The Spicy Lens has moved.

It was a busy weekend. After googling lots of code…..

You can now visit www.thespicylens.com.

Tell a hungry friend!

All old and new post are now located at

Food Trucks

Food Trucks.

The only food trucks I knew of in NC were the F150’s with trailers attached to the back,  parked at construction sites. The thought of eating anything from them made me itch.

Then we moved to Jersey.  Every evening, a few brightly painted trucks line up at the train stop, greeting hungry  commuters  headed home. One  evening Mr. Spicy Lens suggested we try out The Krave. With lots of reservations, we drove up the street and stood in line. To my surprise lots of people were waiting for their dinner outside of an old delivery truck.

After an extra long prayer, I looked down at my styrofoam tray filled with a Kimchidilla. I took a small bite and was pleasantly surprised.  Kimchidillas are a soft flour tortilla served with choice of meat, sour cream, shredded kimchi and monterrey jack cheese.

Grilled Chicken with Roasted Veggies

Back in April, I cashed in my Crate and Barrel Anniversary Sale gift cards. I was digging for brown sugar in my cabinets the other day and found one of the goodies I picked up.

Honey Herb Chicken Rub!  I rubbed down some boneless and skinless chicken breasts in this yummy rub and was ready to fire up the grill!

These rubs are $4.95 and still available at Crate & Barrel. The Honey Herb made a nice glaze.  I used the entire packet on 2 chicken breasts that I sliced in half.

One of my favorite blogs is  Kevin & Amanda. Amanda posted a Summer Roasted Veggie Recipe recently.

I  sliced up the goods and popped them in the oven. I think I will be serving this for every dinner for the rest of the summer. It tastes amazing and looks great on a plate.

The recipe made just enough for 2 servings.  Depending on who your feeding… I would double it. The recipe calls for 1/2 tsp of kosher salt. I would use 1/4 a tsp instead.

Head over to Kevin and Amanda’s for the recipe.

Keep it Spicy,

Jackie

K&W Baked Spaghetti

There is a little place in Chapel Hill that I love. K&W Cafeteria’s. The majority of customers at K&W are senior citizens and college students. This always makes for a fun lunch. For years and before I stopped eating beef, I always ordered the Baked Spaghetti. I would slide my tray down the bars past the green jello filled with fruit. All they way to the veggie section and ask for green beans, fried okra and the best yeast rolls ever.

A few years ago, I met a close friend of mine from high school for lunch at K&W. He attended UNC for undergrad and for Law School. We were talking about how great the Baked Spaghetti is and guessing what they put in it. It has this sweet but tangy taste with cheesy top. A few days later my friend sent me an email FW:Baked Spaghetti. Its been in my inbox since Sat, 7 Jan 2006.

Mr. Spicy Lens loves it and its probably my easy meal never fails recipe.

K&W Baked Spaghetti

6 ounces (a little less than half of a 1-pound package) dry thin spaghetti
1 pound ground turkey (Substitute for Ground Beef or Ground Chicken )
1 cup chopped onions
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 and 1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese, divided
3/4 cup beef stock
1/2 cup freshly shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil pasta in a large pot of salted water.
Drain and set aside.

Chop 1 cup of onions.

In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, combine ground meat and onions, and
cook, crumbling meat as it cooks with a wooden spoon. Drain well.

Stir in salt, pepper, chili powder, Worcester sauce, ketchup, mustard
and 1/4 cup cheddar. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Fold
spaghetti and beef stock into meat mixture, then put into a 9-by-12 inch
baking dish. Top with mozzarella and 1/2 cup cheddar.

Bake 20 minutes until cheese begins to brown.

Enjoy the goodness of K&W.

Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimp

One of my favorite bloggers, The Pioneer Woman, posted this recipe a while ago.

It is one of my favorites. It taste so yummy and its quick. Mr. Spicy Lens liked its so its Spicy Approved!

Here is my plate. I served it with steamed rice and veggies.

Check out The Pioneer Woman for the recipe.

Garden Update – Part 4

I went out-of-town this weekend, so I prayed for it to rain while I was gone.

We got a little rain and my plants survived the heat wave.

As soon as I got in a checked the deck. Here is my first RED tomato. Super excited.

How cute is my first Cucumber? Gonna slice it up with vinegar and a little salt and pepper later.

My pepper plant is finally blooming! My seedlings have come a long way since April.

One day I’ll have a backyard with a real garden. Until then, the deck will do.

I’m not wanted here…

Today I had a taste for fried okra.

( Fried Okra in the bowl from Mary Mac’s in Atlanta, GA)

I finished up work for the day and headed to the grocery store to pick some up. After pacing up and down the frozen food section for about five times, I left grocery store #1 and headed to #2. On the way I called my mom.

Mom: ” Hello”

Me: “I’m moving back now!”

Mom: “Jacquelyn. Why?”

Me: “They don’t have fried okra here!”

Mom: ( Laughter) “Did you try another store? ”

As I walked into store #2 while on the phone with her, she made a suggestion. Check the produce section for fresh okra and fry your own.

However, Reason # 2 that I am not wanted here.

Jersey doesn’t have Cracker Meal either!!!!! Cracker Meal is a crushed cracker mixture used to batter food. Perfect for fried okra.

Oh, the produce section didn’t have raw okra either. Wishful thinking.

My mouth and my mind were set on Fried Okra. I hopped back in the car and drove to store #3 in North Jersey.

I was able to find frozen okra in store #3. But they didn’t have the battered kind. This store didn’t have Cracker Meal either. So I came home and fixed the rest of my dinner. I wanted a veggie plate for  dinner. I can always count on this meal at three places. My Mom’s kitchen, Momma Dip’s in Chapel Hill and Cracker Barrel.

Defeated, I came home and fixed my yams, corn, peas and broccoli. It was yummy, but something was missing. FRIED OKRA.

This is a sign. Carolina Girls aren’t welcomed in Jersey.

Bits of My Weekend – Vol 3

This weekend Mr. Spicy Lens and I adventured to Washington DC. We caught up with friends and did a little dining. There aren’t a lot of photos on this post. Sometimes it makes for an awkward movement, taking photos of my plate at dinner with friends.

The first stop on my list was Georgia Browns.

I was first introduced to Georgia Browns in 2003, while visiting my BFF who was attending college at Howard. It was love at first bite.  Country Biscuits and Cornbread Sticks slathered in Honey Butter with Peach Tea.  I think I could make a meal out of just that.  My  friend and bridesmaid Tiffany met me for lunch.

I had the Petite Crab Cake Appetizer. Which consist of Crab Cake “Mini’s” served with creamed Dandelion Greens, Tomato Cucumber Salad and Citrus Tartar Sauce.

Tiffany had the Six Head-on Shrimp sauteed with Shallots, Andouille Sausage, Garlic and Scallions atop Organic Stone-Milled Grits.

I had to make room for a late afternoon snack at Chick-fil-a , so I had a light lunch.  Don’t Judge Me.

Georgia Brown’s
950 15th Street, NW (between I and K Streets, NW)
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 393-4499

That evening Mr. Spicy Lens and I met a few friends for drinks at The Gibson.

The Gibson is a modern day speak easy. There is no sign on the entrance and reservations are required.  They offer a variety of specialty drinks. Old-fashion fizzies, seasonal punches, and cobblers. Some of the fizzies contain egg. Our waitress informed us this adds to the thickness of the drink. Mr. Spicy Lens had a “3 way with Sam” which contained Cognac, Honey Syrup, Lemon juice, muddled strawberry, egg white, and a dash of Peychaud’s.  It was surprisingly tasty. I had a “Rainbow Cobbler”. The cobblers are all served on crushed ice. A tasty way to beat the heat.  They also have a variety of wines and mixed drinks.

The Gibson
2009 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
202 232-2156

We headed to OYA for dinner. OYA is an Asian-French fusion restaurant.

After a day full of eating and drinks, I was almost full. So, I went for the sushi menu.  I normally eat “Chicken Nugget” Sushi also known as California Rolls. Since  I am trying to expand my palate,  I went all out last night.

The Fruit Roll Up Roll featured  avocado, crab, strawberries, kiwi, and yuzu mango.  It was almost too pretty to eat. I wish I had taken a photo of it now. D’OH!

OYA also has a Spare Rib Roll that is topped with MASHED POTATOES!!!! Crazy right??

The Spicy California Roll was mildly spicy. If your a sushi newbie, go for it. I also recommend the Shrimp Tempura Roll.

I really don’t like to feature restaurants that have a dish that was bad, but the sushi was so good.  I will advise you to stay clear of the Chicken Skewers. They were extremely dry. 

Others at the table had the Chilean Sea Bass, Braised Beef Short Rib, Lobster Mac and Cheese (YUMMY), Shrimp Bowl, Baby Lamb Chops and a Spicy Crunchy Salmon Roll.

OYA
Penn Quarter
777 9th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
202.393.1400

I have a few DC readers. Have any of you been to these tasty places?

Be sure to check out the rest of the bits over at Six in the City.

Eat Pray Loved!!!!!

Sunday afternoon, I finished up Eat Pray Love.

I absolutely loved it. Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir is like leaving Sunday service full and happy.

It’s Elizabeth Gilbert’s spiritual journey through Italy, India and Indonesia.

I hate reviews that tell the entire book, so I won’t.

If your one of the few folks like me, who hasn’t read it yet, pick it up and enjoy being swept away in her personal journey.

If you have been hiding under a rock,  Eat Pray Love will soon be a movie. It will be released in August 2010. Julia Roberts will be playing Elizabeth.

Don’t Judge Me

Sunday night I baked a cake.

Yesterday afternoon,  I went to the gym.

Last night, after some time on the treadmill,  I came home and cooked some turkey bacon.

Then I mixed it up with  some lettuce, sliced red onion and sliced roma tomato.

I drizzled some Balsamic Vinaigrette on my BLT salad and ate what was an almost healthy dinner.

Then I went back into the kitchen, iced the cake and cut a slice.

Don’t Judge Me.

It’s a box cake. Most holidays and slow weekends, I bake cakes from scratch. Random Sunday nights, I use Betty Crocker’s SuperMoist Box Cake Mix.

I like instant gratification and the taste of Rainbow Chip Icing.

Don’t judge me because I ate cake after the gym. Don’t judge me because I sometimes use box cake mix.