busy. so busy.

Hello. I am very busy at work. And as a result, nothing exciting is coming out of my kitchen. In a week, I will be back, making things from scratch and taking my time to enjoy food again. Until then, Trader Joe's is my best friend!

Scrambled Dog.

Scrambled Dog, originally uploaded by susanandcorey.

My parents had us over for Superbowl Sunday. My dad called and told me he had it all under control and I didn't need to bring a thing. What a wonderful father! I should note that my dad takes over the culinary duties on a day-to-day basis in their household. My mom pulls out her chef skills around the holidays but generally, the cooking is all my father's artistry. And let me just say that this scrambled dog would have done his mother, my grandmother, very proud.

What is a scrambled dog, you ask? Well, to the uninformed eye, it might look like a chili dog but it is far more than that. To call a scrambled dog a chili dog would be like calling grits cream of wheat. The two are deceptively similar in appearance but a world of difference lurks beneath the surface. For a little help in explaining the origins of the scrambled dog, I consulted Wikipedia. Here is what they had to say:

"Originating in Columbus, Georgia, it is a cheap, usually red-skinned hot dog, served on a toasted white bun and topped with mustard and spicy chili. This particular chili contains beans and has large chunks of diced raw onion mixed directly into the prepared sauce before being spooned onto the dog. The Scrambled dog in its traditional configuration was invented at now-defunct cigar store and newspaper stand run by Firm Roberts on Columbus' Broadway beginning in 1908. The most famous purveyor of the dog today is the city's Dinglewood Pharmacy, there it is topped with ketchup, mustard, chili with beans, onions, sliced dill pickles, and oyster crackers. Scrambled Dog purists do not put cheese in any form on the dog. While the recipe is relatively consistent on a city-by-city basis, each town has a unique opinion on the propriety of the presence or absence of American cheese on the hot dog. Typically a scrambled dog meal is regarded as incomplete unless accompanied by a Coca-Cola (which originated in Georgia)."

Yep, the Dinglewood. I have been there with my sister and Grandmother. And my grandmother had special scrambled dog bowls which were similar to banana split dishes but were a little larger in size. My grandmother used to famously serve her scrambled dogs on Christmas Eve and this year, my aunt followed suit.

To be honest, I have yet to make my own scrambled dog. I think it's time, don't you? I'll even remember the oyster crackers.

Quesadillas

Quesadillas, originally uploaded by susanandcorey.

Yum. My mouth waters a little just thinking about these. Monday seems to be my night to cook, and cook well. Maybe it's all of the energy I have stored up over the weekend, maybe it's because my kitchen is clean, maybe it's because I feel the need to fill Corey's stomach with something decadent before he heads off to band practice (yeah, you heard me, BAND practice...he's cool like that). Last Monday, I made these. They were stupidly simple:

1 can of drained black beans
2 red onions
2 cloves of garlic
cumin
chili powder
red pepper flakes
* all spices to taste
12 inch tortillas
cheese
butter

I chose some non-descript white, Mexican (it said Mexican on the wrapper) cheese with jalapeno peppers dotting it's angelic color. I shredded the cheese then started to work on the beans.

I chopped two red onions and sauteeed them for about five minutes in olive oil. I added the beans and spiced with cumin, chili powder and red pepper flakes.

I folded each tortilla in half, loaded them up with cheese and black beans and fried them in butter until brown on both sides. They then sat in the oven until all of the quesadillas were done so the cheese got super melted and the tortillas wonderfully crispy.

These slices of heaven were topped with guacamole, sort of. The avocados weren't quite ripe but I was vigilant about having some kind of topping, so I used them anyway. I like onion, lime, cilantro, tomatoes, and a little cumin in my guacamole.

Corey and I enjoyed our dinner with cold beers and didn't really speak a word to one another while eating. I generally take this as a sign that I am doing something right in our relationship.

See, I cook.

Frying them up!, originally uploaded by susanandcorey.

I keep a blog about cooking and I really haven't contributed to it much myself. I will be addressing my recipe to these delicious quesadillas very soon. In the meantime, just imagine the sizzle of butter meeting the delicious flour tortilla.

BBQ Tofu Sandwiches

BBQ Tofu II, originally uploaded by susanandcorey.

Corey is an experimental chef. He is fast and furious with a creative approach. You will say to him, "What if we make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner?" His response will be, "Sure, that sounds good." About five minutes later you'll hear, "What if I take the meatballs, but them on a sub, smother them with your tomato sauce, cover it with mozzarella cheese and broil it in the oven?" He likes to take things "to the next level." This is something that makes planning a meal difficult, as you'll never how he'll re-create your dish but it makes a random Sunday afternoon when you think you have nothing to eat a true pleasure.

This was one of those Sundays. Corey escaped to the kitchen and came back twenty minutes later with these BBQ tofu sandwiches that blew my socks off. I wish I could tell you how he does it and I swear I will get him to tell me but the tofu was perfectly fried (and then baked for a little while). We dressed the sandwiches in a little mayo, extra BBQ sauce and red onion. The tofu tasted meaty and had a wonderful initial crunch with a soft center. They were heaven and one day I promise to share Corey's tofu frying tricks.

weekend.

Friday night:

1 order of fried calamari
1 mixed green salad
1 pizza margherita
1 pizza with pancetta and caramalized onions

1 Bass Ale
1 glass of house pinot noir

*Date night at Fritti, Inman Park

Saturday:

2 cups of rocket fuel aka coffee
Many slices of leftover pizza for lunch

1 latte at Park Grounds with Mary Stuart

1 cheeseburger and french fries
2 orders of ale-battered chicken fingers and fries

3 delicious Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier aka Hefeweizen beers with lemon

*Dinner with Mary Stuart and Corey at the Brick Store Pub, Decatur

Sunday:

2 cups of rocket fuel aka coffee
A breakfast of the New York Times

2 bar-b-que tofu sandwiches a la Corey for lunch

3 bowls of chicken tortilla soup a la Mary Stuart for dinner
Dessert of Masterpiece Theater

*I really do cook, I swear!

Grits Casserole, the real OG

Grits Casserole, originally uploaded by sophialandrum.

This is my Grandmama's recipe, in her very own handwriting. As you can see, I have adapted it a bit as the times they are a changin.' But you can clearly see where my love of cheese and butter comes from. I wish you could have met this woman, she was a tour de force.