Grilled Mac and Cheese Sandwich

Who doesn’t love mac and cheese? Who doesn’t love grilled cheese? Both comfort foods equally warm the heart and bring nostalgic memories from childhood back. Sometimes we see on the food network (or other equally tasty television shows) how to remake an old comfort food recipe into a new, trendy, upscale dish.  This Sunday, while doing absolutely nothing and enjoying every second of it, Sam and I saw on the internets somewhere an idea of making an revamped grilled cheese sandwich.  If you remember one of our first dates, we cooked gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.  This time, we decided to do another twist on this basic sandwich and soup.  Here’s what we came up with:

Three Cheese Grilled Cheese Mac and Cheese (woah that’s a lot of cheese!)

Ingredients:

3 oz gruyere cheese

3 oz Colby jack and Monterey blend

3 oz white cheddar

¼ cup light cream

¼ lb cubed apple wood smoked bacon—cooked

1 cup pasta- cooked al dente and drained

1 loaf ciabatta bread

Butttterrrr

1 can tomato soup

Directions:

Cook the pasta al dente meanwhile searing the bacon.   Place the ciabatta loaf into the oven for 10 mins on 385.  Melt the three cheeses with the cream over the pasta noodles. Add bacon. Stir until well blended.  Once warmed from the oven, slice the ciabatta loaf into half length wise and then into half  again (to make 2 large sandwiches). Butter the outside of all four slices of bread and place two slices into buttered skillet. Add half of the mac and cheese mixture onto the two slices that are in the skillet. Top with the other two slices of bread to make two sandwiches. Grilled on both sides until brown and crispy. Serve with tomato soup.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

Breakfast...uh.. Concoction

Over the course of the past 9 months or so, Sam and I have dedicated our Saturday / Sunday mornings to perfecting this, um, breakfast…concoction.  In our hazy mornings, we have tried numerous combinations of some sort of carb, breakfast meat, eggs and cheese in a casserole dish. We’ve tried many, many different combinations over the months such as, puff pastry, crescents, small biscuits, frozen biscuits, large biscuits, eggs, eat beaters, bacon, sausage patties, bacon bits, thick cut bacon, maple sausage links, etc etc etc….This past Sunday morning we all agreed that we hit the jack pot. Our mouths were quite happy. What is this mysterious wonderfulness, you might be wondering to yourself…. The perfect combination we’ve discovered is as follows:

Ingredients:

½ pack of Pillsbury Grand Layer Biscuits

1 pack of Maple Jimmy Dean Sausage Patties (cooked)

½ cup - 1cup cheddar cheese

2 eggs- scrambled 

 ¼ cup  egg whites egg beaters

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees. Cook the sausage patties and lay on paper towels to drain off excess fat.  Cut the patties into small chunks. Spray a 8X8 glass casserole dish very well with non-stick spray. (remember, you’re going to put eggs into it….that mess doesn’t come off! So be generous with the spray… if not, I warned you…) Peel the biscuits into half long ways  to make them thinner and line the bottom of the dish with as many as you can fit without scrunching. Layer on half of the sausage, half of the egg mixture, and half of the cheese. Add another layer of biscuits and repeat. Top with remaining cheese, salt and pepper.  Bake until biscuits and eggs are fully cooked and top is brown and crispy. 

annnnddd.... Yum Yum yum yum yum

Why the specific ingredients?

The Carb:

We’ve found that refrigerated biscuits work better than frozen ones. They don’t take as long to cook. The ‘Grands’ puff up enough in the oven to give the casserole a solid amount of bread, but it’s not too much biscuit to overpower the dish. We ruled out crescent dough as it is too flaky and  wasn’t quite the consistency needed to uphold the other ingredients. Phillo dough…..next. Small biscuits were also ruled out. I tried to go bargain brand on these and…ewh. It turned out horribly.  Drop biscuits also don't work either. They are too crumbly. 

The Meat:

We chose to go with sausage vs. bacon. I know, I know what you’re thinking! Blasphemy! While we DO love this option with bacon, the sausage is much more dense and holds up in the dish. Also, because it’s not straight fat, it’s not quite as greasy.  Remember to always cook the meat first. It doesn't have enough time in the oven to cook fully so precooking it is the best option. We went with the patties because they are already formed, easier to cook, and have more maple flavoring. “ Maple???? Really?? “ YES. Its perfect. Don’t question this. Sweet and savory? Just go with it.

The Cheese:

We love good ol’ fashion cheddar. American is… just weird in this dish. Mozz is …also too weird. We just like the cheddar option. It’s bold, cheesy, and tasty. Perfect on the top!

The Eggs:

You might be wondering why I put egg whites in with the 2 other eggs. Well. I’ve found that if you have too many egg yolks in the dish, the egg consistency gets to be too over powering.  It’s too…”eggy”. But if you add more egg whites than egg yolks, it seems to work perfectly and be nicely balanced. **Nerd alert ** If you cook eggs in a gray / silver cooking dish, the eggs will turn gray/greenish.  This is due to the iron and other proteins in the egg.  Also, because the biscuits need to be cooked at such a high temperature the egg yolk might also turn slightly in color, but its normal. They won’t taste any different. But this is another reason why I don’t use as many egg yolks in the dish. The less you use, the less green/gray so it doesn’t “look as off putting” (yes…I know a lot about eggs…thanks FACS Ed Degree)

Happy eating! 

Super Sneaky Mac and Cheese Adventure

Somewhere between being savvy and being healthy, this delish culinary adventure morphed from a mere dream to reality. Come along for the ride! This recipe is one that I found on SneakyChef.com (again…love that site!) and I’m actually VERY impressed with how well this turned out. AND there’s a serving of veggies in it! SUPER EASY TOO!

Ingredients :
- 4 cups cooked elbows or other small pasta shape (about 1/2 pound dry)
- 1 1/2 cups evaporated skim milk
- 1/4 cup White Puree (see Make-Ahead Recipe #4)
- 4 ounces reduced fat light colored cheese (like white cheddar)
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard (ideally honey mustard; don’t use spicy mustard)

> Mix all together in pot over low heat, mix; add pasta, stir 

I didn’t have any mustard….so naturally is substituted this with bacon bits. (don’t judge me) it was excellent! I literally could NOT taste the veggies in it.  I had to stir this a little longer to get the evaporated skim milk to thicken into more of a sauce, but it was worth the wait. I recommend! 

Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry .....with bacon

“I’m not trying to toot my own horn but…..”   This dish was excellent if I do say so myself.  As you begin to go through this recipe, you might say to yourself, “ramen noodles??? REALLY?! Who eats those anymore except poor college kids?” Welp, I DO.  Do brace yourself from the shock that this recipe is actually fantastic and budget friendly (also did I mention everything IS better with bacon????):

1 pack chicken ramen noodles—cooked and drained

1.5 chicken breast -- cubed

½ cup bread crumbs

½ cup flour

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp olive oil

2-3 slices of bacon—cooked and cubed

2 tbsp almonds (sliced)

1.5 cups mixed veggies (I used a combo of carrots, celery, broccoli, green bell peppers, and green beans)

2-4 tbsp teriyaki sauce

Directions: cook the ramen noodles according to the packet, drain and set aside.  Cook bacon and set aside.  Cube the raw chicken breast. Combine the flour, bread crumbs, and spices. Roll the chicken in the flour/bread crumb mixture. Heat oil in large skillet to medium heat. Cook chicken until just under done. Add almonds and mixed veggies to skillet. Cook until veggies are just under done. Add teriyaki sauce, bacon, and noodles to skillet and continue to cook until veggies and chicken are fully done.

Serve hotttttt

YUM J

Double the Crunch, Double the YUM!

Last night I decided to make a new recipe that I found on Pinterest. (if you haven’t looked at it before…..please..do us all a favor and go there. Warning: website may cause lack of sleep, other priorities to be pushed back, extreme hunger and or salivation, injury due to DIY projects attempted, and other various side effects)  This one is defiantly going in the recipe book and will be made again and again. It was a major hit! The roomies and the Sam loved it. I thought it was dynamite too (if I do say so myself).  I think this recipe would have turned out just a touch better if I had all the ingredients and / or used the correct ingredients.  However, remember that this bacon lover is on a budget and I don’t have all kinds of monies to throw at getting spices an’ all dat’. So, I’ve given you the real recipe below and then crossed out the ingredients to demonstrate what I actually used that turned out to be quite an adventure on the palate; one that I wouldn’t mind going on again:

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Pork Chops

6 center loin pork chops, well trimmed

Sift together for Pork Chops:
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt
2 one tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp 1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp ground sage
1 tbsp 1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Make an egg wash by whisking together:
2 eggs
4 tbsp water milk (it works better than water)

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, then dip the chops in the flour and spice mixture. Dip the chop into the eggwash and then a final time into the flour and spice mix, pressing the mix into the chop to get good contact.

Heat a skillet on the stove with about a half inch of canola (who has canola oil??) oil olive oil covering the bottom. You will want to carefully regulate the temperature here so that the chops do not brown too quickly on the outside before they are fully cooked on the inside. I find just below medium heat works well. I use a burner setting of about 4 1/2 out of 10 on the dial and fry them gently for about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. Meanwhile, make the honey garlic sauce:

Drain on a wire rack on a plate with paper towels... who has a wire wrack!? really?! for a couple of minutes before dipping (twice or three times) the cooked chops into the Honey Garlic Sauce. Serve with noodles or rice couscous (cus its awesome...duh.)



Honey Garlic Sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 – 4 cloves minced garlic tsp garlic powder

In a medium saucepan cook over medium heat to soften the garlic but do not let it brown. Then, add:

1 cup honey
¼ cup soy sauce teriyaki sauce (had it on hand already)
1 tsp ground black pepper


Simmer together for 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Watch this carefully as it simmers because it can foam up over the pot very easily.


________________________________________________________________________

I served this with  a side of parmesean couscous. (which I love) and it was quite superb!

First time around: SUCCESS:

The Sneaky Chef

Recently, I rediscovered ( and now am obsessed with ) an old site I used a lot during my student teaching days. This site is all about a mom who actively tries to be “sneaky” and feed her children healthier foods without them realizing it. She takes old classics and our favorite day to day recipes and makes them healthier. This is done through a number of methods. For example: she will add unconventional ingredients that you wouldn’t expect to a recipe that not only make it taste delicious, but you never even know you are getting a full serving of fruits or vegetables! *this method will be showcased in the recipe I describe below. In other recipes, she will substitute the fat (butter and / or oil) content within a recipe with fruits and vegetables. GENIUS. I made the brownie recipe on this site for my students during student teaching and had them do a blind taste test along side “regular recipe” brownies, and 9 out of 10 students liked her recipe more. After they all agreed they liked this one better, I then announced the “secret ingredients”. Some were not as pleased as others as they do not normally like those ingredients. Its like that old saying, if you don’t know whats in it I’ll eat it. So, last night I dove head first into this site and began with someone that most people know is my favorite thing in the whole world: corn dogs. If you read to the bottom more, I had to start with the “Make-ahead- recipe #4” in order to make these corn dogs. The make-ahead recipe is where the sneakiness of this chef comes into play.


Top Dog Corn Dog Muffins


- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons sugar - 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 cup White Puree (See Make-Ahead Recipe #4, p. 260)
- 6 tablespoons low-fat milk
- 1/2 cup grated low-fat cheddar cheese
- 2 hot dogs, cut in half lengthwise, and chopped into small pieces
- 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 cup Flour Blend (See Make-Ahead Recipe #8, p. 265) ******
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda




********Instead of using the make-adhead recip #8, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and baking soda is just used 1 box of jiffy corn bread mix. it already has all those ingredients and takes about 2.5 seconds to open the box. no measuring out all those ingredients AND its about .19cents. --the budget...remember?! > Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners. Spray liners lightly with cooking spray oil. > In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until well combined, then whisk in the melted butter, White Puree, milk, cheese, and hot dog pieces. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, Flour Blend, baking powder, salt, and baking soda take jiffy corn bread mix out of the box. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until flour is just moistened (don't over-mix or the muffins will be dense). > Scoop the batter into muffin tins, filling just to the top. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.



Make-Ahead Recipe #4: White Puree

 Makes about 2 cups of puree. Double recipe if you want to store even more, which can be done in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or the small plastic containers.


- 2 cups cauliflower, cut into florets - 2 small to medium zucchini, peeled and rough chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoons water, if necessary > Steam cauliflower in a vegetable steamer over 2 inches of water, using a tightly-covered pot, for about 10 to 12 minutes until very tender. Alternatively, place cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl , cover with water, and microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes until very tender. > While waiting for the cauliflower to finish steaming, start to pulse the raw peeled zucchini with the lemon juice only (no water at this point). Drain the cooked cauliflower. Working in batches if necessary, add it to the pulsed zucchini in the bowl of the food processor with one tablespoon of water. Puree on high until smooth. Stop occasionally and push contents from the top to the bottom. If necessary, use the second tablespoon of water to make a smooth (but not wet) puree.



So, for my first try, they turned out AMAZING!!!

Here is the white puree leftovers that I will be utilizing in some of her other recipes.









Would you ever have guessed there is zucchini and cauliflower in these?? NOPE!

Replacing Book Titles with Bacon

To go along with the title of the blog, my roommate and I thought it would be fun to #replace book titles with bacon.  Last night we almost peed our pants coming up with the best book titles we could. I feel as though this game could also be played with music song titles, movie titles, TV show titles; anything you want to replace with bacon is really fine by me. If there’s bacon involved, it really can’t go wrong…

1.       The Five Bacon Languages

(The Five Love Languages)

2.       The Bacon of Huckleberry Finn

(The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn)

3.       To Kill a Mocking Bacon

(To Kill a Mocking Bird)

4.       Bacon in Wonderland

(Alice in Wonderland)

5.       Romeo and Bacon

 (Romeo and Julliette)

6.       A Streetcar Named Bacon

 (A Streetcar Named Desire)

7.       Gone with the Bacon

(Gone with the Wind)

8.       A Midsummer Night’s Bacon

(A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

9.       Sherlock Bacon

 (Sherlock Holmes)

10.   The Bacon-sitters Club

(The Babysitters Club)

11.   The Bacon of Anne Frank

(The Diary of Anne Frank)

12.   Having a Bacon Heart in a Bacon World

 (Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World)

13.   The Secret Life of Bacon

 (The Secret Life of Bees)

14.   Bacon for Elephants

 (Water for Elephants)

15.   The Bacon King

(The Lion King)

16.   The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Baconhood

(The Diving Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood)

17.   The Bacon

(The Help)

18.   Bacon is For Real

(Heaven is for Real)

19.   The Chronicles of Bacon: The Lion the Witch and the Bacon

(The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe)

20.   Harry Bacon and the Sorcerer’s Bacon

(Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)

21.   The Girl with the Bacon Tattoo—don’t forget its sequal—The Girl Who Played with Bacon

(The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) (The Girl Who Played with Fire)

22.   Lord of the Bacon—The Trilogy
           The FellowShip of the Bacon
           The Two Strips
           The Return of the Bacon

(Lord of the Rings)

23.   Memoirs of a Bacon

(Memoirs of a Geisha)

24.   The Great Bacon

(The Great Gatsby)

25.   The Scarlet Bacon  or  The Bacon Letter

(The Scarlet Letter)

26.   Bacon Calling

(Jesus Calling)

27.   The Bacon Games

(The Hunger Games)

28.   The Lucky Bacon

(The Lucky One)

29.   What to Expect When You’re Bacon

(What to Expect When You’re Expecting)

30.   The Bacon Garden  or  The Secret Bacon (Equally awesome in my opinion)

(The Secret Garden)

31.   Bacon Soup for the Soul
         (Chicken Soup for the Soul)

32.   He’s Just Not That Into Bacon

(He’s Just Not That Into YOU)

33.   All the King’s Bacon

(All the King’s Men)

34.   Bacon Farm

(Animal Farm)

35.   The Bacon in the Rye

(The Catcher in the Rye)

36.   The Grapes of Bacon

(The Grapes of Wrath)

37.   The Invisible Bacon or The Bacon Man

(The Invisible Man)

38.   Bacon the Spy

(Harriet the Spy)

39.   Brave New Bacon

(Brave New World)

40.   Sisterhood of the Traveling Bacon

(Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants)

41.   I, Bacon

(I, Claudius)

42.   BaconTime

(RagTime)

43.   Wuthering Bacon

(Wuthering Heights)

44.   Little House on the Bacon

(Little House on the Prairie)

45.   Moby Bacon

(Moby Dick)

46.   Pride and Bacon

(Pride and Prejudice)

47.   Of Mice and Bacon

(Of Mice and Men)

48.   Anne of Green Bacon

(Anne of Green Gables)

49.   The Old Man and the Bacon

(The Old Man and the Sea)

50.   The Bacon Code

(The DaVinci Code)

Hope you enjoyed that bacon!  Happy Bacon!

Famous Fried Rice

Last night, I made my beautifully preggo sister and wonderfully supportive brother-in-law a dish to be remembered, if I do say so myself.  Sometimes we just have a craving for certain foods to tango with our taste buds and yesterday afternoon I got a text from E asking me to make her my famous fried rice. I have been making this (with some alterations here and there) since I was in high school and over the years Ive gotten better at it. I've never actually had a recipe for it, I just kind of wing it. But last night this seemed to work really well, so I thought I'd share for your stomach's pleasure:

3 cups cooked brown rice
1 table spoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 diced green bell pepper
1 diced yellow onion
1 chopped large carrot
2 eggs scrambled
1 pound steak marinated in Asian ginger marinade (all day)- chunked after cooking
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

Cook the brown rice according to the back of the package.  Meanwhile, scramble eggs and cook steak almost all of the way through.  Move rice into a LARGE skillet. Add oils to rice so it does not stick to the pan.  Add veggies, eggs, and unfinished steak to rice. Fry on medium to medium high for about 10 minutes, add soy sauce. Continue cooking another 10 minutes or until onions peppers and steak are done cooking.  Serve piping hot!

It completely satisfied all of our cravings! Can you say yum?!

The Battle of the Pizza Cups

ATTENTION LADIES AND GENTLEMAN:

We have a challange on our hands! Callie Baker has come up with the wild idea that she can make pizza cups better than me. So, in preperation for the challange, we went to our seperate corners  houses, made our own recipes, took pictures, and have put it up here for YOU to decide. Now, we know that you can't actually TASTE these cups, however, feel free to salivate over the recipes through your imaginations and eat them vicariously through us (and Sam).  Please vote for your favorite recipe and in our next post, we will reveal the winner and who's recipe is who's:

PIZZA CUPS RECIPE #1:

¾  lb. ground beef

A (6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 Tbsp. instant minced onion

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 (10 oz.) can refrigerated biscuits

½ to ¾ cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Brown and drain beef. Stir in tomato paste, onion and seasonings (mixture will be thick).  Cook over low hear for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Place biscuits in greased muffin tin, pressing to cover bottom and sides.  Spoon meat mixture into biscuit lined cups.   Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake at 400 for 10 to 12 minutes.

PIZZA CUPS RECIPE #2 (the better/ more delish option):

1/2 box puff pastry

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 cup dill harvarti

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup pepperoni

1/4 cup chunked pineapple

garlic sea salt &  italian seasoning to taste

Cut the puff pastry dough into 3x3 squares and mold into the bottom of a muffin tin.  Spoon 1/4 table spoon olive oil into each pastry square. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of each cheese and layer with pinepple and pepperoni and add spices to top of layers. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until golden brown and pastries are puffed.

Let the voting BEGIN!

Dinner In for 2

When we are not out on the town, eating our way through Atlanta, we stay in and cook delicious meals with the hopes of them turning out on the gourmet side. We stay in and cook to keep our wallets fat and our pants skinny (ier). On this particular Sunday, Sam and I decided to go to Mass (per our usual routine) and then stop in at at the grocery store to pick up a few items and then to head home to play our first tennis game against each other. After we built up our appetites and Sam kicked my butt a zillion to zero, we headed inside to begin another night in the kitchen.

 This blog will also be dedicated to sharing our love for food with you through restaurants and through our own kitchen.  Some recipes will be exact and taken from websites while others will be not-so-scientific and somewhat made up, yet totally delish.  Now, to began this healthy culinary adventure from our kitchen to yours:

Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Instead of batter-dipped, deep-fried nuggets, we coat chicken tenders in a seasoned almond and whole-wheat flour crust and then oven-fry them to perfection. With half the fat of standard breaded chicken tenders, you can enjoy to your (healthy) heart's content.

---

Makes 4 servings

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• Canola oil cooking spray
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 pound chicken tenders

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set a wire rack on the baking sheet and coat it with cooking spray.
2. Place almonds, flour, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor; process until the almonds are finely chopped and the paprika is mixed throughout, about 1 minute. With the motor running, drizzle in oil; process until combined. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.
3. Whisk egg whites in a second shallow dish. Add chicken tenders and turn to coat. Transfer each tender to the almond mixture; turn to coat evenly. (Discard any remaining egg white and almond mixture.) Place the tenders on the prepared rack and coat with cooking spray; turn and spray the other side.
4. Bake the chicken fingers until golden brown, crispy and no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.

Taken from http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/almond_crusted_chicken_fingers.html



We served this little amazeballs dish with steamed broccoli that was drizzled in a divine Strawberry Vinnegartte dressing.  Sam made open faced cheesy garlic bread on left-over sandwich buns.  This would also be good to serve with green beans or squash casserole.

Cheers to healthy cooking!
Enjoy!

Nino's Italian Kitchen

Hear Ye Hear Ye! Come one, come all food lovers!!  Get ready for a shock.  We love food.  We love breakfast food.  We love lunch food.  We love dinner food.  We love desserts.  Food is like punctuation.  It can make thoughts or moments into statements or questions.  Every now and then, food exclaims something!

We wanted to do something fun and creative together, so why not write about the deliciousness that we get to experience.  Atlanta is a fantastic food city—there are so many diamonds in the rough culinary world of chain restaurants of this bustling, sprawling city.

We all have our favorites, but we’re making a concerted effort to branch out and dive in to what the city has to offer.  I don’t know about you, but we eat every day.  Why not share a little bit and offer up our collected experiences for others.  You may not agree with our take or our selection, but you do have to eat.

So read our blog, try our favorites, and let us know what you think!

Our first post will be dedicated to the dinner we ate out with Sam's father and step-mother on Sunday. Here are the details:

Location:
Nino’s Italian Kitchen
11070 Alpharetta Highway
Roswell, GA 30076-5605

The economy sucks.  We see it everywhere we go, bars closing down.  Neighborhood hangouts changing names so the next sucker can sink $200k into a run-of-the-mill bar/grill concept.  I’ve been all over the U.S. traveling for work and I see these places all the time.  Joey’s Asian Bistro, John Doe’s Country Grill, blah blah blah.  Always empty, always over-priced, always underwhelming.

Nino’s Italian Kitchen looks like another one of those experiments on the surface.  You’ll immediately recognize the layout as a converted Applebee’s, but they’ve managed to make it feel a bit more upscale and toned down—sorry no letter sweaters or cotton gins on the walls.  There’s a nice central bar area, thankfully devoid of cougars and IT professionals looking to mingle.  It’s a nice atmosphere for a laid back family dinner or a casual conversation over good wine and a full menu of Italian classics.

I prefer to eat at Italian restaurants that have a staff capable of filling in as extras on the Sopranos.  Check!
We were quickly seated and handed the 2 page menu.  There’s a good selection of wines Italian and domestic wines ranging from $5 a glass to $200 a bottle--yes, we had the expensive one thank to a "convenient" waiter's mistake.  Appetizers range from $5 to $15, Entrees from $11.50 to $18.  The menu has all the Italian staples you’d expect—pastas, chicken, beef, fish, pizza, salads. 
The following contains the careful selections of 4 adventurous Italian's with skilled palates for quality food and above anything a love for all things garlic:

Beverages:
Katie: Something white
Sam:  Something red

Appetizers:
Caprese Salad: sliced tomatoes topped with fresh mozzarella, basil, roasted red peppers, a touch of olive oil and drizzled in aged balsamic reduction.  Nothing to write home about, but good--fresh tomatoes and spices, firm mozzarella.

Bruschetta: toasted bread topped with fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, red onion, fresh mozzarella, and drizzled with an aged balsamic reduction.  Very good, slightly warm bread.  I hate when Bruschetta comes on a super crispy piece of bread that either hurts your mouth to bite into, or snaps violently spraying your dinner party with Italian veggie gore.  Tasty!

Entree':
(Katie) Pollo Marsala: sauteed chicken breasts in a delectable sauce of mushrooms, garlic and Marsala wine. When I go to an Italian resatuarant I like to judge the quality of food they serve based on the most complicated dish to make: chicken marsala. The sauce is the catch. It  can break very easily if it is not done right and turn into garbage.  This chicken marsala absolutely melted in my mouth.  The sauce was a light gravy (just perfect!) and was not too oily.  Also, it was obvious that the quality of marsala wine they used was very high.  The better the wine quality, the better the product; it showed on my plate and in my palate.  It was served covered in a blanket of mushrooms and swimming in the sauce. The flavor was bold and had a good balance between spices and the marsala wine.  Perfecto!!

(Sam) Eggplant Involtini: lightly breaded and fried eggplant wrapped around a generous filling of seasoned ricotta cheese topped with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and then baked.  Nice twist on your normal eggplant parm--like manicotti but with eggplant instead of pasta.  1/8 inch thick, nicely breaded, lightly fried--really good.  Had it with a side of spaghetti, nice robust red sauce.  Tastes like they may use a bit more paste in their house sauce, which I like.  Not spicy, but definitely has a flavor toward the bold side.

Nino's provided us with an elegant and intimate Italian experience here in the suburbs of Atlanta. The atmosphere was quaint and quiet.  The furniture was up to date and dark (very Italian), there were lots of windows with a very enjoyable bar area in the center of the room.  The staff was impeccable, not to mention Nino himself was out mingling with the crowds. Overall, I'd say the food was outstanding!  I would go back! Next time, I'd love to try the Zucchini Fries for an appetizer and the Baked Penne for an entree.  Who knows, maybe we'll even get crazy and get a dessert!

It’s nice to eat at a place that’s true to what it should be.  They don’t have a crazy expensive menu or some exotic presentation style.  It’s just simple, honest, delicious Italian food in a comfortable, clean, classy setting.  Well executed and well prepared.  There aren't a ton of places you can get in and out of for less than $50 with meals this good and a few glasses of wine.  I hope Nino’s is around long enough for locals to take notice and give it a try—there’s no reason for them to have empty seats any night of the week.

We gave it: