"It's a classic Chicken, Egg Situation."

Sooo...which one of these dishes came first?  The debate continues.  I had purchased some chicken the other day, and cut the breast meat up into paillards (basically, thin chicken strips).  sauteed them up and threw in some of the chicken stock I made a couple of days ago. excellent.  After the chicken was close to done, I set it aside and then deglazed the pan with some vermouth and after a few minutes, added a shot or two of heavy cream.  Makes for a pretty delicious gravy.  I know that sugar snap peas are not in season, but I don't care.  I love those things.  I like to eat them raw, like candy.  not that you eat candy in a raw state, I'm just saying...

Brought some brioche home the other day.  We had made a test batch for a restaurant that might start ordering it.  I don't particularly like brioche, but it makes the best french toast.  Paired up with some smoked gouda scrambies and some peaches that my mom put up this summer.  More posts, must...keep...typing...

DISH recommends:

cuisinart chef's classic nonstick open skillet with helper handle.  Amazon.com around $60.  This is the one I go to for sautéing meat, big batches of scrambies, giant fritattas, hashbrowns, etc. Just remember to use plastic or wooden utensils. Very, very good skillet to have around.

chili weather

It was COLD yesterday, wicked cold.  There is only one cure for a day like that...chili and cornbread.  Over the years, I've made lots of different types of chilis.  Pork, ground beef, all beef, vegetarian, chicken, turkey,  you name it.  With that said, this is the basic one that I always come back to.  The meat being used might change, but the basic make up is the same.  Onions, garlic, red pepper, pablano, chili powder, cumin, coriander, cilantro, s&p, and ibarra mexican chocolate.  I do add a can of plum tomatoes also.  I like chili that isn't overly tomatoey and sweet.  actually, I hate sweet chili.  I have no room in my life for that stuff.  

The cornbread is an adaptation from a rose levy recipe.  While I don't really acknowledge her as being an expert on bread, I will say that her recipes for quickbreads, cakes, muffins, etc., are pretty good.  I really like this one for cornbread.  it has a lot of sour cream in it that gives it a nice tang and moistness.  I usually put a tablespoon or two of honey in it also.

Other newsworthy news:  I stopped in at the Cafe Indigo (supplied with coffee from cultiva

) today to sample their latte tricks.  My friend Tamara works there and is quite the barista.  Good stuff.  So, check it out.

DISH recommends:Cafe Indigo, Latte, any size.

snuggin with buddies (dog buddies, that is) 

Staub, La Cocette, cutleryandmore.com.  Best when it comes to dutch ovens.  better than LeCreuset, in my opinion.  you won't regret the hefty price.  peaces.

They call it "wild game", but it doesn't hold a candle to "candyland" with my grandma.

I wasn't going to cook yesterday.  I had been thawing some meat my mom had given me (I think this was either elk or antelope, I can't remember) because I wanted to make chili.  I realized it was way too much for the job so I decided to make some mini burgers, or "sliders."  I love mini food.  In fact, sometimes I wish I was a giant just so I could eat things on a smaller scale.  I have wanted to (but probably never will) throw a tiny food party for years!  Anyway, I pattied these babies up and seasoned with a little balsamic, worcestershire, s&p, and sauteed them in a skillet.  After both sides had been browned, I threw in a little beef broth and let that reduce.  two purposes:  the liquid helps the meat cook faster, more evenly, and you get sort of a lovely sauce that coats the meat.  I also made some broccoli and roasted some russets.  Today was another long day at work.  Flour deliveries really suck the life out of me.  Especially after monday workouts.  Sleepy treats aplenty.  peaces.

DISH recommends:

swanson lower sodium beef broth, grocery stores everywhere.  While I always favor homemade stocks, beef and veal stocks aren't really cost effective for the home cook.  You have to have quite a few shank bones to make a good stock, and that's just not something that I have kicking around on a regular basis.  Swanson makes a darn good substitute, with not as much sodium as other brands.  If you'd like to take it a step further, you could always simmer some carrots, onions, celery (or even a few bones) for a richer taste.  

Once, Twice, Three times Biscotti.

 Well, actually, just two times biscotti, but that didn't sound so hot:)  Biscotti gets baked once, then cools, then you slice it and bake it again. Wife doesn't really like biscotti, unless she snitches some before the second bake.  Weird, huh?  Not to her.  This biscotti was white chocolate and dried cranberry.  Bring on the Joe!  I have been trying to enhance my photography skills.  Hope you all will notice in the coming months.  peaces.

Dish Recommends:

Silpat, cutleryandmore.com, $19.95

New "Dish Recommends" section, better STOCK up!

Last night I was rummaging around the ol' icebox, wondering what I could pair up with some risotto and veggies.  I stumbled across a bag of frozen shell-on shrimp that I had purchased a while ago and thought, "Eureka!"  I like shrimp.  Quite a bit.  I just forget about it. Growing up in the midwest, it's kind of difficult for me (and probably a lot of you fellow "landlubbers") to embrace seafood.  It is, however, something that I enjoy and something that I would really like to get a lot better at preparing.  Shrimp is great because you get a protein packed meal with hardly any fat.  

I had also spent an hour or two yesterday making homemade chicken stock.  I used to do the whole carrots, celery, and onions thing.  Fresh herbs, blah blah blah.  I even used to roast my bones with a little tomato paste for maximum caramely color.  Yeah, you really only need chicken backs, onions, bay leaves, and a cleaver.  Mostly the cleaver.  A couple of months ago I picked up a "Cooks Illustrated" Magazine, specifically on soups and stews.  It had a recipe in there that completely changed the way that I make chicken stock.  The best part?  It only takes about 1.5 hours instead of most of the day!  The key is to hack up chicken backs and wings/any other spare part(s) into about 3 inch pieces.  That robust, velvety chicken flavor that good restaurants add into your meals, that's stock, and that flavor is derived from the marrow.  It makes all the difference.  By now, I hope you are buying whole chickens.  Cut them up yourself, and save the parts you will not be using (mostly the backs, sometimes I use the wings for stock too) in a gallon ziploc and chuck it in the freezer until you have enough backs to make stock (I usually wait until I have about four backs).

ok, back to food:

I made some basic risotto and while that was finishing up, I sauteed some green beans with very thinly sliced garlic and minced red bell pepper.  After about 3-4 minutes, I added the shrimp and seasoned the mixture up with some s&p, cajun seasoning, and some smoked paprika.  It was really easy and really good. A light and clean meal after a thanksgiving weekend was really nice.  

Well, time to go work out.  If you take anything away from this post, please let it be that you will start buying whole chickens.  I can't think of a better way to get the most out of your time in the kitchen.

Also, I am going to start a little "Dish Recommends" section at the end of my posts that contains suggestions on related products that will make your cooking life that much easier.

Dish recommends:

Global Meat clever (It really makes easy work of hacking up bones.) (6 inch, $120.95 cutleryandmore.com) I know, it's expensive, but it will last your lifetime, and be worth it in the end.

Knife skills Illustrated (very thorough illustrations on chicken fabrication, not to mention everything else on the planet that needs knife work) (amazon.com, $19.77, new)