Month: June 2017

Sausage & Pesto Campanelle

On By greg@kandflivingIn Photo Gallery, Recipes, UncategorizedLeave a comment

After a weekend on the road and eating out, it felt good to be back in the kitchen on a Monday evening!  Taking my recipe for Basic Pesto I created this delicious combination that’s perfect for summer night with a glass of wine and crusty bread.

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SAUSAGE & PESTO CAMPANELLE

Ingredients

  • 1 to 1 1/2 Cups Basic Basil Pesto
  • 1 Lbs. Campanelle Pasta
  • 3 Links Sweet Italian Sausage, Casings Removed
  • 8 Ounces Fresh Mozzarella Balls
  • Red Pepper Flakes

Instructions

  • Prepare pesto per my recipe and set aside.
  • Place pasta in boiling water and cook 10-11 minutes.
  • While pasta is cooking, brown Italian sausage in a pan until cooked through.  Don’t break it all up completed as the dish is better with small and large pieces both.
  • Drain pasta and place in a large bowl.  Add in sausage, mozzarella and 1 cup of pesto.
  • Stir together until combined.  You may need to add more pesto depending on taste and personal preference.
  • Serve immediately and top with parmesan and red pepper flakes to taste.

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The combination of crumbly sausage, bright pesto and slightly creamy mozzarella that gives this dish great balance.  No fuss and few dirty dishes for a simply tasty dinner.  Enjoy it with a glass of wine and good company.  Dig in!

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Twiisted Burgers & Sushi – Medina, OH

On By greg@kandflivingIn Eating Out, Photo Gallery, Uncategorized2 Comments

You don’t exactly expect to find the unusual combination of burgers & sushi anywhere, but especially not 30 miles south of Cleveland in Medina, Ohio.  The surprise and delight were both there though when we settled on this spot this past weekend for dinner with my aunt and uncle.  A few miles north of the town square, this free-standing building has a modern, but causal decor split into a dining room and bar with high top tables.  We were greeted quickly on a Friday night and sat immediately at a dining table close to the sushi chefs.

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Our friendly server took our drink order as we settled on various martinis, wine and a Kentucky mule.  There’s a good selection of cocktails, wines and craft beers and the prices are all reasonable.  With drinks in hand, we looked over the large menu of appetizers, salads, sandwiches and of course their signature burgers and sushi.  While we didn’t get any starters, the duck wings and pulled pork egg rolls sounded and looked amazing.

Two in our group had burgers.  This Fun-Gi was a fresh burger patty topped with a marinated portobello mushroom, roasted garlic mayo, onion straws, melted swiss and a fried egg.  My uncle thought it was awesome and it looked delicious!  My wife had the Twiisted Classic with bacon, cheddar, pickled onion, lettuce and tomato and was equally pleased.  Both were served on fresh brioche buns and were topped with a “sushi pickle” – dill and cream cheese rolled in rice and seaweed.  Your choice of sweet potato waffle or regular fries were hot and crispy, the latter served with house made ketchup.

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My aunt and I sampled a few sushi rolls which were fresh and well-prepared.  The traditional spicy tuna and Philly rolls were good and prepared well, but nothing special.  The specialty rolls though were fantastic combinations, and frankly, gigantic!  The Embassy is shrimp tempura, smoked salmon, avocado and cream cheese, tempura battered and fried, then topped with spicy crab, spicy mayo and eel sauce.  The Medina Bee (the high school mascot) is shrimp tempura, spicy crab, tuna and carrots topped with eel sauce, spicy mayo and wasabi mayo.  Equally tasty, both specialties were beautiful and expertly prepared.

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It was a surprising night out in Medina, but it won’t be anymore when we return again and again!  And there’s no doubt why the folks here have catered for the Indians, Cavs and many companies in the area.  Whether a weeknight, special night out or a group event, I suggest you add Twiisted to your list of places to visit.  You can find out more on their website at twiisted.com.  Dig in!

Sweet & Crunchy BBQ Potato Chips

On By greg@kandflivingIn Photo Gallery, Recipes, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I’ve always wanted to make my own potato chips!  And frankly, for as easy as they were, it’s silly that I haven’t up to this point.  Grilling steaks for Father’s Day made for a great excuse to come up with a BBQ potato chip recipe.  It took a little taste-testing, but the recipe below had the right amount of sweet, savory and salty to stand up to the bold flavor of a perfectly medium-rare NY strip!

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SWEET & CRUNCHY BBQ POTATO CHIPS

Ingredients

  • 2 Lbs. Russet Potatoes
  • 1/4 Cup White Vinegar
  • 1 Tbs. Salt
  • 2 Tbs. Sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tsp. Smoked Sweet Paprika
  • 1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper
  • 1/2 Tsp. Onion Powder

Instructions

  • Peel and wash potatoes.  Slice about 1/8-inch thick using a sharp knife or mandolin (much easier).
  • Place potatoes in a large bowl and cover with cold water.  Toss with your hands, let sit for 10 minutes and then drain.
  • Pour vinegar over potatoes and then cover the rest of the way with cold water.  Allow to soak for 2 hours.
  • In a small bowl, combine salt, sugar, paprika, pepper and onion powder.  You’ve created BBQ seasoning!!  Set aside for when potatoes are cooked.
  • Drain potatoes and dry thoroughly.
  • Fry in small batches in 300 degree vegetable or canola oil.  Stir occasionally for even frying until light golden brown.
  • Remove and allow to drain on wire racks or brown paper.  Sprinkle with BBQ seasoning mixture and then place in a large bowl.
  • Continue with this process until all potatoes are fried, dusted and cooled.
  • Finally, toss the remaining seasoning over the bowl of potatoes and serve.

This is a very simple process that turns out delicious results!  My family said we will absolutely have to make these again in the future.  It was definitely a treat and a great causal side dish to serve with steaks.  The recipe above was easily devoured by a group of 8 people.  You can probably double it and still not have much left over.  Make ’em for your next occasion or when you’re experimenting on a weekend.  Dig in!

Senate – Cincinnati, OH

On By greg@kandflivingIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Having a summer lunch with my nephew, we wanted to check out somewhere kinda funky – he appreciates different food!  In the new Summit Park in Blue Ash (a Cincinnati suburb) Senate opened a new spot.  Now my nephew had been to the downtown OTR location, but this was my first time at either location.  The new store is a beautiful spot with tons of seating, indoor and out.  There’s tables, bar seats, banquets and a private room for meetings.  It’s open, bright and looks out onto the new park so it was a perfect setting for sports talk and mowing down some serious food!

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Senate is known for their gourmet hot dog combinations, but the menu has a wonderful selection of salads, shareable plates and sandwiches.  There’s also a great beer, wine and craft cocktail menu, but we settled on a few sodas while we looked over the ridiculous combinations.  My nephew ordered the Korean – an all-beef hot dog on brioche bun covered with homemade kimchi, short rib, pickled cucumbers and sesame seeds.  The thing was huge and looked amazing!  He devoured it and I honestly don’t know where he put it all!

I settled on the Trailer Park – all-beef hot dog on brioche bun with bacon, american cheese, cole slaw and crushed Grippos BBQ potato chips (btw, they’re the best EVER!).  The flavor and texture combination was amazing, although you need to unhinge your jaws to get your mouth around it all!  Now, there’s a few selections of sides, including duck fat fries.  We figured it was a “guys lunch” though so we went a little nuts and split the poutine.  Duck fat fries are smothered in cheese curds, braised short rib and gravy.  They could just lay that plate on the table and drop the mic – they were the richest, potato-iest, gooiest pile of heaven you’ll ever eat.  We couldn’t even finish them and we both wanted to cry.

Great service, perfect execution and a beautiful new store made this a really great afternoon with my buddy.  I highly recommend checking out any of their locations, but Blue Ash is a tough location to beat for atmosphere.  We are already planning our next trip for lunch or to dig into the Sunday brunch menu.  Stop by and have a pint and a dog, you’ll be hooked!  Find out more by visiting senatepub.com.  Dig in!