I'm only mostly dead (which is still barely alive)...

Wow.  It definitely has been some time.  But I'm here and I'm in the mood to do a post so here we go!  This post is going to be about one thing, and by that I mean several things, but mostly it's about getting dinner on the table as fast i can.  Now, for someone who is a pretty big fan of prep work, this is a different ball game for me.  Its not that i am against fast meals (especially now), but I just never had the time constraints/sleep deprivation/bath-time/daycare pick-up,drop-off/cloth diapers/wrangling a floppy seventeen pound salmon/trying to dress,undress, said salmon/nap time, etc. that I do these days.  and, obviously, my daughter is way cuter than a salmon, but no less hard to clothe...

ok, this big hot mess you see here is a big skillet of sausage, veggies, and beer.  I'll say that again: SAUSAGES, VEGGIES, and BEER!!  its dead simple, beyond delicious, and pretty healthy.  Full of vitamins, and just the right amount of spice to warm you up and give some comfort on these brisk days ahead.  It kind of just happened on accident because I was trying to use up all of the glorious veggies i get every week from robinette farm csa (more on that later), but it was so good and fast that it has been a welcome addition to our rotation.

 I wanted to show you guys a little bit of the other reason I have been so absent lately,  This here baguette is the result of about three years of trial and error.  You see, normally at work, we were mixing baguettes in the early morn' and then baking them that same day, which is fine, but it also requires someone to get up super early (12 or 1 am) and then process the dough so it can be baked off.  Well, after much trial and error, we figured out a way to freeze the dough and hold it overnight so instead of coming in at a super early time, we can come in at a still early, but not early as to be quantified as "super" time.  this probably does not excite you, but it means that I can have more of a normal schedule and more of a normal sleep cycle, which feels like heaven.

 This is just a picture of me devouring a cake that mames had made for me for fathers day.  Our friend Angela (the pastry machine. It's not just a nickname, folks, lady's got skillz...).  It was delicious.  and it was all mine.  Which sounds lovely, but mames and pops can't have dairy right now and I like to share, so I can safely say that it was the only time that cake will be bittersweet.

 This is a typical pick up from my robinette csa. I was skeptical at first, but it has proven to be such a great deal.  I think we paid around 300 clams (which averages out to about 15 dollars a week), and every wednesday we get fresh, organic veggies.  they also had melons for a while...
I can't say enough good things about the csa program.

 A beer bread that I was making for the farmers market for a while.  It was made with cutthroat porter and then rolled in oats before baking.  I'll probably bring a version of it back for the hols.

 Alright, so my wife is obsessed with the Pinterest.  I have no idea what it is, all I know is that she brings me dozens of recipes to try. I like this.  I suspect that there are other uses for pinterest, but this is the only one that matters to me.  recipes for days.

This is just a steak.  cooked perfectly. with some chips and 'spargus.

I had to put this one in:)  Apparently the pears I made her were a little tart. and yeah, my kid is already a food nut.  she likes just about everything and eats like it's the business.  this makes me happy.

Beer braised sausages and veg
olive oil
5 good quality brats
1 onion, red or white or yellow, your choice
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 red bell, small dice
2 good sized potatoes, cubed
1 stalk celery, extra small dice, include the inner leaves if you can
1 bunch rainbow chard, or kale, or greens of your choice
1/2 dark beer, such as a porter, stout, or dark ale
salt and pepper
1tbs plus 1 tsp sweet paprika, I've used smoked too, also good.

get the biggest lidded skillet or sauté pan that you have, put it on med heat and once its hot add some olive oil.  sear the sausages on all sides , but not until done.  remove them from the pan and set aside.  sauté the onions, garlic, bell pepper, and celery until they are getting some nice color and then add the potatoes.  slice the sausages into the size you would like them (use a serrated knife, as they will be raw-ish in the middle and hard to slice) and then add to the skillet.  sprinkle in the paprika, salt and pepper, an then give it all a stir.  pour in half of the beer and cover the skillet. drink the rest while you wait for the potatoes to cook through.  Wash the greens and then chop them up fairly thin. add to the skillet when the potatoes are almost done.  your skillet should be really full, it takes some finessing, but the greens will cook down, I assure you.  if it starts to dry out a little you can add a little bit of water, just adjust the seasoning accordingly.  I hope you give it a try!!

so here's the deal, alright:  My kid, my precious sweet shoogy boogy, is finally starting to sleep through the night.  This is a good thing. especially for this blog.  I promise to make an effort to be nicer to ol' bloggy and update more often.  Ive been trying a lot of new stuff and cooking lots of tasty treats so I hope to get on here and share them soon.  piece out.  (<--I know that's a typo, haters, I'm trying to be ironic).
DISH recommends: robinette farms csa.  Get your veg on.  such high quality tasty stuff.  I feel like it was a really great deal for my family and was really nice veg.

how 'bout a little pep...

 i love pepper steak.  It exists in that spicy no man's land between fajitaville and stir fry country.  It's relatively cheap to make and fast to prepare.  Two things that are high on my list these days.  It's well-spiced with cumin, coriander, and chile powder and has the consistency of a perfect curry.  I like to serve it with rice, but the wife show and I have been known to eat it over mashed potatoes.  it's delicious. get over yourselves.  In the photo above, I was cooking it outside, since it just so happened to be a billion degrees inside our house and I wasn't about to add to the inferno.  I actually like cooking some things like this.  It was a method that i started using when we renovated (ahem, still renovating:) our kitchen and turned out to be pretty slick.  I'll post the do below.

 Behold, the carburetor. or carbonator. or irish carb-bomb.  I haven't decided what to call this sandwich I've been making, I only know that it haunts my waking moments and beckons to me like a starchy, salty siren. Baguette, mayo, avocado, crispy roasted potatoes and onions, and arugula.  It's all you need. ever.

 This is me, walking my pups, and carrying little pops.  I get so much done because of this baby carrier we received from our dear friends.  I'm able to do laundry, go on a hike/walk, cook, get groceries, and whatever else I might need to do whilst holding my little one and retaining the use of my mitts.  It distributes her weight really perfectly too, so I don't wear my back out.

 This started while our family was in town and I can't stop.  If you zoom in there, you'll see a brat split down the middle and resting on top of burger heaven.  It's solid gold wonderment. the snap of the brat paired with the burger is not only delicious, its a time saver...

...and that's something that I can totally get down with.  Any spare time I can wrangle, I try to spend with my two lovely ladies.  Seriously, take a look at this kid, who wouldn't want to hang out with this cool little chubster.  The entire time mames' was pregnant, people would always tell us, "everything changes", or "soak up this time together", and we did, we really did and I cherish that time I had with just the two of us.  Everything did change.  i learned that my heart was bigger than I ever imagined, I learned what it was like to see my wife's smile on someone else's face, I learned that my wife was stronger than I (or her) ever imagined (10 hours of labor with no meds of any kind, sheesh.), but the biggest revelation Ive had in these past three months was that the way I feel about my daughter, is the way my parents feel about me.
ok, down to biznass:
Pepper Steak:
olive oil
1lb flatiron steak, cut super thin (like ally mcbeal, or daphne, pre-niles), seasoned with s&p
1 red bell pepper, strippified
1 poblano pepper, ""
1 orange or yellow pepper, ""
1 onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic
nice handful cilantro
2 tsp each, chile powder, cumin, coriander powder
salt and peps
(i usually prep everything above and put it in a large bowl of love)

1 8 oz can tomato sauce
water.
get a cast iron or heavy bottomed skillet super hot and add a little olive oil, then add the contents of the love bowl into said smoking pan and stir until you start to get a little color on the veggies, about 4-5 minutes.  now add your sauce and stir until it coats all of the other ingredients and then fill up the sauce can with some water.  add this and reduce it down until desired thickness is achieved, about 5 mins.  you can make this as saucy or dry as you want, i like it just a little saucy, but on the thicker side.  serve with rice or over potatoes, or you could spoon it into tortillas and have some pretty bomb tacos.  pieces.
Dish Recommends:  Ergo Baby Carrier. this is the only way I get anything done around here.

You may have noticed my absence...

I feel like i owe everyone an apology. You see, lately, I've felt a lot like this.

I've kind of gotten bored with this blog and haven't updated much, because, well, I got into the habit of thinking that I always needed to have a recipe that correlated with my photos or whatever, and that just got to be a little too much work (I started this thing to show my mom/friends what I had been cooking for dinners/working on and it became really fun, and that is what I am going to go back to doing. because I like it. and this blog is mine.)  You see, I've been quite busy. While I would have loved to have been writing about things like this, this, and this,

I have been busy doing things like this

getting ready for these :)

and while that hasn't given me a whole lot of time to spend on this blog, I still want these people

and these people,

and these people,

to know that even though I may be elbow deep in this

Or spending time with her:)

I will do my best to try and write more about things like this

cooking a steak indoors (*Grill stance, still required)

I suppose its only right and fair that I offer all of you some sort of explanation.  At first, my posts were delayed because I was trying to think of a way to follow up that entry on snacksgiving (not an easy task, to be sure).  Then, we were a man short at work.  Then, we were a woman short at work, which just left john and I and one helper.  for six weeks. one day off per week.  all this on top of getting a house ready for a new babe (!!!!!!!:), you get the idea. sorry for the sparse postings, my friendlies, but alas, I am but a single dish in this cupboard we call life...

Soooooo, this is my first week with two days off and dagnabit, I'm fixin' to write a blog. about steak. and iron. and gravy.  so, I hope you all accept my apology and let us march on and STEAK our claim. Let us CAST aside these IRON shackles of occupational obligations. ok, i'll stop. let's get down to this...

 Just because grilling season is all but done, there is no reason you can't enjoy a nice steak. Cooking a steak indoors is something that everyone should know how to do and should do. often. I recommend picking up a cast iron pan for this, but any heavy skillet would probably work.  the reason i go for the cast iron is because they are super cheap and maintain their heat for a long time (perfect for getting a good sear on our steak).  You want to heat your skillet over med high heat until that sucker is starting to smoke.

 Season your meat (however you fancy.  I just use salt and pepper, because I'm going to cover these guys in some gravy) and drizzle it with a little olive oil.  You want to oil the meat instead of the pan, because if you added oil to that super hot pan, your house would look like tommy chong was in the next room.

 let your steak brown for about 3-4 minutes on the first side and take this time to season and oil the top sides of your steaks.  be patient, no peeking.  leaving these alone will ensure a better browning on each piece of meat.

 using a pair of tongs, give them a flip and cook them for another 3-4 minutes.  Now, here is where a good thing can turn bad in a hurry.  If you like your steak on the rarer side, these are probably done enough for you. unless of course, you have a really thick piece of meat.  the steaks you see above were actually only two steaks that I cut down to make cooking go quickly.  If you prefer the thicker option that's just fine, but you will probably need some additional cooking, either in a 400F oven, or just longer in the skillet.  how do you tell when it is done to your liking?  you can use one of these and then consult this, but I just do this.

ok, its gravy time. Gravy is ridiculously easy to make and I am often surprised that more people don't do it. What were making here is basic beef gravy. its not a reduction or a jus or a glaze. this is just gravy.  and its what I was in the mood for.  after you have removed the meat from your skillet, turn the heat to a little lower mark, and then add a tablespoon or two of butter and let it melt, scraping the beef goodies from the bottom of the pan.  then, however much butter you added, add the same amount of flour and whisk it together until it starts to darken.

Now, add some beef stock or broth (I think i used about half of a 14 oz. can here in this pic) and whisk to combine with the butter and flour.  Let this mixture bubble up and reduce, whisking from time to time, until it reaches the thickness that you desire.

By now your meat has rested for about 5 minutes (perfect timing) and you are ready to plate up those beef treats and dig in like a BAWS! If you've never made a steak inside, I hope that you all give this one a go.  I can get down with a grilled steak, don't get me wrong, but i like the option you have with this recipe to take the juices and fat that you lose during grilling and make a tasty sauce for which to bathe your beef with.  I've missed writing this blog these past few months, hope to not take that big of a break again. thanks.

DISH recommends: getting acquainted with ol' "casty".  Lately, these are the only pans that I use.  you can pick one up from a place like tjmaxx or target or even a yard sale. keep them well-lubed and you will never go back to nonstick.
I was going to post a recipe but I thought that might be kind of redundant.  I still can if you prefer that method, but I'll just leave as is for now...
*in case you are not familiar with grill stance, I thought this was a pretty good representation.

Snacksgiving

Everyone likes holidays.  We have holidays that involve turkey, holidays where we dress up like monsters and give and eat candy, and many more holidays for religious purposes.  but we have no holidays that celebrate the art of snacking (which, it could be argued, is a religious purpose in and of itself).  Who doesn't like snacks? nobody, that's who.  Snacks were here looooooooong before the whole breakfast, lunch, dinner thing, and it's time we pay proper homage to le snack.

That's why I hereby propose a floating holiday (the only stipulation is that it be celebrated on a sunday afternoon) called, snacksgiving.  Now, much like any other festive day of delight, snacksgiving, can be open for interpretation.  However, there are a few rules here and I would like to take this time to lay the groundwork for this most precious of days:

Rule #1: Snacksgiving must involve at least 4 of the following 6 snack groups, with certain exceptions, and exemptions applying to dietary needs

Group #1: The chip/crisp family. no snacksgiving would be complete without this crispy addition. Whether it's kettle cooked, baked, or made in the traditional way, flavored or plain, we must have potato chips (pringles are somewhat acceptable, but only in a pinch. I'm still not convinced they are potato chips, bugger what the lord justice says).  I prefer plain to flavored and that leads me to another sub-section

sub-section 1a: dips: Dips are glorious.  they coat that crispy piece of heaven in a silky layer of goodness and say  "nice to meet ya".  nice indeed.

note: you may also choose to include a corn chip option in your snacksgiving, but let it be known that it must pair with a choice from the sub-section of salsas. nobody likes plain corn chips, nobody. these may be savory or sweet, hot, mild, of the guacamole nature, blah, blah, blah.  this is my blog and I say potato chips. 

Group#2: Meat snacks. Pretty self explanatory.  a good snacksgiving spread usually has chicken wings. Just saying. and something from the sausage family.  meatballs are good too.  Jerky is acceptable, but only for host gifts. This group is obviously one of the optional ones, which can be set aside for vegetarian observers.

Group #3: the snack mix group.  Nothing gets a snacksgiving going like a bunch of separate snacks tossed  together and then shoved in your face.  I love it, you love it, your neighbors even love it. its called snack MIX for a reason.  it puts the tingle in your mingle.  it's always encouraged to make a mix up yourself.  store bought is marginally acceptable (c'mon, it's snacks giving, here folks!).  You don't have a recipe for the most delicious snack mix in the world?  it's ok, I've got you covered (recipe below).

Group#4: Veggie Snack.  Every snacksgiving needs some veg.  It needn't be raw veg, either.  We had mexican corn on the cob at ours.  it was delicious. branch out and make your favorite veg, just make sure it fits in the small bite/handheld category. vegetables wrapped in bacon are deemed acceptable, and encouraged.  you could also do stuffed mushrooms, cauliflower fritters, potato skins, etc.

Group #5: Cheese.  spreads, soft, semi-firm, firm, they're all good, they're all acceptable. Go out of your way and get some nice cheeses for this one that run the gauntlet.  four or five should suffice. crackers are encouraged, but not entirely necessary.

Group#6: Stick food (i.e. kabobs).  People love food on sticks.  it's never going to change, so better to embrace it, than try and erase it.  Now, you've a lot of room to work with this one, so be creative and be careful, these suckers are sharp.  fruit on sticks (raw or grilled), grilled meat, grilled veggies (or both), tofu or paneer kabobs, you name it.  deconstruct your favorite salad and stick it!  the possibilities abound.

Rule #2: Drinks. Must. Flow.  a party isn't a party without drinks, whether they be alcoholic or non.  It's always great to have a pitcher of something at snacks giving. Pitchers of drinks make people feel like they can have as much as they like, and that's what this holiday is all about.  It can be anything from iced tea to ice cold beer, as long as its in a pitcher.  And as long as we're on that topic...

Rule#3:  Dear friends.  While most holidays are about family, this one is for your pals. your homies. your cronies, etc.  family is definitely welcome, but most times, most of us aren't lucky enough to have them close by.

ok, you want that mix recipe?  I thought so, just be forewarned that it makes a ton, and you'll need a good guard dog to keep it safe.

"The Drake" Mix:

(note: this recipe was given to me by an old workmate of mine.  I have since elaborated on it, but the drake deserves a nod...)

1 small box Crispix cereal

1 16 oz bag pretzels

1 16 oz bag fritos

1 8 oz bag goldfish crackers

1 bag bugles 

1 pound of mixed nuts

for the dressing:

2 cup brown sugar, not packed

1 pound butter

2 tbs curry powder

1 tbs, plus 1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbs, plus 1 tsp chili powder

2 tbs worcestershire sauce

heat oven to 250F.  Empty dry stuff into a very large mixing bowl, or into several large mixing bowls.  heat and stir the dressing ingredients until incorporated. pour over the dry stuff and mix well.  Empty mix onto two large baking sheets (they will be heaped pretty high, don't worry) and bake, stirring every 20 minutes.  rotate sheets once at the 30 minute mark.  pour into parchment lined paper bags on the counter to cool.

DISH recommends:  A big mixing bowl.  My mom gave me something similar to this.  I never thought I'd use it. I use it all the time.