Macaroni Grill Bread with Rosemary

This is a replica of the bread served at the Macaroni Grill. We think it's yummy and we make it a lot. Schuyler has many tasty recipes that I need to get from him and post on here. So, more to come!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons rosemary
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Place yeast, sugar and water in large bowl or food processor and allow mixture to become bubbly. Mix in 1 T butter, salt, and 2 cups of flour. Add one tablespoon of the fresh chopped rosemary. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or in food processor about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add more flour if necessary. Oil a bowl, put dough in it and cover with a towel. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled. Punch down dough and divide in half. Let dough rest about 5 minutes. Spray baking pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray. Shape the dough into 2 small rounded oval loaves. Sprinkle remaining 1 Tablespoon of rosemary over the loaves and press lightly into the surface. Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375° F.Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Carefully remove from oven, brush with remaining butter (and salt if desired.).

Citrus Stir Fry

I actually don't know what to call this. I suggested "Tom's Stir Fry" to Tom, but it was rejected, and since he isn't here, I've named it myself. I asked him to email me the recipe and this is what I got:

ingredients must be fresh.

garlic
ginger
green onion
soy sauce
honey
lime and/or orange juice (fresh squeeze)
black pepper
shredded carrots
broccoli
bean sprouts
sliced almonds
tofu

serve over brown rice

That's it. I'm sure everyone could figure it all out, but basically, in a wok combine all of the first set of ingredients. You can use shredded chicken instead of tofu, but you should really try the tofu. It's super good. Buy the Extra Firm Cubed kind. I have pictures of this, but my camera was stolen out of my purse! I'm so sad about it. Anyway, I'm in Utah and he's in California, but when he makes it again, and I'm there, I will post a picture.

There were a lot of recipes I could have chosen from. Tom is a great cook and always willing. He never just sits while anyone is cooking. He always offers to help. And the best part... he does the dishes at my house every night. They're not even his dishes!

Proper BBQ Etiquette

I know this is the converse of what we're celebrating this month, but enjoy this anyway.

We are about to enter into Summer and BBQ season so therfore, it is important to remember the proper etiquette for this wonderful outdoor cooking activity.

1. The woman buys the food.
2. The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
3. The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - Soda in hand.Here comes the important part:
4. THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.More routine....
5. The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
6. The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another soda while he deals with the situation.Important again:
7. THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.More routine....
8. The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins,sauces, and brings them to the table.
9. After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.And most important of all:
10. Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.
11. The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her night off.' And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women....

Pork & Fruit Kabobs

Father's Day was great! We ate shishkabobs (not these ones, but these are our favorite). Mark was nice enough to cook them for himself :). I assemble, Mark grills. Lucky for me, he grills most nights because he's great at it and then I can have some fun with the side dishes. After all the times we've made these, I still haven't found the perfect side dish (in addition to rice). If you have suggestions there, pass them on.

Pork & Fruit Kabobs

1 lb pork tenderloin
3/4 cup apricot preserves
2/3 cup scallions, minced
1/3 cup tamari
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tsp. hot chili oil
4 medium boiling onions, cut in 1/2
8 1-inch cubes fresh pineapple
1 medium orange, cut into 8 parts
1 green pepper, cut into 8 parts
2 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

Trim fat from pork; cut into 16 1-inch cubes. Combine pork and next 5 ingredients (through oil) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 2 hours. Remove pork from bag, reserve marinade. Alternating items, thread pork cubes, onion halves, bell pepper pieces, pineapple cubes and orange pieces onto 4 12-inch skewers. Place kabobs on grill. Grill 5-7 minutes on each side until pork is done, basting with reserve marinade.

I'm breaking the rules and posting 2 recipes in this post at Mark's credit. His most recent enjoyment with cooking is in simple pleasures with things like herbed butter and mayonnaise. The new favorite is Chipotle Mayonnaise on hamburgers.

Chipotle Mayonnaise

1 cup mayonnaise
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
1 tsp. adobo sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and let blend at least 10 minutes.

This recipe is representative of one of the things I love about Mark. He's happy with simple things. Reminds me of the time he was so delighted with some new boots we bought him that he laced them up and slept in them the first night. We laughed together then and we still laugh together about it now.

June's Recipe Theme

Because it's Father's Day this month, let's celebrate those great guys in our lives!

I know most of you do most of the cooking in your houses, but I'm sure that each of your guys has a specialty that you can be proud of (or maybe it's something just they can be proud of). Some of you will have more to choose from than others, I'm sure! If your guy makes a mean PB&J, tell us about it. Maybe, he's a master at the barbecue. I'm expecting Doug's rice and eggs from Shellie - I love it! While you're at it, tell us what makes that guy so great and why you appreciate more than just his abilities in the kitchen.