They call it comfort food...I call it sweatpants for your belly.

A braised chicken is probably one of my favorite meals.  It's relatively inexpensive to prepare, It's all cooked in a dutch oven (only one dish), and its really good...really, really good.  People will probably bring you daisies and goodies and stuff if you make this for them.  Here's what you do:

Get a chicken.  You could buy one.  Or you could steal one, but if you're gonna steal one, steal a live one, at least make some sport out of it.  

cut up the chicken, or have your butchers cut it for you. (hmmm...perhaps picture tutorials of how to cut up meat would be a good post...).

Season with salt and peps, some thyme and sear on all sides in a dutch oven coated with olive oil. Remove previously mentioned seared chicken and place on plate.  Add root veg to pan (chunked up onion, carrot, celery, WHOLE garlic cloves)---these are the must haves, and you can also add potatoes,mushrooms, turnips, rutabaga, quartered tomatoes, etc., if you would like.  Season veg with salt and pepper and then add a couple splashes of vermouth, or wine, or beer (preferably ale) and then chicken broth/stock until it reaches about 3/4 way to the top of the veg.  Place chicken pieces back on top and cover.  Chuck into the oven at 350 for about 1.5 hours and wait.  Now is a good time to drink the rest of your ale.

Tell it to the one-legged man...

Finally got around to making some tostadas.  It is fast becoming a favorite for us which is good because it is really easy.  We have tried lots of different meat choices in these and they have all been pretty tasty.  I always saute some onion, garlic, and peppers with cumin, chile powder, coriander, salt, and pepper.  After that has cooked a bit, I add my meat and get some nice color, then tomatoes/tomato sauce and some stock.  Let it reduce until thick and then mix in some chopped cilantro.  Toppings are up to you but we usually do some avocado and maybe cheese/salsa.

Also, a word to the wise:  DO NOT TRY TO HEAT THE TOSTADAS IN A TOASTER.  Smoke, flames, etc.  It was a big stank mess.  I don't know what I was thinking.  In fact, I think my mom did the same thing and even told me about it.  Anyway, use a toaster oven or skillet or whatever.  

The insects are leaving my veg alone, finally.  Although, I am a bit apprehensive about the whole pesticide deal.  It'll probably wreak havoc on my endocrine system, but then again, so will drinking out of a nalgene bottle and I still do that.  Fearless...

I heart cupcakes

Amy started making these cupcakes about a month and a half ago.  They're so JEM (simply outrageous, duh!).  they are made with buttermilk, and a lot of eggs.  I usually don't get all that excited for cake but these rock my socks off.  The eggs are separated, the whites being beaten and folded in at the last minute.  I think this is what really makes them so nice and light and fluffified. The frosting is something that I threw together.  I started out making a buttercream (butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar) and where I usually add the heavy cream, I substituted dark chocolate that had been melted into heavy cream in a double boiler.  It turned out pretty well, I will probably do it again, if I can remember how, I should really write that down, along with tons of others.

Also, I made some flank steak with olive oil mash and sweet corn for dinner.  I marinated the flank steak in bourbon, balsamic vinegar, and soy.  All in all, pretty decent, would have liked the corn to be sweeter, but we won't get the good stuff until the middle of august.  

Making some shortbread as we speak, man I love shortbread.  Need to run to the hardware store to see if I can get something for bugs to stay away from my tomatoes.  I picked about 6 today that had been eaten by the little buggers (no pun intended).   Also need some charcoal, thinking about picking up some of the "hardwood" kind because it supposedly burns hotter but will still have to pick up lump for other applications.  peace

into the wild...salmon

So, Amy has been asking me to make some fish for about a month now, and yesterday at the store they had some really nice Alaskan wild salmon so we picked some up.  I made a teriyaki-type glaze with oj, ginger root, cardamom, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and honey.  Whacked it under the broiler for about 5-6 minutes...BOOYAH!

The green stuff is flash-sauteed spinach with baby garlic.  My friend pam gave me some baby garlic from her garden and it has a really nice mild flavor.  Topped the dish with some toasted sesame seeds and that was that.  Nice and light, which was good for this heat wave.  I wish there were leftovers.  Tonight I am going to make some tostadas, probably with flank steak, just because I have it on hand.  

We are seriously entertaining the idea of making fruitcakes for the holidays at work.  We have to start them really soon because they age for at least 3-4 months.  I know what you are thinking,"fruitcake is the lamest of the lame," but hold on there, how can it be bad if you are the one making it?  This is one of my theories.  If you can control everything that goes into a recipe, and you are knowledgeable about food, there should be little excuse for a total loss.  Anyway, they are going to be delicious.  We will saturate them with either brandy or whiskey and then let them age accordingly.

Got a pretty sweet bike ride in yesterday.  It was really hot though.  I am really digging my new straps for my pedals, they're great.  Hopefully I can put some on my 29'er soon.  Well, lots to do today, so I had better scoot. peace.

The hotness never ceases

  We have been trying to eat outside as much as possible lately, and it has been pretty easy except for the past couple of days.  Yesterday was about a million degrees outside and it looks like that trend will continue throughout the week.  Well, that just means primo grilling time!

We made some barbecued chicken the other night.  Pretty self explanatory.  Also roasted some beans and peas with shallots and some potatoes and cherry tomatoes.  The cherry tomatoes were nice, they kind of caramelized and became super sweet.  Try it out.

I don't know if it is the warm weather or what, but around this time of year I always start to get the desire to eat healthier/ lighter.  So, with that in mind, the coming posts should be somewhat healthy and light.  Not that it's a bad thing.  Who can eat a ton in this heat anyway?  

I made some granola/energy bars last night from a recipe that was in one of amy's martha stewart magazines.  Really tasty, kind of like a cliff bar sans chemical aftertaste.  On my days off, I will also be making shortbread and cupcakes, etc.  peace

I wanted to try something different yesterday so I made some lentils.  I had never made them before and was pretty pleased with how they turned out.  I had some left over pork shoulder and also some linguica in my freezer so it was a good opportunity to use that stuff up along with a plethora of vegetables that made their way into the mix.

Today was a pretty quiet day, as I am getting ready for market.  I slept a pretty solid 8 hours so I should be ready for the shift.  I don't have a whole lot of weekend plans except for some garden maintenance and some bike rides.  One thing that I definitely want to do in the near future is to make some pibil outside on my grill.  I did a chicken wrapped in the banana leaves and then foil and just placed it in the coals and it worked great.  I really love cooking outside, it's fun to change your methods around and see how things turn out.  I have been craving some sweet corn...a lot lately.  Hopefully I can find a roadside stand since I can never make it to the farmers market.  Maybe amy and I will make cupcakes tonight, or play tennis, or just lay around, or all of those things.  

Anyway, lentils, check them out.  Saute aromatics, add spices, meats (or tomatoes), cover with stock, lower your heat, whatchoo worrying about??  Nothing, because it will be delicious.  Now go find me some sweet corn.

barbecure for the common...

I smoked a pork shoulder on my days off this week.  It turned out great.  I made some oven fries and coleslaw to go along with it.  Also, My mom really wanted brussels, so she and amy made those too.  REALLY simple stuff, but really tasty. Methods to follow.

As you can see, had some buddies over to enjoy it because there was an abundance, (check out Brandon's giant piece of bread) forgot to take a picture before we "tucked in."  The coleslaw was something new, it had julienned apple and snow pea in it, gave it a nice, crisp sweetness, and the oven fries were some of the best ever.

For all you smokers out there, my method for pork shoulder is pretty simple.  Sea salt, crushed peppercorns, garlic salt, paprika, and/or your favorite steak seasoning.  One thing that I have found crucial is that once you put the meat in the smoker, never NEVER lift the lid (unless you are too hot. Lifting it adds about 30 extra minutes!)  I am usually able to go about 8 hours on one chimney of charcoal plus wood and a few extra coals.  

Oven fries are crazy delicious, in fact, I prefer them to fried fries.  I've found that "klondike rose" potatoes are your best bet here simply tossed in olive oil, grey salt, cracked pepper and fresh rosemary.  Oven @ 400F...about 1 hour...single layer on sheet pan...Score!  You'll Never go back, Jack!  What can I say about Caramelized brussels sprouts?  Nothing bad, that's for chure. Quarter them, rinse under water, toss into a hot skillet with olive oil, and some kind of minced onion/shallot/garlic.  Season with salt/pepper and any other seasoning you like (I'm a big advocate of cavenders greek seasoning) and saute, loosening the pan up with some stock/broth any time you build up some fond.  Add a couple splashes of balsamic vinegar and let the whole thing get super sweet and sticky.  you'll love these, promises.  (DISCLAIMER:  Amy always ends up taking over this dish and she will tell you that you need to turn the heat down a bit after you add the vinegar:)

Tomatoes are almost here, along with pasillas peppers, beans, and ancho chiles.  Meet me at the mall tomorrow? (I can't wait.)

I was wondering if I could...

 Borrow the car?  Take you out to dinner? Ask you for a kidney even though you only have one? Well, the answer will be a big, fat YES if you serve this salad beforehand!

Tomato season is almost here!  I have quite a few green tomatoes on my plant, and am getting really excited.  one of my favorite things to do with them is make this salad.  Avocado is the base and is topped with diced tomatoes and bacon and then scallions that have been flash fried in the rendered bacon fat.  A scattering of nice sea salt and cracked pepper really rounds out the salad.  The "dressing"  is just two-thirds balsamic vinegar and one third pomegranate juice that has been reduced to a thin syrup consistency.  This is an old picture but I was checking out my tomatoes the other day and thinking about this.  Cilantro chiffonade would also be a nice addition.

I am planning on pulling my lettuces and broccoli rabe this week and replanting some arugula and kale.  I want to make something with lentils and linguica this week, and also Amy and I will be making cupcakes soon!  Today, I am smoking a pork shoulder on account of my parents being here (I heart smoking meat), and will probably make some delicious coleslaw also.

lots to do today so I had better get a move on.  still need to do some bike maintenance, yard work, work out, and exercise the dog (his body, not his demons).  peace.

picked some beans and peas from the garden yesterday and sauteed them with some shallots.  Also, I picked up a baby potato medley from the grocery (stoked they had purple peruvians) and roasted those with heavy cream and parmesan...healthy.  Also scored some cheap cherry tomatoes.  I had some chicken on hand so I sauteed that with the cherry tomatoes and shallots, deglazing with vermouth.  All in all, pretty good stuff.

pretty excited that the new batman is coming out.  I'm sure it will be sold out for a while, so I will wait until next week.  It hasn't been a very good summer for riding bikes, at least not trail riding.  It seems that it rains pretty consistently on wednesdays and thursdays. I know I haven't been riding as much as I would like to.  

well, its another friday so another market day is under way.  they seem to be getting easier and easier.  be sure to check us out at both lincoln and omaha locations.  peace.

I'm only concerned with the tasty and delicious

So, last Christmas my mom (I think) got me a cookbook by jamie oliver.  It has some pretty good recipes, this being one of them.  At first I thought it sounded kind of weird, but it has really grown on me.  you start off by sauteing red onion, red chiles and basil stems with a little bit of cinnamon, salt and pepper.  Then once it has become softened add plum tomatoes and smash them up, also adding tuna packed in olive oil.  This dish is also responsible for getting me to eat tuna again.  I have discovered that the kind packed in olive oil, while substantially more expensive, is substantially a lot tastier.  You also add lemon juice and zest (lemon, not the bar soap) and some torn basil leaves and parmesan.  Whole wheat baguette came along for the ride.

Somehow managed to cut my hand at work today on the mixing bowl...weird.  Had a lot of ciabatta to do.  Well, in all honestly, Martha had a lot of ciabatta to do, she's usually the one responsible for most of the ciabatta production, and all of it on fridays.  We started doing the forming of whole wheat baguettes by hand, as to not mess up our moulder, (whole wheat yeasted tends to stick to the felt) and although more time consuming, I have kind of been digging it.  They look so much prettier formed by hand, but when you are baking on the scale that we are, time is your main concern.  Hopefully I can get fast enough that it won't matter that much.

well, I ended pickle production yesterday.  I was kind of apprehensive when I moved them to the fridge, thinking that I had ended the game early and wasn't altogether happy with how they had turned out.  However, I have had two of them today and both were pretty good.  Actually, they were really good.  Maybe hanging out in the fridge was good for them.  Super crispy, tangy and sharp.  Swing by my house if you want to try one out, I just might let you...maybe...actually we'd probably have to barter.

My mom and dad are coming for the weekend, so I will probably try and make some tasty treats.  They are pretty into food as well.  I went out to the garden today and to pick some beans and saw my tomato plant on the ground.  At first I thought it was some foul play by the dog, but realized the plant had just become too heavy.  I staked it off and tied it with some twine...no big deal.  I was looking at my sweet twine/stake job and noticed that the plant was as high as my chest...awesome.  should be getting some brandywines  "real, real soon."  peace.

Stew in the summer, that's crazy...crazy delicious!!

made some beefy beef stew last night.  Rock!  It was pretty delicious.  Probably one of my favorites.  I was actually going to start out making it like beef burgundy but used ale instead of wine.  I actually think I might like it better this way.  I have also recently ditched using roux in stews/soups and gone with sprinkling flour over the aromatics while they saute.  It seems to work just as well, for the most part, and sometimes it seems like the flour/butter taste never cooks all the way out when using a roux.  If I am going to eat beef, I want it to be super beefy, dig it?  speaking of beef, chuck roast is the way to go on stews.  the meat to fat ratio is perfect and it is just a very flavorful cut of meat.  The chunk of bread you see there is the pain de campagne from the other day.  If you have never been to where I work (Le Quartier Baking Co.), you really need to check it out.  We make awesome bread without preservatives and all that crap, just flour, water, yeast, salt, and in some cases, (ciabatta) olive oil.  We are the best bakery in the state, for sure, nobody in lincoln/ omaha can do what we do...amateurs.  anyway, I am proud of where I work, and that's that.

My tiny garden is doing pretty well, I am actually going to go pick some beans here pretty soon and am starting to get quite a few tomatoes.  Also, I am thinking about making some red chile (as in sauce, think "enchilada sauce") this afternoon.  My mom gave me a giant bag of dried new mexico peppers I need to do something with.

Got some new pedals and straps for my commuter bike, pretty excited.  Hopefully I can figure out how to put them together (I'm somewaht mechanically challenged/half retarded).  should be just like riding clipless, super fast. Amy has been taking the food photos, I think that they have been turning out pretty good for just using a little digicam. Speaking of wife, she recently was awarded employee of the month at the design firm she works at in omaha that has over 900 employees!  what does that mean?  well, 50 clam gift certificate to use at the movies and primo parking for the next month...OH SNAP!

sausage party

last week I decided to make some sausages.  It is something that I enjoy, but it always seems like once I am done that I should have made more.  I started with about 13 pounds of pork butt and it was a pretty decent yield.  I decided to make linguica (a spicy portugese sausage), brats, and breakfast links.  I smoked all of the linked sausages and it just further confirmed my love for my little brinkman charcoal smoker.  For about the same price as making one for your self, you can pick one up (that is of course, if you, like myself, value instant gratification over self-satisfaction) jam some meat in there and be eating tasty treats in no time.  booyah!

Pickle production just rounded the corner into week number 3 (for those of you who don't know, aka, the entire universe, I am making old fashioned barrel pickles).  Upon suggesstion from my boss, john, I have tried a pickle every week since I started.  Week number one was suprisingly great.  nice and garlicky.  Week number two was a pretty big let-down.  I don't know if there is some sort of chemical transformation that takes place here or what?  I tried one yesterday and was altogether pretty pleased.  they seemed to have better flavor than week 2.  I did throw some more dill in the "barrel," so that probably helped out a bit.  

Also, yesterday as I was pulling the pain de campagne out of the oven at work, I caught sight of one that just may be one of the best breads I have baked.  After my shift I went out front to take some bread and it was still there so I snagged it.   thought some fellow bread lovers might enjoy:

the Maiden voyage

well, here we go!  This is to be the first of many posts concerning food preparation, baking, biking, etc.  The idea is to post new recipes, discoveries concerning recipes and the like so that people (mostly my fam) can check out what I am doing and wish they were here to eat it with me.

Today, was a pretty big day for doing yardwork so not much was done in the realm of cooking.  I did make some pizzas on the grill (ham, Camembert, and arugula. homemade sausage and artichoke and a margherita.)  Also, I am still perfecting my technique for lemonade and have made some great strides since day one.  A lot of recipes that I see want you to steep aromatics in the simple syrup but I find that steeping them in the water to be used in the finished product way more beneficial.  Currently, I am working on a ginger mint version that is pretty bombtastic!  Tomorrow, I am going to so some posting about recent sausage-making adventures and things of the sort.