Underwhelmed

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Back in November when we were home, we stopped by my most favorite store - Cost Plus.  Half of our house is furnished by them, from our kitchen table to nightstands in the bedroom.  The dinner plate shown is from Cost Plus, as are all of our place mats and napkins.  I have been shopping with them since their first really cool store down near Fisherman's Wharf in the 1960's... They also sell alcohol from around the world - and different foods.  But, as usual, I digress...

I'm always on the lookout for something new and different, and so, when seeing a bottle of "Malaysian Sweet Chili Coconut Dipping and Stirfry Sauce" I had to pick one up.  Tonight was the night to try it.

I was just slightly underwhelmed.  I mean, it wasn't bad or anything, it just didn't live up to my expectations.  I was really expecting something richer and more... I dunno... exhuberant.  The Malaysian food I remember from Singapore was simply outstanding.  While I wasn't expecting anything even remotely similar to the quality of fresh-made from a street vendor (the best way to eat anywhere in the world!!!) I really wasn't expecting it to be so ... mediocre.  It really could have been any sauce from any jar, anywhere...

Oh well...  Fortunatley, I only bought one bottle...

In the meantime, Victor decided we needed dessert, so he made a valrhona chocolate banana cake.

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Life is <burp> good!


Cheeseburger in Paradise

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Not just any ol' cheeseburger in paradise!  This one was a bacon and asiago cheeseburger - with sprouts, tomato, pickles, and mayonnaise.  On little petite rolls.

I was really having a craving for a burger this afternoon - and this one satisfied that craving quite well!  We had fries on the side (oven-baked yukon golds cut shoestring on the mandoline...)

My stomach is smiling...


10-Minute Dinner

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Ya know...  I don't always milk the cow to make the cheese and grow and grind the wheat to make the pasta.  Sometimes I take shortcuts.  Like tonight.

Cheese tortelini, canned sauce (with added red wine.  I mean, c'mon.  I couldn't use it straight out of the can.  I'm not that  uncivilized!)   Some sausages and fresh bread.  Lots of shredded cheese on top.

Actually...  I fried the sausages, added the red wine, then added the canned sauce whilst boiling the pasta.

10 minutes.  Not bad!


Mardi Gras Gumbo

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Mardi Gras is tomorrow, but they've been partying in N'awlins for weeks, now, so I don't think I'm too early.

I've always liked Louisiana Creole and Cajun cooking (I learned a long time ago they are VERY different and the locals don't like them to be confused by us northerners) but, while I make a jambalaya-type meal fairly regularly, I haven't made a real Gumbo in years.

There's a Creole Gumbo and a Cajun Gumbo.  Creole Gumbo usually has tomatoes.  Cajun Gumbo NEVER has tomatoes.  Creole Gumbo roux can be blond or peanut butter-colored.  Cajun Gumbo is deep red-brown and smells like heavy roasted coffee when cooking.  I've burnt a couple of Cajun roux's in the past - which may account for why I haven't made it in such a long time.

Today, I decided on a Creole-style Gumbo with a dark peanut butter-colored roux.   I used a mixture of bacon grease and oil for the roux.  There are as many Gumbo recipes out there as there are people who make it,  and as I was trolling through the many different recipes, I found everything from bacon grease and pig fat to light canola oil  to use in making the roux.  It was still a bit nerve-wracking cooking the roux as it really can go from perfect to ruined in a matter of seconds.  And I'm a bit out of practice.

But this one came out perfect.  I could have pushed it a bit further - and next time I make it I probably will - but it came out damned fine!

Mardi Gras Gumbo

  • 1/2 cup bacon grease
  • 1/2 cup peanut oil
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 cups celery, chopped
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 2 bell peppers, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Tabasco
  • 1 qt clam juice
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced into rings
  • 1 pound chicken thighs, cut up
  • 1/2 pound frozen, sliced okra
  • 1 pound jumbo shrimp
  • Cooked rice
  • Diced tomato for garnish

Heat bacon grease and peanut oil in a heavy large Dutch oven over high heat until almost smoking. Add the flour and stir until desired color (dark red-brown for the more adventurous) about 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately add celery, onions and bell peppers, andouille, and chicken thighs. Cook 10 minutes, stirring and scraping bottom of pan often. Mix in spices. Add clam juice, Chicken broth, and canned tomatoes. Boil about 15 minutes, stirring now and again to keep from sticking. Add okra, reduce heat and simmer until okra is tender, about 15 minutes.

Add shrimp to gumbo and simmer until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Mound rice in soup bowls. Ladle gumbo over. Top with tomatoes.

I didn't have any Louisiana long-grained rice, but I did have some Carolina heirloom long-grained rice (Thanks, Mike!!) that went perfectly with it.

And a good, strong cup of Community Coffee would have been nice. I don't think I've had Community Coffee since the '70's when Tim Beech, my Louisiana Navy-friend, turned roommate, brother-in-law, and finally ex-brother-in-law, had it sent out to us by his parents.  We actually got quite a few CARE packages from Louisiana back in those days and I remember fondly that really dark coffee.

Ah... sweet youth... Them were the days!

Okay... several hours later...

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We needed dessert.

A quick chocolate pudding did it for us!

Chocolate Pudding

  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt in a 2-quart saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk and cream. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then boil, whisking, 2 minutes. Whisk in chocolate and vanilla until smooth.  Cool, chill, eat.

It's still chilling, but the whisk tasted great!


Beef Pot Pie

We had pie crusts at work yesterday for the first time in forever, so I had to pick up a couple of packages.  I know I constantly and continually rant and rave about scratch cooking and processed foods, but every now and again I have to eat my words, so to speak.  Good-quality pie crusts are a great thing to have in the freezer.

The filling was pretty much a basic beef stew simmered for several hours and then ladled into a crust-lined plate, topped with another crust, and brushed with an egg.

It went into a 400° oven for about 30 minutes and dinner was served!

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There's enough left for at least another meal.

Life is good.


Herbs and Spices

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Time to organize the back-up spices... I buy all my spices in bulk from Atlantic Spice Company.   They have really great spices, really great prices, and really great service.  I've been buying my spices from them since moving back here.  (I used to buy them at their sister company San Francisco Herb when we lived out west.)  I buy in 1 pound lots - which can be a lot, sometimes  (have you ever seen a pound of bay leaves?!?)  I refill the jars and containers and the backup goes downstairs into the dark and cool basement.

Problem was... they weren't really organized very well.  I almost kinda knew what was down there, but... almost and definitely aren't quite the same. I knew I was getting low on a couple of things, but...

So today I tackled them all!

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It actually wasn't as bad as I thought - and I found a few things I'll have to order in the next month or so...

What's really fun is there is probably aren't too many dishes we can't make because we lack an herb or spice.  There's three kinds of paprika (Spanish, Hungarian, and smoked), Greek oregano and Mexican oregano (they really are different!) more chili varieties than can be listed (I especially like the chipotle and the ancho),  berberé from Ethiopia... allspice and cardamom, fenugreek and fennel, Saigon cinnamon and Chinese Five Spice.  Hot curry, mild curry, and everything to blend my own curry.  Herbs d'provence and all-purpose Italian.  Coriander and cumin.  Peri Peri from Mozambique and hand-ground wild boonie peppers from Guam that are sent to us from our sister-in-law's nephew, Jay.  Whole nutmeg - with grandma's nutmeg grater) whole cloves, ground cloves, anise seed, star anise, and four different gingers.

And salt and pepper, of course.  (Kosher salt, Himalayian pink salt, Hawai'ian black salt, Hawai'ian red salt, San Francisco Bay salt, Guerande grey sea salt, Morton table salt and white pepper, cracked black pepper, coarse black pepper, fine black pepper, whole black peppercorns, whole green peppercorns, tellicherry peppercorns, and a 4-pepper blend.)

Some of the herbs and spices are probably a year or more old, but I definitely don't worry about it.  We really do use all of them at one point or another and really haven't had an issue with them.  It's all good.

Tomorrow I'm making Gumbo.  I bet I have all the spices I need...


Steak and Onions

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A steak with caramelized onions is the nectar of the gods.  It (almost) doesn't get any better!

Even though I got home early today, Victor cooked - and a great meal, it was.  He seared the steak on the stovetop, and then into a 450° oven for about 10 minutes.

Remember that oven picture a few posts back where the where the turkey filling spilled all over the place?!?  Well... I hadn't cleaned the self-cleaning oven, yet.  Do you know how much smoke is produced by a 450° oven with lots of fun spills in the bottom?  Do you know how cold a room can get when all the windows have to be opened to let out the smoke?  While hoping the neighbors don't call the fire department?  Really cold, really fast.  And fortunately, no one called the fire department.

The steak was cooked to perfection, the onions were heaven on earth, smashed potatoes with a dollop of sour cream... frozen peas...

Another successful dinner...

(Mardi Gras is Tuesday... I'm gonna make a gumbo!)


A Hot Plate and an Easy Bake Oven

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Last night we had an employee tasting after the store closed.  It was kinda like having dinner for 70 or so of our closest friends. Using a 2-burner hot plate and a little counter-top oven.  We had stuffed pork chops, we had beef stew.  There was ribbon pasta with langostinos, another version with cream, peas, and prosciutto.  Sausages, vegetarian items, a salad to die for...

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There were wraps, there were oven-roasted beans, focaccia pizzas with ratatouille and goat cheese, butter chicken with basmati rice, polenta...

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And enough cheeses and desserts to supply a small army.  I actually can't even remember all of the different foods we cooked and sampled.  I just know that we had a blast putting it all together, and the staff had a blast eating it.

A hot plate and an easy bake oven.

Damn, we're good!


Ragoût de boeuf

 

Beef stew by any other name - is beef stew.

We're having an employee tasting at work tonight and will be serving up a lot of different foods.  Since I have a slightly better-equipt kitchen at home, I brought home the ingredients to make the beef stew.   Besides... stew is always better the next day!

This one is pretty basic - and just the way I like it... beef, red wine, beef broth, tomato paste, carrots celery, leeks, potatoes, and a couple of bay leaves.  Salt and pepper.

Nothing fancy-schmancy... the flavors all speak for themselves.

And to keep it gluten-free for the folks at work, I'll be thickening it with cornstarch.

Yum.

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Almost Turkey Pot Pie

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It's fun creating new dishes out of old dishes... You never quite know what it will be - you just know it will be good!

We had leftover turkey and leftover boursin mashed potatoes that I originally thought I would make into potato pancakes.

I was in the mood for a creamy casserole with a crunchy bread crumb topping, but also wanted to use up the potatoes.  The result?!?  Do both!

I cooked up a bit of onion in some butter, added  some flour and then chicken broth and cream.  Into that went cut up turkey, frozen mixed bvegetables, and cooked tri-colored pasta.

I added an egg and a bit of flour to the potatoes, scooped them out and dropped them into panko bread crumbs and placed the potato patties on top of the casserole!  Into the oven it went for about 40 minutes and dinner was served!

We had the crunchy topping AND the potato pancakes all rolled into one!

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Oh... and thank goodness for self-cleaning ovens!

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French Onion Soup

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Cooking two meals at once yesterday was brilliant! (Okay - so I'm just slightly modest...)  but coming home today and just having to reheat the French Onion Soup that cooked and simmered all day long yesterday was really a treat.  Soups are always better the next day, anyway...  It was rich, onion-y, and rewarding.

I had a loaf of walnut raisin bread that made perfect cheesey croutons to top (as well as several more to dunk!)   It's really a good bread that goes sweet or savory with equal ease.

The soup is really easy to make, also...

Sliced onions into the pot with butter, cooked down until they're a deep, rich brown...  red wine, beef broth, garlic, bay leaves, a bit of salt and pepper...  Simmer.....

Very simple, very basic, very good.


I Need A Bigger Stove

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Today was a shopping and cooking day.  I had to do our shopping, then I had to take Victor's mom to a Dr's appointment and then out for her weekly shopping (everyone will be happy when her car is fixed!!!)

Finally back home, I put a turkey breast in the oven for tonight, and started French Onion soup for tomorrow.  It takes hours to get the onions just right - it's not something I can do right after work and expect to eat for dinner that night.

So... on our 4-burner cooktop, I had the onions cooking, turkey gravy cooking, potatoes (for Boursin Mashed Potatoes) cooking, and peas cooking.  All filled up - and this is just a simple Monday!

I would really love a bigger stove!  Actually, I would love to have a stainless steel commercial kitchen at home.  Quarry tile floors, floor drains, Refrigerators and freezers with racks that would hold full sheetpans...  And heck, as long as I'm dreaming... a real deep fryer, as well.

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Of course, I would need a bigger kitchen, which would mean some major renovations at our house.  More walls down.  An upper floor with a master suite, perhaps...  Definitely a skylight...

Hmmmm... How much is that Power Ball jackpot, anyway?!?