Kitchen Experiments: A Photo Montage

The B.F. and I have been co-habitating for a year now, and in that time, I've made an effort to become more domestic. He's been a good sport, and put on a brave face with every plate I placed in front of him. And he was always oh-so tactful with his reviews of my food. The harshest comment I ever received was, "It wasn't my favorite."

Enjoy the photos of my kitchen experiments below, complete with riveting comments from the B.F. For any recipe requests, just shoot me an email at blairbranch@gmail.com

Steak and Potatoes
The B.F. says: "Even though she didn't like the steak, I thought it was well prepared and a nice old-fashioned meal. The sauteed mushrooms and steak went together great."





Lower-Cal Turkey Lasagna
The B.F. says: "The best part was that she made enough for me to have leftovers for lunch."



Lower-Cal Veggie Pizza
The B.F. says: "The pizza was delicious and crispy. We didn't miss the meat at all. And we got to make it together."




Steak, Green Bean and Arugula Salad
The B.F. says: "You wouldn't think you would get too excited about a salad for dinner, but this was good and had different ingredients than what I would usually have in a salad. The steak made it filling, too."



Mac and Cheese Light, served with Maple Dijon Pork Chops
The B.F. says: "The pork chops were good, but not my favorite. But the mac and cheese was awesome, in an unconventional way."













Balsamic Steak au Poivre with Arugula Salad and Homemade Vinaigrette Dressing (from my Cooking Light cookbook I got for Christmas. Thanks Nate and Jess!)
The B.F. says: "I'm a traditional steak guy, but the sauce on this was a welcomed touch. Arugula tastes funny to me, but Blair likes it so we have it."

Just a Forkful

I have to apologize. I’ve been so busy real estate-ing that I haven’t been blogging as much. Don’t worry though! I have reviews of two amazing places coming in the near future, plus a few tidbits about some delicious meals I’ve recently had.

I went to Davio’s Italian Steakhouse with some friends several weeks ago, and it is such a hidden gem! Though I was feeling deathly ill (seriously…I was so sick I couldn’t taste anything and I had completely lost my voice. I don’t think the B.F. minded the latter too much) I am so glad I forced myself out to go to this place. Don’t let its mall location throw you off—this is some delicious Italian food. The complimentary bread basket is served with a creamy goat cheese spread, house marinated olives and eggplant and tomato camponata. We ordered the Sampler of Spring Rolls for an app. The Shrimp Cotija roll was amazing, as was the Philly Cheese Steak spring roll. I could've devoured more of these as my meal. Since I was so stuffy I could hardly taste anything, the waiter suggested I try the Spaghettini with shrimp, bacon, asparagus and olive oil. It was super spicy, but seriously delicious. Sides are served family style, and with choices like lobster mac and cheese and Gorgonzola mashed potatoes, you really can’t go wrong with any of them. No cold is going to keep my from my dessert, so split the tiramisu. As expected, it was yummy. The food is a bit pricey here, but well worth it. It’s decorated beautifully on the inside—I guarantee you won’t even know you’re in the spot Nike Town used to occupy. Definitely worth a trip to the mall. Thanks Beth and Jeff! See my Spaghettini below.



And my tiramisu:



Also, since my first trip on Friends and Family night, I've been to The Big Ketch about five more times. I am a creature of habit, and the Grilled Grouper Sandwich is seriously habit-forming. My insider tip: ask the server to 86 the tartar and get a side of the Creamy Soy Chili sauce. Dip and smile. Actually, get several sides of the Creamy Soy Chili. Dip your hush puppies, corn and crab fritters, and even potato chips in it. This stuff is addictive. I also love the crab and lobster dip. It's creamy and buttery, and full of chunky bits of crab and lobster. The corn on the cob is worth a try too. It's smothered in butter and Parmesan cheese. Warning though-- nobody looks graceful eating corn on the cob. Don't order it if you're on a date. See my Grouper sammy on a whole wheat bun below.



And the crab and lobster dip, before I destroyed it:



And finally, I think I have found by far the best deal on sushi in Atlanta. Okay, so it isn't really a secret, but I didn't know about it until my partner in crime and fellow Tiftonite (or is it Tiftonian?) Ashley introduced me to it. Sushi Kiku is hidden in a shopping center of Lenox, next to the Roasters and across from my all time favorite Atlanta boutique, Market. This place does half off sushi rolls EVERY Tuesday through Saturday! Does it get any more affordable than that? And their sushi is so much better than any other casual sushi place I've tried. With geographically-inspired names like the Buckhead Roll and the Lenox roll, and the intriguing-sounding Viagra roll, Sushi Kiku's menu has something for everyone. My personal favorites are the Rainbow roll and the Red Dragon roll. Service can be slow, but at least they don't laugh at me when I ask for a fork. A little birdie named Shelbi just told me that they do karaoke on Saturday nights. Sushi and karaoke-- both wonderful contributions the Japanese brought to America. See my sushi that I forgot to photograph until I was halfway done with it, below:



Check back soon for pics of some of my home-cooking kitchen disasters!

~Blair Branch