Marissa used her impartial hand to pick the name out of the salad bowl and … the winner of the Paradise Bakery gift card is… Sharon Cereska. Congratulations, Sharon! I shall send out your gift card in the mail today. OK, in all honesty, it will be tomorrow. A big thank you to all who commented on Wednesday’s post and thank you for sharing your favorite sandwich with me, all of them sounded terrific!

I have a new addiction. It’s called One Kings Lane and it is an online deep discount sales sight. New items go up every day at 11 AM Eastern Daylight Time and things go fast. That’s 8 AM Arizona time, so I have an alarm set on the cell that alerts me to get online and see what is offered. Last month, they began putting up food items on Sundays. On one glorious Sunday they had live lobsters and lobster tails… needless to say, had to have some. Four gigantic tails (a whopping 20 ounces each!) arrived two days later in all their dry-ice-packed glory. Since there are only three of us at home currently, one of the tails was steamed and cut up for this decadent dish. If you are local, I did notice that Fry’s has lobster tails on sale through tomorrow, so if you’re tempted, go get one and enjoy! It is rather difficult to find 20-ounce lobster tails (at least here in the desert, it is), so I have you using two 10-ounce tails. Basically, the rule of thumb is to steam tails 1 minute per ounce. For this recipe, it is important to undercook them a bit since they will cook further when baking in the macaroni. Be sure and keep that in mind if your tails are a little lighter or heavier.

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My favorite sandwich, hands down, BLT!

Warm toasted bread, spread with tangy mayonnaise, topped with hot salty bacon, tart juicy tomatoes, and cold crisp lettuce = heaven on your tongue and happiness in your tummy. What is your favorite sandwich? How do you like to eat it? I’d love to hear, really! Leave me a comment here, on this site, not on Facebook or Twitter. I’ll draw a name from a big wooden salad bowl on Monday and the winner will be mailed a gift card to Paradise Bakery where they have some of my other favorite sandwiches and salads.  If you don’t live in AZ or have a Paradise Bakery nearby… we’ll work it out.

My husband, Dave, and his BFF, Jeff (men don’t say BFF, do they?) have a boy crush on Travis McGee. He is a fictional character in novels by mystery writer John D. MacDonald. Travis is a detective or actually a self-described “salvage consultant” who recovers others’ property for a fee. He eats sandwiches, lots of different sandwiches and he likes to eat them while standing and leaning over the kitchen sink with a couple of cold beers. I’ve read a few of the books myself (there are 21 featuring McGee) and for some reason, that image has always stuck in my brain.

Correction: Since posting this 12 hours ago, my husband has corrected me saying that his hero Travis McGee would not be so crass as to eat sandwiches over the kitchen sink. That, in fact, the fictional character I’m thinking of is novelist Lawrence Sanders’ detective of the “Deadly Sins series”, Edward X. Delaney.  That actually makes more sense since I read all of those “Sin” books. I stand corrected!

I’m certain Travis, oops I mean, Detective Delaney would appreciate this terrific salad, as well.  Even though he’ll have to sit down and eat it with a fork and knife. By the way, a couple of optional garnishes, which I didn’t use only because I didn’t have them on hand, would be thinly sliced red onion and homemade garlic croutons.

Side note: If you read this before 4:30 today (9/8/10), I am cooking with Tram Mai on Channel 12 Valley Dish. Main course salmon during the live show and a taped segment from Saturday’s Phoenix Cooks. Hope you can tune in…

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The filet mignon that was served to us at the Larry Fitzgerald dinner on Monday night at Morton’s was huge! All three of us brought home large portions. The beef was already cooked perfectly (of course), so I didn’t want to reheat too much and end up overcooking them. So… panini sandwiches were the perfect vehicle for the perfect steak!

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It’s been a strange week. Dave was out of town on business Friday – Friday. I was in California that first weekend for a wedding (a gorgeous wedding). Then Marissa went down to Tucson for her boyfriend’s birthday (Happy birthday, Alberto!).  And on Thursday, I took Connor up to Flagstaff to begin his sophomore year at NAU (Have a great first day today, Con! Missing you!).

The four of us were never home at the same time, and now we won’t be again until … Thanksgiving, probably (insert sad face here). After all that disruption, what we need is breakfast for dinner. There aren’t too many things that feel cozier than having traditional morning food in the evening.

These sandwiches are delicious with or without the addition of a poached egg. I did four with and four without. Use any cheese you like, but I’m using pepper Jack to go with the jalapeno sausage I purchased at The Pork Shop… so darn good!

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This is meal #1, using the idea of “Cook Once – Eat All Week”. Yesterday we roasted 2 chickens, shredded the meat, and will use that for several meals. Each meal will be simple to slam together and slap on the table during busy weeknights. Use as many or as few convenience items as you please. For example; roast, peel, core, and seed your own fresh red bell pepper – or use the jarred version. Shred a block of cheese, or buy pre-shredded. Grind cumin seed or use already ground. You get the drift – make it easy on yourself! This takes only a few minutes to assemble and just 20 minutes to bake. Serve with the garnishes or not.

Tomorrow’s shredded chicken dinner will be – Honey Mustard Potato and Chicken Salad.

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Marissa and I were sharing a little quality mother-daughter shopping time at Scottsdale Fashion Square last week. Lord, how that girl used to roll her eyes and complain when I’d drag her into Williams-Sonoma, in years past. Not anymore, now she wants to go in! Oh, the joys of adult children! It made me want to buy her even more things than I already had.

As always, I made a beeline to the sale section and found this great grill tray. The fab sale price ($19 instead of $50!) and the item description are why I was so excited about it. “This grill tray keeps an even temperature and holds its heat well after you’ve removed it from the grill, making it as useful for serving dishes as it is for cooking them. Conducts even heat for thorough cooking, then keeps food warm at the table. Also useful for serving chilled dishes – just refrigerate or freeze the tray before use. For use on a grill or stovetop, or in the oven. Heatproof to 1,000°F.”

I decided to finally brave the heat outside, crank up the grill, and test it out. So, what grade do I give it? A++

Don’t fret if you don’t have the grill tray, just bake for about 15 minutes in a 350-degree oven, on a large rimmed baking sheet.

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I’ll be making this dish on Channel 12 Valley Dish on Wednesday, September 8th. I have just a few things to say about it; Delicious, Quick, Easy, and only 5 ingredients (not counting the spices, oil, and butter!) Make it, and thank me later!

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Tacos at home are one of the most economical, quick, easy, and kid-friendly meals you can make. If you add rice and/or beans to the meat; not only can you stretch the dollar, but also increase the nutritional value. But that’s not what this recipe is about!

Those are poor man tacos (“not that there’s anything wrong with that”, as the crew on Seinfeld say). These are rich man tacos. Not only due to the cost of filet mignon, but also the avocado and bell pepper, if they happen to be out of season. Splurge and serve with a nice bottle of Cabernet and… paper napkins; things are bound to get messy. And that’s a good thing indeed!

On a side note: Marissa had a root canal yesterday morning. On the way home, we picked up yogurt, bananas, and cottage cheese. In the meantime, Connor requested steak for dinner. Perfect, I thought, she’ll have her smoothies and we’ll have steak. She rallied once she heard what we were having and enjoyed these fabulous tacos with us… although I did cut up the meat and peppers for her like I used to do when she was a toddler. Honestly, who wants to have “poor man” soft food when you can have “rich man” tacos!?!

(don’t know what this picture means? Go back to yesterday’s post)

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I just realized that this is the third rellenos (or stuffed poblano pepper) recipe on the site, and the 2nd in the past two weeks… but honestly, rellenos rule!  Here is what Wikipedia has to say on the subject:

Here is what I have to say: “Fill a poblano with anything you like, skip the batter and frying! There is no way you can go wrong.”

Announcement: Today begins a countdown. To what, you ask? You shall find out soon enough…

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Yesterday was my dear friend and mentor, Barbara Fenzl’s, birthday. Our tradition is to take each other out for a birthday lunch. I’m taking Barb to Modern Steak today for her celebratory lunch. So while we’re enjoying that, here is a couscous salad for you to enjoy. The picture above of my sister, Sloane, Mark Tarbell, me, and Barb was taken at a party a couple of years ago at Tarbell’s restaurant. The party was a fundraising event to celebrate after Mark won “Iron Chef America” on Food Network.

Happy Birthday, Barb. I love you and love all our time cooking together! xoxo

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