Sunday, March 27, 2011

One I forgot to photograph, maybe I can explain it...and a bit of op-ed

Hey All,

So in my bit of playing catch-up today, it would appear it was time for KPackageKit, the KDE package tool to report my stats. All sorts of crazy assed notifications that stuff was being transmitted and whathaveyou. This got me thinking a bit about the awesome world of technology we live in. I made the return to linux this past year as I couldn't bring myself to cough up the cash for all the hardware necessary to run a conventional operating system. My thought process was, well, I have hardware that still functions, just not very well with current versions of windows. A bit ago, I enabled stat reporting on my Kubuntu box. There are plenty of hardworking developers out there that are taking the time to write good, solid, and efficient code and help me get more life out of my old hardware. I dabbled in linux in college and found it to be horrifying. I could do enough to get good grades, but I always had a tough time wrapping my head around how it did stuff. Newer distributions, I have found, take care of a lot of those problems. GUIs are finally intuitive, as is system management. I initially tried Mandriva, but it still lacked a lot of what I was looking for in an OS. Next, I procured this laptop and decided to give Kubuntu a try. I know many folks roll their eyes that I'm using modified Ubuntu, but I am a child of the Microsoft era. KDE is the closest thing I've found to MS Windows behavior. GNOME is still a dirty word in my world as the old Red Hat distros I used way back when where horrible with it. So anyway, that was a really long editorial about how amazing some of the newer linux, namely Ubuntu and Kubuntu, distributions are. And also why I don't mind sharing my stats with the linux community. Perhaps its my inner Burner loving what a motivated and thoughtful community can do. I do know its also the cheapskate in my loving free and useful software :) So if you've got some old hardware and curious if you might be able to get some additional life out of it, you might want to give Ubuntu and its derivatives a try. Some functionality does require post-doctorate honors in computer science, but for a stand alone, have fun with it system, it might just fit your needs.

Part of what prompted that is the ease with which Kubuntu is handling all my old hardware in the form of cameras and the like. In this case, I forgot to take pictures, but I'll try and explain.

This is a take on the Sweet Chili Sauce. I used 1 jalapeƱo and one julienned green pepper. I fried up some chicken with some ginger. Then added the sauce and a healthy sprinkle of sesame seeds and served over rice. I also served some of the Spiced Edamame as an appetizer. It was tasty!

I had just a bit leftover, so yesterday, for lunch, I put some in a tortilla with mango salsa. Man, that was good too. Sweet, spicy, and perfectly filling for a lunch.

Now for the Broccoli Beef....YUM!

Hey All,

Today is my day to catch up. As I mentioned, its been busy....but I've been remembering to take pictures as I go, so I've got something to write about. Also, I've noticed in the past couple of weeks my cooking hasn't been as budget friendly as usual. Lately the meals have been running in the $10-15 to feed 3 range as opposed to the usual less than $10. I still consider that a pretty hefty accomplishment. Since tax season is over and all the insurance premiums have been paid for the next 6 months, I'm not losing any sleep over some splurging.

I've also been having lots of fun with music again. Many of my super talented DJ friends have been releasing some great stuff that keeps me rocking in the kitchen. I do have plans to install an under the cupboard radio to keep my kitchen juices flowing. Now if I could just find the funding to turn it into a full fledged nightclub ;P

I alluded to The Best Broccoli Beef Sauce recipe ever. Its simple, its flavorful and YUM! I deviate from the recipe a bit by mixing up the sauce the night before. Instead of just the flour and liquids, I also add the ginger and garlic to the mix. I also have a habit of using Wai Fa ginger. This is another of those strange things I found at Global Supermarket. It is a cured and spiced version of ginger that I've found stores better than fresh or candied and is easier to cut up. It still has a great ginger flavor and the ease of cutting is a huge plus when you are in a hurry in the kitchen. Put that all together in a container with a tight fitting lid and shake the daylights out of it to get the lumps to break up. No need for crazy stirring methods or anything like that, shaking is easy!

Up next is the mushroom stem. This stuff is crazy good! I first had it on my 26th birthday. I was in Salt Lake for my birthday weekend, and God, what a fun weekend that was...it was the Utah Bears annual Mr. Bear - Mr. Cub contest. Needless to say with all the partying and debauchery I needed something healthy to eat and Evergreen House fit the bill. This review is spot on that its some of the best stuff you'll ever find for vegetarian fare. I like to think of it as good, healthy, vegetarian food without the hipster pretentiousness. Its affordable and tasty, I can't say the same for any of the other vegetarian establishments I've been to in Salt Lake. OK, enough of that, this mushroom stem is just cool....it has a great earthy, grainy flavor, and really unique texture. I have no idea where else to get it besides Evergreen, so if you are fortunate enough to be able to get your hands on this stuff, give it a try, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

And of course, broccoli. We've been having really good sales on broccoli again, so this was a no brainer last week.

The first thing is to fry up the mushroom stem like you would beef. Just get some brown marks on it. Of course, that means a bit of oil (not too much), and a hot pan. Then just heat it through.

Then give the sauce one last good shake and pour it in. If the skillet is still on the hot side, you may want to stir it until it cools down to keep the sauce from lumping up.

Then in with the broccoli. At this point I like to cover it just until the broccoli starts to sweat.

Then I give it a quick toss, turn off the heat, and let it stay warm until I'm ready to plate.

We served it over a jasmine rice. Its tasty over any rice, but to capture the Evergreen House experience, you'll want to use a really hearty brown rice.

I've also done this with reconstituted Vege1 meat substitute. Vege1 is one of the few I've found that has good flavor and a tolerable texture. You might want to give it a shot if you're entertaining for die hard vegetarians.

First order of business

Hey All,

I'm finally sitting down to write. Its been a long couple of weeks, and that's OK. A lot of really fun and exciting, and some not so exciting stuff has happened. Work has been its usual drudgery with a couple of extra helpings of drama. I also got to judge my first regional science fair on Friday. That was a lot of fun and I'm really excited to see budding young scientists, and a few with an interest in food science....that's some cool stuff right there.

So before we start with the beef broccoli recipe, I found a photo from a while back I had to share. It was a scampi type affair I did and it was delicious. The mussels were from Global Supermarket and they were delicious....big, tender, and the flavor was that perfect subtle sweet that I've only had in New York City. It was all done in a traditional scampi butter with the addition of a couple of roma tomatoes. I've actually been pleased with the romas I've been getting lately. I associate romas with poor flavor and cruddy texture. These that I have been getting, although they do look a bit rough on the outside, have actually had good flavor and texture. They still aren't garden fresh tomatoes, but they'll do in the ends of winter when I need to remember brighter days are coming.

We also broke down and replaced the old green plates. Two of them are still running around, but the rest got broke. I've still got the yellow ones, that while they brighten up the kitchen nicely, they really do make for some unappealing looking photographs.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The Best Broccoli Beef Sauce Ever...

Hey All,

So tomorrow night will be broccoli mushroom stem. I had to go findthe best sauce recipe ever!

I'll work on getting the usual pictures up when we cook tomorrow.

Also, we've been eating well, I've just been running around like mad getting ready to go judge The Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering Fair. It all starts a week from today....I'm excited as can be to be judging a feeder to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

We're not entertaining, a joint effort

Hey All,

So I promised some info about dinner last night. It was one of those that we tend to do in the summer(ish) months as an excuse to get together with friends, have a few drinks, and of course, eat good food. Its pretty typical fare for these kinds of get togethers....steaks, potatoes, and a salad.

So first up was starting the steaks. In my younger years, I would have drenched these in some exotic sauce and pretty well ruined the good flavor of them. Now-a-days, its simple marinades to enhance the flavor. One of my favorites, is equal parts balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce with salt and pepper. Its pretty much no fail and I've never had it ruin a steak on me.

On an amusing side note, Lushus gave me a bad time about my pronunciation of Worcestershire. I abbreviate it, "werk". I was informed the proper way to pronounce this, since no-one I cooked with until now could pronounce it, is "wusrt-a-shure". OK, so now I have a fancy way of saying, "Damn, my cooking is easy and it tastes good :P"

I also did some foil packets, one of onions, one of mushrooms, to throw on the grill (top rack), to go over the steaks. We also scored more blue cheese for pennies at NPS.

Up next was the potato prep. Husbear and I have been doing variations on this for years....in foil for camping, in a dish in the oven for at-home, you get the picture. Start with a healthy dose of olive oil in the bottom of the dish.

Then a layer of medium to thin sliced potatoes.

After that, some garlic, onion, mushrooms, salt, and herbs. One of our guests doesn't care much for fungus, so we left about 1/4 of the dish without any mushrooms. The herbs can vary. Last night, we did basil, oregano, and thyme. A touch of rosemary is always nice, but I couldn't find it, so we left it out. About midnight, I remembered its not in one of my bags or fancy jars, its in a can....duh!

Then another layer of potatoes. Some butter....what's left of any of the onions or anything else.

Then one last layer of potatoes, a sprinkle of olive oil, and we gave it a dusting of Sunbird Mongolian Barbeque shake on.....just for a little bit of smokiness.

Cover with foil and into a 350F oven for 60-90 (or longer) minutes.

Lushus and (oh, hell, we need a good nickname for him, let's call him Mr. Corvette) arrived with a spinach salad. She's forwarding directions for her candied pecans. She couldn't find any at the store, so she set out to make her own. These were better than any I've ever had....perfect texture, that when you bit into them were buttery and rich with just the perfect hint of sweetness. I think the only thing that could have improved upon them would have been a bit of cayenne for heat....then again, I like a bit of spice in all my food, so this is really just semantics. The salad was wonderfully simple, spinach, pecans, and dried cranberries, all tossed together with a raspberry vinaigrette.

Grilled the steaks perfectly, to a just on the rare side of medium-rare and we had an awesome dinner. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of the plated meal...it was a mountain of food, and it tasted GREAT!

For dessert, it was the last of the truffles. Lushus assures me, that although they aren't the prettiest things; the flavor is better than the most expensive she's ever had. OK, so I'm letting Ina off the hook for the disaster that was the recipe. I'll suffer with waiting for 2 days for the ganache to set if it garners that kind of praise.

I hope you all are as excited about the summer months as I am. A friend of a friend passed along the word that it was "...time to come out of my cave..." Ah, yes, it is, time for the warmer days and good times!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

The Burning Man Meal Prep part 2, my first blog video

Hey All,

So I'm hanging out in the kitchen with Lushus, listening to great music and FINALLY, after 4 softwares, a bit of learning, and 57 minutes of rendering, the video for how to seal up a Burning Man meal is ready.

So here it is:



The notes, are that the crazy blue strips are from Vac N Save, Jim and Nancy over there have an awesome thing going. Their bags are very affordable compared to the brand name ones. I take it one step further, because I'm a vacuum sealing whore, and actually purchase my bags from U Line. I got a major deal on their 4 mil bags last year.

I'm also using a FoodSaver V2040. I used to use the crappy Seal-A-Meal....um, no never again! Spend the extra $40 and get yourself a good FoodSaver.

I'll have lots more to come from tonights dinner. We had friends over and did the good ol' tater log for the oven....some steaks, and Lushus made an awesome salad with homemade candied pecans that melted like butter in your mouth. I'll post more tomorrow :)

Friday, March 11, 2011

Mike Delinquent

Hey All,

So keep your eyes peeled for Mike Delinquent........he's got a hot remix of Adele. That be some cooking music! Its unreleased as of yet, but it was hot on Annie Mac tonight.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Porkschnitzel...Beat that Meat!

Hey All,

Dear sweet Jesus, I've been blogging up a storm. Its actually become a very healthy and fun addiction.

So I showed you how to get a meal started for Burning Man. It just dawned on me, those meals are the longest to prep....what 6 months? LOL!

Husbear promised when he scored big on the pork that we'd make a German dish out of it. And tonight, he delivered on the goods. His paw is still in rough shape, so I helped a lot and we took all kinds of fun pictures along the way.

First up, POUND THAT MEAT! Since we used pork steaks, instead of a cutlet or scaloppini, we had to beat them a bit.

Dry the meat off....then an egg and flour dredge. Plenty of salt and pepper in the flour. This is kinda important, that's where most of the flavor comes from in this one.

Then into a pan with medium-hot oil. Since this one is pork, you don't want to cook it quite as hot as you would a meat that you can serve rare.


So after that's done, drain out the excess oil. I also always brown the bits a bit more....I like the darker flavor.

Then in 2 cups of beef broth with 2 small cans of stems and pieces mushrooms. Husbear insists its better with fresh, but we didn't have any handy. Salt and pepper, and about 1/4 cup of beer. I like the cheapest, crappiest lager I can find...PBR usually fits the bill.

And now one of the best tricks I have in my cupboard. You know how mixing in cornstarch (3 Tblsp in this recipe) is a real bitch and your gravy will lump if you aren't careful? Put the cornstarch in a small jar add some water...and shake, ShAkE, SHAKE. You can stir this into the gravy directly...keep the gravy stirring until its thickened...and viola, no lumps and its easy as can be.

So to go with that some spaetzle. I like the frozen stuff, but you can find all sorts of takes on it. Instant, canned, frozen, etc. I still contend homemade has the best flavor, but that would take this out of the realm of weeknight food to all damn weekend food.

Plate that up...and another relatively quick (took us 20 min) and easy meal.

Finally, some Burning Man Prep....Ravioli 3-way

Hey All,

One of the cuties over on Gay Burners reminded me that I got a bit tipsy a while back and was pimping my blog over there. I've been meaning to get to posting my helpful tips for wonderful cooking on playa, alas my camera was being a flaky the other day and corrupted a whole disks worth of images....but I digress.

So in reality I've got 3 dinners packed already. Some Mac 'n Cheese, leftover from that adventure, and some lasagna from one of Husbear's cooking adventures. The premise is pretty much the same, package meal, seal meal, freeze meal, and on the day you want to eat it, solar-cook meal. Solar cooking is lots of fun surprisingly safe if you are using a well-designed oven, and super easy if you don't want to have to worry about cooking when you get home from a day of play. Just realize that on the hottest of days in Black Rock, your oven may reach temperatures in excess of 350F. That's probably not so good for the plastic bags, so I try to stop by at some point in the day and see if the oven is exceeding 250F. If it is, I open it for a bit and let it cool to just below 200F. On my inspired days, I'll put out some sun tea in the morning and use that as my excuse to check in...."Gee, wouldn't a nice glass of iced tea be great right now?" If you are feeling truly inspired, try some mint, or one of my personal favorites, Jamaica (its actually hibiscus flower, but I guess its trendier to call it by its Mexican name). With the Hibiscus, I've found adding spices, cinnamon, clove, and a touch of anise is quite nice.

A quick note about the safety of solar cooking. Make damn well and sure you have a well designed oven than can sustain temperatures above 160F for more than 40 minutes. These are basically pasteurization temperatures and should kill off any nasty bugs. Vacuum sealing also helps, but it isn't fool proof. The best way to check on a homemade model is to hang an oven thermometer in it....that's what we do with ours.

So here's how I do the Ravioli 3-way. Its always a favorite.

First up is a note about packages. In my experience, having uniform, "bricks of food", makes packing the freezer/cooler much easier. So you'll notice I'm using the same sized containers for all of these:

So portion out the meals. This makes it super easy for everyone to have their meal, when they want it, and you don't have to mess the with the drama of scheduled meal times. The one thing to keep in mind, these essentially turn into casserole type affairs, so plan accordingly.



The off to the freezer they go. Tomorrow (or, quite frankly whenever the hell I feel like it) I'll post about the vacuum sealing.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Is it French/Danish/Swiss or Mediteranean, or both, a really yummy sandwich

Hey All,

I had no intention of cooking tonight. It was supposed to be come home, call Domino's, sleep, and be done with it.

Then I remembered I needed to pick up my blood pressure meds at Smith's. I figured I'd look and see if I got inspired. Well, that was a mistake, or not depending on how you look at it. First up were roma tomatoes for $0.69/lb...WTF? Tomatoes are never that cheap....well I guess its a good thing I need some for the mussels and shrimp scampi on Thursday. Next up was alfalfa sprouts on clearance for $0.79. I'll need to eat them by weeks' end, so I guess I'll just have to have a salad or two. Then I found grapes for $0.99/lb. Grapes are always a source of contention in our house, as they always seem very expensive, $0.99/lb is when I give in and let the Husbear have as much as he wants. So, now the brain gets going, it is kinda spring, although the foot of snow outside sure could have fooled me. Hrm, pizza, grapes....ah ha! My favorite grilled chicken pizza. I'll post that one another day when I get a chance. Its basically chicken and onions grilled tossed with halved grapes on an oiled pita with Parmesan over the top.

Well, tee hee, fighting with Parmesan just led me to discover my computer thinks I'm speaking Australian English....not good 'ol hillbilly English...well, I fixed that. So anyway, the rest of the shopping was disappointing. I couldn't find pitas, but I did find these on sale for $2.50:

This actually all reminded me I have a great herbed grilled flat-bread recipe I need to share with ya'll when I get a chance, too. But back to tonight....

So I cut some chicken up, and some onions.

About a tablespoon of olive oil heated in a skillet till it was good and hot. In went the chicken and onions. Salt, pepper, and then the secret to great chicken for this....LOTS of dried thyme. See the picture, see what I mean?

Once that cooked down, I turned off the heat and added about 1/4 cup of the blue cream cheese I started about a week ago. And yes, its turning beautifully. Its only got a single mold spot, but the flavor is OMG! And for good measure a bit of the blue cheese and cranberries I picked up at NPS. It was another ridiculous score, something like $0.99 for the tub.

So stir that up. Its ready to serve now, or you can let it cool. It will thicken back up as it cools and the cheese flavor actually intensifies a bit if you let it cool. Can you imagine this on a croissant on a picnic? I'm getting springy food ideas already.

So the rest is pretty straightforward...oh, the hardest part of this dish, cutting all those damn grapes in half. So here's the pictures of it going together.




So it is a bit lighter....so we did it with chips and probably a snack later. I hope you enjoy!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Dinner for 2, 10 minutes, $3.27, and some leftovers

Hey All,

Another wild update. Earlier today, I found 3/4 cup of couscous in the back of the pantry. While he was out and about (yeah, he's feeling tons better), Husbear found a 6-pack of pork steaks for $4 at Smith's. I guess its some sort of crazy sale. Although if you know how to shop, you can do quite well there too. Watch for clearance....I always score killer on produce this way.

So here we go. We took 2 of the pork steaks, rubbed them with 2 drops of lime essential oil (the usual disclaimer here about cooking with essential oils, know your oils, a little goes a long way, etc) in about 2 Tblsp. of cooking oil. Then a light sprinkle of chili salt that we picked up at Global Supermarket. We always find the yummiest, and most exotic spices there at an excellent price. Needless to say our spice rack is quite full. Apparently its supposed to go on fruit, but it goes really well on pork too! And then a sprinkle of garlic powder. That set for a few minutes.

Couscous is super easy. If you can remember 2 parts water to one part couscous, that's all you need. I always like to play up the flavor of couscous, so I added some old herb mix I've been dragging around in a small container for next to FOREVER, a few splashes of garlic wine vinegar, and a small can of mushrooms (stems and pieces). Couscous, is easy, bring the water (and a good dose of salt, and in this case vinegar) to a full rolling boil. Add the couscous and herbs, give a quick stir, turn off the heat....and WALK AWAY! It'll be ready when you are.

The beans were the usual. Into my trusty pyrex bowl with a lid, press the veggie button on the microwave.

The result: amazing pork...I was going to put some of the chili sauce from the ribs a while back, but I tasted it and said, "Oh heyall, no! I'm eating this as it is!" The couscous was perfect, and well, its hard to screw up the beans when the microwave does all the work for ya.


So, the amazing price point of this dish?

Pork - $4 for 6 steaks, used 2, so $1.33
Can of mushrooms (generic, of course) - $0.69
Green beans from a massive bulk pack from Costco - $0.50 (I do about the same at NPS)
Couscous, bought in bulk for ~$1.20/lb - $0.75
The usual pantry items, so add a couple more pennies.

And there are leftovers of couscous and beans. YAY! I know its silly, but I do love seeing how awesome my food budget it :)

California Roll Omelette, no really....

Hey All,

What the heck is it with craving foods lately at Chez 825? We have been craving just about everything, some of it nice and healthy and reasonably explained that we're needing something, and some of it is downright bad.....I fail to recognize Twinkies or full-fat Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream in huge quantities as healthy. .

Another great thing that has happened in the past while has been my switch to (K)Ubuntu. Even MacroShaft in its infinite wisdom of new OS after new OS has failed to properly support my old CD-Mavica camera in PTP (some fancy proprietary Sony file transfer thingy), but Viola! Ubuntu/Kubuntu does. Fair warning if you decide to switch some of it is pretty intense and requires a bit of CS knowledge. It took me a bit of hunting and coding to get my network functionality right, but hey, I have a fully functional laptop now :) So today, you all get pictures of how I did this :)

This is definitely a variation on yesterdays' natto omelette, sans the stinky weird stuff ;P

First up was the prep. I thawed out some of the prepared seafood salad I picked up at NPS a while back. This one, for as extravagant as it looks, is actually quite budget friendly if the ingredients are shopped for correctly.  I imagine you could use good old imitation crab, or crab stick or the like with good result. Cut up some green onion, and cut some nori (you know, sushi wrapper) into strips. I also prepared some wasabi creme friache. I'm still not sure how to spell that properly, but it was 2 Tblsp. of room temp sour cream with 2 pea sized lumps of wasabi mixed in.

Gently wisk 2 of the eggs just until they start to get big bubbles.  I learned from Ina Garten yesterday that overmixing the eggs, so that they puff, makes for a crummy omelette.  And she was totally right, these turned out great with eggs not mixed too much.


Next, heat some oil, maybe a tablespoon to medium high.  Lay down the nori strips in parallell.  This is kind of important as the nori doesn't cut so well and will make for a very messy plate if there aren't nice lines to cut on.

Now in go the eggs.  I had to rotate the pan just a bit to get all the nori covered.
Now in goes the crab.  Lay it out perpendicular to the nori strips.  Then a bit of the green onion.
Now for the "tricky part" according to many folks.  Fold the eggs over the crab/onion.
Let that cook to warm everything through and get the perfect golden on the omelette.  You may want to flip it once if you are a stickler for perfect color on all surfaces.


Then roll it onto the plate and top with the wasabi cream and a smattering of green onion.

This was the perfect dish this morning for having craved seaweed all weekend.  And it was quick and easy!


So just a quick rundown of how this works on a budget for 2:


Prepared crab salad from NPS:  $0.50 (and I only used half)
4 eggs:  $1.89 for 18.  The advertised estimate is $0.15/egg, so let's call it $0.60.
1 sheet of Nori:  I paid $1.49 for 10 sheets at my favorite Asian market:  $0.15
Green Onion:  I paid $0.20 for the bunch at NPS this week and this is meal #3 coming from them, so let's call it $0.10
The wasabi was actually leftover from the sushi last night, and the sour cream, well, its been in the fridge for a week.  So I'm not going to count that or the oil.


ESTIMATED GRAND TOTAL:  $1.45 for an awesome breakfast for 2!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

I think I'm turning Japanese....

Hey All,

So husbear is well recovering from surgery. It went smoothly and he's in a lot less pain than he was before the surgery. YAY! And I'm happy to report my impression of Carpal Tunnel Release surgery is dramatically improved. It was quick, out-patient, and he's going great! We've been gorging on lots of easy, junky food. Today, I'm craving seaweed, so apparently, its time for something a bit healthier. He's craving meat, a sign that he's recovering and needs the protein.

So here's the plan. We're having Evergreen House for lunch. He's also been craving mushroom stem and broccoli, which in turn has me craving sweet and sour soybean. Evergreen's food is just amazing....the mushroom stem is always a big hit, and we always snag a bag to bring home for making stroganoff.

Tonight, I was initially thinking about making natto omelettes. I know many of you are going, "Eww, gross, natto is nasty!" Well, for me, mixing it in a well seasoned rice, or making these omelettes is a great way to get its purported health benefits. Of course, consume what you make, that shit gets stinky gross after it sits for a day or more. I'll be stopping by Global Supermarket to get the furikake seasoning and some nori....I'll be a happy kid tonight!

So we'll do those, some take out from Hayai Zushi, which in case you didn't know, is owned by Peggy of Ichibahn fame. I'm sad to report, I haven't been to Ichibahn since she left. The food quality has gone to hell and the place lost its charm...

Add to that a good petit filet and we've got ourselves an awesome dinner :) This one isn't as budget friendly, the omelettes, yes, but the filets and sushi are not as budget friendly.

And here's how it turned out: I forgot to salt my omelette, whoops, but husbear's was perfect for him. Oh and had some leftover asparagus that I wrapped in foil with a splash of garlic wine vinegar and threw on the grill. Husbear was giving me a bad time that Anne Burrell might be reading, so I best plate well. Its a bit messy, but it still tasted good! So I took a picture. PERFECTION!

Friday, March 4, 2011

A Diversion...I didn't cook tonight, as a matter of face, a cold gyro is waiting for me

So today finds me in an odd place. I found out this morning that my high school science teacher died. He was truly influential in my life. I mean cummon, would I have set myself on a track to be a nuclear physicist had it not been for him?

This also sent me down a path of looking at the people, living and dead, that have influenced my life. I often get so caught up in the fighting and turmoil that is life that I forget to breathe.....and then I have to think. Who really inspired me.

There was, of course, Kell Hamilton, my science teacher. And there is my Grandfather, without them, I doubt I would have pursued a life of science. And then there is my Aunt A. I still hold her in highest regard. I mean the woman is brilliant and knows how to have a good time too boot.

So I look back to that. One person who came up in my look at that was Mrs. Lockyer. She taught us music from the time I was little. Granted, my own jealousy drove me to take up piano, but without that influence, would I enjoy things like Utah Symphony. And Ms. Schwarz/McDonald....she did teach us art at a young age.

Life seems like a blur much after 4th grade.....with little exception beyond food, science, speech and debate, music, and fighting like hell to get ahead.

Today was another crushing reminder that life is precious....and fleeting. It got me thinking about my legacy...what will I leave behind when this mortal coil is shed? My name hasn't been on a marquee, my career leaves me asking more questions than finding answers...... I suspect it will be a weird mishmash of cyber litter, broken hearts, and weird memories. Maybe its not what goes in the books, but how we helped shape what goes into those books.

Its been a long while....and I'm tired, so this is pretty much psycho babble at this point, but I had to get it out there. I had to say something about this wonderful man's passing and the influence he had on my life.

Thank You Mr. Hamilton, and all those unsung heroes.....

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Sausage and Peppers

Hey All,

So here's another great one for a busy weeknight. Tonight wasn't so much busy as it was stressed out. It was a miserable afternoon, furnaces trying to melt down, people with poor impulse control saying whatever the fuck they want, and an overwhelming feeling of "Shit, that sure sucked balls, I don't wanna cook!"

So of course, its my boys to the rescue....yes, I've taken to referring to my husbear and bro as "My boys". That's right bitches, they're my boys, I'll only share with their family!

This recipe, or whatever it is, its more of a throw it in a skillet type affair, comes from a long history in husbear's family. The first time I had this, his Dad prepared it for us over spaghetti squash....oh yeah, total yum. We do it over spaghetti here, but the effect is still delicious.

Cut up 6 small peppers of assorted colors. Also 1/2 to 1 sweet onion. I've done it with yellow, but I think white or sweet work better.

So get some oil going in a skillet. Cut up 2 packages of hot links sausage (or good hot Italian sausage) and give them a toss. Next in with the peppers and onions. Add a good dollop of prepared pesto (you know the stuff in the jar) give a stir, and let it all sweat together.

Serve over pasta or spaghetti squash and TA DA! A good crusty bread is a nice touch, but not 100% necessary.

So there you have it. Another easy one for those "fuck this" kind of days.