Fat Bob's Corvette (Dive) Bar in PA

FAT BOB'S CORVETTE BAR GRILLE RESTAURANT! What more can I say, that name says it all. Matt and I were on a trip to a wedding this past weekend and were driving through Pennsylvania looking for a bite. Trip Advisor pulled up Fat Bob's along with great reviews,only told 10 mins down the road from Hershey, how could we go wrong.
We opened the door and it was like the wild west, a tumble weed blew by. It was just a bar, no a dive bar,  with a few scatterd tables poorly lit, no patrons and only one guy serving. He had on a T shirt that said "Townie", he looked kinda pissed we were even there. He asked us what the hell we wanted... "ummm food and beer." I squeaked out.

He told us to take a seat at the bar and he suggested that we try some local beers. He carded us and shouted, "What the hell are you doing down here all the way from Connecticut?" We sipped our local beer and slowly we became more and more comfortable with the barkeep and the dingy dive bar.

When I ordered the grilled cheese he shouted at me "What you are not 5! Get a real meal!"  He basically forced Matt to order the fries with bacon and cheese. In the end we were really happy with the food. It was greasy, cheesy and horrible for you but it was DAMN GOOD!

The atmosphere was the best part. We came around to really liking the creepy server and talked about a large variety of subjects from Hellboy to Snookie. At one point, I kid you not, we even talked about how to kill a man. Wow, okay.
In the end we ended up hugging the man who forced fed us and yelled at us for the past hour and a half. He told us that we need to come back on our way back through but NOT on Sunday, he doesnt work Sunday.

We may have to stop by again, on the way out we noticed that they had an award for Best Wings in PA.
Such an experiance, Try it if you dare!

3 out of 5 Dive forks!

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g30045-d821715-Reviews-Fat_Bob_s_Corvette_Bar_Grille-Annville_Pennsylvania.html

Jalapeno Corn Bread

I subscribe to THE FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE, last Sunday I was thumbing through and stopped on a recipe for Jalapeno Corn Bread. I though to myself, hmmm I think I have everything in my kitchen to make this right now... I should do it!
Later that afternoon I attacked! My only problem was I only had fresh jalapenos not pickled, so I sauteed them in a little olive oil to soften them.

Then I tried my hand at the bread. Not sure how many of you know this but I am not the best baker ever, too much measuring. However this recipe seemed pretty easy. I had to substitute the yellow cornmeal for white but other then that everything else was already in my cabinets. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, eggs... don't even ask me why I happen to have buttermilk in the fridge, that was just lucky.

 The key player in this recipe is a good strong cast iron pan, the kind passed down from generation to generation. Or just picked up at your local tag sale or HomeGoods. Butter that sucker up, sprinkle on some cornmeal and you are good to add the batter. Use some of the jalapenos for the batter, just chop them up and toss them in. Poor the batter into the pan and then top with the rest of the jalapenos.

Cook in preheated oven at 450 for about 25 minutes. When it is nice and golden take it out and let it sit for a few.

 Ta-Dah! Jalapeno Cornbread!
See Food Network.com for the recipe and much more!
3 1/2 out of 5 forks!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/jalapeno-cornbread-recipe/index.html

The Little Grill That Could

Our little red charcoal grill is on fire! Summer is here and we have begun to cook outside!
A few weeks ago we emptied our freezer and grilled up anything we could find. Sausage, chicken, burgers you name it. There is nothing better then the taste and smell of a back yard cook out.  What we couldn't eat we put in Tupperware and stored it for leftovers.

 Last weekend my lovely mother-in-law, Shari came to visit us. Matt and I wanted to show off our back yard and grill so Shish Kabob was on the menu!
Shari doesn't eat red meat so we thought tons of shrimp and veggies would be the way to go. Seasoned with some cumin, olive oil and paprika we threaded those bad boys and grilled them up. As for the vegetables those were sprinkled with a bit of garlic salt and some vegetable season medley I had gotten as a stocking stuffer last Christmas from Shari. Mushrooms, bell peppers and red onions were added to the grill.
For a side we pan grilled some black beans with jalapeno's and garlic and added a dollop of sour cream for a cooling agent. I also had some nice soft Italian bread from Stop and Shop, so I made up some quick large chunk garlic bread.

It is so much fun to grill outside in the back yard with family, fireflies and the bats. Summer, we missed you!
4 out of 5 forks!

Brazilian Meat-fest!

There is nothing like it! You are sitting at your table and the waiter comes around and askes you if you want any sides? At first you are like, sure, lets have some veggies and mashed potatoes.... Oh fried bananas sounds good! He takes the order and directs you to the "salad bar".
I am talking about lunch at Plataforma, a Brazilian restaurant on 49th street in New York. I have to tell you, if you are looking for a true new dining experience you have to try this place! Iam jumping the gun here, everything sounds pretty normal up until now.
The salad bar is a salad bar in name alone, there is risotto, tortellini, Chinese rice, scalloped potatoes, olives, cheese, beans, prosciutto wrapped around broccoli rabe, fish even salad for those who just had to have it.

Then it comes, the MEAT! Meat on skewers and swords! Skirt steak, flank steak, garlic steak, chicken, sausage,you name it! They bring it to you and ask if you want some, sure you say. They carve you a slice right there in front of you. You can see the juice dripping off each cut as they have you pull off the slice onto your plate.

And it doesn't stop! one by one they bring the meat around and you try all of it! WHY NOT?! Amazing cuts and they are grilled perfectly. If you want a more rare slice they cut your part from the top, if you want it well done, from the bottom. Mouthwatering! Brilliant!
It doesn't stop until you have completely had enough and turn your little coaster from green AKA- "Bring it on" to Red AKA- "OH STOP, I CANT DO ANYMORE!" ha!

 The only way to end it was with a dash of sorbet served in the fruit of the flavor you ordered. perfection!

Go if you can! It is such a fun and tasty dinning experience!

5 out of 5 Meaty Forks!!!
http://www.churrascariaplataforma.com/

Many thanks to Mike and Chris!

Bier Garden 2012

Everything we cook and eat comes from the earth (well, except space ice cream) so once a year I go back to my foodie roots and create a veggie and herb garden in our backyard. Some years are heartier than others but I have a strong feeling this year is going to rock.
Matthew and I went to our local Home Depot to pick out a few plants. We grabbed 4 tomato plants, 2 jalapeno plants, two tiny salsa chili plants, couple of rosemary, four basil and one thyme plant.

We had to gut and turn the soil in our garden because it had been such a long time since we planted anything and we wanted to start fresh. Adding the new soil and mulch was a lot of fun! GET DIRTY!

In the end it only took about half our Saturday and with the rain coming and the temperature climbing, I am looking forward to seeing the blooming and fruitful progress of Bier Garden 2012! Stay Tuned for updates!

Coney Island Dog of Michigan

For years Matthew has told me about the legend that is the Coney Island Dog of Michigan. He has fond memories of scarfing down multiple hot dogs covered with chili, mustard and onions with his grandpa and cousins, daring each other to eat more and more. Matthew's grandpa (Boppa) still gets excited at the very mention of a trip to the diner. Finally, I can now say that I had the privilege of enjoying the classic Coney Island Dog!

The only way to get it is "over the top" with chili, mustard and onions! The chef lays multiple hot dogs across his arm and adds the toppings like a delicious assembly line. The mustard is applied quickly with a long thin stick and spread across the buns. The chili is next, it is thin and spicy and packed full of flavor. You want cheese, they can do it! Then each dog is crowned with diced onions.  Simple as can be but it knocks you out with flavor!

 BANG! Now that's a good hot dog!

Matt and Alex did 3 each!

Boppa was loving it!

I am so happy I finally got the chance to indulge in this Bier family tradition. Special thanks to Boppa for treating us all! What a blast!

5 out of 5 nostalgic forks!

http://www.mamavickis.com/ordereze/1000/Page.aspx

Early Easter

This year a lot of my family is scattered to the winds on Easter so my Mom and I decided to cook up a ham at my house last Saturday to celebrate early. This was the easiest meal ever! I bought a precooked 10 pound ham for 5 people (yes I am that crazy) and steamed up a few carrots with lemon and butter and Mom took care of the rest.
The ham just jumped off the bone and onto our plates, it was super sweet and juicy.

 Mom brought some classic home made favorites! Green bean casserole with Frenches fried onions and scalloped potatoes!

Then Mom topped it all off with some delicious carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting! Yumm!!! I literally ate mine in under a minute. When it's good it is GOOD! I Don't mess around!
Thanks so much Mom for making Early Easter so sweet!

(Above- Mom, Dad, Grandma Testa and Matt)
5 out of 5 home cooked forks!
Happy Easter!