The Sweaty one went out on a limb this past Super Bowl Eve, as a guest to a game dinner at the Wallingford Rod & Gun Club (Wallingford, CT). Nerves were high being a game dinner rookie, but duty called, also being a blogger of food experiences…

All involved should be highly commended, and especially the dinner chair, as not only was I at ease after tasting the first course, I could not wait for the SEVENTEEN courses that were to follow!

Don’t let the disposable dinnerware throw you off, as we are talking about a serious DIY event and I certainly would not have wanted the hosts to be bothered by dishes following all of their hard work.

I have certainly had pheasant and venison from family in the past, but in those cases I was almost only eating it just to be polite. On the contrary, the courses prepared at this dinner were dishes of beauty, prepared with the best of sauces and accompaniments, and would be worthy of gracing any restaurant menu.

I felt as stuffed as Thanksgiving dinner, but I knew that what I was eating was fresh, all homemade & made to order; in many ways healthier then most meals!

Thank you to all who were involved as the entire menu was outstanding. It would take three hours to describe it all, so let’s take a visual journey instead. Definitely feel free to post any questions or comments if you’d like me to elaborate on any course!

Note: I did not get pics of the clam chowder or the cake as I didn’t really consider these ‘game’ courses, but I can tell you both were AMAZING. And, I completely forgot to take a pic of the Rabbit Stemperata soup (the deliciousness was very distracting!). Enjoy.

Tip: Hover over the pics (on your desktop/laptop) or tap once on the pic (on mobile) for captions…

Menu

Striper Cake w/ Remoulade Sauce

Clockwise from upper-right: Smoked Wild Turkey, Venison Kielbasa, Alligator Bites, Stuffed Clam

Wild Boar Slider (top), Pheasant Salad (bottom)

Clockwise from right: Venison Meatloaf, Sliced Venison Roast w/ Cognac Sauce, Rosemary Red Potatoes

Pheasant Marsala w/Prosciutto (top), Pheasant Cutlet Romano

Clockwise from upper-left: Roast Duck w/Honey/Soy Sauce, Cabbage & Baby Carrots, Corned Venison

-The Sweet and Sweaty

Date night doesn’t always need to mean candlelit, upscale, French or Italian cuisine, dressing formal, or requiring a quiet and/or romantic atmosphere. More often than not, the equation should just include having great food, drinks, service, conversation, laughs, and a casual evening.

We have the exact remedy: Saybrook Fish House in Rocky Hill, CT. Stepping inside does feel like the hull of a ship or your typical seafood shanty, but there is much more beneath the surface. Cozy is a four letter word you’ll embrace at Saybrook Fish House.

It begins with a smile from your server who will ease you into your evening with an over-sized martini or glass of wine.

The Sweaty one cannot resist their dirty martini with its obscene amount of olives and olive juice. The Sweet one’s favorite on the other hand is the Mud-tini, basically a mudslide done ‘up’ vs. frozen and watered down to oblivion. The Mudtini isn’t on their Fall/Winter cocktail menu, and even though they said they’ll make it any time of year, we experimented with the Fall/Winter Pumpkin martini substitution. Thumbs all the way up!

Dinner includes a very robust basket of bread. We know, this is an old school standard. But, we were psyched on it as our usual gastropub and trendy adventures never include this good ol’ American, carb-loading classic.

We love appetizers, but we know to save belly space for what’s next: Saybrook Fish House’s, again-included-with dinner, house salad. Did someone just say “Whoopty doo?” Listen, their salad commands your attention. It’s overwhelming fresh ingredients are never tarnished and their homemade dressing comes straight from the house-dressing gods. We’re talking champagne vinaigrette & creamy garlic dressing in separate jars that you mix yourself, into heavenly bliss. We finish it all every time…

Oh yeah, and then the dinner was good too. Goodnight!

That’s what we’re talking about here though folks, we haven’t even gotten to the main course and we’re already happy campers. And no, they’re not just pulling an Olive Garden fast one where you come for the breadsticks and salad, but just say ‘meh’ to the meal.

The specials are normally top notch with fish, crab cake, and/or surf and turf delights which are difficult to pass up. We decided to stick with their set menu this time and dive into the Bouillabaisse and Fish & Chips.

The bouillabaisse* had a plentiful melange of all the seafood you would expect, with noticeably larger cuts of crab and lobster. You could tell the freshness with this as well as there was no setting of oil in the broth and the sodium levels were kept in check. *Pic featured at top of article.

The menu stated that the fish and chips were breaded and cooked to order, which the texture and taste confirmed! The fries were also fresh, and the coleslaw with it’s incorporation of red bell pepper was more than satisfying.

We would both go with these entrees again and can’t wait until next time to venture into the menu even more!

We skipped coffee and dessert, and took home their complimentary fruit plate. Since it was packaged up, we didn’t get a pic. Believe us though, it’s a great offering and always a perfect addition to breakfast the morning after. We’re talking two of each: cantaloupe slices, honey dew melon slices, strawberries, and pineapple – and like with everything else at Saybrook, extremely fresh. It’s totally unnecessary, but Saybrook ends your meal with it every time, even if you ask ahead about taking it to go!

Note: if you can’t get a sitter or the parents to come by, Saybrook Fish House is also very kid friendly. Heck, you could even make it a family Valentine’s Date there and you’d be happy you did it. Tip: the crayons and paper table covers are adult friendly as well. We have never been ashamed to spread a little wax color there either… enjoy!

-The Sweet and Sweaty

Saybrook Fish House
2165 Silas Deane Highway Rocky Hill, CT 06067
@SaybrookFishHouse
#SaybrookCT

With just a little over a week to go before the big game, we were struck with the idea to have a little get together.  Even though our beloved Philadelphia Eagles have been ousted and we don’t have a horse in the race, we couldn’t resist the idea of gathering a few of our friends to eat lots of delicious snacks and to crack open a few tasty beverages.  Especially because there are so many party perfect recipes that have caught our eye over the last few months.  Since we’re only a small group, and our guests will definitely bring treats of their own, we may have to whittle down the menu, but here are the recipes currently in the running!

First up we have Dips… Who doesn’t love a good dip? Hot or cold, it doesn’t matter to us.  Rather than stick with our usual go-to dips, we are excited to try something new.  The two recipes at the top of our list both come from a blog that we LOVE… Well Plated by Erin. This site offers great recipes and beautiful pictures. We’ve includes a few shots from the site along with the links to the recipes below in case any of you feel inspired to give them a try too!

Roasted Red Pepper Parmesan Dip – This one caught our eye due to its simplicity and the fact that it is a healthier option than our usual choices. And even though we do not typically gravitate towards bean dips (not a favorite of the Sweet one), we’re excited to step outside out comfort zone and give this a try!

Photo Credit: Roasted Red Pepper Parmesan Dip from Well Plated by Erin

Next up for the hot option… Loaded Baked Potato Dip. This one also looks delicious and unlike anything we have ever made. We’re certainly going to follow the instructions listed to serve this one hot.

Photo Credit: Loaded Baked Potato Dip from Well Plated by Erin

NOTE: For those who are interested in our old standbys… Classic Spinach Dip in a Bread Bowl as a cold option & Warm Artichoke Dip for a hot choice.  The recipe we use for the latter comes from the ‘Best of the Best from New England Cookbook‘, a book we bought years ago. Not sure if we have ever made anything else from this book, but this artichoke dip is a consistent crowd pleaser! On the off chance that anyone out there has this cookbook or knows someone who does, please comment on this post with your favorite recipes from this book.

After the dip, always comes the apps! So far, we are only considering one new recipe, because we couldn’t possibly throw a football party without Pigs in a Blanket, and since we’re only a small group, we don’t want to go too far overboard. The app we are excited to try is Creamy Spanakopita Tarts from With Salt and Wit, another great blog that we follow. This particular recipe inspired us because Spanakopita is an absolute favorite of the Sweet one. Her mom has made an appetizer version for years, but due to the complexity of working with phyllo dough we have never tried it at home.  This recipes uses frozen phyllo tarts and therefore takes away that major pain point.

Photo Credit: Creamy Spanakopita Tarts from With Salt and Wit

For the main course, the Sweaty one is insisting that Chili be served, but rather than treat our guests to our favorite, tried and true Rachael Ray recipe for Indian Summer Turkey Chili, we’ve decided to do something crazy (and a little frightening).

A bit of background, several years ago (maybe 2002 or 2003 season), our Eagles were trying to go all the way, and we decided to have a football party (very unusual for us when one of our favorite teams is involved, as the Sweet one is very superstitious when it comes to sports). Back then we were true novices in the kitchen, yet we decided that we wanted to craft our own Chili recipe.  So we researched and researched, we must have read hundreds of recipes for inspiration, and drafted up the recipe you see below.  So why is this so frightening you ask? Because after that day in football history when we made this chili and fed it to our 15-20 guests, we never made it again.

Until now… we’re going to give it another try. Even though the proportions seem a bit off and we’re sure we’ll have to change it up as we go to avoid disaster (we’re already planning on substituting ground turkey), we’re going to use this as the base…  So wish us luck, and if any of you home cooks out there have any recommendations on fixing our proportions, we’d love to hear them!

Happy Party Planning!

-The Sweet and Sweaty

Big Game Chili – Sweet and Sweaty Style

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We survived the first official snowstorm of 2016 and we did it with full bellies thanks to this tasty recipe for Hoisin-Ginger Meatloaf from Eating Well.  This recipe first caught our eye because it married some of our favorite flavors from Asian cooking with our go-to comfort food…  Meatloaf.

So how did meatloaf become such a staple in our menu rotation when, believe it or not, I (the Sweet one), didn’t even try it for the first time until I was in my early 20’s. We owe that to Rachael Ray and an episode of 30 Minute Meals which aired nearly 15 years ago  and featured a recipe for Turkey and Wild Mushroom Meatloaf Patties with Pan Gravy. A recipe (and a show) that inspired a passion for cooking in our household which has continued to grow over the years. NOTE: We still love this recipe and if you like mushrooms and meatloaf, we urge you to give it a try. If you do want to try it and are interested in any tips, let us know by commenting on this post. We’re happy to share ’em!

As we mentioned before, we’re relatively strict recipe followers. So,the goal of our posts is not to create our own culinary masterpieces, but rather to share our experiences trying new dishes and learning new techniques.  Our hope is to encourage others to try ’em too. We’re certainly not professional chefs (or photographers) and we know that you aren’t either, so we’re here to help empower people of all skill levels to feel to take control in the kitchen!

Ok, back to the meatloaf… for this recipe we stuck pretty close to the original ingredient list.  We did add an extra 1/3 lb of pork (because that was what was available at the store) and left out the water chestnuts. We also used instant brown rice to help shortcut the time – this was an extremely simple and successful substitution.

In terms of the prep, the recipe suggests using a cuisinart to finely chop the veggies (mushrooms, red bell pepper, ginger root, scallions & water chestnuts). However, based on a previous experience with bell peppers turning to mush in the cuisinart, we decided to chop our pepper by hand along with the scallions. And we grated our ginger root using a handheld grater. We did however take the suggestion to chop our mushrooms in the cuisinart, and definitely recommend this if you have one available. We went with a coarse chop on the mushrooms as we like our meatloaf to have a bit of texture.  Here are a few shots to help you get an idea of the size of our pieces.

Since we knew we would be incorporating the ground turkey and ground pork, wanted to be sure to get a good mix of ingredients, without overworking the meatloaf, so we gave all of the ingredients a good mix before adding the meat, which we added in 2 batches.

One thing that we like about recipes from Eating Well is that they provide very clear and detailed instructions. This continued to be the case as the recipe instructed us to form a 12″ x 5″ loaf on our baking sheet.  Since we were working with a bit of extra pork, ours was slightly larger. But even so, the suggested 3TB of hoisin sauce provided to be enough to cover the entire loaf with a thin layer.

And then it was into the oven it went. As suggested we checked the internal temperature using a meat thermometer after 45 minutes and were still about 20 degrees shy of the 165 degree target, so we put it back in the oven for an additional 6 minutes before checking again.  While we were closer to our target, we put it back in for 6 more minutes which completed the process, and actually put us a little bit over the target temperature (perhaps we should’ve checked after 3 more minutes). We let the meatloaf rest for several minutes before cutting it into 14 slices, which we divided into 7 portions – 3 fewer than what Eating Well recommended and 1 shy of our target of 8. Next time, we’ll go for thinner slices which should help us get 8 portions.

Overall both of us enjoyed this dish and will definitely try it again. Next time we may consider adding a little extra ginger and possibly a clove of garlic. We would also consider pulling together an asian bbq sauce for dipping. Definitely not necessary, but would be a nice addition for those who are used to enjoying their meatloaf with a gravy or dipping it in ketchup (like the Sweaty one).

Enjoy!

-The Sweet and Sweaty

EVERYTHING!  It’s true! Whether it’s wings, tenders, pizza, or even calamari, if it’s covered with buffalo sauce, then it’s headed straight for our stomachs. Trust us, it’s no coincidence that our blog is named after a buffalo wing flavor from a favorite college bar.

Want to know what else we love? Casseroles! Why? Because anything that can be prepared once and yields 6 servings or more is bound to be a hit in our household.  So imagine our delight when we found this awesome recipe for Buffalo Chicken Casserole from PaleOMG. In fact, this particular recipe ended up on our radar because the main ingredient is spaghetti squash – an ingredient we have been itching to try at home.

This perfect combination of hot saucy goodness + spaghetti squash intrigue was just the push we needed. If you saw our Facebook page earlier this week, you know that we had been planning for days.

As you will learn through our documented at-home culinary adventures, we typically stick to the recipe (at least the first time). The only time we’ll stray is if we have to make necessary substitutions or to enhance an already delicious recipe with some of our own flair.  In the case of this recipe, we did not have ground chicken, so a necessary swap for 99% fat free ground turkey took place. We also added extra carrots, celery and onion – something we do regularly because you really can’t go wrong with extra veggies. We also skipped the avocado. Not because we don’t like it, just because we weren’t going to use the whole thing!

When it came to preparing the squash, we will admit to feeling a little bit overwhelmed. While it seemed simple enough, there are a few different ways and all of the recommendations vary slightly (what temperature for the oven, whole vs. half, steam vs. no steam, cover vs. no cover, how many minutes). Even the sticker that came on the squash from the grocery store offered recommendations.

We decided to stick with the recommendation of one of our favorite sites: the kitchn. They have an amazing and detailed (yet simple) article on How To Cook Spaghetti Squash in the Oven. This article is complete with beautiful pictures, simple instructions, and even a video!  We selected the steaming method and chose to roast our squash in halves, removing the seeds before roasting.

As we had received many warnings from others about how overcooking a spaghetti squash can ruin it, we tested it after only 25 minutes before letting it cook for another 5 minutes of so. We were less concerned about it being slightly under cooked since we knew we would be baking it for an hour, but likely would’ve cooked it for a few more minutes if that weren’t the case.

We were pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to turn the squash into noodles. The biggest recommendation is to let it cool for 5-10 minutes, otherwise you will definitely burn your fingers!

Upon initial review of the recipe, our other top concern was how all of the ingredients were going to fit and get mixed together in an 8×8 pan. For this reason we decided to mix everything together in the skillet after it had been removed from the heat.  It gave more space in to ensure that all ingredients were incorporated together. There was no way that we were going to fit all of our buffalo chicken goodness in an 8×8 pan, we ended up using the 10×14 pan we used to roast the squash.  This yielded a flatter casserole than what Julie Bauer intended, but it worked out a-ok for us!

After an hour in the oven, we were ready to dig in and we were not disappointed! The casserole tasted great – a bit spicy, so if you are more sensitive to spice, you may want to use less than the full cup of hot sauce. We passed blue cheese dressing at the table to cool things down, although a great recommendation would be to add a few blue cheese crumbles on top (though this original recipe is Paleo friendly, we don’t follow any type of strict diet – we just eat things that taste good and try to enjoy everything in moderation).

Overall we really enjoyed this dish, and found it to be just as tasty (if not even a bit better) the next day. The instructions were simple and clear and it was not too complex. We definitely wouldn’t tackle this on a work night simply due to the number of steps, but it is perfect for Sunday dinner!

And now that we have officially conquered spaghetti squash, we are ready to tackle a few more of these spaghetti squash recipes from PaleOMG.

Enjoy!

-The Sweet and Sweaty