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

It's always a party with Wayne's Codeine

The other week I saw a recipe for a potato-wrapped halibut and thought, "hmm...that looks really cool, I'll try that someday."  Actually, to be honest, I really thought, "hmm...that looks really cool, but I'll probably never try that."  Well, I've kind of been feeling that I could do a bit more with presentation and thought that this would be a good venture for that.  Plus, I've been wanting to goof around with my balsamic-pomegranate reduction/caramel recipe.  The potato trick proved to be a little technical, but i think that the big trick is getting the potatoes thin enough. Once I dialed in my mandoline to the perfect setting, it was a breeze.  You lay the potatoes out next to each other, overlapping across and also down.  place your fish in the middle, then just fold over and press the seam side to adhere to the fish.  There was a really good photo of how to do this in this month's bon appetit.  Anyway, I served on top of some wilted spinach and then drizzled the reduced balsamic mixture on top.  I can't say enough about that stuff.  If you like balsamic vinegar, you'll love this.  It's really easy and can be used on all sorts of things from meat(s) to salads, or just for dipping.  recipe to follow.   ps.  notice the stray spinach leaf???  lamesters.

I also made a tomato soup the other night and we had some lovely grilled cheese sandwiches (on whole wheat sourdough).  I actually used the leftover soup to make another soup.  I took the rest of my sausages and added some potatoes, a jalapeno, and some chicken broth.  pretty tasty, but a little on the spicy side.  

DISH recommends:

OXO kitchen mandoline.  I was feeling bad for not using this thing. I got it for christmas and have just recently started to explore with it (sorry, fingertips), but so far so good.  around 70 clams.

Caution:  following recipe ridiculously easy and will make you look way cooler than you probably are... at least I hope I'm not the only one...

balsamic reducto:

2 parts balsamic  (ex. 1/2 c)

1 part pomegranate juice (ex. 1/4 c)

sugar (ex. 1 tbs.)

put in saucepot and turn heat on high, let reduce until you dip a spoon in it and the liquid thinly coats the spoon (Be careful here, you don't want to go too far).  Take off of heat and let stand about 5 min. it will thicken up and you should be able to make some sweet designs with it.  it should fall from the spoon in drizzly ribbons ( also my nickname in high school, too bad you never thought of that one, eh?).  pieces.

pps--if you botched it, and thickened too far, add a little more juice and heat up again, just not as much as the first time.

nothing rhymes with sausage

It was so nice yesterday that I just had to smoke some meat treats.  I was rummaging around my deep freeze when I ran into the sausage pile I made about a month ago.  I wasn't really happy with it when I had made it, I think I was just in a bad mood from doing it all day long.  I like to hot smoke sausages, It's just my personal preference.  I had kind of missed my little smoker.  I bought it last spring.  It's something that i had wanted to do for a while and just thought that it was a lot harder than it actually is.  Mine is a charcoal smoker, I know that there is also an electric version of this same model, but I like the old school method, and I'm sure that there is some more flavor imparted doing it this way (although, the electric method might give you more temperature control).  So, you really should pick one of these little guys up.  the box said that it could smoke up to 50 pounds of meat at a time, but I really doubt it.  I have done a pretty big pork shoulder and sausages at the same time and it worked great.  check it out, they're really affordable and kind of a fun little hobby to have.  peace.

DISH recommends:

brinkman gourmet charcoal smoker:  ok, this is the cheapest place that I found this.  I bought mine at lowes for about ten bucks more, so if your hometown has a lowe's that might be the way to go.  seriously, give it a shot.  if you can use a crockpot, you can use a smoker.  around 55-65 bucks.  pieces.

love me tenderloin

I roasted a pork tenderloin on friday night. I roasted it in a cast iron pan on top of some potatoes.  I like this method because the pork fat bastes the tates while they cook.  tasty indeed.  I did have quite a bit leftover, so ended up making two other dishes out of the rest.  The middle dish was sort of a variation of huevos rancheros (the egg is underneath).  i really like this dish, probably one of my favorite breakfasts.  the last dish was just some last minute nachos.  I had some pretty grand plans to make a roasted chicken with risotto and roasted brussels sprouts, but we got caught up in the events of the day, oh well, probably do that tonight.  

the weather was super nice yesterday.  It made me think that perhaps spring will come earlier than thought.  Although, we always get a terrible snow storm in march.

Well, I have one more post to do, so I am going to cut this one a bit short. 

DISH recommends:

Lodge Cast iron skillet:  ok, so this website lists this as way more than I would spend, just a warning.  Your best bet is to go to TJMAXX or a thrift or garage sale.  Don't pay over 20 bucks.  I use mine for everything.  Last summer, I even started putting in the coals of my weber grill and using it for stir frying, an easy way to get wok-style heat without a wok burner.

flexible vegetables or ps--i did indeed NOT invent the word "carcolepsy." Darn urbandictionary.com

Today, I find myself in the unusual position of having a little bit of extra time on my hands.  I'm not quite sure how this came about, really...I had a longer day than usual at the bakery, and I took the dog on our usual run and also worked out.  Kind of weird really.  Anyway, the important thing is that I have some time to post some stuff.  We've been eating pretty light so far this week.  We had a really good salad of mixed greens with goat cheese, grape tomos, sesame sticks, cranberries, rye croutons (from work, of course), and cucumbers. We flaked a little broiled salmon onto the top and I made a blood orange/balsamic vinaigrette for the dressing. I am actually a really big fan of salads.  They're so easy to put together and your options are pretty much unlimited.  Definitely a timesaver. 

The center picture is a ham and goat cheese flatbread (can you tell I have been lazy this week?)  Again, super easy.  I actually used some pizza crusts from work for these.  Brushed them with some olive oil, roasted garlic, and then crisped them up in the oven. 

Recognize the final dish??  well, actually I am a little embarrassed to admit this, but it's the veggie soup from a couple of days ago (that's right, make a big, fat, tasty gasp!).  I reduced it until it got very thick, added some cumin, coriander, curry powder, and cilantro and then swirled in some plain yogurt and served it over basmati.  I cut so many corners here, it was ridiculous...ridiculously tasty. Lazy? Maybe, but no one is ever going to accuse me of not getting the most out of my leftovers.  

other non-food things:  I have to admit I used to be a skeptic of yoga.  In fact, I used to not even consider it working out.  however, for the past month, I have been doing "Yoga burn."  It is a dvd I bought at target, put out by a company called Gaiam.  After one session, I felt like my body had been wadded up and thrown in a back-alley dumpster.  Even so, I kept with it and I must say that I feel pretty good about the strides I have made in my flexibility.  Being flexible is something that I think a lot of us don't think about...at all.  I know I hadn't given it much thought, but it really has helped me out at work and even just in general.  I could barely touch my toes when I started and now I am putting my nose to my knee (lying down, not standing...yet). So, I guess what I am saying is that you really should give it a try.  I am going to keep doing it. don't get me wrong, I like lifting, but there is something pretty cool about using your own body to improve your body. 

DISH recommends:

Cuisinart 4 cup rice cooker.  Yeah, I know...complete and total indulgence, but it frees up a burner and I like having a rice cooker, dagnabit!  50 clams.

Yoga Burn.  This guy's name is rodney yee.  last name short for yeecantbeseriousnobodybendsthatway. around 15 bucks.

Flu Bug Zapper or I figured out how to Hyperlink!

WOW!  Last week I was really, really sick.  In fact, I would say that I am just now getting above the 80% range.  I caught some weird sort of flu bug or something.  It felt like food poisoning, but I hadn't gone out and wife was not sick from eating the same food (at home).  Oh well, the important thing is that I am on the mend and back to posting some tasty pics.   

The pasta dish is from early last week.  I made some crab and red bell pepper alfredo.  It sounds really heavy and rich but actually was on the lighter side. The soup picture is what I made last night, I had a ton of veg knocking around the fridge and needed an easy way to use all of it. I used some onions, leeks, celery, carrots, celery root, potatoes, pablano peppers, orange and red bell peppers, anaheim peppers, collard greens, and green beans.  the broth was a veg stock/tomato juice combo.  It turned out really well.  Probably very vitamintastic!  The last photo was just me peeling a bunch of apples.  I made some apple cinnamon muffins for amy to take to a work party.  I am still tweaking the recipe a little, but once I finish it, I will be sure to post ( I think I need to cut back on the apples).

other newsworthy newsage:  I made up a word last night. We were visiting with my brother and sister-in-law, talking about falling asleep in cars.  I was talking about how when I am in a car and it hits the interstate I fall asleep, when this gem of a word came out of my mouth:  "carcolepsy"- a sudden, coma-like affliction of sleep, induced by riding in an automobile.  Don't steal it!  Use it, by all means, but it's mine...I think.

DISH recommends:

Mac 2.5 in. curved peeling knife.  Also known as a tourne knife, or bird's beak peeler.  Traditionally, this kind of knife is used for tourneed vegetables, but it makes a pretty handy peeler.  around 25-30 bucks.  check it out here!

It's a hard knock life, for Gus...

The "I love my dog Expo."  Otherwise known as the State Fair for dogs (minus the deep fried candy bars and treats on a stick).  Our Friends from Gretna (the Iskes, holla!), came down on saturday with their dog and we met up at this thing.  It was pretty much a treatfest.  Lots of booths with people handing out treats and trying to get you interested in their products/services.  Gus and Bailey had a pretty good time.  There were so many dogs there.  There were a couple of great danes that looked like ponies.  We also scored a free frisbee.  Stoked.  Nance (wife's mom) and her husband stopped in for lunch on their way back to np yesterday and we had some pretty tasty reubens (sorry no pics, forgot.) and a bombtastic wifesalad.  I also made pork chili over the weekend.  Tasty for sure.  It's actually closer to a "chili colorado," but delicious all the same.  

other newsy news:  I snapped photos for the bakery on saturday.  Got some good pics of bread and cakes, etc.  thought I would share the cream puff picture.  

DISH recommends:

The Gentle Leader.  You can see this on gus in the picture above.  It teaches your dog not to pull when going on a walk.  It's very humane and corrects them by holding their muzzle, just like the "leader" dog would do in the "wild".   around 20 smackers.  petsmart.com

here's my pork chili recipe.  It's an older one, but a good one.  

do:

2 lbs. pork, cubed

1 large onion small dice

1 red bell pepper small dice

2 pablano peppers small dice

1 anaheim chili pepper small dice

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 potatoes (russets, or yukon gold) diced

1 hefty bunch of cliantro, minced

1 cup beef broth

14 oz. chicken broth

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce (or 2 large diced tomatoes)

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 tbsp cumin

1 tsp cumin seed

2 tsp ground coriander

olive oil

salt and peps

3/4 c water if needed

In a large pot or dutch oven, add 2 tbsp olive oil and saute the onions, peppers, and garlic.  When the veg becomes translucent, add the chili powder, cumin, cumin seed, coriander, salt and peps, and  1/2 cilantro.  If they start to stick add a little stock or water.  Cook veg an additional 5-10 minutes, or until they start to soften.  Add the pork and stir, cooking for about 5 minutes.  Add the potatoes, stocks, other 1/2 cilantro, and tomato.  Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 40 minutes to an hour.  (remove the lid for the last 20 minutes to help thicken up.  add the water at the end if you've been a little zealous with the thickening:)

 garnish with cilantro. serve with tortillas, scrambled eggs, or make nachos out of this.  tasties.

No One's getting fat except Mama Cass...Ole!

So I had these grandiose visions for my cassoulet.  I was going to make little meatballs out of the linguica sausage I made a few days ago and put them in right at the end, along with some chicken thighs, cooked in the "confit" style, but...none of those things happened.  So I ended up with a meager meat selection of just pork shoulder and bacon.  Oh well, I guess there's nothing wrong with that, per se (Yes! I've wanted to say "per se" on here for a while.), but that's kind of the whole point of making cassoulet, isn't it?  Meat Fest...oh well, it was still pretty good.  File under definite redo, for suresies.  Served it with some croutons (baguette),  a little drizz of olive oil, and some fleur de sel.  Definitely comfort food.  

It had been a while since I had used dried beans.  I quite like them, I just forget about their superiority.  It's kind of funny how cheap they are compared to the canned variety.  anyway...

other newsworthy newsbits:  The bakery (LeQ) is starting to make cinnamon rolls.  I had one today.  Let me just say, "BOOYAH!!!"  they are so ridiculously good.  Topped with some creamy cheese frosting...dynamite.  We are also coming close on puff pastry production.  I am pretty excited to get some savory treats going around there.  I very rarely eat the sweet things at work, in fact, until today, I had probably gone about a month without having a pastry (if you don't count the samples of the puffy stuff.).  Sweets have never really been my thing.  Now savory...that's another story...

newsworthy news 2.1 (thanks wife, can't believe I forgot):  My Friend of many, many moons is now a dad!  My pal nick and his wife julia are the new parents of a snuggly little boy named Liam.  I think that we are going to try and take them dinner on saturday (so if you guys see this, does that work? hahaha.) so I better come up with a dish to commemorate. he's a cute little dude. congrats pals!!!

Dish Recommends:

Le Creuset 5.5 quart french oven.  I have had mine for about 4 or 5 years now.  It's definitely starting to show some wear.  Even though I constantly recommend Staub products on here, this pot will always hold a special place in my heart.  I think it was the first piece of expensive kitchen equipment that I bought.  Ahhh, memories...  around 230 bucks.  www.cutleryandmore.com

Don't Mess with the Rosti

I have been wanting to make Rosti for a really long time.  I can't really give you a reason why I haven't ever made it.  It seemed simple enough.  Kind of like glorified hashbrowns or simplified latkes.  I thought that I would give them a go last night.  They turned out really well (thanks to Wife's mad skills, I almost ruined them on the flip, but she intervened and saved the day).  Pretty much a combo of both latkes and hashbrowns (very buttery, crispy outside, with a fluffly, oniony interior).  I think that next time I will add some cheese to the mix.  Friday night was pizza night.  We used the glorious whole wheat crusts from the bakery (you haven't tried these yet? pshaw!) and made a ham and pineapple and a barbecue chicken.  both super easy and crazy delicious. the center pic is yellow curry with chicken. My cousin Lyndi taught me how to make that dish and I must say that it is pretty delicious. it's great because you can add whatever you want for a protein. Chicken, pork, fish, beef, tofu, monkey heads, yak tails, you get the idea.  whatever you put in there is going to be great.

oh yeah, did you notice the ridiculous fat burger in the rosti pic?  I kind of felt bad after that one.  I figured it was less of a death sentence because I used really lean sirloin for the burgers.  they were topped with sauteed mushrooms and onions, bacon, and guacamole.  Yikes! Neither of us finished. Probably a good thing.  

Other newsworthy news:  Today I am going to make Cassoulet.  This is a dish I have been wanting to make for quite a while.  Traditionally, you use duck confit (along with pork butt, etc), but I didn't want to go to the trouble of making that just to use in another dish.  I am going to do mine with pork butt, and little linguica meatballs.  I had this dish in Portland and it was made with rabbit and blood sausage.  it was probably one of the best things I've ever had.  Pretty excited.  Also, time permitting, I am going to attempt to make some sort of tart.  I was wanting to do a blood orange tart, but we'll see what happens.  Oh yeah, i stumbled across this artisan knife maker's website.  WOW!  I want one.  They are probably the coolest looking knives ever.  I'll have to save some definite clammage.  this guy knows what's up: www.kramerknives.com

DISH recommends:

eating fruit:  I have been eating a lot of fruit lately (at least 2 pieces a day.) and I feel great.  It's citrus season, and I have been enjoying blood oranges, grapefruit (much to my amazement), and clementines.  I have also become a huge fan of the honeycrisp apple.  Apples to me, need to be super crisp and not at all mealy ( i hate red delicious).  These definitely meet those requirements.  check them out.

Dish's ridiculously easy tomato sauce (for pizza, breadstick dippage) 

equal parts good quality tomato paste and hot water (this rec. is for an 8 oz to 8 oz ratio)

salt and peps

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

some grated parmesan (about a tablespoon)

combine the paste and hot water, let steep for a couple of minutes.  then mix until well blended.  add spices/cheese and stir.  best if this hangs out in the fridge for about 20 min, but can be eaten right out.  So, yeah, you might look at this and say that's a crap recipe, or not legit or whatever, but I don't care.  I used to go to great lengths making pizza sauce (straight from fresh tomatoes), but this is WAY easier and I like it better. So lose your ego on this one, you won't regret it.  You can pick it back up when you are making marinara, or making hand-formed sushi. hmmm, I haven't made sushi forever....

Follow the Litre...of Cola

Well, I told you I made sausage all day on monday.  I don't know how many more times I am going to do that all by myself.  it's a little bit of an undertaking.  I think I spent about 4 hours doing all of it (20 lbs!).  I did get quite a bit of kielbasa and linguica out of it though. Don't get me wrong, I love sausage more than anything. It's just that after doing that much, I'm over it for a while.  Good thing I bought that freezer...

To the foods:  The sausage dish is German meal revisited (aka, the Reitz stuff).  Wife was telling me that I would have been pals with her gramps.  They used to invite everyone over and make tubs full of sausages, which makes me agree wholeheartedly.  The other dish is a variation on my teriyaki bowl.  Since it is glorious blood orange season, I decided to make a little blood orange teriyaki sauce.  This particular bowl has some flaked salmon, sauteed snow peas, and collard green chiffonade.  I have really been digging the collard greens lately.  Most times, you just think of braising them or whatever, but I have been trying to get the most out of them.  This way was a pretty big hit.  Topped the bowl with some segmented blood oranges, it was a nice finish to round out the fatty (that's good fat, fools!) salmon. serve it over jasmine rice and digs.

other newsworthy news:  I added a "follow this blog" tab to the page.  So, sign up...all the cool kids are doing it.  

DISH recommends:

Cuisinart 4 cup rice cooker.  I know, it's kind of an extravagance, but I like having a rice cooker, dagnabit!  also nice that it has a warming feature so you don't make krispies...around 50 smackers.  www.cutleryandmore.com

Blood orange teriyaki sauce:

juice of 2 blorange

2-3 tbs oyster sauce

couple healthy dashes soy

1-ish tbs sugar

combine all this glorious stuff in a bowl, and mix well, then reduce in a very hot pan until desired consistency achieved.  try it, you won't regret.

Because sometimes I make sausage all day long...or EUREKA!...I...um...forgot...

Weekend eats. Tasty treats. We were so cold and hungry on saturday night. Needed something substantial to ward of the frigid briskies (also my band name, don't even think about stealing it, hipsters.) Steak was the solution. booyah achieved. Sunday morning around our house means breakfast. We take sunday morning breakfast pretty seriously. This time, it was Croque Madames. Wife had a great idea to make a smoked gouda bechamel. It turned out great. I liked it quite a bit. A Croque Madame is basically a grilled sandwich with an egg on top. I suppose you could put whatever you wanted in the layers, but I usually do some ham, bechamel, and cheese. the top gets a little more bechamel, cheese, broiled in the oven until melty and finally an egg (and you better make that over easy, over med. at max!:). ok, so you won't find it on any Weight Watcher's menu, but sometimes you have to treat yourself. Everything in moderation, man. Oh, we usually don't eat lunch on sundays, just a snack or something.

Notice the beautiful egg yolk on that pic. If you haven't given free range eggs a go, you really should. In this country, chickens are treated like animals (oh, ...wait a minute), I mean, well, they're treated very poorly. take comfort in the fact that these get to actually have beaks and run around doing chickeny stuff. It makes a difference. If you don't believe, then I will give you some of mine and you can do a side by side taste-off with your stodgy old beakless birdy eggs. Also made some authentic chicken tortilla soup. I did this because I had some free range chicken to use up and I had wanted to make this for a while. I did it the old school way, with epazote, roasted ground chiles, thickened with charred corn tortillas. excellent. It was as good as any I have had. If anyone's interested in the do, let me know, I have to go make 20 pounds of sausage now. no, seriously, I am. Either I am a fool, or just someone who is up to my deeps in pork butt...or both...foolishly up to my deeps in butt. pieces.

DISH recommends

LeCreuset Stock pot. I think that mine is a 12 quart. Not quite sure, but I don't want to go look right this minute. It's bomb proof. and can hold enough to feed a militia. usually around 60-99 clams.

EGGLAND'S Best Cage free eggs. Super Creamy,dark, velvety egg yolks can be expected when you cook up one of these conveniently packaged treats. Highly recommended. A little pricey, but suck it up. don't buy so much soda or something, quality only hurts once, or in my case, about every two weeks.

"Fox in the Snow" or "The Big Schlep!"

Wife and I had been craving thai food.  However, since we have committed to dining out once a month, we had to figure this one out on our own.  I had tried to recreate this dish from our favsies place, but had never succeeded.  I called up my cousin Lyndi (who was born and raised in Thailand) for some tips and was quite pleased with the outcome.  My main problem was that I wasn't using enough Oyster sauce.  The dish turned out really well.  The veg was a tad overcooked, but that was my fault (I forgot wife was going to do Pilates after work:)  

Snidenotes, I mean sidenotes:  We took a hiking photog trip to the platter river on saturday afternoon.  We made sure to bundle up as it was ridiculously cold.  Snapped some sweet shots.  I know marth will get the chops reference, I mean fox reference, anyone else?  I thought the railroad shot was pretty cool.

DISH recommends:

Nikon D40 SLR:  My camera of choice.  For the avid snapper (photos, not the flaky to firm whitefish) this is a pretty sweet beginner's slr.  I will be upgrading to a different lens soon, but I have been more than pleased with the quality of my pics.  Around $500, stores everywhere.

Thai do's:  serves 4ish 

1 lb meats (chicken, pork or beef, or tofu) (I used chicken thigh meat)

about a cup or so of broccoli florets

5-6 scallions, cut on the diagonal in 3 inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, sliced thin (goodfellas thin)

handful of snow peas

 ""mung bean sprouts

dry pint of mushrooms. quartered.

1 cup chiffonade collard greens

1/3 cup oyster sauce

couple dashes fish sauce

about 1/4 cup stock

1-2 tbs soy sauce

splash white vinegar

sprinkling of sugar

heat up a skillet and put in some veg oil.  add your scallions, garlic, and mushrooms.  saute for a couple of minutes.  add your broccoli, and go a little longer. now add your chicken, collard greens, oyster sauce, fish and soy sauces.  once this has all incorporated, add the snow peas, stock, vinegar, and sugar.  cook until the chicken is done and thickened as you like.  add the sprouts 2 minutes before serving.  you can always add a little more stock to thin out.  serve over jasmine rice. or you could do noodles too.  I like rice, it's twice as nice.

The mysterious dinner sillies

Maybe it was the fact that we both love tostadas.  Maybe we had both had really long days.  whatever the case, tostada night turned into a laugh factory.  I don't remember how it started but we started laughing and couldn't stop.  I call this a case of the dinner sillies.  They come out of nowhere, sometimes in public, hopefully in private.  guard yourselves...

anyway, yeah tostadas rock.  these were flank steak. I usually try and make them out of some type of leftover meat, but we were really craving them, so I just made them right out.  notice my proper drinking etiquette...nice.  it looks like wife's aim is off on that bite:)

here's your do:

get a cast iron really hot and add some thinly sliced peppers and onions, garlic, olive oil to the pan.  season with cumin chili powder, coriander, salt and peps. add the chosen meat (not necessarily a meat selected by a higher power, just what you are hungry for:) and saute until starting to brown.  add a small can of tomato sauce, some stock (matching your chosen meat), and let reduce until thick as you like.  adjust seasoning if necessary. at the last minute throw in some cilantro.  top with avocado, sour cream, shredded cheds, salsa, and cilanch.  pieces

DISH recommends:

cast iron skillet by lodge.  usually under 20 clams.  These will outlast you, cockroaches, and even keith richards.  You can usually even pick one up at a garage sale or the Teej.  the best part?  you don't have to clean them.  after you are done, just rinse with hot water, throw in some kosh and wipe it around with a paper towel.  sounds gross?  not hardly, squeemsters.

Hey, who are ya? H.R. Puffandstuff?

Sorry, Sorry...I meant to post a while back, but I have just been busy with my new exercise/life schedule.  I started doing yoga on non-lifting days and it seems to eat up a lot of time.  However, I like it quite a bit.  It's pretty intense.  I'm usually pretty drained by the end.  So, on to the food.  Last saturday at work, we made some prototypes with our new puff pastry recipe.  things turned out pretty well. (from left)  We made a cherry turnover, blue cheese and walnut crisp, I forgot how to spell this (sounds like pom-ee-ay), and apple basket thingy. as you can see they all have pretty technical names:)  they were pretty delicious.  we thought that the cinnamon was a little strong in the apple thing, but otherwise they were really good.  hopefully we can get a more permanent thing going with them.  The two dishes pictured here are the elk stew from last week and "chicken Madeline", a dish I came up with for our friends. the chicken dish is really tasty, recipe below.

ps. don't you think that the apple thing looks like a "luchador" mask?

Dish Recommends:

Cuisinart Chef's classic 12 in. skillet w/ helper handle.  www.cutleryandmore.com.  I use this thing a ton.  It's got perfect weight and really nice and even heating.  Mine has been going strong for about five years now.

Chicken Madeline: serves 4

1 pound boned and skinned chicken breasts

2 crowns broccoli, cut down into bite sized pieces

salt and peps

chicken broth/stock

couple splashes heavy cream

1 shallot diced small

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

cut the breast meat in half lengthwise (like a butterfly cut, but go all the way through) and then into thirds (so you end up with naked chicken strip looking things).

season with salt and peps and then saute in olive oil until browned on both sides (but, not necessarily all the way done). remove from pan and set aside.  in the same pan, add a little more oil and then add your shallot and garlic, and let them just start to brown.  Add your broccoli and saute until starting to get really green.  add a couple of splashes of stock and then keep cooking until tender/crisp.  return the chicken to the pan, add a bit more stock and then the heavy cream. let reduce until thickened (about 4-5 min).  If you are having trouble thickening the sauce, you can always remove the chicken and broccoli with a slotted spoon and just have the liquid in the pan.  Sometimes I throw in some grated parm.  this dish is great with roasted tates, but would be equally good with pasta or rice.  have some friends over and enjoy.  food tastes better with friends. make them bring dessert.

It's a one set of "footprints" day.

I'm pretty pressed for time today so I am not going to write very much.  I will try to post tomorrow with recipes and stuff.  We had a fry-up last week, which is pretty unusual for us.  I figured that we fry things about once a year, so that's my justification.  We did onion rings and some blue whiting.  I used a beer batter from a really flavorful ale that martha gave me.  It was pretty delicious.  the pork picture is a chop with an apple cider gastrique.  I served that with some braised kale. I also made cookies last week.  They were delicious.  I have so much to do today.  will write more tomorrow. pieces.

what's yours is "Minestone"

I had never made minestrone before.  I was planning out the menu for the week (you do that too, right?, of course you do.) and came across this recipe from Martha Stewart.  It was magically delicious.  There are so many "good things" in here.  Red onion, celery, carrot, pasilla peppers (my addition), tates, cannelini beans, cabbage, peas, tomatoes, and pasta (I used penne).  Made some sourdough croutons for supreme crunchiness, OH SNAP!

so, back to the menu thingy.  You really should give it some consideration.  wife and I have committed to dining out only once a month.  There are a few reasons for this.  The obvious one being that it saves a lot of money.  Number two reason:  It makes going out special.  We have a certain dollar amount that we set aside for things, i.e. going out to eat, etc.  by saving this money up for a month, we can afford to go somewhere really nice and not just a lot of really craptastic places.  the other obvious reason: It makes me a better cook and it makes me think about what we are putting into our bodies.  So....back to the menu...again...sorry, I got sidetracked there for a bit. every sunday, I make a menu for the week.  You might think that this a pain or you don't have time for this, I say phooey to that!  if you have time to watch tv, you have time to do this.  get together some cookbooks and just go through them and pick out some recipes you want to try.  arrange them into a week's worth of meals, being conscious of not serving similar things two days in a row, and then VOILA!  you have your grocery list.  remember what I said about saving money?  Well, you only need to buy things for what is on your menu.  You can eat leftover's for lunch that next day (because your dinner was so tasty, you'll be looking forward to a rerun), so your pretty much covered for the week.  Don't forget to pick up healthy snacks and fruit and veg.  

otherworldlynewsworthy news:

I am going to be a baking machine today.  cookies, galettes, and pie crust dough.  but first, I need to take mbf on a walkies and work out. pieces.

DISH recommends:

Making a Menu:  have you picked up the theme for todays post?  try it for one week, if you hate it, well, then you're probably a little bit stupid, but you can come up with some other inferior method:)  here's the menu for this week at my house:

Sun: Minestrone w/ sourdough croutons

Mon: Pork chops w/ apple gastrique, roasted potatoes, and braised greens

Tue: Spaghetti Marinara w/ snow pea salad

Wed: Shepherd's Pie w/ sauteed Broccoli

Thur: Ale-Braised Cornish hens w/ roasted root veg

Fri: Teriyaki Salmon Bowl

Sat: Rustic Elk stew

"Hey, Moses...give me a break here, we've been eating quail forever!"

Let me just say, for the record, I love chicken.  However, I need a break.  we've been eating chicken all week long.  I made some chicken salad with the rest of my braised chicken leftovers, and last night I made chicken normandy.  My version is sauteed chicken breasts instead of the dredged and fried stuff.  the normandy sauce is basically stock, apple cider, and cream.  pretty tasty.  I served it on top of some pureed potatoes.  The potatoes were actually almost a disaster.  I was going to just make mashed potatoes, but somehow all the water in my pot (lid slightly ajar) had evaporated and the potatoes were just starting to brown on the bottom.   I added a little water and scraped up the browned bits and then just pureed them with some of the normandy sauce.  nice save.  sauteed zucchini rode shotgun and it was all over from there.  here's your do:

chicken breasts

apple cider

chicken broth/stock

salt and peps

olive oil

in a med. skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil.  add your seasoned chicken breasts and brown on both sides.  as soon as they are browned, add about 1/4 cup of stock to the pan, scraping up the bits with a wooden spoon.  this will reduce and get thick, I promise.  when it does, add about the same amount of cider.  let this get thick again, and add a little more stock.  on the last time, instead of cider, add a couple of splashes of heavy cream.  by now, your chicken should be done and juicified.  slice chicken on the diagonal and top with sauce.  serve with raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...

DISH recommends:

Gerber's all natural "amish raised" chickens.  No hormones, additives, or science junk.  just chicken.  all tasty. all the time. I think they even let them have beaks, OH BOY!

A Colon One

So, the other night I used my new pot to braise a chicken.  I forgot to take a picture.   Just know that it was crazy delicious.  I had a ton of meat left over and was wondering what I was going to do with all of it when I thought that making a galette would be a great idea.  My sister in law made one over the holidays that was pretty tasty.  her version was leeks and mushrooms.  Mine...well I wasn't sure what mine was going to be so I just kind of played jazz.  A couple of skee bop's and a shoobady doo later, I had made a pretty tasty filling. shredded chicken, caramelized onions, feta cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, spinach, salt and peps.  it kind of reminded me of spanikopita.  Also, I forgot to mention that I made the crust from a "Gourmet" magazine recipe.  I picked up a cookbook a while back on Gourmet magazine's best of the last 50 years or something.  they claimed that this crust recipe was especially delicious.  However, as usual, I had to improvise because their recipe was a little wonky (one version too small, one too big).  I did like that they combined both butter and shortening.  It made for a very flaky, tender crust.  will definitely use it again.  I would post some sort of recipe for this since it was so good, but I'm not even sure what i did really. hmmm...the world may never know. (ps...I hated that kid on the tootsie pop commercial.  I didn't like that smug owl either...not one bit.) 

Other newsworthy news:  ok, so I know a couple posts back I briefly mentioned a total body cleanse.  I never really followed that up did I?  that's what I thought.  well, the other day at work Martha said, "hey, have you ever looked up those testimonials on colon cleansing?"  My response was no, and I have to admit, I was more than intrigued.  I looked them up when I got home and they were pretty horrifying.  disgusting. etc. etc.  well, it really made me think, "wow, what if one of those terrible half jump rope half gila monster petrified turds is lurking in my deeps?"  I figured I had nothing to lose (well...) so I went to whole foods and bought this total body cleanse deal.  I was a little reluctant to try it, but so far, I feel better than I have in a long time.  it is supposed to clean your liver, kidneys, colon, etc.  I haven't had any CYE car wash moments yet, but we'll see what happens.  I still have a couple of weeks to go.  yeah, yeah.  I realize some of you might grimace or wince, but come on, you know what they say "death starts in your colon."  Or is that "death lurks in your colon?"  Hmmm, I'll have to get back to you on that one.

DISH recommends:

Yerba Prima Men's Rebuild Internal Cleansing.  They also have a women's version.  because you could swallow pipe cleaners, but there's no guarantee you'll get them back.

pps. I oiled my cutting board.  doesn't it look nice?

Just call me Aaron Burr...

I broke down and spent some christmas dough.  We went to omaha yesterday to exchange some things that wife had bought for me (which, by the way was a total loss because the JCrew store in omaha stopped carrying men's clothing!?!).  We did make a couple of extra stops at whole foods and sur la table.  oh, and also world market, which I had never been to.   I picked up an oval "Coq au vin" pot made by staub. It was 50% off! I couldn't believe it.  It is the yellow one in the picture on the left.  The picture to the right is my new pot and pan setup perfected by wife.  There was some serious organization going on yesterday (by her, not me:).  

speaking of what do you use a "Coq au Vin" pot for, it has come to my attention that there are people out there wondering just what to cook in a dutch oven.  Well, I guess my answer to that would be, "Lots of stuff."  I use mine for soups, stews, risottos, curries, roasts, etc.  The main thing I do with them is braise.  you cannot beat the performance of these for braising something.  here's your do:

take a whole chicken and cut it up into six pieces (you can also buy a cut up chicken if you are not hip to the breaking down of whole birds).  Season how you like (I like salt and peps, lemon zest, some herbage, and maybe some minced garlic) and brown in olive oil (in your dutch oven of course). you're using medium-low heat right?  you bet you are!  after browning, remove chicken pieces and set aside. (do not let the bottom of the pan burn, that means you have the heat too high.  you want a nice golden brown color on the bottom, this is called "fond" and adds lots of flavor to your final product)  at this point, I usually add some diced onion and whole garlic cloves, diced celery, and a bit more olive oil.  let these soften, then deglaze (pour liquid into hot pan, scraping up the browned tasties) your pot with your choice of liquid.  I would use something other than water, like stock/broth, beer, wine, vermouth, etc. then add the rest of the veg you want in there.  I would recommend some of these: carrots, potatoes, celery root, turnips, parsnips, tomatoes, mushrooms, etc.  season your veg liberally with salt and peps, and then add your chicken pieces back on top.  liquid should come up 3/4 of the way, so supplement if it does not.  throw this into a 350 F oven for about 1-1.5 hours and grab a chair, you'll need to sit down after the flavor explosion.

ps. you can separate the broth from the finished product and thicken it up with a roux or cornstarch slurry, if you'd like.  sometimes I do, if I am feeling like more of a gravy than a broth.  

DISH recommends:

Staub "Coq au Vin" 6 qt. Oval dutch oven.  Sur La Table. Omaha, Ne.  135 clams.  50% off.  Where are you going to find another deal like this??? Nowhere!  so get out there and get one!

Unlike blue jeans, TA gines, are not self-cleaning.

well, a lot has happened since last post.  Major kitchen revamp, a fruitful trip to o-town, and total body cleansing.  what????  oh, yes, it's true.  let's start with the food.  I made some pepper steak a few days ago.  always a quick and tasty dish.  I used sirloin steak, but really, I just use whatever is on sale.  basically, you get a cast iron super hot and throw in some veg/olive oil, (the veg oil raises the smoke point so you can add the olive, but not without the veg) thinly sliced onions and peppers (red, green, pasilla, whatever you have), garlic, super thin slices of beef, salt and peps, chili powder, cumin, coriander, cilantro, a little balsamic, and a little can of tomo sauce.  this will reduce quickly, and when that starts happening, I add beef broth, (splashes).  throw in some rice, and then just keep reducing and adding more broth.  yumsters.

Also, some get well soup was made for wifeshow.  she was feeling a little under the weather. that's whole wheat sourdough, not a baked potato.  Last night I used the new tagine for the first time.  We made a veggie tagine with potatoes, celery root, carrots, and cauliflower.  The sauce was sauteed onions, garlic and tomatoes, pureed with cumin, cinnamon, coriander, and curry powder.  it turned out pretty excellent.  I am pretty excited to cook a chicken in the tagine, but alas, that shall be another post.

DISH recommends:

Staub tagine: amazon.com???  I really couldn't find a match for the one I bought.  I got mine from TJMAXX.  duh.  anyway, I think I paid about 40 clams.  a great way to cook, things stay super moist and delicious.  highly recommended.