I can't think of a better way to ring in the one year anniversary.

We ain't going away ... get ready for another year of MOAP!

WE JUST CAN'T

First night back and we just couldn't cook. We had a nightmare of a flight and after waking up at 4:00 a.m. only to make it back to NYC around 1:30 p.m. for another long day at the office, when we finally made it back to Brooklyn, we were just finished.

And what do you do in those situations? Call in the boys at Zaytoons.

As always, I went with:
- shish kebab platter with hummus

And Meena kept it real with:
- shawarma platter with hummus

It was filling, delicious and pretty much perfect for our tired souls.

TURKEY WEEKEND

Hi everyone. Remember us? The people who once updated on a daily basis? Well, we're back. We had some technical difficulties and a long trip to the homeland, but we're back, baby!

There are a lot of photos up there. And I'll be honest, there are a bunch that I just didn't include. But I hit the highlights and I'll do my best to describe everything in as much detail as I remember.

We started off last Wednesday with a bowl of Dad's beef and vegetable soup. He serves it with his jalapeño cornbread and it's pretty much the perfect union of flavor. It was a nice way to end our first night back in town.

The next morning (Thanksgiving) Mom got us started with her baked eggs. I feel like this is where I first learned the basics of muffin tin madness. But I'm not sure. Anyway, this one is awesome. It's basically bacon wrapped around an egg baked in a cup with herbs. And then you top the whole thing off with Heinz 57 sauce. It's seriously perfect. I think we had some zucchini bread too? It looks like it.

Before we even started breakfast, Dad had thrown his bird on the grill with some hickory out in the back yard. That's right, the man did his 19 pound gobbler on the Weber. He's pretty impressive right? Anyway, he did a great job and as you can see in the photo, he knew it.

Once he'd carved up his smoky, delicious bird, we got to sink our teeth into all the other wonderful things mom had mixed up. Here's the rundown:
- mashed potatoes with a fresh sage gravy
- cranberry sauce
- cornbread stuffing with sage
- sweet potatoes with a crumbly topping
- bbq green beans with bacon (my personal fav)

Everything was amazing. The smoky turkey. The green beans (I could have seriously eaten all of them). Awesome Thanksgiving meal.

The next morning, Mom whipped up another little delicious breakfast treat - chile cheese egg puff. It's an interesting name, but it's actually really simple. Eggs, cottage cheese, green chile peppers. Some other stuff too. But in the end, a scoop of that stuff with some hot sauce and a bunch of citrus and bananas on the side? Awesome.

There's a gap in here. Between breakfast on Friday and dinner on Sunday, we had random eating. A party on Friday with heavy appetizers followed by Broadripple drinking. A hungover Saturday morning followed by dinner at Mitchell's and some more drinks with Grant and Sara at their beautiful house. It was fun, but no photos. Sorry!

The conclusion on Sunday night was supposed to be grilled pork chops, but because the weather didn't cooperate, Mom ended up baking them. She also threw together a simple salad with lots of cherry tomatoes, olives and a white balsamic dressing. Great pork chops, salad and some (not pictured) mashed potatoes - I can't think of a better way to end our trip home. Oh yeah, I can ... with Mom's Derby pie.

YES!

Awesome bourbon soaked Derby pie.

As you can probably tell from all the great food up there, we had one pretty amazing trip back to Indy.

AN UPDATED FAVORITE

If you've read Memoirs over the last year, you know we're big fans of Ivo and Lulu. Honestly, it's still my favorite place to eat in this town. Even with the interior changes and everything else, I still love it. And if you know that, you might also know I nearly always get one of their alternative sausage dishes. Delicious wild boar with blueberry sauce. Rabbit with carrot and ginger. Amazing.

So whenever I hit the butcher, I like to check out all the assorted sausages on display. Typically it's just like ... 30 varieties of chicken with garlics and apples, etc. But on occasion, you run into the duck, venison and rabbit that make me happy.

Sunday, I came across a venison sausage with red wine and knew I had to throw it together with:
- wild rice mix
- cherry preserves
- rice vinegar
- cajun spice
- salt
- olive oil
- garlic

It might not look like all that much, but it was delicious. Meena isn't a huge fan of fennel seed and like most sausage, they hid a few in there. I don't mind it, but they are powerful. So I get it.

The cherry sauce was fantastic. Went perfect with the venison.

Ah, sausage. I love you.

400!

Once again (this seems to be the trend), I forgot about another milestone. I didn't plan anything big for 400. I just made dinner. Lucky for me, it was the best chili I ever made. It's awesome that the world works itself out sometimes.

We'd been kicking around the concept of chili for some time. We just hadn't made it. I'm not sure why. I think we had some warm days. And some lazy days. Regardless, we didn't get around to it until today.

Today's batch featured:
- stew beef
- kidney beans
- black beans
- onion
- garlic
- cumin
- dark chocolate
- sambal oelek
- worcestershire sauce
- salt
- wheat beer
- crushed tomatoes
- olive oil

Amazing. I amazed myself with this one. Polished off with a dollop of sour cream? The perfect Sunday meal if you ask me.

I realize adding dark chocolate to chili is no exclusive trick, but man oh man - it really takes chili to another level. I don't think I can make it any other way from here on out. The meat cooked all day and shredded into perfection.

I made enough for several more bowls. I think I want to eat them all right this second.

Stay tuned for the one year anniversary! I'll try to do something cool for that one in about a week.

100% AWESOME

We were really treated to some special stuff last night. Our friend Matt (aka, the Daily Worker) had James, D, his sister and the two of us over for an amazing little meal he whipped up.

This was our first time at Matt's East Village abode and it was pretty much fantastic from start to finish.

We got things going with delicious little wheels of polenta and a pesto Matt picked up from a secret spot. The pesto was amazing. I think it was jalapeño, cilantro and walnut? Whatever it was, it was awesome.

The next phase was a cilantro and bean soup that was pretty much perfect. The flavor was stellar. Matt was essentially acting like a flavor DJ at this point ... making perfect transitions from one dish to the next.

The main course was Asian inspired and it came out just as great as the first two offerings. He did salmon fillets with a honey and soy glaze, asparagus with a mustard vinaigrette and sweet potatoes with olive oil and pumpkin pie spice.

Awesome.

And just when we thought we couldn't eat anymore, D made sure we were totally stuffed and completely content with a banana bread pudding that was ... amazing. It was seriously one of the best desserts I've had anywhere for a very long time. Restaurants be damned - D is number one in the dessert game. She topped it off with some soy ice cream for Matt and boy oh boy. Perfect.

Awesome night. Good vinyl, great friends, tons of wine, a KITCHEN TABLE, amazing food, a sink full of dirty dishes and about 3.2 million laughs.