Butcher & the Boar

My husband and I enjoyed a wonderful anniversary dinner (compliments of my sweet little sister as an anniversary surprise!) at Butcher and the Boar. It was fantastic and totally satisfied the carnivore in me. I can't wait to return and try more delicious meals centered around pork.

The atmosphere is energetic and bustling. It's not a place to go if you're looking for quiet and romantic. I'm not sure how to describe the place, but it's cool and rustic and chic, but not in a froo-froo way. The coolest part of the decor is the floor made of pennies. I don't know how many pennies there are, but there were a lot of them...What a unique idea!

As we looked at the menu, one item caught my eye as an appetizer - the Lobster Grilled Cheese with an option to top it with a fried egg. I knew that was how we were going to start our meal.

The sandwich was absolutely yummy. My husband preferred it without the egg, but I think the egg made it even more scrumptious. It was a combination of lobster and buttery-creamy deliciousness.

For our entree we decided on the pork chop with a side of the blackened cauliflower and dirty wild rice. The pork chop was a generation portion - chock full of protein...It was cooked to perfection and was very savory. I've never had blackened cauliflower nor dirty wild rice...The blackened cauliflower is a definite favorite.

A very generous pork chop

Dirty wild rice

Blackened cauliflower

And, even though I thought I was stuffed to the max, I found room for one of my favorite desserts, grasshopper pie. It was really good, but I wish there was more of the cookie crumb to balance out the ratio of mint to chocolate a bit more.

Grasshopper pie

Delicious Egg Bake

I recently made this egg bake for my daughter's 5th birthday brunch with our family. With 12 people, it was an easy-to-make, easy-self-serve dish. The original recipe can be found via this link Brunch Egg Bake which I got from allrecipes.com. The recipe below contains my alterations using the original recipe as a foundation. Personally, I think 6 cups of cheese is way too much cheese for any dish! Everyone enjoyed this dish and I hope you will too!

Hint: Complete steps 2-4 the night before, make and add the egg mixture in the morning to cut down on prep time.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

1 Tbsp butter

1 cup chopped red peppers

1/3 cup chopped white onions

1/3 cup sliced green onions

2 cups diced fully cooked ham

8 eggs

1 3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine cheeses. Layer 1 1/2 cups in an ungreased 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish and set aside.

3. In a skillet, saute red peppers and white onions in butter until tender. Add green onions and saute for additional minute. Layer over cheese. Top with ham.

4. Layer with remaining cheese.

5. In a bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, flour, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

6. Slowly pour egg mixture over everything in dish.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

8. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.