Old Faithful

I've come to realize that cooking is a lot like the golf... the minute you think you have it down, you crash and burn and have to start all over.  After a few recent failures in the kitchen, I decided to take a one week break and it was exactly what I needed. No cooking, no blogging, nothing.

 When I was finally ready to jump back on the horse, I decided to use reliable recipes so that my ego wouldn't suffer anymore blows.  The result was a beautiful (and delicious) meal and most importantly a great time had by all.  What more could you ask for? Sometimes, you just have to go back to the basics to find yourself. 

Here's the meal we served our loving cousins last night:

Appetizers:

A small cheese plate (courtesy of our guests) and Sky's (leftover) Mini Meatloaf Sliders

To start:

Otto-Inspired Salad: Romaine & Red Onion with shaved Manchego 

(see below for my recipe)

With a Pretzel Baguette

(New from Whole Foods)

Soy Vay Veri Veri [Reliable] Teriyaki Skirt Steak:

Roasted Jalapeno Potatoes:

(I used russet potatoes instead of fingerling)

Grilled Veggie Plate

(I used burnt broccoli, grilled eggplant, red peppers, and onion)

Dessert:

Crumbs assorted cupcakes (another unnecessary courtesy of our guests)

And Sky's Favorite: S'mores bars:

Recipe:

Otto-Inspired salad:

1 bag of romaine

1 small red onion

1 block of manchego cheese

Dressing:

6 tbsp EVOO

4 tsp red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of ground pepper

Clean the lettuce and wrap with a paper towel.  Cut into bite-size pieces.  While the lettuce dries, slice the red onion thinly, breaking apart into circles as pictured above.  Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a jar, and shake for about 20 seconds.  Toss the lettuce and red onion with the dressing and serve with shaved manchego cheese.

***Now that I have a leftover pretzel baguette, I'll be making a Rockit Bar and Grill-inspired turkey burger (with avocado, red onion, spicy mayo and sweet potato fries). Stay tuned.

PC: Flickr, Food Network, Simply Paradise Catering, Food Network, Crumbs cupcakes, Baking Bites