Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunday Dinner: Post Thanksgiving
Sunday Dinner: Post Thanksgiving: "The leftovers are gone (thanks to my brother Art) and I'm recovering from my post-turkey-eating-hangover. My turkey feast this year was e..."
Post Thanksgiving
The leftovers are gone (thanks to my brother Art) and I'm recovering from my post-turkey-eating-hangover. My turkey feast this year was excellent. I started cooking turkey dinners four years ago and my cooking progressively gets better. This years menu included: a free range turkey sans any chemical injections, French bread stuffing*, cornbread stuffing*, brussel sprouts, sauteed green beans, roasted yams and sweet potatoes, creamy mash potatoes with chives, cranberry sauce, and homemade biscuits. It was an awesome day spent with great people.
*I made the French bread and cornbread which ma
de my stuffing super fancy!
de my stuffing super fancy!
(Please bare with me while I try to figure out layouts)
Thursday, November 18, 2010
I'm Back!
I've been busy for the past seven months... hell who am I fooling I've been under-employed trying to find full-time work in an economy that is not too kind. I decided to write down my inner most thoughts because drinking away my problems is not going to help me in the long term. Thanksgiving is coming up and I decided to cook for my family. I will document my masterpieces and disasters with visuals for effect. Please stay tuned and grab some popcorn!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Its been awhile
I've been in a creative lull for the past month and half! Oh, I'm also broke which complicates my Sunday cooking. When I am running low on cash there is one dish I make that last me a week: chicken vegetable casserole. It's an inexpensive way to eat and it is made from scratch. It sure beats eating Top Ramen or McDonald's!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Butter Drenched Bruschetta
Here is a butter infused recipe on an old dish:
BUTTER DRENCHED BRUSCHETTA
-1 stick of butter (YES! ONE STICK AND NO MARGARINE OR ELSE YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF IN HELL)
-4-5 FRESH heirloom tomatoes (DON'T EVEN THINK OF USING CANNED TOMATOES!)
-Fresh basil or Italian parsley (tear the leaves; DO NOT chop!)
-1-2 cloves of garlic (or more if you want to keep the vampires away!)
-1 loaf of bread (DO NOT USE WONDER BREAD OR WEBERS YOU WILL DEFINATELY BURN IN HELL)
Dice the tomatoes, mix with salt and pepper, olive oil, garlic, and basil. Stir together and set aside. Slice bread at a bias, melt your one stick of butter in a sauce pan, coat slices of bread on both sides with butter and grill until brown on both sides. Remove from pan and top with tomato mixture. Finally, enjoy every morsel as if it were your last...
Monday, February 8, 2010
Really Pre-Sunday Dinner
Tonight, I made a fantastically light, but tasty dinner. It was one of those intuitive creations: use what is in your refrigerator and use the most simple ingredients.
For the past few days I have been trying to perfect my Hollandaise sauce. One night I decided to make Hollandaise sauce. People decide to clean out their garage I decide to make a random sauce. Three nights ago I decided it was time to conquer this perenial sauce and it came out TOO tangy and buttery (?). Tonight, I made the sauce less tangy and it was bland like celery. Anyway, to make up for my mini-disaster. I made my favorite-bruschetta-and used fresh basil and top self olive oil (fresh does make a difference). For the main course I grilled Italian sausage in butter, olive oil and finished cooking in the oven-to give it a nice crisp golden brown color. I topped off the sausage with sauteed caramelized onions and mushrooms (all three go together like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!). For a simple side dish I decided to steam some asparagus and shock it to retain its vibrant green color. The asparagus would have been the focus of this particular blog if I made a more TANGY Hollandaise sauce, but I have a life time to perfect this sauce. Please, check back frequently on my Hollandaise sauce progress.
For the past few days I have been trying to perfect my Hollandaise sauce. One night I decided to make Hollandaise sauce. People decide to clean out their garage I decide to make a random sauce. Three nights ago I decided it was time to conquer this perenial sauce and it came out TOO tangy and buttery (?). Tonight, I made the sauce less tangy and it was bland like celery. Anyway, to make up for my mini-disaster. I made my favorite-bruschetta-and used fresh basil and top self olive oil (fresh does make a difference). For the main course I grilled Italian sausage in butter, olive oil and finished cooking in the oven-to give it a nice crisp golden brown color. I topped off the sausage with sauteed caramelized onions and mushrooms (all three go together like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!). For a simple side dish I decided to steam some asparagus and shock it to retain its vibrant green color. The asparagus would have been the focus of this particular blog if I made a more TANGY Hollandaise sauce, but I have a life time to perfect this sauce. Please, check back frequently on my Hollandaise sauce progress.
Superbowl Sunday
Yesterday, I was put into a self-induce snack coma. It was Superbowl Sunday-also known as Snackopia. I went to my brother Efrem's house to watch the game and eat. He had fine assortment of snacks: chips, myriad of dips, steak crostini, hamburgers, and hot dogs (more on that later). I brought my own snacks. I made bruschetta and guacamole both delicious. As I type this entry I'm eating my left over guacamole.
Back to that hot dog. He recreated this recipe he saw on television. I have to state it was one of the best hotdogs I've had since a Dodger dog. He used Nathan's hot dogs. He boiled and then grilled the hot dog in butter. The toppings included: a strip of bacon, coleslaw (it added a tangy flavor), pickle, and finished off with mustard. It was perfection! He should set up a hot dog cart outside a nightclub or at a fair he would sell hundreds!
Anyway, the Saints won. I ate. I slept...
Back to that hot dog. He recreated this recipe he saw on television. I have to state it was one of the best hotdogs I've had since a Dodger dog. He used Nathan's hot dogs. He boiled and then grilled the hot dog in butter. The toppings included: a strip of bacon, coleslaw (it added a tangy flavor), pickle, and finished off with mustard. It was perfection! He should set up a hot dog cart outside a nightclub or at a fair he would sell hundreds!
Anyway, the Saints won. I ate. I slept...
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Cookfest 2010
Last night I had this idea: I was going to cook ALL day. I had a bunch of food in my refrigerator and pantry just waiting to be turned into a masterpiece of deliciousness. This morning I woke up sore and groggy (I must be a violent sleeper). But I managed to get myself out of bed, into my car, down to Starbucks, and into my local supermarket. Upon my return I prepped my ingredients and began what I have christened-Cookfest 2010.
First up, bruschetta-simply delicious bites! I cooked the baguette slices in a stick of melted butter lightly toasting the outside leaving the inside soft. The topping was your traditional tomatoes, chopped fresh garlic, red onions, and, unfortunately, dry basil (gotta work with what I got!). I ate most of the bruschetta, but for good reason I ran an hour earlier and was starving.
While the bruschetta was settling inside my stomach I started preparing my famous chicken vegetable casserole. This time I decided to make my own cream of mushroom sauce (one of the key ingredients of my casserole). I finely chopped the mushrooms, sauteeing them in butter and the crusty bits from the chicken. I created a rue and added whipping cream slowly stirring this lush, rich sauce finally seasoning for my taste. I mixed all the ingredients and left my creamy mushroom sauce for last. I slowly folded the sauce into the mixture making sure every piece of vegetable was covered in my succulent rich sauce. Baked off into the oven and on to my next dish...tacos al carbon.
The epitomy of Mexican street food. In between polishing off five pieces of bruschetta and prepping for my casserole I marinated beef flank steak with a generous portion of olive oil, soy sauce, salt, pepper...and the rest shall remain confidential. The only way you get these recipes are a) sign off on a non-disclosure form or b) I'm feeling generous enough to share them with you! After the marinating I grilled the steak. The most simple recipes are the most delicious and my tacos al carbon fit that description.
I was going to start on a third dish, but the people I was cooking for were too stuffed. My mother was about to burst from eating too much. My brother was too full to enjoy my tacos al carbon (I was shocked he has a bottomless stomach-I guess it found bottom). Well, I have seven days to create a new recipe until then savor every word morsel...
First up, bruschetta-simply delicious bites! I cooked the baguette slices in a stick of melted butter lightly toasting the outside leaving the inside soft. The topping was your traditional tomatoes, chopped fresh garlic, red onions, and, unfortunately, dry basil (gotta work with what I got!). I ate most of the bruschetta, but for good reason I ran an hour earlier and was starving.
While the bruschetta was settling inside my stomach I started preparing my famous chicken vegetable casserole. This time I decided to make my own cream of mushroom sauce (one of the key ingredients of my casserole). I finely chopped the mushrooms, sauteeing them in butter and the crusty bits from the chicken. I created a rue and added whipping cream slowly stirring this lush, rich sauce finally seasoning for my taste. I mixed all the ingredients and left my creamy mushroom sauce for last. I slowly folded the sauce into the mixture making sure every piece of vegetable was covered in my succulent rich sauce. Baked off into the oven and on to my next dish...tacos al carbon.
The epitomy of Mexican street food. In between polishing off five pieces of bruschetta and prepping for my casserole I marinated beef flank steak with a generous portion of olive oil, soy sauce, salt, pepper...and the rest shall remain confidential. The only way you get these recipes are a) sign off on a non-disclosure form or b) I'm feeling generous enough to share them with you! After the marinating I grilled the steak. The most simple recipes are the most delicious and my tacos al carbon fit that description.
I was going to start on a third dish, but the people I was cooking for were too stuffed. My mother was about to burst from eating too much. My brother was too full to enjoy my tacos al carbon (I was shocked he has a bottomless stomach-I guess it found bottom). Well, I have seven days to create a new recipe until then savor every word morsel...
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