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!