Roasted Yams w/ Toasted Spice Rub

Old School classic dishes never go out of style. Seriously how many times in life have you heard someone say, “I’m a simple Meat & Potatoes kind of person?”  These kind of people are not hard to please, they do not require pretty little dishes filled with acute ingredients, not at all. They want FOOD, real food that will fill you up and put you to sleep quickly afterword, no muss no fuss.

With our Kitchen Staff gearing up for all of the year-end Holiday madness, that seem to keep us stuck at the table and far from the gym, we wanted to give you a recipe that puts a slight spin on a lovable old classic dish.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes or Yams are easy to make and a great addition to any meal.  The Toasted Spice Rub that you apply only further enhances the natural Earthy flavors and compliments whatever protein you may be having for the evening, whether it be Roasted Turkey Breasts or Maple Glazed Salmon, these babies go the distance.

Kids especially love these as they are a great substitute for French Fries or any other Fried side item kids love so much.

The great thing about the spice rub is that it can go on a wide variety or foods and will hold in a air tight container for roughly 6 months.

Enjoy.

Recipe Of The Day: Smoked Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup, is one of those things that you shouldn't live your life without knowing how to make or at the very least where to get a bowl of it thats worth eating. The weather is getting cold outside which means that it is time to prepare for the colder months that lie ahead. First things first, be smart and fully stock the bar in your house, because as we all know a perfectly blended libation is crucial to any great evening.

Second make sure you stay full of hearty and healthy meals that aren't overly heavy or else you will be asleep as soon as it gets dark outside. This recipe is perfect because its full of spicy flavors, warms you up on those cold days and it goes well with a wide variety of drinks.

The added smooth creamy texture from the avocados and smokey after tastes from the chipotle and cheeses creates a well rounded dish that needs nothing to accompany it but a strong cocktail.
Enjoy this dish like we do with a Hurricane, Rum & Coke, Sangria or Hennessy straight.

Soulful Sunday - "Aint Got The Love Of One Girl (On My Mind)" The Ambassadors

Soulful Sunday - "(It's Not The Express) It's The JB's Monaurail - The JB's

Soulful Sunday - "Givin' Up Food For Funk" The JB's

Soulful Sunday - "Can't Stay Away" - Bootsy Collins

Fried Soft Shell Blue Crab w/ Spicy Homemade Mayo

There can never be too much Seafood on the dinner table, has always been my motto.  Whether it be flash fried, lightly sautéed, grilled, baked, raw or any other method of cooking, Seafood is always welcome in my home. Recently, an old friend of ours ate Soft Shell Blue crab for the first time at a popular sushi spot in Hollywood, fell in love with it and needless to say they hit us up the next day for a recipe they could try out at home.

I mean what’s not to love, delicious crab that has been fried (hopefully with some great seasonings) to perfection alongside a strong mixed drink?  If you have ever been fortunate enough to visit the East Coast then you should know how popular and important these babies are to the environment and ecosystem. Enough of our planet green speech though, you already know what time is on our test kitchen, we try to keep things simple for you at home because we hate to hear that you loved a recipe but hated how long it took to make.

With that said, this recipe is easy, quick and packs a bit of kick with the addition of the homemade Mayo. We like to serve it alongside a seasonal salad w/ candied walnuts and a strong mixed drink such as a Hennessy Black on the rocks or a Seagrams 7 & 7.

Enjoy!

On The Scene... Sportie LA, Melrose, CA

Seafood Bisque w/ Homemade Croutons (Made Easy)

Today is National Seafood Bisque Day. Seafood Bisque is something that mystifies many people because of the deep rich and creamy flavors that come out of the dish. There is nothing like serving up a dish to your family and friends that sounds like it costs an arm & a leg and required hours of painstaking labor in the kitchen. A dish like this does wonders, especially when the weather continues to cool off across Nation.

With this version here you get all of the same hearty flavors at a fraction of the cost and time.

The key to this is to make sure you have all of your ingredients ready at one time, you will hate yourself if you have everything going and then realize you still need to remove the lobster or shrimp from their shells.

Serve this up alongside some warm Sourdough Bread and a cold glass of whatever tickles your fancy.

Enjoy.

(Click Read More for the Entire Recipe)

Soulful Sunday - "Morning Sunrise" Weldon Irvine

Soulful Sunday - "Save Their Souls" Hamilton Bohannon

Rhymin' wit' remarkable timin'...

Soulful Sunday - "Could Have Been Born In The Ghetto" Hot Chocolate

Recipe Of The Day: Smoked Sausage & Seafood Gumbo

Today is a holiday we all must take a moment and observe. I do not care what region of the Country / World you may hail from, but today we are celebrating National Gumbo Day.

To someone such as myself who hails from Southern California, a melting pot of cultures to say the least, Gumbo has become a simple, yet intricate staple in my household that must be enjoyed with family friends and loved ones quite often. 


Incorporating all of the greatest flavors from seafood, to sausage and oftentimes some lovely chicken, Gumbo deserves to have numerous volumes of cookbooks written about its beginnings in Louisiana and all of the wonderful different versions that can be found in various corners of the world.

Originating in the 18^th century and combining some of the worlds best culinary influences from regions such as France, Spain and West Africa. Oftentimes Gumbo is considered a derivative of the French dish Bouillabaisse, this dish requires a bit of attention and a certain amount of love to create its incredible deeply layereds flavor, but have no fear our recipe makes it easier than lacing up your own shoes.

Enjoy this dish today, tonight and often.

You will feel the love from your guests when they finish (and when they pass out on your couch from being stuffed full of this delicious delicacy aka "The Itis".)

Toasted Angel Food Cake w/ Grilled Peaches

We are all about being honest here at The Supreme Plate. So let us be honest, it is not always in someone’s best interest to attempt to make all of the required dishes for a party, plus the desserts by themselves without a little help or planning. Have you ever found yourself cooking for a group of people, working meticulously with your time, only to find that there isn’t enough of it and something will not be getting made?

Today being National Angel Food Cake Day, we wanted to make a dessert that uses an actual Angel Food Cake, but in a way many would never think of trying to eat it.

Our Recipe Of The Day is Toasted Angel Food Cake w/ Grilled Peaches and it is something that must be tried out in every household, especially with Thanksgiving waiting right around the corner.

To take the pain out of having to first make the cake, we are going to substitute in a classic Duncan Hines box mix (for those of you who know how to make an Angel Food Cake with no hassles from scratch by all means use your recipe) to eliminate a good hour or so worth of work.

The greatest part about this recipe is the Grilled Peaches. Make sure to have your grill hot and ready, plus oiled up so that the peaches don’t stick to it. After a few minutes on each side those Peaches are going to look and smell so wonderful you might not let em even make to the plate to be served with the cake.

Enjoy!

Soulful Sunday - "Cissy Strut" The Funky Meters

Soulful Sunday - "Jungle Fever" The Chakachas

IE Food Truck & Brew Fest

Today was a great day in the Inland Empire. The Sun was out, Food Trucks were serving some of the greatest eats known to mankind and a few classic drink companies were on hand to supply the needed fluids to keep everyone from overheating (and we did see a few cases of that going down throughout the day.)

With over 50 great Food Trucks setting up shop and numerous Beer and Alcohol vendors on hand, today's event was a complete success in my eyes and in thousands of peoples stomachs. Crowds began gathering early in hopes of avoiding long lines at the trucks many people have been dying to eat off of, with that said we knew it would be an interesting day to say the least.

IE Food Truck & Brew Festival October 8th 2011 11am

RIP Steve Jobs

Recipe Of The Day: Baja Fish Tacos

Today is National Taco Day and you know you can never go wrong with some juicy delicious Tacos filled with whatever your heart desires.
Our Southern California roots come alive when we bite into these crunchy, yet still juicy Fish Tacos.
When putting these together just make sure your oil is good and hot or else you will be left with the soggiest of fish, and remember our theory from day one people: Nothing Good Comes From Soggy Food!
The smoked paprika and cayenne are kicked off from the juice of the lime and the salt combination so please be prepared to devour more of these than you had originally planned to eat (meaning make extra.)
The prefect side dish for these is our classic Red Beans and Rice.
Please enjoy these with a great strong mixed drink, there is no other way to eat a plate of Baja Tacos than with a cold beer or strong mixed libation.

L'Chaim!

ROYBGIV - Pancakes & More by Henry Hargreaves

I'll have the Knitted Sundae

Creative... Parmesan Cheese / Pesto Pencils

www.The-Deli-Garage.com

It Ain't Where Ya From It's Where Ya At...

Soulful Sunday - "Aint No Love Lost" Curtis Mayfield

Soulful Sunday - "Kung Fu" Curtis Mayfield

T.G.I.FRiDAY'S "Entrees for One" Saving Freezers, One Meal At A Time

This post brought to you by T.G.I. FRiDAY'S.  All opinions are 100% mine.

“Whats for Lunch?” The question asked over a millions times every day, usually eliciting the answer of “I dunno what sounds good and whats’ close?” We all have had those days at the office where the work load won’t let up and going out for lunch is simply not an option. And ordering in is only more frustrating because your left waiting for hours until a delivery man shows up with a cold version of something you didn’t even order?

After a long day like that doesn’t it make things even worse when you come home to find that there is literally nothing to eat that won’t take an hour or longer to prepare? T.G.I.FRiDAY’S has felt your pain before and with their new “Entrees for One” aim to solve the problem so many hard working individuals face day in and day out.  T.G.I. FRiDAY’S “Entrées for One”

On a quest to solve the World Wide boredom epidemic that frozen foods are currently facing, T.G.I.FRiDAY’S has recently released 9 new entrees inspired by the bold and fun flavors found in their famed T.G.I.FRiDAY’S restaurants.

Fresh and delicious dishes such as their Cajun-Style Chicken Alfredo or their Sizzling Steak Fajitas are sure to entice just about everyone for a very affordable price. T.G.I.FRiDAY’S wants to make your freezers at home a little bit more fun by decorating them in your own personal style and submitting the pictures to their Facebook page for a chance to win thousands of cool prizes.

I myself love to devour the Loaded Potato Skins and spice them up by adding a little Guacamole, Sour Cream, Sriracha Sauce & Jalapenos. Try the Loaded Potato Skins or any of the other fabulous 9 "Entrees for One" they truly are quick, easy and above all else affordable. Fun Freezer contest

The Food Holidays of October

October is more than just Halloween and Pumpkin smashing at its very finest. October is home to a wide variety of National Food Holidays both odd and amazing. As October draws closer and closer we feel that it is our duty to hit you off with a list of all the wonderful National Food Holidays that take place during the month that you should enjoy as much as we do.

Eat up, drink up, relax and enjoy trying different things with your loved ones and friends. In these trying days and times it is all we can do to help save us all from going insane.

Thanks for staying down with us and helping us achieve our goals one by one, we couldn’t and would be able to do any of this without our faithful readers.

For a detailed list of daily holidays take a peak at our easy to follow National Food Holiday calendar after the break.

October is National:

Eating Healthier Month

Eat Country Ham Month

National Apple Month

National Applejack Month

National Caramel Month

National Chili Month

National Cookie Month

National Dessert Month

National Pickled Peppers Month

National Pizza Festival Month

National Popcorn Month

National Pork Month

National Pretzel Month

National Seafood Month

The 1^st Week of October is National No Salt Week & National Chili Week

The 2^nd Week of October is home to:

National American Beer Week

National Food Bank Week (The Most Important Week of Them All!!)

National School Lunch Week

National Pasta Week

The 3^rd Week of October is home to:

National Kraut Sandwich Week (Disgusting However You Look At It)

National Pickled Peppers Week

The 4^th Week of October is home to:

National Chicken Soup for the Soul Week

Here is a complete breakdown of all of the glorious gastronomical holidays to await us in the Month of October:

October 1 World Vegetarian Day

October 1 Pudding Season Begins

October 1 Homemade Cookies Day

October 2 National Fried Scallops Day

October 3 National Caramel Custard Day

October 4 National Taco Day

October 4 National Vodka Day

October 4 Cinnamon Roll Day

October 5 National Apple Betty Day

October 6 National Noodle Day

October 7 National Frappe Day

October 8 National Fluffernutter Day

October 9  Moldy Cheese Day

October 9 Submarine / Hoagie / Hero / Grinder Day

October 10 National Angel Food Cake Day

October 11 National Sausage Pizza Day

October 11 World Egg Day

October 12 National Gumbo Day

October 13 National Yorkshire Pudding Day

October 14 National Chocolate Covered Insects Day

October 15 National Chicken Cacciatore Day

October 15 National Roast Pheasant Day

October 16 World Food Day

October 16 National Liqueur Day

October 17 National Pasta Day

October 17 Four Prunes Day

October 18 National Chocolate Cupcake Day

October 19 National Seafood Bisque Day

October 20 National Brandied Fruit Day

October 21 Apple Day

October 21 National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day

October 21 Caramel Apple Day

October 22 National Nut Day

October 23 National Boston Cream-Pie Day

October 23 National Canning Day

October 24 National Bologna Day

October 24 Good & Plenty Day

October 25 National Greasy Foods Day

October 26 Pumpkin Day

October 26 Pretzel Day

October 26 Mince Meat Pie Day

October 27 National Potato Day

October 28 Wild Foods Day

October 28 National Chocolate Day

October 29 National Oatmeal Day

October 30 National Candy Corn Day

October 30 Buy A Doughnut Day

October 31 National Candy Apple Day

October 31 Trick or Treat for UNICEF Day