My new baby is here!

My coveted retro steel-belted Coleman cooler fresh from the 'bean store in Maine.

In love.

My dad has had one of these FOREVER. I can remember it from when I was very little so he's had it at least 20-25 years, same color and everything....and by everything I mean constantly filled with beer in our backyard. The boy and I only had a day cooler that holds two bottles of water and a pack of hot dogs. This resulted in only eating hot dogs and trail mix on our trips. Now I can eat my weight in trail mix but I felt that a new cooler was in order. I saw this cooler and was in love. I think it's part of my whole "trying to recreate my childhood" crisis. Our first camping trip of 2013 is in two weekends, I can't wait to break this fabulous beast in!

Sidenote: I might end up using it as a coffee table because I'm not quite sure where in the apartment it's going to be stored....

Yum Yum!

Cheddar BBQ Burger with Jalapenos and Green Onions.

Made with Dinosaur Wango-Tango?

Epic.

Tuna Burgers

I hesitate to call these "thai" tuna burgers because the thai flavors (chili and fish sauces) were not that pronounced. The flavor was mostly tuna and onions. It was pretty good. The burgers themselves are a little on the dry side but once you add the ginger-mayo and the peppers it's fine. The peppers do add a nice spot of flavor. The burgers are a bit delicate so they can only be baked. I can see them falling apart on the grill or in a grill pan. It was a very summer inspired dish.

Thai Tuna Burgers

(from Better Homes and Gardens)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup mayonnaise with olive oil
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce (Sriracha sauce)
2 cans (5 ounces) albacore tuna or solid white albacore tuna in water
1/4 cup very thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup chopped green onions

salt and pepper to taste.
small ciabatta buns, halved and toasted
1/3 cup pea shoots or micro greens
2 miniature sweet peppers, thinly sliced
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise and ginger; transfer 2 Tbsp. to a large bowl. Cover remaining mayonnaise mixture and chill. To the same large bowl add eggs, panko, fish sauce, and Asian chili sauce. Flake tuna and add to bowl. Add celery and green onion and stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Let stand 10 minutes. With wet hands, shake tuna mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick patties.
2. Place tuna patties on a greased baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until done.
3. To serve, spread ciabatta halves with remaining mayonnaise mixture. Add a tuna patty to bottom half of each bun, bottom side up. Top with pea shoots or micro-greens, thinly sliced peppers, and top buns. 

Tortellini Bake

This stick-to-your-rib casserole is quite yummy. I felt better that it included spinach and mushrooms so I could at least pretend to be a little healthy. It's a very nice basic recipe that would be a crowd pleaser at any party. I halved the recipe and omitted the second batch of butter. It came out just fine.

Cheesy Spinach and Mushroom Tortellini Bake

(from a Taste of Home)

Ingredients:
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen cheese tortellini
1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup butter, divided (I omitted this butter and it was fine)
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 block (8 ounces) brick or cheddar cheese, shredded
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Directions:
1. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper in 1/4 cup butter until mushrooms are tender. Remove and keep warm.
2. In the same skillet, combine milk and remaining butter. Bring to a gentle boil; stir in brick cheese. Cook and stir until smooth. Drain tortellini; place in a large bowl. Stir in the mushroom mixture and spinach. Add cheese sauce and toss to coat.
3. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Cookies & Milk

A little juniper and vintage chartreuse cookies and milk action to celebrate the "jeezy creezy I just ordered our wedding invitations!!" excited freak out.

Woo!

Amazing Spicy Sausage Noodles

Let's rate this recipe: Mr. Lawyer had three servings and is planning on having it for breakfast. WINNER. It was simply and pretty quick. I liked that the sauce was light and not overpowering. Even though the sauce was just a slight coating the flavor was banging! The spicy sausage flavor permeates the sauce and the freshness of the peppers was so summery. I used all red peppers instead of red, orange, and yellow because that's what was on sale and it didn't take away from anything. There was a real depth to the flavor. I think it was the spicy sausage flavor and the wine. Delicious! 

Spicy Sausage & Pepper Noodles in Tomato-Wine Sauce

(Pinterest find! Adapted from thecozyapron.com)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed and crumbled
1 large onion, quartered and sliced thinly
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
3 peppers (red, yellow, orange), cored and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ cup dry white wine
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
1 box rigatoni noodles
Directions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan, brown the sausage. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. Saute the onions in sausage drippings, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the salt, pepper, and italian seasoning.  Then add in the sliced peppers, saute until tender (3 minutes). Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes.

4. Add the wine and simmer until it's over half reduced. Add the can of undrained diced tomatoes and then return the sausage to the mix. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

5. Cook noodles according to directions on box. Place the noodles in a large bowl and top with the sausage sauce, toss gently.

6. Serve with fresh basil, parsley, or parmesan. 

Monday Blues

Last week the fiesta itch started again. I needed a new color or even just a new piece. I wasn't going to make it to my bridal shower. So I scored some cheap ebay finds. The first beauty to arrive was my sapphire tea cup! It's the perfect little pick me up for the Monday blues. Sapphire is considered a rare color because it was a special color made just for Bloomingdale's in 1996/97 and fired for only 180 days. This means the prices are outrageous! I only dreamed of sapphire until I spotted this little teacup for a steal. It's such a gorgeous bright blue, similar to vintage cobalt but even brighter.

Here it is on top of my peacock mug.

My Post 1986 Blues

Peacock, Turquoise, Periwinkle, Sapphire, Cobalt

Up close!

Wedding Worries

I counted the wedding guest list. It's BIG. *cue mini freak out* So I hit up the bar and reorganized my dishes.

ZEN.

Spicy Slaw!

Mr. Lawyer requested coleslaw to go with our bbq ribs. Not only is bbq and coleslaw a match made in heaven but he hoped to control the amount of dressing in the dish to make it a tad more healthy. While this recipe is still just a ton of mayo we were able to make our coleslaw a bit on the dry side, hopefully this decreased the calories just a tad.

This recipe was spicy! It was different than regular coleslaw and it really grew on me. If you're not a fan of spice you can add less dry mustard. You could shred your own veggies but I picked up a bag of pre-shredded broccoli slaw because I didn't want to fight with my mandoline (we have a love-hate relationship). I'm off to eat the rest of the spicy coleslaw!

Spicy Coleslaw!

(adapted from Bobby Flay)

Ingredients:

1 bag of pre-shredded coleslaw 

3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon dry mustard (or less depending on your tastes)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl, and then add to the cabbage mixture. 

2. Mix well to combine and taste for seasoning; add more salt, pepper, or sugar if desired.

Yummy Dino Ribs!

Yummm....to die for rib sandwich. Love it. The other month I picked up a bunch of country-style (boneless) ribs for super cheap, almost two pounds for 3 bucks! I decided that the crockpot was the best bet and I don't regret it  at all. I used Dinosaur Roasted Garlic Honey BBQ Sauce, nothing like a taste of home! I pulled the ribs from the crockpot and did a rough shred, more of a chunking actually, before piling it on an Amoroso's roll and drizzling more sauce over it. I topped it all off with some homemade coleslaw that was requested by Mr. Lawyer. It was a hit. The cool crunch of the coleslaw was amazing with the hot pork. I just had a leftover sandwich and it was still amazing. I want more!

Crockpot Barbecue Pork Ribs

(adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker)

Ingredients:

2 pounds country-style pork ribs

1 small yellow onion, sliced

1 cup favorite bbq sauce

Directions:

1. Layer the ribs, onions, and sauce in the crockpot.

2. Cook on low for 7 to 9 hours.

3. Remove and shred if desired, drizzle with more sauce.