The Hungry Apple

Buffalo Sauce. It’s not just for wings and dips any more!

This pizza has the best of the wing experience in each bite. Add bread, add cheese, replace celery with green onion.  Then prepare to excite your taste buds.

For you local readers, my favorite wing sauce comes from McDougal’s Chicken.  McDougal’s has lots of different delicious sauces but the one I used for this pizza is called Gold.  8 sides of gold actually (or 1/2 a cup) . 7  for the pizza and 1 for dipping the crust.

They should sell this sauce by the bottle because I know what you’re thinking. Am I really supposed to go in this restaurant and order 8 sides of gold sauce to go?  It seems like it would be embarrassing but it isn’t really.  Actually that’s a lie. I am not sure since I have ever actually bought it myself.

By the way. If you haven’t eaten here you really must go.  Their food is so fresh. Their chicken is well seasoned and perfectly crispy. They don’t have freezers and they make their french fries fresh every day. Which brings me to their fries. They are so good. Hopefully they have won awards for them because the awards would be well deserved.  They have great beers on tap too. And get this, at the end of the meal….you get free ice cream.

I don’t know why you’re still reading this. You should be at McDougal’s.

*After writing this post I found out that McDougal’s in Franklin has closed. However, the Hillsboro Village location is still open*

BUFFALO CHICKEN PIZZA

Ingredients:

1 Large Publix pizza dough (or dough of your choice)

1 Pound boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 Tablespoon sea salt

10 grinds freshly ground pepper, plus more for sprinkling crust

1/2  Cup wing sauce (I used McDougal’s but you could also use Frank’s or your favoirte)

6 oz Monterrey pepper jack cheese (or more if desired), shredded

5 green onions, sliced small

1 pat cold butter

3 tablespoons of freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions and Directions:

Marinate chicken in olive oil, salt and pepper. Return chicken to the fridge to marinate.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat grill to medium-high heat. Grill chicken for 4-5 minutes. Turn over and reduce grill to medium-low. Grill for 4-5 minutes longer or until chicken is cooked through but still juicy. Let chicken rest on a plate covered in foil until it is cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, spread the dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8 minutes and remove.

Cut chicken into small cubes. In a bowl, toss the chicken with the wing sauce. Then spread the chicken onto the partially baked dough. Next, top with cheese and green onion.

Bake on 375 for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.

Remove pizza from the oven and set oven to broil.

Run the cold pat of butter along the pizza crust, this will help hold the pepper and Parmesan cheese to the crust. Sprinkle the pepper (to taste) and the 3 tablespoons of freshly grated cheese around the rim of the pizza.

Return to the oven for approximately 1 minute until cheese is bubbling and Parmesan crust has browned.                          (Do not leave unattended! This part happens quickly!!)

Let the pizza rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Top with more Parm, dip in ranch or blue cheese dressing if desired.

Did you have a great weekend? Do anything special?

We took an early morning trip to East Nashville on Saturday  to try out Barista Parlor. (They are also on Facebook) We heard that they served the Stumptown coffee we were so fond of in Portland. So, off we went. This place did not disappoint.   It has a great vibe and a super nice staff.

How cute is this coffee tray?

They had fluffy biscuits and a great atmosphere too. We will return for sure.

We also got a chance to check out the new Gus’ Fried Chicken. Gus’ is out of Memphis and  I have been eating at the Mason, TN location since college.  The new spot has a few more side dishes  available and a larger variety of beer and although the kitchen is setup just a little differently than we are used to, the chicken is still tasty. The staff at the Nashville/Brentwood location was friendly and attentive. Check them out!

We found another cool coffee spot a little closer to home this weekend too. The Good Cup is located in the Grassland area and is a great spot to meet up with friends or get some work done. They also make a good sausage biscuit.

(Farm Burger-Fried Egg. Yum!)

Sunday night we went back to East Nashville to meet some friends for dinner at The Pharmacy Burger Parlor.

These burgers were big and tasty and the service was fast. The Farm Burger was our favorite and the beer was great too.

Have you ever tried making Kale chips? They are a delicious, healthful snack.

All you do is cut the leaves from the stems. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Bake on parchment paper lined pan at 275 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until desired crispiness. For best and most crispy chip eat within 2 days of making.

Hope your Monday is off to a great start!

Forgive me, I couldn’t resist the title with the S’s and all.

Spaghetti is my ultimate comfort food. It always makes me feel cozy. The smell of it cooking, the taste and the way it sticks to your ribs, all leave me feeling satisfied.

 Sometimes I hear from people that they don’t have a good homemade spaghetti recipe so they just brown ground beef and add a jar of sauce. Well that changes today! This isn’t much more difficult than opening that jar and it is so much tastier!

On this chilly night I took the opportunity to drink the bottle of wine that I brought back with us from our trip to Portland  It was as good as I remembered! Maybe better!

The sauce line up:  Celery salt is the not-so-secret ingredient.

Some people don’t like mushrooms but I am a  fungi fanatic!

Tomato paste thickens things up but can sometimes be difficult to get out of the can. To combat this problem I open both ends of the can and just push it from one side to the other.

I love sampling spaghetti sauce while it cooks and ever since I was young this has always been fun to do using a measuring cup. I have no idea why but I don’t question it.  Don’t skip this step.                    I’m watching you.

Do you mix your spaghetti together with the pasta or eat it with the sauce on top of the pasta? Our house is 50/50. I like the sauce on top of the pasta so I get a good amount of sauce with each bite.

Since I am not much of a baker I usually take help in that department. Alexia all natural frozen products help with my shortcoming. Have you tried their garlic bread? It is simple and has a great crust as well as a soft chewy interior.  It comes in a twin pack so it works out if you don’t want to use it all at one time. Alexia also makes great bake-able fries and onion rings. Check them out! Disclosure: Alexia has no idea who I am 😦 I just really like their products.

Top with freshly grated Parmesan!

P.S. This spaghetti is great the next day too!

Sara’s Simple Spaghetti

A Hungry Apple Original

Serves 4-5

Ingredients: 

1 pound lean ground beef (you could also use turkey)

1 small onion, finely diced

1 8 oz package mushrooms (i used button) (optional)

1 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes

1 6 oz can of tomato paste

1 cup water

2 small beef bouillon cubes

2 tsp garlic powder (or 3 cloves minced garlic)

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp sea salt + more for seasoning pasta water

1/2 tsp celery salt

15 grinds fresh pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 pound pasta of your choice, i use wheat angel hair

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions and directions: 

In a large skillet or saucepan brown the lean ground been with the onion. The meat should be lean enough that you don’t have to drain the fat. When the meat is no longer pink add the mushrooms and cook until they have lost their their water content or 5-7 minutes. Add the ingredients from tomatoes through red pepper flakes. Stir ingredients until well combined and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile heat a large pot of water for pasta and season liberally with salt. Boil pasta according to package directions or until al dente.

Top (or toss) pasta with sauce. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Happy November!

The first day of the month is always my favorite day of any month. So many things to look forward to and so many meals to plan!

Like a lot of people I love the usual things that come with fall, like the leaves, the brisk temperatures and football. However, as you can imagine my favorite thing about fall is the food! In particular, all things pumpkin and squash.

When I stumbled upon this recipe in this month’s issue of Everyday food, I tore it out immediately! (Don’t worry, the magazine was mine.)

For some reason to me, stuffed veggies look complicated and elegant but these are really quite simple.

First you just cut the squash in half and remove the “guts”.

I find the simplest way to do this is with a grapefruit spoon.

Next you line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and roast the squash which just involves your oven, olive oil, salt and pepper. That’s easy enough.

Meanwhile, you make the rice to stuff into the squash. Now the kitchen is smelling divine.

When the rice is ready, stuff the squash and top with Parmesan cheese and broil in the oven for two minutes.

Now it’s ready to eat! Easiest when eaten in a bowl. Otherwise you’ll be chasing that squash all over the plate! Trust me!

STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Adapted from Everyday Food (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash (1 pound each), halved crosswise, seeded and bottoms trimmed to lie flat if desired

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 pound mushrooms your choice (i used button, portobella and cremini)

1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup long grain white rice

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

sea salt and freshly grated pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions and directions: 

Heat oven to 450 degrees. On a foil lined baking sheet drizzle cut sides of squash with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season squash with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with foil and roast until tender 35-45 minutes.  (Mine took 45)

Meanwile in a medium straight sided skillet, heat remaining oil over medium high heat. Add mushrooms, onion and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until mushrooms are golden. Add garlic. Saute 1 minute. Add rice and broth and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.

Remove squash from the oven.

Turn oven on broil.

Carefully scoop out 2 to 3 tablespoons of flesh from each squash have and stir into rice. Season rice with salt and pepper to taste. Divide rice mixture among the squash halves. Sprinkle each half with Parmesan and broil for 2 minutes.

It’s a sad day for the chili recipe I have been faithful to  for so many years because IT JUST GOT REPLACED!

With this recipe.

BOOM.

It’s the simplest, fastest and most flavor packed -all in one and it’s really this easy.

Brown beef and onion.

Add remaining ingredients.

Simmer.

Dinner.

Done.

REPLACEMENT CHILI

Ingredients

1-1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey

1 medium onion, diced

1 15 ounce can tomato sauce

1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes

1 4 oz can green chilies

1 can chili beans-i used medium

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

15 grinds pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions and Directions

Brown lean ground beef and onion until beef is cooked through. Drain if desired. Add all other ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes on low. Serve with cheddar, green onion, Fritos and/or sour cream.

You know what goes perfectly with tacos? Cheesy Mexican rice. That’s what!

I am usually not an advocate for “cream of _______” soup in a can. If a recipe calls for it I try to make my own but I haven’t perfected Cream of Celery yet so there you have it.

Having said that, since I do use the canned stuff right now, this rice has only 5 ingredients! What could be easier than that?

I also have to admit, I haven’t ever given the recipe to anyone who didn’t just love it.

It is just as good left over too.

CHEESY MEXICAN RICE

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups brown minute rice (Uncooked)

8 oz sour cream

1 can cream of celery

1 can rotel tomatoes, drained (you can use any variety, I use hot)

1 cup cheese, shredded-Your choice, I use Monterrey Pepper Jack or Cheddar

Instructions and Directions: 

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into an 8×8 or 8×9 casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake on 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until edges begin to brown and the dish is bubbly.

I’ve mentioned my love of tacos before. I really love them. I am not sure what it is? I am a fan of soft tacos and crunchy tacos.  Chicken, beef or veggie. All of them.  I am really a fan of most Mexican food.

That’s why I decided to make my own taco seasoning. Clearly I need lots of it.

It’s very simple and you probably already have most of the ingredients in your spice cabinet.

I am all about a short cut for easier cooking but when you look at a list of ingredients this long and then you think about flavor it can be better achieved by making your own concoction!

Shake it up in a mason jar and it a look a little something like this.

To one pound of ground turkey, chicken or beef, add 4 tablespoons of seasoning and 1/3-1/2 cup water. Stir until the meat is coated and the water dissolves.

Make sure to conduct an official taste test and add more seasoning if desired 😉

I like to line my crunchy taco shells in the oven and prop them up with an oven safe bowl if needed,  to get crispy before stuffing them with meat and cheese and baking a minute more so the cheese will melt.

Then I use a plastic baggie with the end cut off to pipe the sour cream into the tacos without making a complete mess.

This is an easy way to distribute sour cream evenly.

All dressed up and ready to go!

HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING

Ingredients: 

4 tablespoons of chili powder

2 tablespoons cumin powder

3 teaspoons sea salt

3 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions and directions: 

Mix all ingredients in a bowl or jar.

Add 4 tablespoons of spice mix and 1/3-1/2 cup water to 1 pound ground meat.

I sometimes feel like if a recipe starts out with the ingredients bacon or pasta I am definitely going to at least give it a second look. If it includes both you can pretty much consider it done.

This recipe has salty bacon, earthy mushrooms and sweet peas AND it has a simple sauce made of broth that doesn’t disappoint.

You start out by sauteing bacon and scallions.

Then you add the peas and mushrooms and simmer it all in chicken broth.

Then you toss it all with pasta.

Have you guys tried this pasta? It is my favorite brand. I am not sure it is as good for you as plain whole wheat but it is heartier than the regular pasta.

You really get all the great ingredients in the pasta with every bite.

If you prefer something heavier you could always add grilled chicken too.

Top  it all with fresh Parmesan!

BACON MUSHROOM PASTA WITH PEAS

Adapted from Everyday Food 

Ingredients: 

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 slices bacon, chopped

1/2 cup chopped scallions

2 cups sliced mixed mushrooms (such as shiitake, oyster, cremini, portabello and button)

2 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups frozen baby peas

1 tablespoon butter

1 pound of small pasta, i used shells

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Instructions and Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and scallions and saute until bacon starts to crisp and scallions are wilted, 4-5 minutes. Add mushrooms and lightly sprinkle with salt. Continue cooking until mushrooms have lost most of their moisture or around 5-7 minutes.

Add peas, butter and broth  and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer about 10 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.  Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling water stirring occasionally until al dente. Drain pasta. Add pasta to the skillet with the sauce and toss to coat. Remove from heat and add cheese. Toss again.

Top with grilled chicken if desired.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

Ingredients: 

2 cups shredded roasted chicken

1 medium onion, diced

1 tablespoon oil, i used olive

1 cans cannellini beans (great northern would work too)

2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

2 4-ounce cans chopped green chilies

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teasponn dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I could handle more)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup half and half

8 ounces  sour cream

Instructions

Heat the oil in a dutch oven or pot over medium high heat. Saute onion for 5-7 minutes, or until  onion is soft and  starts to brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the chicken, beans, spices, broth and green chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for thirty minutes.

Remove from heat and add the half and half and sour cream. Garnish with cheddar, tortilla chips, avocado, sour cream and Louisiana hot sauce 😉

 

Adapted from http://www.EatLiveRun.com 

The last city on our trip was Seattle. All the cities were wonderful for many different reasons but I think this one might have been the favorite. It had everything we could have hoped for in terms of cool neighborhoods, culture, attractions, athletic teams, schools and last and most importantly FOOD!

Our first day in Seattle we spent exploring.

We found Pike Place Market which was amazing.

The iconic sign above the market.

I cannot imagine having this much fresh seafood available to me every day.

EVERY DAY!!

What about this produce too! It is like a year round farmers market.

After acting like total tourists walking around with our mouths open and watching the fish market employees throw fish and banter back and forth, we found lunch.

The Market Grill is a small restaurant with a  bar counter large enough for maybe 10 people.

They cook the food to order from their very small menu.

Friendly employees like this guy take your order, get your drinks and chat you up while you are waiting and while another employee makes the food.

We started off with the chowder.  I prefer New England Clam Chowder but theirs was tasty too.

All of the bread that comes with the chowder and the bread for the sandwiches comes from Le Panier, a bakery inside Pike Place. This sets the stage for this delicious sandwich.

Then we both had a sandwich. Halibut for her and Salmon for him.  These sandwiches were just perfect and really let the fish shine through. On each sandwich the fish is blackened but not overpowering. The seasoning they use is salt free so that wasn’t an issue either. They have caramelized onions, lettuce and tomato. The halibut sandwich has tarter sauce and the salmon has a rosemary mayo. Both were awesome.

We actually ate here twice and on vacation that is saying a lot.

The only thing that would make this place even better would be beer. Shocker.

Then we were back to exploring, which worked up another appetite.

We grabbed an early dinner at Serious Pie. They weren’t joking!

First of all they have a fabulous happy hour which we found to be quite the requirement for lots of dinner serving restaurants in Seattle.

These pizzas were only $6 a piece (!?) and included creative ingredients like the:

Clam, Pancetta and Chile Pizza

Duck Egg, Coppa and Garlicky Greens Pizza

They were both fantastic and went along great with the house wines ($5?) and tap beers ($4?).

Good find.

Our hotel was two blocks from the Space Needle and the Monorail so we got plenty of pictures of it.

We started off the next day with donuts at Top Pot.  I had seen this place on the Food Network so naturally we had to go.

 Pumpkin for me.

Chocolate glazed for him.

After that we headed over to explore the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation visitor center. This place was awesome. Extremely informative and interactive. It doesn’t seem like a place you might scope out on vacation but I would highly recommend it.  If you don’t think you will ever make it out that way there are lots of cool things you can learn about on their web site too.

Then we took a short bus ride to The University of Washington Campus.

This campus was spectacular. We felt like we were in college again as we talked about what it would have been like to go to school so far away (we both attended state schools) and how pretty the campus was. Then we learned that you had to have a 4.0 to even be considered and our daydreams quickly vanished. 🙂

But our self guided tour went on!

When it concluded we decided to take the advice of a handsome stranger we met on the street and go to this place:

Thai Tom. Located in the University District (a favorite neighborhood of mine) this small gem is packed wall to wall even after the lunch rush should be long over.

A large menu is painted on a small number of board like menus and one is given to each table when you arrive.

Then all the wonderful and fragrant food is cooked in this teeny tiny kitchen out in the open. Pure genius!

We started off with these tiny spring rolls.

Followed by Pan Ang Curry

And Pad Thai. Folks, although I have not been to Thailand this was the best Thai I have ever had.  If you are in Seattle you must go here.

That afternoon we took a tour by land and sea. Ridiculous although amusing. This tour hit the really touristy places like the Sleepless in Seattle boat house, Grey’s Anatomy filming spots, 50 Shades of Grey Condo and The Deadliest Catch Boat. I warned you it was ridiculous.

Picturesque though.

After that it was off to dinner!

I’m going to say it again. I haven’t been to Japan but this was good sushi.

At Japonessa downtown- I wanted everything on their menu but settled for this.

The sushi set.

and this……the Super Bad Boy.

The Shrimp Tempura roll. Boring choice maybe but delicious.

A night cap at Tap House with 159 beers on tap rounded out the fun filled day.  Single ladies in Seattle? This is the place to be. The men to women ratio in this place was at least 15:1.

The last day of our trip we began with a tour of the Seahawks Stadium! We wished that we had time to tour the baseball stadium as well but the tours were too close together. Next time!

Ever since touring Lambeau Field we have taken an interest in other cities stadiums.

We toured the field and got a back stage pass to all the ins and outs of this unique stadium.

We gave a press conference about our opinions on the Green Bay/Seahawks game while we were at it!

After that we went back to Pike Place for another sandwich!

Then we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island. I wish we had done this sooner as we loved this island and all it had to offer.

We had to hurry back on the Ferry so we didn’t miss our dinner reservations!

The Pink Door was hard to find and did not disappoint! It had come highly recommended to us by  cousins who were turned on to it by an aunt and uncle. Lot’s of family in this place.  Tucked away in an alley inside Pike Place this Italian restaurant was romantic and old world.  (It is also extremely dark as you will see)

Our server, Terrance, was the bomb. I am going to go out on a limb here and give him the “Best Server of the Trip” award.  What up Terrance?!?!

Their lasagna is made with a bechamel sauce, which I adore.

Our salads were great too but we were hungry and they didn’t make the cut.

The Cioppino was chock-full of mussels, clams, prawns, fish and calamari.

Seattle was a blast.

ENOUGH BEER AND RESTAURANTS-NEXT POST WE ARE  BACK TO RECIPES!