Showing some leg...

Another great weekend of culinary endeavors!  

I joined Joel, Heather and their daughter and went to the City Market in downtown Indy.  Such a great place for fresh foods.  Joel had his eye on a Greek eatery in the far corner of the Market,  and we all agreed that would hit the spot.  Quickly after ordering, they explained they only would accept cash, so I hurried off to the nearest ATM to obtain a different form of 'dough'.   We all ordered gyros, but I added an order of baklava.  Serving Pepsi products, I naturally

 ordered my drink of choice: Mountain Dew.  Sadly, they were out of Mountain Dew, so I settled for an orange soda.  Fortunately for me, the rest of the meal made up for the lack of Dew.  The gyros were excellent and the baklava was exquisite! 

  Having finished lunch, we visited Moody Meats and got a beautiful leg of lamb to make for dinner.  We also utilized a coupon Moody offered in their brochure: if you buy $10.00 or more, they give you 1 pound of hickory smoked bacon! 

 I can't wait to use the bacon for another cooking venture.

  

  After the purchase at Moody, we returned to Joel and Heather's, as she had a baby shower to attend.  Joel and I t

hen ventured to Whole Foods to pick up the rest of the ingredients for our meal.  

One great thing about Whole Foods is the tasty samples to munch on while browsing the store! 

 Sometimes the most simple things in life are the best!

I was mainly involved in the prep work as Joel didn't need much help to prepare the courses.  We began the dinner with pita bread, sliced into strips and baked with oil and salt to flavor, served with artichoke hummus and baba ghanoush.  For the most part, I snacked on the 'appetizer' while Joel finished the main course!  Like I said, Joel had the cooking under control.  Needless to say the lamb was incredible!  Beside the lamb was a nice butter leaf lettuce salad with a caesar dressing, new potatoes mashed with a hint of rosemary, and some colorful kidney beans.  We happily ate, and were quite full after.  Another fine meal presented by the culinary masters!

Yes Chef!

A friend of mine, Joel, and I have been enjoying the great television programming on Monday and Tuesday nights.  'American Gladiators', 'Wipeout', and 'I Survived A Japanese Gameshow' to name a few.  But, being 'foodies', we are drawn most to the reality cooking show 'Hell's Kitchen' hosted by Gordon Ramsay.  It has been one of Joel's interests to cook Chef Ramsay's cookbook in its entirety.  So I decided to help him in his first venture.  I may have promise as a 'sous chef'!   

 

 I sat in Joel and Heather's apartment Saturday night having enjoyed three great dishes we made from Chef Ramsay's cookbook.  We were able to replicate his Risotto with Wild Mushrooms and Baby Squash (we used Acorn Squash) Stuffed with Mushrooms and Artichokes.  Both main dishes turned out wonderfully!  I'm not a big fan of mushrooms per se, but I loved both items. The acorn squash was cooked perfectly, and the butter sauce that topped the medley was excellent!  The risotto was a welcome companion to the squash.  The flavors complemented each other extremely well.

  After the dinner we made Chocolate Fondants, and watched the movie Drillbit Taylor.  The fondants were quite rich and the movie was a hit.  At the end of the night, bellies were full and compliments were paid to the chefs.  Overall, a great evening.  Food is a wonderful thing!