The last time Meatloaf was this good was in Fight Club!

I had a request for the caramelized onion soup recipe, so I will be sure to post it at the end of this (my wicked ploy to make you read this post, nice:)

Well, this last weekend we took a trip back to our hometown to visit family and such.  The great thing about going back home is people want to cook tasty things for you.  This trip was no exception.  Nance (wifeshow's momma) made some delectable fried chicken the first night that we were there. I don't have a recipe for this, so you'll just have to know that it was tasty.  They served it up with asparagus (with toasted pine nuts) and mashed potatoes. consider yourself comforted.  MamaDish ended up making meatloaf on sunday.  I really enjoy her meatloaf.  She also used that to stuff two kinds of peppers (jalapenos/pablanos) and served it with baked potatoes, baked beans, and a cabbage salad (somewhere between sauerkraut and coleslaw).  The last photo is a baguette from work.  I thought that it was a really nice looking baguette and had to snap a photo.  I am consistently impressed with the quality of bread we produce there, and I am really proud to be part of that process.  Really, you must try it out if you haven't already. (Le Quartier Baking Co.)

ok to the soup, my minions:

Caramelized onion soup: (serves about 4)

2 med size yellow onions sliced thin

2 med size red onions " "

2 cloves garlic minced

large handful celery leaves, about 1 cup (If you don't have these, just use 1-2 ribs celery, but try to get the leaves as they have a unique flavor)

olive oil

salt and peps

stock (I ended up using chicken and beef, but could easily sub. veggie if you wanted to make it vegetarian friendly).

sauteed asparagus

gruyere  (or your favorite) cheese

slices of crusty bread (toasted in the oven with some olive oil, salt and pepper, 400F, about 8 minutes)

In a dutch oven or heavy pot over med heat, heat a generous amount of  olive oil (couple tbs).  when it starts to shimmer, add your thinly sliced onions and garlic and saute until they start to turn golden brown. when they have some color to them and you start to get a nice fond (golden brown tasty stuff) on the bottom of your pot, add about a half wineglass full of water and scrape up the browned bits.after the second time, add your celery leaves.  Do this process 4 times. (we are concentrating the flavors here, it's kind of annoying, I know, but it's really worth it, and since we are concentrating things, hold off on adding salt just yet).  once you have done this 4 times, add about 28-32 ounces of the stock of your choice.  Now you may season with salt and a little extra pepper.  Turn your heat to low, cover, and let this simmer for the time it takes you to toast your bread and saute your asparagus.  I just tossed some bread cubes with olive oil, salt and pepper, and then popped them into the oven until they were toastified. for the asparagus, just heat a skillet with some olive oil, and throw in a little handful, saute for a couple of minutes with salt and peps, you still want this to be tender CRISP, it will be a nice contrast to the soup.

After you have pulled the bread out of the oven and finished sauteing the gus , blend your soup with a stick blender (you listened to me and picked one of these up, right?) or in batches in a regular blender (only filling half-way, you don't want to burn yourself and look like this!).  Ladle into oven-proof bowls, top with your homemade croutons and cheese and then stick under your broiler to melt the cheese (usually until golden brown, but I think that in my pic I just went until melty status, I was hungry, couldn't wait.) Garnish with asparagus spears, and a drizz of olive oil.

As I didn't prepare the above pictures (minus the bread) myself, I really have no recommends this post, but never fear!  They shall return soon!

 

oooh, don, is that a new dell?...or...what I know about being thrifty.

I've been thinking about ways to streamline things lately.  Not just in the kitchen, but that is what we'll concentrate on here for space and time's sake.  Part of that, is being organized, the other part is being thrifty (streamlining your budget).  how much do you spend on food per week?  ok, I'll go first, a typical week for wife and I (and I always make enough for about 4-5 peeps, so we can have lunch the next day) totals about 80 dollars.  that's all week.  that number might seem low, but you have to remember that we usually do not go out (we set aside 50 bucks a month to go somewhere "nice(r)" and often times, we let that accumulate so we can go somewhere really nice.  One of the biggest tips that I can give is to get rid of processed foods and embrace produce.  Not only are processed foods terrible for you, they can get kind of pricey.  Another thing that I try to do is to have at least one, but preferably two veggie meals per week.  In the meat-laden midwest, this might seem like a crazy concept, but it's a good way to get a lot of vitamins and it really makes you more creative as a cook.  Don't think that you are limited to just salads or steamed broccoli either, there is a whole world out there to explore, think eastern cuisines where veg dominates.  Curries, biryanis, stir frys, and soups are an excellent way to be creative on a budget.  one thing that helps me out a TON with all this veg (spacewise and timewise) is prepping everything that I can when I get back from the store (do this on a weekend or day off).  Leave the onions until cooking day but think about how much time you can save by looking at your menu (you did make a menu for the week, right?) and cutting up veg or meat (to be used within a day) ahead of time.  Not only will you feel like a rockstar, you'll get to spend more time during the week with your family, or pets, or spelunking in the cavernous regions of Slovenia (well, someone might be into that), you get the idea.  Think ahead, it's your biggest timesaver.  

Embrace cheaper cuts of meat.  There is a reason that you pay premium dollar for the more expensive meat treats:  they're ridiculously easy to prepare.  a monkey can grill a tenderloin, and a boneless, skinless chicken breast, but that same monkey might have a hard time making something delicious out of skirt and flank steak or chicken thighs and legs (that you yourself cut from a whole chicken, being sure to save the carcass for flavorful, velvety stock, right? RIGHT?), or heaven forbid, something from the offal family?  it takes a well rounded cook to make something tasty out of meager supplies, but it is also ten times more satisfying. well, I have lots more tips, so I might have to add a new section to the blog...ok yeah, that sounds like a good idea, this is getting pretty windy (has stormy eyes, that flash at the...nevermind)

foodstuffage: I made caramelized onion soup the other night.  It's basically pureed french onion, with a hearty handful of celery leaves thrown in and topped with pain de campagne croutons and sauteed asparagus.  it was yums for days.  The other meal is kind of a variation on thai stir fry. Shitake mushrooms, brocolli, collard greens, and baby corns, sauteed with oyster, fish and soy sauces, some stock and served over udon noodles.  also good.  The last pic is somewhat embarrassing, but I think that we are past that point by now, you all know I'm a thriftster...I started making my own corn chips.  laugh if you want, but you can get a  bag o' corn torts for like a nickel and then you can bake them (healthier) with a little olive oil and sea salt.  warn the salsa...

tip o' the dish to ya:  immerse yourself in cookbooks (the library, and...ahem, the internet are great sources, particularly food blogs, particularly MY food blog:).  even if you think a recipe is too hard for you, it can still plant a seed in your brain about something you could do that might be similar, but a little easier.  take a few ideas from here and there and you'll have tons of ideas for your menu.  then, using your menu, plan your shopping list, only getting exactly what you need, even if something seems like a good deal, you only need what you are making for that week.  don't forget to buy snacks, we all need snacks.

DISH recommends:     Martha stewart's recipes.   This lady didn't get to where she is today by not knowing her stuff.  I usually get pretty consistent results from all the stuff of hers that I try.

on a SIDEnote...or Bamboozled!

Pretty jam-packed weekend here in Dishville.  We spent a lot of the weekend planning out the garden and figuring out what we wanted to plant and such.  Went ahead and took a chance planting some lettuces (mesclun, microgreens, and spinach) and also a couple rows of onions.  I see that the weather later this week is supposed to be kind of sketchy so we might end up planting again.  It seems that about 3/4 of our grocery list is usually produce, so it's going to be a huge help having freshies on hand.

The meatball dish is one from Wife's childhood.  Her mom used to make porcupine meatballs with mashed potates and cheesy cauliflower.  I omitted the mashed potatoes and turned the cauliflower into a puree that also has leeks and parmesan.  It was pretty good, the meatballs had a lot of caramelized onion, salt and peps, garlic, parsley, and some balsamic vinegar.  I would definitely recommend substituting some pureed cauliflower in place of mashed tates, they are better for you (I didn't use any milk or butter, just a glug of olive oil at the end ) and it's good to mix up side dishes once in a while (so you don't find yourself saying "what kind of potato do you want?"). the middle photo is sunday morning breakfast (we ate it raw, like wild hyenas!).  We picked up some sausages from Cetaks (a local meat purveyor).  They were pretty good, a little bland, but the texture was right.  I just threw in the strawberry photo for pretty.  While it's a little early in the season, they were still not totally cardboardy.

I also made some tostadas last night, but I've posted tostada pics a million times.  What did make this time different, however, was the fact that I bought my meat from the mexican grocery.  We were out scooting around on saturday and Wife yelled out "cokes!"  In dish language, that means, "Hey, we are going by the mexican grocery. Let's go in and get some non-high fructose coca cola in glass bottles that we will recycle after we are done drinking them!"  So we did.  We also picked up some banana leaves (for making pibil) and as I was walking by the meat counter, I couldn't help but notice the excellent chorizo they had for sale.  So I bought some...and used it for tostadas.  I really would encourage going to ethnic markets.  A lot of times, their meat (especially in the case of kosher and halal regulations) and produce is of higher quality than big supermarkets.  I think that I paid around 3 bucks for a pound of chorizo, which was pretty close to my version.  until next time...

DISH recommends:

A Bamboo cutting board.  yeah, yeah.  I was all about end grain maple blah blah blah for a while, but I really have grown to love my bamboo cb.  It's very, very strong and easier on your knives than other woods.  Plus, bamboo is sustainable and that's something I'm totally down with.  I couldn't find my exact model, but this is a good one, and it's on sale!

What it all boils down to...

So, I totally forgot to tell about my experience at the Boiler Room.  Well, let me just say that it was fantastic!  Definitely one of the best meals I've had out in a long time (since vacation).  I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the place and it was one of those times where you draw dinner out for a few hours and just hang out with pals and enjoy it all.  What did we feast upon, you ask?  well, patience, my little crickets...I'm about to divulge:

let's start off with the the very first thing:  water.  big deal, right?  wrong, and wrong.  Upon arrival, wife and wife's besty were asked what kind of water they would like for the table, still, or bubblified.  anyone who knows me, knows I have to have the bubbles.  They also brought still water out in a big glass bottle, just like we do it at the disharosa, big points scored.

we all scoured the menu and chose three first courses:

braised and glazed pork belly:  absolutely delicious!  I love pb, you just have to know what you are doing when you cook it, and this particular one was cooked very intelligently.

Lamb kibbah w/ arugula and white sardine salad & hummus:  Hmmm...this dish was interesting.  the lamb (which was spiced very well) was served tartare style (I failed to realize this upon ordering.  It was ok with me, but wife was totally not down), and while I didn't particularly enjoy any of the three components on their own, they really were tasty when eaten all together.

marinated olives:  I love olives, but I particularly love really GOOD olives.  these were actually not brined and marinated in house.  A touch that my non-olive eating wife particularly enjoyed.

and now for the entrees:

Wifeshow's Besty (aka "marebear")-- hanger steak- Served med- to medium rare.  Most times, the less expensive cuts of beef are the most flavorful.  this was no exception.  I don't quite remember what it was paired with, but I do remember it being delicious.

"Iske Business" (aka "james")-- james is like a mullet haircut (just hear me out here, pal).  A head on look at him and you think, "this guy is all business.", but by the time you take a closer, 360 degree look, you're thinking, "this guy is all party!" that's why james ordered the John Dory.  it was good, but not as good as...

Wifeshow:  Escolar (white tuna). easily the best piece of fish I've had in nebraska (although that isn't saying much), and one of the best I've had (that is saying something).  very firm and steaky, and expertly cooked.

theDish:  sometimes I feel like I sacrifice personal enjoyment for the sake of culinary exploration.  I'll be honest, every bone in my body wanted that hanger steak.  I love hanger steak.  a normal person wouldn't have thought twice about that, right? Right?  so what did I do? "Yes, I would like the Calf's liver for my second course?"  Really?  Surely you jest?  No and also no.  However, I will say that as far as liver goes, it was the chateubriand of liver.  Served with charred parsnips and oyster mushrooms, it was very good.  Kind of reminded me of heart.

We rounded out the meal with an excellent, EXCELLENT! cheese board that also came with local honey, brandy-soaked cherries, and toasted pecans.  A shot of espresso (from lincoln's own Cultiva Coffee!) and a few bites of saffron cake later, and that was that.  So, I know this little "review" is a bit silly and probably doesn't do the boiler room justice, but really check it out, it's a quaint, cool little place with excellent food and service, and it's actually really affordable.  highly recommended.

ok, dishfood:

I made some sushi the other night.  Hadn't made sushi forever, got a little crazy with the wasabi, but still good.  I had wife pick up some sashimi grade yellowtail from whole foods and then coated it with black sesame seeds and seared it.  it gave it a really nice, nutty flavor. check out my cucumber garnish.

Stout-braised chuck roast with root veg.  When did beef brisket get so expensive?  I went to pick up a  non-corned brisket on sunday and was shocked to see that small ones were around the 15-17 dollar range.  price gouging, much?  oh well, I had a charles in the freezer, so i just made that instead, still tasty.  I'm sleepy, I should be in bed.  pieces.

Dish Recommends:

Sushi: taste and technique.  a really good book with good photos to help you out along the way.

"for all the cows" or "My life is all about balance?"

I'm singling out my sister-in-law on this one.  She has commented before that there are not enough veggie treats on here so, Erin, here you go.  no, I'm not talking about the two pictures of steak (HA!), I'm talking about the face melting bean and potato tacos photo.  I had kind of spaced off lunch and had to make this dish on the fly, but sometimes that is when you really shine.  Taco recipe to follow, sista (because I know you will want to make this one).

Ok, other pics:  Maximum Beefage.  Somehow we (wifeshow and her opening act "the husband experience) managed to score an unbelievable ribeye at the grocery.  I'm telling you it was marbled to the deeps up in that business!  I think it somehow managed to slip by whoever was grading it.  Anyway, true to form, all of the fat melted into the meat creating an amazingly tender steak.  Accompanied with a potato and onion Rosti and a microgreen salad, it was pretty hard to beat.   I know that a lot of grilling advocates will argue that I ruin my steaks by the saute and oven method, but I don't care.  don't get me wrong, I can appreciate a nicely grilled steak, but for me, this method prevails.  You lose all of your "fond" when you grill and you don't get that great opportunity to make a sauce with the pan  "leftovers."  

Anyway,  I've said it a million times, but please, give this method a try.  click here for the method. (scroll down to bottom)

Other sort of newsworthy snippets:  I've lost about 10 pounds. I didn't want to lose ten pounds.  Wife says that it is because of the yoga, but, at first I had a hard time believing her.  can yoga really do that to a person's body?  I think that I underestimated it. well, actually I know that I underestimated it.  It really is more of a workout than just stretching and bending.  I have been doing yoga on the days that I don't lift for about a two months now.  I can't really say that my results are typical or not, I really have no reference here, it was just something that I thought that I would start doing to be more flexible.  To be honest, I look forward to it just as much or more than lifting.  the dish gives it two spoons up.

DISH recommends:

A good set of tongs.  trivial, you might think, but having a sturdy set of tongs in your kitchen is like having an extra set of hands; a set of hands that you can dip in the fiery belly of a medieval dragon (depending on the make and model, of course:).  I got mine at Sam's Club (when I had a membership) they're sturdy and decently gauged.  I think they were under 20 bucks.  

Potato and bean tacos:

1 decent sized potato

1 can  pintos

1 tomato (or a big handful of cherry tomatoes)

1/4 of an onion

1/2 poblano pepper

1 clove garlic

fresh cilantro

salt and peps

cumin 

coriander

chile powder

veg. stock

 corn tortillas

feta cheese

in a small pot, parboil your potato (you cut it into small dice right? Of course you did!).  While that's going, saute the onion, pepper, garlic, tomato, a good dose of cilantro, and the spices.  Add some stock here and there as the mixture begins to thicken.  after about 5 min., the veg will start to soften and you can add the (rinsed) can of pintos to the mixture.  Using a potato masher, smash them up to desired consistency (I like mine smooth/chunky, also my nickname in highscool!) add a bit more stock and turn to low, stirring occasionally. onto the tates!  Your potatoes should be parboiled by now (a knife should insert with minimal force, but they shouldn't be "mashed potato" soft.  Drain these well, and then toss them into a hot skillet with olive oil.  Let them brown on all sides (5-6 minutes total).  remove and drain on paper towels.  With your oil still hot, add your tortillas and lightly fry on each side, I said LIGHTLY! you still want to be able to fold these:)  Now you are ready to eat!  Top the tortilla with a generous helping of beans, potatoes, more fresh cilantro and some feta cheese.  You can also add salsa and anything else you like, except tinfoil or pipecleaners, I don't think those would be very good.  Enjoy!

Don't you think it's weird that they call them "push-ups?" I mean, you have to come down sometime...

Up until last night, I had never had (or made) bubble and squeek.  Traditionally, it's made from leftover winter veg (usually root vegetables that were roasted).  The idea here is just to smash them all up and fry them in butter and olive oil.  How can that be bad, right?  I'm really surprised it's taken me this long to try it.  The results were pretty good and surprisingly sweet.  I used leftover veg from my braised chicken (baby yukons, carrots, parsnips, turnips, garlic, and I think some mushrooms made it in there too).  Pretty tasty.  It made me wonder what other leftovers you can smash up and fry in butter, but, alas, that is another post entirely.

As I mentioned, I made a braised chicken the other night.  I have been using chickens from plum creek farms.  I would definitely recommend them. very good flavor and I know that they are treated humanely. I feel better about eating happy things, well, better than they feel.

I also made a small batch of pork chili the other day.  It was actually from a pork shoulder that we had at work and it was just hanging out in the walk in, so I figured I might as well make something out of it.  Sometimes I think that I am strange like that.  I find myself looking forward to making things out of leftovers just as much as making the original thing.  Maybe I'm just thrifty, or maybe I was a scavenger in another life.

Other newsy newsthingys:  Martha was telling me about Bruce lee the other day.  Apparently, he never used any weights to work out, just his own body ( and a pull-up bar, but I don't think that counts) and the guy was super ripped.  It kind of made me start to re-think the way I work out.  Is it more useful to bench press 240 pounds or to be able to do pushups with just your thumb and forefinger?  I'll bet the meathead that can bench the big pounds can't even come close to the bruce lee pushups.  Just a thought.  So, yeah, I am going to try and do more resistance exercises using my own body.  

on a sidenote, I am going to the boiler room for dinner tomorrow night.  Super excited.  I'll try to snag some pics if wife will let me (my guess is no, but maybe I can sneek the tiny digicam in) and give you all an unbiased review of the place.  From what I can tell, it looks pretty cool, and at least I know the bread is good.  (check it out here)

DISH recommends:

Cuisinart Green Gourmet pan, 8 " non-stick. Used this on the squeeky stuff.  super non-stick, and won't release toxic fumes (like teflon) and kill your pet birdies or harm your frank and beans. (I'm not making this stuff up).

Cool as a cucumber? more like Hot as a kitty in the sun...a kitty made of foil...

For the most part, I like to think that I am a reasonably calm person.  I tend to take most things in stride and can usually see the brighter side of situations.  Lately, however, I have had an escalating fear that has (with accelerating speed) crept into the foreground of my mind.  What could this be, you ask?  Alien invasion?  rabid, bloodthirsty rabbits?  Killer bees?  No. no. and also no.  I'm afraid of the upcoming farmer's market season.  You might think that it's silly, but I am honestly already scared.  I will be the first one "in" this year to start things out on friday night and have already imagined many possible catastrophes (some have to do with tripping and falling into a running mixer!).  Luckily, We have a new guy to help out and the seasoned Marthy Marth to make sure things run smoothly.  Maybe I just have the jitters.  I think that I am kind of freaking myself out.  So, to combat this impending doom, I have upped my working out and have been trying to eat healthier and do things of that sort.  for those of you who might think I am being silly, let me just say that market season is pretty brutal.  Way less sleep, lots more work, and lots more work.  hopefully we can all take it in stride and bake some tasty bread treats; and if you live in lincoln or Omaha, you had better go check us out!  

ok, food:  I made some beef stir fry with peanut sauce the other night.  It is an adaptation from one of Martha's recipes.  I really like this stuff, it's pretty tastified, and has lots of room for improv.  Not much else went on over the weekend.  I went to watchmen, so that pretty much took up a whole day, man that movie was looooong.  It was pretty good though.  I had read the book previously, and they did a pretty good job sticking to the story (until the end).  The picture of the cucumbers is from the weekly "sunday night veggie-bag ensemble."  That's right, we make bags o' veggies every sunday night and then we have snacks for the rest of the week.  lately, it's been celery, carrots, cucumbers, and then we try to throw in whatever is in season.  We have some snow peas in there now.  You'd be surprised what substituting these for chips or candy will do for you and how much better you will feel.  so, come on, give it a try!

DISH recommends:

Listening to Earlimart.  the album I like best is "hymn and her".  Particularly like the track "time for yourself."  give it a listen.

In a previous life, I was a plumber... or...super obscure dry joke time!

I used to really like spaghetti and meatballs.  what kid doesn't, right?  well, over the years, as my tastes changed and I sought out more flavorful and interesting dishes, this one seemed to go by the wayside.  I would always think about making it, but for some reason would change my mind or make something that I thought more interesting.  It wasn't until earlier this week when I told wife that I was going to make pasta and she requested meat sauce (we usually have veggie tom. sauce) that I really wanted to try and make a stellar version, with tiny meatballs instead of a meat sauce.  The problem I had run into before, was the meatball.  I had tried browning them in olive oil and then finishing them off in the sauce, but this proved to be really greasy and they would break apart if left in long enough to flavor the sauce well.  I had also tried to put them straight in the sauce from a raw state, but that was an even bigger flop.  So, this time I put the meatballs on a sheet pan and broiled them until done, then into the sauce.  I think that this was the clear winner.  they held together really well, and flavored the sauce well, without breaking up at all.  wow, sorry that was really wordy, anyway...

I have this theory about curries:  You should not hurry a curry, that's when things get furry.  no, seriously.  It seems that curries are the sort of thing that are better the less you pay attention to them (like kitties!).  I have tried to speed them up in the past, but they never get those rich layers of flavor that you expect from a curry.  My advice:  whack everything into a big pot, bring to a simmer, and then cover it and turn to low, then walk away...just walk away.  come back in an hour or so. it'll be worth it.

Lastly, I made some potato leek soup last night.  It was pretty delicious.  I wasn't expecting it to taste so rich and creamy with hardly any cream (just a splash) in it.  This was another slow dish. there are under ten ingredients in this soup.  I like that.  It's comforting to know that you can get a lot out of so little.  pieces.

DISH recommends:

Cuisinart stick blender:  very handy for making blended soups and/or sauces.  I really like that you can just jam this baby into the pot and blend it up right there, because who wants to ladle a pot's worth of something into a regular blender and blend it in batches?  not you?  not me either.

Potato leek soup:

3 leeks

2 pieces bacon

1/2 onion

4 medium yukon Gold potatoes

salt and peps

2 tbs butter

olive oil chick broth

fry bacon until crisp, set aside.  Drain all but 1 tbs of rendered fat.  add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add leeks, butter, and a drizz of olive oil, cook for about 5 minutes more, do not brown (this will make your soup darker then you want it to), this is called "sweating" your aromatics.  don't fret, there's little worrying or exercise involved (that's another recipe).  Add potatoes, broth, salt and pepper.  cook until potatoes are really tender and have no resistance when pierced with a knife.  mash the solids in the soup with a potato masher, then blend.  add a a splash or two of cream. stir.  garnish with crispy bacon bits and the tiniest drizzles of cream.  make squigglies with a toothpick, feel awesome.  Serve with a crusty bread like, pain de campagne.

Hyperlinkonlogs

BRRRRR!! It has been brutally cold all weekend.  Maybe wife and I should think about getting some of those "snuggies." (although, they do kind of look like standard issue religious cult uniforms..."Why, yes, I would like a glass of kool-aid!").  ok, anyway...food.  I picked up some super sweet lambchops the other day, center cut (look like tiny t-bone steaks), not shoulder.  Not that I mind the shoulder cut for certain things (braising, roasting, etc), but the center cut is just more suitable for broiling and saute, which is what I was doing.  Served it with some couscous that had toasted pine nuts, dried cranberries, spinach, and a healthy glug of olive oil, and also some asparagus.  When I saute meat I usually finish it off in the oven.  I like to toss in a little wine or stock, etc. right before to help me out when I make a pan sauce (I also threw in some tomatoes, it's for fun!).  After the meat is done I take it out and let it rest, put the hot pan on the burner (remember, the pan's handle is wicked hot!), give it another shot of wine/stock, and then let it reduce.  At this point, I added a little cream.  I was using vermouth for the main liquid.  In a couple of minutes, you have a pretty good sauce for your meat treats.  There are a thousand variations on this method, and to many of you it will seem old hat, but I think it's pretty useful stuff, basic or not.

I made some risotto milanese last night.  I like to eat risotto, particularly when it's frigid briskies outside.  It's something that takes a little more work then rice, but it's really worth it.  Plus, I had some saffron on hand that I was itching to use.  I tried my hand at making little pyramids with the risotto (using an offset spatula), kind of felt like richard dreyfuss. don't worry, wasn't abducted...

the last pic is my breakfast today.  I made a frittata with bacon, spinach, onion, and cheddar.  Pretty tasty.  had it with the bombtastic multigrain bread we make at the bakery.  get some.

other newsy newsbites: I'm still trying to motivate myself to write the cookbook, I'm shooting for the end of the year. Also, really getting excited about the upcoming gardening season.  hopefully I can get some really cool stuff, or talk people into giving me really cool stuff, that actually sounds better.

DISH recommends:

picking up some ramekins:  this set from Le Creuset is around 24 bucks.  This is what i used to mold the couscous in the lambchop picture.  you can use it for all sorts of plating stuff.  Sometimes I use it for risotto or mashed tates.  oh, and you can also actually make tasty desserts with it too, the possibilities are endless!

 Dish's Saute method (ex. beef tenderloin)

get a saute pan nice and hot

add some canola oil

add your seasoned meat (seasoned however you like) to the pan, browning on both sides (about 2-3 minutes)

go around the pan once with a splash of red wine (or beef stock), you can also throw in some shrooms or whatever

place into a 400 F oven 

cook until desired doneness (3-4 min for med rare, 6 for med, 8 for shoe leather)

take pan out, let meat rest on cutting board

place pan on hot burner, add more liquid (wine, stock, heavy cream, whatever...)

let reduce (sauce should coat back of a spoon and you should be able to run your finger across the spoon and the line it makes should hold.) see video here  (spoon ex. at about the 2 minute mark.) 

plate meat, pour tasty sauce over your meat.  

eat