Veggies Galore!

While on vacation in Charleston, we decided to cook in one night (we had a beach house out on Folly with a decent kitchen.) We made quite a feast which I will eventually post about, as Lindsey has all the pictures. Anyway, last night I decided to remake one of the dishes we made that night, but made some changes. This is a roasted chick peas, cauliflower, and potato dish that was really delicious. The picture is from the leftovers I just finished eating at lunch. Here is the recipe:

1 can chick peas
1 head of cauliflower, broken up or chopped
3 russet potatoes, cubed
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons minced garlic
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper to taste (I just sprinkled the whole pan with each spice)
1/4 cup parmesean cheese
1 package crumbled feta.

1. Preheat oven to 425. In a large baking dish, combine all three vegetables. Toss with oil, garlic, parmesean, and spices. Bake for 1 HOUR*

2. After the dish is cooked, add the crumbled feta, and serve!

*The potatoes take the longest to cook. While baking, stir the vegetables every 15 minutes to make sure the cauliflower doesnt get too brown.

Enjoy!

Our favorite eats in Charleston!

So, as I mentioned before, I spent 4 days in Charleston over my spring break, and we spent a majority of the time eating at our favorite restaurants. I thought I would write a post about my favorite places to eat and drink in Charleston (where I lived from August 2008-August 2009). So here goes.

1. Fuel
http://www.fuelcharleston.com/

Fuel is hands down one of our favorite places in Charleston. Its in downtown but not in a touristy area, so it feels more like a local hangout. It is Caribbean-influence food and they have a really diverse menu. My favorites are the Braised Pork Tacos, the Sweet Corn Bisque, and the Chicken Nachos. I've never had a meal at Fuel I didn't love, but those are definiely my favorite menu items. Also, they have the best sweet potato fries in town, making them a must-order side.

2. Moe's Downtown Tavern
http://moestaverns.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-home.cgi?d=crosstown-tavern

Moe's was just as popular a hang out spot for me in Charleston as Fuel was. Moe's Tavern has 2 locations in Charleston, but the downtown location is my favorite. They have a great happy hour with half priced wings, but their burgers are the best thing on the menu (in my opinion). Their BLT Burger is my personal favorite. It's got bacon, mixed greens, pesto mayo, and a fried tomato on top of an delicious burger. We went to Moe's so often that while I was in Charleston this past week, a waitress recognized me a Moe's local while we were at a bar in Folly Beach.

3. Juanita Greenbergs Nacho Royale
http://www.juanitagreenbergs.com/

Now, I really wasn't expecting to visit Juanita Greenbergs this time in Charleston. I havent been too much of a fan of this place, especially after one particularly frustrating night of waiting an hour for a table only to be told to "come back another night." But we decided to have lunch there anyways. Their nachos are their signature dish, but they arent traditional nachos. They are more like a pizza. I got a chicken Nacho Royale, which chicken, black beans, cheese, pico, and lettuce, and it was so good! We also enjoyed some margaritas there too, which were equally delicious. I recommend this place for a nice lunch outside (they have a fantastic outdoor patio in the back.)

4. Tattoed Moose
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/tattooed-moose-brings-back-the-duck-club/Content?oid=1826817

The Tattoed Moose is a brand new hang out in Charleston that just opened last week. While looking to get some late night food at the Recovery Room, we were told their kitchen was closing and they suggested that we try the Tattoed Moose. The place is small but the waiters/bar tenders were incredibly friendly. Our waiter introduced himself to us and even asked our names. Their signature menu item is their duck club sandwhich, which Amy L. and I split. The sandwich was delicious and one of the best things I ate in Charleston all week. They also fry their fries in duck fat, so it was sort of a duck overload, but totally worth it. This place is a must-visit as far as my Charleston recommendations go.

I'd also like to thank the following bars and restaurants for being equally amazing as I remember them: Johnson's Pub, Big John's Tavern, Wet Willies, ACs Bar and Grill, O Malley's, East Bay Deli, King Street Grille, Vikcerys at Shem Creek, Kudu Coffee (not a bar, but still awesome), and the newcomer Midtown.

Well, hello again!

Hello again readers! It's been a long time since I've last posted, but it's been business as usual in Clemson and school has been pretty busy. Today is my second to last day of Spring Break, so I am catching up on posts while avoiding doing studio work. I have sort of lost track of the meals we have been cooking at home, so for this post I am featuring a new dish that I have made 3 times in the last couple weeks because it has been such a hit. This is a recipe for Chicken Artichoke Casserole by Paula Deen that is delicious! I'll give you the recipe as I made it the first time then tell you about the changes I've made since. I think the first time I made it was definitely the best, so here it goes...

1/2 cup of butter (2 sticks)
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 chopped white onion
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons water
5 oz. grated parmesean cheese
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and patted dry
1 14 oz. can of quartered artichokes, drained
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and chopped into cubes
2 cups cubed french bread
2 tablespoons butter, melted
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Add onion and garlic and let simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add heavy whipping cream and water and let simmer 3-4 minutes.

2. Add cream cheese and parmesean cheese and stir until combined into a thicker sauce. Then add spinach, artichokes, and cooked chicken and stir to combine.

3. Pour mixture into a casserole or other baking dish. In a separate bowl, toss the cubed french bread with the melted butter. Arrange the cubed bread on top of the casserole. Bake for 25 minutes or until bread on top is golden brown.

Now, some WORDS OF ADVICE:
1. The second time I made this, I used a rotisserie chicken that I shredded up to make the dish more like a dip. I served it with sliced french bread. I also tried making some crostinis with it. I sliced the french bread, put a dollup of the cooked dip on top, sprinked some parmesean on top, then popped them back in the over for about 7 minutes. They were equally delicious.

3. The third time I made this was on vacation in Charleston, and to save some money I used 2 cans of canned chicken. It wasn't as good, but still really tasty!



Here is Paula Deen's recipe. She uses a few different ingredients...http://www.pauladeenmagazine.com/recipe_results.php?id=1041