But, I’m thinking of spicing it up a little.

Cranberry sauce–the real stuff–is ridiculously easy. To the point where I have no idea why anyone would eat the stuff with aluminum-can indentations in it.

Get thee a bag of fresh (NOT FROZEN!) cranberries. Maybe two. Add sugar to your taste. 1/2 cup or so for tart, 3/4 cup if you like it sweeter. Boil 15-20 minutes. The cranberries will do this really cool popping thing. Let that happen. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking and burning.

Chill that sucker. Boom. Done. Almost as easy as opening a can and way tastier.

This year, though I want to add some new ingredients. Nothing shocking. A little pomegranate juice, some orange zest and ground ginger.

Here’s where I get a little crazy. What would you think if I took this concoction, put it on a slice of angel food cake and served it as dessert with a drizzle of The Pioneer Woman’s Hard Sauce (also known in Britain as brandy butter)?

Am I crazy? Or does this sound divine? I think it does but really, I have no idea. I’ve never eaten cranberry sauce as a dessert. I’ve never had hard sauce.

I’ll let you know if I’m laughed right out of Thanksgiving dinner. But really, I doubt that’ll happen. I think it’s more likely that I’ll be kicked out after the hard sauce is gone.

So, what are you cooking this week?

Happy Thanksgiving, nibblers!

Okay, okay, so it was my fault. No, Kalamata Jenn’s fabulous guest post did not jinx me to never post again! I say, let’s skip the requisite excuses and get back to nomming, shall we?

I’m not the only one making a prodigal return! Last night, the Tuesday Night dinner crew gave the new Sauced in the Paseo district a second chance.

As you may recall from my previous review, Sauced was not a place I was fond of. I wanted to be. I really, really wanted to be. But the devil-may-care attitude toward service and burnt pizza made it very difficult.

Due to the owners’ personal circumstances, the restaurant closed. And then, like a hero in the night, the owners of the Paseo Grill across the street swooped in and scooped up the successful pizza joint for a re-vamp.

I must say, they’ve done a fabulous job. They unknowingly followed my advice to the letter and maintained the spirit that was Sauced. The changes they’ve made to the restaurant focus mainly on the food and the service.

But let’s start with aesthetics. Most of the things we loved about Sauced are the same. Tons of outdoor seating, now complete with nicer chairs and tables, fire pits and heating towers galore to extend the outdoor season as long as possible. The fountain has sadly been filled in, but in the busy seasons, we’ll probably appreciate the extra seating.

However, in what I see as a show of their commitment to Sauced’s bohemian spirit, they didn’t just keep the aesthetics intact, they added to them. The walls in both the main dining area and the annex are now adorned with stunning, colorful artwork in a graffiti style, painted by a local artist.

Now, back to what really matters: the food. Fans of a purist nature may find the style of pizza slightly different from the New York style thin crust of the original Sauced. Whatever northern secrets make this style so delicious failed miserably here in the Midwest. The original Sauced pizza tasted more like mall pizza than New York pizza.

The new Sauced pie is still thin but thick enough to ensure it won’t be burned into tasteless cardboard. We tried the margarita and the Full Monty (loaded with meat) and they were both excellent. Just the right blend of sauce and cheese with plenty of toppings. Let me put it this way: I don’t care for meat on my pie. Take that however you’d like. That’s just how I am. Yet, I still found the Full Money to be delicious and I’m looking forward to having leftovers tomorrow.

Prices are a little higher but I’m certainly willing to pay for quality. By-the-slice is only available in your standard cheese, pepperoni and sausage varieties. And, they’re still working on getting their liquor license but the staff promised to have plenty of handcrafted beers on the menu when they do.

But the menu is varied, interesting and full of surprises. You’ll want to come back more than once to try all the options. And while you can build your own pies, there are specialties that make it easy to get what you need without discovering a host of missing ingredients.

By and large, the biggest change at Sauced is the attitude of the staff. We were greeted immediately by bright, friendly folks who demonstrated an obvious passion for the food. Most, if not all of the staff came to the annex to make sure we were okay, enjoying our meal and didn’t need anything.

It’s amazing how quickly you can win over a foodie with a delicious pizza and a smile.

So, I say unto you: if ever you scorned the previous Sauced, go forth and retry the pie. You won’t be sorry!

When my partner and I want to take each other on a ‘date’ (i.e. leave the house for something besides cat litter) our favorite meal activity is brunch. And then we get the litter on the way home.

Ah, brunch. The bastard child of breakfast and lunch, somehow this meal has transcended its stuffed-shirt parents: its name implies a decadent, satisfying, and unhurried mid-day meal. And, of course, an excuse to drink in the morning.

And come on, it’s a great word. The word brunch can be used as a noun (Look at this brunch I’m eating!), a verb (So we were brunching when the meteor hit.), an adjective (These are absolutely brunch potatoes, because they have rosemary on them.), and a command: Brunch! Okay the last one hasn’t really caught on yet, but if my dog ever learns it he is going to be ROLLING in milk bones.

Around the OKC metro, we have some fantastic brunch options. I want to give a shout-out to a few of my favorites (below). Also, I’m vegetarian. Yes it’s relevant.

La Baguette- (7408 N May Ave. ~ Sunday brunch 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Breakfast available everyday.) A classic and our hands-down favorite, this bistro offers DELICIOUS crepes, omelets, and a really great cup of coffee. While you wait for your main dish, you can enjoy what the French have for breakfast most days- simple but good quality bread, butter, and fruit preserves. Quality rules here. Just say oui!

Picasso’s on Paseo- (3009 Paseo Dr. ~ Sunday brunch 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.) Newest of this list and awesome. They have a great fruit crepe special and they serve you DIY mimosas (they give you the juice and bubbly separately so you can mix to your preference).  I love the atmosphere in the Paseo, and I can’t remember what else they serve because the crepes are so good I always get them.

Café Do Brasil- (440 NW 11^th St., Suite 100 ~ Saturday and Sunday brunch 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. ) Some delicious dishes with a south-of-the-equator twist. I’m not sure what spices they use in the beans, but whoa mama. They have a number of vegetarian brunch dishes and $3 zing zang bloody marys. Just be careful and don’t drink a Brazilian of ‘em!

Red Cup- (3122 N Classen Blvd. ~ Sunday brunch 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Breakfast served everyday until 11:00 a.m.) no booze here, but I love their breakfast burrito so much I would co-sign on its next car loan, even after reviewing its rocky credit history. Fresh salsa, seasoned black beans, all kinds of goodness. I love that the Red Cup has switched to an all-vegetarian menu, by the way, although eating somewhere with more than two veggie options was a little paralyzing at first. (What do I do????)

The Boom- (2218 NW 39^th St.) Drag queens. Gospel music. Bloody Mary bar. Need I say more? Oh, I do? Well, my meat-eating friends also raved about the Eggs Benedict here. Raved. I’ve only been here once but it was so much fun. It was on my birthday and so they served me communion- Schnapps, obviously. The show was truly hilarious; this is a great place to go with a group.

Ingrid’s Kitchen- (3701 N Youngs ~ Saturday breakfast buffet 8:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Sunday brunch buffet 9:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.) So when I tell other vegetarians that I enjoy eating brunch at Ingrid’s, they usually look at me skeptically, like maybe I’m a spy from Planet Beef. The vegetarian options are definitely fewer than the meat options, but it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet so you won’t leave hungry. A little fruit on cottage cheese, a little authentic German potato dish, a trip or twelve to the dessert bar. Like you do. There are plenty of delicious options for those wanting to eat healthy or not-so-healthy. Even better, it just feels really friendly here. The last time I ate here I saw a table of firefighters next to a post-church family outing next to a table of hungover hipsters- truly the world passes before you.

So- there are some standout options for those occasions when brunching out (see, verb) is what you want to do (and I’m probably missing a LOT of really good ones so let me know if your favorite isn’t on this list). Enjoy them in good health, or I guess it’s okay if you’re not in good health as long as you’re not contagious in public. Happy brunching!

Pickle: Well, what now?
Tatertot: We need to clean the kitchen.
Pickle: I was hoping you’d forget.
Tatertot: Haha
…a few minutes later…
Tatertot: I don’t feel like cleaning the kitchen. Let’s leave it.
Pickle: But we really need to; we won’t be home tomorrow night
Tatertot: *sigh* Okay, come on.
Pickle: *dejected* Really?

We both laugh ourselves silly. It’s nice being married to someone as equally motivated…or as lazy, as I am.

For the record, we did the dishes.

Are you interested in learning about minimalist cooking? Would you consider virtual cooking lessons? Then head over to the brand new Stonesoup Virtual Cookery School! Stonesoup is a minimalist cooking blog that I love and from which I learned the cold oil french fry technique. I think it’s so cool that this awesome Aussie cook is using the power of the web to share her knowledge with others.

If you’re interested in taking cooking lessons but can’t seem to find the time, you’ve got to check this out!

Thing 2:

A message to the restaurant industry. RE: Salads.

I’m happy to pay $10 for a salad full of local freshness. But I’m so sick and tired of paying ANYTHING for a salad of nothing but greens, a few wafer thin shredded carrots and a single grape tomato. Even if you throw some strawberries, walnuts or sprouts on there, the salad is still just BLAH.

It’s why I rarely eat salads out. So I decided that Pickle and I were going to make an effort to make more salads at home. We’re going to make them for lunch so that we can’t get trapped in that dinner cycle of “a salad really doesn’t go with that” or “we really have enough food” ad nauseum until the greens go bad.

So restaurants, THIS is what a salad should look like:

Both salads have romaine lettuce, spinach, chopped tomatoes, carrots and celery. Matt’s has cucumbers, soynuts and crutons. Mine has green peppers, freshly grated parmesan cheese and blueberry juice infused craisins. (I wanted dried blueberries but couldn’t find them)

I can’t wait for lunch!

Saturn Grill has been an Oklahoma City staple since 2002. It’s one of the first places I can remember going out to eat with my OKC friends in the early days when I was first climbing out of my self-imposed Norman exile.

The place has a magical quality to it, thanks mostly to it’s whimsical decor. I’m thrilled to hear about the new location in Quail Springs and I can’t wait to see if it’s as uniquely decorated as the Nichols Hills original.

But the original location was where we found ourselves last night. First, we started our order with the important things: a cookie and a beer. Okay and a lemonade for Pickle.

Then Kalamata Jenn had to figure out how to get both our numbers in the holder. She kept pushing ours out which we found highly objectionable. Luckily we all still got our food and no one was hurt.

I ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich but I had them switch the honey mustard for mayo. (Making mustard sweet is an abomination in my book) I went ahead and subbed a side salad for the potato salad because it just sounded better. The sandwich was divine. The pita was soft and fluffy and the chicken had a lovely flavor. Much more flavor and interest than your average grilled chicken sandwich.

The salad I was disappointed with but this was my own fault. I forgot to ask for the dressing on the side. I prefer my salads nearly dry. Otherwise, the lettuce was crisp and the Parmesan was fresh and delicious. And fresh cracked pepper? Yum!

Oh and check out the homemade pickles that came with my sandwich. If you couldn’t tell, the way to my heart is with pickles.

Pickle ordered the daily special: Braised Leg of Lamb which came with couscous, veggies and some of the same fresh pita that topped my sandwich. The price was high but so was the taste. Pickle definitely made a happy plate.

The service was excellent with staff going above and beyond for us. But one thing Saturn Grill does exceptionally well is presentation. It’s not something you see much of at this price range but every dish was as delicious to look at as it was to eat.

There’s a reason these guys have been around for a long time. They always offer fresh, delicious and unique dishes with consistency and style.

My dear sweet Pickle is horribly plagued by allergies and that kept us from heading out to the Oklahoma State Fair this weekend. Instead, we got some folks together and headed to Sean Cummings Irish Pub in NW Oklahoma to ply my disappointment with Irish beer. If you haven’t been to Sean Cummings, you haven’t had Irish food in Oklahoma City.

As it turns out, we didn’t miss out on anything! In honor of the State Fair, they had some pretty amazing specials. For dinner, they had Irish Corndogs: bangers in batter, fried and put on a stick.

I passed on the bangers, though in favor of the fish and chips. This was pretty monumental. I strongly dislike fish. I can tolerate a well-flavored Mahi-Mahi or Ahi Tuna because they have more of a steak-like texture. Almost everything else that comes out of the sea is inedible to me.

But it seemed so wrong not to go to an Irish restaurant and not eat fish and chips with my Irish beer. Plus, I’m a firm believer in continuing to try things you think you don’t like. You never know when your tastes will change.

So, I tried the fish. And I loved it. Like really loved it, not just tolerated it. I’m pretty sure this it just because, really, if you fried a branch in that batter I’d probably eat it. Don’t expect me to put Red Lobster on my regular rotation any time soon.

But still, I ate fish and I liked it! Stranger things have happened.

That’s all well and good, but I didn’t stop there. I still hadn’t had fair food, yet. Turns out, they had me covered. I had to choose between fried cheesecake on a stick or fried cream cheese on a stick. Tough choice. The latter was described as a little less sweet, so after I garnered empty promises from my tablemates to help me eat it, I ordered the fried cream cheese.

Needless to say, it was perfect. Not too sweet, but creamy and crunchy in all the right ways. Paired with a syrup glaze and walnuts, I realized I should’ve just ordered this for my meal.

Everyone tried to help me but at the end of the day, half the stick was still left on the plate. I’m okay with that. My arteries are definitely okay with it. It was another amazing meal at Sean Cummings and I went home satiated and not at all sad about skipping the state fair for the weekend.

The fair is going to be around the rest of the week, of course so if I make it out there, I promise to have more foods on a stick to share with you. But just remember, if your dinner is just a little blah, there’s only one solution. Fry it and put it on a stick.

I’ve only been to Beatnix a few times but if I’m hankering for coffee, smoothies or good cafe food near work, this is where I go.

Not only are they cute, inside and out, but when it comes to service and friendliness, Beatnix won me over before I even set foot in the place.

Sadly, this had more to do with their competitor’s missteps. I’m one of the many people who have had terrible experiences with Coffee Slingers, which is just around the corner. You can read more about them on their Urban Spoon page. So, I was pre-destined to prefer Beatnix. But when I did finally go, it became less about what the competitor did wrong and more about what Beatnix does right.

So Beatnix doesn’t have to work hard to look good in this neighborhood, but they sure seem to work hard anyway. Check out my Beatnix T-Bird and Strawberry Smoothie! Yum!

And Mel had the Beatnix BLT with tomato basil soup. It looked delicious and she confirmed that it was!

It was a filling, delicious lunch and I can’t wait to go back and try something new.