If you like THICK, bubbly, doughy, almost pastry-like, incredible pizza dough, with a sweet tomato sauce and oh-so-melty cheese, run, don’t walk, to Micucci Grocery on India Street in Portland and take home a frozen thaw-and-bake cheese pizza.  At $8.99 it is a fair price for as much eating as this very non-typical pizza turns out to be.

I baked this pie using the recommended technique as listed on the label; 500° oven on a pizza stone, for about 10-11 minutes.  The way it puffs and bubbles, and the way the cheese melts, is alone worth the price of admission.  For something so ubiquitous, this slab really is different.  Try it, you’ll likely be back for more.  And, this is coming from a true thin-crust guy.

Did you ever visit a new restaurant, like something really well, and then have a hard time to order something different on the next visit?  That is just what happened to me and Liz at Portland’s Good Egg Cafe, which is the same restaurant, depending on the time of the day it is, as The Pepperclub. Located at 71 Middle Street in Portland, on the edge of the Old Port, it is simply a fantastic spot for breakfast.  (It’s pretty certain the same can be said for the Pepperclub meals, which we’ll get to at some point in time, I am sure.)

Liz and I had opportunity to eat here for breakfast on Wednesday of this week and again Saturday morning.  My choice on Wednesday, as eluded, was the same thing I chose today.  And that thing is called “Eggs from Hell”.  Served on an open-face tortilla, with hot sauce and salsa, along with spicy beans, and as shown above, a side of bacon, this breakfast is pretty darn hard to beat.

Liz ordered the Thai Curry Egg omelet with special request of spinach added as well as a side of bacon.  Oh ya, I should mention.  This is the same thing she ordered on Wednesday, too.  What can I say, we are two of a kind.

Just for good measure, here’s another artsy view of my ‘Eggs from Hell”… focused on those so darn good beans…

Next time you want a great breakfast at reasonable prices, along with Coffee by Design coffee, do pay a visit to the Good Egg Cafe.

My friend Liz’ daughter Caitlin took charge of my kitchen last night, to everyone’s delight.  She enjoyed cooking in it, and in what seemed like a flash, created this spectacular dinner for the three of us.

An herb salad with roasted mushrooms and shallots started us off, then an incredible sirloin (thank you Whole Foods once again for providing fantastic meat, chicken, and fish for these creations!).  Caitlin added a red wine reduction and shallot – garlic jam.  And the cauliflower.. pan roasted with sage, rosemary, and thyme.

Needless to say, Caitlin has a open-door invitation for a return visit ANYTIME.  She is heading soon, we all hope, for a stint at the Culinary Institute of America.  I guess that means I can’t imagine what dinners will be like when she returns!

My great friend Liz, with whom I will be launching a separate new food blog in the upcoming weeks, spotted my antique colander on the counter top and thought it would make a nice still life.  So, I handed her a camera, showed her a few things about aperture, ISO, and shutter speed, and she clicked away.  I was most impressed when she grabbed a sharp shot at 1/5th of a second hand held when I was showing her the effects of stopping down to f/11.  This one, though, was a wide open shot at f/1.4.  Then, some basic Lightroom instruction and blemish removal and a texture in PhotoShop, and there you have it… a really awesome first-ever photo with a pro camera.  Stand by, you will be seeing lots more amazing food photography from this young lady 😉

Simple, quick to make, tasty.

Grilled chicken strips, pine nuts, with olive oil and pesto, tossed with fresh tri-color tortellini.

Sunday morning, a busy diner: could have been a recipe for a prolonged wait, but, alas, happily there was no wait for Liz and I.  And we were offered a seat in the very nostalgic dining car.  Just perfect for the day.  Cleanliness abounds… sparking clean.  Service was immediate, food was served hot, as ordered, and promptly.  And good.  This is a recommended stop.  Check their web site here.

Our protein came in the form of, well, what else, but nicely-cooked bacon.  Two sides, in fact. 

The review in the Maine Sunday Telegram last weekend was the impetus for a visit to Bayou Kitchen on Deering Avenue in Portland this morning with my food-blogger and dear friend Liz.   What a fun place!  My dish, pictured here, was a morning special, available as an omelet or, as pictured, as a scramble.  In it: Polish sausage, provolone, roasted red peppers, and caramelized onions.  The potatoes were among the best I have had in recent time, and the bread was the “upgrade” to cornbread.  The wait staff reports many new visitors from their very favorable review in the newspaper… but with a storm in full-tilt when we visited, we didn’t have to wait for a table.
This is Liz’ omelet, a custom-made creation consisting of roasted red peppers, spinach, mushrooms, and salsa.  (worth noting, she omitted the cheese, bread and potatoes by her own choice).
Bayou Kitchen’s signature hot sauce shelf.
The southern “gator” theme is evident, and the funky colors just “fit”.  Vintage stereo gear plays great classic tunes, with occasional and very fun sing-along from the chefs in the open and adjoining kitchen.

I saw enough interesting items on the menu that a lunch visit is on the agenda!  And, I am disappointed that I forgot to get a side of bacon (maybe because my omelet had all that yummy sausage in it..) because the review in the newspaper cited it as noteworthy.

Interested in the full review from the Maine Sunday Telegram?  Read it here!

Here’s one of my fun “guess how much this all costs” games.  But, I reveal the answer just ahead, so if you want to play, guess now.  How much for these 10 large jars of name-brand spice??

First, a few words about spices.  We all have cabinets with spices that, well, really should be freshened up now and again.  I recall reading that one year, and that’s it; after that, you may as well just skip the spice for all the lost flavor.

In a trip in for a bottle of olive oil to Micucci’s Italian Grocery on India Street in Portland, Maine, this morning, I decided to browse the aisles.  I love that store so much, anyhow.

So, in the spice aisle (a half flight up toward the back right of the store).. I discovered the great line of CENTO spices… and now to the good part:  TEN large jars of spices, ranging from chili peppers to bay leaves, rosemary, onion and garlic powders, etc., cost a total of $15.20….  try that in the local grocery store, and be prepared to lose the better part, or perhaps all,  of a $50 bill.

That’s my smart-shopper tip for today.  Enjoy your January cooking!

And please tell your foodie friends about this blog!  We’d love to share our food adventures with more and more fellow foodies.  And, stand by as 2013 rolls out some amazing new things for food blogging.

You cooked this cheeseburger with STEAM?  Yes, steam.  Long a tradition in southern New England diners, the juiciness is amazing.  The flavor is reminiscent to me of the places that remain, typically roadside diners and burger stands, in Maine, from the 50’s and 60’s… good beef and a soft warm bun.  (I used toasted bread here as I forgot to get buns at the store..but not a beat was lost.)  This idea comes from Cooks Country magazine, Feb/March 2013 issue.

The divot in the center is a trick from Cooks’s Country that keeps the patty from mounding up when it cooks.

Shredded cheddar works best… and melts quickly.

This is really pretty simple to do.  And so delicious to eat.  Line a dutch oven with a steamer basket over a few cups of water.  Cover.  When the water is boiling, add the patties.  Recover.  Cook about 10 minutes, adding the cheese around the 7 minute mark.  You can add the bun to warm with the steam at the end if you wish.  I seasoned with a generous amount of celery salt and course ground pepper.  This simple delicacy challenges any inside-home cooked burger I can recall.  Give it a try.  Lots of good detail in Cook’s Country, so I suggest reading that first, then have fun!

Turns out, according to the February 2013 issue of bon apetite, the most beloved cocktail in Mexico is NOT the margarita, rather it is the PALOMA.
What’s in it?  The photo below is an overall summary.  In Mexico a grapefruit soda called Jarritos is often used, and the recipe in the cited magazine does allow that Fresca, avaialble in the U.S.,  can be used.

The overall concept is: use a salted rim glass, with a slice of grapefruit as garnish.  2 oz. fresh grapefruit juice, 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice, 1 tsp sugar, stirred to dissolve.  Stir in 2 oz. tequila,  add ice, and add 2 oz. club soda.