Lots'o Fruit

There are times that I have a bunch of pears or apples, or even nectarines in the frig that don't ever get eaten. So, this week, I was determined to figure out something to do with them that would be fabulous.  I put together an apple and pear cobbler dessert.  It was amazing (I must say so myself).
First, a little more background story.....my mom, who sometimes likes to pass on extra food or paper towels (to help out), brought over this Costco size bag of oats.  She claims that it is supposed to be the best.  What the heck am I supposed to do with a giant bag of oats, when I don't even eat oatmeal?  Well, wanting to make this cobbler, I called mom and asked her how those crumbly scrumptious crusts on top of deliciously baked fruit is made.  My first thought was Bisquick, or something similar.  But she mentioned oatmeal and sugar and butter.  Ah hah!  I got online and checked out some recipes for this cobbler crust. Of course, there were many variations, but they all had the same ingredients....and why wouldn't they.  So I put a recipe together that looked good for the crust.
The crust has to top something though, and that's where the extra fruit comes in.  I peeled and cut into chunks two pears, two apples, and two nectarines.  Next, I sauteed them in a couple tablespoons of butter and a little brown sugar until just tender.  Transferred those to a baking dish, topped with my crust mixture, baked for 20 minutes, and tah-dah!  

Zinburger

Did you know that this week is Restaurant Week in Phoenix?  There are approximately 50 restaurants that participate.  My girlfriends and I love this week because it gives us the opportunity to try restaurants we otherwise may not, due to price, because they offer 3-4 courses for only $29 or $39.  It’s truly awesome.

Well, last night, we went to Zinbuger at the Biltmore.  Their menu includes burgers, salads, fries and desserts.  And let me tell you, hands down, the best burger I have ever had.

We sat up at the bar inside, facing south.  They open up the window wall on the south side of the bar, which is also connected to a very large outside patio that practically loops the whole restaurant. Once the tempuratures drop, I can see this place being a hot spot for happy hour.

Ready to dive in, I ordered the Zinburger, and Dena ordered the Ahi Tuna Salad.  The burger was served on an incredibly soft bun, made of combined wheat and white bread, topped with Zinfandel braised onions, Manchego cheese, and mayo.  However, I substituted the mayo for bar-b-que sauce, and added Applewood smoked bacon.  Cooked medium, which is slightly pink, every bite was so moist and juicy …..AWESOME!

As our side dish, we shared a basket of sweet potato fries with a yogurt dipping sauce.  And to end the evening appropriately, we ordered a cookies n’cream shake, as well as a chocolate cream pie.  WOW!!  That is all I have to say about that.

This is definitely a place you should check out for yourself. Next?

Why Keep it in the Kitchen?

Last year, during restaurant week, my two girlfriends, Dena and Des, and I tried out Ocean Prime.  It was delectable. We started with a seafood tower and a bottle of wine.  At this point, I can't remember what else we had, but I remember it was super yummy. My point is, we got a little tipsy.  However, that led to great brainstorming.  This is how we came up with the title Keep it in the Kitchen. I have developed approximately 100 recipes and would love to put together a cookbook.....that is next on the list. 

First, I started the website, made some videos, and taught some friends how to cook.

Second, started this blog.

Next steps are to send in an application for The Next Food Network Star, and see what happens.  After that, I move on to trying to publish my cookbook (with a spin)......so if you have any connections, please let me know.

To my friends and I, Keep it in the Kitchen refers to all things good when friends and/or family are gathered.  I mean, seriously, think about it. When you are at ANY type of party, where can you find the most people hanging out?  IN THE KITCHEN.  Great food, great conversation, great friends, and great libations all come from the Kitchen.  Heck, we all have our own "kitchen" stories, whether they are clean or dirty.....lol! No pun intended.

Welcome to my new BLOG.... it's my first.

Thank you for visiting my Keep it in the Kitchen blog.  I thought I would try this out and begin writing about "whatever" comes up regarding food, cooking and entertaining in my life.  So if you find my stories and/or posts interesting, please come back. I plan to write something every other day.  And don't forget to view my website where you can find tons of original recipes that are definite crowd pleasers.....I know this for a fact because they are always tested on a group of good friends. If the recipe doesn't pass the "Conway" test, it doesn't make it to the public.
What is the "Conway" test you ask?  He is a great friend of mine who stands at 6'5" and loves good food. But he is always honest with how it tastes.  There have been a few recipes that have been trashed.  Hey....it happens to the best of us.  It's all about trial and error, baby.