Hey All,
Well, it turned out to be a nice kinda sunny day here in good ol' SLc, UT. I was hoping to hit the links today, but alas it only just now got sunny and there is still a brutal chill to the air.
Ya'll haven't heard much from me, well, for a handful of reasons. Recently my work blocked access to my social media sites, and have been being downright ruthless about IT policy, so my 20 minutes in the evening I would normally spend blogging or photographing great and easy homecooked food has been spent catching up on the days events. Also, life in general has taken an AMAZING twist. I'm not sure what has kicked over, but I've decided to quit letting minutia ruin my life. Crazy work BS -- OUT! Crappy body image stuff -- OUT! Feeling like people just don't get me -- OUT! A lot of this has happened in the past couple of weeks. I had some really amazing validation happen on the career front. While I'm not changing jobs anytime soon, I finally got potential employers to say, "Wow, you are way experienced and awesome, can we keep your resume on file should a more senior position open up?" Its made it a lot easier to let go of trying to prove myself every time I turn around. I've been letting work flow naturally and organically, and I'm pretty confident I'm rocking it. Friday alone I did more science in 4 hours than I had been doing in a year...out of fear and concern for the minutia, my productivity had been sucking. I also had a really cool friend wander back into the local area. She's one of those people that just knows me and is really a fuckton of fun! The past two weekends have been spent having some of the funnest times of my life....yes, the fun I have with her rivals the fun I have at Burning Man. The past two weekends have been spent dancing and bitching and just having fun....not often I get to do that. Thanks Ang, for reminding me what it is like to live open and free!
So that brings us to tonight. Through Ang, we met this amazing new boi. I don't mean to gush, but damn. He's cute, he's fun, he's smart (persuing his Ph.D., no less), and available. That doesn't seem to happen that often in the world of this slut. Usually, if they are available, they are lame-ass leaches that I can't stand, or if they are smart and fun they are so damn busy I have to make time to savor every single second. Some of my closest and greatest friends from down south are coming over for dinner and sleepover, as is new boi :)
So what does one do when great friends and new fucktois (I use that term with the utmost affection) are coming for dinner? We were thinking steaks, but why not pull out all the stops and make an amazing cheddar bacon stuffed burger. That set my wheels in motion, and why not add an awesome potato salad (Dusti taught me how to make this one, its delicious!). Husbear was craving a green salad too.....so why not one of my favorites, the Mushroom Spinach Salad.
So where to start. The burgers are surprisingly easy. NPS had Everson Spice Bacon Cheddar Seasoning on clearance last year. I figured why not and bought some. Needless to say I was back the next day they were open buying up their stock. For batches smaller than 5 lbs. you can approximate 2Tblsp. per pound. So I rehydrate that in a bowl and then mix in the ground beef. Usually I go for something really lean....tonight I did 1lb. 98/2 and 1lb. 80/20. Then mix in plenty of good cheddar...I've done it with super sharp, tonight with Chive Shallot Cheddar. NPS is a godsend with this as they often get the "near outdates" from local retailers and sell it for a fraction of the price. The funny thing with cheese, tho, is that there really is no such thing as an outdate. The flavors are less predictable after the outdate, but sometimes you get amazing suprises. I recently had an "outdated" blue develop white mold and get brie flavors on top of the blue....I was in heaven. So anyway, turn those into patties and grill.....a couple strips of bacon on top and YUM!
Up next is the potato salad. So um, yeah, its potato salad is kinda hard to screw up. Boil the taters, I leave the skin on, in well salted water. This saves having to add salt later. And a new trick I learned today, don't want to dirty another pot for boiling the eggs, just put them on top the taters and take them out after boiling for 11min with a slotted spoon. CAKE! Now for the trick that Dusti taught me in Wyoming. Don't go full mayo, use half mayo and half sour cream....it adds a unique flavor that can't be beat. Tonights' includes celery, sweet relish, 4 eggs, about 3/4 of a normal sized onion, plenty of prepared mustard, and a tiche of distilled vinegar. I also decided to add some (ok, a lot of) mustard powder to kick it up a notch. Oh hells yeah, it knocked it up a notch and added a spice that is A-FREAKING-MAZING!
And finally the Warm Mushroom Salad. A couple of notes on this one, the recipe calls for a mixed green....I like straight up spinach. Don't over reduce the balsamic, or it doesn't coat the greens well. And finally, add those mushrooms while they are still steaming hot. I like a well wilted spinach, this is the only way I've found to get that effect, otherwise the spinach holds up and well, the salad just sucks. The day after, this is great with a splash of vinaigrette or good old Catalina.
I'm hoping to take some pictures tonight to share some of my awesome friends with ya'll. Of course, as any good Burner should, I'll ask first.
Keep on cooking! I'm sure missing all my Burning Man friends tonight....can't wait to see you all soon!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Under the weather, but still needed to get this one out
Hey All,
What a Sunday....and after 2 beautiful days in the 70sF its snowing again. I spent yesterday in bed, in and out of the fetal position. Initially I wasn't sure if it was a rotten hangover or a stomach bug. Chez 825 did go out and tie one on on Friday. However, today, I contend it is a stomach bug :( I'm still having the chills and hot flashes, and finally broke down and made some ginger-chili tea to calm my stomach. The tea is working its magic, and its really easy. Literally all one needs to do is place some dried ginger and half a dried chili in a tea pot.
Husbear, RN, has been taking excellent care of me. He's been keeping me hydrated with "The Judy Russel Special" (its half strength Gatorade) and picking up the slack with cooking and keeping the house in a semblance of order. He's got a pork bean thing going in the crock pot.....I'm really hoping he'll write me a guest piece on it. It smells great and the little bits I've nibbled on are amazing!
So I never got around to getting this one published. I was busy with the Science Fair, and the stress levels at work this week have been EPIC...and not like happy EPIC. But I did prepare this last Thursday on my way out the door to hopefully coach young scientists to awesomeness....there's a great baseline there. With a couple of easy tweaks a couple of these projects can go all the way.
So what was quick and easy? I opted for Pierogi. Its a favorite of mine, and pretty quick to turn around if you have the frozen ones handy. Thank you NPS for having these on my last shopping trip.
So here's the ingredients:
For the gravy, I decided to go with a modified cream gravy. It was one can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, a cup of prepared chicken and tomato bullion, and 1 1/2 Tblsp (thats 4.5 teaspoons), in the jar for the good ol' shaking technique.
I fried the pierogi much like one would gyoza (Japanese potstickers). A very hot pan, to get some color, but as soon as the dumplings went into the pan, the heat was turned back to medium.
After the pierogi were cooked through, onto the plate. The pan got turned up to high just to get those bits to turn dark brown, then in with the prepared gravy, and back to medium heat. This one required me to stir the whole time, as it kept trying to lump on me.
When I could spare a moment with the gravy, it was off to the freezer to get a dish of frozen veggies, in the microwave and a press of the "magic button" and dinner was ready.
Here's the finished product.
We had a bit of leftover gravy, which found itself a second life as breakfast. I sliced up and cooked some ritzy gourmet sausages I also scored at NPS. A couple of biscuits from the tube, the sausage, an egg over easy, and the gravy. It was just as good the 2nd time around. This picture just doesn't do it justice....it really was quite tasty.
What a Sunday....and after 2 beautiful days in the 70sF its snowing again. I spent yesterday in bed, in and out of the fetal position. Initially I wasn't sure if it was a rotten hangover or a stomach bug. Chez 825 did go out and tie one on on Friday. However, today, I contend it is a stomach bug :( I'm still having the chills and hot flashes, and finally broke down and made some ginger-chili tea to calm my stomach. The tea is working its magic, and its really easy. Literally all one needs to do is place some dried ginger and half a dried chili in a tea pot.
Husbear, RN, has been taking excellent care of me. He's been keeping me hydrated with "The Judy Russel Special" (its half strength Gatorade) and picking up the slack with cooking and keeping the house in a semblance of order. He's got a pork bean thing going in the crock pot.....I'm really hoping he'll write me a guest piece on it. It smells great and the little bits I've nibbled on are amazing!
So I never got around to getting this one published. I was busy with the Science Fair, and the stress levels at work this week have been EPIC...and not like happy EPIC. But I did prepare this last Thursday on my way out the door to hopefully coach young scientists to awesomeness....there's a great baseline there. With a couple of easy tweaks a couple of these projects can go all the way.
So what was quick and easy? I opted for Pierogi. Its a favorite of mine, and pretty quick to turn around if you have the frozen ones handy. Thank you NPS for having these on my last shopping trip.
So here's the ingredients:
For the gravy, I decided to go with a modified cream gravy. It was one can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, a cup of prepared chicken and tomato bullion, and 1 1/2 Tblsp (thats 4.5 teaspoons), in the jar for the good ol' shaking technique.
I fried the pierogi much like one would gyoza (Japanese potstickers). A very hot pan, to get some color, but as soon as the dumplings went into the pan, the heat was turned back to medium.
After the pierogi were cooked through, onto the plate. The pan got turned up to high just to get those bits to turn dark brown, then in with the prepared gravy, and back to medium heat. This one required me to stir the whole time, as it kept trying to lump on me.
When I could spare a moment with the gravy, it was off to the freezer to get a dish of frozen veggies, in the microwave and a press of the "magic button" and dinner was ready.
Here's the finished product.
We had a bit of leftover gravy, which found itself a second life as breakfast. I sliced up and cooked some ritzy gourmet sausages I also scored at NPS. A couple of biscuits from the tube, the sausage, an egg over easy, and the gravy. It was just as good the 2nd time around. This picture just doesn't do it justice....it really was quite tasty.
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 jalapeño 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.
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 jalapeño 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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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