It's Been Awhile

Hello all and thanks for checking in; even though it's been months or maybe even years since my last entry. I could blame it on my Sadie-bug, my job, my Boz, my hobbies, et cetera. I think I'll go with good old fashioned laziness... and for that I am ashamed. Okay with that off my chest, let's get down to business. This post will be a serious hodgepodge update with pictures of dishes and babies as far back as August of this year. Consequently, my memory is a little foggy about some of these dishes so I will, with all due respect, make up what I don't remember.

This was just a simple New York cut seared on the grill with some corn on the cob. I made a spicy pesto compound butter for the cobs and I think we had a Beaujolais with it. Spice and most red wines don't mix too well but I sure as *ish wasn't about to pop a Pinot Grigio with that meat.

Sometimes Boz knows what we're eating for dinner and he gets a little frustrated so he does something like this, then he feels not so good about what he's done. But we've all moved on from the death of this toy and we're all better people/canines for it!

As you can see, Shelese is loving motherhood. Sadie is growing so much and learning new little tricks almost daily but it's a lot of work and requires a lot of napping and what better place to nap than on Mommy.

This tapas inspired dinner is one of our favorites. Patatas bravas are fried potatoes tossed in a spicy tomato and paprika sauce and topped with garlic aioli. Normally, I just remove the seed from an avocado and stuff it with shrimp but that day I made it this way. The shrimp are dressed with the same aioli spiked with a little tabasco.

Good mood babies inspire good food!

Next up, spaghetti squash spaghetti with asparagus and fava beans. We love spaghetti squash because it's healthier than noodles and really tastes good. The pasta got topped with a nice olive oil and a stinky parmesan.

Okay, let us pause here for emphasis. This next re-creation is worthy of serious highlighting. Just look at the picture... you don't even know what the final product is and you already like it. Unfortunately, during our blissful consumption of said product, we neglected to photograph it. Just picture a two-toned fudgesicle. That is correct, Homemade fudgesicles! So good, seriously. The base layer was made by melting dark chocolate, cayenne, and brown sugar with hot cream. The top layer was milk chocolate, vanilla bean, brown sugar, and cream.

I'm sorry that there is no final picture to show you of this one. Consider it an act of kindness. Really. Doesn't that two-toned fudgesicle sound just delectable? Don't you crave it? Wouldn't a picture of it just be cruel? I thought so. Here's a picture of a cute baby girl instead, enjoy.

Experimented with barbeque naan. Very good actually. Not sure where I got the recipe. I think it was from a Food & Wine issue. On my grill it turns out a bit more dense than the typical air puffed garlic butter soaked stuff we get at our favorite indian joint but still very enjoyable.

Okay, we're switching gears for a minute. Let's take a look at F... 'n sweetness in action. We'll start with the lights of my life.

Next, the brown of my life. (it's a good thing)

Drunken baby!

Grandpa time!

Grandma time!

Pizza time! This little ditty was inspired by another Food & Wine article. I tweaked it a little though. Homemade crust fermented three days in my fridge. Olive oil infused with garlic and red chili flake as the "sauce." Alternating thinly sliced sweet and Russet potatoes. Cave-aged Gruyere and Asiago. Topped with white truffle oil and spring onion (I would have preferred chive to spring onion for a little more subdued onion flavor). This was the, pardon me, Shit! With a capital S. The potatoes cook to silky and all of the flavors mixed perfectly. So good!

As soon as she can eat this type of thing she will. No Dominos for my baby girl!

What do you think about that Sades?

How sweet is she? Sweeter than this toasted almond topped apple and marscapone tart! We had some Granny Smiths that we needed to use up soon so Shelese made the tart crust and we filled it with some marscapone cheese left over from another dish and the apples. It turned out alright. The filling was a bit watery but had a nice tanginess to it.

Wow, this is seriously all over the place! Sorry, gotta get all this pent up blogging off my chest though. Below we have a Loco Moco inspired turkey burger on top of edamame brown jasmine rice and under a fried egg and green onion. The sauce is a mildly spicy and tangy tonkatsu sauce. We love this dish and make it a lot. Sometimes we incorporate a japanese curry with the turkey burger and smother it with the curry as well.

Where Waldina?

Boz usually oversees going to bed activities to ensure a well rested Sadie. A well rested Sadie is a happy Sadie.

She's a very happy baby... but not all of the time.

Beer braised short ribs with orecchiette (ear-shaped pasta) and cheese with peas and prosciutto anyone?

Don't mind if I do daddy!

The most recent event in the new Newmark family is a trip to Kansas for Thanksgiving. Sadie got dressed up for church and was chillin' after the service.

I made a dinner for Shelese's parents and us one night. Look at the size of that massive Victorian dining and living room! Such a gorgeous home, I should have taken more pictures of it. Next time. Dinner was seared lamb chops with a mint balsamic glaze. Sides of cous cous, melted leeks (leeks cooked in butter emulsified in a little broth), sauteed carrots, and roasted broccoli.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading and Happy Thanksgiving.