Dinner Tonight: Crock Pot Kahlua Pork

January 21, 2014 Drew Fleisher

Kahlua Pork with Steamed Rice....so basic yet SOOOOOO amazingly full of flavor and goodness

When I was working full time at my last job, I had a few co-workers who were Hawaiian, and one of them shortly after I started introduced me to what he called "Kahlua Pig". When we found a Hawaiian restaurant down the street from work that several of us began to frequent, this was the dish I ordered most often from the menu. There is something just so basic about pork that is slow roasted without really any additions for more than 16 hours that is an amazing delight to any pallet.

Dinner Tonight: Gluten Free Burrito Bowls with Beer Braised Carnitas and Cilantro Lime Quinoa

January 15, 2014 Drew Fleisher

A Gluten-Free take on the Burrito Bowl that I like better than those served at the popular chains

I was trying to decide what to do for dinner tonight, and Wednesday are always hard with church, school activities and work schedules for everyone to eat together. I decided I needed to find something that would be easy for everyone to eat or re-heat as they got home this evening, and started thinking about the burrito bowls at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants. One of the things I decided right away was that I would do carnitas in the crock-pot so I wouldn't need to keep an eye on it all afternoon, and the next thought was "maybe quinoa would work instead of rice to make this more nutritious and gluten free".

Dinner Tonight: Italian Quinoa

January 13, 2014 Drew Fleisher

We love Italian food in our home, and a frequent quick meal our kids yell for is a quick dinner of pasta with a sausage sauce. I decided to try and take it to another place tonight by using quinoa to make it gluten-free and Paleo friendly. Roasting the tomatoes take a lot of extra time, but cooking the quinoa will take most of the 50 minutes or so you will need to roast off the tomatoes, and trust me, there is no way to substitute the depth of flavors you will get unless it is summer time and you can throw whole tomatoes on the grill to slow roast them there. The spinach will add some great contrasting flavor in addition to the contrasting color it brings, and you can add more than I did if you want more greens, but my kids were rebelling even with this.

Dinner Tonight: Saucy Hungarian Red Potato Goulash with Smoked Sausage and Savory Caramelized Onions

January 7, 2014 Drew Fleisher

Few things warm you up on a cold winters night like a nice spicy ghoulash

I was looking for something different tonight for dinner and ran across this great recipe for a spicy potato ghoulash. The smoky spice of paprika dominates, but also works well with the kielbasa sausage and the wonderful sauce created by the combination of broth and the starch from potatoes cooking down. A wonderful meal when served with a nice crusty bread.

Dinner Tonight: Chicken Bacon Crockpot Chowder

January 3, 2014 Drew Fleisher

Chicken Bacon Chowder from the Crock Pot, amazing and low carb dinner your family will love

The wife came across this recipe online the other day and it looked good enough that I had to give it a try. Pre cooking the vegetables and the chicken help the flavors develop much stronger than they normally would in the crock pot, and the chicken also holds together instead of falling apart. The combination of leaks, onions, shallots, and cream make this rich and smooth without over powering and the cream cheese helps to thicken it without needing to add flour or starches. If you are looking for a delicious creamy soup without increasing your carb intake, give this one a try, it is sure to please your family.

Dinner Tonight: Bacon Garlic Pasta

January 2, 2014 Drew Fleisher

I asked Carrie what she wanted for dinner and she said "I don't care, just something lighter than you've been doing lately, ok?". I started thinking of what I had in the fridge and how I could do something easy and light, and decided this was as easy and light as it gets.

On the Road Review: The Lumberyard Rotisserie and Grille, Cannon Beach, Oregon

December 29, 2013 Drew Fleisher

We spent the Christmas Holiday at Cannon Beach, and on the last night of our trip stopped in at the Lumberyard Grill for dinner. Follow the link to see how we liked it.

Dinner Tonight: Corn Chowder

December 12, 2013 Drew Fleisher

The wife has been after me for a few day to make Corn Chowder for her, so tonight she got her wish.

Carrie has been wanting Corn Chowder for days, and I finally didn't have anything else planned for dinner tonight, so she got her wish. There are lots of ways people make corn chowder. Some thicken it with a traditional rue. Some Use canned corn (and that nastiest of all canned vegetables, creamed corn). I take a few shortcuts with mine, but the important thing is using good corn. Mine was cut fresh from the cob this summer and frozen for just such an occasion. Good sweet corn has a taste and texture that makes all the difference here.

Dinner Tonight: Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

December 10, 2013 Drew Fleisher

A very simple to make take on basic oriental cooking

We felt like something Asian tonight, and I ran across this idea on Pinterest so decided to give it a try. It can be made with any boneless chicken, but I prefer the thighs to the breasts for a couple of reasons: breast meat tends to fall apart more easily when cooked for this length of time, and thigh meat because of it's higher fat content seems to take flavors more consistently.

Dinner Tonight: Ginger Beef Stew

December 5, 2013 Drew Fleisher

I love a good beef stew, but was wanting to make it a little lighter (and the kids are tired of me cooking with beer), so I went with a well crafted Ginger Beer from Reed's as the flavor base. The ginger zip is an amazing addition that cuts through all of the heaviness of the beef and marries quite well with the flavors. Give this a try, you'll love it.

Dinner Tonight: Crockpot Chicken with Apple and Sweet Potato

December 5, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Chicken slow cooked with Yams, Apple Sauce, and curry make a hearty fall dinner that will warm anyone up.

I've been feeling under the weather this week, and wanted something that was warming and satisfying without being too heavy. I decided on yams and chicken because the yams are a lighter and more complex carb than white potatoes, and I thought that apple would go well with them and the chicken. Ginger and curry along with these flavors and garlic made the perfect blend without being over seasoned. Give this one a try on a cold winters night, you won't be sorry.

Dinner Tonight: Pork Harvest Stew

November 7, 2013 Drew Fleisher

I love this time of year. Blustery and rainy days, temperatures cooling, and great squash and apples coming into season at grocers all over the North West. There is something timeless about the combination of apple and pork, and this stew pulls those flavors together with the help of a bit of rosemary, sage, and a whole lot of butternut squash.

On the Road Review: Mo's in Cannon Beach, OR

October 27, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Mo's Chowder House is an Oregon Coast landmark

When I was growing up in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, our family made at least one trip out to the beach every summer. We would take coolers of food to save money, but dinner before heading home was always at Mo's. I have had clam chowder all over the country, but nothing says seaside dining like Mo's.

Dinner tonight: Beef and Pumpkin Stew

October 15, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Nothing like a nice thick stew on a crisp Fall evening!

Fall is here in force, and while we are enjoying crisp weather I also like to enjoy nice warming soups and stews. October is the time when great squash starts coming available, and I love using pumpkin and other squashes in savory stews in place of potatoes. Enjoy this little piece of Fat Boy Heaven with a nice dinner roll to soak up the broth.

Dinner Tonight: Apple Cider Braised Slow-Cooker Pork

October 7, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Pork shoulder slow-braised in apple cider, served tonight with roasted fall vegetables

I wanted some comfort food tonight, and found Pork Shoulder on sale at the local grocer. Since we are solidly in Fall here in the Pacific Northwest I decided to go with a nice preparation method that I've used often: Slow-cooker braising.

Dinner Tonight: Tomato, Basil, and Cheese Soup

September 29, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Nothing says fall like a big bowl of rich and creamy Tomato soup

One of the things I look forward to all summer is the start of Fall and all of the rich and warming soups that it brings around our house. I particularly love a nice tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. The combination of the tart tomatoes and rich creamy cheddar cheese are one of the ways I define comfort foods feel.

Dinner Tonight: Salmon with Dill Sauce and Quinoa Sauté

August 31, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Carrie was looking at the web the other day and found a recipe from Jaime Oliver for salmon that looked good to her. He served it with bulgar wheat, but we prefer quinoa so made some adjustments.

Dinner Tonight: Shrimp and Grit Tacos

August 29, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Shrimp and Grits, a southern staple is updated as street food in these tacos

I was looking for dinner ideas for the week and stumbled across this article at Serious Eats. Now as you all should know if you've been visiting this site for any length of time, I LOVE grits. One of the things that has stuck with me from my time spent in the south (along with a love for sweet tea, bourbon, and gulf shrimp). Shrimp and Grits would be dinner every Friday night in my house if I didn't have this website to write (and my kids didn't revolt at the mention of shrimp). This new way of changing it up by adding salsa and serving it in a taco caught my attention, and I am glad it did.

Dinner Tonight: Sweet-Hot Slow Cooked Beef Short Ribs

July 20, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Sweet, Spicy beef short ribs are easy from your slow cooker with very little effort.

We were looking for something with little prep time that we hadn't had in a while, and I decided to try and come up with a new Short Rib recipe. We had rice, so I decided to take things slightly asian with a sweet-hot flavor, and we were all happy with the results.

Restaurant Review: Pilot Butte Drive-In Restaurant

July 2, 2013 Drew Fleisher

The Pilot Butte Drive-in does Bend proud

When I let FaceBook and Twitter know I was in Bend for a few days and looking for places to eat Pilot Butte Drive-In was mentioned more than any other spot in the area. With those kinds of numbers I knew I needed to give it a try, and I'm glad I did.